News

• Some Windows 11 users have found their drive space has been mysteriously dwindling
• In some reported cases, this is down to a database file for a Windows component that grows massively due to an apparent bug
• The optional update for June fixes this, albeit that patch is still in testing

If you use Windows 11 and have been wondering why your drive space seems to have been mysteriously dwindling of late, the culprit could be a background process called Capability Access Manager.

Capability Access Manager (CAM) is a rather obscure Windows component which, as the name suggests, manages the apps on your PC in terms of permissions to access the camera, mic and so forth.

CAM keeps a database that logs app requests and this is stored as a file called CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal – and it's that file which is growing hugely on the drives of some unlucky Windows 11 users.

Neowin reports that Microsoft just implemented the fix for this aggravating issue in the latest update for Windows 11. This is patch KB5095093 which is the optional update for June (so it's still in preview, or testing, at this point).

In the changelog for this release, Microsoft tells us: "This update improves disk space usage for the CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal file."

So, with any luck, this will be an end to the gremlin, and those who install the June preview will find this database file has been changed so it doesn't spiral out of control and eat their storage like some kind of log-based black hole.

This is a nasty little problem, especially for those who've got a modest main drive for Windows 11, such as a 256GB SSD (or maybe even smaller). With reports of the database file expanding to a size of 60GB to 100GB, or even larger (200GB according to this Redditor), you can see how problematic this could be when you're already short on space with your SSD.

Microsoft doesn't explicitly say that this is a bug, but surely it must have been? Albeit a situational one that only occurred on certain systems by all accounts (Dell PCs are mentioned in a few reports, I should note). It's clear, however, that there are a lot of reports of CAM woes on Reddit and Microsoft's own help site, with some folks left scratching their heads as to what on earth was going on – and why their drive space was disappearing into some apparent void.

Unfortunately, these problems have been around for some time, with those reports going back to March 2026, and some dating from almost a year ago. As one Redditor explained in a post some 10 months ago: "Turns out it's the 'CapabilityAccessManager.db-wal' file which ate up 25GB. Looked through some forums and seems like it's a notorious culprit for system bloat. That file is supposed to slowly build up then be emptied each month, but mine bugged and never emptied itself."

There are workarounds to delete the CAM database file and effectively empty it out, but they're somewhat fiddly, and the log will rebuild itself if buggy conditions still abound on your PC. As one Redditor observed: "I spent hours trying to delete that file. Like in a horror movie, it just wouldn't die, even when I thought I had killed it. Your procedure [workaround] worked perfectly. Thanks!"

So, the whole thing has been a bit of a headache really, and while it's good to see an apparent cure now, it's taken Microsoft long enough. And frankly, I'm not impressed with the communication on this issue from the software giant.

To be clear, the fix right now is to download and install the June optional update for Windows 11, but bear in mind that as noted, it's a preview, so there's no guarantee it'll work as it should. The resolution will be provided with the full July update, mind, in tested form, and that's just around the corner – so you might just want to wait for that. Assuming your drive isn't chock-full and causing you a whole load of grief, anyway.

The debate around Anthropic’s Mythos has understandably focused on model safety, but for businesses the more important lesson may be one of AI governance.

Mythos points to a problem most organizations are not currently built to manage: AI can now help uncover weaknesses faster than businesses can assess, prioritize and remediate them. Security vulnerabilities have always existed across software, infrastructure, supplier relationships, data flows and internal processes.

What has changed is not the existence of risk, but the speed at which it can now be discovered and the pressure that places on organizations to decide what matters most, who owns the response and how quickly action needs to be taken.

For large technology companies with deep security research capability, that acceleration may be difficult but manageable. For many other businesses, particularly smaller organizations, the challenge is very different. They are exposed to the same shift in risk discovery, but without anything close to the same resources, specialist teams or remediation capacity to absorb it.

At a time when organizations are already dealing with a flow of serious cyber attacks, this cannot be treated as a security issue alone. It is becoming a governance issue too, because greater visibility into risk only improves resilience if the business has the structure, accountability and confidence to act on what it finds.

As more weaknesses are surfaced, the real bottleneck shifts from detection to prioritization, and then ultimately remediation. Recent data shows that 34% of leaders cite employees inputting sensitive data into AI systems as their top concern, while 21% attribute risky behavior to insufficient training and a further 21% to the pressure to act quickly.

Security teams may be the first to see an issue, but they cannot resolve it in isolation. Someone has to determine which systems are most critical, which vulnerabilities create genuine business exposure, and which risks can be tolerated for a period of time. These are not purely technical decisions. They involve operations, legal, procurement, compliance, engineering and senior leadership.

This is why Mythos should be read as a governance signal. It shows how quickly technical discovery can create organizational pressure. If a business cannot clearly answer who owns the response, how issues are escalated and when leadership needs to make an explicit risk decision, then faster discovery does not necessarily make the organisation safer. It may simply reveal the places where governance was already weak.

One of the most important shifts businesses need to make is in how they think about unknown risk. Very few organizations have perfect visibility across every system, supplier and process, and security teams have always understood that some level of unknown risk exists.

What AI changes is the speed and scale at which that risk can be brought to the surface. As discovery becomes faster, broader and more continuous, organizations can quickly find themselves with more issues than they have the capacity to triage or fix.

That creates an uncomfortable reality. If a vulnerability exists in the organisation, the business is carrying it whether or not it has been formally recorded, reviewed or approved. Unknown risk is still accepted risk, even when that acceptance is accidental.

Risk discovery only creates value when it leads to better-informed decisions. Without a clear operating model, businesses are left with a widening gap between what they know, what they can fix and what they are implicitly choosing to tolerate.

Organizations need to understand which systems matter most, which suppliers are critical, who is responsible for remediation and when leadership needs to decide whether a risk should be fixed, monitored, transferred or accepted. That does not mean every business needs to build a program on the scale of Project Glasswing, but it does mean they need a more disciplined way of turning visibility into action.

The practical response is to treat AI-driven risk discovery as more than a security workflow. Security teams need the capability to detect, validate and investigate weaknesses, but governance determines what happens after that. It defines ownership, escalation, prioritization and accountability, and prevents risk decisions from being made informally, inconsistently, too late or not at all.

This means governance has to move closer to day-to-day operations. It cannot sit only in policy documents, periodic reviews or committee structures. It needs to influence the decisions people make in the systems they use every day, whether they are approving a supplier, deploying a tool, handling sensitive data or responding to a newly discovered weakness.

This is where governance becomes a practical business capability rather than a compliance exercise. A strong program should help the organization understand what has been found, how serious it is, who owns the response, what action is being taken and how quickly progress can be shown.

Mythos matters because it points to a future where risk discovery becomes more difficult to contain within traditional security processes. Finding weaknesses earlier gives organizations a better chance of addressing them before attackers exploit them, but discovery on its own is not enough.

The organizations that handle this shift well will not necessarily be those that surface the most issues. They will be the ones that can decide what matters, assign ownership and act with enough speed to reduce exposure.

AI is magnifying the gap between what organizations know and what they are able to govern. Closing that gap will decide whether greater visibility becomes a source of resilience or simply another source of pressure.

We've ranked and reviewed the best antivirus software available.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Google's new Nano Banana 2 Lite is really fast, as in about four seconds from prompt to image. That speed changes how you think about writing the prompts as much as the schedule of producing them.

The standard Nano Banana 2 model, and most other AI image generators for that matter, take long enough that it's worth spending some time working out the perfect prompt. It can be annoying to have to redo it multiple times when you have to wait up to a minute and still might get it wrong. You learn to be cautious in your prompting.

Nano Banana 2 Lite breaks that rhythm. I noticed my own speed changing to almost match. I didn't feel the need to write a perfect prompt. I treated it more like a sketchpad for ideas that could be quickly tossed out if they didn't work or revised until they did. None of them felt like much of a commitment because another attempt was only a few seconds away.

And it's not as though there's an enormous downgrade in results. For instance, I asked both versions of Nano Banana 2 to make "A steampunk fleet sailing through outer space above Earth, complete with ornate wooden airships covered in brass." There is plenty there to cause fits in any image model.

Without knowing which was which, more than one person guessed wrong or thought it was a trick and the two were from the same model. The one on the left is Nano Banana 2, and the one on the right is its Lite sibling. You can guess one is higher quality if you study it, and certainly over time you can spot where the Lite version might let you down, but when it only takes four seconds to come up with another one, it doesn't matter too much.

While the standard Nano Banana 2 is good for when you need the highest fidelity or have an extra tricky request, Lite exists for speed and brainstorming. Google positions Nano Banana 2 Lite as the faster, cheaper companion, helpful especially at scale.

For the average person, it means you don't have to invest as much time in your initial prompt and can play around more.

It means you can iterate in interesting ways too. For instance, I started with a prompt for "a busy farmer's market." Crowds remain one of the quickest ways to expose the weaknesses of AI image generators because there are so many people, poses, and interactions happening at once.

The result was fine, but I began adding specific details and Nano Banana 2 Lite obliged me with about a dozen options in a few minutes. Now, my requests for things like children chasing bubbles, an elderly couple buying flowers, a street musician, and a fruit vendor making a sale in the foreground are all right there. There are some flaws and odd details, but for four seconds it's not bad.

And it should be repeated that Nano Banana 2 Lite is not much of a step down from the larger model and is capable of coherent storytelling, but not necessarily perfectly on the first try. I asked it to "Make a six-panel comic about a businessman who accidentally swaps briefcases with an alien in a train station."

The comic makes sense overall. The characters stayed consistent from one panel to the next, the sequence flowed naturally, and the final reveal landed with exactly the right amount of absurdity. There are, of course, two huge errors in the comic, where the human has no briefcase in the second panel and two in the third.

A couple of further prompts solved the problem, but it's important to note that the easier solution is to iterate, not to spend a lot more time reworking the prompt with extra detail. A version made with the regular Nano Banana 2 model notably did not share the same flaw. In other words, each model has its place, and you might even end up polishing a prompt in Lite and then taking it to the Nano Banana 2 for an even higher-quality version.

Still, when you can make so many images so quickly, you can rethink how you come up with the prompts. That seems to be Google's goal for Nano Banana 2 Lite. It feels designed for the messier parts of the creative process. The bigger model is for a deeper commitment. Making each individual image feel a little less important might eventually encourage people to create far better images.

• Google Home Speaker users are reporting early issues
• The voice assistant is taking up to 60 seconds to respond to requests
• Google has said it's working on a fix, but there hasn't been any updates

Google has only just returned to smart hubs with its new AI-powered Google Home Speaker, six long years after the company released the Nest Audio — and users are already running into issues.

It’s been barely a week since pre-orders were shipped and those who’ve been excited to test out the upgraded Google Home Speaker have been let down with the device’s performance.

The crux of the issue is the voice assistant itself, which many users say takes a while to respond to their commands. A slew of Reddit posts highlight the same issue, agreeing that the speaker can take between 30-60 seconds before responding, and others have experienced audio cutting out altogether.

While we don’t know how widespread these lagged responses are, the top comment in the Reddit thread above says it’s happening globally. Whether this is the case or not, it’s birthed a lot of frustration among those who have spent good money on the new device — “I’m returning mine” one user writes, while another says “I really hope Google puts more effort into things”.

Looking at the user reactions, it appears that this issue is also prevalent in older devices like the Nest Audio and Nest Mini, so it’s not just the new Home Speaker that’s going through the ringer. Thankfully, Google is doing something about it.

Amidst the backlash, the official u/GoogleNestCommunity replied to the Reddit post with the following; “We're aware of an issue causing increased latency or timing out. We are working on a fix ASAP and will circle back once this is resolved. Thanks for your patience”.

Though Google’s acknowledgment provides some sort of reassurance that a fix is on the way, the company hasn’t provided any details on how it intends to address the issues or when users can expect to see an improvement. At this rate, it’s still a waiting game, but this isn’t the only run-in with criticism the Google Home Speaker has faced since its launch.

When Google officially announced the new Home Speaker in October 2025, I was thrilled to see a new speaker was on the way just as much as the next person, but there’s one setback which an early unboxing video addresses.

The Google Home Speaker has a fixed power cable, meaning you can’t disconnect it like you can with the majority of the best smart speakers. It may sound like we’re splitting hairs here, but the unboxing video highlights the repairability problem that comes with not having an unpluggable power cord.

These issues aside, the Google Home Speaker isn't totally devoid of positives. According to the same unboxing video, the speaker’s accompanying app has a lot of appeal and the overall audio quality is pretty solid — so it’s nice to see that Google has adhered to its 360-audio upgrade promises.

The official Samsung Store had an epic deal on the Galaxy S26 Ultra last week, with the retailer offering the device with a record-beating $350 upfront discount. Well, after a short pause, it appears that the deal is back today — just in time for the 4th of July.

In case you missed it, the deal in question is a choice between an upfront $350 discount or a trade-in rebate of up to $720. Both can be used to get a seriously cheap unlocked device here, but the upfront discount is actually the more noteworthy of the two.

Generally speaking, we're accustomed to seeing big trade-in rebates on this device, but if you're someone looking to just buy a device outright, then you'll know that big upfront discounts like this are much rarer.

Today's discount brings the 256GB configuration down to $949, which is still pricey, but much better than the $1,299 that it originally listed for on release.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: $350 off upfront, or up to $720 off with a trade-in at Samsung
The outstanding Galaxy S26 Ultra has just been listed for its lowest price yet at the official Samsung Store, with an excellent $350 discount on unlocked devices. Available across all storage variants and colors, this deal can get you a device for as little as $949 upfront. Trade-in rebates of up to $720 are also available, but we've seen slightly better offerings in the past for trades.View Deal

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the current phone to beat if you're looking for the very best high-end Android flagship money can buy. Our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review described it as 'the best Galaxy S phone to date' despite its fairly modest upgrades over the previous generation.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra definitely resembles the S25 Ultra, but the company did tweak the formula slightly with new features without increasing the price. For example, the new Privacy display and Super Steady video mode — both of which you won't get on the standard Galaxy S26 or S26 Plus.

Otherwise, it's still an Ultra device, meaning you get the best display, best cameras, and the versatility of its built-in S Pen. It's definitely pricey, but if you're a power user who makes full use of your phone, it's worth the $950 price of admission.

• Appliances: 4th of July sales on ranges, refrigerators, washers
• Phones: record-low price on the Galaxy S26 series
• Tablets: $400 off Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra
• TVs: up to $1,700 off OLED and Neo QLED TVs

If you've been checking the weather forecast, you'll have noticed that the temperature is set to rise again next week. It might not reach the scorching highs of 40C, but much of the UK is still going to be hot and sticky, so it's wise to grab a fan before stock flies off the virtual shelves again.

• Today's fan deals at Amazon

Lots of fans completely sold out last week (some won't be back in stock until October), but there are some great deals on models from big brands if you know where to look. I've scoured the web and found six particularly good offers from reputable brands, so you don't end up settling for less than the best.

My personal pick is the Dimplex FlexBlade Bladeless Tower Fan, which is now £159.99 at Amazon (was £199.99), and kept me comfortable the last time the temperatures soared. You can aim this fan at your bed, and it's quiet enough not to disturb your sleep.

I borrowed one of these fans during the last heatwave, and it was a lifesaver. Its 'arms' can be rotated 90 degrees so it blows a sheet of cool air over your bed. I saw it selling for over £400 in some online stores only a week ago, so this is a great time to snap it up.View Deal

This tower fan is fantastic value at just under £60, and can sit neatly in the corner of your room until you need it during a heatwave. It can monitor the temperature of your room, which is particularly smart.View Deal

This app-operated smart fan is still selling for full price at Amazon, but you can get 15% off when you buy it direct from SwitchBot using the code PDDAY15. The code is applied at the checkout automatically. View Deal

Move this smart cordless fan around the house with you, and place it near an open window when the temperature drops to quickly cool the room. It's cheaper in SwitchBot's store than at Amazon with the code PDDAY15.View Deal

You can use this rechargeable smart fan anywhere, and it comes with two bases: so you can convert it into a desk fan when you're working. With £20 off, it's great value.View Deal

An exceptionally quiet fan for keeping your bedroom cool at night, this Philips model lets you adjust the height and angle of airflow for a targeted breeze. The discount isn't huge, but at under £50 I'm not going to quibble.View Deal

Want more recommendations? Take a look at our full guide to the best fans for all the top models we've tested in our own homes, and which have earned our seal of approval.

• Capture One has added native Hasselblad .3FR RAW file support
• Hasselblad's X2D II 100C, X2D 100C and CFV 100C are included
• Tethered capture is set to follow later this year

Hasselblad photographers, I have the news you've been waiting years for: Hasselblad cameras finally have native Capture One support.

The support covers Hasselblad's 16-bit .3FR RAW files and includes three of its 100MP medium-format cameras: the X2D II 100C, X2D 100C and CFV 100C digital back (which is the sensor module for the 907X). You'll need the latest version of Capture One 16.8.3 or Mobile Version 3.3.4.

It's truly a match made in heaven; Hasselblad's 16-bit RAW files and 'Natural Color Solution' render possibly the most true-to-life colors I've seen in my 15 years of testing cameras, while Capture One is industry-favorite editing software for color correction and tethered shooting.

This partnership between two Scandinavian companies had to happen some time, and now it has, with tethered shooting support (a studio setup where you can control the camera through the software) also promised for later this year.

It's a big deal for both parties — Hasselblad shooters can ditch Adobe, which is held in lower regard among pro colorists, in favor of Capture One and its precise photo-editing toolset.

The move might also attract new professional and commercial photographers, who have previously been put off because of the lack of Capture One support, to Hasselblad's medium-format digital cameras.

As for Capture One, it can potentially attract a new wave of existing Hasselblad photographers, with a seamless workflow from capture to the finished image.

Until now, workarounds were needed to bring Hasselblad RAW files into Capture One, at the cost of color accuracy and editing latitude. Meanwhile, Adobe's photo-editing platforms, such as Lightroom, are held in less regard than Capture One for outright color fidelity.

Now Hasselblad's 100MP medium-format RAW files are supported, with profiles for Hasselblad's entire range of XCD lenses and the ability to organize files as well as edit them and, later this year, tethered capture.

I reached out to Hasselblad for comment, and a spokesperson told me: "One of the most consistent requests has been native support for Hasselblad RAW files in Capture One. This partnership is a direct response to that feedback, and we've been working with the Capture One team for some time to make it happen."

Capture One echoed Hasselblad's sentiment about the new partnership, saying "Giving Hasselblad photographers the native Capture One workflow they've asked us for is genuinely rewarding. Both of us are firmly rooted in the commercial and professional space, and that's a big part of why this partnership makes sense."

And when I asked about the challenges in bringing native support to a new format, Capture One told me, "The real challenge was less about simply reading the files. Getting a new format right means dedicated color profiles for each of the three cameras, so Hasselblad's files render with the true-to-life color our users know Capture One for, plus lens profiles for the XCD lenses that correct distortion, chromatic aberration, and light falloff.

"Throughout, the priority was making sure the unique character of these cameras comes through with the image quality we pride ourselves on."

You can sign up for a free Capture One 7-day trial if you've yet to try it, with subscriptions starting at $18 / £16.67 AU$27 per month, or a one-time purchase costing $349 / £336 / AU$523.

The BosGame VTI-490 angled top panel, bright orange power button and the slightly cyberpunk styling suggest a machine aimed primarily at gamers, and for the first few days of testing, I kept that in mind as I started the application installs and connection to the network. By the end of a month, it had become one of the most impressive mini PCs I’ve tested, and while the integrated graphics will impress gamers, creative professionals should also take note.

What sets this machine apart is the new Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, built on Intel's 18A process. This is the company's first 2nm-class node, and the performance reflects what was promised by this new technology and release.

Using all standard applications in Windows 11 Pro is fluid; applications open quickly, and the full Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, and a browser full of tabs run without any issues. This was effectively reflected in the Windows Experience score of 8.9, which is among the highest I’ve seen in a Mini PC of this size.

As part of the new CPU, there's the integrated Intel Arc B390 GPU, and checking out the benchmarks, the results were impressive with Fire Strike Graphics at 17,443, Time Spy at 7,717, and Wild Life at 43,790, which, to put it into context, is well above the usual Radeon 890M integrated GPU scores I’m used to seeing.

Before starting some serious work, I tested running Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Hogwarts Legacy. Both ran smoothly at medium-to-high settings at 1080p, and at lower settings, 4K is also possible.

If you’re looking for a compact mini PC for creative use, for example to run Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Lightroom the machine was able to handle 4K footage from the Canon EOS R5 C and Sony a7 IV without issue, no dropped frames during productions lasting up to and beyond 15 minutes, although an external storage solution was needed as the 1TB internal drive is lacking on capacity.

This is where the most impressive feature came into play, the 10GbE LAN port on the rear. Connecting directly to a Ugreen DXP4800 GT NAS at 10Gbps delivered network transfer speeds approaching 800 MB/s, the equivalent of working from a directly attached drive while accessing multi-terabyte NAS capacity.

For video and photo professionals who run a high-speed NAS, this entirely eliminates the need for a separate 10GbE switch or adapter, enabling a neat, tidy workspace with plenty of upgrade potential if needed. Whether or not it's the best mini PC out there will depend entirely on whether you need that level of functionality and power.

• How much does it cost? $1699
• When is it out? Now
• Where can you get it? Directly from BosGame

The Bosgame VTI-490 is available direct from Bosgame's website priced at $1,699 / £1,284.

The review unit that I’ve tested here shipped with Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and 64GB LPDDR5X RAM.

• Value: 4/5

CPU: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 16C/16T, up to 4.8GHz
GPU: Intel Arc B390
NPU: Intel NPU 5
AI performance: 180 TOPS combined
RAM: 64GB LPDDR5X 9600 MT/s, soldered, dual-channel
Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (Plus one M.2 slot available for upgrade)
Front ports: 3.5mm jack, 2 × USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps), 1 × USB 2.0, 1 × Thunderbolt 4 (8K 60Hz), power button
Rear ports: HDMI 2.1 (8K 60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (8K 60Hz), Thunderbolt 4 (8K 60Hz), 1 × 2.5GbE LAN, 1 × 10GbE LAN, 2 × USB 2.0, OCuLink
Wireless: Wi-Fi (Intel AX201, Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Dimensions: 5.98 x 5.98 x 2.05in (152 x 152 x 52mm) (including rubber feet)
Weight: 1.62lb (736g)

The VTI-490's design is slightly different from the understated boxes that dominate the mini PC market. Firstly, there’s the angled top section, made from sheet metal with plenty of venting slots, complemented by quality plastic for the remainder of the chassis. The cyberpunk aesthetic, essentially angular lines, is minimalistic, and the bright orange power button sets off the front nicely. I personally like that it’s easy to find, which isn’t always the case.

While I say it has a slight cyberpunk style, it could equally be a piece of broadcast equipment, looking like a little smaller hardware encoder box. Either way, it sits neatly on the desk, taking up far less space than a workstation with comparable power.

At 5.98 x 5.98 x 2.05in (152 x 152 x 52mm) and 1.62lb (736g), it’s compact and light by mini PC standards, especially with this specification. It’s also worth noting that, unlike most mini PCs at this price, the VTI-490 does not include a VESA mount. It’s designed to sit on a desk rather than be mounted behind a monitor. If you rely on VESA mounting to keep the workspace clear, or to fix it to the inside of a van or cabinet, then this is something to think about.

I’m not a great fan of the design. However, the port layout is well thought through, and the front panel offers a good selection of ports. These ports are set off by the bright orange power button, which is easy to find, and it sounds minor, but it matters in a busy studio environment. This power button is joined by two USB 3.2 Gen2 10 Gbps ports, one USB 2.0 port, a Thunderbolt 4 port capable of 8K output at 60Hz, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The rear panel offers an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4, both supporting 8K at 60Hz, alongside a second Thunderbolt 4 port, two USB 2.0 ports and the OCuLink port for future eGPU expansion.

The standout rear feature for creative professionals is the dual LAN: one 2.5GbE port for standard network connection and a dedicated 10GbE port, something no competing mini PC at this price that I’ve tested currently offers. This high-speed port enables direct NAS connection without additional switching hardware, which, for 10GbE, can be expensive.

The Core Ultra X7 358H and Arc B390 draw significant power for a mini PC, and the thermal design works well, though not silently.

• Design: 4 / 5

At the heart of the machine is an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H with integrated Arc B390 GPU. In the test, this GPU delivered impressive performance, as was seen in the benchmark scores across the board. These controlled tests and the high scores that resulted were reflected in the real-world tests.

Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve handled 4K video editing with files from the Canon EOS R5 C more like a desktop machine than a mini PC. I was personally impressed that I could edit productions up to 15 minutes long and beyond without the performance drop-off that usually limits these small PCs. AI-accelerated features in Photoshop, such as generative fill and timeline expansion in Premiere Pro, all worked well.

As is now standard, the CPU and GPU are joined by a dedicated NPU, in this case the Intel NPU 5, which offers 50 TOPS of AI processing, and sits alongside the CPU and GPU rather than sharing resources with either. Using older Mini PCs without the NPU acceleration, it’s obvious the benefit you get, especially when using Copilot+ features, and then there’s the ability to run your own local language models via LM Studio.

During the test, LM Studio was used to set up a local AI agent capable of organising files within the home network, a workflow that picks up on a project that I had started with a high-speed NAS. Connecting the VTI-490 to the UGREEN iDX6011 Pro NAS creates a powerful local AI hub. It’s an ongoing project, and the potential is growing.

Looking at the more traditional hardware, 64GB of LPDDR5X at 9600 MT/s runs in a dual-channel configuration across all eight soldered memory chips, providing the bandwidth creative applications need.

Checking out Adobe Bridge, and it was able to render thumbnail catalogues from Sony A7 IV and Canon EOS R5 C shoots. Lightroom Classic batch editing, Photoshop file handling and Premiere Pro timeline management and rendering are all boosted by the higher RAM.

Checking out the stability of the machine by keeping everything open, including all of Microsoft Office, the full Creative Suite (including InDesign), and a well-loaded browser, didn’t noticeably affect the speed or stability.

During the test, the one feature that really stood out to me was the 10GbE LAN port, especially since I’ve been looking at the Ugreen DXP4800 GT NAS, and this compact partner proved to be a great solution for creative applications.

Connecting the mini PC and 16TB NAS directly via the 10GbE network ports enabled transfer speeds of around 800 MB/s, comparable to a directly attached storage device of this capacity.

What was good about this partnership was that I could make the connection without needing a separate 10GbE switch or a USB4-to-10GbE adapter. For videographers and photographers working from a NAS, this changes the economics of a simple desktop setup; a 10GbE switch will set you back around £250 and an adapter £80+. The second 2.5GbE port handles the standard network connection, leaving the 10GbE port free for the NAS direct link.

On arrival, the machine has Windows 11 Pro installed, and, as ever, the final steps of the installation are required: complete the Windows setup, register accounts, and the machine is ready to use.

On the back, you also have the OCuLink port; unfortunately, I don’t at present have an OCuLink eGPU to test this part of the machine.

• Features: 4.5 / 5

The machine arrived almost set to go with the final stages of the Windows 11 setup process needing to be completed before the tests could begin.

After running updates and ensuring all settings had been switched to performance, I started out with the main benchmark tests. Here, the machine instantly started to show its potential with a PCMark 10 score of 9,378, which is high. I then double checked this by running the Windows Experience Index, which, with a score of 8.9, is amongst the highest I have recorded for a mini PC.

This performance essentially reflected my experience with the day-to-day use. Microsoft Office applications open swiftly, and working across Word, Excel and PowerPoint with copy-paste between all three produces no notable lag. That new Intel CPU delivers plenty of speed for Windows 11.

I’m always interested in the disk speed as this is essential for video editing, although speeds are now reaching a point where, for the moment at least, they’re fast enough. Sure enough, CrystalDiskMark results of 6,052 MB/s read and 5,271 MB/s write showed that the PCIe 4.0 SSD is performing well.

CrystalDiskMark Read: 6,052.4 MB/s
CrystalDiskMark Write: 5,271.62 MB/s
Geekbench 6 CPU Multi-Core: 15,615
Geekbench 6 CPU Single-Core: 2,869
Geekbench 6 GPU: 56,442
PCMark 10 Overall: 9,378
Cinebench CPU Multi: 4,297
Cinebench CPU Single: 511
3DMark Fire Strike Overall: 14,593
3DMark Fire Strike Graphics: 17,443
3DMark Fire Strike Physics: 28,356
3DMark Fire Strike Combined: 4,941
3DMark Time Spy Overall: 7,717
3DMark Time Spy Graphics: 7,163
3DMark Time Spy CPU: 13,742
3DMark Wild Life Overall: 43,790
3DMark Steel Nomad Overall: 1,645
Windows Experience Index: 8.9

In practice, Premiere Pro cache operations, Lightroom catalogue loading and project file access all benefit from this speed. The limitation, however, is capacity.

1TB isn’t a great deal and fills quickly with 4K footage from the Canon EOS R5 C, for this test and due to that high-demand workflow, an external SSD or, more aptly, connecting to the NAS via the 10GbE port and editing directly from network storage would be the solution. There are, however, two M.2 slots in the chassis, which makes a 4TB upgrade straightforward when needed.

The Arc B390 is a GPU that I haven’t tested before, and the performance was exceptional. The first real example of this was the Fire Strike Graphics score at 17,443, then Time Spy Graphics at 7,163 and Wild Life at 43,790. This is a significant boost for integrated graphics.

What this meant was that in Premiere Pro, the GPU handles 4K Canon EOS R5 C footage through colour grading and effects without the slowdown that I’m used to seeing with productions over five minutes. Productions up to 15 minutes and beyond were handled well.

Loading up DaVinci Resolve for the colour grading, and this was equally impressive. For anything beyond 15 minutes at professional-quality settings, an OCuLink eGPU would provide that welcome additional boost in power.

For RAW image editing, the combination of 64GB LPDDR5X and the Arc B390 makes Lightroom Classic and Adobe Bridge work extremely well, and for the most part, both applications were surprisingly stable.

As I went through the images from a museum brochure shoot, the Adobe Bridge selection, Lightroom Classic batch edit, and Photoshop output all worked without having to wait for thumbnails to render. Photoshop generative fill and AI-enhanced adjustments also appeared to benefit from both the Arc B390's hardware acceleration and the NPU 5.

Of course, while the creative applications are good to push the system, I was also interested in the gaming performance, especially with the Arc B390 and the new ARC GPUT.

Starting with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and then Hogwarts Legacy, I found that both ran at medium-to-high settings at 1080p with smooth frame rates. Pushing to 4K at lower-to-mid settings remained playable, with image breakup appearing at the higher end of the 4K quality options.

While I was unable to test it, I liked the fact that there’s the OCuLink port to upgrade if you need to edit higher-resolution video or play games that would otherwise require a full desktop.

Through the test, the feature that impressed me the most was the 10GbE LAN port that was able to deliver network editing speeds of up to 800 MB/s when connected directly to a DXP4800 GT NAS using the 10 Gbps port.

In Premiere Pro, editing 4K footage directly from the NAS over this connection was effectively the same as editing from a locally attached SSD, with little if any difference. If you are a photographer or videographer running a high-speed NAS, this feature alone makes it a great choice.

The final feature that I looked at was the Intel NPU 5 with 50 TOPS of dedicated AI processing. This enabled far faster use of Copilot+ and enabled me to set up a local LLM inference via LM Studio. Running a local language model to assist with file organisation within a home network showed the machine's potential as a local AI node, particularly when paired with a NAS system.

• Performance: 4.5 / 5

The Bosgame VTI-490 is a machine that really did surprise me, first with its aesthetics, which suggest a gaming focus, and then with the performance and features it actually delivers. After a month, the fact that it had some mild cyberpunk styling was forgotten, and what remained was a mini PC that handled every creative and productivity task thrown at it with ease and far exceeded expectations.

The Arc B390 is impressive and far outpaces other integrated GPUs. It’s fast and works well with all apps and games tested. The benchmark scores essentially translate directly to real-world performance that easily competes with entry-level discrete GPU workstations, just at a fraction of the size and cost.

What impressed me most about the machine was the 10GbE LAN, and this is a feature that will appeal to video and photo professionals. A direct 10 Gbps NAS connection, without a switch or adapter, that’s capable of delivering network speeds suitable for video editing is not a common feature on mini PCs or desktops, so it’s impressive to see here.

There are a few areas where I would have expected a little more, and for starters, the 1TB SSD is just too small, and the fact that there’s no VESA mount is annoying. Then there’s the fan noise under load, which isn’t bad but is notable, will annoy some, but most should be able to live with it.

It’s also worth considering that there are plenty of upgrade options; an additional SSD can be added, and the OCuLink port on the back enables even more power.

While there is a definite gamer theme to the aesthetics, in reality, this is equally suited to the creative sector.

Value

It's expensive, but Arc B390, 10GbE LAN, dual Thunderbolt 4 and OCuLink potential justify the cost.

4/5

Design

The design is balanced, and the cyberpunk aesthetics may be of an acquired taste, however, decent port layout.

4/5

Features

10GbE LAN, dual Thunderbolt 4, OCuLink, Intel NPU 5, clean Windows 11 Pro, this is alot in a small case. 

4.5/5

Performance

4K video editing and gaming performance exceeds anything previously seen in a mini PC at this size

4.5/5

Overall

This is essentially a mini PC workstation, and impressive not only for it’s size but price. 

4.5/5

You edit video or process RAW in a NAS workflow.

The 10GbE LAN enables direct NAS connection at 800MB/s with the Arc B390 handles 4K editing in Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve without the performance issues of typical mini PCs.

You want a compact workstation you can grow with

The OCuLink port, dual M.2 slots and 10GbE LAN give the VTI-490 plenty of upgrade options. Start with the base specification, add storage when needed, add an eGPU when projects demand it and money allows.

You need to VESA mount

No VESA mount is included or supported. The VTI-490 is designed for desktop positioning. If monitor mounting is important for your setup, most other mini PCs at this price include a VESA plate.

You need large internal storage

The 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD fills quickly with 4K video. An external drive, NAS connection or M.2 upgrade is an easy additional purchase.

For more productivity machines, we've tested the best business computers.

The Shark ChillPill is on sale for the first time since its launch in March, and it couldn't have come at a better time with heatwaves popping up around the country. Right now, you can get the Shark ChillPill at Amazon for $129.99 (was $149.99).

The Shark ChillPill markets itself as the only 3-in-1 Personal Cooling System that acts as a fan, mister, and cooling plate. It does this with the included attachments, which you can swap around depending on how you want to use it.

Maybe more dupes will pop up as its popularity rises, but for now, this is the premium option when it comes to handheld fans.

The Shark ChillPill is a unique product that acts as a fan, mister, and cooling plate in one. It achieves this through multiple attachments that each do their part well, with multiple settings to help you cool off. It can last up to 11 hours at its lowest setting and still holds around eight hours at a middle level. This is the first sale we've seen on the ChillPill since its launch in March, and it's worth getting to beat the heat this summer.View Deal

Our reviewer calls the Shark ChillPill the "most versatile product in this space" for a reason. Its multiple cooling options, all-day battery life, and sturdy build are just a few reasons we gave it 4.5 out of five stars in our Shark ChillPill review.

During testing, our reviewer found that the fan lasted eight hours and 10 minutes at speed five. (For context, there are 10 speed settings for the fan.) Shark claims it can last up to 11 hours on low power, but using its maximum power can drain the battery in just 1.5 hours. It has a display screen that shows how much battery is left, along with other information like current settings, and can charge via USB-C.

As for the other attachments, the mister has constant and interval modes depending on how often you want the mist to spray out. The cooling plate can drop your skin temperature by 16 degrees F in just a few seconds when you touch it against your skin.

The cooling plate is meant to be used sparingly in moments when you want to cool down quickly. Our reviewer found that running it continuously drains the battery in 1 hour and 40 minutes (as advertised), but the cooling is so intense that most people probably wouldn't want to use it for that long.

For something less complicated, you can take a look at our best fans for your home or on-the-go. We also have recommendations from one of our former fan testers.