TechSpot Features

The CPU is often called the brains of a computer, and just like the human brain, it consists of several parts that work together to process information. In today's explainer, we'll go over the key elements that make up a CPU and how they all work together to power your computer.

Resident Evil 3 is a remake of the PlayStation original released back in 1999, with brand new graphics and reimagined gameplay mechanics. But today we won't delve any deeper on that, but check out how the game performs on PC using a variety of GPUs tested at 1080p, 1440p and 4K.

We were among the first to review the Ryzen 5 3600 and at $200 we found the 6-core, 12-thread processor a crankin' good deal. In short, it murders the 9600K in core-heavy productivity benchmarks and was right there for the gaming tests. But without question the most popular question we received afterwards was: should you buy the Ryzen 5 3600 or the 3600X?

Doom Eternal keeps receiving praises so we've doubled down on testing by benchmarking 40 GPUs at 1080p using the low quality preset. This works out to be a good guide for gamers who haven't upgraded GPUs in several generations or as a second-hand GPU guide for Doom Eternal.

Whenever you think of mobile computing hardware, ARM is likely the first company that comes to mind, or it should be. While historically Intel has been recognized as the leader in chip making, for years ARM slowly carved into a niche that eventually reached an inflection point, where computing devices no longer needed to be faster, but they needed to be more efficient and portable.

Doom Eternal is the series' latest demon-killing romp, bringing more weapon variety, a plethora of new demons to face off against, and exciting new environments to explore. Today we're taking 25 graphics cards to see how they perform in Doom Eternal using the latest optimized GPU drivers.

We often talk about the latest and greatest graphics cards and playing games at the highest settings, but there are times when that's simply not an option. In times like these, it's nice to have a library of fun games that won't melt our processors. That's why we've compiled this list of 25 great (but less demanding) games we can wholeheartedly recommend.

Almost every desktop PC has one. They have billions of transistors, can use hundreds of watts of power, and can cost over a thousand dollars. They are masterpieces of electronic engineering and generate extremes in product loyalty and disdain... and yet the number of things they normally do can be counted one just one hand. Welcome to the world of graphics cards!

Today we're going to perform some AMD TRX40 motherboard VRM thermal testing using the powerful 64-core Threadripper 3990X. To apply load we're using Blender with the system running at stock and overclocked to 3.8 GHz. The typical power draw for this system is around 450 watts, but once overclocked we are hitting as much as 850 watts. Toasty!

There are thousands upon thousands of PC games out there, and hundreds of good ones. However, some have stood out over the years, and cemented themselves as absolute must-haves in their respective genres. These are 15 titles we feel every PC gamer should have in their digital library.

We've been waiting to reexamine Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) for a long time and after a thorough new investigation we're glad to report that DLSS 2.0 technology works. The upscaling power of the newer AI-driven algorithm is remarkable and gives Nvidia a real weapon for improving performance with virtually no impact to visuals.

You don't have to use magnetism or electrical charge to store data. It can be done using light, or more rather, the reflection of it. Okay, if you want to be really specific, it's done using the interference of infrared and visible electromagnetic waves, but let's not worry too much about that!

Just as transistors revolutionized computers, by increasing the speed at which circuits could switch and perform math operations, the use of semiconductor devices in storage devices was aimed at producing the same outcome. Lets dissect SSDs.

It's magnetic. It's electric. It's photonic. No, this isn't going to be about a new superhero trio in the Marvel universe. This is all about our precious digital data. So let's prep for theatre, scrub our hands clean, and dig into the anatomy of what we use today to hold onto our trillions of digital bits.

Consoles have come a very long way since the arrival of first-gen machines from Atari and Coleco in the seventies. Even the original PlayStation (1994) and Xbox (2001) look dated compared to today's machines, and that divide will grow even larger once the PS5 and Xbox Series X arrive at the end of 2020. But what about the future?

Power supply units don't break headlines like the latest CPUs do, but they're awesome pieces of technology. Let's put on our gowns, masks, and gloves, and pull open the humble PSU -- breaking down its various parts and seeing what each bit does.

Intel is developing discrete GPUs for gamers, professionals, and servers, and they're all slated for release this year or coming in 2021. Intel's cards will either be the long-awaited saviors of a stagnant market, or they'll underperform and flop miserably (no pressure, Intel PR person reading this). This is our second round of investigation into Xe.

Looking back before we move forward, 2019 was a good year for PC gaming. But in spite of how excellent many of those games are, they'll have some pretty stiff competition this year. With highly-anticipated titles like Mount & Blade: Bannerlord and Cyberpunk 2077 on the release docket, 2020 is set to be one hell of a year for PC gamers.

Today we're taking a look at the performance impact having four DDR4 memory modules can have on performance in a dual-channel system, opposed to just two modules. In this scenario all modules are operating at the same frequency, use the same timings and provide the same total memory capacity.

Today we're going to review the sub-$200 graphics card market and see how it compares to what we were offered just a few years ago. We recently did this for the $400 price range and it was super interesting. The two most recent additions to this segment are the Radeon 5500 XT and Nvidia's GTX 1650 Super. Let's see how they do against previous generations.

When we look at the video games that have truly stood the test of time, MMORPGs are always near the top of that list. The genre has been around for decades, but what's the secret sauce that makes MMOs so popular and long-lasting? And which titles are worth playing today?

Without properly managing heat, our electronic systems would destroy themselves or conversely, we'd be severely limiting our computing capabilities. This article will touch on the basic science of heat, how and why it is generated in electronics, and the various methods we have developed to control it.

How well do you know the components that make up your PC? Take the humble motherboard, it sits there, quietly keeping everything running, and rarely gets the same attention as the CPU or graphics card. Motherboards are remarkably important though, so let's go all Grey's Anatomy, and dissect the motherboard -- breaking down its various parts and seeing what each bit does!

We all think of the CPU as the "brains" of a computer, but what does that actually mean? What is going on inside with the billions of transistors to make your computer work? In this new four-part mini series we'll be focusing on computer hardware design, covering the ins and outs of what makes a computer work.

Expanding upon all the testing we performed in our day-one 3rd-gen Ryzen coverage, today we'll be running a clock-for-clock comparison benchmark. IPC can be a good indicator of a processor's architecture efficiency, so we're pitting the new Ryzen 3900X and 3700X against Intel's Core i9-9900K.

Video game physics are something that we often take for granted. Programming physics into a game can be as simple as one or two routines, or as complex as requiring a separate physics engine to handle the computations. In this article we'll delve into the specifics of rigid body and soft body physics in games.

For the third year in a row, before the year comes to an end, lets look back at some of the worst CPU and PC graphics products released in 2019. Just like we have guides dedicated to the best CPUs and best GPUs you can buy, this is our hall of shame equivalent. Not meaning to create controversy, take this piece as informational light reading for the holidays.

You've followed the rumors, waited for the reviews and finally slapped down your dollars and walked away with one of the latest graphics cards from AMD or Nvidia. Inside these lies a large graphics processor packed with billions of transistors, all running at clock speeds unthinkable a decade ago. Welcome to our architectural comparison of the newest GPUs from AMD and Nvidia.

The PC business as we know it owes itself to an environment of enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and happenstance. The invention of the microprocessor, DRAM, and EPROM integrated circuits would help bring computing to the mainstream. This 5-part series explores the history of personal computing, from the invention of the transistor to modern day chips powering our connected devices.

In 2019, more games flowed between PC and other platforms than ever before and we saw the titanic clash between Valve and Epic. PC gaming retains its unique identity through mods, hardware configurations, and its inextricable ties to Twitch and YouTube. Increasingly, though, the lines between these platforms are dissolving, and everybody's winding up back where so many series and genres started: on PC.