Computex 2024 continues to floor us with some of the coolest computing tech we’ve ever clapped eyes on.
As the Taiwanese extravaganza continues to open its doors to drooling journalists and influencers, our experts at Tom’s Guide are going hands-on with some truly exciting devices. From outrageously designed yet awesome custom-built PCs to AI assistants that could prove hugely useful to gamers, we’re seeing a glimpse of a possible future at Computex 2024.
On Computex Day 2, we saw incredibly advanced Wi-Fi 7 routers, witnessed the potential computing might of Intel Lunar Lake chips and got up and personal with a PC that was housed inside a giant Avatar-themed robot. Naturally.
As for Day 3, we’ve been testing an incredible racing sim cockpit, a gaming laptop that could challenge the mighty Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 and a mid-tower case that’s so roomy, you can stick a plastic Wolverine inside it. No, really.
Here are some of the most exciting products we’ve seen at Computex 2024 Day 3.
Asus TUF Gaming A14
The ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) is one of the best gaming laptops we’ve ever tested at Tom’s Guide. Yet this OLED beauty starts at $1,599 and goes up to $2,199 for its top-end RTX 4070 config, so it’s only really a viable option if you’re a hardcore gamer with a ton of expendable income.
Enter the Asus TUF Gaming A14: the first 14-inch gaming laptop the company has ever made. Our own Jason England went hands-on with this impressive system on the Computex show floor earlier today, and he reckons it’s a machine that could give the latest G14 a real run for its money as it looks like it could hit that price-to performance ratio more sweetly than the Zephyrus.
The Asus TUF Gaming A14 sports an AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, yet it’s the AI capabilities which should really have Asus’ laptop sweating. This new TUF model takes advantage of AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 series chip, which is way more performant when it comes to tackling AI tasks than the G14.
The only downside? It uses an IPS display, unlike the gorgeous OLED screen that makes gaming on the G14 so special. Still, according to Jason, the A14 feels great to type on.
Project G-Assist
We covered Nvidia’s Project G-Assist earlier in the week, and now Jason has gone hands-on with this seriously clever AI agent that’s been specifically been designed to assist you in select video games.
Jason has been using G-Assist in Ark: Survival Ascended, and he reckons it could be huge for accessibility going forwards. Through text and voice prompts, G-Assist can provide you with handy in-game advice like telling you what dinosaurs are dangerous (hint: the ones with the pointy teeth), or suggesting the best early weapons to use in the survival sim. This exciting new AI model is able to do this as it’s been trained to draw data directly from the official Ark wiki.
G-Assist can also analyze your in-game performance, helping to boost frame rates or increase power efficiency. We can’t wait to see this AI assistant be incorporated into more PC games going forward.
FV270 RGB Mid-Tower
Is it a bird?! Is it a plane?! Wait, it’s actually Wolverine stuck inside a super-flashy Mid-Tower PC case. The point being, this tower of power has so much space, you could pretty much stick whatever plastic superhero in the glass display area located in the front of the FV270 RGB.
Skytech Gaming’s almost absurdly flashy case is primarily constructed using tempered, curved panoramic glass, which is why it offers such an awesome level of transparency. Angled cooling fans should hopefully ensure your RTX 4090 doesn’t melt poor Wolvey, too.
The Skytech Gaming FV270 RGB (say that 10 times fast!), is compatible with E-ATX motherboards, and has enough space to house a 420mm GPU, which can then either be horizontally or vertically mounted.
Thermaltake GR500
Image 1 of 2
Another gadget that’s gonna be right up Jason’s alley. As Thermaltake describes it, the “GR500 is a comprehensive racing simulator cockpit designed for a professional and immersive gaming environment. The frame is made from a sturdy aluminum profile and steel structure, providing superior rigidity and stability.” So basically, it looks like an amazing piece of kit if you love racing sims.
This puppy has clearly been designed with comfort in mind, too. Not only does it feature an adjustable steering wheel, you can also make recline adjustments to its chair during a marathon session on EA’s F1 24.
Data Image automotive displays
Image 1 of 2
Data Image is a company that is targeting markets you wouldn’t automatically think about when it comes to cutting edge display tech. At this year’s Computex, the company has been showing off a variety of vibrant displays that have been designed to be used in your car/on your motorbike, on a boat and in the medical industry.
We took snaps of a couple of cool displays, one of which takes the form of a circular screen that works as a GPS that has been installed on an Indian Motorcycle. The other is the “Special Vehicle Instrument Cluster” you can see above that essentially looks like the fanciest car dash you could possibly imagine.
Presumably, final retail products will shrink in size, because currently it looks like you’d need an automobile the size of a house on wheels to squeeze that bad boy above your steering wheel.
Mistel MD750 Delight
Image 1 of 3
What a lovely looking little mechanical keyboard. Those eye-catching, extra colorful keys are given a further wow factor with per-key RGB lighting. The Delight supports both Mac and Windows machines, boasts a handy LED screen and shortcut knob, while its 75% form factor means it should be ideal for those of you with cramped desks. Mistel’s peripheral can be connected to your laptop, MacBook or desktop either through an included 2.4Ghz wireless dongle or over Bluetooth.
Palit RTX 4090 Neptunus
Too. Much. RGB. Apologies if the image above has just scorched your corneas. Wherever you stand on RGB lighting, there’s no denying Palit’s RTX 4090-powered rig is a monster. Not only does the Neptunus house the world’s fastest consumer GPU, Team Green’s beast of a graphics card is backed up by Intel’s Core i9-1400K processor, which is one of the best gaming CPUs on the planet. It’s also water-cooled and allows the user to place the GPU vertically, which is always an eye-arousing bonus.
Asus ZenScreen Smart MS27UC
Talk about a monitor with serious smarts. The Asus ZenScreen Smart MS27UC is a display that’s been purpose built to let you connect pretty much any device you can think of to it… well, probably not your toaster. Miracast wireless screen-mirroring lets you broadcast content from your phone or one of the best tablets to the ZenScreen, while a USB-C port and DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 connections means it should also be a doddle to connect this monitor to a laptop or PC.
Oh, and the fact it has a storage sleeve on the rear that can house a keyboard? C’mon now, that’s just showing off.
The fact the MS27UC also comes with built-in support for Google TV means you don’t even need to connect a device to the ZenScreen to be entertained.
Back to Gaming Laptops
