These days, securing your home is easier than ever because cameras are easier to install and more affordable than in years past. For example, the Tapo SolarCam C402 is only $40 on Amazon right now, a stark 33% discount off its MSRP—and this thing has a built-in solar panel that keeps it charged with sunlight. No wires, no battery, hassle-free! View this Amazon deal At this price, it’s a no-brainer of a deal as this security camera checks all the boxes you could want. Again, it’s wireless, it’s solar-powered, and it lets you pick between cloud or local storage with a microSD card (up to 512GB in size). And again, it’s easy to install! Mount it on a wall with 6 screws and anchors (included) and you’re good to go. The solar panel is the real star of the show here, requiring only 45 minutes of sunlight per day to stay fully charged. When fully charged, the internal battery can last up to a whopping 180 days. And what’s really cool is that it comes with a 13-foot cable that lets you separate the solar panel from the camera itself, allowing you to position it exactly where it needs to be for optimal performance. As for video, the Tapo C402 captures 1080p footage and sends you notifications whenever it detects anything. You can fiddle with the Tapo app to enable person, vehicle, and pet detection. If you install a microSD card, you won’t have to pay for cloud storage. Other features include two-way audio so you can remotely chat to whoever’s at your camera (e.g., guests or delivery persons), color night vision up to 30 feet away, and a siren for scaring away potential intruders. When our friends at TechHive reviewed this camera, they gave it a 4-star rating and appreciated its solar-powered design, free smart detection features, and its ease of installation. Get the Tapo SolarCam C402 while it’s still just $40 because it’s worth every penny at this price! Get this solar-powered 1080p security cam for 33% offBuy now at Amazon Read...

Microsoft has released the first Windows 10 update of 2026, an important security patch called update KB5073724. This update is available for users of Windows 10 21H2, Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021, and Windows 10 22H2 who have signed up for the Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Since Windows 10 no longer receives new features—only security-related fixes—update KB5073724 doesn’t bring any new features with it. KB5073724 is purely a security update that addresses newly discovered flaws in the Windows 10 operating system. What’s in update KB5073724? Update KB5073724 includes security fixes that Microsoft previously pushed in December 2025 as part of KB5071546 and KB5074976: [Drivers] This update removes the following modem drivers: agrsm64.sys (x64), agrsm.sys (x86), smserl64.sys (x64) and smserial.sys (x86). Modem hardware that depends on these specific drivers will no longer work in Windows 10. [Secure Boot] Starting with this update, Windows quality updates include a subset of high-confidence device target data that identifies devices that can automatically receive new certificates for Secure Boot. Devices will only receive the new certificates after enough successful update signals have been verified to ensure a secure and phased rollout. [WinSqlite3.dll] Fixed: The Windows core component WinSqlite3.dll has been updated. Previously, some security software may have identified this component as vulnerable. As of this writing, Microsoft doesn’t mention any issues relevant to private users that could cause problems when installing update KB5073724 on Windows 10 computers. The update might cause problems with Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365. How to install this update You can easily obtain update KB5073724 as part of the updates that Microsoft released on Patch Tuesday for January 2026. In this case, you don’t need to take any action—update KB5073724 will automatically be installed on your computer. If necessary, start a search for new updates in the Windows Update settings. Or you can also get it directly from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Outstanding performance & low latency Feather-light & stable Comfortable shape & coating Two sets of PTFE skates Optional 8,000 Hz via dongle Attractive price Cons Only 5 buttons No Bluetooth Open base design attracts dust 8K dongle costs extra & shortens battery life Our Verdict The Hitscan Hyperlight impresses as an ultra-light gaming mouse for performance fans. FPS gamers in particular benefit from the strong combination of low weight, precise sensor, and robust workmanship. The mouse is also a solid choice for many other genres. The only limitations are for MMO players and convenience functions for everyday use, such as the lack of Bluetooth. So, for around $90, it’s definitely worth recommending, even if availability is a little poor. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Hitscan Hyperlight Retailer Price MaxGaming €89.90 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Hitscan Hyperlight is a brand-new wireless gaming mouse from a newcomer manufacturer, and its name says it all: weighing just 39 grams, it’s one of the lightest mice on the market. Despite its flyweight, Hitscan promises outstanding performance thanks to the Pixart sensor and Omron optical switches, paired with high-quality workmanship. For enthusiasts, there is an optional wireless dongle that increases the sampling rate from the usual 1,000Hz to an impressive 8,000Hz. In our test report, we check whether the Hyperlight delivers what it promises. We also assess the 8K dongle in terms of benefits and value for money. Check out our list of the best wireless gaming mice for even more options. Friedrich Stiemer Hitscan Hyperlight: Features The Hitscan Hyperlight uses the Pixart PAW3395 sensor with up to 26,000 DPI, 50G acceleration and 650 IPS tracking speed. The sensor is positioned slightly forwards, which supports fast, direct movements and offers particular advantages for precise aiming techniques. Despite the closed upper shell, the mouse only weighs around 39 grams and measures approximately 118 x 61 x 38 millimeters. The low weight is the result of intelligent material cut-outs on the inside without compromising stability. Friedrich Stiemer Optical Omron switches are used as the main buttons, which provide a crisp, delay-free click feel and do not suffer from the typical double-click wear and tear of classic mechanical models. The two side buttons are based on tactile switches from TTC and the mouse wheel works with a precise TTC gold encoder. The battery life is around 75 hours in 2.4 GHz mode with a polling rate of 1,000Hz, but drops noticeably when the optional 8K dongle with increased sampling rate is used. Friedrich Stiemer The connection is exclusively via 2.4 GHz radio, Bluetooth is not included. Settings such as DPI levels, lift-off distance, and polling rate are made in the Hitscan utility under Windows. In addition to the USB-C charging cable, two different sets of PTFE glide feet (skates) and the 1 kHz wireless dongle are included in the box. Friedrich Stiemer Hitscan Hyperlight: Design, shape, and workmanship The Hitscan Hyperlight is a small, symmetrical gaming mouse with a gentle center hump. This makes it ideal for claw and fingertip grip, especially for small to medium-sized hands. Even larger hands can guide it precisely in fingertip grip, while a classic palm grip is less comfortable. The sides are relatively straight without a pronounced taper. The weight is evenly distributed, despite the internal recesses for the low weight. Friedrich Stiemer Even with the lightweight construction, the workmanship is of high quality. Neither the lid nor the side panels give way under normal pressure. The coating is matt, slightly rubberized and non-slip. Control is maintained even with sweaty hands. However, we still found the material to be less solid than that of more expensive models, which is due to the design. Friedrich Stiemer As already mentioned, two sets of PTFE glide feet are included. Both variants glide smoothly and can be mounted without air bubbles. RGB has been omitted in favour of the low weight. Friedrich Stiemer Hitscan Hyperlight: Performance The Hitscan Hyperlight shows its strengths in fast-paced shooters. Aiming accuracy and response time are outstanding. The combination of low weight and precise PAW3395 sensor enables lightning-fast flick shots. No noticeable delay spoils this responsiveness either. The sensor also remains stable during repositioning. The LOD (lift-off distance) is low so that the cursor remains steady when lifting. Friedrich Stiemer The mouse is also suitable for MOBAs. The movements are precise, clicks are fast, and the shape is comfortable. The extended number of buttons is missing for MMOs so players who place a lot of actions on the mouse are limited here. However, the Hyperlight is sufficient for occasional MMO sessions or ARPGs. Friedrich Stiemer The mouse also works well in everyday office use. However, comfort functions such as Bluetooth or a free-running scroll wheel are missing. The open base design can attract some dust in the long term. Occasional cleaning is therefore recommended. Friedrich Stiemer Hitscan Hyperlight: 8K dongle The optional 8K dongle increases the polling rate from 1,000 to 8,000 Hz at an additional cost of around $25. Tests show a slightly more direct mouse feel, especially during fast movements. The latency decreases measurably, but the advantage is small for the average gamer. Enthusiasts and professionals with fast monitors will benefit more. Friedrich Stiemer However, the dongle significantly reduces the battery life of the Hitscan Hyperlight: from around 75 to an estimated 15 to 20 hours. The system load also increases. However, installation is simple and the software is extended by new polling levels. The extra charge is therefore only worthwhile for gamers who really want to save every ounce of latency. Friedrich Stiemer Read...

These days, your home office could do better than a wimpy laptop or a towering desktop PC. If you care about getting the most performance for the least amount of money, you’re better off with a mini PC. “But what if I’m a gamer?” you ask. No worries! Today, this GMKtec M8 mini PC is on sale for just $371 on Amazon (that’s 30% off its MSRP) and it has just the right features to serve as a passable gaming machine. View this Amazon deal Despite the freakishly low price, the GMKtec M8 has a surprisingly decent configuration: a Ryzen 5 Pro 6650H processor, 16GB of ultra-fast LPDDR5 memory, and a spacious 1TB SSD. That’s a great combo for the price, providing enough hardware to smoothly handle Windows 11 (we don’t recommend less than 16GB of RAM) as well as your apps and browser tabs without slowing to a crawl. You can also user-upgrade later up to a total of 8TB of storage. But let’s talk about the gaming bits. Right out of the box, you get AMD Radeon 660M integrated graphics with 16 cores, which itself is powerful enough to handle 4K video editing and modest gaming frame rates. It’s also powerful enough to support triple 8K/60Hz displays, which you can connect via HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB4 ports. But there’s also an OCuLink port for attaching a high-speed external GPU, allowing you to unlock ultra-high gaming performance if you wish. All of this for just $371, down from $530? That’s an insane deal, so don’t pass this opportunity up. Grab the GMKtec M8 on sale while you can! Save 30% on this Ryzen mini PC with external GPU supportBuy now on Amazon Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Excellent contrast and color performance More video connectivity than competitors, plus USB-C Stellar motion clarity at 500Hz refresh rate Low MSRP for a 1440p, 500Hz QD-OLED Cons Design is basic, with no RGB-LED lighting Adjustable stand is larger than it needs to be Lacks some extras, like a proximity sensor Our Verdict The Acer Predator X27U F5 is yet another 1440p 500Hz OLED monitor that delivers great motion clarity, and it cuts some less essential features to lower the price. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Acer Predator X27U F5 Retailer Price $699.99 View Deal $799.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The arrival of 1440p 500Hz QD-OLED monitors in the fall of 2025 has been fascinating to watch. A monitor with a refresh rate this high would’ve seemed exotic a couple years ago, but now you have roughly a half-dozen options to choose from. Acer’s entry into the crowd chooses to cut back some features to provide the 500Hz panel at a lower MSRP. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best monitors for comparison. Acer Predator X27U F5 specs and features The Acer Predator X27U F5’s basic specifications are familiar by now, as it’s part of a fleet of new 500Hz QD-OLED monitors arriving on store shelves. These monitors achieve an extraordinary refresh rate while sticking to a more modest resolution. Display size: 26.5-inch 16:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 2560×1440 Panel type: QD-OLED Refresh rate: 500Hz Adaptive sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro HDR: VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 Ports: 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort and 65 watts of Power Delivery, 1x USB-B upstream, 2x USB-A downstream, 1x 3.5mm audio Audio: 2x 5-watt speakers Extra features: Headphone stand Price: $799.99 MSRP One aspect of the Predator X27U F5 that stands out, though, is connectivity. It has two DisplayPort ports, two HDMI ports, plus USB-C with DisplayPort, for a total of five video inputs. Most competitors only have three, and many lack USB-C. Acer’s Predator X27U F5 is shipping with an MSRP of $799.99. That’s lower than most alternatives: The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 lists an MSRP of $999.99, the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG is $899.99, and the MSI MPG 271QR is also $899.99. Sales are frequent, though, so keep an eye on current deals before you make a purchase—pricing can drop to several hundred dollars under MSRP. Acer Predator X27U F5 design The Acer Predator X27U F5’s design is nothing special even by the standards of computer monitors, which rarely make a bold design statement. From the front it’s a simple slab of glossy glass with thin black bezels and an almost unnoticeable Predator logo. It’s not much different from the rear, as the monitor is mostly built from basic, though sturdy, black plastics. There’s nothing wrong with a simple approach. Personally, I tend to prefer subtle design, as I rarely see the rear of my monitor once it’s on my desk. Still, you should note the X27U lacks even basic RGB-LED lighting, a feature common at this price point. It does have a flip-out headphone stand on the stand neck, though its location makes hard to reach. Matthew Smith / Foundry I’m not a fan of the stand. It’s sturdy enough, but the stand has a deep neck and a wide base that takes up more desk space than necessary, particularly for a 27-inch monitor. The stand might be a problem if you have a narrow desk, as it places the display closer to the user than most stands that ship with 27-inch monitors. The stand provides the usual range of height, tilt, and swivel adjustment. It can also pivot 90 degrees for use in portrait orientation. All of this is typical at this price point. The VESA mount differs slightly from the norm, as a 75x75mm VESA mount is used instead of the more common (among monitors, at least) 100x100mm VESA mount. Most monitor stands, arms, and wall mounts support both, though, so it’s not much disadvantage. Acer Predator X27U F5 connectivity Connectivity is an area where the Predator X27U F5 stands apart from competitors. It has two DisplayPort 2.1 ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, plus a USB-C port with DisplayPort and 65 watts of Power Delivery. That’s a total of five video inputs; most direct competitors only provide three. The dual DisplayPort inputs are also unusual, as most monitors offer just one. The wide range of video connectivity will stand out if you’re using the Predator X27U F5 like both a monitor and TV. With this many ports you can connect two game consoles, two desktop PCs, and a laptop. The USB-C port connects to two downstream USB-A ports. These can also be driven by a USB-B port, and the monitor has a KVM switch. It would’ve been nice to see a USB-C downstream port as well, but most competitors also lack that feature. The Acer Predator X27U F5 has a total of five video inputs; most direct competitors only provide three. Acer Predator X27U F5 menus and features The Acer Predator X27U F5’s on-screen menu system is controlled by a responsive joystick centered behind the lower bezel. The menu system is well organized and features are well-labeled. I can nitpick about the font size, which is a bit small, but it’s a good menu system. There are quite a few options to tinker with. The monitor has a number of color modes, gamma, and color temperature presets. They’re not perfect (there’s no DCI-P3 or AdobeRGB color mode and the color temperature presets are vague values such as “Warm” instead of exact values like “6500K”), but they’re not bad. Further image calibration is available through six-axis color adjustment. Matthew Smith / Foundry Acer also provides a range of gaming features like on-screen crosshairs, a refresh rate counter, a dark stabilizer, and the option to decrease the screen’s viewable area if you want to simulate a smaller monitor (which can be useful in certain esports titles or some retro games). One feature notably absent here, but found on competitors such as Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG, is a proximity sensor. A handful of OLED monitors now include this as a way to combat OLED burn-in, as the sensor will automatically dim or turn off the display when you’re away from your desk. Acer Predator X27U F5 audio Acer provides a pair of 5-watt speakers with the Acer Predator X27U F5. They’re not great, but they’re not the worst, and that alone is high praise in this category. Most monitors in this category do not provide speakers at all. I wouldn’t want to use the built-in speakers for most games and music, but they’re fine if I just want to listen to ambient tunes at low volume, or want to play a game where audio isn’t the focus. Acer Predator X27U F5 SDR image quality The Acer Predator X27U F5 has a Samsung QD-OLED panel with 1440p resolution and a 500Hz refresh rate. This panel first appeared in monitors this fall, and most major manufacturers now have a monitor with it. In short, it’s a known quantity, and the Predator X27U F5 performs as expected—which is to say, it’s excellent. Matthew Smith / Foundry First up we have brightness, where the Predator X27U F5 delivers a result in excess of 300 nits. That’s towards the high side for an OLED monitor, though also something the latest QD-OLED panels are beginning to achieve with consistency. A brightness of 300 nits is usually more than adequate and, in a dark room, you may end up using the Predator X27U F5 at just 20 or 30 percent of its maximum. The panel has a glossy finish, though, so bright room performance can still feel strained. Matthew Smith / Foundry Contrast is always great on OLED monitors, and the Predator X27U F5 is no exception. The fact is that SDR contrast performance is maxed out here. It literally can’t get better than this. Contrast is expressed as a ratio that defines the difference between a display’s minimum and maximum luminance. But OLED monitors achieve a perfect minimum luminance of zero nits, which breaks the ratio. In practical terms, that means the Predator X27U F5 delivers a sense of depth, immersion, and shadow detail you won’t find on any IPS-LCD or VA-LCD display. Even Mini-LED monitors can’t match it. Matthew Smith / Foundry Color gamut is also a strength for QD-OLED monitors, as they use a technology called Quantum Dots to boost color coverage. The result is an incredibly wide color gamut. That’s useful if you want to create content in wide color gamuts and also provides a vivid, saturated image in all other content you’ll view. Matthew Smith / Foundry Next up is color accuracy. Technically, the Acer Predator X27U F5 lags the pack here, but the color accuracy of OLED displays is generally so excellent that you’ll be hard pressed to notice any difference. I personally can’t tell a difference in color performance or accuracy between modern QD-OLED panels, even with them side-by-side. The Acer Predator X27U F5 hit a gamma curve of 2.3, slightly off the target of 2.2, and a color temperature of 6400K, slightly off the target of 6500K. These again are subtle differences, though I personally do find the gamma curve noticeable. It means content will look ever so slightly darker than on a monitor that hits gamma 2.2. Most OLED monitors have the same gamma and color temperature performance, though. Sharpness is not a perk for the Acer Predator X27U F5. The monitor’s 1440p resolution works out to about 110 pixels per inch across the 26.5-inch panel. That’s adequate but certainly not impressive for a modern monitor, as 4K panels are widely available even at much lower price points. While this will of course mean games and movies are a bit softer than at 4K, I find the downgrade most obvious on the Windows desktop, where small fonts and interface details can look a bit jagged and blocky. In summary, there’s no surprises with the Acer Predator X27U F5, and that’s a positive. The image looks vivid, saturated, deep and immersive. It all adds up to a fantastic experience when playing games or watching movies in SDR. Acer Predator X27U F5 HDR image quality The Acer Predator X27U F5 is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certified and has an HDR 1000 mode to achieve a promised maximum brightness of 1,000 nits. Like most monitors I test, the X27U F5 doesn’t quite get there, but it gets close and is generally very bright for an HDR monitor. Matthew Smith / Foundry As the graph shows, the Predator X27U F5’s performance lands in the same range as most modern OLED displays. You can expect a peak brightness close to 1,000 nits in HDR, but only when a fraction of the display is brightly lit. HDR brightness drops significantly when larger areas of a display are lit. The good news is that bright, quick HDR highlights are often what contribute most to the sense of HDR pop, particularly in PC games, so the overall level of HDR performance is great. One feature missing from the X27U F5’s HDR mode is brightness adjustment. HDR typically gives content control over brightness, but some modern monitors provide an override. That’s handy if you are playing in a very dark space, or you are playing a game with an uncomfortably bright HDR presentation. The lack of HDR brightness control on the X27U F5 isn’t a deal breaker, but I would’ve preferred to see it. Acer Predator X27U F5 motion performance The Acer Predator X27U F5 has a 500Hz refresh rate which, of course, is fantastic for motion clarity and responsiveness. A 500Hz refresh rate is way higher than the old 60Hz standard, of course, and also twice that of a 240Hz display. It makes a noticeable difference, at least in games capable of hitting up to 500 FPS (which is necessary to enjoy the faster refresh rate’s benefits). Fast-moving objects are extremely crisp, with even details a few pixels in size visible, and quick camera pans in 3D games look hardly different from standing still. The improvement in motion clarity will be shocking if you are coming from a 60Hz display, and likely still noticeable even if upgrading from a 240Hz display. One thing missing from the Predator X27U F5 is a backlight strobing mode, such as ELMB on the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG or MPRT on the MSI MPG 271QR. Backlight strobing can improve motion clarity at lower refresh rates, and its absence may turn off some gamers. Adaptive sync is supported through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, though Nvidia G-Sync was detected when I connected the monitor to an RTX 5050 laptop. I would have preferred to see both FreeSync and G-Sync badges on the box, though. Shoppers should keep in mind that the X27U F5’s motion clarity is not much different than other monitors with the same QD-OLED panel. This arguably works to the X27U F5’s favor, because it’s on the lower end of pricing. Should you buy the Acer Predator X27U F5? The Acer Predator X27U F5 is another great entry in the swelling ranks of QD-OLED monitors with 1440p resolution and a 500Hz refresh rate. It has outstanding contrast and color performance and superb motion clarity. Compared to its peers, such as Samsung Odyssey G6 OLED and Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDPG, the X27U F5 is less eye-catching and has an inferior stand. However, the Acer Predator X27U F5 strikes back with a competitive MSRP of $799.99 (though the Samsung is currently less expensive on sale) and more connectivity including a total of five video inputs. Read...

TL;DR: ChatPlayground AI is on sale for $79.99 (MSRP $619) and lets you run one prompt across multiple AI models at once. If you use AI regularly, you already know the problem: different models give very different answers, and switching between platforms wastes time. ChatPlayground AI solves that by putting the world’s top AI models into a single, side-by-side workspace. With ChatPlayground AI, you enter one prompt and instantly see how multiple models respond—making it easy to compare tone, accuracy, depth, and creativity in one view. The platform supports more than 25 AI models, including GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet 4, Gemini 1.5 Flash, DeepSeek V3, Llama, Perplexity, and more. It’s especially useful for writers, developers, marketers, prompt engineers, and teams who rely on AI for real work. Beyond comparisons, ChatPlayground AI includes tools designed to improve output quality. Built-in prompt engineering helps refine inputs, while image and PDF chat allow you to work with visual assets and documents directly. You can save conversations for ongoing projects, generate AI-powered images, and even integrate the platform into your browsing workflow using the Chrome extension. The Unlimited Plan includes unlimited messages per month, priority customer support, and early access to new features and models as they’re released. Lifetime access to the ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan is available for $79.99 (MSRP $619). ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan)See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

I’ve reviewed lots of laptops powered by Intel CPUs over the last year, and I’ve had gripes. The Core Ultra Series 2 generation was a branding mess with its mix of Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake, and Meteor Lake architectures. But at CES 2026, Intel turned a corner. Intel Core Ultra Series 3—codenamed Panther Lake—looks like it’s actually a coherent platform to go toe-to-toe with AMD and Qualcomm. Intel seems to have its swagger back, too. Intel had TSMC manufacture its Lunar Lake CPUs last generation, but Intel is now back to manufacturing its own CPUs again. This year, Intel struck a huge deal with Nvidia and the US government became a large shareholder in its operations. Despite recent struggles, the big chipmaker shouldn’t be written off yet. I didn’t have the opportunity to benchmark any of these new Panther Lake-powered machines at CES, so stay tuned for that once we get our hands on review units. But I’m still impressed—and here’s why. Battery life and performance in one Intel’s Lunar Lake was a strange beast. Made by TSMC instead of Intel, it was Intel’s attempt to jump on board the power-efficient laptop revolution, complete with onboard memory that couldn’t be upgraded, a speedy NPU for running overhyped Copilot+ PC AI features, and a surprisingly capable integrated GPU. Mark Hachman / Foundry But Lunar Lake’s big limitation was multithreaded performance. It came far behind Arrow Lake and even Meteor Lake CPUs in our Cinebench and Handbrake benchmarks. That’s why most laptops I reviewed throughout the year eventually went with Arrow Lake or Meteor Lake chips. Yet, while those offered stronger performance, they sacrificed battery life and also ran hotter than Lunar Lake. With Panther Lake, Intel says we should expect more than 50 percent better multithreaded performance over Lunar Lake and Meteor Lake, with 10 percent less power usage than Lunar Lake. Intel also claims that Panther Lake’s performance is similar to Arrow Lake. This time around, it sounds like we’re getting both battery life and solid multithreaded CPU performance in the same hardware package. (Want to dive deeper? Learn more about Panther Lake’s technical details.) New integrated GPUs look impressive Intel has been hard at work on upgrading its integrated graphics over the last few years, and it’s now marketing its new Arc B390 iGPU as being on par with Nvidia’s RTX 4000-series discrete graphics cards. We benchmarked the hardware at CES 2026… and it’s close! With Lunar Lake, Intel delivered seriously impressive integrated Arc graphics—but Lunar Lake wasn’t the place for serious iGPU upgrades. Lunar Lake was focused on battery life and not CPU performance, which meant Intel’s best-performing integrated graphics was paired with a CPU platform that struggled in multithreaded performance. Meteor Lake and Arrow Lake had even worse iGPUs. Benchmarking Intel’s Panther Lake with Cyberpunk 2077.Mark Hachman / Foundry By bringing Intel’s fastest iGPUs together with an even faster CPU, Panther Lake promises to power laptops with impressive gaming performance on integrated graphics. That’s something a few PC manufacturers were eager to tell me about at CES 2026. Intel’s new Core Ultra Series 3 hardware could power PC gaming experiences without a discrete GPU. Companies like HP were showing off demos of PC games running on Intel’s new iGPUs. Competing with AMD in handhelds With Panther Lake, Intel is talking about bringing more competition to the gaming handheld space. Steam Deck-style handheld gaming PCs largely use AMD processors, and there’s speculation that companies like Valve may release hardware with Arm chips in the future. Intel had so much swagger that one executive even talked smack at CES 2026, accusing AMD of “selling ancient silicon” for handhelds. Intel is promising custom Panther Lake hardware for the gaming handheld market—something that could be seriously impressive, considering how good Intel’s integrated graphics are getting. AMD disagreed (naturally), saying Panther Lake would come with a bunch of baggage and be a bad fit for handhelds. We’ll see who’s right after the hardware is released. I’m just excited to see more competition. NPUs that catch up to Windows 11’s minimum specs While lots of PC manufacturers are still eager to talk about Copilot+ PCs and AI laptops, Microsoft looks like it’s moving on from its NPU obsession. Companies like Dell are shifting away from AI laptops, too. The NPUs Intel has been shipping for the last few years have been far below Microsoft’s minimum specs. After Microsoft announced back in May 2024 that Copilot+ PCs would require an NPU with at least 40 TOPS of performance, Intel has mostly been shipping laptop hardware with 13 TOPS NPUs—far short of Microsoft’s minimum target. Only Lunar Lake and now Panther Lake cleared the floor for Copilot+ PC features. Meanwhile, all Qualcomm Snapdragon X hardware met the minimum, and AMD’s Ryzen AI CPUs delivered solid performance on a traditional x86 platform with the NPU specs Microsoft asked for. Matthew Smith / Foundry It’s been a big black eye for Intel that most Intel CPU-powered laptops still don’t meet Microsoft’s minimums for these hyped AI features, over 18 months after Microsoft’s announcement. The good news? Most PC buyers don’t care much about Copilot+ PC features, and Microsoft now appears to be deemphasizing them. But at least Intel has finally caught up to Microsoft’s minimum specs. Renewed focus on manufacturing process Intel’s choice to outsource Lunar Lake manufacturing to TSMC was a huge shift in its priorities. Up until then, the company had always manufactured its CPUs in its own foundries. Intel even threatened to abandon manufacturing going forward. Back in July 2025, Intel said it would give up on its next-generation 14A manufacturing process if it couldn’t find a customer, and some speculated that Intel could abandon its own chip fabrication processes. The US government took a stake in Intel a few weeks later, and I’ve always wondered if that dire announcement to shareholders was a negotiation move. Intel signaled that its US-based manufacturing business was struggling and soon after landed the federal government as a shareholder. Now, Intel’s CEO said at CES 2026 that it’s very excited about investing in its 14A process. It’s a huge shift from how the company was acting just last summer. Panther Lake is the first product built on Intel’s 18A manufacturing process, and Intel is no longer depending on TSMC. Intel is also abandoning some of the weirder decisions of Lunar Lake. For example, Panther Lake no longer has on-package memory. In a world where RAM is driving up the price of PCs, that’s valuable. Will Intel’s “Core Ultra Series 3” be watered down, too? While Intel is cleaning up its naming a bit, I’m a little concerned about one thing: does “Core Ultra Series 3” mean anything this time around? A year ago, “Core Ultra Series 2” meant “Lunar Lake”… until Intel released a bunch of Arrow Lake and Meteor Lake chips with Core Ultra Series 2 branding, muddying the brand. Now, at CES 2026, everyone seemed to be using “Core Ultra Series 3” as a stand-in for “Panther Lake.” But will Intel once again release older architectures with Core Ultra Series 3 branding in the coming year? Will we get another round of rebranded Meteor Lake chips? Or Lunar Lake chips? If so, “Core Ultra Series 3” might not mean anything. Either way, Intel’s hardware platform feels like it’s getting where it needs to be. The company is combining performance with battery life, delivering serious integrated graphics power, making its own CPUs, and no longer issuing dire warnings that it may abandon its future manufacturing processes. I look forward to reviewing Panther Lake-powered PCs because they sound impressive. More competition is always good for PC users. Read...

Betterworks launches its AI-native NextGen platform, adding 400+ features to turn everyday performance data into real-time workforce insight. Read...

Months ago, Microsoft announced that every Windows 11 PC would be an “AI PC”, even the non-Copilot+ ones. Then why was everyone pushing Copilot+ AI PCs at CES 2026? The industry finally caught up to Microsoft’s Copilot+ requirements—with a big NPU push from Intel in particular—but Microsoft didn’t explain why we should care. I saw a wave of Copilot+ PCs at CES 2026, but it felt like they were chasing an AI PC strategy that Microsoft has already abandoned. With Microsoft now downplaying NPUs and few applications taking advantage of them, the great NPU push doesn’t feel very important. That’s especially true since the Windows AI Foundry will use GPUs and CPUs for AI applications instead of NPUs, as the initial Copilot Runtime did. NPUs seem less necessary to the future of AI on Windows, even as they’re starting to pop up everywhere. Did Microsoft get distracted just as its PC hardware partners crossed the finish line? At CES 2026, NPUs finally feel fast enough When Microsoft unveiled Copilot+ PCs, the company required NPUs capable of at least 40 trillion operations per second (TOPS). This was a huge blow to Intel. Most Intel-powered machines have been shipping with NPUs capable of 13 TOPS at best, aside from Lunar Lake-powered machine with NPUs capable of 48 TOPS. 2024 was “the year of the AI PC,” but even throughout 2025 most laptops I reviewed couldn’t muster the specs needed for AI features on Windows 11. I spoke to PC manufacturer PR people who showed me the new versions of laptops I reviewed last year. “And it’s a Copilot+ PC,” they say proudly. It seems they’ve finally caught up to the requirements. The NPUs everyone’s talking about at CES Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) hardware is the big advance at this year’s CES, given that Intel was so far behind on NPUs before. Core Ultra Series 3 has a 50 TOPS NPU and also promises big improvements to multithreaded performance, but we’ll have to run our own benchmarks to see just how big an upgrade it is in practice. While Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware was Copilot+ PC-capable, it was severely limited on multithreaded performance, which meant that an Intel laptop had no hope of running Copilot+ PC features unless you were willing to make big performance sacrifices and prioritize low power consumption and long battery life. Foundry / Mark Hachman AMD’s Ryzen AI 400 series hardware includes an NPU capable of 60 TOPS, and it’s coming to both laptops and desktop PCs. While AMD has been delivering capable NPUs for a while—unlike Intel-powered laptops—it’s an increase from the 50 TOPS NPUs in the Ryzen AI 300 series. However, with so few applications taking advantage of the NPU, that bump of 10 TOPS won’t be noticeable to the average laptop buyer, even if it looks like an upgrade on a spec sheet. Qualcomm is extremely proud of its TOPS speeds, highlighting that the Qualcomm Hexagon NPUs on Snapdragon X2 Elite and Snapdragon X2 Plus hardware deliver 80 TOPS of performance. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X platform was the big launch partner for Copilot+ PCs, and Qualcomm is once again ahead. But as it was during the flashy Copilot+ PC launch, there still isn’t a great argument for NPUs just yet. All those new processor platforms are now delivering fully capable NPUs that will end up in laptops from all the big PC manufacturers. Going into 2026, Copilot+ PC-capable NPUs are finally becoming much more common. But will it matter? All Windows 11 PCs are now AI PCs Back in October, Microsoft revealed its plan to make every Windows 11 PC an AI PC. Here’s what Yusuf Mehdi told reporters at the time: “We did all of this years of work that let us get to the point of understanding what’s the right way to bring AI in. We’ve learned a lot from that—you know, what features resonate. And one of the big things that I think really came to us is, while Copilot+ PCs really are the tip of the spear and are gaining, you know, fast traction, the big thing was, let’s bring that AI capability to all Windows 11 PCs and make it really simple for anyone to try it. So, that has been the big thing.” As we turn the corner and head into 2026, it doesn’t sound like Microsoft is all that excited about NPUs anymore! And that’s without even mentioning the Windows AI Foundry. Developers can use it to write AI apps that perform inference on GPUs, CPUs, or NPUs. It replaces the Copilot Runtime, which required an NPU on Copilot+ PCs. Copilot+ PC features haven’t taken the world by storm I was in a Lyft earlier this week in Las Vegas. After asking me what I did for a living, the driver mentioned he was still using Windows 11. “There’s probably a newer version by now, right?” No, I explained: Windows 11 is still the latest version. You get some extra AI features if you have a newer PC—but only certain newer PCs. On those Copilot+ PCs, you don’t get extra Copilot features. Instead, you get minor features like Windows Studio Effects webcam effects, image generation in the Photos app, Windows Recall for searching your PC usage, and Click To Do for taking basic actions on text. Chris Hoffman / Foundry Based on Microsoft’s talk about delivering more AI features to all Windows 11 users, I don’t expect NPUs to become the crown jewel of the Windows AI experience in the future. If anything, I expect the opposite: I can picture a Windows 11 update that delivers Copilot+ PC features to a wider variety of machines, letting your PC’s GPU power features like image generation and text summarization. That’s what I hope to see. Microsoft should’ve never required NPUs for Copilot+ PC features. Even my $3,000 gaming PC still can’t run Copilot+ PC AI features, which is astonishing considering the fact that a speedy discrete GPU is still the best way to run more “serious” AI tools like LM Studio. Further reading: The 10 best laptops at CES 2026 Read...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says we shouldn’t think of LLM output as “slop.” You know, AI-generated content, the thing that’s making the internet worse in every measurable way, and causing consumer electronics prices to skyrocket? So it would be a real shame if you installed an extension in your browser that changed “Microsoft” to “Microslop” all over the web. Yes, installing “Microsoft to Microslop” would be a naughty and entirely cynical response. Especially if you, say, used Edge’s Chromium base to install it in Microsoft’s own default web browser, Edge. That would just be twisting the AI-generated knife, wouldn’t it? “Screw you Satya Nadella. Learn about Barbara Streisand,” writes the developer on the Chrome Web Store, who freely admits they are “managing my levels of spite.” I can relate. They add that the extension only visually manipulates the page, so it won’t break links, or collect or store any user data. Amazon/Microslop If Nadella and/or Microsoft are feeling particularly touchy about being called sloppy or any derivative thereof, they have only themselves to blame. Nadella himself claimed that 30 percent of the software company’s code is now AI-generated. That’s amidst a massive user pushback, as the don’t-call-it-a-forced-migration from Windows 10 to 11 has angered both regular consumers and businesses, the constant insertion of Copilot “AI” into every part of Microsoft’s business causes headaches and privacy concerns, and software subscription prices rise as Microsoft tries to force people to buy Copilot services. All the while…it seems that almost no one is actually using Copilot. Local “AI” applications using all the NPUs in new Windows laptops are still extremely limited, and Dell has figured out that even people who want to use “AI” will just open up a browser and go to ChatGPT. So yeah, it’s understandable why people are calling the company Microslop after its CEO blared out a tone-deaf declaration. I first heard it on the CES show floor, while I was trying to find a single new product that didn’t have “AI” features jammed into it for no discernible reason. Windows Latest spotted the browser extension, but here’s a fun bonus: a guide that will remove all Copilot features from Windows itself, among others. Read...