There’s a reason budget and mid-range gaming laptops are in demand: You can get decent performance for a price far less than those packed with the most
HP Pavilion Gaming 15 Review: Part Green, Bland Screen
Our Verdict
The HP Pavilion Gaming 15 laptop is an affordable gaming machine with strong performance and loud speakers, but a bland display. Make sure you get enough storage.
For
- Loud, clear speakers
- Solid gaming performance at high settings
- Striking design for a budget laptop
Against
- Single-DIMM RAM
- Display is bland and dim
- Lots of bloatware preinstalled
- Blurry, grainy webcam
Today Only: This Amazon HyperX QuadCast Mic Bundle Basically Throws in an $89 Keyboard for Free
Streamers rejoice! HyperX’s flashy red QuadCast is already one of our favorite gaming mics at its regular price of about $140. And if you’ve been considering buying one, Amazon has a bundle today only that includes both the mic and an Alloy FPS RGB mechanical keyboard for $139.99. That’s basically like getting the $90 keyboard for free!
The keyboard uses Kailh Silver speed switches and sports a compact, travel-friendly
Samsung Reportedly Invests $8B More in China Plant
Samsung is betting on China. Reuters, citing Chinese state media, today said the company plans to invest another $8 billion in a NAND production facility in Xi'an.
The investment could allow Samsung to improve production of its NAND flash; it could also be an attempt by the company to curry favor with the Chinese government as it becomes increasingly hostile to foreign technology companies.
Either way, the additional investment might seem odd, given that Samsung's quarterly revenues declined between 50
EEC Filings Show AMD's Radeon RX 5600 will have 6GB and 8GB SKUs
Recently, we published an article speculating on the imminent launch of the Radeon RX 5500 XT as well as the RX 5600 XT arriving in January. With respect to the RX 5600 XT, new information has come to light through filings from the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) listing 6GB and 8GB versions of the new GPU from ASRock and Asus.
In this filing, ASRock lists six models: Three RX 5600's
Microsoft Pulls an Accidentally Released Windows Autopilot Update
It seems like there's a scene in every aircraft-related movie where an ace pilot needs to wrest control from an automated system to prevent a disaster. Microsoft came pretty close to emulating that scene on Tuesday, when it accidentally released a Windows Autopilot update to consumers, but it took the controls a bit too late.
Microsoft's website explains that Windows Autopilot is "a collection of technologies used to set up and pre-configure new devices, getting them ready for productive use
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT Review: 7nm RDNA on a Budget
Our Verdict
The AMD RX 5500 XT 4GB is a viable performer in the crowded 1080p budget space. Pricing is fair, but would be much more attractive even if it were $10 cheaper. Get the 8GB model for better performance in VRAM-heavy titles.
For
- Competent 60 fps 1080p performance
- Much more efficient than Polaris
Against
- 4GB variant is notably slower in certain titles
Today’s Best SSD Deal: Get the 1TB WD SN750 PCIe Drive for Just $130 ($70 Off)
When it comes to solid state storage nothing quite compares to upgrading to an M.2 PCIe drive. At the absolute top end these things come crashing in at almost six times faster than your standard SATA 3 solid-state-disk. The biggest problems these things had for the longest time however was the cost. As NAND prices continue to plummet however we’re starting to see more and more drives drop down into the realm of affordability crazily so in fact.
WD’s
Kingston A2000 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Security, Endurance, and Low Pricing
Our Verdict
Looking to outfit your Ultrabook or new build with a fast and secure NVMe SSD? Kingston’s A2000 is a top pick with hardware encryption, competitive performance, and great pricing too.
For
- Competitive price and performance
- Secure
- Software package support
- Respectable endurance
- Five-year warranty
Against
- Unattractive
Like its bigger brother the KC2000, Kingston's new A200
AOC Preps Two Gaming-Ready Ultrawide 1440p Monitors (Update)
Update 12/1219. 7:40 p.m. ET: We've spotted the AOC CU34G2X on sale at Amazon for $450 . However, pricing for the CU34G2 isn't listed yet.
Original article 12/11: 12:55 p.m. ET.
AOC is coming with not one but two new ultrawide gaming monitors : the CU34G
Intel Hires GlobalFoundries CTO Gary Patton to Lead Design Enablement
Intel has hired Dr. Gary Patton, who most recently served as GlobalFoundries chief technology officer (CTO). He will lead Intel’s design enablement. The executive change was reported by Reuters on Wednesday, who saw an internal Intel memo.
Executive Roles at IBM and GlobalFoundries
Patton is a seasoned executive in the semiconductor business. From 2005 to 2015, he spent ten years at IBM Microelectronics. This included two years as vice president of technology development and design