New PC? No need -- these 9 upgrades are all you need!
… Motherboard: A centerpiece for future upgrades A motherboard change usually goes hand in hand with a new CPU, as sockets and chipsets often change. …
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Before you blame Windows, check your BIOS
… Overclocking is only possible on certain motherboards and with certain processor models. Intel marks models that can be overclocked with a K in the model designation for example, Core Ultra 285K , but AMD has no equivalent. …
I tried a skinny RTX 5080. It fixed the worst thing about flagship GPUs
… It runs from the rear of the case to the front and it blocks the entire bottom half of the motherboard: You can't see it here, but there's a PCIe x4 slot and the motherboard battery under there. …
The benchmarks don't lie! These are the best PCIe 4.0 SSDs
… Newer SSDs were tested with Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi PCIe 4.0/5.0 motherboard. …
The verdict is in: These are the 7 best external SSDs for gaming
… Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. …
Seagate Firecuda X Vault review: The cheap answer to rising SSD prices
… The good news is that two 8TB X Vaults are still less than half the cost of an 8TB SSD. …
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus review: 6 key things to know
… But this week sees the launch of Intel's newest consumer desktop CPUs—Core Ultra 200S Plus, aka Arrow Lake Refresh processors. These chips add to the family, rather than succeed their 2024 siblings. And as it turns out, the top CPU among them offers good news during this bleak time for PC building. …
Investigation: RAM prices are falling. Don’t fall for it
… Good news! PC builders who are willing to buy a RAM bundle with a motherboard and processor might be able to find a little price relief, even though you're still deep in the red compared to just a year ago. …
Tested: These are the best SSDs you can buy right now
… The newer drive exceeds its predecessor in most tests, particularly in sustained/sequential throughput. At the moment, the pricing of the two models is essentially the same, so we say go with the faster of the two. …
My testing of the WD Blue SN5100 found it to be a worthy PCIe 4.0 successor
… It’s new QLC also offers a significantly faster native write rate than previous generations. …