PC Hardware News, Reviews & Buying Guides — Page 41 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 2001–2050 of 3046.
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- Build a Plex Media Server on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 — A Raspberry Pi 4 8GB can host a household Plex server in 2026 — if you accept its transcoding limits and pair it with the right SSD and… Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X vs Ryzen 7 5800X for 1080p Gaming in 2026 — Ryzen 5 5600G, Ryzen 7 5700X, or Ryzen 7 5800X for a 2026 1080p gaming PC? Frame rates, value math, and the build recommendation for each… Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 10 min read
- Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB: 2026 Smart-Home Hub Build — Build a silent Home Assistant hub on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB for ~$260 — BOM, install workflow, power draw, and when to move from SD to SSD. Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 10 min read
- CompactFlash Boot Drive for a Win98 / XP Retro PC (2026 Guide) — Replace a noisy vintage IDE disk with silent CompactFlash. Card picks, BIOS settings, and the partition/install workflow for Win98 and XP… Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 10 min read
- Best 1440p Monitor for the RTX 3060 12GB (2026) — The featured ASUS TUF VG27AQ is the best 1440p monitor for an RTX 3060 12GB — 165Hz IPS, G-Sync Compatible, and price-matched to the GPU. Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 9 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X + RTX 5060 Bundle Drops to $439 With a Free CPU Cooler — A retail bundle pairs the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with an RTX 5060 8GB plus a free 120mm tower cooler at $439 — about $110 off the parts alone. Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 9 min read
- Microsoft + Nvidia AI PCs Run Real Agents: The Local Hardware That Matches (2026) — Want an AI PC that runs real agents? You need a discrete 12GB GPU, an 8-core CPU, and NVMe — not an NPU-only laptop. The build math is here. Mike Perry · 2026-06-01 · 10 min read
- Best Storage Upgrades for Retro and Budget PC Builds in 2026 — The five-pick storage buying guide for retro and budget PC builders: best SATA SSD, best NVMe, best CompactFlash, best value, best IDE… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- Adding a Sound BlasterX G6 to a Windows 98/XP Retro Gaming PC — How a Sound BlasterX G6 plugs into a Windows 98 SE / XP retro rig, what you gain (real DAC + headphone amp), and what you lose (hardware… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- HiDream-O1-Image Debuts as Top Open-Weights Text-to-Image Model — HiDream-O1-Image-Dev just topped the open-weights text-to-image arena. The headline for local-build users: 12GB is now the floor for… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- AMD RX 9070 XT Hits All-Time-Low $629 in Amazon Lightning Sale — The RX 9070 XT 16GB just hit $629 in an Amazon lightning sale — $120 below MSRP and the cheapest brand-new 16GB RDNA4 card has ever been. Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Best SSD for Local LLM Model Storage in 2026: NVMe vs SATA — A $90 1TB NVMe loads a 14B model 4-5x faster than a budget SATA SSD. Here is the per-use-case SSD pick and the capacity math. Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- LM Studio on an RTX 3060 12GB: Local-LLM Setup and tok/s in 2026 — Step-by-step LM Studio setup on an RTX 3060 12GB with the tok/s you should actually see — and how to debug the most common slowdowns. Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Is 12GB VRAM Still Enough for Local LLMs in 2026? — A 12GB RTX 3060 still nails 7-14B chat and coding in 2026. Where it stops being enough — 27B+ models, 128K contexts and concurrent… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- RX 9070 XT vs RTX 3060 12GB for Local LLMs — The RX 9070 XT decodes Qwen3-8B at 100 tok/s to the RTX 3060 12GB's 59.5, but at $814.99 vs $409.97 (October 2026) the 3060 still costs… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- Best Budget Gaming Setup Essentials for 2026: Mouse, Keyboard, Headset, Mic & Mousepad — Six items, ~$492 total: the budget gaming mouse, keyboard, mic, headset, mousepad, and monitor combo that lasts beyond the first month of… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Best GPU for Local LLMs Under $300: Why the RTX 3060 12GB Still Wins — The RTX 3060 12GB remains the best GPU for local LLMs under $300 in 2026. Every challenger above the 8GB cliff costs more or runs into… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Forza Horizon 6 Runs Smooth on Steam Deck — the Dock-and-Settings Combo — The Steam Deck preset for Forza Horizon 6 ships at 30 FPS. Here's the settings recipe that lifts it to a stable 40 FPS handheld and 60 FPS… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- GameSir G7 SE vs 8BitDo Pro 2: Best Wired-Feel Controller for PC & Steam Deck — Wired beats Bluetooth for racing, fighters, and shooters by 14ms. We compare the GameSir G7 SE and 8BitDo Pro 2 for PC and Steam Deck use… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Gemini-Class Models on Local Hardware: How Much VRAM You Actually Need — How much VRAM do you actually need for a Gemini-class open-weight model in 2026? The numbers, the cliffs, and why an RTX 3060 12GB still… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- Imaging and Restoring Vintage IDE Drives in 2026: SATA/IDE-to-USB Adapters Compared — Three USB-to-IDE adapters that actually work in 2026 — FIDECO, Unitek, and Vantec — plus the ddrescue workflow that saves your vintage… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Intel's Bartlett Lake Core 9 273PQE Reportedly Loses to a Four-Year-Old CPU — Intel's Bartlett Lake Core 9 273PQE benchmarks below a 2019 Core i7-9700K on single-thread. For budget builders, that reinforces the AM4… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- SANSUI 27" 4K vs KOORUI 27" QD-Mini LED: Best Sub-$400 4K Gaming Monitor — Two sub-$400 4K gaming monitors compared: the SANSUI 27" 4K and KOORUI 27" QD-Mini LED. One wins on price-per-feature, the other on HDR… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- 1-Trillion-Param LLM on 768GB of Optane vs a 12GB RTX 3060: What's Practical — Yes, 768GB of Intel Optane can hold a 1T-param LLM. No, you cannot have a conversation with it. Why bandwidth — not capacity — wins for… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Can a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB Run Local LLMs in 2026? Ollama tok/s + SSD-Boot Setup — Can a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB run local LLMs in 2026? Yes — for 1-3B models at 2-5 tok/s with Ollama. We cover the BOM, SSD-boot setup, and… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Best Budget Gaming Monitor in 2026: 5 Picks From 1440p to 4K — Five 27" and 32" budget gaming monitors from $250 to $400, with real spec context, HDR reality check, and which one is right for which use… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- The Sound Blaster Monopoly: How Creative Still Shapes Retro PC Audio in 2026 — Creative's 1989-2003 monopoly on PC audio still defines how retro PCs are built and emulated. Inside the OPL3, MPU-401, and ISA legacy in… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- ComfyUI on an RTX 3060 12GB: Stable Diffusion Throughput and VRAM Limits in 2026 — Stable Diffusion on an RTX 3060 12GB: SDXL throughput, Flux feasibility, LoRA training limits, and the workflow tweaks that actually move… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Self-Host Jellyfin on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026: Setup and Real Transcode Limits — Self-hosting Jellyfin on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026 - what direct play and hardware transcode actually deliver, and where the box gives… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Hobbyists Are Self-Hosting a Nintendo eShop With Ownfoil on a Raspberry Pi — Ownfoil turns a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB into a private Switch game catalog. The hardware story is genuinely interesting; here's the realistic… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Lenovo G02 Retro Handheld Reportedly Ships Preloaded With Pirated Games — A retail listing surfaced the Lenovo G02 with copyrighted games preloaded. Here's what's known, what's not, and what it says about retro… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Logitech G920 vs HORI Racing Wheel: Best Wheel for Forza Horizon 6 — Logitech G920 has real force feedback; the HORI Racing Wheel does not. Here's exactly what that means for Forza Horizon 6, and when each… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 7 5700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K: Best Budget Gaming CPU in 2026 — Ryzen 7 5700X vs Intel Core i7-9700K benchmarked at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K - plus platform cost, power, and the platform's upgrade headroom… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Build a RetroPie Console on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in 2026: A Complete Walkthrough — Build a full RetroPie emulation console on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB in an afternoon — complete walkthrough, controllers, BIOS, performance… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- How to Install Windows 98 SE on a CompactFlash Boot Drive in 2026 (Retro PC Build Guide) — Install Windows 98 SE on a CompactFlash card via an IDE adapter — silent, vibration-free, near-instant boot. Full step-by-step build guide… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Forza Horizon 6 Is the Highest-Rated Game of 2026: What Metacritic's 94 Says About Where Racing Sims Are Going — Forza Horizon 6 hit Metacritic 94 — the highest-rated 2026 release. Here's what the reviews say and what hardware actually runs it well. Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for Budget Gaming in 2026: Which AM4 CPU Wins? — Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X in 2026: the 5600G wins for budget builds without a GPU on day one. The 5700X wins gaming and everything… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Best CPU Cooler for the Ryzen 7 5800X: Air vs AIO in 2026 — For the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X in 2026, the best cooler depends on workload: for gaming and mixed use, the Noctua NH-U12S CPU Cooler and… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 14 min read
- Microsoft + NVIDIA's 'Agent PC': What Local Hardware Does an On-Device AI Agent Actually Need in 2026? — Microsoft-NVIDIA's Agent PC wants always-on local agents. The realistic 2026 floor: 12-16GB VRAM, 32GB RAM, 6-core CPU, NVMe — buildable… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 10 min read
- Can a 12GB RTX 3060 Run Gemma 4 31B? Quantization & Tok/s Reality Check — An RTX 3060 12GB can load Gemma 4 31B only at low quants (q2_K, q3_K_M). Anything higher spills to system RAM and tanks tok/s into the… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- Best Game Controller for Couch & Big-Screen PC Gaming in 2026 — Five PC controllers that excel on the couch: the DualSense leads, the 8BitDo Pro 2 wins on value, and the Sn30 Pro nails retro emulation. Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 13 min read
- Running a 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 PCI in a Modern Board in 2026 — Can the Voodoo5 5500 PCI run in a 2026 motherboard? Yes — here's the platform, CF storage, Win98SE install procedure, and what actually… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 Drops $700 — and a Cheaper 4K Path — Samsung's Odyssey OLED G9 just dropped roughly $700. Here's the deal, the GPU pairing math, and the 4K alternatives that beat it for most… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 6 min read
- Best Controller for Retro Emulation and Indie Gaming in 2026 — The 8BitDo Pro 2 is the do-everything pick for retro emulation and indies, with the DualSense, SN30 Pro, G7 SE, and HORIPAD Pro filling… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 8 min read
- Best SATA SSD for Gaming and Everyday Upgrades in 2026 — SATA SSDs aren't dead — most older desktops, laptops, and consoles still need them. Our 2026 picks, capacity guidance, and the case where… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 8 min read
- Blue Yeti vs HyperX QuadCast 2 S: Best USB Mic for New Streamers — We A/B-tested the Blue Yeti and the HyperX QuadCast 2 S in the same room. Which USB mic wins for new streamers in 2026, and when each one… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 8 min read
- Best SATA SSD to Upgrade a PlayStation 4 Pro in 2026 — Cut your PS4 Pro's load times by 35–55% with the right 1TB SATA SSD. Picks, the swap procedure, and benchmarks we ran on a stock console… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read
- Shared ChatGPT & Claude Chat Malware: Why Local LLMs Cut the Risk — The May 2026 shared-chat malware story exploits hosted-chatbot features local LLMs don't have. Here's the hardware and workflow that… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 8 min read
- The $500M Claude Bill: What Local LLM Inference Actually Costs — After May's $500M Claude bill story, here's what an RTX 3060 + Ryzen 7 5700X local LLM rig actually costs to run, and where it beats cloud… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 11 min read
- Ryzen 7 5800X + RTX 5060 Combo Drops to $439 With Free Cooler — A Ryzen 7 5800X plus RTX 5060 plus free CPU cooler bundle has dropped to $439 — strong per-frame value for budget gamers this Memorial Day… Mike Perry · 2026-05-31 · 9 min read