ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced a global campaign to kick off its 20th anniversary celebrations. From March 2 to April 13, ROG invites fans worldwide to celebrate by sharing content on social media and submitting their Dare-to-ROG stories via short-form videos. Entrants will complete actions and submit content types aligned with multiple fan levels (Level 1, 2, 3 and mega fans) to earn Gleam points and unlock different prize pools. ROG fans can submit their content to be eligible for a prize pool of over US $20,000.

In 2006, a group of passionate ASUS engineers joined forces to build incredible products for gamers like themselves. Out of their work, the Republic of Gamers was born. The shared love for gaming is—and always will be—the core spirit of ROG. Since then, ROG has armed gamers with high-tech PC gear crafted with vanguard spirit, dominant performance, and unmistakable attitude. The mission has never changed: to make the most powerful weapons on the battlefield for every gamer around the world.For more information, and to participate, visit this page.

Club 3D, a Dutch technology innovator specializing in advanced computer connectivity solutions since 1997, announced its newest connectivity solutions for March. These include 2 new adapters, a USB-C to RJ45 10G Ethernet Adapter and a USB-C to HDMI 2.1 Adapter. The Club 3D CAC-2505 is a premium USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter that delivers next-generation visual performance in a compact form factor. It is designed to future-proof your setup by enabling stunning 8K60Hz video output from any USB-C device supporting DP Alt Mode.

The Club 3D CAC-2531 is a professional-grade USB-C to RJ45 10G Ethernet Adapter that delivers blazing-fast 10 Gbps speeds to any mobile or desktop setup. It is designed to bridge the gap between ultraportable hardware and high-speed network environments while providing a compact, plug-and-play solution for data-heavy workflows.

MSI, a world-leading provider of high-performance gaming hardware, proudly announces its latest collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate the launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight. Together, MSI and Blizzard introduce the limited edition MSI × World of Warcraft: Midnight GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards, available in two distinct designs—Light Edition and Void Edition—bringing the legendary forces of Azeroth to life through cutting-edge performance and immersive visual storytelling.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio.

Quectel Wireless Solutions, a global end-to-end IoT solutions provider, today announces the FCE870Q Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 module. The module's higher peak data rate of 5.8 Gbps, coupled with lower latency and strong network connection reliability, makes it ideal for over-the-top (OTT) services, high-definition video and augmented and virtual reality use cases.

Featuring 4K 4096 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), an advanced modulation technique in Wi-Fi 7 that increases data throughput by 20% compared to Wi-Fi6, the FCE870Q enables faster 4K and 8K streaming. Performance is also aided by the module's support for 320 MHz enhanced multi-link single radio (eMSLR) technology which enables the faster data rate alongside ultra-low latency. A highlight of this module is the integration of Bluetooth 6.0 featuring built-in Channel Sounding to enable enhanced ranging accuracy and advanced proximity-based applications.

Pulsar Gaming Gears, a leading developer of high-performance esports peripherals, in collaboration with Prodigy SEG, today announced the official launch of the Pulsar ZywOo The Chosen Mouse Gen 2 Limited Edition Pink. This new product launch aligns with a historic peak in the career of Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut. Recently crowned the World #1 Player for a record-breaking fourth time, ZywOo has officially become the most decorated individual in the history of the game. Coming off back-to-back championship wins at IEM Kraków 2026 and PGL Cluj-Napoca 2026, he has reached a career milestone of 30 HLTV MVP medals-shattering all previous records.

This new generation is the product of Pulsar's uncompromising eS standard, utilizing Pulsar's advanced in-house R&D and meticulous refinement to meet the exact competitive needs identified from the first generation. Designed for palm grip users, the mouse features a unique, refined shape co-created with ZyWOo, and two sizes, Mini 59 g, Medium 62 g to ensure the absolute control and consistency required for elite-tier competitive play. Speaking on the new iteration of the mouse, ZywOo emphasized the continuous drive for competitive perfection.

In February, TechPowerUp partnered with Fosi Audio to bring our readers from around the world a chance to grab one of 10 Fosi Audio C3 gaming-grade external sound cards with AI-powered DSPs. The Fosi Audio C3 is an external USB sound card (DAC + headphones amp) with a selection of parts purpose built for PC gaming. The C3 uses AI models to recognize key in-game sounds, such as footsteps, gunfire, reloads, and directional cues, and dynamically enhance what matters while reducing irrelevant or distracting noise. Rather than simply making certain frequencies louder, the system is designed to identify and prioritize important sounds depending on the gameplay context. The Giveaway is now close, and the results are in! Without further ado, here are the 10 winners!

• ShurikN from Serbia
• Bryan from Singapore
• Khusanbek from the United Kingdom
• Russel from Australia
• ushirlo from Croatia
• Yu-Jie from the United States
• Markus from Germany
• FatherOBlivion from the United States
• Xin Qi from the Netherlands
• azarel from Denmark

Huge congratulations to all 10 of you! TechPowerUp and Fosi Audio will return with more such interesting Giveaways!

AMD earlier today announced the Ryzen AI 400 series desktop APUs in the Socket AM5 package. These are the company's second desktop APU generation on Socket AM5 following the Ryzen 8000G series "Phoenix Point." While "Phoenix Point" is based on "Zen 4," the newer Ryzen AI 400 series is built on the "Gorgon Point" silicon powered by the "Zen 5" microarchitecture. A key difference between the two APU generations is the emphasis on AI performance. "Gorgon Point" packs an XDNA 2 NPU with 50 TOPS of throughput on tap, making Ryzen AI 400 series the first socketed desktop processor that meets Microsoft Copilot+ requirements.

While "Phoenix Point" featured a single CCX design with up to eight full-sized "Zen 4" cores, "Gorgon Point" reverts to a dual-CCX design for its CPU complex. The first CCX features four full-sized "Zen 5" cores that can boost up to the maximum rated speed of the APU model, along with 8 MB of L3 cache that's shared among the four "Zen 5" cores. The second CCX features four compacted "Zen 5c" cores, with an 8 MB L3 cache shared among them. "Zen 5c" is a physically compacted version of "Zen 5," it has an identical IPC and ISA, but it caps out at roughly two-thirds the maximum boost frequency of the full-sized "Zen 5" cores. For threads to migrate between the two CCX, their instructions and data make a trip through the chip's Infinity Fabric interconnect, just like it was during the old "Zen 2" architecture days.

Manage your business finances like a pro with a lifetime license for Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus, now only $200 (reg. $699). Many small business owners start managing their finances with spreadsheets and bank portals, only to realize they need something a bit more robust. Intuit QuickBooks Desktop Pro Plus gives you a full desktop accounting system with a lifetime license and no ongoing subscription, and it's on sale now for $199.97 (reg. $699).

Montech today unveiled the Beta 2 line of mainstream ATX 3.1 power supplies. These PSUs are designed to meet ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM specifications, providing mainstream-thru-performance segment gaming PC builds with a modern PSU architecture. These come in four variants based on output, 550 W, 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W. All four offer 80 Plus Bronze-rated switching efficiency. All four models come with fixed cabling, which comprises individually-sleeved wires for each cable.

The PSUs feature single +12 V rail design, DC-to-DC switching, and most common electrical protections. All four use 120 mm hydro-dynamic bearing fans, and a Japanese-made main capacitor. All four models come with 24-pin ATX and two 4+4 pin EPS connectors. The 550 W, 650 W, and 750 W models come with two 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors (which meet ATX 3.1 excursion specs); while the 850 W model offers a 450 W-rated 12V-2x6 connector besides two 6+2 pin PCIe power. Montech is backing all four models with 5-year warranties. The 550 W model is priced at $49.90, the 650 W model at $59.90, the 750 W model at $63.90, while the 850 W model goes for $69.90.

MSI, a leading global provider of high-performance server solutions, is showcasing its latest AI-vRAN solutions at MWC 2026 (Booth #5A61) to address the evolving requirements of next-generation telecom networks. MSI's AI-vRAN stack, integrated with GPU server solutions, is designed to bring AI capabilities into the core of network operations, supporting growing telecommunications workloads and accelerating the transition toward AI-powered mobile networks.

"AI is rapidly reshaping the telecommunications landscape, and MSI is focused on helping operators build scalable network architectures that support diverse applications, including voice, data, video streaming, and AI workloads, through a unified infrastructure," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions at MSI. "This AI-powered vRAN architecture delivers greater flexibility for 5G and future 6G deployments while accelerating time-to-market for new services."

We've known for a while now, that Intel's early-2026 refresh of its Core Ultra series-2 "Arrow Lake" desktop processor lineup could see a refresh with the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, with reviews tentatively going live on March 23. VideoCardz reports that the company could unveil these chips close to two weeks earlier than that, on March 11. This would probably be when the company announces the two chips and reveals some of their specs. Reviews could remain on track for March 23, with retail availability of the chips shortly after. There's no confirmation yet on whether the two chips have "KF" variants lacking integrated graphics, but that's fairly likely.

Both SKUs see increases in CPU core counts and L3 cache sizes compared to current SKUs leading the Core Ultra 5 and Core Ultra 7 brand extensions. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a 6P+12E chip, with a generous 30 MB of shared L3 cache; while the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus maxes out the "Arrow Lake-S" silicon, enabling all 8 P-cores, and all 16 E-cores, with all 36 MB of shared L3 cache available; albeit with slightly lower clock-speeds than the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K. Intel reportedly dropped plans to launch the fabled "Core Ultra 9 290K Plus," which would have been a supercharged variant of the 285K with even higher clock speeds.

Micron Technology, Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its semiconductor assembly and test facility in Sanand, Gujarat, India. The state-of-the-art facility converts advanced DRAM and NAND wafers from Micron's global manufacturing network into finished memory and storage products. Once fully ramped, the first phase of Micron's Sanand operation will feature more than 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space, making it one of the world's largest single-floor assembly and test cleanrooms. The site serves customers worldwide to meet the growing global demand for memory and storage fueled by AI.

The facility represents a combined investment of approximately $2.75 billion by Micron and its government partners, advancing semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in India. Micron Chairman, President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and other executives witnessed the opening ceremony with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and other distinguished government officials and guests.

GIGABYTE Technology, a global leader known for its engineering excellence in high-performance computing and AI servers, extends its comprehensive end-to-end AI infrastructure portfolio designed specifically for the telecommunications industry at MWC 2026. GIGABYTE's end-to-end product solutions enable operators to convert massive volumes of network data into intelligence, automation, and new revenue streams, as telecommunications networks evolve from data carriers into AI-powered digital platforms.

At the core of the telco-to-AI transformation is the AI Factory, where network and subscriber data are converted into operational intelligence and commercialized AI services. GIGABYTE addresses this need with GB300 NVL72, a liquid-cooled rack-scale platform integrating 72 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs and 36 NVIDIA Grace CPUs in a single system. Connected via NVIDIA Quantum-X800 InfiniBand or NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet and NVIDIA ConnectX -8 SuperNIC s, GB300 NVL72 is optimized for large-scale AI training and inference workloads, enabling operators to automate operations, optimize network planning, and deploy AI-driven services at telecom scale.

At MWC 2026, Lenovo introduces a new generation of adaptive AI devices and forward-looking concepts designed for business professionals, creators, students, and gamers. Headlined by new modular PC architecture, a glasses-free 3D laptop concept, a foldable gaming handheld device, and the initial rollout of Lenovo Qira, Lenovo's showcase reflects a broader shift in personal computing toward systems that adapt intelligently to people and their environments. Across its portfolio, Lenovo continues to focus on delivering technology that is more personalized, proactive, and protected, while building a unified AI ecosystem that works naturally across devices.

"The AI era will not be defined by a single device or application, but by intelligent systems that work seamlessly across everything we use," said Luca Rossi, President, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "We are demonstrating how Lenovo and Motorola are bringing that vision to life, combining adaptive hardware innovation with a single, unified system-level AI integration that works naturally across PCs, smartphones, tablets, wearables, and beyond. From premium mobile devices and transformative form factors, to the rollout of Lenovo Qira, we are building the widest AI portfolio that delivers more connected, more intuitive personal computing experiences designed around people."

NVIDIA is raising the MSRP of the DGX Spark AI development standalone to $4,700, which represents a $700 increase from its launch price, or a 17.5% increase. This increase in pricing adjusts for industry-wide shortage of DRAM and NAND flash, which impact the prices of the 128 GB LPDDR5X unified memory the machine uses. "The MSRP for DGX Spark (Founders Edition) has been adjusted from $3,999 to $4,699 due to memory supply constraints," NVIDIA said in a statement on its Developer forums. The new price is set to go into effect later this week. This should also impact prices of custom-design variants of the DGX Spark released by various partners.

Razer, the global leading lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Laptop Sleeve 16" with Wireless Charging for Devices, a new addition to its lifestyle accessories lineup that blends premium protection with built-in wireless power. Designed for gamers, creators, and professionals who move between setups throughout the day, the sleeve reduces the need to carry additional cables or chargers while keeping essential devices powered and protected wherever the day leads.

At the core of the Laptop Sleeve 16" are integrated wireless charging pads housed in the sleeve's cover flap. Featuring two MagSafe-compatible charging zones, the sleeve connects to an external power source via USB-C to charge multiple devices (such as a smartphone and wireless earbuds) simultaneously. Magnetic alignment helps keep devices securely in place for consistent and efficient power delivery.

Microsoft today released DirectX Shader Model 6.9 alongside a host of new Direct3D 12 enhancements. The company had been previewing SM 6.9 since 2025, which now attains general release. Microsoft released the update as part of Agility SDK 1.619 and the complementary DirectX Shader Compiler (DXC) version 1.9.2602.16. The company also released Agility SDK 1.719-preview, which introduces a fresh set of experimental features. At the heart of the Agility SDK 1.619 release is Shader Model 6.9, bringing powerful new processing tools to graphics developers. A standout new feature is "Long Vector" support, allowing developers to load, store, and seamlessly perform element-wise operations on HLSL vectors up to 1024 elements in length. The update also extends specialized HLSL functions, such as IsNan, IsInf, and the newly added IsNorma, to fully support 16-bit floats. Lastly, previously optional hardware capabilities, like 16-bit and 64-bit shader operations, are now strictly required.

Besides Shader Model upgrades, some key DirectX ray tracing (DXR) 1.2 features are officially exiting preview, such as OMM and SER. Opacity Micromaps (OMMs) enable hardware to handle complex alpha-tested geometry far more efficiently, bypassing costly shader invocations. The feature was announced way back in 2022 with NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace architecture. Meanwhile, Shader Execution Reordering (SER) empowers applications to dynamically sort rays for highly optimized parallel execution. Microsoft has directly addressed developer feedback by integrating several targeted quality-of-life updates. Highlights include Revised Resource View Creation API, as well as new CPU Timeline Query Resolves that eliminate unnecessary GPU overhead. The table below compares hardware support for Shader Model 6.9 across the three GPU brands.

AMD today released the latest version of AMD Software Adrenalin drivers for AMD Radeon GPUs and integrated graphics solutions. Version 26.2.2 WHQL comes with optimization for "Resident Evil: Requiem" and "Marathon." The drivers fix an intermittent application crash or driver timeout when playing "Roblox Player" in the Car Zone Racing and Drifting, when task-switching on machines with Radeon RX 7000 series GPUs. A texture flickering or corruption issue noticed on Windows applications with Instant Replay and Record Desktop enabled on machines with RX 7000 series GPUs has also been fixed. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 26.2.2 WHQL

Phanteks today announces the 360M25-LCD AIO, a high-performance 360 mm liquid CPU cooler featuring an ultra-large 6-inch high-resolution IPS LCD as its centerpiece, combining powerful cooling performance with advanced hardware-level system customization. Built for high-end Intel and AMD platforms, the 360M25-LCD AIO features a pure copper cold plate and a 360 mm radiator paired with three M25 Gen 2 D-RGB fans, delivering strong airflow, efficient heat dissipation, and low noise under demanding workloads.

The 6-inch high-resolution (1480x720) IPS LCD offers sharp visuals with a smooth 60 Hz refresh rate and wide viewing angles while maintaining ample clearance for motherboard components and tall RGB RAM modules up to 51 mm in height. Multiple orientation options allow seamless integration across different system layouts. Customization is powered by the NEXLINQ App for Windows, enabling users to personalize the LCD with real-time system telemetry, temperatures, clock speeds, media, animations, and custom graphics. The display operates directly on the hardware, minimizing CPU overhead while ensuring smooth performance.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, today announced that all of its large-sized OLED panels, including those for TVs and monitors, have been recognized for their "perfect dimming technology" - earning the industry's first "100% dimming consistency" verification from UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science. This performance, as validated by UL Solutions, objectively demonstrates the superiority of OLED's pixel-level dimming.

Dimming consistency refers to a measurement method that evaluates, in percentage terms, how effectively a display reproduces content based on its brightness performance. A reference area is set in the center of the screen and is gradually reduced from 1/10 of the panel to 11/1000, 5/1000, and finally 2/1000. The results are expressed as a percentage: if the maximum and minimum brightness values remain the same throughout the process, dimming consistency is 100%. Conversely, as the value decreases, it means that there is light intensity variation within the same screen. In such cases, brightness differs depending on the position of the light source, even for the same color.

SK hynix Inc. and Sandisk Corporation held "HBF Spec. Standardization Consortium Kick-Off" event at Sandisk Headquarters in Milpitas, California on the 25th (local time) announcing global standardization strategy of next-generation memory solution HBF (High Bandwidth Flash) aimed at the AI inference era. SK hynix said, "By making HBF an industry standard, together with Sandisk, we will lay the foundation for the entire AI ecosystem to grow together. A dedicated workstream under OCP will be launched with Sandisk to begin standardization work."

Recently, the AI industry is shifting from training which focuses on creating Large Language Models (LLMs) to inference, which accelerates actual AI services to users. Fast and efficient memory is essential as the number of users using AI services increases rapidly. However, the existing memory structure cannot meet the high capacity data processing and power efficiency at the same time in the inference stage and HBF technology is designed to address these limitations. HBF technology is a new memory layer between ultra-fast memory, HBM and high-capacity storage device, SSD. HBF technology can fill the gap between HBM's high performance and SSD's high capacity and ensure both capacity expansion and power efficiency required for AI inferencing. While HBM handles the high level bandwidth, HBF technology serves as a supporting layer in the architecture.

The leading system integrator iBUYPOWER is pleased to announce the official launch of its new Gen 10 series of prebuilt and custom gaming PCs. Built for those that demand cutting-edge gaming performance with contemporary aesthetics, iBUYPOWER is evolving its prebuilt computers by redefining how a modern gaming system should look and perform. To learn more, please visit: https://www.ibuypower.com/gaming-pcs/signatures/gen-10-series

iBUYPOWER's Trace X and Element Pulse X cases are at the heart of its Gen 10 lineup, as both cases feature refreshed, architectural-inspired designs that emphasize clean lines, panoramic views into your system, and eye catching RGB aesthetics. Both cases are also performance optimized, supporting high-end components like large GPUs, PSUs, and air coolers, and are backed by iBUYPOWER's comprehensive three-year labor and two-year parts warranty and nationwide Micro Center service support.

ACEMAGIC's K1 Mini PC, powered by Intel's 12th Gen Core i5-12600H, is currently available at a substantial discount on Amazon US. Originally priced at $579.99, the system is now listed at $399.99, with an additional 10% off promo code bringing the final price down to $359.99. The promotion runs from February 4, 2026 (04:00 PST) through March 31, 2026 (23:59 PST).

Alder Lake-H Performance in a Compact Form Factor
The ACEMAGIC K1 is built around the Intel Core i5-12600H, a 12-core (4P + 8E) / 16-thread processor based on Intel's Alder Lake architecture. With boost clocks up to 4.5 GHz, the chip offers significantly higher multithreaded performance compared to typical low-power U-series mini PC CPUs, and even outpaces processors such as the i5-12450H in many workloads.

To purchase from the United States, visit this page (Amazon link).

To purchase from Canada, visit this page (Amazon Canada link).

ORIGIN PC today announced the launch of the new NEURON, marking the most dramatic evolution of the platform since its debut and redefining what a showcase desktop can look like. The new NEURON introduces a fully panoramic glass design and advanced airflow engineering that elevates both presentation and performance for gamers, creators, and hardware enthusiasts. First unveiled at CES 2026, the NEURON is now available for customers who want high-end components to be seen and kept cool under demanding workloads.

The updated NEURON features a wraparound single piece glass panel that provides near 360-degree visibility of the interior. A spacious modular layout, improved routing channels, and compatibility with today's largest GPUs allow users to create clean, presentation ready systems that highlight every component.

AIDA64 8.25 continues refining the modern 64-bit foundation introduced in the 8.xx generation. This update focuses on deeper hardware integration, more flexible display customization, and improved automation tools. With revamped SensorPanel monitor pinning, native NVMe support, new PSU monitoring capabilities, and expanded LCD compatibility, AIDA64 becomes even more precise and adaptable across enthusiast setups and enterprise environments.

We are also introducing the new AIDA64 Command Line Builder, an online utility that helps generate correct command line switches quickly and easily for our business line products. Whether you automate reports, deploy AIDA64 across networks, or integrate it into scripts, the builder reduces configuration errors and simplifies setup. It is accessible directly from our website. Please note, that command line options are available exclusively in our business product line.

DOWNLOAD: AIDA64 Extreme v8.25

AMD and Meta today announced a 6-gigawatt agreement to power Meta's next generation of AI infrastructure across multiple generations of AMD Instinct GPUs. This agreement expands on the companies' existing strategic partnership and aligns roadmaps across silicon, systems and software to deliver AI platforms purpose-built for Meta's workloads. The first deployment will use a custom AMD Instinct GPU based on the MI450 architecture to deliver AI platforms that are optimized for Meta's workloads at gigawatt-scale. Shipments supporting the first gigawatt deployment are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026 powered by the custom AMD Instinct MI450-based GPU and 6th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs, codenamed "Venice," running ROCm software and built on the AMD Helios rack-scale architecture. AMD Helios was developed jointly by AMD and Meta through the Open Compute Project to enable scalable, rack-level AI infrastructure.

"We are proud to expand our strategic partnership with Meta as they push the boundaries of AI at unprecedented scale," said Dr. Lisa Su, chair and CEO, AMD. "This multi-year, multi-generation collaboration across Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs and rack-scale AI systems aligns our roadmaps to deliver high-performance, energy-efficient infrastructure optimized for Meta's workloads, accelerating one of the industry's largest AI deployments and placing AMD at the center of the global AI buildout."

Fosi Audio and TechPowerUp bring you the Fosi Audio C3 gaming DAC Giveaway. It's been up over the week, but entries close on February 26. Open worldwide, the Giveaway gives 10 lucky winners a chance to bag a Fosi Audio C3 external sound card (DAC + headphones amp) that's optimized for PC gaming. It packs an analog kit that's perfectly suited for various gaming genres, giving you crystal clear audio and a competitive edge in online multiplayer gaming. nlike traditional gaming sound cards that rely on fixed EQ boosts, the C3 uses AI models to recognize key in-game sounds, such as footsteps, gunfire, reloads, and directional cues, and dynamically enhance what matters while reducing irrelevant or distracting noise. Rather than simply making certain frequencies louder, the system is designed to identify and prioritize important sounds depending on the gameplay context. Sounds good? Drop your hat in before February 26!

For more information and to participate, visit this page.

Hardcore PC users tend to think of privacy risk as something that happens to other people: the careless, the click-happy, the ones who reuse passwords or fall for obvious scams. Power users, by contrast, optimize. They tweak BIOS settings, benchmark GPUs, curate mod lists, and participate deeply in the ecosystems that make PC culture what it is.

That's the problem.

For highly engaged users, having their personal data exposed is rarely the result of negligence; it's the unfortunate side of visibility. The more you understand and participate in gaming communities, online forums, and similar spaces, the more you will create an enduring, discoverable identity footprint.

This blog isn't about fearmongering over privacy, but rather about practical digital hygiene for people who are already technically savvy.

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 last year, and if your computer is still running it, then your data is at risk. If you want an easy way to upgrade, right now, you can get Windows 11 Pro on sale for only $12.97 (reg. $199). Windows 11 Pro adds security tools that help protect your files and accounts in ways Windows 10 simply doesn't. BitLocker can encrypt your drive so someone who gets your laptop can't just pull the data off it. Smart App Control can block unknown or suspicious programs before they run, which is helpful if you download software from different places. Windows Defender works in the background to scan for threats without a separate antivirus subscription.

There are also changes that make it easier to work on a crowded desktop. Snap layouts let you click a layout and drop apps into neat side-by-side or grid views instead of dragging windows around. Virtual desktops help you keep work, personal tasks, and side projects in separate spaces on the same computer. When you plug back into a monitor or dock, Windows 11 Pro does a better job of putting windows back where they were instead of stacking them on one screen.

Right now, it's only $12.97 to get Windows 11 Pro, but it won't stay that way.