*Official Benchmark Thread* - Post it here or it didn't happen :D

[electrosoft]

It's official, Asus ROG Apex x870e:

 

 

AMD 9950X3D will boost as high as the normal variant (yay!) but we all know damn well the X3D will be on the slower CCD (boo!)

 

 

AMD 9070xt looking to shape up as expected, but FSR4 only on 9000 is a big fail:

 

I will be looking at the Taichi, Nitro+ and AMD reference models:

 

 

MSI failing with the Titan and only offering 2xDDR5 memory slots but 1x gen5 and 3x gen4 NVME support (versus their Raider one of each), but besides that and some custom fancy design choices, Raider might be the better buy depending on cooling performance

 

[Clamibot]

1 hour ago, electrosoft said:

It's official, Asus ROG Apex x870e:

 

 

AMD 9950X3D will boost as high as the normal variant (yay!) but we all know damn well the X3D will be on the slower CCD (boo!)

 

 

AMD 9070xt looking to shape up as expected, but FSR4 only on 9000 is a big fail:

 

I will be looking at the Taichi, Nitro+ and AMD reference models:

 

 

MSI failing with the Titan and only offering 2xDDR5 memory slots but 1x gen5 and 3x gen4 NVME support (versus their Raider one of each), but besides that and some custom fancy design choices, Raider might be the better buy depending on cooling performance

 

 

Now just gotta wait for the Clevo X580 reveal, whenever that is.

[win32asmguy]

42 minutes ago, electrosoft said:

MSI failing with the Titan and only offering 2xDDR5 memory slots but 1x gen5 and 3x gen4 NVME support (versus their Raider one of each), but besides that and some custom fancy design choices, Raider might be the better buy depending on cooling performance

 

I think 2xSODIMM is actually an upgrade for the Titan 18. These are the 24GB M-die sticks that should go into it as well:

 

https://v-color.net/products/copy-of-ddr5-specifications-so-dimm?variant=45911957373095

 

I am disappointed to yet again not see QHD+ 240hz in the specs here. It was a joke in 2024 that it took 9 months for them to actually release a Titan 18 config with QHD+ while they very well had panels available at day one.

[Papusan]

 

@Mr. Fox are you ready for a new round with AW Jokebooks? Finally you can get the Area-51 model with welded on chips. And it offer clear Gorilla Glass window on the underside of the laptop provides a view into the inner-workings of the machine. Yup, you don't need to open the bottom to see the fans😁

 

 

• Elite Performance: Area-51 unleashes 280 W of power on next-gen NVIDIA graphics and a next-gen Intel Ultra CPU - this is the upper limit of performance on any gaming laptop, period. 

 

Dell Unveils Pair of Alienware Area-51 Laptops

CES Press Release

 

 Yesterday, 22:39

The mobile cavalry has landed with the introduction of Area-51 laptops. These 18-inch and 16-inch laptops have an acute focus on power, performance and innovative engineering in a new otherworldly design language. Like its desktop counterpart, Area-51 laptops are an expression of maximum performance that cater to gamers seeking the preeminent gaming experience.

 

And if you are done with Alienware Jokebooks. Maybe their new desktop PC is more in line what you want from Dell? And you have asked for two dim boards. Dell offer it. See.... 

Dual channel RAM configurations up to 64 GB DDR5 XMP (2x 32 GB) at 6400 MT/s.

 

ALIENWARE AREA-51 DESKTOP
Area-51 Desktop makes a bold entrance to retake the throne as Alienware's flagship gaming PC. With this edition, we are returning to our roots with a machine that caters to the desires of PC gaming enthusiasts and longtime Alienware fans

Dell Brings Back the Alienware Area-51 Desktop PC

CES Press Release 

 

 Yesterday, 22:04 Discuss (18 Comments)

Alienware is reintroducing the iconic Area-51 back into the family, reanimated in desktop and laptop forms. Deep lore underpins Area-51, dating back to 1998. While the design, technology and gameplay have evolved significantly from iteration to iteration, one fact has remained the same: Area-51 represents the best that Alienware offers.

 

The motherboard is also replaceable with the purchase of an optional AlienFX motherboard harness that is required when installing third party aftermarket motherboards.

 

[electrosoft]

2 hours ago, win32asmguy said:

 

I think 2xSODIMM is actually an upgrade for the Titan 18. These are the 24GB M-die sticks that should go into it as well:

 

https://v-color.net/products/copy-of-ddr5-specifications-so-dimm?variant=45911957373095

 

I am disappointed to yet again not see QHD+ 240hz in the specs here. It was a joke in 2024 that it took 9 months for them to actually release a Titan 18 config with QHD+ while they very well had panels available at day one.

 

From my perspective, I prefer a 2-dimm laptop just like as 2-dimm motherboard when able for better overclocking and signal integrity.

 

But from the perspective of those who look to the Titan and other laptops to be able to support 128GB+ of memory for their select work loads, it limits their choices especially if you consider the Titan a "workstation" class laptop with expanded memory and storage options.

 

With the cut down memory options, the Raider or other models now become very viable even with half the storage slots as you can always run external storage if needed like Macbook pro users have done for decades 😞 (present company included) but you can't run RAM externally.

 

 

[electrosoft]

Just in case anyone is looking, Amazon has the 9800X3D shipped and sold from Amazon for 465.13 with a much updated delivery window of Jan 23th - Feb 5th.

 

I had ordered a "just in case" one with a delivery window of March 23rd as a back up for the normal $479.99, but while spot checking, if you go under other options for sellers (not the clearly fake seller selling for 449.99), you will see Amazon offering it for $465.14.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DKFMSMYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

285k's on Amazon and Newegg now for $599.99 and thousands on Provantage....

 

---

 

EDIT: Must have been a pricing error, as they've adjusted it back up to $479.99 (but I grabbed one at $465.14), but the delivery window is still the same Jan 23rd - Feb 5th which is manageable if you can't track one down to snag as is.

 

 

[Etern4l]

29 minutes ago, electrosoft said:

 

From my perspective, I prefer a 2-dimm laptop just like as 2-dimm motherboard when able for better overclocking and signal integrity.

 

But from the perspective of those who look to the Titan and other laptops to be able to support 128GB+ of memory for their select work loads, it limits their choices especially if you consider the Titan a "workstation" class laptop with expanded memory and storage options.

 

With the cut down memory options, the Raider or other models now become very viable even with half the storage slots as you can always run external storage if needed like Macbook pro users have done for decades 😞 (present company included) but you can't run RAM externally.

 

 

 

Alienware might have been told by the HQ that customers can purchase Precision workstations if they need 4 DIMMS in a Dell laptop ;) Bad news is that performance kind of sucks in comparison, but hey - can't please everyone if you are in Dell family.

[johnksss]

The 5070 is the new 4090 from what Jensen states....

[Talon]

5 minutes ago, johnksss said:

 

About exactly what I expected. Man I'm glad I moved that 4090 for $1500. 

[Clamibot]

14 minutes ago, johnksss said:

The 5070 is the new 4090 from what Jensen states....

 

If the 5070 truly shifted performance up by 2 performance classes vs the previous generation, then the pricing seems a bit better to swallow, but I'm still not going to allow them to condition me to higher prices. A 70 class card should still not be that expensive, but I digress. I'm conditioned to Pascal era prices.

[johnksss]

8 minutes ago, Talon said:

 

About exactly what I expected. Man I'm glad I moved that 4090 for $1500. 

I moved mine right back to MC for 1885.61 and already have it back on my MC card.

1 minute ago, Clamibot said:

 

If the 5070 truly shifted performance up by 2 performance classes vs the previous generation, then the pricing seems a bit better to swallow, but I'm still not going to allow them to condition me to higher prices. A 70 class card should still not be that expensive, but I digress. I'm conditioned to Pascal era prices.

That has already been done. Your choices are buy or don't buy. 🙂

[Papusan]

26 minutes ago, johnksss said:

The 5070 is the new 4090 from what Jensen states....

 

It see Nvidia have made a place for an possible 5080Ti. $1500 for an failed 5090 die after they have enough chips to sell? And as expected... Nvidia want to compete in mid end with the 5070. Isn't 5080 half the die of 5090 ? 

[johnksss]

26 minutes ago, Papusan said:

 

It see Nvidia have made a place for an possible 5080Ti. $1500 for an failed 5090 die after they have enough chips to sell? And as expected... Nvidia want to compete in mid end with the 5070. Isn't 5080 half the die of 5090 ? 

Only info shown in that respect was this slide.

 

Edit: Image was deleted.

No way that is real. Wrong memory specs.

[Mr. Fox]

3 hours ago, Papusan said:

 

@Mr. Fox are you ready for a new round with AW Jokebooks? Finally you can get the Area-51 model with welded on chips. And it offer clear Gorilla Glass window on the underside of the laptop provides a view into the inner-workings of the machine. Yup, you don't need to open the bottom to see the fans😁

 

 

• Elite Performance: Area-51 unleashes 280 W of power on next-gen NVIDIA graphics and a next-gen Intel Ultra CPU - this is the upper limit of performance on any gaming laptop, period. 

 

Dell Unveils Pair of Alienware Area-51 Laptops

CES Press Release

 

 Yesterday, 22:39

The mobile cavalry has landed with the introduction of Area-51 laptops. These 18-inch and 16-inch laptops have an acute focus on power, performance and innovative engineering in a new otherworldly design language. Like its desktop counterpart, Area-51 laptops are an expression of maximum performance that cater to gamers seeking the preeminent gaming experience.

 

And if you are done with Alienware Jokebooks. Maybe their new desktop PC is more in line what you want from Dell? And you have asked for two dim boards. Dell offer it. See.... 

Dual channel RAM configurations up to 64 GB DDR5 XMP (2x 32 GB) at 6400 MT/s.

 

ALIENWARE AREA-51 DESKTOP
Area-51 Desktop makes a bold entrance to retake the throne as Alienware's flagship gaming PC. With this edition, we are returning to our roots with a machine that caters to the desires of PC gaming enthusiasts and longtime Alienware fans

Dell Brings Back the Alienware Area-51 Desktop PC

CES Press Release 

 

 Yesterday, 22:04 Discuss (18 Comments)

Alienware is reintroducing the iconic Area-51 back into the family, reanimated in desktop and laptop forms. Deep lore underpins Area-51, dating back to 1998. While the design, technology and gameplay have evolved significantly from iteration to iteration, one fact has remained the same: Area-51 represents the best that Alienware offers.

 

The motherboard is also replaceable with the purchase of an optional AlienFX motherboard harness that is required when installing third party aftermarket motherboards.

 

As far as the turdbook topic goes, there is no longer any such thing as a "good laptop" and you can have whatever you want as long as you want a piece of trash. I honestly do not anticipate that I will ever purchase another laptop again for the rest of my life. I find them all utterly disgusting.

 

As for the desktop, there is never a shortage of trash for the zombie fanboys. It's somewhat comical that the Alienware brand still exists. I guess that means there is also no shortage of stupidity. It's actually rather pathetic when you stop and think about it.

[Papusan]

16 minutes ago, johnksss said:

Only info shown in that respect was this slide.

And if this is to now be believed...3445Mhz core....

 

Thanks. .

 

Edit. Half the cores for 5080 will match the price for 5090 who have more vram. There is no competiton so the price seems quite correct.

 

5090 is bad news for the sales of Intel Core Ultra chips. The X3D chips from AMD will fly out from the shelves. 

[johnksss]

1 minute ago, Papusan said:

Thanks.

 

5090 is bad news for the sales of Intel Core Ultra chips. 

I think it was already bad news as Jensen spoke more about Windows than he did about Intel. Even the 5090 laptop he had he did not say it was intel Core Ultra based.... Speculations of course.

[Mr. Fox]

25 minutes ago, Papusan said:

The X3D chips from AMD will fly out from the shelves. 

I find it difficult to understand the logic behind this. But, I am not a gaming enthusiast. If playing PC games ranked high on my list of important things in life I might find it easier to relate. They don't seem to be useful for much of anything else from what I can see. It will be interesting to see if the dual CCD Ryzen 9 X3D will overclock any better than a 9950X. The +200 overclock cap is really annoying.

[Papusan]

 

Blackwell architecture innovations and DLSS 4 mean the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU outperforms the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU by up to 2x. 

 

Then you have this.... NVIDIA DLSS 4 Boosts Performance by Up to 8x. 

 

By Nvidia NVIDIA Blackwell GeForce RTX 50 Series Opens New ..

 

Fake frame features that can't be port to previous gen GPU's is an fantastic idea. Also AMD want this now. When will we see fake performance uplift from processors. Etc see an boost from Cinebench with 8x ? Hmmm. Food for thoughts😀

 

 

Next Generation of GeForce RTX GPUs Deliver Stunning Visual Realism and 2x Performance Increase, Made Possible by AI, Neural Shaders and DLSS 4

 

Nvidia showed that one scene could be rendered at 27 frames per second with the DLSS turned off, with a 71 millisecond PC latency. DLSS 2 can do that scene with its super resolution tech at 71 FPS and PC latency of 34 milliseconds. DLSS 3.5 can do the scene at 140 FPS and 33 milliseconds. But DLSS 4 comes in at a whopping 247 FPS and 34 milliseconds. DLSS 4 is more than eight times better performance than systems that aren’t using AI for the predictive processing.

 

I wonder how much gain 5000 series will give in  pure rasterization performance over 4000 series cards. There is no major node changes for Blackwell. 

[electrosoft]

2 hours ago, johnksss said:

The 5070 is the new 4090 from what Jensen states....

 

Well if Jensen said it....it MUST be true....

 

2 hours ago, Talon said:

 

About exactly what I expected. Man I'm glad I moved that 4090 for $1500. 

 

Ditto.

 

2 hours ago, Clamibot said:

 

If the 5070 truly shifted performance up by 2 performance classes vs the previous generation, then the pricing seems a bit better to swallow, but I'm still not going to allow them to condition me to higher prices. A 70 class card should still not be that expensive, but I digress. I'm conditioned to Pascal era prices.

 

I'm just glad Nvidia:

 

#1. Didn't price the 5090 at $2200+ but $2k is still pretty outlandish as you know AIB models are going to be $200-400+ more. Insane.  I'm going to have to seriously think about if I want to deep dive again, but I will say the last 4 generations I've gotten back everything I paid into it and in a few instances actually made more than I paid (1080ti, 5700xt, 3090 KPE). So I know I can most likely pull the trigger, ride the 5090 for a few years and then sell it at a minimal loss if at all so there's that to consider but I'm going to eventually bust.....maybe?

 

#2. Realized their error and priced the 5080 at $999 vs the $1199 4080 BS then had to release the "Super" at $999. It comes down to performance though.

 

#3. Kept the 5070 at $549 and lowered the 5070ti to $749. I think this is because they know that while AMD has conceded the halo top dog market, they are bringing the heat in the 5070ti / 5070 and below market.

 

I'm definitely looking forward to their mobile products seeing as last time you needed to get the 4080 or 4090 to provide a real upgrade over the previous generation.

 

 

1 hour ago, Mr. Fox said:

I find it difficult to understand the logic behind this. But, I am not a gaming enthusiast. If playing PC games ranked high on my list of important things in life I might find it easier to relate. They don't seem to be useful for much of anything else from what I can see. It will be interesting to see if the dual CCD Ryzen 9 X3D will overclock any better than a 9950X. The +200 overclock cap is really annoying.

 

Yep, you answered your own question there @Mr. Fox. It would be like a gaming enthusiast saying "If overclocking ranked high on my list of important things in life, I might find it easier to relate." would be the argument for someone as to why buy a 9950x when outside of overclocking, the chip goes to waste for the most part and doesn't game as well as the 9800X3D.

 

Gamers who want to push the ultimate performance will tune and overclock their hardware to achieve maximum results at optimal settings and 4k resolution are doing their own version of overclocking to reap the benefits except instead of benchmarks it's game performance.

 

I am curious too to see how well the 9950X3D overclocks in tandem and per CCD.

 

-------------

 

MSI showing their new 5000 series cards. 5090 Liquid X got an upgrade to a full 360mm AIO.....

 

 

If I go 5090, it will be Liquid/Air Suprim or FE in that order most likely but this is always subject to change.

 

If Jensen is saying the 5070 is 2x the 4070 (not Super), that's a nice punch up for less than the Super.

 

 

[1610ftw]

11 hours ago, electrosoft said:

 

From my perspective, I prefer a 2-dimm laptop just like as 2-dimm motherboard when able for better overclocking and signal integrity.

 

But from the perspective of those who look to the Titan and other laptops to be able to support 128GB+ of memory for their select work loads, it limits their choices especially if you consider the Titan a "workstation" class laptop with expanded memory and storage options.

 

With the cut down memory options, the Raider or other models now become very viable even with half the storage slots as you can always run external storage if needed like Macbook pro users have done for decades 😞 (present company included) but you can't run RAM externally.

 

 

 

Memory speed is definitely a weakness of the last gen 4 slot memory design employed by MSI. I hope that next gen we will have affordable CAMM memory and up to 256G to have the best of both worlds. This gen there may still be a new Creator from MSI with up to 192GB but that will probably be late and expensive as always.

 

Possibly more interesting is a new entry with up to 192 GB from Acer that could also have 3 drive slots with 3x2GB being a possible explanation for its announced up to 6TB of storage but it may also mean 4TB + 2TB. It also has a 5070/5080/5090 GPU selection which would make it well suited as a lower priced big screen workstation alternative with a higher than 200W combined CPU and GPU TDP (looking at you Dell). 

 

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24337047/acer-predator-helios-18-16-ai-gaming-laptops-4k-mini-led-price

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-AI-and-Predator-Helios-16-AI-announced-with-Thunderbolt-5-0-and-top-shelf-hardware-from-Intel-and-Nvidia.942129.0.html

 

Then there is of course the Clevo X580 but it again seems the be based on the not so great chassis of the previous two generations. As @win32asmguy can confirm the predecessor had a couple of issues with the most important being not so great cooling so this would have to be addressed even if they do not change that rather disappointing chassis design.

 

So far no news from Lenovo and HP regarding offerings of 18" workstation or gaming options, probably not.

 

In other news the top of the line Asus unit does not look any more like a cheap transparent plastic plaything from 20 years ago and they have improved accessibility. Might be interesting if 2 memory slots and two drive slots are enough.

 

Edit: Just saw this:

 

 

WTF! 

All of this would have to be turned off and personally I would want to get some kind of skin for the lid - obviously I am not the target audience 😄

[electrosoft]

10 hours ago, 1610ftw said:

 

Memory speed is definitely a weakness of the last gen 4 slot memory design employed by MSI. I hope that next gen we will have affordable CAMM memory and up to 256G to have the best of both worlds. This gen there may still be a new Creator from MSI with up to 192GB but that will probably be late and expensive as always.

😄

 

Agreed, but when someone needs the raw ram capacity over everything else, they hit a wall. Personally, as always, I want frequency and timings to take priority and that usually comes in 2-dimm format. Maybe I'm jaded coming from the X170SM where with Prema pushing 2dpc was nowhere near as good as 1dpc. 🙂

 

10 hours ago, 1610ftw said:

 

Possibly more interesting is a new entry with up to 192 GB from Acer that could also have 3 drive slots with 3x2GB being a possible explanation for its announced up to 6TB of storage but it may also mean 4TB + 2TB. It also has a 5070/5080/5090 GPU selection which would make it well suited as a lower priced big screen workstation alternative with a higher than 200W combined CPU and GPU TDP (looking at you Dell). 

 

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24337047/acer-predator-helios-18-16-ai-gaming-laptops-4k-mini-led-price

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Predator-Helios-18-AI-and-Predator-Helios-16-AI-announced-with-Thunderbolt-5-0-and-top-shelf-hardware-from-Intel-and-Nvidia.942129.0.html

 

😄

 

Hard pass on Acer unless something has changed. I absolutely LOVE their thin and light stuff, but the last few gaming laptops I've tested from them have been garbage not only for thermals but noise and BIOS being locked down on Dell's level if not more. They would have to do a complete about face on the upper end for me to consider them seriously.

 

10 hours ago, 1610ftw said:

 

Then there is of course the Clevo X580 but it again seems the be based on the not so great chassis of the previous two generations. As @win32asmguy can confirm the predecessor had a couple of issues with the most important being not so great cooling so this would have to be addressed even if they do not change that rather disappointing chassis design.

 

So far no news from Lenovo and HP regarding offerings of 18" workstation or gaming options, probably not.

 

😄

 

Clevo has steadily regressed over the last 5 years IMHO and is one step away from entering the ranks of Dell and Acer just without the consistency of driver and BIOS updates. They drop support pretty quick when models are EOL'd especially with BIOS support. Each year they move farther down my list of alternatives especially since abandoning the true DTR market.

 

I would love to see a good Lenovo 18" as their 16" models repeatedly impress me.

 

10 hours ago, 1610ftw said:

 

In other news the top of the line Asus unit does not look any more like a cheap transparent plastic plaything from 20 years ago and they have improved accessibility. Might be interesting if 2 memory slots and two drive slots are enough.

 

Edit: Just saw this:

 

 

WTF! 

All of this would have to be turned off and personally I would want to get some kind of skin for the lid - obviously I am not the target audience 😄

 

I tested the Strix Scar 18" with the 4080 (twice actually!) and outside of cost, it wasn't "that bad" except for Armory Crate. It had the best sound profiles and gamed really well. I know they updated their 18" panels between the 13th and 14th releases which was good because 13th gen panel was a bleeding nightmare on both models I tested.

 

I'd gladly give Asus another whirl if I manage to get one sent for eval.

 

 

[ssj92]

How do you guys end up with FE cards? 

 

Last few launches, they were sold out before I even had a chance to buy 

[Etern4l]

17 hours ago, Clamibot said:

 

If the 5070 truly shifted performance up by 2 performance classes vs the previous generation, then the pricing seems a bit better to swallow, but I'm still not going to allow them to condition me to higher prices. A 70 class card should still not be that expensive, but I digress. I'm conditioned to Pascal era prices.

 

The performance claims are likely exaggerated based on ideal case scenarios when using the new DLSS vs previous gen. They say up to 2x 5090 vs 4090 thanks to the latest DLSS (which itself is supposed to be, I lost track 2-8x? faster).

 

BTW This will be a hot take, but I love the 2 slot form factor, and no doubt they realised there is a market for multi-GPU rigs, which are hard to put together when most cards on offer are 4.5 slot chunguses.

 

Anyway, worth watching the whole keynote, maybe 5% of which is dedicated to gaming, to see what Jensen&co are really up to (people in the AI community sometimes say "thanks for all the GPUs gamers"): virtual HR department for AIs, humanoid robots doing any kind of work, "virtual humans" etc... Enjoy!

 

 

  Edit: more super-duper exciting news, I'm sure bros @Papusan and @Mr. Fox can't wait

 

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/01/07/1527237/nvidia-to-deploy-ai-teammates-in-video-games-this-year

 

[electrosoft]

3 minutes ago, Etern4l said:

 

The performance claims are likely exaggerated based on ideal case scenarios when using the new DLSS vs previous gen. They say up to 2x 5090 vs 4090 thanks to the latest DLSS (which itself is supposed to be, I lost track 2-8x? faster).

 

BTW This will be a hot take, but I love the 2 slot form factor, and no doubt they realised there is a market for multi-GPU rigs, which are hard to put together when most cards on offer are 4.5 slot chunguses.

 

Anyway, worth watching the whole keynote, maybe 5% of which is dedicated to gaming, to see what Jensen&co is really up to: virtual HR department for AIs, humanoid robots doing any kind of work, "virtual humans" etc... Enjoy!

 

 

  

 

Definitely Nvidia speak for DLSS4. The best, telling sign on their charts is the RT only  Far Cry 6 result. Everything else is DLSS fluff.

 

I thought the same thing about the Founder's Edition. I would love a nice, compact SFF buildout with a 9800X3D which can do air cooling no problem and a 2-slot 5090. That thing would be a portable Juggernaut.

 

I love the idea of a dystopian world with sentient AI roaming and knocking us down a peg.....of course I'm a nihilist at heart so...yeah.

 

 

[electrosoft]

1 hour ago, ssj92 said:

How do you guys end up with FE cards? 

 

Last few launches, they were sold out before I even had a chance to buy 

 

I'd like to say I used a sniper bot or some other hot tech, but honestly it was pure luck. I happen to refresh and BOOM there it was on BB so I snagged it. This was for both a 3090 and a 4090.