Battery for PC Blog

Yes, you read that headline correctly: according to a new listing in the Geekbench 5 database, the M1 MacBook Air absolutely destroys the Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro in both single- and multi-core tests. 

The scores apparently come from the MacBook Air 10,1. According to the Geekbench post, this MacBook Air runs macOS 11.0.1 and uses an “Apple Silicon” processor. The laptop posted an impressive 1687 and 7433 in the single- and multi-core tests, respectively.

Comparatively, the top-of-the-line 16-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i9-9880H performs about 35% worse in Geekbench 5’s single-core test and about 15% worse in the multi-core test. Average scores for the Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro hover around 1100 for single-core and 6000-6500 for multi-core. 

This is quite the performance gap, especially considering this MacBook Air looks like the baseline model with 8 GB of RAM. Also, keep in mind that the M1 MacBook Air is fanless, suggesting that the new M1 13-inch MacBook Pro will perform significantly better than the best MacBook Pros currently on the market. The M1 MacBook Pro has active cooling, which should allow for longer sustained load operation.

The Geekbench post also shed some light on an M1 specification many have asked about: clock speed. According to the listing, the M1 has a base clock of 3.2 GHz. The Core i9-9880H, for comparison, has a base clock of 2.3 GHz. 

If this listing is legitimate, Apple has worked wonders with the M1 chip. That kind of performance in a passively cooled system with a TDP of 10 Watts is incredible, especially compared to an 8 core/16 thread 45 Watt monster like the Core i9-9880H. 

Apple’s statement that the M1 is the fastest CPU in the world may have been more than marketing fluff after all.

Insiders in the Dev Channel can look forward to test driving exciting new features in Windows 10 before anyone else. However, not every new build that gets rolled out can be a show stopper.

Sometimes, instead of exciting additions, what you get from a new flight is a bunch of fixes, which is the case in new Build 20257.

Changes and Improvements in this release include:

Based on feedback, Microsoft is updating its Start menu tile theming logic such that the tile background for Win32 apps will no longer adjust based on detected contrast ratio, except in the case of pinned Microsoft Edge PWAs.

Fixes include:

Fixed an issue starting with Build 20236 where installing games from the Store to a secondary non-OS drive would result in the secondary drive becoming inaccessible.

Fixed an issue causing some devices to experience a DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION bugcheck in recent builds.

Fixed an issue resulting in some apps crashing on launch in the previous flight, including Microsoft Jigsaw and Microsoft Minesweeper.

Fixed an issue resulting in File Explorer having a transparent line across the top when maximized on systems with multiple monitors.

Fixed an issue resulting in win32 app titles being unexpectedly highlighted in the title bar after enabling and disabling high contrast.

Fixed an issue where the windows.old folder is not completely deleted when performing disk cleanup.

Fixed an issue where if you reset your PC then and re-connected your MSA, then your MSA picture might never sync down.

Fixed an issue impacting Windows Hello Face recognition if the device was trained in a different orientation than the orientation used at unlock time.

Fixed an issue where setting up a kiosk (assigned access) account wouldn’t work the first time you tried, only subsequent tries.

Fixed a deadlock that could result in unexpected CPU usage. If you continue experiencing other performance issues, please take a moment to file feedback including details about the issue you’re seeing, and a performance trace. More info about collecting a repro trace is available here if needed.

Fixed an issue resulting in recently some apps being slower to accept keystrokes into text fields.

Fixed an issue that could result in links from apps failing to launch the browser.

Fixed an issue from the last couple flights that could result in audio playback unexpectedly stopping.

Fixed an issue that could result in not hearing audio after streaming certain content then turning your Bluetooth headset off and back on.

Fixed an issue that could result in Movies & TV failing to play some recorded HDR videos with error 0x80004001.

Known issues are:

Microsoft is looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.

Live previews for pinned sites aren’t enabled for all Insiders yet, so you may see a grey window when hovering over the thumbnail in the taskbar. Microsoft is continuing to work on polishing this experience.

Microsoft is working on enabling the new taskbar experience for existing pinned sites. In the meantime, you can unpin the site from the taskbar, remove it from the edge://apps page, and then re-pin the site.

Microsoft is investigating reports that some users are seeing error 0x80070426 when using their Microsoft account to sign into various apps. If you encounter it, rebooting your PC may resolve this.

Microsoft is investigating an issue where, after taking this build, no drives appear under Settings > System > Storage > Manage Disks and Volumes. As a workaround, you can manage your disks in the classic Disk Management tool.

Microsoft is investigating reports that some screens incorrectly have black text on dark backgrounds when dark theme is enabled.

Intel has launched its first WiFi 6E-capable M.2 wireless card, the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210. As of writing, we’re only seeing it shipping from China. It comes in a M.2 2230 form factor and supports both the 802.11ac and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6 & Wi-Fi 6E) protocols. If you have a laptop or desktop motherboard with an M.2 WiFi module, this M.2 card will fit right in.

Of course, the real beauty of this card is its ability to run the new WiFi 6E standard. The Federal Communications Commission passed this upgrade to WiFi 6 just this year. WiFi 6E devices to operate on the 6 GHz band, rather than just the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. This will provide users a massive boost in bandwidth and speed. 

Beware though, you need to have a WiFi 6E-capable router, such as the new Asus ROG Rapture, said to be the world’s first Wi-Fi 6E-capable router.

The market for faster solid state drives is ripe for expansion with next-gen game consoles and PCs alike sporting storage architectures that can help developers tap into the speed potential of PCIe 4.0 models. And right on cue, Kioxia, formerly known as Toshiba Memory, has come out with a new line of PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

Kioxia’s new XG7 and XG7-P represent the company’s first-ever client (read: not datacenter) PCIe 4.0 models. Compared to the previous generation XG6 series, which are PCIe 3.0 drives, Kioxia says its latest offerings deliver twice the sequential read performance and 1.6x faster sequential writes.

I’d prefer if Kioxia would just provide some concrete speed ratings, but in lieu of those, my math works things out to reads being 6.3GB/s or faster, and writes checking in at 4.6GB/s or higher. These values will probably vary a bit by capacity, with the XG7 being offer offered in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, and the XG7-P debuting with 2TB and 4TB models.

There are faster PCIe 4.0 SSDs out there, like Samsung’s 980 Pro. Likewise, Phison this week introduced its PS5018-E18 controller, which supports read and write speeds of up to 7,400MB/s and 7,000MB/s, respectively.

Nevertheless a 6.3GB/s (or higher) read speed is incredibly fast. The highest performing SATA models top out at around 580MB/s and, at the moment, are still plenty fast for gaming. But things could change in a hurry, depending on how developers take advantage of Microsoft’s DirectStorage API in Windows, which is based on same Velocity storage architecture in the Xbox Series X/S. That’s a discussion for another day.

There is no mention of price, as Kioxia is taking aim squarely at OEM system builders and laptop makers. That means upcoming gaming laptops and prebuilt desktops could sport faster storage than what we are accustomed to, provided OEMs bite.

Next gen consoles aren’t just kickstarting a new interest in solid state storage, they’re also responsible for a new wave of affordable, high-spec gaming monitors. That’s great news if you want high-refresh 4K action, but don’t fancy paying an absolute fortune. 

Monitors from Viewsonic, Acer, and Philips are among a new generation of displays to bring 4K high refresh to the 32-inch form factor. The really exciting bit is that the new models, including the Philips Momentum 328M1R, Acer Predator XB323QK, and Viewsonic Elite XG320U, are expected to be very competitively priced compared to existing 27-inch 4K high refresh monitors.

Until recently, the high-refresh 4K monitor market was populated largely by 27-inch models, such as the LG UltraGear 27GN950. So far, prices have tended to be pretty painful, especially given the relatively modest overall proportions of a 27-inch monitor. £1,000 / $1,000 for a 27-inch monitor, even a really nice one, is hard to stomach. However, the arrival of the Xbox Series X and Sony PS5, complete with support for 4K and 120Hz refresh, is driving the introduction of a new wave of 32-inch 4K monitors with high refresh support.

What’s more, because the console gaming market is generally less lofty when it comes to pricing than gaming PCs, we’re expecting these screens to be relatively affordable. That said, it’s the console connection that has slowed the arrival of these screens and indeed pushed their retail availability out to early next year. That’s because 4K@120Hz support for consoles requires the very latest HDMI 2.1 interface. For PC, you also have the option of DisplayPort 1.4.

With none of these screens available to buy quite yet, some of the details remain sketchy. But here’s what we know so far. We’ll kick off with the Philips Momentum 328M1R because that’s the screen with the clearest indication of pricing. It’s due out early next year with an anticipated price of €599, likely to translate into similar figures in $ and £. It’s a 32-inch 4K model aimed squarely at the new consoles. It runs a native 4K resolution and tops out at 120Hz. 

The better to hook up to those new consoles, the 328M1R comes complete with three HDMI 2.1 ports. But a DisplayPort 1.4 socket is also included, which widens the range of compatible GPUs for running at 4K and 120Hz. Currently, only Nvidia’s new RTX 30 series and AMD’s RX 6000 series graphics cards support HDMI 2.1. However, DisplayPort 1.4 is supported by older generation GPUs, including the Nvidia GTX 10 series.

Other highlights for the Philips Momentum 328M1R include VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, so colour fidelity should be good and at least an element of local dimming will be included, plus a claimed latency of just 4ms. The one possible snag? It runs a VA panel, which can be problematical when it comes to pixel response. That’s not always the case, as the Samsung G7 proves. It’s VA but very quick indeed.

As for the Acer Predator XB323QK and Viewsonic Elite XG320U, they take the 4K 32-inch formula and bump it up slightly to 144Hz while using an IPS panel. That’s a very exciting combination. Currently, we don’t have pricing for those models, which are slightly more PC centric and so may well be more expensive than the impressively affordable Philips.

But both are expected to support HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4, so offer full flexibility when it comes to PC or console connectivity. The Viewsonic is DisplayHDR 600 certified, while the Acer is limited to DisplayHDR 400 certification. That more limited HDR support should translate into lower pricing, however, so the Acer may turn out to be the pick of this trio.

Again, we’re expecting to see both of these screens early next year and indeed a number of similar models from other brands, the arrival of which should make for a competitive market place and hopefully lower pricing. Whatever, larger and more affordable 4K displays with high refresh support have been a long time coming. But as is often the case, the PC looks likely to benefit from the arrival of a new generation of consoles.

With the consoles themselves coming in around the $500 / £500, spending double that on a 4K monitor won’t be a goer for most gamers. So we’re expecting the consoles to drive lower prices generally, starting with these 32-inch beasts. Granted, these aren’t going to be properly cheap monitors, but they should push pricing below what we’ve seen for similar 27-inch screens. Here’s hoping!