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Actually Download More RAM - NVIDIA CMP 170HX cmpunlocker

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/09/12/cmp-170hx-cmpunlocker

Published: September 12, 2026 16:47

There is a long history of scams and malware claiming to give you more RAM or make your computer run faster, but cmpunlocker created by Amogh Munikote actually follows through on this dubious promise for the CMP 170HX mining GPU.

Sine Waves and Spec. Sheets - UPS Considerations

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/09/10/ups-considerations

Published: September 10, 2026 17:08

Selecting the best Uninterruptible Power Supply(UPS) can be a complicated and opaque process requiring an understanding of battery cells and alternating current(AC) electricity. This article will explain some of the important numbers and features to look…

Low Latency, High Hopes: AMD EXPO Ultra Low Latency Memory

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/09/04/amd-expo-ultra-low-latency-memory

Published: September 4, 2026 17:15

AMD was fairly quiet at Computex 2026, but one of the new announcements was Ultra Low Latency memory. G.SKILL sent us a couple of memory kits to take for a spin, and they are technologically impressive, but based on our results and AMD’s claims, they're…

Delidded Intel i9-14900KS CT Scan

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/09/02/delidded-intel-i9-14900ks

Published: September 2, 2026 15:01

CT Scanning a delidded Intel Core i9 14900KS to explore the PCB layers and silicon layout.

A Guide to Switching to Linux and Grieving Windows

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/08/31/a-guide-to-switching-to-linux-and-grieving-windows

Published: August 31, 2026 17:01

You've finally decided to ditch Windows. Welcome. In this guide we go over a 5 stage process to switch to Linux with a lot of resources and tools to help you along the way.

Your Screen Recorder Wants to Steal Your Frames!

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/08/24/your-screen-recorder-wants-to-steal-your-frames

Published: August 24, 2026 16:33

Screen recording can take a lot more out of your system than you might think. To find out how much of a hit you might take, we put five common recording tools to the test. Beware: graphs galore ahead!

The Pixel 11 Line Up Just [Pixel] Dropped

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/08/19/the-pixel-11-line-up-just-pixel-dropped

Published: August 19, 2026 20:09

As Google says, “every colour is a vibe.” And it’s true! Google has released their next line up of Pixel phones and they’re as colourful as ever. However, do they perform as well as they look?

LLM Quantization Part 3: Honey, I Shrunk the Numbers!

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/08/13/llm-quantization-part-3-honey-i-shrunk-the-numbers

Published: August 13, 2026 18:38

By now we know what a model is made of, why it eats so much VRAM, and what those weights actually are: billions of numbers, most of them sitting in a tiny band near zero, stored in a format built to reach 3.4 × 10³⁸. Let us look at how shrinking the…

World's First(?) Underwhelming AMD Ryzen AI Halo Cluster

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/24/amd-ryzen-ai-halo-cluster

Published: July 24, 2026 14:52

Through a stroke of misfortunate, we were fortunate enough to have two Ryzen AI Halos for a short period of time and the temptation to cluster them was too great, surely we'll get more performance with two of them.

LLM Quantization Part 2.5: Do Floats Dream of Real Numbers?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/21/llm-quantization-part-2-5-do-floats-dream-of-real-numbers

Published: July 21, 2026 17:11

When a model stores 0.1, it isn't storing 0.1. This article breaks down what a number actually is to a computer, how floating point splits its bits between range and precision, and why models barely use either, which is exactly what makes them shrinkable.

Intel Arc G3 Low Power Core Scheduling: 50% Off

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/18/intel-arc-g3-extreme-ibc-v35

Published: July 18, 2026 14:45

Intel’s new Arc G3 processors are designed specifically for handheld gaming and feature Intel’s Intelligent Bias Control(IBC) v3.5 technology that will disable* the P-cores* when operating at a TDP below 14 W * -- Note the asterisks.

GTX 1080s: Revisiting Legends

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/15/gtx-1080s-revisiting-legends

Published: July 15, 2026 20:17

The GTX 1080 Ti made "future-proof" a marketing term people actually believed. We revisit NVIDIA's 2017 flagships to see how they hold up against ray tracing and AI workloads.

LLM Quantization Part 2: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger VRAM

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/10/llm-quantization-part-2-youre-gonna-need-a-bigger-vram

Published: July 10, 2026 16:27

Everyone quotes a model's file size, but that's only part of what it costs to run. This article breaks down where your VRAM really goes, weights, KV cache, activations, and overhead, then works out what fits on a modern GPU and what to do when a model…

Testing Trump Mobile's T1: All That Glitters is Not Gold

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/09/testing-trump-mobiles-t1-all-that-glitters-is-not-gold

Published: July 9, 2026 15:27

We tested the T1 by Trump Mobile and it is definitely one of the mobile devices of all time. The article gets into the standard mobile testing results that could not be included in the ShortCircuit video. We compare its performance with the Pixel 10a - a…

AI Dev Kit, Batteries Included - AMD Ryzen AI Halo

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/06/amd-ryzen-ai-halo

Published: July 6, 2026 15:00

The AMD Ryzen AI Halo is a truly mini-PC built around the Zen 5 AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor(16 core, 32 thread) that streamlines learning AI development with ROCm or AMD hardware. The main offering is the software and support it provides.

ARM On Windows is Sparking a Fight It Might Win

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/01/arm-on-windows-is-sparking-a-fight-it-might-win

Published: July 1, 2026 19:29

The ARM architecture has won over practically every gadget you can think of. The only space where it has not yet won is Windows laptops. We tested some Snapdragon X2 laptops for an LTT video and commented on the state of ARM on Windows laptops.

Does the Belkin Cable Charge the Nintendo Switch 2 Faster?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/07/01/does-the-belkin-cable-charge-the-nintendo-switch-2-faster

Published: July 1, 2026 16:59

No. Nothing in our testing shows that any specific USB-C cable will enable the Nintendo Switch 2 to charge faster. Any standard USB-C cable will charge the Switch 2 at the same 10-15 W, and provide a full charge in approximately three hours.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3EM with Intel Arc G3 Extreme

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/23/msi-claw-8-ex-ai-cg3em-with-intel-arc-g3-extreme

Published: June 23, 2026 13:00

Intel announced their new Intel Arc G3(G3 and G3 Extreme) processors at Computex 2026; they ship first in a wave of handhelds including the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3EM and uhhhh, it's difficult to not fixate on the Claw 8 EX’s $1,799 USD price.

The Newell Nucleus: Steam Machine LTT Companion Article

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/22/the-newell-nucleus-steam-machine-ltt-companion-article

Published: June 22, 2026 05:06

The Steam Machine is here, and it's proof Valve's Linux gamble is paying off. After years of the Steam Deck proving Linux gaming could be more than a punchline, the Steam Machine shows Valve is doubling down.

LLM Quantization Part 1: What Even is an LLM?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/19/llm-quantization-part-1-what-even-is-an-llm

Published: June 19, 2026 17:28

In part 1 of our 3-part LLM quantization series, we build the foundation you'll need to understand why running a 70 billion parameter model without a trust fund requires some creative problem solving.

You're Pressing Buttons Harder Than You Think

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/16/controller-button-force

Published: June 16, 2026 16:39

We've collected controllers from around the office to perform testing for LinusTechTips and ShortCircuit videos, but within the team we were noting the variety of face buttons(A, B, X, Y). They're shaped differently, and they can feel different to press as…

We Tried Xbox Mode

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/14/we-tried-xbox-mode

Published: June 14, 2026 01:00

We gave Xbox Mode a try, and our findings weren't stellar.

Massive PSUs, Miniature PCs, and 'Good' AI(ML) - Computex 2026 Trends

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/11/computex-2026-trends

Published: June 11, 2026 18:44

The theme of Computex 2026 was “AI Everywhere”, and it showed.  However, we also observed a couple other trends worth noting. We found some trends with unusually large PSUs, and surprisingly mini PCs, and we even found a reasonable use for AI(neural…

Priming Revisited: It's Not Just the AirPods Pro 3

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/09/priming-revisited-its-not-just-the-airpods-pro-3

Published: June 9, 2026 16:55

Since our previous article about the difficulty of measuring the AirPods 3 Pros, we have done some testing on the AirPods Max 2, which have the same dynamic adaptive EQ features as the Pro 3s but affect the frequency response more subtly.

ASUS Server Testing Lab

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/06/asus-test-server-tour

Published: June 6, 2026 17:11

During our visit to Taiwan for Computex, we ventured out of the city of Taipei to visit ASUS's server testing facility and get a look inside an ASUS NVIDIA GB300 compute tray.

Carbon Nanotube CPU Cooling with Carbice

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/05/26/carbice-ice-pads

Published: May 26, 2026 17:48

Does using a cool material technology actually help keep cool your CPU?  Carbice sure hopes it does, but they didn't rely on those hopes when designing their Space Pad for operation in orbitand the Ice Pad for use in consumer electronics.

Two Is Better Than One: Maxsun Intel Arc Pro B60 Dual 48G Turbo Review

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/05/15/maxsun-intel-arc-pro-b60-dual-48g-turbo-review

Published: May 15, 2026 18:49

We got our hands on two B60s, but not in the way we expected. We received the MAXSUN Intel Arc Pro B60 Dual 48G Turbo. The MAXSUN is a rare breed of graphics card, a dual GPU; two graphics processors fused onto a single PCB.

What's up with UPSs?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/05/12/ups-exploration

Published: May 12, 2026 16:06

We've always had UPSs around, but we've been wary of connecting any of them to measurement equipment considering the high voltages involved. Now we're throwing caution to the wind to check out some UPSs from around the office.

Power Supplies Come in Threes: Testing and Comparing a Series of Power Supplies

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/05/05/testing-psu-series

Published: May 5, 2026 15:34

Nearly every power supply you buy today will be part of a series. Why do manufacturers produce these series, how similar are the power supplies in a series, and is it a good assumption that models within a series will perform similarly?

We Tried Popular Linux Gaming Distros

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/29/we-tried-popular-linux-gaming-distros

Published: April 29, 2026 16:28

We downloaded and installed a few gaming distros, ran some tests and documented our experiences.

Intel Binary Optimization: Worth it for the few?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/24/intel-binary-optimization-worth-it

Published: April 24, 2026 16:19

Intel provides a suite of software optimizations in the form of Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU), Intel Application Optimizer (APO), and the new Intel Binary Optimization Tool (IBOT). Here we take a look at which ones are worth taking the time to…

Is 1 Nit Enough? - Phone Minimum Display Brightness

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/16/phone-minimum-display-brightness

Published: April 16, 2026 14:13

We've seen a few brands shift to now also advertise their minimum display brightness in addition to the maximum brightness. Here we explore our testing capabilities show results from six modern phone displays.

Apple CMF 2026 and Studio Display XDR Test Results

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/11/apple-studio-display-xdr-display-testing-results

Published: April 11, 2026 23:18

Apple has recently released their new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR, two 27-inch 5K Retina displays available with their signature $400 stands.  We'll cover some of the measurements below, but a notable release alongside these displays is the new…

ATX Power Supply Timings

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/08/psu-timing-requirements

Published: April 8, 2026 15:03

A look at the requirements for power supplies that comply to the ATX specification along with a test and visualization we've developed.

How Close is Too Close? Applying Fundamental Fluid Dynamics Research Methods to PC Cooling

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/04/04/how-close-is-too-close-applying-fundamental-fluid-dynamics-research-methods-to-pc-cooling

Published: April 4, 2026 18:13

In April 2025, LinusTechTips visited NASA's Langley Research Center at the invitation of the Flow Physics and Control Branch to seek an answer to the question: how far does a case fan have to be from a flat surface?

Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus Gaming Update

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/31/intel-core-ultra-200s-plus-gaming-update

Published: March 31, 2026 19:30

An update and expansion of game testing the Core Ultra 270K Plus alongside the 5800X3D and 7800X3D.

Does Plouffe need a GPU for Plex in 2026?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/27/does-plouffe-need-a-gpu-for-plex-in-2026

Published: March 27, 2026 16:49

Nicholas Plouffe is building himself a NAS and asked Labs for some hardware advice. So we made it complicated and did some testing!

MacBook Neo and M5 MacBook Thermal Testing

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/25/macbook-thermal-testing

Published: March 25, 2026 17:44

While we’ve had many MacBooks around for the testing of the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, and MacBook Pro M5 Pro, we’ve done some exploration of surface temperature measurement.

Intel Arrow Lake Refresh

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/23/intel-arrow-lake-refresh

Published: March 23, 2026 13:01

Intel has released the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and spoiler, they’re great. We conducted a suite of tests for the LinusTechTips video and included them here.

Testing Brazilian Power Supplies

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/14/brazilian-tech

Published: March 14, 2026 17:00

Presenting partial test results from power supplies included in a LinusTechTips video.

iPhone 17e Performance and Power Test Results

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/13/iphone-17e-performance-and-power-test-results

Published: March 13, 2026 19:28

This is a companion article to the iPhone 17e ShortCircuit video and included are results from our expedited testing over the last few days following the release of the iPhone 17e, comparing against its predecessor, the iPhone 16e, and the next level up,…

Phone Battery Life Meta Analysis

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/10/mobile-battery-meta-analysis

Published: March 10, 2026 17:42

Smartphone battery testing is one of the most valuable but contentious tests that we conduct.  Here we explore some of our results collected from projects in the past year.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/03/01/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-privacy-display

Published: March 1, 2026 20:02

Privacy Display mode on the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra turns off half the pixels to dim regions of the display and protect your privacy.  However, Maximum Privacy Display mode turns some pixels back on, making the screen even more difficult to read from…

Who Is High-Speed DDR5 Memory Actually For?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/02/26/who-is-high-speed-ddr5-memory-actually-for

Published: February 26, 2026 18:49

These are some tough times for PC builders. Not long ago, a 32GB DDR5 kit cost around $100, but with the current RAM prices that is no longer true. We did some tests to find out who would benefit the most from faster memory speeds.

Evolve Benchmark Exploration

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/02/26/evolve-benchmark

Published: February 26, 2026 17:02

Mobile gaming benchmarks tell us more than if it's a good "do you have any games on your phone" device. This article takes a look at Evolve, which is a game rendering benchmark that may allow us to more comprehensively measure phone performance.

USB-C Cable Voltage Drop

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/02/15/usb-c-cable-voltage-drop

Published: February 15, 2026 20:11

This is a continuation(and escalation) of our previous article on USB-C cable voltage drop, now with improved testing and more cables.

Making Sense of Logitech's Mouse Lineup

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/02/10/making-sense-of-logitechs-mouse-lineup

Published: February 10, 2026 22:29

Logitech’s mouse lineup is no exception to the industry standard of using the most obfuscating naming scheme for their products, so for our own reference (as well as yours) here is a brief summary of all the mice currently offered on Logitech’s website.

LTT TrueSpec Cable Voltage Drop Testing

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/01/30/ltt-truespec-cable-voltage-drop

Published: January 30, 2026 18:01

With the release of the LTT TrueSpec cables, the 40 Gbps data transfer is neat, but I figure it is interesting to look at the power delivery characteristics of the cables.  This is a test of the cables we had around with some equipment that most people…

$40 ANKER Nano Charger (45W) Testing and Exploration

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/01/27/anker-nano-charger-45w-testing

Published: January 27, 2026 18:09

The new $39.99 USD Anker Nano 45W(A121D) charger claiming iPhone detection, charge percentage display, and "Care Mode" seems to offer up only gimmicks, but that is only true for most of the features.

Exploring Different Keyboard Sensing Technologies

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/01/27/exploring-different-keyboard-sensing-technologies

Published: January 27, 2026 10:00

We took a closer look at different types of old and new keyboard technologies from Buckling Spring to TMR to explain how they work and their pros and cons.

Which Devices Benefit from 50 W Chargers?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/01/21/what-is-50-w-charging-who-needs-50-w-charging

Published: January 21, 2026 22:07

What does a higher charging wattage mean, is it better, and how does it actually help?

Will Your Phone Let You Quickly Top up the Battery?

https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/01/07/will-your-phone-let-you-quickly-top-up-the-battery

Published: January 7, 2026 07:00

Conducting some limited testing to find out if an iPhone will quick charge the last 10% of battery percentage if plugged in to quickly reach full charge. The answer is that the iPhone doesn't care.