Latest articles by Cale Hunt
Age of Empires is beating viewer records in a 2026 esports renaissance
PC gaming Microsoft might have perfected the RTS genre in 1999, but nearly 30 years later, Age of Empires 2 is breaking viewer records and maintains a positive
How CRT gaming is being reborn with the help of diehard enthusiasts
Hardware If you've ever used a CRT screen, you know how much better the tech is for retro games. But as CRT displays decline in number, enthusiasts have created a new way forward with modern OLED tech.
"SteamGPT" appears in datamined Steam update; is Valve prepping its own AI?
PC gaming SteamGPT is certainly reminiscent of ChatGPT, which I know many would rather not have anywhere near their Steam account.
Intel's Raptor Lake CPUs could be the PC gaming upgrade you need in 2026
Hardware With RAM prices still stuck in orbit, older CPUs that support DDR4 RAM are becoming ever more attractive. Intel clearly wants to take advantage.
OpenNOW might be the open-source GeForce Now app you need
PC gaming OpenNOW is your best bet if you can't stand NVIDIA's native GeForce Now app for cloud game streaming, but will it be allowed to reach its full potential?
The best Windows laptops out of 70+ recent reviews
Laptops The Windows Central team has tested and reviewed more than 70 Windows laptops in the past year, and I've curated this list with the 9 best options as well as several honorable mentions.
Hacker spent weeks setting up an elaborate axios hijack involving Teams
Security It's unclear how widespread the damage is from the recent axios hack involving North Korean malware, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and weeks of preparation.
Lenovo Qira and HP IQ are both heading your way soon. Which one suits you best?
AI Lenovo and HP have both devised on-device AI assistants designed to make your digital life easier. I dug into the features to discover similarities and differences.
How does the new Zenbook A16 compare to the MacBook Air 15?
Laptops We just finished testing and reviewing the new ASUS Zenbook A16, and I'm putting it up against the MacBook Air 15 with M5 chip.
Microsoft MVP explains how easy it is to add meaningful AI to apps
AI It turns out that the NPU in your AI PC could be getting a lot more use, if only developers decided to take the (relatively simple) AI plunge.
A new DLC was announced for Age of Empires 4 as pros battle it out at the Royal Albert Hall
Gaming Yue Fei's Legacy is Age of Empires 4's next DLC, and it's set to launch next month.
These apps make your PC's NPU worthwhile, and they have nothing to do with Copilot+
AI Your AI PC's Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is a useful piece of hardware, but are you making the most out of it? I dug up 7 apps that make good use of the NPU; which ones are you using?
HP’s Snapdragon X2 Elite model might be the turning point for Windows laptops
Laptops HP's OmniBook Ultra 14 (G2) is thinner, lighter, and way faster than its predecessor.
PC gaming is getting cooked by rising prices as Steam's March survey shows huge swings
PC Gaming Steam just released its March hardware and software survey, and it's clear that the PC gaming market is going through a massive flux as inflated prices force buyers into new (and old) areas.
32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM is 33% off, but the deal ends tonight
Deals Memory deals are more important than ever with the current RAM pricing surges, and Woot! is currently home to today's best deal. It expires tonight (if not sooner), so don't hold out too long.
Windows 11’s latest Insider update adds NPU tracking — a small change with big future vibes
Windows 11 Arriving now for Windows 11 Insiders is a buff to Task Manager that provides far more information about your PC's NPU usage and performance. Here's how it works and why it makes sense in 2026.
NVIDIA's Dynamic MFG 6X launches with positive feedback despite more "fake" frames
PC Gaming Like it or not, the use of AI in PC gaming isn't going anywhere, and it probably won't be a controversial topic in a few GPU generations.
Kingston's 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD is down to $109 today only
Deals Storage prices keep rising, and it's getting ever more difficult to find affordable SSDs for PCs and laptops. That changes with this 1TB Kingston NV3 SSD, nearly 50% off for one day only.
This discounted NAS is ideal for beginners who want to protect their data
Deals It's World Backup Day, making it a great time to invest in a NAS for extra data protection. This one's perfect for beginners, and it's down to the lowest price of the year for a limited time.
How I saved the best bits of the internet on an SSD
Data The internet is here today, but it could be gone tomorrow. Here's what I'm doing to retain and safeguard the knowledge I take for granted.
Latest Windows 11 update adds support for refresh rates beyond 1,000Hz
Windows 11 Windows 11 update KB5079391 adds official monitor refresh rate support beyond 1,000Hz. With 2,000Hz displays coming as soon as 2030, it's good to see that our favorite OS is ahead of the game.
32GB of high-end Corsair DDR5 RAM is just $150 in this PC gaming bundle
Deals 32GB of Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6400MT/s RAM for $150? It's only available with this discounted bundle at Newegg.
A teardown of the Framework Laptop and Apple’s MacBook Neo shows how far repairable design has come
Hardware One is made to reduce e-waste and cost. The other is made to trap users in an ecosystem as early as possible. Can you guess which is which?
Windows 11 users are pushing back hard against Microsoft’s mandatory account requirement
Community Microsoft is planning some major changes for Windows 11 in 2026, but one thing not officially noted is a change to mandatory Microsoft accounts in Windows 11. We asked our readers what they think.
