Look, a good electronic screwdriver set is useful in any household. But if your household is the kind that likes to roll up its collective sleeves and dive deep into the bones of DIY desktop computers, a good electronic screwdriver set is downright necessary. Good news! You can grab a beefy 25-piece electric screwdriver set for just $28.50 at Amazon during Prime Big Deal Days — damned near half off its usual $50 price tag.

I’ll take it! No, seriously — I just bought one before bothering to write this to expand beyond my much tinier set.

HOTO’s kit contains 25 different S2 steel bits of varying shapes and sizes, including an extended standard bit for those times when you need to reach far into the guts of your PC. Not enough? The kit also comes with an extender — and all the bits are magnetic so you won’t have to worry about dropping screws into your case’s guts while you’re meddling.

The screwdriver itself offers three different torque settings, a long-lasting 1500mAh battery charged via USB-C, and a circular LED light to improve visibility. Again: Great for DIY desktop deep-dives.

If you don’t own an electric screwdriver set currently, this HOTO set would be a game changer — and you can get it for an incredibly delicious price right now. Don’t wait, though: Amazon Prime Day ends at midnight on Wednesday. Be sure to check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best Prime Day tech deals if you’re looking to maximize your dollars!

Get HOTO's 25-piece electric screwdriver set for $28.50 at Amazon

I use my AirPods every single day. They come with me when I’m cooking dinner, writing, and walking the dog. Honestly, next to my Kindle, they’re probably the gadget I use most.

And that makes the Apple AirPods Pro 3 an incredibly tempting buy during Prime Day. They’re currently $179 at Amazon, a massive $70 discount off the usual $250 price. They have active noise cancellation, with Apple saying they remove up to twice as much unwanted noise as the previous model. They feature better three-dimensional audio, Live Translation, built-in heart rate sensing, and up to eight hours of listening time on a single charge.

They also come with silicone ear tips. AirPods aren’t the most comfortable things to stick in your ears, especially if you’ve got smaller canals like me. The tips come in five different sizes, ranging from XXS to L.

And right now, Amazon has them marked as a limited-time deal, so you better swoop in sooner rather than later, especially if your current pair are getting a little long in the tooth. Prime Day ends at midnight on October 7.

Get the AirPods Pro 3 for $179

It’s been a brutally bad year for anyone who needs more storage or RAM, but Amazon’s Prime Day is ready to rescue you from misery. Today and tomorrow, you can grab the fantastic 1TB Samsung 9100 Pro SSD for $207 – assuming you’re a Prime subscriber of course. (Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free if needed.)

I won’t try and oversell that by saying it’s “only” $207 when storage prices have skyrocketed over the past year (thanks, AI). But in this current hellscape, you could do a lot worse. That $207 price is a whopping 39 percent off the drive’s stated $340 MSRP, as well as a solid $40 discount below the $250 price the drive has sat at (or above) since April.

And the Samsung 9100 Pro is flat-out great. Our review hailed it as “the return of the king” upon launch a year ago, praising its chart-topping performance and abundant features. “In the right system with the right software, the 9100 Pro will run rings around the competition,” our veteran SSD tester reported.

If you’re going to spend an arm and a leg for an SSD, might as well spend that money on one you’ll have zero regrets about – especially when you can get it on a rare, substantial discount. Be sure to snag the 1TB Samsung 9100 Pro for $207 before Prime Day turns into a pumpkin at midnight Pacific time, and also make sure you check out PCWorld’s big Amazon Prime Day tech deals roundup for even more juicy sales.

Get the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD for $207 at Amazon

Amazon’s October Prime Day (hopefully) kicks off the holiday sales season, and it’s an ideal opportunity for you to update your home office. From new displays to an update to the humble mouse, these are some of the deals that we’re keeping an eye as the deal days progress.

Keep in mind that Amazon’s October Prime Day deals last just today and tomorrow, October 6 through October 7. However, rival Walmart is running its own sales all week, so that may keep deals in place longer than Amazon planned. If so, expect to see this article updated as warranted.

Remember, some or all of these deals might require an Amazon Prime membership to sign up for. Don’t despair — there are ways to get Amazon Prime for free.

Believe it or not, there are two centerpieces for your desk, your display and the laptop docking station. We have deals on both.

Plugable Thunderbolt 4 Dock: $149.96 ($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.

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 $149.96 at Amazon

View Deal at Amazon

I really want to buy a new OLED display for my desk, but the problem is that OLED displays with stunning blacks and high contrast aren’t quite there in the format I’d like: large, 4K, and high refresh rate. So you have a choice: drop down to a slightly lower-res 1440p display, or choose a more traditional IPS panel…which to be honest, works just fine.

High-refresh rate OLEDs are generally considered “gaming” monitors, even if you use them for normal work.

Acer Predator 26.5-inch 1440p OLED (X27U): $314.99 at Amazon

Who is this for? Acer’s Predator 1440p OLED is designed for gamers, but there’s little difference between someone who is using this for productivity or for playing games after hours. Since it offers 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage, you can certainly use it for photo editing as well as shooting aliens.

Why is this deal good? There’s no discount on this display, but it’s at the lowest price in a year, so it’s worth it.

Get the Acer Predator 26.5-inch 1440p OLED (X27U) for $314.99 at Amazon

View Deal at Amazon

if you’re looking for something a little more productivity focused, however, there’s an opportunity to buy a lovely large 32-inch 4K IPS display, too.

Asus 32-inch 4K Display (VP327Q), $179.00 ($70 off at Amazon)

Who is this for? The selling point here is size: A 32-inch display allows you to see more of what you’re working on, especially for a single display. Is it too large? I don’t think so, especially with the number of pixels it’s pushing. DisplayPort and HDMI connections can accommodate most display outputs. There are built-in blue-light filters, too.

Why is this deal good? Another display that’s at its lowest price in a year. A month ago, this would have cost about $239 or so.

Get the Asus 32-inch 4K Display (VP327Q) for $179.00 ($70 off) at Amazon

View Deal at Amazon

Don’t forget that laptop! We think that the Asus Vivobook Go is one of the best deals we’ve seen.

Asus Vivobook Go 15, $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)

Who is this for? My colleague Ashley Biancuzzo says that 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. Check out her roundup of the best Prime Day laptop deals for more.

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. 

Get the Asus Vivobook Go 15 for $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)

View Deal at Amazon

What would a home office be without a webcam? I reviewed the Obsbot Meet 2 4K webcam earlier this year, and I loved it. Amazon has it on a substantial sale for October Prime Day.

Obsbot Meet 2 4K webcam: $99.00 ($30 off at Amazon)

Who is this for? The fact is that 4K webcams are more common than ever, so testing them really helps determine which webcams work best in low light, which are more color-accurate, et cetera. My review of the Obsbot Meet 2 really helped convince me that this is a webcam that you want to buy. (Sample pictures included, of course.)

Why is this deal good? You will find lower prices on other webcams at Amazon. However, nearly a quarter off on a solid 4K webcam is worth it, I think.

Get the Obsbot Meet 2 4K webcam for $99.00 ($30 off at Amazon)

View Deal at Amazon

Unfortunately, Amazon is not selling the excellent Logitech MX Master 4 mouse as part of its Amazon October Prime Day sales. However, the older MX Master 3S mouse is being offered at a decent discount, which is an ideal opportunity to upgrade if you haven’t done it already.

Logitech MX Master 3S (Bluetooth) Wireless Mouse: $79.99 ($20 off at Amazon)

Who is this for? The Logitech MX Master 3S boasts an incredibly accurate 8,000 dpi sensor and the series’ noted thumbwheel and thumb rest. If you set the MX Master 4 aside, it’s probably the ultimate productivity mouse. The MX Master 4, unfortunately, is not on sale.

Why is this deal good? Logitech was selling refurbs for $50 earlier this year. Fortunately, this deal matches Logitech’s best price of the year, which appeared in August.

Get the Logitech MX Master 3S (Bluetooth) Wireless Mouse for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon

View Deal at Amazon

OK, storage prices stink these days, but hang on…what’s this?

Lexar 2TB ES5 External SSD: $284.49 ($95 off at Amazon)

Who is this for? This drive works as an external SSD for PCs and phones with a USB-C port, and also includes MagSafe compatibility for iPhones, which is something you rarely see. It’s a nice, quick way to transfer files quickly from your phone to your PC, and the USB-C cord works as a strap, too.

Why is this deal good? We all know that storage prices have skyrocketed, but the price of this external SSD isn’t bad: It’s the lowest price since February, when the prices started spiking. Amazon says that this drive was about at $180 or so a year ago, but that’s just the way it goes.

Get the Lexar 2TB ES5 External SSD for $284.49 ($95 off) at Amazon

View Deal at Amazon

It’s time to upgrade your USB-C cables, especially if you got them over five years ago and they came bundled with a device. Amazon is currently selling a 2-pack of 60W Anker cables for $7.99, which amounts to just $4 a piece. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen on these cables, and a great deal for one of the better value cables on the market.

These deliver up to 60W of charging, enough to fast-charge most phones, and work fine with older, weaker chargers as well as newer GaN chargers. It won’t push power-hungry laptops to their fastest charging speeds, but for phones, tablets, and everyday charging, it’s plenty.

At 3.3 feet, these are shorter than Anker’s 6-foot version, so they’re better suited for charging at a desk or nightstand than stretching across a room. They’re covered in braided nylon and rated for up to 5,000 bends, so they’ll hold up to daily use and pack up without concern for damage.

The first caveat is, these cables aren’t built for fast data transfers. They support up to 480 Mbps, so you can use them in a pinch, but don’t rely on them frequently for large files like 4K videos. If ultra-fast data transfers are a priority, get this Anker USB4 cable instead. It tops out at 5,000 MB/s and it can still be used to charge at up to 240W.

The second caveat is, this deal is Prime exclusive. If you don’t have an active Prime account, learn how to get Amazon Prime for free. With October Prime Day in full swing, you should take advantage and score the big deals going on right now. Not sure what else to get? Check out our roundups of the best Anker deals for October Prime Day and best October Prime Day tech deals under $10.

I’ve been using bone conduction headphones for about a decade. They’re wonderful for bike riding or kayaking, or any other activity where you don’t want your ears plugged (up to and including grocery shopping). The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are, without qualification, the best pair I’ve ever used. And today Amazon has them for $55 off, down to $125.

The OpenRun Pro 2 are, appropriately, designed to be worn while in motion. They’re phenomenally lightweight and comfortable, they resist sweat and rain (if not full swimming), and they last for twelve hours on a charge. Oh, and that charge doesn’t need to be from a proprietary cable — reliable USB-C is all you need. While open-ear headphones can never match the audio fidelity of standard designs, particularly in bass, this set has excellent volume, mid, and high tones.

This set is normally $180, and not unreasonable for that. But it’s a lot more palatable at $125. Amazon is selling four color variants at this price, including the hard-to-find orange, plus the “mini” variants with a slightly shorter headband. Best Buy and Walmart seem to have similar sales going at the same time.

If you’re not sure about bone conduction and you’d rather start with something a little cheaper, the Shokz OpenMove is going for just $55. This older design has less sophisticated drivers and a shorter battery life, but it’s also water-resistant and recharges with USB-C.

Would you look at that! We finally have a proper deal on PC storage. Right now, Amazon is selling the 1TB SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD for just $209.99. That isn’t just a big $90 drop from its original $299.99—that’s a brand-new all-time low price for this drive. Given the state of the PC hardware market and skyrocketing SSD prices, this October Prime Day deal is one of the biggest surprises… so get it while you still can.

This is SanDisk’s newest SSD model, released earlier this year, and you’re paying for three big benefits. First, its 1TB capacity. That’s a lot of storage space, large enough to hold dozens of 4K movies. Having that much space on hand is great for convenience and peace of mind, especially if you have data-hoarding tendencies—and that’s all the more true if you have a small laptop with a tiny drive filled up by your operating system.

But second, what you’re really paying for is the performance. This SanDisk Extreme is rated for up to 2,000 MB/s, which is blazing fast for a portable SSD. Compare that to SanDisk’s cheaper 1TB SSD at $129.99 for 600 MB/s or Samsung’s T7 1TB SSD at $229.90 for 1,050 MB/s. For similar speeds, you’re looking at Amazon Basics 1TB SSD for $239.90 or Samsung T9 1TB SSD for $254.66—clearly, this SanDisk Extreme is the best value.

Just note that your laptop (or whatever device) will need to support USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to reach these speeds. Otherwise, it’ll cap out at the top speeds supported by the port you plug into.

Third, you’re paying for its ruggedness. It carries an IP65 rating, meaning it’s sealed against dust, splashes, and spills; it also survive bumps and drops from up to 3 meters high; and it even has 256-bit AES encryption with password protection to keep all your files fully secure.

The SanDisk Extreme 1TB is the best portable SSD deal for October Prime Day, so take advantage if you need a high-performance drive. The one catch is that this is a Prime-exclusive deal—if you don’t have Prime, learn how you can get Amazon Prime for free. And if you still have more shopping left in you, check out the best tech deals for October Prime Day.

October Prime Day is now here, and that means exciting discounts on Anker’s best products. We love Anker because they provide quality devices and accessories at affordable prices, and they have a solid track record of safety and consumer-friendly practices.

But not all Anker products are made equal. I’ve gone through the October Prime Day deals and found the best ones to snag, including ones that have dipped down to record-low prices. These are the deals that’ll save you the most cash without leaving you with buyer’s remorse.

Note: Many of these October Prime Day deals require a Prime subscription. Don’t have Amazon Prime? Get it for free now so you can score the biggest discounts, both on this list and across Amazon during this sales event.

If you’re looking for deals on PC gaming hardware… well, good luck. Even during a big sale event like Amazon’s Prime Day, gaming desktops, laptops, RAM, and storage are nearing unattainable levels of expense. So it’s a good time to upgrade your accessories and external gear instead. Right now, Best Buy is selling an AOC 27-inch OLED monitor for just $300, a fantastic upgrade. Get it soon—I doubt it will last long.

We’ve seen this model, the Q27G41ZDF, before. It’s about as simple as they come in terms of extra features, but with a 2560×1440 panel and speedy 240Hz refresh rate, it’s hitting the sweet spot for PC gaming at the moment. That should be sharp enough and fast enough for most fans of online multiplayer gaming. Otherwise, you get a single HDMI and DisplayPort, plus a headphone jack. It also has a VESA wall mount, so you can use a more flexible, ergonomic monitor arm with it.

This price is about the lowest I’ve ever seen for a new, not-refurbished OLED gaming monitor, and it’s a little surprising that it’s coming from Best Buy. At least a few locations in the US have stock in their retail stores, but those seem to be going fast at this price. My nearest store is already out, and others nearby are spotty. If I were looking to buy, I’d grab one quickly—the same monitor is listed for $320 on Amazon.

If you’re looking to save even more, there’s another AOC model for just $279.99, but that one’s using an older 144Hz panel. For now, Best Buy is, indeed, the best buy. If you’re looking for something bigger or more practical, see our roundup of the best Prime Day monitor deals.

If you’ve been waiting for the price of Apple’s M5 MacBook Air to come back down to earth, Prime Day just delivered. The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air is $1,099 at Amazon, the first time it’s dropped back to that price since Apple hiked it in June.

That’s $200 off its current $1,299 price — and effectively wipes out Apple’s steep recent increase. If you want a MacBook that can handle more than the basics but don’t want to spend MacBook Pro money, this is the one I’d zero in on.

According to our friends over at Macworld, Apple didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel here… but honestly? It didn’t need to.

The M5 chip delivers impressive performance, with Macworld finding it performed similarly to the pricier M5 MacBook Pro in many tests, especially single-core CPU workloads (think tasks like opening programs and general responsiveness). The Air is fanless, though. While that means quieter operation, the MacBook Pro still has the edge as far as demanding tasks go.

The 13.6-inch 2880×1864 Liquid Retina display is another reason why the Air works well as an everyday laptop. Macworld praised its color accuracy, so it should be great for everything from documents and browsing to watching movies.

And then there’s the battery life. Macworld managed 18 hours and 24 minutes in its battery test, while noting that the Air could comfortably make it through an eight-hour workday without needing a plug. 

The MacBook Pro is probably overkill for most people, and this Prime Day deal makes the M5 Air an even easier choice. For the first time since Apple raised its price, you can get it for $1,099 again — with plenty of performance for everyday work and then some.

Get the MacBook Air for $1,099

The modern look of Windows 11 relies heavily on what is known as ‘Fluent Design,’ with transparent menus and smooth animations. It looks stylish, but it takes up processing power. According to Microsoft’s documentation, rendering certain glass effects — such as the so-called ‘Acrylic’ material — is GPU-intensive and can slow down system performance on older PCs or laptops, as well as putting greater strain on your battery.

If you’re using less powerful hardware or simply want a more responsive system, you can disable these effects in just a few clicks:

• Disable transparency effects: Press Win + I to open Settings and navigate to Personalization > Colors (or Accessibility > Visual effects). There, toggle off the switch for Transparency effects. This will make the display look a little simpler and may result in smoother performance on less powerful hardware.
• Disable animations: Under Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects, you can also turn off Animation effects. This means that, amongst other things, Windows will no longer display animated transitions when opening, minimizing or moving windows, nor will it show other motion effects in the interface. Menus and windows will then appear without these brief transitions, which can make the interface feel more immediate and responsive.

A classic performance tweak via the Control Panel

You can also disable further visual effects in Windows. To do this, type ‘Adjust Windows appearance and performance’ into the search box on the taskbar and open the corresponding entry. Go to the Visual Effects tab and select Adjust for best performance. Windows will then disable various animations and other visual effects, which can make the system run more smoothly on less powerful hardware.

Even more performance bottlenecks lie dormant in the Autostart folder on older PCs. Open Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to ‘Startup apps.’ You can disable any programs you don’t need there. These will then no longer be loaded automatically by Windows at start-up. You can re-enable these start-up programs at any time from here.

Note: Don’t expect these settings to provide a massive performance boost — on modern gaming PCs, the effect is negligible. On older laptops or mini PCs, however, disabling these visual effects can result in smoother performance or longer battery life.

Related content:

• 12 easy tweaks that maximize your Windows 11 PC’s speed
• 3 Windows settings that can make or break your PC
• I use Windows Task Manager daily. I wish I’d known these 9 tips sooner

If you’re shopping for a new laptop and don’t want to settle for 8GB of RAM, this Asus Vivobook 16 is definitely worth a look. It’s currently $529.99 at Amazon, which is $140.01 off of the original $670 price. 

One thing I really like about this deal is that Asus didn’t cheap out on the memory. You get 16GB of RAM, which is what I’d go for in a laptop these days. Sure, you can still find plenty of lower-cost laptops with 8GB, but 16GB gives you a lot more breathing room when you’re bouncing between browser tabs and programs. 

You’re also getting a 512GB SSD, so storage isn’t an afterthought either. Put those two specs together, and this feels like a laptop you can actually live with for a few years rather than one you’ll want to upgrade in a year or so. 

The Snapdragon X processor is another nice fit for this kind of laptop. It’s designed with efficiency in mind, so the focus is less on raw performance and more on giving you a responsive machine for the daily stuff, paired with a long-lasting battery. 

The 16-inch 1920×1200  display is another reason I’d consider this over a small budget laptop. You get more screen real estate for spreadsheets and documents, as the 16:10 aspect ratio gives you a little more vertical space than a standard 1080p screen. 

This laptop isn’t trying to wow you with one premium feature. Instead, it’s giving you a well-rounded set of specs. It’s one of the best Prime Day laptop deals around if you’re on a budget — especially if you don’t want to suffer the sacrifices an 8GB laptop requires.

Get the Asus Vivobook 16 for $529.99

Best Prices Today: Samsung Odyssey G8 G80SH 27”

When I tested OLED monitors last spring, I didn’t include any of Samsung’s monitors. Their Odyssey monitors are primarily aimed at gamers, and at the time, the new models I was interested in were too expensive for me to consider.

So when Samsung got in touch in late summer and asked if I’d like to test one of their monitors, I thought it was a good opportunity to try out the Odyssey G8 G80SH.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: Perfect for editing work

This monitor is available in 27- and 32-inch sizes–I tested the smaller one. By no means is it means inferior, though. It delivers 4K resolution from a high-quality QD-OLED panel with perfect contrast, a color gamut covering 99 percent of the DCI-P3 standard, and Pantone validation for professional-grade color accuracy, including additional Pantone validation for skin tones.

This makes it excellent for creative editing work. The 4K resolution also provides plenty of workspace, allowing you to keep a broad overview of complex projects and toolboxes.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: More guidance and options for gaming

But Samsung does a good job of hiding this, thanks to the Odyssey series’ gaming focus. Almost everything in the settings menus and documentation relates to features and settings for optimizing the experience for gaming.

You get pre-set profiles tailored for RPGs, RTS, FPS, and sports, as well as the more general Entertainment, Eco, and Original profiles. Most of these have a slightly cool white balance.

There’s a Graphics option that offers more neutrally balanced colors. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether this is what delivers Pantone-accurate colors, but I’d guess that’s probably the case. In any event, it looks excellent with the test photos and videos I’ve shown.

You don’t get a great deal of control over the image detail, and the compact interface doesn’t exactly make it easy. However, it’s controlled via a four-way button on the back, so it’s not entirely impossible to navigate. You can also download the Samsung Display Manager app and access exactly the same settings on your computer.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: A matte finish on an OLED screen?

For media, the screen is very pleasant, with its rich colors, sharp contrast, spot-on dynamic range, and good HDR support, delivering both high brightness peaks, pitch-black blacks, and fine nuances in light and dark areas.

What really sets it apart from other OLED screens I’ve tested is its semi-matte finish, which does an excellent job of diffusing the reflections that glossy screens suffer from. It’s the same solution used in Samsung’s recent OLED TVs, and it has the same pros and cons. Mostly pros, with reflections almost completely eliminated. The slight drawback is that if you’re sitting in a room that’s too bright, you’ll never get that true black in the dark parts of the picture that OLED is known for.

When the monitor is connected, it becomes my computer’s primary audio source. However, I choose to disable this, as there are no built-in speakers–just a headphone jack that doesn’t sound particularly great. Things are better when it comes to video inputs: dual HDMI 2.1, a large DisplayPort, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode and 98 watts of power, perfect for plugging a laptop into.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: It updates quickly and syncs correctly

That way, you’ll also get USB data through that port and can use the monitor’s two USB-A ports for a mouse and keyboard, for example. Unfortunately, that’s the only USB port, so you won’t get any KVM functionality. On the other hand, this isn’t a monitor you’d use for office work. You’ll probably only be running one computer at a time.

Like most high-end OLED monitors, it’s great for gaming too. After all, that’s what it’s primarily marketed for. A 240 Hz refresh rate at 4K, a response time as low as 0.03 ms, and support for both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro–not much to complain about there.

There are also a few small extra features for gamers, such as a virtual crosshair in the center of the screen and the option to control adaptive sync. It should also be able to upscale low-resolution video signals to 4K. I’ve never been able to activate this, no matter what settings I use on my computer or connecting to other video sources. The option is there, but it’s greyed out.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: There’s light effects on the back

On the back of the otherwise understated monitor, there’s also a ring of RGB LEDs that you can set to any color, as well as various lighting effects. You can also switch it off completely if you prefer a more subdued environment. The monitor’s design is really elegant, with slim bezels and a grey back panel with a matching grey stand.

However, I only really enjoy admiring the build from a distance. When I need to grip it to adjust the height or position, I’m quickly reminded of just how flimsy it feels. The height-adjustment mechanism feels painfully stiff, requiring a bit of effort. Pivoting it to portrait mode is the exact opposite–it’s too unstable. It doesn’t take much for the screen to end up at an angle, like a picture frame that constantly needs straightening.

Should you buy it?

The Odyssey G8 is a very capable monitor that delivers excellent image quality and plenty of workspace. I’d like to see a better stand, and the lack of built-in speakers is a bummer.

That said, for the right price (if it goes on sale for about $700, for example), it’s an attractive all-rounder. At full price, its shortcomings are harder to overlook.

Officially known as Amazon Prime Big Deals Days, today mark’s the start of Amazon’s second annual Prime Day sales event, which runs from October 6 through October 7. It’s an opportune time to pick up some new gear at a good price. Perhaps get your holiday shopping started early?

You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of (most of) the sales, though! Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free if you need it.

Deals at a glance

• Best laptop deal: Microsoft Surface Laptop, $1,099 ($150.99 off)
• Best budget laptop deal: Asus Vivobook Go 15, $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)
• Best OLED gaming monitor deal: LG 34-inch 1440p 240Hz — $699.99 ($300 off)
• Best budget Thunderbolt docking station: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, 85W charging, $102.33 ($46.60 off)
• Best mainstream USB-C docking station: Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station, 100W charging, $79.99 ($30 off)

Below we offer a hand-selected list of the best Amazon Prime Day deals on tech right now. Our opinions are honed from the decades of combined experience PCWorld’s editors have reviewing and evaluating PC hardware. We know what a product’s specs and features are worth and we know when a deal is truly a bargain.

We’re updating often, so make sure to check back frequently to see what deals we found.

Best Prime Day deals on laptops

From budget to premium, there is something for everyone.

Best laptop deal: Microsoft Surface Laptop, $1,099 ($150.99 off )

Why is this a good deal? The Surface Laptop is a complete package for everyday computing tasks. With a Snapdragon X Plus chip and 16GB of RAM, it can handle everything from media streaming to video calls to the full gamut of productivity chores. It’s relatively lightweight at 2.7 pounds and has excellent battery life (Microsoft says it can last up to 23 hours). Its 13-inch 1920×1280 touch-enabled display is versatile and easy on the eyes. All in all, it’s an appealing machine, especially at this price.

Get the Microsoft Surface Laptop for $1,099

View Deal on Amazon

Best budget laptop deal: Asus Vivobook Go, $479.99 ($120 off )

Why is this a good deal?The Vivobook Go 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. It’s not trying to be crazy powerful. It’s trying to be consistent. 

Get the Asus Vivobook Go for $479.99

View Deal on Amazon

See more deals in our roundup of the best Prime Day laptop deals.

Best Prime Day deals on mini PCs

Mini PCs can be great-spacing desktops and their capabilities can span from general purpose chores to gaming.

Best AMD multi-purpose mini PC deal: Reatan A8, Ryzen 7 8745HS/Radeon 780M/16GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/Oculink/quad 4K support—$499

Why is this a good deal? 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.

The Ryzen 7 8745HS and Radeon 780M graphics deliver excellent performance for the money—including the ability for some light gaming. That plus 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD make this a well-balanced mini PC that is ready for most tasks right out of the box.

Get the Reatan A8 for $499

View Deal at amazon

Best Intel desktop replacement mini PC deal: Kamrui P2, Core i5-12600H/32GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/triple 4K support—$519 (44% off)

Why is this a good deal? For $569, you get a Core i5-12600H, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD — 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.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. The generous 32GB of RAM and support for three 4K displays make it well suited to professionals who run lots of simultaneous apps or work across multiple monitors.

Get the Kamrui P2 for $519

View Deal at amazon

See more deals in our roundup of best Prime Day mini PC deals.

Best Prime Day deals on monitors

A nice monitor can change your whole computing experience, and lucky for us, the latest monitor tech is more affordable than ever.

Best OLED gaming monitor: LG 34-inch 1440p 240Hz ($700 after $600 discount)

Why is this a good deal? If you want premium options for your gaming hardware, including a big 34-inch ultrawide OLED screen, but you can’t spend top dollar, this $700 LG ultrawide monitor is 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. With a 240Hz refresh rate, it’s ready to tackle intense online multiplayer too. It’s G-sync compatible and offers USB-A ports for extra gadgets. Typically, a monitor with all this would be pricey, but with a $600 discount off the original price of this model, you’re getting name-brand performance at no-name price.

Get the LG 34-inch OLED ultrawide monitor for $699.99

View Deal at Amazon

Best budget office monitor deal: BenQ 24-inch USB-C ($95 after $35 discount)

Why is this a good deal? It’s hard to find a cheap monitor with USB-C, but this BenQ model manages it for under $100. It’s a flexible, easy-to-connect display that makes for a great stand-alone screen or as a second monitor. Yes, it’s kust 24 inches and 1080p resolution, but the 144Hz panel gives it a little extra utility. The USB-C connection doesn’t have enough juice to recharge a laptop, but should work for most phones and tablets.

Get the BenQ 24-inch USB-C monitor for $94.99

View Deal at Amazon

See more deals in our roundup of the best Prime Day monitor deals.

Best Prime Day deals on USB-C hubs and Thunderbolt docks

A USB-C hub or Thunderbolt dock can add useful expandability to your PC setup.

Best budget USB-C docking station deal: Ugreen Revodok NVMe Docking Station, $59.99 ($20 off)

Why is this a good deal? If you’re a budget buyer who doesn’t need to connect more than one external monitor, this docking station has you covered. It’s got a nice compact design for desktops. An SSD slot can serve as handy local storage. The price reflects steady cuts from it’s original $79.99 list price. And it’s backed by the Ugreen brand, which is solid in the budget space. Keep in mind that 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.

Get UGreen’s Revodok USB-C docking station for $59.99

View Deal on amazon

Best mainstream USB-C docking station deal: Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station: $79.99 ($60 off)

Why is this a good deal? 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. Amazon and Ugreen were charging $120 for this station most of the year, so you want to jump on it at this price.

Get Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station for $79.99

View Deal on Amazon

Best budget Thunderbolt docking station: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, $102.33 ($46.60 off at Amazon)

Why is this a good deal? Amazon’s Basics dock is a great value for anyone who wants to connect multiple monitors. (Note that you’ll have to supply the display cables yourself.) The minimalist docking station features two HDMI, and one DisplayPort, plus 140W charging via a 27W charger output, and 100W upstream to the laptop dock. There’s an SD/TF card reader as well as a pair of USB-C ports and a USB-A port. Plus an extra Thunderbolt 4 port for further port expansion.

At just a tad over $100 (a 31% discount), it’s a solid deal.

Get the Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 docking station for $102.33

View Deal on Amazon

See more deals in our roundup of the best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks & USB-C hubs.

Windows 11 26H2 dropped last week, but it doesn’t actually bring too much that’s new and interesting—and it may even cause issues for some. The update is a bit of a mixed bag as far as how well Microsoft has delivered on its promises, but if there’s one thing to be excited about, it’s that 26H2 brings some much-needed performance improvements.

Windows 11 uses less RAM

Windows Latest noticed significantly lower RAM usage after installing the Windows 11 26H2 update, reporting that the operating system uses up to 2GB less RAM on a three-year-old laptop with only 16GB of total system RAM. One Reddit user writes that on a PC with 48GB of RAM, memory usage at system startup fell by around 2GB (from 6.9GB to 4.8GB).

Microsoft has been working for some time to reduce Windows 11’s memory consumption, promising optimizations that lead to faster boot times and system performance on low-RAM machines. However, the company hasn’t disclosed exactly how it has improved Windows 11’s memory requirements over the past few months.

While users are reporting positive anecdotes, it remains to be seen whether these reports can be generalized or whether Microsoft has actually improved the operating system’s memory usage. Microsoft may reveal more on October 7th at its “Windows. Surface. NVIDIA RTX Spark” event.

Low Latency Profile in Windows 11

In addition, many users report improved performance with the “Low Latency Profile” feature, which speeds up the Start menu, search, and app launches by temporarily boosting CPU clock speed.

Low Latency Profile first rolled out to the general public back in June, with great success especially on older machines. Two months later, Microsoft updated Low Latency Profile with more tweaks to File Explorer, search, and app launches, resulting in an even more responsive experience.

The “problem” with Low Latency Profile was that it wasn’t immediately available to everyone—Microsoft put it on a gradual rollout, so some users still didn’t have access even months later. Now, with Windows 11 26H2, nearly all PCs should have access to its speed boosts.

You should notice the speed boost on older PCs or systems with underpowered hardware, whereas on machines that are already powerful, you probably won’t notice any difference.

Letting an AI agent do your shopping is, for better or worse, one of the hottest AI trends. And now it’s looking like ChatGPT will soon be joining the agentic shopping spree.

Tapping the Customize button on the ChatGPT mobile app reveals (among other options) a new Wallet option, labeled as “Coming soon.”

“A little wallet. A world of possibilities. Your Wallet is on its way,” the copy reads after tapping the “coming soon” link. The ChatGPT wallet teaser first started attracting notice last week.

ChatGPT parent OpenAI hasn’t made much of the new wallet, and there wasn’t any mention of shopping abilities for Dots, ChatGPT’s new personal agents, during the company’s annual developer conference last week. I’ve reached out to OpenAI for comment.

But giving agents access to digital wallets has become a hot new AI trend, allowing users to send their AI assistants off to shop on their behalf for anything from groceries to theater tickets.

Meta’s Muse agent already has access to a digital wallet powered by Link by Stripe. Aside from facilitating purchases with merchants who take Stripe payments, Link by Stripe can also create a one-time virtual credit card that’s “scoped” for an individual purchase, meaning the agent can shop pretty much anywhere there’s an online credit card form. 

Muse is programmed not to make purchases without asking for permission first, and Link by Stripe is designed so the agent can’t see the details of the payment methods you’ve added to your Stripe account.

Now, it’s not clear whether ChatGPT’s wallet will work the same way as Meta Muse’s, or what will power it.

It’s worth noting that OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman is also a co-founder of World Money, a financial “super app” that can hold US dollar and local-currency stablecoin balances that allow for easy cross-border money exchanges. That said, it’s not clear whether World Money and ChatGPT’s forthcoming wallet are connected.

Of course, the big question about digital wallets for agents like Meta Muse and ChatGPT’s Dots is whether you trust those agents with your credit cards.

We’ve already seen cases where Muse took actions that caught its users by surprise, such as sending the home address of a user to a complete stranger. (That user had asked Muse to take charge of their Facebook Marketplace account.) 

And while Muse is supposed to never complete a purchase without a user’s explicit A-OK, there’s always room for interpretation about what counts as permission.

That said, I’ve no doubt that agentic AI shopping is going to be a thing, and ChatGPT’s introduction of its own digital wallet will only make the trend more mainstream.

Since the end of February 2026, Microsoft has been distributing a new internet speed test via Windows Update. You can find it by right-clicking the network or Wi-Fi icon in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar. The option Perform Speed Test now appears in the menu.

Clicking on this opens your browser and takes you to a page on Microsoft’s Bing search engine. This browser-based test uses Ookla’s Speedtest. Ookla is the unofficial global market leader in internet speed tests. The option in the network icon’s context menu is simply a link, but it makes it easier to run the Ookla test.

To start the test, click on Start. The test will first determine the ping from your computer to a Telekom server, and then it will start measuring download and upload speeds. As an alternative to the Bing test, you can also use the Ookla test directly.

You can find the browser version at www.speedtest.net or you can download it from the Microsoft Store as a standalone app.

Whether you’re on the subway, in a noisy office, or working out of a coffee shop, blocking out the world around you is essential. The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones can help with that—and now, just ahead of October Prime Day, they’re slashed down to 50% off. Instead of paying $400, you can grab them for $198 right now.

The noise cancellation on these Sony headphones is fantastic. The Auto NC Optimizer adjusts the amount of noise canceling on its own based on how you’re wearing them and your environment. No fiddling with settings needed. They smartly adapt as your surroundings change, so you can move from your office to the street to the train seemlessly.

They’re completely wireless with multipoint connection, meaning you can pair it with multiple devices (like your phone, laptop, even your TV) and switch between them with a button press. Battery life is excellent. You’ll get up to 30 hours of listening on a single charge, plus 3 hours of playback restored with a quick 3-minute charge.

These headphones also support calling. It has four beamforming microphones for precision voice pickup while weeding out background noise. If you spend a good chunk of your days in virtual meetings, or if you talk on the phone a lot, that clarity will make a difference.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are one of our favorites. Though pricey at full price, they’re superb value when you can grab them for 50% off. It’s one of the better October Prime Day tech deals going on, and you don’t even need Prime to take advantage. But if you want Prime to snag some of the other great deals going on, see how to get Amazon Prime for free.

Price When Reviewed

$329.99

Best Prices Today: Orico TB5 dock with NVMe storage

Yes, the Orico TB5 is a Thunderbolt 5 hub/dock. But as it also offers lightning fast storage performance, we thought users might be interested in just how fast said storage is. Long story short — very.

Of course, I tested it as a dock as well, but only to confirm functionality. Okay, I lie. I kicked the dock features pretty thoroughly and cover them below, but it’s not my beat so I’ll just say it’s easily one of my favorites in that regard. Right up there with the OWC StudioStack.

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best external SSDs and best Thunderbolt docks for comparison.

What are the Orico TB5’s features?

The TB5 is compact, measuring approximately 6.7-inches wide, by 3.5-inches deep, by 1.35-inches tall. The hub/dock/NVMe enclosure controlled by Intel’s JHL9480 weighs around 15 ounces including the NVMe SSD.

I must say, I was impressed with the location and access to the TB5’s single PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe port. It’s on the bottom of the unit (see the image below), walled off by a magnetically secured access plate. You can pry the plate off with a finger, yet it’s not going anywhere unless you want it to.

I was slightly perplexed to see that the SSD retaining screw wasn’t already in place — but sure enough, there was one in a mini-baggie in the box. Kind of a waste of plastic in my book, but what the heck.

As the TB5 is primarily a hub/dock, it makes sense to list all the ports that it provides. On the back are the power jack, full-sized HDMI and DP ports, the upstream (PC) Thunderbolt 5 port, a single downstream Thunderbolt 5 port, a 2.5GbE (Ethernet) port, and a headphone jack.

The front is home to SD and TF 4.0 card slots, four 10Gbps USB ports (three Type-A, one Type-C), a second downstream Thunderbolt 5 port, and the power button. Personally, I find the front/back allotment of the ports fits my needs perfectly, with a major caveat that I’ll discuss in a bit. It’s a matter of taste, but I like the USB on the front.

The TB5, as all Thunderbolt 5 docks do, ships with a very beefy power supply. In this case a 20 volt, 9 amp brick that weighs around 1 pound , 7 ounces. Like I said, beefy.

Orico advertises 120Gbps as the TB5’s maximum speed, as do many Thunderbolt 5 docks. However, with Thunderbolt 5 standard, 120Gbps is only for uni-directional downstream video to allow more high-resolution displays and/or greater resolutions. Storage, being bi-directional is capped at 80Gbps, or around 6GBps sequential throughput.

How much is the Orico TB5?

At $330 the TB5 is hardly an impulse buy. Depending on your impulses, of course. That said, keep in mind that Thunderbolt 5 storage enclosures sans accouterments already run around the $150 mark.

If you need to kill two issues with one device — the need for more easily accessible ports and fast external storage — then a hybrid dock with storage is well worth considering. It certainly cuts down on the clutter — until you start cabling other devices, that is.

You’ll need to provide your own NVMe SSD for the TB5, which isn’t going to be cheap these days. In case you go bargain hunting in this NAND/DRAM-challenged market, even a PCIe 4.0 SSD is fast enough to saturate the 80Gbps bus.

A PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD will still get you two-thirds of the way there with around 4GBps sequential transfers. PCIe 5.0 is overkill and a needless expense. Just sayin’

How is the TB5 as a hub/dock?

As I mentioned, I kicked all the ports on the TB5 thoroughly. All ports worked as advertised and to speed. I had only a 4K display with which to check the HDMI and DP ports, but they were fine at that resolution at 60Hz. 80Gbps storage performance via the two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports was mostly on par with the internal storage discussed in the next section.

I do have two complaints: First, the unit doesn’t power on with your system — you have to press the power button. I’d prefer that the TB5 power on, then allow the option of turning it off with said power button. A piddling gripe, that.

More annoyingly, the front USB ports are spaced too close together if you want to use a thumb drive in each. The three Type-A’s are approximately 0.75-inches from center to center and the rightmost is only 0.65-inches from the center of the 10Gbps Type-C.

Most thumb drives are a tad wider than 0.75-inches. I could not fit three abreast in the Type-A ports, or use one in the rightmost Type-A port and the Type-C port at the same time. I could squish two thumb drives into adjacent Type-A ports, but only with one at a slight angle. Doable, but hardly optimal.

Obviously, this will not be an issue with devices that attach with cables and their thinner connectors, but if you’re rife with thumb drives, take note. You could, of course, use USB extension cables, but that’s an unsightly kludge if you’re opposed to cable clutter.

In the next iteration, Orico should consider spacing the ports more widely, or orienting them vertically. Perhaps move the power button to the back, where you’re likely using cables anyway?

How fast is the Orico TB5?

The Orico TB5’s storage performance lived up to the company’s 6GBps claims. In fact, it even finished first in a couple of tests and is currently the third-fastest external SSD I’ve ever tested. Note that this was in no small part due to my populating the M.2 slot with a PCIe 5.0 Crucial T705 — an SSD capable of over 14GBps.

Though not the fastest in CrystalDiskMark 8, the TB5 was within shouting distance of the leaders in most tests.

With CrystalDiskMark’s 4K tests, it was right on par overall, as well as the fastest writing with 32 queues. Note that Windows Explorer, even more than a decade out from the advent of NVMe, still does not use queues. Maybe if Microsoft concentrated on making its OS perform better rather than be more intrusive, this might change. Until then, use FastCopy.

The TB5/T710 combo was no slouch in the real world either, turning in a stellar 48GB transfer performance in Windows Explorer.

The TB5 came close to the best time writing 450GB, falling a bit short but still within 10 seconds of the number one OWC 1M2 80Gbps (not listed).

The TB5’s internal storage is indeed fast. An 80Gbps SSD (the number one OWC 1M2 80Gbps) attached to the downstream Thunderbolt ports read just as fast, but write performance was a good 2GBps slower. Still 4GBps while placing data in cells ain’t half bad.

Should you buy the Orico TB5?

Just for storage? No. You can get by a whole lot cheaper if that’s all you’re interested in.

However, if you’re looking for a full-blown dock that doubles as very fast Thunderbolt 5 storage, then that’s a yes. It’s basically on par performance-wise with any Thunderbolt 5 storage I’ve tested.

Just mind the narrow USB port spacing on the front of the unit.

How we test

Our storage tests currently utilize Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit running on a Z790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of memory total). Intel integrated graphics are used. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which also contains the operating system.

Each test is performed on a newly formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that as any drive fills up, performance will decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, and other factors.

The performance numbers shown apply only to the drive we were shipped as well as the capacity tested. SSD performance can vary by capacity due to more or fewer chips to read/write across and the amount of NAND available for secondary caching (writing TLC/QLC as SLC). Vendors also occasionally swap components. If you ever notice a large discrepancy between the performance you experience and that which we report (systems being roughly equal), by all means — let us know.

Microsoft has confirmed a bug in Windows 11 26H2, 25H2, and 24H2 that can cause some games and applications to crash. That’s right—even the recent major fall update 26H2 contains this issue.

It’ll happen in apps and games that use the Dolby Digital AC-3 audio decoding that’s built into Windows, which may crash when you turn up the volume, change the audio settings, or use certain audio functions.

On this support page for optional September update KB5124010, Microsoft notes this as a known issue labeled “Applications which require AC-3 audio decoding might close unexpectedly”:

After installing this update, some applications that use AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio decoding might fail to launch or close unexpectedly when certain audio features are used. This issue primarily affects legacy applications that rely on Windows built-in audio decoding. Most modern applications are not affected.

According to Microsoft, most users likely won’t encounter this bug, as it affects “legacy” apps and games that rely on Windows’ built-in audio decoding. And to be clear, this issue is unrelated to the other September update issue involving broken USB audio.

This AC-3 problem persists even after installing optional update KB5124010 on Windows 11 25H2, and upgrading to Windows 11 26H2 doesn’t resolve the issue either. The problem is located deep in the system and affects multiple Windows 11 versions because they all share the same code base.

Microsoft is aware of the problem and working on a fix:

Microsoft is working on releasing a resolution for this issue in a future Windows update. We will provide an update when more information is available.

Price When Reviewed

1279.99

Best Prices Today: Acer Aspire 16 AI

The Acer Aspire 16 AI surprised me. It’s the first laptop I’ve looked at in a while that I’d seriously consider buying. It’s just effortless to live with. It’s lightweight and the OLED display is so pretty that even my husband commented on it. 

Are there things I’d change? Yep. That said, the quirks never really got in the way of my day-to-day use.

Acer Aspire 16 AI: The guts

• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor 355
• GPU: Intel Arc 140V GPU
• NPU: Intel AI Boost, up to 49 TOPS
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
• Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD
• Display: 16-inch OLED, 1920×1200, 60Hz
• Display: 100% DCI-P3, 100% sRGB, 300 nits
• Touchscreen: Yes
• Aspect Ratio: 16:10
• Webcam: 1080p FHD
• Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 7
• Bluetooth: 5.4+
• Battery: 65Wh, 3-cell
• Ports: 2× USB4 Type-C, 2× USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio
• Card Reader: MicroSD
• Keyboard: Backlit keyboard with number pad
• Weight: 3.23 lbs
• Price: $1,279.99 (MSRP)

Acer Aspire 16 AI: It’s pretty light for a 16-inch laptop

At 3.23 pounds, I kept forgetting I was carrying a 16-inch laptop. I could easily pick it up with one hand and carry it around (although I wouldn’t recommend making a habit of carrying any laptop that way!). The aluminum chassis also feels nice in hand—I definitely prefer it to the plastic ones. 

Flip the Aspire 16 over and you’ll see several ventilation openings across the underside, along with a raised section toward the rear. Acer identifies the openings as part of the laptop’s ventilation and cooling system. I didn’t hear much fan noise at all, and the underside of the laptop stayed cool.

Acer Aspire 16 AI: A display made for scrolling

The biggest reason I’d reach for the Aspire 16? The display. Even my husband, who has watched me test many different laptops, noticed the display and commented on how good it looked. 

First, the size. It’s 16-inches with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which means you’re getting more vertical space than a standard 16:9 panel. I appreciated that extra space, especially when scrolling through longer emails and PCWorld articles. 

Second, it’s an OLED panel, so colors are rich and vibrant. Darker scenes have a sense of depth to them, too. To put it through a less scientific (but more entertaining!) test, I watched one of Bjork’s live concerts. And, just as I expected it to, the Aspire 16 handled the concert beautifully. 

Bjork’s white feather mask really popped against the colorful backgrounds—I could easily spot her in faraway shots. I found myself pretty immersed in the performance. In part due to the larger screen size. In part due to Bjork being, well, Bjork. 

I also watched a documentary about Iceland (I was there recently and I’ve never felt more humble), and the sweeping shots of the moss-covered lava rocks were stunning. The chunks of glacier ice looked especially blue.

Brightness is the one thing I wish were better.

Even with the brightness turned all the way up, I still wished I could bump it up a click or two. Acer rates it up to 300 nits, which lines up with my experience. 

I didn’t use the touchscreen much, though. That’s purely because I just prefer navigating on the touchpad and keyboard. Still, the touchscreen is nice to have at this price point ($1,279.99 at the time of this writing). 

By the way, the screen is pretty reflective (as you can see in that horrifying picture above), especially under brighter lights. 

Acer Aspire 16 AI: A keyboard that takes some getting used to

The Aspire 16 has a large keyboard with a dedicated number pad, which will be a welcome addition for anyone who regularly works with numbers.

Me? The Aspire 16’s larger layout is a little too big for my hands, so it took me longer to get accustomed to typing on it. I found myself landing on the wrong key more often than not. That’s probably because I’m used to using a 14-inch laptop on a daily basis, which has a smaller keyboard. I also struggled with the size of the vertical (up and down) arrow keys. I just kept wishing they were the same size as the horizontal ones.

I appreciated the backlight, as usual. I’m a creature of the dark, so I like being able to see the keys when I’ve got the lights switched off. You can also toggle the backlighting on and off with a dedicated key rather than getting yourself lost in Windows settings.

Acer Aspire 16 AI: And yes, the speakers do get loud

Back to Bjork for a moment.

The Aspire 16’s speakers got loud enough that, while I was watching the concert in the kitchen area, my husband called out from a different room, “Is that Bjork?”

That’s not exactly a laboratory measurement of audio quality, but it does tell you about how far the audio can carry. For watching concerts and YouTube videos, the Aspire 16 can get plenty loud.

But volume is just one part of it. 

The other part is the quality of sound, which I’d describe as “OK.” They’re fine for most folks. But if you’re a big music lover and want to hear every little sound, you’re better off buying a good pair of headphones. 

Acer Aspire 16 AI: A decent spread of ports

For such a thin machine, the Aspire packs a good range of ports. There are two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack, so I didn’t find myself reaching for an adapter just to connect to the usual stuff.

But there’s one issue (it’s a minor one, but it’s still a thorn in my side).

You can only charge the Aspire 16 on one side of the laptop. Both USB-C ports support charging, which is all well and good, but I wish they were on either side. It’d be more convenient that way!

Acer Aspire 16 AI: The AI stuff

I don’t want to dawdle on about the AI stuff because, well, I’m a bit tired of it.

The Aspire 16 AI is a Copilot+ PC (the NPU can go up to 49 TOPS), so it can do all the usual stuff. Recall saves snapshots of what you’re looking at, Live Captions adds transcriptions to videos, and so on.

Honestly? The only thing I used was Live Captions, as I have a harder time processing things through audio alone. 

Acer Aspire 16 AI: It’s capable of handling the day-to-day stuff

Performance was snappy enough for the daily stuff. My workload is fairly light, though. I’ve usually got a few tabs open: Google Docs, YouTube, Facebook, X, PCWorld’s main page, etc. I didn’t notice any slowdowns. 

• Acer Aspire 16 AI ($1,279.99 at MSRP): Intel Core Ultra 7 355 (Panther Lake)
• Acer TravelMate P2 14 AI ($1,699 at MSRP): Intel Core Ultra 5 322 (Panther Lake)
• Dell XPS 13 ($699.99 at MSRP): Intel Core 5 320 (Wildcat Lake)

The Aspire 16 AI did well in our benchmark testing, too. I ran the benchmarks with Acer’s Standard Performance profile enabled. I also compared it against the recently reviewed Acer TravelMate P2 14 and Dell XPS 13. The Aspire 16 and TravelMate P2 both use Intel’s Panther Lake processors (different tiers), while the XPS 13 uses a Wildcat Lake chip.

Let’s take a look at PCMark 10, which measures overall productivity performance. The Aspire 16 AI’s score of 7,135 puts it ahead of both the Acer TravelMate P2 14 (6,581) and the Dell XPS 13 (6,103). The Aspire uses the higher-tier Core Ultra 7 355 processor, so the higher score makes sense here. Interestingly, graphics performance is where the Aspire 16 pulls away from the TravelMate P2.

The Aspire’s 3DMark Time Spy score of 3,236 is more than twice the TravelMate’s 1,479. The difference likely comes down to (at least in part) the Aspire’s newer Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics.

That extra graphics performance means the Aspire 16 can handle some casual gaming without getting loud or too hot. I played ComboLands for a couple of hours one night and didn’t notice any slowdowns whatsoever. The laptop got slightly warm, but I never heard the fans ramp up—even with it sitting on my lap while I played.

To be fair, ComboLands isn’t exactly a demanding game. It’s a citybuilding game where you’re tasked with stacking the correct buildings. Most of the time, you’re just looking at a relatively static map and placing things like houses and crops on it as you work toward different goals. So I wouldn’t take this as evidence that the Aspire 16 is a gaming laptop. But for lighter games, it was perfectly comfortable to use.

Acer Aspire 16 AI: Battery life is pretty good

Battery life is pretty solid, too. I ran one of UL Procyon’s battery benchmarks and it lasted 11 hours and 47 minutes. Almost 12 hours! It’s not the 36-hour result we saw with the Dell 14S, but nearly 12 hours is still more than a full workday. 

Acer Aspire 16 AI: Should you get it?

The Aspire 16 AI is the laptop I kept reaching for (even after the testing period was over). Sure, the keyboard was a little big for my hands and I wish I could charge it from either side, but those things never really got in the way of me wanting to use it. 

There are a lot of things I like about it. The spacious OLED display is great for light gaming and watching concerts. There are also plenty of ports, and it handled my daily workload without issue. 

For $1,279.99, I think the Aspire 16 AI makes the most sense for someone who wants a big, beautiful screen without lugging around a heavy 16-inch machine. 

Amazon Prime membership includes loads of benefits—including the ability to shop Amazon’s best deals during big sales periods, like Prime Day and Black Friday. But here’s a secret: You don’t have to pay to take advantage of the benefits. At least, not at first.

Before you pay Amazon’s $139-per-year (or $14.99-per-month) subscription fee, you can sign up for a free trial. You get all the benefits of membership, including free two-day shipping on all orders, access to the Kindle lending library, Prime Video streaming, and much more. See our rundown of the top Amazon Prime benefits for the full list.

Here are a few ways to score a short-term Prime membership.

Phishing is alive and well in 2026, as even with robust antivirus and antimalware protections, the weakest link in the security chain is often the human element. We all make mistakes, skim an email and think it’s probably fine to click that link. But wait! Don’t do it! Phishing scammers rely on you not using due diligence to protect yourself, your data, and your devices with good personal security practices.

The best way to spot phishing emails is to know what to look for. Here’s a list of some of the big phishing red flags which should send you running when you spot them.

Asking for anything

For a scam to be worth doing, the scammers need to make money. For that, they need to get you to send them something of value. That can be in the form of cash, cryptocurrency, or Amazon gift cards, or something they can sell on later, like your passwords or digital identity.

Although friends and family may occasionally ask you for something, they probably aren’t going to do it over Facebook messenger, Email, or a Whatsapp message out of the blue. If you think it might be real, contact that person directly using another method and discuss it with them.

Don’t immediately respond with what they want. Take a pause and think it through first.

Urgency

The scammers best tool is urgency. Whatever it is they need, they need it RIGHT NOW. You need to respond, quickly. Do it before you stop and think about what they’re actually asking you to do. Do it before you remember to consider demands and urgency with caution and skepticism.

Although this tip is broad and doesn’t specify exactly what the scam might be like, many of them will encourage a swift response from you. Whatever it is the person claims to need, it’s incredibly rare that someone who needs something quickly will email or message you for it. If you’re concerned a digital account may be compromised, it’s still worth taking the time to login through a secure method rather than clicking the link in the email.

Whenever any email asks you to do something with urgency, take a second and consider whether this might be a scam. Look for other signs, and if in doubt, contact the person or organization through a different method that you know is safe and secure and confirm whether the request is legitimate.

Suspicious activity warnings

As organizations have improved their digital security, you’ll sometimes get an email warning you that there has been some suspicious activity on your account. Usually this is just you logging into your email account on a new phone or via a different browser. Sometimes it is legitimately someone trying to login to your account without your permission.

But sometimes it’s someone sending you a fake warning. In those cases, they’ll push you to update your login information, or confirm some aspect of your account.

If you think it’s a scam, don’t click on any buttons or links. You can safely delete the email and forget it. If you want to be sure, close the email down and navigate to that site or service using a different tab and login that way. If there’s a problem with your account, you can address it manually yourself.

Spelling and grammar errors

This one is less common in 2026, as just as we all do, scammers have access to Grammarly and ChatGPT—they can easily write convincing sounding emails. Still, for the odd scammer out there still doing the hard work of handwriting phishing scams, they’re not always native English speakers, and their typing skills aren’t as strong as the writers at PCWorld; they make mistakes.

Look for silly typos, odd word ordering, strange sentence structure and other indicators that a person might not be whoever it is they’re claiming to be. You aren’t going to get typos in an email from Amazon claiming your account has been hacked and you need to send half a Bitcoin to fix it.

Also consider emails or messages that are out of character. If you get an email from your boss at 6:45 at night but you know they always clock off at 5:30, trust your gut. Delete. The worst case if you’re wrong is still far better than not trusting your instincts and getting caught out by a scam.

Nefarious buttons and links

I make it a habit of not clicking on buttons or links in emails as a matter of course. Sure, that means I often have to take a few extra steps to login to a service that’s emailed me, but I think it’s worth the added security.

You don’t need to go quite that far, but when you are thinking of clicking on a link or button in an email, be sure to check the bottom-left of your browser window. There you’ll see the URL that the button or link is trying to send you to. If it doesn’t line up with the site or service you’re expecting to use, don’t click it.

Odd attachments

Email attachments are one of the most popular ways for hackers to spread malware, as there’s no real way to guarantee they’re safe before you download them. Some email platforms will automatically scan them for you, but that’s no guarantee either.

If you aren’t expecting an attachment from someone, if they don’t reference it in the email, if the file type or file name looks odd, or if anything else about the email feels off, don’t open it.

If you want to be doubly sure, contact the person who sent it to you using a different communication system and ask them to send you the file over a more secure medium like a cloud service.

Generic or random sender email

Email scams can be sophisticated enough to look like they come from someone you know, but often they don’t change the email it’s sent from. If the email you’ve received claims to be from an official account like Microsoft, Amazon, or Paypal, check the sender email. If it’s a generic Hotmail, Live, Gmail, or other email that technically anyone could have created, delete it. It’s almost certainly a scam.

The same goes for if the email is a random string of numbers and letters. That’s likely set up automatically by the scammers on mass to build out their phishing infrastructure. Your friends, colleagues, and official institutions don’t have emails like that.

Also watch out if you aren’t addressed personally in the email. If it feels generic and unspecific, “Dear sir/madam,” or if they just get your name wrong, be wary. These are other signs the sender might be trying to cast a wide net for their scams.

Spoofed voice not using your password

This one’s not an email phishing scam but it’s still worth looking out for. One of the most nefarious and underhanded scams in recent years has been AI voice spoofing. Like a deepfake, but for a voice, the scammers emulate a loved one’s voice and call you up in a panic, asking for money to solve an immediate problem. The voices can sound almost identical to the real person—especially when you throw in the mild distortion you often get with a phone call.

The combination of urgency and realism can make this a hard phishing attack to spot. The best way to check if it’s real or not, is with a pre-determined password or phrase. Maybe you have a favorite TV show, or a little family motto, or some other secret that is only known to you and your loved ones. Ask them to say it. If the person on the other end of the phone can’t or won’t do it, then you know it’s a scam and can safely hang up and report it to the relevant authorities.

Two people can keep a secret if one is dead, or so goes the saying. But what happens when you share the details of your life with an AI agent? 

Unfortunately, data can’t die the same way humans do—especially so if Meta Muse is involved. Choose it as your AI executive assistant and you may end up revealing more of your personal life than intended.

Letting an AI agent work autonomously on multi-step tasks (like booking travel, making purchases, and even offering suggestions based on your plans) offers a deep view into your world. It requires direct access to connected services like your email account, too. But Meta doesn’t keep all of this information strictly private. By default, it trains its AI on your Muse data.

Deleting data also isn’t a complete wipe, either. Nuke a conversation or another interaction, and Muse could still retain info related to it. Meta describes this as “Muse may still remember information it learned from what you deleted.”

Meta says in its privacy policy that training data is anonymized, disconnected from the original users and scrubbed of personally identifiable details like names, Social Security Numbers, email addresses, and phone numbers. You can also ask Muse what it recalls about you—or go on an excavation tour of various Muse files, to see what still lingers after initial data deletion.

In a vacuum, this approach may have worked as a reassurance. But we live in the real world, where mistakes happen. Mistakes like a zero-day exploit that gave macOS apps and terminal commands access to Muse (and all its connected services), discovered just a couple of weeks after Muse’s launch. Or Muse allegedly gaining access to private messages, due to configuration settings in macOS that can allow the AI agent to see data in other apps

I have similar feelings as the security researcher who discovered the zero-day—I recommend not installing Muse on devices, particularly macOS. But I’d go one step further and caution against using Muse all together for now. 

Why? You don’t need to sacrifice your privacy or security to be a beta tester. (Yes, beta tester. For a service marketed as “built for everyone,” I’d expect it to be far more private and secure. An everyday person will not be reading privacy policies or following cybersecurity news the way I do.) 

Instead, wait for Meta’s Muse Confidential VM to launch. Right now, each Muse agent has its own virtual machine on Meta’s servers. Theoretically, this type of configuration should prevent Muse agents from reading data being stored or handled within other virtual machines. In practice, we already know that virtual machines are not bulletproof (their isolation from one another can fail). We also know that AI agents made by rival companies like Anthropic and OpenAI have escaped their sandboxes more than once.

Muse Confidential VM adds encryption as an extra layer of defense. Meta says such virtual machines and all their data will be “encrypted with a key only they hold, so not even Meta can access it.” If you’re going to hand your life over to an AI agent, keeping its developer (and any agents sharing your server) from reading your data is a smart move.

In the news

I’m wary of Meta and AI agents both individually and combined—for good reason. Meta of course has its history of playing fast and loose with user data, but AI agents are even more unpredictable. Hacking into the Australian government? Uploading user images to third-party sites? All in a day’s work.

The good:

• Signal, one of the most highly recommended end-to-end encrypted messaging apps, now supports encrypted local (on-device) backups for its iOS and desktop apps. You can also now do direct iPhone-to-iPhone transfers of Signal data. (Finally, less headache when setting up a new phone.)

The bad:

• As part of its ongoing investigation related to the Hugging Face hack, OpenAI disclosed another discovery of its AI agents behaving inappropriately. In this incident, 53 images from users were uploaded to third-party sites.

• OpenAI also detailed why one of its AI agents ended up hacking into an Australian government server. The short version: The agent just wanted to complete its task. If it weren’t so concerning, AI models’ single-minded focus on getting the job done would be admirable.

The ugly:

• Microsoft published a report on the use of AI in cybersecurity—and says that bad actors currently have the advantage. A particularly noteworthy stat? The speed between discovery of a vulnerability and its exploitation is now “well below 24 hours.” Good habits for computer use and online browsing matter more than ever.

The interesting:

• ShinyHunters’s hack into the FBI is turning into a saga. An arrest was made as part of the investigation, and the FBI also issued a direct warning to the group to turn themselves in. We learned how the break-in even happened, too.

Tip of the week

You know the password that unlocks your password manager. But do you also have your password to your email account memorized, too?

I always recommend that people commit these two passwords to memory. If you lose access to your password manager, you’ll avoid getting locked out of your email address. (Arguably, that’s worse than not having your password vault available.)

If your email account’s password is difficult to remember, consider changing it to a passphrase. (Six words long is recommended, and it should be randomly generated.) If not using a traditional password makes you nervous, also enable two-factor authentication. With such a combo in place, your account should remain secure.

If you like audiobooks but don’t want to be tied down to Audible, there are actually some good free alternatives out there. Two that I recommend are Audiobookshelf and Storyteller.

Both are self-hosted, which means that your library stays on your own computer or server, rather than in a company’s cloud. The only catch being that you need to own your audiobooks to use them—something that isn’t possible if you’re switching directly from Audible.

Both are perfectly fine Audible audiobook listening alternatives, but they have slightly unique features that set them apart from one another.

Audiobookshelf

Audiobookshelf feels a lot like a Plex server but for audiobooks and podcasts. You can upload your audiobook files and it builds a library with cover art, metadata, chapters, and listening progress for you.

You can listen to your audiobooks in a web browser or in the AudiobookShelf Android and iOS apps, which both support offline downloads. It also syncs your progress across devices, allowing you to pick up at the exact same spot if you switch from one to another.

If you have a big pile of DRM-free audiobooks on a hard drive, then go ahead and start here.

Storyteller

Storyteller also offers basic audiobook functions, but it’s really designed for those who often switch between reading a book and listening to it. If you upload both a DRM-free ebook and a DRM-free audiobook of the same title, Storyteller will sync your progress between the two as you progress.

I use this feature almost everyday between listening to an audiobook in my car and then switching to my e-reader to continue reading at home. Storyteller effortlessly saves my spot across both using EPUB 3 media overlays. And much like Amazon’s Whispersync, it can also highlight the current line of text as the audiobook plays.

Setup is a little more technical, but as a free alternative to Audible, Storyteller offers the best e-book/audiobook alignment that I’ve found.

For more fun and helpful tips, tricks, website and app recommendations, be sure to subscribe to our PCWorld Try This newsletter.

TL;DR: Turn complex data into digestible visuals with this Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 lifetime license for Windows, on sale now for just $49.97 (MSRP $579.99) through tonight at 11:59 PM.

When you have a project with a lot of moving parts, sometimes the easiest way to tackle it is to get a good visual. Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 makes that possible, giving you the tools to turn complex data, processes, and workflows into clear, professional diagrams.

Right now, you can lock in a lifetime license for Windows for just $49.97.

Map out your next project with Microsoft Visio Professional

Whether you’re trying to get everyone on the same page or just hoping to keep better track of the steps you need for a project, Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 is ready to help. This diagramming software helps you turn complex data, processes, and workflows into visuals for industries ranging from IT and engineering to business and architecture.

If you’re familiar with Microsoft Office apps, you’ll find Microsoft Visio easy to use. It’s packed with over 250,000 shapes across multiple diagram types, giving you tools to make everything from simple flowcharts to complex engineering designs.

Microsoft Visio lets you link data to diagrams, so you can visualize it in real time from Excel, SQL Server, or other databases. If you’re working with others, there are also improved collaboration tools that let you work on the same diagram simultaneously no matter where you all are.

Bring ideas to life with this Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 lifetime license for Windows, on sale for just $49.97 through tonight at 11:59 PM.

Microsoft Visio Professional 2024: Lifetime License for WindowsSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get a year of Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot and 1TB of cloud storage for $69.99 (reg. $99.99).

Microsoft 365 is one of the best ways to get the core Microsoft productivity apps like Word and Excel, but the $99.99 yearly price tag is a hard lift. If you want a cheaper option, right now you can get a Microsoft 365 Personal 1-Year Subscription on sale for $69.99, and it even includes Copilot AI.

Copilot is the newest addition to the Microsoft 365 suite. Microsoft integrated it directly into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and the other Office apps, where it automates tasks and cuts down on routine work. Microsoft Editor checks spelling, grammar, and style as you write, and Clipchamp adds a video editor with premium filters and effects.

You’ll also get access to 1TB of OneDrive storage, enough space for a full photo library and years of documents, and those files open on any device you sign into. OneDrive also detects ransomware and can recover files for up to 30 days after an attack or accidental deletion. For sensitive documents, Personal Vault adds two-step verification.

One person can use this plan on up to five devices at the same time across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. PC users also get Access and Publisher, though Publisher support ends after October 2026.

Get Copilot, 1TB of storage, and the full Office suite for the next year.

Get a one-year Microsoft 365 Personal subscription on sale for $69.99.

Microsoft 365: 1-Year SubscriptionSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Windows 11 Pro is only $10 through October 4.

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.

Microsoft Windows 11 ProSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Protect up to nine devices from ads and trackers with an AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription on sale for $11 through October 4.

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.

Get an AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription on sale for $11.

Sale ends October 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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. 

Deals at a glance

• Best laptop deal: Microsoft Surface Laptop, $1,069.46 ($180.53 off at Amazon)
• Best budget laptop deal: Asus Vivobook Go 15, $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)
• Best gaming laptop deal: MSI Cyborg 17, $1,189 ($210.99 off at Amazon)
• Best Chromebook deal: Lenovo Chromebook Plus, $475.24 ($49.76 off at Amazon)

Best laptop deal: Microsoft Surface Laptop, $1,069.46 ($180.53 off at Amazon)

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.

Get the Microsoft Surface Laptop for $1,069.46

View Deal on amazon

Best budget laptop deal: Asus Vivobook Go, $479.99 ($120 off at Amazon)

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.

Get the Asus Vivobook Go for $479.99

View Deal on amazon

Best gaming laptop deal: MSI Cyborg 17, $1,189 ($210.99 off at Amazon)

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.

Get the MSI Cyborg 17 for $1,189

View Deal on Amazon

Best Chromebook deal: Lenovo Chromebook Plus, $475.24 ($49.76 off at Amazon)

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.  

Get the Lenovo Chromebook Plus for $475.24

View Deal on Amazon

Other great early Prime Day deals

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.

• Best monitor deals for Prime Day: OLED, home office, and more
• Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers
• Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs
• Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts

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.

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.

At $190, the Samsung Odyssey G55C is an easy upgrade for a home workstation on a budget. If it’s not the one for you, check out PCWorld’s picks for the best gaming monitors. And if you want to score more deals ahead of October Prime Day, see our roundup of early deals to score.

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.

Other notable gaming monitors we’ve reviewed

• KTC 27M1: A do-it-all budget monitor that’s suitable for both gaming and productivity.
• Acer Predator X34 X0: A Mini-LED ultrawide for less than $500.
• 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 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.

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.

Deals at a glance

• Best budget OLED monitor deal: AOC 27-inch 1440p 240Hz — $299.99 ($200 off)
• Best OLED gaming monitor deal: Alienware 34-inch 1440p 240Hz — $629.99 ($170 off)
• Best gigantic OLED gaming monitor deal: Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch — $796 ($504 off)
• Best office monitor deal: LG USB-C ultrawide monitor — $284.99 ($65 off)
• Best budget office monitor deal: BenQ 24-inch USB-C — $79.99 ($50 off)
• Best portable monitor deal: MNN 15.6-inch USB-C monitor — $49.99 (list price)

Best budget OLED monitor: AOC 27-inch 1440p 240Hz ($300 after $200 discount)

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.

Get the AOC Q27G41ZDF OLED monitor for $299.99

View Deal at Best Buy

Best OLED gaming monitor: LG 34-inch 1440p 240Hz ($700 after $600 discount)

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

View Deal at Amazon

Best gigantic OLED gaming monitor: Samsung Odyssey G9 49-inch ($796 after $504 discount)

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

View Deal at Amazon

Best office monitor deal: LG USB-C ultrawide monitor ($285 after $65 discount)

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

View Deal at Amazon

Best budget office monitor deal: BenQ 24-inch USB-C ($80 after $50 discount)

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.

Get the BenQ 24-inch USB-C monitor for $79.99

View Deal at Amazon

Best portable monitor deal: MNN 15.6-inch USB-C monitor ($50 after $6 discount)

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.

Get an MNN 15.6-inch USB-C monitor for $50

View Deal at Amazon

Other great Prime Day deals

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.

• Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts
• Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more
• Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers

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.

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 ‘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.

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.

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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.

Want to know the best drives out there? Have a look at our top picks for the best SSDs of 2026 and the best external drives of 2026. Looking for even more deals, including limited-time ones? Check out all of our Amazon October Prime Day coverage.

Not an Amazon Prime member yet? You can sign up for free!

Deals at a glance

M.2 NVMe SSDs

• Kingston NV3, 500GB Gen 4 – $100 (16% off at Newegg)
• Samsung 9100 PRO, 1TB Gen 5 – $197 (21% off)

2.5-inch SATA SSDs

• Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z, 1TB SATA – $122 (9% off at Newegg, w/ coupon TEEF4456)
• Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z, 512GB SATA – $76 (7% off at Amazon)

External SSDs

• Samsung T9 Portable SSD, 2TB USB 3.2 – $335 (25% off)

Best NVMe SSD deal: Samsung 9100 Pro

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).

Grab a 1TB Samsung 9100 for $197

View Deal on Amazon

Best SATA SSD deal: Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z

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.

Get the 1TB Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z for $122

View Deal on Newegg

Best external SSD deal: Samsung T9 Portable SSD

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.)

Get the 2TB Samsung T9 Portable SSD for $335

View Deal on Amazon

Other great October Prime Day deals

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.

• Best Amazon October Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts
• Best October Prime Day laptop deals: Great notebooks at spectacular prices
• Best monitor deals for October Prime Day: OLED, home office, and more
• Best October Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs
• Best October Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers
• Best October Prime Day deals under $10

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.

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:

• CPU
• Graphics card
• Motherboard
• SSD or hard drive
• Network adapter
• Specific operating system license
• Any combination of the above

Various other, less invasive data points can be used to “fingerprint” individual users beyond their accounts.

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.

You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of these deals—here’s how to score a free Amazon Prime trial subscription and get in on the action.

Prime Day deals on AMD Ryzen mini PCs

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.

Get the Reatan A8 for $499

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the Kamrui Pinova P2 for $323

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the Glorlin AI Mini PC for $510

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the Beelink SER5 for $389

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the GMKtec M6 Ultra for $630

View Deal at amazon

Prime Day deals on Intel mini PCs

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.

Get the Kamrui P2 for $519

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the Acemagic M5 for $570

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the Kamrui Hyper H2 Mini for $456

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the GMKtec Mini PC for $550

View Deal at amazon

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.

Get the BOSGAME E7 for $359

View Deal at amazon

Other great Prime Day deals

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.

• Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts
• Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more
• Best monitor deals for Prime Day: OLED, home office, and more

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.

Deals at a glance

• Best budget docking station: Ugreen Revodok NVMe Docking Station, 100W charging, $56.99 ($23 off)
• Best budget Thunderbolt docking station: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, 85W charging, $102.33 ($46.60 off)
• Best mainstream Thunderbolt docking station: Plugable Thunderbolt 4 Dock, 100W charging, $149.96 ($50 off)
• Best mainstream Thunderbolt docking station, runner-up: Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Dock, 96W charging, $162.44 ($30 off)
• Best mainstream USB-C docking station: Ugreen 14-in-1 USB-C Docking Station, 100W charging, $79.99 ($30 off)
• Best mainstream USB-C docking station, runner-up: Baseus SpaceMate Nomos Air, $63.99 ($36 off)
• Best premium docking station: Wavlink Thunderbolt 5 Dock, 140W charging, $170.43 ($49.56 off)
• Best premium docking station, runner-up: Ugreen Maxidok Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station, $218.47 ($81.52 off)

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

View Deal at Amazon

Best budget Thunderbolt docking station: Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, $102.33 ($46.60 off at 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

View Deal 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

View Deal at Amazon

Best mainstream Thunderbolt dock deal, runner-up: Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Dock, $162.44 ($37.55 off at Amazon)

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

View Deal 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

View Deal at Amazon

Best mainstream USB-C docking station deal, runner-up: Baseus SpaceMate Nomos Air: $79.99 ($20 off at Amazon)

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

View Deal 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

View Deal 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

View Deal at Amazon

Don’t forget dock cables, too

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.
• For a direct USB-C to USB-C connection, Amazon’s own Basics cables work just fine. They’re just $13.49 with no October Prime Day discount.

If you’d like cables that support Thunderbolt 5, those options are also available for slightly more:

• USB-C (Thunderbolt 5) to HDMI: Ugreen’s 6-foot cable costs $15.99 for October Prime Day, a 20% discount.
• USB-C (Thunderbolt 5) to DisplayPort: Warrky’s 6-foot cables cost $9.49 for October Prime Day, with a 32% discount.
• USB-C (Thunderbolt 5) to USB-C: Fitee’s 5-foot cables are $15.99 for October Prime Day. If you’re concerned about certification, Cable Matters offers a similar Thunderbolt 5 cable for $23.99, 20% off.

Other great October Prime Day deals

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.

• Best Amazon October Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts
• Best October Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more
• Best monitor deals for October Prime Day: OLED, home office, and more
• Best October Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers

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.

Still, with both the Steam Machine and Steam Deck coming in at much higher prices, it might be a nice way to get some more fun out of the devices you already own. Let’s check it out.

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.

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.)

Naturally, those explanations aren’t going over too well in the ChatGPT community, with some users cancelling their subscriptions in protest.

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.

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.

Stop guessing which AI to use for every task.

Through Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get a ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan lifetime subscription on sale for $54.97 (reg. $619).

ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan)See Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more when you get a Microsoft Office Pro lifetime license, only $30 through October 11.

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.

Pay for Office once and keep using it for good.

Get a Microsoft Office Pro Lifetime License on sale for $29.97.

Sale ends October 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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.

Get AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime License on sale for $23.97 through October 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT (MSRP $99.99).

AcePDF Converter & Editor: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal

StackSocial prices subject to change.

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.

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.

Other PDF editor reviews

• 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.

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.

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.

For more great deals worth scoring, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best early October Prime Day tech deals.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.