PC Gaming
Ongoing coverage on PC Gaming.
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Honest Thoughts After 3 Years of PC Gaming - What Nobody Tells You at the Start
This guide offers insights for PC gamers after three years of experience, emphasizing that hardware components beyond the GPU, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, significantly impact performance. It advises balancing frame rate and resolution based on game type and optimizing game settings by prioritizing texture quality over demanding options like shadows to achieve a good visual-to-performance ratio. The article also suggests checking community feedback before updating drivers to avoid potential issues.
Steam survey shows Linux hitting an all-time high with gamers
The March 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey indicates Linux has reached an all-time high of 5.33% market share, surpassing macOS. This surge, largely driven by the Steam Deck's popularity and Valve's efforts to make Linux more user-friendly, represents a significant milestone for Linux gaming.
PC RAM prices are so high that gaming PCs with 32GB just dropped 20% on Steam
The latest Steam Hardware Survey for March 2026 indicates a significant 20.31% drop in gaming PCs equipped with 32GB of RAM, attributed to high PC RAM prices. Consequently, configurations with 16GB, 12GB, and 8GB of RAM have seen notable increases. The survey also shows the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 has overtaken the RTX 4060 as the most used GPU, while generic 'AMD Radeon Graphics' have risen in popularity.
Linux installs jump to over 5% of gamers on the latest Steam Hardware Survey while the RTX 5070 reverts to the norm
The latest Steam Hardware Survey for March shows a significant increase in Linux adoption among gamers, jumping to 5.33%, while Windows 11 usage also rose at the expense of Windows 10. GPU statistics have normalized after a suspicious spike for the Nvidia RTX 5070 in February, with the RTX 3060 returning to the top spot.
It looks like Intel might ditch regular E-cores for its upcoming Core 300 laptop chips
Intel's upcoming Core 300 laptop chips, codenamed 'Wildcat Lake', may omit traditional E-cores in favor of only low-power LPE-cores. These chips are intended for thinner and cheaper laptops, featuring a 35W turbo TDP and a maximum of two Xe graphics cores, making them unsuitable for serious gaming.
As expected - Slay the Spire 2 leads the way for the most played Steam Deck games for March 2026
Slay the Spire 2 topped the list of most played games on Steam Deck in March 2026. The article provides a top 50 list of popular titles, with other notable games including Stardew Valley, Baldur's Gate 3, and Elden Ring. The author also mentions continued playtime in Overwatch and Death Stranding 2.
Here Are Your Canadian Game Awards 2026 Nominees | Console Creatures
The Canadian Game Awards have announced their nominees for 2026, celebrating the Canadian games industry. The event will take place on May 21, 2026, in Toronto, with tickets available for purchase and a Fan Choice Award voted on by the public in partnership with the Entertainment Software Association of Canada. Victor Lucas will receive the Game Changer Award.
The Canadian Game Awards Has Unleashed It's 2026 Nominees & New Location
The Canadian Game Awards have announced the nominees for their 2026 ceremony, which will be held on May 21st at Toronto's John W.H. Bassett Theatre. Victor Lucas will receive the Game Changer Award. The awards celebrate Canadian developers and releases from 2025, with categories including Game of the Year, Studio of the Year, and Best Indie Game.
Nvidia Is Attempting To Solve One Of PC Gaming's Biggest Problems: Shader Compilation
Nvidia is introducing an Auto Shader Compilation feature in its Nvidia App beta to address long shader compilation times in PC games. This feature compiles shaders in the background during idle periods, aiming to reduce waiting times for players. The update also includes support for DLSS 4.5 Dynamic Multi-Frame Generation on RTX 50-series GPUs.
Crimson Desert Optimization: Ray Tracing + Ray Reconstruction Deep Dive | Best PC Settings
This analysis delves into the optimization of Crimson Desert on PC, focusing on its ray tracing implementation and ray reconstruction features. The article notes that the game's ray tracing is poorly implemented and prone to artifacts, with limited impact from most graphics settings on performance.
Xalavier Nelson Jr, director of Space Baby Warlord Trading Simulator, will never uninstall Warframe and would love to see an Outriders 2: 'I think that game would have been really special'
Xalavier Nelson Jr, director of Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator and founder of Strange Scaffold, discusses the games installed on his PC. He highlights Warframe as a live-service game he'll never uninstall due to its evolving nature and respect for player time, and expresses a desire for an Outriders 2, praising the original for its flawed charm. Nelson Jr also shares his appreciation for older titles like Cultic and Blood: Fresh Supply, emphasizing the importance of understanding game history.
'Early on in the 2000s, we got enamored with consoles and I think certain games didn't make the leap right:' Star Wars Zero Company's director has a theory about why old school PC gaming genres are back with a vengeance
Greg Foertsch, director of Star Wars Zero Company, theorizes that the resurgence of PC gaming genres like RTS and turn-based tactics is due to a difficult transition to consoles in the early 2000s. He believes that as more games successfully adapt to new platforms and embrace camera tools, innovation in these complex genres will continue to grow.
Mewgenics Switch 2 Version Teased By Co-Creator
Co-creator Edmund McMillen has shared a video of the turn-based tactical roguelike Mewgenics running on the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. Publisher Nicalis also shared footage of the game on PlayStation 5, suggesting multi-platform support. Mewgenics has achieved significant success on Steam since its release last month.
One of our favourite Steam Deck cases is 15% off in the Amazon Spring Sale
The JSAUX ModCase, a popular and affordable protective case for the Steam Deck handheld PC, is currently available for 15% off during the Amazon Spring Sale in the US. This modular case offers features like a kickstand and a strap for power banks, with options for additional accessories like USB hubs and cooling fans.
Gaming Creator Drops Epic RTX 5070 PC Giveaway Worth Thousands
Gaming creator @theburntpeanut is hosting a giveaway for two RTX 5070 STARFORGE Gaming PC bundles, generating significant social media engagement. The PCs feature NVIDIA's latest graphics card architecture, promising high-end 4K gaming and ray tracing capabilities. This event highlights the appeal of high-value giveaways in the creator economy and the ongoing demand for powerful PC hardware.
Valve veteran slams Tim Sweeney and Epic Games for laying off 1000 people while making 'as much money as possible… and hey Tim, Gabe's better at that than you'
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek criticized Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney for recent layoffs of over 1000 employees, questioning the motivation for hard work at the company. Faliszek contrasted Epic's actions with Valve's approach to employee retention and rewards, suggesting that Epic's practices damage the industry's passion and care. Epic Games did not directly respond to Faliszek's remarks but pointed to a previous statement addressing the layoffs.
AMD's Ryzen 9950X3D2 chip features an incredible 208MB of on-chip cache
AMD has unveiled the Ryzen 9950X3D2 Dual Edition desktop processor, featuring 208MB of on-chip cache across both chiplets, a first for their desktop CPUs. This new processor, based on the Zen 5 architecture, offers a 16-core configuration and an increased 200W TDP. AMD claims it will provide a 5-10% performance boost for both gaming and creative workloads, with availability set for April 22.
Forza Horizon 6 PC requirements are surprisingly forgiving for a modern AAA game
Forza Horizon 6 is set to feature surprisingly accessible PC requirements, aiming for 60fps at 1080p on low settings with an Intel Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB RAM, and a GTX 1650 or RX 6500 XT. The game will also be compatible with Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally, with recommended specs including an Intel Core i5-12400F or Ryzen 5 5600X and an RTX 3060 Ti or Radeon 6700 XT. An SSD is a mandatory requirement for smooth performance.
You can save nearly $100 on the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 9700X in the Amazon Spring Sale
AMD's Ryzen 7 9700X processor is available for $265 during Amazon's Spring Sale, representing a significant discount on the eight-core, 16-thread chip. This CPU offers improved efficiency and performance over its predecessor, the Ryzen 7 7700X, showing gains in benchmarks and gaming performance across titles like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Hitman 3, and Far Cry 6.
Evening Tech Bits
Forza Horizon 6 is reportedly launching with NVIDIA's DLSS 4 technology. Separately, an article from XDA discusses how adding more RAM can negatively impact gaming performance.