News from Tom's Hardware

Speed test pits six generations of Windows against each other — Windows 11 placed dead last across most benchmarks, 8.1 emerges as unexpected winner in this unscientific comparison

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Tom's Hardware 2 place · 01/04/2026 09:53 EDT

If you're a Windows 11 hater, sit back and enjoy your biases being validated in the most satisfying way possible. A new speed test shows Microsoft's latest OS performing terribly against the five previous Windows versions, placing last in most tests across the board. Read more ›

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Blu-ray hits 20 — optical disc format was introduced to the public at CES 2006

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Tom's Hardware 2 place · 01/04/2026 08:59 EDT

20 years ago today, the CES in Las Vegas was buzzing with talk of Blu-ray technology, players, and media, and the format isn't dead yet. Read more ›

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German retail supplier allegedly rationing RTX 5070 GPUs — more powerful Nvidia graphics cards are completely out of stock

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Tom's Hardware · 01/04/2026 08:34 EDT

An alleged German retailer shared the email they received from their supplier, saying that RTX 5070 GPU deliveries will be limited to five units per model, while 5070 Ti models and up are totally unavailable. Read more ›

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PC Fan Faceoff: Can Arctic's $7 P12 Pro compete with the $40 Noctua NF-A12x25 G2?

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Tom's Hardware · 01/04/2026 08:00 EDT

To kick off fan reviews, we're pinning the industry's finest against the industry's cheapest. David vs. Goliath. The most unfair fan head-to-head in history. Except... maybe not? Read more ›

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US Army tests 20,000W vehicle-mounted laser systems for drone defense — updated LOCUST device is now more lethal against drones

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Tom's Hardware · 01/04/2026 06:00 EDT

The U.S. Army is now testing a more lethal 20kW vehicle mounted LOCUST laser weapon system from AeroVironment (AV) Inc. Read more ›

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Microsoft silently kills Windows and Office phone activation and forces online activation with a Microsoft account — Windows users are now herded into an online-only portal for activation

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 13:22 EDT

Microsoft has somehow put the cap on yet another way to circumvent its internet-powered setup process, and this time it's on a build that they haven't even supported for a while! Production activation via call is still listed in Microsoft's support docs, but a new YouTube video running Windows 7 shows it now redirects you to the online portal. Read more ›

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Intel Arc B570 GPU kicks off new year at just $199 — save $30 on one of the best budget GPUs around

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 13:21 EDT

Sparkle's Arc B570 Guardian OC dual-fan graphics card is on sale for 13%, bringing its price down to $199.99 on Amazon. Read more ›

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MSI’s RTX 5090 Lightning shatters GPU records before launch — 40-phase VRAM and dual 12V-2x6 connectors turn heads on upcoming overclocking monster

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 13:01 EDT

Several benchmark records have appeared online, with users saying they're from the MSI RTX 5090 Lightning, which the company is expected to announce on January 5 at CES 2026. Read more ›

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Gigabyte unleashes new DDR4 AM4 motherboards as RAM shortage continues to slam PC builders — sky-high DDR5 prices spark rush for affordable alternatives

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 11:35 EDT

Consumers are flocking back to AM4, which supports DDR4, as DDR5 prices continue to skyrocket. Gigabyte is taking advantage of the opportunity and has launched four new AM4 motherboard variants in Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX form factors. Read more ›

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Corsair cancels $240 48GB DDR5 memory kit orders due to pricing error — company’s blunder ignites shopper uproar over botched RAM deal

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 10:40 EDT

Over the past few days, many customers purchased an incorrectly-priced kit of premium DDR5 memory from Corsair's webstore for just $240. Today, the company has cancelled all those orders, saying the memory is out of stock and that the pricing was a mistake. It's safe to say this decision has been met with fierce scrutiny. Read more ›

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Corsair reverses course and honors gaming PC order after $700 price hike uproar — order was erroneously flagged, but the company sends a coupon to the buyer to snag the PC at the original price

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 10:09 EDT

A Redditor posted on r/Corsair to complain that the company canceled their order and hiked the price by $700 the following day. A Corsair rep then takes steps to clear the air and makes things right by giving the user a discount coupon to bring the cost back down to its sale price. Read more ›

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Turtle Beach Burst II Pro Review: Ultra-light, 8K polling, and a little creaky

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 09:00 EDT

Turtle Beach's Burst II Pro is an ultra-lightweight wireless mouse with 8K polling rates and a somewhat uniquely-placed DPI switch button. Read more ›

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YPlasma to announce solid state laptop cooler at CES 2026, new cooler design uses plasma and corona discharge to generate airflow

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 08:00 EDT

YPlasma has developed a new solid-state cooling solution that uses corona discharge to generate airflow without any moving parts. The new cooler will be on display at CES 2026 and will be presented with a live demo. Read more ›

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Laser cutting and engraving from a software perspective — master your hardware and optimize your creative output with some software know-how

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 08:00 EDT

We take a closer look at the software side of laser cutting and engraving. Read more ›

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Samsung Display finally brings V-Stripe subpixel layout to QD-OLED — mass production of new 1,300-nit 34" ultrawide panel also boosts text clarity

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Tom's Hardware · 01/03/2026 07:00 EDT

QD-OLED monitors have historically faced text clarity issues due to their unorthodox subpixel layouts, which are a result of the way the OLED stack is layered. Samsung Display is finally fixing that with its first 34-inch ultrawide panel featuring a vertical stripe subpixel layout, similar to typical LCDs. This panel also breaks past 1,000 nits and peaks at 1,300 for the first time ever on a QD-OLED. Read more ›

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Get a Steelseries Rival 3 Wireless mouse for just $25, or 34% off the regular price — potent rodent is simple and executes flawlessly

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Tom's Hardware · 01/02/2026 13:03 EDT

Get a Steelseries Rival 3 Wireless mouse for just $25, or 34% off Read more ›

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Forgotten Star Wars Racer Revenge game is key to jailbreaking PlayStation 5, price soars 1,900% overnight amid leaked ROM keys exploit — Physical copies of the PS4 game go from $20 to $400 on eBay

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Tom's Hardware · 01/02/2026 12:45 EDT

News that Star Wars Racer Revenge is now essential for the latest PlayStation 5 jailbreaks has sent physical copy prices skyrocketing, sparking a frenzy among collectors and gamers alike. Read more ›

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Micron secures $318 million Taiwanese subsidy for HBM R&D as AI memory arms race intensifies — three-year project aims to develop leading-edge, high-performance memory

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Tom's Hardware · 01/02/2026 12:06 EDT

Micron has secured another major vote of confidence from the Taiwanese government, winning approval for an additional NT$4.7 billion (approximately $149 million) in subsidies to expand HBM research and development in Taiwan. Read more ›

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Ukrainian soldier's M1 MacBook Air takes direct shrapnel hit, still works despite battle damage — screen cracked and letter 'K' missing but laptop remains functional

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Tom's Hardware · 01/02/2026 11:29 EDT

An Apple M1 MacBook Air took a shell shrapnel hit and survived, with the laptop still working despite damage to the screen and the letter K on the keyboard missing. Read more ›

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MSI teases new power supplies with 'instant protection' against melting RTX 5090 cables — promises to solve 12V-2x6 connector woes by monitoring individual wires

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Tom's Hardware · 01/02/2026 11:00 EDT

Modern GPUs have a voracious appetite and the mighty Nvidia's RTX 5090 is no exception, often causing fiery outcomes. Many companies have tried to solve this issue, including MSI once before with its yellow-tipped connectors, but now it's back with two new power supplies that promise next-level safeguards against these melting GPUs. Read more ›

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