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RAM Prices Poised to Stay Sky-High Through 2028, AI Demand Surges
12 days ago•Source: Kotaku
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13.61 min•15 days ago
E-Waste to Gamer Rig: The BC250 Budget Steam Machine
An enthusiast repurposes a discarded ASRock BC250 board—an RDNA2-based, crypto-mining unit resembling a neutered PS5—into a budget, Steam Machine–style PC by flashing a new BIOS, reworking cooling, and running Linux; with community tweaks to unlock up to 40 compute units, it achieves roughly GTX 1060 Ti–level performance at 1080p, illustrating open-hardware ingenuity despite setup complexity and higher power use compared with Valve’s Steam Machine.
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Microsoft adds 8GB RAM Surface Pro 12 and Laptop 13 to curb price hikes
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Xbox Handheld badge on game pages sparks handheld speculation
Microsoft started displaying an 'Xbox Handheld' badge on major game pages (including Gears of War: E‑Day and Halo: Campaign Evolved) to clarify which platforms a game supports, a move many see as a nod to Microsoft's handheld ambitions (like the Xbox Ally family) and possibly a future dedicated device; while it provides clearer placement for portable play, it's unclear if this signals a real product or a branding/UI update, and the piece muses about hardware costs and market readiness.
MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus Lands at $1,800, Reshaping the Handheld PC Market
MSI revealed the Claw 8 EX AI Plus PC gaming handheld at $1,800, packing an Intel Arc G3 Extreme, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. With memory and storage costs rising, MSI hints at potential further price hikes, signaling a tough year for both makers and gamers as the device aims to compete with higher-priced handhelds like Steam Deck equivalents.
M-VAVE FM-1: Budget DX-7‑style FM Desktop Synth with Built-in FX
M-VAVE’s FM-1 is a budget-friendly, battery-powered desktop DX-7‑style polyphonic FM synth with six operators, 32 classic algorithms, six tweakable built‑in effects, a 7‑mode arpeggiator and 16‑step sequencer, plus USB‑C power/MIDI, Bluetooth MIDI, and 3.5mm TRS MIDI in. It can import DX‑7 SYSEX banks, is class‑compliant with macOS/Windows/iOS/Android, and is expected to arrive soon with price TBA.
Microsoft and NVIDIA tease a PC revolution around the N1X rumors
Microsoft and NVIDIA dropped teasers hinting at a “new era of PC” ahead of Computex/Build 2026, fueling talk that NVIDIA’s rumored N1X ARM-based processor paired with RTX graphics could shake up PC architecture and challenge x86 dominance, with clues pointing to Taipei’s Computex venue and a June keynote.
Windows budget laptops edge closer to MacBook Neo with double RAM and storage
Honor’s Notebook X14 2026, ASUS Fearless 14SE 2026, and HP OmniBook (powered by Intel Core i5-320 Wildcat Lake) are listed at roughly MacBook Neo pricing while delivering 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, double the base Neo specs; benchmarks show solid multi‑core performance, underscoring budget Windows laptops as viable alternatives in 2026.
Xbox Ally expands Default Game Profiles with two dozen new titles to boost performance and battery life
Xbox is expanding Default Game Profiles for the Xbox Ally and Ally X, adding over two dozen titles that apply per-game tweaks (power use, TDP, and frame-rate targets) to improve performance and extend battery life when games run through the Xbox app; notable additions include Forza Horizon 6 and Halo: Spartan Assault, though not all games support both devices yet (e.g., Invincible VS and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II), and the feature remains limited to Xbox app titles on handhelds with more titles expected to follow.
Surface Laptop 13 Price Hike Dampens Appeal Versus MacBook Neo
Windows Central pits the Surface Laptop 13-inch against the MacBook Neo after Microsoft's price hike: Surface offers longer battery life, 16GB RAM, and more ports, but starts at $1,149, making it a tougher sell next to the significantly cheaper Neo, which has a higher-resolution, brighter display and stronger single-core CPU/GPU but 8GB RAM in base configuration and fewer ports. For OS-agnostic or budget buyers, Neo is the clearer value, while Windows enthusiasts may still prefer Surface for its features despite the price.
Microsoft plans OLED Surface upgrades with a two‑stage Intel-first rollout
Microsoft is refreshing the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop this year with a two‑stage launch: Intel Core Ultra 3-powered models arriving in spring, followed by Snapdragon X2 variants in summer. The lineup will include OLED displays on higher‑end configurations, higher‑resolution panels, and upgraded haptics tied to Windows 11, while keeping the familiar design. RAM/storage options are expected to start at 16GB/256GB and go up to 64GB/2TB, with pricing rising and no entry‑level $599 model planned.
Microsoft shutters Surface Hub line, ending 50-inch and 85-inch collaboration displays
Microsoft has ended production on the Surface Hub 3 and scrapped any plans for a Surface Hub 4, effectively closing the Surface Hub line of large collaboration displays. The 50-inch and 85-inch Hub 3 models remain available while stock lasts, with starting prices around $8,000 and $20,000 respectively. The devices featured a modular design with separate display and compute cartridges and offered portrait/landscape orientation, but Microsoft will only provide OS and firmware updates through the end of 2030. Going forward, Microsoft is focusing the Surface portfolio on Pro and Laptop devices, marking a shift away from these experimental, bulky collaboration displays.
Surface price surge: RAM crunch pushes Microsoft’s PCs into the $1k-plus club
Microsoft has raised prices across its Surface PC lineup due to RAM and component cost pressures, pushing midrange devices above $1,000 and flagships into the $1,499–$1,599 range. The Surface Pro 12-inch now starts at $1,049 (up from $799), the Surface Pro 13-inch at $1,499 (up from $999), the Surface Laptop 13-inch at $1,199 (up from $899), the 13.8-inch Laptop at $1,499 (up from $999), and the 15-inch Laptop at $1,599 (up from $1,299), with a top-end 15-inch model configured with 64GB RAM and 1TB SSD hitting $3,649. The move, tied to RAM supply constraints, is expected to ripple across retailers and likely persist through upcoming Surface refreshes.