The PC industry is constantly evolving and at an ever faster pace. With the rise of artificial intelligence, the advancement of graphics cards and gaming, and the increased cost of just about everything relating to the personal computer, the XDA team has compiled a list of things we'd like to see from the industry in the next year. Whether or not we'll see any of our thoughts become reality is a different matter, but you'll get an idea as to how we're expecting (or dreaming) the PC market to evolve in the coming months.

Improved software support for the AI PC

Rich Woods, Editor-in-Chief

I want AI PCs to become an actual thing that's worth upgrading for. We know what the roadmap looks like for hardware, but we need software to back it up. We've seen new PCs come along for years and years that are a little bit faster than the ones that came out the year before. AI PCs have the potential to actually do things that the previous year's PCs couldn't do. Right now, it still feels like more of a proof of concept.

AI PCs have the potential to actually do things that the previous year's PCs couldn't do.

Here's hoping we'll start to see better uses of the included NPU (Neural Processing Unit) inside the CPU. Having a dedicated processing unit for AI-related programs is the first step. Now we need to see what can be done on the software side of things.

More PCs with Arm processors

Adam Conway, Lead Technical Editor

Arm is an architecture that has proliferated throughout the mobile space over the years, and with good reason. It's an efficient architecture with a powerful ISA, and 2024 looks to be the year where Arm could well and truly take off in PCs. With Snapdragon X Elite around the corner, Apple proving that Arm can be done in a computing form factor, and Intel and AMD still finding their footing when it comes to energy efficiency, there's never been a better time for companies to jump on Arm.

A push for Arm can only benefit consumers in the long run.

I use the Macbook Pro with an M1 chip, and it's still one of the most energy-efficient machines I've ever used. I know that the M2 and the M3 have even better efficiency, and while Intel's Meteor Lake and AMD's Zen 4 and Zen 4c are energy efficient compared to their predecessors, they're simply no match for what Apple has achieved with Arm. That's not even getting into the reduced thermal output when you consume less energy, meaning that Arm machines run cooler and with less active cooling requirements, too.

I hope that 2024 is the year of the Arm PC. Not because I want to see Intel and AMD fail, but because a push for Arm can only benefit consumers in the long run. When chipmakers feel the heat of competition, it'll push them to improve leaps and bounds to retain their market positions.

More competition for the GPU market

Cale Hunt, Senior Editor

If there’s one thing that the GPU market needs, it’s more competition. Intel’s first run of Arc desktop GPUs in 2022 provided options beyond AMD and Nvidia, but many users were wary of early-adoption sticking points like driver support and overall features (which AMD and Nvidia have had years to bolster). We still don’t know a whole lot about Intel’s second-gen Arc Battlemage GPUs beyond some leaked specs, but it still seems like they could launch in 2024.

If there’s one thing that the GPU market needs, it’s more competition.

Even if they don’t target the high-end market where Nvidia reigns supreme, adding a third vendor to the GPU space will be nothing but positive for consumers. We were fans of the Intel Arc A770 and are eagerly awaiting to see what the company can do with some more power and a refined chip design. Go big, Intel!

It's make or break for Intel with Arrow Lake

Richard Edmonds, Senior Editor

Not only is Intel struggling to penetrate the GPU market, but a lot is hanging on Arrow Lake. This is Intel's big chance to get back into the race with AMD. The company has been making headlines with the impressively powerful Intel Core i9-14900KS and its 6.2 GHz boost speed, but the processor produces a lot of heat. It sucks up a considerable amount of power too. Without adequate cooling, there's little chance you'll come close to that 6.2 GHz number.

The company has some room to grow with its upcoming switch to a smaller manufacturing process for shrinking the size of transistors. This should help make its CPUs more energy efficient, which is needed to compete against AMD's Ryzen family of processors. There's going to be a new platform, a new socket, and a new path for Intel to navigate, leaving Rocket Lake in the rear-view mirror.

More importantly, not only do we consumers need Intel to win with Arrow Lake, but so too does AMD. Competition is fantastic for getting the best bang for your buck in the consumer space, and it's also great for companies to pour resources into research and development, pushing their products to new heights. I'm also looking at AMD to ensure they don't pull an Intel and become complacent.