It's an outstanding value-for-money AI laptop that any serious or casual laptop user will enjoy for its high-performing specs for productive workflows or simple web browsing.

Why buy the ASUS Zenbook A14 for Christmas?

The ASUS Zenbook A14 is packed from its inner circuits to its clamshell casing with substantial features that make it one of the best Windows laptops we've ever covered on this site.

This laptop has a refined, ultra-light, minimalist design made with a custom "Ceraluminum" coating that reduces its weight for easy carrying while making it scratch-resistant to preserve its stylish appearance.

On the performance front, the ASUS Zenbook A14 is outfitted with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus processor (8-core) and the Windows on ARM OS. With these, the laptop will boot up, log you in, run web browsers, and launch compatible native ARM64 apps as quickly and easily as a man breathes.

Not to mention, this Copilot+ PC is equipped with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) with 45 TOPS, allowing it to run AI-empowered tasks like researching facts from the internet and editing images in seconds with little load unless put under extremely heavy workloads.

With specs like these, plus a 14-inch OLED display (1,920 x 1,200 FHD+ resolution) with 400 nits max brightness and 60Hz refresh rates, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage space, and much more, it's a laptop worth every penny, especially now that it's $959.00 MSRP has been cut down to $799.00 at Amazon for Christmas.

Alternative discounted configurations

If Amazon's discount offering for the ASUS Zenbook A14 (with the 1TB SSD) expires or it runs out of stock, here are discounts for alternative configurations being sold elsewhere as backup options:

• $999.99 at Best Buy (was $1,199.99) (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
• $749.99 at Walmart (was $799.99) (16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

FAQs

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

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It's a thirsty beast, for both water and power. It's at least partly to blame for the massive number of layoffs that occurred in 2025. It gives wrong answers, it hallucinates, and I think it just told someone to jump off a building. AI is not a great party guest.

As another unintended consequence of the age of AI, one of my favorite hobbies is being laid to rest, at least for the time being. I'm talking about PC building, of course, which is in the process of being destroyed by the ongoing DRAM and NAND shortage caused by the buildout of AI datacenters around the world.

DDR5 RAM prices have reached unprecedented heights, and storage isn't far behind. This is affecting all tech that uses storage and memory (which is most of it), but it's also causing unintended price spikes elsewhere. For example, AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D gaming CPU is now selling for more than a new Ryzen 7 9800X3D, solely because the older chip supports DDR4 RAM (which hasn't seen the same intense squeeze ... yet).

Laptops and pre-built PCs are also affected, and most of the major brands have signalled that they have already or will soon raise prices. Considering DDR5 RAM costs are approaching the price that you'd have paid for a great Windows laptop at the start of 2025, a lot of users are going to be left behind once the price hikes are fully realized.

The worst part? There's not really an end in sight. AI firms have bought up years' worth of DRAM and NAND from manufacturers, and those manufacturers are happy to sell to the highest bidders. That leaves only the scraps for the rest of us.

Time for a conspiracy theory — In 10 years, local PCs will no longer exist

I love entertaining conspiracy theories — at least those that aren't entirely out of the realm of reality — and I've lately seen some suggest that the skyrocketing price of tech is all part of a manufactured future where we no longer have PCs for local computing.

I'm not sure if I agree, and you should definitely consider it with a heavy dose of skepticism like me. Still, it's an interesting idea, and it goes something like this:

AI is causing extreme shortages of the fundamental hardware that goes into our laptops, tablets, PCs, phones, graphics cards, TVs, etc. We've only just begun this cycle, and it's expected to get a lot worse before it gets better (if it ever does).

We could ultimately arrive at a time when buying a PC is no longer an option for most people. We won't just stop computing when that happens, which will lead to a newfound rise of cloud computing, where your favorite OS is only accessible with a ... you guessed it ... paid subscription.

Cloud-based devices don't need as much performance hardware inside, keeping costs down for end consumers. Corporations will rope us in with low subscription prices for the cloud, and once we're all hooked, they'll start jacking up the cost.

Big corporations LOVE subscription models. Small monthly payments add up, and the consumer feels like they're getting a better deal when they don't have to drop a lump sum. I honestly don't know the exact number of subscriptions leeching my bank account every month. Why not add one more?

Beyond the economic aspect, a world relying entirely on cloud computing is a privacy and agency nightmare. This year, there were several high-profile internet outages that blacked out a large portion of the web for hours at a time. Try cloud computing without an internet connection.

And if you thought that Microsoft, for example, was already taking too much interest in what you do on your PC, just wait until everything — and I mean everything — is hosted on its cloud servers. Was that an audible gulp from the surveillance state canaries at the back of the room?

What happens if the AI bubble pops before this theory has time to come true?

Plenty of experts believe there's an AI bubble that's already inflated to the point that it's bound to pop. The countless billions of dollars being poured into the business need to be paid back at some point, and so far, there's not really a solid answer as to how that will be accomplished.

Should the AI bubble pop, tech firms will be left with expensive and powerful data centers sitting idle. Wouldn't they be perfect to host all the new cloud users who can't afford a real PC? Wouldn't that help pay back the massive debts accrued during the AI race?

But wait, wouldn't tech prices return to normal if AI's demand suddenly dried up? Not necessarily, and that's ignoring the likely economic depression that would ensue. Micron, one of the biggest memory and storage suppliers in the world, already pulled its consumer Crucial products to focus on supplying AI. It might not be the last.

How long would it take for markets to return to normal? Wouldn't it be easier to put those idle datacenters back to work, this time for good ol' computing — something people actually need? As with any good conspiracy theory, the deeper you dig, the more questions it raises.

I want to know your thoughts on what the future of computing will look like if the AI-fuelled hardware catastrophe doesn't stop. What's your best argument for or against this theory? Sound off in the comments section below!

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Why would I want to turn off CPU Boost on my handheld?

When CPU Boost is active, the CPU draws more power. That reduces the amount of power available to the GPU, which is far more important for gaming in some instances. Most modern games are GPU-dependent rather than CPU-dependent, especially at common handheld resolutions like 720p and 1080p.

CPU Boost can also negatively affect efficiency. The increased power draw leads to faster battery drain and causes temperatures to rise more quickly, which can contribute to thermal throttling during longer gaming sessions.

How to disable CPU Boost

Disabling CPU Boost is extremely straightforward and very easy to do, just follow the images above or if you'd prefer follow this guide below:

1. Open Armoury Crate SE either using the Armory Crate button or typing it in search.
2. Once in Armoury Crate SE, navigate to the Settings menu.
3. Within the Settings menu, select Performance.
4. Within the Performance menu, choose the Eco Assist option.
5. Turn off CPU Boost on the right-hand side.

When disabling CPU Boost makes sense

Hopefully, this has helped improve performance on your device. As with most tweaks like this, results can vary on a case-by-case basis.

This change is most likely to help in GPU-heavy games such as Black Myth: Wukong, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and similar titles, where smoother performance and better efficiency matter most.

Your experience may vary but re-enabling CPU Boost can be done by:

• Launch Armoury Crate SE using the dedicated Armory Crate button or by searching for it in Windows.
• From the main interface, open the Settings section.
• Select Performance from the available options.
• Open the Eco Assist menu within Performance.
• Toggle CPU Boost on from the right-hand side.

Disabling CPU boost won’t magically transform every game, but for titles that struggle with thermal limits or inconsistent frame pacing, it can be one of the easiest ways to get a more stable experience on the Ally.

The best part is that you can toggle it on or off whenever you need, letting you choose between raw speed and smoother, cooler gameplay.

As handheld gaming PCs continue to blur the line between portability and power, small optimizations like this can make a big difference in how your games actually feel in the moment.

If you use an Xbox Ally or ROG Ally, it is worth trying this setting for yourself. Results can vary depending on the games you play and your power profile, so let us know how CPU Boost behaves on your handheld by voting in the poll below.

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It's a modest console with reliable performance, a crisp display, ergonomic grips, and an affordable price tag that's become even cheaper as its $599.99 MSRP has been slashed down to $489.99 at Amazon.

Why buy the Xbox Ally?

While I personally prefer using the Steam Deck for playing games locally, I can't deny that the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally gives it some healthy competition, especially when it comes to cloud gaming.

It features ergonomic grips inspired by the Xbox Wireless Controller's grips, which are very comfy to hold.

It also has an efficient cooling system with silent fans to prevent distracting noise, responsive controls, and a 7-inch IPS display capable of rendering images with 1080p resolution, accurate colors, and up to a 120Hz Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support.

The Xbox Ally also has an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor to enhance its performance so it can run indie and graphically modest AA games, or stream games via Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce NOW smoothly with ease, with little noticeable latency.

However, the Xbox Ally will struggle to run graphically demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 above low settings.

Its other considerations include a storage size of 512GB, no HYPR-RX or AI enhancements (which are included in the Xbox Ally X), and somewhat shorter battery life for gaming (2 hours for demanding games and 7 hours for indie/lower-end titles).

However, you can upgrade its storage issues by picking up the best microSD cards for Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X to fix this handheld's limited capacity to store games.

If you can put aside some gripes, the Xbox Ally is a great Windows 11 handheld for cloud gaming, especially now that it's on sale for $489.99 at Amazon.

Alternative Discount

If Amazon's stock runs or its deal expires, there is a similar discount for the Xbox Ally for $489.99 at Best Buy, which you can use as a backup option.

FAQs

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

One such bargain is for Microsoft's Surface Laptop 7, one of the best laptops we've covered, which is currently on sale for $1,469.99 at Amazon.

Why is this 2024 laptop worth it in 2025 and beyond?

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 is one of the best Windows-on-ARM laptops we've ever seen and one of the finest Copilot+ PCs available. Our Senior Editor and Windows laptop expert, Zac Bowden, loved it so much that he labelled it better than the MacBook Air when he gave the Surface Laptop a perfect 5/5 review score.

This configuration of the Surface Laptop 7 that's on sale features a thin, minimalist design fit for portable travel, a 15-inch touchscreen display capable of rendering images with smooth 120Hz refresh rates, and 66Whr of battery life to get you through the day.

Additionally, this laptop includes performance-enhancing hardware to improve workflow production, like Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of 45 TOPS to help it perform local AI tasks more efficiently.

While its specs are not suitable for playing AAA PC games, they're absolutely perfect for workplace environments or casual browsing, as they make multitasking with Microsoft Office apps and researching information on the internet a breeze.

The only major problem with this laptop, aside from no anti-reflective coatings for its screen or presence detection features, is its relatively steep MSRP of $2,099.99.

Thankfully, this price point has become more affordable for a limited time as it's now $1,469.99 at Amazon, giving PC users a chance to buy it for Christmas and use it tackle new office challenges awaiting them in 2026 and beyond.

Alternative Discounts

Should Amazon's stock of this laptop configuration run out or its discount expire, here are some alternative discount options from other retailers you can use as backup options:

• $1,599.99 at Best Buy (was $2,099.99)
• $1,499.00 at Walmart (was $2,099.99)

Alternative discounted configuration

If you don't fancy the 15-inch model, the 13.8-inch model with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor, 1TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM, is also on sale for $986.14 at Amazon.

FAQs

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

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Of course, you can also just buy the laptop for almost $200 off, regardless of the calendar or any upcoming events. Right now, the Surface Laptop 7 is $699.99. Quite frankly, that's a ludicrous price for a Surface Laptop 7 with a Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.

Update 10 AM ET December 21: As we expected, this deal was a one-day only for "Super Saturday," before Christmas. As such, the price has reverted back to a still-decent $901.60, but still far from the $699 we saw yesterday. - Daniel Rubino, Editor-in-Chief

Get a Surface Laptop 7 before Christmas

The discounted price on the Surface Laptop 7 only went live today, December 20. It was $926 before that. Its price now matches the best-ever deal on this specific Surface Laptop 7 (there's a chance a model of a different color has sold for less, but I haven't seen it).

Right below the current price, you'll see a note from Amazon that says, "Arrives before Christmas" (assuming you've found the deal in time).

That section will detail the delivery date depending on what you choose. For example, if my brother in the United States ordered a Surface Laptop 7, it would arrive this afternoon or the next day. Delivery times will vary based on your area and whether you have Amazon Prime.

I don't recommend buying something because a deal ending or a deadline makes you feel anxious. But if you already know you want a Surface Laptop 7 and have a budget set aside for it, don't leave the PC in your cart or wish list. Order it in time for it to be delivered when you'd like.

Need more? The 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 with a whopping 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD is also 30% off, bringing it down to a much more affordable price.

Why get a Surface Laptop 7?

We're big fans of the Surface Laptop 7 around here. We've followed the lineup from it being announced on stage to Microsoft revamping the design of its flagship laptop. The latest iteration earned 5/5 stars in our Surface Laptop 7 review.

The Surface Laptop 7 is known as the "MacBook Air Killer," "the clamshell form factor perfected," and the best Windows on ARM laptop. Much of that praise is thanks to the design of the PC.

The Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Laptop 6 looked dated at launch and sported the same general design as the first Surface Laptop. Things changed with the Surface Laptop 7.

The Surface Laptop 7 has thinner bezels, rounded display corners, and a large haptic trackpad. In some ways, Microsoft caught up to the industry with the Surface Laptop 7. In other ways, it passed the competition.

Physically, the Surface Laptop 7 is most like the MacBook Air. It also competes with Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7x, ASUS VivoBook S 15, and Dell XPS 14.

The Surface Laptop 7 blends together a modern design, an attractive 120Hz display, a haptic touchpad, and AI features to create an excellent experience.

If you love the design and feature set of the Surface Laptop 7 but use it for everyday computing, you should avoid overpaying for a model that's overkill.

Electing to have more RAM and storage in a laptop is one of the quickest ways to drive up the cost of that PC. If you only use your laptop for general productivity and streaming media, you may not need extra RAM or storage.

This Surface Laptop 7 still runs on the snappy and efficient Snapdragon X Elite. Its 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage are plenty for everyday computing. If you use a cloud service like OneDrive, Dropbox, or iCloud, you likely won't feel the squeeze of a 256GB SSD.

Alternative discounted configurations

While 256GB is enough storage for some users, you may need more storage if you handle large files or a lot of files. Luckily, there are some other Surface Laptop 7 models on sale, including one with 1TB of storage:

• Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $968.42 at Amazon (was $1,699.99).
• Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD — $1,599 at Walmart (was $2,099.99).

FAQ

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Other regions may follow, but that has not been confirmed, and Valve has yet to officially comment on the phasing out of the LCD model.

The Steam Deck LCD has been Valve’s most affordable handheld to date. If I’m allowed to speculate, rising RAM and storage prices could be part of what is making the LCD model harder to justify in the current market.

Typically priced at $399, the Steam Deck LCD has been one of the most affordable handheld PCs, especially for what it can do. That was even more true over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when it was discounted by 20%, which could suggest Valve was keen to get rid of remaining stock.

Good bye, Steam Deck LCD — You were an amazing handheld

I’ve actually recently purchased a Steam Deck OLED for my sister for Christmas, but it is still sad to see the LCD variant being phased out. It could be down to rising component costs, but Valve has not confirmed a reason.

When visiting the Steam Deck storepage, users are given a disclaimer stating:

The original Steam Deck began shipping in February 2022, and it helped push PC handhelds into the mainstream, long before the ROG Ally, Xbox Ally, and Legion Go handhelds came to the market.

If the Steam Deck LCD continues to disappear from shelves, the OLED effectively becomes the default option for new buyers. On Valve’s own comparison page, the Steam Deck OLED starts at $549, which is a tougher ask than the Steam Deck LCD's $399 entry point for a lot of people.

If you have been waiting for a Steam Deck LCD, this may be your last chance to grab one at its best price, before availability tightens and resellers move in. Scalpers always seem to show up at the worst time

I'm certain the Steam Deck LCD will end up being remembered fondly. Still, this does set an awkward precedent for future Valve hardware that people hoped would hit a “console-like” price point.

If component pricing stays high, it becomes harder to imagine any so-called Steam Machine-style device landing as a genuinely affordable box, especially as Xbox has confirmed its next console will be a high-end premium device.

It is a bit of a shame to see the Steam Deck LCD quietly disappear, especially as it played such a big role in making PC handhelds feel accessible in the first place.

What do you think about Valve ending Steam Deck LCD production? Do you think it's a good idea for Valve to only sell the OLED option going forward? Tell us about it in the comments.

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The sad truth is that many games don't run all that well on certain handheld gaming PCs, but you don't always know that until you've already bought the game.

So, for all of you other handheld owners (or soon-to-be handheld owners), I decided to make a list of the games I enjoyed playing most this year on my portable gaming devices. If any games catch your eye, make sure to wishlist them so you can eventually play on your own handheld.

😉 Pssst — It turns out many of these games are on sale right now, so they could make for ideal Christmas gifts.

Every title listed below plays well on Xbox Ally X, ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme), Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme), Legion Go, and Legion Go 2, but some might have issues on Steam Deck and Xbox Ally. To help, I've indicated whether each game is Steam Deck verified or not.

Little Kitty, Big City

I technically first played this game last year, but my niece discovered that I owned it a few months ago, and every time she's come over since, she's wanted to play it on my Xbox Ally X.

I'm not surprised she was drawn to it, since it allows you to wander the streets while playing as a cat and doing cute and mischievous cat things.

The last time my niece was here, we literally spent hours tripping people and stealing their phones, sandwiches, and other items. It's a super fun, laid-back adventure, and it plays beautifully on handhelds. It's Steam Deck verified, too.

Amber Isle

I'm a sucker for cozy games with cute animals, and so of course Amber Isle caught my attention. The game started by letting me design my own perfect little dinosaur character before introducing me to other dinos and teaching me how to craft items.

It's a cute little shopkeeping life sim that easily runs on most handheld gaming PCs. It's marked as Playable for Steam Deck, and I found that it ran well on my Deck, but some of the text was just a bit small.

Kingdom of Night

I'm actually still playing this game right now, but I've put six hours into it already and have been enjoying the ride so far.

Like many of you, I have been eager to see the Stranger Things finale on Netflix, and that's what initially drew me to Kingdom of Night. It's clear to see that it's inspired by Eleven and the gang.

The dark pixel-art aesthetic perfectly emphasizes its 80s focus, where teens in a small town fight off supernatural horrors after discovering that a girl has been taken.

I find the combat engaging, while the story keeps my focus. Now, some parts of the game feel a little cheesy, like the fact that it takes place in the fictional city of Miami, Arizona, but, honestly, that also adds to the charm. It's very well suited to handhelds and is even Steam Deck verified.

PowerWash Simulator

I'm veeeeeeery late to the party on this one, but I finally removed PowerWash Simulator from my backlog this year. Damn, it is so satisfying to spray water at something that is absolutely grimy until it sparkles in squeaky-clean perfection.

I discovered for myself that this is the perfect game to play while watching a show. Honestly, it was hard to put my handhelds down sometimes because of how much this game hooked me. And yes, it is Steam Deck verified.

The Plucky Squire

The Plucky Squire grabbed my attention from the first time I saw a trailer for it. It's an extremely playful game that has you take on the role of a popular children's book character who suddenly acquires the power to break out of his pages and explore the real world that his book exists in.

By interacting with the real world and game elements, I was able to solve a number of clever puzzles, all while uncovering a humorous tale. It plays beautifully on my Steam Deck and is Steam Deck verified, so it should run on most PC gaming handhelds.

My Little Puppy

Grab a box of tissues; this one's a tear-jerker. A friend of mine randomly came across this game and suggested it to me. Since I have a corgi, I basically had to play it.

You take on the role of a little dog who is awaiting their human, "Daddy," in heaven, but after watching several other dogs reunite with their parents, this dog's dad doesn't show up. So, the corgi goes looking for them.

It's a relatively short game filled with mini games and puzzles that I was able to beat within 6 hours. During my playthrough, I smiled, I felt confused, and yes, I cried, but I do recommend it overall.

WARNING: This game surprisingly has some pretty dark moments, so only play if you're up for that sort of thing. And yes, it is Steam Deck verified.

Blue Prince

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started playing Blue Prince on my Xbox Ally X, but I soon found myself obsessed with the roguelike puzzle game.

At the start, you're informed that you're set to inherit your eccentric uncle's vast fortune, but only if you can make it through his shifting maze of a mansion and access Room 46. It isn't nearly as straightforward as it sounds, since you only have a certain number of steps you can use before you're forced to end the day and start again the next, but that's what makes this fun.

This game offers the perfect mix of luck and strategy, since you aren't ever quite sure what rooms you're going to unlock or what items you're going to find. There are clues to various puzzles scattered throughout the massive home, but you'll need to pay attention if you want to put everything together. I recommend keeping a notebook handy, seriously.

It's marked as Playable for Steam Deck, since it runs well, but some text can be hard to read.

Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo

I first happened upon this adventure puzzle game while in Brazil for Gamescom Latam. As you can see, the art style is definitely inspired by the Paper Mario series, but it offers a playful story all its own.

I got to play as a snake who awakens in the afterlife and goes on to assist other souls they encounter. It's a charming little game with relatively simple graphics that are ideal for handhelds, and it's even Steam Deck verified.

Baldur's Gate 3

During the spring, my husband and I finally convinced one of our friends to play 2023's Game of the Year winner with us. We'd both beaten it separately, so this was our first time playing together — my friend and my husband on PC, me on my ROG Ally X.

I had a total blast revisiting this adventure, whether I was waiting to see how my friend responded to the game's biggest reveals or watching scenes unfold that I hadn't seen before after someone made a decision I wouldn't have made on my own. Sometimes it was absolutely chaos, but that just added to the fun.

In terms of handhelds, Baldur's Gate 3 is Steam Deck verified and runs beautifully on my various handheld devices. If you like turn-based fantasy RPGs, you should definitely play Baldur's Gate 3 on your handheld, and if your friends do too, you can party up and play together.

Dave the Diver

When Dave the Diver finally came to Xbox this year, it reminded me that this game has been on my backlog for a while now, so I finally downloaded it and played it on my Xbox Ally X.

It didn't take long for me to get sucked into the gameplay loop, which has me exploring watery depths and hunting fish by day and managing a sushi restaurant by night.

It's an extremely satisfying game, and the surprises kept coming to keep me engaged for several weeks. It's also Steam Deck verified.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of those games that a couple of friends and I dive back into every now and then. It's always a blast, whether we're building the biggest castle we can imagine (complete with a minecart roller coaster) or exploring the world looking for new animals, biomes, and other surprises.

I've played several hours on my Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2, and it runs beautifully. It is not Steam Deck verified (since it isn't on Steam), but it can run well on Valve's handheld if you take the time to install it in desktop mode and make some adjustments.

Immortals Fenyx Rising

I'll admit, I was initially thrown off by this game's terrible name, but don't let that stop you from playing it, especially if you like playful open-world games. I'd previously beaten this game, but I ended up buying its DLC and replaying it this year on my ROG Ally X.

From the moment I first played Immortals Fenyx Rising, it became very clear that this RPG was inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While exploring a colorful world filled with Greek gods, I can ride horses, glide using Icarus' wings, fight monsters, dive into small shrine dungeons, and find ways to increase my stamina, health, and other skills.

The main goal is to save the gods who have been subdued by the mighty Typhon, a Titan who has taken control of the land. In addition to being a fun game to play on handhelds, I also learned more about Greek mythology, thanks to the sarcastic and humorous characters in this story.

This game is marked as Playable on Steam Deck, with Steam noting that players are sometimes required to tap the screen or manually bring up the keyboard to interact with certain menus.

Horizon Zero Dawn

The original Horizon Zero Dawn has been one of my favorite games ever since it released back in 2017. When the game was remastered, I bought a copy of the game and played it again, hopping between my ROG Ally X and Steam Deck.

Story-wise, the premise is that a young woman named Aloy has grown up as an outcast from her local tribe since birth. She stumbles upon an ancient compound made by people who died over 1,000 years ago and finds some ancient tech that tells her about the world around her, including the weak points of huge machines that walk the earth.

She soon sets off on a journey to unravel a mystery and find out what happened to the ancients. Let me tell you, it never gets old stalking powerful machines, setting traps, taking them down with a bow and arrow, and harvesting parts so I can improve my gear.

Another fun thing for me is that the game takes place in the American West, allowing me to virtually explore iconic locations I've been to in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona. This remaster is Steam Deck verified.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

When Expedition 33 first released in April 2025, I played it on my ROG Ally X, and it ran okay, but it sometimes froze and shut down. A few months later, the game got an update that optimized it for handhelds.

I eventually started a new game on my next-gen Xbox Ally X, and the experience was soooo much better. I love being able to sit in my bed while perfectly parrying enemies and diving deeper into this masterpiece of a game.

In case you didn't know, Expedition 33 received a mountain of accolades and praise this year and eventually ended up snagging a very well-deserved Game of the Year win at The Game Awards.

Everything in this game is enjoyable to me, from the unique story and interactive turn-based combat to the somber music and haunting art style. If you haven't played it, I recommend checking it out. It is Steam Deck verified.

BONUS: Xbox Game Pass

As a bonus, I just want to put it out there that I played dozens of games this year on my various handhelds via Xbox Game Pass, including Blue Prince, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and much more.

So, if you'd like access to a huge game library, with many titles that are perfect for handhelds, I recommend subscribing.

Excellent games to play on handheld gaming PCs

Looking back, I've gotten a ton of use out of my handheld gaming PCs this year, playing dozens of titles that range from cute little indie games to more graphically intense adventures developed by huge studios.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that some games run better than others on Xbox Ally X, Steam Deck, and Legion Go 2. While performance can often be increased by changing system settings or a game's specific graphics settings, some games just aren't ideal to play on handhelds.

Do you have a game you love to play on your handheld gaming PC? What do you think is the best handheld? I'd love to hear about it; tell me your thoughts in the comments below.

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Rather than eating the cost or waiting for prices to drop (if they ever do), there's a third alternative. Newegg is still offering some RAM and motherboard bundles in which you can get DDR5 for a much more reasonable price. Don't need a new board? Someone does, and you can be the one who provides it.

G.Skill's Flare X5 32GB DDR5 kit can be had for about $210 when bundled, while Corsair's Vengeance 32GB DDR5 kits can be had for either $150 or about $170 when bundled.

FAQ

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

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There are a lot of Surface Pro deals right now, many of which can save you hundreds of dollars on the PC. But you need to be wary of "record low" or "best price ever" claims.

Sometimes, even if you find a specific model at its best-ever price at one retailer, the same exact model is on sale through a different store for less. With all that in mind, here are a range of discounts on the Surface Pro 11 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a Snapdragon X Elite processor.

As a quick note, you'll see this PC called the Surface Pro 11 or the Surface Pro 11.

Why buy a Surface Pro 11?

Microsoft set the standard for the 2-in-1 form factor with the Surface Pro. Over a decade of refinement resulted in a "design that has been fine-tuned to almost perfection," according to our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino and Senior Editor Zac Bowden.

The Surface Pro 11 has a built-in kickstand for use as a standalone tablet and can be attached to a keyboard for a laptop-like experience. You can even use a Surface Pro Flex Keyboard wirelessly if you're willing to pay a premium.

In our Surface Pro 11 review, the PC earned a perfect score. Rubino concluded that review by saying:

"Having witnessed the evolution of every Surface Pro version and yearning for a device that excels in performance and battery life akin to the best Windows laptops (and even MacBooks), Microsoft has undeniably nailed it with the Surface Pro 11, making it a strong recommendation."

The model highlighted here has a 120Hz OLED display that's bright, beautiful, and is VESA DisplayHDR 600 compatible. That screen also supports Dolby Vision and is color accurate (100% sRGB, 88% AdobeRGB, and 96% DCI-P3).

The Snapdragon X Elite inside this Surface Pro 11 helps deliver long battery life and performance, especially for a PC this thin. A big bonus is that Microsoft does not throttle performance on the Snapdragon X Elite when the Surface Pro 11 is running on battery.

There isn't really a direct competitor to the Surface Pro 11 in my opinion. But the price of the device means it competes with other expenses you have to take care of. The current deals on the Surface Pro 11 help in that regard.

Surface Pro 11 accessories

To get the best Surface Pro 11 experience, you need a keyboard. The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard can be used wirelessly and has a haptic trackpad. It's available with or without a Surface Slim Pen.

Alternative discounted configurations

As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of Surface Pro deals going on right now. Here are some other configurations that are discounted:

• Snapdragon X Elite (12 Cores), 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 13" OLED Touchscreen — $1,549.99 on Amazon (was $2,099.99 on Amazon).
• Snapdragon X Elite, (12 Cores), OLED, 16GB RAM, 256GB — $1,040 at Walmart (was $1,129.99)

Alternative retailers with discounts

Should the Surface Pro 11 with the Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) CPU run out of stock at Amazon, or you prefer shopping at other retailers, here are some alternative back-up discounts to consider:

• $999 at Amazon (Sapphire) (was $1,499.99)
• $1,099.99 at Best Buy (Platinum) (was $1,499.99).

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The company released a short statement on December 16, 2025, explaining its current predicament. The root cause? AI, of course. AI and its unending thirst for DRAM in the massive datacenters that power it.

Here's the G.Skill statement in full, pulled from its official community blog:

If you've been monitoring DDR5 RAM prices lately, you probably already know that G.Skill's RAM has seen some of the most aggressive price increases since the DRAM squeeze began.

Its coveted Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5-6000 RAM, for example, currently runs at $709.99 at Newegg for a 2x32GB kit. In September, it was selling for about $220. That's more than a 200% increase, and I suspect that we're only getting started with the price spikes.

👉 RAM costs are completely bonkers, making it tough to upgrade your PC — Here's how you can work around the price gouging so it doesn't spoil your holiday shopping

As G.Skill points out, the price it pays to source DRAM has "substantially increased," which has led to the company being forced to raise its own prices in response. The same sort of response to the shortage is occurring throughout the tech world, and at the root of the cause is AI.

Dell notably announced that it's hiking commercial PC prices by up to 30%, with the effects going into play on December 17. Samsung just announced that it's doubling its RAM prices, while Micron has stated that it's completely exiting the consumer RAM market to focus on serving the AI buildout.

Valve's upcoming Steam Machine certainly looks like it could be in trouble — the company has yet to reveal a price, and the expected early 2026 launch date is approaching — while NVIDIA reportedly plans to cut GeForce RTX production by up to 40% in 2026.

Although not every company has been as straightforward as G.Skill in terms of laying blame at the feet of AI, it is indeed the industry that's seriously harming our beloved hobby of PC building. The worst part? There's no end in sight.

What do you think of G.Skill's announcement and the general crunch around RAM? Will it let up in early 2026, or are we in it for the long haul? How has it affected you? Let us know in the comments!

(via Videocardz)

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Since this year is drawing to a close, I took a moment to think back on all of the devices I've tested that stood out to me most, whether due to their impressive performance, unique features, or reliable designs.

Here are my favorite tech things of 2025 that I personally have used and love. Some of them even happen to be on sale, so you can grab them at a discount if interested.

Whether you're looking for some new tech for yourself or are trying to find the perfect gift for a loved one, these are all devices I personally have used and recommend.

My favorite tech things 2025

Amazing devices from 2025 that I recommend

Whether it's time to replace your current tech or you're looking to get a gift for someone else, I cannot recommend these devices enough.

I've spent at least dozens of hours with each of them, and they're seriously my favorite tech things from 2025 that I cannot stop thinking about.

If you'd like a small computer that can easily keep up with common program usage, web browsing, and video calls, then I highly recommend the Geekom IT13 mini PC.

As for any creatives who might be looking at this page, you should consider the ASUS ProArt PA27JCV. Its fantastic color range with DisplayHDR500, KVM switch, and a healthy range of ports make it ideal for artistic endeavors.

Finally, if you're interested in getting a new desktop that can run the latest games but is also ideal for work, school, or personal use, then you should check out the Dell Tower Plus (EBT2250). This desktop puts up a modest front, but it's actually a powerful computer that runs beautifully and provides plenty of ports to fit your needs.

Regardless of what you're looking for, good luck finding the perfect new gear as we go into 2026.

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The cause? You guessed it — AI and its unending thirst for memory and storage, which is causing a global shortage.

This news began on China's tech forum Bobantang and was picked up by Benchlife and eventually OC3D. The report alleges that NVIDIA plans to "adjust GPU production capacity of GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards in 2026 to cope with memory shortages." Just how much of a reduction? Compared to the first half of 2025, supply could be reduced by anywhere from 30-40%.

That's not an insignificant reduction, and I can't see how the ramifications won't be felt throughout the tech industry.

It's not just GDDR7 memory — the stuff that goes into RTX 5000 cards — causing issues, either. The report suggests that all memory types are being squeezed enough to cause a shift in production.

According to Benchlife, "a number of AIC partners and component suppliers have also mentioned" that the RTX 5070 Ti and the RTX 5060 Ti, each with 16GB of GDDR7 VRAM, will be the first to see a cut to production.

If true, that's some terrible news for PC gamers. GPUs with 8GB of VRAM are on the edge of being "not enough" to play demanding modern titles, and the 16GB GPU options drying up will make it more difficult to get the performance you desire without spending huge money on an RTX 5080 or RTX 5090.

Notably, the report makes no mention of NVIDIA's RTX PRO GPUs. These specialized cards are coveted by data scientists, creators, engineers, developers, AI professionals, and more. They come at a much higher price compared to the consumer RTX 50-series GPUs, and I wouldn't be surprised to see NVIDIA continue to feed GDDR7 into the production lines to maximize profits.

The memory crisis is only getting started

This NVIDIA news comes on the heels of several high-profile stories focusing on the RAM shortage.

At the end of November 2025, Micron announced that it was discontinuing its consumer lineup of Crucial memory and storage to focus on producing the hardware for AI companies. Samsung, one of the other leading memory suppliers, is expected to hike RAM prices as well.

Dell just announced that it plans to hike its commercial PC prices by up to 30% on December 17, echoing the moves by other major PC manufacturers. Elsewhere, Valve's upcoming Steam Machine could be in trouble if it can't debut at a reasonable price due to RAM costs.

As for NVIDIA's RTX 50-series SUPER cards — the "upgrade" versions that generally debut about a year after the standard cards hit markets — there have been rumors floating around for a couple of months regarding NVIDIA killing the entire product line due to the memory shortage.

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Leaker Jukan shared on X that Samsung has raised the contract price of DDR5 to $19.50. That price relates to 16GB DDR5 modules with the cost being measured per 2GB memory chip. The rumored new cost is more than double what it was previously.

Jukan's figure comes courtesy of Taiwanese outlet Technowvoice.

The report covers the cost of RAM in the supply chain. While it's reasonable to expect the cost of DDR5 RAM doubling on the manufacturing side of things would affect consumer pricing, we may not see a directly proportional increase.

There are a variety of factors that determine pricing in the industry, but it's safe to assume that if the rumor proves accurate, consumer prices will go up.

Samsung said there is "no stock" to customers, according to Technowvoice.

Samsung is one of the three major manufacturers of RAM, alongside SK Hynix and Micron. Those three companies make up over 90% of memory market share.

RAM is used in laptops, phones, TVs, and a variety of other devices. For years, the market has been relatively stable. But AI changed everything.

Now, billions of dollars are being invested into AI datacenters, skewing demand for memory modules. With how much money companies are tossing at AI, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron can guarantee sales and make money without having to rely on sales to consumers.

RAM has skyrocketed in price, with some modules increasing from a couple hundred dollars to well over $1,000. Stock shortages and panic buying are exacerbating the situation, as did Micron pulling out of the consumer market.

Some PC manufacturers have already increased prices due to rising cost of RAM. Dell will reportedly up PC prices by up to 30%. Smaller companies have made changes as well, such as Framework increasing the price of select laptop models.

Needless to say, the cost of PC building has gone up. We have some tips on how to work around RAM price hikes, but the best option may be to wait to see if prices normalize. Of course, that's not a viable choice for people currently in need of a PC.

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That doesn't mean companies aren't trying to close the gaps between form factors and operating systems to create the ultimate all-in-one device that can do everything. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (Gen 1) falls into this category, being a premium Android tablet that's bundled with a kickstand and keyboard accessories to transform it into a pseudo-laptop.

Plenty of others have attempted to replace their Windows laptop with tablets like this, and I decided I wanted to take a crack at it — especially now that Lenovo is using the "Yoga" branding most commonly associated with its personal computers. I wasn't surprised by what I found, though, and that's great hardware being held back by software that simply isn't suited for this (yet).

This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Lenovo. Lenovo had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.

Beautiful hardware that's priced just right

The Yoga Tab Plus is a premium 12.7-inch Android tablet that competes with the likes of the iPad Pro and Samsung Galaxy Tab S. Lenovo's offering isn't as refined or feature-packed, but it does undercut Apple and Samsung in price.

Lenovo did a great job with this hardware. The Yoga Tab Plus looks and feels great with its aluminum-and-glass build, and it's smartly designed with its six-speaker system, side-mounted power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor, and cleverly positioned magnets for the various accessories that come in the box.

Yes, Lenovo does include all the accessories you need in the box, too, including the Lenovo Tab Pen Pro, a magnetic kickstand attachment, a full-sized keyboard, and a 45W USB Type-C charger. All those extras will cost you a pretty penny elsewhere, so I love that it's all in the box here. They're good accessories, too.

The Tab Pen Pro active stylus is a nice shape and size, feels well-built, magnetically attaches to the top of the Yoga Tab Plus, wirelessly charges, and performs well. My only criticism is that it has a small touch-sensitive area for shortcuts and actions instead of physical buttons, which can be finicky and inconsistent.

Then there's the kickstand and keyboard. Instead of a bulky, awkward all-in-one case, Lenovo brilliantly splits the two. I especially love the design of the kickstand, which is slim and seamlessly connects to the back of the Yoga Tab Plus via magnets. It also means I can have the kickstand for watching movies or playing games without the keyboard being in the way.

I actually do like the keyboard, too. The layout makes sense, the key action is comfortable and responsive, and the touchpad feels good. I wish there were backlighting, but Lenovo did well with these accessories.

Of course, we can't forget about the core tablet. The 12.7-inch display may not be OLED or MiniLED, but it's still a genuinely fantastic, sharp, smooth, bright, and vibrant IPS LCD panel that's perfect for work and play. It pairs well with the surprisingly full and loud six-speaker system, too.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may not be Qualcomm's cutting-edge mobile chipset anymore, but the Yoga Tab Plus still boasts excellent overall performance with its 16GB of memory. It's fast and responsive, even with multiple apps and browser tabs open at once. I also had no issues with its wireless connectivity, thanks to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

That doesn't mean I have no complaints. You can't expand the 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage because there's no microSD card slot, and you'll also want to avoid accidental splashes thanks to the lack of dust and water ingress protection.

The singular USB Type-C port does support DisplayPort-out and Power Delivery, but its meager 5GBps transfer speed limits your docking potential. Finally, the 10,200mAh battery only provides average endurance compared to the absolute best tablets, especially if you make use of that bright display or loud speakers.

The issue is Android, but we already knew that

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus launched with Android 14 and a promise of three major OS updates and four years of security updates, and it's now on Android 16. That's a problem in itself — this tablet simply isn't being supported nearly as long as it should be (and it's regularly behind on security updates, too). Lenovo's promises for its "first AI tablet" also haven't panned out, despite multiple updates.

I'll give credit where credit is due in that Lenovo didn't slap stock Android onto the Yoga Tab Plus and call it a day. The company did make some subtle but important changes and additions to make this tablet work better as a computer replacement, with its own take on a desktop mode, a variety of keyboard shortcuts that work exactly as you'd expect, and various multitasking and interface improvements.

I was pleasantly caught off guard by the thought that clearly went into how to make Android work better with a mouse and keyboard, and I was successfully able to wrangle the Yoga Tab Plus to replace my laptop, at least temporarily. The red herring for this tablet, though, is unsurprisingly Android.

This isn't new information — Android is designed for phones first, tablets second, tablets-turned-laptops a very distant third. Whatever optimizations Lenovo makes, whatever desktop mode you turn on, Android is still optimized for touch and stylus input, lots of Android apps still don't have tablet or desktop modes, and many interactions are more awkward, slower, or simply take more steps to complete than on Windows.

Google apparently has big plans for how to change the status quo of Android on tablets, but even Lenovo doesn't seem to be super confident that the future of "Android PCs" will pose a real threat to your traditional laptop.

Yoga Tab Plus review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You want an Android tablet that can sometimes be your laptop.
• You want a premium device with all the accessories in the box.
• You need a great display paired with great speakers.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You're mostly looking for a laptop that can also be a tablet.
• You rely on software that doesn't work as well on Android.

If you are looking for a pure tablet that can be your laptop when you need it, Apple is still way ahead with the iPad Pro. If you're looking for a 2-in-1 laptop that can be your tablet when you need it, Microsoft is still way ahead with Surface Pro. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (Gen 1) feels awkwardly caught in the middle, but I don't think that's entirely Lenovo's fault.

Honestly, this hardware is excellent for the price (when you include the well-designed accessories), and Android is a polished, intuitive operating system overall. I need a laptop more often than I need a tablet, though, and there's no reason for me to consider this over what I already have.

Still, I'm glad this exists, and I'm glad I gave it a chance to win me over. I hope Lenovo continues evolving this hardware, and I hope Google continues to optimize Android for this form factor. If you're interested, the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus (Gen 1) is available for $739.99 at BestBuy.com (and at Lenovo.com). Be sure to watch out for the sales I've seen for it!

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Indeed, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) — the team that guides the international standards and development for Bluetooth — announced Bluetooth 6.0 in September 2024, but it remains fairly rare in 2025. That's expected to change in 2026.

Bluetooth 6.0 builds on the advancements that arrived with Bluetooth 5.0 (and its updates), adding new features like Bluetooth Channel Sounding, Decision-Based Advertising Filtering, Monitoring Advertisers, and more.

Let's dig into what these new features add to Bluetooth 6 and why you should watch out for the latest standard next time you're shopping for new wireless tech.

Bluetooth Channel Sounding improves device positioning and tracking

Bluetooth Channel Sounding is a new technology that arrives with the 6.0 standard, and it builds on the positioning features that have been a part of Bluetooth since 2010.

As the Bluetooth SIG puts it, "this introduces a new, secure, fine-ranging capability, providing centimeter-level accuracy when measuring the distance between two Bluetooth LE devices." Considering Bluetooth used to hit an accuracy of around a half meter, this new tech really dials it in.

The new tech is made possible thanks to Phase-Based Ranging (PBR) and Round-Trip Timing (RTT). Without getting too technical, these methods together allow for precise distance measurements far and near.

Bluetooth SIG says this new high-accuracy distance measurement is ideal for "Find My" scenarios where a piece of tech goes missing, and you need to track it down on a digital map. It's also perfect for digital key tech, asset tracking, peripheral positioning, and more. And because it's so precise, it should cut down on man-in-the-middle attacks by bad actors.

How can this help you in real life? Maybe you have some Bluetooth accessories on your desk that you'd like to turn on or off when you're within (or outside of) a certain distance from your laptop. Channel Sounding makes it a lot smoother.

Scanning, pairing, and switching have leveled up

There are two new key components in Bluetooth 6.0 that help with scanning, pairing, and switching devices.

Monitoring Advertisers focuses on improving discovery and connection in Bluetooth LE. Previously, Bluetooth LE could filter advertising packets — small blasts of info sent from Bluetooth devices to help identify them without requiring a full connection — to improve efficiency.

This method, however, removed the ability for the host to see if the device advertising was still in range, which often resulted in wasted power as it scanned again. Bluetooth 6.0 now uses a Host Controller Interface (HCI) to prevent such high-duty-cycle scanning, which uses less battery power and makes device switching a lot smoother.

On the other side of the coin, a new Decision-Based Advertising Filtering (DBAF) technique should speed up device pairing and switching while also making it more efficient.

ISOAL enhancements improve reliability and reduce latency

Bluetooth's Isochronous Adaptation Layer (ISOAL) allows for more data to be sent in a packet, upping transmission rates in the process.

However, the transfer increase also usually leads to higher latency. If you're watching a movie, say, this can lead to the actors on the screen appearing as though they're lip-syncing their lines.

The ISOAL enhancements in Bluetooth 6.0 aim to solve the latency issue without affecting throughput. This advancement should also help smaller devices send data back to their parent tech, while also improving things like firmware updates for wireless devices.

A new LC3plus codec aims to improve audio quality

LC3plus is a new audio codec making its debut with Bluetooth 6.0. It builds on the free LC3 codec that's been available in Bluetooth LE since 2020, adding support for 32-bit audio at 96kHz, with a latency as low as 7ms.

LC3plus has been certified Hi-Res by the Japan Audio Society, and it's evidently what you want if you're interested in lossless streaming.

Unfortunately, LC3plus requires licensing, which means it probably won't suddenly show up in all headphones.

Bluetooth 6.0: The bottom line

Bluetooth 6.0 has only started its expected multi-year journey into our favorite wireless tech, and you can find it, for now, in some cutting-edge phones like the iPhone 17 and Google Pixel 10.

It remains extremely rare in Windows laptops — be sure to let me know in the comments below if there are any Windows PCs on the market offering Bluetooth 6.0 in 2025 — and most are still using Bluetooth 5.0 (and its latest 5.4 update). The older Bluetooth standard is perfectly fine for the vast majority of users.

I'm expecting to see a lot more Bluetooth 6.0 in laptops as PC makers begin to reveal what they've cooked up for 2026. Keep an eye on announcements coming out of CES 2026 for the latest updates.

Bluetooth 6.0: FAQ

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The squeeze on DRAM has already forced the price of consumer RAM for desktop PCs and laptops to skyrocket, and SSD storage (which uses NAND) is next in line to see a spike.

Now, an internal memo sent to Dell employees on December 9 shows that prices for its commercial tech will rise starting on December 17 due to the rising costs of RAM and storage (via Business Insider).

👉 The cost of RAM has never been higher, making it a bleak time for PC building — Here's how to work around the price gouging while holiday shopping

Just how much will prices go up? Business PCs, like those from the Dell Pro and Pro Max lineups, are expected to rise by $130 to $230 for configurations with 32GB of RAM. Should you be interested in speccing up to 128GB of RAM, prices should rise by $520 to $765. On the storage side, opting for a 1TB SSD in your PC or laptop will drive up costs by $55 to $135.

Speaking anonymously to BI, a Dell sales employee says the price increase will fall between 10% and 30% based on the specific contract. BI quotes the same Dell employee as saying, "It's impacting everyone, and there's no way around it currently, so customers will just have to pay more if they want the products."

Laptops and PCs aren't the only Dell products affected by AI shortages

Dell's commercial sector sells PCs to businesses rather than individual consumers, and it makes up roughly 85% of the company's annual revenue stream. Commercial sales also include monitors and specialized GPUs, and it appears that their prices won't be left unbothered.

The internal price list shows that a Dell Pro 55 Plus 4K display is expected to rise by $150 over its current $1,349.99 list price. Should you want an AI laptop with the monster NVIDIA RTX PRO 500 GPU with 6GB of VRAM, you'll be expected to pay $66 more. And if you opt for the 24GB GPU version, you're looking at a price increase of $530.

👉 Valve's "Steam Machine" gaming PC will be in trouble if this RAM pricing crisis worsens — should we expect gamers to foot another unwanted bill from AI-obsessed megacorps?

In another memo obtained by BI, Dell urged its sales teams on November 25 to "move decisively" before the price hikes hit, setting up multi-quarter deals while also closing deals already on the table. Dell also stated that "ordering today for future delivery DOES NOT lock in current pricing."

Dell is clearly concerned that the DRAM and NAND shortage will cause customers to rethink their investments. The internal push to lock down contracts is wise, but the Dell sales employee who spoke with BI has said that the situation feels "out of our control."

The DRAM and NAND price crisis has no clear end in sight, with some experts claiming the cycle will last until at least 2028. And because these components are so widely used, there's almost no tech that will go unaffected.

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It's significantly more affordable than the last few docks I reviewed — including Dell's Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock, CalDigit's TS5 and TS5 Plus, and Kensington's SD7100T5 EQ Pro — but can you live without as many ports and features as the truly premium options can offer?

I've had Wavlink's new Thunderbolt 5 dock on my desk for the past couple of weeks to find out where it excels and where it can do better.

This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by WAVLINK. Wavlink had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.

A durable aluminum design and a useful selection of ports

A lot of Thunderbolt 5 docks look similar, and Wavlink's new device isn't completely innocent. However, it sets itself apart with some nifty cutouts on the top aluminum panel. These cutouts give way to wide heatspreaders sitting just below the surface, which help the built-in fan dissipate heat. That dock has had no issues with overheating, and there's no fan noise.

The aluminum frame extends to the entire chassis, and I can't see any plastic in use on the outside of the dock. This gives it plenty of rigidity, and I'd be more worried about my floor than the dock if I happened to drop it off my desk.

Despite the "Thunderlight" naming convention, the dock isn't much lighter than the competition. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Too light, and your dock will be slipping around your desk. In this case, the wide rubber feet on the bottom of the case keep Wavlink's dock firmly in place even with multiple cables attached.

Wavlink has opted for a host Thunderbolt 5 connection on the front of the dock. As with most TB5 hardware, it supports up to 140W of charging for the connected laptop.

Next to the host hookup is a downstream Thunderbolt 5 port with 30W of charging, giving you another option to power a larger device or accessory. Also on the front of the dock are SD and microSD card readers, both hitting the 4.0 (UHS-II) standard that's fast enough for most users.

Rounding out the front port selection are two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) ports at 10Gbps each, as well as one 3.5mm audio combo jack. The power button can completely shut down the dock, including its charging capabilities for the host laptop. Rather than unplugging the PC to avoid overcharging, you can simply hit the button when you're finished working.

Turning to the back of the dock, there are two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports with 15W of charging power each, two more USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) ports at 10Gbps each, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, and a couple of Kensington lock slots for added security. It's a decent mix of ports that I can see being particularly useful for creators.

Supports triple 4K@144Hz using only Thunderbolt 5

You probably already noticed that Wavlink's new dock lacks any native video outputs, whether HDMI or DisplayPort. This isn't entirely uncommon in the docking station world, because Thunderbolt 5 can easily make up the difference. The downside is that you might need to add a dongle or an adapter if you don't have monitors with a USB-C connection.

Despite a lack of native video out, Wavlink's dock supports up to three 4K displays, each at 144Hz. Of course, there are some technicalities required to hit those numbers. First, three displays are only available with Windows laptops that have a Thunderbolt 5 port. Makes sense.

The other requisite for a triple-display setup is Display Stream Compression (DSC). Your monitors require this feature, as does the host laptop. The good news is that most modern laptops have it baked in, but you should indeed check your hardware (both displays and PC) before going to the trouble of getting everything set up.

So much more affordable than the competition

The run of Thunderbolt 5 docks I've been testing of late haven't been easy on the wallet.

CalDigit's TS5 Plus, which I consider to be the best Thunderbolt 5 dock in 2025, retails for around $500. Of course, it boasts 20 total ports, a 10GbE hookup, and dual USB controllers for improved performance. Then there's the CalDigit TS5 for $100 less than the TS5 Plus, bringing 15 ports instead.

Kensington's SD7100T5 EQ Pro at about $450 is another great option with 18 total ports, a three-year warranty, and a built-in M.2 SSD slot for easy external storage for any connected laptops. And finally, the Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma with its RGB lighting, M.2 SSD slot, and 10 ports, retails for about $400.

I was honestly shocked to see the sticker price on Wavlink's Thunderbolt 5 dock. Coming in at $299.99 at Amazon with what seems like a near-permanent $60 coupon discount (dropping it to just $239.99), Wavlink's Thunderbolt 5 Thunderlight dock is my new favorite budget option to recommend.

Sure, it lacks a useful built-in M.2 SSD slot, there's no Thunderbolt Share compatibility, and it has a shorter one-year warranty, but the price difference should overshadow those omissions for a lot of users.

WAVLINK Thunderbolt 5 Thunderlight Dock review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You have a Windows laptop with Thunderbolt 5 support.
• You can make use of SD/microSD card readers, lock slots, and 2.5Gb Ethernet.
• You want to spend (a lot) less than on a competing TB5 dock.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You want native video out support.
• You don't have a Thunderbolt 5 laptop and don't plan on getting one anytime soon.
• You want a dock with a built-in M.2 SSD slot or Thunderbolt Share compatibility.

Considering the extremely competitive pricing, the varied port selection, the lock slots, and the durable design, Wavlink's Thunderbolt 5 Thunderlight dock should be a top option for any users who don't want to spend nearly as much on some extra ports.

Sure, it lacks an M.2 SSD slot (a feature I've come to love), there's no Thunderbolt Share, and you might need to add some adapters for external displays without USB-C, but overall, this is a stellar dock that created no issues within my workflow.

I can't say for how long the $60 discount coupon will work at Amazon, but even at the regular $299.99 price, it's the most affordable option I've yet tested. If you're in search of a new docking station to pair with your Thunderbolt 5 laptop, this is certainly one to consider.

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This handed developer Team Asobi and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment a major win within the gaming world.

Several months later, Seagate, the popular data storage company perhaps best known to you for its Xbox game drives, released a limited edition Astro Bot HDD (hard disk drive). It's designed specifically for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, unsurprisingly, but also supports PC gaming.

I spent the last few days testing this HDD to see how well it performs with my PC desktop. Here's why it's a great collector's item, but might not be the best game drive for your PC gaming needs.

This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Seagate. The company had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.

Astro Bot Limited Edition Game Drive review

As far as game drives go, this Astro Bot-themed HDD offers a very appealing design, especially for fans of the little robot.

The front, back, and sides of the device showcase a theme that's very reminiscent of the game itself, complete with the titular Astro Bot standing with its hands on its hips in front of a planet. It all gives off a semi-Space Odyssey vibe, but with a cuter focus.

I particularly love the bottom of the device, where it's designed to look like Astro Bot's blue eyes are peeking out from inside the game drive.

But in addition to looking good, this small game drive offers 5TB — a large amount of storage space that can hold as many as 60 game files or more, depending on how large they are.

A small form factor that fits easily in an adult's hand makes this game drive extremely portable. Best of all, I didn't have to clear any space for it on my gaming desk thanks to its small size.

It has an MSRP of $159.99 and can be purchased at Seagate, Best Buy, and other tech retailers. Part of that price is certainly going toward the Astro Bot design, since you can get other non-themed Seagate 5TB HDDs for around $20-$30 less.

Seagate Astro Bot Limited Edition Game Drive review — WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

When I opened the box, I found the Astro Bot-themed HDD itself, a USB-A 3.0 to micro-B male cable, two manuals, a QR code for registering the device, a code for a 14-Day PlayStation Plus trial, and five adorable Astro Bot stickers.

Not stellar performance, but not a black hole either

As is typical with Seagate's external game drives, this one has a small light bar that glows when it's plugged in and being used.

Unlike the iconic green light from Seagate's Xbox HDDs (like the 2TB Xbox HDD Game Drive), this one glows blue to match Astro Bots overall white and blue theme.

I plugged this cute HDD into my gaming desktop and ran a few read and write speed tests on it.

On its first sequential run, it usually produced around a 148MB/s read speed and a 145MB/s write speed.

I never saw it dip lower than 140MB/s in terms of read or write, on the first test, but then it tended to trail off and go far slower by the third and fourth runs, which is typical of HDDs.

These aren't the very best results for gaming, but they also aren't horrible either. All in all, this device offers respectable transfer speeds that can certainly keep up with classic PC gaming or less graphically demanding titles.

Typically, you want to have at least a reliable 120MB/s read speed with a PC game drive. That said, some of the very best HDDs can hit a 200MB/s read speed or higher.

In case you don't know, the best HDDs are far less expensive than the best SSDs (solid-state drives), but they aren't nearly as fast. Additionally, HDDs need to be handled more carefully since they are relatively fragile compared to SSDs. That's because HDDs use mechanical spinning platters that can be broken if there's a hard enough bump or impact.

Where a good gaming HDD can hit around 200MB/s, gaming SSDs can offer much higher speeds between 2,000MB/s and 7,000MB/s, and are the better option for modern AAA games. But if you simply intend to use the drive to play classic games or purely for storage, then an HDD is a great way to go.

That said, if you're willing to pay more, you might want to consider getting either an internal or external SSD for your gaming needs. But if you're on a budget, an HDD can get you far more storage space for a whole lot less.

Seagate Astro Bot Limited Edition Game Drive review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You want a large amount of storage space but don't want to spend the high amount for an SSD
• You love Astro Bot and want an external hard drive for your game files
• You're looking for a compact hard drive that doesn't take up a lot of room but offers plenty of storage space

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You'd prefer faster storage solutions like an external or internal SSD
• You don't particularly care about Astro Bot or this design

Finding good storage solutions for your gaming setup can be tricky and costly. Thankfully, HDDs don't cost nearly as much as SSDs, and they are a great option for storing games and other files that you don't need fast or active access to, such as classic games or less-intensive modern games.

All in all, this limited-edition Astro Bot HDD offers an exceptionally fun design that's perfect for gamers or anyone who likes its chibi space aesthetic. Its compact shape means it doesn't require much room on your desk and is easy to travel with. If you're looking for PC game storage, it's definitely a product to consider, unless an SSD better suits your needs.

Game Drive FAQ

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In this specific use case, the handheld is great, and I can see precisely what Xbox was aiming for. It fits that relaxed, low-effort gaming window perfectly.

Unfortunately, the install process and what I’ll just call the general “jank” have given me a bitter first impression. At this point, I feel only a major update will address my concerns.

The first boot up

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I first got my Xbox Ally X. I was excited to open it the moment it arrived, which was around 10 AM on a Monday morning.

My plan was simple. Install every update first. I turned the Xbox Ally X on for the first time and was greeted with the familiar Windows setup process. I had already seen plenty of reviewers complain about this, so I knew what to expect, but it still takes the console feel away straight away.

I don’t want to be pedantic or nitpicky either, but it really does take you out of the experience. When I mentioned I booted up around 10 AM, that was deliberate, because it took me until 7 PM to update everything and install two games to play. I highly doubt my gigabit internet was the issue here.

When all is said and done, though, and you can finally use the device to play games, it is pretty fantastic. It is powerful, and it has not struggled with anything I have thrown at it. Even ARC Raiders, which was only recently released, runs at over 100 FPS.

If you want to stay within the Xbox App ecosystem, you will feel quite welcome. The Xbox App does have its issues, though. Whenever you boot the device from a shutdown, the app feels laggy and unresponsive, and installing games and having to accept Windows prompts again takes you out of the experience.

The Xbox Fullscreen Experience is promising, but the Xbox App is what is holding it back from becoming something special. Luckily, it seems as though we may be due for some kind of refresh next year.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Wi-Fi on my Xbox Ally X was completely broken for an entire week. I ended up troubleshooting it myself and eventually fixed the issue, which led me to put together a handy Xbox Ally X Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide for anyone who might run into the same problem.

Gaming outside of the Xbox App

As you might have guessed when I mentioned Spider-Man: Miles Morales earlier, I do use Steam. The Xbox App has an aggregated library, so your Steam, Epic, and other storefront games appear inside it, but the actual experience leaves a lot to be desired and has a fair bit of what I would call jank.

Ironing things out aside, I’d also like to see the ability to add your own games and apps to the Xbox App, something that Steam already offers.

I have had a Steam account for over 13 years and have built up a library of more than 600 games, so naturally I want to use that library on my Xbox Ally X. Installing those games means going to the Windows desktop and installing Steam, which is fine, and then installing everything through Steam, which is also fine.

The issues start when you need to restart the device to get back into the Fullscreen Experience. Once you are back in, you realise you have to install a Game Bar widget if you want reliable access to Steam (or go to the apps section of the Xbox App). Then, when you launch a Steam game via the Xbox App, the process is long and a bit tedious. When a game finally boots through the Xbox App, it works perfectly, but when you exit, it kicks you back into Steam rather than the Xbox App.

Then we get to multitasking in the Fullscreen Experience. Swiping up from the bottom brings up all your currently open Windows, which is supposed to be easy to navigate with LB and RB, with X to close an app or game, and A to jump back into something.

For me, the LB and RB navigation doesn’t always work. Pressing either often sends me back to the first item I selected, which means I have to tap the screen to move to the next Window. You only see half of each one, and while this issue does not happen every time, it happens enough to notice.

Yet I am still excited for the future of Xbox

I know I have just ranted about my personal experience with the Xbox Ally X, and yes, it has been enough for me to advise people to hold off on buying the device. That is probably not what anyone wants to hear before Christmas and the festivities, but it is my honest takeaway.

Even so, I am still excited about the idea of an Xbox PC. If Xbox can fix the problems I have mentioned and streamline the whole experience, we could be in for something special. That treat may cost an arm and a leg with how things are going, but it's a treat all the same.

I have been with Xbox since the original. While it is easy to doom on Xbox right now because of Microsoft’s decisions, I want an ecosystem of devices that can play my Xbox library and give me access to the endless supply of PC games without feeling janky.

If Xbox can deliver that, it will absolutely keep me as a consumer. I don’t want to say goodbye to my nearly 20-year-old Xbox account, and I don’t care much for many PlayStation games, as they often fall into the same third-person action-adventure formula that stopped working for me after being disappointed by Uncharted 4.

For now, I am choosing to have a little faith that Xbox can deliver what I want from a console, despite my experiences with the Xbox Ally X, because I can feel and see the same vision that Jez sees whenever I am on the device, despite feeling like I’m a beta tester.

All that said, with the 25th anniversary of Xbox next year, we might not have to wait much longer to see what Xbox is cooking.

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Right now, you can grab an iPad Air (M3 11-inch) for $499. A $100 discount slashes the price of a tablet so good it makes me use a non-Windows device.

iPad Air vs Surface Pro 12-inch

Right now, Best Buy also has a great deal on the Surface Pro 12-inch. That device packs Microsoft's Surface experience into an attractive tablet that can transform into a laptop-like device with a keyboard. The Surface Pro 12-inch also runs Windows 11, making it a better tool for productivity — at least for specific workflows.

With all that in mind, why would I prefer to get an iPad Air over a Surface Pro 12-inch? It's because I prefer a dedicated tablet over an all-around device.

When I was a university student, I loved carrying around a Surface Pro. The 2-in-1 made me feel like a cool tech guy because people gawked at the detachable keyboard, and it was also a useful tool for getting work done. I lived in a small apartment at the time and could only afford a single device for work and recreation.

Now, years later, I live in a house, have a real desk, and can afford to have separate devices. The iPad Air is an excellent tablet with an interface that feels fluid in-hand. I've always felt the Surface Pro was a good enough tablet, but shone most as a laptop replacement.

Both Apple and third-party developers work hard to optimize apps for the iPad. Some Windows apps feel shoehorned into a tablet experience. Apple's App Store has all the apps I need in a tablet and more, so I don't miss exclusive Windows apps or games. If I want to use those programs, I just grab my laptop.

My workflow also means I don't need to worry that Apple's Magic Keyboard is more expensive than the Surface Pro Keyboard.

I totally understand why some people prefer to have a single device that can do it all. The Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Pro 11 (also on sale right now) come close to that, but I prefer the tablet experience of the iPad.

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This wonderful piece of hardware, which we consider one of 2025's best laptops for its performance, keyboard responsiveness, and portability, among other rich features, is now on a holiday discount for $649.99 at Best Buy.

Why buy the Surface Pro 12-inch?

The Microsoft Surface Pro 12-inch is a well-designed laptop packed with plenty of features that make it worth buying for hard-working students or professionals looking to get their work done in the office or while travelling abroad.

Its performance is rock-solid thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, which is able run Microsoft Office apps, edit digital art in Photoshop, and search through internet browsers with ease. Not to mention it does so without generating too much heat in the system or draining its batteries.

It also features a responsive keyboard that instantly reads your key inputs, high-quality audio speakers and camera, and a gorgeous 12-inch touchscreen display able to render images with crisp details at 2196x1464 resolution and 90Hz refresh rates.

The touchscreen is also compatible with stylus pens, so you can draw digital art with greater ease compared to using a mouse.

The Surface Pro 12-inch is also portable-friendly as it measures at 274 x 190 x 7.8 mm (10.79" x 7.48" x 0.31") and weighs around 0.68 kg (1.5 lbs), so you can store it easily in luggage/carrying cases without requiring much strength to lug it around.

On top of that, it has full Copilot+ AI integration with a mighty Qualcomm NPU of 45 TOPS, so it can efficiently run AI-empowered features like Click To Do, Recall, and Studio Effects.

The only drawbacks of this laptop are that it has a short battery life of 7 hours when its Power Settings are in 'Best Efficiency' Mode or 5 hours when it's on 'Balanced' Mode.

Not to mention its display's colors could use some work as they're often muted even when running on the 'enhanced' color profile.

Lastly, this laptop can run a hefty MSRP of $799 at most retailers. Thankfully, that last bugbear is no longer an issue for a limited time as it's now on sale for $649.99 at Best Buy.

So, if you're looking for a new workhorse laptop to tackle the challenges of 2026, then this Christmas bargain for the Surface Pro 12-inch is for you.

Alternative discounts

If stock runs out for the Surface Pro 12-inch with (256GB UFS) runs dry at Best Buy, or if you have budget for more storage, here are some alternative discounts as backup options:

• $699.99 at Best Buy (was $899.99) (512GB UFS)

Competition

Some would argue that there are better devices than the Surface Pro 12-inch out there that offer better value and performance.

One such tablet that it gets compared to is the Apple iPad Air M3, which offers more display size options (11" and 13"), more color options, a superior "tablet" experience, and a cheaper MSRP (especially the 11" version is on sale for $499.00 at Best Buy).

However, the Surface Pro 12-inch offers superior performance as an AI Laptop with its Snapdragon X Plus CPU, 45 TOPS NPU with full Copilot+ integration, 16GB of RAM, and Dual external display support.

So if you had to choose between the two, I'd recommend the Surface Pro 12-inch for those seeking the best portable laptop experience. At the same time, the Apple iPad Air M3 is better suited for those looking for a budget-friendly tablet experience.

FAQ

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

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For the moment, the price increase only affects Framework DIY Edition orders, leaving pre-built laptops from the company and Framework Desktop orders unaffected. You can also purchase a DIY Edition laptop without memory or storage and add your own, buy RAM at a discount through another retailer, or transfer components from another device.

Pre-orders that have already been placed are not affected by the change in RAM pricing.

Below is how much it now costs to add RAM to the Framework Laptop 16 DIY Edition:

• DDR5-5600 - 8GB (1 x 8GB): +$60
• DDR5-5600 - 16GB (1 x 16GB): +$120
• DDR5-5600 - 16GB (2 x 8GB): +$120
• DDR5-5600 - 32GB (1 x 32GB): +$240
• DDR5-5600 - 32GB (2 x 16GB): +$240
• DDR5-5600 - 48GB (1 x 48GB): +$360
• DDR5-5600 - 64GB (2 x 32GB): +$480
• DDR5-5600 - 96GB (2 x 48GB): +$720

The cost of RAM has gone up significantly this year and that trend appears likely to continue. Our Cale Hunt has a complete breakdown of what's going on with RAM and why prices are surging.

The long-and-short is that AI requires a massive amount of RAM to run and the supply chain is being funneled toward datacenters. The three major RAM manufacturers, SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron, have shifted RAM production toward meeting the ever-growing demands of AI.

Micron will leave the consumer RAM market entirely in February 2026. The company announced the end of the Crucial-branded memory and storage recently. Micron was transparent regarding the reason for the switch:

"The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments."

Framework referenced the RAM demand of AI datacenters in its post announcing the price increase of memory in select Framework laptops:

"On the demand side, the boom in AI data center construction and server manufacturing is consuming immense amounts of memory. A single rack of NVIDIA’s GB300 solution uses 20TB of HBM3E and 17TB of LPDDR5X. That’s enough LPDDR5x for a thousand laptops, and an AI-focused datacenter is loaded with thousands of these racks!"

Framework also noted that it is "highly likely" that it will need to increase prices of DDR5 modules in other systems, including devices with DDR5, LPDDR5X, or GDDR memory.

The company emphasized transparency in system pricing and promised to lower prices when costs go down. Framework will also absorb costs where possible to keep pricing down.

Framework also announced an anti-scalping measure that requires RAM be included with returned laptops.

Framework is not the only company that will have to increase prices due to the cost of RAM. Dell reportedly plans to raise prices of PCs by at least 15% to 20% as early as this month, according to TrendForce. Lenovo has warned customers that sales quotes and price guidelines are only valid until the end of the year.

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The ongoing RAM crisis — RAMageddon, as I've seen some call it — is not only making PC building and laptop upgrades difficult, but it's also threatening to drive up the prices of practically all tech that uses DRAM (and that's a lot of tech). I recently wrote a more in-depth look at what is causing RAM prices to spike, but the short story is that AI firms are buying all the DRAM they can for use in AI datacenters.

The shortage is driving up prices to unprecedented extremes, forcing many PC builders and gamers out of their favorite hobby. I'm here to offer some workarounds that won't have you spending obscene amounts of money on a DDR5 RAM kit, just in time for Christmas.

Update December 18, 2025: With how quickly the RAM market is changing, I jumped in to give updates in a few key areas. I added a few RAM bundle deals, as well as some new pre-builts that haven't yet been hit by the price spike. — Cale Hunt

Watch out for bundled RAM at a low price

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year (as well as the weeks after), some desktop RAM was selling for a very reasonable price. The catch? It was bundled with a motherboard.

Whether you need the motherboard or not, finding a bundled RAM deal is a great way to not overpay. You can always sell or give away the motherboard to a friend.

Unfortunately, these bundles have mostly disappeared, but that doesn't mean there won't be more that pop up in the near future. Your best bet is to keep an eye on Newegg, as it was the retailer offering the cheapest deals.

Update December 18: I found this MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi motherboard bundled with 32GB of DDR5-6400 Corsair Vengeance RGB RAM and a Cooler Master 240 Elite Liquid AiO cooler for $650.98 at Newegg. Considering the board alone costs $500, and the AiO cooler costs $90, you can look at this like you're only paying about $60 for 32GB of DDR5 RAM.

A more affordable bundle includes a similar Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6000 kit and an ASUS ROG Strix X870-A Gaming WiFi motherboard for $459.99 at Newegg.

Make peace with slower, plainer RAM kits

Now is not the time to get fancy with your DDR5 RAM choice. When buying memory for a desktop PC, you generally have a lot of choices. Some RAM kits have RGB lighting and stylized heat spreaders, while others are basically just a PCB with some modules attached. Then there are also timings and speeds to consider, especially in a high-end build.

Although this shouldn't be treated as a rule, I am generally seeing lower prices for those less flashy RAM kits that don't have as high a frequency. Makes sense.

For example, Team Group's Vulcan DDR5-5200 32GB RAM kit without RGB currently costs about $269.99 at Newegg. Corsair's Vengeance 16GB DDR5-5200 kit with RGB lighting drops down to about $219.99, but that's for half as much memory.

Normally, I'd recommend buying faster RAM with tighter timings. But in this current market, I recommend focusing more on capacity than speed.

Find a great deal on a pre-built or laptop

Gaming laptops and pre-built gaming PCs could be the answer to high RAM prices, but only for a limited time. I urge you to check out our picks for best gaming laptops and best pre-built gaming PCs in 2025 to get an idea of what's hot right now.

Once the systems that were put together before the current RAM price spike sell out, prices will almost certainly rise — Lenovo, Dell, and HP have signaled that they will raise PC prices in the near future, as have CyberPowerPC and Maingear — but you might still be able to snag one at a great price.

This option doesn't do much for those who only need some new memory for their PC, but those hoping to put together an entire system could have good luck.

If you're interested in an AMD system, iBuyPower's Slate Mesh pre-built that I reviewed is discounted at Best Buy. It has a Ryzen 7 8700F CPU, RTX 5070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD, all for just $1,499.99.

Want to spend less? iBuyPower's Slate Mesh with an Intel Core i7-14700F CPU, NVIDIA RTX 5060 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD is down to $979.99 at Best Buy for a very limited time (deal ends December 18).

Plan a build using DDR4 RAM instead of DDR5

The current memory squeeze is mainly affecting DDR5 RAM prices; it's the stuff (alongside HBM) that is most coveted for use in AI datacenters.

That leaves older DDR4 RAM prices (for now) at a much more reasonable level. That could change as PC builders gobble it up and cause another new squeeze, but for now, you can reliably get a pretty nice kit of 2x8GB DDR4 RAM for around $100.

Of course, you'll have to ensure that the PC the RAM is going into is compatible with DDR4, and you'll also want to ensure that the PC's owner is comfortable taking a slight performance hit.

DDR5 RAM is indeed an upgrade over DDR4, but at the current DDR5 prices, it should be a lot easier to reconcile with the older standard.

Wait for prices to return to normal

If all else fails, there's really nothing to do but wait for DDR5 RAM prices to return to normal. How long that takes is anyone's guess. The theorized AI bubble could pop, sending RAM prices crashing back down to earth, but then again, it might only ramp up its demands for DRAM.

The three major RAM makers in the world — Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron — could also ramp up DRAM production faster than expected, loosening the squeeze, but that will take years to realize due to the time it takes to get a fabrication plant up and running.

Worsening the situation is the fact that Micron recently announced it's exiting the consumer RAM business with its Crucial products.

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Fast-forward to 2026 and its spirit lives on, albeit not through Sony. AYANEO, known for its extensive range of handheld gaming PCs and other portables that run on Android, is bringing it back with the Pocket Play.

The sizzle reel up top is all I need to see to be really excited about this device. It's not the first time a company has tried to do a gaming phone in recent times, but none of them have been like this.

See the nostalgic clip below of the Sony Xperia Play and you know exactly what I mean. A full controller sliding out from behind the display, no need for fiddly touch controls or external accessories.

The state of mobile gaming back in 2011 wasn't great, albeit Minecraft Pocket Edition was a standout. But the idea behind it was perfection, and though I never personally owned an Xperia Play, the time I did spend with one left me coveting it.

The landscape in 2026, when we expect to see the AYANEO Pocket Play, is very different, and lends far better to this type of hardware. We've got true console quality games on mobile now, including the recent appearance of Red Dead Redemption.

We've got cloud gaming, too, of course. The AYANEO Pocket Play would be absolutely perfect for a spot of on the go Forza Horizon 5, wouldn't it? Or how about a spot of retro gaming?

What's yet to be said is, well, much of anything. There's no idea on price, availability, or the hardware inside. Just that it's a smartphone with a slide-out panel containing a D-Pad, ABXY buttons, and two touchpads.

It looks incredible, though, and I'm glad to see, finally, a company bringing the spirit of the Xperia Play back to life. The original was too far ahead of its time (something we've said a lot about our beloved Windows Phone, too), but in the modern age, it could really thrive.

Follow along on its Kickstarter page if you're interested. I know I am.

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That's why I recommend checking out the last-gen ROG Ally ($499.99 at Best Buy Open Box) and Legion Go ($749.99 at Best Buy) before considering the newer, costlier Xbox Ally X ($999.99 at Best Buy) or the Legion Go 2 ($1,099.99 at Best Buy).

Each of these devices can play a wide range of titles from simple pixel-art games to far more graphically intensive games. But Santa's wallet can stretch further going with a less expensive option.

In case you don't know, the Legion Go 2, Legion Go S, white Xbox Ally, and black Xbox Ally X all launched this year with the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 Series processors for gaming handhelds.

Thing is, the less expensive white Xbox Ally uses a Z2 A chip, which is actually less powerful than the original ROG Ally and Legion Go's Z1 Extreme chip.

In other words, the white Xbox Ally might be less expensive, but it can't play as many games as the original ROG Ally or Legion Go because its processor is weaker.

Meanwhile, the last-gen ROG Ally and Legion Go cost less than the Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2, but can still be used to play many of the latest and greatest AAA PC games.

This year's new handhelds aren't necessarily the best value

Now, if you think your giftee would much rather receive one of the latest handhelds this holiday season, I've included the most popular ones below. They are listed by price to help you make your decision.

Get the handheld that meets your gaming needs

In the end, the gaming handheld you should buy really depends on what you or your gift recipient wants to do with it.

If you just want a simple device that can play some classic games, 2D indie games, and do some emulation, then the white Xbox Ally could suit your needs just fine.

However, the Xbox Ally X and Legion Go 2 are the powerhouse handhelds that can play the most games this generation, including many of the biggest, most graphically intensive games. The Xbox Ally X has the most comfortable grips available, but the Legion Go 2 has a nicer OLED display, and the controllers can be removed for tabletop play.

At the end of the day, the previous-gen handhelds with a Z1 Extreme chip like the ROG Ally or Legion Go are ideal for those who want a handheld that can play many of the latest AAA games while costing less than this year's newest models.

Just note that you will need to check a game's system requirements before knowing if it can play well on any handheld.

FAQ

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AMD first mentioned "Redstone" as an upgrade to FSR 4 at Computex 2025, promising major machine learning upgrades to Super Resolution and Frame Generation.

Now that it's here, I must admit that it's a tad confusing. Along with the major Redstone updates (which only work on certain AMD GPUs), AMD has also rebranded some of its technologies. Here's what you need to know.

What is AMD FSR Redstone?

FSR is essentially AMD's answer to NVIDIA DLSS. They're both upscaling technologies that rely on AI to make your games run smoother, look better, and hit higher frame rates. Whereas NVIDIA has stuck with DLSS over the years, AMD is still organizing its naming conventions.

With this update, Redstone has become the umbrella term for all of AMD's ML-powered upscaling techniques. That means FSR 4 has been renamed as "FSR Upscaling," falling under the Redstone name as just another technique.

AMD has also cut the official "FidelityFX Super Resolution" moniker down to simply "FSR," bringing it in line with what we've all been calling it all along anyway.

With the Redstone launch, AMD says that more than 200 games now support "one or more" Redstone features. These include FSR Upscaling, FSR Frame Generation, FSR Ray Regeneration, or FSR Radiance Caching. Beyond that, there are 32 games — including Arc Raiders, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and Cyberpunk 2077 — confirmed to support FSR Frame Generation.

What about FSR Ray Regeneration? As far as I can tell, only Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 supports the feature. AMD's FSR Radiance Caching is still in its infancy, with AMD noting that it will come to developers sometime in 2026.

Unfortunately, this update is only available for owners of AMD's latest Radeon RX 9000 graphics cards that use the RDNA 4 architecture. There are some inferior FSR 3.1 fallbacks for Upscaling and Frame Generation on older hardware, but Ray Regeneration and Radiance Caching are strictly reserved for the latest AMD GPUs.

How does AMD FSR Redstone perform?

Our friends at PC Gamer were quick to test out AMD's Redstone update first-hand on a Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU.

The TL;DR? AMD's new Frame Generation is a big upgrade, pushing it up to compete with NVIDIA's DLSS. It still lacks 3x and 4x generation ala DLSS, but it's certainly better than it used to be. And although Ray Regeneration is only available in one game, it also seems to be a win.

AMD still has a long way to go if it wants to surpass NVIDIA's DLSS tech, but this seems like a solid step in the right direction for Radeon. I just wish it were all available on older AMD GPUs.

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While the Xbox Ally X has received rave reviews, it is made with plastic and can be scratched easily. First-hand experience taught us that, but a recent video illustrates it up close.

Zack Nelson, also known as JerryRigEverything, recently tore down the Xbox Ally X. While your gaming handheld is unlikely to face open flames, knives, or boxcutters like the one in Nelson's video, his content always provides insight into how devices are constructed.

The Xbox Ally X — and its more affordable sibling the Xbox Ally — feature quite a bit of plastic. Nelson highlights the balancing act between keeping the cost of a gaming handheld down and using durable materials:

"The rest of the buttons and the directional pad are made with a hard plastic along with every other piece of exposed material. It's all plastic, even around the dual USB-C ports, volume buttons, vents, microSD card slot, headphone jack, and fingerprint scanning power button.

And like, yeah, game controllers have been plastic for decades, but they have also never cost $1,000 before, so I'm rather torn on the material choice."

The ROG Ally X already starts at $899.99 and has increased in price since launch, so making it even more expensive could put the console out of reach for shoppers.

A middle ground for gamers is to get the Xbox Ally X and add a layer of protection, such as dBrand's Killswitch. We recently reviewed the Killswitch for the ROG Ally and Ally X (non-Xbox versions), and the accessory earned a 5/5.

It offers an extra layer of protection and adds rubberized grip and a kickstand to the device. An optional Travel Cover adds even more protection by covering the screen and sticks. dBrand also sells Killswitch cases for the Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally.

A holiday sale cuts the price of the "Ultra" dBrand Killswitch to $64.80. For that price, you get the case, a kickstand, a skin, a travel cover, stick grips, and two screen protectors (though you have to elect to receive the latter).

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Dell understands that PCs must now fulfil a user’s every need, and the Dell Plus family of laptops is proof. The specs and hardware are impressive, but so are the numerous additional features included with the hardware, all designed to help you be more productive.

Whether it’s Dell’s growing ecosystem of apps and peripherals, cross-device compatibility making workflows easier, powerful AI tools for improved productivity, or useful conferencing and collaboration features, Dell Plus laptops are designed from the start for modern multi-use professionals who crave a more realistic work-life balance.

What sort of ecosystem has Dell built around its Plus laptops?

Dell has built a strong ecosystem of accessories – including keyboards, mice, headsets, stylus pens, webcams, speakers, docks, and displays – and software around its laptops, making it a snap to set up a seamless experience across devices, no matter your needs.

Using the same laptop for work and for play, of course, requires long battery life, and Dell’s Plus laptops certainly deliver. In our Dell 14 Plus review, we noted that “a full day of work isn’t cause for concern.”

Improving efficiency is the native Dell Optimizer app, which uses AI to quickly and intelligently adjust performance on the fly for a perfect balance. Within are also powerful collaboration and interaction tools, while network prioritizations ensure your meetings are never interrupted.

Dell Optimizer works flawlessly with Dell’s Display and Peripheral Manager. No matter how many of Dell’s accessories and monitors you use on your desk, the supporting apps make it easy to create a seamless experience across devices.

TL;DR: Buying a Dell Plus laptop means you’re getting a full ecosystem of supporting hardware and software, making it easy to create a seamless experience.

Can Dell’s Plus laptops link to other devices, like a phone?

Dell’s Plus laptops can connect to modern Android or iOS phones via Phone Link, allowing you to answer or make calls, send texts, and check notifications right from your PC. It’s one of the most convenient features available to Dell’s Plus laptops, and it’s one that I use all of the time, whether I’m working or casually computing.

Once linked with your phone, your Dell Plus laptop becomes the centerpiece of activity, reducing the amount of time you spend moving from one device to the other. No more missed calls, and no more pulling your phone out to check on a useless notification.

This feature has saved me so much time over the years, allowing me to get my work done more efficiently and effectively. And when the workday is done, you’ll have time left over to make plans with your friends – right from your PC.

TL;DR: Dell’s Plus laptops connect flawlessly with your phone, allowing you to save time and handle both devices from the same screen.

Are Dell’s Plus laptops a good choice for conferencing and collaboration?

Dell Plus laptops include loud, clear speakers and crisp, high-res webcams, ideal for conferencing and collaborating with coworkers and other professionals. And because the Plus lineup has the right hardware to run local AI, additional tools like Windows Studio Effects can automatically make you look and sound as good as possible every time.

Working a freelance job from the beach? Use AI to dynamically change your video meeting background to give a far more professional appearance. Catching up with friends and family? Have some fun with filters and effects.

Everything that’s said comes through clearly on the speakers, and thanks to Dolby Atmos support, you can add additional spatial tools for increased immersion. Because Dell’s laptops are set up with the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth standards, you can always count on a fast and steady connection.

TL;DR: With clear webcams, crisp speakers, reliable Wi-Fi, and built-in AI enhancement tools, Dell’s Plus laptops are perfect for conferencing, collaborating, or simply catching up with friends and family.

Can Dell Plus laptops meet the needs of modern creators?

Dell Plus laptops are ideal for creators thanks to sharp, color-accurate screens, a powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to run AI tools, and a durable design with long battery life.

Your personal AI assistant, Copilot+, has full access to the latest AI features in Windows 11, designed from the start to boost productivity. Need an image for a presentation? Use the Dell 14 or 16 Plus 2-in-1’s touchscreen and active pen to sketch an idea and watch it come to life in seconds.

For creators who need accurate color reproduction, the mini-LED display in the Dell 16 Plus is a stellar option with enhanced contrast for deeper darks and lighter whites. And because Dell puts every laptop through a stringent, military-grade durability testing process, you get a slim and sleek PC that will be your everyday companion for years.

TL;DR: Dell’s 14 Plus and 16 Plus laptops are perfect devices for creators and freelancers due to their durability, performance, and high-end screens.

If you think a Dell Plus laptop is for you, find out more on the Dell website.

And there’s one more thing to know before you buy: Dell offers a price match guarantee. Learn more about the Dell price match and price guarantee, including the terms, exclusions and restrictions.

In fact, I might go so far as to say this is the best Arm-based Windows mini PC you can buy right now, with a large selection of ports, great performance for everyday tasks, and a premium build quality that you don't often find on mini PCs in this price range. It's certainly a contender for our roundup of best mini PCs.

I've been using the IdeaCentre Mini X as my primary desktop for the last two months, and this is my long-term review.

Price and specifications

The Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini X starts at $699 and comes with the Snapdragon X SoC, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD as standard. There's also an $899 model that comes with the slightly more powerful Snapdragon X Plus SoC, still with 32GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage, though I don't think this is necessary for most people.

Frustratingly, the configurations you're able to buy will likely depend heavily on either the region or retailer of choice. Not all models are available in all regions, so your pricing and spec options are likely to vary.

Design and ports

The IdeaCentre Mini X features a minimalist contemporary design that looks at home on any desk, under any monitor. It's a 195mm x 191mm box made out of a combination of aluminum and plastic. The sides of the device are aluminum, and the top and bottom panels are plastic, as they are removable.

The box itself looks and feels very premium, and I love how slim and low-profile it is compared to most other Windows mini PCs. It is on the heavier side, however, though that shouldn't matter much given it's a desktop PC that you're likely not going to be moving around much.

The grey and black color choice is also one I really like. It looks very clean, modern, and premium to touch. The top and bottom covers pop off, which allows access to the inside of the device, where you can swap out and replace components like SSD storage or Wi-Fi card. RAM is soldered, but storage is upgradable using a standard M.2 drive.

The IdeaCentre Mini X also comes with a stand included in the box, which lets you set the device up on its side if that's an orientation you prefer. For me, I prefer having it lying flat, but if you're tight for space, the included plastic stand makes propping it up on its side, so it stands tall is super easy and convenient to use.

Along the front of the device, we have one USB-A port, one USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a power button. Around the back, there's one Ethernet jack, three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4a. There are plenty of ports to go around, though I do wish there were one more USB-C port on the back for extra versatility.

The underside and back of the box are where your vents are located for thermal management. The device has a built-in fan, which helps keep the Snapdragon X cool under load. The fan itself is almost never audible, and for the first few days ,I really did think this was a fanless system. The only time I heard it spin up was under heavy load during benchmarking.

Performance

Lenovo offers the IdeaCentre Mini X in two SoC flavors, the Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus. We received the base model Snapdragon X variant for review, and luckily, I found that this doesn't make it a slouch by any stretch of the imagination.

The base Snapdragon X SoC is great for everyday tasks and light creative work. Paired with the 32GB RAM that this system includes, it's a multitasking powerhouse, easily capable of handling multiple apps running all at once and switching between them without missing a beat.

In our benchmarks, we found the IdeaCentre Mini X lines up with the exact kind of performance you'd expect from an Arm-based mini PC in 2025. In Cinebench 2024, it earned a single-core score of 96 and a multi-core score of 687, putting it in line with Apple M1/M2 performance.

In Geekbench 6, it earned a single-core score of 2,137, a multi-core score of 10,828, and then 9,780 in the OpenCL GPU benchmark test. In CrossMark, it earned a score of 1,332, placing it alongside the Beelink SER5 Pro and Surface Studio 2+. It's a perfectly capable machine for most tasks, which is brilliant.

The only thing it's really not good at is gaming or high-intensity creative work that requires a GPU or a more powerful CPU to run smoothly. Because this is the base SoC, it only has 8 cores, four of which are performance cores, and so demanding tasks will take longer or be laggy as a result.

Again, for day-to-day tasks or light creative work, you won't notice any slowdowns. It's really perfect for office-based workflows, web browsing, email, Teams, and Slack, and media consumption tasks, with a bit of light Photoshop and video editing on the side if you need to get that done every so often.

Conclusion

Overall, I've really loved my time with the IdeaCentre Mini X. It's the Mac Mini of the Windows world I've been waiting for, albeit slightly on the larger side compared to the Mac Mini M4. Still, I think it looks great sitting on my desk, and it's cool and silent pretty much all of the time, meaning I forget it's even there.

It has enough ports to go around, and the ability to upgrade things like storage or Wi-Fi card down the line is also an extra nicety you don't always see on these kinds of PCs, so I'm glad Lenovo put in the extra effort to make that possible. The included stand is also a nice touch.

If I have any complaints, it's that I'd like to see more CPU options down the line. Lenovo currently makes Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus variants, but I'd love to see a Snapdragon X Elite option too. I'd also like to see variants with less RAM, as for whatever reason, 32GB is the base amount. Not everyone needs that amount, and so a lot of people could save a few bucks if there were a 16GB variant too.

Ultimately, this is a great mini PC, one of the best in the Windows market currently. It looks great, performs well, and is actually quite affordable too. If you wait for sales, I bet you can grab one of these new for as little as $599. At that price, it's a no-brainer.

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Check your game settings on the fly

Valve's Steam Deck Verified system is supposed to show you what runs smoothly on the handheld, but as we know, it doesn't always paint the whole picture. I should know, I rage-refunded the Oblivion Remaster over it. Sometimes, regardless of ratings, you need to get into the settings and dial down some elements. Other times it plain doesn't work, but you aren't a quitter!

Change the wrong settings or multiple at once, and you can make performance worse and not know why. So rather than guess, you can use this app to get tried-and-tested performance reports from other gamers. These reports break down general playability, from bronze to gold, and dive deeper into framerates, benchmarks, and other metrics.

If you have an Android device, you can grab the early build from the Google Play Store, while iPhone users will have to wait a bit; the iOS beta isn’t accepting new testers just yet.

Get the best performance out of your Steam Deck

DeckSettings pulls configurations and presets from community databases like ShareDeck and SteamDeck HQ, and includes much more than just recommended settings.

You get FPS expectations and expected battery life for each configuration, basically all the data you need to squeeze the most performance out of your titles. If you pair this with our 11 tips and tricks for the Steam Deck, you'll get the most out of your games and your handheld.

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Yes, I'm talking about DRAM, which is currently in short supply and being sold at extortionate prices. The cause? AI and the countless billions of dollars going towards the buildout of datacenters that support it.

So far, it's mostly consumer RAM that's so harshly spiked in price, but that's expected to change in 2026 as the squeeze is felt by more than just average consumers like you and me. Here's what you need to know to make sense of the ongoing RAM supply crisis.

How did RAM prices get so high?

To fully understand how RAM prices have climbed so high, let me back up a bit and give you some quick background details regarding the overall market.

The RAM market is largely controlled by three major players: SK hynix, Samsung, and Micron. These three companies produce the bulk of the DRAM chips that the world uses, and it's been that way for as long as I can recall.

For years, the RAM market remained relatively stable. Production was ample, there were plenty of eager buyers, and the three big manufacturers were able to keep prices within reason.

Manufacturers of other devices, like laptops, phones, TVs, and tablets, that use DRAM could buy in bulk on the cheap, and regular PC builders weren't being gouged at checkout.

Then came the AI boom. Firms with seemingly endless amounts of money were suddenly throwing it towards the major DRAM manufacturers, hoping to secure allotments used in AI datacenters. The three main DRAM manufacturers were happy to oblige, moving production towards specialized cases and causing a shortage practically everywhere else.

See, the big AI companies all need an unfathomable amount of high-speed memory to support their AI models. Although AI datacenters rely heavily on High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), it's just another version of DRAM — the same stuff that goes into the consumer RAM you put in your PC.

The shortage has now reached epic proportions. Because DRAM manufacturers are happy to chase the biggest pile of money, AI firms continue to place first on the priority list. This leaves what are essentially scraps for everyday consumers.

Consumer DDR5 RAM that used to cost a couple of hundred dollars is now, in many cases, approaching four digits, making memory a bigger buying decision than even a GPU.

This realization is causing panic buying and stock shortages, further worsening the situation. And speaking of making things worse, Micron — one of the world's three major DRAM manufacturers — recently decided to completely pull out of the consumer market.

Micron exits the consumer RAM market

If you thought the DRAM shortage was bad before, Micron's announcement that it's ending production of its consumer-focused Crucial memory and storage pushed it to a new, terrible level.

Micron states in its official press release that it plans to discontinue shipments of Crucial consumer products after February 2026, effectively leaving Samsung and SK hynix as the only two big companies supplying consumer DRAM.

Micron's press release has some nice sentiments thanking all the regular consumers who bought Crucial products over the years, but the subtext reads: "We're going where the money is, and you can't do anything about it."

So, are Samsung and SK hynix destined for the same future? Samsung, at least, has recently acknowledged that it plans to shift DRAM production from HBM towards DDR5 in order to maximize profits (via DigiTimes).

I can't pretend that this move doesn't make sense — consumer DDR5 RAM is a luxury right now, and prices change so quickly that you can spec out a PC build one day, only to see it go way up in price by the next. Not trying to capitalize would be a mistake, at least from the viewpoint of shareholders.

On the SK hynix side, it has also said that it plans to significantly ramp up DRAM production in 2026 (via Wccftech). However, this news shouldn't really excite you unless you're running an AI firm. Most of the product will continue to go towards the AI buildout.

Will all tech be impacted by the DRAM shortage?

I've mainly focused on the PC building aspect of the DRAM shortage so far, as it's the one that has seen the largest price increase. PC builders Maingear and CyberPowerPC have both publicly stated that prices are on the rise due to DRAM demand, warning customers that pre-built systems are about to get pricier.

However, it's not the only market that's being (or will soon be) impacted.

Your laptop, phone, tablet, TV, handheld, console, car, camera, watch (and on and on) use DRAM, and the makers of those products are also now beginning to feel the squeeze.

According to TrendForce, Dell is planning to raise prices of PCs by at least 15-20% as early as mid-December 2025, while Lenovo has warned customers that its current sales quotes and pricing guidelines will be obsolete come January 1, 2026. On HP's side, CEO Enrique Lores has said that the second half of 2026 could see PC prices go up if the DRAM situation doesn't improve.

Further aggravating the situation is another impending shortage. NAND flash chips, which are used in modern SSDs, are also being squeezed out of production.

TrendForce reports that contract demand for NAND Flash wafers spiked by up to 60% in November 2025, "fueled by AI applications and solid enterprise SSD orders." With such a focus on supplying enterprise and AI, it's leaving less space to produce chips for other consumers.

When will the RAM crisis end?

I'll preface this by saying that I have no idea when exactly the RAM (and impending SSD) crisis will end. According to some experts, it's only now just getting started.

Team Group's GM, Gerry Chen, has stated (via TechPowerUp) that December contract prices for DRAM increased by 80% to 100%, and that this substantial price hike is only the start of a "multiyear memory upcycle." Chen believes the situation will worsen in early 2026 once the current stock purchased at a reasonable price is sold off.

Assuming the AI bubble and its unprecedented demand for high-performance DRAM and NAND chips don't pop at some point in the near future, new fabrications will need to be created. The problem? These plants cost billions of dollars and take years to get up and running.

As far as I know, Micron — the company that recently exited the consumer business — is the only big supplier to state its intentions of opening a new DRAM fabrication in the near-ish future (via PCGamer). It has invested $10 billion in the project that will see the fab built in Japan, but it's not expected to begin actually creating any chips until the second half of 2028.

The other resolution to the problem involves the AI bubble popping (or at least deflating a bit). Should that happen, the AI datacenter buildout will likely come to an abrupt halt, leaving an oversupply of DRAM and NAND to contend with.

The AI bubble's deflation would, of course, have massive ramifications on global markets, but at least we'd be able to once again buy DDR5 memory at a reasonable price.

RAM crisis: FAQ

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Like the Dell 14 Plus, a reliable workhorse AI laptop that forgos gimmicks for essential hardware to complete workflow productivity with ease, that's now on sale for $499.99 at Best Buy instead of its normal MSRP of $849.99

Why buy the Dell 14 Plus laptop?

One of our top laptop experts, Zachary Boddy, gave the Dell 14 Plus a modest 3.5/5 star review.

They stated that while it may have a boring design, lackluster audio, and a below-average display capable of only 60Hz and 1200p resolution, it makes up for it's presentation by packing tons of essential hardware components to make its users' lives easier, whether it's during work or casual browsing.

It has a solid performance that's able to consistently run modern web browsers and Microsoft Office apps with no issues, thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 CPU (with 6 cores) and AMD Radeon 840M GPU.

It has a long battery life of up to 19 hours, a responsive keyboard, and full AI integration with 50 TOPS on its NPU to help run AI-related tasks like researching alone or editing images with Copilot+.

Plus, it's been future-proofed for any updates regarding Copilot+ PCs and Windows 11.

So, if you're looking to get yourself a dependable laptop that's only packed with the bare essentials for the workplace or while you're away on a business trip, then Dell 14 Plus is for you, especially now that it's on sale for $499.99 at Best Buy, making it a great value Christmas present for yourself or your colleagues.

FAQ

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Right now, the highly rated Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) is on sale for around $600 off. That discount brings the price of the Snapdragon X Elite model with 1TB of storage to $999.33. That's ever-so-slightly less than what the same configuration cost on Black Friday.

Why buy the Surface Laptop 7?

We've called the Surface Laptop 7 a lot of things here at Windows Central. The "MacBook Air Killer," "the clamshell form factor perfected," and the best Windows on ARM laptop are among the most effusive.

Thanks to the Snapdragon X Elite inside this model, the Surface Laptop 7 delivers excellent performance and battery life. The keyboard and haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 7 are among the best available, and its Dolby Vision-certified IPS panel is easy on the eyes.

Because of its Snapdragon X Elite processor, the Surface Laptop 7 performs well when plugged in or unplugged. Our Senior Editor Zac Bowden discussed the battery life of the PC in our Surface Laptop 7 review:

"In short, it means longer battery life without sacrificing Ultrabook-class flagship performance in most workflows. There are some exceptions, mainly around gaming and heavier legacy applications that haven't been natively compiled for the Windows on Arm architecture, but for people who use their laptops for office and productivity-based workflows, these new chips are incredible."

The Windows on Arm architecture Bowden referred to used to be a major limitation when shopping for a PC. But app compatibility has improved greatly over the years. Over 100 popular apps are now natively compiled for Windows on Arm, and most of those that are not can run through emulation.

The Surface Laptop 7 is a Copilot+ PC — the best Copilot+ PC for what it's worth — and the laptop gets access to select next-gen AI features.

Bowden called the Surface Laptop 7 "basically perfect" in 2024 when he first reviewed the device. The laptop has aged well since then thanks to its modern design. At around $1,000, the Surface Laptop 7 is a great bargain.

Alternative discounted configurations

Other configurations of the Surface Laptop 7 are on sale in case you want different specs or the highlighted deal above runs out of stock:

• Snapdragon X Elite, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD — $1,049.99 at Best Buy (was $1,199.99 at Best Buy).
• Snapdragon X Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TBB SSD — $1,599 at Best Buy (was $2,099.99 at Best Buy).

Alternative retailers with discounts

Other retails have discounted the Surface Laptop 7 as well, including Best Buy:

• $949.99 at Best Buy (was $1,499.99).

FAQ

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For example, the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, which we regarded as the best 2-in-1 laptop in 2024 for its exceptional performance, battery life, and sleek design, is now on an early Christmas discount for $1007.99 at Amazon.

Why buy the Surface Pro 11 Laptop?

While the Surface Pro 12 laptop may be all the rage these days, its predecessor, the Surface Pro 11, still stands as one of the best Windows-on-ARM laptops and one of the best 2-in-1 laptops we've ever covered on Windows Central.

Our editor-in-chief, Daniel Rubino, even gave this device a perfect 5/5 review in 2024, stating that"The Surface Pro 11th edition is by far the best version yet — and easily one of the best Windows laptops you can buy — thanks to the new Qualcomm processor, excellent 120Hz OLED display, and the new Flex Keyboard. With solid battery life and excellent performance, Microsoft achieves a nearly perfect score from us (95/100)."

Daniel Rubino doesn't make this statement lightly, as it's equipped with a mountain of powerful features to make life browsing the internet and working on digital paperwork or photo editing much easier.

These features include a Snapdragon X Elite processor (with 12 cores) to greatly enhance its CPU performance rates up to 4.2GHz, it has a superb battery life that will last you 16 hours before needing to recharge, and it has full Copilot+ AI integration with 45 TOPS on its Qualcomm Hexagon to efficiently run AI-empowered tasks.

Other notable features include an OLED touchscreen display that renders visuals with stunning resolution, colors, nd contrast, as well as a 512GB SSD for storing valuable data. Then there's the built-in high-quality speakers, a microphone, and a camera.

So if you're thinking about getting yourself or your friends a high-performance laptop for Christmas, you can grab it right now for $1007.99 at Amazon, instead of its usual MSRP of $1499.99.

Alternative discounted configurations

There are also alternative configurations for the Microsoft Surface Pro 11 available on should you wish to lower its specs to get a cheaper price tag or upgrade them for higher performance rates at a more expensive cost.

• Snapdragon X Elite (12 Cores), 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 13" OLED Touchscreen — $1,549.99 on Amazon (was $2,099.99 on Amazon).
• Snapdragon X Elite (10 Cores), 16GB RAM, 512TB SSD, 13" LCD Touchscreen — $899.99 on Amazon (was $1,199.99 on Amazon).

Alternative retailers with discounts

Should the Surface Pro 11 with the Snapdragon X Elite (12 Core) CPU run out of stock at Amazon, or you prefer shopping at other retailers, here are some alternative back-up discounts to consider:

• $999.00 at Walmart (was $1,499.99).
• $1,099.99 at Best Buy (was $1,499.99).

FAQ

Arrives after Christmas and need a gift sooner? 

If your item won't arrive in time for Christmas or you're looking for a quick and easy add on, buying an Amazon eGift Card is a fast, flexible way to give purchasing power now—send instantly or schedule delivery by email or text, choose any amount from $5 to $2,000, and the balance never expires, making it ideal when a deal’s item won’t ship until after the holidays.

Amazon eGift Cards let you pick a design, set a custom amount, add a personal message, and choose delivery by email or SMS with the option to schedule the exact delivery date—including immediate delivery or a future date up to a year ahead. There are no fees, and gift card balances never expire, so recipients can redeem the code and apply the funds to their Amazon account whenever they’re ready, across millions of eligible items.

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Of course, it usually retails for $599.99, which is a steep ask for the entry model, but it is now available at a much more reasonable, well-suited price. It makes it a far more tempting option for anyone who wants to game on the go with a Windows-based handheld.

Is the Xbox Ally right for you?

Although it is not as powerful as the Xbox Ally X, the base model Xbox Ally still holds its own. Its performance sits close to the Steam Deck, a system with around 19,000 titles verified as Steam Deck-playable, which means the Xbox Ally should handle a large portion of those games too, although mileage will vary.

You also get three months of Game Pass Premium with a purchase of the Xbox Ally. This lets you access a service with more than 200 games available to download or play through the cloud, via the Xbox App. This gives you plenty of choice whether you are at home or on the move.

FAQ

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After some digging online and joining the official Xbox Ally Discord server for help, I finally managed to fix it thanks to one Reddit post that was difficult to find. It solved the issue instantly for me.

I will also include a few general troubleshooting steps in case the same fix does not work for you. With a bit of luck, your ROG Ally or Xbox Ally will stop dropping your internet connection and work as expected.

This how-to guide should work for Xbox Ally, Xbox Ally X, ROG Ally, and ROG Ally X, as well as other devices with the same Wi-Fi chip.

Updating the WLAN Driver

1. When within the Xbox Full Screen Experience, go to Windows Desktop by using your finger to drag up from the bottom of the screen and selecting Windows Desktop
2. On the Windows Desktop, use a browser to go to Microsoft Update Catalog.

3. Download the latest driver at the top, this will popup a new windows, so make sure you don't have popups disabled.
4. You want to click the blue link and download it somewhere you can easily find.

5. Once downloaded, open the Start Menu.
6. Search for Device Manager and open it.
7. Open up the Network adapters menu.

8. Right-click (hold your finger down on the screen) on the MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 (RZ616) 160Hz Wireless LAN Card.
9. Select Update driver.

10. Select Browse my computer for drivers.
11. Select "Browse...".
12. Navigate to where you saved the driver you downloaded earlier and select Ok
13. Then select "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer". You will then be shown the driver we downloaded earlier

14. You want to select "Next".
15. After the new driver installs, restart the device to make sure everything works.

This is the fix that worked best for me after digging around for far too long. Your experience might be slightly different, and that is completely normal.
If it does not solve the problem for you, do not worry, because I have included the other steps I tried as well. They did not work on my unit, but they might just work on yours.

Toggle Wi-Fi and try airplane mode

Start by opening the network panel in the bottom right corner of Windows. You can tap the Wi-Fi, volume, or battery icons to bring them up.

Tap the Wi-Fi button to turn it off and back on. If nothing changes, switch on airplane mode for a few seconds and then turn it off again. This refreshes the wireless connection and often clears quick glitches.

1. Start by opening the network panel in the bottom right corner of Windows. You can tap the Wi-Fi, volume, or battery icons to bring this up.
2. Tap the Wi-Fi button to turn it off and back on.
3. If nothing changes, switch on airplane mode for a few seconds and then turn it off again.

Restart the device

If the Ally still refuses to stay connected, restart it through the Start menu. A simple reboot reloads all the background services and can bring the Wi-Fi back without any extra work.

Reset your network settings and reconnect

1. Open the Network Panel in the bottom right corner of Windows. Tapping the Wi-Fi, battery, or volume icons in the bottom right corner of the Windows Desktop will bring this up.
2. Hold your finger down or right-click on the Wi-Fi toggle.
3. When the prompt appears, select Go to Settings.

4. Go to network & internet, then advanced network settings.

5. Choose network reset.
6. Confirm the reset, wait for it to complete, and restart your Ally device.

7. When it turns back on, open the Network Panel and reconnect to your Wi-Fi by selecting it and entering your password.

MyASUS app settings and troubleshooting

1. When on Windows Desktop again, open the MyASUS App by searching for it in the Start Menu.
2. When within the MyAsus App, select Device settings.
3. Scroll to the bottom and turn on Wi-Fi Smartcheck.

Now if none of this has worked, there is one more thing you can try within the MyASUS App, here's what you can do.

1. Within the MyASUS App, go to System Diagnosis.
2. Tick the Wi-Fi box.
3. Run the Checkup.

4. MyASUS will highlight anything unusual and apply any necessary fixes.

Fix your handheld's Wi-Fi connection

Hopefully, something in this guide has helped you get your Wi-Fi working again. Updating my WLAN driver was the fix that finally solved it on my unit, and since doing that, my Xbox Ally X has connected to Wi-Fi without any issues.

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I've been using the new Dell dock on my desk for a couple of weeks, and I'm ready to share where it excels and where it falls behind the competition.

This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Dell. Dell had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.

Plenty of ports, a straightforward design, and massive charging potential

First, let's take a look at the port selection. The front of the dock features just two downstream connections: USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) at 10Gbps with charging abilities and USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) also at 10Gbps.

Most ports are relegated to the back to promote better cable management. There are three more USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) ports, all capable of charging, as well as USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) with DisplayPort 2.1 capabilities.

Two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports also make an appearance. Why not three? Dell moved some of that bandwidth over to native video out ports, including HDMI 2.1 and dual DisplayPort 2.1. This should make it quite easy to connect all of your monitors without requiring adapters or dongles.

A 2.5Gb Ethernet port and a barrel charging port round out the rear connections. I'd rather see a 10GbE hookup on a dock at this price, but at least it's not 1GbE.

As you should expect in any dock aimed at pros, there are a couple of lock slots on the side — one Kensington and one Noble wedge-shaped. The other side has venting cutouts to feed the internal fan.

So, where's the upstream Thunderbolt 5 connection for the host PC? This dock comes with the dreaded attached host cable. I prefer a detachable cable simply because you never know when a cord is going to fail, and I'd rather not replace an entire dock when it does.

However, Dell has a good reason for the attached host cable. This is the first dock that can deliver up to 300W of power to the host laptop, which requires a specialised cable. The caveat is that the 300W is only available if you've connected one of Dell's commercial laptops with USB-C PD 3.1 support.

Using the dock with a non-Dell PC? It can still hit up to 240W, which is enough to keep some of the thirstiest mobile workstations topped up. The bottom of the dock includes two pre-drilled holes meant for use with a VESA 100mm x 100mm mounting bracket, which allows you to hide the dock practically anywhere but your desktop.

Dell's dock supports up to four 4K displays each at 120Hz

Dell's dock doesn't skimp on video support; it's capable of handling up to four 4K displays at 120Hz each simultaneously. This maximum setup is only possible with DP 2.1 and Thunderbolt 5 with Display Stream Compression (DSC), a feature available in many pro-grade displays.

With DP 1.4 and DSC, it falls to quad 4K screens at 60Hz each. And without DSC support in your monitors, you're looking at quad QHD display support with a 60Hz refresh rate each. Of course, having fewer displays means you can crank up the resolution in each. The dock tops out at a single 8K monitor running at 60Hz.

Ultimately, the Dell Pro dock should be able to handle any sort of monitor setup you throw its way, even if you're working at a massive workstation with quad monitors.

A Pro dock wouldn't be much without pro-grade management tools

Dell's Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock is aimed at professionals, and it brings a ton of PC management tools for IT. Using a Dell laptop with an Intel vPro chip inside? Intel AMT over Thunderbolt is supported.

Otherwise, you're looking at MAC address passthrough, PXE Boot, Wake-on-LAN, WLAN to LAN switch, and kernel DMA protection. Thanks to Dell's Device Management Console, the dock can be updated and configured entirely remotely.

Everything wireless is encrypted with a strong WPA-3 192-bit standard, but security goes beyond digital as well. The dock is equipped with hardware-based, tamper-proof encryption, and specific ports can be disabled.

With a standard three-year warranty that can be extended to up to five years, this dock is no doubt going to attract a lot of enterprise customers. And thanks to wide compatibility — Windows 11 (and 10), macOS, Ubuntu 24.04, RHEL 9.7, and ChromeOS 141 — you shouldn't run into any problems if you're working across platforms.

Dell Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You already have a Dell laptop with Thunderbolt 5 that can take full advantage of all the dock's features.
• You absolutely need the remote IT management and professional features.
• You have a power-hungry laptop that needs up to 240W (non-Dell PCs) or 300W (Dell PCs) of charging.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You're a casual user who won't make use of the professional management tools.
• You want a Thunderbolt 5 dock with a built-in M.2 SSD slot for easy removable storage.
• You don't have a Thunderbolt 5 laptop and don't plan on upgrading anytime soon.

Dell clearly had a focused vision for its new Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock. It set out to create a hub that's best used with its own Thunderbolt 5 laptops, especially in an enterprise setting where IT management is crucial.

In that regard, it's a complete success, and I expect that enterprise customers already using Dell PCs will flock to this dock for some excellent future-proofing.

However, due to the price — normally $569.99 but discounted to $484.99 at the time of writing — and the included features, I'm not recommending it to average users, at least unless money is no issue.

Standard users can certainly make use of a lot of the features here, including the excellent display support and charging capabilities, but you can spend a lot less and still get a great Thunderbolt 5 dock that doesn't charge you for IT management features you'll never use.

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On the side of consumer gaming hardware, it appears that a new discrete GPU from the Chinese card maker Lisuan is the first to offer compatibility with Windows on ARM.

That's an exciting revelation for PC gamers. Up until now, Windows on ARM hasn't had an avenue for pairing an ARM64 chip with a discrete AMD or NVIDIA GPU. Even Intel and its stellar Arc GPUs are out of the question. Why? The big GPU manufacturers simply haven't bothered creating proper drivers for the ARM-based Windows package.

This incompatibility essentially means that when you buy a Windows PC running Windows on ARM — a market currently completely dominated by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips — you're stuck with integrated graphics. Lisuan Technology, a company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Shanghai, evidently wants to change that.

Lisuan debuted its 7G106 card in July 2025 as China's first 6nm GPU designed for gaming. Featuring 12GB of GDDR6 VRAM, DirectX 12 support, and a slick blower design, it made some waves in the PC gaming world before the company seemingly put its head down to work on its product.

We now have an update in the form of a 26-second video posted on the Chinese platform bilibili. The video shows the Lisuan 7G106 GPU running on a system with an ARM-based CPU (a Chinese 12-core CP8180 v9 ARM chip from 2024), being benchmarked using 3DMark's Steel Nomad test in Windows on ARM.

During the demonstration, a DirectX 12 window is shown in the OS, and we can clearly see in the Windows Task Manager that the hardware all checks out. If Lisuan indeed has created an ARM64 driver compatible with its GPU, this could be a major step forward for gaming on ARM-based systems, at least within the Chinese GPU ecosystem.

In the meantime, Qualcomm has been anything but idle. The company announced a chip refresh in the form of Snapdragon X2 in September 2025, promising a significant leap forward for overall performance in ARM-based Windows 11 PCs.

Beyond performance improvements and better game compatibility, Qualcomm promises new optimizations available through the Snapdragon Control Panel and new kernel-level anti-cheat compatibility for competitive titles. And yet, there's still no word of compatibility with NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel discrete GPUs.

(via Videocardz, ITHome)

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What else does the Steam survey show?

Interestingly, the RTX 4060 mobile GPU is now the most popular graphics card for users on Steam, with 4.22% of users having one, perhaps thanks to recent Cyber Monday deals enticing enough people to upgrade their laptops. Additionally, 8GB of VRAM is now the leading standard across Steam Users, accounting for 33.36% of users.

Modern games now push far more detailed textures and effects, so needing more VRAM has become the norm. That is why 8GB has effectively become the baseline across Steam, as older cards with lower memory are beginning to struggle. Sure enough, even Valve's own Steam Machine PC is targeting 8GB of VRAM.

The rise of the RTX 4060 laptop also makes sense when you consider pricing. Many 4060 laptops are far cheaper than their desktop equivalents, which makes them an appealing upgrade path for anyone wanting better performance without spending much more.

We are also seeing older entry-level cards like the GTX 1650 continue to drop in usage as players move on to newer hardware.

Laptop GPUs seem to dominate the survey trends, showing that many people may prefer portable systems as opposed to typical desktop rigs.

The trend of moving towards more portable gaming is also seen in devices like the Xbox Ally, which is flying off shelves, and Valve’s own Steam Deck, which has performed well. Let’s also not forget that Nintendo’s own first-party console, the Nintendo Switch, sold over 100 million units, and the Nintendo Switch 2 has sold significantly more than the original Switch during the same timeframe.

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Crucial Consumer Business has been a major player in the PC building market since it was established nearly 30 years ago in 1996, competing with the likes of Samsung, SK Hynix, Corsair, and Seagate, among others. Now, though, it's being shuttered as Micron shifts its manufacturing efforts to focus solely on supporting AI companies.

The firm announced the news on Wednesday morning, explaining that the decision "reflects Micron’s commitment to its ongoing portfolio transformation and the resulting alignment of its business to secular, profitable growth vectors in memory and storage."

Its ultimate goal is to strengthen its business performance in the long-term and "and create value for strategic customers as well as stakeholders" — AKA, big corporations attempting to experiment with and develop artifical intelligence products, not people like you and I.

"The AI-driven growth in the data center has led to a surge in demand for memory and storage. Micron has made the difficult decision to exit the Crucial consumer business in order to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments," said Micron executive vice president and chief business officer Sumit Sadana in a statement.

“Thanks to a passionate community of consumers, the Crucial brand has become synonymous with technical leadership, quality and reliability of leading-edge memory and storage products. We would like to thank our millions of customers, hundreds of partners and all of the Micron team members who have supported the Crucial journey for the last 29 years," he added.

Micron says it's committed to continuing the sale of Crucial products until the end of its current second fiscal quarter, which is February 2026. Once March begins, however, you'll no longer be able to purchase Crucial RAM and SSD from PC part retailers.

The firm has also stated it "will work closely with partners and customers through this transition," and that it will continue to provide support for Crucial products and fulfill any warranty obligations. Additionally, it intends to keep selling "Micron-branded enterprise products to commercial channel customers globally."

As for those working for the Crucial brand that will soon find themselves out of work, Micron has noted it intends to offer its employees "redeployment opportunities" for open positions elsewhere in the firm.

All in all, it's good that the company seems to be — or at least plans to be — handling the closure of Crucial ethically, but this is still a tragedy for consumers and hobbyists looking to build or purchase a PC. Not only are we losing a reputable and well-respected RAM and storage brand, but we're also likely going to see prices climb, too.

Indeed, the price of RAM has already skyrocketed due to a surge of demand from AI companies, resulting in kits themselves as well as devices with RAM in them becoming more and more difficult to afford. Demand for RAM is through the roof even as OpenAI declares "code red" and companies turn to debt to fund AI, with developers desperately investing more and more in the hopes for a grand payoff — and Micron is eager to provide supply.

Yes, it certainly makes sense from a business standpoint, but it sure does suck for the rest of us that want affordable RAM and storage for our gaming rigs and creative work PCs. The shortage of RAM on the market is already frustrating, and I'm not looking forward to it getting worse.

FAQ

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While the powerful AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor and massive 9.06-inch OLED display with a super high refresh rate and resolution are impressive, it was really the 115Whr battery that made my eyes widen.

The AYANEO NEXT II might have more impressive specs than the Xbox Ally X, but that battery could cause problems for anyone who wants to fly with this niche gaming device.

For those of you who don't know, in the US, UK, and Europe, any device with a battery that's larger than 100WHr needs to get approval before it can be taken on a commercial plane. And in many locations, a 100Whr battery or higher cannot be checked in baggage.

As such, anyone who owns the AYANEO NEXT II will technically be required to go through this approval process if they want to fly with their handheld, whether or not an airline or TSA security holds you to it.

Now, I personally always bring a handheld gaming PC when I go on a plane trip since it helps pass the time. As such, the idea of having to worry about this is very unappealing and makes the Xbox Ally X a better choice.

Insane specs for better or worse

Outside of the battery, there are a few other things about the NEXT II that stand out for better or worse.

Going back to the processors, AYANEO's upcoming Windows gaming device will feature an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which is a more powerful chip than most other handhelds.

For instance, the Xbox Ally X's AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme (8-cores, 16 threads CPU with RDNA 3.5 Radeon 890M integrated GPU) has largely been considered one of the most powerful handheld APUs (accelerated processing units), but the AI Max+ 395 (Zen 5 Strix Halo 16-cores, 32-threads CPU, RDNA 3.5 Radeon 8060S integrated GPU) is more powerful than it, with double the cores and threads.

What's more, the Xbox Ally X APU's TDP reaches up to 35W, but the NEXT II APU's TDP is up to 85W. This means that, depending on settings, AYANEO's handheld can take far more power to run, which could deplete the battery very quickly.

Then there are the NEXT II's dimensions and weight to consider. Given its larger-than-average screen and impressive specs, this device is likely going to be large and weighty.

As an example, the Legion Go 2's 8.8-inch OLED is considered massive compared to other handhelds, but the NEXT II's display is even bigger at 9.06 inches, so I'm expecting the NEXT II to be fairly large in size and heavy to boot (for a handheld).

The Xbox Ally X weighs 1.57 pounds (715g), which is somewhat hefty, but it offsets that hand and wrist strain with some of the very best ergonomic grips on a handheld to date. Meanwhile, the Legion Go 2, with its even higher 2.03 pounds (920g), has detachable controllers, so you don't have to hold it. But there's no such relief for the NEXT II.

Of course, with all that said, I really don't think AYANEO has designed the NEXT II for the average consumer. This is certainly a niche device for PC handheld enthusiasts who are willing to pay a much higher cost for the premium of premium handhelds.

An official price hasn't been revealed yet, but based on other AYANEO devices, it's very possible it could cost $2,000 or more. So once again, this isn't meant for everyone. But AYANEO said that itself by saying this device is for "True gamers."

At any rate, I'd be less inclined to travel with such an expensive device when there are other, less expensive handheld gaming PCs available.

But what do you think about the NEXT II? If price weren't an issue, would you like this handheld? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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AYANEO has one of the largest lines of handheld gaming devices of any company on the market, but this latest device is far more powerful, with its beastly AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395.

Based on specs, this processor (powered by Zen 5 Strix Halo CPU, RDNA 3.5 Radeon 8060S integrated GPU) with up to 85W TDP performance should play games even more smoothly than the Xbox Ally X's AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip with up to 35W.

This handheld also features a 9.06-inch OLED display, making it one of the largest handheld screens to date. For reference, the Legion Go 2 has previously had one of the biggest displays, but it's just an 8.8-inch OLED.

What's more, the NEXT II's display has an extremely high resolution (for a handheld) of up to 2,400 x 1,504. Plus, it can swap between 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, and 165Hz, which is higher than most other Windows handhelds out there.

Another thing worth mentioning is the gargantuan battery capacity of 115Whr. For reference, the Xbox Ally X has an 80Whr battery, and the Legion Go 2 has a 74Whr battery, so this really is big. Of course, a handheld's battery life doesn't just depend on capacity, but how efficiently the system runs, so we'll have to wait and see what battery life is actually like for this device.

Like many other high-end handhelds, this one also packs some premium features, including Hall Effect joysticks and Hall linear triggers, trigger switches, an 8-Way D-Pad for finer control, four back buttons, and a dual-fan cooling system.

As a fancy extra, it even features an AYANEO RGB name plate that you can apparently customize. Fancy.

In typical AYANEO fashion, not all of the specs for the NEXT II have been revealed just yet, including the exact ports, connectivity features, and the actual size and weight of the device. As such, we'll have to wait on more announcements in the coming months.

Additionally, no price or even an expected release date has been revealed. However, given the prices of other high-end AYANEO devices, it's very likely this beast of a handheld could sell for upwards of $2,000, aiming for serious handheld enthusiasts rather than the market at large — thus the marketing for "True gamers."

In the past, most AYANEO devices have sold at Indiegogo, but some have started appearing at Best Buy as well, so it's possible it could arrive at either location when it finally goes on sale.

We'll keep an eye out for any updates regarding this beastly AYANEO NEXT II, but what do you think about it? Tell us in the comments below.

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Cyber Monday deals have continued at some major retailers, giving you one last chance to pick up a new SSD without overspending. I found the 8 top SSD deals still live after Cyber Monday, with a couple of bonus options for bulk storage and Xbox Series X|S consoles.

Best SSD deals still live after Cyber Monday

Bonus storage deals still live after Cyber Monday

FAQ

More post-Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Cyber Monday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17

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Whether you missed out on shopping over the weekend, you have a few more gifts to buy, or you freed up some extra room in your budget, I found the 20 best deals still live for a little while longer at Target.

Cyber Monday laptop deals still live at Target

Cyber Monday desktop PC deals still live at Target

Cyber Monday gaming deals still live at Target

FAQ

More post-Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Cyber Monday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

Indeed, I'm seeing a lot of the same low prices from yesterday continue into today, and I've distilled the thousands of deals available at Walmart down to 17 top discounts I don't want you to miss.

I've included monitors, accessories, laptops, and more, and I'm keeping the guide updated with any new deals that appear.

FAQ

More Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• All our TOP recommended Cyber Monday deals: Just the best
• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Black Friday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Steam Deck: Essential accessory deals
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17
• SSDs: The best Samsung SSDs on sale

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

This year's sales season is rapidly ending, though, and it's taking the majority of the discounts with it. So, to help your holiday shopping plans, here are 12 of the absolute best deals on tech and accessories at Best Buy — but (seriously) don't wait, because all of these deals are ending in just a few hours.

If you'd rather peruse all of the deals, you can check out the complete Cyber Monday sale at BestBuy.com. Otherwise, scroll a little further to see the handpicked deals from the Windows Central team.

I won't beat around the bush here; Cyber Monday is ending, and it's going to take most of Best Buy's deals with it. If you've been on the fence about purchasing anything, this is the make-or-break moment.

It has been a busy Black Friday season this year, even if many of the deals have been unfortunately lackluster. It's the unavoidable result of the state of the world, and I can't blame anyone for being hesitant to spend money — because I'm in the same boat. I went back and forth for ages on whether to take advantage of the Meta Quest 3S deal listed above.

That being said, there are still plenty of worthwhile deals on the best technology, devices, and accessories at retailers like Best Buy. As we near the end, I hope my highlighting these deals helps you make that last-minute decision, because this article will be outdated literally a handful of hours from now.

FAQ

More Cyber Monday 2025 — Quick links

• All our TOP recommended Cyber Monday deals: just the best
• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Cyber Monday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: even more PC accessories starting at $17

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

One lucky laptop that's been graced by Cyber Monday is the AI-accelerated, long-lasting ASUS Vivobook 16 (Quiet Blue edition), which is now on sale for $449.99 at Amazon after having its $799.99 MSRP cut by 44%.

Why buy the the ASUS Vivobook 16?

The ASUS Vivobook 16 with the Quiet Blue finish comes packed with a myriad of useful hardware specs for greatly enhancing workflow productivity and boosting the visuals of your favorite movies while streaming them.

These components include a Windows-on-ARM OS, a 16-inch IPS display capable of displaying crisp images with 1920x1200 resolutions and 60Hz refresh rates, a 512GB SSD to store all your vital documents in, a long battery life up to 19-20 hours, and 16GB of RAM to help save and load your files faster.

Its most vital components, however, are its Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor and Qualcomm Hexagon NPU (up to 45 TOPS) with Copilot+, Recall, and Live Captions support.

With these features, this Copilot+ PC will make workflow productivity a breeze as it will be able to juggle running Microsoft Office apps, finding info online, translating languages, and streaming shows on Netflix without any slowdown.

Now add on top a 44% discounted price tag of $449.99 at Amazon, and you've got a great bargain deal for any hardworking desk jockey looking for a reliable mid-range laptop to get work done faster at an entry-level fee.

Alternative discount deals

If Amazon's stock of the ASUS Vivobook 16 laptop runs dry or its Cyber Monday discount expires, we have few alternative discounts found at other stores to serve as back-up options.

• $549.99 at Walmart (was $849.99)
• $549.99 at Walmart (was $849.99)

FAQ

More Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• All our TOP recommended Cyber Monday deals: Just the best
• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Black Friday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

If you've grabbed one of these sweet handheld gaming PCs, then you'll want to grab the essential accessories to go with them.

The bag I personally use with my Legion Go S has an MSRP of $52.99, but it's currently $39.99 at Amazon. I also own and recommend the JSAUX 6-in-1 Docking Station, which is discounted to $27.99 at Amazon and lets me play on my TV.

Handheld FAQs

More Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• All our TOP recommended Cyber Monday deals: Just the best
• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Cyber Monday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

ANTOnline's Windows 11 laptop deals include options from all major brands like Surface, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and more. I found the 13 top deals I'd recommend to family and friends so that you don't miss out on the perfect Windows 11 laptop upgrade.

More Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• All our TOP recommended Cyber Monday deals: Just the best
• Mini PC deals: up to 47% off tiny PCs
• GPU deals: early price drops on NVIDIA RTX before they go up
• Microsoft Surface deals: save up to $500 on premium PCs
• Xbox accessories: best deals on gadgets for your Xbox Series X|S and PC
• Gaming laptop deals: the best laptops for the best price
• Xbox controllers: our top picks for best controller deals
• ANC headphones: great Cyber Monday deals on the best ANC headphones
  
  Even more Cyber Monday deals:
• Dell deals: 13 deals from Dell.com that you shouldn't miss
• Best Buy: 34 hottest discounts on laptops, monitors, gaming, and more
• Walmart: 7 top laptop deals you shouldn't miss
• Samsung monitors: the best Samsung display deals we've found
• Retro gaming: handhelds, arcade machines, old school consoles, and more
• Steam Deck: Essential accessory deals
• Gamer merch: Blizzard’s Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo IV collectibles
• Game keys: 10 PC game codes are even cheaper at Loaded (formerly CDKeys)
• Accessories: Even more PC accessories starting at $17
• SSDs: The best Samsung SSDs on sale

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!