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The Impact of AI-Powered PC Upgrades on UK Homes
August 22, 2024
The world went bonkers for artificial intelligence when Open AI dropped ChatGPT in late 2022. This quirky, productivity-boosting chatbot quickly became the world’s fastest-growing app and most heavily trafficked website. Crucially, it gave us an awe-inspiring insight into AI’s potential, prompting tech giants from NVIDIA® to Microsoft to invest staggering sums.
While AI is set to redefine the workforce, the tech turns out to be pretty handy for home users, too. From streamlining research to aiding education, this post will cover the impact of AI-powered PC upgrades in UK homes. Should you fancy joining the machine-learning revolution, we’ll also review some of the top AI-powered PCs on the HP UK Store.
What Is an AI-Powered PC?
By now, you’ve probably got some idea what this AI business is all about. But what do we mean by an “AI-powered PC?”
AI PCs draw on artificial intelligence technologies to enhance the user experience. From bolstering creativity to strengthening security, AI can power a plethora of PC improvements. But an AI PC isn’t just a stock-standard laptop with a large language model (LLM) subscription. It features special software or hardware to support AI operations. That could mean an in-built AI assistant like Microsoft Copilot and/or AI-friendly hardware.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft has invested billions in AI over the last few years. A sizeable slice of that pie went into developing Copilot, a nifty always-on AI assistant that integrates seamlessly into Windows 11. From adjusting settings to re-arranging windows, Copilot automates an array of tasks to save you time and hassle.
Rather than loading a third-party app, users can launch Copilot instantly by hitting the Windows logo key + C; or, if they have one, the Copilot key. The crafty assistant also creates pop-up prompts at strategic moments.
AI PC hardware
Artificial intelligence is a resource-hungry technology that requires a bit of extra “oomph.” As a result, AI-powered computers have superior specs than typical PCs.
A faster central processing unit (CPU) facilitates smaller workloads at lower latency. As power consumption is a well-documented AI drawback, energy-efficient processors such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon® X have become increasingly popular.
A dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU) helps handle large workloads that require parallel throughput. Thanks to its high-speed memory (e.g., GDDR6 or HBM2), the GPU can provide faster data transfers between cores. This unmatched velocity lets AI rapidly tackle vast complex algorithms to run sophisticated LLM apps in real-time. AI-inspired GPU demand has seen NVIDIA expand into a two trillion-dollar company.
We’re also starting to see more AI PCs ship with an in-built neural processing unit (NPU). This sci-fi-like component is explicitly designed to execute machine-learning algorithms and sustain heavy AI workloads. With an in-built NPU, you can expect faster, less resource-intensive outputs. That’s a big bonus for the environment and your battery life.
The Benefits of AI-Powered PCs for British Homes
Commercial applications have seen AI become one of the fastest-growing industries on Earth. But what about AI in residential settings? Tech can benefit everyday people in many ways.
Improving productivity
Students and work-from-home professionals can see their creativity soar with Microsoft Copilot. The cunning AI assistant can draft essays, write code, develop study materials, and summarise notes, among countless other things.
Customised study
Need help cramming for an exam? Microsoft Copilot can tailor-make challenging tests to evaluate your subject matter expertise. The model will then identify your key weaknesses and create targeted study materials to fill in the gaps. It’s like having your very own private tutor sans the eye-watering hourly fees.
Bolstering creativity
Creatives can draw on a slew of useful productivity tools that come bundled into Microsoft Copilot. Paint Cocreator, for example, helps you generate eye-pleasing artwork with ease. Meanwhile, Copilot’s powerful writing assistant dishes out handy suggestions, feedback, and insights as you type.
Customised meal planning
Wondering what to make for dinner? Tell Microsoft Copilot what’s in the fridge and let AI devise a suitable recipe. The tech can also provide bespoke weekly meal plans, customised recipe suggestions (it’ll learn your favourite pizza toppings), and a shopping list for missing ingredients.
Providing travel advice
Why spend hours researching your upcoming Mallorca holiday when AI can do the legwork for you? Take a snapshot of your chosen destination using the snipping tool and let Copilot provide itinerary suggestions, find the cheapest flights, or make an OpenTable restaurant reservation.
Recalling forgotten files
Struggling to remember where you saw that killer meme? It’s an all-too-common conundrum. Describe the long-lost file to Copilot, and it will browse through your browser history to find it. The Recall feature works with videos, documents, photos, and other file types on the web and your local storage drive.
Enhancing video calls
Copilot can automatically fine-tune the lighting and allow you to maintain eye contact even when you’re not looking at the screen. AI-enhanced noise reduction removes annoying background sounds and focuses on your beautiful voice.
Smart home integration
AI can integrate with a smart home system. Smart thermostats, for example, can monitor live weather forecasts and memorise your temperature preferences and occupancy habits. With this information, the AI will formulate more efficient cooling and heating profiles to reduce energy expenditure. The tech can also optimise lighting, enhance entertainment systems, deter would-be home intruders, and provide customised home maintenance suggestions.
How to Find the Right AI-Powered PC for your home
Finding the right AI-powered PC requires striking a balance between power and price. All the usual PC-buying-guide advice applies. Not everyone can afford a top-end AI-powered business laptop like the EliteBook Ultra G1q AI PC. But the average home user doesn’t need a state-of-the-art machine-learning PC to conjure recipe suggestions or seek holiday advice.
At a minimum, look for a PC with Microsoft Copilot bundled into Windows 11. If the budget permits, consider a beefier CPU and GPU - or, for top-tier performance, perhaps even an NPU.
Here’s a handful of AI PC recommendations from the HP UK Store.
HP Pavilion Desktop
An oldie but a goodie, the HP Pavilion is the classic PC desktop and a hallmark of British hallways since 1995. The modern iteration comes with Microsoft Copilot and a space-saving, all-in-one design (24 to 32 inches). Despite being an entry-level PC, typical Pavilion specs offer enough grunt to crush most everyday AI tasks. Higher-end models even have respectable dedicated GPUs, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti.
HP ENVY 32 Desktop PC
Resource-hungry home users should invest in an ENVY desktop, a high-end PC popular with creatives, academics, and professionals. Users get significantly better specs and a crisper, higher resolution (think WUHD) screen. Grab an ENVY tower PC if you want a chunkier GPU. The top-tier model has a beastly 12GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4070 Ti.
Microsoft Copilot comes bundled into every ENVY desktop with Windows 11 Home.
HP Spectre x360 Convertible Laptop
For zippy AI-powered performance in a slick, versatile package, you can’t go past the HP Spectre x360. As a premium HP laptop, this potent device packs plenty of power for even the most complex AI tasks. Though it’s intended for business use, there’s no harm in having an HP Spectre x360 sitting around at home. Flipping the 2-in-1 screen into tent or tablet mode makes browsing recipe suggestions, snapping photos, or interacting with your smart home much easier.
Microsoft Copilot and a speedy CPU-GPU combo make for a killer AI PC.
HP OmniBook X
The crème de la crème of AI-powered PCs is the recently released HP OmniBook X. Exclusively designed with AI in mind, this potent (yet surprisingly affordable) 14-inch laptop delivers next-level performance to placate even the most demanding LLMs. Powered by an ultra-efficient Snapdragon X Elite, you’ll get boatloads of battery life and near-instant AI load times. The laptop also sports 16GB RAM, a Qualcomm® Adreno™ GPU, and a dedicated NPU. As usual, Microsoft Copilot comes straight out of the box.
Summary
AI is redefining how we work - and it’s also impacting how we live at home. From fast-tracking research to enhancing creativity, the technology has a myriad of time-saving home-use applications.
Investing in an AI-powered PC is the best way to experience this emerging tech. Packing Microsoft Copilot and speedy AI-ready hardware, these high-tech machines give a tantalising taste of AI's future potential.
Take another peek through our recommendations or see what other AI-powered PCs are available on the HP UK Store.
