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My hands-on experience of the Asus Ascent GX10 was a radical one that is only relevant to those actively engaged in AI development

4:05 am | January 27, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets | Tags: AI, ARM | Comments: Off

Rather than a review, this is a ‘hands-on’ in which I’ve explored what the Asus Ascent GX10 offers, providing information that might be critical to those considering purchasing one.

The first important piece of information about this hardware is that this isn’t a PC, or rather, it's not an Intel, AMD or X86-compliant platform that can run Windows.

It’s built around ARM technology, much like modern phones and tablets, although its ARM technology has been scaled up to work with massively powerful Nvidia Blackwell technology that is capable of 1 petaFLOP of AI performance using FP4.

This has all been shoehorned into a gorgeously engineered 150mm-square, 51mm-high form factor that resembles an oversized NUC.

The system can be used directly by attaching a mouse, keyboard, and screen, but it’s also intended to be used in a headless mode from another system, which might explain why it comes with relatively modest onboard storage.

What this system doesn’t allow for is much expansion, at least internally. The inclusion of a special networking connection, the Nvidia ConnectX-7 port, does allow another Ascent GX10 node to be stacked on top, doubling the amount of processing power and the price.

The platform that runs the integrated AI software stack is Ubuntu Linux, so familiarity with that might be useful for those wanting to work directly on it.

As anyone working in AI can already attest, nothing to do with this type of development is cheap, and the Asus Ascent GX10 is more than $3000 for a single node.

But given the expertise needed to use this hardware and the associated developer costs, this AI-focused hardware might be the least expensive part of any project. And, with memory costs rising dramatically, a system with 128GB of LPDDR5X onboard it might be significantly more expensive by the end of 2026 than it is at the start of it.

Asus Ascent GX10: Price and availability

How much does it cost? From $3090, £2800
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? From online retailers.

The ASUS Ascent GX10 isn’t available directly from Asus, but it's easy to find at many online retailers, including Amazon.

For US readers, the price on Amazon.com is $3099.99 for the 1TB storage SKU (GX10-GG0015BN), and $4,149.99 for the 4TB storage model (GX10-GG0016BN).

Given that a 4TB Gen 5 SSD is about $500, that is a remarkable price hike for the extra storage capacity.

For UK readers, on Amazon.co.uk the 1TB model price is £3769, but I found it via online retailer SCAN for a more palatable £2799.98. SCAN also carries a 2TB option for $3199.99 and the 4TB model for £3638.99.

The important details of this platform are that the hardware inside the GX10 isn’t exclusive to Asus, as Nvidia GPUs are (in theory) available across a number of brands, and Nvidia has its own model.

The Nvidia DGX Spark Personal AI Supercomputer, as the originator modestly calls it, costs £3699.98 in the UK, for a system with 128GB of RAM and 4TB of storage.

Acer offers the Veriton AI GN100, which bears an uncanny visual resemblance to the Asus but comes with 4TB of storage, like the Nvidia option. This is £3999.99 direct from Acer in the UK, but only $2999.99 from Acer in the US.

Another choice is the Gigabyte AI TOP ATOM Desktop Supercomputer, a 4TB storage model that sells for £3479.99 from SCAN in the UK, and can be found on Amazon.com for $3999.

And the final model with the same spec as most is the MSI EdgeXpert Desktop AI Supercomputer, selling for £3,598.99 from SCAN in the UK, and $3999 on Amazon.com for US customers.

Overall, the prices of all these products are roughly in the same ballpark, but the Asus in its 1TB configuration is one of the cheaper choices, especially for those in Europe.

Asus Ascent GX10 AI Supercomputer — (Image credit: Mark Pickavance)

Asus Ascent GX10: Specs

Item	Spec
CPU:	ARM v9.2-A CPU (GB10) (20 ARM cores, 10 Cortex-X925, 10 Corex-A725)
GPU:	NVIDIA Blackwell GPU (GB10, integrated)
RAM:	128 GB LPDDR5x, unified system memory
Storage:	1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD storage
Expansion:	N/A
Ports:	3x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, 20Gbps, alternate mode (DisplayPort 2.1) 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C,with PD in(180W EPR PD3.1 SPEC) 1x HDMI 2.1 1x NVIDIA ConnectX-7 SmartNIC
Networking:	10GbE LAN, AW-EM637 Wi-Fi 7 (Gig+) , Bluetooth 5.4
OS:	Nvidia DGX OS (Ubuntu Linux)
PSU:	48V 5A 240W
Dimensions:	150 x 150 x 51 mm (5.91 x 5.91 x 2.01 inch)
Weight:	1.48kg

Asus Ascent GX10: Design

Uber NUC
Connect-7 scalability
Limited internal access

While the GX10 looks like an oversized NUC mini PC, at 1.48kg it's heavier than any I’ve previously encountered. And that doesn’t include the substantial 240W PSU.

The front is an elegant grill with only the power button for company, and all the ports are on the rear. These include four USB-C ports, one of which is required for the PSU to connect, a single 10GbE LAN port and a single HDMI 2.1 video out.

You can connect more than one monitor by using the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports in DP Alt mode, if you have the adapters to convert those into DisplayPort.

What seems mildly odd is that Asus went with three USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, a standard that was an effective dead end in USB development, and not USB4. And, there are no Type-A USB ports at all, forcing the buyer to use an adapter or hub to attach a mouse and keyboard to this system.

As mice and keyboards are still mostly USB-A, that’s slightly irritating.

But what makes this system truly interesting is the inclusion of a ConnectX-7 Smart NIC alongside the more conventional 10GbE Ethernet port.

The best the 10GbE LAN port can offer is a data transfer of around 840MB/s, which is technically slower than the USB ports, even if it's quick by networking technology.

The ConnectX-7 port is a technology developed by Mellanox Technologies Ltd, an Israeli-American multinational supplier of computer networking products based on InfiniBand and Ethernet technology that was acquired by Nvidia in 2019.

In this context, ConnectX-7 provides a means to link a second GX10 directly over a 200 Gbit/s (25 GB/s) InfiniBand network, enabling performance scaling across the two systems.

There are certainly parallels with this type of technology to the time when Nvidia enabled two GPUs to work in unison using a dedicated interconnect, but the ConnectX-7 interface is a much more sophisticated option where both processing and memory can be used in collective exercise, enabling the handling of large-scale models with over 400 billion parameters. That's double the 200 billion that a single unit can cope with.

Mellanox does make ConnectX switches, but I’m not sure if it is possible to connect more than two GX10 via one of those. Being realistic, each system is still only capable of 200 Gbit/s communication, so adding additional nodes beyond two might offer diminishing returns. But this technology is utilised in switched fabrics for enterprise data centres and high-performance computing, and in these scenarios, the Mellanox Quantum family of InfiniBand switches supports up to 40 ports running at HDR 200 Gbit/s.

It may be that products like the GX10 will be the vanguard for the wider use and application of ConnectX technology, and a blueprint for easily expandable clusters.

However, the last aspect I looked at on the GX10 was a disappointment, and it was the only nod to upgradability that this system has, beyond adding a second machine.

On the underside of the GX10 is a small panel that can be removed to provide access to the one M.2 NVMe drive that this system supports.

In our review, the hardware was occupied by a single 2242 M.2 PCIe 4.0 1TB drive, although you can also get this system with 4TB. The fact that there wasn’t room for a 2280 drive is a shock, because that effectively limits the maximum internal storage to 4TB.

But conversely, the only other of these types of systems I’ve seen, the Acer GN100 AI Mini Workstation, has no access to the internal storage at all. So perhaps Asus Ascent GX10 owners should be thankful for small mercies.

Asus Ascent GX10: Features

ARM 20-core CPU
Grace Blackwell GB10
AI platforms compared

The Nvidia GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip represents a significant leap in AI hardware, emerging from a collaborative effort between Nvidia and ARM. Its origins lie in the growing demand for specialised computing platforms capable of supporting the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence models. Unlike traditional x86-based systems, the GB10 is built around ARM v9.2-A architecture, featuring a combination of 20 ARM cores—specifically, 10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725 cores. This design choice reflects a broader industry trend towards ARM-based solutions, which offer improved efficiency and scalability for AI workloads.

The GB10’s capabilities are nothing short of remarkable. It integrates a powerful Nvidia Blackwell GPU paired with the ARM CPU, delivering up to a petaFLOP of AI performance using FP4 precision. This level of computational power is particularly suited to the training and inference of large language models (LLMs) and diffusion models, which underpin much of today’s generative AI. The system is further enhanced by 128GB of unified LPDDR5x memory, ensuring that even the most demanding AI tasks can be handled efficiently.

The GB10’s operating environment is based on Ubuntu Linux, specifically tailored with NVIDIA’s DGX OS, making it an ideal platform for developers familiar with open-source AI tools and workflows.

There is an exceptionally fine irony to this OS choice, since Nvidia’s hardly been a friend to Linux over the past three decades, and has actively obstructed its attempts to compete more widely with Microsoft Windows. If anyone doubts my opinion on the relationship between Linux and Nvidia, then search for “Linus Torvalds” and “Nvidia”. Recently, Linus has warmed to the company, but much less to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. And, he’s not a fan of the AI industry, which he described as "90% marketing and 10% reality".

Looking to the future, the evolution of the GB10 and similar superchips will likely be shaped by the ongoing arms race in AI hardware. As models grow ever larger and more complex, the need for even greater memory bandwidth, faster interconnects, and more efficient processing architectures will drive innovation. The modularity offered by technologies like ConnectX-7 hints at a future where AI systems can be scaled seamlessly by linking multiple nodes, enabling the handling of models with hundreds of billions of parameters.

In terms of raw AI performance, the GB10 delivers up to 1 petaFLOP at FP4 precision, which is heavily optimised for quantised AI workloads. While this is less than the multi-petaFLOP performance of NVIDIA’s flagship data centre chips (such as the Blackwell B200 or GB200), the GB10’s power efficiency is a standout. It operates at around 140W TDP, far lower than the 250W or more seen in GPUs like the RTX 5070, yet offers vastly more memory (128GB vs 12GB on the 5070). This makes the GB10 especially suitable for developers and researchers who need to work with large models locally, without the need for a full server rack.

While there are some other players hidden in the shadows, mostly Chinese, the key AI players are Nvidia, AMD, Google and Apple.

NVIDIA has the Blackwell B200/GB200 products for datacenter flagships, offering up to 20 petaFLOPS of sparse FP4 compute and massive HBM3e memory bandwidth. These are massively expensive enterprise products, and the GB10, by contrast, is a scaled-down, more accessible version for desktop and edge use, trading some peak performance for efficiency and compactness.

AMD's line of AI accelerators is the Instinct MI300/MI350, these are competitive in terms of raw compute and memory bandwidth, with the MI350X offering up to 288GB HBM3e and strong FP4/FP6 performance. But these don’t offer the same level of flexibility as the GB10, even if they’re better suited to interference tasks. And, the same can be said for Google TPU v6/v7, a technology that is highly efficient for large-scale inference and is optimised for Google’s own cloud and AI services.

Whereas Apple M3/M4/M5 and Edge AI Chips are optimised for on-device AI in consumer products, with impressive efficiency and integrated neural engines. However, these chips are not designed for large-scale model training or inference, and their memory and compute capabilities are far below what the GB10 offers for professional AI development.

The NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip stands out as a bridge between consumer AI hardware and data centre accelerators. It offers a unique blend of high memory capacity, power efficiency, and local accessibility, making it ideal for developers and researchers who need serious AI capability without the scale or cost of a full server. While it cannot match the absolute peak performance of the largest data centre chips, its unified memory, advanced interconnects, and software support make it a compelling choice for cutting-edge AI work at the desktop.

However, that statement does assume that current AI is a path work taking.

Asus Ascent GX10: AI Reality Check

Looking at the specifications of the Asus Ascent GX10, it's easy to be impressed by how much computing power Asus, with the help of Nvidia, has managed to squeeze into a tiny computer, and its ability to scale.

However, there are three practical little pigs living in this AI straw house, and in this story, I’m the wolf.

Those researching AI might think I’m referring to the three AI issues that confront all public implementations. Those being algorithmic bias, lack of transparency (aka explainability), and the significant ethical/societal risks associated with the spread of misinformation. But I’m not, because these are potentially fixable to a degree.

Instead, I’m talking about the three unfixable issues with current models

Almost every AI platform is based on a concept called the Deep Neural Net, and under that are two approaches that are generally classified as LLM (Large Language Models) and Diffusion models, which are the ones that can generate images and video.

What both these sides of the Deep Neural Net coin show is a pattern-matching approach to problems, like the computer is playing a complex version of the children’s card game Snap. The results are coloured by the scale of the data and how quickly the routines and hardware platforms find the patterns.

Before IBM made computers, they sold card files, with the concept that it was quicker to navigate the cards to the information you wanted.

It’s a generalisation, but these models are purely more sophisticated versions of that, because if the pattern they’re looking for doesn’t exist in the data, then the routine can’t inspirationally create it.

To make the results seem less random, model designers have tried to specialise their AI constructs to focus on narrower criteria, but the Nirvana of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is that the AI should be generally applicable to almost any problem.

How this issue manifests in AI responses is that when confronted with a pattern that the routine can’t match accurately, it just offers up the partial matches it found that may or may not be related at all.

These ‘hallucinations’, as they’re often called, are a choice the model makers have between the AI admitting it has no idea what the answer is, and delivering a response that’s got a remarkably low possibility of being correct. Given that AI companies don’t like the idea of their models admitting they haven’t a clue what the answer is, hallucinations are deemed preferable.

Perhaps some of the problem here is not AI, but that users aren’t trained to check what the AI is producing, which isn’t entirely spurious.

The next issue is the classic ‘prompt injection’ issue, where you ask a question, and then, often based on the response, you realise you asked the wrong one, and then proceed in an entirely different direction. The AI doesn’t recognise this pivot and tries to apply its previous pattern constructions to the new problem, and becomes entirely confused.

And the final piglet, where current AI entirely falls down, might be classed as original thinking, where what the user wants is a new approach to a problem that hasn’t been documented before. What has defined humans as being especially impressive thinkers is their ability to abstract, and that is something that current AI doesn’t do, even modestly.

While prompt injection can probably be solved, the other two issues regarding generalisation and abstraction are unlikely to be fixed by the Deep Neural Net, these need a radically new approach, and ironically, not one that AI is likely to come up with.

Some of you reading this will be wondering why I’ve inserted this information into this product reveal, but the whole purpose of the Asus Ascent GX10 is to facilitate the design and testing of LLMs and Diffusion models, and at this time, these have significant limitations.

But critically, the development of the whole Deep Neural Net direction doesn’t appear to have resolution to some of the more problematic issues, which suggests it might ultimately be a dead end.

It might turn out to be useful for lots of problems, but it's not the AI we’re looking for, and the likelihood of it evolving into that true artificial intelligence is extremely low.

This is especially relevant to the Asus Ascent GX10, since it doesn’t have a practical purpose beyond the creation of models, as it’s not a PC.

These aren’t all the issues associated with AI, but they’re some of the ones that might directly impact those buying the GX10, at some point or another.

Asus Ascent GX10: Early verdict

It’s exciting to see Asus make something this radical, showing that it truly believes in a post-Windows, post-PC future where hardware is purely specified for a specific task, and in the case of the Asus Ascent GX10, that’s AI model development.

I’ve already covered the caveats regarding that subject, so for the purpose of this conclusion, let's pretend that AI is the solid bet that some think, and not an underachieving dead end that others believe.

For corporations, the cost of this hardware won’t be an issue for their IT people to experience building AI models and evaluating their worth.

The beauty of a system like the GX10 is that it’s a finite cost, unlike buying access to an AI server centre cluster, which will be an ongoing cost, and likely to become more expensive if demand is high. While the data centre still might be needed for the biggest projects, or for deployment, the GX10 does provide a first rung for any proof of concept.

However, if the AI path is not the one that is ultimately taken, this machine becomes mostly a beautifully engineered paperweight.

For more compact computing, see our guide to the best mini PCs you can buy

Code Vein 2 is everything I could’ve wanted from a sequel as a fan of the original game — except its dismal console performance

2:00 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming | Comments: Off

I was unsure about action soulslike Code Vein 2 during my first six hours of play. The game promises a large open world to explore, but it’s hesitant to hand over the reins while your total playtime is still in the single digits.

Review information

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: January 29, 2026

That’s not to say it’s a slow starter, though. Code Vein 2 does a great job of steadily introducing you to its new and overhauled gameplay systems in those opening hours. And overall, this is a much more confident game than its 2019 prequel.

The original Code Vein, which I’m nonetheless a fan of, was painfully linear (outside of one comically labyrinthine level about halfway through) by soulslike standards, had fairly one-note characters, and a difficulty that was more rollercoaster than curve.

Code Vein 2 comes seven years later and is a vast improvement on almost all fronts. It presents a world, story, and characters I couldn’t help but fall in love with. The open world, once it does truly open up, is wonderful to explore; packed with things to find and secrets to uncover without feeling overwhelming. I adore the new Blood Code system, too, which makes it incredibly easy and riskless to try out new weapons, abilities, and builds.

If you generally enjoy soulslikes, including Lies of P or the Nioh series - or if you were a fan of the original Code Vein - then Code Vein 2 gets an easy recommendation from me. Some of the original game’s problems do persist here, though. Namely, a lack of enemy and boss variety, some rather samey dungeon design, and a bit of a difficulty trench that makes much of the mid-game pretty breezy.

However, these issues pale in comparison to my main bugbear with Code Vein 2. Its performance on console needs some serious work, with the game often struggling to meet even 30 frames per second (fps) in the larger outdoor environments. There’s also little difference between the two console performance options; neither offers a particularly stable play experience.

If Bandai Namco is able to rectify this through post-game support, however (and there will likely be a good amount of it with an expansion set to release this year), then Code Vein 2 has a chance of becoming one of the best soulslike games of recent years. After all, the ingredients are already here.

The end of the world as we know it

A boss enemy in Code Vein 2, wielding a large greatsword. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

If you’re new to the series, fear not. Code Vein 2’s story is, by and large, a separate entity from that of the first game. While some terminology and lore tidbits do cross over, the original is certainly not required reading in order to enjoy this sequel.

Best bit

The player character in Code Vein 2, about to perform a claw-like attack with their Jail weapon. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

I love what the team has done with the Blood Code system in Code Vein 2. Effectively, templates for your desired build make experimenting with a bunch of different weapon types, skills, and boosters a delightfully simple process; no need for tedious stat reallocations here. Though I will say, an option to save loadouts would’ve been nice.

It does begin in a similar manner, though. The player character, having recently died, is resurrected as a revenant hunter. From your base of operations, MagMell, you’re tasked with slaying five heroes of old in order to prevent an imminent calamity.

It’s not as simple as just rocking up to their door and demanding a fight, though. You’ll first need to procure a key - a resonant object that played an important part in any given hero’s life - to release them from dormancy. To do so, you’ll travel back in time to the hero’s eras not only to explore their regions on the world map, but also to get to know them intimately and help them solve the crises of their time.

It’s a brilliant narrative hook. The heroes are all incredibly likable characters. Befriending and forming bonds with them in the past, only to have to put them down in their boss forms in the present, always left me feeling a little saddened. It was enough of a hook to get me to keep playing, especially as side quests involving the heroes can help them come to terms with past regrets and put a more positive spin on their fates in the future.

Full kit

The player character wields a sword in Code Vein 2's Sunken City area. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Code Vein 2 puts player expression at the forefront. Like the first game, you’ll start with a fantastic, in-depth character creator, and it’s even better in the sequel. You can customize your character to a pretty granular degree, from clothing and accessories to hair highlights and even how light bounces off their eyes.

I’m not ashamed to admit I spent a whole hour making my hunter, and to some, that’s probably no time at all, given the options on offer. You can fully change your appearance at MagMell at any time, too, if you ever want to make adjustments both small and large.

There’s a healthy amount of weapon types, too, from massive axes and hammers to hit-and-run mid-range options like bayonets and rune blades. In addition to standard weapons, there are plenty of armaments to supplement your build, also. Formae, for example, come in offensive and defensive varieties. There aren’t a terrible amount of these in the game, but they do offer you options for ranged attacks, shields, evasion, and more.

Then there’s the Jails, supplementary weapons that you’ll use to drain essence from enemies to restore the Ichor you need to spend on skills. You can assign four skills to a weapon, and they come in the form of offensive maneuvers or support spells. Learning how and when to use skills in battle is essential in Code Vein 2, and using them in tandem with your regular attacks and your Jail offers a pretty satisfying combat loop.

Code of conduct

Code Vein 2's protagonist and Lou back to back. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

The Blood Code system returns in Code Vein 2, and they’ve been significantly overhauled here.

Put simply, a Blood Code is essentially a template for your desired build. Individual Blood Codes have their own spread of stats baked in (you can level up your character, but like in the first game, this is a general increase to health, attack power, and the like). This lets you best take advantage of different types of weapons and playstyle-altering boosters.

It’s a novel idea, and one I think works well here. Blood Codes mean that you don’t have to lock yourself into any one type of playstyle, like you might have to in the likes of Elden Ring or Lies of P, before having access to stat reallocation in those games.

Not liking the heavy strength-based playstyle? Swap out your Blood Code for something Dexterity or spell-focused. In terms of builds, you’re really only limited by weapon upgrade materials, which are plentiful out on the world map and can be found easily via exploration. You’re also actively incentivized to try out several Blood Codes, as maxing out familiarity with them will reward you with unique and powerful boosters, which are similar to Elden Ring’s talismans (or Dark Souls’ rings).

Blood Codes also feature the 'Burden' system. Weapons and other equipment will contribute to this burden, and your Blood Code's stats are effectively the amount of 'weight' that can be applied to them. If you're under the stat burden, you'll gain various benefits, while going over will incur penalties. Overburdened Vitality, for example, will lower your dodge efficiency under a certain health threshold.

With friends like these

Code Vein 2's Josee Anjou, one of the player character's partners, wielding a huge greatsword, sporting a metallic eyepatch and bright red hair. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Rounding out combat in Code Vein 2 are your partners, with whom you can explore the open world. You can choose which partner to take with you at any Mistle (that’s Code Vein’s version of checkpoints/bonfires), and they offer varying stats and perks based on their own playstyles and personality.

Partners are a fantastic system, too, and offer something of a stealth difficulty option, of sorts. Your partner can fight alongside you, for one, handy when you need a distraction when facing multiple enemies. Alternatively, you can ‘assimilate’ your partner, absorbing them into your Jail, giving you noticeable stat boosts and increased power. This is incredibly useful during boss fights, especially if you’re confident going one-on-one with Code Vein 2’s most challenging foes.

Speaking of challenge, one complaint I have is that, like the first game, difficulty is a bit all over the place. I greatly struggled in the first 10 or so hours of play. Enemies have incredibly high poise, rarely staggering from even heavier-hitting attacks. Most can hit like a truck, too, leading to some growing pains as you’re finding your feet in the early game.

However, once you’ve got some solid upgrades behind you - be that a powerful new weapon or Blood Code - things start to become significantly easier. The first major boss was quite the gatekeeper for me, and certainly the one I struggled most with in the entire playthrough.

After this, while the game wasn’t necessarily any easier on paper, I’d earned enough upgrades through thorough exploration that few areas, enemies, and even bosses gave me any trouble whatsoever. In fact, it wasn’t until the last couple of late-game dungeons that difficulty shot right back up, honestly feeling a little over-tuned.

Code Vein 2 has a bit of a difficulty trough, then. The game is bookended on either side by significant challenges, but you’ll likely breeze through a good three-quarters of the game’s overall content. Enemy and boss variety is pretty lacking, too, meaning you’ll quickly learn the ins and outs of most enemy types before the halfway mark. That’s definitely a shame, especially as the world presented in Code Vein 2 is otherwise incredibly creative, with some truly astounding boss designs.

The frontier wasn't built in a day

The protagonist and Lou fight a colossal enemy in Code Vein 2. It wields a large bell as a weapon. — (Image credit: Bandai Namco)

Overall, I love Code Vein 2, but there was one major aspect of the game that often prevented me from enjoying it fully. Performance on console (at least on PS5, where I reviewed the game) is frankly abysmal.

While interior locations run well enough, often maintaining the 60fps target, things plummet in the larger outdoor environments. There is a ton of environmental clutter, from rubble and foliage to abundant particle effects, which certainly doesn’t help. But even the act of swinging the camera around can cause the frame rate to chug uncomfortably. It can be a nightmare against bosses, too, with some of the flashier attacks resulting in a notable decrease in overall performance.

In short, it’s a mess. It’s something that I hope Bandai Namco can address post-launch, as Code Vein 2 is an otherwise brilliant game, unfortunately hampered all too often by poor performance.

Should I play Code Vein 2?

Play it if...

You saw the first game’s potential
If you liked the original Code Vein, then I simply can’t recommend the sequel enough. Code Vein 2 refines many systems found in that first game, and (performance hitches aside) offers a successful shift to an open-world format.

You struggle with character builds
The Blood Code system in Code Vein 2 is excellent. It lets players instantaneously change playstyles with no penalty whatsoever. This is a game that strongly encourages experimentation and never punishes you for playing around with certain stats.

You love character creation
I have a real soft spot for character creators in games, and Code Vein 2 offers one of the best I’ve seen in years. Clothing, markings, hair length, highlights, accessories (and even granular placement of said accessories), and so much more mean you could potentially spend hours crafting your perfect hunter.

Don't play it if...

You were expecting a massive challenge
There’s some friction in the early and late game, but by and large, Code Vein 2 isn’t particularly challenging. I managed to beat most bosses in a handful of attempts at most. New Game Plus does exist for those seeking greater challenges on repeat playthroughs, but I think the game could do with more challenging options in general. Maybe post-release?

Performance is paramount to you
At launch, Code Vein 2 is poorly optimized, at least for console players. Poor framerates and soupy visuals often brought on by overworked dynamic resolution, lead to a pretty uncomfortable and unenjoyable experience at times.

Accessibility

There aren’t many dedicated accessibility options in Code Vein 2 at launch. The game does feature fully remappable controls, though, and decent subtitles support that lets you adjust size, background opacity, and speaker identity.

How I reviewed Code Vein 2

My playthrough of Code Vein 2 lasted around 42 hours. This was near enough a 100% completion run, tackling all main and side quest content. In that time, I fully upgraded several weapons, Blood Codes, and Jails, and was able to craft some seriously powerful builds.

I’ll definitely be looking at a New Game Plus run close to when the planned DLC drops later this year. I played the game on PlayStation 5 with the DualSense Wireless Controller, on an LG CX OLED TV.

First reviewed January 2026

I tested the world’s fastest 12mm lens – should you buy the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens?

7:00 pm | January 26, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Camera Lenses Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C: One-minute review

The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C is the latest, and widest, lens to join Sigma’s comprehensive list of primes with a fast f/1.4 maximum aperture, complimenting the 16mm, 23mm, 30mm and 56mm f/1.4 primes in its Contemporary range.

All five f/1.4 primes are specifically designed for mirrorless APS-C cameras, and as such are small and portable. The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C is available for Sony E and Fujifilm X, but also for Canon RF, with the brand now opening up to third-party lenses with autofocus on its APS-C cameras.

Dan Mold shooting outdoors holding a Sony a6700 body with a Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens attached to it with his eye to the camera viewfinder — With a weight of just 225g and measuring 69.4mm long, the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens is beautifully sleek, and works brilliantly with small APS-C mirrorless camera bodies (Image credit: Future / Dan Mold)

Speaking of mount options, on Sony E and Fujifilm X bodies with a 1.5x sensor crop the 12mm lens behaves more like an 18mm focal length (full-frame equivalent), whereas on Canon APS-C mirrorless cameras with a 1.6x crop factor it will feel a little more zoomed in, and behave more like a 19mm focal length.

So if you own one of these APS-C mirrorless camera bodies should you run out to buy the Sigma 12mm prime? Well, it's not the widest prime on the market – that title goes to the Sony 11mm f/1.8. However, if you don't mind it being a little more zoomed in at 12mm, and prefer the brighter f/1.4 maximum aperture, then it's an absolute no-brainer.

If your budget can't quite stretch to the Sigma 12mm, or you shoot on Sony mirrorless, then you'll want to see what other options are available for you below.

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C: Price and availability

Priced at $579 / £519 / AU$1,000
Lens hood included
Announced August 2025

Sigma announced the 12mm f/1.4 DC | C on August 19 2025, and it started shipping later in September.

It's available for Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF mounts and costs $579 / £519 / AU$1,000. To put that into context, its rivals are the Sony E 11mm f/1.8, which costs $699 / £477 / AU$799, the Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 STM, which costs $429 / £440 / AU$624, and the Samyang AF 12mm f/2, which retails for $499 / £348 / AU$598.

While it can’t match the Sony’s wide focal length, it does offer a great balance of a still very wide 12mm focal length and that super-wide f/1.4 aperture, all wrapped up in a very small and portable package.

It's a little more expensive than the Viltrox and Samyang offerings, so those on tighter budgets may prefer to save money and miss out on the better features found in the Sigma 12mm. Sony users will be faced with a tougher choice, as they'll have to also weigh up the Sony E 11mm f/1.8, which has a wider focal length at the cost of a slower maximum aperture.

For me, the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens would have been even better value for money if it had included an iris ring lock and MF/AF switch on the barrel, though I think for most people these will be minor gripes in an otherwise stellar lens that combines brilliant portability with great image quality and a super-fast and wide aperture and focal length.

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C: specs

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC specs
Type:	Wide-angle prime
Mount:	Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF
Sensor:	APS-C
Focal length:	12mm (18mm effective on Fujifilm & Sony, 19.2mm on Canon RF)
Max aperture:	f/1.4
Minimum focus:	0.17m
Filter size:	62mm
Dimensions:	68 x 69.4mm
Weight:	7.9oz / 225g

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C: Design

Some level of weather-sealing that's usually reserved for more premium Art lenses
Very lightweight at 7.9oz / 225g
Sony and Fujifilm versions have an iris ring, while Canon version has a Control Ring

The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C is perfectly small and portable, with super-sleek dimensions of 68 x 68.4mm and a weight of just 225g, which makes it well matched with the smaller APS-C bodies it’s designed to be used with. You can also use it on a full-frame camera, but you’ll need to use the camera's APS-C crop mode to accommodate the smaller imaging circle this lens produces.

With not a lot of lens barrel to play with, the exterior design has been kept simple, with just an electronic fly-by-wire focus ring and also an iris ring to control the aperture – the latter is a ‘Control’ ring on Canon RF cameras, which can be assigned to a range of functions, including, but not limited to, aperture.

There are, however, no switches on the barrel itself, which means you’ll need to dive into the menus to switch between AF and MF. There’s also no switch to lock the iris ring in its ‘A’ mode to prevent it from slipping, and the iris ring is also clicked, with no way to switch it over to a de-clicked mode – two features which I’ve become accustomed to after using Sigma Art lenses such as the 135mm and 17-40mm. While not a dealbreaker by any means, these would have been welcome inclusions here.

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens shoot outdoors on a metal table — The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C features an iris control ring, though this is replaced by a Control Ring on the Canon edition (Image credit: Future / Dan Mold)

Inside, the lens is constructed from 14 elements in 12 groups, and includes three aspherical elements, plus two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements.

It has a rounded 9-bladed aperture design which can be opened as wide as f/1.4 or closed to f/16. The minimum focus distance is also just 17.2cm, so close-up shots with blurry backgrounds are very possible (see my test shots in the Performance section).

On the front of the lens is a filter thread which takes 62mm screw-in filters. A LH652-01 petal lens hood is included, which is equally as petite as the lens itself, and helps to block out stray light rays to reduce flare.

The front element also has a water- and oil-repellent coating that compliments the dust and splashproof design of the lens. Sigma’s more budget-friendly line of Contemporary lenses don’t usually get the weather-sealed treatment, but this 12mm is somewhat protected, as it has a rubber gasket around the rear lens mount.

The lens is as fast as or faster than its main competition, including the Sony E 11mm f/1.8, Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 and Samyang 12mm f/2, though it’s not quite as wide-angle as the Sony model. It’s also the most expensive of the pack – more than twice the price of the Samyang. It’s similar in size and weight to the Samyang and Sony, though the Viltrox model is notably larger and heavier. However, if the speed of the faster aperture or shallow depth of field are your priority and money is no object then the Sigma is definitely one to consider.

Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C: Performance

Very small and portable
Bright f/1.4 maximum aperture makes it a beast for low-light shots
Sharp details and smooth bokeh
No switches on lens barrel, making it a little difficult to switch settings

I was able to test the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC on both an APS-C Sony A6700 and full-frame Sony A7R IV in crop mode, both of which delivered images around 26MP.

Autofocus was fast and reliable – it took a brief moment to lock on but was overall impressively fast and quiet. Sigma claims the stepping motor delivers ‘minimal’ focus breathing, and in my testing I would have to agree. The autofocus was also accurate when locking on to subjects with low contrast, and it kept up well with the Sony A6700’s subject-detection and tracking, too.

It would have been nice if the lens featured optical image stabilization; however this wasn’t too much of an issue, considering most modern mirrorless cameras have sensor-based IBIS and you also have that super-wide f/1.4 maximum aperture, so you rarely capture shaky shots or footage. Many low-light shots. such as traffic trails or astrophotography. also require a tripod, so the lack of optical image stabilization for these types of shots isn't an issue.

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A test shot taken with Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens showing the blurry background and shallow depth of field with its wide maximum f/1.4 aperture — The bright f/1.4 maximum aperture makes it possible to throw the background into a beautiful blur, but its wide 12mm focal length means you need to get up close to your subject to do so (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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Image quality was overall impressive, with decent center sharpness from the get-go, though that super-wide f/1.4 aperture did contribute to a little softness around the edges and corners, but these areas became sharp very quickly by f/2.8. The corners were also quite dark in the raw and JPEG files, though again this was remedied by f/2.8, and this vignetting is easily fixed in post-production.

The in-camera lens correction profiles did a good job at creating sharp and mostly distortion-free photos. There was also impressively virtually no chromatic aberration, and the lens handled flare when shooting towards the sun very well.

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Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C image quality test shot showing architecture and interior performance — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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As is to be expected from a lens with such an extreme wide-angle focal length, Sigma’s 12mm does show some signs of barrel distortion around the edges, but this is by no means fisheye, and is overall it's very well handled. Straight lines of buildings do tend to bow a little when shot from up close, so if buildings and architecture is the top of your mind you’ll almost certainly be better off with a tilt-shift lens. Aiming the lens up at buildings exaggerates the barrel distortion the most.

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Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C lens test shot showing low light performance in London — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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However, for an everyday walkabout lens for city shots it’s a great choice. While perhaps not the best option for exterior architecture, it would be a fantastic lens for interiors, where the wide focal length will help you squeeze more of small spaces into the frame, and its bright f/1.4 aperture will help you get good results even in dark interior spaces.

Should you buy the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C?

Buy it if...

You own a Sony E, Fujifilm X or Canon RF APS-C body

The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 is small, and pairs perfectly with smaller APS-C bodies

You need a fast wide-angle prime

This Sigma lens is the fastest wide-angle prime for APS-C bodies on the market, with an f/1.4 maximum aperture

You want to blur backgrounds

With its f/1.4 maximum aperture you can get up close and personal to your subjects, and throw backgrounds into a blur with a shallow depth of field easily

Don't buy it if...

You need the versatility of a zoom

If you don't want to be stuck at just one focal length you'll likely be better off with a zoom lens that gives you more options, though this will likely have a slower max aperture

You're on a budget

The Sigma 12mm f/1.4 is the most expensive of its rivals, which include the Sony E 11mm f/1.8, Viltrox AF 13mm f/1.4 STM and Samyang AF 12mm f/2, and while it can’t match the Sony’s wide focal length it does offer a great balance of a still very wide 12mm focal length, and that super-wide f/1.4 aperture

You like to change settings quickly

With no physical switches for AF/MF on the lens barrel it can be a slow process to change settings in the camera menu. There's also no lock on the iris ring, which means it can frustratingly be knocked out of position easily.View Deal

How I tested the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C

I used the lens extensively for a month, shooting around busy cities in both during the day and at night
I paired it with the Sony a6700 APS-C body as well as a Sony a7R IV full-frame body in crop mode
I took wide-angle shots of cities, sunsets, low-light scenes, starscapes, and more

I got hold of the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC | C and Sony A7R IV and A6700 bodies for a month to give the lens a thorough testing over an extended period.

Due to its small size and portability the lens quickly became my go-to option when I needed to bring a camera with me for days out around cities such as London, where I shot everything from landscapes to cityscapes, sunsets, astro and still life.

I took a range of pictures with in-camera lens corrections enabled, and also turned off to see the comparison. I shot in raw and JPEG formats, and shot at all of the various apertures to gauge how things like corner sharpness and vignetting changed throughout the aperture range.

First reviewed January 2026

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro review: This unusual Wi-Fi 7 router has helped me future-proof my home network with support for every network device I own

5:05 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Tags: RAM | Comments: Off

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: 30-second review

Specifications

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Triband, Mesh Networking, DECT ULE, Zigbee Integration, Media Server
RAM: 128GB
Ports: USB-A 3.1, Gigabit LAN, 1x 2.5Gbps LAN/WAN
Size: Approx. 268mm x 165mm x 48mm
Weight: 1100g
Operating System: FRITZ! OS
Accessories: Power adapter, DSL & fibre cables, SFP modules, LAN cable, quick-start guide
Data transfer rate: 18520 Mbps
LAN Port Bandwidth: 1000 Mbps

AVM is known for doing things a little bit differently with networking features to make their routers stand out from the crowd, and sure enough, the Fritz!Box 5690 Pro is no different. The 5690 Pro has been designed for home and small business use, and what makes this particular model stand out from the competition is just how future-proof it is, being fully compatible with the latest technologies such as fibre and Wi-Fi 7 as well as backward compatible with what has come before.

As such, it takes the leap to Wi-Fi 7, meaning that if you have the latest devices, iPhone 16, Vivo X200 you can ensure that you get the fastest possible internet speeds. It also features two internal routers, one that enables DSL and the other fibre connections, meaning that if you've just swapped to fibre, or you know that you're going to in the near future, you can upgrade to this router knowing that it will be suitable for use later on.

Compared with many home routers, there are a few more options for connectivity on the back. Alongside the fibre and DSL to connect you to the outer world, there's compatibility for a telephone and some smart home devices built-in, so connecting an internal phone network for a small business or connecting to your smart devices in your home is made much easier with the use of this router.

Getting started with the router wasn’t as straightforward as many others that I've tested, and there are plenty of options through the setup process. Essentially, you need to know a bit more than the standard user about what type of internet connection you have, fibre, DSL, or other, and through the setup process, you're asked for speeds and other specifications that need to be answered accurately in order to make the most of what this box has to offer.

Whilst I didn't have the optional smart home additions such as the Fritz!Fon and Fritz! Smart, it's great to see that AVM has not just thought about this as a router that’s going to draw in the internet into your house or small business, but also as the expandable heart of a larger networking ecosystem.

Right from the start of this test, whilst the design, graphics and look of the Fritz!Box 5690 Pro do make it look extremely user-friendly and for the mass market, which in many ways it is, if you really want to make the most of what’s on offer here, especially those smart home features and the more advanced fibre connection, then you are going to need a higher level of network understanding.

Once you do get everything set and configured, the signal strength and speed are exceptionally good. However, used as just a straightforward router, this is on the expensive side - given that cost, it's unlikely to make it into our best Wi-Fi router round-up. But if you consider it as just the start of your home or business networking hub, especially with mesh, smart home options and an easy way to set up an internal telephone system, then it suddenly becomes very good value, which is matched by excellent performance.

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: Price and availability

How much does it cost? £453
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? You can get it Amazon

At present, the AVM Fritz!Box 5690 Pro is available in Europe from the official website here. It's also available from online retailers like Amazon.co.uk here, where it's priced at £453.

Value: 4 / 5

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: Design

Stylish design
Wi-Fi 7
DSL and Fibre support

The styling of the 5690 Pro is quite different from most other wireless home or small business routers. It's relatively large with two prominent WLAN and Connect buttons on the red detailing around the right-hand side of the unit, and four very clearly laid-out LED indicators showing connection and status.

Around the back, everything is clearly laid out, with options for both DSL and fibre connectivity. Most of us are still on DSL, which is pretty straightforward to set up, but the great point here is that it's ready for fibre as well, and in the box you're provided with a fibre-optic cable ready to get going. You just need to check that you have an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) that supports the fibre-optic cable connection. That means that it doesn’t just offer the usual network socket, but also features an optical option.

One of the first things that highlights that this is completely different from anything else is the fact that it comes with two SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) modules, essentially a plug-in adapter, which slot into the back of the unit depending on the type of fibre connection you're using. There's one module for AON up to one gigabit and another for GPON up to 2.5Gbps. This is the first of what could be a few stumbling blocks where you have to pick the correct one for your connection. If you’re on DSL then you don’t have to worry.

Once the SFP is installed, you can then connect your DSL, any analogue phones that you have, your WAN/LAN, and up to four gigabit LAN connections directly to computers. There's also a USB 3.1 port if you need to connect a USB stick or a hard drive.

The ports at the back are quite recessed, which helps protect them from getting knocked, offering a good amount of protection compared with most routers that simply have the cables sticking out.
When it comes to power, the router comes with its own power lead straight into the AC mains.

One of the other features that I liked from the outset was the WLAN button on the red detailing. This enables you to quickly turn the WLAN on and off without logging in to a web interface. A quick press will switch off the internet if you want to disable it overnight.

The second button is the Connect button, and this uses WPS pairing, ready for mesh setup. A quick push starts WPS pairing, and a longer press (up to 6 seconds) initiates the mesh connection mode.

Finally, there are four LEDs along the front. The first is Info, this is a custom status LED you can set up through the Fritz!OS, so if you do have a system that you would like a visual confirmation for, then you can assign it to this LED. Then you have Fon, which is for the phone connection, either analogue or VOIP, and will only activate if there's a phone plugged in.

The next LED is WLAN, and if this is solid, it shows that the WLAN is connected and working. Likewise, the Power/Internet LED indicates that you're connected and powered on. Otherwise, the design remains simple, with most advanced features accessible through the browser interface.

Design: 4 / 5

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: Features

One of the big features here is that it has a built-in fibre through the SFP module as well as a DSL modem, so there's no additional hardware needed. You can just take it out of the box and get started. When it comes to fibre, those two SFP modules included, one for 1Gbps and the other 2.5Gbps dependent on your connection.

Next up on the ports is the DSL and telephone port, alongside a 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN port. There are also four gigabit LAN ports for connecting computers and a USB 3.1 port.

The telephone port supports a telephone/DECT telephone system that enables cordless telephony, where this 5690 Pro box acts as a DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) base station. So if you're running a small business and need to set up an internal phone network, then this is a great option. Whilst the price for a standard router might seem expensive, when you start to factor in all these additional features, it becomes very good value.

It's worth pointing out that whilst there are plenty of features here, it will only support one internet connection at a time. This should be fine for most homes and small businesses, but if you're operating a more complex network with a dual connection, then you'll need to upgrade to a more enterprise-level router or just have two.

The Fritz!Box supports Wi-Fi 7, which enables it to simultaneously use three frequencies, 2.4GHz, 5GHz and the new 6GHz band. This multi-link operation (MLO) enables it to use multiple frequency bands for greater stability and compatibility with devices.

This box theoretically enables speeds of about 18,500Mbps, using the fastest 6GHz band at 11,530Mbps, the 5GHz band at up to 5,760Mbps, and the 2.4GHz band at 1,200Mbps. It’s just worth pointing out here that only the 5GHz and 6GHz bands will support full Wi-Fi 7 wireless connectivity.

Alongside the router, there are also a wide variety of smart home accessories, including the Repeater 6000. So if you live in a larger house or have a larger office where the Wi-Fi signal starts to get weak, then attaching one of these at a midway point will help boost the signal throughout in a mesh-style system.

Likewise, there’s also a telephone system with DECT that enables up to six cordless handsets to be connected, and Zigbee smart home control is also built into this router. Again, all of these features are great to see in a router of this type, but accessing them does take some technical know-how.

Alongside the hardware, you also have the Fritz!OS, and this enables you to manage router passwords, settings and access. You can also set up features such as advanced parental controls and guest Wi-Fi options, which is great if you're running a small business or have guests in your house and don't want them on the main network. It also enables you to set up a media server that will provide NAS-like functions using USB storage or a dedicated NAS.

Features: 4.5 / 5

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: Performance

Getting started with the Fritz!Box 5690 Pro was relatively straightforward, with the unit being removed from the box, plugged in and then the DSL cable connected. Unfortunately, while I have fibre running to the house, my box does not enable me to connect directly through the fibre optic cable into a router.
This means that whilst I can test the Wi-Fi 7 capabilities, when it comes to checking the speeds, I will be limited by that DSL connection.

One of the first things that was apparent compared with the router and mesh system that is presently installed in both the house and my office was that the single router unit had a far greater range. I was able to pass through several walls and a distance of over 8 metres without attaching a repeater.

During the test period, the router was left in place for over four weeks, supplying the household with its main internet connection, used for network storage, general household internet use and TV, and during that time the connection proved exceptionally reliable, with the ability to log on through the https://fritz.box URL to access the router options and settings.

One thing that became apparent during the initial process, and again when further devices were connected, was that, unlike some of the out-of-the-box router options available, the 5690 Pro does require a bit more technical knowledge to get set up and running. That knowledge will only become more necessary when switching over to a true fibre connection, with not only the need to connect up the fibre-optic cable, which is straightforward, but also to know the exact details of your connection type.

For the most part, the speed of the connection was exceptionally good. It's just a shame that the network port for LAN is limited to 2.5Gbps, not 10Gbps, which I would’ve expected with a router this fast. However, with a two NAS attached, the transfer rates to and from that box were excellent and on par with my existing system. Using my MacBook Pro M1 Max, I did notice that compared to the Eero router, there was very little speed difference. However, when I switched over to the ASUS ExpertBook equipped with Wi-Fi 7, I saw a significant uptick in speed.

What I also really liked was that, unlike my standard routers that offer only one or one network ports on the back, here I had four additional gigabit LAN ports, meaning that I could keep two NAS units and a network adapter attached at all times to the router, just making access between all network-connected devices that much easier.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Fritz!Box 5690 Pro: Final verdict

During the test, it became very obvious that when it comes to the Fritz!Box 5690 Pro, you should really think of this as the heart of your networking ecosystem, and one that’s future-proof, ready for fibre if you haven't already made the move from DSL.

It packs a lot into one small box with its dual modem and two connection types. Once it's set up and installed, you can use it for standard internet, phone calls, and also for operating all your smart home gadgets, of which Fritz! offers a good selection. If you already have smart home gadgets, however, then you do need to check compatibility. While it fully supports DECT ULE and some Zigbee 3.0 protocols, it’s not fully compatible with all devices, although there’s usually a workaround if you have the technical knowledge.

Those additions to the Fritz! Box ecosystem comes at an extra cost, but if you're setting up a small business and looking for a complete solution, then this is a solid option. Likewise, if you're setting up a smart home and have a bit of technical knowledge, again, this is a good choice, which actually balances out the price when you consider everything that's included.

If you're just looking for a straightforward Wi-Fi 7 router, then this might be a bit more advanced than you need, but it’s great to see that level of flexibility. The fact that it has additional gigabit LAN ports on the back does make it extremely useful and one step up from your average router, even at a base level, and for the last month I haven’t had to uplug units in order to make room for review gear.

By the end of the test, I was impressed with the quality of the wireless connection, even through my DSL connection, the performance over Wi-Fi 7 was a noticeable step up from the Wi-Fi 6 system I currently have installed. But what stood out more was that I could plug my NAS straight in, along with other network-connected devices, and there was the option to add in a telephone system as well. That means I could have a phone in the office, studio and workshop, keeping my work number separate from my personal mobile.

If you run a small business or work from home and have plenty of devices connected to the internet, then this is a solid option. You might need some technical knowledge for the more advanced features, but as a straight out-of-the-box option, it isn’t too difficult to work out, and will provide you not only with reliable internet, but a future-proof design and feature set that should last for years.

Should I buy a Fritz!Box 5690 Pro?

Value	Initially looks expensive, until you make use of the full range of features	4 / 5
Design	Very neat and unique in design and style,though a little plasticky in build quality	4 / 5
Features	One of the most feature-packed routers on the market—supports a huge variety of devices	5 / 5
Performance	Excellent compatibility across the board, full performance potential only just touched on	4.5 / 5
Overall	Flexible router that enables far more than just connecting you to the internet	4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want to centralize smart home control
A router that not only provides internet, but also manages Wi-Fi, broadband, telephony and Zigbee home tech, without additional devices.

You want the faster speeds of Wi-Fi 7
If you’ve just moved into a new home or office and need a new router, whether you have fibre installed or not, this router offers future flexibility and compatibility.

Don't buy it if...

You need multi-gig LAN
Though fast, the LAN speed is limited to just 2.5Gbps, too slow for really fast NAS transfers.

You want a simple set-up
While the basic features aren’t too difficult to set up, if you want more advanced control over your smart home, phones and your internet, some technical knowledge is required.

I reviewed this compact Dolby Atmos soundbar from Klipsch, and it would be a true great if it weren’t for this one flaw

2:00 pm | January 25, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: Dolby Atmos, TV | Comments: Off

Klipsch Flexus Core 100: review

If you’re short on space, but still want to experience the wonders of Dolby Atmos, then the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 could be the soundbar for you. This 2.1-channel model aims to supply “immersive, spatial sound” in a single, compact bar, using virtualized Atmos.

Let’s start with a bit of a reality check. The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 has some key limitations that hold it back from delivering the expansive, three-dimensional sound that larger models offer. It uses a fairly basic 2.1 channel configuration, with four main drivers – two front-firing 2.25-inch speakers, and two built-in four-inch subwoofers.

Unlike most of the best soundbars for Dolby Atmos, the Flexus Core 100 doesn’t have up-firing drivers, which are required for ‘true’ Atmos. There’s also no center channel on offer, and as a fairly narrow bar, this thing’s not going to plate up the width you’d expect from a full-length model.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 with remote on top — (Image credit: Future)

With all of that said, the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 is a pretty good-sounding model. When watching a 4K UHD Blu-ray of Top Gun: Maverick, I was impressed by accurate dialogue in the opening scene – which sounded well-defined, and maintained the echoey effect you’d expect in a wide open space.

On top of that, Maverick showcased the low-end talents of the Flexus Core 100. The rumble of jet engines was more impactful than a lot of bars in this size category – and other parts of the frequency range didn’t sound obscured as Tom Cruise’s character prepared for take off.

I will say, though, that when the jet flew up and overhead, the verticality of the move was very limited. And more generally, this soundbar struggles to conjure up a sense of height – it's understandable with its technical limitations, but it’s going to be an issue for those wanting great Dolby Atmos in a small package.

In spite of its unremarkable height effects, the Flexus Core 100 still provides a decent amount of width for such a narrow model. In The Mask, the soundbar commendably replicated the cartoonish spin of the titular character across the screen. As he smashed through a glass window, the combination of a low-end thump with a high-pitched shattering also came through with clarity and impact, capturing the surprising nature of the move brilliantly.

One small issue I picked up on was during a scene where two B-rate mobsters are playing air hockey in the backdrop. Here, the left and right channel separation seemed overzealous and choppy – likely a result of there being no center channel, as this isn't something I experienced on a 5.1 bar like the Marshall Heston 60.

Display reads 'hello' on the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 — (Image credit: Future)

As well as movies, I tried listening to some music over Bluetooth using Tidal. And like a lot of small soundbars, the Flexus Core 100 isn’t particularly talented in this department.

In Black Eye by Allie X, I was satisfied with the depth of the bass, although it wasn’t particularly agile. Meanwhile, vocals were clear enough, but not separated all too much from other sounds in the mid-range. Percussion wasn’t the most precise either, and it lacked a sense of space. Overall, I got a relatively clean listen, but one that lacked nuance or detail.

With Atmos music, it was a similar story. Dream of Arrakis by Hans Zimmer offers solid low-end punch, but the attack of percussion was fairly blunt, and vocal elements weren’t all too clear in the mix. The expansiveness of this master was also pared back quite a bit compared to what I’ve heard on more premium compact bars, like the Sonos Beam Gen 2.

Something else I realized when playing tunes, was that the soundbar didn’t automatically switch to Music mode – something I’ve become relatively accustomed to from most modern soundbars. You have to select the appropriate mode with the included remote or the Klipsch Connect Plus app.

Still, the two modes are decently differentiated, and if you want to make additional changes, you can make use of an equalizer in the companion app. And EQ options aren’t bad at all – you can manually adjust bass, mids, or treble, or switch between presets, including: Flat, Vocal, Bass, Treble, and Rock.

Man holding remote for the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 — (Image credit: Future)

More generally, I was a big fan of the Klipsch Connect Plus app. It’s brilliantly responsive, well laid-out, and pretty feature-rich. On the main screen, you can change source, activate a genuinely great multi-level voice enhancement setting, activate night mode, and more. An additional settings menu also opens up channel level adjustment, surround and subwoofer pairing, and display brightness adaption.

The only thing I was really missing on the app was some kind of room calibration tool to optimize the Flexus Core 100 to my listening space – something you’ll find on soundbars like Sonos Beam 2nd Gen and Marshall Heston 120.

I touched on the Flexus Core 100’s display a moment ago, and I have to give Klipsch some kudos here – it looks absolutely fantastic. Rather than relying on a basic lighting system, there’s a large display with full letters and numbers to let you know which mode you’re using, source you’re connected to, and volume level you’re at. This is incredibly clear, and makes for a much smoother user-experience.

On top of a neat display and seamless in-app experience, setting the Flexus Core 100 up really couldn’t have been easier. You’ve just got to connect it to a power source, and hook it up to your TV over HDMI eARC or digital optical – easy as pie. You can also build your system out at your own pace by connecting a compatible wireless sub, or a wired one via the soundbar’s ‘sub out’ port. You can also purchase Flexus Surround speakers for a more three-dimensional listening experience.

In terms of functionality, the only major miss in my view is the omission of Wi-Fi streaming. Personally, this is an absolute must for me. I love being able to use Spotify or Tidal Connect to enjoy my music in higher quality than Bluetooth streaming allows. Some may also lament the lack of DTS support, which is less common than Dolby Atmos for streaming, but is often used on Blu-rays.

We’ve spoken a lot about the technology involved so far, but how does the Flexus Core 100 fare in the looks department? In my opinion, this soundbar is a little on the average side. The large logo on the right side isn’t the most attractive, and the fabric speaker grille doesn’t quite give off a premium impression. Still, the model is well-made, and I’ve already raved about its excellent display.

One thing I’ve not mentioned yet is the Flexus Core 100’s price-tag. And this is pretty competitive, all things considered. It comes in at $349 / £299 / AU$645, which is less than a 2.0 channel rival like the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 and considerably less than compact Atmos titans like the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Bose Smart Soundbar.

In the end, then, the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 is a solid soundbar overall. It won’t deliver the most amazing Dolby Atmos, it’s not the best-looking model I’ve seen, and I’m also still sad about the omission of Wi-Fi streaming.

But its great bass levels, clear dialogue, impressive companion app support, and ease of use are all highly commendable. If you’ve got the cash, I’d suggest going with either Sonos or Marshall’s compact soundbars, but if you’re on a tighter budget, this model is well-worth considering.

Klipsch logo on the Klipsch Flexus Core 100

(Image credit: Future)

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: price and release date

$349 / £299 / AU$645
Launched in April 2024

The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 was released in April 2024, and is part of a product line that also features the Flexus Core 200 and the exceptional Klipsch Flexus Core 300.

It has a list price of $349 / £299 / AU$645, making it the cheapest product in that lineup, and very competitively priced against other compact Dolby Atmos models like the Sonos Beam Gen 2, for instance.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: specs

Dimensions	28 x 3 x 5 inches / 711.2 x 76.2 x 127mm
Speaker channels	2.1
Connections	HDMI eARC, digital optical, sub out, Bluetooth 5.0
Dolby Atmos / DTS:X	Yes / No
Sub included	No
Rear speakers included	No

Ports on the reverse side of the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 — (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Klipsch Flexus Core 100?

Attributes	Notes	Rating
Features	Great companion app, but no DTS and no Wi-Fi streaming.	3.5/5
Performance	Strong bass response, clear dialogue, decently expansive – but music and height effects are unremarkable.	4/5
Design	Not the most beautiful, but the display and build quality impressed me.	4/5
Setup & usability	Lacks room correction, but very easy to connect and control.	4/5
Value	Pretty competitively priced against rivals, but doesn’t have quite as much quality.	4/5

Buy it if...

You’re looking for some low-end power
One of the best things about the Flexus Core 100 is its impressive bass performance. Explosions and low-end heavy scores will sound so much better than they would with plain TV audio, and your viewing experiences will improve substantially.

You’re short on space
If you’ve not got a ton of space or your TV unit is on the smaller side, the Flexus Core 100 is a very nice pick indeed. It's far narrower than a model like the Sonos Arc Ultra, making it ideal for anyone who needs something smaller.

Don't buy it if...

You want awesome Dolby Atmos performance
Although the Flexus Core 100 creates a decent sense of width, its height effects aren’t convincing at all. If you want the best Atmos possible from a small soundbar, the Marshall Heston 60 – which I’ve discussed below – is your best bet.

You need Wi-Fi streaming
The lack of Wi-Fi streaming on the Flexus Core 100 is a real shame, and is something that’s pretty easy to come across on competitors. You can still stream music via Bluetooth, but the quality isn’t going to be as good.

Klipsch Flexus Core 100 review: also consider

	Klipsch Flexus Core 100	Marshall Heston 60	Sonos Beam Gen 2
Price	$349 / £299 / AU$645	$699.99 / £499.99 / AU$999	$449 / £449 / $699
Dimensions	28 x 3 x 5 inches / 711.2 x 76.2 x 127mm	28.7 x 4.9 x 2.7 inches / 730 x 124 x 68mm	25.6 x 2.7 x 3.9 inches / 651 x 68 x 100mm
Speaker channels	2.1	5.1	5.0
Connections	HDMI eARC, digital optical, sub out, Bluetooth 5.0	HDMI eARC, RCA Mono (sub out), USB-C, 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi	HDMI eARC, Ethernet, Wi-Fi
Dolby Atmos / DTS:X	Yes / No	Yes / Yes	Yes / No
Sub included	No	No	No
Rear speakers included	No	No	No

Marshall Heston 60
There aren’t many small Dolby Atmos soundbars that can outclass the Marshall Heston 60. It provides surprisingly expansive sound with surprisingly good Atmos for such a compact model. It’s also incredibly attractive with a mouth-watering amp-inspired design, and the inclusion of Wi-Fi streaming as well as DTS:X support is much appreciated. It’s very expensive, and its bug-prone companion app needs some work, but overall, it’s an awesome option. Read our full Marshall Heston 60 review.

Sonos Beam Gen 2
As I discussed in my Sonos Beam Gen 2 vs Marshall Heston 60 showdown, the former is still the compact Atmos bar to beat. Its exceptional dialogue clarity, powerful bass, and now-modest price just give it that edge. As a 5.0 channel bar, the Beam Gen 2 sounds more expansive than the Flexus Core 100, although it does skip on Bluetooth connectivity and a sub out port. It does deliver Wi-Fi streaming, though, and its modern design is among my favorites. Read our full Sonos Beam Gen 2 review.

How I tested the Klipsch Flexus Core 100

Person pressing button on the Klipsch Flexus Core 100 — (Image credit: Future)

Tested with movies and music across multiple hours
Used in our TV testing space at Future Labs
Mainly played 4K Blu-rays for movies and streamed via Tidal for music

When testing the Klipsch Flexus Core 100, I had the soundbar connected up to the phenomenal LG G5 OLED TV via its HDMI eARC port.

I spent the majority of my time with the soundbar watching 4K UHD Blu-rays – predominantly viewing them via the Panasonic DP-UB820. However, I also watched some shows on Netflix, and streamed music through Tidal using the Dolby Atmos and stereo formats.

On top of this, I made sure to exhaust all of the Flexus Core 100’s features, and cycled through all of the settings in the Klipsch Connect Plus app, including the various sound modes and EQ calibrations.

More generally, I’m an experienced tech reviewer with a particular focus on audio-visual gear, and have tested a wide range of soundbars. During almost two years at TechRadar, I’ve covered everything from budget models like the Sony HT-SF150 through to premium Dolby Atmos soundbar systems, such as the JBL Bar 1300MK2.

First reviewed: January 2026
Read more about how we test

I field-tested the best-selling Wandrd PRVKE backpack, and the hype is real — it’s my new favorite camera bag that doesn’t look like one

11:00 pm | January 24, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Camera Accessories Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Wandrd PRVKE V4 bag: Two-minute review

I've tested plenty of the best camera bags over the last 15 years (seriously, I've got quite the collection), but only recently got my hands on Wandrd gear for the first time. Of course, I had to start with the established American accessory maker's best-selling PRVKE, which is now in its V4 version.

It's a stylish roll-top backpack, available in seven muted colors and three sizes, with an optional cube insert designed to stow camera gear.

Wanting a slimline day pack, I opted for the mid-size 21L version in 'Sedona Orange' – the boldest look of the lot – with the cube insert. There's an even smaller 15L version (the only size in the range with the camera compartment built-in) or a larger 31L size. Wandrd has seemingly ditched the 41L size from the previous version of the PRVKE.

I also picked up the D1 fanny pack (also in Sedona Orange) at the same time, to complement the bag for essentials.

Wandrd PRVKE V4 bag on a white metal bench — (Image credit: Tim Coleman)

What I particularly appreciate about the PRVKE V4 is how good it looks without the usual camera bag tell-tale signs. No, this looks like a regular roll-top bag that I see so often on commuter trains in the UK, and a particularly stylish one at that.

Inside, however, I could pack several thousand dollars/pounds worth of camera gear (in the 'Essential Camera Cube'), squeeze in my 17-inch MacBook Pro, and fill a number of the small zipped pockets with accessories such as charging cables.

And there's still space in the open third at the top, which is accessed through the roll-top, for day items such as a sweater and tupperware container.

It took me a little while trying out the various compartments with my gear, seeing what combinations would easily fit in the cube, and at first, I wasn't convinced I had picked the right size for my mid-range mirrorless camera and lenses.

However, with a little endeavor, I squeezed in my mirrorless camera with lens attached, an additional lens, and various accessories, including a small LED light panel.

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I've happily used the PRVKE V4 21L for commuting and day trips, although it'd be a stretch using it for a weekend – I reckon the 31L version (which I haven't tried but has the same layout) would be ideal for that.

The PRVKE V4 truly looks the part – I really like the wide choice of muted colors it's available in, which now total seven in all, especially the orange that I went for – but it's also practical too.

The shoulder straps and back are lined with a padded mesh, making a long day of lugging gear a comfortable experience.

On one side, a stretch pocket easily holds a water bottle or tripod, with an additional strap to secure taller items. On the other side, a zip pocket accesses where the cube sits – directly to your camera gear. Not all of today's discreet camera bags offer such direct access to gear, so points to the PRVKE V4 there.

I like the handle on the top, too, with the two straps fixing to each other magnetically. They make picking up the bag a breeze, as does the additional handle on the back, which can conveniently slot over a suitcase handle for air travel.

The PRVKE V4 is not quite perfect, mind you. I found dirt a little sticky on the smooth back of the bag, and the roll-top design isn't the most weatherproof. I don't think all of the pockets are necessary either, but that might not be true of the next person.

It's also a shame that the key camera gear accessory – namely the cube insert – is a pricey extra for what is already a relatively expensive bag (15L aside, which has the camera compartments fixed in place).

Overall, these are minor drawbacks for what is clearly a well-designed backpack. I can easily see myself relying on the 21L bag for days out, commuting, and, with the cube removed, even a weekender pack. If you want a weekend bag with camera gear, I'd recommend the 31L version instead.

There's a reason the PRVKE has proved such a hit these last few years, and now, in its updated V4 form, I'm glad to have joined the party. This will no doubt be my go-to day bag for the foreseeable future.

Wandrd PRVKE V4: price and availability

Available in 15L, 21L and 31L versions
There are seven muted colors to choose from
Prices start at $234 / £207 (Australia availability and pricing vary), the camera cube costs extra

The Wandrd PRVKE has been available for a number of years, and this review is of the current V4 version.

The PRVKE V4 can be purchased in one of seven muted colors at the Wandrd store: Black, Aegean Blue, Wasatch Green, Yuma Tan, Sedona Orange, Rhone Burgundy, and Atacama Clay. It's available in three sizes: 15L, 21L, and 31L – the smallest is the only one to feature a camera gear compartment. Here's a breakdown of the prices:

The 15L version costs $279 / £246 (no need for an optional cube insert), the 21L bag only is $234 / £207, and the 31L bag only is $254 / £224.

The Photography bundle includes the Essential Camera Cube and adds $85 / £74 to the cost of the 21L and 31L versions, while the Pro photography bundle includes the larger Pro Camera Cube and add $120 / £105 to the cost. Those accessory prices are a little steep in my opinion.

The former version of the PRVKE bag also came in a larger 41L version, which is still available at various retailers for around $273 / £242.

Wandrd PRVKE V4: specs

Wandrd Prkve Specs
Sizes	15L, 21L and 31L
Colors	Black, Aegean Blue, Wasatch Green, Yuma Tan, Sedona Orange, Rhone Burgundy and Atacama Clay
Dimensions	17 x 11 x 6.25in / 43.2 x 27.9 x 15.9 cm (21L version)
Weight	2.98lbs / 1.3kg for the 21L version
Laptop sleeve	13.5 x 9.75 x 1in / 34.3 x 24.8 x 2.5cm

Should I buy the Wandrd PRVKE V4?

Buy it if...

You want a stylish camera bag
There's no sacrifice on style here – the PRVKE V4 is an attractive roll-top style backpack, in a wide range of colors.

You're wanting a casual day or weekend bag
It's well made, but not the bag you'd take on extreme outdoor shoots. This is a more of a day or city break kind of pack.

Don't buy it if...

You're stowing large gear
Even the largest 31L version will struggle to hold super telephoto lenses and such gear. The older PRVKE comes in a 41L version, though.

You're wanting a camera gear-only bag
The PRVKE is more your day bag for a mixture of camera gear and regular items.

Also consider

Peak Design Everyday Backpack V2

The Wandrd PRVKE V4 and Peak Design Everyday Backpack V2 share many similarities – they are similar in capacity and offer direct side access to camera gear. However, the PRVKE V4 is better for style and as a general bag, while the Peak Design offering is better suited as a dedicated camera bag, plus it costs less given the camera insert is included.

Read my Peak Design Everyday Backpack V2 review

How I tested the Wandrd PRVKE V4

I had the 21L version of the PRVKE V4, with the 'Essential' cube insert
I used the PRVKE for over a month, mainly as a day or weekend bag

Wandrd arranged a long-term loan of the PRVKE bag for me – the 21L version with cube insert.

I've used the PRVKE as my primary bag for commuting, simple day trips, and the occasional weekender.

It has stored a range of my camera gear – from mid-range mirrorless models with a couple of lenses, to smaller vlogging gear with a range of accessories such as LED lights. I've also stored a 17-inch MacBook Pro inside.

Throughout my testing, the bag has been subject to inclement weather and used in a range of environments, including large cities. This is a true long-term review.

First reviewed January 2026

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller is an okay Switch 2 pick on sale — but it’s no Pro Controller

9:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Gaming Gaming Accessories | Tags: NFC, Nintendo Switch | Comments: Off

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: One-minute review

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is just far too expensive to recommend.

As a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller alternative that comes in at $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100) (that’s only $15 / £15 less than the going price of Nintendo’s official offering), it simply shouldn’t feel anywhere near as cheap and hollow as it does.

This is far from the only issue, as there is a raft of other problems to contend with. Although the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 features all of the expected inputs (including two remappable rear ones), the Start and Select buttons are tiny and positioned right at the bottom of the pad’s face, making them difficult to press.

The triggers are also quite shallow, leading to a very unsatisfying pulling motion. If that wasn't enough, the hard plastic and abrasive texture around the tips of the thumbsticks make them uncomfortable to use over long periods of time.

These are all issues that were present with the much cheaper PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, but it’s much easier to forgive on a model that starts at just $39.99 / £29.99. It’s especially egregious when even super budget controllers like the $24.99 / £29.99 GameSir Nova Lite don’t suffer from anywhere near the same number of problems.

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t a total lost cause, though. The battery life, which can reach up to 30 hours, is strong, and its motion controls work well. You also get the option of far more interesting designs than you would find with the official offering, which is pretty neat.

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 on a wooden table surface. — (Image credit: Future)

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Price and availability

Costs $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100)
Official Pro Controller goes for $85 / £64.99
Not strong value for money

At $69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100), the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is not particularly good value for money, especially when you can find the official Pro Controller for around $15 / £15 more in either the US or UK at the time of writing.

The hollow build quality is almost identical to the significantly cheaper $39.99 / £29.99 PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller, so I don’t understand why PowerA thought it would be appropriate to hike up the price just for the addition of wireless connectivity and motion controls.

If this controller were to cost around $49.99 / £39.99, then this would be a much more positive review - but it’s just not competitive at its asking price. This is especially true when you factor in similar costing third-party options like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, which is far superior in terms of build and features.

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is at least widely available in the US and UK via the PowerA website or retailers like Amazon.

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Specs

Price	$69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100)
Weight	7.8oz / 222g
Dimensions	5.88 x 4.09 x 2.44in / 149 x 104 x 62mm
Compatibility	Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch
Connection type	Wireless
Battery life	Up to 30 hours

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Design and features

Standard controller shape
Row of buttons at the bottom
Features remappable rear inputs

The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 looks like your standard Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch 2 controller, with the usual face buttons and asymmetrical thumbstick layout. Although this controller is compatible with both systems, it features a dedicated C button like the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

My only real issue with the design here is the positioning of the Start and Select buttons. They’re tiny and arranged as part of a row with the Capture, Home, and C buttons that are positioned right at the bottom of the face of the controller. They’re awkward to hit as a result, and frequently required me to reposition my hands a little in order to reach them, which is a frustrating oversight. They sit above a little LED light bar, which illuminates when the controller is in use.

I tested the ‘Mario and Friends’ variant of this pad, which has a colorful Super Mario-inspired pattern. The print is high quality, and the colors are pleasant, which definitely gives this controller some edge over Nintendo’s comparatively boring Switch 2 Pro Controller in terms of looks. There is also a cute Kirby design available, or a more subdued Pokémon one. The controller is also offered in plain black if you prefer.

On the back of the pad are the two programmable rear inputs and a dedicated programming button. Unlike the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, where everything is remapped through software, this pad requires a bit of fiddling with the programming button in order to get your desired bindings set up. The process is quick and intuitive, though, so it’s hard to dock PowerA any points for it.

The company does lose marks for its choice of plastics, though, which are noticeably lower quality than those found on Nintendo’s first-party hardware. The whole controller has an almost brittle feel to it, and I don’t think it would fare well if it were dropped on a hard floor, even from a modest height.

The huge visible screw holes on the back of the controller also don’t do it any favors, lending it a very cheap appearance from behind

PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2: Performance

Uncomfortable thumbsticks
Shallow triggers
Otherwise fairly solid

The best thing I can say about the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is that it does at least function, and is still suitable for casual players or as a spare in multiplayer environments. It’s not very pleasant to use, though, thanks to a few major flaws.

Firstly, while the thumbsticks here do contain Hall effect sensors, which is good for longevity, they’re made of a hard plastic and have an abrasive texture around their tips that becomes uncomfortable for the thumbs over extended play sessions.

The controller’s triggers are also very shallow but simultaneously rather spongy and thus almost impressively unsatisfying to pull. The D-pad is pretty bad too, with a similarly spongy feel and a very flat, broad shape that makes precise inputs difficult. This is definitely not a controller that you would want to dive into a shooter or retro platformer with.

As is common with third-party Nintendo Switch 2 controllers, you also don’t get support for HD rumble or amiibo. The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 does gain points for its motion control support, however, and I found it more than accurate enough for pointer controls in games like Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The battery life is another strong suit. PowerA claims that you can achieve up to 30 hours per charge, and I found this figure to be accurate. It’s a bit less than the staggering 40 hours offered by the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, but still among the best in the third-party scene.

Once you get used to the positioning of the Start and Select buttons, the rest of the pad is perfectly solid to use. The buttons feel decent and all work as intended, and I never experienced any issues with connectivity or pairing.

Should I buy the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2?

Buy it if…

You find it heavily discounted
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 has flaws, but it could be a decent choice with the right discount. Pick it up if you find it at half price or less.

You really like the designs
PowerA definitely has the edge over Nintendo when it comes to crafting eye-catching, colorful designs.

Don’t buy it if…

You can spring for the official alternative
If you can stretch your budget a little further to reach the official Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, then it is a much better choice. It’s more comfortable to use and beats PowerA’s attempt in terms of battery life and features.

You require rumble or NFC
The PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 does not offer HD Rumble support or feature an NFC reader for amiibo compatibility. If you need those features, the official pad is your best bet.

Also consider...

Not pleased by what the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 brings to the table? Here are two more premium alternatives worth weighing up.

	PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2	Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller	8BitDo Ultimate 2
Price	$69.99 / £49.99 (around AU$100)	$84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95	$69.99 / £59.99 / AU$90 (or $59.99 / £49.99 for PC-only model)
Weight	7.8oz / 222g	8.3oz / 235g	8.7oz / 246g
Dimensions	5.88 x 4.09 x 2.44in / 149 x 104 x 62mm	5.8 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 148 x 105 x 60mm	5.7 x 4.1 x 2.4in / 147 x 103 x 61mm
Compatibility	Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch	Nintendo Switch 2	PC, Android (Switch/Switch 2 version sold separately)
Connection type	Wireless	Bluetooth, USB Type-C	2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB Type-C
Battery life	Up to 30 hours	Around 40 hours	10-15 hours

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
This is the superlative Nintendo Switch 2 pad right now. Although expensive, it’s overflowing with features, has leading battery life, and has best-in-class build quality.

Read our full Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller review

8BitDo Ultimate 2
This wireless pad from 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is a top alternative. It has worse battery life than the PowerA pad, but is more comfortable to use and comes with a charging dock out of the box.

Read our full 8BitDo Ultimate 2 review

How I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2

Tested for more than two weeks
Tried with a wide range of games
Compared to a range of other controllers

I tested the PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 for a period of two and a half weeks. During that time, I tested a wide range of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 games, such as Mario Kart World, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition, and more.

I frequently compared my experience to my hands-on testing of other Nintendo Switch 2 peripherals, including PowerA’s own PowerA Advantage Switch 2 Wired Controller and the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art: One-minute review

Cast your mind back to 2013 and Sigma had just brought out its 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM | Art lens – the world’s first zoom with a fast, constant f/1.8 aperture – and was set to revolutionize the photography industry.

Over a decade since that lens pushed the boundaries of what a zoom lens could do, the world's largest independent lens manufacturer has gone one better with the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art, which like its predecessor boasts a constant and bright f/1.8 aperture and promises to deliver exceptional image quality comparable to a prime, but with an expanded zoom range, all while being more than 30% lighter than its predecessor.

The lens is specifically designed for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor and is available in L-mount, Sony E, Fujifilm X, and Canon RF versions. I've spent a month testing an E-mount version of the lens mounted on a Sony A6700, to see if this optic really can do the job at least three primes.

The TLDR is that it absolutely can, and I thoroughly enjoyed hitting the streets to use it for all sorts of photography, from city shots to portraits, shallow-depth-of-field still-life shots, and even low-light scenes like traffic trails and stars.

Professional photographer Dan Mold holding a Sony A6700 camera outdoors with a Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens attached with his eye to the viewfinder — (Image credit: Future / Dan Mold)

While the 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art builds on its predecessor in pretty much every way, it's not free from faults. It's an APS-C lens with a smaller imaging circle, so it's less future-proof if you upgrade to a full-frame camera later down the road. It's also very expensive, and costs significantly more than its predecessor did back in 2013.

If money is no limit, and you love to shoot at a range of wide-angle focal lengths while also having the versatility of a fast f/1.8 aperture, this is the lens for you, providing you shoot on an APS-C mirrorless body. However, if you're on a stricter budget, and prefer smaller lenses and don't mind switching between them, then you may be better off with one or two cheaper prime lenses instead – provided you're not shooting weddings and other events where you may have less time to swap your optics over.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art: Price and availability

Priced at $919 / £779 / AU$1,650
Lens hood included
Announced in July 2025

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art costs $919 / £779 / AU$1,650. That’s more than Sigma’s original 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art, which retailed for $799 / £699 (around AU$1,150) at launch. However, this higher price is to be expected given more than a decade of inflation since then, and tariff increases have likely impacted US pricing too. Regardless, I think the extra money is justified in the US and UK by the suite of upgrades that come with the new and improved version.

It’s difficult to say exactly who this lens is for, as I personally found it a bit frustrating with it either being not wide enough or not telephoto enough for my shooting style, though as someone who regularly likes to shoot with 35mm prime lenses, there were times when the extra versatility from its small zoom range was welcome. It is a bit like a souped-up kit lens, but one that costs significantly more.

If you’re on a tighter budget, and not fussed about that wide f/1.8 aperture, or you’re looking for something a bit more portable for your everyday carry lens, then the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary would be a better choice. Similarly, if you don’t want a zoom and simply want a smaller prime lens there are options like the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM that are lighter, smaller and a little bit cheaper, too. So it really comes down to what you want to use the lens for.

However, for events and wedding photographers shooting with APS-C bodies I can see this lens being a game changer, giving those photographers extra focal length options and a fast f/1.8 aperture when they may not have the time to change lenses.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art: Specs

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art specs
Type:	Wide-angle zoom
Mount:	L-mount, Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF
Sensor:	APS-C
Focal length:	17-40mm (25.5-60mm effective on Fujifilm, Sony & L-mount, 27.2-64mm on Canon RF)
Max aperture:	f/1.8
Minimum focus:	0.28m
Filter size:	67mm
Dimensions:	72.9 x 115.9mm
Weight:	18.8oz / 535g

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art: Design

Some degree of weather-sealing, usually saved for more premium Art lenses
Combines a versatile zoom range with a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture
Switches on the lens barrel to control AF/MF and iris ring functions
Much longer than most prime lenses with a length of 115.9mm

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art lens improves on its predecessor in virtually every way. Not only is it 34% lighter, tipping the scales at 18.8oz / 535g, it’s also 6.5% leaner in diameter and 4.2% shorter in length. Despite being a skinnier and lighter model it manages to pack in a 2.35x optical zoom, with a more expansive focal range of 17-40mm, whereas the original 18-35mm fell just shy of 2x optical zoom, so the overall zoom range has been expanded by roughly 18%.

As in the 18-35mm f/1.8 the optical design comprises 17 elements, but there’s one fewer aspherical and one fewer SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements this time around, meaning there’s a total of three aspherical and four SLD elements inside the barrel.

The aperture has been upgraded however, and instead of the old nine-bladed design, we now have a more premium 11-bladed design, which should deliver better-rounded bokeh.

Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens product shot taken outdoors on a metal garden table with blurry bokeh background — Measuring 115.9mm tall, the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art is substantially longer than primes like a 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 so it's not quite as compact, though it does the job of several primes between 17mm and 40mm so it's the price you have to pay (Image credit: Dan Mold)

The rear mount is brass and also weather sealed, confirming the dust and splash-proof credentials of the optic. The lens is available to fit L-mount, Sony E, Fujifilm X and Canon RF, and factoring in the 1.5x crop factor of APS-C sensors the lens will behave much more like a 25.5-60mm, with the exception of Canon cameras, which have a 1.6x sensor crop and with which the lens will be have a slightly tighter perspective at 27.2-64mm.

On the outside of the lens barrel are the zoom and focus rings, which are a decent size and have a knurled rubber finish, making them very grippy and comfortable to use. Because this new lens is designed for modern mirrorless cameras it has an electronic fly-by-wire focus ring rather than a mechanical one, and this also means we’ve lost the focus distance window on the top. Both rings turn smoothly and are easy to operate.

A third ‘iris’ ring sits closest to the lens mount and is for controlling the aperture. This also has a lock to keep it securely in the ‘A’ position if you prefer not to use it, and there’s also a switch to enable or disengage the click – videographers will likely prefer the smoother declicked option when recording footage. It’s also worth noting that on the Canon RF version this is instead a Control ring which can be assigned custom functions for all sorts of settings, including but not limited to aperture.

The zoom is internal, so the lens remains compact and doesn’t rack out when zooming in or out. The throw from 17mm to 40mm on the zoom ring is also quite short, and certainly less than 90 degrees, so you can zoom fully in or out very quickly.

Also on the barrel is a switch to control AF/MF, and there are two AF-L buttons for holding focus, though these can be assigned different functions via the menu.

Heading to the front of the lens we see the front element, which isn’t overly large considering it has a wide f/1.8 max aperture, and this is also where you’ll attach the 67mm screw-in front filters. The front element also has a water- and oil-repellent coating to make it more durable in harsh outdoor environments.

Also in the box is a LH728-02 petal-shaped lens hood, which is part plastic and part rubber for a premium feel, and also has a nice chunky button to lock it in place and release it. This fits on the lens backwards to take up less space when not in use.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art: Performance

Chromatic aberration and flare handled well
Bright f/1.8 aperture makes it great for low light and blurry backgrounds
Corner details a little soft and vignetting at f/1.8 but cleared up by f/2.8
Autofocus is fast, quiet and accurate

When it comes to assessing performance, we first need to consider who the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC lens is for. It clearly excels in low light with its fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, though its wider focal range of 17-40mm makes it a bit too wide for portraits, so it’s likely to be better suited to indoor events, astrophotography, and perhaps as a wide option for wedding photographers who don’t have time to switch lenses and need its versatility.

It is designed for use with APS-C cameras, which means its imaging circle is too small for full-frame cameras, with which you would see a pronounced vignette. That said, you can still pair the lens with a full-frame camera using the camera’s APS-C crop mode. The downside to this approach is that you won’t be making the complete use of the sensor – effectively throwing away pixels.

I took the lens out around London for several days, using it as my main lens for street photography. In this setup I found it to be a little on the large side, not in terms of width, but in overall length – it’s easily twice the length of, say, my Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM. This made it more difficult to keep a low profile and take candid shots of people going about their lives without me being noticed, though this is the cost of having a more versatile zoom range.

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A test shot taken with the Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens to show blurry backgrounds when shooting at its wide f/1.8 aperture — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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With its focal length of 17-40mm it’s fair to compare the lens to an 18-55mm kit lens, but with a little less telephoto power – it falls frustratingly short of that magical 50mm focal length which works wonderfully well with a wide aperture of f/1.8 for wider mid-length and head-and-shoulders portraits.

With all that being said, it is a big step up from the old 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens – the new version is 34% lighter, 6.5% shorter and 4.2% thinner, all while boasting two more aperture blades and being able to focus 2cm closer. While these may sound like minor updates, when combined they make the lens feel like a big upgrade overall.

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A test shot taken with the Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens to show its handling of buildings and backlighting in London — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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Test shot with Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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A test shot taken with the Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens to show its handling of buildings and barrel distortion when shooting wide at 17mm — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

On to image quality, and I have to say that considering its broad zoom range and constant f/1.8 maximum aperture I was quietly impressed. Corners were a little soft and showed some vignetting when shooting wide open at f/1.8, though this was pretty much cleared up by f/2.8 and was easy to fix in software. Impressively, there was very little sign of chromatic aberration, and flare was handled well when shooting towards the sun.

There is a little barrel distortion around the edges when shooting at the wider focal lengths, which as expected starts to disappear as you zoom in – at 40mm the distortion has completely vanished. What distortion there is is very minor and testimony to the new lens element construction, and the in-camera lens corrections do a good job at ironing this out, though further correction can be applied in post-production to straighten out vertical lines more.

Autofocusing was a joy thanks to the High-response Linear Actuator motor, with the lens being very speedy, silent and reliable in achieving focus even in low light.

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A test shot taken with the Sigma 17-40mm f1.8 DC Art lens to show its low light performance at night and in the blue hour of buildings in London — (Image credit: Dan Mold)

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Should you buy the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art?

Buy it if...

You own an L-mount, Sony E, Fujifilm X or Canon RF APS-C body

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art is designed with a smaller imaging circle for APS-C mirrorless camera bodies

You need both speed and zoom

This Sigma lens has a unique combination of a versatile 17-40mm zoom range as well as a fast constant f/1.8 aperture which means it can do the job of several prime lenses

You want to blur backgrounds

With its f/1.8 maximum aperture you can throw backgrounds into a blur with a shallow depth of field easily

Don't buy it if...

You're looking for a small, portable prime

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 is roughly twice as long as many 35mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 primes, so if portability is your main priority you'll likely be better off with a prime lens

You're on a budget

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art is very expensive at £779 / $919US making it much more expensive than the usual nifty-fifty prime lenses that usually cost between $100-300

You own a full-frame mirrorless body

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art has a smaller imaging circle for APS-C camera bodies and while it can be used on full-framers in crop mode, you won't be making the full use of that larger sensor. This also means it's not a very futureproof lens if you eventually upgrade from APS-C to full-frame at a later date, tooView Deal

How I tested the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art

I used the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art extensively for a whole month and regularly took it out on day trips around busy cities in both day and night
I paired it with the Sony a6700 APS-C body as well as a Sony a7R IV full-frame body in crop mode – both of which delivered 26MP stills
I took shots at all focal lengths and apertures of cities, sunsets, low light scenes, stars and more

I got hold of the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC | Art and Sony A7R IV and A6700 bodies for a month to give the lens a thorough testing over an extended period.

I took a range of pictures with in-camera lens corrections enabled and also turned off to see the comparison. I also shot in RAW and JPEG formats and shot at all of the various apertures to gauge how things like corner sharpness and vignetting changed throughout the aperture range.

First reviewed January 2026

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series review: I can’t find another mid-price printer so loaded with features and ink

6:15 pm | January 23, 2026

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro | Comments: Off

Specs

Type: color inkjet 4-in-1 printer

Functions: Print, copy, scan, fax

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Data storage slots: none

Print speed: 35ppm (mono)

Max paper size: Legal/Letter/A4

Max print quality: 4,800 x 1,200 dpi

Memory: unknown

Apple AirPrint: yes

Consumables included: 5 bottles; 15,100 black pages, 5,500 color

Dimensions/Weight: 375 x 347 x 240 mm (WxDxH)/16lb/7.3kg

I can see why Epson has sold over a 100 million EcoTanks. Being the first to bring the refillable concept to market, Epson hasn’t stopped tweaking the design so that the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series looks like the slickest all-in-one inkjet in the shop.

I’m testing the white ET-4956 variant, but its also available in black and they both come with a feature-set to suit any small business or home-based professional. It can both duplex print and duplex scan as well as offering an improved automatic document feed (ADF) and a faster print speed than its predecessor.

The main attraction is the huge amount of inbox ink (enough to print for three years), but the asking price is rather high, so let’s see if the new model can maintain Epson’s lead in the increasingly competitive refillable 4-in-1 printer category.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Design and build

The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series ink tank printer undergoing testing in a home office during our review process — (Image credit: Epson // Future)

The redesign looks fresh to my eye, especially in this white livery. The folding front panel ensures the touchscreen display is always visible, while the new status light encircling the top of the ink tank cover makes it easy to see if and how your printer is responding from the far side of the office. The smooth plastic feels sturdy enough and the motorized paper output glides out smoothly every time you’re ready to print.

The paper input tray can hold an adequate 250 sheets of paper up to letter or A4-size, but it’s a pity there’s no second input tray as this means you’ll need to unload the main tray each time you want to print on different media.

The 2.4-inch touchscreen is somewhat small, but big enough to operate and quite sensitive. The cable ports are easily accessible at the left side and the fairly large 70ml ink tanks are well integrated on the other side. It’s a practical design overall and the whole thing feels well made.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Features & specifications

As the top model in Epson’s three-strong range, the ET-4950 series is a four-in-one multifunction device with print, scan, copy and fax functionality, plus plenty of extras. The ADF on top can hold 30 sheets of paper and copy both sides of each page automatically.

That’s something the previous model couldn’t do. It’s using a PrecisionCore print head with 784 inkjet nozzles to achieve a print resolution of 4,800 x 1,200 DPI. WiFi 5 with AirPrint compatibility is built in and it can print on paper up to 300g/m².

It prints quickly for an inkjet with a claimed top speed of 35ppm (pages per minute) with simplex monochrome pages or 23 in color. That’s slightly confusing as the ISO/IEC 24734 is just 18ppm, but suffice to say, that it printed a little faster than its predecessor and compares well with other inkjets in its class. The quoted 8.5-second FPOT (first page out time) is accurate and also PDQ (pretty darn quick).

The only features missing are Bluetooth, NFC, a USB Host port for printing from or scanning to a USB stick and a multi-purpose tray. The first three items I can live without, but a second paper input tray would have really improved the functionality of this printer. Perhaps Epson will include it with the next update.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Setup and operation

The printed quick-start guide is easy to follow. Just remove all the transport tape, load some paper, plug in, turn on and follow the on-display prompts.

I’d recommend downloading the Epson Smart Panel app onto your Android or iPhone first as this makes it easier to add your new printer to your wi-fi network. I’d also recommend printing out the test pages when offered to ensure all your nozzles are aligned and firing correctly.

Filling the ink reservoirs is a quick and clean process as the bottles hold the same volume of ink as the tanks — 70ml for the three coolers; 127ml for black — and each spout is shaped to fit only its corresponding tank so you can’t muddle them up.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Performance

The Epson EcoTank ET-4956 I tested put in a strong all-round performance, printing quickly and cleanly with only one paper jam where I loaded a photograph into the automatic document feed for copying. Where the manual says that it can handle paper up to 300g/m² (my photo paper was only 200g/m²) it means via the main tray and evidently not via the ADF.

That incident aside, I was pleased with my test pages, although I couldn’t honestly see any improvement over the outgoing EcoTank ET-4850 test pages. That’s unsurprising given it’s using the same heat-free inkjet technology and the same hybrid pigment and dye-based inks.

Plain pages of text print quietly in simplex mode and the paper is turned swiftly in auto duplex mode. The pigment black is applied precisely enough, but it’s not as dark as, for instance, the Canon MAXIFY GX4020, which uses a smiler hybrid ink system.

Switching to color test documents plays more to the Epson’s strengths as its dye-based C/M/Y inks are particularly bright and color documents look pleasingly vivid. It also does well with photography for the same reason.

The Epson recognizes a range of coated photo paper types and given premium glossy photo paper, my test photos really popped. This printer manages an enhanced resolution of 4,800 x 1,200, which is enough for photo printing, but dedicated photo printers, like the Canon PIXMA G3270, produce sharper images for less money.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Consumables

The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 comes with five ink bottles containing a total of 464ml of ink. That’s equivalent to around 65 regular ink cartridges and enough, Epson reckons, to print for around three years before needing to buy refills.

Epson’s bottled ink is cheap compared with cartridge ink and there’s nothing to stop you from buying third party ink, which is even cheaper. Put like that, Epson’s claim that this printer is up to 95% cheaper to run than a cartridge printer seems reasonable.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Maintenance

Epson says its heat-free printing tech means you’ll never need to replace the printhead, which is a cost incurred by plenty of other inkjet owners. This printer is also less prone to clogging in the nozzles thanks to some improved engineering.

However, the settings menu includes several anti-clogging cycles that can be run if (or more likely, when) dried up ink stops you printing. Epson includes a one-year, or 100,000-page warranty with this model.

What you may well have to replace is the maintenance box when it eventually fills up with the tiny amounts of excess ink generated by printing and cleaning. A replacement costs around ten dollars and it looks to me like you could save money by emptying and cleaning the existing one.

Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series: Final verdict

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The Epson EcoTank ET-4950 and its variants proved that Epson is the brand to beat in this refillable office-friendly mid-price category. I found it easy to set up and operate thanks to the responsive touchscreen and good design and it has all the features I consider essential for the home worker or small shared office.

In other words, it duplex prints pretty quickly, connects readily my 5GHz Wi-Wi and turns out crisp and colorful test pages on all kinds of media. I also appreciated the two-sided scan feature and, of course, the generous amount of inbox ink.

Does Epson still make the best ink tank printers? This category only gets more competitive with new players like the significantly more affordable Brother DCP-T780DW entering the fray, while the excellent HP Smart Tank 7001 comes with larger ink tanks and the Canon MAXIFY GX4020 offers superior print quality.

But with more features than those rivals, and such a strong all-round performance, I can highly recommend the Epson EcoTank ET-4950 series.

For more top-performing models, I've tested the best home printers and the best all-in-one printers.

The more I tested the GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra, the less it looked like it justified its ‘Ultra’ moniker

10:15 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets | Tags: VESA | Comments: Off

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: 30-second review

Having just reviewed the GMKtec M5 Ultra, that prior investigation puts an interesting twist on the M7 Ultra now before me.

Because the M5 was built on a platform that wasn’t widely utilised, and the M7 Ultra turned out to be built on a platform from 2022 that nobody used at all.

However, don’t be put off by the older hardware, because this Ryzen 6000 series processor with Zen3+ architecture is well-suited for a mini PC. It has DDR5 support, USB4 and plenty of PCIe lanes, enabling the M7 Ultra to deliver a well-rounded and confident performance level that’s above any of the Ryzen systems that use DDR4 and the Vega 8 GPU.

It’s also got plenty of potential for upgrades, either internally with the SODIMM and M.2 slots, or externally via USB4. And it must also be one of the cheapest systems to come with Oculink, enabling the external connection of discrete graphics cards via its 64Gb/s interconnect.

Compared to a cutting-edge system, it only has eight cores (sixteen threads), the DDR5 is only 4800 MT/s, and while it is a PCIe 4.0 system, it only supports PCIe 3.0 on the M.2 slots.

Those caveats make me think that the M7 Ultra is suitable for someone who needs a little big more power, but not the performance of a Ryzen 9 or Ryzen AI machine.

For that person who does more than just basic office tasks, this might be ideal, and if they suddenly need more graphics performance, it can be added via Oculink.

Where this system is flawed is that it's slower than the M7 and M7 Pro that came before it. Given the silicon's age, this isn’t going to feature in our round-up of the best mini PC systems, but with a reasonably effective platform and plenty of ports, it's not junk either.

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Price and availability

How much does it cost? From $310/£260/€300
When is it out? Available now
Where can you get it? Direct from GMKtec and via online retailers

Much like the M5 Ultra, the M7 Ultra is offered in three basic SKUs that go from the baseline barebones system with no memory or storage, to an intermediate 16GB+512GB option that’s reviewed here, to the top spec with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

In the USA, these machines are priced at $309.99, $439.99, and $529.99, respectively.

GMKtec doesn’t have a specific UK outlet, but from the European site (e.g., de.gmktec.com), these systems are £260, £347 and £408, which, if you have DDR5 and an M.2 module, looks like a great deal. Euro prices are €299.99, €399.99 and €469.99. And all the M7 Ultras bought in Europe come with a free 8-in-1 USB docking hub reputedly worth €29.99.

I'm also seeing it available on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk with similar pricing.

For those curious, based on the current exchange rates when writing this, the 32GB+1TB model is almost the same price no matter where you buy it, but the barebones model is 12% more expensive.

Another obvious question is how these prices compare with the M5 Ultra? In short, the M7 Ultra is about $50 more than the M5 Ultra for the barebones, and about $40 more for the 32GB+1TB option. When you consider that the M7 Ultra comes with USB4, uses DDR5 and is significantly faster, then the price difference is modest.

What I’d advise against is sourcing this via Amazon, as their systems only come with 512GB of storage, and the asking price is $489.99.

In this part of the review, I’d normally list the other mini PCs that use the same platform and how some are more expensive, and others are cheaper, but not today.

Unless I missed one, no other mini PC maker is using this platform, and I couldn’t find any retail computer, of any variety, that uses it. There are several mini PCs with AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 6850H, and other “H” series chips, but these are not the same as the PRO 6850U.

Why is this the case? I’ve no information to share. It might be that AMD has TMSC make bins of many Ryzen 6000 mobile chips with no clear market, and now they’re having a clear out of those that didn’t sell.

Whatever the reason, this is a mid-2022 platform built on a fab AMD no longer relies on, and it might be that the GMKtec M7 Ultra is the one and only machine the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U gets to see the light of day.

Which might go some way to explain how competitively priced this system is.

Value: 4 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Specs

Item	Spec
CPU:	AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U( 8C/16T, up to 4.7GHz)
GPU:	AMD Radeon 680M, up to 2.2 GHz
NPU:	N/A
RAM:	16GB DDR5-4800 (8GB x 2) expandable to 64GB
Storage:	512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3
Expansion:	1x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 3
Ports:	2x USB4, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm Audio, 1x Oculink
Networking:	2x 2,5GbE Realtek RTL8125, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
OS:	Windows 11 Pro (pre-installed)
Base Power:	15W-28W
PSU:	19V 6.32A 120.08W
Dimensions:	132 x 125 x 58 mm

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Design

Decent build quality
Easy internal access
VESA mountable

There are two important things about GMKtec systems I like, and those are the build quality and the ease of internal access. And, the M7 Ultra doesn’t confront either of those expectations.

While the top and underside of this NUC are plastic, the part that is likely to take the greatest amount of abuse, the sides, is metal on all faces.

It’s a cool gunmetal grey, and the plastic top is painted to match.

Access is remarkably straightforward, with the top rotating to come away, and with that removed, there are four large screws visible that most people should have a suitable screwdriver for.

I like that these are large, easily visible screws, not the tiny ones that ping under my desk before activating their inbuilt cloaking devices. These are only discoverable either with socked feet or the use of a stupidly powerful electromagnet.

Even I couldn’t misplace these screws was my first thought on seeing them.

With those removed, the DDR5-4800 modules and M.2 slots are unobscured, and upgrading either of them merely requires the replacement parts and a couple of spare minutes.

The memory modules were branded as GMKtec, but the chips had OEM Micro branding. Therefore, based on the repositioning of that source for memory, we won’t be seeing this in future GMKtec products.

Thankfully, you can swap the RAM with any DDR5-4800 SODIMMs of any brand, as long as they’re the same type and size.

On the outside, the M7 Ultra doesn’t go off the beaten path with all the ports on the front or back, and those on the front are well placed for the attachment of storage. Both USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports are on the front, along with the USB4 port, the 3.5mm audio jack and the Oculink port. Oh, and the power button.

Maybe the Oculink port might have been better on the back, but there isn’t much room with dual 2.5GbE LAN sockets, dual USB 2.0, another USB4 port and both HDMI and DisplayPort.

One feature which is slightly controversial on the M7 Ultra is that hot air is ejected under the external ports, not above them. While there is the possibility that it might impact the connected cables, I can’t see this air getting heated enough to melt the insulation on these.

As GMKtec do with most of its systems, included with the M7 Ultra, is a plate that can be used to VESA mount the system to the back of a monitor. As the scale of this system might make it tempting for someone to pick it up and take it home, connecting it to the monitor is probably a good idea. For those seriously concerned about theft, it also has a security slot on the rear.

As with the M5 Ultra, the engineering, accessibility and port deployment are good, and there doesn’t appear to be any significant design issues with this design.

Design: 4 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Hardware

AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U
DDR5 Memory
Gen 3 PCIe M.2 Slots

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U is a mobile processor featuring eight cores, launched in April 2022 as an offshoot of the Ryzen 6000 series. And, the closest silicon from the core series is the Ryzen 7 6800H, a Zen 3+ (Rembrandt) architecture chip made for Socket FP7.

AMD’s Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) doubles the effective thread count to sixteen, giving it some potential for multi-threaded software.

Operating at a base frequency of 2.7GHz, boosting up to 4.7GHz when required, this silicon was part of the swansong of the 6nm process at TSMC before AMD moved to the 4nm fabrication in the 7040 series.

The thermal design power (TDP) is just 15W, but that can be bumped to 28W, making it highly energy-efficient. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a maximum official speed of 4800 MT/s. It also supports 6400 MT/s for surface-mounted LPDDR5, but GMKtec hasn’t chosen to use that.

And, as I’ve alluded to already, this is the only PC I’ve found that uses this specific processor, so it now seems unlikely that a machine using the greater bandwidth memory is ever likely to appear.

Since Zen3+, AMD has evolved the Zen4 and Zen5 architectures, with more powerful GPUs, 8000MHz DDR5 options and larger core and thread capabilities.

In this context, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U provides a solid underpinning to the system where it can run reliably for long periods and remain effectively silent.

However, there are a few choices GMKtec made that are more nuanced than merely picking an older processor. One might assume AMD let this business have these at a bargain price.

As is often the case, this all revolves around PCIe lanes and how these critical resources are allocated. In this system, there are various draws on the bandwidth of the PCIe subsystem, which has twenty lanes of PCIe 4.0 at its disposal. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U has an integrated USB4 controller, but it still needs at least four lanes for USB4 and at least four more for Oculink, leaving only eight lanes for everything else.

In that pile are all the other USB ports, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, the small M.2 slot for the Wi-Fi, and most importantly, the two M.2 slots. However you dice this up, without using a PCIe switch, something had to give, and what gave here was the M.2 slots ended up being only Gen 3, not Gen 4.

I can see a strong argument that either one of the USB4 ports or the Oculink should have been sacrificed to provide Gen 4 storage, but that might have created a thermal issue for keeping the NVMe drives cool.

With the amount of bandwidth available, this was a tough choice, and GMKtec went with Oculink and two USB4 ports but downgraded the M.2 slots, for good or bad.

I’d have liked at least one Gen 4 M.2 slot, but I’m not the one trying to shoehorn all this technology into a tiny box.

Features: 3.5 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Performance

Mini PC		GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra	GMKtec NucBox M5 Ultra
CPU		AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U	AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
Cores/Threads		8C 16T	8C 16T
RAM		16GB DDR5 (2x8GB)	32GB DDR4 (2x16GB)
Storage		512GB AirDisk SSD	1TB NVMe
Graphics		Radeon 680M	Radeon Vega 8
3DMark	WildLife	9846	6711
	FireStrike	4149	3154
	TimeSpy	1495	1264
	Steel Nom Lt.	1420	1035
CineBench24	Single	90	78
	Multi	401	414
	Ratio	4.47	5.29
GeekBench 6	Single	2096	1806
	Multi	8582	5939
	OpenCL	22656	12823
	Vulkan	21484	11472
CrystalDisk	Read MB/s	3558	3624
	Write MB/s	2520	2642
PCMark 10	Office	6973	5581
WEI		8	8.1

Given the modest price difference between the M7 Ultra and its M5 Ultra little brother, these seem the obvious systems to compare.

And, unsurprisingly, with DDR5 memory and the 12 cores of the Radeon 680M in its corner, the M7 Ultra is a good bit quicker than the M5 Ultra in the majority of the tests.

Although, for some curious reason, the CineBench24 multi-core test is a win for the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U over the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U. But these results aren’t replicated in Geekbench or PCMark 10.

Why Windows Experience Index scores the GPUs inaccurately in this instance is another mystery, but that's the precise result reflected here.

There is, however, a hollow aspect to this victory, which is that my results from the old GMKtec NucBox M7, which used the Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, were much better, scoring 14909 for 3DMark WildLife. Given that the original M7 system used DDR4, something doesn’t add up.

Yes, this system is up to 50% faster than the M5 Ultra, but it should be even quicker than that. It’s like it's operating on a single memory module, though I checked that it isn’t.

Looking back at the original M7 and the M7 Pro, the M7 Ultra has less processing power and lower GPU performance than both of these.

Unfortunately, the M7 is out of stock, and the M7 Pro is discontinued, I suspect.

I’ve concluded that, unless there was a fault with my machine, the M7 Ultra has the unfortunate accolade of offering less power than the models it replaced, sadly.

Performance: 3 / 5

GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra: Final verdict

Not sure what to think about the GMKtec M7 Ultra, since it uses a processor no other machine has ever used and yet delivers performance numbers below those of its predecessors.

What’s the most curious thing about this system is that it uses DDR5 memory, but with the same 680M GPU, it's slower than the M7, which used DDR4. How is that possible?

The M7 Ultra's bandwidth should make it faster, not 66% of the M7’s speed in the 3DMark Wildlife benchmark.

I’m hoping that this system merely needs a firmware update to deliver the results the hardware should be capable of.

Because of these issues its not an obvious replacement for the M7 or the M7 Pro, but there are plenty of alternatives using Ryzen 6000 and 7000 chips that can perform better.

Should I buy a GMKtec NucBox M7 Ultra?

Value	Affordable system, especially barebones	4/5
Design	Easy access and a good port selection	4/5
Features	Odd processor, but Oculink and USB ports	3.5/5
Performance	Not as quick as it should be on paper	3/5
Overalls	Dissapointing follow-up to M7 and M7 Pro	3.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a medium-cost NUC
Not super-cheap but still affordable, the M7 Ultra has a specification that is suitable for users who need extra performance above an entry-level system. While not as fast as the original M7, it's still better than most Intel Core i5 systems.View Deal

You need a flexible NUC
Compared to some NUC designs, this one is remarkably flexible. With two 2.5 GbE LAN ports and dual M.2 slots, it can be used as a hardware firewall, media server or marketing display controller. But adding an Oculink port also enables it to be enhanced with a discrete video card, making it suitable for graphics-intensive tasks that the integrated graphics would not handle.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You want ultimate performance
This is a mid-range mini PC, lacking the power of those with the fastest processors, such as the Ryzen AI Max+ 395. View Deal

Also consider

Geekom A5
The Geekom A5 mini PC delivers a decent user experience for office work in a small, easy-to-deploy package. It doesn't have a second M.2 slot, but it does have a SATA and a place for a 2.5-inch drive.
In testing it produced almost identical performance to the M5 Ultra, using its AMD Ryzen 5 7430U CPU.

Check out my Geekom M5 review View Deal

GMKtec NucBox M5 Plus
Another mid-tier mini system, this time the prior design from the same brand as the M5 Ultra. This one utilises the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (8 cores, 16 Threads) CPU and features 1TB of onboard NVMe storage. Where this is slightly better than the A5 is that the second M.2 slot is 2280, and it has dual 2.5GbE LAN ports.

Check out my GMKTec NucBox M5 Plus review View Deal

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