NEXTGEAR's First Intel PC Uses a "Mobile CPU": Mini-Tower with Gaming Laptop-Class "Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 Processor 245HX" [TGS2026]

The Tokyo Game Show 2026, billed as the “largest ever,” will be held over five days starting September 17. At the event, Mouse Computer’s NEXTGEAR brand announced a new PC featuring an interesting concept: a “mini-tower equipped with a mobile CPU.”In this article, we’ll cover the announcement event and interviews, while also highlighting the system’s performance and features!

Let’s start by taking a look at the exterior and specs of this newly announced mini-tower. Its most notable feature is, without a doubt, the “Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 Processor 245HX,” marking the first time NEXTGEAR has adopted an Intel platform.

A “mobile CPU” refers to a power-efficient, low-heat CPU originally designed for portable devices like laptops. Since this model deliberately incorporates such a mobile CPU, it likely offers interesting features—such as superior power efficiency—that you wouldn’t find in a standard desktop.

According to the specifications, the CPU is pre-installed on the motherboard and cannot be customized via BTO; a dedicated air-cooling heatsink is also pre-installed, and neither component can be replaced. Since the CPU is arguably this machine’s most distinctive feature, this specification is to be expected.

For memory, it uses mobile-grade DDR5-SO-DIMM (supporting 4800/5600 MHz) and can be expanded up to a maximum of 64 GB (32 GB x 2) via BTO.As for graphics (GPU), it features a single PCI-E x16 slot compatible with standard graphics cards, so it should deliver solid performance for gaming.

The selection of interfaces is also extensive. It features 9 USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1x1 (5 Gbps) ports, one USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 (10Gbps), and one USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) port. For networking, it is equipped with a 2.5G-compatible Ethernet (RJ45) port using the Intel I226V.In terms of storage, there are two M.2 slots (Gen 5/Gen 4) and four SATA ports, providing ample room for future storage expansion.

The specs look quite promising, but let’s delve deeper into the device’s objectives and features based on the information from the launch event.

・The Purpose of “Mobile CPU Integration” Revealed in the Press Conference & Interviews

During the “New Product Announcement: Partner Co-creation Session” held on the first day of TGS, in a segment titled “Introducing NEXTGEAR’s First Product Featuring an Intel Platform,” the model equipped with a mobile CPU—which we’ve covered in this article—was announced.

The panelists were Hideki Todoroki (hereinafter “President Todoroki”), President and CEO of Mouse Computer Co., Ltd.; Nami Hayashida (hereinafter “Ms. Hayashida”), Product Manager at Mouse Computer;Yosuke Yauchi of Intel Corporation (hereinafter “Mr. Yauchi”), and Marcus Piper from Intel Corporation in the U.S. (hereinafter “Mr. Piper”).

First, Ms. Hayashida provided an explanation of the device.

“The intent behind this project was to ‘achieve a balance between gaming performance and ease of use in daily life.’ While high performance is essential for gaming, concerns about heat generation, power consumption, and operating noise are common. This time, we developed the product with a well-balanced focus not only on performance but also on ‘ease of use.’ To that end, we turned our attention to mobile CPUs,” she stated.

Regarding the decision to adopt Intel CPUs in NEXTGEAR products for the first time, President Tsukasa commented:

“We’ve been using Intel products since our founding, and to be honest, we owe part of our business success to Intel. So, we’ve always had a special attachment to Intel products,”

he remarked.

Mr. Marcus, known as the “head of Intel’s desktop processors,” also commented:

“Mobile processors designed for gaming feature a specialized architecture that delivers high performance while keeping power consumption and heat generation in check. You could say they’re the athletes of the processor world. The performance of Intel’s Core Ultra processors isn’t limited to gaming—it’s capable of handling a wide range of multitasking tasks, such as video streaming.

This machine, which features an Intel Core Ultra processor in a Micro ATX form factor, truly takes the ‘best of both worlds’ from mobile and desktop. It’s relatively quiet, like a laptop, and has the performance to handle major titles set to be released this year and next,”

Intel has confirmed the goal of this model: “to balance high gaming performance with low power consumption.”

Next, the specific specifications of this machine were explained using two models as examples.

This “model featuring a mobile CPU”—which is a desktop mini-tower that leverages the benefits of a mobile CPU—will be released under the NEXTGEAR brand on September 17, coinciding with the first day of TGS Business Days!

Additionally, mobile CPUs will be gradually adopted in products under the “MousePro” and “mouse” brands starting in October.

First up is the NEXTGEAR JG-I5G60, a relatively affordable white model.It features 16GB of RAM and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics card. Although it’s called the 5060, it’s not the mobile version—it’s a desktop graphics card—so its performance is in a league of its own. Like other Mouse Computer PCs on their website, the RAM and storage can be customized.

Next up is the black NEXTGEAR JG-I5G7L, which is even more powerful thanks to an overclocked, water-cooled NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. These two models went on sale right at the start of the event, at 12:00 PM on September 17.

Both machines are designed to “combine the best of desktop PCs and laptops,” featuring a laptop-grade CPU paired with a desktop-grade graphics card.

They’re suitable not only for gaming but also for everyday use, and feature a semi-fanless design—an interesting feature where the fan stops when the CPU temperature is low during idle periods.

Mr. Yanaï of Intel said, “Even though we say ‘mobile,’ I want you to picture a ‘bulky and heavy’ gaming laptop, not a light and thin one.

“These models take the power of those CPUs and bring it to the desktop to unlock even more potential. When you compare the number of cores and clock speeds, mobile CPUs are actually sometimes more powerful than desktop CPUs. They have plenty of firepower,” he said, exuding confidence.

Given that this is a new PC with a novel concept, its performance was incredibly exciting, and the presentation itself was a fascinating event.

In the press interview that followed, Mr. Hayashida explained the reason for adopting an overclocked version of the 5070:

“We didn’t want to jump straight to the 5080. Of course, no matter how much we overclock the 5070, it can’t match the 5070 Ti—but I thought we could still differentiate it from existing options by squeezing out even more performance. Plus, I thought it was ‘interesting’ that a PC manufacturer would officially offer a three-year warranty on an overclocked version,”

—a surprising remark.

This unique machine combines power efficiency, performance, and expandability. It looks set to become a platform that attracts a great deal of attention, including for future developments! Finally, here is the basic spec sheet that serves as the foundation for both models.

Model with Mobile CPU (NEXTGEAR Mini Tower) Spec Sheet

• Processor: Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 Processor 245HX

• Chipset: Intel® HM870 Chipset

• Maximum Memory/Number of Slots: 64GB (32GB x 2) / 2 slots

• Memory Type: DDR5-SO-DIMM (4800/5600 compatible)

• USB 3.2 Type-A Gen 1 x1 (5 Gbps): 9 ports

• USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 (10 Gbps): 1 port

• USB 3.2 Type-C Gen 2 x2 (20 Gbps): 1 port

• Ethernet (RJ45): 1 (Intel 1226V) Supports 2.5GBASE-T/1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T

• Audio Output: High Definition Realtek 8125 (Microphone Input, Line Out, S/PDIF)

• Video Output Ports (for NEXTGEAR JG-I5G7L): DisplayPort × 3 / HDMI × 1 (DisplayPort) up to 7,680 × 4,320 (120 Hz) / (HDMI) up to 7,680 × 4,320 (60 Hz) / 16.77 million colors

• Security: Intel TPM 2.0 (Intel PTT)

• M.2: 2 (Gen 5/Gen 4)

• SATA: 4

• PCI-E x16: 1

• PCI-E x4: 1