From issuing warnings to those using Windows 11 on older hardware to reiterating its commitment to the TPM 2.0 requirement, Microsoft has shown no interest in relaxing the minimum hardware requirement to run the latest version of Windows. A few months ago, the software giant also patched one of the famous setup exploits used to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.

It's been a few years since Dell pulled the Area-51 brand from its library, but it turns out it was never gone; it was just waiting. Now, during CES 2025, Dell will open the gates once more and produce Alienware gaming devices that use the Area-51 name. But will it be a rise to past glories, or would Area-51 be better off locked up in Nevada?

The 2025 Razer Blade 16. Razer announced it’s overhauling the Razer Blade 16 inside and out. In addition to a new CPU and GPU, the Blade 16 is now thinner overall than the outgoing 2024 model and comes with a few tweaks to its audio system and keyboard. The new Blade 16 comes with up to a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and a “next-gen Nvidia GPU.” The company also bumped its speaker array from four to six speakers, while the display carries over the 240Hz OLED introduced to the line last year. This is the first time Razer has put an AMD processor in the Blade 16. Razer says it’s packing all of that into a chassis that’s over 30 percent thinner than last year’s model at just 0.59 inches — or 14.9 millimeters — thick in the front and 0.69 inches (17.4mm) in the back, not including the feet. For reference, the 16-inch MacBook Pro M4 is 0.61 inches (15.5mm) thick, including feet. The new Razer Blade is also deeper than last year’s model, measuring 250.5mm front to back, versus 244mm for the 2024 Blade 16. Despite all of that, Razer says it increased the travel of its keyboard keys from 1mm to 1.5mm. And there’s now a Copilot key, of course.That thinness may come at a cost: the new Blade 16 has a 90Wh battery that it says can charge to 80 percent in about 45 minutes. The fast charging may come in handy; the larger 95.2Wh battery in the Blade 16 we reviewed in 2023 already felt like it wasn’t up to the task. That review unit was also a hot laptop. Razer says it’s using a new thermal gel that covers more interior surface area than the 2023 model. The 2025 model (top) vs. the thicker 2024 model (bottom). Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge 2024 (left) vs. 2025 (right). The AMD chip it’s using might help things, though. When we tested an Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with that Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU against the same laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, the AMD version ran for three hours longer in non-gaming tasks and put out slightly less heat, though Asus puts a much lower power draw cap on its gaming laptops than Razer does. Naturally, we won’t know how any of that affects the new Blade 16 until we have one in hand to test. The 2025 Razer Blade 16 is due out in the first quarter of this year. Razer didn’t announce pricing, but you can bet it won’t be cheap.

Obsidian has exploded in popularity as a powerful knowledge base and note-taking tool. But let’s be honest, the out-of-the-box settings aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Obsidian can feel a bit bland and underwhelming with the default settings. Instead of settling with it, go through these simple tweaks to instantly elevate your Obsidian experience.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holding the Project Digits computer on stage at Nvidia’s CES 2025 press conference. | Image: Nvidia If you were looking for your own personal AI supercomputer, Nvidia has you covered.The chipmaker announced at CES it’s launching a personal AI supercomputer called Project Digits in May. The heart of Project Digits is the new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which packs enough processing power to run sophisticated AI models while being compact enough to fit on a desk and run from a standard power outlet (this kind of processing power used to require much larger, more power-hungry systems). This desktop-sized system can handle AI models with up to 200 billion parameters, and has a starting price of $3,000. The product itself looks a lot like a Mac Mini.“AI will be mainstream in every application for every industry. With Project Digits, the Grace Blackwell Superchip comes to millions of developers,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a press release. “Placing an AI supercomputer on the desks of every data scientist, AI researcher and student empowers them to engage and shape the age of AI.” Image: Nvidia Project Digits looks like a mini PC. Each Project Digits system comes equipped with 128GB of unified, coherent memory (by comparison, a good laptop might... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Acer Acer has spec bumps and display upgrades for its top-of-the-line Predator Helios 18 and 16 gaming laptops coming later this year. Announced at CES, the Predator Helios 18 AI gaming laptop now sports a dual-mode Mini LED display that can switch between 4K with a 120Hz refresh rate or 240Hz when running at 1080p. That maximum refresh rate is actually a smidge slower than its 250Hz WQXGA Mini LED (2560 x 1600) predecessor, but that might be worth it for folks who want to enjoy both 4K resolution gaming and high frame rates on a single device. The Predator Helios 18 AI can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness and supports Nvidia G-Sync to help prevent screen tearing, display stutter, and input lag. Image: Acer The design for the new Predator Helios 18 AI gaming laptop has also been updated to display more configurable RGB lighting. The internal specs have also been upgraded, with configurations offering up to an Intel 15th Gen Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 mobile graphics, 192GB of DDR5 system memory, and 6TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage. The RTX 5090 GPU, in particular, is at least partially responsible for the “AI” inclusion in the laptop’s updated name, which supports over 150 optimized AI apps for things like LLMs, image generation, and more, according to Acer. The Predator Helios 18 AI will be available in the US in May, with pricing starting at $2,999.99. Image: Acer Aside from size, the Predator Helios 16 AI is nearly identical visually to its larger counterpart. The Predator Helios 16 AI has also received some generational improvements, including a 2560 x 1600 OLED display with a 240Hz refresh rate. It can be configured with the same processor and GPU as its larger counterpart, alongside up to 64GB of RAM and 4TB of PCIe Gen 5 SSD storage. It’ll hit shelves in the US in June, with prices starting at $2,299.99.Both models also feature swappable mechanical keys and proprietary sixth-gen AeroBlade metal fans for thermals, which Acer says can increase airflow by up to 20 percent compared to plastic fans. While both models include support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3, port selection is now limited to two Thunderbolt 5 jacks — which might be restrictive depending on your existing peripherals and gaming accessories.

If you want a gaming rig, why not choose something that literally has a professional gamer's name on it? If you're looking for something new, Maingear has something big it wants to show off during CES 2025. The company is teaming up with Shroud to create a beast of a gaming PC that looks as good as it plays.

It's been months of rumors and speculation, and we weren't even 100% sure if the GeForce RTX 5090 would arrive in CES 2025. However, the wait is over; we're now seeing a ton of 5090 devices being announced to the public during this year's big tech conference. MSI is by no means a slacker, as it has taken some time to break down all of its devices that it plans to release in the coming year, including a few that have the mighty 5090 powering their graphical heart.

A few hours ago, Acer unveiled its new AI PCs, which fall under the Copilot+ Umbrella. Now, at CES 2025, the company is ready to take on the gaming market with its Predator refresh. As expected, the updated hardware is powered by AI, but perhaps more interesting to gamers would be the fact that it houses Nvidia's RTX 50 series GPUs.

AI is in the air at CES 2025, both on the software and hardware side, with companies looking to merge the two wherever possible. We have already seen this from Acer and Asus today. Now, it seems like HP is ready to throw its hat into the ring with its latest range of Victus and Omen products.

Just when you thought Nvidia couldn't push its GPUs any further, we've finally got our eyes on what's next for PC gamers. Whether you're gaming on a laptop or desktop system, you'll soon have access to the RTX 50 series of graphics cards. The star of the CES show is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, replacing the RTX 4090 as the new king of gaming GPUs with an all-new architecture and more powerful AI processing.

Gaming juggernaut Razer has announced the next-generation Blade 16 at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, which will ship with a bevy of internal and external upgrades, including a number of firsts for the 16-inch edition of Razer's workhorse gaming laptop. Here's everything we know about the new 16-inch Razer Blade.