By Kyle Bennett @ HardOCP
The AMD Ryzen Threadripper is a beast when it comes to overclocking and cooling. Cooler Master steps into the ring with the first Threadripper-specific air cooler that we have come across. We have put it through the paces here on our highly overclocked and overvolted 1950X. Does the MasterAir MA621P have what it takes?
By Josh Jackson @ Pure Overclock
Typically, you don’t just add a CLC to a graphics card, but NZXT designed the Kraken G12 bracket for just the occasion. Of course you need a compatible CLC in order to make it work, and that’s where Arctic comes to play. I’ve looked into finding what I thought would be the best CLC for the purpose of using on a GPU, and my research led me to choosing the Liquid Freezer 120. It was pure speculation at the time, but the combination of two included fans, an extra thick radiator, and a convenient 120mm size seemed like the perfect fit.
Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.
Steam Free Weekend (April 26-30) and massive discounts on Arma games
After already welcoming 4+ million players to its highly-rated military sandbox game, Bohemia Interactive is calling in additional reinforcements by hosting a Free Weekend for Arma 3 on Steam. The Free Weekend starts on April 26 at 19:00 CEST (all time zones) and ends on April 30 at 19:00 CEST. It provides all Steam users with the opportunity to try out the complete Arma 3 base game. Plus, if they wish to continue playing after the Free Weekend, people can pick up Arma and nearly all of its DLC packs at massive discounts of up to 66% (and 80% off previous Arma games).
Arma 3 is an authentic military shooter game, in which you enter a massive military sandbox terrain to engage in diverse tactical combat. Players have access to a wide variety of gear and weapons – and are able to operate all sorts of military vehicles such as tanks, helicopters, and jets. The game also offers a large number of singleplayer scenarios (including a story-driven campaign) and multiplayer modes. Plus, there’s a powerful yet intuitive 3D Scenario Editor for users to create their own scenarios, as well as the Arma 3 Zeus interface that lets users act as a real-time Game Master for other players in multiplayer.
On top of that, Arma 3 fully supports all types of player-created content and modifications, which can be easily shared with other players via the Arma 3 Steam Workshop. The Workshop already hosts 50,000+ publicly shared items, ranging from weapons, vehicles, and uniforms to new gameplay features, singleplayer or co-op campaigns, and community-made multiplayer modes such as the original PLAYERUNKNOWN’s Battle Royale.
Since the initial release of the Alpha version on Steam Early Access in 2013, Arma 3 has come a long way by introducing lots of additional content, new features, and improvements. The game has received 75 free platform updates and 10 DLC packs, which have helped to achieve an impressive average playtime per Arma 3 user of 150+ hours. In a new infographic poster, Bohemia Interactive provides a quick overview of Arma 3′s development and how people have engaged with the game so far.
For more information about Arma 3, please visit the official website at www.arma3.com.
Source: TechPowerUp!
NVIDIA has releases GeForce 397.31 WHQL drivers. The drivers see NVIDIA discontinue regular support for 32-bit versions of Windows. It also sheds support for GPUs based on NVIDIA “Fermi” GPU architecture (GeForce 400 series and 500 series). The drivers also add first official support for NVIDIA RTX real-time ray-tracing technology. To use it, you’ll need a GPU based on NVIDIA’s next-generation “Volta” architecture (such as the $3,000 TITAN V), the latest major version of Windows 10, and Microsoft DXR developer package. The drivers also add support for Vulkan 1.1 API. Besides the above three, GeForce 397.31 WHQL is game-ready for “BattleTech” and “FrostPunk.”
You can download the new GeForce 397.31 WHQL drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.
ALERT!
NVIDIA GeForce 397.31 WHQL Drivers Put GTX 1060-Powered Systems Into Endless Restart Loop
TechPowerUp! is reporting that numerous GTX 1060 owners have reported on the official NVIDIA forums that they were unable to complete the installation of the 397.31 drivers. Users were prompted to restart their systems to complete the installation process, but once they have done so, they were presented with the exact screen over and over again putting their systems into an endless restart loop. While NVIDIA is investigating the bug, GTX 1060 owners are encouraged to roll back to a previous version of the drivers as a stop-gap solution. The workaround consists of rebooting the affected system in safe mode and running Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove the 397.31 drivers. Users can then proceed to install the previous 391.35 drivers normally.
By Ian Boudreau @ Wargamer
One of the things that keeps me coming back to ArmA 3 is its stern-faced commitment to realism in an unchangeably goofy video game world. There’s something David Lynchian about the whole affair – you’re never quite sure whether the developers are completely earnest or if you’ve just gotten a wry wink at the absurdity of it all.
Take the latest Tanks DLC package. I’ll run through the vital statistics later, but there’s such a funny juxtaposition of an obsessively intense focus on simulating real-world military operations with the realization that a lot of what happens in the military isn’t any fun. While I was gleefully thundering around in my Rhino MGS, a tank destroyer introduced in this new pack, some incoming mortar fire blew out my front two passenger-side tires.
The damage model is detailed enough so that this has a pretty severe impact on handling. But then I got out of the Rhino, clicked a prompt, and had the tires back in action in about 25 seconds total.
3 New DLC Packs Plus Season Pass Details Revealed For The Deadfire Archipelago
Obsidian Entertainment, developer of critically acclaimed role-playing games, in partnership with indie publisher Versus Evil, today announced plans for three exciting, in-depth expansion packs for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. The expansion packs will include new quests that will add to the lore of the Deadfire, new areas to discover, new secrets to reveal, and a whole host of new characters to meet and challenges to overcome!
The first downloadable-content pack (DLC), ‘Beast Of Winter‘ will be available in July 2018, and will take your party to an island populated by a mysterious doomsday cult, that hides an ancient secret. Players will get to experience adventuring in ‘The Beyond,’ a mysterious dimension populated by ancient souls and filled with devilish challenges.
The second DLC ‘Seeker, Slayer, Survivor’ available in September 2018, is a combat-focused expansion taking place on a previously undiscovered island that will challenge the martial prowess of your party, and your tactical skills as a commander, as you embark on a mission to rediscover ancient relics, and pit your party against Eora’s most skilled and savage.
The third DLC, ‘The Forgotten Sanctum’ available in November 2018, will test your party’s allegiance and morality in a quest to help (or obstruct) the great wizards of Eora. Will you befriend, betray or befuddle these venerable mystics as you uncover secrets lost to the generations? The consequences of your actions will be felt across the Deadfire Archipelago whatever you decide.
All three packs are included as part of the Obsidian Edition of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire which is available for sale now. A Season Pass including all 3 DLC packs will also be available for purchase when the game launches for $24.99. The expansion packs will be sold individually for $9.99 as they are released. FIG Backers that backed at the Collector’s Edition tier or above or included the Season Pass as part of their backer pledge will also receive the Season Pass.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire launches on May 8th, 2018 on Windows PC, Mac, and Linux platforms and is currently available for pre-order through Steam, GOG.com, Obsidian.net and Versus Evil, as well as other digital retailers.
Check out the Pillars of Eternity II:Deadfire Features trailer HERE.
By Marco Chiappetta @ Hot Hardware
The Samsung SSD 970 Pro and 970 EVO are the company’s latest flagship sold state drives for high-performance desktop and mobile applications. They feature new controllers, the latest NAND, updated firmwares, and some subtle new features, all designed to boost performance and reliability. We’ve got both drives in hand and have put them through their paces on our freshly-updated test bed, alongside a quartet of competing products.
Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.
Today, all players that own Battlefield 1 can jump into Rupture for free, which is a map featured in Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass, set during the Second Battle of the Marne and characterized by its poppies growing over rusty wrecks. In addition, the next few months will bring even more free content to all Battlefield 1 players including Soissons in May, also from Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass, to tackle one of the biggest tank assaults of World War I.
In June, bit-sized epicness is coming to Battlefield 1 in a new mode, Shock Operations. The mode supports 40 players and sees attackers and defenders battling over sectors like in fan-favorite Operations mode, but with the action focused to one single map – ideal for those that don’t have time for a full Operations match. Shock Operations will be available on five maps: Giant’s Shadow, Prise de Tahure, Lupkow Pass, Zeebrugge, and River Somme. Most of these maps are normally only available to owners of Battlefield 1 Premium Pass or standalone expansion packs. However, base game owners will be able to access them too when playing Shock Operations.
Check out the Battlefield 1 blog to stay up to date on what’s to come to Battlefield 1 in the coming months.
