Articles by John Loeffler, Components Editor

John (He/Him) is the Components Editor here at TechRadar and he is also a programmer, gamer, activist, and Brooklyn College alum currently living in Brooklyn, NY.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer for his science and technology reporting, John specializes in all areas of computer science, including industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, as well as general science writing and the social impact of the tech industry.

John has a Bachelor’s degree in English and is currently in the wrapping up a Master’s program in Computer Science, where he spends his evenings building digital circuits, multiboxing Linux kernels, and coding shell scripts.

You can usually find him on Bluesky (@@johnloeffler.bsky.social) where you’ll get hot takes on stuff as well as reposting content that is almost as good as the worst content you used to be able to find on Vine.

Articles by: John Loeffler

A TechRadar Black Friday gaming laptop deals graphic with a gaming laptop

Black Friday gaming laptop deals 2024: all the best deals still live

By Christian Guyton last updated 30 November 24

Black Friday may be over, but the Black Friday gaming laptop deals are still going throughout the weekend, and we've got all the best offers ready for you to browse.

The best M.2 SSD in 2024: the fastest M.2 solid state drive for work and gaming

By John Loeffler last updated 29 November 24

If you want the fastest possible data access speeds, then you'll need an M.2 SSD. These are the best M.2 SSDs for every budget and motherboard configuration

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review: a gaming dynamo with new, unexpected suprises

By John Loeffler published 11 November 24

Best in Class

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D takes the best gaming processor and makes it even better.

Apple M4 chip: everything you need to know about Apple's latest silicon

By John Loeffler last updated 4 November 24

Updated Here's everything we know so far about Apple M4, the company's next generation of in-house silicon.

An Apple MacBook Air, one of the best laptops for graphic design, against a pink techradar background

Best laptop for graphic design in 2024: top picks for every budget

By John Loeffler last updated 31 October 24

Updated We've tested all the best laptops for graphic design - here's why these are our top picks for art and design courses and work.

Windows 10 diehards can keep their beloved OS secure for a little while longer (for a fee) as Microsoft pleas with them to be reasonable

By John Loeffler published 31 October 24

Windows 10 end of life security support is getting a one year paid extension for all users after October 2025.

A Microsoft Surface Laptop being shown at Microsoft's Copilot Plus PC Showcase

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2024 is our Laptop of the Year because it wasn't just a home run for Qualcomm, it helped start the AI PC revolution

By John Loeffler published 31 October 24

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chip breathed new life into the Microsoft Surface lineup – and Windows on Arm.

Apple M4 Pro: everything we know about Apple's midrange SoC

By John Loeffler last updated 30 October 24

The rumors were true: Apple has announced a new M4 Pro chip. Here's everything we know so far.

Apple, please, I'm begging you, stop comparing your best products to years-old tech as a flex

By John Loeffler published 30 October 24

The last Intel Mac mini is six years old, so claiming the new Mac mini is something-something faster than the last Intel-based version is silly.

Apple M4 Max: everything we know

By John Loeffler published 30 October 24

Apple has announced a new M4 Max chip for the new MacBook Pro. Here's everything we know so far.

Apple launches new Apple M4 Pro, bringing Apple Intelligence and better performance to the Mac mini—with MacBook Pro models waiting in the wings

By John Loeffler published 29 October 24

A mockup of the potential Apple M4 Pro logo

Apple and Samsung are not going to buy Intel. Please be serious.

By John Loeffler published 29 October 24

Intel isn't going anywhere. The US government will make sure of that.

An MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED on a desk playing Helldivers 2

MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED review: gorgeous gaming display for a great price

By John Loeffler published 25 October 24

Recommended

The MSI MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is a fantastic ultra-wide gaming monitor, with some caveats for those who like long gaming sessions.

Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K Review

By John Loeffler published 24 October 24

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and Core Ultra 5 245K are decent enough processors, but gaming performance takes a backseat.

A MacBook Pro 14, the best 14-inch laptop, leaning against a TechRadar background

The best 14-inch laptop in 2026: top picks for ultraportable computing

By John Loeffler published 16 October 24

Updated Want a king of the middle-of-the-road machine? Welcome to our top picks for the best 14-inch laptop in 2026.

A TeamGroup Elite A1, one of the best microSD card picks, against a techradar background

Best microSD cards of 2024: top picks for your micro storage needs

By John Loeffler last updated 15 October 24

Updated Looking for the best microSD cards? We tested the best and these our top picks based on price, reliability and warranty.

AMD Advancing AI 2024 event shows that the AI PC is making progress, but still needs time to cook

By John Loeffler published 11 October 24

It's getting there

AMD Ryzen PRO 5000 Series Mobile Processors

AMD announces new Ryzen AI Pro 300 series processors, bringing Copilot+ PCs to enterprise users for the first time

By John Loeffler published 10 October 24

AMD Ryzen AI Pro 300 chips bring Copilot+ AI PCs to enterprise users, including a 55 TOPS NPU, up to Radeon 890M graphics, and enhanced security features.

Intel announces Core Ultra 200 series desktop CPUs, the first desktop AI processors on the market

By John Loeffler last updated 10 October 24

Intel brings the AI PC to the desktop with the first desktop processor featuring a built-in NPU

AMD announces a new update to address Ryzen 9000's performance woes ahead of Intel Arrow Lake launch, but it has already blown its early advantage

By John Loeffler published 30 September 24

AMD rolls out fixes to its rocky Ryzen 9000 series launch, but they come too late to gain a head start over Intel's coming Arrow Lake chips.

Two cables, Thunderbolt vs USB, against a two tone TechRadar background

Thunderbolt vs USB: Which is the best port?

By Allisa James published 28 September 24

It's the ultimate showdown, Thunderbolt vs USB, as we look to find the best port and cable for the job.

PS5 Pro pre-orders as it happened: how the first day of pre-orders for regular and 30th Anniversary PS5 Pro consoles panned out

By Rob Dwiar last updated 26 September 24

Our live blog provided all the latest updates as PS5 Pro pre-orders, and 30th Anniversary Collection pre-orders began and got underway across the globe.

A screengrab from the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark tool

Why every PC game needs a built-in benchmark tool

By John Loeffler published 16 September 24

How is it that only a select few PC games have built-in benchmark tools? This absolutely needs to be in every game, not just the most graphically intensive titles.

How to use a Chromebook

By John Loeffler published 14 September 24

If you're wondering how to get the most out of your new Chromebook, I'll show you how to use your Chromebook to get the most out of it.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ being shown off at IFA 2024

Hands on: MSI Claw 8 AI+: will the second time be a charm for MSI? It sure feels that way

By John Loeffler published 10 September 24

Not yet rated

IFA 2024 I got to spend some time with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ at IFA 2024, and from what I saw, the second-generation Claw just might be the PC gaming handheld we've been waiting for.

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