Asus announces a pair of miniature graphics cards designed for the Intel NUC 9 Extreme Kit and Pro Kit-- the Dual GeForce RTX 2060 Mini and Mini OC editions, both measuring 19.7 x 12.1 x 3.9cm.

The two graphics cards feature a 2-slot design and are 1x 8-pin powered with twin-fan coolers. Connectivity comes through three ports, namely a DVI-D, DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0b (with HDCP 2.2). Asus says the cooler, while compact, still provides plenty of thermal performance. It consists of ROG-designed twin axial fans, 0dB technology (at least when the GPU is cooler than 55 degrees Celsius), a redesigned shroud, a new heatsink and heatpipe layout and IPX5 dust resistance.

Palit launches the KalmX-- a passively cooled version of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 featuring a "vast volume of nickel plated fins" and twin nickel plated heatpipes attached to a copper heatsinks.

Being passively cooled the KalmX does not need any fans, allowing it to run silently at under 75W. As such it does not require external power, and making it ideal for smaller PC cases. In fact, the KalmX card measures 178 x 138 x 38mm. However does take a hit, with the graphics clock running at 1485MHz with a 1665MHz boost. In comparison, a typical actively cooled GTX 1650-based graphics card runs at 1485MHz, with a 1740MHz boost.

According to Context, 16% of PCs sold through the largest W. European distributors in December 2019 are AMD-based, up from the 7% of December 2018, with most of the share growing in the consumer segment.

The analyst says that while only 10% of PCs sold to retailers and consumer etailers in December 2018 are AMD-powered, the proportion is up to 24% on December 2019. Such results come not only due to the rise in AMD PC volumes, but also the result of a decline in the sales of products based on Intel processors.

PC case and cooling hardware maker NZXT launches a line of ATX power supplies aimed at gamer customers-- the C-series, with the C650, C750 and C850 models promising to provide gaming PCs with "both peace of mind and clean, reliable power."

According to the company, the C-series PSUs cover "all the essentials," with the C650 and C750 handling Nvidia GPUs up to 2080ti and AMD GPUs up to Radeon VII, while the C850 can power multi-GPU configurations. All models feature a modular design, meaning cables to not need to be attached to the PSU, easing clutter and smoothing air flow. In addition, the cables are heat and fray-resistant to provide longevity.

Zotac launches an addition to the Zbox range of ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PCs-- the Magnus EN92080V, a machine packing high-end laptop components in a chassis with a volume of all of 2.65 litres.

The Magnus EN92080V chassis is just 62.2mm tall, and carries an 8-core Intel i9 processor (with 45W TDP) and the laptop version of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics processor. it can also house up to 32GB of DDR4-2666 memory in two SO-DIMM slots as well as one 2.5-inch storage device and an M.2 SSD.

German PC maker Shuttle releases a set of four mini-PCs with the NC10 series, all featuring Whiskey Lake U processors ranging from an energy-saving Celeron dual-core up to a quad-core i7 chipset.

According to the company, all the NC10 mini-PCs are capable of 4K content while coming in a small chassis measuring just 142 x 142 x 42mm. While small, all models fit one 2.5-inch SSD/HDD and include two SO-DIMM sockets fitting up to 32GB of DDR4-2133/2400 memory. In addition, a free M.2 expansion slot allows the addition of NFMe cards measuring up to 80mm. A second M.2 slot hosts the WLAN module.

The Nintendo Switch is a fine gaming machine, but what if it could handle PC games? This is pretty much raison d'être of the Concept UFO, an Alienware prototype that's exactly, well, a portable PC imitating the Switch form factor.

“Imagine a world where you have access to AAA games wherever you are,” the company boldly states at the Dell CES 2020 conference. “You could be gaming on your laptop at home, pause, pick up another device for your commute and pick up right where you left off.”

If you know what the Switch is all about, then you know what the deal of the Concept UFO is. It is, essentially, a tablet with a detachable controller on each side. The tablet portion has an 8-inch display, making it larger than the Nintendo device, and carries an as yet unspecified Intel 10th generation Core processor and, possibly, the first Intel Xe discrete GPU, the DG1.

CES 2020 is all about impressive hardware, and on the PC front few impressed as much as the MSI MEG Aegis Ti5, for all the obvious reasons. After all, it is a gaming PC with a chassis shaped like the head of a futuristic robot.

MSI claims the MEG Aegis Ti5 carries a not only the highest-level specs, but also an HMI (Human Machine Interface) design popular with the automotive industry. A so-called MCU (MSI Commander Unit) allows the PC to display real-time information on a small circular display on the front. In addition, a knob dubbed the "Gaming Dial" allows gamers to do at least some tweaks to system performance on the fly, although MSI fails to specify how extensive said tweaks can get.