Hard-On-Tech

Samsung to begin mass production at its US chip factory in 2027

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Hardware, Manufacturing, Samsung
The Hot Take: Domestic manufacturing is key.

Samsung's multi-billion dollar advanced chipmaking factory located in Taylor, Texas, is ready to start mass production of chips for clients. The company has confirmed that everything is ready and that mass production of advanced chips for customers will begin next year. 2nm process advancement is underway as well Margaret Han, Vice President of Samsung's foundry division in the US, said during the Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem Forum held at the company's US headquarters yesterday that “We are ready.” She added that “Customers will begin production at the Taylor fab starting next year.” Samsung began construction on this factory back in 2022. Its total investment in the project is expected to exceed $17 billion. The company had previously said during the first quarter earnings call this year that the fab was “under construction.” It was stated that the goal was to begin operation within the year. Tesla is among the customers who will have their chips produced at this factory. The carmaker already has a $16.5 billion deal with Samsung for the production of its AI5 and AI6 self-driving chips. Samsung will produce 2nm chips at the facility. To further improve its technological edge at the US factory, Samsung will start building out the second-generation enhancement of its 2nm process in the near future. This process advancement has been tuned finely for AI workloads, potentially delivering a performance improvement of up to 30%.

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G.Skill Pushes Its Trident Z5 CK “CUDIMM” DDR5 Memory To 9200 MT/s at Just 1.1V On MSI Z890 GODLIKE

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Hardware, Memory
The Hot Take: Finally CUDIMMs catching on?

G.Skill demos the capabilities of its DDR5 memory by pushing the Trident Z5 CK "CUDIMM" kit to 9200 MT/s at just 1.1V. G.SKILL Showcases DDR5-9200 1.1V 16GBx2 High-Speed CU-DIMM Memory Kit on MSI Z890 GODLIKE Motherboard Press Release: G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd, the world’s leading brand of performance overclock memory, is showcasing an ultra-high-speed DDR5 CU-DIMM 32GB (16GBx2) memory kit operating at an impressive DDR5-9200 CL74-74-74-148 speed with only 1.1V DRAM voltage, validated on the flagship MSI MEG Z890 GODLIKE motherboard platform. Exceptional DDR5 speed at Ultra-Low Voltage As memory performance continues to advance, balancing high frequency and operation voltage has become increasingly important. Demonstrating […]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/g-skill-pushes-trident-z5-ck-cudimm-ddr5-memory-to-9200-mtps-at-just-1-1v/

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Fosi Audio C3 Officially Launches: Compact Gaming Sound Card with StepSense, HiFi Foundation and Forum Giveaway | Giveaway

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Hardware
The Hot Take: Definitely want to give this puppy a try, though I'm leaning towards the higher end unit.

Fosi Audio officially launches its first externally focused audio solution with a stronger emphasis on e-sports and gaming, the C3. According to the press release available, the compact USB-C sound card is scheduled to be available from 28 May 2026 and is aimed primarily at players who want not just any louder sound in shooters, […]

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Microsoft’s Windows 11 CPU boost is rolling out, and here’s how to enable it right now

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Microsoft Windows, Software
The Hot Take: OH look at that, suddenly we're getting more performance out of windows. Like they were handy capping it or something to push lets say something like mid-range hardware of the ARM variety....

Microsoft recently released Windows 11 KB5089573 (Build 26200.8524) optional update, and buried inside the lengthy release notes is a major performance upgrade. While the company simply calls it a “[General Performance]” improvement, we know this is the highly anticipated CPU boost feature internally codenamed “Low Latency Profile.” According to the official changelog released on May 26, 2026, Microsoft notes: “[General Performance] This update accelerates app launch and core shell experiences such as Start menu, Search, and Action Center.” We already reported that Windows 11 Low Latency Mode is rolling out in June 2026 with the mandatory security update. But as we said, the CPU boost feature will be available in the optional May update as well, so if you’re eager enough to enable it, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates and just select the update to install it. However, due to Microsoft’s Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) strategy, the new performance boost may not be activated straightaway even after you install the Windows 11 KB5089573 optional update. Your PC has definitely downloaded the underlying code, but Microsoft often keeps the activation switch turned off for a subset of users to monitor stability. Fortunately, you do not have to wait for Microsoft to flip the switch remotely. You can manually force the feature on right now using a popular third-party utility called ViveTool. Note: The Low Latency Profile currently only makes OS flyouts, such as the Start menu, Notification Center, right-click menu, and other areas, load faster. It does not allow your apps to launch faster. That change will roll out in the next update. How to enable Low Latency Profile in Windows 11 Before you proceed, you need to be sure you have already installed the May optional update. To verify if the May 2026 optional update is installed, open Settings > System > About, and check the build number. If it’s Build 26200.8524 / 26100.8524 or newer, you’re eligible for Low Latency Profile improvements. Also, the Low Latency Profile does not require any special hardware, but it’s more impactful on budget/low-end PCs. Now, follow these steps to activate Windows 11’s CPU boost feature: Get ViveTool by going to the official ViveTool GitHub repository and downloading the latest .zip release. Extract the contents to a convenient folder. For ease of use, I created a folder called ViveTool directly on my C drive and extracted the files there. Click the Start menu, type “cmd“, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Type cd C:\ViveTool and press Enter. Type the following command to activate the feature and press Enter: vivetool /enable /id:58989092 Restart your PC to apply the changes. Note: The command uses /enable to turn the feature on. If you ever want to revert the changes, you can repeat the process using /disable instead. This only works for now, and once the feature officially becomes default on your device, you won’t be able to turn it off. Ideally, we shouldn’t have to enable features manually. Since Microsoft already has a vibrant Insider community, all testing should occur earlier, and deployment should begin now. Many users have complained that they still haven’t received features rolled out in the April 2026 updates. And since Low Latency Profile is, by definition, just a CPU boost, it should have already arrived by now. How do you verify if the Low Latency Profile is working? Windows 11 does not include a toggle to enable or disable the Low Latency Profile. Instead, the feature is enabled by default on all PCs once it rolls out with the May 2026 Update, or if you enable it using the bypass method mentioned above. As a result, the only way to verify that it’s working is by comparing performance before and after the feature is enabled. Check if the Start menu, Action Center, and Search load faster than before. We can’t rule out a placebo either, so you can also try checking CPU usage before and after Low Latency Profile is enabled: No CPU boost before Low Latency Profile is enabled: https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Low-Latency-Profile-CPU-boost-feature-is-disabled.mp4 On the top right side of the screen recording, you can see that the CPU has not reached peak utilization while opening the Start menu or Action Center. I have checked it multiple times to be sure. After enabling Low Latency Profile using the bypass method given above, I opened the Start menu and Action Center: CPU utilization peaks while opening the Start menu after Low Latency Profile is enabled: https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CPU-jumps-to-100-while-opening-Start-menu-after-enabling-Low-Latency-Profile.mp4   As you can see on the top right side, CPU utilization jumps to 100% in the P cores on my Intel Core i5 13420H, and then falls to normal levels in a second or two, which essentially confirms the presence of Low Latency Profile. CPU reaches 100% while opening the Action Center after Low Latency Profile is enabled: https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/CPU-Boost-while-using-Action-centre-after-enabling-Low-Latency-Profile.mp4 Here, too, you can see that the CPU utilization reaches 100% while opening the Action Center and then falls to normal levels almost immediately. I have done these tests several times, and after seeing the CPU boost for the Start menu and Action Center only after enabling the feature, it is clear that my system has Low Latency Profile enabled. Microsoft mentioned General Performance improvements to only the Start menu, Action Center, and Windows Search, so as of now, there is no speed boost while opening inbox apps or third-party apps. Hands-on: UI smoothness over raw speed (for now) I previously tested Low Latency Profile in a highly constrained environment, and the CPU Boost feature worked well enough that I felt it could make budget PCs usable. It was a dual-core virtual machine limited to 4GB of RAM. But even then, some actions felt surprisingly responsive because the OS was no longer waiting for the CPU to slowly ramp up to the required speeds. Before enabling Low Latency Profile CPU boost: https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Before-Low-Latency-Profile-in-Windows-11.mp4 Yes, you have to be eagle-eyed enough to see the micro-strutters and occasional jitters. But it’s safe to say that most people have first-hand experience with the stuttery Start menu! But now, after running before-and-after screen recordings on a regular, full-powered daily-driver PC with this new May optional update, the results are slightly different, but I like it. After enabling Low Latency Profile CPU boost: https://www.windowslatest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/After-Low-Latency-Profile-in-Windows-11.mp4 The changes may look minute in the screen-recording, but it is definitely noticeable in the real world. Opening the Start menu is less choppy than before. The Action Center glides onto the screen smoothly, and the notorious rendering delay when bringing up the right-click context menu looks to be significantly reduced. As the official release notes specifically highlight “core shell experiences,” it appears the Low Latency Profile is currently prioritizing OS fluidity over speeding up inbox or third-party app launches. Either way, since my regular PC wasn’t slow in the first place, it now feels more premium because of the extra smoothness. Also, I didn’t notice any heating or battery drain during my testing. The needless controversy behind Windows 11’s CPU boost When news of this CPU-spiking feature first broke, several users on social media heavily criticized Microsoft, claiming that artificially boosting the processor was a “lazy fix” to cover up poorly optimized code. Microsoft Copilot reaches 97% CPU However, Microsoft stepped in to clarify the engineering behind it, and we agree. Scott Hanselman defended the technology by explaining the concept of “Race to Sleep.” By instantly spiking the CPU to its maximum frequency for a brief 1 to 3 seconds during a UI interaction, the processor completes the heavy lifting in a fraction of the time, allowing it to return to its low-power idle state much faster. Hanselman pointed out that Apple uses similar hardware-level scheduling tricks on macOS to make the operating system feel buttery smooth. Because of this initial public backlash, it makes sense that Microsoft chose to quietly label the feature as “General Performance” in the changelog rather than explicitly announcing the “Low Latency Profile” by its internal codename or sharing specific speed improvement metrics. What’s next for Windows 11 performance improvements? Windows 11 desktop still hasn’t quite reached the flawless 120fps smoothness of modern-day smartphones. This update is a massive step in the right direction. And most importantly, this CPU boost is just one half of a much larger strategy. As Microsoft commits to native UI for Windows 11, the company is replacing heavy web frameworks with lightweight native code, including in the Start menu. So, when you combine native optimizations with the immediate power delivery of Low Latency Profile, pretty soon, Windows 11 will feel as fast and premium as we expect. The post Microsoft’s Windows 11 CPU boost is rolling out, and here’s how to enable it right now appeared first on Windows Latest

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NVIDIA Control Panel Is Officially Dead After Two Decades, As The Company Pushes Everyone Onto Its New App

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 29, 2026 | Drivers, Hardware, Nvidia, Software
The Hot Take: Was wondering why it was saying I didn't have Nvidia Control Panel! LOL

The interface lived for nearly two decades and served us well, but now it's time to switch to the latest NVIDIA App. NVIDIA Announces the Official Retirement of Control Panel, One of the Most Popular Tools for NVIDIA GPU-Based Systems The popular NVIDIA GPU tool, NVIDIA Control Panel, launched in February 2026. It has been just over two decades since the tool went live and has remained the most used utility on NVIDIA GPU-based systems. From offering simple settings to change refresh rate, resolution, and multiple-display setups to manage 3D settings, the Control Panel remained one of the easiest to […]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nvidia-control-panel-is-officially-dead-after-two-decades/

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Intel Foundry’s Rio Rancho Facility To Become Its Crown Jewel In Production of Next-Gen Glass Substrates

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 26, 2026 | Hardware, Intel, Manufacturing
The Hot Take: We'll see where glass takes us, it's an interesting change for sure.

Intel Foundry is leading the race towards Glass Substrates with its Rio Rancho facility, aiming to become the world's first to initiate mass production. Glass Substrates Are The Future of Semiconductors & Intel Foundry is Well on Its Way To Become The First To Initiate Mass Production Glass Core substrates have been gaining interest, as they have several benefits over traditional organic substrate solutions. The current substrates are also facing shortages due to the AI supercycle, leading one of the biggest substrate suppliers, Ajinomoto, to raise prices. These supply constraints are pushing the industry to look into new advanced packaging solutions, and […]Read full article at https://wccftech.com/intel-foundry-rio-rancho-facility-crown-jewel-in-production-of-glass-substrates/

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Nvidia tells rivals to stop whining about memory

By ckasprzak | TkOut | May 26, 2026 | Hardware, Memory, Nvidia
The Hot Take: They're getting bad.

Nvidia finance chief Collette Kress says rivals moaning about memory prices should have ordered the stuff ages ago. Kress has blamed other firms for being caught short in the ongoing memory squeeze. She said Nvidia saw the price surge coming and acted before everyone started clutching their pearls. In an interview with Tae Kim, Kress said her firm ordered memory in advance because it understood prices were about to go north. That is not the sort of line which will calm customers now paying more for DRAM. The surge in memory prices has been driven by huge demand from AI chip companies. It has reshaped the industry, handing workers at SK hynix chunky bonuses while Samsung staff have been protesting. AI GPUs have created chaos in high-bandwidth memory and DDR memory markets. These chips are greedy little beasts, and the supply chain is not enjoying the feeding frenzy. Estimates suggest demand for Nvidia’s Rubin AI platform alone could exceed the combined memory needs of the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple and Samsung. Job’s Mob is expected to need 2.9 billion gigabytes of LPDDR memory in 2027, while Samsung may need 2.7 billion gigabytes. Rubin AI chips could need as much as six billion gigabytes of LPDDR memory in 2027. That is the kind of number which makes procurement departments stare sadly at spreadsheets. AI GPUs need DDR memory as well as HBM. Since both are made using the same machines, increased HBM demand pushes manufacturers to shift capacity away from DDR. That capacity shift creates shortages in DDR too. Chinese firms are now believed to be eyeing the gap as a chance to become more important players in the memory market. Nvidia has managed to stay ahead of the supply mess. Kress said the company had foreseen the disruption and lined up supply before the scramble began. Discussing other firms complaining about high prices, Kress said many companies “are sitting here going, oh my gosh, the memory price went up… Nvidia knew that was going to happen. It was something everybody should have, at least we did, ordered a long time ago.” That is a fairly blunt way of saying Nvidia thinks the rest of the industry failed its homework. It is probably true, though it is easier to say when your company is minting cash from the AI gold rush. Kress said Nvidia was not simply buying chips off the shelf. It has been working directly with memory suppliers to design and build what it needs. “They’re designing it with us. And then they go, now how much supply do we need? And we’re not just doing it with one. We’re doing it with all three memory suppliers. We say, here’s what we’re building. And then we’ve got to get them all in line and working with us. I don’t see another company doing that.” The memory shortage is now another AI tax on the rest of the tech world. Nvidia gets first-class treatment because its GPUs are driving the boom which caused the mess in the first place.  

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