Computer Systems News - Page 5

If you buy a new M3 iMac or M3 MacBook Air at an Apple Store today, you'll spend more than a thousand dollars yet only get a machine with 8GB of RAM - unless you choose to upgrade to a more copious amount and pay extra, of course. That's something that Apple has long drawn flak for with many Windows PCs and laptops shipping with more, especially at the same kind of price point. However, Apple has now suggested that there is a very good reason these Macs come with just 8GB of RAM - that's all that people really need.

At least, that's what most people who buy these particular Macs need, according to two Apple executives who were interviewed by IT Home.

According to the IT Home report, Mac marketing executive Evan Buyze argued that the entry-level 8GB of RAM in iMacs and MacBook Airs is plenty for most tasks and most users. He used some examples as well, saying that media playback. photo and video editing. and even gaming only needs 8GB assuming you aren't pushing the boundaries - high-end games might need more, but it's unlikely anything downloaded from the App Store and Apple Arcade, will. Web browsing is another key use, and 8GB is plenty for that, too.

Apple might have only released its first Macs powered by the M3 chips a few months ago but a new report claims that it is already working towards making the first M4-powered Macs available, too. The report claims that the first Macs with M4 chips are just around the corner with the latest iteration on Apple silicon nearing production.

The report, which comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, claims that the new chip will come in three varieties - likely M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max - and will eventually find its way into every model of Mac that Apple sells. However, the source of the information isn't clear with Gurman keeping their identity secret for obvious reasons.

According to the report Apple plans to release the new Macs beginning later this year before continuing the rollout into 2025. There will be new iMacs and a low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro as well as a high-end 14-inch MacBook Pro to go with an equally powerful 16-inch model. New Mac minis are also expected, all powered by Apple's new M4 trio of chips. Gurman does note that Apple's plans could change, however. Given recent delays associated with the OLED iPad Pro launch, it's entirely possible that could happen.

After being in a prolonged slump for some time now, it appears that the PC market is in recovery, with a small - but nonetheless notable - amount of growth recorded in the latest figures from a big analyst firm.

IDC's latest report on global PC sales shows that in Q1 2024 there were 59.8 million devices shipped, which represents growth of 1.5% year-on-year.

Indeed, this is almost a return to pre-pandemic sales, as if we look back five years to Q1 2019, there were 60.5 million sales - so in 2024 we are nearly back at that level of shipments.

YouTuber "noisycarlos" has converted his Framework 13 laptop into an interesting, battery-powered all-in-one (AIO) workstation system. Check out the full details in his video below:

During the conversion process of turning his Framework laptop into an AIO workstation, the YouTuber created -- and is selling, you can buy it here -- a Framework 13 Conversion kit, so you can make your own Framework AIO system if you wanted to, which is really cool.

Noisycarlos found himself traveling and working on the go, and laptops weren't good for what he needed and his specific requirements. He didn't like clamshell laptops with their keyboard designs and that a 15-inch laptop was too big for something like using it in long haul flights. So, he decided to "optimize" the laptop design into something super-portable, as long as there is a desk (or hanging hooks) at the destination: hotel, AirBnb, etc.

Alafia AI has just unveiled its new Aivas SuperWorkstation for medical imaging, with the startup packing some serious hardware into the AIO workstation PC.

Inside, the Alafia Aivas SuperWorkstation features a 128-core Ampere Altra processor and two NVIDIA RTX workstation series graphics cards. The AIO system itself features a 4K display that is touch-capable, with the 128-core Ampere Altra CPU running at 3.0GHz, while the GPUs can be configured with either NVIDIA's RTX 4000 or RTX A3000 workstation graphics cards.

You can configure the super-workstation AIO system with up to 2TB of DDR4 memory and up to 8TB of SSD storage, which is a damn good CPU/GPU combo and RAM/SSD combo for an AIO system with a 4K-capable touch display.

Minisforum just officially launched its new V3 tablet powered by AMD's new Hawk Point APU, but the company had plenty of new Mini-PC designs to show off under their newly-announced AtomMan branding.

The company is shifting some of its focus to creating high-end Mini-PC systems based on AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA hardware, with the first of these new systems expected to be available for pre-order on May 20. One of those new systems is the Minisforum AtomMan UM890WE, a new high-end Mini-PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS APU.

Inside, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS APU features 8 cores and 16 threads that boost up to 5.2GHz, 16MB of L3 cache, 8MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of up to 45W. On the integrated GPU side of things, we've got the Radeon 780M, which features 12 compute units with the GPU boosting up to 2.8GHz. Minisforum's new AtomMan AI Mini-PC comes in a small 3.5L chassis, and is water-cooled... very cool, pun intended.

The new ASUS ROG NUC compact gaming PC is nearly ready, with the new system hitting retailers in Germany for around 2500 euros, or $2700 USD or so.

Inside, the ASUS ROG NUC system will feature up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H "Meteor Lake" CPU that features 16 cores and 22 threads, part of Intel's Meteor Lake-H series high-end processors. We have a CPU boost speed of up to 5.1GHz, with a default TDP of 45W.

The CPU itself comes with Arc Xe-LPG graphics on-board, with a full 8 x Xe-Core configuration, but there's also a discrete GPU inside of the ASUS ROG NUC compact gaming PC in the form of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 memory and a locked 115W TGP with optional Dynamic Boost of up to 140W.

Apple released the macOS Sonoma 14.4 software update recently and while it brought with it new emojis and support for transcripts in the Apple Podcasts app, it also brought with it a number of bugs, it seems. Recent reports have suggested that the new software update is causing issues with some USB-C and Thunderbolt docks, now it seems printers aren't faring much better.

The previous reports said that some people who connected input accessories like mice and keyboards via a hub were finding that they no longer worked after updating to the macOS Sonoma 14.4 software version. Some also reported the same problem when using their monitor, too. While the problem doesn't seem to be impacting everyone, people have already taken to social media and even Apple's own support forums to report the issue. Now, it seems that people are having similar issues with printers - but it doesn't matter how they're connected to the Mac which rules out hubs, it would appear.

Apple Insider reports that a number of macOS Sonoma 14.4 users have reported that they can no longer print after installing the same update. Posts on Reddit and again, Apple's own support forums, suggest that the problem isn't one that users can easily fix. According to one Reddit post, macOS Sonoma 14.4 removes the core CUPS software that is required for printing which in turn means that there is no way for the Mac to talk to the printer and ask it to do its job.

MAINGEAR has officially launched its new ZERO series gaming PC systems, which feature MSI's new Project Zero motherboards and cases.

The new MAINGEAR ZERO series desktop PC systems use MG-RC hidden cables, which shift the connectors and cables to the back of the system, making for a sleek look. MAINGEAR kicks off the pricing of its new ZERO systems at $1399, ranging up to $3929 before you customize your own system.

MAINGEAR uses mostly Intel Core CPUs inside its ZERO systems, par for the Ruby build, which rocks my favorite CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs. But the heart and soul are the MG-RC hidden cable technology from MAINGEAR and MSI inside the ZERO.

Buying a new M3 iMac just got a bit cheaper if you happen to be in Canada, with Apple adding its popular all-in-one computer to its refurbished store in the country for the first time. The news means that buyers can choose between a brand-new model or one that has been refurbished, giving them an extra option and a way to save money as well.

Refurbished M3 iMacs are currently offered on the Canadian Apple Store website and are available in a whole host of colors and configurations with prices starting at $1.439 Canadian. That model would normally sell for $1,699 which means buyers save $260. The model in question is the M3 chip with 8 CPU cores and an 8-core GPU and Green, Blue, and Pink colors are currently available. 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD round out the main specifications.

Those looking to really save some cash might want to look at the upgraded M3 iMac with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU as well as a 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM. That model would normally sell for $2,199 but if you choose to go the refurbished route you'll pay just $1,869, saving $330 in the process. At the time of writing there is only one color available in that configuration, however.