Category: Hardware

Not so long ago, AMD and Microsoft acknowledged two problems users with AMD-based computers would encounter after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Due to increased L3 cache latency, performance in games and memory-sensitive apps might decrease down to 15%. To make things worse, the first cumulative update for Windows 11 increased latencies even more. Also, motherboards would fail to detect the most powerful core and assign demanding tasks to that core (CPPC). As a result, users experience even more performance dips.

A couple of days ago, Microsoft released the October 2021 firmware update for Surface Laptop 2 and business-oriented Surface Pro 7 Plus. New firmware is now available for more Surface computers. This time, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Studio 2 owners can download the October 2021 firmware update.

After a somewhat long pause in updating firmware for Surface devices, Microsoft is back with fresh patches for its computers. The October 2021 firmware updates are now available for Surface Laptop 2 and Surface Pro 7 Plus (business-oriented version of Surface Laptop 7 with improved internals, which Microsoft released at the beginning of the year).

Intel released a new DCH graphics driver for systems running Windows 11. Version 30.0.100.9955 is now available for compatible computers, and it brings various improvements and bug fixes.

Microsoft started rolling out the latest firmware update for the first-gen Surface Duo. The October 2021 update for the dual-screen smartphone from Microsoft is yet another patch that contains nothing but regular Android security patches. It is now the sixth update without device-specific improvements, bug fixes, or patches, not to mention a new Android version.

In today's episode of "Why you should not update to Windows 11 yet" and "Everyone hates printers," we have printing issues, specifically with printers from Brother. According to the official documentation from the popular printer manufacturer, users might encounter severe problems with their printers after upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11.

If you have a Windows 10 PC with a modern AMD CPU that officially supports Windows 11 and consider moving to the newest operating system, you might need to delay the upgrade. According to numerous reports from early adopters, AMD-based systems experience noticeable performance dips after upgrading to Windows 11. And that is not just yet another exaggerated "report" from websites seeking clicks. On its official support website, AMD has officially confirmed problems users might encounter after installing Windows 11.

Rumors say that Microsoft and AMD are working together to create a new ARM CPU for notebooks. It will significantly outperform existing Qualcomm solutions. As a result, we can see some really powerful devices running Windows on ARM, including the updated Surface Pro X and Samsung Galaxy Book Go.

A few weeks ago, there were rumors on the Internet that Microsoft and Seagate are teamed up to release a 512GB memory expansion card for the Xbox Series X|S game consoles. Moreover, advertisements for new devices were found in two French retail stores.

On September 22, 2021, Microsoft announced a second-gen Surface Duo. The smartphone with a somewhat unconventional design received plenty of much-needed improvements: the latest CPU from Qualcomm, 5G support, NFC, screens with 90Hz refresh rate, bigger batteries, etc. Surface Duo 2 runs Android 11 out of the box, and Microsoft promises to deliver Android 12 soon.