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The easy way to install Windows 11 on unsupported CPUs

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Did you take one look at our hefty Windows 11 upgrade checklist and nope right out of there? It turns out there’s a dramatically easier way to install Windows 11 on computers with older CPUs — with no need to reformat your drive, erase your files, or even burn the ISO to an external USB drive.

If you’re currently seeing “This PC doesn’t currently meet Windows 11 system requirements” or “The processor isn’t currently supported for Windows 11,” there’s a Microsoft-approved registry hack that should instantly make it better.

You can go from “doesn’t meet requirements” to “ready to install” in a single minute.

(We’ve tested this method working on a Dell XPS 15 with Core i7-7700HQ and a Microsoft Surface Go with Pentium Gold 4415Y, neither of which are on Microsoft’s compatibility list.)

Here’s the whole process from start to finish in three easy steps.

1) Download the Windows 11 ISO

You’ll need to download the ISO. In our testing, this trick doesn’t work with the Windows 11 Install Assistant, it doesn’t trigger Windows Update, and it doesn’t fool Microsoft’s PC Health Check tool.

On this Microsoft page, scroll down to Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO). Open the Select Download dropdown, pick Windows 11, hit the Download button, select your product language from the Choose one dropdown that appears below, hit Confirm, then click 64-bit Download.

While that 5.1GB image is downloading, let’s move to step two.

2) Edit the Windows Registry to bypass the CPU check

In Windows, hit Start and type regedit, then hit enter to launch the Registry Editor. Navigate to ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupMoSetup, either by pasting that whole address into the box just beneath “File, Edit, View, Favorites, Help” or by drilling down through the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and System and Setup and MoSetup folders one at a time.

First a new DWORD, then enter a value of 1.

In the right pane, right-click and pick New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the value “AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU” minus the quotes. Double-click on the new value you created, and enter 1 into the Value data field. Hit OK and close the registry editor.

3) Open the ISO in Windows Explorer and launch setup

Did the ISO finish downloading? Just right-click on it and pick Open with > Windows Explorer to mount the virtual disc, then double-click the setup file to begin installation.

That’s it! If the registry hack worked, you should soon see a warning message instead of a rejection message — Microsoft reserves the right to withhold security updates if you go this route! — and be given the option to install Windows 11 without losing your data.

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Technology

Intel CEO Says Alder Lake CPUs Will Have Three Major ‘AMD Zen-Like’ Architectural Announcements, ARC Alchemist Xe-HPG GPUs To Put Pressure On NVIDIA

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During an interview with financial analyst, Pierre Ferragu, Intel’s CEO and CFO talked about their company’s strategy in the x86 consumer, client, and data center segments. The executives also detailed their execution plans with upcoming consumer and cloud products including Alder Lake, Diamond Rapids, and Xe-HPG ARC GPUs.

Intel CEO Says Alder Lake Will Be Their AMD Zen Moment, Three Zen-Like Architectural Updates Coming To Consumers

Intel’s CEO, Pat Gelsinger, was asked about when his company will have a Zen moment to which he replied that Alder Lake will be bringing three Zen-like innovations as detailed during its Architecture Day 2021. The three key innovations would include the heterogeneous architecture itself which will include big and little cores. The CEO states that AMD has nothing like that at their end and with the Heterogenous approach, Alder Lake CPUs will boast high-performance cores alongside an energy-efficient version of the Big cores, leading to increased efficiency and higher multi-threading output.

Intel Iris Xe Graphics Show 24% Performance Gain With Sampler Feedback Enabled In 3DMark Sampler Feature Test

Intel Alder Lake CPUs are going to be the first big consumer x86 lineup to feature a hybrid & heterogeneous chip architecture.

But that’s not all, Intel is also cooking next-gen architectures back in their labs which according to the CEO are going to be ‘ a pretty dramatic step forward and well beyond anything that was talked about yet’. Pat could be referring to Meteor Lake or future Cove cores that were recently leaked & are expected to bring a major push to IPC and architectural enhancements but I guess we will have to wait till the next IDM / Architecture Day for more details on those.

Q- Will there be a Zen moment for Intel?

A- We have a number of things going on over here[…] We are rolling out the heterogenous architecture that is part of Alder Lake where we have big and little cores, you know AMD only has one. We’ll have a higher performance and a more energy-efficient version of the core, pretty compelling, we’ll lay out our major vector enhancement stuff, we have our GPU architecture where we are gonna start being in a position to really put pressure on NVIDIA for the first time forever.

And we are laying out our IPU architecture when we get to our smart NICs and smart networking fabrics so three major architectural announcements this week that we think are pretty Zen-like.

And trust me, we have a few that are still cooking back in the labs that we are going to look forward to talking to people about that we think are a pretty dramatic step forward and well beyond anything that was talked about yet and some that might not be talked about for a couple of years but innovation, you know the geek is back.

Intel To Put Pressure on NVIDIA For The First Time With Its Xe-HPG ARC GPUs

Intel’s CEO not only mentioned AMD but NVIDIA too. Pat states that with their upcoming graphics (Xe-HPG) architecture for ARC GPUs, they will be putting pressure on NVIDIA’s GPU lineup for the first time forever! The company has so far only landed its Xe GPU architecture on mobile stuff but with Xe-HPG, the company is going to take the battle to all segments including desktop and discrete mobile graphics. But this is the first time the company has stated that it will be competing against NVIDIA which is an undisputed king of the discrete and AIB GPU segment.

Intel’s Xe-HPG ARC GPUs are said to offer competitive performance and pricing against NVIDIA and AMD discrete GPUs.

Intel Looks To Regain Sustained Leadership In Cloud Segments Through Better Execution, Mentions Diamond Rapids As Future Xeon CPU Family

Pat also talked about how they aim to regain trust within the data center and cloud segment. As per the CEO, Intel definitely acknowledges the AMD threat and that’s been the case since Brian Krzanich called AMD a ‘Formidable Competition’ and stated that it’s their job to not let AMD capture a double-digit market share of 15-20%. Within a few years, AMD went from a 0% market hold in 2017 to over a 10% market share in 2021 with its Zen-powered EPYC lineup.

Intel’s CEO says that they were in a period where they were behind AMD for a couple of years and that was due to poor execution of their server/cloud strategy. However, they are going to do better and with products like Ice Lake and the upcoming Sapphire Rapids / Diamond Rapids Xeon chips, the company expects a period where they are going to be very competitive and in 3-4 years, Intel excepts sustained leadership within the cloud segment.

Q How do you make sure Intel remains central and the number one client in the cloud.

A-There are probably three different aspects Pierre to talk about, you know there’s always the AMD view and the AI and alternative architecture view, and then how we deepen the partnership with the cloud guys. So we seem to think about it in all three dimensions.

We just say about the AMD threat, you know we got to do better products, period!

So we gonna build better products and they had a period we haven’t executed well. We’re gonna execute, execute, execute!

and with that, we see that we are coming into a period where we are going to be very competitive. So we were in a period where we were behind. Now with Ice Lake, Sapphire Rapids, Diamond Rapids, we are in a period where we are going to be very competitive and as we get out to 3 -4 years from now, we see that we will be in sustained leadership again.

So we are coming into a period where we are going to be much more competitive and with products that you know are much more competitive, more pricing dynamics, better market share potential, better TCO values for the cloud guys so we just gotta compete.

Intel’s Next-Gen Xeon CPUs, such as Sapphire Rapids-SP, are said to be highly competitive against AMD’s EPYC lineup.

Intel’s Sapphire Rapids Xeon CPUs will compete against AMD’s EPYC Genoa family. The new EPYC lineup looks to be a tremendous step up over existing EPYC Milan chips. Intel’s Diamond Rapids SP Xeon family might be the first lineup to offer leadership over the EPYC lineup but are expected to launch in 2025 which falls in line with the CEO’s 3-4 years timeline.

I am going to have the bulk of [my product line] built internally and be able to harvest those margins as well. We are going to make selective use of foundries. […] If I need to use a foundry to have a unique product or a halo product and certain portions, absolutely.

I really unleashed my engineering teams to say, you are going to deliver the best product. Period. You are unconstrained to pick the technologies to always be delivering the best products that you have in the category.

Intel also wants to leverage the use of both internal and external fabs with its IDM 2.0 strategy as detailed during the process and manufacturing day. The CEO says that he wants his design teams to be utilizing the best foundries to build the best products. Overall, Intel’s new strategy under Pat Gelsinger, CEO, looks like it could work if handled and executed well. The company faces a lot of competition from chipmakers and its fabs are also undress stress to deliver the next-gen nodes on time but with this new strategy, Intel could once again lead the industry forward in terms of innovation!



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Technology

AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS & Ryzen 7 5800HS Creator Edition CPUs Coming Soon, Feature Higher Clocks & Dropping ASUS’s Exclusivity

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The AMD Ryzen 5000HS Series will see two new CPUs, the Ryzen 9 5900HS and Ryzen 7 5800HS CE (or Creator Edition). These CPUs showed up on Lenovo’s product page, leaked by momomo_us on Twitter. KOMACHI_ENSAKA, also on the Twitter platform, validated momomo_us’ info with his own.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS & Ryzen 7 5800HS Creator Edition Laptop CPUs Coming Soon With Higher Clocks & More Models

This ends a period where ASUS was the only AMD Ryzen HS-series laptop manufacturer. ASUS’ slim laptops will now be joined by both the Lenovo Yoga 14S and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro. There is not a vast amount of information on the two new CPUs (AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS & Ryzen 7 5800HS Creator Edition) outside of higher base clock speeds, up to 400Mhz.

NVIDIA Fights To Keep $40 Billion Deal Dream Alive As Foes Join Forces

A Lenovo Yoga laptop offers a premium experience for work, creativity, and everyday use. Designed with a unique 360 degree hinge that allows the screen to fold backwards, it has four modes laptop, stand, tent, and tablet mode. Stylish, powerful, and innovative, this PC adapts to any work or home space.

If you’re looking for versatility, a Lenovo 2 in 1 PC offers the best of both worlds. Our touchscreen laptops are thinner, lighter, and stronger than ever before and provide tremendous flexibility for designers, illustrators, and other business professionals. The Yoga also offers the world’s first rotating sound bar that lets you enjoy 3D-surround audio while in laptop or tablet mode. Select Yoga 2 in 1s feature an Intel Evo Platform equipped with a powerful 11th Gen Intel Core processors.

The leaked list shows several Yoga Slim 7 Pro SKUs for both European and Asian markets, but non for the US markets. It remains to be seen if they will be available at some time in the US, as well as if Lenovo and ASUS will remain the only two companies utilizing the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS & Ryzen 7 5800HS Creator Edition CPUs.

The Lenovo Yoga 14S utilizes a unique 45W mode that is for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800HS model. When activated, the laptop is stated to perform 75% higher than other slim laptops that run with non-customized 15W levels. The Yoga Slim 7 Pro is aimed at content creators and are not as focused on extreme highs in graphic quality. There is speculation that both models offer 35W performance initially.

Lenovo’s new Yoga Models are decked with 16GB of LPDDR4X-4266 memory and several PCIe 3.0 SSD choices that are going to be produced as high as 1TB of storage. Lenovo has not released the TDP information for either model. The new models utilize the NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU, a 14 inch display that showcases up to 400 nits of brightness and refresh rates as high as 90HZ.

AMD Ryzen 5000H Cezanne ‘Zen 3’ High-Performace 35-45W SKUs

APU Name APU Family Architecture Process Cores / Threads Base Clock Boost Clock L3 Cache Graphics TDP
Ryzen 9 5980HX Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.30 GHz 4.80 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 45W+
Ryzen 9 5980HS Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.00 GHz 4.80 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 9 5900HX Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.30 GHz 4.60 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 45W+
Ryzen 9 5900HS Creator Edition Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.30 GHz 4.60 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35W-45W
Ryzen 9 5900HS Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.00 GHz 4.60 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 9 5900HS Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.00 GHz 4.60 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 7 5800HS Creator Edition Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.20 GHz 4.60 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 7 5800H Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 3.20 GHz 4.40 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 7 5800HS Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 8 / 16 2.80 GHz 4.40 GHz 16 MB 8 CUs (512 SP) 35-45W
Ryzen 5 5600H Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 6 / 12 3.30 GHz 4.20 GHz 8 MB 7 CUs (448 SPs) 35-45W
Ryzen 5 5600HS Cezanne H Zen 3 7nm 6 / 12 3.00 GHz 4.20 GHz 8 MB 7 CUs (448 SPs) 35-45W

News Sources: Videocardz , Lenovo



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Technology

AMD Next-Gen Ryzen Threadripper 5000 ‘Chagall’ HEDT CPUs Get Preliminary Support

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Preliminary support for AMD’s Next-Gen Ryzen Threadripper 5000 HEDT Desktop CPUs has been added to HWiNFO. The latest software release adds support for AMD’s Zen 2 based Threadripper PRO and also the next-gen Zen 3 based Ryzen Threadripper 5000 CPUs which are rumored for a launch in the third quarter of 2021.

AMD’s Next-Gen Zen 3 Powered Ryzen Threadripper 5000 HEDT Desktop CPUs Get Initial Support, Expected To Launch in August

HWiNFO will be adding support for AMD’s next-generation Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Desktop CPUs in its upcoming release. The changelog has already been posted and confirms that the support will come in the form of improved detection for the Threadripper lineup of CPUs based on the Zen 2 & Zen 3 core architecture. You can see the changelog below:

AMD Ryzen 7 5700G Cezanne Zen 3 Desktop APU Benchmarks Leak Out, 8 Core Chip Much Faster Than Its Renoir Ryzen 4000 Predecessor

  • Enhanced sensor monitoring on ASRock Z590 OC Formula and Z590 Phantom Gaming-ITX.
  • Fixed unintentional waking up of some NVIDIA dGPUs disabled by Optimus technology.
  • Added reporting of PCI Express Resizable BAR capability and status for all devices.
  • Enhanced sensor monitoring on MSI Z590 PLUS, MEG Z590 UNIFY, and B560M PRO WIFI.
  • Enhanced monitoring of AMD Navi14.
  • Restored monitoring of AMD Navi21 with Radeon Adrenalin 21.3.1.
  • Fixed monitoring of Vcore and VDIMM on ASUS PRIME Z590-A and STRIX Z590 series.
  • Added ability to collapse sensor groups.
  • Aggregated some sensor values into nodes (collapsed by default) to reduce the amount of information on the screen.
  • Improved GUI responsiveness in some situations.
  • Enhanced sensor monitoring on EVGA Z590 FTW and Z590 DARK.
  • Improved support of Intel Rocket Lake.
  • Fixed reporting of Core Performance Order on AMD Raven, Renoir, and Cezanne.
  • Updated for proper support of AGESA 1.2.0.1 Patch A.
  • Download pre-release: v7.01, Build 4425
  • Improved detection of AMD ThreadRipper PRO and next-generation ThreadRipper.
  • Improved reporting of Intel Integrated GPU clock.

As for what the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 5000 HEDT Desktop CPUs bring to the table, one of the major changes will be the Zen 3 core architecture itself which will drive a 19% IPC uplift over the existing Zen 2 based Threadripper 3000 lineup. The Ryzen Threadripper 5000 CPUs, codenamed, Chagall, will retain 64 cores and 128 threads. The CPUs will offer higher clock speeds, rearranged cache (L3), and will feature a slightly refined 7nm process node from TSMC to offer better overall efficiency.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Desktop CPUs will also retain support on the TRX40 platform and will be the last generation of Threadripper CPUs for the SP3 socket before AMD moves to its brand new platform offering DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support. According to Yuko Yoshida (formerly KittyCorgi), the HEDT lineup is expected to debut in August 2021 so we can expect an unveil by mid of 2021.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper & Threadripper PRO lineups are currently the undisputed champions of the high-end desktop and workstation segment. Intel currently has no proper competition with their last release, the 10th Gen Core-X family launching all the way back in 2019. AMD has since just dominated the landscape and will continue to do so until Intel refocuses its HEDT and workstation efforts with Emerald Rapids HEDT CPUs which are expected for launch sometime between 2021 & 2022.

AMD Ryzen 5000 Desktop CPU Supply & Availability To Get Better This Quarter As Company Reportedly Increasing Supply By 20%

The leaker who has been very reliable with his past information also states that AMD will be releasing its next-generation Ryzen mainstream CPUs, codenamed Warhol, very soon but does not give an exact month. Warhol is supposed to be the first AMD Desktop CPU family to release on the brand new AM5 platform so things are looking really exciting for AMD in the coming months.

AMD CPU Roadmap (2017-2022)

Ryzen Family Ryzen 1000 Series Ryzen 2000 Series Ryzen 3000 Series Ryzen 4000 Series Ryzen 5000 Series Ryzen 6000 Series Ryzen 7000 Series
Architecture Zen (1) Zen (1) / Zen+ Zen (2) / Zen+ Zen (3) / Zen 2 Zen (4) / Zen 3+ / Zen 3? Zen (4) / Zen 3 Zen (4)
Process Node 14nm 14nm / 12nm 7nm 7nm+ / 7nm 7nm+ / 7nm 5nm / 7nm+ 5nm
Server EPYC ‘Naples’ EPYC ‘Naples’ EPYC ‘Rome’ EPYC ‘Milan’ EPYC ‘Milan’ EPYC ‘Genoa’ TBD
Max Server Cores / Threads 32/64 32/64 64/128 64/128 64/128 TBD TBD
High End Desktop Ryzen Threadripper 1000 Series (White Haven) Ryzen Threadripper 2000 Series (Coflax) Ryzen Threadripper 3000 Series (Castle Peak) Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Series (Chagall) Ryzen Threadripper 5000 Series (Chagall) Ryzen Threadripper 6000 Series Ryzen Threadripper 7000 Series
Max HEDT Cores / Threads 16/32 32/64 64/128 64/128 TBD TBD TBD
Mainstream Desktop Ryzen 1000 Series (Summit Ridge) Ryzen 2000 Series (Pinnacle Ridge) Ryzen 3000 Series (Matisse) Ryzen 3000 Series (Matisse) Ryzen 5000 Series (Vermeer) Ryzen 6000 Series (Warhol) Ryzen 7000 Series (Raphael)
Max Mainstream Cores / Threads 8/16 8/16 16/32 16/32 16/32 TBD TBD
Budget APU N/A Ryzen 2000 Series (Raven Ridge) Ryzen 3000 Series (Picasso Zen+) Ryzen 4000 Series (Renoir Zen 2) Ryzen 5000 Series (Cezanne Zen 3) Ryzen 6000 Series (Rembrandt Zen 3) Ryzen 7000 Series (Phoenix Zen 4)
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020/2021 2020/2021 2021-2022 2023



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Technology

Intel Rocket Lake-S desktop gaming CPUs are here

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  • 19 percent gen-on-gen IPC vs 10th gen desktop CPUs sounds great—but the verdict is out on the importance of the “up to” hedge, or the impact of reduced core count in the i9 CPUs.


    Intel

  • Intel shows some fairly modest wins over Ryzen 9 5900X in some of its “RUG” workflow tests—but they lean heavily on AVX-512 optimizations, which many workloads won’t share.


    Intel

  • The new Intel Z590 boards bring in support for PCI Express 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, and improved DMI. Z590 boards also support 10th gen Core processors.


    Intel

This week, Intel announced its 11th generation S-series desktop CPUs, codenamed Rocket Lake-S. These are gaming-oriented processors optimized for high clock rates and performance, coming in 19 SKUs ranging from i5-11400T through 19-11900K.

The new chips, based on Intel’s Cypress Cove architecture, claim up to a 19 percent increase in Instructions per Clock cycle—a very familiar figure, since it’s the same number AMD claimed for gen-on-gen IPC uplift between its Zen 2 and Zen 3 architectures. We’ll do some hands-on benchmarking in the near future to determine how important the “up to” hedge on that claim matters.

In the meantime, we’re cautiously optimistic about the “up to 19 percent IPC” and “up to 50 percent iGPU” performance Intel is claiming. As usual, the really big numbers Intel shows for the new generation of processors don’t have much to do with general-purpose CPU performance—they’re tied pretty directly to finding AVX-512 optimized workloads. But the 19 percent isn’t tied to AVX-512, and it has not come at the price of reduced clock speeds or higher rated TDP, either.

Intel is also releasing a new Z590 motherboard chipset. Boards built on Z590 will offer 20 PCI Express 4.0 lanes, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps ports, Thunderbolt 4, and improved Direct Memory Interface. The new boards will also support 10th gen processors—but those older CPUs don’t have PCIe 4.0 support, so don’t expect a new Z590 board to unlock it.

Rocket Lake-S CPUs are incompatible with H410 or B460 boards, and compatibility with Z490 is uncertain at best. If you want a Rocket Lake-S CPU, we strongly recommend a new Z590 board to go with it.

  • This table shows all ten Core i9 and Core i7 Rocket Lake-S CPUs. Note that Core i9 CPUs are down from ten cores to eight in this generation.


    Intel

  • The major change in Core i5 CPUs from 10th gen to 11th is onboard graphics, which get a substantial bump to UHD 630 to UHD 730 or UHD 730.


    Intel

  • Some 10th gen Core i3 and Pentium Gold CPU models also get a refresh this month—but they’re still 10th gen, not 11th.


    Intel

In another familiar story for Intel, what the new generation does give up is core count—although only at the Core i9 level. The i9-10900K was a 10 core, 125W TDP part with maximum single-core boost of 5.3GHz; the i9-11900K matches the TDP and frequency but drops to eight cores. Core i7 and Core i5 CPUs remain 8c/16t and 6c/12t, respectively.

Ars has product samples of the i9-11900K and i5-11600K processors on hand, along with a new Z590 chipset based motherboard. We’ll naturally be offering hands-on benchmark results later this month.

Listing image by Intel

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Technology

Sony’s new 4K TVs with ‘cognitive’ CPUs are rolling out, VRR will follow later

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Just a couple of months ago Sony announced its new line of Bravia XR TVs for 2021, including both OLED and LCD models. Several high-end models will include a Cognitive Processor XR that tries to mimic the way your brain processes images by surveying each frame of video and picking out the most important zones to optimize.

Now the new TVs are starting to ship, including its 65-inch Bravia XR Master Series A90J OLED with the new chip inside. The incredible black levels of OLED and advanced AI processing won’t come cheap though, as the sticker price starts at $3,999 (Amazon, Best Buy), although the 55-inch model is quite a bit cheaper at $2,998 (Best Buy, Amazon). Of course, for that price you could get last year’s 65-inch OLED (Amazon, Best Buy) albeit without the souped-up processor and other improvements.

If you don’t feel like going with OLED, there are cheaper LCD models available in the X80J line with Sony’s standard (but always well-regarded) image processing, 4K, Android TV and even the extra high-quality Bravia Core streaming service. The 55-inch version costs $950 (Amazon, Best Buy) while the 65-inch is available for $1,149 (Best Buy).

One thing to be aware of on the new TVs is that they do include HDMI 2.1 features, but just like on the 2020 models, gamers will have to wait for my favorite one: VRR. Variable refresh rate is available via Xbox consoles and PC graphics cards, but not the PS5 at this time, and it keeps the display synced with the system’s output to eliminate tearing and judder. When it works properly, it’s incredible, and Sony said it will come to these TVs in a future software update but hasn’t put a time frame on that.

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Technology

How desperate are you for GPUs, CPUs, consoles? Newegg tests with new lottery

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Aurich Lawson / Getty Images

Over the past 12 months, electronics retailers have been under increased fire and scrutiny for mishandling how they sell brand-new consoles and high-end PC components. This week, online retailer Newegg has moved forward with a peculiar new system for selling high-demand, low-supply electronics: the Newegg Shuffle. (Or, as the site’s metadata calls it, the Newegg Popular Product Lottery Queue.)

If you catch this article early enough on Friday, January 22, consider this a drop-everything suggestion to rush to the site by 5 pm ET and place a product-purchase request. Really: Do that right now if you’re interested in recent AMD CPUs, Nvidia GPUs, or the all-digital PlayStation 5. It’s free to try. We’ll wait.

OK, so that process might have been a bit confusing. What’s going on with the Newegg Shuffle?

Shuffling into a forced bundle? Not necessarily, but likely

  • Official explanation.

  • The roster of primary purchase options.

  • Once you click one, however, you get more options. Some are the default a la carte option, as expected. Otherwise are pricier bundles thanks to forced motherboard additions.

  • And some of the options hide the fact that they are only offered as a bundle.

  • Lottery ticket confirmed. Now, we wait a few hours—and then get a pretty ample amount of time to confirm a purchase.

The Newegg Shuffle buzz began earlier this week when savvy shoppers noticed a limited-time lottery event under the same name in messages sent to a limited pool of Newegg customers. It advertised a variety of CPUs and graphics cards, and the lead-in page included a sales pitch: Pick what you want to buy, sign into your established Newegg customer profile, and submit a request. Do this by a certain time, and within a few hours, you’d get notified if your account was selected to purchase any of the products you picked. (Meaning, you could try to sign up for every listing, or just one, without the choices apparently changing your odds of being randomly selected.)

The problems with that early test, however, came in the form of furious customers sharing images of what the shopping interface actually looked like. After clicking on the listing for a shiny new AMD processor or an Nvidia RTX 3080 graphics card, you’d be shown the real shopping option: a forced bundle. Every single option appeared to require purchasing a brand new motherboard, even if you didn’t need one. That was particularly egregious in the case of Nvidia’s graphics cards, which are compatible with the common PCI-e 3.0 standard and thus don’t necessitate a new motherboard for interested PC gamers.

When pressed by PC Mag about this anti-consumer, forced-bundle promotion, Newegg clarified that its Shuffle feature was still in “beta.” The promotion would cut down on forced bundles once it rolled out to all customers. Friday’s Newegg Shuffle launch has confirmed this—but a few forced bundles remain.

Both of today’s available AMD CPUs, the Ryzen 5 5600X and Ryzen 7 5800X, can be purchased as standalone options. They’re additionally listed with bundles, however, and that means you essentially have a better shot at purchasing them from Newegg if you’re willing to attach a motherboard purchase to the CPU. The same goes for one of the promotion’s GPUs, an ASUS flavor of the RTX 3070, which can either be purchased a la carte or with a bundled ASUS motherboard.

Three other GPUs appear in the promotion; two of them can only be purchased a la carte, and one, the ASUS RTX 3080, can only be purchased with a bundled ASUS motherboard (for a whopping combined price of $1,179.98).

And the all-digital PlayStation 5 on offer can only be purchased as part of a bundle, adding a staggering $160 to its normal $399 price with an extra controller (sure), a 1080p webcam (meh), and a media remote (ugh). Them’s some serious GameStop vibes, and not in a good way.

Microsoft taking leadership in the space

The worst part about Newegg Shuffle is that it’s arguably the best system currently on the market for interested PC parts shoppers. Otherwise, your best bet is following in-the-know Twitter accounts and online-shopping guides to learn exactly when high-end computer components and consoles are in stock—since retailers seem completely disinterested in, you know, letting us pre-order these things and enter a purchase queue.

The sole exception in this madness seems to be Xbox Series X/S. Microsoft has developed a somewhat scalper-proof purchasing system in the form of Xbox All Access. Combine a monthly subscription price with a dedicated Xbox account (and associated mailing address), and you can get your hands on a shiny new Xbox. Such systems are a pain for scalpers to transfer account ownership with. (As a bonus, buying a Series X/S this way may save you money compared to buying the hardware and attached subscription rates at retail prices.)

Until we see more retailers embrace customer-verification systems, purchase limits, and anti-scalper efforts, we’re likely going to see more funky “lottery” systems like Newegg’s, complete with predatory bundle-enticement offers.

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