CES events always offer previews of forthcoming processors and systems for the upcoming year, regardless of prior announcements. The 2026 edition follows this pattern closely.
Two significant notebook-focused launches have already surfaced: Intel's forthcoming Core Ultra platform, dubbed Panther Lake, and Qualcomm's successor to its mobile Windows on Arm lineup, the Snapdragon X2 Elite. AMD remains the outlier, with no official disclosure yet on its next laptop processor, although partner roadmaps surfaced earlier this year.
Desktop PC developments remain unclear, and Nvidia's potential contributions add intrigue to the event.
Predicting exact announcements from PC manufacturers for CES 2026 is challenging, but informed speculation is possible. Below are projections for Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, and Nvidia.
Intel is set to introduce its Panther Lake series, branded as Core Ultra 300, during the show. The company has shared in-depth architecture insights, including efficient low-power cores, high-performance cores, the Xe3 graphics architecture, and an enhanced neural processing unit. Typically, discussions would shift to specifics like operating frequencies and costs at this point.
However, Intel offers three variants to consider: an 8-core model, a 16-core option, and a 16-core version equipped with 12 Xe3 graphics cores. The latter could position itself as a high-end product, potentially rivaling AMD's Ryzen Max series from laptop vendors, though such competition seems unlikely.
Intel continues to lead the notebook sector. Its prior Core Ultra 200 chips excelled, balancing extended battery endurance with solid processing capabilities. The company usually permits initial benchmarks during CES, followed by broader media evaluations soon after, a practice expected to persist.
In recent times, Intel has highlighted software leveraging on-device artificial intelligence. Similar demonstrations may appear, perhaps emphasizing agentic AI functionalities.
Intel could also preview Nova Lake, its planned desktop platform for 2026, which has been teased previously. Prior to that, Arrow Lake Refresh processors are slated for release, featuring subtle clock speed adjustments and modest core expansions (eight performance cores and twelve efficiency cores), particularly in entry-level models. Given the tepid response to Arrow Lake and the limited improvements in these updates, Intel may downplay them significantly.
Qualcomm's plans hold few uncertainties. The firm has unveiled the Snapdragon X2 Elite, incorporating diverse core configurations that reach speeds near 5GHz and deliver an impressive 80 tera operations per second for AI tasks.
While Snapdragon systems aren't primarily aimed at gaming, Qualcomm consistently addresses this area. The company claims the X2 Elite doubles prior gaming capabilities, likely leading to showcases of additional titles on Arm-based Windows laptops. A key question is the volume of devices original equipment manufacturers will build around these chips, as adoption of the earlier Snapdragon X Elite was modest. Nonetheless, Microsoft and Qualcomm remain committed to advancing Windows on Arm.
Desktop reveals from Qualcomm seem improbable as standalone products, but the company has hinted at a compact mini PC reference design tied to the X2 Elite introduction, along with an all-in-one system integrating the processor into the monitor's base stand, leaving room for possibilities.
From a CPU standpoint, AMD dominated 2025 for gaming and enthusiast users. While the Ryzen 9000X series faced early performance issues, the Ryzen 9000X3D lineup, particularly the Ryzen 9 9950X3D with its extensive V-cache, delivered substantial gains, reminiscent of the buzz around past Threadripper releases.
AMD's progress in mobile processors stood out notably. After years of underwhelming options like the A-series, the Ryzen AI 300 series incorporated a robust NPU while providing top-tier performance and efficient power use. AMD now prepares to transition from Strix Point to the Zen 5-based Gorgon Point: leaks via Geekbench revealed the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 at 3.1GHz with twelve cores total, marking a strong foundation. Attention will focus on its ability to sustain power and battery efficiency. Reports also mention a Ryzen AI 5 430 variant.
A standout element is the Ryzen AI Max and Max+ configurations, featuring abundant cache, a broad high-speed memory interface, an expansive integrated Radeon graphics processor, and support for up to 96GB of addressable memory. Known as Strix Halo, this design enables moderate gaming prowess alongside support for on-device large language models.
Hands-on experience with the Framework Desktop equipped with a Ryzen AI Max+ processor proved highly positive.
Should AMD primarily unveil Gorgon Point without additional chips, an enhanced AI Max seems premature, but the new processor may offer clues toward future iterations. AMD has emphasized improvements to its ROCm software stack, which can elevate application efficiency via optimizations alone—a strategy the company will likely pursue ongoingly.
Returning to desktops, speculation points to AMD disclosing a Ryzen 7 9850X3D with clock speeds 400MHz above the standard 9800X3D, plus a fresh APU lineup called the Ryzen 9000G series boasting powerful integrated graphics derived from Strix Point laptop tech. Rumors also circulate about a premium Ryzen 9 X3D model, though confirmation appears tentative.
Nvidia presents the most opaque prospects. Mid-year chatter about an RTX 50-series Super variant with expanded memory and refinements faded recently, likely quashed by severe memory shortages. No fresh desktop or mobile graphics cards are anticipated at CES, given the RTX 50-series debut only last year.
Nvidia frequently unveils innovative demos and capabilities at CES unrelated to hardware releases, such as AI-driven NPC companions in games, the Half-Life 2 RTX Remix project, or past monitor initiatives like Big Format Displays. Team Green might share pertinent updates. Unexpected developments are common in Las Vegas. Whispers suggest Nvidia could reveal advancements in display technology.
As CES 2026 approaches in early January, PCWorld plans full coverage. Expect ongoing updates as the event unfolds.
Brad Chacos contributed to this article.
Mark has contributed to PCWorld for the past ten years, drawing on three decades of tech reporting expertise. He has penned more than 3,500 pieces for the outlet, spanning PC processors, accessories, and Windows ecosystems, among others. His work has appeared in PC Magazine, Byte, eWeek, Popular Science, and Electronic Buyers' News, earning a Jesse H. Neal Award for news coverage. Recently, he cleared out a stockpile of Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs due to space constraints in his workspace.