PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 27 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.
Showing articles 1301–1350 of 3046.
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- Ryzen 7 5700X + RTX 3060 12GB: The Best Value 1080p Combo in 2026 — The Ryzen 7 5700X pairs with an RTX 3060 12GB to deliver the best 1080p value combo of 2026. Real fps, real watts, and a real upgrade path. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- SteamOS Boots on Intel Hardware: Enthusiast Hack Lands — A community patch lands SteamOS on Intel hardware for the first time. It boots, it plays games, and it exposes Valve's quiet AMD-first… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Intel Kills BigDL: The Local-LLM Path Forward in 2026 — Intel is retiring BigDL, the runtime behind IPEX-LLM. Here's what actually breaks for Arc GPU owners and why a 12GB RTX 3060 is still the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- DeepSeek on the US Entity List: Running V4 Locally in 2026 — DeepSeek's US Entity List designation restricts commerce with the company, not your download of the open weights. Here's what a 12GB card… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Build a Home AI Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — Can a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB run a local AI assistant? Yes — 1-3B models at 3-8 tok/s. The trick is a two-tier setup with a desktop for heavy… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Best Controller for Emulation and Fighting Games in 2026 — The best controllers for emulation and fighting games in 2026. Five picks with d-pad accuracy scores, per-platform setup, and pitfalls to… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- HyperX QuadCast 2 vs Blue Yeti for Streaming & Podcasting (2026) — The HyperX QuadCast 2 wins on vocals and modern USB-C; the Blue Yeti wins on multi-host podcast flexibility. Here's how to pick for your… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for a Budget Gaming Build — Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for a budget AM4 build: the answer hinges on whether you own a discrete GPU. Here's the diagnostic and the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Ryzen 7 9800X3D Hits Record-Low Price — and the 5800X Value Case — The 9800X3D just hit a record-low street price. It's the fastest gaming CPU per dollar for fresh builds — but the 5800X drop-in still wins… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- GLM-5.2 vs Frontier Models on GDPval-AA: What It Means for Local Builders — GLM-5.2 lands within striking distance of GPT-4.1 and Claude Opus on agentic tasks. Here's when self-hosting beats a cloud API. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Direct3D vs OpenGL vs Glide: The API War That Shaped PC Gaming — Direct3D vs OpenGL vs Glide — how 3dfx dominated Voodoo-era 3D, why Direct3D caught up, and how to relive Glide games in 2026 with… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 14 min read
- GPT-5.5-Cyber vs Mythos: Can You Run Cyber-Eval Models Locally? — GPT-5.5-Cyber and Mythos stay closed, but a Qwen 3 14B fits an RTX 3060 12GB at q4_K_M with 8K context — here is what a local cyber-eval… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Intel Axes BigDL: What It Means for CPU and Arc LLM Inference — Intel ended BigDL — the real impact on CPU inference, Arc GPU support, and whether ipex-llm covers everything you used to rely on BigDL for. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Build a Jellyfin Media Server on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — Build a Jellyfin server on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — codec transcoding limits, storage strategy, and the exact point where the Pi 5… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- KOORUI 27" QD-Mini LED vs Samsung Odyssey: Best 4K Pick — KOORUI 27" QD-Mini LED vs Samsung 27" Odyssey 4K — dual-mode 160/320Hz vs Fast IPS 144Hz, HDR400 vs HDR1400, and the pick per use case in… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Raspberry Pi OS Moves to the Linux 6.18 LTS Kernel — Raspberry Pi OS jumped to Linux 6.18 LTS — the upgrade path, the driver risks, and what actually improves on Pi 4 and Pi 5 hardware in 2026. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- SteamOS Boots on Intel Hardware in Community Hack — Community devs got SteamOS booting on Intel hardware — what actually works, what breaks, and whether it is worth trying on your handheld… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Building a 1998 Voodoo2 SLI Gaming PC With CF Storage in 2026 — Sourcing a matched Voodoo2 SLI pair, prepping a CompactFlash boot drive on modern hardware, and installing Windows 98 SE drivers in the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 13 min read
- Self-Host Jellyfin on the Raspberry Pi 4 8GB: Transcoding Limits — A Raspberry Pi 4 8GB makes a capable Jellyfin server for direct-play libraries, but the BCM2711 chokes at 1080p transcoding - here are the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE Linux Performance 2026 — AMD's RX 9070 GRE runs on open-source AMDGPU and RADV in Linux. Mesa 25.1 and kernel 6.8+ deliver solid Vulkan gaming and ROCm compute per… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04
- GLM-5.2 Review: The Most Powerful Open-Weights LLM You Can Self-Host in 2026 — GLM-5.2 is the strongest open-weights LLM to self-host in 2026 — if your GPU matches the variant. Our quant-by-quant VRAM breakdown for… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- GPT-5.6 Rollout Now Requires US Government Sign-Off, Customer by Customer — GPT-5.6 rollout now requires per-customer US government approval. What that changes for provisioning timelines, and the practical… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Dumping and Imaging Vintage IDE and CompactFlash Drives in 2026: A Safe Workflow — How to safely image a vintage IDE or CompactFlash drive in 2026: adapter picks, ddrescue workflow, and how to restore to a CF boot drive. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Re-Review Shows DDR4 Still Has Gaming Legs in 2026 — The 5800X3D still delivers on tuned DDR4 in 2026 per Tom's Hardware — keeping AM4 a real value platform. Where the 5800X and 5700X fit… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- GameSir G7 SE vs 8BitDo Pro 2 for PC Gaming: Wired Precision vs Wireless Flexibility — GameSir G7 SE brings Hall-effect sticks and zero-latency wired play for under $45. 8BitDo Pro 2 answers with Bluetooth and full Switch… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Best Budget Gaming PC Parts in 2026: A 5-Pick Build List — A great 1080p gaming PC in 2026 doesn't need to break $800. Here are five specific parts — GPU, CPU, storage, cooling, monitor — that… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X3D vs Core i7-14700K: The 2026 DDR4 Value Fight — The 5800X3D still wins cache-heavy DDR4 gaming; the 14700K wins mixed productivity. The pragmatic-value pick? The Ryzen 7 5800X. Here's… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Is an RTX 3060 Enough for 4K Gaming? Pairing It With a Budget 4K Monitor — The RTX 3060 12GB can run 4K in older, lighter, and DLSS-supported games; native 4K in modern AAA usually needs upscaling or a settings cut. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- GPT-5.6 Sol Now Requires US Government Approval Per Customer — OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol now requires per-customer US government approval. Here's what that means for developers and the local-inference… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Raspberry Pi Zero W Projects for Beginners in 2026 — Five beginner-friendly Raspberry Pi Zero W projects — AirPlay server, retro emulator, sensor logger, network gadget, camera — with parts… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X vs Ryzen 5 5600G for 1080p Gaming and Light Local LLM Work — The 5800X wins if you have a discrete GPU; the 5600G wins if you don't. Real 1080p benchmarks with an RTX 3060, iGPU game list, and the… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Raspberry Pi 4 8GB as a Local LLM Box: What Models Actually Run? — The Raspberry Pi 4 8GB is the cheapest always-on LLM box you can build in 2026 — here are real tok/s for 1B, 3B, and 7B quants, and when… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Best Budget SATA SSD in 2026: BX500 vs SanDisk Plus vs WD Blue — The Crucial BX500 1TB is the default 2026 budget SATA SSD at $70. Full comparison vs SanDisk Plus, WD Blue, and Samsung 870 EVO — with… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Imaging Your Big-Box CD-ROM Collection: A CompactFlash + IDE Workflow — Preserve big-box CD-ROMs using a CompactFlash card, an IDE-to-USB adapter, and a .cue/.bin workflow that verifies every dump before it… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Benchmarking Open Models for Tool-Use on a Budget RTX 3060 Rig — We benchmarked six open-weights models on an RTX 3060 12GB for tool-calling accuracy and generation throughput — here's the ranking and… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Which GPU for Which Model: A Per-LLM VRAM Picker for Local Rigs (2026) — Pick the smallest card that fits your target model at your target quant. Full VRAM math, tier-by-tier tok/s, and the cheapest 2026 answer… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- GLM-5.2 on an RTX 3060 12GB: Can a Budget Card Run Long-Horizon Agents? — A 12GB RTX 3060 will run GLM-5.2 at q4 for real agent loops if you plan the VRAM budget carefully — here's the quantization matrix, real… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- SNES Classic vs Sega Genesis Mini: Best Plug-and-Play Retro Console in 2026 — SNES Classic vs Sega Genesis Mini in 2026: library, controllers, HDMI output, and value math to help you pick the right plug-and-play mini… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Transcend CF133 CompactFlash as a Retro PC Boot Drive: Setup + Gotchas — Use a Transcend CF133 as a retro PC boot drive in 2026: capacity guidance, fixed-vs-removable mode, imaging workflow, and the DOS/Win98/XP… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Build a RetroPie Arcade on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — Build a RetroPie arcade on a Pi 4 8GB in 2026: parts list, best arcade sticks and gamepads, per-console compatibility, and cooling for… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 12 min read
- Build a Raspberry Pi 4 NAS with a Crucial BX500 SSD in 2026 — A concrete 2026 BOM for a Pi 4 SSD NAS: parts list, gigabit throughput numbers, UASP adapter picks, and OpenMediaVault vs plain Samba. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 11 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for a Ryzen Build in 2026 (Air & AIO) — Best CPU cooler for a Ryzen build in 2026 — the buying-guide summary, air-vs-AIO decision matrix, and where each pick fits. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Raspberry Pi OS Gets a Desktop Refresh: What Changes for Pi 4 Users — Raspberry Pi Foundation ships a 2026 Pi OS desktop refresh — new panel, Wayland default on Pi 4 8GB and Pi 5, rebuilt Chromium, and what… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 3 min read
- The Truth About Sega's TradeMark Security System (TMSS) — Sega's TMSS made cartridges write "SEGA" to memory before booting. It was a legal weapon dressed as a lockout, and repro carts have passed… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- Logitech G29 vs HORI Force Feedback Wheel for Sim-Racing Beginners — Logitech G29 vs HORI Force Feedback for sim-racing beginners — which is the right first wheel, what to add next, and when to skip to… Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- GameSir G7 SE vs 8BitDo Pro 2: Best Wired-vs-Wireless PC Controller — GameSir G7 SE vs 8BitDo Pro 2 for PC — head-to-head spec table, genre-by-genre picks, and where each pad honestly loses. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- Best Budget SATA SSD for a Steam Game Library in 2026 — The best budget SATA SSD for a Steam library in 2026 — four honest picks, the head-to-head spec table, and when to skip NVMe entirely. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- LoRA Fine-Tuning Small LLMs on an RTX 3060 12GB in 2026 — How to LoRA fine-tune small LLMs on an RTX 3060 12 GB in 2026 — what fits, honest hyperparameters, and how long the run actually takes. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read
- GPT-5.6 Sol vs Local Open-Weights: Why a 12GB Rig Still Earns Its Keep — GPT-5.6 SOL vs a local RTX 3060 12 GB rig — when to buy the hardware, when to keep buying tokens, and where the two paths cross. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 9 min read
- VibeThinker-3B on an RTX 3060 12GB: Reasoning in 3 Billion Params — Can the RTX 3060 12 GB run VibeThinker-3B locally? Yes, in full BF16 with headroom for a 32K context. Here is the concrete VRAM math. Mike Perry · 2026-07-04 · 10 min read