TechComputers & PCsLaptopsWhen it comes to a new PC, I’m in no rush to upgradeRemembering what’s happened in the past, Jon Bentley is happy to play the waiting game for a computer upgradeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechComputers & PCsLaptopsWhen it comes to a new PC, I’m in no rush to upgradeRemembering what’s happened in the past, Jon Bentley is happy to play the waiting game for a computer upgradeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Remembering what’s happened in the past, Jon Bentley is happy to play the waiting game for a computer upgrade
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Every now and then, a revolutionary new product comes out and you know it’s just right. You instinctively realise that it’s stolen a march on the competition, that it’s going to give you years of delight, and you have no qualms about investing in it.
I had that feeling withApple’s first-generationiPadPro and its Apple Pencil. I used mine for what seemed like all the time for years. In the camera world, I had had the same instant attraction to Canon’s EOS 5D Mark 2 and its revolutionary HD video capabilities, orSony’s A7 with its grasp of the mirrorless format. I’m not getting the same feelings about AI PCs. Buy one and I think you might regret it.
For starters, exactly what constitutes an AI PC seems in doubt. The principle is reasonably straightforward. Thebest laptopor desktop AI machine should not only have a CPU and a GPU but also an NPU, or Neural Processing Unit, a type of processor formulated especially to perform the parallel computing demands associated with AI.
But if you’d bought a new AI PC early this year it’s arguably already obsolete. Intel’s Meteor Lake ‘Core Ultra’, with its NPU, appeared in what were often referred to as ‘AI laptops’ from the likes of Acer and Lenovo. Yet in May,Microsoftpronounced them ‘too slow’ for the AI features incorporated in its new Copilot+ standard. This demands an on-board NPU that’s capable of 40 TOPS or Trillions of Operations per Second. Intel’s NPU could manage only 10 TOPS.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
(Image credit: Microsoft)
My own PCs – both laptop and desktop – are getting on a bit and, in an ideal world, I’d like ‘future proof’ replacements that are AI capable. But ‘future-proofing’ is perilous. You buy something that should be fi t for the future but the future doesn’t turn out quite as expected. I generally prefer to buy on the basis of what things can do now rather than what they might be able to do in the future.
When the GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards appeared in 2018, for example, they offered the prospect of real-time ray tracing in games. But Windows couldn’t take advantage of it and the games didn’t exist yet. The savvier buyer waited for the games to be written, and the next generation, cheaper, RTX 30-series cards which ran them better.
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With AI PCs I don’t think it pays to be an early adopter. I would wait to see if promising AI software arrives and then buy the PC best at handling it. You might find you need an even higher spec NPU and that they’re out at a lower price.
Personally I’m going to squeeze a bit more life out of my existing computers. A more capable and better value AI PC, running intriguing applications, could be just round the corner and I’m happy to wait until it materialises.
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Today’s best laptop dealsApple MacBook Air M3$999ViewSee all pricesDell XPS 13 Plus$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesLow StockLenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook$599$456.99ViewSee all pricesHP Spectre x360 14$1,399.99ViewSee all pricesApple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)$3,599ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best laptop dealsApple MacBook Air M3$999ViewSee all pricesDell XPS 13 Plus$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesLow StockLenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook$599$456.99ViewSee all pricesHP Spectre x360 14$1,399.99ViewSee all pricesApple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)$3,599ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best laptop deals
Apple MacBook Air M3$999ViewSee all pricesDell XPS 13 Plus$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesLow StockLenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook$599$456.99ViewSee all pricesHP Spectre x360 14$1,399.99ViewSee all pricesApple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)$3,599ViewSee all prices
Apple MacBook Air M3$999ViewSee all prices
Apple MacBook Air M3$999ViewSee all prices
Apple MacBook Air M3
Apple MacBook Air M3
$999View
$999
$999
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Dell XPS 13 Plus$2,399.99ViewSee all prices
Dell XPS 13 Plus$2,399.99ViewSee all prices
Dell XPS 13 Plus
Dell XPS 13 Plus
$2,399.99View
$2,399.99
$2,399.99
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Low StockLenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook$599$456.99ViewSee all prices
Low Stock
Low Stock
Low Stock
Low Stock
Low Stock
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook$599$456.99ViewSee all prices
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook
$599$456.99View
$599$456.99
$456.99
See all prices
HP Spectre x360 14$1,399.99ViewSee all prices
HP Spectre x360 14$1,399.99ViewSee all prices
HP Spectre x360 14
HP Spectre x360 14
$1,399.99View
$1,399.99
$1,399.99
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Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)$3,599ViewSee all prices
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)$3,599ViewSee all prices
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch M4 (2024)
$3,599View
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See all prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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