Innehållsförteckning för October 2020 från Tech Advisor

Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 Insider build reanimates the often passed-over Surface app, adding a new capability: a way to use AI so that your eyes appear to meet the gaze of those you’re speaking to on video chats. Microsoft’s Windows 10 Insider build 20175 for the Dev Channel also takes the Alt+Tab functionality that it introduced at the beginning of July, and expands upon it. Now, in addition to the ability to cycle through various Microsoft Edge tabs using ALT+Tab, users can now pin active tabs to the taskbar, with improved preview features. Microsoft’s Dev Channel has been repurposed for testing new code of all types, not necessarily specific to an upcoming feature release. It’s not possible to say whether any of the new features being released will ever arrive…

The rumours were true: Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G platform in July, offering faster CPU and GPU clock speeds, upgraded Wi-Fi, plus 5G modem support. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G platform (also referred to as the Snapdragon 865 Plus, when speaking about the chip itself) is essentially an upgraded version of the Snapdragon 865 chip the company unveiled last December for premium smartphones. The Snapdragon 865 introduced a host of new features, including camera upgrades, AI, security, and gaming. The Snapdragon 865 was designed around Qualcomm’s standalone X55 5G modem, and the Snapdragon 865 Plus is as well, though neither is integrated. Both the 865 and the 865 Plus are 7nm chips. Almost all of the features on both the Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus are common…

Price: £749 (inc VAT) from fave.co/2P4UOLd Budget laptops continue to improve and the Acer Spin 3 is a good example. For an affordable price it offers adequate components and battery life, with enough flexibility to accommodate a range of peripherals. Though the 14in, 360-degree convertible laptop delivers middling performance, a modern Thunderbolt port and a nifty integrated stylus stand out. In all, it’s a solid laptop, but in a market whose competition is growing stronger, quickly. DESIGN A budget 14in laptop like the Acer Spin 3 doesn’t ask you to pay for its looks. At about 17mm thick, the Spin 3 is a tad chunky, but in a good way: sturdily built, with a pair of thick 360-degree hinges. When you flip around the display, Windows automatically configures the Spin…

AMD’s mighty Ryzen processors and Intel’s high-octane 10th-gen Core CPUs continue to spark interest in PC building, but some people still hesitate at the idea of crafting a custom PC. Don’t. Building your own PC isn’t some arcane art or esoteric skill that only the most hardcore of hardware geeks can pull off. In fact, assembling a DIY PC is pretty straightforward once you’ve settled on your parts list. Rolling your own computer offers a number of advantages that boxed desktops just can’t match, even though high demand during the pandemic has made PC parts scarcer and more expensive. You still get granular control over every single aspect of the hardware. You still get to choose not only the nuts-and-bolts-level details such as processing and graphical performance, but also deeply…

The beating heart of any PC is its central processing unit, or CPU. No wonder a fast CPU is a point of pride for many enthusiasts. It’s also a must-have for anyone looking to get intensive work done. In recent years, upgrading to a bleeding-edge CPUs has become less important in light of ever-faster graphics cards and the experience-altering goodness of SSDs, mixed with slowing CPU performance gains generation-to-generation. But don’t let that fool you: the CPU remains one of the most important parts of your PC. With so much on the line, you want to get it right. Here’s a quick overview to picking the right CPU for you, and instructions on how to actually install a processor in your PC. CHOOSING A NEW CPU Choosing the right CPU…

Few upgrades add as much punch to your PC as installing a new graphics card. It can transform your PC from a system that chokes on lightweight games into a monster that churns through even the most visually punishing titles with ease. But you need to get that new hardware up and running before you’re able to bask in enhanced graphics glory. Here’s how to upgrade your existing computer with a new graphics card, from basic buying considerations to step-by-step installation instructions. Simply deciding which graphics card you want is a complex and nuanced discussion, as both AMD and Nvidia offer choices for virtually every budget. Here are our favourites: Best budget graphics card Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1650 Super Price: £184 from fave.co/2X2b1VZ Best 1080p graphics card Asus…

Microsoft has revealed what it’s thinking about for upcoming iterations of Microsoft 365 and its Office apps, combining a flexible ribbon and a more muted colour scheme with adaptive commands and a greater emphasis on artificial intelligence. In a recent blog post, the chief designer of Office 365, Jon Friedman, said that some of the changes were on the table, while others were simply exploratory. Friedman didn’t provide a timeline for the changes beyond a “year or two”, but it’s likely that this will be another wholesale update of the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) suite. Microsoft has continually updated Office over time – and it’s had to, as it’s asking customers to spend about £59.99 per year just for a personal licence to what’s now called Microsoft 365. In…

Oculus has stopped selling its entry-level virtual reality headset, the Oculus Go. Usually this kind of announcement would be met with nostalgic retrospectives and beers poured on the floor. Much lamenting, and all that. Even the worst products usually get a rose-tinted send-off. But virtual reality is better off without Go around, and so is Oculus. THE GEAR VR ERA You’ll get no eulogy from me. Not a fond one, anyway. Oculus Go was a play for the mass market that completely misunderstood the mass market. Staring down the barrel of the £499 Oculus Rift, the goal was to get people into virtual reality as cheaply as possible. Break down the barriers. Build the ecosystem. That process began with the Samsung Gear VR. Using an existing Samsung phone to power…

Price: £1,099 from fave.co/2ANcsj1 The Find X2 Pro is nothing more than a statement of intent from Oppo. With Galaxy S20 Ultra-rivalling specs – and a price tag to match – this is a company saying: we don’t just make good phones. Or great phones. We make the best phones. And honestly? It’s not far off. Spec for spec there aren’t many phones out there that can match it, while the design feels premium – if a little pedestrian by Oppo’s usual standards, orange leather aside. This is undoubtedly one of the best Android phones on the market, so the only question that really remains is whether anyone in the UK and Europe is really willing to spend as much as they would on a Samsung or Apple flagship for…

Few things in life are as satisfying as building your own PC. Cobbling together a softly purring, fully functional computer out of disparate parts offers a true sense of creation. Even better, rolling your own results in a cheaper and more personally tailored PC than what you can find at big-box stores. Building a PC sounds daunting, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. Still, a few key details can trip up even seasoned geeks who are not being mindful. This guide will help you avoid the most common PC building mistakes – and their associated frustrations. BEFORE YOU BUY Pay attention while you’re buying your components, or your DIY PC could wind up broken before you even begin. Not all PC parts are compatible with one another. The most obvious example…

One of the simplest hardware upgrades you can do to make your computer feel snappier is to upgrade your memory. Over the years, operating systems like Windows, software like Photoshop, and now even web browsers like Chrome, have built reputations for being unabashed memory hogs. Older PCs, meanwhile, often have between 4GB and 8GB of memory. Loading too many tabs in Chrome or keeping to many programs open on your desktop could use up all of the memory your system has to offer, slowing your system to a crawl. If your PC’s feeling pokey when you have a lot going on, consider upgrading your RAM. A mere 8GB could work if you’re sticking to light tasks and not using Chrome, but 16GB is really the minimum we would recommend for…

Just about every PC case has internal bays for adding extra hard disks, which are 3.5in wide. SSDs tend to be 2.5in wide, though, so it’s likely you’ll need a mounting bracket to fit one in your computer. SSDs have Serial ATA (SATA) data connectors, of which there are three versions (1, 2 or 3), that can transfer data at 1.5Gb/s, 3Gb/s or 6Gb/s, respectively. The Kingston Hyper X 3K is capable of reading and writing data at 500MB/s via a SATA 3 port. It doesn’t matter too much if your computer doesn’t support SATA 3. SSDs are backwards compatible, and raw transfer speed isn’t the only reason for SSDs’ improved performance. More important is their much-reduced latency over conventional hard disks, as it takes considerably less time to access…

The fallout from Intel’s disastrous 7nm delay news was swift. Just three days after the announcement, the company revealed it is breaking up its Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group and that top executive Murthy Renduchintala is headed out the door. His group will be broken up in five pieces, each reporting directly to Intel CEO Bob Swan. • Technology Development, led by Dr Ann Kelleher • Manufacturing and Operations, led by Keyvan Esfarjani • Design Engineering, led in the interim by Josh Walden • Architecture, Software and Graphics will continue to be led by Raja Koduri • Supply Chain will continue to be led by Dr Randhir Thakur “I look forward to working directly with these talented and experienced technology leaders, each of whom is committed to driving Intel…

Price: £1,949 (inc VAT) from fave.co/333n4pF Timing is everything in the PC business, and the Dell XPS 15 9500, an overdue refresh to the company’s high-end workhorse, arrives just in time for it to be truly considered the ‘MacBook Pro killer’ it’s always aspired to be. Yes, we know ‘MacBook Pro killer’ is overused Internet clickbait. But with Apple’s decision to throw in the towel on x86-based laptops, anyone buying a Mac today is basically volunteering to stand on the deck of the Titanic and wave as the last lifeboats pull away. Some laptop refreshes can be fairly minor. For the XPS 15 9500, it’s a complete redesign of a laptop that’s changed little since 2015, when it first adopted its ‘InfinityEdge’ bezels On this model, gone is the 16:9…

Price: £199 from fave.co/300YnY5 Now joining Redmi Note 9S in Xiaomi’s 2020 budget phone range in the UK is this Redmi Note 9 and a higher-spec Note 9 Pro. For those on tight budgets the 9 is very slightly cheaper than the 9S, but sacrifices some screen estate, the Snapdragon 720G and a few additional features. Promising the same high-capacity 5,020mAh battery that drove the 9S to the top of our phone battery charts and a very similar quad-lens rear camera, we consider whether the small saving is enough to sway you in favour of the younger sibling. DESIGN The Redmi Note 9 is a fine-looking phone, especially in our review sample’s Midnight Grey colour scheme. The handset is also available in Forest Green and Polar White. It should not…

Don’t underestimate the importance of your PC’s power source. A good power supply serves as the cornerstone for a low-maintenance and highly reliable computer. But more often than not, boxed, pre-built desktops ship with the cheapest power supplies that meet the criteria of their product warranties. This means that two or three years after buying your computer, you may find yourself with a perfectly functional desktop that one day decides either not to power on or to emit a puff of black smoke. Upgrading your graphics card can also push your PC’s power supply past its limits, depending on the model. But fear not. Replacing a power supply is a surprisingly easy process. HOW TO REMOVE YOUR OLD PC POWER SUPPLY The first thing you’ll need to do is gather…

Replacing a PC’s motherboard takes time and more than a little sweat, especially if you’ve never done it before. You could trip on any number of little hurdles during the motherboard removal and installation process. But don’t worry. We’ll help you get through the process as quickly and painlessly as possible. Let’s start with why you’d even want or need to replace your motherboard. (If you’re simply looking for instructions on how to install a motherboard in a new PC, you can skip this bit.) Sometimes components fail. Motherboards are no exception. I’ve fried many a motherboard thanks to bad BIOS flashes and failing or flaky power supplies. Things happen, and sometimes those things can irreparably damage your motherboard. But replacing a motherboard is a lot of work. Before you…

As Windows 10 turns five years old, it’s a good time to look at how much it has changed the PC – with everything from Windows Hello to free updates, seemingly in perpetuity. Microsoft began shipping Windows 10 to PCs on July 29, 2015 – “ordering pizza for 1.5 billion people,” as one Microsoft executive put it. Few remember now that PC makers barely made the launch, with even Microsoft admitting most PCs would ship with Windows 8 pre-installed instead – even as PC makers hoped and prayed that Windows 10 would outsell the debacle that was Windows 8. Well, it did. Improvements like Windows Hello might be taken for granted now, but they were groundbreaking for their time. (Apple Macs still haven’t quite figured out what these ‘touchscreen’ things…