Day: March 21, 2026

Travelers arriving in the United States need to be informed about the enhanced powers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to inspect electronic devices as per the newly issued directive 3340-049B. This directive, released in early January, expands the types of devices eligible for searches, now encompassing flash drives, SIM cards, smartwatches, vehicle infotainment systems, GPS units, and drones. In contrast, the previous directive 3340-049A restricted the list to computers, tablets, disks, drives, tapes, mobile phones, and other communication gadgets, cameras, music, and media players.

The addition of these extra devices signifies the increasing variety of personal data storage means that travelers might possess. Although smartphone access by CBP officers remains the same, the directive underscores the significance of smartphones, which frequently hold the most personal data.

Reports suggest a rising trend in electronic device inspections at the U.S. border. As stated by The National Post, CBP executed 55,318 searches over a 12-month period covering 2024 and 2025, reflecting a 17% rise from the preceding year. This number includes searches of devices owned by 13,590 Americans, a notable 56% increase compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, these searches account for only 0.01% of international travelers. With the directive broadening the array of searchable devices, travelers must remain aware of the possibility of their electronic devices being inspected upon arrival in the U.S.

**15 Of The Most Robust Desktop CPUs Currently Ranked By Their Geekbench Score**

In the continuously advancing realm of desktop computing, the pursuit for the most formidable CPU remains a relentless endeavor for gamers, editors, and multitaskers alike. With rising expenses for GPUs, SSDs, and memory, investing in a high-end CPU can unleash unmatched performance and guarantee your system operates seamlessly. Here, we rank the most robust desktop CPUs according to their Geekbench scores.

1. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9985WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 64/128
– **Geekbench Score**: 31,343
– **Price**: $7,894
– **Highlights**: Unsurpassed performance with a colossal 320MB cache. Perfect for extreme multitasking and productivity.

2. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9975WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 32/64
– **Geekbench Score**: 27,846
– **Price**: $3,924
– **Highlights**: Elevated base clock speed and remarkable performance for its cost.

3. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9995WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 96/192
– **Geekbench Score**: 27,272
– **Price**: $11,499
– **Highlights**: Excessive for most, but ideal for high-performance workstations.

4. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9980X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 64/128
– **Geekbench Score**: 27,228
– **Price**: $4,775
– **Highlights**: Top-tier performance with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 compatibility.

5. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9970X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 32/64
– **Geekbench Score**: 27,012
– **Price**: $2,385.07
– **Highlights**: Superb for content creators due to its high thread count.

6. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 9960X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 24/48
– **Geekbench Score**: 26,007
– **Price**: $1,499
– **Highlights**: Cost-effective high-performance CPU with future-proofing attributes.

7. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9965WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 24/48
– **Geekbench Score**: 25,847
– **Price**: $2,699.99
– **Highlights**: Excellent choice for professionals with outstanding memory bandwidth.

8. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7980X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 64/128
– **Geekbench Score**: 25,109
– **Price**: $4,499
– **Highlights**: Smooth multitasking with a substantial cache and enhanced frequency.

9. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 64/128
– **Geekbench Score**: 24,682
– **Price**: $7,927
– **Highlights**: High-intensity workstations reap the rewards from this capable CPU.

10. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 96/192
– **Geekbench Score**: 24,510
– **Price**: $8,599.99
– **Highlights**: Perfect for tasks that require CPU rendering.

11. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7970X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 32/64
– **Geekbench Score**: 23,771
– **Price**: $1,999.99
– **Highlights**: Excellent for demanding workstations thanks to PCIe 5.0 support.

12. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7975WX**
– **Cores/Threads**: 32/64
– **Geekbench Score**: 23,746
– **Price**: $3,841.49
– **Highlights**: Facilitates hardware virtualization, ideal for virtual machines.

13. **AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7960X**
– **Cores/Threads**: 24/48
– **Geekbench Score**: 23,632
– **Price**: $1,199.99
– **Highlights**: High-performance cores with SMT.

the amount of gold contained in your smartphone is likely not substantial enough to make it a worthwhile pursuit. For instance, experts on gold indicate that it would require multiple phones to extract a single gram of gold.

This raises an interesting follow-up question: How much gold can you find in your old laptop? Given that laptops are typically larger than smartphones and consist of more parts, one might anticipate a slightly higher gold content. Indeed, gold is utilized rather extensively within a computer, primarily for circuit boards, connectors, and various other contacts. However, despite its presence in several areas, the total amount of gold within a laptop remains relatively minimal and would yield little value if harvested and refined.

SD Bullion approximates that around one-fifth of a gram of gold is incorporated within the average computer, perhaps even a bit more. Laptops are generally on the smaller side of computers, and SD Bullion suggests that each one contains roughly a tenth of a gram of gold. Like smartphones, that’s not a significant amount, but could become valuable in bulk … provided you were prepared to disassemble hundreds of devices to make it economically viable. Consider the labor involved in gathering the devices, dismantling them, and then sorting and melting the materials!