HW News - New Intel GPUs, Metal Fans, Gigabyte Backdoors, & Ultra-Tiny PCs
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Date: 2023-06-12
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Comments and reviews: 19
DarkerPsyche
This issue with backdoors to various hardware components is very serious, but it often gets glossed over. A new instance pops up, pitchforks are drawn, torches are raised, crowds clamor, then two weeks pass, and.. ..nothing. It doesn't matter if the backdoor is built with innocuous intent, it is an unsolicited and unregulated intrusion that gives an entity complete and total access to every piece of data on the system; this includes the data on the system itself, but also potential access to cloud data, keylogging, and.. ..webcams and microphones. It is an unbelievable breach between the manufacturer and the user and it almost always gets shrugged off and switched to a bygones mentality.
I remember when Lenovo was caught installing rootkits on all of their systems. This was discovered, people created ways to remove it, then Lenovo switched tactics and started adding chips to their motherboards that the user couldn't get around unless they went surgical on the MB. Essentially, Lenovo was going to get your data and send it back to China even if it meant going to extremes; which they did. As a result, I will never buy anything from them again. I know.. ..boohoo.
Which leads me to this moment in time. I'm trying to put together a new system. I've created a full build on PCPartPicker, but before I pull the trigger and order everything, I've been trying to do my due diligence on each of the components. Will they all work together? Are there any fit issues? Are there product defects or potential future problems? Are there any manufacturers I should avoid?
That last question is the one giving me the most difficulty. Who do I trust? Who makes a solid product with the fewest areas (hardware/software) for things to go wrong? Which company has the fewest instances of douche-baggery? The system I'm intending to build is going to run me about 3,500, so I really don't want to get to the OS desktop and then discover.. ..oops.
I've delayed putting this build together for a couple of months. Every time I think, Yep, that's the one! , a new story comes out on ASUS, or Gigabyte, or MSI, etc., etc., etc.. At this rate, I'm going to develop involuntary muscle spasms, an eye tick, and semi-unintentional Tourette's.
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This issue with backdoors to various hardware components is very serious, but it often gets glossed over. A new instance pops up, pitchforks are drawn, torches are raised, crowds clamor, then two weeks pass, and.. ..nothing. It doesn't matter if the backdoor is built with innocuous intent, it is an unsolicited and unregulated intrusion that gives an entity complete and total access to every piece of data on the system; this includes the data on the system itself, but also potential access to cloud data, keylogging, and.. ..webcams and microphones. It is an unbelievable breach between the manufacturer and the user and it almost always gets shrugged off and switched to a bygones mentality.
I remember when Lenovo was caught installing rootkits on all of their systems. This was discovered, people created ways to remove it, then Lenovo switched tactics and started adding chips to their motherboards that the user couldn't get around unless they went surgical on the MB. Essentially, Lenovo was going to get your data and send it back to China even if it meant going to extremes; which they did. As a result, I will never buy anything from them again. I know.. ..boohoo.
Which leads me to this moment in time. I'm trying to put together a new system. I've created a full build on PCPartPicker, but before I pull the trigger and order everything, I've been trying to do my due diligence on each of the components. Will they all work together? Are there any fit issues? Are there product defects or potential future problems? Are there any manufacturers I should avoid?
That last question is the one giving me the most difficulty. Who do I trust? Who makes a solid product with the fewest areas (hardware/software) for things to go wrong? Which company has the fewest instances of douche-baggery? The system I'm intending to build is going to run me about 3,500, so I really don't want to get to the OS desktop and then discover.. ..oops.
I've delayed putting this build together for a couple of months. Every time I think, Yep, that's the one! , a new story comes out on ASUS, or Gigabyte, or MSI, etc., etc., etc.. At this rate, I'm going to develop involuntary muscle spasms, an eye tick, and semi-unintentional Tourette's.
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Dowlphwin
I still remember years ago how upset I got about Gigabyte's incompetent security standards when their customer support correspondence was merely 'protected' by a randomized URL element but anyone with a bit of luck and wit could read other people's whole correspondence. If back then Gamers Nexus had been a thing, I probably would have reported it to you. But there was just no realistic way to make them change their system. I had so many cases of dealing with arrogant pricks defending their incompetence. (A very memorable case I documented in my video Re-Logic violates data privacy where the Terraria game forums, typically also used by minors, forced your birthdate to be publicly visible by default.)
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I still remember years ago how upset I got about Gigabyte's incompetent security standards when their customer support correspondence was merely 'protected' by a randomized URL element but anyone with a bit of luck and wit could read other people's whole correspondence. If back then Gamers Nexus had been a thing, I probably would have reported it to you. But there was just no realistic way to make them change their system. I had so many cases of dealing with arrogant pricks defending their incompetence. (A very memorable case I documented in my video Re-Logic violates data privacy where the Terraria game forums, typically also used by minors, forced your birthdate to be publicly visible by default.)
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Bluestreak
You guys, Paul, and Wendell did interesting stuff with Computex - A good bit of it unique/different from the other 5 dozen videos showcasing the same new stuff. Goes to show it doesn't take 120 people to produce videos worth watching. A month or so I was a bit (overly) critical when you didn't mention fans as still 'in progress' in an update video. Though I do look forward to that when its ready I'm quite liking the stuff GN is doing - The Asus coverage in particular being quite important as that issue was destroying people's expensive new hardware.
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You guys, Paul, and Wendell did interesting stuff with Computex - A good bit of it unique/different from the other 5 dozen videos showcasing the same new stuff. Goes to show it doesn't take 120 people to produce videos worth watching. A month or so I was a bit (overly) critical when you didn't mention fans as still 'in progress' in an update video. Though I do look forward to that when its ready I'm quite liking the stuff GN is doing - The Asus coverage in particular being quite important as that issue was destroying people's expensive new hardware.
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AaronShenghao
Disgusting as Gigabyte's backdoor, at least the ASUS backdoor did help me install Windows 11. For some reason Windows 11 didn't have driver for Asus X670e-f's ethernet or Wifi, and because of that I can't complete install Windows 11 the normal way... (so I just let Armory Crate install itself, reboot windows 11 via command prompt and install system normally). Windows 11's behavior (require internet to install a system) is equally disguising...
Could Microsoft, Gigabyte and Asus stop these disguising behavior...
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Disgusting as Gigabyte's backdoor, at least the ASUS backdoor did help me install Windows 11. For some reason Windows 11 didn't have driver for Asus X670e-f's ethernet or Wifi, and because of that I can't complete install Windows 11 the normal way... (so I just let Armory Crate install itself, reboot windows 11 via command prompt and install system normally). Windows 11's behavior (require internet to install a system) is equally disguising...
Could Microsoft, Gigabyte and Asus stop these disguising behavior...
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The
Does the Asrock driver update thing also do the same thing as asus and gigabyte? I recently bought an Asrock motherboard and it did some automatic driver updates after setup, and I can turn that feature back on in the bios.
I believe Cooler Master said they are trying to do the color changing paint in a way that doesn't cause the paint to act as an insulator in order to potentially bring that concept to market. Maybe it was in HUB's video covering it? It's hard to remember after the flood of Computex coverage.
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Does the Asrock driver update thing also do the same thing as asus and gigabyte? I recently bought an Asrock motherboard and it did some automatic driver updates after setup, and I can turn that feature back on in the bios.
I believe Cooler Master said they are trying to do the color changing paint in a way that doesn't cause the paint to act as an insulator in order to potentially bring that concept to market. Maybe it was in HUB's video covering it? It's hard to remember after the flood of Computex coverage.
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lordsqueak
Regarding backdoors and general security effups, I think there needs to be a kind of high score leaderboard for brands. The scores are added to number of exploits and severity. Fixes reduces score, but should take into consideration How it's fixed. Because it's not assured that a user will know a fix exists even if there is one.
As an end user, I wanna be able to quickly see a top 10 leaderboard of currently less-than-good brands when I go shopping for motherboards, for example.
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Regarding backdoors and general security effups, I think there needs to be a kind of high score leaderboard for brands. The scores are added to number of exploits and severity. Fixes reduces score, but should take into consideration How it's fixed. Because it's not assured that a user will know a fix exists even if there is one.
As an end user, I wanna be able to quickly see a top 10 leaderboard of currently less-than-good brands when I go shopping for motherboards, for example.
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Gunther
Why don't they do it via Microsoft Update? Is it because they become lazy? I'm glad I didn't go for a Gigabyte motherboard on my last build, now there are cracks showing up on their nVidea 4080/ 4090 GPU's on the PCIe slot connectors, and they refuse to handle it with RMA, seems like ASUS V2. JTC did already covered it. It's only on Gigabytes GPUs and IMO they know about the issue. PCBs don't crack without a flaw in the design.
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Why don't they do it via Microsoft Update? Is it because they become lazy? I'm glad I didn't go for a Gigabyte motherboard on my last build, now there are cracks showing up on their nVidea 4080/ 4090 GPU's on the PCIe slot connectors, and they refuse to handle it with RMA, seems like ASUS V2. JTC did already covered it. It's only on Gigabytes GPUs and IMO they know about the issue. PCBs don't crack without a flaw in the design.
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Vedrisca
My issue with the Intel Pro GPUs is that so far they are limited in availability to OEM machines. I'm assuming this is because they are much more attractive offers with Resizable Bar that newer Intel / AMD sockets offer in the mobo, but it's been difficult to get my hands on the A40 and A50 as-is. I don't know how many of these cards are going to sell if vendors are going to jack up the prices of an OEM PC to north of 1000 US.
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My issue with the Intel Pro GPUs is that so far they are limited in availability to OEM machines. I'm assuming this is because they are much more attractive offers with Resizable Bar that newer Intel / AMD sockets offer in the mobo, but it's been difficult to get my hands on the A40 and A50 as-is. I don't know how many of these cards are going to sell if vendors are going to jack up the prices of an OEM PC to north of 1000 US.
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Lishtenbird
23:10 Knowing CoolerMaster's software, I wouldn't touch their Stream Decks with a ten-foot pole. They'll market this for a year as a new cool gimmick and the software will barely work and be extremely clunky, then they'll move on to the next new flashy thing and entirely new unsupported software while the old one will crash when you try to even just run it, rendering your expensive hardware as useful as a numpad. No thanks.
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23:10 Knowing CoolerMaster's software, I wouldn't touch their Stream Decks with a ten-foot pole. They'll market this for a year as a new cool gimmick and the software will barely work and be extremely clunky, then they'll move on to the next new flashy thing and entirely new unsupported software while the old one will crash when you try to even just run it, rendering your expensive hardware as useful as a numpad. No thanks.
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Brend
Slowly but surely the OS you run won't matter for the games you play anymore and I think that's a great thing. I'm glad Valve (and the Wine team who did the groundwork) kicked it off and everyone else can capitalize on it. Now all we have to do is asking studios and publishers to use reasonable anti-cheat software and not highly invasive malware (looking at you, Valorant) for their multiplayer games.
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Slowly but surely the OS you run won't matter for the games you play anymore and I think that's a great thing. I'm glad Valve (and the Wine team who did the groundwork) kicked it off and everyone else can capitalize on it. Now all we have to do is asking studios and publishers to use reasonable anti-cheat software and not highly invasive malware (looking at you, Valorant) for their multiplayer games.
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AlienSoundDigital
This is why bitdefender should be considered a malware company also. The software disregards user preference and does it's own thing and upgrades you to the highest free version. Even when you set everything to no and tell the AV no upgrades to any other version(s) other than AV database updates. The AV software upgrades you too the highest premium version anyway.
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This is why bitdefender should be considered a malware company also. The software disregards user preference and does it's own thing and upgrades you to the highest free version. Even when you set everything to no and tell the AV no upgrades to any other version(s) other than AV database updates. The AV software upgrades you too the highest premium version anyway.
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Brogan
OK, so other than the obvious issue in the program itself that contains the vulnerability, give me a reason why this should matter to someone who is DEFINITELY NOT INSTALLING said program and never intends to. Especially considering the newfound awareness of the ability to make sure via BIOS that the program can and should never be turned on prior to ever entering Windows.
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OK, so other than the obvious issue in the program itself that contains the vulnerability, give me a reason why this should matter to someone who is DEFINITELY NOT INSTALLING said program and never intends to. Especially considering the newfound awareness of the ability to make sure via BIOS that the program can and should never be turned on prior to ever entering Windows.
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Andrew
Considering I only game on my own LFS Linux, Gigabyte's backdoor, although scummy, wouldn't affect me. I don't game a whole lot, but the reviews are a good benchmark for the work I do that involves CPU and GPU for CAD and programming. Keep doing what you are doing, and you should expand to the Linux gaming crowd a bit more.
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Considering I only game on my own LFS Linux, Gigabyte's backdoor, although scummy, wouldn't affect me. I don't game a whole lot, but the reviews are a good benchmark for the work I do that involves CPU and GPU for CAD and programming. Keep doing what you are doing, and you should expand to the Linux gaming crowd a bit more.
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Nita
In relation to the Gigabyte and ASUS BIOSes doing all sorts of crappy shite, you can check if your system has accounts you haven't created with wmic UserAccount get Name (without the quotes) in the terminal. If you have a WDAGUtilityAccount , that's used by the Windows Defender, so that one isn't a malicious one.
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In relation to the Gigabyte and ASUS BIOSes doing all sorts of crappy shite, you can check if your system has accounts you haven't created with wmic UserAccount get Name (without the quotes) in the terminal. If you have a WDAGUtilityAccount , that's used by the Windows Defender, so that one isn't a malicious one.
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Jeremy
You guys hit it out of the park with your coverage. The variety of content from tech to fun to in depth content pieces were amazing. I especially loved seeing you pop up in others videos. It really brings home the friendly camaraderie you all share. Seeing all of the coverage makes me a little jealous.
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You guys hit it out of the park with your coverage. The variety of content from tech to fun to in depth content pieces were amazing. I especially loved seeing you pop up in others videos. It really brings home the friendly camaraderie you all share. Seeing all of the coverage makes me a little jealous.
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Joe
Asus used to be my most trusted brand when it came to PC components. That and EVGA but they don't make GPUs anymore... Can't buy Asus or MSI or Gigabyte now because they are all turning anti-consumer and suffering from major quality issues. What the heck is a PC builder supposed to choose now?
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Asus used to be my most trusted brand when it came to PC components. That and EVGA but they don't make GPUs anymore... Can't buy Asus or MSI or Gigabyte now because they are all turning anti-consumer and suffering from major quality issues. What the heck is a PC builder supposed to choose now?
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George
On the subject of OpenPleb, if the community of Gamers/Tech Enthusiasts support your efforts by only purchasing hardware which supports the OpenPleb standard, then It really could work. I for one support GN/Steve and Level1/Wendel wholeheartedly! Vote with your wallets people!!
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On the subject of OpenPleb, if the community of Gamers/Tech Enthusiasts support your efforts by only purchasing hardware which supports the OpenPleb standard, then It really could work. I for one support GN/Steve and Level1/Wendel wholeheartedly! Vote with your wallets people!!
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PHDarren
So, Gigabyte = no. MSI = No. Asus = No. So is Asrock the only one that doesn't behave like a weed smoking hippy in regards to motherboards and security now? Or NZXT (which uses Asrock boards). Or are they still horribly overheating and lying about what CPUs they can support?
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So, Gigabyte = no. MSI = No. Asus = No. So is Asrock the only one that doesn't behave like a weed smoking hippy in regards to motherboards and security now? Or NZXT (which uses Asrock boards). Or are they still horribly overheating and lying about what CPUs they can support?
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Michael
Cooler Master's 3D VC is more effective than Ice Giant? Did GN ever test the Ice Giant? (can't find it). We've been using Ice Giants for years. It was the only air cooler we found that could keep Threadrippers from thermal throttling. The Noctua U14S cannot handle them.
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Cooler Master's 3D VC is more effective than Ice Giant? Did GN ever test the Ice Giant? (can't find it). We've been using Ice Giants for years. It was the only air cooler we found that could keep Threadrippers from thermal throttling. The Noctua U14S cannot handle them.
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