latest
6 mistakes to avoid when pairing your CPU and GPU
Buying the wrong CPU or GPU for your build can leave you with limited performance, wasted dollars, or no upgrade path.
In an ideal world, we'd all be building perfectly balanced PCs with the right CPU and GPU combo in every single build. But, we don't live in that world. We exist in one overflowing with data overload, plagued with persistent misinformation, and always short on time. This often leads to making the wrong choice when pairing your CPU and GPU, and building a PC that's severely held back from its maximum potential.
What are the differences between Intel K, KF, and F CPUs?
Deciphering the Intel processor naming scheme.
Intel makes numerous processors, split into different families. For the desktop, we've got Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. Within each family are processor stock-keeping units (SKU), for instance, the 14900K. The Intel Core i9-14900K, being part of the Core i9 family, is one of the most powerful chips on sale from Intel. But what does the K mean? There's also an Intel Core i9-14900F, so which is the better processor to buy? I'm going to explain what these suffixes mean and how to pick the right chip for your system.
Intel's process roadmap to 2025: Intel 7, 4, 3, 20A, and 18A explained
Intel has outlined its new processes for the next few years, but what does it all mean?
Intel unveiled its Meteor Lake laptop processors alongside a Raptor Lake Refresh last year, and with it came a renewed commitment to the company's process node roadmap that it first published in 2021. In that roadmap, the company states that it wants to clear five nodes in four years, something that no other company has achieved in years. Intel's own roadmap states that it aims to achieve "process leadership" in 2025. Process leadership, by Intel's standards, is the highest performance per watt. What does the journey to the best CPU look like?
Intel 15th-gen Arrow Lake: Everything we're expecting
Here's everything we know about Intel's next-gen processors.
The competition between AMD and Intel continues to simmer away, providing great processors for us to test and use inside more powerful systems. AMD's Ryzen chips are built on a more efficient platform, allowing the company to draw out more performance without sucking too much power. Intel is struggling with this in its fabrication plants, but we're hopeful about the upcoming 15th-gen Arrow Lake launch. Intel needs to have a successful launch to bring it back to AMD and maintain healthy competition and here's everything we know.
Best GPUs under $100 in 2024
Graphics cards are getting more expensive, but what if you have modest requirements?
It’s no secret that the best graphics cards have substantially increased in price lately. Even what’s considered a budget graphics card has redefined what ‘budget’ means in this context. But what if you have a constrained budget and still want to get gaming? Or if you have modest requirements for a graphics card that only really needs to be able to put an image on your screen? I’ve been scouting the internet for the best graphics cards under $100, and here are my choices.
How to update the graphics driver on your PC
Keeping your GPU drivers up to date is essential to get the best performance in the latest games. Here's how to do it.
Keeping your graphics card driver up-to-date helps ensure you get the best possible performance in-game. It may even be necessary if you want to play some of the latest titles, which sometimes require a new driver before they will even run. That's why it's a good idea to periodically check for new driver releases and install them when available.
Best GPUs for deep learning in 2024
Whether you want to get started with image generation or tackling huge datasets, we've got you covered with the GPU you need for deep learning tasks.
It's no secret that the recent leaps in AI, including ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, are impressive. They can create text, images, video, and more, all based on a text prompt, with little user input at all. The other thing they have in common is that they all run in the cloud, so they're on somebody else's computer, and can be expensive once subscription fees are taken into account. To save some money, many AI tasks can run on your home computer, from LLMs to the datasets that train them.
Intel Core i9-14900KS review: Incredible performance comes at a cost
A 6.2 GHz clock speed is impressive but so too is thermal throttling.
The Intel Core i9-14900KS is the best processor from the brand for its 14th generation of Core chips, marketed for creators and gamers alike and boasting some of the fastest stock clock speeds of any processor. This is likely the last Raptor Lake Refresh processor we’ll see from Intel until the next generation of Arrow Lake CPUs launch. Based on the Intel Core i9-14900K we positively reviewed with a few caveats, the new 14900KS has some impressive specifications and is the best-performing bin that should provide additional headroom for overclocking.
Mele’s new PCG02 Pro variant features an Intel N100 CPU and demands little power
The new PCG02 Pro has a fanless design and multiple ports for connectivity
While they haven’t exploded in popularity quite yet, PC sticks are continuing to gain ground as a feasible portable PC option. Many of them are the size of a USB flash drive, which already makes them more transportable than a laptop or tablet. Depending on the product, you might also be able to use the PC stick with a limited amount of power. Mele is one manufacturer that has created a line of PC sticks to cater to such needs, and now, it is expanding upon its PCG02 Pro.
The all-new Intel Core i9-14900KS is the world's fastest processor
Intel is now hitting 6.2GHz before any manual overclocking.
Intel has launched the new Core i9-14900KS desktop processor with record-breaking stock clock speeds. Capable of boosting up to 6.2GHz, the Intel Core i9-14900KS offers impressive performance without the need for manual overclocking. This high burst speed limit is perfect for gamers and creators who require as many instructions to be processed by each core as possible. With the rise of cores and threads, many applications and games are still heavily reliant on per-core clock speeds, something the Intel Core i9-14900KS excels at.
How to update Intel and AMD chipset drivers?
It's pretty important to install chipset drivers on any PC, and here's how you do it.
Components like the CPU and motherboard don't require drivers in the same way a GPU does, but there are drivers for CPUs and motherboards called chipset drivers. These drivers often contain important updates to keep the core functionalities in check, and it's recommended that you keep them updated to ensure smooth functionality of your PC. Here's how you update chipset drivers for Intel and AMD PCs.
How to match your CPU and GPU
A badly matched CPU and GPU can severely affect your PC's performance, which needs to be avoided at all costs.
Matching compatible PC components such as a motherboard and processor is crucial as you'll encounter instability issues or hardware damage. When purchasing a new PC altogether, it's equally important to match the right CPU with the right GPU. Get this step wrong and you could be wasting a lot of system potential on either side. If the GPU is too good for the CPU (pairing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 with an Intel Core i3 processor) or vice-versa, you'll find yourself turning down some in-game settings and enjoying a sub-par experience.
3 reasons 2024 is the year to upgrade to an 8-core CPU
8-core CPUs will finally go mainstream in 2024. Here's why
For the longest time, 6-core CPUs have been the sweet spot for PC builders, delivering ample performance in both gaming and productivity workloads. While multi-core applications can easily utilize any number of cores you throw at them, 6 cores are not what you'll call "too few". Moreover, games have rarely been able to take advantage of more than 6 cores. For the average user building a PC, it makes an awful lot of sense to buy only the best gaming CPUs with 6 cores.
How to overclock a laptop CPU
You can't overclock most laptop processors, but there are ways to boost performance in some of them. Here's how to do it.
Overclocking is something PC enthusiasts are all too familiar with. By tweaking the power limits and speed of your CPU, you can usually get more performance out of it ... just as long as you know what you're doing to prevent damage. But overclocking is usually only talked about with desktop computers. What if you want to overclock your laptop's CPU?
How to text from your PC if you have an iPhone
It keeps getting easier to link your iPhone with your PC, which means you can send and receive text messages all from one device.
Being able to connect your phone to your desktop PC or modern laptop to field messages or make calls can be a huge boon to productivity, and the good news is that there are solutions available for both Android and iOS. Focusing on the latter platform here, you can use Microsoft's Phone Link to use iMessage or make calls from your PC, you can use Intel Unison for a broader range of connectivity (assuming your PC has an Intel processor inside), or you can simply add a third-party messenger — like Telegram or Signal — to your PC and iPhone and allow messages to sync across platforms.
Intel vs AMD: What should power your PC in 2024?
With the desktop CPU space fiercer than ever, should you pick AMD or Intel?
Intel and AMD have been competing with each other for decades, relentlessly pushing the computing industry forward with the best CPUs for every kind of user. While Intel was (and still is) the top dog in the data center and PC processor market, AMD has transformed from being an afterthought to competing head-to-head with its longstanding rival.
How to lower your CPU's temperature
With the latest CPUs using up so much power and getting so hot, it's important to keep them cool. Here's how.
While the best CPUs available today are pretty fast, they're also pretty hot, especially Intel's 14th Gen and AMD's Ryzen 7000 chips. While CPUs are supposed to get pretty hot under load, if they get too hot, they end up thermal throttling to avoid damage, but crippling performance at the same time. In extreme cases, a CPU will shut itself down so that it doesn't destroy itself.
The long-rumored Intel Core i9-14900KS for the LGA 1700 socket is expected to launch on March 14
The i9-14900KS could be the last of Intel’s chips to be based on the LGA 1700 socket
Intel launched its LGA 1700 socket specifically to cater to its 12th and 13th-generation chips. At the time of its launch, it shined with its slew of features, including DDR5 RAM support, Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, and PCIe Gen 5. However, the company has been expected to move away from the LGA 1700 socket for its next series of processors. As rumors of the i9-14900KS have continued to swirl, some have questioned whether or not Intel is really done with it. Now, a supposed release date for the KS “special edition” CPU is making the rounds.
When buying a new laptop, you might notice a specific "Intel Evo" badge or brand somewhere on the PC or on the product page. As the Intel name suggests, it's a platform that's tied in with the processor (CPU), first introduced in 2020 with Intel's 11th Gen chips and extending through to the latest Core Ultra mobile CPUs.
Arctic's budget-friendly Freezer 36 CPU cooler has an integrated contact frame and support for Intel's 15th gen chips
This CPU cooler supports Intel LGA 1700 and 1851 sockets as well as AM4 and AM5 sockets
Whether you primarily use your CPU setup for gaming or AI work, you know that the components can quickly generate an ample amount of heat. For this reason, it helps to have an external CPU cooler to keep everything operating smoothly. There are several options to choose from, ranging from fan-based to water-based cooling solutions. If you already know you want a fan-based CPU cooler, you may want to consider the new Freezer 36 series that has been launched by Arctic.