In case you hadn’t heard, there’s currently a RAM crisis affecting the PC market. The high demand by AI companies for RAM has led to a shortage of supply and pushed prices sky high. It’s a big hassle for those wanting to upgrade or build a new PC as they’re faced with paying exorbitant prices for modules. But there are a few things you can do to skirt around the situation. Here I suggest a few ideas.

Buy bundles for RAM

While the cost of individual RAM kits can leave one’s eyes watering, savvy shoppers have managed to score some great deals on RAM bundles. Buying anything in groups to save a few dollars is generally a good idea and the same can be said for RAM. Some bundle deals even include free RAM. For example, Newegg had a bundle deal on a gaming motherboard and free RAM going on Black Friday: If you bought this Asus TUF Gaming mATX motherboard you got 16GB of free Team Group DDR5 RAM as well.

Consider a prebuilt PC

If you’re in the market for a whole PC, you may as well buy a prebuilt PC and get your RAM that way. While buying individual components and building a rig can be extremely expensive in light of the RAM crisis, most companies selling prebuilt PCs still offer their products within a reasonable price range. For example, while a pair of 16GB DDR5 RAM modules can cost as much as $640 on Amazon, you can currently buy a BeastCom Q3 Gaming PC with 16GB DDR5 RAM for as little as $522 — that’s with all the other components added too — a motherboard, CPU, and the tower, included.

If you’re looking for a prebuilt PC be sure to check out our best computer deals article.

Pexels: Andrey Matveev

Choose DDR4 RAM over DDR5 RAM

Looking at the price of RAM on Amazon you’ll see a huge price difference between DDR5 RAM and DDR4 RAM, with DDR4 RAM being in some cases up to $150 cheaper than DDR5 RAM. For example, you can currently buy 32GB of of G.Skill Trident DDR4 RAM for $230, whereas 32GB of G.Skill Trident DDR5 RAM costs $360.

That makes a compelling case for choosing DDR4 RAM for any RAM upgrades or new builds, perhaps pairing the RAM with a Ryzen 5800X3D or Core i7-14700K if you’re building a new rig. DDR4 RAM is still considered good enough for most uses in 2025. It offers significant value for gaming and productivity tasks, with speeds of 3,200MHz or higher being sufficient for most games. While DDR5 offers faster speeds and higher capacities, the performance difference is often minimal for everyday use. You’ll need to be willing to use slightly older platforms and parts to go this route, but you can still find excellent performance available.

Shop the secondhand market

Good bargains can be found shopping in the secondhand market for PC parts with RAM being one of the more reasonable purchases among the different components for sale. As a general tip, don’t just look for standalone RAM sales, if you’re a savvy shopper you should also target old desktops or laptops with the intention to harvest the RAM inside.

Wait it out

Of course, the other thing you could do if you don’t want to pay exorbitant prices right now is wait until RAM prices come back down to a reasonable level. Even though it seems like the crisis won’t end, the day will come when suppliers will catch up with demand.

We saw this happen with the GPU shortage back in 2023 and 2024. GPU prices have since stabilized and returned to mostly normal. So, if your rig is doing swell and doesn’t need any big performance boosts, hold tight for a year or longer and you might be able to save some cash.

High-Tech ‘Bubble Wrap’ Lets You Hold Fire Without Getting Burned

https://gizmodo.com/high-tech-bubble-wrap-lets-you-literally-hold-fire-in-your-palm-2000699692

Buildings can leak a lot of heat. Scientists think the remedy might come in the form of fireproof, transparent “Bubble Wrap.”

Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a new material called the Mesoporous Optically Clear Heat Insulator, or MOCHI for short. Unlike the name, MOCHI is no dessert—it’s a nearly transparent, long-lasting silicon gel that insulates so well, you could hold a flame on your palm without getting burned. Sounds unlikely? Here’s the video evidence, courtesy of the team:

Scaled up, MOCHI could be a thin sheet applied to windows to make buildings more energy efficient, according to a recent Science paper on the material. Further down the line, MOCHI could also appear in “applications ranging from extraterrestrial habitats to lightweight apparel,” Ivan Smalyukh, study senior author and a physicist at CU Boulder, told Gizmodo in an email.

Bubble wrap air-trappers

MOCHI appears flat and transparent on the surface, but zoomed in, the material is actually a collection of tiny pores thinner than the width of a human hair, according to the paper. The secret to MOCHI’s insulating abilities lies within these small air bubbles, which trap incoming or outgoing heat within their networks.

This mechanism is similar to aerogels, which NASA uses to insulate its Mars rovers. However, the air-trapping bubbles in aerogels are typically scattered throughout the material and reflect light, giving the final material a cloudy appearance.

By contrast, MOCHI reflects around 0.2% of incoming light. About 90% of the material is air, making the material almost completely transparent, Smalyukh explained. For one of their experiments, Smalyukh and colleagues applied MOCHI to a cold window and found that doing so stopped roughly 95% of heat transfer, somewhat like high-performance building roofs and walls—but transparent, he added.

Mochi Transparency Test — CU Boulder researchers show off the transparency of MOCHI. Credit: Glenn J. Asakawa/CU Boulder

Is your building leaking?

According to Smalyukh, a major motivation for this project was the not-so-ideal energy efficiency of buildings worldwide. Specifically, buildings consume around 40% of energy worldwide, but poor insulation often leads to heat leaks that increase how much energy residents use to keep themselves comfortable, he said.

By contrast, most existing insulation materials are opaque and look unattractive when used on windows or building exteriors. MOCHI was devised to address both issues.

“Suitable building materials and technologies could allow for comfortable indoor environments at no or minimal energy consumption,” he said. “Thus, windows may finally even acquire new functions, well beyond what they are known for throughout the millennia of uses.”

A MOCHI barbecue

That said, MOCHI is still under development, as fabrication still takes quite a long time, the researchers admitted in a statement. But the team is hopeful. MOCHI ingredients are on the cheaper side, which “bodes well” for bringing the product to markets, Smalyukh said in the statement.

The team also sees much potential for MOCHI as a solution for energy sustainability. For instance, MOCHI could be repurposed as solar panels for buildings, especially in climate zones with limited access to sunlight, Smalyukh explained.

As of now, the researchers continue to test and refine their product. It’s also led to some interesting moments, like using MOCHI as a miniature grill to cook some sausages.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/

December 15, 2025 at 10:39AM

December 18, 2025

OpenAI just launched an app store inside ChatGPT

https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-just-launched-an-app-store-inside-chatgpt-133049586.html?src=rss

OpenAI has introduced an app directory that’s now available right inside ChatGPT, the company announced. "Apps extend ChatGPT conversations by bringing in new context and letting users take action like order groceries, turn an outline into a slide deck or search for an apartment," the company wrote in a blog post. OpenAI also noted in a help document that "connector" apps like Google Drive are now simply called "apps."

The new apps section (on iOS, Android and web) is divided into Feature, Lifestyle and Productivity categories, letting you connect to commonly used apps and sites like Booking.com, Spotify and Dropbox. To use an app, simply click on it, hit "Connect" then authorize the app to access ChatGPT. With that done, you can then start a chat related to that app. In the case of Dropbox, for instance, you’ll be able to "gather insights, prepare briefs and summarize reports or internal documents," according to the description. Once connected, any app can be accessed by doing an @ mention of it.

A new addition that came along with the store is an Apple Music app that, like Spotify, helps users find music, create playlists and manage their libraries through a chat interface. Another is DoorDash, which lets you transform recipes, meal planning and staples into "an actionable shopping cart."

Along with the app directory, OpenAI is now allowing developers to submit apps for review and publication in ChatGPT according to the company’s app submission guidelines. It also published resources to help developers build such apps, including best practices, open-source example apps, an open-sourced UI library for chat-native interfaces and a step-by-step quickstart guide. That’s on top of the software developer kit (SDK) that OpenAI introduced in October.

OpenAI noted that for now, developers can only monetize apps by linking out from the ChatGPT app to the native app or website — but the company is exploring internal monetization options as well. Privacy was also emphasized, with companies required to provide "clear" policies.

The new feature is a big part of Sam Altman’s promises to make ChatGPT more versatile with the addition of custom "GPT" bots. "Over time, we want apps in ChatGPT to feel like a natural extension of the conversation, helping people move from ideas to action, while building a thriving ecosystem for developers," the company wrote.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/8vfVGJo

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

December 18, 2025 at 07:38AM

December 15, 2025

Honda’s New V3 Engine Ditches Turbos and Superchargers for Something Smarter

https://www.autoblog.com/news/hondas-new-v3-engine-ditches-turbos-and-superchargers-for-something-smarter

The Elusive V3 Engine

V3 engines are about as rare as unicorns, having made only sporadic appearances through motorcycling history. The first known example of such a layout, with two cylinders in one bank of the V and a single on the other, was created by German motorcycle manufacturer DKW in 1955 to power their two-stroke grand prix race bikes.

Suzuki dabbled in this configuration in the late ‘60s for a 50cc race bike that never saw the light of day due to regulation changes, after which V3 engines surfaced again only in the ‘80s, powering Honda’s 500cc two-stroke grand prix race machines from 1982 to 1984, as well as 250cc and 400cc road-going two-stroke models up to 1987. The compact V3 engine configuration then faded into obscurity and was replaced in subsequent decades by the extremely popular inline four and V4 layouts. Well, the elusive V3 is now all set to make a 21st-century return.

Honda Revives the V3 After Four Decades

At last year’s EICMA, the annual Milan Motorcycle Show, Honda surprised us all with their latest innovation — a modern 75-degree V3 engine, equipped with forced induction. The engine was presented mounted within a steel trellis frame with an inverted fork up front, single-sided swingarm at the rear, and 17-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli tyres, all of which signalled sporty intentions for this platform. This year, the Japanese manufacturer has taken things a step further by presenting the camouflaged V3R 900 E-Compressor Prototype, indicating that a production version is closer than we initially thought.

What makes this motor special?

All previous V3 engines through history have been two-stroke. Honda’s latest creation is a liquid-cooled four-stroke, with a 75-degree angle between cylinder banks and a claimed capacity of 900cc. But what really stands out is the incorporation of forced induction, something rarely seen on motorcycles.

While the 1980s saw all the big four Japanese manufacturers create turbocharged bikes, this trend was short-lived, killed off by unpredictable power delivery due to lag, weight, complexity, and cost. The only mainstream forced induction motorcycles in the modern era are Kawasaki’s H2 series of supercharged inline-four machines. Honda is now looking to change this with their V3 creation that casts aside turbocharging and supercharging, and instead takes a novel approach to forced induction — an electronically-controlled compressor mounted atop the forward bank of cylinders feeding the airbox.

Why This Matters

Honda’s system allows boost pressures to be controlled independently of engine speed or exhaust gas velocity, meaning that the engine can deliver high torque even from low rpm. The ECU can instruct the compressor to spin up and help the engine produce the power being demanded by the rider’s right wrist at a moment’s notice, eliminating the lag associated with turbos and the parasitic losses of a supercharger, while saving a great deal of weight in the process. The whole motor is extremely well packaged and slim, and Honda claims that this compact 900cc three-cylinder motor will make as much power as a conventional naturally-aspirated 1,200cc motor, which we imagine to be in the region of 200 horsepower.

The Bottom Line

Honda has always been at the forefront of motorcycle engine innovation. They created the howling inline-six-cylinder CBX 1000, the oval-piston 32-valve V4 in the NR500 and NR750, and the highest revving production motorcycle engine ever — the little inline-four in the CBR250RR that screamed to 20,000 rpm. With most manufacturers today focused on building small, economical twins and developing EV technology, it seemed that the days of innovation in the internal combustion space were behind us, but here comes Honda to the rescue with something that the world hasn’t seen before. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

via Autoblog https://ift.tt/pMiExSN

December 14, 2025 at 07:30AM

December 11, 2025

Arizona Cops Are Now Using AI-Generated ‘Mugshots’ to Sketch Crime Suspects

https://gizmodo.com/arizona-cops-are-now-using-ai-generated-mugshots-to-sketch-crime-suspects-2000698072

An Arizona police department is among the first in the nation to use life-like, AI-generated suspect sketches in an effort to generate tips from the public on open cases.

The Washington Post reported that the Goodyear Police Department has used AI twice this year to generate suspect images. The first was in April for an attempted kidnapping case, and again this November for a shooting. Unsurprisingly, both cases remain open, and the images have not led to any arrests. But experts warn that this new tactic could further complicate the already tricky process of identifying suspects.

The images were produced by Mike Bonasera, a forensic artist who has been drawing police sketches for about five years, the newspaper reported. In a typical year, he is asked to sketch up to seven composite drawings when police lack clear surveillance images.

Earlier this year, Bonasera began uploading some of his old sketches to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. He claims the resulting AI-generated portraits closely resembled the real suspects to which the drawings had been matched. In April, he was cleared by department leaders and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office to begin using AI in new cases.

Bonasera says he works with witnesses directly as he generates the images, allowing them to suggest changes in real-time. He told the Post that the department received a flood of tips after releasing the first AI-generated image in April, which convinced him to repeat the process in November.

“We’re now in a day and age where if we post a pencil drawing, most people are not going to acknowledge it,” said Bonasera.

Experts interviewed by the Post warned that AI-generated images can bake in biases based on the datasets the models train on. They also noted that these images could face more scrutiny in court.

“In court, we all know how drawing works and can evaluate how much reliability to give the human drawn sketch,” Andrew Ferguson, a law professor at George Washington University, wrote The Washington Post in an email. “In court, no one knows how the AI works.”

He added that although an AI-generated image might look more realistic, that doesn’t mean that it’s more reliable than a traditional human-drawn sketch.

The Goodyear Police Department isn’t the only local law enforcement agency to make headlines this year for its use of AI. In April, the Westbrook Police Department in Maine issued a public apology after it shared a photo of seized drugs that had been altered with AI.

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/

December 11, 2025 at 11:46AM

December 11, 2025

Chemical in Dark Chocolate May Slow Your Biological Age by Tweaking Gene Switches

https://www.discovermagazine.com/chemical-in-dark-chocolate-may-slow-your-biological-age-by-tweaking-gene-switches-48380

Dark chocolate isn’t just an indulgent treat anymore. It may actually help slow down aging.

According to a new study published in Aging, one of the main chemicals found in dark chocolate — theobromine — has been shown to slow the rate of biological aging. Theobromine is the compound that makes chocolate poisonous to dogs, but it may have a major hidden health benefit for humans.

“Our study finds links between a key component of dark chocolate and staying younger for longer,” said senior author Jordana Bell in a press release. “While we’re not saying that people should eat more dark chocolate, this research can help us understand how everyday foods may hold clues to healthier, longer lives.”

How Does Theobromine Slow Biological Aging?

Theobromine is a plant compound found in cocoa. Plant compounds have been shown to affect aging through their ability to modulate gene expression.

Plant compounds like theobromine are also known as alkaloids, which interact with the cellular machinery in the body. This machinery controls gene activity associated with health and longevity. By altering gene function, theobromine may improve cardiovascular health and slow the rate of biological aging.

Biological aging is our age based on how our body is functioning, rather than how many years we have lived. Scientists can identify biological age thanks to “bookmarks” in our DNA that shift and change as we get older.

Determining Theobromine’s Impact on Biological Age

For this study, the research team examined blood-based biological age markers in nearly 2,000 individuals.

To determine biological age, scientists completed two separate tests on study participants. The first test was to estimate the rate of aging by looking at chemical changes in DNA. The second test focused on telomeres, which are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres get shorter as we age, so studying their length is often a popular scientific method for age-related research.

All of the different test results pointed to one thing: people with higher levels of theobromine in their blood also had a biological age younger than their actual age.

The Future of Theobromine Anti-Aging Research

This discovery has opened up many new avenues for anti-aging research in the future. The research team is already working on further analysis of their findings.

“This is a very exciting finding, and the next important questions are what is behind this association and how can we explore the interactions between dietary metabolites and our epigenome further? This approach could lead us to important discoveries towards aging, and beyond, in common and rare diseases,” explained lead researcher Ramy Saad.

One of the major questions they hope to answer is whether theobromine in dark chocolate acts alone to slow biological age or is assisted by other compounds. Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, which are compounds known to have many benefits for human health. Researchers are interested in discovering how these compounds may be working together.

Scientists also want to insist that their research isn’t suggesting we consume excessive amounts of dark chocolate to control our biological age. Dark chocolate also contains sugar, fat, and other compounds known to be detrimental to health, so further research is needed before we can use dark chocolate as an anti-aging agent.

This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.

Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

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December 10, 2025 at 05:38PM

December 11, 2025

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

https://www.wired.com/story/scientists-thought-parkinsons-was-in-our-genes-it-might-be-in-the-water/

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.

Photograph: Rachel Jessen

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via Wired Top Stories https://www.wired.com

December 10, 2025 at 05:05AM

Author: peterjang73

RAM prices are painfully out of control: 4 ways to avoid the gouging

Buy bundles for RAM

Consider a prebuilt PC

Choose DDR4 RAM over DDR5 RAM

Shop the secondhand market

Wait it out

Related content

High-Tech ‘Bubble Wrap’ Lets You Hold Fire Without Getting Burned

Bubble wrap air-trappers

Is your building leaking?

A MOCHI barbecue

OpenAI just launched an app store inside ChatGPT

Honda’s New V3 Engine Ditches Turbos and Superchargers for Something Smarter

The Elusive V3 Engine

Honda Revives the V3 After Four Decades

What makes this motor special?

Why This Matters

The Bottom Line

Arizona Cops Are Now Using AI-Generated ‘Mugshots’ to Sketch Crime Suspects

Chemical in Dark Chocolate May Slow Your Biological Age by Tweaking Gene Switches

How Does Theobromine Slow Biological Aging?

Determining Theobromine’s Impact on Biological Age

The Future of Theobromine Anti-Aging Research

Article Sources

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water