Intel first 8th generation processors are just updated 7th generation chips

No Coffee Lake or Cannonlake here; these are doubled up Kaby Lake parts.

Enlarge / A Kaby Lake refresh die. (credit: Intel)

The first "8th generation" Intel Core processors roll out today: a quartet of 15W U-series mobile processors. Prior generation U-series parts have had two cores, four threads; these new chips double that to four cores and eight threads. They also bump up the maximum clock speed to as much as 4.2GHz, though the base clock speed is sharply down at 1.9GHz for the top end part (compared to the 7th generation's 2.8GHz). But beyond those changes, there's little to say about the new chips, because in a lot of ways, the new chips aren't really new.

i7-8650U i7-8550U i5-8350U i5-8250U
Base clock/GHz 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6
Maximum 1-core clock/GHz 4.2 4.0 3.6 3.4
Maximum 2-core clock/GHz 4.2 4.0 3.6 3.4
Maximum 4-core clock/GHz 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.4
Cores 4 4 4 4
Threads 8 8 8 8
Cache size/MB 8 8 6 6
Maximum GPU clock/GHz 1150 1150 1100 1100

Although Intel is calling these parts "8th generation," their architecture, both for their CPU and their integrated GPU, is the same as "7th generation" Kaby Lake. In fact, Intel calls the architecture of these chips "Kaby Lake refresh." Kaby Lake was itself a minor update on Skylake, adding an improved GPU (with, for example, hardware-accelerated support for 4K H.265 video) and a clock speed bump. The new chips continue to be built on Intel's "14nm+" manufacturing process, albeit a somewhat refined one.

Earlier this year, Intel claimed that the new chips would add 30 percent performance over 7th generation parts; that number is now 40 percent. A total of 25 percent of that boost (in the SYSmark benchmark) comes from the doubled core and thread count. The remainder is split evenly between "manufacturing" improvements (which is to say, higher clock speeds) and "design" improvements.

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HP launches ProBook 400 G5 business laptops with Kaby Lake Refresh chips

HP is updating its business laptop lineup with new 13.3 inch, 15.6 inch, and 17.3 inch HP ProBook 400 G5 series laptops. As usual, the model I’m most interested in is the smallest, which is the 13.3 inch HP ProBook 430 G5 notebook that measures 12.8″ x 9.2″ x 0.8″ and weighs about 3.3 pounds. […]

HP launches ProBook 400 G5 business laptops with Kaby Lake Refresh chips is a post from: Liliputing

HP is updating its business laptop lineup with new 13.3 inch, 15.6 inch, and 17.3 inch HP ProBook 400 G5 series laptops. As usual, the model I’m most interested in is the smallest, which is the 13.3 inch HP ProBook 430 G5 notebook that measures 12.8″ x 9.2″ x 0.8″ and weighs about 3.3 pounds. […]

HP launches ProBook 400 G5 business laptops with Kaby Lake Refresh chips is a post from: Liliputing

Kaby Lake Refresh: Intel bringt 15-Watt-Quadcores für Ultrabooks

Die achte Generation an Core-Prozessoren für Mini-PCs und Ultrabooks hat erstmals vier statt zwei Kerne. Der Kaby Lake Refresh hat dafür ein paar Neuerungen erhalten – und Intel konnte sich eine Umbenennung nicht verkneifen. (Kaby Lake, Prozessor)

Die achte Generation an Core-Prozessoren für Mini-PCs und Ultrabooks hat erstmals vier statt zwei Kerne. Der Kaby Lake Refresh hat dafür ein paar Neuerungen erhalten - und Intel konnte sich eine Umbenennung nicht verkneifen. (Kaby Lake, Prozessor)

Indiegames: Erfahrungen mit der zufallsgenerierten Apokalypse

Gerade kleinen Entwicklerstudios bieten prozedural generierte Inhalte viele Vorteile, findet Tomer Barkan von Suncrash. Er berichtet, welche Erfahrungen er bei der Produktion von Judgment Apocalypse Survival Simulation gemacht hat. (Games, Steam)

Gerade kleinen Entwicklerstudios bieten prozedural generierte Inhalte viele Vorteile, findet Tomer Barkan von Suncrash. Er berichtet, welche Erfahrungen er bei der Produktion von Judgment Apocalypse Survival Simulation gemacht hat. (Games, Steam)

Microsoft: Hungrige Dinos, schicke Konsolen und die Sache mit Age 4

Die (mutmaßliche) Enthüllung von Age of Empires 4 lässt noch auf sich warten: Microsoft hat ein neues Spiel namens Jurassic World Evolution und schicke neue Xbox-Spezialeditionen vorgestellt. (Xbox One, Microsoft)

Die (mutmaßliche) Enthüllung von Age of Empires 4 lässt noch auf sich warten: Microsoft hat ein neues Spiel namens Jurassic World Evolution und schicke neue Xbox-Spezialeditionen vorgestellt. (Xbox One, Microsoft)

Hollywoodstudios: Apple will Kinofilme kurz nach der Premiere streamen

Apple soll in Gesprächen mit Filmstudios sein, um Filme schon kurz nach der Kinopremiere zu streamen. Das wird für die Kunden nicht billig, doch offenbar sehen die Beteiligten Chancen, zwischen 30 und 50 US-Dollar pro Film zu verlangen und auch zu bekommen. (iTunes, Apple)

Apple soll in Gesprächen mit Filmstudios sein, um Filme schon kurz nach der Kinopremiere zu streamen. Das wird für die Kunden nicht billig, doch offenbar sehen die Beteiligten Chancen, zwischen 30 und 50 US-Dollar pro Film zu verlangen und auch zu bekommen. (iTunes, Apple)

I.D. Buzz: VW baut den Elektro-Bulli

Volkswagen hat sich dazu durchgerungen, den Mikrobus I.D. Buzz doch zu bauen. Bisher gab es das Elektroauto, das an den legendären ersten Bus von VW erinnern soll, nur als Konzeptstudie. Der I.D. Buzz wird rein elektrisch angetrieben und soll auch als Nutzfahrzeug angeboten werden. (VW, Technologie)

Volkswagen hat sich dazu durchgerungen, den Mikrobus I.D. Buzz doch zu bauen. Bisher gab es das Elektroauto, das an den legendären ersten Bus von VW erinnern soll, nur als Konzeptstudie. Der I.D. Buzz wird rein elektrisch angetrieben und soll auch als Nutzfahrzeug angeboten werden. (VW, Technologie)

Animationstechnologie: Remedy Games verwendet Motion Matching in P7

In seinem nächsten Projekt verwendet das finnische Entwicklerstudio Remedy Games (Alan Wake, Quantum Break) die Animationstechnologie Motion Matching. Auf der Tagung Devcom hat Illkka Kuusela das System vorgestellt. (Quantum Break, Games)

In seinem nächsten Projekt verwendet das finnische Entwicklerstudio Remedy Games (Alan Wake, Quantum Break) die Animationstechnologie Motion Matching. Auf der Tagung Devcom hat Illkka Kuusela das System vorgestellt. (Quantum Break, Games)

Jurassic World Evolution is a theme park sim from Planet Coaster dev Frontier

Theme Park with dinosaurs coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2018.

Frontier, the developer behind the sublime Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster has new sim in the works. Jurassic World Evolution is a theme park sim, but instead of ferris wheels you have Triceratops, and instead of worrying about guests getting sick, you have to worry about guests getting eaten by a freaking T-Rex.

Jurassic World Evolution puts players in control of operations on the island of Isla Nublar, as featured in the original Jurassic Park. The goal is to build new attractions, bioengineer new dinosaur breeds, and figure out the best way to keep said dinosaurs away from paying punters. "Every choice leads to a different path and spectacular challenges will arise when 'life finds a way,'" says Microsoft.

Further details are thin on the ground, but there is a release date of "Summer 2018," which just so happens to be when the next film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is due to be released.

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The Windows App Store is Full of Pirate Streaming Apps

In recent years streaming piracy has become a popular pastime for millions of people. A lot of this takes place through ‘rogue’ websites or dedicated pirate devices, which are often scolded by the movie industry. The problem is not limited to unauthorized platforms alone though, as the “trusted” Windows App Store is full of widely used pirate apps as well.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Over the past few years it has become much easier to stream movies and TV-shows over the Internet.

Legal streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon are booming. At the same time, however, there’s also a dark market of thousands of pirate streaming tools.

In recent months, Hollywood has directed many its anti-piracy efforts towards unauthorized Kodi-addons and several popular pirate streaming sites, which offer movies and TV-shows without permission. What seems to be largely ignored, however, is a “store” that hundreds of millions of people have access to; the Windows App Store.

When we were browsing through the “top free” apps in the Windows Store, our attention was drawn to several applications that promoted “free movies” including various Hollywood blockbusters such as “Wonder Woman,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and “The Mummy.”

Initially, we assumed that a pirate app may have slipped passed Microsoft’s screening process. However, the ‘problem’ doesn’t appear to be isolated. There are dozens of similar apps in the official store that promise potential users free movies, most with rave reviews.

Some of the many pirate apps in the “trusted” store

Most of the applications work on multiple platforms including PC, mobile, and the Xbox. They are pretty easy to use and rely on the familiar grid-based streaming interface most sites and services use. Pick a movie or TV-show, click the play button, and off you go.

The sheer number of piracy apps in the Windows Store, using names such as “Free Movies HD,” “Free Movies Online 2020,” and “FreeFlix HQ,” came as a surprise to us. In particular, because the developers make no attempt to hide their activities, quite the opposite.

The app descriptions are littered with colorful language offering the latest Hollywood movies, and thousands of others, without charge. In addition, the apps display their capabilities in various screenshots, including those showing movies that are not yet available on legal streaming platforms.

Screenshot provided by the Windows app store

Making matters worse, the applications show advertising as well, including high-quality pre-roll ads. Some of these appear to be facilitated through Microsoft’s own Ad Monetization platform. Other apps offer paid versions or in-app purchases to monetize their service.

After hours of going through the pirate app offerings, it’s clear that Microsoft’s “trusted” Windows Store is ridden with unauthorized content. Thus far we have only mentioned video, but the issue also applies to pirated music in the form of dedicated streaming and download apps.

Earlier this year, Microsoft signed a landmark anti-piracy agreement with several major copyright holders, to address pirate search results in the Bing search engine. The above makes clear that search results in the Microsoft Store store may require some attention too.

TorrentFreak reached out to Microsoft, asking for a comment on our findings, but at the time of publication we haven’t yet heard back.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.