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When Cray Computing, a supercomputer manufacturer acquired by HP in 2019, announced that it would build El Capitan it expected the computer to reach a peak performance of 1.5 exaflops. Today, the 64th edition of the TOP500 a long-running ranking of the world's non-distributed supercomputers was published, and El Capitan not only exceeded that forecast by clocking 1.742 exaflops, but has claimed the title as the most powerful supercomputer in the world right now. El Capitan is only the third exascale computer, meaning it can perform more than a quintillion calculations in a second. The other two, called Frontier and Aurora, claim the second and third place slots on the TOP500 now. Unsurprisingly, all of these massive machines live within government research facilities: El Capitan is housed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Frontier is at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Argonne National Laboratory claims Aurora. Cray had a hand in all three systems. El Capitan has more than 11 million combined CPU and GPU cores based on AMD 4th-gen EPYC processors. These 24-core processors are rated at 1.8GHz each and have AMD Instinct M1300A APUs. It's also relatively efficient, as such systems go, squeezing out an estimated 58.89 Gigaflops per watt. If youre wondering what El Capitan is built for, the answer is addressing nuclear stockpile safety, but it can also be used for nuclear counterterrorism. Being more powerful than anticipated, its likely to occupy the throne for a long while before another exascale computer overtakes it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/el-capitan-ranked-the-most-powerful-supercomputer-in-the-world-180037304.html?src=rss
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The 2024 Game Awards nominees have just been announced and a broad mix of 96 different games, teams and individuals picked up nods across a range of categories. As ever, though, many folks are sure to be riled up about what did and did not make the cut. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth the second installment of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy and the utterly wonderful Astro Bot lead the way with seven nominations each. Metaphor: ReFantazio, a fantasy JRPG from the Persona 5 team, is right behind with six nods, while the excellent poker-esque roguelike Balatro and the Silent Hill 2 remake have five each. Save for Silent Hill 2, all of those are shortlisted for the Game of the Year prize. The other two contenders are Black Myth: Wukong and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. The latter is an (admittedly huge) expansion for the event's 2022 GOTY winner, though the DLC's inclusion in the top category this year may be controversial to some. According to the ceremony's FAQ, "Expansion packs, new game seasons, DLCs, remakes and remasters are eligible in all categories, if the jury deems the new creative and technical work to be worthy of a nomination. Factors such as the newness of the content and its price/value should be taken into consideration." A jury of more than 100 media and influencer outlets from across the globe determines the nominees. PlayStation received more nominations than any other publisher this year with 16. Square Enix and Xbox landed 12 each, while Sega snagged 11. Bandai Namco received seven and Nintendo has six. It's always great that a bunch of great, deserving indie games are recognized. It's perhaps not too surprising that Balatro picked up so many nominations (many of the Engadget crew still can't put that game down), but it's lovely to see Neva, Indika, Animal Well, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, UFO 50 and The Plucky Squire landing some as well. Meanwhile, the Best Adaptation nominees are Arcane, Fallout, Knuckles, Like a Dragon: Yakuza and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. A public vote is now open for all categories at The Game Awards website. The nominees for the entirely fan-voted Players Voice award will be revealed on December 2. The Game Awards 2024 ceremony takes place on December 12, though many people will be watching for big trailers and game announcements rather than to find out the award winners.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/astro-bot-and-final-fantasy-7-rebirth-lead-the-2024-game-awards-nominees-175942582.html?src=rss
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While the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale events are arguably the best times of the year to pick up most gadgets, theyre also a great time to save on subscriptions and services you may already have or that youve been wanting to try. Whether its an audiobook service like Audible, a VPN service like ExpressVPN or an online learning subscription like MasterClass, you can typically find good subscription deals during this time of the year. Many of them also make it pretty easy to give a subscription, too, if youre considering it as a gift for a loved one this year. To make it easier to find the services you want and need, Engadget has curated the best Black Friday subscription deals you can get this year. Best Black Friday subscription deals Audible Premium Plus for $0.99 for three months ($44 off): This deal gives you one title for each of the three months you're subscribed, plus unlimited access to the Premium Plus library of books, podcasts and other. Anyone who's not already subscribed to Audible can get this deal. Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading, select Audible audiobooks to listen to and included magazines to read. Prime members can get a different deal: two months for only $5. Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out. Calm annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Another one of our top pocks for the best meditation apps is a great option for anyone new to meditation thanks in part to the many short and focused sessions it includes. There's also a dedicated kids section and subscribers get access to a soothing music library. MasterClass Premium for $10/month ($10 off): Premium subscriptions, which include access for up to six devices and offline mode, are half off for the holidays. MasterClass' other subscription tiers are also discounted. Those who love learning and want to pick up a new hobby (or refine an existing one) can take courses with some of the best in their respective fields. Rosetta Stone lifetime access for $149 ($250 off): Those eager to learn a new language (or two) can get full lifetime access to Rosetta Stone for less for Black Friday. The one-time payment gives you access to the company's Dynamic Immersion courses, TruAccent speech recognition technology to help improve your pronunciation and the ability to learn on mobile and desktop. ProtonVPN Plus two-year plan for $72 ($168 off): Our top pick for the best VPN is based on open-source framework and has a no-logs policy. Its easy-to-use apps are available on most platforms including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and more, and some of them even include a kill-switch feature. ExpressVPN two-year plan plus six extra months for $150 (82 percent off): Our top pick for best VPN for travelers provides access to tons of servers and had some of the fastest connections of any VPN service we tested. In addition to a VPN, this subscription tier gives you access to an ad blocker and password manager. NordVPN Plus two-year plan plus three extra months for $121 (70 percent off): In addition to VPN access, NordVPN's Plus plan gives you a password manager, ad blocker, anti-malware protection and more. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-subscription-deals-for-2024-audible-kindle-unlimited-masterclass-and-more-173037752.html?src=rss
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Black Friday is still a little over a week away, but many of the TV deals we expect to see are already up for grabs. If youre hoping to make a living room upgrade but arent sure which set to get, allow us to help. Though we dont formally review TVs here at Engadget, weve dug into trusted reviews, checked price histories and researched the market to figure out which Black Friday TV deals are actually worth your time. You can find our current favorites below, which include OLED and QLED panels from Samsung, LG, Hisense, Sony and TCL. If you're already happy with your TV, we've also included a few deals on streaming devices. Some of the discounts below have actually been available for a couple of weeks, but most represent the lowest prices to date for each respective device. We'll update this post as more Black Friday sales go live, so check back if there's particular set you want that isnt significantly cheaper just yet. Hisense U6N QLED TV (55) for $348 at Amazon: Reviews around the web have praised the U6N as one of the years best budget-level TVs. Its one of the few options in its price range with mini-LED backlighting, quantum dots and full-array local dimming, all of which help it deliver better contrast and richer colors than most of its direct rivals. Its picture will wash out if you dont view it straight-on, and its 60Hz refresh rate isnt the best for gaming, but its a good bargain all the same. While this deal has been live for most of November, its still an all-time low. Also at Best Buy. Other sizes are similarly discounted. Hisense U7N QLED TV (65) for $700 at Best Buy: The U7N is a standout LED TV for those who dont want to pay for a high-end set but can still go above the budget tier. It delivers higher brightness levels and better contrast than the cheaper Hisense U6N, plus it can play at 144Hz in 4K, so it can get more out of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Its viewing angles still arent ideal, though, and its limited to two gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 ports. This is another deal weve seen for the last few weeks, but its the lowest price to date for the 65-inch version. Hisense U8N QLED TV (65) for $898 at Amazon: The U8N is another well-reviewed 2024 TV from Hisense. Like the lower-cost Hisense U7N, it offers mini-LED backlighting, quantum-dot color and 4K/144Hz support, plus it runs on the handy Google TV platform. The extra cash nets you a punchier image, with superb contrast for a non-OLED TV and higher brightness across the board. This deal ties an all-time low. Also at Best Buy. Other sizes are discounted as well, but note that the 55-inch version isnt as bright as the larger variants, while the 75-inch set has slightly worse contrast. Viewing angles arent super wide either way. LG B4 OLED TV (55) for $997 at Amazon: The B4 is LGs entry-level OLED TV for 2024. It gets you the essential perks of any good OLED set excellent contrast with deep black tones, wide viewing angles, fast motion, etc. but its not as bright as higher-tier models, so its best kept in a darker room. We've seen this discount in the past, but it still marks an all-time low. Also at Best Buy. The Samsung Frame TV.Amy Skoheim Samsung S90D QD-OLED TV (55) for $1,298 at Amazon: The Samsung S90D is a premium set thats notable for its QD-OLED panel, which mixes the benefits of a good OLED display with a layer of quantum dots. This helps it put out a wider gamut of more vibrant colors, so images tend to pop more than they would on traditional OLED TVs like the LG B4 or C4. It also has four HDMI 2.1 ports. Like all Samsung TVs, though, it doesnt support the popular Dolby Vision HDR format. This is another deal thats been live for weeks, but its the second-best price weve seen for the 55-inch model. Also at Samsung and Best Buy. Other sizes are similarly discounted, but be aware that only the 55-, 65- and 75-inch variants use the superior QD-OLED tech. Samsung S95D QD-OLED TV (55) for $1,898 at Amazon: The S95D is Samsungs flagship set for 2024. Its QD-OLED panel is excellent but mainly stands out for having a matte finish, which makes it noticeably more effective at fending off glare than most OLED TVs. That said, theres no Dolby Vision, and the matte coating can make black tones look closer to gray under direct light. In general, its more TV than most people need. But if youve got cash to burn, this deal is another all-time low. Also at Samsung and Best Buy, with other sizes on sale. Samsung QN90D QLED TV (43) for $898 at Amazon: The Samsung QN90D is another high-end LED TV for those willing to trade the deep contrast and wide viewing angles of a good OLED set for higher brightness. Theres still no Dolby Vision, and most reviewers we trust suggest that the Hisense U8N is a better value. This set comes with two more HDMI 2.1 ports, though, plus it comes in a wider range of sizes, all of which offer similar performance. This is the lowest price weve seen for the 43-inch model, though again, the deal has been available for a few weeks. Other sizes are also discounted. Also at Samsung, B&H and others. Samsung The Frame TV (2024) QLED TV (55) for $898 at Amazon: The Frame TV lags behind other sets in its price range in terms of picture quality, as it lacks local dimming to boost contrast. Instead, youd buy it for its style, since its built to resemble a framed piece of wall art and you can use it to display actual artwork on-screen. Beyond that, this is one of the few TVs with a matte finish, which helps it ward off glare in bright rooms. This deal marks an all-time low. Other sizes are on sale, but note that the 43- and 50-inch models have a lower 60Hz refresh rate (instead of 120Hz) and lack variable refresh rate tech. Also at Best Buy and B&H. The Sony Bravia 7.Sony TCL Q550F QLED TV (55) for $250 at Best Buy: The TCL Q5 is a relatively basic LED TV with no local dimming or HDMI 2.1 ports and a 60Hz refresh rate. This model also uses Amazons Fire OS software, which isnt quite as clean as other platforms. Most people should get the better-looking Hisense U6N instead. But if you really want to save an extra $100 or just need a cheap TV for a back room, it should do the job. This discount for the 55-inch model is the best weve tracked. TCL Q68 QLED TV (55) for $300 at Woot: The Q68 is another cheapo LED TV that broadly falls short of the Hisense U6Ns picture quality, though it should offer better contrast than the TCL Q5 thanks to its local dimming feature. Like the Q5 and U6N, it can also play at a 120Hz refresh rate if you drop the resolution to 1080p or 1440p, which is nice for gaming. If you dont want to spend any more than $300 for a 55-inch set, this is the lowest price weve found for this particular model. TCL QM8 QLED TV (65) for $1,000 at Amazon: If the Hisense U8N becomes unavailable, the TCL QM8 looks to be a decent alternative. It can get even brighter, according to reviewers we trust, but it has slightly worse contrast. Weve seen this discount a few times in recent months, but it ties the all-time low for the 65-inch variant. Also at Best Buy. Sony Bravia 7 QLED TV (55) for $1,298 at Amazon: The Bravia 7 is a relatively premium set with mini-LED backlighting to improve contrast and quantum dots to boost colors. Reviews suggest that it provides accurate colors out of the box and does well to preserve details in lower-resolution content, so its worth considering over the Hisense U8N if those are chief concerns. It only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, however, and its another LED TV with mediocre viewing angles. Most people will be happier with an OLED TV at this price, though this deal is an all-time low. Also at Walmart and B&H, with other sizes similarly discounted. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for Black Friday.Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 at Amazon: This is a new low for Amazons top-end streaming stick, which runs fast and supports all the major streaming apps and HDR formats. Weve found it to be surprisingly flexible as a gaming device, too, though youll have to put up with an ad-heavy interface that promotes Prime Video and other Amazon services above everything else. Also at Target, Best Buy and others. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $22 at Amazon: The standard Fire TV Stick 4K offers the same core experience as the pricier 4K Max for better or worse but comes with a slightly slower processor, half as much storage (8GB) and Wi-Fi 6 instead of the technically-faster Wi-Fi 6E. Still, this is a decent value if you just want a competent 4K streamer for as little as possible. This deal is another all-time low. Also at Target, Best Buy and others. Roku Ultra (2024) for $80 at Amazon: The Roku Ultra is overkill for most people, but it might be worthwhile if you like Rokus simpler UI and need a full-on set-top box with built-in Ethernet and USB ports. Unlike the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, it comes bundled with a rechargeable remote that supports voice controls, a lost remote finder tool and backlit buttons. (You can buy that separately, though.) This latest model also has a faster processor and Wi-Fi 6 support. This discount ties the lowest price weve tracked. Also at Roku, B&H and others. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-tv-deals-for-2024-save-on-sets-from-samsung-sony-hisense-and-more-161445151.html?src=rss
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Black Friday deals are already here (no, we don't know where the year went either) and they include discounts on some of our favorite phones. Notably, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is currently down to $950 from $1,300. The Ultra came out in early 2024 and quickly became our choice for best premium Android phone. It scored an 89 in our review thanks to features like its long battery life we often had over 50 percent left after 24 hours. It has a titanium frame and a 6.8-inch OLED panel that peaks at 2,600 nits, rather than the previous 1,750 nits. Plus, it has a slew of AI tools and utilizes Samsung's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for fast performance. If $950 feels (understandably) a bit steep then check out the Samsung Galaxy S24+. The 256GB model is currently marked down from $1,000 to $800 still a solid chunk of change, but a noticeable difference. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ garnered an 87 in our review, not far off from its sister device. It comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and features like Chat Assist and Live Translate. Its battery life impressed us, though its low-light photography performance left something to be desired. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsung-black-friday-deals-save-up-to-300-on-galaxy-s24-smartphones-150043604.html?src=rss
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