5 Years Later: Revisiting the GTX 970, Valve’s 30% vs. Epic’s Smaller Cut

[TechSpot Weekly Newsletter] Latest in tech April 9 Hardware [Five Years Later: Revisiting the GeForce GTX 970]( Recently we've looked back at the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and the GTX 960, both popular GPUs from yesteryear. Those features have been warmly welcomed, but besides the overall positive responses what we noticed in common in your feedback was the request to [test the GeForce GTX 970](, which was the performance/value offering of the time and a GPU some of you are still rocking in today's games with some success. Recently we've looked back at the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and the GTX 960, both popular GPUs from yesteryear. Those features have been warmly welcomed, but besides the overall positive responses what we noticed in common in your feedback was the request to [test the GeForce GTX 970](, which was the performance/value offering of the time and a GPU some of you are still rocking in today's games with some success. PC Gaming Wars [Valve's 30 percent revenue cut was 'killing PC gaming,' says former employee]( Despite missing a wide variety of features that Steam already has, Epic continues to scoop up numerous upcoming titles (sometimes shortly before they were set to launch on Steam) and make them timed exclusives on their own storefront. Despite missing a wide variety of features that Steam already has, Epic continues to scoop up numerous upcoming titles (sometimes shortly before they were set to launch on Steam) and make them timed exclusives on their own storefront. TechSpot Review [Fortnite Battle Royale Review]( It's hard to say how Fortnite is turning out because it keeps turning into something else. Skins and storylines come and go. Landmarks appear and disappear. Weapons are added and removed. Recently, a mysterious excavation site appeared, but it was dug up and abandoned by the time I got there the next day. There's never a perfect time to [say what Fortnite is](. It's hard to say how Fortnite is turning out because it keeps turning into something else. Skins and storylines come and go. Landmarks appear and disappear. Weapons are added and removed. Recently, a mysterious excavation site appeared, but it was dug up and abandoned by the time I got there the next day. There's never a perfect time to [say what Fortnite is](. The Web [PayPal's new refund policy has sellers up in arms]( PayPal has been the go-to payment platform for many small vendors since it was popularized on eBay and other online marketplaces. Currently, when someone sells goods or services, they are charged a flat transaction fee, plus a percentage-based commission on… PayPal has been the go-to payment platform for many small vendors since it was popularized on eBay and other online marketplaces. Currently, when someone sells goods or services, they are charged a flat transaction fee, plus a percentage-based commission on… Browsers [Microsoft's Chromium-powered Edge browser is now officially available to download]( The first official release of Microsoft’s Chromium-powered Edge browser is now available to download for Windows 10. The first official release of Microsoft’s Chromium-powered Edge browser is now available to download for Windows 10. Gearbox Responds [Steam introduces feature to combat Borderlands review bombings, Gearbox CEO responds to situation]( Last week brought confirmation that Borderlands 3 would arrive on September 13 and be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for the first six months post-launch. As was the case when Metro Exodus was revealed to be an Epic exclusive,… Last week brought confirmation that Borderlands 3 would arrive on September 13 and be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for the first six months post-launch. As was the case when Metro Exodus was revealed to be an Epic exclusive,… USB Drive [Windows 10 is about to change the 'safely remove USB drive' default option]( We’ve long been warned that failing to use the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ process before pulling out a USB device such as a flash drive (pendrive), thumb drive, and Thunderbolt-enabled external drive could cause data loss, corruption, or even mechanical damage.… We’ve long been warned that failing to use the ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ process before pulling out a USB device such as a flash drive (pendrive), thumb drive, and Thunderbolt-enabled external drive could cause data loss, corruption, or even mechanical damage.… Data Center [Intel Optane Persistent Memory starts at $850 for 128GB]( Intel Optane Persistent Memory (OPM) is Intel’s low-latency high-speed storage put in a memory form factor. The pitch is simple: in case a mission-critical system fails, whatever data was in the memory isn’t lost; and for memory intensive applications, it… Intel Optane Persistent Memory (OPM) is Intel’s low-latency high-speed storage put in a memory form factor. The pitch is simple: in case a mission-critical system fails, whatever data was in the memory isn’t lost; and for memory intensive applications, it… Military [HoloLens on the battlefield: How the army uses AR]( Presently, the HoloLens the military is using is nothing like the HoloLens 2 Microsoft announced at Barcelona last February. That device was aimed at helping professionals like architects or engineers see into their projects more efficiently. The “Integrated Visual Augmentation… Presently, the HoloLens the military is using is nothing like the HoloLens 2 Microsoft announced at Barcelona last February. That device was aimed at helping professionals like architects or engineers see into their projects more efficiently. The “Integrated Visual Augmentation… In South Korea [Samsung Galaxy S10 5G launches in South Korea with a lot more features than just 5G]( While the S10 5G might embody the same design language as its smaller siblings, it stands out in a few ways beyond the 5G logo printed on the back. For starters, everything is bigger, including a massive 6.7” screen that… While the S10 5G might embody the same design language as its smaller siblings, it stands out in a few ways beyond the 5G logo printed on the back. For starters, everything is bigger, including a massive 6.7” screen that… Steam Survey [RTX 2060 sees biggest gains but GTX 1060 remains on top]( All the top three cards—GTX 1060, GTX 1050 Ti, and GTX 1050—experienced falls last month, but the fourth-place GTX 1070 was up 0.17 percent, likely due to the decreasing price of what remains an excellent product. The GTX 1080 Ti… All the top three cards—GTX 1060, GTX 1050 Ti, and GTX 1050—experienced falls last month, but the fourth-place GTX 1070 was up 0.17 percent, likely due to the decreasing price of what remains an excellent product. The GTX 1080 Ti… Opinion [Intel helps drive data center advancements]( Similar to the first-generation launch of Xeon Scalable back in July of 2017, Intel focused on a very wide range of specific applications, workloads, and industries with these second-generation parts, highlighting the very specialized demands now facing both cloud service… Similar to the first-generation launch of Xeon Scalable back in July of 2017, Intel focused on a very wide range of specific applications, workloads, and industries with these second-generation parts, highlighting the very specialized demands now facing both cloud service… [A Google-funded startup just launched a fully functional drone delivery service]( Startup company Wing is one of the many projects managed by Google's parent, Alphabet. Wing has received approval from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority to begin delivery of goods via commercially operated drones. [Huawei reportedly happy to sell Apple its 5G modems]( A recent report claimed that Apple has “lost confidence” in Intel, which was the sole supplier of modem chips for last year’s iPhones. Most Android manufacturers are using Qualcomm’s hardware in their 5G phones, but Apple’s legal battles with the… [Nvidia partners with the American College of Radiology to bring free AI tools to radiologists]( The ACR AI-Lab will be a "free software platform" that radiologists can use to develop, share, and test algorithms in a safe environment, eventually creating a "network" of artificial intelligence between hospitals. [China looks to ban cryptomining]( The National Development Reform Commission wants to restrict or eliminate a number of industries as they “seriously wasted resources,” are safety risks, can have legal implications, or damage the environment. Among those activities on a draft version of the revised… [Report: smartphone and PC shipments stagnant, foldable phones to reach 30 million units by 2023]( In its latest global device shipments forecast, Gartner writes that worldwide shipments of all devices, which covers PCs, phones, and tablets, will be flat during 2019, reaching 2.21 billion units. And while next year will see growth, the market is… [EU publishes guidelines urging ethical AI development]( On Monday, the European Commission published guidelines for the ethical development and application of artificial intelligence. [The move to digital music has seen greenhouse gases increase]( The report, called The Cost of Music, comes from a collaboration between the University of Glasgow and the University of Oslo. It states that while the recording industry’s use of plastics has fallen from 61 million kilograms to around 8… [Apple expected to adopt mini LED display technology in upcoming products]( Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple is preparing to adopt mini LED technology in several upcoming products including a 31.6-inch (6K resolution) display, a new iPad and a new MacBook. [Arrested Mar-a-Lago intruder had hidden camera detector]( 32-year-old Yujing Zhang gained access to a restricted area of Mar-a-Lago on March 30 by lying to a federal agent. She initially claimed she was there to use the pool—staff allowed her in as they thought she was related to… [Red Carpet brings the theater home for the one percent]( “Every product I can think of has a luxury version,” Fred Rosen thought to himself, “Why not movies?” [3D-printed fingerprint able to fool the Galaxy S10's sensor]( An Imgur post by user Darkshark explained how he was able to complete this feat. The initial step involved taking a photo of his fingerprint on the side of a wineglass using his smartphone. He then tinkered with the image… [SanDisk 1TB microSD cards up for pre-order at $450]( The previously announced 1TB microSD cards from SanDisk are now up for pre-order for an eye watering $450. At MWC 2019, we learned that the 1TB cards were coming and even gleaned an idea about the price but didn't have… Software Downloads - [Microsoft Edge 75.0.121.1]( - [CCleaner for Android 4.13.1]( - [Adobe Flash Player 32.0.0.171]( Drivers - [Nvidia PhysX System Software 9.19.0218]( 2019-04-05 08:38:33 - [Display Driver Uninstaller 18.0.1.1]( 2019-04-08 08:31:00 Tech Pic of the Day [Anyone else washes their mousepads? 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