amd

In an attempt to regain its chip making advantage, Intel is set to introduce PowerVia, a new technology that could enhance the speed of its 2024 PC chips. While Intel faces tough competition from leading companies like Taiwan Semiconductor ... Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung, the introduction of PowerVia could help Intel bridge the gap and even entice competitors to utilize its manufacturing services. Arrow Lake Processors to Receive Significant Speed Boost Intel's forthcoming Arrow Lake processor, slated for release in 2024, will benefit from a substantial speed boost thanks to PowerVia. In ... (view more)

The latest Windows 10 update, which is rolling out now, has thrown up at least three highly reported problems for users. The most significant is that some computers are losing WiFi access. The Windows 10 May 2019 update affects some computers which ... have a Qualcomm WiFi adaptor and don't yet have the latest driver for it. A driver is a small piece of software that helps a hardware device or component interact with an operating system. Some users in this situation have suffered what Microsoft is calling an "intermittent loss of WiFi connectivity." It's responded by blocking the update from ... (view more)

One of the most useful features in computer hardware has a security flaw. It's to do with the way processors handle information. All computing tasks are reduced down to a set of calculations. The central processing unit (CPU) is the "brain" of the ... computer that physically carries out these calculations. Each modern-day CPU has one or more cores , which is essentially multiple "brains" on a single CPU chip. A multi-core CPU means that multiple calculations can be done at once, which reduces the time to carry out a task. Many processors also use a technique called ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Barry P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded from Windows 8.1 to 10. Now, every time I boot the computer, I receive an error message that 'AMD Quick Stream Error: The license information to use this software is not found'. I ... have absolutely no idea what that means. Can you help? " My response: I asked Barry if he'd like me to connect to his machine and review this problem together using my remote desktop service, and he agreed. Sure enough, after every reboot the "AMD Quick Stream Error" message appeared on the desktop. I queried Google for the exact phrase: "AMD Quick ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Mary L. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just installed Windows 10 on my laptop, but I'm having a problem with the screen fading so dark I can hardly see it. I've tried adjusting the screen brightness manually on the laptop by pressing ... the FN (function) key + up arrow key, but the screen brightness won't say - it keeps going dark automatically on its own. The screen goes dim whether or not I have the laptop plugged into the power outlet, or if it's running on battery. It also seems to happen immediately as soon as I login to Windows. I have tried changing the Power Settings (via ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Tim S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am upgrading the hard drive and CPU on a computer for a friend of mine. His computer does not have a dedicated video card; as such, he is using the onboard graphics built onto the motherboard, which ... is very outdated and slow compared to today's standards. I would like to buy him a used video card, but am not sure which model to get, as the model numbers seem to be very confusing - whether it's an AMD video card or an Nvidia card. How can I compare video cards so I know which card is better than the other? " My response: This is a very good ... (view more)

In a move surely to upset many users, Microsoft has said it will be ditching support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on most new PCs. Some other PCs will lose support next July, earlier than many expected. The change is to do with the Skylake micro ... architecture for processors released by Intel in August 2015. Many PCs purchased recently will be running Skylake, as will most in the future. Until now, Microsoft had promised to offer extended support for Windows 7 until January 2020 and for Windows 8.1 until January 2023. Extended support means Microsoft continues to fix bugs and issue security updates, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Kim H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10 and my screen shrank with a big black border around it. Previously I was running Windows 7 and the screen fit fine on my monitor. I read your article, " How to Fix: ... Windows 10 Black Border (Shrinking Screen) ," where you detailed how to manually adjust the video scaling options for Radeon video cards, so that the screen stretches all the way properly onto the monitor's edge. I have an Nvidia video card and was wondering if you had a similar fix so I can make Windows 10 fit properly onto my entire screen? " My ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Bob C. writes: " Dear Dennis, Which processor is better: Intel or AMD? The reason I ask is that my laptop is roughly 6 years old and it's time for me to purchase a new one. That said, I can't seem to find the definitive answer as ... to which processor I should get for my next laptop. AMD seems to have cheaper processors, whereas Intel processors are usually always much more expensive. Can you shed light on which processor is better? " My Response: Update 20180620 : I have updated this article to include new information considering AMD's Ryzen line of ... (view more)