Mark Tyson

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

xTool P3 laser

xTool P3 review: Massive flagship laser engraver claims to offer '2x the workspace, speed, and efficiency' of its predecessor

By Mark Tyson published

Editor's Choice

The expanded work area, boosted power, and advanced features could make this a favorite among prosumers and small businesses.

A motherboard like the one used by the Redditor

AMD users flag heavy SSD write activity tied to chipset driver — incessant log file writes observed every time a window is moved or resized

By Mark Tyson published

AMD chipset driver possibly shortens SSD life, behavior alarms users — incessant log file writes observed every time a window is moved or resized.

Agentic OS backlash

Top Microsoft exec's boast about Windows 'evolving into an agentic OS' provokes furious backlash over AI — users fed up with forced AI and cloud features

By Mark Tyson published

Microsoft Windows president faces withering criticism in response to boasts that 'Windows is evolving into an agentic OS.'

LTO-10 40TB announcements

Tape keeps kicking, 'breakthrough' 40TB native spec announced — LTO-10 tapes claim up to 100TB compressed data capacity, hold 2.2X more data than previous spec

By Mark Tyson published

LTO-10 40TB carts were enabled by new 'Aramid' material technology.

A rare ‘Launch Team 05’ Xbox 360 console

First images of exclusive custom Xbox 360 launch console shared ahead of HD-gaming pioneer’s 20th anniversary — project leader Major Nelson admits he has never powered on 'Launch Team 05' console

By Mark Tyson published

As the Xbox 360 turns 20, the first images showing an exclusive edition of the console, which some claim kicked off the HD gaming era, have been shared on social media.

Plummer's DEC PDP-11/34

Veteran dev’s newest computer is ‘200,000 times’ faster than his oldest in custom benchmarks — single-thread Dhrystone performance charted across 25 systems released between 1976 and 2023

By Mark Tyson published

Veteran Windows dev Dave W Plummer has run a simple performance test across his 25 computers, released between 1976 and 2023, and he observed a huge 200,000X CPU performance delta.

The so-called 100% "Safe" 120VAC LED tester

Frankly dangerous hot dog-based LED tester could be a Weiner in the 2025 Hackaday Component Abuse Challenge

By Mark Tyson published

An LED testing ‘device’ which largely consists of a hot dog, two forks and a power supply has been entered into an electronics competition

Real gold keycaps

Chinese camera company gives out gold keycaps worth up to $45,000 to top employees — more than 50 prizes given out by Insta360

By Mark Tyson last updated

Webcam brand Insta360 has gifted real gold keycaps, worth up to $45,000 each, to its most valued employees.

Minecraft server installed on a smart lightbulb

Hardware hacker installs Minecraft server on a cheap smart lightbulb — single 192 MHz RISC-V core with 276KB of RAM, enough to run tiny 90K byte world

By Mark Tyson published

A hardware hacker has installed a Minecraft server on a cheap smart lightbulb.

TSMC sneakers steel te spotlight

Nvidia's Jensen Huang upstaged at TSMC annual Sports Day by TSMC-branded sneakers — CEO's 'Made In Taiwan' footwear is the talk of the town

By Mark Tyson published

TSMC-branded sneakers were 'the focus of the audience' at the firm's annual Sports Day event this weekend.

GameTank 8-bit console

Clean-sheet open source 8-bit gaming console surprisingly preparing for launch in 2025 — the GameTank uses twin 6502 processors instead of FPGAs or microcontrollers

By Mark Tyson published

There’s a new open source contender being prepared for the 8-bit console arena.

TinyGPU v2.0 running on an FPGA

The world's ‘tiniest GPU’ heads to production — 200,000-transistor TinyGPU v2.0 can render gamepad-manipulated 3D images with up to 1K triangles in real-time

By Mark Tyson published

The ‘tiniest GPU’ has gotten a big update with the new TinyGPU v2.0 offering interactive 3D rasterization, with transformation & lighting tech.

No Longer Evil Thermostat firmware

No Longer Evil Thermostat hack strips Google from Nest thermostat to heat your home better — open source project revives sunsetted hardware, gives more precise control

By Mark Tyson published

Google’s sunsetted Nest Gen 1 and Gen 2 thermostats have been given a new breath of life by a frustrated developer's No Longer Evil Thermostat firmware.

CU Amiga Issue 039 errors

DIY Amiga sound sampler circuit mystery solved 32 years later — Magazine instructions had key component spec typos

By Mark Tyson published

A three-decade old 'Amiga mystery' has been solved by an intrepid electronics-focused TechTuber.

Compaq Portable

This week in 1982, Compaq announced the first true IBM PC clone — it was portable, too, as long as you were comfortable lugging 28 pounds

By Mark Tyson published

Legally reverse-engineered IBM BIOS and advertised '100% compatibility' were among its winning features.

A Soviet K565PY3 chip

CPU collector peels the lid off a Soviet-era ‘fish can’ chip to peer inside with multiple microscopes — K565RU3 was a Cold War-era clone of Western chips that powered Apple II, Commodore PET, and original IBM PC

By Mark Tyson published

A fascinating Soviet-era retro electronics artifact has been dissected and micrographed by a CPU collector.

Microsoft Z-80 SoftCard

Storied Windows dev reminisces about Microsoft's first hardware product 45 years ago — the Z-80 SoftCard was an Apple II add-in card

By Mark Tyson published

Raymond Chen has shared some insight into the development of Microsoft’s first hardware product, the Z-80 SoftCard, from 1980.

Railroad/PC hobby crossover design

PC modder installs a working train set on top of their GPU — All aboard the 'PCI Express' to Gamesville

By Mark Tyson published

An enthusiast has shared their first designs, melding the disparate worlds of PC DIY and model railroading.

Neuralink plus Insta360

Neuralink implant patient gets 'second pair of eyes' thanks to motorized AI webcam — Insta360 Link 2 connected to MacBook gives father with ALS new lease on life

By Mark Tyson published

A new documentary shows ALS and Neuralink implant patient Brad Smith expanding his family connection with a motorized AI webcam.

The Vectrex Mini

Vectrex Mini retro console shatters Kickstarter goal within minutes — it will now cost $173, up from $115 and $150, to secure yours.

By Mark Tyson published

The Vectrex Mini vector retrogaming console blasted past its €100,000 funding goal within just 15 minutes

EuQlid Qu-MRI platform

Quantum diamond scanner delivers non-invasive 3D imaging of semiconductors — EuQlid Qu-MRI could ‘save chip foundries billions of dollars’

By Mark Tyson published

EuQlid reveals a breakthrough diamond-based quantum sensing device for the non-invasive 3D imaging of semiconductors.

Internet worm

37 years ago this week, the Morris worm infected 10% of the Internet within 24 hours — worm slithered out and sparked a new era in cybersecurity

By Mark Tyson last updated

Cornell graduate student Robert Tappan Morris unleashed his eponymous worm upon the Internet 37 years ago, changing the face of cybersecurity.

Nvidia Blackwell chip

2008 financial crisis prophet bets against the AI bubble with potential $1 billion payout — Michael Burry reveals put options on Nvidia and Palantir

By Mark Tyson published

Big bets are being put on the imminent decline of several big AI industry players.

Lo-fi 30x30 pixel camera made using a salvaged optical mouse sensor

3D printing enthusiast creates camera with a gutted optical mouse's sensor — lo-fi 30x30 pixel camera took 65 hours to build

By Mark Tyson published

A 3D printing enthusiast has made a cute, functional lo-fi digital camera using an optical sensor salvaged from a discarded mouse PCB.

3D printed gun components

SWAT team raid uncovers 3D printing guns with live ammunition, capable of firing — police also seize WWII 'replica' 3D-printed knives and grenades

By Mark Tyson published

A man living near Pattison Lake in Washington State has been arrested for manufacturing ghost guns with his 3D printing equipment.

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