The Best Prototypes and Concept Products of Computex 2023

pcmag.com:

Seeing the spirit of PC building alive and well through the many prototypes and concepts of Computex 2023 was like a breath of fresh, fan-cooled air. While much of Computex this year was focused on AI, and we did indulge with coverage, we also managed to find the true golden nuggets of the show: new tools and accessories to enhance your PC builds or make them easier.

From several different new ways of managing and hiding away cables to all sorts of new approaches and improvements to component cooling, the near future looks bright, cool, and tidy for PC gear. Here are the best prototypes and concepts from Computex 2023.

While the array of laptops was admittedly light at Computex 2023, Intel’s low-key tease around 14th Generation “Meteor Lake” mobile processors was certainly a highlight. Intel took us and select media aside to demonstrate the use of the processor's new VPU unit (a portion of the overall chip that co-exists with the CPU and integrated graphics modules), for local AI processing. In this case, it was a GIMP plug-in for Stable Diffusion, creating artwork on the fly using the laptop as opposed to the cloud.

Now, the laptop itself wasn't the actual appeal here; it was an unidentified model with the brand hidden by stickers and the keyboard non-operational. It's the working evidence of the VPU that has us intrigued, though. Check out our much longer explainer on the Meteor Lake reveal for much more.

Removing cables from a PC has long been a goal of system builders and OEMs. Cables, of course, are essential to connecting components together, though, and they are here to stay. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be less troublesome...or visible. The Asus No-Cables desktop concept PC hides as many cables out of the