This week’s Hardware News recap covers the release of tools that allow users to “jailbreak” AMD CPUs, the ongoing issues with Nvidia’s RTX 50 series GPUs, and the discovery of a malware game on Steam. Additionally, it highlights an innovative laptop design with an expandable screen and discusses the upcoming AMD RX 960 graphics cards expected to launch soon.
In this week’s Hardware News recap, several exciting topics were covered, including rumors about the upcoming AMD RX 960 and 960 XT graphics cards, the ability to “jailbreak” AMD CPUs, and ongoing issues with Nvidia’s RTX 50 series GPUs. The video also touched on a recent incident involving a malware game on Steam and a new innovative laptop design featuring an expandable screen. Additionally, the host announced a brief production slowdown to allow the team to catch up on various projects and updates.
The Google security research team has released tools that enable users to “jailbreak” AMD CPUs, allowing for modifications to microcode. This exploit, known as Entry Sign, affects AMD’s Zen architecture from Zen 1 to Zen 4 and has the potential for both security implications and enthusiast applications. While the tools could enable users to modify their CPUs, there’s a cautionary note about the risks involved, especially since the microcode changes do not persist through reboots.
Nvidia is facing challenges with its RTX 50 series GPUs, as they continue to experience black screen and crashing issues. The company has issued a driver hotfix to address these problems, but this marks yet another attempt to stabilize the new graphics cards. The slow rollout of fixes has raised questions about Nvidia’s quality control, especially given the limited number of GPUs currently available in the market.
In the gaming sector, a malicious game titled “Pirate Fi” was found on Steam, distributing malware to users who downloaded it. Valve responded by removing the game and advising affected users to perform full system scans and consider reinstalling their operating systems. The malware reportedly targeted sensitive information from users’ accounts, raising concerns about security practices on platforms like Steam and the need for better vetting of uploaded content.
Lastly, the video highlighted an innovative laptop design by Compal, which features a screen that can expand from 14 inches to 18 inches, providing users with more display space while maintaining portability. This design utilizes rollable OLED technology and aims to balance size and functionality. Additionally, the anticipated RX 960 graphics cards from AMD are expected to launch soon, with potential 8GB and 16GB configurations, positioning them to compete with Nvidia’s offerings in the mid-range market.