• AMD silently launched the Radeon 7700 non-XT - a missing model in the previous generation of graphics cards.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  The earlier 6700 non-XT slotted in neatly between the 8GB 128-bit 6600 XT and the 12GB 192-bit 6700 XT, with 10GB of RAM and a 160-bit bus.  Since it was price to match, that was just fine.
  
  We don't have a price on the 7700 yet, but we do have specs, and they're...  Odd.
  
  The 7800 XT (which I have) had 60 GPU cores and 16GB of VRAM on a 256-bit bus.  The 7700 XT cut the cores by only 10% to 54, but the memory down to 12GB on a 192-bit bus.
  
  The new, non-XT 7700 model cuts the cores all the way down to 40, but leaves the memory size at 16GB on a 256-bit bus.  A lot of memory and a lot of memory bandwidth for a relatively modest GPU configuration.
  
  AMD hasn't issued a press release yet so right now all of this is supported by just one link and one web page.  Admittedly those are both on AMD's own site, but an actual product launch would be welcome confirmation.
  
  
  
• ASRock has launched the Radeon RX 7700 Challenger.  (WCCFTech)
  
  Compared with the 32 core 7600 XT from the same range, it is clocked 20% lower, so compute performance is almost identical, but it has twice the memory and memory bandwidth.
  
  Might be interesting to see the benchmarks on this - it would highlight which games and applications really need that bandwidth.

• How obsidian reduces the risk of supply-chain attacks.  (Obsidian)
  
  It doesn't.  The plugin API has no security model at all.
  
  
  
• The US government is set to increase the cost of H-1B visas - used for foreign workers in specialty applications, mostly in the tech industry - by $100,000.  (MSN)
  
  Since the visas currently cost $4500, that can be regarded as a significant increase.
  
  
  
• Speaking of which console prices are moving in the wrong direction again.  (The Verge)
  
  Microsoft's Xbox Series X 1TB model moved from $500 to $600 earlier this year, and is now increasing to $650.
  
  The 2TB model increased from $600 at the last year to $730 in May to $800 now.
  
  
  
• The Lenovo Yoga Tab, a smaller, cheaper version of the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, is now available at $549.  (Liliputing)
  
  The Yoga Tab Plus is on sale right now for $539.
  
  
  
• I regret building this $3000 Raspberry Pi AI cluster.  (Jeff Geerling)
  
  I'm just reading the blog article and I regret it too.
  
  Even with ten small models running independently, the Pi cluster is slower than a single Framework Desktop costing around $2000.
  
  And if you run a single large model across the whole cluster, things actually get worse; now the $2000 system is at least 5x faster than the $3000 cluster.
  
  Lesson: Don't do this.
  
  
  
• Why is the Gigabyte TRX50 AI Top the most returned Threadripper motherboard?  (YouTube)
  
  Because Threadripper and Threadripper Pro fit in the same socket even though Threadripper Pro has twice the memory channels and PCIe lanes.
  
  You can fit a Threadripper Pro into a regular Threadripper motherboard like this one and it will work fine - just reduced from eight memory channels to four, and with half the PCIe lanes no longer wired up to anything.
  
  Unless the board is exactly this one in which case all eight memory channels are still available and wired to eight slots.
  
  Which means that if you're a regular user with a regular non-Pro Threadripper, there are four memory slots on the motherboard that you simply can't use.
  
  Also, the fourth M.2 slot only works if you have a Threadripper Pro CPU.
  
  RTFM.
  
  
  

Musical Interlude

Posted by: Rick C at Sunday, September 21 2025 02:01 AM (1zWbY)

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