Hardware
The latest hardware stories — every outlet’s angle, in one place.
Noctua Finds Many PC Case Makers Misstate CPU Cooler Clearance
Noctua says its own hands-on measurements of more than 100 PC cases reveal that over half deviate from manufacturers' listed CPU cooler clearance specs, sometimes by several millimeters in either direction.
2 outletsHardwareModder Pumps Water Directly Onto Bare GPU Silicon, Drops RTX 2060 Super Temps to 28°C
YouTuber TrashBench ditched the metal waterblock entirely, using a 3D-printed block to pump water straight onto a GPU die. After early leaks and workarounds, the direct-water method pushed an RTX 2060 (Super) down to 28°C from 70°C stock, beating even an AIO cooler.
2 outletsHardwarePixel 11 Pro Leaks Point to Faster Chip, New Modem, and Glowing Notification Light Ahead of Aug. 12 Reveal
Ahead of Google's Made by Google event on August 12, leaks suggest the Pixel 11 Pro series will bring a new Tensor G6 chip, a MediaTek modem, expanded base storage, a glowing notification LED, and up to 120x zoom — while also facing a price increase and a slightly smaller battery.
1 outletHardwareCXMT-Based Colorful DDR5 Memory Hits 8800 MT/s on AMD X870E Platform
Chinese memory maker CXMT's DDR5 chips, used in Colorful's iGame Shadow II kits, reached 8800 MT/s on AMD's X870E platform, matching speeds previously seen only on Intel's Z890 platform and narrowing the gap with industry leader SK hynix.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung's New Foldable Flagships Tested: Camera and Crease Comparisons Reveal Trade-offs
Two hands-on comparisons pit Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra against the Galaxy S26 Ultra in camera performance, and the standard Galaxy Z Fold 8 against the Oppo Find N6 on crease visibility — with the S26 Ultra and Find N6 each edging out their Samsung foldable rivals in most categories.
1 outletHardwareAMD's RDNA 4m Integrated Graphics Resurface in Mesa 26.3 Open-Source Driver
AMD has merged support for its RDNA 4m integrated graphics into the Mesa 26.3 open-source driver stack, reviving GPU identifiers linked to upcoming Zen 6-based 'Medusa Point' APUs, though the exact purpose and hardware details remain unclear.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra vs. Galaxy Z Fold 7: What's Actually New, and What It Costs
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra brings a brighter, less-creased display, a faster chipset, bigger battery and camera tweaks over last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 — but coverage of its price varies, and deals are already knocking hundreds off both phones.
1 outletHardwareRAM Crisis Reshapes Hardware Market as Prices Hit 2007 Levels, Vendors Cut Configurations
A surge in AI-driven memory demand has pushed DRAM prices back to historical lows not seen in nearly two decades, prompting device makers to scale back RAM configurations and Microsoft to revise its Windows 11 guidance — even as reports surface of a company destroying dozens of functional MacBook Pro units.
2 outletsHardwareNVIDIA's RTX Spark ARM Platform: Benchmark Leaks and New Neural Texture Compression Support Emerge
Leaked Geekbench 7 results show NVIDIA's upcoming RTX Spark closing the multi-core gap with Apple's M4 Max, while the company simultaneously brings its VRAM-saving Neural Texture Compression technology to Windows-on-Arm ahead of the chip's expected launch.
2 outletsHardwareValve Updates Steam Machine: FSR 4.1 Support Added, CAD Files Released for Custom Cases
Valve has rolled out FSR 4.1 upscaling support for the Steam Machine through Proton Experimental and published official CAD files for the console's exterior, while also detailing how long reservation holders may have to wait for purchase invitations.
3 outletsHardwareLeak: Intel Nova Lake-S APU With 12 Xe3P Graphics Cores Said to Need 65W Just for iGPU
A new leak claims one Nova Lake-S desktop APU SKU will require a dedicated 65W power delivery segment and two VCCGT phases to unlock full integrated graphics performance, an unusual design for a desktop chip.
3 outletsHardwareXbox Says Outage Shouldn't Have Blocked Physical Game Access, Promises Fix
After a major Xbox outage left some players unable to access even physical, disc-based games, technology chief Scott Van Vliet says that shouldn't have happened and that a future update will address the issue.
3 outletsHardwareAMD Launches Radeon RX 9050 Entry-Level GPU in 4GB and 8GB Variants
AMD has introduced the Radeon RX 9050, its first new desktop graphics card in nearly a year, offered in both 4GB and 8GB GDDR6 configurations, with the 4GB version restricted to OEM pre-built systems.
2 outletsHardwareGMKtec Launches Evo-X1 Pro Mini PC with Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 and OCuLink eGPU Support
GMKtec's new Evo-X1 Pro mini PC pairs AMD's 12-core Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 with an OCuLink port for external graphics cards, starting at $1,599.99 with 64GB of RAM.
2 outletsHardwareAcemagic Unveils F9A, a 2-Liter Mini PC With AMD's Flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Chip
Acemagic has introduced the F9A, a compact mini workstation built around AMD's top-tier Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, offering desktop-class performance, extensive connectivity, and AI-focused features in a 2-liter aluminum chassis.
2 outletsHardwareValve Says Steam Machine Reservation Queue Should Clear by End of 2026
Valve provided an update on Steam Machine sales, saying it is fulfilling orders daily and expects everyone in the reservation queue to get a purchase opportunity by the end of the year.
2 outletsHardwareTSMC Accelerates 1.4nm Chip Fab Timeline Using AI and VR Technology
TSMC's next-generation A14 (1.4nm) fab in Taiwan is reportedly on track for completion by April 2027, ahead of internal schedules, as the company deploys artificial intelligence and virtual reality tools to manage construction risks and speed up development.
2 outletsHardwareAMD's Zen 6: A Third 'Low-Power' Core Design Emerges, While Server Chips Hint at Big Ryzen Gains
Leaked Linux kernel patches reveal AMD is building a new Zen 6 Low-Power core that blends elements from multiple past Zen architectures, while AMD's newly unveiled Zen 6-based Epyc 'Venice-X' server chips suggest major gains in cores, cache, clocks, and efficiency for future Ryzen CPUs.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Pushes Quiet AI and Big Upgrades — But Old Problems Persist
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra launch with a deliberately understated approach to AI, plus major gains in battery, performance and display brightness. Reviews find real improvements, but also a returning crease, no S Pen, weak telephoto camera and a third straight year of price hikes.
1 outletHardwareEarly Benchmarks Show AMD's New Radeon RX 9050 Trailing Nvidia's RTX 5050 by Roughly 20-30%
Preliminary testing of AMD's newly launched RDNA 4 budget GPU, the Radeon RX 9050, shows it losing to Nvidia's RTX 5050 across most games and synthetic benchmarks, though the AMD card does hold an edge in power efficiency.
2 outletsHardwareMSI Adds 'High-Efficiency Mode' to Bring EXPO ULL-Like Latency Gains to Standard DDR5 Kits
MSI has introduced a new BIOS feature called High-Efficiency Mode for its AM5 motherboards, aiming to replicate the latency improvements of AMD's EXPO ULL memory kits on standard EXPO memory, potentially reducing the need to buy pricier ULL-certified kits.
2 outletsHardwareKeychron Launches Nape Pro, a Compact Trackball Designed to Sit Under the Spacebar
Keychron, best known for mechanical keyboards, has released the Nape Pro, a $89.99 wireless trackball built to sit beneath a keyboard's spacebar, offering six customizable buttons and a control dial aimed at programmers and productivity users.
2 outletsHardwareMicrosoft Pledges to Optimize Windows 11 for 8GB RAM Amid Memory Shortage
As a global RAM shortage pushes manufacturers back toward 8GB configurations, Microsoft says it will reduce Windows 11's memory footprint to keep the OS usable on lower-memory systems.
2 outletsHardwareYouTuber Builds 110cm 3D-Printed Chimney to Cool Ryzen 7 9800X3D by 19°C, No Fans Needed
Modder der8auer used the 'stack effect' to passively cool an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, dropping temperatures from 90°C to 71°C with a towering 3D-printed chimney—though the setup is far too tall for any normal PC case.
2 outletsHardwareASUS Unveils Prime AP304 PC Case With Panoramic Glass and Tool-Free GPU Clamp
ASUS has introduced the Prime AP304, a mid-tower ATX case featuring a curved glass panel, a patented GPU slot clamp, and support for large graphics cards and radiators, though pricing and availability remain unannounced.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: New AI Video Tracker Impresses, But Thinness Brings Cooling Trade-Offs and High Price
Samsung's newest foldable lineup debuts a video-tracking AI feature called My FanCam that early testing found genuinely useful, but the ultra-thin Z Fold 8 Ultra reportedly skips a vapor chamber for cooling, and both phones carry premium prices — though preorder trade-in deals can cut costs significantly.
2 outletsHardwareFree Sleep-Tracking Apps Tested Against Oura Ring, While Industry Eyes Next-Gen 'Sleep Intervention' Tech
A Tom's Guide test compared three free iPhone sleep-tracking apps against the Oura Ring 5, finding one clear standout, while a separate report examines how the sleep tech industry is moving beyond passive tracking toward devices that actively intervene to improve sleep.
1 outletHardwareTom's Hardware Marks 30 Years With a Look Back at Its History and Three Decades of CPU Battles
Tom's Hardware is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of retrospective articles, starting with the site's own founding story and a deep dive into 30 years of CPU competition between Intel and AMD, from the Pentium II era to today's Ryzen and Core chips.
1 outletHardwareRedditors Score Massive Deals on PC Hardware at Thrift Stores Amid Soaring Prices
Two separate Reddit posts describe extremely cheap hardware finds at secondhand stores—a $600 DDR5 memory kit for $14 in the Netherlands and a working GeForce GTX 1050 Ti for $2 in the US—highlighting how thrift stores can occasionally yield rare bargains during a period of high component prices.
1 outletHardwareTwo Pre-Built Gaming PC Deals Surface: RTX 5080 Rig at Costco and RTX 5070 Rig via Woot
Deal hunters have spotted steep discounts on two different high-end gaming PCs — an MSI AEGIS Gaming ZS2 with an RTX 5080 found at Costco, and an MSI Codex R2 with an RTX 5070 listed on Woot.
2 outletsHardwareAMD's Zen 6 CPUs Reportedly Targeting Smoother Gaming via Smarter Core Management
Leaked details suggest AMD's upcoming Zen 6 processors will lean on software-driven, per-core power and memory management to reduce in-game stuttering and improve 1% lows, rather than relying solely on hardware gains.
2 outletsHardwareLexar Launches CXMT-Based DDR5-7200 Kit in China at $592, Offering Little Price Relief
Lexar has introduced a 32GB DDR5-7200 memory kit in China believed to use domestically produced CXMT DRAM chips, but its $592 price closely matches existing Western kits, dampening hopes that Chinese-made memory would significantly lower costs.
2 outletsHardwareNvidia RTX 50 Series Prices Jump Up to 30% in South Korea Amid Memory and Wafer Cost Hikes
South Korean importers and distributors report price increases of up to 30% on Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards, driven by rising GDDR7 memory costs and TSMC wafer price hikes, with the flagship RTX 5090 seeing the steepest jump.
2 outletsHardwareXbox's Disc-to-Digital Rollout Leaks as Industry Weighs Digital-Only Future
A leaked Microsoft roadmap points to an August 2026 launch for Xbox's Disc to Digital feature, letting players convert physical game discs into permanent digital licenses. The reveal comes amid broader industry tension, with Sony defending its move to end PS5 disc manufacturing and mixed signals over whether Xbox's next-gen console will keep disc support.
2 outletsHardwareAMD Submits Linux Kernel Patches for RDNA 5's DCN6 Display Engine
AMD has released new AMDGPU patches to the Linux kernel introducing early support for Display Core Next 6 (DCN6), the display engine tied to the upcoming RDNA 5 GPU architecture, signaling continued driver development ahead of the cards' eventual launch.
2 outletsHardwareLeaked Images Reveal Lenovo Googlebook 15 Ahead of Fall Launch
Leaked renderings obtained by Digital Citizen show the Lenovo Googlebook 15, an early look at Google's new laptop platform built around Gemini AI and a fresh operating system called Aluminium OS.
2 outletsHardwareMSI Unveils DRACO EPIC Edition Lineup to Mark 40th Anniversary at Computex 2026
MSI has launched a limited-edition "DRACO EPIC" product line spanning GPUs, motherboards, cooling, power supplies, cases, and peripherals to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary.
2 outletsHardwareSanDisk and SK hynix Release High Bandwidth Flash Specification for AI Inference
SanDisk and SK hynix have published the first technical specification for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) through the Open Compute Project, positioning the new NAND-based memory tier as a bridge between HBM and enterprise SSDs for AI inference systems.
3 outletsHardwareKioxia and Sandisk Unveil 10th-Generation BiCS10 QLC 3D NAND With Record Density
Kioxia and Sandisk introduced their BiCS10 3D QLC NAND flash memory at the Future of Memory and Storage Conference, claiming the industry's highest areal density and a new interface speed record aimed at data center SSDs.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Sees Record Pre-Orders as Rival iPhone Ultra Looms
Samsung says pre-orders for its Galaxy Z8 foldable series jumped more than 30% year-over-year, with the wider Z Fold 8 driving much of the demand — a trend that could bode well for Apple's rumored passport-style iPhone Ultra.
1 outletHardwareFMS 2026: Silicon Motion, Samsung, Marvell and Microchip/Micron Unveil AI-Focused Storage and Memory Technologies
At the Future of Memory and Storage 2026 conference in Santa Clara, multiple companies presented new SSD controllers, NAND architectures and PCIe Gen 6 storage designs aimed at supporting AI training, inference and emerging agentic AI workloads.
1 outletHardwareMotherboard and GPU Prices Rise Across ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte as Component Shortages Hit PC Market
Taiwan-based PC hardware makers ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte have begun raising prices on both motherboards and graphics cards, citing shortages of PCBs, capacitors, and memory chips driven by enterprise and AI data center demand.
1 outletHardwareSpaceX and xAI Commit Exclusively to Nvidia GPUs, Cite Vera Rubin Design as 'The Best'
Elon Musk said SpaceX and xAI will use Nvidia GPUs exclusively, praising the Vera Rubin NVL72 architecture as superior, with plans to deploy the system on Earth and in orbit starting next year.
2 outletsHardwarePC Gamer Builds Free Tool to Shut Down System Before RTX 5090 Power Connector Melts
An RTX 5090 owner has created a free, open-source tool that automatically shuts down a PC if it detects a graphics card pulling too much current through its power connector, aiming to head off the melting issues that have plagued high-end Nvidia GPUs.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung Unveils zHBM, zNAND-O and BV-NAND at FMS 2026, Betting on Wafer Bonding for AI Memory
At the Future of Memory and Storage 2026 conference, Samsung introduced three next-generation memory and storage concepts—zHBM, zNAND-O, and BV-NAND—all built around advanced wafer bonding, aimed at boosting performance for AI accelerators and edge devices.
2 outletsHardwareSamsung's New Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra Tested Against S26 Ultra, as Pixel 11 Pro XL Looms and DeX Gets an Upgrade
Tom's Guide put Samsung's $2,099 Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra head-to-head with the $1,299 Galaxy S26 Ultra, previewed the rumored Google Pixel 11 Pro XL against the S26 Ultra, and tested the new Samsung DeX desktop mode coming to this year's foldables.
1 outletHardwareGigabyte's New B850 Motherboards Highlight AMD's Expanded AM5 Chipset Lineup
Wccftech's reviews of Gigabyte's B850 AORUS Elite X3D and B850M AORUS Stealth ICE motherboards detail AMD's second-generation AM5 chipset family, the B850's feature set, and the platform's long-term socket support.
1 outletHardwareMacBook Neo's Value and RAM Efficiency Fuel Pressure on Windows PC Market, While Buyers Find Ways Around Its Price Hike
Analysts say Apple's MacBook Neo, praised for handling 8GB of RAM better than comparable Windows machines, is pushing Microsoft toward a more efficient Windows 11 and pressuring PC makers on pricing — even as the laptop's own price recently rose, though shoppers have found ways to still get it for less.
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