Today we’re taking a look at another prebuilt desktop from the folks over at PCSpecialist, and this time it’s the turn of the Hyperion Master. Featuring a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD, this could very well be the sweet spot for 1440p gaming. What's more, PCSpecialist have lowered the price to just £1649. It certainly looks a bargain on paper, but can it bring the performance to match?

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
00:53 Pricing and Warranty Details
01:34 CPU and GPU
02:59 Memory / Some tests
03:26 Storage
04:15 Motherboard
05:22 PSU
05:53 CPU Cooler
06:20 The Case
07:23 Mat's thoughts so far
08:07 Any problems with the build?
10:06 How we will test games
10:37 F1 2025 1440p / 4k
10:59 Hogwarts 1440p / 4k
11:27 Cyberpunk 2077 1440p / 4k
12:00 BlackOps 6 1440p / 4k
12:33 Forza Horizon 5 1440p / 4k
13:03 DLSS / Frame Gen testing
15:08 CPU and GPU real world operation
16:23 Thermal Camera footage
16:44 Noise output
16:58 So is it worth buying?

Specifications:

• FRACTAL EPOCH TG RGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
• AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
• ASUS® PRIME B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
• 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
• 12GB ASUS PRIME GEFORCE RTX 5070 OC – HDMI, 3 x DP
• 2TB CRUCIAL P310 GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7100MB/sR, 6000MB/sW)
• CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
• PCS FrostFlow 240 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
• 1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan

The core specs are confirmed in the following CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots:

We tested the Hyperion Master desktop through a series of games at both 1440p and 4k. A selection of results are in the screenshots below, but for full details, watch the full video review over on YouTube.

Overall, the system manages to provide a great gaming experience at 1440p, with many titles exceeding 100fps while running at maximum graphics settings with no scaling or frame generation. Performance could be improved even further with various setting tweaks to create an optimal experience in certain titles such as Black Ops 6 or Cyberpunk. Pushing the resolution up to 4k, obviously comes with a fairly substantial hit to framerates, but the system still managed to maintain 60+fps, again at maximum graphics settings, on more than one occasion.

Battlefield 6 (2560×1440 – Max Settings)

Battlefield 6 (3840×2160 – Max Settings, DLSS Performance, 4x Multi Frame Generation)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2560×1440 – Max Settings)

Cyberpunk 2077 (3840×2160 – Max Settings, DLSS Performance

F1 25 (3840×2160 – Max Settings)

Forza Horizon 5 (2560×1440 – Max Settings)

Closing Thoughts

PCSpecialist’s Hyperion Master is a well-balanced, capable gaming desktop that delivers exactly what most people want at 1440p – that being strong performance, sensible component choices, and fair pricing. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 5070 pairing works really well together, backed up by fast 32GB DDR5 memory and a 2TB Gen 4 SSD that keeps things feeling responsive. Cooling performance is solid too, with the Frostflow 240 AIO keeping temperatures under control without adding unnecessary noise.

There were a few minor build details worth noting, but nothing serious and not something we’d usually expect from PC Specialist. The overall presentation is neat, the cable management is tidy, and the Fractal Design Epoch case gives it a simple, smart look that suits most setups.

At £1649, the value on offer is impressive. Building the same system yourself would cost about the same or slightly more, which makes this a very competitive prebuilt package. A cleaner, more understated version without RGB would be a nice future option, but as it stands, the Hyperion Master is an excellent all-round system for anyone wanting reliable 1440p gaming performance straight out of the box.

You can buy the Hyperion Master prebuilt desktop directly from PC Specialist for a limited time for £1649 HERE.

Pros:

• Great 1440p gaming performance.
• Excellent pricing.
• 2TB SSD will hold plenty of games.
• 6000MT/s CL30 memory is the sweet spot for Ryzen.
• Good cable management.

Cons:

• A few quality control issues upon delivery, like a loose screw and some plastic left on the GPU backplate.
• RGB balance is a little off – the system would have been great as ‘lights out’ build.

KitGuru says: Despite the minor attention to detail issues, the Hyperion Master is a very well priced machine that provides a solid all-round 1440p gaming experience.

The post PCSpecialist Hyperion Master Prebuilt Review (9800X3D + RTX 5070) first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD has issued another statement clarifying its Radeon GPU driver strategy after its latest Adrenalin Edition release (version 25.10.2) created a fair bit of confusion and anxiety among owners of older graphics cards. In less uncertain terms (compared to its previous statement), AMD reassures owners of Radeon RX 5000 and 6000 series GPUs they

We're already into November and that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are right around the bend. However, don't feel like you have to wait a few more weeks to score a great bargain. The discounts are coming in fast and furious as retailers get an increasingly early start on the annual sales bonanza, and if you're in the market for

AMD is partially reversing course after a recent announcement that it would move RDNA 1- and RDNA 2-based GPUs into “maintenance mode”, halting the development of game-ready drivers for these cards. Following significant backlash from the PC gaming community, the company has clarified that game optimisations for these cards will not be abandoned entirely.

The controversy began when AMD stated its Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2 driver would place the Radeon RX 5000 and RX 6000 series in maintenance mode. This was intended to concentrate on optimising and delivering new features for its latest GPUs. The original statement implied that older cards would only receive critical security and bug fixes, cutting off game-ready support.

This decision was met with immediate criticism, as it affects a massive install base. RDNA 2 is the architecture powering the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Steam Deck. It's also used in the original Asus ROG Ally handheld and as integrated graphics in numerous Ryzen 6000 and 7000 series laptops. Furthermore, popular cards like the Radeon RX 6700XT remain prominent despite the oldest RX 6000 cards being around five years old.

In a new statement to Tom's Hardware, an AMD representative attempted to clarify the situation: “New features, bug fixes, and game optimisations will continue to be delivered as required by market needs in the maintenance mode branch”. While AMD confirmed that day-zero support for games will continue, the term “as required by market needs” is vague. The clarification seems to suggest that major feature development will still be focused on RDNA 3 and 4, but popular new game releases may still get optimisations.

KitGuru says: Are you glad AMD isn't stopping to develop game-ready drivers for its older graphics GPUs?

The post AMD will continue to bring launch-period game optimisations to RDNA and RDNA 2 after all first appeared on KitGuru.

Epomaker is expanding its line of ergonomic keyboards, targeting users looking to reduce the physical strain associated with traditional single-piece boards. The company has launched the new Epomaker Split70. Like the existing 65% Split65, the new model is built around a true split design, allowing users to position the two halves independently to suit their shoulder width.

The Split70 offers the ability to split the keyboard in two, intended to improve arm and wrist alignment during extended typing sessions. The halves can be used together, or the left-hand section can reportedly connect independently for a compact gaming or control setup. Internally, the keyboard uses a gasket-mount structure and is packed with five layers of sound-absorbing materials, including latex and PET sheets, to dampen acoustics. Epomaker claims this provides a “creamy” sound profile and is an upgrade over the four-layer system found in the Split65.

For customisation, the board is hot-swappable and features south-facing LEDs to avoid interference with Cherry-profile keycaps. It comes populated with factory-lubed Wisteria Linear V2 switches, an update from the V1 switches used in the earlier model. Productivity features include four pre-programmed macro keys (set to Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste) and a tactile rotary knob on the right side for volume control or scrolling, which also functions as a mute button when pressed. Full VIA compatibility allows for remapping of all keys.

Connectivity is handled via tri-mode wireless (Bluetooth 5.0 and 2.4 GHz) and a wired USB-C connection, with support for switching between up to five paired devices. Mac users are also catered to, with modifier keycaps included in the box. The Epomaker Split70 is now available in a minimalist black version and a white and blue colourway on the company's official website, priced at € 89.95/$115.99.

KitGuru says: Have you ever tried a split keyboard? If not, would you consider something like the Split70 to try it out?

The post Epomaker launches the Split70 ergonomic keyboard first appeared on KitGuru.

Krafton, the developer behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, has unveiled its new AI-driven companion, ‘PUBG Ally', at Nvidia's “GeForce Gamer Festival” in Seoul. Krafton is labelling it a ‘Co-Playable Character' (CPC), designed to interact and collaborate with live players, going well beyond what you would expect from your typical NPC.

The system is built using Nvidia Ace technology and runs on an on-device Small Language Model (SLM). Kangwook Lee, Head of Krafton AI, detailed the partner's capabilities, stating that ‘PUBG Ally' is designed for both cooperative and independent gameplay, unlike standard bots. Lee said it can “discuss strategies with players and adjust its playstyle accordingly”, which means that, in-game, the AI can make autonomous decisions during combat, fetch specific items for the player, or assist with revives, all while modifying its approach as conditions change.

Lee also emphasised that ‘PUBG Ally' enables voice-based communication. The system supports English, Korean, and Chinese. The AI is trained explicitly on PUBG terminology, including map locations and item attributes, to allow for natural player communication. As we reported earlier this week, players will get to test PUBG Ally in early 2026 as part of PUBG: Battlegrounds Arcade.

KitGuru says: Do you think we'll start to see more Nvidia ACE AI NPCs in games in the coming years? 

The post PUBG Ally public testing begins in early 2026 first appeared on KitGuru.

Razer has announced a partnership with Valve for a new line-up of Counter-Strike 2-branded peripherals. The collection features the iconic and highly sought-after Dragon Lore AWP skin, which is applied to five of Razer's esports-focused products.

This collaboration is primarily an aesthetic overhaul, wrapping the distinct yellow and orange design around existing Razer's high-end hardware. The collection includes the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro wireless headset, which features Razer's HyperClear Super Wideband mic and comes with pre-tuned CS2 audio profiles. It is joined by the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL, a keyboard equipped with Razer's Gen-2 analogue optical switches, which offer adjustable actuation from 0.1 mm to 4.0 mm, as well as a Rapid Trigger mode for faster repeated inputs.

For mouse users, the Razer Viper V3 Pro gets the new Dragon Lore treatment. This 54g symmetrical wireless mouse features the Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2 and Gen-3 optical mouse switches, and is capable of a true 8000 Hz wireless polling rate. Rounding out the collection are the Razer Gigantus V2 soft mouse mat (available exclusively via bundle with the Viper V3 Pro – Counter-Strike 2 Edition) in a large size, and the Razer Iskur V2 X ergonomic gaming chair.

The Counter-Strike 2 Editions of the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro and the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL are now available for £269.99/€289.99/$269.99 each. The Viper V3 Pro – Counter Strike 2 Edition is available alone for £179.99/€189.99/$179.99, while the bundle, including the Gigantus V2 Counter Strike 2 Edition, costs £219.98/€239.98/$219.98. Lastly, the Razer Iskur V2 X – Counter-Strike 2 Edition is now available for pre-order at $399.99.

KitGuru says: Do you like the aesthetics of the Counter-Strike 2 Dragon Lore collection?

The post Razer partners with Valve for Dragon Lore peripheral collection first appeared on KitGuru.

ARC Raiders had its cross-platform launch on October 30th, and two days later the game has already met and exceeded 295 thousand concurrent players on Steam—a number we've had to update several times during the writing of this article. When we started the newsroom this morning, it was just 250K, and when I started the final writeup, it had

Microsoft is testing a feature in its Insider Preview builds that allows audio to be shared between two separate Bluetooth LE audio devices. This means that two Bluetooth audio accessories can play back the exact same audio stream simultaneously. Microsoft says that this "lets students share music with a friend while studying, or brings fmaily

A creepy collection of stories that will give you nightmares - and that's just (in)Security corner!
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Microsoft and its retail partners are celebrating Black Friday early with deals on wireless Xbox controllers, a couple of which are now on sale for the lowest price we've seen. We're talking about a 38% markdown for what we consider to be one of the best wireless controllers for both PC and console gaming. Time is of the essence, though, as

Shining Mask is an app that controls just about all LED Halloween masks on the market and unfortunately, or perhaps amusingly, they couldn't be bothered to properly implement a secure connection between…

AMD made some waves recently when it announced that it would be relegating its RDNA 1 and 2 based Radeon RX 5000 and 6000 Series GPUs to a security-update focused branch of its Radeon GPU driver software. In follow-up comments made to Tom's Hardware, however, AMD has since clarified that this does not mean the GPUs will no longer be supported

If you pay attention to gaming news at all, you've almost assuredly heard by now that Epic Games won its case against Google last year. Google still wants to take the case to the Supreme Court, but for now, it has to abide by the US District Court and Judge James Donato's judgment, where they decided that Google had engaged in unlawful anti-competitive

A new threat in is the wild affecting sites that run WordPress, a popular content management system. Wordfence, a company that focuses on security research in the WordPress ecosystem, is reporting that a vulnerability is affecting the Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall plugin that’s currently deployed on over 100,000 websites. The

While the graphics performance of Intel's upcoming “Panther Lake” mobile CPUs has been the subject of much speculation, we now have our first look at the platform's CPU capabilities.

Laptopreview (via VideoCardz) has shared a set of Cinebench R23 multi-core benchmarks for two of the new Core Ultra 300 series chips. According to the new data, the top-tier Core Ultra X7 358H scored approximately 20,000 points in the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, about 10% less than the Core Ultra 7 255H. A second chip, the Core Ultra 5 338H, reportedly scored around 16,000 points in the same benchmark. Both of these tests were allegedly conducted at a TDP of 60/65W.

The specs for these chips were also detailed, aligning with previous rumours. The Core Ultra X7 358H is reportedly a 16-core processor, comprising four P-cores, eight E-cores, and four LP-cores, and will feature a 12-core Xe3 integrated GPU. The Core Ultra 5 338H is a step-down 12-core model, which achieves its lower core count by reducing the number of E-cores to four.

While the CPU performance numbers are new, the leak also provided an updated graphics score. The Time Spy score for the Core Ultra X7 358H is now listed at 6,830 points, compared to the initial reports of around 6,200 points. If these latest numbers are accurate, that's over 70% faster than the Core Ultra 7 255H's integrated GPU.

KitGuru says: It's a bit disappointing to see a lower CPU performance in the multi-core test, but the massive uplift in the graphics capabilities of this chip makes up for it.

The post First Intel Panther Lake CPU benchmarks leak first appeared on KitGuru.

Earlier this week, Amazon underwent a new round of layoffs, removing much of the Amazon Games division and cancelling multiple projects. As it turns out, Amazon's major game, an online Lord of the Rings title, has also been cancelled amid this shake-up. 

New World isn't the only major MMO from Amazon impacted by the layoffs this week. As reported by VGC, one Amazon Games worker shared on LinkedIn that they had been let go, alongside their entire team. These people were all working on The Lord of the Rings MMO project.

It was reported that Amazon Games will no longer focus on Massively Multiplayer Online Games due to how expensive they are to make and maintain. Moving forward, a smaller Amazon Games team will focus smaller, cheaper projects instead, assuming Amazon Games isn't shut down altogether.

Amazon has announced its plans to create a Lord of the Rings MMO back in 2023. Amazon also had an agreement in place with LOTR rights holder, Embracer Group, to publish the next Tomb Raider game. It is unclear if plans for the next Tomb Raider were affected by the layoffs this week.

KitGuru Says: We aren't getting a new LOTR MMO, but The Lord of the Rings Online does still exist for anyone who doesn't mind playing something a bit older. 

The post Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO reportedly cancelled first appeared on KitGuru.

The World of Warcraft: Midnight closed alpha test kicked off just four weeks ago. At that same time, rumours of a February launch date emerged and now, that release date looks even more likely, as Blizzard is quickly moving on to beta testing.

World of Warcraft: Midnight has wrapped up alpha testing. Next, Blizzard will be testing the beta build of the game throughout November and December, after that, Blizzard will close the testing servers and put the finishing touches on the expansion ahead of its planned release.

While the release date for World of Warcraft: Midnight has not yet been announced, the expansion is expected to release by February 26th next year.

World of Warcraft: Midnight is the second expansion in the Worldsoul Saga, a planned trilogy of expansions that began with The War Within back in 2024. Midnight is the second chapter in this on-going story arc and will introduce a host of fundamental changes to the game in an effort to simplify the need for third-party mods and to reduce the complexity of playing certain classes.

The final expansion in this trilogy is set to be called The Last Titan, and if Blizzard keeps up with its current cadence, it should drop sometime in 2028.

KitGuru Says: Are you looking forward to the next WoW expansion?

The post World of Warcraft: Midnight launch inches closer first appeared on KitGuru.

A few weeks back, we learned that Silent Hill 2 Remake, Blooper Team's excellent re-telling of one horror's all-time greats, might be coming to Xbox. Now, it appears that ratings boards have confirmed exactly that, with an Xbox version of the game now rated. 

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has listed Silent Hill 2 Remake for Xbox Series X/S consoles. The game achieves the same rating classification as the previous PC and PS5 versions of the game, which released in October 2024. The ESRB listing was later pulled, but not before VGC captured the evidence.

With the game being just over a year old, whatever exclusivity period Konami had in place with Sony should now be expired, meaning the Xbox version of the game could release any day now.

Typically, with ratings board listings, a release happens within a few months. Occasionally, that timeline can be sped up to just a matter of weeks. Microsoft reportedly has an Xbox Partner Showcase planned for November, so the game is likely to be announced there.

KitGuru Says: Have you played the Silent Hill 2 remake? 

The post Silent Hill 2 is coming to Xbox first appeared on KitGuru.

Roughly one year ago, we learned that Nintendo had filed a lawsuit against a creator known online as Every Game Guru. The lawsuit accused the creator of promoting piracy and streaming pirated copies of games, sometimes before those games were even available to buy. Now, Nintendo has won the lawsuit.

This week, TorrentFreak learned that Nintendo won the lawsuit. The Colorado Federal Court ruled in Nintendo's favour, finding the creator, whose real name is Jesse Keighin, guilty of copyright infringement. Keighin will now need to pay $17,500 to Nintendo.

During this process, Keighin chose not to defend himself in court, so Nintendo had an easy win coming its way regardless. However, two of Nintendo's requests were denied – Keighin will not have to “destroy all circumvention devices”, and Nintendo's request for an injunction against “third parties” working with Keighin was also denied, in part due to the fact that Nintendo didn't name any specific third-parties.

Ultimately, the maximum fine that Keighin could have received was $1 million, so they escaped this somewhat lightly. Nintendo has previously successfully sued a Switch piracy services provider for more than $1 million.

KitGuru Says: If a big Switch game like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaks again, do yourself a favour and don't plaster evidence of you playing it all over the internet weeks before release. Nintendo has won one of these cases now, which would make it easier for them to go after others in the future.

The post Nintendo wins lawsuit against Switch pirate streamer first appeared on KitGuru.

Earlier this month, Microsoft officially announced its next Halo game – Halo: Campaign Evolved, a complete remake of the original Halo campaign in Unreal Engine 5. It sounds like Microsoft won't be stopping there though. 

One Halo-focused leaker, Halo Leaks, claims that Halo 2 and Halo 3 will also be getting campaign remakes. No multiplayer is planned though, which is an odd move, as the early Halo games are often credited for birthing modern online multiplayer for consoles. Halo 3 in particular was massive thanks to its solid official multiplayer modes, alongside the custom maps and modes created using Halo Forge.

Multiplayer will return to Halo eventually with the next mainline installment in the franchise, currently referred to as Halo 7. Microsoft has not yet announced any official plans for the next mainline Halo game.

Like Halo: Campaign Evolved, we should expect to see the Halo 2 and Halo 3 remakes released on PlayStation, the same day they arrive on other platforms like Xbox and PC.

KitGuru Says: If you are an Xbox or PC player, I would strongly recommend just grabbing the Master Chief Collection. Even without a full remake, the older Halo games still hold up well and you'll have full access to all of the single-player and multiplayer modes. 

The post Halo 2 and Halo 3 may also get UE5 remakes first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD's latest WHQL driver, Adrenalin Edition 25.10.2, is a major one, though not only for the reasons you might think. While the new driver delivers Game Ready optimisations for Battlefield 6 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, its release notes contain a hard-hitting announcement: AMD is officially moving its RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 graphics cards into “maintenance mode”.

AMD confirmed the decision with PCGH in a statement, where the company stated that to focus on optimising and delivering new and improved technologies for the latest GPUs, all future driver releases with focused game optimisations will be targeted exclusively at RDNA 3 (RX 7000) and RDNA 4 (RX 9000) GPUs.

This means that owners of the still-very-popular RX 6000 and RX 5000 series cards will no longer receive new Game Ready performance updates, feature additions, or optimisations for upcoming titles. AMD has clarified that these cards will continue to receive driver updates addressing essential security and bug issues for the foreseeable future, but their performance-enhancing development cycle is now complete.

For owners of the latest hardware, the 25.10.2 driver brings a host of new features. It includes initial support for the new DirectX Work Graphs feature on the Radeon RX 9000 series, expanded Vulkan compatibility, and support for the new Ryzen AI 5 330 APU. Moreover, the notes also state that the driver disables USB-C power charging on Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards. However, AMD has since confirmed to TechPowerUP that this isn't the case and the notes have been corrected.

KitGuru says: Are you still running an RX 6000 and RX 5000 series GPU? Considering AMD's decision, are you now considering upgrading to a more recent model?

The post AMD ends “game-ready” driver support for RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 GPUs first appeared on KitGuru.

If you've ever stared at a wall of TVs trying to justify the massive price jump to 8K, a new study from the University of Cambridge and Meta Reality Labs suggests you can probably save your money. The research, just published in the journal Nature, digs into the practical limits of human vision, and the results are a splash of cold water on high-resolution marketing.

The study (via The Guardian) moves away from simple resolution numbers (like 4K or 8K) and instead focuses on “Pixels Per Degree” (PPD), a metric that measures how much detail you can actually perceive at a given distance. Using a 4K monitor viewed at various distances, researchers tested how well participants could distinguish fine patterns in both black and white colours.

Image credit: University of Cambridge

The study concludes that our eyes are at their best when perceiving brightness and contrast (in greyscale), where we can distinguish details up to approximately 94 PPD. However, our ability to see fine colour detail is significantly worse. The test showed our limit for red and green patterns drops to around 89 PPD, and for yellow and purple, it plummets to just 63 PPD. In short, our eyes are built to be much more sensitive to contrast than to high-resolution colour information.

So, what does this mean for your living room? The researchers translated these findings into a real-world scenario. For a person sitting on a sofa roughly 2.5 metres away from a 44-inch television, a QHD (1440p) resolution is already “crisp”. This implies that upgrading to 4K, let alone 8K, on a screen that size would provide no perceivable visual improvement unless you either move your sofa significantly closer or buy a much larger display. The study suggests that an 80-inch 8K TV only reveals its extra detail when you are sitting just 2 metres away from it.

It's important to note that the study has some limitations. The trial involved only 18 participants, with an average age of 26. Therefore, these figures may not apply to everyone, especially older individuals or those with different visual acuity.

KitGuru says: How is your TV positioned within the table?

The post Mid-size 8K displays might be a waste of money, study claims first appeared on KitGuru.

The MSI Z890I Edge Ti impresses with a record four M.2 ports, four fan headers, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, seven USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps USB ports and a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps Type-C header with 27 W power delivery, is this one of the best Mini-ITX motherboards ever made?