Intel Review

If it weren’t for the battery life, I’d recommend this machine, because it ticks almost every other box for a portable system that can handle most tasks. The lack of storage access is annoying, but it's not uncommon on tablet PCs. Check Amazon

The Geekom A9 Max is an AMD-powered sibling to the previously tested, Intel-chipped IT15, and it offers similarly refreshing performance for an extremely compact mini-PC. It's decked out in ports, offering great connectivity, and the CPU performance, thanks to 32GB of RAM, belies its sub-£1000 price point. Whether you go for this one or the IT15 ultimately comes down to personal preferences, as it produces almost identical performance across the board, including its iGPU-induced graphics limitations, which isn't entirely surprising for such a compact PC. In all other respects, it's a great value proposition, especially for photo-editors who are tight on space.

The Geekom IT15 is a compact, future-proof mini PC with strong computing power, AI support, and capable performance from its Core Ultra 9 285H and Arc 140T GPU.

Looking for fast drying with superb results? The Supersonic r is the best hair dryer we have ever used

“The Arc B570 is truly in a league of its own.”

So, where does that leave us? Intel has done a commendable job of bringing a 1440p cable GPU (at times) to the market at a competitive price point. The ARC B580 is a definitive improvement over their first attempt with A-series GPUs and has carved out a serious position for Intel in the GPU conversation but maybe not the market just yet.Intel has seriously improved its value offering, particularly with strong raytracing performance, but I can’t help but feel that they’ve got it wrong. Not wrong in the sense of having not improved their architecture enough or wrong in the sense of a having weak pricing structure but wrong in the sense that they’ve targeted the wrong audience with this GPU. I personally, would hazard a guess that people looking to buy this GPU are not too fussed with raytracing performance or even 1440p in some cases and by no means am I saying that it is a bad thing that this GPU is capable of doing both of these things pretty comfortably. What I am saying, however is, and I am happy to be wrong that a budget $250 GPUs target audience has been and is still currently those looking to play at 1080p rasterised settings and get as many frames as possible. As we saw in Esports titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends and even single-player titles like Alan Wake 2 too, the ARC B580 is still a way off at times in this sense versus the competition, even more so when accounting for frame drops.I have mixed feelings about this GPU, I really do. I want nothing more than for it to succeed and for Intel to become another serious GPU option but I do worry for the future of this card. Intel have chosen to launch this GPU at an interesting time, at the end of the generational life cycle for both AMD and GPUs offerings. Against the backdrop of potential new GPU generation offerings from AMD and NVIDIA in the new year, I can’t help but feel that the ARC B580 may become outdated before it’s even had a chance and for that reason I personally wouldn’t recommend it.Let’s get one thing clear though, Intel have done a great job of improving upon their initial entries to the GPU market. The B-series GPUs stand to be much more competitive, even if only for a number of months, and as I said earlier, competition breeds innovation. Intel’s impressive foray into raytracing may give the likes of AMD and NVIDIA the nudge to improve their next generation that bit further as a result of the ARC B580 if nothing else.

So, where does that leave us? Well, the Intel ARC B570 is the first true budget GPU we’ve had in what feels like a lifetime. With AMD and NVIDIA having shown little love to the sub-$250 price point in recent years, Intel has spotted a gap in the market and provided a great solution. Intel’s architecture update has once again proved a great triumph. Bringing a budget, 1440p and raytracing capable GPU to market for less than $250 is no easy feat, but Intel has done it and at just the second time of asking.Yes, optimisations are still needed, and as we saw in the titles such as Alan Wake 2 and even Hogwarts Legacy at times, the B570 isn’t always capable of playing at maxed-out settings, but more often than not, the B570 punches well above its weight class, trading blows with the bigger boys of the GPU world. Let’s not forget this is a card that has an MSRP of just $219 at launch, and that money goes a long way with this GPU. Capable of playing at 1440p and even enabling raytracing at times, for $219, you get a lot more bang for your buck than we’ve seen with budget GPU launches of the past. Whilst I do have my worries with the longevity of the B570, as I did with the B580, against the backdrop of new generational releases for both AMD and NVIDIA post-CES. With early murmurs showing no signs of either bringing a super-budget GPU to market, the B570, for now at least, looks here to stay and act as the go-to budget option moving forward. 

ThinkPad X9 14 Aura Edition with Core Ultra 5 offers a sleek aluminum shell, vibrant 14-inch OLED, 15–19-hour battery, AI assistance via NPU, and top-tier portability. Dreams of versatile local AI implementations require heftier hardware. Ports may be too limiting for some.4.1

“Though it cuts some corners here and there, what Acer has built in this affordable Chromebook is pretty insane and 100% worth your consideration.”

Apple’s most affordable iPad models, such as the 9th- and 10th-gen iPads, have always been bestsellers. Thanks to perfectly adequate performance and sufficient storage space, this new model will also be a success. The lack of support for Apple Intelligence is a drawback, but there are plenty of alternatives from Google, OpenAI, and others that you can use to fill the AI gap in your life.

Intel's Core i5-14600K processors offers a modest increase in boost clocks, but the real gains come from power efficiency.

Recommended only if you're looking to set records, the Intel Core i9-14900KS is a beast of a CPU, but requires proper cooling and a small sun to power it.

Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K processor delivers a mixed bag. Its multi-threading performance, IGP, and power efficiency are highlights, but gamers should skip this one for now.

The Core Ultra 5 245K's weak gaming performance costs it a lot of its appeal, while the high overall platform cost does it no favors either.

The Falcon Northwest Tiki crams a load of powerful components into a seriously svelte chassis

The Falcon Northwest Tiki crams a load of powerful components into a seriously svelte chassis

This Asus ExpertBook P5 is a solid mid-range laptop for general use, for work and school and regular activities. Unlike the consumer Vivobook and Zenbook Asus models, this comes with a few extras in terms of durability standard, software tweaks, and a few design and ergonomics particularities. Reinforced ports, a 180-hinge with an matte IPS display, balanced performance and cooling, and a fair price are among its main selling points. At the same time, a Lunar Lake notebook isn't necessarily the right choice for anyone, and you should keep in mind that this is merely a mid-range chassis and not a premium product.

This Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is a competent premium portable laptop for daily use. It's built well and practical with general use, it comes with a beautiful IPS touchscreen and specs that balance decent multitasking performance with solid GPU capabilities for such a thin device, as well as excellent runtimes on battery. At the same time, the experience of using this computer is somewhat impacted by tiny aspects gone wrong, as explained in this review. But if you can get this on sale, it's one of the better value Lunar Lake laptops out there.

This Asus Zenbook Duo is arguably the best dual-display portable laptop available today, well-built, functional, and plenty powerful for daily use and multitasking, where it excels. However, you'd have to decide for yourself whether the overall practicality and ergonomics of this format are suited for your needs and worth the demanded price premium over a regular ultrabook paired with an external portable monitor.

This 2025 UX3405CA version of the Asus Zenbook 14 is still an excellent daily-use ultrabook, much like its AMD counterpart. It's mostly the same chassis and functionality, but comes in different colors and with a few extra features, and can be significantly faster with sustained loads thanks to the Arrow Lake H hardware inside. At the same time, though, it doesn't run as efficiently or as quietly as the AMD model with light use and daily multitasking, which might matter more to potential buyers than the more capable specs.

A fantastic choice for any level of player wanting a well-made, decent-sounding practice amp for home use, pre-show warm-ups, playing on the go or for making quick demos at home. You've got lots of options within the dedicated app, but it also works really well as a standalone unit, offering versatility and quality. £168 at Thomann