Meta has launched Meta.ai, an AI-specific site that has a cool hook that its competitors don’t offer: It can generate images in real time, and even animate them on demand. There is a catch, however: Meta would really like to continue improving Meta.ai, and to do so it’s only offering image generation if you sign into your Facebook account. Meta joins other LLMS or AI chatbots like Google Gemini, Microsoft’s various flavors of Copilot, Anthropic’s Claude AI (used within Discord), and other sites offering AI solutions. Meta.ai feels like more of the same, though with some limitations: It can’t accept uploaded documents, but it can summarize websites or web pages. Of course, it has creative purposes, too: It can also be used to write or rewrite text, as many other services can as well. Technically, Meta is upgrading Meta AI as well as launching the site itself. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the addition of the Meta.ai site on Threads — which is also owned by Meta — as well as the upgrade to the LLaMA 3 model. Meta launched LLaMA in February 2023, and publicly released the 65-billion parameter model. LLaMA 3 will be open-source, as well, Zuckerberg said. But there’s more: “We’re making Meta AI easier to use by integrating it into the search boxes at the top of WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger,” Zuckerberg added. In other words, expect Meta AI to be all over your social media. Meta.ai’s amazing powers of AI art The coolest thing about Meta.ai is its image generation — which is also its most problematic, if you don’t really want to tell Facebook what you’re making images of, or don’t subscribe to Facebook or Instagram in general. But the image progression might be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. If you’re familiar with how Google or Bing starts auto-generating suggestions as you type, Meta does almost the same thing — except it’s drawing the actual pictures as you type, too. A screenshot of Meta.ai as the prompt is entered. When it’s done, four images are shown. A screenshot of Meta.ai as the prompt is entered. When it’s done, four images are shown.Mark Hachman / IDG A screenshot of Meta.ai as the prompt is entered. When it’s done, four images are shown.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG It does so at blazing speed, even if the eventual image doesn’t necessarily come out as sharply as some of the final images. When completed, Meta generates four 1280×1280 images, which can be highlighted or shown off at a larger size. They’re all downloadable, and all come watermarked with an “Imagined by AI” watermark. The images can also be edited after completion, which makes changes to the finished product. The other feature Meta offers, however, is the ability to animate each of the resulting images This isn’t anything like Runway or Sora; instead, Meta.ai generates a few frames of video before and after the original image, like a GIF. The process took at least 30 seconds to a minute on my screen. (On a second try, it seemed to lock up and didn’t complete after several minutes.) I asked Meta.ai to animate this image of a parrot dressed as a noir private eye. I asked Meta.ai to animate this image of a parrot dressed as a noir private eye.Meta.ai I asked Meta.ai to animate this image of a parrot dressed as a noir private eye.Meta.ai Meta.ai One has to wonder if Meta, as the owner of Facebook, will allow AI art to be generated on Facebook as a way of generating misinformation. A quick effort to try and draw Donald Trump generated a non-specific error message. But any image that you create can still be downloaded and the watermark cropped out. Meta.ai has enough to offer that we’d recommend that you try it out. But I think it’s fair to say that its long-term impact won’t be on Meta.ai, but on the other properties Facebook owns. Personal Software

It’s easy to think that all USB-C cables are the same, and that manufacturers are only claiming to be superior in order to jack up the price. After all, it’s just a cable, right? That’s completely understandable, but not always accurate. We at PCWorld have tested a ton of USB-C cables and can say with certainty not all of them are made the same. In fact, there can be huge performance differences among cables when it comes to both charging and transferring data. Hands-on evaluation of numerous cables ranging from the biggest, most-recognizable brand-names to the cheapest of the cheap has revealed some clear winners, which I highlight below. Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing hardware since the 1980s and I’ve been poking and prodding PC components since I cracked open my Commodore VIC-20 in junior high school to see why it stopped working (who uses aluminum-coated cardboard that frays as an RF shield? Commodore, that’s who). I’ve also been a professional journalist for more than three decades and started my stint at PCWorld as an intern in 1993. For my USB-C cable reviews, I don’t rely on consumer reviews like some “reviewers” — I purchase the cables retail and personally test each one of them, examining the resistance, how they are physically wired, and query the embedded eMarker (if it has one), and then performance test them where appropriate for charge rates, transfer rates, and display support. My picks are separated into two groups to avoid any confusion: USB-C cables that are best for charging, and those best for both charging and fast data transfer. For more information you can refer to our guide on how to buy a USB-C cable on Amazon without losing your mind, and you can find out more about how I test cables below my picks.  Updated on April 17, 2024 to include new helpful information about USB-C cables in the FAQ at the bottom of this article. And Samsung Galaxy owners, take note of my odyssey in search of the fastest charging for these devices. It could save you time. Best USB-C cable for charging Belkin BoostCharge 240-watt charging cable Pros 240W charging rate Quality braiding and overmolding Big-name brand Cons Lacks support for high-speed data transfers Pricier than others Price When Reviewed: $19.99 Best Prices Today: $19.99 at Amazon$19.99 at B&H Ever since Apple stopped selling our top big-brand cable for charging, we’ve been looking for a suitable replacement and we may have finally found it with Belkin’s BoostCharge 240-watt charging cable. This 6.6-foot, or 2-meter, cable supports the highest USB Power Delivery charge rate, comes from a recognized big-brand, and is the same price as Apple’s 100-watt cable that used to sell for $19.99 all day. What happened to Apple’s 100-watt charging cable? In keeping with updated USB power delivery specs, which moves the bar from 100 watts to 240 watts for faster charge rates, Apple dumped the 100-watt 6.6-foot cable for a new 240-watt cable and *cough* increased the price from $19.99 to $29.99. The good news is the Belkin BoostCharge 240-watt charging cable is a worthy alternative to Apple’s offering. Internally, the cable is just about on par with the Apple cable for cable resistance. That’s a good thing because Apple’s cables are actually internally constructed quite well in our experience. It’s the outside of Apple cables that has a reputation for falling apart and fraying. The BoostCharge gives us more confidence than Apple with its pleasant braiding, beefy overmolding and Belkin’s boast that the cable has been tested to more than 30,000 bends. The BoostCharge also features dual eMarker chips, which support over-temperature protection. With 240-watt charge rates, that last feature is particularly important as the BoostCharge can detect if it’s overheating and signal the devices to pause until it has cooled down enough. The biggest bummer is the lack of wiring to support video output or actual high-speed data transfers. The BoostCharge is basically a plain-Jane charging cable supporting 480MBps transfer rates (vs. 10Gbps or 20Gbps). That’s fine though, because most people are simply charging a laptop, tablet, or phone, and don’t need all of those features nor the bulk (data cables tend to be much thicker due to the extra wiring). We actually recommend that most people buy a basic charging cable for the daily abuse of plugging and unplugging devices, and, if necessary, reserving a shorter and higher-capability cable strictly for transferring chores. This should make the pricier fast data and video cable last far longer. Sure, the Belkin is $20 and perhaps not the best value, but for someone looking for the warm embrace of a big brand to make them feel better, we think the BoostCharge cable is a good pick. The TLDR is if you would have bought an Apple cable but you’re balking at $29 for the equivalent — pick up the Belkin BoostCharge instead. If the Apple brand makes you feel more comfortable, read on. Anker New Nylon Series 3 USB-C to USB-C 2-pack Pros Great value 12K bend cycles Better than Amazon Basics Cons Limited to 60W charging Lacks fast-transfer support Price When Reviewed: $13.99 Best Prices Today: $12.99 at Walmart$13.99 at Amazon At the time of our review, the Anker New Nylon 2-pack was the No. 1 best-selling USB-C cable on Amazon and that’s probably for good reason. At roughly $14 for a pair of 6-foot USB-C to USB-C charging cables from a brand-name people trust, it’s a great value, and for most people looking to handle phone-, small laptop-, and tablet-charging duties-, you probably don’t need to read any further. Just click add to the cart, and move on. If, however, you are someone looking for the caveats with this Anker pair of cables, read on. The New Nylon 2-pack cables are braided and Anker says they’re tested to 12,000 bend cycles, which is better than most budget charger cables advertise. Inside, however, there isn’t much special to the Anker New Nylon 2-pack. As basic “charging cables” they’re limited to a maximum of 60 watts. If you’re confused by what a “charger cable” is and whether it can transfer data, just know that the Anker cables can, but only at the minimal 480MBps speeds, meaning it could take minutes to copy large files to your laptop or phone. You should also know that the lack of faster data transfers also means the Anker cable can’t be used to hook your laptop up to a USB-C port for video. The cables themselves are really nothing special other than on price and the Anker name. Internally, the construction is pretty basic with resistance, or how much electrical drag the wires place on the charge rate, meh as well. The good news is that the Anker New Nylon cables are still better than the Amazon Basics cables we reviewed in 2020 that are even more meh and even pricier at $10 per cable today. While cable snobs may turn their noses up at the 60-watt charge performance, in reality, it doesn’t matter that much since even a cable as average as these will perform fine for charging a phone, tablet, or Dell XPS 13- or MacBook Air-class laptop with no issues at all. That means if we were a new iPhone 15 owner looking to replace a pile of obsolete Apple Lightning cables, we’d buy two or four of these Anker New Nylon cables and stop wracking your brain trying to find the “best USB-C cable.” The only reason to skip basic charging cables such as the Anker, would be for those who need to transfer large files or someone who wants to hook a monitor or actual fast USB-C drive to your computer. For everyone else, are there better cables? Sure, see above. Higher-quality, with lower resistance and faster data rates and even sturdier construction? Yes, all those can be had — for more money. But truth be told, if all the cable is going to do is sit plugged into a charger waiting for you to come home and plug it in, who cares? The Anker does the job adequately and it’s from someone you trust at the right price. SOOPII 100W 6.6ft USB C to USB C Cable Fast Charge Pros Cool display that shows device charging rates No problems after months of charging various devices Cons eMarker chip gets some details wrong Outdated 100W power Below average in terms of resistance Price When Reviewed: $13.99 Best Prices Today: $13.99 at Amazon We hate to admit it, but we can be suckers for gimmicks and SooPii’s USB-C to USB-C cable has a great gimmick with an integrated display that tells you in real time how much power your phone, tablet, or laptop is drawing. Sure, most people won’t really care, but for nerds, that extra bit of insight can be compelling. The accuracy of the SooPii is fairy spot-on according to our Charger Lab Power-Z USB-C analyzer. Unfortunately, once you get past the cool display, there are a few nagging issues: For one, the SooPii is rated at 100 watts (the older maximum power a C-to-C cable could support, which has now been supplanted by 240-watt cables.) There are also some inaccuracies reported by the cable’s eMarker chip, despite it getting the charging capabilities of the cable correct. t The eMarker wrongly claims the cable is 1-meter long when it’s actually two-meters or 6.6-feet long. It also reports that the cable can transfer data at USB 3.2 and USB4 speeds up to 10Gbps and 20Gbps. But the truth is there are literally no wires to support data transfer at those rates at all. Rather, the SooPii can move data at the minimum data rate of 480Mbps but nothing faster. The good thing is that SooPii’s product description plainly states it’s a basic charging cable, so the company isn’t trying to pull a fast one on you, but it doesn’t speak well of the QA process. Internally, the wiring is a little below average for a good charging cable in terms of resistance — the electrical drag the internal wires have — but it’s still better than, say, the Amazon Basics cable we reviewed in 2020. And at $13.99 for the 6.6-foot cable, it’s only so-so value. We’ve seen better charging cables and better data-transfer cables at the same price or even lower. But you’re not here for those features. You’re here for the cool display. And while the flat-out wrong specs encoded in the eMarker are unfortunate, the charging rate remains accurate. In fact, we’ve used the cable for basic charging of laptops, phones, and tablets for two months with no issues at all — and the gimmick works. It’s just nice to look at the cable and see our laptop is drawing 42 watts, and our phone is drawing 2 watts while being used. For some, that’s worth overlooking the flaws; for the risk averse, you may want to pass in favor of one of the more reliably built cables from a name brand, such as those above. For most people the above cables are what you’re looking for: reliable and fast charging (when paired with a good power bank). For those who also want to transfer data or connect a monitor though, these are our picks: Best USB-C cables for charging and transferring data Cable Matters 6-foot USB C cable Pros Can transfer data and run a monitor Long, 6-foot length Cons Limited to 20Gbps Relatively heavy at 3.5oz Pricey Price When Reviewed: $18.99 Best Prices Today: $17.99 at Amazon If you’re looking for a high-quality USB-C cable that will give you excellent performance, it’s hard to beat Cable Matters 6-foot USB-C cable. The cable can do it all and do it all well (well, almost) from charging at up to 100 watts, transferring data from your USB 3.1 SSD, or running a monitor. The only area where it doesn’t excel is in Thunderbolt performance, which is limited to 20Gbps. That’s not a ding in our book because that’s the tradeoff of a 6-foot cable. To hit 40Gbps, you’d have to step down to a shorter cable. The other cost of this quality is weight and pliability. The cable weighs almost 3.5 ounces, making it the the heaviest cable we tested outside of the 4-meter (13-foot) cable we looked at above. Those thicker gauge wires also mean you can’t roll up as easily or compactly as other cables, too. And no surprise, high performance and high quality mean it’s not cheap. At $18, it’s among the more expensive cables here. But if performance and quality is your jam, the Cable Matters 6-foot USB-C cable will have you humming. Cable Matters USB4 2.6 foot USB-C cable Pros USB4 rating Can charge and fast-transfer data Quality construction Cons Only 2.6 feet Stiff Niche appeal Price When Reviewed: $19.99 Best Prices Today: $13.99 at Amazon Cable Matters Cable is but 2.6-foot so it lacks the appeal of long cables. What appealed to us enough to buy the cable is its USB4 rating which promises high-performance. And no surprise, the cable was able to charge our laptop at 100 watts, and offered the best voltage and lowest resistance thanks to the wires Cable Matters uses and its 2.6-foot length. That also translated into excellent USB 3.1 data transfer rates, monitor suppor,t and the only cable here capable of driving our Thunderbolt 3 SSD at a full 40Gbps data rates. If you’re looking for high-performance in all things and don’t mind the length, the Cable Matters USB4 cable is our pick. Its weaknesses are its stiff feel thanks to the higher-quality, thicker wires and construction Cable Matters uses, and its price. Looked at in dollars-per-foot, this $20 cable is about $8 per foot. With the Amazon Basics USB 3.1 USB-C cable below, you’re only paying $3.17 per foot.  That Amazon cable can’t match the Cable Matters USB4 in Thunderbolt performance, but few need it. That makes the cable best suited to niche areas but it’s fast nonetheless with excellent construction. Compared to our picks above, we wouldn’t advise purchasing any of the other USB-C cables we tested. Why settle for something inferior? But we understand some will want to see which cables didn’t make the cut and why. USB-C cables that didn’t make the cut Dockcase 8.5-inch USB-C cable Price When Reviewed: $9.99 Best Prices Today: $11.99 at Amazon The Dockcase USB-C to USB-C cable is the worst value here if you only judge a cable by length and price. In capability though, this 8.5-inch cable is one of the better performers—a consequence of its short length. The shorter the cable, the less the resistance and, well, the better the performance, even with thin wires. The Dockcase advertises a 100-watt charge rate, 4K video support, and even Thunderbolt 3 support. The company doesn’t mention it but that Thunderbolt 3 speed is limited to 20Gbps, not the full 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 users expect, so take note. It’s not practical, but we did charge our laptop at 100 watts with the Dockcase. Physically, the cable is a flat design with a rubbery outer sheath. The strain relief where the cable connects to the housing is minimal, as well, which makes us question its durability over time.  Its length is best suited for an ultra-fast portable USB-C SSD, and can pinch hit for charging or running your monitor. We personally wouldn’t recommend it for use with a high-speed Thunderbolt drive or device though, given its aforementioned limitations with that spec. Amazon Basics 6-foot USB-C USB 2.0 cable Price When Reviewed: $8.62 Best Prices Today: $10.42 at Amazon The Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-C USB 2.0 is the cable that epitomizes minimum effort. At 6-feet long, it will do its job to charge your phone or tablet, and even your laptop at up to 60 watts, and that’s about it. Since it’s a USB 2.0 cable, data transfers to or from your computer will be dog slow compared to a USB 3.1 cable. Moving a 1GB file might take a few seconds on a USB 3.1 cable and nearly a minute with the Amazon Basics USB-C Charging cable. The cable itself is amazingly light. In fact, it’s probably too light, which means Amazon didn’t really use the thickest wires it could for this cable. That shows up with some of the highest resistance among the cables 6 feet or longer in this roundup, meaning less power delivered to your phone or tablet. Granted, we are talking about 2 percent lower wattage compared to the best of the longer cables here. But still, that’s like a school report card that says “present” as its main selling point. It’s not all bad for the Amazon Basics cable. It does carry a big-name brand. And its lack of wires to support higher-speed USB 3.1 makes it relatively thin and light, and very pliable. Would we use this cable to charge our laptop every day? Probably not, but for someone charging a phone or tablet, its lightweight feel can be be a plus.  Anker 6-foot Powerline USB-C cable Price When Reviewed: $11.99 Best Prices Today: $14.99 at Amazon This is Anker’s oldest Powerline cable but it’s still available alongside the Powerline II and Powerline III models. As its name tells you: This version is a USB 2.0 (480Mbps) cable, so transferring large files to your phone or tablet from your computer will be tedious at best. It has a black plastic sleeve without the tacky rubbery feel some cables have. On the inside it’s about average, with actual charging performance somewhat better than the Amazon Basics USB 2.0 cable but not in the class of the Javex cable, which supports charge rates up to 100 watts instead of the Powerline’s 60 watts. Phones, tablets, and light-duty laptops are its best use cases. Unfortunately, while it’s a decent cable for certain uses, its pricing hurts it. At its typical pricing of $12 it’s not worth it. We’ve seen it more recently for $8, which makes it slightly more attractive, but even at that price, we’d recommend you buy the Javex instead. JSAUX USB C to USB C Cable 60W 2-pack Price When Reviewed: 6.99 Best Prices Today: $6.99 at Amazon Do you get what you pay for? JSAUX “USB C to USB C Cable” kinda proves the old adage that says if the price is low, there’s a reason for it. Not only do you get a 6.6-foot / 2-meter USB-C to USB-C cable in the box—you get two of them for what other brands might charge you for just one cable. Unlike some lesser-known cables on Amazon, the JSAUX cables are at least properly marketed with warnings that it is NOT a Thunderbolt 3 cable, it can NOT output video, and its charge rate is limited to 60 watts, with data limited to a very slow 480MBps. It’s essentially a basic USB-C charging cable and not the greatest one. We looked at the internal resistance of the cable itself and found it to be pretty mediocre. In fact, we haven’t seen a USB-C to USB-C cable with worse resistance. That pretty much means it skimps on internal wiring and potentially may not hold up over time as the cable is flexed over and over again. With all this said, most people don’t actually need high charge rates on a charging cable (where less resistance would be more valuable) and we think that’s reflected in the more than 31,000 reviews of this top-selling cable—with most of them positive—from around the world. We’d pass for a slightly pricier cable, and would even prefer the Amazon Basics cable to it, but we do recognize that for charging a smart phone and tablet, it’ll probably be fine, which explains how there are 31,000 happy customers. There are, however, better choices out there for those willing to pay for it. How we test USB-C cables For this roundup, we purchased retail USB-C cables for our testing. We physically measured and weighed each cable and examined each connector. A proper USB-C cable should use a one-piece shell rather than a folded shell with a visible seam in it. None of the cables we purchased used the lower-strength folded shells. We do want to point out that weight does tend to matter. All cables are essentially tiny metallic wire strands bound together with insulation. Sure, the connector, housing,  braiding, and outer shell all factors in its weight, but lighter-duty cables literally have fewer wires and are far lighter. For example, the Cable Matters high-performance USB 4 cable is 32-inches long and weighs more than the Amazon Basics low-performance USB 2.0 cable, which is more than twice as long. That’s not always better though, as a cable with more wires that are a heavier gauge—or thicker—are less pliable and also take up more space in your bag. Are they all wired correctly? You’d think you could tell whether a cable is USB-C 2.0 cable by looking at the wires in the connector but that’s not the case. Some cables use connectors with pins that aren’t hooked up to anything. To check each cable, we use a BitTradeOne USB Cable Checker 2.0 to first see what actual wires are inside of the cable and whether they are hooked up correctly and what they do. For example, a USB-C cable that is fine for charging but a dog in data transfer   will show up as being wired only for USB-C 2.0, as you can see below by the green LEDs. The “CC” LED indicates the Cable Configuration channel is wired up correctly.  The basic Amazon Basics USB-C cable is wired only for USB 2.0 data rates. The basic Amazon Basics USB-C cable is wired only for USB 2.0 data rates. The basic Amazon Basics USB-C cable is wired only for USB 2.0 data rates. A full-featured USB-C cable has additional wires to carry higher-speed data and the USB Cable Checker 2.0 shows this Cable Matters USB 4 cable in the picture below with the correct wiring all available. The small LED display also tells us that the cable has an ID e-Marker chip, the shell is properly grounded to the cable, and it does a quick resistance test too. The cable tester also checks to see if the metal shell of the cable is grounded to the ground wire of the cable, which is required by spec. Every cable here was properly grounded. Resistance is futile The resistance check from our cable checker is quick and dirty, so we augmented that by also measuring the resistance of the cable’s ground wire and vbus wire using a milli-ohm meter connected via a pair of USB-C breakout boards. The breakout boards at both ends add about 30 mohms to the total. By spec, a USB-C cable should not exceed 83 mohms on the ground wires and 167 mohms on the voltage bus. Many of the cables we tested were within spec or close enough that it didn’t matter, since there’s likely even more resistance we’re not able to account for with our method. We definitely could tell which cables used heavier-gauge or thick wires with less resistance to restrict the flow of electricity, and which ones cheaped out. This Cable Matters USB 4 cable has all the features you want for transferring data or connecting your monitor. This Cable Matters USB 4 cable has all the features you want for transferring data or connecting your monitor. This Cable Matters USB 4 cable has all the features you want for transferring data or connecting your monitor. What did the e-Marker say? Since each of the more advanced cables carries an e-Marker that tells the computer what the cable can do, we noted that and the validity of the e-Marker’s claims. All but one of the cables met those claims, but the one that was wrong was way, way wrong. It claimed USB 3.2 10Gbps transfer speeds and a 1-meter length, when it literally didn’t have the wires for the faster transfer speeds and was actually 2 meters long. Some USB-C cables feature a chip or e-Marker that contains information the device reads. This two meter cable’s e-Marker is incorrect. Some USB-C cables feature a chip or e-Marker that contains information the device reads. This two meter cable’s e-Marker is incorrect. Some USB-C cables feature a chip or e-Marker that contains information the device reads. This two meter cable’s e-Marker is incorrect. We then looked at how fast the cable would charge and transfer data, and whether it supported an alternate mode to run a monitor, using real-world hardware. For charging speeds we recorded the maximum wattage at which the cable could charge an Asus ROG Strix 15 gaming laptop over its USB-C port using USB-Power Delivery with an Aukey 100 watt USB-PD charger as the source while the laptop was under load. USB-PD today is limited to 100 watts (with a 240-watt spec on the way). Any USB-C to USB-C cable should handle 3 amps at 20 volts, or 60 watts. All of the USB-C to USB-C cables fell into the standard 60-watt or 100-watt camps. We didn’t test the temperature of each cable’s housing, but we did test the cheapest cable by running it at 5 amps and 20 volts for an hour. The housing heated up by 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cable itself became relatively warm (see the thermal image below). Not ideal, but it did this without failure. We subjected other cables to two-hour loads without failure, as well. For one final charge test, we tasked each cable with a 20 volt, 3 amp and 20 volt 5 amp load (for the 5-amp rated cables) and measured the voltage delivered at the end of the cable using our CT-3 meter. The cables with the thinnest-gauge wires add more resistance, which in turn reduces the voltage delivered to your laptop, tablet, or phone. The thinner the wires used in a cable, the greater the resistance, and the greater the heat as you can see from this thermal image of a $5 6.6-foot USB cable carrying a 5 amp, 20 volt, 100-watt load for one hour. The thinner the wires used in a cable, the greater the resistance, and the greater the heat as you can see from this thermal image of a $5 6.6-foot USB cable carrying a 5 amp, 20 volt, 100-watt load for one hour. The thinner the wires used in a cable, the greater the resistance, and the greater the heat as you can see from this thermal image of a $5 6.6-foot USB cable carrying a 5 amp, 20 volt, 100-watt load for one hour. For data transfer, we measured the speed using Crystal Disk Mark 8 while plugged into the USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port of an MSI Prestige 14 Evo laptop. Since the cables can also be used to transfer data from a Thunderbolt storage drive, we measured how fast that happened using a high-speed SSD-based SanDisk Professional Thunderbolt G-Drive. We found three transfer modes among the cables tested: Thunderbolt 20Gbps performance, Thunderbolt 40Gbps performance, or zero performance because the cable would not work at all with a Thunderbolt drive. Basic USB-C charging cables will not enable advanced drives such as this G-Drive Thunderbolt 3-based SSD, despite the USB-C plug fitting. Basic USB-C charging cables will not enable advanced drives such as this G-Drive Thunderbolt 3-based SSD, despite the USB-C plug fitting. Basic USB-C charging cables will not enable advanced drives such as this G-Drive Thunderbolt 3-based SSD, despite the USB-C plug fitting. Our last test looked at each cable’s capability running an Asus ROG Strix 17.3-inch portable gaming monitor. The monitor is a high-performance gaming monitor with a resolution of 1920×1080 and refresh rate of 240Hz—which is basically the same bandwidth requirements of a standard 4K 60Hz display. FAQ 1. What are the different types of USB-C to USB-C cables? There are a number of different types of USB-C to USB-C cables including: USB 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1, USB 3.1 Gen 2, and Thunderbolt 4. The main difference between all of these is their data transfer rates and their charge rates. Basic charge cables give you very slow data transfer speeds and typically only up to 60 watts. For a phone, tablet, and even most small laptops such as a Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Pro 13 that’s fine. As you move up to larger laptops such as a Dell XPS 15 or MacBook Pro 16, 60 watts will limit how fast you can charge. The other key differentiator is speed. USB 2.0 is a plodding 480Mbps. USB 3 cables range from 5Gbps to 20Gbps. While USB4, and Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 can support up to 40Gbps of throughput. Thunderbolt, USB4, and many USB 3 cables also support display support using DisplayPort. 2. What are USB-C cables used for? USB-C cables today are used for transferring data, running monitors, and charging everything on the planet from $5 LED trinkets to $2,000 laptops and even power tools now. It is basically the most common type of cable for electronics today and thanks to its universal and open design it has rapidly replaced all other competitors including Apple’s Lightning as well as older USB cables. It’s appeal is the reversible nature so you no longer have to look for alignment. With its ability to handle 240 watts now, USB-C to USB-C cables will likely begin replacing other proprietary cables as well. 3. What is the difference between a Type A and Type C cable? There are a few key differences between the two. A USB-C to USB-A cable has a rectangular connector on side with 4- to 9-pins in it. As you know from trying to plug a mouse into your PC, it only fits in one way and you usually never get it right the first time. On the other end of a USB-C to USB-A cable, you will find the modern oval USB-C connector, which fits in both ways and packs far more pins and wires inside. The short story is that a Type A to Type C cable will typically charge at much slower speeds than a Type C to Type C cable as well as transfer data at far lower data rates. That isn’t always the case as some phones that use special Type A to Type C chargers and cables will indeed charge very fast—but they’re usually proprietary. With most new phone chargers going to USB Type C, you’re probably going to usually want a Type C to Type C cable. 4. Should you buy a USB-A to USB-C or USB-C to USB-C cable? The right answer depends on what you want to plug the device and cable into. If you are charging your Galaxy S24 Ultra or iPhone 15 into a charger using a USB-A port, then obviously, you’ll want to buy a USB-A to -C cable. If you’re wondering what the capabilities are between a USB-A to -C versus a USB-C to -C cable, that largely depends on the cable. In pure capabilities, a USB-C to -C can potentially charge up to 240 watts and transfer data at up to 40Gbps (and higher eventually with USB4). These are all things even the best USB-A to -C cable can only dream about. The thing is, while a “full-featured” high-end USB-C to -C cable can do more, most phones can’t take advantage of its features. For example, you have to have an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or a high-end Android phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or Google Pixel 8 Pro to be able to transfer data at 10Gbps. Most budget phones and tablets transfer data over USB at a plodding 480Mbps even if you have a USB-C to -C cable capable of 40Gbps transfer rates. And you guessed it, if a phone’s top transfer speed is only 10Gbps, pairing it with a 40Gbps-capable USB-C to -C cable still limits you to 10Gbps transfer speeds. The simple truth is that for data transfer, a USB-A to USB-C cable that supports USB 3.2 10Gbps or 20Gbps transfer rates is more than enough for most people. Where it likely matters more to pay for a USB-C to -C cable is charging speed. Outside of proprietary fast-charging designs used by a few phone makers such as Huawei, Oppo, and One Plus, USB-A on even the newest iPhone and Galaxy generally top out in the 15-watt to 20-watt range. Using a USB-C to -C cable and an appropriate USB-C charger will let you reach 30-watt charge rates or more depending on the phone. We would be remiss if we didn’t point out that despite USB-C charging generally outperforming USB-A — in reality, you’re not giving up that much performance since most phones don’t charge at their maximum charge rates most of the time. TLDR: A USB-A to -C cable with support for USB 10Gbps will work fine for the majority of fast phones for data transfer but won’t hit the higher charge rates you desire. 5. Is USB-C the same as USB PD? The short answer is no. USB-C is the standard that defines the physical “oval” reversible USB-C plug and connector and nothing more. It doesn’t refer to the underlying transfer protocols such as how fast data is transferred. A USB-C connector can be a very slow 480Mbps “USB 2.0” or it can be the fastest 40Gbps USB4 or Thunderbolt 4. USB PD, or USB Power Delivery, refers to the advanced charging capabilities over a USB-C a connector and cable. The newest USB Power Delivery 3.1 spec allows for charging up to an impressive 240 watts, although we’ve yet to see any laptops that support it yet. 6. Why won’t my cheap USB-C device charge over USB-C?
USB-C is the standard for charging phones, tablets, and laptops, and is rapidly becoming the standard for even cheap $5 USB fans and other electronic trinkets. While there can be many reasons why your device won’t charge — such as a bad cable or bad charger — the most common reason no-name USB hardware won’t charge when using a USB-C to -C cable, but will charge using a USB-A to -C cable is likely the fault of a poorly designed device. Charging from USB-C is complex and requires devices to negotiate charge rates before the USB-C Power Delivery charger will supply any power. Many cheap USB-C devices don’t include this hardware, so the USB-C charger will not activate.  Take that same cheap USB device and plug it in with a USB-C to USB-A cable to a USB-A charger and it will suddenly charge. This is because old-fashioned rectangular USB-A ports are dumb and are designed to supply a slow charge rate no matter what. 7. Why won’t my cheap USB-A to USB-C cable work for transferring data? Obviously, one answer is the cable is simply bad or damaged, but if you’re finding that a brand-new cable that came with your $5 USB fan or $7 LED USB-trinket won’t transfer data at all, you’re probably using the “free” USB-A to -C cable that came with that cheap device. Many of these cheap cables contain wires that only supply power to charge that cheap trinket and don’t support data transfer at all. You can sometimes see this by looking into the square USB-A cable connector where only two connections are visible. A standard USB-A cable usually features at least four connections inside of it. You can “fix” this by buying a USB cable that supports data transfers. Accessories, Power

For years, AMD and especially Intel have dominated the PC industry, even after Qualcomm introduced its first Snapdragon processors for laptops. Now, Microsoft may be giving pride of place to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor with an upcoming Windows feature — and leaving AMD and Intel out in the cold. In May, Microsoft will host its annual Build conference in Seattle. Microsoft will open that conference with a presentation from chief executive Satya Nadella to “share our AI vision across hardware and software,” according to Microsoft. That presentation is expected to introduce the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 5 for consumers, both featuring Qualcomm’s surprisingly powerful Snapdragon X Elite processor, based on the Arm architecture. Microsoft has already launched versions of both devices with Intel processors inside, for businesses. But it’s the “software” version of Microsoft’s AI vision that’s intriguing. Microsoft’s last feature update of Windows 11 may have introduced AI PCs, but Microsoft is moving more aggressively to a future where AI is more tightly integrated into the operating system. Microsoft appears to have a more formal definition of an “AI PC” waiting in the wings, and we know that it includes a Copilot key as well as the AI coprocessor known as an NPU. But which NPU? We’ve always assumed that Microsoft would be fairly agnostic about which processors it would allow inside AI PCs. But we’re seeing the first indications that certain processors might not be up to snuff. From Microsoft’s Build schedule, we know that Microsoft is hosting a session on building a new AI PC feature. That feature has been said to be something called “AI Explorer,” probably an AI-powered version of the now-deprecated Timeline feature that could be a holistic search engine for seeking out a crucial bit of information. We don’t know that the Build session is on AI Explorer, but it’s a pretty good guess. Now a Twitter leaker says that they have found evidence within Windows 11 build 26100 that AI Explorer will be limited to Arm64 CPUs — and specifically Snapdragon X Elite. Turns out Windows 11 build 26100 (purported 24H2 RTM) contains the AI Explorer requirements 📃 baked into the OS💠 ARM64 CPU
💠 16GiB of RAM
💠 225GiB system drive (total, not free space)
💠 Snapdragon X Elite NPU (HWID QCOM0D0A)
I guess that's one way to drive ARM64 adoption 😶‍🌫️ pic.twitter.com/ZbQf4KY1BN— Albacore ☁️ (@thebookisclosed) April 18, 2024 If this is true, it would be an enormous endorsement for Qualcomm, and a rather embarrassing omission for both Intel and AMD. Microsoft has been a staunch proponent of Windows on Arm for years now, even if Windows on Arm PC sales have been a tiny fraction of what they are from Intel and AMD. But Microsoft hasn’t given up: there’s yet another session on the “next generation of Windows on Arm” that Microsoft will present at Build. “Learn about the exciting new experiences for Arm-powered Windows this year, such as intelligent Windows apps that leverage rich capabilities of the NPU,” Microsoft promises. get windows 11 for cheap Windows 11 Pro Price When Reviewed: 199.99 Best Prices Today: $59 at PCWorld Store – Win 11 Pro Upgrade Only | $79.99 at PCWorld Software Store Microsoft already ships an NPU-powered feature, Windows Studio Effects, on laptops that include an NPU, whether from AMD, Intel or Qualcomm. That app includes both video and audio filtering, and works pretty well. But it certainly isn’t “new.” That certainly sounds like Microsoft has more NPU-powered experiences up its sleeve, most likely AI Explorer. Does Microsoft’s decision lock out AMD and Intel from AI Explorer? Probably not. Code is code, after all, and Microsoft could either patch it in or issue an update. Intel promises three times the AI performance in the upcoming Lunar Lake chip, which Intel will obviously hustle out as quickly as it can. What this does tell us is that Microsoft believes strongly in what Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite can deliver — perhaps more stoutly than what Qualcomm has delivered previously. Qualcomm has already attracted an unprecedented level of PC OEM support, evidence that the hardware industry considers Qualcomm’s claims legit. Microsoft now appears to be on board, too. Looks like Qualcomm, and Arm, are coming hard for both Intel and AMD. And in the AI future Microsoft envisions, Qualcomm could have a leg up. Further reading: The best laptops we’ve tested CPUs and Processors, Laptops, Windows

If you want to be competitive in PC games these days, you can forget about using a run-of-the-mill office mouse. Instead, you’ll need a powerful device that’s optimized just for gaming. Manufacturers go to great pains to design specialist devices that give players an edge, with enhancements like unique body sizes and shapes, customizable weight, and extra grips to increase speed and accuracy. On top of that, the best gaming mice have unique hardware enhancements like highly sensitive sensors and complex button configurations to keep up with fast-paced games. Deciding on the right mouse is a highly personal decision that needs careful consideration. Factors like the size and shape of your hand, your preferred grip style, the types of games you play, and the number of buttons you need, are all factors in your quest for the best gaming mouse. Why you should trust us? PCWorld has delivered in-depth product reviews and news going on 40 years now. Our reviewers aren’t just peripheral geeks, they’re also avid gamers on a mission to find the best gaming gear for themselves. Because of that they know the ins and outs of gaming gear, what’s good and what’s not. Every mouse we review is put through a rigorous testing process by our expert reviewers. We appraise everything from the device’s comfort, and reliability, to its performance in games. We also compare each product to competitors to sum up whether or not they represent value for money. See our article on how we test gaming mice for more details. Updated April 18, 2024 to include the Alienware Pro Wireless, which earns our pick for best esports and FPS mouse for its ultra-light weight, comfortable handling, and 4KHz refresh rate, which you get right out of the box. We also recently reviewed an old favorite gaming mouse that many players enjoy for its reliable performance, the SteelSeries Aerox 3. Razer DeathAdder V3 – Best wired gaming mouse / Best overall Pros Very light (59 grams) Ergonomic design for right-handers High-precision sensor USB polling rate of 8000Hz Durable Razer Optical Switches (up to 90 million clicks) High-quality PTFE grade feet Cons Non onboard storage of the key assignment No RGB lighting Price When Reviewed: $69.99 Best Prices Today: $69.99 at Amazon Lightweight, wired FPS mice don’t come any quicker than the Razer DeathAdder V3, which is maxed out with an extraordinarily sensitive 30,000 DPI Razer Optical Sensor and a whopping 8,000Hz hyper-polling rate that’s eight times as fast as the standard 1,000Hz polling rate you get in other FPS gaming mice. If that isn’t already enough speed for you, the V3’s lightweight 2.08-ounce (59 grams) chassis and 100 percent PTFE feet combine for an exceptionally quick and smooth glide over your mouse mat, making it even more deadly in FPS gaming. Just based on the DeathAdder V3’s weight alone, you’d think it would have a tiny body with a less than comfortable grip, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Rather, it’s just ideal for palm grippers with large- to medium-sized hands who will undoubtedly find plenty of support in its generous proportions for all sorts of tricky maneuvers. Read our full Deathadder V3 review Logitech G502X – Best wired gaming mouse runner-up Pros The 25K Hero sensor is very proficient even at high DPI settings The buttons are extremely well placed for accessibility The rubber thumb rest provides plenty of grip Cons Not including swappable trigger buttons seems like a missed opportunity There's no RGB lighting except a small DPI indicator light The mouse wheel is quite noisy Price When Reviewed: 69.99 Best Prices Today: $69.49 at Amazon$69.99 at Logitech G$79.99 at B&H The Logitech G502, which so wowed gamers back in 2014 has evolved into a new model, the Logitech G502X, which boasts several big improvements over its predecessor. These include: a higher-resolution 25K sensor, a new rubberized thumb grip, and lightning-fast hybrid optical-mechanical switches. Admittedly, its 89-gram weight means it’s not the lightest gaming mouse on the market. However, any concerns about performance fall by the wayside because of the larger and more accessible buttons. You still get 13 programmable options, including the side trigger button and DPI buttons cut into the left main click, but the trigger is now closer to your thumb and easier to reach, and the DPI buttons are longer and harder to misclick. This ultimately means the G502X has arguably the best all-rounder button setup you can get. Read our full Logitech G502X review Corsair M75 Air Wireless – Best ambidextrous grip Pros Its narrow high-backed design enables superior control The 26K Optical Sensor is quick and precise Up to a quick 2000Hz / 0.5ms default polling rate Cons One button for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi can be confusing There's just one on-board memory profile No DPI switcher button Price When Reviewed: 99.99 Best Prices Today: $77.77 at Amazon$99.99 at B&H$99.99 at Best Buy The Corsair M75 Air’s 26K Optical Sensor reports at a quick 2,000Hz maximum polling rate (that’s 1,000Hz higher than some more expensive FPS gaming mice), which means you get ridiculously smooth and precise motion in games like Fortnite and Counter-Strike 2 in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi mode. Yet, this mouse’s hardware alone isn’t the only trick up its sleeve — its symmetrical design is just as noteworthy. The mouse’s excellent symmetry and low-key side buttons allow it to be used just as easily as a left- or right-handed mouse. There are five buttons all up, which all fire off quickly enough to win surprise attacks, but there’s no DPI button to speak of. If you like a feeling of control in your play, the M75 Air’s high back is perfect for that; it pushes against your palm comfortably, syncing with your movements. The M75 Air’s long narrow front also provides plenty of space to stretch out your trigger fingers. Read our full Corsair M75 Air Wireless review Logitech G203 LightSync – Best ultra-budget gaming mouse Pros A comfortable design that resembles more expensive esports mice Sturdy and well-built The RGB lighting really pops Cons Some sensor lag was experienced with large, fast movements The sensor's lift-off distance is higher than some mice The RGB logo on the top isn't customizable Price When Reviewed: $39.99 Best Prices Today: $27.52 at Amazon$29.99 at B&H$29.99 at Best Buy Few devices offer as much bang for buck as this wired RGB gaming mouse that combines comfort, style and decent performance but without a hefty price tag. The Logitech G203 resembles more expensive esports mice with its simple 6-button configuration, small body and ambidextrous shape, but despite being substantially cheaper than rivals, it still feels sturdy and well-built. The G203’s 8,000 DPI sensor isn’t the quickest you’ll find, but for causal gamers it’s still a more than adequate performer that tracks accurately. The G203 isn’t lacking style either. It features a signature rounded back design with colorful RGB band and Logitech logo that lights up your gaming den with pops of color. The RGB band is also customizable in the Logitech G Hub app, with the option to personalize three separate lighting zones. Read our full Logitech G203 LightSync review Razer Cobra Pro – Best wireless gaming mouse Pros Its Razer Focus Pro 30K sensor is superb Dedicated DPI up/down buttons makes switching DPI on the fly easy Having 11 zones of RGB is brilliant Cons The dimensions won't suit large hands Buying the Cobra Pro with a Hyper polling dongle costs extra It's a little heavier than its stablemate the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro Price When Reviewed: 129.99 Best Prices Today: $116.90 at Amazon$129.99 at Best Buy$129.99 at GameStop The Razer Cobra Pro is an excellent all-round gaming mouse with a very sensitive 30K sensor that will give the best esports mice a run for their money. While its 79-gram weight makes it a little heavier than many competitive FPS mice, it boasts features that most don’t have. Indeed, features like its up / down DPI buttons that allow you to switch DPI on the fly, its gorgeous 11 zones of RGB lighting and Tri-Mode connectivity (wired, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth) make it a highly versatile and sought after gaming mouse. Its one drawback, however, is its compact size, which comfortably fits small to medium sized hands but is a little too small for some large hands. Of course, this won’t affect players who prefer to use a claw grip, so this mouse is especially suited to them. Read our full Razer Cobra Pro review HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless – Best budget wireless gaming mouse Pros The solid top back is comfortable and stylish The 26,000 sensor can target at lightning speeds Bluetooth functionality makes it one of the most versatile esports mice you can get Cons The compact buttons can feel a bit cramped at times There's just one RGB zone to play with It's more expensive than its predecessor Price When Reviewed: $89.99 Best Prices Today: $89.99 at Amazon$89.99 at HyperX The HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless features a lightning-fast 26,000 DPI sensor, Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, as well as a dedicated DPI switcher and still manages to be lighter and more affordable than some rivals. It weighs just a little over 2 ounces (61 grams), which is ideal for fast competitive gaming and esports. Its generous proportions and easy six-button configuration are just ideal to fit medium- and large-sized hands. This mouse’s solid plastic casing is also a lot more comfortable for claw and fingertip grippers than its predecessor — the HyperX Pulsefire Haste Wireless, which has perforated casing. Price-wise, you’d expect to pay more than $100 for an esports/FPS mouse of this caliber, but the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless currently costs just $54 at Amazon. Read our full HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 Wireless review Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+ – Best gaming mouse for tinkerers Pros Eminently customizable Uses a reliable PMW3389 sensor Feels durable Cons Customization options aren't always intuitive Heavy, even with the weights removed Hard to know whether Mad Catz peripherals are the more reliable nowadays Price When Reviewed: $76.08 Best Prices Today: $91.14 at Amazon$99.99 at B&H The Mad Catz R.A.T 8+ is about as customizable as gaming mice come, featuring a modular design that allows you to change up its component parts exactly as you wish to find your ideal mouse shape and weight. Doing so requires you to pull discrete levers and turn knobs integrated into the mouse’s body, so there’s a fairly steep learning curve before you know what you’re doing. Still, if you love tinkering, this mouse will keep you entertained for hours at a time. It also doesn’t skimp in the button department, providing 10 buttons all told, orientated in some pretty original positions for extra convenience. With a stripped-back, bare-bones look, the Mad Catz R.A.T 8+ also stands out in the crowd, making it an obvious talking point at any group gaming sessions. Read our Mad Catz R.A.T 8+ review Razer Naga V2 Pro – Best gaming mouse for MOBA and MMO games Pros The swappable button plates let you tailor your button setup to your game's command load The sensor is very accurate and without a hint of lag There's tons of comfort and the build quality is excellent Cons The Razer Gen 3 Optical Switches are a little stiff at first and need wearing in It weighs 134 grams which is quite heavy even for an MMO mouse It's currently very expensive Price When Reviewed: $179.99 Best Prices Today: $179.99 at Amazon$179.99 at Best Buy$179.99 at Razer The Razer Naga V2 Pro does one better than just let you program your buttons how you like them—it features three swappable side-button plates that you can change out to tailor your mouse’s physical button setup to your game’s command load. Consequently, it makes a great all-around gaming mouse. In my playtesting I found it was especially perfect for MOBA and MMO games since you get a total of 22 commands with the 12-button plate attached, so there’s lots of options. As well as a very comfortable design, the V2 Pro also sports an accurate and precise 30,000 DPI sensor and Razer Gen 3 Optical Switches in the buttons that actuate in just 0.2 milliseconds. In our review, its 134-gram weight made it a little heavy for achieving top performance in FPS games, but in MMO games this extra weightiness made weapons play feel extremely authentic and highly satisfying. Read our full Razer Naga V2 Pro review Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless – Best for MOBA and MMO games runner-up Pros Sliding keypad Precise sensor Flexible connectivity: 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB cable Long battery life Robust workmanship Cons Bulky design Higher weight compared to other gaming mice Learning curve for MMO mouse newcomers Different operating modes could confuse beginners Only suitable for right-handers Price When Reviewed: $129.99 Best Prices Today: $116.99 at Best Buy$129.99 at Amazon$129.99 at B&H The Scimitar Elite Wireless’ sensor is both responsive and accurate in fast games thanks to its 26,000 DPI resolution and quick 2,000Hz polling rate. That’s despite the mouse weighing a hefty 4 ounces (114 grams). You get 16 programmable buttons all up, which is enough for a round robin of favorite commands in games like World of Warcraft and The Elder Scrolls Online. A grid of 12 mechanical buttons sit on a side-oriented keypad, which has the unique advantage of being able to slide to fit your finger position — something most other MMO gaming mice simply can’t do. That means those furthest from you need not be a struggle to reach. The Scimitar Elite Wireless is also one of the most versatile of the MMO gaming mice, since it boasts all three connectivity types — 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and a wired connection via a USB-C cable. Read our full Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless review Razer Basilisk V3 – Best mouse wheel / Best for scrolling Pros The Razer Focus + sensor gives faultless performance Scrolling is made simpler with the HyperScroll Tilt Wheel The RGB lighting looks fantastic Cons It's quite heavy and bulky You're limited to wired connectivity only Price When Reviewed: 69.99 Best Prices Today: $39.99 at Target $49.99 at Amazon$69.99 at Best Buy The Basilisk V3 resembles the Razer Basilisk V2 in size and shape, sporting similar right-handed curves and a slightly arched thumb rest. Among its best features are an 11 button layout, 26,000 DPI Razer Focus+ sensor, and second-generation Razer optical switches that are fast enough for all kinds of gaming—whether that’s casual or serious. But the real magic lies in the Basilisk V3’s HyperScroll Tilt Wheel, which is a fancy name for its mouse wheel. This tilts in four directions and triggers downwards to put five commands at your fingertips, ideal for tactical FPS games like Rainbow Six. Impressively, the HyperScroll Tilt Wheel also has extra AI scrolling modes that make your scrolling and browsing a lot easier. In our testing we enjoyed toggling between “Tactile” and “Free-Spin” modes, which allowed us to switch between a slow, precise scrolling action and a faster, smoother scrolling action that was useful for getting to the end of long websites more easily. Read our full Razer Basilisk V3 review Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse – Best gaming mouse for esports / first-person shooters Pros 4KHz wireless polling rate The buttons are soft and have quick debounce The Alienware styling looks awesome One of the most precise mouse wheels I've used Weighs just over 2 ounces Cons The back could do with more height There's no RGB lighting It's quite large so won't suit everyone Price When Reviewed: 149.99 Best Prices Today: $149.99 at Amazon$149.99 at Best Buy$149.99 at Dell You hear a lot about DPI being the main factor that determines performance. But quite frankly polling rate is twice as important for aiming at and hitting fast moving players in FPS games. Hence why this mouse is so lethal, it comes with a 4KHz polling rate right out of the box, that’s quadruple the reporting rate of some other big-name FPS gaming mice. Everything else about this mouse is tailored for speed and precision too — from its ultra-light weight of just over 2 ounces to its soft buttons with their ultra-quick debounce rate. If you want the fastest performance in FPS gaming, you need to get this mouse! Read our full Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse review Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 – Best gaming mouse for esports / first-person shooters runner-up Pros Symmetrical body provides nice accuracy Ultra lightweight – it weighs just over 2 ounces Quick and accurate 32,000 DPI sensor Cons The mouse wheel feels a little flimsy No Bluetooth connectivity It's expensive Price When Reviewed: 159 Best Prices Today: $152.70 at Amazon$159 at B&H$159 at Logitech G With a 2,000Hz polling rate, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 reports to your PC faster than a bunch of rival pro-grade FPS gaming mice, so it feels a little faster and more responsive. It’s also disarmingly accurate thanks to its 32,000 DPI Hero 2 optical sensor, which is one of the quickest and most accurate you can find. The Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2’s simple five-button design is the very definition of symmetry — which only increases the pointer-like precision you get wielding it. Indeed, if you’re an esports professional or aspiring to be one, this mouse is certainly one of the best you can get. It doesn’t come cheap, though: It cost a nail-biting $159.99 at the time I reviewed it. Shown here is the pink color. It’s also available in Black and White. Read our full Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 review Here we had to make a choice on the best of the best, but the competition in the FPS gaming mouse category is fierce. For two other excellent options for FPS gaming, be sure to check out the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro and ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition. Glorious Model O 2 Pro 4K/8KHz Edition – Best buttons Pros Ultra-light weight (barely more than 2 ounces) Precise sensor with up to 26,000 DPI Long lasting optical switches (100 million clicks) with fast response time (0.2 milliseconds) High polling rate (up to 8000Hz wired, 4000Hz wireless) Cons High price Overkill technical specifications for average users High-end features don't necessarily benefit everyday use Not fully suitable for left-handers despite symmetrical design Price When Reviewed: $129.99 Best Prices Today: $129.99 at Amazon$129.99 at Glorious There are mice for beginners and then there’s the Model O 2 Pro 4K/8K Edition, a mouse that falls firmly into the advanced (pro) category. Among its most drool-worthy features for competitive gaming is its buttons, which use optical switches: Apart from just being extremally tactile, they’re satisfyingly loud and a 0.2 millisecond response time means they’re incredibly quick to fire. They’re also highly durable, rated for 100 million clicks. The mouse’s other hardware is similarly honed for speed and precision, including its 26,000 DPI sensor that has an 8,000Hz Hyper-polling rate in Wired Mode. In Wireless (2.4GHz Wi-Fi) Mode you get a polling rate of up to 4,000Hz, which is a nice speed boost over the default 1,000Hz polling rate you get in some rivals. Suffice to say you can really tune your performance settings to impressive levels with this mouse. That said, all the high-end hardware can be a bit overwhelming if you’re just starting out. This mouse is also not cheap — expect to play as much as $99 for the privilege of all that top-end tech. Read our full Glorious Model O 2 Pro 4K/8KHz Edition review ROCCAT Burst Pro Air – Best RGB gaming mouse Pros Owl-Eye sensor is very precise and quick You won't find a mouse with more stunning RGB lighting Dual wireless as well as wired connectivity Cons 81-gram weight can feel heavy if you're used to a lighter mouse Mouse wheel lacks left and right lateral clicks Pricey compared to some rivals Price When Reviewed: 79.99 Best Prices Today: $34.99 at Amazon$34.99 at Best Buy$48.85 at Walmart The ROCCAT Burst Pro Air’s four dedicated RGB lighting zones shine colored light through its semi-transparent body, creating a mesmerizing sheen-like glow that looks totally stunning from any angle. If the semi-transparent shell is your canvas, then ROCCAT’s Swarm app provides your painter’s palette, letting you go to town customizing each zone with up to 16.8 million colors and a range of stunning effects. But as any gamer knows, looks aren’t everything. Consequently, we also chose the Pro Air because of its excellent gaming performance, which in our play testing we attributed to its comfortable eight-button design, powerful 19,000 DPI Owl-Eye optical sensor, and low-latency optical switches, which are rated for 100 million clicks. The Pro Air also scores big points for its excellent connectivity options, which includes low-latency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless options, and a USB-A to USB-C cable for wired connectivity. For another great ROCCAT gaming mice that has previously taken top position for ‘Best RGB gaming mouse’ also check out the ROCCAT Kone XP. Read our full ROCCAT Burst Pro Air review Cherry Xtrfy M8 Wireless – Most original gaming mouse design Pros Very good sensor Ultra-flat front Very light Eco-friendly design Long battery life Cons Unusually placed charging socket Design might take some getting used to for some users Price When Reviewed: $99 Best Prices Today: $99 at Amazon$109 at Cherry Xtrfy The Xtrfy M8’s design is as unique as possible, with the charging socket placed on its right-side rather than at the front like just about every other gaming mouse you will find. But while some players may like that and others not so much, what we salute the most in its design is the fact that its housing is made from 60 percent recycled plastic. Despite the reused materials, this mouse’s hardware is just perfect for pro-gamers. It’s powered by a Pixart 3395 sensor with a maximum resolution of 26,000 DPI. A low-latency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi signal provides a response time as fast as 1 millisecond. If changing debounce is your jam, the M8 also allows you to choose between four settings: 2, 4, 8, or 12 milliseconds. Plus, it weighs just 55 grams which makes it one of the lightest and quickest mice you will move over your mouse mat. Read our full Cherry Xtrfy M8 Wireless review Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed – Best dual-purpose gaming and productivity mouse Pros Quick and accurate sensor High sensor positioning Very long battery life Cons No RGB lighting 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity only Weighs less than 3 ounces Price When Reviewed: 69.99 Best Prices Today: $65 at Amazon$65.99 at Best Buy$69.99 at Razer With no RGB lighting and a modest uni-color Black casing, the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed is stealthy enough to be your work or study mouse, and yet it also has some of the best hardware for esports you can find in a wireless mouse. That includes a whopping 30,000 DPI Razer Focus Pro Optical Sensor and super-quick Razer Gen 2 Mechanical Switches. The Viper V3 Hyperspeed’s design gives you precision control of your movements; it features a high back and lots of length in the fingers so that you can stretch out in a palm grip. The high position of the sensor catches your movements at their origin for split-second quicker movement than we’ve experienced in some rivals. The Viper V3 Hyperspeed also supports 4,000Hz HyperPolling, which really makes this mouse cook with fire in fast action games like CouterStrike — although you will have to shell out $29.99 extra for the HyperPolling dongle (not included). The Viper V3 also has excellent battery life. In fact, a single AA battery provides up to 280 hours of operation at the mouse’s default polling rate of 1,000Hz. The V3 Hyperspeed currently costs $69.99 at Razer, Amazon, and Best Buy. In a similar vein but with more modest hardware and for $15 cheaper, be sure to check out the Razer DeathAdder V2 X Hyperspeed too. Read our full Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed review MSI Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless – Best rechargeable gaming mouse Pros Charging dock included Current high-end sensor from Pixart Omron switches Three connection modes (2.4GHz, Bluetooth, wired) Good price-performance ratio Cons A bit heavy for "Lightweight" Software is a little convoluted Price When Reviewed: $99.00 Best Prices Today: $78.79 at Amazon$79.99 at B&H The MSI Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless gaming mouse combines practicality, functionality, and stellar looks better than just about any other gaming mouse. As well as supporting all three connectivity types — 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and wired — it features visually striking RGB Diamond Lightgrips down each side that hold your fingers to the mouse’s body and provide you with a lot of precision control over movement. Another practical feature is the convenient charging dock that makes recharging a piece of pie and means it’s very difficult to ever run out of battery. The GM51 Lightweight Wireless has impressive hardware for gaming, including a Pixart PAW 3395 sensor with a maximum resolution of 26,000 DPI and Omron switches in its buttons, which are known for their durability and speed. Although its 89-gram weight is at the upper end of what many would call lightweight, its balanced size makes it especially comfortable for palm and claw grips. Read our full MSI Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless review How we test gaming mice To ensure that our gaming mice selections are the pick of the crop, the PCWorld team subjects them to extensive play testing as well as a legion of other tests. We scrutinize everything from how well a mouse perform in games, to the size and shape of it in the hand, to comfort and ergonomics, to customizations. Here are the main categories our tests fall under: Gaming performance: At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how a mouse looks; it’s how it performs that matters. To evaluate a mouse’s performance we look specifically at how sensitive and responsive its sensor is and also how well the sensor tracks movement. Precision is also a key consideration, with mice that are more accurate generally scoring better in our reviews than those that aren’t. In wireless mice we also evaluate the speed and strength of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals, keeping a look out for red flags like signal dropouts or interference. Some mice also come with software enhancements that determine the mouse’s lift-off distance, which we also examine in our testing. Design and ergonomics: You won’t find another tech device for which design plays a more crucial part of a user’s experience. And, while it’s true that there’s no one shape, size, or configuration that fits every gamer, there’s enough variation out there for every gamer to find their own perfect fit. When looking at design, we consider the size and shape of the device itself and the type of hand it fits. Gamers tend to use one of three common grip types—palm, claw, or fingertip—so a mouse’s compatibility with one or all of those types is a big consideration. Software: Being able to tweak settings like your mouse’s DPI and polling rate and create specific profiles for your favorite games can make or break your gaming experience, which is why a mouse’s software support is so important. Our PCWorld reviewers’ focus here is to consider the range and scope of software support and how readily settings can be modified, changed, and saved for future use. FAQ 1. Should I choose a wired or wireless mouse or one with both connectivity types? It used to be generally well accepted that wired gaming mice had the edge over their wireless counterparts, providing gamers with a much faster and more accurate signal between mice and PCs. However, that’s less true today thanks to the popularity of 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies, which have almost levelled the playing field. I say almost, because there’s no denying that wired gaming mice still deliver the fastest and most secure connections you can get. That said, whether you choose one type over the other should come down to your gaming priorities. If you’re a serious competitive gamer or esports player, where winning or losing sits on a knife’s edge, opting for a wired mouse over a wireless one is a good decision, since it’s less likely a signal dropout or interference will disrupt your play. Every competitive edge counts. However, wireless mice are infinitely more portable and allow you to switch between devices at a whim, so if nimbleness and portability is more important, a wireless mouse will be a better fit. 2. What size and shape mouse should I get? Hands, just like gaming mice, come in all different shapes and sizes, and for comfort reasons it pays to match like with like. While categorizing sizes of hands can be highly subjective, chances are you’ll be able to guess whether your hand is on average small, medium, or large. You can then find a mouse that best fits from among the size categories below: • Small gaming mouse: Length: Less than 6.7 inches; width: 2.9 to 3.3 inches• Medium gaming mouse: Length: 6.7 to 7.9 inches; width: 3.3 to 3.9 inches
• Large gaming mouse: Length: 7.9 inches; width: 3.9 to 4.3 inches Gaming mice generally come in three shapes: left-handed, right-handed, and ambidextrous. Ambidextrous mice are designed to be neutral in that they can be just as easily used by your left or right hand. Alternatively, left-handed and right-handed mice are tailor-made for the dominant hands specified by their namesakes, often sporting bespoke curves and button placements for one or the other. Unless you switch between hands, using a gaming mouse that matches your dominant hand will go a long way to improving your performance and comfort. Your preferred grip type should also be considered when selecting a suitably shaped mouse. Here’s a rough guide for matching grip types with mouse shapes: • Palm grip: Long, flat mice tend to be a better fit and more comfortable
• Claw grip: Narrower and smaller mice tend to suit this grip style
• Fingertip grip: Lighter mice are often preferred by fingertip grippers to reduce strain 3. How light should my mouse be? Gaming mice weights have been gradually trending downwards over the years as players look for lighter options that are quicker to move and prevent arms and wrists getting overly tired or sore in long play sessions. FPS (first-person shooter) gamers in particular tend to go for the lightest mice possible, seeing every millisecond of speed advantage as worth chasing. Despite this, there’s no ideal gaming mouse weight for all gamers, but rather a deeply personal preference. In fact, some gamers—often those with larger hands or stronger arms—actually prefer heavier mice for the extra stability they get. Still if you are one of those looking for the lightest mouse possible, anything under 70 grams will be among the lightest on the market. 4. Does DPI really matter on a gaming mouse? Your mouse’s sensor is the essential hardware component that relays movement to your PC. Mice sensors are rated for DPI, or dots per inch, which tells us how far a cursor moves per inch of mouse movement—that is, how sensitive it is. Manufacturers really hype up the importance of high DPIs, which can be a bit misleading because they don’t necessarily equate to better gaming performance (they can, but not in all circumstances). For example, if you play a lot of FPS and want the absolute best accuracy while targeting opponents, a lower DPI (between 800-1,000) is preferable, since this allows you to make short, sharp, and precise movements more easily. However, if you make a lot of wide, sweeping hand movements, or if your display is a very high resolution, a mouse with a high DPI (between 12,000-30,000 DPI) can be an advantage. The great thing about most modern gaming mice is that they can switch between DPI profiles just by clicking a small button behind the mouse wheel. That said, our advice is to opt for a gaming mouse with the highest DPI your budget allows, and then choose your preferred setting for different gaming scenarios by using this handy DPI-switching feature. 5. Is an optical or laser sensor better for a gaming mouse? Optical sensors are the most popular with gamers since they tend to have less jitter and smoothing problems. These sensors work by casting down infrared or LED light onto your mousepad and capturing thousands of digital images per second, that then reveals the precise location of the mouse to the PC. On the other hand, laser sensors use a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diode to determine positioning. In most cases an optical sensor will do just fine. However, if you plan on using your mouse on a translucent surface (like glass), a laser sensor is preferable since it will have better sensitivity to a variety of surface textures. 6. How many buttons do I need on a gaming mouse? The type of games you play should help you determine how many buttons you need. For example, if you’re a big fan of real time strategy (RTS), role-playing games (RPG), or massively multiplayer online (MMOs) games, you’d be we’ll advised to choose a mouse with between 10 and18 buttons—like the Razer Naga Pro or the SteelSeries Aerox 9. These games typically require you to fire off a lot of commands quickly, so the more buttons you have to program commands and macros in, the better. On the flipside, if FPS is your go-to game type, you’ll probably want to keep your button count to between 6 and 8 buttons. Chances are you won’t need the higher button-count for your smaller list of commands. Plus, buttons tend to increase a mouse’s weight, so opting for a mouse with fewer will most likely mean it’s lighter and quicker to move in the frantic FPS action. 7. Should I get RGB lighting on a gaming mouse? RGB lighting is a fun feature to have in any gaming device that can brighten up your gaming den with pops of color. It can also be pretty useful, allowing you to see your device better in dimly lit rooms or at night. And yet, there may be times when you opt to use a mouse that has only a minimal RGB, or none at all. The most common example is if you plan on using your gaming mouse covertly at work. In this case, mice like the Razer DeathAdder V2 X Hyperspeed, that have no RGB lighting zones and can convincingly pass as standard black office mice, are ideal because your colleagues will be none the wiser. Gaming, Mice

Picking up a brand new laptop can be a stressful experience. How much storage will I need? Which GPU is the best for my budget? The sight of the alphabet soup model numbers are enough to set your heart racing. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re looking for a lightning fast gaming laptop or a lightweight 2-in-1 for office work, we’ve got something for every type of consumer. Why you should trust us: Hey, it’s in our name. PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget. Looking for sweet discounts? Check out our regularly updated roundup of the best laptop deals available right now. Updated April 18, 2024: We replaced the Best Content Creation Laptop, the Dell XPS 17 (2023), with the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra and added the Acer Chromebook 516 GE as the Best Gaming Chromebook. We also updated our list of recent laptop reviews. The best laptops we’ve tested Dell Inspiron 14 Plus (2024) – Best overall Pros Strong performance Exceptional battery life Wonderful typing experience Cons CPU throttles under heavy loads No user upgrades Price When Reviewed: $999 Best Prices Today: $999.99 at Dell Why we like the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is one of the most well-rounded laptops money can buy. It offers strong performance, exceptional battery life, and a vibrant display. The best part is that it costs about $1,000, which is a reasonable price point considering the price to performance ratio. In fact, it performed exceptionally in PCMark 10’s benchmark, according to our review. With a PCMark 10 score of 7,061, it beat out the Acer Swift Go 14, which has similar specs to the Dell, and the more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. The Inspiron 14 Plus also lasted an impressive 17 hours on a single charge, which is definitely more than a full workday or school day. You don’t have to worry about finding a wall outlet to charge up. Who should buy the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus Anyone looking for a really good, well-rounded laptop. In addition to the impressive performance and battery life, it also has a lovely 14-inch 1400p display. According to our review, “the display is exceedingly well suited to office work and static imagery.” It has a peak brightness level of a stunning 418 nits as well as an anti-glare coating, which means you can use this laptop in different lighting environments. It may not have the prettiest design we’ve ever seen, but its hardware capabilities and astoundingly long battery life make up for the blah aesthetics. Read our full Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review Acer Aspire 3 – Best budget laptop Pros Reliable performance 1080p display HD webcam Solid build Cons Speakers sound tinny when playing music A little heavy Price When Reviewed: $329.99 Best Prices Today: $299.99 at Amazon$329.99 at Acer Online Store$384.99 at Walmart Why we like the Acer Aspire 3 The Acer Aspire 3 laptop offers both reliable performance and a rugged build at an imminently affordable price. It’s fast enough for everyday tasks like checking e-mail, watching Netflix, and browsing the web. You’re also getting a full-sized keyboard as well as a 1080p screen. The Aspire 3 also blew the competition out of the water with a Cinebench R15 score of 1,925, beating out the Acer Aspire Vero 14, which has similar hardware. Cinebench is designed to run all of the cores of a laptop’s CPU and determine how well a laptop handles processor-intensive multi-threaded workloads. Who should buy the Acer Aspire 3 Anyone who’s on a restricted budget! To get more specific, we feel as though the Acer Aspire 3 is a good option for students and remote workers. It’s inexpensive and the HD webcam produces “clean, crisp video” according to our review, which means you’ll always look your best in videoconferencing calls. It also delivers strong performance for the price. Alternative option: Although it didn’t make the cut, the HP Laptop 14 deserves its own special call-out. This sub-$500 laptop offers strong everyday performance as well as a compact build. It also lasted over 15 hours on a single charge (light load), which beats the Acer Aspire 3’s eight hours. Read our full Acer Aspire 3 review Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 – Best midrange laptop Pros All-day battery life Good graphics performance Reasonable price Cons Light on ports Gets warm under heavy workloads Price When Reviewed: $1,249.99 Best Prices Today: $1249.99 at Dell Why we like this Dell Inspiron Plus 16 The Dell Inspiron 16 7630 packs a lot of power for the price thanks to the Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. This machine can handle both day-to-day activity as well as some gaming. The RTX 4060 GPU actually turned in a respectable 3DMark Time Spy result of 8,754. It’s not the most cutting-edge graphics performance we’ve ever seen, but you should be able to play most games on the Medium or High graphics setting. The 1600p display also has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio screen, which is ideal for office work, and the battery lasted over 11 hours on a single charge. Who should buy the Dell Inspiron Plus 16 The Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 is great for professionals, students, or anyone who’s looking for a powerful yet affordable machine. The battery will last you a full work day and then some, and it can pull double duty playing games. Dell laptops often go on sale, so you may be able to score this machine at a steep discount. Read our full Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 review MacBook Air (M3) – Best MacBook Pros Excellent battery life Great combination of price, features, and performance 256GB SSD is now two NAND chips, maintaining performance Cons Expensive memory upgrades Dual external display support requires closed lid Price When Reviewed: $1699 Best Prices Today: $1599 at Best Buy$1,634 at Amazon$1699 at Apple Why we like the MacBook Air (M3) The MacBook Air (M3) has a lot to offer for the $1,299 price. In fact, it received high marks across the board thanks to the 8-core CPU (M3) and the 10-core GPU. It’s capable of chewing through office work as well as casual use tasks. While performance is comparable to the MacBook Pro (M3), there is one difference: the fans or lack thereof. The MacBook Air doesn’t have any fans, which results in quieter operation before heavy-duty tasks will likely put more pressure on the chip. That said, battery life is the real star of the show here. The MacBook Air (M3) lasted a whopping 19 hours on a single charge, which is perfect for those with busy schedules. Who should buy the MacBook Air (M3) Anyone who prefers MacOS over competing operating systems. Battery life is outstanding and the laptop itself is both slim and light, weighing in at just over three pounds. The 15-inch Liquid Retina (LED) screen might be considered a step-down from the MacBook Pro’s Liquid Retina XDR (mini-LED) display, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poor screen. It still looks fantastic for day-to-day use. The $1,299 price tag is also reasonable for the performance and features you’re getting. Read our full MacBook Air (M3) review Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus – Best Chromebook Pros Snappy day-to-day performance Versatile 2-in-1 design Good typing experience Cons Stylus not included Heavier than expected Price When Reviewed: $499 Best Prices Today: $329 at Best Buy Why we like the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus From the convertible design to the beautiful touchscreen, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus has a lot to offer, especially for under $500. The 2-in-1 design allows you to swing the screen around and use the laptop like a tablet, upping the versatility factor. You can also expect snappy day-to-day performance as well as lightning fast boot-up times. Who should buy the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus If you’re looking to pick up a premium Chromebook for work or personal use, then the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is a fine choice. While the $499 price tag is very much in the high end when it comes to Chromebooks, we feel the overall fit, finish, and firepower make it worth the extra cash. Read our full Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus review Alienware m16 R2 – Best gaming laptop Pros Solid gaming performance Rugged build quality Good battery life Cons Display is dimmer than we like Price When Reviewed: $1,849.99 Best Prices Today: $1849.99 at Dell Why we like the Alienware m16 R2 The Alienware m16 R2 delivers strong graphics performance and good battery life. This specific model comes loaded with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, which is nothing to sneeze at. It lasted a respectable 11 hours and fifteen minutes on a single charge and it averaged 144 frames-per-second when running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark. According to our review, it’s only “four frames-per-second slower than the Razer Blade 16,” which has an RTX 4090 GPU and a price tag of over $3,000. Who should buy the Alienware m16 R2 Anyone looking for a great gaming laptop. You’re getting strong graphics performance as well as long battery life, which is unusual for a gaming laptop, as most tend to die around the six hour mark. The 16-inch IPS display also has a resolution of 2560×1600 and a refresh rate of 240Hz, so gameplay should be nice and smooth. The picture quality is good, but it’s not an OLED panel. While it may not be the brightest or most color rich display we’ve ever seen, it’s perfectly fine for gaming. Besides, you can always plug into an external monitor if need be. Alternative option: If you’re looking for a more lightweight option, you should definitely check out the $1,599 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs just 3.31 pounds, which means you can easily take it anywhere with you. That said, it didn’t make the cut because of ho-hum battery life. Plus, the Alienware m16 R2’s RTX 4070 GPU is more powerful than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14’s RTX 4060 GPU. Read our full Alienware m16 R2 review Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best budget gaming laptop Pros Impressive all-day battery life Gorgeous 16:10 display Rugged chassis Cons Keys feel a bit soft 720p webcam leaves little to be desired Price When Reviewed: $1,099.99 Best Prices Today: $949.99 at Best Buy Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16 The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is something of a unicorn and I mean that in the best way possible. This specific machine exhibits strong graphics performance as well as long battery life. Long battery life? A gaming laptop? How preposterous. Well, not anymore! The Asus TUF managed an incredible 11 and a half hours on a single charge. Also, thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, the laptop achieved 123 frames-per-second in the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. That’s impressive, especially for a sub-$1,000 gaming machine. Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget. For under a grand, you’re getting reliable graphics performance, a spacious keyboard, and long battery life. It also works as a good general purpose machine. With a Cinebench R20 score of 589, it should have “no trouble running lightweight apps and programs,” according to our review. Alternative option: The $1,000 Lenovo LOQ 15 stands as another solid budget option. It’s more than capable of 1080p gaming and the design is very sci-fi inspired. It didn’t nab the top pick because of the poor battery life (not unusual for a gaming laptop) and limited ports, but if you’re looking for more raw GPU horsepower, its RTX 4060 is a step above the RTX 4050 included in the Asus TUF. Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review Acer Chromebook 516 GE – Best gaming Chromebook Pros Rigid build Fantastic CPU performance Plenty of wired and wireless connectivity High resolution 1600p display Cons Disappointing speakers and microphone Display falls behind in contrast, color vibrancy Mediocre keyboard and touchpad Price When Reviewed: $649.99 Best Prices Today: $649 at Best Buy Why we like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE The Acer Chromebook 516 GE wins a lot of brownie points because it’s a reliable performer thanks to the Intel Core i5-1240P CPU and the 16-inch 1600p display’s fast 120Hz refresh rate. Compared to some Windows laptops, it’s reasonably priced as well. Not only does it fly through everyday tasks with ease, but it’s also a great machine for cloud gaming. As long as you’ve got a stable Internet connection and currently belong to a streaming service (Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, etc), you’ll blitz right through most triple-A games. In fact, according to our review, “gameplay felt perfectly smooth” and “Nvidia’s GeForce Now diagnostics panel flagged no problems.” Who should buy the Acer Chromebook 516 GE Anyone that wants to give cloud gaming a whirl or just a dependable machine for day-to-day use–the Acer Chromebook 516 GE can pull double duty in that regard. In addition to the smooth cloud gaming performance, it also features a wide array of connectivity options: two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI, one Ethernet (wired connectivity is especially useful for cloud gaming), and one 3.5mm combo audio. Other goodies include a 1080p webcam, a 65 watt-hour battery, and a rugged design. Read our full Acer Chromebook 516 GE review Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra – Best content creation laptop Pros Phenomenal battery life Solid GPU performance Gorgeous OLED screen Good audio Cons Not a great keyboard Chargers keep getting bigger Price When Reviewed: $2999.99 Best Prices Today: $2399.99 at SamsungNot Available at Best Buy Why we like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is the perfect laptop for content creation. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU will give you the extra boost you’ll need for intensive video or photo editing tasks and the 16-inch 1800p OLED touch display is sharp enough to get those little details just right. Plus, it comes with 1TB of SSD storage (you’ll need a good amount of space for your images and videos) and a microSD for easy offloading of photos. Battery life is top-notch, too. It lasted a total of 18 hours on a single charge, which is downright impressive. That said, if you’re editing a lot of photos with the brightness turned all the way up, you may see a shorter result. Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra is a great laptop for content creators because of the powerful hardware (discrete graphics are a must!) and stunning OLED screen. It also has a diverse array of ports such as Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-A, HDMI 2.1, microSD, and headphone/mic. Although its OLED screen is high-resolution, it’s not 4K, so consider the similarly spec’d Dell XPS 17 below if editing 4K video is crucial to your workflow. Other cool features include a 1080p webcam, a fingerprint reader, and a lovely Moonstone Gray color scheme. Alternative option: The Dell XPS 17 9730, with its powerful internal components and massive 17-inch 4K display, is still a good option for content creators. While we like the thin chassis and long battery life, it doesn’t have an OLED screen, which offers better color accuracy. Read our full Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review HP Dragonfly G4 – Best ultraportable Pros Fast performance Lightweight Sure View privacy filter Lots of connectivity options Cons High price Best Prices Today: $3086 at HP Why we like the HP Dragonfly G4 Weighing just 2.64 pounds, the HP Dragonfly G4 is so lightweight it may very well float up into the clouds. In addition to its featherlight form factor, it also boasts a whopping 17.5 hours of battery life, which means it’s equipped to handle long international flights and commutes. The Sure View privacy filter also prevents others from getting a clear view of your screen, which is especially important if you’re working with sensitive documents. Performance is good enough for office applications and multimedia programs, but it’s probably going to struggle a bit with video editing tasks. Who should buy the HP Dragonfly G4 The HP Dragonfly G4 is the perfect machine for frequent travelers due to its incredibly low weight and slim profile. It’s also a good option for office workers because of the Sure View privacy filter and the taller screen, as more vertical pixels means more room for scrolling through documents and working on spreadsheets. The fans are also spin quietly even when under a heavy workload. Alternative option: Though we liked its compact form factor and 4G modem, the recently reviewed HP Elitebook 640 G10 couldn’t quite knock the HP Dragonfly G4 off of its pedestal. The display’s 16:9 aspect ratio isn’t the best size for office work and it doesn’t deliver strong contrast values. The HP Dragonfly G4, however, has a taller display and better contrast. Read our full HP Dragonfly G4 review Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED – Best 2-in-1 Pros Long battery life Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports Fast performance Cons Function keys are small The display is a little dim Price When Reviewed: 1199.99 Best Prices Today: $999.99 at Asus$1,199.99 at Amazon$1199.99 at Best Buy Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED When it comes to 2-in-1 laptops, the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED just gets it right at the start. It has a gorgeous OLED display, a zippy Intel Core i7-1360P CPU, and a versatile convertible design. You can flip the screen around 360 degrees and use it like a tablet or prop the device up like a tent if you so wish. Colors on the 1800p OLED display are also “remarkably bright and saturated,” according to our review. The battery even lasted a whopping 12 hours on a single charge, dominating laptops with similar hardware like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i and the Acer Aspire Vero 14. Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED The Asus Zenbook 14 Flip is a good option for business professionals because of its convertible, lightweight design and stunning OLED display. You can take this machine with you anywhere and you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet to charge up. How can you go wrong with that? Read our full Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED review Asus Zenbook 14 OLED – Best OLED display under $1,000 Pros Robust build quality Attractive OLED touchscreen Good CPU and integrated GPU performance Outstanding battery life Cons Blah design Keyboard isn't memorable Mediocre connectivity options Price When Reviewed: $849.99 Best Prices Today: $849.99 at Walmart$999.99 at Asus Why we like the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED wowed us with its zippy CPU performance, phenomenal battery life, and attractive OLED touchscreen display. According to our review, “movies and games look realistic and vibrant” on the 1200p OLED touchscreen, although it can be difficult to use in bright environments due to the reflective surface. It also lasted 16 hours on a single charge, which is absolutely wild! That result really trumps otherwise excellent competitors like the Lenovo Slim 7 14 Gen 9 and the HP Pavilion Plus Laptop 14. As for performance, the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED absolutely crushed the PCMark 10 benchmark with an impressive score of 6,772. That means it’s very fast and responsive during real-world tasks like web browsing, video conferencing, and so on. Who should buy the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Anyone looking for a powerful, affordable laptop with an OLED display! It’s so much more than its OLED screen, though. The build quality is quite good and day-to-day performance is zippy. Plus, you won’t have to go looking for an outlet often thanks to the long battery life. Connectivity options are a bit limited, but that’s not unusual for a laptop in this price range. Overall, it’s a great Windows machine that hits all the right marks. Read our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review Recent laptop reviews Alienware m18 R2: The Alienware m18 R2 is a gamer’s dream with top-of-the-line specs and a huge 18-inch display. However, you’ll pay handsomely for the privilege of hauling around the best gaming hardware in a very heavy laptop form factor. Acer Chromebook 516 GE: Fast, handsome, and affordably priced, the Chromebook 516 GE is a great do-it-all laptop that’s also ideal for cloud gaming. Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS powers the new Zenbook 14 OLED to strong benchmark results and long battery life. How we test laptops The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops. Windows laptops PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on. HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file. Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time. 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips. Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies. Chromebooks CrXPRT 2: The CrXPRT 2 benchmark tests a Chromebook’s battery life. Speedometer 2.0: This test determines a Chromebook’s web browser performance. It simulates this by adding, completing, and removing a to-do list. Basemark Web 3.0: This benchmark gauges how well a Chromebook can handle web-based applications. Kraken 1.1: Kraken 1.1 is a JavaScript performance benchmark. Jetstream 2: Jetstream 2 is a combination of WebAssembly and JavaScript benchmarks. This is a way to gauge how well a Chromebook runs advanced workloads. FAQ 1. What form factor is best for a laptop? The first question you should ask yourself is what kind of laptop you’re looking for. There’s traditional clamshells, 2-in-1’s, Chromebooks, and much more. The displays on convertible laptops (aka 2-in-1’s), for example, can swing around 360 degrees. This allows you to use the laptop like a tablet. They can also be propped up like a tent for viewing movies or participating in video calls. Chromebooks, on the other hand, exclusively run Google’s web-focused Chrome OS and are generally used for everyday tasks. All you need is a Gmail account and boom, you’re in. There are pros and cons to each of them. Chromebooks are affordable and generally have good battery life whereas convertibles are normally lightweight and portable. 2. How much processing power do I need in a laptop? If it’s CPU power you’re looking for, look for processors with higher numerical names. A Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Intel processors are available in Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The higher the number, the more powerful the CPU. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer good performance at a decent price. Basic office and web work gets along just fine on a Core i3. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 3 is good for basic productivity and web browsing, while Ryzen 5 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7 chip is well suited for content creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video, spring for a Ryzen 9. 3. Discrete graphics vs. integrated graphics? You’ll want a discrete graphics card for hardcore gaming or editing videos. It’s separate from the processor, so you can expect higher performance out of it. Integrated graphics, on the other hand, are attached to the CPU and uses less power as a result. This is perfectly fine for everyday tasks, especially if you’re not doing anything that’s graphics-intensive. 4. How much memory do I need in a laptop? 8GB of RAM is zippy enough for general use. If you’ve got a gaming laptop, 16GB of RAM is the way to go, and content creators will want even more. 5. Do I need a big display on a laptop? If you’re a video editor or someone who does a lot of multimedia work, you’ll want a display that’s anywhere from 15- to 17-inches. The sweet spot is really anywhere from 13- to 14-inches, though. The bigger the display, the heavier your laptop is going to be. A 13- or 14-inch display is the best in terms of portability and value. 6. How long should my laptop last on a single charge? If you plan on taking your laptop anywhere with you, aim for something that can last 10 to 12 hours on a single charge. That’s more than a full work day, so it should theoretically get you through long flights or a day of classes. Obviously, more is always better. Just know that the bigger the battery, the heavier the laptop. Read our round-up of the best laptop chargers. 7. How much does a good laptop cost? Many good laptops cost around $500 to $750, but the price really depends on your budget. If you’re strapped for cash (been there, trust me), go for a Chromebook or an entry-level business laptop. You can find solid options for under $500. Spending $750 to $1,000 can get you better displays, additional performance, more storage, and nicer designs. If you splurge for a laptop that costs over $1,000, you’re usually paying up for premium build quality, great extras, and top-shelf performance. Gaming laptops are different. You can sometimes find gaming laptops with entry-level discrete graphics on sale for around $850, but you’ll usually need to spend at least $1,000 for a system with decent 1080p gaming chops. You can pay more — often much more — for better graphics firepower and nicer displays, but the costs can rise rapidly depending on your hardware of choice. Some fully loaded gaming laptops can go for multiple thousands of dollars but you’re getting the equivalent of a desktop replacement in return. Spending $1,200 to $2,000 usually gets you a very good gaming laptop. 8. Are connectivity options important on a laptop? A wide array of ports is always a plus in my book, as it eliminates the need for an adapter. I’d recommend a laptop that has both USB-C and USB-A. An HDMI port is good, too. This is especially useful for when you want to hook up to an external monitor. Laptops

“Haha, Razer likes to add RGB lights to stuff.” It’s an easy joke to make for a tech reporter, and I confess that I’ve indulged in it more than once. But to tell the truth, Razer’s products are generally very stylish and distinctive, and lately they’ve been using RGB lighting as subtle accents rather than an up-front selling point. But the Firefly V2 Pro mouse pad is all-RGB, all the time. Razer has made USB-connected, RGB-infused mousepads before, to the point that you can now find imitators on Amazon for just a few bucks. Generally they just embed a strip of lights around the edge of a cloth mousepad, like the original Firefly. The new Firefly V2 Pro replaces the cloth with a hard, frosted surface (presumably some kind of plastic), allowing the fifteen LEDs in the top to illuminate the whole thing. Does it add any functionality? Of course not. Does it look cool? Yeah, I have to grudgingly admit that it does. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in some TV sci-fi sets, which love to stick Razer gear in a “hacker battlestation” to give it that futuristic touch. Razer Razer Razer And to be fair to Razer, they’re doing a little more than the minimum with that connection, adding an integrated USB 2.0 port and making the USB-C power cable detachable. The promotional text says that the lights won’t interfere with laser or optical mice thanks to the textured surface of the pad. Naturally you can adjust and program the lights in the Razer Chroma tool. Razer wants $99.99 for the Firefly V2 Pro. That’s a lot of dosh for a mousepad, especially one that’s on the smaller side at 10.95 by 14.17 inches (278 by 360mm). But maybe it’s a small price to pay to turn a few heads on your favorite subreddit. Mice

Messages on Discord, a chat service that initially catered to gamers but is gaining popularity across the web, are supposed to be somewhat private. Only members of that Discord server (who are subject to the approval of moderators) can see them. Or so you may have thought. According to a new report, it’s startlingly easy for third parties to collate and cross-index those messages…and sell them to the highest bidder. 404 Media reports on a site calling itself Spy Pet, run by a single anonymous creator who claims to be collecting data from 14,000 Discord servers and more than 600 million users, with just over four billion messages indexed so far. The system they’ve built scrapes the group messages inside the channels of Discord servers and makes note of which users are active across multiple servers. The data is then sold to whoever wants it, paying anonymously in chunks of cryptocurrency worth as little as $5 USD. Customers can search the database to find a single Discord user’s activity across a range of servers, see the messages they’ve posted in open channels, and see whatever usernames and nicknames (often aliases instead of real names) they’re using across different servers, as well as accounts connected to their Discord user account on other sites. It can even show which users have been banned from a server, and allows its data to be downloaded in tables. Spy Pet appears to be built off of Discord’s standard API and developer tools, essentially scraping data that’s used for less questionable purposes. That means that, while the service is definitely breaking Discord’s terms of service, it probably isn’t breaking any explicit laws. It’s not clear where the site is operating, though its registry is in the Netherlands. To be clear: they aren’t doing anything that isn’t possible at a much larger scale by more complex methods, they’re just making that illicit data available to anyone with a bit of Bitcoin. One thing that the system can’t do is access private messages sent between individual users or grouped-up users outside of open channels. Even so, the privacy implications are staggering. In addition to gaming and general interest groups, Discord is often used as a direct customer service system for smaller companies, and a place for marginalized people to communicate with a degree of anonymity and safety. The existence of Spy Pet, and the possibility that anyone (including hacking groups and state-sponsored data collectors like law enforcement) could do the same, makes Discord seem far less safe as a means of communication. A “request removal” link at the bottom of the page simply displays a meme video from the 2002 Spider-Man movie, flippantly dismissing any hope that affected Discord users might keep their data private. Ironically, Spy Pet’s promotional page claims that its own customers can enjoy “enhanced user privacy,” with searches that are “secure and confidential.” Security Software and Services

If need help cleaning up your humble abode, definitely consider picking up a robot vacuum. I’ve got one for pet hair and it’s an absolute godsend. Better yet, there’s no reason to miss out considering the doozy of a clearance sale I’ve spotted today. Walmart’s selling the Ecovacs Deebot U2SE for just $64.43, which is a ridiculously good price for a robot vacuum (especially one that also mops). Normally $250, it’s only this cheap because it’s on clearance. The Ecovacs Deebot U2SE has a runtime of up to 110 minutes, a 300mL water tank that covers 2,000 square feet, and a high efficiency air filter. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands and it will dutifully return to its charging dock when it gets low on power. The MAX+ Mode feature increases the suction power, too–which is perfect for stubborn debris and dirt. But remember: It’s on clearance. A deal this good doesn’t stick around for long, especially when stock is limited. Get the Ecovacs Deebot U2SE for $64.43 at Walmart Smart Home

If you’re looking to pick up an inexpensive laptop that punches above its price class, as we’ve unearthed a great deal for you today. The Asus Vivobook 14, a zippy laptop with a 1080p display, is on sale for just $249.99 at Best Buy. That’s a savings of $180. Better yet, its combination of a full HD display, an Intel Core processor, and a full Windows 11 installation blows the socks off the rock-bottom Chromebooks usually found around this price. The Asus Vivobook 14 comes with an Intel Core i3-1215U CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage. While the memory and storage capacities are light, they’re not a deal breaker for a $250 laptop, especially if you don’t run too many applications at once. The 14-inch 1080p display can only reach up to 250 nits of brightness, according to Asus. Although we’ve seen much brighter screens, you may see better battery life with this model–high brightness displays tend to be a huge power suck. Overall, this is a very well-spec’d laptop for such a low price. Don’t miss out! Get the Asus Vivobook 14 for $249.99 at Best Buy Laptops

At a GlanceExpert's Rating ProsSolid antivirus protectionBroad protection against online threatsConsCan heavily impact performance on some PCsUser interface is a little scatteredPassword manager is difficult to useOur VerdictMcAfee Total Protection’s strengths lie in its defenses against malware, network, and other online threats, as well as its easy-to-use VPN. However, its unreliable password manager undermines its overall value, and the app can notably affect system performance on mid-range and budget PCs. Currently, rivals eclipse this entry-level offering — a shame since Total Protection tidily bundles all the necessary security essentials. Price When Reviewed5 devices: $89.99/yr Best Prices Today: McAfee Total Protection Retailer Price PCWorld Software Store $18.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Not everyone needs an antivirus plan with extra bells and whistles — sometimes a subscription covering the fundamentals is all you need. (Why pay for what you won’t use?) On paper, McAfee Total Protection fits that bill nicely. In addition to strong antivirus and firewall protection, this software package also throws in a VPN and a password manager, along with dark web monitoring and a couple security-oriented utilities for your PC. The problem is that not every feature is a winner, which diminishes Total Protection’s appeal. What does McAfee Total Protection include? Despite the low introductory pricing, McAfee’s entry-level plan is more comparable to rivals’ mid-tier offerings. The basics include malware, network, and online threat protection that scans continually for dangerous software and exploits on your PC, potential network intruders, and suspicious websites. But also included are a password manager and VPN with unlimited use; a tracker remover that wipes cookies, trackers, and browser history from your browser; and a file shredder utility. A separate Scam Protection app for mobile devices is available, too. The Essential plan does not offer parental controls. You must upgrade to the McAfee+ Premium Family subscription for access to those tools. How much does McAfee Total Protection cost? For unlimited device coverage, you’ll have to upgrade to a McAfee+ plan. For unlimited device coverage, you’ll have to upgrade to a McAfee+ plan.PCWorld For unlimited device coverage, you’ll have to upgrade to a McAfee+ plan.PCWorld PCWorld McAfee Total Protection varies in price depending on the number of devices covered. When purchased through the McAfee website, the Essential 5-device plan (used for this review) costs $40 for the first year, and then $120 per year afterward. The Basic 1-device plan runs $30 for the first year, and then goes up to $90 per year afterward. Plans come with a 30-day money back guarantee. Annual users are signed up for auto-renewal by default, and McAfee charges for the next year 30 days before your current subscription ends. McAfee Total Protection $40 for the first year (5-device “Essential” plan) $120 per year thereafter (5-device “Essential” plan) $30 for the first year (1-device “Basic” plan) $90 per year thereafter (1-device “Basic” plan) Device support spans Windows, Windows for Arm, macOS, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android. (However, not all features are multiplatform.) You get five licenses for the VPN and password manager, which you can share with others. You can bring down the cost of McAfee Total Protection by buying a license through a third-party retailer, like Amazon or PCWorld’s own software store. Going this route is not only cheaper, but also gives more options for the number of covered devices — you can find 3-device and 10-device plans through these online stores. Key features of McAfee Total Protection Installation and user interface The Home screen in the McAfee Total Protection app. The Home screen in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld The Home screen in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld PCWorld Despite McAfee’s semi-confusing website (due to inconsistent product names), getting started with McAfee Total Protection on your PC is straightforward — you can first opt for the free trial, or head directly to purchasing a license. Either way, you’ll get a download link to the app. The McAfee app is clean and modern, but it carries a faint underlying vibe of disorganization. You can find main features pretty easily, with shortcuts to antivirus scans, the VPN, tracker remover tool, downloads for additional devices, and identity protection available on the home screen. You can also see your McAfee protection score, a rating of how thoroughly you’ve set up the plan’s features. Additional features can be found through the left navigation bar, which is a strip of five icons that expand into a slide-out menu when clicked. The button with four tiny squares opens the My Protection submenu, which presents all scanning options, quarantined items, the file shredder utility, firewall settings, identity monitoring, the password manager, the VPN, tracker remover, and link to the web protection browser extension in a list format. The My Protection submenu overlay in the McAfee Total Protection app. The My Protection submenu overlay in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld The My Protection submenu overlay in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld PCWorld Account and app-related info is available through the left nav bar’s bottom icon (Account). Here you’ll find the options for adding a device, visiting the account web portal (where you can look up activation codes for the VPN and password manager), app updates, help, and privacy and legal terms. App settings live here, too, but you can’t configure much at all. If McAfee had just one web portal, using Total Protection would feel more cohesive, but information and features are split across a device app and two websites. Acclimating would be easier if account information was part of the McAfee Protection Center website, instead of broken out separately. As it is, expect to click around extraneously until you remember where everything is. Virus, malware, and threat protection Real-time protection McAfee Total Protection continually monitors your PC for unusual activity — new or changed files and apps (including app behavior) all get screened. But don’t expect to dig around under the hood and tinker with how this works — McAfee’s approach is to make this process as invisible as possible. Your only real choice is to keep real-time scanning on, or turn it off for troubleshooting purposes. For protection while surfing the web, the McAfee WebAdvisor browser extension must be installed separately. It keeps watch for websites with malicious content and downloads as you browse online, both warning you if they appear in search engine results and blocking bad sites if you accidentally navigate to one. However, Bing isn’t a supported search engine — so diehard Microsoft fans may have to bite the bullet and use Google instead to get full coverage. Scheduled and manual scans The manual scanning options in McAfee Total Protection. The manual scanning options in McAfee Total Protection.PCWorld The manual scanning options in McAfee Total Protection.PCWorld PCWorld McAfee Total Protection is automatically configured to scan your system periodically in the very early morning — on our test system, it defaulted to every second Monday at 4:00am. You can change the interval to a different preset (once per week or once per month), or make your own custom scan schedule that runs every week, other week, or first week of the month. For manual scans, you get two choices. Quick scan checks locations on your PC often targeted by attackers. Meanwhile, Full scan sifts through all the drives and folders on your PC, excluding network drives. If you only want to check an individual file or folder, you can right-click on it and then select Scan. Firewall McAfee is unusual in that its firewall works alongside the default firewall within Windows. It focuses on screening just outgoing connections, letting Windows monitor incoming connections. If an app installed on your PC tries to connect to what appears to be a malicious website (or otherwise behaves erratically in its traffic requests), McAfee will cut off its internet access. If the decision was a mistake, you can remove the software in question from the block list. Scam protection With fraudulent links being sent more frequently over SMS, McAfee’s relatively new mobile apps can put a shield between you and a would-be scammer. Letting the McAfee Security & Wi-Fi Privacy app (iOS) or the McAfee Security: VPN Antivirus app (Android) run in the background will allow McAfee to check all your text messages for any risky links. To see any that raise the suspicion of the AI-based scanner, you’ll have to head to your filtered messages on iOS, or the McAfee app on Android. VPN The VPN within the McAfee Total Protection app. The VPN within the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld The VPN within the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld PCWorld The easiest way to access McAfee’s VPN is through the Total Protection app — the controls are built right in, and are put all on one screen. You can flip the VPN on (or off), pick or change your location, and change the auto-connect and safe reconnect settings. (Safe reconnect is more commonly known as a kill-switch setting — your online access automatically cuts off if the VPN connection gets interrupted.) Alternatively, you can download and install the McAfee Safe Connect app through the protection web portal. The interface is a bit different — using the VPN, looking at usage stats, and changing its settings are done through different screens. The primary advantage of the Safe Connect app is that as a separate app, you can isolate this one feature for a device like a Chromebook or smartphone. Unlimited VPN use is only included with Total Protection plans when auto-renewal is on. Servers are available in 49 countries, spanning Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Password manager McAfee’s True Key password manager is simple and basic, with sign-in difficulties that make it unappealing. McAfee’s True Key password manager is simple and basic, with sign-in difficulties that make it unappealing.PCWorld McAfee’s True Key password manager is simple and basic, with sign-in difficulties that make it unappealing.PCWorld PCWorld If it gets you to use a password manager, then McAfee True Key is a worthwhile addition to Total Protection. But it’s largely lackluster compared to a standalone service — even good free password managers are better. Let’s start with the most frustrating aspect: logging into more than one device. An emailed verification link is required before you can sign in, but the message doesn’t always arrive before the request expires. I had this issue during this review as well as when I evaluated McAfee+ Ultimate late last year, and others have complained about it on McAfee’s forums for years. Also irritating is the need for an activation code to unlock unlimited use. If you can’t find it in your email, you’ll have to hit up your account webpage (Downloads & devices) or the protection portal (My protection). As for its actual features, True Key overemphasizes simplicity at the cost of security. You can’t disable autofill — a feature that’s convenient, but can expose you to risk. Two-factor authentication methods are also limited to just a second device, trusted device, or Windows Hello; stronger methods like OTP software codes and hardware keys aren’t supported. If the sign-in procedure was more reliable, True Key would be a useful feature, even if eclipsed by rival password managers. But you can do better. Identity monitoring Identity Monitoring scans the dark web for information about you from data breaches and leaks. By default, the email address associated with your account is monitored, but you can add more details to screen for: credit cards, bank accounts, email addresses, usernames, and phone numbers (up to 10 each); tax IDs, passports, driver’s licenses, and health IDs (up to two each); and your social security number (SSN) and date of birth.  The results are more useful as a rough idea of what info has leaked — you won’t always get specific names for the breach or leak, but you can see partial info. It can help you figure out your next steps in protecting your online identity — like where to change your password or if you need to place a freeze on your credit reports. Additional features Browser extensions McAfee Total Protection is most complete when you install its two affiliated web browser extensions. McAfee WebAdvisor adds extra protection when you’re surfing the internet, checking for dangerous links and content on websites. It also rates search results as safe or risky, though only for Google, Yahoo, and AOL. (Sorry, Bing users.) Note that Chrome users may need to manually enable the safe search badges within the extension’s settings. In Microsoft Edge, the McAfee WebAdvisor extension automatically adds visual icons to Google, Yahoo, and AOL search results signaling if they’re safe or not. Chrome users will need to activate this feature. In Microsoft Edge, the McAfee WebAdvisor extension automatically adds visual icons to Google, Yahoo, and AOL search results signaling if they’re safe or not. Chrome users will need to activate this feature.PCWorld In Microsoft Edge, the McAfee WebAdvisor extension automatically adds visual icons to Google, Yahoo, and AOL search results signaling if they’re safe or not. Chrome users will need to activate this feature.PCWorld PCWorld As for McAfee’s password manager, True Key only works through its browser extension on PC — there’s no web interface. (On mobile, you can install the dedicated app.) However, True Key can be difficult to use, so it’s not as necessary — provided you use a different password manager instead. File shredder Files deleted normally can be recovered — which is where secure erase utilities (aka file shredders) come in. These tools overwrite the data in question using specific protocols designed to obfuscate the original info, and usually do more than one pass to ensure the job’s done properly. McAfee’s File Shredder lets you securely wipe batches of files (Recycling Bin contents, temporary internet files, a folder you choose, or an individual file) using the Department of Defense (DoD) standard. You can pick between two, three, or five passes. For bulk erasure, you’ll use the Total Protection app; for individual files, you must right-click on them and choose Shred. The File Shredder utility in the McAfee Total Protection app. The File Shredder utility in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld The File Shredder utility in the McAfee Total Protection app.PCWorld PCWorld One caveat about this tool, however — this kind of secure deletion is designed for hard-disk drives. It doesn’t work nearly as well on solid-state drives (SSDs), which is the more common kind of storage in modern laptops and desktops. It can also shorten their lifespans. Other methods are better for securely wiping an SSD. Customer support Help for McAfee Total Protection is available through several avenues: McAfee’s support website (either through the knowledge database or the virtual assistant), community forums, social media (Facebook, X/Twitter, and YouTube), or by contacting the company though chat or phone. You can contact McAfee at any time of day. Generally, the support pages are the fastest way to answer simple, common questions. But sometimes the help files are outdated, with screenshots showing older interfaces. This discrepancy can make figuring out an issue harder, and reflects the overall disarray of McAfee’s websites. Updates and maintenance  Updates run automatically by default, but can be adjusted. You can instead choose to have the app download updates but not install them, or only notify you when updates are available. For the overwhelming majority of people, the default setting provides the best protection. You can also manually check for updates within the app through the Account screen, then navigating to Help > Update App.  Performance For threat protection, McAfee performs well in tests done by leading security research institutes. In AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware tests for January and February 2024 (the most current as of this article’s publishing), McAfee’s engine blocked 100 percent of the threats. In AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for July through October 2023, McAfee caught 99.6 percent of the 512 test cases, with six false positives. (When antivirus software blocks a legitimate website or download, it results in a false positive.) It also performed fairly well in AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 malware protection test, with a 99.2 percent online detection rate and a 99.95 percent online protection rate. PCWorld PCWorld PCWorld However, McAfee was weak in one area — in the same September 2023 malware protection test, it detected only 65.2 percent of offline threats, with a higher false positive rate of 10 false alarms. Without an active internet connection, McAfee won’t protect your system as well. Top performers in this area (like Bitdefender) score 98 percent and above, while Windows Security app (included free with Windows) comes in at 77 percent. McAfee did not participate in AV-Comparatives’ November 2023 Advanced Threat Protection Test, which examines an antivirus engine’s ability to block targeted threats (e.g., fileless attacks and malicious scripts). PCWorld PCWorld PCWorld As for effect on PC performance, McAfee can hit system resources hard during full scans on mid-range and budget systems. When running our full scan torture testing — where we purposely run a full scan continuously during a series of benchmarks to see its effect — results took sharp declines. During PCMark 10’s benchmark, which simulates web browsing, video chatting, gaming, and editing in open-souce programs like GIMP and LibreOffice for images and documents, running a full scan reduced the test scores by about 21 percent. The bigger drop was in UL Procyon, which measures Microsoft Office app use — it simulates working in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with a fair amount of editing and updating multiple documents. Results dropped by a whopping 41 percent. Our Handbrake encoding test fell in the middle, with the time needed to transform a large video into a smaller, compressed version increasing by almost 29 percent. But as noted above, our full scan tests don’t reflect real-world behavior. McAfee skips files unchanged since a previous scan, which speeds up the task and makes the hit to system performance smaller. And when monitoring my activity quietly in the background, Total Protection’s effect on PCMark, Procyon, and Handbrake benchmark scores were all but the same as before the app was installed. So while your first full scan could hit your PC hard, subsequent ones should go much easier on it. That is, so long as you don’t often add or update tons of files on your machine. But even if you do, McAfee times its full scans for off-hours by default, which should minimize the impact. Should you buy McAfee Total Protection? McAfee Total Protection covers the full basics of online security. Free software can adequately cover malware and network protection, but Total Protection pairs password management and VPN services with its antivirus engine, plus adds in a couple of PC utilities to cover your bases. But this enticing package is undercut by an interface simultaneously simple and sprawling, and a password manager with an unreliable system for setup. Similar rivals provide more well-rounded performance, which is unfortunate — with more polish, McAfee’s software would be a far easier sell. Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. Antivirus

It’s taken literally years, but Windows 11 is officially “all right.” And since it won’t be too long before most people stop getting updates to Windows 10, it’s probably time for even the holdouts to upgrade to the latest version. (Either that or try Linux, I guess.) But today Woot is making it incredibly easy on your wallet, with a genuine Windows 11 redemption code for just 20 bucks. Technically you could get Windows 11 Home for $17.99, but since you’re already saving more than $120 off the retail version of the operating system, why not throw a couple more dollars in and get extras like Microsoft Remote Desktop, BitLocker, and Hyper-V and virtual machine support? Woot is an official subsidy of Amazon and is selling the codes directly, so you know this is a legit deal. Weirdly it might take a couple of days to get the email with your Microsoft redemption code, though. Don’t worry: if you have a PC building project that needs Windows right away, you can download the installation media from Microsoft, install the OS now, and redeem the code later. Unlike some of Woot’s other sales, this isn’t limited to one day — the page says you have two weeks or until the stock runs out. Get a Windows 11 Pro code fro just $19.99 at Woot Windows

If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, a lightweight 2-in-1, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgement to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks. For more notebook options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now. We’ve got can’t-miss picks for every use case and budget, putting our thousands of hours of hands-on testing to work for you. Best laptop deals (at a glance) Lenovo IdeaPad 1, $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Asus Vivobook 14, $249.99 ($180 off at Best Buy) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, $299 ($230 off at B&H) HP Envy x360, $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama) Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8, $749 ($560 off at B&H) Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, $799.99 ($250 off at Best Buy) HP Dragonfly Pro, $799 ($600 off at B&H) Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, $849.99 ($800 off at Best Buy) Dell Inspiron 16, $859.99 ($500 off at Dell) Lenovo Legion Slim 5, $899.99 ($450 off at Best Buy) XPG Xenia, $999 ($700.99 off at Walmart) Lenovo Flex 7, $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama) Lenovo Legion Pro 5i, $1,179 ($620 off at B&H) Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon $1,391.42 ($1,007.58 off at Lenovo) Best laptops deals under $500 Lenovo IdeaPad 1: $249.99 ($170 off at Microcenter) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad 1 has an AMD Ryzen 5 5599Y processor inside of it, which is capable of handling day-to-day tasks like browsing the web and checking e-mail. The 14-inch 1080p display is perfect for everyday use and the connectivity options include one USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Type-A, one HDMI, and one audio. The port selection is surprisingly diverse for such an inexpensive machine, so you don’t have to carry around an adapter. The 720p webcam isn’t great, but you can always plug into an external webcam if you want to look better on Zoom calls. View Deal Asus Vivobook 14: $249.99 ($180 off at Best Buy) Asus Asus Asus The Asus Vivobook is an inexpensive Windows laptop with a 1080p display. The laptop’s Intel i3-1215U CPU is a few generations behind at this point, but it’s still powerful enough to handle everyday tasks like checking e-mail and watching Netflix. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. The 14-inch 1080p display has a brightness level of 250 nits, which isn’t super bright, but it’s perfectly fine for web surfing and office work. In fact, with dimmer displays, you’ll likely get better battery life out of the machine, as the display can be a major power suck. This is a great machine for anyone that’s on a tight budget. View Deal Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3: $299 ($230 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is another good option for everyday work, school, or home use because of its Intel Core i3-1315U processor and robust connectivity options. You should be able to zip right through office tasks or binge your favorite show on Netflix, and the spacious 15.6-inch 1080p matte display is sharp enough for those types of tasks. The port selection includes one USB-C 3.0, two USB-A 3.0, one HDMI, and one audio–effectively eliminating the need for an adapter. Similar to other laptops in this price range, it has a 720p webcam, which isn’t the best, but it’s a reasonable sacrifice in the budget laptop realm. View Deal Best laptops deals under $1,000 HP Envy x360: $569.99 ($379.01 off at Adorama) HP HP HP The HP Envy x360 is powerful, lightweight, and versatile. The 2-in-1 form factor means you can fold the screen back and use the laptop like a tablet, and it comes equipped with a good amount of RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB SSD). The 1080p display is quite large at 15.6-inches and it’s a touchscreen, which is perfect for habitual notetakers and doodlers. The keyboard is also full-sized and has backlighting–useful for when you’re using the laptop in low light environments. View Deal Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8: $749 ($560 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo LOQ 15IRH8 is another good option for budget-minded gamers. It has an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, so you should be able to play most modern titles with the graphics dialed up to medium or high. The 15.6-inch 1080p display (tuned for 144Hz) is perfect for a gaming laptop with these entry-level components. The LOQ 15IRH8 also has a wide range of connectivity options that include one USB-C 3.1, two USB-A 3.1, one USB-A 3.0, one HDMI 2.1, one Ethernet, and one headphone/microphone input/output. View Deal Asus Zenbook 14 OLED: $799.99 ($250 off at Best Buy) Asus Asus Asus The Asus Zenbook 14 is a zippy laptop with a beautiful OLED display and 1TB of SSD storage. Not only can the 14-inch 1200p screen reach 500 nits of brightness (according to Asus), but it’s also touch-enabled, so you can expect a vibrant picture. Office work and everyday tasks shouldn’t be a problem thanks to the laptop’s Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and 16GB of RAM. Finally, this laptop comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which really ups the versatility factor. View Deal HP Dragonfly Pro: $799 ($600 off at B&H) HP HP HP The HP Dragonfly Pro is a lightweight laptop with a lovely 1200p touchscreen display. It weighs just 3.1 pounds, which is hardly a back breaker–great news if you’re a frequent traveler. It’s also powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U CPU and AMD Radeon 680M graphics, so you shouldn’t have any problem flying through office work or daily tasks. The 14-inch 1200p touchscreen display has an aspect ratio of 16:10 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. The taller aspect ratio is nice because it makes scrolling through documents and webpages a lot easier. Connectivity options also include two USB-C and one USB-C 3.1. Overall, this is a solid laptop, especially for $600 off. View Deal Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360: $849.99 ($800 off at Best Buy) Samsung Samsung Samsung The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 is an affordable 2-in-1 laptop with a vibrant AMOLED touchscreen display. It should be able to handle intense workloads thanks to the Intel Core i7-1260P CPU and the 1TB of SSD storage. The 15.6-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 1920×1080 and is touch-enabled. That’s not the highest resolution we’ve ever seen, but 1080p is well-suited to office work as well as everyday tasks. Plus, AMOLED panels are known for producing saturated colors, so the picture should be lively-looking. It also comes with the S Pen, which is perfect for notetakers and artists. For $800 off, you can’t get more feature-packed than this. View Deal Dell Inspiron 16: $859.99 ($500 off at Dell) Dell Dell Dell The Dell Inspiron 16 is a great laptop for day-to-day use as well as some light gaming. In addition to the powerful Intel Core i7-1360P CPU and 1TB of SSD storage, this machine also has an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2050 GPU, which should be powerful enough to run most games at 1080p resolution. The 1600p display is a spacious 16-inches with a refresh rate of 60Hz and a maximum brightness of 300 nits. Have we seen brighter screens? Sure. That said, it’s bright enough for daily use as well as some casual gaming. Other cool features include a 1080p webcam, up to 13 hours of battery life (according to Dell), and a fingerprint reader. View Deal Lenovo Legion Slim 5: $899.99 ($450 off at Best Buy) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo Legion Slim is a powerful, affordable gaming laptop with RTX 4060 graphics. It’s capable of blitzing through most triple-A titles on the higher graphics preset and the 1200p 144Hz display measures a roomy 16-inches. It also features a wide array of connectivity options such as one HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A 3.2, two USB-C 3.2, and one Ethernet. That means you can easily hook up to an external mouse or keyboard. Other cool bits include an aluminum/plastic build, a backlit keyboard, a 1080p webcam, and a microSD card slot. View Deal XPS Xenia 15G: $999 ($700.99 off at Walmart) XPG XPG XPG If you’re looking for a slightly more powerful gaming laptop, the XPG Xenia will certainly fit the bill. You don’t see many gaming laptops with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU go on sale for under $1,000 often, so this is a true deal. Between the Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, you should be able to play triple-A titles on the High or Ultra graphics detail. This machine even comes with 1TB of SSD storage, which is good news if you’ve got a massive backlog of games. The 15.6-inch 1080p display should also provide smooth gameplay thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate. If you can afford it, this would be a better long-term gaming option than the $800 models listed above thanks to the RTX 4060’s much faster performance. View Deal Best laptops deals under $1,500 Lenovo Flex 7: $1,039.99 ($220 off at Adorama) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo Flex 7 is a great laptop for those who want an affordable 2-in-1. You’re getting a lightweight design as well as a decent amount of power for just over $1,000. It has an Intel Core i7-1355U CPU, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Zipping through spreadsheet work, everyday tasks, and so on should be no problem for this machine. In addition to the 2-in-1 form factor, in which the screen swings back 360 degrees, it also weighs just 3.53 pounds. That means you can easily slip it in a backpack or messenger back and take it with you anywhere. View Deal Lenovo Legion Pro 5i: $1,179 ($620 off at B&H) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i is a good option for those who play more intensive titles. We say this because of the display’s ridiculously high 240Hz refresh rate. Gameplay should be as smooth as your mother’s freshly churned butter. There’s a lot of power behind that display, too. You’re getting an Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 32GB of RAM (that’s a lot!), and 1TB of SSD storage. Other goodies include an Ethernet port, an RGB backlit keyboard, and a 1080p webcam. View Deal Best laptops deals under $2,000 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon: $1,391.42 ($1,007.58 off at Lenovo) Lenovo Lenovo Lenovo The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a competent business laptop with a lot of great features. First, let’s talk hardware. This machine weighs well under three pounds and yet it manages to squeeze in an Intel Core i5-1335U, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. It has a decent amount of power, especially for such a lightweight laptop. You should be able to fly through office work, everyday activities, and more. The 14-inch 1200p display has a maximum brightness of 400 nits and a refresh rate of 60Hz, which should be clear enough for productivity tasks. Plus, you’re getting a 1080p webcam, a backlight keyboard, a fingerprint reader, and ThinkPad’s famously comfortable keyboard with the red nub in the middle. View Deal FAQ 1. How much RAM will I need in my laptop? You’ll want at least 8GB, though 16GB is preferable, especially if you play games. Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, this configuration is acceptable. Check out our article on how much RAM does a laptop need for more in-depth info. 2. What’s the difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop? The one big difference between a Chromebook and a Windows laptop is the operating system. Chromebooks run ChromeOS and Windows run, well, Microsoft Windows. Chromebooks make good everyday machines because they’re designed for browsing the web, checking e-mail, and so on. They use less resources and are generally more affordable than the Windows variety. They also don’t need antivirus protection. A Windows laptop is a lot more versatile in what it can do, and not just in terms of running local programs. You can really pump a Windows laptop up with a ton of RAM, storage, and so on. 3. When should I look for a laptop deal? You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (November 29th), and back-to-school season (June-August). Sure, you’ll find good laptop deals throughout the year, but if you really want to save big, we’d recommend scoping out your favorite online retailers during those times. 4. Which retailers offer the best deals? You can find all kinds of deals across a wide range of online retailers such as Newegg, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and so on. However, we’d recommend checking out deals from laptop manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell. You’ll usually find many different configurations on sale and the discounts can be pretty darn steep. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now. Laptops

Boutique PC maker Falcon Northwest on Wednesday night offered a potential stopgap fix to address reported random instability issues with some Intel 13th- and 14th-gen Intel Core CPUs, such as the Core i7-14700K and the Core i9-13900K. The mysterious problem has vexed an unknown number of PC gamers for months now, with no seeming rhyme or reason as to the cause, but Falcon has some suggestions that may help some impacted users. The company posted the BIOS adjustments advice to its X.com account here.
“As you know Intel is investigating reports of 13th/14th gen CPUs causing crashes,” said Falcon Northwest owner Kelt Reeves in an email sent to media outlets. “This is a real issue and Intel is aggressively working the problem, but it’s complex and is taking longer than we hoped.” Intel previously confirmed with PCWorld it has been investigating the situation but as of this week, still had no insight to share as to what the root cause is. The situation has been on a low-boil for months now after video game tool developer RAD published an advisory on Jan. 11 recommending that gamers underclock Intel Core i9 CPUs to address errors with game compression. RAD’s advice somewhat mirrors Falcon Northwest’s adjustments, but the PC maker offered additional tweaks it found that worked while apparently not forcing major reductions in clock speeds. The problem kicked into high-gear this week when Nvidia threw Intel under the bus and said that those experiencing “out of memory errors” should contact Intel rather than Nvidia. The problem has been no surprise to us at PCWorld, where we documented the problem with one of our recent PC builds on video. In the video, we were only able to solve the issue by swapping the Core i9 with another CPU. We should again note that while Intel has acknowledged it is investigating, the number of CPUs impacted is unknown at this point, and most of the anecdotal reports PCWorld has found indicate the company hasn’t hassled customers seeking to exchange CPUs. Basically, don’t panic–at least not yet. Thus far, many of the reports seem to manifest during compiling of shaders in games. Not all problems occur during shader compiles though. Our own bad CPU manifested crashing in Fortnite, which we believe to be related to the game’s anti-cheat technology tripping and intentionally quitting the game. Last week, ZDNet Korea reported that gamers were experiencing crashes in Tekken 8 due to “out of memory errors” and in one day, up to 10 people returned their Intel CPUs they believed to be the problem. Falcon Northwest said it is offering the advice to hopefully help those with problems–but it also is labeling the advice as a “work in progress” and “beta” advice. “We think that although we cannot provide concrete answers or a definitive fix yet (those will need to come from Intel), we may be able to mitigate some of (its) issues with some BIOS settings,” Falcon Northwest’s Reeves wrote. “This is the result of many long days of testing on many different CPUs that had developed issues here in our production and in the field from our clients.” Reeves said the BIOS adjustments to motherboards did fix most of them, but he said the company knows of two CPUs that were “too far gone” for the settings to help. Falcon Northwest FragBox (Intel 14th-gen) Read our review Price When Reviewed: $2966 baseline | $5850 as reviewed Best Prices Today: $2966 at Falcon Northwest For those chips, the adjustment to get them running is to down clock the P-core multiplier to 50, which reduces the chips maximum clock speed to 5GHz–a fairly major reduction. While that’s not much of a salve, it does at least get those systems up and running. Falcon Northwest’s advice applies only to some Asus motherboards but it hopes the advice can be adopted to other brands and models and possibly help others. “We do not use many motherboards brands other than ASUS, but we’re interested whether some of the settings we suggest have equivalents on other brands of motherboards and getting this info out may result in some help down the line for them.” And again, the advice is labeled as a beta, a work in progress, and not official advice from Asus or Intel. The company also noted that some motherboards may not even have the settings exposed to end users. “Importantly, this is still a work in progress,” Reeves wrote. “We’ve already identified a couple other out of spec default BIOS values we’re testing for affect, and unfortunately not all of Intel’s needed settings are even available on all motherboards.” To make the adjustments, Falcon Northwest advises to update the BIOS on the board to the latest one available and then follow the settings published in its screenshots. In this UEFI page, Falcon Northwest advises to disable MultiCore Enhancement and set the SVID behavior to “Intel’s Fail Safe.” In this UEFI page, Falcon Northwest advises to disable MultiCore Enhancement and set the SVID behavior to “Intel’s Fail Safe.”Falcon Northwest In this UEFI page, Falcon Northwest advises to disable MultiCore Enhancement and set the SVID behavior to “Intel’s Fail Safe.”Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest On this page, Falcon Northwest says to eanble IA Current Excursion Protection and SA Current Excursion Protection. On this page, Falcon Northwest says to eanble IA Current Excursion Protection and SA Current Excursion Protection.Falcon Northwest On this page, Falcon Northwest says to eanble IA Current Excursion Protection and SA Current Excursion Protection.Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest On this page, Falcon Northwest’s advice is to disable TVB Voltage Optimizations, Enable Enhanced TVB, and disable Overclocking TVB. On this page, Falcon Northwest’s advice is to disable TVB Voltage Optimizations, Enable Enhanced TVB, and disable Overclocking TVB.Falcon Northwest On this page, Falcon Northwest’s advice is to disable TVB Voltage Optimizations, Enable Enhanced TVB, and disable Overclocking TVB.Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest Finally, on this page, the company advices to set power limits to the stock Intel power settings. In this example, these are the settings for a Core i9-14900KS CPU. Finally, on this page, the company advices to set power limits to the stock Intel power settings. In this example, these are the settings for a Core i9-14900KS CPU.Falcon Northwest Finally, on this page, the company advices to set power limits to the stock Intel power settings. In this example, these are the settings for a Core i9-14900KS CPU.Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest Not sure what the stock settings are for your Intel 13th gen K, KF, KS or 14th gen K, KF or KS are? Here they go according to Falcon Northwest. Not sure what the stock settings are for your Intel 13th gen K, KF, KS or 14th gen K, KF or KS are? Here they go according to Falcon Northwest.Falcon Northwest Not sure what the stock settings are for your Intel 13th gen K, KF, KS or 14th gen K, KF or KS are? Here they go according to Falcon Northwest.Falcon Northwest Falcon Northwest Once the adjustments are made, Falcon Northwest advises the users to also set power settings according to Intel’s specifications. Do they fix the problem or prevent further damage? Falcon’s X.com post said it’s not sure, but the settings have helped it and it hopes it helps those impacted until there is more information available. Computer Components, CPUs and Processors, Desktop PCs, Gaming Desktop PCs

After letting Windows apps like Paint and Photos languish, Microsoft has brought them back with a vengeance. And Windows Photos now has one of the better features you could ask for in any app: Generative Erase. I like features that don’t take a lot of explanation, tutorials, or anything else. They should be intuitive and just work. And you know what? Generative Erase does just that — about as well as Photoshop does, too, and for free. Microsoft is rolling it out to Windows 11 right now, and Windows 10 users should see it, too. get windows 11 pro for free Windows 11 Pro Price When Reviewed: 199.99 Best Prices Today: $59 at PCWorld Store – Win 11 Pro Upgrade Only | $79.99 at PCWorld Software Store You’ll want to use Generative Erase if you’ve ever taken a photo and want to remove those one or two objects that get in the way of a perfect shot. Maybe it was a photo of the beach, with a stray dog running in the background. Maybe it was a vacation photo…and your ex- snuck into the shot. Either way, Photos’ Generative Erase feature uses AI to interpret what you want cut out, and what it should be replaced with. If you’re a longtime user of Photos, you’re probably aware that Microsoft has flirted on and off with an editing technology called Spot Fix. For me, Spot Fix has always been invaluable. You have no idea how much otherwise unseen dust and grime can make its way onto a laptop or peripheral, showing itself only after I’ve taken the picture. With Spot Fix, I can encircle the bit of dust or grime, click, and…boom! It’s gone. Generative Erase is like the improved version of Spot Fix: It simply allows you to “paint” an area you want removed. How to use Generative Erase within Microsoft Photos To use Generative Erase within Photos, you must first launch Photos. You can type Photos in Windows Search to launch it, or right-click an image file in File Explorer and open the app via that method. Photos won’t automatically save any edits you make without your permission, but you might want to make a copy of the file first, just to be safe. When the photo file opens, you’ll need to then select the editing icon, which is the teeny-tiny little icon to the far left. Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Photos offers a number of editing options, from basic crops to an AI filtering option that can be found under the Filter tab. But Generative Erase is in its own tab second from the right, marked “Erase.” Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG To use Generative Erase, you’ll need to “paint” the area that you want Photos to erase. I’d recommend that you first toggle off the “Auto Apply” option. Otherwise, the erase effect will be applied every time you click and release. That’s just fine for a small edit, but if you want to fine-tune your selection you’ll want the extra control. Note that you can adjust the size of the “brush” or circle, and choose to add or subtract the mask. That’s a fancy way of saying that you have the option to “paint” the area in which you want to erase, but subtracting the mask allows you to trim it down if you’ve gone too far. When you’re ready, click “Erase.” Use Generative Erase to “paint” over the stuff you want to remove. Use Generative Erase to “paint” over the stuff you want to remove.Mark Hachman / IDG Use Generative Erase to “paint” over the stuff you want to remove.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG This isn’t the only AI-dependent editing function within Photos; the Background tab on the far right let’s you use AI to remove the background entirely, if that suits you. Photoshop vs. Photos: Which erases unwanted objects the best? Because I couldn’t just stop there, I wanted to know whether Photos’ Generative Erase actually does a better job than the granddaddy of photo editors, Adobe Photoshop. I use Photoshop all the time for something Photos can’t do: Generative Expand, which uses AI to add part of the photo that never existed. It’s really helpful when vendors provide a narrow product shot and I need to “extend” the photo’s background to fit our image parameters. I compared Photos’ Generative Erase to two Photoshop functions: the Remove tool, which is essentially Adobe’s version of Generative Erase; and the sort-of backwards Generative Fill option, where I used the Photoshop Magic Lasso to outline an object, then used the Generative Fill option to remove the object and fill it in with an AI-generated background. The latter isn’t all that intuitive, but it works. I used two of my own photos: a shot from the ferry to Alcatraz Island, and a very basic photo of a laptop charger and a cable snaking around it. In the first photo, I attempted to remove someone standing and partially blocking my shot of the island; in the second, I tried to “erase” some of the charging cable. Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG With Photoshop, you use the Remove tool in much the same way as Photos’ Generative Erase. Click J or long-press the “bandage” icon in the left-hand vertical nav bar to show the Remove tool. Then paint over the portion of the image to remove. Clicking the “lasso” icon on the left-hand nav bar opens up the Magic Lasso. You can also “paint” the area to be removed, but it’s easier just to outline or “lasso” it. You should see a toolbar pop up as soon as you’ve lassoed the object, with a small “Generative Fill” button highlighted. Click it, and do not fill in the box unless you want AI to fill in the scene with something specific. Otherwise Photoshop will do all the work. On the outdoor shot, there was simply too much going on for any of the solutions to work perfectly. In fact, the Photos’ Generative Erase and Photoshop’s Remove tool produced about the same results. But the Generative Fill option does a surprisingly good job. Here’s Microsoft’s effort with Photos and Generative Erase: Microsoft Photos’ Generative Erase doesn’t do a great job here trying to “erase” the man who partially blocked my shot. Microsoft Photos’ Generative Erase doesn’t do a great job here trying to “erase” the man who partially blocked my shot.Mark Hachman / IDG Microsoft Photos’ Generative Erase doesn’t do a great job here trying to “erase” the man who partially blocked my shot.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG And here’s what Adobe could do with it. Note that there are undoubtedly photo-editing experts, that with time and the proper tools, could probably generate something that looked perfect to the naked eye. But I was looking for something that could solve my problem without a lot of fuss. The left photo uses Photoshop’s Remove tool to try and “erase” the same man. On the right, I used Photoshop’s Generative Fill tool. The right-hand shot looks better, but there are still AI hallucinations, like the smaller tower emerging from the roof of the building. With the simpler shot of the charger and its cables, both Photos and Photoshop got me 90 percent of the way there. If you knew that a cable existed, you could clearly see that neither Photos not Photoshop eliminated it completely. But it passes muster, at least if you’re not looking for a professional solution. Again, we’ll use the Microsoft Windows Photos app with Generative Erase first. It looks pretty good. I may have been able to go over it a couple of times with the Erase tool to see if I could improve the edit. Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Again, though. the Magic Lasso/Generative Fill technique proved superior. If you have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, using that option seems like it could be a genuinely useful way of quickly editing a photo. Here are the two shots, again, using both techniques: For this I used Adobe Photoshop again, using the Remove tool for the left-hand photo and the Generative Fill option for the right-hand photo. Is Photoshop better? Depending on what tool you use within it, yes, probably. But you’ll pay at least $19.99 per month for Photoshop alone. The difference, of course, is that Microsoft’s option is absolutely free as part of Windows. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take free any day of the week! get windows 11 pro for free Windows 11 Pro Price When Reviewed: 199.99 Best Prices Today: $59 at PCWorld Store – Win 11 Pro Upgrade Only | $79.99 at PCWorld Software Store Personal Software

At a glanceExpert's Rating ProsTwo beautiful displaysA smart bundled accessory packageReasonable performance and battery lifeConsKeyboard can be a little awkward in clamshell modeLower performance than many single-screen laptopsSkimpy port selection (not even a headphone jack!)Our VerdictThe Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a masterfully executed dual-screen laptop that excels at providing a multiple-monitor experience on the go. This design comes with some tradeoffs, but they’re more than worth it if you want a dual-screen system. Price When Reviewed$1,999 Best Prices Today: Lenovo Yoga Book 9i Retailer Price Lenovo $1999 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9) is a well-executed 2-in-1 laptop that delivers a beautiful dual-screen monitor experience on the go. After PC fans spent years watching Microsoft cancel devices like the Courier tablet and dual-screen Surface Neo PC, it’s great to see Lenovo deliver year after year, upgrading last year’s successful experiment with the latest Intel hardware. If you want a lot of screen on the go, this machine delivers a better experience than Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold – and it’s less expensive, too. Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available today. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Specs IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i has a retail price of $1,999, and it includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155U CPU, Intel integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB solid-state drive for storage. This PC’s Intel Core Ultra 7 155U is a little different from the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU we’ve used on many laptops we’ve reviewed lately. Both are CPUs from Intel’s new Meteor Lake line of processors, but the U model – as featured in this laptop – is more focused on power-efficiency. Specifically, the 155U processor here has a lower TDP (thermal design power,) which means it will generate less heat. It also has fewer cores than its 155H cousin. Additionally, the 155U has less powerful integrated graphics hardware than the 155H laptops. The integrated Intel graphics here isn’t branded as “Intel Arc” like on those 155H systems: it’s just “Intel graphics.” This laptop’s hardware is more focused on power efficiency and heat dissipation, which makes sense when you realize you’re getting two OLED displays attached via a hinge. Those are going to use more power than a typical laptop with just a single screen. You do get a neural processing unit (NPU) for accelerating AI tasks as part of Intel’s Core Ultra platform. Windows can’t do much with it yet, but it’s future-proof if Microsoft starts requiring it for future Windows AI features, as we expect the company to. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x-7467 Graphics/GPU: Integrated Intel graphics Display: Two 13.3-inch 2.8K (2880×1800) 60Hz HDR OLED displays with touch Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD Webcam: 1440p webcam Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps ports with USB Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort 2.1 Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello Battery capacity: 80 Watt-hours Dimensions: 11.78 x 8.03 x 0.63 inches Weight: 2.95 lbs MSRP: $1,999 as tested Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Design and build quality IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i stands out in an ocean of black and silver laptops. It’s available in what Lenovo calls a “Tidal Teal” colorway – a subdued but different-looking color. The laptop as well as the included folio case, external keyboard, stylus, and mouse all share this color. The chassis has a lot of rounded edges – it’s nice to look at and feels nice to hold. The design is very different from the average clamshell laptop. You’re getting two beautiful OLED screens attached via a hinge that can rotate 360 degrees. The hinge feels very solid – it can hold the laptop’s screens in all kinds of angles without any wobble. Lenovo also bundles a folio stand, a Bluetooth keyboard, an active pen stylus, and a mouse with the laptop. When you’re not using it, the folio stand wraps around the keyboard and has a nice loop to hold the stylus, which makes it easy to travel with all the accessories and keep them together. You can use the Yoga Book 9i in a wide variety of configurations, including: As a standard clamshell laptop without any accessories, using the bottom half as a touch keyboard when necessary. As a clamshell laptop with the Bluetooth keyboard magnetically attached to the bottom. Using the folio stand to hold the laptop up, positioning the screens either in landscape or portrait orientations. In tent mode, giving a presentation on the back of your laptop while seeing your notes on the front of your laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman I found myself drawn to using the Yoga Book with the folio stand propping it up, with both screens in landscape mode above the keyboard. It works just like having portable multiple-monitor setup, and it felt glorious to use on a trip where I normally wouldn’t have as much screen space as I would at home. The Bluetooth keyboard attaches magnetically to the bottom of the folio stand, so everything stays together and is a lot more solid than it might look at first glance. Still, that folio stand is going to work best on some kind of table – you wouldn’t want to use it in this way on your lap. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Lenovo bundles a lot of software and guides to help you understand the variety of options, configurations, and multi-finger taps you can use. That all seems very useful. The software is a little noisy out of the box. You’re getting a free trial of McAfee antivirus, and it will bug you to install browser extensions. You’ve got popups for a Dropbox promotion. It’s all easy to remove, if you like, but it’s not the cleaner experience I saw on Lenovo’s business-focused ThinkPad X1 Carbon – which, of course, is more expensive. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is packed with input options. The included Bluetooth keyboard is very reasonable, although it’s no mechanical keyboard. I like the compact size and the way it magnetically attaches to either the folio stand or the bottom of the laptop itself. It’s reasonable to type on, although this keyboard definitely isn’t going to win any awards for the best typing experience. The touch keyboard experience is great for a touch keyboard experience. You can tap the bottom display with eight fingers to pull up a full-screen touch keyboard. Because of the size, it’s very reasonable great to type on. Still, it’s a touch keyboard – you’re not getting any tactile feedback, and I wouldn’t want to type documents on the virtual keyboard all day. Likewise, the virtual on-screen touchpad experience is a little strange. There’s no tactile feedback of an “edge,” and it would be easy to move your finger outside the touchpad zone. Still, it’s a good touchscreen, so it’s nice and responsive with a smooth surface for your finger. And there’s a button you can tap to make the virtual touchpad extend across the entire width of the display, rather than sitting in a small rectangle below the keyboard. Both screens are touch screens, too, so you can also just tap something and skip the virtual touchpad. The active pen (stylus) also worked well, delivering a great experience when drawing in OneNote. The included mouse worked well, too – it’s a compact little Bluetooth mouse that matches the laptop’s color scheme, and it even has a switch on the bottom so you can pair it to multiple devices and switch back and forth. It’s not going to top our best mice rankings, but it’s convenient and nicely compact. I used this mouse extensively and was perfectly happy with it. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Of course, you don’t have to use that included Bluetooth keyboard. You could stand up the laptop with the folio stand and use any external keyboard you like, although it wouldn’t attach magnetically to the folio stand or the bottom of the laptop. The biggest issue with the keyboard is that it’s a little awkward if you’re truly on the go. This isn’t a problem with the laptop itself – this is just because of the form factor. With a traditional clamshell laptop that sandwiches together a display and a physical keyboard, you can pop it open whenever you like, type on the keyboard, and then quickly close it. When you open up this laptop and want to type something quickly, you either have to use the touch keyboard, or you have to snap the external keyboard onto the bottom of the display and type. When you’re done, you have to remove the keyboard from the bottom of the laptop before shutting it. You would not want to try to close the laptop with the keyboard in the middle of both displays. This form factor works well for typing at a table. In fact, thanks to the dual screens, I’d say it works better than a traditional laptop once you have a few moments to set it up on a solid surface. But there are advantages to the traditional clamshell design, of course, especially if you move around a lot or you’re constantly opening and closing the laptop. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Display and speakers IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i’s displays are beautiful – both of them. You’re getting 13.3-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800 resolution) OLED panels that support HDR. Both displays support touch, and the touch also works very well. No complaints there! Both displays support the pen, too, offering multiple levels of pressure and a solid writing experience. They feel plenty bright with up to 400 nits of brightness and offer a 60Hz refresh rate – on the low side as far as refresh rates go, I suppose, but nothing that bothered me in day-to-day use. This isn’t a gaming laptop, after all. Lenovo talks up the speaker experience on this laptop, saying the hinge houses “premium Bowers & Wilkins” speakers. Specifically, Lenovo says “There are two 1-watt tweeters located in the soundbar and two 2-watt woofers located on the bottom corners of the device.” In practice, the speaker setup sounds quite good, with plenty of volume and a surprisingly broad soundstage. It’s unusually good among laptop speakers, although it doesn’t deliver the kind of bass you can get with larger external speakers, naturally. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i packs a surprisingly solid webcam. It’s a 1440p webcam. On both paper and in practice, it beats the 1080p webcams found in most laptops we’ve been reviewing lately. The picture is surprisingly good under a variety of lighting conditions. This is one of the better webcams I’ve seen in laptops lately – it really punches above its weight. I feel like I would much rather use this webcam than the one found in Lenovo’s more expensive, business-focused ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which shocked me – it’s certainly higher-resolution. There’s a physical switch at the right side of the bottom half of the laptop that will disable the camera for privacy, if you like. The Yoga Book 9i’s integrated microphone works very well, too, producing clear audio. The high-quality webcam and microphone mean this is an excellent system for online meetings. The integrated IR camera works well, too. It reliably signed me into Windows 11 with Windows Hello in a variety of lighting conditions. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Connectivity IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman The Yoga Book 9i’s port selection is skimpy. You’ve got three USB-C ports —they’re Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps ports with USB Power Delivery 3.0 and DisplayPort 2.1. One is on the left, and two are on the right. You’ll need to plug into one of them to charge the laptop, which leaves you two USB-C ports free. That’s it, though – the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i doesn’t even have a headphone jack, so you’ll be using either Bluetooth headphones or USB-C headphones with it. You won’t find a larger USB-A port, SD card reader, HDMI out, Ethernet port, or anything like that, either. Many people will want a USB dongle to connect this laptop to more devices. The Yoga Book 9i includes both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 hardware. Those both worked well – I had no problems with the Wi-Fi in a variety of settings, and Bluetooth always worked well with the keyboard and mouse. It would be nice to see Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for futureproofing, but those aren’t very widespread yet, and their omission certainly isn’t a big problem. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Performance The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i was plenty snappy in day-to-day use, and I never had a problem while juggling two screens full of all the browser tabs, documents, spreadsheets, Slack workspaces, video meetings, OneNote notebooks, and image editors I use for work every day. As always, though we ran the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. The CPU is a pretty big factor here, so we get an idea of how well the Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor in this system performs. The results are impressive, with the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i delivering strong performance numbers. It beat other recent thin-and-light laptops like the HP Spectre x360 14, despite that machine having an H-series CPU instead of the U-series CPU here. It absolutely stomped the foldable ThinkPad X1 Fold 16. If you want a lot of screen right now, it seems you’re better off going for the type of hinge design found in the Yoga Book 9i than a full-on foldable screen. The chunkier Dell Inspiron 14 Plus beat out the Yoga Book 9i here, which is no surprise as that kind of design is going to deliver better cooling – thin-and-light laptops are always going to be more constrained by cooling than thicker machines. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. The results aren’t surprising: Laptops with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU have more cores and pull ahead. Lenovo’s foldable ThinkPad X1 Fold pulls up the rear once again, demonstrating that this Yoga Book 9i is a better machine if you want a lot of screen space – and it’s cheaper. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period of time. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The result is a little on the long side compared to other thin-and-light laptops, with the Yoga Book 9i taking 32 minutes (1924 seconds) to encode our file. That’s not a surprise because this laptop’s CPU has a few fewer cores, and this system isn’t designed for extreme cooling and heavy extended CPU workloads. Still, the Yoga Book absolutely stomped the more expensive ThinkPad X1 Fold once again. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it’s still good to check how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. Intel’s year-over-year improvements to its integrated graphics are evident here. The Yoga Book 9i pulled ahead of laptops with previous-generation Intel integrated graphics. This system doesn’t have the more powerful Intel Arc integrated graphics, though, and performance was behind Intel Core Ultra 7 155H-powered systems with Intel Arc graphics. Overall, the laptop felt great in day-to-day use, but the benchmarks tell the full story. This definitely isn’t a workstation for running long, CPU-heavy workloads – go for a higher-performance, single-screen laptop if that’s your priority. It does absolutely stomp Lenovo’s more expensive ThinkPad X1 Fold, demonstrating that this two-screens-plus-hinge design is superior to the one-folding-screen design at the moment. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Battery life Battery life is a big question mark for a laptop like this. Displays use quite a bit of power, and the Yoga Book 9i has to power twice as many displays as the average laptop. Still, I thought the battery life was very reasonable. The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i packs a large 80 Watt-hour battery into its slender frame, which is a big help in powering those double displays. IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman IDG / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat in the Movies & TV app on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. I ran our standard benchmark with the video playing on the top display and the keyboard magnetically attached to the bottom display. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks, and it’s worth noting that the Yoga Book 9i’s OLED displays have a bit of an advantage, as they use less power to display the black bars around the video. The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i ran for an average of nearly 9 hours – 535 minutes – in this benchmark. That’s less than the other laptops we’re comparing it to here, but it still feels like an incredibly long time for a laptop with two displays. I also ran a battery rundown benchmark with the laptop playing two copies of the video, one on each display. In this configuration, the laptop ran for 7 hours and 16 minutes – that’s 436 minutes. That isn’t bad either, considering the laptop is powering two displays. These numbers do mean the laptop probably won’t deliver all-workday battery life in real use. Still, this laptop is best used at a desk, and it’s easy to plug in and charge. Even when I was using it away from an outlet, I felt like I had plenty of battery power until the next time I could plug it in. Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (Gen 9): Conclusion The Lenovo Yoga Book 9i is a great machine. It delivers multiple monitors on the go, and it does so with a smart, thoughtful design. Lenovo has nailed the execution of what a machine like this can be with current hardware. I took this laptop on a trip and loved being able to set up multiple monitors at any table I could find. The screens are beautiful, and the total package is very flexible. The price is very reasonable at $1,999, too – yes, it’s more expensive than the average laptop, but you’re getting twice as many OLED displays. This laptop nails the execution of what a laptop with this form factor can be. It isn’t for everyone: Some people will want thicker workstations or gaming laptops that can deliver higher performance under load. Many people will prefer a classic clamshell laptop design where the bottom of the laptop is a physical keyboard you don’t have to attach. But if you’re drawn to this design or you just want a second display on the go without hauling around a portable external monitor, this laptop is definitely for you. The question isn’t whether this laptop is any good – it’s a great machine. The only question is whether you want this type of design or something more traditional. Laptops

If there’s one buzzword that’s inescapable in 2024…well, it’s probably “Israel” or “election” or “Musk.” But if there’s one that’s specific to the technology industry, it’s AI. Fortunes are being made on that interest, in a way hauntingly reminiscent of the crypto boom and subsequent bust. And absolutely everyone wants to get in on the former and avoid the latter.  “Everyone” in this case includes pretty much every possible technology company. While OpenAI is at the center of this particular gold rush, and Nvidia is selling the shovels to digital forty-niners, more conventional players aren’t resting on their haunches. As happens with buzzwords, it’s quickly becoming diluted — every new PC is an “AI PC,” which means very little for actual users. Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft But as for the generative tools that “AI” refers to, there seem to be two general approaches. Every company is either hitching its wagon to ChatGPT’s star, as Microsoft is doing with its Copilot system, or hoping to be the next one to shine bright, like Google with its Bard Gemini system or Apple with its forthcoming generative AI.  Technology’s hottest club is ‘AI’ Unlike the crypto boom, generative AI is something that pretty much anyone can use, even if they don’t have to understand it. You can punch a request for, say, a limerick about the new Fallout TV show with just a few keystrokes. It won’t be particularly good, but anyone can see why you’d prefer a computer to do the thinking for you in a few seconds instead of trying to create lines in your slow human meat brain for 10 or 20 minutes. The appeal is undeniable and universal.  Every new Windows laptop this year will get a Copilot button for going straight to Microsoft’s ChatGPT interface. Every new Windows laptop this year will get a Copilot button for going straight to Microsoft’s ChatGPT interface.Mark Hachman / IDG Every new Windows laptop this year will get a Copilot button for going straight to Microsoft’s ChatGPT interface.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG Perhaps that’s why these companies are so desperate to put AI front-and-center in their interfaces, both physical and digital. Microsoft is making all new Windows laptops come with a dedicated Copilot key, literally forcing users to interact with its ChatGPT interface in an even more immediate way than sticking it on the taskbar. Google is replacing Assistant, one of Android’s most long-running and distinctive features, with Gemini, to mixed results.  There’s a growing niche of products that are all AI, all the time, like the Humane Ai Pin that’s been taking an absolute beating in its initial reviews. We’ll see if the AI-powered baby cry translator can do better when it launches, to say nothing of the AI-powered Samsung refrigerator.  Humane Humane Humane AI buttons are everywhere Even Logitech, an accessory vendor that doesn’t seem like it would have much to gain from this particular trend, is hopping on. The company’s new Signature AI Edition M750 Mouse comes with a dedicated button to summon yet another flavor of ChatGPT, focused on helping you write with short generative tasks.  It’s basically the same idea as Copilot’s most simple functions, now built into Logi Options+. That means that the same capability will come to most of Logitech’s mice and keyboards, assuming you bothered to install the management app for them. Expect that dedicated AI button to show up on other Logitech products, like the next revision of the MX Master mouse. Hell, the button might just be the justification Logitech needs to release a new MX Master mouse in the first place.  Logitech’s newest mouse has a dedicated “AI button,” which pops up another interface for using ChatGPT. Logitech’s newest mouse has a dedicated “AI button,” which pops up another interface for using ChatGPT.Logitech Logitech’s newest mouse has a dedicated “AI button,” which pops up another interface for using ChatGPT.Logitech Logitech This might seem like uncharted territory, but we’ve been here before, and I’m not even talking about the still-fresh memories of Matt Damon calling you a wuss for not buying Bitcoins in a Superbowl commercial. Nor am I referring to that short-lived time when Microsoft really wanted a Windows button on mice. No, we’ve seen a new idea take hold and try to spread to every aspect of digital life seemingly overnight. If you just felt a chill, it might be the ghost of Cortana on your shoulder.  I’ve heard this song before Once Google found success with Assistant and Apple gained cultural capital with Siri, every company wanted its own voice chatbot. Amazon had Alexa, Microsoft had Cortana, even Samsung had the bafflingly-named “Bixby.” And these chatbots were pushed in the same way, taking center stage in both digital and physical interfaces.  Samsung gave Bixby its own dedicated button on hundreds of millions of Android phones. (And speaking as someone who worked for an Android website at the time, I’d like to thank them for all the money we made on the search “how to change Bixby button.”) Apple put Siri right on the iPhone’s home button, and Microsoft rather infamously stuck Cortana right on the Windows 10 taskbar.  Sound familiar? “She” was all over the first boot interface for Windows, too, talking right to the user in a vocal performance with shades of Clippy. Some manufacturers even indulged Microsoft to the point of putting a dedicated Cortana button on laptop keyboards, or activating the assistant with a specific trackpad gesture.  Siri is still around, though it’s something of a punchline. Assistant is morphing into Gemini, and not without complaint. Alexa lives, though Amazon still doesn’t know how to actually make it profitable. And Bixby has apparently been resurrected, deep within the bowels of Samsung’s software development team…to be an AI-powered assistant. Huh.  Cortana, as you’ve probably heard, is as dead as her fictional namesake. A massive chunk of Microsoft’s time and money, and no small amount of user frustration, blown on something that’s remembered more as a joke than an actual product. And the most memorable thing about Cortana is the way that Microsoft tried to shove it in our faces for so long.  Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry Michael Crider/Foundry As a professional writer, I’m inclined to be dismissive of generative text tools like Copilot and ChatGPT. They are, in very real and visceral way, takin’ arr jerbs, and reading generative text feels like someone tried to write up a TPS report using a crayon. But I can see why everyone else finds them useful, if only for the fact that they can save a ton of time on relatively simple tasks. And cheat on your homework…not that I’m judging. But trying to make AI tools omnipresent in our interfaces, on screens and dedicated buttons, is the fastest way to make consumers frustrated with them. Nobody wanted a Windows button on a mouse, nobody wanted to talk to Cortana to log into their Wi-Fi network, and no one wants to ask ChatGPT to take a photo with their smart glasses.  Logitech Logitech Logitech Generative text might be an exciting new tool for both businesses and consumers. Or it might be a flash-in-the-pan fad, doomed to fill up the web with garbage text that Google has to find a way to ignore. But whatever the future holds, there’s no faster way to make users sick of it than trying to force it on them. Listen to the ghost of Cortana, and heed her warning not to re-make the mistakes of the past. Windows

Your Nintendo Switch is important to you, right? So, why not make it an extension of yourself and have a little fun with it? With this Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch with RGB Lights, you’ll not only have an extra set of sticks, but they’ll be the coolest sticks around. This Nintendo Switch wireless controller is made with the same quality you expect from Nintendo. It has a 6-axis gyroscope and 360º joystick for precise control, a dual shock response for more immersive gameplay, and a non-slip ABS grip to remain comfortable while playing. The biggest difference is the cool RGB lights on the side that light up while you play. Light up your Nintendo Switch time. Right now, you can get this Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch with RGB Lights for 27% off $42 at just $30.99.   Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch with RGB Lights – $30.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

With everything streaming these days, a movie theater can be a change of pace that doesn’t require you to make your own snacks. For a limited time, you can get a 33% discount on Regal Premiere Movie eTickets with this $11.99 (reg. $17.99) offer. Regal has over 450 theaters across 42 states. Whether you’re meeting up with friends or taking your SO on a dinner and a movie date, this discount can help you save a little money — and there is no expiration or blackout dates. Here’s what you do: Purchase the Regal Premiere Movie eTicket here. Go to the Redemption Link and put in your Offer Code. You will receive a confirmation email with access information for your ticket, which will include your barcode and a 15-digit code. You can redeem the ticket in person at the self-service kiosk, concession stand, or guest service counter or online/in-app through the https://www.regmovies.com/ site or by logging into your Regal Crown Club account on the Regal app. Don’t miss the chance to save money and enjoy quality entertainment on the big screen. Just $11.99 (reg. $17.99) gets you a 33% discount on Regal Premiere Movie eTickets, with no expiration or blackout dates.    Save 33% Off Regal Premiere Movie eTickets – $11.99 GET IT HERE! StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories

Whether you’re looking for a productivity desktop, a gaming PC powerhouse, or a stylish all-in-one Windows machine, we’ve got you covered. The team at PCWorld sort through all of the daily computer sales and put together a curated list of the best deals available. But not all deals are really deals, so we only choose those offered by reputable companies and that include great hardware to ensure you get the best value for your money. We’ve also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you’re considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, updated daily. Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it’s possible some of these computer discounts will have expired before this article’s next update. Best gaming desktop computer deals Lenovo Legion Tower 5, Ryzen 7/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/1TB HDD, $1,299.99 (33% off on BestBuy) Alienware Aurora R16, Core i7/RTX 4070 Super/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,599.99 (16% off on Dell) Alienware Aurora R16, Core i9/RTX 4080 Super/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $2,799.99 (13% off on Dell) Lenovo IdeaCentre 5, Ryzen 7/RTX 3060/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/1TB HDD, $749.99 (22% off on MicroCenter) Yeyian Tanto, Core i5/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 (20% off on Newegg) Yeyian Yumi, Core i5/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $799.99 (33% off on Newegg) HP Omen 45L, Core i7/RTX 3070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,249.99 (37% off on Adorama) My top picks: The sale on the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 for $630 off on BestBuy is one of the best discounts I’ve ever seen on a system sporting an RTX 4070. For the price of a budget gaming machine, you’re getting solid midrange specs with the GPU and a Ryzen 7 7700X CPU. Plus, it comes with loads of onboard storage and the reliability you can expect from Lenovo. There are also a pair of deals on Alienware’s latest Aurora R16 gaming desktop. They are offering $300 off for a midrange option sporting a Core i7-14700 F and an RTX 4070 Super, or $400 off a higher-end model with a Core i9-14900KF and an RTX 4080 Super. Both provide excellent value for the money with the latest Super line of Nvidia GPUs, and you can’t go wrong with the reliability of Alienware gaming PCs. Best mainstream desktop computer deals IdeaCentre Mini, Core i5/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $519.99 (20% off on Lenovo) HP Envy Desktop, Core i7/RTX 3050/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/1TB HDD, $1,079.99 (16% off on HP) HP Pavilion Desktop, Ryzen 7/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $649.99 (24% off on BestBuy) Apple Mac Mini, M2/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $499.00 (17% off on Amazon) My top picks: Those looking for a mini-PC are in luck as the excellent IdeaCentre Mini is on sale for $130 off on Lenovo. It is one of the best small form-factor PCs on the market and this version not only gives you a respectable Core i5-13500H CPU, but also plenty of onboard storage—double what you usually get with a mini-PC. If a mini-PC isn’t your cup of tea, then the HP Envy desktop for $200 off on HP is another great option. Strong performance backed by the latest Core i7-13700F CPU and abundant onboard storage make this a solid home office or family computer pick. Best all-in-one computer deals All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family. Lenovo IdeaCentre AiO 3i, Core i3/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/24-inch 1080p display, $479.99 (30% off on BestBuy) Lenovo IdeaCentre AiO 5i, Core i7/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/27-inch 1440p touch display, $1,089.99 (17% off on Lenovo) Acer Aspire C27, Core i5, 16GB RAM/512GB SSD/27-inch 1080p display, $699.99 (22% off on Amazon) Apple iMac, M1/8GB RAM/256GB SSD/27-inch 5K display, $849.99 (45% off on BestBuy) My top picks: Two deals on Lenovo’s IdeaCentre models are topping the list of best all-in-one deals right now. The first is an entry-level AiO 3i model on sale for $200 off on BestBuy and the second is a larger AiO 5i on sale for $230 off on Lenovo with double the onboard storage and RAM. Which you choose will ultimately be dictated by your budget, but the extra RAM and SSD storage will bring significant and noticeable productivity upgrades if you can swing it. In a rare deal for an Apple computer, the M1 iMac is on sale for $400 off on BestBuy’s website. Sure, you could about double to get the latest model with an M3 chip, but the M1 model will still give you good performance and unless you’re doing heavy rendering work it probably won’t matter anyways. Save yourself some money and go with this M1 iMac while it’s on sale. Computer deals FAQ 1. What are good websites to find computer deals? There are a ton of sites that sell computers, and scouring through all of them would take you a lot of time—that’s why we do it for you here and highlight the best deals we find. However, to save you some time and frustration, you need to be smart about where you look at any given time of the year. If you’re looking for a new computer during the holidays or around popular sale periods such as Black Friday or back-to-school, then you are likely to find great deals directly through first party vendor websites. These include the retail storefronts of popular computer manufacturers such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo. However, if you are looking in between sales periods, it’s generally a good idea to search through large third-party retailers such as Amazon, Adorama, Walmart, BestBuy, and Newegg. Oftentimes these websites will offer limited Deals of the Day type sales in hopes of getting rid of excess stock. On the upside, you can score still-decent PCs at a steep discount. 2. When’s the best time to shop for a PC computer? Typically you’ll want to time your PC computer shopping around a prominent sales period. The biggest sales periods are Black Friday/Cyber Monday in late November and Amazon Prime Day in early-to-mid July. The best sales often occur leading up to and during these two events and they are great times to snag a new PC computer for cheap. Other holiday shopping periods such as the New Year sales in January, President’s Day sales in April, and the back-to-school sales event in August are also good times to find discounts on computers. 3. What type of desktop should I get? You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: productivity tower PCs, gaming PCs, mini PCS, and all-in-ones (AiO). Which you should end up buying is entirely dependent upon what your needs are and what you want to do with your computer. If you are looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a productivity PC or AiO with a solid CPU and lots of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming PC can offer a lot more bang for your buck than a laptop and you should focus on getting the best GPU possible. Or if you just want something that can fit anywhere and provide basic computing then a mini PC is a good bet. 4. What CPU and GPU should I get? When looking at your new computer’s CPU, get at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, both of which will provide plenty of processing power for everyday computing tasks. If you don’t intend to do any PC gaming, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle ray tracing well. If you aren’t interested in those cutting-edge lighting effects, however, the RTX 3050 and Radeon RX 6600 also provide good 1080p gaming performance at even lower prices. 5. How much memory and storage does my PC need? As for RAM, we think its best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for productivity and gaming, but for family computers and internet browsing, 8GB should suffice. Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over an standard HDD as they are much faster and don’t significantly affect the price of a desktop. Before deciding, it’s best to consider what your intended use of the computer will be. Are you just doing work or web browsing? Then something like 512GB will be plenty. If you want to load up a lot of large files such as games or content creation projects, then you’ll need at least 1 or 2TB or storage. However, just remember that even if your computer doesn’t have enough storage built-in you can always upgrade your SSD or go with an external drive to increase your available storage options. 6. Is it a good idea to buy a refurbished computer? Refurbished computers are used machines that have been repaired, upgraded, and cleaned for the purpose of reselling. They’re usually open-box returns, overstock, or models with minor cosmetic damage (scratches, scuffs, etc). Refurbished computers can be a bargain hunter’s dream as they’re likely still in good (or great) condition and you can save a lot of money. That being said, refurbished computers can have their downsides as well. In addition to cosmetic blemishes, some of the internal components might be a little older or outdated and they might not be in peak condition due to previous usage. If you do consider buying a refurbished computer I recommend looking at eBay as they offer a one-year warranty. You can also check out manufacturer’s retail storefronts like Dell’s Outlet Store and Apple’s Refurbished Store—just be sure to look at the terms of warranty offered before purchasing. Desktop PCs, Gaming Desktop PCs

Knowing how to screen record Windows 11 is necessary, especially when you want to perform a software task, clip gameplay highlights, capture online classes, etc. Luckily, many screen recorder programs are available for Windows 11 PCs and laptops, including inbuilt tools (Game Bar, Snipping Tool) and professional third-party software (EaseUS RecExperts, OBS). Here, we will explore these screen capture software to optimize Windows 11 screen recording, empowering you to produce high-quality recordings for any purpose easily. For your convenience: If you want to find professional video recording software to perform Windows 11 screen recording, tools like EaseUS RecExperts and OBS are good options. They can easily handle various recording tasks, but OBS is more suitable for professionals. For those who simply want to record screens in Windows 11 without any software, built-in programs (Xbox Game Bar and Snipping Tool) can meet your needs. Record Windows 11 screen and sound in high quality Difficulty: Super easy – With the on-screen instructions and simple UI, this tool is easy to operate without any tech knowledge. Effectiveness: High – It offers many advanced recording tools for various recording tasks, and exports high-quality recorded files. Plus, it provides free and pro versions for different users. Limitations: Like most third-party applications, its free version only lets you save 1 minute of your recording. If you are a light user, that’s enough. EaseUS RecExperts is an ideal Windows 11 screen recorder with audio for those who want to create high-quality video clips easily and quickly. This professional Windows capture software offers various recording modes to meet almost all users’ needs, including game recording, protected video recording, screen and sound recording, flexible screen recording, and more. You can also use it to screen record Windows 10 with audio if needed. While recording, you are able to use the real-time annotation tools to add text or draw something on your screen. Plus, it can record up to 4K video resolution on your desktop screen and export it in various formats. Last but not least, it will leave no watermark on any of your recordings! Step 1. Download and launch it on your desktop, and you will see a simple interface. To make a screen recording, choose the Record screen icon on the left panel to continue. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 2. Now, you can select your recording area. If you want to record the entire screen, click Full Screen. If you prefer to customize the recording range, select the Region option. If you have a webcam, system sound, or microphone recording need, you can turn on the corresponding options respectively. Step 3. To get high-quality recorded video clips, you can also click the gear icon to adjust recording parameters, like file path, video quality, shortcut keys, and so on. Once everything is ready, click REC to start recording. Step 4. Finally, when your screen activity is over, click the stop button. You can preview your recorded videos by clicking Recordings. You can also edit your video clips here by trimming, adding opening credit, etc. Record customized Windows 11 screen exclusively with the Snipping Tool Difficulty: Easy – It has a neat interface and a single recording function. Effectiveness: Medium – It lets you record any region on your screen and export recordings in a common format (MP4) for sharing. Limitations: You cannot adjust recording parameters like format, resolution, etc. And the recording shortcuts are not available. For Windows 11 users, the Snipping Tool is not only a tool for taking and editing screenshots but also a free Windows 11 screen recorder. This freeware offers a recording feature that lets you capture any region on your desktop by drawing a box. That means you can use it to record full or partial screen flexibly. If needed, you can even capture both audio (microphone or system sound) and screen simultaneously on your Windows 11 desktop. However, to record the Windows screen with the Snipping Tool, your Windows operating system should be 22621.1344 or higher. You can click Settings > System > About to check the details. Step 1. Enter Snipping Tool in the search bar and click on the result to bring up this free Windows 11 screen recorder. Step 2. On the toolbar, choose the Record option (which looks like a camera). Next, click New to select the area you want to record. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 3. Once the recording region is selected, you can flexibly choose to capture the Windows 11 screen with your system sound or microphone audio simultaneously. Step 4. When you are ready, click Start to perform the screen recording activity. Once you stop the recording, the recorded video file will start playing automatically in a Snipping Tool preview window. Capture Windows 11 desktop directly via Game Bar Difficulty: Easy – You can open and use this tool with a few shortcuts. Effectiveness: Medium – It supports recording a single Window and audio on your Windows 11 desktop and exporting files in HD quality. Limitations: You can only record screens for up to 4 hours. And it cannot record File Explorer and Windows desktop. Another free Windows 11 screen recorder is the Xbox Game Bar. Like the Snipping Tool, it is also pre-installed on your operating system. With its aid, you can capture Windows 11 screens on a PC or laptop for up to 4 hours with just a few shortcuts and then export them in HD quality. Better than the Snipping Tool, Game Bar allows you to adjust the quality, frame rate, and hotkeys for your recording. However, you cannot customize your recording region. Step 1. Press the Windows icon + G keyboard shortcut to open the Xbox Game Bar on your Windows 11 PC or laptop. Or you can enter the Xbox Game Bar in the search bar and select it in the menu. Note: If the Game Bar is not showing up, go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and enable the feature. Step 2. Next, you will see a floating toolbar with various icons. Click Settings to adjust your recording parameters, such as choosing the sound source and customizing shortcut keys. Step 3. Return to the floating toolbar and select the Capture option. Then, click on the Start recording button or press the Windows + Alt + R hotkeys to begin your Windows 11 screen recording directly. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 4. During your recording, you can enable or disable your microphone at any moment. Once done, hit the same shortcut key, Windows + Alt + R, to end and view your video recordings by clicking Show all captures. Advanced tips for recording Windows 11 desktop screen with Game Bar: Click Settings > Gaming > Captures to adjust advanced recording settings, including: Aaving path Max recording length Record desktop screen with microphone, system sound, or both Video frame rate and video quality Screen record Windows 11 for free with OBS Difficulty: Hard – It’s difficult for novices to operate because of the complicated UI. Effectiveness: High – It provides numerous recording and streaming tools and allows you to customize your personal recording settings. Limitations: Like many open-source software, it lacks regular updating and technical support. You nearly cannot get help if something is wrong with your recordings. OBS Studio is a free, open-source Windows 11 PC screen recorder that allows you to create high-quality recordings and save them in MP4 format on your laptop. This screen capture software lets you record any area on your desktop. It offers many advanced features to improve your recording experience, including capturing desktops with audio or webcam, capturing dual monitors, and more. With its help, you are able to complete almost any recording task. However, OBS is difficult to use because of its complicated UI. So, it is more suitable for professionals than novices. Step 1. Download OBS Studio from its official website and install it on your Windows 11 PC by following the on-screen instructions. Step 2. On the main interface, click the + button under the Source tab and find the Display capture button. Then, you will be led to your screen as the display capture. EaseUS EaseUS EaseUS Step 3. To record a Windows 11 screen with audio, you can click the + icon under the Source tab. Then, add your Audio Input Capture. Step 4. (Optional) Click Settings to adjust the recording parameters based on your needs. Step 5. If everything is correct, hit the Start Recording button at the lower right corner to begin recording. Tips for selecting the right method of recording Windows 11 screen Well! As you can see, there are numerous screen recorders that can help you capture screen activities on Windows 11 PCs or laptops. However, which one is best for you? Here, we will discuss it in detail. First of all, you need to understand your requirements. If you are a general user who simply wants to share on-screen activities, you probably care nothing about the recording quality or something else. Then, some built-in free tools might help you. But, if you are a heavy user, like a content creator, you might place more weight on recording quality, tools, and many advanced features. After knowing your own requirements best, you can start choosing a Windows 11 screen recorder by checking the items below: 1. Easy to use An easy-to-use app will always improve your efficiency. So, you first need to check if the tool is friendly. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time learning how to use it. 2. Recording features/quality You might need to perform different recording tasks during work and life, so the screen recorder should be multifunctional. You need to make sure that whether its recording features and quality can meet your needs or not. Generally, a versatile screen recorder with high performance is more popular. 3. Price/trial There is a wide range of pricing options for Windows 11 screen recording solutions, and you can obtain freeware or commercial applications. In most cases, a paid/freemium solution will offer more functionality and ease of use than free alternatives. You should prioritize solutions that offer the best value for money. Record screen in Windows 11 FAQs 1. Does Windows 11 have a screen recorder? Sure! Windows 11 operating system comes with some built-in recording tools, like Xbox Game Bar and Snipping Tool. Both tools can help users capture Windows 11 PC or laptop screens with sound in HD quality. However, each inbuilt Windows 11 screen recorder has its own limitations: Game Bar: It doesn’t support capturing Windows desktop or File Explore. The max recording time is 4 hours. Snipping Tool: There is no keyboard shortcut to jump directly into Recording like there is for Snipping (CTRL+Shift+S). 2. How do I record my screen on Windows 11 without any software? To record screens on Windows 11 without any software, you can try online screen recording tools. These online services require no downloading or installation, and you can begin your Windows 11 screen capture activity as soon as you open its website. Here are some famous ones you can have a try: EaseUS Online Screen Recorder ScreenApp Clipchamp 3. What is the shortcut key to screen record on Windows 11? You can use the shortcut keys to perform Windows 11 screen recording activities quickly. Below are some common hotkey combinations for recording: Windows + G: Open the built-in screen recorder – Xbox Game Bar Windows + Alt + G: Start recording the last 30 seconds Windows + Alt + R: Begin or end the screen recording Windows + Alt + M: Enable or disable the microphone while recording Windows + Alt + B: Turn HDR on or off Windows