Laptop

MSI WP65 workstation is mostly a reskinned GF63 or GF65

Both the MSI GF63 and WP65 are budget laptops in their respective categories. If you plan on purchasing one or the other, it'll be good to know that they share the same chassis design but with slightly different aesthetics.

Allen Ngo, 19 Oct 2019 06:41

The 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019 could be unveiled in October. (Image source: MacGeneration)

Placeholders or products: Newly discovered icons for the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro fall flat at first sight

Icons of what could be the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019 have been found in the beta code for macOS Catalina. Those hoping for a complete exterior redesign of the MBP might be disappointed by the images though, as the laptop featuring on the icons looks very similar to the 15-inch MacBook Pro. But some differences between the supposed iterations have been spotted.

Daniel R Deakin, 19 Oct 2019 04:51

The Thinkpad X1 foldable laptop could be launched next summer. (Source: The Verge)

Lenovo's foldable Thinkpad X1 notebook expected to launch by Q2 2020

The 13.3-inch foldable notebook from Lenovo was recently spotted at an event in Barcelona, and it looks like Lenovo is just waiting for Microsoft to finalize the Windows 10X OS specifically designed for dual-screen devices. The hardware good to go, so, with a bit of luck, we might be able to test the foldable notebook next summer.

Bogdan Solca, 18 Oct 2019 16:40

The QD-OLEDs should improve color gamut and light output over conventional OLEDs. (Source: Plessey)

Samsung invests US$11 billion in QD-OLED facilities, promises to drastically reduce OLED panel production costs

The QD-OLED technology promises to lower production costs by three times and improve color gamut along with light output over conventional OLEDs. Samsung has been against the adoption of OLEDs in large screen devices for over 5 years now, but the QD-OLED technology somehow changed the company's perspective, as it plans to heavily invest in OLED panels and eventually convert most of its LCD lines into OLED.

Bogdan Solca, 18 Oct 2019 16:16

AMD vs Intel: Does the new AMD ThinkPad X395 challenge the Intel ThinkPad X390?

We have just released our review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X395, an AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 3300U powered 13.3-inch subnotebook. The Ryzen 3 PRO 3300U integrates a Radeon RX Vega 6 GPU too, which is known to have better graphics performance than its Intel counterparts. But how does the ThinkPad X395 compare against the ThinkPad X390, its Intel equivalent, and which is the better overall device?

Alex Alderson, 17 Oct 2019 23:57

The Lenovo Yoga C940-14IIL with Ice Lake is a strong competitor for the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1

The Lenovo Yoga C940-14IIL with Ice Lake is a strong opponent for the Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1

Intel's Ice Lake platform performs convincing in the first reviews. With the Lenovo Yoga C940 convertible we recently reviewed another Ice Lake laptop, which directly competes with Dell's XPS 13 7390 2-in-1. In terms of battery life the Lenovo Yoga C940 is even better than the XPS.

Benjamin Herzig, 17 Oct 2019 19:45

The new opto-mechanical laptop keyboard from Razer harnesses the speed of light to allow for blazing-fast response times. (Source: Razer)

Razer showcases the world's first optical laptop keyboard

Razer is bringing the opto-mechanical switches first introduced on the new Huntsman gaming keyboard to its gaming laptop models. For now, the low profile optical laptop keyboard is only available on the Blade 15 Advanced laptop, but Razer will add this feature to other 2020 models. The optical switches make use of an infrared light beam that allows for faster actuation and inputs.

Bogdan Solca, 17 Oct 2019 16:03

Intel Eluktronics MAG 15 laptop with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut and Cooler Master MasterGel offers just marginal temperature improvements when gaming

Expect CPU and GPU temperatures of 80 C and 74 C, respectively, when running games on the Eluktronics MAG 15 equipped with Thermal Grizzly and Cooler Master thermal pastes. The MAG 15 retails for less than the Schenker XMG Fusion 15 even though they both carry the same chassis.

Allen Ngo, 16 Oct 2019 21:28

Some Surface Book 2 laptops have been plagued with disconnecting dGPU and CPU throttling issues for months. (Image source: Engadget)

Microsoft finally fixes the NVIDIA dGPU and BD PROCHOT-related CPU throttling issues that have been affecting some Surface Book 2 devices for months

The Surface Book 2 and Surface Book 2 15 may be innovative devices, but they have suffered from two critical problems in recent months. Microsoft now claims to have fixed the NVIDIA dGPU disconnects and BD PROCHOT-related throttling issues that have affected some machines since at least the summer. The fixes should prompt the re-release of Windows 10 version 1903 for the Surface Book 2 series too.

Alex Alderson, 16 Oct 2019 16:08

Dell's mid-range gaming laptops have the same GPU and 4K OLED display options as the pricier Alienware (Source: Dell)

Alienware m15 R2 is limited to 16 GB of RAM or just half of the cheaper Dell G7 15 7590

You don't have to pay top dollar for an Alienware when Dell's own G7 15 7590 can be configured with the same Core i9 CPU, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU, and 4K UHD OLED display for about $200 to $300 less.

Allen Ngo, 16 Oct 2019 05:15

The entry-level Google Pixelbook Go is now much more affordable. (Source: Google)

Google's new US$649 Pixelbook Go is a seemingly budget offering, but only if you consider the entry-level model

Google has unveiled the Pixelbook Go at the company's Made by Google event today. The Pixelbook Go offers a choice of 8th gen Intel processors, FHD and UHD touch display options, and is very portable. However, Google does seem to have cut some corners to bring down the price.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 15 Oct 2019 23:59

Prices for the 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs are expected to drop below US$200 this November. (Source: Gigabyte)

1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs get considerable price slashes, now available for only US$200

Even though it might be a short-lived standard, the PCIe 4.0 is slowly seeing more adoption, and the latest price cuts for the NVMe 4.0 SSDs should certainly make things more affordable for AMD users who want to pair their Ryzen 3000 CPUs with faster storage solutions.

Bogdan Solca, 15 Oct 2019 15:22

Razer Blade 15 gets a pink makeover; will the Blade Pro 17 be next?

The Blade 15 Quartz Pink Base Model is now shipping with a GeForce RTX 2060, 144 Hz IPS panel, and 512 GB SSD for just under $2000 USD. Unfortunately, you won't be getting per-key RGB lighting as it will feature a single-zone RGB backlight instead.

Allen Ngo, 14 Oct 2019 18:53

Deal | Asus ROG G531GT with Core i7-9750H, GTX 1650 graphics, and 512 GB SSD is only $700 right now

Asus' budget-midrange Strix G series laptop is $300 off for high performance-per-dollar. Its GTX 1650 GPU is comparable to the GTX 1060 in DX11 titles and up to 15 percent faster if on DX12.

Allen Ngo, 13 Oct 2019 21:05

Intel Xe graphics card concept provided by Cristiano Siqueira.

Update | New Intel Xe GPU info: Gen 12 mobility iGPUs designed to deliver 1080p@60fps gaming, discrete GPUs to get ray-tracing support

At this year's IDC event in Tokyo, Intel disclosed a few more details about the upcoming Xe GPU architecture. Besides the hardware-level ray tracing support on the discrete GPUs launching in mid-2020, Intel also intends to double the performance of the current Ice Lake Iris Plus iGPUs on the Gen 12 Xe GPUs integrated with the Tiger Lake CPUs.

Bogdan Solca, 11 Oct 2019 20:13

The Galago Pro and Darter Pro models with Comet Lake CPUs are among the most compact Linux-based laptops out there. (Source: System76)

System76 releases two new Comet-Lake-powered laptops with Linux Coreboot firmware

Both the 14-inch Galago Pro and the 15.6-inch Darter pro models can be equipped with up to a Comet Lake Core i7-10510U quad-core CPU coupled with up to 32 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of storage (6 TB for the 14-incher). Standard features include a Thunderbolt 3 connector and 1080p matte display.

Bogdan Solca, 11 Oct 2019 16:14

The Pixelbook Go features a more rounded design than the current Pixelbook. (Source: 9to5Google)

Pixelbook Go caught in live photos ahead of launch

Google’s forthcoming Pixelbook Go has been leaked in full ahead of its launch. The device takes on a more rounded design language than previous Pixelbooks but remains very much focused on portability.

Sanjiv Sathiah, 11 Oct 2019 14:00

Dell quietly updates its Inspiron 7000 2-in-1 Black Edition series with Intel 10th gen CPUs and Thunderbolt 3

The smaller 13.3-inch Inspiron 13 7390 2-in-1 Black Edition has also gotten the same Comet Lake-U treatment albeit with the Core i5-10210U processor instead. The CPU update directly addresses one of the main drawbacks of the Inspiron 2-in-1 series which was its lack of Thunderbolt 3 compatibility.

Allen Ngo, 11 Oct 2019 06:21

Dell's cheapest gaming laptop has a few good things going for it

The easy upgradeability of the Dell G3 15 3590 means you can buy the cheapest configuration available and then simply upgrade the storage and RAM yourself to save on costs.

Allen Ngo, 10 Oct 2019 07:08

To all Dell XPS 15 9575 and Kaby Lake-G owners: You're fine, Intel will continue to support the platform for another few years

Intel may be axing its AMD-powered chipset for good, but that doesn't mean it won't be stopping driver support for any existing Kaby Lake-G PCs already in the market. The blue chipmaker plans to support the platform for another few years even after all shipments have stopped.

Allen Ngo, 09 Oct 2019 19:17

HP EliteBook x360 830 G6: HP laptop does not deliver its promised LCD brightness

HP promises a brightness value of 1000 cd/m² for its EliteBooks with SureView screens. The recently reviewed HP EliteBook x260 830 G6 has an extremely bright screen – but it does not manage to hit the brightness value that the manufacturer promises.

Benjamin Herzig, 09 Oct 2019 17:00

New Lenovo ThinkPad E14 & E15 embrace thinner design at the expense of one RAM slot

Lenovo updates its affordable ThinkPad E series with Intel Comet Lake. The new models ThinkPad E14 and ThinkPad E15 are more than simple CPU updates though, as Lenovo has redesigned them compared with their predecessors ThinkPad E490 and ThinkPad E590 as well.

Benjamin Herzig, 09 Oct 2019 11:27

Semiconductors are not going anywhere any time soon. (Source: Flickr)

The semiconductor market will reach US$573 billion by 2024

New research has shown that the market for semiconductors is estimated to grow to US$573 billion in 5 years. This may be driven by a demand for these materials in wireless communications, vehicles and online connectivity. However, the common-or-garden integrated circuit will continue to influence the market into the next decade.

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Oct 2019 21:34

The subscription service trends over the last few years. (Source: Parks Associates)

46% of US households with broadband have multiple streaming subscriptions now

New research has found that nearly 50% of all US households with broadband subscribe to 2 or more subscription-based services in 2019, whereas this figure was 33% in 2017 and only 20% in 2014. The apparent demand has driven the number of individual services to match in the country. It has grown by 1.4 times since 2014.

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Oct 2019 20:22

Ice Lake-powered Razer Blade Stealth 2019 now shipping for a hefty $1800 USD (Source: Razer)

Ice Lake-powered Razer Blade Stealth now shipping for a hefty $1800 USD

Announced earlier last month at IFA 2019, Razer will now be taking orders for its latest Blade Stealth refresh and it's going to cost you quite a bit. The Base Ice Lake SKU starts at $1500 USD while the GTX 1650 Max-Q version will be $1800 to $2000 if configured with a 4K UHD touchscreen.

Allen Ngo, 08 Oct 2019 18:40

High-quality workstation with weak CPU performance

HP's Whiskey Lake update of the ZBook 15u shows some weaknesses

The HP ZBook 15u G6 continues to offer the usual quality in terms of exteriors. However, some weaknesses that ought not to occur persist on the inside. Let's just hope the new AMD GPU can save the day.

Mike Wobker, 08 Oct 2019 18:38

The Kaby Lake-G was a good experiment that didn't find many takers. (Source: Intel)

Updated: Intel Kaby Lake-G family goes the way of the dodo

Intel has issued a new Product Change Notification (PCN) document that lists the Kaby Lake-G family as End of Life (EOL) citing market demand for other Intel products. The EOL date is effective from today and OEMs will not be able to order Kaby Lake-G products after January 31, 2020.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 08 Oct 2019 16:07

HP ZBook 14u G6 laptop review: The mobile workstation has problems with performance

The hardware in the HP ZBook 14u G6 mobile workstation often has to apply the brakes

Hewlett Packard's mobile workstation features good input devices and a great display. This is joined by a docking port, good battery life and a Thunderbolt 3 port. There are problems with performance.

Sascha Mölck, 08 Oct 2019 07:22

Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 with Core i7, 256 GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM is now $400 off after rebates and gift cards for a limited time (Source: Dell)

Deal | Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 with Core i7, 256 GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM is now $400 off after rebates and gift cards for a limited time

The high launch price of $1650 for the Core i7 XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 is now just ~$1200 after taxes, discounts, and gift cards. The Dell convertible is notable for being the first to ship with Intel's new Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7 CPU and also one of the few convertibles with a 16:10 display.

Allen Ngo, 08 Oct 2019 01:00

The ASUS ROG G703GXR, a 17.3-inch gaming colossus. (Image source: ASUS)

ASUS ROG G703GXR: A 17.3-inch gaming monster with few compromises

The ASUS ROG G703GXR bucks the slim bezel trend and delivers a no-compromises gaming platform with plenty of ports and decent performance. We have put the 17.3-inch gaming laptop through its paces, which you can find in our accompanying review.

Alex Alderson, 08 Oct 2019 00:43

The Acer ConceptD series has won some 2019 awards. (Source: AnandTech)

Acer wins Good Design 2019 awards for its ConceptD notebooks

The Acer ConceptD 7 and 9 models have won at this year's Good Design awards. Unsurprisingly, this is due to their innovative, creator-focused form factors. Acer have also won 2 more of these honors for the Swift 7 and TravelMate P6 laptops.

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Oct 2019 23:46

The Turtle Beach Atlas Edge USB audio adapter. (Source: Turtle Beach)

Turtle Beach claims its new Atlas Edge USB adapter gives any 3.5mm-jack headset an audio edge

Turtle Beach has released the Atlas Edge, a new USB adapter for any conventional wired headset. It is intended to enhance any headset connected to it with an in-house panel of software called Control Studio. This suite is designed to convert audio through the Atlas Edge into a "full panoramic 3D audio experience".

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Oct 2019 23:02

The Galaxy Fold phones can now work with the Windows Your Phone app. (Source: Microsoft)

A new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build can link PCs to more Samsung phones

The latest Insider's version of Windows 10 updates the Your Phone app so that it is compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S10 series, as well as the Galaxy Fold. This allows a user to monitor battery levels, screen-mirror and sync data. However, Microsoft has stated that these new features will be available to certain regions only to start off with.

Deirdre O Donnell, 07 Oct 2019 22:28

Lenovos ThinkPad L580 is a good office notebook

With the ThinkPad L580, Lenovo offers an affordable office notebook that is mainly able to convince with its keyboard. While you look for any more highlights in vain, the 15.6-inch notebook does not commit any real blunders either.

Andreas Osthoff, 07 Oct 2019 19:07

The Radeon RX 5500M will debut in the MSI Alpha 15 later this month. (Image via AMD)

AMD launches new Radeon RX 5500 and Radeon RX 5500M graphics cards

AMD announced two new GPUs today. The Radeon RX 5500 and its mobile equivalent, the Radeon RX 5500M, will make their debuts in various machines before the end of the year. The RX 5500M, in particular, will appear in the MSI Alpha 15, which we should get in our lab later this month. The RX 5500M should offer performance somewhere between the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q and the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, which would make it suitable for gaming at FHD/High settings.

Sam Medley, 07 Oct 2019 18:33

Littlezipp's Alienware m15 R2 (Core i9-9980HK) scores over 30 runs in Cinebench R15.

Apparently, the Core i9-9980HK CAN beat the Core i9-9980H... under the right circumstances

In a recent article, we pointed out that we have yet to see a laptop with the Intel Core i9-9980HK outperform the MSI GE75 GS9, which runs the cheaper (and theoretically less powerful) Intel Core i9-9980H. A forum user by the name of littlezipp has posted evidence that the 9980HK in his Alienware m15 R2 thoroughly beats the 9980H in a 30-loop test of Cinebench R15. However, littlezipp nabbed this performance by way of a good undervolt and repasting his CPU with liquid metal.

Sam Medley, 07 Oct 2019 17:34

The Ryzen 5 3580U will only be available in the 15-inch version of the Surface Laptop 3(Image source: AMD)

AMD Ryzen 5 3580U disappoints in early benchmark results; averages 13% less than the Intel Core i5-1035G7 in multi-core workloads

AMD and Microsoft have since confirmed that the Ryzen Surface Edition processors are custom versions of the Ryzen 5 3500U and Ryzen 7 3700U, and now examples of the former have appeared on UserBenchmark. While the Ryzen 5 3580U fares well compared with the Core i5-8265U, it appears to fall short of the Core i5-1035G7 in multi-core workloads.

Alex Alderson, 07 Oct 2019 14:06

The One Mix 3 Pro comes with an Intel Comet Lake-Y series processor and up to 16 GB of RAM. (Image source: One-netbook via JD.com)

Intel Comet Lake powered One Mix 3 Pro goes up for pre-order for ~US$979

The One Mix 3 Pro is One-netbook's latest ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), and the first that we have seen with an Intel Comet Lake-Y series processor. The 8.4-inch device also has 16 GB of RAM, a 512 GB SSD and weighs just 0.66 kg. The One Mix 3 Pro is available to pre-order now from Chinese retailer JD.com for 6,999 CNY (~US$979). One-netbook may bring the UMPC to other markets too.

Alex Alderson, 07 Oct 2019 13:58