World’s most powerful desktop PC has 256 EPYC Genoa cores, 6TB (yes TB) RAM and costs only $120,000 — but you will have to bring your own Windows 11 Pro for Workstations OS
The Titan A900 might look like an ordinary desktop PC at first glance, but it’s a powerful workstation designed for deep learning and AI applications.
The machine from Titan Computers is built around AMD’s EPYC Genoa 9004 series, featuring dual EPYC Genoa 9124 CPUs with 32 cores each, providing a total of 64 cores in the default configuration.
For users who need even more computational power you can customize the choice of processor all the way up to EPYC Genoa 9124 CPUs supporting up to 256 cores.
(Image credit: Titan Computers)
It isn’t cheap
The workstation’s design is housed in a Titan Chariot mid-tower case made from anodized aluminum and steel, so it’s durable and looks great too. It comes with 64GB of DDR5 ECC RAM as standard but supports upgrades up to a massive 6TB, making it highly adaptable for memory-intensive applications.
Advertisement
Storage is a default 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD delivering fast read/write speeds and a 4TB Seagate Enterprise HDD for additional storage needs. You can expand the total storage capacity even further if required, with 8TB SSDs and a 20TB HDDs on offer.
In terms of graphics, the default configuration includes an Nvidia Quadro T400 4GB GDDR6 workstation video card, suitable for general-purpose applications. However – you guessed it – the Titan A900 can be customized with a range of more powerful GPUs, including liquid-cooled options.
Efficient cooling is obviously crucial for the level of performance we’re looking at here, and the A900 features dual SilverStone Technology CPU coolers, Antec Nano Diamond Thermal Compound, and five high-performance silent fans. Again, you can customize the set up as required.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Advertisement
The A900 comes with dual RJ45 10GbE LAN ports, four USB ports, and a front-facing USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port, but you can add loads more ports if you wish. Wireless connectivity is provided by Intel 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
The default set up will cost you just under $8,000, but if you want the top of the range CPUs and RAM that price rockets up to $120,000 and extra features, including a copy of Windows 11 Pro for Workstation, will push the total even higher. You can customize your dream setup here.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the most premium model in Google’s latest smartphone lineup. There’s also the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but foldable devices have their own category. Pixel 9 series buyers have already been able to enjoy all the new features and improvements for a few weeks. However, a Pixel 9 Pro XL owner had a difficult time due to a problem with the device’s rear camera bar.
There could be a problem with the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera bar
A Google Pixel 9 Pro XL user reported on Reddit that the phone’s rear camera bar just came off, for no apparent reason. According to the post, the device had not suffered any rough use or drops that could cause the problem. The user first noticed the issue when the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s camera glass became fogged up internally. After removing the protective case, the user noticed that there was a gap between the camera bar and the body of the phone. Then, a light tug was enough for the piece to fall.
Currently, there’s only one report about the problem, so it could be a case of defective unit. It is normal for there to be a small percentage of defective units in production batches of new tech products. However, it is still a frustrating situation for those who have to deal with it.
Google revamped the design of the camera module on the Pixel 9 series
Since the Pixel 6 series, Google has used a bar-shaped camera module design. The edges of the bar meet the sides of the device in a curve. However, this year, the company decided to change the design slightly. The Pixel 9 series retains the module placement and horizontal distribution of sensors, but the bar adopts an elongated pill shape. The new design implies that the edges of the module are no longer “fused” to the sides of the phone.
Advertisement
The new design could be the source of the problem, although there’s no confirmation on that yet. Now that the camera module doesn’t blend with the sides of the phone, Google needs to make sure it’s well integrated with the rear area in other ways. Remember, the Pixel 9 series boasts an IP68 rating, so the build must be solid.
Fortunately, the affected user was able to obtain a replacement unit through their warranty. However, their post expresses concern about the possibility of facing the problem again. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Pixel 8 Pro’s camera bar
2K and developer 31st Union just unveiled Project: Ethos, a free-to-play 3rd-person hero shooter. It’s entering a crowded and fraught marketplace, but the publisher says this is an “exciting evolution” of the genre.
That evolution seems to take the form of some light roguelike mechanics. The playable characters evolve throughout each match, via semi-randomized upgrades unique to each hero. The publisher gives an example of evolving a sniper into a “close-range skirmisher” or a “support role into a powerful lone wolf.”
2K
The “abilities, stakes and challenges” change from match to match and players can eventually unlock powerful Augments to further enhance runs. It remains to be seen if these mechanics can set it apart from the pack, but you can find that out for yourself. There’s a community playtest .
Players can test out the game’s signature Trials mode, which is an “ongoing, persistent fight” or check out the Gauntlet. This is your standard head-to-head tournament mode, with teams and brackets.
Advertisement
This community playtest goes until October 20 in the US, Canada, Mexico and much of Europe. There is a fairly annoying hurdle to jump through to access the early build. You have to complete a Twitch Drop and stream 30 minutes of content from . There’s no information yet regarding an actual release date for people who don’t want to sit through a 30-minute stream.
AI search engine Perplexity is in fundraising talks and hopes to raise around $500 million at an $8 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
If a deal happens with those terms, it would more than double Perplexity’s valuation from its $3 billion valuation when it raised from SoftBank over the summer. The WSJ reports that the company currently receives about 15 million queries a day and brings in around $50 million in annualized revenue.
Perplexity uses AI to help people search the web in a chatbot-style interface. Some news publishers have accused the company of unauthorized web scraping and plagiarism, and The New York Times has even sent Perplexity a cease-and-desist letter, but CEO Aravind Srinivas said he wants to work with publishers and has “no interest in being anyone’s antagonist here.”
These fundraising talks come after OpenAI announced raising a $6.6 billion round at a $157 billion valuation. While products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have blurred the line between chatbot and search engine, the company is moving more directly into search with SearchGPT.
Advertisement
Perplexity did not immediately respond to a TechCrunch request for comment.
It’s dispiriting to see that even after being made aware of the breach 2 weeks ago, IA has still not done the due diligence of rotating many of the API keys that were exposed in their gitlab secrets.
As demonstrated by this message, this includes a Zendesk token with perms to access 800K+ support tickets sent to info@archive.org since 2018.
Whether you were trying to ask a general question, or requesting the removal of your site from the Wayback Machine—your data is now in the hands of some random guy. If not me, it’d be someone else.
Here’s hoping that they’ll get their shit together now.
One of the constants in computing is the need for more storage. While 8TB SSDs offer both speed and capacity, they can be a little pricey, although there are deals available if you’re prepared to shop around. If you need more storage – nearly double, in fact – purchasing a 15.36TB SSD often provides better value on a per-terabyte basis.
For example, the Intel D5-P5316 2.5-inch 15.36TB SSD is available on Amazonfor $1,650. It boasts write speeds of 3200 MB/s and read rates of 7000 MB/s. If you’re after a cheaper option, the Kioxia CD6-R KCD6XLUL15T3 is priced at a more affordable $1,397.63 on ServerPartDeals. This model offers 4000 MB/s write speeds and 5500 MB/s read rates.
In contrast, Samsung‘s 8TB 870 QVO SATA III SSD usually sells for $849.99 on Amazon, although it’s currently selling for $639.95. On a per-terabyte basis, the Samsung SSD works out to $106 at its usual price, and $80 at its sale price. The double-capacity Intel and Kioxia models cost $107 and $91 per terabyte, respectively.
The catch
However, as is often the case, there’s a catch.
Advertisement
The Intel and Kioxia drives, like other 15.36TB models, use the U.3 interface, which is specifically designed for enterprise environments rather than the more common M.2 format seen in consumer devices. These drives require a system with U.3 NVMe functionality, meaning they cannot be used in standard consumer desktops or laptops, making them less accessible to the average user without the proper setup.
Despite this, their impressive performance metrics and price per terabyte make them appealing options for professional and enterprise-level storage needs. If you’re looking to save even more, shopping around and exploring platforms like eBay can sometimes yield even better deals.
At the time of writing, we found the Kioxia CD6-R KCD6XLUL15T3 listed on the auction site for $1,185, which works out to a bargain $77.15 per terabyte – a price that’s hard to ignore.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Apple’s MacBook Air M3 represents the latest of the company’s very successful thin-and-light laptops built around Apple Silicon’s fast and highly efficient chipsets. It’s one of the best laptops made, and Windows machines have had a hard time keeping up.
Now, Intel has introduced a new chipset, the Core Ultra Series 2, also know as Lunar Lake, that aims to rectify things with much better efficiency. The Asus Zenbook S 14 is one of the first laptops introduced with the new chipset. Can it compete?
2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 1 x HDMI 2.1 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack
2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 1 x 3.5mm audio jack 1 x MagSafe 3
Touch
Yes
No
Wireless
Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4
Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.3
Webcam
1080p with infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello
1080p
Battery
72 watt-hour
52.6 watt-hours
Operating system
Windows 11
macOS Sonoma
Price
$1,399+
$1,099+
Rating
4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5 stars
There aren’t many configurations of the Zenbook S 14 available yet. Our review unit costs $1,500 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chipset, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display.
The MacBook Air M3 has several options. The base model costs $1,099 with an 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M3 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB, and a 13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 IPS display. RAM and storage upgrades include $200 to upgrade to 16GB or 512GB, and $400 to go to 24GB and 1TB. An upgrade to 2TB is a whopping $800. Our review unit cost $1,699 for an 8-core CPU/10-core GPU M3, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. The high-end configuration with 24GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD is $2,299.
So, when configured similarly, the MacBook Air M3 is $100 more. That makes them close enough that other factors will weigh more.
The MacBook Air M3 is an incredibly thin laptop while still maintaining Apple’s usual excellent build quality and solid chassis. It’s CNC machined out of a single chunk of aluminum, and it’s an elegant aesthetic in one of four colors. The Zenbook S 14 is a pretty thin laptop as well, and it uses a “ceraluminum” (Asus’ word) material to be very light and yet sturdy. It’s a good-looking laptop as well, coming in either dark gray or white and with a geometric pattern on the lid.
Both laptops have the usual quality hinge that opens with one hand, and while the MacBook Air feels dense and cold in hand, the Zenbook has a warm texture. The bottom line is that nobody is likely to buy either laptop based solely on their look and feel.
The Zenbook S 14 has the very good Asus keyboard that you’ll find on the entire ZenBook line. It has plenty of spacing and large keycaps, as well as light and snappy switches. The MacBook Air uses Apple’s excellent Magic Keyboard, which is my favorite. It has a perfect layout, comfortable keys, and the most precise switches on a laptop today. The Zenbook’s mechanical touchpad feels Ok, but it’s almost too large, leaving a very small palm rest. The MacBook Air’s Force Touch haptic touchpad is perfectly sized and works great, with the Force Click function that adds additional features with a firmer “click.” The keyboard and touchpad are Apple strengths.
Connectivity favors the Zenbook S 14, which has a couple of legacy ports to go with the same two Thunderbolt 4 connections. And it has more up-to-date wireless connectivity. Both laptops have 1080p webcams, and the Zenbook uses an infrared camera with Windows 11 facial recognition compared to the MacBook Air’s Touch ID fingerprint reader. The Zenbook supports Studio Effects software that enhances videoconferencing.
Intel’s Lunar Lake chipsets are aimed at competing directly with Apple Silicon. We reviewed the Zenbook S 14 with the Core Ultra 7 258V, a 17-watt, 8-core (four Performance and four Low Power Efficient), 8-thread chipset. It uses the newest Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics. The MacBook Air uses Apple’s M3 chipset with eight CPU cores and eight or 10 GPU cores. We reviewed the faster version.
In our benchmarks, the MacBook Air M3 was faster in all but the Handbrake test. It was faster in both single-core and multi-core tests. And its GPU was more than twice as fast in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme benchmark.
Advertisement
It’s not that the Zenbook S 14 is a slow laptop. It’s just that the MacBook Air M3 is meaningfully faster.
Geekbench 6 (single/multi)
Cinebench R24 (single/multi/battery)
Handbrake
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Asus Zenbook S 14 (Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)
The Zenbook S 14 uses a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display running at up to 120Hz. It’s a lovely display with OLED’s usual bright, dynamic colors and inky blacks. That compares to the MacBook Air’s 13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 IPS display running at 60Hz.
While the MacBook Air’s display is a very good example of IPS technology, and it’s very bright and reasonably colorful, the Zenbook’s OLED panel has much wider colors and near-perfect blacks. Our review unit had oddly poor color accuracy, but that’s unusual and likely an outlier. The Zenbook’s display will be appreciated by creators and media consumers.
The MacBook Air is the thinnest laptop you can buy, and the Zenbook S 14 is only a little thicker. In spite of having a larger display, the Zenbook is around the same width and depth, and it weighs about the same. These are both very portably laptops.
When it comes to battery life, the Zenbook S 14 comes about as close to the MacBook Air M3 as any recent Windows laptop has managed. It’s only three hours behind in our web-browsing test and an hour behind in our video-looping test. And the two laptops managed about the same in the demanding Cinebench R24 multi-core test.
Web
Video
Cinebench R24
Asus Zenbook S 14 (Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)
These are both great laptops. The Zenbook S 14 leverages the Intel Lunar Lake chipset for great battery life, which is an early win for the platform. It’s a nicely designed and built laptop, and it really doesn’t have any significant flaws.
Advertisement
The MacBook Air is also close to perfect, and it’s meaningfully faster with slightly better battery life. It has a much better keyboard and touchpad, and generally a very elegant design. It’s a bit more expensive, but worth it — although if you must have Windows, then the Zenbook S 14 is a great choice.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login