News from Tom's Hardware

MediaTek unveils Filogic 8000 Wi-Fi 8 family at CES 2026 – new chipsets expected to arrive later this year

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 14:04 EDT

Wi-Fi 8 is the most exciting revision to the spec since the mid-2010s, and MediaTek is one of the first to announce real hardware for it. Read more ›

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China’s top chip foundries move to consolidate as Beijing pushes semiconductor self-sufficiency — SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor deals pave the path to unified power

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 13:10 EDT

China’s two largest pure-play foundries, SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor, are in the middle of significant consolidation efforts that demonstrate how industrial policy is reshaping the country’s chip sector. Read more ›

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Qualcomm expands Snapdragon on Windows with X2 Plus – 10-core ARM CPU boasts 35% single-core jump

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 12:00 EDT

Qualcomm is expanding its second generation of Windows chips with the X2 Plus lineup, which claims a 35% jump in single-core and a 17% increase in multi-threaded performance. Read more ›

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HP's new OmniBook Ultra 14 gets Panther Lake and Snapdragon X2 options inside — exclusive variant of Qualcomm chip has 85 TOPS

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 12:00 EDT

HP's new top-of-the-line consumer laptop is focused on slim AI performance with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X2 chips and Intel's Panther Lake processors inside. Read more ›

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Chip scarcity assaults auto industry amid the worsening Nexperia and DRAM crisis — fragile sector rocked by undersupply, which may end worse than the 2021 shortage

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 11:05 EDT

Due to DRAM demand and the rapid scale-up of AI infrastructure, the automotive industry faces a fresh chip crisis, which means that the industry stands on the precipice of a tightened supply, as stocks dwindle. Read more ›

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Asus ROG and Xreal partner to deliver gaming-optimized AR glasses — 240 Hz Micro-LEDs with a 171-inch virtual viewing area

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 09:44 EDT

Asus taps Xreal to bring some gaming cred to its new AR glasses, and the ROG Xreal R1 delivers with a 240 Hz refresh rate. Read more ›

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Developer turns floppy disks into secret black-and-white picture canvases — pbm2track "paints" pixel art into the disk's magnetic timing diagram

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 09:34 EDT

The pbm2track tool repurposes a floppy disk's track timing diagram into a secret tool for hiding pixel images. Read more ›

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U.S. electricity grid stretches thin as data centers rush to turn on onsite generators — Meta, xAI, and other tech giants race to solve AI's insatiable power appetite

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 09:12 EDT

The AI infrastructure boom is pushing the national electricity grid to its limit, but artificial intelligence is too lucrative for companies to wait for a connection. So, they're taking the solution for their power supply problem into their own hands. Read more ›

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CyberPowerPC's MA-01 comes with analog color control knobs, woven steel mesh, and slanted airflow – modern trimmings meet retro design in new curved-glass PC case

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 09:07 EDT

Cyberpower is coming to CES 2026 with the stunning MA-01 case with analog RGB knobs, resonance-killing steel mesh exhaust, and component and cable-hiding angled vents that also direct airflow. Read more ›

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CES award outs MSI's monstrous 1600W RTX 5090 Lightning GPU — new flagship has next generation liquid cooling, dual 16-pin power connectors, and a surface-mounted LCD display

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 08:50 EDT

For a few weeks now, we've known about MSI's RTX 5090 Lightning, a return to form for an iconic lineup of GPUs targeted at extreme overclocking. This new 5090 Lightning is no different with a 1600W power limit (2500W XOC BIOS) split across dual 12V-2x6 connectors, a large screen, and liquid-cooled design, now all confirmed by CES. Read more ›

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SanDisk’s new Optimus SSD line-up replaces retired WD color-based models — new Optimus, GX, and GX Pro tiers for 2026

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 08:00 EDT

Sandisk has reimagined its WD Black and WD Blue SSDs, unveiling the new Optimus series designed specifically for gamers, creators, and professionals. Read more ›

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Grab this $399 Bambu Lab P1S 3D printer, back down to a record-low price for the new year — save $300 on high-speed enclosed printer for beginners and enthusiasts alike

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Tom's Hardware · 01/05/2026 07:05 EDT

One of our favorite 3D printers, the Bambu Lab P1S, is back down to an all-time low price, and it can be yours for just $399.99. Read more ›

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Intel's upcoming Arc B770 discrete GPU leaks out on GitHub, launch appears imminent — Reportedly featuring the BMG-G31 GPU, 16GB+ VRAM, 32 Xe2 cores, and 300W TDP

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Tom's Hardware · 01/04/2026 11:27 EDT

Intel's elusive Arc B770 graphics card, the successor to the Arc A770 has been part of the rumor mill for what seems like forever now, but it's finally close to a release. New code on an Intel GitHub repository mentions "b770" specifically, suggesting the company has pushed out an update to add support for the GPU ahead of a timely CES launch. Read more ›

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Samsung teases AI OLED Cassette and Turntable — display division stretches the feasible use cases for its latest tech at CES 2026

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Tom's Hardware · 01/04/2026 10:33 EDT

Samsung is teasing some intriguing new OLED products, ready to showcase at CES 2026 over the next few days. Read more ›

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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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