Articles by Mark Tyson, News Editor

Mark's enthusiasm for computers dampened at an early age by the rubber-keyed Sinclair Spectrum 48K and feelings of Commodore 64 envy. However, in the mid-80s, hope in a digital future was rekindled by the purchase of an Atari 520 STe. Since that time Mark has used a multitude of computers for fun and professional endeavors. He often owned both Macs and PCs but went cold on the former after OS9 was killed off, and warmed to the latter with the introduction of Windows XP. Early work years were spent in artwork and reprographics but in the late noughties, Mark started to blog about computers, Taiwanese food culture, and guitar design. This activity led to a full-time position writing about breaking PC tech news for HEXUS, for the best part of a decade. When HEXUS was abruptly closed, Mark helped with the foundation of Club386, before finding a new home at Tom's Hardware. When not wearing through the keycap legends on his PC keyboards, Mark can be found wandering the computer malls of Taiwan's neon-lit conurbations and enjoying local and international cuisine.

Articles by: Mark Tyson

IBM Quantum Starling and the roadmap to 2033

IBM is building a large-scale quantum computer that 'would require the memory of more than a quindecillion of the world's most powerful supercomputers' to simulate

By Mark Tyson published 10 June 25

IBM has shared its roadmap to deliver the 'world's first large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer' in 2029.

1.5TB of James Webb Space Telescope data dumped on the internet — new searchable database is the largest window into our universe to date

By Mark Tyson published 10 June 25

NASA-backed astronomy project has just released the 'largest look ever into the deep universe.'

Open source Switch 2 adapter brings M.2 NVMe SSD to Nintendo's latest console — MicroSD Express and NVMe share a similar pinout that could even theoretically support an eGPU

By Mark Tyson published 10 June 25

A console modder has shared details of their SDEX2M2 Adapter project, which adds M.2 SSD storage to the Switch 2.

ChatGPT 'got absolutely wrecked' by Atari 2600 in beginner's chess match — OpenAI's newest model bamboozled by 1970s logic

By Mark Tyson published 9 June 25

It is claimed that OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4o model “got absolutely wrecked on the beginner level” of Atari Chess on an Atari 2600 console from the 1970s.

Qualcomm acquires Alphawave Semi for $2.4 billion – says its leading high-speed wired tech will accelerate data center expansion

By Mark Tyson published 9 June 25

Fabless chipmaking giant Qualcomm is set to grow yet stronger with a $2.4 billion agreement to acquire Alphawave Semi now inked.

Commodore shocks retro TechTuber with option to buy 'the whole company'

By Mark Tyson published 8 June 25

In response to a licensing inquiry, Commodore Corporation has shocked retro TechTuber Perifractic with an option to buy 'the whole company'.

ChatGPT used to disable SecureBoot in locked-down device – modded BIOS reflash facilitated fresh Windows and Linux installs

By Mark Tyson published 8 June 25

A modding enthusiast has used ChatGPT to circumvent the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) features of a used tablet.

Burning imagery onto a CD's data surface

New tool burns images onto Compact Discs' recording area using ones and zeros — unlike Lightscribe, the technique works on any disc

By Mark Tyson published 7 June 25

A developer has dusted off an ancient software project for burning visual artwork onto the surface of a standard Compact Disc.

Overclocked. An Archive of Graphics Card Box Art

Relive the days of unhinged GPU box artwork — new book catalogs 300 retail boxes with both horrors and delights

By Mark Tyson published 7 June 25

A new book features some of the most striking examples of graphics card box art from the late 1990s through to the early 2010s

Alienware releases a PC Lego set — Area-51 kit has 318 bricks, builds NUC NUC-sized PC

By Mark Tyson published 7 June 25

Alienware has added a tiny NUC-sized PC to its roster - but it's a Lego kit.

Another RTX 5090 switcheroo - pasta joke

Aorus RTX 5090 package from Amazon was allegedly filled with macaroni, rice, and an old obsolete GPU — it's an impasta!

By Mark Tyson published 6 June 25

An Amazon customer complained that their Aorus Master GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card packaging contained just pasta, rice, and an old GPU.

HighPoint's Gen5 M.2 NVMe PCIe card is here — promises 50 GB/s+ speeds for less than $1,000

By Mark Tyson published 5 June 25

Storage expert HighPoint has revealed details and pricing for its new Rocket 7604A RAID add-in-card. Its $999 AIC fits up to four M.2 SSDs and is claimed to deliver real-world 50 GB/s+ performance.

DDR4 prices continue to surge — reportedly increased by 50% in the second half of May alone

By Mark Tyson published 5 June 25

'Rapid spike' in DDR4 spot pricing precipitated by manufacturer phase out plans, US-China tensions, and market uncertainties.

AI drone beats human champions for the first time at Abu Dhabi racing event – new deep neural network sends control commands directly to motors in significant leap

By Mark Tyson published 5 June 25

AI drones have beaten human champions in a racing event for the first time.

Light gun support comes to LCD monitors — new G’AIM’E gun controller comes with bundled Namco titles via Kickstarter

By Mark Tyson published 4 June 25

Time Crisis, Point Blank, and two Steel Gunner titles will be available with the all-in-one device — which works with modern TVs.

Ancient CD ripping tool updated for the first time in 16 years, now supports Windows 11

By Mark Tyson published 4 June 25

CD ripping tool CD2WAV32 has just been updated to version 4.00jp after 16 years in stasis, but Windows 11 was updated to rip CDs back in 2022.

Nvidia accused of poaching TSMC engineers in Taiwan – up to $180,000 salaries offered for talent

By Mark Tyson published 4 June 25

The media in Taiwan have highlighted the lucrative compensation packages being used to tempt engineers to fill key roles and fuel Nvidia’s ambitious expansion plans.

Zen 6 Ryzen spotted in AIDA64 — latest software beta adds 'preliminary support' for next-gen AMD desktop processors

By Mark Tyson published 3 June 25

On Monday, Finalwire added 'preliminary support for next-generation AMD desktop, server and mobile processors' to AIDA64 Extreme, indicating readiness for Ryzen 10000 series chips.

MSI unveils one of the tiniest RTX 5060 GPUs yet — Single-fan Inspire RTX model measures just 145 x 120 x 45mm

By Mark Tyson published 3 June 25

The MSI GeForce RTX 5060 8G Inspire ITX is admirably small at just 145 mm in length, and its clean lines may appeal to those who shun the Cyclone designs.

Nvidia RTX 4000 and 5000 series owners instructed to lower quality settings in Hell is Us demo — Developer urges users to turn down settings and disable DLSS during cinematic intro to resolve crashing issue

By Mark Tyson published 3 June 25

A demanding new PC game demo crashes on RTX50 and RTX40 cards, but a workaround is to crank down the visuals to get past the intro, and then restore good quality settings.

AMD RX 9060 XT overclock potential revealed – pushed to almost 3.5 GHz with less than 200W

By Mark Tyson published 2 June 25

AMD RX 9060 XT graphics card seen boosting to nearly 3.5 GHz on less than 200W of power.

$29.5 million home of Intel founder who invented Moore's Law goes up for sale – Gordon Moore's 9,000 sq ft home includes 25 acres of land, wine cellar, pool, and one very strict rule

By Mark Tyson published 2 June 25

The stately former Bay Area residence of Intel co-founder and creator of Moore’s Law, Gordon Moore, has been listed for sale for $29.5 million.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite variant rumored to have 50% more CPU cores — New chip with 18 cores and 64GB RAM is reportedly already in testing

By Mark Tyson published 2 June 25

A new leak claims Qualcomm is testing a new 64GB RAM version of its Snapdragon X2, replete with 18 cores.

Damage-sensing and self-healing artificial muscles heralded as huge step forward in robotics

By Mark Tyson published 1 June 25

University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists have devised a systems-level approach for a soft robotics technology that can identify damage, pinpoint its location, and autonomously initiate self-repair.

Nvidia RTX Pro 6000 comparative gaming tests

RTX Pro 6000 crowned the ‘new gaming king’ — but its $10,000 price tag makes the all-gold Dhahab RTX 5090 seem cheap

By Mark Tyson published 1 June 25

Nvidia's $10,000 RTX Pro 6000 is put through its paces in a quartet of modern games. See how it fares vs the RTX 5090 and 4090.

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