When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. PC hardware prices are brutal, so I'm upgrading everything else If upgrading the PC itself is a financial horror show, there's still plenty of fun to be had around it. The 2020s have been brutal for PC gamers, as the furious rise of AI sent graphics card prices skyrocketing. In 2026, AI's insatiable hunger has affected seemingly everything with a microchip, as the cost for memory, storage, and even CPUs are making even the laptops and phones you buy more expensive, to say nothing of desktops. So what's a PC enthusiast with upgrade eyes bigger than their budget supposed to do?

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I'm starting to think I got the last good GPU deal My $500 RTX 5070 Ti is now a $1,300 problem. In November, around the U.S. Black Friday deal rush, I bought a new graphics card. That was nine months ago, and I think it might be the last time -- at least for the foreseeable future -- that I'll get a decent price on any computer hardware. In this week's issue of Boost Mode, I'll brag a little about my find, and explain why something that good is unlikely to come again any time soon.

We typically expect Mark Gurman at Bloomberg to have the latest tips on Apple tech, but today he's sharing info about OpenAI's planned move into hardware. After reporting a wave of details last month about the smart speaker in development at the AI company, today he's got additional insights about the device. Sources told Gurman that the product would have a ring-shaped design about the size of a hockey puck. The form factor is meant to be battery-powered and portable, so a user could easily carry it around with them. It reportedly has components that will be able to move on their own, which seem intended to make the product more lifelike and engaging.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Can't get a Steam Machine? The Steam Machine costs more than a grand, and is hard to find even if you can afford it. A cheap mini PC, loaded with the free SteamOS, makes more sense for most people. Welcome to Boost Mode, my weekly PCWorld newsletter focused on PC gaming, enthusiast hardware, and other geeky stuff centered around your desk and desktop.

Check your subscription status, update your details and more. An open-source flight-control system found in consumer drones has been installed in Ukraine's latest cruise missile, showing how cheap technology is making military hardware accessible to all Ukraine has developed a cheap cruise missile guided by an open-source autopilot system typically found in consumer drones. The use of hobby components highlights the shrinking gap between military and consumer electronics, which may make it easier for small countries and non-state actors to develop powerful high-tech weapons. With foreign long-range weapons hard to come by, Ukraine has had to develop its own. Fire Point, a Ukrainian company, showed off its FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile at the Eurosatory defence expo in Paris last month.

Apple has sued OpenAI and two former employees, alleging misappropriation of its trade secrets as the artificial intelligence company seeks to build its own hardware for ChatGPT, a major rupture in a partnership between the iPhone maker and the AI giant. The complaint, filed in a California federal court on Friday, alleges a coordinated effort to steal Apple's confidential information, including product designs, manufacturing processes and supply chain strategies. The lawsuit names Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch, as defendants, along with the OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC and io Products. Neither defendant immediately responded to a request for comment. Apple alleged that Liu failed to return a company-issued work laptop and later used an authentication bug to access Apple's internal network, downloading "dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files".

Phone cluster computing turns old smartphones into low-carbon data center servers. Google says UC San Diego plans to launch a 2,000 Pixel phone data center in Fall 2026.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. The Xbox is sitting in a similar spot now, and Microsoft has big decisions to make. For a year or two in my childhood, the Sega Dreamcast was the future. It had 3D graphics better than anything on the market. It had an internet connection for online gaming.

Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Wed 1 Jul 2026 10.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 1 Jul 2026 10.02 EDT It was once a truth universally acknowledged that an ageing console in possession of good revenue must be in line for a price reduction. Those days may be over. In March, Sony announced a price increase of £90 for the PS5, while last month Microsoft informed gamers that it would be charging at least £75 more for the Xbox Series S and X consoles from August. All three were first released back in 2020.

PCWorld examines MSI's $1,800 Claw 8 EX AI+ gaming handheld alongside Valve's $1,049 Steam Machine, highlighting escalating costs in PC gaming hardware. Rising component prices and console increases like Xbox Series X jumping to $799 signal affordability concerns for gaming enthusiasts. Testing shows DIY alternatives can save nearly $200 while matching performance, though high storage and memory costs remain challenging. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time it was so expensive to surf the cutting edge of PC hardware. I've been thinking about the ongoing pricepocalypse engulfing the computing industry all week, because here at PCWorld we've been testing the remarkably fast (and remarkably expensive) MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in order to see how it stacks up against other handheld gaming PCs.