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Water cooling your PC is a gimmick for most people
If you're an enthusiast who likes water cooling, just know that not everyone needs it.
As a PC enthusiast, I have a water cooling setup in my PC. It's not anything super high-end, but when I built my PC with an i7-12700KF a few years ago, I purchased a Corsair iCUE H150i to go with it. It looks cool and keeps my temperatures on the lower side, but the truth is that for most people, water cooling is completely a gimmick.
Even more proof appears that the AMD Ryzen 9000 series will arrive soon
Something big is approaching for AMD fans.
If you're excited to get your hands on the new series of AMD Ryzen processors, you likely already know that the AMD Ryzen 9000 processors were accidentally confirmed in a driver. And while that was proof enough that the newest Zen 5 architecture processors were on the way, we've just caught wind of even more evidence that something's brewing. Both MSI and Asus have let slip that they're preparing for the next generation of AMD processors that are on the way, so it shouldn't be too long until we get an official announcement.
Vivaldi is the latest browser to support Windows on Arm
The productivity-focused Vivaldi browser is ready for the Snapdragon X Elite with its latest snapshot release.
Support for Windows on Arm has been ramping up significantly in the past few months in preparation for the upcoming Snapdragon X Elite. Now, it's time for one of our favorite browsers, Vivaldi, to join the fray with its latest preview release. The news comes shortly after Google Chrome introduced support for Windows on Arm after years of holding back support.
How to use a keyboard and mouse with the Asus ROG Ally
Turn the ROG Ally into a PC with a keyboard and mouse.
The Asus ROG Ally stands as one of the best PC gaming handhelds on the market, offering some powerful internals, a high-refresh rate panel, and more, for a solid gaming experience. But in addition to playing games, the ROG Ally can also be used as a great laptop replacement for work. My colleague Brady used his ROG Ally as a mobile workstation and didn't miss carrying his laptop, so it's safe to say that it'll work just like any other PC.
Samsung brings Galaxy A35 5G to the U.S. with mouthwatering limited-time offers
Samsung is now selling the Galaxy A35 5G in the United States, offering some amazing deals for new customers.
We recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G handset, scoring it favorably based on the excellent build quality, the polished OneUI 6.1 experience, and a stunning main camera. While that phone doesn't even officially sell in the United States, Samsung is launching its more affordable sibling, the Galaxy A35 5G in the country today.
The Chromebook Plus 514 is ready to take on all the AI-powered apps Google has served up lately
And it's cheap, too.
There's a good chance you've noticed the rise of AI assistants among productivity apps. Google is no exception, with Gemini appearing in all kinds of apps that the tech giant owns. But with all these new AI-based tools at people's fingertips, Chromebooks have to adapt to make the most of these new productivity-boosting assets. Fortunately, Acer is ready to create a Chromebook that can utilise the evolving world of AI with the Plus 514.
Anbernic RG35XX review: A Nintendo DS, a Game Boy, and a PlayStation all in your pocket
The Anbernic RG35XX is a great retro gaming handheld, and it can play a ton of handhelds and consoles with ease.
If you want to carry retro games with you wherever you go, then there are a few handhelds to choose from that may fit the bill. One such handheld is the Anbernic RG35XX, a powerful handheld that manages to support a ton of different consoles and handhelds out of the box. From the NES to the Nintendo DS to the PlayStation 1, it can do a whole lot in a very small form factor.
The new Omen 17 has a Copilot key and plenty of power
You have to pay extra for audio transcription, though.
HP has just announced a new member of its gaming laptop family with the introduction of the AMD-powered Omen 17. The latest gaming laptop in the company's lineup offers plenty of performance for gaming, but also goes heavy on AI, and it's the first Omen laptop with a Copilot key.
You'll need a Snapdragon X Elite to use the new AI Explorer in Windows 11
If the source code for Windows 11 version 24H2 is to be believed, Microsoft is locking AI Explorer behind some pretty strict hardware requirements.
AI Explorer is an alleged upcoming feature in Windows 11 that has been generating a lot of hype recently. If reports are to be believed, it will act as a searchable timeline for everything that you do on Windows. So, theoretically, if you were working on a document about earthquakes in March 2024, you could prompt AI Explorer to "Show me everything about earthquakes from the last month", and it would surface every item related to this topic, based on your activity. While all of this sounds like a game-changer, it seems like Microsoft doesn't plan to roll out the capability to all Windows 11 PCs.
Don't worry, your apps will keep working with Windows 11 version 24H2
StartAllBack won't stop you from getting the next Windows 11 update.
Recently, users started noticing that if you want certain apps installed on your PC, specifically StartAllBack, you'd be blocked from updating to Windows 11 version 24H2, and if you try to install the app afterward, you'll be blocked from doing so, too. Soon after, a list of blocked apps showed up online.
Microsoft will now urge you to ditch local accounts on Windows 10
Microsoft is now nagging Windows 10 customers to switch to a Microsoft account instead of using a local account.
About a week ago, we learned that Microsoft has begun to show full-screen ads in Windows 10, urging customers to upgrade to Windows 11 even though there is still more than a year to go before the former runs out of support. This move drew a lot of attention considering the company had come under fire in the same week for the slow performance of the Start menu, which had also begun showing advertisements for apps. However, it seems like the Redmond tech firm is not done notifying users about how they can improve their Windows experience, as can be determined from a recent Windows 10 Insider update.
Microsoft's new AI tech shows we aren't far from webcam-free video conferencing
It can generate a talking face video with a portrait photo and speech audio.
In Microsoft Teams, you can use the Avatar feature if you're feeling video fatigue and don't want to appear in the video while attending a meeting. It simply creates a 3D avatar of yours, which animates based on your audio cues, without a webcam. However, Microsoft has gone a step further and developed a new AI technology that can take the concept of webcam-free video conferencing to the next level.
AMD and Nvidia have been battling it for GPU dominance and the competition has only become ever fiercer as buzzwords such as AI get thrown into the mix. Which company is best for building a PC from scratch or upgrading an older system? Most of the best graphics cards are made by AMD and Nvidia with the latter producing the world’s faster GPU, the mighty Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.
3 things Intel needs to redeem itself in the GPU market with the upcoming Battlemage launch
Intel's redemption 'Arc' has Battlemage written all over it.
Intel's first-generation Alchemist family of Arc GPUs that landed on our test bench couldn't really leave a lasting impression on us. The Alchemist chip looked great on paper, but it turned out to be just average, at best. The driver issues truly took the GPU down, and it couldn't stand a chance as a match for Nvidia's GeForce RTX and AMD's Radeon models at that time.
Windows 11 update tracker: Download and install the latest update
We're tracking all the Windows 11 updates below
Keeping Windows up to date will ensure that you’ve got the latest and greatest version of the OS, but keeping track of all the updates can be difficult. With Windows 11, Microsoft delivers monthly cumulative updates with security and stability improvements, and we get feature updates like version 24H2 once a year. Some new features are also released with Moment updates, like the more recent Moment 5.
How to connect a Wi-Fi extender to your router
If your Wi-Fi router’s signal doesn’t reach your computer, you can either move them closer to one another or set up a Wi-Fi extender.
Wi-Fi routers let you connect to the internet without physically plugging a computer into a modem, and they also create a network that supports numerous smart home devices. So long as your router has enough bandwidth to support everything, you’re usually ok, emphasis on “usually.” While Wi-Fi is far more convenient than a wired connection, the signals generated aren’t always dependable. To compensate, you might need a Wi-Fi extender.
Windows 11 deep dive: Checking out the new Snipping Tool
Want to be ready for Windows 11? Here's everything you need to know about taking and editing screenshots in the Windows 11 Snipping Tool.
Windows 11 comes with a lot of changes, both in the OS itself and also with its many built-in apps. Specifically, it brings a major upgrade to the Snipping Tool, which has now been revamped with a modernized look and has a ton of new features that have been added over time.
How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC
Want Windows 11 but have an unsupported computer? Here's how to install Windows 11 even if your PC doesn't meet the minimum requirements.
Windows 11 is the latest version of the most popular operating system in the world, and as long as you have a supported PC, it's very easy to install. But that's the problem: Windows 11 has significantly higher system requirements compared to previous versions of Windows, so there are a lot of unsupported PCs you can't install it on.
3dfx Voodoo card makes a return in 2024 thanks to some ambitious builders
It's not going to produce stellar performance numbers, but this labor of love is one to behold
Graphic cards have evolved quite a bit over the past ten years, but those that have been around for some time will remember the true glory days, when you had multiple brands of cards with strange-looking boxes that had pretty good performance and were actually affordable. And while times have changed quite a bit, it looks like some are still happily stuck in the past, working on passion projects that involve old school GPUs.
How to check CPU temperature in Windows 11
CPU temperature is a crucial indicator of your PC health and CPU performance
Checking your CPU temperature can be an occasional or frequent activity, depending on what you put your precious processor through. Those who use their PC for everyday work and casual gaming don't have to worry about it as much as others who are into things like gaming, video editing, or anything that demands the CPU's attention. It's also particularly crucial when you're overclocking the CPU, as the last thing you want to do is put up with an overheating or an unstable processor. Modern processors tend to run quite hot, especially if you're running one of the top desktop CPUs or using the best laptops on the market.