Max

Emdoor EM-959-NM16ASH-1 Ryzen AI MAX chip promises strong workstation power
Display refresh reaching up to 180Hz seems excessive for workstation needs, leaning toward gaming territory
At 2.45 kilograms, this laptop feels more like a desktop replacement than a mobile workstation

Emdoor, a company that has mostly kept a low profile since 2023, is now releasing another system that it calls a “high-end PC workstation with next-gen AI chip.”

The device, listed under the code “EM-959-NM16ASH-1,” comes with AMD’s Ryzen AI MAX processors, also known as Strix Halo.

The Emdoor EM-959-NM16ASH-1 features soldered LPDDR5X-8000 memory on a 256-bit bus, giving high bandwidth but preventing upgrades.

A workstation or gaming laptop?

Although the memory is limited to a maximum of 128GB at purchase, the storage is more flexible with two PCIe 4.0×4 M.2 slots supporting up to 8TB.

The display is a 16-inch panel at 2560×1600 resolution, with refresh options of either 165Hz or 180Hz.

Such specifications may attract users looking for a video editing laptop, but they also blur the line between workstation and gaming hardware.

That impression is further reinforced by leaked internal file names tied to the design, which included the term “GAMES.”

At 2.45kg, the system is heavier than many of its rivals, with the likes of Sixunited’s XN77-160M-CS and HP’s ZBook Ultra G1a weighing less than 1.8kg.

Although bulkier construction may have been chosen to handle the 45–120W thermal design of Strix Halo, this weight might be acceptable only for a stationary workstation, as buyers seeking a business laptop may not find this design appealing.

It also includes a 99Wh battery that is claimed to last eight hours, but without independent testing, such claims remain promises.

Cooling is handled by a dual-fan setup coupled with triple heat pipes and a quad-exhaust system.

The company markets this system as a workstation, but the aesthetics, refresh rates, and naming history suggest gaming roots.

Since Emdoor acts as an original design manufacturer, the same model could easily appear under another brand marketed as a gaming system.

Whether this laptop becomes a reliable tool for professionals or fades into obscurity, as some of the firm’s past projects have, will only be clear once it reaches the market and real-world feedback emerges.

Currently, only a limited number of PCs feature the Strix Halo chip, with examples including the Asus ROG Flow Z13 (13.4″), the HP ZBook Ultra 14 G1a, and a handful of others.

In terms of pricing, these devices cost well over $2,000, and considering the specifications of the Emdoor EM-959-NM16ASH-1, it will likely cost more.

Via Videocardz

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Some of the execs at Volkswagen must like Gacha games⁠—so much so that, as reported by Auto Express, you now have to “subscribe” to get your car’s full horsepower output with one of its new models.

VW’s proposition is this: buy a new ID.3—the brand’s “entry level” (I remember when that used to mean <£20,000, not over £30k) electric hatchback—in some of the mid-level trims, and you get a somewhat piddling 201 horsepower. But if you’re feeling frisky, you can tack on a £16.50/mo subscription, or a one-time £649 fee, to break the paywall and unleash an extra 27hp. Sound familiar? Even to a novice gamer, this business model is probably old hat.

I’m no stranger to aftermarket car modifications “unlocking” more power. There’s more of a special DIY feeling there, like overclocking your RTX 5080 or modding Skyrim to make elderly people graphically coherent. But when features of your car are built in, and then the marque upcharges you to access them? That’s where you lose me.

Back in my day, you bought Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 for the Nintendo GameCube, and that was it. You got the full game. But over the last two decades, as triple-A publishers learned to master the art of consumer exploitation via DLC and subscription models, buying a game these days can feel like buying a work in progress. Trust me, I play Paradox grand strategy games.

Auto manufacturers, a notoriously conservative bunch, were much slower to adopt this particular technique of wringing their buyers dry. But subscription features did start slowly creeping in in the late 2010s, as cars became integral parts of the “internet of things,” or the increasing number of formerly analogue objects and appliances that now have internet connectivity for some reason.

BMW gained particular infamy for locking Apple CarPlay and heated seats (seriously, you can’t make this up) behind a paywall. Luckily, consumers reacted so poorly that the company reversed course on both. But as any survival game expert will tell you, the horde of zombies outside your shelter don’t go away just because they failed to break down your door the first time.

I play 98% of my PC games on Steam—including some pretty darn old releases. But recently I’ve been wondering, what happens if/when Valve goes under, or computer hardware advances to a point where my previous purchases are no longer compatible, or my library loses support in some other way? I bought my games on Steam, but do I really own them? When cars debut in early access, with paywall-locked features and live-service models, what happens when your trusty jalopy bricks while driving down the road? Oh wait; we already know.

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This new AMD Ryzen AI MAX laptop calls itself a workstation, yet looks, sounds, and acts exactly like a gaming system

A workstation or gaming laptop?

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Cars have had real-life DLC for a while, but now Volkswagen’s gone full pay to win, locking a car’s max horsepower behind a subscription