Personal Computers

Battlefield 6 has almost arrived and it’s already getting a lot of love from online shooter fans. The series has a reputation for smooth gameplay, so how is the latest entry faring? That’s the question Will Smith is answering in the latest PCWorld video, benchmarking its micro stutter (or possibly lack thereof?) on an ideal hardware setup. And as Will has explained before, this is a key metric in how smooth a game feels.

Will’s test PC is running an AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, so it’s just about the best hardware you can reasonably expect in the current PC gaming landscape. What we’re looking for isn’t necessarily high frame rates but smoothness. So what we don’t want to see is big spikes in the frame rendering time, which normally oscillate between 5 and 12 milliseconds. And most of the standard campaign gameplay doesn’t really have any of it, though some of the showpiece scripted sections (such as the beach landing) can hit it hard with effects like smoke.

Some Battlefield veterans might be a lot more concerned with multiplayer performance, where Will turned off a lot of the bells and whistles like super-high resolution, DLSS, ray tracing, etc. There are more variables in the frame time due to the general chaos of multiplayer and a lot of extra processing that goes on in a multiplayer game.

But even in multiplayer, the render time was only a little more chaotic, with possible spikes coming from loading shaders. Even with tons of player characters on the screen, Battlefield 6 seems to be remarkably stable. It looks like the developers have also turned off some of the more performance-hitting effects in the multiplayer mode.

For more on the latest PC gaming hardware and performance, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube and join us every week for The Full Nerd podcast.

Engineering school isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re juggling heavy-duty software and unforgiving deadlines. So yeah, your laptop has to be powerful and reliable, but light enough to actually carry.

It should run CAD and simulations easily, but still be light enough to toss in your bag between classes. A keyboard that’s comfortable to type on for hours on end, a screen that doesn’t strain your eyes after an hour, and a battery that actually lasts—these are non-negotiable. And don’t even get me started on hunting for an outlet when your laptop’s gasping for life… ugh. No thanks.

These picks have been tested to cover those bases, with something for every budget.

Why you should trust PCWorld for laptop reviews and buying advice: 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.

• Robust build quality
• Attractive OLED touchscreen
• Good CPU and integrated GPU performance
• Outstanding battery life

• Uninspiring design
• Keyboard isn’t memorable
• Mediocre connectivity options

The Asus Zenbook 14 OLED tops our list because of the brilliant combination of power, portability, and battery life. The AMD Ryzen 7 chip is designed to run heavier programs like CAD without slowing down, even if you’ve got a bunch of tabs open on the side. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen also looks fantastic and will make your diagrams and other projects really pop.

The one thing that really sticks out is the battery, though. Seriously, it went for over 16 hours in our test, which kind of blew my mind. You can definitely survive a whole day of classes, especially with conservative use and the brightness turned down. The audio is also quite good, offering you good volume and clarity during remote lectures.

The build quality’s pretty good, especially considering it’s just $728 as of this writing. It’s also thin (0.59 inches) and light (2.82 pounds), which is great if you’re running from class to class. While the keyboard isn’t the best we’ve ever used because of the undersized keys, it’s totally fine for day-to-day use.

Read our full Asus Zenbook 14 OLED review

• Affordable
• Decent battery life
• Good display visibility

• Cheap build
• Limited performance

If you’re on a tight budget and just need a simple laptop for class notes or light coding, the Acer Aspire Go 15 does the job really well. Its Intel Core i3-N305 handles stuff like browsing and video streaming just fine. Battery life is surprisingly good, too! We got around 12 hours during regular use. As for connectivity, the ports are pretty versatile. You’re getting USB-A, USB-C, and HDMI. This makes connecting to an external monitor super easy.

This Acer Aspire Go 15 laptop is made of all plastic, so it may feel a bit flimsy to some. There’s no backlit keyboard or fingerprint reader, either (if that matters to you). That said, for students doing just general coursework, this laptop will get the job done very affordably.

Read our full Acer Aspire Go 15 (2024) review

• Enjoyable keyboard
• Attractive 1200p OLED display
• Incredible battery life
• Ships with small GaN charger

• Though attractive, build quality doesn’t stand out
• Connectivity is limited
• So-so performance

If you’re an engineering student who needs a laptop that just keeps on going, the HP OmniBook 5 14 is the one to get. This thing ran for over 25 hours on a single charge. That’s basically a full day, night, and then some. And when it’s time for a quick top-up, the fast charging mode can get you from zero to 50 percent in as little as 30 minutes. It also comes with a tiny 65-watt GaN charger that’s easy to throw in a bag.

Inside it’s running a Snapdragon X Plus chip and it comes paired with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. It’s not a speed demon by any means, but it’s fine for day-to-day use. The chip is more about efficiency than raw power, which is probably what makes the battery life so good. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED display looks great too with nice colors and contrast.

The HP OmniBook 5 14 gets battery life and portability right, but there are a few trade-offs. Performance is fine for browsing and coding, but it’ll struggle with heavy 3D modeling or gaming. That said, if your priority is all-day battery life and a lightweight form factor (2.98 pounds by the way!), the OmniBook delivers in a big way.

Read our full HP OmniBook 5 14 review

• Solid performance
• Competitive price
• Dedicated button for quick performance mode switching
• Fast 165Hz display with good colors

• Fully plastic build
• Mushy keyboard
• Weak battery life

If you want something that can handle school and gaming, the Acer Nitro V 16 really hits the sweet spot. It’s got a Ryzen 7 CPU and an RTX 4060 GPU, so most modern games run smooth on medium to high settings. Plus, if you’re into 3D modeling or any heavy graphics work, the GPU will give you the boost you need. The 16-inch 1920×1200 screen with a 165Hz refresh rate also makes faster paced games look really smooth too.

Design-wise, it leans into a gamer aesthetic with its orange backlit keys and noticeable branding but it’s not overly flashy. Still, it might not suit everyone’s taste. As you might expect from a gaming rig, the battery life doesn’t last too long–around four hours on average. The keys also feel somewhat mushy.

Read our full Acer Nitro V 16 review

• Compact and well-built
• Good office performance
• All Copilot Plus features available
• Good battery life

• Narrow screen to work on
• No HDR support
• No charger included

If you’re an engineering student with a jam-packed schedule, often needing to run from class to class, the Surface Pro 2025 is so lightweight (just a little over a pound) you’ll hardly notice its presence. Inside this laptop you’ll find a Snapdragon X Plus chip and Intel Arc 130V graphics, so you can expect it to deliver a quiet, fanless experience (perfect for working in libraries and lecture halls) and it should handle basic coding and homework just fine.

The 12-inch 2196×1464 screen offers sharp colors and touchscreen capabilities, allowing you to draw and take notes with the (optical) Slim Pen.

Though we really vibe with the high-resolution display, it’s a bit small if you’re the kind of person that has many windows open at once. Battery life is also all over the place, ranging from two to three hours under heavy loads to 19 hours with light usage. You’re also limited to just two USB-C ports, so you’ll probably want to pick up a dock or hub.

Read our full Microsoft Surface Pro 2025 review

A few laptops just missed the top spots but are still worth checking out. The Dell 14 Premium ($2,049.99) looks great and handles everyday work like a champ, though the battery isn’t amazing and it’s missing some older ports you might need. The Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 ($1,199) is a powerhouse for gaming with a gorgeous 15.1-inch 1600p OLED display and solid performance, but Lenovo’s pricing can be a little confusing. And, if you’re on a budget, the Asus Chromebook CX15 ($159) gets the job done for basic tasks and schoolwork, even if it’s not lightning fast.

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.

For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

Hi, I’m Ashley Biancuzzo, and I oversee all laptop and Chromebook coverage at PCWorld. While you’ll see me review Chromebooks on occasion, I’m also really into the broader world of consumer tech. I spend a lot of time writing and thinking about where laptops are headed–from AI and sustainable designs to long-term trends. When I’m not deep in the world of tech, you’ll probably find me gaming, getting lost in a good book, or chilling with my rescue greyhound, Allen.

The following are important questions to ask before making a purchase.

You’ll need a good amount of power. Engineering classes usually have you running some pretty heavy stuff like CAD, MATLAB, SolidWorks, and simulations. That stuff can slow your laptop down if it’s not up to the task, especially if you’ve got a bunch of apps open. A Core i5 or Ryzen 5 will get you through most of it, but if you want things to run smoother, a Core i7 or Ryzen 7 is where it’s at (so long as your wallet agrees).

For sure. You’ll be using code editors, compilers, simulation tools, sometimes all at once. RAM keeps your laptop from freezing up when you’ve got a ton going on. 8GB might work if you’re just starting out, but 16GB is way better—especially later on when your classes get more intense.

You’ll collect a ton of files–project folders, software installs, maybe some video editing or game dev work depending on your focus. We’d say go for at least 512GB SSD so you’re not constantly clearing space. If you can get 1TB, do it. It’s faster and gives you more breathing room for whatever your classes (or side hobbies) throw at you.

If you’re an engineering student who needs something light, fast, and reliable for coding or writing papers (plus a great screen and battery), the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED is a dang fine pick.

If you’re on a tight budget and just need a straightforward for lighter coding programs, the Acer Aspire Go 15 gets the job done for under $500.

Heck yeah! Long battery life means you can power through those long nights at the school library.

We’d say the best screen size is anywhere from 13- to 15-inches. It can’t be too cumbersome otherwise it’ll get too difficult to carry around.

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• DIY installation option can save you lots of money
• Trusted Neighbor is a great feature
• Nest cameras and video doorbell support facial recognition and can distinguish between people, pets, and vehicles
• Step-up Yale smart lock supports fingerprint recognition as well as PIN codes
• You can add your own Z-Wave smart home devices

• You must use the Nest app to fully manage the Nest security cams and video doorbell
• There is no support for Amazon’s Alexa
• ADT Base doesn’t include a display
• Monthly service fees can add up quickly

The ADT Smart Home Security System emphasizes security over convenience, but there are enough smart home elements for us to recommend it, whether you set it up on your own or pay for ADT’s white-glove installation. Keep a close eye on the services you sign up for, as they’re not all mandatory.

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Price depends on configuration. Packages start at $199. As tested: $1,680.94; plus, one-time installation fee of $1,300 (optional), and variable monitoring fees ($64/mo in this case)

ADT is one of the oldest home security companies in the U.S., and the ADT Smart Home Security product reviewed here is its latest offering that melds home security with a robust smart home system. As with every ADT product, you must commit to paying for professional monitoring of this system, where the staff at a central office keeps track of emergency events and will offer to dispatch police, fire, and medical personnel as needed. But unlike many of ADT’s other products, you can either have ADT’s technicians install the system in your home or you can do it yourself.

This is a security-first system, but smart home features don’t completely take a back seat. ADT sells smart light bulbs and smart plugs as well as Nest smart thermostats (more on that in a bit), and there’s a Z-Wave radio in the ADT Base that forms the heart of the system, so you can add other smart home components—including third-party products—on your own. ADT does recommend you buy Z-Wave devices that are on its approved list, and anything tied to security monitoring (sensors, smart locks, cameras, etc.) must be an ADT-authorized device, but the company doesn’t bar you from trying anything outside the monitoring realm. In other words, you’re not buying into a completely walled garden.

ADT offers DIY installation as an option, and the company has a deep well of tech support articles, instructional videos, and even real-time video tech support to guide you.

In this respect, ADT Smart Home Security is closer to the systems from Abode, Ring, or—at the high end—Vivint than, say the security-only products from Arlo or SimpliSafe (I should note, however, that Vivint does not offer DIY installations, although you can add self-installed smart home components to it later, with restrictions similar to ADT’s).

You can create smart home automations (or Rules, as ADT calls them) in which any ADT device or any Nest device can act as a trigger that causes any other supported smart home device to perform an action, with the option of setting conditions. These are very much like IFTTT (If This, Then That) routines, and they’re very easy to create in the ADT app.

For example, you can set a Rule that when a door is opened (a trigger) between sunset and sunrise (a condition), the Base will trigger an enrolled smart light to turn on (an action). Rules can also have multiple triggers, conditions, and actions. You can also delay any action by minutes and/or seconds.

The ADT Base that forms the heart of the ADT Smart Home Security System has Wi-Fi, LTE, DECT, and Z-Wave radios onboard. LTE is for broadband backup, DECT is for ADT’s sensors, and Z-Wave allows you to add various smart home devices, including smart locks. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

While ADT offers DIY installation as an option, and the company has a deep well of tech support articles, instructional videos, and even real-time video tech support, a representative told me only 10 percent of its customers go that route, so I elected to have an ADT technician install everything for this review. The cost to install the 20 components that made up this configuration was $1,300. Installation costs will of course vary depending on which components you decide to buy. (Scroll down for a list of everything included in this review system.) 

The Portland Police Bureau also assesses a residential alarm permit of $25 per year, which was not included in that previous figure (ADT expects you to secure that yourself). Such municipal fees are increasingly common, so you should check your locale. The most important thing to remember is that paying ADT to install your Smart Home Security system won’t bar you from adding other components to it by yourself later.

ADT loaned this system for my review, along with a full year of professional monitoring (which would otherwise cost $64 per month (I’ll break down that fee later). I’ve been living with the system since the middle of February 2025 to get a thorough understanding of its capabilities.

You can add Google’s current Nest cameras (not the recently announced Gemini-powered models) to the ADT Smart Home Security System. The 3rd-gen Nest Cam Indoor is shown here.

Michael Brown/Foundry

ADT partners with Google on many of the smart home and home security components it offers with its systems, and the company sent the current generations of the Nest Indoor Cam, Nest Doorbell (wired, battery), and the Nest Cam with Floodlight for this review. You’ll find a complete list of supported products at the preceding link.

These are not the new Gemini-powered products that Google announced on October 1. ADT has not said if it plans to offer the new cameras and incorporate Gemini support later on. It’s also worth noting here that Google took an equity stake in ADT in 2020, investing $450 million in the company. This tight Google integration means you cannot use this system with Amazon’s Alexa smart home platform.

To secure your entry doors, ADT offers the Yale Assure Lock 2 with a Z-Wave 800 module for $300 when it’s purchased with a system. The lock has a backlit numeric keypad along with a conventional key cylinder (just one key is supplied) and a fingerprint reader onboard (with support for up to 20 fingerprints). Locking or unlocking the Yale lock can simultaneously arm or disarm the security system respectively, and this can be done with a registered fingerprint, a PIN, or with ADT’s app.

You can also buy a Yale Assure Lock 2 with a previous-gen Z-Wave module, but without a fingerprint reader, for $210. ADT initially provided the latter device, and then shipped the former, newer device when it became available. I installed it myself, and the process was a breeze.

The physical installation was the usual, somewhat clumsy process involving a mounting plate and threading the power cord from the exterior escutcheon through the door’s bore hole and plugging it into a socket on the interior escutcheon, but ADT’s software made onboarding and enrolling users quick and easy.

The Yale Assure 2 with Z-Wave 800 is an excellent smart lock with an onboard fingerprint reader, a numeric keypad, and a key cylinder.

Michael Brown/Foundry

Since a Google Nest Cam with Floodlight must be hardwired to your electrical system, ADT brought in a licensed electrician to install it, accounting for $450 of the $1,210 total installation fee. Like most home security vendors, ADT’s technicians are not licensed electricians; they can deal with low-voltage components—like video doorbells—but they won’t touch anything connected to your home’s 120-volt circuits.

The $249 Base forms the heart of the ADT Smart Home Security system. The cylindrical device is 4.5 inches in diameter and 5.7-inches high (115mm x 145mm), with a numeric keypad on top for arming and disarming the alarm. You can also arm/disarm the system in ADT’s app or with an optional keychain remote ($20).

The Base is powered by an AC adapter and has a backup battery that ADT says should provide 24 hours of operation in the event of a power outage. It has a decidedly mild siren onboard (85dB measured at 10 feet from the Base), and an LTE radio to provide broadband backup in case your primary internet connection fails.

The cylindrical ADT Base is the heart of the ADT Smart Home Security system. You can arm and disarm the system using the keypad on top if you don’t use ADT’s app or the optional key fob for that purpose.

Michael Brown/Foundry

You’ll add the Base to your Wi-Fi network (both 2.4- and 5GHz networks are supported, giving you flexibility as to where to install it). The ADT Base also has Bluetooth and Z-Wave Long Range radios onboard. Bluetooth is used primarily for initial setup, but the Z-Wave radio can be used to expand a security system into a complete smart home system that includes smart locks, lighting controls, and other components.

ADT also offers a secondary keypad ($99) with dual-band Wi-Fi and battery backup if you want to be able to arm/disarm the system from another location in your home. If you have a large home, you might want to put one near whichever door you use most often.

ADT says the “ADT Base and Keypad are ADT-branded hardware,” so their resemblance to the gear Google provided with its own Nest Secure system—introduced in 2020 and killed in 2024—might be coincidental.

You’ll want ADT’s two-piece, battery-powered door/window sensors ($20 each) mounted to at least your entry doors and lower-floor windows. When the magnetic field between the two pieces is disrupted after the door or window is opened, the electronics in the business end of the sensor send a signal to the Base. The tech who installed the system recommended putting them on every door and window, but I elected to put them only on my three entry doors and the four most easily accessed windows (most of my windows are 5 feet or more above the ground, so you’d need a ladder to climb into them).

Carbon monoxide detectors such as this are critical components in any smart home security system. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

Given that these sensors are surface mounted, and therefore completely exposed, they aren’t as attractive as the type where the electronic element fits into the door frame and the other element (a magnet) disappears into the door itself. If the Base is in an armed state when the magnetic field between any sensor is broken, it will send a signal to the ADT’s monitoring facility that there’s been a possible break-in. If you’re returning home and don’t disarm the system before you open the door, you’ll have a 30-second window to disarm the system and prevent that signal from being sent.

ADT also offers a Premium sensor ($40 each) that has a button you can press to temporarily bypass the security system, so you don’t need to disarm when you leave your home while others in the family remain and then re-arm it after you close the door. These Premium sensors can also detect shocks, which would occur if an intruder broke a window to gain entry without otherwise opening that window. ADT’s tech installed four of these.

There’s a large, 5 x 6-foot (HxW) fixed picture window in my living room, so the tech installed a glass-break sensor in that room in case an intruder decided that would be a good way to get into the house (as unlikely as that would seem—it would make a lot of noise). He also glued one of the Premium door/window sensors to that window, even though it doesn’t open. If an intruder broke the window, it would trigger the alarm even if the dedicated glass-break sensor didn’t.

You might find the door/window sensors ADT uses to be unsightly. For doors, I much prefer the type that disappear into the door frame and the door itself.

Michael Brown/Foundry

These sensors communicate with the Base using a 1.9GHz DECT frequency, a digital standard originally created for cordless phones (the acronym stands for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications), so their signal traffic doesn’t compete with your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network, but they don’t travel as far as sub-GHz Z-Wave signals. They run on 3V CR2 batteries.

ADT also included three battery-powered life-safety devices in this review system: a smoke detector ($60, installed outside my kitchen) and two carbon monoxide detectors ($60 each, one installed in my kitchen, near my gas range, and the other in my basement, near my gas-powered furnace).

ADT’s $60 Water and Temperature Sensor was the final security sensor ADT left me with. I had it placed in the basement next to my water heater, and it will notify me via the ADT app if water appears there, warning me if that appliance or my washing machine develops a leak or if my basement otherwise floods. The temperature sensor in that device will warn me of frigid conditions that could lead to a burst pipe.

Ultimately, you have a large degree of control over the cost of ADT’s system, since you can pick and choose which elements to install up front and which ones to add later (ADT also offers various discounted bundles of equipment). In addition to installing the system yourself, another way to reduce the total system cost is to install ADT’s motion sensor ($40) and/or its glass-break sensor ($50) in some rooms, instead of placing a door/window sensor on every window in your home.

ADT’s motion sensor is designed to ignore pets that weigh less than 85 pounds.

Michael Brown/Foundry

The motion sensor can be programmed to be active only when the system is in an armed-away state, but you can also program it for a “convenience” mode that turns on connected smart lighting at night. If you have pets, it will ignore motion caused by animals weighing less than 85 pounds. My dog weighs only 10 pounds, so I can’t say how accurate that claim is, but I haven’t experienced a false alarm triggered by motion.

The glass-break sensor, meanwhile, is triggered by the sound of glass breaking (duh) within a range of 2 to 25 feet in the same room. If that happens while the system is any of its three armed states (Away, Stay, or Night), it will trigger the siren in the base station, alert the monitoring service, and send an alert to your smartphone. The sensor can be attached to a wall or ceiling (it must be mounted at least 6.5 feet above the floor) with the provided screws or double-sided tape. Each of these sensors will also send an alert to the ADT app and to ADT’s central monitoring office if they’re tampered with.

Opting out of ADT’s extended warranties–its Quality Service Plans–or selecting the least expensive version–will also reduce your monthly outlay, but then you’ll be on the hook should something go wrong with ADT’s equipment after the initial 90-day warranty runs out.

Where you won’t be able to save money with ADT is by monitoring the system yourself. You’ll need to pay at least $25 per month for “intrusion monitoring,” in which ADT staff will respond to security events such as a break-in by requesting a local police dispatch, and “Life safety monitoring,” in which ADT will dispatch first responders in the event of a fire, carbon monoxide, or medical emergency. I’ll dig deeper into ADT’s fees in a bit.

My home isn’t wired for a doorbell, so the 2nd-gen Nest Doorbell ADT installed is running on its internal battery.

Michael Brown/Foundry

While ADT describes the $180 2nd-gen Google Nest Doorbell as battery-powered, it can easily replace a wired doorbell if you have one (in which case, and ADT tech can connect it to your existing transformer and chime). Read our Google Nest Doorbell review for more details. ADT offers the AC-powered Nest Cam ($99) for indoor surveillance. The Nest Cam with Floodlight ($280) was the final element of video security ADT provided for this review, delivering exterior smart lighting as well as security.  

Each of these Google Nest cameras records video in 960 x 1280-pixel resolution and stores it in the cloud. To reduce the amount of video you must sift through, you can configure the cameras in the ADT app, so they detect motion and record only when the ADT system is armed.

I’ll discuss how the ADT and Google Home apps work together in a moment.

ADT’s embrace of Z-Wave shows the company takes the smart home seriously. In addition to the Z-Wave locks on offer, you can also buy Z-Wave-powered smart plugs and plug-in dimmers ($50 each) and LED light bulbs ($30 each). That said, you’ll find much cheaper alternatives on the open market; remember that ADT won’t bar you from installing third-party Z-Wave products. Again, as you might expect, devices that tie into the security element of the system—such as smart locks—are a different matter. And ADT recommends you only install devices that it has tested and approved.

ADT also offers a Netgear Nighthawk mesh Wi-Fi 6 router ($299); the 2^nd-gen Google Nest Hub ($100), enabling you to arm and disarm the security system with voice commands, among other things; the 4^th-generation Nest Learning Thermostat ($280); or the simpler Google Nest Thermostat ($130). I’ve been more than happy with my Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, so I didn’t have either of those Nest devices installed. You can install either thermostat yourself or hire ADT to install it for you.

The ADT Smart Home Security system recognizes several types of users who have varying levels of permission, with Primary users having the most access.

Michael Brown/Foundry

The system recognizes three classes of users: Family, Trusted Neighbors, and Helpers & Guests. The Family class is subdivided into three other categories: Admin, the Primary user with the most privileges, including the ability to grant other users access to the system; Standard users, with permission to access professional monitoring, arm/disarm the system, and limited access to other settings; and Basic users, who can only arm/disarm the system. You can register the fingerprints of any user except for those in the Basic class.

The Admin can also create a “duress” code that will disarm the system but notify ADT’s professional monitoring service that there’s an emergency in the home. If an intruder forces you to disarm the system, for example, you could enter the duress code to disarm the system as instructed, but ADT would then dispatch the police to the home to help you.

Helpers & Guests are people to whom you want to grant access to your home on a more limited basis—think housekeepers, dog walkers, contractors, and the like. They’ll be invited to download the ADT app and they can use their assigned PIN on the smart lock, but their access can be restricted to a single day, a range of dates, or a recurring schedule.

ADT brought in an outside electrician to install the Google Nest Floodlight Cam. The company’s techs generally install only low-voltage devices. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

Trusted Neighbors are just what they sound like: People you trust with access to your home, who live nearby, and are willing to help manage your home while you’re away. While you can also limit their access to your home to a schedule, a far more useful scenario has ADT notify them of events so they can respond in your absence. These notifications can be set to be active all the time or only when your system is in an Armed Away state.

If your Nest Video Doorbell detects a package left on your porch, for example, ADT can notify your neighbor, so they can pick up the package and bring it into your home (provided you’ve given them that access, of course). Or if the system detects a water leak, it can notify your neighbor of that problem so they can go over and shut off the water valve. You’ll receive the same event notifications, and you’ll receive alerts when your trusted neighbor arrives at your home. Trusted Neighbor is a great feature that I hope ADT’s competitors will copy.

A battery in the ADT Base keeps it running in the event of a power outage, while an LTE radio keeps the system linked to the internet–and ADT’s monitoring service–should your regular broadband connection fail.

Michael Brown/Foundry

Aside from the Nest video doorbell and security cameras, which I’ll get to in a moment, the user experience with the ADT Smart Home Security System is mostly typical for this class of product. You’ll issue each authorized user a 4- to 8-digit PIN, which they’ll use each time they arm or disarm the system at the Base. They’ll use the same with an ADT-authorized smart lock, which will automatically disarm the system when that PIN is entered on the lock’s keypad. If they download the ADT app, they’ll also be able to lock/unlock the door and arm/disarm the system with their fingerprint (assuming you’ve set them up that way) or the app on their smartphone.

You’ll press a button on the Base (or the optional keypad, ADT’s keyfob, the ADT app, or with a “Hey Google” voice command) to arm the system in one of its three armed states: Away, Stay, or Night. That Night state is unusual; most security systems have just two armed states: Stay (or Home) and Away.

In Armed Away mode, an exit delay gives you time to open a door to leave your home after you’ve started the countdown to its fully armed state. Since the home will presumably be unoccupied after you leave, motion inside the home or opening any window while the system is Armed Away will trigger the system to go into an alarm state. When you return home, an entry delay will start a countdown before the system goes into an alarm state. The countdown will give you time to enter your PIN at the base inside the home. You can also present your fingerprint on an authorized smart lock unlock it and disarm the system, press the disarm button on the ADT key fob, or disarm with the ADT app.

The ADT Home Security System has three arming modes: Away, for when no one will be home; Stay, for when some residents might be away, but others are home; and Night, when everyone is expected to be home for the duration. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

Armed Stay mode also has entry and exit delays, but motion inside the home will not trigger an alarm (opening a window, on the other hand, will put the system into an alarm mode). A exit delay is useful when one member of the household needs to leave the home while other occupants remain inside. The person leaving can arm the system and have a short amount of time to open a door and leave without triggering the alarm. Opening any window after the exit delay has expired will trigger the system to go into an alarm state, but opening any door will trigger a fresh entry/exit delay.

Armed Night mode is similar to Armed Stay, except that there is no entry or exit delay. Motion inside the home won’t trigger the alarm, but opening any door or window will. This mode should be used when everyone is home for the night.

A backlit icon on the Base will inform you if the system is ready to be armed or not. If the system is ready, for example, you’ll see an icon of a home backlit by a green LED. But if any doors or windows are open, the Base will show an icon of a house with a slash through it, backlit by a yellow LED. You can override any of those sensors and arm the system anyway. Once the door or window is closed, it will return to its “armed” state. But if you have something like an air conditioner in a window, such that the system is reporting the window as open, you’ll need to override it every time you arm the system until you take the unit out and close the window again.

Michael Brown/Foundry

Similar icons and colored backlights indicate other alarm modes (armed away, stay, or night; entry/exit delay; or panic), and there a dedicated buttons for summoning police, fire, and ambulance services via ADT’s professional monitoring service.

ADT was beta-testing a new feature that allows registered users to unlock a smart lock—and disarm the system—based on their phone’s location and the phone’s familiar-face detection. You can already unlock the smart lock and disarm the system using the facial recognition features of the Google Nest cameras (particularly useful with the Nest Doorbell).

As I’ve mentioned, while you can save some money by installing an ADT Smart Home Security System yourself, you can’t use with without paying ADT for monitoring the system, among other things. You should also be aware that you’ll be obligated to sign a 36-month contract (24 months for California residents) for professional monitoring. Should you end the contract before it has run it’s course, ADT will bill you for 75 percent of the monthly charges remaining in the initial term.

As this review system is configured, professional monitoring would cost a consumer $63.99 per month. That figure consists of fees in seven categories, as outlined below:

Here’s a description of what each of those services are:

• 24/7 Intrusion Monitoring: If a break-in alarm or a life-safety sensors (smoke, CO, or water detector) is triggered, ADT’s monitoring center sends you an alert to confirm there is an emergency. If you respond that there is–or if you don’t respond at all–ADT will request an emergency dispatch of first responders.
• Smart Home Automation: You’ll need to pay this fee to take advantage of the Z-Wave radio in the ADT Base to create rules, scenes and schedules.
• Integrated Smart Solutions Subscription: This is optional add-in entitles you to unlimited concierge-style remote sessions with ADT specialists for Wi-Fi and network diagnostics, as well as smart home optimization across all the devices connected to the ADT Smart Home Security System, including non-ADT devices.
• Nest Aware with Video Verification: This is the subscription service that Google used to offer buyers of its Nest cameras and smart home device. The service offered through ADT does not include Gemini support. It includes 30 days of event-based video history stored in the cloud for each Nest camera and video doorbell that’s included in the ADT system (you can add more cameras later at no additional charge). For an additional $7 per month (a feature not included in this review system), you get 60 days of event-based video storage in the cloud; plus, up to 10 days of 24/7 continuous video (wired cameras only).
• Quality Service Plan – Comprehensive: This is an optional tiered extended warranty plan that “covers repair/replacement of ADT-supplied equipment due to malfunction” up to a pre-discount maximum of $1,000 in equipment. When the value of the equipment exceeds $1,000, you’ll be assessed a supplemental fee (see below) The Comprehensive tier included with the package reviewed here includes security, life safety, automation, and video devices. The more basic Essential tier includes only security and life safety devices, while the top-of-the-line Advanced tier covers the same devices as the Comprehensive tier, but adds “annual virtual preventative maintenance checkup, annual smart home consultation, and certain available equipment discounts after the first year.”
• Supplemental Quality Service Plan: This is a supplemental fee when the pre-discount retail value of the ADT equipment you install or have ADT install exceeds $1,000. It starts at $2 per month if the equipment retail value is between $1,000 and $1,300 and is capped at $42 per month if the value of that equipment is $5,200 or more.

Michael Brown/Foundry

You can see thumbnail images from the Google Nest cameras in the ADT app and tap those images to see a live stream from the selected camera. You’ll also see indicator showing the camera’s battery status. Tap a Saved Media icon and you’ll get a timeline of recorded clips (curiously, camera events are not including the ADT app’s event history). Clips can be filtered by date range, by camera, and/or by the type of event that triggered the recording: Activity or animal, Doorbell, Face, Motion, Package, Person Talking, or Vehicle.

You can also change at least some camera settings in the ADT app, the most important of which are Notifications. You can choose to be notified of motion caused by animals, people, or vehicles; any motion; if someone rings the doorbell; or if a package is within the camera’s view. You can also turn off all notifications, but most people wouldn’t go that far. That’s the extent of camera configuration options within the ADT app.

The Google Home app (left-hand screenshot) takes full advantage of the Nest Cams’ facial recognition features, whereas the ADT app (middle and right-hand screenshots) only identifies people as a “face” and a “person.”

Michael Brown/Foundry

That means you’ll need to fire up the Google Home app if you want more—including such important Nest Aware features as facial recognition. The ADT app will only notify you that a person has come into one of the Nest cameras’ field of view or if a face has been detected. The Google Home app will let you know that person’s name (after you’ve initially identified them, of course).

From a security perspective, the ADT Smart Home Security System checks all the boxes: There’s a full complement of high-quality security and life-safety devices with professional monitoring to protect your family and your property. ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature that lets you give neighbors permission to disarm your security system to enter and check on your property is a great feature.

You can add or subtract from the components included in this review to either save some money up front or increase your home security profile. Taking the DIY installation option, meanwhile, will save you a significant amount of money up front. The monthly cost of professional monitoring, which is just a bit higher than what Vivint charges, won’t really change based on the components you install.

The ADT Smart Home Security System is also very good from a smart home perspective, but it’s not the best smart home system on the market. This is primarily due to its dependence on Google’s cameras and video doorbell. While we have high opinions of those products, as you can read in our reviews linked above, needing to juggle two different apps to manage your home security system is by no means a showstopper, but it’s not ideal. The absence of support for Amazon’s Alexa, on the other hand, could be for some. The presence of a Z-Wave radio in the ADT Base coupled with the fact that you can acquire non security-related  third-party Z-Wave components and install them yourself is a major plus.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart home systems.

Microsoft’s release of its Limited Edition Crocs has moved out of beta and into general release, the company said Friday. The $79.95 Crocs are now available in several sizes.

Originally, Microsoft had made the Limited Edition Crocs available in October, timed with the company’s 50th anniversary celebration. The “shoes” were originally made available as part of a Microsoft-sponsored sweepstakes. However, the footwear has now become a viral hit of sorts.

“Based on the incredible response and positive engagement across social media, we’re thrilled to share that the Microsoft Limited Edition Crocs Bundle officially drops globally beginning today,” the company said in an updated blog post.

The Crocs ship in a Windows XP-inspired theme. It’s based upon the “Bliss” background, inspired by a photograph from Charles O’Rear taken just a few miles from my home. (Like Windows, the Sonoma, Calif. vista looks nothing like the original photograph.) They also include custom Jibbitz charms taken from Microsoft iconography, such as the mouse cursor. There’s even a Bliss-themed drawstring backpack, perfect for carrying them to your next gala or shindig.

Where can you buy such wonders? At Microsoft’s official merch site, where sizes are available from a women’s 4/men’s 2 all the way up to a women’s 19/men’s 17.

While I have actually purchased several Microsoft’s Windows ugly sweaters with my own hard-earned cash, for me the Crocs are a step too far — I’m well into the “New Balance” era of my life. But if you’re a hip influencer, perhaps you can grab one before they’re gone.

While older computers and storage drives might still use the common SATA or the older PCIe 3.0 interfaces to sling your bits of data around, more recent computing equipment typically supports the far faster PCIe 4.0 protocol. If you’re really lucky (or spent a lot of money), you might even have faster PCIe 5.0. But that’s a subject for another roundup.

We’ve tested nearly three dozen PCIe 4.0 SSDs and our list includes the best of the bunch for various needs. Whether you want to upgrade, or add more storage to your PCIe 4.0 computer, there’s an SSD for you. Read on to learn more, including what to look for in PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Why you should trust PCWorld for PCIe 4.0 SSD reviews and buying advice: We’re not called PCWorld for nothing. Our reviewers have been testing PC hardware for decades. Our storage evaluations are exhaustive, testing the limits of every product — from performance benchmarks to the practicalities of regular use. As PC users ourselves, we know what makes a killer product stand out. Only the best SSDs have made our list of picks.

• Top-notch HMB performance
• Affordable
• Sexy name

• Slower random performance than DRAM designs

There can be a trade-off with HMB (host memory buffer) design SSDs, such as the SN7100. They are distinct for using the host system’s memory for primary caching duties, as opposed to packing their own DRAM. But while there may be some specific scenarios where DRAM drives excel over HMBs — such as in the writing of very large amounts of data — in the vast majority of applications, the two designs are very competitive and almost indistinguishable.

Among all HMB SSDs we’ve tested, we were flat-out wowed by the SN7100’s performance. The 2TB version that we looked at was the fastest such SSD that we’ve run through our gauntlet of benchmarks. And when it comes to price, compared to DRAM designs, it’s really no contest. Indeed, the SN7100 is close to $50 less than our previous pick, the Solidigm P44 Pro, for both the 1TB and 2TB capacities.

Combine that with an industry standard five-year warranty / 600TBW rating (terabytes that can be written) per TB, and you’re looking at probably the best PCIe 4.0 SSD for average users as well as gamers.

Read our full WD Black SN7100 NVMe SSD review

• Good everyday performance
• Very affordable
• Fastest NVMe SSD of any ilk we’ve tested writing 450GB

• Top performance requires HMB support

It’s true that the WD Blue SN5000 has a successor in the WD Blue SN5100, and that the newer drive does better in some tests, most markedly sustained throughput. But the SN5100 doesn’t outperform its predecessor in all tests. Indeed, given the close performance of the two drives, we’re still giving the nod to the SN5000 as our best budget pick, because when it comes to pricing, it’s the clear winner.

Case in point: a 1TB SN5000 can be had for $65 right now, while the SN5100 is $80 at the same capacity. In time we expect the prices for the latter to become more competitive, but until then, the SN5000 is the best value.

In our testing, the SN5000 ranked among the fastest Host Memory Buffer (HMB) SSDs we’ve tested. And unlike the SN580 before it, the SN5000 didn’t falter during the 450GB transfer test, ranking highly among all SSDs. Yes, you lose nothing in sequential performance these days with HMB.

Read our full WD Blue SN5000 NVMe SSD review

• Fastest 2230 SSD we’ve tested
• Available with up to 2TB of capacity

• Low TBW endurance rating

If you need a small form-factor, 2230 (22 mm wide, 30 mm long) NVMe SSD for your Steam Deck or other device, look no further than the Crucial P310. It’s the fastest 2230 SSD we’ve tested, and by a rather large margin.

The P310 bested our previous favorite 2230 drive — the WD Black SN770M — in every benchmark save for the 450GB transfer, where it lost steam (pun intended) at the 85 percent mark after running out of secondary cache. But transfers this large are rare for most users, and unheard of in a Steam Deck.

The P310 is a bit pricier than the SN770M, but only by a tad more than $10 in both the 1TB and 2TB offerings.

If optimum speed is what you’re after, and you don’t foresee regularly moving large amounts of data, the P310 is the 2230 ticket.

Read our full Crucial P310 NVMe SSD (2230) review

• Very good overall performance
• Excellent 4K performance
• Low-profile heatsink
• Twice the TBW rating of the competition

• A bit pricey
• No 4TB model

The Seagate Game Drive is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD aimed specifically at next-gen game consoles — the PS5 in particular. It doesn’t disappoint, with DRAM for primary caching duties, which is almost essential to wring top performance out of Sony’s console system. The PS5 doesn’t support HMB, so without DRAM you’re relying solely on an SSD’s slower secondary caching. The Game Drive ships in 1TB and 2TB capacities, so you’ll have plenty of space to store all of your games.

While the Seagate Game Drive is optimized for a PS5, it’s perfectly viable for any computer. It did remarkably well in our performance testing, earning the spot as the second-fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD to date with random ops. Seagate provides a generous five-year warranty with the drive and it has an astounding 1,275TBW rating—more than double the industry norm. PS5 owners simply can’t go wrong with the Seagate Game Drive.

Read our full Seagate Game Drive PS5 NVMe SSD review

• Direct fit for Lenovo 2242 M.2 slots
• Good performance
• Priced affordably

• Too long for 2230 slots

The Corsair MP600 Micro fills the niche of devices that can accommodate an SSD that’s larger than the 2230 form factor used by game consoles, but can’t accept a standard 2280 modules that are used in most PCs and laptops. We’re talking about the 2242 form factor — meaning 22mm wide by 42mm long.

Lenovo set off the 2242 trend with its Legion Go and Thinkpad portables and there are now some respectable options for storage upgrades — the best of which is the Corsair MP600 Micro.

The MP600 Micro isn’t the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive we’ve tested, but for its class of truncated drives, it churned out a very competitive test performance. Currently, you’ll only find the MP600 Micro in 1TB capacity. For shoppers who want more space, see the Crucial P310 above, which is a 2230 drive in up to 2TB — though it will require an adapter.

Read our full Corsair MP600 Micro 2242 SSD review

The Orico OS5 is marketed for the PS5, but uses a non-supported HMB design; the Lexar Play 2280 SE is an attractive and fast SSD sold exclusively through Costco, at least for now; the Teamgroup T-Create C47 stands out in super-long writes; the Lexar NQ780 makes a very good showing in a field of stiff competition; the Orico IG740-Pro is a fast enough, decently affordable SSD that ships with some nice-to-have extras; the PNY CS2342 is a 2230 small form-factor SSD sized for Steam Deck, which performs very well with light workloads; the Teamgroup MP44Q is a great everyday performer and a super bargain for the average user; the Addlink A93/S93 is a solid-performing PCIe 4.0, DRAM-less NVMe SSD that can save you a few bucks. But the A93 with its heatsink faces heavy competition from many similarly priced and often faster SSDs; the WD SN850X 8TB SSD is far faster than the previously tested 2TB version, but you pay a slight premium for it; the 990 EVO Plus is an update to Samsung’s 990 EVO hybrid drive that can use either the PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 interface — although the latter is limited to PCIe 4.0’s theoretical bandwidth; if you’re looking to stretch your SSD dollar, the T-Force G50 should be on your short list. It’s an inexpensive, solid performing PCIe 4.0 drive for everyday tasks; the Kingston NV3 is proof that DRAM-less drives — those use a Host Memory Buffer (HMB) as cache — can offer competitive performance, while also saving you some money; the Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 features a smaller form factor (22mm x 42mm) that was tailor-made for Lenovo’s Legion Go and Thinkpads — but it can also be used in a standard slot as well.

Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11, 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro which also runs the OS.

Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This can be less of a factor with the current crop of SSDs with far faster late-generation NAND.

Caveat: The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped and to the capacity tested. SSD performance can and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching. Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report, by all means, let us know.

To learn more about our testing methodology see PCWorld’s article on how we test internal SSDs.

Jon Jacobi was around when computing meant flipping switches, and has witnessed storage morph from punch cards and tape to solid state drives. He’s been using and testing HDDs, SATA SSDs, and NVMe SSDs for PCWorld for more than two decades. To paraphrase a well-known commercial, you might say he’s seen a thing or two.

There are a few things to look out for, but most importantly you’ll want to focus on capacity, price, and warranty length. Three-year warranties are standard with bargain drives, but nicer models are generally guaranteed for up to five years. And unlike the early days of SSDs and NAND, modern drives won’t wear out with normal consumer usage, as Tech Report tested and proved years ago with a grueling endurance test.

Another crucial thing to watch out for is the technology used to connect the SSD to your PC. For more details and buying advice you can read our in-depth guide on which type of SSD you should buy.

SATA: This older, slower technology is both a connection type and a transfer protocol, used to connect most 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and SSDs to your PC. SATA III speeds can hit roughly 600MBps, and most—but not all—modern drives max it out. (More on that in the next section.)

PCIe: This interface taps into four of your computer’s PCIe lanes and blows away SATA speed, to the tune of nearly 4GBps over PCIe gen 3 and well over 10GBps when you reach PCIe 5.0. The transport technology pairs nicely with the NVMe protocol (see the next entry) used by all modern M.2 PCIe SSDs. Both the PCIe slots in your motherboard and the M.2 slot in your motherboard are generally wired to support the PCIe interface, and you can buy adapters that allow you to employ “gumstick” (2280) M.2 drives in a PCIe slot. PCIe 4.0 drives are significantly faster, but require an AMD Ryzen 3000-series or Intel Core 11th-gen (or newer) processor, along with a compatible PCIe 4.0 motherboard.

NVMe: Non-Volatile Memory Express technology takes advantage of PCIe’s bountiful bandwidth and the unique properties of NAND to create blisteringly fast SSD performance. Check out PCWorld’s “Everything you need to know about NVMe” for a nitty-gritty deep-dive.

M.2: You might assume M.2 drives are PCIe/NVMe. You might not know, however, that before NVMe was a thing, some M.2 slots and SSDs were SATA. If you’re shopping to upgrade an older computer make sure which technology you need — NVMe or SATA.

mSATA and U.2: You may also stumble across mSATA in older equipment, and U.2 SSDs for enterprise-grade servers and the like, but consumer motherboard support is almost nil for the latter.

Speed matters, of course, but most modern SSDs, even the slower ones are ridiculously fast. Also, don’t overbuy. A PCIe SSD will only perform as fast as the generation of the device it’s installed in. In other words, don’t expect a PCIe 5.0 SSD to perform at its rated speed on a PCIe 3.0 computer.

Speaking of which, you can expect roughly 3.5GBps max from PCIe 3.0, 7.5GBps max from PCIe 4.0, and somewhere just north of 12GBps with PCIe 5.0 under optimal conditions — i.e., using benchmarks or software that supports NVMe’s multiple queues. Single-queue Windows limits all flavors to under 4GBps during normal transfers. Again, don’t overbuy in terms of performance.

PCWorld’s top pick for a PCIe 4.0 SSD is the WD Black SN7100. It comes in up to 4TB of capacity. The 2TB version that we tested was the fastest overall in our benchmarks. Because the drive uses a host memory buffer design for cache, as opposed to onboard DRAM, it’s competitively priced, making it an excellent price-to-performance value.

The best cheap SSD in our view is the WD Blue SN5000, followed closely by Kingston’s NV3. Both of these PCIe 4.0 SSDs are fast, and very affordable. However, when it comes to PCIe 5.0, the PNY CS2150 is your bargain choice.

Essentially, gaming consoles are computers so the same SSDs that are best for PCs are the also best for gaming consoles. That said, the excellent performance and super-generous TBW rating of Seagate’s Game Drive PS5 SSD makes it our current choice. The DRAM design (which uses onboard memory for secondary caching) results in class-leading random ops performance, as well a full compatibility with PS5.

If you want the best guarantees look to Seagate. Samsung and WD are also long-standing favorites with well-earned reputations for quality products.

That said,nearly all the second-tier vendors and even some of the top-tier companies use the highly competent industry bigwig Phison for their SSD designs. In other words, there aren’t any real dogs among relatively well-known SSD sellers.

SSDs are excellent for long-term storage, though that depends on what you consider long term. Theoretically, the NAND memory cells, which are voltage traps, could leak over time and become unreadable, but in the decade or so that SSDs have been in heavy use, we’ve not seen this type of degradation. Short answer, a couple of decades, yes; a couple of millennia, perhaps not.

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When MS-DOS 5.0 was launched in 1991, one of its major innovations was the MS-DOS Editor, a classic text editor that quickly became popular with users. These days, it’s old news—yet fondly remembered.

This past summer, we saw the launch of Windows Edit, a new version of MS-DOS Editor which runs in the command line and offers support for Unicode. The 300 KB file limit has been removed, which means you can now handle gigabyte-sized files with Edit if desired.

The latest news is that Edit will soon be the default text editor in the Windows 11 Command Prompt, as noted by Windows Latest. If you want to try Edit now, you can download the program via GitHub.

Edit is open source software and written in the Rust programming language. You don’t have to be running Windows to use the text editor; it works just as well on macOS and Linux.

Microsoft really wants you to use Copilot, its branded AI platform. In fact, Microsoft wants you to use Copilot so much that it’s fine if you want to use it on Google services, like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Calendar. A new Windows Insider update facilitates that. Are you excited? Don’t everybody jump up at once.

According to the Windows Insider Blog, the latest version of the Copilot app on Windows can now connect to Google personal services to scan their contents. A Google account connected can let Copilot search through and analyze (at least) Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Contacts. You can also use this third-party connection to let it access other Microsoft accounts beyond your primary one, so it can get into OneDrive and Outlook on another account too.

The main idea here is natural language search and analysis. For example, you can ask, “What’s the email address for Sarah,” assuming you only know one Sarah and that Copilot understands the context. But if you’re inclined to do that and you need information that’s in your Google account and not your Microsoft account… why wouldn’t you just use Gemini, which is Google’s flavor of the same thing? It’s available right in the browser, no extra legwork required.

Possibly more useful (and less alarming) is a new document creation tool. The Windows Copilot app can now adapt a conversation into a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint slide deck, or PDF, and export it. Both features are available via the Insider channel on the Microsoft Store, though they might not be turned on right away for all users.

Under normal circumstances, Instagram asks you to log in to view posts, especially ones on private accounts. But there are ways to view content without your account, allowing you to remain anonymous. Here’s how to do it and what the limitations are.

Instagram only works in a web browser without registration. On the official iPhone or Android app, you’ll be forced to sign up right away. If you try using a mobile browser, you won’t get very far because Instagram will redirect you to the app.

The following functions are available in the web browser without an Instagram account:

• Access public profiles: You can directly access Instagram pages of celebrities, companies, or influencers as long as they’re not set to private. To do this, enter https://www.instagram.com/[profile name] in the address bar.
• View posts and comments: Open a post by right clicking “Open in new tab.” Initially, a login window will appear, but you can close it by clicking on the small X at the top. The prompt will then disappear, allowing you to read the post and comments as normal.
• Retrieve stories (with a diversion): Instagram blocks Stories if you don’t have an account, but you can view them anonymously through third-party websites or specialized viewers.

Not possible without an account:

• Upload your own content
• Like or comment on content
• Search for hashtags
• Send direct messages
• Follow private profiles

Picuki

Instagram Stories cannot be viewed directly without an account. If you wish to remain anonymous, you’ll have to switch to Instagram Story Viewers. These websites access public profiles via the Instagram interface and display story content–usually free, without registration, and right in your browser.

The best-known services include Dumpor, Picuki, and StoriesDown.

Important: The tools only work with public profiles. Stories from private accounts remain inaccessible, even through external viewers. Additionally, the copyrights always remain with the respective accounts.

You need an Instagram account to use features like posting, liking, or messaging. However, this doesn’t mean you have to reveal your identity. You can still remain anonymous with the following measures:

• Set your account to private: Only confirmed followers will see your posts and stories. This gives you full control over who gets access.
• Do not upload your own photos: Avoid pictures in which you or those around you are recognizable. Use symbols, landscapes, or neutral motifs instead.
• Choose a neutral user name: No real names, no initials, no date of birth. An inconspicuous nickname protects against inferences.
• Use an anonymous e-mail address: It’s best to create a new address for registration that’s not linked to private or professional data.
• No links to other accounts: Don’t link the Instagram account to Facebook, WhatsApp, or other platforms. Otherwise, cross-connections will immediately become visible.
• Deactivate all synchronizations: Don’t grant access to contacts or an address book when setting up. This keeps the account separate from your personal network.

With these steps, you can use a full Instagram account without others immediately knowing who’s behind it.

Virtual reality gaming is pretty dang cool, and I should know. But it’s not the easiest thing to get into, especially if you’re looking at a big bill just to try it out. Meta is the most popular option, still starting at $300, and prices for a dedicated PC headset are closer to $1000 USD. But one creator 3D-printed a headset with some basic parts for just $150…and he’ll show you how to do it, too.

CNCDan on YouTube (spotted by PCGamer) loves to dabble in hobby-style form factors like FPV drone piloting and racing simulators, both of which have a lot of overlap with headset and head-mounted displays. As it turns out, there are tons of semi-generic parts for this stuff on Aliexpress, including the crucial dual, high-resolution displays (one for each eye) that almost all VR headset designs use. Lenses, possibly adapted from the old Google Cardboard design, were easy to find.

The last complex element was the head tracking, which is complicated, but a problem that’s already solved. CNCDan popped in an existing open source system called Relativty [sic] VR that uses an Arduino board and an IMU (inertial measurement unit) sensor. A super-basic PCB with a bit of soldering keeps those two parts connected.

The rest of the project was a lot of product engineering, designing a headset case and housing for the screens, lenses, and electronics, focusing on adjustment options that isn’t available in some similar projects. Assembly isn’t exactly easy, but Dan’s instructions are straightforward, and there’s a surprisingly low amount of custom parts in the device itself. It’s just the main housing, two eye boxes and caps for the lenses, an IPD adjustment mechanism (which moves the boxes to accommodate different users’ eye positions), a front cover and bracket to hold the electronics. A face pad and a strap, lots of inserts and screws, and a few pieces of tape finish things off, with just HDMI for video and USB for power going to the gaming PC.

It’s an impressive project that shows a lot of amateur engineering skill, to say nothing of the confidence needed to tackle it. Dan says that the cheap eye displays aren’t great since they’re not quite up to the 90Hz spec at 1440p, and some especially large or small people might not be covered by the IPD spread. He released the 3D print files, links for hardware parts, and guides on GitHub so you can try it out yourself.

You may have heard about those emails from scammers who say they have nude photos of you and try to get you to pay money to prevent their release. For a long time, those emails were just that: scams.

But now there’s a real threat. A new malware called Stealerium apparently knows when you’re viewing pornographic material in your browser and automatically takes snapshots of what you’re viewing and webcam photos of you in that moment. The malware then sends those recordings to cybercriminals who use them for blackmail.

Security researchers at Proofpoint have analyzed the malware and warn of a new escalation level in these so-called “sextortion attacks.”

The Stealerium malware is spread via phishing emails that look deceptively genuine. The attackers disguise their emails as messages from reputable organizations (e.g., banks, streaming services, charities) and encourage recipients to open attachments or click on links.

These phishing emails take the usual scare tactics, generating a sense of urgency with subject lines “Payment Due,” “Court Summons,” and “Donation Invoice.” When you open said emails, the hope is you’re so alarmed that you’ve let down your guard, making it more likely that you’ll download attachments and/or click malicious links and buttons.

What makes Stealerium even more worrying is that its source code has been freely available on the internet via GitHub for years, allegedly for educational purposes. However, it’s only in recent months that Stealerium has been increasingly used in real-world attacks.

Once infected, Stealerium exhaustively searches the PC for sensitive data, including passwords, credit card information, chat logs, and cryptocurrency accounts. Stealerium also monitors browser windows and recognizes certain keywords that you type.

With that latter function, Stealerium can recognize porn activity by detecting entries such as “porn” or “sex.” As soon as such content is detected, Stealerium takes screenshots of the content as well as photo snapshots using a webcam (if available). These files are then sent to the perpetrators via services like Discord, Telegram, or email.

Unlike a lot of extortion-based malware, which tend to attack companies and large organizations, the form of blackmail used by Stealerium specifically targets private individuals.

These scammers bank on the shame that their victims face, hoping it’ll be enough to extract payment out of them. Many who end up targeted by these sextortion attacks are afraid to report the crimes because they don’t want to explain how they got into the mess in the first place.

That’s exactly what these attackers are counting on. This inhibition threshold makes private users easy prey and explains why attacks like Stealerium are currently on the rise. The risk of detection is relatively low, and even small amounts of money can add up with lots of victims.

Unfortunately, everyone is at risk of sextortion attacks. Phishing scams can be easily automated and blasted out to millions of potential targets every day. No one is completely immune.

The most important way to protect yourself against Stealerium is to be extra, extra, extra careful when reading emails. Never download any attachments and never click on any links or buttons unless you’re 100 percent sure it’s safe. Even then, you’d be safer to never do it ever. Instead, manually type website URLs into your browser’s address bar instead of clicking, and double-check with senders (using a communication method other than email) for attachments.

It also helps to physically cover your webcam when it isn’t in use. Many laptops already have integrated sliders for their built-in webcams, and many external webcams also come with privacy covers now. If yours doesn’t have one, you can retrofit a webcam cover for cheap, or you can just put a sticker over your webcam.

Also, stay on top of regular software updates for your operating system, web browser, and antivirus software. This will help patch the latest known security vulnerabilities and attack vectors. If you don’t have antivirus yet, check out our top picks for PC antivirus software.

• Simple design with good build quality
• Lots of physical connectivity
• Great GPU and game performance for the price

• Moderate CPU performance
• Lacks latest connectivity such as Wi-Fi 7, USB4, etc
• Disappointing motion clarity from 144Hz display
• Short battery life

The Lenovo LOQ 15 is effectively a portable RTX 5060 graphics card. Its game performance is a good value for its current sale price, but a few flaws drag down the laptop experience.

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$809.99

Budget gaming laptops are in a pickle. Gamers often expect them at a price around $1,000 or less, but between rising GPU prices and internal trade wars, shipping a laptop with discrete graphics for under $1,000 isn’t easy.

The result is laptops like the Lenovo LOQ 15. It’s successful in delivering solid game performance for the price, but Lenovo cuts a lot of corners to make that possible.

The Lenovo LOQ 15’s specifications feel built around the Nvidia RTX 5060, which takes center stage. The AMD Ryzen 7 250 is an acceptable processor, but based on the older Zen 4 architecture, which has consequences when it comes to performance.

• Model number: 15AHP10
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 250
• Memory: 16GB DDR5-5600
• Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB (115W TGP)
• NPU: Up to 16 TOPS
• Display: 15.6-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS with 144Hz refresh rate, G-Sync
• Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 solid state drive
• Webcam: 5MP with electronic privacy shutter
• Connectivity: 3x USB-A, 1x USB-C with 100 watts of Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack, 1x barrel plug power adapter
• Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
• Biometrics: None
• Battery capacity: 60 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 14.17 x 10.19 x 0.94 inches
• Weight: 5.29 pounds
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Price: $809.99

The laptop also sticks with just 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid state drive, both of which are really the bare minimum for a gaming laptop in 2025, regardless of price.

At least the price is attractive. Although it carries an MSRP of $1,299.99, it’s currently sold for $809.99 through Lenovo’s website. Lenovo offers an upgrade to 32GB for $65, and an upgrade to 1TB of solid state storage for $60. The SSD upgrade is a must-have.

Lenovo offers a variety of alternative LOQ 15 configurations, new and old, so pay close attention to the specifications of any model before you buy. This review covers the late 2025 LOQ 15 model 15AHP10.

It’s successful in delivering solid game performance for the price, but Lenovo cuts a lot of corners to make that possible.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Lenovo’s PC gaming sub-brand, Legion, has earned a solid reputation in recent years—but the LOQ 15 isn’t part of it. Or is it? Keen-eyed gamers might notice the LOQ logo shares the same stylized “O” found in the Legion logo.

In any case, the LOQ 15 definitely lacks the attractive design of Lenovo’s Legion laptops. It’s instead a simple gray machine with minimal branding. If Lenovo swapped the branding to IdeaPad and sold it as a budget desktop replacement, well, I don’t think anyone would bat an eye. All of which is to say: the laptop looks a bit drab.

Functionally, it’s about what anyone would expect from a 15-inch desktop replacement. It’s a thick machine, measuring up to 0.94 inches in profile, and it weighs in at 5.29 pounds. It’s only 14 inches wide and 10 inches deep, however, which are common dimensions for a 15- or 16-inch machine. As a result, the laptop fits snugly in my backpack’s laptop compartment.

Build quality is adequate. Faux-metallic plastic is the material of choice. The chassis is reasonably rigid but some flex can be found along the keyboard, as well as when opening or closing the display. It’s good enough for a budget machine, but it doesn’t stand out.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Keyboard quality is often a highlight for Lenovo’s laptops, but the LOQ 15’s keyboard didn’t leave the usual positive impression. I think the amount of key travel is fine, but the bottoming action felt more subtle than other recent Lenovo laptops. I’d like both tactile and audible feedback. If you like a quiet keyboard, though, you might enjoy it.

While the key action wasn’t my preference, the keyboard layout is a positive. Lenovo squeezes in a keyboard with a numpad. Despite that, the primary alphanumeric keys are generally large, while the numpad keys are slimmer than usual. The keyboard also provides oversized arrow keys, which I think is a good move for a gaming laptop.

As with most budget gaming laptops, the touchpad is just sort of… there. It measures about 4.5 inches wide and three inches deep, which isn’t large for a 15-inch laptop. And while the surface is responsive enough, it feels inexpensive. The touchpad provides a physical mouse action, but it’s shallow and seems hollow.

With that said, these downsides are common for a budget gaming laptop. PC games are often played with an external mouse, so the touchpad becomes less of a priority.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

The Lenovo LOQ 15 ships with a 15.6-inch 1080p IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate. And honestly? It’s a bit of a disaster.

See, there’s one specification that stands out as rather odd on Lenovo’s website. It lists “25ms.” No context is provided, but I expect this is meant to be the panel’s pixel response time. And when it comes to pixel response times, well, 25 milliseconds may as well be an eternity.

And here’s the real problem: this specification wasn’t my first indication that the panel was a problem. Instead, I noticed something was fishy while moving windows around the display on the Windows desktop. Normally, a 144Hz IPS panel will look crisp in motion. But on the LOQ 15 I noticed huge, smeary trails following text and icons. I noticed a similar issue in games, which invariably looked more like a 60Hz panel (or perhaps even worse) than a 144Hz display.

That’s a big problem. It would be reasonable, of course, to expect even a budget gaming laptop to ship with a display that’s good for gaming. But that’s not what I saw from the LOQ 15.

But hey, at least the display supports Nvidia G-Sync. So that’s something.

Motion performance aside, the IPS panel is otherwise a typical example of the breed. Color performance is decent, but the contrast ratio is low due to the display’s inability to reach a true, inky black level. Because of that, the display is a better choice for bright, colorful games than for darker, more atmospheric content. The display is also rather dim even at maximum brightness, so it’s uncomfortable to use in a brightly lit room.

Audio, meanwhile, is delivered by a pair of two-watt speakers. They’re not going to impress but do manage to provide a healthy maximum volume and reasonable clarity in most situations. They will become muddy and harsh when listening to music at high volumes but they’re fine for games where audio presentation isn’t as critical.  

There’s not a lot to say about the Lenovo LOQ 15’s webcam and microphone. It ships with a 5MP webcam that offers acceptable image quality for Zoom calls, but it’s nothing special. The same can be said of the dual-array microphone, which is fine but doesn’t stand out. An electronic privacy shutter is available.

Biometrics, on the other hand, are no-go. That’s typical for a budget gaming laptop, but something you’ll typically find if you spring for an alternative priced around $1,000 and above.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

The Lenovo LOQ 15 has a lot of connectivity. It includes three USB-A ports, one USB-C port with Power Delivery and DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet (RJ-45), and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. Power is delivered over a barrel-plug connector. This is a wide range of connectivity that can handle most situations. An SD card reader is the only option notably missing, but SD card readers aren’t common on gaming laptops.

However, the available connectivity is basic in terms of technical specifications. The USB-A ports all support USB 3.2 Gen 1 with 5Gbps data speeds. The USB-C port is USB 3.2 Gen 2 with 10Gbps of data. There’s no Thunderbolt and no high-data-rate USB. Also, the USB-C port’s Power Delivery only reaches 100 watts, which isn’t enough to fully power the laptop at load.

To be fair, this is all more-or-less the norm for a budget gaming laptop. It’s not reasonable to expect cutting edge connectivity in a laptop that has Nvidia discrete graphics, yet retails under $1,000.

The LOQ 15 also sticks to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 is the latest standard, and many laptops support it, while budget machines often get by with Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6 is a much older standard at this point and it lacks the high-speed 6GHz band that was introduced with Wi-Fi 6E.

The Lenovo LOQ 15’s internals pair an AMD Ryzen 7 250 processor with Nvidia’s RTX 5060 discrete graphics. The Ryzen 7 250 is an eight-core, 16-thread processor with a maximum clock speed of 5.1GHz. The RTX 5060, meanwhile, has 8GB of VRAM and a maximum graphics power of 115 watts. This core duo is flanked by 16GB of DDR5-5600 memory and 512GB of solid state storage.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

First up is PCMark 10, and you might notice something odd about the results. The LOQ 15 actually crashed mid-way through the benchmark, at the moment the Nvidia GPU had to be engaged, despite efforts to adjust settings (like turning off Nvidia Optimus and G-Sync) to smooth things over. This is not a novel issue for the LOQ 15. PCWorld reviews have, on rare occasions, run into issues with PCMark 10 failing to finish a benchmark run for opaque reasons.

Still, the Lenovo LOQ 15 did report Productivity a score for the Essentails portion of the benchmark, which is the first half, and PCWorld has records of those scores posted by other laptops. So, that is what you see above.

And, truth be told, it’s not too exciting. The Essentials tasks—which include web browsing and video conferencing—are important, but not exactly difficult for a modern Windows gaming laptop.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Let’s move on to a more illuminating benchmark: Cinebench 2024. This is a heavily multi-threaded CPU test that benefits from lots of high-performance cores. The AMD Ryzen 7 250 has just eight cores, however—which isn’t all that many in 2025. On top of that, the Ryzen 7 250 is based on the Zen 4 processor architecture, not AMD’s newer Zen 5.

The Cinebench 2024 results suffer as a result. The multi-core score of 818 isn’t terrible but, when compared to a range of gaming laptops, it’s certainly towards the lower end of what’s available.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Next up is Handbrake, a program that can transcode a variety of video formats. We use it to convert a feature length film from .MP4 to .MKV format, a task which takes roughly six minutes on the Lenovo LOQ 15. That once again is towards the higher end of what’s available from a modern gaming laptop. However, the Ryzen 7 250 is competitive with Intel Core 7 chips like the Core 7 240H, as well as older hardware like the Intel Core i7-13650HX.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

It’s clear the Ryzen 7 250, though a decent performer for a budget gaming laptop, isn’t going to set records. But what about the Nvidia RTX 5060 mobile? It’s arguably the most important piece of silicon in the laptop, as it contributes the most to game performance.

3DMark Fire Strike returned a score of 11,779, while Port Royale (a ray traced benchmark) reported a score of 7,529.

These results are a bit of a mix. On the plus side, the Lenovo LOQ 15 provides good performance for an RTX 5060 laptop. The RTX 5060 also posts modest but noticeable improvements in both benchmarks.

On the other hand, though, the RTX 5060’s gain over the RTX 4060 is slim for a new generation of hardware. It’s there, but it’s slim.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Moving on to real games, we first come to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and an older title most modern gaming laptops can handle with ease. The LOQ 15 is no exception, as it averaged 118 frames per second at 1080p and the Highest detail setting.

The LOQ 15’s score is unremarkable for a gaming laptop with RTX 5060, though. Perhaps we’re looking at a CPU bottleneck, as the competitive systems that score better in this game also beat the LOQ 15 in CPU benchmarks.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

Metro Exodus is also an older title, but one that’s still difficult for modern laptops to run at the Extreme detail preset. Here, the LOQ 15 managed to reach an average of 49 frames per second, which is a solid result. The Alienware 16 Aurora with RTX 5060 isn’t nearly as quick.

The LOQ 15 with RTX 5060 also has a commanding lead over older RTX 4060 laptops, which cluster around 40 FPS on average.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

We wrap things up with Cyberpunk 2077. Though the game has a reputation for demanding system requirements, the LOQ 15 didn’t have much trouble, as it managed to reach an average of 91 frames per second at 1080p and the Ultra preset without ray tracing.

The system-slaying Overdrive preset tanked performance down to just 17 FPS. But that’s hardly a surprise, as even RTX 5080 laptops barely nudge over 30 FPS at that preset.

It should be noted that games with DLSS 4, like Cyberpunk 2077, can reach much better performance with DLSS 4 and frame generation engaged. For example, the LOQ 15 averaged only 36 FPS at Ultra when ray tracing was turned on—but DLSS 4 with 2x Frame Gen boosted performance to 99 FPS.

One final hardware concern worth mentioning is the laptop’s 16GB of RAM and 512GB of solid state storage. The RAM should be enough for most modern titles, but it doesn’t leave much room for future-proofing. The 512GB SSD, on the other hand, is already borderline unusable for a gaming laptop. Just three or four modern games, like Fortnite or Call of Duty, will fill up the drive. You’ll need an external SSD or a high-speed Internet connection that makes installing and un-installing digitally owned titles less painful.

The LOQ 15’s lower price forces a concession in battery life. It provides just 60 watt-hours of capacity. That’s not a lot of capacity for a gaming laptop—or any modern Windows laptop, really. The HP Victus 15 has a 70 watt-hour battery, for example, and the Dell G15 has an 86 watt-hour battery.

On the plus side, the LOQ 15 supports Nvidia Optimus switchable graphics. That means the Nvidia RTX 5060 can be turned off in favor of the integrated AMD Radeon graphics in less demanding situations.

Foundry / Matthew Smith

I measured just over five hours of battery life in our standard battery test, which loops a 4K clip of the short film Tears of Steel. That’s not a lengthy result.

With that said, however, it’s about what I would expect from a modern gaming laptop. As the graph shows, some competitors that have larger batteries turn in even less appealing results.

The Lenovo LOQ 15 could be a decent budget gaming pick if not for one serious issue: the display. I noticed serious ghosting and blurring while using the laptop. This was an issue both in-game and also on the Windows desktop. It’s a shame, because the LOQ 15’s performance level is respectable for its price tag, but I can’t recommend the laptop unless you don’t want to use the included display and instead intend to use the laptop with an external monitor.

Indeed, I think that’s arguably the one appealing use case for the LOQ 15. You could just use it as a portable RTX 5060. At $809.99, the LOQ 15 isn’t that much more expensive than a desktop RTX 5060 paired with a PCIe dock and power supply, and it’s way easier to travel with, or even move around your house.

Gamers should also be aware that though the LOQ 15 is inexpensive, you arguably get more value if you can spend around $1,000 to $1,200. For example, the Lenovo Legion 5 with an AMD Ryzen 7 260, Nvidia RTX 5060, OLED display, and 512GB SSD can be had for $1,150, or $1,215 with a 1TB solid state drive. A $350 to $400 price leap is nothing to scoff at, but a laptop like the Legion 5 is a far more well-rounded system that should keep you happy a few years longer than the LOQ 15, making the higher price worthwhile if you can stretch your budget.

Let’s face it: your home office probably deserves a lot more love than you give it. But who has the time (or funds) to deck out a home office as it deserves? Well, one thing you can do without breaking the bank is replace that clunky traditional power strip with a much better one like this Anker 8-in-1 USB charging station—and now’s a great time to grab one because it’s on sale for $19.99 (was $25.99) on Amazon.

This charging station features four three-prong AC outlets oriented in opposite directions so your bulky plugs don’t get in the way of each other. And you know how all your USB power adapters take up so much room on your power strip? This solves that problem with built-in USB ports along the bottom edge—two USB-C, two USB-A—so those AC outlets can be reserved for importance stuff (like monitors).

As far as power, the main USB-C maxes out at 20W, the secondary USB-C at 15W, and the USB-A ports at 12W. When multiple ports are used at the same time, they typically max out around 15W shared (except for the USB-As, which max out at 12W shared). While that’s far from “super fast” charging speeds, it’s still plenty speedy for a budget-friendly charging station that’s meant to be used while you’re at home for a while.

I also love this charging station’s flat profile—measuring 4.72 x 3.15 inches and only 0.71 inches thick—and the AC outlets recess when you aren’t using them, so the whole thing takes up less space than your typical power strip and feels quite sleek. The power cord is 5 feet long so you can position it almost anywhere, and the end plug is flat and angled so you can easily reach it behind furniture hassle-free.

You can’t go wrong with this, especially at this price. Get this 8-in-1 Anker charging station for just $19.99 before this killer deal expires!

Even the best-made storage drives will stop working one day, even if you take good care of them. Yes, it’s true that hard drives and SSD don’t last forever. Unlike hard drives that give audible warning signs that they’re on their last legs, SSDs can fail at a moment’s notice without any kind of overt sign.

Sometimes you can notice the signs of a failing SSD. For instance, the once-quick transfer speed slows to crawl, there are frequent program or system crashes, or file system access errors or SMART errors occur. If you notice these things, especially in combination, there’s a good chance your SSD is on its way out. In that case, it’s time to prepare for the worst and do the following:

It goes without saying that the first thing you’ll want to do if you think your SSD is on the blink is to back up your critical data. Backups should be done regularly anyway, but even if you’re doing that, you’ll still want to make a new backup of your critical files at this point to have them ready to go should your SSD suddenly die.

See our roundups of the best Windows backup software and best online backup to learn our recommendations.

Once you’ve backed up everything, you’ll want to run some diagnostics to confirm that the SSD has problems. CrystalDiskInfo is a helpful free utility that can provide insight into your SSD’s health. We wrote a guide about how to use it that’s worth checking out.

You should also try running these commands at the command prompt: wmic diskdrive get status and wmic / namespace:\root\wmi path MSStorageDriver_FailurePredictStatus.

If the failure predict status is False, then no issues were found with the drive. If True, then you have some issues associated with the drive.

If you have your manufacturer’s SSD utility, you can also run that to get SMART data and for guidance on what to do if issues are found.

Dominic Bayley / Foundry

If you’ve found some errors, it doesn’t necessarily mean the drive is about to fail. There are some fixes you should try before you write off the issue as being too big to fix. Try reinstalling the driver or searching for a firmware update. Glitchy firmware can appear like a failing drive and updating it can often resolve those issues.

Additionally, try checking the SSD for bad sectors. To do that, at an Administrator command prompt type: chkdsk /f /r /x [drive letter]. But ensure your data is backed up before you try this.

If you’re still having issues, it’s probably confirmation that your SSD is on its last legs. You should contact the SSD manufacturer for troubleshooting advice and to fulfill the terms of the warranty for a replacement. You might also like to try a soft reboot of your SSD using the power cycle method. That’s only likely to be a temporary fix, so again, a backup is recommended.

Acer/Amazon

Ideally, you’ll want to source a replacement before the drive dies, so that you are ready with a backup and don’t lose any data.

You’ll also want a drive of the same or similar capacity to have the same level of functionality as you had before. If you intend on buying the same brand and model SSD, be sure you’re not just buying another problem — a replica with an inherent manufacturer fault.

As a rule, you should try to get a longer warranty period in a replacement to ensure you have something to fall back on should your new SSD start to die.

See our roundup of the best SSDs for recommendations.

• Benchmark your SSD: These free tools do it all
• No, Windows isn’t wrecking SSDs. But these mistakes will kill your drive
• 8 mistakes that will kill your SSD early
• How long does an SSD last? It’s a tricky question to answer

It’s that spooky time of the year again! Amazon knows just how much we all love Tim Burton’s cult classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas, so it’s bringing back the Jack Skellington Echo Dot and Sally Echo Dot bundles. The best part? They’re 28% off, meaning you can grab each one for just $64.98 (was $89.98). Or get both for $129.96!

These are full-blown 5th-gen Echo Dot smart speakers with limited-edition themed covers, meaning you can take them off once the holiday season is over and use these Echo Dots like normal. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing the Jack Skellington cover, but it is the first time we’re seeing Sally! And she’s looking just gorgeous.

Echo Dots have improved a lot over the years, and these are the latest model so you’re getting crisp vocals, impressive bass, and overall great audio performance. Alexa integration makes it easy to play music, search the web, control other smart home devices, and more. (Learn more about why we recommend smart speakers as a first step for beginners!)

If you don’t have a smart speaker yet, this is a great opportunity. Don’t miss your chance to order the Jack Skellington Echo Dot or Sally Echo Dot bundles for just $64.98 each—or both for $129.96.

Keeping yourself safe online can feel like an increasingly difficult challenge. One solution is to use a VPN to encrypt your data when online, but this isn’t as simple a fix as it first sounds. Here’s a quick guide on how to improve your online safety and make sure your data stays secure.

A Virtual Private Network is software that creates an encrypted ‘tunnel’ through which your data flows when using the internet. This makes it very hard for hackers to track your activities online or steal your data.

Getty

The idea of a free VPN might be tempting, and there are certainly some reputable examples available, but choosing the wrong one can open up you and your data to significant risks. For example, a recent academic paper entitled Hidden Links: Analyzing Secret Families of VPN apps found that groups of VPNs on the Google Play Store shared the same code and security vulnerabilities, making them easier targets for hackers. Security analysts Cyfirma also reported on malware masquerading as a free VPN which, once installed, would steal user data.

Another example from Koi Securities revealed that a popular free VPN Chrome extension was secretly taking screenshots of users’ activities that could then be uploaded to the company servers.

Free VPNs can often be data capped too, feature weaker encryption than premium products, and have fewer servers around the world. While it’s not true that all free VPNs are unsafe, there is a risk involved when signing up to one if you don’t know how it operates.

When it comes to security, you’ll want to use a VPN from a known and trusted brand. Norton is a name synonymous with data security, and its Norton VPN is built to continue that legacy.

Norton also runs a no-log policy, which has been audited multiple times by independent third parties, so none of your browsing activities are stored on its servers or seen by its staff. It also uses IP rotation and Double VPN technology to ensure your privacy when online. With over 100 locations across the world and a built-in ad blocker to speed up and simplify your browsing experience, Norton VPN not only makes your time online safer, it’s also more enjoyable as you’ll face less interruptions.

Getty

Don’t take the risk of using a free VPN that might watch what you do online. Instead, sign up to Norton VPN and get the peace of mind that comes with knowing your privacy and security have protection.

Subscriptions start at a low cost of £29.99 for the first year for the Norton VPN Standard plan that covers up to five devices, while Norton VPN Ultimate for available at £39.99, for the first year, covers up to ten devices, and also includes AI-powered scam detection, 50GB of cloud storage for Windows, as well as parental control tools.

Smartphone manufacturers have been omitting the power bricks (you know, the wall plug adapters for USB cables) from their packaging for a while now, and it can suck at times. The silver lining there is that you can grab yourself a much better, much faster one—and it won’t cost you all that much if you wait for a sale like this one.

Today, you can score this Baseus Enercore 100W charger block for 20% off on Amazon, bringing its price down from $59.99 to a more affordable $47.99. But that’s not all! With this special promotion, you can also get a fast 100W USB-C charging cable included for free. (That’s a $15 value!) On the promo page, add both products to your cart and you’ll see the discounts applied at checkout.

The Baseus Enercore is a wall plug adapter that delivers up to 100W of power, meaning it’s super fast at charging devices like phones, tablets, and earbuds, and it’s fast enough to work with most laptops as well. The charger block itself has a built-in retractable USB-C cable, which you can pull out and connect on demand, then push back in when you’re done. It’s really convenient, especially with its 2.6-foot length.

On top of the retractable USB-C cable, this charger block also has two other ports—one USB-C, one USB-A—that you can use to charge other devices. That’s up to three devices at once. (Note that the total 100W of charging power gets split up when multiple ports are being used. When used on their own, the retractable cable and the USB-C port both reach up to 100W max while the USB-A tops out at 22.5W.)

I also mentioned a free USB-C cable with your purchase, right? This Baseus promo tosses in a 3.3-foot 100W cable with a right-angle plug for free at checkout. You can never have too many cables on hand.

Don’t miss out on the chance to get this Baseus Enercore wall plug adapter with a free USB-C cable! Make sure to add the charger to your cart, then use the promo page to add the cable to your cart too.

I don’t use Microsoft Excel all that often, so it remains a bit of a mystery to me. I can enter text and create graphs and that’s basically it. That’s why I’ve set myself a goal to learn one new Excel trick every week.

This week, I’ve learned how to successfully copy data from a PDF table into a spreadsheet. It sounds easy and straightforward, but it’s not. The few times I’ve attempted this in the past were a disaster.

It turns out that I tried to do what most people do — that is, I tried to copy and paste directly from the PDF itself. But that just results in the text being copied over with formatting all askew. No, a better way to do it is to use Excel’s built-in data copying feature. Not only is it simple and easy to do, but the data will be copied over with perfect formatting as well.

• Open the PDF document and make a note of where the table with the data is located and the number designation for the table. For this exercise, I’m using a PDF of a review guide for a laptop I reviewed.
• Now open Microsoft Excel. Also open a new Excel document by selecting File > New > Blank Workbook.
• In the top menu of Excel select Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF.
• Browse your files and select the PDF with the table in it. Now select Import.
• Choose the table from the list that appears and click Load. The table you want will now load into the Excel document with perfect formatting.

Dominic Bayley / Foundry

I hope you’ve enjoyed adding an extra string to your Excel bow. That’s all for this tip. If you want more helpful tips like this one delivered to your inbox twice weekly, be sure to sign up to our PCWorld Try This newsletter.

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I never thought I’d think on laptops with envy. But here I am, writing these words.

It comes on the heels of Intel’s deep reveal of Panther Lake, which is what Adam, Will, and Mark were learning about last week. (Such is the super sekret life of tech journalists.)

Mark’s quick rundown of the facts is extensive, as overviews go—there’s just that many details to cover. I highly recommend reading his deep dive as well, but among the highlights: Three chip families represented by one 8-core and two 16-core processors, with a claim of 50 percent better multithreaded performance over previous generations. The top-tier 16-core CPUs pack juggernaut-level integrated graphics, including dedicated support for ray-tracing. Said integrated graphics take the form of Xe3 GPU cores touted as 50 percent faster on average compared to last gen. Multiframe generation support (yep, “fake frames”). 

Intel is also cramming in upgrades to the “image processing unit” in its integrated laptop processors to boost clarity and color fidelity of video during webcam calls. Inaccurate skin tones and grainy low-light calls should be less of a problem on a Panther Lake chip. But the feature I want in all chips, including desktop? Auracast, which not only lets you wirelessly play videos across two devices simultaneously, but also use the onboard Bluetooth radio to triangulate the location of a lost item—whether the laptop itself or a connected device, like earbuds.

So why the envy, when desktop could get Auracast (and likely will)? When kickass integrated graphics matter less, given the flexibility for discrete GPU support? When desktop processors outstrip performance on laptops?

Memory issues.

I mean of course the ominous reports of anticipated shortages and sharper rising costs for memory. In a recent interview, Phison’s CEO thought that demand from AI data centers for NAND-based products could create a dearth lasting as long as 10 years.

A whole-ass decade.

Blake Patterson

It’s not just NAND, either. DRAM is also expected to suffer from the same shortages and price hikes as demand skyrockets. (You can read Luke James’s excellent article over at Tom’s Hardware for more of a dive into the factors contributing to this bleak outlook.)

Here’s my thinking: CPUs and GPUs will continue to improve on desktop, yes. It’s likely features like Auracast will come to desktop processors, yes. But what good will that do me if I can’t afford to build a PC around those chips?

These days, I think of storage and memory as basic staples among hardware components—no different than the potatoes, rice, or bread of a meal. The idea of RAM and SSDs becoming both scarce and expensive makes me start to question what I can take for granted about desktop PCs and DIY building.

I wonder if interest in DIY building will slow a bit, due to the extra burden on budgets. If that will then lead to an equal slowdown in consumer CPU and GPU innovations. If that then increases the withdrawal from DIY building, leading vendors to pull back on the innovation and variety in cases, fans, and other such components.

I’m not predicting a death spiral, but I fear a period of dormancy that returns us to the mood and vibe of past eras—when desktop PCs were boring, bland, and not highly performant unless you had serious spare cash to drop.

For now, I’m preparing for austerity even as I look forward to seeing what else could come from Intel’s Panther Lake, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme, and future laptop processors. I love the idea of powerful mobile chips. I hate the idea that they could supplant desktop PCs as the only reasonable option for consumers.

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Will Smith, and special guest Edward Crisler, NA PR Manager at long-time GPU maker Sapphire Technology, discuss the current state of GPUs, including manufacturing challenges and benchmarking changes.

I should talk more about the actual episode here, but honestly, Ed always has great insights and you should definitely check out the whole conversation. More to the point, I’m still extremely preoccupied by the lollipop scorpions that Adam brought back as a souvenir for Willis.

Surely…that’s an HR violation? Isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be? (Willis, be careful!)

Willis Lai / Foundry

Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time!

Don’t miss out on our NEW shows too—you can catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition now! (Adam just dropped a new episode of Extra Edition related to Panther Lake!)

And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds.

Intel’s Panther Lake chips definitely made the biggest waves in tech news this week, but other interesting, quirky, and downright unsettling tidbits popped up, too. I’m predictably wary after reading a new report about AI models being easily corrupted, but balancing out the scales is a rather delightful DIY take from Google on a keyboard.

Also, we got word of it a few weeks ago, but now it’s time to bring out the bugle—AOL’s dial-up service is now officially dead. Rest in peace, old friend.

Google

• Expect Thread Director changes in Intel’s Panther Lake: Mark wasn’t the only one who dug deep into Panther Lake while at the press briefings in Arizona. Will took a dive with Intel Fellow Rajshree Chabukswar into the upcoming improvements Intel is making to Thread Director for Panther Lake, too.

• Xbox Game Pass site chokes as flood of gamers rush to unsubscribe: Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. (If you want to try to load up on the previous, more reasonable price for Ultimate while you still can, try these methods.)

• The only RAM config that PC gamers need? This advice from our colleagues over at PCWelt takes the pressure off to spend more to get better performance. But will the internet agree to a sensible take?

• AI can figure out conversations based on…mice vibrations: Right out of a spy novel. I hope I’m never a high-profile enough target for this. (Also, I guess this justifies my use of a crappy cheap mouse.)

• Keep it secret. Keep it safe: Google’s allowing end-to-end encrypted emails to be sent to non-Gmail recipients. It’s only available to Workspace users, but I like what it could mean for personal accounts down the road.

• You can play real Game Boy games in a LEGO Game Boy: My current favorite modder is back with this dope LEGO GameBoy tweak. I definitely smiled when I read about this and saw who was behind it.

• I’d try this rotary dial keyboard: It would be slow, yes. But I like what it could mean for accessibility options. (Though maybe voice typing is faster. Assuming it recognizes what you’re saying with any accuracy. And it’s not always necessarily as private as I’d like.)

• So it doesn’t take much to corrupt AI models: Cool cool cool.

• At least one Starlink satellite per day is falling and burning up: The good news is the debris won’t kill anyone. The bad news is that these occurences will contribute to global warming, which indirectly causes death worldwide.

• Microsoft keeps trying to kill off local accounts in Windows 11: I’m really grumpy about this. Seriously, Microsoft, who do you think is bothering to open the Command Prompt during setup? It sure isn’t most folks.

• ‘Interstellar interlopers’ makes a great band name: As always, much appreciation for the fine folks at Ars Technica, keeping the wonder and mystery of space alive for us all.

Catch you all next week—if I manage to escape the boxes I’ll be swimming in, after taking inventory of my October Amazon Prime Day purchases. None of it is exciting, but I’m excited that I got a good deal on “boring” stuff. Yeah, I’ve reached that age.

~Alaina

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.

If you’re looking for an affordable Windows machine under $500, a blazing fast gaming beast for those intense matches, or a portable 2-in-1 for school or work, you’ve got plenty of great choices right now. With Prime Day in full swing, there are tons of limited-time laptop deals worth checking out—and you can follow all of PCWorld’s Prime Day coverage for the best picks and updates.

Want to see even more? Take a peek at PCWorld’s list of the top laptops you can get right now.

Why you should trust us: 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.

Dell

Our top pick: Dell Inspiron 15, $349.99 ($280 off at Best Buy)

Looking for a budget laptop that doesn’t cut corner? The Dell Inspiron 15 is the one to spring for. The Intel Core i5-1334U processor keeps everyday work, streaming, and a pile of open tabs running smoothly, while the 8GB of RAM and 512GB SSD give you enough space for daily use. The 15.6-inch 1080p touchscreen is a nice bonus at this price and, at $419.99, it’s a straightforward deal that should last you a good while.

• HP 14 Laptop, Intel Celeron N4020 processor/14-inch 1366×768 display/4GB RAM/64GB storage, $171.95 ($58.04 off at Amazon)
• Dell Inspiron 15 3535, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $409.97 ($40.02 off at Amazon)

• Asus Vivobook 14, Intel Core i3-1315U processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $289 ($160.99 off at Best Buy)
• Acer Aspire Go 15, Intel Core 5 Series 1 1334U processor/15.3-inch 1920×1200 display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $299.99 ($300 off at Best Buy)
• Dell Inspiron 15, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $349.99 ($280 off at Best Buy)

• HP 17-cn0513nr, Intel Celeron N4500 processor/17.3-inch 1600×900 display/4GB RAM/256GB SSD, $409.99 ($20 off at Adorama)
• Asus Vivobook 14, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/14-inch 1920×1080/12GB RAM/256GB SSD, $449.99 ($100 off at Adorama)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, Intel Core i3-N305 processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $489.99 ($60 off at Adorama)

• Lenovo IdeaPad 1, Intel Celeron processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/20GB RAM/1TB SSD, $334 ($115 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, AMD Ryzen 5 5625U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $458 ($71 off at Newegg)
• Asus Vivobook 17, Intel Core i3-1215U processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/20GB RAM/1TB SSD, $459 ($310 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo IdeaPad 5, Snapdragon X Plus  processor/14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $485.99 ($114 off at Newegg)
• Asus Vivobook 15, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $499.99 ($200 off at Newegg)

HP

Our top pick: HP OmniBook X Flip, $799.99 ($200 off at Amazon)

If you want a laptop that feels way nicer than what you’re paying, the HP OmniBook X Flip on Amazon is the one to grab. It’s $799.99 right now (down $200), and you’re getting a big 16-inch 1200p screen, a snappy new Ryzen AI 5 chip, plus 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Translation: You’re getting plenty of power and you don’t have to worry about running out of space. Since it’s a 2-in-1, you can flip it around for tablet mode too, which is just a bonus at this price.

• Dell Inspiron 5441, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $610 ($189.99 off at Amazon)
• Asus Vivobook 14, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $638.99 ($111 off at Amazon)
• Samsung Galaxy Book4, Intel Core 7 150U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $650 ($49.99 off at Amazon)
• Microsoft Surface Laptop (2025), Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920×1280 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $729.99 ($170 off at Amazon)
• Apple 2025 MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $799 ($200 off at Amazon)
• HP OmniBook X Flip, AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $799.99 ($200 off at Amazon)

• HP OmniBook 5 Flip 2-in-1, Intel Core 7 Series 1 150U processor/14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($250 off at Best Buy)
• HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $699.99 ($400 off at Best Buy)
• Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $782 ($267.99 off at Best Buy)

• Asus Vivobook 14, Intel Core 5 120U processor/14-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($100 off at Adorama)
• HP OmniBook 5, Snapdragon X processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $699.99 ($175 off at Adorama)
• Asus Vivobook 16, AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $799.99 ($30 off at Adorama)

• Acer Aspire Go 15, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($270 off at Newegg)
• HP 17 Laptop, AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $599.99 ($200 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor/15.3-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $649.99 ($250 off at Newegg)

HP

Our top pick: HP Omen 17, $1,319.99 ($270 off at Best Buy)

Don’t want to settle for “good enough” but still want to save some cash? The HP Omen 17 strikes that balance. With an AMD Ryzen AI 7-350 processor and RTX 5050 graphics, you can crank up the graphics no problem. The 17-inch 1080p display gives you more real estate to game and multitask. And, with 16 GB of RAM, you can run Discord, Spotify, and a bunch of browser tabs all at once. Plus, the 512 GB SSD gives you enough space for your all of your essential files.

• HP Victus, AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor/RTX 2050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549 ($61 off at Amazon)
• Lenovo LOQ 15IRX10, Intel Core i5-13450HX processor/RTX 5050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $979 ($120 off at Amazon)
• Lenovo Legion 5i, Intel Core i7-14700HX processor/RTX 5060 graphics/15.1-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,498.99 ($500.01 off at Amazon)

• Lenovo LOQ, AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/12GB RAM/512GB SSD, $549.99 ($320 off at Best Buy)
• HP Victus, AMD Ryzen 7 7445H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $769 ($130.99 off at Best Buy)
• HP Omen 17, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor/RTX 5050 graphics/17-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,319.99 ($270 off at Best Buy)

• Asus ROG Strix G16, Intel Core i5-13450HX processor/RTX 5050 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,114.99 ($185 off at Adorama)
• HP Omen Transcend 16, Intel Core i7-14700HX processor/RTX 4070 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,899.99 ($120 off at Adorama)
• HP Omen Transcend, Intel Core i7-13700HX processor/RTX 4070 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $2,049.99 ($569.44 off at Adorama)

• MSI Cyborg, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $829.99 ($170 off at Newegg)
• Acer Nitro V, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor/RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $979.99 ($120 off at Newegg)
• Asus TUF Gaming A16, AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,379.99 ($320 off at Newegg)

MSI

Our top pick: MSI Summit A16 AI+, $1,049.99 ($650 off at Newegg)

Out of all the Newegg deals listed below, the MSI Summit A16 AI+ is one of the strongest picks. For $1,049.99 (a hefty $650 off), you’re getting AMD’s new Ryzen AI 9 365 processor paired with Radeon 880M graphics, a sharp 16-inch 2560×1600 touchscreen display, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. That’s a premium blend of performance, storage, and sleek design. It’s the perfect buy for creators, professionals, and power users.

• Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Plus processor/13.8-inch 2304×1536 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $929.99 ($270 off at Amazon)
• Apple MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $999 ($200 off at Amazon)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1, Snapdragon X Elite processor/13-inch 2880×1920 OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,069.99 ($430 off at Amazon)
• HP OmniBook 7, Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,149.99 ($140 off at Amazon)
• Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360, Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/16-inch 2880×1800 AMOLED display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($500 off at Amazon)
• Dell 14 Plus, Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor/14-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,239 ($160.99 off at Amazon)

• Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $919.99 ($230 off at Best Buy)
• HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 2 256V processor/16-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 ($50 off at Best Buy)
• MSI Prestige A16 AI+, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor/16-inch 3840×2400 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,206.16 ($193.83 off at Best Buy)
• Lenovo Yoga Book 9i 2-in-1, Intel Core Ultra 7 Series 1 155U processor/13.3-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,499.99 ($500 off at Best Buy)

• Lenovo Slim 7, Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 ($250 off at Adorama)
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12, Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor/14-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen display/32GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,649 ($600 off at Adorama)
• MSI Creator A16 AI+, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor/16-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,674.99 ($24.01 off at Adorama)

• MSI Summit A16 AI+, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor/16-inch 2560×1600 touchscreen display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 ($650 off at Newegg)
• MSI Prestige 16 AI+, Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor/16-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,249.99 ($300 off at Newegg)
• Asus Vivobook S 16 AI, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor/15.6-inch 2880×1620 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,349 ($220 off at Newegg)

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.

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.

You’ll likely find the best laptop deals during Prime Day (mid-July), Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), 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.

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.

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to an RTX 50-series gaming rig and you need to keep it portable, then you should really check out this Asus TUF Gaming A16 laptop that’s on sale at Best Buy. It’s got a powerful configuration that’s well worth it with this huge $350 discount, knocking it down to a much more affordable $1,349.99.

What’s under the hood here? A brand-new 2025-era AMD Ryzen 9 270 processor, a hefty 32GB of fast DDR5 RAM, and a speedy 1TB Gen 4 SSD that all come together to zip through any task you need to handle. It’ll boot up in a flash, won’t struggle with Windows 11, move enormous files in minutes, and run games as smoothly as butter. (It has two memory slots and can be expanded up to 64GB of RAM, by the way.)

And don’t forget that just-released Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card that future-proofs this laptop for several years at least. It unlocks Nvidia’s latest gaming features, including DLSS 4, and you’ll love how it plays on the 16-inch IPS screen with 1920×1200 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate and Nvidia G-Sync support.

It offers more connections than most modern laptops, too, with dual USB-A on the right side plus USB4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side. Use it for up to 10 hours on a single battery charge, and other nice bits include a 1080p webcam, backlit keyboard, and a CPU that qualifies it as a Copilot+ PC for AI features.

Best Buy has this listed as a “Techtober Deal” that ends on (or around) October 12th, so don’t miss it. Snag the Asus TUF Gaming A16 for just $1,349.99, this weekend only! Or if it isn’t the right laptop for your needs, look through our best gaming laptop picks for more options.