AMD's rumored 16-core Ryzen CPU may run at 3.1GHz to 3.6GHz

Rumors surfaced earlier this week of a 16-core/32-thread Ryzen processor headed to the enthusiast consumer space. At the time, it was reported the chip would run at 2.4GHz to 2.8GHz, though there's a new rumor pointing at much faster clockspeeds.

According to TechPowerUp, there are reports of engineering samples having a 3.1GHz base clockspeed and a 3.6GHz boost frequency. Assuming that's true, the unreleased/unannounced part becomes much more interesting, rather than standing out as the only Ryzen chip to run slower than 3GHz.

When you're dealing with this many cores and threads, clockspeeds often take a backseat in favor of workloads that are heavily threaded. However, if this chip is AMD's answer to Intel's Haswell-E and Broadwell-E parts, it might be difficult to pitch an alternative CPU with base and turbo clocks in the 2GHz range. It's now looking like that won't be a concern.

The 16-core chip in question is said to be a cut-down version of Naples, which is a beefed up version of Ryzen for the server market. It's said the upcoming part will feature a new socket and X399 chipset featuring quad-channel memory support. It would be AMD's answer to Intel's X99 platform, and in a similar fashion it would borrow elements from the workstation/server platform.

While nothing is official, if AMD is creating a new platform it's hard to imagine there being just one processor for it. And if that's the case, it's not inconceivable that AMD would release 12-core or, going in the other direction, CPUs with more than 16 cores.

If the rumors prove true, expect 64 PCIe Gen3 lanes off the CPU as well. That opens the doors to some very interesting workstation builds, which is arguably the best place for this sort of system. It could definitely eat into Intel's workstation market.

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Dark Souls 3 The Ringed City DLC drops boss-storming launch trailer

Dark Souls 3 is soon going to launch its second and final portion of DLC—named The Ringed City. Due this coming Tuesday, March 28, our imminent journey into Lothric's new Dreg Heap area is also thought to be the series' curtain call, and its launch trailer suggests we'll do well to come out the other end undead.

With fire-breathing demons, soul spear-wielding monstrosities, and a crystal-spewing dragon, besting the "mangled remnants from every age and every land" ain't going to be easy.

Besides some pretty terrifying boss encounters, you'll also spot some of the weaponry which surfaced via a Bandai Namco livestream last week, as well as some of the areas you'll be traversing within the Dreg Heap.

So close to release, I'm cautious to speculate from that snippet alone as I was completely off the mark with my predictions prior to the last add-on. Still, will this one wrap up the loose ends left by the base game and its subsequent Ashes of Ariandel DLC? Will we learn the purpose and motives of the mysterious painter who resides in the Ariandel Cathedral? And will we ever solve the mystery of the big dumb crabs infesting Lothric?

I can't say. But I guess we'll know either way in a few days' time.

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WoW account services are getting more expensive in the UK and EU

On the back of Hearthstone card pack prices going up, Blizzard announced today that World of Warcraft's account services will become more expensive in Europe and the UK on April 5. In what is likely a reaction to post-Brexit exchange rates that have gutted the value of the pound and with the euro still so low, both UK and EU players will see a roughly 25 percent increase in the price of server transfers, race changes, character boosts, and more. Fortunately, subscription fees will, for now, remain unchanged.

"We carefully review the prices of our games and services in all currencies on a regular basis, and we occasionally need to make changes based on regional market conditions," Blizzard wrote on Battle.net in a statement that echoed what they said about Hearthstone prince hikes two weeks ago.

WoWHead has a complete table that shows the new prices compared to their current cost in euros, but some of the highlights include:

• Character transfers going from €20 to €25/£19
• Name changes going from €8 to €10/£9
• Race changes going from €20 to €25/£19
• Faction changes going from €20 to €25/£19
• Character boosts going from €50 to €60/£49

 What's interesting is how some services are becoming cheaper and others more expensive than compared to their cost in US dollars based on today's exchange rate.

• Character transfers (and other similarly priced services) are $25, which equates to €23.19/£19.97 
• Name changes are $10, which equates to €9.28/£7.99 
• Character boosts are $60 which equates to €55.66/47.92 

 What this means is that, dollar for dollar, Europeans are paying more for some account services than their American peers and slightly less for others—the biggest difference being character boosts costing Europeans over €4 more than the equivalent American pricing.

This, understandably, has many European players upset. Threads on both the subreddit and forums are quickly filling up with angry comments. While many can understand that inflation needs to be accounted for, the real issue is that Warcraft's account services are widely regarded as too expensive to begin with. Jacking up the price is only salting an already tender wound.

"I understand that [Blizzard] is a company and they got to make their money somehow, but transfers are something that absolutely shouldn't become more expensive than it already is. Transfers should be free in the first place, given how many dead realms are out there." writes deronscf on Reddit.

Part of the issue is that these account services are largely automated. It's not like you're paying to ship an item back to a store for an exchange. You're merely paying for a computer start a process like redesigning your character's appearance.

Players are also quick to point out that services in other MMOs are much, much cheaper. For example, Final Fantasy XIV—easily Warcraft's biggest competitor—only charges €14/£12 for a character transfer to a new server. That's €10/£7 cheaper than World of Warcraft's new prices.

"I love WoW but I'm really soured by this artificial 'Blizzard tax' we've got, and now they have the gall to increase the prices," writes 8-Brit. It's obvious that in a genre that is largely free-to-play, World of Warcraft's monthly subscription, costly expansions, and expensive services is alienating to many.

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Cook, Serve, Delicious! meals for your clients

Cook, Serve, Delicious is a hardcore cooking sim that recreates the daily tasks of a busy restaurant through keyboard command prompts. You will have the opportunity to take over the restaurant, starting off with a few thousand dollars, 20 different foods to serve up on the menu, a variety of restaurant equipment, and a virtual email account. At the start of each day, a customer will walk in and ask for what they want from the menu you set up. Each order is different, and you must follow their specific requests to avoid them leaving your restaurant unhappy.

After accepting their orders by hitting the corresponding number, you begin the process of preparing meals. If the customer requests a burger with three patties, ketchup, and lettuce, you will start by tapping M, M, M, and Enter to cook three patties on the grill. Once the patties are fully cooked you will be notified, and will have to prepare the burger by hitting M, M, M again in addition to K for ketchup and L for lettuce. Once your burger is finished, hit Enter and serve your customer.

Be careful not to keep your customers waiting for their food for too long, otherwise they’ll grow impatient and leave dissatisfied. You can keep track of your customers by their corresponding numbers. If you haven’t attended to a customer, the bar by their number will gradually recede. The best tip to handling a horde of customers is to take a look at their orders and tackle the ones that need to be cooked first, like hamburgers before a salad. That way, when the patties are sizzling on the grill, you have time quickly serve up a salad or fill up a beverage.

In addition to serving food, you will also be required to complete the restaurant’s daily tasks, including cleaning the restrooms, taking out the garbage, and washing the dishes. You will also be greeted by two rush hours during each open restaurant day, where a large swarm of customers flock to your restaurant. Each rush hour, topped with the increased difficulty of serving your customers, will put your fingers to the test as they fly over the keyboard inputting commands. This is where the game gets tricky, as you will have to gradually remember the prompts for each food item, as you won’t have enough time later on in the game to carefully read through each order.

Cook, Serve, Delicious is colorful and packed with addictive gameplay. Although the game boasts an extraordinary amount of repetition, it avoids feeling tedious and boring. The game’s price point at $10 on Steam is pretty fair for the hours you will put into the game, and even after you defeat the game’s base campaign, there are other in-game activities to keep you coming back for more. These activities include weekly challenges, Iron Chef challenges, and a hardcore campaign mode with brutal difficulty. Cook, Serve, Delicious is a worthy addition to your Steam library, especially when you want to take a little break from competitive gaming.

Name: Cook, Serve, Delicious!
Developer: Vertigo Gaming Inc.
Publisher: Vertigo Gaming Inc.
Released: October 8, 2013
MSRP: $9.99

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