New Intel Core Ultra processors arrive as reviewers test if they can reclaim gaming dominance from AMD. Laptop enthusiasts will find verdicts on the new MacBook Air and Dell's thinnest XPS model while graphics card fans compare different memory configurations for the RTX 5060 Ti. Power supplies, mice, and storage drives round out the roundup alongside handheld tests for Death Stranding 2. You will find plenty of data here to guide your next hardware purchase decision before spending money on upgrades.
Computers: ARCTIC senza AI 370 Mini PC Review - A passively cooled HX 370 designed to fit under a desk, Dell XPS 13 9345 Review: Snapdragon X Elite Does the Business in Dell's Thinnest Laptop Yet, Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) review: Steady as it goes
CPUs: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review, Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review, Core Ultra 5 250K and 7 270K Plus processor review, Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus review: Back from the brink, Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Ultra 5 250K Plus Review: Intel Boosts Cores, Clocks And Gaming, Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review - Disrupting AMD's Entry-Level, Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review - Intel's Fastest Gaming CPU
Cooling: MSI MAG CORELIQUID A13 360 CPU Liquid Cooler Review
Gaming: Death Stranding 2 Handheld Performance Review
Graphics Cards: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB vs 8GB Performance Review
Input: be quiet! Dark Perk Ergo Review
Power: Enermax Revolution III S 1000W ATX 3.1 PSU Review, CPS PcCooler YT1200 ATX 3.1 Power Supply Unit Review
Storage: XPG MARS 980 BLADE PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 2280 SSD Review
Computers:
IgorsLAB: ARCTIC senza AI 370 Mini PC Review - A passively cooled HX 370 designed to fit under a desk
Normally, this manufacturer is associated not with computers, but rather with coolers for them. But as the last model in this series already showed us, Arctic does not seem to be satisfied with that.
ARCTIC senza AI 370 Mini PC Review - A passively cooled HX 370 designed to fit under a desk
EnosTech.com: Dell XPS 13 9345 Review: Snapdragon X Elite Does the Business in Dell's Thinnest Laptop Yet
Dell's XPS 13 9345 is the thinnest and lightest XPS ever made, and the Snapdragon X Elite inside it leads its class in Cinebench multi-core, HandBrake encoding, and real-world battery life. Here is the full verdict.
Tom's Hardware: Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M5) review: Steady as it goes
The MacBook Air with M5 is still the best Mac laptop for most.
CPUs:
Vortez: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review
We take Intel's latest Arrow Lake-S Refresh CPU for a spin and see if it is worthy of the high-performance badge. Is the Ultra 270K Plus worth considering?
eTeknix: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review
When you’re looking at the current landscape of the desktop processor market, you have to ask yourself one major question. How does a giant like the blue team carry on innovating when they aren’t currently sitting on the throne? If the competition is holding onto that gaming crown with an iron grip by way of the 9850X3D and the majority of the enthusiast user base is looking elsewhere for their raw frames, you really only have a couple of options. You can either go back to the drawing board for a total architectural overhaul, or you can do what Intel has done today by taking an existing formula, refining the absolute life out of it, and pushing the hardware further for the current generation, and that’s what we’re looking at today with the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review
The Guru of 3D: Core Ultra 5 250K and 7 270K Plus processor review
Intel is not done with its Core Ultra 200S desktop platform just yet. With the arrival of the new Core Ultra 200S Plus series, the company is taking its existing enthusiast desktop foundation and trying to sharpen it in all the areas that matter most to the high-end DIY crowd: gaming, multicore throughput, memory support, and platform maturity.
Tom's Hardware: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus review: Back from the brink
Unbelievable productivity performance at an even more unbelievable price – shame gaming still takes a backseat.
HotHardware: Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Ultra 5 250K Plus Review: Intel Boosts Cores, Clocks And Gaming
Intel's mid-model Arrow Lake refresh improves upon the original processors in a number of meaningful ways to boost performance and value
Core Ultra 7 270K Plus & Ultra 5 250K Plus Review: Intel Boosts Cores, Clocks And Gaming
TechPowerUp: Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review - Disrupting AMD's Entry-Level
Intel is breathing new life into its Arrow Lake lineup with the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. Priced at an attractive $200, this little powerhouse outperforms most AMD CPUs in applications and delivers competitive gaming performance, too. It's a strong contender for budget-friendly builds, and overclocking potential is good, too.
Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review - Disrupting AMD's Entry-Level
TechPowerUp: Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review - Intel's Fastest Gaming CPU
The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a game-changer, featuring more cores and larger cache than the 265K, while cutting the launch price to just $300. In gaming, it outperformed all non-X3D Ryzen CPUs, and application performance is impressive as well, matching the much pricier Ryzen 9 9950X.
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review - Intel's Fastest Gaming CPU
Cooling:
ThinkComputers: MSI MAG CORELIQUID A13 360 CPU Liquid Cooler Review
We are back again with a look at another AIO from MSI, the MAG CORELIQUID A13 360. The design of the A13 is much more inline with AIOs of recent past history – no LCD displays here, but we do find ARGB lighting, and significant cabling reduction thanks to daisy chained fans. The A13 lineup is available in both black and white colorways, as well as both 240mm and 360mm sizes. This is an AIO with muted design language, but performance to compete with more expensive peers. Follow along as we take a look at this lowkey cooler from MSI.
Gaming:
TechPowerUp: Death Stranding 2 Handheld Performance Review
The second official strand-type game has arrived on PC, less than one year after it debuted on PlayStation 5. Sam's back, this time connecting the world outside the UCA (United Cities of America), so let's see whether you'll be able to expand the Chiral Network on some of the most popular PC handhelds.
Graphics Cards:
The FPS Review: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB vs 8GB Performance Review
Comparing GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB versus GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB performance in games, 1440p native, DLSS Upscaling, Ray Tracing & 4K Gaming Performance.
Input:
APH Networks: be quiet! Dark Perk Ergo Review
Amidst my preparations for Japan trip later this year, I realize I enjoy planning in general. One event I have organized many times for different groups is a scavenger hunt. I enjoy thinking of the logistics of these activities. For me, I think about what sort of narrative you are telling when you run through an event like this. You need to consider different constraints participants will have, whether it is time, capability, or feasibility. The first time I planned one, it was with a childhood friend, and we had a pretty successful turnout. We did learn a few things, including the importance of wording of clues and clarity of awarding points. I enjoyed the openness of the structure while also appreciating working with someone else to bounce ideas off of. Every time I organized and executed these events, I also learned more to improve and streamline future versions of the event. For those who are new to preparing an event of this nature, I would encourage you to try, but also be ready to make and catch your mistakes. Similarly, when companies venture into new categories, I am always encouraged because it means they have, at a minimum, tried something new. However, it also will undoubtedly result in finding things to learn and improve upon, as it is rare anyone becomes a master on the first try. Today, we have one of two new be quiet! mice in the form of the Dark Perk Ergo. This company is no amateur to computer peripherals, but it is their first venture into gaming mice. How does the Dark Perk Ergo compare with its competition? Are there new things for be quiet! to learn from? Let us read on to find out!
be quiet! Dark Perk Ergo Review (Page 1 of 4) | APH Networks
Power:
Funky Kit: Enermax Revolution III S 1000W ATX 3.1 PSU Review
The REVOLUTION III S 1000W is a premium fully modular power supply designed to meet the latest standards in performance, reliability, and aesthetics. Available in both black and white, the REVOLUTION III S 1000W offers enthusiasts and professionals the flexibility to build powerful systems without compromise. The REVOLUTION III S comes with a 13-year warranty that highlights ENERMAX’s confidence in the product’s reliability and long-term durability.
Enermax Revolution III S 1000W ATX 3.1 PSU Review - Funky Kit
NikKTech: CPS PcCooler YT1200 ATX 3.1 Power Supply Unit Review
Strong rail stability and solid overall build quality make the YT1200 by CPS PcCooler a dependable performer, though its fan curve gets aggressive at high loads.
Storage:
Neoseeker: XPG MARS 980 BLADE PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 2280 SSD Review
The XPG MARS 980 BLADE M.2 2280 SSD represents XPG’s push into the latest generation of PCIe Gen5 x4 storage, targeting enthusiasts and power users looking to take advantage of next-generation bandwidth. With advertised sequential speeds reaching up to 14,000 MB/s read and 13,000 MB/s write, the MARS 980 BLADE aims to deliver top-tier performance for workloads ranging from high-resolution video editing to large game installs and content creation.
