Computer Systems - Page 7

The Apple-1 Computer was developed and conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve 'Woz' Wozniak in the mid-1970s as a complete hobbyist kit. It was also one of the first 'personal computers' you could buy, as it didn't require any soldering or additional components - even though the exposed board makes it look like a prototype.

Not many Apple-1 Computers were produced, and even fewer still exist in working order today - many were traded in for an Apple II. One of them, which belonged to an early Apple employee named Dana Redington, was recently put up for auction, where it sold for $315,914 USD.

"In early 1978, while preparing for a move to a new building, I noticed a pile of soon-to-be-discarded Apple I boards," Dana Redington says of the working Apple-1 Computer. "Apple had offered a trade-in program for upgrading to the Apple II to help phase out the older board. With Wozniak and Jobs' permission, I selected the best motherboard and a couple of cassette interface cards from the pile."

There's already a mini PC packing a flagship (Strix Point) AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor kicking about, albeit a pre-release model, but it has been reviewed - and the results are impressive.

VideoCardz reports that ETA Prime on YouTube grabbed the scoop here and put the compact prototype from SOUYO through its gaming paces, with the integrated RDNA 3.5 graphics (featuring a beefy 16 CUs) in the HX 370 carving out some nicely smooth frame rates.

Okay, so the caveat here is that in 1080p resolution, the graphics are on low settings (or sometimes medium) - and FSR kicks up the frame rate, too - but still, you get a decent enough image quality, and a fluid 60 FPS across a range of games.

A new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed more details about Apple's upcoming M4 Mac Mini, with the report stating Apple is about to make its biggest design change to its smallest computer offering.

According to the report, Apple's upcoming M4 Mac Mini will arrive in at least three different models, each sporting at least three USB-C's on the back, an HDMI port, and a power cable. In terms of design, Gurman was told the M4 Mac Mini is "essentially an iPad Pro in a small box," and the box will measure around 1.4 inches in height, making it the smallest desktop computer Apple has ever offered.

As for specifics about the M4 chip, reports indicate it will arrive with a powerful new CPU that has four performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. Additionally, the M4 is reportedly 50% faster than the M2. The new chip will also come with a 10-core GPU, Dynamic Caching, and hardware ray-tracing - all of which will be 4x faster than the M2 iPad Pro. As for the Neural Engine, reports indicate it will be a 16-core design that is capable of 38 trillion operations per second, which is 60x faster than Apple's first Neural Engine.

Lenovo has just launched its new YOGA Portal Ultimate PC to fight the Apple Mac Studio system, powered by a desktop Intel LGA1700 socket and desktop NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics. Check it out:

The new Lenovo YOGA Portal Ultimate PC is aimed at the Chinese market, inside powered with an Intel Core i7-14700 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics. The global market version of the Neo Ultra variant features up to an Intel Core i9-14900 processor and RTX 4060 graphics, so the Chinese version has a less powerful CPU, but much more powerful GPU.

Lenovo isn't using the Laptop GPU variant of the GeForce RTX 4070, but the actual full desktop RTX 4070. Lenovo's new YOGA Portal Ultimate PC can have its CPU swapped out because the company is using Intel's desktop LGA1700 socket, but the GPU might be a harder upgrade given that the custom cooling inside of the system is designed for this form factor.

Alright, this new Telsa Cybertruck Mini-PC is the coolest thing I've seen today: inside, featuring the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS "Hawk Point" APU and you even press the hood of the system to power it on.

Taku Udon has now reviewed the new Cybertruck Mini-PC, and instead of looking like a regular -- but modded -- PC, it looks like a Tesla Cybertruck RC that is actually a PC. We're talking about having shock absorbers; all four doors can be opened, and you can even steer the wheels. Oh yeah, the trunk has an expanding ramp because you'll never use it, but it's there. So cool.

Under the Cybertruck's rear bumper, you'll find all of the connectors hidden away, with the power button hidden under the front shock absorbers. This means you'll have to press the truck down to start the PC, which is so cool to hear.

GEEKOM has just unveiled its new Mega Mini G1 PC: an interestingly designed Mini-PC that would look crazy good on any gaming desk.

The new GEEKOM Mega Mini G1 is a futuristically-styled new Mini-PC that measures 250 x 150 x 150mm, already showcased at MWC and Computex earlier this year, it's now bigger and will be shown in prototype form at IFA in September. Inside, GEEKOM will pack up to an Intel Core i9-13900H processor (14 cores, 22 threads) with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 discrete GPU.

GEEKOM includes OCulink connectivity, so if you wanted faster GPU performance than what the RTX 4060 is capable of, you can hook up an external graphics card with far more power. GEEKOM says that the RTX 4060 GPU inside of its new Mega Mini G1 PC runs at up to 120W, showing some performance metrics to back up those claims:

Global PC shipments rose by 3% for this year's second quarter, marking two consecutive quarters of growth after an alarming two years of decline. PC shipments hit 64.9 million units for the three months ending in June, which is great news for the industry as we head into the AI PC era. However, even though everyone's talking about and pushing AI, it sounds like regular PC sales are driving the growth, especially those from Apple.

According to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), Apple's shipments increased by 20.8% for the quarter, followed by Acer, whose shipments grew by 13.7%. Even though Apple saw significant growth, its market share of 8.8% sits below that of companies like Lenovo (22.7%), HP Inc. (21.2%), and Dell Technologies (15.5%).

Looking at the top five companies, Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, and Acer, only Dell saw a 2.4% decline in shipments. With Microsoft's new Copilot+ PCs recently debuting and more AI-ready mobile hardware on the way from AMD and Intel later this year, it will be interesting to see what impact AI PCs have on global PC shipments.

Minisforum has just launched its new AtomMan G7 PT Mini-PC, the fastest gaming PC that the company has released so far. Check it out:

The new Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT is the world's first AMD Advantage-certified Mini-PC, packing the AMD Ryzen 7 7945HX processor and Radeon RX 7600M XT GPU, even boasting an ultra-fast Gen5 SSD for storage. The new AtomMan G7 PT Mini-PC could be considered a spiritual successor to the Intel NUC Enthusiast systems, but now that the ASUS ROG NUC systems are here, gamers are flocking to those Mini-PCs.

The new ASUS ROG NUC systems feature higher-end Intel Core Ultra 9 185H "Meteor Lake" processors and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPUs, which are components commonly found in higher-end gaming laptops. But, this is where ASUS has hefty pricing on its new ROG NUC, and now... there's a cheaper alternative with the Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT Mini-PC which starts at just $999.

Taiwan's two major PC vendors Acer and ASUS saw strong June and Q2 2024 sales led by strong shipments of new AI PCs and a recovery of the PC sector.

In a new report from outlet UDN, we're learning that Acer reported a 33.4% year-on-year increase in June revenue up to NT$28.2 billion (around $865 million USD or so), while ASUS reported a 21.5% year-on-year increase to NT$58.4 billion (around $1.79 billion USD or so).

ASUS said that its PC product shipments in Q2 2024 were "better than expected" and alongside AI server shipments, its brand revenue in Q2 2024 record a record high for the same period of last year. ASUS emphasized that the company has taken the lead in launching Copilot+ PC systems, with the most extensive AI innovation applications from June to July, and will continue to expand its various AI applications and product innovations to fully deplop the new growth cycle of AI.

Here's something a bit different: a mini PC that's been tucked away inside a keyboard, and it's a seriously portable peripheral (15 x 10cm) at that.

This is an innovative device revealed by a Chinese manufacturer, Linglong, who showed off the keyboard PC in a presentation on Bilibili (as flagged up by Tom's Hardware).

The computer-keyboard hybrid folds in half so it'll actually fit in a pocket (and that feat is actually demonstrated in the presentation for the device).

ASUS has finally unveiled its new ROG NUG 970 and ROG NUC 760 systems, new NUC systems that have some seriously powerful hardware inside of the 2.5-liter chassis. Check them out:

The new ASUS ROG NUC 970 and ROG NUC 760 Mini-PCs feature an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H or Core Ultra 7 155H "Meteor Lake" CPUs, both featuring up to 16 cores and 22 threads at different CPU clocks. There's the option for either NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 or RTX 4060 Laptop GPUs, along with the integrated Arc GPU on the Meteor Lake processor.

ASUS supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 memory on the new ROG NUC systems, with space for at least 3 x Gen4 M.2 2280 SSDs. This is mighty impressive, as some Mini-PC systems only have room for a single Gen4 SSD. That's not like ASUS, with 3 x Gen4 SSD slots joined by Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, multiple USB ports (USB-C, USB-A), HDMI 2.1, and even dual DisplayPort 1.4 connectors.

It was only a matter of time, but it is coming: Mini-PC manufacturer Xyber XPC has just unveiled the world's first AMD Ryzen Mini-PC themed after Tesla's super-popular, near-indestructible Cybertruck. Check it out:

Xyber XPC is a Mini-PC manufacturer based in Hong Kong, China, unveiling its new Xyber XPC Mini-PC themed as a Tesla Cybertruck on Indiegogo. Inside, we have AMD's current-gen Ryzen 7 8845HS "Hawk Point" APU, and support for up to 64GB of DDR5 memory.

The team had its Cybertruck Mini-PC on display at Computex 2024 last month, with the team saying the XPC is in full production right now and isn't far away Inside, there's the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS "Hawk Point" APU, up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 (SO-DIMM) memory, and up to 4TB of SSD storage... which is damn good inside of the Cybertruck-themed system.

Minisforum has just introduced its new UH125H Pro Mini-PC which packs Intel's Core Ultra 5 125H "Meteor Lake" CPU, OCulink connectivity, and interestingly... a physical Copilot+ button. Check it out:

The new Minisforum UH125H Pro Mini-PC rocks the Intel Core Utlra 5 125H "Meteor Lake" CPU which is a 14-core, 18-thread CPU with a maximum CPU boost clock of up to 4.5GHz, with a single large diameter fan, phase-changing thermal pads, and 3-heatpipe cooling system keeping thermals under control.

The new Minisforum UH125H Pro Mini-PC features support for DDR5-5600 memory, which can be crammed with an incredible 96GB. The system ships with either no RAM or 32GB of DDR5-5600, but it is user-upgradable.

Lenovo is taking the fight to Apple with the launch of its new ThinkCenter neo Ultra, which is powered by Intel and NVIDIA hardware, and will be a competitor to the Mac Studio. Check it out:

The company offers its new ThinkCenter neo Ultra PC with up to the Intel Core i9-14900T processor, packing 24 cores and 32 threads that boost up to 5.5GHz. Lenovo lets you customize the ThinkCenter neo Ultra with up to 64GB of RAM (up to DDR5-4800), and up to 2 x 1TB Gen4 SSDs for up to 2TB of Gen4 SSD storage.

On the GPU side of things, Lenovo lets you bake in up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, with the PC using a 350W power supply.

Minisforum is about to unleash its new UM880 Pro and UM890 Pro Mini-PC systems, both packing AMD's Ryzen 8000 series "Hawk Point" APUs. Check them out:

First off, we've got the Minisforum UM880 Pro, which features the Ryzen 7 8845HS "Hawk Point" APU, while the UM890 Pro features the beefed-up Ryzen 9 8945HS "Hawk Point" APU. Minisforum has crammed in a higher-end cooling system to keep the Hawk Point APUs as cool as possible, which allows the company to boost up to 70W TDP, higher than AMD's default of 35-65W TDP.

AMD's new Ryzen 9 series "Hawk Point" APUs can boost up to 5.2GHz, while the Ryzen 7 "Hawk Point" APU can boost up to 5.1GHz. These higher boost clocks being maintained at all times during gaming or productivity loads is a bit harder inside of a smaller system, but in other Mini-PCs we have 50-60W TDPs, so Minisforum is pushing things here (which we love to see).

ASRock has launched its new DeskMeet X600 Mini-PC that has a very cool trick up its sleeve: it features a PCIe extension cable that lets you use an external graphics card... which is something we don't see in a world dominated by Thunderbolt 4 and OCulink connectivity.

It's impossible to cram in a monster GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card inside a Mini-PC system, but with a full PCIe interface through an external PCIe extension cable, it just makes sense. ASRock has placed the PCIe connector hidden under a cover (because some users won't use an external discrete graphics card) that can be taken off and used at any time.

The company does miss a huge opportunity, though: ASRock doesn't include a high-quality PCIe extension cable with its new DeskMeet X600 Mini-PC. This means you'll need to find one yourself, and if you have problems, it's not ASRock's issue. ASRock, you should've included the PCIe extension cable with the system.

MSI has unveiled its new flagship gaming PC at Computex 2024 and just like everything else at this year's trade show it includes artificial intelligence (AI).

If you have seen any news coming out of Computex 2024 you would have noticed AI has made its way into almost every product, and all-in-one (AIO) gaming PC's are no exception. MSI provided me with a tour of their booth this year where they showed off their new flagship gaming PC called the MEG Vision X AI. This new gaming PC is an extension of the company's Vision line and includes a new eye-catching case that uses some wraparound glass to make all of the internal components visible.

However, that isn't the most eye-catching thing about the MEG Vision X AI, as you have already probably noticed the large touchscreen. According to MSI representatives at the booth this new touchscreen can be synced to MSI's "exclusive AI apps for enhanced AI functionality".

Colorful Technology is known for creating PC components, gaming laptops, audio products, and all-in-one gaming solutions. At Computex 2024, it's set to showcase a range of liquid-cooled products - two standouts being the unique Colorful Neptune Series all-in-one PC with an open-frame and full-cover water block and the updated COLORFUL iGame GeForce RTX 4090 Vulcan LAB.

The Neptune Series PC is quite the looker thanks to its open design and full-cover water block that delivers liquid cooling to the CPU, other components, and the Neptune graphics card. With its sci-grey color scheme, it looks like a space station or spaceship. COLORFUL confirms that the unique all-in-one PC will ship with an Intel Core i9 processor, iGame Z790D5 Neptune i92T motherboard, and 2TB SSD.

Customers will have control over the specs when ordering, so there will be multiple variations of the Neptune Series PC. Colorful also notes that it is developing a Neptune motherboard "for the next-generation Intel Core processors," so its design will support next-generation Intel Arrow Lake CPUs.

Update: ASUS updated us on the NUC 14 Performance, saying that there would be barebones systems, and systems with pre-installed SSD and RAM.

ASUS has just introduced its new NUC 14 Performance, which is pretty much identical to the ROG NUC, but without the ROG flair. There are more hardware options available for the NUC 14 Performance, too.

Inside, the new ASUS NUC 14 Performance with its highest-end specs will be powered with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H "Meteor Lake" CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 desktop GPU, up to 64GB of DDR5 SO-DIMM memory, and support for a Gen4 SSD.

This is something you've probably never seen before: a desk with a hidden hatch that reveals a built-in 45-inch OLED gaming monitor, all of your peripherals, and even a liquid-cooled gaming PC with a flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. Check it out:

YouTube channel DIY Perks is behind this beautiful creation, with a built-in 45-inch Corsair Xeneon Flex ultrawide bendable OLED gaming monitor, which he stripped down to its bare PCB and panel to completely minimize its size. The peripherals used include a full-sized keyboard, gaming mouse, gaming headset, and an external audio interface with the OLED gaming monitor.

On the PC side of things, we have an Intel Core i9-13900K processor, ASRock Z790 PG-ITX/TB4 motherboard, and a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card, all of which are cooled with water blocks. There are also dual HDPlex 500W GaN power supplies, with one of them dedicated to the RTX 4090. Filling out the specs, we've got an amazing 12 x 4TB Crucial P3 M.2 drives in a Flashtor 12 Pro NAS, which is connected through an M.2 port to the motherboard, and a 10GbE M.2 network card.