Computex 2024 preview: What we expect to see at this year's show, from AI PCs to next-generation chips from Intel, AMD and more

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(Image credit: Future)

The Computex Nangang Exhibition Center.

Jump to:AI everythingAMDIntelQualcommGaming handheldsRear connectors and custom case buildsWhat we don’t expect to seeThings I’d like to see

Computex 2024 is nearly upon us. One of the biggest events in the tech calendar, this year’s show takes place between June 4-7 at theTaipei Nangang ExhibitionCenterin sunny Taiwan. We’ll be on the ground attending every major keynote, booth tour, and product launch we can in order to bring you as much coverage possible of all the latest developments in PC hardware, tech innovations and more.

Thesix major themes for this year’s eventare AI computing, advanced connectivity, future mobility, immersive reality, sustainability, and innovations.

We’ll take a fairly large punt that the first of those dominates the announcements this year, but we expect to see a variety of hardware innovations, refreshes and product launches get their day in the sun as the show goes on.

Below, we’ve put together a round-up of our top candidates for what we think we might see at this year’s event.

You guessed it: AI everything

(Image credit: MSI)

MSI

It wouldn’t be a modern tech show without one term dominating the order of events, and of course, that’s artificial intelligence. AI computing in some form or fashion is big news for just about every major tech manufacturer at this point, and alongside some NPU-equipped chips and AI data center discussion, expect to see the term bolted to just about every new product launch you can think of, for better or worse.

AI-equipped gaming chairs? At this point, we really wouldn’t be surprised.

AMD - Strix Point, perchance, or perhaps Zen 5?

(Image credit: AMD)

AMD Ryzen CPU in Zen logo

AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su willdeliver the opening keynoteat this year’s show, entitled “The future of high-performance computing in the AI era”. The good Dr. is set to"highlight the next generation of AMD products", although exactly which of them get the red carpet treatment remains to be seen.

AMD’s Strix Point mobile chips have beenrumoured to be releasing this year, and Computex 2024 strikes as the perfect time for a grand unveiling, although of course, we’ll have to wait and see what happens on the day. Still, with the AMD chief taking prime position at this year’s show, it seems highly likely that we’ll learn more about AMDs next-generation mobile offerings.

Given recent leaks regarding a potential"Ryzen AI"naming scheme, we may be looking at a rebrand of these chips compared to generations past, too.

And then there’s Granite Ridge. AMD’s Zen 5 desktop CPUs look tantalisingly close, as motherboard manufacturers began rolling outBIOS updates for the new chips in April, meaning that we can’t be far away from a proper launch. If I were a betting man, well, it’s Computex, Dr. Lisa Su is delivering the opening keynote…ah, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions on that one.

Intel - Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake, in some form or fashion

(Image credit: Intel)

Intel Lunar Lake presentation

We’ve already seen the wraps taken off Intel’s upcomingLunar Lake mobile CPU architecture, but what’s missing is any kind of data to give us a clearer idea of what performance to expect. Still, Intel head honcho Pat Gelsinger will be delivering a keynote of his own on the first day of the event, showcasing “next generation data center and client computing products”.

Here’s hoping then, that we can pin down some cold hard numbers on those Lunar Lake mobile chips. And what ofArrow Lake, Intel’s upcoming next-gen desktop CPUs? The Intel CEO confirmed at the start of this year that we’d seeIntel’s 20A products in 2024, so fingers crossed for a big announcement.

With AMD looking to potentially bring the big guns in the form of Zen 5, we’d be very surprised if Intel wasn’t planning some substantial reveals of its own. It may well be that time again folks, as AMD and Intel look to be squaring up once more with cutting-edge silicon.

Qualcomm - Snapdragon X-series processors in laptops galore

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm Snapdragon X series CPU and laptops

Qualcomm has been making waves recently with the announcement of its Snapdragon X-series non-X86 CPUs, with impressive power consumption claims and a whole host of laptop manufacturers looking to make use of the new chips. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft, to name more than a few, have allannounced Qualcomm chip-equipped laptops.

We’ll be itching to take a look at these new slim and lightweight designs and find out what kind of performance and battery life we can expect from each model moving forward. Qualcomm has the potential here to really shake up the laptop market, with chips that, on paper at least, look likethey might be very competitiveas things stand.

Competition breeds innovation, they always say, and a third major CPU manufacturer coming in swinging to the Windows laptop market is exciting news indeed.

Gaming handhelds: The Claw vs The ROG Ally X vs ???

(Image credit: MSI)

MSI Claw CES 2024

MSI will likely be keen to show off its gaming handheld,the Claw, to show attendees, and the Intel Core Ultra powered device won’t be the only handheld likely to be making an appearance. Asus has recently (sort of) revealed theAsus ROG Ally X, touting claims of a substantial battery life improvement and, err, that it comes in black.

Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to get hands-on with both of these devices to see if either are potential challengers to knock theSteam Deckor theOneXPlayer OneXFlyfrom their lofty perches on ourbest gaming handheldslist.

Motherboards and cases: Rear connectors and custom builds

(Image credit: Future)

A photo of the insides of a gaming PC, showing the use of Asus BTF hardware

CES 2024 gave us some good ideas as to what the future of PC hardware might look like, and when it comes to desktop builds, rear connection motherboards, GPUs and casesseemed like a trend worth keeping an eye on. MSI and Asus have already shown off motherboards with the connections tucked away at the back, and our Nick has already had a go atbuilding a full Asus BTF (‘Back to the Future) gaming PC, with encouraging results.

It’s likely we’ll see more manufacturers debuting these sorts of designs, as rear connection hardware looks like it stands a good chance of becoming the next big thing in PC design.

Computex has traditionally been known for custom case builds, too, so expect to see some case designs ranging from thesublimeto theridiculous.

What we don’t expect to see: Next-gen Nvidia GPUs

(Image credit: Tom Williams via Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 13: Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, arrives for the Inaugural AI Insight Forum in Russell Building on Capitol Hill, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Nvidia will be at Computex this year, and we expect them to show…not a lot. While we expect the first consumerBlackwell GPUs to be launched this year, odds are that it’ll be towards the end. Previous launch cadences andrecent rumours of a Q4 debutseems to be aligning in that direction.

Things I’d like to see: Sim setups, SSDs, and see-through screens

(Image credit: Future)

The Computex show floor.

To end things on a personal note, this’ll be my first Computex—a phrase that suggests I could do with some child reins and a responsible adult, both of which are true—so I’ll be stalking the show floor looking out for the weird, the wonderful and the bizarre.

I’ve recently become asim racing fanatic, so any new releases in the world of racing wheels and sim rigs will be right up my street. Similarly, any controllers with something different to bring to the table are sure to catch my interest. I reckon its high time we had some new and interesting ways to interact with our beloved machines.

We’ve long held the belief that Gen 5 SSDs aren’t quite ready for prime time yet (with the exception of theTeamgroup Z540 2TB, the first of its ilk to make it into ourbest SSD for gamingguide). I’ll be on the lookout for drives withoutridiculous cooling solutionsthat look like they might make a worthy upgrade to a Gen 4 drive-equipped machine.

Anyways, wish me luck, Dear Readers. Taipei City awaits…

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You guessed it: AI everything#

AMD - Strix Point, perchance, or perhaps Zen 5?#

Intel - Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake, in some form or fashion#

Qualcomm - Snapdragon X-series processors in laptops galore#

Gaming handhelds: The Claw vs The ROG Ally X vs ???#

Motherboards and cases: Rear connectors and custom builds#

What we don’t expect to see: Next-gen Nvidia GPUs#

Things I’d like to see: Sim setups, SSDs, and see-through screens#

You guessed it: AI everything

AMD - Strix Point, perchance, or perhaps Zen 5?

Intel - Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake, in some form or fashion

Qualcomm - Snapdragon X-series processors in laptops galore

Gaming handhelds: The Claw vs The ROG Ally X vs ???

Motherboards and cases: Rear connectors and custom builds

What we don’t expect to see: Next-gen Nvidia GPUs

Things I’d like to see: Sim setups, SSDs, and see-through screens