Computers

AMD’s Big AI Push: Why it might matter more to you than you think

From AMD’s Advancing AI 2025 event

Published

June 18, 2025

GadgetMatch

Most of us don’t spend our days thinking about server racks or GPU specs. But if you’ve ever used ChatGPT, scrolled through AI-edited reels, or relied on AI to write your next email — AMD’s recent AI announcements are setting the stage for your digital future.

At its “Advancing AI 2025” event, AMD basically said: we’re all in on AI. They emphasized that they are building it to be open, accessible, and powerful across the board. That means better hardware for developers. But also smarter, more energy-efficient systems that could one day power the apps and devices you already use.

So… what exactly did AMD launch?

The headliner? A new generation of AI chips — the AMD Instinct MI350 series. These GPUs promise 4x more performance for training massive AI models. And up to 35x gains in inference (that’s the part where AI tools like ChatGPT figure out what to say next). That’s tech speak for: faster, more powerful, and potentially more affordable AI in real-world use cases. In fact, AMD claims these chips deliver 40% more tokens-per-dollar compared to the competition — a clear shot at Nvidia.

They also teased their next-gen “Helios” racks, coming with the even more powerful MI400 Series GPUs and Zen 6-based EPYC CPUs — all geared to handle newer, more complex AI tasks at scale. Again, this might sound like infrastructure talk (because it is), but if you’re a creator, gamer, streamer, or anyone who relies on AI daily, the ripple effect is real.

What makes this different?

While a lot of AI systems today are closed ecosystems — meaning they lock you into one platform — AMD’s big play is openness. Their tech is built around industry standards and open-source tools. They even rolled out ROCm 7, their latest AI software stack, which makes it easier for developers to build tools and applications that could eventually land on your phone, laptop, or smart assistant.

In other words: it’s not just about big tech companies anymore — it’s about bringing everyone along.

So how does this reach you?

It already is. AMD’s hardware is powering AI workloads at Meta (think: Llama 3/4), OpenAI, Microsoft Azure, and others. These are the platforms training the very models behind your AI-generated art, TikTok filters, or voice assistant’s new tricks. The new MI350 chips are also being adopted by Oracle Cloud. With clusters that scale into the zettascale range (yes, that’s a real term).

Plus, the AMD Developer Cloud is now available globally — giving creators, students, and startups access to real AI muscle, without needing their own data centers.

Energy-efficient, too?

AMD’s not just flexing performance. They’re bragging that their MI350 chips helped them beat a 5-year goal to improve energy efficiency by 30x. They hit 38x. By 2030, they want to train models that today take 275 racks… in just one. Using 95% less power.

That’s sustainability goals meeting hardcore AI ambition.

TL;DR: AMD is advancing AI. They’re trying to reshape how it’s built and who gets to use it. Even if you don’t speak GPU, you’ll likely feel the difference in the way your apps, content, and devices run smarter, faster, and greener in the near future.

Related Topics:AI AMD AMD Instinct M1350 AMD Instinct MI350 series

Accessories

Acer PA100 portable SSD brings fast, flexible storage on the go

Up to 2TB

Published

September 4, 2026

GadgetMatch

Acer is expanding its storage lineup with the PA100 Portable SSD. It’s a compact external drive designed for users who need faster storage across multiple devices.

The PA100 uses USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectivity. It reaches sequential read speeds of up to 560MB/s and write speeds of up to 430MB/s. This makes it suited for everyday tasks such as transferring large files, backing up content, managing documents, and moving media between devices.

Up to 2TB of portable storage

The PA100 comes in three capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. This gives users options depending on whether they need extra space for documents and schoolwork or larger collections of photos, videos, and project files.

Acer also designed the drive with mobility in mind. The PA100 has a slim 9mm profile and a lightweight build, while its reinforced construction is designed to withstand everyday travel and handling.

The drive comes with a 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C and USB-A cable. This allows it to connect to compatible PCs, tablets, smartphones, and other devices without requiring a separate adapter. It also supports major operating systems and USB-C mobile platforms.

Designed for everyday use

Power efficiency is another focus. Acer says the PA100 uses less than 3W during operation, while idle power consumption can drop to as low as 0.62W.

The drive also features an optimized thermal design to help maintain stable performance during extended transfers and daily workloads.

The Acer PA100 Portable SSD is backed by a three-year limited warranty. Pricing and availability may vary by market.

Computers

New Mac mini starts at a whopping $899, only 256GB of storage

It comes with the M6 or the M5 Pro.

Published

August 26, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Almost two decades ago, Apple was infamous for being an anti-gamer brand. Though the company’s devices touted superior protection against viruses, they couldn’t play video games, alienating a significant chunk of the population and forcing them onto PCs. For a while now, the Mac has changed the status quo, bringing in more powerful hardware that can play games. Today, Apple is championing that cause further through the newly launched Mac mini.

Compared to the chunkier Macs, the Mac mini has a lithe 5” x 5” profile, emphasizing the “mini” in its name. Despite the size, the new mini will tout two flavors of Apple silicon: the M6 and the M5 Pro.

The M6 variant delivers with up to two times faster gaming performance with ray tracing when running Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, compared to the previous M4 version. Meanwhile, the M5 Pro version touts up to 4.5 times faster rendering performance with ray tracing in Blender, compared to the M2 Pro. It will come with macOS 27 Golden Gate out of the box.

You won’t have to worry about connectivity, either. The Mac mini comes with compatibility for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet (going up to 10Gb in upgraded versions). It will also have two USB-C ports, three Thunderbolt 5 ports (but only Thunderbolt 4 for the M6 version), and HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a headphone jack.

Unfortunately, price seems to be another thing that it’s getting from PCs. The new Mac mini has an increased starting price. Specifically, the M6 version starts at US$ 899 (with only 256GB of storage), and the M5 Pro version starts at US$ 1,699 (for 512GB of storage). Preorders are open now, but they ship out on September 22.

Computers

ASUS unveils TUF Gaming T700, T700 Mini

Built for extreme operational demands

Published

August 21, 2026

GadgetMatch

ASUS has announced the arrival of its latest TUF Gaming desktop lineup models: the TUF Gaming T700 and TUF Gaming T700 Mini.

These new offerings bring heavy-duty performance and military-grade durability to gamers, engineered to endure extreme operational demands while delivering rock-solid stability.

The new ASUS TUF Gaming T700, in particular, is engineered to take on modern AAA titles with its uncompromising performance.

It has an aggressive mecha-inspired MIL-STD chassis, including a transparent side panel to put powerful components on display. Vibrant orange ambient lighting also adds a bold finishing touch.

Inside is an AMD Ryzen 7 8700F processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti GPU for high-frame rate gaming.

The T700 also features a robust thermal solution equipped with quad 65 CFM fans and a 240mm liquid cooler.

Meanwhile, the TUF Gaming T700 Mini is tailored for competitive gamers while maintaining a compact, battle-tested chassis.

It has an Intel Core Ultra 5 225F desktop processor, paired with with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics.

This combination provides seamless multitasking, crisp visuals, and reliable frame rates across today’s popular titles.

The internal hardware is cooled by a custom thermal matrix featuring dedicated copper heat pipes and a heavy-duty 90mm cooling fan.

True to the TUF Gaming legacy, the T700 Mini is likewise MIL-STD tested to endure extreme operational demands.