Articles by Ben Stockton, Deals Writer

Ben Stockton is a deals writer at Tom’s Hardware. Previously a hardware writer at PCGamesN, Ben’s been writing about Windows and PC hardware (among other things) since 2018, with bylines that include How-To Geek, Tom’s Guide, and Cloudwards. He was also the managing editor at groovyPost.com and has previously contributed to Computeractive magazine.

Since his earliest days tinkering with Windows 95 on a classic Pentium MMX PC, Ben’s been obsessed with understanding how technology works, chatting about it with anyone who’ll listen. Along the way, he’s worked as a UK college lecturer, teaching IT to adults and teenagers, and as a PC technician, tackling all kinds of tech problems. He’s now busy tracking down brilliant bargains on all kinds of hardware, but when he doesn’t have his deal hat on, he’s adding to his homelab, watching old Star Trek episodes, or taking two hyperactive pugs on a much needed walk.

Articles by: Ben Stockton

YouTuber upgrades 14-year-old ThinkPad laptop with a $25 DIY IPS display — simple panel swap breathes new life into 2012-era machine with 'visually noticeable' results

By Ben Stockton published 23 March 26

A YouTuber has given a 2012-era Lenovo ThinkPad X230 a "visually noticeable upgrade" by swapping out its TN panel for an IPS replacement that cost just $25.

Rogue OpenClaw AI wrote and published 'hit piece' on a Python developer who rejected its code — disgruntled bot accuses Matplotlib maintainer of discrimination and hypocrisy, later backtracks with an apology

By Ben Stockton published 21 March 26

Another OpenClaw AI agent going rogue, raising serious moral questions

US trade deficit hits a record $1.2 trillion as AI hardware imports surge under the Trump administration — massive demand for chips from Asia outpaces domestic production, fueling a 60% increase in imports in 12 months

By Ben Stockton published 19 March 26

U.S. imports of computers and electronics grew 60% between January 2025 and 2026, rising to more than $450 billion

Australian researchers develop quantum battery proof-of-concept which uses lasers to charge near-instantly — breakthrough could pave the way for ultra-fast wireless charging for EVs and drones in the future, say researchers

By Ben Stockton published 19 March 26

Australian researchers have reportedly created the world's first quantum battery prototype.

End of an era for decades-old PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii U as GameStop officially declares them retro — change means faulty or 'aesthetically unfortunate' consoles that can still power on are now accepted for trade-in

By Ben Stockton published 17 March 26

An extra 10% trade-in credit is being granted for these old-timers until March 21

Microsoft and Samsung scramble to fix a major C: drive lockout bug on Galaxy devices — faulty Galaxy Connect app leaves users with 'limited' recovery options following recent Windows 11 update

By Ben Stockton published 16 March 26

This crippling bug affects some Samsung Galaxy Book 4 and Samsung Desktop devices

Grab this £59.99 TP-Link wireless router with Wi-Fi 7 support at its lowest ever price — 31% discount unlocks faster connections for lag-free streaming and gaming

By Ben Stockton published 13 March 26

Deals Score a 31% discount on this TP-Link Archer BE3600 router, offering Wi-Fi 7 capability to your existing LAN for just £59.99

This RTX 5060 Acer gaming laptop with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is a steal for just £799.99 — solid 1080p performer includes a 10-core Intel CPU and a fast 165Hz refresh rate

By Ben Stockton published 12 March 26

Deals High-end modern gaming in a budget-friendly chassis

TP-Link 5-Port Ethernet Switch LS1500G deal

This £8.97 TP-Link Ethernet switch is a must-have for 4K streaming and lag-free gaming — compact 5-port unmanaged switch runs silent and unlocks gigabit speeds for less than a tenner

By Ben Stockton published 12 March 26

Deals Give yourself a gigabit upgrade with this unmanaged Ethernet switch

Grab this speedy 4TB Crucial P310 SSD, the cheapest on sale right now, for just £299.99 — nearly £90 price drop is as good as it gets for high-capacity PC storage as the AI crunch continues to bite

By Ben Stockton published 11 March 26

Deals This SSD comes with Gen 4 speeds and a lot of storage capacity

Hoto Screwdriver set for Amazon UK Spring Sale Days

This brilliant Hoto electric screwdriver is down to a record-low £28.48 right now — 12-bit precision kit with USB-C charging is great for PC builds and DIY projects

By Ben Stockton last updated 11 March 26

Deals Grab this impressive Hoto NEX O1 Pro mini electric screwdriver set with 12 bits at a record-low price

Human brain cells set to power two new data centers, thanks to 'body-in-the-box' CL1 — Cortical Labs targets the AI energy crisis with biological computer that reportedly uses less energy than a calculator

By Ben Stockton published 11 March 26

Australian biotech company Cortical Labs has partnered with data center firm DayOne to establish two new data centers using its CL1 biological computers.

'Borderline scam' 1.1TB HP laptop deal on Amazon draws consumer ire, laptop has 128GB SSD and 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage — 'generous' $499 third-party laptop deal sounds too good to be true, because it is

By Ben Stockton published 9 March 26

A number of third-party sellers are selling laptops with descriptions that claim over 1TB of storage, despite only physically containing a 128GB SSD, despite public disapproval over the practice.

Nvidia releases new GeForce 595.71 driver to fix serious fan control bug — new update resolves issues for RTX 30, 40, and 50-series GPUs that reportedly stopped some fans from working

By Ben Stockton published 2 March 26

A new Nvidia GPU driver, 595.71, has been released which resolves issues in its since-recalled 595.59 driver which reportedly caused some graphics card fans to stop working.

CDE Time Capsule project screenshot showing 1990s-style Linux

Developer's 1994 Linux desktop recreation runs in your browser as a modern web app — open-source project brings old-school CDE interface back from the dead and features classic 90s web browser, text editor, and more

By Ben Stockton published 28 February 26

Dial back to the 1990s with this Debian Linux clone in your browser

Asus ROG Ally receives timely GPU driver update despite rumors of AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme deprecation — new release follows recent speculation that driver support for some Windows 11 handhelds had ended

By Ben Stockton published 26 February 26

A new AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme GPU update for the Asus ROG Ally has alleviated some concern about its deprecation, although some questions remain about its longevity.

Sam Altman speaking at the India AI Impact Summit in February 2026

OpenAI's Sam Altman warns that firms are using 'AI washing' to mask layoffs across the globe — AI boss calls out corporate excuses while warning of 'palpable' job disruption ahead

By Ben Stockton published 20 February 26

Some traditional layoffs are being blamed on AI, Altman believes

Best Alienware and Dell deals 2026 — on gaming PCs and gaming laptops

By Stewart Bendle last updated 19 February 26

Check out the best deals on systems from Dell and Alienware, right here.

Dell launches new budget 1080p gaming monitor with an ultra-fast 240Hz refresh rate for less than $130 — new 27-inch IPS display includes AMD FreeSync support and 0.5ms response time

By Ben Stockton published 19 February 26

Dell's new 27-inch SE2726HG gaming monitor is a budget-friendly option for gamers, featuring a fast 240Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support for just $129.99.

Over 80% of companies report no productivity gains from AI so far despite billions in investment, survey suggests — 6,000 executives also reveal 1/3 of leaders use AI, but only for 90 minutes a week

By Ben Stockton published 18 February 26

AI isn't having a huge impact on productivity yet, but hopes are still high

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 published 12 February 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.

3D Printing nozzle up close during print

Harvard researchers develop novel 3D printing method for soft robotics — rotational multi-material method creates muscle-like structures that can be programmed to twist, lift, or bend

By Ben Stockton published 10 February 26

A new spin on robotics, thanks to a novel 3D printing method

AI report shows scepticism among one-third of US consumers

One-third of consumers reject AI on their devices, with most saying they simply don’t need it — latest report highlights privacy fears and potential costs among other real-world concerns

By Ben Stockton published 6 February 26

A report from consumer firm Circana has shown that two-thirds of those opposed to AI believe it isn't useful on their devices, while a third weren't interested at all in the technology.

The new Valve Steam Machine is 'on track' to begin shipping early this year, says AMD — CEO suggests new 4K mini gaming PC, powered by semi-custom Zen 4 CPU, to launch soon

By Ben Stockton published 4 February 26

AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su, during the company's latest Q4 2025 earnings call, seemingly confirmed that the release for the new Valve Steam Machine is "on track" to launch during early 2026.

World's largest particle accelerator begins warming thousands of local French residents with waste energy from the 16-mile Large Hadron Collider — CERN's accelerator leverages its massive cooling network to help slash local carbon emissions

By Ben Stockton published 31 January 26

A new heat exchange system between the LHC and the French town of Ferney-Voltaire is directing waste heat energy from CERN's accelerator to warm thousands of homes and businesses.

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