Nvidia's new AI upscaling gaming technology struck gamers as uncanny and off-putting. Developers don't seem to like it, either, but it could be "the default" in a few years. Nvidia announced a new version of its DLSS AI upscaling technology for its graphics cards earlier this week at its GPU Technology Conference (GTC), which it calls the Super Bowl of AI . But unlike previous versions of DLSS that used AI to improve frame rates in video games, DLSS 5 has a much more ambitious calling: using generative AI to make character faces in games look more realistic and detailed. The demonstration received sharp blowback on social media, with many finding the effect off-putting, reacting with outright disgust, and calling it yet another example of AI slop .

We have AI data centers to power! The incremental (likely Super) update to the RTX 50 line was initially scheduled for 2026. With gaming becoming an ever-smaller part of NVIDIA's lucrative business, the company reportedly won't bother releasing new graphics cards this year. This would be the first time in three decades that the company hasn't launched new gaming chips. AI demand has driven the current memory chip shortage, throwing the consumer electronics industry out of kilter.

It's been seven months since Nvidia launched its flagship RTX 5090 card to a hungry audience of PC gamers… and people building AI data centers… and a bunch of scalpers trying to bilk them all. In that time, I've yet to see one actually available to purchase at the alleged base price of two thousand dollarydoos. As of just before 11 AM Eastern US time, Newegg has one for the base price. Specifically this one, the Zotac Gaming Solid model, a basic triple-fan design which apparently has the reference PCB with no overclock. As the good Lord intended.

The long wait is over. After kinda-sorta-teasing the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT at CES 2025, AMD is finally pulling back the curtain on its next-generation graphics cards today, ahead of a March 6 launch date. AMD shuffled Radeon's branding this generation to mirror Nvidia's; the Radeon 599 RX 9070 XT will thus compete with the 749 RTX 5070 Ti, while the Radeon 549 RX 9070 takes aim at the 549 RTX 5070. Let's start with an overview of the improvements found in AMD's new RDNA 4 graphics architecture, before moving onto details about the Radeon RX 9070 series specifically, and what's coming with FSR 4 and Hypr-RX. One thing revealed in AMD's CES teaser: The Radeon 9000-series is built from the ground up for an AI future.

This year at CES, Nvidia presented the next generation of its DLSS upscaling technology, which is trained with the help of artificial intelligence, alongside the new GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 (Ti) graphics cards. The company touted its major advantages -- and now that RTX 5090 reviews are live, we can confirm that DLSS 4 indeed feels like black magic, supercharging frame rates and making games feel just as snappy as the beloved Doom 2016. That's because DLSS 4 now supports Multi Frame Generation (MFG), an AI-based multiple intermediate frame calculation that can artificially generate up to three images and insert them between two "real" frames, thus quadrupling the frame rate. Of course, this feature only works on new Blackwell-based RTX 50-series GPUs. But are the AI frames generated in this way a step forward or is it all hogwash?

CES 2025 was packed with all kinds of techie announcements, but for me the highlight was all the new graphics cards. Nvidia and AMD both played their hands with next-generation products, with some caveats. Nvidia certainly stole the show, with the GeForce RTX 50 Series announcement serving as the key opening message in CEO Jensen Huang's keynote speech. AMD was much softer in its talk, with sparse details on its new RDNA 4 graphics cards, resulting in similarly sparse enthusiasm. Let's go over what we learned from both companies about their GPUs and where your attention should be in 2025.

It's official: Nvidia's next generation of gaming graphics is here, and friends, the GeForce RTX 50-series looks pretty compellingly priced on paper. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced eight different GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards during his CES 2025 keynote – four for desktop, and four for laptops, all compatible with a new DLSS 4 generation. The same GPUs were announced for both form factors: The GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070. It was a big difference from AMD's keynote, where RDNA 4 and the Radeon RX 9070 weren't even mentioned despite press receiving a high-level briefing. Let's start with Nvidia's hotly anticipated desktop graphics cards, powered by Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture.

The graphics card hype train left the station weeks before CES 2025 kicks off in early January, with the launch of Intel's 249 Arc B580 – the GPU we've begged for since the pandemic. But make no mistake: Intel decided to launch its second-gen Arc in December because CES is shaping up to be an absolute banger for graphics card releases. Nvidia is already teasing an RTX 50-series announcement at CEO Jensen Huang's keynote, while the rumor mill claims AMD's new Radeon cards will also make an appearance at the show. Yes, friends, after a disappointing few years for graphics cards, the next generation of gaming goodness should be unveiled at CES 2025 and Nvidia, AMD, and Intel look ready to brawl. Let's start with Nvidia's hotly anticipated GeForce RTX 50-series, because the company is already actively, not-so-slyly teasing it.

No doubt about it, AMD had a very good year. Our recap of AMD's highs, lows, and head-scratching moments of 2024 doesn't reveal too many mistakes. At times, Intel stumbled through 2024 like someone coming home from the pub on Christmas Eve. But AMD was steady, reliable, and mostly dependable. See if you agree with us as we walk through the best and worst of AMD's 2024, as we've done (or will do) for Microsoft, Google, and Intel.

In this yearly penultimate episode of The Full Nerd, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, Adam Patrick Murray, and Will Smith came ready to brawl. Picking the best PC hardware of the year is no easy task, especially in a year that proved momentous for the future of computing. Heck, we couldn't even agree on a shared of definition of what "best" means – you know it when you see it -- but each participant brought his or her own picks for the best PC hardware and trends of 2023 before we all hashed out a single winner in each category. But considering how long it took to pick winners, it's probably best that we streamlined categories a bit this year. Note that this list is separate from PCWorld's wider best PC hardware and software of 2024 and best work from home tech of 2024; The Nerdies (as well call'em) are the opinion of our Full Nerd crew only.