Our latest CPU news and articles

I would like to share my experiences with the latest Intel microcode update (0x129) with you. After updating to the latest BIOS version of my mainboard, not only was the latest microcode active, but the BIOS now has an Intel Baseline Profile, which sets or limits certain voltage and power supply settings in the BIOS. I compare the results with the older microcode 0x104, which still can also be set in the new BIOS.

Maybe you have heard of problems with Intels Raptor Lake CPUs (13/14 Gen Intel Core i) that have degradation problems due to high voltage and therefore can crash in some situations like gaming. We show you an easy way to check if your cpu is affected by using Intels own Processor Diagnostic Tool.

At the end of September 2022, the time had come: AMD presented its latest desktop processors called AMD Ryzen 7000. Initially, 4 processors with 6 to 16 CPU cores were released.

The new socket AM5 (LGA 1718) is used for the first time, which is intended to replace the very durable socket AM4 introduced in 2017 as AMDs mainstream platform. This includes (depending on the chipset) PCIe 5.0 support as well as the exclusive use of DDR5 memory on all AM5 mainboards.

Officially, DDR5-5200 is the maximum, but with AMDs EXPO Technology which is similar to Intel's XMP 3.0, AMD now also has a solution for easy overclocking of the main memory. AMD itself names DDR5-6000 as the sweet spot for the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors.

With the Dimensity 9000+, Mediatek presents the latest of its smartphone chips. The successor to the Mediatek Dimensity 9000 achieves higher CPU and GPU clock frequencies thanks to better binning. The CPU clock of the prime core (A core) increases from 3.0 to 3.2 GHz. And the ARM Mali-G710 MP10 GPU can now clock at 0.9 GHz (previously 0.85 GHz).

Both are a good improvement over the Dimensity 9000 in theory but the increase in performance should not usually be noticeable in practice. In the end, the overall performance of the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ is impressive: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is beaten in Geekbench 5 in both the single-core and multi-core benchmarks.

The AMD Ryzen processors are designed for the mid to high-end range and are grouped into the Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 classes. AMD follows the market leader Intel, which groups its Core i series (Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9) identically.

The AMD Ryzen processors were first introduced by AMD in Q1 2017. They are the successor to the not particularly successful AMD Bulldozer processors. The latter were manufactured using an outdated manufacturing process and could not keep up with the competing products from Intel. AMD lost a large portion of its desktop processor market share during this period.

In September, both AMD and Intel are introducing their new mainstream desktop processors. It doesn't seem to have been as close as this year for a long time, leaked benchmarks of the new top models from AMD and Intel point to a head-to-head race.

This year even the 6 GHz clock limit is almost within reach. With a good cooler and some overclocking it should be possible to reach the 6 GHz limit. But even in series production, the manufacturers try to realize the highest possible clock frequency, at least on one core.

Every year Apple releases a new iPhone series and with the release of the series always the latest Apple A processor. This has become even more important in recent years, as it has also formed the basis for Apple's M processor series since 2020. The Apple M processors are based on the same core architecture as the Apple A processors, but have been significantly upgraded in many areas such as memory bandwith, amount of memory or cache.

Last week we already reported on the new Intel Core i7-13700K processor from Intel, which is expected in autumn 2022. With 8+8 CPU cores (24 threads), the Intel Core i7-13700K should have the same configuration as last year's Intel Core i9-12900K. With this, Intel wants to finally clear AMD's lead in multi-core performance, which has existed for several years.

According to an internal Intel slide published at the end of last year, the Intel Core i7-13700K could have 8+8, i.e. 16 CPU cores that provide 24 threads. The interesting thing about the slide is that it was recently confirmed by newer leaks of the Intel Core i9-13900K and the Intel Core i5-13600K as the number of cores and also the size of the cache matches with recently published CPU-Z screenshots of alleged development models.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 (6C 12T) is currently enjoying great popularity and is currently one of the best-selling processors for AMD's Socket AM4 platform.

But why is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 so cheap and what disadvantages does the buyer have to accept? We clarify that in this article. But first we have to dive a little into the technology of the current Zen 3 processors in order to understand what kind of exotic cpu AMD has actually created with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500.