Custom PC UK

We’re finishing up this issue just before Christmas, and we’ve only just got the last of the recent slew of massive hardware launches out the way. Intel and AMD have both launched new CPUs and motherboard chipsets, Nvidia has brought out a new GPU architecture and now AMD has done the same with its latest RDNA 3 chips. It’s been an exhausting few months, and at the end of it, I have to ask why so many hardware launches had to come out right at the end of the year. As James Gorbold outlines on p98, there are barely any RDNA 3 cards for retailers anyway. But there’s also a deeper problem here, which is that you need to be really sure your new CPU or GPU is absolutely up to scratch…

It’s rare we get a new type of memory, and Samsung recently surprised us with its new GDDR6W tech. The ‘W’ means it’s ‘wide’ and can send twice the data per cycle of standard GDDR6 memory, doubling the bandwidth per chip. Achieving a data bus that is both wide and fast (22Gbps) are two performance factors that are typically mutually exclusive, so this is a significant breakthrough. GDDR6W uses chip-stacking within each package (fan-out wafer-level packaging), in order to put one layer of memory ICs on top of another and connect them with tiny copper pillars. This also doubles the capacity within each chip. It means a high-end GPU with 16GB of memory and a 256-bit interface could need only four GDDR6W chips, rather than the eight normally required, simplifying the…

Sometimes, if it’s relevant or I’m feeling mischievously pretentious, I’ll drop a casual, ‘oh yes I met so-and-so at the BAFTAs’ into a conversation about the aforementioned so-and-so. The other person usually hesitates, trying to decide if I’m a nob for mentioning it (yes) or if they’re actually impressed (sometimes), which is just enough time for me to make a cheeky face and say, ‘the video game BAFTAs.’ There’s always either a palpable relief or slight disappointment that turns into a knowing laugh. The sad truth is, the video game BAFTAs aren’t taken as seriously as the film and TV BAFTAs, even by the game-playing public. They don’t attract international A-list celebrities, they aren’t televised and the clothes winners wear aren’t scrutinised in magazines or social media. Games just aren’t as…

Corsair’s first bendable monitor is now available for pre-order, with a UK price of £2,099 inc VAT at corsair.com. The 45in panel has the ability to be bent from being fully flat to having an 800R curve, meaning you can have the best of both worlds depending on your needs at the time. The Xeneon Flex 45 has a resolution of 3,440 x 1,440 with a 21:9 aspect ratio, and Corsair says its OLED display enables it to offer a peak brightness of 1,000 nits and a 1,500,000: 1 contrast ratio. There’s also a 240Hz refresh rate, as well as support for both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. The company says units are expected to begin shipping in late December 2022. When’s the next issue out? Custom PC Issue 235 on sale Thursday,…

Fractal Design has introduced a new case design that goes beyond the usual aluminium and plastic construction, adding walnut or oak panelling, along with brass or steel details, plus a faux leather tab at the back that lets you easily pop off the top panel. Fractal claims the North ‘integrates stylishly into your living space’, while offering ‘an intuitive interior layout.’ In addition to its unique looks, the North offers room for a 360mm radiator in the front, and a 240mm unit in the top, while also allowing up to 350mm of clearance for a graphics card, which drops to 300mm if you have a 360mm radiator in the front. Other features include a meshed top panel, and there’s also a mesh version of the case that offers a meshed side…

SUPPLIER scan.co.uk AMD’s latest flagship GPU is finally here! Oh, hold on, where’s it gone? As James Gorbold correctly outlines on p98, there’s currently severely insufficient stock of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX. That’s a shame, because AMD’s new top-end GPU is actually pretty good. It’s still overpriced at £999 inc VAT, but it looks like a veritable bargain next to Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 and 4080. We’ve taken a full deep dive into the new RDNA 3 architecture in our feature on p68, but we’ll go through the essentials here too. RDNA 3 sees AMD makes its first move to a modular, chiplet-based approach to GPU package design. Instead of having the whole lot in one monolithic die under the heatspreader, AMD has separated the L3 cache and memory controller from…