Technology

• A new rumor suggests the RTX 5090 will use 600W of power
• Comments in a Chinese forum point toward the new GPU being much louder
• PSU requirements are 1000W according to Corsair

Nvidia's RTX 5090 promises to provide a step up from the previous generation's RTX 4090, but that could come at a significant cost according to new rumors - and you might want to invest in a beefy power supply.

As reported by Tomasz Gawronski on X, discussions within Chiphell (a Chinese forum page about the latest PC hardware) suggest that Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU will use 600W of power while being much louder compared to the 4090. This is based on what appears to be an upcoming review with the embargo set for January 24, with a post translated from Chinese that says "The editor cursed while testing... After all, the power consumption increased, the current increased, and the screaming also increased~".

Considering the pricing of the RTX 5090 ($1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039) and the reported 30% performance increase (according to Blender benchmarks highlighted by VideoCardz), this rumor likely won't bode well with anyone intent on upgrading to Team Green's latest flagship GPU. The RTX 4090's power consumption is 450W, and while this is still plenty, the jump to 600W isn't very appealing either.

Both an increase in noise and PSU requirements will be costly in multiple aspects, but that's also expected if the performance ends up meeting the hype.

(Image credit: Nvidia) What does this mean in terms of PSU requirements?

It's important to note that this is just a rumor, but if it's legitimate, then RTX 5090 users will certainly have to shell out more than $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039. If you don't already own a 1000W PSU, then you'll more than likely need to invest in one - the recommended PSU requirement for the RTX 5090 is 1000W according to Corsair.

This is especially the case if you've got a high-end CPU equipped, as you'll want to avoid any system malfunctions due to your PSU not wielding enough power. Once reviews arrive, we'll have to measure just how much of a jump the RTX 5000 series flagship GPU is from the previous generation. If I'm honest, even the RTX 4090 is still overkill for gamers, which will also be true of the RTX 5090 - so if you invest in a new GPU and new PSU, you might have to wait a while to really get the most out of your rig.

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• Windows 11 24H2 is rolling out automatically to eligible PCs on 22H2 or 23H2
• Persistent bugs like Asus compatibility and camera unresponsiveness may delay updates for affected PCs
• 24H2 brings performance boosts and new features but has had a history of issues for some time

If you’re currently using older versions of Windows 11 (such as 23H2 or 22H2), Microsoft has plans for you, as it has begun automatically updating PCs to the latest version, 24H2. A notification post was added to the “Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues and notifications” document on the Microsoft Learn blog to explain that Microsoft now considers Windows 11 24H2 stable enough to roll out to everyone using eligible Windows 11 PCs.

Those with qualifying PCs will be updated to the latest version of 24H2 and those using devices managed by organizations (such as work laptops) won’t be affected by this.

However, this push to upgrade older versions of Windows 11 to the 24H2 update might not go down too well, as the update itself has had a rocky start, causing problems like games not working properly and malfunctioning HDR (meant to improve colors and brightness on screens).

Because of these well-publicized problems, quite a few people have - understandably - been reluctant to upgrade.

How will this affect you?

As mentioned above, if your PC is eligible and running Windows 11 versions 22H2 or 23H2 (Pro or Home) editions, it’ll be updated automatically to Windows 11 24H2 very soon. If you would rather wait, you can apparently delay the update for up to five weeks, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Open the Windows Update section, which can be found in the left-hand menu (you may need to scroll down).

3. Find the ‘Pause updates’ option in this section and from the dropdown menu you can select the number of weeks you want to delay updates by (up to 5 weeks).

On the flip side, if you haven’t installed version 24H2 yet and would like to, you can select ‘Check for updates’ on the same Windows Update page as above and click ‘Download & install’ to get the update manually.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Some things to consider and what's on the horizon for Windows 11 24H2 users

If you have one of Microsoft’s new Copilot+ PCs, which are designed to integrate new AI-powered capabilities, then the 24H2 update will bring the hotly discussed (but not as warmly received) Windows Recall feature to all eligible PCs. Recall requires a Copilot+ PC and it’s currently being previewed with members of the Windows Insider Program. Recall is a feature intended to improve productivity for Windows 11 users by capturing snapshots of their PC activity and making them searchable to make finding past information easier. Despite the intended benefits, Recall’s been met with notable controversy due to privacy and security concerns, especially around the possibility of malicious actors getting access to the information stored by Recall.

If you’re not using a Copilot+ PC, 24H2 still promises to bring improved performance and swifter updates going forward for PCs equipped with AMD's Ryzen CPUs and running Windows 11. Those with PCs that have Intel chips will also get some special Windows 11 24H2 patches that will reportedly ensure optimal performance for its Arrow Lake processors (although it seems like this hasn’t led to noticeable improvements for the people who have already updated).

(Image credit: Microsoft)

When it comes to the steady stream of issues we’ve seen plague 24H2, it does seem like most of these have been addressed through patches released by Microsoft. Tom’s Hardware went through Microsoft’s bug log in the document listing known issues and confirmed that this seems to be the case.

However, there are apparently still some problems that persist and have yet to be resolved. For example, some Asus PCs can’t install the update, wallpaper apps might play up unexpectedly, and some PCs might experience unresponsiveness from their cameras. If your PC is affected, Microsoft will hold back the update, putting it on a ‘safeguard hold’ until it’s all good to install.

In short, the update should hopefully improve your PC’s performance (and eventually bring new features), but if you’re wary about the automatic update to 24H2, you’ve got a bit of time. If Windows 11 24H2’s track record is anything to go by so far, Microsoft will have to keep its eye on the ball, stay alert for possible issues, and release fixes as soon as it can if there’s going to be an influx of new users upgrading. Also, if you choose to delay updates, you could be opening up your PC to potential risks that go unaddressed and might come up unexpectedly, which is why we always recommend moving to the latest version of software (especially operating systems) as soon as you can.

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• Breville has launched a new Brass Accents range of kitchen appliances
• The set includes our top-rated espresso machine, the Barista Touch Impress
• It's part of a general shift away from clinical stainless steel in the kitchen

Breville has given several of its best kitchen appliances an overhaul for 2025, including our top-rated espresso machine, the Barista Touch Impress. Rather than clinical stainless steel, which has long been the standard color for coffee makers, the Barista Touch Impress is now available with warm-toned metal, paired with soft shades of blue, olive green, and off-white.

The Breville Barista Touch Impress has long held the number one spot in our guide to the best espresso machines thanks to its effortless automated dosing, grinding, tamping, and milk frothing, which helps create consistently good coffee time and again.

"Even for experienced baristas [who] are tight on time and space, the compact form and simplicity of dialling-in different coffees makes the Barista Touch Impress a highly desirable machine," wrote our reviewer Joel Burgess, who awarded the machine a full five stars.

The Brass Accents collection also includes the Breville Toast Select, the Smart Oven Air Fryer, and the Juice Fountain Cold. The range is available to buy now direct from Breville, and from Williams Sonoma in the US.

The Brass Accents collection is available in three colorways, including Sea Salt - an off-white shade (Image credit: Breville) A natural touch

Breville's new-look appliances part of a trend for warm, natural shades that we first saw last year when KitchenAid launched its enormously popular (and somewhat controversial) Design Series Evergreen stand mixer. The machine has a sage green body, brass accents, leaf decals, and a real walnut wood bowl.

Some bakers expressed concern that the bowl (which needs special care to keep it in good condition) would be impractical, but Wired writer Kat Merck found it worked just fine for everyday baking, including whipping egg whites and cream.

With its walnut wood bowl, the KitchenAid Design Series stand mixer in Evergreen caused a stir among bakers (Image credit: KitchenAid)

More recently, KitchenAid announced that its entire range of espresso machines is now available in a subtle cream shade called Porcelain White. The last coffee maker to get a new look was the KF60 bean-to-cup machine, which I'll be reviewing for TechRadar in a few weeks.

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• CISA releases new playbook for government firms and enterprises
• The guidebook addresses expanded cloud logs from Microsoft
• Microsoft expanded its cloud logs after July 2023 Outlook incident

Microsoft has recently expanded logging capabilities for its cloud services, which could mean significant changes for US government organizations.

In July 2023, a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor, found a way to access email accounts belonging to government officials working in the State Department, and the Department of Commerce. The fallout was major, and resulted in Microsoft expanding free logging capabilities for all Purview Audit Standard users, among other changes.

Now, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released its guidance, explaining to government agencies and enterprises how to take advantage of the changes.

Navigating expanded logs

The new guidance is a 60-page playbook, so the changes could be quite major.

"These capabilities also allow organizations to monitor and analyze thousands of user and admin operations performed in dozens of Microsoft services and solutions," CISA said. "These logs provide new telemetry to enhance threat-hunting capabilities for business email compromise (BEC), advanced nation-state threat activities, and possible insider-risk scenarios."

The guidance also discusses navigating the expanded logs within Microsoft 365, and using them with both Microsoft Sentinel, and Splunk Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems.

In July 2023, the Chinese cyber espionage group Storm-0558 exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft's Outlook email system to gain unauthorized access to email accounts belonging to U.S. government agencies and other organizations. The attackers used a stolen Microsoft security key to forge authentication tokens, bypassing security measures.

As a result, Microsoft was forced to revoke the compromised security key, bolster its token validation systems, and enhance transparency by providing detailed incident reports and security updates to affected customers. Additionally, it faced scrutiny over its cloud security practices and was pressured to improve safeguards to prevent similar breaches in the future.

Microsoft also launched its Secure Future Initiative (SFI) in November 2023, a comprehensive cybersecurity program aimed at enhancing security resilience across its products and services. It invested heavily in advanced threat detection, prevention, and response capabilities.

Via BleepingComputer

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The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 is sure to be a phone-focussed event, where we're predicting to see the Samsung Galaxy S25 range, spearheaded by the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

While these phones are expected to be iterative upgrades over the Galaxy S24 lineup, their big party tricks could be a suite of new and improved features on the Galaxy AI side; a new powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset should help power these tools.

If you want to watch the event yourself then check out our guide on how to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025. But for all the news and rumors ahead of Unpacked, you're in the right place; read on.

Good afternoon or morning or evening, depending on where you are, I (Roland Moore-Colyer) am here to chat about the Galaxy S25 rumors so far and what we can expect to see at the first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025, which takes place on January 22.

(Image credit: Samsung)

So what's all the fuss about? Well as mentioned, this Unpacked is very likely be one that's fully focused on the next-generations Galaxy phones. We're not expecting much else in terms of hardware.

This could be disappointing to some as the Galaxy S25 family as a whole has been tipped to be somewhat of an iterative upgrade over the Galaxy S24 lineup, which brought in Galaxy AI.

(Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

There's no murmur on any wearables at this Galaxy Unpacked. But as we had the Galaxy Ring launch mid last year, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, there's already enough wearables from Samsung to keep us ticking over for now.

I'd predict osme AI upgrades for the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch series, though how these will manifest isn't clear.

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

Speaking of Galaxy AI, I'll buy a hat and eat it if there's no mention of new AI features for the Galaxy S25 series. I'm expecting a host of upgrades and new features, likely an improved Generative Edit being one of the first upgrades out of the gates.

I'd also like to see Galaxy AI better integrated across the One UI operating system, as my colleague and Senior Editor Philip Berne noted in his Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, Galaxy Ai feels somewhat fiddly to access and use.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Right before I muse more on AI and other bits, first dsome new: just about every single Samsung Galaxy S25 spec has been shown up in what appears to be a new leak. Check them out in the tweet below.

25 pic.twitter.com/rW5EGZJbY9January 17, 2025

So going by those 'leaked' specs, it looks like there's not going to be a lot change with the Galaxy S25 series as a whole. 12GB or RAM for the standard S25 looks promising and should help with snappy AI workloads. And the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy would appear to be a custom version of an already powerful chipset, so there's scope for that to bring some serious performance grunt to the table,

In reference to those seemingly leaked specs, it's over to my colleague and staff writer Jamie RIchards for some context on the tipped Snapdragon chipset.

Snapdragon after all

The Samsung Galaxy S24 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There's been some back and forth in the months leading up to Samsung Galaxy Unpacked about which chipset the Galaxy S25 lineup would make use of. Some tipsters pointed to Samsung's troubled Exynos line of chipsets for the new flagships, but production issues seem to have taken too much of a toll for these proprietary processors to make it into this year's lineup.

The latest major specs leak (courtesy of noted tipster @MysteryLupin) points to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for the Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. As Qualcomm's flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is one of the fastest mobile platforms on the market, which bodes well for the S25 series' performance.

From my perspective, I'm hoping the new Qualcomm chipset brings in a big uptick in gaming power for the Galaxy S25, especially the Ultra. Apple's A18 Pro and the A17 Pro before it allowed for true console-quality games to be played on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro, so I'd like to see Samsung manage the same, especially since it used to work closely with Microsoft; imagine proper Xbox games on the Galaxy S25 running natively.

Throwing the ball back over to Jamie, as we take the specs conversation over to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras and their rumored upgrades.

A new Ultra ultrawide?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Samsung)

Keen photographers will be looking to the Galaxy S-series Ultra's somewhat iconic quad-camera system, and if the latest rumors are anything to go by, there is one key upgrade on the way. We're expecting to see the Galaxy S25 Ultra equipped with a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, up from the 12MP ultra-wide found on the S24 Ultra.

Sure, it's not a revolutionary improvement, but this should lend well to a more consistent camera experience across the phone's four optical zoom levels.

• 1923 season 2 premieres Sunday, February 23
• The show's latest installment marks its second and final season
• Season 2 will consist of eight episodes

February just got a whole lot more exciting, because the second season of 1923, the Yellowstone prequel, will be streaming from the 23rd of February on Paramount Plus. And the newly released 1923 season 2 trailer makes it clear that it's going to be an epic.

This is the final part of the saga, and the tense, exciting trailer feels very much like Yellowstone itself – and while the fact that this is a prequel means we know some of the future, there's still plenty that we don't know about the twists and turns that will come during this second season of one of the best Paramount Plus shows.

What have we learnt from the 1923 Season 2 trailer?

At the end of the first season, the newly married Spencer Dutton and Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) had been separated from one another while Cara feared losing the ranch and Elizabeth (Michelle Randolph) suffered a terrible loss.

The second season resumes from there, with Isabel May (from the other prequel series, 1883) narrating once again. Here's the official synopsis: "A cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob (Ford) and Cara (Mirren) back at Dutton ranch. With harsh conditions and adversaries threatening to end the Dutton legacy, Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) embarks on an arduous journey home, racing against time to save his family in Montana. Meanwhile, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) sets off on her own harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to find Spencer and reclaim their love.”

There will be eight episodes of season 2, concluding the story. Indeed, creator Taylor Sheridan said that he needed eight more episodes to do it properly. "I can't wrap it up in two episodes and do the story justice," Sheridan told Deadline. "For [Paramount] it's great because they get more content. For me, I get more runway."

1923 season 2 will be streaming on Paramount Plus from February 23, 2025.

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• Most AI users are optimistic about the technology’s benefits, Workday report claims
• Nine in 10 have more free time to be productive
• Humans can still bring vital skills to the table, so it's not all doom and gloom

Tackling early concerns that artificial intelligence could replace human workers and take our jobs, new Workday research has claimed AI could actually act as a catalyst for a skills revolution.

Tackling the popular narrative of scepticism, Workday's report revealed 85% of active AI users report a high level of optimism surrounding the technology, a noteworthy upgrade over the 78% of non-adopters reporting similar sentiments.

It’s not just in skills where workers are seeing the benefits of AI – 93% of active users also report having more free time when using the technology, enabling them to focus on higher-level tasks like strategy and problem-solving.

Workers are optimistic about artificial intelligence

As AI becomes more embedded in everyday workflows and organizational strategies, we’re beginning to see where its roles are most appreciated, and where the value of human workers remains critical. For example, humans bring more to the table when it comes to ethical decision-making, empathy, relationship building, and conflict resolution, rendering these the least likely areas to be replaced by AI.

More than four in five (83%) believe AI will make human skills like the ones mentioned above more important to employers.

“By embracing AI for good, we can elevate what makes us uniquely human – our creativity, our empathy, our ability to connect – and build a workplace where these skills drive success," noted Workday CTO Jim Stratton.

Looking ahead, Workday calls for joint efforts by tech companies, organizations and even governments to ensure AI’s benefits are felt by everyone. The report also highlights the need for a focus on crucial human skills.

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If you’re reading this article from the comfort of your home office, you’re living a reality that, until recent years, was the exception for a small minority of workers. Now, many businesses across several industries facilitate hybrid or remote work in one way or another, making the home office a more common setup for people than it once was. However, while technology is the enabler for remote work, workers are feeling disconnected from their colleagues.

This disconnect may be caused by location, as we find ourselves more physically distanced from our co-workers. Yet, amidst the growing ‘return to the office’ movement and concerns that remote and hybrid working may be detrimental to the workforce, it turns out that the feeling of disconnect between colleagues is being caused by something entirely different.

The hidden barrier to employee connection

Recent research from Workato found that only 26% of UK workers felt it was harder to connect with colleagues virtually, and even fewer said that not being in the office with colleagues hindered their ability to collaborate. The data shows that location has very little impact on our ability to feel connected with co-workers. UK workers feel distant from their colleagues for an entirely different reason; there is simply too much work to get done and not enough time.

The unachievable workload, and how it is managed, is stealing time from UK workers that could be spent connecting and building relationships with colleagues, regardless of whether they are in the same room or in an entirely different location. This lack of connection is having a knock-on-effect on employee engagement, leaving individuals feeling isolated and teams struggling to collaborate.

Administrative tasks are contributing to a significant lack of time for UK workers, particularly tasks that are highly repetitive such as internal emails and note-taking; time that could be better spent connecting with colleagues. The research found that almost half of workers felt they would need an additional 30-60 minutes each day dedicated to team building, to feel closer to colleagues. With limited resources and only a certain number of hours available in the working day, UK businesses are struggling to strike a balance between optimizing time and nurturing employee engagement – a challenge that could have a significant impact on the long-term success of their teams.

The role of automation in team connection

Creating more spare time at work doesn’t mean employees will be working less – they will be working smarter. When organizations look to deploy automation technology, they are not only improving efficiency by shaving huge amounts of time taken up by repetitive tasks but also the impact on the people responsible for those tasks. Automation paves the way for bigger-picture thinking, giving employees the headspace to consider their career goals, think about improvements within the business, and plan for future resourcing challenges or obstacles. By shifting from task-based to value-based working, organizations can instill a mutual feeling of empowerment amongst all levels of an organization, in a united effort to strengthen the business and contribute to its long-term success.

Empowering workers with smart tools

While the benefits of automation are compelling, it’s of no use if workers are not on board with the changes. So, how are workers feeling about automation? The feedback is overwhelmingly positive. UK workers are seeing the productivity benefits of automation tools, and the quality of their work is improving, too. Specifically, with the use of automation tools, more than 4 out of 5 people in the UK believe automation is part of the solution to make time for more complex work, and 85% believe it is part of the solution for improving productivity.

Implementing automation allows companies to invest in human relationships to increase efficiency and productivity amongst workers. The benefits stretch beyond just improving the bottom line; employees in the UK value automation as an essential tool to strengthen their quality of work, create stronger relationships with teammates, and put time aside for connecting with team members on a personal level.

When a business consists of a strong, happy team, it naturally creates a ripple effect that leads to happy customers; a winning solution for everyone.

Building a workplace for connection and collaboration

As organisations continue to explore what the future of work looks like, many have to take into consideration how they will foster an environment that allows UK workers to be creative, collaborative, and connected. Acknowledging automation as a path forward for elevating work, people, and culture is crucial to the success of companies, regardless of industry or size. Leaders have the opportunity now to invest meaningful time, resources, and money into their workers to better promote a sense of belonging.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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• A Chinese cybersecurity firm has been sanctioned by the US Treasury
• The firm allegedly has ties to hacking group Salt Typhoon
• Salt Typhoon is accused of carrying out a cyberattack on 9 telco giants

A Chinese cybersecurity firm has been sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for alleged links to the notorious hacking group Salt Typhoon.

Salt Typhoon is perhaps best known as the group who infiltrated the networks of nine major US telecommunications companies and internet providers, including Verizon and AT&T in the largest telecoms hack in US history.

“Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., LTD. (Sichuan Juxinhe) had direct involvement in the exploitation of these U.S. telecommunication and internet service provider companies. The MSS (China Ministry of State Security) has maintained strong ties with multiple computer network exploitation companies, including Sichuan Juxinhe,” the Treasury said in a statement.

A major incursion

The Salt Typhoon hack saw state-sponsored actors targeting high-level government communications through a breach of third-party tech support platform BeyondTrust. Hackers were reportedly lurking inside telecom networks for months before being eradicated.

“The Treasury Department will continue to use its authorities to hold accountable malicious cyber actors who target the American people, our companies, and the United States government, including those who have targeted the Treasury Department specifically,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Adewale O. Adeyemo.

Following the hack, the US Treasury was again hit by a further cyberattack which targeted the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which is the department in charge of reviewing foreign investments for national security risks.

In January 2025, the Treasury similarly sanctioned a Chinese cybersecurity firm Yongxin Zhicheng Technology Group for alleged ties to Flax Typhoon, the group responsible for hijacking legally required broadband and communications backdoors which allow US law enforcement to intercept communications.

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Many action movies start with a bang. But Back In Action, the new Netflix action comedy starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, has started with a splat – multiple splats in the form of rotten tomatoes. According to the review aggregator at the time of writing, the film is far from fresh: it's got a Tomatometer rating of just 24%.

The good news is that there are plenty of much better movies with much fresher ratings, all of them streaming right now on Netflix. Here are three action movies that are among the best Netflix movies you won't regret starting.

RRR

RT critic score: 96%

This action adventure is getting rave reviews. It's the epic, action-packed tale of a fearless warrior on a perilous mission who comes face to face with a steely cop serving British forces in what one reviewer says is "one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year" – and before you go "but it's only January!" he wrote that on the film's theatrical release in mid-2023.

According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, "RRR is one action crescendo after another, never dull but not exhausting either." And the San Jose Mercury News loved it too: "The bonanza with a cast of what looks to be thousands and a storyline about getting back at colonizers is a blast throughout its three-hour-plus running time." According to The Hollywood Reporter, "You won't be bored for a nanosecond."

Rebel Ridge

RT critic score: 96%

When ex-Marine Terry Richmond visits the town of Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin, things go off the rails and he finds himself going head to head with the local cops and battling a deep-rooted conspiracy. If you've seen the same writer/director (Jeremy Saulnier)'s Blue Ruin and Green Room, you're going to want to see this modern echo of First Blood. And if you haven't, you should stream it anyway.

The movie is "as elementally satisfying as a great Western," AV Club says, while the New York Times waxed lyrical: "Our pulses are elevated by the score, a relentless tattoo of drones and drums, plus the truly sensational camera work of David Gallego which, like our leading man, moves with measured intelligence and makes tactical use of every mirror in sight." According to Empire, it's "an undeniably fun night in."

Hit Man

RT critic score: 95%

Based on an incredible true story, Richard Linklater's wild neo-noir movie stars Glen Powell as strait-laced professor Gary Johnson, who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. As the Irish Times put it, "this old-fashioned sexy caper makes merry with unreliable narration, slapstick and the stress of remembering which lie you told."

Den of Geek says that "Linklater has long displayed a genius for riffing on and shifting between genre tones. And with Hit Man, he’s figured out how to turn a veritable film noir into a meet-cute comedy," and we think ABC News liked it too: "Oooowee," Peter Travers wrote. "What a scorchingly sexy thriller."

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• AMD is purportedly struggling to iron out RX 9070 pricing with retailers
• The theory is that AMD’s original prices were too high compared to where Nvidia pitched its RTX 5000 GPUs
• AMD needs to put all this gossip and speculation to bed as soon as possible

More rumors are circulating about AMD’s RDNA 4 graphics cards, due to launch at some point in Q1 2025, and there’s some fresh info about what could potentially be going on behind the scenes.

There’s no denying that the reveal of RX 9070 models at CES 2025 was confusingly brief, though an AMD exec has since clarified why – namely the lack of time for Team Red’s presentation at that event (a flimsy excuse, yes), and an apparent admission (possible translation issues must be noted, mind) that the company wanted to wait and see how Nvidia pitched its RTX 5000 GPUs.

Fresh speculation (via VideoCardz) from a forum moderator (Pokerclock, who recently brought us gossip on Nvidia’s Blackwell stock levels) at German site PC Games Hardware throws something else into the mix.

Namely a theory that pricing for RX 9070 models has proved problematic and that MSRPs have not been officially agreed, because the price tags AMD planned originally ended up too high compared to what Nvidia announced with its next-gen Blackwell graphics cards.

Pokerclock asserts that there are difficulties in rejigging that price and working out how to balance and correct this with what retail partners already paid for these RDNA 4 products. Working out this – and we must be extremely cautious around this rumor – is what’s apparently causing some trouble for AMD, and kind of leaving its RX 9070 graphics cards in a state of launch limbo, as it were.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Time to take action, AMD

Could there be something in this? Well, it does make sense in some ways, by which I mean that Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and 5080 pricing was certainly surprising – it caught me off guard, and likely AMD, too, I’d imagine. Also, it does fit with what’s happened in terms of AMD’s sort of ‘half-launch’ at CES 2025, and the fact that we still haven’t got a date for the proper launch (an event that could be coming this week, if rumors are right – on January 23 or 24, but that’s very close at hand now, obviously).

Moreover, there are multiple sightings of the RX 9070 graphics cards having arrived at retailers, so that also suggests that the pieces of the launch were all fitting into place, and then suddenly an Nvidia-shaped spanner was chucked into the RDNA 4 works when Blackwell pricing was revealed.

It’s notable that Moore’s Law is Dead also spilled some RDNA 4 details in his latest video on YouTube, and there was no rumored pricing, just a comment that he’s heard a lot of different rumors – from $450 (in the US) upwards.

Again, that paints a picture of everything still being rather up in the air at this late stage for RDNA 4, though the YouTuber gives us a rough guess of $499 (in the US) for the RX 9070 and $599 for the RX 9070 XT. That would, based on some purported internal benchmarks from AMD also shared by the leaker, make for a pair of RDNA 4 graphics cards that would be RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti killers.

Interesting and potentially exciting times indeed, but AMD can’t let these rumors on its next-gen GPU launch and pricing continue to simmer and bubble for too long – it needs to make a final decision on RDNA 4 pricing, if the company hasn’t already, of course. And then those prices need to be aired very soon (which might indeed happen, as noted, if the rumor mill is right).

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• Nvidia's Bryan Catanzaro suggests older RTX 3000 GPUs could potentially get Frame Generation
• The new Frame Generation model doesn't need an Optical Flow accelerator
• Tensor Cores could be the deciding factor for the RTX 3000 series receiving Frame Generation

With Nvidia's RTX 5000 series launch on the horizon, it's easy to be tempted into buying the latest and (hopefully) the greatest, but Frame Generation could change that - it's not just being improved on RTX 4000 series GPUs and Team Green's latest Blackwell GPUs like the RTX 5090 (Multi Frame Generation), but potentially RTX 3000 GPUs as well.

Hints that older Nvidia GPUs might finally get Frame Generation, a clever feature that uses AI to generate additional frames to boost overall frame rates, comes from Digital Foundry's interview (which you can view below) with Nvidia's Applied Deep Learning Research VP, Bryan Catanzaro - as reported by Wccftech, Catanzaro mentioned Nvidia will be looking at ways to get the best out of older hardware. We know that the current model of Frame Generation will receive improvements later this month once the RTX 5080 and 5090 launch, which will utilize less VRAM while providing better performance thanks to Tensor Cores.

Catanzaro made it clear that DLSS 3 Frame Generation was built upon Nvidia's Optical Flow hardware accelerator (motion detector for objects between frames), with the RTX 4000 series GPUs maintaining a much more improved version compared to RTX 3000 GPUs - the new model of Frame Generation (and Multi Frame Generation exclusive to RTX 5000 series GPUs) won't require the Optical Flow accelerator, but rather an AI-based solution.

Since the new model will rely on a higher standard of Tensor Cores (which increases AI performance) which both RTX 4000 and RTX 5000 GPUs come with, it isn't that simple for Team Green to bring Frame Generation to the older GPUs. With Frame Generation supposedly using much less VRAM usage and not needing an Optical Flow accelerator, however, RTX 3000 users could be in luck (despite the weaker Tensor Cores).

Again, I must ask, is there a need to buy an RTX 5000 series GPU?

While this is essentially just speculation about future possibilities, there's a chance that Nvidia RTX 3000 series users could get the full package of DLSS 4 that includes Frame Generation. DLSS 3 has been available to both RTX 3000 and 2000 series users with super-resolution, DLAA, and ray reconstruction at their disposal - but Frame Generation has so far been exclusive to the RTX 4000 series.

With the requirement of an Optical Flow accelerator now gone, the chances of Frame Generation making its way to RTX 3000 GPUs are now much higher. The main hurdle that could stop this is the weaker Tensor Cores as I mentioned, but the fact that we're at least getting discussions about it with Catanzaro shouldn't be taken lightly.

For now, it's best to look forward to what improvements DLSS 4 will bring to older GPUs and stay patient for any future updates. If Frame Generation for RTX 3000 GPUs does happen, it could breathe new life into the older graphics cards, and could mean gamers that can’t afford a new RTX 5000 series GPU will continue to be able to play new PC games for a few more years.

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