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Not every AI workload belongs in the same place. Large language models often fit logically in the cloud because they can serve as general-purpose engines that improve with scale and draw value from broad, up-to-date knowledge.
But the AI workloads moving into production are not just text and language, and we’re increasingly seeing enterprises adopt multimodal models for AI video, audio, and image generation and seeing massive advantages across compute usage, control of IP, and ability to customize the look and feel of creative output.
For these types of creative production, the raw material they’re using to build is not the open web. Instead, it’s often footage, branded assets, or unreleased IP that already lives within the organization’s walls. In these instances, there’s a clear need for running the models closer to where that content already resides.
That’s because creative production is iterative by nature, and that volume of iteration and generation brings with it real cost pressures when drawing on the cloud.
As a founder, I’ve watched this transition play out repeatedly: companies adopt AI pilots, usage skyrockets, and suddenly finance teams are trying to understand which teams, workflows, or model calls are driving up the bill.
Cost predictability becomes an infrastructure questionOnce AI tools become part of daily work, usage no longer behaves like an experiment. Every generation, agent action, video render, or workflow step carries a cost. The equation becomes much harder to forecast once adoption spreads across teams and AI agents.
For companies with high-volume creative workloads, running more of their inference locally, at the edge, or in private environments gives greater control over unit economics and makes AI spending easier to manage over time.
This is particularly important in creative production environments, like filmmaking and gaming, all the way to marketing campaign creation and internal training, where teams often generate dozens of variations of an asset, sequence, campaign concept, or interface.
In an environment where a single workflow can generate thousands of API calls per day, the difference between cloud and local inference can determine whether an AI strategy is sustainable or requires constant budget justification.
Data control will shape deployment choicesLong-term, data control has potential to be a primary driver for enterprises to move toward more flexible AI architectures. Businesses have become increasingly sensitive about where and how their information is stored, how long it stays there, who has access to it, and how it can be used.
Those questions become more serious when AI is mapping physical environments, working with unreleased creative assets, production files, or other material that was never meant to move freely outside controlled systems.
When it comes to AI video generation, which can involve multiple iterations on sensitive creative assets and IP, teams may prefer to run their models within their own environments. In these cases, local or private deployments are less about rejecting the cloud and more about giving companies a way to use AI without handing over access to sensitive information.
As AI becomes more embedded in business-critical work, these choices will involve more than IT architecture because they affect what a company can build, what risks it takes on, and how much control it keeps over the systems producing its work.
The future is optionality, not a single deployment modelThe cloud has proven to be essential for many AI workloads, especially when companies need elastic compute, access to frontier models, or the ability to support highly variable demand.
A more realistic future is one in which enterprise AI becomes hybrid by necessity, with different workloads running in different environments based on the needs of the business rather than the convenience of a single deployment model.
Some workloads will run in the cloud because scale matters most, while others will run locally because latency, interactivity, and iteration matter more, and still others will run on-prem to prioritize privacy, compliance, customization, or ownership.
The organizations that prepare for this transition will be the ones that stop treating deployment as a binary choice and start asking which workloads require which level of control.
This pressure only intensifies when we consider where creative production is heading. The same models that teams use to generate video are now evolving into world models: systems that can predict and simulate the physical world, moment to moment, in real time.
Workloads like these will be defined by interactivity and latency, and a generation that waits on a round trip from the cloud and back won’t be able to cut it.
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I can't say that I've been paying too much attention to what's happening at San Diego Comic Con, but I certainly didn't expect new Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and the DC universe to be mentioned in the same breath.
According to Nerdist, DC President Jim Lee made a surprise appearance at the HBO Max show's panel in Hall H, confirming that multiple DC characters will cameo later in the season.
“Some of the DC characters they have in it, I think, are some of the best versions I’ve seen of those characters,” Lee said during the panel.
In other words, watch out James Gunn. With Supergirl failing to make much impact earlier this year, maybe Stuart Fails to Save the Universe actually is the best DC Universe iteration we'll get in 2026.
If you've been watching the teaser trailers closely, you might have seen underrated characters such as Gotham villain Mr. Freeze have already featured. But if creators really want to bring the existing Big Bang Theory lore full circle, the show can't omit the superhero that's been staring us in the face for years.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's DC crossover need to include The Flash to commemorate — or spite — SheldonEven if you've only watched one episode of Big Bang Theory in your lifetime, my campaign for The Flash to join the Stuart Fails to Save the Universe x DC episode hopefully won't come as a surprise.
He's Sheldon's (Jim Parsons) favorite DC superhero, and the reason why, nearly every time we see him, he's sporting the iconic T-shirt with the Flash logo.
We're going to be on tenterhooks for all of the new show's 10-episode run to see if Sheldon makes a cameo appearance, and dropping in The Flash as a potential clue could be a really fun way for the creators to mess with us.
On the flip side, a Flash cameo could also work to either spite or celebrate Sheldon. The reason why Stuart (Kevin Sussman) is in this multiverse mess in the first place is because he broke a device built by Sheldon and Leonard (Johnny Galecki); bringing his favorite superhero closer to home could be a great way to apologize.
However, this is a multiverse show, so The Flash likely won't be appearing in the Sheldon we know's reality. So if another Sheldon met the Flash instead... our one would be furious. That, in itself, is hilarious.
At this point, I'm purely speculating. We've got no idea which DC characters will appear in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, nor do we know exactly which episode they will be in. Regardless, we can definitely assume that the crossover will be an epic one.
- The official story trailer for Marvel's Wolverine has been released
- The trailer features Jean Grey, Team X, and a multitude of villains
- It looks like The Last of Us actor Troy Baker will also star in the game
Insomniac Games has revealed brand new story details for Marvel's Wolverine alongside an official story trailer, featuring bloody battles, mutants, and a ton of villains.
Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, the trailer kicks off with Logan, aka Wolverine, confronting Jean Grey in what looks to be the aftermath of a battle. The pair clearly share a lot of history in this story, and Jean can be shown accompanying Logan on missions as they rescue mutants and investigate threats as part of Team X.
"New allies and formidable adversaries emerge in the clash for mutant survival," the new story description reads. "As Wolverine, unite with Jean Grey to protect those most vulnerable. Fight alongside Team X to confront the world’s deadliest villains in the caliber of Bolivar Trask, Omega Red, and Deathstrike, and stand against oppressive forces like The Reavers and The Hand."
We also get a look at more members of Team X - the X-Men don't exist in this story - which includes Sabretooth, Mystique, and Sunfire. At one point, we also see a quick glimpse of another unnamed character, who appears to be played by The Last of Us actor Troy Baker.
There are plenty of shots of Logan in different cities around the world as he takes on enemies like Deathstrike and, notably, The Hand, which you might be familiar with because they're one of the major villainous organizations of the Daredevil TV series and the upcoming movie, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Insomniac also dropped some brand new artwork for the game as well, showing Logan taking on The Hand, and it looks awesome.
In addition to a new story trailer, the studio also announced a collaboration with Arc System Works to bring Wolverine’s suit from Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls to Marvel’s Wolverine, as well as revealed a digital prequel comic book that takes place before the game.
It was also confirmed that award-winning composer David Fleming crafted the music behind Marvel’s Wolverine, which will be released on August 28, but fans can listen to the first track, "Logan," on available platforms like Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Amazon.
Marvel's Wolverine launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 15.
- Zenity Labs found AgentForger, a flaw in OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent Builder
- Malicious links could instantly deploy rogue agents that exfiltrate sensitive data without user prompts
- OpenAI patched the issue by removing the risky URL parameter; no abuse detected
AI agents are handy for answering customer emails, or tracking reports for newly released security vulnerabilities. But what if they go rogue and turn on the very enterprise they’re supposed to support?
Security researchers from Zenity Labs have found a way for cybercriminals to trick people into deploying such agents into their own tech stack. Since all it takes is a single click, the disruptive potential of these attacks is arguably significantly bigger than anything else a phishing attack could do.
The flaw was discovered in OpenAI’s ChatGPT Agent Builder, a feature that lets users create custom AI agents. The researchers dubbed it “AgentForger", explaining that the issue stems from an overly permissive parameter in the tool, which allowed anyone to create ChatGPT links that include virtually any instructions.
Agent trust failureAs soon as the victim clicks on the link, they send the instructions to Agent Builder which acts on them immediately - without prompting or otherwise notifying the victim.
In theory, a single phishing email could trick a person into deploying a malicious agent that exfiltrates sensitive data or does anything else that company’s AI agents are permitted to do. To make matters worse, the AI agent would persist on the infrastructure indefinitely, doing the attackers’ bidding until caught.
“This is an agent trust failure, and existing security controls were never built to see it,” commented Michael Bargury, co-founder and CTO of Zenity.
The researchers disclosed their findings with OpenAI in early June 2026, and the company came back with a fix a few days later.
The bug was solved by removing the URL parameter that originally enabled the attack, it was explained. There is no evidence that it was previously discovered, or abused, by malicious actors.
- Someone may have ported Grand Theft Auto 5 to Nintendo Switch
- Performance appears poor and reaches 22FPS at most
- It makes me wonder what Grand Theft Auto 6 could look like running on Switch 2
While we wait for Grand Theft Auto 6, someone has seemingly managed to port Grand Theft Auto 5 to the Nintendo Switch.
The port was apparently created by M0jso and posted to Reddit, where footage apparently shows a native v2699 (2023) version of the 13-year-old game, running on the original Switch, albeit rather poorly.
The performance overlay shows that the frame rate reaches 22FPS at most, and declines to 11FPS in some places, but it does appear to be playable.
A user explained that the footage had been taken down a while ago, but it looks like the project is in progress again. M0jso showcased more videos on X, explaining that rendering can be broken in some places, crashes are frequent, but they have seemingly managed to play GTA 5 on a real Switch console.
However, overall, performance appears poor, and the odds of the game reaching console or PC-level quality seem slim. It made me wonder what GTA 6 could look like running on the Nintendo Switch 2, a more advanced system that boasts 4K and 1440p resolutions and 60FPS.
For now, Rockstar hasn't shared any plans to port the game to Switch 2 - a PC version hasn't been announced either - but we've seen demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy functioning on the console with minor frame rate issues.
That being said, GTA 6 will be a massive game, with a map possibly even bigger than Cyberpunk 2077 and GTA 5's. Not to mention the dense locations and level of detail that PS5 and Xbox Series X will also need to contend with.
While the game's performance features haven't been revealed yet, reports have claimed that it's likely to run at 30FPS on PS5 consoles due to CPU limitations, which could make the likelihood of a Switch 2 port rather slim.
According to Digital Foundry, GTA 6 running at 60FPS on current-gen might be pushing it, but a 40FPS mode could be possible.
There's still just under five months to go before the game launches on November 19, so we could learn more about performance, potential graphics modes, and even get a third trailer soon.
- Google is expanding Gemini Live to the first-gen Home Mini speaker and Nest Hub smart display
- It rolled out in Gemini for Home early access, and requires a Google Home Premium subscription
- Google also increased Gemini's conversation memory window to 15 minutes
It’s a great day to be an owner of older Google smart home devices, now the company is rolling out Gemini Live to its two of its OG models.
Yesterday (July 23) Google unveiled a slew of Gemini for Home early access upgrades on its support page, but the one that has everyone talking is the arrival of Gemini Live, which is coming to the first-gen Google Home Mini speaker and Google Nest Hub smart display.
The update marks the next step in Google’s plan to expand the ubiquity of its live AI chatbot, which the company rolled out to the Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max devices in October 2025. The new Google Home Speaker comes equipped with Gemini Live out of the box.
The Google Home Speaker was launched on June 25 for $99.99/ £99.99/ AU$199 (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)For users who are still going strong with their first-gen Google devices, we imagine this upgrade will be welcomed with open arms, but the one catch is that Gemini Live is paywalled behind the Google Home Premium subscription service, which costs a monthly fee of $10/ £8/ AU$15.
If you already have Google Home Premium and are part of the Gemini for Home early access program, you can now start conversations with your Home Mini and Nest Hub devices by saying ‘Hey Google, let’s chat’. The chime will indicate that Gemini is listening, and you can ask it anything such as recipe ideas, suggestions for an upcoming trip, or dive deeper into the most niche topics.
In addition to Gemini Live’s expansion, Google has upgraded Gemini’s conversation memory window to 15 minutes. “You can ask Gemini a follow-up question to a topic that was discussed during this window, and Gemini will understand the context,” the company details.
It’s refreshing to see that Google hasn’t completely given up on its early smart speakers and displays — even if the hardware is aging. Not often do you see tech giants acknowledge that old devices are still widely used, and Amazon is a classic example of this.
A few months back, the company came under fire for ending support for Kindles released from 2012 and earlier even though there’s a whole community of bookworms that still rely on these models — so Google is doing a better job than Amazon in that regard.
Signed up to Google Home Premium but unsure how to join the Gemini for Home early access program? We’ve got you covered.
First, you’re going to need to request early access, and you’ll need to make sure your Google Home app is updated to the latest version. From there, launch the app and tap your profile image or initial at the top right, select Home settings, and then Early Access. Follow the steps to request early access, and you’ll receive a notification when Gemini for Home becomes available for your devices.
You can also check region availability and other information on the Google Home and Nest help page.
- Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto has defended the company's recent remakes, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- He says remakes allow younger gamers to experience older titles that aren't accessible anymore
- Miyamoto says remakes lead to "future developments"
Nintendo executive and representative director Shigeru Miyamoto has defended the company's recent remake releases, suggesting they'll lead to sequels.
After launching Star Fox, a remake of Star Fox 64, on Switch 2 last month, Nintendo is scheduled to launch another remake for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time sometime this year.
While many fans are excited for a modern version of the beloved Zelda game, Nintendo has been criticised for frequently re-releasing old, classic titles for its current hardware; Ocarina of Time was first released on N64 in 1998, then received a Nintendo 3DS remaster in 2011, which makes the upcoming Switch 2 title its third iteration.
Now, speaking in an interview with Famitsu(via Nintendo Everything), the Mario creator has addressed concerns that Nintendo is releasing too many remakes, explaining that the projects allow younger gamers to experience older titles that aren't accessible anymore and that the games will eventually lead to "future developments."
"Some people might say there are a lot of remakes, but after five years, a lot of people have outgrown games and stop playing them," Miyamoto said. "Young people today don’t have the opportunity to play games from 10 years ago, so remaking them to be more playable and releasing them again is a good way to meet the demand."
He added, "Letting people know the original games also leads to future developments, so we’ve been actively pursuing that recently."
It's this last comment that suggests Nintendo is actively working on projects that will follow these remakes, but whether they'll be direct sequels or projects within the same franchise, we'll have to wait and see.
In 2021, Nintendo released remakes of two games in the Famicom Detective Club series, The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind, which were then followed by a brand new Switch sequel, Emio - The Smiling Man.
It also released a remake of Metroid on 3DS, which led to Metroid Dread on Switch, as well as a The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake, followed by the spiritual successor in 2024, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
- Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed Sony's decision to end the production of game discs
- Utsumi says, "We still value the culture of physical media," but "a digital shift is crucial"
- He adds, "It is important to strengthen our digitalisation" in the current market
Sega president Shuji Utsumi has addressed the controversy surrounding Sony's decision to end the production of game discs in 2028, acknowledging the importance of physical media but that the digital shift is "crucial."
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (via Eurogamer), Utsumi explained that the digital market needs to be cultivated and Sega believes in bolstering digitalisation.
"When it comes to titles we call 'full games' for consoles and PCs, we believe that a digital shift is crucial," Utsumi said. "Of course, consoles are important, but the proportion of people who play on PCs is steadily increasing. Even in areas where consoles are not widely available, there are many people who say, 'I can play it on PC.'"
He added, "In order to cultivate that market, we believe it is important to strengthen our digitalisation. We tend to think from a physical perspective, so I think we need to be more digitally conscious and become more global."
Utsumi then touched on Sega's hardware history, saying that while it isn't in the console market anymore and now primarily publishes games, the company hasn't forgotten its roots and the importance of physical media.
"We were originally a platform provider, and of course, we still value the culture of physical media," the president said. "Rather than completely abandoning that, we are currently challenging ourselves to shift so that we can think about and act on the important aspects of digital media in parallel."
Sony announced its plan to retire new physical discs earlier this month, explaining that the transition to all-digital games "will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."
PlayStation fans continue to push back against the decision, but analysts believe the company won't change its mind.
It's also said that the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market could be in danger as a result of Sony's decision, with Wedbush Securities managing director of strategic planning, Michael Pachter, reporting that "Brick and mortar game retail is doomed."
Elsewhere, Former Nippon Ichi Software CEO has objected to the plan, saying that while he understands it "From a purely business perspective," Sony doesn't "understand the feelings of those fans."
"If they’re going to go as far as eliminating physical packages, they may as well eliminate the hardware too," he said. "A television would be enough. Why would you need the console? If you’re going to get rid of physical games, you may as well go all the way."
House of the Dragon season 3 continues to engross us as it enters its home stretch. And, with its sixth episode less than 72 hours away, we'll soon find out how Houses Targaryen and Hightower will continue to try to one-up each other as the battle for the Iron Throne intensifies.
Does that mean we'll soon bear witness the highly anticipated Battle of Tumbleton between Ormund Hightower and Daemon Targaryen's armies? Or are more political machinations and infighting going to be the order of the day? You'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, scroll on to learn when and where House of the Dragon's next episode will air.
What time can I watch House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6?The metaphorical walls continue to close in around Rhaenyra Targaryen (Image credit: HBO)House of the Dragon season 3's next chapter will be released on Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.
That's when the Game of Thrones spin-off's forthcoming episode will be available in the US and Canada, anyway. If you live elsewhere, you'll have to wait until Monday, July 27 to stream it. Here are the all-important times you need to know about:
- US — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
- Canada — Sunday, July 26 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET
- UK — Monday, July 27 at 2am BST
- India — Monday, July 27 at 6:30am IST
- Singapore — Monday, July 27 at 9am SGT
- Australia — Monday, July 27 at 11am AEST
- New Zealand — Monday, July 27 at 1pm NZST
HBO Max, aka one of the best streaming services, is the place that most people will need to go to watch House of the Dragon's next episode.
Unfortunately, that platform isn't available worldwide, so some of you will have to look elsewhere to stream it. Luckily for you, I've put in the hard yards and found out where House of the Dragon can be watched in your nation, so check out the list below to see which streamer or TV network you'll need to tune into:
- US — HBO and HBO Max
- Canada — Crave
- UK — HBO Max, Sky Atlantic, and Now TV
- India — JioHotstar
- Singapore — HBO Max
- Australia — HBO Max
- New Zealand — HBO Max
After its sixth entry is released, there'll only be two more to enjoy before the high-fantasy show's latest season comes to an end.
Want to know what dates episodes 7 and 8 will launch on? Of course you do, so read on for more details:
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 1 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 2 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 3 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 4— out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 5 — out now
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 6 — July 26/27
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 7 — August 2/3
- House of the Dragon season 3 episode 8 — August 9/10
- A bipartisan bill introduced to Congress calls for AI models to have a kill switch
- The bill follows months of warnings about the dangers of rapidly advancing AI technology from major AI firms
- An 'unprecedented cyber incident' between OpenAI and Hugging Face prompted the introduction of the bill
A bill requiring powerful frontier artificial intelligence systems have an in-built ‘kill switch’ has been presented to Congress in the wake of the OpenAI cyberattack against Hugging Face.
The incident saw an OpenAI model undergoing testing escaped its sandbox, chained a number of zero day vulnerabilities and breached one of the biggest AI and machine learning companies, highlighting warnings by Anthropic and OpenAI about the dangers of rapidly advancing AI technology.
The bipartisan bill was introduced to congress on Thursday by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas.
AI models need a kill switch“Unfortunately, powerful AI systems can go rogue, behave in extremely dangerous ways, or even resist human intervention,” Lieu said in a statement. “It is imperative that these AI systems have kill switches so we can keep this technology from causing catastrophic harm, and that the federal government has the clear authority and process to shut down rogue AI models.”
OpenAI said that the attack was an “unprecedented cyber incident”, and is working with Hugging Face to understand exactly how that incident took place.
In June 2026, Anthropic called for “a meaningful slowdown or pause” on AI technology development, stating that AI “self-improvement” was rapidly increasing and that a pause would provide time “to deal with its immense implications”.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned in March that while AI can help with medical and scientific breakthroughs, “AI will also present new threats to society that we have to address,” adding that “no company can handle this alone.”
The kill switch bill would provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with the authorization to issue a “slow down or shut down” of particular AI models that threaten to cause “catastrophic harm”. The bill would also force AI companies to implement cyber incident reporting and maintain forensic records to help the government and researchers understand similar incidents.
“Stewardship means making sure humans keep the capability to control the technology we build,” Moran said in a statement. “This is exactly the kind of issue that needs serious attention and achievable policy, and I’m glad to work across the aisle with Congressman Lieu toward a solution.”
Via CNBC
If you need a compact desktop without sacrificing everyday performance, the right mini PCs offer brilliant value. Best Buy has cut the price of the Geekom A5 as part of its 'Black Friday in July' sale.
Normally priced at $539, the A5 is currently available for just $369, saving you a whopping $170. Powered by AMD's six-core Ryzen 5 7430U processor, it comes with 16GB of DDR4 memory and a 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, all packed inside a compact chassis measuring just 4.6 x 4.4 x 1.5 inches.
The mini PC comes with Windows 11 Pro pre-installed and includes Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, dual HDMI outputs, USB-C connectivity, a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, and support for up to four displays.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Geekom A5 mini PC if...
The Geekom A5 offers a lot of capability for not a lot of money. The Ryzen 5 7430U is a capable processor for office work, web browsing, streaming, light photo editing, and multitasking, while 16GB of RAM provides enough headroom for everyday productivity. Unlike many compact systems, the memory is upgradeable to 64GB, helping extend the PC's lifespan.
❌ Skip the Geekom A5 mini PC if...
The integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are perfectly adequate for media playback and lighter creative workloads, but they aren't designed for demanding games or GPU-intensive applications. Storage is also limited to 512GB out of the box, although many buyers will find that enough for everyday use. There is no way to add USB4 or Thunderbolt to this system either.
Today's top Geekom A5 mini PC dealAMD Ryzen 5 7430U mini PC with 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD, Radeon Vega 7 graphics, Windows 11 Pro, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and dual HDMI.View Deal
Why we recommend itThe combination of a Ryzen 5 processor, Windows 11 Pro, upgradeable memory, Wi-Fi 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet is difficult to find at this price. Its compact footprint also makes it easy to place almost anywhere, whether it's behind a monitor, on a desk, or in a living room entertainment setup.
In his review, our expert Mark said: "If you are looking to set up a small office for a limited-time project and need basic computers that can run office applications and web tools, then there is relatively little wrong with the A5 in terms of functionality or price."
Price Context & Historical ValueAt $369, the Geekom A5 is $170 below its regular $539 price. That's a substantial discount of around 32%, making it one of the more attractive mini PC deals at Best Buy right now.
The Catch: What to know before you buyThe Ryzen 5 7430U is based on AMD's previous Zen 3 architecture rather than its latest Ryzen AI platform, so you won't find dedicated AI acceleration or the newest integrated graphics. However, if your priorities are everyday productivity, quiet operation, and a small footprint, though, those omissions are unlikely to matter.
Higher NAND flash prices have made SSD upgrades more expensive over the past year. The Crucial P310 internal SSD offers an affordable way to add fast PCIe 4.0 storage to a desktop PC or laptop (or even a PlayStation 5).
Usually priced at $299.49, Newegg has reduced the 2TB model to a more affordable $279.99. While the $20 discount is only modest, you're still getting an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 7,100MB/s and write speeds up to 6,000MB/s.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Crucial P310 SSD if...
You should if you're looking for a reliable Gen4 SSD that delivers strong everyday performance without paying silly prices. Boot times, application launches, file transfers, and game loading all benefit from the P310's fast read and write speeds, while the 2TB capacity provides plenty of room for games, photos, videos, and creative projects.
❌ Skip the Crucial P310 SSD if...
You shouldn't if you're chasing the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive available or specifically need onboard DRAM for sustained heavy workloads. This drive relies on Host Memory Buffer instead of dedicated DRAM, and the heatsink-free design means you'll want to ensure your system provides adequate cooling if required.
Today's top Crucial P310 SSD dealThis is a 2TB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD with 3D NAND, Host Memory Buffer, up to 7,100MB/s read, 6,000MB/s write speeds, and a heatsink-free design for desktops and laptops.View Deal
Why we recommend itThe P310 strikes a nice balance between price, performance, and efficiency. Crucial rates it for up to 7,100MB/s sequential reads and 6,000MB/s writes, while its improved performance-per-watt can also help extend battery life in compatible laptops.
It also offers faster boot times and improved responsiveness across everyday applications, making it a worthwhile upgrade from an older SSD or hard drive.
Price Context & Historical ValueThe 2TB Crucial P310 usually sells for $299.49 at Newegg, so the current $20 discount isn't the biggest we've seen. For context, it was available for $250 at Amazon not so long ago.
Even so, Newegg has lowered the cost of a fast 2TB Gen4 SSD from a well-established manufacturer, making this a solid buy if you need extra storage today rather than waiting and hoping for a bigger price cut to come along.
It's worth noting that this model comes without a heatsink. Should you need one, Newegg is selling that version for $322.50 at the moment.
For more savings on storage, we're always tracking the best SSD deals.
The Catch: What to know before you buyAs mentioned previously, this model doesn't include a heatsink. It also uses Host Memory Buffer instead of dedicated DRAM cache, making it better suited to mainstream computing, gaming, and everyday productivity than prolonged professional workloads.
As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Best Buy has reduced the price of two Acer laptops aimed at very different audiences. The Acer Aspire Go 15 has fallen from $1,189.99 to $749.99, while the newer Aspire Spin 14 2-in-1 is down from $799.99 to $699.99. Although, after the discounts, there's only a $50 difference in price between the two models, each laptop offers a distinct set of strengths.
The Aspire Go 15 focuses on performance, combining a 10-core Intel Core i7-13620H processor with 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 1TB SSD, making it the stronger choice for demanding workloads and multitasking.
The Aspire Spin 14, meanwhile, trades some raw power for greater versatility, pairing a newer Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor with a brighter 14-inch 1920 x 1200 touchscreen, a 360-degree convertible design, a backlit keyboard, and a lighter chassis.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Aspire Go 15 if...
You should if raw performance and multitasking matter most. The combination of an Intel Core i7-13620H processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD makes it the stronger choice for demanding office work, large spreadsheets, creative software, and running many applications simultaneously. Its larger 15.6-inch touchscreen also gives you more room to work.
✅ Buy the Aspire Spin 14 if...
You should if you want a more modern, versatile laptop. Its Intel Core Ultra 7 processor brings improved AI capabilities, while the lighter chassis, brighter 300-nit WUXGA touchscreen, backlit keyboard, convertible design, and one-year warranty make it an excellent everyday companion.
Today's top Acer laptop deals15.6-inch Full HD touchscreen laptop with Intel Core i7-13620H processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel UHD Graphics, HDMI 2.1, dual USB-C, Windows 11 Home, and Wi-Fi.View Deal
14-inch WUXGA touchscreen convertible with Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB SSD, Intel Graphics, HDMI 2.1, backlit keyboard, Windows 11 Home, and Copilot.View Deal
Why we recommend themThe Aspire Go 15 delivers exceptional value if performance is your priority. For just $50 more that the Spin 14, you get double the memory and a faster H-series processor, making it the better buy for productivity and demanding workloads.
The Aspire Spin 14 is the more rounded package. It offers a newer platform, a higher-resolution 16:10 display, a convertible design, a backlit keyboard, and a longer warranty, making it ideal if you value portability and flexibility over outright performance.
Price Context & Historical ValueThe Aspire Go 15 has received by far the largest price cut in Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale, dropping by $440 to $749.99. In contrast, the Aspire Spin 14 is only $100 off at $699.99, but it remains competitively priced for a 2025 Core Ultra convertible with a 1TB SSD.
The Catch: What to know before you buyChoosing between these laptops comes down to how you work. The Aspire Go 15 is the clear winner for performance and multitasking thanks to its Core i7 processor and 32GB of RAM.
That said, the Aspire Spin 14 is the better choice if you want a lighter, more versatile 2-in-1 with a better display, newer processor, and premium everyday features.
- Microsoft has contacted LG regarding a McAfee pop-up served via the monitor maker's app (which in turn is installed by Windows Update)
- As an 'immediate next step' LG has disabled this pop-up
- However, there are still issues to address around the automatic installation of the LG monitor app, and the way Windows Update itself operates with third-party software
Microsoft has fixed a controversial situation whereby Windows 11 users with LG monitors were being hit by a pop-up for McAfee antivirus, and that advert has now been banished from the OS — but there's still more that Microsoft needs to do here.
Windows Latest noticed that Pavan Davuluri, who is head of Windows at Microsoft, flagged up what's happened on X.
In response to a nudge from Epic's Tim Sweeney on the matter, Davuluri said: "We've connected with the team at LG and as an immediate next step, they have agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up from their app. We appreciate LG working with us toward a shared goal of a better experience for our mutual customers. We will keep improving here with our ecosystem partners."
In case you missed this story from earlier in the week, Windows 11 users with an LG display are reportedly getting an LG monitor app (from the Microsoft Store) automatically installed on their PCs via Windows Update simply after hooking up the monitor.
The real kicker was that following this, the mentioned McAfee pop-up (pushing a trial for the antivirus) was repeatedly bothering those users, with the ad delivered via the LG monitor app. So, what Microsoft is telling us here is that as an immediate first step, that McAfee pop-up is no longer part of LG's Windows app, and won't be darkening the desktops of any LG monitor owners any longer.
The (pop-up-less) monitor app is presumably still being piped through by Windows Update, though, and hopefully the next step for Microsoft will be to address this.
Analysis: software giants in glass houses?(Image credit: Future)Windows Update really shouldn't be installing any third-party software without the user's permission, that much is clear (or first-party for that matter). It's fine to flag available updates, wherever they come from or whatever hardware they may be for, but highlighting them is one thing, and going ahead with an auto-installation is another.
Okay, so LG has agreed to disable this pop-up, and it's good that this has happened swiftly, as it was, of course, a huge annoyance. Indeed, it's very worrying that this could happen at all, really (and in case you missed it, LG's TVs have also come under fire this week).
LG had already addressed this controversy with a rather lengthy statement that read: "LG Electronics reiterates that McAfee is not installed automatically and is never installed without the user's explicit consent. The LG Monitor App Installer is distributed through Microsoft's official Windows distribution process, which included McAfee as an option.
"McAfee will be installed only if a user actively chooses to proceed with the installation and provides consent. Under no circumstances is McAfee installed automatically or without user authorization. The LG Monitor App Installer does not access, collect, or transmit any customer personal data."
What this appears to be saying is that McAfee's actual antivirus app isn't installed without consent. It's not denying that the McAfee pop-up appeared without consent, or that the LG Monitor app is installed in the background in Windows without the user's knowledge. It only notes that the LG Monitor app is "distributed through Microsoft's official Windows distribution process", as if that makes everything okay, or somehow not LG's fault.
It is, of course, Microsoft's fault as well – both parties need to take responsibility, and fix not just the McAfee pop-up appearing, but the LG Monitor app being automatically installed simply when a monitor is connected to a Windows 11 PC. (Which is reportedly the case, I should add – I haven't experienced this myself, as I don't have an LG display, but a whole heap of feedback is present suggesting it's exactly what happens).
In short, the immediate disabling of the McAfee trial pop-up is a start, but we need a swift follow-up addressing the LG app itself and how that's dealt with in Windows 11. And more broadly, how third-party apps in general interact with Windows Update, because as already noted, this situation should never have been allowed to happen in the first place (no matter what LG, or any other hardware partner, is doing with their apps).
Furthermore, there's no shortage of people on Reddit noting that Microsoft has been keen enough to act here, but not so keen on curbing its own advertising-related excesses in Windows 11.
As one Redditor says of Microsoft: "Now all they need to do is crack down on their own bloatware…"
Although to be fair to Microsoft, it is acting to rein in some of the upselling and promotional noise that Windows 11 has come to be associated with. More work needs to be done on this front, though, for sure.
- A recent report suggests Nvidia has informed its partners of GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory kit price increases
- This means retailers may increase the prices for RTX GPUs using GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory
- The potential price hike and one user's dual-GPU setup both highlight the importance of hardware preservation
The RAM crisis continues to impact PC manufacturers, with rising memory prices and shortages — ultimately leading to increased retail prices for consumers — and the trend may be set to continue with Nvidia.
According to a report on Benchlife, Nvidia is rumored to be planning an increase for prices of its GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory kits for RTX GPUs, and has informed AIB (Add-In Board) partners such as Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte, who make their own versions of Nvidia's GPUs. Unsurprisingly, the price increase for these memory kits is cited as a result of the ongoing RAM crisis.
While RTX GPU price hikes aren't guaranteed for consumers, because this will directly impact AIB partners who manufacture the GPUs, eventual retailer price increases are unfortunately likely. It's a trend we've seen with recent PC hardware.
Notably, Valve's Steam Machine was initially supposed to cost less than its eventual $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609 price tag, which could now also be at risk of a price increase, based on hints from a Steam Machine engineer (as reported by Bloomberg). New handheld gaming PCs are also now often launching for more than $1,000, and the price of RAM and storage certainly plays a part.
(Image credit: Roman Samborskyi / Asus)Consumer strugglesThe RAM crisis is a sad state of affairs for consumers and underlines the importance of PC hardware preservation. GPUs aren't cheap by any means, especially with recent suggestions that AMD would also be increasing prices of memory kits for its own AIB partners.
We've also recently seen the return of the RTX 3060, due to Nvidia's attempt to help consumers with more options amid a rough PC hardware market. However, if these price hike reports are legitimate, the RTX 3060 will likely be subject to higher prices at retailers.
That's exactly why GPU setups like one Reddit user's RTX 3090 and RTX 3050 dual-GPU rig matter now more than ever. In this case, the RTX 3050 is responsible for allowing frame generation via Lossless Scaling to function.
My dual GPU Setup from r/losslessscalingA game then utilizes the RTX 3090's power for high-quality visuals and performance, with the two GPUs teaming up. The user states it resulted in 144fps at a 4K resolution over the initial 71fps without frame generation.
Frankly, a dual-GPU setup isn't exactly common, nor is it actually recommended for gaming, since modern games are only designed for single-GPU rendering (even though the frame generation use case is noteworthy).
Users would also need a beefier power supply, depending on the GPUs used, and likely a new motherboard with another compatible PCIe lane.
However, what I feel is more important here is that's it's a great example of why hardware preservation is so important, serving as backup in case GPUs melt or end up faulty, or for experiments like the one I've outlined above. With no end of the RAM crisis in sight, repurposing older hardware might be one way through this.