See full bio

Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
• Oversee teams with a keen eye for detail and precision.
• Ensure hands-on writing, with benchmarks and testing as guiding principles.
• Guarantee the delivery of the best possible results in concise yet impactful tech tales.

See full bio

When you think of gaming headsets, you often get images of thick earcups, RGB lighting, and premium sound quality. While Razer does all of that already, it has also decided to tap into a niche that no one dared to touch: kitty headphones. 

Razer’s Market Dominance

Razer Kraken BT Kitty Edition isn’t just a standout headset with cat ears, but it also integrates all of the premium features Razer’s headsets are known for. And while you might think it is a popular niche, now, so many brands must have their own version of it, but that’s far from the truth.

You see, Razer is the only big brand that has tapped into this space. While brands like Corsair, Logitech, and HyperX have great headsets, they still fail to catch up to this trend. But why is that the case?

Razer’s Understanding Of The Market  

First, we need to see how Razer understands the value of branding and segmentation of the community. While other brands focus on the gaming and esports side of the market, to get sponsorship and expand that way, Razer understands identity and style.

They found that there is an untapped demographic, such as anime lovers, Vtubers, cosplay streamers, and young gamers who want something more expressive, and they’re simply not afraid to go all in on it. 

They understood that while most people want to have matte black sleek-looking peripherals, there were still many people who didn’t want to resort to that aesthetic. Some simply want to look like a catgirl and reach Twitch subs.

Taking Bold Moves While Others Don’t Even Try

While this might seem like a joke, Razer had done its market research and found that the cat ear phenomenon was becoming massive, and still, no brand had recognized its rising potential. So they decided to invest in the Kitty headphones.

Now, up until this point, Razer had already had an arsenal of peripherals that were being catered to the masses, so appealing to yet another niche wouldn’t be much of a risk, but since it’s a big company that has to produce before people purchase, there was still a lot of risk involved.

But all of the risk was worth it because it paid off tremendously. Right after its release on September 27, 2019, it became a hit, and the cat ears became synonymous with Razer’s branding. 

Massive Success

These feline-theme headsets became instantly recognizable and were often featured in viral videos, cosplays, and VTuber Streams. Even people who weren’t a fan of this subculture knew them as the ‘cat ears headphones’ and were interested in buying them for the hype they had created.

Rise Of The Rip-offs

While they’re still quite popular even after years of their release, no brand has yet touched this niche. Instead, you’ll find dozens of $20-$50 kitty headphones from random names like SOMIC, ZIUMIER, or ONIKUMA, Axent Wear on sites like Amazon. 

Razer Owns This Space

Despite being the obvious replicas, these knock-offs don’t come close to the build & sound quality, software, and brand credibility that Razer’s Kitty headphones have. Since no other brand is in this space, Razer can maximise profitability, and they are.

Despite the dozens of knock-offs, Razer still rakes in a lot of money from it because people are willing to pay a premium because it is from Razer. One of the reasons why people choose to pay for these instead of others is that Razer practically now owns this category.

You see, people who want to purchase ‘cat ear headphones’ often don’t browse around but go straight to Razer’s website or online retailers selling Razer’s version. That is how much Razer has practically captured this area of the market.

Already Built Ecosystem

Another main reason is how this headset works with Razer’s ecosystem. People who want to get a Kitty headphone and who already use Razer’s products can seamlessly connect it via Razer’s Synapse and Chroma RGB to sync all the devices together. This way, they don’t have to second-guess buying cheap knock-offs because there isn’t much value they’re gonna get anyway.

Would Other Brands Benefit If They Jump On?

Now, other big brands might’ve considered the possibility of making their own Kitty headphones and decided not to do it because then they have to compete with Razer, who owns this space, so they don’t see any reason to do it.     

See full bio

Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
• Oversee teams with a keen eye for detail and precision.
• Ensure hands-on writing, with benchmarks and testing as guiding principles.
• Guarantee the delivery of the best possible results in concise yet impactful tech tales.

See full bio

This might come off as too straightforward, but I’ll go ahead and say it: air coolers are now a thing of the past. Now, I’m not expressing my frustration solely because of their bulky look but because of the poor price-to-performance ratio they provide. Let me explain.

Why Air Coolers Have More Cons Than Pros

One of the most annoying things about air coolers is their clearance. Many of these air coolers are super bulky, which might look good for some, but I hate that they interfere with my RAM slots.

RAM Clearance Issues

Often, I’ve found coolers to droop some of their edges over the RAM sticks. Now, this not only hinders the aesthetics of the RGB RAM sticks but also is very tedious to work your way around the sticks, especially if they have tall heatsinks.

This means that you’d either want to compromise on the air cooler, meaning get a thin one that isn’t the best performing, or you get a low-profile RAM kit. Neither of these is something to compromise on if you want to build a decent build.

PC Case Clearance Issues

Apart from the RAM clearance, there’s also the issue of PC case clearance, which is why you should choose a cooler for your PC case. As technology is advancing, we should be getting slimmer and higher-performing air coolers, but the opposite seems to be true.

Some of these coolers are so chunky that they don’t even fit with some mid-tower cases. Even if they do, they feel like you’ve forcefully somehow cramped them, which, in my opinion, takes away the aesthetics of the case entirely.

Cable Management Is Hell With These

Another thing is how tedious cable management can be with these coolers. With these bulky coolers, you’ll usually find yourself dealing with fan headers in tight spaces. Sometimes you have to slither your hand beneath the cooler, which feels like you’re performing a high-stakes surgery.

I’m always annoyed by working in tight spaces because of how more time and effort it takes to fit or replace a component in your PC. With enough room in your build, you get things done way quickly compared to working with air coolers.

Price Doesn’t Justify Performance

Now comes the price, which is one of the main reasons why I’ve started to hate these coolers. You see, in the past, CPU coolers weren’t as bad because of how affordable they were compared to AIO coolers.

I remember that even the affordable entry-level AIO coolers cost way more than decent air coolers, so it made sense to buy them. But now, the situation is quite the opposite, and plenty of budget AIOs outperform mid-range air coolers.

I had this belief that only the expensive AIO coolers were a must-buy, and all the other budget options shouldn’t even be relied on, but I was proved wrong when I discovered insanely valuable options like Thermalright Frozen Magic 360 Scenic V2.

Not only does it cost less than $55, but it also doesn’t take the aesthetic points away from my PC. With options like this, I find it best to stick to budget AIO coolers instead of any air cooler at all.

Performance Speaks For Itself

Take a look at the performance for yourself and tell me how it is even worth it to get air coolers in 2025. The Cinebench stress test is conducted on the Intel i7-13700K with the ambient temperature being around 25°C.  

First, there’s a budget cooler named ID-Cooling Frozn A720, which reaches 91°C and costs around $70. Now this is a cheap cooler, but if you compare it with the Enermax LiqMaxFlo AIO cooler, you see that it not only reaches 85°C but it costs less than $75.

It gets absurd as we go further down the list with the air coolers. For instance, the Dark Rock Elite and the Noctua NH-D15 are well above the $100 range, whereas the Corsair A115, the Dark Rock Pro 5, and the Deepcool Assassin 4S all get similar temperatures and cost more than $70.

Verdict

Now, this is just my personal opinion because the price-to-performance ratio doesn’t add up for me when it comes to air coolers. But those who still prefer air coolers, go for it, but at least consider the points I’ve mentioned before getting one.  

See full bio

Uzair Shabir

At Tech4Gamers, I’m a Senior Error Fix Writer specializing in troubleshooting problems. Each article results from deep research, testing fixes and providing solutions.

See full bio

Superhero games have been around for decades. While Batman and Spider-Man have dominated the market, there have been occasional other superhero games as well, which can be formidable competitors; however, they have sadly failed to capitalize on the competition despite having massive potential.

Games like Infamous and Prototype come immediately to mind when we think of such games. However, there have been some other games that aren’t discussed as much as Infamous and Prototype. One of those games is The Punisher (2005).

Simple Story With Unique Storytelling

The game’s story is based on Frank’s revenge for the murder of his wife and kids. But it leads the player in a different way than most games of that time. The concept is that Frank is caught by the two police officers who are interrogating him.

He unfolds all the events that take place in the game, and as he narrates, players are led forward in the story. Essentially, the game relies on a monologue-style storytelling approach, narrated in the voice of the protagonist.

It was a great way to tell a story that we had already seen a year before the game. This gave the game’s story a fresh feeling and prevented it from being repetitive.

As we progress in the story, we have to take down several mob bosses and their gangs, along with the other people who are responsible for the murder of Frank’s family.

Some of the big names he has to take down are Jigsaw, Kingpin, and The Russian. We also see some special appearances in the game, like Tony Stark and Nick Fury.

Although the game’s story is similar to Max Payne’s and was released around the same time, it still manages to stand out and deliver a unique experience that doesn’t feel like a copy-and-paste effort.

Brutally Chaotic Gameplay

As good as the story is, it’s not the highlight of the game. The game truly shines in the gameplay department due to the over-the-top violence it brings to the table, as the name suggests. As we know, Punisher has a thing for heavy weapons, and the developers also didn’t forget to keep that in mind.

The game features a diverse array of guns, ranging from pistols and rifles to shotguns, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, anti-tank rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and more. The gunplay feels solid and satisfying, especially with the gory effects included in the game due to its R rating.

However, the gore doesn’t stop, as developers ensured to utilize this rating to the fullest extent and bring the wrath of the Punisher to life. The interrogation feature is probably the most interesting and satisfying thing about this game.

This feature lets you interrogate your enemies by hanging them from the top of a building, putting their face right next to the deep fryer, setting them below a window and pushing it down to their throats, and more.

The best thing about this is that you can kill your enemies after you interrogate them. You can let the enemies fall from the building or shove their face into the deep fryer with boiling oil. The mechanics for this have been well-executed, which makes these brutal fatalities all the more satisfying to watch.

The vibe of the game is dark and grim, just like the Punisher himself. There are several locations or stages in the game, including warehouses, mob mansions, nightclubs, and docks. Each level brings a change in the atmosphere, but the overall tone of the game remains gothic and chaotic.

Conclusion

The Punisher may be an underrated game, but it remains a classic among fans of this genre. In today’s era of remasters, where nearly every game released just a few years ago receives an undeserving remaster, The Punisher is the game that truly deserves a remaster, being one of the best action games out there.

The Punisher – a game worth replaying
byu/Just_a_Player2 inpatientgamers

See full bio

Avinash Jaisrani

At Tech4Gamers, I contribute as a Senior News Reporter, combining my skills and gaming enthusiasm to keep our audience updated on the latest developments.

See full bio

The world of PC building is vast and full of endless possibilities. Whether it be the latest Nvidia graphics card or a shiny new AMD processor, there is no shortage of options to pick from.

However, many small companies are also working toward innovating in the market. Due to current discussions around the planet and its preservation, sustainability has become a key talking point.

As part of the greater focus on preservation, tech firms have begun to explore used and recycled parts for more sustainable practices, and it is important to understand the best strategies to access such parts without any delays.

Why it matters: PC components have become quite a bit more expensive over the last five years. This makes it even more important to consider the value before buying new components.

Finding The Best Pricing Deals With Proxy Tools

It’s no secret that refurbished or recycled PC parts often cut the overall cost of a PC build by a significant margin. These parts barely sacrifice any performance, but it can be challenging to find them, depending on the region and marketplace.

This becomes an even bigger problem when considering the fact that certain marketplaces may be region-locked or show different prices based on the viewer’s physical location. Fortunately, a solution to the problem already exists.

Proxy servers provide a suitable workaround for online restrictions, and unlike traditional VPNs, residential proxy services reroute traffic through real home internet IP addresses. This effectively makes the visitor look like a local user in the target region.

Residential IPs are preferred in such instances since they offer greater geo-location precision over datacenter proxies. The latter may be faster, but the trade-off is typically worth it. For example, a European builder could utilize a residential proxy to browse a Japanese PC parts auction site for great deals not available in the West.

When selecting a proxy provider, it’s best to pick one with a large global pool. Webshare’s platform offers 80 million residential IP addresses worldwide, which mimic real user behavior to avoid blocks and restrictions.

This makes it incredibly useful for accessing locked marketplaces, browsing international prices, and finding the best deals on recycled parts.

Reliability of Recycled Components

A common concern with refurbished or used parts has to do with potential performance loss. However, a CPU or GPU in good working condition will almost always perform as intended.

In fact, refurbished hardware will often perform identically to brand new parts. As an example, a benchmark from 2020 showcased a refurbished and brand-new server performing basically the same in terms of computing power and energy use.

The same is likely true of PC gaming builds where used components don’t exhibit noticeable performance loss. In fact, budget-conscious buyers often prefer to buy used parts for the better value.

Recycled parts are also typically more reliable than most people expect. Because most electronics show defects early in their lifespan, batches that have been in service for a while have likely already seen most failures weeded out.

This is why refurbished parts can often last a long while, but doing your research is very important before pulling the trigger on a purchase. When inspecting a used PC component, watching out for bulging capacitors, heat damage, and firmware problems is essential. Moreover, sticking with reliable sellers is a great idea.

Although there are certain exceptions, buying used PC components is a great idea. Because these parts are known for being very reliable, even big tech companies tend to rely on them.

See full bio

Ali Rashid Khan

As Tech4Gamers’ Wiki Editor, I dissect gaming products, offering detailed perspectives on a variety of PCMR hardware ranging from the Best Motherboards and CPUs to the Best GPUs, RAM, and PSUs.

See full bio

Let’s be real for a second: if you’re dropping $1,000+ on a graphics card in 2025 just to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Cyberpunk 2077, you’ve either got more money than sense, or you’ve fallen victim to Nvidia and AMD’s marketing hype. 

Because here’s the truth—you don’t need a flagship GPU anymore.

Not when mid-range cards are this good, not when upscaling tech is this advanced, and certainly not when the used market is overflowing with deals that make spending four digits on a GPU look downright ridiculous.

Mid-Range GPUs In 2025 Are Killing The High-End Game

Look at the specs of today’s $700–$850 GPUs—the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti—and tell me with a straight face that you need anything more. 

These cards absolutely crush 1080p and 1440p gaming at high refresh rates, and with some settings tweaks, they can even devour 4K gaming.

In fact, the RX 9070 XT just got a software update that now puts it 3% ahead on average in 1440p gaming when pitted against the RTX 5070 Ti.

But here’s the real kicker: DLSS 4 and FSR 4 are black magic. 

These upscaling technologies have gotten so good that the real-world performance gap between a $800 RTX 5070 Ti and a $1,500 RTX 5080 is smaller than ever. 

Why? Because AI upscaling means you’re not even rendering at native resolution most of the time, and the visual difference is negligible.

So ask yourself: Is that extra 15–20% performance really worth paying almost double the price? 

Because, unless you’re gaming on an 8K monitor, the answer is a resounding NO.

The Used Market Is a Goldmine, If You Know Where To Look

Now, if you really want to save money, the used market is where it’s at. 

Previous-gen Nvidia RTX 30-series cards are still absolute beasts, and they’re selling for pennies on the dollar compared to their original MSRPs. 

Let’s break it down:

• RTX 3060 (12 GB GDDR6) – $200–$250
  • Still great for 1080p, and that 12 GB VRAM helps with modern games.
• RTX 3060 Ti (8 GB GDDR6) – $250–$275
  • A 1440p-capable card for less than $300? Yes, please.
• RTX 3070 (8 GB GDDR6) – $275–$350
  • Basically a slightly weaker RTX 4060 Ti, for at least $150 less.
• RTX 3070 Ti (8 GB GDDR6X) – $350–$400
  • Faster memory, better for high-refresh rate 1440p.
• RTX 3080 (10 GB GDDR6X) – $400–$450
  • Still a 4K-capable card in 2025 with DLSS.
• RTX 3080 Ti (12 GB GDDR6X) – $450–$500
  • Significantly outperforms the RTX 4070 by over a margin of 55% in 4K for hundreds less.

Even New Budget GPUs Are Shockingly Good

If you’d rather buy new, the entry-level market in 2025 appears inviting:

• RTX 5060 Ti (16 GB GDDR7) – $430 MSRP
  • Justifies its comparative priciness since it handles 1440p with ease thanks to DLSS 4. Whatever you do, just don’t buy the 8 GB variant.
• RX 9060 XT (16 GB GDDR6) – $350 MSRP
  • Wider availability at relatively lesser scalped prices makes this a better all-rounded buy even though it lags behind the RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB by about 22%, 19%, and 12% in 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, respectively speaking.
• RTX 5060 (8 GB GDDR7) – $300 MSRP
  • While the vanilla RTX 5060 might not be as future-proof as its 16 GB “Ti” variant, it’s still not a bad option if you want a cheap new GPU with Ray Tracing.

Flagship GPUs In 2025? A Scam Wrapped In Hype

Now, let’s talk about the elephants in the room: the RTX 5080 and the RTX 5090.

Both cards are monsters, sure—but they’re also monstrously overpriced, and here’s why:

• RTX 5080 – $1,000
• RTX 5090 – $2,000

Those are the MSRPs that Nvidia announced at the time of the RTX 50 Series launch, which have also since then been quietly increased.

However, you’ll find that the real-world pricing for the RTX 5080 is fluctuating somewhere around $1,500 whereas the RTX 5090 is not even available for $3,000 in some cases. 

That’s just outrageously ludicrous scalping in effect thanks to Nvidia’s inventory mismanagement, Trump’s tariffs, and production cuts.

The Verdict: Stop Wasting Your Money

Let’s recap:

• Mid-range GPUs (RX 9070 XT, RTX 5070 Ti) are 80% as good as flagships for less than half the price.
• Used RTX 30-series cards offer insane value at $200–$500.
• Even new budget GPUs like the RX 9060 XT 16 GB are great for 1440p.
• New flagship GPUs are overpriced, scalped, and not worth it for gaming.

So do yourself a favor: Buy smart, not expensive. 

Grab a $700 RX 9070 XT or a $400 used RTX 3080, and spend the extra $1,000 on a better CPU or a high refresh rate monitor, or just put it in your savings.

Because in 2025, spending over a grand on a GPU isn’t just unnecessary, it’s sheer stupidity.