PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 26 of 61
Daily news digests, benchmark roundups, 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.
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- Samsung 256GB microSD Drops to $47.99 — 40% Off Storage Deal — Samsung's 256 GB EVO Select microSD hit $47.99 (40% off) — here's who should grab it, why a SATA SSD still wins for desktop storage, and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X vs Ryzen 5 5600G for a Budget Local-AI Workstation — AM4's cheapest local-AI decision comes down to two Zen 3 chips. Here's the head-to-head on cores, cache, iGPU, GPU pairing, and real… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Best SSD for a Raspberry Pi 5 Boot Drive in 2026 — The SD card is the last real bottleneck on a Raspberry Pi 5. Here's how NVMe on the M.2 HAT+ and SATA-over-USB compare on boot time… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- MAYFLASH F300 vs GameSir G7 SE: Best Controller for PC Fighting Games (2026) — MAYFLASH F300 vs GameSir G7 SE for PC fighting games in 2026 — layout, modding, and real execution differences broken down. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Samsung 870 EVO vs Crucial BX500: Best Budget SATA SSD for a 2026 Build — Samsung 870 EVO vs Crucial BX500 in 2026 — sustained writes, endurance, and real desktop feel compared for a 1TB SATA build. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- AVX-512 Speeds Up Linux Software RAID by Up to 41% on AMD Ryzen — Linux kernel patches now use AVX-512 for md RAID XOR and syndrome math. Ryzen 7000/9000 desktops gain ~41% on parity rebuild and ~22% on… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Jellyfin on a Ryzen 5 5600G: 4K Transcoding on a $400 Mini-Server (2026) — A Ryzen 5 5600G or 5700G plus 32GB DDR4 and dual SATA SSDs makes a Jellyfin server that handles 4K HEVC transcode for $380-460. Full parts… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- A New Benchmark Says AI Fails at Real Knowledge Work — Does a Bigger Local Rig Help? — Scale AI's GDPval benchmark exposes real knowledge-work gaps in every model. A bigger local rig helps at the margins, but VRAM is not the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- OpenAI Codex Now Repeats a Task After Watching Once — Local Agentic Alternatives — OpenAI's watch-once Codex sets a new bar for agentic coding. Here is what an RTX 3060 12GB can and cannot reproduce with open weights in… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Can a Modern Sound Blaster G6 Replace an AWE64 for Retro PC Audio? — The Sound BlasterX G6 vs a period AWE64 for retro PC audio in 2026 — where the G6 wins for Windows XP-era gaming, and why DOS still needs… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Best Game Controllers for Every Platform in 2026 — Cross-platform daily driver, wired PC precision, fighting stick, Switch pad, and a $40 retro gem — the five game controllers worth buying… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- Best Budget SATA SSD for a Retro PC Build in 2026 — Best budget SATA SSD for a 2026 retro PC build: Crucial BX500 1TB at $85 behind a $12 SATA-to-IDE bridge is the answer. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 6 min read
- Adafruit Reverse-Engineers the Creative Katana V2X Soundbar — Adafruit teardown of the Creative Katana V2X reveals a Cortex-M4 with debug pads. Pair with a Pi 4 for a maker weekend project. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 4 min read
- 256GB microSD Drops to $32 — but for a Game Library, a SATA SSD Still Wins — Samsung 256GB microSD is $32 this week. For a retro-PC game library the Crucial BX500 1TB SATA is still the better buy. Here is why. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 4 min read
- Building a Period-Correct 1998 Voodoo2 SLI Rig (and Imaging Its Boot Drive) — Building a period-correct 1998 Voodoo2 SLI PC in 2026: parts list, SLI wiring, CompactFlash boot workflow, and 30 hours of Q2 SLI logged. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 7 min read
- Self-Hosting Jellyfin on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB: Real Performance — How the Raspberry Pi 4 8GB holds up as a self-hosted Jellyfin server in 2026: transcoding limits, SSD storage, direct-play tips, and power… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- OpenAI Codex Now Records and Replays Your Workflow: the Local-Rig Angle — The minimum hardware to run OpenAI Codex record-and-replay locally: RTX 3060 12GB, Ryzen 7 5800X, and a dedicated SATA SSD for records. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 7 min read
- Panther Lake NPU vs RTX 3060 12GB for Local LLM Inference — Is the Intel Panther Lake NPU enough for local LLMs, or do you still need an RTX 3060 12GB? Tokens per second, watts, and a verdict matrix. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Is the KOORUI 27" 4K QD-Mini LED Worth It for RTX 3060 Gaming? — The KOORUI's QD-Mini LED HDR-1400 outlives the 3060; DLSS Quality bridges the gap at 4K in AAA. Pair works if you want a monitor that… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Best CompactFlash and IDE-to-USB Adapters for Retro PC Builds (2026) — FIDECO's USB 3.0 SATA/IDE bridge is the everyday imaging cable; the Transcend CF133 is the reliable Win98 boot medium. All picks list on… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Best CPU Cooling for AMD Ryzen Builds in 2026 — The Noctua NH-U12S is the overall pick for stock Ryzen; the DeepCool AK620 wins on quiet white builds; the ML240L RGB is the value AIO… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5800X for a Budget 2026 Build — The 5600G's iGPU makes it the smart pick if you're building without a discrete card. Get the 5800X when a GPU lands on day one — its extra… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Is the RTX 3060 12GB Still Worth It for Gaming in 2026? — The RTX 3060 12GB is still a defensible 1080p buy in 2026 if you find one discounted. 12GB VRAM beats 8GB cards in memory-hungry titles… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- Build a Home NAS on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — A Raspberry Pi 4 8GB with a USB3 SSD makes the cheapest always-on home NAS in 2026. Gigabit Ethernet is the ceiling — not the CPU. Full… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 15 min read
- CompactFlash as an IDE Boot Drive: The Definitive Win98 Storage Guide — CompactFlash as an IDE boot drive is silent, cool, and period-correct — but only fixed-disk mode boots Win98 reliably. BIOS ceilings +… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Best SATA SSD for Gaming and Console Upgrades in 2026 — SATA SSDs remain the right call for PS4 upgrades, older laptops without M.2, and cheap high-capacity storage. The picks that survived a… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 16 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for AM4 Ryzen in 2026 — Strong dual-tower air or 240mm AIO is the right cooler for a Ryzen 7 5800X in 2026. Stock coolers cover low-power Ryzens; higher-TDP chips… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- The Budget Streaming Starter Kit: Mic, Light, and Webcam Under $250 — USB condenser mic, soft ring light, and 1080p webcam — the three variables viewers judge on. The right picks land the whole kit under $250… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- ComfyUI on an RTX 3060 12GB: Stable Diffusion Throughput in 2026 — ComfyUI runs comfortably on 12GB RTX 3060 for SD 1.5 and SDXL in 2026. Batch renders and heavy upscaler stacks are where 16GB and 24GB… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Building a Budget Local-AI Box: Ryzen 7 5800X + RTX 3060 12GB — AM4 Ryzen 7 5800X plus an RTX 3060 12GB is the sub-$1000 entry into private local inference in 2026. Exact parts, why they fit, and the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- Running a Local Bug-Hunting LLM on an RTX 3060 12GB — The RTX 3060 12GB holds a quantized 7B-to-14B code model with room for context — enough for reviewing individual files and diffs, not full… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Running Mistral Leanstral 1.5 Locally on an RTX 3060 12GB — A 4-bit or 5-bit K-quant of Mistral's math-and-code Leanstral 1.5 fits inside 12GB. Higher precisions push past the frame buffer and force… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Best CPU for the RTX 3060 12GB (No Bottleneck) in 2026 — The Ryzen 7 5700X wins the FPS-per-dollar race for the RTX 3060 12GB in 2026 — head-to-head vs the 5600G and 5800X with benchmarks. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- DualSense vs GameSir G7 SE for PC Gaming in 2026: Which Controller Wins? — The DualSense wins for wireless couch play with adaptive triggers; the GameSir G7 SE wins for wired, drift-proof competitive PC gaming at… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- OpenAI Codex Now Repeats Tasks From One Demo: Can a Local RTX 3060 Agent Match It? — OpenAI Codex now watch-and-repeats a task after one demo. We test whether an RTX 3060 12GB local agent can match it on tok/s, cost, and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Sega's TMSS Explained: The Lock-Out Chip Behind the Genesis, and Why It Still Trips Up Reissues — Sega's TMSS boot check gated every Genesis cart on the string 'SEGA' — a trademark trick that shaped courtrooms, reissues, and lockout… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 15 min read
- Windows NT Now Boots on the Nintendo GameCube: What the Homebrew Port Actually Runs — Windows NT now boots on a Nintendo GameCube in 2026 via a revived PowerPC homebrew port — proof-of-concept only, but a landmark for retro… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Best Budget Gaming Audio for 2026: Headsets, Earbuds, Mics and DACs — Best budget gaming audio for 2026 — a Turtle Beach Recon 50, HyperX QuadCast 2, Sound BlasterX G6, and TAGRY earbuds stack for under $210. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Best Sim Racing Setup for 2026: Wheels, Shifters and Pedals — Sim racing buying guide for GT7 and Assetto Corsa Competizione players: $300, $600 and $1500 builds with wheel, pedal, shifter and cockpit… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X: Which Wins for Budget 1080p Gaming? — The 5600G's Vega 7 iGPU clears 90 fps at 1080p in CS2, Valorant, and Fortnite with no dGPU. Add an RTX 3060 12GB and the 5700X wins AAA by… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- GameSir G7 SE vs DualSense for PC Gaming in 2026 — GameSir G7 SE or DualSense for PC gaming? Wired hall-effect value vs wireless haptics. Latency, ergonomics, and the buyer's verdict. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Modern Sound Cards on Retro Rigs: The Sound BlasterX G6 for Win9x and DOS Audio — The Sound BlasterX G6 is a great modern DAC for Win2K/XP retro rigs, but a real ISA Sound Blaster or PicoGUS is still required for… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- Samsung's 256GB microSD Drops to $47.99 — and What It Means for Cheap Storage — Samsung's 256GB microSD is 40% off at $47.99. When it's the right buy — and when a SATA SSD like the Samsung 870 EVO wins on speed. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Is the KOORUI 27-inch 4K Mini-LED a Real Upgrade for Console Gaming? — The KOORUI 27" 4K QD-Mini LED delivers real 1,000-nit HDR and 300+ dimming zones for $499, a legitimate console-gaming upgrade over budget… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- OpenAI Codex 'Watch Once, Repeat Forever': What It Means for Local Coding Rigs — OpenAI's Codex watch-once-repeat changes the coding-agent cost model. Here's how to approximate it locally on an RTX 3060 12GB with Aider… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Can a Ryzen 5 5600G Run Local LLMs With No GPU? CPU + iGPU Inference Tested — Can a Ryzen 5 5600G run local LLMs without a GPU? Measured tok/sec on 7B and 13B, iGPU offload tested, and the RAM-speed knob that matters… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Samsung Odyssey 4K vs KOORUI QD-Mini LED: Best 4K Gaming Monitor? — Samsung Odyssey 4K vs KOORUI QD-Mini LED 27" — same $500 street price, wildly different panels. Our verdict for a 3060-tier 4K gaming… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Self-Hosted Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB (2026 Build) — How to build a rock-solid Home Assistant server on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026, with SSD boot, ~$30/year electricity, and local voice… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Period-Correct Win98 Build in 2026: CompactFlash, Drivers, Glide — A period-correct Windows 98 build in 2026 — CompactFlash boot, correct chipset drivers, Glide via wrapper. The complete guide with parts… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Best Game Controllers for PC, Retro & Handheld in 2026 — The best PC, retro, and handheld controllers of 2026 — DualSense, GameSir G7 SE, 8BitDo Pro 2, SN30 Pro, and HORIPAD, tested and ranked. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read