TechSpot Features

Relational databases manage structured data in tables, while non-relational databases handle unstructured data. Understanding these differences is key to selecting the right system for various business needs.

For the first time this year, we can no longer say that SSD prices keep on rising. While some drives are slightly more expensive, others have dropped in price, which is always good news.

AMD keeps botching their product launches, and Zen 5 is just another example in a string of releases over the last two years that range from disappointing to downright embarrassing.

Intel's CPU stability issues persist, with a microcode update expected in a few weeks. While TechSpot has covered various angles, hands-on testing remains pending, here's our take so far.

Is Windows 10 or Windows 11 faster for gaming? We revisit this question using four hardware setups benchmarked with fresh OS installations in 13 games, with updated drivers and testing software.

Developed by Nullsoft in 1997, Winamp is a media player that supports a wide array of audio formats and was an iconic software application in the heyday of MP3 music. Winamp was nearly ubiquitous, used by millions in the early 2000s.

The Nintendo Wii redefined casual gaming by introducing motion controls and capturing a wide demographic, setting it apart from Sony and Microsoft's traditional game consoles.

Precursor chipmaker Cyrix made personal computing accessible to millions with its affordable budget PCs, only to be killed by its best product and its inability to run a popular game.

Stop! If you're thinking of upgrading your gaming PC, don't buy that overpriced graphics card or even a new CPU. Instead, invest in a new monitor which will enhance your gaming experience much more.

With a new GPU generation not so far away, we're approaching the point where you'll have to decide whether to grab the graphics card you want now or wait for the next generation.

Did you know that AMD's old Zen 3 CPUs released back in 2019 are actually faster for gaming than Intel's latest Raptor Lake architecture? It's true, and AMD has the graphs to prove it.

These days, everyone has a phone in their pocket that can stream music. But two decades ago, you needed a dedicated player to listen to your favorite songs on the go. Enter the iPod.

Welcome to a fundamental area of computer design: how numbers are represented in hardware! As this can be the difference between a blazing fast machine and a costly $475 million bug - Pentium 4, anyone?

Before the PlayStation and Xbox, Sega was Nintendo's main rival in the console market, pioneering 3D graphics and online features. The rise and downfall of Sega is filled with drama and fond memories.

With class-leading hardware and software, the Apple iPad line has long been the default tablet recommendation for most people. But with various model differences and sizes, which one is right for you?

ICQ, short for "I Seek You," laid the groundwork for instant messaging clients upon its arrival in November 1996. ICQ influenced many popular chat programs of the era, including AOL, Yahoo! Messenger, and MSN Messenger.

It's been 3 months since we started our OLED burn-in test using an MSI 32" 4K QD-OLED as a productivity monitor. In today's update we're going to talk burn in, firmware updates, and general usage.

The dream of the handheld gaming PC is alive thanks to the Steam Deck and its ilk, but that road has been dotted with broken promises, unrealistic expectations, and some cool yet impractical machines.

Today, you can simply type the name of a destination and instantly get a map with turn-by-turn directions to get there. These advancements predated the smartphone, thanks to a service called MapQuest.

Something we hear a lot is that CPU performance doesn't matter for 4K gaming. Without proper context, CPU benchmark data can be misinterpreted. Let us explain to you what's what with some hard data.

Until last year, there was plenty of talk about declining SSD prices. However, as we showed a few months ago, that trend has reversed. The AI race has also become a factor for SSD and HDD pricing.

Are you thinking of jumping into the OLED gaming ecosystem with a brand new 32-inch 4K fast refresh monitor but aren't sure whether to choose a QD-OLED or WOLED panel?

The year was 1982 and computers were no longer taking up a full room, but PCs were still far from portable. Three entrepreneurs founded Compaq to make a portable IBM-compatible PC and succeeded.

Intel's groundbreaking 8008 microprocessor was produced over 50 years ago, the ancestor of the x86 processor family that you may be using right now.

We have purposefully been using a 4K OLED monitor in ways that will cause permanent burn-in. This is not how you should be using an OLED monitor, but we're taking one for the team.

Not much has changed in the gaming GPU market as of late, so this month we're looking at current prices and discussing the best graphics cards you can buy.

Nvidia's GeForce Now has changed a lot in the year since we asked the question: which is better, a new graphics card or a subscription to GeForce Now's Ultimate tier?

In the late 1970s, Mattel's Intellivision gaming system competed against the equally legendary Atari 2600. Both systems would leave a lasting impression on the history of console gaming.

In this GPU analysis, we look back across the last 4 generations of graphics cards to illustrate exactly why this generation has underperformed - and by how much - showing what each GPU should have cost.

Gone are the days when the sole function for a graphics chip were, graphics. Let's explore how the GPU evolved from a modest pixel pusher into a blazing powerhouse of floating-point computation.