You don't need a multi-thousand dollar budget to build a good PC. Here's how you build one for about $1,000 using AMD hardware.
The $1,000 price point is really the sweet spot when it comes to building a PC; you can't afford the best of the best, but you can still get good quality parts that can play the latest AAA games. Although Intel is generally considered to be the better value vendor this generation for a variety of reasons, going AMD isn't a bad idea and comes with its own advantages. If you're looking to spend about a grand on a new PC and want to do with AMD hardware, here's how we think you should do it.
While Microsoft's new Canary channel could be to test Windows 12, that idea isn't as exciting as it should be.
Recently, Microsoft made some big changes to the Windows Insider Program, introducing the brand-new Canary channel designed for testing extremely early Windows builds. While Microsoft won't say it, the prevailing theory is that this channel is where Microsoft is testing the rumored Windows 12, which has been reported to be launching in 2024.
Starlink satellite internet has afforded me and others opportunities in a connected world. But recently has become an expensive liability.
When SpaceX's residential satellite internet company, Starlink, was first introduced, I had high hopes. Legitimate high-speed internet isn't widely available where I live in rural Kansas. Over the past 11 years, I've had to make do with an OG Verizon data-only plan for a hotspot, HughesNet satellite internet, US Cellular home internet, local fixed wireless, T-Mobile Home Internet, and more. But as of spring 2021, I have primarily relied on Starlink to provide internet to my home.
Razer's BlackShark V2 is a great headset for gaming, offering THX 7.1 spatial audio and compatibility with multiple devices.
Razer has earned a solid reputation as a manufacturer of gaming-focused peripherals, and that, of course, includes headphones. I daily-drive the 2021 Razer Barracuda X headset, and it's still one of the best pieces of tech I've ever used. But if you're more serious about gaming, the Razer BlackShark V2 may be the option to beat.
Benchmarking a CPU in games isn't as simple as you think.
The long-awaited Ryzen 7000X3D series is here, and everyone agrees that the Ryzen 9 7950X3D is the fastest CPU for gaming... but by how much? That's a tough question to answer because the reviews are all over the place. Some publications found that the 7950X3D was barely any faster than Intel's Core i9-13900K, while others found larger margins of over 10%. It's not like reviewers are testing completely different games, and in non-gaming benchmarks like Cinebench R23, the scores are about the same across the board, give or take a percentage point.
The VisionTek VT7400 is a reasonably-priced docking station that supports three 4K displays on almost any laptop, even ones without Thunderbolt.
There are plenty of docking stations on the market these days, and while they come in many different shapes and sizes, there's one thing they tend to have in common — they're based on Thunderbolt. It's a popular interface these days, and with speeds up to 40Gbps, it's easy to see why. But Thunderbolt isn't supported on AMD laptops, and with Apple Silicon Macs, the processor limits external displays. That's where docks like the VisionTek VT7400 come into play.
HP's Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is the best Chromebook there is, showing how a close collaboration with Google can change everything.
Google doesn't make Pixelbooks anymore, so if you want that kind of premium ChromeOS experience, where do you turn? As it turns out, you turn to HP, which partnered closely with Google on the Dragonfly Pro Chromebook. I attended an in-person workshop where I talked to people from both HP and Google about it. It makes a lot of sense for Google to make this move since it can work with its partners instead of competing with them.
HP and AMD say that the Dragonfly Pro laptop is made to compete with Apple's MacBook Pro, but did it succeed?
When HP held a workshop in New York City and gave out our Dragonfly Pro review units, there was talk about competing with not just Apple Silicon but the new MacBook Pro. That's a bold statement, something I've never heard anyone on the Windows side make. But AMD has Apple in its crosshairs, and frankly, it's put a lot of work into the custom Ryzen chip that's in the Dragonfly Pro to hit some of the features that only Apple has been able to deliver.
Even though I have a Mac Mini, I never used it as much as I liked to because there are a lot of things about macOS that bother me as a Windows user
I'm a technology writer and, as you can imagine, I have a lot of gadgets in my collection. One of those gadgets is my Mac Mini, which I purchased a few years ago because everyone was hyping up the Apple M1 chip and how powerful it was. Indeed, this turned out to be true, so I'll pull it out whenever I have to edit a quick video in iMovie. It outputs longer movies and short podcasts much faster than my Windows-11-powered laptop can.
A sleek design hides a full PC with 27-inch QHD display and Core i7-12700H CPU.
Lenovo's IdeaCentre all-in-one PCs have long been a popular option for home and home office use thanks to their versatility and compact nature. All-in-ones are sort of a middle-ground between laptop and desktop, featuring a built-in display, all required performance hardware, ports, and included wireless keyboard and mouse. The specific design used for the seventh-gen IdeaCentre AIO 5i 27 is sturdier than previous models thanks to a two-arm display stand ring, it's compact enough that you'd think it's just a monitor, and it has excellent speakers and webcam.
Vivaldi's co-founder doesn't think that the Android Privacy Sandbox changes anything, either.
Smartphones are everywhere, and they give us so much access. We can find information instantly, purchase products online for arrival mere hours later, and communicate over countless messaging services. It's a double-edged sword, though, and being able to do all of that online means that advertisers can learn your habits and track you.
Plugable's first Works with Chromebook docking station is a winner, letting you enjoy dual monitor support and many extra ports.
Some of the best Chromebooks these days are going in the same direction as Windows laptops, stripping out classic ports like HDMI or Ethernet in favor of Thunderbolt or USB-C. These are modern ports, but you'll need a dock to connect your Chromebook to multiple displays or a wired internet connection. There are a lot of great Chromebook docking stations, many of which pass Google's tests and carry the Works with Chromebook certification, but none of these docks were made by Plugable.
Lenovo combined the P15 and P17 to become the P16, a mobile workstation with tons of performance overhead.
Lenovo unveiled its ThinkPad P16 (Gen 1) in 2022 as a successor to the ThinkPad P15 and P17. Lenovo decided to take the average size and run, serving up a completely new laptop that's designed to act as a mobile desktop replacement. The bottom and back edge of the laptop are noticeably different from the usual ThinkPad style, and you would be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that this is a gaming laptop. Indeed, it has some extreme performance hardware inside, but it's more geared toward design, creative, and development work that requires a discrete GPU and sizzling 14- or 16-core performance from the 12th Gen Intel Core HX-series CPUs.
Of all the great GPUs ever made, there are seven that really stand out.
The GPU is perhaps the most exciting part of a gaming PC: it provides the power necessary to increase resolutions, visual detail settings, and can easily be upgraded generation after generation. It's also the traditional arena where Nvidia and AMD duke it out for commercial and technological supremacy (though the fight has been shifting to the datacenter in recent years). These two companies have often fought tooth and nail every generation, sometimes producing graphics cards that aren't merely great, but truly decisive in changing the direction of the industry.
It might be expensive, but this tried and tested Z690 Intel motherboard is worth it for the right person.
When choosing a motherboard for a 12th- or 13th-generation Intel processor, you'll have various options since it's possible to go with an LGA 1700 socket motherboard with either an Intel 600 or 700 series chipset. Here, we're looking at one with the former, the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, which released in 2021. Despite its age, it's still worth considering for your next PC build.
Dell's Premier Collaboration Keyboard shadows Logitech's MX Keys but comes short in one big way.
Dell might be behind the best laptops like the devices in the XPS lineup, but you can't forget their computing accessories like keyboards or the docks, either. While Logitech dominates the market of computing peripherals, I'm starting to grow fonder of Dell. I recently reviewed the Dell Pro Webcam, and it had me itching for more Dell accessories to complete my setup at home alongside my monitor and my favorite Dell laptop.
You don't need to stay in Chrome all the time. Check out these great Android, web, and Linux apps for your Chromebook.
Whether you just purchased a new Chromebook to move away from a Windows laptop or are just a fan of ChromeOS, we have one piece of advice: You don't have to use Google Chrome all the time.
The Acer Chromebook Enterprise Vero 514 puts the environment first, but it is also one of the fastest Chromebooks we've ever reviewed.
A lot of great Chromebooks and some of the best ChromeOS tablets aren't just for personal or school use anymore. Many businesses are now using specialized Chromebooks as part of their fleet of devices. After all, ChromeOS can be easy to manage with the Chrome Enterprise Upgrade. The operating system is lightweight, simple, and less sophisticated than Windows, so it's easy to learn.
macOS 14 will probably launch during WWDC23 in June. Here's our wishlist detailing 7 new additions we want to see on the Mac later this year.
iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 launched late last year, but at this point, we've gotten our hands on all the major features and updates, including a more advanced Lock Screen, the redesigned System Settings the Mac, and the all-new Apple Watch faces. Now it's time to put all these operating systems behind us and focus on what's next.
The Lenovo Legion 7i Pro is a premium gaming laptop that looks and feels the part in almost every way. If you can stomach the price, it's phenomenal.
Lenovo's Legion laptops generally offer very good gaming experiences, and the latest Legion Pro 7i is an absolutely phenomenal machine. It packs powerful performance and a solid display into a premium design that stands out for all the right reasons — except for its price.
