Category: Computers

January 22, 2025
China Plans Moon-Orbiting Lasers to Power Spacecraft
On January 23, 2004, China launched its program to explore the moon, which would later include orbiters, landers, and spacecraft that return samples, all utilizing the Long March rocket series. They plan to have human crews participating by 2030, as announced in July 2023. A major hurdle in moon exploration is ensuring all equipment can withstand temperature drops to -200 degrees Celsius (-328 degrees Fahrenheit) for 14-day durations, along with navigating deep craters that could hold water-ice and are always in shadow.
Exploring Power Solutions
NASA and the European Space Agency have looked into using lasers to supply energy to spacecraft on planetary surfaces since the 1990s, but they have not progressed beyond theoretical concepts. Now, China aims to thoroughly evaluate the practicality of laser wireless power transmission (LWPT). They plan to create the necessary technology if their research supports it and then begin practical tests.
Key Technologies in Focus
As reported by SpaceNews, “LWPT uses laser beams to transmit power wirelessly from orbiting satellites to surface receivers, converting light into electricity. The researchers recommend the development of key technologies, followed by on-orbit testing.” At this point, it remains uncertain which “key technologies” will be included in this initiative, aside from the evident high-power lasers for space and precision laser emission systems. Meanwhile, China is already working on transmitting power from space and testing a similar setup using the Tiangong space station.
Future Plans for Lunar Exploration
More information is available in a scientific paper authored by teams from various Chinese institutions, including the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and Shandong Aerospace Electronics Technology Research Institute. By the end of this decade, China plans to build a lunar base called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). However, before the ILRS is operational, one or both of the two upcoming missions to the lunar south pole may also conduct LWPT tests. These missions are slated for 2026 and 2028. The last mission in the series occurred last year and successfully returned with soil samples from the moon’s far side.
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Tags: International Lunar Research Station, Long March, Lunar Exploration
January 22, 2025
AMD Surpasses Intel in Desktop CPU Market Share, Faces Laptop APU Challenges
The well-known PassMark CPU benchmark database has refreshed its market share charts for the first quarter of 2025. The initial graph on the site, which encompasses all CPUs, shows Intel holding a significant lead with 59.5%. In contrast, AMD is performing quite well with a market share of 38.8%. Apple and Qualcomm also appear, but their shares are quite small, at 1.2% and 0.2% respectively. Nonetheless, the upcoming Snapdragon X series chips may boost Qualcomm’s market presence soon.
Desktop CPU Insights
The second graph provides a more captivating insight into the desktop CPU market. One might expect Intel to be the clear leader, as AMD has only achieved greater market share a couple of times—once in 2021 and earlier in 2006 when the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 X2 were popular. Surprisingly, AMD now holds 50.1% compared to Intel’s 48.5%. This shift began in the latter half of 2024, largely due to the positive reception of the Granite Ridge Zen 5-based Ryzen 9000 processors. An impressive 880 samples of the Ryzen 9 9950X, which is currently priced at $589.99 on Amazon, have been tested, while Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K has only seen 319 samples benchmarked.
Laptop Market Trends
However, the laptop market share graph tells a different story for fans of AMD. Although this data is drawn from SKUs assessed on the site, PassMark asserts that over one million CPUs have been evaluated, providing a realistic view of the CPU landscape. Intel remains overwhelmingly dominant in the laptop segment, holding a substantial 73.6% market share, having peaked at 92.2% in Q2 2017. Although AMD made headway in gaining market share with its Zen microarchitecture iterations, its growth has stagnated since late 2020.
In 2020, Apple introduced its silicon with the M1 chip to disrupt the market, achieving an 8.5% share by the end of 2021, mostly at Intel’s expense. In Q1 2024, Apple struggled again, facing off against Intel while AMD remained steady at around 20-22%. Noteworthy Ryzen 4000 laptops with non-PRO Zen 2 Renoir APUs, like the Acer Swift 3 SF314-42 and the Schenker XMG Core 15, have encouraged consumers and OEMs to explore AMD’s mobile chips due to their exceptional performance and efficiency. However, factors such as supply shortages, heightened competition, OEM deals, and Intel’s long-held dominance have left AMD Ryzen laptops somewhat sidelined, despite the strong processors they contain.
PassMark’s updated graphs reveal the shifting landscape of the CPU market, with Intel still leading but AMD making notable inroads, especially in desktop CPUs. The laptop segment, however, still largely favors Intel, highlighting the challenges AMD faces in that arena.
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Tags: AMD Ryzen 9000, Apple M1, Intel
January 22, 2025
Lenovo Launches External SSD Not Suitable for Air Travel
Lenovo has introduced a new external SSD that is shaped like a hand grenade. This unique design is a nod to the recent Chinese military film, Operation Dragon, which is also known as Operation Leviathan or Operation Hadal. Although the SSD has a distinctive appearance, it may not be ideal for those who travel often, as it could attract unwanted attention during airport security screenings.
Product Features
The caption from the image below translates to: “Lenovo Crowdfunding — Lifesaver Tactical Mobile Solid State Drive. Official hardcore aluminum alloy grenade shape. USB 3.2 high-speed protocol. Works with many SSD specifications.” The logos of Lenovo Legion and Operation Hadal can also be seen in the design.
According to Lenovo’s official crowdfunding page, this grenade-shaped SSD has the potential to be a successful project. Currently, the campaign is 69% funded with over three weeks left, and there is much buzz in Chinese tech media about this eye-catching product.
Pricing and Expectations
While complete specifications for the crowdfunding product priced at 599 yuan (about $82) are not yet published, it is believed that the grenade-shaped SSD will have a 1TB capacity and data transfer speeds reaching up to 1,050 MB/s, along with a USB Type-C interface. These expectations are based on the specifications of Lenovo’s current Legion portable SSD lineup.
Lenovo has not provided any information about when the product will be available globally. If you’re seeking a product that’s already on the market, the Samsung T9 is a solid option (2TB currently priced at $169.99 on Amazon).
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Tags: external SSD, Lenovo, Operation Dragon
January 22, 2025
Fujitsu FMV Note U AI Laptop: 36-Hour Battery, Intel Lunar Lake, 1.85 lbs
Fujitsu says that their latest FMV Note U is the lightest Copilot+ laptop in the world. Weighing in at just 1.85 lbs, it surely ranks among the lightest laptops available. Even with its slim design, the company has successfully incorporated a fairly sizable 64Wh battery, promising up to 36 hours of battery life when in idle mode.
Battery Performance
When it comes to watching videos, the battery life dips down to 15.5 hours, and it’s probably even less when using office applications or browsing the internet. Given its incredibly light weight, this super thin Windows laptop still offers a significant battery alongside an efficient Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. This chip includes four performance cores that can reach boost speeds of up to 4.8 GHz, four efficiency cores, and the fast Intel Arc Graphics 140V. The chassis meets the MIL-STD-810H certification, indicating that it is quite robust and durable.
Connectivity Options
The ultrabook comes with a good variety of ports, which includes two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, a microSD card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even Gigabit Ethernet, which is uncommon in this weight category. Additionally, the FMV Note U supports Wi-Fi 7. The device features a 14-inch 16:10 IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, along with a fingerprint sensor and a 1080p webcam.
Availability and Pricing
Currently, the Fujitsu FMV Note U UA-K1 ultrabook is only sold in Japan. The base model, which comes with a Core Ultra 5 226V, 16 GB of RAM, and 256 GB SSD storage, is priced at ¥214,000 ($1,375). The top-of-the-line configuration features a Core Ultra 7 258V, 32 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB SSD, costing ¥332,800 ($2,139). Officially, Fujitsu’s notebooks are available only in Japan and the US, meaning that potential buyers from Europe will need to import the new FMV Note U.
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Tags: FMV Note U, Fujitsu, Ultrabook
January 21, 2025
Morefine M6S Plus: Compact Intel N150 PC with Dual 4K Outputs
Morefine has introduced the MS6 Plus mini-PC, which is impressively small, even for mini-PCs, and can easily fit in your hand. It has dimensions of just 72 x 72 x 42 mm (2.8 x 2.8 x 1.7 in) and weighs only 190 g (6.7 oz). This little device comes with an Intel N150 processor. While it’s a current-gen chip, it doesn’t offer high performance. It has four cores that can reach speeds of up to 3.6 GHz, but it doesn’t support Hyper-Threading, so it can only handle four threads at a time. That said, it should work well for basic tasks like office applications and digital signage.
RAM and Storage Options
As is common in ultra-compact systems, the RAM is soldered in place and cannot be upgraded. The M6S Plus comes with a decent 12 GB of LPDDR5 memory that operates at 4,800 MHz. Instead of eMMC storage, this mini-PC allows for one M.2 2242 SSD with a maximum capacity of two terabytes, which can connect via NVMe (and thus PCIe) or SATA.
Connectivity Features
You can expand the storage using a microSD card if you need more space. The M6S Plus is equipped with an HDMI 2.0 port and a USB-C DisplayPort, allowing for 4K video output. It also has three USB 3.2 Type-A ports for connecting peripherals and a Gigabyte Ethernet port. Powering the system is done through a USB-C port, which requires a USB PD charger that is rated at 36 watts or higher.
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Tags: Mini-PC, Morefine, MS6 Plus
January 20, 2025
GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop Debuts on Geekbench with Razer Blade 16
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 for laptops has made its first appearance on Geekbench. It comes with the new Razer Blade 16, which features an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. However, this version isn’t showcasing its full potential, as indicated by its benchmark score.
Performance Numbers
The laptop variant of the GeForce RTX 5090 achieved a score of 91,063 in Geekbench’s OpenCL test. This score is significantly lower than the median score of 190,680 for the GeForce RTX 4090. The reason for this dip in performance is likely due to it operating at a reduced speed of just 1,500 MHz, which is considerably below its peak frequency. Although Nvidia hasn’t officially stated this, we can anticipate it to be slightly above the RTX 4090 laptop’s boost clock of 2,040 MHz.
Testing Limitations
However, it’s important to note that Geekbench isn’t the best benchmark for assessing GPU performance, especially when the GPU is evidently underperforming. It’s quite possible that the Razer Blade 16 is set to a power-saving mode. The listing also provides some important specifications of the GeForce RTX 5090, including 24 GB of VRAM and 82 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), which equals a total of 10,496 CUDA cores.
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Tags: Geekbench, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, Razer Blade 16
January 20, 2025
Apple MacBook Air OLED Delay for Improved LCD Model
According to a report from Omdia Research dated February 2024, the MacBook Air was originally set to get an OLED panel upgrade in 2027, following the MacBook Pro’s upgrade by a year. However, recent information from The Elec’s sources indicates that these plans have been delayed: the OLED version of the MacBook Air is now expected to launch in 2029.
Reasons for the Delay
The main reason for this shift is the slow sales of the iPad Pro featuring the OLED display. Apple projected to sell 10 million units, but in reality, only 6 million units were sold last year. This shortfall is likely attributed to the high cost of the tandem OLED panel, which led to a higher retail price. To fill the gap until the MacBook Air’s release, Apple is said to be planning an upgrade to a more advanced LCD in 2027. The new model is expected to feature an oxide LTPS panel, replacing the current MacBook Air’s a-Si TFT.
Expected Improvements
While these panels may be more costly, they usually offer benefits like better response times, improved color accuracy, and reduced power usage. In our thorough assessment, the current MacBook Air provides a commendable 98.4% coverage of the DCI-P3 color spectrum and a contrast ratio of 1250:1. However, its response time of 34.5 ms is only average. Even when the MacBook Air is anticipated to have an OLED panel in 2029, analysts predict that Apple will likely go with a traditional 60 Hz panel without a tandem design to keep costs down.
Overall, it seems like the path ahead for the MacBook Air will involve some changes, but not the upgrades that were initially hoped for.
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Tags: iPad Pro, MacBook Air, OLED
January 20, 2025
Aoostar GEM 12 Max Mini PC: Ryzen R7, DDR5 RAM, Wi-Fi 6
Aoostar has launched its newest mini PC, the GEM 12 Max, which is driven by the AMD Ryzen R7-8745HS chip. The starting price for this mini PC is 1,959 yuan ($267), and it’s currently available for purchase on JD.com. Let’s take a look at its main specifications.
Overview of the GEM 12 Max
This mini PC has a sturdy CNC-machined aluminum frame, weighing only 0.66 kg, and its small size (13 cm x 13 cm x 6 cm) makes it portable and easy to save space. The AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS processor is built on the advanced Zen 4 architecture. This powerful processor offers 8 cores and 16 threads, with a peak clock speed of 4.9 GHz, providing impressive computing performance.
Graphics and Memory
The GEM 12 Max includes Radeon 780M integrated graphics, which is based on RDNA3 architecture and has 12 GPU cores. This configuration allows for smooth gaming experiences, ray tracing support, and strong rendering abilities for creative projects. The device can handle dual-channel DDR5 memory, supporting up to 96GB and speeds reaching 5600 MHz, which is great for tackling demanding tasks.
Storage and Connectivity
For storage, the GEM 12 Max is equipped with two M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, allowing for speedy SSD performance and the option to expand storage capacity to 2TB. It also features an independent OCuLink interface for external graphics or disk arrays, which helps free up NVMe slots and offers great expansion capabilities.
When it comes to connectivity, this mini PC includes dual USB4 ports with 40Gbps bandwidth, two 2.5Gbps Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. It can support up to 4K at 120Hz across four displays using HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4, which is ideal for multitasking and creative work. Additionally, the device has a VC graphene heatsink and an advanced cooling system to manage heat effectively, supporting power draws of up to 70W.
Pricing Details
The pricing for the GEM 12 Max starts at 1,959 yuan ($267) for the barebones version, with a 16GB RAM + 1TB storage variant priced at 2,759 yuan ($376), and a 32GB RAM + 1TB storage option available for 3,059 yuan ($418).
In November last year, Aoostar also released the Gem 12 Pro Max gaming mini PC, which comes with an AMD R7 8845HS processor, OCuLink support, and can accommodate up to 64GB of RAM.
Tags: AMD Ryzen R7-8745HS, Aoostar GEM 12 Max, Mini-PC
January 19, 2025
Affordable AMD Ryzen 5 7400F Launches as New Zen 4 CPU
AMD has introduced the Ryzen 5 7400F in China, adding to the growing lineup of Zen 4 processors. This new CPU is priced at CNY 849 in the Chinese market, which is about $116. This makes it one of the more budget-friendly Zen 4 options in AMD’s range.
Global Pricing Expectations
While we can’t expect the same pricing internationally, it’s likely that the Ryzen 5 7400F will stay under the $150 threshold in the global market. This CPU features a configuration of 6 cores and 12 threads, similar to the 7500F model. However, the boost clock speed is a bit lower at 4.7 GHz compared to the 5.0 GHz of the 7500F. The base clock speed remains unchanged.
No Integrated Graphics
Importantly, the Ryzen 5 7400F lacks an integrated GPU, which isn’t surprising for a CPU in the $120 range. Therefore, users will need a dedicated GPU for builds using this processor, like the XFX Speedster Radeon RX 6600, currently priced at $229.99 at Best Buy. AMD seems to be focusing on OEMs and system builders, but these kinds of CPUs often end up being sold individually by retailers.
Performance Insights
In terms of performance, the Ryzen 5 7400F should closely match the Ryzen 5 7500F. Given their similar configurations, the 7400F’s slightly slower boost clock will likely result in marginally lower benchmark scores than the 7500F. Nonetheless, it should provide a solid price-to-performance ratio when compared to the Ryzen 5 7600 and 7600X, which are priced at $229 and $299, respectively.
There has been no announcement on when it will be available globally, but AMD has indicated that the Ryzen 5 7400F will be introduced internationally. For more details about this new Zen 4 CPU, check out the spec sheet attached below.
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Tags: amd, Ryzen 5 7400F, Zen 4
January 19, 2025
Energizer Launches Affordable EnergyBooks for Laptops
Energizer has some similarities with Nokia and Blackberry, as all these brands are now well-recognized and licensed to different companies. This situation has resulted in some unusual circumstances. For instance, after we noticed a press release from Avenir Telecom on January 6, 2025, regarding the new Energizer EnergyBooks, we decided to visit Energizer’s booth at CES 2025 to inquire about the laptops. However, there were no laptops on display, and the representatives from the company seemed completely unaware of what we were referring to.
Licensing Confusion
The reason for this confusion is that the brand is licensed to multiple companies. Avenir Telecom, for example, has the exclusive rights to market smartphones under the Energizer name, which is associated with long-lasting power. This French company is also reportedly working on offering laptops under the Energizer EnergyBooks label. The press release they issued had several images (as seen above and below) but lacked substantial details about the specifications. The launch is planned for the first quarter of 2025, with the lineup named EnergyBook Classic, which includes 15-inch and 17-inch models that come with either 128 GB or 256 GB of storage, and prices starting at an astonishingly low $199.
Speculation on Specs
On January 6, Notebookcheck reached out to Avenir Telecom for more detailed specifications, but they have not yet received a reply. There’s also a healthy dose of skepticism regarding whether the $199 price can be realistically met, especially since the French firm is promising laptops that are durable, offer long-term support, and use eco-friendly materials. The EnergyBooks seem to target not only users with basic needs but also students and professionals. However, it’s probably wise to temper expectations regarding their performance.
Awaiting Updates
We will keep you posted as soon as we gather additional information about these laptops. Oddly, even two weeks after the press release, there appears to be no further updates online about Energizer’s entry into the laptop market, not even on Avenir Telecom’s site. However, a vacant “Computer” category has already popped up on the website.
Tags: Avenir Telecom, Energizer, EnergyBook Classic