Get These High-End CPUs From AMD And Intel For Cheap Right Now

Video cards might be incredibly expensive right now due to the cryptocurrency mining bonanza, but a few options for the other key component to a good gaming PC are going for cheap right now. Both flagship consumer CPUs from AMD and Intel are on sale for well below MSRP. The AMD Ryzen 7 1800X can be snagged on Ebay via Newegg for $300 USD, and the Intel Core i7-8700K is available on Walmart for $313.

The Ryzen 7 1800X CPU, which released in March 2017, sports eight cores and 16 threads and is the top-end processor to show off AMD’s new Zen architecture at the consumer level. It runs a base clock speed of 3.6GHz and a boost clock speed of 4.0GHz, but it’s capable of reaching higher frequencies given the right cooling system and hardware configuration. Note that only motherboards with the X370, X300, or B350 chipset allow for unlocked overclocking. The 1800X originally launched at $500 and it was an example of unprecedented value by offering more CPU cores at an affordable price. Now it’s even more cost-effective at just $300.

Intel’s 8th generation of Core CPUs (Coffee Lake) was the company’s answer to AMD’s Ryzen family. With the Core i7-8700K, Intel bumped up the core count of its consumer flagship processor (from four to six) for the first time since the Core line started in 2008. In terms of performance, the 8700K made noticeable strides in terms of performance from past generations by virtue of being a six-core 12-thread CPU. Its base clock speed sits at 3.7GHz, and it can bump one core up to 4.7GHz or two cores to 4.6GHz through Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. However, the CPU requires motherboards with a Z370 chipset, which means the 8700K is not compatible with any previous motherboard. The 8700K launched in October last year for with an MSRP of $360; now on sale for $313, it’s one of the better deals we’ve seen for this processor.

Both CPUs prove to be great for gaming, although Ryzen CPUs tend to fall a bit behind their Intel counterparts in benchmarks. AMD does offer a higher core count for a lower price, which makes Ryzen an attractive option for those who multitask and do a lot of video production/encoding and image rendering. If you want to learn more about how these CPU perform, be sure to read through our Ryzen 7 1800X review and Core i7-8700K review.

Since video card prices are extremely high at the moment, we suggest looking into pre-built systems if you want an entirely new gaming PC. You also can’t overlook the CPU security issues that were recently discovered; read more about how you can protect yourself from Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance Combat Guide

Kingdom Come: Deliverance has frequently drawn comparisons to Elder Scrolls games like Skyrim, and while that’s apt to some degree–they are expansive, open-world games that present you with a great deal of freedom–there are other areas where they greatly differ. There’s of course the complete absence of anything magical in Kingdom Come, which seeks to deliver a world based more in history than fantasy, but combat is also quite different.

Put simply, there’s a lot more to account for during a fight in Kingdom Come. There’s much more going on than simply hacking away with your weapon–you have to bear in mind the type of armor your enemy is wearing, the type of damage your weapon deals, and more if you hope to be truly effective.

In the video above, we walk you through some tips on how to excel at combat in Kingdom Come. We look at the different weapon types, leveraging combos to deal extra damage, pulling off perfect blocks and master strikes, and some other useful tidbits. One thing you’ll want to always do is stay on the move, both to keep your opponents off-balance and to ensure you’re in proper position to attack. Unlike many games, you’ll be unable to swing your weapon if doing so would cause it to go through a nearby wall.

Kingdom Come launched recently on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It’s an experience not without its faults, but those don’t necessarily mean it’s worth overlooking. As our Kingdom Come review states, “It’s an impressive and unflinching look at the medieval era that transports you inside the compelling story of a real person caught in the middle of a civil war. As such, this is one of those rare, memorable games that stays with you long after you stop playing. While quirks and bugs can certainly be frustrating, none of these issues interfere much with the unique and captivating nature of the overall experience.”

PS4’s Persona 3 And Persona 5 Dancing Games Will Support PSVR

Persona fans have a new reason to be hyped up for the upcoming rhythm game spin-offs; Japan’s PlayStation Blog has revealed that both Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night will be PSVR compatible. There were no details as to what exactly the virtual reality portions entail, just an addendum on the blog post saying that these games will support PSVR. All we can really do is use our imagination, and at least hope that we’ll get to either stand atop Tartarus as we watch Mitsuru and Akihiko bust their moves, or get down with Morgana and Makoto at Shibuya Crossing.

Persona 3 originally released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, but also had a re-release with Persona 3: FES that added new content. Persona 3 Portable came to PSP in 2010, which added the option to play as a female lead where dialogue, social links, and characters were improved to fit the new protagonist. With the new dancing game, we see the return of our old friends from Gekkoukan High School, but with all new 3D character models in the same vein as Catherine and Persona 5. Many of the songs we know and love are included in the game along with some new tracks and remixes.

The ultra-stylish Persona 5 came to the West last year and featured one of the greatest original soundtracks in games. Series composer Shoji Meguro fused several genres like acid-jazz, metal, and downtempo to create music that was both unique and empowering. It’s no surprise that a rhythm game was going to follow; we definitely saw it coming. Plenty of amazing songs from the game make their way into the Dancing Star Night tracklist in addition to new remixes.

Both games will not have a traditional story campaign, but there will be a mode that features original settings and character interactions. However, developer and publisher Atlus hasn’t revealed much of the new mode.

Those that buy the “Persona Dancing All-Star Triple Pack” for PS4 will get both new games in addition to a downloadable version of 2015’s Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which was previously a PS Vita exclusive.

For more details on both games, you can read our previous article covering the different editions available and what’s included, and their full tracklists. Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night are set to release in Japan on May 24 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. There’s currently no release date or window for North America and Europe.

Persona 5 stole our hearts here at GameSpot when it released last year; read and watch why this fantastic, heartfelt JRPG took second place in our Top 10 Games Of 2017. If you’re new to the world of Persona, catch up on this wonderful franchise with our History of Persona video. And if RPGs or mainline Shin Megami Tensei is more in your wheelhouse, you can get more details on the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch.

Warcraft Movie Director Explains How It All Went So Wrong

When Warcraft, the live-action movie based on the MMORPG video game series and novels, arrived in theaters in 2016, it was neither the box office or critical hit that many had been hoping for. Now, nearly two years later, the movie’s director is explaining why that may be the case.

In an interview with Syfy to promote his new Netflix movie Mute–which is also being hailed as something less than a smash hit–Duncan Jones is very open about the troubling production. From the sound of it, filming of the movie sounds incredibly contentious.

Warcraft was a political minefield as far as filmmaking goes. And I think a lot of the rewriting in that, over the course of making the movie was really, really difficult and at times disheartening,” he says. “Just being forced to make changes and compromises just due to the politics and the nature of that film. So, that was a real heart-wrencher. But I’ve learned a lot and I’ve become more mature and able to deal with those kinds of situations because I’ve been through it now. But at the time, that felt pretty traumatic.”

At the heart of the issue, Jones believes, was turmoil at Legendary Pictures–the studio producing Warcraft. “It was mainly studio politics. You know, Legendary had an incredibly turbulent period while we were making Warcraft,” he says. “They were associated with Warner Bros. They left Warner Bros. and joined Universal. They were sold to Wanda, this Chinese conglomerate. They lost or replaced a number of their producing staff halfway through our movie.”

Jones also points out the importance of the Warcraft brand to Blizzard, the studio behind the game. “We were also working with Blizzard, who understandably were very careful about what happened with the movie because their bread and butter was the game Warcraft, which was bringing in a billion dollars a year for them,” he explains. While he admits that the movie’s returns would likely be “small potatoes” compared to what Blizzard makes from subscriptions to the game, it was still very protective of its brand. “It was really a very active political landscape,” he says.

Still, the experience of making Warcraft hasn’t necessarily turned Jones off to doing approaching another big-budget property. However, he would certainly approach it in a different way. “I’m a lot wiser now,” he says.

Fable Collectible Card Game Available For Free Now On Xbox One And PC

Although there’s no new mainline Fable game announced, you can return to the land of Albion right now. Fable Fortune, the collectible card game based on the fantasy series, has fully launched on Xbox One and PC.

Fable Fortune has been playable through Microsoft’s Game Preview program since last summer, but developers Mediatonic and Flaming Fowl launched the 1.0 version of the game this week. As with other collectible card games, Fable Fortune is free to play, but it offers additional card packs for purchase.

For the launch version of the game, the developers have also added a bunch of new features and implemented changes. These include Achievements, co-op voice chat, new cards, and deck-building tips. Additionally, low-cost cards have been rebalanced to reduce their effectiveness in swinging the course of a match.

Finally, the developers are also holding a bunch of temporary events to provide rewards like double XP and free cards. There will be a new event each week for the next five weeks; you can read more about Fable Fortune’s upcoming events here.