Alan Dexter
Alan has been writing about PC tech since before 3D graphics cards existed, and still vividly recalls having to fight with MS-DOS just to get games to load. He fondly remembers the killer combo of a Matrox Millenium and 3dfx Voodoo, and seeing Lara Croft in 3D for the first time. He's very glad hardware has advanced as much as it has though, and is particularly happy when putting the latest M.2 NVMe SSDs, AMD processors, and laptops through their paces. He has a long-lasting Magic: The Gathering obsession but limits this to MTG Arena these days.
Latest articles by Alan Dexter
![Western Digital WD_Black SN770 1TB](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B74HeNVjMjcdqJBoeKu7WN-320-80.jpg)
WD Black SN770 1TB SSD review
By Alan Dexter published
Momento Something DRAM-less this way comes.
![Intel Alder Lake Core i5 12400 stock cooler](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PD8U5MQ4pnHf6nZW86e7af-320-80.jpg)
Modder improves Intel's Alder Lake stock cooler with a strip of paper
By Alan Dexter published
News Intel's Core i5 CPU cooler runs quieter with the simplest of hacks.
![ABS Master Gaming PC](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CwRctJX5Z3VKpRgV7wQKXV-320-80.jpg)
Excel at 1080p gaming with this RTX 3060-powered PC for just $1,200 right now
By Alan Dexter published
deal A sensible spec and plenty of RGB make this a deal worth grabbing.
![Seagate Skyhawk AI HDD on NVR](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qa62iePxfBAqoYCMnVVywN-320-80.jpg)
Seagate's new hard drives show it's on track to deliver 50TB HDDs by 2026
By Alan Dexter published
News Once again the humble hard drive refuses to go to the grave.
![ABS Challenger RTX 3050 gaming PC](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GcZ8wHuy8CZnB9pP9hB3FP-320-80.jpg)
Save $400 on this RTX 3050 gaming PC
By Alan Dexter published
deal For a shade under $900, you get a PC that's great for 1080p gaming.
![Forspoken](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5HfHgpvA7GA8zin8nCpKiB-320-80.jpg)
Thanks to DirectStorage, Forspoken loads in only one second
By Alan Dexter published
News Long load times could soon be a thing of the past.
![Apple M1 Ultra next to an AMD Ryzen 3 3300X for scale.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mFkwXP87fbs6c9pVzcL37n-320-80.jpg)
Apple's M1 Ultra absolutely dwarfs your CPU
By Alan Dexter published
News Remember, it's what you do with it that counts.
![Asus ROG Flow Z13 on a desk](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mtd5Mk3PbhMgisBgWJeZhK-320-80.jpg)
Asus ROG Flow Z13 tablet review
By Alan Dexter published
Muddled An undeniably gorgeous sliver of hardware searching for a problem to solve.
![AMD Ryzen 5000 illustration with boxed CPU](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UccC436zbLdGbTm3Cm3amJ-320-80.jpg)
There's an annoying catch with AMD's cheapest Zen 3 CPU
By Alan Dexter published
News The Ryzen 5 5500 could have been a great budget chip, but it's too limited.
![AMD Ryzen 7 5700G](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UFByHHSmWvVneHGaTKatGj-320-80.jpg)
Motherlode of new AMD Ryzen CPUs could be on the way according to retailers
By Alan Dexter published
News Rumours suggest up to 10 new AMD Ryzen chips will land in April.
![Image of Razer Blade 17 by a window.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WtTg8npoNLyNTXftuzZpKS-320-80.jpg)
Razer Blade 17 gaming laptop review
By Alan Dexter published
Cutting-edge Razer takes equal parts Intel Alder Lake CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU to make for a potent laptop brew.
![Steam Deck playing God of War](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/76MjYFdoCT5MWPHHLmsN4L-320-80.jpg)
Does the Steam Deck Throttle?
By Alan Dexter published
Is Aerith, the APU in the Steam Deck, cramped by the constraints of the handheld?
![Lenovo President's Day Deals](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CDuMv6vF64tTRaUvPDpuq8-320-80.jpg)
Save up to $340 on Lenovo RTX 3060 laptops and desktops this President's Day
By Alan Dexter published
Deal Lenovo has some solid savings on gaming PCs right now.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ebzbphhNETEfLtCuxtbvUQ-320-80.jpg)
Great moments in PC gaming: Feeding the bear in The Long Dark
By Alan Dexter published
Grrr There's a bear in there.
![A whale displayed on a LG TV](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XB47qJhFaBDrhNkwQKGbE3-320-80.jpg)
Should I use a TV as a computer monitor?
By Alan Dexter published
Ask PC Gamer You don't have to limit your PC gaming to a desk.
![Das Keyboard X50Q](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FTBtohiRcy4vcA74hn2Sk6-320-80.jpg)
Get this funky mechanical Das Keyboard for half price this President's Day
By Alan Dexter published
Deal The Das Keyboard X50Q usually shifts for $199, making this is a particularly impressive saving.
![AMD Ryzen 6000](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kueaY2BJiHjXJeSQ2JK87T-320-80.jpg)
With RDNA 2 in super thin laptops the Steam Deck isn't your only mobile gaming option
By Alan Dexter published
News Integrated graphics have never looked so promising.
![AMD Ryzen 6000 Series mobile](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TJh4fpGFM3PMQj7WFjgoxK-320-80.jpg)
AMD's 'fundamental' 6nm Ryzen upgrade promises 'massive increase in yield'
By Alan Dexter published
News Chip crisis? What chip crisis?
![Shot from the El Coyote Cojo benchmark](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4r3VanvnJQp4Xze2nzwEZ-320-80.jpg)
The Cyberpunk 2077 patch finally delivers: there's now an in-game benchmark
By Alan Dexter published
News Can your machine run it at the top settings? Now you can easily see.
![Unlock frame rates in Lost Ark](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T5inUAcmiy3dY5DJAKn8RQ-320-80.jpg)
You should unlock your frame rate in Lost Ark, here's how
By Alan Dexter published
Lost fps Give yourself the edge in the latest MMO ARPG.
![Gigabyte RX 6500 XT Gaming OC](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WovjiBF8Zj3YfZaQdfEvNL-320-80.jpg)
There's actually some good graphics card news for a change: they're getting cheaper
By Alan Dexter published
News They're still too expensive, but at least the pricing is heading in the right direction.
![Miniforums B550](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nBBdx4uKsxdBktWhJD2W8M-320-80.jpg)
This mini PC's solution to chonky graphics cards is both brilliant and ridiculous
By Alan Dexter published
News It's not the most elegant solution you'll ever see.
![Dying Light 2](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hGvh4PzBFLFtwNz32ghk3E-320-80.png)
Unlock Dying Light 2's hidden FSR Ultra Quality for better visuals
By Alan Dexter published
News You can change the texture quality and sharpness too.