Alan Dexter
Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load. He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M.2 NVMe SSDs, AMD processors, and laptops through their paces. He has a long-lasting Magic: The Gathering obsession but limits this to MTG Arena these days.
Latest articles by Alan Dexter
![Screenshot from the Scorn Trailer](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d2mbgnw7gFnWYRnsmQbESj-320-80.jpg)
Scorn is already shaping up to be a horror classic
By Alan Dexter published
News A biomechanical horrorshow that will have your skin crawling.
![AMD mobile Ryzen CPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CnNRrtUh3PFceN3GkYKsvj-320-80.jpg)
AMD has promising plans for laptops in the next two years
By Alan Dexter published
News Ryzen 6000 isn't a one-off, it looks like up-to-date graphics in laptop chips are the future.
![HDD vs SSD, so many choices](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sTrFShD2FCXCXsfj6T9y87-320-80.jpg)
You should run Windows 11 on an SSD whether Microsoft demands it or not
By Alan Dexter published
News Hard drives can still have a place in your gaming PC, but not as the boot drive.
![Image of a USB Type-C cable](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yv52xXDLrfwFsUuYeNGn4T-320-80.jpg)
EU enforces USB Type-C charging on most electronic devices
By Alan Dexter published
News Laptops will also be covered by the new law, although not until 2027.
![Intel GPU renders on a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9ZdeQWD7jheUbnwGR96stk-320-80.jpg)
First Intel Arc Alchemist benchmarks are a bit of a mixed bag
By Alan Dexter published
News An impressive 3DMark result is undermined by unexciting in-game performance.
![AMD Navi GPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nArC34Ecvopyb2Nkcd6a4C-320-80.jpg)
Seasonic's wattage calculator sees no power increase for AMD's 7000-series GPUs
By Alan Dexter published
News It could just be placeholder data but just imagine if it's right.
![AMD Ryzen 5000 chip on leather background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ymW2MiETooZJWFtyETuhxJ-320-80.jpg)
AMD's budget laptop chip might not be game-ready on its own
By Alan Dexter published
News The dream of Steam Deck power in a budget laptop gets a wake up call.
![Asus ROG Swift 500Hz gaming monitor on a gradient background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PRBiDMXy2N5d7CUgfFi5V5-320-80.jpg)
That Asus 500Hz gaming monitor isn't for us
By Jacob Ridley published
It Hertz We're not competitive enough for that sort of speed. And at least 75% of us aren't young enough, either.
![Microsoft Store running on Windows 11](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cL2jGoDQqyHdF5TmgQeq3T-320-80.jpg)
Windows 11 will soon let you restore apps to a new PC
By Alan Dexter published
News There's a plan to introduce Microsoft Store ads as well, which could actually be useful.
![EK Export](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHeNi4noXVZCTQektvYtg-320-80.jpg)
You're not ready for this 'CNC machinist pornography'
By Alan Dexter published
news EK is showing off some seriously gorgeous custom builds at Computex.
![AMD Ryzen 7000 AM5 socket](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/whMqJdBrhXiLCoghqVi9EV-320-80.jpg)
Don't worry, AMD is still supporting overclocking across all AM5 boards
By Alan Dexter published
News That doesn't mean Zen 4 will be great for overclocking though.
![AMD Zen 4 CPU design](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JkTMmPYsSpiREr6tavLacJ-320-80.jpg)
AMD confirms first PCIe 5.0 SSDs will launch alongside Zen 4
By Alan Dexter published
News AMD is working with Phison, Crucial, and Micron to produce the first PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs in time for the AM5 launch.
![Kioxia Exceria Pro 2TB SSD](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UzVX3ZLjN9twngrCU9gJfc-320-80.jpg)
Kioxia Exceria Pro 2TB SSD review
By Alan Dexter published
Late-comer Arriving late to the speedy SSD party isn't always the best way of making an impression.
![Nvidia RTX 3050 Gigabyte Eagle version](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/adxxM8nthURnNW9Ae92CsF-320-80.jpg)
RTX 3080 12GB and RTX 3050 crypto-mining limiters unlocked to 90% efficiency
By Alan Dexter published
News Cryptocurrency giveth and then taketh away.
![Upgrade the mainboard on the Framework Laptop](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UzpHtjCjdfCdBMo8hv6dzZ-320-80.jpg)
Framework's 12th Gen Intel upgrade kit is a welcome first for laptops
By Alan Dexter published
News The modular laptop design delivers on its promise of the Right to Repair nirvana.
![Intel Arc Alchemist graphics card render on a dark background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K6D7pQgagYapcWYQQide73-320-80.jpg)
Latest Intel beta drivers confirm upcoming Arc GPU models
By Alan Dexter published
News Is it going to be too little too late though?
![PC Gamer team cable management skills](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eUSch522iDjXmov9Fj5zgR-320-80.jpg)
Life's too short to give a crap about your PC's cable management
By Dave James published
Cthulhu cables Yes, I suck at cable management, but you know what? I just don't care.
![Render of AMD's upcoming Zen 4 CPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NSRWSGYugHS2CWQb99Aawj-320-80.jpg)
5.2GHz AMD Zen 4 test CPU pops up in database and then vanishes
By Alan Dexter published
News That's faster than any current Zen 3 CPU, and confirms they'll come with integrated RDNA 2 graphics chips, too.
![Wired2Fire Reaper PC on a desk](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nKoyKY553LwfKMQ5a3iYhW-320-80.jpg)
Wired2Fire Reaper gaming PC review
By Alan Dexter published
Quad damage Quiet and cool, the Wired2Fire Reaper is almost the perfect 1440p gaming PC.
![Intel Alder Lake HX CPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qedREmJtZTNHyzagqhM9ti-320-80.jpg)
Intel's latest HX chips bring desktop-grade features to gaming laptops
By Alan Dexter published
News These powerful CPUs take aim at workstations and extreme gaming laptops.
![G.SKill Trident Z5 RGB](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ncrQxzz5FxzBgQQfb4dooF-320-80.jpg)
DDR5 is finally relevant for PC gaming
By Alan Dexter published
News Lower latencies and faster frequencies will finally make a difference to our frame rates.
![CyberpowerPC Infinity X125 RTX Gaming PC](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mUexvNE64eRTTjiga7psKF-320-80.jpg)
CyberpowerPC Infinity X125 RTX gaming PC
By Alan Dexter published
Reduced Alder Lake and Ampere take on 1080p gaming for less than a grand.
![Apacer DDR5 memory on a blurred background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CQ9SQZ78imZRAQbWkgwSMn-320-80.jpg)
RAM manufacturer reveals Ryzen 7000 will support DDR5-5200
By Alan Dexter published
News Apacer says AMD will support faster DDR5 RAM than Intel.
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