Articles by Matt Safford | Tom's Hardware

Matt began piling up computer experience as a child with his Mattel Aquarius. He built his first PC in the late 1990s and ventured into mild PC modding in the early 2000s. He’s spent 15 years covering emerging technology for Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Consumer Reports, while testing components and PCs for Computer Shopper, PCMag and Digital Trends. When not writing about tech, he’s often walking—through the streets of New York, over the sheep-dotted hills of Scotland, or just at his treadmill desk at home in front of the 50-inch HDR TV that serves as his PC monitor.

Articles by: Matt Safford

AMD, Nvidia, and Intel haven't given me a reason to upgrade since 2023, so I 3D printed mods for my PC instead

By Matt Safford last updated 16 August 25

If you can't afford or don't need a new CPU, GPU, or storage upgrade, try searching for some 3D printed parts for your PC case to make it feel fresh.

After spending 10 years bathed in the glow of RGB, I'm so ready for HP's new black-box Omen 35L Stealth gaming PC

By Matt Safford published 14 August 25

A decade after RGB rainbowed its way into nearly every aspect of PC gaming, HP is offering up a 35L Stealth Edition gaming rig that's just a back metal box. I couldn't be happier.

HP's new Omen 35L comes in a 'Stealth' edition for people who hate RGB — and the Omen Max 45L got refreshed, too

By Andrew E. Freedman published 14 August 25

HP updated its Omen 35L and Omen Max 45L to the latest parts from Nvidia and AMD, and added some slight design changes. New headsets and mics are also on offer from HyperX.

Best PC Cases 2025: Our Tested Picks for Your Next Build

By Matt Safford last updated 5 August 25

Based on cooling, noise, and compatibility tests, these are our favorite PC cases.

Best CPU Coolers 2025: AIO and Air Coolers

By Matt Safford last updated 5 August 25

These are the best air and liquid/AIO CPU coolers we've tested, for all consumer systems, from small form-factor builds to overclocked big rigs.

Best External SSDs 2025

By Matt Safford last updated 30 July 25

We've tested dozens of external hard drives and SSDs and chosen models that offer the best balance of performance, features and price.

Best Flash Drives 2025: Fast, Spacious, Pocketable USB Storage

By Matt Safford last updated 30 July 25

Today's best flash drives are faster and speedier than ever. We've tested dozens to find the best.

Back to College tech cover, featuring Basues and Anker chargers, cables, and webcams, and Hoto's screwdriver

11 gadgets and gifts for college — our favorite chargers, batteries, webcams, and more for $55 or less

By Matt Safford published 26 July 25

From juice-boosting batteries to image-boosting webcams, rechargeable flashlights, and more, these inexpensive options can make your on-campus and off-campus life a little easier and more fun.

Keychron K8 HE Special Edition Review: magnetic mid-century aesthetics

By Matt Safford published 20 July 25

Keychron's K8 HE delivers great mid-century looks and modern magnetic switches with an 80% layout that feels comfortable, even if it has some oddities in key spacing.

CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme review: affordable and capable, clad in white

By Matt Safford published 17 July 25

The CyberPowerPC Gamer Supreme with an RTX 5060 Ti and Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers good mid-range gaming performance with quiet cooling for a reasonable $1,859.

Samsung's speedy 2TB and 4TB 9100 Pro M.2 SSD drops to its lowest-ever price, but Prime Day is in its final hours

By Stewart Bendle, Matt Safford last updated 11 July 25

Deals Amazon is offering Samsung's latest 2TB 9100 Pro SSD for a new low price of $189.

The best cheap tech you can still grab before Prime Day ends — 13 bargains under $13 to improve your tech life

By Les Pounder, Matt Safford published 11 July 25

Deals We've scoured Amazon Prime Day sales pages and found these 13 products that won't hurt your wallet too much

These 15 gadgets under $50 have upgraded my tech life, and you can still get them on sale for the finale of Prime Day

By Matt Safford last updated 11 July 25

From electric screwdrivers to high-res webcams, these are inexpensive game-changers.

Hoto Snapbloq screwdriver, drill pen, and rotary tools attached

Get nearly 30% off Hoto's snap-together tool kits for Amazon Prime Day, great for small, tidy workspaces

By Matt Safford published 8 July 25

Do you need a matching screwdriver, rotary tool, and drill pen? Probably not, but it's sure nice having all three in a compact, magnetically attached brick of color-coded tools, for about 30% off.

Best Wireless Keyboards 2025

By Sarah Jacobsson Purewal last updated 3 July 25

Whether you’re gaming from the couch, writing a book on the road, or you just want a clutter-free desk, these are the best wireless keyboards we've tested.

Best PC Speakers 2025: From Budget to Audiophile Bliss

By Matt Safford, Sarah Jacobsson Purewal last updated 2 July 25

These are the best computer speakers that we've tested — whether you’re looking for a simple stereo system or 5.1 surround sound.

After 10 years, we're past peak RGB — but don't celebrate yet, stealth PC purists

By Matt Safford published 18 June 25

It's hard to say when RGB lighting in PCs, components, and peripherals hit its peak. But after a decade of RGB everything, it's nice to see lights in fewer cases, components, and peripherals.

Speedy MSI 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD hits 5 cents per gigabyte – lowest price since Cyber Monday

By Matt Safford published 17 June 25

Games keep getting bigger, so a 1TB SSD won't go very far. So pick up this 2TB TLC drive for just $105? That's not much more than the typical price of a good 1TB drive.

Crucial X10 Portable SSD (4TB) review: 20 Gbps, up to 8TB

By Matt Safford published 13 June 25

Crucial’s latest X10 portable SSD is faster and roomier than its predecessors, but USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 feels dated now that USB4 is readily available.

Best Mini-ITX Cases 2025: Our Tested Picks for Compact PC Builds

By Matt Safford last updated 30 May 25

Save some space without sacrificing performance or looks with the best compact PC cases we've tested.

Computex 2025 Live: Final day wrap-up from Taipei

By Avram Piltch, Matt Safford, Stephen Warwick, Andrew E. Freedman, Paul Alcorn last updated 23 May 25

We're on the ground at Asia's biggest tech show, sharing all the cool stuff we find.

The Asus ROG Strix GS-BE18000 gaming router at Computex 2025

Asus launches new ROG Wi-Fi 7 gaming router that comes with nine 2.5G ports

By Kunal Khullar published 23 May 25

Asus also showcased its premium ROG Rapture GT-BE19000AI gaming router with a built-in NPU

Best of Computex 2025: More hardware than hype

By Avram Piltch, Matt Safford, Andrew E. Freedman, Brandon Hill, Paul Alcorn published 23 May 25

From blazing-fast SSDs to retro cases, these are the 16 best products introduced at this year’s show.

Super Flower PSUs at Computex 2025, featuring the Leadex VIII Platinum

Super Flower shows off not one but two 3000W PSUs at Computex 2025

By Dallin Grimm published 22 May 25

Super Flower continues to show off its impressive range

Cooler Master's latest MasterFan XT lineup

Cooler Master is working on an all-aluminum case fan that spins up to 4,000 RPM

By Matt Safford published 22 May 25

Metal fans will ship with guards for your fumbling fingers.

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