GoKawiil
Tech News
Windows includes a pre-installed Memory Diagnostic utility that checks whether a computer's RAM is reliably storing and retrieving data. It works by repeatedly writing information to memory and reading it back, flagging any mismatches that suggest faulty hardware. This can help explain symptoms like crashes, freezes, and the Blue Screen of Death without needing a technician.
Market research firm TrendForce forecasts that Apple's next iPhone lineup will carry significantly higher price tags, driven by a global RAM shortage that has pushed memory costs for a 256GB Pro model up nearly 400% year-over-year. The firm expects Apple to absorb some of that cost increase rather than pass it all on, but still predicts the rumored foldable iPhone Ultra could launch between $2,099 and $2,299, potentially reaching $3,000.
Google has hiked the U.S. price of its TV Streamer 4K from $99.99 to $149.99, citing rising component costs, with the change already reflected on the Google Store and Best Buy. Certain Nest Cam and doorbell models are also getting price increases effective August 31, though the new Google Home Speaker is unaffected for now. Amazon and Walmart are still selling remaining stock at the older $99.99 price, but supplies are limited.
Newegg is offering a four-item PC building bundle featuring AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32GB of Corsair DDR5-6000 memory, and a Gigabyte X870E Aorus Pro motherboard for $1,113.99, a $240 discount off the combined retail price. The deal also throws in a free Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240 AIO cooler worth $80 and an AMD game bundle.
Lorne Trottier and Branko Matić founded Matrox in Dorval, Quebec in 1976, combining their surnames to name the company. Their first product, the MTX-1632 video RAM board, generated a 32x16 ASCII display and sold $20,000 worth of orders after a free listing in Electronics magazine, making the fledgling company profitable almost immediately. They quickly followed up with the MTX-256, a raster graphics unit offering 256 by 256 dot resolution.
Politico reports the Trump administration is considering expanding semiconductor tariffs to cover finished consumer electronics like laptops and gaming consoles, and potentially smartphones and accessories, rather than just standalone chip imports. Companies investing in US-based chip manufacturing could be granted exemptions, but building such facilities typically takes years and billions of dollars, meaning near-term relief is unlikely.
Apple's Mac mini lineup includes both the newer M6 chip and the older M5 Pro, but the M5 Pro model is priced higher because it targets a different performance tier. The M5 Pro offers more CPU and GPU cores, higher RAM ceilings up to 64GB, and storage options up to 8TB, compared to the M6's maximum 12-core CPU, 32GB RAM, and 2TB storage.
AYN announced via Discord that it will increase prices across all three configurations of its Odin 3 Android gaming handheld beginning September 1. The base 8GB/128GB model rises from $349 to $369, the 12GB/256GB Pro goes from $449 to $469, and the 16GB/512GB Max climbs from $499 to $529. This marks the third price increase for the device in 2025, following hikes in March and June.
MSI's Crosshair 16 HX E14W arrives as a budget-tier gaming laptop that manages to hold down its price despite the ongoing surge in memory costs. Reviewers note the machine delivers expected gaming performance for its class but does so through several noticeable trade-offs in build and features.
Xiaomi announced price hikes of up to ¥20,000 (about $137) on several Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices in Japan, citing surging memory and component costs. The Xiaomi 17T Pro and multiple POCO X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max configurations see the steepest jumps, some rising nearly 25%, while tablets face smaller increases of ¥2,000 to ¥10,000. The new prices take effect September 1 for Xiaomi and Redmi products and September 4 for POCO models.