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Here’s how I kept my favorite electronics fully charged, even in the heart of the wilderness.

The next Battlefield game is getting a public beta next weekend. Tune into your favorite streamer to get into it.

• Nvidia has announced that support for GTX 10 series GPUs ends in October 2025
• After that, these graphics cards, including the GTX 1060, will only get security fixes
• It also announced that Windows 10 support will run through to October 2026, mirroring Microsoft's extended support program for the OS

Nvidia has released a new graphics driver and announced that it'll soon be drawing the curtain on support for GeForce GTX 10 series GPUs, as well as GTX 900 models - and the end for Windows 10 gamers will follow a year later.

As Ars Technica highlighted, the release notes for driver version 580.88 came with the revelation that graphics cards based on Maxwell and Pascal architecture - meaning GTX 900 and 10 series products - will witness their final driver release in October 2025.

After that, they will only get quarterly security updates to patch them against vulnerabilities, and that's all. Security patches will finish in October 2028 for these products, too.

If October 2025 rings a bell, that's because it's also the month when Microsoft casts aside support for Windows 10, and that's also wrapped up in this Nvidia announcement.

Team Green said that it's extending Game Ready Driver support for Windows 10 to October 2026, to mirror the extended support Microsoft is offering consumers who want to stick with the OS, and not upgrade to Windows 11 yet. Or indeed people who may not be able to upgrade to the newer operating system, due to their PC not meeting the hardware requirements.

This move comes as no surprise, as Nvidia already told us back at the start of July that the v580 drivers would be the last to support Maxwell and Pascal graphics cards - we just didn't know exactly when the cut-off was coming, and now we do.

(Image credit: Nvidia)If you're affected, what does this mean exactly?

As stated, there are two categories of PC gamers who this affects: those with GTX 10 model GPUs, like the GTX 1060, and those running Windows 10. Further, some folks will be in both camps, no doubt - maybe quite a few.

GTX 10 series graphics cards are still reasonably popular in some cases (whereas GTX 900 products have pretty much dwindled away to nothing). In fact, the GTX 1060 is actually the 12th most popular GPU according to the latest Steam hardware survey - and once reigned supreme - so it's still seeing a lot of use.

After October 2025, this GPU, along with other 10 series offerings like the 1070 and 1080, will only receive security updates. That means they'll still be safe to use - patched against any exploits in drivers that may be found by the bad actors out there - but they won't get support for new games or features.

So, as time rolls on, you'll find that your trusty GTX 1060 becomes wonkier and less reliable with new games, as its final driver version ages and generally gets more erratic. Note that if you stick with old games, which were catered for before game support was frozen, you should be fine, at least in theory.

As for those on Windows 10, you'll be okay for another year yet. You'll still have full driver support through to October 2026, as noted, so you'll be fine until then. Assuming you keep Windows 10 itself secure, of course - using Microsoft's offer of extended support, which is now free, with a slight catch.

After October 2026, though, you'll need to upgrade to Windows 11, or you won't get new drivers – so no game support, or security patches either – no matter how new your Nvidia GPU is.

At this point, you're really looking at a Windows 11 upgrade - or a switch to something else entirely - unless Microsoft extends Windows 10 support further for consumers beyond 2026 (which seems unlikely, but could happen). In which case, Nvidia might again mirror the move with its own drivers - given that's what has happened here - but nothing's guaranteed by any means.

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NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition): Two-minute review

The NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) is an ideal PC for the kind of gamer interested in building a gaming desktop, but finds picking parts and the process of assembly overwhelming. The price does reflect that, as you could conceivably save a few bucks doing everything yourself.

That said, the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) is a well-built and organized machine that’s easy to get into for future upgrades, while offering the convenience that the best gaming PCs provide. And with the powerful internals, it can do just about whatever one could want.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

You’ll find that some of the best desktops with higher spec’ed CPUs and GPUs have more oomph, but that’s more important if you’re rendering video or 3D projects. For gaming, what this desktop has to offer is more than enough.

As long as you’re willing to cover the price tag, there’s little to fault here. My only nitpick is that there isn’t a clear way to expand internally as opposed to swapping and upgrading parts. This might be minor for many people, but for those who haven’t built a PC, this might be a sticking point.

After all, this kind of desktop is going to be more appealing to those who don’t want to go with the usual pre-built machines and their proprietary parts, but aren’t yet ready to build their own.

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition): Price & availability

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

How much does it cost? $2,033 (about £1539 / AU$3,162)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US

The NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition), along with the other models on offer, is only available in the US. And since this model only has one configuration, it has one price: $2,033 (about £1539 / AU$3,162). NZXT does have a controversial PC rental option called NZXT Flex that is essentially like leasing a gaming PC available to consumers, but that doesn’t seem to be available for this model.

The price tag of this model is not cheap, but it’s not surprising either. If you want to build your own, getting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 will set you back at least $549 / £549 / AU$1,109 if not more (especially if you live in the US with impending tariffs). That’s a quarter of the cost of this computer just in the GPU.

Consider that the RTX 5070 is not quite the upgrade over the previous generation’s 4070 Super one would expect, you can get most of the way there performance-wise with something like the Alienware Aurora R16, which ran for $1,749 / £1,349 / around AU$2,670 at launch and is still available at certain retailers at a discount. It is a little older, but it’s also a little more compact.

However, if you compare the NZXT model reviewed here to the current version of the Maingear MG-1 (our review is from last year so the components are older), which costs $2,049 for a similar model, specifically with a Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, 16GB RGB DDR5 6000MT/s, and 1TB SSD, you can see that the NZXT Player PC is not overpriced. It does come with more RAM than the Maingear MG-1, though the MG-1 comes with more customization options, including a completely personalized front panel.

• Value: 4 / 5

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition): Specs

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

The NZXT lineup is interesting insofar that there are a number of models in the company’s prebuilt lineup totaling twelve unique listings, but they all revolve around three models – the Player: One, Player: Two, and, of course, Player: Three – differentiated by the case.

Of course, they’re all slightly different with a range of CPUs, GPUs, and so forth. The NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) uses the H5 Flow case that the Player: One and Player: One Prime uses. This model reviewed here is the most powerful NZXT model with this case with a 20-core Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, and 32GB of RAM, not to mention 2TB SSD storage. There’s not really any customizations here, so you have to choose the model that fits your budget and performance needs.

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) specs

Price:

$1,999.99

CPU:

Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF

Graphics:

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

RAM:

32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5 5200MHz

Storage:

2TB NVMe M.2 SSD

Ports:

Front I/O: 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x Headset Audio Jack

Back I/O: 6x USB 3.2 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Type-C, DisplayPort, Mic In / Line In / Line Out

Wireless:

Wi-Fi 7 / BlueTooth

On the bright side, there’s plenty of after-the-fact customization available with the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) since the parts are standardized, such as a Z890 motherboard. And getting inside the desktop is very simple, which I’ll get into in the next section.

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition): Design

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

• Lots of venting
• Tool-less tempered glass side panel
• No clear expansion slots inside

The NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) uses the black version of the company’s H5 Flow case (the case itself is also available in white), which is a compact mid-tower ATX form, measuring 18.31 x 8.86 x 16.93 inches (465 x 225 x 430 mm). The “Flow” in its name refers to all of the venting covering the front, top, back, and bottom of the case to keep things cool.

Most of the case is a very durable galvanized steel (SGCC), but the side panel is made of tempered glass so you can easily see what’s inside. And the internals are arranged very cleanly in a way that’s fairly aesthetically pleasing. Most of the wiring is hidden or fed into a compartment at the bottom that’s separated by a steel plate so that you can only see it through the venting near the bottom of the case.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

It’s worth noting that the top fans do have some backlighting but the NZXT Player PC does not come with RGB lighting despite the fact that this case is available with RGB. At least, the side panel is also a nice touch because it allows tool less entry, allowing for easy upgrades and swaps without having to grab a screwdriver.

As far as ports go, there’s quite the selection. There’s a USB-C, USB-A, and headphone jack on top of the case next to the power button. And on the back, there’s an additional six USB-A along with two USB-C ports, three audio jacks, and, a bit more unusually, it has attachments for an included Wi-Fi Antenna that helps boost its Wi-Fi 7 support.

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

All in all, it’s a pretty impressive-looking PC. Being very nitpicky, it’s not apparent where any expansion slots are for upgrades. I didn’t see any additional places for an SSD either on the motherboard or anywhere else inside the case even though there’s plenty of space.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition): Performance

(Image credit: Future / James Holland)

• Powerful internal components
• Easily runs performance-heavy games
• Stays fairly cool under duress

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) CPU benchmarks

Benchmark

Score

Geekbench 6.4 Single-core

3,081

Geekbench 6.4 Multi-core

18,984

Crossmark Overall

2,298

Crossmark Productivity

2,159

Crossmark Creativity

2,495

Crossmark Responsiveness

2,166

Unless there’s some poorly planned layout or issues with a case that cause overheating, you can usually tell how a gaming PC will perform almost completely based on the internal components.

Considering, then, that the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) has an Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF with 20 cores and 20 threads as well as 25 TOPS, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, and 32GB of DDR5 5200Hz RAM, it’s no surprise that it’s able to run all the latest games at or near the highest settings.

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) GPU benchmarks

Benchmarks

Score

3DMark Fire Strike

45,049

3DMark Time Spy

21,414

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

14,727

3DMark Time Spy Extreme

10,943

3DMark Speed Way

5,855

3DMark Steel Nomad

4,967

3DMark Port Royal

14,139

I’ve had no issues not only playing games like South of Midnight, Monster Hunter Wilds, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Cyberpunk 2077 but running them at High or Ultra settings on an ultrawide 5K monitor with HDR on, which requires quite a bit of power in and of itself. I didn’t have any issues with screen tearing, stuttering, or any other performance-related issues. And all the games stayed at the 165Hz refresh rate the monitor supports.

NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) gaming benchmarks

Game

Average FPS

Black Myth: Wukong (Cinematic, 1080p)

60

Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra, 1080p)

70

Monster Hunter Wilds (Max, 1080p)

83

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Very high, 1080p)

201

Total War: Warhammer III (Ultra, 1080p)

182

It’s also worth mentioning that I’ve never had Cyberpunk 2077 boot up as quickly as it did on this PC. Speaking of that game, it’s still a very demanding title with all its updates for newer tech like DLSS 4.

Yet, running the game only pushed the system a little, and the overall affair stayed fairly cool, thanks to the various fans placed around inside the case.

• Performance: 5 / 5

Should I buy the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition)?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The price tag is high, but it’s what one would expect for a computer sporting an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU.

4 / 5

Design

Tool-less entry, lots of venting, and a durable, clean build are all part of the package. Too bad, expansion slots aren’t well marked and you can’t upgrade to RGB.

4.5 / 5

Performance

There’s little to fault when it comes to performance as the desktop can do it all gaming-wise.

4.5 / 5

Average rating

It’s a little pricey, but the convenience, durability, and performance are all worth it.

4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a powerful gaming PC
The NZXT Player PC reviewed here has enough power to handle any gaming situation. Whether you want something capable of supporting a 5K ultrawide monitor, high ray tracing, DLSS 4, and any other performance-heavy technologies, this PC can do it.

You want easy upgradability
Sure, there’s only one configuration out of the gate. But, once you have the PC in hand, its tool-less entry and use of standardized parts make upgrading the CPU, GPU, RAM, or anything else pretty straightforward.

You want an attractive-looking PC
With all the ventilation, tempered glass side panel, and clean, organized internal setup, this is an attractive, if straightforward-looking desktop.

Don't buy it if...

You want lots of options
While you can certainly upgrade quite easily after the fact, you can’t do so or customize when purchasing. If that’s important to you out of the gate, then you should probably look elsewhere.

You’re on a budget
As good as the NZXT Player PC is, it’s not cheap. There are other options, including within the company’s own product line, that are more affordable. You just have to be willing to go with less powerful components.

Also Consider

If our NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) review has you considering other options, here are two desktops to consider...

Alienware Aurora R16
The Alienware Aurora R16 is compact with great port selection, more than adequate ventilation, and, most importantly, excellent performance. It does have an aesthetic that can’t decide if it’s for professional settings or gamers, but that’s a small complaint. Though the R16 has been discontinued by Dell, it’s available through some online retailers and at a discount.

Read our full Alienware Aurora R16 review

Maingear MG-1
The Maingear MG-1 is powerful if pricey, and comes with a lot of customization options – many more than NZXT including the ability to get a personalized front panel. Of course, depending on the upgrades, it can get very expensive, but, as they say, you get what you pay for.

Read our full Maingear MG-1 review

How I tested the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition)

• Tested for a couple of weeks
• Used it for heavy gaming
• Spent some time looking at the build

I used the NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) for a couple of weeks, mainly using it for heavy gaming. I poked around inside the desktop to get an idea of the quality of the parts, as well as explored the software to see what tricks this desktop had up its sleeves.

The NZXT Player PC (5070 Intel Edition) is a gaming PC that’s ideal for the kind of person who wants all the benefits of building one’s own desktop, but doesn’t want to for the headaches that come with doing so. It has the kind of quality control and clean build that one doesn’t always see in prebuilts, while making it convenient to get inside and swap out parts.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed July 2025

Mexico has won a temporary reprieve from higher US tariffs but other imports from other countries will face higher taxes, starting tomorrow. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is weighing whether President Trump's tariffs are even legal.

This summer, you might notice more people using a gadget to fight the heat: a horseshoe-shaped fan that sits on your neck and blows air. But can a neck cooling fan really help you?

• One in six US workers say they lie about using AI to meet job expectations
• Engineers who use AI are the new threat, not the tools themselves
• Many workers copy AI-literate peers just to appear competent in modern workplaces

As AI tools spread across office environments, many US workers now find themselves in an odd situation: pretending to use artificial intelligence at work.

A recent survey by tech recruitment firm Howdy.com found that one in six employees claim to lie about using AI.

This phenomenon appears to be a reaction not only to managerial expectations but also to deeper insecurities around job stability in an AI saturated landscape.

Survival of the most artificial

Underneath the behavior is what some are calling “AI-nxiety,” an unease born from conflicting narratives.

On the one hand, companies urge employees to embrace AI to boost productivity; on the other hand, those same workers are warned that AI, or someone more skilled at using it, could soon replace them.

This sense of pressure is particularly acute when considering workers who fear being displaced by technically skilled peers, such as engineers who actively use LLM based systems and other AI tools.

As one commenter put it on The Register: “You may lose your job to an engineer who uses AI.”

For some, the message is clear: adapt or get left behind.

In late 2023, a survey by EY found that two thirds of white collar US workers feared being passed over for promotion by AI savvy colleagues.

In this environment, mimicking the behavior of the AI literate becomes a way to hedge against obsolescence.

Further complicating the picture is the lack of adequate training.

Howdy.com reports that a quarter of workers expected to use AI receive no instruction on how to do so.

Without proper guidance, many are stuck between expectations from management and the reality of poorly integrated AI systems.

Some give up on mastering the tools and simply act like they are already doing it.

Meanwhile, contradictory workplace norms deepen the confusion.

Another survey from Slack’s Workforce Index found that nearly half of global desk workers felt uncomfortable telling managers they use AI, worrying it may make them appear lazy or unoriginal.

Thus, some pretend not to use AI even when they do.

At the heart of the issue is a growing mismatch between what companies signal, “AI is the future,” and what employees experience: unclear expectations, low support, and shifting norms around competence.

Whether AI actually replaces jobs or not, the psychological toll is already here, and pretending to be an AI user has become a strange new survival strategy.

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Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 1, No. 312.

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It feels like everyone and their aunt is making AI / AR smart glasses nowadays, especially as someone who tests the best smart glasses around. But something caught my eye when reading a description of Brilliant Lab’s new Halo glasses – as with their long-term memory capabilities, they promise to remind you of details of conversations and objects you’ve seen “years or even decades later.”

In real-time, Brilliant Labs’ specs can apparently offer contextual information based on what it hears and sees, too. This style of assistive help in the moment and later on sounds like a more ongoing version of features like the Ray-Ban Meta glasses’ visual reminders, features that Meta and others have said they plan to make (or have already made) an optionally always-on tool.

Now, Brilliant Labs has said its agent Noa will serve as a sort of AI VPN. Like a VPN reroutes your data to keep your online activity more private, Noa promises to offer similar levels of privacy as it communicates with the AI model powering its cognitive abilities.

Other Halo highlights are its “world’s thinnest AI glasses” design, its built-in display that sits in your periphery like some other AI specs we’ve seen announced this year, and it will have a relatively affordable $299 asking price (around £225 / AU$465) when it launches in November.

But even as someone who loves my Ray-Ban smart glasses and can see the benefits of these Halo glasses, I’m worried these smart specs are a sign we're continuing to race towards the death of privacy.

AI in your glasses can be handy (Image credit: Meta)Risk vs reward

Smart glasses wearables with cameras are already, admittedly, something of a privacy conundrum. I think the Meta Ray-Ban specs do it well – only letting you snap pictures or short videos (or livestream to a public Meta account on Facebook or Instagram), and have an obvious light shine while you do so.

But the next generation of utility wants to boast an always-on mentality – cameras that activate frequently, or microphones that capture every conversation you have.

This would be like the Bee wristband I saw at CES (which Amazon recently bought), which promises to help you remember what you talk about with detailed summaries.

You can instantly see the advantages of these features. An always-on camera could catch that you’re about to leave home without your keys, or remind you that your fridge is getting empty, and Bee highlighted to me that you could use it to help you remember ideas for gifts based on what people say, or recollect an important in-person work chat you might have.

However, possible pitfalls are close behind.

How private are we really? (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Privacy is the big one.

Not just your own, though you’re arguably consenting to AI intrusiveness by using these tools, but the privacy of people around you.

They’ll be recorded by always-on wearables whether they want to, or even know they are, or not.

Privacy makes up a big part of media law training and exams that qualified journalists (like me) must complete, and always-recording wearables could very easily enable people to break a lot of legal and ethical rules. I expect that without these people necessarily realising they’re doing something wrong.

Move fast and break everything

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Big tech has always had an ask for forgiveness mentality. Arguably, because time after time, punishments (assuming they are even punished) are usually vastly outweighed by the benefits they reaped by breaking the rules.

This has seemed especially true with privacy, as our data seems to get mishandled by a company every other month – in small, but also sometimes catastrophic ways.

I’m looking at you Tea.

We’ve also already seen examples of AI companies playing fast and loose with copyright, and I expect the rulelessness will only get worse in the AI space as governments across the globe seem less than keen to properly regulate AI so they don’t hamper their country’s efforts to win the digital arms race.

AI wearables capturing every moment of our lives (from multiple angles to boot) with video and audio are a catastrophe waiting to happen.

Yes, there are always promises of privacy, and optional toggles you can switch on to supposedly enhance your data protection. Still, for every good actor that keeps its privacy promises, we can find plenty of companies that don’t – or quietly change them in new ToS you’re asked to sign.

Cooler than expected, just as scary (Image credit: Oakley / Meta)

We can hope that robust regulation and proper punishment for malpractice might come in and help avoid this disaster I foresee, but I’m not holding my breath.

Instead, I’m coming to terms with the demise of privacy – a concept already on its last legs – and accepting that while Big Brother might look different from how George Orwell pictured it, it will (as predicted) be watching us.

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• Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme has a 9.8/10 flaw
• The bug allows crooks to create rogue admin accounts
• More than 120,000 takeover attempts already blocked

The "Alone – Charity Multipurpose Non-profit WordPress Theme", a commercial theme used in many WordPress websites, contained a critical vulnerability that allowed threat actors to completely take over the website, experts have warned.

The WordPress theme, designed for charities, NGOs, and fundraising campaigns, features more than 40 ready-to-use demos, donation integration, and compatibility with Elementor and WPBakery.

According to Themetix, around 200 active WordPress sites are running this theme today.

Ongoing attacks

Wordfence researchers claim exploitation started on July 12, two days before the vulnerability was publicly disclosed. So far, the company blocked more than 120,000 exploitation attempts from almost a dozen different IP addresses.

In the attacks, the threat actors try to upload a ZIP archive with a PHP-based backdoor that grants them remote code execution capabilities, as well as the ability to upload arbitrary files. Crooks also used the flaw to deliver backdoors that can create additional admin accounts.

All versions up to 7.8.3 contained a vulnerability that allowed threat actors to upload arbitrary files, including malware that can create admin accounts. That way, crooks can completely take over websites and use them to host other malware, redirect visitors to other malicious pages, serve phishing landing pages, and more.

The vulnerability is now tracked as CVE-2025-4394, and has a severity score of 9.8/10 (critical). It was addressed in version 7.8.5, which was released on June 16, 2025. If you are using this theme, it would be wise to update it as soon as possible, since the bug is being actively exploited in the wild.

WordPress is generally considered a safe website builder platform, but third-party themes and plugins - not so much. That is why security pros advise WordPress users to only keep the plugins and themes they actively use, and to make sure they are always up to date.

Via The Hacker News

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• AMD's head of client CPUs says it's looking into dedicated NPU accelerators
• These would be the equivalent of a discrete GPU, but for AI tasks
• Such boards would lessen demand on higher-end GPUs, as they'd no longer be bought for AI work, as they are in some cases

AMD is looking to a future where it might not just produce standalone graphics cards for desktop PCs, but similar boards which would be the equivalent of an AI accelerator - a discrete NPU, in other words.

CRN reports (via Wccftech) that AMD's Rahul Tikoo, head of its client CPU business, said that Team Red is “talking to customers” about “use cases” and “potential opportunities” for such a dedicated NPU accelerator card.

CRN points out that there are already moves along these lines afoot, such as an incoming Dell Pro Max Plus laptop, which is set to boast a pair of Qualcomm AI 100 PC inference cards. That's two discrete NPU boards with 16 AI cores and 32GB of memory apiece, for 32 AI cores and 64GB of RAM in total.

To put that in perspective, current integrated (on-chip) NPUs, such as those in Intel's Lunar Lake CPUs, or AMD's Ryzen AI chips, offer around 50 TOPS - ideal for Copilot+ PCs - whereas you're looking at up to 400 TOPS with the mentioned Qualcomm AI 100. These boards are for beefy workstation laptops and AI power users.

Tikoo observed: "It’s a very new set of use cases, so we're watching that space carefully, but we do have solutions if you want to get into that space - we will be able to."

The AMD exec wouldn't be drawn to provide a hint at a timeframe in which AMD might be planning to realize such discrete NPU ambitions, but said that "it's not hard to imagine we can get there pretty quickly" given the 'breadth' of Team Red's technologies.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Analysis: potentially taking the pressure off high-end GPU demand

So, does this mean it won't be too long before you might be looking at buying your desktop PC and mulling a discrete NPU alongside a GPU? Well, not really, this still isn't consumer territory as such - as noted, it's more about AI power users - but it will have an important impact on everyday PCs, at least for enthusiasts.

These standalone NPU cards will only be needed by individuals working on more heavyweight AI tasks with their PC. They will offer benefits for running large AI models or complex workloads locally rather than on the cloud, with far more responsive performance (dodging the delay factor that's inevitably brought into the mix when piping work online, into the cloud).

There are obvious privacy benefits from keeping work on-device, rather than heading cloud-wards, and these discrete NPUs will be designed to be more efficient than GPUs taking on these kinds of workloads - so there will be power savings to be had.

And it's here we come to the crux of the matter for consumers, at least enthusiast PC gamers looking at buying more expensive graphics cards. As we've seen in the past, sometimes individuals working with AI purchase top-end GPUs - like the RTX 5090 or 5080 - for their rigs. When dedicated NPUs come out from AMD (and others), they will offer a better choice than a higher-end GPU - which will take pressure off the market for graphics cards.

So, especially when a new range of GPUs comes out, and there's an inevitable rush to buy, there'll be less overall demand on higher-end models - which is good news for supply and pricing, for gamers who want a graphics card to, well, play PC games, and not hunker down to AI workloads.

Roll on the development of these standalone NPUs, then - it’s got to be a good thing for gamers in the end. Another thought for the much further away future is that eventually, these NPUs may be needed for AI routines within games, when complex AI-driven NPCs are brought into being. We've already taken some steps down this road, cloud-wise, although whether that's a good thing or not is a matter of opinion.

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The full moon takes place a mere three days before the Perseids meteor shower peaks, and 11 days before the next planet parade.

OLED vs mini-LED is a battle that’s been raging on for a few years now. While LG, Sony and Panasonic sit firmly in the OLED camp, Samsung, Hisense and TCL place their trust more in mini-LED. Granted, most of these brands have both TV types in their lineups, but it’s clear which one each favors.

Samsung and LG are makers of some of the best TVs, and you’ll regularly find Samsung at the top of our best mini-LED TVs list and LG at the top of the best OLED TVs. Each has had a strong showing with their flagship models in 2025, with both the Samsung QN90F (mini-LED) and LG G5 (OLED) earning five stars in their reviews. But what about the mid-range models?

I recently tested the Samsung QN80F and gave it four stars in my review, mainly due to its average sound quality, reflective screen and a sometimes inconsistent picture. I also had a chance to evaluate it side-by-side with LG’s most entry-level OLED: the LG B5. While these TVs sit in different places in their respective lineups, they’re priced very similarly, with the 55-inch QN80F selling for $1,299 / £1,199 and the 55-inch B5 for $1,299 / £1,399.

So, how does the QN80F fare against the ‘cheapest’ 2025 OLED on the market, and which TV is worth the money?

Color me impressed

Both the Samsung QN80F (left) and LG B5 (right) have great color reproduction, and while the QN80F may be brighter, the B5's picture has greater depth and clarity. (Image credit: Universal Pictures / Future )

Samsung and LG TVs both have exceptional color reproduction, with colors on Samsung mini-LED models generally looking bright and punchy, and LG OLEDs looking deeper and richer. Putting the QN80F mini-LED next to the LG B5, this was once again the case.

With both TVs set to their Movie picture modes, I watched the Wizard & I scene from a 4K Blu-ray of Wicked, and the B5 demonstrated bolder and more engaging colors. Pink flowers, blue details on walls and uniforms, and Elphaba’s green skin all looked more vivid on the B5, primarily due to the B5’s stronger contrast. Colors still appeared bright and vibrant on the QN80F with the same scene, but they didn’t have the same depth.

Measuring UHDA-P3 color gamut on both TVs yielded results of 93.05% on the Samsung QN80F and 99.5% on the LG B5, so it’s no real surprise that the B5 had the edge when it came to color depth and detail.

Brightness and reflections

The Samsung QN80F (left) has both higher peak and fullscreen brightness than the LG B5, and that can be a real benefit with certain movie scenes (Image credit: Universal Pictures / Future)

Brightness is where the Samsung QN80F takes a big win. While mini-LED is traditionally a brighter display technology than OLED, flagship OLEDs such as the LG G5 and Samsung S95F have made great strides in giving OLED a brightness boost, with both hitting over 2,000 nits. But, then again, these pricey TVs use new, advanced OLED panels (QD-OLED on the S95F, and ‘four-stack’ OLED on the LG G5).

The LG B5 uses a standard W-OLED panel, and when it comes to brightness, it shows. When I measured the B5’s peak HDR brightness, it hit 668 nits in Movie mode, whereas the Samsung QN80F clocked in at 1,106 nits in the same mode. A near-500 nit brightness difference is easy to appreciate, and as Elphaba ran through a wheat field in the same Wizard & I scene from Wicked, the sun appeared brighter on the QN80F thanks to its high HDR brightness in peak highlights, and the wheat itself had a glossier, more eye-catching look.

One thing that couldn’t be ignored in my comparison was how reflective the screens on both TVs were. I anticipated this from the B5, mainly due to its low measured fullscreen HDR brightness (a meagre 131 nits), but I expected the QN80F, which clocked in at 754 nits on the same test, to perform better. In bright room lighting conditions, both of these TVs suffer from distracting mirror-like reflections when watching darker scenes. In dimmed conditions, they perform better, but there can still be visible reflections.

Black levels: OLED’s best friend

Black levels are slightly raised on the Samsung QN80F (left), but look much richer and deeper on the LG B5 (right) (Image credit: Warner Bros. / Future )

Despite a very reflective screen on both TVs and their struggles with bright room viewing, they display decent contrast in most environments. The QN80F’s higher brightness gives a stronger perceived contrast thanks to the higher brightness difference between light and dark tones. But look closer, and it’s clear that contrast and black levels are areas where OLED shines.

Watching the subway fight scene and opening crime scene in The Batman, the B5 demonstrated superb contrast, and while there was a hint of black crush at times, shadow detail was also excellent. I found the QN80F to have solid contrast in isolated viewing during my testing, but next to the B5, there was an obvious winner. The B5’s sharper textures and finer details also gave the picture a more 3D-like effect.

Blacks on the B5 also have that inky quality that OLED fans love. In both The Batman and in Nosferatu, particularly the scenes where Hutler first arrives at Orlock’s castle, the QN80F’s black levels were slightly raised, taking on a grayer tone, whereas the black of the forest and the night sky were truly as foreboding and ominous as intended on the B5.

Final thoughts

Samsung QN80F (left) and LG B5 (right) (Image credit: Future)

Both the B5 and QN80F have a strong feature set, especially for gaming, and the new versions of LG’s webOS and Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platforms are arguably the best to date. But both TVs will require one of the best soundbars to provide a cinematic experience at home, so my comparison all comes down to picture quality.

The QN80F takes a big win for brightness, but I couldn’t help but prefer the B5’s overall picture during my side-by-side test. Its superior colors, deeper blacks and more realistic-looking textures gave it the edge. If I had the money to spend, I’d be picking the LG B5.

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