Month: April 2020

The idea of the thin and light gaming laptop has been bouncing around for years, and there have been plenty of manufacturers that have managed the feat, with some great machines from the likes of Asus, Dell, Razer, MSI, and many more. The problem is that while a lot of these pack the finest components into their super-thin chassis, they can get loud when you really push them. 

There have been a few exceptions though, and one machine that has stood out from the crowd for it’s whisper quiet operation is the MSI GS65 Stealth. We loved the original MSI GS65 Stealth Thin when we reviewed it back in May 2018, and we liked the refresh, the MSI GS65 Stealth Thin (2019) that shipped last June as well. So when MSI offered us an engineering sample of its up and coming GS66 Stealth, we jumped at the chance.

For the most part, this looks identical to the previous GS65, but instead of gold highlights, it’s all black. The star of the engineering sample is the 10th gen Intel processor, the Core i7 10750H to be exact. This is a 6-core, 12-thread CPU that has a base frequency of 2.6GHz, a max frequency of 4.8GHz across all its cores, and a potential top single core frequency of 5GHz.

As this is an early engineering sample it’s hard to say for sure how fast this CPU will go, but the fastest I recorded across days of testing was slightly shy of the single core Max Turbo frequency, but it lined up with the multi-core frequency. It may be that MSI has held back a little in order to keep the noise levels down, which I have absolutely no problem with.

The rest of the specifications makes for a tempting machine, with 32GB of DDR4-2666 RAM, a fast 512GB NVMe SSD and a 240Hz 1080p panel that looks great. There are several versions of the GS66 Stealth on the way, with the graphics subsystem being one of the defining factors. This engineering model had an RTX 2060 as a placeholder (with older drivers that couldn’t be updated), although the shipping machine will have either an RTX 2060 Max-Q or an RTX 2080 Super.

We can’t print the results of the benchmarking we did on this machine, because firstly it’s an engineering sample, and thus not finished, but also because there’s an embargo on performance results from both Nvidia and Intel until the 15th April. There’s also a rather important missing element from this machine, and that is the GPU. So I’ll be revisiting this machine just as soon as it’s in production to see how it performs.

While the performance and responsiveness of the machine are great, the thing that blew me away the most was how quiet it was in use. Push it hard and it continues to keep its noisy side in check. It’s not absolutely silent under load, but even when the fans do kick up a gear, they are only just audible. Can MSI keep the noise levels this low with such a high-end GPU? I can’t wait to find out.

So not everything is exactly as it will ship, which made it all the more surprising to find that MSI had set aside time to install Norton Antivirus onto it’s otherwise gorgeous machine. Far more welcome was MSI’s Dragon Center, which enables you to switch between various User Scenarios, which essentially pitches noise against performance. We did experiment here a little, although found the “Balanced” setting worked best.

As for the rest of the machine, the Steelseries keyboard looks good and is responsive, and that screen is also another plus point. It looks great from a range of angles, although whether you actually need a 240Hz screen is another question entirely. I was less impressed with the touchpad, which is large, but tricky to register clicks with. Still the chassis is sturdy, and I’m definitely a fan of the subdued styling. 

The bottom line is that the MSI GS66 Stealth is a deeply impressive laptop, and like its predecessors could do very well. The biggest problem for MSI right now, and indeed any manufacturer, is those new $999 RTX 2060 gaming laptops that could make this seem incredibly expensive. We’ll have to wait and see if the extra performance makes up for it.

For what feels like ages at this point, we’ve been waiting for Intel 10th-generation Comet Lake processors for desktop to make their appearance. And, while we have heard plenty of rumors about when we’ll see them, we’re starting to see info suggesting what they’ll be capable of. 

The latest of these is a Geekbench 5 benchmark result spotted by renowned hardware leaker TUM_APISAK, and the results are pretty interesting. Notably, it lists the maximum frequency as 5.08GHz, which is lower than the 5.3GHz that previous leaks have suggested. This leads to a multi-core score of 11,296 which isn’t quite as powerful as AMD’s current-generation flagship. 

We actually just retested the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X the night before this leak appeared, where the 12-core processor managed a score of 12,060, which makes it still around 7% faster than the alleged Intel chip’s result – keep in mind that the 3900X launched way back in July 2019, too. 

However, the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X does fall behind this leaked benchmark in single-core performance, scoring 1,268 points in last night’s testing compared to the 1,408 in this leak. That is a pretty substantial 10% lead that Intel is potentially claiming here, which would maintain its position as the manufacturer behind the best processors for gaming. 

Obviously, we can’t wait to get this little chunk of silicon in for our own in-house testing to see exactly how it stacks up against AMD, but we still have no idea when that will actually happen. Intel will launch its next-gen processors when it decides is the best time, and until then we’re just going to have to wait and see. 

A temporary fix?

Intel’s 10th-generation Comet Lake-S processors may narrow the massive gap that exists between AMD and Intel in the desktop world right now, but it may not last for long. Keep in mind that AMD CEO Lisa Su has said that Ryzen 4000 processors for desktop will be coming this year. 

If the Intel Core i9-10900K only manages to come 7% short of beating the 3900X and only beating it in single-core by around 10%, that doesn’t bode well for Intel whenever Team Red manages to launch its next desktop platform. Word on the street, according to an AdoredTV leak, is that the Zen 3-based Ryzen 4000 lineup is going to see a 15% boost in IPC performance. If that’s paired with higher clockspeeds on AMD’s next platform, Intel’s single-core lead could vanish. 

And now that we’ve seen AMD bring the Zen 2 improvements over to mobile, there’s a lot of pressure on Intel to come up with something truly exciting. We said it in another piece touching on our brief testing of the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS (more on that coming very soon), but we’d love to see Intel come up with its own Ryzen moment. 

Intel Comet Lake-H has just arrived and Comet Lake-S is likely right around the corner, so we’re incredibly interested to see whether or not it can shake up AMD’s stranglehold on the processor world. 

And if it does, you can bet we’ll be diving into that when the time comes. 

Aaeon’s PICO-WHU4 is a tiny computer that measures about 3.9″ x 2.8″ making it just a little larger than a pack of playing cards (or a Raspberry Pi). But it’s basically a full-fledged computer powered by a 15-watt, 8th-gen Intel Core processor.

I’m reluctant to call this a single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi because while its processor is soldered to the motherboard, the PICO-WHU4 has a SODIMM slot for up to 16GB of DDR4 memory and a PCIe slot for solid state storage. Then again, most Raspberry Pi computers don’t have built-in storage either — they boot from microSD cards.

The biggest difference between the PICO-WHU4 and the Raspberry Pi line of devices though, is that this is not a cheap mini PC. ZDNet notes that a model with a Core i5 processor is priced at $783. Other configurations will likely cost less — but you need to contact Aaeon for pricing.

That said, the little computer is an extraordinarily versatile machine that’s designed for “AI and edge computing applications,” with support for expansion cards for AI processing, among other things.

Aaeon offers models with a choice of processors including:

Intel Core i7-8665UE

Intel Core i5-8365UE

Intel Core i3-8145UE

Intel Celeron 4305UE

The computer supports DDR4-2400 memory, an mSATA/mPCIe SSD and/or USB storage, and features a decent range of ports:

2 x HDMI 1.4b

2 x Gigabit Ethernet

2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2

2 x RS-232/422/485 Serial

M.2 2230

Overall this… is probably not something you’re likely to buy for home use. It’s a little too pricey to consider using as a home theater PC, a little underpowered for gaming, and generally seems to be geared more toward developers.

But it’s still a pretty nifty little pocket-sized, Windows-compatible computer (with the heart of a laptop).

Last month, Apple released iOS 13.4, a big update with lots of features, as you’ll see below. But now, there’s another update. latest Apple iOS 13 update has just dropped and it’s one that is primarily designed to squish bugs, including an important one that impacted FaceTime.

Here’s everything important in this update, plus how to download and install it. Since iPadOS 13.4.1 has an extra bug squish, that’s here, too.

How to get it

You’re old hands at this, but just in case you’re not The new operating software is now available to download on compatible iPhones, with iPadOS 13.4.1 also ready for compatible iPads. Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update. Click on Download and Install, and leave it alone to work its magic.

One of the unforeseen consequences of installing iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 was that FaceTime calls may not work if you were FaceTime-calling someone who had iOS 9.3.6 or earlier versions of macOS, specifically El Capitan 10.11.6 or earlier. This has now been fixed, Apple says.

Choosing Bluetooth from Quick Actions

There was an issue with the Settings app where, if you wanted to choose Bluetooth from the Quick Actions Menu, the one on the Home Screen when you swipe down from the top-right corner, it might not do what it should. With 13.4.1, everything should work just fine again.

iPadOS 13.4.1 flashlight issue

This sorts an issue on the most recent iPad Pro models. That’s the fourth-generation 12.9-inch and second-generation 11-inch iPad Pro. Tapping the Flashlight button in Control Center or on the Lock screen could result in nothing happening. Which, obviously, wasn’t the plan. This certainly wasn’t universal, I never experienced it, but this update should fix it.

The previous iOS 13 updates

iOS 13.4

Released on 24 March 2020, this was a huge update with lots of new features. For example, Mail has had its toolbar significantly improved, and if you’re replying to an encrypted email, your reply will be encrypted, too.

The sister to iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4, included trackpad support so that the latest iPad Pro can be used in a more laptop-like way than ever. A feature that came and then went away, iCloud Folder Sharing, came back again so you can share documents easily. New Memoji stickers arrived with nine new choices, including party face and hands pressed together. Universal purchase support arrived for the App Store, meaning you can buy an app so it works on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV all together, assuming the app supports this. As for Arcade games, recently played ones will appear in the Arcade tab so you can keep playing on each platform. Though there was no mention of CarKey, the super-cool element predicted previously which suggested you could unlock and drive your compatible car just by using your iPhone, there was extra information in the CarPlay Dashboard and support for other navigation apps in the CarPlay dashboard. The keyboard now supports predictive typing for Arabic in this version and there were plenty of bugs fixed, too

iOS 13.3.1

This landed on Wednesday, January 29. One of the main focuses was on the U1 chip. It’s on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max and is a cool piece of kit. It allows you to AirDrop to a nearby iPhone 11 more easily. But it transpired that this chip continued to track user location even when location services were turned off. A toggle in Settings means you can turn off Bluetooth, Wi-fi and Ultra Wideband.

There were plenty of fixes. The first fix related to Screen Time and Communication Limits. Previously, it was possible for someone to get round the Limits without entering a passcode. That’s been sorted as has an issue with Deep Fusion photos, a Face Time problem, distorted sound in some cars using CarPlay, push notifications not coming through on wi-fi and connectivity issues for users on the British O2 network. Problems in Mail were also fixed. Finally, Apple added Indian English Siri voices for HomePod.

iOS 13.3

Released on Tuesday, December 10, this big-number update had a bunch of changes. It updated the layout for some newspapers in Apple News+, improved Screen Time parental controls (though a further fix was needed in iOS 13.3.1) and improved the Stocks app. Beyond that, it was all fixes and bug squishes, including how video clips are created, support for security keys, repaired an issue in Gmail, sorted an issue in text entry using the long-press on the space bar to allow a moveable cursor and resolved an issue in Voice Memos.

And as proof that hardware is affected by software, some wireless chargers were charging more slowly than they should. This software update should have aimed to fix that.

iOS 13.2.3

This was the last update before the new iOS 13.3. It went live on Monday, November 18, 2019. A smallish and unexpected update, it aimed to fix problems, including the following. System searches inside Mail weren’t working quite right, nor in Files or Notes. This update sought to fix this. Similarly, where Messages had an issue with displaying photos and attachments, this update was there to sort it. Apps that weren’t downloading content in the background before were resolved in this update, hopefully. Oh, and Exchange accounts that weren’t getting new messages or other content were the focus of this update, too.

iOS 13.2.2

Released on Thursday, November 7, 2019, this update sought to fix the way apps running in the background kept quitting. It also tried to get rid of temporary loss of cell signal, and fixed how some encrypted email messages between Exchange accounts were unreadable.

iOS 13.2.1

Don’t worry if you missed this one. Unless you have a HomePod, you literally wouldn’t have seen it. It was there to fix issues caused by iOS 13.2 which made some HomePods turn into useless, oversized paperweights. What that update had meant to do was add new HomePod features. These arrived in all their glory with this corrective update, when iOS 13.2.1 went live on October 30, 2019, just 48 hours after iOS 13.2. Something of a record, surely?

With iOS 13.2.1 HomePods were granted the ability to recognize different family members’ voices, music could be added to HomeKit scenes, you could hand off music, podcasts and phone calls just by bringing your iPhone near to the HomePod. Oh, and if you like ambient sounds, these arrived in this update, with the facility to set a sleep timer to these restful noises.

iOS 13.2

A big update, this. released on Monday, October 28, 2019. Marquee features include Deep Fusion, a new camera feature that improves images taken in medium and low light. Siri Privacy settings were updated with this release – also an important step forward. Foundations were laid for the new Research app which could have a big impact on health data collection. Oh, and scores of new emoji were set free. AirPods Pro in-ear headphones are supported in this release. More features including Siri reading out your messages were also included.

iOS 13.1.3

This was another surprise release, out on October 15, 2019. It was aimed at fixing issues more than anything else. Some devices didn’t ring or vibrate when a call came in – kind of important for a phone, right? That was fixed in this update. As was an issue with Voice Memos not downloading or problems where meeting invites didn’t open in Mail. A U.K.-focused repair was made so that Health data would display properly after British Summer Time ended (which was yesterday, October 27, by the way).

Issues which saw the Apple Watch not pairing with an iPhone and notifications not coming through to the Watch were also fixed. Other fixes included apps not downloading after an iCloud Backup and better connectivity between Bluetooth hearing aids and Apple devices. Launch performance of apps in Game Center were addressed and one relating to Bluetooth connectivity in certain vehicles. Lots of fixes, then.

iOS 13.1.2

September 30, 2019was the release date for this recent update, just one weekend later than 13.1.1. It’s another bug fixer to do with iCloud Backup, for instance which showed a progress bar even after being completed. A malfunctioning camera was fixed here, too, as was the flashlight failing to initiate. Like in 13.1.3, this update sought to address an issue with Bluetooth dropping on some vehicles. There was also a display issue for the iPhone and a fix for problems running shortcuts from Apple HomePod.

iOS 13.1.1

This update launched on September 27, 2019. The big element was a fix for the flaw which led some third-party keyboards access the iPhone even when permission hadn’t been granted.

It also offered a solution to problems with battery drain, rather in contrast to the battery life gain which iOS 13 is all about.

Restoring from a backup was a problem in this update as well as the latest one. Siri recognition is better and syncing in Reminders shouldn’t be slow any longer.

iOS 13.1

This came out on September 24, 2019 and sought to fix issues and squish bugs such as problems opening the camera properly, improperly behaving wallpapers, text entry issues and so on. There was also a fix to a battery management problem. New features included activating the U1 chip in the latest iPhones which gives the handsets a form of spatial awareness, improving AirDrop immediately and with other benefits set to follow. The Shortcuts app also saw extra support and more features. The facility to send your ETA to others from Maps was added.

iOS 13

Released on September 19, 2019, this was a very big release with an awful lot in it. For full details, read the indepth analysis here. Features include:

Dark mode to make the iPhone’s interface less glaring in a low-light environment, for instance. App developers can integrate Dark Mode into their apps so that the iPhone has a consistent look. Sign in with Apple lets you sign up to apps with your Apple ID and Apple will keep the site or app at arm’s length. You can sign in using Face ID or Touch ID as appropriate. Maps has been updated with a new street-level look and in-depth mapping on selected cities.

Photos and Camera apps have been seriously altered with a new look to the Photos tab and significant editing upgrades. Siri sounds more natural and will offer personalized recommendations. Reminders has been completely overhauled, and Notes has a new gallery view. Find My combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends. It will help to locate offline devices, too.

QuickPath is the new way to enter text by swiping. It’s very cool.

Text editing has been improved, though the elegant magnifying glass which used to appear when you touched a word, making it visible even though the word itself was hidden under your thumb, say, has gone. I hope it’s coming back soon.

Among the miscellaneous treats are a pro-active system that tells you which apps have been accessing your location, for example. A message says how often it has done so in a set period of time and you can leave things as they are or adjust. It’s a very simple but highly reassuring detail.

It has been a long time since a standard version of Windows required less than 1GB of RAM to run. Nevertheless, a 16-year-old Twitter user posted screenshots of Windows 10 running with only 192MB of RAM, and partially booting with as little as 140MB.

As spotted by our friends at Tom’s Hardware, Twitter user @0xN0ri chronicled their progress in a Twitter thread, which began with a successful attempt to boot and run a 32-bit build of Windows 10 (version 1909) with 512MB of RAM, half the amount it officially requires.

The user told Tom’s Hardware that they were running Windows 10 in a virtual machine environment (Oracle VM Virtualbox), on a Dell Inspiron 3670 desktop tower running Arch Linux.

This allowed them to keep reducing the amount of RAM, first to 256MB, then 192MB. Going for broke, the user attempted to run Windows 10 with only 128MB of RAM, which resulted in a blue screen error. Nudging back up, the user tried 140MB, and while it did technically boot, 128MB was not enough to load the UI for logging in.

There’s no grand purpose to all this, but sort of like chasing an overclocking record, it’s the achievement itself that is interesting. It shouldn’t work, but it does. Not since Windows XP in 2001 has the official requirement to run Windows been less than 1GB—Windows XP required 64MB, and it was recommended to use 128MB. [Correction: Windows Vista could run on 512MB of RAM, the minimum amount required, though Microsoft recommended 1GB].

Also like record-breaking overclocks, there’s not too much utility to the practice, but it should still serve as some inspiration for the low-spec gamer.

“It took around three minutes to boot up to the desktop and it’s unusable with the virtual machine file stored on my 7200 RPM hard drive,” the user explained. “I was only able to get task manager, CMD, and file explorer open on 192MB RAM and the performance was very bad with 15MB free.”