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

Acer Chromebook Plus 514 open on desk with pink background

Watch out, laptop buyers – RAM-based price hikes could be in the cards soon and they might be big

By Darren Allan published

Now might be a smart time to buy a laptop ahead of RAM price rises - it's either that, or hope for a killer Black Friday deal.

A laptop screen showing the Windows 11 logo and a wallpaper

Windows 11 could bring back an old feature for wallpapers from Windows Vista – and it's about time

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11's backgrounds could get a lot fancier with a new choice to use video wallpapers.

A Windows 11 laptop sitting on a desk in front of a window

New Windows 11 25H2 update is about to land on your PC – but where's the excitement?

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11 25H2 update is now imminent – but its big Start menu upgrade could arrive on 24H2 first for some people.

MSI RTX 5080 Gaming Trio OC graphics card shown front and rear

Nvidia RTX 5000 GPUs could soon get a speed boost thanks to MSI Afterburner – but many gamers might miss out here

By Darren Allan published

It's MSI GPUs only to begin with, and new overclocking tricks won't apply to existing RTX 5000 boards either

A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.

Tiny11 just got tinier – Nano11 shrinks down Windows 11 to a third of its size, but there's a notable catch

By Darren Allan published

Nano11 tool strips Windows 11 of every bit of bloat, and more, so it's a third of the size – but the catch is a big one.

An AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT on a table

AMD drops hint that it's planning a big GPU surprise for Nvidia soon, though I'm not fully convinced it's the rumored RX 9080 XT

By Darren Allan published

Might AMD have a secret weapon of a GPU waiting in the wings – perhaps to take on Nvidia's RTX 5000 Super refreshes?

girl using laptop hoping for good luck with her fingers crossed

Windows 11 25H2 installer is now out, but here's why you shouldn't be tempted to download the update yet

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11 25H2 might be cleared for take-off, but don't board the update plane just yet.

The Liquid Glass interface in macOS Tahoe.

macOS Tahoe 26 comes with a big money-saving upgrade for fixing Macs - and it's landing next week

By Darren Allan published

Repair Assistant has been spotted in macOS Tahoe 26, which is great news for fixing a broken Mac at a lower cost.

Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen

Windows 11 has a new update – these are the top 5 features, but there's also an annoying drawback

By Darren Allan published

I've picked out my top 5 features in Windows 11's new update – plus a frustrating sting in the tail.

A Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i sitting on a picnic table outside

Microsoft makes major change to Copilot app – and I'm wondering if this is a glimpse of Windows 12's Start menu

By Darren Allan published

Is this the Start menu of the future? The Copilot app seems to be morphing into this key part of the Windows 11 interface.

COnfused businessman working with his laptop, at the office

Windows 11 25H2 update might disappoint if you were hoping for better performance, new report suggests

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11 25H2 is the imminent new spin on Microsoft's operating system, but don't expect any performance improvements.

Man having Windows 11 problems with his laptop

Windows 11 SSD failures could be caused by glitchy drive firmware – here's what you need to know

By Darren Allan last updated

Mystery around SSD failures takes another twist, but we shouldn't be leaping to any conclusions here.

The Asus Vivobook S 15 Copilot+ in silver pictured on a wooden desk.

Windows 11 is getting these two nifty AI upgrades for Copilot+ PCs – and one change that might really annoy people

By Darren Allan published

More AI is coming to Windows 11, and Copilot+ PC owners will likely appreciate improved voice dictation and webcam powers.

GeForce Now news

Thinking of streaming your PC gaming? Nvidia's GeForce Now is about to get more tempting as RTX 5080 GPU powers up top-tier plan

By Darren Allan published

The top GeForce Now plan is going to offer smoother gaming from September 10 thanks to the RTX 5080 GPU.

Team Group T-Create Expert P34F portable SSD connected to a MacBook

This external SSD is smaller than a credit card, and it's impossible to lose... in theory

By Darren Allan published

New Team Group external SSD boasts location tracking in case you lose it.

Lenovo Legion Go 2

Lenovo reveals Legion Go 2 with OLED display packing 144Hz refresh rate and VRR - and a big boost for battery life

By Darren Allan published

The design remains much the same, but there's now an OLED screen, and peppy new AMD Ryzen processors under the hood.

Lenovo ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept in portrait mode

Lenovo shows off laptop with rotating screen - yes, it's real, and so is that rumored self-adjusting notebook stand

By Darren Allan published

Lenovo wanted to turn some heads at Innovation World 2025, and it's succeeded with these novel concept products.

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070

Nvidia's Super refreshes could arrive soon to fix the biggest problem with RTX 5000 GPUs – their lack of memory

By Darren Allan published

Nvidia could turn the RTX 5070 into a killer GPU by equipping it with 18GB of VRAM and pricing it keenly.

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070

Nvidia has never been more dominant with GPUs – and that suggests AMD's RX 9000 models have a pricing problem

By Darren Allan published

Nvidia now has a 94% share of the GPU market, while AMD languishes at an all-time low. So, what can Team Red do?

A laptop with the Windows 11 desktop on screen, glowing, while on a work desk

Microsoft has a bright idea to make USB-C ports better on Windows 11 PCs – I just can't help wondering why this hasn't been done before

By Darren Allan published

Ever bought a new PC and found it had a flawed USB-C port? Microsoft has a plan to make connectors more reliable on Windows 11 devices.

How to upgrade your PC - Upgrade RAM

Want to upgrade the DDR4 RAM in your PC? New report is a clear signal you should buy sooner rather than later

By Darren Allan published

Older DDR4 RAM is becoming more expensive, and that trend is set to continue - so you might want to buy now if you're planning an upgrade.

Close-up shot of a woman using mobile device with Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) security while logging in securely to her laptop.

Windows 11 has a hidden feature in testing that could be a real timesaver for Android phone owners

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft is busy developing quite a few nifty phone-related features for Windows 11 these days.

A woman getting frustrated by her laptop

Microsoft claims Windows 11 is innocent of killing SSDs – but the mystery continues

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft solves the case of the vanishing SSDs – and clears the latest Windows 11 update of any wrongdoing.

Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen

Windows 11 25H2 update is close to release – but I fear Microsoft is missing a big opportunity as Windows 10's death looms

By Darren Allan published

The 25H2 update is going to be a low-key affair, so if you want big new features you're out of luck.

Young woman with cat using laptop

Want to stick with Windows 10 after October 2025? Here are your options – including how to get a free year of extra support

By Darren Allan published

Don't want – or can't get – Windows 11? Here's what you need to do before support expires for Windows 10 in October.

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