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Introduction
IFA is probably the most eclectic electronics show on Earth. You're just as likely to find yourself in home appliance Hell surrounded by kettles, George Foreman grills and washing machines as you are the latest face-melting PC gaming goodies.
From giant curved G-Sync monitors to watercooled laptops, click on to see the computing tech that's sure to set your phasers to "stunned".
- Check out our predictions for IFA 2016.
1. Lenovo Medion Erazer
The Medion Erazer is a monster 17-inch powerhouse that comes packing Intel's Skylake processor. Forget gimmicks such as 4K displays or touchscreens, the Erazer keeps it real at 1080p - to the relief of your frame rates. Not that they'll be hovering in the red - with up to 32GB of RAM, a fast 480GB HyperX Savage SSD from Kingston and Nvidia's top-end 980M under the hood - they should run smooth as butter with effects dialled up to 11.
2. Acer Revo Build
The Acer Revo Build is a modular PC that's so easy to put together a toddler could do it. You start off with a base block that features an Intel Celeron processor, adding other blocks - such as hard drives or speakers - as you go. The idea is that you can pick and choose the ones that suit your build best, allowing you to customise it into an entertainment or media hub. It also means the PC never really gets out of date, so long as you upgrade the base unit from time-to-time. It's innovative stuff, and very cool indeed.
3. Asus GX700
Medion Erazer not powerful enough for you? Try on the Asus GX700 for size. Sporting a stunning 17-inch 4K display, its unique feature is a water-cooling system that locks onto its back and provides up to an 80% instant boost in performance, according to Asus. The GX700 houses a new K-series desktop-grade CPU that was recently launched at Gamescom, and its GPU is being kept so well-guarded that Asus wouldn't let us log onto the desktop to have a peek. Oh Asus, you tease.
4. Philips 5K monitor
Hands up if you're fed up with 4K. I am - and Apple's iMac with 5K Retina Display is to blame. 4K looks awesome scaled at 200%, but you only get the same amount of room as a 1080p monitor. Like Apple's iMac, Philips 5K monitor sports a pixel-resolution of 5,120 x 2,880 (at 60Hz). That means you can scale everything at 200% while working at a much more productivity-friendly "looks like" resolution of 2,560 x 1,440. Simply put, it's breathtaking stuff - but don't expect it to come cheap. Philips told me that its 5K marvel will cost in the region of €1500 (around £1,300 or AUS$1,700) when it launches later this year.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260
A surprising delight from IFA, the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 260 is an attractive 2-in-1 that gets a lot of things right. At 12.5-inches it's just the right size and weight for a 2-in-1, allowing you to flip back the screen and hold it like a tablet without your arm aching. Lenovo has slipped Intel's Skylake processor inside, so you can expect decent battery life from it - particularly as it only has a 1080p display. (A bright and crisp one at that.) Its ThinkPad-style keyboard is comfortable to type on, leaving us excited about upcoming document marathons.
6. Toshiba Satellite Radius 12
A similar size to the ThinkPad Yoga 260 but a bit less business-like, the Satellite Radius 12 also packs Intel's Skylake processor but flaunts a sleeker design and is even lighter than Lenovo's machine. Its keyboard isn't anywhere near as comfortable, but it's serviceable, and the Radius 12's 4K display trumps the Full HD one on the ThinkPad Yoga 260. First impressions reveal a device that could prove a viable alternative to Apple's 12-inch MacBook if you're not that bothered about OS X. Oh, and it has more than one port too.
7. Asus ROG PG348Q
Looking a bit like something you might find deep in the bowels of Skynet, the Asus ROG PG348Q is a curved 34-inch gaming monitor that rocks futuristic design. It also projects a logo onto your desk, which you might think is cool or pointless, depending on your taste. If you're in the latter camp then the ROG PG348Q probably isn't for you. Packing a pixel-resolution of 3,440 x 1,440, which is increasingly supported in games, its other gamer-friendly features include Nvidia's frame-synching G-sync tech, Asus GamePlus and GameVisual technology and a Turbo hotkey, which makes it fly out of the window. Probably.
8. Lenovo Ideacentre Y900
Pre-built gaming PCs are usually great for a while, but they often come with poor cases that make upgrading parts difficult over time. Not so Lenovo's Ideacentre Y900, which has more compartments than a glove box factory. Not only can you remove its front and top panels to empty away dust without touching its fans, its transparent side panel can also be removed in a single click to provide easy access to components. Its beefy specs include up to a sixth-generation Intel Skylake processor, support for full ATX motherboards and power supplies up to 1000W.
9. Acer Predator 8
Android tablets are usually boring, limited in functionality and look cheap - which is all the more reason why Acer's Predator 8 gaming tablet stands out from the crowd. Its Full HD 1,920 x 1,200 pixel-resolution display is one of the clearest I've ever seen on a slate. That's partly down to zero air gap tech that removes air from between the glass and the base to provide great viewing angles. Powered by Intel's top-end Atom x7 processor, it has the mettle to chew through the most demanding Android games, which sound great thanks to its four speakers located at each corner.
10. Asus ROG G20 Special Edition
Asus reckons it has the ultimate small form factor PC in the Asus ROG G20 Special Edition, which crams a Titan X GPU into a 9.5-litre chassis. The case has been specially engineered to provide maximum airflow in a natural way, according to Asus, and houses two internal fans to cool components. Designed for 4K gaming, the ROG G20 SE's graphics are paired with a sixth-generation Intel Core-i7 processor. It's due to go on sale before the end of the year and it won't come cheap. Considering it's small enough to be slung into a bag and taken to LAN tournaments, that's not too surprising.
