A few weeks ago, I tested how the Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition, one of the most advanced GPUs, performed inside a compact small form factor (SFF) PC. Surprisingly, it retained much of its power, even in a 12.7-liter desktop with an older processor. That sparked an idea: what if I connected this GPU to a handheld gaming PC?
So, I gave it a shot—and the results were truly remarkable.
This experiment challenges the traditional notion of handheld gaming. If portable devices can leverage such power when docked, they could potentially evolve into high-performance gaming systems at home.
The Setup: Maximizing Power in a Portable Device
For this test, I used the same $1,999 RTX 5090 Founders Edition along with a 1000-watt power supply from my earlier SFF desktop trial. A key component was the $99 Minisforum DEG1, an open-air external GPU (eGPU) dock that connects via Oculink, a high-speed PCIe-based interface now appearing in select handheld gaming systems.
For the handheld, I chose the $1,000 GPD Win Max 2, powered by an AMD Ryzen 8840U mobile CPU. Even though it only supports four lanes of PCIe 4.0 bandwidth, significantly less than the 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0 that the RTX 5090 is designed for, the performance was still impressive.
Performance Insights: Defying Expectations
Despite the limited PCIe bandwidth, the setup achieved over 100 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra settings, a remarkable achievement for a portable system. The results across eight benchmarked games were eye-opening:
The RTX 5090 in the GPD Win Max 2 ran 7–47% slower than when paired with the most powerful desktop gaming CPU.
Compared to my SFF desktop, performance was reduced by only 4–29%, despite the bandwidth limitations.
It still outperformed an RTX 3080 in the SFF desktop, showcasing that even under constraints, the RTX 5090 delivers exceptional performance.
Most impressively, it was 4–12 times faster than the handheld’s Radeon 780M integrated GPU.
The Future of Handheld Gaming
This experiment is more than just a technical exercise—it highlights the potential for handheld gaming. Here are the key takeaways:
Docked Gaming Will Elevate Handheld Devices – With the growing adoption of Oculink and eGPU technology, portable gaming systems can remain compact while achieving desktop-class performance when docked.
External GPUs May Become a Standard Accessory – If high-speed PCIe interfaces like Oculink continue to gain traction, we could see plug-and-play eGPU docks becoming a common feature for handheld gaming PCs.
Handhelds Could Become More Modular and Upgradable – Optimizing bandwidth and power efficiency could lead to future handhelds that effectively bridge the gap between portability and high-end gaming performance.
While running an RTX 5090 on a handheld device isn’t practical for everyday gaming, this experiment proves an important point: the line between handheld and desktop gaming is becoming increasingly blurred.
If companies like Nvidia, AMD, and handheld PC manufacturers continue to push these boundaries, the future of mobile gaming could be more powerful than we ever imagined.
When you think of Apple, what comes to mind? Sleek iPhones, cutting-edge MacBooks, or perhaps the iconic Apple logo? But there’s another masterpiece that embodies Apple’s philosophy of innovation, design, and sustainability: Apple Park.
Located in Cupertino, California, Apple Park is more than just a corporate headquarters—it’s a testament to the company’s commitment to excellence. From its futuristic ring-shaped design to its eco-friendly features, Apple Park is a marvel of modern architecture and engineering.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the genius design of Apple Park, exploring its history, architecture, sustainability features, and the vision behind this extraordinary project.
The Vision: Steve Jobs’ Dream Campus
Apple Park wasn’t just designed to be a workplace; it was envisioned as a space that would inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation.
Steve Jobs’ Role
The idea for Apple Park came from none other than Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and visionary leader. Jobs wanted a campus that reflected Apple’s values—simplicity, elegance, and attention to detail. He was deeply involved in the project, even collaborating with renowned architects to bring his vision to life.
A Tribute to Innovation
Jobs saw Apple Park as more than just a building; it was a tribute to the company’s legacy of innovation. He wanted a space that would foster creativity and serve as a hub for future breakthroughs.
The Architecture: A Ring of Inspiration
At the heart of Apple Park is its iconic ring-shaped design, often compared to a spaceship. But this isn’t just a whimsical choice—it’s a carefully thought-out design that serves both aesthetic and functional purposes.
The Main Building: The Ring
The main building, known as the Ring, spans 2.8 million square feet and is one of the largest office buildings in the world. Its circular shape promotes collaboration by minimizing the distance between teams, while its glass walls provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
The Design Team
Apple Park was designed by the architectural firm Foster + Partners, led by Norman Foster. The team worked closely with Apple to create a building that embodied the company’s design principles.
Materials and Construction
The Ring is constructed with some of the finest materials, including curved glass panels and custom-made concrete. The attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the building, from the seamless joints to the precisely engineered doors.
Sustainability: A Green Oasis
Apple Park isn’t just beautiful—it’s also one of the most sustainable buildings in the world.
Renewable Energy
The campus is powered by 100% renewable energy, thanks to a massive solar panel installation on the roof of the Ring. In fact, Apple Park is one of the largest on-site solar energy installations in the world.
Natural Ventilation
The building is designed to take advantage of natural ventilation, reducing the need for air conditioning. The curved shape of the Ring allows for optimal airflow, creating a comfortable environment for employees.
Green Spaces
Apple Park is surrounded by 9,000 trees, including fruit orchards, meadows, and a central courtyard. These green spaces not only enhance the beauty of the campus but also promote biodiversity and improve air quality.
The Steve Jobs Theater: A Tribute to a Legend
One of the most striking features of Apple Park is the Steve Jobs Theater, a 1,000-seat auditorium located on a hill overlooking the campus.
Design and Construction
The theater is a masterpiece of minimalist design, with a glass cylinder entrance and a carbon-fiber roof. Its underground auditorium is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, making it the perfect venue for product launches and events.
A Fitting Tribute
The theater is named in honor of Steve Jobs, whose vision and leadership shaped Apple’s success. It serves as a reminder of his legacy and the values he instilled in the company.
The Details: Where Form Meets Function
What sets Apple Park apart is its meticulous attention to detail. Every aspect of the campus has been carefully designed to enhance the user experience.
The Doors
Even the doors at Apple Park are a work of art. Designed to be seamless and flush with the walls, they are a testament to Apple’s commitment to perfection.
The Cafeteria
The cafeteria, one of the largest in the world, features a 595,000-square-foot canopy made of carbon fiber and glass. It’s not just a place to eat—it’s a space for employees to connect and collaborate.
The Fitness Center
Apple Park includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, complete with a yoga studio, gym, and running track. It’s a reflection of Apple’s focus on employee well-being.
The Impact: A Model for the Future
Apple Park isn’t just a corporate headquarters—it’s a model for sustainable, innovative, and human-centered design.
Inspiring Other Companies
Apple Park has set a new standard for corporate campuses, inspiring other companies to rethink their approach to workplace design.
A Hub for Innovation
The campus is more than just a building; it’s a hub for innovation. By bringing employees together in a space designed for collaboration, Apple Park fosters creativity and drives progress.
A Commitment to Sustainability
Apple Park demonstrates that sustainability and innovation can go hand in hand. It’s a powerful example of how companies can reduce their environmental impact while creating beautiful, functional spaces.
A Masterpiece of Design and Vision
Apple Park is more than just a building—it’s a reflection of Apple’s values, vision, and commitment to excellence. From its iconic ring-shaped design to its sustainable features, every aspect of the campus has been carefully crafted to inspire and innovate.
As we look to the future, Apple Park serves as a reminder of what’s possible when creativity, technology, and sustainability come together. It’s not just a workplace; it’s a masterpiece.
When you think of Nvidia, what comes to mind? For many, it’s gaming—cutting-edge graphics cards that bring video games to life with stunning visuals and seamless performance. But Nvidia is no longer just a gaming company. Today, it’s a powerhouse in artificial intelligence (AI), playing a pivotal role in technologies like ChatGPT, self-driving cars, and even healthcare innovations.
How did Nvidia make this incredible leap? This is the story of how a company that started with gaming graphics became a global leader in AI, shaping the future of technology and transforming industries along the way.
The Humble Beginnings: Nvidia’s Gaming Roots
Nvidia was founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. Their mission was simple yet ambitious: to revolutionize computer graphics. At the time, 3D graphics were in their infancy, and the trio saw an opportunity to create hardware that could handle the demands of next-generation gaming and professional visualization.
The Birth of the GPU
In 1999, Nvidia introduced the GeForce 256, the world’s first Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Unlike traditional CPUs, which are designed for general-purpose computing, GPUs are specialized for rendering images and handling multiple tasks simultaneously. This made them perfect for gaming, where speed and visual fidelity are critical.
The GeForce 256 was a game-changer—literally. It set a new standard for gaming graphics, and Nvidia quickly became a household name among gamers. But the company’s ambitions didn’t stop there.
From Gaming to General-Purpose Computing: The Rise of CUDA
While GPUs were initially designed for graphics, Nvidia realized they had the potential to do much more. In 2006, the company launched CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture), a parallel computing platform that allowed developers to use GPUs for general-purpose computing tasks.
Why CUDA Mattered
CUDA unlocked the power of GPUs for applications beyond gaming, such as scientific research, data analysis, and machine learning. For example, researchers could use CUDA to simulate complex systems, like weather patterns or protein folding, at unprecedented speeds.
This shift marked the beginning of Nvidia’s transformation from a gaming company to a leader in high-performance computing.
The AI Revolution: Nvidia’s Big Bet on Machine Learning
As AI and machine learning gained traction in the 2010s, Nvidia found itself at the forefront of another technological revolution.
Why GPUs Are Perfect for AI
AI models, especially deep learning algorithms, require massive amounts of data and computational power. GPUs, with their ability to perform thousands of calculations simultaneously, are ideally suited for this task.
Nvidia capitalized on this by developing GPUs specifically optimized for AI workloads. The company’s Tesla and A100 GPUs became the go-to hardware for training AI models, powering everything from image recognition to natural language processing.
Real-Life Impact: AI in Action
Nvidia’s GPUs have been used in some of the most groundbreaking AI projects of the past decade. For example:
Self-Driving Cars: Companies like Tesla and Waymo use Nvidia’s hardware to process data from sensors and cameras in real time, enabling autonomous driving.
Healthcare: Nvidia’s GPUs are used to accelerate medical research, such as analyzing medical images or discovering new drugs.
ChatGPT: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, one of the most advanced AI language models, is powered by Nvidia GPUs.
Powering ChatGPT: Nvidia’s Role in the AI Language Model Boom
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has taken the world by storm with its ability to generate human-like text. But behind this impressive technology is Nvidia’s hardware.
How Nvidia GPUs Enable ChatGPT
Training a model like ChatGPT requires enormous computational resources. According to OpenAI, training GPT-3 (the model behind ChatGPT) involved thousands of Nvidia A100 GPUs running for weeks. These GPUs handled the massive matrix multiplications and other operations needed to train the model on billions of words of text.
The Importance of Nvidia’s Ecosystem
Nvidia doesn’t just provide hardware—it also offers a comprehensive ecosystem of software tools and libraries, such as CUDA and cuDNN, that make it easier for developers to build and deploy AI models. This end-to-end approach has made Nvidia indispensable in the AI industry.
Beyond AI: Nvidia’s Expanding Horizons
Nvidia’s influence extends far beyond gaming and AI. The company is now a key player in several emerging technologies.
Data Centers and Cloud Computing
Nvidia’s GPUs are widely used in data centers to accelerate workloads like video streaming, data analysis, and AI inference. The company’s acquisition of Mellanox in 2020 further strengthened its position in this space by adding high-performance networking technology to its portfolio.
Omniverse: Building the Metaverse
Nvidia’s Omniverse platform is a real-time 3D simulation and collaboration tool that’s being used to create virtual worlds, design products, and even train robots. It’s a glimpse into the future of the metaverse, where physical and digital worlds converge.
Autonomous Machines and Robotics
From drones to industrial robots, Nvidia’s Jetson platform is powering the next generation of autonomous machines. These devices rely on AI to perceive and interact with their environments, and Nvidia’s hardware makes it all possible.
Challenges and Controversies: The Road Ahead
Nvidia’s journey hasn’t been without obstacles. The company faces stiff competition from rivals like AMD and Intel, as well as regulatory scrutiny over its acquisitions. There’s also the challenge of meeting the growing demand for its products, especially as AI continues to expand into new industries.
Supply Chain Issues
The global chip shortage has affected Nvidia’s ability to meet demand for its GPUs, leading to shortages and price hikes. The company is working to address these issues by investing in new manufacturing capacity and partnerships.
Ethical Concerns
As AI becomes more powerful, questions about its ethical use are growing. Nvidia has a responsibility to ensure its technology is used responsibly, whether it’s in AI models like ChatGPT or autonomous weapons systems.
The Future of Nvidia: What’s Next?
Nvidia shows no signs of slowing down. Here are some of the exciting developments on the horizon:
AI at the Edge
Nvidia is working on bringing AI to edge devices, such as smartphones and IoT devices, enabling real-time processing without the need for cloud connectivity.
Quantum Computing
Nvidia is exploring the potential of quantum computing, which could revolutionize fields like cryptography, materials science, and drug discovery.
Sustainability
As part of its commitment to sustainability, Nvidia is developing energy-efficient GPUs and data center solutions to reduce the environmental impact of AI and computing.
From Pixels to AI, Nvidia’s Incredible Journey
Nvidia’s story is one of innovation, adaptability, and vision. What started as a company focused on gaming graphics has grown into a global leader in AI and high-performance computing. Today, Nvidia’s technology powers some of the most advanced AI systems in the world, including ChatGPT, and its influence extends to industries as diverse as healthcare, automotive, and entertainment.
As we look to the future, one thing is clear: Nvidia will continue to play a central role in shaping the technologies that define our world. Whether it’s through AI, the metaverse, or quantum computing, Nvidia’s journey is far from over.
