Windows 10 is over 10 years old, and it really shows. Windows 11 Home is a solid upgrade, but it has its limitations. That’s why it’s worth it to jump straight to Windows 11 Pro, especially now that it’s only $10 (reg. $199) through October 4.
Windows 11 Pro does everything 11 Home can do, with a few useful extras. BitLocker encrypts your entire drive, so files on a lost or stolen laptop are still protected. Developers and IT workers get Hyper-V for running virtual machines, along with Windows Sandbox for testing apps in an isolated space that can’t affect the main system. Azure AD support lets the PC join business networks and use Microsoft’s identity management platform.
All of the standard Windows 11 features carry over to Pro, including Snap layouts, DirectX 12 Ultimate for gaming, and biometric sign-in backed by TPM 2.0. Copilot also appears in the taskbar for answering questions, summarizing pages, and writing code.
Give your computer an upgrade that’s worth it.
Through October 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT, it’s only $9.97 to get Windows 11 Pro.
Ad blockers usually just work on one device at a time, with a separate purchase for each phone or computer. An AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription blocks ads on up to nine devices, and a lifetime subscription just dropped from $169.99 down to $11 through October 4.
AdGuard strips banners, pop-ups, and video ads out of the pages you visit and leaves the content behind. Ads aren’t the only thing it stops, either. AdGuard hides your data from trackers and activity analyzers, and it blocks malware and phishing websites when someone clicks a bad link.
Those protections matter most on shared family devices. AdGuard’s parental controls let parents restrict access to adult and inappropriate content, so kids can use their own tablets and phones with fewer risks.
Nine device slots are enough to protect a household’s phones, laptops, and desktops at the same time. AdGuard runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, and the lifetime plan includes future updates at no extra cost. This plan is only available to new AdGuard users, and codes must be redeemed within 30 days of purchase.
Keep ads, trackers, and bad links off every device in the house.
I’ve been spending the past few months digging into laptop pricing, and one thing is incredibly obvious here. Laptops are getting wildly expensive thanks in part to the rising cost of RAM and storage. But with Prime Day finally here (October 6th and 7th), some genuinely compelling discounts are beginning to materialize.
That’s why I’ve pulled together the best laptop deals worth watching right now across the biggest categories: everyday budget laptops, gaming laptops, Chromebooks, and so on. I’m pretty tuned in to the landscape because I oversee all laptop and Chromebook coverage here at PCWorld. I also maintain our best laptop deals roundup daily, along with our best laptops of roundup weekly.
Before diving in, don’t forget that you’ll need to be a Prime subscriber to take advantage of those deals. You can discover how to get Amazon Prime for free here.
Best laptop deal: Microsoft Surface Laptop, $1,069.46 ($180.53 off at Amazon)
Microsoft
Who is this for?
Anyone who wants a really good laptop at a fantastic discount should consider the Surface Laptop.
Why is this a good deal?
The Surface Laptop is pretty much the complete package as far as I’m concerned. Not only is it pretty lightweight at 2.7 pounds, but it’s also got a Snapdragon X Plus chip and 16GB of RAM. That’s plenty for hopping on video calls and streaming your favorite shows. Throw in the excellent battery life (Microsoft says it can last up to 23 hours) and a 13-inch 1920×1280 touch-enabled display, and it’s easy to see what makes this machine so appealing.
Best budget laptop deal: Asus Vivobook Go, $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)
Asus
Who is this for?
The Vivobook Go is for anyone who just needs a barebones machine. Just something reliable for browsing or streaming. Whatever it is you do when you’re busy killing time.
Why is this a good deal?
The Vivobook Go sits in that increasingly important “just enough laptop” category. It’s not trying to be crazy powerful. It’s trying to be consistent.
This is the laptop you use for reading Reddit stories, watching Netflix, and getting lost in a Wikipedia hole. The lighter stuff. That’s what the entry-level AMD Ryzen 5 40 processor is exactly made for. This is a good machine, especially for under $500.
Best gaming laptop deal: MSI Cyborg 17, $1,189 ($210.99 off at Amazon)
MSI
Who is this for?
The MSI Cyborg 17 is for anyone who wants a big-screen gaming laptop without sacrificing an arm and a leg. Its 17.3-inch 144Hz display gives you plenty of room for gaming, while the RTX 5060 GPU provides enough horsepower to handle modern games at 1080p.
Why is this a good deal?
Honestly? You’re getting an RTX 5060 with 8GB of GDDR7 memory for a little over $1,000. That’s a current-generation GPU with DLSS 4 and frame generation. You’re basically getting a laptop with a lot of capability.
The display is another big selling point. It’s a spacious 17.3-inch 1920×1080 panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, so you’ve got plenty of screen to work with (as well as a fast refresh rate for smoother gameplay). The resolution isn’t anything spectacular, but it makes sense for this class of hardware.
Best Chromebook deal: Lenovo Chromebook Plus, $475.24 ($49.76 off at Amazon)
Lenovo
Who is this for?
The Lenovo Chromebook Plus is for anyone who mainly works in the browser, prefers Chrome’s operating system, and wants something low-maintenance.
Why is this a good deal?
Chromebook Plus models are Google’s attempt to push Chromebooks out of the extreme budget category. Honestly? It works. Just go in with realistic expectations and you’ll be fine.
Inside the Lenovo Chromebook Plus, there’s an Intel Core 3 N355 processor and 8GB of RAM. It shouldn’t slow down on you when you’re chatting with friends on Discord, but if you’re deeply into gaming or creative work, then this isn’t the laptop for you — no Chromebook should be.
These aren’t the only early Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.
Good question! Always on the go? A 2-in-1 is handy, you can flip it into tablet mode for notes. Gaming? Look for good graphics and a high-refresh screen. Just want something for emails and browsing? Budget Windows laptops work fine.
2.
How can I tell whether a laptop is a good early Prime Day deal?
I rely on a free tool called CamelCamelCamel (yes, that’s really the name). It tracks Amazon price history, so you can tell if that “deal” is actually the real thing. Just make an account, copy the ASIN number from the product page (it starts with “B”), and you’ll get a graph showing how the price has gone up or down. It’s a super easy way to see if you’re getting the lowest price.
3.
Do laptop brands matter?
Not as much as you might think. Most big names like Dell, Acer, HP, Lenovo make good machines. You might have a personal preference, though.
4.
How much memory do I need?
I usually tell people to shoot for at least 8GB of RAM. Anything less and your laptop’s going to feel sluggish. If you can spring for 16GB, you’ll definitely notice things running smoother, especially if you’re the type that keeps 20 tabs open at once (no judgement here, I’m just as bad) — though 16GB laptops can be fairly expensive in today’s PC climate. And if you’re doing heavier stuff like video editing, big spreadsheets, or creative work, 32GB+ is the way to go.
5.
Is now a good time to buy?
Yes! Prime Day usually has some of the lowest prices of the year.
October Prime Day is here! But some discounts are still hard to swallow, given the state of things in the world and the global economy. If you’re like me, your budget is tight—not much room to enjoy Prime Day sales.
That’s why I’ve combed through all the discounts to find the best October Prime Day tech deals for less than $10. Yup, I’m not kidding. This list is for the shopper who’s on an ultra-tight budget and still wants to grab some practical stuff while prices are down below a tenner.
Get Prime for free: Not all October Prime Day deals require a Prime subscription, but the best ones do. If you don’t have an active Prime account, you might be able to get a free one for a limited time. That’ll let you score the biggest discounts, both on this list and across Amazon.
Who is this for? You just want a lightweight pair of on-ear headphones, and you want to pay the absolute minimum without edging into no-name-brand territory. The Sony MDR-ZX110 are comfy, sound good, and they have swivel cups that fold flat for easy packing. The only downside? They’re wired with a 3.5mm jack, so incompatible with some phones (sorry, Apple users!)… unless you grab this 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter for $6.
If you want a built-in microphone, that version is about twice the price.
Why is this deal good? Look around as much as you want, but you won’t find quality headphones for under $10. Even nonsense Chinese brands don’t go this cheap, and the only way to go cheaper is to opt for earbuds instead. Comfortable with good sound quality from a reputable brand like Sony, all for just $9.99? It might just be the best deal on this whole list.
Who is this for? Few things are as annoying as a slow-charging smartphone when you’re in a rush, but at least the fix is easy. You just need a faster cable. Belkin’s 240W USB-C Cable supports ultra-fast charging that’s even fast enough for power-chugging gaming laptops, and it’s able to restore an iPhone 16 Pro Max from 0% to 50% in under half an hour. The only hiccup is that it’s 3.3-feet long, but that’s a fine trade-off for the speed.
Why is this deal good? At $7.89, it’s essentially matching the lowest ever price it’s been, only off by a few cents. That’s a small price to pay for all that time you’ll be saving—if you don’t mind its short length.
Who is this for? Acer’s 8K/60Hz HDMI Cable is for gamers and movie buffs who want to link up their devices to ultra-high-def screens at a good distance. This one’s 6.6 feet long, and the fact that it supports both 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz displays means you’re future-proofing your setup.
Why is this deal good? This $5 drop represents a 42% discount, and that’s a new all-time lowest price for this premium HDMI cable. Not all HDMI cables are created equal—cheap and outdated cords will bottleneck your hardware. This Acer cable, however, boasts a massive 48Gbps bandwidth, making it fully capable of handling 4K video at a buttery-smooth 120Hz or 8K at 60Hz. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s durable enough to snake tightly behind a flush TV wall mount without wearing out.
Who is this for? The Acer Dual-USB SD Card Reader is for anyone who has a microSD or SD card at home. Laptops rarely feature card readers anymore, so if you have a card in your phone, dashcam, security camera, or even a CPAP machine, you’ll need a way to pull data off it and onto your laptop on demand. This Acer accessory is about the same size as a thumb drive and features both USB-C and USB-A ends.
Why is this deal good? At $9.48, it’s only half a buck higher than its lowest ever price and a solid value for an accessory that you’ll always be glad to have on hand when you least expect to need it. You get 5Gbps USB 3.0 speeds for fast file transfers, a true plug-and-play setup with no drivers or software needed, and a solid build that’ll hold up over years.
Who is this for? The Logitech M196 Bluetooth Wireless Mouse is a portable wireless mouse that’s great for everyday work and little else. Don’t need the bells and whistles of a gaming mouse? Or the highfalutin features of a premium productivity mouse? This’ll get you through the day on the cheap. And since it’s a Bluetooth mouse, you don’t even need to use the dongle that would otherwise take up a USB port.
Why is this deal good? Paying under $10 for a Logitech mouse is normally unheard of, even for a model as basic as this one.The fact that it also comes with Bluetooth pairing, an ambidextrous design, and the ability to work on any surface? That makes it worth every dollar. The only downside is that only the Rose Pink option is this cheap. If you prefer black and don’t mind going wired, check out the Logitech B100 mouse for $6.99.
Who is this for? You have a mouse, but do you have proper wrist support? While a flat mouse pad might be better for shooter games, you could be sustaining long-term wrist damage if you ignore ergonomics. This cheap Amazon Basics Ergonomic Mouse Pad has a comfortable gel-filled wrist pad, and it stays in place thanks to its non-slip base.
Why is this deal good? For less than the cost of a Starbucks frappé, you can ensure better wrist health for years to come. It’ll take a little time to get used to, but the payoff will be well worth it.
Who is this for? Even in 2026, there’s no shortage of consumer electronics that run on AAA batteries. If you’re tired of the churn and constantly throwing away cash on replacements, you might as well switch to Amazon Basics Rechargeable AAA Batteries now, and you can start with this nifty 12-pack. Stick them in your remotes, wireless peripherals, LED lamps, smart sensors, VR controllers, and everything else.
Why is this deal good? At $8.96, you’re paying just 75 cents per battery. And these are 800mAh batteries with low self-discharge, offering solid capacity (so you don’t have to recharge them too often) and lots of charge cycles without wearing out (so they’re cost-effective).
Who is this for? You have rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, so now you need a decent charger. This Amazon Basics AA/AAA Battery Charger is a 4-bay model that fits both AA and AAA types, with fast charging performance, protection against overcharging, and LED charging indicators. It’s pretty bare-bones as they go, but so what? It gets the job done.
Why is this deal good? At $8.89, it’s dirt cheap, and it can be this cheap because it doesn’t have all the unnecessary bells and whistles of other models. If all you need is reliable battery charging, it’s a good price.
Who is this for? Anyone who owns a tablet—whether an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy Tab, or even Amazon Fire HD 10—and is tired of holding it all the time. Lisen’s Tablet Stand lets you prop it up, freeing up your hands to cook dinner, work on your knitting project, or just chill in your pockets. With 360-degree rotation and adjustable viewing angle, you can even use it as a stand for your portable monitor used as a second laptop screen.
Why is this deal good? Between its versatile adjustability and aluminum construction, this Lisen stand feels more premium than its price would imply. It works with tablets sized 4.7 to 11 inches, and it’s just a downright practical accessory—worth every penny now that it’s just $9.48.
Who is this for? The person who needs extra portable storage and can’t stomach the going prices for SSDs and hard drives. (Thanks, AI data centers!) Flash drives have also gotten super expensive, but this Verbatim 64GB USB Flash Drive remains affordable. Keep in mind it’s a USB 2.0 drive, so expect file transfer speeds to max out at 20 MB/s. But if you want a flash drive for under $10 these days, that’s a sacrifice you’ll have to make.
Why is this deal good? For anyone whose budget is strictly capped at $10, this 64GB option is about as big as you’ll get. If you want a faster drive, you’ll have to spend twice as much—like on this SanDisk 64GB Ultra Flair Flash Drive, which supports USB 3.0 speeds for just $18.88 right now.
If you’re still stuck on a cruddy 1080p monitor and want to level up your gaming and workflows, stepping up to a 1440p display can be one of the best upgrades you can make. And right now, the Samsung Odyssey G55C is on sale for just $190 ahead of October Prime Day—that’s a big drop from its original $330 and matches the lowest price it’s ever been.
This 32-inch monitor delivers a 2560×1440 resolution and a fast 165Hz refresh rate, which will make your games look sharp and smooth. Its 1ms response time could be faster, but it’ll suffice for all but the fastest and sweatiest esports games. And it has a moderate 1000R curve that adds real immersion as it wraps around your field of view, plus helps to reduce eye strain when doing work or watching movies.
It’s a pretty standard monitor as far as features go, but sometimes that’s all you need in a monitor. Why pay more for extra bling when you don’t need it? This is a good workhorse type monitor for gamers and workers, hitting a sweet spot with its 32-inch 1440p specs while staying affordable.
Any monitor can be used for PC gaming, but a display built for productivity will likely leave you underwhelmed. Limited contrast, blurry motion, and slow refresh rates still hold basic productivity monitors back in games. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of excellent gaming monitors available at a wide range of price points—and the best of them embrace cutting-edge technology unavailable in any other PC display.
The following are the best gaming monitors we’ve tested throughout this year and last. If you want to learn more about what we look for in a good gaming monitor and how we test them, scroll further down the page.
Why you should trust PCWorld for monitors reviews and buying advice: We’re PCWorld, after all. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review dozens of monitors every year. All of our recommendations have been personally tested and vetted by our expert reviewers, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED?
If you’re looking for a high-performance gaming monitor, the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED should be at the top of your list.
This 26.5-inch display delivers stunning 4K resolution with an ultra-smooth 240Hz refresh rate in a cutting-edge OLED panel, making it an excellent choice for gamers who want both visual clarity and fluid motion. With its 240Hz refresh rate, 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.
MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED: Further considerations
But wait, there’s more! 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 plus, with HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1a, and USB-C inputs, as well as 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.
Priced at $1,099.99, the MSI MPG 272URX is more expensive than 1440p OLED alternatives, which can be found for under $800. But if 4K clarity and a fluid 240Hz refresh rate are what you’re after, this monitor is worth the investment.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the Pixio PX248 Wave?
The Pixio PX248 Wave is a great budget monitor for gamers who want more than a no-frills display. The PX248 Wave stands apart from the budget pack with a colorful, stylish design, and solid motion performance, all available at an enticing price of $159.99.
Pixio offers the PX248 Wave in four colorways: black, white, blue, and pink. The latter two are rather special, as only a handful of monitors — like the more expensive Samsung M8 Smart Monitor — offer similarly alluring colors. The stand matches the monitor’s colorway, and Pixio even offers an optional color-coordinated monitor arm for those who want to go all-in on a particular desktop vibe.
The monitor’s 24-inch Fast IPS display boasts a 200Hz refresh rate that delivers fluid motion. Image quality is reasonable, too, as the PX248 Wave delivers respectable color accuracy and coverage, making it suitable for both gaming and casual content creation. It has built-in speakers, too.
Pixio PX248 Wave: Further considerations
Despite its visual appeal, the PX248 Wave sticks to the basics with connectivity, which includes HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4. USB connectivity isn’t available. The included stand is also basic, as it only adjusts for tilt, and the menu controls could be more user-friendly.
Most competitors at this price point have a similar display panel wrapped in a more generic black, gray, or charcoal case. Pixio’s PX248 Wave manages to match them in image quality and beat them on looks, yet it stays on a budget.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B?
The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B is the best big-screen curved gaming monitor for anyone who wants a premium immersive gaming experience.
The monitor’s class-leading 45-inch 5K2K (5120×2160) OLED panel helps to set the monitor apart, providing a resolution previously unseen in this size class. It’s a significant upgrade over lower-resolution predecessors, like the Corsair Xeneon Flex. The higher resolution pairs well with OLED’s excellent contrast and color performance. HDR performance is solid, with brightness comparable to other leading OLED monitors.
Motion clarity is good, as well. The monitor is a “dual mode” display, meaning it can achieve 5120×2160 at a refresh rate up to 165Hz, or 2560×1080 up to 330Hz. It also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync for smooth gameplay.
LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B: Further considerations
The 45GX950A-B is expensive, and its aggressive 800R curve can feel “off” for productivity. The monitor also has limited USB connectivity. USB-C input is supported, but it only has two downstream USB-A ports.
But if your priority is unparalleled immersion backed by incredible sharpness and excellent HDR on a truly massive display, the LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B is a winner.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG?
If you’re searching for the best gaming monitor for HDR, look no further than the Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG. It has an LG WOLED panel that delivers stunning HDR without breaking the bank.
The XG27AQDMG’s third-generation LG WOLED panel provides exceptional HDR brightness that outperforms QD-OLED competitors and closes the gap with Mini-LED monitors. It can hit a maximum sustained brightness of 724 nits in a 10 percent window, which is enough to deliver punchy HDR highlights and detail across luminant areas of a game or movie. This pairs well with OLED’s deep, inky blacks and wide color gamut, which covers 96 percent DCI-P3 coverage. Put simply: It looks exceptionally immersive and realistic.
Gamers will appreciate the high refresh rate of up to 240Hz, which is paired with Adaptive Sync technologies like AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync for fluid, tear-free gaming. The refresh rate is lower than some QD-OLED competitors, which achieve up to 360Hz. On the other hand, though, the XG27AQDMG provides motion clarity far better than Mini-LED gaming monitors, such as the Red Magic 4K Gaming Monitor.
Asus ROG Strix XG27AQDMG: Further considerations
While the XG27AQDMG has strong color performance, it isn’t quite as good as QD-OLED alternatives with SDR. Sharpness is merely okay, too, and small fonts can look pixelated at times.
Pricing, however, is an upside. Sold at an MSRP of $749.99, and immediately available for just $699.99 at release, the XG27AQDMG undercuts the competition on price. Gamers who mostly stick to SDR may want to pay $50 to $100 more for a QD-OLED alternative, but the XG27AQDMG has the edge in HDR.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W?
The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W is built for competitive gamers who prioritize motion clarity above all else. With refresh rates reaching 540Hz at 1440p and 720Hz at 720p, it delivers the best motion performance available from any display to date (which says a lot, as many high-refresh monitors have been released of late). The Extreme Low Motion Blur feature is particularly impressive, offering exceptional clarity even at lower refresh rates for games that can’t hit extreme frame rates.
The monitor’s tandem OLED panel delivers great image quality with strong SDR and HDR brightness, stellar contrast, and a wide color gamut covering 99 percent of DCI-P3. The ultra-glossy TrueBlack finish maximizes perceived contrast for an incredibly rich image in darker viewing environments. Combined with features like Aura Sync RGB lighting and extensive menu customization, it’s a premium package for enthusiasts.
Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQWP-W: Further considerations
The PG27AQWP-W lacks USB-C connectivity and the ultra-glossy finish can be annoying if you have windows or bright lights nearby. The large tripod-style stand also takes up considerable desk space. It stands in contrast to recent OLED monitors from brands like MSI, which tend to include USB-C.
But the most important thing to consider is just how high a refresh rate you really need. 540Hz at 1440p is amazingly crisp, to be sure, but you might find better value in a less expensive 4K OLED monitors running at 240Hz. That’s particularly true if you want to use the monitor for both work and play.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy the Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG?
This 27-inch Fast IPS display delivers 5K resolution at up to 180Hz, an unusual combination that makes it ideal for gamers who want extreme pixel density without sacrificing motion clarity. At 218 pixels per inch, text and fine detail are rendered with a crispness that 4K monitors can’t match.
Asus’ ELMB2 backlight strobing technology pushes motion performance further still with a CRT-like scanning technique to reduce blur dramatically. The monitor can also drop to 1440p at up to 330Hz if your GPU needs a break from pushing 5K frame rates.
The monitor also tosses in a few nice extras. It has four video inputs (two HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and USB-C) which gives it more connection flexibility than most competitors, and a handy tripod mount on the stand neck lets you attach webcam arms or ring lights cleanly.
Asus ROG Strix 5K XG27JCG: Further considerations
Though it has much to recommend it, the XG27JCG has a few weaknesses. The monitor tops out around 1,230:1, so dark scenes look washed out compared to OLED alternatives. The USB-C port delivers only 15 watts, which is enough to charge a phone, but not a laptop. And while it’s technically VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified, HDR quality is limited by the monitor’s edge-lit backlight design.
At $849.99, the XG27JCG is just a sliver less expensive than a typical 4K OLED monitor. Many gamers will find that’s more than sharp enough. But if you want to game at absurdly high resolutions, or want outstanding motion clarity thanks to the monitor’s ELMB2 technology, the XG27JCG is worth your money.
Alienware AW2725Q: An excellent 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitor, and less expensive than the competition.
BenQ PD3226G: A monitor for creative professionals, but it’s not bad in PC games, either.
Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM: A 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: An excellent 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor — but with the added perk of USB connectivity.
HP Omen Transcend 32: Offers great USB-C connectivity and top-tier SDR image quality that make this 4K OLED monitor worth its high price.
Lenovo Legion R27fc-30: At less than $200, this is a good budget gaming monitor with a focus on motion clarity.
Acer Predator X32 X3: A great 4K OLED monitor that separates itself from the competition on two key points: connectivity and price.
Asus ProArt Display 5K: Not the best high-resolution display on the market, but it delivers a gorgeous 5K image and long list of features at a reasonable price.
Gigabyte G34WQCP: A $350 ultrawide that earns high marks in SDR brightness, contrast, and color performance.
How we test gaming monitors
We test all monitors with a Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra calibration tool. This tool can report objective measurements for brightness, contrast, color gamut, color accuracy, color temperature, gamma, and other metrics.
Our results are recorded and compared to the results for past monitors. Though we rely on our eyes for initial impressions, comparing objective results lets us evaluate monitors against hundreds of older models from past reviews and testing.
We examine motion clarity by quickly moving the camera across the map in Civilization VI, playing a round of Rocket League, and panning the camera across the landscape in Final Fantasy XIV—among other games. Finally, we use the popular UFO Test for an apples-to-apples comparison between displays.
In addition to gaming prowess, we consider a monitor’s on-screen menu, ergonomic stand (or lack thereof), and overall build quality—all important qualities irrespective of use case.
Matthew S. Smith is a freelance technology journalist with 15 years of experience reviewing consumer electronics, including the universe of computer monitors. In addition to PCWorld, his work can be found on Wired, Digital Trends, Reviewed, Lifewire, and other technology publications.
How to choose the best gaming monitor
Gamers have unique needs that exceed an average user. Here’s what PC gamers should look for in a gaming monitor.
Resolution
Most widescreen gaming monitors have a resolution of 1920×1080 (1080p), 2560×1440 (1440p), or 4K (3840×2160). A higher resolution improves sharpness and clarity, which helps games look more detailed and lifelike. Increasing resolution also increases demand on your video card, however. Gamers with less powerful hardware may want to avoid 4K.
Refresh rate
A higher refresh leads to smoother motion by increasing the number of frames that can appear each second. It also reduces input lag, as each frame appears more quickly. A 144Hz refresh rate is a big improvement over the standard 60Hz, and 240Hz is better still. The improvement becomes more difficult to notice after 240Hz, but 360Hz monitors exist for those who want the lowest input lag possible.
DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1
DisplayPort is the best connection for PC gaming. Even DisplayPort 1.4, which is rather old, can support 4K at 144Hz. HDMI 2.1 can handle 4K at 120Hz and is an acceptable connection for PC gaming, though most gamers will use it for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S game console.
FAQ
1.
What is the best gaming monitor?
The best gaming monitor overall is the MSI MPG 341CQPX. The 34-inch panel joins a field of QD-OLED ultrawides, but stands out from the pack with better HDR, a 240Hz refresh rate, and USB-C port with 98 watts of Power Delivery.
2.
What is the best cheap gaming monitor?
At less than $200, the Pixio PX248 Wave offers incredible value for gamers. The 1080p/200Hz monitor has all the essentials: good image quality, strong motion clarity, and Adaptive Sync support.
3.
What resolution is best for a gaming monitor?
Many competitive gamers prefer 1080p resolution because it allows for high frame rates and low input lag even on modest hardware. This also makes it ideal for budget shoppers. 1080p is not as crisp as higher resolutions but, if it allows for higher frame rates, can look good in motion.
1440p remains a great mid-range option. It looks much sharper than 1080p but doesn’t drastically increase load on your video card. A variety of 1440p monitors now support a refresh rate up to 240Hz.
4K is the last word in sharpness and clarity. Playing a modern game on a 4K monitor takes the experience to a new level. It’s very demanding on your video card, however, so you’ll need top-tier hardware for a smooth experience.
Ultrawide monitors differ in resolution because they have a wider screen. Most ultrawide monitors have a resolution of 3440×1440, which delivers sharpness similar to a 1440p ultrawide. Some larger monitors have more exotic resolutions: the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 Neo, for example, has 5120×1440 resolution.
4.
Should I use AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync?
AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync can synchronize the refresh rate of a compatible monitor with the output of an AMD or Nvidia video card. This ensures smooth motion and eliminates screen tearing, a distracting visual artifact.
You might be surprised to learn that most AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync monitors rely on the VESA Adaptive Sync standard. This is why many gaming monitors now support both. The difference in performance is minimal.
Our top choice, the Alienware AW3423DW, is an ultrawide gaming monitor. An ultrawide aspect ratio is more immersive in racing, simulation, and role-playing games. It also offers a large, more impressive perspective in many strategy games.
Not all games support an ultrawide aspect ratio, however. It’s wise to check that your favorite games support ultrawide monitors before making a purchase. Consoles rarely support ultrawide aspect ratios, so console gamers should stick with a widescreen display.
One of the easiest ways to enhance your PC experience is to get a better monitor. It doesn’t require any upgrades for your desktop or laptop (which is good, since they’re all insanely expensive right now), and it shines up the primary way you interact with almost everything: the visuals. Even better, the prices of luxurious models with high resolutions, frame rates, and features like OLED panels have consistently fallen over the year. Now it’s time to take action.
Amazon’s latest Prime Day deal extravaganza is here for people looking to score a new display for cheap, running October 6th and 7th. (Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free so you can get in on the deep, deep discounts.)
To find deals on Prime Day or other sale days, when prices are often (ahem) less than straightforward, we compare monitors based on their specifications, available reviews, and of course, the value versus the general market. For Amazon in particular we avoid “whitebox” brands, whose after-sale support may be lacking. We also check price history to make sure the sale is actually a sale.
This year we’re focusing on OLED gaming monitors, as that’s a popular choice both for first-time buyers and those who are looking to upgrade an existing setup. On the non-gaming side of things, USB-C monitors are popular upgrades for laptop owners looking to expand their productivity or simplify a work layout.
Best budget OLED monitor: AOC 27-inch 1440p 240Hz ($300 after $200 discount)
AOC
Who is this for? 2026 is an absolutely perfect year to upgrade to an OLED monitor, because the tech is now mature, reasonably affordable…and it’s not like most of us can afford any internal upgrades for our gaming PCs. AOC’s budget option is currently unbeatable over at Best Buy for $300, neatly undercutting even the cheapest competition by fifty bucks. Even once Prime Day gets going, I doubt you’ll find a better deal on a basic OLED setup with 1440p resolution and 240Hz speed.
Why is this deal good? This isn’t the monitor for you if you want versatility or lots of inputs. It’s just a great OLED panel and absolutely nothing else. But if that’s all you want — especially if you don’t care about connecting to a laptop, for example, or any web-enabled apps — it’s perfect.
Best OLED gaming monitor: LG 34-inch 1440p 240Hz ($700 after $600 discount)
Dell
Who is this for? If you want some more premium options for your gaming hardware and your budget can stretch a bit, this $630 Alienware ultrawide monitor is the one for you. The 34-inch, 3440×1440 panel gives you appreciably more space versus a 27-inch monitor, with options for multitasking when you’re not gaming. But with a 280Hz refresh rate, it’s ready to tackle intense online multiplayer too. It’s also packing G-Sync compatibility and some USB ports for extra gadgets.
Why is this deal good? For a 34-inch ultrawide OLED, you generally have to compromise or pay up. But with a $600 discount off the original price of this model, you’re getting name-brand performance at no-name price.
Get the Alienware 34-inch OLED ultrawide monitor for $629.99
Best gigantic OLED gaming monitor: Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch ($796 after $504 discount)
Samsung
Who is this for? Alright buddy, you’re ready to go all-out. I’m impressed. But just because you have a gaming PC that can push all the pixels doesn’t mean you have to pay all the dollars. This 49-inch Samsung OLED is so big it might not even fit on smaller desks, and with as much screen real estate as two 1440p monitors smooshed together, it’ll need a pretty beefy PC to use it to the maximum. That goes double if you want to hit the 144Hz maximum refresh rate.
Why is this deal good? A year or so ago, you couldn’t find a monitor in this size and speed class with an OLED panel for anything under a thousand bucks. But at under $800, this LS49DG910SNXZA model is cheaper than some monitors at about half the size. Just be aware that at this size, and a pretty dramatic curve, it won’t fit into everyone’s desk setup.
Get the Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED 49-inch ultrawide monitor for $796
Best office monitor deal: LG USB-C ultrawide monitor ($285 after $65 discount)
LG
Who is this for? For a big, multitasking monitor that does more than your typical screen, it’s hard to do better than this LG model. In addition to a 34-inch IPS panel that’s great for reading text or editing photos and videos, you get a built-in USB-C port that makes it a snap to connect laptops (with 65 watts of charging) and add on other accessories.
Why is this deal good? With all that tech built in, this screen is just $285 at the time of writing, a $65 savings off the regular price. For a high-res monitor that doubles as a TV and has a built-in USB hub, that’s fantastic.
Get the LG USB-C 34-inch ultrawide monitor for $329
Best budget office monitor deal: BenQ 24-inch USB-C ($80 after $50 discount)
BenQ
Who is this for? It’s hard to find a cheap monitor with USB-C, but this BenQ model manages it for under $100. Just 24 inches and 1080p resolution, but the 144Hz panel gives it a little extra utility. Note that USB-C connection doesn’t have enough juice to recharge a laptop, but should work for most phones and tablets. Of course it still has standard HDMI and DisplayPort.
Why is this deal good? If you want a flexible, easy-to-connect monitor that makes a great stand-alone screen or an add-on (including VESA mount compatibility) for a multi-monitor setup, this will do it without breaking the bank.
Best portable monitor deal: MNN 15.6-inch USB-C monitor ($50 after $6 discount)
MNN
Who is this for? I can’t remember the last time I went on a work trip without a USB-C monitor, the easiest way to add multitasking powers to any laptop (or a phone or tablet, if it supports video over USB). This $44, 15.6-inch panel is basic, but includes everything you need thanks to its 1080p resolution. The extra space gives you a dual-monitor productivity powerhouse that fits in a backpack.
Why is this deal good? At under $50 at the time of writing, this monitor actually isn’t on sale, but it’s about as good as you can get for a portable screen. We’ll be keeping an eye out for discounts as Prime Day gets closer.
These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.
Monitor size depends on personal preference and location.
A 24-inch monitor is fine for a desk that is around 24 inches deep, or less. Its small size will still be sufficient because the monitor is closer to you.
Most people, however, will want to go with a 27-inch monitor. The added size will make the monitor easy to see. This also opens up a wider range of 4K monitor options, as 4K is very rare on a 24-inch monitor.
Larger monitors, such as a 32-inch widescreen or 34-inch ultrawide, are great for deep desks and people who want an immersive experience. Monitors this large can serve as a TV replacement in a small room.
Displays of even larger size, such as 42-inch or 48-inch HDTVs, are best for home theater setups or an unusually large office. You’ll want to sit four to six feet away from a display of this size.
2.
What display input is best? (HDMI vs. DisplayPort vs. USB-C)
USB-C is the best display input for most people. It works by bundling DisplayPort into USB-C, so offers all the same features as DisplayPort. Yet it retains the features of USB-C including optional support for Power Delivery to charge external devices. This is why we recommend a USB-C monitor for most people.
DisplayPort is generally second-best. It supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than HDMI. This input is particularly common on desktop computers.
HDMI comes in third due to lower resolution and refresh rate support. This is improved by HDMI 2.1, but this feature remains hard to find and often adds to a monitor’s price.
All three of the options above handle 1080p at 60Hz, which is the most common resolution and refresh rate available today. It’s also important to buy a monitor that has an input compatible with your PC.
3.
Are all monitors compatible with Windows and MacOS?
Modern monitors are compatible with all recent versions of Windows and MacOS. They’re plug-and-play, which means the monitor should display an image without the need to install driver software or mess with Windows or MacOS settings.
In the world of PC gaming, there’s a persistent myth that, to achieve maximum FPS rates (FPS, frames per second), you generally have to set all graphics settings to their maximum. However, we’ll show you that just a handful of settings are enough to massively enhance the visual experience without placing an excessive strain on modern graphics cards.
The absolute standout among these free upgrades is anisotropic filtering. This technique ensures that textures on surfaces at an acute angle to the camera — such as a road leading to the horizon or a tiled floor — remain crystal clear. Without anisotropic filtering, these surfaces appear muddy and blurred at medium and long distances, which severely disrupts immersion.
Not all graphics options automatically consume a great deal of processing power. Even simple filters can result in visibly better graphics.
Corsair
The technical reason for the low power consumption is fascinating: Modern GPUs feature specialized hardware units for texture sampling. As the required texture data is already stored in the extremely fast graphics memory (VRAM), the additional sampling from different angles takes almost no processing time. Whether you set it to ‘8x’ or ‘16x’ often makes a difference of less than one frame per second on current graphics cards, while visual clarity increases dramatically.
We therefore strongly recommend that you always force this setting in the driver, as many games use values that are too low by default. For Nvidia graphics cards, right-click on the desktop, open the ‘Nvidia Control Panel’ and navigate to ‘Manage 3D Settings.’
In the native graphics driver (in this case for Nvidia graphics cards), you can generally force the use of anisotropic filtering in applications.
Foundry
In the ‘Global Settings,’ locate the ‘Anisotropic Filtering’ option and set it to ‘16x.’ Users of AMD graphics cards should open the Adrenalin Edition software, then navigate via the ‘Gaming’ tab to the ‘Graphics’ section and expand the ‘Advanced Options.’
There, please set the anisotropic filtering mode to ‘Override application settings’ and also select the ‘16x’ level. Another important point is the overall texture quality: Many players are wary of the ‘Ultra’ setting, but a simple rule applies here: As long as your graphics card’s video memory is large enough to accommodate the high-resolution texture packs, this setting will not affect performance at all.
The graphics card setting ‘Anisotropic Filtering’ ensures that surfaces in games that are at an acute angle to the camera remain sharp.
Foundry
It is only when the VRAM overflows and data has to be offloaded to the slower system RAM that severe stuttering occurs. The same applies to SSAO, screen-space ambient occlusion. This technique calculates subtle shadows where objects meet. At the same time, it adds depth to the scene so that objects do not appear to be floating in mid-air.
SSAO is the resource-efficient variant of ambient occlusion and usually costs modern chips only about 1 to 2 percent of their processing power. If modern post-processing techniques such as TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) make the image appear slightly too soft, you can also use the sharpening filter in the driver.
On Nvidia cards, you’ll find it under ‘Image Scaling’ in the global 3D settings. On AMD cards, it’s called ‘Radeon Image Sharpening.’ A setting of around 30 percent is often sufficient to compensate for the blurring caused by TAA and achieve a crystal-clear image without any significant loss of performance.
PC upgrades cost more than they used to. At least, if you’re looking to get more storage space. AI data center buildouts have obliterated affordable prices for SSDs and hard drives. Even SD cards and flash drives haven’t been immune!
If you’d like to reduce the sting of sky-high costs, Amazon’s October Prime Day offers a temporary reprieve. The main event runs through Wednesday, October 7 at 11:59pm Pacific Time, so just hours remain to grab deals from Amazon–and its rivals, who also want in on the action. Given how harsh SSD prices are right now, a good sale is valuable no matter which major retailer offers it.
Accordingly, you’ll see a larger number of Newegg deals below. But regardless of where you shop, don’t sit on a discount you like. It may not last very long.
Who is this for? You can’t beat the speed of an NVMe SSD, especially a blistering-fast Gen 5 drive that won our hearts last fall. The Samsung 9100 Pro is a great choice for starting or upgrading a PC build, as you’ll ensure snappier performance for years to come.
Why is this deal good? Prices on NVMe SSDs have been stubbornly high, but this sale price of $207 lets you snap up one of the fastest SSDs around for about the same price as a slower Gen 4 drive (and from a major, well-performing brand to boot).
Who is this for? A SATA SSD has always been a great balance between “fast” and “affordable.” Team Group still delivers on this front with its Vulcan Z drives, which upgraders on a budget can easily grab in 512GB or 1TB configurations.
Why is this deal good? SATA SSDs are harder to find, and most have risen in price. Even with single-digit discounts, these Vulcan Z drives don’t cost as much as rivals.
Who is this for? You need a rugged, speedy, and travel friendly storage drive that doesn’t skimp on capacity, nor performance. And you want it from one of the top names among SSD manufacturers.
Why is this deal good? This discount drops the cost of the 2TB Samsung T9 Portable back to what we last saw in February of this year–an absolute eternity ago for SSD pricing. (Yep, the price jumped $100+ since the tail end of last winter. Crazy times.)
These aren’t the only October Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.
The balance between demand and supply has shifted. Data centers want as much storage as possible, and that’s shrunk the number of drives available to consumers. As a result, prices have shot up dramatically over the past year.
2.
Do brands matter for SSDs and storage?
Yes, but only to a point. Major manufacturers are generally reliable—think Samsung, Crucial, Western Digital (aka WD), SK Hynix, Corsair, Kingston, and even newer players like TeamGroup and Solidigm. Outside of that, you may be playing a bit fast and loose with your data’s longevity.
However, everyone has that one horror story about a hard-disk drive that failed, and why they’ll never use, say, WD or Crucial again. That’s less commonly a manufacturing error, and more so a matter of luck. No drive is guaranteed to meet its life expectancy, which is why you should perform regular backups.
3.
Is an SSD better than a HDD?
SSDs are faster and take less room in a PC than a hard-disk drive (HDD), which gives them a strong edge. If you only have one storage drive in your PC, it should ideally be an SSD so you get faster boot times and quicker access to your files. A HDD as your primary drive will feel much slower.
But HDDs still have their advantages. First, they’re cheaper. The going price of a 2TB HDD is about the same (or less) than a 1TB SSD. You also can get them in higher capacities than SSDs, though the biggest capacities have become expensive. If you need secondary storage and you don’t need it to be fast, HDDs are a fantastic option.
4.
How do I know if an SSD deal is good?
Here’s the guideline we use for picking deals: First, it should be for an SSD that performs well (or in select cases, performs well for its MSRP), and has at least a 10-15 percent discount compared to its normal street price. Some models may be selected with a smaller discount if they rarely go on sale.
5.
Have tariffs affected SSD and storage prices?
Tariffs have caused small increases on computer components, but storage pricing has been most affected by data centers. Demand has grown enough that supply available to consumers have shrunk, driving up prices.
With PC hardware more expensive than it’s ever been, doubly so for gamers, you might be tempted to hunt for used parts. That’s prudent and practical…but not without its risks. In addition to the usual problems of used goods with no warranty, you might just find yourself banned from your favorite online multiplayer game after you boot up with that new upgrade installed.
What? Yes, this is a real thing that happens to people. Though from what I’ve been able to see, it’s pretty darn rare. Here’s the gist: Player A, let’s call him Vincent, gets a little too heated in his games of Valorant, and decides to use a cheat program from a less-than-reputable source. He gets caught, and his Riot user account is banned. Later Vinny Valorant gets a little hard up for cash, and decides to sell his Nvidia card on eBay to Vivian, who also plays Valorant. When she installs it in her PC and logs into the game, with her non-cheating account, Vivian gets banned right away.
That’s what’s happened to a handful of players on different competitive multiplayer games, most recently chronicled in this Reddit post from a German Valorant player. The poster said that they picked up a used Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU, which worked just fine…but found themselves instantly banned from the game when they logged in. The culprit (aside from the alleged cheater) is anti-cheat systems that tag a lot more than just your account or your IP address. Modern anti-cheat software also tags hardware, down to individual hardware components.
Upon contacting support at developer Riot, the user was told that there was nothing that would be done to alleviate the situation. Not only that, but the player’s other components, including motherboard and storage, were also blacklisted in the Vanguard anti-cheat system.
Hardware identification requires fairly deep hooks into a PC’s operating system and even BIOS. For example, Heise.de reports that Vanguard only operates if you’ve got Secure Boot and a Trusted Platform Module enabled — these are some of the reasons that games like Valorant and others still aren’t available on Linux or SteamOS. Similar anti-cheat hardware checks, and the occasional false positive after secondhand hardware goes to a new owner, have been reported for years.
Jon Martindale / Foundry
Exactly what checks each anti-cheat system uses aren’t generally known. But from a hardware perspective and with those deep kernel-level tools available, it’s technically possible for the software to identify individual components including:
I reached out to Riot, Valve, and Epic Games — operators of Vanguard, Valve Anti-Cheat, and Easy Anti-Cheat, respectively — for comment on this story. I asked if they could offer a guide on which hardware could be flagged, how buyers might avoid blacklisted parts on the secondary market, and what recourse an innocent deal-hunter might have if they find their account banned after installing a new part. None of them responded before publishing. Based on my research on the scant cases for the past few years, customer support is generally unwilling to lift bans put in place through hardware ID.
Again, it appears that this is an exceedingly rare problem. To experience it you’d need to buy a part secondhand, from a cheater, who plays the same game (or at least a game from a company using the same anti-cheat system), and who’s been flagged by that system for cheating. That is a very small center of a Venn diagram — you’re much more likely to just get a part that doesn’t work, or be the victim of a more conventional scam.
But with PC gamers experiencing very specific sticker shock on top of general economic anxiety, the used hardware market is thriving more than usual. That means the number of false positives has probably gone up recently, if not the actual percentage of them as a function of the total sales of used PC components. There’s no real way to know if a part has been flagged before you buy it if the seller doesn’t choose to share that information.
So yeah, if your buddy admits to using an aimbot, maybe think twice before picking up their secondhand parts after they win the lottery and spring for an upgrade.
Amazon’s October Prime Day is one of the best times of the year to score a mini PC deal. These compact machines have exploded in popularity thanks to their tiny footprints, surprisingly strong performance, and wallet-friendly prices. Whether you need a capable productivity box, a living-room PC, or even a compact gaming rig, Prime Day is packed with discounts worth considering.
The challenge is separating the genuinely great bargains from the mediocre markdowns. The sales event has begun and will run between October 6 and 7, and there are fantastic deals on all our favorite brands. I’ve sifted through the Prime Day sales and selected the mini PCs that offer the best combination of specs, performance, and value. From CPU and RAM configurations to storage and upgradeability, these are the deals most deserving of your attention.
Reatan A8, Ryzen 7 8745HS/Radeon 780M/16GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/Oculink/quad 4K support—$499 (22% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Reatan A8 is a good choice for anyone who wants a compact PC with strong everyday performance and surprisingly capable integrated graphics. Its Oculink port also makes it an enticing option for users who may want to add an external GPU for gaming down the road.
Why is this deal good? For $499, the Ryzen 7 8745HS and Radeon 780M graphics deliver excellent performance for the money—even providing enough juice for some light gaming. You also get 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD, making this a well-balanced mini PC that is ready for most tasks right out of the box.
Kamrui Pinova P2, Ryzen 3 7330U/16GB RAM/256GB SSD/triple 4K support—$323 (15% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Kamrui Pinova P2 is designed for users who need an affordable mini PC for everyday tasks like web browsing, office work, streaming, and basic home computing. Its triple 4K display support also makes it a solid budget option for a multi-monitor workstation.
Why is this deal good? While the Ryzen 3 7330U can’t compete with higher-end mini PCs, it still provides enough performance for everyday use, especially when paired with 16GB of RAM like it is in this build. At $323, the system delivers good value for basic computing, though the 256GB SSD may feel a bit tight if you need a lot of storage—thankfully, Prime Day is an excellent time to purchase external storage on the cheap.
Glorlin AI Mini PC, Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS/Radeon 780M/16GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD—$510 (27% off on Amazon with coupon)
Who is this for? The Glorlin AI Mini PC is best for users who want a compact desktop that can handle heavier workloads, multitasking, and some casual gaming. Its robust connectivity options also make it appealing for home offices or setups that rely on multiple network connections.
Why is this deal good? The Ryzen 7 Pro 8845HS is a powerful processor and more than capable of entry-level AI workloads. Plus, the Radeon 780M integrated graphics are among the best you can get without a dedicated GPU. For $510, the combination of 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and dual 2.5Gb Ethernet makes this a feature-packed mini PC with plenty of performance.
Beelink SER5, Ryzen 5 5500U/16GB DDR4 RAM/480GB SSD/triple 4K support—$389 (17% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Beelink SER5 is a solid pick for anyone who needs an inexpensive PC for everyday use such as students and remote workers with basic computing tasks. It has enough power for browsing, office work, video calls, streaming, and general multitasking, and its support for three 4K displays makes it great if you have multiple monitors.
Why is this deal good? At $389, the SER5 packs in quite a bit for the money. You get a six-core Ryzen 5 5500U, 16GB of RAM, and a 480GB SSD, which is plenty for most day-to-day computing. Wi-Fi 6, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and triple 4K display support are nice extras too, especially at this price. It’s a good value buy if you want a small PC that can handle the basics.
GMKtec M6 Ultra, Ryzen 5 7640HS/Radeon 760M/32GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/triple 4K support—$630 (21% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? This GMKtec M6 Ultra deal for $170 off is best suited to people who need more performance but don’t want to spend big on a full-size desktop. Its Ryzen 5 7640HS and 32GB of DDR5 memory give plenty of power for heavier productivity and content creation work, and the integrated Radeon 760M even means you can enjoy some light gaming on the side.
Why is this deal good? For $630, the M6 Ultra gives you an impressively beefy hardware loadout. The Ryzen 5 7640HS and Radeon 760M graphics are joined by 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD, so you’re getting plenty of memory and storage right out of the box. It also includes USB4, dual 2.5Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and upgradeable memory and storage. That makes this well worth the money if you want a mini PC with enough performance and connectivity to serve as your main machine.
Kamrui P2, Core i5-12600H/32GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/triple 4K support—$519 (44% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Kamrui P2 is great for anyone in the market for a compact PC that is capable of heavier office work, multitasking, and productivity loads. With 32GB of RAM and support for three 4K displays, it’s particularly well suited to professionals who run lots of simultaneous apps or work across multiple monitors.
Why is this deal good? For a bargain price of $519, you get a Core i5-12600H, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a roomy 1TB SSD, which is a strong hardware value at this price. Windows 11 Pro and triple 4K display further sweeten the pot, particularly if you’re building a compact workstation.
Acemagic M5, Core 5 220H/24GB RAM/512GB SSD—$570 (37% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Acemagic M5 makes sense for anyone who has a strict budget, but wants a mini PC with a bit more muscle. It should be a good fit for home-office users and multitaskers who routinely juggle several applications at once.
Why is this deal good? At $570, the Core 5 220H and 24GB of RAM give you plenty of oomph for more demanding workloads. The 512GB SSD is a bit smaller than ideal, but the newer processor and generous RAM help make up for it.
Kamrui Hyper H2 Mini, Core i5-14500HX/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/triple 4K support—$456 (32% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The Kamrui Hyper H2 Mini is a good pick for anyone who cares more about raw CPU power than flashy extras. Its Core i5-14500HX makes it particularly appealing for developers, power users, and anyone running resource-hungry software.
Why is this deal good? The big draw here is the Core i5-14500HX, which is a lot of processor for a sub-$500 mini PC. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD are fairly typical, but strong CPU performance and triple 4K display support make this an appealing option for the money.
GMKtec Mini PC, Core Ultra 5 226V/16GB DDR5 RAM/512GB SSD/triple 4K support—$550 (25% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? This GMKtec Mini PC is a good choice for everyday users who want a dependable mini PC. Thanks to its fantastic connectivity options, it’s well suited to home offices and media setups in particular.
Why is this deal good? The Core Ultra 5 226V is plenty powerful enough to smoothly handle everyday taks. For $550, you also get 16GB of DDR5 RAM, a 512GB SSD, USB4, 2.5Gb Ethernet, 6x USB ports, Wi-Fi 6, and triple 4K display support. Like I said, fantastic connectivity options.
BOSGAME E7, Core 3 100U/16GB DDR4 RAM/512GB SSD/triple 4K support—$359 (18% off on Amazon)
Who is this for? The BOSGAME E7 is best for budget users who need an inexpensive compact PC for basic work. Its 16GB of RAM and triple-display support make it especially useful for multitaskers who want a multi-monitor setup without taking up much desk space.
Why is this deal good? At $359, you’re getting a capable Core 3 100U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD in a tiny package. The real value comes from the extras, though, with triple 4K display support, Wi-Fi 6, USB-C, and plenty of wired connectivity making this a more versatile budget mini PC than its price suggests.
These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.
The first thing you have to check off your list is just what configuration you need to get your job done. Are you going to use your new mini PC for browsing only? Then a cheap budget-friendly device with a decent CPU and 16GB of RAM will do the trick. While DDR5 is optimal, RAM prices are so expensive nowadays that DDR4 is much more affordable and just fine for everyday browsing or basic work tasks.
Do you want it to be able to juggle a bunch of apps and not choke on 50 browser tabs? Then a more powerful CPU and 32GB of RAM would be better.
Do you want to do some light gaming in your downtime? Look for a device that comes with a GPU or Occulink connectivity to hook up an external GPU instead.
Are you looking to utilize the mini PC as a home server? Your priority then should be a large SSD—2TB or more.
There are devices for each and every one of these scenarios, and they’re all quite affordable. The best part is that mini PCs are… well, small, so they can be placed practically anywhere depending on your intended use and available space. They also support multiple monitors out of the box, which makes it easy to replace your old, larger desktop and you won’t even need to pay for extra hubs.
2.
Can a mini PC replace a desktop?
Yes, mini PCs can absolutely replace desktops for many users, especially if you’re mainly going to use it for office work, browsing, and media streaming. Some higher-performance models can even handle video editing or gaming, but their price tag reflects that.
3.
What is the downside to a mini PC?
One of the main downsides to most mini PCs is that they don’t come with a dedicated graphics card, so their usability for gaming is limited. Also, most mini PCs are geared towards general use, so tasks like video editing may not work as well. Understanding component limitations can help you pick the right system for your needs.
4.
Do mini PCs support multiple monitors?
Yes, most mini PCs support at least two monitors, which is more than we can say about numerous laptops on the market. Many models support three or four monitors, thus enabling you to efficiently multitask, spreading your apps across multiple screens. More often than not, you can connect the displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, but also via USB-C.
5.
What can you upgrade on a mini PC?
Most mini PCs are easy to upgrade. The RAM and SSD are usually extremely easy to swap out and each model will come with specific requirements, as in the specific type of SSD it can support, maximum storage capacity and maximum supported RAM. Many models come with a magnetic cover that you need to pop open to access both RAM and SSD, while others require a tiny screwdriver to take out the case. Either way, it’s a fairly painless process.
Just watch out for mini PCs that come with LPDDR5X memory, which is quite fast, but it’s also soldered onto the motherboard and therefore you won’t be able to upgrade it in the future.
Firefox is making it easier to work with two web pages at once. In version 149, the developers added a new feature that allows a single tab to display two web pages side by side. You could, for example, keep Google Maps open on one side to follow your route while searching for accommodation on the other.
Activating this feature is simple. Just right-click a tab in the Firefox title bar and select Add Split View. The page will now appear on the left, while Firefox displays its home screen with a search bar on the right. From there, you can visit any page you like.
If you already have other tabs open, Firefox will show you a list of them, allowing you to place one alongside the first page. The same feature is also available in the latest versions of Google Chrome and Opera. In Chrome, simply right-click a tab and select New Split View with Current Tab.
Once you’ve loaded a web page on each side, right-click and select Arrange Split View → Swap Views to switch the positions. In Opera, the context menu command is called Split Screen.
Amazon’s October Prime Day is one of the best opportunities for shoppers to score great deals on Thunderbolt docks and their cousins, USB-C hubs, before the holiday season kicks off in earnest. I should know — I’ve been reviewing and tracking them for years and years!
Laptop docking stations, Thunderbolt docks, and USB-C hubs offer an opportunity to connect a variety of peripherals to your laptop — even adding new ports your notebook may lack. Nothing against other retailers, but Amazon has hosted the best deals on all three categories over the past few years. It’s where I’d expect to find most of the deals during its October Prime Day deals (also known as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, running Oct. 6 and 7) and before.
When I look for a deal, I have an idea of what a docking station should cost, based upon my extensive history of reviewing docking stations. I then compare it against the feature set the dock offers, as well as the historical price of the item as listed on Amazon and on pricing comparison sites. Note that I’m looking to save you money — if there’s an affordable dock that offers a better value at a regular price, I’m going to recommend it versus another, more expensive dock that’s on sale. Some deals are Amazon Prime exclusive — sign up for Prime for free via using our tip!
Below you’ll find the best deals I found, along with an explanation of why you should buy them. If you’re uncertain whether you need a Thunderbolt dock or USB-C dock, see the FAQ at the bottom of this article. Be sure to check out PCWorld’s best Prime Day deals, too!
(Updated at 1:44 PM on Oct. 7)
Best budget docking station deal: Ugreen Revodok NVMe Docking Station, $59.99 ($20 off at Amazon)
Who is this for? If you’re a budget buyer who doesn’t need to connect more than one external monitor, this one’s for you. USB-C hubs and dongles flop all over your desk; this USB-C docking station simply takes that functionality and builds it into a nice compact little docking station. The plus is an SSD slot that can serve as handy local storage. Keep in mind that this dock cuts a few corners; you’ll need to provide your own USB-C power supply (up to 100W, but any USB charger will do) and your own SSD. Otherwise, there’s a USB-C and a USB-A port, HDMI, Ethernet, and a card reader.
Why is this deal good? This dock started off at its $79.99 list and has steadily decreased since then. USB-C hubs can fall into the $30 range or so, but I’d pay a few bucks extra for a nice vertical docking station like this. Oh, and you’ll probably see a lot of Ugreen in these deals — I’ve reviewed a lot of Ugreen docks, and they’re a solid budget brand.
Get Ugreen's Revodok NVMe Docking Station for $56.99 on Amazon
Best budget Thunderbolt docking station: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, $102.33 ($46.60 off at Amazon)
Amazon
Who is this for? Amazon’s Basics dock works best for people who want a minimal, affordable dock for connecting to multiple monitors. Note that you’ll have to supply the display cables yourself (you’ll find deals on those lower in this story) and there’s just one legacy USB-A port. On the other hand, there’s an extra Thunderbolt 4 port for further port expansion.
Why is this deal good? This is an affordable dock on a solid sale. I’m not a huge fan of the dock’s configuration, as it feels like you’ll have to plow some of the savings back into cables or a USB-C hub to add some more ports. Even doing so, however, won’t cost more than the dock will at regular price.
Get the Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station for $102.33 at Amazon
Best mainstream Thunderbolt dock deal: Plugable Thunderbolt 4 Dock, $169.95 ($50 off at Amazon)
Who is this for? Plugable’s dock is slim, compact, and to the point: it gives you what you want, and not much more. I really like the two dedicated HDMI display ports and the additional Thunderbolt4 upstream port, which can be used for connecting a monitor or for additional expansion.
Plugable put a very similar dock on sale earlier in Prime Day, but just switched the discount to this dock — which is equally as good — for the second day. It is $20 more, though.)
Why is this deal good? I’ve seen mainstream Thunderbolt 4 docks at $225 to $250, and it’s wonderful to see a focused Thunderbolt 4 dock arrive at a price well under that.
Get the Plugable Thunderbolt 4 Dock for $169.95 at Amazon
Best mainstream Thunderbolt dock deal, runner-up: Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Dock, $162.44 ($37.55 off at Amazon)
Mark Hachman / IDG
Who is this for? This is a great mainstream dock at an outstanding price, and I’d recommend it for the vast majority of users who own a Thunderbolt docking station. This dock has a 30W USB-C charging port on the front, and another USB-C port (Thunderbolt 4) on the back which can be used for charging or display. But there’s also a pair of dedicated HDMI ports, eliminating the need for specific adapter cables. I’ve personally reviewed this dock, and found it to be solid, albeit with a few quirks.
Why is this deal good? I tend to expect Thunderbolt docks to hover around $200 or so. Amazon charged a lower price for Prime Day, and this dock has touched $175 before. Now it’s even better than that!
Alternatively, Ugreen’s 8-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 dock is on sale for $161.47 (35% off) but it only has USB-C / Thunderbolt ports as display options. You may find yourself spending more on display cables.
Get Wavlink's Thunderbolt 4 Dock for $162.44 at Amazon
Best mainstream USB-C docking station deal: Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station: $79.99 ($60 off at Amazon)
Who is this for? If you don’t need the full power of a Thunderbolt dock, this Ugreen 14-in-1 docking station offers a ton of functionality in a more accessible USB-C format: three display ports (two HDMI, one DisplayPort), plus 140W charging via a 27W charger output and 100W upstream to the laptop dock. In addition, there’s an SD/TF card reader as well as a pair of USB-C ports and a USB-A port.
Why is this deal good? The lowest price this dock hit in the last year was $73, but Amazon and Ugreen were charging $120 for most of the year.
Get the Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station for $79.99 at Amazon
Best mainstream USB-C docking station deal, runner-up: Baseus SpaceMate Nomos Air: $79.99 ($20 off at Amazon)
Amazon / Baseus
Who is this for? As the name suggests, the SpaceMate emphasizes a clean, compact design. The SpaceMate Nomos builds on the original SpaceMate design, which, honestly, I didn’t love. Nevertheless, the original Spacemate $199.99 dock is priced at $99.99 today, and the Nomos is even less. You gotta like that trend.
In its favor, though, the Nomos goes back to the basics: two display ports and a smart array of other I/O ports, too. There is a catch: though the dock supports 95W charging, it does not ship with its own (USB-C) charger. You’ll have to buy or supply your own.
Why is this deal good? I rank this below the Ugreen since you’ll have to supply your own charger. Otherwise this is an affordable USB-C docking station that’s received a heavy discount for the October Prime Day sale.
Get the Baseus Spacemate Dock for $63.99 at Amazon
Best premium docking station deal: Wavlink 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock: $219 at Amazon
Who is this for? The Apple Mac natively supports Thunderbolt 5, but several Windows gaming laptops do too, and a TB5 dock can future-proof your setup as well as provide a connection to a high-speed single display, if your laptop also supports Thunderbolt 5. This dock doesn’t provide a dedicated display connection, but it’s discounted substantially less than other rival TB5 docks. (Check the list of cables below for upgrade options.) This dock has three Thunderbolt connections, 140W of charging power to the host, and a number of USB-A ports.
Why is this deal good? This was the best Thunderbolt 5 dock deal for Prime Day. At this point, I think it represents the best value for a TB5 dock during October Prime Day. I typically expect a TB5 dock to be priced above $250 and even closer to $300. This dock wasn’t discounted before this October Prime Day, but it certainly is now.
Get Wavlink's Thunderbolt 5 dock for $170.43 at Amazon
Best premium docking station deal, runner-up: Ugreen Maxidok Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station, $218.47 on Amazon
Who is this for? Consider this a premium Thunderbolt 5 dock for the subset of Windows gaming laptops that include a Thunderbolt 5 port. I haven’t reviewed this dock myself, though Amazon’s customers say that they appreciate the dedicated display ports that eliminate the need for display dongles or converter cables.
Why is this deal good? My original deal in this category was the StarTech Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $275.94, as I preferred the slightly greater array of ports. But the price of Ugreen’s dock is too good to pass up. This dock includes a single display port, which might means that you’ll have to purchase a cable, listed below. Even then, the Ugreen is a better deal.
Get the Ugreen Maxidok Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station at Amazon for $218.47
Some docking stations include dedicated display ports, so your display’s HDMI or DisplayPort cable can plug right in. Others don’t, and you’ll need to pair your ports to what the dock offers. Even if your display and dock both support direct USB-C/Thunderbolt connections, chances are that cables won’t be included. Here’s some quick suggestions on what to buy if you need them.
Most Thunderbolt 4 docks support up to two 4K displays at 60Hz. If your display supports both DisplayPort and HDMI, it doesn’t really matter which port you use.
For a USB-C (Thunderbolt) connection on the dock to an HDMI input on your display: buy these 6-foot Uantin cables for $7.99 (20% off) for October Prime Day.
For a USB-C (Thunderbolt) connection on the dock to a DisplayPort input on your display, buy these 6-foot Benfei cables for $7.99, 20% off for October Prime Day.
These aren’t the only October Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.
Why should I buy a USB-C hub or Thunderbolt docking station?
Laptops have generally begun replacing all of the legacy ports (the boxy USB-A plug, HDMI, SD card slots, and more) with generic USB-C ports. That’s fine, but what if you have a wired printer or mouse or external SSD? You’ll need to connect it to your laptop, and you might need the right physical port connector.
If you have a fast external SSD or hard drive, the external throughput will certainly help you get the most out of your peripheral. And if you want to connect multiple displays, you’ll need a USB-C hub (and preferably a docking station) with support for two display connectors.
2.
How do I know whether to buy a USB-C hub or a Thunderbolt docking station?
USB-C hubs and Thunderbolt docks use the same physical USB-C connection. A USB-C port (and USB-C hub or dongle) use a basic 10Gbps connection, while a Thunderbolt port increases the throughput to 40Gbps. Ideally, you should see a small “lightning bolt” icon signal a Thunderbolt port, while an unmarked port may be just a generic USB-C port.
Manufacturers, though, aren’t forced to label their ports. Your best bet is to haul out your laptop’s manual and check.
Thunderbolt docks will only work with a Thunderbolt connection. You can buy a USB-C hub or dongle and connect it to a Thunderbolt port, but it will only run at the 10Gbps speed.
3.
USB-C hubs, dongles, and docking stations: what’s the difference?
I use hubs and dongles interchangeably to describe the small devices that hang off your USB-C port with a short cable. A docking station is generally large and heavy enough that it will remain on your desk. Virtually all Thunderbolt devices are large enough to be considered docking stations.
You can buy USB-C docking stations that lack Thunderbolt connections, but those are a bit rarer. A docking station also usually includes a charger so you can use it instead of your laptop charger. I also associate a docking station as something that resides on your desk, all the time.
4.
My laptop has USB4, not Thunderbolt. Can I use a Thunderbolt dock?
USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 are functionally the same. Intel refuses to certify non-Intel platforms like AMD’s Ryzen for Thunderbolt, and the Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips are in the same boat. Those two PC platforms use USB4 docking stations instead.
USB-C hubs work with basically anything with a USB-C port on it. Don’t worry about those at all.
5.
How do I know whether to buy Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5?
Thunderbolt 3 docking stations have been largely phased out, though you’ll need to hunt one down if your laptop is equipped with Thunderbolt 3. Otherwise, Thunderbolt 4 is the default standard, while Thunderbolt 5 is reserved for Macs and some Windows gaming laptops.
You can buy a Thunderbolt 5 dock if your laptop supports just Thunderbolt 4, but you won’t see the full benefits of it until your laptop supports Thunderbolt 5, too. Put another way, Thunderbolt 5 supports up to 80GB/s and in some cases 120GB/s data throughput. A Thunderbolt 4 laptop connected to a Thunderbolt 5 dock will transfer data at Thunderbolt 4 (40GB/s) speeds.
On the other hand, you’ll need both pieces (a dock and laptop) to support TB5, so upgrading the dock during a Prime Day sale in anticipation of upgrading your laptop down the road isn’t a bad idea.
6.
Some of these docks have had bad reviews on shopping sites. Why?
While Macs adopted Thunderbolt first, some of the M1-based Macs couldn’t keep up with Intel Thunderbolt controllers used by Windows PCs, and the Apple MacOS experience suffered as a result. If you see a negative comment, try and determine if it’s a Windows user making it. The experience may be totally different. With Apple’s adoption of Thunderbolt 5, however, some of those complaints have gone away.
7.
Are the best Thunderbolt dock and USB-C dongle October Prime Day deals at Amazon?
Historically, yes. I check other sites, but over the past few years Amazon has consistently offered the best deals on these two product categories. That’s not always the case; Best Buy, for example, is often very competitive in Chromebooks.
Your phone can play games. You already know this if you’ve perused an app store in the last 15 years, or seen the absolute dregs of YouTube advertising. But did you know that your phone can play PC games?
And I don’t mean an emulated build of Age of Empires that looked old even running on Windows XP. I mean new Steam games, downloaded from your own Steam account, played right on your phone.
This is a super-cool development, using a lot of the same tech that makes the Linux-based Steam Deck play nice (ha!) with Windows games. But as you might expect, it’s also a bit janky.
Full access to local Steam games in an Android app
The tool in question is called GameHub, an app from accessory company GameSir, which has at least been around for a while. That means this isn’t some sketchy, fly-by-night operation. And sadly, it’s only for Android at the moment—sorry iPhone users, this is predictably a little more hackery than Apple is comfortable with.
GameSir
GameHub is an app that interfaces with Steam (and other game stores, including Epic Games Store), downloads full-fat PC games to your Android phone’s local storage, and plays them using a flavor of the Proton compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run on Android and Arm hardware. You launch the app, log into Steam, download games, then play them—it’s all fairly straightforward. You even get access to cloud saves, if they’re supported by said games.
That said, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that playing PC games locally on an Android device comes with lots of issues. The good news is that it works; the bad news is that it doesn’t work with everything. I loaded the app up on my Galaxy Z6 Fold—a fairly powerful phone, though a couple of years old now—to do some testing.
Testing out old and new games
Predictably, low-power 2D games work the best here. I was able to get my favorite short break game, 20 Minutes Till Dawn, downloaded and running without any hiccups. This is a minimal 2D game based on the Unity engine—it’d probably be pretty easy to get an Android port made, if the developer wanted one.
Flanne
Hades 2 is a bit of a midpoint for this test. Technically, the gameplay is all 2D, but there are up to a dozen or so polygonal models going over the 2D background at any given time, plus a lot of effects, some pretty serious high-res sprites, and voice acting.
The game eventually downloaded and played on my phone, but for some reason GameHub kept trying to download the demo version at first. It took several tries to get it up and running, and when I did, it could only go at about 30 to 45 frames per second once combat started. That’s certainly playable, but far from ideal.
SuperGiant
Then I tried Absolum, a wonderful 2D beat-em-up from last year. With all-2D gameplay, it should do at least as well as Hades 2. Maybe even better. Yet… it wouldn’t launch at all. Dang.
Alright, let’s go for some older titles then. Skyrim is an obvious choice, which has been re-released a dozen times and runs fine on the 10-year-old Arm-based Nintendo Switch. It downloads and launches, though getting through the pre-load screen requires you to use the phone screen as a touchpad. Once launched, I’m in the familiar interface and running at 60 frames per second. Nice!
Bethesda
Another classic 3D favorite of mine is Just Cause 2, and it has about the same technical requirements as Skyrim. So I downloaded it and… it won’t launch. Bummer.
Time to try the hardest test here: my favorite current obsession that’s also a visual treat, Dead as Disco. (Incidentally, this one works fine on handheld gaming PCs.) It’s a full-power Unreal Engine 5 game, but it only needs a few gigs of storage. I loaded it up… and it demanded a Visual C++ component—an Arm64 one, for a bit of additional insult.
Michael Crider / Foundry
So yeah, playing any particular game you want via GameHub is a bit of a crapshoot. Older games and 2D games are much more likely to work well, though a few more recent ones should also be playable.
It’s a bad time to be a PC gamer, but this is a passable solution for now
The GameHub app and interface itself is surprisingly good. You can browse all of Steam and Epic and see which games are in your personal library, and a “compatibility” rating for most games shows you how likely it is that it’ll actually run.
The app offers touchscreen controls, too, if you’re feeling masochistic. But it obviously works best with an attached controller. I connected an 8BitDo Bluetooth model that I’ve used and enjoyed for a couple of years, and had no issues—the games read it as a standard Xbox-style input.
GameSir
GameHub also offers a lot of tweaking if you want to invest some time and effort into trying to get games to work. For example, I tried three different GPU drivers to see if I could get Absolum to launch. (It still didn’t launch, but I appreciate the option to tinker, and the 1.7-star compatibility rating was verified.) You can even add Steam game shortcuts to your phone’s home screen, if you’re so inclined.
Is GameHub an alternative to a Steam Deck? Absolutely not. But GameHub is free, works with the phone and the games you already own, and gives you a portable option that doesn’t rely on cloud streaming. If you happen to own and enjoy at least one of the games that work well with the system—and I fully admit that that’s a big if—it’s a good way to play on the go without spending four figures on extra hardware.
OpenAI unveiled several flashy new features during its annual developer’s conference Tuesday, from the always-on “Dot” work agent to a new, cloud-based security system that keeps constant watch for cyber threats. But one of the biggest — and to many ChatGPT users, the most infuriating — headlines from DevDay wasn’t announced on stage.
The news centered around the $200-a-month ChatGPT Pro 200 plan, which the company had paused for new signups earlier this month due to demand for GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI’s most powerful and token-hungry model.
First, the good news: OpenAI said it was taking new signups for the Pro 200 plan again. The not-so-great news? The plan’s relative usage limits compared to the $20-a-month ChatGPT Plus plan were being greatly reduced.
Welcome to another edition of Prompt Mode, your weekly AI newsletter.
I’m your host, Ben Patterson. Each week on Prompt Mode, I’ll be serving up analysis of the AI trends that matter to everyday users like you and me. Stay tuned for practical AI tips, hands-on experiences with the latest AI tools, and–you guessed it–prompts to help you get the most out of your AI assistants.
Previously, the Pro 200 plan got you 20 times more usage than Plus plan, but according to a rough chart shared by OpenAI’s Thibault Sottiaux on X, the $200-a-month Pro plan will now only offer 10 times the usage limits of Plus, a 50-percent reduction. (Existing Pro subscribers are getting a brief grace period along with usage credits to smooth things over.)
OK, so why is this happening? Sottauix, the Head of Core Products at OpenAI, served up a few different explanations, including the debut of new DevDay functionality that demand “a lot of compute,” while noting that OpenAI passed on the chance to “compromise in other ways,” including the reintroduction of a rolling five-hour usage limit.
More importantly, Sottauix pointed out the recent 50-percent API rate cut for two of its newer and more efficient models, GPT-6 Sol (which already has a successor in GPT-6.1 Sol) and GPT-6 Luna. (API rates are essentially pay-as-you-go, versus opting for a flat subscription rate.)
“We don’t want to put an incentive on ourselves to artificially inflate the API list prices to make it look like [subscribers] are getting a lot (and workaround it through discounts, etc),” Sottauix wrote. “Instead we want to continue to both rapidly reduce prices and increase capabilities of models on the API.”
The result for Pro 200 subscribers getting their usage limits chopped in half is essentially a wash, although as Sottauix promises, “we guarantee that over time you always get more work done and with an increasing level of quality … as a result of models getting more efficient.” Sottauix also hinted at the addition of “more things to the subscription that won’t draw on the usage,” which turned out to include chats with OpenAI’s new Dot assistants.
Still, the changes to OpenAI’s Pro 200 plan point to a trend we’ve been tracking for months: namely, the big AI providers endlessly tinkering with their flat-rate subscription plans to keep pace with ever-changing and increasingly powerful AI features, particularly the token-heavy agentic ones. Expect more of the same in the weeks and months to come.
More in AI this week
Here’s more about ChatGPT’s Dots, which are geared less toward home use and shopping and more toward collaborating at the office. [PCWorld]
Google finally took the wraps on its revamped frontier Gemini model, Gemini 4 Aragon. Google-provided benchmarks look impressive, but the new model is being limited to “trusted testers” before rolling out to the general public. [Google]
Gemini Gems are going away, but Gemini skills — which were formerly reserved for paying Gemini Spark users — are replacing them, and they’ll now work for free users. [PCWorld]
President Trump has announced a “morally binding” accord with AI leaders over safety, while announcing that artificial intelligence should henceforth be called “super intelligence.” I’ll just leave it at that. [Reuters]
Bill Gates sat down for Ezra Klein’s podcast to expand on his AI worries. If you’re looking for reassurance about AI apocalypse fears, you won’t find much here. [New York Times]
Meta’s Muse AI agent has run headlong into various privacy snafus, including one in which it sent the home address of a user (who had asked Muse to take charge of his Facebook Marketplace account) to a complete stranger. [The Verge]
Prompt of the week: The “don’t build until I say” prompt
Claude Sonnet 5.5 has arrived, and with it comes a prompt that could help keep any AI agent from leaping into action before making a plan first.
The prompt, which comes directly from Claude maker Anthropic, concerns “open-ended” requests, including those that don’t strictly define boundaries for what the AI should and shouldn’t do.
Specifically, the prompt can help keep Sonnet and other AI models from spinning up charts, videos, and other “artifacts” when all you really wanted was just a plan.
That’s all for now!
Thanks for reading the latest issue of Prompt Mode.
Want more next week? Don’t forget to sign up to start receiving this newsletter in your inbox.
The Full Nerd podcast has been running for over a decade here at PCWorld, and this month marks a big shift for the show as we transition from broadcasting in the studio to doing it all online.
The main reason? Our own Adam Patrick Murray has left California and decamped to North Carolina, so getting him back in the studio every week would get expensive fast. We just don’t have that kind of budget for plane tickets, so instead we’re doing what most podcast crews do these days and switching to a fully remote arrangement.
Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the surprising topics on our YouTube show or the latest news from across the web? You’re in the right place.
Doing so marks the end of an era for The Full Nerd, and while I regret we won’t be recording the podcast here at the PCWorld offices any more, the silver lining is that this transition will enable us to be more flexible with the show—and perhaps create more exciting opportunities to do cool things down the road, once Adam gets settled in his new home.
We actually started recording the show fully remotely last week, and we took a break from recording this week so Adam can focus on his cross-country move. But before he took off he made time to shoot a behind-the-scenes tour of The Full Nerd studio, and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re a fan!
Adam shares a lot of fun anecdotes and stories about the construction of the set and the early days of the show, not to mention lots of close-up shots of all the cool tech that lines the walls of the studio.
Check it out if you want to learn why we call this set the “garage” around the office, why there’s a GIF of Gordon eternally running in the background of The Full Nerd and how Adam left his mark on Intel’s 9900K CPU. Also, there’s a quick look at some super-rare hardware we keep on the set, including the old Maximum PC Dream Machines and one of AMD’s super-rare “Project Quantum” NUC competitors!
It’s a fun watch, and one that’s personally meaningful for me since I’ve sat in to record episodes of The Full Nerd on occasion and now regularly shoot videos in the same studio. This is also my second time working at PCWorld after leaving in 2013 to go do other things, and when I came back I was shocked at how thoroughly Adam and the PCWorld team transformed what was once a sterile white studio into such a warm, inviting space.
So while you pour one out for the decade of fun we had recording The Full Nerd out of the garage, I hope you’ll join me in getting excited for what the next chapter of the show can bring now that we aren’t shackled to a studio in San Francisco. Nothing else is changing, of course, so look forward to your regular Full Nerd cohosts Adam Patrick Murray, Brad Chacos, and Alaina Yee coming back at you next week with another great episode!
In this week’s episode of The Full Nerd
…nothing happened, because there was no episode of The Full Nerd this week! We took a week off and will be back at it next week, but if you’re itching to hear from your favorite nerds you can also check out our YouTube playlist of every episode ever recorded.
We’ll also continue to record videos out of the old studio for the PCWorld YouTube channel, so make sure to subscribe if you want to keep hangin’ in the garage with us!
Nerd news of the week
PC component prices are still out of control, but it’s not all doom and gloom out there! Here’s a few of the most interesting stories I’ve seen this week:
Intel patent outlines embedding MicroLEDs directly into CPU package: This could go nowhere, but it sure sounds like Intel has sorted out how to embed microLEDs into chips in a way that lets them light up to communicate issues or just look cool. Personally I’m not a big fan of LEDs on components inside my PC (why does my RAM need underlighting when I never see it?) but this still seems neat!
Google attempts to launch satellite and escape data center backlash: Didja hear about this? Google’s apparently lashing a fridge-sized server box to a rocket and shooting it into orbit this week to test the feasilibity of putting our data centers in orbit instead of on Earth.
The Ethernet spec was first drafted on this day in 1980: I had no idea the Ethernet spec was older than I am, but apparently it’s true! I also learned that the RJ45 port we all know and love (especially when gaming online) first showed up a decade later in 1990, which is sort of amazing when you consider it’s still a valued port on desktops and laptops nearly forty years later.
AMD acquires World Labs AI startup, upping the ante against Nvidia: AMD is set to fork out an estimated $8 billion to acquire a company that employs AI to build virtual spaces that simulate the physical world. Nvidia has already been pushing this kind of tech for use doing things like training robot cars how to drive or teaching robot workers how to navigate a warehouse, and now it seems AMD is getting in on the action. Hopefully we don’t see both companies pull back from enthusiast hardware to focus on selling AI tech to big businesses.
That’s it for your Full Nerd newsletter this week! Until next week, be sure to bookmark PCWorld and keep an eye on the YouTube channel for our latest videos out of the garage. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website!
This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.
Windows Search is fine, I guess. But Flow Launcher is a much quicker way to get around. While regular Windows Search can be slow with hit-or-miss results, Flow Launcher optimizes search results and uses keyboard shortcuts to navigate—and shortcuts are just better.
At its core, Flow Launcher is a free, open-source app launcher for Windows. By pressing Alt + Space, a small search box appears, allowing you to open apps, find files, jump to Windows settings, open bookmarks, and more–all without clicking a thing.
You can even use it to search the web. If you type an internet query into Flow Launcher, it’ll send you straight to whichever search engine you’ve set as your default, saving you the extra step of opening a browser first.
Power users will find tons of customization options as well. There’s a big library of plugins and tools that integrate with most popular apps such as Obsidian, Steam games, Spotify, GitHub, and plenty more.
Speeding up Windows Search might not sound life-changing, and I thought the same thing before testing it, but trust me when I say it makes a huge difference. After using Flow Launcher for a while, I don’t plan to go back.
For more fun and helpful tips, tricks, website and app recommendations, be sure to subscribe to our PCWorld Try This newsletter.
TL;DR: Compare answers from 20+ AI models in one dashboard with a lifetime ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan, on sale for $54.97 (reg. $619).
Every AI model has different strengths, and figuring out which one to trust for a given task takes a lot of trial and error. A ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan lifetime subscription puts more than 20 models on hand in one place, and it’s on sale for $54.97 (reg. $619) through Oct. 4.
Type one prompt, and ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity, and others answer at once in side-by-side windows. You keep the response that fits and skip the rest. That works for drafting a project brief, cleaning up a spreadsheet formula, or building a weekly workout plan.
Uploads help with more detailed work. You can chat with images and PDFs to get answers based on your own files, and saved chat history keeps ongoing projects together. Prompt engineering tools sharpen a request before you send it, and AI image generation creates visuals for slides or social posts.
Unlimited Plan members get unlimited messages per month under a fair use policy, plus priority access to new features and future models. ChatPlayground works in the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, though internet search isn’t available. You’ll need to redeem your code within 30 days of purchase.
Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year, and there’s no guarantee it won’t go up later. If you don’t want to get stuck paying for the same apps year after year, you can now switch to a lifetime license for Microsoft Office Pro 2021. You get stable versions of many of the same apps, and it only costs $29.97 on sale (reg. $219.99).
Your license includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, plus the free version of Teams. Office 2021 lets you customize fonts, layouts, and indentation straight from the ribbon, so formatting a report or an email takes fewer clicks. Updates are included, every language is supported, and no monthly or yearly fees ever show up on your card.
This is Office 2021, not Microsoft 365, and Microsoft ties the license to your PC instead of your Microsoft account. You can use it at home or at work. You’ll need Windows 10 or 11 because Windows 7 and 8 aren’t supported, and this version won’t run in Parallels or other virtual machines.
Your code and download link arrive by email right after purchase, and you have 7 days to redeem them.
TL;DR:AcePDF Converter & Editor handles PDF conversion, editing, OCR, and form building on Windows and Mac for a one-time $23.97 (MSRP $99.99).
Most PDF editors either charge a monthly fee or only handle one job well. AcePDF Converter & Editor is a lifetime license on sale during Deal Days, PCWorld’s answer to Prime Day, that does conversion, editing, and OCR in one app.
On the conversion side, AcePDF batch-processes PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, and image formats while keeping the original layouts and hyperlinks intact. Going the other direction, you can merge Word docs, spreadsheets, and images into a single PDF in a few clicks.
OCR is built in, so scanned documents become editable text without a separate tool. Beyond conversion, AcePDF lets you merge, split, compress, rotate, and password-protect files. A form builder rounds things out, letting you create fillable PDFs with text fields, checkboxes, and annotations from scratch. Both the Windows and Mac versions now support the full feature set, and one license covers two devices. AcePDF holds a 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Stop paying monthly for a PDF editor you barely use.
PDF files are a necessary component of our multi-platform world. With this convenient file format, users are able to view and share documents across various devices, using various operating systems and software programs.
While tasks such as simple viewing and/or commenting on a PDF can be accomplished with free software, there are times when you need a broader range of tools for working with a PDF document. You might want to make edits, reorganize the elements of a file, or collaborate with others to make changes. In cases such as these, you’re better served by a full-featured PDF editor.
The best PDF editors allow you to edit, create, alter, and convert PDF files just like you would with any other text document. Adobe’s Acrobat Pro is full-featured PDF editor, and probably the most well known. Adobe has earned its renown honestly with an excellent feature set and overall utility. But it’s also expensive.
Fortunately, there’s a whole range of capable and even great third-party PDF editors that provide less pricey alternatives to Adobe’s premier product.
PROMOTION
EaseUS PDF Editor – Edit, Convert, Compress & Protect PDFs
Integrate PDF maker, PDF editor, PDF converter, and PDF reader in one full pack with all the basics you need. The clean interface simplifies your PDF work to edit, convert, comment, annotate, merge, split, background, page, watermark, sign PDFs, or fill forms. Your PDF workloads are down by batch processing efficiently.
Our picks below cover the gamut of PDF editing needs and budgets.
Why you should trust PCWorld for PDF editor reviews and buying advice: At PCWorld, we’ve been testing PC hardware and software for over 40 years. Our evaluation process is always hands-on and thorough, taking into account real-world usage needs. We don’t ever recommend something we wouldn’t be comfortable using ourselves.
Adobe Acrobat Pro – Best PDF editor overall
Pros
Easily navigable tabbed interface
Comprehensive PDF editing features
Streamlined sharing feature makes it easier to fill documents and get signatures
Cons
Rich feature set can be overwhelming for new users
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Adobe Acrobat Pro remains the industry standard for good reason. Its rich combination of creation, editing, reviewing, and security features are mimicked by the best alternative options, but we feel Acrobat still does it best. Its recent interface redesign makes it much easier to navigate through its robust toolset than the nested menus of yore, and its cloud subscription option puts its advanced features within reach of more individuals and small businesses. (See how it compares to the Adobe Acrobat Standard.)
Though many of its features are available in other, cheaper PDF editors, Acrobat is still the editor against which all others are judged. Not surprisingly, Acrobat Pro includes an Al assistant, albeit not at an additional $4.99 per month. Depending on your PDF editing needs, the AI’s ability to summarize, answer questions, or extract key details from documents could earn its keep in valuable time saved. See our article on “5 ways Adobe Acrobat’s AI Assistant gives you a productivity edge.”
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
A fully featured PDF editor that can go toe-to-toe with Acrobat Pro’s feature set, Nitro PDF is a less costly alternative by about $60 per year. The Standard plan’s subscription fee is $15 a month, or $180 per year. Its full suite of PDF editing features cover the range of needs and scenarios: content editing; review and markup; form fill and signing; and multiple security options for sensitive documents including permissions, password protection, and data redaction. It even facilitates adding, removing, and editing bates numbering in legal documents.
A Microsoft Office-style ribbon interface makes workflows feel familiar and intuitive. The addition of AI is judicious, and can provide practical assistance such as by summarizing PDFs and allowing you to ask questions about content.
But don’t just take our word for Nitro PDF’s impressive capabilities. You can learn that first hand by taking advantage of Nitro PDF’s 14-day free trial. No credit card is required and none of the features are locked — there’s nothing like a test drive to persuade you.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
EaseUS PDF Editor might not have the name recognition of some of the other editors on this list, but it’s more than capable of holding its own in the crowded PDF editor market. It provides all of the essential tools for managing PDF files without any of the elaborate or hard-to-understand features. It allows users to jump right in to their toolset and get straight to editing.
While EaseUS’s features are great, they are also pretty standard fare among PDF editors. What makes it stand out among the pack is its affordable price—$29.95 a month, $49.95 annually, or $79.95 for a lifetime license. It’s a great value for those who regularly edit PDFs and don’t want to pay out the nose.
EaseUS also offers a fully functional free version (with embedded watermarks on your edited documents) so users can take it for a spin to see if it meets their needs before they commit to paying any money.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
PDF Candy is the rare free PDF editor that offers a lot of the features you’d typically have to pay for. We’re talking scanning, multiple file-conversion options, and OCR functionality. A whopping 98 tools in all. This is what makes PDF Candy stand out among the multitude of lesser free PDF editors.
Of course, being free, there are compromises. In this case, the interface is a little disjointed, with the tool icons lacking any discernible organizing principle. But once you get familiar with the layout, you’re off and running.
There’s also the fact of being limited to one PDF task per hour with the free version. This is a non-issue if your needs are modest and consist of the occasional PDF editing task. If you want unfettered access, you need to shell out $6 per month, or $48 per year.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
PDF Expert is an excellent editor that fits seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem, making it our pick for Macs, iPads, and iPhone users.
While macOS does include a PDF editor in its Preview app, iOS devices don’t have a native PDF editor and PDF Expert fills that gap nicely.
It has a clean and intuitive interface and offers a plethora of easy-to-use editing options such as page management, converting scanned files into editable documents, and conversion to other file formats, among other things. The pricing plan is also considerably cheaper than most of the other top picks, meaning this is a no-brainer for Apple users.
In its latest iteration, PDF Expert includes and AI-powered chat assistant that can be particularly helpful with long or complex documents. For example, it can extract key points, summarize information, and generate hashtags as a navigation aid.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Mac users needn’t look beyond the macOS for their PDF editing needs, since there is a full set of PDF markup tools already available at their disposal in Apple Preview. It has the chops to handle most personal and business PDF editing needs, including encryption, password protection, and permissions for files.
Apple Preview’s PDF features and capabilities are impressive and should be all you need for most common editing tasks. The drawback, of course, is that only Mac users can take advantage of them.
Price When Reviewed:
Basic: $8 per month; Plus: $12 per month; Premium: $15 per month. Those prices require an annual commitment. Prices start at $20 a month with no commitment.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
pdfFiller is a browser-based PDF editor that allows you do to just about everything PDF-related—editing, securing, sharing, creating, and storing PDF files—all from its intuitive and simple web interface.
Its design is similar to a desktop app, with the toolbar across the top, and document thumbnails along the side, so it’s very easy to select the page you want to work on and perform the desired function, be it adding, deleting, or copying/pasting text; changing font style, size, and color; and so on. A standard set of markup tools is also available. It has a surprisingly deep set of features for both personal and business use. For instance the Premium plan offers an impressive legal document library, as well as SignNow support.
While incredibly versatile, not all of pdfFiller’s advanced features will suit everyone. Fortunately, there are three subscription tiers, which gives users a way to meet their editing needs without paying extra for unnecessary features: Basic for $8/mo; Plus for $12/mo; Premium for $15/mo with an annual commitment. Month-to-month options are also available, but at a higher cost, of course.
MyPDFTools: This handy, free PDF toolkit offers easy and effective basics, but more demanding jobs expose some limitations.
Swifdoo PDF for Windows: This full-featured, low-priced Acrobat alternative should serve most users well, with most everything you’d need for editing PDFs.
MobiPDF: Budget buyers will find a lot to like about PDF Extra. It offers good basic-to-intermediate PDF functionality that will please both casual and professional users, for a fraction of the cost of pinnacle program Adobe Acrobat Pro.
PDF24 Creator: This is a capable free editor that comes in handy for casual use, but if you need a program for more regular editing duties, PDF24 Creator has annoyances that will hinder its helpfulness.
PDF-XChange Editor: Another full-featured PDF editor that will fulfill most editing needs for a reasonable price. It also offers a respectable free version, if you can accept its watermarks.
Kofax Power PDF 5: This is a close alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro with essential and advanced editing tools and lots of help resources, making it suitable for old hands and those new to PDF editing.
Who curated this article?
Michael Ansaldo is PCWorld’s primary PDF reviewer. He’s a veteran tech journalist who has been reviewing and writing about hardware, software, and services for a variety of publications including TechHive, Wired, Macworld, Mac|Life, Mobile Magazine, Enterprise.Nxt, Executive Travel, and others. He was formerly PCWorld’s Small Business Editor.
A word about online PDF editors
Why spend a chunk of change on a desktop editor when free online PDF editors abound? The simple answer is because you get what you pay for. Generally, free online editors will let you add text and comments, merge and split documents, and convert files to and from PDF. With rare exception, however, they won’t let you edit existing text and many have file-size and page-volume restrictions. And a lot of them will watermark your edited document. For these reasons, web PDF editors are best reserved for simple, fast editing jobs. Call in these big dogs for anything more demanding.
How to choose the best PDF editor
PDF editors come in a variety of flavors, offering varying feature sets—from basic functionality to power-user tools. It’s important to know what features best match your workflow before you commit to a PDF editor.
Create, convert, and export PDFs
The most fundamental function of a PDF editor is to make PDFs, either from scratch, scanned hard copies, or by converting digital documents. A good PDF editor should be able to transform a variety of file types—from Microsoft Office formats to images to HTML—and do so seamlessly, preserving the original formatting. It should also include OCR technology to make the PDF text searchable and editable. Likewise, a good PDF editor must be able to export PDFs into other editable formats such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain text, maintaining the original files hyperlinks, images, and other elements.
Content editing
Another bit of magic that PDF editors unlock is the ability to modify text; insert, resize, and move images; and reorganize pages in the PDF. A good one will perform these tasks as easily as in a text document or slide deck, allowing in-line editing, dragging-and dropping graphics, and adding or removing hyperlinks.
Review and annotate
A good PDF editor should also let you or anyone else using it add comments and other annotations to PDF files during review. It should have tools to mark up both text documents and graphic-heavy files like webpages. Common options include sticky notes, callout boxes, highlighting, freehand drawing tools, and stamps with messages like “approved,” “revised,” and “confidential.”
Security
All businesses deal with documents containing sensitive data. Look for a PDF editor that includes security features that allow access for authorized eyes only. Good options will usually offer several levels of security, including password protection, permissions setting, and content redaction, which “blacks out” selected text and images. Most PDF editors will also offer one or more ways to electronically sign documents.
Mobile support
While deep PDF editing is best done on a desktop, it’s nice to be able to review and annotate files when you’re out and about. While PDFs can typically be reviewed in any PDF reader or editor, regardless of which one they were created in, consider looking for an editor that has a dedicated mobile app, is optimized for mobile devices, or allows cloud access to features through a mobile browser.
One of the great things about a PDF is that it can be read and edited in any PDF program regardless of which one it was created in. So beyond the features outlined here, let your personal preferences guide you in making your decision.
FAQ
1.
What is the best PDF editor?
If you want a PDF editor that truly does it all, PCWorld’s pick is Adobe Acrobat Pro. It’s the industry standard for a reason. As a subscription-based product, you can count on it to always be up to date, in terms of patches and feature enhancements. That also grants you access to a mobile version that’s both robust and user friendly.
2.
What is the difference between a PDF document and a PDF form?
While there are a number of different types of PDF file formats, they all fall under the umbrella term of PDF documents. A PDF form is a type of PDF document that has editable form fields a user can fill out. Typically, parts of the document are static and can’t be changed in a PDF form, such as questions in a survey or instructions about filling out the form. In a PDF form, the content fields a user fills out are open to editing and can offer a list of possible answer options or can be written in freely.
3.
Are PDF documents and Word files different?
Yes. They are two entirely different document formats. While you can export from one file format to another, they are not the same. Word file formats are usually used for word processing, editing, and making changes to text. PDF documents on the other hand, are most often utilized for viewing, sharing, and printing. Additionally, Word files are read and write and contain some version of the “.doc” file format. Whereas PDF files are typically read-only and contain the “.pdf” file format.
4.
Can you protect PDF documents from being edited by other people?
Yes. If you have a PDF document that you don’t want anyone else to edit, you can protect the file. You can do this by opening the file in Acrobat, for instance, and clicking Tools > Protect. Then you have a few options as to whether you want to simply restrict editing with a password, or if you want to encrypt the file for further safety. Once you choose how you want to protect the PDF document, you can set a password and save.
5.
Can you merge PDFs with a free PDF editor?
As a matter of fact, many free PDF editors allow you to merge two or more PDFs into one document. Such is the case with our top free pick PDF Candy. Open up the PDF editor application or website in your browser and search for the Merge option. It will then ask you to add the files of all PDFs you wish to merge. Once the files have been added, arrange the page order and alignment before proceeding with the merge. Afterwards, all of your previously PDF files will be merged into one new PDF document.
6.
Does Google have a free PDF editor?
Yes and no. Google doesn’t provide a designated free PDF editor itself, but there are third-party Chrome extensions that you can use to help get the job done. Alternatively, you can make use of Google Drive to edit a PDF document. Simply upload the document onto your Google Drive and then select the file and right-click and select Open with > Google Docs. The file will be opened as an editable Google Docs text document. Then just make your edits and when you’re finished click File > Download >PDF Document to revert it back to a PDF file.
This method is a quick and easy way to edit a simple PDF document, but be careful as Google Docs can run into formatting issues if your original document has complex visual formatting such as tables and graphs. In this case, it is best to use a designated free or premium PDF editor.
Amazon is currently selling its 55-inch Ember 4K Smart TV for just $279.99, a 39% discount off its original $459.99 price. That matches the lowest price it’s ever been, representing a great deal in the days leading up to October Prime Day next week. If you want a feature-rich 4K TV for under $300, this is the deal you want to jump on.
What the Amazon Ember 4K TV offers
This Amazon Ember TV (model 4K55N402) has a large 55-inch screen with ultra-high-def 3840×2160 4K resolution, complete with HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG support, ensuring greater contrast and rendering of dark areas. You’ll notice the difference when watching compatible streaming content.
With Direct LED backlighting and a 60Hz refresh rate, it’s great for well-lit rooms and sufficient for everyday TV, movies, and gaming. If you’re a serious gamer, you may want to opt for a more specialist model with 120Hz, 144Hz, or even 165Hz of refresh instead. As for audio, the built-in speakers support Dolby Audio and suffice for standard fare. If you’re picky about audio, maybe supplement with an Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus.
Between the quad-core processor and updated Fire OS, the Ember 4-Series delivers a smoother experience, faster app launches, more responsive menus and interfaces, and shorter content load times. It’s especially noticeable when streaming high-resolution content and cloud gaming. Fire OS offers access to platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video, plus free ad-supported content. The Alexa Voice Remote makes it easier to search for content, bypassing the need to use on-screen keyboards.
One extra cool feature is Ambient TV Mode, which can passively display photos and/or 2,000+ free works of art. It’s activated via ambient sensors that detect when people are in the room, at which point the TV becomes a decorative display instead of a flat, black screen. But you’ll need to keep the TV in standby rather than shutting it off when not in use.
Is this the right deal for you?
Reception for the 55-inch Amazon Ember 4-Series Smart TV is generally positive, with a 4.2 rating across 1,800+ reviews. Most of the praise is for its overall value, simple setup, 4K picture quality, vivid contrast, and user-friendly interface. 55-inch 4K TVs typically only fall under the $300 mark during big sales events, so now’s your opportunity.
This TV is best suited as an entry-level 4K option for avid streamers, casual gamers, and those who want the decorative atmosphere offered by Ambient TV Mode. It’s not the best choice for users who have high gaming demands, for home cinema enthusiasts who expect peak brightness and premium black levels, or for picky audiophiles. It’s also not a good fit if you want to avoid the Fire TV ecosystem that’s heavily integrated into the TV.
There’s a particular kind of frustration that anyone juggling meetings, classes, or creative projects knows well: the good idea that slipped away because you were too busy talking to write it down, the client detail buried somewhere in a call, the lecture point you meant to revisit but never found again. Information isn’t usually lost because we weren’t paying attention—it’s lost because it was never captured in a form we could actually use later.
Soulog Sense, the new AI Voice Recorder with a Personal Context System from Soulog, is built around that exact problem. Rather than treating recording as an end in itself, it treats a recording as raw material—something to be understood, connected, and turned into an output you can act on.
Capture First, Think Later
The device itself is designed to disappear into daily life. At just 0.124 inch (3.15mm) thick, Soulog Sense is slim enough to sit magnetically on a compatible phone or case. Before the first recording, users activate the device in the Soulog App. After that, recording starts with a simple physical sequence: slide the Power Switch up to turn on the device, then flip the Recording Switch up to start and down to stop and save the file. The dedicated power switch also gives users full hardware control when they want the device truly off. With more than 50 hours of continuous recording on a full charge, it’s built to keep pace with a packed week of meetings, classes, or travel rather than needing constant attention.
Soulog
One of Soulog Sense’s more thoughtful features is 30-Minute Live Rewind. Off by default, it must be enabled in the Soulog App while the device is on. Once active, pressing and holding the multifunction button saves up to the previous 30 minutes of audio—useful when a casual conversation becomes worth keeping before anyone thinks to start record. Live Rewind cannot retrieve audio from before the feature was enabled. As with any recording feature, users should make participants aware and comply with applicable recording and consent laws.
Soulog
From Recording to Understanding
What sets Soulog Sense apart isn’t just what it captures, but what happens afterward. Powered by Soulog APP, from Capture → Structure → Understand → Connect → Create → Publish, the system doesn’t just transcribe—it works to understand meaning, connect related context across sessions, and generate structured outputs like summaries, key points, action items, owners, and open questions. Unlimited transcription spans more than 120 languages, with support for Vocabulary Management so specialized vocabulary doesn’t get lost in translation.
Soulog
For professionals tracking client calls or project meetings, Speaker Recognition can recognize and label registered voices—supporting one primary user and up to nine additional profiles, all encrypted and used only with the registered person’s permission. For students and researchers, that same structure helps turn a semester’s worth of lectures into organized, searchable material instead of a pile of disconnected files.
Perhaps Soulog’s most distinctive feature is its Personal Context System, which brings related recordings, images, and files together as a connected body of context. A creator can combine interview clips with reference notes, a traveler can organize voice memos alongside trip photos, and a consultant can bring together research from multiple client calls. Instead of searching through hours of audio for one useful moment, users can ask questions across that accumulated material and trace the response back to its source.
Built for How People Actually Work
Soulog
Soulog Sense won’t do the thinking for you—it’s a tool for keeping personal context connected so you don’t have to reconstruct it later. For the professional moving between calls, the parent trying to hold onto small family moments, the student trying to truly listen instead of transcribe, or the creative chasing an idea before it disappears, that connection is the point. Capture what matters. Let Soulog keep it together. Turn it into something you can use.
After a recording is completed, the Soulog app can generate transcripts in 120+ languages and, depending on the plan, apply features such as Speaker Recognition, Vocabulary Management, structured AI summaries, and actionable insights. Unlimited transcription and 30-Minute Live Rewind are available on the Free plan. Other advanced features vary by subscription tier and can be explored through a seven-day Pro trial. Check the current plan details for the exact features included.
Order now for a limited-time discount
Soulog Sense retails for $139.99 in the U.S. From September 28 through October 28, 2026, all users can receive 20% off, bringing the early-bird price to $111.99.
October Prime Day (officially known as “Prime Big Deal Days”) is coming next week! If you missed out on June’s Prime Day, this is your chance to snag a bunch of stuff on sale—hopefully stuff that’s already in your cart, waiting for you to pull the trigger.
Prime Big Deal Days runs Tuesday, October 6th to Wednesday, October 7th. But if you have cash to spend right now and you want to score some early deals ahead of the big event, here are some of the coolest tech deals I’ve spotted in the days leading up.
Who is this for?These USB-C cables are built for anyone juggling multiple devices that charge via USB-C—so that’s pretty much everyone. Rated for up to 100W, these can fast-charge most non-gaming laptops, plus they’re handy for phones, tablets, and all your smaller gadgets.
Why is this deal good? At $8.99 for two cables, this is the best price we’ve seen in months, allowing you to stock up on cables and never worry again that you’ve grabbed an older, slower cable. What else costs you only $5 a pop and offers this much day-to-day utility?
Who is this for? The compact Baseus 45W Travel Power Bank is the perfect portable charger for students, commuters, and anyone who goes on a lot of day trips. It measures 4.3 x 2.6 inches—slightly larger than a credit card—with a thickness of 1.2 inches, so you can easily slip it into a bag or pocket. With two built-in USB-C cables, you don’t have to carry any with you. It also has extra USB-C and USB-A ports, so you can charge up to 4 devices at once (though note the 45W power will get split between all used ports).
Why is this deal good? At $29.97, this Baseus power bank is back down to its lowest ever price. Between its 20,000mAh capacity, fast 45W charging, built-in cables, and compact size, you’re getting a ton of value at this price. The only things missing are wireless charging (rare) and laptop-capable charging speeds (much more expensive).
Who is this for? The Acemagic M5 mini PC is aimed at anyone who wants plenty of processing power in a tiny format. With an Intel Core 5 CPU, 24GB of RAM, and a sizeable 512GB SSD, this tiny machine can handle your daily workload easily—and it won’t choke on Windows 11. The RAM and storage are upgradeable too, meaning you can make it even more powerful in a few years (if hardware prices ever come down).
Why is this a good deal? Ahead of Prime Day, this $900 mini PC is a steal with the $250+ in discounts via promos that brings its price lower than you can see on the product page. The configuration is great and the fact that you can enjoy a triple display setup with such a tiny PC is amazing.
Who is this for? Literally anyone with a laptop or handheld gaming device. The AOC 16T20 is a 16-inch 1080p IPS display that can hook up via Mini HDMI or USB-C video. Use it to add a second screen to your laptop whether you’re working at a cafe or waiting out an airport layover, then watch Netflix on it or use it with your Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch to play on a bigger screen. It’s so versatile, it’s pretty much a must-have in 2026.
Why is this a good deal? A 16-inch 1080p portable monitor used to set you back nearly $100, and you can still pay way over that amount with a brand like Asus. Even now, you’d normally expect to pay around $60 on sale. AOC is a budget brand but not a trash brand, and snagging a decent portable monitor for under $50 is a downright steal. It even comes with a smart cover that doubles as a stand. The only downside? Only a USB-C charging cable is included, no Mini HDMI or USB-C video cables.
Who is this for?This Anker 14-in-1 dock is built for anyone who needs a single hub to manage multiple monitors, charge several devices at once, and move data fast. It looks sleek on any desk while providing an easy way to plug all your gear into your laptop even if you’re stuck with a single USB-C port. This dock features four USB-C ports, five USB-A ports, two HDMI 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and an audio jack.
Why is this deal good? At $169.99, down from $269.99, you’re saving $100 on a premium dock that’ll transform your laptop workstation. The 160W total output across four simultaneous charging ports is a game-changer if you’re always juggling multiple wireless devices.
Who is this for? The iRobot Roomba 115X is a strong fit for anyone who wants a little bit of extra help keeping the floors in tip-top shape even when they’re busy. It has 15,000 Pa suction and a microfiber mop pad that tackles both dry debris and light floor smudges in one pass. Mop pads aren’t the best robotic mopping option out there, but better options would cost you about 10 times more.
Why is this deal good? This $180 discount slashes the price of this Roomba by more than half—an excellent budget-friendly price to pay for a vacuum and mop 2-in-1 helper. With four suction levels plus app and voice control, this early Prime Day deal is a smart buy.
Who is this for? The Fire TV Stick 4K Select is a great pick for anyone who wants to upgrade a basic TV with streaming capabilities at a dirt-cheap price. It’s the cheapest 4K streaming stick in Amazon’s Fire TV lineup, granting access to the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ in glorious 4K. All you need is an HDMI port.
Why is this deal good? You’re getting all that for just $18! Given that Amazon recently bumped up the prices of all its Fire TV devices (citing the global RAM and storage shortage that’s impacting all consumer electronics), this is an immense deal.
Who is this for? The Echo Show 11 is a smart display that doubles as a smart home assistant. It plays music, streams video, browses the web, and serves as a digital photo frame when not in use. But it can also be a control panel for other Alexa-compatible devices, useful for tapping into security camera feeds, controlling thermostats, toggling lights, and more. Anyone with an inkling of smart home interest will find it helpful.
Why is this deal good? It’s pretty expensive at full price, but now that it’s $100 off, the Echo Show 11 is much closer to what it should be. At $149.99, it matches its previous lowest price (which came during June’s Prime Day), and that’s not a bad price at all for a music-playing, video-streaming, thermostat-controlling, photo-displaying hub of activity.
Who is this for? The Ring Battery Doorbell 2K is the latest in Ring’s line-up of battery-powered video doorbells, now offering crisp Retinal 2K video and up to 6x Enhanced Zoom. It’s ideal for renters and home owners who don’t want to faff around with wires—it mounts with screws, connects via Wi-Fi, and recharges via USB-C. Just pop it off every 1 to 3 months, charge for a few hours, then pop it back on.
Why is this deal good? The 60% discount is hard to pass up. It was hard to recommend at its original $99.99 price, but now that it’s only $39.99, it’s sitting at a brand-new all-time low price ahead of October Prime Day. Note that the Ring Battery Doorbell 2K Plus is also on sale, and that one has a detachable battery so you can recharge it without unmounting the entire doorbell, but it’ll also cost you more than double.
If you don’t mind spending a little more, you can even get this Ring Battery Doorbell 2K + Indoor Cam bundle for just $49.99, down from $149.99. One caveat here is that the Battery Doorbell comes in Speckled Gray while the Indoor Cam comes in Black for this bundle.
Who is this for? The Amazon Fire HD 10 is the best budget-friendly tablet that won’t feel like a hunk of crap in your hands. The 10.1-inch screen is spacious with a crisp 1080p resolution, and between the octa-core CPU and 4GB of RAM, it actually feels responsive enough for basic use. Don’t get it if you’ll be doing heavy multitasking, playing intensive games, or taking lots of photos. It’s an entry-level tablet, so expect it to perform like one.
Why is this deal good? A good entry-level tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ or Lenovo Idea Tab 11 would cost you around $150. That’s about the base price of the Fire HD 10, but with this October Prime Day discount, you can grab it for nearly half that. At $72.99, it’s a no-brainer—and it’s even cheaper than the slower Fire HD 8’s current sale price of $79.99.
The Ring Battery Doorbell 2K is on sale for $39.99, down from $99.99. And the Ring Indoor Cam is on sale for $24.99, down from $49.99. But if you’re interested in both, you’re in luck—Amazon has bundled the two together and priced the package at just $49.99. That’s a $150 value with a massive $100 discount, or an extra $15 off buying them separately. That’s a huge deal ahead of October Prime Day next week.
That Ring Battery Doorbell 2K is great for first-timers, with its no-wire setup and battery-operated design. You’re getting 2K resolution with up to 6x Enhanced Zoom, plus Two-Way Talk so you can give instructions to couriers and scare away intruders. The battery should last 1–3 months on a charge, and recharging is done via USB-C (just pop it off the mount first).
And the Ring Indoor Cam offers 1080p coverage with night vision and a live feed that you can check into at any time. Mount it on a table, a shelf, or a wall, but note that this one’s wired so you’ll need it to be within the vicinity of a power outlet. It also swivels so you can point it exactly where you want, and it also has Two-Way Talk so you can chat with family while away.
With this bundle, you can cover both inside and outside for just $49.99—you’d normally pay more than that for a single video doorbell. If you want to score more deals like this, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best early October Prime Day tech deals.
We tested the Anthbot N8, a robotic mower that collects grass clippings and clears leaves. It’s slower and louder than typical models, but its cleanup performance is hard to beat.
Price at time of review
This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Robotic mowers almost always leave the clippings on the lawn, but the Anthbot N8 does it differently. It collects grass and leaves and deposits both at a location of its choosing. This means it’s not just another variant of a mulching mower, but a machine for yard owners who prefer a tidy lawn.
Anthbot N8: Design and build quality
Anyone seeing the N8 on the lawn for the first time might easily underestimate it. At 24 inches long, the body itself is still manageable. With the grass catcher attached, the robot measures just under 3.3 feet. The manufacturer states a net weight of 38.7 pounds, while the shipping box says it weighs over 33 pounds.
Michael Rupp
The build quality is impressive. The top of the body is light in color, while the bumpers and underbody are anthracite. A purple ring on the wheels adds a splash of color. The drive wheels, with their deep tread, grip well even on damp grass. On the top is a control panel with a red stop button, three membrane keys, a battery indicator, and four status LEDs for 4G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and warnings. There is no display. All settings are managed via the app.
Michael Rupp
At the front, there are two camera openings behind the bumper, with an LED headlight between them. The robot is IPX6-rated for protection against water jets and can be hosed down with a garden hose. The charging station is IPX5-rated, and the adapter delivers 42 volts at 168 watts.
Michael Rupp
Anthbot N8: Two mowing systems
The N8 has two operating modes. These are not controlled by a switch in the app, but by the blade disc.
The Cyclone system collects clippings. The flat disc is fitted with three blades, which are bolted to the edge and bent upwards at the ends, similar to the high-lift blades on a gas mower. As the blades rotate, the wings on them generate an airflow. The mower deck above them tapers in a spiral pattern and opens into a discharge chute at the rear.
The disc acts like a blower. It lifts the blades of grass, cuts them, and carries the clippings and leaves into the grass catcher via airflow. Anthbot quotes a collection rate of up to 99 percent and 4,000 revolutions per minute.
Michael Rupp
The Particle system mulches. This cutting disc is fitted with six blades: three straight blades and three spoon-shaped ones. The spoon-shaped ones keep the clippings in motion, while the blades break them down so they’re blown backwards and fall between the blades.
Michael Rupp
The two rear attachments differ mainly at the bottom. The 6.1-gallon grass catcher is enclosed and collects the clippings, while the discharge deflector is open at the bottom, directing the clippings straight onto the lawn. Both attach behind a hinged rear panel, which can be opened with a single movement. The N8 recognizes automatically which attachment is fitted to the mower. In the app’s main menu, Mulching is greyed out as long as the grass catcher is fitted.
Michael Rupp
To change the disc, screws on the underside need to be loosened first. This is a bit fiddly, but it’s meant to ensure safety. You only need to change the disc once or twice a season. The collection disc comes fitted as standard. If you want to mulch, you’ll need to swap the blade. When buying replacements, keep in mind that the N8 uses two different blade types: curved ones for the collection disc and straight ones for the mulching system.
Anthbot N8: Setup
There are more individual parts in the box than with many robotic mowers. As a result, assembly takes a little longer, but is straightforward. Clipping the two rear attachments (collection basket and discharge deflector) into place is a bit fiddly, as they need to be clipped into the correct position on the wire frames. No screws are required.
Michael Rupp
The charging station’s cables run through plastic screw connectors and are color-coded: purple for power and green for RTK. When connecting them, make sure to tighten them gently.
The charging pad should be placed near the lawn, plugged into a socket. The app requires about 6.5 feet of clear space all around it as well as a Wi-Fi connection. At the top end of the station, the contact unit protrudes from the housing with two round contacts; above this is a black-and-white marking consisting of a cross and arrows, which the robot mower’s camera uses for orientation when docking.
Michael Rupp
The RTK antenna is mounted on a pole with a three-pronged ground spike and requires a clear view of the sky. If you skip this step, the N8 will use NetRTK via mobile networks and obtain its correction data from the internet. The 4G service is free for one year. After that, it costs $35.99 for one year, $75.99 for two years, and $107.99 for three years.
Setup is done via the app. You pair the robot via Bluetooth, enter the Wi-Fi details, check the firmware, and then create the map. Automatic mapping (in the ACC app) isn’t something you can do while lounging in a deckchair.
Michael Rupp
The app requires clearly defined lawn edges and for you to follow the robot. Alternatively, you can map manually and guide the robot along the lawn edges using two joysticks.
Michael Rupp
Before the first mowing session, the grass should be shorter than 3 inches. The app recommends working your way down in stages from 3 to 2, and then to 1 inch. In our case, it took three or four passes before we were satisfied with the result.
Anthbot N8: Features and app
The app is clearly laid out and offers plenty of features. You can set up to 30 zones, each with its own name, and adjust the cutting height, mowing direction, and camera detection sensitivity separately for each one. The cutting height ranges from 1.2 to 2.8 inches, in 0.2-inch increments. The travel speed can be set to 0.66, 0.98, or 1.31 feet per second. For track spacing, you can choose between High Efficiency and Precision Cut. For the number of passes, you can choose between one and two.
Michael Rupp
You can adjust the sensitivity of the N8’s obstacle detection in three levels. The high setting avoids stepping stones and areas covered in leaves. The medium setting avoids stone paths and terrace edges. The low setting avoids only large areas without grass. If you switch off camera detection, you must first set up the pool, raised slabs, and tree roots as restricted zones. The app will remind you of this.
The N8 detects rain and pauses for a pre-set period of three hours. It also features schedules, a quiet mode, anti-theft protection, a mower cleaning function, and a dedicated mode for the area around the charging station.
Michael Rupp
The Sweeping mode is not a third operating mode, but a profile for collection mode with two pre-set passes. Speed and noise levels remain the same. Sweeping doesn’t quite describe the process accurately, as nothing is actually swept up. A tip for autumn: If you just want to clear leaves from the area without cutting the grass, set it to 2.8 inches. As long as the grass remains below this height, the blades barely touch it.
Anthbot N8: Collecting and emptying
This is where the N8 really shines. The grass catcher fills up without leaving any significant debris behind. Nothing sticks to the soles of your shoes or your dog’s paws anymore.
Michael Rupp
You don’t have to empty the full collection basket yourself. A sensor monitors the fill level. When the grass box is full, the robot moves to a pre-defined dumping area, tilts the grass box and rear panel upwards, and then carries on working. This also happens at the end of a job or on command via the app.
You can set up to five such areas, each at least 5 by 5 feet in size, which can be rotated and resized in the app. One detail: the dumping area must be within the mowing zone. If you’d like it to be somewhere else, simply extend the mowing zone accordingly.
Michael Rupp
There’s a reason why it’s a discharge area rather than a single point. The N8 discharges in a staggered pattern. This creates several small piles instead of a single cone, which could block the discharge. In our test, the discharge worked without a single failure.
Michael Rupp
The clippings in the basket are coarser than one might expect. The collection disc cuts once and then conveys the clippings on. It does not shred them. The result is reminiscent of an electric mower with a grass catcher: pieces of grass interspersed with leaves and leaf fragments. The contents of the grass catcher can be composted or put in the organic waste bin.
A minor design flaw only becomes apparent when it rains. The upper covering of the collection basket is waterproof and forms a hollow in the center where rainwater collects. This does not hinder mowing or emptying. The water drains out when the basket is tipped. If the robot is in its docking station during a shower, a puddle forms. The original garage only covers the robot itself. The collection basket protrudes from the rear. A drain in the collection basket would be a simple improvement for the next model.
Michael Rupp
Anthbot N8: Fallen leaves
Falling leaves are usually shredded by robotic mowers and often remain visible on the lawn. When there are large quantities, this is more than just a cosmetic issue. The layer of leaves can block out light from the grass, and the organic matter provides food for fungi. Leaves from trees infested with fungi should be removed from the lawn entirely anyway, as mulching spreads the pathogen. This is precisely where the N8 excels thanks to its Cyclone blade disc and collection basket.
Michael Rupp
On our test lawn, the area that had already been mown was largely clear after a single pass, while the leaves were still lying all over the area right next to it. The area wasn’t completely free of leaves, with a few individual leaves remaining. I can only achieve this level of cleanliness with a hand rake and great effort.
The overall result is impressive: I come home from the office in the evening to find the leaves gathered in a small pile at the edge rather than scattered across the lawn. No other robotic lawnmower has managed this on our test course so far. You should clean the grass catcher every now and then with a broom or garden hose to ensure air can escape unhindered.
Anthbot N8: Lanes, turning, and edges
There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the mowing result. The N8 cuts parallel lines with a slight striped pattern and covers the area completely. For the evaluation, we set up a 360-degree camera (DJI Osmo 360 II) securely at the edge of the lawn and recorded the process as a time-lapse. This allowed us to track the path, turning maneuvers, and evasive movements over a complete run.
Michael Rupp
During initial commissioning with an early firmware version, the robot’s behavior at the end of the track seemed erratic. Some tracks were missed, and the mower shut down while turning. Anthbot quickly rectified the issue. With firmware 0.3.90, navigation ran smoothly.
Turning maneuvers remain complicated, and this is down to the design. The mower head is rigidly attached to the rear and does not turn with the robot. When the robot turns on the spot, this rear end swings outwards in a wide arc and collides with a wall, fence, or hedge, even though the wheels are free to move. Consequently, the N8 first veers off to the side, reverses, and then turns into the new path.
Each end of a track thus requires several maneuvers. This extends the working time and has a greater impact the more turns are required – that is, when the mowing direction is transverse and the track spacing is narrow, and even more so when two passes are made.
A strip remains uncut at the edge, up to about 6 inches depending on the distance to walls and obstacles. This is not a weakness of this model. A centrally mounted mower without a swiveling disc or trimmer cannot reach the edge. Three edge passes at the end of each mowing session reduce the width of the strip, but do not eliminate it entirely. Trimmers or hand shears are still required.
Michael Rupp
Anthbot N8: Obstacle detection
On the test course, the N8 avoided a crisp packet, a watering can, fake hedgehogs, and children’s toys. It only recognized the fake dog poo at a cutting height of 1.8 inches and below – in other words, on short grass. The reason for this is the camera position. Taller blades of grass obscure objects that are low to the ground before the detection system kicks in. In this respect, the N8 is roughly on a par with the Navimow i210 LiDAR Pro.
The N8 is also fitted with an LED spotlight. We advise against mowing at dusk or at night, as small animals are most active at those times. The schedules in the app offer the necessary settings to avoid this.
Anthbot N8: Noise level, speed
The N8 delivers on its 4-in-1 promise (mowing, mulching, collection, and leaf clearing) thanks to two distinctive features. The first is its noise level. In collection mode with the grass catcher fitted, we measured just under 68 decibels from a distance of 3.28 feet. This is down to the design. The blade disc and spiral housing work together to generate the airflow, and this requires a certain rotational speed. This cannot be optimized via a software update.
When in operation, the N8 sounds like a cordless lawnmower.
Michael Rupp
The second compromise is the working speed. In one test area, the N8 mowed 1,200 square feet in 97 minutes, which works out at around740 square feet per hour. At the fastest speed setting, the maximum is 1.3 feet per second. You’ve also got to remember that it’s consuming more power in this mode.
In another run, mowing an area of 960 square feet used up around 80 percent of the battery charge. With a charging time of 80 minutes, the N8 takes a corresponding number of charging breaks when covering larger areas. Anthbot itself quotes around 2,150 square feet of continuous mowing with the grass catcher fitted.
Anthbot N8: Conclusion
The Anthbot N8 is a specialist mower, and I mean that as a compliment. As a grass-collecting robotic mower and leaf clearer, it tackles tasks that were previously the preserve of rakes and leaf vacuums. The collection system works thoroughly, the automatic emptying function performed flawlessly in our test, and the app offers plenty of customization options without becoming confusing.
The drawbacks stem from its design. The grass catcher makes the robotic mower longer and noisier, and it slows it down. The water trough on the grass catcher cover remains an avoidable blunder. Small, winding gardens with lots of corners are also not suitable for it.
Before buying, consider how important grass collection is to you. If you want to leave the clippings on the lawn as fertilizer, you’re better off with the other Anthbot models, depending on the size of your lawn.
Anthbot N8: Specifications
Model: Anthbot N8
Price: $1,699
Mowing systems: Cyclone disc with three blades for collection | Particle disc with six blades for mulching
Cutting width: 7.9 inches
Cutting height: 1.2 to 2.8, adjustable in 0.2-inch increments
Grass box capacity: 61 gallons, automatic emptying at up to five discharge points
Navigation: Full-band RTK with reference station and dual-vision cameras, optional NetRTK via 4G
Obstacle detection: AI camera detection, sensitivity in three levels
Mowing zones: Up to 30, each with its own cutting height, mowing direction, and detection level
Travel speed: 0.7 to 1.3 ft./sec.
Battery: 9.2 Ah, 198 Wh, 21.6 V
Charging time: 80 minutes
Maximum gradient: 24 degrees (45 percent), not tested
Noise level: 68 dB in collection mode
Dimensions: 24 x 17 x 13.1 without grass catcher
Weight: 38.7 pounds
Water resistance: IPX6 (robot), IPX5 (charging station)
Malware can gain access to more than just documents and apps on your PC. Get infected with a certain kind of virus, and your camera and microphone are fair game, too.
You can minimize part of the headache by disabling unused microphones. For example, maybe you have both a dedicated microphone and a webcam with a built-in mic connected—if you disable the webcam’s mic and activate the standalone mic’s mute button, that should block any eavesdropping.
Added bonus: You’ll minimize the annoyance of starting Zoom and Teams calls with the wrong mic active. (I swear, for me it’s every. single. time.)
How to disable a microphone in Windows
PCWorld
Head to the Sound settings in Windows (Settings > System > Sound). Under Input, click on the audio device you want to disable—this could be a webcam, a headset, or something else.
In the individual device’s settings, find General > Audio. Click on the Don’t allow button.
Why not just disconnect the cable?
Unplugging an audio device from your PC is a valid strategy if you use it rarely. But otherwise, you may run into one of two problems:
1 – You can’t use the device because the audio input is mixed with other signals and routed over a single cable. (Ex: webcam)
2 – Your USB port wears out from frequent use.
The second problem is fixable by buying a USB hub that has individual on/off switches. But turning off Windows’ access to a mic is free.
Keep antivirus active on your PC!
You can disable your microphone(s) as a precaution, but also take steps to avoid getting spyware in the first place. Let your antivirus program scan your system regularly, and avoid shady websites and downloads. Also keep an eye on your browser extensions and apps installed—sometimes, legit ones can turn bad right under your nose.
Logitech is launching the Zone Vibe Pro, a wireless over-ear headset that’s designed to be used both at work and in your free time.
The Zone Vibe Pro doesn’t have a traditional microphone boom, instead using AI-based voice isolation to reduce background noise. The speakers feature 40mm drivers and adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC).
With ANC enabled, the battery life is expected to last up to 30 hours with music playback or up to 18 hours with active talk time. Without noise cancellation, the battery life can reach up to 66 hours. A 5-minute charge is all that’s needed to regain about 1 hour of talk time.
This headset can be connected to multiple devices via Bluetooth Multipoint, and the sound quality can be customized using the Logi Tune app. Logitech has also made the headband, ear cushions, and battery replaceable to extend the headset’s overall lifespan. Not a bad move given the current state of high-priced consumer electronics.
So what exactly makes this headset for work and leisure? Here’s what Logitech says in its announcement post:
“Modern professionals working across open offices, at home or on the go, shouldn’t need multiple audio solutions for work and life,” said Joseph Mingori, VP and General Manager of Mobile and Audio Solutions at Logitech. “Zone Vibe Pro solves that problem by giving employees the option of great sound everywhere with comfortable fit while giving IT teams reliable, certified hardware.”
The Logitech Zone Vibe Pro is available now for $259.99 in three colors: Black, Graphite, and Off-White. For a limited time, it also comes with a free Logitech Wooden Headset Stand included.
This was supposed to be the year Microsoft fixed Windows 11.
Back in March, Microsoft made an unusually blunt promise: Windows would become faster, more reliable, more consistent, and less eager to shove Copilot into every corner of the operating system. Six months later, Windows 11 26H2 is rolling out, and it’s time to grade the results.
The early report card? Search earns an A-, Microsoft has done a decent job putting Copilot back in its lane, and Windows feels noticeably quieter. But the Start menu still gets a C, and performance on 8GB PCs remains a work in progress.
That makes 26H2 less of a dramatic new beginning than a progress report on Microsoft’s Windows reset. And in several important ways, the company really has listened.
Microsoft’s Windows 11 26H2 Update is here, and you should already have it
First things first: chances are that you’ve already had a chance to experience Microsoft’s changes for yourself. Though Microsoft now issues a single, major “feature release” each fall, the changes are actually delivered incrementally. Each month, Microsoft delivers some incremental pieces of code as part of its Patch Tuesday updates, which deliver some of these feature improvements on a regular cadence. The fall update rolling out this week simply “rolls up” those changes within a single update, if a user or organization has optionally delayed those changes for whatever reason.
And the changes to Windows aren’t necessarily additions, either. In general, they’re a look back to what Windows was, in an era before AI was rampant and the world ran on Windows 10.
Let’s get to the grades.
Taskbar and Start menu: C
In September, Microsoft’s update finally allowed you to move your Windows taskbar to any part of the screen you wish, adjust the size, and tweak items such as badging options for individual icons.
Likewise, the Start menu now allows you to resize the individual icons, with separate buttons for Pinned, Recently Used, and All.
I hate to say it, but neither change made a profound difference to me. I absolutely give credit to Microsoft for making these changes, if only because it acknowledged that the company was listening to its customers. I briefly noodled with moving the Start menu around within Windows 10; some of the early browser experiments in rearranging tabs made readjusting the Start menu a fun experiment.
What Windows 11 ultimately “taught” me was that I didn’t strongly care where my taskbar ended up, and forcing it to the bottom center was something I learned to live with.
The Windows 11 Start menu, though, I still truly despise. I really enjoyed how Windows 10’s Start menu combined dynamic live tiles/widgets, which used the large, bright icons to full effect. I would actually use my mouse to navigate either through my array of Live Tiles, or scroll through the alphabetical listing of additional apps. Windows 11’s Start menu used to have that, too! Microsoft pledged to make Start feel faster by moving to WinUI3, and I guess it does. But that’s not really the issue here.
Microsoft’s Start menu hasn’t changed much from March, with various categories of apps that Windows arranges.
Mark Hachman / Foundry
Today, I simply launch new applications by “searching” for them (Win+[app name]) and use the app to bring up recent documents. For me, the “Start” menu is now the icons I have pinned to the Taskbar. But if you do happen to use it yourself, it does feel faster now.
Teaching Copilot to chill: B
I think Microsoft has made progress here. For many, any AI is too much AI, but for a while there, Copilot was everywhere, with its injection into Notepad as its most egregious offense.
Now, you don’t see Copilot icons in Notepad, Photos, and the Windows Snipping Tool anymore (thankfully). You still see it within the Copilot application, obviously (where Microsoft has eliminated its goofy avatar) and within the Microsoft 365 applications, where I think it truly belongs. (Copilot destroyed its human competition in the Excel World Championship when I recently tested it.)
Microsoft has fussed over its application UI, with one change in May and another, more visionary update just a few days ago, with an eye towards using Windows and Microsoft 365 as a home for vibe-coding and autonomous agents.
Microsoft
The latter effort could lead to trouble, as Microsoft will undoubtedly feel encouraged to show off what those agents can do for you. But for now, Copilot has been corralled into a few specialized applications where it fits naturally.
AI also still exists within Paint, where Copilot can be explicitly asked to design stickers or an AI-generated piece of art. And yeah, that still feels a little weird. What I do like are the image-processing tools within Photos, with everything from generative erasing to super resolution. They’re just Copilot without the Copilot brand, and that’s probably the model going forward: just give us useful AI utilities without throwing Copilot in our face — and use the PC’s local resources where possible.
It’s AI, but at least AI that you’re asking for.
Improved Search: A-
Microsoft promised “a more consistent search experience across the Taskbar, Start, File Explorer and Settings,” as well as “clearer and more trustworthy results.” I think it’s delivered.
Typing a search term — “Copilot,” say — into the Taskbar’s search box produces clear differences between apps, settings, and documents. Searching within File Explorer, at least on my SSD-equipped PC, can be as quick as lighting, and rarely takes longer than a second or two across my entire laptop.
Again, habit has taught me to open the application, and then the file. However, Windows’ search speed now tempts me to do the opposite. It’s seen a big improvement this year.
Windows Update and the Out of the Box (OOBE) experience: B
I appreciate that, but the Windows update process now achieves something Microsoft traditionally struggles with: simplicity on the surface, with more complexity hidden underneath. Do I want the latest updates ASAP? A simple toggle enables this. Do I want to delay the update? I can, and select a specific date as well.
That’s exactly what many people want. Me too. I appreciate even nerdier options such as selecting optional preview and driver updates, as well as the numerous options to reset your PC when something goes wrong or an update fails. There’s even “quick machine recovery,” an automated process I’ve never been forced to experiment with, thankfully. My only complaint at the moment is that the “delivery optimization” feature that’s existed within Windows for years — designed to share updates locally, without needing to download from an Internet server — has never seemed to work, ever.
Windows Update is now simple and manageable.
Resetting or setting up a new PC is also supposed to be faster, and it generally is. One of Windows’ new features is its ability to defer updates, delivering you to the desktop faster. I’ve never taken advantage of this, but anything that smooths the process is a step forward.
I still don’t entirely like the Windows Insider hierarchy for preview builds, however. While I like the easier way to migrate a PC in and out of Insider builds, the process of selecting “beta” and “experimental” builds, then opting in to a “release preview” update, then picking which of the code bases to use… It’s too convoluted. On the other hand, I don’t really think the corps of Insiders wants yet another change to the program.
Windows performance, especially on 8GB PCs: B
This is a tough one. I simply couldn’t say for certain whether Windows feels faster without doing a head-to-head comparison with the same hardware.
What I will say is that PCWorld has tested a few laptops with 8GB of memory installed, such as the Dell XPS 13 this past August. In my own experience, these affordable PCs — based on Intel’s Wildcat Lake processor and its Project Firefly initiative — feel akin to Chromebooks, capable of performing many basic tasks.
Dell’s new $699 XPS laptops are trying to compete with the Apple MacBook Neo.
Dell
For me, the dividing line between what these PCs can or can’t do falls somewhere between the “required” and “recommended” specifications that software vendors include. Will the application run, and will it run well? I never had any problem with basic Web browsing or the Microsoft Office applications on the 8GB laptops I tried. However, simply opening Microsoft Edge with ten browser tabs sucked up virtually every bit of memory that Windows provided, and even an idle background app affected performance.
I think Microsoft has more work to do here, and it may never match Apple in how effectively it aligns its silicon with its operating system and applications. The question is, will it need to? If the memory crunch continues, Microsoft developers will be forced to keep busy. If it evaporates, Windows can begin gobbling up memory once again.
A “quieter” Windows: A-
I’m sure many readers will disagree with me here, but Windows does feel less intrusive. Microsoft’s pledge to make Windows “quieter” essentially targeted Widgets, the crazy-quilt app that lives in the right-hand corner of your PC. Widgets began as a simple notification of the current forecast, a change in a stock price, or a notable news event, but quickly became a repository for every random bit of information Microsoft’s Bing search engine could dredge up.
Windows Widgets don’t feel calm, but they’re more sedate than they were.
Fortunately, Microsoft has reined it in once again. I’m sure many readers see no use for Widgets at all (and if I weren’t in media, I’d agree) but Widgets sits quietly to one side. I also haven’t seen many “ads” for Windows features pop up, either. Then again, I kill off pretty much every Windows notification I can, and I think you should, too.
That’s my evaluation. What do you think? You can find PCWorld on Facebook, Bluesky, X, and more. Give us your grades.
It’s not often that I come across a productivity tip so good that it amazes even me. And that’s what happened when I started testing Windows’ hidden “energy recommendations” to extend laptop battery life.
Before external USB-C battery packs were a thing, I’d carry a backup laptop to conferences. I know, pen and paper work just fine. But to me, no power meant no productivity; what would happen if I needed to file a story as soon as possible? It’s part of the reason I began testing laptops with streaming and office work for a better sense of how long they’ll last.
Today, there’s a simple one-click way to extend your battery life within Windows, which brings together ten different methods of saving power. Oddly, Microsoft identifies them as “energy recommendations” to lower your carbon footprint, rather than power-saving techniques. But that’s exactly what they are. And they work! (The results of my testing are at the end.)
These energy recommendations hide within the Windows Settings menu (System > Power & battery). And right up top, Microsoft includes a nice big “Apply all” button to turn them on all at once. Let’s take a quick tour.
Welcome to PCWorld’s newsletter, Smart Mode! The focus of this newsletter is productivity: from software to hardware to peripherals, all with the idea to get what you need to get done, efficiently.
I’m your host, Mark Hachman, covering the productivity tips, tools, and trends that you need to know about, both from within PCWorld and beyond. If you want the latest issue in your inbox each week, just sign up right here.
What’s in Microsoft’s “Energy recommendations”
Set the power mode for best energy efficiency. This is the famous Windows power slider, which can be adjusted for maximum performance or minimal power consumption. Really, you can make the argument that you might as well turn this on 24-7; most productivity apps don’t require a ton of horsepower, and dialing down the performance minimizes fan noise and maximizes battery life.
Turn on Dark Mode. This is more than an aesthetic decision. On modern displays like OLEDs, a “black” portion of your screen is literally off, saving power. On the other hand, sometimes I prefer smaller laptop screens to be lit brightly to make them easier to see.
The “energy recommendations” setting within Windows. You might find that some of these are turned on already.
Set the screen brightness for best energy efficiency. In Windows, this sets the screen brightness at 75 percent by default. Historically, this has been a simple, significant way to improve battery life, but as screen display types and backlight brightness varies between laptops, the improvements won’t be consistent.
Put my device to sleep after three minutes, and turn off my screen after three minutes. Two easy wins, but these are only useful if you’re staring off into space or leave your desk to get a coffee. Otherwise, these settings may never actually engage.
Turn on dynamic refresh rate. Modern laptop displays just don’t “paint” the screen at a fixed 60Hz. Many can now go up to 120Hz for smooth scrolling and mousing…but that takes more power. Many can now drop down to 30Hz to save power…but with potential display stuttering. Windows has a dynamic refresh rate option to intelligently go back and forth, but it’s typically off by default.
Turn off HDR to conserve energy. I’d leave it off all the time, period. High-dynamic range content isn’t designed for productivity applications, and exists mainly in premium streaming content and games.
Save power by optimizing screen contrast and brightness for the content shown. This is a little like the earlier entry, except that Windows will adjust the brightness for a Web page versus a movie. I usually leave this enabled by default, as it affects visual quality as well as the battery life.
The last two, turn off my screen saver and stop USB devices when my screen is off to help save battery are legacy controls, sort of. Although there is some debate on whether screensavers are necessary for OLED displays (or not), you can be certain that an attached USB device like a webcam or mouse will drain the laptop’s battery, whether the screen is off or on.
What’s the difference between these “energy recommendations” and the more conventional “energy saver” that usually turns on when your laptop battery hits 30 percent or so? The “recommendations” don’t really affect your laptop’s functionality (and productivity), while the energy saver can. Energy saver can halt some background tasks and sync requests, which can mean that crucial email might be held or file backups might be paused. That flies in the face of always-on productivity, though it does keep your laptop up and running.
You may see these, too
Microsoft also has some additional “recommendations” options for specialized devices, too. (Not these specialized devices, just ones with unique hardware.)
I usually turn off adaptive brightness, or Change brightness automatically when lighting around me changes, for testing a laptop, but it’s a significantly useful setting that can lower or dim the brightness of a laptop’s display. We’ve traditionally considered 250 nits of brightness or so to be the appropriate brightness for a laptop indoors, but OLED screens change the game. In testing for this article, I reduced a laptop with an OLED display down to 40 percent, which equated to just 65 nits. The high contrast ratio from the OLED display surprised me with its legibility.
Two options are only available to those laptops with a presence sensor, Automatically dim my screen when I look away and Automatically put my device to sleep when I leave. I find the first annoying, as the dimming distracts me. The latter, however, is a useful power-savings tool provided that you can trust your surroundings; walking away from a laptop in a public place is just asking for it to be stolen, power savings or not! That’s even more catastrophic than your battery gauge hitting zero.
Testing Microsoft’s energy recommendations. Do they work?
Do they! But as they say, your mileage may vary.
I tried both an Asus ZenBook A16 laptop as well as the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition. My thought was that both share a common processor architecture (Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM) but the former has an OLED display, and the latter an older IPS display. If the display is typically what gobbles up battery life, would there be a difference?
Older IPS laptops like this Microsoft Surface Laptop may benefit more from this power-saving tip, especially after Windows dials down the display brightness.
Matthew Smith / Foundry
I didn’t perform full rundown tests; instead, I used Procyon’s specialized one-hour office productivity benchmark to track how much battery was chewed up in an hour’s worth of tests, leaving Wi-Fi on.
I wasn’t expecting much, and the Asus laptop didn’t deliver much: battery life dropped 17 percent in a single hour with my default settings (performance dialed down to a minimum but screen brightness up, and with virtually none of the recommendations in place), which equated to about 5.9 hours of battery life. With the recommendations on, the drain dropped to 14 percent per hour, or a projected 7.7 hours of battery life. Still, that’s close to a full work day, and 1.8 hours of difference.
On a second run (because I was kind of shocked that this worked so well), the battery draw dropped from 18 percent to 10 percent, though I turned the brightness up to maximum on my “normal” settings.
But the Surface Laptop — oh, man. Again, I used the same procedure (brightness turned up, performance down to “recommended” levels, with the other recommendations largely off) and Procyon measured a 16 percent drain per hour, projecting to 6.25 hours of battery life. But with the energy recommendations all enabled, battery dropped by just 8 percent, projecting to 12.5 hours of continuous work. I even double-checked it, with an even better score: a 17 percent hourly drop on my normal settings, and a 7 percent drop with Microsoft’s energy recommendations turned on.
Put simply, a single click doubled my battery life. What can it do for you?
Productivity in the news:
Microsoft Copilot is getting a major update with an eye towards productivity. Here’s the breakdown.
One followup to the recent Googlebook launch: Google confirms that some Chromebooks (the Plus devices are the default guess) will be upgradable to the new Aluminium OS.
Applying Windows patches is fine — when it’s done right, there’s no interruption to your workday. When it goes wrong — catastrophe! And that still happens way too much to Windows 11.
Sandra Andrews, head of Microsoft’s go-to-market for Surface, believes that the untold story of Surface is that it’s a touchscreen. (Source: analyst Carolina Milanesi.) I hope there’s more to it than that!
The Windows Clock app might be the most “blah” app on your PC. But it hides a “focus mode” feature that’s perfect for staying on task.
Productivity tip of the week: Shut down your desk as well as your PC
Implement a “shutdown ritual” at the end of every workday. Block out the final 10-15 minutes to clear your physical workspace, review completed tasks, and write down your top three non-negotiable priorities for tomorrow.
Clearing the deck before you step away creates a clean boundary between work and personal life, preventing off-hours mental rumination. When you return the next morning, you eliminate decision fatigue and start immediately on what actually matters instead of spending your first hour figuring out what to do. I personally don’t physically write these things down, but I do leave with a clear sense of how I’m going to start my next workday. Now that I think about it, however, this might be an even better way to end the week and set the stage for Monday.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Smart Mode, PCWorld’s newsletter devoted to helping you make the most of your life, smartly. Sign up and have it sent to your inbox every Thursday!
If you have five years, four months, and $1,138 to spare, you might be able stream every one of The New York Times‘ top 100 TV shows of the 21st century.
As you’d expect from any authoritative listicle, The Times‘ plaudits have prompted plenty of debate about the honorees and snubs. It’s also a reminder of how much great TV already exists, and how much time you could spend watching critically acclaimed shows from the past instead of trying to keep up with the present.
With that in mind, and with a little data-sorting help from AI, I set out to determine the most efficient ways to stream them all. Here is what I found:
What’s available where
To determine where each show is available to stream, I relied on data from JustWatch and developer tools from The Movie Database (TMDB), which let you slice and dice the data in different ways.
Let’s start with just a list of the top 100 shows and where you can stream them.
To figure out the total cost to watch all these shows, we first need to sum up how many are on each streaming service:
Service or bundle
Shows
Ad-supported
Ad-free
Disney+ and Hulu bundle
26
$13/mo
$21.99/mo
HBO Max
35
$11/mo
$18.49/mo
Netflix
20
$9/mo
$20/mo
Paramount+
11
$9/mo
$14/mo
Peacock
8
$13/mo
$20/mo
Apple TV
3
$15/mo
$15/mo
Prime Video
8
$9/mo
$14/mo
BritBox
5
$11/mo (ad-free)
$11/mo
AMC+
2
$8/mo
$11/mo
Roku Channel
4
$0/mo
$0/mo (w/ ads)
Hoopla
3
$0/mo (ad-free)
$0/mo
Louie
1
$30 (ad-free)
$30
Total
99/100
$98/mo + $30
$144.49/mo + $30
Should you pay upwards of $98 per month for access to all these shows? Of course not, because there aren’t enough hours in a day to watch even a tiny fraction of what’s available. If you really wanted to work your way through the list, you’d want to space out the subscriptions based on how much viewing time you’d realistically need.
To figure that out, we’ll calculate how many hours of New York Times-approved, 21st-century TV each service has to offer, based on data from JustWatch. To factor in time spent watching commercials on ad-supported services, we’ll use August 2026 data from Ampere (via Business Insider). We’ll assume Roku Channel and Tubi have similar ad loads, since data for the former is not available:
Service
Estimated hrs. (w/ ads)
Hrs. (ad-free)
Disney+ / Hulu Duo
1,549
1,337
Paramount+
1,370
1,164
HBO Max
922
863
Netflix
594
570
Peacock
144
133
Apple TV
78
78
Prime Video
61
59
Roku Channel
56
56 (w/ ads)
AMC+
25
23
BritBox
18
18 (ad-free)
Hoopla
1
1
Louie
22
22
Total
4,842
4,325
Given that the average American watches 2.5 hours of TV per day, here’s what it would cost to get through each service’s critically acclaimed catalog, one show at a time:
Option
Ad-supported (est.)
Ad-free
Disney+ / Hulu Duo
$273 for 21 months
$396 for 18 months
Paramount+
$171 for 19 months
$224 for 16 months
HBO Max
$143 for 13 months
$222 for 12 months
Netflix
$72 for 8 months
$160 for 8 months
Peacock
$26 for 2 months
$40 for 2 months
Apple TV
$30 for 2 months
$30 for 2 months
Prime Video
$9 for 1 month
$14 for 1 month
Roku Channel
$0 for 1 month
$0 for 1 month
AMC+
$8 for 1 month
$11 for 1 month
BritBox
$11 for 1 month
$11 for 1 month
Hoopla
$0 for 1 month
$0 for 1 month
Louie
$30 for 1 month
$30 for 1 month
Total
$773 for 71 months
$1,138 for 64 months
Note that you can combine Disney’s services with HBO Max, and Peacock with Apple TV for additional savings. I’ve counted them separately here because it’s cheaper that way if you’re just plowing through each show one at a time.
Of course, these calculations will change drastically based on how much TV you tend to watch per day:
At one hour per day ad-free, it’ll take 12 years and 4 months and will cost $2,654 to watch all 100 shows. With ads, it’ll take 13 years and 10 months at a cost of $1,770.
At four hours per day ad-free, it’ll take 3 years and 7 months and will cost $751 to watch all 100 shows. With ads, it’ll take 3 years and 11 months at a cost of cost $509.
Got eight hours to watch TV every day? It’ll take 2 years and 2 months and will cost $437 to watch all the shows without ads, or 2 years and 4 months at a cost of $302 with ads.
TL;DR: SwifDoo PDF Pro edits, converts, and signs PDFs on Windows, and a lifetime license is $34.99 (reg. $129).
Most full PDF editors charge a monthly fee, and a web browser can only open a file and add basic markup. A SwifDoo PDF Pro perpetual lifetime license edits, converts, and signs PDFs for a one-time $34.99 (reg. $129).
SwifDoo edits text and images in existing PDFs, merges and splits files, and compresses large documents to the quality level you pick. Conversion goes both ways between PDF and Word, Excel, PowerPoint, JPG, EPUB, CAD, and more. OCR turns scanned pages into editable, searchable text, and batch processing converts or compresses a whole folder of files at once. For contracts and forms, you can add passwords and handwritten or uploaded signatures.
One buyer switched from opening PDFs in Microsoft Edge and called SwifDoo “feature packed.” SwifDoo runs on Windows 7 through 11, needs an internet connection to stay fully functional, and is for new users only.
Gamers and PC users will spend hours tuning frame rates, working on a spreadsheet or presentation, or benchmarking a new GPU—but the chair underneath all of it often gets ignored. That’s a mistake, because no amount of horsepower fixes the ache that sets in after a long raid, a marathon coding session, or back-to-back video calls. A stiff neck, a sore lower back, legs that go numb by hour six—none of that is about discipline. It’s about sitting in a chair that was never designed to move with you.
LiberNovo builds two lines of dynamic ergonomic chairs—Omni and Maxis—around a different idea: the chair should do some of the work of keeping you comfortable, not just cushion you while you sit still.
This fall, timed to National Ergonomics Month, LiberNovo is running its Fall Prime Sale, cutting up to 37% off selected chairs and accessories.
LiberNovo
The Real Cost of Sitting Still
If you’re gaming for hours at a stretch, running long builds in Visual Studio, or grinding through spreadsheets and back-to-back meetings on a Windows workstation, your body is under the same kind of load whether you’re a competitive streamer or an office IT admin: static pressure, in the same spots, for hours on end. A high-end chair with good foam doesn’t solve that—it just delays the discomfort by an hour or two.
LiberNovo’s chairs take a more active approach. ErgoPulse Motorized Lumbar Support adjusts as you shift in your seat instead of staying locked in one position. An OmniStretch Recovery Mode feature works relief into the middle of a work or gaming session instead of waiting for a break you might skip. And a 105 to 160° recline range lets you swing from an upright competitive-gaming posture to a fully reclined “watching a stream, not playing” position without swapping furniture.
The design idea is what LiberNovo calls a Dynamic Support System: headrest, backrest, armrests and seat move in sync, so support follows the body rather than holding it in one posture.
LiberNovo
Shopping for an Ergonomic Chair? Check These Boxes
Not every “ergonomic” chair on the market earns the label. Before you buy, look for three things: adjustability that’s built around different body types (not a single generic frame), ErgoPulse Motorized Lumbar Support that tracks your movement rather than sitting fixed in place, and a recline mechanism that eases you back smoothly instead of dropping you.
Maxis, the headline series in this sale, is a larger-frame chair line engineered for Big & Tall gamers and professionals, sold in Basic, Standard, and Premium tiers across Manual, Electric, and Airflow builds. It’s built with a 52 cm ultra-deep seat for extra thigh support, a wider frame (430 mm across the shoulders, 520 mm at the waist), a U-shaped headrest with 140 mm of vertical and 120 mm of horizontal adjustment, curved arc armrests that keep pressure off your sides, and a six-spring recline system tuned for stability under a bigger frame. The Maxis frame is rated to 399 lb (181 kg) and sized for users from 5’10” to 6’7″ (178–200cm).
Maxis Airflow adds Active AirFlow Ventilation, a sensor-driven seat ventilation system powered by a rechargeable battery—a feature otherwise available only on the Omni Pro.
Omni covers the rest of the lineup: Omni Pro for a full electric feature set, Omni Gen as the do-everything middle option, and Omni SE as a straightforward manual chair for anyone making their first real upgrade from a basic office or gaming chair.
A core engineering feature shared by the Omni and Maxis is the Bionic FlexFit backrest, which uses eight adaptive panels and 16 pivot points to contour along the spine’s natural S-curve.
LiberNovo
Why Now Is the Time to Buy
An ergonomic chair is closer to a PC build than an impulse buy—it’s a long-term investment, and LiberNovo has structured the sale that way. Buy early and you get 30-day price protection, plus gifts and automatic savings on qualifying orders, so there’s no incentive to rush the decision just to lock in a price. IT departments and studios outfitting five or more seats can also get bulk pricing across eligible Maxis and Omni models—a solid option for offices doing a round of workstation upgrades alongside new hardware.
Whether you’re chasing lower ping times in a raid, pushing through a long compile, or just trying to make an 8-hour workday less punishing, the LiberNovo Fall Prime Sale is worth a look. Think of it the same way you’d think of a GPU or RAM upgrade: it’s not glamorous, but it changes how every session actually feels.
LiberNovo
The LiberNovo Fall Prime Sale runs September 30 to October 14, with some a limited-time Flash Sale between October 6-7 on some products and bundles.
One of the easiest ways to create your own, customized Gemini chatbot is about to be retired, but we just got a pair of encouraging updates about their replacements.
We learned earlier this week that skills, a Gemini feature that was previously reserved for the Gemini Spark AI assistant, would step in for Gems, and that existing Gems would be converted to skills in the runup to the November sunset date.
One of the big questions about skills, which are essentially custom instructions for Gemini that can be summoned within a prompt, was whether they’d be available to free as well as paid users. Previously, you could only use skills with the Spark agent, and Spark is reserved for paid Gemini AI users.
But in an updated shared Wednesday, Google announced that Gemini skills will be available for any Gemini users over 18 with a personal Google account.
Google added that skills will also be upgraded with missing features included in Gems, such as the ability to share skills with other users. You’ll also be able to add files from Google Drive as well as notebooks from Gemini Notebook.
Existing Gems will be converted to skills automatically, Google confirmed, or you can do the conversion manually if you wish.
Personal Gemini Gems will be retired starting in November, Google said, while Gems created by Google Workspace business, enterprise, and non-profit accounts will stick around until March 2027. Gems for Workspace education accounts won’t go dark until June 2027.
Unlike Gems, which are essentially self-contained, Gemini-powered chatbots with their own instructions and knowledge files, skills can be invoked within any Gemini chat session by typing “/,” and you can even call a skill within another skill, allowing for powerful AI workflows.
News that Google is phasing out Gems in favor of Gemini skills comes about two weeks after word surfaced that OpenAI is nixing custom GPTs, which (like Gemini Gems) allow you to create customized ChatGPT chatbots. Custom GPTs will be replaced by ChatGPT plugins.
Tablets with a compact 8-inch display are especially appealing if all you want to do is read ebooks, watch videos, browse the web, and use simple apps while on the go. Compared to larger models, 8-inchers are easier to carry around and fit into tight bags and backpacks.
The Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) is one of the best value picks in the 8-inch tablet category, and it just hit a new all-time best price: $79.99, which is 38% off its original $129.99 price tag. This is the special “early October Prime Day deal” price, and before this the lowest it ever got was $84.99. That means this is a real deal, one worth snagging if you need a budget tablet.
What the Amazon Fire HD 8 offers
The Amazon Fire HD 8 features an 8-inch 1280×800 screen. It weighs just 0.74 pounds, making it one of the lighter tablets in its class. It fits easily into most bags, making it ideal for travel or commuting.
Under the hood, a 6-core processor works alongside 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage for good day-to-day performance. With this hardware, the 2024 version of the Fire HD 8 loads apps and web pages more smoothly than past models. You’ll notice some lag under heavy loads, but it’s good enough to handle typical everyday tasks. Need more storage? You can expand it by up to 1TB with a microSD card.
At this price, don’t expect the display to blow you away. It’s fine for casual viewing of Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, or whatever else, but it won’t hold a candle in terms of color depth or contrast when compared to modern monitors or TVs. If you’re a cinephile and demand utmost picture quality, you’ll need to pay up a lot more for a tablet with a better screen.
The 2024 Fire HD 8 promises a battery life of up to 13 hours of real-world, everyday use. Other features include Bluetooth 5.2, dual-band Wi-Fi, a USB-C port, and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Alexa is also built-in, so you can set reminders, control smart home devices, or retrieve information via voice commands.
Note: The Fire HD 8 runs on Amazon’s own Fire OS. Apps are installed via the Amazon Appstore, and the Google Play Store is not officially supported. If you intend to run specific Android apps, you should make sure they’re available on the Appstore (or learn how to sideload the Play Store on the Fire HD 8) before buying this tablet.
Also note: This deal is for the ad-supported version of the Fire HD 8, meaning you’ll see ads on the lock screen and in sleep mode.
Why this deal is worth it
The new all-time lowest price is what makes this Fire HD 8 deal worthwhile. For $79.99, you get a 2024-generation tablet with great battery life and good daily performance. With a 4.5-star rating across 10,000+ reviews, it’s hard to deny that users generally like what they’re getting.
However, there are some criticisms regarding the tablet’s speed—it’s good enough, but lags behind what you’ll find in Samsung or Apple tablets. The display is also lackluster. But the biggest weakness? The camera. You probably shouldn’t get the Fire HD 8 if you’ll be taking lots of photos.
The 2024 Fire HD 8 is for users who just want an affordable tablet. Anyone with high expectations regarding performance, display quality, or app selection will be better off with something from Samsung or Apple.
Firefox 157 is out for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android and the biggest change in this version is the new Nova design, which brings a more modern look to the browser. Mozilla has also fixed over 70 security vulnerabilities, and updates are also available for the Firefox ESR versions.
The release of Firefox 158 is scheduled for October 13th, 2026.
What’s new in Firefox 157?
Now that Firefox has adopted a two-week release cycle, major new features are growing fewer and farther between. With Firefox 157, the focus is on the new Nova design, which has heavily rounded corners and subtle color gradients on surfaces. You’ll find 12 themes, each in light and dark variants.
Mozilla has also brought back the popular Compact Mode, which groups elements together to save space—great for smaller screens.
In the security advisory for Firefox 157, Mozilla lists 76 vulnerabilities that have been fixed, 30 of which were discovered and reported by external security researchers.
Mozilla classifies 38 vulnerabilities as high risk, 29 as medium risk, and nine as low risk. Among them, 32 are use-after-free (UAF) vulnerabilities, some of which could be exploited to inject and execute code, and 15 of which could be exploited to escape the browser sandbox.
Firefox ESR updates
In addition to Firefox 157, Firefox ESR releases 153.4.0, 140.17.0, and 115.42.0 are also now available. However, the latter are only available for Windows 7 and 8.1 and macOS 10.12 to 10.14 until March 2027.
In the ESR versions, Mozilla has fixed the aforementioned vulnerabilities that were also present in the code of these earlier browser generations. That amounts to 62 vulnerabilities in Firefox 153.4.0, 43 in Firefox 140.17, and 31 in Firefox 115.42.
Firefox ESR 140 received its final update on September 29th. In two weeks, this version will finally be replaced by Firefox ESR 153. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to start planning the switch.
Windows 11 26H2 is here earlier than expected, but before you run off and install it, you might want to take a second. Microsoft has issued a warning that the update contains a few known issues.
USB audio devices might fail to start or produce no sound, meaning some USB Audio Class 1.0 devices display Code 10 or fail in multichannel audio modes after installing the September 2026 update.
Domain-joined devices might lose their secure trust relationship with the domain, meaning some accounts protected by Credential Guard might be unable to sign in with valid domain credentials.
Devices might experience a black screen or desktop loading issues after sign-in, which can occur in some virtual desktop environments.
To be clear, these issues aren’t caused by Windows 11 26H2. In fact, Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 also show those same issues on their respective Windows Release Health pages. However, it’s possible for your PC to not be experiencing these issues now but start experiencing them once you upgrade to Windows 11 26H2. Meanwhile, if you’re already experiencing them, you’ll likely keep experiencing them post-update.
While Microsoft has marked these issues as “mitigated,” the reality is that they still persist and Microsoft is still investigating solutions.
What should you do?
If you haven’t yet noticed the issues above and absolutely don’t want them to happen on your PC, you should wait until Microsoft reports that these issues have been fixed before installing Windows 11 26H2. (That’s our recommendation, not Microsoft’s.) It’s unclear how long it’ll be before those fixes are released—Microsoft hasn’t provided details.
Drive, partition, and file/folder (plain and compressed) backup with versioning
Support for network sources and destinations
Supports some cloud storage services
Cons
No more true real-time or continuous backup
No backup using the recovery media
Our Verdict
Backup Pro 27’s friendly interface helps new users through imaging, versioned file backup, and disaster recovery. However, some features that would render it truly “Pro” aren’t included.
Price When Reviewed
This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined
Best Pricing Today
Price When Reviewed
$25 perpetual license I $16 per month subscription
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Despite the somewhat odd name, Ashampoo peddles some very effective software. Not the least of which is Backup Pro 27. For the average home user, it’s a friendly and solid backup solution.
However, the program is still missing a couple of features that would make it truly “Pro” and ditched another — real-time/continuous backup — for version 27 .
Other than the aforementioned deprecation of real-time/continuous backup, Backup Pro 27’s biggest morph is a rather significant alteration to the workflow and the way it’s presented — i.e., there’s a new, friendlier look that can operate in both light and dark modes.
Gone is the division between simple and comprehensive wizards. Now there is a single approach with all pertinent options packed into a couple of scrollable pages. It’s simple enough for anyone, and offers easy access to all the bells and whistles that advanced users might utilize.
However, as mentioned above and shown below, missing in action this go-around is the “real-time” backup I tested last time. I used quotes because it was more continuous backup than real time, backing up at granular intervals (continuous), not as files changed (real time).
Daily is as granular as scheduling for backups gets without tediously adding “New time entries.”
However, even that continuous granularity is gone. While I found a way to back up hourly, or even every few minutes, defining it was exceedingly tedious — requiring a “New Time Entry” for every additional occurrence. Why? I suppose someone thinks that users never want to back up more than a couple times a day.
Beyond that, the major functionality remains intact. Additionally, the program as a whole is more mature and stable. Indeed, I suffered none of the installation and operational bugs I did with version 26, which admittedly, was only a day old at the time I first tested it.
What are Ashampoo Backup Pro 27’s features?
Backup Pro 27 lets you image entire partitions and drives (incremental and full — no differential), back up files and folders with versioning (keeping older copies), and disaster recovery — including boot media. In case the term “imaging” is new to you, it’s copying all the data blocks on a drive into a container file. Generally, empty sectors are bypassed.
Gone are the easy and wizard backups, but Backup Pro 27 steps you through creating both file/folder and drive (imaging) backups.
Backup Pro 27 uses the relatively common .vmdk format as its backup container. This, however, is a feature that could be considered “pro” as it is the native virtual drive format for VMWare. The free VirtualBox also can open this virtual drive for browsing.
However, browsing using VM software is only possible if you don’t encrypt the images (you can compress). If you do encrypt, you must use Backup Pro to mount the image and restore files. I think Microsoft’s VHD would have been a better choice, as you could mount those with nothing more than Windows itself. Just saying.
Backup Pro must also be used for file/folder backups that are encrypted and/or compressed. File/folder backups that aren’t encrypted may, of course, be browsed using nothing but Windows Explorer.
Backup Pro 27 offers a comprehensive restore function that includes bootable recovery media.
While Backup Pro will create a rescue USB stick or CD/DVD, the usual option for creating an ISO image doesn’t exist. But what I also find less than “pro” is that the rescue disk is restore-only — i.e., there’s no facility for creating new backups when you boot using it.
Many users will only want to restore, but backing up before attempting to solve someone’s software or hardware issues is something most pros do religiously.
Backup Pro 27’s recovery environment. Note that this is a photo, I was unable to boot using this media into a virtual machine.
Note that even if your subscription (see the pricing section below) expires, the rescue media will still restore backups.
Backup Pro handily supports cloud destinations, including OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, Google Drive, Dropbox, Strato HiDrive, 1&1, MagentCLOUD, OwnCloud, nextCloud, as well as any WebDAV server. Some of those might be unfamiliar, which reflects Ashampoo’s European roots.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 supports a number of cloud storage services, though not often cheaper S3 compatibles.
Conspicuously missing from the cloud destinations are Amazon S3 and S3 compatibles, which often offer the best value. To utilize these with any backup software, use one of the utilities in our roundup of cloud managers. But this lack, again is not “pro.”
One thing I’d like to see is Backup Pro show physical drives with their numbers and partitions grouped together in some fashion rather than separated as you’ll see below (the first two hidden partitions are on the same disk as Windows, but inexperienced users might not realize this.
There is an info box saying pertinent hidden and system partitions will also be backed up when you select any partition on a bootable disk, the Windows drive in this case. A good thing, as disaster recovery requires all of them.
Listing partitions on the same drive separately like this may confuse less experienced users.
Back on the sunny side…. A couple of the very useful Backup Pro features are the ability to trigger backups on media insertion, and support for network locations as both sources and destinations. These do drift towards the “pro” side of the equation as many end-user targeted backup programs only back up to network locations.
There’s also a handy “Check Disks” utility so you can determine the health and status of your local media.
How does Ashampoo Backup Pro 27 perform?
Unlike my first look at Backup Pro 26, version 27 performed flawlessly from the jump. Of course, this time I didn’t have the older version installed which is what caused issues last time.
Backup Pro 27 never glitched during any of the multiple tasks I threw at it: Imaging and file backup, local and online, encrypted/compressed, unencrypted/uncompressed, plus restore of all.
This is the kind of message we like to see from backup software.
Speed-wise, all was about par for the course given the media used for the destination. When I say par, backup software generally operates at around half the maximum transfer rate of any given media.
How much is Ashampoo Backup Pro 27?
A perpetual license for Backup Pro 27 was available at the time of this writing for $25, discounted from $66. You can also rent it for $16 per year, though I’d stick with uncompressed, unencrypted backups if a subscription is your choice. Otherwise you’ll only be able to restore those compressed/encrypted backups from the recovery disc if and when the subscription lapses.
Those discounted prices are lower than I saw last time when the perpetual version was $33 and the yearly was $18.
Backup Pro has come down in price since my last look at version 26.
Should you buy Ashampoo Backup Pro 27?
Backup Pro 27’s support for so many common backup chores, plus its comprehensive, easy-to-understand interface are major selling points for less-experienced users. If it meets your needs (there’s a trial), at $25, heck yeah.
But the lack of backup from the recovery disc, no differential backup, and the newly limited scheduling are definitely not “pro” in my book. I’d balk big time at the full $66 retail.
I strongly advise that you don’t rent (pay yearly) Backup Pro as the program seems to be shedding features rather than gaining them. The pace of development in the backup space in general is so slow, not to mention largely unnecessary, consider that general advice. Unless there’s online storage involved, that is.
According to past patterns, Windows 11 26H2 should’ve released next Tuesday… but it’s actually already here. Windows 11 PCs running 25H2 or 24H2 (but not 26H1, which is specifically for Arm PCs) will receive the update as a tiny enablement package.
Once installed, the update will require a single restart. That’s because the actual code for the new features is already on eligible PCs and simply needs to be enabled (hence it being called an “enablement” package).
However, Microsoft isn’t actually rolling out 26H2 to all compatible PCs right away. Instead, it’ll proceed the same way that recent fall updates have gone: Microsoft will slowly make the update available to more and more users, with the rollout occurring in waves. If Windows detects a problem on a particular PC, it’ll prevent the installation of 26H2 on that machine.
To ensure you receive Windows 11 26H2 as soon as possible, you’ll need to enable the option “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” in Windows Update settings. After that, you’ll just need to wait until your Windows PC shows the “Windows 11 2026 Update” for installation.
Microsoft will provide support and feature updates for version 26H2 on Windows 11 Home and Pro until October 9th, 2028. Meanwhile, Enterprise and Education versions will receive support until October 8th, 2029.
Direct downloads for a fresh install
If you want to upgrade from an older version of Windows 11 (such as 23H2) straight to 26H2, you’ll need to perform a clean install of Windows 11 26H2, which is available on this download page. Using this method, you’ll of course need to activate Windows 11 using a valid license key.
If you need a Windows 11 license key, you can grab one at a big discount from the PCWorld Software Store, where Windows 11 Home can be bought for just $59.99 (originally $139.99). You can then upgrade that to Windows 11 Pro for another $59.99 (originally $99) if you’d like extra features like sandboxing, BitLocker encryption, and virtualization.
If you’re moving your data to the latest version of Microsoft Outlook, it’s important to know that your calendar and contacts may need to be handled separately from your email.
Classic Outlook can export your data in a PST file, but New Outlook does not restore calendar and contact information in the same way. Instead, you need to first export your calendar as an ICS file and then your contacts as a CSV file, then you need to import those files to the new version.
Restoring your calendar
To restore the calendar, open New Outlook and click on Add Calendar underneath the monthly view. Next select Upload from File, then Browse. Find the ICS file and select Open. Under Select Calendar, pick the calendar you wish to restore. Once you’ve clicked Import, Outlook will add the stored data to your current calendar.
Restoring your contacts
Now your contacts.
Save your contacts as a CSV file. In New Outlook, open Contacts on the sidebar. They will appear there under the People tab. Next, click Export Contact in the ribbon, then Export.
Outlook will then compile the CSV file with your contact information and save it to your local Downloads folder. Now open Contacts and click on Import Contacts. Next click on Select Browse for a File and upload the CSV file. Finally, select Open and then Import in the next window.
Want to smarten up your home with a gorgeous, versatile device you’ll actually use every day? The Amazon Echo Show 11 is a large Alexa-powered screen that can also act as a central hub for other Alexa-compatible devices, and it’s $100 off ahead of October Prime Day. Now just $149.99, it matches the lowest price it’s ever been.
This 11-inch display is a full-blown smart device that can play music, stream video via platforms like Netflix and YouTube, video chat using the built-in webcam, provide on-screen and voice answers to anything you want to look up, and even serve as a digital photo frame when not in use. Use it for recipes while you cook, audiobooks while you do chores, and even checking into security camera and video doorbell feeds.
The speakers provide full-room audio and crisp vocals, but the best thing is that you can use it to control your other smart devices. Dim your smart lights, adjust your smart thermostat, lock your smart locks, start your lawn sprinklers, and more. No additional hardware is needed as long as those other smart devices are all Alexa-compatible and wirelessly connected.
A step up from the usual Echo speakers you might be familiar with, the Echo Show 11 is the biggest and best in the Show line. It’s a hard ask at its full $249.99 price, but a real deal now that it’s $149.99. Want to see what else is worth grabbing? See the best early October Prime Day deals.
Do you need a new computer? Unfortunately, the market is currently experiencing high prices and uncertainty due to the massive wave of investment in AI. But it’s still possible to get ahold of a decent machine — even if you might have to compromise on your budget or your requirements.
The RAMpocalypse driving up prices
It can hardly have escaped anyone’s notice that the prices of memory chips — both DRAM for RAM, and NAND for storage — have skyrocketed over the past year. Higher-capacity memory modules are four to five times more expensive today than they were a year ago.
Price increases of 400 percent are not an everyday occurrence in any industry, least of all the electronics sector, where prices usually tend to fall over time. These high prices are having knock-on effects, such as higher prices for other products due to increased costs for manufacturers, and financial difficulties for smaller manufacturers who can neither absorb the higher purchase prices nor raise their own prices sufficiently without losing too many customers.
Almost everything that contains memory and storage has become more expensive, particularly computers and components such as graphics cards, but also mobile phones and tablets, games consoles and even routers.
Almost, but not quite, everything. The fact is that there are still product categories where the usual trend towards ever-cheaper electronics continues. A clear example is monitors, where you get much more for your money today than just a few years ago, and that trend looks set to continue.
Do you want to play games with a high refresh rate, vibrant colors, and deep blacks using an OLED display? At the time of writing, for example, you can get 1440p resolution at 240Hz for less than $400 (Gigabyte GO27Q24G).
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for high resolution to ensure text is as sharp as possible, you can get a 4K monitor for $300 or less — for example, the LG 27US550-W and the Samsung Viewfinity S70D. See our roundup of the best monitors for more recommendations.
Other exceptions include cases, power supplies, and coolers. Processors and motherboards held their ground for a long time, but have now also risen in price as manufacturers shift resources towards products for the lucrative data center market.
All signs suggest that memory prices will rise further before stabilizing, and that no price reductions are to be expected before the end of 2027. So don’t count on prices suddenly returning to more normal levels.
If you’re thinking of buying a pre-built computer and aren’t in a rush, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for sales and clearance events, such as Black Friday. However, it’s highly likely that prices for memory and storage will continue to rise, so if you find a computer you’re happy with at a price you can afford, it might be better to go for it rather than wait and hope for a price drop that probably won’t happen for several years.
When it comes to components, it might make sense not to buy everything at once, but to spread your purchases out based on current prices. You might be able to wait for a good deal on a bundle of a motherboard and processor, but buy the RAM as soon as you find a reasonably affordable price.
Your current needs are paramount
What do you need the computer for, and how will you use it? These are the two most important questions to ask before buying a computer. It’s tricky to predict future needs, but the fact that you’re buying a new one at all is probably because what you have now isn’t working satisfactorily.
It might be as simple as needing something modern on which you can install Windows 11, even though your old computer didn’t really have any problems. Or perhaps you’ve taken up a new hobby, such as video editing or programming, which your old machine can’t quite cope with.
The main thing is to ask yourself what you’re really looking for and base your decision on that.
A word of advice: Don’t buy a new computer just because you’ve found a good price. That might sound contradictory given my tip above about waiting for the sales, but I’m referring there to those who need a new computer, just perhaps not right away.
If, on the other hand, you don’t actually need a new computer but happen to find one at a really bargain price, it can be tempting to snap it up. It’s rarely worth it, even if prices continue to rise. When you eventually reach a point where you really do need a new computer, there’s a good chance that the one you bought will already be outdated or no longer suit your changing needs.
For individual components, however, it can be worth keeping an eye out for fantastic deals.
What you actually need
A high-end gaming computer – not something most people need.Alienware
It can be tempting to choose a computer with the highest possible specifications. Nobody wants a slow computer, and it can feel reassuring to go the extra mile, so that it has some headroom and can remain fast enough for longer.
In some cases, this is a good idea, but it can also mean money down the drain. Not all components are equally important, and you’ll never notice some upgrades unless you’re doing something specific that pushes the computer to its limits in that particular area.
Fast SSDs are a prime example. A modern M.2 SSD with PCIe 5.0 can reach speeds of up to 14,000MB/s, but in everyday use on Windows, the difference compared to an older, simpler model with PCI Express 3.0 and speeds of around 2,500MB/s is very small. According to a test carried out by Tom’s Hardware, the difference is negligible in most games, and for tasks such as web browsing, email, chatting and working in Office programs, you would barely notice any difference with an even slower SATA-based SSD.
Below, I’ve put together some tips on how to approach the four most important components, which also have the greatest impact on the price.
There’s a wide range available from both Intel and AMD. Both sell processors from several generations, which affects peripheral functions such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, memory speed, and other features. For most consumers, simpler models are perfectly adequate, but be careful not to end up buying something really slow like an Intel Celeron.
My usual recommendation is to stick to the latest generation, as this means processors that are more efficient and feature the latest technologies. At the time of writing, this means the Intel Core 200 series and the AMD Ryzen 9000 series, but both companies are expected to release a new generation around the turn of the year or in early 2027 — Core 400 (Nova Lake) and Ryzen 10000 (Olympic Ridge).
However, a previous-generation processor may be cheaper, and this is particularly true of pre-built computers, where manufacturers may be running clearance sales to make way for the new generation. If you’re not looking for any specific new features, this can be a smart way to save a bit of money.
A couple of years ago, my recommendation was simple: Go all out. Memory was so cheap and can make such a big difference if you’re running lots of programs or heavy applications. I opted for 64GB myself when I built a computer in 2019, and I don’t actually do anything that requires even 32GB, but thanks to having so much, I’ve been able to keep all the programs I use open, including virtual machines.
Today, the “memory apocalypse” has made RAM one of the most expensive components, and something many people skimp on so that the computer doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Unfortunately, having enough memory is crucial to the user experience, as the computer can become as sluggish as treacle if the memory runs out and the system has to start offloading to the hard drive. Microsoft recently removed a recommendation to have at least 32GB for Windows 11 and has started making efforts to ensure the system runs more smoothly on computers with 8GB, but I still recommend at least 16GB.
The amount of memory is almost always more important than the speed, so I would always recommend 32GB of DDR5 memory at 5,600MT/s over, for example, 16GB at 7,200MT/s.
Graphics card
Graphics cards are essential for gaming and graphics programs.Christian Wiediger
For anyone who enjoys gaming, the graphics card is by far the most important component. In most games, a computer with a basic processor, memory, and storage but a really powerful graphics card is significantly faster than one with top-of-the-range processor, memory and storage but a budget-class graphics card.
A reasonably fast graphics card is also important for those involved in 3D modelling and animation, video editing and AI. However, for those who mostly just use a web browser, it isn’t that important, and it’s often possible to get by with a processor featuring integrated graphics.
Today, there are three graphics card manufacturers. Nvidia is the largest, with AMD and Intel trailing far behind. In the current generation, Nvidia is known for ray tracing and AI-based upscaling and frame generation, while AMD’s RX 9000 series receives high marks for raw performance in rasterized graphics. Intel’s cards have found a niche in the budget segment and offer relatively good value for money.
If you’re thinking of trying Linux instead of Windows, it might be worth choosing a graphics card from AMD rather than Nvidia — and, above all, Intel. This is because the drivers are better and are being developed more rapidly, not least thanks to help from developers at Valve who are working on optimizing the Steam Machine and Steam Deck.
Storage
You don’t necessarily need the very fastest SSD.Samsung
You should definitely have the operating system and all your programs on an NVMe-based SSD, but as I mentioned above, it’s by no means a given that you’ll see any noticeable performance boost by choosing a blazing-fast PCIe 5.0 drive. If you can get hold of an older model at a significantly lower price, that might be more than enough. I’d much rather have a spacious SSD with PCIe 3.0 than a skimpily sized SSD of the latest generation.
See our roundup of the best SSDs for buying advice.
Other specifications
In addition to the above, there are a number of other specifications where models differ. Networking (wireless and wired), Bluetooth, audio, and USB ports are a few examples. Here, users’ needs vary so much that it is difficult to offer any recommendations, with one exception:
Access to Thunderbolt or USB4 ports means you can connect external storage and other devices much faster.
If you have — or are planning to buy — a modern monitor with high resolution and/or a high refresh rate, it is important to ensure that your computer or graphics card supports it. For a 5K monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate, a type that has become available recently, DisplayPort 2.1, or HDMI 2.1 is required, for example. However, the best option is a graphics card with DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 — which, at present, is only available in Nvidia’s RTX 50 series — or a computer with Thunderbolt 5.
If you need a new computer now but can’t afford to splash out on all the components you’d really like, you can start with the basics and then upgrade later. With desktop computers, this isn’t a problem, and you can, for example, cut back a little on RAM and storage, and hope that prices will have fallen again in a couple of years.
If that’s your plan, it’s important to check what upgrade options you have. How many M.2 slots for SSDs does the motherboard have? Does it have two or four memory slots? Is there Thunderbolt or USB4? What about PCI Express slots?
When it comes to RAM specifically, it might be worth opting for, say, 2 x 16GB rather than 4 x 8GB, even if the latter is slightly cheaper, as you’ll then be able to add more later on without being left with spare memory modules. Some desperate computer buyers have even started buying just one module to begin with, even though this makes the memory half as fast.
Buying used or refurbished
Buying a whole second-hand computer can be a way to save money, but it can also be a nerve-wracking experience. A lot can go wrong, and if you’re not an expert, there’s a great deal to keep track of to avoid ending up with something that doesn’t live up to its price at all.
It’s simpler and safer if you’re looking for a specific computer model and buy from a shop that sells refurbished second-hand machines; this can be a way to get a newer computer than the one you have today at a reasonable price.
Another option is simply to buy certain components second-hand. For example, you could try to get hold of cheaper RAM and storage that way and then fit them into a new computer.
You need to be careful with second-hand storage. An SSD wears out when data is written to it, so an SSD that has been used in a server may be on its last legs without you realizing it. Check the number of terabytes written using programs such as CrystalDiskInfo (Windows) or Smartctl (Linux/Mac), and look up the manufacturer’s specified TBW (“terabytes written”) value.
Passwords? Left behind in the dust. You’ve moved on to passkeys—but you may not have locked them down properly.
Most people use their phones, password manager, or PC to store passkeys. Each has their advantages, but they should be secured in slightly different ways. You may also not have covered your butt in the event you ever lose access to those devices.
Here’s how to get everything in order.
Cloud-saved passkeys
Lock down a cloud-based password manager account to protect the passkeys saved within.
PCWorld
If you save your passkeys to your phone or an independent password manager, they live in the cloud. Same goes for if you save them while logged into a Microsoft account in Edge or a Google account in Chrome.
Because passkeys stored in the cloud can be used across devices, you must safeguard the account holding them to prevent misuse. Set a strong, random, and unique password + two-factor authentication.
Also be smart about which cloud-based password manager you use. Independent password managers may not be as vulnerable (or targeted) as Google’s, which can end up exploited if you’re logged into Chrome. (A attack of this sort has already happened, with successful use of stored passkeys.)
Device-bound passkeys
Protect your passkeys on a hardware security key with at PIN that’s at least 6 digits long.
YubiKey
The easiest way to avoid putting your passkeys in the cloud is to save them to your Windows PC. You’ll be required to set up Windows Hello to protect them. I recommend at least a 6-8 digit PIN, if you don’t use biometrics.
A dongle like a YubiKey or Google Titan Security Key can also securely hold passkeys offline. To lock one down, you’ll create a PIN. The minimum recommended is 6 digits—when asked, Yubico spokesperson Ryan Schin said, “The recommendation would generally be a 6-digit PIN length for all YubiKeys for greater security.” (In fact, business-specific YubiKeys actually require it.)
Worried that’s not enough? Then specifically choose a YubiKey, which will require a full wipe and reset after eight failed PIN entries. This feature protects against brute force attacks (trying multiple combinations of PINs over and over).
Make backups!
A passkey is like a house key—if you only have one and you lose it, you end up locked out. But in this case, no one can reset the lock or otherwise pry the door open.
You’ll want to create extras, as backup. Additionally, you may want to consider leaving one with a trusted contact in case of emergency.
How? If you have cloud-based passkeys, create an additional one on your PC or hardware security key. The security keys start at $30 to $35, making them relatively inexpensive. You can even pick up YubiKeys from local retailers like Best Buy.
Alternatively, ensure you at least have access to another device logged into the account with the cloud-based passkeys. One easy, cheap option is to use an old phone, ideally one still getting modern security updates.
As for device-based passkeys, I always recommend having one on at least two different security keys or one PC and one security key. More is better.
8GB of memory might not be enough for certain applications
Our Verdict
Acer’s Swift Air 14 mostly hits its mark as a solid budget productivity laptop. However, its 8GB of memory still can pose problems in certain scenarios.
Price When Reviewed
This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
On paper, the Acer Swift Air 14 is almost exactly what a productivity laptop buyer in 2026 ought to want. A great price, decent performance, and excellent battery life. Does it all play out as planned?
Here’s the tradeoff, in short. The laptop’s $699 sticker price is offset by an anemic 8GB of RAM — a grievous error in 2025, but more forgivable during the component shortages of 2026 and beyond (?). It all plays out as you would hope… but just don’t push it.
Acer Swift Air 14: Specs and configurations
Right now, the Acer Swift Air 14 (SFA14-I31-58V8) is available to buy at Acer and Best Buy for $699. It might be also worth noting that Acer’s chief executive recently said that he expects PC prices to rise by between five to 20 percent during the fourth quarter of 2026, which may be an incentive for you to buy soon.
Mark Hachman / Framework
Model number: SFA14-I3
CPU: Intel Core 5 320
Memory: 8GB LPDDR5X (expandable to 16GB)
Graphics/GPU: Intel Graphics
NPU: Yes, 16 TOPS
Display: 14-inch (1920×1200) TFT, 30-120Hz
Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD
Webcam: 1080p
Connectivity: 2X USB-C (Thunderbolt 4), USB-A, 3.5mm headphone jack
Networking: Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3
Biometrics: Windows Hello (webcam)
Battery capacity: 70 watt-hours
Dimensions: 12.4 x 8.8 x 0.51 inches
Weight: 2.62 pounds
MSRP: $699.99 as tested
Acer Swift Air 14: Out of the box and construction
Since Acer sells this laptop for $699, I wanted to see if any corners had been cut. As the specs above note, one key shortcoming is the amount of memory: we all know that RAM is expensive, but we’ll see how 8GB affects its overall performance later in the review.
Otherwise, you might expect the Swift “Air” to float in your hands. It doesn’t, but at 2.62 pounds, it’s much lighter than a typical 14-inch laptop, which typically weighs about three pounds. Its aluminum construction feels solid, and I couldn’t feel any untoward flexing either in the keyboard tray or as I moved the display up and down.
Acer’s product page indicates that the Swift Air 14 ships in “purple, blue, pink, and green,” though Acer and Best Buy sell the laptop in a sage green only.
The ports on this laptop are minimal, with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports carrying the load.
Mark Hachman / Framework
Put another way, the Acer Swift Air 14 does not feel cheap, which was one of the goals of the Intel Project Firefly program associated with the Core Series 3 (“Wildcat Lake”) processor inside the laptop itself.
The laptop’s display fully reclines, which is a little odd given that the Swift Air 14’s display isn’t touch-enabled. Acer included a pair of powerful USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 capabilities on the left side of the laptop, with just a single USB-A port and a headphone jack on the right. It feels perfectly appropriate for the size of the laptop and its price point.
Acer added a USB-A port and a headphone jack on the left-hand side of the laptop.
Mark Hachman / Framework
Note that this laptop can’t connect to the latest Wi-Fi 7 routers, although Wi-Fi 6e still has sufficient bandwidth for home networking.
Acer Swift Air 14: Display
Even 14-inch laptops seem to have moved beyond 1080p resolution to 1200p, a positive step forward for the industry. My colorimeter measured the display brightness at 376 nits, substantially higher than the 250 to 260 nits we deem adequate for everyday office use. Though the panel used pretty standard IPS technology, Acer’s “Comfyview” matte coating does a good job of diffusing reflections to make it easier to work under bright lights.
No one seems to care too much about bezel sizing, though the underscreen bezel seems a bit bigger than most to achieve the 16:10 aspect ratio.
Budget laptops usually lack the visual fidelity of more expensive “creator-class” laptops. Still, I applied my colorimeter to the display and it fares pretty well. Here’s how my colorimeter assessed the display output:
Foundry
Remember, too, that the variable refresh rate of the screen (30 to 120Hz) can provide silky smooth mousing and scrolling at the highest refresh rate, but sips power at 30Hz to extend battery life. You’ll need to go into the Windows settings menu to enable the dynamic refresh rate. Otherwise, it will remain fixed at 120Hz.
Acer Swift Air 14: Keyboard and touchpad
I like Acer’s laptop keyboards, and the Swift Air 14 is no exception. The keys are wide and spacious. The key travel is comfortable and forgiving, too. As a budget productivity laptop, this is ideal. The top row of the keyboard includes dedicated keys for AcerSense, Acer’s utility software, as well as a shortcut to Acer.com.
I did catch a bug. The keyboard doesn’t wake up immediately at the tap of a button–this happens when the laptop’s running on battery and wall power. After the first tap, however, the keyboard worked normally… until I left idle for a few seconds. Then the laptop would revert to its earlier state.
In other words, when I tapped the Start button, the laptop did nothing. I also wondered why I kept mistakenly entering PIN codes and passwords! That was why. Acer advised me to reset the PC as a workaround, which solved the problem.
I liked the Swift Air 14’s wide, spacious keys.
Mark Hachman / Framework
The included trackpad works as well as could be expected for a budget trackpad. It’s clickable up until the about the top third, where it peters out. Gestures work like normal.
Acer Swift Air 14: Audio, webcam, mics, and biometrics
The laptop’s audio quality is good. Acer mounts four speakers inside the laptop, enhanced by DTS:X Ultra Audio. The combination delivers solid audio from lows to highs. It’s a little soft on the low-end bass, but with good volume otherwise. Moreover, turning up the volume doesn’t immediately turn the audio into mishmash, as older laptops used to do. (I did notice a little distortion on Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way, however.) Watching video on the laptop is surprisingly good, too.
Access to the laptop is protected by Windows Hello, enabled on the webcam’s depth camera. This is traditionally difficult to test because we only have the laptop for a short time. However, I was able to set it up and it recognized me several times without flaw over the course of the review.
Otherwise, the laptop’s 1080p/30Hz webcam was acceptable. You’ll notice that the laptop’s processor does include a small NPU of 16 TOPS. This is enough for the Windows Studio Effects (pan and zoom, background blur, and the odd “eye contact” effect)–these all worked well enough. Right now, I’m not convinced that this class of laptop will really benefit from local AI, save the for the built-in studio effects.
There’s also an interesting twist: Acer specifically pushes a popup at you if you open the Windows Camera application. It advertises a “Acer Phone Webcam” application that can be downloaded for your Android or iPhone. Essentially, your (far superior) phone camera’s feed stands in for your webcam.
Acer Phone Webcam isn’t that different than what you can already do with your PC, though using a phone camera as a webcam is a bit complicated to set up within Windows. Acer simplifies it, and it’s a smart use of an app to do so.
The on-device mics don’t do a great job of capturing audio, though the audio filtering is excellent — with a major caveat. I test the microphone quality by using the Windows Sound Recorder application to record my voice, with and without music, then with white noise playing in the background.
The Acer Swift Air 14 did a good job filtering out the white noise — rainfall, in this case. My voice was captured almost perfectly. My voice sounded more distorted when I was playing music in the background, though the music was totally filtered out. Great work! Well, kind of.
On my first run I noticed I had a benchmark program sitting idle in the background. However, the memory that app took up negatively affected the laptop’s audio capture ability, turning my voice into more of a garbled mess than an actual recording.
Acer Swift Air 14: Performance
The 8GB of RAM prevented one of our benchmark applications from running entirely. I think a bigger concern, however, is that an 8GB laptop pushes you to look at the hardware requirements for certain applications. Photoshop might be a poor example in this scenario, but its “required” memory is just 8GB. Adobe “recommends” 16GB instead. That means risking a substantial amount of money on an application that might not run well on your PC.
(Microsoft, oddly, doesn’t even list a minimum memory allotment for Microsoft 365, though Word, PowerPoint, and Excel all performed acceptably.)
I doubt that the keyboard issue I noticed above wasn’t due to the fact that this laptop only has 8GB of RAM, but leaving another application open while recording audio certainly affected the audio quality in a negative way. On the other hand, I was able to open ten media-rich tabs in Microsoft Edge, plus Word, and almost max out the laptop’s memory usage at 97 percent. Those tabs were perfectly navigable. Some of them even included video, too.
The Acer Swift Air is sufficient for basic tasks, including Office work and web browsing. It’s not a content creation laptop or a gaming rig, though, so you might want to taper your expectations. You may reach a bottleneck faster with 8GB of RAM.
Let’s assume that you’re trying to spend as little as possible on a laptop. In response to the Apple MacBook Neo, laptop manufacturers have presented options: the $699 Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i (now $749.99 at Lenovo), the $429 Acer Aspire Go 15 (now $515), and the $699.99 Dell XPS 13, which has increased in price to $799.99. All of these use 8GB of RAM by default, though the price and display sizes vary. The difference? The first two PCs date to 2025, when memory was more abundant and an 8GB laptop could be more heavily criticized. Sadly, minimal memory is much more acceptable in 2026.
The PCMark benchmark combines a number of tasks, from basic office work (spreadsheets, word processing) all the way up to video calls and CAD applications. I think it’s one of the most well-rounded benchmarks out there, but it doesn’t support Windows on Arm. Still, it gives a clear edge to the Acer Swift Air.
Foundry
Normally, we’d follow this with the Cinebench 2024 benchmark, but it doesn’t run on laptops with 8GB of memory. I dropped it down to Cinebench R23, which does, and it produced a score of 7,274. That’s less than the Acer Aspire Go, which scored 8,530. That’s not great — by contrast, the Ryzen AI 400 chip inside the Acer Swift Go 16 produced a score of 11,967. You’re trading off some significant performance for the cost savings.
On the other hand, the laptop is closing in on the MacBook Neo. Using the cross-platform Geekbench 6 multicore benchmark, the Neo produced a score of 8,996, while the Swift Air recorded a score of 7,647, a 16 percent difference. The single-core score is also significant.
Here, the Neo recorded a score of 3,574, while the Swift Air 14 being reviewed here recorded a score of 2,397 — a whopping 39 percent difference, and usually an indicator using the laptop’s menus and navigating through its applications will lag a bit.
I also tested the laptop using the Handbrake transcoding benchmark, and it generated a score of 1,901 seconds, versus 2,053 seconds for the IdeaPad Slim 3i.
Foundry
As my colleague Ashley Biancuzzo pointed out in her review of the Dell XPS 13, these aren’t gaming machines — though the Swift Air does outperform the Ryzen AI 400 series. Still, even light gaming is going to be a struggle. Don’t bother.
With regards to battery life, the specs tell the story. The Acer Swift Air 14 includes a 70 Wh battery, the largest of all the laptops we tested for this article. (The maximum allowed by the FAA’s battery restrictions is a 99Wh battery.) That gives a clear and massive edge to this laptop, even among more expensive machines.
Foundry
Using our standard video rundown test, the Acer Swift Air 14 delivered about 19.5 hours of battery life, a tremendous showing. Even using the more arduous and realistic Procyon benchmark, which applies a series of standardized Microsoft Office tasks over and over, the total time was 11 hours 14 minutes. That’s a great result and a definite plus in this laptop’s favor. You might be able to push it even higher by enabling the dynamic display refresh rate — I left it at a fixed 120 Hz for testing.
Should you buy the Acer Swift Air 14?
Save for that annoying keyboard bug, I liked my time with the Acer Swift Air. That doesn’t mean I’d recommend it to everyone. For the basics — Office work, some light web browsing — it’s sufficient, and the battery life is outstanding no matter what the price tag says.
The trouble is that most laptops, perhaps excepting the ones we reviewed here, jump immediately to the $1,200 range and above. There’s going to be a class of people who immediately turn up their noses at any laptop with 8GB of memory. Others will be forced into it by necessity or to save a few bucks.
My recommendation would be to buy this laptop from a store with a solid return policy (Best Buy usually qualifies, but be sure) and check to see that you can do what you need to do with it before the return period expires.
Phones and computers don’t always play nice together, especially when you’re bouncing between the two–it can be super annoying. KDE Connect is a handy app that helps fix this issue by linking your devices and letting them share files and notifications, while also allowing you to control your PC from your phone (or vice versa).
File sharing is probably what people use KDE Connect for most. It allows you to send files straight between your phone and computer—think AirDrop, but for PCs. And while KDE Connect does this perfectly well, I still recommend something like LocalSend if file sharing is your only goal. LocalSend is a bit more intuitive and easier for quick tasks.
However, KDE Connect sets itself apart thanks to its deeper device integration and remote control tools. The app mirrors your phone notifications on your desktop, which is great for those times when you’re in the middle of something at work and can’t check your phone. On supported devices, KDE Connect lets you reply to text messages from your computer, too.
The remote control aspect will appeal to power users in particular. I use it to control music on my PC, and even the virtual trackpad option can be useful. There’s also the ability to turn your phone into a presentation remote if you ever forget your clicker. You can even set up custom commands to do things like lock or shut down your computer from your phone.
KDE Connect is free and open source, with versions for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
For more fun and helpful tips, tricks, website and app recommendations, be sure to subscribe to our PCWorld Try This newsletter.
TL;DR: Microsoft Project Professional 2024 is a full project management tool for Windows, and a lifetime license is on sale for $49.97 (reg. $1,129.99) through October 4.
Most of the good project management tools are locked behind a monthly or yearly subscription. Microsoft Project Pro used to have the same problem, but it doesn’t anymore. Instead of paying monthly, you can now get a Project Pro lifetime license on sale for $49.97 (reg. $1,129.99) during this September Flash Sale.
Instead of muddling through the early stages of a complex project, you can use Project Pro’s pre-built templates to get a new plan moving fast. Start and end dates even auto-populate from task dependencies, so moving one deadline updates the rest of the schedule. Multiple built-in timelines show how a complex project fits together, and task path highlighting in Gantt charts makes the links between tasks easy to follow.
Reports like Burndown and Resource Overview give stakeholders a clear read on progress, and baselines let decision makers compare where things stand against the original plan. What-if scenarios test different task assignments before you commit to them, and timesheets record hours on both project and non-project work for payroll and invoicing. For teams already running Project Online or Project Server, the desktop app syncs with both.
One license gives you Project Pro on a single Windows PC indefinitely. Just make sure to redeem your code within seven days of completing your purchase. Updates are also included.
Meta’s Muse agent was born to shop, while Gemini’s Spark can help you book airline tickets or plan your weekly meals. But while Muse and Spark act like personal assistants, OpenAI’s new AI agents are designed to be, well, another “you” in the office.
Dots, which OpenAI boss Sam Altman just unveiled at the company’s annual developers conference, are always-on AI assistants that — as with Muse — you can name, assign cute little avatars to, and chat with in the ChatGPT interface, via text, or even on the phone.
But OpenAI is also positioning its Dots as your “delegates” and “extensions” in the office, where they can take on work duties you’ve assigned to them, as well as collaborate with colleagues (and their Dots) on Slack, Microsoft Teams, or in the new ChatGPT Spaces environment.
OpenAI’s Dots are workplace agents you can collaborate with via ChatGPT Spaces, Microsoft Teams, or Slack (pictured).
Ben Patterson/Foundry
Powered by GPT-6 Astra (OpenAI’s “most aligned model,” Altman promised), Dots require a $100-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan or better, and can take on complex work and coding tasks, performing them locally or in the cloud before eventually coming back to report the results. Each eligible ChatGPT account comes with one Dot included, and users will eventually be able to take charge of multiple Dots.
During the presentation, Altman was careful to emphasize that Dots let you “stay in control” thanks to Astra’s “built-in protections and safeguards,” while users are free to set custom instructions and boundaries for the assistants.
“So this allows you to trust your Dot with as much responsibility as you’re comfortable with,” Altman said.
Of course, OpenAI’s Dots debut comes amid mounting anxiety over the rapid growth of AI, with the biggest AI players calling for government regulation and “pacing” of frontier model development, while more and more AI whistleblowers are warning that AI could, quite literally, kill us all with the next decade.
Just yesterday, OpenAI released a statement apologizing for an incident where its models hacked into Australian government websites, while another statement detailed new guidelines to bolster AI safety.
But OpenAI’s peppy, Apple-style keynote belied the gravity of the moment, with Altman trotting out one agentic AI announcement after another, including GPT-6.1 Sol, a new GPT model designed to deliver Astra-level performance at a fraction of the cost.
Also new is a ChatGPT Pro 500 plan, which at $500 a month becomes the priciest of OpenAI’s consumer ChatGPT individual plans. Aside from expanded usage limits, the Pro 500 plan also includes an Ultrafast mode, which boasts eight times the speed of standard mode at a whopping six times the price.
Another subscription change involves the $200-a-month Pro plan, which has been re-opened to new subscribers while having its usage allowance cut roughly in half “to reflect our increasingly efficient models,” according to OpenAI. Pro 200 users (who will get to keep their current usage rates “for a bit”) are, quite naturally, already howling in protest.
Then there’s Codex Security Cloud, a cloud-based that’s continuously scanning for vulnerabilities while spinning up security fixes, and OpenAI Private Intelligence, which sounds like OpenAI’s version of Apple’s Private Cloud Compute.
I plan on testing OpenAI’s Dots once I scrounge up the cash for upgrading my Dot-less ChatGPT Plus account, so stay tuned.
Updated to add details about changes to OpenAI’s Pro 200 subscription plan.
By now, the importance of backing up your Windows PC or laptop goes without saying. It only takes a moment to consider how much of your data is at potential risk of a drive failure, natural disaster, or a bad actor, if you don’t have a solid backup plan in place. The best Windows backup software includes file backup, sure, but also disk imaging and full image restore, as well as disaster recovery.
Our picks for best Windows backup software are selected with all the must-haves of data backup and recovery in mind, so in the tragic event that your primary local data repository is compromised, you’re fully covered.
What backup utilities come with Windows?
Sadly, while other operating systems make backup easy, Microsoft saddles users with a patchwork system of utilities and holdover imaging tools from Windows 7.
Some of these work well (Restore Points, File History), others don’t (System Repair Disc, Recovery Drive). None are suitable for quick and easy disaster recovery — even the online backup that is available when you use Windows with a Microsoft cloud account.
Thankfully, there are a number of highly capable and far more reliable third-party backup options for Windows that cover the panoply of backup, restore, migration, and disaster recovery.
Why you should trust PCWorld for backup software reviews and buying advice: It’s in our name — PCWorld. Our reviewers have been testing PC hardware, software, and services for decades. Our backup evaluations are thorough and rigorous, testing the promises and limitations of every product — from performance to the practicalities of regular use.
PROMOTION
Backup software powered by AI – EaseUS Todo Backup
EaseUS Todo Backup covers everything you need for backups. With AI smart backup, automate your backup tasks on schedule, run to make copies, do realtime protections, and restore everything instantly. No extra effort is required. Also, get 250GB cloud storage for free.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy EaseUS Todo Backup 2026?
EaseUS Todo Backup 2026 (home) has matured into an outstandingly versatile and comprehensive backup solution. With a still-affordable perpetual license, it also costs less than some of the now subscription-only competition such as Acronis True Image and Macrium Reflect X.
The paid tier of EaseUS is the best all-round home-PC choice for anyone who wants comprehensive backup and recovery with a straightforward “buy once, use forever” license
EaseUS Todo Backup 2026: Further considerations
Imaging, disaster recovery, plain or compressed file/folder backup, sync, real-time (actually continuous) backup, and nearly every bell and whistle in the backup space are accounted for by Todo Backup.
In addition to its comprehensive and reliable set of features, Todo Backup greets you with a pleasingly-rendered, animated interface and a supremely logical layout.
The fact that it doesn’t force you into a subscription model is also a big plus in its favor. That said, if you want to use EaseUS’s cloud storage (third-party isn’t supported directly), you do need to opt for a yearly plan. Fortunately, it’s decently affordable: software plus 1TB of cloud storage for $60/yr.
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy Acronis True Image?
True Image is a great option for anyone who wants seasoned and reliable file and image backup as well as full-fledged protection from malware (including ransomware).
True Image is for users who are amenable to a subscription-only plan, the benefits of which are the iterative and ongoing update potential as well as the inclusion of cloud storage.
Acronis True Image: Further considerations
Acronis established itself as a trustworthy stalwart in backup software years ago. In meantime the program’s moniker morphed for a while to Cyber Protect Home Office (which is actually more descriptive), but is now back again to the more recognizable True Image.
Throughout the changes, the program remained super-reliable, and gradually evolved into a versatile, flexible, backup and malware protection solution. While True Image doesn’t offer support for third-party cloud storage, only its own, the program does allow you to back up to and from network locations.
As I noted in my review, “If you’re looking for a comprehensive, set-it-and-forget-it data-safety solution, I know of nothing better — or comparable for that matter.” This does however, result in a rather heavy system footprint with multiple background processes running.
Alas, for better (the comany’s) or worse (yours), True Image is now subscription-only. I recommend bumping up from the Essentials plan to the Advanced plan, which includes 250GB of storage (with the purchase link in this article, it’s only $24.99 per year, down from $72.99).
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should use Easeus Todo Backup Free?
Anyone who wants friendly, easy to use backup and reliable disaster recovery in one package should take a look at Easeus Todo Backup Free. The only cost to a startlingly capable suite is a couple of ads and nags.
To clarify the distinction between our paid and free picks, the free version of Easeus Todo Backup includes imaging, file/folder backup, scheduling, and boot media. Cloud storage and deeper advanced features require you to step up to the paid tier.
Easeus Todo Backup 2025: Further considerations
Easeus Todo Backup Free covers all the backup basics: File/folder backup (compressed and plain), one-way sync, system/drive/partition imaging, and all with scheduling. But there are extras you might not expect from a freebie such as backup from network locations, and what EaseUS calls real-time backup (it’s actually continuous — close enough). That’s unique for a freebie.
Todo Backup 2025 also sports the easiest, most attractive (in our estimation) interface on the market. That alone should recommend it to most users. But the fact that it just works (there are a couple of odd, non-fatal peccadilloes in the file sync), and comes with reliable disaster recovery and boot media seals the deal.
There’s a professional version that adds numerous advanced features, as well as EaseUS’s own cloud storage. See the entry above.
Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX – Best Windows backup for SMBs
Pros
Fast and reliable continuous data protection
Super easy restores to real or virtual hard drives
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
Who should buy Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX?
Home, small, and other businesses who are looking for backup software more powerful than the norm, that also scales nicely in networked ecosystems will do well with this solid, feature-laden, and very fast backup program.
Besides Arcserve’s support for SMB / mixed Windows-Linux environment, it’s heavy on features that are overkill for most home users, but great for the more robust needs of business users.
Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX: Further considerations
Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX is loaded with pro- and enterprise-level features including support for third-party virtual hard drives (VHDs, etc.). It is also an excellent choice for Linux users or those in mixed Windows/Linux environments as it’s available for both operating systems.
ShadowProtect SPX is a bit pricey, but it’s extremely reliable backup software with foolproof continuous data protection. Note that the company no longer targets the average user, but I found that it works exceptionally well even on a single computer.
MSP360 Managed Backup: Uses a handy web-based console to provide imaging and file backup services for multiple devices at a reasonable price.
MSP360 Backup: The free incarnation is a worthwhile upgrade to Windows File History.
Iperius Backup: Has power aplenty, but the learning curve and interface might occasionally flummox less-experienced users.
Handy Backup 8.5 Professional: Top-notch features that might’ve garnered an Editors’ Choice award had it been entirely glitch-free and a bit easier to learn.
MiniTool ShadowMaker Pro 4.6: There’s a lot to like, particularly its unique ability to interface with all computers on a network.
Macrium Reflect Home: Would likely qualify as our favorite backup software if it wasn’t relatively pricey. It’s an exceptional program that offers everything we want from backup software — full drive/folder backup, ease of use, reliability, etc.
DriveImage XML: A viable free backup solution, albeit only for MBR disks.
Ashampoo Backup Pro 26: Overarching support for myriad backup chores with easy-to-understand wizards, but no backup from the recovery disc or option for “differential” backups.
Note that in this article we focus on local-software based solutions, although many also include a cloud component. For cloud-first backup, see our roundup of the best online backup services. Admittedly, the distinction between the two categories is blurring as they each expand their feature sets.
How we test
Our reviewers run each program through the various types of backups and restores it’s capable of — including those requiring boot media. This is largely to gauge reliability and hardware compatibility. We check speed, but such is highly reliant upon the connections and media involved.
If we notice anything is particularly fast or slow, we’ll tell you about it, but creating a functional backup is paramount.
Having started computing by flipping switches, Jon Jacobi has witnessed storage morph from punch cards and tape to solid state. He’s been using and testing HDDs, SATA SSDs, and NVMe SSDs for PCWorld for well over two decades. To paraphrase a well-known commercial, you might say he’s seen a thing or two.
How to choose backup software
If you recently purchased an external HDD or SSD from a major vendor such as Seagate or WD, check to see if there are backup utilities or a backup software license included. Whatever backup software you use, keep in mind the following key aspects of the best solutions: file backup for documents/photos, image backup for whole-PC rollback, boot media for dead-drive recovery, versioning for accidental overwrite protection, and know which are critical to your backup plan.
File backup
If you want to back up your essential data (operating systems and programs can be reinstalled, though it’s mildly time- and effort-consuming), a program that backs up only your important files is essential. Some programs even automatically select the appropriate files or folders. File backup can include operating system files if you wish but is still not suitable for disaster recovery.
Image backup/imaging
Images are byte-for-byte snapshots of your entire hard drive (normally not including empty sectors) or partitions, and can be used to restore the operating system, drivers, programs in one swift, fell swoop. Imaging also ensures that you don’t omit anything important as can happen with file backup.
Recovery boot media
Should your system crash completely, you need alternate means to boot your system and restore data using your backup software. Any backup program worth its salt should be able to create a bootable optical disc or USB thumb drive. Some will also create a restore partition on your hard drive, which can be used if the issue isn’t a failed drive.
Note that we’ve run into multiple issues with Microsoft’s own Recovery Drive and System repair disc — don’t rely on those.
Scheduling
If you’re going to back up effectively, you need to do so on a regular basis. Any backup program you purchase should let you schedule backups and run them in the background. Some even will backup files as they change (real time) or at very short intervals (continuous)
Versioning
Versioning is simply retaining older version of files (or backups) rather than overwriting them during the backup/sync process. You can generally define how many versions to keep, but if you choose to cull older files, this is till not true backup which again, is an immutable copy of your data, drives, or system.
Optical discs
Every backup program supports hard drives, but as obsolete as they may seem, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs are great archive media. If you’re worried about optical media’s reliability, M-Disc claims its discs are reliable for a thousand years, backed up by Department of Defense testing.
Online storage (cloud) support
An offsite copy of your data is a hedge against physical disasters such as theft, flood, fire, and power surges. Online storage services are a great way to meet that need. Some backup software will let you back up to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon S3 and compatible, etc. however Cloud Managers can serve as a workaround with backup programs that don’t. The downside to cloud storage is relatively slow performance. Keep a local backup for faster restores.
Network access
Backing up to other computers or NAS boxes on your network or in remote locations (say your parent’s or children’s house) is another way of safeguarding your data via a physically remote copy. If you use network storage, it can also be handy to back them up to you local system.
FTP/SFTP can be used for offsite, while SMB (Windows and most OS’s) and AFP (Apple) are good for other PCs or NAS on your local network. Network support is not universal, and some backup programs allow you to back up to, but not from network shares. Just be careful in the way you expose your computers on the Internet.
Real-time backup
Real-time backup means that files are backed up whenever they change, usually upon creation or save. It’s handy for keeping an immediately available backup of rapidly changing data sets. For less volatile data sets, scheduled backups will do just fine.
Continuous backup
Continuous simply means backing up on a tight schedule, generally every few minutes, rather than in real time, daily, weekly, or monthly. Use continuous backup for rapidly changing data sets where transfer rates are too slow, or computing power too precious for real-time backup.
Performance concerns
Most backups proceed in the background or during dead time, so performance isn’t a huge issue in the consumer space. However, if you’re backing up multiple machines, backing up to multiple destinations, or dealing with very large data sets, speed will be a consideration. That said, backup speed is highly dependent upon the hardware and transport technology in use.
Further reading: Check out PCWorld’s roundup of best external drives for recommendations on reliable storage options — an important component in a comprehensive backup strategy.
FAQ
1.
What is the best Windows backup software?
The best Windows backup software is Easeus Todo Backup 2025. It has everything PCWorld expects to see in a top product: A polished interface, intuitive functionality, a comprehensive approach to backing up data including imaging, file backup, sync, and disaster recovery. And most important, it’s reliable! Todo Backup also offers the option of a perpetual license or a subscription model, the latter of which can be augmented with affordable cloud storage.
2.
What is the best free Windows backup software?
It turns out that PCWorld’s favorite for-pay backup software, Easeus Todo Backup 2025, also offers a surprisingly robust free version. It matches its paid counterpart in basics such as imaging, file backup, sync, and, most especially — disaster recovery. It also features the same eminently user-friendly interface. As with most backup freeware, you will be nagged to upgrade, and Easeus’s optional cloud storage, which is surprisingly affordable, is only available at the subscription tier.
3.
Will backup software slow down my computer?
Backup software typically runs in the background or during dead time, so given even moderately modern hardware, you shouldn’t notice any decrease in performance. Most programs let you throttle the backup process if you do notice a slowdown.
4.
Does Windows Backup and Restore (Windows 7) save everything?
Yes, by default, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) saves everything on your system disk (all the partitions, including hidden ones) in what’s known as an image file that would be suitable for disaster recovery if Windows Recovery Drive and Rescue disk were reliable. News bulletin — they aren’t.
Hence, we only recommend this program for creating highly compatible VHD/VHDX images of your data drives and partitions which can be mounted as virtual drives and browsed using nothing but Windows Explorer.
5.
What’s the difference between Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc. and backup software?
Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are what’s known as cloud storage, or online storage. They create a local virtual drive that you can drag files to, and which is eventually synced to the cloud as time allows. They also provide a Web portal where you can manage your files remotely.
However, by default these services sync changes in the data across all devices. True backups should be immutable snapshots that may be added to but not changed. Some services offer versioning (keeping older files, and adding new ones), which creates a close approximation to backup.
Cloud backup services (distinct from those mentioned above) offer many, though not all, of the benefits of Windows backup software. This is generally done with local client software that offers just basic functions like file backup and sync. You can learn more about these in our roundup of best cloud backup services.
6.
How often should backups be scheduled?
Ideally, as often as your data changes. If you are working on an important project or have work that you absolutely cannot afford to lose, you should consider real time (as data changes) or continuous (very short intervals). Hourly, daily, or longer intervals will be fine for the average user. All file backups should be augmented by weekly or monthly system backups.
7.
Can I back up files to and from my cloud storage?
Until a few years ago, most Windows backup software was restricted to making local backups — i.e., to another drive, external or internal, connected to your system. There were of course services such as Mozy that had their own backup clients, but that’s covered in our online backup roundup. Here we’re talking just plain backup programs.
The situation is improving rapidly, and many backup software vendors are adding online storage services as destinations for their backups.
If your favorite backup program doesn’t support cloud storage directly, a cloud storage manager that integrates online storage services into File Explorer can make online backup possible with just about any backup app.
8.
What’s the difference between full, differential, and incremental backup?
A full backup is a backup of all your data, regardless of how new or old it is. A differential backup is all the data that’s changed since your last full backup. An incremental backup is all the data that’s changed since any your original full and/or the last differential/incremental backup. Differential and incremental backups require a initial full backup to be restored.
Differential backups require more time to create than incremental backups, but are quicker to restore since you only need the latest iteration. Differential backups can grow to be quite large if you don’t perform full backups very often.
Incremental backups take less time to produce and are smaller, but take longer to restore as all of them created since the last full backup must be restored in the order in which they were created.
9.
What’s the difference between image backup, system backup, and file backup?
An image is low-level backup of all the sectors (including “empty” sectors if you wish) contained by a disk or partition, regardless of their pertinence to your files. It’s basically fool-proof in terms of accidentally overlooking important data.
A system backup is an disk image backup of all the partitions on your system drive. This includes several that are hidden, i.e., not enumerated as drive letters by the operating system. A system backup might also include other drives, but must contain the OS drive.
A file backup is a high-level backup of data read via the operating system’s file system. Most often this is data, but may include all the files on a drive.
10.
What should I back up?
In truth, it’s only your essential personal data that must absolutely, positively, 100% be backed up. Once the family pictures or your work-in-progress are trashed with no backup, there’s no way back other than an expensive recovery service, and even that’s not guaranteed if the physical media is unreadable.
On the other hand, a system backup is exceedingly handy for getting you back up to speed with minimal hassle. It returns your system to exactly where you were at the time of the backup: OS, program, updates, upgrades, settings, data are all back in a relative blink of the eye.
But it’s not essential. While reinstalling operating systems, drivers, and programs, as well as adjusting settings require more effort, you can then recover your data if that’s all you backed up. See the first paragraph.
The latest version of Claude Sonnet—Anthropic’s workhorse AI model—has just landed, and with it comes a prompt that could help keep any AI agent from leaping into action before making a plan first.
Available now on the web, the Claude desktop app, and other Claude platforms, Claude Sonnet 5.5 is Anthropic’s middle-of-the-road model, It’s a step below Opus 5.5 but apparently just as capable as Fable 5.1 (Anthropic’s pricey frontier flagship) and a step above Haiku 5 (a fast but basic Claude model that’s due for a 5.5 upgrade).
In Anthropic’s benchmarks, Sonnet 5.5 achieves scores rivaling Opus 5.5 in areas such as agentic coding and computer use, although the latest Opus model is still on top in terms of “complex, open-ended work requiring sustained judgement,” Anthropic notes. Still, Sonnet 5.5 appears surprisingly powerful and affordable compared to Claude Opus, and it also has the distinction of being the default Claude model for free users.
In any event, with a new Claude model comes a new prompting guide, and the guide for the latest Sonnet contains a gem that could come in handy for other AI models, particularly those capable of building things.
The prompt concerns “open-ended” requests, including those that don’t strictly define boundaries for what the AI should and shouldn’t do. An example provided by Anthropic is “show me what you can do with this,” with “this” being anything from an Excel spreadsheet to a code snippet.
Like ChatGPT and Gemini, Claude can spontaneously start building charts, reports, videos, and other “artifacts” on the fly depending on your request, and an open-ended request could spawn an artifact you didn’t explicitly ask for. Needless to say, those artifacts will eat into your Claude usage limits—not great when you didn’t want them to begin with.
In my tests, Sonnet 5.5 was pretty good about keeping its replies text-only when I handed it an Excel spreadsheet of made-up operating costs and asked “show me what you can do with this,” but in at least one instance it did spin up a chart on its own.
I’ve previously written about prompts designed to keep AI models from jumping the gun, including one that directs an AI to stay in “pencil-and-paper” mode. But in Claude Sonnet 5.5’s prompting guide, Anthropic shares a new prompt for dialing down preemptive building:
When the user asks for ideas, options, or a plan, give them that and stop. Don’t start building or changing anything until they say to go ahead.
You can use that prompt (or something similar) at the beginning of any AI chat, but it’ll be most effective as part of the AI’s custom instructions, or in the case of Claude Code as part of your CLAUDE.md file.
Even if you don’t use this particular Anthropic prompt, it’s a good reminder to be specific when asking an AI assistant or coding agent to do something—or not to do something, as it were.
A viral social media post claims Windows 11 stores a preview of every photo ever deleted. The controversy centers around a well-known Windows feature called the thumbnail cache, which can still contain image thumbnails long after their original files have been deleted.
The discussion was sparked by user @Ayzacoder, which has been viewed millions of times over the last few days. However, the claim is only partially correct—while Windows 11 can store thumbnails of deleted images, not every image will automatically end up in this cache.
Windows keeps a thumbnail of every photo you've ever deleted.
It sits in a file called thumbcache_256.db, and forensic examiners pull it routinely. There are 15 more stores like it.
Windows 11 creates thumbnails for photos, videos, and some document types so that they can be displayed more quickly in File Explorer. Instead of recreating the preview every time it’s needed, the operating system stores it temporarily in a local database.
This data is stored in the user profile at %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. There you’ll find files with names such as thumbcache_32.db, thumbcache_96.db, thumbcache_256.db, or thumbcache_1024.db. These are individual thumbnail databases containing preview images in different sizes.
This thumbnail cache system has been in place since Windows Vista. Previously, Microsoft used the familiar Thumbs.db files convention, which were stored in individual folders.
Not every deleted photo is saved
The claim that’s circulating social media right now gives the impression that Windows 11 automatically archives a preview of all deleted images. However, there’s no evidence to support this.
For example, a test conducted by Windows Latest showed that several images that were downloaded and later deleted didn’t appear in the thumbnail cache. The database files weren’t altered at all.
The reason? A thumbnail preview is normally only saved when File Explorer (or another application) generates a thumbnail as part of the file preview process. If an image is never actually displayed as a preview anywhere, it won’t have made a thumbnail to end up in the cache.
Why do thumbnails remain after deletion?
The thumbnail cache is stored separately from the original image files. That means when an original photo is deleted, Windows 11 doesn’t automatically remove the corresponding thumbnail.
As a result, small image previews may still be present even though the original file itself has long since been deleted from the PC.
Investigators make use of the data
The thumbnail cache has been of interest to IT forensic experts for years. Using specialized tools, stored thumbnails can be extracted from these databases even after the original files have already been deleted.
This doesn’t automatically pose a security risk for home users. However, it does show that “file deleted” doesn’t necessarily mean that all associated information is completely wiped from the system.
Should you worry? That depends. Since these are thumbnails, they aren’t complete copies of the original images but rather reduced-size previews. A lot of the original detail will be lost, and whether the thumbnail remains recognizable will depend on the size and subject of the image.
How to clear the thumbnail cache
If you want to remove existing thumbnails from your Windows 11 PC, you can do so using the built-in thumbnail cleaner:
Press the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut.
Type “cleanmgr” and press Enter.
Select the Windows drive.
Tick the “Thumbnails” box.
Click “Delete files.”
Windows 11 will then remove the stored thumbnails. The cache will be rebuilt as required whenever you browse folders later.
In Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, you can also permanently disable thumbnail caching. To do this, open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and navigate to User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → File Explorer. There you will find the policy called “Disable thumbnail caching.” Microsoft recommends enabling this setting on public computers, shared computers, or any computer where security is a key concern.
Users of Windows 11 Home can instead enable the option “Always show icons instead of thumbnails” in File Explorer. This means that image previews will no longer be displayed and, consequently, no new thumbnail previews will be created.
Login
