<![CDATA[ Latest from PC Gamer AU in Gaming-laptops ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/au/hardware/gaming-pcs/gaming-laptops Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:49:06 +0000 en <![CDATA[ Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/asus-rog-zephyrus-g16-2026-review/ D9HRoAXmmbE9a5yRWs2wFL Fri, 07 Aug 2026 15:49:06 +0000 Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:49:47 +0000 false false false

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 is a fantastic 16-inch gaming laptop. There you go, review over, we can all go home. But wait, because it's got a serious flaw that should make you hold your fire before pressing the order button. And that flaw, as those familiar with the ongoing memory crisis may have already guessed, is the price.

Asus has sent me a 64 GB LPDDR5, RTX 5080-equipped machine for testing, and the same-specced model is currently listed for an astonishing $4,800. Cheaper models with more reasonable amounts of RAM are available—but even the 32 GB, 1 TB version is currently listed at Best Buy for $4,400.

I'm sorry, but that's simply too much to pay for an RTX 5080 gaming laptop. Even one as lovely as this. Particularly as the phenomenal Razer Blade 16 (2026) in RTX 5080 trim is $400 cheaper, with the same Intel Panther Lake-based chip.

If you can find the new G16 for the same money as the Razer Blade 16 during the sales, the choice becomes a lot more difficult. The Asus machine is a worthy competitor, what with its excellent chassis design, stunning 240 Hz OLED display, and superb portability. It's a gaming laptop I've enjoyed testing, particularly as it's capable of knocking the MSI Stealth 16 AI+ for six in certain gaming benchmarks.

Better still, it's got excellent battery life. This is a machine I would happily take on the road with me, gaming in bliss as I go. But when it's this expensive, I can't give it the wholehearted recommendation my heart desires.

Money matters, and when the G16 is listed for such teeth-chattering prices, I have to dock some precious points off the score.

The memory crisis has affected gaming laptops particularly badly in recent months—and by the looks of things, it's not going to get better any time soon. My hope for the G16 is that the sales periods will bring it down to more reasonable figures, in which case you'll find me shouting its virtues from the nearest rooftop. But as things currently stand? It's simply too pricey to gain a top spot.

Buy if...

✅ You've got the cash to splash: If money is no object, then the new Asus G16 is a fantastic gaming laptop well worth considering. The Razer Blade 16, however, is the better of the two.

✅ You want something truly portable: As 16-inch gaming laptops go, they don't come much more backpack-friendly than this.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're on a budget: I hate to keep hammering the same point home, but the price is truly eye-watering.

❌ You want ultimate frame rates: Concessions need to be made in a slim and light gaming laptop—and while the G16 is a great performer in its class, bulkier models will likely outpace it in the gaming benchmarks.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) features

An Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop next to a benchmarking rig

(Image credit: Future)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 tested specs

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025)

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

Intel Core Ultra 9 285H

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (160 W Max TGP)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (120 W Max TGP)

Memory

64 GB LPDDR5X-8533

32 GB LPDDR5X-7467

Storage

1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Expansion slots

2x M.2 NVMe (one used)

2x M.2 NVMe (one used)

Display

16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED, 240 Hz

16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED, 240 Hz

Dimensions

35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49 ~ 1.79 cm | 13.94 x 9.69 x 0.59 ~ 0.70-inches

35.4 x 24.6 x 1.49 ~ 1.79 cm | 13.94 x 9.69 x 0.59 ~ 0.70-inches

Battery

90 Whr

90 Whr

Weight

1.95 kg (4.3 lbs)

1.95 kg (4.3 lbs)

Price

$4,800

$3,600 (64 GB model) / £3,400

The new Zephyrus G16 looks much the same as the old model, but under the hood it's had some significant tweaks. The largest of which is the addition of a Panther Lake-based Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, the same as you'll find in the new Razer Blade 16.

It's a 16-core chip, breaking down into four Performance cores, eight Efficient, and four Low Power Efficient beasties. As with the new Blade, that core loadout might seem a little underpowered at first, but the Core Ultra 9 386H makes a compelling case for itself as a powerful gaming CPU tucked inside a slim laptop frame.

My particular review sample comes with a ludicrous 64 GB of LPDDR5X-8533, paired with a… 1 TB SSD. I'm not sure who'd spec out a G16 this way, as I'd much rather have half the RAM and double the storage space, which is more traditional for a high-powered gaming lappy. Still, that's what Asus sent me, so that's what I'll be testing.

An Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 shot from various angles on a test bench
Future
An Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 shot from various angles on a test bench
Future
An Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 shot from various angles on a test bench
Future
An Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 shot from various angles on a test bench
Future

The 2026 G16 comes in many flavours, with up to an RTX 5090 crammed within its aluminium chassis. This one's got an RTX 5080 mobile, with a raised TGP of 135 W compared to the older model's 120 W limit. It can be pushed all the way up to 160 W in Manual mode within the Asus Armory Crate software—but I've mostly tested it at 135 W in Turbo mode, as your average user isn't likely to dive too far into the manual settings.

That being said, on paper, it's an impressive max power limit for such a slim and sleek machine.

It's still one of the best-looking (and feeling) super-portable 16-inch gaming laptops you can buy

Asus has made a few tweaks to the keyboard, too. The deck has been reinforced to prevent flex, and the keycaps now have an anti-fingerprint coating, which feels rather grippy underneath my fingertips.

The hinge also uses two torsion springs to make it easier to lift, which is a nice touch. It's full of little bits of refinement, sprinkled on top of what was already an excellent design.

A close up of the keyboard of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026

(Image credit: Future)

The 240 Hz OLED panel has also received some attention, as it now features a peak brightness rating of 1100 nits and VESA TrueBlack 1000 HDR certification. It's a sumptuous 1600p display, and a rival to the Blade 16's similarly-specced screen.

Overall, the G16 looks and feels near-identical to the old model when you pass it around in your hands. It's still got a large slash of tasteful LED lights on the lid, it's still one of the best-looking (and feeling) super-portable 16-inch gaming laptops you can buy, and this new version has received some tasty hardware upgrades. A strong start, I would say.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 performance

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) sitting on a test bench

(Image credit: Future)

At 1080p, the new G16 puts on a good showing against the other RTX 5080-equipped, slim-as-you-like gaming machines in my charts—although the much chonkier Legion Pro 7i looms menacingly at the bottom.

Still, the fresh-faced Asus lappy is often significantly faster than the old model. This becomes obvious in our CPU-heavy Baldur's Gate 3 test, where the new Panther Lake chip beats the older Core Ultra 9 285 H quite handily.

1080p gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1080p resolution

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
52
39
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
50
44
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
55
32
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
66
44
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
68
38
020406080
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H52 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H50 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H55 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H66 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX68 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
The 2026 version of the G16 handily beats its predecessor in every benchmark at 1080p, and often beats the similarly-specced MSI Stealth 16 AI+ to boot. The much-chonkier Lenovo, however, wins the day overall.

It also scorches ahead in Black Myth Wukong, beating the new, similarly-specced MSI Stealth 16 AI+ by a massive 29 frames. In fact, it's only eight frames behind the new RTX 5090-equipped Razer Blade 16. Admittedly, the G16 still gets mopped up by the Razer in many of my other benches, but still. Small wins for the 135 W RTX 5080 mobile, and all that.

1600p gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1600p resolution

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
31
24
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
28
21
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
34
22
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
39
30
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
40
28
010203040
Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H31 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H28 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H34 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H39 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX40 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS

At 1600p, the 2025 G16 catches back up to its younger sibling in several of my tests. We're now out of CPU limited territory and into a zone where the GPUs can more freely compete, and as a result the mere 15 W difference between the two Asus machines means they track fairly closely. Apart from BG3, of course, which still takes all the CPU grunt you can throw at it.

The MSI Stealth, however, finds a sudden burst of speed in the Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition benchmark, jumping ahead of both G16s by a full six frames in the averages. It's still way off the pace in Black Myth, though, albeit slightly ahead in Cyberpunk 2077.

Small wins for the 135 W RTX 5080 mobile, and all that

And yes, it's time to talk about those two beasts lurking at the bottom. Our Razer Blade 16 sample might be an RTX 5090-equipped monster, but it's worth mentioning that it's available for the same cash as this particular spec at the time of writing. It's got the G16 firmly licked in three of my benchmarks, although pulls roughly level in the averages in BG3 and Black Myth.

And then there's the rocketship that is the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10. It's not a slim model, and it's got pretty awful battery life, as we'll see in the charts later. But I've thrown it in as an example of what a much less portable, full-fat gaming laptop can do when pushed to the limit. Dare I point out it's significantly cheaper, too? Food for thought.

Real-world gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1600p resolution with Quality upscaling enabled, and frame gen. where applicable

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
95
79
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
85
48
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
97
53
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
112
75
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
124
83
037.575112.5150
Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra + Quality upscaling, 2x FG) Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H95 Avg FPS, 79 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H85 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H97 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H112 Avg FPS, 75 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX124 Avg FPS, 83 1% Low FPS
Interestingly, with upscaling enabled, the MSI Stealth 16 AI+ inches ahead of the new G16 by a few frames on average. It's still miles off the pace of the Razer and Lenovo machines, though.

Turn on the upscaling (and frame gen, in certain benches) and something rather interesting happens. The MSI Stealth 16 AI+, a lappy that's performed rather inconsistently across our gaming tests up until now, suddenly comes out on top versus the other lightweight RTX 5080 machines—at least when it comes to average frame rate.

It's not by a whole lot when compared to the new G16, and the MSI's 1% lows are often all over the place, but still. Not too shabby. And yes, the Blade 16 and the Lenovo rule the charts once more.

It's a lot of cash for these sorts of frame rates, even if the portability factor is off the charts

The Razer lappy stomps ahead by 15 frames on average in Cyberpunk, but the Lenovo goes another 12 frames further than that. It's a shame it's harder to shove one in your shoulder bag, isn't it?

Overall, it's a fairly impressive set of gaming results for the new G16. However, the price of this particular model keeps ringing in my ears. Yes, it's got 64 GB of RAM, and yes, the 32 GB version is $400 cheaper. But squaring these prices relative to the performance? It's a lot of cash for these sorts of frame rates, even if the portability factor is off the charts.

CPU performance

CPU performance figures taken from the Cinebench R24 single-core and multi-core benchmarks

Cinebench 2024

Multi-core index score
Single-core index score
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1215
124
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
1171
125
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1221
124
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1200
124
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
2039
138
07501,5002,2503,000
Cinebench 2024 Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1215 Multi-core index score, 124 Single-core index score
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H1171 Multi-core index score, 125 Single-core index score
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1221 Multi-core index score, 124 Single-core index score
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1200 Multi-core index score, 124 Single-core index score
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX2039 Multi-core index score, 138 Single-core index score
The 2026 Asus G16, MSI Stealth 16 AI+, and the Razer Blade 16 all have the same CPU, and it's pleasing to see how closely they track with each other. The mighty 24-core chip in the Lenovo, however, flexes its muscles once more.

Hey, look at all those near-as-makes-no-difference Cinebench figures. All the Core Ultra 386H chips perform almost identically here, although the elder Core Ultra 9 285H in last year's G16 creeps ahead by a single point in the single-core scores, and drops slightly behind in the multi-core index figures.

Cinebench R24 can be a little twitchy, so I reckon if I ran all our Panther Lake machines through these benchmarks hundreds of times, you'd see them trade places by small amounts. One thing I would bet on, though, is that the 24-core Arrow Lake chip found in the Legion Pro 7i would beat them all no matter what.

Again, what we're seeing here is the difference between a chonky gaming laptop, and an ultra-portable machine. Larger chassis designs mean better airflow, and that means more thermal capacity for fire-breathing, ultra-fast components.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 thermals

A close up of the badge on the top of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

(Image credit: Future)

One of my major issues with the 2025 version of the Asus G16 is the fan noise. That might sound slightly odd, as all gaming laptops can make a racket when pushed to their limits; however, the old G16 liked to spin up its fans at a moment's notice. Then spin them down again. Then back up. Then… you get the idea.

There was also a high-pitched, whiney note that sang out over the top of all the whooshing air, which proved rather irritating over a full working day. Thankfully, the 2026 G16 has no such issues, which makes it much more civilised to live with. It still sounds like a hairdryer in Turbo mode, but again, pretty much all gaming laptops do.

Real-world gaming temperatures

Gaming temperature results recorded during multiple Metro Exodus EE runs

Gaming temperatures

Avg CPU (°C)
Max CPU (°C)
Avg GPU (°C)
Max GPU (°C)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
72
98
69
77
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
74
81
68
72
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
92
100
81
87
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
82
98
62
77
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
94
105
74
79
037.575112.5150
Gaming temperatures Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H72 Avg CPU (°C), 98 Max CPU (°C), 69 Avg GPU (°C), 77 Max GPU (°C)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H74 Avg CPU (°C), 81 Max CPU (°C), 68 Avg GPU (°C), 72 Max GPU (°C)
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H92 Avg CPU (°C), 100 Max CPU (°C), 81 Avg GPU (°C), 87 Max GPU (°C)
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H82 Avg CPU (°C), 98 Max CPU (°C), 62 Avg GPU (°C), 77 Max GPU (°C)
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX94 Avg CPU (°C), 105 Max CPU (°C), 74 Avg GPU (°C), 79 Max GPU (°C)
The new G16 is great at keeping its GPU cool, although the Panther Lake CPUs in each of our Core Ultra 9 386H machines like to run hot. The big Arrow Lake chip in the Lenovo is the toastiest of them all, though.

Not only is the G16 much quieter during day-to-day usage, but it's pretty good at keeping its GPU cool during gaming. The Core Ultra 9 386H, however, likes to run fairly hot when given the opportunity, as you can see across all our Panther Lake-chipped laptops.

You can also start to see where the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i gets its extra performance from. Its CPU is beefier, and occasionally jumps well over the 100 degree mark—while its 175 W RTX 5080 also likes to suck down power and turn it into heat, as well as frames.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 battery life

The Intel and Nvidia badges on top of the inner deck of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

(Image credit: Future)

The new G16 manages an impressive 117 minute gaming battery life figure, sending it to the top of my chart. It's only five minutes more than the older model, but I'd still say that's a pretty good win. It's also relatively light on the battery during a regular working day, which means I haven't felt the need to lug the charger around as often as I would with other gaming laptops.

Gaming battery life

Results recorded in the PCMark 10 gaming battery life test, with screen brightness set to 50% and Wi-Fi disabled

PCMark 10 gaming battery life test (minutes)

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
117
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H
112
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
104
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
102
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX
73
037.575112.5150
PCMark 10 gaming battery life test (minutes) Data
ProductValue
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H117
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2025) | RTX 5080 (120 W) | Core Ultra 9 285H112
MSI Stealth 16 AI+ | RTX 5080 (125 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H104
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H102
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275HX73
The G16 reigns supreme in the gaming battery life stakes, and it's clear to see the portable advantage of our slim and light laptops over the much chonkier, slightly old-school Lenovo.

That 117 minute result equates to 13 minutes more than the MSI Stealth 16 AI+, 15 minutes more than the Razer, and a massive 44 minutes longer than the Lenovo.

Again I'm reminded of why you might want to sacrifice gaming performance for portability, beyond the convenience of shoving a slimmer machine in your bag. The Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 may be a lot quicker, but it's got a lot of disadvantages over the Asus G16, too.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 aesthetics

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 and the Razer Blade 16 back to back

(Image credit: Future)

The aluminium G16 has always been one of my favourite laptop designs, and little has changed with the 2026 model. This version's silver-y frame (Eclipse Gray, if you ask Asus) is tastefully neutral to behold, looking more like an executive business laptop than a gaming machine.

Which means it'll look as good in the boardroom as it does on your desk. Many modern gaming laptops overplay their hand when it comes to the gamer aesthetic, which can leave you feeling like a bit of a plum when you want to answer some emails in an airport departure lounge.

No such worries here. The only hint that the G16 might be a gaming model comes in the form of the font on the keyboard, which still looks like it'd be better suited to a Star Citizen control panel than an all-business laptop design. I doubt anyone will really notice, though.

A close up of the ROG Nebula OLED screen on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

(Image credit: Future)

All this being said, if I had to pick the best looking laptop of the current crop (and the one with the better keyboard, thanks to its longer, more positive switch travel) it'd be the Razer Blade 16.

The Asus is a very pretty gaming laptop, but the Blade 16 is just plain purposeful. Moody, even. And as a tempestuous so-and-so myself, I like that. Plus, the Razer's trackpad is a little nicer to use, even if the G16's is also rather good.

The G16's 240 Hz ROG Nebula OLED panel, though, is a genuine competitor with the Blade's similarly-specced model. It's lush, vibrant, and delivers pretty much everything you could want out of a gaming laptop display. Sitting the two side by side, it's quite difficult to tell which has the better screen of the two.

Perhaps the Blade, if I was really pushed. Still, the G16 has nothing to be ashamed of in the display department.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 software

(Image credit: Asus)

The Asus Armoury Crate software package isn't the most straightforward of affairs, I have to admit. Still, the switching options between power modes are easy to find, and a click on an image depicting the laptop itself (which isn't as obvious as it sounds) leads to plenty of extra options for customising the lighting, process handling, keybinds, and more.

The home page shows real time info for the CPU, GPU, and memory, along with readouts for the fan speeds. There's also a "Playground" menu in the sidebar that allows you to sync the lighting between various Asus products, adjust wallpapers, and all that sort of jazz.

If I had a major critique of the software (and Armoury Crate is far from alone in this regard), it's that it feels very… bitty. All the info and customisation options you can think of are in here. Somewhere. If you look hard enough.

A straightforward selection of menus, rather than a host of buttons, toggles, and sliders scattered all over the shop, would make the whole thing gel together a little more seamlessly.

(Image credit: Asus)

There's also a greyed-out "Manual" power option, which is adjusted via a separate menu. Here you can tweak the CPU and GPU clock speeds, along with the option to boost the TGP of the latter all the way up to a 160 W top limit. The Asus reviewer's guide recommends you do this with the fan speeds pegged at 100%— which, as you might expect, is very loud.

Armoury Crate also provides you with a warning screen as you confirm the settings, absolving Asus from any responsibility if things go wrong. Which is enough to make you cross your fingers when you're testing the limits of a $4,800 gaming laptop, let me tell you.

An overclocking warning from the Asus Armoury Crate software

(Image credit: Asus)

We don't normally test overclocked gaming laptops beyond the Turbo or standard Maximum presets, but I put in my earplugs and ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark regardless.

At top wattage settings (and at 1600p with DLSS Quality and 2x frame gen. enabled) this resulted in a 99 fps average, with 83 fps 1% lows. Essentially, a four fps gain in terms of average frames over the 135 W Turbo mode.

I also recorded an 84 degree peak from the GPU during the benchmark, which seems a little on the hot side to me. The marginal gains, plus the very loud fans and toastier peak GPU temps, don't endear me to the whole idea of messing with the GPU wattage in a machine this slim. It's a nice option to have, but I'd stick to the presets if I were you.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 value

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 and the Razer Blade 16 side by side

(Image credit: Future)

And so we reach a crucial point. The concept of "value" and the term "gaming laptop" are two very difficult things to square in 2026, and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 2026 is a prime example of why. It's a lovely machine, and one I wish I didn't have to mark down over such trifling concerns as, y'know, money.

But the facts are simple. My review sample is $4,800, and that's far too much to pay for an RTX 5080 lappy. Even if it does come with 64 GB of RAM, for reasons that still elude me.

Luckily, the 32 GB version is a fair bit cheaper. I've found one for $4,400 at Best Buy, although it's still got a somewhat-miserly 1 TB SSD. For this sort of cash, I'd definitely be wanting more room for my games—and I'd want it included as part of the package, rather than having to make a pricey component upgrade for myself.

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 off to the side of the Razer Blade 16

(Image credit: Future)

Here's another issue. The Razer Blade 16 2026, a laptop that, in my estimation, is even more desirable than the G16, is available in a RTX 5080 + 1 TB SSD config for $4,000. That's a $400 saving over the equivalent G16, and far from chump change. Plus it's got the same Intel chip, another excellent OLED panel, and a chassis, keyboard, and trackpad design that's got the G16 2026 beat. Even if it's just by a nose.

In previous years, both the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 and the smaller, 14-inch G14 have been recurring entries on our gaming laptop deals page. I know, because I'm the one that updates it. Often, RTX 5070 and RTX 5080 variants have dropped down well below the $2,000 mark, and that's made them fantastic value for what you end up receiving.

If you can find one with a healthy discount? Go for it.

This time around, though, I've got a feeling it might be different. The memory crisis continues to rip its way through the gaming laptop market, and I don't think we're likely to see such heavy price reductions on these new 2026 models.

Unless they stop selling entirely, or you're prepared to wait for the Black Friday sales. It's a hard thing to judge, but I don't think I've got that small crumb of comfort to lean on—at least not in the same way I might have done previously.

All of which is to say, I think the G16 is a fantastic high-end gaming device, with a gorgeous OLED display and plenty to recommend it for. But it's hugely over-priced as things stand, and that's a fatal flaw hanging over the head of what is otherwise a highly-recommendable gaming laptop.

If you can find one with a healthy discount? Go for it. At full price, though? I'd urge you to check out the Razer lineup instead. Your money goes further, and the machine you'll end up with… well, it simply has the edge.

]]> <![CDATA[ Microsoft quietly deletes 32 GB RAM recommendation, which I'm sure has nothing to do with it bringing back 8 GB laptops ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/microsoft-quietly-deletes-32-gb-ram-recommendation-which-im-sure-has-nothing-to-do-with-it-bringing-back-8-gb-laptops/ hgfVnZyjHA55wpVbpEnSaj Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:12:10 +0000 Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:29:32 +0000 false false false

Earlier this year, Microsoft posted a support document titled "How to optimize your gaming PC setup" where it said that 16 GB of memory is "plenty for most gamers" but "32 GB is ideal for serious players who run the most demanding titles or use heavy mods". That document has since been deleted.

That's as reported by Windows Latest, who noticed the change this week. Now, clicking on the link address to the support document redirects you to the Windows Learning Center instead.

Interestingly, Microsoft, in a separate support document, declared 32 GB to be the "no-worries" upgrade back in May, and that support document has since been deleted too. Two separate documents that recommend 32 GB of memory being taken down is certainly strange behaviour, and implies it wasn't just an accident.

And it would make sense for Microsoft not to pitch 32 GB of memory, given that it just recently announced it would be bringing back 8 GB Surface laptops in May. Microsoft seemed to remove the 8 GB memory option in the 7th-generation Microsoft Surface and Microsoft Surface Pro 12th edition, which are the previous versions of both laptops.

These new laptops don't even meet the memory requirements to be labelled a Copilot+ PC, and they're mighty expensive, with the Intel Core Ultra 5 standard Surface with 8 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage being an eye-watering $1,299.

This is a shame as its initial assessment seems about right, in my estimation. 16 GB of memory is fine for most games, but 32 GB is ideal, especially for less casual gamers. I went for 32 GB of DDR5 memory in my own rig, and wouldn't want less, but I also reckon I play more than most.

Microsoft Surface 9

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The memory crisis may be a problem for Microsoft, as suggested by a dip in console sales (though this 29% decline could be somewhat attributed to the life cycle of the console and tariffs raising prices), but the company's AI usage is also one of the larger contributors to the mess in the first place. The end consumer is paying for the expansion of AI in many ways, but the most pressing to a PC gamer is the fact that they're paying more and more for less storage and memory.

As such, it would probably be a bad look for Microsoft to recommend 32 GB when its latest Surface Pro device will fetch a minimum of $2,750 to get so much memory. And Microsoft seems unlikely to backtrack on this pricing for some time. Samsung, one of the big three memory manufacturers, reckons we will see a "severe" memory supply crisis next year and "Beyond 2029, it is hard to say because of more limited visibility."

AMD did a similar thing recently. After arguing gamers should look to "Game beyond 4 GB [of VRAM]" back in 2020, it has just recently launched a 4 GB graphics card, the RX 9050.

While these big companies continue to put more and more funding into AI, we'll just have to sit with our meagre supplies of memory until it all blows over. Here's hoping 2029 is the year things get better. Or is it 2030?

]]> <![CDATA[ MacBook Neo outperforms Dell XPS 13 in Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark—though I wouldn't recommend gaming on either notebook ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/macbook-neo-outperforms-dell-xps-13-in-cyberpunk-2077-benchmark-though-i-wouldnt-recommend-gaming-on-either-notebook/ ZW4hAbnUawmHze9eGgaL4Q Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:24:56 +0000 false false false

Remember those 'I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC' ad spots from years ago? Such platform rivalry feels like old, mouldering hat these days (especially to a console-gaming interloper like me). That said, we live in a world where both the MacBook Neo and the Dell XPS 13, two notebooks alike in dignity, are vying for the crown of 'most affordable entry-level notebook' at $699 a piece.

The rivalry is old news, though a fresh twist in the tale is that apparently large Microsoft Word files actually open faster on the MacBook Neo. Independent testing carried out by PhoneBuff found that the Neo opened a 500-page Word document in a hair over 7 seconds, whereas a similarly specced Dell XPS 13 took 12 seconds (via Windows Latest).

It's quite the upset—you'd think that after all these years, Microsoft would offer the optimum Word Doc experience within Windows. To add insult to injury, the MacBook Neo doesn't even have Apple's speedy M-series silicon, but instead features what is essentially a repurposed phone chip in the A18 Pro. Though, to be fair, this 'mere' phone chip is still comparable to older M-series chips.

Notebooks like this can handle more than just note-taking. The Dell XPS 13 features an Intel Core 5 320 (a stripped-down version of the Panther Lake chips we like a lot), which should offer plenty of other opportunities to shine throughout PhoneBuff's testing. For instance, on startup the Dell XPS 13 races to the desktop in 24 seconds. The MacBook Neo takes very nearly twice as long, clocking in at 40 seconds. Mind you, that may not really be an, ahem, apples to apples comparsion as the notebooks are running two different operating systems.

But as both of the laptops tested were configured with only 8 GB of RAM, you'd perhaps expect this to be a closer run thing. PhoneBuff's battery efficiency and creative workload tests are a lot more variable, but there's only one thing that I'm interested in here: gaming performance.

Origami Linux on a Dell XPS 13 laptop

(Image credit: Future)

Cyberpunk 2077 on a notebook? It's more likely than you think—though with some caveats, obviously. The MacBook Neo loaded up CD Projekt Red's techno dystopia in a hair under 41 seconds, whereas the Dell XPS 13 managed it in 55. When it comes to the game benchmark, though, you can't even attempt to run it at ultra settings on the Dell XPS 13.

Otherwise, when running fullscreen, the XPS 13 averages 16 fps in the benchmark, whereas the MacBook Neo averages almost 20 fps. Now, the MacBook Neo outperforming the Dell was not something I was expecting. Though I also wouldn't necessarily call 20 fps 'playable,' let alone 'enjoyable'.

Our Ian managed to get the MacBook Neo to run Cyberpunk 2077 at 30 FPS in his own testing earlier this year. He writes in his review, "The downside is that to get this, you need to dip below Steam Deck settings, using the Low graphics profile, with the resolution at 720p, and with MetalFX upscaling in performance mode. That's not great, and looks a little soft thanks to all the upscaling going on, but at least it is technically playable."

Personally, I think I'll be sticking with my rig for Cyberpunk 2077—though either notebook might still get a look in for less hardware-intensive indie releases and visual novels.

If you manage your gaming expectations accordingly, then the XPS 13's 13-inch OLED touch display is nothing to sneeze at. The XPS 13's OLED also enjoys P3 colour gamut, meaning it supports a slightly wider range of colours than the MacBook Neo. Furthermore, its 120 Hz refresh rate is twice that of the MacBook Neo's screen—at the very least, scrolling through a webpage will feel a smidge smoother on the Dell, even if its Intel Core 5 320 chip will struggle to keep up with your competitive favourites.

]]> <![CDATA[ Razer Blade 16 (2026) review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/razer-blade-16-2026-review/ 7ysLkANjhLkLSSTYSuTMVV Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:44:57 +0000 Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:22:41 +0000 false false false

My, how the world can change in a year. The previous version of the Razer Blade 16 shot to the top of our best gaming laptop guide upon its release in 2025, thanks to its fantastic chassis design, great performance, and battery-powered gaming abilities, among other virtues. Yes, it was hugely expensive. But thanks to a stunning all round package, it was worth the money if you had the cash to splash.

Now I sit with the Razer Blade 16 (2026) in front of me—and on the surface, not a whole lot has changed. I've been provided with an RTX 5090-equipped config with 32 GB of DDR5, a 2 TB SSD, and a 240 Hz 16-inch OLED display, all wrapped up in the same chassis as the old model. So far, so brilliant. The major change to this refresh, though, is the addition of one of Intel's Panther Lake-based laptop processors, the Core Ultra 9 386H.

It's a very speedy gaming CPU, and a worthy addition to the Blade 16's armoury. But the thing I'm struggling with, as I'm sure you might have already guessed, is the price. Prepare yourself, folks. This particular Blade 16 costs, and there's no getting round it, $4,900/£4,800.

That's $400 more than the previous RTX 5090-equipped Blade, and, as usual, you can largely blame the memory crisis. But for this sort of price, I'm not quite as convinced by the Blade 16 as I used to be. It's still a sumptuous, fabulous machine, and I'd have one in a heartbeat if I had all the money in the world. But I'd also have a gold-plated Lamborghini and a spare room made of chocolate, while I'm at it.

Which is to say, it's become more difficult to justify the Blade 16's value for this sort of moolah. It's super-portable for a 16-inch machine, and that's worth a lot. It's a wonderfully-premium object, too, with a fantastic screen. And it gets good battery life, all the while running relatively quietly if you drop it down into Balanced mode. It's very… civilised. And I love that.

But spending nearly five grand on an RTX 5090 gaming laptop that can be soundly beaten in the performance stakes by the often-cheaper, RTX 5080-toting Lenovo Legion Pro 7i? The idea of it stops me in my tracks. Is the Razer better in many other ways? Undoubtedly. But the price to performance delta is now skewed, and that gives me the odd doubt.

There are cheaper, lesser-GPUed models of the Blade 16 available, and if I was buying one with my own money, that's where I'd be looking. The Razer Blade 16 is an astonishing piece of engineering, and rarely have I wanted a gaming laptop more. But crucially, I think its MSRP across the range is now substantial enough to keep me awake at night—and as a result, I've got to knock it down by a peg or two.

Buy if...

✅ You want the ultimate slim and light gaming machine: Some laptops are faster, it's true. But if you want something skinny that either excels, or punches hard in every single category a gaming laptop can be tested in, the Blade 16 is for you.

✅ You want a stunning chassis: The Blade 16 still has the best chassis design of any gaming laptop we've ever come across, and slips into most backpacks with ease.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're watching your pennies: There's no getting round it, every single model of Blade 16 is very pricey given the hardware inside. Cheaper than some, though.

❌ You want maximum performance: Slim and light gaming laptops come with compromises, so you can find higher frame rates (and much chonkier chassis designs) elsewhere.

Razer Blade (2026) features

A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop in front of a TV with a neon sign in the background

(Image credit: Future)
Razer Blade 16 tested specs

Razer Blade 16 (2026)

Razer Blade 16 (2025)

CPU

Intel Core UItra 9 386H

AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (175 W Max TGP)

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 (175 W Max TGP)

Memory

32 GB LPDDR5X-9600

32 GB LPDDR5-8000

Storage

2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD

Expansion slots

2 x M.2 NVMe (one used)

2 x M.2 NVMe (one used)

Display

16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED, 240 Hz

16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED, 240 Hz

Dimensions

14.9 ~ 17.4 x 250.5 x 355 mm | 0.59 ~ 0.69 x 9.86 x 13.98 inches

14.9 ~ 17.4 x 250.5 x 355 mm | 0.59 ~ 0.69 x 9.86 x 13.98 inches

Battery

90 Whr

90 Whr

Weight

2.14 kg / 4.71 lbs​

2.14 kg / 4.71 lbs​

Price

$4,900 / £4,800

$4,500 / £3,900

The 2026 version of the Blade 16 is still a lush device, and my review sample has a specs sheet to be proud of. The major internal change over our previously tested model comes in the form of the Panther Lake-based Intel Core Ultra 9 386H processor, which replaces the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 found in last year's top-spec config.

It's a 16-core CPU, which breaks down into four Performance cores, eight Efficient, and four Low Power Efficient types. That core distribution might sound a little weak on paper, but in practice it adds up to create a powerful gaming chip, with a 4.9 GHz max boost frequency and a maximum boosted power draw of 80 W.

Unfortunately, the iGPU here isn't the Arc B390 found in Intel's top-of-the-line Panther Lake chips, which feels like a bit of an omission. Instead you get a four Xe3-cored "Intel Graphics" tile, which means that for battery-based gaming you're probably going to want to lean on the dGPU. Which in this case is a beastly RTX 5090 mobile chip capable of maxing out at a 175 W TGP.

It'll sip much less power than that in practice, of course, and you'll need a Razer cooling pad to enable its potential top wattage figure. Still, the lack of a feisty iGPU is a missed opportunity for genuinely mobile gaming, if you ask me.

A Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop on white gravel
Future
A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop on a wooden desk
Future
A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop on a wooden desk, half closed
Future
The left hand side of the Razer Blade 16 2026 gaming laptop, showing the USB ports and power cable
Future
The keyboard of the Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop, lit up in green
Future

Lower-specced variants of the Blade 16 are available, going all the way down to an RTX 5060/Ryzen AI 9 365 config with 16 GB of DDR5 and a 1 TB SSD. Even this "bottom-spec" model, though, has an eye-watering price given the hardware inside. It's $2,400, to be precise. Oof.

Still, my top-end sample is well-equipped no matter which way you look at it. It's got 32 GB of LPDDR5X-9600, a 2 TB Gen4 SSD, and a truly stunning 240 Hz OLED display, complete with DisplayHDR TrueBlack1000 certification.

Every other laptop manufacturer should take a look at Razer's efforts and make notes

It's still one of the best panels I've had the pleasure of setting my eyes upon—although it's got some serious competition in the form of the new ROG Nebula OLED displays found in the latest Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 models.

All this high-end hardware comes wrapped in a chassis that still stands head and shoulders above the rest. The Blade 16 is astonishingly slim given the components inside, and its crisp-edged, all-business frame feels like the pinnacle of gaming laptop design.

A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop outside on white gravel

(Image credit: Future)

I say all business, but it's still got a big, neon green Razer logo on the back and an RGB-lit keyboard. You can always turn the lighting off, but I quite like the contrast it creates. Gamer executive chic? Something like that, anyway.

The keyboard has more travel than you might expect from a low-profile unit, and my typing accuracy has noticeably improved when clicking away at its keys on the go. As for the trackpad? It's glorious, with a large, smooth-yet-tactile surface and ultra-responsive clicks.

Every other laptop manufacturer should take a look at Razer's efforts here and make notes. Simply put, every part of the Blade 16 looks and feels top notch. It's amazing what huge gobs of cash will buy, isn't it?

Razer Blade (2026) performance

A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop being held up to the sky

(Image credit: Future)

Jumping straight into the 1080p benchmarks, it's clear that the new Intel chip has done the Blade 16 some good when it comes to gaming performance. In Baldur's Gate 3, the newly-sharpened Blade manages to pull an impressive 21 fps lead in the averages over its older AMD-chipped sibling, with substantially higher 1% lows to boot.

1080p gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1080p resolution

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
66
44
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
52
39
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
63
34
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
68
38
020406080
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H66 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H52 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 37063 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX68 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
The Blade 16 (2026) is comfortably faster than the previous version in most of my 1080p gaming benchmarks, although the Legion 7i Pro remains supreme.

In Cyberpunk 2077, though, that lead shrinks to a mere 3 fps average, albeit with 10 frames gained in the 1% lows. The Blade 16 also beats the new Asus G16 quite handily, although runs into some trouble when faced with the mighty Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10.

The Lenovo machine also scorches ahead in Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, leaving every other lappy on this chart firmly in its wake. It's a good example of how some high-wattage components in a chonkier laptop chassis can gulp down power, spin up the fans, and pull beyond their weight under duress.

1600p gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1600p resolution

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
39
30
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
31
24
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
39
29
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
40
28
010203040
Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H39 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H31 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 37039 Avg FPS, 29 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX40 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
The 2026 Blade 16 beats its older sibling at 1600p, and gains a decent overall lead on the RTX 5080-equipped G16—but the Legion Pro 7i still rules the roost.

At 1600p, the 2026 Blade 16 is virtually tied with both the older model and the Legion Pro 7i in Cyberpunk 2077. However, the Lenovo lappy knocks all our other machines for six in Baldur's Gate 3 and Black Myth Wukong.

Despite the Legion being an RTX 5080-equipped machine, it's got a tendency to power ahead of many other gaming laptops (including some of the RTX 5090-equipped ones) thanks to a brace of very powerful cooling fans, a monstrous 24-core Intel CPU, and a larger chassis. Thermal throttling will hold back performance with any machine, and the Lenovo is better at letting its hardware run wild and free.

It's a much heftier beast, though. While you could certainly shove its substantial, 6 lbs, rear-lipped chassis into a backpack, it's a laptop that focuses on raw performance over portability. By contrast, what the Blade 16 and Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 are aiming for is a balance between gaming chops and day-to-day usability.

Real-world gaming performance

This chart shows average and 1% low frame rate results in various tested games at 1600p resolution with Quality upscaling enabled, and frame gen. where applicable

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
112
75
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
95
79
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
104
73
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
124
83
037.575112.5150
Cyberpunk 2077 (1600p, RT Ultra + upscaling, 2x FG) Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H112 Avg FPS, 75 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H95 Avg FPS, 79 1% Low FPS
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370104 Avg FPS, 73 1% Low FPS
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX124 Avg FPS, 83 1% Low FPS
It's a pretty convincing win for the Blade 16 over two of our tested machines on average, but here comes the Legion to spoil the party once more.

Add some upscaling and frame generation into the equation, and the Blade 16 pulls ahead of both the Asus and the previous model by substantial amounts in two of my benches. The Legion Pro 7i, though, gives it a pasting in Cyberpunk and Black Myth once more, although drops a single frame behind it on average in F1 24, with worse 1% lows.

What we're seeing here is the difference between a full fat, slightly old-school gaming laptop design with modern components, versus three slim and light machines designed to be taken on the road. While the Blade 16's gaming performance has definitely been improved by the addition of a new Intel chip, it's worth noting that better raw performance (for cheaper) can still be found elsewhere.

Gaming GPU usage

Average GPU frequency and power usage recorded during multiple Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition benchmark runs

GPU stats

Avg GPU freq. (MHz)
Avg GPU power (W)
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1853
143
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1868.53
112
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
1874
106
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
2375
127
07501,5002,2503,000
GPU stats Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1853 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 143 Avg GPU power (W)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1868.53 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 112 Avg GPU power (W)
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 3701874 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 106 Avg GPU power (W)
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX2375 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 127 Avg GPU power (W)
The Blade 16 (2026) seems happier to send more juice to its GPU than the older model, but the average frequency is still significantly lower than the RTX 5080 in the Legion Pro 7i.

Looking at the GPU frequency figures, we can start to see where the Legion Pro 7i finds its extra grunt. While it's got toastier temps overall, the Lenovo machine's RTX 5080 is allowed to clock much higher than the other mobile GPUs on this chart.

CPU performance

CPU performance figures taken from the Cinebench R24 single-core and multi-core benchmarks

Cinebench 2024

Multi-core index score
Single-core index score
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1200
124
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
1215
124
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
1246
118
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
2039
138
07501,5002,2503,000
Cinebench 2024 Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1200 Multi-core index score, 124 Single-core index score
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H1215 Multi-core index score, 124 Single-core index score
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 3701246 Multi-core index score, 118 Single-core index score
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX2039 Multi-core index score, 138 Single-core index score
The Core Ultra 9 386H found in both the new Blade 16 and the G16 is plenty quick—although the 24-core chip in the Legion Pro 7i is a genuine monster.

As for productivity, the Cinebench R24 benchmark shows the Core Ultra 9 386H tracking near-identically in both the Blade 16 and the new Asus G16. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is ahead by a nose in the multi-core stakes, but a little off the pace of both in terms of single-core performance.

But here comes the Legion Pro 7i once more, with its 24-core Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX streaking ahead in both benches. It's no great surprise given the big Intel chip's fearsome specs sheet, but it's still impressive to see how far one of Intel's higher-core-count Arrow Lake CPUs can pull ahead when given room to breathe.

Razer Blade 2026 thermals

The backside of a Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop, showing the rear fan exhausts

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to fan noise, the Blade 16 is a bit of a hairdryer in Turbo mode, which is where you'll get the performance figures above. It keeps its component temperatures decently in check while gaming, but the fan noise is very intrusive.

You can say the same about just about any gaming laptop running at full tilt, though, and I've certainly heard worse. Much, much worse, now I come to think of it.

Real-world gaming temperatures

Gaming temperature results recorded during multiple Metro Exodus EE runs

Gaming temperatures

Avg CPU (°C)
Max CPU (°C)
Avg GPU (°C)
Max GPU (°C)
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
82
98
62
77
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
72
98
69
77
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
86
95
82
86
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
94
105
74
79
037.575112.5150
Gaming temperatures Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H82 Avg CPU (°C), 98 Max CPU (°C), 62 Avg GPU (°C), 77 Max GPU (°C)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H72 Avg CPU (°C), 98 Max CPU (°C), 69 Avg GPU (°C), 77 Max GPU (°C)
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 37086 Avg CPU (°C), 95 Max CPU (°C), 82 Avg GPU (°C), 86 Max GPU (°C)
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX94 Avg CPU (°C), 105 Max CPU (°C), 74 Avg GPU (°C), 79 Max GPU (°C)
The new Razer Blade 16 is better at keeping its GPU chilled than our 2025 test sample, although the CPU runs a little hotter.

Drop the Blade 16 down into its Balanced power mode, and the fan noise, temps, and component speeds drop with it. It's remarkably quiet at these settings, although as you would expect, this does affect the gaming performance.

I recorded a 12 fps lower result in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1600p with Quality upscaling and frame gen enabled, resulting in a 100 fps average with 68 fps 1% lows. That's still plenty fast enough for me, and likely where I'd keep the Blade 16 at all times if I owned one myself.

And therein lies the Blade 16's party trick. When you combine its portability, good frame rates at Balanced power settings, and the still-decent battery life you'll see below, the whole package starts to make a lot more sense. It's capable of being civilised in a way most high-powered laptops are not, and that goes a significant way towards justifying the expense.

Razer Blade 2026 battery life

A Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop standing on its end in an open position

(Image credit: Future)

The new Blade 16 claims to have better overall battery life than the older model, but when it comes to my gaming test figures, that doesn't prove out. To keep things even, all of our laptops are tested by setting screen brightness to 50%, disabling the Wi-Fi, and unplugging them from the wall—which, in the Blade 16's case, causes the software to switch into a Balanced power mode.

A 102 minute score is pretty good going, but it's still significantly lower than the previous model.

Gaming battery life

Results recorded in the PCMark 10 gaming battery life test, with screen brightness set to 50% and Wi-Fi disabled

PCMark 10 gaming battery life test

Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
102
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H
117
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
135
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX
73
037.575112.5150
PCMark 10 gaming battery life test Data
ProductValue
Razer Blade 16 (2026) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H102
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) | RTX 5080 (135 W) | Core Ultra 9 386H117
Razer Blade 16 (2025) | RTX 5090 (175 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370135
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | RTX 5080 (175 W) | Core Ultra 9 275 HX73
The new Blade 16 drops significantly behind the previous model in this particular test, although it's still a long way ahead of the Legion Pro 7i.

Synapse has an extra Battery Saver setting that lowers the power draw even further, though, so for extra points I enabled it and ran the test again. This resulted in an extra six minutes or so of battery life, which isn't exactly mindblowing. Given the limited gains, I'd prefer to keep the performance of Balanced mode while I was gaming on the go.

Regardless, although the 2026 version of the Blade can't match the older model for gaming battery life in my regular testing, it's still an impressive result when compared to the Legion Pro 7i—which puts the difference between these machines in stark contrast.

You might get more performance elsewhere for your cash, but if you want usable battery life and gaming chops, you'll be paying for it. The Blade 16 might not be the fastest gaming laptop on the planet, but when it comes to travel convenience, it's still a fearsome contender.

Razer Blade 2026 aesthetics

A Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop on carpet

(Image credit: Future)

The Blade 16 is a truly gorgeous machine. The crisp chassis design, stealthed-out colour palette and trim corners create a moody, purposeful aesthetic that I can't get enough of. This Razer lappy is here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and guess what? It's all out of Hubba Bubba.

In all seriousness, this is a gaming laptop with the gamer aesthetic tastefully reigned in, which means it wouldn't look out of place in your next business meeting, or on the train to work. It's still got a big neon green Razer logo on the back and an RGB keyboard, but both can be turned off for the true stealth experience. It's lean, mean, and beautifully well-made.

The 240 Hz OLED panel of the Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

And while we're on aesthetics, I have to rave about the Blade 16's 240 Hz OLED display. You can spot this panel from across a crowded room, as I have done at many tech conferences and events. It's stunningly vibrant without appearing over-saturated, and has caused me to stare gormlessly at benchmark demos running in the background that I'd ordinarily glance at with indifference. And the contrast levels? Sumptuous.

I've spent a lot of time gaming on many different OLED displays, and they're usually very impressive. This one, though? It still stands out from the crowd.

Razer Blade (2026) software

Razer Synapse display settings running on the Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop

(Image credit: Razer)

No laptop software is perfect, and Razer Synapse is no exception. Still, it's pretty straightforward to configure, with clearly laid-out presets for Silent, Balanced, and Performance modes to help reign in some of the fan noise (and the performance, naturally) when attached to the wall.

CPU and GPU power settings can be custom configured for the plugged in modes, but the battery options limit you to Balanced and Battery Saver power presets—although you can still switch the fans between an automatic mode and a fixed speed option within the menus.

I'd like to see some more manual power configuration options while on battery, but alas, the software suddenly changes from "do what you like" to "not on my watch, buddy." Otherwise, there are plenty of settings to play with. The display, speakers, keyboard, trackpad, and lighting can be tuned to your preferences, and there's a floating bar along the top showing you real time data for your CPU and GPU temps, fan speeds, and more.

There's also a Battery Health Optimizer, which can be manually set to prevent the battery from topping itself up to the maximum, extending its overall lifespan. It's nothing revolutionary, but the Synapse integration feels reasonably comprehensive and easy enough to mess with, even if it's not quite as granular as something like Lenovo's LegionSpace solution.

Razer Blade (2026) value

A Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop on white gravel, with its screen tilted

(Image credit: Future)

The Razer Blade (2026) is now substantially more expensive than the previous model, and the new CPU isn't really to blame. The memory crisis has torn its way through the gaming laptop market, and the Blade 16 is far from immune. Which means that many of the Blade 16's competitors have also jumped in price. But now it's sitting perilously close to the five grand mark, a gaming laptop I genuinely adore is suddenly a tougher sell.

Our Dave gave the previous version's performance a solid thumbs up, even though it was off the pace when compared to some heftier, far-less-portable machines. It was quieter, more refined, more pleasant to live with. And that offset some of the benchmark quibbles, an opinion I very much agree with for the newer model.

However, while the much-faster (and much chonkier) Lenovo Legion Pro 7i can often be found for significantly less, I can't help but wonder how much the Blade's ultra-premium, ultra-portable design is actually worth. More, certainly. But substantially more? It's a very difficult thing to square.

A Razer Blade 16 (2026) gaming laptop on a desk

(Image credit: Future)

There is a silver lining, though. The RTX 5080 Blade 16, with the same speedy Intel chip (albeit with a 1 TB SSD), can be found for $4,000. The RTX 5070 Ti version is cheaper still, at $3,500. And while these are still eye-watering sums for a gaming laptop, you can buy a lot of the best things the Blade has to offer for a substantially lower price.

The Razer Blade 16 is a fabulous machine, there's absolutely no doubt. If I had a huge amount of disposable cash to spend, I'd spec one out with relatively little thought. It screams desirability from every angle, and I've loved spending time with my review sample. Plus, it's still one of the easiest 16-inch machines to stuff in your bag and take on your next flight.

But at these prices, I think some of the Blade 16's drawbacks start to weigh more heavily upon its svelte frame. It's still one of the best gaming laptops money can buy—but for this sort of cash, I think it's lost just a touch of its shine.

]]> <![CDATA[ Framework 13 Pro review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/framework-13-pro-review/ VRhQczsWm3d4tLpQ4mqQy6 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:25:42 +0000 Tue, 28 Jul 2026 10:08:07 +0000 false false false

The moment you touch the new Framework 13 Pro laptop you know it's different to what's come before. Despite the bubblegum pink USB Type-C ports I've jammed in either side of the machine, this is a serious laptop for serious work. But it's also still instantly recognisable as one of the company's eminently upgradeable and repairable notebooks. This is the true beauty of Framework's new machine, a laptop that at once exists as the pinnacle of its hardware journey, but also steadfastly refuses to compromise on the core principles that has made it one of my favourite PC builders.

Though, it must be said, that refusal to compromise here comes at a hell of a cost because of the focus on ultra expensive LPCAMM2 memory.

This is a next-generation Framework laptop, but is still completely compatible with every Framework 13 device the company has shipped in the past five years or so. That is a hell of an achievement, meaning that you could have an ageing 13-inch laptop and pick and choose from the company's Marketplace store whichever parts of the new machine you wanted. If all you wanted was the beautiful new CNC aluminium chassis and input cover, go for it; if you just wanted the new touchscreen, be our guest.

But it's the full package here, with the Panther Lake-based Core Ultra Series 3 mainboard at its heart, that has made this hands down the best Framework machine you can buy or build. Every detail of the new laptop feels exquisite… bar one. And I know it's a familiar refrain from me now, but I wish there was a more premium display option. I've been spoiled by OLEDs and Retina displays, and if Framework wants to truly own its 'MacBook for Linux' tagline then that's the only place it falls down. And even then, only slightly.

Otherwise, I'm in love with what Panther Lake offers this device—almost silent operation, super-long battery life, and outstanding gaming performance—as well as how it feels, both in terms of that new chassis and this vastly improved keyboard and haptic touchpad. The Framework 13 Pro represents the idealistic young company all grown up, and it's a machine that's an absolute delight to use.

Buy if...

✅ You're sold on its ethos: If you want an upgradeable laptop that will stand the test of time Framework has proved time and again its commitment to the bit.

✅ You want a MacBook-feeling Linux laptop: Of course it's more than happy with Windows, but Framework has ensured its grown-up machine has deep Linux distro compatibility out of the box.

Don't buy if...

❌ You ever check your bank account: The memory crisis has bitten the Framework 13 Pro hard, most especially in the Intel configuration with the spiking cost of LPCAMM2 modules, making this an incredibly expensive laptop.

Framework 13 Pro features

Processor

Intel Core Ultra X7 358H

Cores

4 Performance, 8 Efficient, 4 Low Power Efficient

Threads

16

Boost clock speed

4.8 GHz

Graphics

Intel Arc B390

RAM

32 GB LPDDR5X-7467 MT/s (LPCAMM2)

Storage

1 TB SanDisk SN7100

Display

13.5-inch touchscreen

Resolution

2880 x 1920

Refresh

120 Hz

Battery

74.5 Whr

Power brick

100 W GaN

Weight

1.44 kg

Dimensions

15.85mm x 296.63mm x 228.98mm

Price

$2,899 / £2,899

From a pure performance and efficiency point of view, it's the Intel mainboard sitting inside the Framework 13 Pro which makes this such a powerful and usable laptop. The Core Ultra X7 358H chip baked into it comes with the magnificent Arc B390 integrated graphics core that has made the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ such an outstanding gaming handheld, and that gives the 13 Pro some impressive gaming chops, too.

One other interesting thing to note about the new mainboard is its use of LPCAMM2 modules. Interesting… and expensive. When the design choices were made—with the goal of maintaining high memory bandwidth and throughput for the Panther Lake CPU without soldering on LPDDR5X and losing upgradeability or repairability—Framework would have known it was a more expensive option, but the memory crisis has made that exponentially worse.

There is also a level of fear to dropping in a new memory module that I've not experienced before. When you add in the LPCAMM2 module you need to line it up on a whole load of pins. Pins which, like motherboard socket pins, are very much incompatible with an errant thumb brushed across them. Too casual installation will kill a new mainboard real quick.

Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future

That new Intel SoC has been wrapped in a new cooler, which along with the efficiency gains of the Panther Lake architecture, allows for regularly silent operation. Combine that efficiency with the increased battery capacity of 74 Whr (compared to 61 Whr in previous versions of the machine) and you're getting stellar battery life out of the machine.

To cope with that increased battery girth Framework has redesigned the CNC machined aluminium bottom cover to have less of a taper to the front of it. The actual thickness of the frame hasn't really changed, but it's more uniform now. Which is no bad thing, and really does give it that MacBook/Razer Blade feel to the chassis. Impressively though, it is still backwards compatible with all the other Framework 13 laptops the company has ever released in that you could order the chassis on its own and drop your existing system into it without an issue.

Also getting the CNC aluminium treatment is the top cover for the rear of the display and the input cover housing the keyboard and the new haptic touchpad, both of which are excellent. The increased travel on the keyboard makes it a joy to type on, and the responsive trackpad is a real improvement over the original, and was designed especially for Apple folk coming across the divide to a PC laptop. My only concern is that multi-finger gestures too easily actuate a press, which is difficult to configure on the Fedora distro I'm using at the moment.

Finally, the Framework 13 Pro comes with a new touchscreen panel. It's a 120 Hz display, with a 2880 x 1920 native resolution that runs impressively bright (up to 700 nits) if you want it to. What it isn't, however, is a responsive OLED display. It's not a gaming panel, as CEO Nirav Patel explains to me when I speak to him on the show floor at Computex, but there is still a level of ghosting to the display which doesn't feel as premium as everything else about the device.

Framework 13 Pro value

Framework 13 Pro laptop

(Image credit: Future)

The concept of 'value' for the Framework 13 Pro is a tricky one. On the one hand you have the fact that the best version of this machine comes with the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, and they demand the fastest LPDDR5X memory you can give them. And, to ensure Framework sticks to its upgrade/repair ethos, it is using LPCAMM2 modules to deliver that fast LPDDR5X memory.

These are not common, and they are not cheap. There are few suppliers, and Framework recently admitted that its current supplier for these Micron modules has increased the cost by "more than double". You only have to look at the configurator on the Framework website for the 13 Pro to see what that means. A 16 GB LPCAMM2 module costs $239, while the 32 GB version adds another $800 onto the cost of the laptop. That makes the cost of the Framework 13 Pro rather prohibitive for most mere mortals.

Even a 16 GB 13 Pro config will run you well over $2,000. And even if you switch to AMD, the HX 370 Framework 13 Pro configs of the same spec costs just shy of $2,500.

The other side of this, however, is that Framework has been walking the walk on long-term upgradeability for its devices for many years over many different generations of PC hardware from different manufacturers. That means the initial premium outlay for a Framework system can be offset by the fact that you may not have to buy another whole laptop again for a very, very long time given the level of granular upgrades on offer.

I will grant you that this is a very high bar to get over, however. When the cost of an initial Framework 13 Pro purchase is this high you're going to have to keep hold of this thing, upgrading piece-by-piece for many generations, to even get close to breaking even with someone who just bought a new machine every time, and hang the ecological consequences.

Framework 13 Pro sound

Framework 13 Pro laptop

(Image credit: Future)

When it comes to the actual audio experience, Framework has added new side-firing speakers to the design, rather than the original down-firing ones. They deliver impressive clarity and will go pretty loud, too, but they are still just laptop speakers. Basically, do not expect real room-filling audio with thumping bass.

But it's the other sound production side of the Framework 13 Pro that has me truly impressed, and that's the fan noise. It's long been an issue for me and Framework laptops; there's no way to control the fan levels unless you hack in some third-party tools made by the community, and they noise has often trended far too far to the unpleasant for my liking, especially when under serious load.

That was a concern for me as someone who wanted to use the B390 iGPU at the heart of the Core Ultra X7 CPU inside this machine for gaming. I shouldn't have been worried, however, as even when I'm pushing the Arc GPU the system is tuned to rein it back in a little (but not too much) and keep it running at a genuinely quiet level. There is fan noise, but it's slight at worst.

For most of the time I've been using the Framework 13 Pro outside of gaming, though, it's been all but silent. And often actually silent.

Framework 13 Pro performance

Framework 13 Pro laptop

(Image credit: Future)

When I first started benchmarking the Framework 13 Pro, with its Intel Core Ultra X7 358H chip, I'd come off the back of testing the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with the very similar Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor. And there was a slight level of disappointment at seeing the performance not quite hitting those levels or the levels of our initial Panther Lake performance tests when the architecture first came out.

But I've already mentioned just how quiet a device this 13 Pro machine is, and that's as true when doing CPU rendering as it is when I'm pushing it with Cyberpunk 2077. On a machine such as this I'll take a few missing frames per second in exchange for an actual experience that doesn't make me want to stab myself in the ears to get away from the sound.

1 / 3

1080p gaming performance

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Framework 13 Pro | Core Ultra X7 358H | Arc B390
29
22
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Arc G3 Extreme | Arc B390
33
16
Framework 13 | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Radeon 890M
22
18
Asus Zenbook A16 | Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme | Adreno X2-90
27
19
010203040
Black Myth Wukong (1080p Medium) Data
ProductValue
Framework 13 Pro | Core Ultra X7 358H | Arc B39029 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Arc G3 Extreme | Arc B39033 Avg FPS, 16 1% Low FPS
Framework 13 | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Radeon 890M22 Avg FPS, 18 1% Low FPS
Asus Zenbook A16 | Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme | Adreno X2-9027 Avg FPS, 19 1% Low FPS
For the most part, the Framework 13 Pro is able to keep up with the most powerful handheld gaming PC of today thanks to that Panther Lake iGPU.

You can see in the CPU benchmarks that the chip is bouncing off 100 °C and thermally throttling, and it's the cooling limitations necessary to maintain the chilled experience which are slightly holding back the gaming frame rates, too.

System performance

Single-core index score
Multi-core index score
Framework 13 Pro | Core Ultra X7 358H | Arc B390
114
893
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Arc G3 Extreme | Arc B390
111
794
Framework 13 | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Radeon 890M
115
988
Asus Zenbook A16 | Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme | Adreno X2-90
151
1391
03757501,1251,500
Cinebench 2024 Data
ProductValue
Framework 13 Pro | Core Ultra X7 358H | Arc B390114 Single-core index score, 893 Multi-core index score
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Arc G3 Extreme | Arc B390111 Single-core index score, 794 Multi-core index score
Framework 13 | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Radeon 890M115 Single-core index score, 988 Multi-core index score
Asus Zenbook A16 | Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme | Adreno X2-90151 Single-core index score, 1391 Multi-core index score
As soon as you see the thermal performance of the X7 358H inside the Framework 13 Pro you can see why the 16-thread chip is only marginally ahead of the 14-core G3 Extreme version in multi-core performance.

Even if we are talking about a slight tempering of the performance of the Arc B390 iGPU compared with other devices sporting Intel's top integrated graphics, it's still the most powerful that you will find and places this machine head and shoulders above the best that AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 can muster.

And I was already pretty impressed with that.

Framework 13 Pro aesthetics

Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future

With its graphite black, CNC milled aluminium chassis the Framework 13 Pro is the most effortlessly stylish laptop the company has ever produced. It feels like the culmination of everything Framework has been working towards for these six years. The slightly chunkier styling, necessitated by the bigger batter sitting underneath the touchpad at the front of the device, makes it feel far more solid than before.

And actually makes it feel far more like the MacBook it's trying to ape, and the Razer Blade 14 that it's potentially going to replace as my daily driver.

It actually is more solid, too, as you can pick it up by the corner and the extra structural rigidity afforded by that new aluminium frame means there is zero give. The same is true of the keyboard as well which betrays no movement bar the extra travel of the keys Framework has deliberately introduced into this version.

But then you've also got all the other Framework touches that has made its 13-inch laptop such a pleasing device for years. You have your choice of coloured and translucent bezels as well as a plethora of colours for the USB Type-C input modules. For this layout I've gone for a pair of bubblegum pink ports and a translucent grey bezel for that extra techie feel. But that's my preference and you can make your own choices at the point of purchase yourself.

Framework 13 Pro software

Framework 13 Pro laptop

(Image credit: Future)

There is no bloat, because there doesn't have to be any software included at all.

If you just want to stick a Linux distro onto your device the SSD will be shipped blank, likewise if you want to use your own copy of Windows rather than spend $200 on a needless Windows Pro license.

There is a driver bundle for Windows you can download from the Framework support site, and you will need Wi-Fi drivers in hand when you install Windows ('cos that's still a thing), but Linux support is largely there out of the box when you install your distribution of choice.

The slight downside of this, as I noted before, is that there is no system control software. That means there is no granular control over power options beyond the OS options, and there are no fan controls, either. The fan control issue isn't a thing for Panther Lake, however, thanks to its quiet operation straight off the bat, but I wish I could control the SoC's TDP as easily as you do on a gaming handheld, but that's a relatively minor gripe in a world that is often replete with too many different bits of control software fighting each other.

Framework 13 Pro battery life

Framework 13 Pro laptop

(Image credit: Future)

Of course this is not a gaming laptop, but the level of gaming performance you can get out of this ostensibly productivity laptop is excellent. Development by day, gaming by night. Or on the go, because the battery life of the Framework 13 Pro is also very, very good.

Stick it on balanced mode in Windows and boot up a game and you'll find the battery drains in a little under two hours, but the latest Arc drivers include the same Endurance mode I loved so well in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. It doesn't quite get you the same five hours of gaming that handheld delivers, but you're still not getting far off a doubling of the gaming uptime of the standard mode.

That does try and stick you to 30 fps as a rule, but when you're trying to keep gaming as long as possible when you're on the move—or trying to make sure that when you're done playing you have some power left for some actual work—then it's a worthy compromise.

That, however, is a Windows thing, requiring the latest Intel Arc drivers and isn't necessarily something you can replicate within a Linux environment. Almost all of Framework's impressive 13 Pro battery life numbers are recorded from a Windows installation, with only its seven days of standby measured with Ubuntu.

That doesn't mean it's bad in Linux, not by a long shot. I'm using a Fedora Cosmic Atomic distribution at the moment, and have been running it all day long today, without it going into standby once, playing music, downloading games, and having video meetings, as well as writing this review, and I've only gone through half the battery capacity in six hours. It's all-day battery life for sure, though I think Panther Lake's optimisations are probably going to be felt more keenly in a Windows environment.

]]> <![CDATA[ MSI celebrates 40 year anniversary by unveiling a SEVEN GRAND LAPTOP ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/msi-celebrates-40-year-anniversary-by-unveiling-a-seven-grand-laptop/ GjjHa7PeCpU8jUcsfdaUBQ Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:41:12 +0000 false false false

My favourite hardware news stories lately have all followed a similar line of logic: 'Why? Well, why not?' But when it comes to the laptop MSI just unveiled as part of its 40th anniversary, I can't move past 'But why though?'

The sticking point for me is the Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition's ludicrous $7,000 price tag. Sure, you're getting an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU with a pretty face-melting 24 GB of GDDR7, plus an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor. And, sure, some versions of the RTX 5090 will set you back a couple grand all on their own, but not usually the slimmer laptop kind. Anyway, 7,000 smackers is still a lot of money for the power.

I hate to say it but the oodles of SSD storage and the whopping 96 GB of DDR5 might have something to do with it (thanks, memory crisis). Hey, at least if you buy directly from MSI, you also get a free code for Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

This very pricey gaming laptop also enjoys an 18-inch MiniLED screen, which features a maximum resolution of 3840×2400. The refresh rate is a not too shabby 120 Hz, but at this price point I was kind of expecting something fast enough to make my eyes roll back in my head.

Joking aside, I'm struggling to understand who this gaming laptop is really for, beyond an MSI super fan (or a scaly fan with deep pockets and terrible taste in dragon art).

The MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition in a gradient void.
MSI
The MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition in a gradient void.
MSI
The MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition in a gradient void.
MSI

It's far from the only spenny anniversary hardware we've seen this year. For instance, the Asus' ROG sub-brand celebrated two decades, launching a shiny, aluminium-dressed-up-as-copper motherboard back in May. The Astral ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and a China-exclusive DRAM kit also got anniversary editions. Again, it's all a bit too rich for my blood, but I'll admit that those glistening gold designs are almost tasteful.

]]> <![CDATA[ Acer and Gigabyte will launch RTX Spark laptops too, but not before Microsoft and Co. ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/acer-and-gigabyte-will-launch-rtx-spark-laptops-too-but-not-before-microsoft-and-co/ wDfqmGuGo4sfuja6VYLziJ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:54:37 +0000 false false false

Nvidia's Arm-based processor for laptops was unveiled after much waiting at Computex back in June. RTX Spark is Nvidia's first proper go at a consumer chip, combining CPU and GPU, and while it is of course targeted at AI workloads, it's also targeted at gaming. Now, Nvidia has confirmed which will be the first brands of RTX Spark laptop to come to market this fall and which will follow those.

According to Nvidia, "RTX Spark systems will be available this fall from Asus, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft Surface and MSI, with models from Acer and Gigabyte to follow."

The initial few aren't a big surprise given these are the exact companies that were announced as partners when RTX Spark was revealed. Of note is Acer and Gigabyte following the initial six, though.

As Chinese news site the Commercial Times points out (via VideoCardz), MSI and Asus will be the first Taiwanese companies to launch Spark lappies. But given it was the Surface Laptop Ultra that RTX Spark was most commonly shown running on at Computex, it'll be surprising if that's not the first one to market.

That being said, I'm looking forward to RTX Spark laptops other than the Surface. Back when it was announced, I reported just how much I liked the look of the thin MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+.

An RTX Spark in-hand on the left, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the right.

(Image credit: Future (left), AP - Associated Press (right))

If laptops as thin as this can really pump out 100 fps at 1440p like Nvidia claims—and our Dave's hands-on experience gaming on RTX Spark certainly does make me hopeful—then getting that kind of power out of such a thin laptop is an exciting prospect. Though I guess that will depend on the TDPs and cooling in question, too.

The other big announcement from Nvidia at SIGGRAPH 2026, at least as far as we gamers are concerned, was a closer look at how DLSS 5 works. For now, the AI filter looks to be controllable with just a couple of sliders, though Nvidia says it's working on building more controls for devs. And I can't deny that cranking up the subsurface scattering on masked-off environmental objects looks pretty damn good to my eyes, even if the controls are limited.

That technology will launch this fall, too, so the end of 2026 might be an interesting time for PC gaming. Setting aside the usual affordability provisos given the current state of the market, of course.

]]> <![CDATA[ Asus ZenBook A16 review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/asus-zenbook-a16-review/ uerTRP2xkLJ8DD2ks9GN9N Fri, 10 Jul 2026 15:44:56 +0000 false false false

When Qualcomm released its first batch of ARM-based Snapdragon X processors two years ago, they worked well enough, but failed to set the PC gaming world on fire. It's not really what they were meant for, and if decades of buying computer parts have taught me one thing, it's never to buy into the first generation of a new product. I still do it, of course, as the Oculus Rift sitting unloved in its box shows, but I'm always left with the feeling that I should know better.

The main downside of the OG Snapdragon, once software compatibility issues were smoothed out, was its GPU. The Adreno cores buried somewhere in the chipset felt underpowered for anything heavier than Stardew Valley, and while DirectX and Vulcan compatibility was high, and driver updates refined the process, some games just didn't work.

With the release of the Snapdragon X2, a few things have changed. The main one is that the CPU package now comes with a lot more processing cores—18 on the Elite Extreme model we've got here—but the GPU is also a lot better. It's now putting out the sort of benchmark results you'd expect from Intel iGPUs, and in some tests can even produce better results than Panther Lake.

ZenBook A16 specs

CPU

Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme

NPU

Qualcomm Hexagon (80 TOPS)

Graphics

Qualcomm Adreno

Memory

48 GB

Storage

1 TB SSD, MicroSD

Screen size

16-inch

Screen type

OLED

Resolution

2880 x 1800

Refresh rate

120 Hz

Ports

2x USB4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm audio

Wireless connectivity

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4

Dimensions

353 x 242 x 14 mm

Weight

1.2 kg

Price

$2,200 | £2,100

Buy if...

✅ Gaming is of secondary importance: If you just want to be swanking around with one of the latest and greatest productivity laptops, and showing off just how long your battery life is, the ZenBook delivers.

Don't buy if...

❌ You like to play games on something more than medium settings: The Adreno iGPU is still the weakest part of the package, and so is the game support side of things.

The ASUS ZenBook A16 we're looking at here is one of the first Snapdragon X2 laptops on the market. It boasts the Elite Extreme version of the chip, a name that makes you wonder where they're going to go next if they release an even better one. Elite Extreme Pro Max Gold Caviar Truffle Edition, perhaps. This one has 18 cores, and according to CPU-Z 12 of those are Performance cores running at 4.4 GHz, with the other six being Efficient cores running at 3.6 GHz. That's a lot of cores, and with ARM chips' ability to produce exceptional single-core performance (as shown by Apple's M5 last year) I had high hopes for this one.

And I was right. The X2 doesn't hit the same Geekbench 6 heights as the M5, but it's close, and beats the desktop Core Ultra 7 265KF and mighty Ryzen 9 9955HX in the single-core test. It beats those chips in the Geekbench multi-core test too, along with the Core Ultra 9 275HX from the Alienware 16 Area 51, and roughly the same as the 14-core M4 Pro in a 16in MacBook Pro.

Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future
Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future

The elephant in the room here is Panther Lake, which is going to be appearing in new laptops at the same time as the X2. And in Geekbench, the X2 and Core X9 388H both score over 3,000 points in the single-core test, with the X2 marginally in front, but in multi-core the gap widens, probably because the Intel chip only has four of the full-fat performance cores and 16 in total. It scores 17,924. The X2: 22,785. That's a difference of almost 24%.

Moving over to the Cinebench single-core CPU rendering test, which has been known to bring laptops to their knees and in which 100 is a respectable score, the X2 scores 151. A laptop running the X9 388H scores 130 in this test, and the multi-core rendering workout goes the same way, with the X2's 1391 beating the Panther Lake chip's 1173.

All this is assuming, of course, that the same tests applied to different CPU architectures can be directly compared. Geekbench has been designed for this, though as more of a tool for plotting broad relationships rather than a perfect one-to-one comparison between PCs.

All that single-core performance makes the ZenBook A16 very responsive, and if Microsoft's new Low Latency Profile makes its way to Windows on ARM it should make things even better. The fact that Asus has paired Qualcomm's X2 with 48 GB of fast RAM certainly helps too.

Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future
Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future

Things are looking quite good for the ARM chip until you remember it still uses an integrated Adreno GPU, and we have yet to see one that's paired with a discrete graphics chip. Still, it's not bad for an iGPU, supporting DX12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, and putting out enough frames to play games in 1080p as long as you don't mind medium to low settings. Cyberpunk 2077 looks surprisingly good on medium, and while there are some shimmering textures in Blackmyth: Wukong, it doesn't struggle too badly as long as you remember to switch FSR upscaling on. Older titles such as Horizon: Zero Dawn look like what they are: PS4 games (albeit ones running at nearly 60 fps in this case, rather than the locked 30 fps of the console version). But it's great to see the Adreno is capable enough to play them as they were originally meant to be seen.

There are still some issues with the occasional game—F1 2024, for example (and this might be a different story with a more up to date release), putting up a notice that it's not compatible with ARM processors. This could also be because it's a fairly new processor at the time of writing, and a few software patches and driver updates will sort it right out.

On the outside, this is an unassuming laptop, though as a 16-incher it has a presence that you just don't find in smaller models. It's a kind of beigy grey, which isn't utterly unpleasant but certainly stands out from all the black and silver casings out there, and is made from Asus' Ceraluminum material that's some sort of unholy amalgam of aluminium and ceramics. It has a matte feel, and makes the A16 extremely light, but it's also stiff enough to handle by the corner without the trackpad becoming non-functional.

Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future
Asus ZenBook A16 Qualcomm-based laptop
Future

That trackpad is a big one, too, smoother than the surrounding casing but the same colour, and a better experience than the keyboard, which doesn't have much travel and is the worst aspect of this particular package. The screen, however, might be one of the best. It's a 2.8k 16:10 OLED, not a touch-sensitive one, with a 120Hz refresh rate. It's sharp, bright (500 nits), colourful and all the things a laptop screen should be. Battery life is exceptional—at least it is if all you're doing is looping a video, at which it kept going for almost 17 hours. Make it work a bit harder and that's going to drop, and there's a fan to keep it cool when it's under load.

So once again, Qualcomm has released a capable chip with a bit of a weak GPU, though it's nowhere near as bad as last time. Asus has then put it into a laptop with an excellent screen, though it is a little bit expensive when you could pick up something with a low-end GeForce chip for less, and have a superior gaming experience.

I can't help thinking though, that if someone could teach the X2 to talk to an RTX card, even as an eGPU, then we could have something truly fearsome on our hands.

]]> <![CDATA[ Framework has delayed its 'MacBook Pro for Linux users' by a month, citing problems with its display and touchpad ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/framework-has-delayed-its-macbook-pro-for-linux-users-by-a-month-citing-problems-with-its-display-and-touchpad/ jMPd5MvbwtCv9zxA5vHryF Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:18:08 +0000 false false false

We managed to get hands-on experience with Framework's new "MacBook Pro for Linux users" just last week, and we were mighty impressed with it. If you, too, were impressed and placed your preorders for its June release, I have some bad news. It's now going to be released one month later.

In an email sent to PC Gamer and those who have preordered the device, Framework says it has discovered two issues that have made the company push back the release from late June to late July.

The first issue is with the haptic touchpad. Supposedly, Framework engineers spotted a bug with the touchpad where it would "rarely" reset itself after repeated clicking. An investigation discovered that this is partly caused by an electrical issue in the PCB, so now Framework are awaiting the testing period of the new PCB to make sure it is ready to ship en masse.

The second issue is with the display. Framework says that the 13.5-inch 2880x1920 custom display ran into a bug with the current panel, which took a firmware update to solve. Should you want to buy the display by itself, that has also been delayed until July.

One thing that hasn't been delayed is the 13 Pro Mainboard shipments. You can still buy both the Ultra Series 3 and Ryzen AI 300 variants, and if you already have a preorder, you can expect that to arrive by June. Unfortunately, though, Framework clarifies that press reviews of the laptop will go live in July, so those who have preordered mainboards won't be able to catch full reviews before it's in their hands.

Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework

The Framework 13 Pro can be selected from Framework with either Windows or Linux, is designed to give strong battery life, has a full CNC aluminium chassis, and has a "power-optimised" display with touch support. The haptic trackpad, as we were told last week, is supposedly a bridge gap for Mac users looking to make the swap. Our Dave said, "They [Mac users] want to be able to touch any part of the trackpad to actuate a click and that's exactly what the new trackpad enables."

Notably, the Linux pre-loaded version of the laptop was actually outselling the Windows configuration when we spoke to CEO Nirav Patel last week. On one hand, that's a good sign of how far Linux has come recently. On the other hand, Framework devices do tend to be a bit more involved due to their breadth of customisation options, so the ultra casual Windows users might not have the 'Framework MacBook Pro' on their wishlist.

We'll have to get even more hands-on time with the 13 Pro to see if the wait and cost are worth it, but we've certainly been pretty into what we've seen so far.

]]> <![CDATA[ MSI somehow has both the ugliest and prettiest laptop designs this Computex ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/msi-somehow-has-both-the-ugliest-and-prettiest-laptop-designs-this-computex/ L9Fg4X8EsbooVLTC7fB2yd Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:22:35 +0000 false false false

Computex is both a proving ground for newly released tech and an excuse for companies to throw stuff at the wall and hope enough people like it. As such, we tend to see a lot of weird tech (here's looking at you, ferrofluid case and GPU with Swarovski crystals in it). However, while laptops have been a little dry this year, MSI has somehow made my favourite and least favourite devices.

Starting with my favourite, I love the Prestige 14 Flip AI+, and its Vincent Van Gogh-themed look. One version is based on Starry Night, and the other is based on Starry Night Over the Rhône. They are more or less just the artwork put on the back of a laptop, with a similarly coloured keyboard, but that's good enough for me, as it's still gorgeous art that would look lovely any time it's pulled out of a backpack.

They also come with a themed mouse pad, box, Bluetooth mouse, and even an ID badge. It's a bit over the top, as one would expect from MSI's Prestige collection, but lovely nonetheless. You're getting Intel Core Ultra processors and no dedicated GPU, so it's not quite a fully-fledged gaming laptop, but it should still handle some games, and it's got an OLED display to back that all up.

It's definitely a bit much for watching YouTube or messing with Excel spreadsheets, but it'll be the nicest laptop in your local cafe. The last MSI artisan laptop (Ukiyo-e edition) was also gorgeous looking. We don't yet have a price, but the Ukiyo-e edition sits around the $1,500 to $2,000 mark.

If you are looking for a gaming laptop to stand out in… other ways, let me introduce you to the MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic (yes, that's its full legal name). It comes with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and an RTX 5090 mobile. MSI has truly thrown everything at it, with a 240 Hz Mini-LED display, Cherry MX mechanical keys, a dedicated vapour chamber cooler, and a premium box with limited edition coins, a mousepad, and a gaming mouse.

MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic and it's bundled accessories on a starry background
MSI
MSI Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic on a yellow/orange gradient
MSI

It's even got super speedy SSD storage, with a total of four M.2 slots that can be linked together as a SuperRAID 5 array, plus a 6-speaker surround sound system, and a wealth of ports (including Thunderbolt 5, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A and C, plus an SD card reader).

Unfortunately, though, I simply don't like the chunky backplate or the RGB trackpad, and the dragon design is too much for my tastes. It looks impressive in a lot of ways, but I think I'd feel actively embarrassed for just a moment taking it out in a public space. In fairness, those specs imply a very high price point, so I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable taking it out of the house anyway.

I can see the level of artistry on show here, and perhaps if I were on the Computex show floor and saw it in person, my perspective would change. But I don't think I've ever longed for a big RGB-infested, dragon-displaying gaming laptop before, and I don't know if MSI could change my mind.

]]> <![CDATA[ I got my hands on Framework's 'MacBook Pro for Linux users' and its tagline isn't just marketing hyperbole ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/i-got-my-hands-on-frameworks-macbook-pro-for-linux-users-and-its-tagline-isnt-just-marketing-hyperbole/ CyeyLu76pnGx8hkYesYiiD Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:42:52 +0000 false false false

I caught up with Framework CEO, Nirav Patel at Computex this week, and got my hands on the new Framework 13 Pro for the first time. I've been eager to get hold of what it calls 'the MacBook Pro for Linux users' since it was first announced and, while we'll have to wait just a little longer for our review sample to arrive, my first impression is that it's everything you'd want a premium Framework 13 to be.

And everything about that Apple-baiting tagline makes even more sense now I've got to touch the device and talk about exactly what Patel means by it. Though I'm super-excited to get the 13 Pro in and start throwing some games at the Panther Lake Core Ultra 7 and its integrated B390 GPU core, obviously the target is not specifically gamers, it's software developers.

And, more precisely, the volume of software developers Framework has been talking to who are growing increasingly frustrated at the Mac operating system. Nirav Patel explains that the Linux operating system is the preferred platform for software developers, but the struggle has been that folk coming over from Apple hardware don't want to give up on the feel of that hardware.

Part of it is the premium chassis, and Framework has absolutely nailed that with the new black anodised aluminium surrounds it has created for the Framework 13 Pro. I've been using the standard 13-incher for years, and the laptop chassis is fine, but you wouldn't call it premium. The 13 Pro, however, feels incredibly solid, sturdy, and serious very much like a MacBook or the Razer Blade I'm typing on right now.

Framework hasn't given up any of the repairability, nor has it lost the compatibility, either. You could fit this shell around any Framework 13 device from the past five years or so.

Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future
Framework 13 Pro laptop
Future

But one of the key things for Patel has been the introduction of the haptic touchpad. He notes that while it might not be a huge thing for PC folk shifting over to the 13 Pro, for MacBook users he saw it as essential to making that shift as smooth as possible for those who want to move away from MacOS but don't want to change how their machines feel to use. They want to be able to touch any part of the trackpad to actuate a click and that's exactly what the new trackpad enables.

The Framework 13 Pro releases later this month, and already the preloaded Linux versions are outselling the Windows options in the pre-orders. "It's actually outselling the Windows configuration," Patel tells me, "which is crazy to see."

]]> <![CDATA[ This is me playing Alan Wake 2's native Arm build on an RTX Spark laptop, and I'm here for it ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/this-is-me-playing-alan-wake-2s-native-arm-build-on-an-rtx-spark-laptop-and-im-here-for-it/ d2UhDRN8rYZVzKTitTy3nJ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:57:49 +0000 Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:58:49 +0000 false false false

Gaming might only be the third pillar of the 'who is RTX Spark for?' foundations, but that doesn't mean it's been an afterthought. Especially not when Nvidia's developer relations team is going out and helping the likes of Remedy make a completely native version of Alan Wake 2—one of the most graphically intensive DX12 games out there—and making it run great on Nvidia's RTX Spark.

I've been playing this native Arm build of Alan Wake 2 on a pre-release version of Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra and, while I'm under careful watch so I don't go digging around in the settings, the experience is smooth and the game looks great. And crucially I'm not seeing the telltale smearing of text, input lag, and fine detail screwiness that would tell me it's using a ton of multi frame gen just to get the game running at the 2560 x 1600 resolution I'm playing at. Though I'm confident it is running some level of frame gen in there to get this game running so smoothly on this machine.

Microsoft has been working on this laptop with Nvidia for about three years, Nvidia has been working with MediaTek for two and a half years to make the silicon. And that would suggest Remedy's had ample time to get working on the native Arm port for Nvidia hardware, but Nvidia currently won't be drawn on exactly how long it has taken to get this fully native version up and running.

But it looks damned good to my eyes, and plays well either on keyboard and mouse or with a controller plugged in. Obviously though, this is a tightly controlled demo, and I can't dig in to see what the specific settings are inside the game, but this is still a DirectX 12 game, with a native Arm port running smoothly on this thin-and-light gaming laptop without blowing a gale out the back.

During my time prodding and poking every single RTX Spark laptop and desktop that has made it up to Nvidia's demo floor—from Microsoft, to Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and MSI—I've also had a chance to play with emulated versions of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Pragmata. Not new beta versions, but simply downloaded from Steam and running on these 64 GB versions of the RTX Spark chip.

Nvidia RTX Spark SoC in hand
Future
Alan Wake 2 native Arm build running on RTX Spark
Future

"What we're showcasing here is, if you're a developer and your game is running through an emulator, we're going to work with you to make sure it's a good experience," says Jo Vivoli, senior manager in Nvidia's tech marketing team. "If you want to make a native arm build, we're going to work with you to make sure it's a good experience."

And it's something a Microsoft engineer, who has been working on RTX Spark for the past three years echos as I step up to play Indiana Jones.

"It's running through emulation," he says, "and so we wanted to highlight the deep investment that Nvidia and Microsoft has made to make sure that gaming is truly an activity that you can participate on an RTX Spark, and it delivers the expected performance and visuals that you would get out of an RTX graphics card."

And it's all working. I also inexpertly bashed through Pragmata, though this is actually the first time playing the game so I had zero idea what the hell I was doing, why there was a little bot-girl on my back, and why this other robot-with-a-sword wanted to chop us into itty bitty bits. But the game ran super smoothly, even if my gaming skills did not.

Now, this is surely not going to be the universal experience for every game, no matter how commited to the experience either Microsoft or Nvidia are—there is simply too large a back catalogue of games in the PC's long library and there will surely be titles that do not play ball.

But it has been focused on at least what it sees as the biggest games. "We've been looking at the 200 largest, most used creative applications, most used games," another Microsoft representative tells me. "And we're on track to have those working in time for launch."

Maybe suspiciously, this is an Nvidia demo suite and there's no hint of Cyberpunk 2077. Will that work for launch? I'm told they think it does, but I guess we'll find out in the autumn.

]]> <![CDATA[ CEO Jensen Huang says Nvidia is too busy with the 'gigantic project' of 'reinventing the PC after 40 years' to do a handheld gaming PC based on RTX Spark ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/ceo-jensen-huang-says-nvidia-is-too-busy-with-the-gigantic-project-of-reinventing-the-pc-after-40-years-to-do-a-handheld-gaming-pc-based-on-rtx-spark/ xETT3RkAPU3Z2qcCvBeLB6 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:04:12 +0000 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:54:46 +0000 false false false

Nvidia's first full SoC for the PC, RTX Spark, is finally here. But could it form the basis of a killer gaming handheld? Superficially, that seems like a bit of a no-brainer, what with Nvidia's dominance in gaming graphics. But comments from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang yesterday make that appear unlikely.

Speaking after his Computex keynote, Huang responded to a question about the possible use of RTX Spark in a handheld.

"If somebody wants to do it, you know, we'll work with them on it. But right now we're really focused on doing something that is just such a big deal, reinventing the PC after 40 years," Huang said.

He went on to explain what a "gigantic project" it is for Nvidia just to launch a PC chip. "Remember all of these applications in the Windows world, the x86 world, we have to prove that they work fantastically, and all the games they have to have anti cheat turned on. And so all of that stuff is really, really hard," Huang explained.

"It took us three years working with Microsoft and two and a half years working with MediaTek to get here, hundreds of people, that's how hard it is, and that's why everybody's so excited about it," Huang says of RTX Spark.

It's all part of his plan, it seems, to reinvent the PC in the age of AI. "Can we help reinvent the PC? And, boy, if you get a chance to reinvent the single most important instrument, the single most important tool of humanity, what you and I grew up with defined just about everything about our lives, and we have an opportunity after 40 years to go reinvent it for the age of AI. Wow, we're not going to sit around, not let it get done," Huang said.

In that context, you can see how making a gaming handheld out of RTX Spark is a bit, well, tangential. Is it yet another indication that gaming is now a very low priority at Nvidia? Possibly.

Of course, the full RTX Spark Chip is probably not a goer for handhelds. It's got 20 Arm cores and a GPU with pretty much identical specs to a desktop RTX 5070 GPU. That's surely too big and too powerful for a handheld, even if Nvidia is claiming its battery life will be "much better than anything you've seen before on RTX laptops."

Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Huang on stage at GTC Taiwan with the new RTX Spark.

The RTX Spark box fits in the hand, but it seems that's as close as we'll get to a handheld gaming PC from Nvidia, for now. (Image credit: Nvidia)

As I understand it, however, there is a smaller version of RTX Spark coming with fewer CPU cores and a GPU less than half the size, codenamed N1 as opposed to N1x for the full-size RTX Spark chip. And that could be a much better candidate for a gaming handheld.

The thing is, if Nvidia was actively working with partners on an RTX Spark-based gaming handheld, you'd think Huang would have answered that question quite differently. As it is, he's clear that's not where Nvidia's "focus" is right now. Which probably shouldn't be a surprise, as gaming really doesn't seem to be a high priority at Nvidia of late.

]]> <![CDATA[ Nvidia may have announced the RTX Spark, but the first true Nvidia CPU for the PC could be coming in 2028 ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/nvidia-may-have-announced-the-rtx-spark-but-the-first-true-nvidia-cpu-for-the-pc-is-coming-in-2028/ M9CWe5T2dxETW9p465WxcM Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:32:17 +0000 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:40:56 +0000 false false false

So Nvidia has announced the RTX Spark chip, its first CPU—or should that be APU—for the PC. Except the chip is basically a rebadge of the GB10 superchip in the DGX Spark desktop AI box that it launched in October last year. And it uses pretty ancient CPU cores licensed from Arm. So when might we see a true Nvidia CPU in the PC?

Actually, it looks a lot like Nvidia answered that question in its Computex keynote. CEO Jensen Huang revealed a roadmap for RTX Spark stretching a further two generations and out to 2030. And here's the really important bit: Nvidia plans to launch an RTX Spark using Nvidia's Vera CPU in 2028.

As Nvidia has already announced, Vera is the company's first CPU with cores designed in-house. The CPU in the first generation RTX Spark has Nvidia's Grace chiplet, which was designed in a collaboration with Mediatek and has CPU cores licensed from ARM.

What's more, those CPU cores aren't even Arm's latest designs. Grace has two different Arm cores, one is a generation old, the other two generations old. But Vera is Nvidia's first in-house CPU design using its new Olympus cores and when Nvidia initially announced it as a processor for AI servers, we hoped and wondered if those Olympus cores would ever come to the PC.

Well, now this roadmap seems to indicate that they are and even when they're coming, in 2028. Exactly how good Vera's Olympus cores are isn't totally clear. We've only just had the first third-party benchmarks, albeit with workloads somewhat dictated by Nvidia.

There it is, Vera Rubin Spark in 2028. (Image credit: Nvidia)

One caveat here is that Nvidia hasn't explicitly called out "Olympus" cores for the Vera Rubin Spark chip. But it would certainly be odd if the company used the same "Vera" codename to describe two very different CPU architectures.

For what it's worth, in the Computex keynote, Huang said Vera's single-threaded performance "has to be world class, absolutely the best," which obviously bodes well. Where things get more complicated is software support.

Nvidia is unsurprisingly making lots of positive noises about game support on RTX Spark. But the problem is that the next-gen Vera CPU in 2028 will inevitably be very different from the Arm-licensed cores in the first-gen RTX Spark's Grace CPU. So, it's not clear that any work done for the first Grace-based RTX Spark making game ports or optimising Windows' Prism emulation layer for x86 applications running on Arm CPUs will automatically benefit the next-gen Vera CPU.

You could argue it's a little odd that Nvidia is launching the whole RTX Spark thing with the Grace Blackwell generation. In many ways, it would seem to make more sense to wait for the Vera Rubin generation in 2028 with Nvidia's own CPUs, which will presumably form the basis of future RTX Spark CPUs, including the Rosa Feyman generation which Huang also revealed is due in 2030.

As it is, RTX Spark is launching with some relatively ancient licensed CPU cores which will duly be dropped in favour of Nvidia's surely far superior cores in 2028. Perhaps all this generation of RTX Spark is supposed to do is get the ball rolling in terms of relationships with hardware vendors for laptops, with Microsoft regarding x86 emulation and with game devs for porting x86 titles.

But at least now we know when the first true Nvidia CPU for the PC is arriving. And it's 2028. Here's hoping those Olympus cores are still "absolutely the best" by then.

]]> <![CDATA[ MSI's new skinny two-in-one laptop has an Nvidia RTX Spark chip, which could make for some impressive gaming chops ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/msis-new-skinny-two-in-one-laptop-has-an-nvidia-rtx-spark-chip-which-could-make-for-some-impressive-gaming-chops/ 2E2qa55CZmFvrwkymbYagh Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:58:44 +0000 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:45:48 +0000 false false false

It's been a long time coming, but we finally have sight of Nvidia's very own Arm-based CPU. And as if to remind us it's not all a fever dream, we have sight of some actual laptops that will feature the chip, like the MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+.

The first thing you've probably noticed is that this thing looks thin. And that's kind of the point, here. There's no discrete RTX GPU to fatten it up, rather Nvidia's all-in-one N1X-based "superchip" called RTX Spark, which seems to want to meld the gaming and AI spheres together (from Nvidia? Who'd have thunk it).

That permits a gaming-capable laptop to have such things as a "16-inch UHD+ Tandem OLED display, 99.9Wh battery, MSI Nano Pen, MSI Action Touchpad, and a versatile flip form factor for mobile productivity and entertainment."

Make no mistake, though, it's a gaming PC. And with RTX Spark machines all signs point towards that meaning some actual gaming performance. We'd heard rumours of RTX 5070-level frame rates from an upcoming Nvidia processor for a very long time, and now Nvidia confirms that this was correct, although it will depend on the game.

That game-dependent caveat exists in large part because the RTX Spark isn't a standard x86 CPU. It's Arm-based, meaning it runs Windows-on-Arm and will have to emulate some apps through Microsoft's Prism layer. So you probably shouldn't expect a standard experience in all respects from this MSI machine. But thus is the penalty for progress.

It's certainly an exciting prospect now we can see just how thin an RTX 5070-level laptop can be. The two-in-one flip design we see here (use it as a tablet or laptop, or in between in 'tent' format) would certainly have seemed a stretch to combine with such gaming performance on more traditional hardware with a discrete GPU.

There's no mention of price, though, and on that front I can't imagine anything other than a sharp sting.

]]> <![CDATA[ Nvidia RTX Spark's gaming battery life will be 'better than anything you've seen before on RTX laptops' ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/nvidia-rtx-sparks-gaming-battery-life-will-be-better-than-anything-youve-seen-before-on-rtx-laptops/ pJKKFrTJMxzTiaB7HZ7Sxa Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:40:00 +0000 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:47:11 +0000 false false false

The new Nvidia RTX Spark is an Arm-powered system-on-chip (SoC) set to be the heart of new super thin-and-light gaming laptops and mini PCs. It comes packing up to 20 Grace CPU cores and up to 6188 CUDA cores in its GPU, alongside up to 128 GB unified LPDDR5x memory. And one of the most tantalising things of having an Arm chip powering a genuinely gaming-capable skinny laptop is the promise of unprecedented gaming battery life.

During our pre-Computex briefing on the introduction of the new "superchip" product marketing lead, Mark Aevermann was careful not to make any definitive promises of extreme battery life, despite calling it "the most efficient pc chip ever built". But he did note that we "should expect it to be much better than anything you've seen before on RTX laptops."

Which is certainly promising. While we're expecting all-day battery life for standard non-gaming workloads, when you're really pushing gaming workloads it's going to stress the battery a whole lot more.

"Gaming battery life... it's going to vary on a whole lot of factors," says Aevermann. "Just like any laptop out there, literally any laptop, if you pull the maximum you can out of a battery you're only going to get 45 minutes to an hour. That's true of every laptop on the market. So it very much depends on if things like frame rate targets, the settings of an individual game, what the laptop's battery capacity is, so on and so forth."

But with frame rate targets and such, Intel's G3 Extreme handheld chips are getting up to five hours of gaming battery life in intense 3D gameworlds, and up to 11 hours in something less-intense, such as Team Fortress 2. Maybe we won't get up to that level with a super-thin RTX Spark gaming laptop, but maybe with the right settings we could get close.

]]> <![CDATA[ Nvidia's working with all the anti-cheat vendors to make competitive games work on RTX Spark and WoA… just when gaming on Linux was looking good ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/nvidias-working-with-all-the-anti-cheat-vendors-to-make-competive-games-work-on-rtx-spark-and-woa-just-when-gaming-on-linux-was-looking-good/ 5Xzg9ma9iSaB78DKj5kv5U Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:35:00 +0000 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:10:11 +0000 false false false

One of the issues that gaming on Linux has right now, and one of the main reasons why Windows is still the dominant platform for gaming, is because there are still games that resolutely will not work on SteamOS or any other Linux-based distro. And one of the main reasons for that is a lack of support for some of the biggest anti-cheat software in use today, specifically the kernel-level ones.

That means you get no Fortnite, you get no Battlefield, you get no Valorant, you get no FC26 (okay, that one's just for me). Nvidia gets this and has been explicit in the announcement of the new Arm-powered RTX Spark "superchip" for Windows on Arm that is working hard with all the leading anti-cheat developers to ensure the software works out of the box on its systems.

Nvidia has told me that: "We are working closely with game developers to ensure all the top games run great. Our ongoing collaborations are bringing Fortnite, VALORANT, League of Legends, PUBG and more to run on RTX Spark.

"One of the biggest challenges is native ARM anti-cheat that online games rely on. We are working with developers to bring support for major anti cheats like Easy Anti‑Cheat, BattlEye, and Denuvo among others. We'll have even more game news to announce over the coming months."

Nvidia's also told us that devs are working on both Prism-optimised versions of their games as well as wholly native game versions for RTX Spark and Windows on Arm.

RTX Spark is its new family of Nvidia SoCs, targeted at creators, AI devs, and gamers, and the top chip has the same level of graphics power as an RTX 5070. Well, depending on whether you're talking about emulated games or native versions, so actual performance could be above, below, or the same as an RTX 5070. Though Nvidia has noted that GPU-bound games will likely be less impacted by Microsoft's Prism emulation layer, which is kinda promising at least.

We're expecting RTX Spark laptops and mini PCs in the autumn this year, though don't expect the full 20-core CPU, 6188 CUDA core GPU, with 128 GB of unified memory to be cheap. Though we've been told there will be smaller versions of the chips, potentially more gaming-focused versions, from 16 GB all the way up to the top 128 GB versions. Watch this space, I guess.

]]> <![CDATA[ Not just for AI agents: Nvidia's RTX Spark means Arm-powered laptops for gamers, too, promising 100 fps at 1440p in the latest games ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/not-just-for-ai-agents-nvidias-rtx-spark-means-arm-powered-laptops-for-gamers-too-promising-100-fps-at-1440p-in-the-latest-games/ c9CovohYCp7U6cbymsnBpF Mon, 01 Jun 2026 04:32:33 +0000 Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:48:02 +0000 false false false

After a lot of leaks, a whole lot of rumours, and me boring the crap out of Nvidia's PRs about it many times over the years, the N1X CPU, now incorporated in the RTX Spark SoC, has finally been unveiled. It's been one of the most well-known secrets in the industry—that Nvidia would one day release a laptop SoC, pairing a MediaTek Arm chiplet with an Nvidia GPU core, to create its own notebook platform and here we are.

With the full RTX Spark "superchip", codenamed the N1X, users can expect up to 20 Grace CPU cores and 6144 RTX Blackwell GPU cores, alongside up to 128 GB of unified LPDDR5x memory. And I think the 'up to' parts of that statement are doing a lot of heavy lifting here, because this isn't just a single laptop processor but a full lineup of notebook SoCs starting in the autumn of this year.

And that's welcome news, because in a RAMpocalypse world of ever-increasing hardware prices, a chip that's wedded to 128 GB of any kind of memory is going to be prohibitively expensive. But, while Mark Aevermann, consumer product marketing lead of RTX Spark, wouldn't be drawn on details of the different chips we might expect to see, he did note that "RTX Spark is going to be a family of products that are going to attack a lot of different price points" and that "across the entire family you'll see configurations from 16 GB all the way up to 128 GB."

Not that I expect a 16 GB RTX Spark laptop to be cheap but at least that will be a far more affordable SKU, and likely a more gaming-oriented chip, too. Though I wouldn't necessarily expect to see laptops using those lower-end chips at launch in the autumn, as right now Nvidia has only shown off six very premium machines from Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, and MSI.

"Over time," says Aevermann, "you can expect over 30 laptops and over ten or so desktops initially planned."

But with Nvidia promising wattage figures from up to 80 W down to the "low, low single digits" that does make me think about handhelds, especially after Intel's announcement of the G3 Extreme in the past week. Aevermann introduced the RTX Spark as "the most efficient PC chip ever built… a new type of SoC that is both built for the future of computers as agents, as well as a fantastic creation and gaming experience on a single device with exceptional portability." If that doesn't get jammed into a new Shield handheld my ghast will be utterly flabbered.

Nvidia RTX Spark
Nvidia
Nvidia RTX Spark
Nvidia

Though Nvidia was also very careful in the briefing ahead of today's announcement to note that it was not making any comments about handhelds.

Laptops are not the only form factor Nvidia has been talking about, though, as it's also said that mini PCs, along the same lines as the Linux-powered DGX Spark, will also be releasing in the autumn with the RTX Spark chip inside. The likes of Acer, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, MSI, and Lenovo will have systems ready to roll, which could make for a real interesting comparison with the Steam Machine whenever that does arrive.

Nvidia RTX Spark
Nvidia
Nvidia RTX Spark
Nvidia

The biggest issue for the RTX Spark as a gaming SoC, however, is the fact that it's running a custom Arm and not an x86 CPU core. That means running Windows-on-Arm as the operating system, and that means leaning heavily on the Microsoft's Prism emulator. This is the layer which translates x86 code for WoA devices right now, such as those from Qualcomm, and Nvidia seems pretty confident that it's worked out a lot of the kinks.

Though Aevermann does also note that, while you can theoretically get RTX 5070-level performance out of the RTX Spark's GPU core, that is heavily dependent on the application. And I think you can translate that to mean it's completely dependent on how well a given application copes with that emulation layer.

Nvidia has a lot of skin in the game here, but also a lot of deep contacts with the gaming world, and it has noted that developers are running the gamut from purely optimising their games for Prism, to porting existing games to Arm, to coding entirely natively for the Arm ecosystem.

The company is also engaged with developers to ensure the ecosystem supports all the current anti-cheat software around, something that's been a struggle for Linux gaming.

"We are working closely with game developers to ensure all the top games run great," an Nvidia rep tells me. "Our ongoing collaborations are bringing Fortnite, VALORANT, League of Legends, PUBG and more to run on RTX Spark.

"One of the biggest challenges is native ARM anti-cheat that online games rely on. We are working with developers to bring support for major anti cheats like Easy Anti‑Cheat, BattlEye, and Denuvo among others. We'll have even more game news to announce over the coming months."

Here's hoping Nvidia's confidence in both the Prism emulation and the game developers proves warranted when the RTX Spark systems see the light of day towards the end of the year.

]]> <![CDATA[ Nvidia's still-yet-to-be-announced N1X Arm chip is referenced on a Lenovo login page, so make of that what you will ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/processors/nvidias-still-yet-to-be-announced-n1x-arm-chip-is-referenced-on-a-lenovo-login-page-so-make-of-that-what-you-will/ xGCPASK3g2UUNhekqmQeFi Tue, 26 May 2026 14:46:12 +0000 false false false

Hunting for fresh news of Nvidia's long-awaited, yet-to-be-announced N1 and N1X laptop chips is pretty difficult these days. Reports earlier this year suggested the new chips would be out by March, but here we are in May with not a lot to go on beyond rumour and speculation.

Other than a Lenovo login page mention, of course. That's new (via Videocardz). A dropdown menu on the Lenovo ADFS login page has two entries noting the fabled chip, one labelled "Nvidia N1X Portal PROD" and the other "Nvidia N1X Portal Test."

It's not the first time Lenovo has been linked to potential Nvidia-chipped laptop models. At the start of this year, the "Legion 7 12N1X11" appeared as a supported model for its Legion Space software, while a dataminer also found mention of several upcoming Lenovo models with N1 and N1X designations.

So as secrets go, it's not a particularly well kept one. And in all honesty, test portals being prepared for upcoming laptops using the chips is no great surprise.

But it's been a long time coming, and if the cadence of these leaks is anything to go by, we may be tantalisingly close to an official reveal. Computex 2026 kicks off next week, and if I were a betting man, I'd put good money on at least some mention of the near-mythical Nvidia laptop chip line being made then—if not a full-blown announcement.

Nvidia's GB10 Superchip

The GB10. Or N1X, depending on what device the chip's stuffed into. (Image credit: Nvidia)

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has confirmed that the new offerings will be based on the GB10 "Superchip" found in the DGX Spark, although how that manifests in practice is yet to be officially revealed. Previous rumours have suggested the N1X is a 20-core CPU with a large Blackwell-based GPU, potentially with as many CUDA cores as the RTX 5070.

If that's even close to accurate, the Nvidia beasties may well be one of the biggest and most interesting hardware releases of the year—if the X86 emulation is all fine and dandy, of course. Or we could be left waiting once more. Tune in next week to find out?

]]> <![CDATA[ You can crank wild performance out of a MacBook Neo if only you use a giant industrial air blower and Peltier thermoelectric cooling ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/you-can-crank-wild-performance-out-of-a-macbook-neo-if-only-you-use-a-giant-industrial-air-blower-and-peltier-thermoelectric-cooling/ cr2NH3h8zLWGWZpuZyYhJP Fri, 22 May 2026 10:14:11 +0000 Fri, 22 May 2026 10:15:06 +0000 false false false

Last month I reported on tech YouTubers Jakkuh and Zip Tie Tech modding an Apple MacBook Neo with external custom water loop cooling to achieve world record benchmark scores on the budget laptop. Now, YouTuber Salem Techsperts has outdone them in at least some benchmarks with the help of dual-sided chip cooling and a giant industrial air blower.

The previous record-holders said "come at me bro" with a 3DMark Solar Bay Extreme score of 1,450 and Salem Techsperts apparently beat that score the very next day, but only by one point. He then set out to break that record: "I am determined to have the fastest MacBook Neo in the world, and no one is going to beat it after today. (I really hope JayzTwoCents doesn't do a liquid nitrogen build.)"

The Apple MacBook Neo has garnered attention thanks to its cheap price tag in an increasingly inflated market. And while its six-core A18 Pro chip is little more than an iPhone processor, it runs surprisingly well, especially using Apple's optimised software. But there's always more headroom that can be cranked out of a chip with enough effort, as Salem Techsperts finds out.

He sets about achieving this with "PTM 7950, 30-degree air, an industrial air blower, a heat sink, a Peltier cooler... and Upsiren thermal putty."

The PTM 7950 is a phase change thermal pad, and the latter putty is designed to replace thermal pads, which is useful in the case of the MacBook Neo, because such a pad is exactly what is slapped on top of the chip by default. And finally, a Peltier cooler is a kind of thermoelectric cooler that uses an electric current to encourage heat transfer from one side to the other.

To begin, the YouTuber put the putty on top of the integrated circuits (ICs) on either side of the chip, laid the regular sticker on top, and had two copper shims sitting next to the chip with a heatsink on top of it, using a PTM 7950 thermal pad as the conductor between the two. However, he did eventually swap out the PTM 7950 for some Upsiren thermal putty to crank the score up as it ended up working better.

The final trick was to put the Peltier cooler underneath the chip to sandwich it, which involves disconnecting the logic board and removing the display. And then using the giant industrial air blower to churn a load of air from the window to cool the top-side of the chip down. The Peltier cooler underneath has to be blocked off from the flow of air, though, as that could interfere with the thermoelectric cooling process. The result is getting things down to a nice and chilly 10 °C at idle

After all this, the A18 Pro consistently hits 11 W of power consumption; by default it should max out at about 10 W and stay much lower than this over extended periods.

The A18 Pro chip from a MacBook Neo being cooled by a heatsink, industrial air blower, and a Peltier thermoelectric cooler.

(Image credit: Salem Techsperts @ YouTube)

The chip managed to beat the previous-highest Cinebench scores, with a score of 2,076 in the multi-threaded test and 639 in the single-threaded one, which is only slightly below what an M4 Max chip scores. However, for some reason the chip in the modded setup wouldn't beat the 3DMark (ie, the GPU) score, hitting different scores between 1,400 and 1,450; apparently the score was higher before all the modding.

With the sandwich cooling method, the Neo achieved 50 fps in Cyberpunk, although that was at 1080p on low settings with resolution scaling and FSR 3.1 frame gen turned on.

Salem Techsperts even gets pretty decent results putting the chip and board back into the case with just the pads and putty mods, achieving 28% higher multi-core and 25% higher single-core score. So although he notes the keyboard does get a little warmer, that might be a mod that's worth actually trying at home, if you're feeling adventurous.

]]> <![CDATA[ Hot on the heels of Apple's iPhone-in-a-laptop, Google and Intel have teamed up to give us the Googlebook ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/hot-on-the-heels-of-apples-iphone-in-a-laptop-google-and-intel-have-teamed-up-to-give-us-the-googlebook/ bzzK5KdCPKfe5WjhXtL6LZ Fri, 15 May 2026 15:16:13 +0000 false false false

While there's no chance that it was developed because Apple had chosen to do something similar, one can't help but draw parallels to the MacBook Neo. The newly announced Googlebook has your phone and AI at the heart of it all, and will supposedly bring "the best of Android…and ChromeOS", utilising hardware from Intel under the hood.

That's pretty much it as far as details go, other than some swooping imagery of glossy-looking laptops, a short tweet from Intel on the collaboration, and a statement about "working with industry leading partners like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo."

Naturally, Gemini AI is going to be at the forefront of what the Googlebook can do, but if you have an Android phone, you'll be able to cast apps and access files directly from the phone without having to wire things up or install them. How well all this will work in reality is anyone's guess at this stage, but if it works as seamlessly as suggested, a Googlebook might be a good choice of laptop for work-on-the-go.

The real question of importance, however, is precisely what hardware is going to be underneath the hood. Since Intel is involved, the most obvious pick is either a small Panther Lake chip or even smaller Wildcat Lake. Both options are going to be very nice to have, though they really need fast LPDDR5 memory to shine.

Given how expensive DRAM is at the moment, if Google takes a leaf from Apple's MacBook Neo and goes with something like 8 or 12 GB, then it's unlikely that you're going to see any Googlebook topping a benchmark chart. That said, Wildcat Lake is light on power demand but strong on single-core performance, so you never know.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the Googlebook is the legacy of Chromebooks. These have been around for many years now, and while generally very cheap, they've accrued a reputation for being slow and of limited capability. Google's new devices are unlikely to be at the bottom end of the price scale, but the spectre of the Chromebook is going to be hard to exorcise.

We'll know for sure when the first models appear later this autumn.

]]> <![CDATA[ Alienware's new 'budget' laptop is a damning indictment of the current state of PC gaming hardware ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/alienwares-new-budget-laptop-is-a-damning-indictment-of-the-current-state-of-pc-gaming-hardware/ vKdeW5rN77jVWKvoF86ie3 Fri, 15 May 2026 11:42:30 +0000 false false false

We got our first look at Alienware's first budget gaming laptop at CES earlier this year, and now, nearly half a year later, the Alienware 15 is here, and you can go buy it over at Dell.com right now.

But before you go rushing off to throw your money at one, there are some things you ought to know about. I'm not necessarily blaming Dell here, but the specifics of this new machine tell you all you need to know about the PC gaming hardware market. In short, it's in real trouble.

For a start, the Alienware 15 is not a new mega value proposition in the same way the new Alienware AW2726DM OLED gaming monitor is. That's a brand new OLED gaming monitor, using a quality Samsung panel that is still very competitive with the current generation of OLED gaming displays, but for an affordable price brand new that you'll only otherwise see from OLEDs on special offer.

That's not the case with the Alienware 15 laptop. This is a brand new gaming laptop that Dell is determined to point out is still sporting the Alienware DNA and build quality, just with some judicious cuts here and there, and a potentially dubious specs sheet.

One thing to note is maybe a little trite, but this looks far more like a Dell Gaming laptop (a brand now seemingly defunct) than anything with the traditional style and aesthetic of an Alienware machine. It sure does look like a corporate slab. But that's not necessarily a terrible thing.

What kinda might be is that it's 2026 and this is a gaming laptop that is launching with an RTX 3050 configuration from the off. Now, that config is not available in every territory—in the US, the bottom rung will be the RTX 4050, and only RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 options are available today—but in the UK, we're treated to the full last-last-gen horrors. It's not even that cheap; the RTX 3050 system is still £979 😱

It's also restricting its GPUs to a total graphics power (TGP) of 85 W, which is going to hold back your new RTX Blackwell graphics chips if you can stretch your wallet that far. Given the impressively thin chassis, that's maybe okay, and the same as the Alienware 16 Aurora machines.

Alienware 15 laptop
Dell
Alienware 15 laptop
Dell
Alienware 15 laptop
Dell
Alienware 15 laptop
Dell

What I struggle with a little more is the way Dell is resolutely going with single channel memory across the board for its new machine. I predicted we'd see more vendors doing this very thing with the RAMpocalypse forcing manufacturers' hands in terms of dealing with ludicrous memory pricing, and lo, it has come to pass.

But it's not just at the bottom end of the configuration scale, because despite having a pair of SODIMM slots in the back of the Alienware 15, the 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB configurations include just one single stick of RAM. Alienware said "we're doing our best to hold to" its pricing in the face of memory volatility, and that meant that "out of the box it was best for us to go with single channel."

Sure, you're getting the same raw capacity, but going with single channel over standard dual channel memory (basically using two discrete sticks) means you are halving your memory bandwidth. I will say, that doesn't make a whole lot of difference in most games—Alienware estimates about a 5% performance hit—but in general use, it does affect what you can do with your system.

None of this would be that painful if it weren't for the price. I will say again, this is not a cheap laptop, even if Dell wants to call this an entry-level Alienware machine. The RTX 4050 version in the US, with an AMD CPU, is going to start at $1,300, and right now, you're looking at $1,500 for the RTX 5050 system with 16 GB single channel memory and a 512 GB SSD. Worse still, you cannot configure an Alienware 15 with an RTX 5060 for less than $2,290, with 32 GB of single channel memory and a 1 TB SSD.

Alienware 15 laptop

(Image credit: Dell)

For comparison, you can buy an RTX 5050 version of the Alienware 16 Aurora for $1,200 with 16 GB of dual channel DDR5 memory and a 512 GB SSD. Or, y'know, you could buy an actual budget gaming laptop with an RTX 5050 inside it for $799 instead.

It's not all bad, because the Alienware 15 will be a genuinely good machine, just not a budget option. At least not until the sales really bite into it. The rounded chassis looks good, it has ditched the big bum of the Area-51 machines, and it comes with a full numpad. Dell has also ensured that its 15-inch screen is still a 16:10, 1200p option, not the more traditional 15-inch 16:9 panel.

So, it'll be a quality machine, though it's not really the super-affordable, entry-level Alienware you might have hoped for post-MacBook Neo.

]]> <![CDATA[ Framework says DDR5 memory costs 'remain fairly stable' but 'on SSDs, the pricing story is unfortunately not as positive' as it raises prices again ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/framework-says-ddr5-memory-costs-remain-fairly-stable-but-on-ssds-the-pricing-story-is-unfortunately-not-as-positive-as-it-raises-prices-again/ DNNEHinAZUCRiixLUfESTA Wed, 13 May 2026 09:50:50 +0000 false false false

Modular laptop company Framework has some good news and some bad news. The good news is that memory costs from suppliers have reportedly remained steady over the past few months. The bad news is that it's all outta storage and has to buy new stuff at inflated prices.

"We’ve seen memory costs on DDR5 suppliers remain fairly stable over the last few months," Framework says in a regular blog post on the memory crisis. "We consumed the inventory of 8GB that we had brought in earlier at lower cost, and have had to adjust the pricing upwards to reflect the costs of newly sourced modules.

"As we have been through this memory crunch, we are only adjusting the pricing as much as is needed to cover increases in cost. For the other memory capacities, we’ve been able to hold the prices the same as last month."

Unfortunately, this has been countered by an increase in storage costs. The company says it has now nearly fully consumed its older inventory for most capacities and is in the process of buying new stock. Since this new stock is sold at a higher price by suppliers, thanks to the memory crisis and heaps more demand, it's looking to raise costs.

"On SSDs, the pricing story is unfortunately not as positive," Framework says. "Over the last few months, we’ve been able to keep our storage prices pretty substantially below market by selling modules we had in inventory from 2025. We’ve now consumed much of that inventory across a number of different module capacities and are starting to bring in new inventory at costs that are multiples of times higher."

Today, this means prices are a weighted average of both the new and old inventory—so a smaller increase—but Framework says next month it expects to have to increase them by the full margin.

Framework used to sell a DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM kit for $80. This is now $320.

The company is also sourcing SSDs from further afield. It used to rely solely on Sandisk, which makes some of the best SSDs for gaming in our estimations, but it's now buying from Adata and Phison as well. It says these are run through "extensive validation" to ensure they meet performance but there is sure to be some variance between controllers and NAND chips, depending on the models.

Framework Desktop PC

(Image credit: Future)

You've probably heard or been affected by the memory crisis now: increasing costs for memory and storage as a large quantity of these all-important chips are gobbled into the open maw of AI datacentres. For us gamers, that means higher prices at the checkout as anyone downstream of memory manufacturers wrestles with securing stock and paying more for it.

A CamelCamelCamel chart showing the price of a Corsair RAM kit through 2025 and 2026.

(Image credit: CamelCamelCamel)

A 32 GB DDR5 kit can be anywhere from $300-$400 at the moment, marking a huge increase over where they were just six months ago. Then, you could pick up a kit for under $100 and not worry too much about the timings. Though we have also seen a slight levelling off in prices since the explosion at the end of last year: this Corsair Vengeance 32 GB DDR5 kit is pretty spiky and hasn't dropped in price but, similarly, has not increased much beyond the rapid four-fold increase we saw heading into the year. That's not much of a mercy, admittedly.

For memory companies, it's a huge win. Sandisk's share price is currently up 500% since the start of the year. SK hynix's has increased 191%. Micron's has shot up 143%. Unless something drastic happens with AI demand or otherwise reducing memory demand, we may see this continue for a long time. A sorry state of affairs.

]]> <![CDATA[ 'We undercalled the level of enthusiasm': Apple's Tim Cook says supply is constrained for the MacBook Neo, but 'we could not be happier with how things are going at the moment' ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/we-undercalled-the-level-of-enthusiasm-apples-tim-cook-says-supply-is-constrained-for-the-macbook-neo-but-we-could-not-be-happier-with-how-things-are-going-at-the-moment/ Wn9fQLNPnn9553tmJXS5D9 Fri, 01 May 2026 12:53:19 +0000 Fri, 01 May 2026 12:53:47 +0000 false false false

The MacBook Neo is an impressive machine in many respects. Beyond the fact that it starts at $599 and makes for a very good productivity laptop (although not so much for gaming), the cheap-but-cheerful machine's popularity appears to have taken even Apple by surprise.

In the Q&A section of the company's recent Q2 2026 earnings call, in which the company reported 17% revenue growth year-over-year, CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the Neo is currently supply-constrained. "We were very bullish on the product before announcing it," said Cook. "But we undercalled the level of enthusiasm."

The outgoing Apple chief highlighted that the device's aim was "focused on getting the Mac to even more people than we were reaching before," which certainly explains the very competitive price tag. "We're very focused on customers new to the Mac and customers that have been holding on to their Mac of a very long period of time."

Beyond regular consumer uptake, Cook said the company was also "seeing school systems like the Kansas City Public Schools" switching from ageing Chromebooks and Windows PCs to the new Neo.

"I'm hearing anecdotally more and more of those kind of stories, both happening at the school system level and at the individual consumer level. And so we could not be happier with how things are going at the moment."

Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.

(Image credit: Future)

Still, supply constraints appear to be a fly in what is otherwise an excellent-looking ointment for the Cupertino-based giant.

Although reports say the company now aims to produce 10 million units of the affordably-priced machine, Cook's later comments suggest Apple is not entirely immune from the memory crisis affecting the rest of the industry—despite its Unified Memory Architecture tech making the most of smaller RAM amounts.

"In the December quarter, we really had a minimal impact due to memory, and you can kind of see that in the gross margin results," said Cook.

"We said it would be a bit more in the March quarter, and we did see higher memory costs... and they were partially offset by benefits from carry-in inventory that we had," he continued. "For the June quarter... we expect significantly higher memory costs. They are also partly offset by the benefit of carry-in inventory.

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., beside an Apple Vision Pro mixed reality (XR) headset during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at Apple Park campus

(Image credit: Philip Pacheco/Bloomberg via Getty Images )

"I can tell you that beyond the June quarter, we believe memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business. And we'll continue to evaluate this," the Apple CEO concluded.

So, despite the very strong financial figures overall and huge demand for its new budget laptop darling, Apple is still managing supply issues like the rest of its competitors. In the meantime, though, it's looking like a bit of a red letter day for the company.

And while it's too early to get the precise sales figures of the newly-launched Neo, they sound like they're going to be very impressive—providing supply can catch up with demand.

]]> <![CDATA[ Apple is reportedly set to speed past Dell and become the third-largest laptop vendor, thanks in part to the affordable MacBook Neo ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/apple-is-reportedly-set-to-speed-past-dell-and-become-the-third-largest-laptop-vendor-thanks-in-part-to-the-affordable-macbook-neo/ oKMVubAuMP9aCi3T4NSpxe Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:12:43 +0000 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:13:08 +0000 false false false

Even we've been impressed by Apple's MacBook Neo, and we're called PC Gamer. It's essentially an iPhone 16 Pro wearing a laptop suit, and makes for a pretty tempting lappy when you take into account the lovely chassis design, decent screen, and the fact it starts at $599.

It's a laptop that seems destined to capture the market for those who need a stylish, functional machine for minimal amounts of cash. Reports indicate that Apple has ramped up production to 10 million units in response to strong demand, and new market research suggests it will help propel Apple's position in the laptop space to new heights.

According to Techpowerup, a report from market research firm Sigmaintell projects that Apple is set to become the third-largest laptop vendor by the end of 2026. The company is anticipated to sell roughly 28 million MacBooks this year, which would represent around a five million unit increase over 2025.

That would put Apple ahead of computing giant Dell, and behind Lenovo and HP, with projected sales of 43 million and 36 million units respectively.

With the MacBook Neo now taking care of the lower end of the market, and Apple's higher-end machines filling out the rest of its laptop product stack, the company now looks to be in an enviable position .

Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.

(Image credit: Future)

And that's before we take into account the company's approach to memory usage. Its Unified Memory Architecture, in which components share the same limited pool of RAM (instead of separate chips for the CPU and GPU), means that its laptops are not as reliant on the memory supply chain as others. In the middle of the RAMpocalypse, Apple's all-in-one approach may well be an ace in the hole.

Plus, the company doesn't need to use providers like AMD, Intel, or Nvidia for its internal hardware needs, which helps to keep its costs low and its output uninterrupted. Time will tell as to whether these projected figures prove out in practice for the Cupertino titan, but it certainly seems to be a rosy outlook as things stand.

]]> <![CDATA[ Nvidia has quietly announced the 12 GB RTX 5070 mobile in a GeForce driver update, of all things ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/nvidia-has-quietly-announced-the-12-gb-rtx-5070-mobile-in-a-geforce-driver-update-of-all-things/ ACCJrCoWrxCeVYftX7TzGN Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:49:02 +0000 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:49:27 +0000 false false false

As I stared bleary-eyed at my monitor this morning, I noticed a new Game Ready Nvidia driver update in my system tray. Better check the notes, I thought. Ah, it's mostly some optimisations for Conan Exiles Enhanced, a game I'm unlikely to play. Also, further down the page, the announcement of the "GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU 12 GB configuration." Wait, what?

Yep, a previously-leaked 12 GB version of the RTX 5070 mobile GPU has finally been unveiled, albeit with a surprising lack of fanfare. According to Nvidia:

"Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs remains strong, and memory supply is constrained. In order to maximize memory availability, we are releasing the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU 12 GB configuration with 24 Gb G7 memory."

"This gives our partners access to an additional pool of memory to complement the 16 Gb G7 supply that currently ships with most GeForce GPUs," the company continues. "The 12 GB configuration will exist alongside the current 8 GB configuration, and allows our partners to bring a broader range of GeForce RTX 5070 laptops to consumers."

Fair enough. The new GPU configuration will make use of 3 GB (24 Gbit) GDDR7 modules, as opposed to the 2 GB versions used in the standard 8 GB variant, hence the 12 GB total.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

There are two main things to unpack here. One, the use of 3 GB modules means Nvidia can sidestep the current demand for the 2 GB variants and spread out its GDDR7 needs across different module types, hence the "maximise memory availability" quote.

And two, having spent my time recently testing 8 GB vs 16 GB graphics cards, I can tell you that the 12 GB variants have the potential to perform a fair bit better than the 8 GB versions in certain games.

There's no hint from Nvidia of any other changes to the RTX 5070 itself for these mobile-ready chips, so presumably the new modules will be running over the same 128-bit bus as the current version, along with the same shader counts, etc etc. That's speculation, of course, but a straight module swap is where the info points for now.

Still, extra VRAM capacity in some RTX 5070 gaming laptops is a welcome thought, and if it means laptop manufacturers can pump out more machines with Nvidia's mid-tier mobile graphics chip at the helm, that's a pretty good deal, too.

Razer Blade 14 (2025) gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

It'll be interesting to see how manufacturers price lappys using the new GPU configuration, though. According to laptop provider XMG, "Under normal market conditions, this new option would also be a viable way to close the price gap."

"However, the current situation makes the assessment more complex," the company continues. "Due to increased graphics memory prices, the 12GB RTX 5070 will approach the price level of the existing RTX 5070 Ti very closely."

Well, it couldn't all be good news, could it? As for desktop cards, the long-rumoured RTX 50-series Super GPUs were said to have increased VRAM figures, too, likely due to the use of 3 GB GDDR7 modules.

Nvidia RTX 5070 Founders Edition graphics card from various angles

(Image credit: Future)

However, the scuttlebutt has gone very quiet on that front, so I wouldn't hold your breath just yet. Reports earlier this year suggested that no new RTX graphics cards for gamers would arrive in 2026—although this mobile GPU variant would run contrary to that info.

There's been talk of an RTX 5050 9 GB (be still my beating heart), but that's about where we're at. If a range of Super-variant RTX 50-series desktop cards do break cover, though, I wonder if they too will turn up in a driver update announcement. Something tells me they'd be more of a big deal, but I'll keep an eye on my system tray just in case.

]]> <![CDATA[ Maybe it really is the year of Linux, as Framework claims more people are buying Ubuntu versions of its new laptop than Windows options ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/maybe-it-really-is-the-year-of-linux-as-framework-claims-more-people-are-buying-ubuntu-versions-of-its-new-laptop-than-windows-options/ XZTRQ42MXbwsJui4TC4HeZ Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:41:20 +0000 false false false

In what's looking to be The Year of Linux (TM) as well as the year of the RAMpocalypse and future market uncertainty, it's perhaps not surprising that some would try to get their hands on a solid, performant, and most importantly modular and upgradeable laptop that plays well with Linux. Though I will admit to still being a little surprised to see that, according to Framework, those who are ordering the new Framework 13 Pro are buying more of the Ubuntu-flavoured version than the Windows ones.

The official Framework account posted on X:

"Framework Laptop 13 Pro is selling far above our forecast, and we've sold out of the first six batches already. Also nice validation of our approach, the Ubuntu configurations are outselling the Windows ones!"

The company describes the Framework 13 Pro as the "MacBook Pro for Linux users", and I can see why. Judging from the specs, it has a great screen that shines at up to 700 nits, has tons of battery life thanks to the Panther Lake chips and 74 Wh battery, and fits everything inside a sleek and premium aluminium chassis.

We've already seen lots of love for the laptop from the Linux community. GloriousEggRoll of Proton GE and Nobara Linux fame, for instance, said he's enjoying it and its "freakishly good battery life." CachyOS, too, posted that "it finally feels like a genuinely premium Framework."

Admittedly, there's likely to be a disproportionate weighting towards Linux lovers to begin with, at least compared to your average laptop, given Framework machines are known to have great out-of-the-box Linux compatibility. It also makes sense that Linux users, who tend to like having more control over their operating system than in Windows, would like the modular and upgradable Framework approach.

Setting aside the weighting towards Linux, that the Framework is apparently selling out in general might also be a little surprising given it's far from a cheap machine. But the market might have something to do with that. With PC, laptop, and component prices being so expensive and the future looking so uncertain, some might want to get in with a purchase as soon as possible, not willing to risk future price hikes or stock issues. We've already seen signs of this with PC purchases, for instance.

And if there were ever a safe bet to get in the world of laptops it would be a Framework machine which you can upgrade once all this shortage malarkey has blown over—in theory, anyway.

]]> <![CDATA[ 'We’ve been getting around two days of normal work out of it': Proton GE dev GloriousEggRoll and CachyOS offer early praise for Framework 13 Pro's 'freakishly good battery life' ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/weve-been-getting-around-two-days-of-normal-work-out-of-it-proton-ge-dev-gloriouseggroll-and-cachyos-offer-early-praise-for-framework-13-pros-freakishly-good-battery-life/ GnGQur5tRpEdw7YyZcTs8G Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:55:52 +0000 false false false

As a fan of gaming on the go—whether that be handhelds or yearning for the good old days when my ancient gaming laptop actually worked—I can tell you that the spectre of 'low battery' haunts me. So when modular laptop aficionados Framework announced the Framework 13 Pro earlier this week, touting both its battery life and gaming performance, I was cautiously optimistic.

The hardware team hasn't yet had the pleasure of going hands-on with what's pitched as a "MacBook Pro for Linux users," but the early word on the street is glowing. Red Hat engineer GloriousEggRoll shared on X that Framework sent them a unit to test, and that he's "Happy to report Nobara runs beautifully on it, and Kernel 7 runs great."

You might be familiar with that name if you're already into Linux gaming or use a Steam Deck, because that's the same GloriousEggRoll of Proton GE fame. For those who don't know, Proton GE often helps Steam games run better and more smoothly on Linux than they do using the default Proton versions.

Basically, this is the developer of the most popular unofficial Proton build for gamers, and he's also made the gaming-oriented distro Nobara Linux. In other words, when it comes to gaming on Linux, GloriousEggRoll knows his stuff.

When asked by another X user if he liked it enough to make it his main laptop, the engineer replies that he "already did." For Linux gamers, that's high praise indeed.

This isn't the only satisfied Linux user to date. The official X account for CachyOS, an Arch-based Linux distro, also praised the Framework 13 Pro laptop. Besides highlighting the machine's build quality, they also write that "battery life has been the biggest surprise."

GloriousEggRoll also praised the machine's "freakishly good battery life," but CachyOS goes on to make an astounding claim. The official account shares, "On CachyOS, after some extra tuning with Intel-LPMD, we’ve been getting around two days of normal work out of it—mostly programming, chatting, browser use, and terminal work. That’s honestly incredible."

'Incredible' is the word if these assessments are correct, though again I should reiterate that the Framework Pro 13's gaming endurance remains to be tested by us on the hardware team.

CachyOS shares that its own hardware humans "now reach for this over [the] MacBook Air for mobile work," before going on to conclude, "for the first time it really feels like Framework has combined its repairability and upgradeability with a properly premium experience."

]]> <![CDATA[ There's no memory crisis in space, as astronauts on the ISS are getting new laptops with 128 GB of RAM and a seriously beefy specs sheet ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/theres-no-memory-crisis-in-space-as-astronauts-on-the-iss-are-getting-new-laptops-with-128-gb-of-ram-and-a-seriously-beefy-specs-sheet/ nmCGBqwu8PUiKbbbaTeU2K Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:28:41 +0000 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:28:59 +0000 false false false

While us mere Earth-dwellers are stuck in the middle of the RAMpocalypse, those bourgeoise folks up on the International Space Station have no such worries. The current crew are reviewing plans to replace network servers on the gigantic floating tin can—and discussing when they can activate their new laptops.

And what magnificent machines they appear to be (via The Verge). The crew's new computers are custom HP ZBook G9 Fury models, and they've got specs sheets that would make many modern gaming rigs weep.

With Intel Core Ultra 9 processors and Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell mobile GPUs nestled inside, the new HP machines [PDF] certainly have processing and graphics needs covered—along with a serious dose of AI crunching power. Each also comes with 128 GB worth of DDR5 ECC SODIMM memory, and "multiple NVMe SSDs." Must be nice.

Actually, ECC memory is more of a requirement than a luxury. ECC stands for Error-Correcting Code, and memory modules with such a system are used to ensure data integrity within machines operating in high-stakes scenarios.

On Earth, they might be used for crucial servers in a data center setup, or within certain industrial systems. In space, they're used because... well, you're in space. Data is kind of the reason we're going in the first place, and NASA loves a dose of extra redundancy.

Free Epic Games — In Kerbal Space Program, a fresh-faced Kerbal astronaut floats in orbit outside a space station, enthusiasm undiminished by the near-inevitability of some form of avoidable space tragedy.

(Image credit: Squad)

Do the astronauts really need that much of it, though? I only ask because we're sort of struggling down here on terra firma. Oh they do. Never mind. Forget about it. Important space stuff, I understand.

HP says that its new machines have also undergone extensive battery and radiation testing, including "bombardment with neutrons in specialised radiation chambers." I'd imagine that isn't on the list of tests for most of our best gaming laptop picks, but I'm prepared to be surprised.

Even the glass of the LCD screens has had a thorough going over, as broken glass in zero gravity can leads to some very unfortunate results.

The HP mega lappys have received the NASA seal of approval, and are deemed fit for the challenge of operating in one of the most unorthodox environments you could possibly think of. The first batch of laptops were launched back in October, and they should be coming online sometime soon.

Once they're up and running, may I suggest a quick game of Kerbal Space Program, just as an extra testing procedure? It'd be rude not to, given the circumstances—and someone's got to be the first to try it out in zero G.

]]> <![CDATA[ Framework just announced its own 'MacBook Pro for Linux users' ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/framework-just-announced-its-own-macbook-pro-for-linux-users/ U3Qjqr6AAgLB9DTrcJjYhX Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:09:36 +0000 Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:33:57 +0000 false false false

From the initial internal desire to build the "MacBook Pro for Linux users" Framework has created something that truly feels like a next generation version of its 13-inch notebook. The new Framework 13 Pro looks like the culmination of six years of regular releases from one of the most considered manufacturers in the space.

But while it is using a whole new a chassis—for the first time fully machined out of extruded blocks of aluminium—and comes with a brand new Panther Lake mainboard, uses a whole new kind of memory module, has a bigger battery, a fully-custom display, and a brand new haptic trackpad, Framework hasn't departed from its original long-term, repairability focused ethos.

Every single one of the new elements is backwards compatible with every Framework 13 laptop that has come before it. You could be sitting on an old 11th Gen Tiger Lake machine from four or five years ago, and simply pick up the new Panther Lake mainboard, with its LPCAMM2 memory modules and PCIe Gen5 SSD support, and have an incredible laptop upgrade that will take just 15 minutes and one screwdriver.

Or maybe you're happy with your current machine and just want that shiny new 700 nit screen. I've personally swapped out a Framework 13 screen in maybe five minutes in the past, and this promises to be just as straightforward to do.

I'll admit when I first saw it was making the 13 Pro I thought we would be looking at the first departure from the original Framework 13 laptop in terms of design compatibility.

"Even while overhauling the entire product," Framework notes in a blog post shared with us covering today's Next-Gen event, "we focused on cross-generation compatibility.

"The new Mainboard and Display Kit follow the same form factors and interfaces as our earlier generations, which means you can drop them directly into your existing system. We have the new chassis parts available in a Silver anodization option as well, and you can pick up a Bottom Cover Upgrade Kit that includes the new battery, new Input Cover Kit with haptic touchpad, or even an entire new Chassis to get every one of the improvements."

Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework

The core of the new Framework 13 Pro is based around "a massive leap in battery life". Much of that is down to the efficiency of Intel's new Panther Lake architecture, but there's also a larger 74 Wh battery (up from 61 Wh), that new power-optimised display, and LPCAMM2 memory to factor in, too.

The use of Micon-made LPCAMM2 is interesting, especially at a time when memory prices are at a premium, and I can't believe it's cheaper than standard SODIMMs right now. But Framework is going to offer 16, 32, and 64 GB modules from the Marketplace to support it. Just figure out which of your kidneys you can do without.

I'm a PC gamer, so the fact that Framework is offering the Core Ultra 5 as well as the Core Ultra X7 and Core Ultra X9 chips inside the new mainboards is big news for me. The X7 and X9 both get the 12 Xe core B390 integrated GPU, which absolutely slays when it comes to games. That means you're getting close to entry-level discrete GPU performance out of it.

To be able to run those chips for a long time, however, the bigger battery isn't just so in terms of capacity, it's physically larger, too. That means the bottom cover of the Framework 13 Pro has been redesigned to house the larger cells, making the 13 Pro just that little bit thicker at the front edge. That also means if you want the bigger battery for your standard Framework 13 you'll need the expanded housing. Luckily that all comes as a kit from the Marketplace.

Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework

The biggest weakness of all the Framework laptops I've used has been the screen. Even the updated 120 Hz version and the 16-inch panel share the same slightly ghosty experience in use. The new touchscreen panel being introduced with the 13 Pro is the first time Framework is bringing a totally custom panel to its devices, and I'm hoping that means it will have been able to clean that experience up.

The core specs sound great, with a 2880 x 1920, 3:2 resolution, 1800:1 contrast ratio, 30–120 Hz VRR, and the capability to go up to a full 700 nits in terms of brightness. We don't have any response time figures, so we'll have to see how it runs when review units turn up later in the summer.

But it's not just the components that have changed, Framework has also introduced a new haptic trackpad. "Touchpad feel is an area where Windows and Linux laptops have historically fallen behind Macs," says Framework, "so this is where we’re putting a lot of our focus across our mechanical, electrical, and firmware teams to deliver the best experience possible."

Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework 13 Pro ultra-repairable and upgradeable laptop
Framework
Framework Laptop 13 Pro release date - June 2026

Prebuilt Windows

From $1,699 | £1,699

Prebuilt Ubuntu

From $1,499 | £1,499

DIY

From $1,199 | £1,199

Mainboard

From $449 | £449

The first shipments of the Framework 13 Pro will be going out in June this year, with prices starting at $1,199 for the DIY edition and $1,499 for the full pre-built config.

If that were all Framework was going to announce today I would be happy. The new black chassis looks great and makes those colourful I/O modules really pop, and I am incredibly excited to see both the gaming performance and battery life of this tiny wonder.

But that isn't everything; it's also revealed a new wireless touchpad keyboard, updates to the Framework 16 and a new OCuLink Dev Kit to allow you to add desktop GPUs to an eight-lane OCuLink PCIe interface to its big boi 16-inch laptop.

]]> <![CDATA[ Framework's new dev kit means you can jam a full desktop GPU into the back of its 16-inch laptop ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/frameworks-new-dev-kit-means-you-can-jam-a-full-desktop-gpu-into-the-back-of-its-16-inch-laptop/ 8YzurzggAzFt9cCNFejfdn Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:08:17 +0000 false false false

The Framework 13 Pro and Wireless Touchpad Keyboard aren't the only new techie toys coming out of the Next-Gen event today, Framework is also working on upgrades for the Framework 16. And specifically one that will allow you to connect a full desktop GPU to the rear of the big boi laptop.

The key feature of the Framework 16 laptop is its large Expansion Bay on the rear. This is what allows you to plumb a full discrete mobile GPU into the machine via the Graphics Module and realise the dream of genuinely upgradeable graphics cards for gaming laptops. Well, up to a point anyway. So far we've had only two discrete GPUs available for the Framework 16—the Radeon RX 7700S and the GeForce RTX 5070—but it at least delivers on the premise better than the failed Alienware idea.

But the new OCuLink Dev Kit means that you'll now be able to connect an eGPU to the rear of the device, or even fully fledged desktop graphics cards plumbed in via an eight-lane PCIe connection enabled by the OCuLink interface. This upgrade provides 128 Gbps of bidirectional throughput across the link.

And it comes in three distinct parts. At the heart is the OCuLink Adapter Board that goes into the Framework 16's Expansion Bay Shell and exposes the PCIe interface via a connection on the rear of the laptop. Then Framework has developed a dock designed to house the discrete mobile GPU that would otherwise be installed inside the Framework 16 so that it can be housed externally on the desktop and connected via OCuLink.

For me, that's the least interesting bit, after all, I'd rather either have that mobile GPU installed or not at all.

Framework OCuLink Dev Kit
Framework
Framework OCuLink Dev Kit
Framework

The third part, however, has me sold. The PCIe OCuLink Dock is a wee board that allows you to take a normal desktop graphics card, pair it with a PSU to power it, and plug it directly into the laptop for a pretty minor performance hit. Certainly less than you will traditionally see with Thunderbolt or USB4, anyways.

Sure, it has a jury-rigged look to it, but that sort of science lab feel kinda works for me. I'll take having my big ol' graphics card floating about on the desktop if I can get that performance into my laptop from a single plug.

Though it is a dev kit and is actually designed so that Framework is just giving you the core electrical components; you supply the PSU, GPU, and surrounds to stop it looking so ludicrous.

]]> <![CDATA[ MSI says its refreshed Raider gaming laptops have been designed to combat the one thing I hate most about portable PCs: fan noise ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/msi-says-its-refreshed-raider-gaming-laptops-have-been-designed-to-combat-the-one-thing-i-hate-most-about-portable-pcs-fan-noise/ f7s53Lz2w8ThYdVqywXNC6 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:30:08 +0000 false false false

It's not often that I write about a refresh of a vendor's gaming laptop portfolio, and it's simply because there's rarely anything new to report. A slightly better screen here, a mildly faster processor over there: small changes are pretty much par for the course. But in an announcement for its new Raider and Crosshair models, MSI has targeted the thing that I dislike most about gaming laptops: how noisy their fans are.

"Performance has always been the hallmark of MSI gaming laptops, and that remains true with the all-new Raider and Crosshair", begins Derek Chen, vice president of laptop sales and marketing. "Beyond delivering stronger performance, we have also optimized thermals and fan acoustics across all models, ensuring a quieter and more comfortable experience even under load."

A promotional image for the April 2026 refresh of the MSI Raider gaming laptop
MSI
A promotional image for the April 2026 refresh of the MSI Crosshair gaming laptop
MSI

That alone is nothing to get excited over, but don't worry, MSI does explain exactly what it's done differently to get a handle on fan noise. Well, for the Raider model, at least.

"To ensure the Raider keeps fan noise below 50 dBA even during gaming, MSI’s R&D team redesigned the motherboard to a more compact layout, creating space for larger fans inside the chassis. With bigger fans, the system can maintain strong airflow at lower RPMs—effectively reducing overall fan noise.

"In addition, MSI further optimized the laptop’s fan curve, allowing fan speeds to scale smoothly and consistently with system load. This prevents unnecessary RPM spikes during light workloads, eliminating sudden and distracting noise for a quieter, more refined experience."

That does sound encouraging, and even if it's only half as effective as MSI claims it to be, the fresh design should go a long way into giving my, and every other laptop gamer's, ears some blessed relief.

And it's not the only thing that MSI has addressed: "The reduced motherboard size also allows for a slimmer chassis depth, making the Raider easier to fit into standard 16-inch laptop backpacks and more convenient to carry on the go."

Well, huzzah and huzzah again, because MSI's full-on gaming laptops have always had a bit of a problem with chonk. The new Crosshair is also slimmer than before, and if we're really getting the changes MSI's laptops have been crying out for—better portability and decreased fan noise—without any reduction in performance, then we could see some genuine contenders for the top slot in our guide to the best gaming laptop.

]]> <![CDATA[ Microsoft's already pricey Surface laptops have suddenly got a whole lot pricier and you know exactly what to blame for this ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/microsofts-already-pricey-surface-laptops-have-suddenly-got-a-whole-lot-pricier-and-you-know-exactly-what-to-blame-for-this/ Ja3yhHdQnhB42ugfxNfTsG Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:19:41 +0000 false false false

If you mosey on over to Microsoft's Surface store, you might spot something a little alarming, but not in the least bit surprising. Yes, that's right: the prices for every model have increased, with some variants now starting at $500 more than they did at launch. And if you want to point the finger of blame at something, you can join Microsoft in gesticulating wildly at the global memory supply crisis.

The hefty price hikes were spotted by our chums over at Windows Central, and if you're a fan of Microsoft's laptops and tablets, it won't make for pleasant viewing. How about a starting price of $1,500 bar a cent for the base 13-inch Surface Pro, with 16 GB of memory and a 512 GB SSD? Err, no thank you.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with my 11-inch Surface, which I use exclusively for work trips. It's very compact and lightweight, making it perfect for stuffing into a carry-on bag when flying. It's also rather slow, a tad prone to overheating, and has a battery life that's underwhelming, if I'm being generous.

The closest current-generation Surface laptop that I could replace it with, should I feel the urge, is a 12-inch model, powered by an eight-core Snapdragon X processor. It has 16 GB of memory and a 256 GB, which is better than what I have to use at the moment, but Microsoft wants me to hand over $1,150. That's around $250 more than at launch.

It's also nearly double the price of the base Apple MacBook Neo. Sure, that only has 8 GB of memory, and it's basically an iPhone stuffed inside a laptop shell, but for doing simple work on the go, I know where my money would be going.

Now, we all know why this has happened, because tech news is pretty much all directly related to it: the global supply shortage of DRAM and flash memory, caused by the insatiable appetite (and copious wallet) of the AI industry. There are relatively few sectors unaffected by this in the PC market right now, and while it has taken a few months for computer vendors to ramp up their prices, we've only just started to see the hikes take hold.

Give it another six to eight months, and it's likely to be even worse. Some vendors may well find themselves priced right out of the market. Even Microsoft, with all its money and gravitas, can't escape the fact that there simply aren't enough memory and storage chips going around, and they're being priced accordingly.

It is perhaps rather ironic that Microsoft itself has played a role in all of this, because it's been at the forefront of the rise in generative AI, and has banged that drum hard for well over a year. It's also spent billions of dollars on data centers and AI accelerators, to push Copilot into every nook and crevice of Microsoft's portfolio.

Under different circumstances, I could be pushed to smile wryly if all of this resulted in the collapse of the Surface. But instead, I'm just feeling an ever-increasing sense of gloom that the entire PC industry seems hell-bent on self-destruction, all because a handful of tech giants can see nothing but the dollar signs that AI is waving in front of them.

]]> <![CDATA[ Don't like the MacBook Neo's storage options? Well, with lots of electronics gear, years of experience, and nerves of steel, you too can have a 1 TB model ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/dont-like-the-macbook-neos-storage-options-well-with-lots-of-electronics-gear-years-of-experience-and-nerves-of-steel-you-too-can-have-a-1-tb-model/ kwNdQp7JSUPG4RTP7PtmQR Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:33:27 +0000 false false false

It's fair to say that Apple's new MacBook Neo has given the Windows-based laptop market something to think about. Powered by the same chip used in the iPhone 16, the $599 computer has reportedly been selling very well. That's despite it only having 512 GB as the best storage option. But if you're as handy as one YouTuber is at electronics work, doubling that amount is a distinct possibility.

The 'tuber in question is dosdude1, and their latest video is pretty simple in premise: take the base Neo model, with 256 GB of storage, yoink out the original NAND flash chip, and stick a beefy 1 TB module in there.

Dosdude1 begins by checking that the new flash chip is completely blank, using a dedicated device and piece of software, before kitting it out with a full array of solder balls. None of what I've just described is a trivial task, even if one has all of the necessary equipment, but it's certainly a lot easier to do than the next stage.

Like many low-cost laptops, the MacBook Neo uses a single, soldered NAND flash chip to store data. Normally, removing such chips is quite easy: You simply heat the component to the point that the solder balls melt and gently prise the chip away from the circuit board. However, in this instance, the flash chip is surrounded by lots of surface-mounted devices (SMDs) and the underside is jammed with 'underfill'.

Not that this seems to deter dosdude1 in any way, but with judicious shimmying with a tool, and plenty of heat, the original flash chip comes off with nary an issue (though one SMD had to be removed first, to allow for the tool to get into the underfill).

Interestingly, the mounting area on the circuit board has more pads than the flash chip does, so it's possible Apple designed the Neo to use a physically larger flash device to have bigger storage options. Given how expensive SSDs have become, it was probably dropped due to cost reasons.

Anyway, the old chip gets swapped for the new one in a matter of moments, and then it's time for the final stage: Getting the Neo to run in DFU mode, and then use another Apple device to transfer the operating system and other files to the 1 TB drive. Dosdude1 has clearly done this many times before, because the whole process seemed to run without a hitch.

And voila! They're now the proud owner of a 1 TB MacBook Neo. The only question I have about all of this concerns the fiscal element. The 512 GB Neo costs $699—$100 more for double the storage—so if you already have the electronic gubbins and expertise required to do the flash lobotomy, it would seem to be a very sensible thing to do if you could get a 1 TB flash module for less than $200.

A screenshot of a YouTube video by dosdude1, in which they replace the 256 GB flash chip in a MacBook Neo with a 1 TB module

(Image credit: dosdude1 / YouTube)

Alas, a quick browse of Ali Express suggests that such chips are more expensive than that, but I'm sure a savvy electronics shopper could get one for less. Apple demands around $200 more for a 1 TB 13-inch MacBook Air than the base 512 GB model, and the same price gap on the Neo could make it look like a rather poor option.

Then again, you've got little chance of picking up a 1 TB gaming laptop for $899, so perhaps not. Looks like dosdude1 knew exactly what they were doing.

]]> <![CDATA[ Apple's MacBook Neo is reportedly close to selling out which has got me thinking about why we can't have more simple and affordable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/apples-macbook-neo-is-reportedly-close-to-selling-out-which-has-got-me-thinking-about-why-we-cant-have-more-simple-and-affordable-gaming-pcs-like-the-steam-deck/ DcZuAAq3v3M8cUs7iepJMQ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:11:48 +0000 false false false

Apple's new MacBook Neo is reportedly selling so well that the company may soon run out of A18 Pro chips to stick in it. Which has got me thinking: Why can't we have more similarly simple but appealing and affordable PC gaming devices? Ya know, like the Steam Deck?

Tim Culpan, a tech journalist based in Taipei, Taiwan, says his sources are telling him that sales of the MacBook Neo have surpassed Apple's expectations to the point of creating a "massive dilemma."

That dilemma is centred on the A18 Pro chip at the heart of the Neo. Famously, it's basically just an iPhone chip. But Cuplan's basic contention is that Apple had only planned to make so many MacBook Neo, which was intended to essentially be built using leftover A18 Pros.

Apparently, the plan was to sell around five to six million units. In the medium term, Apple intended to switch the Neo to the newer A19 chip. The problem, as Culpan has it, is that the Neo is selling so fast, stockpiles of the A18 Pro will run out before the new A19-based Neo is due to launch.

That puts Apple in a tricky position of deciding whether to commission TSMC to spool up more A18 Pro wafers, which would be much more expensive than the original batch of chips. Partly, Culpan says, that's because the A18 Pro chips in the Neo are binned down to five GPU cores from the six actually in the die, and many would otherwise have been thrown away, making them effectively free.

The Steam Deck outdoors

Are affordable gaming devices ultimately more exciting? (Image credit: Future)

Whatever, there are two or three interesting-ish issues to ponder here. First, the MacBook Neo proves that even in this weirded-out tech market, you can have a smash hit at the budget end of the market if you get the product right.

The second is how the Neo makes the gaming PC market look rather obsessed with performance and specs. For me, one of the most appealing PCs of recent years has been the Steam Deck.

It's a polished but unpretentious and price-conscious PC gaming device, and we need more of them. That's why I've found the broader PC handheld market a bit disappointing. There are too many premium-priced models that are so expensive, all they're really good for is making gaming laptops look like good value. And that takes some doing in the current climate.

All of this also feeds into the gaming console sector, which seems to be in a state of acute stress, with Xbox's very existence in question and Sony seemingly pushing the PlayStation ever more upmarket.

Valve's new Steam Machine during a visit to Valve HQ in Bellevue, Washington. The Steam Machine is a compact living room gaming PC.

How much is that Steam Machine in the window? (Image credit: Future)

There, too, the appeal of a simpler and more affordable device seems pretty obvious. The sector probably needs more Switch 2s, not a move further up market.

Anywho, maybe one of the big boys in the PC gaming industry could come up with something. Nvidia could easily do it in technical terms, and of course, has its own PC chip coming out soon. But if Nvidia was ever about making gaming more mainstream, it's hard to see evidence for that in recent years.

I think a lesser-known brand would struggle to get traction with such a device, so what this all comes down to is probably predictable enough. I'm going to have to make do with the Deck for now and wait for Deck 2, whenever that arrives, or see how low Valve can go with the Steam Machine, all the while the memory crisis makes everything so much more expensive. I can't see any other company making an impact.

]]> <![CDATA[ Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite reviews are in, but these second-gen Windows-on-Arm chips still aren't grabbing me as a PC gamer ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-elite-reviews-are-in-but-these-second-gen-windows-on-arm-chips-still-arent-grabbing-me-as-a-pc-gamer/ nrMeUFFZTB8gfM6Rghd7Lm Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:50:10 +0000 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:44:23 +0000 false false false

There's been a decent level of buzz around Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite chip for a while now. That's for good reason. It popped up on Geekbench last month, beating its x86 laptop competition by over 30% in single-core performance, and early tests beat out AMD, Intel, and Apple in power. Now we've finally seen it tested by someone other than Qualcomm, and the results are positive, though largely just with similar showings to what Intel and AMD are offering.

Our friends over at Tom's Hardware are among the most critical, though much of that critique lies at the feet of Asus for the build quality and software of the Zenbook A16. For gaming, they say the X2 Elite Extreme is impressive on paper, with 3DMark Steel Nomad scores higher than the M5 MacBook Air and Intel Core Ultra 7 355 Dell XPS 14, but less than the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H Acer Swift.

Tom's Hardware reports struggling to even open Resident Evil Requiem, which they chalk up to Microsoft's Prism emulation.

This is a common complaint. Not all PC games are supported on Arm (though it seems like Arm is finally getting in the arena to take on x86), with Engadget noting Arc Raiders also wouldn't open. Engadget does, however, say that it got up to 80 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on medium settings in 1080 with the help of FSR frame generation.

In their review, Hardware Canucks has put the chip through its paces in Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Rainbow Six Siege X and more. They get average FPS figures around 60 in Cyberpunk 2077, which is around 10 less than the Ultra X9 388H and X7 258H, but higher than Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Intel Ultra 9 288V. In Baldur's Gate 3, it about matches the Panther Lake chips, blowing past Lunar Lake and AMD's chips (though the M5 MacBook Air beats everyone here).

Hardware Canucks says: "When everything from software to game optimisation aligns just right, the X2 Elite series hits frame rates that place them somewhere between the 288V, HX370, and Ultra X7 Series."

Yet, they note the X2 Elite performs significantly worse in the likes of Dota 2, with "a huge variation between averages and 1% lows, which leads to very, very inconsistent on-screen motion."

Hardware Canucks finishes off its analysis of gaming on X2 Elite, saying, "in many ways, it just feels like the best is yet to come for Qualcomm's Snapdragon series and gaming."

Reviewers seem split on whether the 10-12 hours of battery life is good enough, with Tech Spurt calling it fantastic and Stuff noting it as better than the M5 MacBook Air, whilst Tom's Hardware says, in its testing, the Snapdragon X2 Elite doesn't quite match its competition.

One thing is certainly clear from reviews: Its CPU is a beast. PC Mag registers a standout score in Cinebench (only being beaten by the Ryzen AI Max + Pro 395) and placing at the top of the pile in Geekbench Pro 6. Hardware Canucks testing put it well above Panther Lake, Lunar Lake, and the M5 MacBook Air in Cinebench multithread testing and second place behind the M5 MacBook Air in single-thread testing.

Windows Central argues that the X2 Elite-equipped Zenbook A16 "showcases all the terrific advancements of Windows on Arm64", and the laptop does make a strong argument for this.

All things considered, the Snapdragon X2 Elite has had a strong first outing, with great performance, though Arm still doesn't seem ready to replace my gaming rig. That being said, I don't know if we're that far off from that either. These next few years will be really important for Arm with the Steam Frame helping bring SteamOS to Arm, and a certain green team all set to release a consumer-facing mobile Arm chip.

]]> <![CDATA[ I turned my gaming laptop into a PC Gamer bug out kit ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/i-turned-my-gaming-laptop-into-a-pc-gamer-bug-out-kit/ f9N45k3JEWGy8QUGuXJRjF Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:58:21 +0000 false false false

I am not a prepper per se. But I certainly have prepper sympathies. Maybe the sort where, if I thought I could get it past my partner, I could see myself spending many thousands digging out a bunker in the back garden and filling it with canned goods and a year's supply of drinking water, fuel, and toilet roll. And a toilet. Of course.

But I am also a damned computer nerd, so when I saw Project NOMAD pop up I knew I had to get in on it. Project NOMAD (Node for Offline Media, Archives, and Data) is an entirely offline repository of knowledge, giving you access to a vast library of otherwise net-based goodness without any network availability necessary.

Y'know, just in case the grid goes down for reasons.

These sorts of collections have been doing the rounds on different reddits and forums for a while, but the thing which really sings to me and my nerdy sensibilities is the fact that it's an easy one-shot install that lives locally on your system, and has a straightforward front end you can access via a localhost URL on any browser, whether you're connected to the net or not.

It also sings to me because it's free, where other prepper-facing repos can cost hundreds of dollars for the privilege. I also like the fact it is unashamedly high-end. It's not designed to run on a low-end machine, it's built for precisely the sort of system I'm running it on; a high-end gaming laptop.

Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future
Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future
Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future

And I am also into it because it includes AI. Now, no eye-rolling at the back. Hey, those cries of 'of course it does' are not helpful. But the AI actually is.

The thing with Project NOMAD is that it's been designed to give the user the chance to download a knowledge repository to their own devices, and that can range from a few texts, to a swathe of Project Gutenberg books, medical guides, and the entirety of Wikipedia. Parsing that much knowledge is not easy, especially if you're looking for something very specific, but packaging a local LLM (or multiples if you want to download different models) allows you to use the knowledge base it sets up—as well as add other documents to that knowledge base yourself—and then use the LLM to query it.

But it's not just about having an offline internet of data at your disposal when the WWIII comes home to roost, it gives you the chance to learn in a more structured way, too. By including an education platform, powered by Kolibri—a deliberately offline-first learning platform. You'll need to import your channels online first, but once you've downloaded the entire curriculum you can set up your own little post-apocalyptic school.

Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future
Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future
Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future

Now, I know that I'm still going to need some power source to keep the battery on my Blade 14 rolling, but some good solar panels (if you can still see the sun) or a wee generator would do the job. And I've already queried my NOMAD about how to build my own gasifier already so I can easily generate my own fuel for it.

I've gone big with my install and so, even before downloading the entire US curriculum Khan channel, I've got a setup that's around 500 GB in size. Though that is the entirety of Wikipedia and a ton of survivalist and medical text, too. As well as a detailed Google Maps-esque download covering the entire of the UK. Though I did have to go to Open Labs to download that specific pmtiles file myself as Project NOMAD only gives you the option to download US regions during the setup process.

It does have a tendency to jealously hoard resources like some Capital Wastelander, especially if you have an LLM installed, and it will run automatically when you boot up your machine unless you explicitly tell it not to. Right now, I've got a few Chrome tabs open and the Project NOMAD Command Center open, and it's yomming 12 GB of the 32 GB available to my system.

It also has to be installed on Linux, too. Oh, did I not mention that? Yes, the whole project needs to be installed on a Debian-based Distro, ideally Ubuntu. I've got it running on my PopOS install after a little messing around with Docker, but there's no hope for you if you're running Windows.

Project NOMAD on my Razer Blade 14 gaming laptop
Future

Well, if you're persisting with trying to run Windows after the apocalypse then there's really no hope for you anyways, amirite?

But now I, a Linux-user and prepper sympathiser, will be able to continue to read episode breakdowns of old seasons of Survivor on Wikipedia in case I forget who won the immunity challenge in one vital episode of the Cook Islands season. I will also still be able to read The Complete Book of Cheese (with such wonderful passages of prose as, "connoisseurs use gingerbread as a mouth-freshener; and I, too, that sunny day among the Edams, kept my gingerbread handy") and watch videos from The Urban Prepper about the vital 72 hour water supply.

And all because I have loaded a laptop up with a healthy dollop of the interweb tubes.

Now, I just need to figure out how to keep Steam running offline for time immemorial...

]]> <![CDATA[ Dell XPS 14 laptop with a Panther Lake chip manages a staggering 43-hour+ battery life result, thrashing the latest MacBook Air ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/dell-xps-14-laptop-with-a-panther-lake-chip-manages-a-staggering-43-hour-battery-life-result-thrashing-the-latest-macbook-air/ GEXkEodhpy7BPE4WBYyrw9 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:55:46 +0000 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:20:04 +0000 false false false

Hardware Canucks has tested the latest Dell XPS 14 laptop with a Panther Lake Core Ultra 7 355 chip at its heart, and the battery life appears to be nothing short of astonishing. The channel recorded a 43-hour+ result when performing a Chrome web browsing test, beating out the latest MacBook Air 15 by roughly 28 hours.

Hardware Canucks attributes the result to a combination of the laptop's variable refresh rate display and a high-density 70 Wh battery. The MacBook has a more conventional 66 Wh unit, along with a more standard-spec display. Given the power efficiency of Intel's latest mobile efforts, I'd say the chip itself would likely have a large part to play as well.

In the YouTube video playback test, the Dell machine also managed to pull massively ahead of its Apple competitor. The XPS 14 delivered 20 hour, 21 minutes worth of video playback, while the MacBook 15 Air managed a still-impressive 14 hour and two minute score.

In the gaming test, however, the MacBook Air 15 managed to gain a significant lead with a four hour and ten minute maximum, compared to the Dell's two hour 38 minute battery life. That's a shame, especially as the Core Ultra 355 has the standard Intel Graphics iGPU, and not the surprisingly-punchy Arc B390.

From my own Panther Lake battery life testing with that particular iGPU, I can say that it feels pretty revolutionary to be playing games on the train at high frame rates without being plugged into the wall or worrying too much about the remaining charge. What can I say, I'm used to traditional gaming laptop battery life, which is usually far from impressive.

An Intel Core Ultra Series 3 laptop being used to play Hitman on a UK train

(Image credit: Future)

Even having had some personal experience with a PTL laptop, though (albeit one with a more powerful, top-of-the-line chip under the hood), I wouldn't have predicted a browsing battery life result for the lesser-chipped version of nearly two days.

It looks like the variable refresh rate display really is doing some heavy lifting here, alongside the efficiency gains of Intel's new silicon. What's next, gaming headsets that last for weeks? Oh yeah. We've been there for a while already. Never mind.

]]> <![CDATA[ If you want to crank tons more gaming performance out of the Apple MacBook Neo, apparently a custom water cooling loop works ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/if-you-want-to-crank-tons-more-gaming-performance-out-of-the-apple-macbook-neo-apparently-a-custom-water-cooling-loop-works/ HUXzitPwDCSTvFKkuXvpMW Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:49:42 +0000 false false false

Although it's not designed for it, the MacBook Neo user might naturally wonder: Is there a way to crank even more performance out of the laptop for gaming? To that end, tech YouTubers Jakkuh and Zip Tie Tech are here to help. Happy birthday, Apple.

After noticing the cheap and cheerful Apple MacBook's GPU tends to run at 105 °C "under basically any load", Jakkuh enlisted tech YouTuber Zip Tie Tech to help him set up some water cooling with the Neo.

One reason the Apple MacBook Neo has garnered so much attention, even from non-Apple folk, is undoubtedly because the PC market is so expensive right now. At just $599, the Neo is a bit of a breath of fresh air considering the usual price for Apple laptops. However, it's not got the best specs, and while it does run standard MacOS apps very well, and our Ian's review shows that it's not the worst at gaming, it's certainly far from being the best.

By default, the laptop only has what looks like a thin graphene pad to keep its six-core A18 Pro cool. Before getting things set up for the full water-cooled solution, the duo swapped out this thin pad with a spare M.2 thermal pad. The results were already impressive with just that change, moving from a 1257 to a 1430 score in 3DMark Solar Bay Extreme (14% higher).

The solution they ultimately end up cooking up involves a copper plate and acrylic water block sitting on top of the chip, with tubing connecting things up to a smart home plant watering pump and a Hayden Automotive 1011 power steering oil cooler that's designed for, umm, a steering wheel.

To start with, though, the waters were tested (pun intended) with a 3D printed plate rather than a copper one, which was then fitted to a 3D printed water block, later to be replaced with an acrylic one. The latter required some complicated and expensive measuring and CNC milling to replicate the 3D print design. This was not just to make the overall design and the holes, but even the threads for the holes, which is obviously a very precise and intricate task.

The CNC mill was also used to fashion the copper plate, including some fins: "We don't even need fins, but we're gonna make them anyway... We're gonna try." After thinning down the wrong bit because it wasn't making proper contact with the processor, the rest had to be thinned, too, and thankfully, "minty contact" was eventually achieved.

I'd probably not be too intimidated by the thought of setting stuff up in software and getting it machining, but there's also tons of finicky stuff you have to actually use your steady hands for. Including making a custom o-ring to fit between the plate and the block.

A water cooled Apple MacBook Neo.

(Image credit: jakkuh and Zip Tie Tech @ YouTube)

Then, of course, there are the last big pieces of the puzzle: hooking the plate-block combo up with tubes for the semi-custom loop (a water block to tube to power steering cooler).

The two DIY-ers then milled a hole in the MacBook Neo's chassis backplate for the water block to fit through. Finally, thermal paste was lathered on the processor, and after a little more filing to get the backplate cut-out to the correct size, it was all put together. This obviously added some significant thickness to the Neo, meaning a (3D printed) laptop stand was required.

The final touch was getting it set up with the tilted laptop stand, fitting the pump to one side of it and the water block to the back of the Neo's display. After some more fiddling with the tubing, the water cooling setup finally worked, though it did make the weight distribution of the laptop a little unbalanced, even on the counter-tilted stand.

A custom water cooling set up on a MacBook Neo laptop.

(Image credit: jakkuh and Zip Tie Tech @ YouTube)

Difficult though it may have been and cumbersome though the final product may be to hold and use, the results are impressive. The first benchmark result shown scores 1938 for the water-cooled MacBook Neo, which beats the base Neo's 1567, the thermal-padded Neo's 1819, and even the MacBook Air M1's 1836.

Well, on a multi-core Cinebench test, that is. 3DMark Solar Bay Extreme, on the other hand, showed a rise to 1450 from 1257 (base) and 1430 (thermal padded), setting a new world record for the A18 Pro's GPU in the process.

Still, none of this is likely to make it a very good gaming machine. For one, you're still only dealing with 8 GB of memory, and that's unified, meaning it's shared between both CPU and GPU.

And despite it beating some x86 chips in some respects (in single-core performance on its two P-cores), the laptop's A18 Pro is still just a phone chip that's running desktop apps. Not to mention the obvious limitations of the MacOS system for game compatibility, which might have improved a lot, but still isn't ideal.

]]> <![CDATA[ MacBook Neo review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/macbook-neo-review/ JHtmijAhGYS67N2uxeWYDR Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:50:24 +0000 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:59:19 +0000 false false false

Hello and welcome to another great installment of ‘why would you want to game on that?' where I try to play PC games on something that's not really designed for it. This time, it's the MacBook Neo, Apple's low-cost ($599/£599) laptop that runs on the processor from an iPhone 16 Pro. As such, it has six cores, only two of which are ‘performance' cores, as well as a five-core GPU and just 8 GB of RAM.

All of that sounds like we're going to be in for a poor gaming experience here, and if you're expecting 4K and ray-tracing you're out of luck. However, it's possible to get a lot of games to run on this little machine, and surprisingly successfully too. Not only does it run a selection of titles from Steam, but there are games all over Apple's App Store, and it will run iPad and iPhone games too.

On the outside, the MacBook Neo looks like a standard compact laptop: the one I've got here is bright metallic green—called ‘Citrus'—but there's a nice 'Indigo', a pinky ‘Blush', and plain old silver available too. It has a 60 Hz, LED-backlit, IPS screen and a battery that will last all day.

But the thing that's going to attract most people to the Neo is its price. Apple gear has a reputation for being expensive, and this is just... not. It's true that there aren't a lot of upgrades available: you can double the SSD capacity to 512 GB, which also nets you the fingerprint reader that's missing from the base model, but that's your lot. There's no way you're expanding the RAM capacity on this laptop, and as 8 GB is starting to look tight for dedicated VRAM, having that much as a unified pool is going to be a problem once you want to run more than just a web browser.

Neo specs

CPU

Apple A18 Pro

NPU

Apple Neural Engine

Graphics

integrated, five cores

Memory

8 GB

Storage

256 GB SSD (512 GB also available)

Screen size

13-inch

Screen type

LED-backlit IPS

Resolution

2408 x 1506

Refresh rate

60 Hz

Ports

1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm audio

Wireless connectivity

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6

Dimensions

127 x 297 x 206 mm

Weight

1.23 kg

Price

$599 | £599

Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future
Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future
Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future
Buy if...

✅ You're an Apple fan looking for a cheap laptop: It's never going to compete with dedicated gaming hardware, but if you want something that can play Stardew Valley alongside spreadsheets and presentations, this is a solid budget choice.

Don't buy if...

❌ You want something that can actually play games: The Neo is too compromised to be a genuine gaming choice, and is better suited to reading excellent PC gaming websites in-between bouts of office work.

Elsewhere, the system's roots in a smartphone make themselves apparent when you look at the ports on the side of the laptop. The iPhone 16 Pro had a single 10 Gbps USB-C port, and that's present here too, joined by a USB 2.0 companion. Both ports can be used for charging, and the USB 3.2 is also a video output, so it's easy to see the Neo spending its life with a charger in the slow port and a USB hub in the faster one. There's no way to tell the ports apart before you've learned which is which, and even after that you'll probably still mix them up, but the OS is clever enough to flash up a warning if you plug a USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt accessory into the wrong port.

The SSD is another obvious bottleneck for the Neo. A 256 GB drive just isn't enough these days, and if you've already got it stuffed with productivity apps and streaming downloads, there's not much room left for games unless you invest in one of the best external SSDs. You're only looking at read speeds of 1,547 MB/s from the drive too, which is PCIe 2.0 speed. The iPhone 16 used a custom NVMe controller rather than UFS for its storage, so the Neo might be running the same thing here. And one final gripe: there's no backlight on the keyboard.

How does it do in benchmarks? It's not great, but it can run them. Wild Life Extreme is 3D Mark's cross-platform graphics workout for phones and notebook PCs, and the Neo ran it at 23.3 fps. Things were looking good for the little laptop until I pulled out Steel Nomad, a much more demanding test. This saw the framerate drop to just 3.7 fps, though the benchmark software still told me this was ‘good'. You can get 90 fps out of Steel Nomad with the right RTX 5080 system, at which point it runs out of superlatives to tell you how amazing your PC is.

On to the games. Cyberpunk 2077 is a great benchmark, and the MacBook Neo can play it at 30 fps! The downside is that to get this, you need to dip below Steam Deck settings, using the Low graphics profile, with the resolution at 720p, and with MetalFX upscaling in performance mode. That's not great, and looks a little soft thanks to all the upscaling going on, but at least it is technically playable.

Over in our old friend, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, medium settings are the order of the day. To get to 30 fps you need to reduce the resolution slider to 75% and turn on FidelityFX CAS, but the game plays in 900p and for a title that's approaching ten years old looks pretty good.

It's then that I hit a little bit of a problem. I really wanted to benchmark a Total War game, and while they install quite happily from Steam, both Warhammer III and Three Kingdoms do the same thing when they launch, which is nothing. The app seems to run, but no actual game appears beyond the launcher window. This is most odd, as the latest MacBook Pro can happily play Warhammer III at 50 fps.

Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future
Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future
Apple MacBook Neo in Citrus colour.
Future

Casting around for something else to test, my eye falls on Civilization VI, another ten-year-old title. At 800p, the Neo can squeeze 50 fps out of this game, which isn't bad but it's hardly a graphical colossus. Just for funsies, I installed the same game on an AMD Ryzen 5 7530U mini-PC that also costs £599 (though you'll have to spring for a monitor and keyboard as well), and ran it using DirectX 12 at 820p, where it produced 34 fps. That's got to be a big win for the Neo.

So is the MacBook Neo a serious gaming device? Hell no. Is it good enough for a few rounds of Civ in between typing sessions and video conferences? Yup. The fact that this 13-incher is built to Apple's usual high standards, provides decent if decidedly low-end performance (its single-core score in Geekbench 6 is higher than that of some Ultra 9 chips, however)—and costs just $599/£599, remember—could well put the wind up some PC manufacturers.

Hopefully we'll see a spate of copycats that use the stronger integrated graphics solutions we're starting to see to make a generation of low-cost laptops that you really can play games on. Wouldn't that be nice?

]]> <![CDATA[ New benchmarks show the iPhone chip in the cut-price Apple MacBook Neo beating every single x86 PC processor for single-core performance ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/new-benchmarks-show-the-iphone-chip-in-the-cut-price-apple-macbook-neo-beating-every-single-x86-pc-processor-for-single-core-performance/ u8AnLaS2HbaJHtU9gvv9mT Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:48:19 +0000 false false false

We've already reported how Apple's new MacBook Neo is putting the frighteners on PC laptop makers. Now comes news that early benchmarks show the chip beating every single x86 CPU currently available when it comes to single-core performance in Cinebench 2024. Yep, that includes desktop monsters like AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X and Intel's Core Ultra 9 285HX.

Notebookcheck ran the new budget laptop, which goes for $599 full retail or $499 with an education discount, through its paces. With a score of 147 points in the Cinebench 2024 rendering test, it beats every x86 out there and is only bested by other Apple CPUs.

For the record, Notebookcheck puts the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 139 points and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX on 135 points. Incredible for a phone chip? Yup. But arguably not surprising.

That's because the A18 Pro iPhone chip used in the MacBook Neo is closely related to the Apple M4 used in various Mac computers. In short, it has the same Performance and Efficiency cores as the M4, just fewer of them with a lower power budget and clock speeds.

Where the basic M4 has four P and six E cores, the A18 Pro has just two P cores and four E cores. But, again, they're the same cores. So, that iPhone chip has the same single-thread IPC or instructions-per-clock capability as any M4 chip.

The MacBook Neo 13-inch laptop in various colourways.

(Image credit: Apple)

Officially, the A18 Pro's P cores max out at 4.04 GHz, while the basic M4 can hit 4.46 GHz on its P cores, the Pro and Max Variants very slightly more. For what it's worth, the newer M5 chip is another animal again, and hits 200 points in Notebookcheck's Cinebench 2024 testing.

While one could dismiss this as just one benchmark, given that the A18 Pro chip is a known quantity and understanding how it relates to Apple's M silicon, the result is highly plausible. Apple makes extremely powerful CPU cores, that's for sure, even if, for pure performance, the one application type where you might still lean towards a high-clocked x86 CPU with a dollop of extra cache, AMD X3D-style, is gaming.

In many ways, perhaps more remarkable than the fact that Apple's newest and cheapest-ever laptop is so competitive with x86 CPUs for single-core performance is the knowledge that you get the same grunt in an iPhone. OK, the thermal realities of an iPhone mean that it won't sustain that performance for very long.

But still, the A18 Pro isn't even Apple's newest iPhone chip. The A19 Pro on the latest iPhone 17 Pro is even faster. Bananas, really.

]]> <![CDATA[ Asus CFO Nick Wu thinks Apple's MacBook Neo is 'certainly a shock to the entire market' ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/asus-cfo-nick-wu-thinks-apples-neo-macbook-is-certainly-a-shock-to-the-entire-market/ bjD34DzCFEWbhMyRsGHTrm Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:06:03 +0000 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 17:59:58 +0000 false false false

I'm glad I wasn't the only one a bit shocked by Apple using the worst memory crisis in recent history to put out the most affordable MacBook it has ever launched. The Asus CFO, Nick Wu, seems similarly surprised. In a recent earnings call, he was asked about the MacBook Neo and had quite a bit to share.

As spotted by PCMag, Wu said: "Given Apple's historically very premium pricing, launching such an affordable product is certainly a shock to the entire market."

He does clarify that its rather low 8 GB of un-upgradable memory does limit its applications. He argues that, as a product, it is one more focused on content consumption. Wu clarifies that the Neo is a tad different to standard MacBooks, whose silicon M chips are capable of powerful video/audio/image editing, and even some gaming. "The Neo feels more like a tablet," he says, "because tablets are mostly for content consumption."

The MacBook Neo is an interesting device. Looking like a traditional MacBook (though with a few neat colourways), it's kitted out with the A18 Pro chip that found in the iPhone 16, plus 8 GB of what Apple calls 'unified memory'.

That's to say it's got specifically designed memory that implements software/hardware handshakes to get a little more performance out of the specs. The base model (available for $599) comes with 256 GB of SSD storage, and the 512 GB device costs $100 more.

The MacBook Neo 13-inch laptop in various colourways.

(Image credit: Apple)

Though we haven't got our hands on it, our pals over at Tom's Hardware say it's a "budget-priced game changer", praising its design and feel. Despite its relatively low specs, it seems like a bit of a home run for Apple, and it arriving in the middle of the RAMpocalypse must catch the attention of manufacturers. Wu says, "I believe all PC vendors, including upstream vendors like Microsoft, Intel and AMD, they're all taking this very seriously, seriously discussing how to compete with this product in the entire PC ecosystem."

One thing worth noting with the MacBook Neo is the convenience of it all. I think, if I were given $600 and told to pick up a device, I'd likely hold out for a refurbished M chip MacBook, or even a Mac Mini, which I contend is one of the best hardware packages out there for the price right now.

Otherwise, we've seen recent Snapdragon-based laptops come down to similar prices. But the fact that you can buy a pretty, new MacBook directly from the Apple store, without having to shop smart or worry about stock, is certainly part of the charm here.

Wu reckons "the entire PC system will launch corresponding products to compete with Apple", but Apple is a company that gets away with lower specs like no other. The M4 MacBook Air (from March 2025) was the first MacBook to launch with a base 16 GB of memory. Before that, base models of MacBook came with 8 GB.

The M3 MacBook also came with a base storage of 256 GB, which would be almost unheard of for comparably priced devices. It will be interesting to see how companies plan on competing with that price point, and what compromises they will make themselves.

Though it may be a shock, Wu doesn't know if it will be enough to tear people away from their beloved Windows / AMD-based laptops.

"Apple's faction versus the Intel faction have a somewhat segmented customer base due to software differences. It's not as easy for users to switch between these 2 ecosystems," Wu says. "Is the price of that product entering the mainstream sufficient for incentive? That really remains to be seen."

]]> <![CDATA[ If you're thinking about buying a Framework PC or laptop with 2 TB-plus of storage 'now is the time to do that' says company CEO ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/ssds/if-youre-thinking-about-buying-a-framework-pc-or-laptop-with-2-tb-plus-of-storage-now-is-the-time-to-do-that-says-company-ceo/ Jbx63odoehaeFoKXBBJXbQ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:09:05 +0000 false false false

"If you’re looking to order a Framework Laptop or Desktop with a lot of storage, now is the time to do that." So says Framework CEO Nirav Patel in the latest update to the company's ongoing blog post about the memory crisis.

We've reported previously on numerous occasions on how Framework is handling spiralling RAM and SSD prices. The latest update does indeed announce further broad price increases, more on which in a moment. But it also calls time on Framework rigs configured with larger SSDs and benefitting from what you might call legacy pricing.

"We’ve started to deplete our earlier, lower-cost inventory of SSDs, and have needed to re-price some capacities to reflect the costs we are now paying for new orders. Like with memory, we’re passing through as close as we can to our actual costs from suppliers and using a Weighted Average Cost model. There are still some models and capacities like 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB SN850X for which our pricing is substantially below market while we sell through inventory. If you’re looking to order a Framework Laptop or Desktop with a lot of storage, now is the time to do that," Patel said.

Patel doesn't say exactly how much prices will rise once current stocks of 2, 4, and 8 TB drives are depleted. Framework is charging $265, $469 and $899, respectively, for those drives right now when you configure a Framework 16 system.

On Newegg, you'd be looking at $422, $669 and $1,345 respectively. So, Framework's current pricing comes at a significant discount to market rates. A fairly hefty step up once drives sell out seems pretty likely.

Framework 16 with new Nvidia graphics module and AMD mainboard

Laptop or desktop, memory is gonna cost you more. (Image credit: Framework)

As for the rest of Framework's announcement, the general gist is that prices are going up again for system memory, but not by as much as previous months. That said, the company also couldn't rule out further increases.

"The cost increase is smaller this month than in previous months, but we don’t yet have the visibility to determine if this is a new stable cost level," Patel said.

Framework is also slightly increasing the pricing of some configurations of pre-built Framework Desktop and Framework Laptop 16 and says that, "in upcoming months, we will need to do this on the remaining pre-built configurations of Framework Laptop 13, Framework Laptop 16, and Framework Laptop 12."

Anywho, if you were thinking about a Framework in any case, its current pricing on larger WD SN850X drives certainly makes them that much more appealing. For now.

]]> <![CDATA[ As if PC hardware news couldn't get any gloomier, one research report suggests mainstream laptop prices could rise by as much as 40% ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/as-if-pc-hardware-news-couldnt-get-any-gloomier-one-research-report-suggests-mainstream-laptop-prices-could-rise-by-as-much-as-40-percent/ aDVuMCC2h9xedWLjLbd5Ue Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:20:53 +0000 false false false

Even the most casual of PC users will surely know by now that the whole computer market is under considerable pressure from the global shortage of memory. But that's not the only component to experience price rises, and one research report suggests that the combined cost of CPUs, DRAM, and SSDs will climb so high that mainstream laptops could end up becoming 40% more expensive.

The report in question comes from TrendForce, which keeps a very close eye on all things PC component-related, and many of its reports of late have focused on the exponential rise in DRAM and NAND flash prices.

However, in this latest post, TrendForce notes that "Intel has already raised prices on certain entry-level and older-generation notebook CPUs by more than 15%, and is planning further price increases for mainstream and mid-to-high-end platforms in 2Q26."

This is important to note because "Under normal conditions, DRAM and SSD account for roughly 15% of a notebook’s BOM [bill of materials] cost. However, after several quarters of sharp increases in memory prices, that share is projected to exceed 30% in 1Q26."

So if everything does all increase in price, and it certainly looks like it will, then since "CPUs already represent one of the largest cost components in a notebook’s BOM, these increases will further drive up overall system costs. For a $900 notebook, if both memory and CPU prices rise, their combined share of BOM costs could climb from approximately 45% to around 58%.

Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

"These cost pressures could translate into retail price increases approaching 40% higher if brands and distribution partners maintain their existing margins."

The real question to ask here is whether companies such as Dell, HP, Asus, et al. will be willing to accept lower profit margins to ensure that revenue flows will continue. If the answer is no, then the next question is one for you to answer: Would you be willing to pay $1260 for a $900 laptop, or 40% more for any gaming laptop?

Well, if one looks carefully at recent history, it would seem that there are likely to be more people saying yes, rather than no. Take what happened to graphics cards during the Covid pandemic, which skyrocketed in price (and haven't really come back down since), yet GPUs still flew off the shelves in droves.

Of course, there was an important driving force behind that and with lockdown keeping millions of people at home for work and play, desktop and laptop computers sold in vast quantities. That's certainly not the case now, and the general cost of living in many countries has reached a point where spending 40% more on a non-essential item just wouldn't be considered.

Gigabyte Aorus 16X gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

PC gaming enthusiasts might, though, given we're already used to paying through the nose to support our painfully pricey hobby, but they could increase in price even further, if Nvidia decides to hike the price of its mobile GPUs.

So while it might seem that memory prices have plateaued of late, TrendForce is suggesting that its findings all point to it being nothing more than the calm before the storm. Let's just hope that its gloomy forecast turns out to be a considerably milder affair.

]]> <![CDATA[ This shady Amazon listing for a 1.1 TB laptop actually uses the cloud for 1 TB and it's only included for a year ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/this-shady-amazon-listing-for-a-1-1-tb-laptop-actually-uses-the-cloud-for-1-tb-and-its-only-included-for-a-year/ J5sDmvsLEABfGMzScAyhri Tue, 10 Mar 2026 11:55:18 +0000 false false false

If you're looking to buy a cheap and cheerful laptop on Amazon, make sure you really look through that specs list first. That's because one third-party seller is advertising its HP laptop with 1.1 TB of storage, when it's actually 128 GB on-device, and 1 TB in the cloud.

As spotted by Videocardz, seller Smarisan Tech has advertised the 15.6-inch laptop, with 32 GB of memory, plus a free pair of wireless 'PlusEra' earphones and a one-year subscription to Microsoft Office, for a 'limited time deal' of $500. The latter 'free item' is where that storage comes from.

A subscription to Microsoft Office gets you 1 TB of storage via OneDrive. That means, not only is the majority of your storage with this HP laptop not on-device, but it lasts for just a single year, then you'd have to pay more or live with the 128 GB onboard.

The laptop in question comes with an Intel N100 CPU, no dedicated GPU (which is fairly common at this price point), and a Natural Silver colour.

I couldn't find much on the PlusEra wireless earphones, but a quick Google search returns AliExpress listings, so I'd hazard a guess that they aren't of the absolute highest quality. The storage, plus the free earphones, are all ways that the company can make potential buyers think they're getting a better deal than they are.

The fact that the 16 GB memory model is cheaper than the 8 GB one, and both are in 'limited time deals', also implies it's a listing worth paying attention to. Spoiler alert, it's not. Though doubling the memory for $70 is certainly notable.

A listing on Amazon of a HP Pavillion

(Image credit: HP)

The $500-600 price point isn't lacking in decent alternatives. Even just last week, Apple announced the $599 Apple MacBook Neo, which would be a much better pick. If you go Apple, though, my money would be on a refurbished M chip MacBook or a Mac Mini. We've also seen solid deals on Snapdragon-based laptops, too, coming down to a similar price.

Though the laptop is by HP, this listing isn't. On HP's website, similarly specced rigs list the actual storage specs, so it doesn't seem to be HP's fault. However, as listed over on Reddit, HP laptops are particularly vulnerable to this kind of false advertising, likely due to their habit of bundling Microsoft Office subscriptions with Chromebooks.

Naturally, cloud storage and internal storage are very different things, and one would assume advertised storage is what you physically have in your hands. That's because you can lose access to the cloud, be it through not paying your subscription or through a lack of internet.

I, for one, don't even tend to redeem free trials for Microsoft Office. I don't use any of its other apps, especially when the likes of Libre Office exist, and I don't much like the idea of getting cloud storage for free, using it, then feeling like I can't cancel my subscription for fear of losing my data. I've already made that mistake once. I pay a few dollars a month for Google's cloud storage, and I've been very tempted to set up a physical storage space to free myself from Google as well.

As always, even on official marketplaces like Amazon, sellers can use sneaky marketing tactics in listings, so make sure to check who you are buying tech from, and if those specs really check out.

]]> <![CDATA[ As hardware prices make heads spin, Apple of all companies has just announced a new MacBook laptop for only $599 ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/as-hardware-prices-make-heads-spin-apple-of-all-companies-has-just-announced-a-new-macbook-laptop-for-only-usd599/ ssfBKdArTx7pvkx6mqX66o Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:38:22 +0000 false false false

Even if you've sufficiently managed your expectations and aren't going for the flashiest bit of kit, hardware is still expensive. Full desktop rigs are bad enough, but even mid-range gaming laptops can come at an eye-watering premium—and don't even get me started on just how much an Apple alternative would set you back by.

MacBooks are expensive and their gaming performance still isn't what you'd want, right? Well, for one thing Apple is a better PC gaming platform than people give it credit for, and now the just announced MacBook Neo is presenting an affordable inroad to its very shiny walled garden, for only $599.

Powered by the A18 Pro mobile chip and paired with 8 GB of RAM, the MacBook Neo is still far from the most powerful laptop out there. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024, so it's hard not to think of this as an oversized phone with a keyboard and a pretty swish 13-inch Liquid Retina display.

The very competitive phone-like pricing does little to argue against that notion either. For $599, I wouldn't be surprised if this became the student device of choice over, say, an iPad or a similar tablet device—the fun colours certainly help.

That said, someone on a student budget could potentially still net something with a little more grunt. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge enjoys the power of the Snapdragon X chip and 16 GB of RAM for close to $700—or you could scoop up the same chip and generous helping of RAM in the Asus Vivobook 14 for only $500. If you're deadset on Apple, there's also the very reasonably priced Mac Mini (the M4 Pro chip inside makes it a decent gaming option).

The MacBook Neo 13-inch laptop in various colourways.

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple are pitching the MacBook Neo as 'a powerful platform for AI with Apple Intelligence built right in,' but only 8 GB of RAM is a pretty meagre offering for anyone really wanting to throw down with larger generative models.

It's fair to say Apple has more lightweight AI-use in mind, claiming the Neo is "3x faster when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos, compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5."

Unfortunately, whatever battery gains Apple could have made with the mobile chip are somewhat squandered by the 36.5 Whr battery on board. Apple claims you'll still get about 16 hours out of it—but I doubt that's 16 hours of playing Kpop Demon Hunters on repeat and at full volume. 'So sweet, so easy on the eye, but hideous on the inside—' What? It's still a banger.

]]> <![CDATA[ Acer Nitro V 16 AI review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-v-16-ai-review/ tH3CGay73ZbEimHAk2YZXB Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:47:09 +0000 false false false

You know, it's been quite refreshing reviewing a laptop for once that doesn't have any major flaws. Acer's Nitro V 16 AI, is genuinely pretty good. I have few complaints, which is rare given the current state of affairs. Is it the best gaming laptop ever? No, not quite, but what it aims to do right, it does so remarkably well.

This modern-day PC gaming world we inhabit is a bloody mess. I don't need to tell you that. Long gone are the days of just being able to read a laptop review or two and know exactly what you're getting if you do decide to add the thing to cart.

Instead, nowadays, we're graced with a myriad of region specific skus. Reviewer models that make no sense. Gaming performance that varies wildly, dependent on TGP rather than what the graphics card's actually called. SSD capacities that you'd wince at back in 2014, and old RAM configurations brushed off as the modern-day must-haves. As if the "DDR5's really important for gaming bro, trust me bro, also buy these rainbow lights" comments that manufacturers were forcing on us lot since 2022, were in fact a mad fever dream we all shared instead.

Although the Nitro V 16 does fall foul of a few of them, in terms of what it is and what you're getting, it's actually fairly well thought out. This thing has a solidly clean design overall, with thin bezels, a beautiful high-refresh IPS panel (albeit you can get it in two different resolutions 2560x1600 @ 100 Hz, and 1920x1200 @ 180 Hz), packed with a decent complement of hardware, and a surprisingly broad I/O configuration too. It is a gaming laptop. That's very much apparent.

Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Nitro V 16 AI specs

Model No

ANV16-42

CPU

AMD Ryzen 7 260 w/780M GPU

GPU

Nvidia RTX 5070 95 W

RAM

32 GB DDR5-5600

Storage

2x 1 TB WD PC SN5000S PCIe 4.0 SSDs

Screen Size

16-inch IPS

Refresh Rate

100 Hz

Resolution

2560x1600

Battery

76 Whr

Dimensions

26.0 mm x 362.0 mm x 278.0 mm | 1.02 x 14.25 x 10.94 inches

Weight

2.44 kg | 5.38 lbs

Price

$1,400 | £1,400

Buy if...

✅ You need a nice entry-level laptop perfect for gaming and office work: The best of both worlds, just about, with plenty of expandability and connectivity. The RTX 5070, with its 95 W TGP here, makes light work of most tasks at its native resolutions

Don't buy if...

❌ You're looking for something more professional: The chassis is ok if all you do is game, but if you're trying to blend into that office meeting with this thing, you might want to think again.

You've got that sharp Nitro embossing, the cut edges, and jagged overall feel, along with that sorta mid-range satin black finish that's been in the industry for as long as I have. And of course, the old "gamer" typeface engraved onto those remarkably comfortable keys... though don't expect this to rival a mechanical keyboard by any means.

The trackpad is large enough too, the speakers surprisingly boisterous, and yes, there's the usual cornucopia of added extras thrown into the OS for your chagrin and/or leisure, including three months of free Game Pass etc, etc, but for the love of god please uninstall McAfee. Windows Defender is fine.

Connectivity is generous too, with three USB 3.2 Type A ports, a Micro-SD card reader, Ethernet out, headphone jack, and a HDMI 2.1 and USB4 Type C port popped out back behind the screen as well.

It's the performance, though, that really stands out for me. At least in this model. Now I should preface this with a slight caveat. There are so many different models and skus of the Acer Nitro V 16 AI, that it's genuinely terrifying. I spent hours trying to source a price for this thing, even going back and forth with Acer's PR team.

You've got GPUs ranging from the RTX 5050 to the 5070, 16 GB to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, different CPUs, from Intel to AMD, and storage capacities from 1 TB to 2 TB. Plus, two different panels as well, which, as I've mentioned, can stack all the way up to the 2560x1600 model I have here, or that more entry-level and more palatable 1920x1200 one instead.

Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V 16 AI gaming laptop
Future

The one I'm testing is the absolute top-of-the-line edition. One that's only possible to actually buy if you find a system integrator willing to do it for you. There's 32 GB of RAM (instead of the usual 16 GB) and an extra 1 TB SSD fitted as well. Although, to be perfectly clear, neither of those additions massively affects performance in our testing suite, bar perhaps 7-Zip's compression tests. The core hardware, the Ryzen AI 7 260, and the RTX 5070 95 W, you can find across a wide range of them too, so spot that, and the screen res and you're good to go.

Speaking of numbers. The good news is that compared to Gigabyte's Aero X16 (which also featured an RTX 5070 and a 2560x1600 display), it absolutely mops the floor with it. Scores are 5-10% higher across pretty much every title tested, regardless of resolution.

1 / 3

1080p gaming performance

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V16 | RTX 5070 (95 W) | Ryzen 7 260
67
39
Gigabyte Aero X16 Copilot | RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen AI 7 350
63
32
Framework 16 | RTX 5070 (100 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
69
41
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 (115 W) | Ryzen 7 250
60
27
020406080
Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Acer Nitro V16 | RTX 5070 (95 W) | Ryzen 7 260 67 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Gigabyte Aero X16 Copilot | RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen AI 7 350 63 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
Framework 16 | RTX 5070 (100 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 69 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 (115 W) | Ryzen 7 250 60 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS

Both of these laptops are 16-inch models, with a 76 WHr battery life. In Baldur's Gate 3, average fps for the Nitro V 16 AI was 5 fps ahead at their native resolution. Metro Exodus 50 fps vs 45 fps, and in Cyberpunk 2077, 20 fps versus 12 fps. You get the picture. The contrast is even more stark if you enable DLSS and upscaling as well, where the Nitro V 16 climbs even higher.

Two "identical" cards, but with one running at 95 W and the other at 85 W. One (the Acer) managed an average clock speed of 2,217 MHz, and the other (the Gigabyte) managed only 1,740 MHz. It's fascinating, too, because there's not a huge difference here in temperature either, yet the difference is dramatic. Yes, the Acer's hotter but only by 5-6 degrees, and it's still well below the 80 centigrade mark across all of our testing, but with that, you get a healthy dose of extra performance as a result.

1 / 2

System performance

Acer Nitro V16 | RTX 5070 (95 W) | Ryzen 7 260
140
Gigabyte Aero X16 Copilot | RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen AI 7 350
109
Framework 16 | RTX 5070 (100 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
131
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 (115 W) | Ryzen 7 250
89
037.575112.5150
Battery life (minutes)
Battery life | PCMark 10 Gaming Data
ProductValue
Acer Nitro V16 | RTX 5070 (95 W) | Ryzen 7 260 140
Gigabyte Aero X16 Copilot | RTX 5070 (85 W) | Ryzen AI 7 350 109
Framework 16 | RTX 5070 (100 W) | Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 131
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 (115 W) | Ryzen 7 250 89

The biggest criticism I had of that Aero X16 was that it performed poorly against Lenovo's LOQ 15 Gen 10, despite that coming with an RTX 5060. The reason purely came down to the LOQ's maddeningly high 115 W TGP, but here, even though there's still a 20 W difference between the two, the RTX 5070 in the Nitro still beats it as you'd hope it would (although barely).

On the computational side, performance is similarly competitive too, although there's not a huge difference between the three (the LOQ 15 utilises the Ryzen 7 250, and the Aero X17 the AI 7 350). Yet what's more impressive is how Acer's managing that battery life. 140 minutes, that's how long it lasted in PC Mark 10's battery gaming test. That's wild, as the X16 only managed 109 minutes, and the LOQ 15, just 89 minutes total (although it does have a 60 WHr battery).

The Nitro V 16 is a bit of a saving grace in my eyes. Certainly, compared to Acer's Nitro V15 that I recently took a gander at. Ignore the AI nonsense and copilot slop added onto the marketing fluff. Uninstall it when you get this thing, and you'll genuinely have a remarkably affordable gaming laptop, at a decent price, that delivers solid performance in-game and out. Just make sure you get the right spec.

]]> <![CDATA[ Apple somehow just doubled the amount of storage in the new MacBook Air M5 base model to 512 GB despite the memory crisis ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/apple-somehow-just-doubled-the-amount-of-storage-in-the-new-macbook-air-m5-base-model-to-512-gb-despite-the-memory-crisis/ j9KjC5Q7BpQJA7349u2LJN Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:44:46 +0000 false false false

With all indications being that the AI-fuelled memory crisis will get worse before it gets better and will also be upon us until at least 2028, fair to say there's a legitimate concern whether affordable PCs will be viable at all. We may not even get to ask the question about how much memory or storage to expect. But here comes Apple with a new MacBook Air with double the storage of the previous model.

There is a catch. The new MacBook Air M5 base model with 512 GB of storage costs an extra $100 over the outgoing MacBook Air M4 with 256 GB. But then the MSRP of the base MacBook Air was $999 since forever until this M5 model jumped to $1,099. Factor in generally heightened inflation in recent years, and the MacBook Air M5 today with 512 GB is comfortably cheaper in real terms than its equivalent with half the storage from a few years ago.

Of course, you're also getting the new M5 chip and some other upgrades. But in the current context of the memory crisis and the general sense that we're going to have to do more with less when it comes to PC memory and storage, not to mention most PC makers putting prices up, it's a pretty remarkable turn of events.

As to how Apple can seemingly buck the trend, well, there are various candidate explanations. Most obviously, Apple is widely regarded as having some of the best margins in the business. So, it can absorb increased component costs more easily than most.

Apple also operates on a much larger scale than most of the competition. When Apple is buying RAM and storage, it's not just buying it for MacBook Airs. It will have long-term contracts for iPhone, iPads, Watches and more, all of which use both memory types. And that adds up to a lot of memory.

Apple MacBook Air M5

Apple makes scant mention of gaming in its M5 Air marketing pitch. (Image credit: Apple )

Without being at all privy to any of Apple's commercial deals, it's safe to assume that when Apple comes knocking, even in this crisis, suppliers pay attention. Get on the wrong side of Apple in the hope of some short-term profiteering over the memory crisis, and that could spell long-term pain well after the current AI bubble pops, or at least normalises.

Put another way, if any company making regular old computers for us normies, as opposed to chips for AI servers, is in a position to get a vaguely reasonable deal right now for RAM and storage, it's Apple. It's also true that Apple has always charged absolutely ridiculous amounts of money for memory and SSD upgrades. In that regard, Apple absolutely has plenty of margin to work with.

That obviously doesn't apply quite so directly for base configurations without a premium added for upgrades. But it underlines that earlier point about Apple's fat margins.

Anywho, it will be interesting to see how this develops. If memory prices do generally keep going up with the consequence that even basic PCs become prohibitively expensive, we could end up, at least for a time, in the bizarre situation where the cheapest option is Apple.

The problem with that, unfortunately, is gaming. The one application type for which a MacBook is undeniably suboptimal is gaming, largely due to software compatibility. But heck, maybe if the only reasonably priced computers out there for a while are Macs, the games industry might take a bit more notice. Or not. OK, probably not.

]]> <![CDATA[ Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop review ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-v15-gaming-laptop-review/ pwn39iCVVxPcCvtsDYUBNa Mon, 16 Feb 2026 13:51:43 +0000 Mon, 16 Feb 2026 14:05:00 +0000 false false false

This is the Nitro V 15, a modern entry-level gaming laptop from Acer. Hot off the factory line. It comes with an RTX 5050, an Intel Core i7-13620H, high refresh rate IPS panel, a luscious chassis, and is backed up by no less than 16GB of RAM. DDR4 RAM. Yeah… you read that right.

Not the modern DDR5 kits that have been injected into some of the best gaming notebooks we've tested in the last four years. No, it's that ageing memory standard, which first debuted in this particular portable form factor all the way back in September of 2015. Almost as old as my entire career. Yikes.

I wonder why that is... Well, as you probably already know, the pricing of memory in recent months has absolutely catapulted skywards. As manufacturers and fabs pivot their supply lines to feed the burgeoning beasts that are the "trust me bro, it's very green", AI datacenters, the limited stock heading to the consumer field (i.e. us lot looking for a good laptop deal), is quite rapidly evaporating.

As a result of that, we're seeing a dramatic shift in just how these particular budget laptop SKUs are spinning up. From all manufacturers, too, not just Acer. Drops from 32 GB down to 16 GB on memory have become commonplace. SSD capacity has trended downwards too, dropping from the usual complement of 1-2 TBs of the PCIe good stuff, all the way to the lowly slums of just 512 GB in some cases. That leaves you with a little under 370 GB once Windows is installed. Yet this may well be the first time we've seen a manufacturer backtrack onto an older memory standard entirely. And it does not do the Nitro V any favors, that's a fact.

Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)
Nitro V15 specs

Model No

ANV15-52

CPU

Intel Core i7 13620H

GPU

Nvidia RTX 5050 75W

RAM

16GB DDR4-3200

Storage

500GB PCIe 4.0 SSD

Screen Size

15.6-inch IPS

Refresh Rate

165 Hz

Resolution

1920x1080

Battery

76 Whr

Dimensions

24.0mm x 360.2mm x 240.0mm | 0.94 x 14.18 x 9.44 inches

Weight

2.11 kg | 4.65 lbs

Price

$1,079 | £925

Buy if...

✅ You're absolutely capped at $1,080: The whole market is a mess right now, and Acer's Nitro V 15 does represent ok value at this price. But if you can stretch to getting something like the A16 or Lenovo LOQ ,do that instead.

Don't buy if...

❌ You're a gamer: You'll be just disappointed, with a small hard drive, lacking memory, and a price point that leaves a lot to be desired.

Now, perhaps I am being a bit harsh here, the V 15 clearly does have a target audience, that much is clear. Market conditions are a thing, and Acer is likely struggling to source parts at a reasonable price, much like the rest of the industry is.

This laptop is aimed at trying to hit that $1,000 price point. I get it, I do, the angle is to provide an option for gamers who aren't quite as willing to drop two grand on a laptop now, because Grandma needs her AI-powered data harvesting ChatGPT caricature to share on her Insta feed. Certainly not when there are other, more pressing bills to pay anyway.

I mean It doesn't quite manage to hit that $1,000 mark, at least not in the US, where it retails at $1,079 (it slides under at £925 in the UK), but there is at least some justification as to why these hardware concessions are there. Though there's a chance you might see it drop below that mark if there are any good sales this year.

There are some positives in the spec sheet, too. The Nitro V 15 comes equipped with a pretty impressive 165 Hz IPS panel, which is beautifully clean to look at. In my particular unit, backlight bleed was non-existent, and ghosting was contained nicely. There have been reports online of some inconsistency with the panels from other reviewers, so do bear that in mind, but it should be covered under warranty if you do have any issues like that. Gaming on it, though, and desktop use, buttery smooth. It's awesome to see these kinds of panels at this price point. Perhaps the only good news in the PC industry right now.

Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop
Future
Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop
Future

The actual internal hardware is overall just alright, in the very British sense of that word. It's okay. Not amazing, not terrible. Acer's picked the RTX 5050 for the Nitro V 15's GPU solution, and that comes with 8 GB of VRAM, and a 75 W TGP allowing it to clock up to around 1,651 MHz, at least in my testing. It's not quite on par with something like the RTX 5060 found in other versions of the Nitro V 15 with their 85 W TGP, or the Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10, with its ridiculous 115W TGP, but it does okay at 1080p, at least with some help from DLSS anyway.

As for the CPU, that's Intel's somewhat ageing Core i7 13620H, and another reason we're sat on DDR4 memory. It's a 10-core chip split across six performance cores and four efficiency cores, delivering a grand total of 16 threads (the performance cores are hyperthreaded here). Technically, it's capable of ramping up to 4.9 GHz at full tilt, but expect performance to be lower than that thanks to the, err, I'll call it "thermal limitations of the form factor".

The only other major bugbear I have with this thing is the storage setup. It comes with a single 500 GB SSD, Kingston's OM8PGP4512Q-AA OEM drive. That's a PCIe 4.0 solution, not too dissimilar to Kingston's own NV2, albeit a bit faster on the sequentials. It's a TLC drive running off the back of Phison's E21T controller sans DRAM cache, and it's kinda slow, with max sequentials topping out at the 4,700 MB/s mark, or at least advertised anyway.

That 500 GB capacity, though, once Windows is installed, leaves you very little room to hoard any games or other programs for that matter, so you will be playing the delete and re-download shuffle quite often. I'd highly recommend swapping it out for something a bit more substantial later on, or heavily investing in some form of chunky external drive if you can afford the bank loan required for that. At this point, I am starting to wonder when we'll end up back on 2.5-inch SSDs again, given the way things are going.

So then, the big elephant in the room, performance. The good news is that DDR4 might not matter that much for gaming, but the extra bandwidth available thanks to those higher frequencies found on its successor does have quite the dramatic impact on overall computational performance.

Creator performance

Compressing (GIPS)
Decompressing (GIPS)
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 | Core i7 13620H)
48.44
86.88
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 | Core i7 13620H)
49.803
88.068
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 ( RTX 5050 | Ryzen 7 260)
88.349
122.404
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 | Core i7 13620H)
80.62
84.56
037.575112.5150
7zip 24.07 Data
ProductValue
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 | Core i7 13620H) 48.44 Compressing (GIPS), 86.88 Decompressing (GIPS)
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 | Core i7 13620H) 49.803 Compressing (GIPS), 88.068 Decompressing (GIPS)
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 ( RTX 5050 | Ryzen 7 260) 88.349 Compressing (GIPS), 122.404 Decompressing (GIPS)
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 | Core i7 13620H) 80.62 Compressing (GIPS), 84.56 Decompressing (GIPS)

Take a look at 7-Zip's compression figures there. Compared to something like Gigabyte's Gaming A16 with its (admittedly 32 GB of) DDR5 clocked at 5,200 MT/s, and even with the same processor, percentage change is around 66% by comparison. That sucks. Particularly as this spills over into other tasks as well. If you're looking at doing some light video rendering or dabbling in Photoshop, you're going to be held back significantly compared to its DDR5 alternatives. That wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't for the fact that you can still get the Gigabyte A16, for only a little more.

Cinebench's multi-core figures are also lower compared to the same chip in the Gigabyte laptop, although that could be chalked up to Acer's poorer cooling solution, as the CPU topped out at 102 degrees, compared to the A16's 89. Likewise, GPU temps weren't exactly low either, with both gaming and system temperature scenarios being considerably higher than their Gigabyte counterparts. Not ideal, particularly given that that setup was running an RTX 5060 with an 85W TGP in a very similarly designed chassis.

1 / 2

1080p gaming performance

Avg FPS
1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 | 75 W)
45
22
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 | 85 W)
48
20
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 (RTX 5050 | 115 W)
69
38
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 | 85W)
65
36
020406080
Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra) Data
ProductValue
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 | 75 W) 45 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 | 85 W) 48 Avg FPS, 20 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 (RTX 5050 | 115 W) 69 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 | 85W) 65 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS

In-game, that RTX 5050 sort of delivers. At 1080p, it does struggle with the big flagship titles, certainly when ray tracing is enabled. Cyberpunk, for instance, only averaged 19 fps (although that did boost to 55 fps with DLSS set to quality and frame-gen on), and although sort of playable, Black Myth Wukong settled in at 33 fps, and F1 2024 at 36 fps, respectively as well. Both of which are still a far cry from the heady heights of that 60 fps sweet spot the vast majority of us know and love.

System performance

Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 75 W | Core i7 13620H)
141
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 85 W | Core i7 13620H)
123
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 (RTX 5050 115 W | Ryzen 7 260)
74
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 85 W | Core i7 13620H)
183
050100150200
Battery life (minutes)
Battery life | PCMark 10 gaming Data
ProductValue
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5050 75 W | Core i7 13620H) 141
Acer Nitro V15 (RTX 5060 85 W | Core i7 13620H) 123
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025 (RTX 5050 115 W | Ryzen 7 260) 74
Gigabyte Gaming A16 (RTX 5060 85 W | Core i7 13620H) 183

The Nitro V 15 is a casualty of its time. At any other point, I'd expect this laptop to retail at probably $800 - 900. But because it's in this warped bubble of SSD and memory pricing, it loses out compared to laptops that are already available, already on the market, sitting in retailers' warehouses. That Gaming A16 that I so lovingly keep referring to is only $220 more, and it's in stock now. That's not a lot when you consider you're almost doubling performance in-game, getting twice as much storage, and twice as much memory on a more modern standard.

It's a shame because on the surface, the Nitro V 15 is a lovely thing. It's got a crisp, clean design, beautiful screen, good selection of ports, a great keyboard and trackpad, and if the price was right, a solid entry-level spec. But for the money, it's just not worth it.

]]> <![CDATA[ Direct Asus and Acer gaming PC sales blocked in Germany due to lawsuit from Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia ]]> https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/direct-asus-and-acer-gaming-pc-sales-blocked-in-germany-due-to-lawsuit-from-finnish-phone-manufacturer-nokia/ NVgdLSE8ojGnBo7BJTLfK Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:18:55 +0000 false false false

German PC gamers might struggle to pick up Acer or Asus gaming laptops and desktops for the foreseeable future, as a court ruling out of Munich has put a pause on direct sales. This is the latest development in a patent suit filed by Nokia against the two companies, as well as Chinese electronics company Hisense last year.

The lawsuit alleges that Acer and Asus’ PCs plus Hisense’s smart TVs infringe upon three of Nokia's patents relating to the H.265 (HEVC) video codec standard (via Juve Patent). HiSense sought to settle in January and, following a license agreement, Nokia has since withdrawn its lawsuit against the company. Acer and Asus are still fighting it out in the courts.

This latest Munich court ruling is an injunction against Acer and Asus, but not retailers. That means German gamers won't be able to buy directly from either company, but should still be able to find Acer and Asus machines elsewhere. Acer assured German-language outlet PC-Welt that its other products, from monitors to even e-scooters, were unaffected by this ruling.

Acer did not want to comment on ongoing legal proceedings, but it's worth noting the company has also filed its own separate suit against Nokia at the Munich Regional Court, though this instead regards wireless communication tech.

Legal proceedings between the three companies are not confined to the German court system either. Back in December, the UK High Court awarded Acer and Asus interim licenses, though Nokia has also filed a separate suit in the US alleging infringement of its Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). Basically, this is far from the end of it.

Four Asus X870 and X870E motherboards

(Image credit: Asus)

Aside from patent proceedings, Nokia has most recently earned headlines with 4G projects that shoot for the moon—literally.

On the other side of the suit, Asus has most recently been in the news for announcing an 'immediate internal review' of its 800-series motherboards following 'recent reports concerning Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs.' To elaborate on the company's vaguely worded statement on the issue, some PC gamers allege that popping a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU into an AM5 socket motherboard has caused a whole host of issues, up to and including the death of the CPU itself.

Perhaps hitting the pause button on planned Asus purchases is not the worst thing a consumer could do right now.

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