The attorneys general of Florida, Iowa, Montana, and Nebraska have sued ubiquitous networking and smart home tech maker TP-Link, alleging its security claims were misleading and it hadn't properly disclosed ties to China. The company has a large presence in US retail and the tech channel, especially in consumer routers, with stats from Circana asserting it had around 36.6 percent US market share by units and 31 percent by dollars in 2024. The complaint [PDF] accuses California-based TP-Link Systems, whose brand originated in Shenzhen, ofâŚ
The Hot Take: I like the carbon pads that don't try out and loose performance.
This review examines the GEEKTC GX-300, a solid graphene thermal pad, using thermal measurements, microscopy, LIBS material analysis, and a long-term test under high power density. The sample, obtained directly from the distributor, is identified as the industrial version HCF-010-03. The results show a strongly pressure-dependent thermal resistance, stable behavior over 134.9 hours, and considerable potential for high-performance graphics cards as well as mechanically demanding CPU and GPU installations. However, no claim is made that itâŚ
By ckasprzak | TkOut | October 10, 2026 | Hardware
The Hot Take: Nice! People seem to be getting the fact you don't own streamed tunes.
In case you didnât get the memo, CD sales are surging, up a whopping 58.6% in the U.S. this year, according to the RIAA. And whether youâre looking to break your old disc collection out of the attic or closet, or youâre considering starting a new CD collection and ditching that algorithmically driven streaming service, there are plenty of options to choose from. Some can offer as good or arguably even better audio quality than a 90s-era Discman or hi-fi player, while others prioritize modern features, like Bluetooth, showcasing your spinningâŚ
The Hot Take: Microsoft going all in on Nvidia it seems. Xbox next?
Software King of the World Microsoft has confirmed that Nvidiaâs RTX Spark platform will be featured at its 7 October Windows event, with new hardware announcements expected.
The event, taking place in San Francisco, will include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Vole says the event will feature âRTX Spark and new experiences designed to unlock more possibilities for developers and builders.â
Nvidia has shared a fresh teaser ahead of the event, suggesting that the twoâŚ
Intel's Nova Lake Desktop CPU lineup has leaked, revealing the specs of seven SKUs including the fastest Core Ultra 9 model. Intel Nova Lake "Core Ultra Series 4" Desktop CPUs Leak, Core Ultra 9 4970K Gears Up For LGA 1954 Platforms With 28 Cores & BLLC There have been a spate of leaks surrounding the Intel Nova Lake Desktop CPU family. We have covered many die and SKU configurations in the past, but the latest leak covers the exact details of specific SKUs with their official part identifier name. The leak comes from LC Tech Leaks, whichâŚ
The Hot Take: E/P-Core CPUs getting more optimizations from Intel. We'll have to see how AMD does when they start dropping Zen with a similar setup.
Earlier this year Intel announced the "Optimization Zone" as their new initiative to provide a centralized place to collect all their resources for maximizing performance and software tuning on Intel hardware platforms. They've continued building out more resources for the Intel Optimization Zone and yesterday released v1.2 with more tuning guides and best practices for optimal performance on Intel hardware...
By ckasprzak | TkOut | October 1, 2026 | AMD, GPU, Hardware
The Hot Take: If true, definitely an opportunity for AMD to take the performance crown for a time.
With GPUs and memory chips in incredibly high demand, 2027 is shaping up to be one of the more unusual graphics card release cycles. NVIDIA has been dominating the segment for years, but if recent rumors suggesting that the RTX 60 series is delayed until 2028 turn out to be true, AMD could find itself in a unique position to lure users toward its upcoming cards.
By ckasprzak | TkOut | October 1, 2026 | CPU, Hardware
The Hot Take: ARM/RISC-V/x86 hybrids coming?
When Nuvacore, a new CPU startup founded by legendary CPU and system architects Gerard Williams, John Bruno, and Ram Srinivasan, emerged from stealth earlier this year, it promised to "rewrite the rules of silicon," but did not say how it planned to do so. On Thursday, the company finally broke its silence and revealed that it is taking an unusual development approach that allows it to design a significant portion of its CPU core IP before committing to a particular instruction set architecture (ISA). Traditionally, CPU developers startâŚ
It's been a while since any new Spectre vulnerabilities have come to light but that's changing today. The embargo has now lifted on BTR, Branch Target Reuse as a new Spectre-V2 attack affecting just-in-time (JIT) compilers...
By ckasprzak | TkOut | October 1, 2026 | Hardware, Memory
The Hot Take: GOOD.
A user-reported G. Skill warranty case has highlighted the extreme change in DDR5 pricing while also demonstrating the practical value of a lifetime memory warranty.