In a sense, esports have existed since the first time nerds gathered together to play video games competitively (or 1972 per Guinness World Records). Competitive video gaming has always existed, and especially good players could earn a few shekels here and there but the scene didn’t really become truly professional and a viable career until the last decade.

Today, professional organizations exist to promote and train high-caliber players who are winning hundreds of thousands up to millions of dollars for competing in global tournaments. The popular game League of Legends split $5,000,000 between 17 teams at the 2025 World Championships, with the winning team, T1, taking home $1,000,000 between 5 players.

With that in mind, Alienware invited Tom’s Guide to check out the Team Liquid training facility in Santa Monica, California, where CEO Steve Arhancet and team GM Scott Harrison showed us what it takes to support multiple esports teams and athletes across a range of games.

While we were there, Team Liquid’s World of Warcraft Guild was preparing to for the latest Race to World First to complete the latest expansion and beat the final raid boss for the long-running MMO.

WHAT IS THE FACILITY?

The Alienware Training Facility specifically supports the esports organization Team Liquid. The group supports three training facilities between Sao Paolo, Brazil, Utrecht, Netherlands and Santa Monica.

Each facility supports multiple teams, though the California one is mainly for the League of Legends teams since the Riot Games headquarters is located a 20-minute walk or 4-minute drive away. Depending on what teams need, it can act as a bootcamp before a tournament. CEO Stephen Arhancet noted that one of their CS:GO teams practiced at the facility the week prior before heading to a tournament in Austin.

“You have to have the players in the same region, close to a server, to have balanced play. That's why we fly all the players in to boot camp here.”

For the Race, the team flew in players from around the globe. Harrison, for example is from the UK, and he said a majority of the team is based out of the United States and Canada but they still need to come to Los Angeles for the big event.

Unlike the Utrecht and Sao Paolo facilities, the Santa Monica facility is more like a true training facility. The Brazilian and Dutch versions are more fan-oriented, with shops and fan zones.

High-end gear

As you can imagine, the actual gaming equipment itself is pretty top-of-the-line, and all of it comes from Alienware. From the PC towers that the players use to actually game to the streaming equipment, the partnership is more than just the logo on the wall.

Players use customized Alienware setups, but the platform starts with the Aurora and Area-51 platforms, which feature the latest AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards.

That powers the game, but they also use monitors like the Alienware AW2725DF with its 360Hz refresh rate to ensure smooth gameplay. As I discussed with Scott Harrison, most esports games run at 1080p resolution, but 1440p is the preference for World of Warcraft since there’s so much going on in the game, especially in raids where up to 24 players and enemies are on the screen at the same time. Harrison said he likes what Alienware has, especially the OLED options like the Alienware 27 AW2726DM.

The PCs are shared but each team has someone who will come in and set them up for each specific game with the appropriate images and programs. “It’s a lot of wiping the League player’s PCs when [Siori] arrives,” Harrison said of the guild member who handles that for his team.

“Some players will even come in with a measuring tape to measure the distance from their chair to the desk and monitor to get into their comfort spot,” Arhancet added.

Tracking performance

While there still seems to be a natural urge to bah humbug the idea of performance and esports, Team Liquid put serious thought into helping players perform their best.

The facility has an onsite kitchen with a private chef who cooks multiple meals for the players. When we arrived, breakfast burritos were on the menu with turkey sausage, bacon, and crispy potatoes as options. Lunch was an Indian buffet. She also has to consider dietary restrictions, mentioning that one of the League players is a vegan, while some others have allergies that need to be taken into account.

During an event like World First, the chef is there almost as long as the players. I was told she would arrive before 7 AM and might not leave until after 7 PM, and that it would be a daily job. “The Race to World First is a marathon, not a sprint,” Arhancet emphasized.

Interestingly, one of the major factors is sleep. Harrison said that the guild used to play for up to 15 hours a day, but in the last couple of years dropped down to 14 hours a day to ensure that players get enough sleep. “In Nerub-ar Palace (September 2024), we stuck to that schedule and won the race by two days, which was unprecedented,” he said.

Team Liquid actually has the players wear Whoop bands to track sleep patterns and other information to provide players with data on their performance. “We did a test with our Counter-Strike team measuring breathwork and found players who hold their breath when peeking corners have higher accuracy,” Arhancet provided as an example.

There is also a Pro Lab, where performance coaches review gameplay and can watch teams as they practice with real-time data. For the Race, it was taken up by members of the guild, but for other teams, the multi-monitor setups enable tracking and performance metrics that the players might not see during games.

There are still some gamer touches like Team Liquid’s partnership with Monster energy drinks. I was told that players mostly use them for boosts during long days, but Harrison said that players were encouraged to eat properly at meal times before they had their first can.

Comfort and amenities

With players sitting at their computers, there needs to be some amenities when they need a break. There is a dark relaxation room with couches and TVs where players can take a nap or do something else. During the race, players aren’t allowed to talk about WoW in the relaxation room. It’s meant to give them some space away from the game for a little bit.

“Being in Santa Monica, we also encourage players to go outside, get some sunlight, and do hand and body stretches,” Harrison said. He added that the guild has a joke about walking to the Santa Monica Pier (actually 3 miles away and about a 50-minute walk depending on your pace).

Some of the spaces in the building are dark, but Harrison actually encourages players to keep lights on for eye health. They mentioned having a partnership with Philips Hue to install lights that mimic natural daylight.

There are also on-site showers, though Team Liquid also has deals in place with the apartment complex right behind the facility that allow the players to have a space that is theirs to rest, eat, and clean up as they need. Harrison said that some players room alone while others have roommates, depending on their preferences.

Takeaways

If you ever read any coverage of traditional sports, the Team Liquid facility feels akin to training camp for the NFL or the support teams that ensure riders at the Tour de France get the proper amount of sleep and equipment during that two-week-long race.

There are differences: more PCs and graphics, but it’s a professional organization with all that entails, from performance monitoring to quality food and player support.

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The HP Omen Max 45L is a towering gaming PC that commands attention and respect. Its enormous size isn’t just for show, as it justifies its imposing design with the latest flagship components. While it will certainly leave your bank account reeling, you’ll make up for it with the phenomenal gaming experience this beastly rig delivers.

HP’s Cryo Chamber, located at the top, not only gives this rig a unique appearance but also keeps it running cool even under heavy load. The huge 120mm front fans also help keep components from overheating and barely make a sound. This ensures that games run at their best even during long sessions.

Steep asking price aside, the HP Omen Max 45L is undoubtedly one of the best gaming PCs I’ve ever reviewed. If you can stomach the cost, there’s a lot to love about this massive gaming rig. Find out more in my full review.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The HP Omen Max 45L is a premium, flagship gaming PC.
• Who is it for? For folks who want an ultra-powerful gaming rig and are willing to pay big.
• What does it cost? The HP Omen Max 45L starts at $3,999 but is discounted to $2,999 at time of writing. As configured, our review unit is valued at $5,629.
• What do we like? We like the hulking, all-black design, powerful gaming performance, easy upgradeability, and smart cooling system.
• What don’t we like? We don’t like the gargantuan price point even for the entry-level model.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Specs

HP Omen Max 45L review: The ups

The HP Omen Max 45L delivers high-end performance for a gaming experience with virtually no compromises. It also features a striking design and is easy to upgrade.

Imposing yet practical design

At 21.85 x 18.5 x 8.03 inches and 49.8 pounds, the HP Omen 45L is one ginormous gaming PC. The all-black aluminum chassis makes it appear even more monolithic. Despite its size, the simple box-like design gives the Omen Max 45L an air of elegance that I quite like. Yes, it’s intimidating, but it’s also beautiful.

The clear glass panels on the front and back offer a clear view of the front RGB fans and internal components. The liquid cooler inside features an LCD that displays the CPU and GPU temperatures. The rear exhaust fan’s RGB complements the front fans’, and even the two RAM sticks have RGB lighting. I’m generally ambivalent about RGB lighting, but I’ll admit it contrasts nicely with the black chassis and adds a bit of pizzazz and fun to the design.

As mentioned in the intro, the Omen Max 45L’s most distinguishing feature is the CPU radiator up top. Don’t mistake that gap for simple handholds; it’s designed to draw air in from the outside rather than from inside the PC and then push it out the top through three more 120mm fans. This Cryo Chamber solution is pretty clever and certainly does an excellent job of keeping the PC nice and cool.

Accessing the interior of the Omen Max 45L is simple thanks to the toolless chassis. The only requirement is pressing the “Internal Access” button on the glass side panel, which opens outward so you can remove it. This also lets you open the panel with the Omen logo on the other side, which is convenient. The PC supports industry-standard parts, so you can configure the Max 45L however you wish. There’s plenty of room inside, making upgrades seamless.

Naturally, this giant PC has all the ports you could ever need and then some. On the top, you’ll find a lone USB-C port, a pair of USB-A ports, and a headphone jack.

Over on the back, you’ll find two more USB-C ports and six USB-A ports. Accessing the ports can be tricky given the Omen Max 45L’s size and weight, but it’s a fair trade-off for so much I/O.

Killer performance

Our HP Omen 45L review unit came configured with an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU, an Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU, and 64GB of RAM. Thanks to that configuration, it delivers exceptional gaming performance in even the most demanding PC games without needing to tweak graphics and video settings. This is about as powerful as you can get.

I tested Cyberpunk 2077 at 6K resolution with the default graphics settings and got the game to run at a consistent 65-75 frames per second, which is great for such a demanding title. At 4K resolution, the frame rates hovered in the '80s and '90s, which is even smoother.

Doom: The Dark Ages was similarly impressive, running at 65-70 fps on default graphics at 4K resolution. When I enabled DLSS 4.5’s frame-boosting and the Ultra Performance setting, the fps jumped to a staggering 400! That’s a great match for the Asus ROG Swift OLED, which tops out at 330Hz. Even if you’re not a professional gamer, you’ll feel the difference in frame rates.

We saw equally impressive results when we put several games through our lab tests, which use each game’s built-in benchmark tools. As you can see above, the games we tested generally ran great at max graphics settings and 4K resolution.

Naturally, the Omen 45L has no issues handling everyday productivity tasks. Even when I had nearly 30 Chrome tabs open and a YouTube video playing, this PC kept going without slowing down or stuttering.

Our lab tests corroborate my anecdotal experience. On Geekbench 6, which tests overall CPU performance, the HP Omen 45L delivered strong single-core and multi-core scores. It also performed great in HandBrake, where it took 1 minute and 48 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p.

Omen Gaming Hub

The Omen Gaming Hub comes pre-installed and is easily the most useful of HP’s included apps and services for this PC. This is where you can customize and fine-tune things like the 45L’s RGB lighting and performance. Omen AI automatically adjusts performance settings for games like Marvel Rivals and Fortnite (among others).

One of my favorite returning Omen Hub features is the ability to connect to other Omen peripherals and devices. So if you have Omen keyboards, headsets, or even a monitor, you can control their respective lighting and other features via the Omen Hub.

HP Omen Max 45L review: The downs

The HP Omen Max 45L doesn’t disappoint when it comes to gaming performance, but you’ll have to accept some drawbacks for that experience.

Extraneous apps

The Omen Gaming Hub is undoubtedly great and rather useful, but I can’t say the same about most of the other bundled-in apps in the Omen 45L.

Like the HP Omen 35L, you get the usual apps like HP Smart, myHP, and HP Support. That’s not egregious, but the Adobe and Dropbox promotions seem superfluous. You can safely ignore most of these apps, but having so many that you likely won’t use isn’t ideal.

Expensive

There’s no denying that the HP Omen 45L is a god-like gaming PC. It’s exactly the kind of rig I would want to own, delivering superlative performance while looking stylish. But though I’m infatuated with this beast of a machine, it’s a tough recommendation due to its wallet-busting asking price.

The $3,999 asking price for the entry-level model, which features lower-end (but still great) components, is already a tough pill to swallow. If you want a rig with the same specs as the one I reviewed, that’ll set you back $5,629. Then there’s the top-of-the-line build, which comes in at an eye-watering $6,499!

I’m not going to knock HP for these prices, given that high-end rigs were never exactly cheap even before RAMageddon drove up component costs. Still, if you’re really set on the Omen 45L, you’d better start saving now. It’ll be worth it, but the cost will certainly sting for most people.

HP Omen Max 45L review: Verdict

There’s no denying that the HP Omen Max 45L is a hulking gaming PC that can run demanding games without breaking a sweat. Sure, it’s very expensive, but the various configurations and easy customization mean you’re getting your money’s worth, especially over the long haul.

When I think about the ideal gaming PC, this is exactly the kind of rig that springs to mind. If you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed by the HP Omen Max 45L.

September is traditionally the month when Apple refreshes its iPhones and Apple Watches. Ahead of the new month, however, Apple is surprising us with updates to its Mac mini and Mac Studio line. The Mac mini now comes with your choice of M5 Pro or M6 CPU. Meanwhile, the Mac Studio can now be fitted with an M5 Max or M5 Ultra.

Preorders for Apple's new Macs are now live. You can get the Mac mini M5 Pro or Mac mini M6 from $899 at Amazon or Apple. Alternatively, you can get the Mac Studio M5 Max or Mac Studio M5 Ultra from $2,499 at Apple. If those prices are too steep for your wallet, the Apple Store is also offering trade-in credits if you swap an older Mac for a new model. You can get up to $480 for an older Mac mini and up to $580 for an older MacBook Air.

The new Mac desktops will launch on September 22. Here's where you can snag those Mac mini and Mac Studio preorders.

Quick Links

• Mac mini M6: for $899 @ Amazon
• Mac mini M5 Pro: for $1,699 @ Amazon
• Mac Studio M5 Max: for $2,499 @ Amazon
• Mac mini M6: for $899 @ Apple
• Mac mini M5 Pro: for $1,699 @ Apple
• Mac Studio M5 Max: for $2,499 @ Apple
• Mac Studio M5 Ultra: for $5,499 @ Apple

Mac mini preorders

Mac Studio preorders

Shop more deals

Apple just announced a new Mac Studio built around the M5 Max and an all-new M5 Ultra. It’s still the same compact desktop that sits on your desk, but this time it focuses on local AI performance and the heaviest pro workloads.

The company is claiming up to 4.3x faster AI performance, up to 1.8x faster graphics, up to 1.3x faster CPU speeds, higher memory bandwidth, and up to twice the storage speed compared with the previous generation. You also get Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 for the first time on Mac Studio, plus Thunderbolt 5 ports. It pairs with Studio Display and Studio Display XDR and runs the upcoming macOS 27 Golden Gate with the next version of Apple Intelligence, including Siri AI.

Pre-orders start today, with units scheduled to start arriving September 22. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Mac Studio.

Mac Studio: Price & availability

The Mac Studio with M5 Max starts at $2,499 (or $2,299 for education), while the Mac Studio with M5 Ultra starts at $5,499 (or $5,099 for education). Apple offers configure-to-order options on its site. The top 512GB unified memory configuration is expected in late October.

Pre-orders begin today on Apple’s website and in the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the U.S. Units begin shipping on September 22.

Mac Studio: Design

The new Mac Studio keeps the familiar compact form factor that fits on a desk. Apple didn’t announce major exterior changes, so it should look and feel like the previous model.

What is new is the connectivity. Thunderbolt 5 ports deliver up to 120Gb/s, which is useful for fast external storage, PCIe expansion chassis, and high-performance hubs. You can also cluster multiple Mac Studio systems together over Thunderbolt 5 with RDMA support. Apple says a cluster of four can deliver up to 3x faster distributed AI inference than a single machine.

Wireless gets an upgrade too. The Apple N1 chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to the Mac Studio for the first time. There’s also genlock support over USB-C for tighter synchronization between a display and a camera (Apple specifically calls out the iPhone 17 Pro).

On the display side, the Mac Studio can drive up to eight displays, or up to four Studio Display XDR units at full 5K resolution and 120Hz.

Storage is faster as well. Apple switched to a next-generation SSD architecture based on PCIe Gen 6 and claims up to 2x the performance of the previous Mac Studio for loading projects, transferring files, and working with large language models.

Mac Studio: Specs & performance

There are two chips here. M5 Max is the more affordable option for serious pro work. M5 Ultra is the maxed-out version for the most extreme workloads.

Apple says the GPU is up to 50% faster than the previous generation. It also includes third-gen hardware-accelerated ray tracing and enhanced shader cores. The Media Engine handles hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and AV1 decoding, which should help with uncompressed 8K footage and multiple concurrent video streams.

Other claims for M5 Max include:

• Up to 10.7x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio versus Mac Studio with M1 Max (3.9x versus M4 Max)
• Up to 7.4x faster text-to-image performance versus M1 Max (3.5x versus M4 Max)
• Up to 5.3x faster Magic Mask in Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio versus M1 Max (3x versus M4 Max)
• Up to 3.5x faster DNA sequencing basecalling in Oxford Nanopore MinKNOW versus M1 Max (1.9x versus M4 Max)

Apple positions the Ultra as the chip with no real equivalent. Multithreaded CPU performance is listed at up to 1.3x higher than the M3 Ultra. Graphics are up to 1.8x faster than the prior generation.

Neural Accelerators appear on the Ultra for the first time, helping deliver the peak AI numbers. The Media Engine has twice as many video encode and decode blocks as the M5 Max, enough to play up to 33 streams of 8K ProRes 422 at 30 fps simultaneously.

Other claims for M5 Ultra include:

• Up to 15.4x faster CopyCat ML training in Foundry Nuke versus Mac Studio with M1 Ultra (3.3x versus M3 Ultra)
• Up to 9.8x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio versus M1 Ultra (4x versus M3 Ultra)
• Up to 8.2x faster text-to-image performance versus M1 Ultra (4.3x versus M3 Ultra)
• Up to 4.7x faster scene rendering in Maxon Redshift versus M1 Ultra (1.7x versus M3 Ultra)

On the AI side, Apple highlights Neural Accelerators in every GPU core to speed up matrix multiplication. M5 Max is rated up to 3.9x faster AI performance than the prior generation. M5 Ultra reaches up to 4.3x the peak AI compute of M3 Ultra and 9.8x that of M1 Ultra. Combined with the large unified memory pools, the pitch is that you can run substantial open-weight models entirely on-device.

Apple is also pushing two frameworks: Core AI (a new architecture optimized for unified memory, CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine) and the existing open-source MLX framework. Both are meant to make local training, fine-tuning, and deployment more practical on Apple silicon.

Mac Studio: Outlook

The new Mac Studio is for people who want to run large AI models, complex video timelines, heavy 3D/VFX work, or big data jobs on a single compact desktop instead of relying on the cloud. The jump in memory (especially the 512GB Ultra configs), the faster storage, Thunderbolt 5 clustering, and the Neural Accelerator hardware are the main selling points.

Whether the real-world gains match Apple's claims will depend on the specific apps and workloads you actually use. The base prices are in line with previous high-end Mac Studios, though they're certainly not cheap. We’ll see what the Mac Studio can do when we get it into our testing lab in September, so stay tuned for more!

Apple just announced a new Mac mini that’s available with either the all-new M6 chip or the more powerful M5 Pro chip. You’re still getting what looks to be one of best mini PCs and the most affordable Apple desktop, but with this new generation of Mac mini, overall speed and the ability to run AI models locally seem to be the main focus.

Given how popular the Mac mini M4 became with AI enthusiasts, the company has given the base model a major boost in that department. According to Apple, the Mac mini with M6 delivers up to 4x faster AI performance, 2x faster storage and graphics as well as 40% faster CPU performance. When it comes to the Mac mini with M5 Pro, the company says it provides 4x faster LLM prompt processing performance in LM Studio and compared to the M2 Pro, it’s 8.5x faster.

Even if you’re not interested in AI, the Mac mini with M6 and the Mac mini with M5 Pro will make for great desk companions and a great alternative to one of the best MacBooks for those who prefer a more stationary setup.

Regardless of which new Mac mini you pick up, you’re getting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 support as well as an upgraded 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port around back. Both mini PCs will also ship with macOS 27 Golden Gate, which includes the next version of Apple Intelligence and a first for the Mac mini, Siri AI.

Pre-orders start today, with units scheduled to start arriving on September 22. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s new Mac mini.

Mac mini: Price & Availability

The Mac mini with M6 starts at $899 (or $799 for education), while the Mac mini with M5 Pro starts at $1,699 (or $1,599 for education). Apple will also offer configure-to-order options on its site where you can bump up the unified memory in the Mac mini with M6 from 16GB to 32GB and the Mac mini with M5 Pro all the way up to 64GB.

Pre-orders begin today on Apple’s website and in the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the U.S. Units begin shipping on September 22.

Mac mini: Design

The new Mac mini with M6 and Mac mini with M5 Pro are both compact mini PCs that are small enough to find a place on any desk. Apple hasn’t announced any major exterior changes, so it’s likely that both will feature the redesigned form factor first introduced with the Mac mini M4.

This means there will be two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the front of both Mac mini models. Around back is where things differ. While the Mac mini with M6 will retain the three rear Thunderbolt 4 ports of its predecessor, the Mac mini with M5 Pro will have three rear Thunderbolt 5 ports instead. Likewise, both models will have HDMI around back along with upgraded 2.5Gb Ethernet out of the box, though you can upgrade either to a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, albeit in a custom configuration.

On the Mac mini with M5 Pro, its Thunderbolt 5 ports deliver up to 120Gb/s which is useful for connecting fast external storage and monitors like the Apple Studio Display and Apple Studio Display XDR. However, there’s another benefit to having these faster ports. With Thunderbolt 5, you’ll also be able to cluster multiple Mac mini systems together which allows you to run large AI models locally instead of over the cloud.

Wireless connectivity is getting a big upgrade on both new Mac mini models too. Instead of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 on the Mac mini M4, the Mac mini with M6 and the Mac mini with M5 Pro now support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. When paired with one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers, you’ll likely see faster downloads and uploads while the addition of Bluetooth 6 brings precise device tracking, lower latency and better power efficiency for your wireless peripherals like Apple’s Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad as well as your AirPods.

Although Apple didn’t reveal how many displays these new Mac mini models can drive, you’ll likely be able to use three of the best monitors simultaneously, though their resolutions and connection configurations will likely differ depending on whether you’re running the all-new M6 chip or the more powerful M5 Pro.

On the video front, we’re also getting a brand new feature delivered through USB-C called genlock support. Available on both the Mac mini with M6 and Mac mini with M5 Pro, it enables precise synchronization between a display and camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro.

Finally, storage speeds on both Mac minis are getting an upgrade. Apple switched to a next-generation SSD architecture based on PCIe Gen 6 for its upgraded Mac Studio and it looks like the new Mac mini will be following suit. The company claims up to 2x the performance compared to prior generations, which should make loading projects, transferring files and working with large language models even faster.

Mac mini: Specs & performance

Just like with the last generation, there will be two distinct versions of the Mac mini: one designed for consumers and one for pros. While both previously used different versions of the same chip, this time around, Apple is mixing things up.

The base model will be powered by Cupertino’s all-new M6 chip which features a 12-core CPU alongside a 12-core GPU. Single-threaded performance is the big upgrade here and Apple claims that the M6 offers the “world’s fastest,” so expect everything to feel extra snappy and responsive. Likewise, we’re also getting Neural Accelerators inside each core of its 12-core GPU which is a first for Mac mini. As a result, Apple claims this new chip will deliver up to 4x faster AI performance and 2x faster graphics. Multitasking is getting a boost too thanks to higher memory bandwidth up to 170GB/s.

The Mac mini with M5 Pro takes things even further performance-wise for professionals who aren’t ready to step up to a Mac Studio. With up to an 18-core CPU and up to a 20-core GPU, this upgraded model redefines what’s possible on a small desktop to handle tasks like app development, video rendering, scientific simulations and more. You’re also getting third-generation ray tracing for even more complex 3D design, VFX and game development.

With up to 64GB of unified memory with 307GB/s of memory bandwidth, the Mac mini with M5 Pro looks to be a tiny AI powerhouse capable of running even larger local AI models. However, even with this extra power under the hood, it remains a quiet and efficient always-on desktop that’s ideal for creative workflows or running AI agents.

Mac mini: Outlook

The new Mac mini is following in the footsteps of its predecessor, both in terms of design and use case. While the Mac mini with M6 will be a great desk companion with upgraded performance and improved local AI capabilities, the Mac mini with M5 Pro is more of a workstation for professionals who want even more performance in the same small form factor.

Both Mac mini models are getting a bit of a price hike compared to the previous generation but with higher memory and storage prices, this is to be expected. We’ll see what the Mac mini with M6 and the Mac mini with M5 Pro are truly capable of when we get them into our testing lab in September, so stay tuned for more.

This week Apple released macOS version 26.7, and apparently hidden in the code are references to multiple unreleased Apple devices that all could launch in the coming months.

In total, the apparent accidental leaks reveal at least 14 products, including AirPods with cameras, the expected foldable iPhone Ultra, new OLED models of the MacBook and iPad mini and a next-generation Apple TV. The leak was discovered by Aaron Perris of MacRumors.

For many of these devices, the best we can note from the code is that they exist or will exist at some point. But it does give us an idea of what Apple could be working on and what's next.

Here's the full list for now:

• Apple Home Hub
• HomePod mini 3
• Apple Security Camera
• Home Accessory
• iPhone Air 2
• iPhone 18 Pro
• iPhone 18 Pro Max
• iPhone 18
• iPhone Ultra
• MacBook Pro 14” M6
• iMac M6
• MacBook Pro OLED touchscreen
• iPad mini OLED
• AirPod Ultra (with camera)
• Beats headphones

With Apple's annual iPhone event around the corner, we're expecting a majority of that list to be announced next month. That includes the iPhone 18 Pro models, the iPhone Ultra, and the AirPods Ultra with cameras that were revealed in a leaked video this week.

The leaked code doesn't appear to have release dates, not that it would. With that in mind, of the devices on the list, the base model iPhone 18 and super-thin iPhone Air 2 likely won't debut until next spring with Apple's rumored split launch.

There are two interesting reveals in the OLED devices and the suite of smart home devices.

OLED MacBook and iPad mini

Apple doesn't release MacBooks until later in the fall, typically in mid-October. The most recent leaks have suggested that Apple will add the MacBook to its burgeoning "Ultra" line.

The Apple MacBook Ultra is supposed to debut this year with an OLED touchscreen panel and the M6 chipset. The OLED panel and touchscreen would be among three firsts for Apple laptops, including a new iPhone-esque Dynamic Island. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested that it will also get a redesign, though he declined to elaborate on what Apple is changing.

As for the iPad mini, the OLED redesign has been rumored for a couple of years, but recent rumors have settled on an October debut. The big change is the screen, but it should also feature a faster chip. So far, rumors haven't revealed any other changes.

Apple's Smart Home ambitions

Since Apple revealed Apple Intelligence in 2024, rumors about an AI-boosted suite of smart home devices have been repeatedly leaked, though the delay of Siri 2.0 seemingly kept getting in the way.

It's being built around a new version of the Apple HomePod. Per MacRumors, this code leak potentially revealed two versions of the HomePod: one that mounts on the wall and one with a built-in base that may or may not be a speaker with essentially an iPad on it.

One of the code names, "B525" apparently refers to what may be the HomePod mini 2, as the current version had a B520 codename.

The Apple Security Camera is both a surprise since it hasn't really been revealed previously, but also not that shocking. At WWDC 2026, Apple announced an upgrade to Apple Home Secure Video that adds AI for natural language search, detailed video descriptions and more. Apple is clearly thinking about security cameras.

The other interesting reference is to something labeled Pebble, which may be a smart home OS that we had previously seen codenamed as "Charismatic."

New Apple TV 4K and Siri remote

The one I'm most curious about is the long-rumored next-generation Apple TV 4K set-top streaming box Apparently, the code reveals a new, upgraded Siri remote too.

The code doesn't reveal any changes, but it seems to suggest that an Apple TV update is coming after years of rumors. Some rumors have suggested the new streaming box could have a camera for FaceTime calls.

Otherwise, we're mostly expecting internal upgrades with the rumored N2 chip for better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and at the very least the A17 Pro chip, though I expect something higher at this point.

We'll be tracking all of these potential devices in the coming months, with the iPhone lineup the first to hit in September.

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The Lenovo Yoga Mini breaks free from the rectangular-shaped mold of other mini PCs with a sleek new circular design and plenty of useful extras. However, Lenovo didn’t compromise to get this shape — every curved side of this puck-shaped mini PC is put to good use, from its generous port selection to its built-in microphone and fingerprint scanner.

From the moment I laid eyes on the Yoga Mini back at CES when it was first unveiled, I knew we were dealing with something completely new here. While other mini PCs come with brackets so you can mount them behind a monitor, this one is designed to sit front and center on your desk.

The RGB lighting that wraps around its base can alert you to incoming notifications or even just greet you when you approach. Likewise, thanks to a built-in accelerometer, the top of the Yoga Mini acts as a customizable button to launch apps or instantly transform this mini PC into a pseudo smart speaker.

After using the Yoga Mini as my daily driver for a month, I’m impressed with its near-silent operation and speedy performance thanks to the Intel Panther Lake chip inside.

I wasn’t able to try out Lenovo’s local AI assistant Qira with the base model sent over for review but that won’t be a problem with the higher-end configuration which comes with more memory and a more powerful Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU.

Likewise, while upgradeable, you can only swap out the SSD on the Yoga Mini and doing so isn’t nearly as easy as on other mini PCs. Still, this is the Windows-powered Mac mini alternative I’ve been waiting for.

My Lenovo Yoga Mini review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your desk and whether or not it’s worth spending more on the upgraded version over the base model.

Lenovo Yoga Mini: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A small yet powerful mini PC with a circular design intended to sit front and center on your desk.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for a stylish, space-saving desktop that doesn't compromise on ports or performance.
• What does it cost? The entry-level configuration of the Lenovo Yoga Mini costs $999 while the more powerful version costs $1,489.
• What do we like? Its unique circular design, USB-C power delivery, generous port selection, near-silent operation, and smart extras like the fingerprint scanner and RGB underglow.
• What don’t we like? The steep hike over its original starting price, the 16GB RAM limit on the base model that prevents it from supporting Lenovo's local AI assistant Qira, and how difficult it is to open and upgrade.

Lenovo Yoga Mini: Specs

Lenovo Yoga Mini: The Ups

The Yoga Mini instantly sets itself apart with its unique look, but it’s how you interact with this mini PC that elevates its circular shape beyond a simple gimmick.

Lenovo has also packed it with a generous port selection, while the Intel Panther Lake chip inside delivers the punchy performance you’d expect from a premium desktop.

Rounded but not stripped-down

At just 5.12 x 5.12 x 1.91 inches, the Yoga Mini is an ultra-compact desktop PC that’s only a hair larger than Apple’s Mac mini M4.

However, it’s both shorter and lighter at 1.32 pounds versus 1.5 pounds. Unlike the Mac mini, it’s powered directly via a standard USB-C cable, making it much easier to pack up and take with you on the go.

Above the front Yoga logo, two small pinholes house the built-in microphones, while an integrated fingerprint scanner is built right into the power button on the right side.

For easy access, the left side features a 3.5mm headphone jack and a full-featured USB-C port with video output. I particularly loved this side port during testing — it allowed me to instantly plug in a portable monitor when I needed extra screen real estate, as well as a pair of the best smart glasses, the Viture Luma Pro, which worked like an absolute charm.

Around back, things get even more versatile. Power is supplied through a dedicated USB-C port positioned directly underneath the HDMI 2.1 (TMDS) port.

That means you aren't forced to use the included power brick — any GaN charger rated for 100W or higher will do the trick. Alongside the power input, you get a high-speed USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode, a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 port, a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a high-speed USB-A port.

While you do get one less USB-C port than on the Mac mini M4, having that USB-A port means you won't need to hunt for a dongle every time you want to plug in a flash drive.

Under the hood, my review unit came equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Lenovo also offers a higher-end configuration outfitted with an Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD.

While you can swap out the primary SSD for more storage down the road, keep in mind that this mini PC’s RAM is soldered to the motherboard and can't be upgraded.

Reach out and touch

Unlike other mini PCs, the Yoga Mini is immediately inviting thanks to its RGB underglow. This is a device that wants you to interact with it, which is clear from the get-go thanks to this small but meaningful addition.

Within Lenovo’s Turbo AI Engine app, you can fully customize the color and effects of the Yoga Mini’s RGB underglow. For instance, with a little help from Intel’s built-in Wi-Fi sensing tech, I set the mini PC to greet me with a violet light show complete with a bouncing ball lighting effect the second I approached my desk.

Alternatively, you can set the underglow to react to music or light up in a specific color when an important notification arrives.

Lighting isn't all the software can control, either. Thanks to a built-in accelerometer, the top of the Yoga Mini acts as a customizable button.

By default, a single tap turns off the ambient lighting, while a double tap launches Lenovo’s Voice Mode to let you speak directly to the mini PC via its built-in microphone and speaker. You can also reassign either the single or double tap to launch any application on your PC.

You won’t just be touching the top surface, though — the fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button is also extremely useful.

I used it for instant, secure Windows logins, but because it’s tied directly into Windows Hello, you can also use it to log into supporting websites via your browser or unlock apps like one of the best password managers.

It’s worth noting that during my testing, the customizable tap feature was slightly finicky. While I could use it to turn off the Yoga Mini’s ambient lighting, I couldn’t get it to launch third-party apps just yet. Lenovo assured me that a fix is coming in a future software update, so this should be resolved shortly.

Puck-sized power

Despite its small size, the Yoga Mini is a surprisingly capable desktop. To put it through its paces, I built a minimalist desk setup with the PC front and center beneath a 5K2K ultrawide monitor. For an even cleaner look, I swapped out the included power supply for a 100W GaN charger paired with a braided USB-C cable.

Over a month of daily use, the base model with 16GB of RAM handled my standard workflow smoothly — even with dozens of Chrome tabs open across multiple windows alongside light photo editing in GIMP.

What impressed me most wasn't just the speed, but how whisper-quiet it remained under load. Compact mini PCs often rely on aggressive, high-pitched fan curves to manage their thermals, but the Yoga Mini stayed virtually silent throughout my entire time using it as my daily driver.

Even if the Yoga Mini technically underperformed in benchmark testing at our lab compared to the Mac mini M4 and the newer Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition, in my real-world experience it held its own quite well.

The machine booted quickly, apps opened fast and I didn’t experience any significant slowdowns. While I would have loved having the extra memory and better integrated graphics you get with the higher-end model, the base Yoga Mini handled everything I threw at it and more.

I always get excited when testing a mini PC that uses a USB-C port over a barrel port for power since I’m not chained to the included power adapter.

However, as I had the MSI Pro Max 271UPXW12G monitor I recently reviewed on hand, I decided to see if I could power this mini PC and get video out using a single cable. Surprisingly, I could.

From there, I wanted to try out the gaming capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU inside it as Panther Lake has made impressive improvements when it comes to integrated graphics.

While I did have to play at 1080p on that 4K monitor, I was able to run my go-to game, the skateboarding sim Session, on the Yoga Mini surprisingly well. Obviously your gaming experience will vary significantly depending on the game, but for older or less demanding titles, you can certainly play some games during your downtime with this mini PC.

Lenovo Yoga Mini: The Downs

The Yoga Mini is certainly an impressive mini PC, but it’s not without its downsides. These include not being able to run Lenovo’s AI assistant Qira on the base model, along with the fact that opening it up for upgrades requires having a suction cup at the ready.

A Copilot+ but not quite a Qira PC

With 50 TOPS from its NPU, the Core Ultra 5 inside the base Yoga Mini is more than capable of running local Copilot+ features like live captions with real-time translation and Windows Studio Effects.

However, if you stick with the entry-level model over the upgraded configuration, you’ll completely miss out on one of Lenovo’s most exciting AI features.

Alongside the Yoga Mini, Lenovo unveiled its new on-device AI assistant, Qira, at CES earlier this year. Designed to handle conversational voice commands, transcribe meetings in real time, and translate conversations on the fly, Qira showed a ton of promise.

After learning all about it back in January, I was genuinely excited to test it out here, especially since the Yoga Mini's puck-shaped design and built-in mic array seem tailored for it.

Unfortunately, running Qira requires a minimum of 24GB of RAM. Since my review unit only came equipped with 16GB, I couldn’t even install it — and trust me, I tried. While this won't be an issue if you spring for the higher-end configuration, it's disappointing that Qira’s memory requirements lock out the base model entirely.

Thankfully, if you want to mess around with on-device AI, you can still run plenty of lightweight open-source models like Llama 3 8B or Mistral on the base model using tools like LM Studio.

Bring your own suction cup

Upgradeability is something I always like to see on the mini PCs I review but sometimes, given their form factor or the company that makes them, this just isn’t possible.

For instance, you can’t easily open the Mac mini M4 to add a larger SSD. At first glance, I thought this was true with the Yoga Mini because when you flip the device over, there aren’t any visible screws.

As it turns out, you can upgrade the Yoga Mini but doing so required a bit more work than I’m normally accustomed to. With mini PCs like the Geekom A9 Max, you just take off the feet on the bottom and unscrew a few screws. With the Yoga Mini, you need a suction cup.

I tried using a pry tool to lift off its top lid at first but that didn’t get me anywhere. That’s when I discovered you need a suction removal tool to do so. Since I didn’t have one on hand, I improvised by using a strong suction cup I had left over from installing one of the best dash cams in my car.

That did the trick and with the case off, I now had access to the Yoga Mini’s internals. As I mentioned before, you can’t swap out the RAM since it’s soldered but you can remove the stock SSD and replace it with one with more storage.

However, since there isn’t a second M.2 SSD slot, you need to clone the original drive and move its contents to your new one before you do so.

Now don’t get me wrong, the fact that you can upgrade the Yoga Mini’s SSD is great. Still, I wish Lenovo just would have put an indent around back to get its top lid off. Or alternatively, they could have included a suction removal tool in the box.

Lenovo Yoga Mini: Verdict

The Lenovo Yoga Mini is unlike any mini PC I’ve tested yet, but in the best possible way. It trades the traditional rectangular form factor for a circular puck design without compromising on ports or performance.

The customizable RGB underglow, integrated fingerprint reader, and tap-enabled top lid add a ton of personality to this mini PC without feeling gimmicky in the slightest.

While I wish I could have tried out Lenovo's local AI assistant Qira on my review unit, the base model of the Yoga Mini is still an excellent choice if you’re after a sleek, ultra-compact, and quiet desktop PC.

You might pay a slight premium for the novel form factor, but Lenovo didn’t skimp on ports or performance to get there—and you won't have to deal with annoying fan noise, either.

As someone who reviews the best mini PCs for a living, I keep coming back to Apple’s Mac mini M4. With its all-aluminum chassis, perfectly rounded corners, and — for the first time on a Mac mini — handy front ports, it’s the redesign and power boost we’d been waiting for. It’s certainly not the only game in town, but it’s easily the prettiest.

At least, I thought so until Lenovo unveiled its Yoga Mini at CES earlier this year. While other mini PCs stick to the same tried-and-true square or rectangular box, this one is completely round — so much so that you could easily mistake it for a smart speaker or a screenless smart thermostat.

Even though there aren’t any front ports next to the Yoga logo — just two small pinholes for the built-in microphone array — this is the kind of mini PC designed to sit front and center on your desk. Just like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG, I wouldn’t dream of mounting the Yoga Mini behind a monitor. Lenovo clearly agrees, as you won't find any VESA mounting holes on its underside. Instead, you get 360-degree ventilation, a built-in speaker, and the cherry on top: customizable RGB underglow.

I was immediately impressed during my initial hands-on with the Yoga Mini. Now, after spending two weeks using it as my daily driver, I’m even more taken with how Lenovo has managed to turn traditional mini PC expectations on their head. Or rather, on their side.

Here’s what it’s been like living with this Panther Lake-powered, puck-shaped mini PC on my desk — and why, given the choice, it wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

360 degrees of usability

Even with its compact 5.12 x 5.12 x 1.91-inch footprint, I was a bit surprised by how few extras Lenovo included in the box with my Yoga Mini review unit. Alongside the device itself, there was only a 100W power brick — which, as it turns out, you don’t strictly need to use, but more on that shortly.

If you pick one up at retail, Lenovo's site notes that you’ll get a bundled wireless mouse and keyboard. Still, with no video cable listed, this mini PC will pair quite well with one of the best monitors equipped with a USB-C port capable of power delivery.

Around back, you get a nice selection of ports given the Yoga Mini’s very compact size. There’s a Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB-C ports which both come equipped with DisplayPort functionality (one even features power delivery), an HDMI 2.1 port, a high-speed USB-A port and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port.

Though there aren’t any proper front ports, Lenovo didn’t let the sides of the Yoga Mini go to waste. On the left, there’s another Thunderbolt 4 port also equipped with power delivery with a 3.5mm headphone jack next to it. Then on the right side, there’s a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner for secure logins.

At 1.32 pounds, Lenovo’s Yoga Mini is just slightly lighter than the Mac mini M4 at 1.5 pounds. While I doubt you’ll be holding it like this as often as I have, its aluminum finish feels great on your fingers and the whole mini PC fits neatly in the palm of your hand. Thanks to a few extras Lenovo worked into its design, the Yoga Mini is the kind of mini PC you can travel with too if you prefer using an external mouse and keyboard over your laptop’s keyboard and trackpad.

Hiding this mini PC isn’t an option

Back when I first laid eyes on the Yoga Mini at CES, I imagined it sitting front and center on my desk. After using it for two weeks that way, I can easily see it becoming a permanent fixture. Sure, it is small enough to tuck under a monitor stand, but that would defeat the point. This is a mini PC that’s meant to be seen — and it sees you, too.

The Yoga Mini comes equipped with Intel’s Wi-Fi sensing tech, allowing you to use Windows’ settings menu to wake up your monitor when you enter the room or put it to sleep when you leave. As someone who often leaves several desktop computers running simultaneously, walking into my office to see a blank display for once was a welcome change. But that’s not the only trick up the Yoga Mini’s rounded sleeves.

Within the Lenovo AI Turbo Engine app, you can customize the default lighting and change how the RGB underglow responds to different scenarios. Although I set the default lighting to teal to match the accent keys on my Keychron Q11 Ultra keyboard, I really liked the soft violet hue it was set to out of the box. I decided to keep that shade to greet me when I sit down at my desk, paired with a bouncy ball lighting effect to boot.

There’s more you can do with the underglow, too. While testing the built-in speaker, I forgot I had Sound Lighting enabled. As a 21:9 music video played on the Innocn 401CU ultrawide monitor above it, Lenovo’s mini PC treated me to a miniature light show that I enjoyed more than I’d like to admit. You can also enable lighting effects for notifications, though I typically keep those off in Windows since my phone buzzes enough as it is.

One detail I particularly like in mini PCs designed for the center of a desk is a built-in fingerprint scanner, like the ones on MSI’s Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG or the Mind Graphics 2 eGPU dock I use with the Khadas Mind 2S. The one on the Yoga Mini’s right side works quite well and makes logging into Windows a breeze — especially when paired with presence detection to re-authenticate after stepping away.

If the fingerprint scanner, RGB underglow, and built-in microphone array aren’t enough to convince you to make the Yoga Mini your desk's centerpiece, Lenovo included one more trick.

Just like a smartphone, this mini PC features a built-in accelerometer under the hood, allowing you to use the top of its case like a large touch-sensitive button. In the Lenovo AI Turbo Engine app, you can enable tap interactions: by default, a single tap toggles the adaptive lighting on or off, while a double tap activates voice chat mode. You can also remap either gesture to launch any program installed on your PC.

Since my review unit arrived early, Lenovo is still ironing out the software kinks for gesture remapping. While tapping to toggle the RGB underglow worked fine, I couldn’t get it to launch Chrome with a single tap or Steam with a double tap (more on that in a bit). This will be addressed in an upcoming software update though.

Since there’s only one USB-A port on the back of the Yoga Mini, I initially relied on my monitor’s built-in KVM switch for the 2.4GHz dongles for my keyboard and trackball mouse. That worked well until I needed to offload photos from my camera’s SD card, leading me to an unexpected discovery.

Although you get one USB-A port with the Yoga Mini, you don’t get any with the Mac mini M4. That’s why the first accessory I tried out with Apple’s redesigned mini PC was Satechi’s Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub. Alongside three USB-A ports, it also has an SD card reader on the front. I had tried using it with a few other Windows-based mini PCs in the past and while everything worked, it was far from a perfect fit. Since the circular base at the bottom of the Yoga Mini has more or less the same dimensions as the one on the Mac mini M4, the two look like they were made for each other — especially with that same anodized aluminum finish.

While I’ve spent most of my time using the Yoga Mini for work in my office, I decided to give another setup a try to put the graphical power of its Panther Lake chip to the test.

Power-brick optional

If there’s one thing I hate seeing on the back of a mini PC, it’s a barrel connector for power. That usually means you're stuck using the bulky included adapter to power the device. Fortunately, with the Yoga Mini, that’s not the case.

The included adapter uses a USB-C connector, which means as long as you match the wattage, you can swap it for a compact GaN charger instead. I did just that in my office for a cleaner look with braided cables. However, I also wanted to see if a monitor with USB-C power delivery could do the same thing

I brought the Yoga Mini to my game room and plugged it into the MSI Pro Max 271UPXW12G monitor I recently reviewed. At first, the mini PC refused to turn on. Then I remembered this MSI display has two USB-C ports: one capped at 15W and another that provides 98W of power delivery. After a quick cable swap, I hit the power button again and we were in business.

I’d previously tried this with that Innocn ultrawide monitor and while it worked, I kept the Yoga Mini plugged into a power outlet there just to be safe. The main reason I moved it to the game room setup was to see how well I could game on its integrated Intel Graphics. On the 5K2K ultrawide, I could manage windowed gaming, but full screen was asking too much.

While a native 1080p display would have been better suited for testing than a 4K monitor, playing my go-to game — the fast-paced skateboarding sim Session — was a pleasant surprise. The visuals were a tad soft rendered at 1080p on a 4K panel, but the framerate stayed solid and the game was completely playable.

Intel’s integrated graphics performance has come a long way over the years — something I first noticed when I built a triple-monitor setup with the original Khadas Mind. Panther Lake takes those built-in graphical capabilities even further. While you won't be running demanding AAA titles on the Yoga Mini, it has plenty of power for older or lighter titles when you need a gaming fix.

I’m definitely going to try out a few more games ahead of my full review, but for a productivity-focused device, I’m thoroughly impressed with what this round mini PC is capable of.

Circle gets the square

Now don’t get me wrong, the Mac mini M4 is one of the best Macs Apple has ever made — both in terms of design and performance — and I can’t wait to see what Cupertino does with the next generation. Still, while it’s one of the most recognizable mini PCs, it’s far from your only option. And let’s face it, not everyone can or wants to daily drive macOS.

I’ve tried out plenty of mini PCs with a similar footprint and performance to the Mac mini M4, like the Geekom A9 Max. However, while Geekom has continued to improve upon its designs with each new mini PC it releases, the Yoga Mini is an entirely new form factor for Lenovo and one that works surprisingly well.

After testing this mini PC for two weeks, I hope the puck-shaped Yoga Mini becomes a mainstay of Lenovo’s lineup going forward. Given the company has "Intel" in parentheses next to its name, who knows? Maybe we’ll see an AMD version or even one equipped with Nvidia’s upcoming RTX Spark chip sooner rather than later, too.

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My obsession with Apple started in high school when my mom bought me a Performa 637 CD. It was my first personal computer and I was immediately hooked on the icon-driven System 7, which was the name Apple used before making the switch to Mac OS.

Sure, there were more powerful PCs at the time — and most of my friends were using Windows — but my Mac never crashed and it was powerful enough to run my favorite first-person shooter: the Apple exclusive Bungie Marathon (1994). So I took pride in being part of the Apple minority.

Fast forward to 2026 and I'm still a loyal Mac user primarily working on an M4 Pro-based Mac mini. Throughout the years I've also owned iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and iMacs. Yes, I've dabbled with Windows machines and Android smartphones, but there's something about Apple's closed ecosystem that just makes my life easier and well worth the price of admission.

My wallet, however, may disagree. Apple devices are renown for being pricier than their Windows and Android based counterparts. Fortunately, there are many ways to save on Apple gear. In fact, I always make it a point to avoid paying full price for my Apple kit and below I'm sharing my favorite tips and tricks.

Trade-in that old Mac

Trading in old devices is hands-down my favorite way to save on new Apple purchases. Whether it's an old iPhone or a gently-used MacBook, if you're willing to part with it —the Apple Store will give you an instant store credit for your device. You can trade-in iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, Macs, and even Android smartphones. You can trade-in your device in person at your local Apple Store or online.

Just head over to the Apple Trade-In website to start the process. I also recommend the Best Buy Trade-In program, which is pretty straightforward and provides quotes on the spot. My only advice is that you shop around for the best offer. For example, sometimes you might get a juicier offer from an Authorized Apple reseller than the Apple Store.

Don't buy current-gen

I get it. Nothing beats owning a flagship device. The speedier performance, the thinner design, the brighter display — it's enough to make you want to upgrade each time. However, these days you don't need to. My four-year old Apple Watch 8 still runs like new and if my iMac 5K supported the latest macOS updates, I'd still be using it.

One of the easiest ways to save on Mac purchases is by opting for a previous-generation device. It can easily save you $100 if not more. It's worth noting that the Apple Store doesn't always carry previous-gen tech, so when shopping for older generations I tend to rely on retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. They won't always have stock, but with a little digging around you'll be able to find a cheaper version of Apple's current flagship.

Go big on your purchase

Apple devices are renown for lasting a long time. (I tend to get at least 5 years from mine). So when it comes time to purchasing a new device, I always recommended spending a little more for the upgraded model. This is more important that ever because today's Macs are no longer user upgradeable.

So if you want to squeeze the most life out of your device, I recommend buying big. For example, when I purchased my Mac mini, I splurged on the M4 Pro CPU and upgraded both my RAM and SSD. My iMac 5K lasted me nearly a decade before I upgraded, so I'm hoping to get the same or similar lifespan from my current machine.

Take advantage of student discounts

Apple's Education Store discount is available year-round. Depending on what you're buying, you can save as much as $100 if you can verify your student status. In the past, I've actually recommended people avoid it because you can usually find better dollar-off discounts at authorized retailers like Amazon or Best Buy. However, since Apple's summer price hike, Apple deals have been a little harder to come by.

Additionally, the Apple Back to School Sale is underway through August 27, so in addition to that student discount you'll also get from a $100 to $150 Apple gift card on select purchases. That sweetens the deal even more. For example, the Apple Education Store has the MacBook Air M5 on sale for $1,199. That's $100 off and you also get a free $100 Apple gift card. Sure, Amazon offers the same price, but there's no freebie gift card. Likewise, the Apple Education Store has the MacBook Neo on sale for $599, which is $100 off. There's no gift card included with this offer, but I can guarantee you that no retailer is taking $100 off the MacBook Neo anytime soon.

Don't be afraid of refurbished

As a germophobe, I used to cringe at the idea of buying used tech. However, buying refurbished Apple gear is a great way to help your bank account and the planet. Apple restores and/or replaces everything during the refurbishing process, so my unfounded fear of getting a device with a random hair or grease stain on it is baseless.

In fact, the Apple Store is known for the excellent condition of its refurbished products and everything is backed by a 1-year Apple warranty. (That's the same warranty you'd get if you were to purchase a new Apple device). At the time of this writing, you can find MacBook Airs from $1,019 and MacBook Neos from $599.

Best Apple Deals Now

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Apple’s Mac lineup will get a major overhaul starting later this year. That’s according to Bloomberg reporter and Apple tipster Mark Gurman, whose sources gave him a rundown of the upcoming Macs.

Things will kick off with a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro featuring the new M6 chip, along with a new iMac that will also sport the yet-to-be-announced processor. Development of these Macs is reportedly complete, but they aren’t likely to ship until the fall.

The next biggest release should be higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBooks with OLED panels and a new design. These brand-new editions to the MacBook line will have M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Apple will reportedly release these MacBooks in late 2026 or early 2027.

New MacBook Air models are expected early in 2027. These 13- and 15-inch laptops will apparently resemble the current models, though Apple is reportedly developing an OLED model for 2028. There will be another MacBook Pro with a new design and packing an M7 chip sometime in 2027.

Additionally, Apple is working on a refreshed MacBook Neo. This model reportedly runs on the updated A19 Pro chip and more RAM. The report doesn’t say anything about pricing or when this laptop will launch.

Gurman’s report also says that a new iMac with an OLED screen is in the works, but won’t be released until later. Apple is also planning new Mac mini and Mac Studio models with refreshed chips. This includes the M5 Pro and M6 for the Mac mini, and the M5 Max and M5 Ultra for the Mac Studio.

Outlook

As always, take this report with a grain of salt, as Apple hasn’t made any official announcements about these Mac models. There’s certainly a lot to look forward to if all of this is accurate, though with the ongoing RAM crisis, it’s anyone’s guess when these computers will actually release and how much they’ll cost. As always, stay tuned for more as we hear further reports.

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The macOS Golden Gate public beta is now live, giving you a chance to check out all the new features coming to the best MacBooks.

Expected to launch this Fall, macOS Golden Gate primarily focuses on updating Apple Intelligence and Siri, with the latter now officially called Siri AI. You don’t get many new features, but improvements to Liquid Glass’s readability, easier customization, and smoother performance make for an overall better experience.

While Apple’s public betas are generally more stable than the developer builds, it might still be buggy and could cause issues for your Mac. I’ve never experienced serious issues using any of these betas over the years, but it’s worth being cautious. With that said, here’s how to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta.

How to download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta

Downloading the macOS Golden Gate public beta is pretty simple. First, enroll your Apple ID in Apple's Beta Program and make sure your Mac is compatible. Here's the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

That’s all that’s required to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta. Your Mac will restart once the download finishes. After that, you can start trying out all the new features. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient.

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Besides the iMac, there’s never been an Apple desktop quite like the Mac mini. It’s small yet powerful while still being whisper-quiet on your desk — and with the M4 model, you finally get front-facing ports.

Still, just like they often do with other Apple products, accessory makers were quick to try and fix its biggest flaws: an inaccessible power button and the lack of full-sized ports. While Cupertino wanted you to leave your new machine running full-time and toss out all your USB-A cables, many people like myself just weren’t ready to be that drastic.

That’s why the first accessory I added to my new desktop was a USB hub that doubled as a stand. I had one on my older M2 model for the same reason, so when Satechi released an upgraded version for this new completely redesigned Apple mini PC, I was ecstatic.

After using Satechi’s M4 Hub & Stand for months, I eventually swapped it out for a similar accessory from Orico that transformed my Mac mini into a miniature Mac Pro. Both devices worked well, but recently, I decided to give one more dock a chance, and I’m glad I did.

I didn’t expect to like this add-on from a company best known for its chargers and NAS devices, but Ugreen just might have made the most useful one yet. Here’s why.

Docked and fully loaded

At first glance, I wouldn’t blame you for mistaking Ugreen’s Mac mini M4 dock for Satechi’s. Both have a similar design and a matching silver finish, but Ugreen trades a third USB-A port up front for a full-sized SD card reader sitting next to a microSD one. It’s also slightly taller, measuring at just over an inch versus Satechi's sleeker, sub-inch height.

The one thing that really surprised me about Ugreen’s dock, though, is that it isn’t made from aluminum like Satechi’s. Instead, it’s entirely made from plastic with a very convincing paint job. Although this might sound like a downgrade at first, by opting for plastic over anodized aluminum, Ugreen solved one of the biggest issues docks like this have when sitting under your Mac mini: signal interference. From Wi-Fi to Bluetooth, having a big block of metal underneath one of the best mini PCs can significantly hamper your connections.

When you flip Ugreen’s dock over, you can easily add more storage to your Mac mini without having to pay the Apple Tax. Unlike Satechi’s hub, which caps out at 4TB, you can add up to an 8TB drive here. Now, I know that’s easier said than done, as we’re currently living through RAMageddon which has also greatly affected storage prices. However, it’s nice to have the option to add all that extra room, and who knows — maybe once the AI boom dies down, you just might be able to.

Besides that extra storage potential, it’s the rear ports that convinced me to give Ugreen’s dock a try in the first place. While Satechi keeps all of its connectivity up front and leaves the back bare, Ugreen did the complete opposite. You still get the hardwired USB-C cable that plugs into your Mac mini to get things started, but the back expands into even more ports than you do on the best MacBooks, including three more USB-A ports and two USB-C ones.

Interestingly, Ugreen also included another USB-C port on the back. Instead of using it to connect more accessories, it’s designed to plug directly into a power adapter, as the “IN 5V” label underneath it suggests. You see, with an 11-in-1 hub like this one, there’s no way you’d be able to reliably run all of those rear connections, the front card readers, and a high-speed SSD off the Mac mini’s bus power alone. By plugging Ugreen’s dock into a power strip underneath your desk, you completely avoid slow data transfer speeds, disconnected peripherals, and worst of all, random SSD disconnects that could corrupt your data.

If all those rear ports and extra power weren’t enough, Ugreen’s Mac mini M4 dock has one more trick up its sleeve that completely took me by surprise.

Power with a twist

As I’m currently in the process of reviewing MSI’s new Pro Max QD-OLED Mac monitor, I decided to set up my Mac mini M4 with Ugreen’s dock next to it. However, as this is one of the rare Mac monitors you can also play PC games on — unlike Apple’s new Studio Display XDR — I also have the Khadas Mind 2S with the company’s Mind Graphics 2 eGPU next to it.

In my testing, Ugreen’s dock for the Mac mini M4 worked in a similar way to Satechi’s. It gave me quick access to full-sized ports and an SD card reader without having to use a bulky dongle. One thing I prefer about it, though, is that with Ugreen’s dock, I can hide the 2.4GHz USB dongles for my keyboard and trackball mouse at the rear instead of having them front and center like with Satechi’s dock. Likewise, if you need to run cables from the back of your Mac mini behind your desk, this dock is the better option hands down.

I didn’t think to test and compare the Wi-Fi speeds on my Mac mini when using these two docks. However, with Ugreen’s, I didn’t notice any interference at all, nor did my speeds dip down. If you want me to put both docks through a Wi-Fi speed showdown, let me know in the comments below.

Even though I’ve come to terms with the Mac mini’s awkward power button placement after leaving it on for over a month, it’s still nice to be able to easily reach it. While Satechi has a standard cutout to make it more accessible, Ugreen took things a step further.

At the top left corner of Ugreen’s dock, there’s a physical plastic pass-through lever that makes pressing the Mac mini’s power button almost effortless. A simple press up and your Mac mini magically springs to life, while holding it down while the device is on brings up Apple’s shutdown menu. It’s a small detail, but in my day-to-day use, it made a noticeable difference.

Now, if you’re thinking about adding this dock underneath your own Mac mini, you do need to be careful. You see, Ugreen actually makes two docks for this mini PC, not just a single one. The $89 base version doesn’t have an SSD slot on the bottom, nor does it have this lever. Instead, it uses a basic cutout just like Satechi’s.

For $10 more, though, you can get the dock I have here which supports up to an 8TB SSD. Because it houses that drive, it’s slightly taller, hence the inclusion of that ingenious power button lever at the back.

A final docking place

There are only so many times you can redo your Mac mini M4 setup, and after years of experimentation, I think I’ve finally found my forever dock.

While I love how Satechi’s standard dock is an exact match to the design and materials Apple used, its lack of rear ports and smaller SSD capacity hold it back. Alternatively, you could pair your Mac mini with Satechi’s Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock if you want even more power, much higher data bandwidth and support for up to an 8TB SSD. Then again, that professional powerhouse costs $399 on its own, whereas all of these other docks sit comfortably under $100.

Orico’s dock, on the other hand, is as much of an enclosure for Apple’s mini PC as it is a dock. I’ll admit, it did look really cool on my desk. However, it forces your Mac mini into an awkward sideways position, meaning you lose out on seeing the beauty and compactness of Apple’s redesign. It does support up to an 8TB SSD, but you are ultimately left with fewer ports overall.

Having tried all three of these options for extended periods, Ugreen’s is my favorite yet, and for good reason. Those extra ports and having them hidden at the back really make a massive difference. At the same time, since it can be independently powered, I know that all of my connected devices won’t be constantly fighting for wattage.

You really can’t go wrong with any of these docks, but the right one for you will depend entirely on your specific workflow. If you just managed to pick up a new Mac mini or you’re looking to give your current setup a serious upgrade, at least you have plenty of great options.

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I was so excited for the Steam Machine, and then Valve charged $1,049 for it…yikes. As a PC gaming expert, I can point to many current Prime Day deals happening right now that give you more performance for less money.

While the price could have been a lot worse, it really puts this console/mini PC hybrid into no man’s land here — a place where you could get much more bang for your buck. Granted, you won’t get that cute little 6x6-inch cube build, but I always follow the bottom line here.

Plus, with SteamOS being updated so you can install it on your own computer easily, there’s a chance here to get yourself a Steam box without needing to pay that Valve premium. Though it's worth noting that with some of these Nvidia-based systems, you may want to stick with Windows for just a little longer, as Valve confirmed Team Green GPU support is coming “eventually.”

Prime Day gaming PC deals for the same price or cheaper than a Steam Machine

So I need to set some expectations here a little. Valve claims the Steam Machine is capable of 4K 60 FPS gameplay, and while that’s technically true with a big AMD FSR caveat, the reality is you’re looking more at 1080p or 1440p gaming.

All of these systems are capable of around those ranges too.

We're tracking all the best Prime Day gaming deals

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition improves on last year’s model with an upgraded AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor, though the rest of its components remain identical. However, Geekom also added its more efficient IceBlast 3.0 cooling, which lets this incredibly fast mini PC run at full power with minimal fan noise.

This new version keeps the same all-aluminum case and port selection I loved on the original, too. Just like with the standard Geekom A9 Max, you still get four handy USB-A ports on the front, with enough connectivity around back to drive up to four displays simultaneously. While you can certainly open this mini PC up to add another M.2 SSD, there’s also one of Geekom’s standard SD card readers on the side for quickly expanding your storage capacity.

At $1,799, the Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition is certainly a pricey mini PC. However, you can typically find it for a few hundred dollars off on Geekom’s website, making it only slightly more expensive than its predecessor. That's not bad, given that RAMageddon doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.

Just like I did with the original, I’ve been using this upgraded mini PC as my daily driver for the past month. During that time, its internal fan never made a peep, and the system hasn’t missed a beat or slowed down at all. However, just like with the first-gen A9 Max, it is a bit trickier to open and upgrade than past Geekom mini PCs I’ve tested.

My Geekom A9 Max review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your workflow or if it’s worth picking up last year’s model for slightly less.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A follow-up to last year’s compact, silver mini PC with desktop-class power under the hood and loads of front and rear ports.
• Who is it for? Those who need a powerful mini PC with desktop-class performance to replace a larger system or their laptop.
• What does it cost? The A9 Max 2026 Edition costs $1,699 on Amazon but it’s currently discounted to $1,485 on Geekom’s website where you can use code TGA9MAX26 to get an additional 8% off.
• What do we like? The upgraded and more powerful Ryzen AI 9 processor, its compact form factor, the ability to power it via USB-C, the highly generous rear and especially front port selection, and its excellent RAM and storage expandability.
• What don’t we like? The more premium price compared to last year’s model, the more difficult-than-usual case opening process for upgrades, and the easily detached internal Wi-Fi antennas.

Geekom A9 Max: Specs

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: The ups

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition keeps what works about the original with loads of ports at the front and back, an all aluminum case and plenty of opportunities to upgrade it further if you’re so inclined. However, it now features a faster processor and even better cooling.

Sleek, silver and souped-up

At 5.31 x 5.20 x 1.85 inches, the Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition retains the same compact footprint as the original, which is slightly larger — albeit shorter — than Apple’s redesigned Mac mini M4. It won’t take up any noticeable room on your desk, but you do have the option to mount this mini PC behind a monitor thanks to the included VESA mounting plate. However, given those handy front ports and the side-facing SD card reader, I wouldn’t recommend hiding it away.

With a weight of just 1.54 pounds, the A9 Max has a premium heft without being heavy, meaning you can easily slip it into a backpack. While it comes packaged with a traditional power brick that plugs into a rear barrel port, you don't actually have to use it. One of the two USB4 ports around back supports Power Delivery input (marked "PD-in"), allowing you to power the entire system with a compact 100W GaN charger instead — a convenient perk I've also seen on other mini PCs like the MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 2MG.

Design-wise, this new A9 Max is virtually identical to its predecessor on the outside. Under the hood, however, it sports an upgraded AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 processor and Geekom’s new IceBlast 3.0 cooling. While the original was already fast, this refreshed chip pushes the system's total AI capabilities from 80 up to 86 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) of processing power.

If you look at the results from our lab tests, you might be scratching your head as to why last year's original A9 Max actually outperforms this newer model. Fortunately, there’s a simple explanation for this that could be a pro or a con depending on your workflow and technical expertise.

Like the original model, this 2026 Edition features 32GB of DDR5 RAM. However, the original split that memory across two sticks in a dual-channel configuration (2 x 16GB). On this newer model, Geekom ships the system with a single 32GB stick of DDR5 RAM. Running in single-channel mode severely bottlenecks the memory bandwidth, choking the processor during heavy multi-core tasks and synthetic benchmarks.

I spoke with Geekom about this design choice, and they explained their reasoning: it's all about upgrade paths. Since the A9 Max 2026 Edition is highly upgradeable, keeping a single slot open means that if you want to jump to 64GB of RAM down the line, you can simply buy a matching 32GB stick rather than having to throw away two perfectly good 16GB sticks.

The good news is that while using the new A9 Max as my daily driver, I personally didn’t notice any real-world slowdowns or hangups. In fact, I was quite impressed with its day-to-day snappiness, and the integrated Radeon 890M graphics even managed to deliver a very playable experience running Death Stranding 2 on a 1080p monitor.

Ultimately, if you’re the type of user who prefers a "set-it-and-forget-it" machine and has no intention of ever opening up the case, you'll get better out-of-the-box performance value from the original A9 Max. But if you plan on immediately upgrading this mini PC to its limits and can benefit from the long-term potential of the HX 470 processor, the 2026 model makes a lot of sense — provided you don't mind paying extra for it.

The anti-Mac Mini M4

Despite what Apple wants you to think, there are plenty of us that still rely on USB-A ports instead of USB-C ones. Well, if like me, you’re one of those people, then Geekom has the perfect mini PC for you. On the front of the A9 Max, you get four USB-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. These easy-to-reach ports are great for plugging in flash drives or 2.4 GHz USB dongles for accessories like mice, keyboards and controllers.

Then around back, you get two more USB-A ports (one is high-speed like the four around front while the other is USB 2.0), two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB4 ports, dual 2.5 gigabit Ethernet ports and a barrel port power connector. That second 2.5 GbE port is great if you want to connect a NAS device to this mini PC, for instance.

As I mentioned before, with two USB4 ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports, the A9 Max can drive up to four 4K monitors simultaneously. Likewise, you could use the USB4 port on the right for power instead.

Although I adore my Mac mini M4, I’m constantly trying out different stands and hubs to add those missing USB-A ports to it. With the A9 Max, I have more USB-A ports than I ever did on my big old desktop gaming PC.

Faster yet cooler

One problem you often run into with mini PCs is excessive fan noise. This comes with the territory, since you’re dealing with a smaller system overall. For the most part, I haven’t run into this with Geekom’s mini PCs besides with the Intel-powered Geekom IT15 I reviewed last year. However, when the original A9 Max was left running demanding workloads for long periods, its internal fan would get quite noisy.

That’s why with the 2026 Edition of the A9 Max, the company upgraded its cooling system to IceBlast 3.0. While the original has dual-copper heat pipes, this upgraded version features a massive full-copper module that’s paired with a bigger custom turbo fan with larger blades. Since the blades are larger and this new module holds heat better, the single fan is able to move more air at lower, much quieter RPMs. As such, the A9 Max 2026 Edition is able to run at peak power without getting overly hot or loud.

Personally, the original A9 Max never got too loud for me during standard tasks, even with dozens of Chrome tabs open across multiple displays. However, if you plan on pushing this mini PC a lot harder, then this new cooling solution will absolutely make a difference. Before deciding between it and the original, I recommend carefully considering how you’re actually going to be using it on a daily basis.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: The downs

The A9 Max 2026 Edition is a powerful and full-featured mini PC, but it’s not without its downsides. The upgraded processor and cooling are nice to have, but they’re not a must-have upgrade over the original. At the same time, opening this mini PC up to upgrade it still proves somewhat tedious given how easily its Wi-Fi antenna cables come unattached.

Mind those pesky Wi-Fi antennas

For the most part, opening the A9 Max 2026 Edition up to upgrade its RAM or to add extra storage is fairly easy. After flipping it over, you have to remove the four rubber feet at each corner to reveal standard Phillips screws.

With other Geekom mini PCs you can get right to their components, but with this one, you first have to remove its massive heatsink before doing so. It’s fairly easy to take off as you just have to remove a few more screws, but like with the original A9 Max, there is a catch.

The A9 Max’s Wi-Fi antenna cables are taped onto the heatsink, and when you take it off, it’s very easy for them to come unattached. Unfortunately, they’re installed underneath this mini PC’s M.2 SSD, and reattaching them can be quite tedious to do.

With the heatsink removed, you can see the single stick of 32GB of DDR5 memory and the free M.2 slot next to the SSD. While it’s positioned for a much smaller 2230 SSD, it's easily accessible if you want to quickly drop in a short drive to expand your capacity.

Honestly, Geekom’s mini PCs are pretty easy to open and upgrade, and this new A9 Max is no exception. Just be forewarned that you’ll likely have to put up a bit of a fight to get those Wi-Fi antenna cables reconnected after doing so.

Not quite an A10 Max

With the Geekom A5 2025 Edition I reviewed, it had been two years between when the original released and when the upgraded version came out. With the A9 Max 2026 Edition, though, the original A9 Max came out just last year.

As you might have guessed from earlier in this review, the main reason Geekom decided to put out a new version of this mini PC so quickly was to fix the cooling issues of the original. That aggressive thermal throttling and loud fan noise was a deal-breaker for a lot of people, and fortunately, the A9 Max 2026 Edition fixes all of this with its IceBlast 3.0 cooling. Along the way, you also get a slightly faster processor, which is unfortunately a bit handicapped due to the single-channel RAM configuration Geekom went with this time around.

Don’t get me wrong: the original A9 Max was an excellent mini PC, and so too is this one. However, instead of a slight performance upgrade and improved cooling, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Geekom jump straight to a true "A10 Max." Given higher component costs due to RAMageddon, though, maybe it’s for the best that the company waited to take things to their next logical conclusion.

Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition: Verdict

The Geekom A9 Max 2026 Edition is a refined version of the original A9 Max, with some slight upgrades under the hood that make a big difference in day-to-day use. It’s quieter, cooler, and faster, but you are paying a bit more compared to what you would have last year. Still, you’re getting an ultra-fast mini PC with desktop-class performance and more ports than you'll find on most full-sized towers.

Now, I wouldn’t recommend upgrading to the 2026 Edition if you already own the original A9 Max. However, if you want a fast mini PC that you’ll be able to use at full power for years to come, it’s definitely worth the higher price tag.

Instead of a black square case with an Intel or AMD chip inside, with the Ascent QN10, Asus is doing things differently — both with its design and its silicon.

Unlike with its Intel-powered NUC mini PCs or AMD-powered ExpertCenter ones, the Ascent QN10 is the first to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, specifically the Snapdragon X2 Elite. As such, Asus has given this mini PC a sleek silver case with an anodized aluminum finish as opposed to the black plastic it uses on others.

At Computex 2026, I got a chance to see and hold the newly unveiled Ascent QN10 in person. While I wasn’t able to fully test it just yet, based on our previous benchmark testing of Snapdragon X2 Elite laptops, I’m excited to see what this chip can do when unleashed in an Asus mini PC for the first time.

The new Asus Ascent QN10 is so much more than the chip powering it though. Here are my initial impressions after some one-on-one time with it away from the crowds on the show floor.

Asus Ascent QN10 Specs

Sleek, small — and silver

At just 5.1 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches, the Ascent QN10 is smaller than some of the other Asus mini PCs I’ve reviewed in the past like the tall variant of the NUC 14 Pro. It’s no longer cube-shaped either, nor is it rectangular like the new Asus NUC 16 Pro. Instead, what we have here is a perfectly uniform square block with ports on the front and back and vents on either side.

Speaking of ports, there are two ultra-fast USB4 ones right on the front of the Ascent QN10 that support speeds of up to 40 Gbps, can output video via DisplayPort 1.4 and also offer Power Delivery. Right next to them, you get a 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack and two USB-A ports for connecting your accessories.

Personally, I’m looking forward to how you can grab two portable monitors or even a pair of the best smart glasses for some extra screen real estate in a pinch. Likewise, having these faster ports up front is great for transferring data to and from an external hard drive or even your smartphone.

Asus has done something incredibly clever with the Ascent QN10’s cooling, too. While the vents that bring in cool air on the left side form a dense, uninterrupted block of vertical slits, the exhaust grills on the right side are physically split by a horizontal strip of aluminum. The reason for this is pretty interesting.

Since the Ascent QN10 uses a blazing-fast PCIe Gen 5 SSD which tends to run hotter, Asus added a second internal fan just to cool it. To avoid having the heat from the SSD and CPU mixing together, that physical gap on the right panel keeps the exhaust channels isolated. So cool fresh air comes in all at once on the left but gets separated on the way out.

Then on the back of the Ascent QN10, we still have a barrel port connector for power along with another USB4 port, two more USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a fast 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. Overall, this mini PC has a phenomenal mix of front and rear connectivity. At the same time, despite its small size, it can drive up to four 4K displays simultaneously as well.

We’re definitely going to have to get an Ascent QN10 in for testing, but so far, it looks like a promising and powerful mini PC. There is one catch though: it’s missing a useful feature you'll find on almost all of Asus’ other mini PCs.

No hiding this one

When you flip the Ascent QN10 over, things look slightly different than they would on Asus’ NUC or ExpertCenter mini PCs. There isn’t a latch to quickly gain access to its internals, nor are there brackets to attach a VESA-mounting plate.

Instead, there are four white feet around the vents in the middle of the Ascent QN10 with screws at each corner. You can certainly open this mini PC up, but you will need a screwdriver to do so. While you can’t add more RAM due to how Qualcomm’s Snapdragon architecture is engineered, there are dual M.2 slots and both support up to 2TB for a total of 4TB of storage when fully equipped.

Now, it wasn’t the non-upgradeable RAM or the QN10 not having a toolless design that surprised me most; it was how you can’t VESA-mount this mini PC. One of the perks of using one of the best mini PCs is that — for the most part — you can usually mount them behind your monitor. Doing so gives you the space-saving benefits of an all-in-one computer like an iMac but at a fraction of the price and with more flexibility.

Given its sleek silver design and anodized aluminum case, though, I think Asus wants its first Snapdragon-powered mini PC to sit front and center on your desk. That’s alright with me, but I do wish Asus had included an integrated fingerprint reader on the power button or even next to it for faster logins. Since the Ascent QN10 is the kind of mini PC you can't hide away behind a monitor, having biometric security right at your fingertips would have been a nice touch.

Only AI will tell

I’m glad that Asus gave me a chance to see and hold the Ascent QN10 before its official release. However, there’s only so much I can glean from it without having it powered on and connected to a monitor.

Besides its sleek design and the premium components inside, the big sell here is the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. It features 80 TOPS and is powerful enough to run AI agents like OpenClaw, Hermes, or Claude Desktop directly on the Ascent QN10. With Qualcomm’s AI Hub, it should be easy enough for even beginners to get started running AI locally. Since this mini PC is ARM and not x86-based, it should be a whole lot quieter and cooler when doing so too.

A few more questions remain as well, like how much the Ascent QN10 will actually cost when it releases. For now, though, I think this mini PC has the potential to be a great Mac mini M4 alternative for Windows users who are looking to get started with AI agents.

Stay tuned, as I’m definitely calling in one of these for review.

• I tried the new ROG NUC 16 and Asus’ upgraded mini gaming PC is complete overkill — but in the best way possible
• All 8 laptops launching with Nvidia RTX Spark this fall and what they can do
• I held the MacBook Neo in one hand and the new XPS 13 in the other — and Dell’s $699 laptop is surprisingly lighter

The new Asus ROG NUC 16 is the kind of device you need to experience firsthand to truly appreciate what this console-sized PC is capable of. Thankfully, while everyone else at the ROG 20th anniversary event made their way upstairs toward the DJ, I slipped away for some one-on-one time with this mini gaming PC. I’m incredibly glad I did, because the raw performance packed into this tiny case completely blew me away.

Even though we’re dealing with just a 3-liter case here, Asus has managed to pack this device full of powerful components. From an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor to up to a Nvidia RTX 5080 Laptop GPU and even 128GB of DDR5 memory fully configured, the ROG NUC 16 is no slouch.

My favorite thing this time around is that in addition to the standard black, it now also comes in white. However, if you prefer black but want something different, there’s always the even more powerful ROG NUC 16 Edition 20 which features gold accents all around like the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 I checked out when I first arrived at Computex 2026.

So what can a console-sized mini PC with all the latest components actually pull off gameplay-wise? Quite a lot. If the Steam Machine just doesn’t seem like it has enough power to make your living room PC gaming dreams come true, then the ROG NUC 16 could be just what you’re looking for.

Asus ROG NUC 16 Specs

Console-sized PC power

On the front of the ROG NUC 16, there are two high-speed USB-A ports and a USB-C port along with a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also a lightstrip above the power button with ROG branding on the right.

One big difference this time around is that Asus has completely redesigned the ROG NUC 16’s stand. Instead of having to manually screw it in like on the ROG NUC 970 I reviewed a few years ago, you now get a removable one made of two pieces that works in both vertical and horizontal orientations.

At the same time, the ROG NUC 16 now knows which orientation it’s in thanks to the G-sensor in its motherboard. Depending on which orientation you have the device in, its triple-fan QuietFlow cooling system will adjust accordingly for the best airflow.

Around back is where things really get interesting with the ROG NUC 16. On the left, you have all your video-out ports from the Nvidia GPU inside which include dual HDMI 2.1, dual DisplayPort 2.1 and a Thunderbolt 4 port. Then on the right, there are four more high-speed USB-A ports and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port.

I’ve tested larger mini PCs like the Framework Desktop with fewer USB-A ports, so I really like how Asus has given you more than enough for all your peripherals. The ROG NUC 16 has an impressive selection of ports and powerful components inside but how well does it game? That’s what I was about to find out.

Small footprint, max graphics

At its ROG 20th Anniversary Event, Asus had all of its standard devices launching at Computex 2026 set up in the main room and the special edition ones for the anniversary in a smaller room off to the side.

What I liked about the ROG NUC 16 setup in particular was how I could see both the black and white version on either side and try it out in the middle. While I couldn’t switch between games like I could on the ROG Xbox Ally X20, Capcom’s Pragmata was already loaded up and ready to go. While I had read my colleague Tony Polanco’s review, I didn’t have a chance to play it myself, so this was great.

When playing with a mouse and keyboard, the game ran buttery smooth on the ROG NUC 16. It looked great too, especially as this mini gaming PC was paired with a 27-inch ROG Swift OLED gaming monitor.

One thing that really surprised me was that I didn’t hear a peep out of the ROG NUC 16 while playing. Since it had likely been running for hours before I got to try it, I figured the fans would have ramped up by now. However, with three active cooling fans and dual vapor chambers instead of standard copper heat pipes, the ROG NUC 16 feels like the kind of mini PC you can game on for hours without having to put on one of the best gaming headsets to drown out fan noise.

Obviously we’ll need to get one in for testing and put it through the paces at home. However, during my brief time with the ROG NUC 16, I was quite impressed with its performance overall. After skipping last year’s ROG NUC 2025, going from the ROG NUC 970 to this one was a massive improvement and all my previous gripes have been fixed. Well, all but one of them.

Portability has a price

Back when I first tried out one of Asus’ ROG NUC mini gaming PCs, the top-tier configuration was expensive at $1,799 for the ROG NUC 970. However, it wasn’t out of reach for those who wanted a premium mini PC they could game on and easily throw into a backpack to take with them anywhere. In the years since though, the price of an ROG NUC has climbed steadily upward.

For instance, last year’s ROG NUC 2025 launched with a base price of around $3,200. Unfortunately, this new ROG NUC 16 is even more expensive with a starting price of $3,799 for the baseline configuration. Then if you want the Moonlight White model seen here, you’re going to be paying even more at $4,700. Now Asus isn’t entirely to blame for this as due to RAMaggeddon, component prices just keep going up and up.

Will the ROG NUC 16 be worth it for most people? Probably not. Keep in mind that you’re paying a higher price for a premium machine you can take with you anywhere. Also, thanks to its new design and how Asus has reworked its cooling, the ROG NUC 16 will stay quiet under load while similarly-specced mini gaming PCs will sound like a jet engine under load.

If you’re looking for that console aesthetic but prefer to play on PC, then you might want to take a look at the Minisforum G1 Pro I recently reviewed. It is slightly larger but still smaller than a PS5 Pro by a fair margin when standing vertically. However, unlike the ROG NUC 16, it has an internal power supply instead of a large power brick and you can actually upgrade its graphics card since it uses a standard — albeit mini-sized — desktop GPU.

For those with money to spend who are short on space or travel overseas for extended periods, the ROG NUC 16 is the most powerful mini gaming PC you can get right now. And thanks to its powerful components, it will smoke any console, well at least until the PS6 and next Xbox arrive in a few years.

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Let’s get this out of the way: The Dell 24 AIO is no iMac, especially when it comes to performance. That said, I don’t think Dell’s all-in-one desktop should be immediately dismissed. That’s because it's a solid, no-fuss productivity machine that nails the basics and exceeds expectations for entertainment.

It's not a powerhouse capable of handling demanding games or video editing, and its display leaves much to be desired. However, this minimalist all-in-one is a perfect fit for those who don't need all the bells and whistles of a more powerful rig, such as students and remote workers.

Simplicity, convenience, and reliability are all things the Dell 24 AIO brings to the table, and it delivers on all of them quite well. However, its shortcomings prevent it from being an instant recommendation. Find out more in my full review.

Dell 24 AIO review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? The Dell 24 AIO is an all-in-one desktop designed to save space and deliver great performance for everyday tasks like web browsing and document editing.
• Who is it for? Remote workers, students, and home-office-havers who are only looking to tackle basic productivity tasks, listen to music, and watch content.
• What does it cost? The most budget-friendly configuration we reviewed starts at $1,349. If you want all the highest-end specs, the all-in-one desktop can run you up to $2,549.
• How are the speakers? While all-in-one stock speakers don’t typically impress, the Dell 24 AIO stands out for its crisp, punchy sound system.
• Can it handle gaming? The Dell 24 AIO is not well-suited for power-hungry tasks like gaming and photo/video editing.

Dell 24 AIO review: Specs

Dell 24 AIO review: The ups

The Dell 24 AIO impresses thanks to its strong performance, sharp display, and generous port selection.

Great performance

Every day, productivity tasks are the Dell 24 AIO’s bread and butter.

During my testing, I used it for most of my work, including writing reviews, sending emails, filling out spreadsheets, and basic web browsing. It handled all those things swimmingly, and I never noticed any slowdown, even when having a bunch of tabs open at once.

Our Geekbench 6 CPU performance data aligns with this. Single-core performance, which handles those low-lift tasks I mentioned above, is strong at 2,567. That’s nowhere near the 3,646 score of the M4 iMac, but still comparable to the impressive Lenovo Yoga AIO 27, which scored a 2,889.

The multi-core scores paint a different picture, though, and show why the Dell 24 AIO is worse at handling more demanding tasks like gaming and photo/video editing. The Dell AIO scored 7,789, while the Lenovo and iMac scored 15,550 and 14,724, respectively.

While the Dell 24 AIO’s multi-core scores don’t touch those of the M4 iMac and Lenovo Yoga AIO 27, you still shouldn’t have any issues with the basics when using the AIO. Once you start taking on more demanding projects, that’s when you’ll run into trouble, but I’ll get to that later. Otherwise, you can expect the Dell AIO to be a reliable daily driver desktop.

Space saving design

One of the main reasons to buy an all-in-one desktop is to save space, and the Dell 24 AIO does just that. The entire setup is just three pieces: The monitor/PC, keyboard, and mouse. So, no matter what kind of real estate you’re working with, you should absolutely have room to fit the AIO into your workspace comfortably.

After placing it on your desk, setting up the AIO is a breeze — it’s as simple as plugging in the included power adapter and booting it up. From there, you’re off to the races.

Beyond the space it saves, the Dell 24 AIO also looks great. I usually prefer a more minimalist look for my tech, and to me, this AIO nails it. The all-white body forgoes flashiness but still has some character.

I also really like that the monitor’s speaker system is on the front of the computer. It makes for a way better audio experience than other desktops that opt for back-facing speakers, which shoot directly into the wall behind it and distort the finer details you probably wouldn’t want to miss (more on those speakers in a bit).

For me, the only downside of the Dell 24 AIO’s physical design is the fixed stand, which only allows tilt adjustments. If you’re looking to change the height of the display or swivel it from side to side, you’re out of luck. I found the fixed height okay for me, but the lack of swivel made it unnecessarily difficult to access the back of the computer, where all the ports are. A slight annoyance, but definitely worth considering.

Impressive speakers and webcam

I’m not normally impressed with stock speakers. That goes for monitors, laptops, and even TVs. But the Dell 24 AIO shocked me with how great its built-in speakers sound.

High and midtones sounded super crisp, and I could even hear a decent amount of bass, whether I was listening to music or watching a film. And because the sound system supports Dolby Atmos, I was able to get a much more immersive surround-sound experience from whatever content was on the screen.

I’m more accustomed to the tinny, crackly built-in speakers you’ll find in many laptops and monitors today, so the full-bodied audio experience of the Dell 24 AIO was a pleasant and welcome surprise.

The monitor’s 8MP webcam is also a highlight. It looks crystal clear during video calls, and even has facial recognition support for logging in to your various accounts faster.

Fantastic port variety

The AIO has a really nice selection of ports that should cover most people's needs.

You’ll get a bunch of USB ports, including a USB 2.0 duo and three USB 3.2 ports. An Ethernet port is also here if you want to plug in for faster internet speeds, and a 3.5mm jack in case you don’t have a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

What I really liked having, though, was the desktop’s pair of HDMI in and out ports, which allows you to connect another laptop or monitor to use as an extended display. I had my laptop connected to the AIO for most of my review period, and it was really convenient to have a second screen that I could pop in and out of on the fly while getting work done.

Dell 24 AIO review: The downs

The Dell 24 AIO has a lot going for it, but it also has some serious setbacks.

It’s no powerhouse

As I mentioned earlier, the Dell 24 AIO isn’t exactly a performance workhorse. Even though it's not meant for that, it’s still a downside that it can’t handle even light gaming or larger creative projects.

Every game we tested looked like a slideshow if it didn’t crash completely, and the AIO struggled to run demanding apps like those in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite (which aligns with our Geekbench 6 testing data in the performance section above).

This desktop is definitely better for the basics, and if that’s all you need, you should have no problems here. But if you’re a creative who requires more from your desktop, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere. When you can get an iMac at a similar price point that can handle a much heavier workload, it’s hard to look past the AIO’s shortcomings in this area.

Display lacks detail

The Dell 24 AIO’s display is a bit of a mixed bag. When it comes to color accuracy, it actually performs really well, and yielded a Delta-E result that was on par with both the M4 iMac and Lenovo Yoga 27 all-in-one desktop. Delta-E is how we measure color accuracy during testing, and the lower the number we get, the better.

The Lenovo Yoga scored a Delta-E of 0.21, the M4 iMac a 0.22, and the Dell 24 AIO a 0.22 as well. So, it’s hanging right there with some heavy hitters in that regard.

But that’s really where the highlights of this display end. When we conducted our brightness tests, the Dell AIO immediately fell behind, scoring an average brightness of just 228.8 nits compared to the Lenovo’s 352.6 nits and the iMac’s 450 nits. It’s pretty apparent just looking at the screen with your naked eye, too.

During my review period, I couldn’t help but feel like the display was a little bit dim, even with the brightness settings jacked up. There are a few different display presets that you can cycle through to try to tweak it to your liking, but the standard mode has the highest average brightness out of all of them, so don’t expect it to get much better than that.

The FHD panel can only handle up to 1200p resolution, and while it’s not a complete dealbreaker, I did notice some artifacting when I got closer to the screen, especially around smooth-edged logos or highly detailed images. Again, if you’re just using this computer to take on super basic tasks, this probably won’t be as glaring an issue. But if you’re a stickler for image quality, you’re definitely going to notice the imperfections in this lackluster display.

Disappointing keyboard

While it’s nice that the Dell 24 AIO comes bundled with a mouse and keyboard, one of the latter was a huge issue for me.

The AIO’s keyboard is perfectly serviceable in terms of size and form factor, but the feedback I got while typing on it really missed the mark. The keys are missing that tactile, clicky sensation that I want from a keyboard. Instead, they just feel kind of mushy, and it really affected how quickly I could type on them.

The keyboard feel is subjective and specific to each person, so your mileage may vary with this one, but I personally couldn’t get with the included keyboard on the AIO. If I owned one of these all-in-one desktops, I’d probably connect one of my other keyboards.

Dell 24 AIO review: Verdict

Even though I would personally want a more powerful all-in-one desktop for my demanding workflow, I still think the Dell 24 AIO is a great option for a very specific type of person.

The Dell AIO is easy to set up, and its minimalist design makes it simple to use with little friction. It handles the basics with flying colors, has great built-in peripherals, and features a diverse array of ports that’ll allow you to get even more mileage out of your machine.

For those reasons, it’ll most likely be a match for someone who isn’t seeking luxury, but something that’s uncomplicated and reliable when it comes to tackling whatever the day throws at them.

Creative types and gamers will probably want to steer clear of this all-in-one due to its display and performance pitfalls, but students and remote workers who value the bare necessities should keep the Dell 24 AIO on their radar.

The Steam Controller launched last week and sold out in less than 30 minutes. As expected, eBay listings went live shortly after, with the peripheral marked up by hundreds of dollars. Valve has since implemented a queue system for Steam Controller orders, and if a recent rumor is true, the company will do the same for the upcoming Steam Machine.

As Wccftech reports, a new leak suggests that Valve is bringing back the reservation queue system—the same one used for the Steam Deck’s launch. That alone is interesting, but the leak also suggests how many versions of the PC/console hybrid we should expect.

For those who don’t know, the reservation queue is tied to a vetted Steam account. By requiring a purchase history or a verified account, Valve can prevent scalpers from using thousands of burner bots to swarm checkout pages. Those who’ve had active Steam accounts for an unspecified amount of time will get priority on the line. Anyone trying to flip a console on eBay for a 300% markup will be out of luck.

One of the more interesting details from this alleged leak is that there will be four distinct models. Valve has confirmed 512GB and 2TB models, but we can make educated guesses about the other two. As Wccftech notes, one could have 1TB of storage, while the other could be a bundle with the Steam Controller. I agree with this assessment.

The big question about the Steam Machine is its price. Given the ongoing RAM crisis, it’s safe to assume Valve is waiting as long as possible before revealing the official cost. If the company can keep prices in the $599 to $899 range, it would certainly undercut the PS5 Pro, which now costs $899 after PS5 price hikes.

Given the unofficial nature of this story, please take it with a healthy dose of skepticism. We’ll keep you updated on any further developments, so stay tuned for more!

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Today (April 20), Apple announced that CEO Tim Cook is stepping aside to become the executive chairman of the firm's board of directors. John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become the next steward of Cupertino starting September 1, 2026.

Cook will help transition Ternus this summer and will likely host WWDC 2026, which kicks off in June.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being" Cook said in a press release.

Tim Cook has led Apple for the past 14 years since Steve Jobs resigned in 2011. In total, Cook has worked at Apple over 25 years.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 as part of the company's product design team and became the VP of hardware engineering in 2013.

"Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor," Ternus said. "I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come."

Who is John Ternus?

John Ternus has been a front runner to take over the head seat for awhile now, and currently is the youngest top executive at the company at 50 years old. Assuming things go well, he could have an equally long tenure.

The rise of Ternus suggests the company is looking for a more hardware and engineering focused future.

Ternus joined the executive team in 2021 when he became the the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. He has overseen the production and introduction of a number of product lines including the iPad, AirPods and several generations of the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.

He unveiled the M1 chip, Apple's first in-house designed CPU in 2020, and the iPhone Air last year.

Ternus' most recent impact was with the MacBook Neo, Apple's take on a budget-friendly laptop that quickly made an imprint on that category and has sold out so quickly

"“We’re always focused on ‘how do we make a given product better,’” said Ternus in an interview with Tom's Guide. “We’re always pushing. And we never think like, ‘well, what impact if we did something here would have on a product over here?’”

What's next for Apple?

Ternus will take over at an interesting, and somewhat fraught time for Apple and tech as a whole.

Tim Cook has already been navigating the tariff situation, and now the ongoing Iran War. There's also the RAM crisis which isn't expected to abate until 2028, at the earliest. Apple has seemingly been on top of things but reports have shown that even Apple is eating costs associated with sky high memory prices.

Meanwhile, the 20th anniversary of the iPhone is coming next year and rumors suggest it will be a huge change. Plus, Apple is expected to debut its first pair of smart glasses later this year and the first foldable iPhone this September.

Both devices are new categories for Apple that come at a time when price hikes, memory shortages, and AI are the talk of tech.

It'll be interesting to see how Ternus navigates these choppy waters while trying to bring new enthusiasm to the company.

Johny Srouji named Apple's Chief Hardware Officer

As Ternus transitions to CEO, Apple also announced a new head of hardware in Johny Srouji.

“Johny has been an incredible partner on the executive team, and is going to be an extraordinary chief hardware officer,” said incoming Apple CEO John Ternus in a press release. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with him in our new roles.”

Srouji joined Apple in 2008 and led development of the A4 chip, Apple's first in-house iPhone silicon. Since then he has been in charge of hardware engineering teams from silicon and batteries to cameras and sensors.

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The Minisforum G1 Pro isn’t your typical mini PC. Instead, it feels like a true small form factor (SFF) rig thanks to its internal, desktop-grade power supply and its dedicated GPU. We aren’t dealing with a power-limited laptop chip here; instead, you’re getting a low-profile Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060.

After seeing the G1 Pro at Computex last summer, I knew I had to get one in for testing. I’ve been using it for both work and play for almost two months now, and it hasn’t disappointed on either front. With an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX processor and 32GB of DDR5 RAM under the hood, the G1 Pro handled my daily workload with ease. Then, when work was done for the day, it transformed into a console-like gaming powerhouse capable of playing the latest AAA releases with the settings cranked.

Still, at $1,439, the G1 Pro is more expensive than your average mini PC — though it’s still significantly cheaper than the Asus ROG NUC. There are also some trade-offs to consider: its small footprint means a sparse port selection for accessories, and the G1 Pro can get loud when you push its hardware to the limit.

My Minisforum G1 Pro review will help you decide if this is the best mini PC for your setup and if it really packs enough of a punch to make you consider ditching your console for good.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A gaming-focused mini PC with a desktop-grade power supply and GPU.
• Who is it for? Gamers who don’t have the space for a full tower, those who like to travel with their gaming PC and people who want workstation power in a small form factor with the option to play demanding games too.
• What does it cost? The Minisform G1 Pro costs $1,439 at Minisforum and Amazon.
• What do we like? Its console-like design, the fact that it uses desktop-grade components, that you can swap in more RAM or storage, how there’s no bulky power brick and that you can even upgrade its GPU.
• What don’t we like? The form factor limits port availability and it can get loud when playing demanding games cranked up to max settings.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Specs

Minisforum G1 Pro: The Ups

The Minisforum G1 Pro is far from your standard mini PC. However, its powerful components and upgradability make it just as useful in your living room as it is in the office.

Even sleeker than a console

At 12.4 x 8.5 x 2.25 inches with a white outer shell, it’s hard not to draw comparisons between the G1 Pro and Sony’s PS5. Personally, though, I prefer Minisforum’s more uniform design. On the left side of the G1 Pro’s case, there are two triangular sets of vent holes while the right side is completely flat.

A black strip runs between the two sides and on the front, there’s a high-speed USB-A port, a USB-C port (that can do video out), a 3.5mm audio jack and the power button. There are also customizable RGB lightstrips on either side of the G1 Pro’s front ports.

Now around back is where things get interesting. In the center, you get two more high-speed USB-A ports, another USB-C port (that can also do video out), an HDMI 2.1 port and surprisingly, a 5 Gigabit Ethernet port. Then on the left side, you get another HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 2.1b connections and a DisplayPort 1.4a one too from the G1 Pro’s dedicated GPU. Finally, there’s a standard PC power port along with an on/off switch on the right side.

Unlike with the PS5, the G1 Pro comes with a vertical stand in the box. It screws onto the bottom of the device using a thumb screw for additional support. While you can technically use the G1 Pro horizontally too, doing so is a bit awkward because when you flip it over to have its vents facing up, the Minisforum and AtomMan logos are upside down. Now if you were to mount it under your desk horizontally, this wouldn’t be the case and the device would still have plenty of airflow.

Just like with my PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X, one of my favorite things about the G1 Pro is that it doesn’t have a bulky power supply like the Geekom A9 Max and many of the other mini PCs I’ve tested. In fact, the only other mini PC I’ve tried that uses an internal power supply is Apple’s Mac mini M4.

Since standard PC power cables are incredibly cheap, I plugged one in at my desk and had another in the entertainment center under my TV. That way, when I did want to play some of the best PC games on a large screen, I could just move the G1 Pro into my living room.

Console aesthetic, workstation performance

The G1 Pro may have a more gamer-friendly aesthetic but unlike the AtomMan G7 PT, it won’t look out of place in an office setting. Sure, its white shell and unique design will draw attention but not the unwanted kind.

While the G1 Pro may be marketed as a mini gaming PC first and foremost, it’s a surprisingly capable work machine too. A big reason for this is because of its upgradeability. For instance, while my review unit shipped with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, you can actually put up to 96GB of RAM in its small case — but more on that later.

In terms of my daily workload which consists of dozens of Chrome tabs opened simultaneously and editing images in GIMP, the G1 Pro never missed a beat. It handled everything I threw at it with ease with plenty of power left over for more demanding tasks.

In the table above, you can see how well the G1 Pro fared compared to the competition. It held its own in Geekbench’s single-core tests in our lab, but its multi-core results weren’t nearly as high as those from the A9 Max, Framework Desktop and even the Intel-powered AtomMan G7 Ti. Still, when transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in our Handbrake test, the G1 Pro finished the task in just over three minutes.

Another area where the G1 Pro really excels is with connectivity. In addition to Bluetooth 5.4, you also get full Wi-Fi 7 support. When connected to one of the best Wi-Fi 7 routers in the other room and running a speed test, I saw download speeds of 1.5 Gbps which is quite fast over Wi-Fi. Then again, if you have a real need for speed, you can always use an Ethernet cable to connect the G1 Pro directly to your router using the 5 Gigabit Ethernet port around back.

The biggest difference between the G1 Pro and the rest of these mini PCs though is in gaming performance, especially since it’s the only one with a dedicated, desktop-grade GPU.

Not your average mini PC GPU

Typically when gaming on a mini PC, you’re relegated to using either integrated graphics or a discrete laptop-style GPU. The latter is obviously better but with the G1 Pro, you don’t have to settle for either of these lesser options. Instead, you have the power of a discrete, desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU at your disposal.

The G1 Pro is mainly designed for playing games at 1440p. However, as I had it hooked up to a 4K gaming monitor, I leveraged Nvidia DLSS 4 — and then later DLSS 4.5 — to bump up the framerate in more demanding games.

With Super Resolution enabled, Death Stranding 2 ran like a charm on this smaller, console-sized mini PC. I also played through a bit of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with DLSS enabled for equally impressive results. As it’s still in development, I even ran the demo for the upcoming skateboarding sim Skate Style natively and even at 4K, it looked and ran great.

In our lab tests, the G1 Pro performed well across the board without DLSS enabled. We saw 90 fps in Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p, while Cyberpunk 2077 saw a less than ideal but still playable 45 fps at native resolution. With DLSS and upscaling enabled, though, you can easily push past 60 fps in the most demanding AAA titles.

Having a desktop-grade Nvidia RTX 5060 installed from the get-go is one of the most compelling things about the G1 Pro. However, just like its RAM and storage, you can actually swap out your GPU later on if you need even more power.

Small but surprisingly expandable

Opening up the G1 Pro to make upgrades is surprisingly simple. After removing the vertical stand and two screws on the base of the machine, the vented side panel just slides right off.

Doing so lets you see the Nvidia RTX 5060 from Gigabyte on the left, a large blower-style fan above the CPU in the center and the 350W power supply on the right. Despite the G1 Pro’s smaller size, Minisforum managed to pack a lot of powerful components into this case with well-managed cables to boot.

Now you can add more memory or storage, but doing so requires unplugging the power supply’s main connector and removing the CPU fan. While one of the M.2 SSD slots is occupied with a 1TB drive, there’s a free one next to it. In total, you can add up to 8TB of storage with a 4TB SSD in each slot. Minisforum even includes an extra SSD heatsink in the box, which is a nice touch for those adding a second high-speed drive.

Although you can’t see it here, there’s a single stick of 32GB DDR5 RAM underneath the CPU cooler. However, there’s a second, free slot next to it. Once RAMaggedon is behind us, you could utilize both to configure the G1 Pro with a whopping 96GB of memory.

A quick note on the single-channel RAM configuration my review unit shipped with: running a PC in single-channel mode does lead to a bottleneck, which is likely why those Geekbench multi-core scores from earlier were lower than expected. However, if you do decide to upgrade the G1 Pro’s RAM, you can just add another 32GB stick; if you had two 16GB sticks, you’d have to ditch them entirely to reach 64GB or more.

Though 96GB of RAM will definitely be overkill for most, if you’re using this mini PC for 8K video editing or running LLMs locally, it’s nice to know that you have plenty of room to expand in the future. Speaking of which, since the G1 Pro uses a standard GPU — albeit a low-profile one — you could theoretically swap out the included RTX 5060 with an RTX 6060 once Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs hit the market.

Minisforum G1 Pro: The Downs

The Minisforum G1 Pro is truly a remarkable mini PC that breaks new ground. However, it’s not without its downsides, which include a sparse port selection for your accessories and fans that can get quite noisy when running demanding workloads or graphically-intensive games.

Port shortage (but not for video)

Just like with the AtomMan G7 Ti, I wish the G1 Pro had a few more USB-A ports. Since I switch between computers so much, I prefer using a 2.4 GHz USB dongle for my mouse and keyboard as opposed to Bluetooth. This lets me quickly get up and running when setting up a new PC.

You do get three USB-A ports — one on the front and two on the back — with the G1 Pro. However, since I have a pair of Kanto Ora bookshelf speakers hooked up via USB along with the dongles for my mouse and keyboard, I found myself at a loss when I wanted to plug in the dongle for a controller. One more USB-A port to get the total up to four would have been a nice addition here.

While you don’t get quite as many USB-A ports as you do on a machine like the Geekom A9 Max, you do get loads of video out ports. Both the front and back USB-C ports are capable of video out, but the G1 Pro also features two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort connections.

If you want to run a multi-monitor setup, the G1 Pro is more than capable of doing so with ease. However, if you have a lot of older accessories that use USB-A, then you’ll likely need to pair this mini PC with a hub to get all the ports you need.

The beast unleashed

Let’s face it: mini PCs can get noisy due to their smaller size, and the G1 Pro certainly suffers from this, but only when pushing the machine with demanding games or intensive workloads. With my sound meter, I measured 40dB when using this mini PC for work which is roughly as loud as a quiet library. However, when I booted up a resource-intensive game like Death Stranding 2, I saw sound levels reach as high as 60dB.

Although 60dB is quite loud if you have the G1 Pro sitting right next to you on a desk, switching to a pair of wired USB-C headphones did the trick and made that extra fan noise a lot less noticeable. One of the best gaming headsets would have worked just as well.

To help manage the noise, Minisforum’s pre-installed software allows you to switch between Work, Gaming, and Beast modes. These modes adjust the Ryzen 9's power limit from 60W all the way up to a staggering 100W. Depending on which one you use, the G1 Pro will prioritize either a quiet workspace or raw performance. While the software is intuitive and easy to use, I would have liked to see a dedicated physical mode switch on the front of the case, similar to the one on the AtomMan G7 Ti or G7 Pt.

Minisforum G1 Pro: Verdict

The Minisforum G1 Pro certainly lived up to the initial early impression I had when I first saw it at Computex last summer. It’s sleek, small and packed with powerful but more importantly upgradeable components and this really helps set it apart from other mini PCs as well as Minisforum’s previous devices.

At $1,439, it is more expensive than a console as well as most other mini PCs. However, for the price, you’re getting a dedicated Nvidia GPU which gives you access to DLSS and loads of other features. At the same time, you’re not stuck with soldered RAM and also have the ability to add more storage or even to swap out its low-profile GPU for a more powerful one down the line.

Despite its small package, the G1 Pro delivers both as a gaming machine and as a workstation. While I would have loved a few more USB-A ports, that’s by no means a dealbreaker. The same is true for heightened noise levels under heavy load since wearing a pair of headphones completely drowned out all that extra sound.

If you’re looking for a mini PC you can also game on and don’t want to be stuck with a laptop GPU or an external GPU dock, the G1 Pro is an innovative and fantastic machine for both work and play.

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Although you certainly can leave your Mac on for days at a time without any issues, a newly discovered macOS bug will certainly make you think twice about doing so.

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, the AI infrastructure and developer tools startup Photon recently discovered a “ticking time bomb” that affects every Mac. Fortunately, though, this isn’t a security bug that can be exploited by hackers. Instead, it’s the kind of bug that could leave you scratching your head if you use one of the best MacBooks and leave your laptop on for over a month at a time.

According to a blog post from Photon, “every Mac has a hidden expiration date.” No, your Mac won’t become unusable, and you won’t have to upgrade to a new machine. However, “after exactly 49 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes and 47 seconds of continuous uptime,” macOS experiences an “integer overflow” that “freezes the internal TCP timestamp clock.”

But what does this mean for the average Mac user? Well, once your machine has been running for exactly this long, existing TCP network connections won’t expire as they normally should. Essentially, this means that your Mac won’t be able to connect to the internet, which is why many of us get a computer in the first place.

Photon likely let Apple know once it discovered this issue, and the firm is currently working on its own solution. However, there’s an easy fix that won’t require an update or bringing your Mac to an Apple Store.

A simple workaround

If you’re worried about your Mac losing internet connectivity, don’t be. The issue itself stems from integer overflow, where your Mac’s TCP timestamp clock keeps counting until it reaches a max value of 4,294,967,295 seconds or 49.7 days.

To get around this, all you have to do is reboot your Mac before the 49-day mark, and everything will be fine. Just like on one of the best iPhones, you should reboot your Mac every week. To make things easier, you can even schedule your Mac to turn off and on.

Besides fixing this specific macOS bug, a reboot also flushes memory leaks, clears system caches and temp files, cools down the machine and resets peripheral controllers, which can help rectify other odd glitches with Bluetooth and USB-C docks.

Apple isn’t alone here either, as Windows 98 also crashed after 49.7 days of uptime. Likewise, when it comes to running out of digits while counting, this same issue is why we were all so worried about Y2K back in 1999, and it’s also why the year 2038 could lead to similar concerns when Unix is no longer able to measure time for the same reason. But that’s a problem for another day.

I’m sure that Apple is aware of this issue and is taking steps to address it, hopefully in the next big macOS update. In the meantime, though, just remember to give your Mac a reboot every seven days, and you’ll be perfectly fine.

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If you have an Apple ecosystem at home, you probably already know the rarity of finding a good deal from the iPhone maker. With the most affordable Apple products still costing upwards of AU$800, it's safe to say that an Apple purchase is a certified investment.

That said, any discounts that undercut Apple devices by 10% or more are worth cheering for, and these killer prices I've just found are no exception.

Now celebrating its fiftieth year, Apple has cheekily discounted a range of its best-sellers on Amazon. With up to 40% off Apple Watches, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and accompanying accessories, Apple's Amazon storefront has a complete list of discounted items.

To get you started on finding your next Apple product, I've handpicked my favourite nine deals below. With hot prices across the latest Apple Watch 11, AirPods 4 and iPhone Air, these discounts aren't exclusive to older products, which is a big win in my book.

You'll need to act fast to secure an Apple bargain, though — these Amazon prices won't stick around too long!

Apple has discontinued the infamous cheese grater Mac Pro and its $700 wheels. As of March 26, the iconic Apple Mac Pro is no longer on the Apple website; instead, would-be shoppers are redirected to other Mac computers.

Apple confirmed to 9to5Mac that it will no longer be offering the Mac Pro, and that there are no plans to develop new models.

With this week's discontinuation that drops Apple's desktop lineup to three devices:

• 24-inch iMac M4
• Mac mini M4 or M4 Pro
• Mac Studio with M4 Max or M3 Ultra

Plus the three laptops; MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.

A short history

The cheese greater Mac Pro debuted in 2019 alongside the Pro Display XDR (also recently discontinued). The original version was powered by an Intel Xeon W chipset, featuring 32GB of ram and 256GB SSD. A $52,000 version had a 28 core Intel Xeon W chip with 1.5TB of RAM and a 4TB SSD.

The last update it got was in 2023, when Apple refreshed the model with the M2 Ultra chip, and priced it at $6,999. As recently as June 2025 it was rumored that a new M5-powered Mac Pro would arrive this year and a low-end Mac Pro. With a lack of significant updates, the writing has been on the wall for the Mac Pro for a couple of years now.

Perhaps wait on a Mac Studio

If you're looking for a high-end Apple desktop, all we have left is the Mac Studio, but you may want to wait on upgrading. Currently, Apple offers the Studio in mismatched M4 Max and M3 Ultra CPU options.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has claimed that an M5 Ultra-powered Mac Studio is coming this year. Though, he hedged that it will arrive after Apple announced the M5 Ultra and Max chipsets.

At the beginning of March, Apple revealed the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max, but has yet to announce the M5 Ultra. In previous years, Apple launched its M ultra chips in March for the M1 and M3, with the M2 Ultra debuting in June.

It's possible that Apple could reveal the M5 Ultra at WWDC 2026, which takes place June 8 - 12.

If that's the case, Apple may debut the Mac Studio M5 Ultra this October when it typically reveals its new MacBooks and MacBook Pro laptops. This year's versions have been rumored to feature an M6 chip and OLED display.

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I get it. Saying “Gaming PC” and “deal” in the same headline is kind of like saying “DDR5 RAM prices are totally normal.” The RAM price crisis is claiming a lot of victims, but one is beating the odds, and it just so happens to be my top-ranked best gaming PC you can buy.

Right now, you can get my top pick — the iBuyPower RDY 9 Pro R07 with Radeon RX 9070 XT for $1,949. That’s a massive $400 off which brings it down to the kind of price you’d see for a pre-built like this before the RAM price crisis kicked off!

Who should buy this?

As any gaming PC, the more money you put into it, the more performance you get on the other end.

But you’ll be surprised at just how much performance you can get out of this mid-to-high tier level without needing to break the bank completely and go for something with an RTX 5080 or higher. That's definitely what I found out in my RDY Element 9 Pro R07 review.

So let’s take a closer look at gaming performance, which is mightily impressive. The numbers on that RX 9070 XT rival the much more expensive RTX 5070 Ti and in raw rendering performance, you’ll get some stellar smooth frame rates at 1440p.

When you go up to 4K, it can still more than handle its own in certain titles, and when something like Cyberpunk 2077 at Ray Tracing Ultra bogs it down, you can rely on FSR resolution scaling to get you back up to that 4K 60+ FPS sweet spot.

And that’s before even speaking about FSR Redstone and its DLSS-esque capabilities of handling ray tracing and smoothly scaling games without any of that telltale smearing or ghosting.

But on top of that, you’re getting a great 3-year warranty with the deal, which covers any defective components, diagnostics and repair should you ever need it. I even put that to the test by slightly unseating a RAM stick and contacting their support, who were quick to pick up and spotted the problem almost immediately.

Not the only deal

Of course, this is a sale across more than just this particular spec of iBuyPower’s prebuilts. A huge range is being discounted right now, and with the code CLEARANCE, you can get:

• $200 off Prebuilt systems over $2,999
• $100 off systems over $1,999
• $50 off systems over $999

This code can be used between now and until the end of March 31st, so whether you want to sit more in the mid-range below the spec of the PC I’ve tested, or you want to push your rig further with a more expensive system, you can still save.

I never thought I’d go from carrying one of the best mini PCs in my pocket to dropping it in a dock and instantly being able to play AAA games. That was until I tried Khadas’ new Mind Graphics 2.

Unlike other mini PCs, where you have to open them up to upgrade their RAM or storage, the Khadas Mind and now the Khadas Mind 2 can be upgraded in seconds with two unique docks. While the Mind Dock adds more ports and a handy volume knob, the Mind Graphics dock takes things to a whole new level with a desktop-grade GPU.

This isn’t your standard USB4, OCuLink, or Thunderbolt-powered eGPU dock either. Instead, it uses Khadas’ proprietary 122-pin Mind Link connector for an even faster connection. Paired with an Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti, the new Mind Graphics 2 has more than enough power for the best PC games, but you can also use its GPU to turbocharge creative workflows like photo or video editing.

After trying out the original Khadas Mind with the first Mind Graphics dock, here’s what it's been like using the more powerful Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 for a week, and why it will be hard to go back to a standard mini PC.

Part GPU, part workstation

At 7.83 x 5.24 x 4.33 inches, the Mind Graphics 2 doesn’t take up all that much space on your desk at all compared to a DIY eGPU dock. Still, though, it makes the Mind 2S at 5.75 x 4.13 x 0.79 inches look absolutely tiny in comparison. In the box, you get the Mind Graphics 2 and a power cable, besides an original Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S mini PC; that’s all you need to get started.

There are quite a few handy ports on the front, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and an SD card reader, along with a customizable indicator light above the Khadas logo. This is a nice change from the Mind 2S and Khadas’ other pocketable mini PCs, which only have a power button up front.

Around the back of the Mind Graphics 2 is where things start to get interesting. You get dual HDMI 2.1b ports, a DisplayPort 2.1b, two USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. That USB-C port isn’t for connecting peripherals, though. Instead, you can plug one of the best laptops into it and take full advantage of the RTX 5060 Ti inside, even if you don’t have one of Khadas’ mini PCs.

The Mind Graphics 2’s CNC unibody aluminum shell doesn’t just give this eGPU dock a slick look; it also acts as a secondary heat sink. In fact, this is why you can run a desktop-grade GPU in a small 2.5-liter space without it sounding like a jet engine. However, it is on the heavier side at six pounds, but this helps keep it firmly planted on your desk even while you’re disconnecting and plugging in new cables around back.

On top of the Mind Graphics 2, there’s a cutout that houses a male Mind Link connector. To start using this eGPU dock with one of Khadas’ mini PCs, you just drop the device on top, and it magnetically connects to the Mind Graphics 2. It almost feels like magic, and the first time I docked the Mind 2S, it reminded me of inserting an iPod into one of those fancy speaker docks back in the day.

Not so mini anymore

To test out the Mind Graphics 2, I decided to swap out the Mind Dock I was using at my Logitech MX Master Series-themed desk setup. Even with the extra height from this eGPU dock, I still had plenty of clearance under my main ultrawide monitor, and I was also able to plug in my dual portable monitors on either side of it to power my less conventional triple monitor setup.

In order to get the Mind 2S, I reviewed working with the dock, and I had to update its firmware. However, once that was done, the Mind Graphics 2 and the RTX 5060 Ti inside it showed up in Device Manager in Windows 11 instantly and in the Mind app.

In the Mind app, you can see the device info, update its firmware, and change the color of the indicator light above the Khadas logo on the front. One big change that I like about this new version of Khadas’ eGPU dock compared to the original Mind Graphics is that it now comes standard with 16GB of VRAM. Previously, there was an 8GB version as well as a 16GB version.

It’s always great to have options, but with PC games becoming increasingly demanding — especially on an ultrawide monitor — I’d much rather have 16 than 8GB of VRAM.

The Mind 2S looks great on top of the Mind Graphics 2, and the two make a nice pair. I also really like how my stationary peripherals are plugged into the dock itself, but I still have spare USB ports on the back of the Mind 2S as well as on the front of the dock for plugging in external drives or charging my other devices.

Besides its desktop-grade GPU, the Mind Graphics 2 has a couple of other neat tricks up its sleeve. For instance, on the right side of the dock, there’s an integrated fingerprint scanner as well as volume buttons.

The fingerprint scanner also works as a button, and when pressed, it instantly mutes any audio coming from the Mind Graphics 2’s built-in dual 5W speaker system. Need a microphone for video calls or even your favorite AI chatbot? Well, there are also dual microphones inside the Mind Graphics 2 as well.

Using the Mind 2S with the Mind Graphics 2 was perfect for my daily workload. I had extra ports and an SD card reader front and center where I needed them, and I really appreciate having a fingerprint scanner for quickly logging into Windows each morning.

I’ll admit that most of my work takes place in a browser these days, but I did mess around in Windows and let a few apps, including GIMP and Steam, default to using the Mind Graphics 2’s RTX 5060 Ti instead of the integrated Intel Arc 140T GPU on the Mind 2S.

Now, if I still edited video like I used to back in the day, this dock’s extra graphics power certainly would have come in handy. Instead, though, I decided to put it to the test by loading up a few of my favorite PC games.

From rendering to gaming

As I found out when I used the Mind 2S to build a proper triple-monitor setup on a budget, its integrated graphics actually let me play some less demanding games as well as some older titles quite well. With it connected to the Mind Graphics 2, though, I could finally step up to playing the latest games with ease.

Since I grew up skateboarding every day, I’ve always had a soft spot for skate games. Normally, when testing out new mini PCs with either an integrated or a discrete GPU, I like to boot up the skateboarding sim Session. This time around, though, I decided to test out the Mind Graphics 2 with the upcoming game, Skate Style. It uses a similar control scheme where each of the joysticks on your controller is mapped to either foot, but as you can see in the picture above, the game has a much more polished look to it.

With the Mind Graphics 2, I was able to crank up the graphics settings as well as enable DLSS for an additional performance boost. While the game is still in early access, it ran great on this setup, even on my ultrawide display. It’s a testament to the 122-pin Mind Link connection; there was none of the 'stutter' you usually associate with external graphics solutions.

From there, I decided to up the ante by playing a bit of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart with all the bells and whistles enabled. Even when playing in 21:9, it ran smooth as butter at a steady 60 fps. The monitor I’m using here is more productivity-focused with just a 60Hz refresh rate. However, I do want to try out the Mind Graphics 2 with one of the best gaming monitors to push the framerate even further to 120Hz or even 240Hz in games that support it.

I also fought my way through the last boss in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but since that game doesn’t have native 21:9 support, I didn’t take any photos. Likewise, I picked up the Dead Space remake on sale, and that game ran great, too, in ultrawide mode.

I still need to put the Mind Graphics 2 through a bit more testing, but based on my experience so far, it’s an excellent addition to Khadas’ growing Mind ecosystem. I really like how this accessory takes one of the most unique mini PCs out there and instantly transforms it into a true gaming rig, albeit in a much smaller form factor.

Managed modularity

Now at $1,349, the Mind Graphics 2 certainly won’t be for everyone. You can definitely cobble together your own external GPU dock for a whole lot less, but that kind of defeats the purpose. The Mind Graphics 2 is an elegant solution to a common problem, needing a bit more graphical prowess for more demanding workloads and of course, playing the latest PC games when you do get some downtime at the end of the day.

Another reason you might consider a pre-built eGPU dock like this one is for all of the extras. In addition to all those video out ports around back, you’re also getting a few handy front ports, a fingerprint scanner, and built-in speakers and microphones.

Now, if you don’t need a GPU and want to beef up Khadas’ Mind, Mind 2, or Mind 2S, there’s always the standard Mind Dock, which also adds more ports, built-in speakers, and, as I mentioned, a tactile volume knob. Having used both, I like the low-profile design of the latter, but turning a pocketable mini PC into a gaming rig just by docking it can’t be beat.

Khadas isn’t stopping with an eGPU dock, though, as the company also recently released its Mind x Play add-on for its mini PCs. Instead of letting you play games, that accessory actually takes one of its Mind mini PCs and turns it into a laptop, complete with its own screen, keyboard, trackpad, and built-in battery. I’m planning on trying that out next, but I also want to see how the Mind Graphics 2 adds to the company’s upcoming Mind Pro mini PC.

I never thought I’d be docking and undocking a mini PC like this one, even after using it on the go with a pair of AR glasses, but here we are. Sure, it’s a bit niche, but if you want a mini PC you can bring to the office for work and then magnetically attach to an eGPU dock for some gaming when you get home, you won’t find anything else like the Mind and Mind Graphics 2, and trust me, I’ve looked.

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At some point towards the end of last year, it was becoming clear to anyone wanting to get into PC gaming that a prebuilt was becoming more cost effective than building from scratch. And out of all the towers I’ve tested — for not just performance but bang for your buck (if that’s even a thing anymore) — iBuyPower is ranking high with the RDY Element 9 Pro R07.

Sporting a respectably powerful spec pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU and Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, alongside 32GB of DDR5 RAM, recreating this kind of setup on PC Parts Picker would set you back about $2,300-$2,400. But thanks to thinking ahead and stocking up, this team’s able to get that for $250 lower than the average builder cost.

Are these costs still problematic? Yes. The RAM price crisis is something that will continue to hit hard (at least until the AI bubble bursts). However, in a space where we’re searching every nook and cranny for even a whiff of value in computing, it’s good to see a premium desktop tower like this with a three-year warranty and impressive cooling stamina coming in at this price in 2026.

From that striking design of the case that showcases your components almost like a neon museum to the performance potential, this is one of the best gaming PCs you can snag right now.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? This is a pre-built gaming PC.
• Who is it for? This is for the “serious but not extreme” gamers — with specs sitting firmly in the mid-to-high tier.
• What does it cost? You can snag this for $2,049. The site says it’s discounted from $2,349, but it’s rarely on sale at full price.
• What do we like? This is a stylish tower with plenty of RGB chic, which reveals the impressive cooling that is sure to keep all those high performance components running at max sustained speed across all your favorite AAA titles.
• What don’t we like? The keyboard and mouse, while nice to have, are rather basic, and the lighting customization is a little limited.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Specs

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: The ups

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is a personal favorite gaming GPU of mine, so to get an entire pre-built around this card has been a lot of fun to daily drive! But iBuyPower’s work extends so much further than that.

It’s quite the looker

I’ve seen a lot of RGB-laden pre-builts that do a good job of showing off all those components inside your case, but this is on a different level. The two sides of glass give you a full glorious view of everything going on inside — rather than just a small window.

And the end result is an unmistakably premium aesthetic that feels much more modern compared to other simpler tower cases. Though fair warning, that glass is a fingerprint magnet!

And, since it’s a gaming PC, of course there’s plenty of RGB to inject some vibrancy into affairs here. Of course, if you’re more of a fan of subtlety, this may be very in your face — at which point you should get Asus Armoury Crate software installed to tweak some of the lighting controls.

But being honest, as someone who has been an RGB doubter, I’m quietly impressed and often catch myself staring at the four swirling 120mm fans illuminating the outer regions and the XPG RAM sticks pulsating.

As for the convenience of it, the side glass is completely screwless and can be removed easily, ports are conveniently placed on the front, and while it’s rather heavy at over 35 pounds, the dimensions keep it easy enough to carry.

Impressively performant

The Element 9 Pro sits right in that “I want a beast, but I’m not insane” bracket, and what you get at this level is stellar 1440p gaming performance that can be cranked up to 4K. I normally use my tower in a dual setup kind of layout — connected by DisplayPort to the Alienware’s AW2752Q monitor, and then by HDMI to my TV to get both desk and couch gaming.

Starting with the desk, this combo of CPU, GPU and RAM makes this quite a workhorse for content creation and AI-infused productivity. Not all the way (Nvidia GPUs still have a lead with the way they use cores to optimize to renders and edits), but more than enough.

Moving over to gaming, and without any of the FSR Redstone AI trickery turned on, you’re able to get a solid 4K picture at the highest detail. Though it's worth saying AMD GPUs always struggle a bit with ray tracing compared to Nvidia.

With FSR features turned on, that frame rate immediately accelerates with resolution scaling.

AMD’s tech has been going from strength to strength, and while Nvidia’s DLSS maintains a healthy lead in terms of virtually eliminating any of the telltale signs like ghosting and picture smearing, FSR comes damn close. Even when blown up on a giant TV, you’d struggle to notice it without some slow-motion pixel peeping.

Great warranty protection

One of the things that can often get ignored in the initial purchase of a shiny new PC is the long-term life of it, and that’s where the warranty comes in. iBuyPower offers a rather impressive three years of labor and two years of parts protection.

The company will handle diagnostics and repair within those three years, or replace defective components within the two. Of course, you’ll be using your PC for much longer than this, which is where the lifetime technical support comes in.

Doing a test call with the company’s technical support was a rapid process through the phone line’s menu tree, and a human assistant quickly resolved my faked issue of ever so slightly unseating a RAM stick. That’s great reassurance for such a high value purchase.

Oh, and speaking of longevity, shout-out to not pre-installing the GPU. Yes, that does mean that you have to follow a guide and install it yourself (the screws to attach it to the back panel of the case can be a little awkward to get to), but it also reduces packaging and ensures that PCIe slot isn’t stressed in transport.

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: The downs

So far so good, but it’s not all perfect out the box for the Element 9 Pro.

Mid keyboard and mouse

On one hand, I shouldn’t complain. The fact the Element 9 Pro comes with an included RGB gaming keyboard and optical mouse is quite the nice-to-have that other companies don’t provide.

But the faster you can upgrade to one of the best mechanical keyboards and best gaming mice, the better. The membrane switches on the keyboard feel a little mushy and slow on the depress — not great for fast-paced multiplayer. And there is definitely a cheap plasticky feel across the board and mouse.

RAMageddon has impacted this price

Viewing this in a vacuum of where we stand in 2026, this is a decent price. But we can’t ignore the fact that configurations of this level have gone up roughly $350-$400 since summer 2025. The RAM price crisis has hit pre-builts hard, and while iBuyPower is doing well to buy in bulk to get ahead of these issues, every time they have to comes with a cost penalty.

So the time on this price is surely running out before it goes up again!

iBuyPower RDY Element 9 Pro R07: Verdict

But at the end of the day, this is one of the best pre-built towers I’ve ever tested. The RDY Element 9 Pro R07 packs impressive performance into a gorgeous design with impressive long-term support and even a 60-day return period too.

And the liquid-cooled gaming ensures long-term stability of the performance, while looking fly as hell too.