PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 36 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 1751–1800 of 3046.
Browse 14 Categories
- Microsoft Now Points to 32GB RAM for Windows 11 Gaming — Microsoft's gaming-engineering team quietly raised its Windows 11 AAA gaming RAM target from 16GB to 32GB after internal testing showed a… Mike Perry · 2026-06-14 · 12 min read
- OpenAI's Codex Price War: When Local Coding on an RTX 3060 Wins — OpenAI's mid-2026 Codex rate-limit reset traded headline price for variability. Run the numbers on a 3060 12GB local-coding rig and the… Mike Perry · 2026-06-14 · 13 min read
- Ideogram 4.0 Open Weights: Running It Locally on an RTX 3060 12GB — At fp8 or int8 the new Ideogram 4.0 open weights run on a 12GB RTX 3060 at roughly 24 seconds per 1024px image — here is what to set, what… Mike Perry · 2026-06-14 · 15 min read
- FIDECO vs Unitek vs Vantec: Best IDE/SATA-to-USB Adapter for Retro PCs — FIDECO vs Unitek vs Vantec IDE/SATA-to-USB adapter showdown for retro PCs: real read throughput, drive support, and the CompactFlash… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 11 min read
- Self-Host Jellyfin on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — The Raspberry Pi 4 8GB handles one or two direct-play Jellyfin streams cleanly. Use an external SSD, wired ethernet, and skip transcoding. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 8 min read
- Best SATA/IDE-to-USB Adapters for Ripping Old Drives in 2026 — Reach for the FIDECO USB 3.0 dock for everyday rips, the Unitek for high-capacity SATA imaging, and the Vantec USB 2.0 unit for genuinely… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 11 min read
- Sound BlasterX G6 for Retro DOS and Win98 Gaming: Does a Modern USB DAC Fix the EAX Era? — The Sound BlasterX G6 is a clean USB DAC for emulated and dual-boot retro setups, but real DOS Adlib FM and hardware EAX still want a… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 11 min read
- Best Capture Device for Recording Retro Consoles and Old PCs in 2026 — An Elgato Cam Link 4K plus a competent upscaler captures NES through PS2 cleanly; the cheap-dongle alternative produces footage nobody… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Is the RTX 3060 12GB Still the Best Budget GPU for 1080p Esports in 2026? — The 3060 12GB still pushes 240+ FPS in CS2, Valorant, Fortnite, and Apex at competitive settings — and its 12 GB VRAM keeps it ahead of… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5800X for a Budget 1080p Gaming Build — The 5600G's Vega iGPU drives playable esports without a discrete card; the 5800X's chiplet design pays off the moment a real GPU joins the… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Best Budget SATA SSD for a Steam Library in 2026: BX500 vs 870 EVO vs SN550 — The 870 EVO beats the BX500 on warm loads and trails the SN550 NVMe by only 3 seconds per cold game launch — the sweet spot for a budget… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- 'Count Anything' AI Model Does Object Counting — Harder Than It Sounds — A generalist counting model that runs at 2-4 FPS on a Raspberry Pi 4 finally beats per-class trained baselines on FSC-147 and across… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Microsoft's SkillOpt Boosts GPT-5.5 With Just a Trained Markdown File — SkillOpt produces a learned markdown file you drop into your system prompt slot for 4-12 point accuracy gains, with offline training that… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Meta Is 'Token Managing' Now: Cut Local-LLM Cost on a Single RTX 3060 — Meta's framing made the discipline famous, but the four levers are simple: right-size the model, quantize to q4_K_M, trim the prompt, and… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Gemini-SQL2 Tops Text-to-SQL: Can an RTX 3060 Run a Local SQL Model? — A quantized 7B model on an RTX 3060 12GB lands within 5-10 points of Gemini-SQL2 on most reporting workloads, at one-eighth the hardware… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 12 min read
- Best Controller for RetroPie & Pi Emulation: SN30 Pro vs DualSense — The 8BitDo SN30 Pro is the best $50 controller for RetroPie — Bluetooth pairs cleanly with the Pi 4, the D-pad is the genre best, and… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Best SATA SSD for a Retro Windows 98 Build: BX500 vs 870 EVO — A Pentium III Tualatin running Windows 98 SE only sees ~100MB/s SATA, but the right 2.5" SSD still halves boot times and kills the dreaded… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 11 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for Ryzen 7 5800X Overclocking in 2026 — A Ryzen 7 5800X under sustained OC pushes 130-150W at the socket — too hot for stock-class air. We tested six coolers, ranked them by… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 12 min read
- Asus ROG Harpe II Extreme: A 24K-Gold, 65K-Sensor Gaming Mouse — Asus has launched a 24-karat gold-plated Harpe II Extreme with a 65,000 DPI AimPoint Pro sensor and an 8KHz polling rate. We cover the… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- US Government Forces Anthropic to Disable Claude Fable 5 Worldwide — The Decoder reports the US government has compelled Anthropic to disable Claude Fable 5 worldwide. We summarise the report, link the… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Run Kimi K2.7 Code Locally: Ollama vs llama.cpp on RTX 3060 — On a 12GB RTX 3060, llama.cpp gives you 18-22% more tok/s and finer offload control; Ollama installs in two minutes and is the right pick… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Kimi K2.7 Code on an RTX 3060 12GB: Can a $300 GPU Run It? — Yes — but only with aggressive GGUF quantization (q2_K to q4_K) and partial CPU offload. We measured 8-22 tok/s on a 12GB RTX 3060 for… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 11 min read
- OpenAI Codex Price War vs Running a Local Coding Model on an RTX 3060 — OpenAI's Codex price war shifts the local-vs-cloud coding math. For most developers in 2026, mixed-mode is the right answer — here's the… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Build a RetroPie Handheld with the Raspberry Pi Zero W in 2026: Full BOM + Setup — A Raspberry Pi Zero W handheld can emulate NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy family, and PS1 cleanly for $75-115 in parts. Full BOM + setup. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Best Storage for a Windows 98 Retro PC: CompactFlash vs IDE-to-USB SSD Adapters — For a Windows 98 retro PC in 2026, a 4-16GB CompactFlash in a CF-to-IDE adapter is the right primary disk. IDE-to-USB bridges handle… Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Ryzen 7 5700X vs 5800X for 1080p & 1440p Gaming in 2026 — Ryzen 7 5700X vs 5800X in 2026: benchmarks at 1080p and 1440p, cooler needs, perf-per-dollar and perf-per-watt, and which chip to buy. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 14 min read
- Best Beginner Racing Wheel in 2026: Logitech G920 vs HORI Racing Wheel Overdrive — The Logitech G920 is the right beginner sim racing wheel for $250-300. The HORI Overdrive is the right wheel for $90-110 arcade racing only. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Best SSD for a Homelab NAS in 2026: Crucial BX500 vs Samsung 870 EVO vs WD Blue SN550 — For a homelab NAS in 2026, Samsung 870 EVO is the safe bulk SSD; Crucial BX500 the budget pick; WD Blue SN550 the right cache/L2ARC drive. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Mistral AI Seeks €3 Billion to Fund Its European Push — The Local-vs-Cloud Angle — Mistral is reportedly raising €3B. Does that mean the open-weights cadence holds, or is your local RTX 3060 12GB suddenly less future-proof? Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Sega Genesis Games Loaded Off a Vinyl Record — and What It Means for Retro Collectors — A Sega Genesis loaded a game off a vinyl record using a cartridge-port adapter and FSK audio decoding. What it means for retro collectors. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- AA-AgentPerf: What the New Agentic Inference Benchmark Means for Local Coding Rigs — The AA-AgentPerf benchmark measures agentic completion rate alongside throughput. For a 12GB card, that means 14B coding models — not 7B. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 9 min read
- Ideogram 4.0 Open Weights on an RTX 3060 12GB: Local Text-to-Image in 2026 — Can a 12GB RTX 3060 run the new open-weights Ideogram 4.0 locally? Yes, at Q8 — expect 20-30s per 1024px image and a ComfyUI install. Mike Perry · 2026-06-13 · 10 min read
- Sound Blaster vs Aureal Vortex 2: The Positional-Audio War Creative Won — A3D modeled wavefronts; EAX exposed presets. Creative's sales channel beat Aureal's better tech. How to build a credible retro-audio rig… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 7 min read
- Raspberry Pi 4 8GB vs Pi 5 vs Pi Zero W for a 2026 Homelab — Pi 4 8GB is still the homelab default. Pi 5 adds PCIe NVMe. Pi Zero W is for tiny nodes. Which Pi to buy for each layer of a 2026 lab. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 8 min read
- Best Budget Streaming Setup for Beginners in 2026 — A $400 starter streaming kit that doesn't embarrass you on day one. Mic, capture card, lights, software, and what to skip for now. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 7 min read
- Best Budget Upgrades for a Ryzen Gaming PC in 2026 — Four targeted AM4 upgrades close most of the gap to a new midrange PC: GPU, NVMe, CPU bump, RAM. Here's the order and the parts. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 8 min read
- MCL8080+ Squeezes an Intel 8080 Emulator into an ATtiny85 — A community project fits an Intel 8080 emulator on an ATtiny85 — 8KB flash, 512B RAM. It's a demo of what modern AVR toolchains can… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 10 min read
- Claude Fable 5: Anthropic Admits 'Wrong Tradeoff' on Throttling — Anthropic admitted Fable 5's throttling was the wrong call. Here's why builders running autonomous agents want a local 12 GB backstop. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 6 min read
- DualSense vs 8BitDo Pro 2 for PC Gaming in 2026 — DualSense has unique haptics but documented stick drift. 8BitDo Pro 2 has hall-effect sticks. Which is the right daily-driver PC controller. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 7 min read
- Best 4K Monitor for PS5 and Console Gaming Under $400 (2026) — Dual-mode 4K-120 panels are now sub-$400. Here's the cleanest pick for PS5 4K/120 with HDMI 2.1 VRR and real HDR. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 7 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Intel i7-9700K for Budget Gaming in 2026 — Two used-market CPUs at the same budget. Game benchmarks, platform cost, and the 5600G's iGPU advantage decide it. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 6 min read
- HyperX QuadCast 2 S vs Blue Yeti for Streaming in 2026 — HyperX's QuadCast 2 S brings new capsule tech and a touch-mute. The Blue Yeti is still cheap when discounted. Which wins for your stream. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 7 min read
- Aider vs Cline vs Cursor for Local Coding on a 12GB GPU (2026) — Aider, Cline, and Cursor compared for local 12 GB GPU coding in 2026. Per-edit latency, model fit, and which to actually install. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 8 min read
- DeepSWE vs SWE-Bench Pro: The Coding-Agent Benchmark Shakeup — DeepSWE replaced SWE-Bench Pro at the top of the Coding Agent Index. Here's what changed, why GPT-5.5 scored 31, and how to translate it… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 8 min read
- Running Your Own AI Guardrail Model on a 12GB GPU in 2026 — Can a 12 GB GPU host a production AI safety classifier? Yes — with caveats on throughput, quantization, and validation discipline. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 8 min read
- OpenAI Buys Ona: What Autonomous Codex Means for Local Coding Rigs — OpenAI bought Ona to push Codex toward autonomous coding. Here's the hardware floor for running that workload locally on a budget 12 GB GPU. Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 9 min read
- Why Nvidia Killed 3dfx — and How Voodoo Still Shapes Every GPU Launch — How 3dfx went from category-defining (1996) to acquired (2000) in five years — and which Voodoo ideas still shape every GeForce launch… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 11 min read
- Windows 98 vs Windows 2000 for a GeForce-Era Retro Gaming Build — Win98 SE for DOS-era + Glide, Win2000 for 2001–2003 stability. The honest split, the GeForce driver branches, and the CF-card dual-boot… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 12 min read
- Build a Jellyfin Media Server on a Raspberry Pi 4 in 2026 — Yes, a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB runs Jellyfin well — for direct-play. Here's the BOM, USB 3.0 SSD setup, transcoding limits, power draw, and… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 11 min read
- Best Budget SSD for Gaming and PC Upgrades in 2026 — Best budget SSD for gaming and PC upgrades in 2026 — five honest picks across SATA and NVMe, with verdicts, real benchmarks, and which… Mike Perry · 2026-06-12 · 11 min read