Tech Spite

Remember how Intel was going to release Cannon Lake in 2016? And, then when it got pushed back to 2018? Well, according to Intel’s Q1 financial results we won’t see the long-awaited follow-up to Kaby Lake until 2019 – at least in a consumer-ready state. But, before we get into all the juicy rumors surrounding Cannon Lake, we’re going to take a step back, because Intel’s recent releases have been kind of hard to follow. So, in the past, Intel followed a predictable ‘Tick-Tock’ release schedule, where generations would switch between introducing a new die process and architecture. This is why we all expected Cannon Lake to succeed Skylake in 2016. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Instead, Intel switched things up by pushing Cannon Lake back and released Kaby Lake instead – an ‘optimization’ in a new ‘process-architecture-optimization’ release schedule. Ok, so the 10nm Cannon Lake would follow after Kaby Lake , right? Well, that’s what we thought too. Instead Intel launched its 8th-gene...

Fifth time’s the charm. At least that seems to be the case with Intel’s fifth round of processors based on the 14nm manufacturing process. After the release of the laptop-centric 8th-generation Kaby Lake R processors back in August, Intel finally released the 8th-generation Coffee Lake desktop CPUs in October 2017, along with a lineup of processors and motherboards . We’ve also seen leaks for a X399 chipset , likely for the upcoming Cannon Lake processors .  Meanwhile, there are whispers of a new Z390 platform that likely also supports Coffee Lake and even the anticipated Canon Lake processors. Back in April, Intel released its Coffee Lake H-Series processors for laptops , including the beefy Core i9-8950HK, which is behind some of the best gaming laptops of 2018. We’ve also seen speculation that Intel is going to bring more Core i9 chips to the mainstream , in what may be the beginnings of the 9th generation. This further backs up that rumor that we’re getting an octa-core C...

What’s cooler than being cool? That’s right, keeping your PC components ice cold . Here at TechRadar, we love building and overclocking the best gaming PCs we can get our hands on – and we know that the best CPU coolers will help you squeeze every drop of performance out of even the best processors, as lower CPU temps allow your PC to run faster and last longer. The best CPU coolers will come in every shape and size, and what you need for your build will largely depend on what you’re going to do with it. Luckily, there are awesome CPU coolers at every price point – so you don’t need to let your budget hold you back. If you’re overclocking the best processors , you should consider investing in a beefy liquid cooling solution, so you don’t break anything. No matter what kind of CPU cooler you’re in the market for, we here at TechRadar will help you find it with this list of the best CPU coolers you can buy in 2018 – each one tested and ranked right here. The Noctua NH-D15 is the bes...

The best hard drives may not be as fast as the best SSDs , but they’re certainly more affordable. Plus, the best hard drives feature an ample amount of storage space, rather than charging you an arm and a leg for a glorified flash drive – the best hard drives offer huge amounts of storage without making your wallet cry out in pain. You won’t find the best hard drives in the best Ultrabooks , but they’re definitely capacious.   What makes for the best hard drive is going to come down to what you need it for. For the best laptops and game consoles, you’ll want to look at a 2.5-inch or an external hard drive. If you’re rocking one of the best gaming PCs , though, you’re going to want whichever hard drive has the most storage and fastest speed. We know, it’s confusing, but we’ve done the heavy lifting and have compiled this list of recommendations for the best hard drives. No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find the best hard drive right here on this list.   Seagate’s B...

In 2018, the best open world games are the gift that keeps on giving – and they’re not going anywhere. These days it seems like even game franchises that used to be linear experiences are embracing the open world. From shooters like Far Cry to expansive RPGs like the Witcher 3, we can see why everyone seems to love the best open world games on PC.  It’s not hard to see why some developers are abandoning more linear experiences – just look at how franchises like Metal Gear and Final Fantasy benefited from the ‘open world’ treatment. They didn’t lose anything, and they gained everything. We love it. In recent times, there have even been plenty of unconventional indie games embracing this open world style. Titles like the Long Dark, Neo Scavenger, Rust and more embrace open maps and player freedom – and are some of the best open world games you can buy today. But we've picked our favourites out of the best wide worlds gaming has to offer. Disagree? Shout at us on Twitter. Gabe Car...

Now that the best graphics cards are actually affordable again, right now is the best time to get into the best PC games available right now. Maybe you’ve heard all they hype around Far Cry 5 and Quake Champions and you want to see what all the hype is about. So, let this be your introduction. We went ahead and sorted through the hundreds of PC games we’ve played to bring you the 40 best PC games – and you really need to try these games out for yourself. Even if a few of these games really need a mouse and keyboard, many of the best PC games can be played with a controller, if that’s more your speed – we won’t judge. You should also keep in mind that many of the best PC games on this list are also available on Xbox One , PS4 or even Nintendo Switch – in case you haven’t made the switch to PC gaming yet. If you’re new to the wonderful world of the best PC games, we’d like to extend you a warm welcome. As we intend to demonstrate here, PC gamers don’t need to be the elitist gatekee...

As E3 2018 showed us, gaming keeps changing every year, and our standards for the best indie games changes with it. One of the most exciting things about the best indie games in 2018 is that unlike major game publishers like Ubisoft and EA – who need to subsidize their releases with microtransactions and monthly subscriptions – the best indie games not only don’t feature these malevolent monetization models, they’re cheap to begin with. So, the best indie games give you a pure glimpse at the developer’s pure artistic vision, particularly if you have one of the best gaming PCs . However, that’s not to say the best indie games aren’t every bit as exciting as the newest Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed. They can sometimes even blow the latest AAA games out of the water, thanks to their less repetitive nature – they don’t need to rely on tired cliches and tropes to move millions of copies. So, with this list, we went through the legions of great indie games we’ve played and ranked the 3...