Latest from Tom’s Hardware All the latest content from the Tom’s Hardware team
- Microsoft confirms next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will be powered by custom AMD SoC and feature ‘FSR Diamond’ — ‘Xbox Mode’ is also coming to Windows 11
by editors@tomshardware.com (Hassam Nasir) on March 11, 2026 at 10:59 pmThe first official hardware details for Project Helix have been confirmed and Microsoft seems to be heavily leaning toward neural rendering, going as far as to unveil the next-gen FSR “Diamond” stack. Along with the AMD co-developed custom SoC, FSR will enable a significant bump in raytracing performance in the upcoming Xbox.
- How to use Precision Boost Overdrive and Curve Optimizer to improve Ryzen CPU performance
by editors@tomshardware.com (Kunal Khullar) on March 11, 2026 at 9:55 pmUsing Precision Boost Overdrive and Curve Optimizer, you can fine tune your processor’s voltage and power limits to achieve better efficiency and sustained boost speeds.
- US RAM crisis hits boiling point as AI mania wipes out all 32GB DDR5 kits under $359 — cheaper kits vanish from shelves within seconds of listing
on March 11, 2026 at 7:13 pmRetailers have started selling 32GB DDR5 memory kits with a starting price of $359.99 in the U.S. market.
- OpenClaw AI agent craze sweeps China as authorities seek to clamp down amid security fears — adoption surges as state-run enterprises are barred from use
on March 11, 2026 at 6:04 pmFollowing rampant and rapid adoption and proliferation of the agentic AI tool OpenClaw, Chinese authorities have warned government-run institutions and companies not to install the tool — and warned everyone about its potential security implications
- Minisforum’s new flagship NAS comes with OpenClaw pre-installed — Strix Halo-powered N5 Max can run a local AI LLM
by editors@tomshardware.com (Aaron Klotz) on March 11, 2026 at 5:42 pmMinisforum has announced it is readying a new NAS that comes with OpenClaw pre-installed. The NAS will be powered by AMD’s flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 to help accelerate AI workloads that users program OpenClaw to execute.
- Valve details new game verification system for upcoming Steam Frame and Steam Machine — 30 FPS at 1080p for Steam Frame Verified, same as Steam Deck
by editors@tomshardware.com (Hassam Nasir) on March 11, 2026 at 4:48 pmThe Steam Machine is on track for launch this year despite component shortages setting Valve back. Hardware aside, the company has just provided a major update on the software side of things with new verified programs for the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, and they seem to be as straightforward as expected.
- Where to buy Apple’s new MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro — grab the most affordable MacBook, along with the latest M5 silicon refreshes, from these top stores
on March 11, 2026 at 4:27 pmApple’s new slate of MacBook laptops has just been released, including the entry-level Neo, powered by the A18 Pro. Here’s where to buy them all.
- Iran threatens Nvidia, Microsoft, other tech companies with strikes over alleged attack on Tehran bank — says that economic centers and banks are now considered legitimate targets
by editors@tomshardware.com (Jowi Morales) on March 11, 2026 at 3:18 pmIranian media just released a list of potential economic targets, including offices and infrastructure of Nvidia, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and more in the Middle East.
- IBM and Lam Research team up on High NA EUV dry resist to push chip scaling past 1nm
on March 11, 2026 at 2:48 pmThe two companies have worked together for more than a decade, with IBM unveiling what it described as the world’s first 2nm node chip in 2021 as part of the partnership.
- Framework raises RAM prices for the third time in three months, SSD costs up — company warns that it’s running out of stock on some Intel processors as well
by editors@tomshardware.com (Jowi Morales) on March 11, 2026 at 2:05 pmFramework increased RAM prices for the third consecutive month, while also announcing that it’s hiking the costs of some of its SSDs.
- Phison CEO says that NAND prices hiked by around 50% overnight, highlighting severe shortage in the industry — warns ‘our current concern is that both money and inventory are insufficient’
by editors@tomshardware.com (Jowi Morales) on March 11, 2026 at 1:05 pmSSD controller manufacturer Phison said that NAND chip prices increased by around 50% overnight, and that it’s increasing its inventory to ensure that it will have sufficient supply as it pivots towards enterprise customers.
- Intel announces Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, claims 15% higher gaming performance and multi-threaded boost — Core Ultra 7 270K and Core Ultra 5 250K come with more cores, faster memory, and a price cut
on March 11, 2026 at 1:00 pmIntel is introducing two new Arrow Lake CPUs under the Core Ultra 200S Plus banner, while slashing prices and adding more E-cores. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus are said to offer 15% better gaming performance than standard Arrow Lake chips at 1080p.
- Grab this speedy 4TB Crucial P310 SSD, the cheapest on sale right now, for just £299.99 — nearly £90 price drop is as good as it gets for high-capacity PC storage as the AI crunch continues to bite
on March 11, 2026 at 12:29 pmAnother big sale day means you can grab a 4TB Crucial P310 2280 NVMe SSD with PCIe 4.0 speeds for just £299.99, nearly £90 less than it cost a few weeks ago, and pushing back a little against the AI price hikes.
- HyperX Origins 2 65 Review: 8,000Hz and Customizable
by mylesgoldman@icloud.com (Myles Goldman) on March 11, 2026 at 12:00 pmThe HyperX Origins 2 65 is a solid 65% mechanical keyboard that does an OK job at trying to implement the o-ring mount style.
- Acer’s Nitro V16 AI gaming laptop is now only £1199.99 — 32GB of RAM and an RTX 5070 GPU are standout specs of this great value gaming machine
on March 11, 2026 at 11:58 amSnap up this Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop for £1199.99 during Amazon’s Spring Day Deals sales week.
- Asus chief says Macbook Neo’s affordable pricing came as a shock to the entire PC market — compares $599 notebook to a tablet and content-consumption device
by editors@tomshardware.com (Jowi Morales) on March 11, 2026 at 11:57 amAsus co-CEO S.Y. Hsu said that the MacBook Neo shook the entire PC market, but also said that it’s mostly designed for content consumption because of its limited specifications.
- Get 32GB of Kingston DDR5 for $261 when bundled with the new 9850X3D and an X870 motherboard — get AMD’s fastest gaming chip and the core of an AM5 build for less than $1,100
by stephen.warwick@futurenet.com (Stephen Warwick) on March 11, 2026 at 11:54 amGet an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, Asus ROG Strix X870E-H, and 32GB of Kingston Fury Beast RAM for $1,099 at Newegg.
- Intel’s Heracles chip computes fully-encrypted data without decrypting it — chip is 1,074 to 5,547 times faster than a 24-core Intel Xeon in FHE math operations
by ashilov@gmail.com (Anton Shilov) on March 11, 2026 at 11:48 amIntel has revealed an 8192-way SIMD compute engine for fully homomorphic encryption math called Heracles. By operating directly on encrypted data, it has the potential to eliminate entire classes of attacks under some workloads.
- Hisense TVs force owners to watch intrusive ads when switching inputs, visiting the home screen, or even changing channels — practice infuriates consumers, brand denies wrongdoing
on March 11, 2026 at 11:02 amHiSense is forcing some owners of its smart TVs to watch ads when switching channels or inputs or going to the home screen.
- Crafty AI tool caught repurposing its training GPUs for unauthorized crypto mining during testing — experimental agent breached safety, controllability, and trustworthiness barriers
on March 11, 2026 at 11:00 amAn experimental AI agent called ROME was caught indulging in unauthorized cryptocurrency mining.
- Ambitious semiconductor enthusiast builds DIY ‘class 100 cleanroom’ in his garden shed — contains a plasma etcher, vacuum furnace, and even custom software-driven lithography machine
on March 11, 2026 at 10:50 amA TechTuber called Dr. Semiconductor has successfully created a ‘Class 100 cleanroom’ (ISO 5) in his garden shed.
- Cancelled Blu-Ray recorder production leads to flood of orders for Panasonic after rivals exit market — last supplier standing apologizes for delays as firm inundated with orders
on March 11, 2026 at 10:20 amPanasonic is struggling to keep up with orders for its flagship Blu-ray recorder system in Japan.
- Human brain cells set to power two new data centers, thanks to ‘body-in-the-box’ CL1 — Cortical Labs targets the AI energy crisis with biological computer that reportedly uses less energy than a calculator
on March 11, 2026 at 10:00 amAustralian biotech company Cortical Labs has partnered with data center firm DayOne to establish two new data centers using its CL1 biological computers.
- Rumored RTX 5050 9GB GDDR7 could make hay from recycled RTX 5060 silicon — refreshed entry-level Blackwell card might finally have enough VRAM for DLSS and MFG in demanding games
on March 11, 2026 at 10:00 amTrusted hardware leaker kopite7kimi has released fresh rumors regarding Nvidia’s purported GeForce RTX 5050 9GB GDDR7 graphics card.
- Seagate CCO says storage price hikes are ‘the new normal’ — demand enters an unprecedented ‘supercycle’ driven by AI growth
on March 11, 2026 at 9:30 amSeagate CCO Ban-Seng Teh said this week that memory price hikes are “the new normal” for the storage industry, describing current market conditions as a supercycle driven by AI data center demand that shows no sign of following historical patterns of recovery.