Today’s hardware coverage features hands-on testing of several new components, starting with the Gamdias Atlas P6 CG chassis that adds curved glass to improve airflow and aesthetics. Cooling enthusiasts will find detailed performance data on the Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black tower cooler alongside efficiency reports for two new ATX 3.1 power supplies from Seasonic and Gigabyte. Graphics cards also take center stage, with reviewers examining gaming benchmarks, ray tracing capabilities, and thermal management on the compact ASUS ProArt RTX 5080 OC model. The roundup rounds out with entertainment and office gear, covering the Splatoon Raiders looter-shooter spinoff and an ergonomic chair built for taller adults.

Casing: Gamdias Atlas P6 CG PC Case Review
Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 G2 chromax.black CPU Tower Cooler Review – The Return of the King in Black
Furniture: Boulies OP180 Review
Gaming: Splatoon Raiders Review – A More Narrowly-Targeted Spinoff that Hits the Looter-Shooter Spot
Graphics Cards: ASUS ProArt GeForce RTX 5080 OC Review: Compact Blackwell Power
Power: Seasonic Prime TX-1600W Noctua Edition Review, Gigabyte AE850PM PG5 850W ATX v3.1 PSU Review

Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28120.2546 today for the Experimental 26H1 channel, delivering a modest set of maintenance updates alongside a major accessibility shift. The headline addition is plug-and-play HID braille display support for Narrator, which now connects instantly over USB or Bluetooth and works during the Out-of-Box Experience for the first time. Voice Access also picks up European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean, while administrators gain the ability to auto-disconnect Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 sessions when a redirected smart card is removed. Rounding out the changelog are quiet fixes for a crashing Graphics settings page, dark mode audio tweaks, and new gamepad navigation for the Bluetooth quick settings, though this experimental ring remains unsuitable for daily drivers.

Simplewall 3.9 landed on GitHub as a pre-release build on July 21, 2026, delivering a suite of feature updates to the decade-old WFP-based firewall that now sits at 8,600 stars. The release bumps the rule expression limit to 1,024 symbols, sharpens loopback filtering to cut false blocks on local services, and adds environment variable support for portable profile paths. Henry++ also shipped memory optimizations that resolve crashes on Windows 11 24H2, refined the dark theme, and enabled network address resolution by default.

Today's hardware evaluations highlight five new products built for distinct computing tasks. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition and GEEKOM GeekBook M16 laptops both deliver long battery life, efficient thermal control, and sturdy chassis construction. AOC's Q27G4ZR monitor adds a fast IPS panel and G-Sync compatibility to affordable gaming stations. AMD builders can upgrade their systems with the ASRock X870E Challenger WiFi motherboard paired with low-latency G.SKILL DDR5 memory.

Computers: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition Review, GEEKOM GeekBook M16 Review - The Budget Premium
Displays: AOC Q27G4ZR Review (Budget 1440p/260Hz)
Memory: G.SKILL Trident Z5 NeoX RGB 6000 CL30 32 GB Review - EXPO ULL
Motherboards: ASRock X870E Challenger WiFi Motherboard Review

Microsoft released five new Windows 11 Insider Preview builds on July 20, spanning Beta, Experimental, and Release Preview channels across the 25H2 and 26H1 platforms. The cycle introduces a redesigned Start menu with independent visibility toggles and size options, plus a calendar-based update pause that blocks installations for up to 35 days. Major accessibility wins include HID braille display support in Narrator, peripheral fingerprint sensor compatibility via Windows Hello, and Voice Isolation for Voice Access. On the performance front, a graphics kernel policy change unblocks larger local AI models on high-RAM systems, while widgets and Bluetooth receive long-overdue reliability and visual tweaks.

SilverStone released the FLP02 microATX case as a modern-retro design that balances nostalgic styling with contemporary build requirements. The Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake 304 Mini PC delivers office performance and light gaming capability through its Intel Core 3 304 processor, 24 gigabytes of memory, and 512 gigabytes of storage at a $659 price point. TRYX equipped its Turris 620 air cooler with a 5-inch IPS display, dual-tower architecture, and six 6-millimeter heatpipes to manage thermal output up to 280 watts. ASRock introduced the all-white X870E Taichi White motherboard, which expands on previous Taichi models with improved board features and a streamlined visual profile.

Casing: SilverStone FLP02 Retro Inspired MicroATX Case Review
Computers: Beelink EQi Wildcat Lake 304 "Intel Core 3 304" Mini PC Review - 18A Efficiency King For The Masses
Cooling: TRYX Turris 620 CPU Cooler Review
Motherboards: ASRock X870E Taichi White Motherboard Review

Open-Shell Menu 4.4.200 arrives as a new nightly build, bringing its first digitally signed binaries to eliminate Windows SmartScreen warnings during installation. The update also adds support for Automatic Restart Sign-On and patches a broken "properties" command in the Start Menu search. Maintained by volunteers, the classic Start Menu restorer continues to bridge compatibility gaps across Windows 7 through 11. 

AMD released the Ryzen 7 7700X3D processor to deliver strong gaming frame rates and solid power efficiency at a $330 price point. Motherboard evaluations highlight the ASRock X870E Taichi White for its premium build and white aesthetic, while the MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wifi II sacrifices some initial features to lower the retail cost. Power supply comparisons reveal the Fractal Design Ion 3 Gold 1000W as a cost-effective alternative to the Seasonic FOCUS GX-1000 since both units share identical internal components and performance specs. Storage reviews praise the Kioxia Exceria Pro G2 and Zhitai TiPlus 9100 for delivering fast PCIe Gen 5.0 speeds at competitive market prices using advanced controller technology.

CPUs: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D Review
Motherboards: ASRock X870E Taichi White Review, MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk Wifi II motherboard review: Loses features from the original, but shaves a few dollars off the price
Power: Fractal Design Ion 3 Gold 1000W Report
Storage: Kioxia Exceria Pro G2 review: an all-round excellent SSD, Zhitai TiPlus 9100 1 TB Review

Microsoft has dropped the first preview build for Windows Package Manager v1.30, but this release is strictly a stabilization window with zero new features. The only reason to pay attention right now is a high-severity patch that fixes a crash breaking --disable-interactivity workflows when paired with the experimental Resume checkpoint system. Alongside that critical fix, the preview delivers medium-severity validation corrections, build compatibility tweaks for Visual Studio 2026, and repository line-ending normalization. Standard users should ignore this update and stick to the stable WinGet 1.29.280 release, as only automation testers and preview channel consumers will actually benefit from the changes.

Visual Studio Code 1.129.1 arrives as a quick patch following the architecture-overhauling 1.129 release, which restructures AI agents into a dedicated background process called the Agent Host. This new design isolates Copilot, Claude, and Codex workloads, enables session sharing across multiple editor windows, and introduces multi-agent orchestration tools alongside BYOK model support. The update also brings a new docked editor panel, an ! command prefix for instant terminal execution, and official GitHub Enterprise authentication for the agent host. As Microsoft continues its rapid weekly release cycle, 1.129.1 focuses on patching regressions and stabilizing the experimental modern UI while rolling out these foundational changes to all supported platforms.