Engadget

31.03.2025 23:01 OpenAI has been doubling its audience for ChatGPT at a rapid rate, and the addition of its latest image generation feature has increased the AI assistant's popularity. Today, CEO Sam Altman posted to X that the service "added one million users in the last hour," calling it a "biblical demand" for the image generation. the chatgpt launch 26 months ago was one of the craziest viral moments i'd ever seen, and we added one million users in five days.we added one million users in the last hour.— Sam Altman March 31, 2025 When the company announced the rollout of image generation in ChatGPT last week, the tool was meant to be available to all user tiers. However, the high degree of interest meant that access for free users was walked back. Now, the company is reporting "issues with new signups," which has been its status for more than a day. While ChatGPT's ability to create original images has been a delight for users, the AI platform continues to draw the ire of artists and creatives. Many of these people have their work taken, either as training material for the large-language model scraped from the internet or improperly taken and modified by ChatGPT users, without any credit or compensation. One of the more visible examples have been the many memes image inspired by the animation style of Studio Ghibli. Altman is currently using one such image as his X profile photo, but other users have used ChatGPT to apply the look of the studio's films to violent or triggering content, raising a fresh round of questions about how creators can protect their work from misuse. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-gained-one-million-new-users-in-an-hour-today-201314746.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 Substack is taking one more step towards becoming an all-in-one social media / creator platform by adding a vertical video feed to its app. Technically, the new TikTok-style feed is a redesign of the existing Media tab that the company added to the app in 2024, but either way Substack's intentions are clear: It wants a piece of the short-video pie currently being shared by Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The feed features scrollable videos from creators you're subscribed to and others that have been algorithmically suggested. Multiple forms of short-form content can be included, like videos posted through Substack Notes, the company's Twitter-esque microblogging feature, clips from longer video posts and eventually previews of podcasts. Adding multimedia features like podcasts and videos has been a boon to creators, according to Substack. The company says that "82% of Substack’s top-earning writers are using multimedia, up from just over 50% last April." Supporting short-form videos is an attempt to push things even further. Substack added support for native video in 2022, expanded those features in 2023 and more recently, gave creators the ability to host live video streams in 2024. The company has been pretty upfront that it views Substack as a home for more than just newsletters, and it's been trying to court TikTok creators specifically since at least 2024. Redesigning the Substack app gives subscribers a new way to find creators to follow, and makes the platform a better home for a whole new type of creator. The timing of Substack's change is purposeful. The extra breathing room President Trump gave TikTok by not enforcing the app's ban is supposed to end in April, meaning there could be room for alternative vertical video apps.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/substack-updated-its-app-to-make-it-even-more-like-tiktok-193415204.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 The only real way to increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a specialized expansion card. Luckily, a really good one is heavily discounted right now. The WD 1TB C40 storage card is down to $110 as part of the Amazon Spring Sale. This is a discount of 30 percent, as the regular price is around $158. This is an officially-licensed product, so it’ll be a plug-and-play experience. It also delivers roughly the same performance as the internal drive. It’s important to note that this allows for both the storage and playing of games. Most external drives can only store, and not play, titles on an Xbox Series X/S. Most modern AAA games require at least 50GB of available space. In other words, this drive will accommodate around 20 of these titles. Indie games tend to be much smaller, so the drive could conceivably house hundreds of smaller releases. The 2TB model is also on sale, for $200 instead of $260. The 512GB version is still at the original $80 asking price. This is a handy drive that gets the job done. The only drawback is the price. Most 1TB external drives are cheaper than $110. It sucks that Microsoft went this weird route with storage, but that’s certainly not WD’s fault. On the positive side, this is a small and light card that won’t add any real weight to the already bulky Xbox consoles.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/wds-1tb-c50-xbox-storage-card-is-30-percent-off-in-the-amazon-spring-sale-184918803.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 If there’s one thing you can count on with AI tools is that they’ll launch without most of the promised features. It happened with Apple Intelligence. It happened with Galaxy AI. Now, it’s happening with Alexa+, Amazon’s AI-heavy upgrade to its virtual assistant. The tool is officially available but it doesn’t do a whole lot, according to reporting by The Washington Post. The paper reviewed a number of internal company documents that noted the delay of many features. These documents suggest that a bunch of tools won’t be available for two months or longer. Alexa+ users won’t be able to use the platform to order takeout on Grubhub or identify family members via camera to remind them to do chores. The same goes for that neat-sounding tool that the company says will auto-generate a story to entertain kids. Also, Alexa+ cannot be used to brainstorm gift ideas or order groceries. Finally, there isn’t a browser-based version available. The company says these delays are because the features do not “meet Amazon’s standards for public release.” So what can Alexa+ do right now? I haven’t gotten a chance to fool around with it, but the early access page suggests customers can use it to order an Uber, identify objects and draft emails. That’s something, I guess. Alexa+ is included with Amazon Prime but non-members have to pony up $20 per month. It may not be accessible to everyone just yet, as availability is expanding over the coming weeks and months. Also, it only works on devices with screens. These include the Echo Show 8, 10, 15 and 21.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-out-but-missing-a-lot-of-features-amazon-demoed-last-month-180741504.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 Apple has released iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4 and visionOS 2.4, bringing a grab bag of new features to the companies devices and expanding Apple Intelligence to new countries and languages. As previously announced by Apple iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 include a new Apple News+ Food section in the News app that collects recipes and food-oriented articles, including exclusive recipes for Apple News+ subscribers. The updates also introduce new emoji, AI-sorted Priority Notifications in Notification Center, new ways to filter photos in the Photos app and lossless audio on the AirPods Max. That's on top of a random assortment of other quality-of-life features like: AI-generated summaries of App Store reviews An Ambient Music tool in Control Center The ability to add and control Matter-compatible robot vacuums to the Home app New widgets for the Podcasts app A new "Sketch" style for images in Image Playground Apple The update to visionOS 2.4 will add Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Image Playground to the Vision Pro for the first time, on top of a streamlined process for sharing your headset with another person, a new Apple Vision Pro app for the iPhone to download apps and experiences to your Vision Pro remotely, and a Spatial Gallery app for the headset itself that features a rotating collection of spatial videos and photos curated by Apple. After a bit of a delay, Apple says Apple Intelligence will be available in the European Union for the first time on iPhone and iPad. The suite of AI features will now also work in several new languages "including French, German, Italian, Portuguese , Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese — as well as localized English for Singapore and India," Apple says.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/ios-184-is-available-now-with-new-emoji-apple-news-food-and-priority-notifications-175358845.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 A pair of cult classics from Sony's PlayStation Portable library are heading to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and PC. As part of the Nintendo Direct showcase this March, Bandai Namco announced Patapon 1 + 2 Replay, a package that brings together brand new remasters of 2007's Patapon and 2008's Patapon 2. Originally developed by Pyramid and Sony Japan Studio, which shuttered in 2021, the two games combine elements from strategy and rhythm games. As the player, you must guide a tribe of anthropomorphic eyeballs to victory over their foes through a combination of drum beats. Patapon and Patapon 2 were well-received on release and went on to define the PSP's library of quirky but fun games. In addition to HD graphics, Patapon 1 + 2 Replay includes quality of life changes that should hopefully make this the best way to play these two gems. Update, March 31, 1:15PM ET: Bandai Namco confirmed that Patapon 1 + 2 Replay is coming to PS5 and PC as well as Switch, and this information has been included in the article.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/patapon-1--2-replay-brings-two-psp-classics-to-pc-ps5-and-switch-on-july-11-143627055.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 The Looney Tunes film Coyote vs. Acme won’t be rotting away in David Zaslav’s basement for the next 50 years. Warner Bros. Discovery has sold the rights to the movie to Ketchup Entertainment, the same company that just released The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. Ketchup ponied up around $50 million for the film and it’ll hit theaters in 2026, according to reporting by Deadline. Warner Bros. funded the creation of the movie but then shelved it for a tax write-off. You know the drill. It’s pretty much the same thing it did with the Batgirl movie and Scoob! Holiday Haunt. Nobody loves scrapping finished projects more than WB. This one, at least, has a happy ending. Coyote vs. Acme always seemed like a pretty nifty concept. It stars Will Forte and John Cena and follows Wile E. Coyote as he sues notorious manufacturer Acme after he repeatedly fails to catch his arch-nemesis, the roadrunner. Directing duties fell to Dave Green, who made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. It was produced by Chris deFaria and James Gunn, with a screenplay by May December scribe Samy Burch. This hasn’t stopped Warner Bros. Discovery from feverishly hitting the “delete” key. It just pulled all of the original Looney Tunes shorts from the streaming platform Max. This happened just as The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie was hitting theaters. To be fair, that film didn’t exactly blow up the box office.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/warner-bros-has-officially-sold-the-looney-tunes-film-coyote-vs-acme-170346994.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 23:01 Regular YouTube users have likely noticed an abundance of AI-generated fake movie trailers this past year or so. This annoying AI slop is all over the platform. As it turns out, major movie studios have actually been making money from the videos, according to reporting by Deadline. The scheme worked sort of like a mob shakedown. Hollywood studios would not enforce copyright on these videos. Instead, they struck a deal with YouTube to ensure they got the ad revenue instead of the people that typed in a couple of prompts and did some light editing. One of the most famous of these videos is a bogus trailer for the upcoming Superman reboot. This one actually tricked French national television, leading director James Gunn to post three puking emojis on X. He likely didn’t know that Warner Bros. Discovery was one of the companies racking up cash for these pale imitations.

31.03.2025 23:01 There may come a point where you want to break ties with Amazon — maybe you’re cutting down on impulse buys, trying to escape the subscription rabbit hole or just rethinking where your money goes. Whatever the reason, Amazon gives you two main options: you can cancel your Prime membership to stop the monthly payments, or you can go all in and delete your entire Amazon account including your order history, personal data and access to services like Kindle and Prime Video. This guide will walk you through both processes step by step so you can take control of your Amazon presence. How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership Canceling Amazon Prime is a lot easier than you might think — especially if you’re looking to save money or you’re not using the perks much anymore. Prime comes with benefits like free shipping, access to Prime Video, Prime Reading and more, but if you’re not using those, you may want to let it go. Go to Amazon’s “End Your Amazon Prime Membership” help page, or sign into your Amazon account and select Account Lists then Prime Membership. Select “End Membership.” Amazon may prompt you with offers to stay . If you're sure, keep clicking “Continue to Cancel.” Confirm your cancellation. Once canceled, your membership will run until the end of your current billing period. If you cancel during a free trial, your Prime benefits will end immediately and you won’t be charged. How to delete your Amazon account entirely If you want to take things a step further and permanently delete your Amazon account — along with all your personal data, order history and any associated services — you can request full account closure. While this will irreversibly delete account details like your order history, you can always sign up again from scratch if you change your mind. Once your account is gone, you won’t be able to access anything tied to it again. This includes your: Order history and invoices Access to digital content Saved payment methods and shipping addresses Amazon Photos, Amazon Drive and Alexa voice history Any remaining Amazon gift card balances or promotional credit So, before you go through with it, make sure you download anything you want to keep, spend any remaining credit and cancel open orders or subscriptions. Head to the Close Your Amazon Account help page, or sign into your Amazon account and select Account Lists then Account, and navigate to the Manage your data section then Close Your Amazon Account. Review the list of services associated with your account. This helps you see what you'll lose access to, such as Audible, Alexa devices, Kindle purchases or Amazon-owned services in other countries. If you're sure you want to continue, select a reason for leaving from the drop-down menu. Check the box confirming: “Yes, I want to permanently close my Amazon account and delete my data.” Click Close My Account. Georgie Peru for Engadget After submitting the request, Amazon will send a confirmation message to your email or phone number. You’ll need to reply within five days to verify the deletion request. If you don’t, the request expires and your account stays active. If you have multiple Amazon accounts, you’ll need to go through this process for each one individually. Once your account is deleted, you can’t get it back. If you want to use Amazon again in the future, you’ll have to create a brand-new account. Also, your account will be deleted across all Amazon sites globally — so if you also use amazon.co.uk, amazon.de or amazon.co.jp with the same login, those will be gone too. FAQs Can you get a refund on your Prime membership? Yes, in some cases. If you haven’t used any Prime benefits during the current period — for example, if you haven’t placed an order with free Prime shipping or streamed anything on Prime Video — Amazon will typically give you a full refund. It usually takes three to five business days to process. What happens to your Prime add-ons? If you’ve signed up for Prime Video Channels like Paramount+ or Showtime, those will also end when you cancel your Prime membership. These subscriptions won’t renew once Prime is canceled. Also, if you subscribed to Prime through Google Play on an Android device, you'll need to cancel through Google Subscriptions instead. Similarly, if your Prime came bundled with a third-party service like Metro by T-Mobile, you’ll need to contact that provider directly to cancel. For more general tips on managing and canceling subscriptions you’re no longer using, check out our guide to finding and canceling unused subscriptions. What if you can’t log in to your account? If you’re having trouble accessing the account you want to close, Amazon has a help page that walks you through password recovery, identity verification and other troubleshooting steps. And if you're helping someone else delete their account — for example, if you're an authorized agent — Amazon recommends contacting it via email with legal proof of authorization under your state's privacy laws.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/how-to-cancel-your-amazon-account-160046999.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 If you’re looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum that can handle both vacuuming and mopping, iRobot’s Roomba Combo Essential just hit its lowest price ever. Thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale, it’s down to $149 from $275, matching the lowest price we’ve seen. It previously dipped to $149 during the holiday season and earlier this year, but it’s unclear how long this deal will stick around this time. As you can see in our roundup of the best budget robot vacuums, we’ve consistently rated iRobot’s machines highly for their reliability and ease of use. The Roomba Combo Essential is a simple, no-frills option that both vacuums and mops, making it a solid pick for small apartments, dorm rooms or anyone who wants a cleaner floor without spending a fortune. The vacuum uses special multi-surface brushes to pick up dirt, dust and pet hair from hard floors and carpets. Unlike some budget models that struggle with transitions, this one automatically adjusts to different surfaces, so you won’t have to worry about it getting stuck. When it’s time to mop, the built-in mopping pad wipes down hard floors, tackling light spills and everyday messes. It’s not as advanced as iRobot’s higher-end models with precision scrubbing, but it’s a convenient way to keep your floors looking fresh with minimal effort. One of iRobot Roomba Combo Essential's most convenient features is its auto-adjusting cleaning power — the robot increases suction when it detects extra debris, so it’s more effective on high-traffic areas like entryways or around pet bowls. It also has cliff sensors to prevent it from tumbling down stairs and a low-profile design that helps it slip under some couches and other furniture for a more thorough clean. Despite it being an entry-level robot vacuum, the iRobot Roomba Combo Essential comes with app control and voice assistant support, so you can set cleaning schedules and initiate cleaning whether you’re at home lounging on the couch or away on vacation. For $150, this is a solid deal for an iRobot machine that can vacuum and mop, especially considering its usual $275 price tag. If you’ve been thinking about automating some of your floor cleaning, this is one of the most affordable ways to do it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-vacuum-deals-this-irobot-2-in-1-vacuum-and-mop-is-still-on-sale-for-149-123058025.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 The Amazon Big Spring Sale has reached it's last day, but a number of the deals we've been tracking for the past week are still going strong — but we don't imagine that'll be the case tomorrow. Like last year, the discounts appear to be more focused on kitchen, fashion and cleaning supplies than all-out tech categories, but as cooking gear gets more tech-reliant we've tested out more than a few cooking gadgets. We’ve reviewed Instant Pots, air fryers, coffee gear, sous vide machines and more. Some of what we recommend is now on sale for Amazon’s latest shopping event. Here are the best deals on kitchen tech we could find. The best Amazon Spring Sale deals on air fryers, Instant Pots and more Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $140 : The powerful Juice Fountain impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it’s relatively easy to clean . It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot. This price isn’t as low as the $110 Amazon sold it for back in January, but this is the lowest price we’ve tracked since then. Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $90 : Cosori’s fryer earned a spot as the runner up for best overall air fryer in our guide. It has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity. We like that it doesn’t take up too much space, but can still cook up a decent amount of food Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $320 : If you want a more traditional toaster oven design with a huge capacity, go for our premium air fryer pick. The fryer-and-oven combo can accommodate a five-quart dutch oven, so it’s almost an auxiliary oven, which could come in handy when you’re cooking for a crowd. This isn't an all-time low — it went for $300 at the end of last year. Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer for $260 : This is the non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity and is missing two cooking functions . But if you’re not making your own jerky or baking a ton of bread, this one can toast, broil, air fry and slow cook. You can even get it in cool colors like Red Velvet Cake for the same price. Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $190 : If you need to air fry two different foods at once, go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It’s a beast, so we think it’s best for larger kitchens and people who make big meals. It went as low as $130 for Black Friday last year, but this is the cheapest price we’ve seen since then. Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $120 : This went as low as $100 for the holidays last year, but this matches the lowest price we’ve seen since then. The fryer gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide because it makes good use of limited counter space with its taller design. The round cooking basket doesn’t feel as roomy as square ones but it does have a dehydrate option that other cookers don’t come with. KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender for $100 : The big selling point here is the removable battery that you can use for other KitchenAid Go appliances. In our testing, it had enough power to turn a roasted butternut squash into a smooth, creamy soup. The blender has hit this price a few times over the past few months and the deal isn’t as good as the $77 it sold for at the end of last year. Instant Pot Pro Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $133 : We also suggest this fancier Pro Plus model in our guide to kitchen tech. It’s a Wi-Fi connected unit with a canning function and you can even release the steam remotely using the companion app — which has over 800 recipes. This isn't an all-time low — it was $125 earlier this week and dipped as low as $99 for Black Friday last year. Fellow Stagg EKG Pro electric kettle for $165 : This exquisitely designed kettle has an LCD panel built into the base so you can choose a specific temperature down to the degree. And the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. This is the pro model of the version we recommend in our tea guide. Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $129 : We named this the best overall sous vide machine after testing a number of models for our buyer’s guide. This is about $30 more than the low it hit for the holidays last year, but this is the lowest price we’ve seen in 2025. We appreciate the easy digital controls and found that the high flow rate maintains water temperature better than other machines. Plus, if you’re at a loss for what to cook, you can check out the companion app which is replete with recipes. Expired deals Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano for $100 : This is the machine that led our editor to dub these machines the “Millennial crockpot.” She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer’s guide. This is about $10 more than the all-time low, but is the cheapest we’ve seen Amazon sell it for over the past couple of months. Instant Vortex 2QT Mini Air Fryer for $50 : The budget pick in our guide doesn’t go on sale often — it’s already pretty cheap at its $60 list price. It’s sold for as little as $48 for Prime Day in July, but this is the cheapest we’ve seen since then. Its two-quart capacity is probably best for small kitchens and can crisp up food for one or two people. Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $90 : We like this Instant Pot model because it's simple to use and has several quick-cooking modes including beans, cake, sous vide and more. It went as low as $70 earlier this year, but this is still a 30 percent discount off the list price. KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer for $380 : Small wonder that the home cook’s gold standard of mixers made its way onto our kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. This is a solid $80 discount off of the MSRP, but we’ll note that Amazon sold it for as low as $330 at the end of last year and for $350 last month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-amazon-spring-sale-deals-on-kitchen-gear-from-ninja-breville-kitchenaid-and-others-092909893.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 How can we push CPUs forward? That's the question the computing industry has been asking since the Intel 4004 processor launched in 1971. Chipmakers have tried cranking up clock speeds, adding multiple cores and miniaturizing chip architectures to make them faster and more efficient. The conflict between RISC and CISC chip instruction sets — "reduced" designs versus "complex" ones — rages on to this day with RISC-V. For the past few years, AMD has been exploring a unique approach to speeding up some of its processors with 3D V-Cache, a technology that stacks more L3 cache on top of Ryzen cores. By doing so, the company avoids crowding the 2D plane of its chips, and it's able to cram in more memory without making its CPUs larger. With the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, AMD has now evolved 3D V-Cache to the point where every hardcore gamer will want one — even if few people actually need a $700 CPU. 3D V-Cache first appeared in the Ryzen 5800X3D in 2022, and AMD brought it to laptops in 2023. While there were some obvious downsides initially — the 5800X3D had slower clock speeds than the standard Ryzen 5800 — AMD has steadily improved the technology. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Ryzen 9 7900X3D were both notable for reaching the same maximum clock speeds as their 2D counterparts. While AMD's second-generation 3D V-Cache technology isn't as big of a leap in the 9950X3D , the company has managed to overcome the few compromises it's had to make so far. Simply put, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a beast of a CPU for gaming and productivity work alike. What's new in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D? The 9950X3D is a 16-core processor with a 4.3GHz base clock speed and a boost speed of 5.7GHz, just like its 2D sibling the 9950X. The big difference between the two is in their total L2 and L3 cache: the 9950X has 80MB, while the 3D V-Cache technology crams 144MB in the 9950X3D. By having more cache, the 9950X3D is able to tackle more processing loads without hitting RAM, which could take eight to 10 times as long, according to Robert Hallock, AMD's director of technical marketing. The major upgrade in the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, in addition to being powered by AMD's new Zen 5 cores, lies in the positioning of its 3D V-Cache layer. Previously, it sat on top of Zen 3 and Zen 4 cores, which slightly hindered cooling and overall performance. Now, the 3D V-Cache layer sits below the 9950X3D's Zen 5 cores, which gives those hotter elements direct access to your CPU fan’s heatsink. The 9950X3D has the same 170 Watt TDP as its 2D variant, so cooling shouldn't be a huge problem, and unlike most other 3D V-Cache chips, it's also fully overclockable. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget In-use: An absolute powerhouse I expected the Ryzen 9 9950X3D to wallop every other PC CPU I've tested, but I didn't expect the leap to be so dramatic. In the Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU benchmark, it was 20 percent faster than the Ryzen 9 7900X I was previously using. The 9950X3D was also 33 percent faster in the same benchmark's multi-threaded test. CPU GeekBench 6 CPU 3DMark CPU Profile Cinebench 2024 AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 3,366/18,950 17,025 Max 134/2,124 AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 2,822/14,216 12,553 Max 113/1,103 Apple M4 Max 4,090/26,394 N/A 190/2066 Apple M2 Ultra 2,776/21,403 N/A N/A I've only seen better scores from Apple's hardware. The M4 chip is slightly faster for single-threaded tasks, while the M4 Max and M2 Ultra chips in the Mac Studio trounce AMD's multi-threaded Geekbench 6 scores. Still, you could build a solid Ryzen 9 system for far less than the Mac Studio M4 Max's $2,000 starting cost, even while accounting for the 9950X3D's $700 price tag. Apple doesn't always come out ahead. In the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded benchmark, the 9950X3D slightly surpassed the M4 Max chip. That result is also a sign that AMD's flagship chip will be a big help for Windows-based content creators. The 9950X3D and the M4 Max both took 14 seconds to transcode a 4K clip into 1080p, which is the fastest result we've ever seen. The major appeal of the 9950X3D is that it'll also be able to handle demanding games over the next few years without bottlenecking high-end GPUs like NVIDIA's RTX 5080 and 5090. On my system, which is using an RTX 5090 and 64GB of RAM, the 9950X3D reached 195 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 1080p with high graphics settings. The Ryzen 9 7900X, on the other hand, hit 166 fps with the same GPU and RAM. You'll see less of an immediate uplift at higher resolutions, where your video card is doing more of the work. Cyberpunk hit 64 fps in 4K without DLSS upscaling on the 9950X3D, while it struggled to reach 56 fps on the 7900X with the same settings. For 4K, in particular, the 9950X3D could be useful for scaling performance for monitors with faster refresh rates. On the 7900X, Dragon Age: The Veilguard ran at a smooth 250 fps in 4K with graphics settings and frame generation cranked up, but with the newer chip I saw 270 fps. If you’re running a 4K 240Hz monitor with a less powerful GPU, you’ll likely have a better shot of edging close to 240 fps thanks to 3D V-Cache. Given all of its power, I was surprised to find that the 9950X3D ran at a relatively cool 81.5 Celsius at 100 percent load. It also idles between 30C and 35C, depending on what you’re doing. Those results are pretty impressive for a CPU that can push up to 170 Watts. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Should you buy the Ryzen 9 9950X3D? Much like NVIDIA's $2,000 RTX 5090, I can't easily recommend the $700 Ryzen 9 9950X3D to most people. Most gamers would likely be better off with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which sells for a more reasonable $479. Sure, it has half as many cores, but the majority of titles don't tap into many of those to begin with. There's also the $600 12-core 9900X3D, which could be more useful for people who actually need a healthy amount of CPU cores. You could of course consider AMD's current chips without 3D V-Cache, like the Ryzen 7 9700X, which has an MSRP of $359 but is currently selling for under $300. But if you're already in the market for an expensive video card, it's likely worth paying a bit extra to get more L3 cache. When AMD first debuted the 5800X3D, the company claimed 3D V-Cache alone boosted 1080p performance by 15 percent. As games get more complex and demanding, having more available cache could be even more useful. As for Intel, it only has plans to bring its version of the technology, dubbed Local Cache, to next-generation Xeon server chips, according to der8auer and Bens Hardware . Intel's current high-end desktop chip, the 24-core i9-14900K, is no gaming slouch, but it's saddled with just 36MB of L3 cache. Wrap-up If anything, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is yet another sign that AMD is on a hot streak. After releasing a pair of excellent midrange GPUs, which showed that the company can genuinely go toe-to-toe with NVIDIA, this CPU and its accompanying 3D V-Cache technology is a reminder of how AMD is far ahead of Intel in many ways. And let’s not forget that it was also the first x86 chipmaker to include NPUs in laptop and desktop CPUs. While it’s certainly not the best deal around, if you can afford it, the 9950X3D is the best desktop CPU you can buy today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/amd-ryzen-9-9950x3d-review-a-no-compromise-cpu-for-demanding-gamers-152452811.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has finally reached its last day. Like last year, the deals are focused less on tech and gadgets and more on home, cleaning and fashion discounts. That's not Engadget's area of expertise — except when it comes to robot vacuums, where home cleaning and hi-tech neatly intersect. We’ve tested dozens of these handy automatic floor cleaners and put the results in two buying guides one for budget models and one covering the best of the best. We've also tried out a few cordless vacs, which make good spot-cleaners to supplement automated cleaning. Right now, a number of our picks and related models are on sale and we’ve rounded up the best deals on vacuums Amazon’s latest sale has to offer. The best Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals Shark's Matrix Plus robovac for $400 : In our testing, we’ve been consistently impressed with Shark vacuums — but they’re not cheap. This machine can mop in addition to vacuum and is nearly half price at 47 percent off. Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 11S MAX for $140 : The “S” in the model name stands for “slim” and it was one of the more low-profile machines we tried. It’s a pick in our guide to budget robot vacuums and has a long battery life and good suction power for its price. The main drawback is the lack of Wi-Fi, so instead of programming it with your phone, you’ll use the included remote. Anker Eufy Robot Vacuum 3-in-1 E20 for $400 : If you can’t decide between a robot vacuum or a lightweight stick vac, you don’t have to. The new Eufy E20 combines a robo vac, cordless upright and handheld vacuum in one machine. Plus the automatically emptying base holds a lot of debris for its size. While we found the robot performance to be better than the stick vac suction, it’s still impressive and convenient for an all-in-one model. The best cordless vacuum deals Levoit Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for $150 : The lowest price we’ve tracked on this stick vac is $130 but this matches the lowest price we’ve seen this year. It’s our runner up budget pick for a stick vac in our guide. It doesn’t have a storage base and the bin is smallish, but it’s lightweight and super affordable. It also disassembles easily for storage making its lack of base less of a deal breaker. Tineco Pure ONE Station 5 for $349 : This vac earned an honorable mention in our tests. The self-emptying base is a big selling point. We also liked the auto-adjusting suction and single-button start feature. The fact that it doesn’t require proprietary bags helps keep down the long-term cost, too. Tineco Pure ONE S11 cordless vacuum for $200 : Click the coupon to get $95 off our top pick for a budget stick vac. We like that it automatically adjusts suction depending on what it's picking up and is relatively lightweight when you’re pushing it around your floors. The bin is on the small side and the battery life isn’t as good as on other models, but it’s an easy-to-use, no-frills way to clean floors. Tineco Pure ONE Station FurFree for $400 : Of all the stick vacs our reviewer tried for our guide, this is the one she wanted to use the most. It’s super convenient with a dock that charges and empties and cleans all parts of the machine — brush, tube and dustbin — after each use. Plus the suction power is great and the iLoop smart sensor kicks up the suction when needed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-robot-vacuum-deals-the-best-sales-from-irobot-tineco-shark-and-anker-092652460.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 It's the last day of Amazon's week-long Big Spring Sale, and while the event has mostly focused on things like apparel and outdoor goods, it still does include a few noteworthy deals on electronics. We’ve been highlighting the best of those across Engadget, but if you’re on a tighter budget, we’ve also dug up a few decent discounts on gadgets and services we like that are available for less than $50. As a reminder, you don’t need to be an Amazon Prime subscriber to see most of the price drops. Best Amazon Spring Sale deals under $50 Anker PowerConf C200 for $48 : The PowerConf C200 is our favorite webcam for those on a tighter budget due to its crisp video quality, easy setup, solid microphones and built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, and it can’t match the overall accuracy of our top pick, but it’s still a clear upgrade over a built-in laptop camera for a much lower price. This is another deal we’ve seen numerous times in the last year, but it’s as low as the camera usually goes. Also at Anker. The Anker 525 Charging Station. Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Anker 525 Charging Station for $30 : We recommend this reliable desktop charging station in our remote worker gift guide. It can’t provide the absolute fastest charge to your smartphone or laptop , but it packs four USB ports — two USB-C, two USB-A — and three AC outlets in a frame that’s small enough to fit on a crowded desk. This deal ties the lowest price we’ve seen. Also at Anker. Anker Nano Charger 30W for $13 : It’s hard to have too many portable wall chargers on standby. This one from Anker should be particularly useful for traveling: At just over an inch thick, it’s small enough to fit in a pocket, while its 30W USB-C port is enough to top up recent iPhones at full speed. This discount matches the lowest price we’ve seen. Also at Anker. Blink Mini 2 for $20 : This deal ties the lowest price to date for the Blink Mini 2, which is the budget pick in our guide to the best security cameras. This one comes with its share of trade-offs for the low price — its image quality isn’t the best, it locks certain features behind a paywall and it won’t automatically arm when you leave the house — but it still provides functional 1080p video, color night vision, motion alerts and Alexa support in a weather-resistant frame. It’s fairly simple to set up, too, though you’ll need to buy an external module if you want to store clips locally. Also at Best Buy and The Home Depot. The Blink Mini 2. Amy Skorheim for Engadget Amazon Fire TV Stick HD for $20 : This is the budget pick in our guide to the best streaming devices. It can only play up to 1080p, so it’s really meant for older or smaller TVs that you want to modernize with streaming apps. It’s a bit more sluggish than Amazon’s higher-end 4K sticks, too, and all Fire TV devices tend to promote Amazon-owned services like Prime Video above all else. Still, it works with nearly all the major streaming apps, and its remote has Alexa built-in, so you can control your TV and certain smart home devices with voice commands. It also supports basic HDR10 — but not Dolby Vision — plus it can pass-through Dolby Atmos audio to a compatible soundbar or receiver. You could do worse if you just want the cheapest streamer possible. This deal is $2 higher than the all-time low we saw during the holidays, but it matches the best price we’ve tracked otherwise. Amazon Music Unlimited 3-month trial for free : Amazon is offering new subscribers three months of its Music Unlimited streaming service for free. Normally, it gives new users a one-month trial. Though Music Unlimited isn’t a top pick in our guide to the best music services, it still gets you lossless streaming quality and an extensive library of both music and podcasts. You could do worse if you just want to bum a few months of music streaming for no cost. Just note that your subscription will auto-renew once the trial period ends until you cancel. Chipolo One for $20 : The Chipolo One is the top overall pick in our guide to the best Bluetooth trackers. While Apple’s AirTag can tap into a substantially larger crowd-sourcing network, we’ve found the One to send separation alerts faster when you’ve left an item behind and ring louder when you’re back in its vicinity. Unlike the AirTag, it can also attach directly to a keychain. It probably isn’t the safest choice for long-distance travel, but it’s a convenient security blanket if you, say, leave your keys or wallet behind at a restaurant. This is another discount that’s been available for a few weeks, but it’s just 10 cents more the best price we’ve seen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-spring-sale-tech-deals-under-50-the-best-discounts-you-can-still-get-on-chargers-earbuds-accessories-and-more-091512018.html?src=rss

31.03.2025 17:40 Levoit's Core 400S air purifier is down to $190 from its usual $220 price, thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale. While it’s not the lowest price we’ve seen — the air purifier briefly hit $177 last year — it’s still a solid discount on one of the most convenient air purifiers for large spaces. Just clip the $30 on-page coupon to get the discount. This deal is part of a larger Levoit sale during the Spring Sale that includes other air purifiers, humidifiers and more. We’ve featured Levoit in our list of the best air purifiers for its strong performance and smart features. The Core 400S can cover rooms up to 1,980 square feet using a three-stage filtration system to capture allergens, dust, pet dander and smoke. It also includes a smart sensor that adjusts fan speed based on air quality, so you’re not running it at full blast when you don’t need to. One of the Levoit Core 400S’ biggest selling points is its low noise output, which makes it a good fit for bedrooms or home offices. If you need to knuckle down and get some work done without distraction whilst keeping your room’s air clean and fresh, even at higher speeds, it stays relatively quiet compared to bulkier purifiers. It also supports smart controls via the VeSync app, allowing you to tweak settings, set schedules or monitor air quality from your phone. If you have a smart home ecosystem in place, you can connect the purifier to third-party voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant — an added layer of convenience that allows you to control the Core 400S with simple voice commands. Its 360-degree filtration system uses activated carbon to remove gases and odors, while an efficient middle filter captures 99.97 percent of pollutants as small as 0.3 microns. The built-in air quality sensor continuously monitors pollution levels, automatically adjusting performance as needed. You can track real-time air quality data on the LCD screen or through the VeSync app, which is handy to have access to at all times. At night, sleep mode keeps things extra quiet and subtle, dimming the display and operating at the lowest settings — or you can turn off the display completely for total darkness. If you’ve been looking for an air purifier that can handle larger spaces without taking up too much room, this deal is worth considering, saving you over $30 on its usual price thanks to the Amazon Spring Sale.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/one-of-our-favorite-air-purifiers-is-still-down-to-a-near-record-low-price-for-the-amazon-spring-sale-133052953.html?src=rss