Latest hardware news and stories
Refurbished Deals: Powerful Business Laptops with LTE, 16GB RAM, and Windows 11 Pro from €189
Several powerful refurbished business laptops, including the Lenovo ThinkPad T490, Dell Latitude 5410, Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2, and HP EliteBook 840 G6, are currently available at attractive prices. These devices feature strong processors, 16GB RAM, LTE connectivity, and Windows 11 Pro, making them ideal for office tasks, web browsing, and light photo editing. Despite minor flaws like worn-out batteries, weak displays, or low screen brightness, they offer robust build quality, excellent keyboards, and modern ports such as Thunderbolt 4 or 3. Priced between €189 and €333, they provide a great balance of performance and affordability for office users.
AMD Unveils Zen-6 with RDNA 4m and Up to 24 Cores for Next-Gen Ryzen APUs
AMD is developing its next Ryzen generation with the Zen-6 architecture, featuring processors with 6 to 24 cores, enabled by a chiplet design with up to two CCDs. Alongside this, the RDNA 4m, a refresh of the RDNA 3 architecture, is being designed for these APUs and will support FSR 4 (FSR Redstone). The architecture introduces enhanced AI and GPU processing capabilities through FP8/BF8 conversion and WMMA instructions, improving performance for AI and GPU workloads. These advancements position AMD to better compete with Intel's Nova Lake.
NZXT H2 Flow: Compact Mini-ITX Case with Enhanced Airflow and Liquid Cooling Support
The NZXT H2 Flow is a compact Mini-ITX tower case featuring enhanced airflow, increased space for components like large graphics cards and SFX-L power supplies, and a clear separation of fresh air and exhaust zones. It supports up to 280 mm AIO coolers, graphics cards up to 33.1 cm in length, and is specifically optimized for liquid cooling with a hybrid glass and mesh side panel. The case offers tool-free access, pre-installed fans, and is sold without a power supply or cooler, while also being part of a premium mini-PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and GeForce RTX 5080 for $3,499. Additionally, NZXT introduced the C850 SFX power supply with ATX 3.1 certification and 80 Plus Gold efficiency, complementing the case for high-performance SFF builds.
A Look at Computer Hardware History: From the iAPX 432 to the Pentium 4 Prescott
On February 19, 1981, Intel introduced the iAPX 432, its first 32-bit processor, which failed due to high costs and low performance. On the same date in 1990, Adobe Photoshop 1.0 was released for the Macintosh, becoming a leading tool for digital image editing. In 2008, Toshiba announced the discontinuation of HD-DVD, sealing Blu-ray Disc's victory in the high-definition format war. A year later, on February 20, 2005, Intel launched the Pentium 4 Prescott 2M, a processor reaching up to 3.8 GHz, but it was one of the most inefficient due to high power consumption and heat output, marking the final step in the NetBurst architecture before Cedar Mill.
Meta Strikes Multi-Billion Dollar Deal with Nvidia for AI Chips and Infrastructure
Meta has signed a multi-year, up to $50 billion deal with Nvidia to procure millions of Blackwell and Rubin GPUs, along with additional components such as CPUs, switches, and Vera processors for its AI data centers. The partnership also includes the development of complete rack systems and strengthens Meta's position in the AI race, displacing AMD as the primary supplier. This comprehensive agreement highlights Nvidia's strategic dominance in AI infrastructure.
Two GeForce RTX 5060 Gaming Laptops Compared: Medion and Captiva with Different Specs
The Medion Erazer Deputy 15 P1 and the Captiva Advanced Gaming I95-043GE are two GeForce RTX 5060 gaming laptops currently available at competitive prices. The Medion model features a Core 5 210H, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, and a 15.6-inch IPS display with 144 Hz, while the Captiva model boasts a more powerful Core i7-14650HX, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, and a 16-inch 2.5k display with 180 Hz. Both laptops support FHD gaming, streaming, and rendering, include USB 4 and Power Delivery, and run on Windows 11 Home. The Medion is available for €999.99 at Medion, and the Captiva for €1,329.50 at Jacob.de.
Graphics Card Showdown: GeForce RTX 5090, Radeon RX 9070, and Arc B580 Compared
A comprehensive comparison of current graphics cards from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel evaluates the performance, price, and use cases of the GeForce RTX 5090, Radeon RX 9070, and Arc B580 models. The GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 GAMING OC 16G, featuring 16 GB GDDR6 memory, RDNA-4 architecture, and a powerful WINDFORCE cooling system, is tailored for ambitious gamers seeking high frame rates and ray tracing in WQHD and 4K gaming. Key considerations include memory size, cooling efficiency, and energy consumption, with the Radeon RX 9070 available from €625.
Linux 7.0 Adds Support for Intel DSA 3.0 and New L2 Cache Metrics
Linux 7.0 includes initial preparations for Intel’s DSA 3.0 accelerators, enabling data movement and transformation tasks on Xeon processors with new sysfs interfaces and SGL size support. Additionally, the Turbostat utility now reports new L2 cache metrics such as L2MRPS and L2%hit for recent Intel processors including Xeon Sapphire Rapids, Atom Gracemont, and Alder Lake, thanks to updated performance counters in the kernel. These enhancements improve user-space visibility of hardware capabilities, despite some deviations from standard Linux kernel practices.
Battlefield 6: Season 2 Launches with New Maps, Weapons, and Gameplay Enhancements
Battlefield 6 has resumed its seasonal structure with Season 2, following a one-month delay. The first phase, Extreme Measures, introduces the new maps Contaminated and Hagental Base, along with new weapons, vehicles, and limited-time modes such as VL-7 Strike and Gauntlet: Altered State. Developers Phil Girette and Kit Eflof emphasize that Season 2 will lay the foundation for future content, incorporating immersive features like psychoactive smoke and night vision stealth combat to rebuild player trust and strengthen the game's technical and content framework. Despite the update, player and viewer numbers have seen only minimal growth, remaining below previous peaks.
AMD Denies Delay Reports for Instinct MI455X, Confirms Second Half 2026 Launch
AMD has dismissed reports claiming a delay of the Instinct MI455X AI accelerator until Q2 2027 as “bullshit,” confirming the product remains on track for a second-half 2026 launch alongside new Epyc processors in the Helios rack. The company’s AI software VP emphasized that development is progressing rapidly despite earlier claims of manufacturing and engineering challenges. These statements counter concerns that AMD might fall behind Nvidia in the AI hardware market, with the MI455X expected to be a key competitive offering.
NVIDIA Sells Remaining ARM Stakes: Strategic Move for AI Infrastructure and Agentic AI
NVIDIA has sold its remaining $140 million stake in Arm Holdings to free up capital for future investments in AI infrastructure. This follows the failed $40 billion acquisition in 2020, which was blocked by regulators over competition concerns. While ending its ownership, NVIDIA retains licensing rights to Arm’s IP and instruction set for its Grace and Vera CPUs. The move is less a retreat from Arm and more a strategic diversification to adapt to the evolving demands of the Agentic-AI era, where x86 platforms are increasingly important.
AMD Releases Ryzen Chipset Driver 8.01.20.513 with Major Updates
AMD has released chipset driver version 8.01.20.513 for Ryzen and Threadripper processors, featuring numerous bug fixes, performance improvements, and an updated installation routine. The driver supports Windows 10 and Windows 11, including the new Windows 11 25H2, and includes two new driver packages and twelve bug fixes. While the update enhances compatibility and stability, the AMS Mailbox and S0i3 filter drivers must be installed separately, and a workaround is provided for compatibility issues with older driver versions.
Linux 7.0: New Security Features, File System Improvements, and Ceph Support
Linux 7.0 introduces key updates including user-space control-flow integrity (CFI) support for RISC-V to enhance security against ROP attacks, alongside an optimized strlen implementation. The NTFS3 driver gains improvements such as better readahead, fsync optimizations, and delayed allocation support, while the competing NTFS Remake driver continues development. AppArmor receives enhancements like per-permission tagging and execpath in user namespaces, improving security and debugging. Additionally, the Linux 7.0 kernel adds AES256K key support for Ceph authentication based on Kerberos 5 / AES256-CTS-HMAC384-192, expanding Ceph's encryption capabilities.
Intel Arc B370 in the Core Ultra 5 338H: Near Top‑Tier Performance with a Modest Power Footprint
Intel’s new Panther‑Lake mobile generation delivers impressive results with the Arc B370 iGPU in the Core Ultra 5 338H laptop. The 1,280‑core design scores 5,933 points in 3DMark/Time Spy—just 6 % below the flagship B390—and sits near its top model at a 35W limit. Compared to a Ryzen 9 465 or an RTX 4050, the B370 matches benchmark rankings while drawing only slightly less power (20–35 W), indicating strong gaming potential for budget‑oriented laptops.
Memory Crisis Drives Demand for DDR4 and AM4 Products at Mindfactory
The ongoing memory crisis and high DDR5 prices are driving a resurgence of DDR4-compatible motherboards and Ryzen CPUs for the AM4 platform at Mindfactory. In the past week, DDR4 motherboards accounted for over a third of total sales, and five of the top ten best-selling CPUs were AM4 Ryzen processors. AMD holds a 90 percent market share, while overall CPU sales continue to decline.
Lenovo Legion Go 2 and Legion Go S with SteamOS Now Available – Performance and Pricing Compared
Lenovo now offers both the Legion Go 2 with the weaker AMD Ryzen Z2 SoC and the SteamOS-enabled Legion Go S, available for €499 at Mediamarkt.de and Saturn.de. The Legion Go S features an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go, 16 GB RAM, a 512-GB SSD, and an 8-inch touchscreen, delivering higher performance under SteamOS than Windows 11 in tests. The less powerful Legion Go 2 variant is more affordable but provides 15–20% lower performance than the Z2 Extreme version, while the SteamOS version of the Legion Go 2 is delayed until summer.
Linux 7.0: Performance Gains, Memory Optimization, and Enhanced Support for Modern Hardware
The Linux 7.0 kernel introduces significant improvements, including enhanced sequential read performance for exFAT, dynamic thread pool sizing for the NFS server, and 8D-8D-8D-Octal DTR support for faster SPI NAND transfers. It also optimizes F2FS performance, expands the Sheaves memory allocation system, and adds support for new Intel chipsets. The kernel removes outdated drivers like the Intel 440BX EDAC driver and strengthens Rust kernel driver support. These updates simplify customization and improve efficiency in modern and embedded systems.
Windows 11: New Taskbar Features, Network Test, and AI Integration Coming This Summer
Microsoft plans to make the Windows 11 taskbar movable to all screen edges again in summer, reversing an earlier restriction. The OS also introduces a built-in network speed test accessible via Quick Settings, now available in preview, and integrates new AI features like 'Ask Copilot' in the taskbar and a Copilot button in File Explorer, despite recent company statements distancing from widespread AI. Additionally, some users are experiencing issues downloading ISO files for preview builds due to unexplained IP blocking.
The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H in the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ delivers high performance, especially in integrated graphics with the Arc B390, nearly matching the more expensive X9 model. Priced at €1,549, it is the most affordable device with this GPU and offers excellent battery life, a lightweight design, and an OLED display. It excels in both everyday use and demanding tasks like gaming.
ASUS Unveils ExpertBook B5 G2 and B3 G2 Laptops with Intel Core Ultra 3 and AI Features
ASUS has unveiled the ExpertBook B5 G2 and B3 G2, two advanced business laptops featuring Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and enhanced AI capabilities. The B5 G2 offers a compact, powerful design with up to 50 TOPS NPU, 19 hours of battery life, and Copilot+ support, while the B3 G2 supports up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Both models boast military-grade durability, TPM 2.0, and ASUS ExpertGuardian, making them ideal for enterprise use with enhanced security and AI-driven productivity.