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How Partytown Eliminates Website Bloat From Third-Party Scripts
Introducing Partytown, a lightweight open-source solution that reduces execution delays due to third-party JavaScript by offloading third-party scripts to web workers, which run in background threads.
CTA Modal: How To Build A Web Component
In this article, Nathan Smith explains how to create modal dialog windows with rich interaction that will only require authoring HTML in order to be used. They are based on Web Components that are currently supported by every major browser.
Boosting UX With Design KPIs
We should be able to measure how well a particular design solves a particular problem. Letas explore design KPIs that capture useras experience, how to measure them and how to keep both users and business stakeholders happy, over time.
Preventing Bad UX Through Integrated Design Workflows
When bad UX has lingered in a product for so long, it can feel like a mountain to overcome. In this article, Ceara Crawshaw shares her advice on how you can invoke joy and assure the quality in the work done on product teams.
What If Our Sliders Actually Slid?
In this article, Jhey Tompkins explores one of GreenSocksa newest plugins alongside React to create an impractical whimsical spin on a well-known native element: ``.
Testing The CLI The Way People Use It
Have you ever wondered, why do people write CLI tools? When is a good time to think about yours? Today weall touch on these questions, along with some tips to remember when creating one. However, all of this serves as a prelude to the real topic: end-to-end testing of CLI tools.
Designing Better Navigation With Navigation Queries
In UX, we can use navigation queries, evaluation journeys, A-Z index and tap-ahead autocomplete to help users get where they want to be, faster. Letas find out how.
Productivity Tips And Tools For A More Efficient Workflow
Who doesnat love a good timesaver? In this post, we compiled useful productivity tips and tools that help you speed up routine tasks, enhance your development workflow, and stay organized.
Jamstack Rendering Patterns: The Evolution
In this article, Ekene Eze shares his thoughts about the direction of the web in 2022, and what solutions we can expect to see come up in the ecosystem to significantly improve the Jamstack experience.
The Ultimate Guide To Push Notifications For Developers
What are the benefits of using push notifications and what can you use them for? In this article, Lee Munroe explains how to implement them and which practices are best to follow.
How To Use Storytelling In UX
Storytelling is a powerful tool for any UX designer. It helps create a product and understand the people who use it. In this article, Marli Mesibov takes a real-life example of an app she helped to build in 2017 and explains five steps you can use to help you build a story into your user experience.
When And How To Use Freelancers In Your Organization
Whether you work in-house or run a digital agency, there are occasions when you will consider hiring freelancers to supplement your team. Today, weall take a look into a platform known as [Upwork](https://upwork.pxf.io/c/1221738/1245573/13634) and the best ways in finding the the right freelancers as well as integrating them into your team.
Designing A Better Carousel UX
Carousels donat have a good reputation, and rightfully so. But we can make them more useful. **Best practices and guidelines** to improve the carousel design with honest scrolling direction, labels, thumbnails and grouped prev/next-buttons.
Around The Artifacts Of Design Systems (Case Study)
Like many things, a design system isnat ever a finished thing — itas a journey. How we go about that journey can affect the things we produce along the way. Before diving in and starting to plan anything out, be clear about where the benefits and the risks might lie.
Boost Resource Loading With fetchpriority, A New Priority Hint
This new attribute will enable us to fine-tune relative resource priority, improve LCP performance, deprioritize JavaScript fetch calls, and much more. Letas check out
fetchpriority and explore some potential use cases.Dynamic Data-Fetching In An Authenticated Next.js App
Data is among the most important things that make up a web application or a conventional native app. We need data to be able to see and perhaps understand the purpose of an application. In this article, weall look at another approach to obtaining data in an application that requires authentication or authorization using Next.js.
Designing Better Breadcrumbs
In this series of articles, we highlight design patterns and techniques to design better interfaces. You can also find more examples in [aSmart Interface Design Patternsa](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com/), a 6h-video course with 100s of hand-picked examples, curated by Vitaly.
Devs For Ukraine, A Free Online Charity Conference dod|
[Devs For Ukraine](https://www.devsforukraine.io/) is a free online charity conference organized by the lovely people at Remote. Two days filled with talks from engineering leaders around the globe, in support of Ukraine. April 25–26.
How To Get Work Done: Wrangling Stakeholders And Overcoming Obstacles
Whether you work in-house or for an external agency, we all share one challenge — dealing with stakeholders, be they your boss, colleagues, or clients. In this post, veteran web designer Paul Boag shares his approach to getting things done in even the most challenging organizations.
How To Build A Progressively Enhanced, Accessible, Filterable And Paginated List
Ever wondered how to build a paginated list that works with and without JavaScript? In this article, Manuel explains how you can leverage the power of Progressive Enhancement and do just that with Eleventy and Alpine.js.
The What, When, Why And How Of Next.jsa New Middleware Feature
Next.jsa recent 12.0 release included a new beta feature: middleware. For a detailed explanation, you can read all about it in Samas previous article, a[Next.js Wildcard Subdomains](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/11/nextjs-wildcard-subdomains/)a. This article, on the other hand, dives into the overall concept of middleware and how handy it can be in building things.
A Time For Reflection (April 2022 Desktop Wallpapers Edition)
Letas welcome the new month with some new wallpapers. Designed with love by artists and designers from across the globe, they are available in versions with and without a calendar for April 2022.
Designing A Better Infinite Scroll
Best practices and guidelines to improve the UX of infinite scroll with bookmarks, footer reveal and pagination.
SmashingConf Is Back In 2022
After two years when almost everything moved online, 2022 marks the return of in-person conferences. In fact, [SmashingConf is back](https://smashingconf.com/conferences): coming to San Francisco and Austin in June, Freiburg (Germany) in September, and New York in October.
Jobs For Designers And Developers Affected By The War In Ukraine dod|
Are you a designer or developer affected by the war in Ukraine? Here are some options to consider if youare looking for a design or tech job.
A Guide To Hover And Pointer Media Queries
In this article, weall talk about how to adapt our sites to the different scenarios of a device pointer: whether it has a pointer or not, or how accurate it is. To adapt our site to those devicesa needs weall talk about how to properly use media queries `hover`, `pointer`, `any-hover` and `any-pointer`.
Remix Routes Demystified
In the past months, there have been lots of talks dedictaed to Remix. Routing is not only one of the things that sets it apart from other frameworks, but it also fuels great performance and improves the overall experience for developers. Letas dig in to all of the features that build up routing in this powerful framework.
Those HTML Attributes You Never Use
In this article, Louis Lazaris describes and demonstrates some interesting HTML attributes that you may or may not have heard of and perhaps find useful enough to personally use in one of your projects.
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10 little-known Windows features that will blow your mind
Even if you’ve been using Windows for decades, it’s big and complex enough that there might be features that can still surprise you. We’ve tracked down ten little-known Windows tools and tips that might just improve your efficiency, your comfort, or possibly even your fun while using your PC.
Here they are, in no particular order. All of them should work on both Windows 10 and 11. If you’re looking to go even further down this rabbit hole, check out our roundup of 10 truly helpful Windows tools you might not know about and how to tune Windows for laser-focused productivity.
Mouse hover window activation
Whenever I use a new PC, this is the very first feature I enable. Technically it’s part of the accessibility tools, but many users might find it useful no matter what their level of mobility. This setting allows you to activate a window simply by moving your mouse cursor over it, instead of requiring an extra click before interacting with the program. It’s a tiny change, but one that makes a huge difference, especially on a laptop trackpad.
To change this setting, go to Control Panel, then click the Ease of Access Center. Click “Make the mouse easier to use.” Under “Make it easier to manage windows,” select “Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse.” Click Okay to enable the setting.
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Easy window arrangement
With newer versions of Windows, it’s easy to move windows (sorry) around your screen. Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard, then press the arrow keys. Pressing left or right will instantly move the window to the corresponding half of the screen. Pressing up or down will alternate between halving the window in the upper or lower portion of the screen, maximizing it, or minimizing it to the toolbar.
These shortcuts even work across multiple monitors. It’s a great way to quickly arrange your windows across screens and monitors with minimal effort.
Quick taskbar launching
If you want to quickly manage windows, you probably pin your most-used programs and tools to the taskbar. If you want to get at them even faster, simply hold down the Windows button and press the number on your keyboard that corresponds to their spot on the taskbar. On mine, opening Chrome is Win + 1, opening Photoshop is Win + 5, et cetera.
Rearrange your system tray
Speaking of the taskbar, the system tray (the little mini-icons on the right side) can often get crowded if you’re using a lot of software. That’s doubly true if you run a lot of programs at startup. But if it’s cluttered, you don’t have to keep it that way. Click and drag any of the icons around to re-arrange them. You can put them in the drop-down menu to hide them (just click the arrow to show them again), or set them to the right to make them permanently visible.
Night light
Those of us who have less-than-healthy computing habits tend to use our PCs late into the evening. You should probably cut it out, but if not, using the built-in night light feature couldn’t hurt. Simply search the Start menu for “Night light” to find the setting that will dim your computer’s screen and lower its blue light output. Once it’s set up, you can toggle this anytime in the quick settings menu (Win + A) or have it turn on and off automatically at specific times of the evening and morning.
Instantly bring up the Task Manager
This is an old trick, but with the expanded functions of the Task Manager in Windows 10 and 11, it’s become more useful. From any screen in any program, press Ctrl+Shift+Escape to open the Task Manager. From here you can manually close programs, quickly access the Run command, or click the Startup tab to track down programs that are sneakily starting with Windows.
Screenshot tricks
If you haven’t done so yet, you really need to start using the official (but obscure) Windows Snipping Tool, which expands the operating system’s rather basic screenshot tool (tied to the Print Screen button) with all sorts of new goodies. Press Win + Shift + S simultaneously to see options to instantly screenshot your entire workspace, just one window, or a freeform selection drawn with your mouse. Your screenshot is then copied and ready to be pasted into a web form or image editor.
In a hurry? You can still access the old screenshot functionality (which saves a full image file in your Pictures>Screenshots folder) by pressing Win + Print Screen. Alternately, you can copy the full screenshot instead with Ctrl + Print Screen, or copy a selection of just your currently active program with Alt + Print Screen.
Search by most recently installed programs
One of the smallest changes in Windows that I’ve gotten the most use out of is this tweak to the way you search through programs for uninstallation. It makes it easy to find the most recent program you installed, and get rid of it if you want to. Press the Windows key, search for “Add or remove programs,” and click it to open the Settings menu. You’ll be presented with a list of every program installed on your computer.
In previous versions of Windows, you’d have to hunt through this long list alphabetically. Now you can search for it, but what if it’s not listed under the same name? Just click “Name,” then “Install date.” The list is now in reverse chronological order, showing your most recently-installed programs. Click the three-dot menu on the right to get rid of any entry. Super easy!
Quickly connect to new screens
Most of the time Windows will automatically enable a new monitor or screen when you plug it in. But if it doesn’t, there’s a quick way to adjust your display setup. Just press Win + P to open the “Project” menu. From this pop-out you can select Duplicate (mirror your primary screen to your secondary), Extend (use more than one screen at once), or Second screen only (handy for using just a monitor and not your laptop screen).
This menu is great if you’re using a multi-monitor setup and you want to quickly disable secondary screens, such as for watching a movie or playing a game, then enable them again when you’re done without diving into menus.
Adjust text and element sizes
You probably know that you can adjust the size of what you see in Windows by changing your resolution. But unlike the days of CRTs, your laptop screen or monitor has a very specific resolution it’s meant to run at. Changing that value isn’t a great idea; it can result in a stretched or pixelated image, and video won’t look its best.
Instead of changing the resolution, go to Display Settings, scroll down a bit, and change the Scale setting. This can make text and images look bigger or smaller on your screen without changing the resolution of the image itself. Pre-set values come in 25 percent increments, but you can set a custom value if you prefer (with a system reset). There’s also an option that will adjust just the text size.
Many programs come with their own scaling and text settings, especially text-heavy apps like browsers and text editors. Tweak them to your liking to find the most comfortable combination.
Quickly adjust icon sizes in Explorer
If you need to see icons better in an Explorer window specifically, try this quick trick. Hold down the Ctrl button and scroll your mouse wheel up and down. Thumbnail images will get bigger or smaller in response. Scroll far enough and the view will actually change from thumbnails to lists with mini-icons. This works even on the Windows desktop, with no Explorer window in use.
Explorer isn’t the only program to use the Ctrl+mouse wheel shortcut to change the view. Browsers, email clients, image editors, and text editors often use it to zoom in or out or quickly change text scaling. It’s a common tool worth learning.
Learn MBA skills from the comfort of your own living room for just $60
Showing an MBA on your resume can help you get ahead in business. But not everyone has the time and money to attend college. If you’re in that boat, e-training like these finance courses from Chris Haroun could be a good alternative. And it’s economical too at just $59.99.
This bundle features three courses that introduce students to the same concepts they’d learn in an MBA program, plus an introduction to accounting, finance, and investing. And since all three are facilitated by Chris Haroun, a business instructor who has taught over 800,000 students and boasts an instructor rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, this is a great opportunity that could be even better than what you’d find at college.
Plus, with purchase, you’ll also get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows — a $349 value all on its own — so you’ll have the tools and skills. It’s the whole meal deal and offers a real chance to take control of your professional life without having to invest several years and thousands of dollars in tuition.
Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Finance Courses from Chris Haroun – $59.99
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Prices subject to change.
Microsoft Edge taps AI to make grainy images look nice and crisp in your browser
If images begin to look sharper on Microsoft Edge compared to other browsers, there’s a reason for that. Microsoft is building in what it calls a “Turing Image Super Resolution engine” into Microsoft Edge, “upscaling” low-resolution images with higher fidelity. In effect, Edge will create a higher-resolution image using artificial intelligence, where it didn’t exist before.
Upscaling isn’t new; Adobe Lightroom’s Super Resolution allows you to upscale a 12 megapixel image to 48MP, for example, to print larger prints. TopazLabs’ Gigapixel AI is a dedicated, paid tool to do the same, and there are other free services available on the Web that will perform the same services with varying results.
The services differ from Microsoft in that they’re often designed to enlarge a photo without losing detail, in the service of printing a physical copy. Microsoft isn’t. But what they all have in common is that they’re adding detail where none was before. Basically, what Microsoft is promising is that you’ll see a grainy, low-resolution image on a competing browser. On Edge, you’ll see it with greater clarity and detail than was originally there.
“We are starting to roll out the model to allow users to enhance the images they see on the web with the goal of turning Microsoft Edge into the best browser for viewing images on the web,” Microsoft said in a blog post Thursday. “We have seen early promising feedback from our users and are continuing to improve the experience as it scales to serve all images on the internet!”
Microsoft has already rolled out the Turing Image Super-Resolution (T-ISR) within Google Maps, and has added it to the latest Edge Canary experimental build. “The ultimate mission for the Turing Super Resolution effort is to turn any application where people view, consume or create media into an ‘HD’ experience,” Microsoft said.
You can already see the results of the imagery by comparing the satellite views on Google Maps and Bing Maps. Of course, some of the improvements may derive from just the cameras used in capturing the image, and the resolution that the images were captured in. But you can compare the same image of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City yourself, using Bing Maps and then Google Maps. Bing’s imagery is clearly superior.
Microsoft said that it optimized its algorithms for two scenarios: cleaning up the “noise” that occurs as an image is upscaled, as well as simply trying to preserve as much resolution as possible when “zooming” into an image, making it larger. Microsoft didn’t identify the Windows 10/11 Photos app as a target of this technology, but that would clearly be an application that would benefit from Microsoft’s algorithms, too.
Below, Microsoft provided additional examples of its T-ISR technology, addressing the detail in product photos as well as text.
For now, however, Microsoft isn’t performing these upscaling algorithms on the fly. Instead, it’s using a network of Content Delivery Networks, servers that cache popular images close to the user (you) so that they can deliver the images quickly. The upscaling is being performed in the cloud with the results cached on the CDNs, so that you’ll see the benefit without added latency.
That probably means that not every image will benefit from upscaling, especially in the early days of the technology. Over time, however, it sounds like you’ll see more and more sharper, upscaled images via Bing.
Tested: AMDas Ryzen 7 6800U brings big performance to the tiniest laptops
With the launch of its first Ryzen 6000 mobile processors earlier this year, AMD supercharged the performance of lighter laptops. Before, you had to look to five or six pound laptops to get the kind of power now available in a three-and-a-half pound notebook.
But that release was from the AMD’s beefier H-class processors—chips with a TDP of 35W or higher, intended for gaming, content creation, and other heavy production tasks. Now comes the next round of laptop CPUs, those meant for thinner laptops weighing under three pounds. These U-series processors are rated at a variable TDP of 15W to 28W, with the Ryzen 7 6800U as the headliner.
The video above includes an unboxing and wider look at the laptop we used for testing, along with deeper dive into this chip’s performance in key benchmarks. Here, we’ll be discussing the five key Ryzen 7 6800U takeaways you need to know.
1) It’s plenty powerful in multithreaded tasks
Let’s look at the raw benchmarks for multithreaded productivity tasks, then dig into the data after.
When you look at benchmarks that make use of multiple cores and threads, like those focused on rendering or encoding, the Ryzen 7 6800U can post strong numbers. Our test results show some decent (and even sizable) double-digit gains on previous generations of processors. While the story here isn’t about a dramatic uplift in performance, the numbers do tell us this latest Ryzen processor is no slouch. You’re not compromising by choosing a chip designed for a thin-and-light laptop.
Sure, moving up to a Ryzen 9 6900HS would boost performance significantly—55 percent in Cinebench R23’s multithreaded test, for example. But you’d gain an extra pound or so (0.54 kg) as well. Our 14-inch 6900HS review laptop tipped the scales at 3.6 pounds (1.6 kg); our 13-inch 6800U review laptop comes in at 2.4 pounds (1.1 kg) and would be closer to two pounds (1 kg) with a non-touchscreen. That weight matters when your primary goal is to keep your backpack or briefcase light and you don’t need to crunch hard on big files. The 6800U packs a punch for its size. In fact, it’s not far off from the 6900HS’s predecessor, the 4900HS—just 2.9 percent lower in Cinebench R23.
The same consideration applies to competition like the Apple M1 Max MacBook Pro, too. It edges out the 6800U in Cinebench R23 by about 16 percent, for example, but the 14-inch version weighs 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg). The real competition is likely Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake laptops. Based on our look at Intel’s flagship H-class Alder Lake mobile processor (aka the top chip from a more powerful line of CPUs found in beefy, performance-oriented laptops), we expect Intel’s best Alder Lake U-class processor would offer a close fight, too, but those chips aren’t available yet.
2) But gaming is where it shines
We already know the RDNA 2-based integrated graphics in Ryzen 6000 mobile CPUs are powerful. The Ryzen 9 6900HS trounced the Core i9-12900HK’s on-board graphics. Using the same technology as found in AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 series of graphics cards is a winning formula.
But the Ryzen 7 6800U’s same ability to play games at 1080p at tolerable frame rates has far more real-world impact. Yes, even if your graphics settings are on Medium or Low.
As touched on in our 6900HS recap, discussing top-notch integrated graphics performance in that high-end chip or even other H-class processors is an intellectual exercise. They almost always get paired with discrete graphics. Not so with thin-and-light notebooks. But with a Ryzen 7 6800U laptop, you don’t need a dedicated GPU. Dropping one into a two-pound productivity laptop transforms it into a lightweight gaming machine as well. You might have to drop down to 720p in some games, and you won’t be able to crank visual options to the max, but you can still play them locally on the PC, rather than have to rely on cloud-streaming services like GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Just a handful of years ago, gaming on a thin-and-light laptop wasn’t really a thing.
3) It’s good, but not great for basic productivity
Most people don’t think about finding the best laptop CPU for office work. But if you spend your time in Outlook or PowerPoint to the near exclusion of everything else, you actually might want to pay attention to benchmarks for those programs. At least, you should if you’re deciding between a high-end Ryzen 6000 U-class chip and other contemporary options.
When you look at the results for how the Ryzen 7 6800U stacks up against older chips, you’ll see some improvements—but you’ll also see how it doesn’t always beat the Intel Core i7-1195G7 or Ryzen 7 5800U. The Ryzen 7 6800U is no slouch in everyday productivity tasks, but you may find another Ryzen U-series chip could better suit your needs and budget. On the flip side, if you can’t afford to be slowed down when firing off email or assembling slide decks, or can’t bear anything but ultra-zippy web browsing, you may be better off with an Intel laptop instead.
By the way, hardcore Excel users shouldn’t consider their needs as falling under basic productivity. Crunching numbers at the level of an Excel eSports competitor hits a CPU pretty hard, as you can see in the chart above.
4) It enables speed across the board
AMD
You may already recall this info from the Ryzen 9 6900HS launch, but in case you forgot, Ryzen 6000 processors come with platform upgrades, too. So when you’re looking at laptops with the Ryzen 7 6800U, you’ll want to weigh more than just performance benchmark results.
Ryzen 6000 series CPUs support PCIe 4.0, USB 4, DDR5 memory, Wi-Fi 6e, and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2. For a notebook with a U-class processor like the 6800U, that translates to fast storage and memory, as well as quicker data transfers with USB devices and over wireless connections. USB 4 ports also support DisplayPort 2 and charging, reducing the number of cables you need. These are the kinds of features people may not immediately think about when comparing current laptops against older models, but they can make a material difference in your day-to-day experience, especially as the notebook ages.
5) Battery life is great
PCWorld
Unlike desktop PCs, the variability in laptop design impacts performance. Two laptops can have the same processor but notably different results in tests.
Battery life isn’t immune to this effect. How long a single charge lasts depends not just on the processor, but the battery size and the display’s power consumption, too. Still, a battery benchmark helps identify which chips provide particularly good or bad performance, even when it’s a simple video rundown test.
Our usual benchmark involves playing the Tears of Steel 4K video on loop while in airplane mode, with earbuds plugged in at 50 percent volume and the screen brightness set to a relatively bright 250 to 260 nits. When given this task, our 6800U laptop lasted for almost 16 hours. That’s an excellent stretch of time, especially when you consider the notebook’s size.
AMD has claimed Ryzen 6000 processors can reach up to 24 hours of battery life, but their testing methodology uses a dimmer, more-energy efficient screen brightness of 150 nits. Because of the lack of apples-to-apples comparison, what’s more important here is how the Asus Zenbook 13 with the 6800U stacks up against the same model with a 5800U—you get a 25 percent bump in battery runtime. An extra three hours is a tangible increase, and backs up the idea Ryzen 6000 improves on battery life compared to previous generations. In the end, that’s what matters.
Editor’s note: This article originally published on 5/19/22, but was updated 5/20/22 to include our hands-on testing video.
AMDas FSR 2.0 makes a strong first impressionaeven on Steam Deck
AMD has released its new Fidelity Super FX Super Resolution 2.0, and that’s awesome news for the Steam Deck. If you don’t know why, you’re probably not alone. This is some complex graphics technology, and how and why it makes games run better on devices like the Steam Deck takes some explaining. Luckily, Keith May is up to the task over on the PCWorld YouTube channel.
In a very small nutshell, FidelityFX Super Resolution is essentially a way of taking low-resolution graphics and upscaling them so they look better, in a way that uses less graphical computing power than rendering at that original higher resolution. It’s kind of like a fancy, more complex version of what your HDTV does when you watch an old DVD on a 4K panel. FSR 1.0 uses a process called spatial upscaling.
Fidelity FX Super Resolution 2.0 (FSR 2.0 for short) adds an extra layer to this process, using multiple frames and motion vectors to rebuild the upscaled image in a more accurate and appealing way. Despite the added complexity, this still takes fewer GPU resources than rendering at a higher resolution, so you can get faster, smoother playback in your PC games. And unlike Nvidia’s competing DLSS technology, it doesn’t need special hardware or machine learning, so it can work on a wide variety of graphics cards and games.
How much faster and smoother can FSR 2 make your games? Check out the video for some demonstrations using Deathloop, one of the first games to support the tech, to find out. And yes, FSR 2.0 works even on the integrated graphics of the Steam Deck, which Keith demonstrates as well. If you dig this kind of deep dive into graphics technology, be sure to subscribe to the PCWorld YouTube channel!
How to get Windows cheap (or even for free)
Windows licenses are expensive—almost painfully so. Shelling out $139 for Windows 10 Home or $200 for Windows 10 Pro feels rough when Linux is free, since that much cash is easily a third of a budget PC build. Even if you want to run Windows 11, you’re best off getting a Windows 10 license on sale first, then upgrading to Windows 11 (and trying these 10 awesome Windows features that you probably don’t use, but should).
Deal alert: The PCWorld Software Store frequently sells Windows 10 editions at reduced prices. Make sure to check our Home and Pro listings before settling for full price—at the time of publication, we were selling them for $50 and $70, respectively.
But with less developer support for Linux, Windows 10 is an inescapable necessity for most of us. What’s not a given is paying full retail.
Yes, it’s possible to snag a discount on Windows 10. The amount you’ll save depends on how much hassle you can tolerate—as well as your circumstances. If you’re lucky, you could technically get Windows 10 for free. Legitimately for free, since installing Windows 10 without ever activating it doesn’t count as getting a full, sanctioned copy of Windows.
Here’s how, in several different ways.
Packrat’s loophole: Try a Windows 7 or 8 key
- Price: Free
If you have an old Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC lying around, you may still be able to reuse its key to activate Windows 10.
When Microsoft first launched Windows 10 back in 2015, it offered Windows 7 and Windows 8 users a truly free, no-strings upgrade to the new operating system. The promotion was only available for one year—presumably to accelerate Windows 10 adoption rates—and expired in July 2016.
But even though Microsoft officially ended this program three years ago, it still has yet to completely shut everything down. The activation servers have been allowing Windows 7 and 8 keys on some Windows 10 installs.
The Windows 7 or Windows 8 product keys that commonly work for this method are the retail and OEM varieties. Only sporadic success has been reported for volume license keys (i.e., enterprise or educational licenses) working with this loophole.
While there’s no exact science for what works, the following guidelines take into account various data points floating around in articles, forums, and Reddit. First off, you’re limited to using keys for a specific version of Windows 7 or 8 with the equivalent in Windows 10. If you have a Windows 7 or 8 Home license, that will only work for Windows 10 Home. Windows 7 or 8 Pro only work for Windows 10 Pro.
An additional rule of thumb is that you may need a retail product key if you’re doing a clean install of Windows 10 on a new computer. OEM product keys should work if you’re doing an upgrade or clean install of Windows 10 on the machine the Windows 7 or 8 license is tied to.
If you don’t have your license key easily accessible, you can find it by using a program like Magical Jelly Bean Product KeyFinder. (Need help getting it to work? Use our step-by-step guide.)
Once you have that on hand, you’ll enter it one of two ways: Either when prompted during the installation process if you’re doing a clean install, or through the “Change product key” option in the Activation section of Windows 10’s settings.
If the product key is recognized, you’ll be issued a digital license that associates your machine with the key, so you should be good to go for the future if this method ever expires, as Microsoft had previously said it would.
Easiest discount: An OEM license
- Price: $110 (Windows 10 Home), $150 (Windows 10 Pro)
Our next suggestion is a method that’s available to everyone and has the least amount of hassle: purchasing an OEM license.
License types are different than operating system versions. They dictate what you can do with the software, while OS versions are distinguished by the features available. Multiple Windows license types exist, but the two commonly available to a home user are the retail and OEM varieties.
When you walk into a store or pop over to Microsoft’s website, handing over that $139 for Windows 10 Home (or $200 for Windows 10 Pro) gets you the retail license. If you visit an online retailer like Amazon or Newegg, you can find both retail and OEM licenses for sale. You can usually spot an OEM license by its price, which tends to run about $110 for a Windows 10 Home license and $150 for a Windows 10 Pro license.
All the features of the operating system version are the same for both license types. The difference is that with a retail license, you can transfer the license key to a different PC later on.
PCWorld
You can’t do that with an OEM license. In exchange for a lower price, you get to use the license key on only one PC, period. If you build a system but roll a new one four years later, you can’t transfer the license to the new machine.
Also, if the hardware used to identify your system fails—namely, the motherboard—Microsoft’s registration servers won’t recognize your license as valid after you replace the dead part. Microsoft has historically been kind about such situations, however; you can usually call to reactivate the license after replacing a fried mobo. But it is an extra hassle.
For further savings, you’ll have to wait for the rare sale or Black Friday, when you can get an OEM license in the neighborhood of $85 (Windows 10 Home) to $120 (Windows 10 Pro). Otherwise, if you want to shave down costs further, it’s going to take work—or a deep locus of calm when people criticize your life choices. (Skip down to “Low prices with a caveat” for details.)
Deepest savings: The education discount
- Price: $0 to $15 (Windows 10 Education)
Not all student discounts are reserved for the under-24 set. Your local community college might be a source for a free or extremely discounted copy of Windows 10—and it’s nearly the equivalent of Windows 10 Enterprise, to boot. You’ll just have to put in some legwork (perhaps literally) to get it.
As mentioned above, license types determine what you can do with Windows—and who can use it, as well. Through the Academic Volume Licensing agreements, schools can purchase access to Windows 10 Education for their students, faculty, and staff. Some make it available only on campus machines. Others will grant a license for use on a home machine.
In that latter camp are a number of community colleges, and they often make the Windows 10 license free or supremely affordable (usually $15). The catch: You have to sign up for at least one course to qualify for campus discounts.
PCWorld
To get access to the software, you’ll typically need to register for your class first, then find and register separately at whatever online store your campus uses for software purchases. (Many community colleges use OnTheHub as their distributor, so you can use their lookup tool to begin research about your school’s options.) The storefront will require verification of your student status before you can “buy” Windows 10.
A one-unit class usually counts though, and depending on your state, it can cost as little as $76 including administrative fees. Typical options are usually of the physical education or dance variety (swim, ballet, jazz, boot camp workouts, etc.), but you can also find the occasional class on topics like Beginning Drawing, Intro to HTML & CSS, and Video for the Web.
If you were already planning on taking a class in one of these subjects, you’re getting an amazing deal. Windows 10 Education, which is similar to the enterprise version of Windows 10, includes popular Windows 10 Pro features like Bitlocker encryption and the Windows 10 May Update’s Sandbox feature. You’re essentially getting Windows 10 Pro (and then some) for as much as 60 percent off and you get to learn something new.
Even if you aren’t interested in the classes, you’re still paying considerably less than what you would for even a Windows 10 Pro OEM license. We don’t encourage truancy, but there’s nothing saying you have to show up for class, so long as you’re comfortable with a failing grade on your record.
Obviously, if your local community college doesn’t have an agreement with Microsoft in place, this strategy won’t work. Also, if the total cost of the class, administrative fees, and license fee adds up to more than the retail cost of a Windows 10 Pro license, and you wouldn’t have otherwise taken the class, that negates this deal, too. In those cases, your main options are the OEM license (outlined above) or buying through a reseller (detailed below).
Note: If you use this method, also keep an eye out for other software deals through your school. For example, your school might offer a free Microsoft 365 account, or a heavily discounted Adobe Creative Cloud account (usually $20 per month, but we’ve seen it for as little as $80 per year).
Low prices with a big caveat: Resellers
- Price: Under $30 (Windows 10 Home and Pro)
Scoring Windows 10 at an 85-percent discount (or more) is possible, and it’s not even difficult. But this approach comes with a salt mine of caution.
Platforms like eBay and Kinguin allow buyers to purchase product keys from third-party sellers. Some sites, like Kinguin, specialize in digital software sales—to buy Windows 10, you’ll find the Windows 10 Home OEM or Windows 10 Pro OEM listings, pick a seller, then add their product to your cart and check out.
What makes the license keys so cheap is that they’re gray market at best. In other words, the keys aren’t illegal, but they’re likely extras from a volume licensing agreement and not meant to be sold individually to home users. So they come with risk. Critics of this method rightly point out that you can buy keys that don’t work, or eventually lose their activation status because of their unknown origins. And that has happened to some people. Customer service is often poor for these kinds of sites too, leaving you high and dry.
Fans of this method say many people never run into issues, and in fact urge you to find the keys as cheap as possible (usually through eBay) to minimize problems. You can also buy with a credit card for some added protection. If you go this route, you should only get Windows 10 Pro keys. The cost difference is often negligible from Home and you get better features like Bitlocker encryption and other Pro features.
But what we actually recommend is to buy through reputable sources of cheaper keys instead. For example, some professional organizations are able to negotiate deals for their members—we suggest starting there. You can also check to see if your favorite media sites have special pricing for readers. PCWorld’s own software store is a good place to investigate—it offers retail Windows 10 Home and Pro keys at sizable discounts (sometimes as low as $50 for Home and $70 for Pro!), and those keys are guaranteed to work.
Get this SteelSeries wireless gaming headset for just $55
Listen up headset fans! We’ve found an excellent deal on a wireless headset today. Adorama is selling the SteelSeries Arctis 1 wireless gaming headset for $55. That’s $45 off the usual price.
The Arctis 1 wireless works with all the major gaming systems including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. It uses a 2.4GHz wireless connection, and the dongle can even work with some Android phones if you’re gaming on a mobile platform.
The headset has a detachable, bidirectional mic with noise cancellation to filter out background sounds. It even comes with a control box for volume, mute, and play/pause media controls. This headset also includes a 3.5mm cable when you need a wired connection instead of wireless.
We haven’t reviewed the Arctis 1, but it’s well reviewed on Adorama and Amazon. If you need a new headset, this one is well worth looking at.
[Today’s deal: SteelSeries Arctis 1 wireless gaming headset for $55 at Adorama.]
Best laptop deals: Top picks from budget to extreme
Whether you’re buying a new laptop for school or trying to find a high-end gaming laptop, it’s possible to find good laptop deals no matter the season. We’re scouring the web daily to find the laptop deals you don’t want to miss.
Mind you, not all advertised laptop deals are actually deals, so we’ve only included the ones we consider actual bargains—and we’ve explained why. We’ll add new laptop deals as we see them daily and remove any expired sales. Right now, we’re seeing strong discounts on gaming laptops, Microsoft Surface devices, and more. If you’re looking for Chromebooks we’ve got those deals in here too!
We’ve provided a handy list of laptop-specific shopping tips at the end of this post, and immediately below are the deals themselves.
The best laptop deals in 2022
Dell Inspiron 15
Dell
From: Dell
Was: $599.99
Now: $449.99 ($150 off)
If you need a capable productivity laptop with a good amount of storage, the Dell Inspiron 15 is one you should consider. This laptop features a 15.6-inch 1080p display with a max brightness of 250 nits. The processor is a Ryzen 5 5625U with six cores, twelve threads, and a boost to 4.3Ghz. AMD’s processors are excellent when working with productivity applications such as large Excel files. As for memory, it’s packing 8GB of RAM, which will keep the laptop performing well. However, storage is just 512GB. That’s better than the increasingly common 256GB at this price range. It’s also running Windows 11 Home.
See the Dell Inspiron 15 at Dell
HP 15-ef2013dx
HP
From: Best Buy
Was: $549.99
Now: $449.99 ($100 off)
If you’ve been looking for a solid productivity laptop, the HP 15 is a good option. The processor is a Ryzen 5 5500U with six cores, twelve threads, and a boost to 4GHz. It’s packing a surprising 12GB of RAM, which should keep the laptop responsive. The downside is that it only has 256GB of onboard NVMe storage. However, if you use this as a travel laptop that relies on the cloud for most files, it will work out very well. The display is 15.6 inches with 1080p resolution and it’s running Windows 11 Home in S Mode, but doing the one-way upgrade to standard Windows 11 Home is well worth it.
See the 15-ef2013dx at Best Buy
Acer Aspire 5 refurbished
Acer
From: Acer via eBay
Was: $349.99
Now: $249.99 ($100 off)
This Acer Aspire 5 (refurbished) has a lot going for it. First of all, it comes with a 30-day refund window and it includes a two-year warrant from Allstate if you live in the U.S. It has a 15.6-inch display with 1080p resolution, and the processor is a Ryzen 3 3350U. The APU has four cores and threads, and a boost to 3.5GHz. AMD processors are typically excellent for productivity, though RAM is a little light at 4GB, which may pose a problem if you’re doing any heavy duty data work.
Onboard storage taps out at 128GB, which isn’t a lot. That means this laptop would be best for anyone who does a lot of work in the cloud. However, the operating system is Windows 10, so you can run desktop apps without issue when necessary. This laptop should also be able to run Windows 11.
See the refurbished Acer Aspire 5 at eBay
Dell Inspiron 7000
Dell
From: Best Buy
Was: $799.99
Now: $549.99 ($250 off)
The Dell Inspiron 7000 doesn’t have much in the way of storage, but it does have a good processor and touchscreen. It features a 14-inch 1080p display and 8GB of RAM, which is enough for productivity tasks. The processor is an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U. This CPU has six cores, twelve threads, and a boost to 4GHz. As for the storage, you only get 256GB, so this isn’t what you’d want for full-time use. If you need something to take on business trips or you do a lot of work in the cloud, then this is worth a look.
See the Dell Inspiron 7000 at Best Buy
Acer Chromebook Spin 514
Acer
From: Best Buy
Was: $499
Now: $249 ($250 off)
Android apps on Chromebooks are helpful, but there’s no question that using a mobile app with a trackpad can be a little odd. With this deal, you won’t have to worry about that. The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 features a 14-inch 1080p touchscreen. Powering it is AMD’s Ryzen 3 3250C, which has two cores, four threads, and a boost to 3.5GHz. It also has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
This is a very useful device at a great price, and Google’s auto updates are guaranteed for this device until June 2029.
See the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 at Best Buy
MSI Katana GF66
MSI
From: Microsoft (via eBay)
Was: $1,099.99
Now: $749.99 ($350 off)
This laptop is quite a bargain, but we’re not sure how long it’ll last. This version of the MSI Katana features a 15.6-inch 1080p display with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. It has a Core i5-11400H with six cores, twelve threads, and a boost to 4.5GHz. The GPU is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. That means you can play 1080p games at high and sometimes down to medium with the occasional game at ultra. For RAM, you have 8GB, which is the bare minimum you need for gaming. Onboard storage is a 512GB SSD. It’s running Windows 10, but it should be just fine for Windows 11 when the time comes.
See the MSI Katana GF66 at eBay
MSI Sword
MSI
From: Best Buy
Was: $1,199.99
Now: $899.99 ($300 off)
Most of the other laptops with a 3050 Ti in this round-up are $750 to $800. However, the MSI Sword has the added advantage of a higher-end processor. Namely, the Intel Core i7-11800H, which has eight cores, sixteen threads, and a boost to 4.6GHz. The display is 15.6-inch at 1080p resolution with a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. This allows for smoother visual experiences, which leads us to the GPU.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is good for 1080p gaming, but it’s not perfect. There will be times when you’ll need to bring the graphics down to high or medium to exceed 60 frames-per-second. However, it’ll be worth it for the added visuals.
For RAM, the MSI Sword is packing 8GB. That’s a little low, so you may want to check on whether the RAM is upgradeable. 8GB is just fine, but 16GB hits the sweet spot between usability and overkill. For storage, you get a 512GB NVMe SSD. That’s enough for a few games and you can always look into external storage if necessary. Last but not least, this PC is running Windows 10 but it’s Windows 11 ready.
See the MSI Sword at Best Buy
Asus TUF
Asus
From: Best Buy
Was: $999
Now: $699.99 ($249.01 off)
Are you in the market for a budget gaming laptop? If so, the Asus TUF laptop is an awesome choice. The CPU is a Core i5-11260H, which has six cores, twelve threads, and a boost to 4.4GHz. The RAM is 8GB, which is a little low. However, you may be able to upgrade the RAM yourself if don’t mind a little DIY. For onboard storage, you get a 512GB NVMe SSD. This will help keep your laptop relatively zippy.
As for the GPU, the TUF is armed with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. This is a good GPU for 1080p gaming, but you’ll have to dial down the graphics depending on the game. The good news is that it’ll be worth the sacrifice, as the GPU can push out more frames and the 17.3-inch display has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. This should result in a smoother visual experience.
See the Asus TUF gaming laptop at Best Buy
Gateway GWTN141
Gateway
From: Walmart
Was: $499
Now: $399 ($100 off)
The Gateway GWTN141 would make an excellent productivity machine. It’s a 14.1-inch laptop with 1080p resolution and the processor is the Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7 with four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4.2Ghz. The CPU is also loaded with Iris Xe Graphics. The laptop has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. It also has a fingerprint scanner, and it’s running Windows 10 Home (it’s Windows 11-ready).
See the Gateway GWTN141 at Walmart
Acer Swift 3
Acer
From: Walmart
Was: $799.99
Now: $499 ($300.99 off)
The Acer Swift 3 would be an excellent laptop for work or study. It’s part of the Evo platform, so it’s light enough for travel. The display’s resolution is 2256-by-1504 and the processor is an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7, which has four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4.2GHz. It also has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe onboard storage. There’s a fingerprint reader for biometric login, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 access, and the keyboard has backlighting.
See the Acer Swift 3 at Walmart
HP Chromebook x2
HP
From: Best Buy
Was: $599
Now: $299 ($300 off)
The HP Chromebook x2 11 features a lightweight form factor and all-day battery life. It also has a fingerprint reader, a detachable keyboard and kickstand, and a rechargeable pen. As for performance, this Chrome OS tablet is capable of handling general use tasks such as web surfing and writing papers. The 11-inch touch-enabled display has a resolution is 2160-by-1440. You can expect a rather vibrant picture.
This Chromebook uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c processor. It’s running ChromeOS, but you can still download apps from the Play Store. However, Linux is running the ARM version. This may restrict which apps you can use, but finding the major applications or a usable alternative shouldn’t be a problem. Last but not least, it’s packing 8GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
See the HP Chromebook x2 at Best Buy
Dell G15
Dell
From: Dell.com
Was: $1,284.98
Now: $799.99 ($484.99 off)
The gaming laptop deals just keep on rolling in.
The Dell G15 has a Ryzen 7 5800H and a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU. The Zen 3 CPU has eight cores, sixteen threads, and a boost to 4.4GHz. The 3050 Ti, on the other hand, is a solid option for 1080p gaming. The display is 15.6 inches with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. To hit that height, however, you’ll likely need to tone down the graphics from ultra in some games. This laptop is also packing 8GB of RAM. To get the price quoted above, make sure you select the 512GB of storage option.
See the Dell G15 at Dell.com
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
Lenovo
From: Office Depot
Was: $629.99
Now: $309.99 ($320 off)
If you’re in the market for an affordable Windows laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a good option. The CPU is a Core i3-1115G4, which has two cores, four threads and a boost to 4.1GHz. It’s packing 8GB and storage is a 1TB hard drive. Yes we said hard drive, not NVMe storage. That’s one of the trade-offs with this laptop. You get a lot of storage, sure, but it’s the old school kind.
This laptop is zippy enough for lighter tasks like web browsing and email, but it’s not a powerhouse. So, if you need a productivity machine, then this laptop is well worth considering.
See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i at Office Depot
Acer Aspire 5
Acer
From: Walmart
Was: $499.99
Now: $399 ($100.99 off)
If you’re looking for a solid travel laptop, the Acer Aspire 5 would be a good fit. It has a 14-inch 1080p display and the processor is an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7 with four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4.2GHz. This laptop is packing 8GB of RAM to keep things snappy and 256GB of NVMe storage. That’s not a ton, but for travel it’s fine. The CPU is very good for office applications or regular web browsing and video streaming. The laptop also has Wi-Fi 6 and Windows 11 Home. The deal only applies to the Safari Gold version.
See the Acer Aspire 5 at Walmart
Gateway Ultra Slim Notebook
Gateway
From: Walmart
Was: $499
Now: $399 ($100 off)
The Gateway Ultra Slim Notebook features a 15.6-inch 1080p display and an AMD Ryzen 7 3700U with four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4GHz. It also has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This is a nice well-rounded laptop with a good amount of storage that’ll easily help you get some work down whether you need something for travel or school.
See the Gateway Ultra Slim Notebook at Walmart
Gateway Creator Notebook
Gateway
From: Walmart
Was: $1,169
Now: $699 ($470 off)
The Gateway Creator Notebook is a serviceable 15.6-inch 1080p gaming clamshell. It features an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-11400H, which has six cores, twelve threads and a 4.5GHz boost clock. The GPU is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. It also has 16GB of onboard RAM and a 512GB SSD.
There’s a few extras you get with this rig like a Windows Hello-ready IR camera, THX Spatial Audio, and a free month of Xbox Game Pass for PC. It’s a pretty good deal all around, so don’t miss out.
See the Gateway Creator Notebook at Walmart
Asus Vivobook Pro 14 K3400
Asus
From: Walmart
Was: $749
Now: $599 ($150 off)
If you’re into creative work, the Asus Vivobook Pro 14 is a fantastic option. This laptop has a 14-inch 2880-by-1800 OLED display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. OLED screens are great, so you can expect a sharper image. The Vivobook is also packing a Core i5-1330H, a Tiger Lake CPU with four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4.4GHz. There’s even 8GB of RAM, which is a good amount for some video editing. Onboard storage is a 256GB NVMe SSD, and you’re getting Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.0.
This is a nice laptop with a very good display, but for storage you’ll likely have to rely mostly on the cloud. Speaking of which, you also get a free, three month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud as part of the package.
See the Asus Vivobook Pro 14 K3400 at Walmart
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7
Lenovo
From: Micro Center
Was: $949.99
Now: $499.99 ($450 off)
The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 has a 14-inch 1080p IPS display with an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7 driving it. The CPU has four cores, eight threads, and a boost to 4.2GHz. It also has 8GB of RAM and a 512GB hard drive.
This is a solid laptop for getting some work done. It doesn’t have a special GPU, but you might be able to get some casual gaming out of this with the onboard Iris Xe graphics. It’s a great laptop for general use and you can’t really beat the price, either.
See the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7 at Micro Center
Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming
Lenovo
From: Micro Center
Was: $999.99
Now: $749.99 ($250 off)
Micro Center is famous for its awesome deals that are pick-up only, but this particular laptop is actually shipping. The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming laptop has a Ryzen 7 5800H CPU, which is a Zen 3 processor with eight cores, sixteen threads, and a maximum boost to 4.4GHz. It has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The GPU is an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, which is a dependable enough 1080p card. You should be able to play most games on high graphics, perhaps dipping down to medium on particularly demanding games. The display is 15.6 inches with 1080p resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. It also has Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
See the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming at Micro Center
HP 17-cn0273st
HP
From: Staples
Was: $599.99
Now: $429.99 ($170 off)
Getting a solid workhorse computer with a good amount of storage for under $500 isn’t easy these days, but the HP 17 laptop is one of those rare finds. It includes a quad-core, eight-thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i3-1125G4 CPU with a maximum boost to 3.7GHz. It’s also packing 8GB of RAM, which is a good amount for productivity tasks.
As for storage, this HP has 512GB, which is rare for a sub-$500 computer. It’s also rocking a 17.3-inch display at 1080p. The laptop is running Windows 11 Home, so you don’t have to worry about upgrading this one.
See the HP 17-cn0273st at Staples
HP Victus 16
HP
From: Walmart
Was: Unknown
Now: $699
The HP Victus 16 is a nice little AMD-based 1080p gaming machine. The CPU is a Ryzen 5 5600H. That’s a Zen 3 processor with six cores, twelve threads, and a maximum boost clock of 4.2GHz. The processor will do nicely for gaming and productivity. The laptop is also packing 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
The 16.1-inch IPS display has a resolution of 1080p and a refresh rate of 60Hz. The graphics are handled by the AMD Radeon RX 5500M. It’s all about bringing AMD’s RDNA architecture to budget gaming in a capable package. You should expect good 1080p gaming, though you might not be able to run every game with the graphics maxed out. It’s not a high-end machine, but it’ll get the job done for under $700.
See the HP Victus 16 at Walmart
Gateway 15.6-inch Ultra Slim
Gateway
From: Walmart
Was: $449.99
Now: $249 ($200.99 off)
Bargain basement laptops are a beautiful thing, especially if you need a laptop that performs well while and can survive getting banged around a bit during your travels. This affordable Gateway at Walmart features a Ryzen 3 3250U processor, which has two cores, four threads and a max boost to 3.5GHz. It’s also rocking 128GB of onboard storage, 4GB of RAM, and a 15.6-inch 1080p display. This laptop ships with Windows 10 S, which can only run apps found in the digital Microsoft store, but you can go to full Windows 10 via a one-way free upgrade.
See the Gateway 15.6-inch Ultra Slim at Walmart
Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
Lenovo
From: Walmart.com
Was: $699
Now: $399 ($300 off)
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is well priced. It features a 14-inch 1080p display and a quad-core, eight-thread Intel “Comet Lake” Core i5-10210U with a boost to 4.2GHz. It’s packing just 8GB of RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage. This laptop is also running Windows 11 Home, so there’s no need to worry about upgrades.
If you want a larger screen, Walmart has an alternative version of this model with a 15.6-inch 1080p display for $433.89. That said, you get only 4GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The CPU is newer but has fewer cores with the dual-core, four-thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i3-1115G4 that boosts to 4.1Ghz.
See the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i at Walmart
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
Mark Hachman/IDG
From: Walmart
Was: $929.99
Now: $599 ($330.99 off)
If you’re looking for a well designed Windows tablet, there’s no beating Microsoft’s Surface line and this Walmart’s sale offers an excellent bargain. This version of the Surface Pro 7+ comes with a Core i3 processor, 128GB of onboard storage, 8GB of RAM, and a black Type Cover. We reviewed the Surface Pro 7+ nearly a year ago, giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors’ Choice Award. We called it “the most potent upgrade Microsoft’s Surface Pro line has offered in years.”
See the Surface Pro 7+ at Walmart
HP 17-by4061nr
HP
From: Walmart
Was: $679
Now: $499 ($180 off)
This HP laptop has a lot going for it. The CPU is an Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i5-1135G7 with four cores, eight threads and a boost to 4.2GHz. The processor is packing Iris Xe graphics, which will provide surprising performance for an integrated GPU. It also has 8GB of RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD, and a 1080p display. If need a new laptop to kick off 2022, then this is a nice choice.
See the HP 17-by4061nr at Walmart
Asus L510
Asus
From: Walmart
Was: $279
Now: $219 ($60 off)
This deal puts us in an odd position. We’re not huge fans of laptops with just 128GB of onboard storage (especially this one’s onboard eMMC storage) and generally don’t recommend Windows PCs running Celeron processors. For a price around $200, however, we’re willing to overlook these shortcomings but with some big caveats.
First, you’ll get exactly what you pay for with this clamshell, but that just might be a good thing given the price. It’s running Windows 10 Home in S Mode and we would not recommend upgrading this laptop to regular Windows 10. Instead, use this laptop like a Chromebook, so focus on using it for web apps like Google Docs or Office Online. Then, if you absolutely need a desktop program download, run whatever you need from the selection in the Windows Store. We wouldn’t try editing a photo on this since it has just 4GB of RAM and deathly slow flash storage. Still, the Intel Celeron N4020 will get the job done for basic uses and a 15.6-inch 1080p display offers a bigger display than what you’d get from a Chromebook around the same price.
See the Asus L510 at Walmart
Laptop deal buying tips
If you’ve shopped online before for laptop deals you’re probably aware that there’s a vast range of laptop configurations available.
A good place to start is with the processor. Buy laptops with Intel 10-series Core chips or higher, such as the Core i5-10510U, or the Core i7-11800H (for even more details see our Intel 10th-gen mobile CPU buying guide); or go with an AMD Ryzen processor (but not an AMD Athlon or A-series chip). Avoid laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors unless it’s a Chromebook (running Chrome OS). You’re going to need to pay attention with gaming laptops, too, as some GPUs, like the RTX 3050 Ti, don’t offer much boost over their RTX 2xxx-series cousins, and Nvidia has dropped the Max-Q designation on certain low-power options. Our laptop CPU and GPU cheat sheet can help you shop smart.
Display resolution is a gotcha. If you see a laptop labeled as “HD” resolution that means 1366-by-768 and often isn’t worth your time for a laptop under 13 inches unless the deal is absolutely standout. What you want is “Full HD” or “FHD,” which means 1080p.
Don’t buy laptops with under 4GB of RAM or 128GB of SSD storage—though on a Chromebook, this configuration is acceptable. We have more explanation in our laptops versus Chromebooks buying guide, as well as in our primer on how to buy a budget laptop without getting screwed. Also watch out for eMMC storage, which is something we don’t recommend for a Windows laptop but works fine for a Chromebook.
Reviews can be helpful. Even if you can’t find a review of a specific configuration, try related models. They’ll often give you a good idea of the build quality and performance. Also buy from brands you trust. Amazon’s daily laptop deals right now are full of brands we’ve never tested or talked to (Broage, Teclast, DaySky, Jumper) and it’s just a good idea to be wary.
Most older laptops will run Windows 10, and that’s fine—there’s no rush to upgrade. Windows 10 in S Mode, though annoying, can be switched out of easily if you find it on a budget laptop. If you want to buy a Windows 10 PC with the intent of upgrading it to Windows 11, we recommend you start here with a list of older laptops that are Windows 11-eligible.
Updated on May 20 with additional deals, and to remove expired deals.
Your CD and DVD backup discs wonat last forever. Copy them before itas too late
Have you owned PCs for a while now? That is, over decades, not just a few years. Then you probably have dozens of backup CDs and DVDs sitting in your closet, waiting for you to get that data onto more reliable media.
It’s one of those projects that most everyone knows they need to get to, yet never do. (If you’re anything like me, you don’t want to face just how much of an obsessive anime nerd you were back when downloading a bootleg 320x240p episode of Weiß Kreuz took hours.)
But bit rot is a real thing, as YouTuber EposVox points out in a recent video. Like other forms of physical media before them, optical discs can suffer from degradation. Commercially produced discs are more resistant to such deterioration, but CDs and DVDs burned at home commonly fall victim to data loss. Your only protection against losing precious files like photos and home videos—plus the cash spent on music albums and movies—is to copy the data elsewhere.
You can make the process less arduous by watching EposVox’s PSA, which is only 12 minutes long and jam-packed with helpful tips. Grizzled PC vets will know some of it already, like having more than one optical drive on hand (and of different model, if not make) to see if at least one of them can read a fussy disc; imaging discs for both archival and file harvesting purposes; and using MakeMKV for ripping DVDs.
(Speaking of, you can use our instructions for ripping 4K Blu-rays with MakeMKV for DVDs and Blu-ray. It’s actually a simpler process; no flashing of the optical drive is necessary. Just pop the disc in and go.)
VersionTech
But you may still pick up some new stuff from the video—I myself will be trying out TeraCopy, which he’s found to offer more reliable bulk file transfers, clear identification of files that error out, and checks of file integrity. It keeps the original time and date of the files, too. (All vast improvements over Windows’ File Explorer experience.)
The best SSDs: Reviews and buying advice
Switching to a solid-state drive is the best upgrade you can make for your PC. These wondrous devices speed up boot times, improve the responsiveness of your programs and games, and generally make your computer feel fast. But not all solid-state drives are the same. You can find top-notch SSDs that offer solid performance at an affordable price, or you can spend big to achieve read and write speeds that reach a whole other level.
Many SSDs come in a 2.5-inch form factor and connect to your PC via the same SATA port used by a traditional hard drive. But tiny NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) “gumstick” SSDs that fit in an M.2 connection on a modern motherboard are becoming increasingly common, along with blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 solid-state drives for compatible PCs, and you’ll even find SSDs that sit on a PCIe adapter and slot into your motherboard like a graphics card or sound card. Picking the perfect SSD isn’t as simple as it used to be.
That’s the purpose of this guide. We’ve tested numerous drives to find the best SSDs for any use case, and offer our top picks below. In addition to that we give you useful information on what to look for in an SSD so you can be a more knowledgable shopper. Quick note: This roundup only covers internal solid-state drives. Check out PCWorld’s guide to the best external drives if you’re looking for a portable storage solution, such as the Samsung T7 Shield—our newly crowned pick for the best high-performance portable SSD.
The best SSDs
Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD
MSRP: $169.99
Best Prices Today: $109.99 at Amazon $134.99 at Samsung
If you’re looking to add some storage via a traditional 2.5-inch SATA drive rather than a tiny M.2 “gumstick,” Samsung’s spectacular 870 EVO is your best bet. It’s the fastest SATA SSD we’ve tested, it’s available in up to 4TB of capacity, and it’s exceedingly affordable given its speed. Enough said, really—though Samsung’s killer Magician SSD management software and long warranty period also deserve a shout-out. The EVO series is a legend among SSDs for a reason.
That said, the SK Hynix Gold S31 is also worth considering. It’s just a hair behind the 870 EVO in benchmarks and costs $12 less in its 1TB version, at $98. The SK drive is only available in a 1TB flavor these days, however, while the 870 EVO ranges from a 250GB model for $60 all the way up to a massive 4TB goliath for $450. Samsung’s 1TB offering costs $110.
Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD
Best Prices Today: $199.99 at Amazon
The Samsung 870 EVO offers an intoxicating blend of performance and affordable pricing, but if you want as much capacity as possible for as cheaply as possible, consider the Crucial BX500. You can get its 1TB model for $80, a whopping $30 less than the equivalent EVO, while a 480GB version costs just $45. 240GB and 2TB versions are also available.
“We recommend this QLC drive in the larger capacities for those who want good everyday performance for a budget price,” we said in our review. “The smaller capacities will likely run into more slowdowns during heavy writes.”
PNY CS2140 – Best PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD
MSRP: $100
Best Prices Today: $94.99 at Amazon $94.99 at Best Buy
Sure, PCIe 4.0 SSDs scream during big file transfers, but if you’re still using an older system with PCIe 3.0, upgrading to an NVMe SSD still provides substantial benefits to your PC’s speed and overall responsiveness. Better yet, you don’t need to break the bank to take advantage. The PNY CS2140 is a very good daily performer, but it’s available for lowball prices—just $93 for a 1TB model as I write this. That’s partially because this drive uses your system memory to help with data caching. It’s technically a PCIe 4.0 SSD, but its performance is fairly terrible on that front. The CS2140’s PCIe 3.0 performance is good enough to earn it this nod, however, especially given its bargain pricing.
PNY’s drive even sports a five-year warranty, though that’s offset somewhat by low TBW ratings. All told, this drive is an outstanding choice for anyone looking to snag a solid everyday SSD at a great price. The Crucial P5 and SK Hynix Gold P31 are other solid options, though they cost about $15 to $20 more.
Samsung 980 Pro – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD for most people
MSRP: $90 250GB | $190 1TB | $380 2TB
Best Prices Today: $109.99 at Amazon $159.99 at Best Buy $159.99 at Dell Home
If you’re looking for a solid all-around PCIe 4.0 SSD, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung 980 Pro. It’s not quite as fast as second-gen PCIe 4.0 SSDs like the Corsair MP600 Pro XT, but the 980 Pro sat atop the performance charts for the first generation of these ultra-fast drives. It’s still extremely fast, and you can save $50 or more over those faster bleeding-edge SSDs. Most people would never feel the difference in day-to-day use. Add in Samsung’s vaunted Magician SSD management software and five-year warranty and the 980 Pro offers plenty to appreciate, with no glaring weak spots.
Don’t buy this if you’re only using a system with PCIe 3.0, however. It’s still a great drive on those PCs, but not significantly better than the lower-priced competition.
Adata XPG Gammix S70 Blade – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD for most people runner-up
Best Prices Today: $127.49 at Amazon
The Samsung 980 Pro may be the best PCIe 4.0 SSD around, but it’s far from your only option. If you want similar speeds for a slightly lower price, consider the Adata XPG Gammix S70 Blade. It’s actually a smidge faster than Samsung’s vaunted drive, and priced less in 1TB capacities, at $128 versus $150. The S70 Blade is also PlayStation 5 compatible. This is one of the best SSDs on the market, but Adata’s history of swapping out components for slower parts over the life of certain SSDs leads us to give Samsung’s 980 Pro the overall nod.
Adata XPG Atom 50 – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD
MSRP: $120 for 1TB, $250 for 2TB
Best Prices Today: $99.99 at Amazon
Bleeding-edge PCIe 4.0 SSDs aren’t quite as cheap as SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives, but we’re starting to see several models available at compelling prices now that the technology is becoming established. The best of the bunch? The Adata XPG Atom 50. Pricing rocks, at just $120 for a 1TB model, and it delivers sneaky-good performance. The Atom 50 was second-tier on our synthetic benchmarks, sure, but it tied for number one in our real-life transfer tests over PCIe 4. “The Atom 50 is an excellent bargain and a good fit for your PC,” we said in our review.
The Atom 50 also plays nice with Sony’s PlayStation 5, but since this drive uses your system RAM as a primary cache, performance may dip a bit on the console.
Corsair MP600 Pro XT – Best high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSD
MSRP: $200 1TB | $400 2TB (reviewed) | $990 4TB
Best Prices Today: $149.99 at Amazon $149.99 at Best Buy $184.99 at Corsair
“Considering the Corsair MP600 Pro XT’s tantalizing combination of price, performance, and features an Editor’s Choice award was no-brainer,” we said in our review. “Highly recommended.” This “absolute barn-burner” of an SSD hangs with and sometimes bests the fastest drives we’ve ever tested, for a considerably lower price than its fellow hot-rod rivals. It comes with a five-year warranty that guarantees hundreds of written terabytes before failure. And if you want to get fancy, there’s even a version designed to plug into the liquid-cooling setup of exotic PCs, for a minimal markup.
We can’t find much to complain about. You’ll need a modern PC (from the last two or three years) with PCIe 4.0 support to unlock those face-melting speeds, however, and this sort of cutting-edge performance doesn’t come cheap. The 1TB version of the Corsair MP600 Pro XT will set you back $200, while 2TB and 4TB offerings go for $300 and $800, respectively.
As far as alternatives go, the Kingston KC3000 and Seagate FireCuda 530 both deliver face-melting performance on par with Corsair’s drive. That said, Seagate’s drive costs quite a bit more, while the KC3000 is only officially available through Kingston’s website. The MP600 Pro XT’s wider availability helps it earn our top recommendation.
NVMe SSD setup: What you need to know
Be aware of what NVMe drives deliver before you buy in. Standard SATA SSDs already supercharge boot times and loading times for PCs, and for a whole lot cheaper. You’ll get the most use from NVMe drives, be it in a M.2 form factor like the Samsung 980 Pro or a PCIe drive, if you routinely transfer data, especially in large amounts. If you don’t do that, NVMe drives aren’t worth the price premium.
Go full throttle in Flight Simulator with this $20 Logitech flight stick
If you’re already a Microsoft Flight Simulator flying ace with an Xbox controller, just imagine how much better your flying could be with a proper joystick. Right now, Amazon is selling the Logitech G Extreme 3D Pro for just $20. That’s 50 percent off the MSRP and $10 better than the last time we found it on sale.
The Extreme 3D Pro is a budget-friendly way to improve your flying experience whether you’re landing a Cessna at a virtual Tacoma airport or you’re taking on the Empire in a galaxy far, far away. This joystick has 12 programmable buttons to execute single commands or macros, and there’s a custom twist-handle rudder. It also has an eight-way hat switch for improved precision and a rapid-fire trigger.
This joystick is an easy way to improve your flight simulation experience without investing in a more elaborate (and pricier) HOTAS set-up. If you haven’t got a joystick yet, but you play games like Flight Simulator, Elite Dangerous, or Star Wars: Squadrons, this is an excellent purchase.
If Amazon runs out of this deal, you can also pick it up at other retailers including Micro Center.
[Today’s deal: Logitech G Extreme 3D Pro joystick for $20 at Amazon.]
Get 3 free months of ExpressVPN, our favorite VPN, when you sign up for a year
Choosing the right VPN can be tough, but if you’re looking for something with a ton of great features, we’ve got the perfect deal for you. ExpressVPN, our favorite service, has an excellent deal right now. If you sign up for a year for $99.95, you get an extra three months free. Basically, you’re billed once for 15 months (this includes the extra three months) and then every 12 months.
In our review of ExpressVPN, we gave the service 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editors’ Choice Award. ExpressVPN does a lot of things very well. It’s not a perfect service, but it’s an excellent value. In terms of speeds, ExpressVPN is the third fastest VPN we’ve tested. That’s plenty zippy. It also has excellent device support and a Smart DNS feature if you need to spoof the location of a set-top box or console.
The privacy promises are good, too. ExpressVPN claims it won’t log your browsing history, DNS queries, IP addresses, and so on. It does log bandwidth usage to monitor bandwidth hogs, successful connection attempts, and the VPN location you’re connected to. If you’re okay with that data collection and want something with solid speeds, then this is a good deal.
[Today’s deal: 15 months of ExpressVPN for $80.]
Qualcommas Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will power tomorrowas best Android phones
Premium Android smartphones will have a new Qualcomm Snapdragon processor option when they debut this fall: The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which will boost GPU performance by about 10 percent while tacking on an extra hour of battery life.
Qualcomm also announced the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, a similar upgrade to its next performance tier of Snapdragon processors.
According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will power phones by Asus ROG, Black Shark, Honor, iQOO, Lenovo, Motorola, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, OSOM, Realme, RedMagic, Redmi, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE when the phones debut in the third quarter. Honor, OPPO, and Xiaomi will use the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 beginning in the second quarter.
According to Mike Roberts, the vice president of global product marketing for Qualcomm, the justification for the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a simple one: the company sees more consumers turning to premium smartphones. Premium smartphones represent 31 percent of the market today, and should increase to 35 percent in five years’ time. But Qualcomm also expects a whopping 75 percent of all smartphone revenue to come from that premium smartphone segment, priced at more than $500. Qualcomm estimates that roughly half of the $200 billion gaming market will come from mobile gaming. That’s enough for Qualcomm to sink more money into improving premium smartphones.
That Qualcomm would launch a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 wasn’t really in doubt; Qualcomm has launched “Plus” versions of its Snapdragon chips before for gaming phones, such as the Snapdragon 865 Plus it announced in July of 2020. That chip used an upclocked CPU and GPU to eke out more performance, and Qualcomm has adopted the same strategy here.
Specifically, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has increased the clock speed of the prime core from 3.0GHz in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 to 3.2GHz inside the 8+, increasing the performance by 10 percent. Likewise, Qualcomm increased the clock speed of the GPU as well, boosting its performance by 10 percent. But Qualcomm also improved power efficiency by 30 percent on both the CPU and GPU, or 15 percent overall, according to Roberts.
Qualcomm isn’t identifying exactly where the power savings come from — the 8+ was made by TSMC, on the equivalent 4nm node as its predecessor. That will translate into an additional 80 minutes of video streaming, Roberts said, or an extra 25 minutes of a WeChat 5G call. Otherwise, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 includes the same feature set as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will be paired with the X62 5G modem as well as the FastConnect 6900 system for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Qualcomm will still manufacture the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Roberts said.
Likewise, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 includes an upclocked GPU that can deliver up to 20 percent faster graphics rendering and 30 percent more AI performance compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 778G. But it’s also the first Snapdragon 7 series chip to include what Qualcomm calls its “triple ISP,” or the ability to capture photos from three different cameras at the same time for a total of 200Mpixels. The camera ISP also supports “deep learning face detection” for improved authentication.
Qualcomm also showed off a wireless AR smart viewer reference design, essentially a set of “smart glasses” that will process certain augmented-reality features on the glasses itself, such as 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) sensing and hand tracking, which it will send over a 6GHz connection to a smartphone. The phone will perform the necessary processing and then pass back the compressed rendered frames for the glasses to display on then built-in 1080p/90 lenses.
Acer Nitro 5 review: An affordable gaming laptop with killer value
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Excellent graphics performance
- Enjoyable keyboard
- Plenty of connectivity
- Loud, crisp audio
Cons
- Uninspired design
- Mixed processor performance
- Display delivers mediocre image quality
- Short battery life
Our Verdict
Acer’s Nitro 5 is a value gaming laptop held back by seriously short battery life.
Price When Reviewed
$1,299.99
Best Prices Today: Acer Nitro 5 (2022)
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Acer
$1299
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Gamers looking for a value laptop will find many machines that bring entry-level discrete graphics at a reasonable price, but not every laptop with such hardware is ideal for gaming. Acer’s Nitro 5 proves that point with its outstanding game performance, though a few flaws will limit its appeal.
Don’t get it twisted, though. The Nitro 5 has a lot to offer. It delivers awesome graphics performance and there are plenty of port options. The audio is also punchy and the keyboard is spacious. However, as with most cheap gaming laptops, there are some compromises to be aware of. Battery life is shockingly short and the display is really nothing to write home about. That said, if you’re on a tight budget, the Nitro 5 is still a perfectly reasonable option.
Specs and features
The Acer Nitro I tested equips Intel’s Core i5-12500H processor, an entry-level variant in the H series that provides a total of 12 cores but only four performance cores. This will make for an intriguing comparison with prior gaming laptops, many of which have fewer cores in total but no efficient cores.
- CPU: Intel Core i5-12500H
- Memory: 16GB
- Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060
- Display: 15.6-inch 1080p 144Hz IPS LCD
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Webcam: 720p
- Connectivity: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C 3.2, 1x USB-A 3.1, 2x USB-A 2.0, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x Ethernet
- Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- Biometrics: None
- Battery capacity: 51 watt-hours
- Dimensions: 14.2 inches x 10.7 x 1.06
- Weight: 5.51 pounds
- Price: $1,299.99
Intel’s 12th-gen processor is paired with an Nvidia RTX 3060 graphics chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB, which brings the MSRP to $1,299.99. The laptop, which will not be released until May 22, 2022, is selling a hair above that price on Amazon at the time of publication.
Design and build quality
The Acer Nitro 5 is a collection of plastic panels and metal facades forced into an angular and aggressive design. There’s a retro feel to the machine which, at over an inch thick, is far bulkier than the sleek high-end gaming laptops that often hog the spotlight. If you want a laptop that screams “hey, I’m new and cool!” – look elsewhere.
There is one touch I like: the lid. I get a 1980s vibe from its understated combo of matte black surfaces with pastel blue and red stripes that remind me of wire traces on a PCB.
How does it feel? Fine. The chassis and display lid are mostly plastic and allow noticeable flex when handled with modest force, but the design comes off as reasonably durable. This is thanks to its thick profile and bulky, firmly articulated display hinges.
Still, Dell’s gaming-oriented Inspiron line and Lenovo’s entry-level Legion laptops provide a more attractive look at similar pricing. Even Acer’s own Predator line is far more robust and there’s an overlap in pricing between Nitro 5 models and the Predator Helios 300 line.
Keyboard and trackpad
Acer stuffs a large keyboard with a numpad into the Nitro 5’s sizable frame. There’s plenty of room despite the numpad’s inclusion, so the arrow, Enter, and Backspace keys are similar in size to other laptops. The right-side Shift key is half-sized, however. I don’t like the numpad’s inclusion, as it offsets the keyboard from the touchpad, but those who need a numpad will of course welcome its inclusion.
RGB keyboard backlighting is included but works on a per-zone, not per-key basis. This is an acceptable compromise for a laptop in the Nitro 5’s price range. Backlight brightness is very high at maximum and several brightness levels are available.
Key feel is good. There’s plenty of room for long, luxurious key travel. The keys bottom out with a crisp, snappy action that provides decent feedback. The keycaps seem cheap and hollow, however, again reminding owners of the Nitro 5’s value pricing.
The touchpad is unremarkable. It’s not massive, measuring about 5 inches wide and 3.5 inches deep. It’s surrounded by pretty shallow palm rests for a machine of the Nitro 5’s size. The responsive surface but can seem cramped when using Windows’ multi-touch gestures.
Display, audio
The Acer Nitro 5 model I reviewed had a 15.6-inch 1080p non-touch screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz. This display is found on the large majority of Nitro 5 systems, though a few top-tier models upgrade to 1440p 165Hz display.
1080p resolution isn’t exciting in 2022, of course, but it’s an ideal choice for any value-oriented laptop. Because of the display’s size, pixel density is still high enough to look extremely sharp in games, and sticking to 1080p means most games deliver strong performance at the laptop’s native resolution.
Image quality is mixed. The edge-lit LCD display offers good color accuracy and a decent contrast ratio of up to 1230:1, but is limited by a narrow color gamut that displays only 66 percent of the sRGB gamut. This saps the vibrancy you’ll see in more premium gaming laptops and is most noticeable in colorful games like Overwatch or Rocket League. It’s also bad news for creators hoping the Acer Nitro 5 could be a budget-minded portable machine for both gaming and photo or video editing.
Results like this aren’t unusual to see in value gaming laptops, but do show the problems of scaling up a machine that fundamentally targets a value buyer. The Acer Nitro 5 carries an MSRP that puts it close to the entry-level versions of more premium laptops like the Alienware m15, Lenovo Legion 7, and Acer Predator. These will offer a far better display.
IDG / Matthew Smith
Audio quality is more favorable. The Nitro 5 uses a top-facing speaker system that delivers excellent volume and a clear, crisp presentation. There’s a little bass, but not much, so heavy action and thumping can muddy the sound. This is an area the Nitro 5 can match more premium gaming laptops that target a slimmer form factor, as its size provides ample space for the sound system.
Webcam, biometrics
The Acer Nitro 5 doesn’t try to offer an excellent video or audio recording experience. It has a basic 720p webcam with a dual-array microphone. Each works well enough for video conferencing in a well-lit, quiet room, but you’ll run into trouble in dark rooms or those with moderate background noise.
Biometric login is not available on this laptop.
Connectivity
IDG / Matthew Smith
A girthy profile means the Nitro 5 has space to offer a wide range of connectivity. Video output is provided by an HDMI 2.0 port and a USB-C 3.2 port / Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode.
The USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 port is stated to provide Power Delivery up to 65 watts, but the laptop’s battery discharged when I connected it to a monitor delivering 65 watts, so don’t expect to rely on it for charging. A 230-watt power adapter provides juice over a barrel plug connector.
Additional USB connectivity includes one USB-A 3.1 port and two USB-A 2.0 ports. There’s also an Ethernet jack and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. I would’ve liked to see more USB-A 3.1 ports available.
Wireless connectivity comes over Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The wireless adapter is Intel’s Killer Wi-Fi AX1650i. It provides near-Gigabit performance at short range but struggled in my detached shed, which is 50 feet and a couple walls away from the router. This location is often tough for laptops, but the Nitro 5 was especially unreliable and could only achieve download speeds of around one megabyte per second.
Performance
The Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-527S, like the rest of the newest Nitro 5 line, offers a 12th-gen Intel Core processor. My particular machine equipped the Intel Core i5-12500H, a 12-core processor with four performance cores and eight efficient cores. This was paired with 16GB of memory and a 512GB solid state drive.
We start with PCMark 10, a synthetic test with an emphasis on day-to-day use rather than demanding workloads. The Intel Core i5-12500H doesn’t do well here, falling behind every comparison machine aside from the Acer Swift 3. It’s disappointing to see the Core i5-12500H fall so far behind the HP Victus with Core i7-11800H processor. The Core i5-12500H’s slim number of performance cores seems to hold it back in this test.
Cinebench R15 is a heavily threaded and demanding test that better spreads the load across many cores. This is to the Core i5-12500H’s advantage. While it does not beat the Core i7-1800H, it comes close, and delivers a win over the Ryzen 7 5800H in the Asus Vivobook Pro 15 OLED. It’s a good, though not exceptional, result for the Acer Nitro 5.
Handbrake, another heavily multithreaded test, reports more good news. While the HP Victus is not available for comparison in this test due to differences in testing conditions, we can see the Acer Nitro 5 scores a win over the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 tested with Ryzen 9 6900HS processor. The Core i5-12500H also provides a major improvement over the Core i7-1260P, a processor that will be common in thin, premium laptops.
Now we move on to the graphics benchmarks, starting with 3DMark’s Time Spy test. The Acer Nitro 5 scores a great victory here, defeating the similarly equipped HP Victus and easily outrunning the MSI GF76 with RTX 3050 Ti. In fact, the Acer Nitro outranks many recent RTX 3060 laptops and comes rather close to the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with Radeon RX6800S.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider also produces a favorable result, averaging 98 frames per second at 1080p resolution and Highest detail settings (with ray tracing off). This is a bit higher than the HP Victus and, once again, rather close to some laptops that equip more powerful GPUs.
Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition delivers no real surprise, as once again the Acer Nitro 5 slightly out performs the HP Victus and falls only a bit behind more expensive laptops with GTX 1080 graphics. The Nitro 5 also beats the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with Radeon RX 6800S graphics in this test.
In summary, it’s clear the Acer Nitro 5 benefits from its focus on gaming, and this leads to outstanding frames-per-dollar in games. Acer’s Nitro 5 manages to nip at the heels of significantly more expensive gaming laptops.
Content and day-to-day performance is more mixed. The Core i5-12500H processor is strong in heavily multithreaded workloads but will be at a significant disadvantage to Intel Core i7 H-Series processors with more performance cores.
Battery life
The Acer Nitro 5 is a strong performer in games, but this does come at a steep penalty in battery life. It’s not unusual to see disappointing battery life in this segment, but the Nitro 5 is significantly worse than usual.
Yes, that’s right. The Acer Nitro 5 will barely last long enough to watch a movie on a flight from Seattle to San Francisco. Real-world performance in light use was better than that, coming in around three hours, but that’s nothing to brag about. It makes sense, however. The laptop has a meager 51 watt-hour battery. That’s smaller than what you’ll find in many thin-and-light machines. It’s simply overwhelmed by the power-hungry hardware.
Software
Acer ships the Nitro 5 with a slim array of bloatware. This includes Norton Security Ultra plus a variety of pre-installed apps like ExpressVPN and Forge of Empires. Though slightly annoying, the bloatware is easy to ignore or uninstall as desired. A software command center called NitroSense is used to control fan speed, keyboard backlighting, and audio features. It looks inoffensive and worked well in my time with the laptop.
Conclusion
The Acer Nitro 5 is a good value for gamers looking to maximum game performance on a slim budget. Nvidia’s RTX 3060 is given the space and power it needs to deliver strong results. For many, this alone will be enough to make the Nitro 5 a contender. However, a number of flaws hold the Nitro 5 back from its full potential.
The display isn’t great, the battery is too small, and the Core i5-12500H processor is only at its best in heavily multithreaded workloads. This narrows the Nitro 5’s focus. It’s excellent for gaming, but students and content creators seeking a versatile budget powerhouse will need to keep looking.
Prepare to earn CompTIA and AWS certifications with this $20 e-book bundle
IT professionals are accustomed to spending too much money to upgrade their skills and land new roles. But, these days, it’s not as necessary. That’s because web-based resources are available that are far more cost-effective—for example, the 2022 CompTIA and AWS Practice Exam E-Book Bundle, which is just $19.99.
This affordable package features 14 e-books that prepare readers for many industry certifications from CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, Microsoft, and Google. You could use them to earn credentials such as A+, Network+, Security+, or CCNA, which only scratches the surface. If you want to pursue a career in IT, this bundle is practically a must.
Each e-book is published by Exams Digest, a respected provider of online quiz-based training that comes highly rated by users (5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot). In addition, the particular selections were designed to prepare readers for specific certification exams, so success is far easier to achieve. The point is, if you work in IT and are tired of spending hundreds for every certification you need, then the 2022 CompTIA & AWS Practice Exam E-Book Bundle is a wise purchase at just $19.99.
The 2022 CompTIA & AWS Practice Exam E-Book Bundle – $19.99
See Deal
Prices subject to change.
Hands-on with HPas overhauled Spectre, Omen, and Victus laptops
HP is coming in hot with a host of new laptop designs. At an event in New York City, the company showed them off to us: the new Spectre x360 13, Victus 15, and Omen 16. Gordon Ung walks us through the features of the new designs in all three new laptops in a trio of videos on the PCWorld YouTube channel.
The Spectre x360 13 is the latest of HP’s high-end 2-in-1 designs, competing directly with more expensive variants of the Lenovo Yoga and the Acer Spin. Highlights of the updated version include a 3:2 aspect ratio, a built-in electronic privacy filter, and the latest 12th-gen Core i7 processor and Iris Xe graphics. The battery is 66 watt-hours, an impressive size for a laptop this small. Note the included pen (get it?) that magnetically fastens to the lid.
The Victus 15 is a sort of jack of all trades, combining mid-range price and build with discrete graphics card options. Inside you can configure it up to a 12th-gen Core i7, paired with up to an RTX 3050 Ti graphics card (though many users will probably opt for a cheaper 1650). The chunky build allows for plenty of ports, including full-sized HDMI and an SD card reader. With a good price and flexible hardware, it would make a great option for a student who wants occasional gaming power.
The last, largest, and most powerful laptop HP showed off is the upgraded Omen 16. The biggest change you’ll notice is a new 1440p panel with refresh rates going up to 165Hz on the high end. HP has also moved a bunch of ports to the rear of the laptop, like dual USB-C/Thunderbolt and HDMI, in addition to a fold-down gigabit Ethernet port and plenty of USB-A. A redesigned dual fan setup with more blades and tons of heat pipes keeps things running smoothly.
If your budget can stretch to the highest configurations, you can get a 16-core 12th-gen Core i9-12900H processor and an RTX 3070 Ti GPU, with 150 watts of power enabled by all that cooling. RAM and storage are variable, but impressively, the user can access both DDR5 SODIMM slots and the M.2 SSD, so upgrades are super easy. The Omen 16 will also come in an AMD model.
The new Spectre X360 13 is on sale starting today at Best Buy with a base price of $1250. Both the Victus 15 and Omen 16 will launch later this summer, starting at $800 and $1200, respectively. For more coverage of the latest PC and laptop news, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube!
Grab Borderlands 3 for free (and massive discounts) in Epicas aMegaa game sale
Love ’em or hate ’em, you can’t deny that Epic brings the goodies to the PC gaming market. The company’s tautological “Epic MEGA Sale” starts today, discounting over 1600 titles. But that’s not the big news: The Epic Games Store is still giving away new games every Thursday, and this week none other than Borderlands 3 is in the spotlight.
The sequel to the well-received Borderlands 2 (we don’t talk about Bruno Pre-Sequel) came out in late 2019, and delivered a fairly perfect mix of shooting, looting, and co-op gameplay over huge maps and varied missions. The game’s humor isn’t for everyone, but if you want variety in guns and other weapons, it’s just about impossible to beat. It’s free to add to your account between now and May 26th.
On top of the freebie, every Epic account holder can get another 25 percent off coupon for a single purchase. That can go to a single game or multiple titles, so long as the total price of all of them is over $15. That discount is in addition to any other discounts listed. So for example, if you want the even more recent Borderlands title Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, it’s 20 percent off the $60 list price, plus 25 percent with your coupon, for a grand total of $32.99. Not bad for a AAA game that came out less than two months ago.
Other notably discounted games in the sale include Dying Light 2, Sifu, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Risk of Rain 2, Hot Wheels Unleashed, Deathloop, Chorus, Back 4 Blood, and Hitman 3.
Experimental Windows 11 build plops a search box on your desktop
If you download the latest Windows 11 Insider build, you may get to try out Microsoft’s retro future: widgets on the desktop. Specifically, you’ll have a shot at Windows 11 planting a search box right on your desktop.
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25120 for the Dev Channel exposes what Microsoft has referred to as conceptual ideas, or using the Dev Channel release as a test bench for ideas that may never make it to the release version of Windows. That’s nothing new. It sounds like the new build represents a sort of statement to that effect, however.
Here’s what the new build offers: A search bar that hovers at the top of your desktop. No, it’s not in your taskbar or in the Start menu. It’s right on your desktop, as shown in the picture above.
“Starting with this preview build, some Insiders will see one of these conceptual features as we begin to explore exposing lightweight interactive content on the Windows desktop,” Microsoft said in a blog post describing the new build. “Today, Windows exposes this type of content in the Widgets board. To begin assessing this general idea and interaction model, the first exploration in this area adds a search box displayed on the desktop that enables you to search the web.”
Unfortunately, this build doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive the search box. If you do, and you don’t want it, you can also toggle it off by right-clicking the desktop, going to Show more options, and toggle off the Show search option.
The rest of the build contains minor tweaks and fixes you probably won’t notice.
Right now, the Widgets section within Windows 11 contains a mix of news, stock quotes, weather, photos culled from OneDrive, and more. But the search box is more reminiscent of features like Windows Gadgets and Sidebar, which appeared in Windows Vista and Windows 7, before Microsoft advised users to remove them for security’s sake. Neither made an appearance in Windows 8, either.
It’s difficult to believe that something as quirky as a free-floating Windows widget will eventually appear in an OS as staid as Windows 11, but who knows?
Vantrue OnDash N4 review: Versatile 3-channel dash cam captures with 4K
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- 4K front captures in two-channel mode
- 1080p interior and rear captures
- Versatile configuration
- Easy to use
Cons
- Only 1440p when using three channels
- Infrared disabled by default
Our Verdict
Vantrue’s N4 is the most affordable three-channel dash cam we’re aware of. It captures at 1440p in three-channel mode, and 4K when you drop to two.
Price When Reviewed
$259.99
Best Prices Today: Vantrue OnDash N4 dash cam
Retailer
Price
Delivery
Vantrue
$259.99
View
If you like the idea of total (or near-total anyway) coverage inside and outside your vehicle, you won’t find a cheaper way to scratch that itch than Vantrue’s OnDash N4. This three-channel front/rear/interior unit has the rather nice price of $260 though a GPS mount is another $22.
Note that the dash cam I tested is the one found when you click on the Dash Cam tab, then N4 from Vantrue’s website. Browsing around Vantrue’s site, I stumbled on another N4 product page with different specs. The distinction is that the model I reviewed—presumably the more current model—has 4K support. Even still, that spec is a bit misleading when expressed as “3-channel 4K.” While the N4 can indeed capture 4K UHD front video, it can only do so when capturing front/interior, or front/rear—i.e, in two-channel mode, not three-channel.
Note also that the industry generally refers to only the front camera when advertising resolution. Interior and rear cameras are invariably lower resolution when 4K is touted.
This review is part of our ongoing roundup of the best dash cams. Go there for more reviews and buying advice.
Vantrue OnDash N4: Design and features
At just over 4 inches long and 1.5 inches deep and wide, the flattened-cylindrical N4 is a bit on the large size. It has to be to fit both the front and interior cameras, as well as a crisp 2.45-inch IPS color display. It’s not a monster by any means, but it’s not svelte like Garmin’s Dash Cam Tandem.
On top of the unit are five buttons (menu, okay/record, left, right, power) to navigate the onscreen menus. Said menus are logically organized and easy to browse. On the left side of the main body you’ll find: a USB Type-C port for the rear camera or attaching the unit to a computer to offload video; a micro-HDMI video port for outputting to a TV, etc; an SD card slot; and a tiny reset button.
There’s nothing on the right side, but on top is the connection for the included suction mount, which is fully adjustable horizontally and vertically. The entire deal is powered via another USB Type-C port on the mount. The nub for that port also serves as a handle to rotate the mechanism to help secure the suction cup to the windshield.
Vantrue
The front camera is 2160p/30 frames per second maximum (when recorded alone) with a field of view of 155 degrees, but as mentioned, drops to 1440p when both the interior and rear cameras are also in use. It will stay at 2160p when used with either the interior or rear cameras, but drops from 30fps to 25fps.
The interior camera is 1080p with a 165 degree FOV, and the rear camera is 1080p with a 160 degree FOV. Why the slight mismatches between the FOV of three cameras, I can’t say, but together they cover a lot of real estate. All feature Sony STARVIS sensors for good color and night performance.
There are four infrared lights surrounding the vertically swiveling interior camera to augment night captures in the cabin. Alas, Vantrue doesn’t enable them by default so my first night captures were darker than they should’ve been. Vantrue should make a greater effort to make the N4 usable under all conditions right out of the box.
The power cable is auxiliary (cigarette lighter) to Type-C and a 20-foot cable is provided to connect the rear camera. It’s that long because you’ll likely be snaking it around/under seats, up and inside interior moulding, or both. As with most dash cams, a moulding spudger/crevice tool is provided.
The rear camera is prominently labeled, something I truly appreciate. I’ve installed less obviously labeled units upside down on accident. Tip: If you have a rear camera that doesn’t make its orientation apparent, attach it to the main camera, power it on, and note what’s shown on the display before sticking it in place. (Nearly all use sticky pads.)
There’s no SD card included with the N4. Speaking of which, you’ll be using a lot of storage with three channels constantly running, or simply capturing 2160p. Buy as large as you can.
The N4 offers three parking modes: motion detection (using the camera), impact detection (using the G-sensor), and a low-resolution (720p at 15fps) continuous capture mode. There’s also a time-lapse image capture feature to save storage space.
Onboard is a super capacitor rather than a battery for more charge cycles and a broader operating temperature range (14 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit). Unusually, it keeps the display running for a second or so after power is pulled, meaning it’s of decent capacity. Many last only the milliseconds it takes to close the current video.
Vantrue OnDash N4: Performance
I first tested the N4 as a three-channel camera, resulting in 1440p front captures. Overall, the 1440p/1080p quality is acceptable if in no way competitive with the pricier, but excellent Cobra SC 400D. I then switched the camera to front/rear only and grabbed some 2160p footage from the front.
The color is spot on in both cases, but I found the detail in all the captures a bit blurry for the resolutions involved—especially the interior and rear cameras. Vantrue seems to opt for smoothness over sharpness in processing the captures. Either that, or it’s in the optics or sensors. I have noticed recently that the cameras with Sony sensors do lean towards removing jaggies.
Right-click on the images and select “Open in new tab,” then switch to the new tab to see them full resolution.
The wide FOV for the interior camera (shown below) makes sure you will capture all of the cabin no matter how large the vehicle. I left the power wire dangling to spare you from yet another gaze at my mug.
There’s quite a bit of fisheye from all the cameras. The wide fields of view (FOV) makes sure you’ll capture more events, but it does result in this type of artifact. The interior and rear camera details are rather muddy for 1080p captures. The rear camera shot below also is a bit lacking in detail overall. That’s one of our building’s security guards checking to make sure Giants fans from the stadium just down the street aren’t using our parking.
Night captures are more of the same. There’s good if not fantastic detail on the front captures, but interior and rear captures are slightly muddy. Also, headlight flare is more intense than with some cameras. Note that some of the distortion is due to the night conditions here in foggy San Francisco.
As with the day captures, there’s a certain bluriness to the rear camera’s night captures. You’ll need to be very close to pick up details such as license plate numbers.
As mentioned, for some reason, Vantrue doesn’t set the infrared lighting to auto or on by default. Hence the dark capture shown below. Expecting the infrared to work automatically, I had to head out on yet anther evening to capture with the infrared on.
Below is the result from my second foray. I stepped outside as I’m tired of looking at myself in these photos. Note that you can actually now tell that there are seats in my MX-5.
One small issue with the N4 is that it doesn’t automatically start recording when you exit the settings menus as most cameras will. You have to hit the okay/record button. I missed a lot of captures initially because of this. Niceties.
Conclusion
As long as you understand that the N4 is 1440p when using all three channels, it’s a good deal, though it would be a better one with GPS already on board The captures are hardly the best we’ve seen, but they’re colorful and present a serviceable amount of detail. A competent if not spectacular camera system for a good price.
Protect your yard with Eufyas security camera and floodlight for $100
Are you looking to keep an eye on your yard? Well, today is your lucky day. Amazon is selling Anker’s Eufy Security Floodlight Camera for $100. That’s $72 off the usual price. To get the deal, you need to clip the $70 off coupon underneath the price on the product page. You also need to use the checkout code EUFY8420 to cover the other two bucks.
The Eufy Floodlight Camera can light up the alleyway, driveway, or yard at night when motion is detected. It’s also packing a camera, so you don’t have to run out to the scene of the crime just to find a couple of cats fighting over some trash.
The camera features 1080p video capture and it has local storage instead of a cloud package. Other features include two-way audio, human detection, and a smart siren to keep intruders at bay. As for the floodlight, it has a maximum brightness of 2,500 lumens. You can also set it up so it’s always on and gets brighter whenever motion is detected. Just so you’re aware, this device does require the use of existing outdoor wiring and a weatherproof junction box.
[Today’s deal: Eufy Security Floodlight Camera for $100 at Amazon.]
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