Articles by Darren Allan

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Articles by: Darren Allan

Forget NPCs, now we have CPCs — Co-Playable Characters or AI teammates in PUBG courtesy of Nvidia ACE tech, but I'm not impressed so far

By Darren Allan published 17 June 26

Many gamers are doubtful, mystified, or think that this will be beyond amusing.

The PC component crisis isn't going away: retail market for SSDs has 'almost disappeared' we're told, and DDR5 RAM prices refuse to drop

By Darren Allan published 17 June 26

SSD prices remain sky-high alongside the cost of RAM — and a report suggests hard drives are getting more expensive too.

Intel CPU with integrated Nvidia RTX GPU rumored to arrive early in 2028 — and I can't wait to see this power up gaming laptops and handhelds

By Darren Allan published 16 June 26

Can't wait for Intel's CPU with built-in Nvidia RTX graphics? Mark CES 2028 tentatively in your calendar.

Surface Pro and Surface Laptop shown back-to-back, you can see both lids and Windows logos

Microsoft reveals new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with big graphics upgrades from Snapdragon X2 CPUs — but they're seriously pricey

By Darren Allan published 16 June 26

Microsoft's new Surface devices for consumers are on sale now, but they've been hit with major price hikes.

MacBook Neo comes under fire in AMD's latest marketing campaign — but it's a poorly thought-out attack

By Darren Allan published 15 June 26

'Imagine if 'Macs don't game' is the best you've got, lol. I'd fire my marketing team': AMD's going after the MacBook Neo in a very confusing manner.

Windows 11 Update showing on laptop in an office

Fed up with constantly installing various updates for Windows 11? Microsoft is making monthly multiple reboots a thing of the past

By Darren Allan published 15 June 26

Windows 11 is getting another boost to the way updates work — and this appears to be a major focus for Microsoft currently.

The macOS 27 beta is already a 'mind-blowing' revelation for some MacBook owners — here are 3 reasons why it isn't the lowkey release it seems

By Darren Allan published 14 June 26

The first beta of macOS 27 Golden Gate is seriously impressing testers with its stability and performance levels, along with vital interface changes.

Old Nvidia GPUs are being resurrected to cope with the RAM crisis — but one big chip maker seems determined that a memory shortage won't happen again

By Darren Allan published 12 June 26

The RAM shortage is driving Nvidia's partners to bring back half-decade-old boards — but SK Hynix has a masterplan to solve future memory woes.

Intel Wildcat Lake Reference Laptop showing lid

Intel claims its Wildcat Lake notebooks 'reimagine mainstream laptops' — and are ready to take on the MacBook Neo

By Darren Allan published 11 June 26

After Intel's explanation of how it's ensuring Wildcat Lake is more affordable, I'm now more excited to see these rivals for the MacBook Neo.

Microsoft is bringing AI features to more Windows 11 PCs — just in case you were under the impression that AI was being cut back

By Darren Allan published 11 June 26

Microsoft is bringing AI features to a 'broader range of Windows 11 devices', with Copilot+ abilities set to arrive on PCs with a fast enough Nvidia GPU.

AMD exec says DDR5 RAM pricing won't normalize until 2028 — and it's sad that given other predictions, I feel this is overly optimistic

By Darren Allan published 11 June 26

Is now the time to buy a laptop, before bigger price hikes kick in? I'm becoming more convinced about that theory.

Windows 11's June update is here — these are the 3 most important features, including a huge move to make apps and menus load much faster

By Darren Allan published 10 June 26

The main addition here is part of Microsoft's drive to make Windows 11 feel much snappier and more responsive all round.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holding a laptop on stage at Computex 2026

The RAM crisis will last 'quite a few years' says Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang — so despite hiked prices, I think if you want a new laptop, now might be the time to buy

By Darren Allan published 9 June 26

If the memory crisis will last 'quite a few years' what does that really mean for consumers? Here are my expert predictions for laptop, PC, and component prices.

Dell's new Nvidia RTX Spark mini PC has distinct Mac Studio vibes — and I think it could tempt buyers away from Apple given its current stock woes

By Darren Allan published 8 June 26

Is the Dell XPS RTX Spark Desktop a genuine alternative to Apple's powerhouse? It might well be, alongside other mini PCs with Nvidia's N1X chip.

Female couple sitting on sofa with Microsoft Surface tablet, both laughing

Is Microsoft finally going to de-spam Windows 11 search? It looks that way — and I'm shocked that my most-wanted change could be incoming

By Darren Allan published 8 June 26

Windows 11 search could soon get a vital change to make it more usable.

Cristiano Amon, Jensen Huang and Rafael Sotomayor on stage at Computex 2026

'Resistance is futile': the 5 most revealing quotes from Computex 2026 — and what they tell us about the future of computing

By Darren Allan published 6 June 26

Weighty quotes from the likes of Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, with a Borg-like prediction from Qualcomm's Cristiano Amon.

A masculine hand holding up an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 against a green background

Nvidia RTX 5000 Super GPU refreshes could arrive in 2026 after all — with a surprise addition that won't destroy your wallet like the others

By Darren Allan published 5 June 26

Has Nvidia changed its mind about RTX Super GPU refreshes for Blackwell? Apparently, although I remain skeptical...

The MacBook Neo kickstarted an 8GB RAM trend — and seeing new Windows 11 laptops from Dell, Acer, and Microsoft following its lead has me worried

By Darren Allan published 5 June 26

What's good for the Neo is also good for the XPS and Surface? Price-wise, that may be true — but what about future-proofing?

A robot standing thoughtfully in front of a giant digital display with code on it

AIs like ChatGPT fall apart in classic 'Stroop' psychological test — and that could stand in the way of achieving artificial general intelligence

By Darren Allan published 4 June 26

New research is causing quite some controversy on Reddit — but it makes some very interesting points.

In a shock move from nowhere, it seems Microsoft is finally giving Windows 11 users the ability to configure the right-click menu

By Darren Allan published 4 June 26

This could be a key change for the context-sensitive menu in Windows 11.

Garmin says older runners are surprisingly doing the longest runs — see how you compare in the latest fascinating Connect data

By Darren Allan published 4 June 26

Those in their fifties ran the furthest distance on average, and the VO2 max of Garmin runners is impressive.

Garmin's big software update is inbound, but these older watches will miss out — see if your Forerunner, Fenix, or Vivoactive is on the list

By Darren Allan published 3 June 26

Owners of relatively recent Garmin watches may be disappointed to learn that they don't get the new features in the Q2 update.

An AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D in a masculine hand

Price pressures in building PCs 'aren't going away anytime soon' warns AMD exec — but new budget CPU could be in the works

By Darren Allan published 3 June 26

'We know the pressures that are there in building systems aren't going away anytime soon': AMD exec hints at possible relief with new budget Ryzen CPU.

'I think it's a good thing': Intel seemingly 'welcomes the competition' from Nvidia RTX Spark CPU — but I doubt that's the case behind closed doors

By Darren Allan published 2 June 26

Intel is playing it cool about Nvidia's new CPU, but I suspect that in reality it's worried that this could be bad news for its laptop dominance.

Windows 11 search is getting a fix for a glaring issue that really bugs me — and it's about time

By Darren Allan published 2 June 26

Microsoft is improving Windows search in a number of ways, and this is an important tweak.

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