2022 has been a great year for PC enthusiasts. NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel announced their latest GPUs. Similarly, Intel and AMD also introduced their latest CPUs for desktops, offering a complete solution for those who plan on building a custom RIG for personal usage, gaming, and professional workload.
Intel launched its 13th Gen Core processors in 2022 (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Intel grabbed headlines with discrete GPUs
2022 was a big year for Intel. From the launch of the Arc series of graphics cards to the 13th Gen Intel core processors, the company refreshed its entire lineup of processors with the latest models that are faster and more power efficient.
With the 13th Gen raptor lake series of processors, Intel delivered CPUs with higher clock speed and increased core count. Just like the 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs, the raptor lake series of CPUs make use of hybrid architecture with a combination of P (performance) and E (cores). The hybrid CPU system allowed Intel to offer improved multi-tasking capability by smartly allocating the right kind of core to the right task to improve performance per watt coefficient.
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PremiumWhat came as a surprise was the Intel Arc series of dedicated desktop and laptop GPUs. While these might not be as capable as the top-tier GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA, these aren’t bad either. GPUs like the Arc A770 and the A750 are mid-tier GPUs, made for 1080p gaming and are priced at around $350.
The flagship Arc A770’s 1080p and 1440p gaming performance was similar to that of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060. What’s even more surprising was the fact that Intel even managed to offer good ray-tracing performance, again, while it might not be not as good as NVIDIA’s counterpart, it’s definitely something that will make games look good.
AMD launched the Ryzen 7000 series of CPUs with Zen 4 architecture in 2022.
AMD leapfrogged Intel in chip supremacy
AMD also had quite a year. From Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series of processors with higher clock speed than ever before to the RDNA 3-based Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs, which are as good as NVIDIA’s flagship RTX 4000 series.
Just like Zen 3-based CPUs, the Zen 4-based Ryzen 7000 series delivered excellent single-core and multi-core CPU performance, which makes these processors great for both gaming and content creation. With the new platform, the Ryzen 7000 series is also the first generation of CPUs from AMD to support DDR5 memory.
Again, RDNA 3-based Radeon RX 7900 XT and the Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs are better at both gaming and thermal performance. When compared to their contemporaries from NVIDIA, AMD’s offerings come at a slightly lower price, which makes them even more appealing, especially for those who want a GPU that offers the best value for money.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is clearly the most powerful mainstream gaming GPU in the world (Image credit: NVIDIA)
New high-performance GPUs from NVIDIA
If you want the most powerful mainstream GPU for gaming, look no further than the RTX 4090. It has gotten both bigger and better in terms of size and performance. The extra performance also means you need a bigger case and a new PSU that is rated for at least 850W.
The latest RTX 4000 series of GPUs are based on the latest Ada Lovelace architecture. While the RTX 4080 is meant for mainstream 4K gamers, the more powerful RTX 4090 can offer true 8K gaming and it even comes with an HDMI 2.1 port, which allows users to directly connect the GPU to an 8K monitor or a tv.
Despite the higher price, there is still a lot of demand for the latest high-performance GPUs from NVIDIA. NVIDIA is likely to announce a few more entry-level and mid-range Ada Lovelace GPUs like the RTX 4070 and the RTX 4060 in the coming days.
Zenbook 17 Fold is the world’s first 17-inch folding laptop (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia / Indian Express)
Bonus: Folding laptops, ARM-based machines
2022 is also the year, where we witnessed the launch of laptops with folding displays from brands like Asus and Lenovo. Companies like HP and Samsung are also working on laptops with a folding display, which enables users to carry a laptop with a much bigger display by folding it in half.
Apple proved that Arm-based laptops could be as good as Intel/AMD-powered notebooks. Hence, brands like Qualcomm announced custom Arm processors for Windows-powered laptops that are likely to deliver better battery life with more connected features.
We can expect to see more Arm-based Windows 11 laptops from top brands at various price points. NVIDIA and AMD are also expected to announce their next-generation mobile CPUs and GPUs in early 2023.
