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Jacob Roach

Jacob Roach

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from graphics cards to processors to PC cases, Jacob also writes the ReSpec column and newsletter that covers the intersection of PC hardware and gaming. If it's something you can plug into a gaming PC, there's a good chance Jacob has used it.

Although Jacob is interested in just about anything in or around a PC, he's currently reporting on graphics cards, PC game optimization, and gaming monitors. At Digital Trends, he's dug deep on the untold origins of the Steam Deck, uncovered the truth behind poor PC port optimization, and broke the story on Microsoft's Bing Chat going off the rails.

Before joining Digital Trends, Jacob contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and PC Invasion, among various other outlets. Jacob has been a guest on TWiT and NBC, and his work has been cited in Fox News, Futurism, and Business Insider.

As if tinkering with the latest PC hardware wasn't enough, Jacob spends most of his free time living the PC gamer life he writes about so frequently. That includes playing the latest games, but also poking around on his PC to see what he can break, just to see how it works. When he gets a moment to step outside and "touch grass," Jacob enjoys tabletop games, wandering the shops of St. Louis, and forcing his lazy Corgi onto walks.

An MSI laptop sitting on a table.

Intel needed a win — its new laptop CPU delivers just that

Intel's new Core Ultra 9 285H supercharges laptop performance, but its battery life is what really impresses.
The Nvidia RTX 4090 sitting on a table.

Nvidia might never top the RTX 4090

Nvidia's RTX 4090 stands as a crowning achievement for Team Green, and it might never be dethroned again.
A Noctua cooler installed in a gaming PC.

This adorable Noctua cooler completely transformed my gaming PC

I invested $60 in this tiny Noctua cooler, and it's made my small form factor gaming PC so much better.
RTX 5090.

List price for RTX 50-series GPUs might be officially dead

Some of Nvidia's board partners are completely doing away with RTX 50-series GPUs at list price.
Cyberpunk 2077 on the Lenovo Legion Go S.

Lenovo Legion Go S review: great handheld, bad configuration

The Lenovo Legion Go S establishes Lenovo as a premier handheld manufacturer, but I'd recommend waiting for a better hardware configuration.
Two RTX 4060 graphics cards stacked on top of each other.

Nvidia might break with tradition for the RTX 5060

Nvidia has been the champion of a new 12-pin power connector, but it might fall back to a standard PCIe adapter with the RTX 5060.
A person running Steam on the M4 MacBook Pro. Rocket League is up on the screen

This Steam hack has saved me a ton of money on PC games

My Steam library is massive already, and Valve isn't making managing any easier given the discounts I've been getting on new games.
Radeon logo on the RX 7900 XTX.

We finally have good news about AMD’s RX 9070 XT

Details have been light about AMD's upcoming RX 9070 XT, but we finally have some good news to share about the GPU.
Ghost of Tsushima running on the Steam Deck.

I’ve been dying for Steam Deck frame generation — so why is it so disappointing?

You can finally use frame generation in almost any game on the Steam Deck, but make sure to keep your expectations in check.
Miles and Peter standing next to each other staring at the camera. Peter is in the Venom suit.

This feature is reportedly killing PC performance in Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2's PC release is off to a rough start, from constant crashing to a feature that's reportedly killing user's performance.
Lisa Su, the CEO of AMD, pictured holding an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics card.

AMD missed its shot for the top

AMD decided to sit out the generation where it needs to challenge Nvidia the most.
A hand holding the Lenovo Legion Go S handheld.

I’m loving the Lenovo Legion Go S, but there’s one problem I can’t get over

I love playing on the new Lenovo Legion Go S with the Z2 Go, but I can't look past the issue of Windows any longer.
Phone running Deepseek on a laptop keyboard.

DeepSeek can create criminal plans and explain mustard gas, researchers say

Researchers say DeepSeek is dangerous and capable of doing everything from generating plans for terrorists to explaining mustard gas.
rtx 5090 lottery chaos gihqqgxaiaajarv

Nvidia RTX 5090 ‘lottery’ reportedly ends in screams and chaos

A Japanese "lottery" for the RTX 5090 reportedly drew a massive crowd and stirred a lot of commotion.
The Surface Laptop 7 on a table in front of a window.

It’s a shame Microsoft’s upgraded Surface Laptop 7 is just ‘for business’

Microsoft is updating its Surface Laptop and Surface Pro with Intel Lunar, and bringing 5G to the former for the first time ever.
Logo on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080.

3 GPUs you should buy instead of the RTX 5080

Nvidia's RTX 5080 is a bit of a disappointment. Here are three alternatives to keep in mind when you go to upgrade.
The RTX 5080 sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia’s next GPU tipped to launch in just a few weeks

Nvidia has two new graphics cards launching in February, and the specific release dates were just tipped off.
The RTX 5080 sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia RTX 5080 review: it’s slower than the 4090

Nvidia's RTX 5080 provides a more realistic look into the Blackwell generation, and it's not looking pretty.
Hi-Fi Rush on the KTC G42P5.

Forget the RTX 5090 — PC gaming is more accessible than ever

PC gaming seems like it's in perpetual disarray, but the hobby is easier to get into now than ever before.
Tents outside of Micro Center for the RTX 5090 release.

Campers are already setting up for the RTX 5090 release

Eager buyers are already camping outside of Micro Center in anticipation of the RTX 5090 release later this week.
AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su holding up a chip at Computex 2024.

AMD’s new integrated graphics are almost 70% faster than an RTX 4070

AMD's upcoming Strix Halo flagship looks insane, outclassing a mobile RTX 4070 by nearly 70% in some games.
dlss 4 bottom fall out dt respec impressions

DLSS 4 is incredible, but I’m still worried about its future

Diving deeper into DLSS 4 reveals just how impressive it is -- and just how problematic it could be in the future.
Steam Deck held between two hands.

Valve needs to rethink the Deck Verified program

The world of handheld gaming PCs is rapidly changing, and Valve's Deck Verified program needs to change along with it.
RTX 3080 graphics cards among other GPUs.

12 best graphics cards of 2025: the GPUs I recommend after 200 hours of testing

Your gaming PC needs one of the best graphics cards for high frame rates, and we've reviewed all of the leading options from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel.
Doom Guy in Doom: The Dark Ages.

Doom: The Dark Ages requires a GPU with ray tracing

The PC requirements for Doom: The Dark Ages are out, and we have some bad news for 8GB graphics cards.
The RTX 5090 sitting on a pink background.

Nvidia RTX 5090 review: fast, but not nearly twice as fast

The RTX 5090 is the most insane graphics card Nvidia has ever released, and that's exactly why it's so impressive.
The RTX 5090 sitting on top of the RTX 4080.

The RTX 5090 is absolutely stunning — but Nvidia made one annoying change

Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founder's Edition is one of the best-looking GPUs I've ever seen, but it has one annoying problem.
A hand grabbing MSI's RTX 4090 Suprim X.

Nvidia might’ve just given you a reason to skip RTX 50-series

Nvidia's upcoming RTX 50-series GPUs have some exclusive features, but Nvidia doesn't rule out the possibility of backporting them.
Path of Exile 2 running on an Asus gaming monitor.

Forget DLSS 4 — this app already does multi-frame generation

DLSS 4 promises multi-frame generation to RTX 50-series GPU, but this app includes the feature for any graphics card.
The back of the Intel Arc B580 graphics card.

3 GPUs you should buy instead of the Intel Arc B580

Intel's Arc B580 is wildly popular, so much so that it's sold out everywhere. Here are some alternatives to keep in mind.
Fans on the Intel Arc B570.

Intel’s Arc B570 puts up an impressive fight against the RTX 4060

Intel just released one of the you can buy — the Arc B570. As you can read in my , it delivers solid gaming performance at 1080p, and at a price we haven’t seen in years. But it faces some stiff competition from Nvidia in the form of the . I put the two budget […]
The Intel Arc B570 sitting on a pink background.

Intel Arc B570 review: get it while it’s hot

Intel's new $220 Arc B570 puts up an impressive fight, and marks a return of truly budget GPU offerings.
Nvidia's RTX 5090 sitting at CES 2025.

Nvidia says the RTX 5080 is ‘about’ 15% faster than the RTX 4080 without DLSS

Nvidia has provided some more concrete performance estimates for its upcoming RTX 50-series graphics cards without DLSS turned on.
G-Assist

Nvidia just announced an app that every PC gamer should install

Nvidia's Project G-Assist is coming in February, and it already has a ton of promise for PC gamers.