DIY

It looks like AMD has cut some corners when it comes to the Ryzen 5 7400F. A recent review indicates that the unsoldered CPU heat spreader combined with mediocre TIM between the CPU die and heat spreader result in significant overheating and throttling.

CannonKeys recently announced PBS Aperture Priority, a photography-themed keycap set for custom mechanical keyboards. Aside from a large, clear legend on the alpha keys, the keycap set contains unique novelty keycaps featuring designs with ISO selection, exposure compensation, aperture F stops, and shutter speeds, among others. There is also support for an impressive range of keyboard form factors and layouts, and the PBS profile optimises for compatibility and ergonomics.

CheckMag The impending end of Windows 10 support (October 2025) means that many users may have to switch to a different OS. Alternative operating systems such as Linux and ChromeOS Flex can be tested on your own PC without affecting the existing Windows installation.

Espressif's new RISC-V chip delivers support for 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks, making it a significant upgrade for IoT and embedded applications.

Simply replacing the motherboard of a laptop in order to upgrade to a new processor has been an absolute niche solution. Intel is now proposing an industry-wide concept for fully modular notebooks, and even Apple could indirectly benefit from this.

The anyon_e is a new open-source laptop with a high-resolution AMOLED display that should be suitable for casual gaming. The notes also sports an aluminum chassis and is equipped with a 60Wh battery.

Seeed Studio has launched a new expansion board for the Raspberry Pi 5. Its two M.2 slots offer space for SSDs or AI accelerators, while it remains possible to use additional sensors and actuators.

NuPhy has released more details about the upcoming, retro-inspired Kick75 "hybrid mechanical keyboard" which it claims is the first in the world to offer compatibility with both low-profile and full-size mechanical switches. Currently, there is a $1 buy-in fee for the pre-order, and the full price is slated to be revealed in February.

It looks like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti will launch sooner than expected, if leaks from a large European hardware retailer are to be believed.

The same developers behind the Retro Lite CM4 gaming handheld have introduced the successor, the CM5. It's powered by the Radxa CM5 and can emulate PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Nintendo 3DS games.

The new Keychron K4 QMK mechanical gaming keyboard is more than just a name refresh. Updated internals and materials make it a significantly more attractive prospect for those looking for a full-size keyboard. Similarly, the M3 8K delivers substantial theoretical performance benefits and for gamers thanks to an updated sensor. Both the new keyboard and mouse are highly upgradable, too.

AMD's recently revealed FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 has been thoroughly put through its paces in an early hands-on, and the new upscaling tech appears to be significantly faster and higher quality than its predecessors.

The pilet is a handheld PC based on the current Raspberry Pi, an impressive single board computer. The modular system comes in two unique models and offers wireless connectivity.

The Mecha Comet is a versatile modular handheld designed to let users play video games and build their own projects. The device features a touchscreen, a camera and an M.2 slot.

Only a couple weeks of crowdfunding are left for the DeckSight OLED replacement panel for LCD Steam Decks. Currently, this is the only OLED upgrade kit available to LCD Steam Deck users.

Dell has reintroduced its high-performance Alienware Area-51 desktop PC with Intel's latest Core Ultra 9 285K CPU and "high-end" Nvidia RTX 5000 graphics, now packed into a more-or-less proper standard ATX design, with a standardised motherboard for easy future upgrades.

The Inky Frame 7.3 is a E Ink display capable of color and designed for a wide range of projects and applications. A Raspberry Pico 2 W is installed, which should result in lower power consumption.

HMD's Skyline has ended its 2024 on a high note, having been awarded the title of Most Repairable Smartphone of the year on the influential tear-down vlog JerryRigEverything. The Asus ROG Phone 8 and Huawei Mate XT have also made appearances at this online award show, albeit for less upliftingly sustainable reasons.

Nvidia is mainly known for its graphics cards and AI technologies, but the company might also release a new chip that is intended for androids and other robots. Generative AI and a certain open-source project are expected to play a pivotal role in this development.

From waste to 3D filament: PETFusion 2.0 allows users of 3D printers to virtually produce their own filament from plastic bottles. The second generation of the machine promises higher productivity and comes with two nozzles.

Backflip AI, a 3D design platform, generates complex 3D models from text input or images. Theses are suitable for numerous applications, including 3D printing and game development.

CheckMag The impending end of Windows 10 support (October 2025) from Microsoft means that many owners of older computers will have to switch to a different operating system. One alternative could be Google's free ChromeOS Flex, which runs quite well on weak hardware.

The T-Keyboard S3 Pro is a modular, multifunctional macro keyboard with a rotary control. This is designed for particular uses, not only in video games but also in productive contexts.

Anycubic has a new 3D printer in the pipeline. Capable of printing with different colours and materials, this model is an enclosed system designed to be especially easy to use.

Starforge Systems has expanded its gaming- and anime-inspired PC case line-up with a Terraria edition, featuring art from the fan-favourite indie adventure RPG, Terraria, printed on a Lian Li O11D Evo RGB case. There is also a $2,049.99 limited-edition pre-built PC built in the same case.

The Pico W5 is an alternative to a compact Raspberry Pi board with numerous configuration possibilities. Various sensors and actuators can be connected, and the board may also be predestined for smart home projects.

The Anycubic Kobra 3 Max Combo is a 3D printer featuring a large print volume and multicolour support. It can also store multiple filament spools at proper humidity to increase their shelf life.

A good number of gaming handhelds have been introduced in the last few years, and Playdate is among the ones that got very popular. The slightly open-source nature even allows modders to bring out new creations, and PlayBot is one of them.

In their latest video, The Thought Emporium discusses the science and practical applications of the channel's latest and most advanced open-source radio telescope, the XJ9. Featuring a modular design and a host of radio-focused features, the XJ9 is an enticing project for radio enthusiasts.

Built on the ESP32-S3, CapibaraZero has arrived to offer an alternative to the popular but expensive Flipper Zero hacking gadget. While less refined than the Flipper Zero, this project maintains much of the same functionality.

The T5 E-Paper S3 Pro is a developer board with an E Ink touchscreen, wireless connectivity and wireless charging. The device is thus extremely versatile and also supports wireless connective via LoRa.

YouTuber Marcin Plaza has once again spent the last three months working on a very exciting project. Fans of DIY engineering projects will not be disappointed with his latest video. Marcin was dissatisfied with the current gaming handheld market, so he built his own from an old Lenovo Yoga laptop. He also designed the controller from scratch using an Arduino Pro Micro.

After over 22 years in development, FreeCAD 1.0 is finally available, with the latest release bringing much-needed UI tweaks and a new assembly module. The development team says it is dedicated to improving the FreeCAD project, but that it has solved the last two major problems that held back the 1.0 release.

CheckMag The Epomaker TH40 is an excellent affordable entry to the 40% keyboard form factor, but in our recent review, we found that it was impossible to use with the out-of-the-box layers and key bindings. Here's how we set up and optimised the Epomaker TH40 for general use and typing.

Corsair's 24.4 litre 2000D Airflow mini-ITX PC case has been discounted by a whopping 53% on Amazon, making it a rare budget small-form-factor mini-ITX case for DIY PC builders, at just $49.99. The Corsair 2000D Airflow has space for triple slot GPUs up to 365 mm long, and can fit a triple-fan setup or 360 mm liquid cooling radiator.

The Official Raspberry Pi Touch Display first launched over 9 years ago, offering a paltry 800 x 480 resolution. Used in projects and embedded products the world over for nearly a decade, the official panel has finally been upgraded with the same $60 price tag.

While gaming handhelds are becoming cheaper than before, you can always use the hardware available to you to build one. That's pretty much what modder Beth Le did, building a gaming handheld with a Framework laptop motherboard.

An enterprising engineer has reverse-engineered Apple's MacBook storage interface and created a slotted SSD solution for Apple's laptops. Although the mod certainly voids the warranty and likely hardly makes sense from a cost point of view, it calls into question Apple's reasoning for opting for a complicated soldered storage solution.

Beelink just announced that its Multi-Functional EX docking station for mini PCs is now open-source with free plans for anyone to use. Along with the announcement, Beelink published documentation to build the PCIe-enabled docking station. It hopes that access to the plans for the accessory will enrich the mini PC ecosystem.

Bambu Lab has launched an AI based text-to-3D tool that lets you create Pokemon-like characters from your own imagination. PrintMon Maker generates full-colour 3D models, which can then be edited, refined and printed directly from Bambu Studio or by downloading an OBJ file. The entire process requires little to no knowledge of 3D modelling and printing.

iFixit's latest teardown might help confirm a lot of suspicions held by virtual reality (VR) fans about Meta's latest Quest 3S headset - the fact that it is more of a direct Quest 2 successor included. In fact, some parts can even be swapped between the 2 devices, which seems to be a thrifty move on the OEM's part.

Oriolus has opened pre-order sales for the OA-JC3 USB DAC and OA-JC5 headphone amplifier kits, which can be assembled without soldering. Both devices utilize vacuum tubes for warm, rich sound reproduction.

The Ploopy Trackpad is a 3D printed trackpad with multi-touch gesture support and a high degree of customisability, thanks to its QMK firmware and 3D printed construction. All of the part files, QMK firmware, and build instructions are available online for free, but Ploopy also sells a $72.50 DIY build kit and a pre-assembled trackpad for $94.25

Apple's new metallic battery housing might end up being one of the iPhone 16 Pro's most important upgrades in the long run - accordingly, it is a shame that there is no see-through version of the new flagship. A prominent teardown vlogger has set out to fix that, however, with the help of some unexpected equipment.

CheckMag Google is notorious for tracking people across websites, and this extends to almost every service it offers, including Android and YouTube. If you are on a quest to escape Google's aggressive data practices, you might want to consider hosting your own YouTube front end. But how easy is it, and is it worth it?

Oddly Specific Objects has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Sensor Watch Pro for Casio F-91W and A158W digital watches. The product allows you to replace the watch’s quartz crystal with an ARM Cortex M0+ microcontroller. This brings Movement firmware with a wide range of features, including interval timers, Wordle and a TOTP Authenticator.

A new YouTube channel has popped up with an incredible video detailing how to convert an old Apple Desktop Bus mechanical keyboard from an outdated wired connector to a USB type-C/wireless keyboard. He also managed to add in some nifty features, like an OLED display and open-source ZMK firmware for endless customisability. All project files are also available on GitHub.

Nintendo is expected to launch the Switch 2 sometime before April 2024, but a new Lite variant is likely a few years away. As for the current Switch Lite, the new SUPER5 OLED mod has just offered it an unofficial screen upgrade.

CheckMag The PS5 Pro is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. At $699 (plus $75 extra if you want a physical disk drive), that’s a good chunk of change for a device that only really plays games. So, exactly how much PC could one buy for that amount of cash, and would it be competitive?