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

A PC Gamer looking happy sat in front of their desktop monitor

'The fastest desktop gaming processors Intel has ever built': new Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs are priced to sell, and AMD should be worried

By Darren Allan Published

Intel's new Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs are already impressing PC gamers with some temptingly low MSRPs.

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

Microsoft's year of fixing Windows 11 is off to a promising start, as latest update improves stability — but it still has a lot more work to do

By Darren Allan Published

Microsoft continues to deliver its promised Windows 11 fixes in a new update that improves reliability in many ways.

A woman getting frustrated by her laptop

Windows 11's new internet speed test is just a link to Bing.com in a move that smacks of laziness and overzealous promotion

By Darren Allan Published

Windows 11's new internet speed test has left people longing for Windows 8 — that's how badly Microsoft has dropped the ball here.

Cortical Labs CL1 playing Doom

Can it play Doom? This biocomputer built on human brain cells just learned to shoot demons, but not everyone's convinced

By Darren Allan Published

Human-brain-cell-soup-on-a-chip can play Doom — but questions remain about what 'playing' the game is exactly.

A Razer Blade 14 (2025) on a desk showing the Windows 11 desktop

Windows 11 is finally getting an easy way to access dark mode — and a fix for those 'flashbangs' that still plague File Explorer

By Darren Allan Published

Annoying white flashes are still hanging around in Windows 11 for some users, but hopefully not for much longer.

Young woman sitting on the floor with a laptop biting nails, nervous and very anxious

Windows 12 could arrive this year with rumored heavy AI focus — and the hate is strong already

By Darren Allan Last updated

Is Microsoft planning Windows 12 for this year? I doubt that, but the pre-emptive backlash against its AI features has already started.

The MacBook Neo at an Apple event

7 features the MacBook Neo is missing — from display downgrades to connectivity caveats

By Darren Allan Published

We've got a good look at what the new budget MacBook is packing — but what about the stuff that's missing?

man sleeping underneath his laptop

'The sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028': Gartner predicts that budget computers are on borrowed time

By Darren Allan Published

Severity of RAM crisis could mean the sub-$500 PC market will 'disappear by 2028' according to one analyst firm.

Render of AMD Ryzen chip

AMD's new Ryzen desktop CPUs are all about AI with a powerful NPU for exclusive Copilot+ features — but will anyone care?

By Darren Allan Published

Want a Copilot+ desktop PC? What do you mean, no? AMD just revealed Ryzen AI 400 CPUs over at MWC 2026.

Man having Windows 11 problems with his laptop

California's age verification law is proving controversial — here's what you need to know, and why some Linux distros are in the firing line

By Darren Allan Published

The legislation might prove to be a real headache for some Linux distros.

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Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

Microsoft gets heavy-handed on Copilot Discord server, reportedly blocking 'Microslop' posts and heading down a dangerous path

By Darren Allan Published

'Microslop' posts are blocked on Copilot Discord server as Windows 11 AI backlash takes another unfortunate turn.

The Windows 11 battery indicator on a Razer Blade 14 (2025)

Has the death of Windows 10 finally begun? Windows 11's popularity is suddenly skyrocketing

By Darren Allan Published

It's finally happening: Windows 11 appears to be shoving Windows 10 firmly aside.

Qualcomm Wi-Fi 8 lifestyle image showing people using wireless devices around a house

'Faster speeds, higher reliability, longer range, and powerful AI': Qualcomm introduces Wi-Fi 8 chips with a startling speed boost at MWC 2026

By Darren Allan Published

MWC 2026 Yes, you may not have Wi-Fi 7 yet, but the Wi-Fi 8 juggernaut is already gathering pace.

A woman getting frustrated by her laptop

'So big, it's basically a Start screen again': Windows 11's new Start menu is getting some hate — and triggering Windows 8 flashbacks

By Darren Allan Published

Windows 11's new Start menu is proving seriously divisive – some feel it's huge and badly designed, but there are fans too.

Woman disgusted by her laptop

No, that budget laptop doesn't have 1.1TB of storage — watch out for this shady trick some Amazon sellers are trying

By Darren Allan Published

PSA: watch out for this shady practice with cheap laptops that appear to have 1.1TB or 1.2TB of storage — they absolutely don't.

Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM kits in a cardboard box

The RAM lottery crowns a new winner — Redditor buys a $300 Corsair Vengeance DDR5 kit and gets sent a box of 10 worth $3,000

By Darren Allan Published

10 for the price of 1: Redditor buys 32GB DDR5 RAM kit for $300, ends up with 320GB of memory.

A masculine hand holding an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 showing off the power connector

'Modern games are pushing GPU architectures harder than ever': Micron reveals faster new video RAM that could power Nvidia RTX 6000 GPUs

By Darren Allan Published

'Rising size of game assets and AI models has outpaced GPU memory capacity, until now': Micron reveals faster new video RAM.

Woman disgusted by her laptop

Microsoft's planned new AI trick for Edge will 'automatically open the Copilot side pane' with Outlook email links — and I can feel the hate already

By Darren Allan Published

Microsoft is looking to bring a new AI trick to Edge — and I'm betting most of the browser's users will hate it.

Rear three-quarter view of HP Laptop 14 open on white desk with pink wall in background

HP admits RAM crisis has got so bad, memory now accounts for 35% of the cost of its PCs

By Darren Allan Published

HP has 'qualified new suppliers' as RAM crisis intensifies — memory now accounts for 35% of the cost of its PCs.

A selection of Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards.

Nvidia seemingly wants to make Linux better for gamers — and one way or another, that must worry Microsoft

By Darren Allan Published

Job ad hints at Linux GPU driver improvements — which could be an exciting sign for the future of gaming.

Press shot of an Nvidia chip

Dell and Lenovo laptops with Nvidia CPUs 'could come in the first half of this year' — so get ready for some thin-and-light gaming powerhouses (hopefully)

By Darren Allan Published

Nvidia's new Arm CPU could debut in laptops in Q2 2026 — but I'm skeptical we'll see these notebooks anytime soon.

A woman sitting in a chair looking at a Windows 11 laptop

Will the Control Panel ever die? Rare feature migration to Settings spotted in Windows 11, but don't get your hopes up for more of this

By Darren Allan Published

Microsoft shifts another Windows 11 feature to Settings from the Control Panel — but I expect the latter will still be with us in the 2030s.

Computer memory RAM on motherboard background

RAM crisis shows (slight) signs of easing as DDR5 prices drop — but there's a sting in the tail

By Darren Allan Published

Sick of RAM price hikes yet? All of us surely are, but there's at least some cause for optimism this month.

ASUS ExpertBook Ultra 2026

Acer and Asus have stopped support for laptops in German patent dispute — and I think this is a truly worrying situation for consumers

By Darren Allan Published

Needing a VPN to get support for your laptop is not an acceptable situation.

Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

Will Microsoft ever stop messing with Notepad? Windows 11 app could soon get another feature — and I'm predicting a backlash

By Darren Allan Published

Is Notepad getting too bloated these days? If you're of that opinion, you won't like what Microsoft has planned next.

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