In brief: Seeing graphics cards selling way above their MSRP is a frustrating reminder of the current market situation. Things are even worse on auction sites like eBay, which have listings for RTX 5090 cards well over $5,000. An upcoming auction featuring the Blackwell flagship will likely surpass $16,000, but in this rare case, that'll be a good thing. Asus revealed the ROG Astral RTX 5090 Dhahab OC graphics card in early February. As the name suggests, the card is a special edition of the regular ROG Astral designed specifically for the Middle East it features Arabic calligraphy, images of skyscrapers, and motifs representing strength, courage, and unity. The whole thing's a little ostentatious, with an almost entirely gold finish and a turquoise, stone-style design.As reported by TechPowerUp, Asus' Director of Marketing at the firm's North American branch, Ernest Cheng, posted a photo from GTC yesterday of a ROG Astral RTX 5090 Dhahab OC model with a unique feature that makes it even more expensive: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's signature, alongside the RTX On! slogan.Asus hasn't yet revealed the price of the Dhahab card. Considering that the standard ROG Astral RTX 5090 had a $2,800 price at launch and is now $3,359 on Newegg, buying one of these special editions is going to cost a small fortune. With Jensen's signature on this model, expect it to go for a five-figure sum.Thankfully, Asus says it will be donating the proceeds of the card's auction to charity, supporting relief efforts for the California wildfires in Los Angeles. // Related StoriesAs for how much it will sell for, a ROG Matrix RTX 4090 Platinum card also signed by Jensen Huang had a winning bid of $16,000 in 2023. The winning bidder was none other than famed overclocker der8auer. The money went to Make-a-Wish International, a charity that grants wishes to children with critical illnesses.There are currently several ROG Astral RTX 5090 cards listed on eBay. They range in price from around $5,000 to $10,500.Asus is one of several AIB partners to have raised their graphics card prices recently, by quite a margin, in some cases. Companies often point to the Trump administration's new China tariffs as an excuse for this behavior, but many say they are exploiting them for their own benefit.

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsIn the beginning, there was overhypeThen there were noneReturn of the meltMissing ROP flopsGPU jam tomorrowNo last-genAMDs ambitionsThe waiting gameNvidia has had some less-than-stellar graphics card launches over the years. Its RTX 2000-series was poorly received, with little interest in the flagship features of the time, and the RTX 40-series hardly blew us away. But the RTX 50-series has been something else entirely. Its the worst GPU launch I can remember in a long time.If youve been following along, the latest is that the RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti are delayed again. But thats just one more straw on the camels funeral pyre for this catastrophic GPU generation.Recommended VideosNvidiaIt all started off strong for the RTX 50 series. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took to the stage at CES 2025 and made some truly grandiose claims which had everyone excited. The RTX 5090 was going to double performance of the RTX 4090. The RTX 5070 was going to offer 4090-level performance at $549. Multi frame generation was going to give Nvidia such a lead, that AMDs cards would look ridiculous in comparison. It even lowered the launch price of the RTX 5080 from its last-generation predecessor: $1000 instead of $1200 for the 4080 at its debut.But these claims looked to be more and more hyperbolic as the charts were analyzed in greater detail. Nvidia was fudging the numbers at best, or being downright dishonest at worst. The only fair comparisons on its charts were limited to just a single set of bars, and those painted a picture of cards that were good, but not that much better than their counterparts.Look to the far left for the only comparison without AI upscaling. NvidiaAnd that proved to be right once reviews landed. The RTX 5090 was at best 30% faster than the 4090, and multi frame generation was useful in niche settings, but only really when native frame rates are already high. The RTX 5080 is only 10% faster than its last-generation counterpart, and the 5070 Ti and 5070 are even less exciting.Nvidia overpromised and undelivered. And that was just the first of its problems.Every time Nvidia has launched an RTX 50-series graphics card, two things have happened: Its gone out of stock within minutes, and the prices have exploded. The RTX 5090 regularly goes for over $3,000 on auction sites, and the RTX 5080 isnt much better at over $2,000 at times. Retailers and third-party board manufacturers raised their prices, too, so even if you get lucky and grab one of these from a major store its already hundreds of dollars more than the Nvidia suggested price.That hasnt changed in the weeks since. The various RTX 50-series cards are still nowhere to be found outside of extremely overpriced options, and with new AMD RX 9000 competition, gamers are starting to look elsewhere.One of the biggest scandals from the RTX 40 generation of graphics cards, was how the high-power RTX 4090s started melting their power cables. Sometimes that was because of poor third-party cables, or user error inserting the connectors wrongly, but ultimately Nvidia just redesigned the power connector. That redesign was used in refreshed 4090s, as well as all the new RTX 50 cards.Melting power cables have once again raised their head this generation. ivan6953 on RedditBut the problem still persists in the new-generation, too. Several RTX 5090s and 5080s have been involved in melting power cable and connector incidents. Sometimes its down to poor third-party cables, but in every instance the power cables have been getting far, far too hot. Over 150 degrees in some cases.That shouldnt happen, and though it might not be Nvidias fault if a third-party cable melts or breaks, its fair to levy criticism at Nvidias power delivery design, which continues to have issues.If you spent thousands of dollars on an RTX 50 card, would you be happy losing 5-10% performance because the card was faulty? Thats the problem faced by hundreds of gamers affected by Nvidia GPUs with missing ROPs. Its down to a hardware defect so no way to fix it themselves.Nvidia claims it affects around 0.5% of RTX 50 cards, though that number may be higher (heres how to check if youre effected). It suggests affected gamers send their cards back to the board manufacturer for a replacement or refund. With supply issues ongoing, though, thats not always a great option when it could result in delays in receiving a replacement.jam tomorrowIf youve been waiting on a more affordable RTX 50-series card, you arent alone, but the promised future of cheaper cards, greater stock, and broad card variety just doesnt seem to come. Nvidia keeps pushing back the launch of its GPUs, with the RTX 5070 first being delayed, and now the 5060 Ti and 5060 might not launch until April or even May.Any stock of the new cards that does land is quickly gobbled up by gamers and scalpers, too, so theres no sign of prices coming down any time soon. If Nvidia can launch the 5060 cards with sufficient stock, that might help ease the problem, but at this rate theres little confidence that they wont be delayed again, or when they do launch, they just quickly sell out anyway.Often when a new generation of graphics cards launches the last-generation becomes cheaper and more readily available as people upgrade and retailers look to shift old stock. But Nvidia wound down production of the 40-series in the latter half of 2024, so by the time its 50 series launched there wasnt much else available. As prices of the new cards exploded, the last-gen got gobbled up too.The RX 7800 XT is about the only last-gen card we recommend. Jacob Roach / Digital TrendsSo now there are no 40-series cards available that arent also ridiculously priced. So theres been almost no relief from this problem for months.The one shining light in this whole debacle is that AMD didnt drop the ball. When Nvidia floundered, it launched the RX 9070 XT and 9070 to much acclaim. The cards were good, available in large quantities, and more fairly priced. They still sold out pretty quickly and prices have risen in turn, but they arent quite as overblown as Nvidias, giving gamers at least some next-generation options.AMDThey cant compete with the top cards, are still limited to 16GB of VRAM, and the ray tracing and upscaling support still trail Nvidia a little, but the gaps have been closed significantly this generation. The 9070 XT is AMDs best GPU in years.Whether youre interested in an Nvidia RTX 50 or AMD RX 9000 graphics cards, youre going to have to wait for it. Stock is trickling in all the time, and 5060s are on the horizon. AMD is also promising big stock drops in the coming weeks, so prices and stock issues may start to ease in the coming months, but most gamers are still going to need to wait to get a fair deal.Try not to buy older cards, too. They will bottom out in value once the new-gen cards really arrive in sufficient quantities.Editors Recommendations

First, Amazon acquired creative control of the James Bond franchise. The next order of business is finding producers to lead 007 into the Amazon era.Per Matt Belloni of Puck, Amy Pascal and David Heyman are in talks to shepherd the next iteration of James Bond for Amazon MGM Studios. Nothing is official until the transaction with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson closes. However, Pascal and Heyman are the rumored top choices of Amazon executives.Recommended VideosPascal and Heyman have a strong pedigree of running popular franchises. Pascal is best known for producing Tom Hollands Spider-Man movies, which have combined to gross nearly $4 billion worldwide. While working at Sony, Pascal oversaw most of Daniel Craigs Bond outings, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace,Skyfall, and Spectre.Please enable Javascript to view this contentHeyman produced all eight Harry Potter movies through his HeyDay Films banner. The British producer also produced recent box office hits, includingWonkaandBarbie, the latter being 2023s highest-grossing movie.MGMBelloni notes that Amazon MGM Studios plans to release the next Bond movie in theaters before developing any spinoffs or TV shows.If Pascal and Heyman sign on for Bond, the next task will be finding the director and writer of the next 007 movie. Christopher Nolan remains the rumored top choice for Bond. It all comes down to Nolans interest in the espionage project.After acquiring MGM in 2022, Amazon finally gained creative control of Bond last month in a historic deal. Amazon reportedly paid $1 billion to Broccoli and Wilson for these creative rights.With 007 in its hands, Amazon now faces immense pressure to make a successful Bond and steer it into the future.Editors Recommendations

A digital publication in 2008 laid out the concept and technical methods for mining cryptocurrency. Its author didnt seem to want to take credit or reap the rewards.

Among the questions: Which state had the highest rate of scams? And what are some warning signs?

Our association of pink with femininity is a recent innovation.

A digital publication in 2008 laid out the concept and technical methods for mining cryptocurrency. Its author didnt seem to want to take credit or reap the rewards.

Catching fraudulent impressions CEO of AI ad-tech firm pledging world free of fraud sentenced for fraud Prosecutors: Firm offering "300% more" fraud detection oversold revenue by 700%. Kevin Purdy Mar 21, 2025 12:27 pm | 3 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIn May 2024, the website of ad-tech firm Kubient touted that the company was "a perfect blend" of ad veterans and developers, "committed to solving the growing problem of fraud" in digital ads. Like many corporate sites, it also linked old blog posts from its home page, including a May 2022 post on "How to create a world free of fraud: Kubient's secret sauce."These days, Kubient's website cannot be reached, the team is no more, and CEO Paul Roberts is due to serve one year and one day in prison, having pled guilty Thursday to creating his own small world of fraud. Roberts, according to federal prosecutors, schemed to create $1.3 million in fraudulent revenue statements to bolster Kubient's initial public offering (IPO) and significantly oversold "KAI," Kubient's artificial intelligence tool.The core of the case is an I-pay-you, you-pay-me gambit that Roberts initiated with an unnamed "Company-1," according to prosecutors. Kubient and this firm would each bill the other for nearly identical amounts, with Kubient purportedly deploying KAI to find instances of ad fraud in the other company's ad spend.Roberts, prosecutors said, "directed Kubient employees to generate fake KAI reports based on made-up metrics and no underlying data at all." These fake reports helped sell the story to independent auditors and book the synthetic revenue in financial statements, according to Roberts' indictment. A page from Kubient's July 2020 prospectus for its initial public offering (IPO), making a few bold claims about the firm's technology that would later factor into federal prosecutors' charges. Credit: SEC A page from Kubient's July 2020 prospectus for its initial public offering (IPO), making a few bold claims about the firm's technology that would later factor into federal prosecutors' charges. Credit: SEC Before Kubient's IPO in August 2020, Kubient issued a prospectus noting research figures that suggested $42 billion lost to ad fraud in 2019. Kubient's technology was touted as fast enough to work in the 300-millisecond real-time ad auction window. It leveraged "machine learning powered [sic] pre-bid ad fraud prevention technology" and a "self-learning neural network always getting smarter."Revenues for the first quarter of 2020 were shown as $1.38 million, a huge jump from $177,635 in Q1 2019, thanks to "two enterprise customers" that "successfully beta tested KAI." Prosecutors noted at the time of Roberts' plea that he personally added language that Kubient was "identifying and preventing approximately 300% more digital ad fraud" than a client's current ad partners. Kubient raised more than $33 million during its initial and secondary equity offerings.Investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, US Postal Inspection Service, and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York led to charges against Roberts in September 2024. Joshua A. Weiss, Kubient's former chief financial officer, and Grainne M. Coen, a former audit committee chair, were also charged at the time.Roberts, 48, faced up to 20 years in prison on a single charge of securities fraud. He will be subject to one year of post-release supervision after serving his term.Kubient, which was reported to be in Chapter 7 liquidation proceedings at the time of Roberts' plea, was announced as merging with Adomni and taking on the Adomni name in May 2023.Kevin PurdySenior Technology ReporterKevin PurdySenior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 3 Comments

help wanted How the language of job postings can attract rule-bending narcissists Looking to hire someone? Check your wording very carefully. Jonathan Gay, The Conversation Mar 21, 2025 9:49 am | 38 Credit: Catherine McQueen via Getty Credit: Catherine McQueen via Getty Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWhen companies advertise job openings, they often use buzzwords like ambitious and self-reliant to describe their ideal candidate. These traits sound appealingwhat hiring manager wouldnt want a driven employee?But theres a catch. In my latest study, published in the journal Management Science with co-authors Scott Jackson and Nick Seybert, I found that these terms may attract job applicants with more narcissistic tendencies.As behavioral researchers in accounting, we are interested in executives who bend the rules. We decided to study job postings after noticing that the language used to describe an ideal candidate often included traits linked to narcissism. For example, narcissists tend to see themselves as highly creative and persuasive. Prior research also shows that narcissistic employees are more innovative and willing to take risks to get the success and admiration they crave, even if it means bending the rules.Based on these observations, we compiled two sets of terms commonly used in job postings. We call the two sets rule-follower and rule-bender language.Rule-followerRule-benderGrounded and collaborativeAmbitious and self-reliantThinks methodicallyThinks outside the boxProcess-oriented, establishes and strengthens proceduresResults-oriented, establishes and strives for goalsRelies on time-tested solutions to problemsDevelops creative and innovative solutions to problemsConcrete and practical mindsetFlexible and strategic mindsetCommunicates in a straightforward and accurate mannerCommunicates in a tactical and persuasive mannerSome examples of rule-bender language include develops creative and innovative solutions to problems, communicates in a tactical and persuasive manner, and thinks outside the box. In contrast, the rule-follower language includes terms like relies on time-tested solutions to problems, communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner, and thinks methodically.Through a series of experiments, we found that rule-bender language attracts individuals with higher levels of narcissism for accounting-specific jobs, as well as other industries. To measure narcissism, we used a personality assessment that asks people to choose whether they identify more with more narcissistic statements like, I always know what I am doing, or less narcissistic statements like Sometimes I am not sure of what I am doing.We also found that recruiters are more likely to use rule-bender terms when hiring for highly innovative, high-growth companies. For accounting positions, recruiters are more likely to use such terms when aggressive financial reporting could benefit the firm.Why it mattersCompanies write job postings carefully in hopes of attracting the ideal candidate. However, they may unknowingly attract and select narcissistic candidates whose goals and ethics might not align with a companys values or long-term success. Research shows that narcissistic employees are more likely to behave unethically, potentially leading to legal consequences.While narcissistic traits can lead to negative outcomes, we arent saying that companies should avoid attracting narcissistic applicants altogether. Consider a company hiring a salesperson. A firm can benefit from a salesperson who is persuasive, who thinks outside the box, and who is results-oriented. In contrast, a company hiring an accountant or compliance officer would likely benefit from someone who thinks methodically and communicates in a straightforward and accurate manner.Bending the rules is of particular concern in accounting. A significant amount of research examines how accounting managers sometimes bend rules or massage the numbers to achieve earnings targets. This earnings management can misrepresent the companys true financial position.In fact, my co-author Nick Seybert is currently working on a paper whose data suggests rule-bender language in accounting job postings predicts rule-bending in financial reporting.Our current findings shed light on the importance of carefully crafting job posting language. Recruiting professionals may instinctively use rule-bender language to try to attract someone who seems like a good fit. If companies are concerned about hiring narcissists, they may want to clearly communicate their ethical values and needs while crafting a job posting, or avoid rule-bender language entirely.What still isnt knownWhile we find that professional recruiters are using language that attracts narcissists, it is unclear whether this is intentional.Additionally, we are unsure what really drives rule-bending in a company. Rule-bending could happen due to attracting and hiring more narcissistic candidates, or it could be because of a companys cultureor a combination of both.The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.Jonathan Gay is Assistant Professor of Accountancy at the University of Mississippi.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.Jonathan Gay, The Conversation The Conversation is an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. Our team of editors work with these experts to share their knowledge with the wider public. Our aim is to allow for better understanding of current affairs and complex issues, and hopefully improve the quality of public discourse on them. 38 Comments

The Spectrum rocket on the launch pad at Andya Space Center in NorwayWingmen-MediaPreparations are under way for a rocket test flight in Norway that could make history and give Europe greater independence from the market leader in orbital launches, the United States.Who is behind the rocket launch?The company that developed the new rocket, dubbed Spectrum, is German-based Isar Aerospace. Spectrum is 28 metres tall, composed of two stages and uses oxygen and propane as propellant. Isar Aerospace says the aim of the test flight, which will carry no payload, is to collect as much data and experience as possible. The company told New Scientist that its staff were all too busy preparing for its test flight for an interview. AdvertisementWhere and when will the launch take place?The launch will take place at Andya Space Center in Norway, and has been granted permission to go ahead by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Isar Aerospace says it is planning to launch on 24 March between 12.30pm and 3.30pm CET, weather permitting.If successful, the launch will be the first flight of an orbital launch vehicle from continental Europe, excluding Russia.Does Europe already have other launch companies?It does, and some are quite established. The European market leader, Arianespace, was founded 45 years ago and carries out launches in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the French national space agency, CNES. But these launches take place in French Guiana, a French territory located in South America, and the rockets themselves Vega C and Ariane 6 are built by other companies.Voyage across the galaxy and beyond with our space newsletter every month.Sign up to newsletterIn addition to Isar Aerospace, there are a clutch of European start-ups looking to start competing, including Spains Zero 2 Infinityand Germanys Rocket Factory Augsburg and HyImpulse.Why does Europe need its own launchers?Davide Amato at Imperial College London says there are a lot of reasons why there could be demand for smaller, European launch providers. For one thing, the logistics of making a satellite in Europe and then launching it in Europe rather than having to ship it halfway around the world would be simpler and cheaper.It would also be simpler to have small, cheap launch vehicles that could put a single satellite into orbit, rather than having to share a ride with several other missions, all of which may want to reach a different height or orbit.Then there is the current political situation. Companies and countries may not want to rely on US launch providers, especially SpaceX, given its unpredictable CEO, Elon Musk, and his links to the Trump administration.These concerns were hinted at by Isar Aerospaces CEO Daniel Metzler in a recent statement: In todays geopolitical climate, our first test flight is about much more than a rocket launch.Is Norway a good place to launch?Rockets launching close to the equator get a boost. Thanks to the planets spin, they start out travelling much faster relative to the centre of Earth than rockets launching near the poles.Andya Space Center is located at 69 north, so Earths rotational speed is considerably weaker there than in French Guiana. But this isnt important for high-inclination orbits: those that make a bigger angle with the equator.Isar Aerospace says it will be able to put 1500-kilogram payloads into orbit up to 30 times a year, in orbital inclinations from 90 to 110.6. This would include sun-synchronous orbits those that always pass over a given point at the same local time which are ideal for spy and weather satellites. Isar already has a contract to put Arctic Ocean surveillance satellites into just such an orbit for the Norwegian Space Agency.The launch site is also reasonably free of air and marine traffic, and it benefits from all the infrastructure needed for small launch vehicles. It will be more limited in terms of what you can achieve, but its still, I think, reasonable, says Amato.Will Isar be successful ?Amato says Isar Aerospace could be following SpaceX away from the traditional space approach of extensive design and cautious testing to a more Silicon Valley test, fail, improve strategy. I would expect failure, says Amato. Which is not necessarily bad.Now, the question is, can you get to a design that survives and thats reliable before you run out of money? he says. Thats the race. Youre racing your investors, basically.Topics: