Personal Computers

On Friday, Microsoft released a pair of new builds to test new Windows 11 features, offering improved cloud search to Copilot+ PC owners, alongside a nifty new sharing and Start menu interface for Windows users in general.

Sometimes, Windows builds are a bit like a railyard, with tracks and switches and roundabouts. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.4950 (KB5052078) is headed to the Beta Channel, for those who skipped an earlier release at the end of January. Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3291 (KB5052080) is a separate, optional release headed to both the Beta and Dev Channels. Microsoft will make this second release a recommended one in the second half of the year, so the two builds will combine.

The Windows 11 26120.3291 build is the simpler addition, so let’s start there. In January, Microsoft began testing its semantic search option: allowing users to search by description, rather than filename. You can already sort of do this within the Photos app within Windows, where searching “beach” can return scenes from a summer vacation.

In much the same way, you can now search the cloud using similar descriptive terms. The new feature allows you to use Windows search to search the cloud, but also to perform that search using the search box on the Windows taskbar. Note that this feature is still confined to Qualcomm-powered Snapdragon PCs, not those powered by AMD or Intel.

Microsoft

The downside, however, is that Recall is also in the process of being upgraded, and any and all snapshots you’ve taken with Recall will be erased. Yes, you’ll have to start over. Microsoft isn’t saying what exactly in Recall is being upgraded, but your store of snapshots will temporarily go away.

The more advanced Windows Insider 22635.4950 build is testing two new features, one of which seems to be brand new: a new Share interface.

Sharing files on a Windows PC has always posed a problem: Should they be emailed? Uploaded to OneDrive? Shared locally using a USB key? Often, you’ve made that decision by right-clicking the file and then selecting from one or more options. A new sharing interface offers a drag-and-drop alternative.

The new sharing interface reminds me of Windows Snap: Normally, you drag your mouse to the top of the screen to choose from a number of options to subdivide your screen. The new Share mechanism works similarly: With the file selected by your mouse, you drag it to the top of your screen to select various options.

Microsoft

However, Microsoft is also adding new tweaks to the Start menu, which the company has shown off before.

You’ll be able to configure Start in a couple of ways: via a new grid view, organized alphabetically; as well as a new “categories” view. The first is pretty straightforward, and looks like just another tweak to the alphabetized “All” view already in place. The new Category view will auto-organize apps into different categories, based upon what Microsoft knows about the app and how frequently it’s used.

“We plan to begin rolling this out to Windows Insiders who are receiving updates based on Windows 11, version 24H2 in the Dev and Beta Channels soon,” Microsoft said.

Microsoft

As always, Microsoft doesn’t always deliver all of the new features right away, even if you subscribe to the Insider channels. Make sure you have the toggle turned on within Windows Update, to get the latest updates as they become available.

If you’ve been shopping around for a gaming laptop, do me a favor and pump the breaks–you’ve got to take a few things into consideration first. A powerful GPU is needed for keeping up with the latest games, but if you’re looking for the most cost-effective option, you can easily pick up a laptop with a budget GPU that will play 1080p at 30fps. The display should also have a high enough refresh rate to handle faster paced games, thus resulting in smoother motion and a clearer image.

If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t sweat it. Every laptop you see below has been tested by a member of the PCWorld team and we’ve checked everything from graphics performance and typing experience to connectivity options and display quality.

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 gaming laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget.

Pros

• Great GeForce RTX 4060 performance
• High-end CPU
• Solid build quality
• Nice cooling and vent positioning

Cons

• An RTX 4060 isn’t the fastest GPU
• Display is a little dim
• No fingerprint scanner or facial recognition hardware
• Battery life is on the low side

The Lenovo Legion 5i really has it all, which is why it’s a great choice for most gamers. It has powerful hardware, a spacious display, and diverse array of connectivity options–all for a reasonable price ($1,399 as tested). The Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU is lightning fast and the cooling system is surprisingly efficient. According to our review, the “laptop stays surprisingly cool and quiet throughout CPU benchmarks.” This is excellent because most gaming laptops sound like a space rocket on the verge of blasting off.

The RTX 4060 GPU offers solid performance in the graphics department well, running modern games with ease and hitting even higher speeds in games that support Nvidia’s DLSS technology. That said, laptops with RTX 4070 graphics perform better — but that’s a higher-tier graphics card. The Legion 5i is more much affordable than 4070 laptops, which is why it earns our recommendation.

The Lenovo Legion 5i is a great buy for just about anyone who doesn’t want to spend an insane amount for bleeding-edge gaming performance. It’s powerful enough to handle most games and you can expect a nice looking picture as well as smooth gameplay thanks to the 16-inch 2560×1600 165Hz IPS display. Other neat features include an 1080p webcam with an electronic shutter switch and a full-size keyboard with a number pad and four zones of LED lighting.

Alternative option: Alternatively, if you’re looking for even more firepower, the ROG Zephyrus G16 is a killer OLED-equipped laptop with RTX 4070, 4080, and 4090 options available.

Pros

• Top-of-the-line CPU and GPU
• Bright and beautiful display with HDR
• Liquid cooling works well
• Lots of well-positioned ports

Cons

• Expensive
• Low battery life
• No Wi-Fi 7
• No facial recognition

The Lenovo Legion 9i offers incredible performance as well as a high-quality display. If you’re after the ultimate gaming experience, you can’t really get much better than this machine — but it costs an arm and a leg. For roughly $4,059 (at the time of the review), you’re getting an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, a powerful combination that’ll chew through anything you throw at it. The 16-inch, 3200×2000 Mini-LED display can also deliver up to 1,200 nits of brightness, resulting in an “excellent HDR experience in games like Cyberpunk 2077,” according to our review.

Serious gamers with flexible budgets, that’s who. In addition to the powerful performance and stunning display, it’s also lightweight and cool to the touch, even under heavier loads. The one downside is the high price, so budget-conscious gamers will need to look elsewhere.

Alternative option: The Gigabyte Aorus 17X ($3,700) is another great gaming laptop to consider. Not only are you getting top-of-the-line hardware (an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU), you’re also getting a 17.3-inch, 2560×1440 IPS display with a ridiculously fast 240Hz refresh rate.

Pros

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

Cons

• Fully plastic build
• Mushy keyboard
• Weak battery life

The Acer Nitro V 16 offers good hardware for just under $1,000–full stop. Underneath the hood you’ll find an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, which is a good combination for playing games on the Medium or High graphics preset. The 1920×1200 IPS display is also quite large at 16 inches and has a refresh rate of 165Hz, which ideal for seamless gameplay. The battery life leaves little to be desired, though. It lasted four hours on a single charge, an anemic result compared to the Alienware m16 R2’s 11 hours. That said, it’s not a surprising result as gaming laptops typically have poor battery life.

Anyone looking for an affordable gaming laptop! The Acer Nitro V 16 is powerful enough to run most games and the fast, large display is perfect for twitchy gamers. The thing about the Nitro V 16 is that it’s all plastic. I wouldn’t say it’s cheaply made, but you can really tell it’s made of plastic, especially around the touchpad and cooling vents. It feels sturdy enough, though perhaps not as sturdy as a laptop made of metal. The Acer Nitro V 16 is still a good laptop despite the slight dip in quality (regarding the outside shell). The performance is strong and reliable, which is what you want in any gaming laptop.

Pros

• Compact and lightweight
• Gorgeous OLED screen
• Good performance for the price

Cons

• Keyboard is a bit mushy
• Annoying bloatware

The HP Omen Transcend 14 is a great machine because of its lightweight design (3.6 pounds!), stunning OLED display, and reliable performance for the price. Most gaming laptops tip the scales at around five pounds or more, so the fact that this machine is a little heavier than your standard ultraportable is downright impressive. In addition to its lightweight design, it also has an all-metal chassis, which means it’s rugged enough to handle the daily abuses of life. The hinge that connects the display to the keyboard deck also feels pretty solid. As for performance, it’s no slouch! Thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, it achieved a respectable 93 frames-per-second during the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark.

Anyone that likes to game on-the-go! It’s both lightweight and powerful, which is a rare combination when it comes to gaming laptops. Battery life is quite good, too. The HP Omen Transcend 14’s large 71 watt-hour battery lasted eight and a half hours on a single charge, which is impressive, as most gaming laptops tend to die at the four or five hour mark. The 14-inch 1800p OLED display is lovely as well. It has a maximum brightness level of 500 nits and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. According to our reviewer, who normally uses IPS displays on a day-to-day basis, “OLED displays like this one look incredibly beautiful” to him.

Alternative option: If you’re interested in an alternative option, check out the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs a scant 3.31 pounds, which is a little less than our current pick. Although it has a nice OLED screen, an exquisite and portable design, and packs a decent punch in the performance department, its ho-hum webcam lands it behind the HP Omen Transcend 14 here.

Pros

• Attractive design
• Excellent CPU performance
• Plenty of wired and wireless connectivity
• High resolution 1600p display

Cons

• Mediocre keyboard and touchpad
• Disappointing speakers and microphone
• Display falls behind in contrast and color vibrancy

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE offers reliable day-to-day performance as well as smooth cloud gaming gameplay, thanks in part to its fast, high-resolution display. Just so we’re clear–Chromebooks aren’t designed to run games locally, so you’ll need to be a member of a cloud gaming service like GeForce Now or Amazon Luna. Fortunately, this Chromebook has an Ethernet port, which scores major brownie ports as far as stable Internet connections go. Plus, compared to other budget Windows laptops, the $650 MSRP isn’t bad.

Connectivity options are good, too. You’re getting two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI, one Ethernet, and one 3.5mm combo audio. Additional goodies include a 1080p webcam, a 65 watt-hour battery, and a high refresh rate display (120Hz to be exact).

Anyone that wants to give cloud gaming a whirl on a reasonably priced Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE features strong day-to-day performance and, according to our review, “gameplay felt perfectly smooth” while playing on GeForce Now. That said, if you want to install and run games locally, or have a poor internet connection, one of the Windows-based budget gaming laptops above would be a better option.

• Asus Zenbook Duo: The second-generation Asus Zenbook Duo offers unparalleled multitasking prowess with its dual-screen configuration, but it’s hefty and expensive.
• Acer Chromebook Spin 312: The Acer Chromebook Spin 315 delivers reliable day-to-day performance as well as a comfortable typing experience, but there are a few things holding it back.
• Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro: The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro delivers incredible battery life, a beautiful display, and solid desktop performance. But for an extra $50, you could have this as a 2-in-1 machine with a bundled S Pen.
• Acer Swift 16 AI: The Acer Swift 16 AI is a capable machine with a big, beautiful screen, but its AI chops are still unproven.
• Lenovo Legion 5i: The Lenovo Legion 5i is a great value — a 16-inch gaming laptop with a screaming-fast CPU that also squeezes a surprising amount of performance from its GPU.

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. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them.

• PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on.
• HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file.
• Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time.
• 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips.
• Gaming tests: We benchmark each gaming laptop using several titles.
• Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.

For a much more detailed explanation, check out how PCWorld tests laptops.

While there’s no such thing as a perfect gaming laptop, you can always find one that fits your budget and lifestyle. Need an affordable, entry-level gaming laptop? First of all, the GPU is the most important aspect to consider. If you think of a game like a vehicle, then the GPU is its driver. You’ll also need a good amount of SSD storage for your games library as well as a high refresh rate display, which keeps visuals looking nice and smooth.

For additional reading, be sure to check out this comprehensive guide on the gaming laptop features that matter most. If you’re on a strict budget, then you should dive into this piece about what a $1,000 gaming laptop really gets you. Otherwise, our FAQ below dives deep into several component considerations for gaming laptops

When you buy a gaming laptop, one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make regards the screen. After all, what you get on day one is what you’re stuck with until you junk the device. You could run an external monitor but then, what’s the point of a laptop? Look for an IPS or OLED display, though gaming laptops under $1,000 sometimes include a TN panel. You can get buy with a 60Hz display if you mostly play single-player games, but thankfully, most gaming laptops these days opt for faster 120Hz+ panels instead.

The size of the screen dictates the size of the laptop itself, and thus weight. You can’t, for example, get a 17-inch gaming laptop that’s four pounds (although MSI’s excellent GS75 gets awfully damned close at five), so think long and hard about whether you’re willing to take the weight penalty in exchange for the screen real estate.

If the laptop is going to be your only gaming machine, having a 17-inch screen might be ideal. We should also add that a 17.3-inch screen is easier on weaker eyes than a 15.5-inch screen. This is very much a matter of personal preference.

The buzzword today is “4K.” That high resolution delivers sharper photo viewing and more space for video editing, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Anything not using the panel’s native resolution of 3840×2180, such as games running at lower-than-4K resolution, won’t look quite as sharp unless you exponentially increase the graphics power of the laptop.

If you’re running at 1920×1080 resolution because your GPU can’t hit 60 fps at 4K, that feature is moot. For many gamers, 1920×1080 (1080p) or 2560×1440 (1440p) is more optimal.

The panel technology is also a key feature. IPS (in-plane switching) generally produces much greater color accuracy and superior off-axis viewing, but tends to lag in response times, which can lead to blurring. TN (twisted nematic) panels can offer far higher refresh rates and usually better response times than IPS, but can look washed out or just blah.

A middle-ground technology that’s appearing more often is VA (vertical alignment). VA is sometimes alternately referred to as “wide viewing angle” technology. (Many assume this to spec to be IPS, but it’s not). In our experience, we’ve found VA panels to run the gamut from being worthy competitors to IPS to being worse than the better TN panels.

Generally, if color accuracy is important, go IPS (a trademark of Sharp), and if you want the fastest response times go for a gaming-oriented TN panel. With the variability of VA, we recommend you check feedback from reviewers and users of a particular model.

The wildcard in all this is OLED. OLED-based panels have been used in phones for years but have recently migrated to larger screens in laptops. IPS, TN, and VA all use LEDs behind the screen or along the edges. “Black” is produced by a shutter-like mechanism that blocks light from coming through. As you can imagine, there’s usually some light leakage, which means the black tends to be gray.

OLED panels don’t rely on edge- or backlighting. Instead, each pixel generates its own light. To produce black, it just switches off the light. This amounts to truly stunning contrast ratios and vibrant colors. OLEDs also boast fantastic response times.

The negatives include smaller screen sizes (we haven’t seen anything larger than 15.6 inches yet), higher cost, and lack of support for variable refresh rate. OLED panels can also use more power than conventional methods if the image is on a white background.

Okay, we called this section G-Sync and FreeSync, but the reality is, when it comes to beefy gaming laptops, it’s a GeForce GPU world. And that means it’s a G-Sync world. In a nutshell, Nvidia and AMD’s respective variable-refresh-rate technologies help synchronize the monitor and the GPU to greatly reduce screen tearing. Variable refresh rates can make gaming at 40 fps far smoother to your eyes than a screen without it.

The first variable-refresh-rate panels for laptops maxed out at 75Hz, only marginally better than the standard 60Hz. More recently, we’ve begun to see laptop panels that can push 120Hz, 144Hz and even 240Hz. This generally means smoother and sharper gaming to your eyes. It even helps smooth out everyday tasks such as scrolling a browser page or Word document.

The downside of high-refresh rate panels is the technology it’s available on: TN. As we said earlier, TN generally looks less vibrant and less accurate than IPS. The off-axis view is generally inferior, too. You’ll also need a far more powerful GPU to feed that high-refresh rate monitor at its native resolution.

One last very important note: G-Sync screens have to be connected directly to the laptop’s discrete GPU, which means a large hit in battery life. In most laptops without G-Sync, the Intel integrated graphics is connected directly to the screen, so the GPU can be turned off when not being used. So while G-Sync is beautiful to behold, the cost in battery life is huge.

Which is right for you? If it’s primarily a gaming laptop—go for a high refresh rate and G-Sync (or FreeSync, if you can find a laptop that supports it with a Radeon GPU). If you tend to also push pixels in Photoshop or do any color-critical work, skip variable refresh for an IPS panel.

A new trend in gaming laptops is the offset trackpad, which is more conducive to gaming than a dead-center trackpad. The concept is sound, but anyone who actually cares about PC gaming will just plug in a mouse. The worst thing about that offset trackpad is when you try to use it for non-gaming purposes.

As far as keyboards go, the most important gaming feature is n-key rollover. This means the keyboard physically scans each key separately. If you wanted to, you could press 20 keys simultaneously and they’d all register, as each is independently wired. That probably sounds excessive, but keyboards that lack this feature can suffer missed keystrokes, which both ruins gameplay and hurts in everyday tasks. Anyone who’s used an Adobe product that might require a left-Alt, left-Shift, left-Ctrl plus two more keys to do something may have run into the limitations of non-n-key keyboards.

Other keyboard considerations include LED backlighting (which adds ambiance but does nothing for gameplay) and mechanical keys vs. membrane. Mechanical keys are excellent—but are available on only a handful of laptops that usually weigh a ton. We have seen a few designs with low-profile mechanical keyboards, but even we admit they can be an acquired taste.

Having your games load from an SSD instead of a hard drive significantly cuts down on load times. But beyond that, we haven’t found it to matter that much whether it’s a super-fast NVMe PCIe drive or a slower SATA SSD.

What does matter more today is the size of the SSD rather than the interface it uses. With games now topping 50GB and some touching 100GBs, a once-spacious 256GB SSD will feel too small with just four games installed.

So when spec’ing out that gaming laptop, be mindful of just how much total storage you have. If you go for laptop with a small SSD and large hard drive combo, expect to install your games to the hard drive. If the laptop will have an SSD only, choose an absolute minimum of 512GB, with 1TB preferred.

When laptop makers spec out gaming laptops, one of the levers they use to try to convince you to buy their product is upping the amount of RAM. It’s not hard to find gaming laptops with “upgraded” configurations that go from 16GB of RAM to 32GB.

While having an adequate amount of RAM is important for gaming, today’s games typically top out at 16GB of RAM, and sometimes can run fine with just 8GB of RAM. Most people should invest in a gaming laptop with 16GB of memory if possible, and it makes sense to opt for 32GB if you plan on holding onto your gaming laptop for a long time. Modern games are only getting more memory-ungry.

Besides the amount of memory, a couple of other important, but not critical, questions to ask is what clock speed and what mode. Modern CPUs let you run RAM in sets to increase the memory bandwidth. 

More memory bandwidth immediately helps laptops that are running integrated graphics, but the conventional wisdom has long been that discrete GPUs in laptops don’t benefit as much because they have their own dedicated, much faster GDDR5 RAM to use. That’s typically the case, but the performance of today’s GPUs and CPUs can make this conventional wisdom wrong. 

Gaming performance is often about a balance between the CPU and the GPU, and how graphically intensive a game is. With games that are graphically intensive, the GPU is the primary bottleneck on performance. Play a game that isn’t graphically intense, though, and the CPU can rapidly become the bottleneck on performance.

With the power of today’s GPUs, a lot of games, especially at a sedate resolution of 1920×1080, have shifted more performance to the CPU. The reason we’re talking about this now is if you rob the CPU of memory bandwidth, even a decently fast one, you can take a sizable hit in gaming performance.

The basic lesson is you should opt for dual-channel memory bandwidth configurations when possible. On a laptop spec sheet, you typically would see this expressed as “dual-channel” or “2 x 8” to indicate that two 8GB memory modules were used in a laptop.

Some laptop makers will express memory in clock speed, so you’ll see “DDR4/2,133 or DDR4/2,400.” While a higher memory clock does increase memory bandwidth, the impact isn’t quite as great as going from dual-channel to single-channel mode.

How many cores do you need in a gaming laptop? For most people on a budget, a 4-core CPU with Hyper-Threading will function just fine in most games, especially when combined with a lower-cost and lower performance GPU.

Still, if you have the extra cash, a 6-core CPU with Hyper-Threading is likely the sweet spot for today and tomorrow. If you plan to stream your gaming live or edit it, investing in a 6-core is recommended.

Intel and AMD’s top-end 8-plus-core CPUs will deliver the greatest benefit to those who might do other graphics-intensive tasks, such as 3D animation or video editing. If you also plan to record and stream video, the 8-core will offer a performance benefit there, too.

If you’re thinking, great, let me buy a 4-core Core i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU with a luxury laptop to save money, you usually can’t, because PC makers typically only offer budget CPUs with other budget parts. Why? Well, most budget shoppers can’t afford any luxury items, and most PC makers like to add in the extras to increase the profit.

The single most important piece of hardware in a gaming laptop is undoubtedly the GPU. For AMD fans, the situation is as sad as it is in CPUs: It’s an Nvidia GeForce world. As with CPUs though, the good news is that the dominating products are top-notch.

The hardest part will be deciding just how much GPU you need. Our general guidance is to buy as fast a GPU as you can afford and are willing to heft. Generally, the faster the GPU (or GPUs), the larger and heavier the laptop. If you’re talking about playing on a higher-resolution panel of 2560×1440 at high-refresh rates, then keep increasing the amount of money spent on the GPU.

The last topic we’ll cover is battery life. The best way to understand battery life on a gaming laptop is to accept that it’ll be horrible for all things gaming.

The minute you crank up a GPU on a gaming laptop to play a game, you’re basically limiting yourself to an hour or an hour and a half of battery runtime. Period. And in some cases, far less than that.

The only reason to consider battery life on a gaming laptop is if you want to use your laptop unplugged for non-gaming purposes. In that respect, you’ll find a lot of variance, with some offering decent battery life, albeit with a trade-off in gaming performance.

Windows is full of suggestions and recommendations to try out new apps and features, which we sometimes refer to as ads. But the Windows 11 Surface app is an actual nest of advertisements, pushing you to buy various products from Microsoft and its partners.

And it looks like you’ll just have to deal with it.

I have a small cache of Windows laptops on hand, which includes some Surface devices. Since Microsoft has multiple channels to test new Windows features, I try to have a few devices available to check out new features. For example, I was gratified to note that my daily driver, currently on the Beta Channel, now includes the nice little battery indicator that should be arriving to all Windows PCs soon. But I also noticed that the smart charging feature that protects the Surface battery had been turned off.

Most laptop manufacturers include smart-charging options inside their utility applications, like MyAsus or the Lenovo Vantage application. Microsoft uses the bare-bones Surface app to control that feature, so I opened it up to make a quick fix.

What I didn’t expect was an immediate push to buy a new Xbox controller. For some reason, Microsoft’s Surface app now includes “recommended” devices at the bottom of the app, which for me included a suggestion to buy the controller — currently 30 percent off! — as well as a Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock. (Weirdly, that’s one I still haven’t tested as part of my recommendations for the best laptop docking stations.)

Mark Hachman / Foundry

Note that those ads were pushed to my PC without my consent. But the Surface app also includes a separate drop-down menu for “Discover offers & devices,” which at least is closed by default. When I opened it, I was pushed to buy an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription and both of Microsoft’s latest Copilot+ PCs, with an additional button to click, leading to an entire page of Surface accessories. All told, Microsoft pushed three separate opportunities for me to buy Surface hardware and accessories.

What’s frustrating about this is that the Surface app appears to be specifically coded to allow ads. The ads popped up within the Surface app on recent devices, both on the Beta and Dev Channels. But I also hauled out the Surface Laptop Go 3, released midway through 2023 — about a year before Microsoft released its first Copilot+ PCs.

Mark Hachman / Foundry

I’d never used the Surface app on that PC, so it had to go through a setup process. When the Surface app opened, it presented me with what the Surface app used to do: Simply show off the Surface device in question. But within seconds — pop! pop! pop! — three ads loaded in below. (If I’m going to be exhaustively fair, those ads included products that should have been released by the time the Surface Laptop Go 3 was released, not the Copilot+ PCs. But still: ads.)

Again, Microsoft has a history of pushing suggested features at Windows users, enough that we’ve collected nine separate ways to try and block Windows ads, from Start menu suggestions to suggested features within File Explorer. But I’m not sure how you’d even turn these off — Start menu suggestions are governed by Settings > Personalization > Start. They’re not notifications, Spotlight ads, or search ads, either. Instead, they act like a traditional web ad — though, even with a number of ad blockers turned on within Edge, the Surface ads kept appearing.

So yes, these appear to be unblockable ads within Windows. Hurray.

Mark Hachman / Foundry

The question I can’t help but ask is, why the Surface app? For one thing, if I’ve bought myself a pricy new Surface, the last thing that I want to see within my new Surface app are reminders for what I should have purchased alongside it. But there’s already a Windows app that should be tweaked to allow hardware upgrades: the Microsoft Store app. Microsoft has confined its Store app to software purchases and subscriptions, which is an arbitrary, unnecessary limitation.

That’s an argument for another day, however. If you’re already annoyed by the rising tide of Windows advertisements, don’t buy a Microsoft Surface. You’ll see red.

The table is set for Alexa’s big AI reveal, with Amazon holding a long-delayed “devices and services” event in New York City this Wednesday, February 26.

So, what’s on the menu? Good question. For its part, Amazon has offered a few hints, noting that Wednesday’s unveiling with be “Alexa-focused.” Meanwhile, tech sleuths have discovered that if you assemble the various press invites Amazon sent out for the gathering, you can spell out the “Alexa” logo.

Of course, what we’re all waiting to see is whether Amazon’s long-promised AI revamp for Alexa is ready for prime time.

The last time we saw the new AI Alexa was way back in fall 2023, and since then, there’s been a great deal of chatter about false starts, delays, and reversals in Amazon’s AI strategy for Alexa. There’s also been talk that Amazon might charge extra for access to the revamped Alexa (we understand the “Classic” Alexa will remain free).

While not much is certain about Wednesday’s Amazon event, we can make some educated guesses. Here are four things I’m expecting to see.

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.

Amazon hasn’t specifically said whether the AI-supercharged Alexa revamp will take the stage on Wednesday, but I’d be mighty surprised if it didn’t make an appearance.

Specifically, I’m hoping to see what the new Alexa will actually be able to do. At Amazon’s reveal back in September 2023, the AI Alexa was holding chatty conversations about football and writing party invites, while a somewhat aspirational teaser depicted Alexa dispatching a robot vacuum to the kitchen after someone reported a mess in the room.

Neat, but I’m guessing the new Alexa to have a more modest range of abilities, at least initially. Google, for example, has put some pretty narrow guardrails up for Gemini’s smart home capabilities, and I expect we’ll see something similar for Alexa. I’m also anticipating that the new Alexa’s freewheeling conversational style may be somewhat curtailed, but we’ll see.

Another missing piece of the puzzle is when the new Alexa will finally arrive. Back in the fall of 2023, Amazon told us to expect a “preview” of the AI-revamped voice assistant by early 2024; of course, that didn’t happen. So, when will we get to kick the tires on the new Alexa?

I’m not expecting Amazon to suddenly throw open the gates to Alexa redux on Wednesday; rather, I suspect we’ll have to wait at least a month or so. That’s in line with a Washington Post report that said Amazon had delayed the new Alexa yet again, with the new launch date pushed back to late March, or even later.

Also, I doubt we’ll all get to try AI Alexa all at once. Instead, expect a staged and slow rollout, with a small preview audience to start.

Shortly after Amazon showed off the revamped Alexa back in September 2023, former Amazon devices chief Dave Limp floated the idea of charging for a “remarkable” new Alexa—with estimates putting the price in the $5 to $10-per-month range–while keeping “classic” Alexa free.

I’m sure Amazon still wants to charge for the new Alexa eventually, but there’s been chatter than the initial preview of the AI-enhanced Alexa will be free, and I’d wager that’s what we’ll be told on Wednesday.

Amazon always has new hardware to show off at its device events, and while I don’t expect a firehose of new products—after all, Amazon has recently debuted new Kindles and Fire TV models as well the humongous Echo Show 21 and a second-generation Echo Show 15. Nonetheless, there are some other Echo devices overdue for updates.

The Echo Dot, for example, hasn’t seen a refresh in nearly three years, while the Echo Show 10 with its swiveling screen is getting similarly long in the tooth.

While Amazon may take advantage of its Alexa AI unveiling (or rather, re-unveiling) to show off new Echo devices, it’s worth nothing that Amazon previously promised that the new Alexa would work on existing Echo hardware.

I’ll be attending Amazon’s big reveal on Wednesday, and I’m planning on some serious hands-on time. Stay tuned.

After 17 years of research, Microsoft has finally developed the Majorana 1 chip, its first quantum computing processor based on a brand-new material and architecture, reports The Verge.

At the heart of a quantum computer are quantum bits (qubits), which handle data in a way similar to today’s binary bits but with significantly higher computational potential. Companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google have long tried to make qubits more stable, as they’re sensitive to disturbances that can cause errors or data loss.

With Majorana 1, up to a million qubits can fit on a single circuit, about the size of a desktop computer’s processor. Instead of using electrons for calculations, the chip utilizes the Majorana particle, first described by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937.

By developing what Microsoft calls the world’s first topoconductor, a new material that can both observe and control these particles, they’ve taken a big step towards creating more reliable qubits.

Microsoft researchers have described their findings in a scientific paper in Nature, detailing how they’ve developed topological qubits. Microsoft has created a new material combination of indium arsenide and aluminium and placed eight topological qubits on a chip. The goal is to scale up the technology to one million qubits.

If it comes to fruition, such a chip would enable more accurate simulations and contribute to scientific progress in fields including medicine and materials science. Quantum computing has long been seen as a potential revolution for these fields, and Microsoft sees its topoconductor as a crucial step forward towards that future.

“A million-qubit quantum computer is more than just a milestone — it’s a key to solving some of the world’s most difficult problems,” said Chetan Nayak, a technical expert at Microsoft. “Our path to usable quantum computing is clear. The technology is proven, and we believe our architecture is scalable. Through our new collaboration with DARPA, we are demonstrating our commitment to building a machine that can drive scientific discovery and solve real-world problems.”

“A million-qubit quantum computer isn’t just a milestone — it’s a gateway to solving some of the world’s most difficult problems,” said Chetan Nayak, a technical expert at Microsoft. “Our path to useful quantum computing is clear. The foundational technology is proven, and we believe our architecture is scalable. Our new agreement with DARPA shows a commitment to relentless progress toward our goal: building a machine that can drive scientific discovery and solve problems that matter.”

You might be up a creek if you’re trying to get your hands on a new graphics card. But if you want to upgrade your gaming monitor, it’s coming up roses. Take this Gigabyte 34-inch ultrawide OLED monitor, for example: normally $950, Newegg is now offering it for just $579.99. That’s an impressive $370 off.

The MO34WQC has a semi-standard 3440×1440 resolution for its 34-inch panel, with a 175Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time for lightning-fast multiplayer gameplay. It also has a couple of extras over the usual budget OLED monitor, like USB-C video support, a built-in KVM for multi-device support, and plenty of settings to tweak. Just be aware that power delivery is limited to 18 watts, so this isn’t the best for a gaming laptop.

You can read more tech details in PCWorld’s full review of this monitor. I’d recommend using some of that money you save on a good VESA monitor arm, especially if you’re using a multi-screen desktop setup. Oh, and get some speakers, too. The puny 5-watt pair in this display isn’t fit for any gamer, or anyone who appreciates good sound quality.

Newegg’s product page combines this $350 discount with an additional $20 coupon code, so don’t forget to put in BUDEPA929 at checkout to get the best price. I have no idea how long the deal will last, but they tend to go quickly in this price range.

In 2025, there’s no reason you can’t have a wireless keyboard anymore. From the most complex mechanical boards to the sleekest designer sets to the flashiest gamer machines, and everything in between, there are plenty of options for wireless excellence. That even includes keyboards for budget buyers — you can find a great pick in every category for well under three-digit prices.

We’ve spent hours and hours using each model, banging away on our reviews, surfing the web, and keeping up on social media to bring you a list of the very best wireless keyboards around.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all keyboard, our recommendations aim to help you make an informed decision based on your own personal needs. After you’ve perused our best picks, be sure to check out our buying advice at the end to help you learn what to look for when shopping for a wireless keyboard.

Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been the go-to name for personal computer news and reviews for over 40 years. And as the writer of this roundup, and the reviewer of most of the keyboards on this list, I can assure you they’ve been thoroughly tested by people who are absolutely obsessed with keyboards. 

Every single keyboard on this list has been used by an expert, put through its paces for features and reliability, and carefully considered against the alternatives. We’ve tested every facet of the boards, even programming and complete disassembly for those that support it. 

Pros

• Great typing experience
• Customizable keys
• Long battery life
• Auto-dimming backlight

Cons

• No height adjustment
• Wireless can get choppy in crowded environments

Logitech’s top-of-the-line keyboard design returns in an S variant, this time with an updated Bolt multi-device receiver and a new auto-adjusting backlight feature. The typing experience is as good as it was in the original model, and it’s even a tiny bit cheaper, so this upgrade is a win-win if you like your keyboards thin and stylish.

Just be aware that dozens of Bluetooth devices in the vicinity might bog it down. If you prefer your Logitech boards a little more clicky-clacky, check out the MX Mechanical variant. This design is also available in a smaller “60%” model — see below.

If you want one of the most stylish keyboards around that isn’t mechanical, and one that effortlessly works with multiple devices, this is it. The MX Keys is also shockingly quiet, so it’s a good choice for crowded offices. But it you want a longer, more traditional key travel or an ergonomic layout, there are better options out there.

Pros

• Great value
• Programming options
• Long battery life

Cons

• No backlighting
  

Logitech’s keyboards are great, but they often command high prices, especially at the top end. If you’re looking for something that has nearly all the same features but is much more affordable, check out the B1 Pro from Keychron (or its bigger brother, the full-sized B6 Pro). For less than half of the price, you get an almost identical stylish design, plus more programming options. The only thing it’s lacking is a backlight.

If you’re not a fan of mechanical designs and you want something slim, quiet, and good-looking, and you don’t want to pay triple digits, this is the perfect fit. Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless support means easy switching between multiple devices, though it’s not quite as seamless as Logitech’s Flow software.

Pros

• Solid hardware
• Great value for wireless
• Tons of customization options 

Cons

• No wrist rest
• Slightly awkward default layout

Corsair has been improving its designs for the last couple of years, incorporating more premium features and customization options. And it all comes together in the vastly redesigned K65 Plus, and does so at a shockingly low price. 

This keyboard combines the popular 75% form factor, high-speed, multi-device wireless, high-quality switches, and hot-swappable key sockets, with Corsair’s typically good gaming pedigree. The result is a keyboard that does a lot, for a lot of users, for a relatively low price. 

While the K65 skips a couple of exotic features like adjustable actuation or an OLED screen, and it doesn’t include a wrist rest in the box, it nails just about every other facet of design. It’s simply the best gaming keyboard you can get at the moment.

Anyone who wants a high-quality keyboard with tons of options for customization, both hardware and software, will be pleased with this design. It also has some excellent bonuses, like PBT keycaps and a dedicated button for turning RGB on (or off, if you want maximum battery life). 

The 75% form factor isn’t for everyone — you’ll have to look elsewhere, or wait for Corsair to offer more models, if you want a different format. It’s also considerably less “flashy” than other gaming keyboards, and doesn’t offer the heft and quality of a metal body.

Pros

• Low price
• Included wrist rest
• Long battery life
• Volume wheel

Cons

• Ugly keycaps
• Can only program G keys
• No Bluetooth

Gaming keyboards usually don’t come cheap, and that goes double for wireless models. Redragon is a company that thrives in the bargain bin, and the K596 offers up most of the options of its full-priced competition at under 100 bucks. It also manages long battery life, a fancy volume wheel, and even a column of dedicated macro keys. Not bad.

Note that this is still very much a budget model from a budget brand, so it’s missing some of the fit and finish of more expensive keyboards. For example, you can only custom program those five G keys on the left. But for anyone who needs a deal, Redragon delivers, and throws a wrist rest into the package.

There are a surprising amount of wireless keyboards that claim to be for “gaming,” even on the budget side of things. But Redragon is one of the few that walks the wireless walk, with most of the bells and whistles you’d expect and performance that doesn’t lag behind. Note that this is one of the few boards on this list that doesn’t offer Bluetooth — a fair trade for the value.

Pros

• High mechanical quality
• Slim and portable
• Compatible with most devices

Cons

• Keys feel slightly cramped
• No physical support for mobile and tablet
• Battery change requires chisel

Logitech’s first try at the Keys To Go design was uninspiring, a flat, fabric-covered slab that was more of a tablet cover than a keyboard. The second-gen design is an improvement in every way, a fully functional conventional keyboard that’s super-slim and comes with an integrated protective cover that can add a little angle to your typing. With three years of battery life and multi-device pairing, it’s a great companion to any keyboard or phone.

Mobile-focused typists and road warriors will love this little sliver of a keyboard, which can fit into places even the MX Keys Mini and Apple Magic Keyboard can’t. Even so, it manages to fit a 75 percent layout in there, with a full function row (and a few squished keys outside the alphanumerics). It’s also not a bad deal at $80 retail.

There are some comfort compromises here. If you need a tiny, super-light keyboard with some more key travel, I’d go with the Lofree Edge. But for those who need the absolutely tiniest keyboard that’s still usable, Logitech has it covered.

Pros

• Clever, aesthetically pleasing design
• Excellent battery life
• Range of remappable keys
• Makes working-from-home more ergonomic

Cons

• Not travel friendly
• Expensive

If you need something a little more comprehensive for your travel needs, Logitech’s Casa might just hit the spot. It’s a keyboard and touchpad set that also comes in a swanky bento-style case, which doubles as a stand that significantly elevates your laptop. As an all-in-one solution for those who want to set up an office-style workstation on the go, it’s a pretty neat little package.

It is on the pricey side, though — for the same price you could get a laptop stand, keyboard, and touchpad and save a bit of dough, albeit without the neat travel-friendly design.

If you can’t stand typing on your laptop but you prefer a touchpad to a mouse, then this is the perfect package for you. It’s also surprisingly stylish in its all-in-one case, which folds down into a portfolio for grab-and-go convenience.

The option to raise your laptop screen may appeal, though there are easier ways to do that on the go. There are certainly cheaper ways to do all three.

Pros

• Tons of features
• Excellent typing
• Improved 2.4GHz wireless
• Endless customization

Cons

• No adjustable feet
• No wrist rest

For the last couple of years Keychron has been absolutely killing it with its high-end Q series. These mechanical boards make features previously available only via building your own or spending a fortune on a boutique design available to everyone, like full aluminum bodies, gasket-mounted PCBs, and easy, open-source programming with VIA. They’re about as good as you can get for a standard design.

The Q Max series takes these designs and shores up their one weakness: reliance on Bluetooth. While Q Max keyboards have multi-device Bluetooth available, they’re also packing standard 2.4GHz wireless with a USB dongle, making them ideal for use with a hefty desktop PC (and they even do alright as gaming boards).

With a wide variety of layouts like the TKL-sized Q3 Max above, there’s a keyboard in this series for just about anyone, including split “ergonomic” designs. They’re fantastic as stand-alone purchases, or bases for your custom dream build with replacement switches and keycaps.

If you’re ready to step up to a premium mechanical keyboard design, one of these Q Max models should be at the top of your list. At the time of writing they’re available in full-size with number pad, TKL, 75%, 65%, and compact “1800” sizes, plus oddball Alice and left-handed models. There’s even a Happy Hacking Keyboard clone version, all of which come with hot-swap switch sockets and RGB lighting.

They’re great on their own with no extra mods, with the only real downside being so-so stabilizers. But you can swap those out too if you’re okay with opening the case, and the rest of the board is just as customizable. They can be custom-programmed, too, so both newbies and veterans are welcome.

Keychron’s high-end boards are on the pricey side, even if they aren’t as expensive as the boutique builds they’re inspired by, so bargain hunters should hunt somewhere else. And while they offer 2.4GHz wireless and wired options for gamers, the lack of game-specific software features means that there are better choices if you want to slay first and type later.

Pros

• Amazing typing experience
• High-quality parts
• Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless
• Long battery life

Cons

• Clunky software
• Plastic case
• A bit heavy

Keychron gets the recommendation for an all-around mechanical keyboard. But if what you really want is a fantastic “thocky” typing feel right out of the box, then this unassuming little keyboard is the best I’ve ever tested. It does this with a lot of high-quality components, like PBT keycaps, a brass plate, premium stabilizers, and lots of internal sound dampening. But the big magic is in the switches.

Keydous went with exotic, high-end switches from Kailh to make the NJ80-AP and its stablemates stand out. These “Blueberry Ice Cream” BOX switches have a ridiculous name, but with soft POM plastic housing, reinforced stems, and a factory-lubed sliding mechanism, they feel amazing. They’re the best I’ve ever seen come standard on a keyboard, and that includes boards that cost twice as much as this one.

The NJ80-AP also offers both Bluetooth and dongle-based wireless, RGB lighting, an aluminum volume wheel — all the standards from a high-end mechanical design. Its plastic case and fiddly, proprietary programming software are a disappointment, but for satisfying typing out of the box, it’s simply the best around.

If you’re looking for a standard design with absolutely amazing typing, look no further. The NJ80-AP delivers, and if you want something bigger or (slightly) smaller, the same features are available in 65% and compact “1800” layouts (full number pad, slightly squished). Just make sure to order the one with those fancy switches.

But on the other hand, the software leaves a lot to be desired, and you can get keyboards with better all-metal bodies or faster wireless by spending a little more. And if you really want to go all out, you can get most of the way towards the high-quality typing of this board by ordering the same switches online and putting them in another board with hot-swap capability.

It’ll cost a lot — Keydous designs are on the cheap side of the high end — but if you’re dropping more than three digits on a keyboard anyway, it’s a legitimate option.

Pros

• Works with all major platforms
• Can toggle between three paired devices
• Quiet keys with great travel

Cons

• Not built for portability

If you like the convenience of a Bluetooth keyboard that can switch among different devices, but don’t require the compact layout of the MX Keys Mini, Logitech’s K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard promises to be the one keyboard to rule all your computing gizmos. Indeed, it’s fully compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS for fast and effortless switching between your computer, smartphone, and tablet.

It also costs a good deal less than the MX Keys Mini, and offers a roomy layout with a numpad. The integrated device stand is especially good for phones and tablets up to about ten inches in size — like the standard iPad Air. Anything bigger might need its own separate stand. That makes this an excellent companion for a multi-device desk…though it doesn’t exactly pack away well.

If you’re constantly switching between a PC and a phone or other mobile gadget, this keyboard is exactly what you’re looking for. The dedicated keys for switching gadgets and the integrated stand make it an excellent way to save time and space on your desk.

Pros

• Curved and split ergonomic design
• Comfortable wrist support
• Palm raise feature lets you adjust height for sitting or standing

Cons

• Requires some time to get used to split design
• Expensive

Logitech’s Ergo K860 has finally conquered our skepticism about awkward ergonomic keyboards. In the course of our review, there was a marked improvement in typing comfort and reduced muscle tension, all without sacrificing productivity to a steep learning curve.

It’s a little expensive compared to a conventional wireless keyboard, but if you’re struggling with comfort, the K860 is the only ergonomic keyboard we’d heartily recommend. If you need a more compact, affordable version of Logitech’s curvy keyboard design, check out the Wave Keys instead.

Ergonomic keyboards aren’t the easiest to find, especially with big, comfy integrated wrist rests. Among major vendors it’s basically this design and the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard, which is wired. So if the split, angled layout with low-profile keys is what you want, the K860 is the best game in town.

If you aren’t trained in strict home row-style typing (index fingers on F and J, et cetera), the split layout may cause a headache. Try the Wave Keys instead if you want bigger, more responsive individual keys and a continuous layout that still has a comfy wrist rest integrated into the design.

Wireless keyboards connect to a PC in one of two ways: via Bluetooth or a USB receiver. Wireless keyboards that connect via a USB receiver or dongle can only connect to a computer or device if it has a USB port. Bluetooth connectivity on the other hand does not require any dongle or extra receiver and can therefore easily connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices without the need for any ports. Additionally, Bluetooth keyboards tend to cost a little more but also offer longer battery life.

While shopping, you may find that older devices do not support Bluetooth. However, if you need a keyboard to work across different platforms on newer devices, a Bluetooth-enabled model is the way to go.

Yes, you can use a wireless keyboard with a laptop without issue. Depending on whether you are using a wireless USB dongle keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard, you just need to connect to the laptop and then you are good to go. This is true if you wish to connect a wireless keyboard to your tablet or 2-in-1, as well.

Usually wireless keyboards are powered using either rechargeable or disposable batteries. Wireless keyboards with rechargeable batteries will just need to be plugged into an external power source such as a computer or wall outlet when the battery is low. Otherwise, wireless keyboards with disposable batteries will need those batteries to be replaced when they die. The most common types of batteries these keyboards use will be either AA or AAA alkaline batteries.

Wireless keyboards are a fantastic option for most people, but they have a few limitations when it comes to gaming. Wireless keyboards can produce some slight latency issues between the keystroke being made and it being registered by your computer. This lag can be especially frustrating when playing games that require fast reaction times or in competitive environments — the latency may in some instances lead to a competitive disadvantage.

That being said, wireless technologies have improved immensely in recent years and any lag or interference issues are becoming extremely rare with the latest technology. Most casual gamers will be just fine with a wireless keyboard — opt for 2.4GHz wireless over Bluetooth for the most reliable results. You can minimize interference issues by keeping other wireless devices away from your wireless keyboard, as well.

Need another flash drive for transferring files between devices, backing up data, and more? Right now, this 128GB Samsung Fit Plus is only $14 on Amazon. That’s 39 percent off its original price.

This tiny flash drive gives you the opportunity to rely on good old physical storage rather than cloud services. With read speeds of up to 400MB/s, you’ll speedily transfer files on a dime.

And this Samsung Fit Plus really is tiny. About the size of a Bluetooth dongle, you won’t even notice it plugged into your laptop. There’s even a chance you might lose it, so it’s good that it has a lanyard hole for safe carrying. Its USB-A connector means it’ll work fine with laptops, PCs, car entertainment systems, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and more.

Despite its size, this flash drive is also durable as it was built to resist water, shocks, extreme temperatures, magnets, and more. It’s even X-ray-proofed, so you won’t lose your data while going through TSA.

Seriously, a 128GB Samsung Fit Plus for just $14 is an absolute steal. If you need a flash drive, don’t miss this chance!

AMD’s biggest and baddest gaming CPU, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, is on its way along with the only-slightly-less-big, less-bad 9900X3D. They don’t have an official release date yet, but it must be pretty darn close. You can tell because MSI has officially announced motherboard BIOS updates to make sure your upgrade goes smoothly.

This sort-of-update is pretty regular for any new processor, but given that this one is aimed squarely at gamers, it’s not that surprising that MSI feels the need to highlight it with a press release. The text exclusively mentions the MEG X870E GODLIKE (ALL CAPS) flagship ATX motherboard, even though any motherboard with an AM5 socket should technically be compatible with the new processors without any updates at all.

That said, there’s a reason this news snippet caught my eye. I recently assembled a new gaming PC for my brother-in-law over the holiday break, and despite using an Asus motherboard model that I had put in my own PC almost a year earlier, and despite the Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor being an AM5 model that should have been good to go, the dang thing wouldn’t boot without a BIOS update. That’s a headache and a half if you don’t already have Windows installed and also don’t have your usual office full of PCs to fall back on because you flew halfway across the country for Christmas.

So, yeah, this article goes out to every PC gamer who’s eagerly awaiting those new CPUs with their fancy performance-boosting V-cache. Update your UEFI/BIOS before you upgrade, even if everything should already be compatible on paper. I’ll also point out that the Ryzen 9800X3D processor released last year has consistently been in short supply, so the upgraded 16-core and 12-core variants will probably sell out quickly, too. But what else is new?

It’s been 12 years since Grand Theft Auto V was originally released on consoles, and though it was late coming to the PC (as are all Rockstar games), it’s still one of the most played titles over a decade later. Following in the footsteps of the game itself, GTA V and GTA Online will both get some new visual options in a huge update on March 4th, including much-anticipated ray tracing visuals.

As Tom’s Hardware notes, the extra visual flair was already available for the special edition of the game re-released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. But PC players do get some exclusive options, which include “ray tracing features only available on PC,” ambient occlusion, and global illumination. If your graphics card is sweating just by rendering that text, don’t worry, the game update will also add support for upscaling via Nvidia DLSS 2 and AMD FSR1/FSR3. New higher-res and aspect ratio options should mean the game looks great on the latest monitors, too.

The new goodies will require a bit more hardware power, though. Rockstar now recommends at least an Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor, Nvidia RTX 3060 or AMD RX 6600XT graphics card, and at least 16GB of RAM. Naturally, if you want the highest frame rates and resolutions, you’re going to need even more than that.

It’s not just the visuals getting an upgrade. The game is getting a grab bag of brand-new vehicles and tuning options, ambient animals in the wild, a new photography challenge, and career progress in GTA Online.

Grand Theft Auto VI was announced in 2022 and is currently scheduled for a late 2025 release on consoles. There’s no PC version confirmed at the moment, as is Rockstar tradition.

Could you fix your laptop if it breaks? And I mean physically fix it with tools, not just install some driver updates. According to an industry report, you might be okay if it’s an Asus or Acer model. But if you’re using a recent laptop from HP, Apple, or especially Lenovo, you’ll have some serious issues getting it up and running again.

That’s according to the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund, which commissioned a report (spotted by Ars Technica) analyzing repairability for both laptops and smartphones available to US buyers. While smartphones are getting easier to repair with better options for screen and battery replacement, the PIRG report says that improvements on the laptop side have been slow and inconsistent.

The fiscal year 2025 edition gave Lenovo an “F” score, the lowest among major manufacturers. But there are some details in the data that might give you a little hope if you bought a laptop from the world’s leading PC manufacturer by volume. The PIRG gave Lenovo an abysmally low score because the company submitted only one laptop model that’s also available in the US to France’s repairability index, upon which the data is based. That one model actually scored a 7.3 out of 10 for the test, 7 for the heavily weighted disassembly portion, which isn’t terrible.

Framework

The French repairability index, a system that the PIRG compares to mandatory gas mileage testing on cars, will be replaced by a consolidated European system by the time next year’s report comes out. That should mean far more data available for both consumers and researchers, and hopefully a little more consistency for the PIRG report. But in the meantime, a lack of data from Lenovo means it gets a default failure. Last year’s grade for Lenovo, based on an also-low 6 models, was 5.5. That’s only above one major manufacturer, Apple, which scored a terrible 4.3 for its laptops for fiscal year 2024.

For the latest set, everyone but Lenovo had either 9 or 10 models to assess, and Asus averaged 7.2 while Acer scored 7.1. Asus also got the highest rating for disassembly at an impressive 8.3. Apple showed some laudable improvement in the latest report, rising from a 4.9 to a 6.6 disassembly score. Not counting Lenovo’s disqualification, HP and Microsoft scored the lowest, with 5.9 and 6.5 grades, respectively. Both are modest improvements over last year’s scores.

Repairability is not the same as upgrade options, which are still generally limited to RAM, SSD, and sometimes a network card, and only on laptops that even offer user-accessible slots for those parts. If you want the ultimate in desktop-style modular upgrades, you should check out Framework’s laptop designs. Intel has also suggested some modular laptop options that would increase both repairability and upgradability, though these recent proposals haven’t gone into production for any finished laptop designs yet.

Back in October, we reported that Google was testing out YouTube Premium Lite, a cheaper and stripped-down subscription plan that promised a reduction (but not elimination) in ads, all without the special features in Premium (like video downloads).

At the time, Premium Lite was only available to a limited number of users in Australia, Germany, and Thailand. Now, Bloomberg reports (and The Verge confirms) that Google is officially launching YouTube Premium Lite for all users in those countries while also expanding the subscription option to users in the United States.

YouTube Premium Lite offers ad-free viewing of videos without all the extra bells and whistles that come with normal Premium.

If you don’t care about downloading videos for offline viewing, playing videos in the background, or the inclusion of YouTube Music, then you’d be better off paying less per month for this cheaper plan. Note, however, that YouTube Premium Lite will still display ads before music videos.

Google hasn’t yet revealed when exactly YouTube Premium Lite will be launched in the US or how much it will cost. If you visit the YouTube Premium Lite page, it currently says “This offer is not available.”

For a ballpark estimate, however, users in Australia have reported seeing Premium Lite offered for $8.99 AUD per month versus the $16.99 AUD per month of regular Premium. With YouTube Premium costing $14.99 per month in the US, Premium Lite could be $6.99 per month.

Furthermore, while YouTube Premium offers Family and Student plans on top of the Individual plan, it’s unknown whether Premium Lite will offer similar accommodations. For reference, Premium Family supports up to five users for $22.99 per month while Premium Student is $7.99 per month for full-time students at higher education institutions.

Further reading: I block every ad on YouTube and I’m not ashamed

• Attractive and functional design
• Top-tier contrast and good color accuracy
• Class-leading motion clarity
• Supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync

• Limited USB connectivity and no USB-C
• Modest color gamut compared to QD-OLED
• 1440p resolution isn’t as sharp as new 27-inch 4K OLEDs

LG’s UltraGear 27GX790A-B isn’t as sharp as new 27-inch 4K OLEDs, but its motion clarity will leave gamers gobsmacked.

Price When Reviewed

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Best Pricing Today

$999.99

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B is a 27-inch OLED monitor but, unlike the new batch of 4K OLED monitors, it sticks to 1440p and instead cranks the refresh rate up to an incredible 480Hz. Though not the first 480Hz OLED monitor, it delivers class-leading motion clarity that will make even the most wired competitive gamers happy.

Read on to learn more, and then see our roundup of the best gaming monitors for comparison.

The standout feature of the UltraGear 27GX790A-B is, without a doubt, its OLED panel. It features an LG WOLED panel with a native resolution of 2560×1440 and a refresh rate of up to 480Hz—the highest available from the latest generation of OLED displays. The monitor also supports adaptive sync with official compatibility for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.

• Display size: 26.5-inch 16:9 widescreen
• Native resolution: 2560×1440
• Panel type: WOLED
• Refresh rate: 480Hz
• Adaptive sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Nvidia G-Sync
• HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 Certified
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x USB-B 3.0 upstream, 2x USB-A 3.0 downstream, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Audio: None
• OLED Panel warranty: 2-year warranty on “internal and functional parts only” including panel
• Price: $999.99

The monitor’s other features are a bit less impressive. It lacks USB-C for video input or power delivery, has no built-in audio, and doesn’t include an RGB LED lighting system. Clearly, the focus here is on delivering the highest possible refresh rate above all else. In terms of pricing, the LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s $999.99 MSRP mirrors the price of alternatives like the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP.

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B follows the design language common to the recent UltraGear monitor lineup. It features a dark gray charcoal finish that is distinctive yet understated, contributing to a sleek, stealthy aesthetic. At the front, this translates to thin bezels on all sides, including a minimal bottom chin. At the back, the slim OLED panel is attached to a compact hexagonal backplate housing the monitor’s menu controls and connectivity.

Some gamers might find the UltraGear 27GX790A-B a bit too subtle for their setup. While it does have RGB-LED lighting, the customization is limited, and the brightness of the lighting could be higher. Personally, though, I enjoy gaming monitors with a stealthy look, and the 27GX790A-B fits the bill.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor comes with an ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, and swivel, and it also pivots 90 degrees for portrait orientation. The stand base is large and keeps the monitor very stable on your desk, but since it’s extremely thin, most of the space it occupies remains usable for regular desk tasks. A cutout in the back of the stand provides some cable management.

Overall, the stand’s range of adjustment and design is similar to what competitors offer, though some brands, like Asus, still use tripod-style stands that take up more desk space. The UltraGear 27GX790A-B also has a 100x100mm VESA mount for use with third-party monitor stands and arms.

LG ships the UltraGear 27GX790A-B with two HDMI 2.1 ports and a single DisplayPort 2.1 port, providing a total of three video inputs. That’s a solid number for a gaming monitor, though I would have liked to see a USB-C input for video, as it’s a great option—especially for connecting a laptop alongside a desktop. All available video inputs support the monitor’s full resolution and refresh rate.

The monitor’s USB connectivity is a bit underwhelming. As mentioned, it lacks a USB-C port and instead includes only two USB-A downstream ports, both powered by a single USB-B upstream port. That’s fine if you just want to connect a wired keyboard and mouse for easier cable management, but it limits the monitor’s appeal for prosumers who need multiple peripheral connections.

Many competitors, including the new generation of 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors (such as the MSI MPG 272URX), offer USB-C with power delivery, which gives them an edge in connectivity. However, in fairness to LG, OLED competitors that have a 27-inch 1440p 480Hz panel, such as the Asus ROG Swift PG27QDP, also lack USB-C.

Owners can access the LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B’s features through a joystick-style control located on the lower bezel. It functions much like competitors, offering fast, intuitive navigation through well-labeled menus.

LG includes the usual range of image quality settings, such as multiple image presets, color temperature adjustments, and gamma mode options, along with gaming-specific features like on-screen crosshairs and dark-level equalizers that enhance details in shadowy areas. It’s all standard for a monitor of this caliber, but LG executes it well without mistakes.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Alternatively, you can use the LG Switch application to access most monitor features within Windows. I’m not a huge fan of the app’s design, which for some reason looks like a smartphone, but it does the job.

The UltraGear 27GX790A-B doesn’t have speakers, which is common even for high-end gaming monitors. However, it’s worth noting that LG’s UltraGear 32GS95UE-B, the 32-inch OLED 240Hz model, features a PixelSound system—and it’s one of the best monitor sound systems available right now. It would’ve been nice to see it come to LG’s 27-inch OLED line-up, too.

In our tests, the LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B demonstrated motion clarity that was nearly as crisp as a still image.

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B is a new monitor, but it’s not the first 27-inch 1440p 480Hz OLED with an LG W-OLED panel to cross my desk. Because of that, its performance doesn’t bring any surprises. It delivers excellent contrast and a wide color gamut, though it’s not going to match the image quality of the newer 4K 240Hz models that are just now hitting the market.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up is SDR brightness. As the graph shows, OLED monitors are remarkably consistent here, with most providing a maximum sustained SDR brightness around 250 nits. The Ultragear 27GX790A-B doesn’t buck that trend. The level of brightness is fine for most gaming dens, though it could seem a bit dim if the monitor is used in a room with bright, sunlit windows.

The UltraGear 27GX790A-B has a matte finish which tends to diffuse glare. I prefer a matte finish over gloss, but your mileage may vary. The monitor also has peak brightness modes that appear to minimize brightness fluctuations when moving quickly between bright and dark content, a problem that was common on older OLED displays (but is less so with the current crop).  

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The UltraGear 27GX790A-B has exceptional contrast thanks to its ability to dim each individual pixel to a minimum brightness of zero nits. That provides a deeper, more immersive image that’s especially well-suited for games and movies. Other OLED displays provide the same advantage, though, so the UltraGear 27GX790A-B doesn’t gain an edge here.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

When it comes to color gamut, the UltraGear 27GX790A-B delivers great results yet falls behind some competitors. LG’s WOLED panel has a narrower color gamut than Samsung’s QD-OLED, which means a larger portion of expanded color gamut standards, like DCI-P3 and AdobeRGB, remain out of reach. 

This isn’t necessarily a problem for gamers, as the UltraGear 27GX790A-B still looks vivid and punchy. However, it might be a concern for demanding creative professionals who care about viewing as much of a color gamut as possible.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color accuracy, on the other hand, is a perk. The UltraGear 27GX790A-B is more accurate than most OLED monitors I’ve tested, and its accuracy is good enough to seem effectively perfect in most situations.

The monitor’s color accuracy is reinforced by its color temperature and gamma results. I measured a default color temperature of 6400K, which is only a tad warmer than the target of 6500K. Gamma, meanwhile, was spot-on with a measured gamma curve of 2.2, which means content looks about as bright as it’s meant to. Together, these results translate into a pleasant, accurate image.

It’s not all good news, though. I noticed a distracting “dirty screen effect” (DSE) while using the UltraGear 27GX790A-B. This is caused by variations in the brightness of pixels across the OLED panel. All OLEDs suffer the problem to some degree, but the UltraGear 27GX790A-B had it worse than most, with a noticeable pattern or horizontal stripes visible across the display. LG sent me a replacement at my request, and it also displayed the issue.

DSE is not really a problem for gamers, which is the 27GX790A-B’s target demographic, because it was only visible when the monitor displays a simple gray image with little variation in color. However, the issue was very noticeable when using apps like Slack, Gmail, and Word in dark mode.

Sharpness also detracts from the UltraGear 27GX790A-B’s use for day-to-day productivity. The monitor’s 2560×1440 resolution looks okay briefly, but some pixelation is visible around small fonts and interface buttons. That was great in 2024 but now, with the arrival of the first 27-inch 4K OLED monitors, shoppers have a sharper choice. However, this is the trade-off you must make if you want a 480Hz refresh rate, as 4K OLED monitors top out at 240Hz. 

Overall, the LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s SDR image quality is great, yet a step behind the most alluring competitors.

The LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B has the same VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 Certification boasted by most of its competitors, and that translates over to its real-world performance.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

As the graph shows, the Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s HDR brightness is in line with most competitors. The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED, with its new 4K QD-OLED panel, did leap ahead in peak brightness when displaying a small, bright object. But, in truth, I’m not sure that advantage is obvious in real-world use. That’s especially true with HDR games, which tend to be lackluster in their HDR implementation when compared to HDR films and shows.

After testing the monitor, I loaded my typical array of HDR test clips. This includes the “Gargantuan” scene from Interstellar and the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road. Both looked great on the 27GX790A-B. Bright highlights, like the arc of lightning through a dust storm, delivered impact and punch. I also saw good detail in brighter objects, like the accretion disk surrounding Interstellar’s black hole.

Okay, now we come to it—the real reason to buy the LG Ultragear 27GX790A-B.

The Ultragear 27GX790A-B’s WOLED panel can reach a refresh rate of up to 480Hz. That’s the highest refresh rate currently available from any consumer OLED panel, and it’s close to the best LCD displays, though some competitors exceed 500Hz.

A higher refresh rate usually translates to smoother motion with less motion blur, and the Ultragear 27GX790A-B lives up to expectations. When I reviewed the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP, the first 27-inch 1440p 480Hz OLED monitor (which also has an LG WOLED panel), I called its motion clarity “almost perfect.” The same is true for LG’s alternative.

Test clips from League of Legends showed a picture that was nearly as crisp as a still image. Character silhouettes, spell effects, text, and hitpoint bars were not just legible, but easy to read. A quick camera pan in a first-person game, like Valorant, revealed near-perfect detail in distant objects. The advantage over a 240Hz OLED, which already delivers great motion clarity, is obvious. Keep in mind, however, that a game must render at a frame rate of up to 480 frames per second to make full use of the 480Hz refresh rate. That means you’ll need beefy hardware to make the most of the 27GX790A-B’s motion clarity.

While the Ultragear 27GX790A-B looks great in motion, it has one small disadvantage when compared to Asus’ 480Hz alternative. Asus supports black frame insertion, which it refers to as Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB), at 120Hz and 240Hz. Thanks to a trick of human perception, inserting a black frame between each normal frame can reduce motion blur in exchange for lower perceived brightness. Asus’ ELMB gives the ROG Swift PG27AQDP a motion clarity advantage when playing games below 240Hz.

The Ultragear 27GX790A-B provides official support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. Because they are similar, most monitors that support one will support both. Still, it’s good to see LG provide official support for both, as it gives owners peace of mind that the monitor will function properly with AMD and Nvidia hardware.

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B is an excellent choice for competitive gamers who want outstanding motion clarity along with excellent contrast and color performance. While its sharpness and color gamut don’t match the new 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors that are beginning to hit store shelves, a 1440p 480Hz OLED panel holds a clear advantage in motion clarity.

Compared to its closest competitor, the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP, the 27GX790A-B is very similar in performance. The LG has the advantage of a more compact stand, but unlike the Asus model, it lacks a threaded mount at the top of the stand. LG doesn’t offer a black frame insertion feature, either, so its motion clarity won’t match the Asus at lower refresh rates.

Ultimately, the choice between the two comes down to personal preference—or which monitor happens to be on sale when you’re ready to buy.  

Windows 11 users have been grumbling about Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) problems ever since the big 24H2 update released back in October 2024. Over the past months, you may have struggled to establish RDP connections, which can hang or freeze.

And unfortunately the recent updates — KB5050094 and KB5051987 — have failed to address the issues, with RDP connections still struggling to find their footing when logging in, reports Windows Latest.

As it turns out, there might be multiple bugs at play here. Microsoft has yet to confirm anything and it’s unclear if they’re working on a fix.

If you’re dealing with Remote Desktop problems in Windows 11, know that you aren’t alone and there are some workarounds you can try.

In some cases, the solution might be as simple as changing the RDP port from the default 3389 to something else. If that doesn’t work for you, you’ll have to tweak the Local Group Policy:

Joel Lee / Foundry

1. In the Start menu, search for Edit group policy and launch it. This takes you to the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. In the left-side pane, navigate to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections.
3. In the right-side pane, double-click on Select network detection on the server to edit this policy.
4. Change the setting to Enabled.
5. Under Options > Select Network Detect Level, change the setting to Turn off Connect Time Detect and Continuous Network Detect. (By the way, turning off only Continuous Network Detect might be enough to address the problem. Feel free to try that.)
6. Click Apply, then OK.
7. Lastly, open the Command Prompt and run this command: gpupdate /force

Further reading: Microsoft’s new Windows App lets you remotely access your PC from anywhere

It wasn’t that long ago that you could easily snap up a Chromecast with Google TV streaming device for as little as $30. Now those days appear to be over. 

A quick check on the Google Store reveals that Google’s cheapest Chromecast streamers are gone, and now there’s only one streaming video option: The $99.99 Google TV Streamer, which made its debut last year. 

As 9to5Google notes, Google had previously said it would only sell its cheaper Chromecast with Google TV models until supplies ran out. Looking at the Chromecast with Google TV product page on the Google Store, both the HD and 4K versions of the streamer are now listed as “No longer available.” It’s still possible to find the Chromecast with Google TV at third-party retailers, but their supplies seem to be dwindling too.  

I spotted the HD version of the Chromecast with Google TV at Walmart for $56.99, a hefty markup over its former $30 list price. Macy’s has the same player for $50.40, while searches at Best Buy and Target came up empty.  

Even if you do manage to track down a Chromecast with Google TV, I’d argue that $50 is way too much to pay for the HD version. Fifty bucks with the 4K-enabled Chromecast with Google TV would be more like it but I couldn’t find that variant at all today. Now, if you’re dead-set on getting a Google TV streaming player for less than the $99.99 Google TV Streamer, there are a couple of attractive alternatives. 

First, there’s Walmart’s Onn Google TV 4K Pro, a $50 streaming box that packs in 4K video resolution, Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos immersive audio, 32GB of storage, a USB 3.0 port, and a fast (100Mbps) ethernet port. Those specs are way better than those you’ll find in the Chromecast with Google TV HD, which is now selling for roughly the same price. 

Looking for a Google TV streamer that’s even cheaper? Check out Walmart’s Onn TV 4K Streaming Box, which drops Dolby Vision and Atmos, whittles down the storage to 8GB, and loses the USB and ethernet ports, while still offering 4K HDR resolution—all for $20. That’s a pretty sweet deal. Of course, you could always suck it up and get the new Google TV Streamer for a cool $100, but we don’t love it for the price.  

Designed to double as a smart home hub (including a Thread border router for Matter devices), the Google TV Streamer is a good choice for those looking to kick-start their smart homes, and it offers Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and a gigabit ethernet port. That said, our reviewer Jared Newman was bummed by the lack of hands-free voice control, the “minimal AI features, and absence of an easy-to-use app switcher. 

“Smart home enthusiasts might still find this reaming box worthwhile, but Google TV fans should seek out Walmart’s Onn Google TV 4K at half the price,” Newman concluded. 

Whenever I leave the house for long periods of time, there’s one thing I always pack in my bag: Ugreen’s high-capacity power bank that provides me with portable charging anywhere I go. Yes, I own it and I love it.

If you worry about running out of battery while out and about, you need one of these. And right now it’s on sale for $75 on Amazon, so there’s never been a better time to grab one. (That’s 25 percent off!)

I can’t even tell you how many times this exact power bank has saved my bacon. Forgot to plug in my phone overnight? Charge it in my bag. Laptop dying mid-work? No problem. Noise-cancelling earbuds need more life to get me through the day? Done.

The 25,000mAh capacity is large. That’s enough to fully charge a modern Samsung Galaxy or iPhone about four to five times. It’s also enough to recharge your laptop from zero to full with some extra leftover. And the 140W output is fast so you don’t have to wait so long.

Did all your devices die at once? No sweat. This Ugreen power bank has three ports — two USB-C and one USB-A — so you can recharge up to three devices simultaneously. Note, however, that only the main USB-C port can hit 140W of power delivery, and if you plug multiple devices in, the output will get split up between them.

Everyone needs a portable charger they can rely on. I have this one and I love it. I think you’ll love it, too. Grab this Ugreen 25K power bank for just $75 on Amazon while this deal lasts!

If you’re looking to score a fast laptop at a killer price, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re on the hunt for a blazing fast gaming rig, an affordable laptop under $500, or an everyday Chromebook, we’ve assembled a list of the best laptop deals available right now, using our finely honed editorial judgment (and thousands of hours of testing experience) to only recommend truly compelling deals on worthwhile notebooks.

We’ve separated the recommendations below by best laptop deals under $500, best home use laptop deals, best gaming laptop deals, and best premium laptop deals, to make it easier to find a notebook that fits your budget and needs. For more options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.

Lenovo

Our top pick: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5, $449.99 ($340 off at B&H)

Sometimes all you need is an affordable laptop for browsing social media and watching Netflix. If you’re in the market for such a laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 is worth considering. It’s powered by an Intel Core 5 120U processor, which is suitable for office work and day-to-day tasks. You’re also getting 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, and the 1200p display measures a pretty spacious 16 inches.

More laptop deals under $500

• Asus FHD Laptop, Intel Celeron N4500 processor/14-inch 1080p display/4GB RAM/64GB eMMC, $119.99 ($60 off at Best Buy)
• Lenovo IdeaPad 1, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $330.99 ($249 off at Best Buy)
• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i, Intel Core 3 100U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $349 ($190 off at B&H)
• HP Laptop 17t-cn300, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/17.3-inch 900p display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $369.99 ($480 off at HP)
• Lenovo Flex 5i 14, Intel Core i5-1235U processor/14-inch 1200p IPS touch display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $399.99 ($280 off at Best Buy)
• Acer Aspire 5, Intel Core i5-12450H processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/12GB RAM/512GB SSD, $449.99 ($100 off at Newegg)
• Asus Vivobook Go, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1080p OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $449.99 ($140 off at Newegg)
• Asus Vivobook 16, AMD Ryzen 7 7730U processor/16-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $479.99 ($120 off at Best Buy)
• Asus Vivobook S 16 Flip, AMD Ryzen 5 7530U processor/16-inch 1200p OLED display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $499.99 ($200 off at Adorama)

LG

Our top pick: LG Gram 16, $649 ($250 off at Adorama)

The LG Gram 16 is a lightweight laptop with a high resolution (2560×1600) IPS display. It weighs just 2.64 pounds, which is impressive given the spacious 16-inch display. As for the internals, you’ll find an Intel Core i5-1340P processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. These are modest specs, so it should be smooth sailing with checking e-mail or working on spreadsheets. You’re also getting a full size keyboard with backlighting and a number pad and a colossal 80 watt-hour battery.

More mid-range laptop deals:

• HP Dragonfly Pro, AMD Ryzen 7 7736U processor/14-inch 1200p IPS touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599 ($800 off at B&H)
• LG Gram Book 15, Intel Core i5-1334U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599.99 ($150 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo 14 Slim 7, Intel Core i7-1360P processor/14-inch 1800p touch display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $699 ($600 off at B&H)
• HP Dragonfly G4, Intel Core i7-1355U processor/13.5-inch 1280p touch display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $789.99 ($709.01 off at Adorama)
• Acer Swift Edge 16, AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor/16-inch 3200×2000 IPS display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $799.99 ($500 off at Newegg)

Acer

Our top pick: Acer Nitro V, $999.99 ($300 off at Newegg)

The Acer Nitro V offers powerful hardware for a decent price. It comes loaded with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU as well as 16GB of memory and 512GB of PCIe SSD storage. Given the hardware, you shouldn’t have any problem zipping through most games on Medium or High graphics. The 15.6-inch LED-backlit IPS display also has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a refresh rate of 144Hz, which should give you a smoother experience in games.

More gaming laptop deals:

• Lenovo LOQ 15IRX9, RTX 4060 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $729.99 ($350 off at B&H)
• Asus TUF Gaming A16, AMD Radeon RX 7700S graphics/16-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $749.99 ($350 off at Best Buy)
• MSI Cyborg Gaming Laptop, RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $799.99 ($200 off at Newegg)
• Asus ROG Strix, RTX 4050 graphics/16-inch 1200p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $899.99 ($400 off at Newegg)
• Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, RTX 4060 graphics/14-inch 1800p OLED display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,074.99 ($525 off at Best Buy)
• Lenovo Legion 5i, RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1600p display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($270 off at B&H)

Microsoft

Our top pick: Microsoft Surface Laptop (Copilot+), $1,599.99 ($500 off at Best Buy)

The Microsoft Surface Laptop is an excellent laptop for heavier workloads, day-to-day tasks, and more. It comes loaded with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and a Snapdragon X Elite processor. Laptops with Snapdragon processors tend to have amazing battery life (the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 lasted almost 24 hours on a single charge!). Given our past experience with Snapdragon laptops, I expect similar results from the laptop on sale today. The 15-inch 2496×1664 touch-enabled display also boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, which should help make images look smoother.

More premium laptop deals:

• Microsoft Surface, Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch 1536p touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,035.98 ($364.01 off at Amazon)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 11, Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920p touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,069.99 ($120 off at Amazon)
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11, Intel Core i7-1355U processor/14-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,099.99 ($300 off at Amazon)
• MSI Prestige 14 AI+ Evo, Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/13.3-inch 1800p OLED display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,149.99 ($250 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 5, AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor/14-inch 1200p IPS display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,349 ($120 off at Adorama)
• MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio, Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor/RTX 4070 graphics/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,499.99 ($200 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.

ExpressVPN has long been one of the very best VPNs thanks to its huge server network, great speeds, and strong privacy practices. Not satisfied with perfecting the art of the VPN, in recent years the company has begun adding some nifty additional features to bolster an already impressive service.

Below I’ll discuss the top five settings that I think everyone should change in ExpressVPN to get the most from their service. These tweaks will help you optimize privacy, increase connection security, and take full advantage of the powerful features ExpressVPN has to offer.

ExpressVPN is one of my picks for best VPNs overall, but if you’re interested in other great services check out the list of best VPNs for even more options.

Turning on automatic updates might seem like a no-brainer to some, but it’s an easy thing to overlook. ExpressVPN offers regular updates to its VPN app that should be a priority for all users. The easiest way to make sure you have the latest version is to turn on the option to download and install updates automatically.

Not only will this keep you up to date with much needed improvements, but it’ll save a lot of time over the long run—ExpressVPN pumps out updates seemingly every week or two. 

To turn on automatic updates navigate to the Options menu from the homescreen and under the General tab make sure the box for “Automatically download and install updates” is selected.

Sam Singleton

ExpressVPN has become more than just a VPN in recent years, quickly becoming a one-stop shop for all privacy and security needs. It now offers an entire set of features to help you stay safer online including an ad- and tracker-blocker, password manager, parental controls, and identity-theft monitoring.

Thankfully, all of these features are included in your VPN subscription so you don’t need to pay extra for add-ons. Instead of opting for separate services or apps for all of these, it’s easier to just let ExpressVPN do it all for you.

Some of these features such as the password manager and identity-theft monitoring can be set up under your account on the ExpressVPN website. Others such as the ad- and tracker-blocker and parental controls will need to be turned on in the app.

To do this, open up the ExpressVPN app and navigate to the Options menu. Here, go to the Advanced Protections tab and you’re then able to check the options for “Block trackers,” “Block malicious sites,” and “Block ads.” I recommend that you turn on all of these options as they’re quick and easy ways to instantly keep you safer online.

Choosing the Lightway – UDP protocol will give you the optimal mix of speed and security.

Sam Singleton

VPN protocols are critical to the speed and security of your connection. Think of them like simultaneously both the traffic laws and road map helping your traffic navigate through a VPN tunnel.

Most VPN providers are happy sticking with the same old standard protocol options—OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard. However, instead of resting on its laurels, ExpressVPN decided to try something new and made its own proprietary open-source protocol called Lightway.

The advantage ExpressVPN has by offering Lightway is complete control over upgrades to the protocol. For example, just recently it integrated full post-quantum encryption support into the Lightway protocol, making it one of the only protocols available right now with this advanced security feature.

In my own testing I’ve noticed that Lightway provides significantly faster speeds than OpenVPN. So considering the speed and security advantages that Lightway brings, I recommend that everyone use it as the default protocol option while connected to any of ExpressVPN’s servers.

To select Lightway as your default protocol, open up the Options menu from the home screen and then go to the Protocols tab. Select one of the Lightway protocols, either Lightway – UDP or Lightway – TCP based on your personal needs. I recommend that you usually stick with Lightway – UDP as it provides the best mix of speed and security while Lightway – TCP is generally only used to help access restrictive networks.

ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling feature is easy to set up and can help you optimize your connection.

Sam Singleton

Split tunneling is one of the most useful VPN features that the majority of VPN users aren’t taking advantage of. It gives you the ability to pick and choose which apps or websites you want to run through the encrypted VPN tunnel and which you wish to keep outside of it.

ExpressVPN offers a split-tunneling feature that can be easily set up with just a little bit of time. From the home screen, click on the Options menu and then navigate to the General tab. From here, check “Manage connection on a per-app basis” and then Settings to choose the type of split tunneling you wish to use.

“All apps use the VPN” will designate everything to run through the encrypted VPN tunnel while connected. If you want to run everything except for one or two apps through the VPN then choose “Do not allow selected apps to use the VPN” and designate those specific apps. Finally, if you want to only run a few apps through the VPN and keep everything else separate, choose “Only allow selected apps to use the VPN” and afterwards select the apps you wish to protect while connected.

Personally, I choose to have all of my apps except a few run through the VPN to maximize my privacy and protections. For example, I run my browser through the VPN, but keep my online videogames separate. This is because I want protected browsing but don’t want the VPN to accidentally slow my connection speeds while gaming.

OK, I’ll admit, this isn’t really a setting you can change, but it’s important enough that I thought it was worth mentioning. One of the biggest perks of opting for ExpressVPN over many other VPN services is the absolutely huge range of platforms it supports. 

All of us access the internet through a variety of devices and opting to protect just one of them is like putting a lock on only one of your doors. Sure, you’ll be safe from threats coming through that door, but what about the other doors, or windows? Because all of our devices are so interconnected nowadays, it may only take a third party accessing one device to then begin monitoring all of your activity.

Take advantage of ExpressVPN’s wide platform support and protect everything. Not just your Windows PC, but your smartphone, your work computer, your smart TV, your browser, and even your entire home network with a router-based VPN. It only takes a few minutes to set up ExpressVPN on all of your devices, but the privacy and security benefits you’ll enjoy as a result are more than worth it.

You can find download links to all of ExpressVPN’s supported platforms on its website under your account page. Just be aware that the service imposes a limit of eight simultaneous device connections.

These days, a mini PC can make a lot of sense. More powerful than a laptop of the same price, not as much of a space hog as a desktop PC. If you don’t need a full-blown gaming rig, this is the way to go.

And right now, this Beelink EQR5 mini PC is only $299 on Amazon. That’s a lovely 25 percent discount off its $399 MSRP, a fantastic price for a powerful machine that takes up very little desk space.

This Beelink EQR5 features an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor and 32GB of DDR4 RAM as well as a 500GB SSD. That’s a superb configuration that’s perfect for work productivity, streaming media, doom scrolling, video and image editing, and more. If you want to upgrade later on, it’s so easy to do so, supporting up to 64GB of RAM and 8TB of storage.

This mini PC really is a productivity beast, able to push a dual 4K@60Hz setup with its two full-sized HDMI ports. Speaking of connectivity, you’ll also find a 10Gbps USB-C port, three 10Gbps USB-A ports, a USB 2.0 port, and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. A lot for a tiny device!

Again, this beast of a machine is only $299 right now on Amazon. Hurry up and get one because this hot deal won’t stick around forever!

Every gamer has encountered gaming hardware that doesn’t live up to expectations. Washed-out colors, blooming, ghosting, and screen tearing are all giveaway signs that a gaming monitor is struggling with performance.

That’s relatable if you have an el cheapo panel, but when you’ve spent a small fortune on what’s meant to be kickass visuals, that kind of performance is uncool.

We reviewers can put a finger on the best gaming monitors to buy and the ones to avoid, but the elephant in the room remains why some premium monitors with excellent specs have sub-par performance in the first place.

The main problem as I see it is that manufacturers’ claims about performance specs are often wrong or misleading.

I won’t use a broad brush to paint all manufacturers in the same light, or indeed all products within a manufacturer’s range, but there are plenty of individual products out there that I can point to.

Any gaming monitor spec can turn out to be vastly different from what a manufacturer has said, but two of the biggest offenders right off the bat are HDR and contrast ratio.

HDR comes under many guises. For example, “Nebula HDR” and “Quantum HDR” are two names manufacturers have given to monitors to sell the idea that they are high peak brightness and high contrast-ratio displays. Yet these are essentially made-up names designed to pivot off of the current standard for HDR known as VESA HDR certification.

The unfortunate consequence of that is that there’s no accounting for what the monitor’s peak brightness, local dimming, or color depth stats actually are. In some cases, they will indeed reach the lofty heights of a fully fledged VESA-certified DisplayHDR 1000 monitor (the current standard for 1,000-nit monitors) for key metrics, but in other cases they won’t. In fact, without testing it’s impossible to tell.

Peak brightness in particular can be way off the mark. Measurements can sometimes (but not always) be substantially below 1,000 nits peak brightness even when advertised as such.

Then, still, even if a monitor reaches 1,000 nits peak brightness in testing, the percentage of the display surface and the time it can reach 1,000 nits brightness can vary greatly. Whereas a VESA-certified DisplayHDR 1000 monitor is required to display 1,000 nits peak brightness across the whole surface, another monitor may only reach 1,000 nits in a small percentage of the screen.

VESA’s own certifications can be confusing too, since two VESA-certified monitors with the same VESA certification can have different numbers of dimming zones — even if they have a high maximum peak brightness. That can result in big differences in image quality from product to product. As the monitor community on reddit often says, “Some just aren’t real HDR monitors.”

As a general rule you’ll want to check that a monitor has a high peak brightness but also that it has a lot of dimming zones to avoid this pitfall. For a monitor promising a peak brightness of 1,000 nits or higher, ideally it should have thousands of dimming zones.

Further reading: 5 simple monitor adjustments everyone should make

DisplayPort 1.4 is another slippery slope to watch out for in gaming monitors.

One case that caught my eye was the mislabeling of the DisplayPort spec in a 27-inch product. The monitor in question, the Acer XV272U P, was found to support HDR input at 1140p, 120Hz, and 10bit, but only at DisplayPort 1.2 bandwidth. In other words, its spec really should have read “DisplayPort 1.2 plus HDR.”

Genuine DisplayPort 1.4 can support 200Hz at 1440p and 10bit, so be careful of that fact.

Contrast ratios can vary alarmingly from what’s advertised too. Indeed, the number soups touted by manufacturers in product sheets should be carefully scrutinized against what reviewers say a product can achieve.

The Samsung Odyssey Neo 2022, for example, was one product called out by reviewers back in 2022 for having a 15,000:1 contrast ratio despite Samsung claiming it had a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, so always do your research on this spec.

Response time, too, has been at the center of another problem with gaming monitor specs over the years: the fact that not all the specs are revealed by manufacturers. That’s despite this metric being arguably one of the most important indicators of your monitor’s image clarity in competitive games.

Most gamers are aware of its importance at least and know enough to look for a 1 millisecond or faster response time, but what they may not know is that there are different measurements to describe it.

What you’ll almost always see in product sheets is the gray-to-gray response time (GtG), which measures how long a pixel can change from one shade of gray to another. This measure tells you only a small fraction of the story. Even with a low, 1ms GtG, a display can still exhibit a lot of motion blur.

Another measurement known as Moving Picture Response Time, or MPRT, is arguably the more important measurement manufacturers should be showing, if not on its own, then alongside GtG. It gives you more of a real-world understanding of response time since it directly relates to perceived motion blur, MPRT being a measurement of how long a pixel is visible on a display.

If you don’t see MPRT next to the response time in a product’s spec sheet, you’ll want to ask the manufacturer what it is before you buy (ideally it should be 2ms or faster), or else the monitor may show some signs of ghosting in games.

I hope that’s whet your appetite to investigate your gaming monitor’s specs in depth. If you’re now thinking, “I didn’t check any of this when I bought my monitor,” that’s totally understandable — it’s very much insider knowledge.

Remember, then, to do your research before your next purchase — read lots of reviews and check your manufacturer specs — for the best chances of avoiding these common pitfalls.

Further reading: How to prevent screen flickering when playing games