Personal Computers

Whether you’re looking for a productivity desktop, a gaming PC powerhouse, or a stylish all-in-one Windows machine, we’ve got you covered. The team at PCWorld sort through all of the daily computer sales and put together a curated list of the best deals available. But not all deals are really deals, so we only choose those offered by reputable companies and that include great hardware to ensure you get the best value for your money.

We’ve also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you’re considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, updated daily.

Note: Tech deals come and go quickly, so it’s possible some of these computer discounts will have expired before this article’s next update.

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• Skytech Azure, Ryzen 7 7700X/RTX 5070/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,649.99 (8% off on Amazon)
• MSI Codex R2, Core i5-14400F/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,099.99 (8% off on Amazon)
• Skytech Gaming Shiva II, Ryzen 7 5700X/RTX 4070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,399.99 (18% off on Amazon)
• Alienware Area-51, Core Ultra 9 285K/RTX 5080/64GB RAM/4TB SSD, $4,649.99 (8% off on Dell)
• IPASON Gaming Desktop, Ryzen 5 5600/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $739.00 (26% off on Newegg)
• AOACE Gaming Desktop, Core i5-12400F/RTX 4060/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $799.99 (50% off on Newegg)

My top picks:

Surprisingly, one of the best deals this week includes a brand new, latest-gen RTX 5070: the Skytech Azure for $150 off on Amazon. With a Ryzen 7 7700X and RTX 5070, this new midrange gaming desktop is packing some heat. If you simply can’t wait to get your hands on a next-gen GPU, then this is the best value to date.

For something a little more budget friendly, check out the MSI Codex R2 deal for $100 off on Amazon. The Core i5-14400F and RTX 4060 Ti will provide strong budget level gaming performance for a very reasonable price.

• Minisforum AI X1, Ryzen 7 260/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $599.00 (20% off on Minisforum)
• ROG NUC 760, Core Ultra 7-155H/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,299.00 (7% off on Amazon)
• GMKtec Mini-PC, Core N150/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $194.99 (23% off on Amazon with coupon)
• Apple Mac Mini 2024, M4/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $743.00 (7% off on Amazon)

My top picks:

Minisforum is known for offering great mini-PCs at cheap prices and the AI X1 for $150 off on its websites is no exception. Rocking a powerful Ryzen 7 260 processor and generous 32GB of RAM, this mini-PC is absolutely loaded with value from top to bottom.

If you’re more of a Mac fan, then this rare deal on the latest M4 Mac Mini for $56 off on Amazon is for you. The brand new 2024 Mac Mini is a seriously good option for those looking to get great mini-PC performance for price. The M4 chip has outstanding processing power and this Apple model also comes with a good amount of RAM and onboard storage.

All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family.

• Inspiron 27 AiO, Core i7-1355U/32GB RAM/1TB SSD/27-inch 1080p display, $999.99 (23% off on Dell)
• HP OmniStudio X AiO, Core Ultra 5 125H/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/31.5-inch 4K display, $1,089.99 (27% off on HP)
• Acer Aspire C22, Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/21.5-inch 1080p display, $419.99 (16% off on Amazon)
• iMac M4 2024, M4/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 5K display, $1,549.99 (9% off on Amazon)

My top picks:

Dell’s workhorse Inspiron 27 AiO is on sale for $300 off on its website. The always reliable all-in-one comes loaded with an ample 32GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage. Plus, the addition of the Core i7-1355U CPU makes this a standout deal this week.

If you want treat yourself to something a little more high-end than the new HP OmniStudio X AiO model for $240 off on HP’s website is the ticket. The latest all-in-one from HP packs a crystal-clear 31.5-inch 4K and it’s powered by the new Core Ultra 5 125H CPU.

There are a ton of sites that sell computers, and scouring through all of them would take you a lot of time—that’s why we do it for you here and highlight the best deals we find. However, to save you some time and frustration, you need to be smart about where you look at any given time of the year.

If you’re looking for a new computer during the holidays or around popular sale periods such as Black Friday or back-to-school, then you are likely to find great deals directly through first party vendor websites. These include the retail storefronts of popular computer manufacturers such as HP, Dell, and Lenovo.

However, if you are looking in between sales periods, it’s generally a good idea to search through large third-party retailers such as Amazon, Adorama, Walmart, BestBuy, and Newegg. Oftentimes these websites will offer limited Deals of the Day type sales in hopes of getting rid of excess stock. On the upside, you can score still-decent PCs at a steep discount.

Typically you’ll want to time your PC computer shopping around a prominent sales period. The biggest sales periods are Black Friday/Cyber Monday in late November and Amazon Prime Day in early-to-mid July. The best sales often occur leading up to and during these two events and they are great times to snag a new PC computer for cheap. Other holiday shopping periods such as the New Year sales in January, President’s Day sales in April, and the back-to-school sales event in August are also good times to find discounts on computers.

You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: productivity tower PCs, gaming PCs, mini PCS, and all-in-ones (AiO). Which you should end up buying is entirely dependent upon what your needs are and what you want to do with your computer. If you are looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a productivity PC or AiO with a solid CPU and lots of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming PC can offer a lot more bang for your buck than a laptop and you should focus on getting the best GPU possible. Or if you just want something that can fit anywhere and provide basic computing then a mini PC is a good bet.

When looking at your new computer’s CPU, get at least an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, both of which will provide plenty of processing power for everyday computing tasks. If you don’t intend to do any PC gaming, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle ray tracing well. If you aren’t interested in those cutting-edge lighting effects, however, the RTX 3050 and Radeon RX 6600 also provide good 1080p gaming performance at even lower prices.

As for RAM, we think its best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for productivity and gaming, but for family computers and internet browsing, 8GB should suffice.

Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over an standard HDD as they are much faster and don’t significantly affect the price of a desktop. Before deciding, it’s best to consider what your intended use of the computer will be. Are you just doing work or web browsing? Then something like 512GB will be plenty. If you want to load up a lot of large files such as games or content creation projects, then you’ll need at least 1 or 2TB or storage. However, just remember that even if your computer doesn’t have enough storage built-in you can always upgrade your SSD or go with an external drive to increase your available storage options.

Refurbished computers are used machines that have been repaired, upgraded, and cleaned for the purpose of reselling. They’re usually open-box returns, overstock, or models with minor cosmetic damage (scratches, scuffs, etc). Refurbished computers can be a bargain hunter’s dream as they’re likely still in good (or great) condition and you can save a lot of money. That being said, refurbished computers can have their downsides as well. In addition to cosmetic blemishes, some of the internal components might be a little older or outdated and they might not be in peak condition due to previous usage.

If you do consider buying a refurbished computer I recommend looking at eBay as they offer a one-year warranty. You can also check out manufacturer’s retail storefronts like Dell’s Outlet Store and Apple’s Refurbished Store—just be sure to look at the terms of warranty offered before purchasing.

4K resolution is now within reach of everyday PC users, promising a massive improvement to image quality, with four times the pixels of a 1080p display. A 4K monitor is useful not only in games and movies but also when editing documents or browsing web pages. The extra pixels make text look clear and crisp.

After extensive testing, I’ve determined that the recommendations listed below are the best 4K monitors available today, covering a variety of budgets and use cases.

Pros

• Functional, professional design
• Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, Ethernet, and 140 watts of Power Delivery
• New generation of IPS Black boosts contrast ratio
• Excellent sharpness from 31.5-inch 4K panel
• 120Hz refresh rate with VRR

Cons

• Contrast ratio is good for an IPS panel, but still behind VA and OLED panels
• HDR brightness is decent, but contrast remains limited
• Doesn’t have speakers

The U3225QE has a sharp 31.5-inch 4K IPS Black panel with excellent color accuracy and an above-average contrast ratio for a productivity monitor. The 120Hz refresh rate enhances responsiveness, making tasks like scrolling through documents and multitasking smoother. The ergonomic stand provides height, tilt, swivel, and portrait mode adjustments, and the anti-glare coating ensures comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions.

In addition to its stunning image quality, the U3225QE’s connectivity eliminates the need for external docks and adapters. It features Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports with 140W of Power Delivery—enough to charge most laptops—along with HDMI, DisplayPort, and a secondary DisplayPort for daisy-chaining multiple monitors. A built-in 2.5Gbps Ethernet port ensures a fast and stable wired network connection, a rare feature among monitors. It also offers six USB-A ports, a pop-out USB hub with quick-access USB-C and USB-A ports, and KVM switch functionality for seamless switching between two connected PCs.

While it lacks built-in speakers and its HDR performance is limited, the U3225QE’s extensive connectivity and high-quality display make it a standout choice for professionals who need a central hub for their workspace.

Want a smaller version of this monitor? Check out the Dell Ultrasharp U2725QE. It has a similar 4K IPS Black display panel and Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C connectivity.

Pros

• Uniquely affordable USB-C monitor
• 4K resolution with HDR option
• High brightness and good color accuracy
• Integrated speakers

Cons

• Low contrast ratio saps SDR vibrance
• Mediocre color gamut

The Dell S2722QC has emerged as the best budget 4K monitor you can buy right now. Initially priced at $380, the monitor now retails for around $280 (and as low as $250). It stands out by blending this budget price with 4K resolution and USB-C connectivity typically reserved for more expensive models.

Dell’s 27-inch IPS display delivers crisp visuals and a respectable brightness of 296 nits, suitable for most lighting conditions. In addition to an exceptionally clear, sharp 4K image, the monitor delivers color performance that’s more than adequate for everyday productivity, streaming, and light gaming. These perks are paired with a USB-C port with 65 watts of USB Power Delivery for charging a connected laptop or tablet, as well as two USB-A ports for connecting wiring peripherals. The monitor even ships with a sturdy yet compact ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot.

Still, the Dell S2722QC makes a few compromises to keep the price low. The IPS panel’s contrast ratio is low, which can make the image look flat and dull when playing games or watching a movie. It’s better suited for a home office than a gaming den. To be fair, though, quality 4K gaming monitors are usually more expensive. 

Dell’s S2722QC is a good budget 4K monitor that offers a lot of bang for your buck. It doesn’t deliver the highest image quality in all areas, but its combination of 4K resolution, USB-C connectivity, and affordability makes it a solid choice if you want a tack-sharp home office monitor at a low price.

Pros

• Accurate image
• High maximum brightness
• Menu settings allow calibration
• Has USB-C with 65 watts Power Delivery
• Competitive price

Cons

• Unimpressive design
• Luminance uniformity could be better
• HDR is bright but otherwise falls short

Want a great 4K monitor, but need to spend less than $500? The Asus ProArt PA279CV is an excellent choice.

The ProArt PA279CV is a 27-inch 4K monitor that targets entry-level professional use. It has excellent color accuracy, high maximum brightness, and a good contrast ratio for an IPS monitor. 

This monitor also throws in USB-C connectivity. It’s not a great USB-C hub, as it has only a couple USB-A ports, but it offers 65 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected laptop or tablet.

Asus throws in adaptive sync support compatible with AMD and Nvidia video cards. This prevents screen tearing and provides smooth motion in 3D games. The monitor has a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. 

The ProArt PA279CV carries an MSRP of about $500, but that price can swing significantly lower when retailers run a sale. We recommend waiting for a discount if possible.

Pros

• 26.5-inch 4K OLED panel looks sharp
• Great contrast and color performance
• Strong motion clarity
• Respectable HDR performance
• Lots of connectivity including USB-C

Cons

• Design is a bit bland
• Gamma, color temperature slightly off-target
• 4K OLED panel carries a premium price

The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED should be at the top of your list if you’re looking for a high-performance gaming monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate and a cutting-edge OLED panel.

This 26.5-inch display delivers stunning 4K resolution with an ultra-smooth 240Hz refresh rate, making it an excellent choice for gamers who want both visual clarity and fluid motion. Unlike previous 4K OLED monitors that were limited to 60Hz, the MSI is built for fast-paced gaming yet maintains the deep contrast and vibrant colors OLED monitors are known for. It also supports adaptive sync for smooth frame pacing.

And the monitor isn’t just great for gaming. The QD-OLED panel offers excellent contrast and color accuracy, which makes it a solid pick for creative professionals and anyone who enjoys watching HDR movies. Connectivity is another strong point with HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1a, and USB-C inputs, along with 98 watts of USB Power Delivery for charging laptops or tablets. While the design is a bit plain, the stand is sturdy and fully adjustable.

The MSI’s many perks come at a premium. Priced at $1,099.99, the MSI MPG 272URX is more expensive than 1440p OLED alternatives, which can be found for under $800. If 4K clarity and a fluid 240Hz refresh rate are what you’re after, however, this monitor is worth the investment.

Pros

• Excellent image quality
• Useful built-in kickstand
• Attractive and sturdy design
• Extensive image-quality options

Cons

• Flimsy bundled keyboard cover
• Some on-screen menu options are confusing
• Power adapter could be smaller

Viewsonic’s VX1655-4K-OLED is our top choice for creators seeking top-notch image quality in a portable display.

This 16-inch OLED monitor delivers class-leading sharpness with 275 pixels per inch (a 27-inch 4K monitor, for comparison, has 163 pixels per inch). It also delivers vivid, accurate colors and deep contrast that make it perfect for both entertainment and creative work. The monitor’s HDR performance also far surpasses other portable monitors, so it’s a good choice if you want to sit back and watch a movie after a busy day.

Unlike most portable monitors, the VX1655-4K-OLED has a built-in kickstand that flips out from the rear of the display. The kickstand is more stable and easier to use than the detachable, folding stands that inexpensive portable monitors rely on. Connectivity is solid, as well, with dual USB-C inputs and one mini-HDMI.

The monitor has a few minor flaws. The bundled display cover feels somewhat flimsy, the on-screen menu system can be tricky to navigate, and the relatively large power adapter is more cumbersome than it needs to be.

Yet it’s clear the portable monitor’s perks far outweigh its problems. While shoppers can find cheaper alternatives, the VX1655-4K-OLED stands out for its ability to deliver a professional-grade visual experience on the go.

Pros

• Has Samsung’s Tizen OS with smart TV features
• Remote, webcam, and speakers included
• Excellent SDR image quality
• HDR quality is good for the price

Cons

• Limited connectivity
• Annoying to set up and access some features
• No adaptive sync or enhanced refresh rate
• Narrow viewing angle

A 32-inch 4K monitor is great for everyday PC tasks like web browsing and document editing, but it can be more than that. Monitors in this category are an ideal substitute for a television in a small mixed-used space like a studio apartment, rented room, or dormitory. 

Samsung’s M8 Smart Monitor leans into this by fusing the features of a Smart TV with a traditional 32-inch 4K monitor. The monitor comes with a remote and runs Samsung’s Tizen operating system. You can access streaming content, like Netflix or Hulu, directly from the monitor.

Yet this is still a great PC monitor. A connected PC or other external device can be used by flipping the input source, as you would on a television. Image quality is solid with excellent sharpness, top-tier contrast, high brightness, and attractive color performance. 

The monitor also comes in a variety of attractive stand and bezel color options, with a detachable webcam, and has a USB-C port with up to 65 watts of Power Delivery. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 5, too.

Pros

• Incredible sharpness from its paper-like display
• Wide color gamut and high color accuracy
• Excellent ergonomic stand
• Extensive image quality controls accessible through bundled remote

Cons

• Disappointing contrast ratio
• Modest connectivity for the price
• Very expensive for its feature set

The BenQ SW272U is an excellent 4K monitor for photographers and publishers who prioritize sharpness and accuracy. This 27-inch monitor has a “fine-coated panel” that delivers a simulated paper-like texture and boasts a resolution of 3840×2160 at 60Hz. It also provides a robust, industrial design with ergonomic stand that offers a wide range of adjustment and a glare-reducing hood designed to reduce ambient light.

Connectivity includes standard ports like HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C, with the notable addition of an SD card reader, which photographers are sure to like. However, it misses some advanced features like Thunderbolt. The monitor offers an exceptional menu system, accessible through a joystick or a wireless remote, with extensive customization for color gamut, color temperature, and gamma. That’s another key feature for photographers, as it helps users precisely calibrate the monitor’s image based on their needs.

The SW272U also has excellent image quality which, of course, is key for its target market. Its color gamut coverage and color accuracy are defeated only by a few of the best OLED and QD-OLED monitors. The monitor’s sharpness also stands out, offering a high pixel density that, in combination with the fine-coated panel, mimics the quality of printed material. The monitor’s contrast ratio is limited, which proves a downside for entertainment, but it’s less of a concern for its target audience.

There’s only one real issue, and that’s the price. BenQ asks almost $1,500 for the SW272U, and that’s a lot even for a 27-inch 4K monitor. If you’re a photographer hoping to see what your photos might look like in print, though, it’s worth the premium.

Pros

• Bright, sharp SDR image
• Good color gamut and accuracy
• Solid build quality and ergonomic stand
• Great motion clarity at 120Hz or 144Hz

Cons

• Disappointing HDR performance
• Odd menu choices for creators 
• Modest USB connectivity

Want a 4K monitor with a high refresh rate for smooth gaming? The Dell G3223Q is an excellent option. 

The G3223Q is a 32-inch, 4K monitor with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro (Nvidia G-Sync also works, unofficially). You can play games at high refresh rates with no screen tearing and smooth frame pacing. 

You’ll find two HDMI 2.1 ports on the rear. They’re great for connecting a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game console, since you can play at each console’s maximum resolution and refresh rate. There’s also a DisplayPort input for connecting your PC. 

None of this would matter if the G3223Q’s image quality wasn’t excellent—but it is. The monitor has great color performance, high brightness, good contrast, and a razor-sharp image thanks to its 4K resolution. 

It’s a good value, too. The G3223Q is towards the low end of pricing for a 32-inch, 4K 144Hz monitor but doesn’t sacrifice features or build quality to achieve it.

Pros

• Excellent gaming performance
• 4K resolution
• Dimmable mini-LED backlight
• Ergonomic adjustment options

Cons

• High power consumption
• Extremely expensive

Want the last word in high-resolution, high-definition gaming and entertainment? You need a fantastic HDR monitor like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX.

This monitor has a Mini-LED backlight with 1,152 independent backlight zones. The backlight greatly improves the monitor’s contrast ratio and achieves eye-searing levels of brightness in small areas of the display. The monitor’s maximum sustained brightness is exceptionally high, as well. 

As a result, the PG32UQX delivers excellent detail in bright areas of the screen while maintaining good contrast and black levels in darker scenes. It also has exceptional color, which further contributes to a great HDR experience. Overall HDR performance rivals the best HDTVs and blows away most HDR monitors.

This is also a 4K 144Hz monitor with support for Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate. HDMI 2.1 is missing, but Xbox Series X|S consoles can achieve 4K 120Hz over HDMI 2.0 through a chroma subsampling mode. 

The only problem? You can expect to pay up to $3,000 for this monitor. Viewsonic’s XG321UG is a less expensive alternative that performs similarly, though it lacks 4K 120Hz support on Xbox Series X|S.

Pros

• The best SDR image quality yet
• Good HDR performance
• Long list of image quality features
• Exceptionally sturdy
• Numerous inputs, plus USB hub

Cons

• HDR brightness could be better 
• Glare can be an issue in bright rooms
• Only 60Hz, no adaptive sync

Most professional monitors support 4K resolution, but the Asus ProArt Display OLED PA32DC stands above the pack.

The secret is in the OLED panel. OLED looks fantastic, of course, with excellent contrast, a wide color gamut, and superb color accuracy. What sets the PA32DC apart from less expensive OLED monitors, though, is its use of a conventional RGB subpixel layout. This delivers the best clarity on modern PCs and prevents the color fringing issues that can appear on competitors that use QD-OLED display panels. 

Asus provides a long list of image quality presets and options. The monitor has built-in modes for sRGB, DCI-P3, Rec. 709, and AdobeRGB, among others. It also includes multiple, accurate color temperature and gamma modes. A built-in colorimeter can be used to precisely calibrate color accuracy. 

The monitor is built for use in a variety of professional settings. It’s a rugged, beefy display with thick bezels and a built-in carrying handle to help with transportation. A standard VESA desk stand is available for use in an office or at home, and the monitor has built-in legs for easy setup at a mobile studio or jobsite. 

Priced at $3,000, the PA32DC may seem expensive, but it undercuts competitors like the LG UltraFine 32EP950, Apple Pro Display XDR, and Asus’ older ProArt OLED displays. This is a top-notch professional monitor suited to a wide range of content creation, and those who need excellent color performance will find that it’s well worth the price.

Pros

• 28-inch panel with 3840×2560 resolution
• Attractive and functional design
• Good range of connectivity
• Useful extra features

Cons

• Only a 60Hz refresh rate
• HDR is supported, but sub-par
• Expensive for its size

The BenQ RD280U is a great monitor for programming, thanks in no small part to its unusual 28-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 3840×2560 resolution. Its high pixel density, which is equivalent to a 27-inch 4K display, ensures text is rendered with crystal clarity. That make small fonts easier to read and may reduce eye fatigue during long coding sessions. The 3:2 aspect ratio is also notable, as it provides more vertical display space than a widescreen monitor and therefore room for a higher vertical pixel count (most 4K monitors have just 2,160 vertical pixels).

BenQ pairs the monitor’s pixel-dense display with features to support programming. Its IPS panel delivers excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles, ensuring code remains clear and legible from any position. The monitor’s matte finish effectively reduces glare, making it suitable for various lighting conditions. And the monitor has a “MoonHalo” ambient light and an automatic night mode, both meant to reduce eye strain.

Connectivity is another strength of the RD280U. It has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of USB Power Delivery. This allows programmers to easily connect and charge their laptops, effectively turning the monitor into a convenient docking station.

BenQ asks a relatively high $599.99 for the RD280U, which is a couple hundred more than a competitive 4K 27-inch widescreen monitor. Still, programmers who code for hours on end are likely to find the extra cost is a good investment, as the RD280U offers many features — including a 3840×2560 display panel — that aren’t available from competitors.

• Alienware AW2725Q: Yet another excellent 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitor, and less expensive than the competition.
• BenQ PD3226G: This is a monitor for creative professionals, but it’s not bad in PC games, either.  
• Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM: This 27-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor delivers gorgeous image quality and a long list of features, though it certainly isn’t cheap.
• MSI MPG 321URXW QD-OLED:  Yet another excellent 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor — but with the added perk of USB connectivity.  
• HP Omen Transcend 32: The HP Omen Transcend 32 is pricey even for a 32-inch 4K OLED monitor, but makes up for that with great USB-C connectivity and top-tier SDR image quality.
• Acer Predator X32 X3: The Acer Predator X32 X3 is a more affordable 4K OLED monitor that packs a nice bonus: USB-C with 90 watts of Power Delivery.
• Asus ProArt Display 5K: Why stop at 4K, especially when you can get a higher-res 218ppi for $800 — less than many 4K displays. Of course, there are other tradeoffs. 
• BenQ RD320U: Like the BenQ RD280U above, this is a great choice for programmers and can also prove itself useful as a do-it-all home office monitor.
• Samsung Odyssey OLED G8: An all-purpose display that offers 4K resolution, up to a 240Hz refresh rate, Adaptive Sync, HDR, and built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to support its Smart TV functionality. It’s the perfect display for small spaces, fulfilling the roles of productivity, gaming, and entertainment in one screen.
• Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP: It’s an excellent 32-inch 4K OLED monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate, but also offers the unique feature of being able to run in 1080p mode with a 480Hz refresh rate, giving gamers an extra boost of motion clarity when desired.

4K monitors are more expensive than other monitors, so they pack numerous features and a quality display panel. A typical 4K monitor will have features that are optional on a 1080p monitor. Still, there are a few details you should know before buying a 4K monitor.

USB-C is an excellent choice for connecting a 4K monitor to a modern laptop with USB-C or Thunderbolt. USB-C can bundle Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, which means the monitor can charge a connected device while it outputs video to the monitor. Some monitors, like the Dell U3223QE, are USB-C hubs that expand connectivity for the connected device.

Most 4K monitors have a 60Hz refresh rate. Those that go beyond 60Hz may only support an enhanced refresh rate over a specific port, so be sure to check the specifications. A monitor will need to support HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 to handle 4K at up to 144Hz. 

Further reading: If you’re looking for additional options, see our roundups of the best monitors overall, the best gaming monitors, and the best monitor deals. 

Many 4K monitors support HDR, but most offer lackluster HDR performance. HDR will function, and may look better than SDR, but won’t approach the quality of a good HDTV. If you want quality HDR, look for a minimum of VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification (or VESA DisplayHDR True Black). See our article on everything you need to know about HDR on your PC to learn more.

We test 4K monitors with a Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra color calibration tool. It provides objective measurements for contrast, brightness, black levels, color gamut, color accuracy, and gamma, among other metrics. These objective results can be compared with other monitors to see how each performs against the competition.

These objective image results are supplemented with our subjective evaluation of a monitor. We evaluate out-of-box image quality, sampling all types of content from gaming to movies. We look at the feature set. We closely consider details like a monitor’s on-screen menu, ergonomic stand (or lack thereof), and overall build quality. 

HDMI 2.1 is only important if you want to connect a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X game console at 4K resolution and play titles with 120Hz support. These consoles only support HDMI output, so an HDMI connection is your only option.

Most desktop PCs and laptops also have a DisplayPort output. This is preferable to HDMI 2.1 because it supports higher resolutions and refresh rates, so HDMI 2.1 is not necessary to connect a PC.

Support for 4K video output went mainstream around 2015. If you have a computer newer than 2015, odds are high that it supports 4K. Most PCs sold prior to 2015 will not support 4K. 

Want to be sure? Our guide to checking what graphics card you have will help identify your PC’s graphics hardware. You can then reference its official specifications to find its maximum supported resolution.

Gamers be warned: 4K resolution is demanding in 3D games, so you may struggle to see smooth gameplay unless you have the latest graphics hardware. You’ll need at least an Nvidia RTX 3070 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 to play the latest titles at 4K and 60 frames per second.

Early adopters of 4K monitors often struggled to read small text. That’s because many older applications were programmed such that interface elements have a defined, concrete size in pixels. The higher a display’s resolution, the smaller the interface appears. 

Thankfully, this problem is mostly solved. Windows and MacOS have excellent text scaling options and most software developers have updated their applications to properly support 4K displays. It’s still a problem with very old apps that were never updated but, in general, it’s rare to see tiny, unreadable text on a 4K monitor.

Framework announced a bunch of stuff last month: powerful AMD upgrades for its bread-and-butter Laptop 13 design, its first modular desktop, and a brand new, smaller, more affordable model, the Laptop 12. This 2-in-1 with a touchscreen is intended to offer repairability and upgrades to cheaper laptops. Now there’s a confirmed pre-order date, April 9.

The Framework 12 takes aim at budget designs that are ” janky, locked-down, disposable, underpowered, and frankly, boring machines,” according to CEO Nirav Patel. And indeed, it’s a colorful TPU/ABS plastic design offered in blue, pink, green, and a relatively buttoned-down silver or black, and that’s before you trick it out with the company’s signature add-on modules for various USB ports, HDMI ports, card readers, et cetera. It’s also the company’s first convertible design, with a 12-inch touchscreen that’s compatible with stylus input.

The laptop 12 is intended to be a budget machine, or at least a budget alternative, so it’s notably “chunkier” than the existing Laptop 13 design. But it still has the same kind of hardware flexibility, with every internal and external component accessible to the user with a screwdriver, and four modular USB-C ports that can be swapped out on the fly. The Intel 13th-gen-based motherboard (i3 or i5) can handle up to 48GB of RAM and 2TB of M.2 storage, with a choice of Windows or Linux at purchase.

We’re still waiting on perhaps the most crucial element of the Framework 12, the price. With the company specifically targeting low-price “craptops,” the price of the design — particularly the cheapest configuration — will be a huge factor in whether it succeeds or not. After all, someone who’s budgeted for a $500 laptop has a lot harder time stretching up to the $1,000 mark, no matter how much more flexible and upgradeable the latter is. With import tariffs in the U.S. sending electronics prices ever higher, there’s still a lot of uncertainty floating around.

We’ll find out in a week, I suppose. There’s also no precise shipping date, though “mid-2025” was given at the announcement event. I hope Framework can hit approximately a $750 price tag with the Framework 12, otherwise it’ll be a tough sell for the budget market.

• Good reception of local channels
• Built-in signal amplifier
• Cool retro vibe thanks to rabbit ears

• Needs to be placed near a window for best performance
• Integrated amplifier must be powered through a micro-USB cable and AC adapter or a TV’s USB port

The Televes Innova Boss mixes great reception with a cool retro vibe. It provided sensitive and stable reception of local channels in our tests and should be a good choice for anyone who cannot install an outdoor or attic antenna.

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Do you remember rabbit ears? If you grew up in the 1960s or 70s or without cable TV, there’s a good chance you do. Rabbit ears were an indoor TV antenna that sat on top of your TV set and invariably required repositioning for different channels. They have very much fallen out of fashion these days in favor of sleeker and smaller antennas with a more modern aesthetic.

While they might look a bit old-fashioned, rabbit ears aren’t useless. In fact, they can deliver better reception of VHF TV stations, those broadcasting on channels 2 through 13, so it’s interesting to see them featured on the Televes Innova Boss Mix indoor TV antenna.

If you can’t install an outdoor or attic antenna, the Innova Boss Mix is a top choice.

The Televes Innova Boss Mix is in the foreground, the Televes Bexia is in the background in this shot.

Martyn Williams

This is an amplified indoor TV antenna that has a wonderful retro vibe, but is it any good? I gave it a thorough test.

To review reception, I compared the Innova Boss Mix with another Televes indoor antenna, the Televes Bexia, which is our current top pick in amplified indoor TV antennas. I put them in the same location and measured reception across the TV broadcast band with each antenna three times.

Power for the Televes Innova Boss Mix’s signal amplifier comes through this micro-USB port on its back panel. 

Martyn Williams

The results were favorable in side-by-side tests. The Innova Boss Mix recorded slightly better signals in the VHF portion of the band and slightly worse signals on UHF stations. On VHF, the better results were enough to pull in an additional channel, while on UHF the results were not bad enough to lose any channels. In fact, while signal levels were lower overall, it also managed to receive an additional station. So, that’s a win all around.

The Innova Boss Mix and the Bexia both feature signal amplifiers with power delivered via a USB connection, either from a wall adapter or the USB port on a television.

Did the logo really need to be this prominent?

Martyn Williams

Further reading: This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best TV antennas.

That amplifier helps reception, but I always recommend installing an external or attic antenna, if at possible, before considering an indoor model. An antenna mounted outdoors or in your attic, where’s it closer to being outdoors, will deliver more stable reception, and probably a few extra channels compared to an indoor model.

If you can’t install an outdoor or attic TV antenna, the Innova Boss Mix is a top choice and is at least on par with the Televes Bexia. It will work well in areas with good to strong signals for reception of local TV stations. If you don’t like the rabbit-ears aesthetic, go with the Bexia, instead.

Yesterday, Mozilla released Firefox version 137.0 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, introducing new features and some security fixes.

The headlining feature is the new built-in ability to organize and save tab groups. Prior to this, you had to use a third-party extension like Simple Tab Groups or Panorama View. Now, Firefox has caught up with Chromium-based browsers with native tab grouping.

Furthermore, the Firefox address bar now offers enhanced search functions, and the developers have again patched a number of security flaws. Firefox ESR and Tor Browser also got security updates.

Mozilla plans to release Firefox 138 on April 29, 2025.

Following the introduction of vertical tabs in Firefox 136, Firefox 137 now offers the option of organizing tabs into groups. You can assign a name and color to each tab group, and you can close tab groups to be reopened again later. Both vertical tabs and tab groups have been among the most requested features for Firefox, especially as they’ve been available in other browsers like Chrome and Vivaldi for some time.

Mozilla’s developers have given the address bar a fresh makeover, too. In particular, they’ve revised the search functions. A standardized search button in the address bar now simplifies switching between search engines and search modes. Firefox recognizes whether you’re currently on a page with a search function and offers to use it and integrate it into Firefox. The address bar can now also be used as a calculator, similar to the Google search bar.

Not all new features are immediately available to all users. Some of them may only be rolled out gradually over the coming weeks.

Mozilla’s 2025-20 Security Advisory report shows at least eight fixed vulnerabilities in Firefox 137. Mozilla only gives a high risk rating for one of the entries among individual vulnerabilities reported by external researchers. For example, CVE-2025-3028 can lead to a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability if JavaScript code runs while a page is being transformed by the XSLT processor.

There are also two summarized entries on internally discovered vulnerabilities, which also have high risk ratings. Exploitation of these vulnerabilities can lead to memory errors that can potentially be exploited to inject and execute arbitrary code. Mozilla doesn’t provide any information on the exact number of vulnerabilities covered here.

Mozilla has updated its long-term versions Firefox ESR 128 and ESR 115 to patch vulnerabilities. At least three vulnerabilities have been closed in Firefox ESR 128.9.0 and exactly one in Firefox ESR 115.22.0, namely the UAF vulnerability CVE-2025-3028 mentioned above.

The updated Tor Browser 14.0.9 is based on Firefox ESR 128.9.0. An update for Tor Browser 13.5 to version 13.5.15 is also available if you’re running Windows 7 or 8.1 or macOS 10.13 or 10.14. This should make it clear that the Tor project is following Mozilla’s example and will continue to support the old operating systems at least until September.

Further reading: Reasons to switch from Chrome to Firefox

You need antivirus software. Attacks on your PC have become more sophisticated, especially with the aid of AI. Even the tech-savvy and cautious can drop their guard at the wrong time or get tricked into exposing themselves to malware, spyware, or ransomware. Antivirus protection is an essential backup against such threats. 

Windows computers come with security software baked into the OS, but for some folks, an upgrade can help demystify and simplify security. To help you choose a good suite, we’ve identified products that offer excellent protection, worthwhile features, and minimal performance impact on your computer.

Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been deep in the trenches of testing computer hardware, software, and services since 1983—including security suites. For antivirus apps, we continually evaluate popular or noteworthy software. We consider the user experience, strength of protection against threats (online and offline), and how well it addresses the ever-expanding types of attacks. Our guide on how we test antivirus software at PCWorld gives the full details of our review process, but for the results of our work, read on.

Pros

• Strong antivirus protection
• Wide protection against major online threats
• Simple, straightforward features

Cons

• Performance impact on some PCs
• User interface would benefit from consolidation
• Upselling of additional services

An ideal antivirus suite packs in a little of everything needed for security without costing a ton—and that’s why our pick for the best antivirus software of 2025 is still Norton 360 Deluxe. Despite its slightly awkward interface, this software’s wide protection and affordable pricing is ideal for most users.

This plan has just about everything most PC users need, without extra bloat. For antivirus performance, Norton offers strong online protection, while having minimal impact on system resources if you don’t often download or copy large amounts of files. Additionally, you get malicious link and attachment screening, dark web and privacy monitoring, and webcam safeguards. Norton also tosses in 50GB of storage for cloud backups, access to Norton’s password manager and VPN, parental controls, and PC utilities that include the ability to monitor for outdated software. And those major extras—the password manager, VPN, and parental controls—have easy, simple interfaces, without feeling stripped to the bone.

Overall, Norton is an excellent option for those looking to consolidate their online security protections into a single software interface. It’s even promising better scam protection, after a recent February 2025 update, enhancing its value further. You’ll pay $50 for the first year for 5 devices, and $120 per year thereafter.

Norton 360 Deluxe works for everyone—it consolidates all the biggest protections you need online into one package, including parental controls. If you have trouble keeping up with security experts’ recommendations (or haven’t yet gotten around to following all of them), this suite centralizes and simplifies it all.

Pros

• Good new design
• Well priced
• Excellent performance

Cons

• Smart scan requires too much user intervention
• Avast asks to install Google Chrome

Avast not only offers solid protection, but a simple, friendly interface. Combine that together with useful extra features and multi-device coverage, and you have a winning combo in Avast One.

In addition to top-ranked antivirus protection, it offers safeguards against remote webcam takeovers, malicious websites, and trackers. The Avast One plan also includes dark web monitoring, a VPN with up to 5GB of bandwidth per week, and protections for saved passwords to a browser. You get utilities to help you keep your PC’s drivers up to date, clean up your PC, and optimize your apps, too.

These features may sound standard, and to be fair, many of them can be found in rival software. But Avast makes staying on top of security dead simple, whether you’re a novice or a security veteran. Its default settings require little input to keep your PC protected, and if you want to dig in further or tinker, you still have that option, too.

So what keeps Avast out of the top spot, when its software outperforms Norton’s? The amount of features for its price. Norton’s performance isn’t perfect, but it’s about as good for online protection, which is where it counts. And the two software plans cost about the same—Avast One is $51 for 5 devices (or $70 for up to 30 devices) during the first year. The cost rises to $110 and $150, respectively, per year afterward. In the end, the more well-rounded subscription wins out.

You’re someone who has a password manager already set up, don’t need parental controls, and prioritize the highest marks in threat detection tests. Avast One lacks the first two features, and takes top marks for catching both online and offline risks.

Pros

• Top-rated antivirus protection
• Expanded protection against malicious websites and remote attacks
• Clean, straightforward interface

Cons

• Some PCs may experience a performance hit during heavier workloads
• Several features are a bit rudimentary

AVG is best known for its excellent free antivirus software, but there’s good reason to upgrade. AVG Internet Security not only offers more comprehensive protection, but also easy management of those tools. That can be valuable if you find keeping up with online threats too overwhelming or time consuming.

The Internet Security plan builds upon the free version’s top-ranked protection against malware and web, email, and network threats. It also guards the passwords saved to your browsers; webcam takeovers; unknown access to files with sensitive data; malicious redirects for websites you’re trying to visit (aka DNS hijacking); and Windows Remote Desktop attacks. Dark web monitoring is included as well. And the app has minimal impact on system resources when monitoring your system in the background, though full scans can hit budget or older systems harder.

Despite its small annoyances, AVG Internet Security is reliable antivirus software with a user friendly interface—and at just $60 during the first year for 10 devices, it’s affordable, too. In fact, it’s solid enough to earn a recommendation despite how strong the free version is on its own.

You need deeper control and more expansive protection from your antivirus software, but you don’t want to pay extra for features you don’t want. AVG Internet Security expands just enough on the company’s free antivirus to make it worthwhile, even though it lacks elements like parental controls, VPN, and a password manager.

Pros

• Strong security with a reasonable subscription price
• Well designed and user-friendly
• Offers a host of features in the areas of security, privacy, and performance

Cons

• No subscription option for fewer than five devices
• Simplicity of app feels slightly at odds with the depth of the PC tools

Avira Prime is one of the best choices for those seeking more help with managing their PC, thanks to its simple, clear interface and feature lineup. In addition to to solid antivirus protection, it offers a password manager, unlimited VPN, and a boatload of PC utilities that (among other things) can keep apps up to date, securely delete files, and back up data.

The one major feature missing from Avira Prime is a set of parental controls. You can’t use it to filter web content or monitor device usage. It also can hit older and budget PCs hard when full scans are running, if you’ve added or changed large amounts of files. But typically, it only minimally affects system performance when left to run in the background, so most people won’t notice Avira running.

For those who want the comprehensive simplicity that this security suite offers, you’ll pay $60 for the first year, and then $105 for every year after. That first-year cost is slightly higher than our overall top pick, but if you prefer more newbie-friendly software, it’s worth the extra ten bucks.

Avira Prime will likely feel best to users who want a simple antivirus suite, broad online protections, and robust PC utilities—and also want to use those latter tools for more confident management of their computer. Not every utility is a winner, but the overall set can help you identify and understand the more technical aspects of Windows and system upkeep. Parents will need to look elsewhere for controls that let them monitor and limit their kids’ PC use, however.

Pros

• Good protection
• Nice features like file shredder and home network analyzer

Cons

• Mixed impact on performance
• New app design is a little scattered

McAfee has been around a long time—and the company continues to hunt down current threats to PCs, with solid results. These days, dangers extend beyond just malware to identity and privacy issues, and McAfee Total Protection addresses these just as much as it does ransomware and phishing sites.

That ID protection makes it stand out against competitors, especially if you pay to scale up the service. The plan we tested included dark web scanning for multiple pieces of personal information (email address, phone number, social security number, passport, driver’s license, date of birth, tax ID, credit card, usernames, and more). The app also offers to help change your password for online accounts, when applicable. VPN access is included as well.

Mid-tier and budget machines can see impact on system resources when running McAfee scans. When we ran a full scan during a variety of common tasks (web browsing, document editing, etc), we noticed some dips in performance. You can mitigate this effect by timing scans for off hours, however.

Currently, McAfee Total Protection is available through third-party sellers (McAfee has turned its attention to its slightly newer McAfee+ plans on its website). We like this version still because of how deeply affordable it is—for example, a license on PCWorld’s own software site is just $19 per year, which covers up to ten devices for one year.

Your personal information can be used against you online—and with data breaches so painfully common these days, it can be a relief to have help in tracking who has your info. For anyone who doesn’t have as much time to handle that work themselves, or even keep track of a separate service, McAfee can serve as a central spot for managing all your online security concerns.

Pros

• Very easy-to-understand mobile-like interface
• Contains some basic smart home network monitoring
• Month-to-month pricing option

Cons

• Good performance results but currently limited in third-party testing

All deluxe antivirus suites offer extra tools as part of their package, but Panda Dome Complete particularly stands out. It also has one of the most striking interfaces we’ve seen. Similar to Microsoft’s Bing homepage, Panda Dome features a beautiful background photo, with the interface elements placed on top of it.

A whole raft of utilities come with this suite, including a virtual keyboard, advanced virus removal, an update manager for your Windows apps, a disk defragmenter, hard drive cleaner, and startup apps manager. You also get Wi-Fi protection (which lets you see what devices are connected to your network), a password manager, parental controls, and a VPN that offers 150 megabytes of bandwidth per day.

In addition to offering reliable antivirus protection, Panda had the most minimal impact on system performance during our benchmarks. So minor, in fact, that in the real-world it worked out to no difference.

As one of the most feature-rich offerings, Panda Dome Complete also one of the most expensive, too. You can purchase a subscription for $64.50 during the first year ($86 per year afterward), but that’s covers just one device. Fortunately, it only costs a little more to upgrade to a three device plan ($72 for the first year, $96 per year afterward) or five device plan ($79 for the first year, $105 per year afterward).

Panda Dome Complete puts a ton of features right at your fingertips—an ideal interface for those who want to dive into everything straight away. If you hate buried or oversimplified menus, you’ll feel right at home with this software.

Pros

• Built into Windows 10 and 11
• Settings are easy to review and customize
• Integrates with other security aspects of Windows

Cons

• Tends toward false positives, especially with SmartScreen
• Lacks the advanced features found in third-party products

Windows’ built-in security suite is an excellent free antivirus option—as we discovered in our roundup of the best free antivirus—even if its protection isn’t quite as strong as third-party rivals when your PC is offline. It bundles together Defender, which monitors for viruses and malware; Firewall, which blocks malicious incoming traffic and suspicious outgoing traffic; ransomware protections (including controlled access to folders, as well as data recovery via OneDrive integration); app restrictions; and even basic parental controls.

The most important of these protections are automatically enabled in Windows—you don’t have to lift a finger to get real-time antivirus scanning or network protection. You will have to manually switch on some features, though, including ransomware folder controls and file recovery.

You can find more features in other antivirus suites, like online privacy tools, a VPN, and encrypted cloud backups. But this free protection comes preinstalled on Windows machines and does a good job of keeping you protected from most threats.

You’re looking for lightweight, unobtrusive antivirus protection—and don’t mind configuring it, nor managing separate security tools to make sure you’re properly protected online. To get the most out of it, you must tinker with Windows Security’s settings. (You can learn more in our video on How to use Windows Security.) You also have to figure out your own online privacy tools, VPN, password manager, and encrypted cloud backup.

Pros

• Two-way firewall
• Good performance

Cons

• Mac-specific (no Windows / Android protection)

As the headline reveals, the focus of this roundup is the best antivirus for Windows PCs, but many PC enthusiasts are the de facto IT for friends and family. If you want to help an associate or loved one achieve strong antivirus protection for an Apple machine, our colleagues at Macworld recommend Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9.

In the suite are two utilities. The better known one is VirusBarrier, which spots and eliminates malware threats, and gets strong ratings for its protective abilities. It comes paired with NetBarrier, a two-way firewall that watches for suspicious traffic going to or from your Mac. For the price of this suite, NetBarrier’s inclusion isn’t common, but definitely welcome.

As part of its protection, VirusBarrier X9 scans for threats on your Mac’s internal storage drive (including any downloaded email and compressed archives), as well as connected disks and iOS devices. The app quarantines suspicious files, which you can then mark as trusted, leave in quarantine, or try to have repaired.

Overall, Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 offers good compatibility with macOS while looking like a real Mac program, too. It costs just $25 (or £20.00) for the first year using this special Macworld link. If you need additional tools, like a backup utility, speed optimizer for your Mac, or parental controls, you can upgrade to the Mac Premium Bundle X9 for $40 for the first year (£23.99).

Intego VirusBarrier not only offers good compatibility with macOS, but it also looks like a real Mac program, too—making it an ideal match for anyone looking for an effective app that blends in seamlessly.

• Surfshark One: This VPN software includes adequate antivirus protection with a clean, simple interface, but you’ll get more bang for your buck (and a lighter hit to your PC’s system resources) by choosing rival security software with a stronger focus on antivirus protection.
• AVG Internet Security: A clean, straightforward interface, additional online protections, and top-notch antivirus protection make this affordable suite a perfect choice for budget-conscious users.
• McAfee+ Ultimate: This comprehensive all-in-one package offers strong antivirus protection and a vast array of online protections, but its apps, services, and tools could use more polish. Its scans also can tangibly decrease performance on mid-range and budget PCs.
• Avast Premium Security: You can choose a couple of different paths when upgrading from Avast’s already excellent free antivirus software—and this branch of the company’s software leans hard into safeguarding your PC. However, a couple of buggy features keep this suite from standing out among its rivals.
• Bitdefender Total Security: Superb antivirus defenses are packed into an easy-to-use app that includes a unique safe payment environment. However, it lacks some features you get with similarly priced suites, like a password manager.
• McAfee Total Protection: You can rely on McAfee Total Protection for blocking online threats and its easy-to-use VPN, but not its password manager. The app can also notably affect system performance on mid-range and budget PCs. Currently, the competition outdoes this entry-level offering.
• Norton 360 Deluxe: Norton 360 Deluxe has a wide array of protections spanning antivirus, password management, VPN access, automated cloud backups, and dark web monitoring. It can hit PC performance a bit harder on older or budget systems, but its overall value and solid results in AV-Test and AV-Comparatives’ benchmarks make it worthwhile.
• Malwarebytes Premium Security: Technology newbies will like this antivirus software’s simplicity, but you can get more bang for your buck elsewhere.
• Norton Antivirus Plus: Its one-device limitation is tight, but this simplified antivirus suite is affordable and offers more features than similar rivals. If you can work comfortably with its quirks and potentially heavy performance effect, it can be ideal software for digital minimalists.
• Trend Micro Maximum Security: Even when you can count on Trend Micro Maximum Security to work, this beginner-friendly antivirus suite feels underbaked. You can find much stronger malware protection, along with a more robust set of features, in rival software—and often at a lower price.
• Avast One: This upgrade on Avast’s free security suite adds protection against identity and privacy threats, along with PC tools, all while still keeping its polished interface. And in AV-Test and AV-Comparatives’ latest benchmark data, it generally led the competition in blocking online and offline threats.

A good antivirus suite should meet three basic requirements:

• High detection rate for malware and other threats, both online and offline
• Low use of system resources
• A simple, clear interface

You should take other considerations into account, too. A lot has changed since the early days of antivirus software. Security suites now come packed with extras like a backup service for essential files, mobile apps for Android and iOS, advanced firewall features, content restriction and GPS location for family members, and the ability to install the app on multiple computers. Access to a VPN and a password manager have become more common, too. Your budget and personal situation will dictate if you need these additional features.

If you’re looking to go beyond the basics, our baseline recommendation is to find a suite that comes with a firewall, supports enough devices to cover what you own, and (if you don’t already have separate services set up) access to a password manager and VPN. Not sure if you need all that? Our guides on security suite features, password managers, and VPNs can help you decide.

Our approach to testing antivirus software is multi-pronged—we look not just at how well the suite catches malware and other threats (though that’s certainly a top factor), but other elements as well.

First, we spend some time in the interface, to determine if it’s simple or complex to use. Ideally, it should take just a click or two to find vital tools like PC scanning, and also the password manager and VPN (if included). Elements that are clickable should be clear, too. And alerts should make sense; you should both understand the info and they should be relevant to what you’re doing.

We also look at the available features. Reputable antivirus suites should include basics like real-time protection and deeper scans. Better subscription plans will also add on a password manager or a firewall. Overall, we try to figure out if the extras are helpful, or just another marketing bullet point.

To evaluate how hard an antivirus app will hit your PC’s system resources, we run several benchmarks. The first is PCMark 10’s Extended test, which simulates various workloads, including editing documents, web browsing, video chatting, and light gaming. Second is UL Procyon, focusing on document editing in Microsoft Office apps—e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Then, as the most punishing test, we run Handbrake to transcode a large video into a smaller one. This encoding task often utilizes 100 percent of the CPU on many home PCs.

PCWorld

When performing benchmarks, we first run all three tests on our Windows 11 PC before installing the antivirus suite under review. Then we install the app and run the benchmarks again, as an approximation of how the app behaves while running in the background. Finally, we open the software and fire up full scans continuously while running each benchmark again. Afterward, we compare the scores to look for any decline, and note the amount.

Currently, the laptop we use for testing is an Acer Aspire 3 15 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. We use a clean install of Windows 11 when testing each security suite.

For calculating an antivirus suite’s detection abilities, we rely on the testing of dedicated security researchers. Most often, we look at reports from organizations like AV Comparatives and AV Test.

We also evaluate pricing for each subscription, as well as the features you get for the price.

Generally, we do the bulk of our testing using free trials to understand what customers will actually see. Any review codes provided by companies are used to take clean screenshots for the review (i.e. free of reminders to upgrade or buy).

Still have questions about our review process? You can get even more details (and the philosophy behind why we test as we do) in our full explanation about our antivirus testing practices.

Unfortunately, yes. Viruses, malware, and other online threats have only increased and become more sophisticated over time. Spending time on the internet or attaching any external drives to your computer without antivirus software is like going into battle without a stitch of armor.

In the basic sense, absolutely yes—which is why Windows 10 and 11 come with in built-in antivirus protection. But while Windows Security performs well, the best third-party antivirus software have even higher rates of detecting threats. The top antivirus apps also offer more control over settings, detailed logs of your PC’s activity, a more user-friendly interface, and additional features to strengthen your online security beyond just viruses and malware. So strictly speaking, a Windows PC doesn’t need third-party antivirus software, but you can benefit from more comprehensive online protection. (Macs also need antivirus software.)

The short answer is maybe, but probably not. Antivirus software scans files and programs to ensure there is no malware or other harmful threat present. The longer the time frame between each scan, the more files the program will need to check. These intensive scans may have some noticeable effect on your computer speed. It’s therefore recommended that you schedule your scans to run more frequently and/or at night so as to not impact your computer usage.

While antivirus software can affect the speed of your computer, it is most likely not the only factor—or even the most prominent. Other factors such as unnecessary startup and background programs, insufficient RAM, or even undiagnosed malware can have more drastic effects on your computer speed than a simple antivirus scan.

It depends on what antivirus features are most important to you. Do you just need a program that will scan, detect, and remove malware? Then go with a free version. But if you are looking for more advanced features such as the ability to block webcam hacking, run suspicious apps in a sandbox environment, and permanently delete sensitive files, then you should seriously consider upgrading to a paid premium antivirus service. 

Overall, premium antivirus software is better suited to more complete coverage against threats—especially for inexperienced users. Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable to modern threats and therefore paid antivirus apps, which allow for multiple-device protection, may be a better option for families.

These days, most antivirus software are full suites. They take over completely for Windows’ built-in protection, and that single suite is all you need. More than that, and the different apps can start to conflict with one another. So no need to double up!

In a perfect world, your antivirus software will halt and clean the infected files for you. However, this largely depends on which antivirus program you are using.

In general, the antivirus will send a warning to you and try to quarantine the infected file in order to keep it from spreading. Once isolated, the software will give you the option to try to remove the infection or delete the file altogether.

A full scan performs a comprehensive and thorough check of your whole system. It usually checks your system memory, startup programs, system backup, email databases, hard drives, and any removable storage drives.

A quick scan only checks a few areas including startup programs, system memory, and boot sectors. It may not detect all malware, but it can usually give you an idea if your computer has a virus.

As to when you should do either, we recommend a full scan once per week, during computer usage downtime (such as late at night). A quick scan can be done anytime you like, but it’s usually only necessary if you notice suspicious activity on your PC.

Absolutely! Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is crucial in helping you to avoid the most recent threats.

That being said, most antivirus software today—whether free or paid—will default to automatic updates. This way you don’t need to worry about manually updating your software. It may still be worth checking to confirm that your antivirus is running the most up-to-date version from time to time.

Great question—especially since antivirus software continues to add more and more components to help keep you safe online. At absolute bare minimum, your app should have a scanner to protect against malware and online threats like phishing sites and a firewall. But other services like remote access protection, individual file encryption, and a password manager can be helpful too. Our breakdown of antivirus software features lays out the details you need to know, so that you can decide what you need.

You’re likely well-acquainted with classic CAPTCHA tests on websites. You know, the thing where you have to click to confirm you aren’t a robot? Type in the strange-looking letters and numbers? Select all the traffic lights, the buses, the motorcycles, that sort of thing? These tests are mostly nuisances and data collection traps, but hackers are now leaning into CAPTCHAs as a way to trick users into installing malware.

At least, that’s what security experts are increasingly warning about. Last month, MalwareBytes Labs spotted one such fake CAPTCHA that had you paste some “verification” text into the Windows Run prompt. Recently, there have also been reports of a malware called “Quakbot” that uses an even more dangerous variant of the CAPTCHA scam.

Hack attacks via CAPTCHAs are dangerous because users click on them out of habit when they appear on websites. Hackers are now exploiting this instant-reaction behavior with fake pop-up messages that look strikingly similar to real CAPTCHA tests.

Here, too, users are asked to click on a box to solve a test. However, when you click on that box, you end up redirected to other pages. Further actions ensure that dangerous commands are copied to your clipboard, making it possible for attackers to run those dangerous commands on your computer without authorization.

In some cases, these CAPTCHAs even prompt you to press certain key combinations that directly invoke Windows PowerShell or execute certain commands on your device. That’s why you should be extra suspicious of any CAPTCHA request that asks you to do anything unusual.

These types of attacks are called ClickFix CAPTCHA attacks because they use social engineering to trick you into clicking fake CAPTCHAs and other elements, which then trigger malicious responses.

To keep you off your toes, every subsequent click in a ClickFix CAPTCHA attack is disguised with additional “verification requests” that hide the malicious nature of what you’re doing. In the worst case, it ends with you unknowingly executing a malware script that takes over your PC.

CAPTCHA attacks reportedly have a higher success rate than other scam attempts because of their novel psychological tricks that prey on reflexive behavior when our guards are down. The only real protection is to remain vigilant, especially when visiting unfamiliar websites. And, of course, having reliable antivirus software that protects against threats.

Doth mine eyes deceive me? The cheapest and, in many ways, most desirable of Nvidia’s new RTX 50-series graphics cards is actually available to buy at a major retailer? And I don’t have to give up my soul or any other precious bits? Indeed, for the last 90 minutes I’ve had the option to buy an RTX 5070 from Best Buy. At the $550 MSRP. Holy crap.

So most mornings I scope out some deals that will appeal to PCWorld readers. It’s part of my job. This morning I saw an Nvidia PNY RTX 5070 graphics card on SlickDeals, which Best Buy is allegedly selling for $549.99. Normally that wouldn’t be anything interesting, but as you’re probably aware, new Nvidia cards have been almost impossible to find for a month and change. Doubly so if you’re looking for one without a ridiculous markup from an add-in board partner, a retailer trying to make a little bank, a reseller-slash-scalper, or some combination of all three.

So following the link, I was surprised to see the $550 graphics card still available to buy, yes, at the price Nvidia advertised way back at launch. I was able to add it to my cart. I was able to begin the checkout process, with an extra account verification step and a countdown timer that usually doesn’t apply to Best Buy’s straightforward sales. I was presented with the “place order” button, indicating that it was about to charge my card.

90 minutes later, I was able to do it again. Shipping to my Pennsylvania home in two days. To use technical industry parlance: hot diggity.

A couple of qualifiers here. One, I have a Best Buy Plus membership, basically the store’s version of Amazon Prime. It’s possible that Best Buy is reserving a certain amount of stock specifically for these memberships — the company has done so before.

It’s also possible that, had I actually checked out at either of these points, Best Buy would decide that it doesn’t actually have the stock after all, apologize in an email, and reverse the charge in a day or two. We’ve seen that happen with the latest graphics cards as well.

But even with those sobering afterthoughts, the fact that I was able to get this far into the process for what’s probably one of the most in-demand graphics cards on the market right now is promising. It means that somewhere, in at least some measurable degree, availability is improving. We can but hope. Give it a shot if you’ve been looking for a relatively affordable card. And don’t you dare try to flip it, or Santa will be going to the reindeer stalls to fill up your stocking this year.

If you’re still on a 1080p monitor, it’s high time you upgraded to something bigger, better, and badder. I’m talking about a proper 4K monitor from a reputable brand—and it doesn’t even have to be expensive, not when you can score a deal like this one. Right now, Samsung’s 32-inch 4K monitor is only $220 on Amazon. That’s a solid 35% discount off its typical $340 price, representing a savings of $120 on a large, gorgeous, yet affordable display.

At 32 inches, the ViewFinity UJ59 provides ample screen real estate but isn’t so large that you’ll have to crane your neck or strain your eyes to look your way around it. It’s all the space you need for working on documents, playing games, watching movies, or browsing the web.

That’s doubly true with its 3840×2160 resolution, giving you a crisp 4K visual experience that elevates everything you do on your computer. And this monitor has built-in upscaling tech that automatically converts whatever you’re watching up to near-4K quality. Just note that this monitor’s refresh rate caps out at 60Hz, so you’ll have to make do with at most 60 FPS when gaming.

The ViewFinity UJ59 does come with a Game Mode, though, which selectively boosts and optimizes screen contrast, allowing you to see more detail in dark areas. That means easier spotting of your enemies in multiplayer games and finding of items on the ground in RPGs. AMD FreeSync helps sync up your monitor with your PC hardware, and there are several ports to connect with, including two HDMI and a DisplayPort.

This is a fantastic monitor for the price. If you’ve been waiting to upgrade your workstation to 4K, jump on this deal before it expires and get this 32-inch Samsung display for just $220!

• Top-rated antivirus protection
• Expanded protection against malicious websites and remote attacks
• Clean, straightforward interface

• Some PCs may experience a performance hit during heavier workloads
• Several features are a bit rudimentary

AVG does a superb job of safeguarding your PC. It offers a clean, straightforward interface and additional online protections, while still providing the top-notch antivirus protection it’s known for—and does so without charging as much as the competition.

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$59.88 first year (10 devices)

AVG is best known for its excellent free antivirus software—so why pay a premium for the AVG Internet Security suite? In a word: convenience.

With security software, the more you pay, the more comprehensive your protection becomes. That can be valuable if you find keeping up with online threats too overwhelming or time consuming. There’s something to be said for a program that can handle the major elements for you. And that’s what AVG Internet Security, the company’s entry-level version of its paid antivirus software, provides.

By moving up to a paid subscription, you get additional features that keep you safer during your off days. No antivirus program is bulletproof, of course, but this one hits the major points while not overloading you with extras you won’t use. Whether it’s right for you depends on how much you prioritize simplicity.

Note: This review is part of our best antivirus roundup. Go there for details about competing products and how we tested them. Our March 2025 update reflects our re-evaluation of the software, based on the refreshes made by the company in the past year.

First, the basics—let’s talk about cost. If purchased directly from AVG, jumping from the free plan to the company’s Internet Security package is cheaper for the first year, and then reverts to the full price thereafter.

Single-device plan (1 PC)

• $47 for the first year
• $78 per year thereafter

10-device plan (multiple devices)

• $60 for the first year
• $100 per year thereafter

AVG doesn’t offer family plans, but if you purchase a multi-device plan (which supports PC, Mac, Android, and iOS), you can share the device quota with family members. Even if you’re flying solo, the extra cash for multi-device coverage can be worth it—these days it’s common to own at least a computer and phone, and often a tablet as well.

AVG’s multi-device plans cost more, but you can share your device limit with others.

PCWorld

Compared to the competition, AVG prioritizes more devices rather than extra features. Take for example Norton—its closest equivalent plan includes VPN access, but you can only use it across five devices. Also surprising: Avast, which actually owns AVG, charges more for a similar plan and fewer covered devices.

For more savings, you can buy a license for AVG Internet Security through retailers like Newegg, which offer multi-year plans as well as ones with fewer devices—so you can get a subscription appropriately sized for your situation, if you prefer.

AVG Internet Security adds five more features to the free plan’s antivirus, firewall, web and email threat, and network protection. You get safeguards for the passwords saved to your browsers; webcam takeovers; unknown access to files with sensitive data; malicious redirects for websites you’re trying to visit (aka DNS hijacking); and attacks conducted through Windows’ remote desktop protocol.

AVG Internet Security is a fantastic option for people seeking to be more hands-off with online security without paying a ton for the convenience.

This particular plan does not include access to a VPN. (You’ll need an Ultimate subscription, or subscribe to AVG Secure VPN separately.) AVG also doesn’t have its own password manager or parental controls, so you can’t get those by changing your subscription.

To install AVG Internet Security, either download the free version and then upgrade, or first buy the paid subscription and install afterward.

AVG’s dashboard is clean and logical, though potentially gloomy to those who prefer light-themed apps. The nearly black background is punctuated with bright green text to cue you in to important information. Both your PC’s status and key features are clearly highlighted in the dashboard.

AVG’s dashboard is fairly straightforward, with the exception of running other scans—though it’s not obvious, you can click on the text to open the menu.

PCWorld

Starting a scan from the dashboard is easy—for a quick scan, you press the Run Smart Scan button toward the bottom of the screen, which will initially inspect your operating system, hunt for malware, look for advanced issues, and check for performance issues. Subsequent smart scans will focus on just the first three.

You can choose a different type of scan by clicking the text that says Run other scans. Your options are deep scan, file or folder scan, boot-time scan, USB/DVD scan, and a performance scan. Using the performance scan requires a separate subscription to AVG TuneUp, or a further upgrade to an AVG Ultimate plan.

Above the scan options are the dashboard tiles. You’ll find four tiles related to the software’s features—Computer, Web & Email, Hacker Attacks, and Personal Data. Click on any of these buttons, and you’ll see explanations for each software component. You can also broadly customize your settings, either by toggling off a feature or fiddling with the defaults. For the best protection, most people should leave everything on and then further add items for protection where applicable.

Also making a return is a fifth Store tile, which lets you buy the upgrades that AVG will push you toward, like when offering performance scan results. You can’t hide this tile in the settings, which is unfortunate.

To stay protected, leave these antivirus protections on.

PCWorld

However, if you run into conflicts or annoyances that require a little fine-tuning, AVG does provide more granular control. To access, you’ll click on the Menu hamburger icon at the top right, then choose Settings. This drop-down menu gives access to features like the data shredder, subscription info, browser extensions, and support as well.

These detailed settings are a boon for software nerds, incidentally—particularly those of us who serve as tech support for loved ones. You can tweak a fair number of things, including privacy settings (you can opt out from data sharing right from the app—and I recommend you do, especially the third-party sharing). You can even create a password to keep others from changing settings.

The only real issue with AVG’s app is the continued upsells for its other products. Paying for AVG reduces the flow, but doesn’t stop it all together.

AVG Internet Security protects your PC against real-time threats in multiple ways. On your PC, the software scans files you add or open, checks apps for unusual behavior, and controls access to select folders often targeted by ransomware. Ransomware protection is customizable, so you can add more folders to the default list. Email downloaded to your PC is screened for dangerous attachments and malicious links, too.

When you’re on the web, AVG Internet Security scans the data transmitted to your computer for malware and for any sneaky DNS redirections to fake websites. It also monitors traffic going to and from apps, and locks down the passwords saved to your browsers. You get protection from remote access attacks, too—AVG blocks remote connection attempts from unknown sources, and it restricts access to your webcam and microphone.

As a small protection against being caught unawares from data breaches, AVG Internet Security keeps tabs on your email address. If it’s spotted in a leak, you’ll get a notification in the app. To monitor more email addresses than just the one tied to your account, you’ll have to…(as you might have already guessed)…upgrade to AVG’s BreachGuard service.

Power users can customize scan settings and get more control over how deep the screening goes.

PCWorld

For 2025, AVG’s defaults have changed. No scans are scheduled by default—you’ll have to create your own automatic intervals of a quick scan or deep scan. (My suggestion: At least once a month, if not weekly.) You can adjust the timing and depth of scan, and create multiple scheduled ones. You have three types to choose from: Deep Scan, File or Folder Scan, and Quick Scan.

Each type of scan is customizable in settings—for example, Deep Scan normally scans for files that are vulnerable to malware, and only for common installation apps. But you can make it dig further and have it scan all files, if you like. You can also change how the program handles infected files.

At installation, AVG asks if you’d like to install its secure browser alongside the app. Opting in gives access to what’s basically a version of Chrome, but more optimized for privacy and security. AVG touts automatic ad blocking, antivirus and VPN integration (Windows only), protection against malware and shady website, stronger privacy, and blocking of tracking cookies as top features.

Note: For VPN access, you must have an AVG plan that includes it…which AVG Internet Security does not.

I wasn’t impressed with the out-of-the-box experience with this so-called secured browser. The one thing it has going for it is a pared down version of a browser add-on store—which makes it harder to accidentally download malicious extensions.

See that toward the top of this screenshot? And in the lower right-hand corner? Those are ads showing up after enabling AVG’s Privacy Guard (which should block ads).

PCWorld

But otherwise, the browser doesn’t fully live up to its marketing. Example: For ad-blocking, you have to manually turn on the pre-installed Privacy Guard extension. The screening also didn’t catch all the ads on the sites I visited—and the browser loaded sites slowly. (It did however seem to block YouTube ads.) Also, you’re automatically opted in to share your usage with AVG, and the company pre-installs its own coupon extension.

My recommendation: If you want a browser that better lives up to AVG’s promises, skip on over to Brave as a better alternative. (While it does automatically track some browser usage, it better explains the nature of the data collected—and I’m more onboard with their approach overall.) Brave has extra quality-of-life features tucked in, too. You will have to still be careful when downloading browser extensions, since it’s the full store available, though.

(Wondering what happened to AVG’s Online Security brower extension? It’s still around, and it’s actually free to anyone. But it seemed broken for me on Edge—I didn’t see any of the visual badges that let me know what search engine results in Google and Bing were safe to click on. In Chrome, the visual badges no longer show up for Bing. I don’t recommend its use.)

Formerly known as File Shredder, this feature lets you securely delete files, folders, or whole drives by overwriting them with other data. On the face of it, this sounds like a good feature—and it can be, if you want to clear data from a hard disk drive (HDD). 

However, most modern computers have solid state drives (SSD), which save data in a different way than mechanical drives. At best, you won’t actually securely overwrite the data using this method, and at worst, you can shorten the life of your SSD. (You’ll want to use this method instead.)

Aside from AVG’s support pages and forums, you can contact technical support through an online chat or through a phone call. The support pages are best for quick overviews and/or walkthroughs of various features, while the forums can help with troubleshooting—provided you’re willing to dig through several threads.

Updates for both virus definitions and the app itself run automatically in the background, though you can change these to only remind you when an update is available or go full manual (which I don’t advise). If you want to manually trigger the update yourself, there’s also a button to check for updates. You can find this by heading to Settings > General > Update.

AVG generally gets extremely high marks for antivirus and malware protection from leading organizations that evaluate security software. In AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware tests for January and February 2025 (the most current results released), AVG Internet Security detected 100 percent of the threats. When faced with 401 zero-day attack samples (including web and email threats) and 15,629 samples of recently widespread and prevalent malware, AVG blocked them all.

AV-Comparatives’ real-world test results for July through October 2024.

AV-Comparatives

Similarly, in AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for July through October 2024, AVG’s antivirus engine caught 99.6 percent of the 471 test cases, with 16 false positives. That means if your PC encounters malicious web addresses, exploits (like drive-by downloads), or URLs that link directly to malware while on the web, AVG should do an excellent job of noticing and keeping you from harm. AVG also hit high marks in AV-Comparatives’ September 2024 malware protection test, scoring a 94.3 percent offline detection rate, 95.8 percent online detection rate, and 99.92 percent online protection rate, with four false positives.

AVG falters a little when dealing with more sophisticated, targeted threats, like malicious scripts and fileless attacks. It caught 12 of the 15 test cases in AV-Comparatives’ October 2024 Advanced Threat Protection Test. However, AVG did detect samples missed by higher performing rivals.

AV-Comparatives’ malware test results for September 2024.

AV-Comparatives

During my hardware performance tests on a modest Acer Aspire 3 laptop with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor, a 128GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, and Windows 11 Home, AVG had a minimal to low effect on system resources when left idle in the background, with the real-time scanner active.

I saw virtually no change in benchmark results during most typical tasks performed on a PC, as simulated by PCMark 10—e.g., video chatting, web browsing, gaming, image and document editing in free apps like GIMP and LibreOffice. Surprisingly, that held true for our Handbreak encoding test, too, which can be quite punishing. The only notable effect popped up when running Microsoft Office apps (as simulated by UL Procyon), with about a 6.5 percent decrease.

Running a deep scan caused more of a hit, with about a 6 percent dip in PCMark 10. Handbrake encodes took about 4 percent more time. Procyon was again the most affected, with an almost 20 percent drop. The takeaway here? If you’re on a cheaper PC and slinging larger data sets in Excel, you’re best served scheduling your system scans for off-hours.

As for features, Sensitive Data Shield (which lets you scan your system for files containing high-risk pieces of personal information) was a bit hit or miss. For example, one invoice was flagged, but not another similar document that lacked the word “invoice.”

Other protections aren’t actually accessible with the Internet Security plan—though the interface is designed to make you think it is until the very last moment. E.g.: Running a Performance Scan will display action items. But if you click on the button to resolve them all, you get a screen asking you to pay for AVG TuneUp, as shown above.

The fact that this upselling is baked into a paid subscription is off-putting—it makes the app feel incomplete, even though you’ve got a subscription already.

AVG Internet Security is a fantastic option for people seeking to be more hands-off with online security without paying a ton for the convenience. In fact, it’s solid enough to still earn a recommendation despite how strong the free version is on its own. (And despite the continued upsells, which are annoying to see in a paid product.) It offers great performance and an easy-to-understand interface along with several helpful security features.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service.

Rumor has it that Microsoft is developing an Xbox-branded gaming handheld, and it seems Windows 11 is being prepped for that. The launch of the previously unannounced Xbox handheld is expected as early as this year, but there haven’t been any official details yet.

In a tweet by user Xeno (spotted by Windows Latest), both Beta and Dev Channel previews of Windows 11 have new language experience packs that seem to reference a new user interface that’s apparently being developed specifically for gaming handhelds.

These new references point to something called “Gaming Posture” as well as phrasings like “Boot into the full-screen experience at device startup” and “Choose your full-screen experience.” The data also shows settings for performance monitoring, resolution, controllers and keyboard shortcuts, among other things.

“Gaming Posture” could be a placeholder name or an internal designation for the new user experience that Microsoft is developing. Either way, a handheld-specific interface would be a much-needed step forward, as Windows is currently lagging behind top-dog SteamOS and its user-friendly Steam Deck in this regard.

Just yesterday, we got a different sort of clue to the possibility of an Xbox handheld in the form of a video teaser published by Asus. It shows a robot throwing a ROG Ally gaming handheld and a Raikiri Pro controller together to create a new product.

It’s notable that the controller is quite reminiscent of your typical Xbox gamepad, which is prompting many to suspect a collaboration between Asus and Microsoft—not a farfetched move since Microsoft wants to produce its hardware with other manufacturers.

Until now, it wasn’t known who else would be working on “Project Kennan,” the code name for the Xbox handheld. However, Asus would be a good candidate as the company has already launched a powerful gaming handheld on the market in the ROG Ally.

The Xbox account on X reacted to Asus’ teaser in a humorous way and simply posted a meme that could be interpreted as an indirect confirmation. Alternatively, Microsoft is happy about the fanned rumor mill, which brings more publicity to the Xbox handheld that hasn’t even been officially confirmed yet.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the latest gaming PC hardware news, you’ve probably heard that AMD’s latest X3D chips kick all kinds of ass but are also failing at a fast rate, especially in certain motherboards. AMD’s first official statement blames it on memory compatibility issues. That may or may not be true, but it’ll be cold comfort to some.

I’m hesitant to sound the alarm on issues with new hardware. In any large hardware launch, some small percentage of the devices that reach buyers’ hands will always be defective… and when it comes to things like CPUs designed specifically for gaming PCs, we’re going to hear loud and possibly overstated voices on social media like Reddit. But observers have reportedly collected over 100 examples of failing 9800X3D chips and other members of the AM5 family, apparently mostly in ASRock motherboards. It looks like there’s something going on here.

In a statement provided to PCGamer, one AMD representative laid the blame on memory timings. “Following a joint investigation, AMD and ASRock identified a memory compatibility issue present in earlier BIOS versions, which has been rectified in the latest BIOS,” it says, echoing earlier statements from ASRock.

The language is predictably corporate, imploring all users who encounter problems to contact customer support, where presumably they’ll be given the usual troubleshooting gauntlet before being presented with RMA options. As PCGamer notes, many users who experienced failures have observed electrical or burn damage that would go way beyond memory timing issues, and these are often in CPUs that passed the POST protection system and operated for days or weeks without problems.

I’m no electrical engineer, but like many of the commenters on the situation, I’m skeptical. You’d expect a memory timing issue to create a system that would fail POST (Power On Self-Test) and simply refuse to boot, not cause electrical or burn damage.

The good news is that anyone who currently has their hands on a 9800X3D, 9900X3D, or 9950X3D processor is well within the warranty period and can plead their case for a replacement with relative confidence. That might not be the case for a slightly older AM5 motherboard purchased for the Ryzen 7000 series, though.

One of the first things I did as a new Roku user was to start adding apps to the Home screen, from Netflix and Disney+ to Apple TV+ and HBO Max (back when it was still called HBO Max). 

But once I had all my apps installed, I hit a roadblock. How exactly do you rearrange all those app tiles? Personally, I like having Netflix up top, along with such oft-used services as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, but they were all jumbled in the middle of the app grid.

Meanwhile, there were some apps I wanted to nix, such as People TV and Roku’s Getting Started channel. 

If you’re new to Roku, it’s easy to get stuck trying to move or delete apps on the Home screen, given there’s no obvious way to rearrange your tiles. 

More experienced Roku users, however, will know the trick: the ever-useful “*” button, a.k.a. Options, which reveals contextual and related options when pressed. Once you’re familiar with the Options button, rearranging apps on the Home screen is a snap. 

We’ll start with moving and rearranging apps on the Roku home screen; removing channels apps next.

Go to the Home tab on the main Roku screen, press the “>” button on the remote, then navigate to the channel tile you’d like to move. 

Next, press the “*” button on the remote. When you do, a menu will pop up with a variety of options, allowing you to check for updates, remove the app (we’ll get to that one in a moment), and so on.

Ben Patterson/Foundry

The option you’re looking for is “Move app”—or, if the app isn’t already in the top row, “Move app to top.” Select the latter option to jump the app to the top of the screen, or “Move app” to fine-tune its arrangement. 

Now, you’ll see the app tiles again, except this time the one you selected will be surrounded by arrows. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Using the arrow keys on the remote, move the app tile around until it’s in the ideal position, then press the OK button. All set! 

Want to delete an app tile? It’s a cinch, but keep in mind that just because you remove an app (such as, say, Hulu or Max) from the Roku home screen doesn’t mean you’ve unsubscribed from the associated service. 

That’s why you should check whether you’re subscribed to the app you want to nix. In some cases, you might have subscribed directly with the service; in others, you might have subscribed through Roku. If you don’t check, you run the risk of a surprise charge on your next credit card bill. 

To find out if you subscribed through Roku, visit my.roku.com and select Manage Your Subscriptions. If the channel you want to delete is listed, be sure to unsubscribe if you no longer want it.

If the service isn’t listed, you either subbed directly or via a third party, or perhaps the app doesn’t offer a subscription at all.

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Once you’ve finished checking your subscription (if you had one in the first place), deleting a channel on Roku is similar to moving an app. 

Just navigate to the app you want to delete, press the “*” (Options) button, then select “Remove app.”

Microsoft’s new Outlook app — labeled “Outlook (new)” as opposed to “Outlook (classic)” — normally saves your emails online, so you cannot access them without an internet connection. However, it’s now possible to store messages locally on your computer.

To do this, open Outlook and click on the gear icon in the title bar at the top to call up the Settings.

Select General on the left-hand side and click on Offline in the column to the right. Make sure that the Activate offline emails, calendars and people switch is set to On.

In the menu under Folders to be saved, you can then specify which mail folders should be saved locally. The default setting is Default and favorites. Default includes the folders Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Archive, Deleted, and Snooze.

This setting covers all important folders. Below this, you will find the option Days of emails to be saved. Here you can specify how far back the local archive should go. The default setting is 30 days. However, you can use the menu to copy messages up to 180 days old to the local SSD/hard drive. The higher you select this value, the more storage space the mail archive requires.

Please note: The offline feature only works if you had Outlook open with an existing internet connection and then go offline, for example because the WLAN is no longer available. However, if you try to start Outlook without an internet connection, you will only receive a message about a connection error.

Reading tip: 12 useful tips for the new Microsoft Outlook

MediaTek launched the Kompanio Ultra as the company’s premium Chromebook processor on Wednesday, predicting that it will easily offer the highest Minecraft performance of any Chromebook chip while bringing AI to the platform, too.

Essentially, MediaTek launched the Kompanio Ultra to help answer the question: Which Chromebook should I buy?

Besides Google’s own Chromebook Plus brand, there aren’t too many answers. Instead, the list of Chromebooks is a hodgepodge of various processors, including the Intel Celeron, Pentium, and Core processors; AMD’s A-series and Ryzen chips, and Arm processors like the Qualcomm Snapdragon and the existing MediaTek Kompanio 500 and 800 series. Google launched the Chromebook Plus specification to help clarify matters, but it certainly doesn’t help to differentiate the performance each chip can offer. MediaTek isn’t that well known, either.

All of that sparked the need for a MediaTek “Ultra” brand, said Adam King, the vice president and general manager of computing and multimedia business for MediaTek, in a conference call with reporters. Around 2021, MediaTek tried the Kompanio 1000 chip, which fizzled.

“We decided, if we were going to try again, we would,” King said. “We wouldn’t hold anything back. We would put the absolute best that we could out there, even knowing that it might not necessarily drive tremendous volume.”

The Kompanio Ultra is an 8-core Arm CPU, on a 3nm process technology. It’s based upon a single Arm Cortex 3.62GHz X925 ultraperformance core, along with three Arm Cortex X4 performance cores and four Arm Cortex A720 efficiency cores. Those cores are paired with an 11-core Immortalis-G925 GPU that can perform ray tracing and output to three 4K displays at 60Hz while performing 10-bit 4K60 video encoding and decoding using the HEVC/AVC codecs. It uses an undisclosed amount of LPDDR5X memory. The chip supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0.

MediaTek

More importantly, the Ultra chip includes an NPU capable of 50 TOPS, leaving it able to perform whatever NPU-centric functions a Chromebook can throw at it. AI capabilities have pretty much ignored the Chromebook entirely, save for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors.

Executives claimed that the Kompanio Ultra 910, the first chip in MediaTek’s new product class, could easily outperform Intel’s leader, Intel Core Ultra 5 115U and 125U, in the Chromebook space. The Ultra offers 18 percent faster single-thread performance and 40 percent more multi-thread performance, respectively.

More importantly, the Ultra 910 can deliver 250 percent the frame rate of the 125U while playing Minecraft, MediaTek executives said, a key metric for elementary-school age kids. If you’re looking for the best Minecraft or Roblox Chromebook for your kids, you might want one with a Kompanio Ultra chip inside it.

Users don’t need to trade off performance for battery life, either; MediaTek claims that the chip will deliver 20 hours of battery life on a 60Wh battery.

In fact, if there’s one area that’s been ignored within Chromebooks, it’s AI. King said that it’s likely that Google will address this in its May event, Google I/O. (Could Google announce a Chromebook Ultra then?)

MediaTek executives said that the Kompanio Ultra won’t appear in Windows on Arm PCs, however, nor on tablets. So while we still expect MediaTek to eventually challenge Qualcomm in PCs, that will have to wait for another day…although that day doesn’t appear that far off, either.

By now, you’ve heard of the U.S.’s decision to levy tariffs on imports—all goods made in China, as well as select materials worldwide, like steel and aluminum. At the time of this article’s publishing, taxes on products coming from Canada and Mexico also were likely to begin early April, with additional tariffs proposed for more materials and products worldwide.

I covered the details about these tariffs in a FAQ, as well as a set of highlights for a shorter way to get up to speed on the situation. I also created a breakout of sample cost increases so you could better see what actual purchases could look like.

But most news has focused on the immediate dollars-and-cents effect of these new taxes. What’s been talked about less are the other ways tariffs will impact the tech industry—consequences that could dampen or even drive back certain aspects that we currently take for granted. At best, we’ll see a temporary blow. At worst, we could feel this hit for years to come.

Technology has become more available to the masses over time. Long ago, personal computers were a rare luxury, found only in homes of enthusiasts or the well-to-do. But as popularity rose, devices and hardware became easier to get. People wanted to spend their money on fresh gear—and so supply became more plentiful.

Brad Chacos / Foundry

But when prices go up, demand goes down. Companies already have an incentive to slow the rollout of new products due to the economic instability brought about by the tariffs. If you add on a weakened appetite from consumers for discretionary purchases, vendors have reason to pull back on the production. They may become slower to release successors to products or even a wider variety of products. In particular, smaller companies decide to pause or stop product lines. 

Industry insiders expressed this very sentiment to me when discussing the tariffs and their effect. Without the ability to make accurate forecasts, businesses have to proceed with more caution. They’ll either produce less of their usual devices or hardware—or opt out of selling certain items altogether.

After years of ever-growing options for consumers, shrinking down to fewer choices will be a sad step backward.

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

Innovation and competition help lower costs for technology. Manufacturing becomes more efficient, growing demand spreads production costs over a wider field, and/or the tech is succeeded by something even fresher.

But if tech gear becomes less varied and harder to get, those factors won’t be as dependable as an influence on price. How much you’ll pay for a laptop, phone, or piece of hardware will likely stick where it is—or go up. As my colleague Gordon Mah Ung loved to point out, Intel sold consumers 4-core, 8-thread CPUs for years, always at similar MSRPs. And when Team Blue launched its first 10-core processor, the suggested price was a staggering $1,723.

Fast forward a year, after AMD released its first generation of Ryzen chips, and Intel’s top consumer chip had inched up in core count, with the $359 Intel Core i7-8700K sporting 6 cores and 12 threads. Its closest rivals? The $329 Ryzen 7 1700 and $399 Ryzen 7 1700X, both of which sported 8 cores and 16 threads.

This history lesson shows that consumers get less value when fewer options exist. Companies can charge whatever they want when faced with less pressure to keep pushing the envelope.

Luke Baker

If you’re a company facing economic uncertainty, how much would you want to invest in different products? Likewise, if you’re a consumer looking at devices with fewer or smaller upgrades that cost as much as the previous model, will you want to buy anything new?

It’s a bit of a standoff, and one that the tariffs could spark. For example, let’s say you’re used to buying a replacement phone every two years. But if the features don’t change dramatically, and prices remain high (especially for flagship models), perhaps you’ll stick to what you’ve already got in your pocket. Companies might then not push novel form factors as hard, like tri-fold phones and other variants.

Similarly, Nvidia and AMD could continue to delay their attention to budget gamers, instead choosing to focus on graphics cards that will bring in more cash. Sure, Intel is the lone holdout for the budget range, but its market share remains low, and its launches aren’t as regular. Budget gamers might then continue to hold out, biding their time with progressively lower graphics settings and frame rates. (But real talk, if your GTX 970 still does it for you, keep rocking that GPU until its well-deserved retirement.)

So while engineers will continue to announce newer protocols and standards (think Wi-Fi 7 or PCIe 7.0), the time to an actual launch may be much further in the future than we’re used to. And that pace change could feel like a screeching halt compared to the boom of the past couple of decades, depending on how big a slowdown is.

Michael Schwarzenberger / Pixabay

Until recent years, technology’s progress also often resulted in a predictable routine for prices, too. Current devices got cheaper, and the stuff that replaced them often stayed the same price or even lowered, thanks to improved manufacturing or higher demand.

Before the tariffs, that reliability in pricing trends started to waver due to factors like rising production costs. And now with these additional taxes dropped on top, we consumers may no longer be able to trust in steady pricing.

First, as companies shift manufacturing locations, their logistical costs will increase. But how much is still to be determined, based on resources (e.g., new staff hiring, training, etc.) and the ability for a business to absorb current tariff costs. Some larger corporations may take a hit in an effort to keep their part of the industry more stable, for example.

Additional tariffs could also cause sudden changes to MSRPs. Given how the current U.S. import tariffs were enacted, more could be announced very suddenly as well, with a notice of just a few days.

EVGA

The prospect of new tariffs looms large, too—in February, the U.S. executive branch proposed a 25 percent tariff on all semiconductors, with the intent to sharply raise the tax over time. More recently, a 25 percent tariff on copper was suggested. (You’ll find copper in circuit boards, wiring, and a lot more related to tech.) If these tariffs stack on top of the existing 20 percent on all Chinese-made goods, you could see a sharp rise in costs for products with multiple components affected by these additional taxes.

Another wrinkle: When I last spoke with industry insiders, multiple sources told me they were still learning exactly how the tariffs would be applied. So they themselves are scrambling to adjust and adapt.

Finally, if costs go up and availability decreases (as discussed above), you may have more trouble predicting actual retail prices. Street prices could go a bit wild, too. We can look at the GPU market for a glimpse into that chaotic, terrible universe: Few cards are available at the announced price, and any remaining stock is higher due to partner cards adding on extras. Any other cards are only available through resellers at huge markups.

Before the pandemic, you could easily shop for devices and hardware, with the expectation of regular sales or discounts. Now surplus budgeting may be a requirement whenever you’re preparing for a new purchase.

Want to start smartening up your home? One easy option is to grab a ton of smart bulbs—but those die over time and need constant replacing. Another option with more longevity is to switch out your light switches for smart light switches, if you’re comfortable with electrical work.

Right now, this TP-Link Tapo smart switch is only $10 on Amazon, a massive 50% off its original price. You’ll see it listed for $12, but you can get an extra $2 off with code 2SMARTHOME at checkout.

This is a single-pole light switch that’ll easily replace the ones you already have in your home (as long as they have neutral wiring). The Tapo app will give you all the instructions you need to do the swap-out job on your own, or you can hire a professional if you’ve never done electrical work. (It’s dangerous if you don’t know the risks and safe practices!)

After installing it, the only other thing you have to do is connect it to your 2.4GHz home Wi-Fi network. That’ll make it possible to control remotely using your app, including turning it on and off as well as controlling it with your voice via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. You won’t even need any smart hubs to hook these up. Functionality includes automatic timers, schedules, and an Away Mode that turns on when you aren’t home so it looks like your home is still occupied, hopefully to deter burglars.

Make your home smarter and get yourself a TP-Link Tapo smart light switch for $10. Or save even more with this 4-pack for $34. (If you prefer a dimmer model, it’s available but it’ll cost you a few extra bucks.)

Looking for a powerful laptop without breaking the bank? You’re in the right spot. Whether you’re after a high speed gaming machine, an affordable laptop under $500, or a dependable Chromebook for day-to-day tasks, we’ve carefully curated the best deals available right now. With our expert knowledge and hands-on testing, you can be confident that you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

Want even more choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.

Lenovo

Our top pick: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, $339 ($40.99 off at Amazon)

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is a lightweight laptop designed for seamless day-to-day performance. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 3 73200U processor, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of SSD storage. Given the specs (modest for this price point), you should be able to fly through most daily tasks. The 15.6-inch 1080p display also has a low blue light feature that makes it easier on the eyes.

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)
• Asus Vivobook 14, Intel Core i3-1215U processor/14-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $250.99 ($176 off at Best Buy)
• Acer Aspire Go 15, Intel Core i3-N305 processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/128GB flash memory, $264.99 ($125 off at Adorama)
• Asus Vivobook Go, AMD Ryzen 3 7320U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, $274.99 ($100 off at Adorama)
• Lenovo Flex 5i, Intel Core i3-1215U processor/14-inch 1200p touchscreen display/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, $400.99 ($149 off at Best Buy)

Acer

Our top pick: Acer Swift Edge 16, $729.99 ($570 off at Newegg)

The Acer Swift Edge 16 is built for both performance and portability. Inside you’ll find an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, AMD Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, so it’s well-suited for multitasking and lighter workloads. The 16-inch 3200×2000 OLED display also delivers deep blacks and rich colors, which is perfect for watching movies or general productivity tasks. It’s surprisingly lightweight, too, weighing in at just 2.73 pounds.

More mid-range laptop deals:

• Dell Inspiron 5441, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $699.99 ($100 off at Amazon)
• Samsung Galaxy Book4, Intel Core i7-1355U processor/15.6-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $699.99 ($300 off at Adorama)
• Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440, Intel Core 7 155H processor/14-inch 2240×1400 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $699.99 ($300 off at Amazon)
• Acer Swift Go 14, Intel Core Ultra 5 processor/14-inch 2880×1800 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $722.14 ($77.85 off at Amazon)
• Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $823.64 ($126.35 off at Amazon)
• Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Plus processor/13.8-inch 2304×1536 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $828 ($371.99 off at Amazon)

Acer

Our top pick: Acer Nitro V, $1,021.31 ($128.68 off at Amazon)

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:

• HP Victus, RTX 4070 graphics/16.1-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $899.99 ($600 off at Best Buy)
• Gigabyte G6 KF 16, RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1200p display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $949.99 ($250 off at Best Buy)
• Asus TUF Gaming A15, RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1080p display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $999 ($200.99 off at Amazon)
• MSI Katana 15, RTX 4070 graphics/15.6-inch 2560×1440 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,149 ($250 off at B&H)
• Asus TUF Gaming A17, RTX 4060 graphics/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,239.99 ($260 off at Amazon)
• Asus ROG Strix G16, RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1.314.94 ($85.05 off at Amazon)
• MSI Stealth 14 AI Studio, RTX 4070 graphics/14-inch 2880×1800/64GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,699.99 ($699.01 off at Adorama)

Samsung

Our top pick: Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro, $1,099.99 ($650 off at Amazon)

The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro is powerful laptop built for productivity tasks. Underneath the hood you’ll find an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (16 core!) processor, which is designed to crush light to moderate workloads. The 16-inch 2880×1800 120Hz touchscreen display should also deliver vibrant visuals. Plus, it’s lightweight and portable, weighing only 3.44 pounds and measuring just 0.49 inches thick.

More premium laptop deals:

• Microsoft Surface, Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch 1536p touch display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,039.99 ($360 off at Amazon)
• LG Gram SuperSlim, Intel Core i5-1340P processor/15.6-inch 1080p OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,149.99 ($449.01 off at Adorama)
• MSI Prestige 14 AI+ Evo, Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor/13.3-inch 1800p OLED display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,320.94 ($79.05 off at Newegg)
• Lenovo ThinkPad T14s, Snapdragon X Elite processor/14-inch 1200p display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,340 ($359.99 off at Amazon)
• 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)

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.

Wired headphones are a more practical and reliable option than the wireless variety. You don’t have to recharge them and they deliver better audio quality because they don’t have to compress sound like Bluetooth models. They’re also more affordable, as they lack the complex components that make up wireless models. Whether you’re looking for superior sound or a more sustainable option, wired headphones are a great choice.

Wired headphones eliminate the need to worry about battery life, as the power comes directly from the audio source. This is especially convenient for those who want to avoid constantly recharging devices.

Wired headphones deliver superior audio quality. Wireless Bluetooth has to compress audio data, which compromises sound quality, especially in terms of dynamics and detail. With wired headphones, you can enjoy music at a high bit rate, ideal for music lovers who value every detail.

While Bluetooth connections can lead to delays due to the wireless transmission, wired headphones deliver sound with almost no delay. This is particularly important for films, videos, or video games, where precise synchronization of image and sound is crucial to ensure the best experience.

Wired models are often cheaper as they are simpler in design and do not require expensive components such as transmitters, receivers, and batteries. They’re also available in different price ranges, so there’s something for every budget, from affordable entry-level models to high-quality audio solutions for demanding users.

Wired headphones have the edge when it comes to reliability. There are no signal interruptions or connection problems like with wireless models. If connection problems do occur, they can usually be solved simply by replacing the cable.

Wired headphones are a more eco-friendly choice because they don’t have rechargeable batteries, which have a limited lifespan and are difficult to recycle. With good care, they often last for decades, as there’s no battery to wear out. This also reduces electronic waste and contributes to more sustainable use. Many corded models are also easy to repair, further extending their service life.

Powerful gaming laptops usually come with big price tags, but you can save hundreds if you wait for deals like this one. The Gigabyte G6 KF laptop is only $950 at Best Buy right now, which is a lovely 23% discount off its original MSRP and a nice bargain for the specs.

This “gaming” laptop is perfectly good for non-gamers, packing enough power to breeze through work, leisure, entertainment, and creative endeavors like video editing. Jump from Excel to Netflix to Adobe Premiere Pro, then hop into your favorite Steam games and enjoy them on decent settings at great frame rates. This laptop will get it done for you.

With the G6 KF, you’re getting a 13th-gen Intel Core i7-13620H processor, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 discrete graphics card, a copious 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a fast SSD with lots of storage at 1TB capacity. It’s an all-around well-equipped machine that can crank out high performance when you need it.

The large 16-inch display is easy on the eyes, even with the rather standard 1920×1200 resolution. But the speedy 165Hz refresh rate grants you smooth visuals at higher frame rates, which is perfect for today’s immersive 3D gaming experiences.

It’s a nice laptop at an even nicer price, so don’t miss out on this chance to grab a Gigabyte G6 KF for just $950 at Best Buy. This deal won’t last forever and it might be a while before we see big sales again.