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Benchmarks show AMD’s new EPYC 4005 series outperforming older eight-channel EPYC 7601 memory systems with just two DIMMsPerformance-per-Watt improvements put AMD’s 4005 chip in a new league of server efficiencyGrado proves newer design beats older bulk - less memory, lower power, yet more performanceIn an eight-year leap, AMD’s new EPYC 4585PX processor from the EPYC 4005 “Grado” series has shown performance improvements that nearly triple the output of AMD’s original flagship server chip, the EPYC 7601.Interestingly, the EPYC 4585PX processor is not part of the high-end EPYC 9005 family but rather a lower-cost, power-efficient alternative.According to Phoronix, over 200 benchmarks were run on Ubuntu 25.04 across varied workloads, server tasks, HPC, scripting, media encoding, and compilation.Benchmarks highlight a dramatic efficiency jumpOn average, the EPYC 4585PX delivered 2.69 times the performance of the original 7601, despite fewer memory channels and a more compact setup.When adjusted for power, the improvement looks even more striking: on a performance-per-Watt basis, the newer chip is 2.85x more efficient, thanks to more refined architecture and improved design efficiency.These results are likely to interest enthusiasts of the best server hardware, and they raise questions about how far older enterprise systems have fallen behind.It also puts AMD’s lower-cost chips in contention with more expensive processors typically used by top-tier web hosting providers.Not everything is a clean win, however. While the wall power usage of the full system was significantly improved - 225W for the newer platform compared to 238W for the older Naples server - the CPU-level measurements were less decisive.Average CPU consumption was 153W for the EPYC 4585PX and 141W for the older 7601, with peak values of 204W and 195W, respectively.These figures suggest that while the system as a whole has become more efficient, the processor alone hasn’t cut energy use as dramatically.For those seeking green infrastructure, especially small business operators or SOHO setups, the lower idle draw may be more relevant than full-load comparisons.Running on a modern Supermicro platform with just two DDR5 DIMMs, the EPYC 4585PX system still managed to beat the eight-channel memory performance of the EPYC 7601 in most workloads.That suggests memory bandwidth isn’t the only performance determinant anymore.With support for newer chipsets and more efficient memory, the “Grado” system appears to offer real headroom for entry-level infrastructure deployments, especially for NAS builds where power efficiency and thermal limits matter.The data shows AMD’s low-cost EPYC 4005 chips may now outperform former flagships without breaking the bank or the power budget.The upcoming comparison with EPYC 9005 chips promises even greater gains, although the takeaway for now is that you no longer need a premium part to get premium performance.You might also likeThese are the fastest SSDs you can buy right nowTake a look at some of the best external hard drivesThis portable SSD enclosure makes dreams of a sub-$3000 virtual 32TB external SSD a possibility

A petition to preserve video game access recently achieved an important milestone of one million signatures, but it has two more challenges to overcome before reaching the final level. The "Stop Killing Games" movement reached a million votes earlier this month, meaning the European Union will have to consider adopting legislation addressing this issue. However, the petition first has to deal with the threat of potentially fake signatures and the resistance from major game studios and publishers.

The Stop Killing Games initiative, created by Ross Scott, aims to pass new laws to ensure that video games still run even when developer support ends. The petition was a direct response to when Ubisoft delisted The Crew from online stores, shut down the game's servers in 2024, and revoked licenses from players who bought the game. Scott and other critics felt Ubisoft's actions set a dangerous precedent for gamers who may lose access to their purchased games at a developer's whim.

Even though there are enough signatures to move to the next step, Scott explained in a YouTube video that many of these may have been incorrectly filled out, while others could have been falsely submitted. The movement's founder said, "This is not a change.org petition, this is a government process," adding that "spoofing signatures on it is a crime." To ensure enough legitimate signatures are collected, Scott said that there needs to be at least 10 percent more to cover the potentially invalid ones. As of July 6, the petition has earned more than 1.2 million signatures.

Beyond the signatures, a European advocacy group that includes major gaming studios and publishers like Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Nintendo released a statement opposing the movement.

"Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable," the statement read. "In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create."

In a longer report, the Video Games Europe group said that this initiative would "raise the costs and risks of developing such games," create a "chilling effect on game design" and "act as a disincentive to making such games available in Europe."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-stop-killing-games-initiative-has-hit-a-major-milestone-but-the-fights-just-begun-190431644.html?src=rss

Singapore’s skyline becomes a glowing canvas celebrating both national history and brand identityThree world records mark this as one of the boldest projection shows ever attemptedUOB’s digital storytelling fuses tradition, future, and corporate legacy through a six-minute visual narrativeA skyscraper in Singapore has become the canvas for a record-breaking projection mapping display which spans an astonishing 250 million pixels.The UOB Plaza 1 building, standing 280 meters tall, is hosting a series of intricate projections marking two major milestones: Singapore’s 60th year of independence and the 90th anniversary of UOB Bank.The show has set three Guinness World Records: for the largest light output in a projected image, the longest temporary architectural projection, and the highest projection on a building.More than just a technical spectacleAt 5.85 million lumens, the light output is exceptional by any standard, dwarfing even the brightest and best business projector on the market.Although the sheer scale and brightness are attention-grabbing, the projections also aim to tell a story.“The projection showcase is our way of giving back – offering a record-breaking visual spectacle for the community, both for those who are based here and those visiting from overseas, to enjoy and to celebrate our shared journey,” said Janet Young, UOB's head of group channels, digitalisation, strategic communications and brand.Among the projected content is Majulah Singapura, an artwork by local artist Sam Lo, highlighting the country’s multicultural roots and collective resilience.The SG60 logo slowly transforms into the UOB90 logo, reflecting the intersection of national progress and corporate legacy.Adapted from winning entries of the UOB Painting of the Year competition, Singapore’s longest-running art contest, the projection includes 30 works grouped into three categories: Timeless, Contemporary 1, and Contemporary 2.These rotate across the week, with all artworks shown together on Friday and Saturday nights.The reinterpretation of these pieces into animated visuals on a building façade suggests a modern alternative to traditional exhibitions.It is, without question, a technical marvel, yet also a reminder that large-scale displays remain highly site-specific.Their impact is immense but also fleeting, tied to infrastructure, planning, and corporate objectives as much as artistic intent.The projection runs nightly until August 9, 2025.Via AvinteractiveYou might also likeThese are the best VPN with antivirus solutionsTake a look at our pick of the best password managersMicrosoft 365 and Google Workspace could put sensitive data at risk

It's no surprise that fitness companies love the subscription model: it guarantees them income long after the initial purchase of a smartwatch or a fitness tracker.Most of the big names in the business now give you the option of paying a monthly fee to unlock extra insights from your health data, and extra features for your apps and devices.Comments made by Samsung's Head of Digital Health, Dr Hon Pak, have revealed that a health subscription is an idea Samsung is "exploring" as well, and it's perhaps something that will be announced alongside the Galaxy Watch 8 or the Galaxy Ring 2.This would, of course, have knock-on effects for the best Samsung phones and all the other devices where you'll find the Samsung Health app.While I feel like I'm right up to the limit as far as digital subscriptions go, there are a few specific ways that Samsung could tempt me to sign up for another service – but it has to make it worth my while.1. Tools that actually improve health and fitnessThe Galaxy Watch 7 is great – if you know what to do with it (Image credit: Samsung)I'm keen to improve my health and fitness, but I don't really know where to start: from YouTube videos and how-to articles, to AI coaching and social media influencers, there's an overwhelming amount of advice out there. What I really need is a trusted source that will help me with everything from workout plans to nutrition advice.If that's something Samsung Health can offer, I'd consider paying for it. Whether it's through the form of videos, personalized guides, or something else, I need some clarity around what I should be doing to lead a healthier life.I'd want to see real progress as a result of my subscription though, whether it's being able to run faster for longer, or bouncing out of bed with extra energy – otherwise what am I paying for? At least if it's a month-to-month subscription, I'll have the option of cancelling it if nothing seems to be changing.2. Features that actually save me moneySubscriptions have to be worth the cost (Image credit: Strava)There are a handful of digital subscriptions that I happily pay money for, and what they all have in common is they help me do my job better and more efficiently. Subscriptions that save me time or mean I can work smarter are effectively paying for themselves, or even saving me money overall.Take YouTube Premium, for example. YouTube can of course be used for free, but paying means I save a lot of time watching and clicking through ads, and means I don't have to pay for Spotify (because YouTube Music Premium is included).So what would that look like for a health subscription? Perhaps one that has features comparable to paid-for running app, meditation app, and nutrition app subscriptions, and can consolidate them all.To sweeten the deal even further, how about money off Samsung wearables? Surely a win-win for Samsung.3. Data insights that are actually insightfulThe Garmin Fenix 8 and Garmin Enduro 3 (Image credit: Mike Sawh)It's become cliche for health subscriptions to offer more advanced insights into your data: often, it's a vague promise that often doesn't really amount to much. Garmin Connect+, for example, promises something called "Active Intelligence" that apparently gives users "personalized insights and suggestions" (powered with the help of AI, of course).I'd very much welcome genuinely insightful insights, though no one seems to have quite solved this problem yet. Fitness trackers amass a wealth of data each day, much of which never gets properly looked at, like reams of photos backed up to cloud storage.Give me tips and advice that are actually useful please, Samsung. How much is each 5-a-side game boosting my fitness? Which days of the week do I need more motivation to exercise? Do I drink more water if I get to sleep earlier? Help make sense of the stats I'm accumulating, and I may well sign up.What Samsung has to avoid: trapping usersWe're yet to see a subscription as nightmarish as the ones in Black Mirror (Image credit: Netflix)Something that makes me wary about signing up for yet another digital subscription is the fear that I'll be locked into yet another product and another ecosystem – unable to leave unless I want to throw away years of data and features I've come to rely on.It's something you may have seen in the most recent series of Black Mirror: a couple trapped in a subscription that gradually adds more and more advertising (is that you, Netflix?) and removes more and more features. The experience becomes truly awful – but not subscribing is even worse.Samsung Health already supports services such as Android's Health Connect, and data from any extras that a subscription offers shouldn't be locked away – but available to export and use elsewhere, and in other formats.You might also likeGarmin's new subscription plan is causing chaosWhoop launches two new wearables, but their best features are paywalledPolar has unveiled a subscription service of its own

We've officially made it to the end of Playdate Season Two, and what a season it's been. Despite having half the number of titles as Season One, this latest round of weekly game releases has made a much stronger impression (on me, at least). If nothing else, it's just been cool to experience the new games in real time with other Playdate owners all at once, which the staggered rollout of the console didn't really allow for with the first season. In an email ahead of the final release, the team at Panic noted that Season Two has sold 12,000 units.

It ends on a high note with Taria & Como and Black Hole Havoc, the former an emotional physics-based platformer and the latter an action-puzzle game about blasting black holes with black holes. While the weekly game drops may be over, we still have several weeks left of new Blippo+ content to help fill the void (not to mention the reruns, once it all wraps up).

Taria & Como

Popseed Studio Inc/JuVee Productions

Taria & Como would surely resonate no matter when it were released, but at a time in the US when families are being forcibly separated and access to adequate healthcare for millions of people is under threat — an issue that comes on top of the many existing flaws of the system — it hits particularly hard. The pace of this puzzle platformer is relatively chill, but the journey it takes you on is really moving.

You play as Taria, a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by the medtech company and apparent authoritarian overlord, Toxtum Inc. Taria uses a couple of mobility aids to get around, including a prosthetic leg that allows her to jump and a flying health robot, Kit, that has a tether so she can swing. But after a disaster one day, Taria wakes up in a Toxtum facility to find that her younger sister Como is gone, her prosthetic leg has been taken and replaced with one that cannot jump (the Toxtum-approved design), and her healthbot has been swapped with one that's programmed to do everything in its power to restrict her freedom. The subsequent adventure is Taria's quest to find her sister, no matter what it takes.

There is a lot to love about this game, but there's one silly little thing at the beginning that needs a shoutout: an unexpected folder in Kit's files labeled "Ferrets." Inside that folder? Two pictures of ferrets wearing bonnets. As a longtime ferret owner, all I have to say is hell yeah. Anyway, the game. Taria & Como is a wonderful experience from start to finish. Each chapter is preceded by a beautifully illustrated crank-to-scroll comic that moves the story forward, and the game's unique mechanics overall made this a really compelling play for me.

Since Taria can't jump post-disaster, most of the game is spent swinging (and arguing with the new, not-cool healthbot). Moving around this way requires some planning, as the platforms Taria can stand on are often separated by walls and other obstacles, and some surfaces aren't safe for landing. You use the crank to aim the bot at a grabbing point, and you can crank forward/backward to reel Taria in and out. Swinging left and right will give you momentum to launch yourself farther so you can cross bigger gaps, and you can kick off of walls. I had so much fun with this, and loved how the design of it all slowed me down and made me think a little harder.

As you progress, you'll collect pieces from Como's diary as well as Tuxtum files and codes to hijack the healthbot in your favor. The means by which you access these files is one of my favorite parts of the game. There are kiosks scattered throughout the map and they all contain a single minigame, which features a turtle wearing a top hat. Crank to make the turtle dance — and crank really fast, so he can't keep up, and the whole thing will glitch out and bring you to the system files. I was perhaps too excited the first time I encountered that, and enjoyed it every time after that too.

Over the course of her adventure, Taria runs into other people who have also been failed by the system: someone who can no longer take the medication they need because it isn't "company approved," someone whose has been waiting in vain to be reunited with their wheelchair, etc. All the while, the healthbot talks down to Taria with the most painfully infantilizing rhetoric. The commentary here is pretty blatant, and I can't say I didn't appreciate it as someone who has been burned by the healthcare system many times over my lifetime of trying to manage chronic illnesses.

There were a few hiccups in my playthrough. The game seemed to lag a lot with every chapter change, briefly making me worry each time that it was going to crash. And my Playdate didn't always respond properly to certain actions, like when you want to just look around to survey Taria's environment. You need to dock the crank to do that, which in itself felt a little disruptive, and I often found myself just launching Taria into the unknown to find out what was down there the hard way instead. On several occasions when I did dock the crank, my Playdate didn't register that I'd done so, especially toward the end of the game, so I had to repeatedly dock and undock it until it eventually worked.

These things ultimately didn't detract much from my enjoyment of the game, though. Taria & Como is definitely one of my favorites from this season. It's a beautiful story, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Black Hole Havoc

Cosmic Bros

Years of playing the Neopets game Faerie Bubbles has prepared me for this moment.

The story behind Black Hole Havoc is pretty easy to glean from the title — black holes are popping up everywhere and threatening civilization, and you have to stop them. Thankfully, you and your pal are equipped with just the right equipment to generate black holes of your own, which you can fire from a cannon at the evil black holes to cancel them out. But they have to be the right size or they won't effectively vanquish their targets. You aim using the D-pad and pump with the crank (or A/B) to adjust the size of your own black holes before shooting them out. Hit a black hole with another of the wrong size and you'll take damage.

Initially, it all seems fairly easy. You'll have aim assist for the first few levels, which provides a clear visual indicator of the path and size of your black holes. But after that, you're on your own to line everything up right (you can turn aim assist back on in the settings, if need be). The further you get, the more obstacles are thrown your way. The black holes start growing in numbers; space tourists show up and get in the way of everything; the ceiling starts collapsing, pushing the black holes down onto you; blocks of ice will send black holes bouncing back your way if you hit them; weird giant bugs. It all goes from chill to extremely unchill pretty fast.

The Story Mode is great, with 80 levels and fun cutscenes (which are skippable if you're impatient, but they really are worth watching) to introduce the new areas you'll have to clear. That sounds like a lot of levels, but I was absolutely flying through them and was 40 levels deep before I knew what was happening. There have been a few games this season that I've found to be super addicting, but Black Hole Havoc kind of takes the cake for me in that category. It just ticks all the right boxes. There's also an Arcade Mode if you want to just jump right in and chase after higher and higher scores.

From the art and animations to the music, developer Cosmic Bros really knocked it out of the park with this one. Not a bad way to finish a fantastic season.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playdate-season-2-review-taria--como-and-black-hole-havoc-210042109.html?src=rss