In 2025, buying a pre-built PC isn't lazy anymore — they are toe-to-toe with custom PCs in value, esthetics, and convenience. That said, you still need to do your homework before you spend $1,000–$2,000 on a pre-built gaming PC. Whether it's about the quality and relevance of the components, restrictions on upgradability, or compatibility with your monitor and desk, you need to run through a mental checklist to decide whether your dream pre-built rig is up to snuff.

We've seen good deals on M.2 SSDs before, but this new discount on the Western Digital SN7100 brings it down to its best price yet. You get 2TB of storage, along with great performance as well, making it the perfect storage upgrade for your PC, laptop, gaming console, and more. For a limited time, grab this 2TB SSD from Newegg using coupon code "WDBLKFTN827" which drops it down to just $114.

Microsoft’s AI division announced its first homegrown AI models on Thursday: MAI-Voice-1 AI and MAI-1-preview. The company says its new MAI-Voice-1 speech model can generate a minute’s worth of audio in under one second on just one GPU, while MAI-1-preview “offers a glimpse of future offerings inside Copilot.”Microsoft already uses MA1-Voice-1 to power a couple of its features, including Copilot Daily, which has an AI host recite the day’s top news stories, and to generate podcast-style discussions to help explain topics. You can try MA1-Voice-1 out for yourself on Copilot Labs, where you can enter what you want the AI model to say, as well as change its voice and style of speaking. In addition to this model, Microsoft introduced MAI-1-preview, which it says it trained on around 15,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs. It’s built for users in need of an AI model capable of following instructions and “providing helpful responses to everyday queries.” Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman said during an episode of Decoder last year that the company’s internal AI models aren’t focused on enterprise use cases. “My logic is that we have to create something that works extremely well for the consumer and really optimize for our use case,” Suleyman said. “So, we have vast amounts of very predictive and very useful data on the ad side, on consumer telemetry, and so on. My focus is on building models that really work for the consumer companion.”Microsoft AI plans on rolling out MAI-1-preview for certain text use cases in its Copilot AI assistant, which currently relies on OpenAI’s large language models. It has also started publicly testing its MAI-1-preview model on the AI benchmarking platform LMArena.“We have big ambitions for where we go next,” Microsoft AI writes in the blog post. “Not only will we pursue further advances here, but we believe that orchestrating a range of specialized models serving different user intents and use cases will unlock immense value.”

With endless tasks, recipes, personal projects, and notes, managing your home can be a tough task. You can always use traditional apps to get the job done. But what if you could take back control and run everything yourself? This is where Docker comes in. By using a handful of powerful and lightweight Docker containers, you can transform a single machine into the brain of your home.

Gadgets are expensive to replace, and sometimes the only thing wrong with them is a small broken part or a missing accessory. With 3D printing, you can breathe new life into your devices by fixing these issues yourself. It’s a practical way to extend the lifespan of what you already own while saving money and reducing waste. Even better, the solutions you create are often more personalized and functional than the originals.

Microsoft has fired two more employees who participated in recent protests against the company’s contracts with the Israeli military and government. The two employees, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, were fired “in connection” with demonstrations that saw protesters set up encampments at Microsoft’s headquarters, according to Hossam Nasr, an organizer with the No Azure for Apartheid group.Two other Microsoft employees were fired last night for their involvement with a protest that saw members of the group gain access to a company building and live stream themselves inside the office of Microsoft president Brad Smith. Jaradat had previously sent a mass email around Microsoft saying she was “fed up” with the company’s treatment of her as a Palestinian worker, bypassing the company’s restrictions on language around Palestine and Gaza internally in order to do so.The No Azure for Apartheid group has been taking public actions against Microsoft throughout the year. The group interrupted Microsoft executives during live streamed presentations on multiple occasions this spring. More recently, the group attempted to occupy a plaza on Microsoft’s headquarters. After being removed, they returned the next day with tents and tables and poured red paint across a Microsoft sign; 18 people were arrested.Protesters returned again on Tuesday for the demonstration in Smith’s office. Afterward, Smith held a press conference saying that Microsoft is “working every day” to investigate potential misuse of Azure in Israel. But he said the protesters’ actions were “not ok.”Microsoft declined to provide an attributable statement to The Verge.

Google is phasing out its Preferred Care extended warranty plan for the Pixel Care Plus program. Pricing between the two is pretty similar. You’ll still pay $8 per-month, or $159 for a two-year plan on a Pixel 9. For a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, that jumps up to $339 for two years, or $18 per-month, with the optional loss and theft package for a small extra charge.  The big changes here are that screen and battery repairs are free, and service fees for other accidental damage are much lower. Under the old Preferred Care program, replacing a cracked screen would run you $29. Under Pixel Care Plus a cracked front screen or battery running at under 80-percent capacity will get swapped out for $0. Unfortunately, if you happen to mess up the internal screen on your 10 Pro Fold, you are not covered. Other accidental damage fees vary depending on model, ranging from $49 on some older models like the Pixel 8a and 9a, to $99 on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. On average they’re lower though, with service fees reaching $129 for the Pixel 9 Pro and Fold models. The new loss and theft option, which adds $1 or $2 a month to the plan, also varies per model with deductibles ranging up to $149 on the high end. The new plans bring Google more inline with the likes of Samsung, which ditched screen replacement fees under its new extended coverage plans back in January.

Did you know that Windows comes with a Mobile Plans app? I didn't until just now. From what I can see, Mobile Plans lets you pair up a Windows device to a mobile data carrier and purchase plans for an internet connection on the go.

Tech obsolescence can be quite brutal when you’re a computing lover. After all, few things are as disappointing as watching your top-of-the-line system turn into an ancient toaster over the course of a few years. But unless you’re a power user who loves playing graphically demanding games at high settings, there are a couple of ways to restore some of your PC’s lost vitality.

Persona 5 did a lot of work in getting JRPGs into the hands of Western gamers, but there's another series by the same developers that doesn't receive the same amount of love. We mean the Shin Megami Tensei series, which remains an excellent series, despite not receiving nearly as much overseas love as its Persona counterpart.

With Windows 10's support ending in under two months, people have been checking out what's happening over the fence at the Linux residence. What was once an operating system that only nerds used has managed to draw some real star power, including PewDiePie swapping from Windows to Linux Mint. Suddenly, Linux is a viable option for people who don't want to use Windows 11 or keep using Windows 10.

When it comes to gaming laptops, I've personally always gravitated toward the ultraportable ones. Laptops like the Razer Blade 16 (2025) or Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 always made more sense to me. I did own and frequently travel with an MSI Stealth 15 after all. But throughout the years, desktop replacement gaming laptops have always held a corner of the laptop market.