AMD Achieves Highest Revenue in 15 Years! Exciting Updates and EA Games on Steam

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction
2. AMD's Rise in Revenue
3. Financial Comparison: AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA
4. AMD's Potential for Growth
5. MSI Motherboards' BIOS Update
6. Intel's New Dual-Core CPUs
7. NVIDIA's New Features
8. GlobalFoundries and TSMC Cross Licensing Agreement
9. EA Games Coming to Steam
10. Intel's Discontinued Cannon Lake Platform
11. Leak of TRX 40 Motherboards

Introduction

Welcome back to the Hardware Box News Corner! In this week's edition, we have exciting updates about recent product releases, revenue reports of key players in the industry, BIOS updates for MSI motherboards, new CPUs from Intel, and features from NVIDIA. Additionally, we'll discuss the cross-licensing agreement between GlobalFoundries and TSMC, EA Games' arrival on Steam, and leaked information about TRX 40 motherboards. So, let's dive into the latest news in the world of hardware!

AMD's Rise in Revenue

AMD is making significant strides in the industry, with reports of their highest quarterly revenue since 2005. In the last quarter, AMD's revenue reached $1.8 billion, marking a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth can be attributed to the success of their SN2 product line, particularly in the client desktop sector. With a year-on-year gain of 36%, AMD has sold more chips at higher average prices, contributing to their impressive financial performance. However, a decline in the enterprise, embedded, and semi-custom divisions has affected overall revenue.

Financial Comparison: AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA

Although AMD's recent revenue surge is commendable, it's important to note that Intel still dominates the market. In the third quarter, Intel reported a whopping $19.2 billion in revenue, overshadowing AMD's figures. Due to its larger size, Intel's financial advantage is apparent, indicating that AMD has a long way to go to truly compete with Intel in terms of financial success. NVIDIA, on the other HAND, is expecting revenue around $2.9 billion for the third quarter, demonstrating its continued growth and stability in the market.

AMD's Potential for Growth

While AMD's financial achievements are impressive, its increased revenue bears both pros and cons for consumers. On one hand, more resources will be available to address microcode updates and other issues, leading to improved products and greater competition in the market. Moreover, the expansion into the mobile and server sectors has the potential to yield substantial profits. On the other hand, AMD's progress is still incomparable to Intel's dominance, which poses a challenge for the company. Nevertheless, increased competition benefits all consumers, as evidenced by Intel's revised pricing for HTDT chips prompted by AMD's competitive offerings.

MSI Motherboards' BIOS Update

MSI has started rolling out the official non-beta BIOS update for several of their X570 motherboards. The updated BIOS, version 10.04 with SMU version 40 6.54, brings optimizations, improvements, and potential fixes for boost clocks. The BIOS update is currently available for the X570 Creation, Godlike, ACE, Unify, and Gaming series motherboards. While older boards like the X470 and B450 series haven't received the update yet, it is expected that other motherboard manufacturers will follow suit with their own updates in the near future.,

Intel's New Dual-Core CPUs

In a surprising move, Intel has launched new dual-core CPUs as part of its Comet Lake platform. These low-power laptop processors, such as the Pentium Gold 6405U and the Celeron 5205U, pertain to the 10th generation parts. However, the clock speeds of these chips, ranging from 1.9GHz to 2.4GHz, are notably low compared to other Intel offerings. This limited upgrade in clock speeds indicates Intel's lag behind AMD in terms of low-end laptop parts, as AMD's upcoming Zen 2 APUs seem to offer more promising performance. Nevertheless, Intel's dual-core CPUs target the entry-level market, which still comprises a significant consumer base.

NVIDIA's New Features

With the release of the GeForce GTX 1660 Super, NVIDIA has introduced several noteworthy features that enhance the overall gaming experience. Firstly, reshape filters are now supported in NVIDIA's Freestyle tools through GeForce Experience. This enables users to customize the look of their games in real-time, offering a wide variety of post-processing filters. Additionally, the sharpening filter, previously exclusive to Freestyle, can now be accessed through the NVIDIA Control Panel, providing sharper visuals in all DirectX games. To complement these developments, NVIDIA has expanded its ultra-low latency mode to work with G-Sync enabled displays, ensuring a seamless gaming experience for users.

GlobalFoundries and TSMC Cross Licensing Agreement

In a significant resolution, GlobalFoundries and TSMC have reached a cross-licensing agreement, effectively ending their ongoing legal battle over patent infringement claims. This agreement grants both companies the right to cross-license their existing semiconductor patents, as well as any patents filed within the next 10 years. Though specific details about the number of patents and financial aspects remain undisclosed, this agreement signifies a shift towards collaboration and innovation, freeing up resources to focus on technological advancements rather than pursuing lawsuits. It's reassuring to know that customers of both companies will not face any disruptions and can continue to rely on their products with confidence.

EA Games Coming to Steam

In a surprising move, EA Games has announced its decision to bring its collection of games to the popular PC gaming store, Steam. Following years of exclusive availability on the Origin platform, EA Games will commence its arrival on Steam with the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Several other EA titles, including The Sims 4, will follow suit in the coming months, with prominent multiplayer titles like Battlefield 5 and APEX Legends set to arrive on Steam in 2020. This move bodes well for players, as it will allow them to access EA games seamlessly through their existing Steam library and connect with friends on the platform. Additionally, EA has expressed its openness to bringing its games to the Epic Games Store in the future, further broadening the options for players.

Intel's Discontinued Cannon Lake Platform

Intel has officially discontinued its Cannon Lake platform, specifically the NUC product featuring the Core i3-8121U processor. The decision comes as no surprise, given the lackluster performance of Cannon Lake, which only managed to release a dual-core CPU with clock speeds of 2.2GHz. The discontinuation aligns with Intel's transition to its Ice Lake platform, marking its true entrance into the 10-nanometer process technology. Though Cannon Lake had limited releases and failed to gain traction, Ice Lake offers improved performance and features, making it a more viable option for consumers.

Leak of TRX 40 Motherboards

Ahead of their suspected unveiling, details of TRX 40 motherboards from Gigabyte have been leaked, providing insight into the upcoming AMD third-generation Threadripper CPUs. Gigabyte accidentally revealed the specifications and names of their TRX 40 motherboards in a PDF listing. This leak includes the TRX 40 AORUS MASTER, TRX 40 AORUS PRO WIFI, TRX 40 AORUS XTREME, and TRX 40 DESIGNARE. Pricing information from an Australian vendor indicates that the ASUS PRIME TRX 40 is priced at around $550, while the ROG ZENITH EXTREME TRX 40 is priced at approximately $1,300. These early details give enthusiasts a glimpse of what to expect and build anticipation for AMD's highly anticipated third-gen Threadripper CPUs.