In last year's workstation Labs (see issue 336, p74), Intel staged a comeback, at least at the lower end of the price range. The good news is that, 12 months later, there's a new generation of Intel Core i9 CPUs that are still competitive against a new generation of AMD Ryzen processors. But the high end is back to being dominated by AMD, now that the Ryzen Threadripper Pro is generally available.
This year, we stuck with the same price points of £4,500 inc VAT for the lower end and £10,000 for the higher end. While the lower figure is still realistic for a very capable general workstation, the higher one was more problematic. Inflation has meant that most manufacturers have had to make compromises rather than deliver the best of every component at this price.
The result has been many different choices and combinations, giving us the biggest variety that we've seen in this category for many years. Instead of essentially the same CPU and GPU choices for the two different prices, with only the quality of implementation to separate them, almost every system this month has a different balance of these two key components. There's even a promising new AMD Radeon Pro graphics card in attendance.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Is it time to upgrade your business Wi-Fi?
Do you need to invest in a faster, more reliable wireless network? Steve Cassidy asks the key questions
On-premises business backup
Put your data at risk and you're putting your business at risk. Dave Mitchell explains how to put safeguards in place and what backup products can help
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
An excellent AI model for a wide variety of tasks: it's fast, versatile and the current leader for coding
SMART SPEAKERS
Whether your priority is audio quality, smart home control or always-on AI assistance, this group test holds the answer
Udio
A stunningly sophisticated service for creating just about any form of audio artistry from a text prompt
Runway
A powerful tool for video creators, but you'll need to invest time and money to take advantage
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus
A distinctive phone for those who want great battery life and a stunning screen without paying a fortune
CUKTECH 20
Good battery life, sleek design and a built-in display lift this power bank from the crowd
Sony Xperia 1 VI
A microSD card slot and 3.5mm jack mark this flagship out, but the price is too high
ReMarkable Paper Pro
Still troubled by lag, but this is a premium ePaper tablet that benefits from both a backlight and colours