Intel vs AMD: which chipmaker does processors better?

Introduction

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to PC upkeep. It’s by no means an effortless task, and it only gets more difficult as you consider buying new parts and upgrades. It’s not an impossible challenge, however, as maintaining a PC comes down to little more than a basic understanding of how one works.

• 5 ways Nvidia, AMD and Intel upped the ante at CES 2017

Among the most important parts of a computer is the CPU or the processor. If the motherboard is the PC’s skeleton, the CPU is the brains of the operation. That said, finding the best processor for your needs is made easier once you determine which brand suits you best: are you an AMD or an Intel fan? The answer isn’t as simple as whether you prefer red or blue.

Like the war waging in the graphics cards space between Nvidia and AMD, the CPU market oversees the rivalry of AMD vs Intel. Despite biased hearsay, both company’s chips have their own advantages and shortcomings. With AMD beset on all sides, let’s look at how its processors stack up to Intel’s Kaby Lake chips, which power even the latest round of ZenBooks.

MakerBot Targets Pros, Teachers With New 3D Printers, Tools

MakerBot's new 3D printers are faster and quieter than their predecessors, and they come with new tools to help teachers use them in the classroom.

The company's new Replicator+ printer is approximately 30 percent faster, has a 25 percent larger build volume, and is 27 percent quieter than the fifth-generation model it replaces. Its smaller cousin, the Replicator Mini+, gets a 10 percent speed boost and is 58 percent less noisy than the Mini Compact.

Eking out noise reductions and performance gains are crucial to boost sales of 3D printers to consumers, since they are slow, noisy, and expensive compared to their ink-and-paper counterparts.

But MakerBot is also going after teachers and design professionals with new apps that walk the user through the entire 3D printer setup process step by step. The MakerBot Print app and the new MakerBot Mobile app can control and monitor multiple 3D printers throughout an office or school.

The company is also launching Thingiverse Education, a lesson plan exchange for 3D printing in the classroom, and a series of step-by-step guides that explain how to finish 3D-printed models once they come out of the printer. The guides include techniques like gluing, sanding, painting, vacuum forming, brass inserts, and silicon molding.

In a statement, MakerBot CEO Jonathan Jaglom said his company has undergone a "cultural shift" over the past year to focus more on the needs of educators and professionals.

Consumers can still buy its printers, of course. MakerBot is offering the Replicator+ at an introductory price of $1,999 and the Replicator Mini+ at $999 until Oct. 31. Regular prices will be set at $2,499 and $1,299.

Razer Protoypes Stolen From CES Booth

Razer's Project Valerie was, hands down, one of the most ambitious concepts at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. It was so cool, in fact, that we here at PCMag named it the Best Concept/Prototype of the show.

Apparently we weren't the only ones impressed with the three-screen laptop. Someone liked it so much that they acquired the buzzed-about prototype with a five-finger discount.

In a Facebook post early Monday, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said he'd "just been informed that two of our prototypes were stolen from our booth at CES today." And he's not too happy about it.

"We treat theft/larceny, and if relevant to this case, industrial espionage, very seriously — it is cheating, and cheating doesn't sit well with us," Tan wrote, possibly suggesting a competitor stole the machines. "Penalties for such crimes are grievous and anyone who would do this clearly isn't very smart."

Tan added that Razer has filed "the necessary reports" and is now working with CES management and law enforcement to catch whoever stole the prototypes. He encouraged anyone with information about the theft to reach out to Razer's legal team.

"At Razer, we play hard and we play fair," he wrote. "Our teams worked months on end to conceptualize and develop these units and we pride ourselves in pushing the envelope to deliver the latest and greatest."

Razer's 12K Project Valerie laptop sports two 4K displays, which spread out like wings from the main screen. Even with three screens, Project Valerie is only about as thick as two Razer Blade Pros stacked together, and was able to run a game at full resolution across the three screens. This thing may never end up as a consumer product, but it's cool to dream about

Samsung SSD 960 EVO

When it comes to SSDs, Samsung knows that if isn't ain't broke, don't fix it. The 500GB Samsung SSD 960 EVO ($249.99) is the latest update to the company's highly successful SSD 850 EVO, and is poised to repeat that success thanks to its class-leading performance, endurance, and affordability.

While you wouldn't necessarily call the 960 EVO revolutionary, it does a good job of making existing technologies work well together. It runs on the PCI Express (PCIe) bus and uses the NVMe protocol, meaning it's capable of reaching blistering sequential read speeds of up to 3.2GBps and write speeds of 1.9GBps. That also amounts to about 400 percent more IOPS in random read and write operations than its SATA-based predecessor.

The SSD 960 EVO also utilizes the M.2 form factor, which makes it roughly the size of a stick of gum (22mm wide and 80mm long). It's also available in 250GB ($129) and 1TB ($479) capacities, and all versions feature impressive endurance ratings. (There is, however, no 2TB version; you'll have to step up to the Samsung SSD 960 Pro if you want that.) The 500GB version is rated for 200TB written over the drive's lifetime, while the 250GB version is rated for 25TB and the 1TB version for a sky-high 400TB. While you're unlikely to wear out the 960 EVO in normal usage, one drawback is that Samsung has reduced the length of its warranty to three years, down from the previous five given for the 850 EVO. And because it's an M.2 drive, you'll need a relatively recent desktop or laptop to actually use it.

Specs aside, the 960 EVO slots nicely among Samsung's SSD offerings as an affordable PCIe NVMe drive and an alternative to the pricier SSD 960 Pro line—especially considering that the 960 EVO is only a smidge slower than the 960 Pro.

For more details, check out the Samsung SSD 960 EVO review on our sister site, Computer Shopper.

Apple Car Project Cruises Ahead With Help of Bob Mansfield

Apple's car project is cruising along with the help of someone who knows a thing or two about bringing products to market: Bob Mansfield
The former Apple Senior Vice President of technologies, who stepped down from his post on Cupertino's executive team three years ago, is now "running the company's secret autonomous, electric-vehicle initiative," internally known as "Project Titan," according to The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Mansfield joined Apple in 1999 after Cupertino acquired Raycer Graphics, where he served as vice president of engineering. During his tenure, Mansfield was in charge of the Mac hardware team, iPhone and iPad hardware engineering, and the iPad hardware team.

In June 2012, Mansfield decided to leave the tech game, but two months later, it was announced that Mansfield would remain at Apple, to "work on future products" and report directly to CEO Tim Cook. The following year, he officially exited Cupertino's executive team in favor of a smaller role working on "special projects" like the Apple Watch.

"Until recently, Mr. Mansfield… had all but retreated from the company aside from the occasional visit," the Journal's sources said. "Earlier this month, employees at Apple noticed in the company directory that all the senior managers on the car project were now reporting to Mr. Mansfield."

Meanwhile, don't get too excited about the Apple Car just yet, because word has it the vehicle is still at least five years away. The Information last week reported that Apple has pushed back its expected car launch to 2021. Cupertino was previously aiming for a 2020 launch, though it has yet to even confirm that it's working on a car project, so take release date news with a grain of salt.

What Is HDR (High Dynamic Range) for TVs?

High dynamic range (HDR) video is one of the newest TV feature bullet points. It can push video content past the (now non-existent) limitations to which broadcast and other media standards have adhered to for decades. But adoption could be slow over the next few years because it's a complicated and somewhat esoteric feature. Let us explain.

Standard Dynamic Range

TV contrast is the difference between how dark and bright it can get. Dynamic range describes the extremes in that difference, and how much detail can be shown in between. Essentially, dynamic range is display contrast, and HDR represents broadening that contrast. However, just expanding the range between bright and dark is insufficient to improve a picture's detail. Whether a panel can reach 100 cd/m2 (relatively dim) or 500 cd/m2 (incredibly bright), and whether its black levels are 0.1 (washed out, nearly gray) or 0.005 (incredibly dark), it can ultimately only show so much information based on the signal it's receiving.

Current popular video formats, including broadcast television and Blu-ray discs, are limited by standards built around the physical boundaries presented by older technologies. Black is set to only so black, because as Christopher Guest eloquently wrote, "it could get none more black." Similarly, white could only get so bright within the limitations of display technology. Now, with organic LED (OLED) and local dimming LED backlighting systems on newer LCD panels, that range is increasing. They can reach further extremes, but video formats can't take advantage of it. Only so much information is presented in the signal, and a TV capable of reaching beyond those limits still has to stretch and work with the information present.

What Is HDR?

That's where HDR video comes in. It removes the limitations presented by older video signals and provides information about brightness and color across a much wider range. HDR-capable displays can read that information and show an image built from a wider gamut of color and brightness. Besides the wider range, HDR video simply contains more data to describe more steps in between the extremes. This means that very bright objects and very dark objects on the same screen can be shown very bright and very dark if the display supports it, with all of the necessary steps in between described in the signal and not synthesized by the image processor.

To put it more simply, HDR content on HDR-compatible TVs can get brighter and darker at the same time, and show more shades of gray in between. Similarly, they can produce deeper and more vivid reds, greens, and blues, and show more shades in between. Deep shadows aren't simply black voids; more details can be seen in the darkness, while the picture stays very dark. Bright shots aren't simply sunny, vivid pictures; fine details in the brightest surfaces remain clear. Vivid objects aren't simply saturated; more shades of colors can be seen.

This requires much more data, and like ultra high-definition video, current optical media can't handle it. Blu-ray discs cannot hold HDR information. That will change over the next few years as the UHD Alliance pushes the Ultra HD Blu-ray standard. It's a disc type that can hold more data, and is built to contain 4K video, HDR video, and even object-based surround sound like Dolby Atmos. It could solve all of the distribution problems of 4K and HDR without requiring a very fast Internet connection. Online streaming can also offer 4K and HDR video, but Ultra HD Blu-ray provides a physical and broadly accessible way to get it.

What You'll Need

Don't expect to use these discs with your existing Blu-ray player, though. While they're still called Blu-rays, they use different technology and different encoding standards to stuff all of that information onto the medium, and you'll need an Ultra HD Blu-ray player. They're still pretty rare at the moment, with only a few options currently available, like the pricey Samsung UBD-K8500 and the Microsoft Xbox One Sgame system.

If you don't want to deal with physical media, HDR content is trickling steadily onto streaming services like Netflix and Vudu. Of course, like any 4K content, HDR depends on having a very fast, reliable Internet connection. If your stream can't support it, you won't be able to watch your desired movie or show in HDR even if it is available.

You'll need an HDR-compatible TV, as well. HDR is not 4K. A 4K screen might support HDR, but that doesn't apply to all sets. If your TV doesn't support HDR, it won't take advantage of the additional information in the signal, and the panel isn't calibrated to handle that information even if it was properly read. Even if the TV can handle the signal, it might not produce a particularly better picture (our reviews of HDR-capable TVs include evaluating HDR performance), particularly if it's a less-expensive LED TV. So, if you haven't picked up a 4K television yet, you might want to wait for a good HDR-compatible one that fits your needs in the future. If you have, don't fret; HDR content is even less abundant than 4K video, and we won't see it become widely available for a while.

Types of HDR

HDR isn't quite a universal format, and currently HDR content is split into two groups: HDR10 and Dolby Vision. HDR10 is the standard pushed by the UHD Alliance. It's a technical standard with specific, defined ranges and specifications that must be met for content and displays to qualify as using it. HDR content available on Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are generally HDR10. Televisions that support HDR10 are allowed to display the UHD Alliance's Ultra HD Premium logo.

Dolby Vision is Dolby's own HDR format. While Dolby requires certification for media and screens to say they're Dolby Vision compatible, it's less of a distinct standard than HDR10. Dolby Vision, like HDR10, contains much more information about light and color for each pixel. However, Dolby Vision media is calibrated to fit the profiles of individual Dolby Vision displays to produce the best picture based on each panel or projector's limitations and range. The end result is still a picture that has wider, more varied colors than standard dynamic range video. Dolby Vision-compatible televisions will have the Dolby Vision logo on their packaging.

As for which HDR format is better, it simply isn't clear yet. Both can offer significant improvements over standard dynamic range, and currently both are seeing media and televisions coming out in their respective standards. Like the clash between Blu-ray and HD-DVD when high-definition video became prominent, we'll have to see which format, if either, gets a strong foothold in the market.

Where Is It Now?

Ultra HD Blu-ray discs have been trickling into stores, and major studio releases have been coming out in combination Ultra HD + Blu-ray packs that include films on both Ultra HD and standard Blu-ray discs. It's a welcome stopgap measure as Ultra HD Blu-ray players get adopted, offering an option for consumers to watch movies on regular Blu-ray until they're ready to upgrade. Not every Ultra HD Blu-ray film has HDR content, but HDR releases have prominent HDR logos on the front for easy identification

HDR-capable televisions are still fairly rare, and limited to most manufacturers' high-end lines. The OLED-based LG Signature OLED65B6P stands out as the most prominent HDR television we've tested so far. Other HDR-capable TVs include the 2016 versions of Samsung's SUHD, Sony's XBR, and Vizio's P and Reference lines.

As for streaming, Netflix recently launched HDR support, and you can watch certain releases like Marco Polo in HDR if your television supports it and your Internet connection is fast enough. Vudu also offers HDR films on demand, and we're sure to see support expand in the future.

Canon Gets Serious About Mirrorless With the EOS M5

Canon's mirrorless camera system has failed to impress in testing, as its contrast-based autofocus system is slow and plodding when compared to what Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, and Sony have been able to deliver.

Canon looks to change that with its newest mirrorless, the EOS M5. It's a more serious version of what's come before, leveraging the Dual Pixel AF tech that we've seen in SLRs like the 80D for focus, and includes an in-body EVF.

The M5 looks like a Canon camera should. It's finished in black, with a matching leatherette and the company's iconic logo raised atop the body, just below the pop-up flash. There are plenty of on-body controls, including two top-mounted control dials, a dedicated EV wheel, a rear dial, and a standard Mode dial. In addition to the pop-up flash, you can use a Speedlite flash with the M5.

The rear display is a touch screen. It's mounted on a hinge so you can shoot at waist-level or face it forward for selfies. But, in a design no doubt inspired by the Olympus PEN E-PL7, you'll need to flip the screen down below the camera in order to face it front for selfies

Internally the camera has a 24MP APS-C image sensor powered by a Digic 7 image processor. It can shoot at 7 frames per second with continuous focus and exposure or at 9fps with both locked after the first shot. The sensor covers an ISO 100 through 25600 sensitivity range, and it supports Raw and JPG formats for still as well as 1080p60 video capture. The lack of 4K is the one disappointing aspect of the camera, especially considering that Canon is rolling out a new hybrid stabilization system for movies with the M5. A combination of digital and in-lens stabilization promises to deliver correction on 5 axes for smoother, more natural-looking handheld footage.

If Dual Pixel AF works as well with the M5 as it does with the 80D, it will be a big step forward for the Canon mirrorless system. When I reviewed the 80D, I found that its Live View focus system locked onto targets with ease, and smoothly transitioned from one focus point to another when recording video. Choosing a focus point should be easy as well—you just need to tap on the rear display to tell the M5 where to focus. If you're using the EVF you can still swipe your finger across the LCD to move the focus point around, just as you'd control a cursor with a laptop touchpad.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built-in. Bluetooth keeps the M5 connected to your phone at all times, and it can move images over to your smartphone automatically as they're captured. Wi-Fi is there for faster image transfer, and to allow you to use your phone as a remote control. However, if you don't need to see the Live View feed on your phone, you can opt to use it as a simple wireless shutter release utilizing the Bluetooth connection.

The EOS M5 is going to go on sale in November for $979.99 as a body only. A kit with the EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM will sell for $1,099.00.

Canon is also launching a new EF-M lens. The EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM is going to go on sale in December, priced at $499.99. It will be bundled with the M5 in a kit, also on sale in December, positioned at $1,479.00.

There's also a new lens for the Canon SLR system. The EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II USM is an update on the company's budget-friendly full-frame telezoom. It promises to deliver improved image quality and a stronger 4-stop stabilization system. Canon has added a monochrome information LCD to the lens, which can display the set focal length, focus distance, or the amount of handheld camera shake the lens is detecting. The 70-300mm will hit stores in November and is priced at $549.99.