Valve's September 2026 Steam Hardware & Software Survey shows that 32 GB of RAM is now the most common memory capacity among participating gamers. The 32 GB tier gained 4.77 points to reach 42.22%, while 16 GB fell 3.38 points to 37.82%. Last month, 16 GB still led with 41.20% against 37.45%, so that is a big swing for a single month. The idea had been around for a while, with 32 GB already being floated as the next standard back in August 2025. Steam only reports capacity, so the survey says nothing about speed or whether those kits are DDR4 or DDR5. It makes sense, though, with several recent games asking for 32 GB RAM in the recommended specs, with 16 GB now often listed in the minimum requirements.

Elsewhere, AMD gained 1.89 points on Windows to reach 47.41% CPU share, and the GeForce RTX 5070 is the most common GPU at 5.86%, up 2.30 points. 1440p primary displays climbed 5.18 points to 27.04%, and Windows 11 keeps growing at 71.34%. Of course, one month doesn't make a trend, so it's reasonable to wait for October's numbers to see whether 32 GB remains at the top. The survey is also voluntary, and the sample changed a lot this month. For example, Simplified Chinese jumped 7.42 points to 31.39% of surveyed systems. That change in sampled systems could explain part of the RAM swing, though it could also simply be 32 GB RAM gaining popularity.

NVIDIA's highly anticipated foray into the world of complete laptop designs is scheduled for October 7, as revealed in a new teaser on X. A post by Microsoft's @Windows handle, corroborated by the NVIDIA RTX Spark X account, confirms that October 7 is the launch date for the new RTX Spark lineup of mini PCs and laptops. For instance, ASUS recently teased an October launch for the RTX Spark platform with its upcoming ProArt 16 creator laptop, powered by the NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X Arm SoC. Today, we have a concrete date marking NVIDIA's entry into this sector.

NVIDIA is already enabling software tools to support and utilize RTX Spark silicon, with the recent launch of RTX Kit 2026.3 alongside version 2.0 of its RTX Mega Geometry SDK. These provide game developers with new neural rendering and path tracing tools. Acer, ASUS, Dell, MSI, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, and many other OEMs will be launch partners for the platform.

Microsoft today released its latest Windows 11 26H2 update, bringing a new milestone for Windows 11 users. In this release, Microsoft is highlighting a few features that Windows 11 25H2 users have not yet experienced. These include a smarter File Explorer with new capabilities such as summarization, additional archive formats, and AI productivity enhancements. Additionally, Windows Search has been improved to prioritize searching through your files before resorting to web searches, while also handling typos and partial application names more effectively. Frequently used folders will receive automatic indexing, making them easier to find. Other optimizations include updates to Magnifier with new zoom and screen tint options, Narrator adding a Braille Viewer, and Voice gaining a wider range of voice-driven commands on Copilot+ PC. Finally, the Start menu and Taskbar now offer new customization options, positioning changes, and a smaller view option.

Interestingly, this update focuses more on resetting the support cycles that Microsoft is implementing, rather than introducing major features or overhauls. For those upgrading, the main change will be an extension of the support cycle as users transition to the 26H2 release. Starting September 29, 2026, there will be 36 months of servicing support for Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11, version 26H2. Home and Pro editions will receive 24 months of support.

After teasing the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495 upgrade to the Framework Destkop mini PC, Framework has officially announced that pre-orders for the SFF desktop will start on Wednesday, 30 September. The announcement came in a post on the OEM's official X account, where it also confirmed that, as is typical with its Framework Laptop upgrades, the rest of the motherboard and case will remain the same, for backwards compatibility purposes.

Currently, it is unclear how much the new AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 495-powered mini PC will cost, but it'd be a safe bet to assume it will be more expensive than the current-generation Ryzen AI Max+ 395 model, especially on the high-end version, topping out at 192 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory where the 395 version tops out at 128 GB.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has laid out his most direct pitch yet for what Copilot is supposed to become, calling it a "new OS for work that spans every model, every form factor, and every task." The comment came alongside Microsoft's biggest Copilot overhaul to date, which merges four pieces into one app: Autopilot (a long-running enterprise agent), Code (an in-app builder that hosts apps inside a company's own tenant), Home (which combines Chat and Cowork), and Office, with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint now built directly into Copilot. Nadella also mentioned Copilot support inside Teams, plus a new feature called Today that pulls relevant information from across Microsoft 365 without the user having to ask.

It looks like Microsoft wants Copilot to work more like a proactive layer sitting across a person's entire workday instead of a chat window they open on demand (or by accident). Interestingly, Microsoft avoided calling Copilot part of the Windows 11 operating system this time, a year after its "agentic OS" framing for Windows drew a fairly rough reception from users. This is not even the first time Microsoft has thought about expanding Copilot in this way. Microsoft did explore a full Copilot-centered operating system internally, under the codename Project Aion, though that reportedly dates back to 2024 and there's no word on whether it's still active.

Back in early 2025, Microsoft added three new "companion" applications to its Microsoft 365 suite—Calendar, People, and Files. These were designed to provide quick access to people, files, and calendar events directly from the Windows 11 taskbar. However, it seems that Microsoft 365 customers did not find them particularly useful, and Microsoft plans to retire them on December 16, 2026. This is one of Microsoft's examples of short-lived mini applications. These mini applications pulled data from Microsoft 365 applications to generate quick insights about a person, a file, or a calendar event. Existing only as a WebView2 wrapper, they added an unnecessary layer of applications.

For Microsoft 365 users, previously known as Office suite users, the company actively tried to install these applications automatically on many PCs. After the forced installation, the company even pinned these applications to the taskbar. Although Microsoft confirmed it would automatically install these companion apps, administrators had the option to opt out. However, regular users had to manage them continuously. Interestingly, after the December 16 deadline, Microsoft confirmed that these applications would stop working, but users would need to remove them manually. Essentially, after forcing users to install these applications, Microsoft is leaving them to handle the cleanup themselves.

Optimization and low system requirements have been something of a trend in PC gaming of late, with even games like the upcoming Fable slated to be playable on entry-level gaming hardware from 2020. Despite its updated graphics and gameplay, Ubisoft's Rayman Legends Retold seems to be going down the same path. According to the recently announced system requirements for the game, Rayman Legends Retold will be playable at 1080p and 60 FPS on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, or Intel Arc A580 and Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3100, as long as graphics are set to the low preset and the upscaler is set to Quality. On GPUs capable of using it, the game will rely on NVIDIA DLSS, but it will also feature FSR and XeSS, although exact upscaler versions were not specified. The original Rayman Legends is still available on Steam, and it is significantly less demanding on hardware, with recommended specs calling for only an Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 or AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+, 2 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT or AMD Radeon HD3850, and a mere 2 GB of RAM.

General system requirements also include at least 8 GB of RAM, with recommended, 2K, and 4K configurations all asking for 16 GB, 33 GB of storage, and Windows 10. Windows 11 is required when using DLSS, though, and ReBar must be enabled in order to use Intel GPUs. The recommended spec is aimed at running the game at 1080p, 60 FPS, with high graphics settings enabled on an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, AMD Radeon RX 5700, or Intel Arc A750. There's no mention of native quality rendering, but tools like FSR 3 and XeSS generally use a 1.5× scale factor in Quality mode. The blanket use of Quality mode also means that gaming handhelds still stand a chance at decent frame rates when using Performance or Ultra Performance upscaling modes.

After installing the latest Defender Antivirus update for Windows 11, users have started reporting that their operating system is sending notifications stating "Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off." Despite the Defender Antivirus protection working correctly, Windows has been pushing these notifications to users, with many of the TechPowerUp staff experiencing the error themselves. These notifications typically appear when the operating system is freshly booted up or immediately afterward. Interestingly, Defender Antivirus can send out notifications even when notification settings are turned off, and all versions of Windows or Windows Server are affected. Microsoft acknowledged the issue, stating:

MicrosoftWe are working to release a resolution in a future Microsoft Defender Antivirus update and will provide more information when it is available.

Microsoft today rolled out an out-of-band emergency Windows 11 patch with KB5129195, which is being distributed to everyone. This emergency update is automatically downloading across every PC, as it fixes crucial issues and patches privilege elevation vulnerabilities. The list of fixes in this update includes a patch for CVE-2026-62721, issues with remote desktop connection, and importantly, a partial fix for faulty USB audio. If readers recall, Microsoft's previous September update disrupted USB audio output on many PCs, affecting USB Audio Class 1.0 devices, where systems that used to work produced no sound. In the latest patch rolling out today, Microsoft noted that 8-channel and 3D audio modes are being fixed, but several other issues remain. For example, the lack of volume controls and the complete lack of audio output are still present for some USB audio devices, so this release doesn't completely fix the problem.

Next, there are a few unconfirmed issues in the previous KB5124008 September update that sites such as Windows Latest are tracking. Today's out-of-band KB5129195 doesn't fix them. These include issues with AMD Radeon GPU users, who are reportedly experiencing system freezing, crashing, driver timeouts, black screens, missing display output, and even immediate errors after reinstalling the driver stack. Separately, Windows Latest also spotted users complaining about File Explorer failing to start or crashing immediately, as well as not being able to access file history. This issue is present in some enterprise environments such as Citrix UPM, FSLogix, Horizon, or ProfileUnity ProfileDisks on both Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.

Windows 11 continues its streak of breaking things, as Microsoft has confirmed that there is an issue with the latest September security update. According to the updated support document, Microsoft confirmed that the KB5124008 Windows security update can break audio output on some PCs. Specifically, this security update introduces issues with USB audio devices, where users of these audio output devices can't get any output from them. Messages include "This device cannot start (Code 10)" in the device manager, which fails to recognize some devices, while other symptoms can include unresponsive volume controls, no volume at all, no audio output, unresponsive sound settings, or the complete lack of detection in the device manager.

Microsoft confirmed that this only affects USB Audio Class 1.0 devices, but the current workaround is quite strange. Some USB audio devices can continue to function in standard stereo configuration. However, when switching to multichannel audio features such as 8-channel or 3D audio mode, the device can fail. The company is stating that the mileage will vary depending on the device type and use case, as some users were able to restore audio functions by switching to 2-channel audio mode in cases like these. However, do note that it doesn't mean that the problem is solved, but that only a few devices can find a workaround until a temporary fix is in place. Microsoft is reportedly working on a resolution.

JAPANNEXT, the Japanese manufacturer known for some unique monitor designs with distinctive form factors, has now listed the JN-MD-IPS7443. This is a compact 7.8-inch IPS portable display with a vertical 400 x 1280 resolution in a 5:16 aspect ratio, all packed in 211 x 74 x 15 mm. The unusual form factor is aimed at chat apps, status displays, and similar narrow vertical content. The panel has a refresh rate of 60 Hz, with 550 cd/m² brightness, a 900:1 contrast ratio and a glossy surface. There is no support for adaptive sync, HDR, or flicker-free, also, the panel is not touch-sensitive. The small display comes with a dedicated stand to change from vertical to horizontal mode when needed, though Windows 11 is required for orientation switching while macOS is not supported.

From the connectivity side, there is one USB-C and one mini-HDMI, both running at 400 x 1280 at 60 Hz. When using mini-HDMI, separate USB-C power is required. There are no built-in speakers. Power draw is up to 5 W under load and 0.5 W in standby. JAPANNEXT listed the JN-MD-IPS7443 small mobile display currently only on the Japanese website so worldwide availability is not certain. The product comes with a two-year warranty and is priced at 14,480 yen (around $94).

In September, Microsoft released fixes for 999 vulnerabilities, making it one of the largest batches of fixes the company has ever issued. Out of these 999 patches, 723 vulnerabilities have been reportedly patched on Windows alone. For Office and Office 2016, about 111 fixes were released, while SQL Server received 62. Third-party projects received an additional 25 fixes. However, the majority of the focus was on Windows, where two vulnerabilities with very high severity were addressed. Microsoft confirmed that these were being actively exploited to unlock local privileges and allow code and program execution without any issues. These vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880, have now been patched.

As readers may recall, Microsoft is working on expanding its memory integrity protection feature across its global Windows 11 installations, with the rollout beginning in October. For those unaware, memory integrity protection enhances operating system security at the kernel level, safeguarding it from sophisticated attacks by malicious actors. Using Virtualization-based Security (VBS), the OS employs hardware virtualization to create Windows hypervisors that dedicate isolated virtual environments. The OS always operates under the assumption that the kernel can be compromised.

A few months ago, Microsoft promised its Windows enthusiast community that the company would implement a major overhaul to improve performance and stability in the Windows 11 operating system. We conducted a poll and received nearly 33,000 responses from the community to answer one question: Are you experiencing the promised improvements in Windows 11? However, the findings are quite polarized, as the majority of the enthusiast community doesn't actually notice any difference before and after the promise was made. Among all respondents, 43.4% voted that there are no noticeable improvements. This represents thousands of Windows 11 users worldwide who are not seeing any enhancement in their day-to-day operations with Microsoft's latest operating system.

What is perhaps more alarming is that many enthusiasts report a worse experience following Microsoft's promises. About 38.1% of the voters indicated they are experiencing actual degradation in day-to-day operations, as Microsoft continues to push updates that negatively impact everyday use and introduce more bugs. Notably, a recent example is the Windows 11 August update, which reset custom cursors to an oversized default one. In some cases, the color and size settings don't stick, no matter how many times they are changed. This update has also caused gameplay issues, such as forced crashes, random freezing, errors, and unexpected device restarts due to RGB peripherals.

Automatic dark and light mode theme switching has been a built-in feature in macOS, Android, iOS, and even many Linux desktop environments for a good long while, but for some reason has been lacking in Windows. Now, it appears as though automatic theme switching will be coming to Windows 11 in an upcoming Insider build, as spotted by @phantomofearth on X, who shared some strings of text in a recent Experimental Windows build. These strings are accompanied by a new DLL, "Windows.Shell.AutoDarkMode.dll," that appears in the OS's System32 files.

"Schedule auto mode"
"Mode only changes when PC is idle"
"This prevents the mode from changing while you're working or in meetings"
"Turn on location services to automatically schedule dark mode. When location services are turned off, dark mode is active from [START] to [END]."

At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany, Microsoft confirmed that the company is listening to user feedback on various aspects of the Windows experience, including boot times, Windows Hello, and optimizations for PC systems with 8 GB of RAM. Speaking at the event, Mark Linton, Corporate Vice President of Windows & Devices at Microsoft, stated that the company is making a series of decisions that will impact Windows 11 users, and many of these changes will be rolled out over the next few builds.

Mark Linton, MicrosoftWe've made significant gains on things like boot time, Windows Hello responsiveness… We're continuing to improve on the fundamentals... We're listening to customer feedback, continuously improving Windows, and you'll see those updates as Windows just gets better as the updates come through... We're optimizing so that 8 gig of RAM runs great on machines as well.

Microsoft appears to be working on a battery status widget for Windows 11 that would show the charge level of your PC alongside any connected wireless accessories in one place. First spotted on Discord, references to the battery status widget were found in recent preview builds, though the feature isn't functional yet. The widget is designed to appear on both the Widgets Board and the lock screen, with light and dark theme variants already present in the build's assets. It would list the PC's own battery at the top, followed by connected peripherals like Bluetooth mice, keyboards, or headphones, each shown with its own icon, name, and battery percentage. It also looks like it will indicate the charging status and whether Energy Saver is enabled for a given device.

It's a fairly obvious addition and, honestly, quite overdue. Android and iOS have offered similar battery overviews for years, so Windows 11 catching up here isn't exactly groundbreaking. The Widgets Board has struggled to find a real purpose since launching in 2021, with only a handful of apps, such as Phone Link, OneDrive, and Weather, making good use of the space. A genuinely helpful system widget like this one might finally give people a reason to open it. Since none of this is live yet, there's no word on when Microsoft plans to ship it, or whether the lock screen version will roll out at the same time as the Widgets Board one.

Microsoft has published a quick-start guide showing developers how to build a native WinUI 3 app for Windows 11 in about 30 minutes using AI. The workflow runs on free tools, VS Code,.NET 10, GitHub Copilot's free tier, and Microsoft's winapp CLI, so Visual Studio isn't needed. The guide covers scaffolding a project, using an AI agent to add features like a settings page, testing the result, and packaging it as an MSIX installer for the Microsoft Store.

The agent used here, called winui-dev, isn't the general Copilot chatbot most Windows users already know. Rather, it's a specialized plugin with skills for WinUI design, code review, UI testing, packaging, and migrating older apps. Microsoft also recommends connecting it to its Learn MCP server so it pulls current WinUI documentation instead of relying on training data, since WinUI 3 is newer and less represented in AI training sets than older frameworks like WPF and UWP.

At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany, ASUS introduced mini PCs and laptops powered by NVIDIA's RTX Spark SoC. Starting with the GR1X mini, ASUS showcased the power of the RTX Spark N1X in grey or black aluminium enclosures. These are available with up to a 6,144-core GeForce RTX "Blackwell" GPU, alongside up to 20 cores on the NVIDIA "Grace" CPU, delivering a total of 1 PetaFLOPS of FP4 compute power. The entire package can be configured with up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory, all running on the Windows 11 desktop operating system. However, ASUS will also offer less powerful configurations, such as the second N1X configuration with a slightly less powerful 18-core "Grace" CPU, a "Blackwell" GPU with 5,120 CUDA cores, and 24-32 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory. The system is cooled by a custom copper heatsink paired with two blower fans, each with 109 blades.

At IFA today, NVIDIA confirmed that the upcoming N1X SoC for the RTX Spark PC platform will come in two configurations. The top-end model will feature a 20-core "Grace" CPU and a GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores based on the "Blackwell" microarchitecture. NVIDIA envisions this version for both laptops and mini PCs, offering between 24 GB and 128 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory. The second configuration is slightly less powerful, with an 18-core "Grace" CPU, a "Blackwell" GPU with 5,120 CUDA cores, and 24-32 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory. This version is specifically aimed at laptops, which will be classified as Copilot+ AI PCs running Windows 11 for Arm.

Both chips are officially called "N1X," and there is no "N1" as previously thought. They are simply different configurations of the same chip, likely due to binning efforts during production. NVIDIA will launch these chips next month, and we expect to see systems from Acer, ASUS, Dell, MSI, HP, Microsoft, Lenovo, and many other OEMs. Pricing details are currently unknown, but with more memory, we can expect higher prices from any OEM, as memory is currently the most scarce resource.

At IFA 2026, Acer showcased its unique take on the new NVIDIA RTX Spark desktop PC platform with a new chassis. In a package Acer calls the SFF RTX Spark, likely emphasizing the small-form-factor of this PC, the design differs from previous DGX Sparks. The RTX naming convention focuses more on home office users, creators, gamers, and local AI enthusiasts. The SFF RTX Spark from Acer features up to a 6,144-core GeForce RTX "Blackwell" GPU, alongside up to 20 cores on the NVIDIA "Grace" CPU, delivering a total of 1 PetaFLOPS of FP4 compute power. The entire package can be configured with up to 128 GB of LPDDR5X unified memory, all running on the Windows 11 desktop operating system.

Acer used a black shroud with a single bronze accent, providing an elegant and edgy design. The system can stand on its own in a horizontal position, while there is a specific holder for a vertical position, as shown in the images below. NVIDIA's full optimization stack for gaming and local AI is included, along with Acer's customizations that are typically featured in the company's PCs and laptops.

Microsoft is working on expanding its memory integrity protection feature across its global Windows 11 installations, with the rollout beginning in October. For those unaware, memory integrity protection enhances operating system security at the kernel level, safeguarding it from sophisticated attacks by malicious actors. This feature is straightforward, requiring little to no additional configuration from the user, meaning any complexity is hidden while the PC remains significantly more secure. Using Virtualization-based Security (VBS), the OS employs hardware virtualization to create Windows hypervisors that dedicate isolated virtual environments. The OS operates under the assumption that the kernel can be compromised.

Microsoft developed this robust protection mechanism using Virtualization-based Security (VBS), allowing for more security hotpatches to be installed on the fly without needing a hard restart. For installations running in critical environments, this means the OS will continue running its dedicated tasks while receiving constant security updates. For large organizations with managed Windows 11 devices, setup will be easy as all devices will automatically benefit from the memory integrity addition. All existing admin and user decisions and policies will remain fully in effect, while devices with memory integrity currently disabled will not have it automatically enabled by the October rollout.

Acer today announced the Acer Vero 16 (V16-I71 / V16-I71T), a premium laptop that incorporates purposefully sourced materials and significant repairability without compromising performance. Its design makes the device easier to repair and upgrade, while the chassis leverages recycled materials and low-carbon aluminium. Powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, the Acer Vero 16 is a Copilot+ PC that delivers responsive performance and advanced on-device AI features for productivity, content creation, and entertainment. Combined with a stunning 16-inch OLED display and modern connectivity, the Acer Vero 16 delivers top-notch capabilities in a purposefully designed package.

"Sustainability should be built into every stage of a product's lifecycle—from raw materials all the way to packaging," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, Acer Inc. "The Acer Vero 16 embodies this philosophy through its thoughtfully sourced materials and repairability-driven design, while delivering the AI-powered performance consumers expect from a modern PC."

Microsoft has now admitted that its latest Windows 11 optional update, KB5120998, is messing with mouse cursors. The company updated its release health notes to confirm that cursor personalization settings are "being changed or reverted to certain standard settings" after installing the update. Released August 27, KB5120998 brought some genuinely useful stuff, like a movable taskbar and a resizable Start menu. However, it also seems to be resetting custom cursors to an oversized default one, and in some cases the color and size just don't stick no matter how many times you change them. Some users have also reported wallpaper issues alongside it. Here's what the updated release notes now say:

"Microsoft has received reports indicating that mouse cursor personalization settings are being changed or reverted to certain standard settings. This occurs following installation of Windows updates released August 27, 2026 (KB5120998) and later."

As was recently discovered by an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 owner on Reddit, there is apparently a conflict between Windows 11's built-in driver management tools and ASUS's proprietary power profiles. After leaving their Zephyrus G14 laptop, with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti dGPU, in Eco Mode for a number of weeks, Reddit user u/OK-Horse-3169 switched their laptop back into performance mode in order to play some games, only to discover that Windows had deleted the GPU driver. According to ASUS's support documentation, this is expected behavior.

As it turns out, on basically any laptop with a MUX switch that disables the dGPU entirely, Windows 11 will automatically remove the drivers, because the driver is no longer necessary for a device that's no longer connected—it treats it much like it would a removable USB drive or peripheral. The source of the problem, as discovered by the redditor, is called pnpclean.dll, a maintenance task that deletes the aforementioned drivers if a device hasn't been connected for 15-30 days. After the driver was deleted, Windows recognized the user's RTX 5070 Ti as a generic display adaptor until the driver was reinstalled.

Microsoft has released Windows 11 version 26H2 to the Release Preview Channel, with build number 26300.9278, for Windows Insiders. As we mentioned just a few days ago, Windows 11 26H2 is one of the more boring releases in terms of new features. This update focuses on resetting the support cycles that Microsoft is implementing, rather than introducing major features or overhauls. For those upgrading, the main change will be an extension of the support cycle as users transition to the 26H2 release.

Since late 2024, support and updates have been rolled out across every OS branch, with each new release cycle activating these features rather than leaving them dormant in the kernel. Enablement packages (eKB) are central to this process, as downloading an update essentially involves eKBs that activate certain functionalities. For instance, on a device running Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, a simple eKB is needed to upgrade to the latest Windows 11 26H2 version. For older versions like 22H2 and 23H2, which are on an older servicing branch, Windows 11 26H2 will be a full feature update.