It might be more lucrative to use it instead of selling it at a markup
The current PC hardware landscape is unfriendly to say the least. The DRAM price hike has made building a new PC basically untenable, and many are turning to the used market to at least try and offset costs a little bit. If you’ve made an upgrade to your system recently, or have older RAM lying around, you might be tempted to jump into the used market to make a buck, and while I wouldn’t blame anyone for that, there are other ways to use your extra RAM that don’t involve selling it.
Start a home lab

You already have the most expensive part

While RAM prices have skyrocketed, most other parts have stayed relatively steady in terms of their price, at least for now. Components that use DRAM will go up in price naturally. However, the parts you need to start a home lab, both new and used, are still totally reasonable. You already have the most expensive part of the build if you plan to use off-the-shelf desktop components.
There really has never been a better time to start a home lab. A home lab lets you experiment with virtualization, containers, automation, and self-hosting in a way that’s impossible to replicate on a single daily-driver PC. You can break things, rebuild them, and learn how real systems behave without risking your main machine.
If you already run a home lab, slotting in your spare RAM — if compatible, of course — can give your setup a little extra juice. Home lab workloads are almost always memory-bound before they’re CPU-bound. Extra RAM directly translates into more containers, more virtual machines, and more headroom to experiment.
Build a NAS

A great project that doesn’t need a lot of RAM

Building a NAS is one of those projects that is difficult to get off the ground, but completely changes how you use every device you own. Once you have centralized, always-available storage, your PCs, laptops, and phones can stop relying on cloud services for your important data. Files are where you expect them to be, backups can happen automatically, and media can be streamed locally instead of bouncing off the cloud. It’s one of the most practical upgrades you can make to your home, and besides the cost of storage, the rest of it can be done for relatively cheap, especially if you already have the memory on hand.
Existing file servers can benefit from additional memory, using it for caching, metadata, and smoothing out access across multiple clients. Faster memory doesn’t matter nearly as much as enough memory, which makes slotting in older, spare DIMMs ideal for the job, if your NAS build can take them.
Save it for troubleshooting

You never know when you’ll need a kit of RAM

This is the least glamorous option, but arguably one of the most valuable right now. Memory issues can masquerade as almost anything: corrupted installs, random crashes, unexplained blue screens, or systems that refuse to boot after a restart. Being able to swap in spare RAM immediately is invaluable when new kits are expensive or hard to find. During a DRAM shortage, troubleshooting becomes riskier if you don’t have backups. If your primary memory kit starts behaving erratically, you don’t want to be forced into an urgent purchase at peak pricing just to get a system operational again.
Give it to a friend

‚Tis the season!

While selling old RAM might not feel worth the effort, giving it to someone else can have a big impact, especially right now. Plenty of everyday PCs are stuck with minimal memory, and upgrading them has become more expensive than it used to be. A free or cheap hand-me-down kit can dramatically improve responsiveness for basic tasks.
For students, family members, or friends running older systems, RAM upgrades are often the most noticeable improvement they can make. In a market where entry-level upgrades are getting pricier, passing along working memory helps extend the life of hardware that would otherwise struggle.
Extra RAM is a luxury in 2025

Right now, more than ever, RAM is a luxury item, especially the new, faster spec stuff, but that doesn’t mean your older sticks no longer have value. There aren’t many people out there sitting on fresh kits of DDR5, but if you have some DDR4 (or even DDR3!) lying around, putting them to good use can often be a more rewarding route than making a few bucks. I wouldn’t blame anyone for going the latter route, and while you wouldn’t think of it as a conventional starting point for projects, in the current landscape it is.

Relive the magic of cinema’s greatest three-film stories. Our ranking of the top movie trilogies since 1995 features action, animation, and more.
Who doesn’t love a great movie trilogy? It offers a long, cohesive narrative with the same familiar cast of beloved characters. The three-part format has been popular since the early days of cinema, arguably reaching its peak in the 1970s and 1980s with The Godfather, the original Star Wars trilogy, the classic Indiana Jones trilogy, and Back to the Future.
The trilogy format has remained popular ever since, both for filmmakers and audiences alike. Some directors even shoot multiple films at once and release them back-to-back. Today, we’re looking at the best movie trilogies of the past 30 years. From impactful superhero films to animated adventures, crime thrillers, romances, and epic fantasies, here are the greatest three-film stories released since 1995. 10
The Unbreakable Trilogy (The Eastrail 177 Trilogy)

M. Night Shyamalan’s original take on the trilogy format, The Unbreakable Trilogy (also known as the Eastrail 177 Trilogy) is a curious (if uneven) superhero thriller series with a distinct comic-book edge. It began with the cult classic Unbreakable, starring Bruce Willis as the indestructible David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson as the fragile yet brilliant Elijah Price. Though conceived from the start as a three-part story, fans had to wait sixteen years for the sequel.
Split shifted focus to a new character, Kevin Crumb, a man with multiple personalities, delivered in a riveting, unhinged performance by James McAvoy. However, the overarching connection only fully emerged in the finale, Glass, which brought David, Kevin, and Elijah together. The result was largely unsatisfying, yet meme-rich at least. Despite a squandered ending, the trilogy remains one of the most unique entries in the superhero genre, with the first two films frequently cited among Shyamalan’s finest work. 9
Ocean’s Trilogy

Steven Soderbergh’s stylish remake series that builds on the 1960 classic starring Frank Sinatra became a major hit and one of the most recognizable trilogies of the 2000s. It’s worth noting that the 2018 spin-off Ocean’s Eight has no narrative connections to the main series beyond Sandra Bullock’s character being Danny Ocean’s sister, leaving these three films as a complete, self-contained story.
With energetic plots, sleek execution, and Soderbergh’s signature star-studded ensemble featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vincent Cassel, Al Pacino, and more, the Ocean’s movies deliver fun, easy-watching entertainment. They’re packed with memorable set pieces and clever writing, and they never pretend to be anything deeper than smart, sophisticated heist capers. 8
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy

Back when superhero movies still carried a questionable reputation, Sam Raimi’s lighthearted and sincere Spider-Man films proved that the genre could satisfy die-hard comic-book fans while delivering solid entertainment for general audiences. Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker became truly iconic, and the films themselves remain beloved for their exciting, groundbreaking action sequences, genuinely fun (and often silly) moments, emotionally timeless core, and clear respect for the source material.
While few today would call Raimi’s take the absolute best Spider-Man adaptation, as every fan has their definite favorite, the trilogy stands as an undeniable cornerstone of pop culture. These are some of the most recognizable films of the early 2000s and are always a pleasant watch. 7
The Millennium Trilogy

While Hollywood produced two adaptations of this story with different casts, the original Swedish series remains the definitive and most faithful take on Stieg Larsson’s acclaimed Millennium novels. Led by Noomi Rapace’s fierce portrayal of brilliant hacker Lisbeth Salander and Michael Nyqvist as investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, these films deliver intriguing plots, complex characters, and powerhouse performances, making a strong case for the best European trilogy of the past two decades.
Much of their success stems from Larsson’s award-winning source material, widely regarded as among the most influential mystery novels of the 21st century. Remarkably, the entire trilogy was shot back-to-back and released within a single year, representing a rare achievement that further cements its status as an exceptional modern trilogy. 6
How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy

As of 2025, How to Train Your Dragon stands as a rare animated trilogy that resisted the temptation to churn out endless sequels (yes, Toy Story, we’re looking at you). While the future could still bring changes, the franchise has shifted toward live-action remakes (the first of which proved hugely successful) instead of extending the animated story.
Writer-director Dean DeBlois’s original trilogy blends unforgettable characters, led by the young Viking, Hiccup, and his adorable Night Fury dragon Toothless — perfectly designed for both emotional depth and toy shelves, while anchoring a timeless tale of friendship, bonding, and growth. Set in a richly imagined fantasy world filled with colorful supporting characters (heroes and villains alike), breathtaking animation with its own distinctive visual style, and inventive action sequences, it’s no wonder the series is universally beloved by all ages. 5
Avatar Trilogy

The closest that modern sci-fi action films have ever gotten to Star Wars, James Cameron’s Avatar movies are not nearly as universally beloved, with some even stating that, despite their technical perfection, the series has left little lasting impact on pop culture. This couldn’t be further from the truth: anyone would instantly recognize a blue Na’vi on sight. Sure, by the third entry, the trilogy does begin retreading familiar ground, yet it perfects the blockbuster formula, delivering a sheer visual spectacle designed for the biggest screen possible (cliché as that may sound).
Today, it’s no secret that Cameron plans to continue the saga for years, with Avatar 4 and 5 already in various stages of development. Now, it is up to Avatar: Fire and Ash to determine the course of the franchise, as the director has already stated that it was designed to provide closure to the Sully family arc and that he is ready for the series to end here if need be. 4
Before Trilogy

Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy spans nearly two decades with the same returning leads, Ethan Hawke as Jesse and Julie Delpy as Celine, standing as a testament to unwavering directorial vision and dedication. It delivers a perfect romantic three-film journey, examining human relationships at different stages of life and mindsets.
Simple, elegant, and profoundly moving, the series is driven almost entirely by subtle, masterful writing and the genuine chemistry and emotion Hawke and Delpy bring to the screen. The Before trilogy lacks the grandeur or spectacle of most entries on this list, but that only enhances its value as one of cinema’s purest and most sincere artistic achievements. 3
Knives Out Trilogy

With Wake Up Dead Man freshly released on Netflix, Rian Johnson’s detective series has solidified its place among the greatest movie trilogies of the past 30 years. No fourth film has been announced yet, so this could change, but as it stands, the Knives Out trilogy is a perfect embodiment of the now-rare classic “whodunit” genre, balancing its witty (if slightly overdone) mysteries with stunning sets, exotic locations, memorable characters, and elaborate events.
At the heart of it all is Daniel Craig’s undeniable charm as the eccentric Benoit Blanc — a role he clearly relishes — surrounded by a parade of intriguing suspects played by top-tier stars. The stellar performances alone make these films endlessly fun, but the trilogy also showcases Rian Johnson’s singular creative vision as a writer-director, masterfully guiding viewers through intricately engineered webs of lies and intrigue. 2
The Dark Knight Trilogy

Up to this point, the rankings have been largely subjective, but anyone who loves movies likely guessed how this list would end from the very first word. Two trilogies stand so far above the rest that it’s hard to imagine anything surpassing them any time soon. Christopher Nolan’s masterful take on Batman is one of them, with The Dark Knight trilogy widely regarded as both the acclaimed director’s best works and the greatest superhero films ever made.
At its core, the trilogy isn’t really about superheroes; it’s about people: their everyday struggles, commitments, and sacrifices. Powered by gripping stories, impeccable direction, and standout performances from Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, and Gary Oldman, these films represent a definitive pinnacle of filmmaking and are firmly cemented as endlessly rewatchable modern classics. 1
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Were there any doubts? The Lord of the Rings is the one trilogy to rule them all, a true cultural heritage, and a Herculean achievement by Peter Jackson and his team. They delivered undiluted masterpieces that have defined cinema for generations, making this not just the easiest pick for the greatest trilogy of the past 30 years, but of all time, with no weak links anywhere.
Somehow, everything down to the smallest detail reaches sheer perfection across all three films: a cleverly adapted story from Tolkien’s beloved books (with changes in all the right places), breathtaking sets and New Zealand locations that make the fantasy world mesmerizing, a heavy emphasis on practical effects for a timeless look and feel, an impeccable score, superb casting, stunning costumes, and unforgettable performances. There are, quite simply, no flaws in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
These runner-up trilogies from the past 30 years didn’t quite make the top 10 for various reasons (for instance, being extended beyond three films in the main series), but they still deserve some recognition:
The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy – The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), Revenge of the Sith (2005) – A self-contained trilogy that serves as the opening chapter of the broader nine-film Skywalker Saga.

The Matrix Trilogy – The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003) – Extended to a four-film series by The Matrix Resurrections (2021).

The Bourne Trilogy – The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) – Continued with The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Jason Bourne (2016), making five films total.

The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy, or The Caesar Trilogy – Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) – Extended by Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), a direct generational continuation.

Toy Story Trilogy – Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010) – Widely regarded as a perfect three-act structure, but extended by Toy Story 4 (2019), with Toy Story 5 scheduled for 2026.

Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) – A standalone character arc within the larger interconnected Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Hobbit Trilogy – An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

The Pusher Trilogy (1996–2005) – Danish crime movies written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.

The Vengeance Trilogy – Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), Lady Vengeance (2005) – Park Chan-wook’s thematically linked movies with no direct narrative connections.

The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, or The Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy – Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), The World’s End (2013) – Edgar Wright’s action comedies connected by theme and shared cast rather than story.

Mailbox decor in World of Warcraft’s Housing system will work once Midnight arrives, which could be a sign of some amazing improvements on the way.
World of Warcraft is making mailbox decor actually work in Midnight, marking the first Housing item that actually has a significant in-game function. With this change, World of Warcraft is paving the way for other similar service decor, meaning players might one day be able to place repair vendors, crafting stations, and more in their homes.
Housing finally became a reality in World of Warcraft in Patch 11.2.7, with the feature now available in early access. Fans can collect thousands of decor items scattered in every corner of the game, from beds and trophies to anvils and mailboxes. However, though some of these decor items can be interacted with, such as bookshelves that slide away to reveal hidden compartments or chairs that can be sat on, none of these decor items have any direct in-game utility, save for pots that enable players to craft food and drink with the Cooking profession.
World of Warcraft Housing Mailboxes Will Work in Midnight

That is changing in Midnight. While exploring a recent build of the World of Warcraft: Midnight beta, WoW content creator Persephonae discovered that mailbox decor items were no longer just for show and actually functioned as their real counterparts. The official World of Warcraft Twitter confirmed this was an intentional change coming in Midnight, meaning any mailbox decor that exists in the game now, or any that are added later, will soon let characters send and receive messages the same as ones found in a town or city.
Gilnean Postbox (Cataclysm Inscription)

Stampwhistle’s Postal Portal (Northerend Enchanting)

Wolvar Postbag (Northerend Leatherworking)

Ren’dorei Postal Repository (Unknown source, not yet available)

Thunder Totem Mailbox (Unknown source, not yet available)

Tuskarr Postbag (Unknown source, not yet available, may not be added)

Originally, Blizzard didn’t have these mailboxes actually function because it wanted to make sure fans still had a reason to leave their houses and go to hub cities in World of Warcraft. After all, if gamers could fill their homes with all these amenities in one convenient place, there would be fewer reasons for players to run around elsewhere.
That said, mailboxes are one of the many utilities that can be replicated with toys like the Ohuna Perch, pets like the Radiant Lynx Whistle, the Nightborne’s Cantrips racial ability, and the controversial $90 Trader’s Gilded Brutosaur mount that World of Warcraft is currently selling. Given that fans can already check their mail almost anywhere in the game, it makes sense that World of Warcraft would allow the Housing mailboxes to work as well, especially given the vocal requests to do so from the community.
While functional mailboxes on their own are a huge win, what makes this even more exciting is what it could mean for the future of utility decor. Banks, vendors, repair stations, Hunter pet stables, auctioneers, and even transmogrification stations in World of Warcraft can also be replicated with various mounts, toys, consumables, or pets. Considering World of Warcraft is letting mailbox decor actually work, it would not be a leap of logic to imagine some other utilities arriving as decor in the future as well.
However, it could go even further than that. World of Warcraft already has anvils and other workstations as decor that would be perfect places to let players craft, smelt, or create items via professions. While not every World of Warcraft profession has a portable station like this in the game yet, items like the Thermal Anvil prove it is already possible. While less likely to occur than other utilities, many gamers would be thrilled if they could make actual functional crafting spots in their homes.
Mailbox decor will likely become fully functional once the next WoW expansion releases on March 2, though it is possible they could start working as early as January 20 with the World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Expansion update. There is no evidence that any other game functions will be added via decor in the future, but the new system is only just getting started, so fans will have to see what happens now that the floodgates have been opened.

EA shareholders cast their votes on a controversial $55 billion buyout by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
EA shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the $55 billion buyout of the gaming studio by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), with over 201 million votes backing the deal. Although the PIF’s acquisition of EA has cleared a major hurdle with the company’s shareholders, the deal is still subject to regulatory approval by government officials.
The shareholder vote came months after EA announced it was going private ahead of the $55 billion deal to be acquired by the Saudi-backed consortium. The new group will see control of EA shared between the PIF, Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake, with the PIF owning a 93.7% majority stake. The PIF is backed by Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who is known to be an avid gamer. EA’s pending buyout would not be the first time the PIF has dealt with gaming companies, as it currently holds a 96% majority stake in SNK, the creators of fighting games like Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and The King of Fighters series. The PIF also currently holds small investment stakes in other companies, including Nintendo, Take-Two, and Capcom.
EA Shareholders Overwhelmingly Say ‚Yes‘ to the PIF’s Buyout

Although EA’s new ownership consortium will be led by the PIF, that did not dissuade the vast majority of shareholders from clearing the deal. According to an official filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 201,459,396 votes were for the merger agreement between EA and the PIF-led consortium, with 1,914,837 votes cast against the PIF’s deal and 90,311 abstentions. By a similar margin, an advisory compensation proposal saw 178,308,365 votes supporting it, with 24,908,638 votes against and 254,561 abstentions. Ergo, EA’s pending acquisition has cleared one of the largest hurdles towards completion. The vote took place during a special stockholders‘ meeting hosted by EA on December 22. As part of the buyout process, EA will go private and current shareholders will be paid out at $210 per share, making it the largest leveraged buyout in history.
The approval comes amid a reportedly tumultuous time for the PIF in particular. Earlier in the fall, reports stated that the PIF was low on funds following its participation in the EA buyout, and the fund was looking to not invest as much money into other projects as a result. However, despite some of these issues, the PIF stated that acquiring EA was a long-term investment that could gradually double in value. The PIF had already reduced its investment stake in Nintendo, from 7.5% to 6.3%, in November 2024, nearly a year before the EA acquisition was made public.
While the shareholder approval of EA’s acquisition by the PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners was one big hurdle cleared, another challenge looms on the horizon for all parties involved. The deal still has to be approved by various government entities, though some concerns have long been raised by US officials. In October 2025, US Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) penned a letter to the US Treasury Department, stating that EA’s buyout by the PIF-led consortium could be a national security risk. Warren and Blumenthal pointed out how volatile EA’s financial performance could be, and cited that the EA deal could give the Saudi government access to customer data in the US and abroad.
In an effort to ease concerns from fans and shareholders, EA confirmed that CEO Andrew Wilson would remain at his current post should the deal go through as planned and that the company would still retain full creative control. Only time will tell how the ongoing acquisition battle will play out once Congress returns from its holiday break in 2026.
Sources: Bloomberg (via PC Gamer)

Marvel Rivals is giving away free Units, skins, emotes, and more for the holiday, and this is how players can grab all of them.
Marvel Rivals is giving away free Units, skins, emotes, and more in honor of the holidays. The offers will only be available for a limited time, so Marvel Rivals players should make sure to log in so they don’t miss out.
The holiday season is usually an exciting time for gamers. Not only do many players get gaming gifts during this time, but numerous games go on sale for cheap, and live service games typically honor the occasion with freebies and seasonal fare. Marvel Rivals is doing a lot this year to celebrate the season, and now players can score some bonuses.
Marvel Rivals Gives Away Free Units for Winter Holiday

Marvel Rivals players can get free Units in-game, essentially for just logging in for a few short moments. Players will be able to acquire free Units daily from December 23 at 4 PM PT to December 26 at the same time. All players need to do to get their free Units is to login and visit the Christmas tree in Times Square. Players can only get the gift once a day, so they should make sure to try and login regularly during this brief period.
The exact number of Units that players can acquire varies. Judging from social media, most players are getting somewhere between 100-150 units per day thus far, and the number is completely random and not based upon playtime or rank. Although most players seem to be pleased to be getting free Units, some have shared disappointment at the limited amount, especially pointing to the recent Marvel Rivals Anniversary Celebration that granted players 2,500 Units. Others have expressed sadness at being unable to login during this brief period due to real-life responsibilities and travel over the holiday, but that’s a common downside in many games‘ celebrations.
Marvel Rivals Players Can Get Free Skins, Emotes, and More During Holiday

In addition to simply collecting their free Units, players can also acquire a number of free goodies by participating in the Gone Nutty for Gifts Event. The game is offering 28 total rewards, which include a Free Magneto Black and Gold Skin, a matching Nameplate and Spray, plus additional Sprays, Nameplates, Unstable Molecules, Chrono Tokens, Emoji bundles, and more.
Players will be tasked with completing missions to unlock an event currency, Acorns. The missions task players with participating in matches or completing total paint coverage goals in Jeff’s Winter Splash Festival. Each Acorn can be used to unlock a reward on a Christmas tree, though some of the goodies are limited to players with the Premium Pass. The Premium Pass costs 900 Lattice currency, and those who buy it also get the extra benefit of being able to unlock the rewards even after the event period ends. Everyone else will have until January 16, 2026 at 1 am PT to wrap everything up.
All Gone Nutty for Gifts Event Rewards

Echoes of X (Magento Emote)

Unfurgettable Holiday (Gallery Card)

Frosty Figure Emoji Bundle

Winter Herald (Spray)

Snowy Showdown (Nameplate)

200 Unstable Molecules

200 Chrono Tokens

Black & Gold (Nameplate)

Abundant Blessings (Spray)

Claw-Cooked BBQ (Wolverine Emote)

Black & Gold (Spray)

200 Unstable Molecules

200 Chrono Tokens

Black & Gold (Magento Costume)

Winter Soldier Emoji Bundle I

Winter Soldier Emoji Bundle II

Winter Buckaroo (Spray)

Winter Buckaroo (Nameplate)

Balancing Act (Winter Soldier Emote)

Festive Fighter (Winter Soldier MVP Animation)

Winter Buckaroo (Winter Soldier Costume)

Squirrel Girl Emoji Bundle I

Squirrel Girl Emoji Bundle II

Tinsel Tail (Spray)

Tinsel Tail (Nameplate)

Squirrel Sleigh Team (Squirrel Girl Emote)

Joyful Gambol (Squirrel Girl MVP Animation)

Tinsel Tail (Squirrel Girl Costume)