GPU-Z 0.8.6 Released
TechPowerUp has officially released version 0.8.6 of GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem information and diagnostics utility. Version 0.8.6 brings along support for DirectX 12, removes the shader model readout, reduces memory consumption of monitoring sample history, adds command line usage, and can successfully wake sleeping AMD GPUs in laptops during the startup of the program. The latest version of GPU-Z also includes a wealth of different fixes for previously known bugs, such as BIOS readings on the AMD Fury Series, several instabilities on Intel GPUs, voltage monitoring on some Sapphire graphics cards, and much more. Support for the latest AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA graphics solutions is also available, further widening the user base of GPU-Z.
GPU-Z 0.8.6 is available for immediate download from the official TechPowerUp website.
Source: TechPowerUp
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NVIDIA Adds to Workstation Lineup with NVS 810 GPU
NVIDIA has announced the addition of the NVS 810 to its workstation offerings. The NVS 810 packs two Maxwell GPUs with 512 CUDA cores each onto a single slot card with eight mini-DisplayPort 1.2 connectors. The target market for the card is the "digital signage market where video walls are very popular right now." The card is capable of powering up to 4096x2160 of displays at 30Hz. Support for nView and NVWMI is included "to simplify image management tasks and manage GPU installations remotely." Pricing information for the card is currently unavailable.
Source: Legit Reviews
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Autonomous DNA Walker Created
Nanomachines likely conjure up images of tiny electronic devices from science fiction with interesting medical applications. The true form of nanomachines though may not be electronic, but look a bit more like a famous double-helix molecule. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have created a nanomachine from DNA that can walk.
Nanoparticle walkers have been created before, but these only had the ability to walk along predetermined paths. This new DNA walker instead makes random movements, literally picking its feet up and putting them down randomly, but still does not cover the same area twice. It was only able to take 36 steps, but that still adds up to one important step to eventually creating machines for exploring our bodies to watch out for various diseases, including cancers.
While more work is going to be needed, we can already envision applications such as having DNA walkers exploring the body and amplifying signals from cancer cells. This will allow doctors to more easily detect cancers, and perhaps one day use other walkers to deliver medicine directly where it is needed.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
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New Screenshots Show the Graphics Technology of Fallout 4
Less than a week remains before the wasteland is open to us once again and we can explore The Commonwealth in Fallout 4. To give us all a little bit of a tease, Bethesda has released some new screenshots of Fallout 4 and also discusses the graphics technology of the game. Fallout 4 runs on a modified version of the Creation Engine, the same one that powers The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. One of the first things Bethesda did to the Creation Engine was to give it a physically based deferred renderer in order to add more dynamic lights and apply realistic materials to the surfaces. Bethesda is all about immersion in its games, which is why it wanted the metal to reflect and shine light in a different way than wood or water.
Fallout 4 also features a dynamic time of day and weather system, with storms rolling across and the sun rising and setting. Bethesda says it worked with NVIDIA to help out on the volumetric lighting, so those god rays look as good as they possibly can. This technique runs on the GPU and uses hardware tessellation, with Bethesda saying it looks great regardless of platform. The lighting adds a new layer of atmospheric depth to the wasteland as you explore, and is apparently a sight to see. As for the storms, Bethesda's new material system lets surfaces actually get wet and for cloth, hair, and vegetation to blow in the wind. Truly something to add in getting lost in the world.
Bethesda didn't want to detail all of the graphical settings added into Fallout 4 or what we can change on the PC side, but did reveal a sampling of what it added into the revamped Creation Engine. Virtual cameras were upgraded, too, so none of the details should be missed when you're exploring. As for what some of the things Bethesda added, well, take a look:
- Tiled Deferred Lighting
- Temporal Anti-Aliasing
- Screen Space Reflections
- Bokeh Depth of Field
- Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
- Height Fog
- Motion Blur
- Filmic Tonemapping
- Custom Skin and Hair Shading
- Dynamic Dismemberment using Hardware Tessellation
- Volumetric Lighting
- Gamma Correct Physically Based Shading
Fallout 4 arrives on November 10 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Bethesda
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Hardware Roundup: Wednesday, November 4, 2015, Edition
The middle of the week is here, with a few items to help out your day. There is a review of the AZZA Noza 8000 full tower case, a large model that features a dual chamber design to keep the drive bays separate from the rest of the components. We also have a look at the ECS LIVA X2 Mini-PC, featuring an Intel Braswell SoC to help deliver plenty of performance for those needing a small computer. Wrapping things up is a look at the best tablets of 2015 to give you an idea of what to buy if you're in the market.
Cases
AZZA Noza 8000 @ Neoseeker
Small Form Factor
ECS LIVA X2 Intel Braswell Mini-PC @ PC Perspective
Laptops/Tablets
Best Tablets of 2015 @ TechSpot
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New Lithium-Air Battery Developed with Great Promise for Future
Batteries are a crucial technology for many of the devices we use every day, but while these other devices are continually developed and improved upon, batteries have been advancing very slowly. One potential replacement for modern lithium-ion batteries is the lithium-air battery and has gotten a major boost recently, thanks to University of Cambridge researchers.
Lithium-air batteries can theoretically have very high energy densities, at ten times that of modern lithium-ion batteries, but have been held back by low efficiencies. The voltage gap between charge and discharge is a measure of a battery's efficiency, and previous lithium-air batteries had gaps between 0.5 and 1 volt. By significantly changing the chemistry being used, the Cambridge researchers brought the gap down to 0.2 volts, which comes out to an efficiency of 93% and is much closer to modern batteries. This change in chemistry also reduces the number of unwanted chemical reactions, which improves the lifespan of the battery, and so far it has been recharged over 2000 times.
While this is a significant step towards viable lithium-air batteries, the researchers do not expect them to be ready for another decade. Issues of dendrite formation, charging and discharging rates, and the necessity of cycling with pure oxygen still need to be addressed. With the potential to achieve energy densities rivaling gasoline though, you can bet there will be a great amount of attention given to these batteries.
Source: University of Cambridge
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