Google’s AutoDraw turns your clumsy scribbles into art

Google wants to help you get in touch with your inner Picasso. Today, it’s launching AutoDraw, a web-based tool that uses machine learning to turn your hamfisted doodling into art. It’s similar to, but clearly far more advanced than, Android Wear’s ability to recognize a crudely drawn smiley face and replace it with an emoji.

The app is free and it works on any phone, computer or tablet. It’s pretty straightforward: draw your best version of a cake, for example, and the auto suggestion tool will try to guess what that amorphous blob actually is. Then, you can choose from a number of better looking cakes made by talented artists. Or, if amorphous blob is actually what you were striving for, you can turn off the auto suggestions and doodle away.

AutoDraw uses the same technology as another Google experiment called QuickDraw. It’s a mini-game that tells you which objects to draw, like an eye or a helicopter, then gives the AI 20 seconds to recognize it. AutoDraw is more of a creative tool, allowing users to make things like posters or coloring books. But, both likely serve the same purpose of teaching a neural network to recognize doodles.

Right now, Google claims AutoDraw can guess hundreds of drawings, and the company plans to add more in the future. If you have suggestions on what objects Google should add, or you’re an artist who’d like to contribute to the project, you can do that here.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google

Roku TVs will eavesdrop on your shows to serve up ads

Roku fans have another treat this week aside from getting Sling TV’s Cloud DVR functionality. Assuming you opt in, the latest software version (7.6) will use Automatic Content Recognition to listen to what broadcast programming you’re watching and suggest other stuff to watch based on that, as a way to “enhance” your couch potato session. “Additional viewing options may include the ability to watch from the beginning, watch more episodes of the same show and/or view suggestions for similar entertainment available to stream,” the section about Roku TVs reads.

The way Roku describes it sounds pretty innocent until you look further and discover that while you can disable the function if you aren’t cool with it, “viewing information collected prior to the feature being turned off” won’t be purged. So, like pretty much every online-based service, any data collected during the time period is Roku’s property and could be sold to the highest bidder at the drop of a hat. The Roku privacy policy regarding ACR use is as follows:

“If you choose to enable a feature called “More Ways to Watch” on your Roku TV, then in addition to the viewing information and other information that Roku collects from your Roku TV as described elsewhere in this policy, Roku may also collect viewing information using ACR. If “More Ways to Watch” is enabled, Roku uses ACR to help Roku identify the networks, channels, and programs you watch and when you watch them via your Roku TV’s antenna or devices connected to your Roku TV’s input ports, including over-the-air broadcasts and cable set-top boxes. Based on this information, we may recommend personalized content, serve personalized ads to you and measure viewership of ads and programming.

We may supplement this viewing history with other demographic data we learn about you. We may also share viewing data derived from ACR with third parties such as measurement providers in an aggregate manner or in ways that do not personally identify you directly.”

TechCrunch reports that this data collection only happens during use, and since ACR isn’t a microphone, it won’t be listening when your set is powered off. And again, the only way any of this works is if you opt in. If you’d rather it not happen, it’s as simple as not agreeing to it when prompted. Vizio, on the other hand, recently came under fire for making its data collection opt-out, versus opt-in.

Aside from that, the rest of the patch notes sound fairly standard. Now there’s a favorite channels list and custom input naming (so you don’t have to remember what’s plugged into HDMI 3). We’ve reached out to Roku for additional information beyond what’s in the privacy policy.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Roku

Worldwide Mac Sales Up Slightly as PC Market Continues to Decline in Q1 2017

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple’s Mac sales are up slightly, according to new PC shipping estimates shared today by Gartner.

During the first quarter of 2017, Apple shipped an estimated 4.2 million Macs worldwide, up from 4 million in the year-ago quarter for an estimated growth of 4.5 percent. During the quarter, Apple held 6.8 percent of the market, up from 6.3 percent during the first quarter of 2016, allowing the company to hold on to its position as the number five PC vendor in the world.

Lenovo, HP, and Dell, the top three worldwide PC vendors, saw shipment growth during the quarter. Lenovo shipped an estimated 12.4 million PCs for 20 percent of the market (1.2 percent growth), HP shipped an estimated 12.1 million PCs for 19.5 percent of the market (6.5 percent growth), and Dell shipped 9.4 million PCs for an estimated 15 percent of the market (3.4 percent growth).

Gartner’s Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q17 (Thousands of Units)
Asus, the number four PC vendor in the world, saw a sharp decline in growth, shipping only an estimated 4.5 million PCs compared to 5.3 million during the first quarter of 2016. Acer and the “Other” group composed of smaller manufacturers also saw declines.

According to Gartner, overall worldwide PC shipments totaled 62.2 million units, a 2.4 decline compared to the first quarter of 2016.

“While the consumer market will continue to shrink, maintaining a strong position in the business market will be critical to keep sustainable growth in the PC market. Winners in the business segment will ultimately be the survivors in this shrinking market,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “Vendors who do not have a strong presence in the business market will encounter major problems, and they will be forced to exit the PC market in the next five years. However, there will also be specialized niche players with purpose-built PCs, such as gaming PCs and ruggedized laptops.”

“The top three vendors — Lenovo, HP and Dell — will battle for the large-enterprise segment. The market has extremely limited opportunities for vendors below the top three, with the exception of Apple, which has a solid customer base in specific verticals.”

In the United States, PC shipments totaled 12.3 million units in 1Q 2017, also a 2.4 percent decline compared to 1Q 2016. Apple is the number four PC vendor in the United States, shipping an estimated 1.47 million Macs (for 12 percent market share), a slight decline from the 1.48 million Macs shipped in the first quarter of 2016.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q17 (Thousands of Units)
While HP saw 16 percent growth in the United States with an estimated 3.6 million shipments, shipments were down for Dell (3.2M), Lenovo (1.7M), and Asus (503,000).

Apple’s U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-1Q17 (Gartner)
IDC also released its PC market shipment estimates today, and as per usual, its numbers tell a different story, in part because of the difference in the way tablets are counted by each firm.

According to IDC, the PC market saw its first growth in five years, with worldwide shipments totaling 60.3 million in the first quarter of 2017 for year-over-year growth of 0.6 percent. IDC’s estimates for Apple are similar to Gartner’s, with IDC suggesting worldwide Mac shipments of 4.2 million units, up from 4 million in the year-ago quarter for 4.1 percent growth.

It’s important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and that the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated Mac shipments of 4.6 million in the first quarter of 2016, but the actual number was just over 4 million.

Tags: IDC, Gartner
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Apple’s Video Editing App ‘Clips’ Downloaded Up to 1 Million Times in First 4 Days

Apple’s new video editing app Clips, released on April 6, saw between 500,000 and 1 million downloads during its first four days of availability, according to estimates from app analytics firm App Annie that were shared with TechCrunch.

Following its release, Clips climbed to the number 28 spot in the U.S. App Store, but it hasn’t managed to attain a higher rank as of yet. In comparison, Apple’s Music Memos app, which is aimed at a smaller number of users, reached number 29 during its first day of availability.

Since its release, Clips’ App Store ranking has declined. On Thursday, it was number 28, but on Saturday, it dropped to 39 and today it’s ranked as the number 53 app. Clips may grow in popularity as it’s discovered by iOS users. Apple is featuring it in the App Store and is listed in the “New Apps We Love” section.

“The average user is not yet aware of it,” notes Danielle Levitas, Senior Vice President, Research & Professional Services at App Annie. “They’ll start to become more aware of it through that network effect as people share these clips in Facebook, in Instagram, in WeChat,” she says. Clips does not have its own built in social network, so it will rely on these shares.

Clips, as the name suggests, lets users combine several video clips, images, and photos with voice-based titles, music, filters, and graphics to create enhanced videos that are up to an hour in length.

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Videos created with Clips can be shared via the Messages app or shared on various social networks like Instagram and Facebook, but there’s no built-in social networking capabilities that could allow the app to compete with apps like Snapchat.

Clips can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Clips
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TestFlight Gains Support for Multiple Builds, Better Group Management and More

Apple’s TestFlight platform, used by developers for beta testing iOS apps, was today updated to add several important new features including multiple builds, groups, and tester management.

With support for multiple builds, developers are now able to distribute and test more than one build of an app at a time, allowing beta testers to choose from several app builds to test.

TestFlight groups have been improved and are now more useful to developers. TestFlight users can be organized into groups for testing different builds of an app or for better management. Developers who use TestFlight will see all of their existing external testers added to a new “External Testers” group to start with following the update.

Going forward, beta testers of an app can continue testing a build once it goes live on the App Store for a seamless transition, and iTunes Connect users are able to access all active builds, making it easy to do quick comparisons. Apple has also made it easier for developers to resend invitations to testers who have not accepted a beta invitation.

For those unfamiliar with TestFlight, it’s Apple’s iOS beta testing platform, designed to let developers recruit beta testers for their apps to work out bugs ahead of releasing apps to the public.

TestFlight can be downloaded for free from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Apple Holds ‘Close the Rings’ Apple Watch Fitness Challenge for Employees

In February, Apple held a “Close the Rings” Apple Watch fitness challenge for its employees, designed to encourage them to be more active.

Employees who completed all stand, movement, and exercise challenges on the Apple Watch each day for a month earned an Activity rings pin (which matches in-app badges) and a matching T-shirt. Pins appear to be available in gold, silver, and rose gold, based on performance, while the T-shirt being awarded is black with colorful Apple Watch-style rings and text that reads “Close The Rings Challenge 1.0” on the back.

Image via Instagram user gabo_cr7
As noted by French site WatchGeneration many Apple employees have been posting images and messages on social networking sites like Instagram and Twitter, announcing the completion of the challenge.

Got my #apple #circles t-shirt and badge today for completing the 30 day close the rings challenge 🙂 #closetherings pic.twitter.com/QeS5bjidkf

— Sheraz (@sherazkhan) April 6, 2017

Each of the pins is accompanied by the following message:

Welcome to the winner’s circle.

You did it. You completed the Close the Rings Challenge, and this badge is proof. Wear it, display it, or place it on your fridge.

Let it be a reminder that even though the Challenge is over, your healthier lifestyle is just beginning.

While this challenge is limited to Apple employees, Apple has done public challenges that resulted in special in-app badges. On Thanksgiving, Apple challenged Apple Watch owners to run 3.1 miles as part of a Thanksgiving Day Challenge, and on New Year’s, Apple encouraged Apple Watch owners to “Ring In The New Year” by closing all three Activity rings each day for a week in January.

Apple’s Close the Rings employee challenge appears to coincide with a new “Close Your Rings” ad campaign that kicked off in January, but it is part of a series of wellness challenges that Apple encourages employees to complete each month.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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2017 is already an incredible year for video games

Every now and then, it’s wise to stop and recognize the good things in life. And right now, it doesn’t get much better than the video game industry. After dozens of Slack conversations about all of the exciting titles and hardware coming out this year, a handful of Engadget editors got together to formally celebrate the year in gaming so far. Plus, we gazed into the future and offered suggestions on ways to make 2017 even better. So sit back, clear your mind and join us in an appreciation of everything good the video game industry has to offer in 2017.

Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter

So far this year, I’ve crept through a dilapidated house in VR, solving puzzles, battling monsters and hiding from a family of demented tormentors. I’ve hunted robot dinosaurs in a gorgeous post-apocalyptic world. I’ve played a shining new Zelda game on Nintendo’s latest console, a mobile-living room hybrid that feels like the realization of every promise the Wii U didn’t deliver. I’m about to dive into the weird world of Persona 5, a game that my most favorite critics (and friends) are absolutely gushing over.

This year is incredible for fans of video games.

Not only are the games themselves incredibly entertaining and polished so far this year, but the industry is leveling out beautifully after a rush of innovation and change. Virtual reality is finally a true commercial product, with a handful of different headsets and functionalities to choose from. Esports is a booming scene, and as it infiltrates mainstream television — introducing an entirely new audience to the wonders of competitive gaming. Consoles are more powerful than ever, offering 4K and hybrid playing options.

But really, this year is all about the games. Some we already know are outstanding experiences, like Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Persona 5. And then there’s everything still to come, like Destiny 2, Splatoon 2, What Remains of Edith Finch, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Yooka-Laylee, Prey, Tacoma, Outlast 2, Where Cards Fall, QUBE 2, EarthNight, Cuphead, Full Metal Furies and a surprising number of cyberpunk-infused titles. Mmm, cyberpunk.

Even the disappointments this year aren’t so bad: For example, Mass Effect: Andromeda kind of sucks, but at least we still get to hook up with aliens.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

A Harry Potter MMO. Always a Harry Potter MMO.

Nick Summers, Associate Editor

The last few months have given us a staggering number of creative, high-quality video games. I’m pouring my heart and soul into Persona 5 at the moment, but I could just as easily be playing NieR: Automata, Gravity Rush 2 or Yakuza 0. All of them are exceptional. Sticking with Japan, there’s also Resident Evil 7 (a true return to form), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — one of the highest-reviewed games in history. I’ve never subscribed to the idea that there are “too many games” (they’re not going anywhere!) but right now it’s genuinely difficult to choose what to play.

Looking ahead, 2017 shows no sign of slowing down. I’m curious to try Prey, the space-horror reboot by Bethesda. There’s also Rime, a picturesque island puzzler that’s part Ico, part The Witness, and Tacoma, the second game from Gone Home developer Fullbright. Then there are the big hitters, like Super Mario Odyssey, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Detroit: Become Human. Not to mention the deluge of titles that will be announced at E3 this summer. I know it’s a cliché, but I’m going to say it anyway: There’s never been a better time to be playing video games.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

If Shenmue 3 came out this year. Apparently it is, but let’s be honest — it isn’t.

Aaron Souppouris, Features Editor

It’s been almost exactly five years since Fez developer Phil Fish infamously declared that modern Japanese games “just suck.” That statement has perhaps never been less true. Save Horizon: Zero Dawn and a few indie titles, all of 2017’s best games have come from Japan. So much so that I’m struggling to keep up.

Recently, I played (and loved) Breath of the Wild, before putting that on hold to play Persona 5, which is already a strong contender for my game of the year. Before Zelda came along, I’d dabbled with Resident Evil 7 and Nioh, which are both great. Oh, and I play Fire Emblem Heroes on a daily basis. It’s pretty clear that 2017 has been a special year for Japanese gaming already. I still have to catch up on NieR: Automata before Danganronpa V3, Splatoon 2, Tokyo Dark and Super Mario Odyssey all drop. As Nick already said, if you believe Yu Suzuki, we’ll even get Shenmue 3 by the year’s end.

That’s not to say there aren’t things to look forward to from elsewhere. Nex Machina — a sequel to the PS4 launch hit Resogun — is due very soon, Absolver is still looking great, Eitr might finally happen and Dead Cells is making me very excited. So really, it’s a combination of the Japanese gaming renaissance, and the continued strength of the indie scene, that’s making 2017 a year to remember.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

June 11th, 2017. Phil Spencer takes the Microsoft E3 stage. After revealing the new Xbox, it’s time for one more thing. A grand piano rises from the orchestra pit, being played by Hideki Kamiya wearing a fedora and Oakleys. “It takes a big company to admit its mistakes,” says Spencer. “We are that company.” Lights fade to black. A new Scalebound trailer drops, Kamiya-san’s piano playing punctuated by the game’s heavy-hitting brostep soundtrack. The game launches the following day to rave reviews.

Rob LeFebvre, Contributing Editor

2017 has been pretty fantastic in terms of both hardware and games.

Even though Overwatch launched last May, there’s still enough content and fun play to keep me going well past the point I’d usually quit a multiplayer shooter (spawn, die, respawn, repeat). Destiny 2 coming soon makes me even giddier, as it was another title that hooked me in and kept me there for a while. Being able to play on a team or socially with others is my hook, and these two titles, plus The Elder Scrolls Online and Diablo 3, are my jam, lasting well beyond the typical expiration dates. The new Zelda game has made me a fan of the IP for the first time, ever, and I’m excited to jump into Persona 5 as my first taste of the franchise.

As for hardware, the Nintendo Switch is as good as the hype says it is. Having a console-level portable gaming system where the console is the game just keeps me wanting more titles to play on it. The hardware came out sooner than it should have, but that’s surely helped me focus down on Breath of the Wild more than I would have if there were several other must-play games on the machine. The PS4 Pro excites me, especially with the potential for a better VR experience, too.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

A broader, more diverse selection of games for the Switch, for one. I’m excited to play Skyrim on the thing (though an Elder Scrolls Online version would be even better). New Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem entries for the console would allow me to let go of my 3DS, too. Ultimately, though, 2017 is already a delightful year for gamers.

Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Managing Editor

We’re only four months in, but 2017 is already being heralded as a banner year in gaming. For me, what’s made it great comes down to two titles that will surprise exactly no one: Horizon Zero Dawn and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In fact, as someone who loves playing games but doesn’t have a ton of free time these days, I feel like these two massive, open-world adventures could be enough to get me through the rest of the year.

I’ve loved just about every entry in the Zelda series, even games like Twilight Princess that everyone retroactively decided was lame. But I’m more than ready for the entirely new experience Nintendo finally cooked up. I really doubted whether the company could truly divorce the series from its core gameplay elements while still keeping it familiar, but it seems Nintendo has absolutely nailed that.

Horizon Zero Dawn is less ambitious, but no less beautiful, expansive and entertaining. I’m a sucker for post-apocalypse games, so seeing a society way beyond whatever calamity reduced humanity to a shell of its former self is fascinating. The lead character Aloy is a great window into this world, and the scenery is just amazing — I could spend hours playing with photo mode, not actually accomplishing anything.

But what really impresses me most about these games is that they’re both massive open-world adventures that aren’t too difficult to get into. You can pick them up and play for an hour or two, put them down for a week and get right back on the path. I’ve shied away from games that I felt were “too long” or “too big” in the past, but both Horizon Zero Dawn and Breath of the Wild are just approachable enough for me. But, their vast scope means I should be kept busy for a good long while.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

The answer for me is easy: A surprise early launch of The Last of Us Part 2. Barring that unlikely scenario, I’m hoping for more good Switch games — it can’t survive on Zelda alone!

Devindra Hardawar, Senior Editor

We knew 2017 was going to be an intriguing year for games from the start. Ever since Nintendo unveiled the Switch last fall, I was eagerly counting down the days until I could get my hands on one during the January launch event (which was a blast). And when I finally had the chance to review it, I was happy to find that it mostly lived up to my expectations. Next up on the hardware horizon: Microsoft’s Project Scorpio, which will be unveiled on June 11th during E3.

Beyond new consoles, the biggest surprise for me this year has been the relentless onslaught of must-play titles. Horizon Zero Dawn blew me away with its narrative and luscious visuals. Resident Evil 7 was a return to form for the series, and it also proved that an entire console game could be crafted for VR. And The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild turned out to be one of the best games ever made. No big deal.

My big dilemma right now? Finding time to finish all of these games, especially with Persona 5 on the horizon.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

It’s hard to imagine the year getting much better for games, but a few surprises at E3 wouldn’t hurt.

Timothy Seppala, Associate Editor

Thinking about 2017, I’m reminded of the hits as much as the misses. Resident Evil 7 wasn’t a game I expected to like. Each release since Resident Evil 4 in 2005 ranged from middling to patently awful. Seeing Jess almost throw up after her infamous PSVR demo at E3 last year and the motion sickness I caught playing in 2D once home from Los Angeles didn’t inspire hope that I’d enjoy the finished product. Imagine my surprise when I found myself white-knuckling through the batshit-crazy opening hours, mouth simultaneously agape in horror and twisted into a grin. By the time Resident Evil 7 settled into its moment-to-moment exploration and puzzle solving, I was hooked.

Counter that with Mass Effect: Andromeda, a game I should’ve adored immediately. Why it turned out so poorly is a mystery to anyone outside of publisher EA and developer BioWare. The studio’s last game, 2014’s Dragon Age: Inquisition, was well-received, and thanks to how the underlying Frostbite tech works, it’s not like the studio had to start development from scratch. Yet, Andromeda still feels unfinished.

Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands felt rushed out the door, too. Its opening cutscene was intriguing but the game quickly devolved into a franchise entry that fell far below the high standards set by its predecessors.

What I keep coming back to, though, is Horizon and Zelda. Both are open-world action-adventure games, but they’re different enough that jumping between the two is incredibly difficult. What’s most impressive is how confident each feels. You’d never know developer Guerrilla Gameshad exclusively made brawny first-person shooters prior to Horizon. As for Zelda, Nintendo’s first foray into open-world raises the bar for the entire sub-genre, and in many places demolishes it entirely. I hope Rockstar is paying attention.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

Proof that Sony hasn’t abandoned PSVR; Nintendo destroying E3 with one megaton announcement after another and Microsoft moving beyond its Halo, Gears of War and Forza release pattern. Oh, and time for actually playing; I still haven’t gotten to Night in the Woods and now Aaron is goading me into trying Persona 5.

Sean Buckley, Associate Editor

2016 wasn’t a bad year for gaming, but somehow it left me drained. Despite adoring the power fantasy of Doom, the quirky characters of Overwatch and the crushing challenge of Dark Souls 3, I felt like I was just going through the motions. I was desperate for something new. Something exciting. Then, two weeks into the new year, Nintendo told the world when they could buy its new console, how much it would cost and showed everything we could play on it. The mere anticipation of the Nintendo Switch was like a breath of fresh air.

It’s no secret that I’m an avid fan of Nintendo. The company’s weird consoles, quirky game gimmicks and lovable characters fill me with a joy that rivals visiting Disneyland. The company is unapologetically nostalgic, yet still strives to be novel, unique and original — and combining the old and familiar with the new and exciting is exactly what I needed to pull me out of my 2016 gaming rut.

The Nintendo Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2 are all great, but Nintendo isn’t the only part of the gaming industry striking a genius balance between nostalgia and novelty: This year, Resident Evil 7 simultaneously took the survival horror series back to its roots while exploring a sinister narrative in a completely new style. Torment: Tides of Numenera dragged dialogue-heavy isometric gameplay back out of the grave. Yooka-Laylee promises to resurrect the 3D platformer for new hardware. Combined with the depth of creative games we saw at GDC last month, 2017 is easily shaping up to be one of the most refreshing years of gaming in recent memory.

What would make 2017 even better for gaming?

I’d selfishly ask for Nintendo to get just a little more support from third parties. How is it that a collection of Disney-themed NES games isn’t coming to Nintendo’s latest console? Come on, Capcom. Get your shit together. Oh, and Nintendo could stand to release plans for how it’s going to support its own back catalog of classics, too.

Nvidia Releases macOS Drivers for GeForce 10-Series Graphics Cards

As promised, Nvidia last night introduced beta macOS drivers for its latest GeForce 10-series graphics cards, enabling macOS support for cards ranging from the GeForce GTX 1050 to the newly announced Nvidia Titan Xp.

macOS drivers for Nvidia’s Pascal 10-series graphics cards will be of interest to those who build Hackintosh machines, use external GPUs, and those who own older Mac Pro machines that can be updated with newer GPUs. Apple has not used Nvidia GPUs in its Macs for several years now, favoring AMD instead.

Nvidia first said it would release macOS drivers for its latest line of graphics cards when it announced the launch of the Nvidia Titan Xp, which Nvidia says is the world’s most powerful graphics card with 12GB of GDDR5X memory running at 11.4 Gb/s, 3,840 CUDA cores running at 1.6GHz, and 12 TFLOPS of processing power.

Prior to the release of the drivers, Mac users were only able to use previous-generation Maxwell-based 9-series GPUs.

The new macOS Pascal drivers can be downloaded directly from Nvidia.

Tag: Nvidia
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AMD Ryzen 5 1500X review

Research Center:
AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

After a rough couple of years for AMD, Ryzen brought the heat back to the red team’s fire. The Ryzen 7 1700 surprised us with excellent overclocking capabilities and extra cores for increased productivity. The Ryzen 5 1500X is a more standard offering, with four cores, eight threads, and a 3.6GHz base clock, all for just $189.

The Ryzen 5 1500X enters a crowded market, seated directly across the table from Intel’s decidedly mid-range Core i5-7400 at the same price. Can the Ryzen 5 1500X stand out, or will it fade away into the background?

Ryzen’s back, back again

AMD’s new Ryzen chips marked a new era for the red team, with a completely reworked architecture and selling point. Those chips, particularly the entry-level Ryzen 7 1700, impressed us by bringing multi-core performance rivaling the more expensive Intel X99 CPUs to a much more affordable price point. If you’re interested in learning more about what makes Zen fresh and new, head on over to our Ryzen 7 1800X review.

We’re even using the same review system as the last time around. We built it for the Ryzen 7 1800X review, with an Asus Crosshair VI motherboard, 16GB of DDR4, and a Samsung SM951 NVMe SSD.

The basics

This review covers the four core, eight thread Ryzen 5 1500X, which carries a $189 MSRP, pointing it squarely at the Core i5-7400. The Intel chip falls way behind on paper, with a 3.0GHz base clock to the Ryzen 5 1500X’s 3.5GHz, and the AMD option hits 3.9GHz with XFR to the Core i5’s 3.5GHz Turbo Boost. AMD secures the lead with a massive 16MB of L2 cache, plus 512KB per core, embarrassing the Core i5’s 6MB of SmartCache overall.

Only the AMD chip arrives unlocked, if overclocking is in your blood. Intel includes its standard stock cooler, while the Ryzen 5 1500X packs in the AMD Wraith Spire, a new compact cooling option for Ryzen chips on the AM4 socket.

Check out our Ryzen 7 1800X review to learn more about the Zen architecture all Ryzen chips are based on.

On the road again

While our normal system testing is limited to the synthetic GeekBench CPU test, and a 4K encoding test through Handbrake, we run our CPUs through a more rigorous set of benchmarks. That includes the Cinebench multi-core rendering test, the 7-Zip built-in benchmark, and the Octane and Kraken browser tests.

As we dig into these performance graphs, it’s important to note the Ryzen 5 1500X is the cheapest CPU in these tests by far. Its position as the lowest score in most of the tests is to be expected. That said, the Ryzen 5 1500X falls well behind the Ryzen 5 1600X, which packs in two more cores, and has a higher 95-watt thermal design power. The 1600X costs $60 more, but its extra cores make a dramatic difference.

The biggest score difference comes from the Ryzen 7 chips, which both offer eight cores and sixteen threads. This gives them a massive advantage on tests and benchmarks that can take advantage of more than four cores. However, the Ryzen 7 chips don’t have much of a clock speed advantage over Ryzen 5, so the two trade blows in tests that focus less on multi-core performance.

The Ryzen 5 1500X can make sense for users who want a fast, affordable all-rounder. It lacks some of the Ryzen 5 1600X’s extra-core appeal, but at $23 per thread, it could be worth the savings, depending on your workload.

Games well enough, but it’s no superstar

Gaming remains the most common stressful use case for most consumer systems. Here, the most important factor is whether the Ryzen 5 1500X creates a bottleneck for a high-end GPU.

Mid-range system builders tend to care an awful lot about gaming performance, and the GPU is still the biggest determining factor. We tested the Ryzen 5 1500X with both an EVGA SC GTX 980 Ti and a Radeon RX 480 in For Honor, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, and the 3DMark Time Spy test, the latter two of which run in DirectX 12.

Most modern games don’t tax the CPU to its full power during gaming, For Honor being a prime example. The average frame rate doesn’t swing very much across the different configurations, with just a 10 percent difference between the worst and best performing chips. That’s pretty minor, and it’d be hard to notice in subjective impressions.

The Ryzen 5 1500X clearly isn’t the best choice for gaming.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI places more stress on the CPU than other games, and the difference between the chips is more pronounced there. The Ryzen 5 1500X falls at the lower end of the spectrum, but not detrimentally so. It’s still reasonably close to the others.

Once again, it’s worth noting the 1500X’s big brother, the Ryzen 5 1600X, falls closer to the Ryzen 7 chips than it does the 1500X. Given the small $60 price difference, that’s to be expected, but it’s certainly an appealing proposition.

3DMark’s Time Spy puts the most strain on the CPU of any gaming test, and benefits from more cores more than a regular game. The Ryzen 5 1500X falls even further behind here, as every processor in the lineup, save the Core i7-7700K, has more cores without sacrificing speed.

So, the Ryzen 5 1500X clearly isn’t the best choice for gaming, but it also shouldn’t prevent you from launching and running any modern titles you throw at it. It might seem a reasonable choice if not for the 1600X hogging all the glory.

Stock cooler woes

With the stock AMD Ryzen Spire cooler, the chip already reaches above 70 degrees Celsius when benchmarking, quickly closing in on the dangerous operating range for a CPU. That didn’t give us a lot of confidence when it comes to overclocking, even though the Ryzen 5 1500X sports an unlocked CPU out of the box. In fact, the automatic sensor put our chip to a 3.6GHz base clock, 100MHz over the chip’s stated base clock.

As you can see, our fears were well founded. We were only able to squeeze another 200MHz out of the Ryzen 5 1500X, and that’s with a bumped voltage and temperatures peaking around 84 degrees Celsius under load. Worse yet, the performance boost under load was nominal in some use cases, thanks to the magic of Extended Frequency Ranges, or XFR.

The Ryzen 5 1500X’s shortcomings in core count hurt its chance of success.

Basically, Ryzen chips come out of the box in normal mode. The system automatically takes a few measurements and sets a reasonable clock speed and voltage for your chip. Because the Ryzen 5 1500X has the “X” at the end, it’s equipped with XFR, which allows the chip to automatically overclock itself beyond its normal Precision Boost maximum when conditions allow. Once you’ve flipped the switch and enabled overclocking mode, XFR is disabled. That means overclocking manually doesn’t net much improvement. We saw the same situation when we overclocked the Ryzen 7 1800X.

The moral of the story is you’re much better off leaving all the settings right where they are when you install the system, at least if you’re using the included cooler. If you do want to overclock, though, AMD’s Ryzen Master software sets the bar high for tweaking utilities, with an easy to use interface and the ability to make significant changes to settings on-the-fly. You can read more about that in the Ryzen 7 1800X review.

Warranty

Like almost every other processor on the market, the Ryzen 5 1500X comes from AMD sporting a three-year warranty. That’s the industry standard, but it doesn’t cover damage due to improper installation or overclocking. If you reach under the hood, make sure you’re careful.

Our Take

AMD’s return to relevance doesn’t stop with the many-cored Ryzen 7 1700, as the Ryzen 5 1500X serves up a gracious helping of mid-tier gaming and productivity performance. At just $189, it should blow Intel’s offering out at the price point out of the water, with plenty of room to grow. That said, the main draw for Ryzen is its high core count at an appealing price, and the Ryzen 5 1500X’s shortcomings in that area hurt its chances of success.

Is there a better alternative?

The DT Accessory Pack

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler

$30

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 DRAM

$125

ASUS ROG Crosshair VI Hero Motherboard

$255

Samsung SM951 M.2 NVME SSD

$200

While processors stretch a huge range from $60 to $1,500 or more, the most obvious competitor is the Intel Core i5-7400. We don’t have one around to test, unfortunately, but we do have the slightly more expensive Core i7-7700K, and it just barely beats out the Ryzen 5, taking a stronger lead in some tests than others. The Core i5 lacks multi-threading, which could help the Ryzen come out ahead.

AMD’s Ryzen 1600X is also in the same league, and it turns out to be the 1500X’s biggest problem. Though it costs $60 more, the 1600X adds two extra cores, which means it significantly beats the 1500X in multi-core tests. If the split between the two were any closer, it would be a no-brainer, but as it stands, the Ryzen 5 1600X offers up a notable performance boost outside of gaming, while the Ryzen 5 1500X may stumble when asked fro more than an Overwatch session.

How long will it last?

AMD has promised to continue using the AM4 socket until at least 2020, leaving users a clear upgrade path for later generation chips down the line. The other Ryzen chips have more than four cores, which may help down the line, but for now, most workloads don’t use more than what the Ryzen 5 offers in terms of core count.

Should you buy it?

No. The Ryzen 5 1500X presents a solid alternative to the Core i5-7600K with all the modern features one would expect from a CPU, but the main draw for Ryzen chips is extra cores at the right price. The slightly more expensive Ryzen 5 1600X adds two cores and four threads, which will help with everything from streaming, to gaming, to productivity. Even if you’re prefer an AMD chip over Intel, you’re better off choosing the 1600X instead.

Western Digital unveils spinning disk G-Drives with USB Type-C, 10TB of storage

Why it matters to you

If you need to carry around a ton of storage, then WD’s new G-Drive options have you covered — and they can charge your Mac while they’re at it.

The new USB Type-C connection continues to make waves in the market, with more and more machines adding the new port and in some cases making it the exclusive connectivity option. As more peripherals switch over to USB Type-C, that becomes a net benefit, because the new specification offers some real benefits over legacy connections.

Storage is one area where USB Type-C can offer some advantages, and we’re seeing more storage options being released that leverage the new specification. Western Digital (WD) has just announced another USB Type-C storage option that focuses on high capacity, as 9to5Mac reports.

More: Western Digital’s My Passport SSD is available now with up to 1TB capacity

The WD G-Technology G-Drive now offers a hard disk drive (HDD) option to go along with the company’s external solid-state disks (SSDs) that WD had previously introduced. The spinning disk version of the G-Drive USB-C external drive offers between 4TB and 10TB of storage capacity for anyone who needs to store tons of photos, videos, and files and for whom performance isn’t the primary concern.

The G-Drive uses 5400 RPM class disks and offers up to 195MB/s transfer rate across the USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. The primary advantage provided by the USB Type-C connection is the ability to provide up to 45 watts of USB power to charge compatible MacBook and MacBook Pro machines through a single USB Type-C connection. The G-Drive is formatted to be compatible with the Mac out of the box, and can be quickly reformatted to work with Windows machines as well.

Mike Williams, WD’s VP of Advanced Technologies, described the G-Drive by saying, “The addition of the G-Drive USB-C external drive provides tech enthusiasts a single-cable high capacity, high quality storage solution that meets their individual creative needs. The G-Drive USB-C ensures pros can work seamlessly with the latest computers, and with a USB-C port and support for USB Power Delivery, it allows a user’s charging capability to be more efficient without having to worry about connecting yet another cable to their computer for charging.”

In terms of construction, the G-Drive utilizes an all-aluminum chassis for durability and aesthetics. WD includes a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter to make it easy to connect to older systems lacking in the latest connectivity option. In addition, the USB Type-C connection supports specs ranging from USB 2.0 all the way to Thunderbolt 3.

The G-Drives will be available in the second quarter of 2017, with the 4TB version retailing for $200, the 8TB version for $350, and the 10TB version for $500. WD is backing up the drives with a three-year limited warranty for some peace of mind.