Category Archives: Hardware Reviews

We are constantly getting a wide variety of hardware and software to test and exercise under a range of conditions. As you might expect, some work better than others, some play nicely with others (or not), and a few are genuinely pleasant surprises. Here you’ll find a collection of reviews on a range of products. We’ll be updating this section frequently as we run across new stuff, so come back soon and often!

Benchmarking, Copilot+ PCs, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Dynabook Tecra A60-M2 Intake

August 18, 2025 Ed Tittel 7 Comments

I guess Sharp/Dynabook must’ve liked my coverage of their Portege X40-M2 unit. Why say so? Because about 2 days after I sent that unit back, they sent me another more powerful laptop to look at. Today’s blog post describes my Dynabook Tecra A60-M intake experience (Model PNL21U-017004). It’s a bigger beast, but a little less sturdy (it’s got what feels like an all-plastic lower/keyboard deck) albeit with minimal flex. For the first time, ever, it comes with Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise loaded as well.

Describing Dynabook Tecra A60-M2 Intake Process

Again and suprisingly, Dynabook uses closed-cell plastic foam inserts to enshroud the unit in an otherwise all-cardboard set of nested shipping boxes. It comes with exactly two parts: the laptop itself and the power brick/power cord. Initial setup was absurdly easy. But, for some odd reason, Intel BE201 802.11 Wi-Fi 7 adapters won’t let me log into the 5GHz band on my Asus router. I have to use the 2.4 GHz band instead. If I need to go faster than that, I can plug my trusty StarTech GbE USB 3 adapter into one of its two 5 Gbps USB 3.2 version 1 ports.

It took me some time to get all the bits and pieces in place for my usual setup. I used Patch My PC Home Updater to bring in 7Zip, GadgetPack, CystalDisk mark & info, CPUID, Everything, Chrome, and more. Because this is an Intel-flavored Copilot+ PC, I also installed Intel Driver and Support Assistant as well, along with the Dynabook Support Utility to check for vendor UEFI, firmware, and driver updates.

A Clean, Clean, Clean Machine

I’ve got to say this is one of the cleanest review units I’ve ever gotten. It required very little by way of update or clean-up to bring entirely up to snuff. It’s also got the fastest and most accurate fingerprint scanner I’ve ever used (Device Manager identifies it as a FocalTech Electronics device). So far, it’s fast, has a nice 16″ display, and does everything I’ve asked it to in short order.

The Tecra A60-M2 Components, Listed

According to the vendor web page, this unit goes for US$1249 (MSRP). I don’t see any major discounts available online but it’s pretty new still, so they may be coming. Here’s what’s inside:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 225U
OS: Windows 11 24H2 Enterprise (26100.4946)
16.0″ WUXGA display (1920×1200)
16 GB DDR5-5600 (Samsung)
0.5TiB Samsung OEM PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
Ports: 2xUSB4/TB4 USB-C ports, 2xUSB3.2 Gen 1 ports, HDMI, RJ-45 GbE, microSD, mini-RCA (headset) jack
60 Wh Lithium polymer battery; 65W USB-C power brick

What it doesn’t have that I might want? Offhand, I’d say a Hello-capable IR camera, and a touch display. Other than those things, and a bigger SSD, it’s pretty well-equipped. What one gets for US1,250 for this unit isn’t at all bad.

All in all, I like it pretty well so far. I’ll report further as I spend a bit more time with it, and learn more about what it can and can’t do. I’m curious about its SSD speed, USB-C performance, and general processing oomph. Expect to hear more from me on all of those topics, soon. In the meantime, I’m having fun playing with this new toy.

Cool Tools, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, WED Blog, Windows 11

So Long Dynabook X40M2

August 11, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

It was nice while it lasted, but my time slot has expired. I’m shipping the Dynabook X40 M2 PC back to the maker’s PR group this afternoon. It’s been an enjoyable month working and playing with this handsome, sturdy, compact laptop. Though it’s no longer a Toshiba, it’s still called a Portege (a well-known and long-lasting laptop moniker). When I reviewed PCs for Tom’s back in the 2000s, I had a quite a few Toshibas pass through my hands. This new model is very much in the same vein. But now, alas, I must say “So long, Dynabook X40M2.” Let me conclude my adventures with some closing thoughts and observations…

Not Copilot+, But That May Not Matter Much

I was initially disappointed when I got this PC, to understand that it didn’t meet Copilot+ requirements. Indeed, its Core Ultra 5 225U doesn’t hit the minimum TOPS number (40). That said, this unit has done everything I’ve asked it to with reasonable performance and battery life. I chose to model typical productivity work involving Office, Adobe Acrobat, email, and so forth (no gaming or heavy creative workloads here) to reflect what students or office workers might demand of such a machine in the classroom, on the job, or on the go.

Small digression: I wondered how many PCs being sold these days are Copilot+ capable. Interestingly, Copilot tells me that 1.9% of global PC shipments in 2025 (in round numbers 1 in 50) fits that bill. So it seems that most buyers aren’t looking for such capabilities anyway. Outside that realm (which is most of the landscape) the X40-M2 plays very, very well.

Dynabook rates the unit’s battery life at 12-14 hours. I was able to break the 10-hour barrier on this machine twice, but mostly it came in between 9 and 10 hours when running email, web browsing, Office apps, Acrobat and Zoom or Teams video meetings. As is so often the case, the maker’s estimates are optiimistic, but the unit brings enough oomph to last a bit longer than a typical workday anyway. That’s all to the good, as far as I’m concerned.

Pros and Cons for the Portege X40 M2

On the plus side, the unit is sturdy, good-looking, compact, and lightweight enough for easy backpack or briefcase transport. It’s also got decent battery life, a good-looking display, 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, and full-size HDMI and RJ-45 GbE ports. On the minus side, mine came equipped with a modest 0.5TB Samsung OEM NVMe drive that failed to impress with its performance (on par with faster Gen3 or slower Gen4 circuitry), and its pair of 5 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 1) USB-A ports. For office or home work, seems like a good Thunderbolt 4 dock would be a useful add-on, given that one USB-C port otherwise goes for charging at least some of the time.

If I were to buy one of these units, I’d probably go for the Ultra 7 model instead of the 5. Interestingly, I don’t see a 32GB option on this line’s product pages. Here’s my final net-net on this beast: a good choice for college students or office workers. Not enough oomph for developers or knowledge workers, though (the lack of Copilot+ support may not yet be telling for such folks, but will weigh more heavily in 2026 and 2027 as AI comes more into its own at the OS level). Check it out at the Dynabook Portege X40-M Series home.

Copilot+ PCs, Hardware Reviews, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini X SFF PC

July 21, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

OK, then. Color me surprised. I’ve been keeping an eye on this stuff, and this one got past me. Looks like Lenovo has been selling a small form-factor (SFF) PC with a Snapdragon X processor since April. It’s the Lenovo IdeaCentre MiniX SFF PC, as depicted in the lead-in graphic (front and rear views at top and bottom). I’d tried signing up for the Qualcom devkit early this year, but it never came through. This looks like a worthy successor, and is available at the Lenovo Store for US$750 or thereabouts.

I like the Lenovo IdeaCentre Mini X SFF PC, But…

The unit is small and reasonably well-endowed: X1P-64-100 ARM Snapdragon X, 32 GB RAM, 512 GB Gen4 NVMe SSD, Intel Wi-Fi7, and more. It’s got 2 10Gbps USB-A and 1 10Gbps USB-C ports on the front (plus an audio minijack). There’s more on the back, including GbE RJ-45, 2x10Gbps USB-A, USB-C 40Gbps (USB4), HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a. In fact, it’s got many more ports than the Qualcom devkit ever offered, and that never materialized.

Why, then, is there a “But…” at the end of the preceding heading? Because of late, low-end Snapdragon X laptops cost less than this SFF. That is, they include a screen and a keyboard, but cost less. Admittedly, such laptops usually lack RJ-45, HDMI or DP port, and also feature fewer USB ports than you’ll find in this SFF PC. Indeed, even Lenovo offers a lower-priced Snapdragon X unit (the IdeaPad Slim 3X, available at Best Buy for US$550, was discounted another US$100 recently during Prime Days).

All this said, I’ve had good luck with Lenovo SFF PCs, and have asked them to send me one of these for review if they can. But if you’re looking to “go low” on price and are OK with reduced RAM, CPU and storage, you can spend less and get a laptop instead. Hey, it’s your PC, so it’s your call, too. I’m interested, but for many a laptop will be a better choice. Copilot says that Lenovo, Acer and Asus have models under US$600 right now, with more such expected from Dell and HP later this year.

Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, Troubleshooting, WED Blog

NZXT H6 Flow Build Comes Together

July 14, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Allrighty, then. My “new” primary desktop build is almost completely done. I still have some software to install, and some file transfers from old to new to complete. But the hardware configuration is finished. As this NZXT H6 Flow build comes together, I’ve overcome some interesting hurdles and learned something I probably should have already known. Let me fill you in…

Deets: NZXT H6 Flow Build Comes Together

The case itself is perhaps the roomiest I’ve ever worked with. The split-level design features the motherboard and plug-in elements above, with PSU, drive cage and cabling below. Very easy to work on, and far fewer cable routing shenanigans than I’ve ever run into before. Over the years — including a lengthy stint of motherboard, RAM and storage reviews for Tom’s Hardware in the early 2000s — I’ve probably built 100+ desktop and SFF PCs. From the perspective of ease and comfort, this one rules. First ever build, in fact, without cutting my fingers on the air cooler’s fins. Good-oh.

Here’s a BOM for the build, excluding the already-mentioned case [for which I paid US$110; other current prices in square brackets]:

Motherboard: Asrock B550 Extreme 4 (AM4) [US$185]
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (8 cores/16 threads, 3.8 to 4.7 GHz, AM4, TDP 105W) [US$170]
GPU: NVIDIA 3070 Ti [US$600]
RAM: 128GB (4×32) DDR4-2666 [US$146]
NVMe: Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB[US$80], Samsung 990 EVO 4TB (2ndary)[US$200]
Hard disk: Toshiba DT01AC300 3GiB (2.72 TB in Explorer)[US$77]
Total system cost, not including monitors: US$1,568

My ASUS Thunderbolt5 EX didn’t make the cut, because the B550 lacks a USB4/5 header for the device to plug into. Alas it won’t work without motherboard support. Sigh. I should have known, but there it is.

Issues Encountered and Overcome

The only build issues I ran into were:

Remembering how to re-insert the below-deck HDD cage. (A quick trip to YouTube took care of that in a hurry. Turns out to be a drop in, then slide up to lock into position kind of maneuver. Dead easy, once you see somebody else do it. Go YouTube!)
Getting the hard disk recognized in Device Manager. (None of my SATA devices showed up in Windows Device Manager or Disk Management. I used a temporary SSD-to-SATA device to ensure it was getting power (it got warm). So I knew it was a software issue. Thus, I was inspired to reload the “Standard SATA AHCI Controller:” right-click the entry, Update driver, Browse my computer for drivers, Let me pick from a list…, reload the only entry showing. The plugged in SATA drive appeared immediately thereafter. Yay!

No drives appeared until I reloaded the standard SATA AHCI controller driver. Then, they popped right up.

Otherwise, this was a terrific, if time-consuming, experience. Because I must wear reading glasses now for close-in work (cataract surgery last fall), I had to give myself extra light and room for the build. I ended up taking over the island in our kitchen (covered with old towels) for the initial assembly, and then for final cable arrangement and clean-up. Except for the SATA HDD and the lack of USB4 support that knocked out the Thunderbolt5 EX, everything worked on the first try. Amazing!

IMO, things turned out extremely well. I’ll be switching over to this build sometime this week. Stay tuned: I’ll tell you more soon.

AI, Copilot+ PCs, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i Intake

July 4, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Wow! It’s not terribly often that I get a second review unit to intake in a week. Last Friday, I reported intake on a dynabook X40M2; today, I cover the stunning Lenovo Yoga AIO 9i intake. Inside Lenovo Vantage the model number is 32ILL10, but it only says Yoga AIO on the outside of the enormous box inside which it arrived. Its most notable features are a huge, brilliant 32″ (31.5″ 3840×2160, actually) disply, a built in 6 GB GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, Copilot+ capability, and a snazzy paper clip design between base and display. You can see that last in the lead-in graphic.

Working Thru Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i Intake

The great thing about all-in-one (AIO) PCs is that set-up is a breeze. Hook up the power, turn it on, and you’re (mostly) good to go. Lenovo ships the unit with a wireless mouse and keyboard combination. It uses a USB transceiver stored inside the mouse to connect to the base. Took me a minute to figure out how to get those items working (there’s a moderately cryptic one-page instruction set that I puzzled my way through, partly by trial and error). Other than that, it was a total no-brainer to get the unit set up and running.

Then came the fun parts. I use Patch My PC Home Updater to add a list of typical apps to the default mix (in alph order: 7-Zip, Advanced IP Scanner, CPUID CPU-Z, CrystalDiskInfo, CrystalDiskMark, voidtools Everything, GadgetPack, Chrome, HWiNFO, IrfanView, Notepad++, PowerShell 7-x64, PowerToys, Speccy and WizTree). Then I get PowerShell and WinTerm set up the way I want them. Then I check for and apply updates, using WU and WinGet. It all went well: both quick and smooth, with no hiccups of any kind. Cool!

AIO 32i Speeds and Feeds

The Lenovo Yoga AIO 32i model I’m using is the first Copilot+ AIO that I’ve seen on the market. Here’s what came inside (and outside) that unit, which has an MSRP of ~US$2810 at the Lenovo Store:

CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (4 LPE cores, 4 P cores)
OS: Windows 11 Home (!)
Graphics: Intel Arc 140V, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 (6GB)
RAM: 32 GB LPDDRX5-8533 (Memory on package/soldered)
SSD: SK Hynix HFS001TEM9X169N 1TB (PCIe x4 Gen 4) 1 TB
Display: 31.5″ UHD 3840×2160 UPS, Glare, non-touch, 3-side borderless display panel
Input: Wiress USB mouse, keyboard and transceiver included
Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi7 BE201 320MHz
Rear ports: USB-C (10 Gbps), USB-C (40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4), 2xUSB-A (10 Gbps), HDMI 2.1, RCA mini-audio jack
PSU: 300 W power brick

When it comes to this equipage, I like the snap and feel of the CPU and the graphics. It compares favorably with Snapdragon and other Intel Copilot+ PCs I’ve reviewed. There are some things about this configuration that I don’t much care for though — namely:

Windows 11 Home won’t do Remote Desktop, so I had to upgrade it to a higher-grade version.
Memory is in package and soldered, so there’s no upgrade capability there.
Rear-mounted ports require turning the base to access from a normal forward-pointing arrangement. Mildly vexing, but tolerable.
With only one high-speed port (USB4/Thunderbolt 4) available the unit would be best paired with a US$200+ dock to take advantage of its capabilities. Odd, for a pricey AIO.

AIO 32i Pros and Cons

I like the way the unit runs and works. Setup was dead easy and the display is the first I’ve used that’s bigger and better than my trusty Dell 27″ UltraSharp models (2017 and 2022 builds, here at Chez Tittel). Overall, this is a capable and approachable PC, and would be well-suited for college students in a dorm room, or office workers at their workstations. It’s also quite nice looking and fun to use. And it’s got all the Copilot+ PC stuff, which promises to keep improving with time (right now it’s limited to Recall, Click to Do, and a few AI-based extensions for various MS apps, tools and Office 365).

I don’t like the location of the ports at the rear of the base. You can’t see or use them unless you turn the base so you can lay hands and eyes where the ports are. I’d prefer a touch screen to the non-touch model, recognizing that the glossy finish would become a fingerprint magnet. I don’t like the inability to upgrade RAM (though I understand it’s a limitation of the package design).

I’d like to see the second USB-C port made TB4/USB4 capable. I’d also wish for Lenovo to integrate the mouse/keyboard transceiver so you don’t have to give up one of two USB-A ports to get the unit working. That, or they could include a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard combo instead, to keep that USB-A port free for other uses.

Initial Net-Net: Nice But Pricey

Overall, I’m having a blast working with the Yoga AIO 32i. It’s fast, responsive, great looking and the display is bright and legible, even to these old eyeballs of mine. I do think it’s pretty costly (nearly US$3K, though Lenovo usually discounts heavily, especially for holidays and promotions or for academics (students and teachers alike). I’m starting to dig into it capabilities and behavior in more detail and will report on those soon. But so far, it’s pretty peachy as you’d hope from the price tag.

Cool Tools, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

Interesting ThinkPad T14s Snapdragon Intake

June 17, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Here, interesting comes from the purported “Chinese” curse: “May you live in interesting times.” If fact, those times got a little too interesting for me once or twice last week, as I worked my way through intake on a the Snapdragon X version of the ThinkPad T14s from Lenovo (see “Speeds and Feeds” for more of those details). Indeed, I experienced what I choose to call an interesting ThinkPad T14s intake because of WU issues that popped up along the way.

Ultimately, I would have to send the PC back to Lenovo for a replacement because:

(a) I couldn’t repair a Windows Update error on the latest CU

(b) When I tried an in-place upgrade repair install, the PC asked for a BitLocker recovery key during one of the post-GUI install boot-ups. [The lead-in graphic shows this on its way to a fiery crash.]

I’ll admit it: I was caught unprepared. And when the Lenovo Recovery Media facility could only produce a USB key (no digital download for me, alas), an overnight swap was my only way to proceed. Sigh, sigh, and sigh again.

What Interesting ThinkPad T14s Snapdragon Intake Means

For me, it meant an irresolvable issue trying to catch the machine up to current CU levels. For the first time in recent memory the ElevenForum.com reset/reregister WU script failed to fix that, too. Thus I had to avail myself of the “Reinstall now” button in the options available from this Windows 11 24H2 instance via Settings > System > Recovery. That’s what you see as the lead-in graphic above, at 35% complete during the GUI install phase.

Along the way to catching the OS up, I installed a bunch of apps I like to use (12 in all: 7-Zip, Adv IP Scanner, CPU-Z, CrystalDiskMark, Everything, FileZilla, GadgetPack, Notepad++, PS 7.5.1, PowerToys, and Speccy). I also turned on Remote Access so I can view the desktop on a 27″ monitor instead of a 14″ laptop.

It was all good until I tried running WU. It was stuck, stuck, stuck, on the latest CU. It was throwing Error Code 0x800F0905, which Google tells me means “an issue with Windows Update or a corrupted installation file.” That’s why I went to the reset/register script immediately thereafter, and then Reinstall now when that failed as well. As I said earlier, I ended up swapping my ultimately bricked T14s for an identical replacement. It had to retry the stuck CU, but succeeded on a second attempt. So now I have a working T14s to play with for a while.

So following the well-known principle of “If you don’t get it right the first time, do it over,” I reinstalled all the apps I’d added to the first, bricked version. Then I enabled Remote Access so I can use RDP, set up Windows Terminal and PowerShell, and I’m now fully off and running.

Speeds and Feeds, and More

The T14s Gen 6 model that Lenovo sent me includes the following:

Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 CPU (3.4GHz, 12 cores/threads)
Adreno X1-85 GPU (built-in)
Hexagon NPU (delivers 45 TOPS)
32 GB LPDDR5X-8448 MHz RAM
Samsung OEM PCIe Gen4 NVMe 1TB SSD
14″ WUXGA (1920×1200, IPS, Anti-Glare, non-touch)
Windows Hello 1080P PHD camera, fingerprint reader
Qualcomm Wi-Fi 7 NCM825A 2×2 BE & Bluetooth 5.3
2ea USB4 USB-C (40Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports

As configured the unit currently goes for US$1,259 at the Lenovo Store. It’s sturdy, has a standard ThinkPad look and feel, and both thin and pretty lightweight (2.72lbs/1.24kg). It’s not quite as awe-inspiring as the less expensive Slim 7X model I reviewed almost a year ago, but it’s bigger, beefier, and pretty darn snappy. I will take it on the road with me at my next opportunity and see how it plays.

So far, though, it’s a solid performer and seems to get things done with verve. I look forward to a machine that will let me use the benefits of Copilot+ PCs in the near future. Indeed, that’s why I asked Lenovo to send me this unit. Stay tuned: I’ll tell you lots more, real soon.

Cool Tools, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Order EX5 Receive EX4 Request Refund

June 11, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Wow! I can’t believe what happened to me. I’m rebuilding the AMD 5800X PC in a new case, and ordered an Asus Thunderbolt EX5 to include, so I can try out Thunderbolt 5 and the Intel Thunderbolt Share application (licensed to a device or PC). Here’s what happened: order ex5, receive ex4, request refund (being processed), order again from Amazon. The replacement is on its way and should be here by Friday. All in all, I’m stunned.

As you can see from my carpet-based photo above, I received a ThunderboltEX 4, even though I ordered the next-gen version. Back it goes! Just printed a label and will send it back from the UPS Store later today. And to think I paid extra, because Amazon had none in stock that day. I should — and do — know better. Sigh.

Getting Past Order EX5 Receive EX4 Request Refund

All I can do now is wait. It won’t be terribly long, though because my Amazon Premium membership gets it delivered to me tomorrow, free. I need to try this item out so I can test-drive the Intel Thunderbolt Share application. It’s licensed to specific devices. And because I don’t have any laptops or docks with said license, this is a relatively affordable (~US$140) way for me to give it a whirl.

What I didn’t expect, after many, many years of entirely positive experiences with Newegg, was that one of their “stores” would try to slip me old wine and claim it was a new bottle. Not so, alas, and it won’t work for what I need it to do.

Ain’t that just way things go here in Windows-World sometimes? You ask for something specific for a supposedly included feature. Then you get something completely different, and deal with the aftermath. Sign again.

Benchmarking, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog, Windows 11

ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 Intake & First Impressions

March 18, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Last August, Lenovo sent me a similar ThinkPad. Turns out, it was the Snapdragon X equivalent of what I’ve got now — namely, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 5. This time around, it comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, 16 GB RAM LPDDR5 RAM, and a 0.5TB Gen4 NVMe SSD. It’s not quite as impressive as its Snapdragon counterpart, but it does come with an online price of just over US$1200 at the Lenovo Store. It showed up yesterday afternoon here at Chez Tittel. Here, I’ll share info about the Think T14s Gen 5 intake & first impressions. TLDR summary: nifty little biz laptop.

Detailing ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 Intake & First Impressions

It’s still a thrill to unbox new Lenovo computers these days, thanks to their all-paper packages designed for quick, easy access. The first thing I noticed was the boot time (after I plugged the 65W USB-C charger in: the unit was at 0% charge). On first boot, it takes less than 10 seconds to get from power on to spinning balls (Task Manager reports “Last BIOS time” at 11.4 second), and less than 10 seconds more to get to the desktop. Closing the lid puts the unit immediately to sleep, and it takes less than 4 seconds to scan me with its IR Windows Hello camera and log me back in when I open it. Good-oh!

My recollection is that the Snapdragon X model was a little bit faster than this Intel Core Ultra 5 125U CPU. That said, the unit is pretty darn snappy, and does everything I ask it to do with verve and dispatch. CrystalDiskMark reports top speeds of ~7 GBps read/~5GBps write from its capable Gen5 SK Hynix SSD (random 4K r/w performance is 409/334 [QD32] and 65/129 [QD1] MBps). That’s on par with my beefiest test laptop — the big and beastly P16 Gen 1 Mobile Workstation.

I used PatchMyPC Home Updater to get most of my typical collection of tools and apps installed. The T14s did a nice job throughout, and the whole process took less than 20 minutes to complete. Then, I went to update Windows 11 24H2, as I’ll recite under the next heading…

Updating Windows 11 24H2 Takes Time

For some odd reason, WU installed a boatload of stuff when I did my usual “first boot” update check — 2 CUs, 23 drivers, the most recent MSRT, and various Defender updates (signatures and platform). This took long enough that it reminded me of pre Windows-7 days when installing Windows took nowhere near as long as catching up the OS image on updates after that first step was over. This was unusual, but not unheard of.

And now, I’ve got this nifty little unit ready to rock’n’roll for further inspection, testing and use. I’m glad to have it because I want to compare OTA Ethernet and GbE network file transfer to Intel’s Thunderbolt Share application. This PC gives me my vital “second Thunderbolt 4 PC” so I can check that out. Stay tuned!

Cool Tools, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

Packing Portable Water-Cooled PC

March 12, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

When I first started working in networking back in 1988, I carried a Compaq Portable III PC to customer consultations. The rig was unique at the time, because it could accommodate the full-length PC board needed to host the Excelan TCP/IP Ethernet adapter. (It ran the protocol stack on an 80186 processor to offload the 80286 CPU.) When I looked up that unit online I was amazed to see it weighed 9.8 Kg (~20 lbs)! What provoked my recollection? Reading about a new Kickstarter initiative at Tom’s Hardware, I wondered if packing portable water-cooled PC would be as vexing as that old Compaq model was back in the day.

What Would Packing Portable Water-Cooled PC Be Like?

Models discussed on the Kickstarter project page weigh in at 4.8 to 5.2 Kg — that’s around half the old Compaq model. Ditto for the dimensions, too. The Compaq measures about 41 x 19.2 x 24.8 cm. The new ultra high performance integration liquid cooled laptop (UHPILCL) measures out at 34x42x3 cm. It’s much more like a big, fat laptop than the portable sewing machine the Compaq resembled.

Indeed, I remember coming home from a trip after it had snowed and lugging the unit around while I tried to recognize my car under its white blanket. Hopefully, the UHLILCL won’t be quite as big a burden.

Who Would Want One, and Why?

The target audience for this mini-ITX based DIY luggable is gamers or other high-end users who need a high-performance CPU/GPU to take on the road. I can see it in the cards that it might host AI models or other high-end runtime environments for demos and such, as well as pushing frames fast for 3D games, CAD, and simulations that require speedy, complex rendering.

I like the idea that buyers might be able to choose their components, and populate such PCs with lower-end Xeon CPUs and up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM. Because the rig is water cooled and requires ionized water (the home page says nothing about how much water, exactly, it uses) I’m curious about how hard it is to fill and drain. Water and integrated circuits seldom mix well.

Details are still pretty scarce, including pricing and availability/timeframe. But hey, it’s an interesting proposition. And it gave me a nice jaunt down memory lane. And Kickstarter is nothing if it’s not a gauge of public willingness to back a proposition via funding. It should be even more interesting to see if this proposed project gets off the ground.

One More Thing…

As I think about this unit and what “laptop” typically means, I must observe that it will HAVE to plug into A/C to work. When people hear the l-word (laptop, that is) they usually think of something that can run — for a short time, at least — on battery. I don’t think that’s happening on a unit with a mini-ITX mobo and a high-end GPU. Notice in the specs, there’s nothing about battery capacity or life. I’m sure that’s deliberate…

Copilot+ PCs, Hardware Reviews, Insider stuff, Recent Activity, WED Blog

The Incredible Lightness of (Some) Copilot+ PCs

March 7, 2025 Ed Tittel Leave a comment

Things are getting interesting in the PC marketspace. In recent months, at least a couple of fairly full-featured Copilot+ PCs weighing under 1Kg (2.2 lbs) have been introduced. In January, we got the Asus Zenbook A14 (UX3407). This morning, it was the Dynabook Z40L-N. Both come in at under 1Kg, with the Asus model at 900g, and the Dynabook right at the edge (998g). Both are Copilot+ capable. And both include snazzy touch screens, offer up to 32GB of RAM, and a max SSD of 1 or 2TB. Furthermore, according to Copilot, only 1 in 20 laptops falls into this weight class, making it something of a standout in the overall category.

Incredible Lightness of (Some) Copilot+ PCs Has Appeal

Mobile workers always want fast and light mobile PCs on the job. Fast (and powerful) lets them get more work done. Light makes it easier to schlep such units while they’re on the move. Thus PC makers always work the inherent tradeoffs involved. Such ultra-thin PCs will always be limited in terms of the number of ports they sport, and run more limited mobile CPUs and chipsets. They must also be unusually careful about managing heat and ventilation, because even these less-beefy mobile CPUs (Snapdragon X1-26-100 in the Asus, up to Intel Core Ultra 7 268v (Series 2) in the Dynabook) use throttling as well as cooling to keep themselves running.

The other tradeoff: compactness costs. Neither one of these units is exactly cheap. The Portege Z40L-N with i7 (vPro), 32GB RAM and 1 TB SSD lists for US$2,220.00. The ASUS comes with a distinct price advantage: the 32GB unit with 1TB SSD and its Snapdragon X1-26-100 lists for less than half that amount: US$1,100.00. Both get rave reviews. But if I had to foot the bill out of pocket, I’d need a strongly compelling reason to double down on cost to choose the Dynabook over the ASUS model.

I’ve requested review models of both machines from their respective makers. If I get lucky, I’ll have a chance to comment on this dynamic further and in great detail. Even so, it is pretty nifty to consider what you can pick up and carry with you in the realm of today’s lightest available Copilot+ PCs.