Colorful Technology Company Limited, a leading brand in gaming PC components, gaming laptops, and Hi-fi audio products, introduces the COLORFUL X15 XS - a budget-friendly yet powerful gaming laptop designed for gamers and creators seeking performance and value. Building from the success of the X15 XS series gaming laptops, the latest model features a cleaner and simpler design and new packaging.

Powered by up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12500H processor and an NVIDIA RTX 3050 laptop GPU, the COLORFUL X15 XS delivers the speed and efficiency needed to tackle a wide range of tasks. Whether you're working on demanding projects, studying for exams, or diving into immersive gaming sessions, the X15 XS ensures smooth multitasking, responsive performance, and stunning graphics. With advanced cooling and a high-refresh-rate display, the X15 XS is built to keep up with your productivity and entertainment needs without compromise.

Earlier today, three of Intel's South Korean authorized distributors announced the introduction of Raptor Lake-R-based "Value Pack Genuine" buying options—Danawa's news section stated that the involved companies are: PC Direct, Coit, and Intec & Company. The newly revealed "reasonably priced" packages will contain 14th Generation Core i5-14600KF or i5-14400F processors. A photo preview (see below) showcases very plain blue retail boxes (with no logo), adorned with information-carrying stickers. The freshly unveiled "Value Pack (genuine product)" designs are region exclusive (for the moment); seemingly slotting somewhere in-between Intel's traditional "Boxed" retail and barebones "Tray" processor offerings.

According to the Danawa report, one of the local distributors stated: "this is a very meaningful moment as it is the first time that an official Intel value pack has been released in Korea. We are pleased to offer a more reasonable price while maintaining the same warranty period and standards as existing genuine products. We hope that this release will allow more consumers to upgrade their PCs without burden." Western news sites have highlighted the Core i5 14600KF Value Pack's cheapest available price point (identified via the Danawa comparison engine); KRW 284,540 (~$199 USD). The traditional "Boxed" retail equivalent goes for KRW 295,700 (~$207 USD), while the barebones "Tray" (OEM-oriented) package is priced at KRW 261,200 (~$183 USD). Tom's Hardware checked out the new offering's Batch # and Serial # codes: "on Intel's warranty information page, (it) said that the ATPO (Batch #) we listed indicated that it was a tray processor...We'd like to believe the numbers on the image were just placeholders that belong to a tray processor, or that Intel RMAs in South Korea are all handled by its distributors." Danawa's news piece repeatedly claims that the two new options offer lower pricing compared to "existing genuine box products," but come with the "same genuine warranty" terms.

The ASUS NUC 13 Pro lineup of mini PCs has been around for a while, and has now been updated with new Raptor Lake-H CPU options. There do not appear to be any other improvements or changes to the systems, with the product continuing to be available in "tall" and "slim" variants. As one might expect, the tall variant has room for a 2.5-inch drive, while the slim variant relies solely on M.2 storage. Both the systems can be equipped with up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 memory courtesy of dual SO-DIMM slots, and storage requirements are taken care of by an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0x4, as well as an M.2 2242 PCIe 3.0x1 slot.

In terms of CPU options, the NUC 13 Pro mini PC lineup will now be available with the Core i5-13420H, and the Core i7-13620H. Both are 45-watt units, although the i7 variant sports two additional 'Golden Cove' performance cores allowing for a ~35% increase in multicore performance. The i7 also sports a substantially faster iGPU with 64 EUs (vs 48), although the Intel UHD iGPUs found in the Raptor Lake-H chips were never that powerful to begin with. The port selection has remained the same, boasting dual Thunderbolt 4, dual HDMI 2.1, triple USB 3.2 Gen 2, single USB 2.0, audio jack, and a 2.5G Ethernet port. Prices start at $455 for the NUC 13 Pro slim barebones variant with the Core i7-13620H according to B&H Photo Video's listing, and increase based on the chosen configuration.

ASRock, a global leader in motherboards, graphics cards, gaming monitors, and small form factor PCs, proudly announces the release of the Mars RPL Series mini PC. This series offers two models, one powered by the 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U processor and the other by the 12th Gen Intel Celeron 7305 processor. These compact yet powerful PCs are designed to cater to various user needs, delivering high-performance computing in a sleek, space-saving form factor suitable for a wide range of applications.

Exceptional Performance with Energy Efficiency
ASRock's Mars RPL series introduces two models, powered by the 13th Gen Intel Core i5-1335U processor and the 12th Gen Intel Celeron 7305 processor, respectively, designed to meet the diverse needs of modern users. Both models combine high performance with energy efficiency, making them ideal for a wide range of applications, including everyday office tasks, multimedia editing, and complex computational workloads. With exceptional multitasking capabilities and low power consumption, the Mars RPL series sets a new standard for compact and efficient computing solutions.

Shuttle is expanding its successful XPC slim product line to include four new Mini-PC Barebones: DS50U, DS50U3, DS50U5 and DS50U7. These models embrace modern technology and offer impressive performance while taking up minimal space. In a compact 1.3-liter format and with a thermally optimized, fanless chassis, the new devices are perfect for use in noise-sensitive environments.

Each model in the range has a soldered processor and is optimized specifically to suit different requirements:

• DS50U - The entry-level model: Equipped with an Intel Celeron processor of the 12th generation (Celeron 7305) and up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM.
• DS50U3 - The sprinter: With an Intel Core i3 processor of the 13th generation (Core i3-1315U) and support for up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM.
• DS50U5 - The powerful model: Powered by an Intel Core i5 processor of the 13th generation (Core i5-1334U), also designed for up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM.
• DS50U7 - The record holder: The most powerful model in this range with an Intel Core i7 processor of the 13th generation (Core i7-1355U) and up to 96 GB of DDR5 RAM.

Lenovo announced the ThinkCenter Neo Ultra, a compact high-performance desktop meant for power users and creative professionals. This desktop is larger than what would qualify as a mini-PC, with its 3.6 L volume, but is significantly smaller than a tower. Despite its compact size, it comes with a full-featured I/O. The desktop is powered by Intel's 14th Gen Core vPro "Raptor Lake Refresh" platform, and uses a custom form-factor desktop motherboard based on Intel Q670 chipset that supports various commercial desktop features under vPro. The processor and memory are socketed and hence user upgradeable.

Processor options range from the Core i5-14500 (6P+8E), going all the way up to the Core i9-14900 (8P+16E), including vPro and regular SKUs; and energy-efficient "T" SKUs. Memory options range from 16 GB (1x 16 GB) up to 64 GB (2x 32 GB) DDR5-4800. The sole graphics option is an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 desktop GPU, all four of its display connectors are directly wired out on the rear I/O. There are two M.2-2280 Gen 4 slots, storage options range from 1x 256 GB Gen 4, to 2x 1 TB Gen 4. Networking connectivity include 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E. USB ports include a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2x2 type-C on the front-panel, two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2, and four additional USB 3.2 type-A ports at the back. The case measures 195 mm x 191 mm x 108 mm, and depending on the configuration, can weigh around 3.5 kg.

The mid range of Intel's 14th Gen Core desktop processor series finally sees some excitement. Announced on January 8, from the pile of 65 W 14th Gen Core processor models, the one chip that caught our eye was the Core i5-14600 (non-K). This isn't just a speed bump over the previous generation Core i5-13600, but comes with a cache upgrade. The i5-14600 6P+8E processor is based on the largest "Raptor Lake Refresh" die, just like the i5-14600K/KF.

What this means, is that each of its six P-cores now has 2 MB of L2 cache, compared to 1.25 MB of it on the i5-13600. What's more, each of its two E-core clusters that house its eight E-cores, gets a 4 MB L2 cache, compared to the 2 MB per cluster on the i5-13600. The six P-cores and two E-core clusters share a 24 MB L3 cache—no changes here, but there are clock speed uplifts. The P-cores boost up to 5.20 GHz, while the E-cores go up to 3.90 GHz. In comparison, the i5-13600 with a 5.00 GHz maximum P-core boost, and 3.70 GHz maximum E-core boost. Interestingly, the maximum turbo power value is unchanged between the i5-14600 and i5-13600, at 154 W. Intel is pricing the Core i5-14600 at $255. There is no Core i5-14600F SKU, which lacks integrated graphics, letting you save a further $20. The other 14th Gen Core i5 processors, namely the i5-14500, i5-14400, and i5-14400F, continue to be based on the older C0 silicon, with 1.25 MB L2 cache per P-core, and 2 MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster.

Intel today announced the release of its 14th Gen Core HX series "Raptor Lake Refresh" mobile processors. Processor models from this series are supposed to cap off the upper end of Intel's mobile processor portfolio. Although Intel released the Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors late last year, those chips cover the U-segment, and H-segment (ultraportable, thin-and-light, and mainstream); with the fastest model being the Core Ultra 165H, which caps out at 6P+8E+2LP. The HX segment, which started out as enthusiast-class, broadened in scope over the years to cover the bulky gaming notebooks and portable workstations. These chips typically have a power rating of 55 W. All chips have maximum turbo power rating of 157 W. Intel is tapping into its "Raptor Lake Refresh" silicon to carve out these processors. This is a monolithic chip built on the Intel 7 process, and its package is a multi-chip module with an on-package PCH.

The lineup begins with the Core i9-14900HX, which maxes out the "Raptor Lake Refresh" silicon, with an 8P+16E core-count, with 2 MB of L2 cache per P-core, 4 MB of L2 cache per E-core cluster, and a shared 36 MB L3 cache. The processor's full I/O is wired out, including support for dual-channel DDR5 (SO-DIMMs only), a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 connection for discrete GPUs, a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 connection for a CPU-attached M.2 NVMe SSD, and DMI 4.0 x8 link between the processor die and the PCH die. This PCH puts out up to 16 PCIe Gen 4 lanes, besides up to 12 Gen 3 lanes, which notebook designers can combine with discrete Thunderbolt 4 controllers, and the likes. You can expect Wi-Fi 7 to be prevalent in this crop of premium gaming notebooks. The i9-14900HX features a P-core maximum boost frequency of 5.80 GHz, and an E-core boost frequency of 4.10 GHz.

Ahead of its rumored January 8 announcement, various unreleased 14th Gen Intel Core desktop processors got listed on European e-tailer CoolMod. These are non-K (65 W) processor models. The lineup begins with the Core i3-14100F, a 4P+0E processor without integrated graphics, priced at €124.94. If you need the iGPU, it will cost you at least €25 more, for the i3-14100 at €149.96. The most hotly anticipated chip among the lineup, the Core i5-14400F is priced at €219.95. A notch up is the i5-14500, going for a steep €249.95. Interestingly, the store has the i5-14400 (witth the iGPU) listed at the same exact price. There is no i5-14600 listed.

The Core i7-14700F is priced at €384.95. This chip has an 8P+12E configuration, which is the same as the i7-14700K, but with lower base frequency, and tighter power limits. It lacks an iGPU, and if you need one, then the i7-14700 is listed at €409.95. At the upper crust of the lineup you have the Core i9-14900F at €574.96, which has the full 8P+16E core configuration, but lower clock speeds than the i9-14900K, and no iGPU, which can be had for €25 more, with the i9-14900 at €599.95. All prices are inclusive of taxes.

The Chinese chipmaker Loongson has launched its newest desktop processors, the 4-core, 8-thread 3A6000 series, based on the company's LoongArch microarchitecture. We have previously reported that the company wants to match Intel's "Willow Cove" and AMD's Zen 3 instruction per clock (IPC) levels with its 3A6000 CPU series, and today we have the first preview of the performance. Powered by the LA664 cores, 3A6000 is built on a 14/12 nm manufacturing process, with clock speeds going from 2.0 to 2.5 GHz and power consumption of up to 50 Watts. It features 256 KB of L2 cache and 16 MB of L3 cache in total.

While several hardware partners are announcing new Loongson-powered solutions, ASUS China's "Uncle Tony" managed to get his hands on one of them and overclocker the CPU to 2.63 GHz on air cooling. In overclocking tests using liquid nitrogen cooling, a 3A6000 processor reached 3.0 GHz, though there are indications that there is still overhead. In standard out-of-the-box configuration, the 3A6000 performs similarly to Intel's Core i3-10100 four-core CPU, an achievement for Loongson but still behind Intel's latest offerings that clock nearly twice as high. This rapid development of Loongson IP has led to a massive performance increase, matching the IPC of modern CPUs. We are still left to see more information about these 3A6000 series SKUs; however, early benchmarks suggest a significant improvement. You can see the CPU benchmarks below, which include UnixBench and SPEC CPU 2006.

According to the discovery made by @ghost_motley on X/Twitter, we have information that MSI is starting to roll out BIOS updates to accommodate Intel's Application Optimization called APO shortly. This update, however, comes with significant restrictions. Intel APO, designed to enhance performance, is exclusively compatible with 14th Gen Intel CPUs, leaving owners of previous-generation Intel processors, mainly the closely comparable 13th Gen, without this benefit. Intel's APO is an extension of its Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT) specifically for gaming. It is available on select 14th Gen Core processors like the i9-14900K/KF, enhancing workload distribution across hardware resources like P-cores and optimizing them for peak frequencies.

As noted, the current rollout of Intel APO support is limited, namely to the Intel Core i7-14700K, i7-14700KF, i9-14900K, and i9-14900KF, excluding the Core i5 series. This omission is significant given APO's focus on boosting gaming performance, a feature that would be highly beneficial to Core i5 users. However, the feature is currently supported by only two games: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Metro Exodus. The frame rate improvements in Rainbow can be as high as 13% while also boosting Metro Exodus FPS by 16%. Whether we will see more APO-optimized games or not, owners of MSI motherboards have received their updates and are ready to enjoy the FPS increase.

YEYIAN GAMING, a leader in innovative pre-built gaming PCs, peripherals, and computer components, is thrilled to announce the market launch of eight new gaming desktop PCs powered by the latest INTEL Core i9/i7/i5 14th Gen unlocked CPUs. Four of the eight new models are available exclusively for purchase on Newegg. These newly launched models are meticulously crafted to redefine the gaming experience, catering to both professional gamers and avid enthusiasts alike.

The highlight of this remarkable launch is the fusion of INTEL 14th gen processors with NVIDIA RTX 4000 series graphics cards, culminating in an unparalleled gaming extravaganza that redefines the boundaries of what's possible in the gaming world.

The adage that a person's home is their castle has never been truer than today. Our home is our sanctuary, our getaway, a place where we can relax. But it's also so much more than that. It has become a place where we work, where we exercise and as a gamer, where I play.

Like most people, my typical day starts in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. I often move out to the patio overlooking the yard and answer a few early morning messages before heading to my home office. If I'm lucky, I can take a brain break around lunch and watch a quick episode of my latest binge. After work, I'll grab my yoga mat for a quick workout in spare room, followed by a video chat with my good friend in Taiwan from the living room. And as my friend tells me, she seeks quiet refuge for our chat anywhere in the house where the kids aren't blasting out their latest hip hop tunes. Then I try to close the day by chilling out in the comfort of my bedroom for a quick check of my next day's calendar and urgent emails.

Intel's Core i5-14600K CPU was benchmarked mid-September, courtesy of ECSM getting their hands on some engineering samples—these examples were put under strain through Cinebench R23, Cinebench 2024, and CPU-Z suites. The ever reliable Benchleaks has kept track of mid-range Raptor Lake Refresh processor leaks—late last week they pointed to a new entry on Geekbench Browser. PC hardware news outlets have reported that reviewers now possess pre-release silicon, so we should be expecting an increase in leaky activity over the next fortnight—Intel's official embargo will likely be lifted on the 14th Gen Core launch day (October 17). Team Blue's Core i5-14600K has popped up a few times via Geekbench 6.2 results—TestKT's build was running on stock settings, and hit a maximum clock of 5.3 GHz (K and KF variants), with an ASUS Z790 TUF PLUS motherboard accompanied by 32 GB of DDR5-5200 memory, while an anonymous bencher fielded a system sporting a Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Master X mainboard and 48 GB DDR5-7600 RAM. The latter had some overclocking on the go; Geekbench 6.2 stats reported clocks reaching 5.7 GHz on the Core i5-14600K.

TestKT's stock 14600K achieved scores of 2819 in single-threaded, and 16666 multi-threaded. Their 14600KF scored 2779 and 16707 (respectively) on the same ASUS platform. The unnamed Gigabyte system wielder tallied 2861 (SC) and 17974 (MC) on an overclocked 14600K. VideoCardz noted that: "this represents a minor increase in single-core performance and approximately an 8% improvement in multi-threaded performance." They brought in a previously leaked higher-end CPU for comparative purposes: "Since the latter score is using the same (Gigabyte) system as in the Core i7-14700KF Geekbench leak, we can now conclude that Core i7 CPU will be at least 8% and 18% faster respectively than the Core i5 SKU. That's, of course, assuming both scores were using OC settings." We will have to wait until the publication of official reviews to find out whether these figures were produced on finalized silicon.

Intel is reportedly settling for 6P+4E as the CPU core configuration for its upcoming Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F desktop processors. That's 6 performance cores or P-cores, and 4 efficiency cores or E-cores. Two distinct engineering samples of the i5-14400 were spotted in the wild, one of which had a 6P+4E configuration, and the other believed to be with 6P+8E, like the rest of the 14th Gen Core i5 series. There are two distinct steppings of the i5-14400 among the engineering samples, besides the core-configuration, B0 and C0.

What differentiates B0 from C0 is the specific die they're based on. B0 is the larger "Raptor Lake-S" die that physically has 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores, which has been significantly cut down to achieve the 6P+4E configuration; whereas C0 is the die the "Alder Lake-S" top-spec processor models were based on, which physically have an 8P+8E configuration. Both B0 and C0 Core i5-14400/F processors have 6P+4E. The P-cores on both steppings, including B0, are configured with 1.25 MB of dedicated L2 cache, the E-core clusters on both each have 2 MB of L2 cache; and both get 20 MB of shared L3 cache, and 65 W of processor base power. The Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F succeed a long line of successful processor models for Intel, positioned around or below the $200 mark.

According to VideoCardz, we can look forward to Intel launching its next gen Core processor in the middle of next month, or at least some of them will launch then. As always when it comes to Intel and product launches, it appears to be a staggered launch, but this time around it's getting a bit strange. We checked with our sources to see if the proposed date by VideoCardz was indeed correct and were told that motherboards should be available later this month, largely due to Intel not offering a new chipset for the 14th Gen Core processors. This means the motherboard makers are free to launch their refreshed board for the the 14th Gen Core processors pretty much as they please.

The first CPUs that should launch are said to be the Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K and Core i5-14600K, as well as their KF counterparts. Advertising for these CPUs will kick off on the 16th of October followed by sales and reviews on the 17th of October, according to VideoCardz. The remaining Raptor Lake refresh CPUs are said to launch sometime in early 2024, most likely with a CES announcement followed by availability sometime in the first quarter. However, it appears that Intel will officially announce the Raptor Lake refresh processors during Intel Innovation 2023, which kicks off next week, on the 19th of September. Early performance leaks suggest that those with a recent CPU won't be overly tempted by these new chips from Intel and most consumers are better off waiting for Intel's move to a new socket next year, if they're looking at getting a new Intel based system.

Chuwi, a leading global technology company, has unveiled its latest product, the CoreBox 5th Mini PC. The CoreBox 5th Mini PC is a powerful and versatile solution for the modern office, offering a combination of high performance, compact design, and state-of-the-art features.

The CoreBox 5th Mini PC is powered by Intel's latest 13th Gen Core i5-13500H processor, which is based on the Intel Alder Lake architecture. The Intel Core i5-13500H is a mobile CPU designed for mid-range laptops, utilizing the Raptor Lake-H series (Alder Lake or Raptor Lake architecture). Its release in early 2023 boasts 4 out of 6 performance cores (P-cores) based on the Golden Cove architecture, alongside all 8 efficient cores (E-) using the Gracemont architecture. With Hyper-Threading support on the P-cores, the CPU can handle up to threads in conjunction with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.6 to 4.7 GHz for single core boost (and up to 4.6 GHz for all cores) on the performance cluster, while the efficient cluster operates between 1.9 and 3.5 GHz. The performance of the E-cores is expected to be comparable older Skylake cores.

Multiple leakers on Twitter/X have posted screenshots or pictures of Intel's upcoming Core i5-14600K CPU and it appears that some earlier rumours about this specific SKU weren't entirely accurate. It was believed that the Core i5-14600K was to get a core bump over the Core i5-13600K, but apparently this isn't the case, if the new leaks hold true. However, it also appears that the CPU will boost higher than expected, as earlier rumours suggested 5.3 GHz max boost clock and now it appears it'll go all the way up to 5.5 GHz, which is still lower than its Core i7 and Core i9 peers. The i5 also lacks Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0, so it won't be possible to squeeze some extra performance out of this chip without overclocking it the good old fashioned way.

@9550pro posted a screenshot of CPU-Z in Chinese showing the Core i5-14600K running in a Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX motherboard, but it's unknown what the rest of the system configuration was. However, it does show the CPU having a clock multiplier ranging from 8 to 55, confirming the 5.5 GHz max CPU clock speed. @wxnod posted a picture of an MSI Z690 Edge TI WiFi DDR4 motherboard with a Core i7-14700K paired with 16 GB of DDR4 memory running at 4600 MHz on Gear 1, which in itself is a feat, although it's unknown if this was stable. The CPU was shown as running at 6.3 GHz, which is most likely a manual overclock of the CPU, as the Core i7-14700K isn't expected to be a 6 GHz plus part. We're getting close to the launch of Intel's 14th gen Core processors, so we won't have to wait too long to find out the full specs of these CPUs.

Update 07:17 UTC: Twitter/X bot Benchleaks has found some Geekbench results for the Core i5-14600K which @harukaze5719 made a nice graph of that we've added below. This suggests that Intel has managed to eke out quite a bit of extra performance from these "refreshed" CPUs.

According to a post by Twitter/X leaker @g01d3nm4ng0, it looks like Intel has no intention of giving its 14th gen Core i3 processors more than four cores. We'd take this leak with the usual helping of seasoning, but the leaker does provide details on what is expected to be most of Intel's non-K SKU 14th gen lineup, including clock speeds. If correct, then most of the 14th gen Core processors will see a 200 MHz boost speed clock increase over their 13th gen counterparts, with the exception of the Core i5-14400 which only gets a 100 MHz increase.

The non-K CPUs follow a familiar pattern to previous generation Intel chips, with the Core i9 and Core i7 parts being 200 MHz slower than their K SKU variants, with the Core i5 being 100 MHz slower. The only other noteworthy piece of information in this leak, is that the Core i7-14700 gets the same extra four E-Cores, just as its K SKU variant, or four more E-Cores than the Core i7-13700. At this point in time it's just plain weird that Intel hasn't added E-Cores to its Core i3 range of desktop chips, as even the lowest-end Core i5 SKU sports six P-Cores and four E-Cores since the 13th gen, so the Core i3 should be a 4+4 chip by now, but it seems like Intel has other plans for the i3-14100/F.

AMD's recently added Ryzen 5 7500F for the AM5 socket was initially said to only be available in the PRC, but according to AMD, it will apparently be available globally. That said, AMD apparently only seeded review units to select Asian media, among them Quasar Zone in Korea, who put the six core, 12 thread CPU through its paces. Overall performance is very close to the Ryzen 5 7600, which isn't really all that strange, considering the two only differ by 100 MHz in both base and boost clock. In most of the benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7500F is around two to three percent slower than the Ryzen 5 7600 on average.

When compared to the slightly more pricey Intel Core i5-13400, AMD falls behind multithreaded apps but comes out on top in most of the games tested, with the usual odd exception as would be expected. On average, the Ryzen 5 7500F is some 13 percent faster in the game benchmarks at 1080p, although this is using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. It even beats the overall much faster Intel Core i5-13500 in gaming by around nine percent on average. However, the Ryzen 5 7500F system loses out to the two Intel systems when it comes to power efficiency, drawing around 20 Watts more on average when gaming. At US$179.99 it seems like AMD finally has a budget friendly CPU for the AM5 platform, if you're willing to lose the integrated GPU. It's unknown when the CPU will be available outside of Asia at this point in time.

Intel is planning to aggressively step up CPU core counts of its 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" SKUs over the 13th Gen, to offer more value at given price-points, given that the IPC of these processors aren't seeing an increase, according to a report by RedGamingTech. We already reported that the 14th Gen Core i7 series, such as the i7-14700K, will come with a core-configuration of 8P+12E. It turns out that the Core i5-14600K will witness the first uplift in performance core-counts in over 4 years (since the i5-8600K). These chips will be 8P+8E, which entails 8 "Raptor Cove" Performance cores, and 8 "Gracemont" Efficiency cores. The i5-14600K is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the current Core i7-13700K, but with a touch lower maximum boost clocks, and more importantly, a lower price.

This doesn't mean that the entire 14th Gen Core i5 series has the same 8P+8E configuration. Intel has been sub-segmenting its Core i5 series for a few generations now, and the Core i5-14600K and i5-14600KF will be the only SKUs with 8P+8E. There will likely not be an "i5-14600" (non-K) SKU altogether, to avoid the kind of confusion that emerged between the 13th Gen i5-13600 and i5-13600K (lower L2 cache sizes for the non-K SKU). The Core i5-14500 and Core i5-14400 will be 6P+8E processors. It's likely that Intel will use the newer silicon that gives the P-cores of these two chips 2 MB of L2 cache per core instead of 1.25 MB, and their E-core clusters will each get 4 MB of L2 cache instead of 2 MB.

Schenker XMG also unveiled the new PRO 16 Studio workstation laptop at the Computex 2023 event, which will be equipped with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. In addition, the company is announcing the new WORK Base series and Vision-series laptops that are available under the Schenker brand, introducing new form-factors and bringing several other updates.

The new XMG Pro 16 Studio promises to be quite a versatile workstation laptop aimed at content creators, using a 16:10 aspect ratio screen, and packing some serious power with Intel's Core i9-13900H CPU and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, as well as two DDR5 slots with DDR5-5200 support, and Thunderbolt 4. The XMG Pro 16 Studio also comes with NVIDIA Studio certification. Schenker also showed the efficient vapor chamber cooling that will be used in the XMG Pro 16 Studio. It also brings several upgrades compared to the current XMG Focus 16 laptop, which it can be compared to, at least performance-wise, including an additional USB-C power delivery, a Windows Hello camera, 2.5 Gbit LAN, longer battery life, and a slimmer aluminium body. Schenker notes that the XMG PRO 16 Studio should be available in Europe in late July or early August.

Somewhat unexpectedly, QNAP has entered the high-end video production market with a couple of products that the company was demoing at Computex. First up is the TBS-574TX, which is a high-end, yet compact NAS with 10 Gbps Ethernet and Thunderbolt 4 support. However, what makes this device so unique, is that it features five hot-swappable E1.S drives, which means that video production companies can easily swap between different projects which can be put in cold storage when not worked on. The TBS-574TX is based around a 12th gen, 12 core Intel Core i5 CPU, although QNAP didn't specify the exact model, but it's likely to be a mobile part with native Thunderbolt 4 support. The CPU is paired with 16 GB of RAM, which should make this a fairly snappy NAS overall. QNAP will also offer E1.S to M.2 adapters, but the company is still working on how to implement these with a suitable cooling solution.

For companies that need something faster than 10 Gbps or even 25 Gbps networking to shuffle files around, QNAP also demoed the QSW-M7308R-4X—a model name that just rolls off your tongue—which features no less than four 100 Gbps ports and eight 25 Gbps ports. The key selling point of this fibre based switch is that it doesn't require any user configuration before it can be deployed in a network, even though it can be managed when needed. It also features quieter cooling fans than your average enterprise switch, plus it comes in a much more compact half width 1U form factor. QNAP will also launch the QSW-M3216R-8S8T later this year, which will be an updated version of its current 10 Gbps managed switches, but with around a US$100 lower price tag.

Panasonic announced today the world's premier rugged notebook for the Defence industry can now be equipped with the Eclypt Core Encrypted Internal Solid State Drive from global communications company, Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), making the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK 40 unrivalled in its capabilities for the military, border control and emergency services. Available in May 2023, the TOUGHBOOK 40 notebook with solid state self-encrypting hard drive is certified for use in the UK for securing Top Secret information and all security levels below, as well as certified for use by NATO and other European countries.

"This is the next step in extending our partnership with Viasat to offer the highest-level security drives across the TOUGHBOOK range," said Jon Tucker, General Manager Engineering, Product & Mobility Solutions, at Panasonic Mobile Solutions Business Division. "With the current geopolitical tensions across Europe and beyond, the demand for this type of highly secure, rugged and modular flexible device is growing every day."

Intel has published its latest blog post, announcing the Intel Arc Balanced Builds, an initiative that pairs up Intel Arc GPUs with Intel Core CPUs, creating balanced configurations that match Intel Arc graphics cards to the "best-fitting" Intel Core CPU. Starting at $423 for the GPU and CPU and $899 for the full system, Intel claims these combinations come from thousands of test runs and hundreds of hours in the lab, leading up to 15,000 datapoints and 22 GB of data.

According to Intel's own testing, which includes a wide variety of Intel Core processors in different configurations and games, there is a perfect CPU range for both its entry level Intel Arc A380 graphics card, as well as the Intel Arc A750 and Arc A770 graphics cards. Of course, for those with a big or unlimited budget, there is always the best configuration that money can buy, but making a balanced build is what makes sense for many others.