The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is well underway in Las Vegas, Nevada, and you can see our previous coverage of Day 0 and Day 1. We're now on to Day 2, with plenty of news still pouring out of the show.
Monitors are a big draw at CES
Whether you're looking for a monitor for gaming or productivity, n several interesting entries have been s announced this week at CES. On the gaming front, one of the most impressive monitors we've seen is the MSI MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36. It's a 34-inch 1440p widescreen monitor with a 5th-generation OLED panel and an RGB stripe subpixel layout.
The switch from a triangular arrangement to a stripe allows for clearer text with less visible fringing around the edges. This text improvement doesn't come at the expense of light output, color accuracy, or black levels. The MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 also boasts a 360 Hz refresh rate and includes a plethora of video connectors, as well as a two-port USB-A hub.
On the productivity side, the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor measures 52 inches across, with a 6K resolution (6,144 x 2,560) and a maximum 120 Hz refresh rate. The monitor can support up to four PCs simultaneously and includes a Thunderbolt 4 port, four USB-A ports, three USB-C ports, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports.
Dell has priced the UltraSharp 52 Thunderbolt Hub Monitor at $2,899. For comparison, Apple's 32-inch 6K (6,016 x 3,384) monitor costs $4,999 without a stand.
- Dell debuts monstrously large 52-inch 6K ultrawide monitor
- MSI's fifth-generation QD-OLED gaming monitor embraces RGB stripe subpixels
Intel's Arc B390 looks impressive in early benchmarks, but AMD isn't worried at all
Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors promise huge performance gains while keeping power efficiency in check. But Intel hasn't just focused on the CPU; its latest Xe3 graphics also deliver healthy performance gains over Xe2.
We had a chance to sample an early system with a Core Ultra X9 388H processor, which includes the 12-core Arc B390 IGP. We saw nearly 100 fps in F1 (High, XeSS Balanced), over 80 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 (High, XeSS Balanced), and roughly 57.4 fps in Spider-Man 2 (High, XeSS Quality).
That said, when we spoke with AMD representatives at CES about Xe3/Arc B390 performance, they seemed unbothered. Rahul Tikoo, AMD's SVP and GM of Client Product Group, stated, "Strix Halo, or Ryzen AI Max will kill it. [...] It's not even a fair fight at that point, because it's discrete-level graphics." He went on to throw in more jabs at Intel, adding, "There's a reason why they didn't compare it right there. [...] they compared their highest-end to our midpoint. And, oh, by the way, that 12 Xe [Panther Lake]... Wait until you see the price point on that. It's gonna be, you know. Enough said."
Game on!
- Intel Panther Lake pre-release testing delivers over 80 fps in Cyberpunk, 100 fps in F1 — Arc B390 offers playable 1080p frame rates with XeSS quirks in our hands-on tests
- AMD is unfazed by Panther Lake's big integrated GPU — 'It's not even a fair fight' to compare the Arc B390 to Strix Halo, AMD exec claims
Everything else from the show floor during Day 2
Here's the rest of the hot tech that we got a chance to take a look at on Day 2.
- Asus unveils cable-free AIO liquid coolers to streamline PC builds for a cleaner look
- Phanteks debuts striking PC case with multi-chamber design
- MSI introduces GPU Safeguard tech on its latest PSUs to fend off RTX 5090 meltdowns — warns users with pop-up and buzzer when abnormal current is detected on the 12V-2x6 connector
- Frore Systems' LiquidJet and AirJet Pak cooling systems in the flesh
- Be Quiet showcases its minty fresh Light Loop AIO cooler and Dark Perk mice at CES 2026
- Patriot shows off opulent Viper Xtreme 5 Aurum RAM kit with flashy finish as prices surge throughout industry
