Computer Systems

We got our first look at the ACEMAGIC Retro X5 Mini Gaming PC back at CES earlier this year, with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-powered device turning more than a few heads thanks to its retro-inspired design. And by that, we mean it looks a lot like the classic 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System console from the 1980s, but with modern hardware, including 32GB of DDR5 5600MHz memory and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD.

With the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370's integrated RDNA 3.5 Radeon 890M graphics, it's a fairly capable little gaming rig that can play most modern AAA titles at 1080p 60 FPS with optimized settings. And all of that in a tiny 138 x 128 x 45mm footprint. And with WiFi 7, BT 5.4, USB4, USB 3.2, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort support, it's a capable PC that is more than capable of being a daily productivity driver and running local AI models.

Of course, with its retro-gaming design, the ACEMAGIC Retro X5 Mini Gaming PC is being marketed as a Steam Machine-like gaming PC that can sit next to a TV or on a desk. And with that, it's available for purchase on Amazon at a special launch price of $1,049.99.

The analysts at Gartner are predicting that PC shipments will decline by 10.4% in 2026 due to the current memory and storage crisis affecting the consumer technology market. And with that, Gartner estimates that DRAM and SSD prices will surge by 130% by the end of the year, driving PC prices up by 17%.

"This is the steepest contraction in device shipments witnessed in over a decade. Higher prices will narrow the range of devices available, prompting buyers to hold on to devices for longer, fundamentally altering upgrade cycles," said Ranjit Atwal, Sr Director Analyst at Gartner. A sentiment shared by many, and one that feels like the expected outcome of a situation where data centers and the AI market are buying up anything and everything, and are willing to spend the money to do so.

However, as prices rise, Gartner predicts a sharp increase in the total bill of materials (BOM) for building PCs and laptops, effectively killing the entry-level laptop and PC market. "This sharp increase removes vendors' ability to absorb costs, making low-margin entry-level laptops nonviable. Ultimately, we expect the sub-$500 entry-level PC segment will disappear by 2028," Ranjit Atwal adds.

Select products in Lenovo's 'Intelligent Devices Group' portfolio, which includes PCs, tablets, and mobile devices, are reportedly going to experience a price increase in early March 2026. This news arrives via CRN, citing Lenovo's Wade McFarland as the source.

In a letter to its partners, confirmed by Lenovo, "the scope and impact of any updates will vary, and specific details will be communicated directly where applicable." In a follow-up statement provided to CRN, Ryan McCurdy, Lenovo's North America president, added that "there's no way around it" and that the company "absolutely had to adjust and continue to adjust" prices in response to the global DRAM and NAND crisis.

The last couple of months, or the beginning of 2026 to be more precise, have been tumultuous for the consumer technology market as the dramatic increase in memory and storage prices, alongside limited supply, has led to an unprecedented situation where the biggest players in the space, like Lenovo, are having to deal with the situation brought on by the current AI boom.

NZXT has just launched its latest stylish and impressive compact case, the H2 Flow Mini-ITX. With its fine-mesh panels, 20.7L vertical GPU-mounted tower design, and toolless construction, NZXT is aiming to make small-form-factor (SFF) builds more viable, accessible, and powerful than ever.

In addition to the standalone case, which supports liquid cooling and modern GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards, NZXT is launching an all-in-one H2 Mini PC powered by a GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5080. As one of the most powerful 4K gaming cards on the market, the impressive compact H2 Mini PC is small enough to fit on any desk or sit comfortably in a living room.

NZXT confirms that the H2 Mini PC will only be available in the US. Even though it's priced at $3,499 USD for both the AMD and Intel CPU variants, it packs some impressive hardware. In addition to the GeForce RTX 5080, you've got your choice of an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or an Intel Core Ultra 9 285 K, both paired with 32GB of DDR5 memory and 2TB of M.2 storage.

Puget Systems, which has a strict testing process for components and RMA reviews for the systems it builds, has prepared its annual report on the most reliable PC hardware of 2025. Although it doesn't cover the entire brand landscape, it's still a great indicator of performance and reliability across the components that make up a modern desktop PC: CPU, GPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, and power supply.

Looking at the desktop CPU space, both AMD Ryzen 9000 Series and Intel Core Ultra processors have an almost identical failure rate: 2.52% for AMD and 2.49% for Intel. Although AMD edges out Intel here, the company notes that it's too close for there to be a "statistically significant difference."

When drilling down to specific models, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K takes the crown as the most reliable processor, with a failure rate of only 0.77%. This is followed by AMD's Ryzen 9000 X3D Series processors, which have a failure rate of just 1.51%.

MAINGEAR has just unleashed a super-limited Retro98 series of desktop gaming PCs, sporting AMD's new Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, and so much more... inside of an unbelievably awesome chassis. Check it out:

The new MAINGEAR Retro98 gaming systems are a limited-edition gaming PC drop that is inspired by what started the company's -- and millions of PC gamers worldwide -- an old-school beige tower, but with monster PC hardware inside. MAINGEAR is using the SilverStone FLP02 tower PC case, looking like it was ripped right out of 1998.

Inside, you can option for a super-high-end liquid-cooling system that was co-developed by Alphacool, with MAINGEAR configuring its Retro98 system with up to a Ryzen 9 9950X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 with 24GB of GDDR7 memory, ultra-fast Kingston FURY DDR5 RAM and SSDs, as well as modern airflow engineering, and more.

ZOTAC has announced a new model in its ZBOX series of mini PCs: the ZOTAC ZBOX MAGNUS EAMAX395C. Described as its "most powerful AMD-powered ZBOX mini PC," it packs AMD's impressive Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 processor, aka 'Strix Halo,' in a compact 2.65L form factor. With up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, 16 cores and 32 threads, and integrated Radeon 8060S Graphics, it's an impressive unit.

The Radeon 8060S is AMD's most powerful integrated GPU, with 40 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units, and in a Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 system with 128GB of memory, which also means up to 96GB of VRAM. Of course, the Radeon 8060S is still a 1080p gaming graphics card; however, it won't have any issues running most AAA games at 60 FPS with impressive visual fidelity and detail settings.

In addition to gaming, there's also up to 126 Total AI TOPS of performance when you combine the NPU and GPU, making the MAGNUS EAMAX395C an impressively compact unit for running local AI workloads.

The new MINISFORUM AtomMan G7 Pro is a slimline mini PC built for gaming, featuring a GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU and the powerful Intel Core i9 14900HX processor. In addition to supporting the latest RTX technologies, such as DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, the GPU also delivers up to 798 TOPS of AI performance.

Although compact, the AtomMan G7 Pro features a 200W sustained "dual-load performance design," which means the Intel Core i9-14900HX can draw up to 85W while the GeForce RTX 5070 8GB Laptop GPU delivers its full performance at 115W. MINISFORUM notes that this makes it a powerful rig for gaming, content creation, and demanding AI workloads.

The AtomMan G7 Pro's sleek design features a slimline aluminum mini PC that's only 33mm thick, and the compact tower features a custom cooling solution with dual fans, six heat pipes, and a three-sided exhaust system. In addition to a customizable RGB light bar, the AtomMan G7 Pro also has a physical performance-mode switch, or Turbo Button, for maximizing performance or switching between Office and Game modes.

At CES 2026, Acemagic showcased a range of new Mini PCs, some of which were powered by AMD's new Ryzen AI 400 Series, which was announced at the show. Two designs that immediately stood out from the pack were the NES-inspired Retro X5, announced late last year, and a new design described as a blend of the original Sony PlayStation and the Sega Dreamcast.

The Retro X5's Nintendo Entertainment System look is unmistakable, with the mini PC resembling the classic 1985 console while featuring modern USB and display ports. Acemagic calls the design '1985 Reimagined,' and it's clear that this is a Mini PC aimed at retro gaming and PC gaming fans.

Underneath the hood, it's powered by AMD's new Gorgon Point-powered Ryzen AI 400 Series, with up to a Ryzen AI 9 HX 470. This 12 Core (4 x Zen 5 and 8 x Zen 5c) and 24 Thread processor includes integrated RDNA 3.5 powered Radeon 890M graphics with 16 CUs. GPU-wise, it's powerful enough to run most games at 60 FPS at 1080p as well as 'emulate' classic console and gaming hardware.

A new report from International Data Corporation (IDC) indicates that global PC shipments grew by an impressive 9.6% year over year in Q4 2025. With shipments estimated at 76.4 million units, the big winners were Lenovo, HP, Dell, and ASUS, all of which experienced double-digit growth compared to the same period in 2024. Lenovo led the quarter with 25.3% market share.

The growth is attributed to several factors, including increased demand driven by the holiday season, Windows 10 officially reaching the end of life, and early 2025 tariff concerns, which led to more inventory hitting the market. Another factor that drove growth in Q4 2025 was the upcoming memory shortages that are expected to hit all aspects of the PC market as we head into 2026.

And so, even though 9.6% year over year is definitely good news, the overall outlook for 2026 isn't so bright. In fact, IDC predicts that the PC market will look very different in 12 months based on "how quickly the memory situation is evolving."

Thunderobot had its new MIX GAMING 2 Mini-PC on display at CES 2026 this year, with enough power to easily run 4K @ 120FPS gaming.

The MIX GAMING 2 system is thin-and-tall, looking quite unique standing up and solid on its stand, but inside you can configure it with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, and up to an ultra-fast NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU with 24GB of GDDR7 memory.

Thunderbolt allows for up to 230W of power to flow into the system, with the CPU allowed to use 120W on its own, and up to 175W on the GPU. Thunderobot uses an in-house "Night Owl" thermal system, with the internal layout integrated into one huge heatsink, fin stack, and dual fans that keep the 275HX and RTX 5090 cool.

Minisforum had plenty of products showcased at CES 2026, but one of the main ones that I wanted to see in the flesh was the MS-S1 MAX. A powerful AI workstation packing the AMD Strix Halo APU, up to 128GB of RAM, and more, all in a small form factor system.

The new Minisforum MS-S1 MAX workstation packs the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU which has 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 processing power, the powerful Radeon 8060S with 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5 GPU power, and up to 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory.

On the front I/O we've got 2 x USB4, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps), 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack, and 2 x DMIC. On the rear, you've got 2 x 10GbE ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps), 2 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB4 V2 (80Gbps), 1 x HDMI 2.1 FRL (up to 8K @ 60Hz and 4K @ 120Hz).

AMD showed off its impressive new Ryzen AI Halo Mini-PC at CES 2026, powered by its Ryzen AI Max series "Strix Halo" APUs, acting as an answer to the NVIDIA DGX Spark.

AMD's flagship Strix Halo APU features up to 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 CPU power, 40 cores of RDNA 3.5 GPU power, an XDNA 2-based NPU for AI workloads, and up to 128GB of RAM. AMD has used the power of its Strix Halo APU and created the Ryzen AI Halo, which will take the mini AI supercomputer battle to NVIDIA's doorstep with its DGX Spark.

The new AMD Ryzen AI Halo has been designed as an AI Developer Platform, similar to how it works with the NVIDIA DGX Spark, designed to speed up AI development and workloads.

Dell has announced its very latest Area-51 desktop gaming PC will arrive with the world's fastest gaming CPU: AMD's new Ryzen 7 9850X3D which just launched at CES 2026.

Dell launched the Alienware Area-51 desktop gaming PC at CES 2025 but only had Intel Core Ultra 200 series "Arrow Lake" processors, but in November 2025 it unlocked AMD Ryzen 9000 series "Zen 5" processors. At CES 2026 this week, the company announced the Alienware Area-51 would be available with AMD's new Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor.

You can configure a new Alienware Area-51 desktop gaming PC with AMD's new Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 with 24GB of GDDR7 memory... however, only 64GB of DDR5 (there are only two DIMM slots), and up to 12TB of SSD storage.

ASUS has just unleashed its new ROG G1000 at CES 2026, a next-level desktop gaming PC that has the best PC gaming hardware money can buy, and show-stopping innovation. Check it out:

At the core of the new ASUS ROG G1000 desktop gaming PC is the built-in AniMe Holo fan, which is the world's first holographic fan system inside of a pre-built gaming PC, and it's capable of projecting customizable holographic visuals on your PC.

The AniMe Holo module is housed inside of an independent chamber that features a hinge-door design, making sure that airflow isn't interfering with the rest of the components thermal path, helping reduce overall system noise by limiting vibration from the AniMe Holo system.

Lenovo has some new products to unveil at CES 2026 in less than two weeks time, with two new systems leaked: the Yoga Mini i desktop, and the new ThinkCentre X AIO Aura Edition system with an uber-interesting 16:18 near-square display. Let's dive right in.

First off, the new Lenovo ThinkCentre X AIO Aura Edition looks like one of the most interesting products from the company for CES 2026, with a unique 16:18 aspect ratio. The leaks are coming from WindowsLatest, which reports the near-square 27.6-inch panel will help creators, programmers, data-focused users, and more with more than enough vertical display area to view two A4 pages of content in portrait.

The new AIO system is (unfortunately) a new Copilot+ PC, powered by Intel's new Core Ultra X7 series "Panther Lake" CPUs, with an IPS-based display and native 2560 x 2880 resolution @ 60Hz, the 2560 pixels wide is the same as a 1440p panel (which is 2560 x 1440) but the 2880 pixels high is double that of a regular 1440p, meaning it'll be impressive for particular users who will adore the additional vertical pixels.

We all know RAM prices are utterly out of control, with system integrator MAINGEAR announcing its new "BYO" RAM builds, where gamers can have a pre-built system created with, or without RAM.

MAINGEAR's new category of gaming and high-end enthusiast PCs will ship without DDR5 modules, with the company calling the new systems "BYO" RAM Builds.

This is good for gamers who already have their RAM ready, or they might have found a fantastic deal on some DDR5 memory, you can place your order with MAINGEAR and send them your RAM, and they'll slot it into your new MAINGEAR system, test it, and tune it for performance and stability.

Digital Storm will unveil its next-gen flagship desktop gaming PC at CES 2026, with the upgraded Aventum X, and it looks gorgeous from just the few teaser photos the company has online. Check them out:

The company has the Aventum X system on the market now, with high-end custom liquid cooling and easy serviceability, with the chassis using fixed inlet and outlet ports on the motherboard tray, which make it easy to disconnect liquid cooling parts without tearing the whole loop apart.

Digital Storm offers high-end Intel and AMD processor offerings, with up to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (starts at $5064) , the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (starts at $5032), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X (starts at $7153). There are plenty of RAM, SSD, and GPU options depending on how much power you want inside of your Aventum X gaming PC.

AOOSTAR has just launched its new NEX395 Mini-PC system in China, powered by AMD's flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU, a huge 128GB of RAM, and a cost of just under $3000.

The new AOOSTAR NEX395 Mini-PC system ships with its massive 128GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory running on a 256-bit memory bus, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 "Strix Halo" APU with its 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 processing power, and powerful 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8060S integrated GPU goodness.

The company has beefed up the cooling design and power delivery of the new NEX395 Mini-PC, with AOOSTAR describing its "Glacier VC" thermal design with an IVC plate and a higher 140W TDP performance mode. AOOSTAR says that its 3DMark numbers were taken at 120W with scores of around 11,550 points total, a GPU score of 11,639 points, and a CPU score of 11,073 points.

It's no secret that the DRAM and memory crisis is well and truly here, as seen with the dramatic price increases for products like DDR5 memory. According to a new report (via TrendForce), memory shortages and supply squeezes are about to hit products from two of the biggest names in consumer and commercial PC products: Dell and Lenovo.

The report highlights recent comments Dell COO Jeff Clarke made to Bloomberg in November, in which he said he's "never seen memory-chip costs rise this fast." And with that, Dell has apparently issued a price-hike alert to its customers, indicating that prices will increase by "at least" 15-20% as soon as next week or mid-December 2025.

In addition, Lenovo has started communicating with its customers and notifying them of upcoming price increases that will take effect in early 2026. According to the report, Lenovo is telling its customers that existing quotes and prices will expire on January 1, 2026, due to memory shortages and the rapidly growing AI and cloud markets. Lenovo hasn't specified a figure like Dell's 15-20%, but it's expected that it will be in a similar region.