Articles by Ben Stockton, Deals Writer

An image showing the outside of Roblox's headquarters in California.

Roblox accused of downloading 145GB of 3D assets, including adult content, for AI training purposes during scraping spree — 1,000 files scraped by automated crawler that ignored Open3DLab's site rules

By Ben Stockton last updated 27 October 26

Independent 3D modeling community Open3DLab has publicly claimed that a web crawler, attributed to Roblox, downloaded 145.5GB of its data, for what it assumes is for AI training purposes.

Best laptop PC deals 2026 — notebook deals from Amazon, Dell, Lenovo, and others

By Stewart Bendle last updated 27 October 26

Pick up a discount with these laptop deals. We're constantly updating this list with the best deals across all retailers throughout the year.

Grab 32GB of DDR5 RAM for just $151 in this 4-in-1 Newegg bundle with the 9800X3D and a 2TB SSD — start building a high-end 4K gaming PC with this combo deal that also includes an AM5 Gigabyte motherboard and a free MSI AIO liquid cooler

By Ben Stockton Published 27 October 26

Deals Grab the 9800X3D with a matching Gigabyte motherboard, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 2TB SSD, all for just $1,180.99, giving you a $358.98 discount that makes the equivalent RAM price just $151.

A CGI model of an undersea data cable on the sea floor.

Chinese research vessels loiter near Pacific undersea cables more than any other nation, report finds — civilian fleet using 'lawnmower' patterns may be mapping seafloor for future sabotage

By Ben Stockton Published 26 October 26

Chinese vessels are spending more time near undersea cables in the Pacific than nearly 50 other nations, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Save over $1,000 on this Alienware gaming PC with an RTX 5070 and 32GB DDR5 — unlock 1440p and 4K gameplay with this Aurora ACT1250 rig with a 20-core Intel CPU and a 1TB SSD for $2,199.99

By Ben Stockton Published 26 October 26

Deals Newegg have cut this Alienware Aurora gaming PC by over $1,000, netting yo ua 4K-ready machine with an RTX 5070 and 32GB of DDR5 RAM for $2,199.99.

A selection of USB cables on a wooden table

Not all cables are born equal, so test your USB cables with these cheap USB testers — these budget-priced tools help you protect your expensive gear from faulty or bad-quality leads

By Ben Stockton last updated 23 October 26

I never trust a USB cable I've not tested, which is why I recommend USB testers like these to help you separate the bad from the good.

UK proposes 14-year prison sentences for undersea cable saboteurs amid Russian trawler threats — government responds to growing threats with new criminal offenses and emergency powers to shut down services

By Ben Stockton Published 23 October 26

The UK government has outlined plans for new powers and criminal offenses to help protect undersea cables in UK waters amid fears of Russian interference.

Best SSD deals 2026 — savings on Samsung, WD, Crucial, and other SSDs at Amazon, Newegg, and others

By Stewart Bendle last updated 23 October 26

We've rounded up the best SSD deals to help you expand your PC's storage without breaking the bank. We're constantly updating this list with the best deals across all retailers throughout the year.

Save $450 on this 4K gaming PC with an RTX 5070 Ti and 9800X3D, now $2,549.99 — liquid-cooled ABS Stratos II Ruby rig comes with 32GB DDR5 and a 2TB SSD

By Ben Stockton Published 23 October 26

Deals You can save $450 on this 4K-capable gaming machine from Newegg's ABS brand, featuring the powerful RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB DDR5, and a 2TB SSD for $2,549.99.

An image of somebody playing a Nintendo Game Boy

Extremely rare and 'previously undocumented' Pokémon Red prototype cartridge surfaces at auction, starting at $25,000 — Nintendo Game Boy dev board from 1998 features 32KB of readable memory, fully identical to the final game release

By Ben Stockton Published 23 October 26

A rare prototype cartridge of Pokémon Red for the Nintendo Game Boy is on sale, with one $25,000 bid so far.

Save $238 on this 9800X3D combo deal with 32GB DDR5 that lets you start a 4K gaming PC build for just over $1,000 — Newegg bundle ships this powerhouse AMD CPU with a Gigabyte X870E AM5 motherboard and a free 240mm AIO cooler

By Ben Stockton Published 22 October 26

Deals This Newegg combo deal combines the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM, and a Gigabyte AM5 X870E motherboard for $1,029.99, saving you over $238 in total.

A close up view of a model of an undersea fiber optic cable for data communications.

Iran threatens to attack undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz, calls them 'legitimate new targets' in future conflict — IRGC spokesman warns that a future 'third phase' in war with US could lead them to sever global data links

By Ben Stockton Published 21 October 26

Iran could attack seven undersea cables that run through the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as "legitimate new targets" in a potential "third phase" of further conflict with the United States.

ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC deal with an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB

Score a 1440p-ready gaming PC with an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB for under $1,500 right now, saving you $200 — ABS Cyclone Aqua rig ships with 16GB DDR5, 1TB SSD, and a 20-core Intel CPU

By Ben Stockton Published 21 October 26

You can pick up this ABS Cyclone Aqua gaming PC with an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, Intel Core i7-14700F, 16GB DDR5, and a 1TB SS with a $200 discount, now $1,499.99.

An image showing the inside of a data center.

China’s tech giants drop $35 billion on export-compliant Nvidia RTX Pro 5500 workstation GPU orders to power AI ambitions, according to reports — ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent order 3 million cards despite warnings that only 10% of orders are fulfillable

By Ben Stockton Published 20 October 26

$35 billion worth of Nvidia RTX Pro 5500 GPUs have been bought by Chinese trio Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance, with demand far exceeding Nvidia's planned production, according to report.

Save $60 on this TP-Link wireless router with ultra-fast Wi-Fi 7 support, now $189.98 — Archer BE9700 ships with six antennas and 'class-leading' 6 GHz performance to upgrade your home network

By Ben Stockton Published 20 October 26

Deals The TP-Link Archer BE9700 Wi-Fi 7 router is on sale for a limited-time only, down to $189.98, with six external antennas, a 10G WAN port, and four 2.5G Ethernet ports.

An image of an undersea cable under water.

Norwegian undersea cable builder pitches 2,800-mile transatlantic data link between Canada and Europe to bypass the US — Canadian majority partner sought to help fund and build new $620 million fiber connection to reduce reliance on American routes

By Ben Stockton Published 19 October 26

Norway's Bulk Infrastructure Group AS is looking for a partner to build transatlantic undersea cabling to connect Canada with Europe to bypass the United States.

Save $500 on this 1440p gaming PC with an RTX 5070, now under $1,800 — ABS Flux II Aqua rig ships with a 20-core Intel CPU, 32GB DDR5, and a 1TB SSD

By Ben Stockton Published 19 October 26

Deals Serious performance for 1440p and 4K gaming

ABS and CyberPowerPC sub-$1000 gaming PC deals

Score a 1080p gaming PC for less than $1,000 right now, fitted with Nvidia or AMD GPUs — save up to $350 to secure rigs with RTX 5060 or RX 9060 GPUs at low prices

By Ben Stockton Published 8 October 26

Deals Two gaming PCs capable of 1080p gameplay have dropped below $1,000, a price that's hard to beat in the current market, thanks to sales at Best Buy and Walmart.

Samsung 9100 Pro SSDs slashed up to 51% while supplies last — huge price cuts hit all capacities from 1TB to 8TB [Updated]

By Ben Stockton last updated 7 October 26

Deals Another huge price drop brings the Samsung 9100 Pro down even further, with the 1TB model now below $200, and the 4TB model dropping by nearly $400 since yesterday.

TP-Link LS1005G gigabit Ethernet switch deal

This $7.99 TP-Link gigabit switch lets you cheaply upgrade your home network, and it's back at its lowest ever price — unmanaged LAN switch that adds five high-speed Ethernet ports to your setup for lag-free gaming or streaming

By Ben Stockton Published 7 October 26

Deals Upgrade your local network with this $7.99 TP-Link gigabit Ethernet switch with five ports, back down to its lowest ever price.

Grab this beginner-friendly wireless soldering iron at a new record low price, now $52.99 — limited-time deal on this Fanttik T1 Max kit with six different temperature settings, a selection of solder tips and an aluminum stand

By Ben Stockton Published 7 October 26

This Fanttik T1 Max soldering iron is $52.99 right now, saving you 34% on the perfect iron for a beginner hobbyist.

Save up to 43% on these handy Hoto tools for PC builders and hobbyists, starting from $14 — limited-time deals on electric screwdrivers, air blowers, flashlights, cordless drills, and more

By Ben Stockton Published 6 October 26

Deals Amazon's big discount event means that now is the perfect time to stock up on Hoto's tools for hobbyists and PC builders, with deals running until October 7.

This cool $11 desktop PC power switch is the perfect upgrade for your desk, lets you stop your rig without bending down — ultimate impulse buy ships with durable mechanical keys and RGB lighting

By Ben Stockton Published 6 October 26

Deals This fun, practical power button for your desk is just $11. As desk gadgets go, this is unbeatable. Grab it while you can.

Grab this $79.98 TP-Link wireless router with Wi-Fi 7 support at its lowest ever price — 33% discount on Archer BE3600 delivers multi-gigabit speeds for lag-free streaming and gaming

By Ben Stockton Published 5 October 26

Deals This TP-Link Archer BE3600 wireless router is down to a record-low price, now just $79.98 on Amazon ahead of its big sale event.

Bambu Lab launches Halloween 3D printer sale with up to 30% off — P1S plunges to $399 alongside $250 off the H2D with AMS bundle, plus bulk spool discounts and pumpkin-themed bundles

By Ben Stockton Published 3 October 26

Deals Don't let huge 3D printer prices scare you, because Bambu Lab's Halloween sale has knocked up to 30% off a new printer, with big bulk discounts on filament rolls, too.