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

Phanteks Evolv X2 is the perfect showcase PC chassis — floating motherboard tray and recessed fans a delight

By Dallin Grimm published 5 June 24

Phanteks' Evolv X2 innovates on the fishtank PC trend with a floating motherboard tray, curved metallic interior, and optional gold accents all for a shockingly cheap $149.

Hyte shows off new coolers, lighting, internal USB header, promises RGB and fan control of anything plugged into motherboard headers

By Sarah Jacobsson Purewal published 4 June 24

Hyte showed off its new THICC Q80 Trio and P60 Duo coolers at Computex 2024, along with an internal USB 2.0 header and upcoming changes to its Nexus software.

Team Group shows off new PCIe 5.0 SSDs for AI, SSD coolers, and a Portable SSD with a Bluetooth tag at Computex 2024

By Roshan Ashraf Shaikh published 4 June 24

Team Group showcased its upcoming memory and storage solutions

Gigabyte goes all-in on AI with AI TOP-branded workstation motherboards, AMD and Intel GPUs, SSDs, and PSUs — plus Gigabyte software for local AI training

By Matt Safford published 3 June 24

Gigabyte announced a cadre of AI TOP-brand hardware at Computex 2024, along with a software suite designed to simplify training AI locally. But paying for it certainly won't be easy.

Asus puts color e-paper screen on a Zephyrus G14 lid: Dali concept brings a new level of customization to gaming laptops

By Matt Safford published 3 June 24

Asus' concept gaming laptop slaps a color e-paper display on the lid of the Zephyrus G14. It's an interesting idea, but would you pay extra for it?

Asus' Zenbook S and TUF A14 combine next-gen AMD and Intel CPUs with premium aesthetics

By Matt Safford published 3 June 24

With brand-new (and upcoming) AMD and Intel processors, svelte chassis Asus' new premium slim ultraportable and travel-friendly gaming laptop both seem impressive. We can't wait to get testing them.

Hands-on with the overhauled and improved ROG Ally X: More and faster RAM 1TB SSD, 80Wh battery

By Matt Safford published 2 June 24

Asus' ROG Ally X is improved and overhauled in almost every way except its core silicon. It also gets a price bump to $799.

PNY RP60 1TB Portable SSD Review: Mostly Decent, but Doesn't Stand Out

By Matt Safford published 30 May 24

PNY's 20 Gbps "rugged" external drive performs well in bursty tasks, but can it handle sustained writes as well as similarly priced alternatives like Crucial's X10 Pro?

On sale for just $30, Asus' tiny 65W ROG Charging Dock with a USB and HDMI hub is a great deal, even if you don't own an Ally

By Matt Safford published 27 May 24

While it's nebulously named as a "dock," this compact Asus charger with HDMI and USB support is a steal at $30.

SanDisk Desk Drive Desktop SSD (8TB) review: Desk-bound backup makes a solid-state comeback

By Matt Safford published 7 May 24

A roomy, fast 10Gbps backup drive that's tethered to the past – and to a power outlet

Hands-on with Hyte's Nexus Link: Huge-screen AIO cooler takes center stage, plus simplified cables and fans that snap together with magnets, making for easier PC building

By Matt Safford published 24 April 24

Snap-together fans, simplified cabling, and excellent airflow

SK hynix Tube T31 Review: M.2 on a USB stick

By Matt Safford published 19 April 24

Editor's Choice

The SK hynix Tube T31 delivers top "flash drive" speeds by bolting an M.2 SSD onto a USB-A port. It's one of the fastest drives you can buy without having to fuss with a cable.

Adata SD810 External SSD review: 20Gbps speed on a budget, but not for pros

By Matt Safford published 1 April 24

Impressive for the price, as long as you don't count sustained write speeds

Hands-On with Phanteks' XT Pro Ultra PC case: Modern features with lots of airflow and RGB out of the box

By Matt Safford published 28 March 24

Four 140mm RGB fans and rear-connector board support for $79.99?

Corsair's RM750x Shift PSU with side-mounted power cables is down to $89, its lowest-ever price

By Matt Safford published 22 March 24

It won't work in every case, but shifting the power connectors to the side can make building and upgrading much easier.

Enermax offers up 'world's smallest' ATX 3.1 PSU, giving you more space for compact and rear-connector PC builds

By Matt Safford published 14 March 24

Enermax's modular Revolution D.F. 12 power supply is 122mm deep, supplying 0.7 extra inches for cables, improved airflow, or general clearance.

Hands-on with Corsair's 2500D Airflow case: Roomy at the back, for rear-connector motherboard cables

By Matt Safford published 3 March 24

But big for Micro ATX, and expensive with accessories.

Corsair K65 Plus Wireless Keyboard Review: High-end value

By Matt Safford published 28 February 24

Editor's Choice

A comfortable 75% layout, foam and silicone for excellent sound dampening, and lubed, swappable switches for $159?

Hands-on with InWin's F5 PC Case: Back-connector motherboard support and wood front panels

By Matt Safford published 23 February 24

Rear-connector support, but not necessarily optimized for hiding all your cables.

Silicon Power PX10 Portable SSD Review: A Budget-Friendly Performer

By Matt Safford published 6 February 24

Great peak performance for a 10Gbps drive, plus good sustained writes at a nice price.

A look at a white version of Corsair's upcoming 6500X Mid Tower Case.

Corsair's 6500X and 2500X cases are about cooling and customization

By Christopher Harper published 12 January 24

Corsair's showing at CES 2024 includes a new mid-tower case, a new micro ATX case, new case fans, and even Corsair's second-ever air cooler (and first since 2020).

CyberPower Amethyst 360S desktop with wood front and RGB lighting

CyberPowerPC combines aggressive styling, RGB, and wood accents with Amethyst 360S desktop

By Matt Safford published 12 January 24

Mid-century meets cyberpunk?

Racing simulators are about to get next-level

By Sarah Jacobsson Purewal published 12 January 24

Both Cooler Master and Thermaltake showed off racing simulator cockpits at CES 2024.

Corsair's redesigned PC fan screw installs with a single turn, shaving dozens of seconds off your next PC build

By Matt Safford published 12 January 24

Corsair's new fans will ship with a redesigned fan screw that features a wider thread pitch, so that one full turn will insert the screw completely into your fan mounting holes.

Thermaltake's power supply tester lets you know if your power supply is working properly — Dr. Power III updated with support for ATX 3.0 power supplies

By Zhiye Liu published 11 January 24

Thermaltake unveils the Dr. Power III, a universal ATX power supply tester that supports the latest ATX 3.0 standard.

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