Microsoft tunes Windows 11 for 8 GB PCs as Raspberry Pi raises 16GB prices

Memory is the thread this week. Raspberry Pi is charging more for some of its 16GB products because of DRAM costs, while Microsoft is trying to make Windows 11 do more with 8 GB. It is a thin week for new hardware, so there are three items.

We favour

Windows 11 gets a tune-up for 8 GB PCs

Microsoft says Windows 11 is now up to 20% more responsive on PCs with 8 GB of memory, and that a heavy multitasking test finished up to 40% faster than on the January 2026 builds. The company says Windows can now keep up to 2 GB more active data in memory instead of moving it to storage. Edge puts inactive tabs to sleep after 15 minutes by default, down from two hours, and Microsoft says changes across Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365 cut committed-memory growth by up to 900 MB.

The figures come from Microsoft’s own lab and telemetry measurements, and the multitasking test ran on a single HP OmniBook 3 with a Snapdragon X Plus processor. The improvements need Windows 11, version 26H2, build 26300.9818 or later, and some arrive through app updates. Microsoft gives no European pricing for 8 GB PCs; its only price is a US offer from $429 at Walmart.

Source: Microsoft

Why we favour it: The changes come through Windows Update and app updates, though Microsoft says rollout timing and availability may vary by device and region. Microsoft’s own testing is the only evidence so far, so treat the percentages as the ceiling, not the expectation.

Raspberry Pi raises 16GB prices

Raspberry Pi has raised the price of the 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 by $80, to $385. The 16GB Compute Module 5 variants go up by $40. The company blames a lack of alternative supply for 16GB DRAM on top of other component shortages, and says it looks forward to rolling the increases back when memory costs fall. The 16GB Raspberry Pi 500+ keeps its price.

Raspberry Pi gives dollar prices only. The company points buyers to its Approved Resellers and warns of sellers charging inflated prices. For buyers who do not need 16GB, it suggests lower-density variants, earlier models or memory optimisations.

Source: Raspberry Pi

Steam beta fixes achievements and controller touch

Valve has shipped a Steam client update to the Preview/Beta channel on 3 November. It fixes cases where Steam windows briefly flashed black and corrects achievement totals that missed some unlocked achievements. Completed achievement sets now show in the library when sorting by achievement completion.

The Steam Controller firmware gets one change: Valve reduced thumbstick touch sensitivity to lower the chance of early touch detection. This is a beta build, so the changes reach everyone only once Valve promotes it to the stable client.

Source: Valve