PCWorld

Image: Microsoft The latest version of Microsoft Office is here, and you can get it without a recurring subscription payment. Normally, Microsoft charges $150 for the base version of Office Home 2024, which is pretty hefty for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. But the official PCWorld software store has it for 20 percent off, just $119.99. This deal will only last for another two days, so hop on it quick. This digital copy of Office Home works with Windows 10 or...

about 7 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Opera Chrome is the undisputed king of the browser space, but the peasants are revolting over its shift to a new browser extension standard. Manifest V3 has left popular ad-blocking extension uBlock Origin in the dust. Now, the perennial browser underdog Opera is committing to support uBlock Origin and other older extensions, despite relying on Chromium’s open-source codebase. In a blog post earlier this month, the developers of Opera made it clear that they intend to keep supporting at...

about 7 hours ago

PCWorld

Valve’s Steam Deck has been a phenomenon for PC gamers, but there’s just one problem: You can’t pick the parts and assemble it yourself. That’s half the fun of PC gaming! (The other half is eating ramen noodles and pawning all your belongings to afford those PC parts.) But one modder combined the flexible hardware of the Framework Laptop and a 3D printer to create her own handheld system. The “Beth Deck” is available on 3D printing enthusiast site Printables...

about 8 hours ago

PCWorld

Looking to make that upgrade to a brand-new laptop? If so, you’ve come to the right place. In our never-ending quest to find the best laptops, we’ve scoured the market looking for the top options available from all categories. We’ve then curated from those laptops an even more select list of the very best available right now. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts here at PCWorld. From classic clamshells to versatile 2-in-1’s,...

about 8 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Nanoleaf Smart lights are a fun and high-tech way to spruce up your home, and they’re especially enticing when they’re on sale. For example, Nanoleaf’s Elements panels are hexagonal smart lights that are simply gorgeous and versatile — and right now this 7-pack starter kit is on sale for $160 at Best Buy, a $90 savings on its $150 original price. The great thing about hexagons isn’t that they fit together perfectly, but that you can arrange them however...

about 8 hours ago

PCWorld

The European Union can be a tough regulatory arena, especially for American tech megacorps. But according to a Microsoft lawyer, Google has been manipulating regulators by creating an “astroturf” group of cloud providers to lobby against Microsoft specifically. It’s a brazen and surprising accusation, directly from one corporation to another. In a lengthy blog post on Microsoft’s official site, the company’s deputy general counsel Rima Alaily accused Google of enticing smaller European cloud computing companies to create a lobbying group...

about 9 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Matt Smith Do you want a huge amount of usable display space, but also want to stick with a single monitor? If so, an ultrawide monitor is the ticket. These monitors have a wider display panel that’s far more impressive, and immersive, than your average widescreen. I’ve tested a bunch of ultrawide monitors in order to name the best picks in various categories. You can learn more about our evaluation process and what to look for in an ultrawide...

about 9 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Nvidia Graphics card manufacturer Nvidia is currently issuing a warning to all owners of GeForce GPUs. According to an Nvidia security bulletin, several security vulnerabilities requiring urgent attention have been discovered in the company’s own display drivers and other software. A total of eight vulnerabilities are listed, all of them with a “High” severity rating. If you have an Nvidia GeForce GPU, you need to act now. According to Nvidia, it’s possible for attackers to gain access to your...

about 9 hours ago

PCWorld

Finding the right laptop for your lifestyle can be difficult. Should you go with a 13- or 17-inch display? How much storage and RAM will you need? With so many aspects to consider, you may very well be feeling overwhelmed. Don’t sweat it. Whether you’re looking for ridiculously fast gaming rig, a featherlight 2-in-1, or a straightforward Chromebook, we curated a list of the best laptops available right now. In addition to covering various price points and features, we’ve also...

about 9 hours ago

PCWorld

At a glance Tons of features for the price Long battery life Hot-swap switches Light weight Screen is almost useless No per-game profiles Imitation style The Immersion A3 is shamelessly cribbing on Logitech’s gaming keyboard style, and its screen is near useless. But its long list of features, light weight, low profile, and great battery life help it stand out as a budget alternative to similar wireless mechanical designs. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text...

about 10 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Amazon Amazon’s newest, biggest, and most powerful Fire Max 11 tablet is down to its best price once more, making now the best time to snag this 11-inch tablet for just $140. That’s $90 (or 39 percent) off its original price. The Amazon Fire Max 11 has a vivid 11-inch display that’s perfect for streaming content, reading ebooks, and playing tablet games. The powerful octa-core processor delivers snappier performance that beats out all previous Fire models. It stands out...

about 10 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: Mattias Inghe Having extra physical storage on hand is always ideal, allowing you to rely less on cloud options and also quickly transfer files between devices. But when it comes to archiving lots of files, bigger is better. And right now, one of our favorite large-capacity portable SSDs is on sale: the 2TB Samsung T9 is down to just $200 on Amazon, which is a hefty 33 percent discount off its original $300 price. Our review of the Samsung...

about 11 hours ago

PCWorld

At a glance Chassis feels durable Great wired and wireless connectivity Well-rounded CPU and GPU performance Lengthy battery life  Awkward keyboard and touchpad layout Medicore IPS display GPU performance slightly behind competitors The MSI Stealth A16 AI+ is a jack-of-all-trades that tries to deliver strong CPU and GPU performance in a thin chassis yet also provide lengthy battery life. It mostly succeeds, though its mediocre display is a bummer. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text...

about 11 hours ago

PCWorld

Running a small business is tough. There are so many tasks that need your attention; campaigns to plan, keeping up to date with your brand messaging, all while ensuring your data is secure. It can feel overwhelming at times, but Google Workspaces has a fully-featured set of tools that can take some of the burdens off your back and let your business flourish. Now, with the latest and improved integration and capabilities of Gemini AI available, there’s never been a...

about 12 hours ago

PCWorld

If you use a Windows PC, you’re probably familiar with the standard user folders like Documents and Music. If you find that you’re running out of space in these folders, you can easily move them to another drive. Not sure how to go about it? Don’t sweat it. We’ll guide you every step of the way. Further reading: 9 must-know details about Windows 11’s big 2024 update By default, these directories (aka libraries) are located as subfolders in the path...

about 13 hours ago

PCWorld

You have probably heard a lot about AI recently. One of the best ways to explore it for yourself is with a GeForce RTX 40 Series AI PC from iBUYPOWER. These PCs have access to NVIDIA’s RTX AI acceleration, which supercharges AI applications and workflows you use every day. The RDY Y60 005 is one of iBUYPOWER’s top NVIDIA RTX-equipped models, and this performance PC is currently selling at a tasty $400 discount, $1,949 from its original $2,349 price. It...

about 13 hours ago

PCWorld

It feels like artificial intelligence is in everything these days — TVs, laptops, phones, websites, even PDF editors — and that big boom can be attributed to the wild success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Microsoft is doing its best to compete with its own Copilot AI chatbot, and both ChatGPT and Copilot are pretty good at providing answers, generating text and images, and holding conversations. Most importantly, they’re both free to use. Related: Real ways I use ChatGPT to improve my...

about 13 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: This Microsoft bundle includes lifetime access to Office 2019 Professional Plus, Windows 11 Pro, Visio 2019, and Project 2019 for a one-time payment of $71.94 through October 27. Looking to upgrade your PC without the hassle of subscriptions? This Ultimate 2019 Microsoft Bundle is here to deliver serious productivity power. For a one-time purchase, you get lifetime licenses to four essential Microsoft products — designed to streamline everything from document creation to project management. First up, Office...

about 15 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Learn Excel from beginner to advanced with 16 courses — for one low price of $29.97 through October 27. If learning Excel has been sitting on your to-do list, now’s the perfect time to dive in. This Microsoft Excel training bundle offers 16 full courses that walk you through everything from building your first spreadsheet to mastering financial forecasting. Whether you’re a complete newbie or already comfortable with Excel, this bundle has something for everyone — hurry...

about 15 hours ago

PCWorld

Image: F8 studio / Shutterstock.com Microsoft has been rolling out Windows 11 24H2 for some time now, which has caused numerous problems — some so serious, in fact, that Microsoft has started blocking the update for affected systems. A few days ago, on October 24, the company released the optional KB5044384 patch for Windows 11, which was intended to fix many of the problems. But as Windows Latest reports, this rescue update is itself causing further problems as it crashes...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is redesigning its Teams chat interface — in a way that mimics the organization of, say, PCWorld’s home page. Microsoft said Monday that it will begin testing a new Teams interface in November, optionally collapsing various channels, teams, and chat options into a single feed. Customers with access to the Teams public preview will be able to try out this new interface next month, Microsoft said today. On the surface, the new chat interface appears similar to...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Lenovo It’s hard to find a gaming laptop if you’re on a budget, but we’ve seen Lenovo’s more affordable LOQ series — and specifically this 15-inch model — come to the rescue several times. Today, Best Buy is offering this version with a Ryzen CPU and an RTX 4060 graphics card for $750. That’s $250 off the retail price. With an 8-core Ryzen 7 7435HS processor, a generous 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and 512GB of SSD space, the Lenovo...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Need a new monitor for your PC? We’ve combed through scores of options to find the best monitors available. Our picks are the result of hundreds of hours spent testing the latest models from Acer, Asus, BenQ, Dell, LG, Samsung, and other major brands.  While our favorite monitor overall is an awesome choice for most people, we also have alternative options for budget shoppers, gamers, and those seeking the best HDR performance. After all, not everyone’s monitor needs are identical....

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Mojahid Mottakin/Shutterstock.com A bug that borks your PC on a new Windows update is a familiar headache for many of us. It’s gotten less frequent in the last few years thanks to Microsoft being a little more proactive, as Windows will now scan your hardware and installed software for potential incompatibilities before it updates, then halt said update if it sees a problem. But with the growing number of issues affecting the Windows 11 24H2 update, we’re seeing a...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Petter Ahrnstedt Google has big plans for AI, and that’s no secret. But specifically what it plans to do with AI in the near future — and how it hopes consumers will interact with it — is a little more hazy. According to a new report, the next major revision of the Gemini model has some grand ambitions, including the ability to completely control the Chrome browser. That’s according to The Information, citing unconfirmed leaks from deep within Google....

1 day ago

PCWorld

Many users have been experiencing all kinds of problems after installing Windows 11’s big annual 2024 update. Issues include broken internet connections and buggy Windows features, and it’s gotten bad enough that Microsoft has blocked the update for some users. If you’re one of the many people who are struggling with a frustrating Windows 11 24H2 experience, here’s a tip: you can uninstall the update and reset your Windows 11 system. Here’s how. Warning: Even though data normally isn’t lost...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: AMD If you’ve been eagerly waiting to know more about the highly anticipated, gaming-focused variant of the Ryzen 9000 CPU series, then the recent 9800X3D leaks are likely good news for you. AMD already confirmed that it was going to announce Ryzen 9000X3D chip variants on November 7, but there won’t be much mystery left when that date finally rolls around. One model in particular was spotted pretty much everywhere this weekend: the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The 9800X3D is...

1 day ago

PCWorld

At a glance Eight bays/slots for HDDs and SSDs Supports SATA and NVMe Runs two HDDs in RAID Affordable for the ilk 10Gbps caps NVMe performance at 1GBps No RAID for the last two HDD bays The D8 Hybrid is a versatile USB storage enclosure that lets you use up to four 3.5/2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs, as well as up to four NVMe SSDs. It’s only 10Gbps, which is easily fast enough for HDDs and SATA SSDs, but limiting for...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Asus Know what your PC gaming setup needs? After equipping a powerful RTX graphics card, you’re going to need a super-speedy monitor that can show those uber-high frame rates at intended. And wouldn’t you know it, this 24.5-inch Asus ROG Strix gaming monitor that ticks all the boxes is on sale for $229 on Amazon! That’s $70 (or 23 percent) off its original $299 price. So, what makes this monitor stand out? It’s clearly not the size because this...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: SK Hynix Getting a 1TB portable SSD can solve a lot of problems, especially if you rely too much on cloud storage for your documents, photos, and videos. It’s good to have offline storage for backups and transfers. Well, one of our favorite and most iconic portable SSDs is now on sale for the best price we’ve ever seen for it: the SK Hynix Beetle X31 is down to just $65 on Amazon, a superb 31 percent off its...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Robot vacuums have become indispensable in our homes. From pet hair to daily dust, these devices keep floors clean with minimal hands-on help. But like any tool, a robot vacuum needs regular upkeep to keep running at peak performance—and to avoid early retirement. Fortunately, the steps to extending your vacuum’s lifespan are simple, and many are directly recommended by manufacturers. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of your robo-cleaner. The brushes, rollers, and wheels are...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Let’s address the big thing first: The Corsair One i500 compact gaming desktop costs $3,599. That will stop a lot of you in your tracks. Like a luxury automobile, however, there are touches throughout that signal why you’d want to spend the extra money on this lovely little PC. I favor a very brutalist approach to PC hardware: I don’t really care what it looks like as long as it performs well and cost-effectively. But my personal aesthetic has always...

1 day ago

PCWorld

The majority of U.S. homes have an internet connection, and it’s probably not a stretch to guess that the proportion that also has Wi-Fi is close to 100 percent. Anyone who lives in a populated area and opened the Wi-Fi settings on their mobile phone will have seen how there are many networks competing for space in the ether. Modern routers, especially mesh routers, have thankfully made problems with poor Wi-Fi coverage fairly rare, but there are still many good...

1 day ago

PCWorld

Image: Unsplash 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...

2 days ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for $19.97 through October 27 and enjoy advanced multitasking, improved security, and gaming enhancements. If you’re still rocking an older version of Windows or just can’t upgrade through Windows Update, here’s your chance to jump into the future, on sale for $19.97 ending October 27. Windows 11 Pro doesn’t just give your PC a new look — it supercharges your productivity, gaming, and security, while adding some next-level AI with Copilot. Microsoft...

3 days ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: For $39.99, the 1minAI Pro Plan delivers lifetime access to versatile AI tools, with free monthly credits included. Are you tired of juggling multiple AI tools to handle your creative tasks? With the 1minAI Pro Plan, you get permanent access to a powerful suite of AI functionalities designed to streamline your workflow and boost your creativity — all for a one-time fee of $39.99. 1minAI harnesses advanced AI models to assist with various tasks, from writing articles and editing images...

3 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Microsoft Earlier this month, Microsoft finally released the latest version of Microsoft Office that isn’t tied to Microsoft 365, meaning you can now buy access to the latest versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with a one-time payment instead of shelling out cash on a subscription. With Office 2024, Microsoft promises improved performance, updated user interfaces, and more tools for analyzing data and embedding images in Excel, as well as support for new features over Office 2021. See all...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Acer Chromebooks have come a long way in recent years. They are no longer used to just run Google apps or access the internet. Chromebooks can do just about every productivity task a Windows or MacOS laptop can do, and they often come at a more affordable price. They are also renowned for having long battery life and solid designs. Google has developed Chrome OS to be perfect for everyday tasks such as working on documents and spreadsheets, browsing...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Matt Smith/Foundry A quality monitor arm is among the smartest upgrades you can purchase for your home office setup. Monitor arms greatly improve the range of positions a monitor can take on your desk, providing more comfort and an attractive look. They also free up space on your desk, leaving it open for other use. These perks are offset by a problem: the price. Most monitor arms worth buying are close to $200, and heavy-duty arms are even more...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Samsung Samsung isn’t the first name that comes to my mind when I think of affordable gaming monitors. But this deal is an exception. Not only is it pretty dang beefy at 32 inches, it has an upgraded IPS panel. Normally $430, Amazon is selling it for just $280 today. The Samsung Odyssey G50D is a sleek monitor with 2560×1440 resolution, offering a nice bump in pixels over 1080p without going full fat to 4K and overtaxing mid-range gaming...

4 days ago

PCWorld

At a glance Compact and lightweight Looks like a headphone and can be used just as well as one Plush and comfortable earcups The cups swivel and the headband is adjustable The volume wheel allows for precise control Hybrid listening mode needs a second to let sound in There’s no chat mixer wheel Lacks a dedicated boom microphone The HyperX Cloud Mix 2 can be used just as easily as a headphone and as a gaming headset, and is highly...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Jon Martindale / IDG Windows 11 might be the most advanced operating system Microsoft has ever put out, but its default features aren’t even the full toolkit. To unlock some extra features beyond what’s in base Windows, you’ll need to install an optional app called Microsoft PowerToys that offers plenty of cool capabilities that you’ll certainly find useful. Maybe you already know about PowerToys and its more popular features like Image Resize (for right-click resizing images), Keyboard Manager (for...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Mattias Inghe The original Lenovo Legion Go hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but it’s notable as a Steam Deck-style gaming handheld from a major player that isn’t afraid to try new ideas. And it looks like Lenovo isn’t letting the tepid response to its first model get it down. No less than three new versions of the Legion Go have been spotted in official testing by a regulator. The Eurasian Economic Commission, a customs body that handles...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: ibreakstock / Shutterstock.com Most people prefer to watch films and series from the comfort of their couch on a large television. There’s also a suitable app on a smartphone or tablet for when you’re on the move. However, if you want to make yourself really cozy while watching Netflix, many people reach for their laptop and lie down in bed. That said, watching Netflix directly in your browser can cause problems. For one, you’re likely to be presented with...

4 days ago

PCWorld

If you’re going to buy Intel’s latest Intel Core Ultra 200S or “Arrow Lake” processors, here’s an important tip: run your system in Windows’ Performance power mode, and consider avoiding upgrading to Windows 11 24H2 entirely. Otherwise, performance could suffer greatly. Intel confirmed testing by PCWorld and other reviewers that showed that performance dips if applications are run on Windows’ default Balanced power mode. And TechSpot’s review of Arrow Lake indicates that you’ll see a decent performance improvement while gaming...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Samsung Whether you need expanded storage space on your phone or you need a bigger card for taking photos and videos with your DSLR camera, this deal is for you: the 1TB Samsung Pro Plus microSD card is on sale for $100 on Amazon. (That’s 17 percent off its usual price and matches the previous lowest price we’ve seen for it.) This tiny memory card delivers up to 180MB/s read and 130MB/s write speeds, fast enough to capture 4K...

4 days ago

PCWorld

PC games started out with humble graphics and simple mechanics. Even if you weren’t born in the era of games with as basic graphics as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, you’d still be aware of how graphics have evolved to the great heights we see today. It’s why most gamers are wowed when they see games like Forza Horizon 5. The fact that developers can make a game so life-like is quite extraordinary. Hyper realism, then, is a technical achievement that...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: MSI Here’s a great deal if you’re in the market for a capable gaming laptop that’s truly affordable: the MSI Thin 15 is now on sale for $600 at Best Buy, which is a solid $300 off its original $900 MSRP. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill $600 laptop. It’s quite good for the price, primarily because it features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. Sure, it may not be the latest and greatest model, but you’ll have fun with...

4 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Homemory Want your house to have extra atmosphere on Halloween? Or maybe you just love Harry Potter and have enough adult money to decorate your home however you wish? Either way, these floating candles are absolutely gorgeous and a perfect addition to any magic-filled room. Right now, you can get this 24-pack of Homemory floating candles for just $13.56 on Amazon, a solid 55 percent discount off its $30 MSRP. These candles are 6.5 inches long each, with LED...

4 days ago

PCWorld

At a glance Cool design Thin and lightweight Speedy performance No touchscreen Expensive Battery life isn’t great The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus offers strong processing performance as well as a paper-thin design. However, battery life could be better and it’s missing a few premium features I expected to see given the price of this laptop. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today When it comes to premium laptops, the new...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Passwords must be complex and as long as possible so that hackers have no chance of cracking them in a short span of time. However, complicated passwords are easy to forget. Anyone who doesn’t carefully maintain and write down their passwords or store them in the database of a password manager runs the risk of suddenly no longer having access to Windows, protected files, or internet services. Further reading: Best password managers 2024: Protect your online accounts There are a...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Chances are that you have important data that you don’t want to use on your PC. To protect and back up your data you’ll want to either store it on the cloud or copy it to an external drive. If you don’t wish to entrust your data to a cloud service, then the best way to make sure your data isn’t lost is to save a copy onto an external drive. It’s an inexpensive and convenient way to back up...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Anker Whenever you go camping or hiking, it’s always good to keep a reliable power source with you, whether to keep your phone juiced up in case of emergency or to power your nifty camping appliances. And for that, this high-capacity Anker power station will do the trick just fine, serving as a power bank for all your devices AND as a light source for your camp. The best part? It’s on sale for just $90 on Amazon, a...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: LG If you’ve been waiting for an incredible deal to pounce on an OLED gaming monitor, this might just be the one. Right now, Amazon’s closeout site Woot is offering a 39-inch LG ultrawide OLED display for $720. That’s an amazing $780 off its original price, a 52 percent discount. Unlike a lot of monitors featured on Woot, this LG 39GS95QE is a brand-new model, neither refurbished nor open-box. It has a semi-standard 3440×1440 ultrawide resolution, but its size...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: IDG / Dominic Bayley Let’s face it, not all PC gaming enthusiasts have the scratch to purchase a premium gaming laptop. Luckily, there are some great budget options out there. Budget gaming laptops nowadays can sport some pretty decent CPU and GPU performance. Sure, you might have to dial back those ultra graphics settings in order to hit the 60fps sweet spot, but your experience can still be plenty satisfying. The important thing is that you make the right...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Matt Smith/Foundry Everybody wants an OLED monitor, including yours truly. Now that the display tech is ubiquitous on phones, it’s getting far more common in TVs, laptops, and tablets, too. But OLED tech has some obvious drawbacks, none more so than its high price. TCL says its newest manufacturing process will help alleviate some OLED pain points, including price, brightness, and power draw. During the Omdia Korea Display Conference last week, TCL’s Chief of the Technology Planning Center expounded...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Intel’s new Arrow Lake architecture, aka the Core Ultra 200S series, brings AI capabilities onto Intel desktops. But the chip doesn’t use the Copilot+ capabilities of Intel’s mobile Lunar Lake chip — its designers used the older NPU found on Meteor Lake instead. For now, this means that if you buy an Arrow Lake chip, you won’t be able to use it with some of the new AI enhancements found within Windows 11’s 2024 Update, like generative AI and the...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Intel’s latest Arrow Lake processor for desktop PCs fuses its “Meteor Lake” and “Lunar Lake” architectures together, carrying over Meteor Lake’s NPU and Lunar Lake’s abandonment of hyperthreading. Yes, hyperthreading has been banned from Intel’s desktop chips, based on a similar rationale for excluding the feature from Lunar Lake. Arrow Lake, also known as its Core Ultra 200S processor lineup, is Intel’s first “disaggregated” desktop processor, built on tiles, meaning each part of the chip is individually fabricated on a...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Intel’s new desktop CPUs are radically different than the Intel CPUs you’re used to. Today marks the launch of Arrow Lake, the company’s latest architecture for desktop processors, formally sold as the Core Ultra 200S Series. According to Intel’s claims, this batch of Core chips is faster and far more power efficient than last-gen Raptor Lake CPUs, while still beating out the competition. However, Arrow Lake isn’t notable just for what it does, but also for what it is. As...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Michael Crider/Foundry “PCWorld is on a journey to delve into information that resonates with readers and creates a multifaceted tapestry to convey a landscape of profound enrichment.” That drivel may sound like it was AI-generated, but it was, in fact, written by a fleshy human — yours truly. Truth is, it’s hard to know whether a particular chunk of text is AI-generated or actually written by a human. Google is hoping to make it easier to spot by open-sourcing...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock.com Rechargeable batteries are now used everywhere, from smartphones to electric vehicles. They’re convenient and more environmentally friendly, and they’ve come a long way in capacity and performance. But there’s always been a big problem with all rechargeable batteries: the fact that they lose capacity over time. Sure, there are best practices you can use to prevent unnecessary degradation and thereby extend the lifespan of a rechargeable battery. For example, keeping a battery between 30 and...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Earlier this month, the massive 2024 update to Windows 11 arrived with lots of new features and improvements along with several removed features and apps. One of the many pain points of that update was just how long it took to install on most PCs. But Microsoft says in a blog post that Windows 11 24H2 is worth installing because it “includes several improvements to how you install monthly updates” which lead to “reduced installation time, restart time, and central...

5 days ago

PCWorld

If you’re buying a new GPU (graphics processing unit), you should definitely have an understanding of how it all works. Although the terms GPU and graphics card are often used interchangeably, technically speaking, they’re not the same thing. We’ll go over all the technical information and break it down in an easily digestible way for you. Read on to learn more. Further reading: 4 things to consider before buying a GPU A typical graphics card contains a GPU die (chip)...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Dell We love finding magical deals on gaming laptops, and this one for the Dell G15 certainly qualifies. Now on sale for $850 at Dell.com, you can get the G15 for a solid 23 percent off its original $1,100 MSRP. What makes this deal so magical? Well, this laptop is powered by an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, one of the best graphics cards you can get for price-performance without shelling out an absolute fortune. This GPU is...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Kasa Ever wish you could turn a particular outlet on and off without using a physical light switch? Maybe for an outlet that isn’t even hooked up to a light switch? With smart plugs, you can! And right now, you can grab a two-pack of Kasa Smart Plugs for just $13 on Amazon, which is 35 percent off its normal $20 price. If you don’t want two, you can get the one-pack for just $8. Imagine it’s time to...

5 days ago

PCWorld

Nicknames can be found in many areas. Initially, they were mainly used by the military and secret services, and author pseudonyms have also been used in literature for a long time. However, such code names are also widespread in the IT industry, where projects and products are often given imaginary names during the development phase. Here too, the purpose can be to keep important new developments secret from the competition and the public. However, if a certain term is used...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Whether you’re buying a laptop or building your own PC, you’re going to want an SSD as the main storage drive — and you’re also going to want to make sure it’s the right size for your needs. Sure, you might be able to crack open that laptop and swap out the main drive for a bigger one, or even install a second drive alongside it for additional storage. And yes, you can definitely do that with a desktop PC....

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Consolidate functionality with a variety of ports and fast charging with this 8-in-1 laptop and tablet docking stand for $49.97 through October 27. If you’re tired of desk clutter and hunching over your laptop, the 8-in-1 tablet and laptop docking stand is here to elevate your setup for $49.97 (reg. $69). This multifunctional device offers an impressive range of ports, including HDMI, USB, SD/microSD, and audio, allowing you to connect various peripherals effortlessly. Its adjustable design promotes...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro in one bundle, offering advanced productivity tools and enhanced security for $52.97 through October 27. Enjoy the best of both worlds and upgrade your productivity and security with this complete Microsoft bundle you can own for life — on sale for $52.97.  Microsoft Office Professional 2021 offers lifetime access to these essential tools: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, Access. These provide everything you need...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Vivaldi is launching Vivaldi 7.0 today, an updated version of its free Windows browser that adds a new interface on top of a new Dashboard, which is a centralized interface for managing your digital life. And it purposes avoids using AI to do so. Vivaldi has been one of the browsers I’ve used for several years, in part because of the exceptional flexibility the browser offers. Vivaldi is especially information-dense, placing visible access to a number of bookmarks, feeds, and...

6 days ago

PCWorld

If you’re worried about artificial intelligence taking your job, you might want to sit down for this one. AI startup Anthropic has demonstrated a new “Claude” model called that can look at a computer screen and operate a virtual mouse and keyboard, “the way people do,” according to promotional material. In the video demo, researcher Sam Ringer shows Claude performing a bit of data entry “drudge work,” with the AI model using screenshots of a Mac desktop to find relevant...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Anyron Copeman / Foundry Arm Ltd. has notified its licensee Qualcomm, informing the company that its architectural license will be terminated in 60 days — the agreement that allows Qualcomm to manufacture the Oryon CPU cores at the heart of the Snapdragon X Elite chip and Copilot+ PCs. PCWorld has independently confirmed an earlier Bloomberg report that Arm is canceling the architectural license agreement, the agreement that allows Qualcomm to manufacture custom cores, like the company’s Oryon processor. Qualcomm...

6 days ago

PCWorld

PDFelement is already a well-established name when it comes to working with PDFs, thanks to its impressive range of features and affordable price. But the developers at Wondershare haven’t rested on their laurels, as a new upgrade brings a host of AI tools and enhancements that will make it even easier to edit, annotate, extract information and share the results. If you regularly deal with PDF files, the updated PDFelements version 11 release could be about to make your life...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Yesterday, Google released updates to Chrome 130 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, fixing three security vulnerabilities in the browser that haven’t yet been exploited in the wild. The companies behind other Chromium-based browsers are likely to follow suit soon. In the Chrome Releases blog post, Daniel Yip lists the three eliminated security vulnerabilities, all of which were discovered by external security researchers and reported to Google. Google categorizes all three vulnerabilities as high risk. Two of them involve “type confusion...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Raspberry Pi Sometimes it’s amazing what creators and modders can do with the humble Raspberry Pi. But no one would accuse the tiny, flexible system-on-a-chip of having an overabundance of storage, since in its base form it relies on a microSD card slot. If you want more storage space than that, you can add a standard M.2 drive with a “hat” board. But now you don’t need to shop around that — the official Raspberry Pi shop is now...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Microsoft According to yesterday’s Windows blog post, the Microsoft Photos app is now being updated with the new Super Resolution feature that can enlarge and improve the quality of low-resolution images using AI. With Super Resolution, you’ll be able to increase the resolution of a photo up to eight times its original size. It’s a great way to clean up old pictures from outdated digital cameras and to upscale images for creative or editorial purposes. It’s one of the...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: HP High-end gaming laptops don’t have to cost an arm and a leg, and this HP Victus 16 is clear proof of that. Right now it’s on sale for just $900 at Best Buy, which is a solid $500 discount off its $1,400 MSRP. That’s an unbelievable deal that you don’t want to miss out on! The most stunning thing about this HP Victus 16 is that features an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card while coming in at...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: tanuha2001/Shutterstock.com Yesterday, Microsoft released update KB5045594 for Windows 10, which is an optional update that you have to manually install if you want to benefit from it. If you’re experiencing problems on your Windows 10 computer(s), we recommend installing it. Why? Because some Windows 10 users have been complaining about printer problems in connection with USB cables. For some users, an unwanted network command text is printed when a USB connection is used. For others, scanner drivers fail to...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Microsoft Earlier this month, Microsoft finally released the latest version of Microsoft Office that isn’t tied to Microsoft 365, meaning you can now buy access to the latest versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with a one-time payment instead of shelling out cash on a subscription. With Office 2024, Microsoft promises improved performance, updated user interfaces, and more tools for analyzing data and embedding images in Excel, as well as support for new features over Office 2021. See all...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Matt Smith/Foundry Dell subsidiary Alienware was one of the first to market OLED monitors for gamers, and it’s remained popular as those models get frequently discounted — never deeper than today, though. If you sign up for Dell’s rewards program, you can this 34-inch Alienware ultrawide OLED gaming monitor for as little as $612. That’s nearly half off the original price and definitely worth jumping on. You can read our review of the Alienware AW3423DWF here, where it earned...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Matt Smith/Foundry Dell subsidiary Alienware was one of the first to market OLED monitors for gamers, and it’s remained popular as those models get frequently discounted — never deeper than today, though. If you sign up for Dell’s rewards program, you can this 34-inch Alienware ultrawide OLED gaming monitor for as little as $612. That’s nearly half off the original price and definitely worth jumping on. You can read our review of the Alienware AW3423DWF here, where it earned...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Rob Schultz/IDG Our PC storage drives won’t last forever and that’s why it’s always a good idea to use backup software to keep your data safe. The best Windows backup software can cover our butts when our primary drive finally up and dies. While Apple’s Time Machine provides users with an effective, set-it-and-forget-it recovery system, Microsoft users are not so lucky. Instead, they’re stuck deciding the best way to keep their data safe with a mishmash of restore points,...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Michael Crider/Foundry The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is swinging its big, regulatory stick at fake online reviews. Rules announced earlier this year are now in effect, banning reviews by fake people, AI-generated text, and those who don’t disclose their status as company insiders or affiliates. If you spot violations of the new policy, you can report them directly to the FTC, for a maximum fine of $51,744. The FTC’s updated guidelines for online reviews outlaw six specific types...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Anker Keeping your phone (and other devices) up and running even while on the go is essential these days, so a reliable power bank is something you should have in your pocket or bag at all times. Anker is one of the most reliable names in the power bank space, and right now their Zolo power bank is down to $23.03 on Amazon, which is a hefty 40 percent discount off its original $36 MSRP. (Make sure to clip...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Asus The best budget 4K gaming monitor we’ve ever tested is now available at its cheapest price ever as the Asus TUF VG289Q drops to $199 on Amazon, a 17 percent discount off its $239 MSRP. This 28-inch IPS display delivers stunningly crisp and detailed visuals at a 3840×2160 resolution. The monitor is compatible with HDR10 (high dynamic range) for beautiful colors and brightness levels, meaning you’ll have a great experience no matter what you’re watching. When we reviewed...

6 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Midnight Studio TH / Shutterstock.com Converting a PDF to an image or JPG can be useful for various reasons. Perhaps you need a specific image from a PDF document or want to save a PDF as an image to insert it into a presentation. In this article, you will learn how to convert a PDF to JPG using simple methods and which tools are best suited for this. Further reading: The best PDF editors PDF (Portable Document Format) is...

6 days ago

PCWorld

In-flight Wi-Fi comes with the same risks you’d find when connecting to any public Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, in our haste to keep connected on a long flight, we often don’t give it a second thought. But precautions should be taken to safeguard against common threats. The best solution if you want to browse online while mid-air is a VPN. A VPN will securely encrypt your traffic, keeping it safe and private. Here I’ll show you the potential risks involved with...

6 days ago

PCWorld

PowerToys Workspaces is one of the latest additions to Microsoft’s suite of PowerToys apps, as well as one of the simplest and most powerful. It takes just a couple of seconds to set up an arrangement of windows exactly how you want, save it, then launch it all with just a click. It’s a very easy way to start your day, especially after rebooting your PC or after a long weekend. In fact, I just realized that I — rather...

7 days ago

PCWorld

At a glance Very good everyday performance Affordable for Samsung Five-year warranty and good TBW rating Slows on the 450GB write to 1.2GBps Pricier than some faster competition. Samsung’s 990 EVO Plus is a definite improvement over the older 990 EVO, but it’s still pricey for a host memory buffer design. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Samsung has evolved its unique hybrid PCIe 4.0/5.0 host memory buffer (HMB)...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: StackCommerce TL;DR: Get a three-month membership to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $36.49 and enjoy the cold winter months inside with your Xbox. Are you ready to take your gaming experience to the next level? With three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $36.49, you’ll gain access to an extensive library of over 500 high-quality games across console, PC, and cloud. Enjoy beloved titles like Minecraft Legends, and be the first to play hot new releases on day one, including Senua’s Saga: Hellblade...

7 days ago

PCWorld

With the launch of Refresh 2024, Squarespace has made significant improvements to its web design and content management platform. The update, released at the end of September, marks a new era for the service by offering even greater design flexibility and a smoother workflow for its users. The most tangible change with Refresh 2024 is the increased freedom in how you can customize your website. Squarespace has always been known for its elegant templates and ease of use, but with...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Dell I think we’re rapidly approaching the point where 1080p monitors will be a relic of the past — and as a multi-monitor addict, I’m here for it. If you’re ready to make the upgrade but you’re on a budget, Amazon is selling a 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor by Dell for just $150 today. That’s a hefty $70 discount off its retail price. The Dell S2725DS is a fairly basic design, but its upgraded size, resolution, and IPS panel...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Killscreen The Nintendo GameCube from 2001 had the best controller ever designed, and yes, I will die on this hill. Yet while it’s easy enough to get a new controller with that classic shape and button layout, one modder decided to go the extra mile and fuse the classic look and feel of the GameCube with all the bells and whistles of the PS5’s DualSense pad. The “CubeSense” by custom controller seller Killscreen nails the iconic purple base color...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: GoDaddy Ostensibly a blogging platform, WordPress has quietly become one of the foundational pillars of the modern web, used as the basic format for millions of websites run by single users to massive corporations. But that ubiquity has made WordPress an easy target for hackers and scammers. Web hosting and service provider GoDaddy reports that a new infection is spreading quickly across WordPress implementations, loading up plugins that present users with fake Chrome messages that trick visitors into downloading...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: HP Unless you’re an avid gamer or creative worker, you don’t really need an absolute rocket of a laptop for everyday use. You can get by with a capable daily driver laptop with a decent configuration that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. I’m talking about a versatile productivity laptop like this 15.6-inch touchscreen HP laptop that’s only $550 at Best Buy right now. For a limited time, you can snag it at a $250 discount (31...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Netflix VPNs aren’t just useful for increasing privacy and security, they can also be the most effective tool at bypassing region locks to access streaming content in different countries. The top VPN providers are now offering features such as streaming optimized servers and stealth VPN protocols to make sure you always have access to your favorite sites. With the right VPN, you don’t need to play a cat-and-mouse game to access location restricted content from your streaming provider. That’s...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Facebook and Instagram have a problem. Well, they have many, many problems, but one of the ones they feel like addressing is “celeb-bait ads and impersonation.” According to a new post from parent company Meta, the way they’re going to try solving this is through the use of facial recognition technology. Again. Woo. In the lengthy post, Meta explains that the biggest impact of these new tools will be an expanded effort to stop scam accounts from impersonating celebrities. If...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Anker Whether due to lightning storms or electrical grid issues, power surges can happen — and when they do, the last thing you want is to find that your precious electronic devices have been fried. That’s why you always need a surge protector, and this Anker Surge Protector Power Strip is on sale for $22 on Amazon right now, marking a solid 39 percent discount off its original $36 MSRP. And this isn’t your typical power strip with only...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Image: Beelink A mini PC provides much better bang for your buck compared to laptops as long as you can do without portability. That means you can spend far less to get the same performance. What’s not to love? And right now, you can get this Beelink SER5 Max mini PC for just $349 on Amazon, which is 21 percent off its usual $439 price. That’s a fantastic deal for this monster in a compact package. The Beelink SER5 Max...

7 days ago

PCWorld

Being able to change the image size is useful in many situations, be it to optimize images for the web, to save storage space, or to prepare a photo for printing. However, images often lose quality and then appear distorted or pixelated. In this article, we will show you step-by-step how to reduce the size of your images or enlarge an image without losing quality. Further reading: How to convert images to vector graphics Being able to change the image...

7 days ago