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

Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

Microsoft reveals a surprising catch to extended support for Windows 10 that's going to seriously annoy some people

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft has been cracking down on local accounts with Windows, and this could be seen as another push in that direction.

Apple MacBook Pro 14 M4 (2024) REVIEW

MacBook Pro with OLED display rumored for late 2026 launch — and Samsung could make the screen

By Darren Allan published

Keen to get your hands on a MacBook Pro OLED? You should be able to buy one late in 2026, the rumor mill keeps insisting.

A PC gamer in a racing-style gaming chair

Microsoft's Gaming Copilot AI is now in Windows 11's Game Bar - and I can't decide whether this is a good or bad thing

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft's Gaming Copilot is now in Windows 11's Game Bar - and it looks nifty, but I'm worried about the AI on handhelds.

Angry woman using a laptop

Microsoft finally fixes one frustrating Windows 11 pop-up – just as a more irritating one arrives to take its place

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft just minimized the annoyance with one Windows 11 nag – then put in a much worse one.

Ai tech, businessman show virtual graphic Global Internet connect Chatgpt Chat with AI, Artificial Intelligence.

Can you run OpenAI's new gpt-oss AI models on your laptop or phone? Here's what you'll need and how to do it

By Darren Allan published

We look at the gpt‑oss‑20b and gpt‑oss-120b AI models, their system requirements, and how you can install them on your PC.

PC gamer looking at PC in anger and disbelief

Report suggests Windows 10's Game Bar is crashing with some high-end AMD Ryzen CPUs - and I hope Microsoft will investigate soon

By Darren Allan published

The Game Bar has a crucial feature for some Ryzen X3D CPUs - and it's now broken, which is seriously bad news.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 on wooden desk, viewed front on with screen open.

Microsoft teases the future of Windows: 'The computer will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and we can talk to it'

By Darren Allan published

Windows in 2030 will be about sophisticated AI and voice commands according to a Microsoft executive's prediction.

Angry woman using a laptop

Confused about why you can't upgrade to Windows 11? Microsoft has some new advice that might help... including a trick I wasn't aware of

By Darren Allan published

Preparing for your upgrade to Windows 11? Microsoft has some new advice that could be very handy.

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

Windows 11's taskbar could be next for an AI overhaul – but I just don't see the point

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11's taskbar could be infused with AI – but do we really need more AI agents in the OS?

A woman getting frustrated by her laptop

Don't trust Windows 11's Recall feature? A new report will only harden your resolve to never use the AI-powered search

By Darren Allan published

Recall is under fire again as a report points out security slips that are distinctly worrying.

Bing

Microsoft's up to its old tricks, this time pushing Copilot AI in your face when searching on Bing - and this is getting tiresome

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft dips into its underhand promo playbook (again), this time pushing Copilot AI via Bing.

Microsoft Surface Laptop SE

Microsoft has all but given up on Windows 11 SE – and it looks like the war against Chromebooks has been lost

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft has long been gunning for Chromebooks, but its latest effort to secure a piece of the low-cost laptop market has failed dismally.

Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge

Chrome stretches its lead over the floundering Edge - and I'm not convinced Microsoft's big Copilot AI promises will save the browser

By Darren Allan published

Edge has dropped in popularity - is Copilot AI going to save the browser, or does Microsoft just need to chill with its overzealous promos?

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

Nvidia throws Windows 10 gamers a lifeline with driver support - but time's up for the popular GTX 1060 GPU, as support runs out in October 2025

By Darren Allan published

Driver support for Pascal GPUs like the GTX 1060 ends in October 2025, and Windows 10 users have until October 2026.

A masculine hand holding an AMD Radeon RX 9070

AMD mulls dedicated NPUs for desktop PCs - like graphics cards, but for AI tasks - and this could be excellent news for PC gamers

By Darren Allan published

AMD could soon make dedicated NPUs in the same vein as discrete graphics cards - and if you think that sounds boring, think again, PC gamers.

Sad business man and laptop

Microsoft's trying to force OneDrive on us yet again - this time for moving from a Windows 10 PC to a Windows 11 one

By Darren Allan published

It's easy to transfer from Windows 10 to a Windows 11 PC, Microsoft boasts - if you fork out for OneDrive (but there are free alternatives).

COnfused businessman working with his laptop, at the office

Some Windows 10 PCs are reportedly being offered a Windows 11 upgrade even though they don't support the OS – here's what to do if this happens to you

By Darren Allan published

There are scattered reports of a Windows 11 upgrade popping up on Windows 10 PCs that aren't eligible for the OS, and it looks like a bug.

Render of AMD Ryzen chip

AMD CEO says its chips made in the US will be up to 20% more expensive, but claims that it’ll be worth the price hike

By Darren Allan published

Lisa Su argues that while AMD CPUs could be up to 20% pricier if made in the US, that trade-off is worth it in terms of diversifying the supply chain.

Woman using multiple screens

Microsoft makes a nifty tweak to the Windows 11 taskbar – but it's probably not the change you were hoping for

By Darren Allan published

If you're a member of the multiple monitor club, you're going to love this small but highly convenient tweak.

Angry man ripping out his hair in front of his laptop

Fed up with your mouse cursor supersizing itself randomly in Windows 11? Thankfully this frustrating bug should now be fixed

By Darren Allan published

Does your mouse cursor randomly get larger at times in Windows 11? This annoying bug has reportedly been fixed.

Press shot of an Nvidia chip

Nvidia's N1X consumer chip pops up in benchmark equalling core count of RTX 5070 GPU - cue excited gasps, but let's not get carried away

By Darren Allan published

If you weren't excited about Nvidia's rumored consumer CPU, this benchmark leak showing its core count equals an RTX 5070 GPU should do the trick.

Instagram security steps

The Tea app hack explained – how a data breach spilled thousands of photos from the top free US app, and what to do

By Darren Allan published

Here's what you need to know about the Tea data breach - and what to do if you think you might be affected.

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

Can't (or won't) upgrade to Windows 11, but afraid to switch from Windows 10 to Linux? This app might make the transition easy

By Darren Allan published

It's still under development, but a new tool called Operese aims to deliver an in-place upgrade to Kubuntu from Windows 10.

A masculine hand holding an Intel Core i7-14700K

Is Intel set for a great CPU comeback? Nova Lake in 2026 could copy AMD's playbook for a key gaming boost

By Darren Allan published

I don't know if there's a way back for Intel with PC gamers – but if there is, it's this rumored plan for Nova Lake to get more cache.

Person using laptop and phone

Microsoft gives you another reason to hook up your Windows 11 PC and Android smartphone - it's a security feature that could come in seriously handy

By Darren Allan published

Windows 11 has a new Phone Link feature that impressed me - the ability to lock the PC remotely with an Android device.

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