PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 18 of 62
Daily news digests, deep-dive reviews, and long-form buying guides on GPUs, CPUs, home AI workstations, local LLM runtimes, retro PC builds, and the tools real builders use in 2026.
Showing articles 851–900 of 3058.
Browse 28 Categories
- GPT-5.6 Sol matches Fable 5 near one-third the cost — GPT-5.6 Sol lands Claude Fable 5 quality at one-third the cost. What that shifts for buyers, self-hosters, and rig builders in 2026. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 10 min read
- Intel Nova Lake-S adds two 22-core gaming-cache SKUs — Intel is copying AMD's X3D playbook with 22-core Nova Lake-S SKUs. Here is why AM4 buyers do not need to wait for the launch calendar. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Do you need a shifter for sim racing? Logitech G29 + Thrustmaster TH8A — You need a shifter only if you race H-pattern cars. How to add a Thrustmaster TH8A to a Logitech G29 sim rig, step by step. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Best budget SSD for a gaming PC in 2026: BX500 vs 970 EVO Plus vs SSD Plus — SATA BX500 or NVMe 970 EVO Plus for a budget gaming PC in 2026? Real game load-time deltas, per-GB math, and current 2026 pricing. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Air vs AIO for the Ryzen 7 5800X: is the Noctua NH-U12S enough? — The Noctua NH-U12S holds a Ryzen 7 5800X under gaming loads. Here is when a 240mm AIO actually earns the extra eighty dollars. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Intel Arc for Stable Diffusion: ComfyUI + A1111 setup (2026) — Stable Diffusion runs on Arc via IPEX, OpenVINO, or DirectML. SDXL benchmarks vs the RTX 3060 12GB, plus setup steps and common pitfalls. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Prime Intellect's $130M raise: build your own agent rig — Self-host the same agent stack Prime Intellect sells as managed cloud: RTX 3060 12GB, Ryzen 7 5800X, 32GB RAM, fast NVMe under $900. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 9 min read
- Intel Arc Pro B60 24GB vs RTX 3060 12GB: the VRAM math — The Arc Pro B60 24GB beats an RTX 3060 12GB only when your workload spills VRAM. Here is exactly when that math actually flips over. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 10 min read
- IPEX-LLM + Ollama on Intel Arc vs RTX 3060 12GB (2026) — IPEX-LLM is the Arc GPU backend Ollama needs. Install path, VRAM math, and tok/s vs the RTX 3060 12GB baseline across four cards. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 10 min read
- Does a Gaming Mouse Pad Actually Improve Your Aim? QcK vs Generic — Does a gaming mouse pad actually make you aim better? We tested the SteelSeries QcK against a generic pad across 4,000 shots to find out. Mike Perry · 2026-07-12 · 10 min read
- Best Game Controller for PC and PS5 in 2026 — The five best game controllers for PC and PS5 in 2026, tested for latency, drift resistance, and battery life across DualSense, GameSir… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 11 min read
- Best Budget SSD for Gaming and Boot Drives in 2026 — Five budget SSDs tested for gaming and boot drives in 2026: SATA vs NVMe, capacity per dollar, and which one belongs in your next PC build. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- MSI RTX 3060 12GB in 2026: Still the Right 1080p GPU? — Is the MSI RTX 3060 12GB still a smart 1080p GPU in 2026? Real benchmarks, VRAM story, best AM4 pairing, and where it beats newer 8GB cards. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Raspberry Pi 4 8GB Cyberdeck Build: A Practical 2026 Parts Guide — Build a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB cyberdeck: boot from a Crucial BX500, plan cooling, pick a display, and land a real portable Linux workstation. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 11 min read
- Build a Pi Zero 2 W Retro Mini-TV: Full Parts List and Setup — Build a compact, low-power Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W mini TV in an afternoon: parts, wiring, software, and honest limits for a 5-inch build. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Qwen 3.6 27B Matches Sonnet 4.6 on Artificial Analysis Agency — Qwen 3.6 27B has matched Claude Sonnet 4.6 on Artificial Analysis' Agentic Index — a new benchmark high-water mark for locally deployable… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Top 20 Most Played Steam Deck Games: April 2026 — SteamDeckHQ's April 2026 playtime rankings reveal which titles dominate Valve's handheld by session hours — from farming sims and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade-Secret Theft: What It Means — Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade-secret theft. What the filing says, what it doesn't, and why local-AI builders are watching closely. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 8 min read
- Best AM4 CPU to Pair With an RTX 3060 12GB in 2026 — For a 3060 12GB build in 2026 the Ryzen 7 5700X is the sensible default — here's when the 5800X or 5600G are the smarter picks. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Best Budget SSD for PS5 and Steam Download Cache in 2026 — For a Steam library and console backups in 2026 the Crucial BX500 1TB SATA is the best value — here's when to add NVMe and when not to… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Qwen 3.6 vs Frontier Models on a Local Rig: The Honest Gap — On coding and structured tasks a local Qwen 3.6 27B rig is within ~15 points of frontier — here's where local wins and where the gap is… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 9 min read
- A 4B Local Coding Agent That Hits 87%: Does It Run on a 3060? — A 4B coding model at Q4_K_M fits in ~2.5GB on the RTX 3060 12GB — here's the tok/s, the SSD choice, and when local beats a cloud API bill. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Qwen 3.6 27B on a 12GB RTX 3060: Which Quant Actually Fits? — Q4_K_M does not fit on a 12GB RTX 3060 — here is the quant matrix that does, the tok/s you should expect, and when a used 3090 is the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- 1999 Dream Build Reborn: Voodoo3, Pentium III, CF Storage — A period-correct 1999 Voodoo3 + Pentium III build, with modern CompactFlash storage. Parts list, install steps, and 2026 sourcing. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 13 min read
- Best AM4 CPU for Gaming in 2026: 5 Ranked Picks — The five best AM4 CPUs for gaming in 2026, ranked. From the 5800X flagship to the 5500 budget pick — plus cooler and RAM pairing. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 13 min read
- Crucial BX500 vs Samsung 970 EVO Plus: SATA vs NVMe — Should you buy a SATA Crucial BX500 or an NVMe Samsung 970 EVO Plus? Real-world speed, price per GB, and where NVMe actually matters. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- Noctua NH-U12S vs Cooler Master ML240L for Ryzen 5800X — Air or AIO cooler for a Ryzen 7 5800X? Noctua NH-U12S vs Cooler Master ML240L on load temps, noise, reliability, and price. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 13 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X vs 5700X for 1080p High-Refresh Gaming — Is the Ryzen 7 5800X worth the premium over the 5700X for 1080p high-refresh gaming? Benchmarks, thermals, and the buyer's verdict. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- RTX 3060 12GB vs Intel Arc B580 for Stable Diffusion — RTX 3060 12GB or Intel Arc B580 for Stable Diffusion under $350? VRAM, CUDA vs oneAPI, images/minute, and the buyer's verdict. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 11 min read
- Mystery N64 Cartridge Found in the Woods Boots Up — A weather-worn N64 cart was cleaned, dumped, and booted. What that tells you about cartridge rot, ROM preservation, and modern tools. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 9 min read
- Samsung's 240Hz 1440p Gaming Monitor Drops to $169 — Samsung's 1440p 240Hz gaming monitor drops to $169. Panel specs, GPU pairings, and how it stacks up against 4K/144Hz alternatives. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 8 min read
- Ollama vs llama.cpp for Qwen 3.6 27B on a 12GB RTX 3060 — Ollama or llama.cpp for Qwen 3.6 27B on a 12 GB RTX 3060? Feature and tok/s comparison plus the runner best fit for your workflow. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- Can Local Qwen 3.6 Match Frontier Models at Canvas Code? — Single-file HTML canvas animation is a brutal code benchmark. Can local Qwen 3.6 match frontier models? Here is the answer. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- Qwen 3.6 27B GGUF: BF16 vs Q4_K_M vs Q8_0 Compared — Which Qwen 3.6 27B GGUF quant is worth your VRAM budget? BF16, Q8_0, and Q4_K_M compared with a full q2-fp16 matrix. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- Qwen 3.6 27B at 2x tok/s: Luce DFlash on One RTX 3090 — Luce DFlash speculative decoding roughly doubles Qwen 3.6 27B throughput on a single RTX 3090. Here are the tok/s numbers. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 13 min read
- Qwen 3.6 27B vs Sonnet 4.6: Local Agentic Benchmarks — Qwen 3.6 27B matched Sonnet 4.6 on the Agentic Index as of 2026. See the score, the VRAM, and the cost math for running it locally. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 12 min read
- AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Hitting 98°C While Streaming? — AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X has a 95°C Tjmax — sustained 98°C during streaming means active throttling. Here is what public reviews say about… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- 007 First Light on Steam Deck: Performance & Best Settings — 007 First Light Steam Deck performance guide: synthesis of community reports, optimal settings, and IO Interactive's optimization track… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Offline Suitcase Robot: Jetson Orin NX SUPER + Gemma 4 E4B — A community builder documented a fully air-gapped suitcase robot on Jetson Orin NX SUPER 16GB with Gemma 4 E4B, 30+ wired sensors, and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Local Coding Agents: 87% HumanEval with a 4B-Parameter Model — Fine-tuned 4B-parameter models with agentic scaffolding reach 85–87% pass@1 on HumanEval. Here's the hardware, software stack, and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- M5 vs DGX Spark vs Strix Halo vs RTX 6000: AI Workload Guide — Apple M5 Max, NVIDIA DGX Spark, AMD Strix Halo, and RTX 6000 Ada compared by memory capacity, power draw, and real AI workload fit — no… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Razer Soma Chroma Gaming Chair Review: RGB vs. Adjustability — Full Razer Chroma RGB ecosystem sync comes to a gaming chair, but published specs flag limited adjustability versus rivals at the $399.99… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Solar-Powered Bird Identifier: Raspberry Pi Zero 2W + AI Camera — How makers build solar-powered AI bird identifiers with Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and the AI Camera — hardware specs, power budgets, model… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Windows XP on Steam Deck: Retro Setup Guide — Running Windows XP on Steam Deck is possible via QEMU VM or PC emulation — here's what community methods show about compatibility… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Build Your Own Air Quality Monitor: Skip the $300+ Price Tag — NDIR-based DIY air quality monitors deliver commercial-grade CO₂ and PM2.5 readings for under $115 in parts — rivaling units that retail… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Flux.2-Klein Pipeline: Real-Time Webcam AI at 30 FPS — How the open-source Flux.2-Klein pipeline applies the FLUX diffusion architecture to real-time 1080p webcam streams — GPU selection… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11
- Prime Intellect Raises $130M to Help Enterprises Build Their Own AI Agents — Prime Intellect raised $130M Series A to help enterprises build their own AI agents. The hardware ripple, from a solo RTX 3060 desk to a… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 8 min read
- Sony to End Physical PlayStation Disc Production by 2028: What It Means for Gamers — Sony is reportedly ending physical PlayStation disc production by 2028. What that means for resale, preservation, and what to buy while… Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 8 min read
- Best PC and Console Game Controller in 2026 — The best PC and console controller in 2026 is still the DualSense. Here’s the value pick, the fighting-game pick, and the full comparison. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read
- Imaging Vintage IDE Drives in 2026: The Retro-PC Backup Workflow — How to image a vintage IDE drive with a modern USB adapter and ddrescue, then migrate to CompactFlash for silent, reliable retro-PC storage. Mike Perry · 2026-07-11 · 10 min read