Topps Blog

Wednesday, 2 November 2022

Leaked Slides Offer Details on Intel’s Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake CPUs

(A prototype Meteor Lake chip from Fab 42. Photo: Cnet) Now that Raptor Lake is officially in gamers’ hands worldwide, we begin to turn our focus to the next generation of Intel silicon. New slides have appeared that offer some insight into Intel’s plans. Surprisingly, its upcoming Meteor Lake seems to be a scaled-back version of Raptor Lake. However, its 15th-generation Arrow Lake architecture marks a return to higher core counts. These CPUs are slated for 2023 and beyond, so as always things can change. They’re also tile-based architectures, so they are radically different from the company’s current “hybrid” designs. They’re also dependent upon TSMC to deliver some of the tiles, so it’ll be a team effort.

The slides are labeled with both Intel and Hot Chips badges, indicating they were presented at the recent silicon symposium. They were unearthed by Wccftech, and look like the types of slides that would be shown off at a conference. We already knew some of this information, including Meteor Lake’s tile assignments. It’ll be built on a new 7nm process dubbed Intel 4. It’s supposed to be in testing now, with high-volume production starting in early 2021. It was originally supposed to come after Alder Lake, but it was delayed by roughly a year. This caused Intel to come up with a workaround, which it named Raptor Lake. Pat Gelsinger has already said on the record that Intel 4 testing is going well.

This slide shows just six compute, or P-cores, for Meteor Lake. (Image: Intel via Wccftech)

What’s notable is that Intel has been increasing core counts recently, but it’s seemingly reversing that with Meteor Lake. It went from 16 to 24 cores moving from the 12900K to the 13900K. However, Meteor Lake’s theoretical 14900K will offer just six P-cores, for 22 cores total (thanks to 16 E-cores). That’s two fewer performance cores than it used in both of its hybrid architectures. This would indicate Intel is favoring efficiency with Meteor Lake over raw horsepower. Another departure for Meteor Lake is only the top SKU will offer a 125W TDP. The rest of the lineup is 65W and lower, which bolsters the theory it’s a mobile-first design. Or it’s possible the slides are only referring to its mobile CPUs, not its desktop parts. A previous leak of a Meteor Lake mobile block diagram indicated it would max out at 14 cores.

Intel’s updated roadmap through 2024, and beyond. (Image: Intel via Wccftech)

Another big change for Meteor Lake will be the Xe-based integrated GPU. It’s currently using an older UHD 770 design for Alder/Raptor Lake, and this will be jettisoned in future architectures. Meteor Lake will offer four XE cores, with a total of 64 execution units. That’s double what it’s currently offering. Meteor Lake could use an integrated version of its current Alchemist architecture, with Arrow Lake using the next-gen Battlemage design via TSMC’s 3nm process.

For Arrow Lake, Intel will return to the 24-core design used by Raptor Lake. All of its top SKUs will offer the same design with eight P-cores and 16 E-cores, with 125W, 65W, and 35W variants. This will be Intel’s second tile-based design, on its 20A process. This will be the first non-FinFET CPU from Intel since Ivy Bridge in 2011. It’ll use RibbonFET transistors along with PowerVia backside power delivery.

Intel shared this diagram for a mobile version of Meteor Lake at the conference. (Image: Intel)

Intel’s chart also notably doesn’t include any mention of its Intel 3 process, which will be an evolution of its 5nm Intel 4 node. As we wrote previously, Intel 4 will be designed for high-performance computing, with Intel 3 optimized for GPUs and ASICs. It’ll be the first node for Intel that adopts EUV, making it the last foundry to do so.

It’ll be very interesting to see how Intel proceeds with these future architectures. Alder and Raptor Lake were its first E/P core hybrid designs. It’s largely succeeded in those efforts, as they are very competitive with AMD’s Zen offerings. With Meteor Lake and beyond it’s changing to tile-based architectures similar to AMD’s current CPUs, so we’ll get to see a true head-to-head battle play out. Though TSMC still has a node advantage over Intel, the latter has always claimed its nodes are competitive despite what numbers the marketing teams use.

Meteor Lake has also been the subject of a lot of rumors concerning delays and parts being swapped out. It supposedly wanted TSMC’s 3nm node for the GPU tile. However, that was reportedly jettisoned in favor of its 5nm technology. A lot is on the line for Intel as it attempts to jump from node to node with its upcoming chips. We all know what happened at 14nm so no need to repeat that here. It’ll be interesting to see if it can make a smooth transition to Intel 4, then eventually, to 20A as well.

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Astronomers Find Potential Planet-Killer Asteroid Hiding in Sun’s Glare

Astronomers have spotted three new near-Earth asteroids orbiting in the inner solar system, and one of them is the largest such object discovered in the last eight years. While they’re relatively close to Earth, between here and the planet Venus, these space rocks evaded detection by hiding in the sun’s glare. Two of the space rocks are of little concern, but the other crosses Earth’s orbit. We don’t know how serious the threat is yet, but there’s a possibility it could find itself in the same place as Earth in the future. And that would be very bad for anyone living on Earth at the time.

The only reliable way to spot asteroids kicking around the inner solar system is to time observations during twilight, when the sun’s glare is less intense. There are only two 10-minute windows each day to conduct these sweeps, and observations are limited to a section of sky near the horizon. The international team used the Dark Energy Camera located on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope located in Chile. With this instrument, they were able to spot the three near-Earth asteroids (NEAs), dubbed 2021 LJ4, 2021 PH27, and 2022 AP7.

The first two are of little concern, though astronomers are somewhat interested in 2021 PH27 as it’s currently the closest known asteroid to the sun. Temperatures on the surface would be high enough to melt lead. This rock, as well as 2021 LJ4 won’t pose any danger to Earth, but 2022 AP7 is more concerning. This asteroid, which is almost a mile across (1.5 kilometers), crosses Earth’s orbit.

The Dark Energy Camera in operation.

The National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab says 2022 AP7 is a potential “planet killer.” But the emphasis is on potential. 2022 AP7 is not hurtling toward Earth — it has an elliptical orbit around the sun, and the place it crosses Earth’s orbit is currently on the opposite side of the solar system from our planet. 2022 AP7 has a 1:5 near resonance with Earth, which means it takes five years to complete an orbit of the sun. Over time, it is expected to move closer to Earth, but it should not pose any danger for a century or more. Still, this is an object astronomers want to keep tabs on.

Astronomers currently know of over 1,400 NEAs with the potential to impact Earth in the future — you can see a full list of them on NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies website. Should 2022 AP7 or some other object approach Earth in the future, we might be able to deflect it. NASA’s DART mission recently conducted the first test of planetary defense technology, showing that it’s possible to alter an asteroid’s trajectory with a kinetic impactor. NASA says early results from the mission show that the asteroidal moon Dimophos was even more affected by the vessel’s impact than expected.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022

Falcon Heavy Rocket Aces First Launch in 3 Years

SpaceX has just nailed yet another rocket launch, but this one is unusual. Most of SpaceX’s launches utilize the Falcon 9, but this latest mission for the US military’s Space Systems Command required the extra oomph of the Falcon Heavy. This was the first launch in three years for the most powerful operational SpaceX rocket, and it sure puts on a good show.

The standard Falcon 9 has completed 48 launches already this year because its modest payload capacity and robust reliability are all most customers need. The Falcon 9 can hoist about 37,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit with enough fuel left over to land the first-stage booster on one of the company’s uncrewed floating landing pads. The Falcon Heavy, on the other hand, can lift a whopping 141,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit.

The government declined to explain what, exactly, it was launching with the latest Falcon Heavy. All we know is the satellites (USSF-44) are part of Space Systems Command’s innovation and prototyping division, which focuses on the rapid development of space technology. Whatever it is, it weighs a lot. This is only the third operational launch of the Falcon Heavy, not including the 2018 maiden flight during which Elon Musk launched his Tesla Roadster into space. The first mission deployed a massive telecom satellite for Arabsat, and the other was another secret Department of Defense project in 2019.

After a three-year hiatus, the Falcon Heavy is again dazzling with its spectacle. The triumvirate lifted off Tuesday morning (November 1st), and several minutes later, the side boosters came down for a synchronized landing on a pair of pads on the Florida coast. However, the center stage, which is reinforced to support the side boosters, was not recovered. SpaceX has landed all three pieces before, but it seems this launch consumed too much fuel for the center stage to make it back to the surface. The payload was being deployed to a geosynchronous orbit, which requires more fuel than low-Earth.

Falcon Heavy’s side boosters have landed – marking the 150th and 151st recovery of orbital class rockets pic.twitter.com/vK4ZdfDQtX

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 1, 2022

It has been more than a decade since SpaceX first talked about the Falcon Heavy, which was initially seen as the aerospace firm’s next big step after the Falcon 9. Since then, the still-in-development Starship has been put forward as the future of SpaceX. While the Falcon Heavy is essentially three Falcon 9 boosters strapped together, the Starship uses an entirely new design that could be used for missions including low-Earth orbit, planetary transport, and lunar landings. It could even get to Mars and back, a key part of CEO Elon Musk’s claimed goal of sending people to Mars. However, the Falcon Heavy will be used to launch the Europa Clipper mission in a few years.

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New Ransomware Attack Tries to Frame Security Researchers

Most ransomware tries to extract a ransom for the restoration of files, hence the name. Whether or not the nefarious individuals behind the attack hold up their side varies, but a new version of the Azov Ransomware doesn’t bother. Instead of demanding Bitcoin, it tells infected individuals to contact security researchers and cybersecurity publication BleepingComputer, as if they are the authors of the malware. However, this is just an attempt to frame the good guys.

While Azov has some features of ransomware, and it presents itself as such, it’s more accurate to call it a data wiper. The updated malware began appearing on systems over the past few days after purchasing installs via the SmokeLoader malware. People often pick up SmokeLoader on sketchy sites that offer key generators, software cracks, and game cheats. This botnet is used to distribute numerous pieces of nasty hacking software, including other ransomware. There are even people whose systems have been double-encrypted, first by Azov and then by the STOP ransomware.

When introduced on a system, the malware launches itself from a temporary directory, usually with the addition of a Windows registry key. The executable scans all drives on the computer to find files that don’t have ini, exe, or dll extensions. Whenever it finds something else, like a document, image, or video, it encrypts it and appends the .azov file extension to the end.

In each folder containing encrypted files, Azov creates a text document called “RESTORE_FILES.txt,” which you can see above. Usually, this is where your average ransomware would ask for money to decrypt the files. As BleepingComputer reports, the text document claims to be written by Polish security researcher and malware analyst Hasherezade. The document tells users to reach out to Hasherezade, BleepingComputer (and owner Lawrence Abrams), Vitali Kremez, and other cybersecurity pros on Twitter. Hasherezade notes in a statement that it’s common for malware authors to try and frame researchers.

Naturally, none of those people will be able to do anything about the encrypted files, but that’s not the intent. The attackers seem to want to implicate these individuals while also sewing chaos online. The document also makes some pro-Russian statements about the war in Ukraine, transparently dressed up as support for ending the war. It’s possible someone will find a way to unlock the files encrypted by Azov, but for the time being, they should be considered toast.

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Valve May Soon Introduce Peer-to-Peer Steam Downloads Across LAN

PC gamers almost never use game discs anymore with all the sources for downloadable titles, but what if you didn’t have to download them every time? Code from the latest beta builds of the desktop Steam client points to an upcoming feature that would let you move game files from one device to another on your network, potentially saving you a ton of time and bandwidth. You can tinker with this feature now, but be warned, it’s still very early in development.

News of the “peer content” mode was first broken by SteamDB developer Pavel Djundik, who tweeted about the apparent feature last week. The name probably evokes the image of peer-to-peer file sharing, but both of the “peers” in this case are on your local network. Thus, one system can act as the server, and another is the client downloading game content from it. This makes it possible to shuffle a game from your desktop to a laptop or Steam Deck. Or, it could be the other way around.

Game sizes continue to increase, ballooning to well over 100GB in many cases. If you’ve got an unmetered gigabit connection, you probably don’t mind downloading the same 100GB on multiple machines, but those on slower connections with bandwidth caps would really appreciate this feature. You could burn through 10 percent of Comcast’s standard 1.2TB monthly data cap downloading a game once. If you have multiple gaming machines, you’re looking at a significant chunk of your monthly allotment gone. This also helps Valve, which saves bandwidth on its end.

Valve is seemingly working on peer-to-peer Steam downloads on LAN. pic.twitter.com/o6fXYo7gHK

— Pavel Djundik (@thexpaw) October 27, 2022

This feature is available in the most basic way if you’re running the latest beta of the desktop Steam client. After launching it with the “-dev” attribute, you’ll be able to use the console to set “@PeerContentClientMode” on one machine and “@PeerContentServerMode” on the other. Gamers around the web say this is working but not reliably. Once this feature is complete, there will be a UI and no need to tinker with the dev mode.

Since the feature is only available in the latest beta, that shows it’s not an abandoned feature of yesteryear — Valve is working on this, but we have no idea when it will be available for real. Given its current state though, it could be a while.

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Cannabis Makes People Think They’re More Creative

(Photo: Add Weed/Unsplash) Whether or not you use it in any form, you’ve probably bought into the assumption that cannabis and the artistic lifestyle go hand in hand. For centuries people have thought cannabis use boosts creativity, resulting in more unique and meaningful works of art and innovation. But according to a pair of recent studies, this technically isn’t the case. Cannabis doesn’t enhance creativity at all, but it does make people think they’re being creative, which for some is all the same.

A team of scientists at the University of Washington recently conducted two studies capturing the effects of cannabis-based substances on creativity. As workplace behavioral researchers, their goal was to see how cannabis use impacted employees and organizations. Their findings, however, ended up addressing a much broader swath of human behavior.

To start, the team recruited over 300 people who reported using cannabis a few times per week. These self-reports were confirmed via drug test. (Due to legal and ethical guidelines, the team wasn’t able to request that people begin using cannabis when they didn’t already.) Fifteen minutes after having consumed their cannabis product of choice, each participant was asked to complete a creative exercise. In the first study, the exercise was to name as many uses for a brick as could be imagined, while the second study had participants think up marketing ideas for a generic local band. These same exercises were completed again at least 12 hours after each participant’s last use.

Many famous artists have been said to use cannabis to “boost creativity.” (Photo: Jessica Pamp/Unsplash)

Once the exercises had been completed, the participants were asked to evaluate the creativity of the ideas they generated. A panel of judges (consisting of subject matter experts and fellow researchers) also evaluated each idea’s level of creativity. When they were high, participants judged their own ideas quite generously; when they were no longer under the influence, the same participants doled out less favorable judgments. Meanwhile, the panel found no fluctuation in creativity level between cannabis-fueled ideas and sober ones.

So cannabis doesn’t actually make people more creative; it just makes people think they are. But why? The researchers believe that cannabis highs, which generally come with feelings of happiness and relaxation, reduce the harshness with which users judge their own ideas, causing them to feel as though they’re experiencing enhanced creativity in that moment. In actuality, they could’ve come up with the same ideas sober—they just wouldn’t have appreciated those ideas as much.

For some people, the truth of cannabis’ effect on creativity might be just as convenient as the alternative, long-standing assumption. Many writers, musicians, visual artists, and other creative people hesitate to execute their ideas because they view them poorly. Receiving those ideas more graciously might help creative folks bypass their fear of failure or harsh judgment and act on their creative notions anyway. In fact, that could be what famous cannabis-using artists have been doing all along…but that’s a study for another day.

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AMD RDNA3 GPU Revealed With Two Eight-Pin Connectors

This week AMD will finally unveil its chiplet-based RDNA3 GPUs. The big question is whether AMD will follow Nvidia’s lead with power-guzzling, fire-breathing GPUs, and at what price? The gaming community has been split on the RTX 4090. Some appreciate its record-breaking performance, while others have lambasted its size, power requirements, and its ability to melt power cables. However, it seems AMD might be taking a different approach with RDNA3. One of its new GPUs has been photographed, and though it’s bigger than its predecessors, it sports only two eight-pin power connectors. That seems kind of quaint in the current environment. It also flies in the face of rumors that AMD would be unleashing a monster GPU in the same vein that Nvidia has with the 4090.

Photos of an AMD engineering sample GPU have appeared on Overclock3D.net. The card is shown next to its RDNA2 sibling, and we can draw two firm conclusions from it. First, as far as power draw goes, it’s safe to assume this is a 375W GPU. It can pull 150W from each power cable, and 75W from the PCIe slot. That’s considerably less than the RTX 4090’s 450W total board power (TBP). That will likely come as good news for a lot of gamers while being a cause for concern to others. After all, AMD has stated previously that board power consumption would be going up for RDNA3. That lead a lot of people, us included, to assume it meant it was really going up. However, if it’s 375W that’s only 45W more than the current RX 6950 XT. The original 6900 XT was a 300W card though, so 75W is a decent amount.

The prototype board is certainly larger than its sibling but not humungous. (Image: Overclock3d.net)

The other conclusion we can draw is the card is actually a reasonable size. It looks like a regular dual-slot design, which actually seems small now. It’s almost, dare we say, kind of cute? With the RTX 4090, some people had to buy a new case just to make it fit. That’s because some of the partner boards are outlandishly massive, with 3.5 slot designs and unprecedented width. It’s actually exacerbated the adapter bending issue as the connector is where the side panel is on some mid-towers.

Another explanation for its size is it could be the second-tier RX 7900 XT. According to rumors, AMD is launching two GPUs this week. There will be a 7900 XT and a 7900 XTX flagship card. It’s possible the XTX version might have a higher power draw. That would be similar to some of the RX 6950 XT partner boards, which featured three connectors instead of the two found on the AMD version. It’s also worth remembering that the noted overclocking site Igor’s Lab posted a mockup of the card’s PCB previously. They said it would have three eight-pin connectors based on what their sources told them. That could very well happen with the full-sized XTX board.

Also, the pictured board is clearly an engineering sample. Its naked PCB is exposed, as it’s lacking a backplate. This suggests we shouldn’t rush to judgment just yet on its features. However, it has the same red “racing stripes” shown in a teaser during the Zen 4 launch (top). That seems to indicate this is the real deal.

(Image: AMD)

There could also be a huge plot twist here: AMD has found a way to compete with the RTX 4090 with 75W less power. If that’s the case, the company has made some truly revolutionary efficiency gains. It’s already stated its goal is a 50 percent improvement in performance-per-watt for RDNA3. It calls that “industry-leading efficiency,” and it might be right about that. Nvidia isn’t exactly a slouch, though. After all, it found a way to keep TBP for the RTX 4090 the same as the 3090 Ti despite it having more than triple the number of transistors.

Still, AMD had a PR campaign for its current-gen cards stating they were more efficient than Nvidia’s. Generally speaking, it’s right about that, so it’s possible AMD could have the upper hand in terms of efficiency with RDNA3. The big question is whether that will matter to gamers.

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