This is without a doubt the best monitor deal I've seen during this year's Amazon Prime Day… week… thing. And we're coming to the end of it, too, for at least a few months.

MSI's MPG 321URX QD-OLED is an absolute spectacle of a display (seriously, check out Jeremy's review). Uncompromising in practically every element of its design. 4K, 32-inch, perfect pixel density, 240 Hz refresh, and an astonishingly quick response time, backed up with fantastic color accuracy to boot. There's just everything you could want in a 32-inch 4K panel here.

Right now, (although for how long I don't know, because they're selling faster than second-hand SSDs on Facebook Marketplace), you can pick one of MSI's 321URX QD-OLEDs up for an impressively low $745 at Amazon, down from $830.

• We're curating all the best Prime Day PC gaming deals here

Now that's not a huge amount relatively in the grand scheme of things, but it's actually far more than that when you look at how this screen is already positioned in the market. The 321URX uses the same Samsung panel that you can find in Asus's ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, Alienware's equivalent, Gigabyte, and all the other gaming brands who've managed to snap a contract up off of the big Korean giants.

The difference is that those screens already cost $500, $300, $200 more than this thing did at launch, for effectively the same quality, the same monitor. That makes the price difference just massive by comparison.

Let's talk about the screen for a second here, and ignore the brand that's packaged it up in that cute little chassis, because it truly is a monster. You might be asking, why is this better? What's so good about QD-OLED compared to your stock standard LG OLED affair? And it mostly comes down to that quantum dot layer that sits on top and how both panel techs optimize for peak brightness in scenes.

Say you have an explosion, or you're casting Giant's Flame in Elden Ring, and the game demands high brightness on a rich and saturated color palette. A traditional OLED screen is actually comprised of four subpixels, RGB, and then an additional W (white) one to boost the brightness up. The issue with that is that the white light tends to almost desaturate a lot of the color on the fringes of that explosion or effect, leading to seemingly pastel colors instead of what they should actually be.

QD-OLED instead uses a global blue backlight that's shifted through the quantum dots into red and green to effectively pump up the brightness without impacting the color.

There's also some magic going on at the sub-pixel layer as well, that improves font and detail clarity at smaller sizes (more critical on a desktop PC than your mom's OLED TV), and there's some smart ambient-light reflection tech in here as well, stopping darker tones from refracting ambient lighting and changing tone.

In essence, QD-OLED is just that traditional OLED tech, but dialled all the way up, and bloody hell is it good. There's a reason this is our top 4K gaming monitor, and how MSI can afford to package all of that into the 321URX, and then discount it on top of that, is a mystery.

Oh, and one last mention, burn-in, because I know you're thinking about it, I'm thinking about it, everybody's thinking about it. MSI still provides a hefty three-year warranty cover, the same as everyone else, and there's plenty of tech in there to keep your UI in-game and not etched into your shiny new $745 screen for all of time.

Now, where exactly did I put my special SSD stash? Papa needs a brand new monitor.

👉Check out all the best Amazon Prime Day Monitor Deals👈

If really good GPU deals are slim pickings this Prime Day and decent RAM deals checked out about a year ago, do not despair. There is one class of PC component that's bucking the trend. Gaming monitors.

Our Jacob R commented earlier today just how "wild" the best of our affordable gaming monitor deals look this Prime Day. And he has a point. The spread goes from $99 through to $314 and includes everything from 1080p to OLED.

• We're curating all the best Prime Day PC gaming deals here

27-inch 1440p proved the most popular form factor in our recent poll, while 4K and 34-inch ultrawide ranked highly, too. Well if you have a budget of around $250 to $300, you can cover all those bases and even tick the OLED box, too.

Doing 4K duty is the MSI MAG 275UPD. For a whisker under $250 you get an IPS panel and dual-mode capability. Remarkable. Representing 34-inch ultrawide is the LG UltraGear 34GP63A-B for not even $230. It's so much monitor for the money.

Then there's the Acer Predator X27U W1bmiiprx I covered earlier today. It slightly breaches the $300 barrier at $314. But it's a QD-OLED panel, for goodness sake.

Anyway, never have you had so many fantastic gaming monitor options for so little money. 2026 Prime Day really is all about bargain gaming panels.

Amazon Prime Day gaming monitor deals

The full details

The RAMpocalypse has made good 32 GB gaming laptop deals hard to find for most of this year, but Amazon Prime Day is delivering some seriously good prices on RAM-plentiful machines. If you've been holding out for a gaming laptop with, let's face it, the correct amount of RAM for a high-powered machine, now is one of the best times to pick one up for less.

I've found three I'd buy right now with my own cash, and you can't say fairer than that.

• We're curating all the best Prime Day PC gaming deals here

There's the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 AI for $1,500 at B&H Photo, an RTX 5070-equipped lappy with a 24-core Intel chip and a 240 Hz display. Or the MSI Vector 16 HX AI with a full-fat RTX 5070 Ti under the hood, for $1,599 at Walmart. That's an astonishingly good deal given the performance on offer.

Or, if you're feeling particularly flush, how about our best high-performance gaming laptop pick? The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 is a monstrously powerful gaming machine, with a 175 W RTX 5080 practically bursting from its overbuilt chassis. It's a mega-powered laptop currently available for $2,449 at B&H. That might still be a lot of cash, but you won't beat its gaming grunt for less right now.

Amazon Prime Day 32 GB gaming laptop deals

MSI might not be the first name you think of when it comes to gaming mice, but the brand has been quietly toiling away with its peripherals in recent times and has come up with the Versa 300 Wireless 8K as its latest entry. On the face of it, with a 26,000 DPI sensor, 8000 Hz wireless polling rate and a light 66g mass, it looks as if this humble rodent could be up there with some of the best gaming mice we've tested—I've been putting it through its paces to find out.

On first impressions, the Versa 300 Wireless 8K comes across a little generic, with an all-black plastic chassis with a rougher texture and little contouring for comfort. That being said, the plastics used in its construction feel quite dense, and there's some pleasant texturing on the sides of the unit to supplement extended use.

At 66g, too, it's quite a lightweight choice, helping wrist flicks and quick movement without feeling like you're lugging around something heavy, and I'm a fan of how tactile this mouse feels with those textured surfaces, the large rubberised scroll wheel and all the rest of it.

The button placement here makes sense, with two main options: a DPI switch and a scroll wheel on top, and navigation buttons on the side. On the underside is a selector switch between Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity modes, and even a little cubby hole for the USB-A receiver that this mouse comes with—neat.

You do get a small amount of RGB-based flair, with a light-up MSI logo that attempts to protrude through the rear of the chassis—it's there, but seems on the dim side. Likewise, the MSI Center software that's used to control the Versa 300 Wireless 8K is a little bereft of features, allowing you to only remap input and trigger macros, plus some more advanced features such as angle snapping and the debounce time for the mechanical Omron switches this mouse has. If you want to control that singular RGB lighting zone, you'll need to use another app—Portal X—which just seems like more needless faff.

With this in mind, Portal X is web-based, meaning you can configure the mouse across different operating systems than just Windows, although with the RGB lighting here and not in MSI Center, there isn't feature parity across both suites.

On the point of those mechanical switches, the Omrons inside here have a firm and tactile click under finger, although they feel as if they've got a longer travel than the more common hybrid or optical switches we're beginning to see on a lot of gaming mice. I don't mind this, but for outright speed and precision, you may want to look at key rivals with a different switch type.

And now to where things matter: performance. MSI has put a 26,000 DPI PixArt PAW3395 sensor inside the Versa 300 Wireless 8K, which I've tested in other gaming mice over the years, and it provides ample sensitivity and responsiveness to make my usual test runs of Counter-Strike 2 a breeze.

Admittedly, using the full 26,000 DPI on offer all the time is likely to be especially jittery, but you can move it down in software between 100 and the full 26,000 to get a more comfortable level. In my instance, that was between 1600 and 3200 DPI for more accurate aiming in Counter-Strike 2, and for more comfortable navigation in Windows.

The 8000 Hz wireless polling rate is also a pleasant move for this rodent, especially against similar rivals such as the Endgame Gear OP1w 4K and the Be Quiet! Dark Perk Ergo, for added responsiveness and potentially lower latency for the pro players who are likely to notice that sort of thing. A higher polling rate means a device reports its position and inputs more frequently (hence Hz as the measurement).

All of this combines to make this MSI choice feel responsive in shooters, such as CS2, with brisk and responsive movements and inputs with little noticeable latency that make this a strong choice for FPS titles. The switches inside are mechanical ones rated for up to 60 million actuations, making them a durable choice for even the hastiest of spam clickers when you need to get a shot off first.

Connectivity is handled either by Bluetooth or 2.4 GHz, with the latter supporting the 8000 Hz wireless polling rate. The fact that this mouse also comes with Bluetooth adds some versatility against the competition, which eschews that in favour of outright performance in one device. I found the mouse's connection over either method to be reliable and stable, using Bluetooth on my MacBook Pro and the bundled receiver on my Windows gaming PC.

As for battery life, MSI rates the Versa 300 Wireless 8K to run for up to 196 hours via 2.4 GHz at a more standard 1000 Hz polling rate. Up it to 8000 Hz, and you'll throw a lot of that endurance away, with my testing putting it at around 75 hours at full pelt. That's still not bad against other choices, which tend to have a larger drop-off when you run them at full power.

And then we come to quite a useful piece of information I've purposefully left out—price. MSI has attached a $100/£60 price tag to the Versa 300 Wireless 8K, making it surprisingly affordable against rivals mentioned above for the feature set on offer here. On the whole, it helps this choice stand out if you're after a powerful and lightweight rodent for FPS titles that doesn't break the bank.

With this in mind, I think other options from the likes of Endgame Gear or SteelSeries look a little more eye-catching and have stronger software features for a similar outlay. This MSI one does well on features and performance, although I think it lacks a certain polish to make it a real top contender.

I'm very intrigued by the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. For one, I enjoyed my time with the previous iteration, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ A2VM. For a second, it's got Intel's new Arc G3 Extreme processor nestled inside. And for a third, our Dave got his hands on one at Computex, and said it "feels like the standard all new handheld gaming PCs will be judged by."

Exciting stuff. Except MSI has now listed its new mega handheld for pre-order, at the low low price of... $1,799? Holy moly, that's an expensive slice of portable gaming hardware (via Wccftech).

To be quite honest, it's not an entirely surprising figure. Earlier leaks indicated the MSRP would be well north of $1,500, and a 32 GB/1 TB handheld with a brand spanking new (and presumably very performant, given my testing of the Arc B390) Panther Lake-based chip was always going to make for a pricey machine.

Still, it didn't stop me from sucking air through my teeth when I spotted the listing earlier today. However, if you're really desperate for one, you could potentially save some cash at other retailers.

Best Buy also has a listing for the new handheld at $1,700, although as it's currently unavailable, that could well go up by the time it's actually in stock and ready to ship.

But honestly, this seems to be the pricing world we live in now when it comes to high-powered handhelds. Our best handheld gaming PC, the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS, used to be a regular feature on our deals pages for around $750 to $800. Now you'll find it listed for north of $1,500 at most retailers that still stock it.

As our Jacob Fox recently opined, handhelds have quickly reached a point where the average gamer will struggle to afford one, and the new Panther Lake offerings are expected to be very expensive across the board. At least looking in comparison to the pre-memory/everything else crisis pricing models.

It seems like only yesterday we were complaining that the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X had a ludicrous price tag at $1,000. As that MSRP is currently holding, it's actually starting to look like a genuine value proposition less than a year after its launch. Especially when a Steam Deck OLED 1 TB with an ageing APU now costs a mere $50 less.

As convenient as handheld gaming PCs are, I'm really struggling to come to terms with these prices in regards to buying advice. While true portability and the option of playing your PC games comfortably in bed is a wonderful thing, it sure does come with a hefty premium these days.

Still, here's hoping the new Claw is as good as our early impressions suggest. It'll have to work pretty hard to justify this sort of cash, I can tell you that much for free.

I've been checking all major retailers for gaming PC deals regularly for the past couple of years, and I'd honestly given up on the idea of seeing an RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC cheap enough to be worth the money—especially while RX 9070 XT gaming PCs seemed to be staying pretty cheap. But the tides have finally and surprisingly turned, thanks to this MSI Codex Z2 for $1,749 at Walmart.

Sub-$1,800 for an RTX 5070 Ti gaming PC is exactly what I'm looking for here, just the same as with RX 9070 XT builds, and I've not seen one anywhere near this cheap for months. I'd assumed maybe it was a stocking issue for those GPUs specifically. Whatever the case, we're back, baby.

• We're keeping track of all the early Amazon Prime Day PC gaming deals here

Well, kind of. There are a couple of pretty big caveats to this build. But if you're looking to do some high-end gaming for as little money as possible, I still think this build will be worth it, regardless of its foibles.

That's because the RTX 5070 Ti offers some mean performance for this price point. It's my personal fave of this GPU generation, provided you can pick it up at a reasonable price. It isn't too far short of the RTX 5080 in performance, and it overclocks incredibly well. And compared to the RX 9070 XT, it's pretty on par, except you're also getting widespread support for the latest frame gen and upscaling tech.

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Gaming performance

Black Myth Wukong (4K High)Cyberpunk 2077 (4K RT Ultra)F1 24 (4K Ultra High)Homeworld 3 (4K Epic)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (4K Ultra)The Talos Principle 2 (4K Ultra)Total War: Warhammer 3 (4K Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

47

33

RX 9070 XT

45

39

RTX 5080

55

47

RTX 5070

37

30

015304560

Black Myth Wukong (4K High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	47 Avg FPS, 33 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	45 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	55 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	37 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

30

24

RX 9070 XT

25

21

RTX 5080

36

27

RTX 5070

21

17

010203040

Cyberpunk 2077 (4K RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	30 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	25 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	36 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	21 Avg FPS, 17 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

54

41

RX 9070 XT

54

39

RTX 5080

65

50

RTX 5070

39

30

020406080

F1 24 (4K Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	54 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	54 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	65 Avg FPS, 50 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	39 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

89

53

RX 9070 XT

77

60

RTX 5080

98

59

RTX 5070

79

55

0255075100

Homeworld 3 (4K Epic) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	89 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	77 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	98 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	79 Avg FPS, 55 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

76

36

RX 9070 XT

73

50

RTX 5080

90

40

RTX 5070

57

44

0255075100

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (4K Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	76 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	73 Avg FPS, 50 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	90 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	57 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

46

25

RX 9070 XT

44

32

RTX 5080

53

37

RTX 5070

35

24

015304560

The Talos Principle 2 (4K Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	46 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	44 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	53 Avg FPS, 37 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	35 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

56

41

RX 9070 XT

60

41

RTX 5080

66

48

RTX 5070

44

30

020406080

Total War: Warhammer 3 (4K Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	56 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	60 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	66 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	44 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS

Gaming performance

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High)Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra)F1 24 (1440p Ultra High)Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra)The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra)Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

84

74

RX 9070 XT

82

73

RTX 5080

95

83

RTX 5070

68

60

0255075100

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	84 Avg FPS, 74 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	82 Avg FPS, 73 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	95 Avg FPS, 83 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	68 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

61

48

RX 9070 XT

52

43

RTX 5080

71

57

RTX 5070

45

36

020406080

Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	61 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	52 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	71 Avg FPS, 57 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	45 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

108

84

RX 9070 XT

105

66

RTX 5080

124

82

RTX 5070

78

60

037.575112.5150

F1 24 (1440p Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	108 Avg FPS, 84 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	105 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	124 Avg FPS, 82 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	78 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

119

59

RX 9070 XT

111

62

RTX 5080

126

61

RTX 5070

112

64

037.575112.5150

Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	119 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	111 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	126 Avg FPS, 61 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	112 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

129

89

RX 9070 XT

120

54

RTX 5080

151

96

RTX 5070

100

68

050100150200

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	129 Avg FPS, 89 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	120 Avg FPS, 54 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	151 Avg FPS, 96 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	100 Avg FPS, 68 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

81

35

RX 9070 XT

84

44

RTX 5080

95

59

RTX 5070

64

42

0255075100

The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	81 Avg FPS, 35 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	84 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	95 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	64 Avg FPS, 42 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5070 Ti

90

44

RX 9070 XT

102

49

RTX 5080

102

53

RTX 5070

81

53

037.575112.5150

Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5070 Ti	90 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
RX 9070 XT	102 Avg FPS, 49 1% Low FPS
RTX 5080	102 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RTX 5070	81 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS

In practice, all this makes for a GPU very capable of playing modern games on the highest settings at 1440p and even 4K in many cases.

We're talking a full gaming PC here, though, and moving beyond the GPU is where some of the caveats come into play. First, this build is a little light on RAM, and $1,750 is around the price point where you'd hope to start seeing 32 GB, even during a memory shortage. Nevertheless, if you keep background apps closed, this shouldn't bottleneck you for gaming too much at all. At least not on its own.

And therein lies the second caveat: You're getting what is essentially a repurposed mobile chip with the Ryzen 7 8700F. That means lower clocks and less L3 cache, which isn't great for gaming. CPU-intensive games will likely take a hit, as will gaming at lower resolutions. But for gaming at higher resolutions in GPU-limited scenarios, it won't be a massive deal.

Thankfully, it's socket AM5, meaning you should be able to upgrade to something like the stellar Ryzen 7 9800X3D down the line.

The final caveat is that this thing has a motherboard that's pretty light on I/O. So if you plan on having more than the usual couple of peripherals connected, you might want to get a USB hub hooked up to one of the two 5 Gbps ports, leaving the other free for external drive transfers. And even then, bear in mind that 5 Gbps means USB 3.2 Gen 1x1, which is far from the latest.

With all those caveats in mind, I have to return to the fact that in sheer gaming performance, you're getting a fantastic deal here thanks to that GPU. If you don't mind opting for AMD, an RX 9070 XT build like this one might give you a little more bang for your buck, but if you want the slightly better GPU and much better upscaling and frame gen support, this MSI rig is a great shout.

👉 Check out all of Walmart's gaming PC deals 👈

It's not lost on me that Nvidia isn't a primarily gaming-focused company anymore. On the off-chance you've been living under a cool mossy rock for the last few years, Nvidia were once primarily known for their powerful graphics cards, but are now very much all-in on AI.

Why? Well, let me put it this way: during the first quarter of 2026, the data centre segment of Nvidia's business raked in $75.2 billion alone. Supplying the AI industry with hardware has proven incredibly lucrative for the company, leading Nvidia to become the world's first $5 trillion company last year.

So, imagine my surprise when at this year's Computex, Nvidia finally unveiled the much-leaked RTX Spark. Billed as a "superchip," machine learning applications definitely feature in the elevator pitch—that's hardly surprising because, as our Jeremy so expertly explains, it is "basically a rebadge of the GB10 superchip in the DGX Spark desktop AI box that it launched in October last year."

However, the full hardware sell isn't only geared towards AI agents but flesh and blood gamers too, promising 100 fps at 1440p in the latest games. In other words, we could be looking at performance comparable to the RTX 5070 GPU from a mobile SoC.

The company is also apparently working with all the anti-cheat vendors to make competitive games work on RTX Spark, going as far as to tell us, "We are working closely with game developers to ensure all the top games run great." It's such a simple thing, but it sure is nice to hear Nvidia talk about gaming again.

As someone who desperately tried to keep a bulky Acer Aspire 5755 G alive for well over a decade, I'm also definitely intrigued by what the RTX Spark could offer laptop gamers.

Now, if you spend any amount of time pining after the best gaming laptops like I do, you'll know you can already get mobile RTX 5070 GPUs. Unfortunately, this form factor often has some significant drawbacks. Basically, if the laptop chassis ain't bulky, it will be hot, and either way under load the fan will likely sound like it's threatening to take off.

On top of that, the battery life may be somewhat lacking, giving you a scant few hours of unplugged gaming. That all goes without saying anything about the price, but I'll get into why I'm doubting RTX Spark machines will save our wallets from devastation a little later.

On the subject of practical matters, the pre-release RTX Spark machines we've seen so far have all been pretty sleek. I will also take a gaming battery life that Nvidia purports to be "better than anything you've seen before on RTX laptops."

That said, it definitely doesn't hurt to maintain some showfloor scepticism for hardware hypemen. Firstly, it's worth noting that the aforementioned RTX 5070-level performance is based on an early specs role call, which lists 'up to' 20 Grace CPU cores, 6144 RTX Blackwell GPU cores, and 128 GB of unified LPDDR5x memory.

To dissect the use of 'up to', the RTX Spark isn't just a single laptop processor but a full lineup of notebook SoCs that we'll start seeing more of later this year. Mark Aevermann, the consumer product marketing lead of RTX Spark, told our Dave that over time we will eventually see about "30 laptops and over ten or so desktops," all attacking different price points.

Memory configurations will range from 16 GB to 128 GB, and based on that detail alone I'm expecting most RTX Spark machines to be too rich for my blood. Back in the day, my Acer Aspire 5755 G cost me a little over £700—in light of the memory supply crisis, I would be extremely surprised if any RTX Spark machines rock up around that price point.

But perhaps I could be persuaded to save my pennies. Our Dave went hands-on with a native Arm build of Alan Wake 2 on a pre-release version of the Surface Laptop Ultra, hardware that Microsoft has apparently been working on with Nvidia for about three years. Though a very tightly controlled demo on the showfloor at Computex, Dave highlights "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."

Now, not every studio can invest the resources to create a native Arm build, so in those instances there's Prism emulation. Jo Vivoli, the senior manager in Nvidia's tech marketing team, told Dave, "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. If you want to make a native Arm build, we're going to work with you to make sure it's a good experience."

Another Microsoft representative also said "We've been looking at the 200 largest, most used creative applications, most used games and we're on track to have those working in time for launch."

That sort of support represents a huge amount of investment in Nvidia's new PC platform from multiple partners. We already know the likes of MediaTek, Microsoft, and MSI (mm-hm), have been working with Nvidia on RTX Spark machines for years now—once the ball drops later this year, it will get rolling with a fair bit of momentum behind it. As exciting as all of that is though, I wouldn't be surprised if the price of an RTX Spark machine leaves many PC Gamers in the dust.

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.

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.

Asus might be sticking 24 carat gold into its mice to celebrate its 20th anniversary and Gigabyte is slapping satellite-grade metals onto its motherboards for its own anniversary, but it's a diamond anniversary for MSI as it's jamming smooshed up diamonds into its next-gen GPU cooling solutions.

The next-gen graphics card cooler MSI had on-show at Computex today is a concept design for what the cards of tomorrow (or rather 2027 at the earliest) could look like. The new cooling feature set is estimated to cut maybe four degrees centigrade off the peak temperatures of a high-end GPU, but every little counts.

Those new features in short:

• Full metal fan blades
• Rifled heat pipes
• Diamond-composite thermal pads
• Diamond-copper composite contact plate

Switching from the plastic fan blades of its existing coolers means saying goodbye to potential warping of the blades at high speeds, allowing for a more rigid structure, which should reportedly increasing cooling efficiency.

And they feel really cool to the touch, too, though I wouldn't want to get a finger caught in one of them.

Maybe more interesting is the rifled barrels of the heatpipes MSI is using on this new design. Inside the pipes there is a spiral structure which increases the contact area inside them, allowing for greater thermal transfer as opposed to the regular design.

Then we come to the diamonds. Mixed inside both the heatpads sitting atop the expensive memory modules and the base plate of the cooling array itself, is a diamond powder designed to increase the thermal conductivity within both components. In the baseplate it's a diamond-copper composite and you can see in the images that it looks kinda dirty by comparison with the standard all-copper version. But it also sometimes sparkles in the light. And cools a bit better, apparently.

Now, as I said, these new features will only drop the temps by an approximate four degrees, but you've got to think that switching in more expensive materials and introducing more intricate manufacturing is only going to do one thing to the manufacturing price of associated cooling shrouds, and therefore to the price of the associate cards.

But this is a concept design in lieu of actual new GPUs to drool over, so while that RTX 5090 there does look pretty, you're not going to be able to buy one even if you did have the cash. Best just wait for the RTX 6090, eh?

After being shown off in prototype form at CES earlier this year, and even before then, MSI's flagship Maestro 900R chassis is just a few months away from release. So, er, get saving because when it does release in Q3 it's going to cost a hefty $699.

But it is a lot of case, and apart from a strangely exposed filter on the roof that slightly messes up the premium aesthetic, it's maybe a surprisingly impressive case from MSI. I think the thing that really stands out to me, aside from maybe the triple-sided panoramic glass frontage and the sheer size of the thing, is the completely removable motherboard tray.

To be honest, I found its placement a little odd when I first laid eyes on it at MSI's HQ this week, seeing it from the back with the PSU positioning exposed. Because the removable tray doubles as a kind of open test bench when you remove it from the case, the PSU is mounted directly behind the motherboard.

That looks strange because it's completely enclosed on all sides, with the power cable snaking out from inside the case. But it is side-mounted so most of the PSU's fan is exposed to the chassis' backpanel vents, so it is still getting some fresh air.

To be honest, when you've spent $699 on your case you're probably not just going to use the central tray as a test rig and toss the rest away, but it's still a mighty useful feature for a DIY PC builder, side-stepping the need to stick your new motherboard on its box, with the CPU, RAM, and PSU plugged in to see if it starts up. Now, you can mount your motherboard securely, along with your CPU, PSU, and RAM and make sure it's working before slotting the entire thing into your waiting case.

Though if you're combining it with the Coreliquid E15 360 AIO chip-chiller, that's not something you're going to be able to mount outside the case owing to its hoofing great 110° wraparound pump screen.

The Maestro 900R is a real showpiece chassis with that panoramic fishtank design, though some of the finer details would hold me back from dropping near $700 on the case myself. The fact that top cover, mirroring the design of the bottom edge, doesn't go across the full length of the case means that a large part of the mesh filter is fully on display at all times. And the cover itself feels a little plasticky, too.

I am very taken with that central, pull-out test bench though.

If that's too rich for your blood, too, the more affordable MPG Maestro Vixta might be more your speed. It's got an innovative floating base design, with a full 75 mm clearance intake space at the bottom of the case allowing for greater airflow coming into your machine.

It comes in wraparound tempered glass design, or a dedicated airflow version with dual 160 mm fans mounted in the front. There is also an optional 120 mm intake fan you mount above that space to pull in the cool air. Though, realistically, that space under the case is just going to get filled with discarded USB sticks, or pens, scraps of paper, old sandwiches, etc.

Or maybe that says more about my desk habits than anything else.

This time last year, the way I was considering PC recommendations was very different. Back then, I could usually suggest the rig with the best graphics card in a certain price range, knowing that all the other aspects can be upgraded down the line pretty easily. But not so anymore, thanks to the continuing memory shortage and generally gloomy PC component market.

That's where builds like this one come in, though—ones that offer a little extra in other areas that should be good for longevity. For $1,299 at B&H Photo, I reckon you're not going far wrong with this RTX 5060 Ti gaming PC, even though you're only getting the 8 GB version of the card.

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That 8 GB of VRAM is something to keep in mind if you want to play modern games on max settings, but as our Andy's testing has shown, that amount of video memory doesn't hinder things too much in most games if you lower your settings a little.

We find the same kind of story comparing 16 GB of system memory to 32 GB: the former is just fine for gaming. Assuming, that is, you're keeping everything else closed while doing so. Though do also bear in mind that it's single-channel memory in this build, which will perform a bit worse than a dual-channel kit.

Arc Raiders - VRAM usage and performance

In-game testing, Epic settings

1080p Epic + Quality upscaling1440p Epic + Quality upscaling1440p Epic + Quality upscaling + 2x FG

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Avg VRAM

RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB

162

110

5.23

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB

155

89

5.63

RX 9060XT 16 GB

142

67

7.64

RX 9060 XT 8 GB

148

90

5.72

050100150200

1080p Epic + Quality upscaling Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB	162 Avg FPS, 110 1% Low FPS, 5.23 Avg. VRAM
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB	155 Avg FPS, 89 1% Low FPS, 5.63 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060XT 16 GB	142 Avg FPS, 67 1% Low FPS, 7.64 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060 XT 8 GB	148 Avg FPS, 90 1% Low FPS, 5.72 Avg. VRAM

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Avg VRAM

RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB

145

93

5.98

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB

121

76

6.12

RX 9060XT 16 GB

127

91

7.38

RX 9060 XT 8 GB

112

68

6.19

037.575112.5150

1440p Epic + Quality upscaling Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB	145 Avg FPS, 93 1% Low FPS, 5.98 Avg. VRAM
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB	121 Avg FPS, 76 1% Low FPS, 6.12 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060XT 16 GB	127 Avg FPS, 91 1% Low FPS, 7.38 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060 XT 8 GB	112 Avg FPS, 68 1% Low FPS, 6.19 Avg. VRAM

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Avg VRAM

RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB

171

114

6.76

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB

164

77

6.74

RX 9060XT 16 GB

144

101

7.7

RX 9060 XT 8 GB

158

107

6.57

050100150200

1440p Epic + Quality upscaling + 2x FG Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB	171 Avg FPS, 114 1% Low FPS, 6.76 Avg. VRAM
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB	164 Avg FPS, 77 1% Low FPS, 6.74 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060XT 16 GB	144 Avg FPS, 101 1% Low FPS, 7.7 Avg. VRAM
RX 9060 XT 8 GB	158 Avg FPS, 107 1% Low FPS, 6.57 Avg. VRAM

At least the memory you're getting here is pretty fast, though. Compared to other RTX 5060 Ti gaming PCs for around the same price, which have slower RAM, that's a good deal. Ditto the storage, as it's very rare to see a 2 TB SSD in builds below $1,500 these days. That itself adds a fair bit of longevity to the build, especially considering how much SSD prices have shot up over the last few months in addition to memory prices. Though again, there's an additional caveat here in that the SSD in question, the Kingston NV2, doesn't seem to be the most reliable.

The final notable element to this build is that CPU. If you're not aware, the Ryzen 7 8700F is essentially a repurposed mobile chip. So yes, it's a little power-limited, but it's an eight-core one that should perform alright in a budget rig, all things considered.

The limited amount of cache when combined with single-channel RAM might make the CPU a bit of a bottleneck, but the good news is it's an AM5 socket chip, meaning you'll be able to upgrade to a nice X3D processor for a substantial upgrade down the line. I'd much rather that than opting for a budget/mid-range gaming PC with, say, a Core i5 14400 inside, which might be good for the price in a vacuum but has no reasonable upgrade path with its platform.

So essentially, with this PC, you're getting something that can run games well out of the box as long as you keep background processes light while you do so, and you're getting some pretty great longevity, too.

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I'm not exactly jazzed about our current AI moment, where machine learning major players seem to want to inject LLMs into everything. Well, during this year's Computex, MSI unveiled the MEG Vision X2 AI⁺, a gaming desktop that features "a first-of-its-kind AI Holostage" built in. Excuse me while I attempt to contain my excitement.

In other words, this is a gaming desktop with an AI cyber prison attached to it (no wonder I initially misread this tower's unique selling point as being an 'AI hostage'). Taking centre stage inside this gaming desktop will be "LuckyClaw, MSI's agentic AI companion," though MSI's press release suggests "digital companions, desktop pets, and custom third-party AI avatars" may also be available down the line.

MSI's own agentic AI companion LuckyClaw will be available from first-time setup. "LuckyClaw responds to natural speech commands, enabling seamless, hands-free control of performance profiles, MSI monitor settings, RGB lighting, and more," MSI claims, "Future skill updates ensure LuckyClaw grows alongside its user, continuously expanding its capabilities over time."

MSI pitches this unholy union between AI and hardware as redefining "human-computer interaction by transforming the gaming PC from a passive device into a living, interactive presence." I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not let an AI anywhere near my rig's performance settings. I know I've joked in the past about making my gaming desktop into a shrine to Miku Hatsune, but the RGB inside my desktop tower is 'interactive' enough for me, thanks.

The LuckyClaw avatar looks like a pudgy red dragon with lobster-style gauntlets. This armour could potentially be a nod to OpenClaw, the open-source LLM-based AI agent—though given the recent story about Summer Yue's own run-in with this particular bot, that association isn't really selling me on LuckyClaw.

AI-integration aside, details about the MEG Vision X2 AI⁺ as a gaming desktop are thin on the ground. The press release suggests the MEG Vision X2 AI⁺ will ship with an Intel CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU, though it doesn't nail down any specifications beyond that, including the all-important price tag

This announcement really hinges on touting the "cylindrical display interface integrated directly into the chassis," and the introduction of LuckyClaw; there's no word yet on a release window for the MEG Vision X2 AI⁺ gaming desktop.

Of course MSI was going to be talking AI when it comes to monitors at Computex this year. I mean, for the third straight year that's largely all everyone else is going to be talking about at the show, too. But still, "the world's first agentic AI monitor" probably wasn't top of my list for must-sees at the Taiwan tradeshow.

I'm way out west in Taipei, at MSI's HQ—which was originally MSI Factory 3—and I'm spending my Sunday prodding and poking a bunch of its new toys. I've had my hands on the new MSI Claw 9 EX AI+, with its fancy new Intel G3 Extreme processor, and I've had my eyeballs on a range of MSI's new monitors as well.

The $1599 MEG X was definitely one that stood out, though not necessarily for all the right reasons. This is the screen billed as that first agentic AI monitor, and it comes with a bunch of new AI-powered features. I would say most of them are of the sort that makes you wonder if someone told the designers they had to find a way to integrate as many features as possible into the screen that they could hang an 'AI' badge.

But there is one that anyone who has struggled with monitor on-screen displays (OSDs) will maybe appreciate: The MEG X has a feature which means you can just ask it to change a setting and it will do it for you.

• 34-inch / 5th-Gen QD-OLED / 3440x1440 (UWQHD@360Hz) / 0.03ms (GtG)
• Built in AI Processor delivers AI Super Resolution, AI Gauge, AI Scene, AI Audio Scene, AI Crosshair, and AI Vision+ to assist in gameplay practice.
• MSI's exclusive AI Care Sensor detects user presence to automatically adjust OLED Care settings.
• 5th-gen QD-OLED with Penta Tandem, 5-layer structure boosts light efficiency by up to 30%. RGB Stripe minimizes color fringing.
• DarkArmor Film delivers 40% deeper blacks and offers 2.5x better scratch resistance.
• Connectivity: 2x HDMI 2.1 input (UWQHD@360Hz), 1x DisplayPort 2.1a (UHBR20) input, 1x Type-C (DP alt.) w/ 98 W PD, 2x USB 5 Gbps Type-A, 1x USB 5 Gbps Type-B, 1x Headphone-out

Now, I'll grant you that's not a feature that would have me dropping $1599 on a new ultrawide 1440p OLED monitor, but it is still a feature I wouldn't mind seeing being used across the board. Mostly because I have a very rational hatred of monitor OSDs and the fiddly controls you're forced to use to access them.

The advent of the nubbin/joystick control was a game-changer, taking us past the days of trying to figure out what the unlabelled buttons under the bottom bezel actually did, but it doesn't change the fact that the settings menus for monitors are borderline impenetrable to the average user.

The MEG X and its LuckyClaw feature, however, means you can talk to a cartoon dragon with crab claws—which has the personality of an over-enthusiastic toddler/bro—and simply ask it to alter the brightness or enable the on-screen crosshair feature. I don't want to actually engage with the wee red guy, but the system seems sound.

It's all thanks to the micro-controller inside MSI's modern monitors which allows you to alter the monitor's settings from within Windows rather than the traditional OSD. It is simply linking up its AI software to that functionality to perform the adjustments on the fly, if you're in a game, for example.

Unfortunately, despite the MEG X reportedly being on sale from August 5 this year, this specific feature was not yet available for demo. But I did see a non-shouty-dragon version, just using an OpenClaw interface running on the already released MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36. That's a monitor which uses the same Samsung 5th Gen Penta Tandem panel with the striped RGB pixel layout, and is actually awesome.

There are a bunch of other, far less useful features, such as AI Super Resolution, which by MSI's own admission doesn't perform as well as either FSR or DLSS as it's just running on the monitors scaler, and a specific version of that which just upscales the area where your scope might be in the middle of the screen, and there's a light bar which can tell you which channel (left or right) music might be coming from, but shouldn't be used for games as that might be considered cheating.

BUT give me the AI settings feature in a less obnoxious-dragon kinda way, and I could potentially be convinced that an AI monitor isn't such a bad thing after all.

From my time playing around with the new Panther Lake-powered MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ I've found some seriously extreme things about this handheld gaming PC. Mostly that's a good thing, but it being 2026—and the fact I'm talking about a new gaming handheld mere days after the Steam Deck price hike—you can probably already guess what the not-so-good extreme thing is…

• It's powered by the new Intel G3 Extreme processor
• It's extremely quiet
• It's battery life is extreme
• It feels extremely good in the hands
• And the price is obviously extreme

Yeah, that. There isn't yet a final price for the handheld yet, and there is likely only going to be one model at launch towards the end of June, but we've been told today at a pre-Computex hands-on event with the Claw that we're looking at $1500. So long as MSI can maintain production costs and keep it at that price point. Which is maybe a tiny bit concerning.

It is worth re-iterating that the Steam Deck has just had a hoofing great price hike itself, and has still somehow sold out of its entire stock for North America. Not that I'm making excuses for that eye-watering price, but if Valve's ageing handheld—and a far weaker setup at that—is going to set you back around $1,000 maybe we shouldn't be surprised that a system that looks to be the benchmark by which all other handheld gaming PCs are rated is going to cost a chunk more.

Now I've got that one negative out of the way let's get onto the more positive stuff… and there's a lot of it.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ specs

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is using the top chip in the new G3 range of dedicated handheld Intel chips, the G3 Extreme. That means you're getting the full 14-core processing array, along with the 12 Xe core Arc B390 iGPU. While there is a more affordable 10 Xe core version in the straight G3 chip, MSI is not looking at using that just yet.

I asked the question and was told: "So far we're starting with the G3 Extreme and we're going to be sticking with this one in our first wave."

Those 14 cores breakdown into just a single pair of Cougar Cove Performance cores, with eight Darmont Efficient cores, and a further four low power E-cores capable of operating on their own while leaving the rest of the more power-hungry cores turned off.

Which is the right way to structure it, if you ask me. I don't need a ton of high-performance CPU cores in my handheld. I get that it's fun to do the whole 'I used my handheld as a full desktop computer' thing, but if I've got a handheld I want it to be doing mobile stuff with a great battery life, and power budget saved by not spooling up some beefy cores will be my personal preference.

Along with that you're getting 32 GB of LPDDR5x-8533 and a 1 TB SSD. That SSD is of the standard 2280 variety, which means users have a greater number of options to choose from if they wish to upgrade the storage down the line. Though it bears saying that, owing to the limitations of the chassis, you're only able to use single-sided SSDs in there.

In terms of the I/O, there's a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports on the top, with a MicroSD card reader, fingerprint reading powerbutton, and a 3.5 mm audio jack. You're also getting new "HD haptic" linear resonant actuator (LRA) modules to deliver a new, more accurate, quieter, and lower powered vibration motor in the handles.

There are some things that notably haven't changed from the previous version of the MSI Claw, namely the screen, the Hall effect triggers and sticks, and the 80 Whr battery. So, you're still getting a 1200p IPS-level panel, with a peak luminance of 500 nits and support for VRR, from 48 Hz to 120 Hz.

MSI is also sticking with Windows, too. It's obviously going to have the Xbox mode of the Xbox Ally X, with MSI creating a lightweight quick settings screen that mimics what Asus has done with its Armoury Crate software. So, it will be a more tailored handheld experience, but SteamOS it is not.

Though MSI has tested SteamOS after Intel recommended giving the Claw a whirl with alternative operating systems, but I'm told "with SteamOS, there are still technical barriers." With my own experience of trying Valve's Linux OS out on various non-Asus, non-Lenovo, non-Valve handhelds, I would have to agree. MSI has tested other Linux operating systems in the labs, but when I ask if they're working okay I'm told they're "workable, but just for engineers".

MSI is also testing out TMR sticks in the labs, but the results of those experiments have come too late to get into this version of the Claw at least.

Even though it is using the same big ol' battery, the new Claw is a little lighter than the old one, coming in at 785 g versus 795 g for the old version. Which actually surprised me. Having picked it up and played around with it, it feels so much lighter than that in the hand. It's well balanced, and the flared grips, closer to that of the ROG Xbox Ally X and the Xbox Controller it's based on, make it feel far more comfortable than the previous device when you're actually holding it.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ battery life

"I promise you battery life that should be more impressive than the current Lunar Lake one we have right now," the MSI product manager for the new Claw tells us. "Thanks to Intel technology support for that."

Given the previous version was pretty impressive in that regard I cannot wait to see what the battery life is when we actually get one in our hands for proper testing outside of the MSI HQ in Taipei where I'm currently pawing at the device. MSI isn't giving out a specific battery life figure itself, but the Lunar Lake version just about topped two hours in the PC Mark gaming battery life test.

And one Intel rep I spoke to had been playing 007 First Light on his flight over to Taipei and hadn't thought about plugging it in until around four hours into the game.

There is a new Endurance mode, which drops the CPU cores down to just 8 W, leaving the whole thing with around a 17 W TDP. Of course, if you want to push it you can get the G3 Extreme up to 45 W if you want to run it in console mode plugged into the wall.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ performance

It's quick. That's something which should surprise no-one given how well the Arc B390 Panther Lake iGPU has performed in 12 Xe core laptops. I wasn't allowed to benchmark it per se, but was able to mess around with Hogwarts, F1 25, and Battlefield 6. At its native 1200p resolution—especially with XeSS frame generation doing its thing—you're going to be able to match its 120 Hz refresh rate in those first two at least.

BF 6 is a bit tougher on the GPU, but you'll still be able to top 60 fps at 1080p with some judicious use of XeSS, though without frame gen as yet.

I did have the Claw 8 EX AI+ running at 4K on a TV in MSI's office, with F1 25 running at between 80 and 90 fps, but I will say the use of frame generation, while necessary, wasn't doing good things for the visual stability or a smooth experience.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ hands-on verdict

I'm into it.

I'm into the Void Purple colourway MSI is going with for this initial release. I'm into the performance of Panther Lake, especially with a smartly specced out G3 chip, which prioritises the iGPU over jamming in more P-cores. I'm into the style and feel of the device in the hand. And I'm definitely into the battery life, too.

I worry about the price, and given the potential power/battery life balance of the 10 Xe version of the Intel G3 series, I'm a little disappointed that MSI is resolutely sticking to just a single expensive SKU. It's also a shame the Claw doesn't seem to be particularly supportive of Linux, but that may well just be a G3 thing.

Having played around with the device, and its quick settings/Xbox mode layout, it's still far more finicky than the standard Big Picture Mode experience you'll get with a simple Bazzite installation. I do reckon you'll quickly get used to it and its foibles, however.

But I've come away from my time with it impressed by what MSI and Intel have created here. There are other G3-powered handhelds I'll get my mitts on over the next few days at Computex, with Acer and OneXPlayer both having other machines here in Taipei, but while the first two MSI Claw devices felt very much like the company was partnering with Intel in a more experimental way, this is the first of its handhelds that really feels like a finished, premium product to me.

But that's just based on a few hours playing with the thing and chatting with MSI and Intel folk about the device and its design. The real proof will be when we get it home and start properly messing around with it.

Intel has just announced some new processors for handheld gaming PCs, and everyone knows what that means: a new MSI Claw. While other handhelds were lapping up AMD chips, the MSI Claw boasted Intel, so it's almost a given that the new G-series chips will tuck themselves inside a new Claw—and now it looks like we might have an actual image of what the handheld will look like.

A supposed Vietnamese promo image for the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ was recently posted on Reddit (via VideoCardz) after being spotted on the MSI Claw Discord server. VideoCardz also has a different photo of it, and the site claims it has obtained this separately, which increases the likelihood that it's legit. Nevertheless, there's still an 'unverified' caveat to all this, so take the salt and pinch it.

First look at the design of the new MSI CLAW 8 EX AI+: Alleged leaked promotional image from r/MSIClaw

The Redditor who posted the image says, "The leak seems to originate from press images leaked through a Vietnamese media outlet, and I obtained it from the MSI Claw Discord server."

According to my trusty buddy ChatGPT, the image's text translates to "MSI officially announces Claw 8 EX AI+ equipped with Intel G3 Extreme." That sounds about right to me, especially given we'd seen this name for the handheld show up at online retailers previously, so I won't question my non-sentient little friend.

The main thing worth mentioning here is its design, which seems to straddle both standard and ROG Xbox Ally X styles of handheld. The latter introduced controller grips that jut away from the screen in the style of the PlayStation Portal. This allows for a bigger screen while maintaining grip comfort. It hasn't gone the whole hog like the ROG Xbox Ally, though, with the screen just jutting down a little.

The recently announced Intel Arc G-series Acer handheld, on the other hand, has gone with more of a Lenovo Legion Go S kind of design: smooth, rounded grips and nary a jut in sight. Both are likely to be more comfy than the older, angled but non-jutted designs that you'd find in, say, an original Asus ROG Ally. Handheld makers seem to have learned a lot about what makes for a comfy device.

We haven't seen an official announcement from MSI yet, so no word on an official price or release date yet. But all signs point towards something very expensive. The retailer listings I mentioned earlier had the new Claw working out, after currency conversions, to $1,800+.

So, likely not one for those on any semblance of a budget, but we'll have to wait and see. Perhaps there'll be a non-Extreme G3 version with less storage at a more reasonable price.

If you're looking to get a sensibly priced 1080p/1440p-level graphics card, there's only one clear choice right now: This GeForce RTX 5060 Ti for $380 at Amazon. It's also the same price at Newegg, Best Buy, and Walmart, so you should have no problems picking one up.

What makes this deal stand out is that current GPU prices are pretty grim, but here you're only paying $30 more than you would for an RTX 5060. Yes, it's an 8 GB version, and I'll address that in a moment, but the 16 GB variants start at an absurd $560. It's also the only GeForce RTX 50-series card at MSRP.

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You can buy a Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB card for less, $360 at Amazon, and while AMD and Nvidia's models are almost perfectly matched in performance, the latter's DLSS 4.5 tips the scales in favor of the RTX 5060 Ti. Not necessarily because the upscaling and frame generation algorithms are better, but simply because more games support DLSS 4.5 than FSR 4.

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Next

Gaming performance

Black Myth Wukong (1080p High)Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra)F1 24 (1080p Ultra high)Homeworld 3 (1080p Epic)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra)The Talos Principle 2 (1080p Ultra)Total War: Warhammer 3 (1080p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

74

62

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

71

58

RTX 5060

64

48

020406080

Black Myth Wukong (1080p High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	74 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	71 Avg FPS, 58 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	64 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

52

35

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

41

26

RTX 5060

46

30

015304560

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	52 Avg FPS, 35 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	41 Avg FPS, 26 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	46 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

90

73

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

82

66

RTX 5060

73

39

0255075100

F1 24 (1080p Ultra high) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	90 Avg FPS, 73 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	82 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	73 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

108

32

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

111

63

RTX 5060

109

53

037.575112.5150

Homeworld 3 (1080p Epic) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	108 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	111 Avg FPS, 63 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	109 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

101

65

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

93

64

RTX 5060

87

47

037.575112.5150

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	101 Avg FPS, 65 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	93 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	87 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

69

37

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

66

35

RTX 5060

52

34

020406080

The Talos Principle 2 (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	69 Avg FPS, 37 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	66 Avg FPS, 35 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	52 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

81

59

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

90

42

RTX 5060

78

57

0255075100

Total War: Warhammer 3 (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	81 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	90 Avg FPS, 42 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	78 Avg FPS, 57 1% Low FPS

Gaming performance

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High)Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra)F1 24 (1440p Ultra High)Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra)The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra)Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

50

43

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

48

43

RTX 5060

44

37

015304560

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	50 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	48 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	44 Avg FPS, 37 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

33

25

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

26

17

RTX 5060

23

12

010203040

Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	33 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	26 Avg FPS, 17 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	23 Avg FPS, 12 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

59

47

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

51

41

RTX 5060

45

13

015304560

F1 24 (1440p Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	59 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	51 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	45 Avg FPS, 13 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

87

42

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

75

58

RTX 5060

89

52

0255075100

Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	87 Avg FPS, 42 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	75 Avg FPS, 58 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	89 Avg FPS, 52 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

75

53

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

68

49

RTX 5060

63

45

020406080

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	75 Avg FPS, 53 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	68 Avg FPS, 49 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	63 Avg FPS, 45 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

44

30

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

47

27

RTX 5060

41

21

015304560

The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	44 Avg FPS, 30 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	47 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	41 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

57

40

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

60

44

RTX 5060

55

40

015304560

Total War: Warhammer 3 (1440p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	57 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	60 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	55 Avg FPS, 40 1% Low FPS

Gaming performance

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High + Upscaling (quality))Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra + upscaling (quality))F1 24 (1440p Ultra high +upscsaling (Quality), 2x FG)Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic + upscaling (quality))The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra +upscaling (quality), 2x FG)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

79

68

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

76

68

RTX 5060

73

62

020406080

Black Myth Wukong (1440p High + Upscaling (quality)) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	79 Avg FPS, 68 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	76 Avg FPS, 68 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	73 Avg FPS, 62 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

93

66

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

90

60

RTX 5060

81

54

0255075100

Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p RT Ultra + upscaling (quality)) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	93 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	90 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	81 Avg FPS, 54 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

131

104

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

146

122

RTX 5060

101

11

037.575112.5150

F1 24 (1440p Ultra high +upscsaling (Quality), 2x FG) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	131 Avg FPS, 104 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	146 Avg FPS, 122 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	101 Avg FPS, 11 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

113

46

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

102

51

RTX 5060

113

61

037.575112.5150

Homeworld 3 (1440p Epic + upscaling (quality)) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	113 Avg FPS, 46 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	102 Avg FPS, 51 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	113 Avg FPS, 61 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual

103

71

RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime

127

78

RTX 5060

84

41

037.575112.5150

The Talos Principle 2 (1440p Ultra +upscaling (quality), 2x FG) Data

Product	Value
RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Palit Dual	103 Avg FPS, 71 1% Low FPS
RX 9060 XT 8 GB Asus Prime	127 Avg FPS, 78 1% Low FPS
RTX 5060	84 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS

When you're clearly getting so much more performance over an RTX 5060, spending $30 is a no-brainer, and I'd be happy to pay just ten bucks more over an RX 9060 XT to have access to the full DLSS suite. The RTX 5060 Ti overclocks quite nicely, too, so with a bit of time and tweaking, you'll be able to squeeze a bit more zap out of the card.

There's nothing you can do about the 8 GB VRAM limit, of course, and there are definitely cases where there is a noticeable gap, in terms of frame rates, between having eight and 16 gigs of video memory.

What that means is that over the years of using that card, there will be an increasing number of games getting released where you'll have to turn down the graphics settings more than you would if you had 16 GB of VRAM. There's no way to avoid this, other than to pay a small fortune for a graphics card that has more memory.

We live in some strange times when an 8 GB RTX 5060 Ti is the best graphics card worth buying right now, but that's the RAMpocalypse for you.

👉Check out all of Amazon's graphics card deals here👈

We here at PC Gamer have tested very, very many gaming monitors over the years, and yet the MSI MPG 321URX sits head and shoulders above every other one. It is our pick for the best gaming monitor, after all. A 240 Hz 4K OLED panel that looks excellent and plays incredibly well, it's well worth its pretty big asking fee.

Luckily, if you're on the hunt for a deal, it is now at its lowest ever price over at Amazon, thanks to a coupon. By clicking the coupon button before adding to your basket, you can get it for $710. That's still a hefty fee, but you can't argue that you aren't getting a truly excellent panel in return.

• Join us on WhatsApp for daily deals, direct to your phone.

It may be hard to believe, but the MSI MPG321URX at full price is cheaper than its direct competition, and despite that, it looks absolutely lovely. We reviewed it in May 2024, and yet no company has managed to dethrone it in our list, and that's because it truly offers an excellent experience for the price. 4K is a bit much for some graphics cards, but if you have the rig to run it, it's hard to go wrong with the 321URX.

Its QD-OLED is absolutely lush, as is the norm for QD-OLED panels. I've been saying this for practically a year now, but the upgrade from IPS to OLED is arguably one of the biggest I've ever made, when it comes to day-to-day gaming. They offer true blacks and vibrant colours, making games absolutely pop.

At 32 inches, it's decently sizable and comes with a killer 0.03 ms response time and 240 Hz refresh rate. That means it not only looks incredible but offers near competitive-level play, should you want it.

As is common with OLED monitors, the 250 nits peak brightness is a bit on the low side, so it may struggle in front of a window. Still, outside of that application, you shouldn't have much of a problem with its brightness.

One thing we did notice here is that, like all OLEDs, HDR is a struggle. The DisplayHDR 400 mode works well for bright games with outdoor scenes, but the 1,000 nit mode works best in darker scenes with bright highlights. Unfortunately, being caught between two separate modes is a tad awkward, as you don't really want to swap between them as you play.

Generally, we'd advise the DisplayHDR 400 mode, but bright details can suffer from bloom and compression here, which removes some detail. Oh, and it's maybe worth noting that MSI's big OLED can use up to 270 W of power, so it can really heat up your gaming den.

Still, those are only slight quirks on an otherwise truly fantastic panel, and our favourite of the last few years. If you are in search of an OLED panel and can handle 4K gaming, it's not just a good choice, but the choice, in our book.

Is this it? Does this 32-inch 4K OLED panel represent the end game in 2D displays, the challenge of PC gaming monitor tech basically solved? Not quite, but with the new MSI MPG 322UR X24 you do get a sense of the monitor industry closing in on something resembling the ultimate flat-panel display tech.

Okay, Okay, 10 years from now or whatever, when we've all got seared retinas from our fancy new microLED monitors, I'm going to regret those words. But what this MSI monitor definitely does, in close co-operation with Samsung it has to be said, is directly address the key weaknesses of existing QD-OLED gaming monitors and leave me struggling to land a really telling critique.

While the MSI MPG 322UR X24 doesn't entirely solve all of those QD-OLED issues, it does deliver an experience that comes with perhaps just one significant caveat. Forgive me for being a tease, but I'll leave that distracting thought dangling tantalisingly out of reach while we dig into the details.

At first glance, this new model looks just like all of MSI's previous 32-inch 4K OLED monitors. It's got exactly the same design, the same chassis. So, it's the QD-OLED panel itself that's changed. Indeed, it's the first actual upgrade that Samsung Display—the arm of the sprawling South Korean ultra-corp that actually makes QD-OLED panels—has released in this form factor since the first 32-inch 4K QD-OLEDs appeared almost exactly two years ago.

As it happens, MSI's own MPG 321URX was our first taste of a 4K OLED of any kind, so it's fitting that MSI is also first to this updated panel. But what, exactly, has changed? Let's start with brightness. This panel is rated at 300 nits full screen, up from 250 nits on the previous generation.

Peak HDR brightness in a small window (probably 2%, but MSI isn't quoting specifics) remains at 1,000 nits, albeit the VESA certification has had a bump from HDR True Black 400 to HDR True Black 500. But as we'll see, arguably none of those metrics map terribly well to the subjective experience.

Next up is a new filtering layer that reduces the characteristic purple tint of QD-OLED panels in bright ambient light, a problem that has afflicted all QD-OLED panels from day one. Underneath it all is a new version of the electroluminescent material that actually generates the light in QD-OLED panels, known as HyperEfficient EL 3.0.

It's what enables the increased brightness, but Samsung also claims it's twice as durable as the previous generation, which in turn is said to be twice as durable as the original EL material from around 2022. It's basically impossible to test those claims in short order, but the bottom line is this display ought to be even more resistant to burn-in than previous 4K QD-OLED monitors, and those have thus far proven pretty good.

If this all sounds familiar, it's because it's almost the same set of panel upgrades we saw in 34-inch ultrawide format with another recent MSI monitor, the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36. However, that 34-inch ultrawide panel has one feature that this 4K model lacks, namely true vertical RGB-stripe subpixel structure. This 32-inch panel sticks with Samsung's previous triangular RGB subpixel structure.

The vertical stripe setup is better in particular for font rendering. However, at the pixel density of a 32-inch 4K panel like this, having true RGB-stripe subpixels is not terribly critical. Put it this way: This triangular RGB 4K panel produces much nicer fonts thanks to its greater pixel density than the vertical RGB-stripe but lower density 34-inch ultrawide.

Those upgrades aside, we're talking 3,840 by 2,160 pixels and 240 Hz refresh, both of which are unchanged, as are the colour coverage ratings including 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut and the 0.03 ms pixel response. Similarly, connectivity is largely carried over. Detail changes include an upgrade to DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20, but a very slight downgrade for the USB-C power delivery from 98 W to 90 W. But, essentially, we're talking two HDMI ports, DisplayPort, USB-C and a two-port USB-A hub, just as before.

All of which brings us to what really matters, the viewing experience. Out of the box, the immediate impression is that the characteristic overly warm colour temperature of QD-OLED panels has largely been fixed. It looks significantly more neutral.

In reality, if you run this display next to a well calibrated IPS panel, it's still apparent that the panel tilts a little warm, but in isolation, the white tones look pretty clean. Related to this is the general purple tint to black tones in bright ambient light of QD-OLED panels. As with the aforementioned MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36, which also uses the latest gen panel tech, that's reduced here but not quite eradicated.

Personally, I think it's been reduced to a point where it's not going to be an issue in most scenarios, but that is a somewhat subjective call. As for brightness, with this new MSI MPG 322UR X24 and its latest-gen QD-OLED panel, it's a problem very, very nearly solved. On the desktop, this thing really is very punchy when maxed out. In fact, it's questionable if you'd want to have it at full brightness to look at mainly white apps or web pages.

There are caveats. Light up the whole panel in mostly white and there is some noticeable brightness fall off. But at worst, you're getting 300 nits-plus, which isn't too shabby. In practice, of course, you are rarely, if ever, driving the entire panel at full white. Indeed, if like me, you use dark mode for as many apps and websites as possible, this panel is, if anything, too bright for daily comfort at maximum brightness. It's got some serious visual fizz.

So far, I've been talking about the desktop experience. In game, this panel absolutely sizzles. As I've mentioned in some previous reviews, the outright brightness ratings for QD-OLED panels are a little misleading, particularly in comparison to equivalent monitors using LG's WOLED technology.

That's because LG's WOLED tech has an additional white subpixel for boosting outright brightness. The thing is, most content is a mix of colours as opposed to pure white and, in that context, the extra white subpixel doesn't always help. It either won't boost colour brightness at all, or can wash colours out. Either way, QD-OLED simply has better true colour brightness. And, in practice, that means the subjective experience with this latest QD-OLED panel is pretty eye-popping.

For SDR content, this monitor subjectively feels like at least equivalent to a 400 nit IPS panel, for instance. And for HDR? It's pretty stupendous. There's a particular scene I discovered in CyberPunk 2077, which is my go-to for testing HDR performance, where you're in a basement nightclub scene full of neon lights and lasers and stuff.

That looks awesome enough as it is thanks to the perfect per-pixel lighting control. No LCD monitor, even one with fully-array dimming comes close. But then, off at the end of a room, a door opens revealing a sunny daytime street vista, flooding a corner of the nightclub with warm, outdoor light. It's a real wow moment and perfectly demonstrates both what HDR is all about and how OLED does it so much better than any LCD panel.

Incidentally, for this monitor MSI has once again implemented its EOTF boost mode. I've covered this in multiple previous reviews, but the short version is that it aims to combine the best aspects of both the VESA HDR 400 mode with the Peak 1000 nits mode and give the highest brightness for both darker and brighter gaming scenes. And it works pretty well. In short, you can use EOTF boost mode for all HDR content and be confident you're getting a good experience.

What else can I say? Well, all of the above is mostly enhanced by the glossy screen coating, albeit some don't like the increased reflectivity that comes with it. The basic colour calibration, meanwhile, is pretty good for both SDR and HDR content and, of course, the speed is darn nifty, what with QD-OLED's fairly bananas 0.03 ms response times. Okay, 240 Hz is nothing terribly special these days, but in a 4K context, good luck hitting more than 240 fps in most modern games.

Of course, as a reviewer looking at these kinds of screens, it's all too easy to be blase about how fast QD-OLED is, how precise the lighting and contrast is, how good the viewing angles are, and on and on. But make absolutely no mistake, this monitor is dramatically better than any LCD by so many metrics.

More to the point, where OLED panels used to have a clear weakness, most obviously full-screen brightness, this latest QD-OLED generation essentially solves that problem. It also mostly fixes the purple-tint thing in bright ambient light, too.

And that, folks, brings us to the one remaining caveat I mentioned up front. It is, entirely predictably, OLED burn-in. My previous OLED reviews are testament to the fact that I'm far from a catastrophist when it comes to OLED burn-in. It's a real problem, but something the evidence shows takes a long time to become really apparent.

What's more, this latest panel generation ought to be even more durable. The independent test I linked above of the previous-gen QD-OLED 4K panel showed that burn-in was only just becoming an issue after two years of the most brutal, worst case usage. So, you'd expect to get longer than that from this new panel. And for more gaming-centric use, which is less likely to cause burn-in, you might expect four, five or even more years of essentially burn-in free viewing. MSI's warranty at the very least gives you a three-year backstop.

But a sliver of doubt remains and, ironically, it's the fact that this monitor is so good that makes any chance of burn-in that much more problematic. Earlier generations of OLED monitor had some pretty obvious shortcomings such that the assumption, arguably, was that most gamers who could afford this class of display would probably want to upgrade to something better after a few years. But this monitor is so good, I'm not sure the next generation or two is going to offer a compelling enough upgrade. That means you want to be sure that it really lasts. And you can't be, not entirely.

So, that's it. That's my caveat. Would it stop me buying the MSI MPG 322UR X24? Ultimately, no. But it is the one issue that prevents me from screaming, "buy, buy, buy." Well, that and the very likely fact that MSI will be doing a cheaper, very slightly de-featured, version of this monitor, maybe with reduced USB-C power delivery, that kind of thing.

It wouldn't surprise me if that model could be had for $800 or less within six months or so. In other words, I like the new MSI MPG 322UR X24 an awful lot for $1,099. But I'd love essentially the same monitor, with the same panel but fewer features for several hundred dollars less, even more.

A new report suggests motherboard manufacturers are in a bad state right now, with the memory crisis and the Iran war affecting all kinds of PC hardware. As PC builders are disincentivised from, well, building PCs, the motherboards needed for them also get left behind.

The report, from Digitimes, notes a "collapse" for many motherboard manufacturers, claiming it is worse than previous financial crises and the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It notes that MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock are all expected to see declines in 2026, in regard to motherboard sales. As of the time of writing, motherboard sales figures for 2026 are not yet public.

The first element of this collapse is the memory crisis. As AI is intent on sucking all that memory for it to run, those looking to buy new DRAM kits are now paying a steep premium. Some simply won't and will hang on for it to go down. This memory crisis also hits other elements of a PC, like graphics cards, making them harder to buy at MSRP.

Jese Martinez from custom PC company PowerGPU recently affirmed the same to me, arguing, "it's memory, it's storage, it's multiple things that are happening. And it's not just a few 100 bucks. Stuff is going up twice the price or three times the price."

Naturally, if the price of components is stopping people from being able to upgrade, there's no point in buying a motherboard for the day it eventually goes back down. If the crisis lasts beyond 2027, one might assume they'd prefer to wait for the latest thing anyway.

However, that's not the only factor in this crisis. Digitimes notes that interest in Nvidia's RTX 50 series line of graphics cards is lower, too, due to a lack of updates and upgrades since the start of the year. We haven't seen the rumoured RTX 50 Super series yet, and it's unclear if we will, either. The report argues, "The mid-to-high-end gaming PC market lacks technical specifications that stimulate upgrades."

Digitimes claims that Asus, the industry leader in motherboards, sold 15 million units in 2025, but shipped just 5 million in the first half of 2026, indicating a steep drop for this year. It goes on to suggest that Asus is aiming for 10 million in total for 2026, which is apparently the lowest number of shipments in over a decade.

This doesn't necessarily mean the companies are in trouble, though. Asus' March earnings call argues its high-end brand value and shift to AI would help it weather the memory crisis. Gigabyte and ASRock, similarly, are looking to make money from AI. Though AI is arguably the biggest factor in the downturn of the motherboard market, it is also a money-making machine, responsible for Nvidia being worth $5 trillion. The main group that will be affected by this are the buyers, but AI doesn't seem to really care about them.

The best gaming laptop is a modern technology flex. No longer are we exclusively talking about hot, heavy, and loud beasts the size of VCRs, we're finally in the realms of thin and light machines with genuine gaming chops as well as the ability to deliver stellar frame rates even on battery power.

This is why the Razer Blade 16 is my pick as the best gaming laptop of the lot. Its newer, slimmer chassis, RTX 50-series GPU with the BatteryBoost tech, and improved cooling make it an all-round great notebook.

But that's not to say that more traditional machines don't still have a place. While I love the latest Razer Blades, MSI's Vector 16 HX is still a delightfully anachronistic thing. It does have a large, old school chassis, and it does sound loud if you ramp it up, but it also delivers a great experience on a balanced setting and does so for a great price, making it my favorite mid-range machine.

If you're looking to save some cash, though, Lenovo's LOQ range has matured to the point now where it's my pick as the best budget gaming laptop you can buy today. It's stylish, well-built, and regularly discounted.

Quick list

The best gaming laptop

We tested: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | RTX 5090 | 32 GB | 2 TB SSD

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1080p gaming performance

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra)Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra)Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High)F1 24 (1080p Ultra High)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

63

34

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

50

44

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

65

47

020406080

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	63 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	50 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	65 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

62

28

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

69

41

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

79

42

020406080

Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	62 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	69 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	79 Avg FPS, 42 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

114

76

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

88

64

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

91

67

037.575112.5150

Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	114 Avg FPS, 76 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	88 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	91 Avg FPS, 67 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

117

57

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

93

60

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

113

52

037.575112.5150

F1 24 (1080p Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	117 Avg FPS, 57 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	93 Avg FPS, 60 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	113 Avg FPS, 52 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

117

64

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

94

50

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

124

52

037.575112.5150

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	117 Avg FPS, 64 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	94 Avg FPS, 50 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	124 Avg FPS, 52 1% Low FPS

You can see in the performance data the chassis is holding the RTX 5090 of the Blade 16 back, but the overall experience is key rather than the raw frame rates here.

Native (1600p) gaming performance

Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra)Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra + upscaling (quality), 2x FG)Baldur's Gate 3 (Native res. Ultra)Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (Native res. High)Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (Native res. High + upscaling (quality, 67%))F1 24 (Native res. Ultra High)F1 24 (Native res. Ultra High + upscaling (quality), 2x FG)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (Native res. Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

39

29

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

28

21

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

37

22

010203040

Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	39 Avg FPS, 29 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	28 Avg FPS, 21 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	37 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

104

73

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

85

48

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

115

76

037.575112.5150

Cyberpunk 2077 (Native res. RT Ultra + upscaling (quality), 2x FG) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	104 Avg FPS, 73 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	85 Avg FPS, 48 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	115 Avg FPS, 76 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

61

33

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

66

36

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

77

38

020406080

Baldur's Gate 3 (Native res. Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	61 Avg FPS, 33 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	66 Avg FPS, 36 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	77 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

97

82

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

76

55

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

105

67

037.575112.5150

Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (Native res. High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	97 Avg FPS, 82 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	76 Avg FPS, 55 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	105 Avg FPS, 67 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

97

82

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

76

55

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

105

67

037.575112.5150

Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (Native res. High + upscaling (quality, 67%)) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	97 Avg FPS, 82 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	76 Avg FPS, 55 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	105 Avg FPS, 67 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

77

46

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

57

44

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

70

52

020406080

F1 24 (Native res. Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	77 Avg FPS, 46 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	57 Avg FPS, 44 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	70 Avg FPS, 52 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

169

100

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

130

66

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

168

94

050100150200

F1 24 (Native res. Ultra High + upscaling (quality), 2x FG) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	169 Avg FPS, 100 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	130 Avg FPS, 66 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	168 Avg FPS, 94 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W

90

58

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W

68

41

Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W

86

34

0255075100

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (Native res. Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16 | RTX 5090 175 W	90 Avg FPS, 58 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 | RTX 5080 120 W	68 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS
Alienware 16 Area-51 | RTX 5080 175 W	86 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS

You can see in the performance data the chassis is holding the RTX 5090 of the Blade 16 back, but the overall experience is key rather than the raw frame rates here.

System performance

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test)GPU statsGaming temperatures

Razer Blade 16

135

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

112

Alienware 16 Area-51

73

037.575112.5150

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16	135
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16	112
Alienware 16 Area-51	73

Avg GPU freq. (MHz)

Avg GPU power (W)

Razer Blade 16

1874

106

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

1670

98

Alienware 16 Area-51

2297

124

07501,5002,2503,000

GPU stats Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16	1874 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 106 Avg GPU power (W)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16	1670 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 98 Avg GPU power (W)
Alienware 16 Area-51	2297 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 124 Avg GPU power (W)

Avg CPU (°C)

Max CPU (°C)

Avg GPU (°C)

Max GPU (°C)

Razer Blade 16

86

95

82

86

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16

74

81

68

72

Alienware 16 Area-51

84

105

78

80

037.575112.5150

Gaming temperatures Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 16	86 Avg CPU (°C), 95 Max CPU (°C), 82 Avg GPU (°C), 86 Max GPU (°C)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16	74 Avg CPU (°C), 81 Max CPU (°C), 68 Avg GPU (°C), 72 Max GPU (°C)
Alienware 16 Area-51	84 Avg CPU (°C), 105 Max CPU (°C), 78 Avg GPU (°C), 80 Max GPU (°C)

The battery life of the Blade 16 puts it head and shoulders above the competition, though you can also see where the chassis is holding back the GPU and CPU at its heart.

I'll say it again, the new Razer Blade 16 is the best gaming laptop I've ever used, and I've been messing around with them professionally for the best part of 20 years now. But it's not about the fact I've been using an RTX 5090-powered version, with some pleasing gaming grunt behind it. Because it's not. The real kicker, the real reason why this is the best gaming laptop is because the experience of actually using the device itself is a genuine pleasure—whether that's gaming, productivity, or just general laptopery.

The Blade 16 is the antithesis to practically all the failings of modern gaming laptops; historically chonky machines, with atrocious battery life, and horribly loud fans. Its smart "thermal hood" and improved overall thermal design, means the Blade 16, even at full volume, doesn't get its fan noise up to the same level as something like the Asus Zephyrus G16 or the Gigabyte Aorus Master 16 I've also checked out. It is still noticeable, and you're not going to want to sit in a library with the fans on full, but it has none of the turbine whoosh of the Gigabyte or the whine of the Asus.

The other thing that has got me about the Blade is that it's actually a capable gaming laptop just on the battery alone. Some of that is Razer's design, but there is also the RTX Blackwell GPU architecture's ability to quickly shift gears in terms of the frequency and power draw, within the timing of a single frame, even. That efficiency delivers a huge difference in gaming away from the plug, and Nvidia's new BatteryBoost tech helps, too. Now, it will crush the in-game settings if you allow it to optimise them on its own, but it also comes with a context-aware algorithm that will drop the frame rate to 30 fps when it sees there's limited action on screen.

And then there's that screen. We've had other 1600p OLED panels side-by-side with it and the Blade's is absolutely best—and there aren't a ton of actual OLED panel manufacturers so there must be something to Razer's tuning and electronics going on here. All told, the Blade 16 is the do-anything gaming laptop I've always wanted. It can game like a champ on the latest games at high resolution and frame rates, it can even do it on battery, and will do it quietly, too.

The best budget gaming laptop

We tested: Ryzen 7 250 | RTX 5060 (115 W) | 16 GB DDR5-5600 | 512 GB SSD

Previous

1 / 2

Next

1080p gaming performance

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra)Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra)Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High)F1 24 (1080p Ultra High)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W

36

24

Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W

29

14

Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W

32

20

010203040

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W	36 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W	29 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W	32 Avg FPS, 20 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W

60

27

Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W

48

20

Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W

69

38

020406080

Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W	60 Avg FPS, 27 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W	48 Avg FPS, 20 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W	69 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W

57

39

Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W

64

31

Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W

49

41

020406080

Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W	57 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W	64 Avg FPS, 31 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W	49 Avg FPS, 41 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W

65

34

Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W

52

18

Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W

54

25

020406080

F1 24 (1080p Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W	65 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W	52 Avg FPS, 18 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W	54 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W

63

46

Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W

58

19

Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W

61

20

020406080

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10 | RTX 5060 | 115 W	63 Avg FPS, 46 1% Low FPS
Acer Nitro V15 | RTX 5060 | 85 W	58 Avg FPS, 19 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF Gaming A16 | RTX 5050 115 W	61 Avg FPS, 20 1% Low FPS

Despite the single channel memory of the LOQ, the actual gaming performance is impressive across the board, thanks to its high-wattage GPU

System performance

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test)GPU statsGaming temperatures

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10

89

Acer Nitro V15

123

Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025

74

037.575112.5150

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test) Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10	89
Acer Nitro V15	123
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025	74

Avg GPU freq. (MHz)

Avg GPU power (W)

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10

2473

71

Acer Nitro V15

2256

57

Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025

2718

42

07501,5002,2503,000

GPU stats Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10	2473 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 71 Avg GPU power (W)
Acer Nitro V15	2256 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 57 Avg GPU power (W)
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025	2718 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 42 Avg GPU power (W)

Avg CPU (°C)

Max CPU (°C)

Avg GPU (°C)

Max GPU (°C)

Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10

58

71

59

72

Acer Nitro V15

81

100

79

85

Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025

75

81

69

74

0255075100

Gaming temperatures Data

Product	Value
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen10	58 Avg CPU (°C), 71 Max CPU (°C), 59 Avg GPU (°C), 72 Max GPU (°C)
Acer Nitro V15	81 Avg CPU (°C), 100 Max CPU (°C), 79 Avg GPU (°C), 85 Max GPU (°C)
Asus TUF Gaming A16 2025	75 Avg CPU (°C), 81 Max CPU (°C), 69 Avg GPU (°C), 74 Max GPU (°C)

The LOQ's battery life is classically poor Lenovo fare,

There is one thing that would normally have me blowing up in genuine nerd-rage at this latest Lenovo budget laptop, but my broiling temper has been calmed by the one thing that will soothe a savage gaming beast: performance. The chart-topping gaming performance of the RTX 5060 at the heart of this LOQ system, when put against all the other RTX 5060 machines we've tested, means I can accept its other configuration crimes. And that makes the new Lenovo LOQ 15 the best budget gaming laptop of this generation.

The issue in question is the fact Lenovo has, to my eternal consternation, decided to fit its LOQ 15 machine out with just a single stick of 16 GB DDR5 memory, which instantly halves the available memory bandwidth that you would have seen if there were two sticks of 8 GB DDR5 in there. Same memory capacity, twice the bandwidth, and pretty much the same price.

And today, when the price of sourcing another 16 GB SODIMM to fit alongside it is utterly punitive, that feels like a bummer. Or would if the gaming performance wasn't actually really good. Despite the cut memory bandwidth, the 1080p frame rates are excellent and at least as good, if not better, than far more expensive RTX 5060-toting laptops we've tested. Throw in some judicious use of DLSS and Frame Generation and you're getting stellar gaming frame rates from a genuinely budget laptop.

It's also a beautifully built machine, too. The 1080p screen is vibrant—much better than last year's model—and matches the GPU perfectly. The chassis is smart, too, feeling less 'gamery' than laptops you might see from other vendors, and feels reassuringly solid, with that classic great Lenovo keyboard. Listed at around $1,300, I've already seen this machine drop to the $800 mark and I would expect to see it around those levels pretty regularly throughout the regular deals seasons of the year.

The best 14-inch gaming laptop

We tested: Ryzen 9 AI 365 | RTX 5070 115 W | 32 GB RAM | 1 TB SSD

Previous

1 / 2

Next

1080p gaming performance

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra)Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra)Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High)F1 24 (1080p Ultra High)Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra)

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

45

28

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

44

33

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

33

14

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

40

25

015304560

Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p RT Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	45 Avg FPS, 28 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	44 Avg FPS, 33 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	33 Avg FPS, 14 1% Low FPS
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	40 Avg FPS, 25 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

65

38

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

68

31

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

63

34

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

55

32

020406080

Baldur's Gate 3 (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	65 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	68 Avg FPS, 31 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	63 Avg FPS, 34 1% Low FPS
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	55 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

65

56

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

72

59

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

51

32

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

61

38

020406080

Black Myth: Wukong benchmarking tool (1080p High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	65 Avg FPS, 56 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	72 Avg FPS, 59 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	51 Avg FPS, 32 1% Low FPS
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	61 Avg FPS, 38 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

78

43

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

85

47

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

55

24

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

66

15

0255075100

F1 24 (1080p Ultra High) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	78 Avg FPS, 43 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	85 Avg FPS, 47 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	55 Avg FPS, 24 1% Low FPS
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	66 Avg FPS, 15 1% Low FPS

Avg FPS

1% Low FPS

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

84

50

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

93

46

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

64

39

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

72

22

0255075100

Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (1080p Ultra) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	84 Avg FPS, 50 1% Low FPS
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	93 Avg FPS, 46 1% Low FPS
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	64 Avg FPS, 39 1% Low FPS
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	72 Avg FPS, 22 1% Low FPS

The Blade 14 has the sleekest chassis of the lot, but still manages to get great gaming performance out of its RTX 5070 GPU, even up against the more powerful chip inside the Asus G14

System performance

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test)GPU statsGaming temperatures

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

134

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

106

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

156

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

110

050100150200

Battery life (PC Mark 10 gaming test) Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	134
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	106
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	156
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	110

Avg GPU freq. (MHz)

Avg GPU power (W)

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

2589

97

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

2001

75

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

2246

68

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

2478

90

07501,5002,2503,000

GPU stats Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	2589 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 97 Avg GPU power (W)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	2001 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 75 Avg GPU power (W)
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	2246 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 68 Avg GPU power (W)
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	2478 Avg GPU freq. (MHz), 90 Avg GPU power (W)

Avg CPU (°C)

Max CPU (°C)

Avg GPU (°C)

Max GPU (°C)

Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W

79

85

78

81

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W

74

84

75

79

Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W

72

80

74

76

Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W

68

71

75

81

0255075100

Gaming temperatures Data

Product	Value
Razer Blade 14 | RTX 5070 115 W	79 Avg CPU (°C), 85 Max CPU (°C), 78 Avg GPU (°C), 81 Max GPU (°C)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 | RTX 5070 Ti 110 W	74 Avg CPU (°C), 84 Max CPU (°C), 75 Avg GPU (°C), 79 Max GPU (°C)
Asus TUF A14 | RTX 5060 105 W	72 Avg CPU (°C), 80 Max CPU (°C), 74 Avg GPU (°C), 76 Max GPU (°C)
Acer Predator Triton 14 AI | RTX 5070 110 W	68 Avg CPU (°C), 71 Max CPU (°C), 75 Avg GPU (°C), 81 Max GPU (°C)

The Asus 14-incher, with its weaker GPU, has superior battery life, but at well over 2 hours, the Blade 14 still makes a good case for itself in the PCMark 10 gaming battery life test

For my money, the new Blade 14 is absolutely the best 14-inch gaming laptop you can buy today. Though that was certainly not the case in the previous generation, where Asus went straight for Razer's jugular, redesigning its Zephyrus G14 to create a beautiful little AMD-powered laptop that had our hearts aflutter.

But the slimmer chassis of the new Blade 14 makes it look far more modern than last year's chonker design. That was something which really put me off all the Blade laptops of the previous generation. But now we're back with the MacBook-ish aesthetic that means the new machine fits as well in a boardroom meeting as in your gaming den. Well, so long as you disable the green glow of that Razer logo on the lid anyways.

That slimmer chassis does mean Razer has had to do away with configurable memory, which means soldered memory and no option to upgrade down the line, at least not for the folk without solder for blood. That's mostly a non-issue for me, with the RTX 5070 version coming with 32 GB or 64 GB options at point of sale, but does give me pause for the RTX 5060 Blade 14. It's still more than $2,000 and comes with just 16 GB LPDDR5X and nowhere to go after that.

The Razer Blade 14 is the gaming laptop that I would actually want to be spending my own money on. I've spent a long while testing both this and the G14 together, and while the Asus is still a quality machine, I continue to use the Razer laptop as my daily driver today, for work and play. It delivers a better experience, is a better looking system, and though it is pricey (while still being cheaper than the previous generation) it's still the best 14-inch gaming laptop you can buy.

The best mid-range gaming laptop

We tested: Intel Core Ultra 9 275X | RTX 5080 | 32 GB DDR5-5600 | 1 TB