ZOTAC Technology is announcing a new lineup of enterprise and healthcare-oriented mini PCs designed for specific applications and scalable deployment, as well as a whole new class of external GPU acceleration platforms for Thunderbolt 3-compatible PCs. Aside from the all-new additions, ZOTAC is also refreshing its best-selling performance mini PCs with the newest generations of Intel Core Processors and NVIDIA RTX-enabled GPUs. ZOTAC will debut these rugged, innovative solutions and showcase other AI-ready compute solutions during Hannover Messe 2024, reaffirming ZOTAC's commitment to embrace the AI-driven future.

ZOTAC ZBOX Healthcare Series: Medical AI Solution
With the all-new ZOTAC Healthcare Series, ZOTAC is offering the reputed superior quality and performance of ZOTAC ZBOX Mini PCs to the realm of Healthcare. The ZBOX H39R5000W and ZBOX H37R3500W are equipped with 13th Generation Intel Core i9 or i7 laptop processors, as well as professional-grade NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation laptop GPUs. These mini PCs are ready to power medical imaging, algorithms, and more, with some of the latest and greatest hardware currently available.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is excited to announce their lineup of products to be shown at the 2024 NAB Show, from April 14-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Lexar products deliver the high-speed performance that professional videographers, filmmakers, and creators demand in their cameras while also accelerating workflows.
Lexar's new Rugged Series includes the ARMOR GOLD SD UHS-II V60 Card. This card offers a max read speed of 280 MB/s and a max write speed of 210 MB/s, features an IP68 rating, and supports seamless 6K video capture. The ARMOR SILVER PRO SD UHS-II V60 Card also clocks in at a max read speed of 280 MB/s and delivers a write speed of 160 MB/s. It is also rated IP68 and supports 6K video as well. In the SSD category, the ARMOR 700 Portable SSD leverages USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 to provide max read/write speeds of 2000 MB/s1 and an IP66 rating lets users know that its design protects against both water and dust and is built to withstand up to 3-meter drops and falls.

Lexar is also excited to announce a new line of products dedicated to improving the professional workflow. The Lexar Professional PRO WORKFLOW is a 6-bay dock designed to maximize efficiency in the studio by allowing professionals to customize a solution with the modules they need. It is compatible with a range of WORKFLOW readers for CFexpress Type B and Type A 4.0 cards, SD and microSD UHS-II cards, and portable SSDs. It adopts Thunderbolt 4 and supports speeds up to 40 Gbps. The Lexar Professional PRO WORKFLOW GO is a portable solution that allows users to back up on location without a laptop. This 2-bay dock is battery-powered and supports speeds up to 10 Gbps.

Acer unveiled the latest addition to its gaming line with the new Predator Helios Neo 14, a portable powerhouse equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra processors, unlocking AI experiences on the PC. In addition, the Acer Nitro 16 gaming laptop has been refreshed with Intel Core 14th gen processors, allowing users to do more when gaming or creating. Players of all levels will be amazed by the pristine visuals and AI-driven graphics shown when gaming or streaming thanks to the devices' NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40[1] Series Laptop GPUs, which support the latest AI-powered DLSS 3.5 technology and other AI accelerations across creative applications. Brilliant colors and pixels stand out on the laptops' WQXGA display options, combined with 100% support for sRGB color gamut and NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility.

To further complement creativity and capabilities on the gaming laptops, these feature Microsoft Copilot in Windows (with a dedicated Copilot key), providing faster access to the everyday AI assistant and Acer's suite of AI-enhanced videoconferencing features. With one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included in every device, players can enjoy hundreds of high-quality PC games. Plus, dual fans, exhaust cooling systems, and liquid metal thermal on the CPUs ensure the gaming laptops' interiors run on full speed even in the most heated gaming sessions.

Intel Core Ultra "Lunar Lake-MX" will be the company's bulwark against Apple's M-series Pro and Max chips, designed to power the next crop of performance ultraportables. The MX codename extension denotes MoP (memory-on-package), which sees stacked LPDDR5X memory chips share the package's fiberglass substrate with the chip, to conserve PCB footprint, and give Intel greater control over the right kind of memory speed, timings, and power-management features suited to its microarchitecture. This is essentially what Apple does with its M-series SoCs powering its MacBooks and iPad Pros. Igor's Lab scored the motherlode on the way Intel has restructured the various components across its chiplets, and the various I/O wired to the package.

When compared to "Meteor Lake," the "Lunar Lake" microarchitecture sees a small amount of "re-aggregation" of the various logic-heavy components of the processor. On "Meteor Lake," the CPU cores and the iGPU sat on separate tiles—Compute tile and Graphics tile, respectively, with a large SoC tile sitting between them, and a smaller I/O tile that serves as an extension of the SoC tile. All four tiles sat on top of a Foveros base tile, which is essentially an interposer—a silicon die that facilitates high-density microscopic wiring between the various tiles that are placed on top of it. With "Lunar Lake," there are only two tiles—the Compute tile, and the SoC tile.

ASUS today announced the official release of ASUS NUC 14 Pro, one of several mini PCs unveiled at CES 2024. ASUS NUC 14 Pro delivers best-in-class performance thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 7 or 5 processor powered by three AI engines—a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Offering high throughput, low power consumption, and fast response, ASUS NUC 14 Pro delivers robust computing capabilities. It also features WiFi sensing for intelligent energy efficiency, along with exceptional security, manageability and stability enabled by Intel vPro Enterprise.

Featuring a 4 x 4 matte black textured chassis constructed of recycled plastic, a replaceable lid, and a VESA mounting plate, this ultra-small-form-factor (uSFF) desktop PC integrates into any workspace, offering maximum functionality without compromising style. Each device comes individually packaged and includes a three-year limited warranty.

Ugreen, a leading innovator in consumer electronics, is excited to announce the launch of its inaugural Network Attached Storage (NAS) series. The launch is scheduled for March 26 on the popular crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter.com. This campaign is specifically aimed at users in the United States and Germany. As a special incentive, UGREEN is offering an early bird discount of 40%, with prices commencing at just USD $239.99. Visit Kickstarter.com to be among the first to experience UGREEN's innovative NASync series.

UGREEN NASync series is a versatile range designed to cater to a variety of use scenarios. The NASync DXP2800 and NASync DXP4800 and DXP4800 Plus are tailored for personal and home users. For power users and business solutions, UGREEN offers the NASync DXP6800 Pro and NASync DXP8800 Plus. Lastly, the NASync DXP480T Plus is specifically designed to meet the needs of creative and media professionals.

Know more about the Kickstarter campaign here.

With the XMG FUSION 15 and CORE 15, XMG unveils its first 15.3-inch laptops in 16:10 format. The two compact devices, which are very similar except for a few details, differ primarily regarding their CPUs: the FUSION 15 is powered by Intel's Core i9-14900HX or i7-14650HX and either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or 4070, while the CORE 15 combines an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS with an RTX 4060. Apart from that, the gaming laptops, which weigh around 2 kg and are 21.9 mm high, offer a WQXGA display with a brightness of 500 nits and an almost entirely aluminium chassis with a clean and elegant design.

The design language of the XMG FUSION 15 (E24) and the XMG CORE 15 (M24) focuses on understated elegance. The laptops share an identical, black anodised and torsion-resistant aluminium chassis. At 342.5 x 245 x 21.9 mm, these two 15.3-inch devices are very compact, while a reduced weight of just 2.0 kg (XMG CORE 15) or 2.1 kg (XMG FUSION 15) offers good portability.

Eurocom, a pioneer in high-performance, upgradeable mobile computing solutions, is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking advancement in mobile computing technology with the integration of PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD support in the EUROCOM Raptor X17 Mobile Supercomputer. Eurocom's commitment to innovation and performance has led to the enhancement of the Raptor X17, making it one of the most powerful and versatile mobile supercomputers on the market. By incorporating PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD support, Eurocom is setting a new standard for speed, efficiency, and storage capabilities in mobile computing. The EUROCOM Raptor X17 Mobile Supercomputer is powered by Intel Core i9-14900HX 24C/32T Processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB DDR6 graphics with NVIDIA ADA Lovelace architecture, 24 TB of total SSD storage in RAID 0/1/5, 96 GB DDR5-5600 RAM and now PCIe 5.0 SSD support in one M.2 slot.

"The EUROCOM Raptor X17 continues to push boundaries in mobile computing. Now with support for the Corsair MP700 2 TB PCIe 5.0 (Gen 5) x4 NVMe M.2 SSD, users can experience unparalleled storage performance. Whether you're a 3D modeler, researcher, AI Developer, or creative professional, the Raptor X17 delivers exceptional power and flexibility," said Mark Bialic, Eurocom President. The integration of PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD technology in the EUROCOM Raptor X17 unlocks unparalleled data transfer speeds, significantly reducing loading times and enhancing overall system responsiveness. This advancement not only caters to professionals and enthusiasts who demand high-performance computing but also revolutionizes the mobile computing landscape by offering cutting-edge technology in a portable form factor.

TECNO, a global innovative technology brand once again participated in the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 Barcelona, unveiled its two Mini PC products and awarded by "BEST OF MWC" from high technology media-- the"world-first" MEGA MINI Gaming G1 with water-cooling in the smallest gaming Mini PC size, and the MEGA MINI M1 for Pocket-Sized Desktops Solution. In collaboration with TECNO's latest release of AR glasses, the MiniPC can achieve a larger screen for enhanced productivity and a more immersive gaming experience.

LG Electronics USA (LG) today announced pricing and availability of its 2024 premium lineup of laptops - the LG gram Pro and LG gram Pro 2-in-1. The 16- and 17-inch LG gram Pro models retail for $2399 (16Z90SP-A.ADB9U1) and $2499 (17Z90SP-E.ADB9U1) respectively while the CES 2024 Innovation Award-winning 16-inch gram Pro 2-in-1 (16T90SP-K.ADB9U1) retails for $2099. For a limited time, customers shopping on LG.com can pre-order the 16- and 17-inch LG gram Pro and 16-inch LG gram Pro 2-in-1.

Throughout the duration of the pre-order period from February 21, 2024, to March 10, 2024, customers will be able to purchase the 32 GB-RAM/2 TB-SSD LG gram Pro laptop for the price of a 16 GB-RAM/1 TB-SSD model of the same screen size. They'll also receive an LG gram +view IPS portable monitor (16MR70.ASDU) and expedited shipping at no additional cost. All standard terms of purchase apply.

Ugreen, a global leader in consumer electronics and charging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of its Revodok Series Hubs & Docking Stations. Under the banner "Expand Your Creativity," these new products cater to diverse user demands and comprise of three distinct series: Revodok Max Series, Revodok Pro Series, and Revodok Basic Series. The Revodok Max 213 is available from Ugreen and Amazon US for £399.99/$399.99, the Revodok Pro 313 is available from Ugreen and Amazon US from £129.99/$129.99 and the Revodok Pro 210 is available from Ugreen and Amazon US for £69.99/$69.99.

The Revodok Max 213, the premier product of the Revodok Max Series, is specifically tailored for professionals in fields such as media, data/financial analysis, photography, audio/video production, engineering, and design. It epitomizes "Ultra-high Speed and Ultra-high Efficiency", facilitating seamless collaboration and productivity in multi-device offices and high-performance equipment settings.

erial leaker @yuuki_ans on X/Twitter has released details on Intel's upcoming Barlow Rridge Thunderbolt 5 controller which will be known as the JHL9580 or JHL9540 depending on the SKU. The good news is that Intel has finally moved to PCIe 4.0 for the bus interface, which was expected due to the increased bandwidth on offer by Thunderbolt 5 over Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Barlow Ridge will use a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface to connect to the host and it appears that the earlier leak that suggested native Thunderbolt support in Arrow Lake-S might be incorrect, as there are diagrams showing Barlow Ridge connected to Arrow Lake-S CPUs.

Besides the faster bus, Thunderbolt 5 brings asymmetrical data transmission support which means that for display applications there will be a 120/40 Gbps mode, whereas for data only applications Thunderbolt 5 will deliver a symmetrical 80 Gbps mode. We should point out that this only appears to apply to the JHL9580 SKU, which also supports 40 Gbps USB4 speeds, whereas the JHL9540 for some reason remains a Thunderbolt 4 controller. That said, both of the Barlow Ridge SKUs get support for 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, something that was lacking in previous Thunderbolt implementations. There will also be support for DisplayPort 2.1 via DP Alt Mode with full UHBR20 support when used with a DP80 certified cable. Actual data transfers are limited to the 64 Gbps PCIe 4.0 interface to the host system, just like USB4, but this does at least give Thunderbolt 5 extra head room for display data even in symmetrical mode. The Barlow Ridge controllers appear to be connected directly to the Arrow Lake-S CPUs via the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, much in the same way USB4 host controllers connect to AMD's Ryzen 7000-series CPUS.

Courtesy of X/Twitter user @yuuki_ans, we now have what should be very detailed information on Intel's next generation consumer desktop platform, assuming the leaked information is real. The leaker not only provided confirmation on the CPU specs of the Arrow Lake-S desktop CPUs, which will feature up to an 8+16+1 core configuration. However, it appears that it's not all smooth sailing for Intel to get Arrow Lake-S up and running, as a note points out that the pre-alpha hardware has the performance cores disabled due to a hardware bug that is expected to be fixed in a future hardware revision. We can also see that the official memory support is DDR5-6400 from the block diagram, which is quite a jump from DDR5-5600 which is what the current 14th gen CPUs officially support.

That said, the rest of the documentation shared is very detailed and provides us with a ton of details in terms of the various platform interfaces we can expect. For starters, the Arrow Lake-S CPUs will feature native Thunderbolt 4/USB4 support (once again an odd mistake here stating USB4.0), as well as DisplayPort 2.0 (UHBR20 only) and HDMI 2.1 support. The CPU is said to deliver 24 PCIe lanes, of which 16 are PCIe 5.0 lanes for the GPU and the remaining eight are for NVMe SSDs, with half being PCIe 5.0 and half PCIe 4.0.

Eurocom, a leading manufacturer of high-performance laptops, has announced the release of two new models: the Raptor X17 and Nightsky RX415 with up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory. Both laptops are powered by the latest 14th generation Intel Core i7 14900HX CPU and now support 96 GB of DDR5 memory (2x 48 GB). The Raptor X17 is equipped with a 17.3-inch 240 Hz display, while the Nightsky RX415 features a 15.6-inch UHD OLED display. These laptops are designed to deliver exceptional performance and speed for gaming, content creation, and other demanding applications.

"While 96 GB of DDR5 memory may be considered overkill for certain use cases, it can deliver tangible benefits for professionals engaged in video editing, rendering, multitasking, virtualization, and other memory-intensive workloads. We are excited to be able to offer this option to our customers in the Nightsky RX415 and Raptor X17 high performance laptops as we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible inside a laptop form factor." Mark Bialic, Eurocom President.

ASUS today announced the Triple 4K Thunderbolt 4 Dock DC500, an all-in-one docking station designed for creators. It's also the world's smallest 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 dock available on the market, and requires just a single USB-C cable to connect to multiple 4K displays, peripherals, and memory card readers to create a complete, highly-efficient creative workstation. DC500 offers Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and two HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing users to create a triple 4K display setup, or if preferred, a single 8K monitor at 60 Hz. Additionally, the Thunderbolt 4 port offers up to 40 Gbps data transfer speeds. It features two UHS II card slots to accommodate SD 4.0 and microSD cards for quick data transfers. For added convenience, DC500 includes a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port and up to 100-watt passthrough to power the connected laptop. To ensure a tidy workspace, DC500 has an adjustable stand with locking knob that allows it to be secured on the back of a monitor or onto the edge of a desk.

IOGear unveiled a handful products relevant to content creators and creative professionals on the move, at the 2024 International CES. The star attraction here is the Quantum Thunderbolt 5 Dock Pro. It plugs into a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, putting out three Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, with display passthrough of dual 8K @ 60 Hz or triple 4K @ 120 Hz. The dock doesn't support the 120 Gbps Bandwidth Boost feature being mooted by Intel, but you'll definitely get 80 Gbps per direction. Also shown was the Quantum Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock, which supports up to one 8K @ 30 Hz display stream or dual 4K @ 60 Hz, within its 40 Gbps switching bandwidth. Both docks are TAA compliant.

Next up, we have the IOGear Upstream Pro 4-port HDMI to UVC mixer, which mixed and captures non-DRM HDMI inputs to PGM UVC video at resolutions of up to 4K @ 30 Hz. The Upstream Pro Seamless 2-port webcam matrix lets you switch between multiple web cameras within a live stream, so you can change the shot while you're live. There are also some handy adapters and cables. IOGear specializes in ports, cables and adapters of all shapes and sizes.

During the CES 2024 show, the ASUS booth had a wide variety of products on display. Among the more interesting solutions was the highly-anticipated ROG NUC. Initially, Intel sold the NUC design and manufacturing license to ASUS, and we were left wondering how ASUS would adapt its compact design. We had a booth tour and took pictures of the new design in person. The ASUS ROG NUC can be configured with Intel's flagship Meteor Lake-H Core Ultra 9 185H processor, a 16-core/22-thread CPU with a 115 W maximum turbo TDP that boosts up to 5.1 GHz. It features six performance cores, eight efficiency cores, and two low-power performance cores. The system can be equipped with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU for graphics.

A more affordable option pairs the Core Ultra 7 155H processor with an RTX 4060 Laptop GPU. Other key specifications include support for up to 32 GB of DDR5 memory across two SO-DIMM slots, three M.2 PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD slots, Intel Killer WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, 2.5G LAN, Thunderbolt 4, as much as six USB ports, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, and a choice of Windows 11 Home 64-bit, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, or no pre-installed OS. The 2.5-liter chassis shows that miniature size can equal big performance and can easily provide great gaming and productivity results.

Crucial, the client-focused brand of memory giant Micron Technology, showed off a handful new innovations at its booth along the sidelines of the 2024 International CES. First up, is a prototype USB4 portable SSD and prototype desktop SSD. These are proofs of concept, and not actual products. With this, Crucial is testing the waters with USB4 and its delicious 40 Gbps bidirectional bandwidth, which unlocks a new generation of fast removable storage devices. The prototype USB4 portable SSD comes in a tiny chassis about the size of a burner phone. It is a PCB with an M.2-2280 slot with PCIe Gen 4 x4 wiring, connected to an ASMedia ASM2464PD USB4 bridge chip. An OEM Micron Gen 4 SSD with 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash and LPDDR4 DRAM cache, is installed on this drive. The CDM reading for this drive is 3821 MB/s sequential reads, with 885 MB/s sequential writes.

Next up, is a larger desktop SSD prototype (which again, isn't an actual product but a proof of concept). Its metal chassis is about the size of a 3.5-inch HDD. Inside is at least one M.2-2280 Gen 4 slot (there are probably more); with a preinstalled drive. An ASMedia ASM2464PD handles things here, too. The performance is mostly similar, at 3792 MB/s sequential reads, but with significantly increase 3803 MB/s sequential writes. This may seem unspectacular because Thunderbolt 4 has been delivering 40 Gbps for many years now, and we've had TB4-based external SSDs; but USB4 somewhat democratizes this kind of bandwidth.

Acer unleashes a series of powerhouse gaming laptops, headlined by the refreshed models of the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16. Acer also announced the new Predator Helios Neo 18 gaming laptop and major updates to the Predator Helios Neo 16, all outfitted with the latest Intel Core 14th gen processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series Laptop GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology and NVIDIA Advanced Optimus. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance and accelerations in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. The Predator laptops feature Microsoft's Copilot in Windows 11 and a dedicated Copilot key for quick access to AI-powered task assistance. They also come with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving gamers access to hundreds of high-quality PC games.

Gamers seeking a competitive edge will be thrilled with the Predator Helios 18 and Predator Helios 16 laptops as they come with options for captivating Mini LED panels, MagKey 3.0 swappable mechanical switch for shorter key travel and response time, and lightning-fast network speeds with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility.

Acer today announced the Acer Nitro 17 (AN17-72) gaming laptop, unlocking improved performance, immersive experiences, plus essential features for playing and multi-tasking on the go. The device is powered by the latest Intel Core 14th gen processors, featuring Intel's Performance Hybrid Architecture with improved power and core frequencies to manage workloads efficiently. At the same time, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs with DLSS 3.5 technology. NVIDIA RTX Laptop GPUs are packed with specialized AI Tensor Cores enabling unmatched AI performance in creative apps, ultra-efficient productivity, blistering fast gaming, and more. Built with Microsoft Copilot and the next wave of computing, the Nitro laptop provides access to Copilot in Windows via a dedicated Copilot key, making it even easier to harness the power of AI to assist with productivity and creativity tasks.

Users can feast their eyes on immersive visuals and pristine colors on the device's 17-inch QHD display with a fast 165 Hz[1] refresh rate and support for the NVIDIA Advanced Optimus feature. The Nitro 17 is further supported by an advanced cooling system, AI-assisted communication features, and NitroSense software for full device control. To top it all off, the Windows 11 gaming laptop is shipped with one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, providing access to a library of hundreds of high-quality games to be explored with friends on PC, console, or cloud.

With the zeitgeist of AI technology taking the world by storm, MSI, a world-leading premium laptop brand, has taken it in stride through its professionalism over luxurious aesthetics, extreme performance and innovative technology. Announcing the world's first gaming handheld powered by Intel Core Ultra Processor - the Claw. Equipped with ARC graphics featuring up to 8 Xe cores and advanced XeSS technology, the Claw ensures smooth gameplay across various AAA titles. Its robust HyperFlow cooling system and a large 53Wh battery, coupled with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, make it an exceptional handheld gaming device for gamers.

"In our commitment to enhancing the gaming experience for our users, we aim to address market pain points and dedicate efforts to the handheld space," said Eric Kuo, the Executive Vice President& NB BU GM of MSI. "We have fine-tuned specific designs tailored exclusively for gamers, debuting our very first handheld, Claw, which redefines the standards in the handheld market."

Intel's current generation mobile processor product stack is vast, to say the least. In Q4-2023, the company launched its Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" mobile processors spanning the U-segment (7 W to 28 W), and H-segment (35 W to 45 W). Today, the company capped the upper end of the stack with the 14th Gen Core HX-series mobile processors based on "Raptor Lake Refresh," which dial up core counts to 8P+16E. And now, the company is adding more choice to the U-segment with the Core Processor Series 1, based on a lower core-count variant of the "Raptor Lake Refresh" architecture.

The Core Processor Series 1 follows the same nomenclature as the Core Ultra, where the "Ultra" denotes the latest "Meteor Lake" architecture. Processor model numbering and case badges are similar between Core Processor Series 1 and Core Ultra, except the lack of the "Ultra" brand extension. These chips are built on the monolithic "Raptor Lake Refresh" dies on the Intel 7 foundry node, and lack innovations such as the Low-power Island cores, 3D Performance Hybrid architecture, the all important AI Boost and on-silicon NPU; as well as that 2x faster Arc Xe-LPG integrated graphics, but use existing combinations of "Raptor Cove" and "Gracemont" CPU cores, along with older Xe-LP graphics with up to 96 EU; and a mostly similar I/O.

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.

UGREEN just announced its NASync line of NAS servers at the 2024 International CES, and we went hands on. Our tour begins with the large NASync DXP8800 Pro 8-bay 3.5-inch NAS; and DXP6800 Pro 6-bay 3.5-inch NAS. These are powered by unspecified models of 12th Gen Core i7 and Core i5 processors, respectively, along with 8 GB of single-channel DDR5 memory, a 128 GB SSD for as their internal system disk, and dual 10 GbE networking interfaces. The two also feature their own HDMI display outputs from the UHD 700-series iGPUs, SD card readers, and Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Next up, are the smaller NASync DXP4800 4-bay, and DXP2800 2-bay NAS; which are powered by Intel N-series SoCs that feature only E-cores; 8 GB of DDR5 memory, 32 GB of eMMC based system disks, an SD 3.0 card reader, and 2.5 GbE networking interfaces. The DXP4800 has two 2.5 GbE interfaces, while the DXP2800 has just the one. The star attraction is the NASync DXP480T Plus, an all-flash based NAS. It has pretty much the same underpinnings as the DXP6800, including a 12th Gen Core i5, 8 GB of DDR5 memory, and a 128 GB SSD as system drive; but comes with four M.2-2280 slots, each with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring. You get one 10 GbE networking interface, two Thunderbolt 4, an unspecified Wi-Fi + Bluetooth interface (possibly 6E), and an HDMI output from the iGPU of the Core i5.

Ugreen, a leading brand in consumer electronics.They'll be unveiling their rendition of NAS devices along with vehicle accessories to complement their portable power station, aptly titled the PowerRoam series, at CES 2024 (booth No.22733), running from January 9-12, 2024 in Las Vegas.

At the forefront of Ugreen NAS product line is the flagship product: NASync DX480T Plus. The DX480T Plus is the smallest in the NAS line at 7.0 x 5.6 x 2.0 inches and developed with an emphasis on high-performance and portability. SSD storage spaces allow for up to 16 TB of fast, all-flash storage space. An expandable RAM drive provides up to 32 GB of memory for high-speed processing, and powering the homemade Ugreen OS Pro (UGOS Pro) is Intel's very own 12th gen Core i5 10 Core processor. Boosting data and media transfer speeds are two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports providing up to 40 Gb/s of transfer speeds, making it one of the smallest, fastest NAS devices around.