Plus an update on the chip shortage |
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Today we've got a hands-on review of Nvidia's latest graphics card, an update on the ongoing chip shortage that's plaguing the world, and a guide to catching the solar eclipse that's happening later this month. Enjoy! |
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A new report from Jon Peddie Research (JPR) shows massive year-over-year growth across the PC market, but it comes with a warning. The report asserts that the massive demand for computing products will taper off, and over-reactions from semiconductor suppliers could leave the market with a lot of chips without a home.
The pandemic brought huge demand for computers -- in particular, laptops. The report shows a 49% increase in laptop sales year-to-year, which is the greatest single-year growth on record. In Q1 2021 alone, there were more than 89 million notebook shipments, which is an all-time high. To address this demand, semiconductor executives like Intel's Pat Gelsinger have promised to ramp up production over the next few years, but Jon Peddie, President of JPR, says that's a risky proposition.
"The risk is that semiconductor suppliers will be lured into over-reaction and believe that suddenly 100s of millions of new users have appeared and the demand will stay high," Peddie wrote. "That's not only not realistic, it's also not true -- where are they coming from -- not this planet?"
The impact of this overcompensation isn't just spare chips on hand. It could indicate an impending market crash. |
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The Nvidia RTX 3070 was already one the most easily recommendable graphics card. It provided powerful 4K performance, yet came in at a reasonable $500. That's downright cheap in today's market, where graphics cards are selling for twice their retail price.
After releasing the overpriced RTX 3080 Ti last week, Nvidia is putting out its more modest RTX 3070 Ti. It only costs $100 more than the 3070, and fills the market with more appropriately priced options that provide all the performance PC gamers will need.
Does that make the RTX 3070 Ti the best graphics card you can buy or is it as unnecessary as the RTX 3080 Ti? We dug in and put the card through a series of torture tests to find out. |
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NASA has just posted its monthly update (above) highlighting upcoming treats for sky watchers. Top of the list is a solar eclipse happening later in June.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between Earth and the sun, obscuring Earthlings' view of our nearest star. While the event taking place on Thursday, June 10, will be a partial eclipse, where a portion of the sun will remain visible, it still promises to be an amazing spectacle for those lucky enough to witness it.
First thing to note — June's solar eclipse will be visible to a greater or lesser degree to folks in the northeast of the U.S., eastern Canada, and northern Europe. "For U.S. viewers, this is a sunrise event, with the moon already appearing to have taken a bite out of the sun as it's rising," NASA says in its description of the approaching solar eclipse. For those in northern Europe, the eclipse will be viewable around lunchtime. |
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TIPS, TRICKS, & TECHNIQUES |
Now that Apple Music has added lossless audio to its entire catalog and is adding thousands of tracks in Dolby Atmos Music, you may be considering switching from Spotify to Apple Music.
But what if you've spent a lot of time creating playlists and marking songs and albums as your favorites? Will all that hard work be lost in translation? The good news is that there are several excellent tools, both free and paid, that can help to make the transition as painless as possible. |
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