Hardware 17 August 2025 - 11 May 2026

Intel’s Comeback Has a New Catalyst — But the Next Nvidia Talk Is Moving Faster Than the Facts
···

Intel’s Comeback Has a New Catalyst — But the Next Nvidia Talk Is Moving Faster Than the Facts

Intel shares climbed to $128.07 in early U.S. trading Monday after reports that SK Hynix is testing Intel’s advanced chip-packaging technology. The move follows news of a preliminary Apple deal, raising hopes for Intel’s foundry business. Intel reported Q1 revenue of $13.6 billion, up 7% year-on-year. Neither SK Hynix nor Intel confirmed the packaging collaboration.
May 11, 2026
Valve Steam Machine Leak Points To Four Bundles — But Price Is the Real Test
···

Valve Steam Machine Leak Points To Four Bundles — But Price Is the Real Test

Four Steam Machine package IDs appeared in Steam’s internal database, fueling speculation about Valve’s new living-room PC, but the company has not confirmed pricing, preorders, or a release date. Valve recently imported about 50 tons of “Game Consoles” into the U.S., according to shipping data. Reports suggest possible models with different storage sizes and Steam Controller options. Valve has not commented on the leaked codes or shipment details.
May 11, 2026
Valve’s $99 Steam Controller Sells Out Fast, and the Steam Machine Wait Gets Harder to Ignore
···

Valve’s $99 Steam Controller Sells Out Fast, and the Steam Machine Wait Gets Harder to Ignore

Valve’s new Steam Controller sold out in about 30 minutes after launching Monday, with reports of purchase errors and a surge in user complaints around the 10 a.m. Pacific release. The $99 device is the first 2026 Valve hardware to reach buyers, while the Steam Machine and Steam Frame remain delayed amid memory and storage shortages. Valve has not provided new launch dates for those products.
May 4, 2026
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Reviews Are In: Fastest Desktop CPU, But The $899 Catch Is Hard To Miss
···

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Reviews Are In: Fastest Desktop CPU, But The $899 Catch Is Hard To Miss

AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition launches April 22 at $899, featuring 16 cores, 192 MB L3 cache, and 200W TDP. Early reviews report strong workstation and Linux performance but limited gaming gains over cheaper X3D chips. Phoronix measured up to 33% Linux lead over Intel rivals, with power draw peaking at 261 watts. TechSpot found only modest improvements in creator workloads.
April 21, 2026
Intel Arc G3 Leak Sets Up AMD Handheld Chip Fight At Computex 2026
···

Intel Arc G3 Leak Sets Up AMD Handheld Chip Fight At Computex 2026

Intel is preparing Arc G3 and Arc G3 Extreme chips for gaming handhelds, with a possible debut at Computex 2026 in Taipei, according to multiple technology reports. The chips are expected to use Panther Lake architecture and offer up to 12 Xe cores, with a 25-watt base TDP and higher turbo limits. Intel has not officially confirmed the Arc G3 branding. Device partners may include MSI, OneXPlayer, Acer, and Microsoft.
April 20, 2026
Playnix Launches €1,139 Steam Machine Rival With RX 9060 XT — And Stock Is Already Tight
···

Playnix Launches €1,139 Steam Machine Rival With RX 9060 XT — And Stock Is Already Tight

Playnix has released a second batch of its Linux-based Playnix Console for €1,139, listing 59 units as available and warning of possible two-week lead times due to demand. The compact PC features a Ryzen 5 CPU, Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, and ships with PlaynixOS but supports other operating systems. Valve has not announced pricing or a release date for its competing Steam Machine.
April 19, 2026
Nvidia RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti 9GB VRAM Rumor Faces Doubt as New Report Pushes Back
···

Nvidia RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti 9GB VRAM Rumor Faces Doubt as New Report Pushes Back

BenchLife reported Wednesday that Nvidia board partners have no 9GB RTX 5060 or 5060 Ti models in their plans, challenging earlier claims from PC Guide and others of an imminent refresh. Nvidia’s official listings still show only 8GB and 16GB versions. The rumored 9GB cards would have traded higher capacity for reduced memory bandwidth. No 9GB RTX 5060-class card is currently listed by Nvidia.
April 15, 2026
AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D Still Leads Gaming CPU Charts, but New Benchmarks Show Slim Upgrade Gains
···

AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D Still Leads Gaming CPU Charts, but New Benchmarks Show Slim Upgrade Gains

AMD’s Zen 5 X3D chips led desktop gaming benchmarks in new reviews, but gains over previous X3D models narrowed to just 2–3% in some cases. TechSpot and NotebookCheck found the Ryzen 7 9850X3D only slightly ahead of the 9800X3D, while Intel’s Core Ultra 7 270K Plus outperformed both in cumulative CPU tests. AMD lists the 9850X3D at $499, with the 9800X3D at $479. Benchmarks used high-end GPUs at 1080p to minimize graphics bottlenecks.
April 14, 2026
Nvidia N1 Laptop Chip Leak Reveals 128GB Board, Setting Up a New Windows PC Fight
···

Nvidia N1 Laptop Chip Leak Reveals 128GB Board, Setting Up a New Windows PC Fight

Photos posted Thursday show a purported Nvidia N1 laptop motherboard with 128GB LPDDR5X memory and several laptop ports, according to Tom’s Hardware. The board appeared on China’s Goofish resale site and is described as an “Nvidia N1 AI book engineering sample” for Windows on Arm. Nvidia has not commented. The leak comes as Nvidia pushes into the Windows-on-Arm PC market, challenging Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm.
April 9, 2026
MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro Leak Hints at Near-5GHz 2nm Power, but Heat Could Be the Catch
···

MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro Leak Hints at Near-5GHz 2nm Power, but Heat Could Be the Catch

MediaTek's rumored Dimensity 9600 Pro chip may use TSMC's 2nm N2P process, feature a dual-prime-core 2+3+3 CPU layout, and reach peak clocks near 5GHz, according to leaks. Reports say the chip could include LPDDR6 memory, UFS 5.0 storage, and a new Arm GPU, but may face heat issues requiring advanced cooling. MediaTek expects volume production of its first 2nm flagship chip in late 2026.
April 9, 2026
AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Gets an $899 Price Tag Ahead of April 22 Launch
···

AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Gets an $899 Price Tag Ahead of April 22 Launch

AMD will launch the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 desktop processor at $899 on April 22, pricing it $200 above the previous 9950X3D and $300 above Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K. The 16-core chip features 208MB total cache, a 200W TDP, and support for AM5 motherboards. AMD claims 5–13% faster performance in creator and data-science workloads versus its predecessor. Gaming benchmarks have not been released.
April 9, 2026
Nvidia China AI Chip Update: H200 Approval Opens Door as Groq Version Nears May
···

Nvidia China AI Chip Update: H200 Approval Opens Door as Groq Version Nears May

Nvidia has received Beijing’s approval to resume H200 AI chip sales in China and is preparing a Groq chip variant for the market, sources told Reuters. The H200 is Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chip, and orders have begun after U.S. export clearance. Rubin-based products remain barred from China, and the Groq chip is expected to be available in May. Nvidia said Rubin products will reach major cloud partners later this year.
March 19, 2026
2nm chip showdown: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, Dimensity 9600 tipped to hit iPhone 18 month as Samsung foundry role debated
···

2nm chip showdown: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, Dimensity 9600 tipped to hit iPhone 18 month as Samsung foundry role debated

Flagship Android phones using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9600 may launch the same month as Apple’s iPhone 18, according to tech reports. Some sources link Samsung’s 2nm process to a custom Qualcomm chip for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but others say that shift is unlikely this cycle. Foundry capacity and possible DRAM shortages could affect release timing.
February 2, 2026
Tiny ‘earthquake-on-a-chip’ phonon laser aims to shrink smartphone wireless hardware
···

Tiny ‘earthquake-on-a-chip’ phonon laser aims to shrink smartphone wireless hardware

Researchers in Boulder have demonstrated an electrically driven “phonon laser” on a chip, generating surface acoustic waves at 1 GHz with 0.25 milliwatts output. The device, made from silicon, lithium niobate, and indium gallium arsenide, could shrink radio components in smartphones. Scaling to higher frequencies and mass production remain unresolved.
January 16, 2026
Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra leak hints at a built‑in cooling fan, IP68 protection, and an 8,000mAh+ battery
···

Xiaomi Redmi K90 Ultra leak hints at a built‑in cooling fan, IP68 protection, and an 8,000mAh+ battery

A leak points to Xiaomi testing a Redmi K90 Ultra prototype with a built-in cooling fan and IP68 water resistance, an unusual combination for mainstream phones. The device reportedly uses a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip and may feature a battery over 8,000mAh. The fan is said to be integrated into the camera module. Xiaomi has not confirmed the details.
January 10, 2026
Nvidia’s Tiny $4K Spark PC Puts a 1-PetaFLOP AI Supercomputer on Your Desk
···

Nvidia’s Tiny $4K Spark PC Puts a 1-PetaFLOP AI Supercomputer on Your Desk

Nvidia’s DGX Spark, billed as the world’s smallest AI supercomputer, is now shipping for $3,999 after delays and a price hike. The desktop device delivers 1 petaFLOP of AI performance with 128GB unified memory, powered by the new Grace-Blackwell Superchip. Major PC makers are launching their own Spark-based systems. Early adopters include universities, startups, and robotics labs.
October 14, 2025
Neuromorphic Computing: The Brain-Inspired Tech Revolutionizing AI and Beyond
·····

Neuromorphic Computing: The Brain-Inspired Tech Revolutionizing AI and Beyond

Neuromorphic computing uses networks of artificial neurons and synapses on computer chips to mimic the structure and function of the human brain. These chips process and store information together, using spiking neural networks that activate only when needed, which sharply reduces energy use. The field began in the 1980s with research by Caltech’s Carver Mead.
August 19, 2025
IBM Quantum Supercomputer
·····

IBM’s 4,000-Qubit Quantum Supercomputer Could Change Computing Foreve

IBM plans to build a 4,158-qubit quantum supercomputer by 2025 by linking three 1,386-qubit Kookaburra chips in its Quantum System Two platform. The company powered up the first System Two in late 2023, running three 133-qubit Heron processors. The new system will operate in the NISQ regime, using error mitigation rather than full error correction. Competitors include Google, IonQ, Quantinuum, and D-Wave.
August 17, 2025
1 2

Stock Market Today

  • CAR vs SOL Shares: Value Comparison for 2026
    May 22, 2026, 10:39 PM EDT. CAR Group Limited (ASX:CAR) shares have declined nearly 20% since early 2025, despite strong revenue growth averaging 37% annually since 2021 and a 2024 net profit of AUD 250 million. The company operates vehicle marketplaces globally, including Australia and the US. In contrast, Washington H Soul Pattinson (ASX:SOL) shares are near a 52-week high, reflecting its status as a diversified investment holding with low debt (8.5% debt-to-equity) and a consistent dividend history dating back to 1903. SOL reported a 5.6% return on equity (ROE) in FY24, with an average dividend yield of 2.4% over recent years. Investors seeking growth might favour CAR's expanding profits and market presence, while income-focused investors could prefer SOL's stable dividends and lower risk profile.