• Apple's Mac Studio has been updated with the 32-core M3 Ultra CPU, which is great if you want to run Handbrake transcoding all day but kind of sucks for anything else.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Well, I don't have Passmark scores for this particular chip, but the 24-core M2 Ultra was slower than a 12-core previous-generation AMD desktop chip, and the latest 16-core M4 Max is slowed than a 12-core previous generation AMD laptop chip.
  
  So it's perfect if you're spending someone else's money, have a square foot of desk space, run Handbrake transcoding all day, and electricity costs ten dollars per kWh.
  
  It also looks pretty.  I'll grant Apple that.
  
  But you still can't upgrade memory or storage after purchase.  You can configure as much at 512GB of RAM and 16TB of storage, but that will cost you over $14,000.

• Meanwhile for the rest of us AMD launched the 9950X3D.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  When I say "us", I mean...  Someone.  At $699 it's not insanely expensive for the fastest mainstream CPU available, but it's still twice the price of my 7900 non-X CPU for 40% more performance.
  
  
  
• AMD also announced its Epyc 9005 range of embedded server CPUs, which are, as far as I can tell, exactly the same as its regular server CPUs.  (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Okay.
  
  
  
• Apple is planning a "dramatic" revamp of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems.  (Hot Hardware)
  
  Thanks, I hate it.
  
  MacOS was a pain when I was using it four or five years ago, and I don't think it's improved since then.
  
  
  
• Donald Trump says the government will be treating acts of domestic terrorism against Tesla as domestic terrorism.  (Tech Crunch)
  
  Play stupid games, win stupid jail sentences.

Posted by: J Greely at Wednesday, March 12 2025 11:39 PM (K9/kt)

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