AMD's Ryzen CPUs have transformed the company's prospects, from an also-ran running out of money quickly, to the class leader in desktop and server processors. Recent releases like the Ryzen 9000 series have cemented its place ahead of rival Intel, and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. With that knowledge, you might be tempted to use AMD for your CPU next build, and that's a good idea, but you should also know what little foibles you're getting.

In recent months, I've talked a whole lot about moving away from Windows 11 and how much I prefer Linux. And yes, I've used Linux quite a bit on a few laptops, but the truth is I work on a desktop computer 95% of the time, and that's not a Linux PC. Indeed, I work on the M4 Mac Mini I reviewed last year, and while I initially complained about a lot of macOS behaviors, things have changed.

Google's Gemini AI is now better at editing your photos, and it's free for everyone. I have a backlog of travel photos that need editing, dating back over two years, which leaves me with hundreds of photos to edit and clean up before adding them to my digital photo library for safekeeping.

The ESP32 is an incredibly versatile chip that comes in all kinds of forms and devices. From smart "Now Playing"-style displays to security systems, it can do a whole lot. For those with a supported display, you can even turn it into a Flipper Zero-competitor of sorts thanks to Marauder. However, I decided to build my own Wi-Fi scanner and honeypot using a regular ESP32-S3 and a Python server on my computer.

Few video game adaptations understand their source material quite like the Exit 8 film. It takes the rules and structure of the game - which strands players inside of a looping hallway in a Tokyo subway station - and then builds on them with actual characters and a story. And according to director Genki Kawamura, one of the reasons that the movie feels so fresh could be because of how he approached it. "I wasn't necessarily thinking about a film adaptation of a video game," he tells The Verge. "I was thinking about how to create a new cinematic experience that blurs the lines between video game and cinema."The two are very similar, and the …Read the full story at The Verge.

When building a new PC or server, or upgrading your existing build, your first instinct is to make sure you've got a quality CPU and GPU, with a good motherboard and VRM to take full advantage of your processors. You'll also want to make sure you've got a good cooling solution, particularly if you plan to get deep into overclocking and adjusting your memory timings.

Proxmox has many features that I appreciate, but its FOSS nature and thriving community might just be my favorites. Thanks to a talented community of tinkerers, Proxmox has a massive number of script repositories that not only make it easy to use the virtualization platform, but also add certain functionalities to it. There’s the Proxmox VE Helper-Scripts repo for easy to use templates, PVE mods for real-time temperature monitoring, and Ultimate Updater for simpler VM and LXC updates.

Building a powerful home lab is a great way to sharpen your IT skills, but the cost of new equipment can be a major roadblock. While consumer-grade hardware is an option, it often lacks the features, durability, and performance needed for a serious lab environment. The good news is you don’t have to break the bank to get professional-grade gear.

It’s September, and many among us are dealing with back to school, and anticipating the colder weather that’s on its way (at least, if you live in the northern climes). This, plus a somewhat fraught political atmosphere, means that you might be looking for reliable, affordable ways to escape the doldrums.You don’t need us to tell you that a way to do that is by watching some movies and TV shows. Through September 18th, Paramount is offering a doozy of a deal on both tiers of its Plus streaming service. You can save 50 percent on an annual subscription to Paramount Plus Essential, or its mostly ad-free Premium plan. The Essential Plan is down to $29.99 (from $59.99) and a Premium plan goes to $59.99 (from $119.99). The neat thing is that you can take advantage of this whether you’re a new or a returning subscriber (but be careful to mark your calendar; it will renew after that year at full price).Paramount Plus Essential (annual subscription)Essential gets you ad-supported access to TV shows and movies. You won’t be able to download content, but you get many of the same benefits as Premium.Where to Buy: $59.99 $29.99 at Paramount PlusParamount Plus Premium (annual subscription)The Premium tier allows for downloads, and content can be viewed without ads (except during live TV). You’ll also get access to Showtime series and CBS.Where to Buy: $119.99 $59.99 at ParamountIt’s a tempting deal, whether you go for the ad-supported Essential or the skip-the-ads Premium. The latter also lets you download your shows, which could be very handy when you’re traveling with kids, and from its library of Showtime Originals. Either way, you not only get recent shows like Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the entire Yellowstone catalog, Top Gun: Maverick, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Bob Marley: One Love, but animation series like South Park and SpongeBob Squarepants, and live NFL games. Also, it hosts every Mission Impossible movie, aside from the latest one, The Final Reckoning.Other deals our readers loved this weekLego kits are really popular, but the more elaborate types can quickly get pricey. If you just want to brighten up your home and do a quick bit of affordable building, you can get a pair of Lego sunflowers for only $7.99 (normally up to $14.99) at Amazon, Target, and Walmart. If you’d rather spend your entire weekend absorbed in Lego building, you can get the house from the Pixar movie Up for $38.49 (normally $59.99, a savings of $21.50) at Walmart.Several Verge readers have dug this launch deal on the Baseus VD1 Pro dash cam, which is $109.99 at Amazon (instead of $169.99). The system comes with two components: the front camera has a solar panel that powers its rechargeable battery, allowing it to detect motion and impacts for up to 14 days — without sipping on your car’s battery. It also includes a rear camera that can see what’s happening behind your car.The college football season is well underway, and if you can’t get enough of seeing your favorite team hit the field every week, we suggest getting EA Sports College Football 26 for the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The game was $20 off when we first covered the deal earlier this week, but it has since dropped to almost $30 off at Amazon, at least for the PS5 version. It’s $49.99 for the Xbox version, which is still a nice deal. If your chosen way to escape is to take a refreshing run while listening to your favorite tunes, then you may want to check out the Nothing Ear Open, the company’s first pair of open-style earbuds, which are now on sale at Nothing’s online storefront or Amazon for an all-time low $99 ($50 off) with a Prime membership.Not every gamer wants a bulky over-ear headset. Sony’s Inzone Buds are a great, significantly more compact alternative, and they’re cheaper than ever this week. GameStop has them for $143.98 ($86 off), and no other retailers are matching the price. These wireless earbuds offer superb sound quality, effective active noise cancellation, and a USB-C transmitter that works in everything from a PS5 and Switch 2 to a PC.Finally, if you’re looking for a new phone and are not into the idea of waiting for an iPhone 17 preorder to arrive, you can find a cute and useful budget foldable for a great price. Motorola’s latest Razr is currently matching its all-time low price of $599.99 ($100 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola’s online storefront, It’s solid, lightweight, and offer an internal OLED display that stretches to 6.9 inches when the phone is open.

Still rocking your ISP router? I don't blame you if you don't have the time to sort out your own firewall and access point solution. ISP-provided hardware is usually pretty good by today's standards, but it can oftentimes limit what you can achieve with your local area network (LAN). Your Wi-Fi may feel sluggish or inconsistent. Advanced features such as virtual LAN (VLAN) and access control lists may not be available, and the whole thing may feel slightly underwhelming.

If you listen to music the way a lot of people do these days - with a pair of wireless earbuds, from a Bluetooth speaker, or just blaring directly out of your phone - you will never notice a difference between Spotify's high-quality 320Kbps streams and its lossless audio. But, if you usually listen with wired headphones while working at your desk, or have a quality speaker from the likes of Bose that supports Spotify Connect, there actually is something to be gained here.Comparing Spotify's normal quality streams (96Kbps) with the new 24-bit / 44.1kHz lossless FLAC files feels unfair. Even a relatively untrained ear should be able to hear …Read the full story at The Verge.

Imagine if George Cukor's The Women was a modern, Spanish-language telenovela set in Ecuador rather than a 1939 dramedy about the lives of wealthy Manhattanites. Now imagine if the series was directed by Pedro Almodóvar and its characters were brought to life with stop-motion animation instead of being portrayed by Hollywood heavyweights like Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Now, think about how transgressive that show would be if it treated queerness as the norm and told a politically charged story about the relationship between colonialism and capitalism. That show would be a lot like Adult Swim's Women Wearing Shoulder Pads.When I recen …Read the full story at The Verge.