With the Iran conflict once again in full swing and demand for AI chips booming, industry sources expect that semiconductor raw material prices will only increase. Earlier this month, China created some turmoil in the semiconductor manufacturing raw materials supply chain when it announced that it would suspend Helium exports due to the supply chain turmoil. While China is not a key Helium exporter in terms of capacity, its role nevertheless could create trouble down the road if there is further disruption. Semiconductor Manufacturing Raw Materials Providers Raise Prices As Demand, Supply Dynamics Bite The complexity of semiconductor fabrication, which […]
NVIDIA has unveiled its brand-new Jetson Thor solutions, expanding into mainstream robotics, humanoids & Edge AI with the T3000 & T2000. NVIDIA Jetson Thor T3000 Offers 865 TFLOPs of AI Compute For Humanoids & Robotics, While T2000 Pushes 400 TFLOPs For Edge AI We already told you that some big news was coming on the Physical AI side of things when Jensen landed in Japan yesterday, and the first of these announcements has been revealed in the form of the NVIDIA Jetson Thor T3000 and T2000. Kawasaki Heavy Industries provides technology designed to improve the overall efficiency of hospital operations, including […]
AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D 3D V-Cache CPU is now available at a fantastic price of just $299, which makes it cheaper than the upcoming Ryzen 7 7700X3D. Microcenter Offers Ryzen 7 7800X3D At An Absolutely Fantastic $299 Price While AMD's Upcoming Ryzen 7 7700X3D 3D V-Cache CPU Would Cost $329 Tomorrow, AMD will finally launch its brand-new Ryzen 7 7700X3D 3D V-Cache CPU for the AM5 platform. This chip promises to offer the same 3D V-Cache goodness to gamers for a lower price point than what the 7800X3D retails for. But it looks like Microcenter is spoiling the fun of […]
OpenAI, which is in the middle of a legal battle with Apple over hardware trade theft allegations, just released a light-up keyboard designed to be paired with its agentic coding app.
Korean chip giant Samsung is reportedly considering outsourcing orders to design a portion of Google's Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) AI chips. Samsung is believed to be Google's manufacturing partner for the TPU chip's input/output (I/O) die. While the TPU's compute tile is expected to be manufactured by TSMC, the part on which the tile will be connected, called the I/O, is said to be Samsung's responsibility. For the I/O, Samsung is considering outsourcing the back-end design for the chip in order to ensure that Google's design is fit for its manufacturing facilities, says the Korean press. Several Korean Firms in […]
AI continues to wreak havoc on the tech industry, driving up the prices of processors, RAM, motherboards, and more PC hardware so companies can keep up with its hunger for more power (and RAM).
Fortunately, Newegg is offering a limited sale on several discounted bundles containing AMD processors we've tested and rated highly for their solid performance, alongside compatible motherboards and 16GB RAM modules to help these CPUs reach their full potential.
So, if you're looking to upgrade your PC with some of the best CPUs for gaming or productivity content creation, along with the best motherboards and precious RAM to maintain their stability, this round-up could be your next best solution.
"True to its word, AMD has specifically targeted gamers with this affordable powerhouse, and I expect my upcoming tests only to cement its place in your next rig." — Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
"In a masterclass of performance-per-watt efficiency, AMD offers incredible single-core performance scores that beat its intended 14600K rival and even challenge the 14700K." — Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
This bundle contains an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X processor along with a compatible MSI B850 GAMING PLUS WIFI6E motherboard with fast WiFi 7 wireless connectivity and two 8GB RAM sticks.View Deal
This gaming-focused bundle contains an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, a GIGABYTE B650E EAGLE WF6E motherboard that offers PCIe 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6E, and two 8GB RAM sticksView Deal
This bundle contains an AMD Ryzen 9 9900X processor with an ASUS TUF GAMING X870E-PLUS WIFI7 motherboard that features two onboard PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots with fast Wi-Fi 7 and two 8GB DDR5 RAM sticks.View Deal
FAQ
How long will these discounts last?
These discount deals will last from July 14, 2026 to July 31, 2026.
Are these AMD processors good for gaming?
Indeed, they are. AMD's Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and Ryzen 5 9600X processors all offer good to exceptional performance for boosting frame rates and smoothness, particularly the -X3D chips.
Which of these processors is good for productivity?
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D productivity performance is somewhat underwhelming, while the Ryzen 9600X fares much better with creative apps and solid single-core performance.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
An entry-level Alienware PC almost sounds like a contradiction; it's long been the all-out brand you could choose when money isn't a concern, and you'd rather have a guarantee your games will run. So, does the Alienware 15 need to exist, or is it just competing with the tantalizingly new category of high-end gaming handhelds?
Including NVIDIA's RTX 5050 graphics certainly piqued my interest, because until now, I've never seen what this low-end laptop GPU can actually do. Is it worth picking the 50 Series chip for the benefit of cutting-edge DLSS upscaling, or is it too weak to be worth your time? I had so many questions, and these are the conclusions I reached from my testing for this review.
How much does the Alienware 15 cost?
Alienware's modern design language still peeks through in parts of this entry-level laptop. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
The Alienware 15 starts at $1,399.99 on Dell.com, featuring the same AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor as my sample but with a previous-generation NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 discrete graphics card. Memory and storage remain at 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, but upgrading to an RTX 5050 GPU increases the price to $1,459.99.
A third and final variant of the AMD model increases storage to 1TB with an RTX 5060 GPU for $1,849.99, but the CPU remains the Ryzen 7 260. Alternatively, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at $1,499.99 on Dell.com with a Core 7-240H CPU, RTX 5050 GPU, and 16GB/512GB of memory and storage, though you can upgrade to RTX 5060 graphics and a 32GB/1TB RAM and SSD combo.
In the United Kingdom, the AMD-based Alienware 15 starts at £829.00 with a less powerful Ryzen 5 220 processor, RTX 3050 graphics, and 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At the time of writing, an Intel-based Alienware 15 starts at £849.01 with a Core 5-210H CPU, RTX 3050 GPU, and the same 8GB/512GB RAM/SSD.
This gets you exactly what I tested, or an upgrade to a more powerful RTX 5060 GPU and 1TB SSD will cost you $1,849.99. If you aren't confident in self-installed upgrades, you should strongly consider it.View Deal
Is the Alienware 15 well made?
180W AC power requires an outdated barrel jack, but Ethernet, HDMI, and USB-A/C are all welcome.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralWired headphones and another USB-C port on the right side will likely be well used.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralAn elevated portion of the underside holds the cooling fans, and they work hard.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralThe touchpad feels small, but it's good enough to navigate Windows 11.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
The Alienware 15 is a bit of a mixed bag, starting with a relatively plain exterior design featuring an iridescent alien head logo and thick air vent panels underneath, synonymous with the capable cooling you'll see in this category. And while its most striking first impression is how heavy it is — at 4.89 lbs (2.22 kg) — it still isn't much different from its rivals. Gaming laptops are just heavy.
Its 15.3-inch screen sits on a gapped hinge, which looks strange at first glance, but I can feel airflow around the gap while it's in use, so it makes sense. The backlit keyboard is unremarkable, sticking to a single color and including a number pad that I'm sure most gamers will never use, and, as usual, I wish the space had been saved for larger speakers.
The 180W AC adapter uses an outdated barrel jack, but you can charge up to 100W with USB-C.
Admittedly, despite my gripes with the lack of any significant bass response, the sheer volume of the fans during games likely nullifies the appeal of its speakers anyway. As with all gaming laptops, I'm recommending you use headphones here. A small 5.5-inch mechanical touchpad only clicks properly in the bottom half, but you'll probably use a dedicated mouse for most games.
A 3.5mm audio jack pairs with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port on the right side, while a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 is available on the left side, along with two traditional USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports for dongles, HDMI-out 2.1 for external monitors, and gigabit Ethernet for wired networking. The 180W AC adapter uses an outdated barrel jack, but you can charge up to 100W with USB-C.
How fast is the Alienware 15?
Counter-Strike 2 demands a smooth frame rate, and 165 FPS is attainable with the RTX 5050.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralYou barely have to tweak the settings in CS2 to keep the FPS high enough.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
Starting with Counter-Strike 2, the game recommends 'High' settings with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and vsync disabled for native, uncapped rendering at 1920 x 1200. While spectating a few rounds on Dust II, I saw the frame rate remain around the 165 FPS target when I was connected to AC power and Alienware's 'Performance' mode was active.
However, the laptop's fans were extremely loud throughout, keeping the CPU and GPU temperatures at around 68 °C and 60 °C, respectively. Switching to 'Stealth' mode reduced the fan speed, but no amount of graphical tweaks brought them down to a comfortable, more inconspicuous level. This is a loud laptop, and you'll have to get used to wearing headphones when you're gaming.
Cyberpunk 2077 is quickly becoming the poster child for DLSS because it works so well.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralCertain visuals will look better than others, but upscaling certainly helps the game run smoothly.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
In Cyberpunk 2077, I found that the 'High' preset with ray tracing and upscaling disabled most consistently achieved a native 60 FPS baseline in the game's built-in benchmark. Of course, the game supports DLSS 4.5, so setting Super Resolution to 'Balanced' and Multi Frame Generation (MFG) to 4X in the 'Ray Tracing: Low' preset has the Alienware 15 scaling to 171 FPS, up from ~42 FPS.
I have to assume you're considering a gaming laptop with NVIDIA's RTX 50 Series graphics to take advantage of realistic, ray-traced lighting. Luckily, that is quite possible with the RTX 5050 in the Alienware 15, depending on your feelings around MFG and "fake frames". If, on the other hand, you don't care so much about those visual luxuries, then it runs quite smoothly without ray tracing.
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS dips in busy areas, but I was able to stay above 100 FPS.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralApex Legends fared better with frame pacing, though it needed more fine-tuning in the settings.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
For other popular multiplayer titles, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS generally runs above 60 FPS with the 'High' preset at render scale 100, but you can push it to 165 FPS or higher by switching to the 'Medium' preset and further lowering some settings. Similarly, Apex Legends can reach 165 FPS and beyond with a little time spent in the settings, but the laptop's fans will be loud.
Performance benchmarks
Geekbench 6 CPU benchmarking shows the Ryzen 7 260 being beaten by years-old handheld chips.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralWhile the 512GB SSD is limited in capacity, it reads just as fast as the SSDs in Alienware's high-end laptops.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralYou'll see the RTX 5050 suitably appearing in plenty of entry-level gaming laptops like this.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
To put the specs of Alienware's cheapest laptop into perspective, the Ryzen 7 260 is a "Hawk Point" processor built on AMD's previous-generation Zen 4 architecture and ranks as the second-fastest CPU in the Ryzen 200 Series mobile range. That 8-core, 16-thread chip pairs with NVIDIA's entry-level RTX 50 Series mobile GPU, the GeForce RTX 5050.
However, benchmarking the Alienware 15's CPU in Geekbench 6 burst performance tests placed the Ryzen 7 260 even lower than I perhaps expected, even falling below the original ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld from 2024. Cinebench 2024 failed to run any extended CPU stress tests after complaints of insufficient memory, so there's sadly no reprieve for this processor.
(The RTX 5050 is) faster than the last-gen RTX 4050, but of course, it still falls behind the 4060.
Testing the RTX 5050 across 3DMark's full gamut of GPU-centric tests yields a reasonably consistent and unsurprising conclusion: it's faster than the last-gen RTX 4050, but of course, it still falls behind the 4060. If you were choosing between a gaming laptop with an older GPU, such as an RTX 3060, and the 5050 in this Alienware 15, you'd choose the Alienware.
Finally, the PCIe Gen 4 SSD hits around 7,023 MB/s read speeds in CrystalDiskMark, while write speeds drop closer to 5,962 MB/s. It's a fast drive, and one that sees the Alienware 15 running neck-and-neck with the high-end Alienware m18 R2 from 2024. The 512 GB SSD has limited storage capacity, but it performs as expected.
Does the Alienware 15 have any issues?
After installing only four PC games, I started seeing warnings about low storage space. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
Above all, the most significant issue I had during my time with the Alienware 15 was its limited 512 GB SSD, reporting a usable 477 GB with only 332 GB of free space on its first boot into Windows 11. It simply isn't enough, and no amount of optimizations offered by the pre-installed 'SupportAssist' app can help that. After installing only four games, I was out of space.
Alienware advertises"user-upgradeable options" for "up to 1TB PCIe SSD (Gen4) storage", promoting "the flexibility to adapt for whatever comes next", but the ongoing memory crisis stunts that notion. It isn't Alienware's (or Dell's) fault, but I quickly learned that 512 GB isn't good enough in a gaming laptop, and upgrades are extremely expensive in 2026.
Holding up a decibel meter during gameplay demonstrates how loud the fans really are.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralThe keyboard gets warm during gameplay, which eventually made my fingers uncomfortable.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
Otherwise, the loud fans (~58 dBA) are difficult to ignore and will likely annoy anyone around you. Booting into a game switches the Alienware 15 into 'Performance' mode via the Alienware Command Center companion app, which quickly ramps up the fan speed. Profiles like 'Stealth' mode advertise the laptop as "ideal for any environment", but it's only true if you aren't gaming.
Despite the fans working as hard as they can, the keyboard still gets quite warm during gaming, and it felt a little uncomfortable after a while. I could solve it by plugging in my Steam Controller or by using an external keyboard and mouse, but at that point it feels like I'm hardly using the laptop. Using a thermal camera, I detected a temperature of 46°C around the WASD keys — not abnormal for a gaming laptop, but not exactly ideal either.
Should you buy the Alienware 15?
Switching power modes with F6 and F7 wrangles the fans a little, but it doesn't stop the overall roar. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
You should buy this if ...
✅ You want a modern, entry-level NVIDIA gaming laptop
✅ You don't have space for a full-sized desktop PC
You should not buy this if ...
❌ You're looking for quiet, portable AAA gaming
The biggest problem with entry-level gaming laptops is that they immediately compete with high-end gaming handhelds, like the Xbox Ally X, which will be more tempting for its versatility alone. However, if you're looking for a stay-at-home gaming machine that occasionally travels with you — with an 180W AC adapter included — the Alienware 15 keeps up with modern gaming by leaning heavily on NVIDIA's RTX 5050 GPU.
Its 512 GB of storage will fill up fast, so you'll either have to be happy with regularly switching between installed games from your library, or rely on an external hard drive to transfer backups. This laptop is loud, restrained, and heavy, but it will play your games, particularly so if they support NVIDIA's latest DLSS upscaling technology. If you're pondering the Alienware 15 on a budget because it's on sale, then I say go for it.
Alienware
15 (Ryzen 7 260, RTX 5050)
NVIDIA's GPU does all the heavy lifting, with DLSS upscaling helping this entry-level gaming laptop to keep up.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Back in 2023, T-Force by TeamGroup introduced its first Gen5 SSD solution, the CARDEA Z540. Based on the Phison E26 controller, this SSD offered up to 12.4 GB/s speeds, making it a solid option back then. At the moment, there are plenty of Gen5 SSD controllers in the market, Phison has its new E28 and E31T, the SMI SM2508 is doing great, and InnoGrit, along with Samsung, has its own solutions offering really fast storage capabilities on NVMe products. TeamGroup has also streamlined its product family over the years, now leveraging the G-series branding in "GE", "GC", and "GA". The […]
A former TSMC executive, suspected of taking the firm's trade secrets to Intel, has had his records on Taiwan's research institute's body removed, according to reports in the local media. The executive, Wei-Jen Lo, was TSMC's senior vice president for corporate strategy and development and he played a role in helping the firm mass produce its 5-nanometer, 3-nanometer and 2-nanometer chip manufacturing process technologies. Authorities began investigating Lo last year in November after he left TSMC following allegations that the former executive took proprietary company data to Intel. Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Removes Former TSMC Executive's Page Amidst […]
NVIDIA CEO, Jensen Huang, has arrived in Japan and will be holding key meetings with robotics partners to advance the Physical AI era ahead. Jensen Huang Arrives In The Birthplace of Humanoid Robots To Kickstart The Physical AI Era AI is a multi-domain market, and while Agentic AI is all the buzz these days, there's one other key market that is growing at a rapid pace with the evolution of AI: Physical AI. Robots are to Physical AI what humans are to Agentic AI. And NVIDIA has a vast robotics platform ready for the future. It is mainly powered by […]
The most exciting new Surface features in years are now available on a PC with a Snapdragon X processor. The Surface Laptop 8 for Business can now be purchased with a Snapdragon X2 Plus or Snapdragon X2 Elite.
For those who prefer a 2-in-1 over a traditional laptop, the Surface Pro 12 for Business (13-inch) is also available with a Snapdragon X2 chip. Like its clamshell sibling, the Surface Pro for Business also had an Intel model launch earlier this year.
The official names of the new PCs are "Surface Pro for Business 12th Edition" and "Surface Laptop for Business 8th Edition" but I've referred to them as the Surface Pro 12 for Business and Surface Laptop 8 for Business in this piece for ease of reading.
The standout feature of this year's Surface lineup is the privacy screen seen in the Surface Laptop 8 for Business. That display can be set to obscure content on your screen when people try to view it at an angle. It's similar to Samsung's screen on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
The built-in privacy screen of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business combats creeping eyes from all angles, as opposed to third-party privacy screen protectors that only work from the sides.
The Intel version of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business launched earlier this year and received high marks from our Editor-in-Chief. The vast majority of what makes that laptop great extends to the Surface Laptop 8 for Business with Snapdragon X2, which are now available to order.
The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is the only version with the built-in privacy screen. (Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
The haptic trackpad of the Surface Laptop 8 for Business is also a key addition. Thanks to a recent update to Windows 11, you can now feel the operating system and supported apps as you interact with them. Haptic buzzes occur when you drag files in File Explorer or perform certain actions.
The Surface Laptop 8 for Business is one of few devices to support the new haptic experience.
The new Surface Pro 12 for Business is largely a spec bump when compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon X2 chip inside delivers better graphics performance than the first-gen Snapdragon X.
The Surface Pro has matured over more than a decade of refinement, so it's hard to complain about Microsoft sticking with what works.
What's special about Surface for Business PCs?
When Microsoft first introduced Snapdragon X chips to its Surface hardware, a split was formed that saw Intel on business PCs and Snapdragon X on consumer hardware. That's no longer the case, since you can order Snapdragon X processors in consumer or business PCs.
Notably, there are no new Intel-powered Surface PCs for consumers in 2026.
Access to the cloud-based Surface Management Portal
Native corporate domain onboarding pathways during initial setup
Intel models available
Most of the features seen in the Surface for Business PCs are options general consumers would never use. The exception being the privacy screen that I wish was available on consumer versions of the Surface Laptop.
One key difference between the Snapdragon X2-powered Surface Pro 12 for Business and its Intel counterpart is that you can only get 5G connectivity with the Intel model.
Anyone can purchase a Surface for Business device. You don't need to own a business or have some sort of special account. But again, you're likely paying for unneeded features compared to the consumer Surface PCs unless you really need a privacy screen.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
CXMT's DDR5 memory has some major drawbacks versus DRAM modules from the big three, as ASUS highlights poor overclocking and worse performance. Motherboard Vendors Have Unlocked Over 8000 MT/s Speeds On CXMT-Based DDR5 Memory Modules, But The DRAM Is Inferior In Performance & Overclocking With the ongoing DRAM shortages, China's DIY PC market has started relying heavily on domestic memory solutions. We have seen brands such as Kingbank, Gloway, Lexar, and many more utilize CXMT DDR5 memory. As such, motherboard vendors have started offering optimized support for these modules. With strengthened BIOS support, these memory modules can now surpass 8000 […]
In a rare incident, a user found himself with the same problem as before, even though MSI was supposed to get the motherboard repaired properly. User Sends His Motherboard With Bent Pin for Repair; MSI's Service Partner, ASK, Sent It Back With Another Pin Bent Not everyone has the same luck when it comes to repairs, especially RMA under warranty. We have seen multiple times how vendors fail to provide proper repairs and replacement for products that are sent for the RMA service under their warranty periods. Similarly, a user expected MSI to repair his damaged motherboard, which was under […]
China's DFSX is working on fueling its domestic AI supply chain with next-gen 3.5D "Infinity Chiplet" architectures & 3D DRAM technologies. DFSX Is Working on China's First DF1000 AI Accelerator With 3D DRAM Technology, Also Unveils 3.5D+ Packaging DFSX recently hosted a presentation where they announced China's first 3D AI chip that is built entirely using China's domestic supply chain. There is a lot to unpack here, but the key product is the DF1000, which is a software-defined near-in-memory computing AI accelerator that will be used by domestic AI and tech firms. DF1000 - China's First 3D DRAM-Powered AI Accelerator […]
The newest and flagship ASUS Tandem OLED monitors have been officially released, including full specifications. ASUS Officially Launches ROG Swift OLED PG32UCWM and PG27UCWM Tandem OLED Monitors, Featuring Tandem OLED Coupled With TrueBlack Glossy Surface Popular hardware and peripheral manufacturer, ASUS, has officially released two of its best 4K OLED gaming monitors for retail, alongside revealing their full specifications. These are the ROG Swift OLED PG32UCWM and ROG Swift OLED PG27UCWM, which were introduced several months ago along with more OLED models. Both gaming monitors boast 4K resolution and offer dual mode configuration for enthusiasts, including 4K@240Hz and FHD@480Hz. The […]
NVIDIA & SEGA are celebrating 30 years of collaboration, as SEGA's "Legendary" gaming titles are announced for RTX Spark PCs. There Would've Been No NVIDIA Without SEGA, & Both Brands Celebrate Their 30 Long Years of Collaboration, Starting With NV1 To RTX Spark PCs NVIDIA's first graphics accelerator, before the term GPU existed, was the NV1. The 3D/2D chip was released back in 1995 and enabled the porting of classic SEGA games such as Virtua Fighter over to PC. From Troubled Beginnings to a 3-Decade-Long Collab The NV1 was the first and only chip to feature quadratic texture mapping, a […]
It's crazy how a six-year-old CPU can sell incredibly well, given it's based on an older platform. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Grabs Fourth Spot In Best Selling CPUs List On Amazon Despite Selling For $349 It's hardly been a month since the launch of AMD's Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th anniversary edition, and we are already seeing the CPU in the best-selling CPUs list at major retailers. It was obvious since the Ryzen 5000 series witnessed a good demand due to a large section of PC builders transitioning to the previous-gen AM4 platform due to the current RAMpocalypse. However, we didn't […]
ASML has confirmed that Intel is leveraging its High NA EUV technology to produce its Panther Lake chips on its most advanced 18A process node. ASML's High NA EUV Enters High-Volume Logic Production With Intel's "18A" Panther Lake Chips Today, ASML announced that its first High NA EUV "EXE" equipment has been installed at Intel Foundry and is being used to make the first Panther Lake 18A products. The first of these High NA EUV lithography machines was installed at Hillsboro, Oregon, R&D site back in 2024, making Intel the first company to install and pass acceptance testing of the […]
NVIDIA hosts a giveaway for Gears of War fans, offering custom wrap on the GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition. NVIDIA to Giveaway an RTX 5080 Founders Edition Inspired by Gears of War: E-Day Instalment Another Gears of War game is about to be released in a few months, which will be based on the origin story of the franchise. While the Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to launch on October 6, 2026, we have NVIDIA is already preparing for its launch by offering a free GPU to the lucky winner in the latest giveaway. The giveaway is a part […]
In a first-of-its-kind move, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state-level moratorium on data center construction. Hochul's decision follows growing concerns about the resource-intensive computing centers that are necessary to power what is being dubbed the next industrial revolution. Most AI data centers are powered by NVIDIA Corporation's GPUs, with the average data center requiring millions of gallons of water daily to perform efficiently. New York State Data Center Construction To Be Paused In Moratorium Being Signed Tomorrow In her statement, Governor Hochul outlined that the resource-intensive nature of data centers was at the center of her […]
Intel has reportedly secured some big wins with its 18A, 14A, and EMIB process / advanced packaging technologies, signaling massive interest in its Foundry business. Tech Heavyweights Are Lining Up To See What Intel Foundry Has To Offer As 18A, 14A & EMIB Technologies See Heightened Interest TSMC has so far been the only semiconductor manufacturer to offer bleeding-edge processes and packaging technology, but Intel has quickly emerged as a fierce competitor. Intel has only launched its 18A node, which is already achieving volume ramp, and is working towards its more advanced 18A-P (In Risk Production) and 14A nodes (Risk […]
NVIDIA's H200 AI GPUs are finally shipping to China, as reported by U.S. officials, marking the return of the banned chip. China Softens Its Position on NVIDIA GPUs As First H200 Shipments Now Headed To Chinese AI Firms The NVIDIA Hopper story in China has been a roller coaster ride so far. When Hopper was launched, US export restrictions for the Chinese market were in full swing. These pushed NVIDIA to release an export-compliant variant called the H20 for China, which ended up being severely cut down, but still a viable option against what China's domestic chipmakers had to offer. […]
This RAMpocalypse is getting worse by the day, making vital components for PCs like SSD units for storage and RAM chips for boosting performance cost hundreds of dollars by themselves.
During such a crisis, it's easier to find essential parts built into pre-made desktops. One such example is the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC, a compact form-factor desktop built for crushing heavy workloads while being capable of light to mid-level gaming thanks to its 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM.
Fortunately for workers and gamers alike, the Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC is now on a limited-time 29% discount for$594.00 at Best Buy (which is nearly half the price of a Steam Machine) just for today.
"The quality of Geekom’s build quality is exceptional, and right from the box the largely metal construction of the A7 Max is a delight." ~ Mark Pickavance, Writer at TechRadar
Why buy the the Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC over the Steam Machine?
The Geekom A7 Max AI mini-PC on display. (Image credit: Tech Radar (Mark Pickavance) | Geekom)
The Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC is a handy desktop for work and 1080p gaming on the side. It's equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS CPU, an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD (the latter two of which can be upgraded to 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, respectively).
With these specs, the Geekom A7 MAX Mini-PC will suffer little to no lag performing productivity duties like typing or opening internet browser tabs while being capable of running light indie games at 60fps and even some AAA games at 1080p resolutions/30fps (with FSR enabled) at medium settings.
Another notable feature of this mini-PC is its large number of USB and HDMI ports, which allow it to connect to four monitors simultaneously, making it incredibly useful for those who want to open multiple programs at once without having to juggle their positioning on a single screen.
So, if you want a compact-sized, desk-space-saving mini-PC to play light games like Minecraft or indie games like Mina the Hollower on the side while tackling never-ending paperwork at the office, the Geekom A7 MAX that's now$594.00 at Best Buy could be your next best workplace buddy.
Just be aware that this deal is only available until July 15, 2026, so think fast if you want to get it.
FAQ
Can it be upgraded?
Yes. The Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC's RAM can be upgraded up to 64GB via two SODIMM slots supporting dual DDR5 RAM and its storage space can be upgraded to 2TB max via inserting SSDs into its M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot.
Is it good for productivity?
Indeed it is, the Geekom A7 MAX AI Mini-PC was primarily designed as productivity desktop that chew through heavy office workloads like typing reports, creating spreadsheets, editing videos, researching information on the internet.
How many ports does it have?
The Geekom A7 Max AI Mini-PC features 15 ports which includes two USB4 and two HDMI ports so it can support multiple monitors at once, two ethernet ports, six USB-A ports for accessories, an SD carder and a 3.5mm headset audio jack.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
With the AI race in full swing, Samsung Foundry has reportedly secured a contract to manufacture Anthropic's AI chips. Anthropic has slowly shaped up to be one of the most important players in the AI industry courtesy of its advanced AI models. As the AI semiconductor sector remains highly concentrated, with the bulk of chips designed and sold by NVIDIA, major players such as Google, OpenAI and Amazon are designing custom chips. Samsung's deal with Anthropic is expected to allow the foundry business to return to growth, say the sources, and allow it to reverse a deficit. Anthropic to Purportedly […]
Despite NVIDIA's removal of the Hotspot temperature measurements, CPUID developers have deployed the feature to their popular hardware monitoring utility. NVIDIA Killed RTX 50 Hotspot Readings, but HWMonitor 1.65 Just Brought Them Back With Two Sensors While NVIDIA may have dropped the Hotspot temperature measurements from the Blackwell GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards, the sensors reportedly do exist. We saw how modders brought back the hotspot monitoring through modding, which revealed how some GPUs were thermal throttling despite showing normal average GPU temperatures. The GPUs, therefore, were affected by high hotspot temperatures, resulting in inferior gaming performance. The experiment […]
If you were waiting to buy AMD Ryzen's 10th Anniversary edition Ryzen 7 5800X3D, now is the best time. AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is Now Available for $349 on Newegg, Coupled With a Free MSI 240mm AIO Valued at $70 Right after the launch of AMD's Ryzen 10th Anniversary Ryzen 7 5800X3D edition, they started appearing on eBay for over $500. Even though the processor was officially launched for $349, scalpers tried to take advantage of this situation and started earning hundreds of dollars on the launch by relisting the CPU on eBay. Since the launch, the availability of the […]
Finally, a good change. This should now make the search content more relevant and less like a promotional window. Microsoft is Finally Cleaning up Windows Search, Removing Promotional Content Nobody loves the annoying promotional content in the Windows Search tab, which exists to solve users' queries. Thankfully, Microsoft is now removing it, addressing one of the biggest complaints about Windows Search. This will make users find the apps, files, and settings easier as this redesigns the experience to focus on what users actually want. The updated Search experience will now prioritize local results, allowing users to easily find the apps, […]
Qualcomm continues to flirt with gaming on its Snapdragon X processors. The latest update to Snapdragon Control Panel redesigns game library navigation, improves the software update experience, and helps you get the latest Hexagon NPU drivers.
The overall gaming experience on Snapdragon X PCs will be better following the update, though you won't see a graphics boost.
Snapdragon Control Panel is a piece of software that helps you optimize your gaming experience on PCs powered by Snapdragon X chips.
Redesigned Game Library navigation to be more consistent and intuitive, including clearer favorites add/remove behavior.
Redesigned the Software Update page with a consistent experience for Snapdragon Control Panel, Adreno GPU drivers, and Hexagon NPU drivers.
Improved update status feedback so users can more easily understand available updates and current installation state.
Removed the top-level back button to simplify navigation.
Expanded the clickable areas for items in the Help dialog.
Added support for saving and restoring the navigation sidebar state.
🧠 Hexagon NPU driver updates
Get access to the latest Hexagon NPU driver releases directly from Snapdragon Control Panel.
🎮 One-Click Game Optimization robustness improvements
Improved the reliability of One-Click Game Optimization workflows, including optimization, revert, and refresh behavior.
Note: One-Click Game Optimization is currently supported only on first generation Snapdragon® X Series devices.
🛠️ General improvements and bug fixes
Includes additional reliability, usability, and maintenance fixes across Snapdragon Control Panel.
Gaming on Snapdragon X PCs is in an interesting spot in 2026. It's very clear that Qualcomm aims for its Snapdragon X chips to power gaming PCs eventually, but most mentions of gaming on the processors feel reserved.
"Best Commuter Laptop: extreme performance for multitasking, gaming, and creation," reads the ASUS listing for the Zenbook A16 (emphasis added).
Just two months after unveiling the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Control Panel. That program lets users optimize game settings and update game drivers.
At some point, Qualcomm may fully embrace the gaming capabilities of Snapdragon X chips and make that a major part of its marketing. Until or unless that happens, the company will continue to work with partners to optimize gaming on Snapdragon X.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
The company just dropped another connector-less motherboard, but with the micro-ATX form-factor for compact builds. GIGABYTE Releases B850M AORUS Stealth Motherboard, Featuring 12 Power Phase VRM, 4x DIMMs, Dual PCIe x16 Slots, While Keeping the Rest of the Connectors at the Back Popular hardware maker GIGABYTE is silently expanding its Stealth lineup with more motherboard models. GIGABYTE's Project Stealth was introduced back in 2022, and since then, it has added several motherboard models in the series, including 600 and 800 series motherboards with different chipsets. The company has now introduced a new Stealth motherboard called B850M AORUS Stealth, which introduces […]
The latest special edition ROG Swift OLED gaming monitor is now available in both standard and stand versions in China. Popular Chinese Platform JD Lists ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-GR Edition 20 Gaming Monitor for Sale, Starting at $1327 Some of the ASUS ROG Special Edition 20 products are now getting listed for sale. We recently saw ASUS listing its ROG Astral RTX 5090 Edition 20 graphics card for a whopping $5,499 on the official store, making it one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, RTX 5090 from the company. While all the hardware in the lineup is […]
MSI has become one of the first motherboard makers to offer optimized CXMT DDR5 memory support on its Intel Desktop platforms. After AMD AM5, MSI Brings CXMT DDR5 Memory Support To Intel LGA 1851 Platforms, With Speeds Topping Past 8000 MT/s China is rapidly adopting its domestically produced memory to reduce reliance on offshore brands that are charging heavy prices for their DRAM solutions. As such, CXMT (ChangXin Memory Technologies) has become the go-to choice as it is the country's premier DRAM manufacturer. While there have been reports that CXMT has started supplying DRAM to global markets, those aren't true […]
NVIDIA Corporation is taking strict action to ensure that its AI GPUs only land in the hands of the right customers, reports the Financial Times. The action is to ensure that its chips do not reach China, and it follows increasing scrutiny by Taiwanese authorities on firms allegedly involved in shipping the chips to the Asian country. Previous reports have suggested that the Chinese government is interested in granting exemptions to some local firms to buy NVIDIA chips, even as firms such as Huawei claim to be able to achieve parity with Western technology in the future. NVIDIA Is Working […]
Kid-friendly tech company Pinwheel announced the launch of a new landline phone designed to let children stay connected without the distractions of a smartphone.
The highly anticipated upgrades to the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop just launched. Both PCs pack the latest Snapdragon X2 processors from Qualcomm, promising better performance while still delivering great battery life.
The biggest upgrade in the lineup is performance. Microsoft promises up to 53% faster graphics performance on the Surface Pro than the previous generation. The Surface Laptop sees an even larger bump of up to 58% when compared to the last generation.
Those improvements are thanks to the Snapdragon X2 processors inside the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.
Now, Best Buy has a wide range of configurations available for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. I've included a mix of various colors, storage options, and processors. But there are plenty of other configurations up for grabs if you want to mix and match.
The new chips from Qualcomm perform well and let your PC last all day. Exact performance will vary based on the full specs of a PC, but the Snapdragon X2 Elite competes with Apple's M4 Pro. The Snapdragon X2 Plus stands toe-to-toe with Apple's M3 Pro.
Benchmarks and spec sheets aside, any Surface with a Snapdragon X2 chip will handle a wide range of workloads and tackle productivity tasks easily.
While the Snapdragon X2 chips are the stars of the show, they're not the only upgrades worth checking out in the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro.
This Dune-colored Surface Laptop stands out in a sea of black and silver laptops. It does not come with Dave Bautista, but it does feature a Snapdragon X2 Plus.
This Surface Laptop has a 15-inch, 3K display with the 3:2 aspect ratio Surface is known for. It provides an excellent space to work without taking up too much space in your bag.
This is the best choice for those who love the Surface Pro form factor but don't need the most expensive processor or a massive amount of storage. It's the most affordable way to get the latest Surface Pro.
The first Surface Pro Flex Keyboard launched alongside the Surface Pro 11. The accessory is still the best way to use your Surface Pro like a laptop, and it can also be used when detached for even more flexibility.
The Surface Slim Pen 2 is excellent for natural note-taking and drawing, and it now supports Windows 11's updated haptic feedback experience to give you tactile cues while you navigate.
What's new with the latest Surface Pro and Surface Laptop?
(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)
There are more display options than ever across the Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro is available with either an OLED display or an LCD screen. The new Surface Laptop 15-inch has a screen with 262 PPI, which is much higher than the last generation offered.
But the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are more than a spec bump. While they share much of their designs with the last generation, both offer a new way to use haptics.
The Surface Laptop now features a haptic trackpad that allows you to feel Windows 11 and supported apps. The Surface Pro delivers a similar experience when paired with the latest Surface Slim Pen.
The new experience comes courtesy of Windows 11's new haptic feedback system. That system sends subtle vibrations when you perform certain tasks, such as dragging files in File Explorer or snapping windows.
The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro build on over a decade of refinement by Microsoft. The overall form factor has matured, but Microsoft has figured out how to squeeze innovation from designs that were already almost perfect.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
When it comes to productivity in the classroom, in the office, or even at home, HP's Omnibook laptops are among the best value-for-your-money Windows laptops.
The Omnibook 5 features an OLED 2K display, solid performance, a long-lasting battery, a sturdy build, and other useful features that help justify its cost, even amid a memory crisis.
And now, the 16-inch OmniBook 5 AI PC is on sale with a 26% discount for only $809.99 at Amazon.
With the power of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of storage, and Copilot+ PC certification, this 16-inch 2K laptop makes for an effective and reliable tool for handling daily workload tasks such as typing documents, hosting meetings, researching, and more.View Deal
Why buy the HP Omni 6 16" Next Gen AI PC?
The specs of the HP OmniBook 5 16" Next Gen AI PC. (Image credit: HP)
The 16" version that's on sale today features similar levels of computing horsepower but with a larger 2K OLED display capable of rendering images and videos with strong contrast.
This configuration of the HP OmniBook 5 is equipped with a Snapdragon X processor, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an NPU with 40-60 TOPS to support its built-in Copilot+ AI feature.
With these specs, this laptop will reliably and effectively run productivity tasks like reports or spreadsheets in Office, perform AI-related tasks like researching and compiling information online, open multiple browser tabs without lag, host video meetings, and more.
Other notable features of this laptop include a gargantuan estimated battery life of 34+ hours, a lightweight yet sturdy thin build that makes it easy to carry or store for long-distance travel, a built-in FHD IR camera, and pre-installed Otter.AI to automatically take notes during meetings (which I personally love as I'm regularly forgetting to take notes during fast-paced or long-winded conversations).
So, if you're looking for a dependable workhorse laptop, you can't go wrong with the HP OmniBook 5, especially now that it's on offer for $809.99 at Amazon instead of its usual listing price of $1,099.99.
FAQ
Is its RAM and SSD upgradeable?
The RAM is not replaceable and upgradeable due to being soldered into the laptop's motherboard. It's factory-installed SSD however, can be replaced with a larger one (up to 2TB) should you need more space for files.
Is it good for gaming?
No, not really, as the HP OmniBook 5 was built for productivity workflows, meaning it will struggle to run most PC games.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
A bombshell report from the Bank of America has just demolished the fallacy that new memory supply is just around the proverbial corner, with SK hynix now likely to bring online just around one-sixth of its initially envisaged production capacity additions by 2028. According to a Taiwanese memory chip industry insider, Samsung and SK hynix will only be able to bring their massive new fabs at Gwangju and Jeolla fully online after a decade We already know that South Korea's President, Lee Jae-myung, wants the country's memory capacity doubled by 2030, and has touted massive new fabs that Samsung and […]
Korean memory gains SK hynix is considering buying South Korean government bonds, according to a senior official. The report follows earlier news that had claimed that the memory company would bring back a portion of the funds generated through its American Depository Receipt (ADR) listing last week to its home country in order to invest in memory chip manufacturing facilities. The executive's comments come as the firm is expected to experience slower high bandwidth memory (HBM) price growth stemming from long-term supply agreements. SK hynix is Open to Shifting Some of Its Capital Into Korean Government Debt, Says Report SK […]
The upcoming firmware update will increase the CPU and GPU temperature threshold to reduce false overheating alerts. Valve Raises Steam Machine Red LED Temperature Warning to 100°C for Both CPU and GPU in the Upcoming BIOS Update Some reports suggested that users were reportedly seeing the Steam Machine's red LED indicator while stress testing or playing demanding games. While the built-in feature exists to protect the device from overheating and thermal throttling, the current limit is way lower than the max operating temperature of the hardware. As per a user's report, the light bar on his Steam Machine turned red […]
Both SSDs are now at a much lower price than they were selling three months ago, and make more sense than buying the previous-gen drives. Samsung 9100 PRO 1 TB SSD Drops from $320 to $249 in the Last Three Months; 2 TB Capacity Drive Also Received Nearly $100 Discount The current state of the SSD market is quite volatile. You never know when the prices might suddenly jump by another 20%. There is no stability in both the DRAM and SSD markets, and we continuously witness a rise in their prices, yet some SSDs are seeing noticeable price drops […]
Intel has invested €5 billion at its Ireland Fab34 to expand manufacturing of its "Intel 3" tech that will be used in Xeon 6 & Next-Gen Xeon chips. Intel's Key Data Center Fab In Ireland Gets €5 Billion Invested Towards Manufacturing, Will Be Used To Scale "Intel 3" For Xeon 6 & Next-Gen Xeon CPUs Today, Intel is announcing a €5 billion investment at its Leixlip campus, which is based in Ireland. This investment is part of a broader manufacturing expansion plan for the European region. The investment comes as the need for AI and high-performance chips is growing at […]
Another one bites the dust, but this one didn't die due to the common 16-pin connector burning out. Redditor Reports Unexpected Loud Pop and Crackling on His RTX 5090, Followed by Smoke Caused by a Short Circuit The NVIDIA RTX 5090 is one of the biggest victims of damage in the whole RTX 50 series GPU stack. It's power-hungry and mostly heavy when it comes to the AIB designs. While these are only a few factors that cause problems for the GPU, there are more flaws, especially on the connector side, which usually causes physical damage. Another report surfaced on […]
Furiosa AI is all set to double its chip production to 50,000 units as it preps its 2nm "Stork" chip to break NVIDIA's inference dominance. Furiosa AI Claims Its 3rd Gen "Stork" 2nm Chip To Feature The Best Inference Capabilities On The Market, Will Also Double The Production of 2nd Gen Chips Next Year To Break NVIDIA's Monopoly Back in May, Furiosa AI announced its third-generation AI accelerator chip called Stork for its RNGD (Renegade) platform. The chip is built on Broadcom's 2nm technology, and the startup claims it will challenge NVIDIA with leading efficiency and the lowest cost per […]
You don't need to buy the components separately if you are building a PC from scratch, or upgrading a few components. Get Ryzen 5 9600X, B650 Motherboard, and 16 GB DDR5 RAM for Just $544 on Newegg It might be one of the worst times to build a gaming PC, but you can still save some decent cash by shopping smart. If you opt for a bundle deal instead of purchasing the components separately, you can save a noticeable amount of cash, which you can invest in other hardware. For users who are looking to upgrade their processor and motherboard, […]
Tesla is all set to begin production of its AI5 chip on Samsung's 2nm process technology after a successful tapeout back in April. Samsung & TSMC To Produce Tesla's AI5 Chip With The Former Leveraging Its 2nm Capabilities Last month, Elon Musk announced the successful tape-out of its AI5 AI chip. Elon shared pictures of the chip, featuring a large primary die in the middle that will handle all of the compute and 12 DRAM modules on the outskirts, offering high capacity and efficiency-optimized bandwidth. The DRAM modules in the picture are from SK hynix, and while the DRAM SKU […]
Intel has unveiled its latest SoCs, codenamed Starfire, that offer space-grade survivability and are based on the 18A process technology. Intel Rolls Out Space-Grade "Starfire" Chips With 8 Cores, 18A Tech, & 10+ Years of Lifetime Space-grade platforms require extra engineering as they are built to withstand various aspects of space, such as exposure to radiation and extreme temperatures. Plus, these chips need to offer utmost levels of stability as space systems need to retain a steady operation throughout their life-cycle. As such, Intel has new space-grade chips ready for the market. Codenamed Starfire, the SoCs are manufactured in the […]
Building a gaming PC in 2026 has become considerably more expensive than it was only a year or so ago, and graphics cards are not solely responsible this time. The ongoing memory shortage has driven up the cost of all DRAM and NAND flash-based products, such as memory kits, SSDs, and graphics cards. For that reason, we consider approximately $1,000 to be the realistic starting point for a decent new gaming PC in July 2026. Even then, some compromises are unavoidable. Moving up to higher pricing tiers allows progressively stronger CPUs and GPUs, not to mention higher system memory and […]
In 2026, we live in the worst kind of memory crisis that the consumer market has ever faced. Some people call it the RAMmageddon, and others call it the RAMpocalypse. Whichever way you want to call it, one thing is set: shortages created by massive demand in the AI and data center segment have led to a severe hike in prices across all memory segments. This came at a time when memory speeds were seeing rapid updates. We saw speeds surge past 9000 MT/s, and some kits were hitting close to 10,000 MT/s. We saw the launch of CUDIMMs and […]
AMD's latest Radeon drivers silently added Multi-Frame Generation (MFG 8x) modes along with other FSR overrides, as exposed in RadeonTuner. AMD Seems To Be Cooking FSR MFG 8x (Multi-Frame Generation) Tech, Surpassing NVIDIA's MFG 6x Mode AMD has been teasing FSR Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) support for its Radeon GPU in the latest drivers for a while. The last FSR Redstone update saw preliminary support added to the ADLX FidelityFX SDK. Although MFG is not available across any Radeon GPU yet, the listed feature will allow users to select a desired frame generation ratio for "optimal performance & visual quality". This was […]
TSMC is facing a surge in AI chip orders using its advanced packaging technology, such as CoWoS, but competitors such as Intel are benefiting as the Taiwanese semiconductor powerhouse is unable to keep up with demand. Intel & Other Advanced Packaging Chip Manufacturers See Surge In Orders From TSMC Customers As CoWoS Unable To Meet Industry Demand AI and HPC chip demand has reached an unprecedented level, and the chips that are being built are based on some of the most advanced packaging technologies that the world has ever seen. Leading this advanced packaging race is none other than TSMC, […]
SK Hynix CEO has warned that memory shortages will be at their worst in 2027 as it celebrates its trading debut on Nasdaq in Times Square. Memory Supply Won't See Any Sign of Relief Beyond 2030 As SK Hynix Signals 2027 To Be The Worst Year In Terms of Shortages Well, memory shortages have gripped all aspects of the tech industry, and it seems to have become the norm these days. As the supply crunch continues, the CEO of SK Hynix, one of the three largest DRAM producers, has said that things are about to get much worse for the […]
The glasses are targeted at people who might be constantly in meetings, giving presentations, and traveling to countries where different languages are spoken.
I'm a big fan of Intel's laptop-centric mobile processors, and I'll jump at the chance to test more of its modern Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" range. Acer isn't my usual go-to manufacturer for Windows laptops, but it's one that has pleasantly surprised me in the past. So, is the Swift Go 16 AI worth your money? Here's what I thought after a week of testing.
How much does the Swift Go 16 AI cost?
That color-accurate OLED panel maxes out at 60Hz, but it looks gorgeous for everyday productivity. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
You can buy the Swift Go 16 AI for $1,599.99 from Acer.com with the same specs as my sample and in the same color. However, at the time of writing, a cheaper listing at Best Buy for $1,399 offers a lighter-colored "Vapor Silver" variant with the same CPU, RAM, and storage components.
In the United Kingdom, a listing on Acer.co.uk for £1,299.99 cuts the RAM and storage to 16GB and 512GB — half of the US equivalent — and is not currently listed at any other major retailer. Importantly, the UK variant does not include an AC power adapter (charger), due to Acer's sustainability pledge.
Swift Go 16 AI sample specifications
Component
Spec
CPU
Intel Core Ultra 7 355
RAM
32GB LPDDR5X-7467MT/s
GPU
Intel Graphics (Integrated)
Display
16" 16:10 WUXGA (1920 x 1200) non-touch 60Hz OLED
Storage
1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD
Battery / Charger
71WHrs / 100W USB-C
Weight
2.95 lbs (1.34 kg)
Recommended model
Pick up the same model from my testing, with only a different color on its chassis, and save your cash. You'll still get 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.View Deal
Is the Swift Go 16 AI a good laptop?
A relatively subtle pattern covers the lid, giving the Swift Go 16 AI a sense of identity.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralI strongly recommend removing the stickers, but the rest looks clean.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
My first impressions of the Swift Go 16 AI were quite positive, as the 16-inch laptop weighs around 2.95 lbs (1.34 kg) and is quite thin at 150mm (200mm with the rubber feet). That's lighter and thinner than a 16-inch MacBook Pro, presuming Apple doesn't include rubber feet in its own measurements. The chassis lid is also reasonably subtle, with a dark, reflective 'Acer' logo alongside geometric lines in its design.
The illuminated 'Swift Series' logo is actually a mode switcher that changes the touchpad to tappable media buttons and video meeting controls when you swipe a finger over it.
So, despite being larger than the 14-inch laptops I'm used to, it's off to a good start as the lid opens with a single finger to reveal a vibrant OLED panel and a backlit keyboard with a number pad. Plus, the 0.68 in (175 cm) mechanical trackpad has a clever quirk in that the illuminated 'Swift Series' logo is actually a mode switcher that changes the touchpad to tappable media buttons and video meeting controls when you swipe a finger over it.
Traditional ports galore; I'm happy to see USB-A in particular for my mouse dongle.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralA physical 3.5 mm audio jack supports wired headphones, and I'd strongly recommend using it.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
It's entirely optional, and you can disable the touchpad mode switching in the pre-installed AcerSense companion app if you want to, along with the specific logo backlight. There's a key beside F12 dedicated to that specific app, and then another, configurable 'My Key' that can launch just about anything, including apps, Windows commands, or a direct web link to Windows Central. Otherwise, the Copilot key lights up when it detects NPU activity — clever.
The webcam is impressive for a built-in option, with Windows Hello compatibility for facial-recognition logins and Human Presence Detection (HPD) to optionally lock the screen if I walk away or even dim the brightness when I look away. A multi-microphone array pairs well with the camera, making me sound remarkably good in meetings, to the point where I wouldn't bother traveling with a plug-in alternative.
Does the Swift Go 16 AI have any issues?
A disappointing array of pre-installed adds and third-party bloatware junk will need manually removing. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
My list of downsides is quite short, but it splits into hardware and software gripes for the Swift Go 16 AI. The former is the smallest, as some chassis flex around the keyboard and screen is a byproduct of making such a thin laptop, but the lackluster speaker performance is disappointing for a 16-inch model. Audio isn't terrible, but the slight hint of bass response doesn't hold up to music or cinematic videos.
The software experience suffers from heavy bloatware — advertisements are pinned to the taskbar while the Start menu includes more.
For the latter, the software experience suffers from heavy bloatware. Advertisements for Booking.com, Dropbox, and a mobile game, Forge of Empires, are all pinned to the taskbar upon first boot, while the Start menu includes more games like Elvenar, a third-party Solitaire, Amazing Block Blast, Google Play Games beta, and McAfee. I'd recommend uninstalling it all, leaving only Acer's self-made apps.
Finally, the touchpad exhibits a subtle delay in cursor movement, which feels stranger the more I use it. While it won't be obvious to everyone, I noticed this "mouse lag" from the start, and switching from my Surface Laptop Go 2 to the Swift Go 16 AI makes it even more apparent. It's not the end of the world, but it's enough to deter me from making this my primary laptop. Again, its impact will vary between users, but it's worth highlighting.
How fast is the Swift Go 16 AI?
Panther Lake does offer high-performance "H" CPUs, but the standard Ultra 7 355 is still strong.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralUnder extended CPU stress, others move ahead, but the Ultra 7 355 performs well enough.Ben Wilson | Windows CentralAcer is generous with a particularly speedy SSD in the Swift Go 16 AI. Great storage.Ben Wilson | Windows Central
Cinebench results show Acer moves slightly ahead of Lenovo in extended multi-core stress testing, presumably owing to its larger chassis and more substantial CPU cooling solution. The opposite is true in burst performance benchmarks in Geekbench 6, but the single- and multi-core scores are within a comparable window.
If you buy the Swift Go 16 AI, you'll get a capable laptop that boots quickly and performs well.
It's a decent effort, and it places where it should. On top of that, Acer includes an NVMe PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive that hits over 7,000 MB/s read speeds, putting it firmly in my self-appointed "fast" category that helps simplify the numbers for anyone who doesn't care to know about SSD speeds. If you buy the Swift Go 16 AI, you'll get a capable laptop that boots quickly and performs well.
Battery life
The 71 Whr battery in the Swift Go AI (detected as 71,031 mWh) delivers what I would call "all-day" performance, even if it slightly underperformed compared to my expectations for another Intel Panther Lake-based laptop. PCMark 10 tests repeatedly failed, so generating a battery report in Windows 11 was my best indicator, showing estimates ranging from 8 to 14 hours on a full charge.
I kept the display at around 82% brightness as I worked on the Swift Go 16 AI, a value that targeted 250 nits based on my colorimeter tests. The OLED panel maxed out at 300 nits and achieved 100% sRGB color accuracy, plus 100% of the P3 and 91% of the Adobe RGB gamuts. So, the Swift Go 16 AI has a beautifully color-accurate panel, but not an especially bright screen.
Should you buy the Swift Go 16 AI?
It might look plain at a glance, but this Acer offering is actually quite impressive under the hood, despite some minor gripes. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)
You should buy this if ...
✅ You want an affordable but modern OLED laptop
✅ You're a hybrid worker with regular video meetings
You should not buy this if ...
❌ You're looking for a dedicated content creation or gaming PC
Acer offers a great range of modern features in the Swift Go 16 AI, including one of Intel's latest Core Ultra Series 3 processors with fantastic power efficiency, 32GB of plentiful RAM, a vibrant OLED display, and a great webcam with presence detection. That alone makes it an attractive option, but extras like its huge, quirky touchpad also help offset its downsides.
There are strong competitors in the current Windows laptop landscape, but Acer has pleasantly surprised me with what otherwise seemed like yet another AI-centric Copilot+ PC. You get a fast CPU, fast RAM, fast storage, and even fast Wi-Fi 7 — extremely capable components inside an otherwise pedestrian chassis. It's already tempting, but future discounts will make this one irresistible.
Acer
Swift Go 16 AI
It's better suited for indoor work than for outdoor use, but ultimately, it's a quality laptop with strong performance for a good price.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
In 2026, we live in the worst kind of memory crisis that the consumer market has ever faced. Some people call it the RAMmageddon, and others call it the RAMpocalypse. Whichever way you want to call it, one thing is set: shortages created by massive demand in the AI and data center segment have led to a severe hike in prices across all memory segments. This came at a time when memory speeds were seeing rapid updates. We saw speeds surge past 9000 MT/s, and some kits were hitting close to 10,000 MT/s. We saw the launch of CUDIMMs and […]
It doesn't happen that easily, but if it does, you are one of the luckiest members of the PC Master Race. Redditor Orders Ryzen 7 7800X3D for an Upgrade, Retailer Sends Him Ryzen 7 9800X3D Instead It has been a while since we have published surprising hardware stories, but since these are occasional, we don't get to hear about them much. Many reports we published previously show how some users get extremely lucky in securing a free piece of hardware or a much better one than they ordered. This is exactly what happened to u/jackinets, who was confused between the […]
Several new monitors were debuted, featuring different display technologies with high refresh rates for gamers. HKC Reveals Specs for RGB Mini LED Gaming Monitors at BW2026, Offering Dual Mode Configuration; Also Debuts an IPS Dual Mode Monitor for the Budget Segment In the ongoing Bilibili World 2026 event, popular display maker HKC has introduced several new gaming monitors for enthusiasts. The company has revealed the specifications of its first RGB mini LED gaming monitors, which it debuted at the Computex 2026 event. These were two displays that were based on the RGB Mini LED technology, offering exceptional color volume. RGB […]
While GPUs are selling for nearly 20-30% higher than their official MSRPs, the RX 9070 GRE is the only one for below MSRP. GIGABYTE Gaming RX 9070 GRE 12 GB Drops Below MSRP on Newegg Through $50 Discount Code Graphics cards have become pricier due to RAMpocalypse, and almost every store now sells them at least 15-20% higher than their official MSRPs. The DRAM situation has made things worse for the GPU market, but you may still find a great deal once in a blue moon. The Radeon RX 9070 GRE that launched last month was met with criticism due […]
It's been three years since the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards launched. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies, so AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series. AMD also introduced both X870 and B850 series chipsets for high-end and mainstream AM5 motherboards. Both of these chips provide brand-new designs and brand-new features […]
Team Red has unveiled limited edition products for Valorant fans and eSports enthusiasts at BW2026. AMD Unveils VCTCN 2026 Collector's Edition, Including 9800X3D, RX 9070 XT, a Gaming Laptop and a Desktop PC at Bilibili World 2026 AMD has officially introduced a new collection of limited-edition gaming hardware at the Bilibili 2026 event, which is currently being held in Shanghai. The new hardware set is inspired by the Valorant Champions Tour China, aka VCTCN 2026. This was announced during the AMD Carnival Hour presentation at the event, where AMD collaborated with TJ Sports to reveal several game-themed hardware products for […]
Mods have unlocked NVIDIA's GPU Hotspot measurement on the RTX 50 series, which can give you a clue why your latest card is running at lower performance. NVIDIA Removed GPU Hotspot Measurement From RTX 50, Focusing On Average Temperatures, But The Latter Masks Your Thermal Throttling Problems Starting with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 "Blackwell" generation, NVIDIA dropped GPU Hotspot measurements. According to reports from TechPowerUp and the creators of the GPU-Z tool, NVIDIA had allegedly removed the Hotspot sensor from its latest GPU, which led to incorrect readings in popular diagnostic and real-time monitoring tools such as HWMonitor, HWiNFO, […]
AMD presented new research at the I3D Symposium titled "PEPS: Positional Encoding Projected Sampling", introducing a new method for positional encoding that can improve neural texture compression. How Does Neural Texture Compression Work? Neural Texture Compression works by training what are known as INRs, or “Implicit Neural Representations,” to learn coordinate-to-signal functions. By projecting texture coordinates into a higher-dimensional embedding and feeding this information to a multi-layer perceptron, it's possible to represent and compress textures significantly. PEPS: Positional Encoding Projected Sampling PEPS introduces a new method to improve the efficiency of this process by changing how positional encoding is used. […]
PC gaming handhelds have become a vibrant segment that is seeing continued innovations thanks to modern-day CPUs' ability to deliver outstanding performance and efficiency. All major hardware manufacturers are into the handheld craze. Compared to the first iteration of handhelds, these newest devices offer a lot of gaming performance backed up by unique designs and shapes/sizes that cater to all kinds of gamers. Now, Intel is going all-in on the gaming handheld segment, not just rebranding a chip made for power-efficient laptops, but introducing a purpose-built handheld SoC called the Arc G series. The first of these SoCs is called the […]
The CXMT DDR5 memory chips appear to be mature enough to be pushed beyond 8000 MT/s easily. Colorful Pushes CXMT-Based iGame Shadow II DDR5 Memory Kit to 8600 MT/s on iGame X870E Vulcan Motherboard In the past few days, a few memory and motherboard makers have tried to push DDR5 memory kits using the CXMT memory chips beyond what they would usually operate at. Previously, CXMT-based DDR5 memory kits would often max out at 6000 MT/s, and this cap was recently removed, beginning with MSI, which unlocked up to an 8200 MT/s speed on a B850 chipset motherboard, thanks to […]
In a surprising move, China has decided to restrict global helium supplies. The export ban appears to be blanket, but given China's limited market share of the global helium industry, it is unlikely to cause significant disruption in the semiconductor fabrication industry. Estimates from the US Geological Survey suggest that the US is the world's leading helium producer and is followed by Qatar, Russia, Algeria, and Canada. China's Helium Export Ban Could Create Tightness In Global Semiconductor Fabrication Industry Helium is used in several key phases of semiconductor fabrication. These include different categories of deposition, cooling the wafers, and etching. […]
Dumb Co sells flip phones that sync to your smartphone, bridging the infinite connectivity of the iPhone and the unrealistic limitations of an early 2000s relic.
Summer is taking a heavy toll on us all. Not just because of the heat, but also because of rising tech prices across the board, driven by RAM-hungry AI and other economic factors.
Fortunately, Dell has come to cool off the frustrations of PC gamers and desk workers alike with a collection of advanced laptops, desktops, and monitors now on sale for a limited time, such as a 46% discount on the Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming laptop for $1,729.99 at Dell and a 38% discount on the Dell 14 Plus Laptop for $859.99 at Dell, to name just a couple.
The Dell 15 Laptop is simple yet effective for tackling light workloads, whether it's searching for info online or writing up documents, thanks to its Intel Core i5-1334U CPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB SSD.View Deal
"It’s not perfect... but for the price and the performance on offer the [Dell] 14 Plus is easily one of the best Windows laptops going, and should be at the top of the list for students, remote workers, and just about anyone else who needs a solid notebook PC without breaking the bank." ~ John Loeffler, Components Editor at TechRadar
The Dell Tower Desktop is a mighty PC that will plow through intensive workloads thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 265 processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 1TB SSD, making it an ideal companion for office workers or those at home.View Deal
The Dell Slim Desktop offers similar high performance and install space as the Dell Tower Desktop, but with a more compact design, so it doesn't take too much space on your desk.View Deal
"The Alienware Aurora laptops target the mid-range with great all-around performance and a practical design, and the more powerful 16X makes some smart upgrades to justify its added cost." ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer,
"The Alienware 16 Area-51 stands out with an eye-catching design that sets a tough standard for competitors. Underneath, it delivers impressive gaming performance, an excellent keyboard, and capable speakers." ~ Ural Garrett, Staff Writer at TechRadar
"Designed to keep up with any task you throw at it, the S3225QC has brilliant contrasting and picture quality, and is perfectly suitable for design tasks, casual use and even as a multi-purpose display with its integrated speakers and AI spatial audio calibration." ~ Zachariah Kelly, Staff Writer at Tech Radar
"The Alienware AW2725D is everything an OLED gaming monitor should be for less money than the competition. With tons of color and premium performance, it will satisfy all players from casual to professional." ~ Christian Eberle, Contributing Editor at Tom's Hardware.
The Dell 14 Plus Laptop, Dell 15 Laptop, Dell Tower Desktop, Dell Slim Desktop, and Dell 32 Plus 4K Monitor are best suited for productivity tasks as they were built specifically for rendering images with crisp detail, typing words and spreadsheets fast, and opening multiple browsers while researching info online without suffering performance hiccups.
Which are good for gaming?
The Alienware 16X Aurora and Alienware 16 Area-51 laptops, along with the Alienware 27 Gaming Monitor, are the best devices for PC games, as they are designed to help them run at high graphical settings while boosting frame rates for smoother gameplay.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Alienware makes gaming laptops and desktops, sure, but the line I enjoy looking at most is its QD-OLED gaming monitors. They're immensely popular after being the first to market in 2022; they're generally well-rated, and they're usually competitively priced.
One of the most popular Alienware gaming monitors is the AW3425DW, and it has now received a significant update for 2026. Dell let me get my hands on the new AW3426DW ultrawide monitor early so I could get a true feel of what it's like, and I'm here to share my thoughts on whether or not it's worth a buy.
Dell had no input, nor saw the contents of this review, prior to publication.
It's worth noting that the older model is currently sitting at $649.99 after a $150 discount, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that price drop stick around now that the new model is here.
Here's a closer look at the specs that make up the Alienware AW3426DW.
Alienware AW3426DW
Size
34.18 inches
Panel
Samsung QD-OLED Penta Tandem (RGB stripe, 5-stack)
Resolution
3440x1440
Refresh rate
280Hz
Response time
0.03ms
Peak brightness
1,300 nits
Typical brightness
300 nits
HDR
HDR10, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, Dolby Vision
The main change arrives for the Quantum Dot-Organic Light Emitting Diode (QD-OLED) panel. It's using Samsung's new fifth-genPenta Tandem tech that was revealed earlier this year, which the company says has twice as long a lifespan as well as 1.3 times better brightness. Text should be easier to read, and there are improvements to dark colors in bright ambient light. More on that below.
Alongside the higher brightness, the monitor now has an anti-reflective coating to better combat glare. And, finally, the refresh rate has been raised from 240Hzto 280Hz.
What I like about the Alienware AW3426DW
The small Alien head and the power button are the only RGB elements you'll find. (Image credit: Future)
From a purely design standpoint, the Alienware AW3426DW hasn't changed much compared to the AW3425DW. Its case has a pleasant Interstellar Indigo color scheme, with minimal interruptions on the back panel.
An Alienware head logo is off to the left of the stand, and there's the secondary AI logo on the other side. These logos are surrounded by venting, altogether offering a clean look.
For a bit of extra jazz, the Alienware head has customizable lighting. The same applies to the monitor's power button on the bottom edge of the casing.
The front of the monitor features Alienware branding, and that's basically it. Bezels are nice and slim, and the rounded stand seems like a perfect pairing.
I like the bubbly, rounded look of the AW3426DW's stand. (Image credit: Future)
On that note, the stand is plenty sturdy. It doesn't offer much rotation (this is an ultrawide, after all), but there's enough tilt and swivel to keep me happy. If I were keeping the screen, it'd go onto my MSI dual-arm VESA mount thanks to 100x100mm compatibility.
All OSD settings are controlled with a single joystick. There are a ton of menu options to play around with should you want to tweak the picture, and the monitor includes quite a few presets for different tasks and gaming styles. You can also change shortcuts for easier control.
The OSD menu is controlled with a single joystick.FutureOSD menu controls in the Alienware AW3426DW are quite extensive.FutureOSD menu controls in the Alienware AW3426DW are quite extensive.FutureOSD menu controls in the Alienware AW3426DW are quite extensive.Future
Smart HDR, Dolby Vision, refresh rates, and much more are all customizable. You can choose how the monitor handles multiple inputs. And, for those who game and work on the same screen, I'm happy to report that the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) and Picture-by-Picture (PbP) features work flawlessly.
The older AW3425DW's OSD menu, or "Command Center," had issues with freezing and closing randomly, but I've not seen those issues in the newer AW3426DW model.
How is the Alienware AW3426DW's color and brightness?
It's hard to convey through photos how great the Alienware AW3426DW looks. (Image credit: Future)
Thanks to the new fifth-gen QD-OLED panel, Alienware's flagship line of ultrawide gaming monitors has never looked better.
One of the biggest complaints about the older model was that black colors often appeared purple when in a bright room. That's been significantly improved here, and it seems that no matter how much light is falling on the screen, dark colors remain dark.
This latest model includes a new anti-reflective finish that Dell says reduces glare by up to 30%. I can't test for that precisely, but I can say that the only time I had issues with glare was in a sun-drenched room with direct light hitting the screen. If you're in an office or a gaming room, you should have no issues.
The Alienware AW3426DW's brightness and contrast readout. (Image credit: Future)
It also helps that brightness has gone up from a 250-nit cap to 300 nits. Whereas the AW3425DW tested for roughly 252 nits of brightness, I saw the AW3426DW hit 330 nits in SDR, and it goes up to about 1,300 nits with HDR enabled. This additional brightness pushes its HDR certification up to VESA DisplayHDR 500.
You can see for yourself the brightness, color, contrast, and white point ratings in the above chart that I pulled from my SpyderX Pro colorimeter.
(Image credit: Future)
Color reproduction has actually improved slightly compared to the previous generation. Whereas we previously tested for 97% P3 and 94% AdobeRGB coverage, the new model hits 99% and 95%, respectively. It otherwise remains at 100% sRGB.
Is Alienware's AW3426DW good for gaming?
You're going to love gaming on Alienware's AW3426DW. (Image credit: Future)
Thanks to a curved panel, an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio, a 3440x1440 resolution, a 280Hz refresh rate, and a 0.02ms response time, the Alienware AW3426DW is an outstanding gaming monitor.
The resolution hits the sweet spot for most gamers, and once you go ultrawide, you'll find it's very hard to go back to a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 280Hz refresh rate has plenty of ceiling for high-end performance hardware, and it's fast enough that you shouldn't mind using it for competitive titles.
Because it's an ultrawide with room for (at least) three separate windows, it's also great for productivity. Text is easier to read with this generation of QD-OLED panel, and you might be surprised at how crisp everything looks if you're coming from an older model.
What I dislike about the Alienware AW3426DW
Ports on the Alienware AW3426DW are a bit more limited than I'd like. (Image credit: Future)
There's not much to dislike about this monitor from a display quality standpoint. But there are some drawbacks you should know about before buying.
The port selection is notably a bit lacking. There's no 3.5mm audio jack (and no built-in speakers), and for data, there's just USB-C (15W) and USB-A, feeding off an upstream USB-B port.
Alienware's AW3426DW is easy to love, whether you're gaming or working.
Video inputs include dual HDMI 2.1 with Fixed Rate Link (FRL) for uncompressed 4K@120Hz gaming, but the single DisplayPort is 1.4 standard with Display Stream Compression (DSC). Some newer monitors are shipping with DP 2.1 with less compression, and I'd say it only really matters for enthusiasts.
Should you buy the Alienware AW3426DW?
Alienware's AW3426DW is an outstanding gaming monitor, but it's also handy for productivity. (Image credit: Future)
You should buy this if ...
✅ You're looking for a competitively priced ultrawide gaming monitor featuring fifth-gen QD-OLED tech.
✅ You have a gaming PC that can handle a 3440x1440 resolution and that can make use of a 280Hz refresh rate.
You should not buy this if ...
❌ You're a competitive gamer who mostly plays at a 16:9 aspect ratio.
❌ You just want a QD-OLED ultrawide and don't care about the generation (go with the AW3425DW from last year that's now usually cheaper).
I loved my time with the Alienware AW3426DW, and it's something I'll recommend to anyone who's searching out a new QD-OLED ultrawide for gaming.
The 280Hz refresh rate is perfect for most people, the fifth-gen panel is better than ever, and the overall design is sleek and balanced.
Although some might complain that the port selection isn't generous enough or that the RGB lighting is lacking, others might not mind those drawbacks nearly as much.
And considering how many perks the monitor has, it's easy to see why this line of monitors from Alienware is so popular. I have to return the review sample, but the AW3426DW is at the top of my list for when it comes time to upgrade.
Penta Tandem
Alienware
AW3426DW
Alienware's AW3426DW makes several important upgrades over its predecessor, including a new Penta Tandem QD-OLED panel that ups brightness, improves color, and makes text easier to read. It's an outstanding option for work and for play, just as long as you can live with the (minor) downsides.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
So when Microsoft killed off the Surface Studio, I was incredibly sad. Although I never really used the Surface Studio's unique canvas hinge, I did very much enjoy its design and display, and so when the time came to replace it, I was never entirely satisfied with my options. I moved to the HP Envy 32, then the HP Envy 34, before switching to a Lenovo Yoga AiO 32 line last year.
I've been happily daily-driving my Lenovo Yoga AiO 32 for over a year, and while it looked good on a desk, it wasn't a head turner. Well, it appears Lenovo has taken that criticism to heart, as the follow-up is a complete redesign that puts sexy front and center.
The new Lenovo Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition is a true sight to behold. Complete with a transparent display chin that incorporates RGB lighting, a new upside-down V-shaped stand that's unlike anything I've ever seen, an incredibly thin but capable computer built into said stand, and the best display I've ever seen on an all-in-one.
I've been daily driving this AiO for the last three weeks, and this is my full review.
This review was made possible via a review sample supplied by Lenovo. The company had no editorial input and did not view the contents of this review before publication.
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition: Price and specs
Prepare to be mesmerized by its design. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
The Lenovo Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition is a mouthful of a name, but it does make it easy to find online. You can find the device available for purchase directly on Lenovo's website for an eyewatering $3,097.99. There's only one configuration available, so there's no wiggle room on that price for now.
That configuration comes with an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, paired with 32GB RAM and 1TB m.2 SSD storage. It also includes the Intel Arc B390 GPU, which drives the incredible 32-inch 4K OLED panel at 165Hz. Unfortunately, there are no configurations with a dedicated GPU from NVIDIA or AMD.
Lenovo's new Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition is a sight to behold, complete with a unique design that features a transparent display chin with RGB lighting, the best 4K OLED I've ever seen fitted to an AiO, and incredible performance. View Deal
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition specs
Specification
Details
Processor
Intel® Core™ Ultra X7 358H (E‑cores up to 3.50 GHz, P‑cores up to 4.80 GHz)
Wireless Mouse; Wireless Helios Gen 2 Keyboard (Seashell, English US)
Connectivity
Wi‑Fi 7 2×2 BE & Bluetooth® 5.4
Warranty
1 Year Mail‑in
Color
Seashell
Xbox Game Pass
Included
Part Number
F0JK0009US
Price
$3097.99
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition: What I like
These ports and buttons are easily reachable on the side. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
In a word, the Lenovo Yoga i AiO 32 Aura Edition is sexy. It's probably the best-looking desktop computer you can buy right now, and that's thanks to its absolutely insane design that places the entire computer in the stand that holds the screen up, allowing the display to take all your attention.
From a normal sitting position, you can't even see the stand. Unlike traditional stands that have a base that sits on the desk, the AiO's stand is more like a kickstand, with the weight of the display leaning against the stand, and the bottom of both the stand and the display chin making contact with the desk to form an upside-down V shape.
This is unique on its own, but when paired with the awesome-looking transparent display chin, the result is an all-encompassing 4K OLED display that looks like it floats. It's honestly super mesmerizing, and with the built-in RGB lighting enabled that shines through the transparent chin, the whole thing just looks amazing.
That RGB lighting can be controlled via Lenovo's included Vantage app, or by Windows itself using Microsoft's new Dynamic Lighting feature. This is the first time I've been able to use Windows 11's native RGB controls, and they're quick and awesome. You have a number of settings, including gradients that let you choose two colors to alternate between, and it's overall very easy to set up.
The transparent chin is a sight to behold. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
It's an incredibly eye-catching design that will turn heads whenever someone who has never seen it before comes across it. While the light-up chin is the first thing they'll notice, the second thing they'll be blown away by is the sheer quality of the 4K OLED display that sits on top of it.
This 32-inch 4K OLED panel is amazing. It's a true 10-bit panel at 165Hz, making Windows animations and scrolling look super smooth and games feel incredible to play. This is undoubtedly the best display you can find on an all-in-one PC right now, blowing the iMac and the last-gen Lenovo 32-inch AiO out of the water.
This is undoubtedly the best display you can find on an all-in-one PC right now, blowing the iMac and the last-gen Lenovo 32-inch AiO out of the water.
Colors simply pop on this screen. It's also incredibly color accurate, with a 99% DCI‑P3 and 100% sRGB rating making it great for video editors and photo artists. It's plenty bright, with up to 1,000 nits peak brightness in HDR content too. The display is surrounded by thin uniform bezels, with a metal frame that's cold to the touch and feels incredibly premium.
On the right side of the display is a USB-C port, which makes plugging in flash drives and other peripherals super easy and convenient. There's also a 3.5mm audio jack on this same display edge, which is nice for plugging in headphones. The rest of the ports are located on the stand, most of which are at the very back.
There's a door that covers this USB-A port. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
On the stand, you'll find a single USB-A port on the side of the stand, which is designed for a wireless keyboard and mouse dongle (but you can plug anything into it) behind a door. On the back, there are two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and that's it. I do wish there was maybe an additional USB-A and USB-C port, and an Ethernet jack wouldn't have gone amiss either.
Along the top of the display is a 16MP webcam that looks great and is a significant upgrade over the last gen Lenovo AiO. It's much clearer, and Windows Hello face unlock works a little faster as a result. There's a webcam kill switch on the right side of the display that's easy to reach for when you don't want anyone looking at you.
The AiO comes with a nice keyboard and mouse as well. These are automatically paired with the PC when you unbox, as the wireless dongle comes plugged in from the factory. The keyboard is hefty but premium-feeling, featuring a chiclet-style typing experience that's quiet yet satisfying.
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition: What I don't like
It's pretty even from behind. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
Unfortunately, there are some things about the Lenovo Yoga AiO 32 Aura Edition that aren't my favorite. While this device is overall amazing and I would recommend it to pretty much anyone, that does come with a few caveats.
First of all, the design of this computer does have a few trade-offs. Firstly, the space required to set up the computer optimally on your desk is a significantly larger area than your usual AiO that sits on a normal stand with a base. The upside-down V-shape nature means that to angle the screen comfortably, you need to widen the gap between the two points of contact on the desk.
This isn't going to be an issue if you have a large desk, but for those on smaller desks, you might find the display ends up being slightly too close to you, or the stand ends up uncomfortably close to the edge of the desk. The underside of the stand is covered in a grippy texture, so it won't slide anywhere, but it's still a little unnerving.
It's incredibly thin. Where even is the computer? (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
You also lose usable desk space with this design. Sure, you can put things behind the display between it and the stand if you wanted, but that would mean you'll need to reach around the display whenever you need access to whatever it is you've put behind it. Plus, the transparent chin means you can see all the mess behind there at all times.
On the subject of that transparent chin. I love it, I really do, but my goodness, is it a dust and fingerprint magnet. Be prepared to be cleaning it on the daily. I don't know how fingerprints even end up there, as I'm never actively touching the chin, but somehow I'm always cleaning them off.
On this new model, you have no choice but to get up, lean around the display, and fondle your way into plugging your peripheral in. It's quite annoying.
This design also results in the position of the ports being really difficult to reach. While there is a single USB-C port on the side of the display, which is super easy to access and great to have, all the other ports are on the stand, most of which are at the back on the very bottom. This makes them basically impossible to reach when sitting in front of the display.
I complained about the position of the ports on the last-gen AiO from Lenovo, but at least on that device you could reach through the display stand to get to the ports from a sitting position. On this new model, you have no choice but to get up, lean around the display, and fondle your way into plugging your peripheral in. It's quite annoying.
These speakers have a problem... (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
I'd also argue that for a device being targeted at creators, it's quite lacking in the port section. There are just two USB-C and three USB-A ports on the whole device, four of which are on the back. Plus, there's no Ethernet jack for wired internet, and no SD card reader of any kind. I do wish that it had an SD card reader at the very least.
The last thing I don't like about the AiO is the built-in speaker system. In my testing, I can't help but think there's something wrong with them. Whenever the audio channel is open, an audible hissing/whooshing noise is present. This noise is present regardless of the audio being played, but is more noticeable when the volume is on medium or low settings. It's even audible when the device is muted and an audio track is playing, and it goes away entirely when the audio channel is closed.
It's so noticeable that I reached out to Lenovo to request a new review unit, thinking mine was defective, only to find the second sample has the same problem. So, I don't know if this is a hardware defect or something that can be fixed via firmware updates. I couldn't tell you what's causing the noise, but it is there.
If you've ordered one of these AiOs, let me know if this issue is present on your unit, or if I just somehow received two defective models back to back. This problem is easily solved by using an external set of speakers, which is what I do, completely bypassing the built-in speaker system. Still, it's not something you should have to put up with when paying this amount of money for a device, so if yours has this issue and you're unhappy, be sure to return it.
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition: Performance
The transparent chin does have logos etched into it. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
This AiO is one that strikes a perfect balance between performance and quiet operation. This thing is whisper-quiet for 99% of the time you'll be using it, with the fans only spinning up under heavy sustained load for long periods. Even when on full blast, the fans aren't offensively loud.
Powered by the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Core Ultra Series 3) and Intel Arc B390 GPU, this AiO is well equipped to handle your usual day-to-day tasks, as well as high-intensity tasks such as video and photo editing, rendering, and 3D modeling. It's even a competent gaming machine, though I wouldn't buy one for dedicated gaming.
This thing is whisper-quiet for 99% of the time you'll be using it, with the fans only spinning up under heavy sustained load for long periods.
The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H CPU is where this machine truly shines, flexing massive numbers in multi-threaded tasks thanks to its advanced architectural efficiency. With a Geekbench single-core score of 2,851 and a multicore score of 16,964, it breezily handles heavy multitasking, AI workloads, and complex data processing.
In everyday productivity, it achieved a CrossMark score of 2,128, which means it has snappy execution across office applications. For rendering workloads, the Cinebench benchmarks reveal a single-core score of 501 and a robust multicore score of 4,927. The device has minimal thermal throttling, and as mentioned above, rarely gets loud.
The Yoga logo sits proud in the middle of the transparent chin. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
The inclusion of the Intel Arc B390 GPU elevates this machine beyond your usual standard integrated graphics. It's a highly efficient, modern graphics solution that I'd describe as more than good enough for light to moderate gaming, intensive content creation, and smooth video editing. Here are our 3DMark benchmark results:
Benchmark
Score
Performance Context
Night Raid
48,631
Excellent for esports and casual titles
Time Spy
7,793
Solid DX12 performance for 1440p gaming
Time Spy Extreme
3,630
Handles moderate 4K workloads
Steel Nomad Light
5,633
Great lightweight cross-platform performance
Steel Nomad
1,100
Pushes the integrated graphics to its limit
It's clear that the Intel B390 isn't going to be great at running the latest games at their highest settings at 4K 120Hz, but bumping things down to medium-high graphics settings and 1080p or 1440p will result in a perfectly fine gaming experience, which should be more than enough for those who are only gaming casually on their PCs.
Games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection or Hitman run great on the AiO. Cyberpunk 2077 also runs really well when set to 1440p high settings. Older games like GTA V run at high frame rates with all their settings maxed out, even at 4K. So it really will come down to the kind of games you play and how graphically intensive they are.
The Intel B390 is a step above your typical integrated graphics, but it's no dedicated GPU from NVIDIA or AMD. So expectations should be tempered if you're looking to game. Most modern games should run more than fine if you set their graphics settings to medium 1080p. It's fair to say the Intel B390 is better served for content creators, being an excellent GPU for rendering video, 3D models, and more.
The Intel B390 is a step above your typical integrated graphics, but it's no dedicated GPU from NVIDIA or AMD.
I do wish Lenovo offered the PC with the option of being configured with a dedicated GPU, as the B390 on its own might be disappointing for some, especially at these prices.
The last-gen flagship Lenovo Yoga AiO featured an NVIDIA RTX 4050, which provides roughly the same level of performance as the Intel B390, but I've found that some games run slightly better with smoother frame rates on the older NVIDIA card. So we're not seeing any real performance upgrades across generations, outside of the fact that the Intel B390 is a more efficient GPU overall.
For storage speeds, the CrystalDiskMark results are top-tier, clocking in at an impressive 7,008.27 MB/s read and 5,807.32 MB/s write speeds. This should mean boot times, app loading, and file transfers stay nice and fast.
Conclusion
I mean, c'mon. Just look at it. (Image credit: Zac Bowden / Windows Central)
You should buy this PC if...
✅ You want a beautiful Windows all-in-one
✅ You want one of the best OLED displays on a Windows PC
✅ You're a creator who focuses on video and photo editing
You should not buy this PC if...
❌ You have a small desk
❌ You frequently need to plug in and unplug peripherals
❌ You rely heavily on built-in speakers
❌ You're a hardcore gamer who wants to game
Overall, I believe the Lenovo Yoga i AiO 32 Aura Edition is an almost perfect all-in-one. It's definitely at the top of the list when it comes to an aesthetic design point, but those design choices aren't without their own minor annoyances. For me, I'm happy to sacrifice easy port access in exchange for sheer beauty.
With that said, there's clearly a problem with the built-in audio setup on two of the units I tested. Once again, I'm hoping that this issue is software-related and can be fixed via a firmware update. Some may not even notice the hissing noise, but it's very audible and distracting for me.
The lack of a dedicated GPU option may also upset some people, especially those that are wanting to game. While the Intel Arc B390 is good, it's by no means great, especially for the over $3,000 you'll be paying for this PC new.
Those issues aside, I have to say that this AiO is the first one I've used since the Surface Studio that has blown me away. It's just jaw-droppingly good to look at, and it's something I'm proud to have sitting on my desk. There's nothing boring or corporate about it; it's simply mesmerizing.
The design, paired with the glorious 4K 165Hz OLED panel and great performance under the hood, results in an incredible experience at a high cost, which unfortunately can't be helped given the ongoing component pricing crisis. If Lenovo is able to get the speaker issue sorted, this device is a clear winner in my book.
Lenovo
Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition
Lenovo's new Yoga AiO i 32 Aura Edition is a sight to behold, complete with a unique design that features a transparent display chin with RGB lighting, the best 4K OLED I've ever seen fitted to an AiO, and incredible performance.
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Dell's laptops can be pricey, especially in this turbulent economy. Still, the vast majority live up to their high asking prices thanks to their sleek, portable designs, strong performance for daily productivity and creative projects, and long-lasting batteries.
The Dell Pro 16 laptop is no exception, and its steep $1,529.00 listing price has been taken down a peg to $1,229.00 at Dell for a limited time.
Cut through mountains of daily workloads with the Dell Pro 16 laptop. This configuration is armed with an Intel Core Ultra 5 235U vPro CPU and 16GB of RAM for solid performance rates, a 16" FHD display for crisp visuals, and 512GB of install space.
A full render of the Dell Pro 16 laptop (Image credit: Dell)
The Dell Pro 16 laptop has received much praise from over 1,059 customers on Dell.com (average rating: 4.5), citing it's top of the line build-quality, performance, and features. And of those, 828 were perfect 5-stars from customers who bought it.
This configuration we're spotlighting is armed with an Intel Core Ultra 5 235U vPro CPU and 16GB of RAM, which enables it to boot up as quickly as a fingersnap and operate productivity apps like Microsoft Office and open multiple tabs in web browsers like Microsoft Edge with ease and no performance hiccups.
Not to mention it has a sleek design that can take a lot of punishment while being ultra-thin enough to carry in most travel bags with minimal issue for easy portability.
Other notable features include a large 16" FHD screen so you can see images and text with clear definition so you perceive them better, a built-in camera so you can host video calls at 1080p+30fps, an optional fingerprint scanner during checkout to add extra security, and a respectable battery life of roughly 9 hours before needing to recharge.
So, if you're looking for a premium-grade laptop that can topple any productivity obstacle thrown at it so you can clock out of work early, then the Dell Pro 16 could be your next best ticket out of the office.
FAQ
Is its RAM and SSD upgradeable?
The Dell Pro 16 uses DDR5 RAM which can be removed and installed with a different one up to 64GB. Same goes for its factory-installed SSD which can be replaced with a larger one that fits the laptop's M.2 slot.
Is it good for gaming?
Generally, no, as it's built for office work tasks like typing documents, collating spreadsheets, and researching info online rather than playing video games. So, if you try to run AAA PC games on it, they will either struggle to load properly or only function at their lowest graphical settings.
What ports does it feature?
The Dell Pro 16 includes a USB-C, a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-A 3.2 ports (one with PowerShare), an HDMI 2.1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack port, a RJ45 Ethernet port, a power-adaptor port, and an optional contacted smart card port.
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The ongoing memory crisis has taken a heavy toll on tech, forcing PC prices to rise regardless of how much we need them in our daily lives, whether that's communicating with family or working with remote colleagues millions of miles away (or simply watching Netflix).
But we'll always find deals on a range of Windows laptops so you can enjoy fast performance, crisp displays, and sizeable storage that regularly drop below $1,000, with this recent collection being a prime example.
This roundup includes the speedy and reliable Dell 14, now 43% off at $699.99 at Dell (list price $1,229.99), or the most budget-conscious ASUS Vivobook 14, now on sale for $519.99 at Amazon (list price $639.99).
"This laptop is the perfect all-rounder for my studies and professional work, offering a seamless experience that has completely transformed my daily productivity. It is incredibly fast, handling dozens of browser tabs and demanding multitasking without a hint of lag, while its near-instant boot-up times make it reliable for jumping straight into meetings or lectures. The build quality is exceptional yet light enough for easy portability." ~ Sandile, customer review
"The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a great convertible laptop option for those on a budget (like students) who want more performance and functionality than you'd find in a Chromebook, but its display is lackluster, which might be a dealbreaker for some." ~ John Loeffler, Components Editor at TechRadar
"The Asus Vivobook 14 won’t win hearts, but it will quietly help you meet deadlines with a focus on ergonomics, decent mid-range performance, solid battery life and an affordable price." ~ Jason England, Managing Editor at Tom's Hardware
"Lenovo's 16-inch Yoga 7i 2-in-1 has strong positives for travelers who refuse to compromise on screen size and would benefit from a transforming screen." ~ Ben Wilson, Senior Editor
"The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x is a remarkably cheap laptop, yet it delivers good performance and amazing battery life in a slim, elegant chassis with a comfy keyboard." ~ Stevie Bonifield, Writer at Tom's Guide
You generally can't add more RAM to many of these modern laptops, as the memory is usually soldered to the motherboard (LPDDR). Where applicable, models with SO-DIMM memory can be upgraded. You can, however, often add extra storage space by replacing internal M.2 SSDs with larger ones or by connecting external SSDs.
Are these laptops good for gaming?
No. The laptops in this roundup are primarily designed for productivity tasks, not for PC gaming, so they were never intended for intensive AAA titles.
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