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

AMD rumored to hike price of GPUs by 10% – so it could be a case of grab a Black Friday deal now, or feel the pain later

By Darren Allan published 25 November 25

Black Friday might be the right time to buy a new GPU, as rumors over RAM price hikes impacting graphics cards get stronger.

Zorin OS 18 desktop shown on a monitor screen

This Linux OS has got a million downloads since Windows 10 support ended – should Microsoft start worrying now?

By Darren Allan published 25 November 25

Can't – or won't – upgrade to Windows 11? You're not alone, and one Linux distro is attracting a lot of attention since Windows 10 support ended.

DragonFire LDEW laser directed energy weapon

Game of drones – DragonFire laser is so accurate it can hit a coin from a kilometer away, and even 400mph drones didn't stand a chance

By Darren Allan published 25 November 25

This LDEW (laser directed energy weapon) system is now five years ahead of its original deployment timeframe.

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

Microsoft says it's fixing a baffling way in which Windows 11 is much slower than Windows 10 – and it's about time

By Darren Allan published 24 November 25

Microsoft's trying to resolve some of the biggest complaints about Windows 11, and I'm overjoyed to see one fix in particular.

Valve engineer confirms the Steam Machine won't be subsidized – here's why I'm fearing the worst for the price

By Darren Allan published 24 November 25

The dream of a $500 compact gaming PC has been dashed – but how much might the Steam Machine cost in the end?

Jealous of Asus ROG Xbox Ally owners due to them having the 'Full Screen Experience'? It's now coming to all Windows 11 handhelds

By Darren Allan published 21 November 25

Microsoft's 'Full Screen Experience' is now coming to all handhelds and that's good news for Windows 11 portables.

Microsoft's AI CEO fights fire with fire, says AI cynics complaining about Windows 11's new direction are 'mind-blowing to me'

By Darren Allan published 21 November 25

AI boss says "it cracks me up when I hear people call AI underwhelming" – but I'm not surprised at Windows 11 AI cynics, and he shouldn't be either.

Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

Microsoft says Copilot will 'finish your code before you finish your coffee' provoking another barrage of anti-AI and Windows 11 sentiment

By Darren Allan published 20 November 25

Microsoft flexes about Copilot's coding skills and Windows 11 users respond with merciless trolling.

Nvidia rushes out a GPU fix, blaming Windows 11's October update for sluggish performance in games

By Darren Allan published 20 November 25

Are some games running mysteriously slowly on your PC? Nvidia GPUs get a fix for a bug in Windows 11's October update.

An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging

AMD's FSR Redstone for supercharged gaming debuts on December 10 – but it's RX 9000 only, leaving older Radeon GPUs in the cold

By Darren Allan published 20 November 25

FSR Redstone tech to boost frame rates and visual quality won't come to last-gen Radeon GPUs, leaving some gamers angry.

Roku fans just got a great free app upgrade – plus 12 extra channels from the BBC and more

By Darren Allan published 19 November 25

There's a bunch of free new channels for Roku addicts, and the overhauled app looks smart and revamps the remote control.

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

Microsoft reveals new plan to make your Windows 11 PC more stable and reliable – and help you recover from disasters

By Darren Allan published 19 November 25

Microsoft is working on making Windows 11 more stable, though it's going to be a long road to that end goal.

A selection of Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards.

RAM pricing crisis threatens graphics cards – rumor has it some AMD and Nvidia budget GPUs could be scrapped

By Darren Allan published 18 November 25

Has there ever been a more pressing time to buy a new graphics card? Black Friday could be the last stop before GPU chaos reigns.

Valve's Steam Machine could be more powerful than we think – it'll outgun 70% of gaming PCs on Steam anyway

By Darren Allan published 18 November 25

From the way Valve is spinning the discussion around the specs, I'm inclined to believe this mini PC will be good enough.

Shocked woman worker looking at laptop screen

Microsoft explains how Windows 11's AI agents will work as testing is about to start – and I'll admit, I'm nervous

By Darren Allan published 18 November 25

Wondering how Windows 11's AI agents will work? Microsoft explains how 'agent workspaces' are lightweight and secure.

Samsung fans can now get a great half-price electricity deal with British Gas – here's how it works

By Darren Allan published 17 November 25

The Samsung Weekend Saver Fix tariff looks a tempting deal indeed – here's how to tell if you're eligible.

Baldur's Gate 3 exec argues there's 'no point making a high-spec Steam Machine' – and that makes a lot of sense

By Darren Allan published 17 November 25

Think the Steam Machine is underpowered? Baldur's Gate 3 exec says there's "no point making a high-spec Steam Machine" and he's not wrong.

Microsoft exec responds to Windows 11 AI controversy, but glosses over a key reason for all the hate

By Darren Allan published 17 November 25

Top Windows 11 exec tries to put out flames around agentic AI controversy – but rage is still burning out there.

Intel Panther Lake CPU leak suggests integrated GPUs are getting a potentially game-changing leap in performance

By Darren Allan published 14 November 25

Intel Core Ultra X7 358H leak shows just how good this CPU might be for handhelds and budget gaming laptops.

The Steam Deck 2 sounds like it'll be a huge leap in performance, but there's one big reason why it doesn't exist yet

By Darren Allan published 14 November 25

A CPU doesn't yet exist for a "truly next-gen performance Steam Deck", but Valve has a "pretty good idea" of what the sequel will be like.

Windows 11's new update fixes some weird bugs that might slow down your PC or eat your handheld's battery

By Darren Allan published 13 November 25

November update fixes nasty Task Manager bug and a glitch that caused battery drain with handhelds in sleep mode.

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

Still on Windows 11 23H2? Microsoft will soon force you to upgrade to 25H2 – for your own good

By Darren Allan published 13 November 25

Windows 11 23H2 has gone the way of Windows 10, and now it's no longer supported, Microsoft is forcing upgrades to 25H2.

Young woman using laptop, looking annoyed

Windows 11 users rebel as top Microsoft exec says operating system is 'evolving into an agentic OS'

By Darren Allan published 13 November 25

Windows 11 is going 'agentic' and 'AI-native' and a whole heap of other buzzwords that most consumers really don't care for.

This tiny, affordable 1TB flash drive could save you up to $300 on your next MacBook Air – here's how

By Darren Allan published 12 November 25

The SanDisk Extreme Fit is a new 1TB thumb drive, and it could be a great way to get more storage on a MacBook Air or other laptop.

Can't get extended updates for Windows 10 due to a frustrating error message? Microsoft has rolled out a fix

By Darren Allan published 12 November 25

Worried because you can't get extended updates to keep your Windows 10 PC safe? Microsoft has fixed a bug that prevented signups.

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