Ben started at Windows Central as a freelance writer covering PC gaming and a wider range of Windows PC categories. After joining as Channel Editor for the same topics, he soon moved up to Senior Editor and now oversees content on Windows 11, PC gaming, and components. Before all this, he worked various technology-centric roles in the retail space, giving advice and support on Windows laptops and broader gaming hardware.
A firm Windows XP fan, he began his journey with an obsession with his family's Windows 3.1 PC and eventually convinced them to upgrade to Windows 95 with a stack of floppy disks and paper manuals. Ben is still committed to Windows but also ventures into the Linux-based Steam Deck handheld gaming PC to explore cross-platform opportunities and regularly keeps up with the latest graphics card news.
Latest articles by Ben Wilson

Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition shows huge battery life in my testing
By Ben Wilson Published
Review "The lightest laptop I've ever used": Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition (Gen 11) offers huge battery life, but there's a downside in its pricing.

Pre-built iBUYPOWER rigs drop their prices before Memorial Day
By Ben Wilson Published
Deals Pick up a ready-made desktop gaming PC from iBUYPOWER in the week leading up to Memorial Day with some time-limited discounts.

Windows 10 users are holding out in Steam — by choice or force?
By Ben Wilson Published
PC Gaming Valve's new hardware survey shows that a quarter of Windows users are holding on to Windows 10, while the most popular PC components paint a broader picture.

Testing this iBUYPOWER gaming PC proves pre-builds can be great, flaws and all
By Ben Wilson Published
Review iBUYPOWER's RDY Trace X R01 is a great example of how great a pre-built PC can be, even with its flaws. There's no AAA game that it wouldn't be able to handle.

I tested 5 games on the Zenbook A16: Can Windows on ARM attract any gamers?
By Ben Wilson Published
Windows on ARM ASUS and Qualcomm created a stellar Windows laptop in the Zenbook A16, but can it handle any PC gaming? I tested a few favorites to find out.

ARM-native Kingdom Come Deliverance II build launches only on Steam
By Ben Wilson Published
PC Gaming Kingdom Come: Deliverance II now has a native build for Windows on ARM devices with Snapdragon X chips, but the Xbox PC app has fallen behind.

Qualcomm's next gaming move on Snapdragon X involves 25 NetEase titles
By Ben Wilson Published
PC Gaming Is Marvel Rivals running natively on Snapdragon X laptops? Qualcomm's gradual gaming push continues with a collaboration with NetEase and 25 "adapted" games.

ASUS' Zenbook A16 with Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is everything a flagship Windows laptop should be
By Ben Wilson Published
Review A combination of Qualcomm's phenomenal generational performance gains and refinements to ASUS' already stellar Zenbook design has crafted a practically perfect Windows laptop.

This "NAS" changed how I protect my Windows PC. You should try one, too.
By Ben Wilson Published
Storage I started my NAS setup as a home media server, but it's quickly evolved to a personal Windows backup drive. It's a fantastic option for mindful users.

You don't need to build your own gaming PC just to burn cash on RAM
By Ben Wilson Published
Deals iBUYPOWER's pre-built gaming PCs offer high-end CPUs like AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D, along with capable RAM, with hundreds of dollars in discounts.

Intel's vPro platform expands to Panther Lake to protect your work PC
By Ben Wilson Published
Intel Intel's latest vPro upgrades on Core Ultra mean enterprise‑ready laptops with the efficiency of Panther Lake, and a more secure PC for your job.

I'm seriously impressed with Intel's new 250K and 270K Plus desktop CPUs
By Ben Wilson Published
Review Intel's Core Ultra 200S series CPUs come as a duo of Arrow Lake Refresh processors, and they're refreshingly cheap for creators, with gaming benefits to boot.

Intel's new gaming laptop processors use a clever CPU trick for extra FPS
By Ben Wilson Published
CPUs Intel's new Core Ultra 200HX Plus Series mobile chips bring FPS gains to high-end gaming laptops with in-house performance-boosting "IBOT" tech.

Intel's new CPUs might appeal to PC gamers, but the price is the plot twist
By Ben Wilson Published
PC Gaming Faster processors at lower prices are part of Intel's Arrow Lake Refresh plan, and it might win back the PC gamers if Core Ultra 200S Plus can pull it off.

My meager macOS interest quickly faded with the $599 MacBook Neo and its specs
By Ben Wilson Published
Apple The more affordable MacBook Neo could have been my chance to go hands-on with macOS, but the specs turned me off and back towards Qualcomm.

This $27 champion gaming mouse hasn't left my desk for over 5 years
By Ben Wilson Published
Deals Logitech's G305 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse hasn't left my desk for over 5 years, and sometimes it feels like its single AA battery lasts forever, too.

AMD's Zen 5 still has some of the best NPUs with Ryzen AI PRO 400
By Ben Wilson Published
CPUs AMD's AI PRO 400 Series is Gorgon Point chips in a suit and tie and repackaged for the enterprise audience, with some of the best x86-64 NPUs I've seen.

Steam Deck just turned 4 years old, and Valve's near-future looks bleak
By Ben Wilson Published
PC Gaming Valve's Steam Deck handheld is facing shortages triggered by a component crisis, leaving its upcoming Steam Machine PC in an ominous position on pricing.

I played Microsoft Flight Sim with this joystick disguised as a controller, and I love it
By Ben Wilson Published
Review Honeycomb's excellent Echo is a mashup of traditional flight sim hardware and casual joypads, built for convenient PC gaming.

Debloater update migrates its UI framework to match Windows 11 Settings
By Ben Wilson Published
Windows 11 Updates to Winhance for Windows PCs migrate the app to the WinUI 3 framework to blend with Windows 11's menu styling, offering batch bloatware removal and more.

I already found the best Presidents' Day deals on Windows PC and Xbox
By Ben Wilson Last updated
Deals Find the best Presidents' Day deals on everything in Microsoft's ecosystem in my curated list, including Windows PCs, new laptops, and Xbox gaming accessories.

Don't build your own PC — grab a discounted rig during Presidents' Day
By Ben Wilson Published
Deals Some of my favorite desktop gaming PC components are readily available in iBUYPOWER's pre-built desktops, discounted for a limited time during Presidents' Day.

Get the best CPU for your NVIDIA RTX 3060 gaming PC
By Cale Hunt Last updated
Hardware NVIDIA's RTX 3060 remains a valid gaming GPU five years after it launched, and these CPUs are the perfect pairing.
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