Darren Allan

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Articles by: Darren Allan

Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge

Microsoft plans to debloat Edge browser and take a leaf out of Google Chrome’s book when it comes to Settings

By Darren Allan published

Think Edge browser Settings are a torturous maze of options? Microsoft wants to change that.

Apple's Craig Federighi demonstrates the iPhone Mirroring feature of macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.

macOS 15 Sequoia is available right now – here’s what to know about Apple’s latest desktop OS

By Darren Allan published

Apple is springing macOS 15 on us surprisingly early – these are the features that you should get excited about.

14-inch MacBook Pro M3 on a desk

Some of Apple’s M4 Macs are already shipping ahead of rumored October launch – get ready for new MacBook Pros, a Mac mini and iMac

By Darren Allan published

Apple MacBook Pro 2024 14-inch and 16-inch, Mac mini and iMac still on track for launch in around a month.

LG Gram 16 Pro laptop being used by a person at a desk

LG Gram 16 Pro is revealed at IFA 2024 with an Intel Lunar Lake CPU that should breeze through AI tasks

By Darren Allan published

Get ready for a raft of AI laptops powered by Intel’s freshly revealed Lunar Lake processors.

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super on a desk

Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU rumored to be 10% faster than RTX 4090 – but it might guzzle nearly as much power as the Lovelace flagship

By Darren Allan published

Also, the RTX 5090 might tip up with a towering power consumption of 600W, we’re told.

V-color RGB DDR5 O CUDIMM memory sticks lying flat on a surface

V-color’s new DDR5 RAM is launched and it seems like an overclocker’s dream, looking ridiculously fast and stable

By Darren Allan published

This DDR5 CUDIMM system RAM boasts RGB lighting and a nifty new heatsink design.

A pair of laptops behind a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus chip in a display

Affordable Copilot+ PCs might be coming – but leak shows their 8-core Snapdragon CPU won’t cope with gaming

By Darren Allan published

Keen to dabble in a spot of gaming on your Copilot+ PC? New Snapdragon CPU for cheaper AI laptops is going to disappoint.

A mystery GPU with a colorful burst behind it

Latest Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU rumors serve up a double scoop of bad news

By Darren Allan published

RTX 5000 graphics cards could be delayed, and might be more power-hungry, too – especially the flagship.

A gamer sat at a desktop PC in an esports competition

Windows 11 is finally more popular than Windows 10 – at least in the world of PC gaming

By Darren Allan published

Game over, Windows 10: Microsoft turns a corner as Windows 11 finally becomes its most popular OS.

A Microsoft Surface Pro 11 Copilot+ PC on a desk

Sorry, Windows 11 users, but you’re not escaping Microsoft’s all-seeing Recall feature that easily

By Darren Allan published

Were you happy to hear about the option to uninstall Recall in a Windows 11 preview? Well, forget about that – it’s just a bug.

Upset PC gamer with head in hands by their PC

Intel has reportedly canceled Beast Lake and its follow-up – and I’m gutted it’s killed off my dream gaming CPU

By Darren Allan published

Beast Lake and the whole ’Royal Core’ project have been shelved at Intel, according to a leak.

MacBook Pro 16-inch with screen open in an office

Apple’s big Mac M4 reveal could happen in October, ahead of rumored on-sale date of November

By Darren Allan published

Keen to buy a MacBook Pro, Mac mini or iMac with M4 CPU? Get your wallet prepared for surgery in November.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 badge on a laptop

Intel Panther Lake laptop chips could get top-end CPUs to rival AMD Strix Halo – and they could change budget gaming laptops forever

By Darren Allan published

Will discrete laptop graphics cards soon be a thing of the past? Quite possibly, if Intel and AMD’s plans come to fruition.

A Microsoft Surface Laptop being shown at Microsoft's Copilot Plus PC Showcase

Are you a Recall hater? Windows 11’s big AI feature may come with an option to uninstall it – but we wouldn’t count on it

By Darren Allan published

Recall is coming to Windows 11 in testing soon, and a hidden change appears to indicate an option to remove the feature.

LG 27-inch 480Hz Gaming OLED on a desk with a gamer sat in front of the screen

LG’s 27-inch OLED gaming monitor with a jaw-dropping 480Hz refresh rate will soon be on shelves – but how much will it cost?

By Darren Allan published

Need a new gaming monitor? LG’s 27-inch OLED will soon be on shelves, but it’s for serious gamers only.

Edited image of a MacBook Pro with Sequoia background on screen

macOS 15 Sequoia could help fix one thing we hate about MacBooks: lack of storage space

By Darren Allan published

Big apps or games won’t fit on your meager Mac SSD? macOS 15 solves storage woes by allowing for direct installation on an external drive.

AMD CPU with Ryzen 9000 Series label

AMD Ryzen 9700X and 9600X CPUs just got a free speed boost from MSI – and other motherboard makers are rumored to follow

By Darren Allan published

Update your MSI motherboard now to get a new ‘turbo mode’ if you own one of these mid-range Zen 5 processors.

An AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU on top of its retail packaging

AMD Ryzen 7600X3D could be imminent and temptingly cheap – but the catch might be you’ll struggle to buy the CPU

By Darren Allan published

AMD’s Ryzen 7600X3D might be on sale in a couple of weeks, and possibly priced to impress PC gamers.

Happy PC gamer shows heart sign with hands

Thought you’d have to wait for AMD’s big gaming speed boost for Ryzen 7000 and 9000 CPUs? Surprise – it’s here now with a Windows 11 update

By Darren Allan published

This is a Windows 11 preview update that you’ll be sorely tempted to grab – if you have a modern Ryzen chip, that is.

Windows 11 on a laptop PC showing Start menu icon on taskbar

Microsoft improves Windows 11 Start menu, with no new ads in sight – and there’s a bonus for the lock screen in latest preview

By Darren Allan published

A new option for a Category view in the Start menu’s list of apps is a welcome change, if it emerges from testing.

PC Gamer looking happy

Windows 11 24H2 could be a mind-blowing gift for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU owners – we’re talking a generational uplift for gaming performance

By Darren Allan published

Got an AMD Ryzen 7000 or 9000 chip? Then you'll want to pounce on the Windows 11 24H2 update when it emerges.

Windows laptop showing the Control Panel on the desktop

Turns out the ‘death’ of the Control Panel in Windows 11 has been greatly exaggerated, as Microsoft issues a clarification

By Darren Allan published

Want to see the back of the Control Panel? You wouldn’t be alone, but this ancient bit of the Windows interface isn’t going anywhere for now.

Person using a Windows 11 laptop

Windows 11 could get updates that install without a reboot, as a Microsoft blunder hints these are coming with version 24H2

By Darren Allan published

The plan appears to be that the majority of monthly updates for Windows 11 won’t need to reboot the PC.

MacBook Pro 14 M3 Max (2023) in use

Apple’s M4 Macs spotted in testing – with a hint that entry-level MacBook Pro 14-inch could get the RAM upgrade everyone craves

By Darren Allan published

The upgrade to 16GB of RAM as a minimum for the MacBook Pro 14-inch is long overdue, let’s face it.

Windows 10 user looking frustrated with their head underneath an open laptop

Windows 10 looks to be getting one of the worst features recently added to Windows 11’s Start menu

By Darren Allan published

Microsoft’s continued development of Windows 10 has a downside, namely more cluttering of the interface with adverts.

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