PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 2 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 51–100 of 3058.
Browse 28 Categories
- RTX 3060 12GB for Local LLMs: The Complete 2026 Guide — Median tok/s by model size from 49 published RTX 3060 12GB runs, the point where 12 GB stops being enough, and the full cluster index. Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 9 min read
- Best 4K Monitor for Reviewing AI-Generated Images on an RTX 3060 — Which 27-inch 4K panel to pair with an RTX 3060 12GB for culling Stable Diffusion output, and what a 4K desktop really costs you in VRAM… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 15 min read
- Best Work-From-Home Kit for Gamers in 2026 — The five-piece desk kit that covers 9-to-5 video calls and evening game streams: webcam, ring light, USB mic, wireless combo and earbuds… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 15 min read
- i7-9700K vs Ryzen 7 5800X as a CPU-Offload Host for a 12GB GPU — Eight threads versus sixteen when a 27-32B model spills off a 12GB card: why prefill scales with core count but generation hits the DDR4… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 17 min read
- 360mm vs 240mm AIO: Is the Bigger Radiator Worth It in 2026? — A 360mm AIO beats a 240mm by single digits on temperature — the real win is holding that temperature at a far lower fan curve. Here is the… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 17 min read
- Best PC Gaming Upgrades Under $30 in 2026 — The five PC gaming upgrades worth buying under $30 in 2026 — storage, surface, audio, input and lighting — ranked by measurable benefit… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 17 min read
- Govee vs DAYBETTER vs KSIPZE: Best LED Strip for Desk and Monitor Bias Lighting — Govee, DAYBETTER and KSIPZE compared for desk and monitor bias lighting — LED density, voltage drop, camera-safe white and true cost per… Mike Perry · 2026-08-27 · 15 min read
- Best Dorm Room Gaming Setup in 2026: 5 Picks That Fit One Desk — A 27-inch dual-mode display, a wired headset, wireless earbuds, a Hall-effect controller and a quiet combo — gear that fits one shallow… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 15 min read
- NEEWER 18" vs UBeesize 22" Ring Light for Webcam Streaming (2026) — An 18-inch ring fits the desk; a 22-inch ring fits beside it. Clearance, colour temperature and eyeline decide this, not the 5W wattage gap. Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 16 min read
- Ryzen 5 2600 vs Core i7-9700K for a First 1080p Gaming Build (2026) — Ryzen 5 2600 or Core i7-9700K for a first 1080p build? The Intel chip wins more benchmarks; the AMD socket still takes a faster CPU in two… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 16 min read
- Best Steam Deck Dock and 4K Monitor Setup for TV-Mode Gaming in 2026 — A $36 HDMI 2.1 dock plus a dual-mode 27-inch 4K panel is the docked-handheld sweet spot. Here is why the display, not the dock, is your… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 13 min read
- Thrustmaster TH8A vs the G29's Stock Shifter: Is a Standalone H-Pattern Worth It? — The G29 ships no shifter, so the real choice is $59 for Logitech's add-on or $199 for the TH8A. The cars you actually race decide which… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 12 min read
- Best Steam Deck Docked Setup for a 4K Desk in 2026: Dock, Monitor, Storage — The Steam Deck outputs 4K but renders 1080p. Dock, monitor, storage and controller picks matched to the real render budget, with August… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 17 min read
- Wired vs Bluetooth Headsets for Competitive FPS in 2026: The Latency Math — Bluetooth adds 308-369 ms end to end plus up to 45 ms of jitter. A $28 wired headset removes both. The full latency math, and when… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 18 min read
- Best Steam Deck Accessories in 2026: Docks, Audio, Controllers, and Storage — Docks, audio, controllers and storage for the Steam Deck in 2026, ranked by what actually changes the device — from a $26 budget pick to a… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 16 min read
- Genesis Mini vs SNES Classic vs Raspberry Pi 4: Which Retro Setup Wins in 2026? — Genesis Mini and SNES Classic now trade near $220 while a full Raspberry Pi 4 build lands lower. Setup time, emulation accuracy and cost… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 16 min read
- Wired Headset vs Bluetooth Earbuds for Competitive FPS: The Latency Math — How much latency Bluetooth earbuds really add for competitive FPS, where the delay comes from, and why positional cues cost you more than… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 15 min read
- Best Gaming Room Lighting in 2026: LED Strips and Ring Lights — Bias lighting and an on-camera key light are two different jobs. Five picks from $21 to $113, plus the voltage-drop math that decides how… Mike Perry · 2026-08-26 · 18 min read
- Best CPU Coolers for High-TDP Gaming Builds in 2026 — The best CPU coolers for high-TDP 2026 gaming builds: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black wins overall, with 240mm, 360mm, SFF and budget picks… Mike Perry · 2026-08-25 · 11 min read
- Logitech Extreme 3D Pro vs DualSense for Flight and Space Sims in 2026 — The DualSense wins on axes-per-dollar and cross-library use; the Extreme 3D Pro wins on rudder feel. Count your sim's analog axes before… Mike Perry · 2026-08-24 · 15 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for the Core i7-9700K in 2026 — The Core i7-9700K ships without a cooler and LGA1151 brackets are getting scarce. Four picks, a mounting checklist, and the step buyers… Mike Perry · 2026-08-24 · 17 min read
- Best Racing Wheels and Controllers for Sim Racing in 2026 — Five sim-racing picks from a $45 Hall-effect pad to a 900-degree force-feedback wheel, plus the mounting mistake that ruins most entry… Mike Perry · 2026-08-24 · 16 min read
- Logitech G29 vs HORI Racing Wheel Overdrive: Which Entry Sim Wheel Wins? — The G29 is PlayStation and PC; the HORI Overdrive is Xbox. Force feedback, pedal count and rotation angle decide the rest of this entry… Mike Perry · 2026-08-22 · 15 min read
- Best Budget PC Upgrades for 1440p Gaming in 2026 — GPU first, then storage, then CPU, then cooling. Five budget 1440p picks for 2026, each tied to a bottleneck you can measure before you… Mike Perry · 2026-08-22 · 17 min read
- Best Streaming Starter Kit for New Twitch Streamers in 2026 — Everything a new Twitch streamer actually needs in 2026, in the order you should buy it: mic, light, then camera. Five picks and a $369… Mike Perry · 2026-08-22 · 19 min read
- KOORUI 27" 4K vs Samsung Odyssey 4K: Best 27-Inch Panel for PC and Console — KOORUI 27-inch 4K at $349.99 vs Samsung Odyssey 4K at $489.99. Dual-mode 160Hz, HDMI 2.1 and what an RTX 3060 12GB can actually drive at 4K. Mike Perry · 2026-08-22 · 17 min read
- Kingston A400 960GB vs Crucial BX500 1TB for a PS4 Pro SSD Upgrade — The Crucial BX500 1TB or the Kingston A400 960GB? The PS4 Pro caps both well below their rated speed, so capacity decides it. Full swap… Mike Perry · 2026-08-22 · 17 min read
- HyperX QuadCast 2 vs Blue Yeti: Best USB Mic for Game Streaming in 2026 — The HyperX QuadCast 2 beats the Blue Yeti for solo game streaming on mount and mute ergonomics. Specs, prices and the counter-case, tested… Mike Perry · 2026-08-21 · 15 min read
- Build a Raspberry Pi Bird-Song Logger with a USB Mic (2026) — Build an always-on Raspberry Pi bird-song detector: board choice, USB mic picks, SSD vs microSD, codec storage math, and the setup… Mike Perry · 2026-08-21 · 16 min read
- Ryzen 5 2600 vs Ryzen 7 5800X: Is the AM4 Upgrade Worth It? — Ryzen 5 2600 vs Ryzen 7 5800X on AM4: cited benchmark deltas, the B450 BIOS trap, the cooler you now have to buy, and when to skip the… Mike Perry · 2026-08-21 · 15 min read
- Kingston 2GB DDR Modules: Identifying and Buying RAM for a 2004-Era Retro PC — Decode Kingston KVR part numbers, dodge chip-density and rank limits, fix the Windows 98 cache ceiling, and know when DDR1 is the wrong… Mike Perry · 2026-08-20 · 13 min read
- ZOTAC RTX 3060 12GB vs Intel Arc B580 12GB for 1440p Gaming in 2026 — The Arc B580 wins on bandwidth and MSRP; the RTX 3060 12GB keeps CUDA, NVENC and old-DirectX maturity. Which 12GB card to buy for 1440p in… Mike Perry · 2026-08-20 · 13 min read
- Best PCI Serial and IDE Adapters for Retro PCs in 2026 — PCI serial cards, powered USB-to-IDE bridges and CompactFlash carriers compared for retro builds: picks, chipset rules, slot keying and… Mike Perry · 2026-08-20 · 15 min read
- USB-to-IDE Adapter vs CF-to-IDE for Imaging Retro PC Drives — Image the old IDE drive before it dies, then replace it. Powered USB-to-IDE docks, CF-to-IDE carriers and SATA bridges compared, with BIOS… Mike Perry · 2026-08-20 · 15 min read
- ZOTAC RTX 3060 Twin Edge vs MSI RTX 3060 Ventus 3X: Which 12GB Card? — Same GA106 silicon, two very different coolers. Case clearance, sustained boost, noise and street price compared — plus which 12GB card to… Mike Perry · 2026-08-20 · 22 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for a Ryzen 7 3700X: Air vs 240mm AIO in 2026 — The stock Wraith Prism is thermally fine on a 3700X, so the upgrade is about noise. NH-U12S vs ML240L vs Kraken M22, with the clearance… Mike Perry · 2026-08-19 · 15 min read
- Best SATA SSDs for Reviving an Old PC in 2026 — Five SATA SSD picks for reviving an old PC, plus the compatibility checks, cloning gotchas and IDE-era migration hardware that actually… Mike Perry · 2026-08-19 · 15 min read
- Arc B580 12GB vs Arc A770 16GB: Which Intel GPU Wins at 1440p in 2026? — The Arc B580 beats the A770 at 1440p on frames and watts, but the A770's 16GB still wins for local AI. Specs, benchmarks and the RTX 3060… Mike Perry · 2026-08-19 · 14 min read
- 8BitDo Pro 2 vs GameSir G7 SE vs DualSense: the best PC controller for retro emulation in 2026 — The 8BitDo Pro 2 wins for SNES/Genesis/arcade libraries on D-pad feel alone; GameSir G7 SE or DualSense is the right pick for… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 13 min read
- Noctua NH-U12S vs Cooler Master ML240L RGB for a Ryzen 7 5800X gaming build: which cooler actually holds boost clocks? — For a gaming-only Ryzen 7 5800X in a well-ventilated case, the Noctua NH-U12S holds the boost window at lower noise than a Kraken M22 and… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 12 min read
- Best Storage Upgrades for a Legacy or Retro PC in 2026 — The Kingston A400 960GB is the safest SATA-I/II/III SSD upgrade for a legacy PC in 2026; pre-2000 IDE builds want a Transcend 4GB… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 14 min read
- Best Storage for a Raspberry Pi 4 Home Server: microSD vs SATA SSD vs NVMe — A Pi 4 home server writes microSD cards to death. Measure your daily write load first, then decide between a SATA SSD, NVMe, or staying on… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 14 min read
- Best Budget Gaming Peripherals Under $100 in 2026 — Five gaming peripherals worth buying under $100 in 2026: a cloth pad, a wireless combo, two headsets and bias lighting, with the tradeoffs… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 17 min read
- Best Low-Power CPU for a Jellyfin Home Server: 5600G vs i7-9700K — Picking a Jellyfin or Plex server CPU is an idle-watts and video-engine question, not a core-count one. The Ryzen 5 5600G and Core… Mike Perry · 2026-08-18 · 18 min read
- Best Raspberry Pi for a Retro Console Build in 2026: Pi 4 8GB vs Pi Zero 2 W — The Pi 4 Model B 8GB handles NES through PS1 and reaches N64 and Dreamcast; the Zero 2 W is a 16-bit specialist. How to pick the board and… Mike Perry · 2026-08-14 · 15 min read
- Arc B580 12GB vs RTX 3060 12GB: Which 12GB Card for 1440p in 2026? — Intel's Arc B580 12GB is 15-20% faster than the RTX 3060 12GB in modern raster at 1440p and undercuts it on MSRP, but the 3060 still wins… Mike Perry · 2026-08-09 · 12 min read
- Cooling a 24/7 Local LLM Rig: Air vs 120mm AIO vs 240mm AIO — Local LLM boxes running around the clock face a sustained thermal load, not a burst load. Air coolers usually win — here's when a 120mm or… Mike Perry · 2026-08-09 · 14 min read
- NVMe vs SATA SSD for Local LLM Model Libraries in 2026 — NVMe cold-loads a 20 GB local-LLM model in ~7 seconds; SATA takes ~40. Once weights are resident, storage is out of the loop. Here's the… Mike Perry · 2026-08-08 · 15 min read
- Can an RTX 3060 12GB Drive a 27-Inch 4K Monitor in 2026? — Native 4K in modern AAA sits at 30-45 fps on an RTX 3060 12GB; DLSS Quality pushes most titles back to 55-90 fps. Here's when the pairing… Mike Perry · 2026-08-08 · 15 min read
- Local LLM Setup in 2026: AMD GPU Guide by Model Size — A synthesis of AMD GPU options for running local LLMs in 2026 — VRAM needs by model size, RX 7900 XTX vs Instinct MI210/MI300X, and the… Mike Perry · 2026-08-08