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All the new tech that blew our reviewers away this month

We're nearing developer conference season, but before we get there, we've been busy reviewing our little hearts out this past month.

We've found the gems among the many tech products we've given a try this month. They span all the most important established product categories, but also include those tech products that are more off the beaten path. Everything below is stuff we've personally used and reviewed ourselves -- and these ones certainly got our attention this month.

LG - OLED Evo C2 Series 65” Alexa Built-in 4k Smart TV
LG C2 OLED TV
Premium TV sweet spot
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SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless
Click to your heart's content
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Samsung T7 Shield
Samsung T7 Shield
Portable, protected storage
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Razer Leviathan V2
Razer Leviathan V2
A PC gaming soundbar done right
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AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
The fastest gaming CPU in the world
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ROCCAT Burst Pro Air
Roccat Burst Pro Air
More than a pretty light show
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lg c2 oled 4k hdr tv review  db 53
Dan Baker/Digital Trends

LG C2 OLED TV

Premium TV sweet spot

Pros
  • Slick new design
  • Improved peak brightness
  • Excellent black levels
  • Solid color accuracy and gamut
  • Great for gamers
Cons
  • Some peak brightness artifacts
  • Complex smart TV system

No one thought LG would just roll over and let Samsung step in with its QD-OLED panels without putting up a fight. Even with the screen off, the C2 looks fantastic. It has a nearly bezel-less frame, a space-saving and versatile new stand, and the same incredibly thin side profile the series is known for.

But it's the image quality that counts, right? And here, the LG C2 makes small advances over the previous model, while maintaining the incredible depth of contrast that OLED provides. The Sony A95K may outdo it color accuracy, but it comes with limited sizes available and an insane price, sothe LG C2 OLED still offers the best picture quality you can get for the money. It's that simple.

LG - OLED Evo C2 Series 65” Alexa Built-in 4k Smart TV
LG C2 OLED TV
Premium TV sweet spot
steelseries aerox 9 wireless review

SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless

Click to your heart's content

Pros
  • Lightweight for its class
  • Sturdy switches
  • High customization potential
  • Handy CPI toggle
  • Competitive price and features
Cons
  • Button grid can be tricky
  • Restrictive USB-C dongle

Looking for a new gaming mouse? Well, good luck. There's a ridiculous amount of similarly featured options out there, and it can boggle the mind trying to narrow it down. Well, if you play MOBA or MMO games, you'll appreciate the extra grid of 12 customizable buttons on this one, the SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless.

For a mouse with this many buttons, the 89-gram weight feels incredible. The switches are on point too, making it a top-notch performer. Just make sure your PC has a USB-C port before picking this one up.

SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless
Click to your heart's content
samsung t7 shield review 7
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

Samsung T7 Shield

Portable, protected storage

Pros
  • Blazing speed
  • Light and portable
  • AES-256 hardware encryption
  • IP65 dust and water resistance
Cons
  • Can get a little hot
  • More expensive than base T7

Samsung's hyper-portable external SSDs are famous for a reason. They're fast, they're tiny, and they're reliable.

The latest addition to the lineup is the T7 Shield, and this one's designed for the photographer or videographer on the go. It's for the shooter who wants both hardware encryption and a durable chassis. Despite having the same blazing-fast SSD as you'll find in the other T7 models, it now also sports an IP65-rated "shield" for protection in outdoor environments. That can be important for creative professionals in certain lines of work, and that makes the T7 Shield one of a kind.

Samsung T7 Shield
Samsung T7 Shield
Portable, protected storage
razer leviathan v2 review 1

Razer Leviathan V2

A PC gaming soundbar done right

Pros
  • Easy setup
  • Sounds great in games
  • Sub provides solid bass
  • Clean, attractive look
  • Adjustable height and tilt
Cons
  • Minimal ports
  • No headphone jack
  • Music still doesn’t sound great

Soundbars for PCs are still a bit of a novelty, especially with the wealth of options available in the world of excellent gaming headsets. A soundbar under your monitor doesn't have the same functional appeal that it might for a television, especially considering how much closer you'll be sitting to it.

The Razer Leviathan V2 uses THX Spatial Audio to remedy this problem -- and in games, it really does sound awesome. You'll get the surround sound feel from just this 2.1 device, and it couldn't be easier to se tup. It's still a bit lacking when listening to music, but if you like the idea of a PC gaming soundbar, the Leviathan V2 is worth checking out.

Razer Leviathan V2
Razer Leviathan V2
A PC gaming soundbar done right
amd cache reckoning is upon us ryzen 7 5800x3d review 1
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D

The fastest gaming CPU in the world

Pros
  • The fastest gaming CPU on the market
  • Solid thermal performance
  • Works with AM4 motherboards
  • Inexpensive
  • Low power requirements
Cons
  • No overclocking
  • Lackluster general CPU performance

It doesn't take much to be the fastest gaming CPU in the world. After all, every year, a new processor takes that crown.

But it's how the Ryzen 7 5800X3D defeats its foes that makes it so special. AMD took an older CPU and strapped on more memory using its 3D stacking technology. The result is a chip that's 6.4% faster than the flagship Ryzen 9 5950X. They did all this while keeping the same AM4 footprint and maintaining a reasonable price. What more could you ask for from a flagship PC component in 2022?

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
The fastest gaming CPU in the world
roccat burst pro air 2

Roccat Burst Pro Air

More than a pretty light show

Pros
  • Tons of RGB
  • Good battery life given the tons of RGB
  • Phantom Flex cable is top-tier quality
  • Heat-treated PTFE feet glide effortlessly
  • Excellent optical switches
Cons
  • Lower DPI and polling rate than its competitors
  • Might be a bit heavy for some

We already recommended the SteelSeries Aerox 9 above, but not everyone needs access to a grid of 12 buttons on their gaming mouse. In fact, for most PC gamers, all those buttons are nothing more than a distraction.

That's where an option like the Roccat Burst Pro Air comes in. It has great performance, really comfortable optical switches, and even heat-treated PTFE feet. It all adds up to a heavenly gaming experience, especially if you're someone who can appreciate some really unique RGB lighting that shines through between your fingers as you play.

ROCCAT Burst Pro Air
Roccat Burst Pro Air
More than a pretty light show

Editors' Recommendations

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This is how you can accidentally kill AMD’s best CPU for gaming
Someone holding the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in a red light.

It turns out that one of AMD's best gaming CPUs, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, can accidentally be killed if you try to overclock it, and it's all because there are no limitations as to how far you can push the processor.

Igor Wallossek of Igor's Lab found that the software used for overclocking and overvolting Ryzen CPUs currently doesn't impose any limits when you try to ramp up the voltage. And that's a recipe for turning a fun performance boost into an overclocking nightmare.

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This ChatGPT alternative is free, open source, and available now
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The first open-source AI chatbot in the vein of ChatGPT has arrived, and it's come at a particularly helpful time. ColossalChat is a powerful alternative that uses an RHLF pipeline similar to OpenAI's GPT-4 model that powers ChatGPT, and it's available for immediate use.

ChatGPT, of course, remains the premier AI chatbot and keeps plenty busy. But I just tried to log in now and found it was at capacity and, therefore, unavailable. This is a common problem with the service. ColossalChat, on the other hand, is wide open and ready to use for free.

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