PC hardware Archives

Winsage

July 16, 2026

Windows 10 refuses to die, and the security bill is coming due

Approximately 16.9 percent of monitored Windows devices are still running Windows 10, a decline from about half a year ago. Windows 10 will receive updates until October 12, 2027, for consumer devices and until October 10, 2028, for commercial customers. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have 21.4 percent of their machines on Windows 10, with 23 percent in healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors and 22.7 percent in consumer and retail. A Windows 10 device has an average of 1,903 active Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), compared to 652 on Windows 11. Only 14 percent of Windows 10 assets have Extended Security Updates (ESU) patches applied. Many devices are tied to vendor certifications that complicate upgrades, and the rising cost of new PC hardware is a concern. The stagnation of Windows 11 adoption continues, with minimal change in market share distribution.

AppWizard

July 14, 2026

How The Coalition and NVIDIA are Building Gears of War: E-Day for PC

Gears of War: E-Day is being developed by XBOX and The Coalition as the most immersive and technically advanced entry in the franchise, utilizing Unreal Engine 5 and DirectX 12, optimized for various PC hardware. NVIDIA is the exclusive PC partner, focusing on integrating GeForce RTX technologies for performance enhancements and launch support. The game emphasizes emotional storytelling, intense combat, and cinematic visuals, featuring advanced rendering capabilities like hardware ray tracing and NVIDIA RTX enhancements. It incorporates NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, Super Resolution, and NVIDIA Reflex for improved gameplay performance. The game will also support AMD FSR, Unreal Engine TSR, Intel XeSS, and Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) to optimize performance and visual fidelity. Gears of War: E-Day will be available on multiple PC storefronts, including the Microsoft Store and the XBOX PC app, with Early Access to the Open Beta starting August 6 and the official launch on October 6.

Winsage

July 7, 2026

Valve Ships Official Windows Drivers For The Steam Machine, But Installing It Wipes SteamOS Entirely

Valve has released official Windows drivers for the Steam Machine, allowing users to install Windows while ensuring compatibility with essential hardware components like the AMD Radeon graphics card, WiFi, Bluetooth, and the SD card reader. However, Valve does not recommend transitioning to Windows OS on the Steam Machine at this time. Installing Windows requires wiping the Steam hardware, as dual-booting with SteamOS is not currently available. Valve plans to update its SteamOS installer with a dual-boot wizard in the future, enabling users to run both operating systems simultaneously. SteamOS is promoted as the preferred operating system, offering a console-like gaming experience and optimized user interface.

AppWizard

July 6, 2026

Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Remastered Lighting Drops On PC This Week, as Modder Transforms Game To Another Level

Modder David Matos has developed a custom Shader Injector mod for the PC version of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, addressing the game's flat open-world lighting. The upcoming version 2.0 of the mod will eliminate manual shader setup, introduce new game shaders for improved tonemapping, experimental screen-space global illumination, and automatic exposure. Users will have customization options to disable certain features and adjust settings like contact shadowing and ambient occlusion. Matos has shared that version 2.0 is expected to release within a week and will include a complete overhaul of screen-space reflections to fix light-leak issues. The mod's release coincides with renewed interest in the Final Fantasy VII trilogy following the Summer Game Fest reveal of Final Fantasy VII Revelation. While the enhancements may affect PC performance, Matos believes the visual improvements are worthwhile.

Winsage

June 30, 2026

AMD Driver Bug Silently Disables Smart Access Memory On Windows 10, Tanking Gaming Performance And Triggering Crashes

Recent reports indicate that AMD's driver is disabling Smart Access Memory (SAM) on Windows 10 systems, resulting in reduced gaming performance. Users have experienced issues such as game crashes and improper recognition of Radeon graphics cards. Many have uninstalled the AMD driver using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and performed a clean installation, but SAM remains disabled in the Adrenalin software despite BIOS settings being unchanged. Notifications from Windows 10 suggest a conflict between the AMD driver and the operating system. AMD is investigating the issue and has released a preview driver version 26.6.3 to address compatibility problems for RX 7000 series GPUs. Temporary workarounds have been suggested by users, including checking monitor refresh rates and rebooting systems.

AppWizard

June 25, 2026

You can finally turn Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat off when you’re not playing a game

Riot Games is updating its Vanguard anti-cheat system to an "on-demand" model, which will only activate during gameplay and stop once the game ends. This change addresses concerns over Vanguard's previous persistent background operation and kernel mode access. Players must meet specific security criteria to use the new feature, including enabling pre-boot security mechanisms and Windows' native protection features. Approximately 35% of players already meet these conditions, while 3% using older hardware will not have access to the on-demand option until they upgrade. Vanguard will continue its current operation for those unable to meet the requirements. The update is influenced by advancements in Windows and PC hardware security and aims to enhance anti-cheat measures while keeping the process optional for most players.

Winsage

June 23, 2026

AMD Tells Windows 10 Owners To Roll Back Their Drivers As Adrenalin 26.6.2 Triggers A Yellow Bang Error

Many users of Windows 10 are experiencing issues with the AMD Adrenalin Edition 26.6.2 graphics driver, which fails to launch properly and shows a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager. AMD has acknowledged the problem, attributing it to an incompatibility with Windows 10, and has advised users to revert to the previous driver version, Adrenalin Edition 26.6.1. This earlier version does not support FSR 4.1 for RX 7000 series GPUs. There have also been rare reports of similar errors on RX 9000 series systems. AMD's engineers are investigating the issue and working on a solution.

AppWizard

June 21, 2026

Steam Gets 11 New Free Games You Can Check Out Now

Steam has released a new collection of free games, including: - The Unrealtor: A couch co-op puzzle adventure for two players involving perspective-based puzzles. - Operation P.L.U.S.H: A horde defender game for 1-4 players where dream-powered plushies protect a child's nightlight. - Cave Of Treats: A Halloween-themed arcade game where players control a skeleton disguised as a mummy to battle creatures. - Dragon Kisser: A third-person soulslike game where players charm a dragon to save their village. - Moon River: A short RPG adventure focused on music and exploration. - Tarot Spell: A typing survival game that involves learning about Tarot cards to cast spells. - Once Upon A Card: A card-based game where players help a royal child navigate dreams and face challenges. - Bloxzer: A puzzle game that involves rolling blocks into holes and activating bridges, with the first 15 levels free. - Without Sanctuary: An underground fighting game set in a nightclub, featuring brutal combat. - Tumble Type: A word puzzle game where players spell quickly to rescue keys and climb leaderboards. - eXSert: A Dieselpunk 3D beat 'em up game where players confront a genocidal AI. Players should check their PC hardware specifications for optimal performance.

AppWizard

June 14, 2026

AMD Says MacBook Neo Can’t Run All Your Games While Ryzen-Based Laptops Can

AMD has released marketing materials highlighting the capabilities of its Ryzen laptops while comparing them to Apple's MacBook Neo. AMD claims that the MacBook Neo can only run 5 out of 20 popular games natively, whereas Ryzen systems can run all 20. The company emphasizes that its laptops provide access to extensive gaming libraries without the need for workarounds. AMD contrasts its Ryzen 5 220 chip with the MacBook Neo's A18 Pro chip, claiming the Ryzen is 57% better at multitasking and 38% faster in content creation. However, the performance of the Radeon 740M integrated into the Ryzen 5 220 may not meet the demands of high-end gaming.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

Phantom Blade: Zero devs couldn’t care less about releasing near GTA 6: ‘We don’t even think of the competition, what matters is how polished the game is’

In September 2026, the gaming industry is preparing for the release of several titles, including Grand Theft Auto 6. Phantom Blade: Zero, an action RPG, is set to launch on October 29, just three weeks before GTA 6. Game director Qiwei "Soulframe" Liang stated that the decision to launch close to GTA 6 was not influenced by competition but focused on the quality of the product. Liang emphasized that the team is addressing challenges posed by the AI-driven PC hardware crisis and aims to ensure the game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, despite the demands of Unreal Engine 5.