Despite the name, most of what Real Gaming News publishes is buying advice: which processor, graphics card, gaming laptop or monitor makes sense for a given budget and the games you play. This page describes how we put those recommendations together, and where our knowledge ends.

Sources, in the order we trust them

  • Official documentation. Manufacturer spec sheets, platform documentation, BIOS and driver release notes. This is where core counts, clock speeds, power ratings and supported memory come from.
  • Independent measurements. Gaming performance, power draw and temperatures published by hardware review sites, plus results from laptop review outlets and display measurement labs. We look across several outlets rather than relying on one.
  • Owner experience. Verified-purchase reviews, hardware forums and long-term owner reports, useful for spotting stability problems, coil whine, BIOS issues or poor support.

Our role, and its limits

We do not bench-test or physically test units ourselves. We compile, compare and explain data that others have published, and we don’t present any of it as hands-on test results. When we cite a frame rate or wattage, it comes from one of the source types above.

Choosing what to recommend

Criteria change with the category. For processors, which make up a large part of our coverage, we look at:

  • Core and thread counts, boost clocks and cache size, including large-cache gaming chips.
  • Gaming performance at 1080p and 1440p as aggregated across hardware review sites, since CPU differences shrink at higher resolutions.
  • Total platform cost: motherboard chipset, DDR4 or DDR5 memory, and whether a cooler is included.
  • Power draw and the cooling it demands.
  • Socket longevity and upgrade options.

For graphics cards we weigh VRAM, performance per dollar and power connector requirements. For laptops, sustained GPU wattage and thermals; for monitors, panel type and measured response times.

News and announcements

When we report on new hardware, official announcements and manufacturer documentation are the primary source. Leaks and rumors are labeled as such and are never used as the basis for a buying recommendation.

AI and fact-checking

AI tools help with research and drafting. Before an article is published, an editor checks every number in it, including specs, price tiers and performance measurements, against the original source.

Revisions

We revise guides when new CPU or GPU generations launch, when driver, BIOS or microcode updates change performance, when prices move enough to reshuffle value picks, and when readers flag errors. Each guide shows the date it was last updated.

Affiliate relationships

Real Gaming News earns commissions on some purchases through our links, including as an Amazon Associate on qualifying purchases. Commissions have no effect on which products we include or how we rank them.

Corrections

If you find an error, please contact us through our contact page. Include the article and the correct information or source, and we will review it promptly.