Nvidia’s N1X could show us the future of PCs—and the bill that comes with it

Nvidia’s N1X could show us the future of PCs—and the bill that comes with it

The PC industry is once again on the brink of a pivotal moment in history—or so appears to be the case, given the rumors about Computex next week.

In particular, the internet anticipates the launch of Nvidia’s N1X, an Arm-based APU expected to marry ferocious CPU performance with equally knockout GPU chops. Leaked specs suggest a total of 20 CPU cores, divided between 10 performance and 10 efficiency, and Blackwell graphics packing 6,144 CUDA cores. In real-world terms, estimates put a single N1X chip on par with laptops sporting discrete RTX 5060 (or possibly even 5060 Ti) silicon.

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Such an entry into the consumer CPU market would both make an enormous splash and mark a major milestone for Team Green. But I also can’t help wonder about what other precedents Nvidia will set with the N1X. The company has long put its days of affordable hardware behind it. You want firepower? You pony up.

So my mind is on value—and how we conceptualize the word’s meaning in this era of chaos. The biggest question at Computex may not be how powerful the next wave of PC hardware is, but whether buyers can still afford it.

I don’t expect groundbreaking technology at bargain bin rates. Nvidia would surprise me if it strayed from a high-performance, high-price tag approach. Rather, I wonder which direction (or directions) PC hardware will take overall to convince us to fork over money.

I can see a future where the best-case scenario is that you get a lot when you pay a lot—vendors following a similar playbook as Nvidia and targeting performance-minded buyers willing to spend cash despite the worsening economy. And this philosophy could easily apply to the entire range of PCs and PC hardware, not just the high-end. I wouldn’t love this outcome, but it’s at least bearable.

Let’s hope PC sales don’t all end up following the Steam Deck’s path. Steam

The far less ideal future? We occasionally see expensive aspirational hardware (e.g., 9950X3D2, N1X), sure. But otherwise we pay inflated sticker prices for small improvements to hardware and devices, as vendors become less able to take the hit on storage and memory costs. (And let’s not forget the rumblings about rising costs for plastics.) I see the Steam Deck’s return to Valve’s online store as a possible bellwether: Same hardware, but with almost 50 percent jumps in price. A 512GB OLED Steam Deck now runs $789 (up from $549), while the 1TB OLED version hits at $949 (up from $649).

Word on the street says we’ll see other new hardware drops at Computex—and I’ll be watching for them as intently as the N1X. An AMD Radeon RX 9050 would serve budget PC gaming builds, while Intel’s Wildcat Lake and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon C chips seem poised to address mainstream laptop shoppers. Now more than ever, the list prices for components or the notebooks they appear in will make or break their reception.

I don’t anticipate a value apocalypse yet, in part due to Apple. (Who would have thought?) For folks who can’t always stretch an older laptop to last years and years, the MacBook Neo sits ready as an affordable option. Its appeal may be even higher with Windows 11’s spate of problems in the last couple of years. PC vendors will have to work all the harder to keep habitual buyers to stay on this side of the fence.

I look forward to seeing how Computex shakes out. While CES shoots for the stars, this trade show typically sets concrete expectations for the remainder of the year. I’m hoping for the best, but at the very least, we’ll find out how much screaming to do while on this rollercoaster.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, Alaina Yee, Will Smith, and Glenn Mah celebrate episode 400—and 10 whole years! Adam said “No rules,” which meant we ended up with a lot of confetti, random questions, and recollections of days gone by (both good and bad). We also had our usually friendly colleague Roman Loyola stop in and throw some shade.

Also, our loyal viewers point out that our balloon decorations could be read a different way. Will took it upon himself to fix it, perhaps as a last act of camaraderie.

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And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds.

This week’s condensed nerd news

A short week equaled lighter news, perhaps in part due to Computex being just around the corner. (We tried to have more guests on the show this week, but everyone was so busy with travel and prep!)

But still, a few key stories stood out. I’m most relieved my home state’s legislators allowed the open-source community to talk some sense into it. I’m also kind of stoked to have even more justification for owning a Blu-Ray disc drive. (Chances I flash its firmware are low, though.)

Linux will no longer be legislated out of use in California. (Thank goodness.)Linux Mint

Sanity prevails: Or at least, I hope so. Looks like the sponsor of the California bill that would have required age verification for operating systems has added an exemption for Linux.

Good news, everyone: Firefox finally works on Intel 13th and 14th gen CPUs. At last.

I’m nervous: Growing up, I was always told lifetime guarantees only last for the lifetime of the guarantor. So uh, how long will Plex’s lifetime pass stick around now that the company’s jacked up its price threefold to an insane $750?

Eyes on this: A class-action lawsuit against major hard-disk drive manufacturers just got filed in the U.S., a counterpart to one already filed in Canada. We’ll see if anything comes out of it.

Check to see if your Ubiquiti hardware needs a firmware update.Ubiquiti

Heads-up: Own Ubiquiti router hardware running UniFi OS? Check ASAP to see if your equipment requires a patch for three major vulnerabilities—they’re pretty nasty.

Vindication: I’m not saying I plan to rip game discs with my Blu-Ray drive. Just that my drive’s theoretical utility just went up (and accordingly, my friends need to stop harping on my “love for old stuff”).

Cue “Taps”: The Nvidia Control Panel is finally being sent off into retirement after 20 years. (Also, how has it been two decades?)

Oh, perfect: I like nature in small doses in person. Also, I’m lazy about obtaining park passes. This tip on how to explore U.S. national parks online is perfect for me.

The only constant is change—or so the saying goes. Viewers got their first taste of it on the show itself during Episode 400, but it’s coming to this newsletter as well. Expect a fresh voice to appear here soon…one that long-time PCWorld readers might just recognize.

Alaina

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.