This digest compiles the latest from Tech Spot.
Today’s Tech Spot Roundup
HP warns RAM now makes up 35% of the cost of building a PC
Over the past few months, RAM chips used in new PCs have nearly doubled in price. According to HP Inc. CFO Karen Parkhill, memory’s share of the PC bill of materials has risen from 15 percent to 18 percent, and now to roughly 35 percent. And that may be only…
New York sues Valve, arguing loot boxes cross the line into gambling
The complaint centers on three of the company’s best-known titles: Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, and Dota 2. Each game lets players purchase digital loot boxes with real money for the chance to receive randomized items.
PC builder orders one DDR5 kit, receives 10 worth $3,000 by mistake
Redditor AccomplishedFan8690 wrote in the /pcmasterrace subreddit that he paid $300 for a 32GB RAM kit online. Given that the average price for these Corsair kits is around $400, that’s already a good deal.
Microsoft clarifies Windows 11 legacy printer driver support after user concerns
Microsoft recently issued a correction to its Windows Roadmap regarding ongoing support for legacy printer drivers. While the company still plans to change how the operating system interfaces with printers, the Redmond giant changed its wording to emphasize that it is no longer ending support for legacy V3 and V4…
Google ships the AI assistant Apple promised but hasn't delivered
The feature set, now entering beta, allows Gemini to coordinate complex tasks directly on Android devices. That means taking cues from conversations, parsing the context of a screen, and performing real-world actions – such as placing food orders or booking rides – within third-party apps. It’s the same territory Apple…
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says no one wants "sloppy" AI after urging critics to drop the term
The CEO was speaking at the ExCeL London international exhibition and convention centre about the wonders of AI. Much of his keynote speech revolved around Copilot, of course.
Modders unlock FSR 4 support for Vulkan games with OptiScaler
A recently released preview build of OptiScaler, a popular third-party upscaling tool, is the first publicly available method for implementing FSR 4 in games that only use the Vulkan graphics API. While the update, labeled “0.9.0-pre10,” is not yet available on the app’s official GitHub repository, users can download it…
Simulated war scenarios reveal AI's tendency to push toward nuclear strikes
Each AI model was fed detailed scenario prompts spanning border conflicts, resource shortages, and existential threats to state survival. They were provided with an “escalation ladder,” a spectrum of tactical options that ranged from conventional diplomacy to all-out nuclear confrontation.
Nvidia's blockbuster quarter eases AI spending fears as data center revenue explodes
Nvidia reported $68.1 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter and $1.62 earnings per share, beating analyst estimates of $66.1 billion and $1.54, respectively.
US grid battery storage hits record, even as clean energy incentives are rolled back
The US added 57 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage capacity to its electric grid last year – enough to supply the annual electricity needs of roughly five million homes. The SEIA report projects an additional 21 percent increase by the end of 2026, representing about 70 GWh of new capacity in a single year.
End of today’s Tech Spot roundup.
