External GPUs are great, but are limited by the bandwidth of Thunderbolt. At CES 2024, Lenovo has announced a proprietary port and external GPU with a full PCIe connection to get more out of your desktop GPU.
It’s TGX, or the ThinkBook Graphics Extension, and it is capable of transferring up to 64Gbps data throughput. This is similar to what Asus achieved with its ROG XG Mobile interface, which is supported by various ROG gaming notebooks as well as the ROG Ally handheld.
Having an external graphics solution can bring additional performance to the table, and Lenovo says that the TGX dock will support Nvidia GeForce RTX desktop GPUs. We don’t know whether the dock will be offered barebones or with a dedicated GPU, but expect a bundle option to hit markets in the second half of this year at a starting price of $2,199.
Of course, because this is a proprietary connection, you can’t use the TGX with any old laptop. Lenovo has a new ThinkBook 14 i Gen 6+ laptop to connect with the graphics solution.
Expect improved performance and enhanced AI support thanks to Intel’s newly announced Core Ultra processors with an integrated NPU (Neural Processing Unit). According to Lenovo, the laptop can leverage AI to deliver optimized user experiences in workflows such as office tools, photo, video, and audio editing, meeting collaboration, and more.
The laptop also boasts an impressive 14.5-inch 3K display with a 90% screen-to-body ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and up to 400 nits of brightness. There’s also the option of a 2.5K 90Hz IPS panel or a 2.59K 90Hz OLED panel if you care about high contrast and inky blacks.
Other configuration options include up to a 2TB Gen 4 PCIe SSD and up to 32GB of dual-channel LPDDR5X memory. The built-in 85Wh battery unit should offer plenty of juice to make it last all day, while the IR camera supports Windows Hello face recognition for quick login purposes. Lenovo has also integrated human presence detection, allowing users to lock the laptop if and when they move away. For additional security, an integrated fingerprint reader is embedded in the power button.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.