AMD Debuts Ryzen 7000 CPUs & Mobile GPUs | More Customization & 3D Gaming Were CES 2023’s Trends
What's on Tap This Week?- CES 2023: AMD announces Ryzen 7000 CPUs & mobile GPUs
- CES 2023: Asus & HyperX bring more customization to peripherals
- CES 2023: Is 3D gaming the future of gaming?
- Other News: AMD, PlayStation, Microsoft, & MSI
CPU/GPU
CES 2023: AMD Debuts Ryzen 7000 CPUs & RX 7000 Mobile GPUs AMD PC builds just got a big boost
AMD unveiled its new Radeon RX 7000 GPUs for laptops and mainstream non-X Ryzen 7000 processors for desktops at CES 2023. The big takeaway for GPUs was what wasn’t announced, while more affordable processors for AMD’s new AM5 platform could make it more appealing.
Bang for Your Buck
The Ryzen 9 7900, Ryzen 7 7700, and Ryzen 6 7600 are competitively priced products that lower the barrier to AMD’s AM5 platform. Despite lower (on-paper) power, in practice they are barely behind their X-siblings in gaming.
- Non-X processors are $20-$45 less than their X counterparts
- They also include a stock cooler
- Their more powerful X counterparts & AMD’s AM5 socket arrived in September
- DDR5 only
- AMD announced the enthusiast-oriented Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 7900X3D, & 7800X3D will launch in February
AMD’s Ryzen 7000 processors are yet another sign of a CPU market that’s once again tilting toward buyers. This latest wave is a boost for AMD’s new AM5 socket, which has the built-in price disadvantage of both a new motherboard and DDR5 RAM. The future may even be better.
- The $20 delta between the Ryzen 7 7700/7600 and their X counterparts is slim
- AMD may have to lower prices to differentiate those products
AMD also announced the Radeon RX 7000M and RX 7000S GPUs for notebooks. They will target 1080p Ultra settings and feature AV1 encoding and AMD’s upscaling solutions. AMD’s newest RDNA3 GPUs will face stiff competition from Nvidia’s full stack of RTX 40 series laptop GPUs, which was also revealed at CES 2023.
- S models are the most power efficient
- Aimed at ultrabook & other slim laptops
- Same architecture as the RX 7900 X/XTX for desktop, which arrived last month
-Avery Bissett, Head Writer
Peripherals
CES 2023: More Customization From Asus & HyperX Traditional enthusiast features arrive for mainstream gaming keyboards
More customization and personalization is the future of gaming peripherals if this year’s CES exhibits were any indication. Asus is betting on a more premium keyboard market, while HyperX HX3D will offer accessories for your accessories.
Asus ROG Azoth
While RGB lighting has been the gaming keyboard standard for years, Asus’s ROG Azoth goes a step further by making mainstream features traditionally reserved for enthusiasts. The $250 wireless, mechanical keyboard is customizable out of the box and even has a small OLED display (sure, why not).
- Hot-swappable switches and keycaps
- Switches are not proprietary
- Pre-lubricated and ships with additional lube
- Includes basic tools like a keycap puller
The Azoth’s price is competitive for a product aimed at gamers instead of keyboard enthusiasts. It's a sign that gamers are increasingly looking for more when buying keyboards – and potentially willing to spend more.
HyperX HX3d
HyperX debuted its new HX3D line of 3D-printed accessories for HyperX accessories. “HX3D is taking this love of personalizing a gaming experience to the physical world and enabling a wide range of fun ways to update and customize our award-winning HyperX gear," said HyperX Daniel Kelley.
- HX3D is being positioned as a service for gamers, not one based off HyperX’s brand loyalty
-Avery Bissett, Head Writer
Industry
CES 2023: Is 3D Gaming the Future or a Mirage? Acer and Asus opt for different 3D gaming strategies
Blast from the Past
A CES attendee would be forgiven for feeling as if they were transported back a decade, to a simpler time when 3D was supposedly the future of TV. There was not just one, but multiple demos of glasses-free 3D gaming. The basic technology uses use eye-tracking to combine two images to add a depth effect, which unfortunately limits the experience to a solo one. Since the two images are combined, the resulting quality is half of what it would be in 2D.
Asus: Casting a Wide Net
The company’s Spatial Vision technology was demonstrated with the ProArt Studiobook 16 3D OLED and Vivobook Pro 16X 3D OLED. While technically workstation notebooks, an RTX 4070 (mobile) makes them capable gaming machines. Asus thinks it can capture more customers by splitting its attention between the gaming and workstation markets.
- Launching Q2, with no pricing information yet
Acer showed off its Predator Helios 300 SpatialLabs Edition, which debuted last year. The company opted for a purely gaming focus, choosing its Predator imprint and skipping creativity features like Asus’ ProArt dial.
- SpatialLabs recently rolled out a new update adding “3D Ultra mode,” with improved 3D depth
- Acer and SpatialLabs also offer portable 3D monitors
3D Game Market showed off a 32-inch 4K monitor they hope to bring to US market soon. While pricing isn’t finalized yet, 3DGM is aiming to beat the likes of Acer and Asus on price and sell the monitor for a couple thousand. We were told pricing will mostly come down to interest and economies of scale.
- A best case scenario price of $2,000 is more affordable than a 3D notebook, but still steep for a 32-inch 4K monitor
We came away with mixed feelings after demoing the above products. The childhood wow factor is there, especially if you don’t play VR games. 3D gaming on a monitor or laptop is also an easier transition than a VR headset and controllers. But we’re less sold on 3D overtaking traditional 2D gaming, which could make Asus' diversified go-to-market strategy the safer bet.
- Price: Even at the lowest price, the 3D gaming experience will still set you back the entire cost of a more than respectable PC battle station.
- A notebook with a 3D display would likely be around $3,000 (a high price for gaming, but not for creative work).
- Content: We repeatedly heard that adding 3D support would not be a huge task for devs, but it's still additional work for the industry standard of overworked game devs.
- As with VR gaming, the platform is only as good as its content
- The Human Factor: To loosely quote Jurassic Park, 3D gaming asked if it could, not if it should.
- Technological proof-of-concept didn't prevent this writer (and other potential consumers) from finding the experience a bit headache-inducing.
3D gaming will not only have to compete with traditional gaming, but also virtual reality and augmented reality. Only time will tell whether or not 3D gaming will be a competitor to VR gaming, or merely a step on the way to a potential Metaverse. In the short term, superior pricing and accessibility could make 3D displays a strong contender over VR headsets – and a way for traditional gamers to dip their toes in more immersive gaming mediums.
-Avery Bissett, Head Writer
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The Tap: News to Go
- GPU: AMD has confirmed that some of its new flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX video cards are overheating and will be replaced. The issue has only affected AMD reference cards, not partner models. (Courtesy of Tom's Hardware)
- Console/VR: Sony announced Project Leonardo, a customizable PS5 controller with an eye toward accessibility and supporting players with disabilities. The company, which recently passed the 30 million in PS5 sales mark, also showed off its PlayStation VR2 headset at CES 2023.
- Console: Microsoft has announced it will be partnering with Oreo on special edition Xbox Oreos. As of now, however, it is exclusive to Europe.
- GPU: Popular GPU software tool MSI Afterburner is currently after the War in Ukraine halted work by its Russian developers. MSI published a statement saying has "been working on a solution and expect it to be resolved soon." (Courtesy of Tom's Hardware)
- GPU: Steam has once again broken a record, this time surpassing 10 million concurrent in-game players on January 7. (Courtesy of SteamDB)
