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Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardcore hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the hot topics on our YouTube show or latest buzz from across the web? I’ve got you covered. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website! This past week, Adam published a look back at the past few decades of PC component history, through the lens of my colleague Gordon Mah Ung’s career. The memories stretch from the mid-1990s (including Gordon in a full suit and tie) to the present day of contests for the slowest benchmark results. And by the end, I could see other people latching on to “change” as the biggest theme throughout. The visual evidence is there: the move from beige boxes to bright, even obnoxiously colored chassis; shifting case configurations and attitudes toward cable management (oh, for the days when we could shove everything inside and just slap the side panel back on); even the leap to ferocious high core-count processors and screaming-fast graphics cards. Vintage Alienware.Willis Lai / Foundry But while others could argue that change has been the constant in computer hardware, I’d instead champion ATX as one of the truest mainstays—and all the evidence of its steady, reliable presence over the past 30 years is right in the video. In build after build, ATX is there. An over-the-top, ludicrously decked out Dream Machine built by the crew at Maximum PC? ATX. The machine that won the ongoing competition between Gordon and others (including our friend Dr. Ian Cuttress) for the slowest benchmark results in Cinebench R15? Also ATX. And even Gordon’s signature troll build, the “reverse sleeper build” that sported a shiny new case on the outside, and old-as-heck parts on the inside? Yeah, ATX. Gordon had his bones to pick with ATX—he complained often that ATX was holding back the PC industry. (And I mean often, not just on The Full Nerd when the cameras were rolling.) But in the very next breath, he would then rail against companies like Apple, which has zero issue with (in Gordon’s words) throwing older tech overboard. ATX’s longevity is why you can put parts that look like this in a brand-new, sparkling clean case. Willis Lai / Foundry I’ve always had a different outlook, largely along the lines of Gordon’s follow-up rant. I’m open to a newer standard that evolves the layout of motherboards, sure. But I view the jump from the AT form factor to ATX more as a practical response, as opposed to just the insatiable hunger for innovation. ATX followed AT after a decade, bringing further improvements to standardization and swappability of parts. But when BTX launched nine years later, arguably “on schedule,” it failed to take. Not enough innovation, you could argue. But I view it as a sign of what truly motivates leaps in technology, whether the advent of the printing press or desktop-sized personal computers. I also think ATX’s ongoing relevance tells us a lot about the future of the PC. Innovation is a response to a need. As the PC industry has become increasingly more personal, with a far wider spectrum of options to address specific needs, what innovation looks like may continue to become smaller and more subtle. And possibly, it may even become less constant. In this episode of The Full Nerd… Willis Lai / Foundry In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith talk about Intel being on the ropes, Zen 6’s emergence in the wild, and AI in Windows. To me, I found a lot of commonalities between these topics—they made me extremely contemplative about what innovation in the PC space will look like, because things feel a little…confused. Also, we got a glimpse into the remarkable details of the decor in Will’s home office. All I can say is: That potato has a butt. Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real time!  And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds. This week’s intriguing nerd news I’m facing a second week in recent months where I’m questioning my deal-hunting skills, but a few technology wins are keeping my spirits up. What currently has me a bit starry-eyed: insanely fast internet. So fast that I’m a little giddy at the thought, even though I may never see it in my neck of the woods. What’s old will become what’s new.Wikimedia Commons I can’t top this data hoarder’s deal-hunting skills: Estate sales can be a good way to pick up useful, interesting, or downright quirky stuff for pretty cheap. But so far, I haven’t encountered any finds on the level of 11 Western Digital 8TB external hard drives for just $360. Man. What a score. Turns out you can put a price on nostalgia: $349 bucks is the cost of reliving your best childhood memories—aka getting your hands on a remade Commodore 64, compatible with over 10,000 C64 games and modernized to support HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi. I hope this works out better than the Analogue 3D. (Not gonna lie, I’m a little worried Analogue won’t survive the tariffs, as they’re absorbing the higher costs.) Self-destructing SSDs? Pass. Don’t get me wrong—TeamGroup’s reveal of an SSD that destroys itself with the push of a button got my attention. But look, I’m cheap. Taking a hammer to my drives seems way simpler and costs a lot less. (As does taking them over to a company that has a proper shredder.) Also, if I’m handling data sensitive enough to require instant obliteration…why is it in my home? The internet is built on duct tape and string: For systems engineers, DNS probably gives y’all a lot of headaches. I certainly would have one, knowing just how fragile the system is. Or when seeing proof that malware can be casually slipped into DNS records. Fun. Linux is winning: Just kidding, it’s still barely a fraction of users on desktop PCs. But it is gaining a little bit of headway in the U.S.—we’ve now reached a milestone of over 5 percent market share. You may need to finally upgrade your Gigabyte motherboard if it’s vulnerable to a new security exploit.Gigabyte When will 6-cores become default? Well, not just yet: Brad floated the idea during this week’s episode that Zen 6 could shift to six-core CPUs as the baseline. But we’ve also commented multiple times on the show that the budget end isn’t getting much attention. I guess those laments won out, as the hottest chip news this week is AMD’s Ryzen AI 5 330, a four-core, eight-threaded Copilot+ laptop chip. Update your Gigabyte motherboard ASAP…if you can: Running an Intel processor? Perhaps one within the range of 8th gen to 11th gen? Is it sitting in a Gigabyte motherboard? Better check pronto if an update is available for it, because a vulnerability that lets attackers bypass Secure Boot was just disclosed. But if yours is too old, you may actually have to upgrade your hardware all together to avoid this security hole. ð?? Why not just buy actual gold instead? Look, I know the RTX 4090 has largely held its value. And maybe that’ll extend to the RTX 5090, too. But when I first saw Asus’s RTX 5090 ROG Astral Real Gold Edition (aka the RTX 5090 made with 11 pounds of 24-carat gold), I thought, “Surely investing in actual 24-carat gold bars would be the better call.” I’m a product of my upbringing, which includes very immigrant grandparents. I want Japan’s fiber optic internet tech: The land of the fax machine is claiming a record-breaking transmission rate of 127,500GB/s (yes, the big B, so really fast) over a distance of roughly 1,100 miles. Sure, I’d only use such speed to load cat videos instantaneously, but I still want it. Catch you all next week, when hopefully the hot parts of the world are cooler, and the cold parts are warmer. It’s 62 degrees right now in San Francisco. Also supposed to rain next week. Yup. Alaina This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Read...

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Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50 series has been shining with cutting-edge technology since January 2025, but Nvidia is now following suit for the RTX 40 series with some upgrades. The GeForce 590.26 preview driver, which is available on Nvidia’s developer website, allows owners of Ada Lovelace graphics cards (such as the RTX 4080 and RTX 4060) to utilize Smooth Motion frame generation technology. This feature, previously reserved for RTX 50 cards, promises almost twice the frame rate in many games, reports VideoCardz. Doubled frame rates for older games Smooth Motion is Nvidia’s answer to AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames. The technology AI-generates intermediate images at the driver level, which are then inserted between two rendered frames. This makes games appear smoother without requiring developers to specifically incorporate the feature in their games. Smooth Motion is especially attractive for older games with frame rate limits and/or without DLSS support. Users on the Guru3D forums report double the frame rate in World of Warcraft, from 82 to 164 FPS. Similar leaps were achieved in Company of Heroes 3, as demonstrated by VideoCardz. In competitive and CPU-limited games, Smooth Motion unlocks noticeably smoother gameplay, even if the quality doesn’t quite match DLSS 3 Frame Generation. Only for developer accounts so far There are some restrictions on this new feature: the driver is only a preview, and it requires the Nvidia Profile Inspector from GitHub and a developer account with Nvidia to activate Smooth Motion. Without developer access, users will have to wait for the final version, which is expected to make the feature easier to access. Nevertheless, the free performance boost is a strong argument for RTX 40 owners who want more FPS without new hardware. Smooth Motion technology shows how Nvidia is extending the life of the RTX 40 series. For gamers who want to get maximum performance out of their graphics card, the preview driver is an exciting foretaste—and the final version shouldn’t be too long in coming. Read...

Rugged technology boosts productivity and cuts costs in critical industries by reducing downtime, enabling real-time data capture, and improving durability in harsh environments. Read...

What’s worse, being stuck in traffic or on another interminable Microsoft Teams call? ¿Por qué no los dos? Mercedes is teaming up with Microsoft to allow you to take Teams calls while on the go — and is talking about adding Microsoft Copilot to its suite of luxury cars, too. Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz said Wednesday that the new Mercedes CLA will be able to tap into an in-vehicle camera and give drivers access to a Meetings for Teams application. Somehow, Mercedes is also including Microsoft Intune inside the car, so business workers will be able to access private business data, too. Mercedes is making this part of what it calls MBUX, the Mercedes-Benz user experience. Microsoft and Mercedes plan to implement the new Intune and Teams enhancements as part of an MBUX 4.0 upgrade this summer. The integration of Microsoft Teams, however, might be either the most useful or the most dystopian upgrade. Microsoft and Mercedes say that you can use the in-car camera for talking to partners or underlings, letting them see you as you cruise down the highway in comfort. Fortunately, the technology is being rolled out with an eye toward safety. “To minimize distraction and maximize safety while driving, the meeting video stream turns off automatically as soon as the camera is activated,” the companies said. “As a result, the driver will never see any shared screens or slides — and the camera can be turned off at any time.” Is this the future of commuting to the office?Mercedes-Benz Mercedes is also integrating chat into its driver interface, so you’ll be able to dictate chats to contacts, and view your upcoming calendar through a “Next Meetings” function. Copilot is coming to cars Microsoft and Mercedes are also working together to bring Copilot to vehicles, though the two aren’t saying when. “Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft are also working together to integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot into the latest vehicles,” both companies said. “This will be one of the world’s first application of its kind in a car and will help users prepare for upcoming meetings with the aid of advanced AI. Using voice prompts, drivers can summarize emails, retrieve or query client preferences and details, and manage daily tasks without distraction. Microsoft 365 Copilot has the potential to transform the vehicle into a third workspace, complementing the office and the home office.” Microsoft has previously struggled to bring its services into the car, with Microsoft Sync powering the early versions of the Ford Sync entertainment and communications system. Since then Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay have provided alternatives to Ford’s own entertainment systems. The 2025 CLA starts at $45,550 and goes up to $54,350, according to Car and Driver. To enable the new MBUX features, you’ll need an Active Entertainment Package Plus subscription, which apparently varies by region and location. Read...

Maintaining a perfect lawn takes a lot of work and care, but that doesn’t mean it also has to take a lot of your time. Aiper’s IrriSense is the ideal solution for those who want to maintain a green and luscious, well-watered lawn, without spending hours with a hose in their hand. There are other solutions for taking the manual work out of garden irrigation, but this system from Aiper doesn’t demand a fiddly installation that involves digging up half your garden. In fact, within a single unit, IrriSense is able to replace an entire system of rotor sprinklers, electrical valves, and irrigation controllers. Customizable watering zones A single one of these Aiper devices can cover up to 4800 square feet, an area that would otherwise require dozens of sprinklers and endless hose lines running below the soil. Just one IrriSense will handle the whole yard, spraying out water with up to 39-foot range with the correct water pressure and flow rate. It’s able to efficiently adapt to any lawn shape, and you can easily customize the watering zones through the mobile app. IrriSense uses a technology called Adaptive ReSpray to shorten and lengthen spray distances to let it reach all areas of the garden. So, if your lawn is narrower on one side, it won’t water your fence, your walkway, or even your lawn chairs. Water smarter with Irrisense Simulating natural rainfall to protect your plants Aiper’s own EvenRain technology is a highlight of the IrriSense. When you’re in a rush to get the watering done, it can be tempting to turn up the water pressure – potentially leading to over-watering and damage to your plants. EvenRain simulates the water pressure of natural rainfall, delivering even coverage across the entire lawn. This gentler water stream is much easier on your plants, and could be the difference between life and death for any tiny seedlings or loose soil that couldn’t withstand a full-on blast from the hose. Speedy 15-minute installation Aiper Aside from the convenience of an automated watering system, one of the most appealing things about the Aiper IrriSense is its simple installation: this smart watering system can be set up in around 15 minutes. You install one locator, fix it with four ground stakes, add the device, get the hose, plug it in, and you’re done. The IrriSense works with 5/8? and 3/4? garden hoses, so you won’t need any fancy equipment to get it working. It’s also super-light, weighing just 10.58 lbs, making it easy to relocate if needed. Water smarter with Irrisense Mobile or manual operation for ultimate convenience The accompanying app brings a slew of benefits too, enabling you to easily set a watering schedule based on the weather forecast, and you can make manual adjustments at any time. Should it rain for more than five minutes continuously, an on-device rain sensor sends a message to cancel the day’s irrigation plans, so you won’t needlessly waste water. The IrriSense was built to last, with UV-resistant materials and copper hose fittings that resist corrosion. It also features a filter to prevent pipe clogging and water source contamination, can automatically shut off water, and even has a winter drainage mode so you don’t have to worry about it freezing up or breaking down during the cold season. Get a smarter watering system today Stop wasting time, water and money and get the IrriSense for your yard – delivering just the right amount of water at just the right pressure, IrriSense will help you maintain a healthy lawn with minimal effort. The IrriSense system usually costs $699.99 – less than you’d pay to install a full irrigation system, and without the need to dig up the yard – but until July 31 PCWorld readers can unlock a 10% discount with the code PCWORLD10OFF. Save 10% on Aiper IrriSense with exclusive voucher code Use code PCWORLD10OFF Read...

Human beings have a hard time dealing with numbers that get really big. The speed of light, the number of atoms in apparently small amounts of matter, the energy being burned every time you ask ChatGPT how many days there are in July. It doesn’t really fit into our meat brains. Take, for example, Seagate’s latest industrial hard drive, which holds 30 terabytes of data. Oof. The new Exos M and IronWolf Pro are the most dense drives single I’ve ever seen in the standard form factor, narrowly beating out existing 28TB models by leveraging Seagate’s innovative Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technology. But these hard drives aren’t really designed for regular PC users — they’re being made for the data center market, as demand for scalable storage spikes in the AI industry. That said, there’s nothing stopping you from just rolling up to Seagate’s digital storefront and putting your money down. The new drives, in the standard 3.5-inch form factor, cost $600. (Editorial note: It’s entirely possible that 30TB drives have been available before in the 3.5-inch form factor, and I know NAS systems with more than that spread over multiple drives are a thing. This is the first time I’m seeing it with a regular link to buy, as far as I’m aware.) Again, it’s hard for me to imagine what I’d do with that much storage. My first desktop PC that I didn’t have to share with my sister had a 40GB drive, and my parents thought that was beyond the dreams of avarice. I have hundreds and hundreds of games in my Steam account, some of which teeter beyond the 100GB mark, and I still don’t think I could fill up a 30TB hard drive with all of them. In college a friend of mine who definitely, absolutely was not me, allegedly, once shared a little over 2TB of video files on the local campus network, and that was the top score in a student population of over 40,000. But these things aren’t meant for individual users, unless those individual users are hosting some rather impressive websites from a home server or doing some other exotic stuff. These drives are meant to be bought dozens or hundreds at a time, and installed in data centers that cost billions of dollars to set up. I haven’t seen a new laptop with a spinning hard drive in years, and even desktop users with space to spare are now transitioning to full solid state storage more often than not. Still, I can’t deny that there’s something tempting about buying one and seeing if I could fill it up. I wonder how many hi-res Skyrim textures it would take… Further reading: The best SSDs for any budget Read...

Copilot Vision’s vision is improving. Microsoft said Monday that it’s beginning to allow Copilot Vision to “see” your desktop, as well as specific applications. Microsoft calls this “Desktop Share,” and it’s a part of a new Copilot app update, version 1.25071.125. Microsoft introduced Copilot Vision in April with the ability to see a single app; when Copilot Vision formally debuted, it could see two. Now, it can see your entire desktop in one fell swoop. I’m not sure what the difference is, to be honest. Presumably, Copilot Vision was limited to one or two apps before. Now, I suppose, you can have several applications open on your desktop, and Copilot Vision can now see and understand all of them at once. Or maybe it can give advice toward tidying up a Windows desktop with a couple dozen app icons scattered about? In any event, Desktop Share for Copilot Vision is now complemented by a Microsoft test of turning on Vision from an existing Voice conversation. If you’re already orally chatting with Copilot, you can now flip on Copilot Vision by clicking the “glasses” icon in the conversation. I wasn’t too impressed when I tried Copilot Vision earlier this year. when I tried out Copilot Vision earlier this year, but I’d expect the technology to improve. It needs to better understand what it sees, not just see more. Read...