Despite PCIe 5.0 SSDs not being worth it for most people, many of you might be rocking one on your PC. Gen5 SSDs are known for their blistering sequential read/write speeds that benefit large file transfers and professional workloads. What they're also known for is significantly higher operating temps compared to Gen4 drives, so much so that some Gen5 drives come with comically large coolers with fans. They're simply not capable of functioning normally without active cooling.

Although computing enthusiasts (myself included) tend to gravitate towards enterprise-grade equipment when building a server, you can put together a reliable home lab with just about any system. As a beginner, there’s a lot to learn from budget-friendly systems, be it second-hand PCs, SBCs, or even laptops (provided you’re willing to take the necessary precautions).

It’s like a shrunken, stripped-down X100.Fujifilm has a new pint-size addition to its X-series cameras coming in late June: the X Half. It’s an 18-megapixel “half-frame” camera with a portrait-oriented sensor and viewfinder and a fixed 32mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens.Despite being digital, the X Half is all about the vintage film aesthetic. The $849.99 camera is so dedicated to an analog-like lifestyle that it’s got an entire secondary screen just for picking one of its 13 film simulations, and it doesn’t shoot RAW photos at all — just JPGs, for a more what-you-see-is-what-you-get experience.Fujifilm’s definition of a half-frame is a bit different from the traditional one. Usually, a half-frame film camera like the Pentax 17 captures images measuring 18mm x 24mm (around half the size of full-frame / 35mm format). But the X Half uses a 1-inch-type sensor measuring 8.8mm x 13.3mm, which is about half the dimensions of the APS-C sensors in other Fujifilm cameras like the X100VI and X-T5. So I guess it counts on a technicality.But like the Pentax 17 and other actual half-frame cameras, the X Half is all about taking casual, fun snapshots and bringing it with you everywhere. It weighs just 8.5 ounces / 240 grams and is small enough to fit in most small bags or even some oversized pockets. The X Half is close in size to a traditional disposable camera, but unlike a one-time-use film camera it has a proper glass autofocusing lens with aspherical corrections, and it even shoots some basic 1080 x 1440 video. (Though, in my briefing on the camera, Justin Stailey of Fujifilm North America described the lens as having “some character.” Which is often a colorful way of saying the lens isn’t the sharpest.)Once you take some shots via the X Half’s traditional optical viewfinder (that’s right, there’s no EVF or hybrid finder here) or its portrait-orientation 2.4-inch touchscreen, you can connect to a dedicated smartphone app (launching slightly after the camera) for extra functions. You can create your own two-up diptychs like a traditional half-frame camera, though here you can pick out the two side-by-side pictures, or you can opt for two videos or one picture and one video.Fujifilm has baked other analog-inspired features into the X Half app, like a Film Camera Mode that collects your next 36, 54, or 72 images and arranges them into a contact sheet. But the film nerdiness goes deeper than that, as the digital film strip will be branded with the film simulation you used. There’s even a faux film advance lever for making diptychs, and in Film Camera Mode it forces you to use it between taking each shot.You can lean further into the film kitsch by adding filters, like a light leak effect, expired film look, or a ’90s-era time and date stamp to the corner. Of course, since the camera does not shoot RAW, your chosen filter and film simulation are fully baked into the JPG file. You can’t undo any of them or change it later in post-processing like you’d normally be able to with a RAW.Fujifilm is certainly taking a unique approach with the X Half, trying to capture the interest of younger photo enthusiasts who in recent years have been drawn to the imperfections and vibes of vintage film and aging point-and-shoot digital cameras. I don’t know how many of them will be jumping at the opportunity to scratch that creative itch with an $850 camera compared to alternatives costing a fraction of that — like a $70 Camp Snap for digital or any 35mm disposable film camera for $10 to $20 — but even if it’s half the fun I had with the Pentax 17 it should prove a good time.

There are plenty of different cheap media streaming devices on the market, but if you're looking for one that offers some of the best features, then the Amazon Fire TV Cube is the way to go. Not only does it feature a stylish design that fits perfectly with any home theater setup, but it also packs more performance, ensuring that you're getting the best video and audio quality.

I’ve used Windows Task Manager for years to quickly check what’s using up my system’s CPU or RAM. But after I started testing different types of software for my work, I occasionally faced system-level problems like apps that wouldn’t close, services that wouldn’t restart, and processes that looked suspicious but gave me no details. At such times, I realized the Windows Task Manager wasn’t sufficient for me. I wanted to understand why things were failing. I needed deeper process insights, better graphs, and tools to actually intervene when things went sideways.

Chapter 18: Belly of the Beast in Doom: The Dark Ageshas the Slayer navigating the insides of the Old One, after the ancient deity rises up to ingest him in the previous chapter. In a stark contrast to the first half of the game, the latter chapters are set in a Lovecraftian realm, and you can read in our review of the game how impressed it left us.

Microsoft employees have discovered that any emails they send with the terms "Palestine" or "Gaza" are getting temporarily blocked from being sent to recipients inside and outside the company. The No Azure for Apartheid (NOAA) protest group reports that "dozens of Microsoft workers" have been unable to send emails with the words "Palestine," "Gaza," and "Genocide" in email subject lines or in the body of a message."Words like 'Israel' or 'P4lestine' do not trigger such a block," says NOAA organizer Hossam Nasr. "NOAA believes this is an attempt by Microsoft to silence worker free speech and is a censorship enacted by Microsoft leadership to discriminate against Palestinian workers and their allies."Microsoft confirmed to The Verge that it has implemented some form of email changes to reduce "politically focused emails" inside the company."Emailing large numbers of employees about any topic not related to work is not appropriate. We have an established forum for employees who have opted in to political issues," says Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw in a statement to The Verge. "Over the past couple of days, a number of politically focused emails have been sent to tens of tho …Read the full story at The Verge.

Chapter 17: Temple of Lomarith in Doom: The Dark Agessees the Slayer further continue his journey onward through the Cosmic Realm, following the life signal of Commander Thira. In a stark contrast to the first half of the game, the latter chapters are set in a Lovecraftian realm, and you can read in our review of the game how impressed it left us.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by browser tabs, frustrated by sluggish performance, or simply wanted a non-Chromium web setup, then listen up. I tried the Arc browser and loved its fresh take on web browsing. However, I ditched it due to uncertainty around its development. Then, a few weeks ago, I finally took the plunge and switched to Zen Browser. The immediate difference was astonishing. It’s one of those moments where the only regret I have is not making the change sooner.

Look at your router. Now back to me. Now back to your router. And back to me. Your router isn't me, but it could be improved with a managed network switch. This is a smart switch that can provide additional bandwidth through more RJ45 ports and controls for creating virtual LANs (VLANs), managing and monitoring traffic, and setting priorities and other rules. Even if you don't plan to build out a home lab with countless servers and network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures, a network switch is worth considering for your home.

I had been thinking about setting up some kind of NAS system for a while leading up to when I started my self-hosting journey just a few weeks ago. I knew I wanted to reduce my reliance on cloud-hosted third-party services, but everything was very foreign to me and I wasn't sure I'd get very far.

Dyson’s new skinny PencilVac looks like a broom. | Image: DysonDyson has announced what it’s claiming is the “world’s slimmest vacuum cleaner.” At first glance, its new PencilVac looks like a broom rather than a vacuum because the battery, motor, and electronics are all integrated into a thin handle that’s just 38mm in diameter — the same thickness as Dyson’s Supersonic r hair dryer. It weighs in at just under four pounds and is powered by the company’s smallest and fastest vacuum motor yet.The PencilVac is designed to be a replacement for the slim Dyson Omni-glide, which launched in 2021 with a cleaning head that used two spinning brushes so it could suck up dust and dirt in multiple directions. The new PencilVac is not only slimmer and lighter than the Omni-glide, it uses four spinning brush bars that Dyson calls Fluffycones.As the name implies, the Fluffycones each feature a conical design that causes long hairs to slide down to the narrow end of each brush and fall off so they can be sucked up instead of getting tangled up around the brushes. The Fluffycones slightly protrude at the sides for better edge cleaning, and are paired with green LED lights (instead of the lasers that Dyson’s other vacuums use) that illuminate dust and debris so you can see when floors have been properly cleaned.Other innovations Dyson is introducing with the PencilVac include a motor that’s just 28mm in diameter but spins at 140,000RPM to generate 55AW of suction, and a new two-stage dust filtration system that prevents clogging and performance loss as the vac fills up. Given its size, the PencilVac has a smaller dust bin than Dyson’s other cleaners, but uses a new design that compresses dust as it’s removed from the airflow to help maximize how much dirt the bin can hold.The PencilVac magnetically connects to a floor dock for charging and storage, and features a small LCD screen that shows the cleaning mode and an estimate of how long before the battery dies. It’s also Dyson’s first vacuum to connect to the MyDyson mobile app, which offers access to additional settings, alerts for when the filter needs to be cleaned, and step-by-step maintenance instructions.The vacuum’s slim design does come with some trade-offs when compared to the company’s larger models. Its cleaning head is designed for use on hard floors, not carpeting, and while it can be swapped with alternate attachments like a furniture and crevice tool, it doesn’t convert to a shorter handheld vac. Runtime is also limited to just 30 minutes of cleaning at its lowest power setting, but its battery is swappable and Dyson will sell additional ones to extend how long you can clean.Dyson hasn’t revealed pricing details yet, and while the PencilVac will launch in Japan later this year, it won’t be available in the US until 2026.