Paul Lilly
Paul is a seasoned geek who was first seduced into the world of computers and technology by the Commodore 64, and through the years he’s courted a number of OSes and platforms from DOS on up to the latest version of Windows. Having joined the HotHardware team in 2011, Paul is now a mainstay of the site covering the news beat and reviews, and resident wiseguy who keeps the mood light. He’s also an experienced freelance technology writer whose work has appeared in a number of online and print publications.
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
Happy launch day, folks! Not just for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080 graphics cards (which release to retail today), but also for the much-anticipated PC port of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 after launching exclusively to Sony's PlayStation 5 console two years ago, to much acclaim. The port brings some...
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If you're thinking about adding an AppleCare+ protection plan to avoid pricey repair costs for your new device, be it an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, or whatever else, be sure to read the fine print. Some of the wording is just ambiguous enough to give Apple an out for denying coverage, and according to a user on Reddit...
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Kia is recalling over 80,000 electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid vehicles over a quirky wiring assembly design defect that, left unaddressed, could affect the deployment of airbags and prevent the seatbelt pretensioner from working properly. There are multiple ways this could manifest, from airbags failing to deploy...
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Intel's foray into the modern era of discrete GPUs has mostly focused on mid-range and entry-level solutions, a strategy it employed with its first generation Arc Alchemist architecture and, so far, again with its with second generation Arc Battlemage lineup. We don't see that shifting—NVIDIA has a stranglehold on the...
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NVIDIA's new flagship graphics card, the GeForce RTX 5090, is scheduled for a retail debut on Thursday, January 30 (which is tomorrow, at the time of this writing). Same goes for the GeForce RTX 5080. However, the retail release comes amid multiple shortage warnings, including a new one that MSI shared on its Discord...
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It's pretty wild to think that gamers (and probably scalpers) are camping out for a graphics card launch days before it releases to retail, yet it's happening. If you don't feel like pitching a tent in front of Micro Center as some have done, however, you can scramble to buy a GeForce RTX 50 series GPU online, with...
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Like Apple's various other hardware offerings, its AirPods (including its newest AirPods 4) receive periodic updates to introduce new features and squash the occasional bug. Unlike devices like the iPhone and iPad, however, Apple hadn't offered guidance on how exactly this is done on the AirPods. Until now, that is—in...
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Give it enough time and we'll inevitably see NVIDIA flesh out its recently unveiled GeForce RTX 50 series lineup with more models targeting lower price points. How much time? Perhaps not much if some fresh listings at the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) are any indication. One of NVIDIA's hardware partners has...
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A lot of gamers are looking forward to the day when Nintendo finally releases its Switch 2 console, especially after it was teased in a first-look showcase trailer earlier this month. Do you know who else is looking forward to the upcoming launch? Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, who is now on record saying...
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In case you missed it, the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Washington Commanders with relative ease, while the Kansas City Chiefs came up clutch in a close game to eliminate the Buffalo Bills from the NFL playoffs. Now that the stage is set for the Super Bowl, it's time to make preparations for the big game. And if...
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Anticipation is running high for the retail release of NVIDIA's newest flagship graphics card, the GeForce RTX 5090, but if history is any indication, cards could be hard to come by at MSRP. At least in the early going. We're already seeing signs of this playing out—gamers are camping out at a popular US retailer days...
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We've come a long way since the days when hulking PC towers were both the norm and a symbol of how much power you wielded on your desktop. In the modern era, manufacturers are able to cram quite a bit of computing muscle inside a comparatively minuscule chassis. One of the notable player in the mini PC space is...
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AMD is taking a patient approach to launching its Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 after introducing the cards at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month. The company followed this up a couple weeks later by confirming the cards will land at retail in March. If some early retail...
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Sony, one of the biggest proponents of the Blu-ray format, announced that it is ending production of all Blu-ray disc media. Same goes for MiniDiscs for recording, MD data for recording, and MiniDV cassettes. The Blu-ray pioneer also confirmed that there will not be a successor to Blu-ray discs, which effectively puts...
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As we stated in our GeForce RTX 5090 review, NVIDIA's new flagship graphics card for gamers is "unchallenged at the top of the consumer GPU market," even if the biggest performance gains over the GeForce RTX 4090 come from AI-assisted technologies. The argument over rasterized rendering versus upscaling tech like DLSS...
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In a letter to shareholders, Netflix gloated about a whole bunch of positive metrics as outlined in its fourth quarter for 2024, including record growth to the number of paid subscribers—Netflix added 19 million new subscribers, marking "the biggest quarter of net adds in our history." To put that figure into context...
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As more and more electronic devices enter the household, I've developed a slightly irrational fear that a faulty cable or power adapter will overheat, catch fire, and burn everything to the ground. I don't obsess about the possibility, but I could have done without stumbling onto a Reddit post of a gamer who shared...
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After teasing its next-generation Switch 2 console during a 'first-look' showcase trailer earlier this month, Nintendo has opted to save the more juice bits for its next Nintendo Direct event, including details like specs, pricing, and what games will be released on day-1. Of course, the rumor mill is purportedly...
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The stage is nearly set for Super Bowl LIX. Come Sunday, February 9, we'll see the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills go up against the winner of the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles. It figures to be an entertaining showdown no matter which two teams advance. That makes it a great time to...
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If you managed to score an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, first of all, kudos to you on procuring what's been a highly elusive chip (thanks, Intel!) and a great one to build a gaming PC around. That said, you might be wondering if you'll have buyer's remorse once the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and especially the Ryzen 9 9950X3D...
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Nintendo teased some design elements of its upcoming handheld console refresh during a recent 'first-look' Switch 2 showcase trailer, one of which includes a closer look at the retooled Joy-Con controllers. They're physically bigger (suggesting that the Switch 2's display is getting an upgrade in size as well), but...
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Hot on the heels of NVIDIA unveiling its GeForce RTX 50 series in both mobile and desktop form, OEMs and hardware partners have followed suit with product refreshes of their own, and they're starting to appear at retail. We saw this with the first laptops feature mobile GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs get listed at Best...
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