Perhaps unsurprisingly, the combo delivers record-setting performance. The launch of new Nvidia RTX mobile graphics--including the top-tier RTX 5090 with 24GB of VRAM--has the potential for chart-topping performance. Now it's joined by AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, a 16-core CPU with the company's vaunted 3D V-Cache, an extra stack of L3 cache that can prove useful in games. The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W brings both new chips into one chassis. That's incredible hardware, but the laptop retails for an equally incredible MSRP of 5,099.99. Each is an undisputed heavyweight in its category and should deliver a killer one-two punch of CPU and GPU performance. With that said, however, this MSI Raider A18 HX A9W still must deal with the power and thermal constraints faced by every laptop--and it will be interesting to see the results. The MSI Raider A18 HX A9W delivers additional technical highlights, too, like the PCIe 5.0 solid state drive and the 4K Mini-LED display.

The MSI Raider 18 HX AI isn't a looker, but it packs incredible CPU and GPU performance. The MSI Raider 18 HX AI is the very model of a "desktop replacement" laptop. It's big, it's not much to look at, and it has a mediocre touchpad that implies users are really expected to connect a mouse. That might leave some shoppers asking, "What's the point?" That question is answered once the laptop is tossed into a demanding game or application. It might be thick, but the MSI Raider 18 HX delivers top-tier CPU and GPU performance. It even has gobs of RAM and a PCIe 5.0 solid state drive.

More than a year has passed since Asus' acquisition of the NUC brand from Intel, which marked the first major change the brand had seen since Intel launched it back in 2013. After more than a decade of continuity -- including last year's transition year where Intel still had a say on design -- this will be the real first year in which Asus has done most of the groundwork, fronting up with its own designs and innovations. So how is the NUC different now in this new era? I spoke to Kuo Wei Chao, general manager of Asus IoT business unit, to find out. The Asus NUC lineup announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas included the NUC 14 AI and the more premium NUC 14 Pro AI with 48 TOPS NPU AI power and a dedicated Copilot button for quick access to the AI assistant. They were on display alongside two new powerful mini-PCs for everyday use featuring the latest Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) chips: the NUC 15 and NUC 15 Pro .

You never know what you're going to get with CES. Of course, we knew we'd hear a lot about AI -- check -- and that there'd be announcements of new CPUs and GPUs -- also check. But you just never know how the all the pomp and hoo-ha of this annual mega tech event is going to pay off in the real-world, for regular consumers. Does the average PC user have something to be excited about now that the veil has come off of this year's product launches? If the PCWorld staff is any indication, the answer is yes!

I've been reviewing monitors for almost 20 years, so believe me when I say this: 2025 will be the best year to buy a new monitor, ever. Today's most attractive and feature-rich monitors command high prices compared to what was typical a decade ago, which has moved some monitor shoppers up-market. In turn, this has given monitor makers an incentive to pursue new trends in panel technology, video inputs, and image processing, among other features. Also, the growing proliferation of OLED is a huge boon for monitors, and not just because OLED looks great and delivers smooth motion. While pricing on high-end, cutting-edge monitors is still up, pricing on monitors with OLED panels is edging towards a freefall.

Our collection of the highs and lows of Intel's 2024 will have you reaching for the brandy. I mean, aside from some of Intel's mobile chips, what exactly did it do right? Let's put it this way: when your ex-CEO prays for your company after he was kicked out, it was a bad year. As we've done for other companies in the past, we've collected the best, worst, and head-scratching moments from the past year. Get yourself a hot mug of cider or a cold glass of egg nog, and sit down with as we recap Intel's 2024. And hold on -- it's going to get bumpy.

Not that it's a huge surprise after Apple's week of M4 upgrades -- first with the 24-inch iMac, then the adorable new Mac mini -- but today the company is also bringing its M4 chips to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. And, in addition to the base M4 chip and the M4 Pro, they can also be configured with the newly announced M4 Max. Still, the internal upgrades should be compelling for anyone with an M1 MacBook Pro or an older Intel model. Just like with the M4 iMac and Mac mini, Apple is also making 16GB of RAM the default for the 1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro (fixing one of our biggest issues with that model). You can thank Apple Intelligence for that memory bump, even if you don't give a lick about AI.

Intel's Core i9-14900K still offers some of the best performance around -- albeit at a similarly beastly power draw -- but offers negligible performance improvement over its direct predecessor, the 13900K. New support for Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt 5, and performance-boosting AI features are a nice touch, though. A new generation of refreshed Raptor Lake processors have arrived. After months of rumors and leaks--and an official announcement just yesterday--Intel's latest batch of desktop CPUs take their place as the 14th generation in the Core lineup. You can catch up on the specs and speeds in our comprehensive coverage of the unveiling, but the basics are straightforward. Six new chips have launched, with two variants each of unlocked Core i9, Core i7, and Core i5 parts.

It's official: The next-generation Thunderbolt spec will be called Thunderbolt 5, debuting next year with enough charging power and bandwidth to support eGPUs and a new class of "external AI devices." Intel teased the new Thunderbolt specification at the end of 2022, promising that the next-gen Thunderbolt would continue the trend of doubling bandwidth, all the way to 80Gbps in one direction. That included a promise, now confirmed, that the four lanes of Thunderbolt could be reconfigured to allow three lanes from a laptop to a monitor, rather than two. That will allow the option of a 120Gbps connection to a display, which Intel now refers to as Bandwidth Boost. Thunderbolt 5 will eventually be integrated within Intel's Core platforms, primarily laptops.