We're continuing our TweakTown giveaways, rewarding our registered members and newsletter subscribers with top-tier hardware every week. For our latest giveaway, we've teamed up with Ocypus to give one lucky winner a premium PC cooling bundle combining a 360mm liquid CPU cooler with an integrated 360mm ARGB fan assembly.

There will be one winner in total, and the prize includes an Ocypus Sigma L36 PRO 360mm AIO liquid cooler and an Ocypus Sigma F36 ARGB integrated 360mm fan.

The Ocypus Sigma L36 PRO is built around a 360mm radiator and a distinctive pump housing topped by a large 3.5-inch IPS display. The screen runs at 640 x 480 and uses an ultra-narrow bezel, giving users plenty of room for system monitoring or custom visual content.

The new Corsair NIGHTSWORD v2 WIRELESS SD Stream Deck Gaming Mouse, as the name suggests, is the latest peripheral from the company to integrate some native Elgato Stream Deck functionality into the design. It's not quite as elaborate as the Corsair GALLEON 100 SD Mechanical Keyboard we reviewed earlier this year, because there isn't enough room on a mouse for an actual Stream Deck. Still, the design includes a large dedicated Stream Deck Launch Button.

This is notable because it provides an intuitive, quick way to open Elgato's Virtual Stream Deck, an on-screen version of the popular tactile tool for creators, streamers, and professionals. It requires installing Elgato Stream Deck software, but the functionality remains the same: quick access to shortcuts and workflows for games and apps.

The gaming side, in particular, is very cool, as it can be used to bring up a customizable inventory overlay in addition to triggering OBS functions and accessing community apps like Discord without leaving the on-screen action. Elgato's Virtual Stream Deck offers eight programmable buttons, with various profiles for popular games like Cyberpunk 2077, Pragmata, Resident Evil Requiem, ARC Raiders, Diablo IV, and Genshin Impact readily available via the Elgato Marketplace, tuned for the NIGHTSWORD v2 WIRELESS SD.

In recent weeks, we've seen the price of GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards increase in various markets, with multiple sources confirming that it's all due to GPU bundles going up substantially because of the memory crisis. For gamers in the US, these price increases are now well and truly here, with a new report from Tom's Hardware showcasing just how bleak the current situation is.

The report notes that its findings are based on online retail listings, via Newegg, for GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs currently in stock. Comparing the median prices for GPUs in August 2026 to June 2026, the most alarming price increase is for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB.

It seems that the already inflated median price of $569.99 USD for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB has increased by a massive 39%, with it now sitting at $804.99 USD. The GeForce RTX 5070 has also seen a large 36% median price increase, with its June 2026 price of $659.99 USD increasing to $899.99 USD. These sorts of price increases directly affect the overall value proposition of these GPUs, which is a shame.

As a brand known for creating premium cooling solutions and cases, we reviewed German-based hardware maker be quiet!'s first gaming peripheral last year: the Light Mount Silent Gaming Keyboard. With a smooth linear response and near-silent acoustics, it was an impressive first board from the company. Cut to 2026 and be quiet! is launching its more compact counterpart, the Light Mount TKL.

The revamped keyboard is powered by the company's own internal Silent V2 Switches, available in orange linear and black tactile variants. With triple-layer dampening that includes foam in between the switches and the PCB, and additional layers below the PCB and bottom housing, the Light Mount TKL will also offer similar "whisper-quiet operation."

As a premium mechanical keyboard with custom hot-swappable switches, with support for 5-pin MX-style switches, the be quiet! Light Mount TKL also features a brushed aluminum top plate, high-quality PBT double-shot keycaps, a modular magnetic wrist rest, a control dial, per-key ARGB illumination, and a vibrant light bar.

The Razer Naga V3 Pro is the return of the brand's premium gaming mouse built for MMO and MOBA players, with detachable, swappable magnetic side panels and up to 23 programmable buttons. With three side panel options, you've got a 2-button layout for FPS gaming and everyday use, a 6-button layout for MOBAs and Battle Royale games, and the big 12-button layout for MMO gaming.

Of course, as it has been a few years since we got the excellent Razer Naga V2 Pro (check out our review of it here), the Razer Naga V3 Pro brings several improvements and hardware updates to the table, or mousemat. First, there's the addition of the Razer HyperScroll Tilt Wheel Gen-2, the company's advanced scroll wheel that offers both familiar 24-step scrolling and a Precision Tactile mode with 48-step scrolling. Plus, it includes a Free-Spin mode for fast and smooth scrolling.

It's an impressive addition as it includes a very cool Smart-Reel mode that automatically shifts between tactile and free-spin modes based on scroll speed, customizable in Razer Synapse. That's not the only new addition, as the Razer Naga V3 Pro is also powered by the Razer Focus Pro 50K Optical Sensor Gen-3 with Optical Mouse Switches Gen-4 rated at 100-million clicks.

Synology has launched its new DiskStation neo+ Series, with four models built to deliver a more affordable entry point with performance similar to its DS Plus Series. The big reason Synology is able to bring the cost down comes down to the lineup's "more accessible memory configuration." Yes, the DRAM crisis is also affecting the NAS market.

And with that, the DiskStation neo+ Series features 4GB non-ECC DDR4 SO-DIMM memory as part of the default configuration across the four models - DS1825neo+ (8-bay), DS1525neo+ (5-bay), DS925neo+ (4-bay), and DS725neo+ (2-bay). Synology notes that the change in memory makes the neo+ Series "significantly more affordable," which goes to show you just how much memory factors into the price of technology in 2026.

Synology's DiskStation neo+ Series will exist alongside the existing DS Plus Series models to offer a broader range of choices to users. Aside from the memory change, the DiskStation neo+ Series is still built for performance, with built-in M.2 slots for SSD caching, 2.5GbE network ports, and the larger DS1825neo+ (8 bays) and DS1525neo+ (5 bays) models supporting 10GbE or 25GbE network adapter cards via PCIe 3.0 slots.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma teases the name of The Elder Scrolls VI while providing a quick hype boost for the mysterious game.

Xbox management recently visited Bethesda to see projects like The Elder Scrolls VI in action. It's been over 8 years since TESVI was revealed, and while Bethesda isn't ready to show off the game just yet, that hasn't stopped various high-profile execs from teasing the game.

In a recent post on Twitter, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma briefly talked about TESVI and might have confirmed the game's subtitle has eight letters. "Live playthrough of The Elder Scrolls VI: ******** this morning. The scale and grandeur are incredible. The story is even greater," Sharma said.

The Nintendo Switch version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite stopped working on August 5, leaving everyone who paid for it with little more than an apology and an offer for a discount on another game.

The Switch port launched in April 2023, but unlike the PS5, Xbox, and PC versions, which can be downloaded and played offline, the Switch edition was cloud-only. The hardware was not deemed powerful enough to run the game natively, so it was streamed from servers instead.

The standard edition cost $29.99, while the Ultimate Edition, which bundled in a collection of DLC, cost $59.99. When Cold Iron Studios announced in March that those servers would shut down on August 5, it did not announce any refunds for affected owners.

While AI companies have spent years promising that their technology will make work easier, the people building that technology are describing something very different. Current and former employees at OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google told the BBC they are working longer hours than ever, with intense release periods pushing some past 90 hours in a single week.

A former OpenAI technical employee said they worked at least 70 hours most weeks before leaving last year. They described regular crisis meetings, weekend shifts, and a cut-throat performance review process that could end in sudden layoffs. OpenAI was also the same company that earlier this year formally urged other companies to start testing a four-day workweek, citing AI's ability to accelerate human labor. The former employee said the company never tried that approach itself while they were there.

At Meta, workers described being reassigned to AI teams through a process employees called being "drafted." "They just move you over," one former employee told the BBC. "You can't say no, or if you do, you have to quit." Those teams are working on AI tools for software engineering and infrastructure that measure how well models can replicate human tasks, work the former employee described as endless.

Lenovo has not finished asking how much screen it can fit into a laptop bag. Leaked images obtained by Windows Latest reveal a ThinkBook concept internally called Project Swan, a business laptop with a display that physically expands horizontally from both sides of the lid using motorized rails.

The design stores sections of a flexible OLED panel inside housings along the edges of the lid. When activated, dual motors drive the rails outward, expanding the screen into a wider format. From the front, the laptop looks like a standard ThinkBook, complete with a centered webcam, ThinkBook branding on the palm rest, and two USB-C ports on the left edge.

The rear is where the changes become more obvious, with structural cutouts for the sliding mechanism and a shorter, more centrally positioned hinge designed to stay clear of the expanding channels on either side.

Valve has issued a warning to Steam Machine and Steam Controller customers in Europe after its logistics partner, CEVA Logistics, suffered a cyberattack between July 29 and August 1. CEVA notified Valve on August 7, and Valve has since begun contacting affected customers directly.

The breach did not touch Valve's own servers, and payment information, passwords, and Steam Guard codes are confirmed safe. What was likely taken is everything else a shipping partner would hold, including customer names, home addresses, postal codes, phone numbers, Steam account email addresses, and hardware purchase details, including the type and price of the ordered product. CEVA stores delivery-related information for up to 90 days after an order, which is why Valve is notifying all customers it can assume were impacted within that window.

A bad actor who knows your details and that you recently ordered a Steam Machine or Steam Controller has everything needed to craft a convincing phishing message. Valve's warning is to "Expect fake messages, email, SMS or phone, that mention your hardware order and come from Steam, Valve or a delivery company. They may quote your address back to you to prove they're genuine. They may ask you to confirm a delivery, pay a small customs or redelivery fee, or sign in somewhere to verify your order. Treat all of them as fake."

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is having a moment again, three years after launch, thanks to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. According to new estimates from Alinea Analytics, the game has sold roughly 316,000 extra copies since the movie hit theaters on July 30, generating around $11 million across PS5 and Steam in under two weeks.

That latest jump pushes Marvel's Spider-Man 2 past 18.2 million lifetime copies sold and over $1.2 billion in total revenue, with 92% of sales still coming from PS5. Alinea's head of market analysis, Rhys Elliot, said discounts played a role but weren't the main driver here. Pricing data from the platform apparently shows hype from the movie did most of the heavy lifting.

During a February PS5 sale at $29.39, the game moved around 6,300 copies a day. At that same price during the film's release window, it's moving closer to 15,000 copies a day, roughly 2.4 times the average rate and peaking as high as 4.5 times on the busiest day. Steam tells a similar story, with a flat $40.19 price point selling 2.3 times what the same discount pulled in back in June.

Microsoft has reportedly raised the price of Windows OEM licenses by up to 10%, according to Taiwan's Economic Daily News. PC brand executives cited in the report say Microsoft typically adjusts licensing fees for hardware makers every year, but the increases have historically stayed in the low single digits. Starting in July, that number jumped to an average of 7% to 10%, described as the largest hike in recent memory.

OEM licenses are the fees manufacturers pay to preinstall Windows on new laptops and desktops. Customers never see a separate line item for this cost since it gets folded into the price of the finished machine.

Microsoft hasn't confirmed the new rates publicly, and it's still unclear whether the increase applies globally or only to specific manufacturers, regions, or product tiers. These fees reportedly scale with CPU specs too, so higher-end configurations may carry steeper licensing costs than budget machines.

A modder has gone the extra mile and built a full custom liquid-cooled setup for the Steam Machine for fun. Techmagnet posted his work on the PCBuild subreddit, where he showed how he built the waterblock from start to finish, including drilling holes into the Steam Machine's chassis to accommodate a radiator and reservoir.

The process involved disassembling the Steam Machine and measuring the console's PCB that holds the CPU and GPU. The modder then built a custom waterblock designed to cool both the CPU and GPU and worked with the stock mounting holes on the PCB. The Steam Machine's CPU and GPU are both located on the same side of the system's PCB, making it easy to create a single waterblock capable of cooling both chips.

The block was created using a CNC machine using copper featuring two fin-stacks, with each one responsible for cooling either the CPU or GPU. The top of the waterblock was mated to a custom acrylic block featuring two ports.

Modified GeForce RTX 4080 cards with double the VRAM are turning up on Goofish, China's secondhand marketplace, according to VideoCardz. These are stock RTX 4080 units that started life with 16GB of GDDR6X memory and have been upgraded to 32GB, with sellers asking more than 10,000 yuan, or roughly $1,480 for these cards.

We've seen a similar trend recently with the RTX 2080 Ti cards bumped to 22GB, which sell for around $500 on eBay. Of course, the newest RTX 4080 flavor of this conversion costs almost three times that, but you are getting more GPU for that price premium as well.

The RTX 4080 still runs a 256-bit memory bus and 9,728 CUDA cores, so doubling the VRAM doesn't touch bandwidth or gaming performance. The upgrade only really matters for AI inference, where fitting a larger model into local memory tends to matter more than raw throughput.

Someone has figured out a way to hook up an RX 9070 XT graphics card to a Steam Machine, despite Valve's latest console not supporting GPU upgrades or graphics card docks officially. Large_Customer_3840 on the Steam Machine subreddit showed off an RX 9070 XT graphics card hooked up to an external GPU dock working perfectly with a Steam Machine.

To make this setup work, the user took out the Steam Machine's integrated M.2 SSD and replaced it with an M.2 to OCuLink ribbon cable adapter to make the Steam Machine compatible with their Aoostar EG01 eGPU docking station. Since the Steam Machine lacks any additional M.2 slot or SATA slots, an external SSD was used in place of the M.2 SSD for storage.

SteamOS reportedly saw the RX 9070 XT without any issues, with signal output going from the GPU to the monitor perfectly without any additional tweaks in the OS. The only caveat the Redditor pointed out was that the Steam Machine would fail to display an image through the RX 9070 XT if the HDMI port on the Steam Machine itself was not connected. To remedy the issue, the Redditor routed an HDMI cable from both the Steam Machine's HDMI port and the RX 9070 XT to their TV.

Linux gaming has been around for decades, but thanks to the popularity of Valve's Steam Deck alongside the consensus that Windows 11 has evolved into a bloated mess for PC gaming, it's becoming increasingly popular. Xodus is from the same team of modders and developers behind the Heroic Game Launcher, which brought Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games to Linux and Mac, so the expectation is that this new project will deliver on its promise.

The Xbox app and PC Game Pass are both currently exclusive to Windows, with the former being the company's Steam-like storefront for PC games that also doubles as the interface and launcher for accessing the PC Game Pass. Thanks to the open-source Xodus project, PC gamers and Game Pass subscribers might soon be able to run Xbox PC games and Game Pass on a Linux or Mac system.

And so far, progress is looking good, with the Xodus team confirming that it's created a working Xbox login system that then confirms the licenses for the games you own (or have access to via Game Pass), with the option to install them. Of course, getting the games to run is the next step, and the most crucial, with the team reverse-engineering the frameworks, targeting the newer GDK and MSIXVC format.

NVIDIA's RTX Spark chips are set to power a new wave of premium Windows on Arm laptops, and with the release on track for Fall 2026, we're now starting to see benchmarks and performance data pop up. This week we've got two new Geekbench listings covering two RTX Spark variants, one with a 20-core CPU and one with an 18-core CPU.

For the full 20-core RTX Spark chip, the Geekbench 'OEMQAJ 766_MIS Product Name DV' listing shows impressive results with a 2,570 single-core score and a 23,126 multi-core score. Although it falls a bit short of the new Snapdragon X2 Elite processor, it does pull ahead of AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, aka Strix Halo. It's also faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, showcasing that RTX Spark is indeed faster than its X86 contemporaries.

When it comes to single-core and multi-core performance, there's not a lot separating the 20-core and 18-core RTX Spark variants, with the latter's CPU performance being within 6% of the flagship configuration. Interestingly, although these Geekbench listings aren't related to GPU performance, they do confirm a difference with the RTX Blackwell GPUs found on each model.

Ahead of pre-orders opening for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, one of the big discussion points was whether publisher Take-Two would make GTA 6 the first $100 game, or stick with current AAA game pricing that's either $70 or $80. Turns out both came true: when GTA 6 pre-orders kicked off, players had the choice of GTA 6 Standard Edition for $80 or GTA 6 Ultimate Edition for $100.

With the whole $100 debate being all about how much gamers would be willing to spend on what's shaping up to be the biggest game release of all time, it turns out that most GTA 6 pre-orders have been for the $100 GTA 6 Ultimate Edition. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed this during a recent interview appearance on CNBC, where he also confirmed that pre-orders for the game have far exceeded the company's expectations.

With the $100 version of GTA 6 including access to exclusive in-game cosmetic items, via storefronts that won't be available to players with the Standard Edition, Zelnick chalks up more gamers opting for the $100 version as indicative of the fact that the more "avid consumers" are the ones who tend to pre-order a game months ahead of its expected launch.

GAMDIAS, a brand all about high-performance gear, has just launched its latest flagship THOR P2 Series power supplies, available in 850W, 1050W, and 1350W models. With a full modular design, the THOR P2 Series features 80 PLUS Platinum certification for elite efficiency, alongside ATX 3.1 and PCIe Gen 5.1 compatibility for modern PC hardware. This includes native 12V-2x6 support for modern enthusiast graphics cards, alongside multiple 6+2-pin PCIe connectors.

With 80 PLUS Platinum certification being the highest available, this means the THOR P2 Series is built for stable and efficient power delivery, with 3 x GPU power excursions and 2 x total power excursions alongside "best-in-class" 105°C Japanese capacitors. With OPP, OVP, UVP, SCP, OCP, and OTP protections, GAMDIAS THOR P2 Series power supplies are also supported by an industry-leading 12-year warranty.

Underneath the hood, you've also got a premium DC-to-DC structure with a 12V synchronous rectification design for clean and reliable power. Cooling is handled by a high-quality 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing fan, with a Smart Silent Mode that switches the fan off when the load is under 20%. GAMDIAS has built the THOR P2 Series for gamers and those with high-end GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5080, RTX 5090, or Radeon RX 9070 XT, as well as CPUs like the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Microsoft Word began as a word processor for MS-DOS back in the 1980s, a time when most personal computer software was all about databases, spreadsheets, and typing up documents. Yes, a time when a PC was referred to as a Personal Computer because before then, computers were the size of rooms and limited to places like universities. Over the years, Microsoft Word has evolved, with the more familiar Microsoft Word for Windows version arriving in 1989.

With its old-school interface and lack of any special features like spell checking, it's a relic of a different time. One of the big innovations that Microsoft Word brought to the table was its WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) design, meaning that what you saw on-screen was how the document would look when printed. The shift to Microsoft Word for Windows opened the door to a more intuitive user interface, helping MS Word become the most popular word processor on the market.

And with that, thanks to the source code for Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a for Windows 3.0 becoming publicly available in 2014, someone has taken the time to port it to Windows 11 as an x64 Windows executable that can run on modern PC hardware.