Laptop

System76 upgrades its Oryx Pro laptop with Nvidia RTX 20-series GPUs and 8th Gen Intel Core CPU

System76 has revised its Oryx Pro laptop, bringing Nvidia GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs and an 8th Gen Intel Core chip into the mix. The champions of open-source software are offering potential buyers the chance to choose from an RTX 2060, RTX 2070, and an RTX 2080 graphics card. More RAM and storage options are also available in the company’s online configurator.

Daniel R Deakin, 01 Mar 2019 06:44

Gigabyte Aero 15-X9 vs. Razer Blade 15: Gigabyte has the CPU performance advantage

Same CPU, same GPU, same RAM, same display. Even with all the similarities, there are notable differences when it comes to performance, color accuracy, features, fan noise, and temperatures. We compare the two systems to find out which one comes out on top.

Allen Ngo, 28 Feb 2019 23:37

This potential feature is part of Google's Web development program. (Source: Google)

Chrome developers are preparing a new feature to make back/forward navigation faster

Google engineers are developing a 'back/forward cache' to reduce the latency with which Chrome returns to a previous page, or goes forward from one. This involves saving an entire webpage in memory, JavaScript included. While this may enhance the browser's UX, it also implies privacy issues.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 20:35

The new GoPro HERO 7 Dusk White. (Source: GoPro)

The GoPro HERO7 Black now has a limited-edition variant

The HERO7 Black is the top-spec'd SKU of its GoPro camera series. It is now available in a limited-edition alternative finish, Dusk White. This version will be released on March 3, 2019 on gopro.com and selected retailers worldwide.

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Feb 2019 17:52

The 16 Gb DDR5-6400 memory chips from SK Hynix integrate 32 banks or 8 groups for 4 banks each. (Source: SK Hynix)

SK Hynix releases details on the upcoming DDR5-6400 RAM standard

The 16 Gb DDR5-6400 memory chips from SK Hynix could be first to hit the market in late 2019, but the launch prices will be quite high, more appropriate for enterprise environments. On the other hand, the 8 Gb chips should be more cost-effective, thus more appropriate for consumer modules, which are expected in 2020.

Bogdan Solca, 27 Feb 2019 21:45

Lenovo Legion Y740 is somehow $500 cheaper than the next cheapest GeForce RTX 2080 laptop

The Legion Y740-17ICH comes with RTX 2080 Max-Q graphics, a 256 GB SSD, and a 144 Hz IPS display for only $2320 USD. While not inexpensive by any means, this is by far the least expensive laptop with RTX 2080 graphics in the market.

Allen Ngo, 27 Feb 2019 21:28

Chuwi Aerobook is a cheaper alternative to a Dell XPS 13 (Source: Chuwi)

Update | Chuwi Aerobook is a cheaper alternative to the Huawei MateBook

Chuwi's latest copycat laptop has an 80 percent screen-to-body ratio, an aluminum-magnesium chassis, and a weight of just 1.25 kg. Prices and launch dates are still unknown for now as the system is only at its fundraising stage.

Allen Ngo, 27 Feb 2019 21:16

The RAVPower 14mm PD wall charger. (Source: RAVPower)

MWC19 | RAVPower releases its thinnest-ever 45W wall charger with PD

RAVPower, the well-known accessory-maker, has a stand at MWC this year. It showcases a new PD charger, an ultra-thin (14mm) 'wall wart' based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology. RAVPower also has a new wireless charging stand that is also a power bank.

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Feb 2019 20:18

Intel Lakefield uses the new Foveros 3D packaging technique. (Source: Intel on YouTube)

Intel previews the Foveros 3D packaging technology in upcoming Lakefield hybrid CPUs

Intel has previewed the upcoming Lakefield SoC in a bit more detail in a new video. The video illustrates the new Foveros 3D packaging technology and how different heterogeneous components can be stacked on top of each other. This helps in reduced board footprint and consequently, enables thinner, lighter, more powerful devices.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 27 Feb 2019 13:06

We're reviewing AMD's first Zen+ Ryzen 5 3550H gaming laptop

First AMD Zen+ Ryzen 5 3550H gaming laptop now shipping, review in progress

The 12 nm Ryzen 5 3550H quad-core processor will hopefully challenge the Core i5-8300H in the budget-mainstream gaming category. The AMD chip is making its debut on the Asus TUF FX505DY budget gaming laptop now retailing for just $799 USD.

Allen Ngo, 27 Feb 2019 09:50

The Nvidia GeForce MX250 laptop GPU is aimed at mobile gamers. (Source: Nvidia)

Update | Nvidia announces GeForce MX230 and MX250 laptop GPUs

Nvidia has added two new members to the MX product family: The GeForce MX230 and the GeForce MX250. Both GPUs are based on Pascal architecture, offer DirectX 12 support, and they both utilize Nvidia’s Optimus graphics-switching technology. The MX230 and MX250 also support Vulkan 1.1, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 1.2 APIs.

Daniel R Deakin, 27 Feb 2019 00:18

The trade negotiations between the U.S. and China could be close to a resolution. (Source: The Daily Conversation @ Youtube)

Trump delays tariffs for China, trade war might end soon and computer part prices may reset

The trade war between the U.S. and China may soon end, as president Trump believes that the negotiations are going well and is now determined to delay the increased tariffs for China as a gesture of good will. As a direct consequence, the Chinese Shanghai Composite index spiked by 5% and we could be looking at a price reset for the overpriced computer hardware in the next few months.

Bogdan Solca, 26 Feb 2019 22:07

Dell first reported last October that it would be fixing the DPC latency issues that have plagued some XPS 15 9570 laptops (Image source: Dell)

Updated | The Dell XPS 15 9570's DPC latency issues are more complicated than the company first thought

Almost four months on since Dell announced that it would soon fix the DPC latency issues that have caused audio problems for some XPS 15 9570 laptops, Frank Azor has conceded that there is no end in sight for beleaguered owners. While he claims that Dell is making progress, he still cannot give a timeline for when the company hopes to release a fix.

Alex Alderson, 26 Feb 2019 19:18

Lenovo ThinkPad T490s, T490 & T590: Sleeker & brighter screens, but less flexibility

MWC19 | Lenovo ThinkPad T490s, T490 & T590: Sleeker designs & brighter screens, but less flexibility – Update

At MWC 2019, Lenovo has announced five new ThinkPads. The three new T series models ThinkPad T490, T490s & T590 are supposed to win over business-customers with new designs, thinner bezels and better displays.

Benjamin Herzig, 26 Feb 2019 10:46

Lenovo IdeaPad C340 convertible coming with AMD Ryzen 3200U, 3500U, and 3700U options (Source: Lenovo)

MWC19 | AMD Zen+ Ryzen 3200U, 3500U, and 3700U will debut on the Lenovo IdeaPad C340 convertible series

The upcoming mainstream Lenovo IdeaPad C340 family will be one of the first to offer Zen+ Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, and Ryzen 7 processor options that were initially unveiled at CES 2019. The AMD options should be comparable to Intel Whiskey Lake-U for at least $50 USD less when the Lenovo convertible launches next month.

Allen Ngo, 25 Feb 2019 00:01

Lenovo IdeaPad S340 and S540 will carry separate GeForce MX250 and Radeon RX Vega 10 graphics

MWC19 | Lenovo IdeaPad S340 and S540 with AMD Ryzen Zen+ will undercut the Intel SKU by $150 USD

The affordable IdeaPad S340 and S540 series will carry GeForce MX250 and Radeon RX Vega 10 options when they launch in the next couple of months. The AMD-based IdeaPad S540 SKU in particular will retail for $730 compared to $880 for the Intel variant.

Allen Ngo, 25 Feb 2019 00:01

Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 inch instead of 12.5 inch LCDs

MWC19 | Lenovo ThinkPad X390 & X390 Yoga: Smallest ThinkPads now with 13.3 instead of 12.5 inch LCDs

Aside from the larger ThinkPads of the T series, Lenovo has announced two compact models of the X series as well. The Thinkpad X390 has a bigger display with a much smaller screen bezel than its predecessor, while the ThinkPad X390 Yoga has been redesigned with a much thinner chassis.

Benjamin Herzig, 25 Feb 2019 00:01

A GeForce GTX 1660 Ti equivalent GPU should be coming soon for laptops (Image source: Nvidia)

A GeForce GTX 1660 Ti equivalent or GTX 1050 Ti successor should be coming soon for laptops

Now that the RT-free and AI-free GTX 1660 Ti GPU is out for desktops, it's only a matter of time before a similar option becomes available for laptops. An unannounced Nvidia "N18E-G0" GPU is looking more like the inevitable GTX 1050 Ti successor based on the Turing architecture.

Allen Ngo, 24 Feb 2019 21:29

According to a new report, smartphones are now the most popular form of consumer tech. (Source: YouTube)

Smartphones account for 59% of all spending on consumer electronics in 2018: tech author

Jim Harris, an author and speaker on disruptive innovations, has released a new report on consumer tech ahead of MWC 2019. In it, he claims that 59% of all the money spent in the same market in 2018 was expended on smartphones. Harris also asserts that Android is now the most popular software platform.

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Feb 2019 14:42

MWC19 | Huawei MateBook X Pro is finally getting the Whiskey Lake-U treatment

After a full year with the MateBook X Pro, it's about time we get a small refresh. Huawei has unveiled the third generation MateBook X laptop that fixes almost everything we didn't like about the 2018 model including the Thunderbolt 3 port and weaker MX150 GPU. We'll just have to see how its temperatures will fare when it launches this April.

Allen Ngo, 24 Feb 2019 14:30

MWC19 | Upcoming Huawei MateBook 14 will carry GeForce MX250 graphics and be thinner than the Dell XPS 13

Huawei is marketing its new 14-inch Ultrabook as a mainstream offering, but its sleek design and high-end specifications say otherwise. Expect it to be available by this Summer in the United States for a lower starting price than the MateBook X Pro.

Allen Ngo, 24 Feb 2019 14:30

The top-end Alienware Area-51m laptop costs over US$5000. (Source: Dell)

Alienware Area-51m laptops configured with an RTX 2080 will receive power-boosting BIOS in April

XPS and Alienware chief Frank Azor has announced on Twitter that Alienware Area-51m RTX 2080 laptops will soon be receiving a 200 W BIOS update. The Dell executive also stated that the company is aiming for an April release for this power-boosting upgrade. The previous power limit stood at 180 W for the overclockable graphics card.

Daniel R Deakin, 24 Feb 2019 08:30

Buying a Dell XPS 13? We recommend checking for coil whine

Our Dell XPS 13 9380 test unit suffers from high-pitched coil whine that may potentially be a nuisance during regular use. The phenomenon is not damaging to the machine, but its intensity and volume may vary between different units.

Allen Ngo, 23 Feb 2019 21:05

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga. (Source: B&H)

Leaked Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga and ThinkPad X1 Carbon datasheets signal a June launch for Intel Ice Lake

Lenovo could be joining Dell in offering Intel Ice Lake laptops as soon as June this year. Leaked datasheets for the ThinkPad X1 Yoga and ThinkPad X1 Carbon detail the inclusion of Core i5 and Core i7 Ice Lake processor options. The new models are slimmer and the transition to Ice Lake is expected to bring significant benefits to both compute and graphics performance.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 23 Feb 2019 03:44

Intel Gen11 raises the bar for integrated graphics. (Source: Intel)

Intel Gen11 GT2 GPU outperforms the Vega 10 and closes in on the Vega 11 in leaked benchmarks

GFXBench results of Intel's upcoming Gen11 GT2 graphics have leaked online and the scores seem to be pretty impressive. The Ice Lake Gen11 GT2 is a significant improvement over Skylake's GT9 and promises 1 TFLOP GPU performance for all. These preliminary scores reveal GT11's advantage over the Vega 10 (and possibly even the Vega 11) and its potential value for OEMs and customers over AMD APUs and NVIDIA MX offerings.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 23 Feb 2019 01:56

Our Core i9 verdict: It’s just not worth it on laptops

With almost a dozen Core i9-8950HK laptops under our belt, we have a pretty good idea about how these unlocked CPUs can perform. Average CPU performance is just 8 to 9 percent faster than the average Core i7-8750H laptop for a disappointing first year debut.

Allen Ngo, 22 Feb 2019 18:46

Xbox One games may become available on the Switch. (Source: Nintendo Enthusiast)

Nintendo Switch may gain ability to use Xbox features, including Game Passes, soon

A YouTuber has asserted that Microsoft will port some games and features to the Nintendo Switch later this year. The indie title Ori has been specifically named in relation to this new purported deal to link the two platforms. This development will also apparently bring Xbox Game Passes to the Switch.

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 16:46

Adobe is offering a limited-time discount on individual Creative Cloud Plans

Adobe is offering a discount on the prices of all-app Creative Cloud (CC) plans. This offer applies to monthly-paid prices for CC and CC plus Adobe Stock plans only, and drops them to US$39.99 and $69.98 respectively. It is valid from now until March 1, 2019.

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 16:20

Windows 20H1, not 19H2, is being tested now. (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft starts developing Windows 20H1 ahead of 19H2

Microsoft's next probable major software release is 19H2, the April 2019 update. However, a build associated with a release in 2020 is the one that has most recently popped up for users in the Skip Ahead program. Despite this, the company insists 19H2 will be ready on time.

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Feb 2019 15:56

The Acer Swift 3 is now available with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics. (Source: Laptopmain)

Acer now offering the Swift 3 with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics

Acer has upgraded its Swift 3 offering to feature the new NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU. The rest of the specifications remain more or less the same. The MX250 is, for all intents and purposes, a re-badged version of the MX150 with slightly higher clocks and will be available in both 10 W and 25 W TDP variants. However, it is not known which TDP variant is being used in the new Swift 3.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 22 Feb 2019 12:23

The Eve V (Image source: Eve Technology)

Eve V: Secret 24-hour flash sale now on

A flash sale is now on for the Eve V, but only until 13:00 GMT tomorrow. The Eve V has been plagued with delays, but Eve Technology ensures that the Surface alternative is in stock and will ship in 2-4 working days.

Alex Alderson, 21 Feb 2019 22:00

TSMC is looking at US$550 million losses, but these should be reduced to around US$220 million with a Q2 production ramp up. (Source: TechSpot)

TSMC reveals details on Fab 14B production incident, estimates considerable losses

It took TSMC a little over two weeks to fully assess the consequences of the Fab 14B incident. Apparently, the chemical contamination was triggered by an abnormal reaction in the photoresistant material that led to a polymer residue compromising up to 30,000 of 12 nm and 16 nm wafers. Total losses are estimated around US$550 million, but TSMC intends to ramp up production in Q2 to mitigate part of the losses.

Bogdan Solca, 21 Feb 2019 21:36

Lioncast LM60: An RGB gaming mouse and a high-resolution optical sensor for US$80

Lioncast is a comparatively new manufacturer, but that has not stopped it from expanding its range of mice. The company has now released the LM60, a wired mouse with RGB lighting and a high-resolution optical sensor. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lioncast has designed the LM60 with gamers in mind.

Alex Alderson, 21 Feb 2019 17:56

The new fabs will be located south of Seoul. (Source: SK Hynix/Korea Times)

SK Hynix planning enormous US$107 billion semiconductor fab investment

Reuters has reported that the South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix is planning on investing 120 trillion won (~US$106.6 billion) on chip manufacturing plants. The company will also spend an additional 55 trillion won (US$49 billion) on two existing factories over the next 10 years. SK Hynix is the world’s third-largest semiconductor vendor by revenue.

Daniel R Deakin, 21 Feb 2019 08:57

Lenovo ThinkPad 2019 leak: Data-sheets of the redesigned ThinkPads T490, T490s & T590 have been leaked

Lenovo's ThinkPad division gets hit by another leak, as a reddit user has published data-sheets for most of the upcoming ThinkPad business laptops. Though there is no way to verify the specs at this point, the specs of the T490 do line up with the already announced special T490 Healthcare Edition.

Benjamin Herzig, 21 Feb 2019 03:29

The end of 2019 could bring halved prices for consumer DRAM modules. (Source: PCGamesN)

RAM prices to see 30% cuts in the next few months

Ever since the Chinese government started to investigate memory chip suppliers over suspicious price fixing schemes, DRAM module prices started to slowly decline, and it looks like prices could get reduced by 30% in Q2 2019. By the end of 2019 DDR4 DRAM modules may end up costing up to 50% less, and prices may flatten as the DDR5 standard becomes more popular.

Bogdan Solca, 20 Feb 2019 20:45

We benchmark the cheapest GeForce RTX laptop on Newegg and performance is better than a GTX 1070 Max-Q

We benchmark the cheapest RTX laptop on Newegg and performance is better than a GeForce GTX 1070 Max-Q

The MSI GL73 with RTX 2060 graphics begins to shine when gaming at higher resolutions beyond 1080p and with DirectX 12 active. Otherwise, users can get the same performance or better out of an older GTX 1070 laptop for lower prices.

Allen Ngo, 18 Feb 2019 19:44

Intel 9th gen H-series CPUs are expected to launch in Q2 2019. (Source: Gameaxis)

Details of the Intel 9th gen H-series CPUs emerge, Core i9-9980HK to be the flagship SKU

An Intel export compliance metrics document has listed the new 9th gen H-series processors for laptops. These CPUs include the Core i5-9300H all the way to the Core i9-9980HK. The 9th gen H-series CPUs are not official yet and Intel has not provided many details apart from the boost clocks, L3 cache, and CTP values aimed at authorities and regulators to determine the capabilities of each chip. The 9th gen H-series processors are expected to be officially announced in Q2 this year and will feature in many gaming notebooks.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 18 Feb 2019 09:32