Laptop

Lenovo: ThinkPad X1 Fold with foldable screen sells better than expected, 1080p webcams in future ThinkPad laptops

Shortly after the CES, a Lenovo manager has shared some interesting information in an interview. Especially interesting: In the future, Lenovo ThinkPad laptops will be equipped with better webcams.

Benjamin Herzig, 27 Jan 2021 21:36

MSI GL65 with 10th gen Core i7, 144 Hz IPS display, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and 16 GB RAM on sale for $769 USD after rebates (Source: MSI)

Deal | MSI GL65 with 10th gen Core i7, 144 Hz IPS display, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and 16 GB RAM on sale for $769 USD after rebates

Unlike most other gaming laptop sales for under $800, this MSI GL65 strikes a respectable balance between graphics performance, CPU performance, display, RAM, and storage. Owners will just have to live with average color reproduction and the lack of Thunderbolt support.

Allen Ngo, 27 Jan 2021 21:22

Deal | Lenovo US announces an "employee-discount" sale on Legion laptops, more

Lenovo's US webstore has begun what it calls a "You Pay What We Pay" event, which apparently entails the same kinds of discounts only normally available to the OEM's staff members. They include up to US$800 off an Intel 10th-gen Legion 7i laptop, as well as deals on gaming mice and headsets.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 27 Jan 2021 20:47

Micron debuts its latest DRAM process node. (Source: Micron)

Micron announces that its latest "1-alpha" DRAM is ready to ship

Micron has launched its latest form of DRAM, which is also now in volume production. It is based on the company's 1-alpha (1α, or fourth-generation) 10 nanometer (nm) node, and also incorporates 176-layer NAND for the first time. Micron asserts that has up to 40% more memory cells, and is up to 15% more power-efficient, than its predecessor.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 27 Jan 2021 20:08

Most OEMs are not transparent enough in regards to the exact GPU SKU used in the RTX 3000 laptops. (Image Source: Nvidia)

Buyer beware: Nvidia has at least 28 variants prepared for the mobile RTX 3000 GPU stack

The ridiculous number would not really be a problem for end users if OEMs actually respected Nvidia's guidelines and provided clear info with the official specs. Unfortunately, very few OEMs are currently doing this, and we are seeing wild spec variations that allow lower-priced SKUs to outperform higher-priced variants.

Bogdan Solca, 27 Jan 2021 14:32

Asus ROG Zephyrus GA503 with Ryzen 9 5900HS, GeForce RTX 3070, and 1440p 165 Hz display now available for $1799 USD

First shipments are expected to arrive by February 15. The Asus model is notable for its next-gen components that were unveiled just a few weeks ago at CES 2021.

Allen Ngo, 27 Jan 2021 03:19

AMD Cezanne and Intel Tiger Lake battle it out in the 35 W TDP segment. (Image Source: Intel/AMD with edits)

AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS and Ryzen 9 5900HS vs Intel Core i7-11370H comparative benchmarks: Tiger Lake-H35 and Cezanne 35 W battle it out for single-core supremacy

We evaluate how the new 35 W CPUs from Intel and AMD including the Core i7-11370H, Ryzen 9 5900HS, and Ryzen 9 5980HS fare in our CPU benchmarks. We find that Intel and AMD are on par with each other in most single-core tests making them both great choices for such workloads. However, AMD may offer a more holistic package for overall mobile computing.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 26 Jan 2021 21:26

The GE66 Raider offers significantly better GPU performance than the GS66 Stealth, despite both having an RTX 3070 GPU. (Image source: MSI)

Not all NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 laptops are created equal as early reviews show performance differences of over 30% between MSI machines with supposedly identical GPUs

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Max-P and RTX 3070 Max-Q differ by over 30% in benchmarks, early reviews of two MSI gaming laptops have shown. Many OEMs, including MSI, are divulging the minimum information about the RTX 30 series GPUs in their machines though, leaving people in the dark over what performance to expect.

Alex Alderson, 26 Jan 2021 17:46

Not really something innovative, but Lenovo could be the first one to mass-produce this solution. (Image Source: Weibo)

Lenovo demonstrates NVMe M.2 alternative to Thunderbolt for high-end external desktop GPUs on AMD-based notebooks

AMD's support for USB4 and Thunderbolt is scheduled to arrive in early 2022, and, until then, laptop OEMs are trying out alternatives. One solution would be to implement a new type of connector, like Asus has done on its new ROG Flow X13 laptops. Lenovo, on the other hand, is exploring something more simple in the form of a cable that connects external video cards to the M.2 slot inside the laptop.

Bogdan Solca, 26 Jan 2021 17:38

Crypto miners may disrupt the availability for upcoming laptops featuring the mobile RTX 3000 dGPUs. (Image Source: Nvidia)

Crypto miners could target laptops next: Nvidia's mobile RTX 3060 Max-P GPU is actually fast enough for ETH mining

The new RTX 3080 cards proved to be quite the crypto mining monsters, but these high-end solutions are still in very short supply. A better and more efficient alternative could be presented by Nvidia's mobile RTX 3000 dGPUs, as suggested by the latest leaks from China. If this is indeed true, miners could eventually impact the availability of all upcoming Nvidia-based laptops.

Bogdan Solca, 26 Jan 2021 16:57

Phew, AMD won't be making the same exclusivity mistake again with the mobile Ryzen 5000 series (Source: AMD)

Thankfully, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 5800HS, and the mobile Ryzen 9 5000 CPUs will not be exclusive to any OEMs

AMD won't be making the same exclusivity mistake again with the mobile Ryzen 5000 series. The chipmaker has confirmed that all of its mobile Zen 3 CPUs will be available for all major OEMs to deploy in contrast to the more limited approach with certain mobile Zen 2 processors the year before.

Allen Ngo, 26 Jan 2021 16:00

WhisperMode 2.0 mode will only be available on RTX 30 series laptops. (Image source: NVIDIA)

NVIDIA is encouraging OEMs to list TGPs and clock speeds of its RTX 30 series Max-Q GPUs as WhisperMode 2.0 arrives in latest GeForce Experience update

NVIDIA has confirmed that it is encouraging OEMs to list TGP and clock speeds of their RTX 30 series laptops. Few OEMs have done so yet. Additionally, the latest GeForce Experience version brings WhisperMode 2.0 to RTX 30 series laptops. The feature utilises 'AI-powered algorithms' to balance acoustics and system performance.

Alex Alderson, 26 Jan 2021 14:25

ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 & L15 Gen 2: Lenovo's budget enterprise series updated with Tiger Lake & Thunderbolt 4

Lenovo updates the inexpensive ThinkPad L series without a big announcement. Both the new Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 and ThinkPad L15 Gen 2 are optimized for enterprise customers. They keep the same design as their predecessors, but contain the new Intel Tiger Lake chips.

Benjamin Herzig, 26 Jan 2021 00:42

Dell Inspiron 15 with 11th gen Intel Core i5, 16 GB RAM, and 1080p display on sale for $549 USD (Image source: Dell)

Deal | Dell Inspiron 15 with 11th gen Intel Core i5, 16 GB RAM, and 1080p display on sale for $549 USD

The laptop is pick-up only from Staples with no delivery. It's an entry-level offering with a mostly plastic design, but the relatively powerful Core i5-1135G7 CPU and integrated Iris Xe GPU make it fast for the price.

Allen Ngo, 26 Jan 2021 00:03

XMG is doing the right thing by actually advertising the wattage of their GeForce RTX 30 GPU options

Is the GPU 90 W or 135 W? With "Max-Q" gone, performance hunters will be asking this question left and right to make sure they are buying the fastest possible laptop graphics. Fortunately, XMG is looking ahead by stating the numbers directly on the specifications list.

Allen Ngo, 25 Jan 2021 21:07

Maintenance-friendly work laptop: The Dell Latitude 15 5511

Dell Latitude 15 5511: Large 15-incher for business users

Dell does without the "slim", "super light", and "mobile" marketing phrases for the Latitude 15 5511, but it presents the business laptop as a practical work machine in return.

Mike Wobker, 25 Jan 2021 18:44

The ubiquitous Search bar might disappear in the Australian market. (Source: Google)

Google Search may become unavailable in Australia over journalism compensation row

Millions of people search for news on Google or Facebook; therefore, those tech behemoths should pay media outlets for their content. At least, this is the Australian government's position in a dispute with the companies in question. Google has responded by threatening to deprive the country of its Search service.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 24 Jan 2021 22:42

Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 shows off the potential of Intel Tiger Lake-H35 CPUs

A lot of Intel’s hopes for 2021 are pinned on Tiger Lake-H. After all, Intel has to put something up against the Ryzen 5000 CPUs. The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 2 comes with only a Tiger Lake-UP3 chip. However, it can draw up to 35 watts of power for a significant period of time, showing the world what a Tiger Lake chip can achieve with such a high TDP.

Benjamin Herzig, 24 Jan 2021 12:00

GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs support DLSS and ray tracing. (Image source: Nvidia)

Dozens of GeForce RTX 30 series laptops from Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte listed by UK retailer: Prices from £998.99 (US$1,367) with Ryzen 5000 and Tiger Lake options available

Fifty gaming laptops featuring Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs from major vendors such as Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte have been listed on the Scan website. Many feature Ryzen 5000 APUs and there are a couple of Tiger Lake H-35 options too. Prices go from £998.99 (US$1,367) for an Asus TUF Dash RTX 3060 laptop up to £4,298.99 (US$5,882) for an MSI GS66 Stealth RTX 3080 laptop.

Daniel R Deakin, 24 Jan 2021 10:50

The 2021 Asus TUF Dash F15 can also be configured with an i5-11300H or i7-11370H. (Image source: Asus/Intel - edited)

Intel Core i7-11375H in Asus TUF Dash F15 shows no fear of Ryzen 5000 H-series as 5.0 GHz boost helps it to single-core mastery +24% higher than the i7-10750H

An Intel Core i7-11375H (Tiger Lake-H35) has appeared on Geekbench in an Asus TUF Dash F15 gaming laptop. The i7-11375H was measured reaching a clock rate of 5.0 GHz and produced a single-core score that beats out the i7-10750H by +24% and can even hold up against the incoming barrage from AMD’s Ryzen 5000 H-series Cezanne chips.

Daniel R Deakin, 24 Jan 2021 07:36

Razer pre-orders for Blade 15 GeForce RTX 3060 to 3080 now open starting at $1699 USD

All configurations are expected to ship on March 3rd to be over a month later than competing models from Asus or MSI. The top-of-the-line GeForce RTX 3080 option will set users back almost $3000 USD.

Allen Ngo, 24 Jan 2021 03:28

The ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 convinces in the test with an excellent keyboard and Thunderbolt 4

Lenovo's ThinkPad L13 Gen 2 is a well-made ultrabook with up-to-date hardware and a first-class keyboard.

Marius Schell, 24 Jan 2021 01:43

The HP ProBook x360 435 G8 can be configured with up to 32 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM. (Image source: HP)

Ryzen 3 5400U APU inside HP ProBook x360 435 G8 endures a false start against the AMD Ryzen 3 4300U on Geekbench but base clock performance gives a sign of things to come

The Zen 3-based AMD Ryzen 3 5400U has popped up on Geekbench as part of an HP ProBook x360 435 G8 laptop. The Cezanne Ryzen 5000 part is seemingly restricted to a maximum clock of 2.60 GHz, which leaves a mixed impression against the older Ryzen 3 4300U. However, the results at base clock rate are a sign of good things to come.

Daniel R Deakin, 23 Jan 2021 04:02

Lenovo Flex 5 14 is down to $649 USD to be one of the cheapest convertibles with an 11th gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB NVMe SSD (Source: Costco)

Deal | Lenovo Flex 5 14 is down to $649 USD to be one of the cheapest convertibles with an 11th gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB NVMe SSD

The versatile 2-in-1 laptop strikes a great balance between performance and price when compared to other models in its category. Students and home users with tight budgets may want to consider this Lenovo Flex.

Allen Ngo, 23 Jan 2021 02:39

The new 15.6-inch Nitro 5 will be available in multiple configurations. (Image source: Acer)

The Acer Nitro 5 is available to pre-order with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 for €1,799; Intel versions orderable too

The new Acer Nitro 5 is already to pre-order, months before its expected arrival. Retailers are offering the 15.6-inch edition with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, but Ryzen 9 5900HX SKUs should eventually be available. Acer has released Intel versions of the new Nitro 5, too.

Alex Alderson, 22 Jan 2021 13:29

The Zen 3 factor helps make the Asus ROG Flow X13 a powerful convertible laptop. (Image source: Asus/AMD - edited)

AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS hits 4.8 GHz inside an Asus ROG Flow X13 laptop as Geekbench single-core scores shine against the Ryzen 9 4900H and Intel Core i7-1165G7

The Asus ROG Flow X13 GV301 laptop in combination with an AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS APU has been spotted in a couple of test runs on Geekbench. The Ryzen 9 5980HS produced strong single-core and multi-core results that hold up well against the Ryzen 9 4900H and Intel Core i7-1165G7. At one point, the Zen 3 chip was measured reaching 4.789 GHz.

Daniel R Deakin, 22 Jan 2021 07:34

Tiger Lake-H processors have been spotted on UserBenchmark in HP laptops. (Image source: HP/Intel - edited)

8-core Tiger Lake-H processors in HP ZBook Studio G8 and ZBook Create G8 laptops wreck the UserBenchmark 1-core charts

Unnamed 8-core Tiger Lake-H processors from Intel have been producing incredible 1-core scores on UserBenchmark in HP ZBook Studio G8 and HP ZBook Create G8 laptops, although the multi-core scores were quite poor. The mysterious Intel Tiger Lake-H chips recorded a base clock of 3.1 GHz in the benchmark entries.

Daniel R Deakin, 21 Jan 2021 22:13

The Galaxy Book series might add new variants soon. (Source: Samsung)

Samsung has a new Pro series of Galaxy Books in the works

Samsung has certified a new line of products with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). They are called the Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360. By the sound of it, they are new PCs of the laptop or convertible form-factor.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 21 Jan 2021 19:51

The new HX mobile APUs come with unlocked cores that can be overclocked. (Image Source: Ryzen CPU blog)

AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 9 5900HX mobile APU is dominating the PassMark tests

In multi-core loads, the Ryzen 9 5900HX easily steals the crown from last gen's king Ryzen 9 4900HS. However, the more impressive feat is recorded with the single-core tests that are usually dominated by Intel processors. Here, the 5900HX manages to reach the top position by defeating the workstation-grade Intel Xeon W-10885M.

Bogdan Solca, 21 Jan 2021 16:24

New Ryzen 5000 series-powerd Huawei MateBooks could be launched soon

Leak suggests that Huawei could launch new MateBooks powered by AMD's Ryzen 5000 series of processors soon

A well-known Weibo leaker says that Huawei will reportedly refresh its MateBook lineup with AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors soon. They could arrive as early as March 2021, as Huawei is no longer allowed to purchase Intel chips.

Anil Satyanarayana, 21 Jan 2021 15:54

The MSI Stealth 15M's Core i7-11375H could potentially offer excellent single-core performance. (Image Source: MSI)

Intel Core i7-11375H in purported MSI Stealth 15M laptop shown to be 46% faster in single-core compared to Core i7-10750H, indicative of longer sustained 5 GHz boost

We have received a Cinebench R20 single-core score from what appears to be an MSI Stealth 15M laptop powered by the Core i7-11375H Special Edition Tiger Lake-H35 processor. While we have previously reported about leaked scores for this processor, the new score shows it to be much faster and possibly even offering a more sustained 5 GHz boost.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 21 Jan 2021 15:12

The HeroBook Pro+ offers a native 3K resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio. (Image source: Chuwi)

Chuwi unveils the HeroBook Pro+ with a 3K display for US$269

The Chuwi HeroBook Pro+ combines a 3K display with 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128 GB of storage. The 13.3-inch display has thick bezels though and is powered by an Intel Celeron J3455 quad-core processor. The Chuwi HeroBook Pro+ retails for US$269.00 and is available to order now.

Alex Alderson, 21 Jan 2021 13:34

Intel at it again with Nvidia? (Image Source: WCCFTech)

Update: Nvidia and Intel deny involvement | Polish source claims Nvidia and Intel worked together to block the marketing of premium AMD Ryzen 4000 laptops with high-end GPUs in 2020

Back in mid-2020, laptop OEMs explained that the inclusion of dGPUs more powerful than the RTX 2060 would not really make sense on Ryzen 4000H systems, as their performance would be limited by the 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes. However, the Ryzen 5000H systems still use only 8x PCIe 3.0 lanes, yet they come with up to an RTX 3080 dGPU option. Something is not adding up.

Bogdan Solca, 21 Jan 2021 13:16

A Samsung display technician working on OLED display equipment. (Image: Samsung)

Samsung set to mass produce the first 90 Hz OLED displays for laptops

Samsung Display has commenced the mass production of the first 90 Hz OLED displays for laptops. According to Samsung, the high-speed driving performance of its OLED displays is comparable to that of an LCD display with a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 21 Jan 2021 11:45

NVIDIA Ampere Mobile will not carry any Max-Q branding. (Image Source: NVIDIA)

Exclusive | NVIDIA RTX 30 Ampere Mobile will no longer offer Max-Q or Max-P branding, OEMs free to decide TGP and Max-Q features to implement

NVIDIA and OEMs will no longer specify whether a given Ampere Mobile GPU is a Max-Q or a Max-P variant. Ampere Mobile will be offered in a range of TGPs, and it will be the OEMs' discretion to decide which third generation Max-Q specs and TGG value should be used. This can confuse end users as a higher Watt RTX 3060 Mobile can potentially outperform a lower Watt RTX 3080 Mobile for a given workload.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 21 Jan 2021 10:17

Asus ZenBook 14 with Ryzen 5 4500U CPU, GeForce MX350 GPU, and 256 GB SSD is down to $599 USD (Source: Best Buy)

Deal | Asus ZenBook 14 with Ryzen 5 4500U CPU, GeForce MX350 GPU, and 256 GB SSD is down to $599 USD

Expect a deluge of sales on 2020 AMD laptops now that retailers are preparing to stock up on Zen 3 replacements. The Asus ZenBook 14 is a flagship Ultrabook offering with both AMD and Nvidia parts for a low-moderate price.

Allen Ngo, 21 Jan 2021 00:00

The 870 EVO is Samsung's newest SATA SSD for personal storage

Samsung has announced the latest in its EVO series of SSDs. The OEM is pitching the 870 at users with network-attached servers (NASs) as well as consumer PCs. It is rated for top SATA read and write speeds and for 30% performance improvements over its predecessor.

Deirdre O'Donnell, 20 Jan 2021 22:50

HP Chromebook 11 G9 Education Edition now comes with MediaTek and Celeron options (Source: HP)

Intel or MediaTek? HP Chromebook 11 G9 Education Edition lets users decide

The latest 11.6-inch HP Chromebooks will have both Intel and MediaTek options. Users who favor battery life will prefer the latter while the former will excel in performance and ports.

Allen Ngo, 20 Jan 2021 08:31

HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 owners should update their BIOS or face immense performance deficits

Users who don't update might get a fancy 10th gen Xeon or Core i9 CPU running slower than a cheaper 9th gen Core i7-9750H. Luckily, all it takes is a quick download from HP to fix the issue.

Allen Ngo, 20 Jan 2021 03:46

EasySMX keyboard offers per-key RGB lighting, mechanical switches, wireless connectivity, and a minimalist design for just under $55 USD (Source: EasySMX)

Deal | EasySMX GK82 keyboard offers per-key RGB lighting, mechanical switches, wireless connectivity, and a minimalist design for just under $55 USD

Get brand name features without overpaying for the name. The EasySMX may not have everything, but its core experience is solid and reliable.

Allen Ngo, 20 Jan 2021 02:01

All these "Best of CES 2021" awards are absolutely pointless

You can't call something "the best laptop in show" when you never actually went hands-on with any of them. These "awards" for CES 2021 are nothing more than lists and opinions based entirely off of manufacturer pictures and videos rather than the editors' hands-on experiences that they are supposed to represent.

Column by Allen Ngo, 20 Jan 2021 01:54