The Korean Institute Of Semiconductor Engineers has published a long-term assessment of the development of semiconductor technology in its Semiconductor Technology Roadmap 2026. The report predicts that integrated circuits with structure sizes of 0.2 nanometres could be realized within the next 15 years. This would take the industry into the so-called Angstrom range. This estimate […]

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Researchers at Virginia Tech have shown in a laboratory environment how entangled qubits can be used to realize a form of communication in which classical eavesdropping methods remain ineffective due to the principle. The work is located in the field of quantum information research and investigates the extent to which quantum mechanical effects can be […]

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New benchmarks for the Intel Xeon 654 show what the entry-level chip of the upcoming Granite-Rapids-WS platform can actually do. In short: It is better than earlier leaks suggested, but not enough to really put pressure on AMD in the workstation market. The Xeon 654 is part of the Granite Rapids-WS family, Intel’s next generation […]

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After several years, BitLocker is once again receiving support for hardware-based encryption. Microsoft is planning to outsource the drive encryption integrated in Windows to dedicated crypto hardware again in future. This should both improve performance on modern mass storage devices and reduce security-related risks associated with CPU and RAM-based methods. The announcement substantiates statements that […]

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Introduction and unboxing Today, 3 new keyboards from the Sharkoon portfolio have their place in this article, covering different areas of use, from comfortable office and everyday work to compact and customizable layouts. The OfficePal KB70W is positioned as a versatile dual-mode keyboard for wireless and wired use and is available with linear switches as […]

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We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from our family here at Hot Hardware, to you and your family--we consider you all our larger extended family here on the web. We hope whatever you had on your wish-list, naughty or nice, that your yuletide dreams came true. And if you still need some

Christmas day has arrived and with it comes our biggest giveaway of the season! Today's prize will be none other than a fully built gaming PC packed with MSI hardware, built by CyberPowerPC. 

We reviewed this PC recently, so if you want to see a range of benchmarks, you can find our full review HERE.

Specifications:

• Case – MSI MAG Panoramic 130R Project Zero Gaming Case – White
• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• CPU Cooling – MSI Coreliquid A13 360mm ARGB AIO
• Cooling Upgrades – Thermal Grizzly Premium Thermal Paste
• Motherboard – MSI B850 Gaming Plus WIFI PZ
• Memory – Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 5600MT/s CL36
• Graphics Card – MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16G Ventus 3X PZ OC
• PSU – MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850W
• Primary Storage – 2TB MSI M470 PCle 4.0 NVMe SSD
• Operating System – Windows 11 Home

How to Enter:

To enter this giveaway, all you have to do is head over to our competition announcement post on Facebook, HERE. In the comments, leave an answer to the following question – What is the first game you would install on this PC?

This competition is open in the UK.

The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 25th, and a new competition will be announced for Day 25. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK, starting at 11AM GMT on December 25th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 26th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to all who enter, we'll be back tomorrow morning to announce a winner and turn the calendar over to Day 26!

The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 25: Win an MSI CyberPower Gaming PC! first appeared on KitGuru.

Technical classification of the new Odyssey generation Samsung has announced a new generation of its Odyssey gaming monitors, which are characterized by very high resolutions, a new type of 3D display without glasses and previously unattainable refresh rates. The new models are aimed at both enthusiasts and the professional e-sports sector and mark a significant […]

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The introduction of the first 5K gaming monitors marks a further step towards ever higher resolutions in the PC segment. Technically, however, the switch from 4K to 5K means a considerable additional load for current graphics hardware. With 5,120 × 2,880 pixels, around 77 percent more pixels are calculated than with 3,840 × 2,160 pixels. […]

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AMD’s AM4 platform, which was launched in 2017, will be significantly more relevant to the market by the end of 2025, even though it is already several generations behind current sockets in technical terms. The decisive factor for this development is the ongoing price distortion on the memory market. While DDR5 memory has experienced massive […]

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On a snowy winter’s night, as the wind blew through the fir trees like a lonely wanderer and the moon hung pale and cold over the forest, the little igoBOT sat sadly in front of the charred remains of his faithful computer. An old bulldozer processor had once toiled valiantly inside, the aged Polaris RX […]

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As a Total War game unlike any other, Creative Assembly has some work to do to make Total War: Warhammer 40K work well.  Instead of the traditional map, where you take…

The FPS Review has been given the chance to check out a number of MSI Project Zero products, including two B850 boards, an X870E board, an RTX 5070 Ti and the…

ServeTheHome tested the Beelink GTi15 Ultra, a mini-PC powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H with Arc 140T integrated GPU, and pair of 32GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMMs with the option to buy…

Windows users have long relied on the default disk.sys driver for storage management, a component that has mainly remained fundamentally unchanged since its introduction in 2006. While Windows has supported the NVMe protocol since Windows 8.1, the legacy driver continues to treat modern high-speed solid-state storage as a legacy SCSI disk. To address this bottleneck, Microsoft has officially introduced nvmedisk.sys for Windows Server 2025, but apparently, Windows 11 25H2 also has it hidden away.

The team over at Notebookcheck tested this new driver on a Windows 11 PC, and as promised by Microsoft, the deeper NVMe awareness appears to be paying dividends in raw throughput. The testing suggests that nvmedisk.sys provides a measurable performance uplift across both sequential and random read/write workloads compared to the old driver. By bypassing the legacy SCSI translation layer, the new driver allows the OS to interface more directly with the flash controller, reducing overhead and improving latency on high-end drives such as the Samsung 990 Pro and Crucial T705. You can find the results before and after installing the new driver below:

Image credit: Noteboocheck

Although impressive, enthusiasts looking to force the transition should proceed with extreme caution, as the driver is not yet enabled by default for all hardware configurations. Current reports indicate that forcing nvmedisk.sys via registry modifications can lead to severe system instability or a total failure to boot if the underlying SSD controller lacks specific compatibility hooks. To verify which driver your system is currently using, users must navigate to Driver Details in Device Manager.

Given the potential for data loss or unbootable partitions, we strongly advise against manually switching drivers without a full-disk backup at hand. While the performance gains are enticing for those chasing benchmark records, the new driver is still in a soft launch.

KitGuru says: It is about time Microsoft retired a driver stack from 2006 for high-end storage. The question that remains is when it will arrive at a stable build.

The post Windows 11 has a hidden driver that may boost NVMe SSD performance first appeared on KitGuru.

Two recent studies have highlighted gaming's potential benefits for mental health and acuity. The most recent is a study published this month by JMIR Serious Games, named Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi Games' Affordance of Childlike Wonder and Reduced Burnout Risk in Young Adults: In-Depth Mixed Methods Cross-Sectional Study. This study, authored

Because of the way we interact with these features, it's easy to think of Intel XMP and AMD EXPO as binary, 'yes or no' features, but both standards have actually gone through a few revisions. Right now, we're on revision 1.1 of AMD's EXPO, but it looks like 1.2 is on the horizon, and we know that because it has just appeared in the patch

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and deal hunters far and wide, do yourself a solid and don't sleep on the Mac mini if you're in the market for a compact PC (yes, Macs are technically PCs too). They're great systems, and the model with an M4 chip inside is on sale right now for 20% below Apple's regular asking price, making this a really

Do you know what stinks about buying earbuds for gaming? The vast majority only support Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. That's fine and dandy for listening to music and making phone calls, but for playing games, a 2.4GHz wireless connection keeps latency at bay. The good news is, there are a few earbud options that feature 2.4GHz wireless

LG Display is unveiling its new OLED technology ahead of CES 2026. The company has officially announced the development of the world's first 27-inch 4K OLED panel featuring an RGB stripe structure and a 240Hz refresh rate. This new monitor promises to address the most persistent complaint regarding OLED monitors: text clarity.

While OLED has long dominated in contrast and response times, the technology has struggled with productivity tasks. Current-generation WOLED panels typically use an RWGB structure, while QD-OLED uses a triangular RGB arrangement. Both configurations often cause “color bleeding” or “fringing” around text because modern operating systems like Windows are designed for the standard vertical RGB stripe found in traditional LCDs. By successfully implementing a true RGB stripe at 4K resolution, LG is promising a monitor that is finally as capable for spreadsheet work and coding as it is for high-end gaming.

The breakthrough isn't just about clarity, however. This new panel is the first of its kind to maintain the RGB stripe while pushing to 240Hz. To achieve this, LG applied new manufacturing techniques to increase the aperture ratio (the physical area of the pixel that emits light), allowing for higher brightness and faster refresh cycles without the need for an extra white subpixel found in standard WOLEDs.

For competitive gamers, the panel also features LG's Dynamic Frequency & Resolution (DFR) technology. This “dual-mode” capability allows users to switch between the native UHD (4K) at 240Hz for immersive gaming and a high-speed FHD (1080p) at 480Hz mode. We expect to see the first retail monitors using this panel at CES 2026.

KitGuru Says: Are you thinking of making the jump to an OLED monitor in 2026?

The post LG Display to fix OLED text clarity with new 27-inch 4K RGB stripe panel first appeared on KitGuru.

Samsung is setting an aggressive tone for CES 2026 with a new wave of high‑end monitors that mark several technical firsts for the company. The updated Odyssey lineup introduces a 1040Hz refresh rate, a glasses‑free 6K 3D display option, and broad adoption of DisplayPort 2.1 across its top models, signalling a clear push toward next‑generation bandwidth and visual performance.

Leading the announcement is the Odyssey 3D (G90XH), a 32-inch 6K (6144 x 3456) IPS monitor that aims to succeed where previous 3D efforts failed. By using real-time eye-tracking cameras and a lenticular lens layer, the G90XH delivers a glasses-free 3D experience that adjusts perspective based on the user's head position. While it runs natively at 165Hz, it features a “Dual Mode” that drops the resolution to 3K to enable a 330Hz refresh rate. Some games getting dedicated optimisations for this monitor include Stellar Blade and Lies of P.

For competitive gamers, the Odyssey G6 (G60H) is likely to be the most talked-about display of the year. This 27-inch QHD IPS monitor is the first in the world to break the four-digit refresh rate barrier, reaching 1040Hz in its “Dual Mode” (at HD resolution). Even at its native QHD resolution, the panel maintains a staggering 600Hz refresh rate.

The Odyssey G8 series has also been expanded into a trio of high-resolution displays. The first is the G80H, a 32-inch 6K IPS model that mirrors the resolution of the 3D flagship, offering 6K at 165Hz or 3K at 330Hz. Then there's the G80HF, a 27-inch 5K variant running at 180Hz natively or 360Hz in QHD mode. Lastly, the G80SH is for the OLED enthusiasts, featuring a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel. This model stands out by being VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 500-certified and supporting DisplayPort 2.1 with UHBR20, providing up to 80Gbps of bandwidth.

All five models support AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and are Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Samsung also stated that it will be showcased at CES 2026.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Samsung's 2026 Odyssey line-up so far?

The post Samsung unveils 1024Hz gaming monitor and new Odyssey displays for 2026 first appeared on KitGuru.

Thermaltake has introduced the MAGCurve 360 Ultra ARGB Sync AIO Liquid Cooler, a display‑driven cooling solution built for high‑performance systems. Available in Black and Snow, it combines a curved screen, AI‑assisted customisation, and a compact but capable thermal design.

The cooler features a 6.67‑inch curved AMOLED panel with a 2240×1080 resolution, offering high contrast and wide viewing angles. The display supports system monitoring, time and weather widgets, video playback, and dynamic visuals. Through TT RGB PLUS 3.0, users can upload images or videos, adjust layouts, fine‑tune colours, and even run split‑screen configurations. The integrated AI Forge tool allows users to generate custom backgrounds from simple text prompts, which can be edited and combined with system data. The TT PlayLink mobile app adds faster customisation with direct photo uploads and real‑time camera or video streaming to the display.

Cooling performance is handled by three TOUGHFAN EX 120 ARGB Sync fans, which include a swappable blade design for switching between standard and reverse airflow without affecting lighting. The fans reach up to 2500RPM, delivering high airflow and static pressure while keeping noise controlled.

Installation is streamlined through MagForce 2.0 magnetic connectors, which use enlarged contact pads for more stable daisy chaining and reduced cable clutter. The radiator uses a slim 27mm design paired with a thickened 20mm copper chamber, supported by a high‑quality pump and precision copper base. The cooler is rated for CPUs up to 365W TDP, ensuring consistent thermal performance under sustained workloads.

KitGuru Says: Are you in the market for a new CPU cooler? 

The post Thermaltake’s latest AIO liquid cooler features a massive curved display on the CPU block first appeared on KitGuru.

Prior to Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar had a good stretch where it was releasing a new game every two years or so. As it turns out, during this time, Rockstar had been kicking around the idea of bringing in third-party studios to make Grand Theft Auto games set in other cities around the globe, with the biggest idea being Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo.

In a recent interview with GamesHub, former Rockstar technical director, Obbe Vermeij, talked about plans to supply a Japanese studio with code from GTA in order to create GTA: Tokyo while Rockstar was busy working on the next mainline game in the series. The plan came about after leaders at Rockstar had wanted to produce new GTA games set outside of the USA.

“We had ideas about GTA games in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul. Tokyo almost actually happened. Another studio in Japan were going to do it, take our code and do GTA: Tokyo. But then that didn’t happen in the end”, he said.

Unfortunately for fans, Vermeij also thinks the ship has sailed on the potential to produce new GTA games set outside of the US. This is largely due to the inflated development times now required to ship a proper AAA game, coupled with the fact that GTA is now primarily known for its small handful of fictional US-based cities.

“It’s just not realistic. I would love it, and if games still took a year to make, then yeah sure, you can have a little fun, but you’re not going to get that when there’s a GTA every 12 years. You’re not going to set it in a new location. You don’t really need to either because the technology changes so much. Nobody is going to say that they’re not going to play GTA VI because they’ve already played Vice City.”

He's not wrong about the long development times – GTA V first released in 2013 and the next game, GTA 6, is finally due to release in November next year. However, at this point GTA is such a massive global success that it is unlikely that Rockstar would ever let a third-party studio near its source code.

KitGuru Says: It would have been cool to see GTA licensed out so we could get a wave of spin-offs like GTA: Tokyo. There is no way that would happen now though, as GTA has risen to become a core pillar in gaming.

The post Rockstar apparently planned to let a Japanese studio make GTA: Tokyo before GTA V first appeared on KitGuru.

IO Interactive snuck out some disappointing news to end the year. The studio's new James Bond game, 007 First Light, has been delayed, taking over Grand Theft Auto 6's original release slot on the 2026 calendar. 

In an update shared this week, IO Interactive confirmed that 007 First Light will no longer release in March like originally planned. Now, the game will launch on May 27th 2026. If that date rings a bell, then there is good reason, as Grand Theft Auto 6 was originally scheduled to release on May 26th, before being delayed to November next year.

In its statement, IO Interactive said: “007 First Light is our most ambitious project to date and the team has been fully focused on delivering an unforgettable James Bond experience”, adding that the delay will “ensure the experience meets the level of quality” that fans deserve on day one.

007 First Light has been pitched in the first game in an on-going series, all starring IOI's own version of James Bond, not tied to any previous films, games or novels. We will see more of the game in early 2026 as IO ramps up the marketing ahead of release.

KitGuru Says: Fortunately, the delay is quite short, giving IO Interactive roughly eight extra weeks to polish up the game. Are you looking forward to 007: First Light? 

The post IO Interactive delays 007 First Light first appeared on KitGuru.