Optimization and low system requirements have been something of a trend in PC gaming of late, with even games like the upcoming Fable slated to be playable on entry-level gaming hardware from 2020. Despite its updated graphics and gameplay, Ubisoft's Rayman Legends Retold seems to be going down the same path. According to the recently announced system requirements for the game, Rayman Legends Retold will be playable at 1080p and 60 FPS on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, or Intel Arc A580 and Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3100, as long as graphics are set to the low preset and the upscaler is set to Quality. On GPUs capable of using it, the game will rely on NVIDIA DLSS, but it will also feature FSR and XeSS, although exact upscaler versions were not specified. The original Rayman Legends is still available on Steam, and it is significantly less demanding on hardware, with recommended specs calling for only an Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 or AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+, 2 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT or AMD Radeon HD3850, and a mere 2 GB of RAM.

General system requirements also include at least 8 GB of RAM, with recommended, 2K, and 4K configurations all asking for 16 GB, 33 GB of storage, and Windows 10. Windows 11 is required when using DLSS, though, and ReBar must be enabled in order to use Intel GPUs. The recommended spec is aimed at running the game at 1080p, 60 FPS, with high graphics settings enabled on an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, AMD Radeon RX 5700, or Intel Arc A750. There's no mention of native quality rendering, but tools like FSR 3 and XeSS generally use a 1.5× scale factor in Quality mode. The blanket use of Quality mode also means that gaming handhelds still stand a chance at decent frame rates when using Performance or Ultra Performance upscaling modes.

AMD's Ryzen 5 5500F and Ryzen 5 7500 are finally available in the US, but both are selling above their announced pricing. On Amazon, the Ryzen 5 5500F lists for $120 and the Ryzen 5 7500 for $210, each $20 over AMD's MSRP of $99 and $189, respectively. The Ryzen 5 5500F has been spotted fluctuating between $118 and $125. Both listings are sold directly by Amazon rather than third-party sellers, so this doesn't appear to be a case of resellers padding the price. AMD revealed the two budget chips nearly two weeks ago, though they only became available for purchase now. At the time of writing, Amazon is the only US retailer stocking either chip, with Micro Center and Newegg still showing no listings.

To recap, the Ryzen 5 5500F is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part built on the Vermeer die, unlike the older $90 Ryzen 5 5500, which uses Cezanne. That gives it PCIe 4.0 support and a 4.4 GHz boost clock, versus PCIe 3.0 and 4.2 GHz on the 5500. The Ryzen 5 7500 is essentially a Ryzen 5 7500F with integrated graphics, packing six Zen 4 cores, DDR5 support, PCIe 5.0, and a 5 GHz boost clock, all within a 65 W envelope. AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 saw something similar earlier this year, launching on Amazon $100 above MSRP before settling down once other retailers picked it up, so pricing here could correct itself too.

AMD's new Ryzen 5 5500F is turning out to be more than just a rebadge of the standard Ryzen 5 5500 in gaming. New benchmarks from YouTuber RandomGaminginHD show the $99 chip pulling ahead of its non-F sibling by up to 16% in CPU-bound titles, even though both processors share the same core count and land at roughly the same price. Do note that the testing is done by a mostly unknown third-party reviewer, and we don't have solid data track to back the claim, but for now it remains as a reference for future independent reviews from traditional sources.

The testing paired both chips with an RX 9060 XT 16 GB graphics card and ran through seven games at 1080p. Battlefield 6 showed the biggest gap at 16% in favor of the new 5500F, followed by Cyberpunk 2077 at 11%, GTA V: Enhanced at 9%, and Counter-Strike 2 at 8%. Titles that leaned more on the GPU, like Crimson Desert and Red Dead Redemption 2, saw that gap shrink to single digits or vanish once the RX 9060 XT became the bottleneck instead of the CPU. Of course, these are early numbers from one single test system. The reviewer also does not have a perfect track record when it comes to quality of testing, so it's important to wait for further testing to form a concrete verdict either way.

AMD has confirmed pricing for the Ryzen 5 7500 and Ryzen 5 5500F, the two budget CPUs it quietly added to its lineup earlier this week. The Ryzen 5 7500 will retail for $189, while the Ryzen 5 5500F comes in at just $99, according to official SEP figures shared with e-tailers. The Ryzen 5 7500 is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 chip that shares silicon with the Ryzen 5 7500F, with its RDNA 2 iGPU switched back on. It runs a 3.7 GHz base clock, boosts up to 5.0 GHz, and carries 38 MB of combined cache within a 65 W TDP. At $189, it lands higher than the 7500F, which has already fallen to around $130 to $140 boxed at retail. That price looks a bit steep for a budget chip, and it would not be surprising to see it settle lower within a few weeks, similar to how other Ryzen 7000 SKUs have trended after launch.

The Ryzen 5 5500F, meanwhile, gives AM4 buyers something new. It uses the Vermeer die instead of the Cezanne silicon in the regular Ryzen 5 5500, so there are no integrated graphics, but the core specs hold at 6 cores, 12 threads, a 3.0 GHz base clock, up to 4.4 GHz boost, and 16 MB of L3 cache. At $99, it matches current Ryzen 5 5500 pricing almost exactly, giving AM4 holdouts a cheap way to stretch their platform further. AM4's platform longevity is already exemplary, and AMD keeps expanding it with new offerings, which matters more than usual with how memory prices have climbed this year.

Control Resonant is slated to launch later in 2026, and ahead of that launch, Remedy Entertainment has officially published the minimum PC hardware requirements, detailing not only the hardware players will need to play the new game, but also what level of performance players can expect from their hardware. All of the hardware requirements call for a pedestrian 16 GB of RAM and a 120 GB SSD, as well as either Windows 10 or 11.

While the game does support path tracing at up to 4K, which Remedy says will call for an Intel Core i7-10700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, at least, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080—no AMD cards are supported for the "Enthusiast" path tracing preset—the game will also be playable on hardware as slow as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, or Intel Arc A580, paired with an Intel Core i5-8500 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500. The game will also allegedly run at 60 FPS at 4K, with graphics set to high, and with upscaling set to Performance mode, and without ray tracing, on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, which indicates at least a decent level of optimization.

Leaker Roland Quandt has posted on Bluesky that AMD is preparing to launch another AM5 socket Ryzen 5 processor, a standard 7500. This Zen 4 (Raphael) CPU will sit between the existing Ryzen 5 7500F and 7500X3D. The leaked specifications show a six-core, 12-thread CPU running at a 3.7 GHz base clock, with up to 5.0 GHz boost, 38 MB of total cache (likely 32 MB L3 + 6 MB L2) and a 65 W TDP. These specs are largely similar to the 7500F variant, even at the clock-speed level, the 5.0 GHz boost matches the 7500F, while the 7500X3D is capped at 4.5 GHz due to the V-Cache overhead. Compared to the other two existing variants, the pricing, if true, is debatable. The Ryzen 5 7500F can be found at around $130-140 (initially launched at $180 for the retail PIB package), while the 7500X3D is listed now at around $285. The new 7500 is reportedly coming in at around €230 (roughly $267), which puts it uncomfortably close or even above the 7500X3D.

The higher price over the F variant and the matching/higher one over the 7500X3D suggest two things. First, it could have the Radeon Graphics integrated graphics solution as the X3D variant. Second, it will ship as a boxed version with a cooler included, unlike the 7500F, which comes as OEM/Tray. No official confirmation from AMD yet, however, the leaker is known for some accurate information in the past.

Following the official announcement that Fable would be released on February 23, 2027, Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios have finally released the full PC minimum and recommended hardware requirements for the series reboot, and if the game runs well on the promised hardware, it looks as though it will be relatively well optimized. What's more, a recent FAQ released on the game's Steam page indicates that there may be a frame rate lock in place, even on PC.

Fable's minimum hardware requirements call for an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or an Intel Core i7-6850K, 12 GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 6600, Intel Arc A580, or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050/2060, paired with at least 135 GB of SSD storage. Recommended specs bump the CPU requirements up to an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-11600KF, while the GPU recommended specs are an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.

AMD has updated its product portfolio with three "new" processors, Ryzen 7 4700LE, Ryzen 5 3501U and Ryzen 3 3100U. These "new" processors revive the older Zen2 and Zen+ architectures for OEM and entry-level systems. Worth mentioning that the Zen+ architecture was launched in 2018, while the Zen2 was introduced in 2019. The Ryzen 7 4700LE is a Zen2 based CPU with eight cores, 16 threads, 3.6 GHz base clock, up to 4.2 GHz boost, and a 65 W TDP. The processor uses the AM4 socket and is listed as an OEM-only part. Unlike most Renoir desktop APUs, the AMD specifications page does not mention integrated graphics.

In the Ryzen 3000U series AMD has also added two Zen+, Picasso-based mobile processors. The Ryzen 5 3501U is a four-core, eight-thread CPU with a 2.1 GHz base clock and 3.7 GHz boost. The Ryzen 3 3100U is a dual-core, two-thread processor with a 1.9 GHz base frequency and up to 3.2 GHz boost. The two processors share identical specifications: Radeon Vega 8 iGPU with eight compute units at 1,200 MHz, support for DDR4-2400 memory and the FP5 package. AMD lists a 15 W as the default TDP, configurable between 12 W and 35 W depending on system design requirements. According to the AMD product pages, both Ryzen 3000U models are scheduled for Q2 2026. The Ryzen 7 4700LE is OEM dedicated, while the Ryzen 5 3501U and Ryzen 3 3100U are likely intended for low-cost notebooks and embedded platforms. No pricing information has been disclosed.

Asustor had several new NAS units on display at Computex 2026, ranging from new Flashstor 6 Gen 3 all-flash high-performance model to the recently launched Lockerstor V2 series. The Flashstor 6 Gen 3 (FS806X1 model) all-flash NAS is built in a rather slim format measuring 48.3 × 308.26 × 193 mm. It uses a Ryzen 5 Pro R8640U six-core processor (3.5 GHz base/4.9 GHz boost) paired with 8 GB of DDR5-5600 that can be upgraded up to 96 GB. For storage, it can accommodate up to six M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs. On the connectivity side it has a 10 GbE port, four USB 10 Gbps ports and one HDMI on the rear, and two USB4 Type-C ports on the front panel. RAID support covers Single, JBOD, 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and spare drive configurations.

The Lockerstor V2 lineup was on display with the three models, all of them equipped with Intel Celeron N5105 quad-core CPUs, dual 5 GbE ports and four M.2 NVMe slots alongside the SATA bays. The AS6706T v2 is the largest (185.5 × 233 × 230 mm) with six SATA bays and 8 GB of DDR4-2933. The AS6704T v2 has four SATA bays and 4 GB RAM in a 185.5 × 170 × 230 mm chassis. The AS6702T is the most compact model with two drive bays at 185.5 × 108 × 230 mm.

ASUS today announced ExpertCenter P200 AiO (PM240FA), a sleek and space-saving all-in-one 24-inch desktop designed for modern work environments. Powered by up to an AMD Ryzen 5 40 processor, ExpertCenter P200 AiO delivers reliable performance for essential business tasks, combining streamlined design, immersive visuals and enterprise-grade security in a versatile solution for everyday productivity.

With its compact form factor and thoughtfully integrated features, ExpertCenter P200 AiO is engineered to support the needs of offices, front desks and shared workspaces—enabling users to work efficiently, stay connected and protect critical data with confidence.

AMD has announced six new Ryzen PRO 9000 Series processors for commercial desktops and workstations, with two of them bringing 3D V-Cache to the PRO lineup for the first time. All six are AM5 parts targeting managed business deployments rather than the consumer market. The top-tier model is the Ryzen 9 PRO 9965X3D featuring 16 Zen 5 cores, 32 threads, up to 5.5 GHz boost, 128 MB of L3 cache courtesy of 3D V-Cache, and a 170 W TDP. Think of it as the workstation equivalent of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, just under the PRO branding with the associated manageability and security features. A non-X3D Ryzen 9 PRO 9965 sits alongside it with the same 16 cores and 170 W TDP but 64 MB of L3 cache. The 3D V-Cache also extends down to the Ryzen 7 tier with the Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D sporting eight cores, 16 threads, up to 5.2 GHz, 96 MB of L3 cache, and a 120 W TDP. Rounding out the lineup are the Ryzen 9 PRO 9955 (12 cores, 120 W), Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (8 cores, 120 W), and Ryzen 5 PRO 9655 (six cores, 120 W), all with 64 MB or 32 MB of L3 cache depending on the model.

The new additions sit above the existing 65 W Ryzen PRO 9945, 9745, and 9645 parts, giving AMD a higher-power PRO tier for workstation builds that need more headroom. The latest additions to the AMD Ryzen PRO 9000 Series lineup are scheduled to launch in the second half of 2026, with systems based on the new processors expected to begin shipping during the same period. AMD also noted that Lenovo ThinkStation P4 workstation is currently planned for availability in Q3 2026.

Asustor Inc. today is announcing that it will unveil a range of new products at Computex 2026 in Taipei, to showcase its superior network storage prowress with numerous models in addition to its award winning lineup of network storage solutions.

Flashstor Gen3 Series - Flagship Flash NAS for Creators with Optional AI
The all-flash NAS, highly praised by professional photographers and video creators, is receiving a significant upgrade. The new Flashstor Gen3 series is equipped with an AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 8640U Six-Core processor, providing 16 TOPs of AI computing power.

Imagine buying a laptop, thinking you're getting a model with your desired CPU specifications, only to find a completely different model inside, cleverly concealed so you wouldn't notice without further investigation. According to an investigation by Notebookcheck, the Chinese electronics maker Chuwi is engaging in specification fraud. Users have discovered a different CPU SKU compared to what was advertised. In a review of the Chuwi CoreBook X and CoreBook Plus, Notebookcheck found that Chuwi had listed these laptops with an AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, but they actually come with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U. This means that Chuwi is actively advertising these models on their website, on the laptop box, with laptop stickers, and even with BIOS modifications to make it seem as if they feature the newer Ryzen 5 7430U SoC with "Zen 3" CPU microarchitecture and Radeon "Vega 6" SoC. In reality, the company is shipping a processor that is a few generations old, with "Zen 2" CPU cores and Radeon Graphics 448SP.

Notebookcheck discovered this during a review of the Chuwi CoreBook X. The unit's performance was rather lackluster, prompting further investigation. Initially, they thought single-channel RAM was causing the subpar performance. To determine the true cause, they opened the unit and found the older Ryzen 5 5500U SoC with its corresponding part number 100-000000375. Additionally, other differences were noted in the SoC specifications, such as the L3 cache. Chuwi even went a step further by using a modified BIOS version to show that the unit features the AMD Ryzen 5 7430U. This led software diagnostic tools to display the advertised specification, while the lower-tier SoC was actually inside. This issue didn't occur just once with the Chuwi CoreBook X but also with a separate CoreBook Plus, which Notebookcheck also confirmed to feature the older SoC. Instead of the newer AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, both of these laptop models actually come with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, as verified through performance testing, and the OPN number that corresponds to a specific AMD chip.

The GEEKOM A5 Pro 2026 Edition arrives as one of the most compelling compact desktops to date, earning its position as the best $600 mini PC in 2026 thanks to a rare blend of high performance that breezes through all daily tasks, solid build quality that withstand at least 5 years of intensive use, and a 3-year warranty for long-term peace of mind. Its launch further strengthens GEEKOM's reputation the global leader in small-form-factor computing.

At the heart of the A5 Pro 2026 Edition is AMD's Ryzen R5 7530U, a 6-core, 12-thread processor capable of boosting up to 4.5 GHz. Paired with Radeon graphics, dual-channel memory, and fast SSD storage, the system delivers smooth performance across daily office tasks, home entertainment, creative workloads, and even light gaming.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is slated to launch on March 19 for PC after almost nine months as a PS5 exclusive, and Nixxes and Kojima Productions just revealed the minimum PC hardware requirements, as well as the supported upscaling and graphical enhancement options, in a PlayStation Blog post. According to the blog post, the absolute minimum spec, which gets you 30 FPS as 1080p with low settings, requires an AMD Ryzen 3 3100 or Intel Core i3-10100, 16 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8 GB. Medium, or 1080p with medium settings, requires an RTX 3060 12 GB or Radeon RX 6600, and an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-11400. Stepping it up to High (or recommended specs), which gets you 1440p at 60 FPS with high settings, requires an AMD Radeon RX 6800 or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 and an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X or Intel Core i7-11700. Very High, or 4K resolution at 60 FPS with very high settings, calls for an upgrade to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 9070 XT, while the CPU and memory specs remain the same as for the High tier. All spec tiers require 16 GB of memory, Windows 11 or Windows 10 1909 or up, and at least a 150 GB SSD.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will also offer PC players support for both 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratios, and players with 16:9 displays can simulate a cinematic experience by opting for a 21:9 aspect ratio with black bars on the top and bottom of the display—this option will also be introduced for PS5 at the same time as the PC release. PC players will also get support for upscaling tech from all three GPU manufacturers: NVIDIA DLSS 4, AMD FSR 4, and Intel XeSS 2, with both frame generation and upscaling options available. These upscaling options can be used in conjunction with Dynamic Resolution Scaling, and players will be able to adjust upscaling quality. The game will also see the debut of Pico—Progressive Image Compositor—on PC. This is the upscaling technology used by Death Stranding 2 on PS5 and developed by Guerrilla Games for the Decima engine, and it can also be used alongside all available frame generation options and on all available graphics card manufacturers. The game will also offer native AA options for those not interested in upscaling.

AMD's next-generation Ryzen 500 series of APUs, which include the "Medusa Point" and "Medusa Halo" SoCs, are slowly taking shape, and we are learning more about the integrated graphics of "Medusa Point." According to the latest compiler patches, "Medusa Point" will feature a variant of RDNA 4 called RDNA 4m, likely a mobile version designed for laptops and mini PCs. In contrast, the "Medusa Halo" will utilize AMD's next-generation RDNA 5 / UDNA GPU microarchitecture. "Medusa Point" will introduce a desktop-exclusive RDNA 4 with the new RDNA 4m variant. Although we initially lack comparisons between the two, some instruction set extensions, such as WMMA and SWMMAC instructions, indicate support in the new "GFX1170" GPU, which should be associated with the GFX11 generation, also known as RDNA 3. Currently, this is believed to be an upgraded RDNA 3 with many RDNA 4 modules, enabling FSR 4 support even on the less powerful "Medusa Point" APU.

When it comes to the overall system configuration, AMD targets "Zen 6" CPU cores for both "Medusa" variants. Both "Point" and "Halo" versions will likely differentiate with the same factors we have in the current generation APUs, which is a mix of AMD's "Zen 6" and "Zen 6c" CPU cores for the "Medusa Point," while the more powerful "Medusa Halo" will feature a uniform "Zen 6" core cluster for maximum CPU performance on that side as well. Recently, we learned that the platform will adopt LPDDR6 memory, which will increase the memory bandwidth by 50% over the standard LPDDR5X memory we see implemented today.

During CES 2026, ASUS announced the TUF Gaming TM500 Gaming PC, which in and of itself isn't a big deal and in fact, the TPU team on site grabbed a couple of quick snaps of it, without realising what sets it apart from your typical gaming PC. The TUF Gaming TM500 appears to be using leftover bits at ASUS, since it will be powered by either an AMD Ryzen 5 220 or a Ryzen 7 260, both of which are mobile CPUs based on AMD's Zen 4 processor architecture. These are obviously budget notebook chips with either six or eight cores, a Radeon 760M or 780M GPU and a total of 20 usable PCIe 4.0 lanes. ASUS decided that as this is a mobile CPU, the TM500 should use SO-DIMM memory. We're looking at a pair of DDR5 slots that support up to 64 GB of 5600 MT/s memory.

The motherboard itself appears to be microATX, but it has a custom layout and ASUS has even implemented a special heatpipe cooler that attaches to the rear of the chassis where the fan is located. As the TM500 is being sold as a gaming PC, it also comes with a choice of an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT or an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card. The motherboard also has room for a pair of SATA ports and a pair of PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSDs in the standard 2280 form factor. Connectivity wise, ASUS didn't seem to even have bothered, as the board only has a HDMI 2.1 port, one DP 1.4, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A port, two USB 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and three audio jacks around the back. The front of the chassis is home to a further two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Type-A ports and one Type-C port and a 3.5 mm combo headset jack. Considering the CPUs used have native USB4 support, as well as support for USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), this just feels cheap from ASUS. A Wi-Fi 6 module with Bluetooth 5.4 support and a 330 W PSU rounds off the package. There was no word on pricing, but it seems like there are competing mobile on desktop type systems out there that offer more features than the TUF Gaming TM500.

Perhaps in response to the overwhelming demand for DDR5 and the resulting price increase for PC hardware, ASUS is apparently planning to increase production of its B550 AM4 motherboards, which still rely on aging DDR4 RAM. This is according to a leak posted to Board Channels (via Videocardz), which claims that ASUS will make changes to its supply chain and production in the first quarter of 2026 in order to increase DDR4 motherboard production. This may be an indication that ASUS doesn't expect DDR5 supply and pricing to return to normal anytime soon, which lines up with recent rumors that console makers are considering postponing next-gen console launches until DRAM supply has stabilized.

These plans will include both AMD's B550 and A520 motherboards, both of which use the venerable AM4 socket, and Intel's B760M and H610M-G, and the increased supply will apparently be dedicated to e-commerce channels rather than physical retailers. These motherboards will cover up to AMD's Ryzen 5000 CPUs and Intel 14th-Gen CPUs. At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation from ASUS that these rumors are true, but the AM4 platform has continued to receive support from AMD, with the most recent AM4 CPU, the Ryzen 5 5600F, launching as recently as September 2025.

Dynabook Americas, Inc., the gold standard for long-lasting, professional-grade laptops, today unveiled its latest Copilot-enhanced professional laptops, the all-new 14-inch Tecra A45-M and 16-inch Tecra A65-M. Engineered with AMD Ryzen and AMD Ryzen PRO 200 Series processors, these new Windows 11 Pro laptops fuse cutting-edge hardware with advanced AI to redefine productivity and performance for modern professionals and educators.

"These new Tecra laptops extend Dynabook's tradition of delivering high-value, professional-grade solutions while giving our customers a greater variety of processor options," said James Robbins, General Manager, Dynabook Americas, Inc. "By pairing AMD Ryzen and Ryzen PRO 200 Series processors with our pro-grade Tecra platform, we're bringing strong multi-core performance, practical on-device AI and enterprise-grade security and manageability to organizations that demand reliability and long-term value."

GMKtec, a leading innovator in mini PC technology, has announced the launch of its latest compact powerhouse - the GMKtec NucBox M8, equipped with the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H processor. Designed for users who demand performance, reliability, and futuristic aesthetics, the M8 is built to power everything from creative workstations and gaming setups to enterprise, retail, and educational environments.

Crafted by a Red Dot Award-winning design team, the GMKtec M8 combines sleek all-metal construction with a floating "C-shaped" chassis and dynamic lighting accents, delivering both performance and elegance in a compact form factor. At the heart of the M8 is the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H (6 cores / 12 threads, up to 4.5 GHz), paired with a Radeon 660M GPU for smooth AAA gaming and professional-grade content creation. The system features high-speed LPDDR5X 6400 MHz memory and up to 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage, expandable to 8 TB.

Amazon US sales data for October, courtesy of @TechEpiphanyYT, reveal a huge disparity between AMD and Intel CPU sales. The combined shipments of AMD's Ryzen 9800X3D and 7800X3D reached roughly 16,000 units, while Intel's entire CPU lineup on the platform did not surpass 10,000 units. This gives AMD about 83.80% of the market share in terms of units sold, meaning that for every ten CPUs sold, more than eight were AMD models. The two X3D models sold roughly 8,000 units each, indicating a strong demand for AMD's high-end gaming processors, even at premium prices. In the value segment, the six-core Ryzen 5 5500 sold nearly 5,000 units, securing the third spot and outperforming common Intel alternatives like the Core i3 models, which typically offer four cores.

Intel saw a limited success with the Core Ultra 7 265K, which sold nearly 1,000 units after its price dropped below $300. However, this single product couldn't offset the production challenges Intel faced with its 12th, 13th, and 14th generation lines, where increasing prices have reduced competitiveness in price-sensitive retail markets. Interestingly, the average selling price of AMD CPUs was $272.05, while Intel's was higher at $308.62. This indicates that AMD is focusing more on the low and mid-range segments, whereas Intel's customers are primarily targeting higher-end builds.

A new Ryzen 5 7500X3D has surfaced in a UK retail listing hinting that AMD is preparing another entry-level X3D CPU for launch at CES 2026. The listing, shared by @momomo_us includes OPN code 100-000001904, confirming it as a new SKU within the "Raphael" lineup. The 7500X3D is expected to feature 6 cores and 12 threads, 96 MB of total cache (32 MB L3 + 64 MB 3D V-Cache), and a 65 W TDP. Boost clocks will likely come in below 4.7 GHz, roughly 300-400 MHz lower than the 7600X3D. If accurate, it would be AMD's most affordable 3D V-Cache CPU yet, aimed at budget-conscious gamers.

The new chip would join AMD's growing list of X3D models, including the 7800X3D, 7900X3D, 7950X3D, and 7600X3D. With multiple Zen 5 X3D refresh parts rumored for a CES 2026 launch; such as Ryzen 7 9850X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, AMD's X3D family is seeing another expansion in early 2026. The rumored Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is particularly interesting as it appears to be AMD's next flagship model featuring 16 cores, 32 threads, 192 MB of L3 cache, and 200 W TDP. As for the Ryzen 5 7500X3D, there's currently no confirmation of global availability but given AMD's past moves with region-specific launches like the 5600X3D, wider distribution is possible.

We have seen previous rumors claim that AMD would launch Ryzen 9000G series APUs for its AM5 platform sometime soon, although there has been no official announcement from AMD, yet. Most recently, though, data miners combing through AMD's AGESA 1207 code have managed to find evidence of new Krackan Point desktop APUs. Krackan Point has been spotted in MSI BIOS updates with references to the 00B60Fxx microcode, and the changelog for ASUS X870 beta BIOS versions mentions "new APU support," which could only really be Ryzen 9000G. These new APUs are said to be based on Zen 5, but previous leaks said that they would instead be a rehash of the 8000G APUs, making them a Zen 4 refresh. At any rate, it will likely still be a while before launch, since this is the first time the code has been spotted in desktop BIOS versions.

Until now, Krackan Point APUs have been limited to mobile applications, with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 and Ryzen AI 7 350 both coming to laptops earlier this year. Until now AM5 owners looking for an APU have been limited to something like the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G, which launched all the way back in January 2024. If the laptop silicon is anything to go by, Krackan Point will bring AMD's RDNA 3.5 to the desktop, although with iGPUs falling short of the powerful Strix Halo 8060S. We will likely see APUs top out at the same Radeon 860M iGPU as the laptop variants, or potentially step up to the Radeon 890M iGPU, where the Ryzen 8000G APUs topped out at the 780M. The 890M would bring 256 more shaders into the mix for a decent performance uplift, although this seems to be a GPU configuration reserved for Strix Point. Current speculation also suggests that CPU core counts will be limited to eight and six cores for the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 CPUs, respectively.

Attention all Jujutsu Kaisen 0 fans! Starforge Systems is excited to announce the launch of their all-new Limited Edition PC collection celebrating the iconic anime film, Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Featuring powerful components and striking artwork that stars the movie's cast, this collection is a must have, no matter how obsessed you are with Gojo.

The Jujutsu Kaisen 0 PC bundle ($2399.99) brings the world of Jujutsu Kaisen to life, and fans can now channel their inner sorcerer with the PC, desk mat and wall art from Starforge Systems' collection.

Beelink has officially released the EQR7 mini PC, which was previously limited to China, for global markets, and it pitches the mini PC as a quiet workstation PC for office use, although it should be more than capable of some light gaming workloads, as well. The EQR7 is only available with 32 GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM in dual channel and a 1 TB 2280 M.2 SSD, but it can be had from Beelink directly with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735U for $339 or AMD Ryzen 5 7535U for $329. It is also available on Amazon, albeit at a slightly higher price. While RAM is soldered, the EQR7 has dual 2280 M.2 slots for expandable storage. Those AMD APUs mean that the EQR7 is available with up to an AMD Radeon 680M, which is more than capable of casual gaming, even if it is showing its age.

Despite the small form factor, measuring in at just 126 mm × 126 mm and 44.2 mm tall, the Beelink EQR7 features decent connectivity, with dual gigabit Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. The physical ports include a front-mounted USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. On the rear, there are dual HDMI 2.0 ports, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a solitary USB 2.0 port, alongside the aforementioned Ethernet ports and an AC power input. That AC power input also conveniently connects directly to the wall, with no power adapter necessary. There are no USB4 ports, so gamers can forget about connecting an eGPU for additional performance, but the EQR7 isn't really marketed as a gaming mini PC, to begin with. Beelink says that the MCS2.0 cooling system and the "silent" internal fan allow the EQR7 to operate at 32 dB, but it's unclear whether that is under load or at idle, so this claim should be taken with a grain of salt.