Latest news with #Sierra
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Maingear's Retro95 PC blends '90s workstation nostalgia with modern horsepower
Maingear's latest, the (appropriately named) Retro95, is a deceptive love letter to old-school "pizza box" PCs. It's Wolfenstein 3D and Sierra adventure games on the outside; Cyberpunk 2077 in ray-traced 4K on the inside. That's because you can fit this sucker with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 graphics. It supports Intel and AMD processors, up to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. You can also customize it with up to 96GB of DDR5 memory, 8TB of Gen4 NVMe storage, Noctua fans and an 850W PSU. It's a ray-traced wolf in pixelated sheep's clothing. It looks like the Retro95's case is sourced from the Silverstone FLP01. (That makes sense since Maingear is a custom PC builder.) The case is an ode to beige horizontal PC cases, designed to serve as a pedestal for CRT monitors. They were the default from the early 1980s to mid-1990s. (If you prefer the tower design that succeeded it, Silverstone's follow-up to the FLP01 should scratch that itch.) The Retro95 includes a hidden front-panel I/O array and modern airflow design. And if its exterior has you nostalgic for games you played on similar-looking PCs, you can add a DVD drive. (Who's up for Carmen Sandiego?) "This one is for the gamers who lugged CRTs to LAN parties, swapped out disks between levels and got their gaming news from magazines," Maingear CEO Wallace Santos wrote in a press release. "The Retro95 drop is our way of honoring the classic era of gaming, with a system that looks like the one you had as a kid but runs like the monster you'd spec from Maingear today." Unfortunately, the Retro95 is a limited-edition run. Maingear says once it sells out, that's game over. Given its high-powered hardware and special edition status, it's no surprise that this PC ain't cheap. It starts at $1,599. You can order one exclusively from Maingear's website on July 23.
Engadget
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Maingear's Retro95 PC blends '90s workstation nostalgia with modern horsepower
Maingear's latest (appropriately named) Retro95 is a deceptive love letter to old-school "pizza box" PCs: Wolfenstein 3D and Sierra adventure games on the outside; Cyberpunk 2077 in ray-traced 4K on the inside. That's because you can fit this sucker with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 graphics. It supports Intel and AMD processors, up to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. You can also customize it with up to 96GB of DDR5 memory, 8TB of Gen4 NVMe storage, Noctua fans and an 850W PSU. It's a ray-traced wolf in pixelated sheep's clothing. It looks like the Retro95's case is sourced from the Silverstone FLP01. (That makes sense since Maingear is a custom PC builder.) The case is an ode to beige horizontal PC cases, designed to serve as a pedestal for CRT monitors. They were the default from the early 1980s to mid-1990s. (If you prefer the tower design that succeeded it, Silverstone's follow-up to the FLP01 should scratch that itch.) The Retro95 includes a hidden front-panel I/O array and modern airflow design. And if its exterior has you nostalgic for games you played on similar-looking PCs, you can add a DVD drive. (Who's up for Carmen Sandiego?) "This one is for the gamers who lugged CRTs to LAN parties, swapped out disks between levels and got their gaming news from magazines," Maingear CEO Wallace Santos wrote in a press release. "The Retro95 drop is our way of honoring the classic era of gaming, with a system that looks like the one you had as a kid but runs like the monster you'd spec from Maingear today." Unfortunately, the Retro95 is a limited-edition run. Maingear says once it sells out, that's game over. Given its high-powered hardware and special edition status, it's no surprise that this PC ain't cheap. It starts at $1,599. You can order one exclusively from Maingear's website on July 23.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results
Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results originally appeared on Autoblog. General Motors had a lot to celebrate after Q2 Only three major automakers reported year-over-year sales growth in the U.S. during Q2, but their delivery percentage increases don't tell the entire story. Ford experienced the most annual gains during Q2 at 14.2%, followed by Toyota at 7.2%, and General Motors (GM) at 7%. While Ford and Toyota experienced higher year-over-year increases than GM, GM delivered more units throughout Q2 than either of these two companies. During Q2, GM sold 746,588 units in the U.S., Toyota moved 666,469 vehicles, and Ford logged 612,095 sales. Growth in year-over-year sales remains a crucial metric among automakers, but quarterly numbers are especially relevant right now, given the market uncertainty introduced by President Trump's tariffs on vehicle and part imports. Duncan Aldred, GM senior VP and president of North America, said in a statement: 'The investments we have made in our crossovers, SUVs, and pickups—both gas and electric—along with great execution by our employees, suppliers, and dealers, have made GM the engine of growth for the U.S. industry this year.' A closer look at GM's Q2 success GM's electric vehicle (EV) sales rose by more than 100% during Q2 after it became the industry's second-highest seller of the segment last year. Cadillac proved to be intense competition for Tesla as the luxury EV market share leader in Q2. GM's Q2 crossover sales were up a record 16% during Q2 and 23% during the first six months of the year. The automaker also reported a 12% year-over-year sales increase for the first half of 2025, leading the U.S. industry in total and retail sales and outpacing the 4% total market growth estimate. Buick had the most significant first-half sales increase of any GM brand, up 29% with its crossover portfolio. Chevrolet sales increased 9% during the first half of 2025, with its Equinox SUV leading the way and GMC boasting record Sierra pickup deliveries, placing GM on track toward its sixth year in a row as the industry's full-size pickup sales leader and its 51st year as the full-size SUV leader. While the fleet business decreased by 3% during Q1 and Q2, GM's fleet, Envolve, increased by 10%. In total, GM moved 1.4 million units during the first six months of 2025, with a market share of 17%, representing the industry's largest year-over-year increase. Final thoughts Q3 could allow GM's EV sales to make more headway as consumers rush to capitalize on the remaining federal tax credit that expires on September 30. GM's EV sales during Q2 were especially significant given that the overall segment declined annually by 6%. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, senior analyst at Cox Automotive, said: 'The year-over-year [EV sales] decline in Q2 was only the third decline on record, and a sign of a more mature market. The increase from Q1 may well be the start of a rush ahead of the federal incentive phase-out, offering a short-term boost in an otherwise uncertain landscape.' GM also announced in June that it's investing $4 billion in the expansion of gas truck and SUV production, allowing it to more readily meet varied consumer demand between internal combustion engines and electric driving. Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results
Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results originally appeared on Autoblog. General Motors had a lot to celebrate after Q2 Only three major automakers reported year-over-year sales growth in the U.S. during Q2, but their delivery percentage increases don't tell the entire story. Ford experienced the most annual gains during Q2 at 14.2%, followed by Toyota at 7.2%, and General Motors (GM) at 7%. While Ford and Toyota experienced higher year-over-year increases than GM, GM delivered more units throughout Q2 than either of these two companies. During Q2, GM sold 746,588 units in the U.S., Toyota moved 666,469 vehicles, and Ford logged 612,095 sales. Growth in year-over-year sales remains a crucial metric among automakers, but quarterly numbers are especially relevant right now, given the market uncertainty introduced by President Trump's tariffs on vehicle and part imports. Duncan Aldred, GM senior VP and president of North America, said in a statement: 'The investments we have made in our crossovers, SUVs, and pickups—both gas and electric—along with great execution by our employees, suppliers, and dealers, have made GM the engine of growth for the U.S. industry this year.' A closer look at GM's Q2 success GM's electric vehicle (EV) sales rose by more than 100% during Q2 after it became the industry's second-highest seller of the segment last year. Cadillac proved to be intense competition for Tesla as the luxury EV market share leader in Q2. GM's Q2 crossover sales were up a record 16% during Q2 and 23% during the first six months of the year. The automaker also reported a 12% year-over-year sales increase for the first half of 2025, leading the U.S. industry in total and retail sales and outpacing the 4% total market growth estimate. Buick had the most significant first-half sales increase of any GM brand, up 29% with its crossover portfolio. Chevrolet sales increased 9% during the first half of 2025, with its Equinox SUV leading the way and GMC boasting record Sierra pickup deliveries, placing GM on track toward its sixth year in a row as the industry's full-size pickup sales leader and its 51st year as the full-size SUV leader. While the fleet business decreased by 3% during Q1 and Q2, GM's fleet, Envolve, increased by 10%. In total, GM moved 1.4 million units during the first six months of 2025, with a market share of 17%, representing the industry's largest year-over-year increase. Final thoughts Q3 could allow GM's EV sales to make more headway as consumers rush to capitalize on the remaining federal tax credit that expires on September 30. GM's EV sales during Q2 were especially significant given that the overall segment declined annually by 6%. Stephanie Valdez Streaty, senior analyst at Cox Automotive, said: 'The year-over-year [EV sales] decline in Q2 was only the third decline on record, and a sign of a more mature market. The increase from Q1 may well be the start of a rush ahead of the federal incentive phase-out, offering a short-term boost in an otherwise uncertain landscape.' GM also announced in June that it's investing $4 billion in the expansion of gas truck and SUV production, allowing it to more readily meet varied consumer demand between internal combustion engines and electric driving. Ford and Toyota Won't Like General Motors's Q2 Sales Results first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Why is a Russian ‘shadow fleet' using Irish waters?
Earlier this month, the Sierra tanker set off from a Russian port on the Baltic Sea laden with thousands of tonnes of crude oil and set a course for India. There was nothing unusual about that – Russia has continued to export vast amounts of fossil fuels despite the international sanctions imposed following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, when the Sierra, a 250 metre tanker, reached Dutch waters, it did something which left maritime and naval experts scratching their heads. Instead of taking the safest and most economically efficient route through the English Channel and down the coast of France, the ship abruptly turned north. It sailed all the way around the British Isles into the North Atlantic before coming down the Irish west coast on July 10th. It skirted down the very edge of the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) before continuing south to India. READ MORE Two weeks previously, the Marathon, another sanctioned vessel carrying Russian oil, made the exact same journey. The Sierra and Marathon are part of what has become known as Russia's shadow fleet and are just two of an increasing number of vessels which have been engaging in suspicious and sometimes bizarre behaviour around Irish waters in recent months. This has raised both environmental and national security concerns among Irish officials, especially given Ireland's extremely limited ability to monitor such vessels. An Irish Times investigation has identified 19 shadow fleet vessels sailing in, or just outside, the Irish EEZ since May. Five of these ships appeared more than once. All are subject to US or UK sanctions, while 11 are subject to EU sanctions. [ New €60m sonar system aims to protect transatlantic cables, gas pipelines in Irish waters Opens in new window ] The most recent sailing occurred on Saturday when the Matari, a crude oil tanker flagged in Sierra Leone, sailed north through the EEZ on its way to the Gulf of Kola in the Russian Arctic. There are various definitions of a shadow fleet vessel, but most involve a ship engaging in deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil or other cargos. In the majority of cases, these ships fly the flag of a small country with a poor reputation for maritime regulations. Sometimes, as is the case with the Sierra which claims it is flagged in the landlocked African nation of Malawi, the registration is fraudulent (it previously flew the flags of Sao Tome and Principe, Liberia, Gabon and Barbados). The tally of 19 ships observed around Ireland recently is likely an undercount. The vessels were tracked using tools from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand-based marine software firm, and open source marine tracking platforms. Their location was based on the signals from their automatic identification systems (AIS). A defining feature of shadow vessels is that they often sail with AIS turned off, which makes them all but impossible to track. The figure of 19 shadow fleet vessels does not include the Shtandart, a replica of a historic Russian navy ship, which visited a Co Louth port earlier this month despite being under EU sanctions. [ State needs to invest in Navy and Air Corps to beef up our ability to protect vital undersea connections Opens in new window ] Many of the recent incidents in Irish waters involved ships engaging in unusual and economically inefficient practices, including sailing outside of recognised shipping lanes and taking the long way around Ireland on the way to the Baltic Sea. 'Vessels don't take longer routes, especially those that include the North Atlantic, unless there's a reason,' said Mark Douglas, a maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence and a former New Zealand Royal Navy officer. 'The important thing about all of this is, I don't know why this is happening and no one else does either,' he said. One possible explanation for the growing number of sanctioned ships sailing up the Irish west coast is increased monitoring of traffic in the English Channel by UK authorities. UK officials are now challenging by radio an average of 40 shadow vessels every month off the British coast as part of a joint campaign with a group of EU countries to tackle Russian sanction busting. Christian Panton, an expert in maritime open source intelligence, said European countries are increasingly concerned about the presence of unflagged or fraudulently flagged vessels in their waters. The Russian oil tanker Sierra. Photograph: Marinetraffic/Hannes van Rijn The Shtandart, a replica of a historic Russian navy ship, in Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw He pointed to a recent joint communication from the NB8++, a group of 12 northern European countries, stating that 'if vessels fail to fly a valid flag in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, we will take appropriate action within international law'. Ireland is not a member of this group, meaning vessels may feel more comfortable sailing off its west coast than going through the English Channel. Evidence suggests shadow fleet ships may also be attempting to avoid areas which impose specific environmental conditions on oil tankers. Since 2005, the Western European Tanker Reporting System (Wetrep) has required oil tankers to provide details of their crews, cargo and seaworthiness when sailing through a designated area. Ireland is a member of Wetrep and much of its EEZ is classified as a designated reporting area. Several of the shadow vessel ships tracked through the EEZ in recent weeks appeared to be just skirting the Wetrep area, meaning they did not have to provide details on their operations to authorities. The increased presence of the shadow fleet off Ireland has raised concern among national security officials. During one recent voyage through the English Channel, the Sierra was escorted by a Russian warship which had disguised itself as a fishing vessel. [ Ireland cannot protect its waters alone, UN expert says Opens in new window ] There is concern Russia intends to start regularly providing military escorts for shadow vessels to deter western intervention. This raises the chances of military escalation. Secondly, there is concern about the activity of shadow fleet vessels around Irish undersea cables. In a small number of cases, vessels have been observed by the Irish Air Corps or Naval Service loitering in the areas of these cables. Last March, the Arne, a shadow fleet tanker previously boarded by German federal police over suspicions of sabotage, was spotted by the Naval Service near undersea cables off Cork. The main risks to undersea infrastructure may come not from deliberate action but from the poor condition of shadow fleet vessels. Douglas points out accidents account for 90 per cent of incidents of damage to undersea cables globally. Many shadow fleet vessels are in poor condition and are crewed by inexperienced sailors. The countries they are flagged in take little interest in enforcing safety standards or crew working conditions. All of this raises the danger of an anchor being accidentally dropped and dredged across some cables, said Douglas. The biggest concern for Irish officials is that the poor condition of these ships could result in an ecological disaster. Eleven of the 19 ships identified in recent weeks were carrying full loads of crude oil when sailing off Ireland. The clean-up costs for an oil spill from a single shadow fleet tanker could be nearly €750 million, according to recent estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Such an incident would be devastating to Irish waters, even if the ship was sailing just outside the EEZ, as was the case with the Sierra and Marathon. 'That is the thing would keep me up at night, more than anything with cables,' said an Irish maritime official. 'There are redundancies built into the cable system. There's no redundancy for an oil spill.' It is not an entirely hypothetical scenario. In January, the sanctioned tanker Eventin lost control while at anchor off Germany. The Blue, a sanctioned oil tanker heading for the Baltic, took an unusual route around Ireland. Photograph: Marinetraffic/Hans Rosenkranz Last week, the Pushpa, a shadow fleet oil tanker, reported losing control about 50 nautical miles off Malta. 'Imagine that on Ireland's Atlantic coast,' said Douglas. The right of Ireland to do anything about these ships is up for debate. Maritime law is ambiguous about the rights of countries to board or seize shadow fleet vessels. In April, the Estonian Naval Service boarded an unflagged shadow fleet vessel off its coast, but no other country has taking similar action. Ireland largely lacks the ability to conduct such operations, but some action is being taken. The Defence Forces and Coast Guard monitor many of these vessels as they pass through. The newly acquired Airbus C295 maritime patrol aircraft, which has extended range and more advanced sensors than its predecessors, has proven invaluable. Just last Friday, an Air Corps C295 set a course for the Mayo coast where it monitored the Blue, a sanctioned oil tanker heading for the Baltic and taking an unusual route around Ireland. It is understood the Defence Forces received prior intelligence about the ship, which has since left Irish waters. Earlier in the week, it intercepted the Belgorod, another sanctioned tanker sailing north through the EEZ. A Defence Forces spokesman declined to comment on the operations but said it 'maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. 'We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters.' The Department of Transport, which regulates maritime traffic, said the Irish Coast Guard 'has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ'. It said the Coast Guard is specifically concerned about the increased possibility of maritime casualty incidents 'from such vessels'. A spokesman also pointed to several measures being taken to crack down on shadow fleet vessels operating without maritime insurance. Ireland is taking part in a one-month 'focused inspection campaign' to check the insurance documents of oil tankers calling to ports. It has also signed up to a new EU system to monitor shadow fleet vessels. Nevertheless, recent events suggest shadow fleet traffic is only likely to increase. Last week, the EU agreed an additional sanctions package for Russia which will further limit the legitimate market for its oil exports and increase Moscow's reliance on its shadow fleet.
