Articles by John Loeffler, Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.

John has a Bachelor’s degree in English and is currently in the wrapping up a Master’s program in Computer Science, where he spends his evenings building digital circuits, multiboxing Linux kernels, and coding shell scripts.

You can usually find him on Bluesky (@@johnloeffler.bsky.social) where you’ll get hot takes on stuff as well as reposting content that is almost as good as the worst content you used to be able to find on Vine.

Articles by: John Loeffler

AMD Advancing AI 2024 event shows that the AI PC is making progress, but still needs time to cook

By John Loeffler published 11 October 24

It's getting there

AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 Series Mobile Processors

AMD announces new Ryzen AI Pro 300 series processors, bringing Copilot+ PCs to enterprise users for the first time

By John Loeffler published 10 October 24

AMD Ryzen AI Pro 300 chips bring Copilot+ AI PCs to enterprise users, including a 55 TOPS NPU, up to Radeon 890M graphics, and enhanced security features.

Intel announces Core Ultra 200 series desktop CPUs, the first desktop AI processors on the market

By John Loeffler last updated 10 October 24

Intel brings the AI PC to the desktop with the first desktop processor featuring a built-in NPU

AMD announces a new update to address Ryzen 9000's performance woes ahead of Intel Arrow Lake launch, but it has already blown its early advantage

By John Loeffler published 30 September 24

AMD rolls out fixes to its rocky Ryzen 9000 series launch, but they come too late to gain a head start over Intel's coming Arrow Lake chips.

Two cables, Thunderbolt vs USB, against a two tone TechRadar background

Thunderbolt vs USB: Which is the best port?

By Allisa James published 28 September 24

It's the ultimate showdown, Thunderbolt vs USB, as we look to find the best port and cable for the job.

PS5 Pro pre-orders as it happened: how the first day of pre-orders for regular and 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro consoles panned out

By Rob Dwiar last updated 26 September 24

Our live blog provided all the latest updates as PS5 Pro pre-orders, and 30th Anniversary Collection pre-orders began and got underway across the globe.

A screengrab from the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark tool

Why every PC game needs a built-in benchmark tool

By John Loeffler published 16 September 24

How is it that only a select few PC games have built-in benchmark tools? This absolutely needs to be in every game, not just the most graphically intensive titles.

How to use a Chromebook

By John Loeffler published 14 September 24

If you're wondering how to get the most out of your new Chromebook, I'll show you how to use your Chromebook to get the most out of it.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ being shown off at IFA 2024

Hands on: MSI Claw 8 AI+: will the second time be a charm for MSI? It sure feels that way

By John Loeffler published 10 September 24

Not yet rated

IFA 2024 I got to spend some time with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ at IFA 2024, and from what I saw, the second-generation Claw just might be the PC gaming handheld we've been waiting for.

An Intel Lunar Lake chip riding shadowfax at dawn of the fifth day at the battle of helms deep

Lunar Lake is coming to save Intel like Gandalf at Helm's Deep

By John Loeffler published 9 September 24

IFA 2024 Intel Lunar Lake just might be the most impressive tech I've seen in years, and Qualcomm and AMD aren't going to be able to compete, giving Intel the space it needs to rebuild itself.

The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 in a masculine hand

Hands on: Acer Nitro Blaze 7: Acer gets in the PC gaming handheld game, but is it enough to Blaze a trail out of a crowded field?

By John Loeffler published 6 September 24

Not yet rated

IFA 2024 The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 is the latest gaming handheld to hit the market, but some key points aren't known, so it's hard to tell if it will be a success.

Best of IFA 2024 awards – our 12 favorite tech reveals at the show

By Matt Bolton published 6 September 24

From hybrid gaming laptops to AI home robots to elite turntables, IFA brought innovations of all kinds.

Intel Lunar Lake powered devices at IFA 2025

Intel comes roaring back with new Lunar Lake chips to battle AMD and Qualcomm with all-day battery, AI, and serious gaming performance

By John Loeffler published 3 September 24

Intel Core Ultra 200 Series laptops are finally here to help Intel steal back some AI PC thunder from AMD and Qualcomm.

The best 4K 144Hz monitors in 2026

By Rob Webb last updated 1 September 24

Updated We're rounding up only the best 4K 144Hz monitors from budget picks to leading models available in 2024.

Cherry Stream Desktop on a coffee table with a marble top

The best budget keyboards in 2026

By Rob Webb last updated 28 August 24

Updated You don't need to splash the cash to get a fully featured deck as the best budget keyboards will see you through confidently.

A Lenovo small business server, one of the best small business server options, against a techradar background

Best small business server of 2024

By John Loeffler last updated 21 August 24

Updated We compare the best small business server models for small and medium businesses.

A person using a laptop and a smartphone together.

Best font resource of 2026

By Steve Paris last updated 16 August 24

Updated We list the best font resources, to make it simple and easy for you to discover and manage new font styles for your business media, whether digital or print.

Best 3D file converter of 2026:

By Michael Graw last updated 16 August 24

Updated We list the best 3D file converters, to make it simple and easy to save 3D files as different compatible formats, including proprietary ones for use in other applications.

Best PowerPoint to PDF converter of 2026

By Richard Sutherland last updated 15 August 24

Updated We list the best PowerPoint to PDF converters, to make it simple and easy to export your presentation files into portable document format files.

A stack of iPad Air 5s, the best school tablet, against a techradar background

Best student tablet of 2024

By John Loeffler last updated 13 August 24

We test out the best student tablets for school, college, and university - these are our top picks.

How to update a MacBook

By Bryan M Wolfe last updated 3 August 24

Apple sends out macOS software updates on a regular basis to add features and eliminate bugs. Here's how to get started with Mac updates.

Dell XPS 13 (2022) review

By John Loeffler last updated 2 August 24

Great Value

The Dell XPS 13 (2022) is a fantastic laptop for everyday use and working on the go thanks to solid performance and battery life, but it has stiffer competition than it once did.

A laptop vs desktop against a two tone background

Laptop vs desktop: which should you buy for back to school in 2026?

By Allisa James last updated 31 July 24

We pit laptop vs desktop to see which one comes out the ultimate computing champion.

A mystery GPU with a colorful burst behind it

Nvidia 5000 series: rumors, possible GPU specs, and everything we know

By John Loeffler last updated 22 July 24

Updated Nvidia 5000 series RTX GPUs have seen a ton of rumors at this point. We've rounded up everything about their possible release date, specs, and more.

The Seagate Wireless 500GB Mobile Storage, one of the best wireless drive picks, against a two tone background

The best wireless drives in 2024: external drives without the wires

By John Loeffler last updated 18 July 24

Updated We'll help you find the best wireless drive in 2026 for your PC or Mac

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