Articles by Darren Allan

Happy woman sitting on a bed with a coffee and a laptop

Microsoft finally looks to fix Windows 11 search — it'll be faster and lighter on RAM usage, with nifty new 'actions'

By Darren Allan Published 8 October 26

Microsoft promises 'substantial improvements in performance and memory usage' as it fixes Windows 11 search — but some critics are still unhappy.

AMD CEO vows to 'substantially increase' chip supply in 2027 — but this isn't good news for the price of laptops or consoles

By Darren Allan Published 7 October 26

AMD is upping chip production levels next year — but this is for AI, so it won't help consumers with the RAM crisis.

Ghost Core AI PC sat on a table in a home office, next to a record player and lamp

Teen founder reveals 'personal AI computer' for running local agents — $3,499 Mac mini rival runs on Nvidia RTX Pro 4000 GPU and promises to be a subscription-free 'brain in a box'

By Darren Allan Published 6 October 26

Ghost's Core 'builds context on your life over time and works continuously to help you' while offering tight security and privacy.

Sad looking person holding head in hands sat at a gaming PC

RAM to see 'meaningful price increases' before 2026 is out, as the memory crisis is predicted to last 'at least' another 3 years

By Darren Allan Published 6 October 26

Chatter about the memory supply shortage, both on the grapevine and from analysts, has taken another gloomy turn.

People using Apple's M5 MacBook Pro laptop.

MacBook Pro OLED rumored to be 'significantly lighter' but the main concern remains that it'll significantly lighten your wallet — or mess with battery life

By Darren Allan Published 5 October 26

Apple's MacBook Pro OLED could arrive this month with a major reduction in weight.

Upset young man plays computer games at home.

Windows 11's latest update has a game-breaking bug — and there's no fix yet

By Darren Allan Published 5 October 26

Gamers complain of a 'disaster' of an update for Windows 11 — and Microsoft doesn't have a solution yet.

We're 6 months into Microsoft's campaign to fix Windows 11 — here are 5 things it got right, and 3 glaring oversights

By Darren Allan Published 4 October 26

There have been commendable performance, search, and interface tweaks — but those bugs remain problematic.

An RTX 5090 on its retail packaging on a desk

Micro Center reportedly now makes you fill out a form and have a photo ID to buy an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU — and while some people hate the idea, others are in favor

By Darren Allan Published 3 October 26

Micro Center is cracking down on scalpers looking to export Nvidia's RTX 5090 GPU.

There are promising hints that Windows 11 26H2 could drop RAM usage — but is this really a free performance boost?

By Darren Allan Published 2 October 26

Has Microsoft pushed through changes to help with RAM usage in the 26H2 update?

2 Comments

AOC Agon Pro AGP257FT shown front-on, extended on stand, against a purple background

AOC reveals a 1,000Hz gaming monitor — but do you really need anything like that high a refresh rate?

By Darren Allan Published 1 October 26

AOC launches a 1,000Hz gaming monitor, while debate rages about whether it's complete overkill.

Fed up of AI eating all the RAM? Micron warns that crisis will get worse in 2027 and 2028 — and says robots could gobble up 200GB+ of memory per unit come 2030

By Darren Allan Published 1 October 26

The memory shortage is expected to worsen in 2027 and 2028 — and beyond that Micron warns that robots will eat tons of RAM.

Want to try fudging Nvidia DLSS 5 on games, but don't know how? This Steam tool does the hard work for you

By Darren Allan Published 1 October 26

Jealous of all those DLSS 5 gaming experiments? Conduct your own with this Steam tool which allows Nvidia's tech to work on PC games with no fuss.

'Uh oh': Windows 11 26H2 is here and Microsoft says it's a 'predictable and low-disruption update', but a lot of people are preparing for the worst

By Darren Allan Published 30 September 26

If you've been annoyed that you still haven't got a Windows 11 feature that was rolled out earlier this year, you might be in luck.

TP-Link Archer 8 Ultra router shown on a table next to a laptop

TP-Link Archer 8 Ultra is now out — but this cutting-edge Wi-Fi 8 router is seriously pricey

By Darren Allan Published 30 September 26

This is a pricey piece of cutting-edge hardware, and indeed you could buy a decent PC with this kind of money.

Think the RAM crisis is pushing PC prices out of control? This $1.7m solid-gold mini PC will really make your wallet weep

By Darren Allan Published 29 September 26

This mini PC is made from 13kg of 24-carat gold and costs as much as 60 new cars.

Some gamers are still wondering whether to wait for a GPU bargain on Black Friday 2026 — but I'd strongly advise against it

By Darren Allan Published 26 September 26

Watch out for Black Friday — it's a trap — or at least it is for graphics cards, anyway, and here's why.

Microsoft is trying to forget 'Microslop' now rather than censor the word — but I think it's a term that'll hang around the firm's neck for the rest of time

By Darren Allan Published 24 September 26

Microsoft is reportedly no longer censoring 'Microslop' posts — but if it's hopeful the term will die off now, it can think again.

A man sitting at a table and looking at a laptop with a puzzled expression, holding his hear up with his hand

Microsoft admits it broke Windows 11 backup feature in September update — here's how to fix it (but you might want to hold off)

By Darren Allan Published 24 September 26

Microsoft has fixed a bug that killed a backup feature, but it needs to regain the trust of users.

A frustrated looking girl playing a video game

'This is no longer just about RAM and SSDs': XMG highlights component cost rises across the board as it hikes laptop prices — and Nvidia GPUs could suffer too

By Darren Allan Published 23 September 26

The RAM crisis is kicking up yet another gear as XMG hikes its laptop prices substantially.

Aftershock Cherry Bloom PC view of case at an angle

Aftershock's gaming PC contains a cherry blossom tree that blooms as the case heats up and it's one of the most striking things I've ever seen — but so is the price

By Darren Allan Published 23 September 26

The 'Cherry Bloom' gaming PC blends tech and nature in a way that I hope catches on.

Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

'Copilot is a scourge that I avoid at all opportunities': Microsoft is giving the Copilot app its own browser, but Windows 11 users remain largely unimpressed

By Darren Allan Published 23 September 26

Windows 11's Copilot app is getting its own browser — a helpful move, or another way for Microsoft to push Edge?

3 Comments

Nvidia's RTX 6000 GPUs rumored for 2028, not next year — and I think that makes a lot of sense given the RAM crisis

By Darren Allan Published 22 September 26

'I'd rather they delayed the launch to consumers': Nvidia's RTX 6000 GPUs are rumored for 2028, not next year, and gamers seem happy enough about that.

A sad woman looks at her MacBook while rubbing her temples in frustration

'Never have I experienced such a Windows-esque bug in macOS': Mission Control is a mess in macOS 27 Golden Gate — and users are questioning Apple's testing

By Darren Allan Published 21 September 26

Afraid that macOS 27 is buggy? Early feedback is making upgraders nervous — but I wouldn't worry too much unless you're a power-user.

Is the RAM crisis overblown? Acer CEO plays down memory shortage, and says it's 'impossible' for it to last until 2030

By Darren Allan Published 21 September 26

We've had a lot of negative talk about the RAM crisis recently — so it's good to hear something a bit more optimistic.

A masculine hand holding an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT

AMD GPUs and CPUs could be the next victims of the RAM crisis, as industry chatter insists more price hikes are coming

By Darren Allan Published 18 September 26

AMD plans 10% price hikes across its 'entire chip line' in Q4 going by latest RAM crisis rumor.

Darren Allan

Articles by: Darren Allan

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