Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från PCWorld

To the surprise of exactly nobody who has been following the PC industry the last six months, “AI PCs” were everywhere at CES 2024, powered by new chips like Intel’s Core Ultra and AMD’s Ryzen 8000 with dedicated “Neural Processor Units” (NPUs). These help accelerate AI tasks locally, rather than reaching out to cloud servers (as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot do). But what does that actually mean for you, an everyday computer user? That’s the question I hoped to answer as I wandered the show floor, visiting PC makers of all shapes and sizes. Most early implementations of local, NPU-processed software have focused heavily on creator workloads—improving performance in tools like Adobe Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, and Audacity. How can local AI help the average user? After scouring the show, I can say…

We know that Thunderbolt’s next major iteration, Thunderbolt 5, will debut sometime in 2024. Two vendors, J5create and Hyper, showed off their first hardware at CES 2024. But there are two big questions: When will you actually get it and how much will it cost you? The answer? It depends. Both J5 and Hyper representatives told PCWorld they received their prototype hardware just Sunday, and a J5 representative said he was optimistic that his company’s first product would ship in March. Others weren’t so sure about the timing. Thunderbolt is a more powerful I/O alternative to the generic USB-C connection found within most laptops. Though a 10Gbps USB-C connection can be used to drive a USB-C hub or dongle to add ports to your laptop, the 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3/4 connection allows…

Intel has launched the mobile version of its Raptor Lake Refresh processors for laptops at CES 2024, answering the demands for more performance in its notebook chips. Led by the Intel Core i9-14900HX, the new chip family can hit 5.8GHz, driving desktop speeds inside a gaming laptop. Raptor Lake Refresh powers Intel’s 14th-gen desktop series as well, but the company is offering these new processors alongside its much-hyped Meteor Lake Core Ultra chips in laptops. If you already own a 13th-gen Core laptop, however, you may want to pause. These new chips seem awfully familiar, and 14th-gen Core HX laptop owners are likely see much sharper performance improvements compared to the Core Ultra than the 13th-gen mobile parts. We’ve barely seen the first Intel Core Ultra laptops debut from…

The Acer Swift Go 14 isn’t an extravagant laptop but, as the saying goes, it’s what inside that counts. This affordable midrange machine packs Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 155H processor (aka Meteor Lake), which pairs an impressive core count alongside improved Intel Arc integrated graphics. This new processor, which is made up of separate silicone tiles that have been adhered together, is designed to be more power efficient by offloading tasks to the GPU and NPU. It makes for a capable midrange laptop, though battery life still fails to impress. Let’s dive right in. SPECS AND FEATURES Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H is the star of this show. It delivers a total of 16 cores and 22 threads, an impressive count for any laptop sold below $1,000. Intel’s integrated graphics…

Of Norton’s offerings, the Norton 360 Deluxe plan hits an ideal sweet spot of wide protection and affordable pricing. It’s an excellent all-in-one solution for those who would otherwise be more lax about security if they had to maintain each piece separately. For example, if you’re more likely to use a password manager if it’s part of same user interface as your antivirus, then this is a good solution for you. Not much is outwardly different since we last reviewed Norton 360 Deluxe, though the company continues to work on and evolve its back end. Arguably, that’s the more important focus, especially as AI enables bad actors to be more and more sophisticated about their malicious behavior. What has changed is that other rival antivirus companies have joined with Norton…

There’s no question about it: Artificial intelligence is the new hotness in personal computers. An intriguing new report claims Microsoft will push the pedal to the metal even harder with a revolutionary new version of Windows 11 (or 12?) in 2024, designed to make AI helpful at deeply practical levels. Microsoft just put AI front-and-center with Windows 11’s massive 2023 Update, which added the Windows Copilot AI assistant and the awesome AI Cocreator features to Paint. Copilot is coming to Windows 10, too. And Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm have been busy integrating AI-boosting NPUs (neural processing units) to the PC chips destined to hit the streets next year, aiming to enhance tasks with local AI that runs on your computer’s hardware rather than hitting up servers in the cloud. Now…

The File Explorer is one of the central tools in Windows. This is because the operating system is file orientated, so the folder in which a file is stored, its name, and extension play a major role. Copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files as well as searching for one or more files is a routine activity for every Windows user. Although Explorer can fulfill all these tasks, it only offers a rather cumbersome way of working. Third-party manufacturers are constantly showing how it can be done better with their tools. This applies, for example, to the large, alternative file managers such as Total Commander or Free Commander, which work with a two-window technique, but also applies to various smaller tools that supplement the functions of Explorer or replace them with better…

Of course, we knew that AI would figure prominently at this year’s CES. It’s the technology story du jour, after all. But as CES veterans, we’ve seen such sparkling promises of the next big thing eventually fizzle. 3D televisions, anyone? Thankfully there was plenty of meat-and-potatoes PC tech on display in Las Vegas to satisfy the cravings of PC enthusiasts here and now. Whether you’re a road warrior, a PC builder, a lover of games both old and new, or a content creator, we saw some truly exciting products for PC users of every stripe, and yes, some of it even includes AI. 1. MSI MEG 321URX QDOLED MONITOR MSI could’ve left well enough alone with the MEG 321URX QD-OLED monitor. I mean, it’s impressive as hell just off pure…

In recent weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of familiarizing myself with the many PDF reading and editing programs available for Windows. But it hasn’t been an enjoyable experience. Not that there aren’t any decent programs out there—there are several that work well. But time and time again, I’m struck by how lucky I’ve been to be a regular Mac user. Mac OS has had a built-in program for simple PDF editing ever since Mac OS X first saw the light of day in 2001. Microsoft has had 22 years to take inspiration from Apple, but Windows still lacks a proper PDF program. Fortunately, the new Edge has a decent PDF viewer that can also be used to mark up and annotate, but adding and deleting pages requires third-party software. In…

CES 2024 was a glorious show for monitors that reinforced the best trends of 2023. A new generation of OLED panels from Samsung and LG hit the show floor, and with them come higher resolutions, higher refresh rates, and improved peak brightness in HDR. But the show wasn’t entirely dominated by big, expensive OLED gaming monitors. Acer brought a 57-inch super-ultrawide Mini-LED and MSI had a practical 24-inch 4K office monitor with USB-C Power Delivery. These are the best monitors of CES 2024. 1. SAMSUNG ODYSSEY G8 OLED (G80SD) The Samsung Odyssey G80SD was easily the most important monitor at the show, though not necessarily because of the monitor itself. The spotlight instead shines on Samsung’s 4K 240Hz QD-OLED panel. It’s a sharp, stunning, high-contrast display with beautiful color and…

Those looking to buy an OLED monitor were treated to dozens of new options throughout 2023, but some particular sizes and resolutions remained rare—including 4K, 32-inch OLED monitors. Though not entirely unavailable, most such monitors were extremely expensive. The Alienware AW3225QF takes a step toward lowering the price, providing a 4K, 240Hz QD-OLED panel for $1,199. SPECS AND FEATURES The Alienware AW3225QF is a rather unusual monitor, and not just because of its 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel. It’s also a curved display and provides a 240Hz refresh rate (the latter wasn’t available in prior 4K OLED panels but will be available from multiple companies in 2024). Display size: 32-inch widescreen Native resolution: 3840×2160 Panel type: QD-OLED Refresh rate: 240Hz Adaptive sync: Nvidia G-Sync, VESA AdaptiveSync 240 HDR: VESA DisplayHDR True…

You won’t find a more affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD than Kingston’s NV2. It’s slower than the vast majority of its peers, but, being NVMe, it’s still adequate for most users and everyday tasks. FEATURES The NV2 is a PCIe 4.0 x4, 2280 form factor (22mm wide, 80mm long) M.2, NVMe SSD utilizing a DRAM-less (HMB or host memory buffer) design. The NAND is 144-layer Kingston-labeled QLC handled by a Silicon Motion SM2267XTV controller. We tested the 1TB capacity of the NV2, but rated performance varies greatly by capacity: For the 250GB capacity, it’s 3GBps reading/1.3GBps writing; for the 500GB and 1TB capacities, it’s 3.5GBps/2.1GBps; and for the 2TB and 4TB capacities, it’s 3.5GBps/2.8GBps. The NV2 is warrantied for three years or 320TBW (terabytes that can be written) per terabyte of…

Microsoft is providing a new backup app for Windows 11 and Windows 10 that you can use to back up your data. The app is available free of charge in Windows 10 and Windows 11, but it does not offer much flexibility. Only OneDrive is generally suitable as a backup destination. Anyone who relies on cloud storage can therefore benefit from the new app. Anyone who does not use a Microsoft account or does not want to back up data to OneDrive will not benefit from this app. Basically, Microsoft is expanding the backup and synchronization options of Windows 10 and 11 with the app, similar to Apple in macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Users can also use the new app to protect themselves against data loss due to ransomware. You…

Editing PDFs is something many people need to do, but unfortunately it’s not always the easiest thing to manage. The format is not designed to be easily edited, and despite a plethora of Windows and web apps, there is no universal solution beyond Adobe’s expensive Acrobat Pro. LABELING PDFS Labeling is probably the most common way to edit PDFs. Many times when sharing a PDF file with someone else, you may need to draw attention to something by crossing it out with a “marker,” adding a comment, or drawing something in the document. This type of editing is included in many PDF programs that do not have other forms of editing. Both Adobe’s otherwise very limited Acrobat Reader DC and popular third-party applications like Foxit and Sumatra PDF support labeling and…

The tagline for Audio Radar says it all: “Hear everything with your eyes.” This inspiring new gaming product knocked my socks off at CES 2024. It helps hearing-impaired gamers compete in games where sound location is crucial, such as Call of Duty and PUBG. Created by a company called AirDrop, Audio Radar is a plug-and-play hardware system that works with consoles and the PC alike. It consists of six customizable RGBW light bars that connect all around your monitor or television, then tie into a central command center laden with buttons. By connecting your PC’s or console’s HDMI output into the command center, and then routing another HDMI cord from the command center to your display, Audio Radar taps into the output 7.1 surround sound signal and uses it to light…

Nvidia unveiled a trio of new RTX 40-series Super graphics cards during its CES 2024 virtual keynote. Nvidia introduced the Super branding for the RTX 20-series, and these new ones match their predecessors in more than name. Like the RTX 20-series before it, the RTX 40-series is a fantastic reset for Nvidia’s modern GeForce lineup, which is often bemoaned for its lack of value. The GeForce RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RTX 4080 Super each boasts very different alterations, but each fixes the most significant drawbacks of its non-Super namesake. These Super GPUs are what the RTX 40-series should have been from the get-go. Let’s dig in. 1. NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER The most ferocious Super upgrade of the bunch is actually the most modest.…

CES is a big show for laptops, as many of the best models for the coming year appear first at the show. This year is especially notable, as both Intel and AMD are amid launching new generations of mobile processors (though it does seem most laptop makers are leaning toward Intel). Most of the laptops at CES 2024 looked rather conventional, with a few exceptions, but dial the performance up to 11. There were also a dizzying array of Mini-LED and OLED displays at the show. These were the best laptops of CES 2024. 1. LENOVO YOGA 9I PRO 16-INCH (GEN 9) Lenovo’s Yoga 9i lineup was, for my money, the most impressive Windows laptop line of 2023. It had everything: attractive design, a beautiful Mini-LED display, a nice keyboard…

After the Nintendo Switch proved that users wanted to be able to take their gaming with them on more than just their mobile phones, handheld gaming devices got a new lease on life. This was largely thanks to a focus on power-efficient but game-friendly x86-based mobile processors from AMD. The Steam Deck was first. It was well built and optimized, but Linux based and limited to select games in Steam’s own store. But it didn’t take long for other manufacturers to catch fire and start looking at handheld gaming PCs. Asus released its Windows device, the ROG Ally, and now the Lenovo Legion Go is another competitor in the space. It is built on the same processor, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme; it has the same amount of memory and…

Much fanfare has been made about the HP Spectre Foldable since the laptop’s launch. So does it live up to all the hype? The simple answer from a design perspective is that absolutely it does. This 17-inch laptop does exactly what its name implies, folding down the middle of its continuous OLED display and converting from a laptop to a desktop to a tablet and vice versa. It isn’t a new concept. I’ve seen the same kind of versatility in likes of the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. But it does feel a little more refined: From the design heights the Zenbook achieved, the Foldable goes one further, slimming down in size, shedding some weight, and rocking the most unobtrusive fold I’ve seen to date. The one downside is that…

So you’ve got a new computer. Awesome! That humble metal box is the key to a wide world of potential. It can help you with everything from juggling your finances to keeping in touch with your family to blowing off some steam on, uh, Steam. But a new PC isn’t like a new car; you can’t just turn a key and put the pedal to the metal. Okay, maybe you can—but you shouldn’t. Performing just a few simple activities when you first fire it up can help it be safer, faster, and better poised for the future. Here’s how to set up a new laptop or desktop computer the right way, step by step, regardless of whether you’re running Windows 10 or Windows 11. RUN WINDOWS UPDATE ON YOUR NEW PC The…