DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF,

JUST NAIL THE BIG STUFF.

What’s another teeny, tiny stain? You’ve got more important

things to think about—like making sure your kids are
buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size.

Check at [Link]/TheRightSeat
 CONTENTS

FEBRUARY 2022

≥ DEPARTMENTS ≥ FEATURES

7 News

41 Reviews & Ratings 82 The best free software for your PC

99 Here’s How

134 Tech Spotlight 98 Best of CES 2022

COVER IMAGE: GO DESIGN / SHUTTERSTOCK FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 3

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Let’s get them back together again, safely.
Get the latest facts on protecting them from
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News TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL
AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.

Microsoft hopes to buy Activision

Blizzard in a deal that would make
gaming history
The nearly $70 billion acquisition would be the largest single purchase ever for the gaming
industry. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

icrosoft has been on a Mojang, Id, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Rare,

M gaming acquisition tear for

the last few years, hoping to
give the edge to its Xbox and
Game Pass platforms as Sony’s PlayStation
continues to dominate with exclusive titles.
Double Fine, and 343 Industries. But the
computer giant’s next purchase is so big it
might shake the foundations of the gaming
industry: Activision Blizzard.
The news comes as an official
The company previously purchased such announcement from Microsoft itself (fave.
notable companies as ZeniMax (aka Bethesda co/33Xt9q7), emblazoned with its
[[Link]/3AjIlKi]), Minecraft developer prospective acquisition’s biggest game series

IMAGE: MICROSOFT FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 7

NEWS MICROSOFT HOPES TO BUY ACTIVISION BLIZZ ARD

like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Skater. The publisher survived various crashes
Candy Crush. The acquisition is valued at and booms to become one of the largest
$68.7 billion with Microsoft buying Activision software makers on the planet. It merged with
Blizzard stock shares at $95 each. The deal is Vivendi in 2008 to create the combined
being given a full media blitz with a Activision Blizzard, gaining clout from an
promotional page, press release, blog posts, association with the highly respected
open letters to employees, and even a map of developer of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo.
the proposed management team. Today, Activision Blizzard publishes and
Assuming it goes through, the nearly $70 maintains some of the industry’s biggest
billion acquisition would be by far the largest franchises, including Call of Duty, World of
in the history of the gaming industry, with Warcraft, Crash Bandicoot, and Overwatch.
Take-Two’s purchase of Zynga earlier this year The combined Activision Blizzard has had
coming in a distant second at “just” $12.7 serious troubles over the last few years,
billion. For the sake of comparison, caught in a general backlash toward large
Nintendo’s current valuation in terms of publishers seeking profit over quality and
market cap is approximately $55 billion. abusing staff. AB has been specifically
Activision is one of the oldest developers criticized for an ongoing collection of social
in the industry, starting way back in 1979 issues, including employee abuse and
publishing classics like Pitfall, Little Computer “crunch” culture, sexual abuse of female staff
People, MechWarrior, and Tony Hawk’s Pro members (including a highly public
investigation by the
state of California
[[Link]/3AnrwhF]),
lack of accountability
for executives, and
embarrassing
episodes such as an
apparent capitulation
to the Chinese
government (fave.
co/350BVUU) when
a player showed a
Activision Blizzard publishes and maintains some of the industry’s biggest pro-Taiwan message
game franchises. on stream.

8 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 remains CEO. According to Microsoft’s
press release, Kotick will remain in his
position for the time being, reporting to
Microsoft’s gaming CEO, Phil Spencer.
The reason for Microsoft’s interest in
one of the largest publishers in the
world is obvious. In addition to
bolstering a growing library of exclusive
game content for the Xbox console and
Windows, it’s attempting to create a
platform of streaming games that can be
accessed anywhere on any device. The
Netflix-style, all-you-can-eat nature of
the Xbox Game Pass is shaking up the
industry in ways that are still hard to
predict—other players like Amazon and
Google have invested in game
Bobby Kotick is set to remain Activision Blizzard’s CEO streaming and Sony is reportedly
in the deal. preparing its own similar service.
Despite dominating with exclusive titles
AB’s issues seem to have been in the PS4 era, Sony’s position at the top of
personified in multibillionaire CEO Bobby console gaming seems more precarious as
Kotick, who’s controlled the company for Microsoft continues to strengthen its
over 30 years. According to a Wall Street first-party catalog.
Journal investigation ([Link]/3FKnWiJ), The acquisition still needs to be
Kotick was aware of abuse issues inside his approved by various regulatory agencies,
company and did nothing to stop them, notably the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
allegedly shielding abusive executives and (possibly even the Department of Justice)
even threatening to kill an employee. and the European Union Commission. Both
Despite calls from around the industry to the U.S. and EU administrations are far less
step down, including rare recriminations friendly these days to mega-mergers than
from partners like Microsoft (fave. they have been in the past, so Microsoft’s
co/3nNoKgN), Sony ([Link]/3FRKHkO), game-changing purchase is by no means a
and even LEGO ([Link]/3rFDpLU), Kotick done deal.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 9

NEWS

CES 2022: All the chip news

These announcements from CES will set the tone for the year to come. BY MARK HACHMAN

MD, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm: AMD’S RX 6000S,

A CES always ushers in a flood of

chip news that sets the stage for
the year to come, and CES 2022
has been no different.
Two broad themes stand out: a concerted
RX6850M GPUS
In my mind, one of the most impressive
announcements of CES was the Acer
Predator Triton 500 SE ([Link]/3fMxuPE),
precisely because of what it hoped to
effort by AMD and Nvidia to develop low-end accomplish: a platform for both work and
GPUs that (hopefully) will be widely available,
and the introduction of next-gen CPU VIDEO: AMD, NVIDIA,
platforms by both AMD and Intel. Here’s all of AND INTEL HIGHLIGHTS
PCWorld’s coverage, filed from our homes
FROM CES 2022
Watch now at [Link]/3nKsHTv
while CES limped on.

10 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: CES

play. I couldn’t help but view AMD’s new brings hardware ray tracing to the mobile
mobile GPUs ([Link]/3GP4ToJ) through the APU. RDNA 2, Zen3+: What’s not to like?
same lens: GPUs designed for ultraportable AMD is bringing some impressive
laptops that could be carried to work but capabilities to bear in the mobile CPU
used for gaming in the evening. market, and we’re extremely eager to see
AMD announced a whole slew of mobile notebooks that take advantage of them.
GPUs, although the real problem AMD needs Here are all the details of AMD’s new Ryzen
to solve isn’t one for a spec sheet: We just 6000 chips ([Link]/33XB32L).
need to see more AMD Radeon–powered
laptops, period. AMD’S RYZEN 7 5800X3D
WITH V-CACHE, AND
MEET AMD’S RADEON WHAT’S NEXT FOR RYZEN
SUPER RESOLUTION How AMD can push a Ryzen 7 to compete
More and more, the gaming experience is with Intel’s Core i9 is a little bit of a
being improved not just by GPU hardware, technical puzzle, involving a new chip
but by the conjunction of hardware and technology called V-Cache that AMD
software working together. Nvidia’s DLSS showed off during CES last year. What that
and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution use technology can accomplish, however,
image upscaling to turn 1080p frame rates looks incredibly impressive, as
into 4K visual quality, but they require demonstrated by AMD’s various
developer support. Enter AMD’s Super benchmarks.
Resolution, which should
work at a more fundamental
driver level and accomplish
the same thing. Our story
explains how it all works
([Link]/3Kyi5AT).

AMD LAUNCHES
RYZEN 6000
MOBILE CPUS
This is what we were
waiting for: AMD’s next- The Ryzen 6000 CPUs will appear in more than 200 premium laptops
gen mobile CPU, which this year.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 11

NEWS CES 2022: ALL THE CHIP NEWS

This story has a more serious angle, Alder Lake mobile chips that will help you
however: What’s next for Ryzen? We’ll spoil it make that buying decision for new PCs
for you, slightly: The beloved AM4 socket released during 2022—including new P-class
that AMD has preserved for years is ending, chips we haven’t seen before (fave.
and AM5 is nigh. AMD’s Ryzen 7000 is due co/3IjREg4).
by the end of the year, and we explain what all
of this means for you ([Link]/3qNUtAh). INTEL FILLS OUT DESKTOP
CPU LINE WITH NEW KS
INTEL LAUNCHES ALDER ALDER LAKE CHIP, AND
LAKE 12TH-GEN MOBILE MORE
CPUS If you look closely at Intel’s Alder Lake specs,
The rivalry between AMD and Intel is growing you can see that Intel has a lot of knobs to
intense, and Intel’s long-awaited mobile Alder turn: clock speed, power, and now the
Lake CPUs set the stage for some epic numbers of “performance” and “efficiency”
competition during 2022. Intel’s already cores within Alder Lake, too. How about no
promising a more than 28 percent efficiency cores? Yep, you’ll have that
performance boost over Tiger Lake, and choice. What about a massively powerful
there’s always a flood of Intel-powered 5.5GHZ processor? That option is there,
notebooks to choose from. Here are the new too. Be prepared that when you’re picking
out a 12th-gen Core tablet or notebook
you’ll have a bunch of options to choose
from, and our story breaks them all
down ([Link]/3KtkrAX).

INTEL BEGINS SHIPPING

ARC GPUS
Unfortunately Intel didn’t offer much in
the way of performance estimates,
giving credence to those who think the
Arc won’t offer that much in terms of
graphics power. But the time is ripe to
ship a GPU ([Link]/33V7lLO)—any
GPU—to a market starved for graphics
of all kinds.

12 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 made two key
announcements: First, it’s
expanding the Evo brand
([Link]/3GOsmX3) into
peripherals, and even some
desktops and commercial
devices. Second, it’s
making cross-platform
content sharing an Evo
perk ([Link]/3IqhIGq).
Wait, there are perks to
buying an Evo laptop? Like,
NVIDIA LAUNCHES THE freebies? What’s Intel doing here?
GEFORCE RTX 3050,
RTX 3090 TI, AND NEW QUALCOMM, MICROSOFT
LAPTOP GPUS TEAM UP ON AR
Does Nvidia know we’re knee-deep in the This is just vague enough to be tantalizing:
midst of the Great GPU Shortage? Apparently Qualcomm and Microsoft are teaming up
not. During its CES 2022 keynote, Team with chips for lightweight AR glasses. Like
Green came out swinging with not one, not Google Glass? A new HoloLens? This bears
two, but four fresh graphics cards for watching closely.
desktops ([Link]/3DOEuWk) and laptops.
But at $249, the RTX 3050 is an affordable, NVIDIA PROMISES 360HZ
available (?) GPU, and that’s what the market 1440P MONITORS ARE
is clamoring for right now. Here are the new COMING
Nvidia cards that could power your PC in If you’re the type of person who needs a
2022 ([Link]/3IqtAsg). 360Hz 1440p monitor to ensure your
League of Legends team brings home the
INTEL IS TAKING ITS EVO e-sports trophy, then you need to read this
BRAND SERIOUSLY story ([Link]/3rG76MO). If you’re the type
Intel’s never been shy about self-promotion of person who simply can’t believe that all
(“Intel Inside,” anyone?), but still, the force this is worth an estimated 3 percent
with which the company is pushing its Evo improvement in aiming for ungodly wads of
brand is somewhat surprising. At CES, Intel cash, also read this story.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 13

NEWS

You’ll be able to write your next

Klingon opera in LibreOffice
The open-source Office alternative will soon support the semi-official Klingon language
from Star Trek. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

arriors of the Empire, hear preserving our written heritage for humans.

W me! While my pink blood

longs for the battlefield as
much as that of any of my
Klingon brothers and sisters, the time has
come to admit that our alliance with the
LibreOffice ([Link]/3KxJJxG), a Federation
means of processing written words, will soon
support the glorious Klingon language. Qapla‘!
Star Trek’s fictional species of space
Vikings have technically had their own
weaklings in the Federation does have some language since The Trouble with Tribbles way
fringe benefits. Not only have we regained back in the original TV series, but the film
access to classic texts from that most series started expanding Klingon into a
celebrated Klingon storyteller, Shakespeare semi-functional language ([Link]/3u2go95)
([Link]/3tO1l2u), we now have a means of during the 1980s. With a combination of

14 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: CBS/PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Fans of Star with its own promotional institute and official
Trek can
translations of such works as Hamlet (fave.
buy official
Klingon co/3qNoAHZ), The Epic of Gilgamesh, and A
translations Christmas Carol.
of such works
as Hamlet. The open-source developers of
LibreOffice are getting in on the fun, perhaps
inspired by a similar move from Duolingo
([Link]/33EEb3Z). Starting next month,
LibreOffice 7.3 will support writing in the
semi-official Klingon language (fave.
co/3KycAlo). Students turning in their reports
on the Khitomer Accords will surely
appreciate it. Perhaps more practically, it’ll
come along with support for the Interslavic
canon works and the help of enthusiastic fans, language, which joins over 100 (real)
Klingon has become a somewhat “real” languages already supported by the free
language over the few decades, complete office suite.

Language learning service Duolingo offers a course in Klingon.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 15

NEWS

5 laptop trends from CES 2022 you

can’t ignore
Setting the tone for the future. BY MATT SMITH

ES 2022 is typically the single and GPUs from AMD ([Link]/33XB32L),

C most important media event for

the PC laptop industry. This year
proved no different despite the
sudden and unexpected shift to a largely
virtually show (the major chipmakers all
Nvidia ([Link]/3IqtAsg), and Intel (fave.
co/3IjREg4) promise to send laptop
performance to the moon—and that’s just
the start.
Here’s 5 top laptop trends from CES 2022
stayed remote, as did most laptop that simply can’t be ignored. Expect to see
manufacturers). some of these notebooks cracking our list of
In fact, 2022 is shaping up to be an the best laptops ([Link]/3qL4oHf) sooner
excellent year for Windows laptops. New CPUs than later.

16 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: ASUS

1. LAPTOPS GROW IN
POWER (AND POWER
CONSUMPTION)
The PC laptop world was focused on large,
heavy, and expensive laptops at CES 2022.
While AMD, Intel, and Nvidia continue to
make silicon focused on thin-and-light
systems, the most exciting
announcements
remain in the realm
of high-power,
high-performance
mobile computing. Even the best
thin-and-lights, like the Dell XPS 13 Plus (fave. Acer’s 16-inch Swift X is powerful for its size, but I
co/3ItUIXj) and Lenovo ThinkPad Z (fave. wouldn’t call it portable.
co/33yae5J), are appealing because they
attempt to stuff ever-faster hardware into discrete laptop options for graphics, such as
modest footprints (whether they’re successful the AMD Radeon 6850M XT (fave.
remains to be seen). co/3GP4ToJ) and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Intel’s 12th-gen Core processors list a Ti ([Link]/3IqtAsg). These offer the best
base power as low as nine watts. The mobile performance yet from each company,
maximum potential thermal design power but also target a slightly higher maximum
ranges from 29 watts on the U-Series to 115 design power than their predecessors.
watts for the quickest H-Series processors, More power consumption can hurt
however. For comparison, Intel’s popular portability, but it has an upside. The focus on
8th-gen Core Mobile processors, such as the powerful laptops means 2022 is a great time
Core i5-8250U and Core i7-8550U, had a to buy if you want a reasonably priced
maximum listed thermal design power of 25 machine with great multi-core CPU
watts. This increase in wattage is excused by performance and respectable discrete
big leaps in core counts, with flagship graphics. The Acer Swift X (fave.
12th-gen Core processors packing up to a co/3AkU77d), Lenovo ThinkBook Plus (fave.
whopping 20 cores. co/33w8UjP), and entry-level Razer Blade
The trend continues in discrete graphics. ([Link]/3ArxYEr) all look set to produce
AMD and Nvidia both announced faster strong results at a mid-range price. For most

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 17

NEWS CES 2022: L APTOP TRENDS

people, these laptops should be quick modern games playable at 1080p resolution
enough to replace a gaming or workstation and 30 frames per second, with many
desktop with no noticeable downside. Well, playable at 60 FPS.
aside from howling system fans. The IGP also supports AMD’s FidelityFX
Super Resolution ([Link]/3lWqKT6), which
2. FASTER INTEGRATED can upscale games from a lower render
GRAPHICS IS A WIN resolution to further improve performance.
FOR BUDGET LAPTOPS With this feature on, AMD says the best
Performance laptops took the spotlight at Ryzen 6000 processors can average 59 FPS
CES 2022, but there was good news for in Far Cry 6 at medium detail and 1080p
those who want a budget laptop or a speedy resolution. That’s very impressive for
thin-and-light system. AMD and Intel integrated graphics.
announced new integrated graphics (IGP) Intel’s integrated graphics for 12th-gen
options that provide the biggest year-over- Core i7 and i5 processors appear similar to
year performance gain since the release of the 11th-gen Core, but Core i3 nets a healthy
first Ryzen APUs. upgrade from 48 execution units to 64 EUs.
AMD’s Ryzen 6000 mobile APUs score a The integrated graphics performance of
win ([Link]/33XB32L) by shifting the IGP to 12th-gen Core i3 processors will still be less
the RDNA 2 architecture found in recent AMD than ideal, but this improvement should make
discrete
graphics cards.
It claims a
two-fold
performance
improvement
compared to
Ryzen 5000
APUs (fave.
co/3nsxBEC),
which already
delivered great
gaming results.
This gain will AMD’s Ryzen 6000 APU uses the RDNA 2 architecture found in the PlayStation 5 and
make a bulk of Xbox Series X|S.

18 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

a wider range of games playable on entry- 6E can reliably offer speeds of 800Mbps or
level Windows laptops priced around $500. higher in real-world conditions.
The speeds were a bit of a moot point at
3. BOTH WIRED AND the time, because laptops sold in 2021 did
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY not support Wi-Fi 6E. That will change rapidly
GET AN UPGRADE through 2022. It’s not a must-have feature for
There’s more to a laptop than CPU and most, but people with access to Gigabit
GPU performance. Connectivity and Wi-Fi should seriously consider an upgrade to a
performance are often just as important to Wi-Fi 6E.
your day-to-day experience—and there are
big upgrades landing in 2022. 4. IT’S OK TO BE A BIT WEIRD
Physical connectivity is improving with the The lack of progress in thin-and-light laptop
arrival of USB 4 ([Link]/3rzrJdP) and design has forced laptop manufacturers to
Thunderbolt 4 ([Link]/3nL4Z9I). These search for new ways to distinguish
are not new announcements for CES themselves. Trying to beat the
2022 and are already available in some competition with a
laptops, but they’ll become more widely thinner,
available in 2022. Intel’s 12th-gen Core
mobile platform supports both USB 4
and Thunderbolt 4, so these features
will become common as new models
appears through 2022. AMD’s Ryzen
6000 mobile does not support
Thunderbolt 4 but does
support USB 4.
AMD and
Intel’s mobile
hardware will
support Wi-Fi 6E, the latest
Wi-Fi standard ([Link]/3GOiLzJ). It
opens a new 6GHz wireless band. I’ve
tested Wi-Fi 6E routers and can vouch for
their speed. They effectively render Gigabit The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 trades the
Ethernet obsolete for most homes, as Wi-Fi numeric pad for a touchscreen.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 19

NEWS CES 2022: L APTOP TRENDS

lighter system
often isn’t
practical and
may even be
harmful if it
requires a cut to
performance.
That means
PC makers must
get creative.
Dell’s radical
XPS 13 Plus
([Link]/
3ItUIXj) has an
island-style
keyboard and The radical Asus Zenbook Fold 17.
replaces the
function row with touch-sensitive buttons. connectivity with affordable high-end storage
Numerous multi-screen laptops are available, and RAM configurations. The laptops have
including a new Lenovo ThinkBook Plus (fave. their own style as each company moves to
co/33w8UjP) that replaces the numeric pad unusual materials and bold colors.
with an eight-inch touchscreen. Lenovo’s
ThinkPad Z and Dell’s XPS 13 Plus also have 5. BATTERY LIFE
haptic touchpads, an unusual feature for a STRUGGLES TO KEEP UP
Windows laptop. Asus brought a new high- AND AMD MAKES AN
end folding laptop that targets creators (fave. UNREALISTIC CLAIM
co/3FIzeEl). Most laptop trends at CES 2022 are
Mid-range laptops are beginning to positive, and doubly so if you care about
diverge as well. Acer’s Swift X (fave. performance. If you want multi-day battery
co/3AkU77d), Lenovo’s Yoga 7i, and Dell’s life, however, I don’t think the industry is
Inspiron 7000 series are mid-range laptops heading in the right direction. In part, this
with distinct perks. Acer’s Swift X has RTX problem circles back around to the first
graphics, Lenovo’s Yoga 7i is the only 2-in-1, trend: big, fast laptops that consume a lot
and Dell’s Inspiron 7000 brings substantial of power.

20 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 AMD, Intel, and Nvidia combat this with buyers will see 24 hours of battery life (or
optimization. Intel’s 12th-gen Core processors anything close to it) in daily use.
pair less performant, lower-power E-cores with Intel, to its credit, did not participate in
quicker P-cores and aim to minimize use of the this charade at CES 2022. The press deck for
latter when they’re not needed. Nvidia stresses Intel 12th-gen Core processors does not
a similar approach in its GPUs, which can make specific battery life claims, and laptop
selectively maximize the clock of some GPU manufacturers have largely followed Intel’s
cores while leaving others unused. And AMD lead. I suspect this means the battery life of
made a vague boast about 50 new power the 12th-gen Core mobile is unimpressive,
management features that can enable up to 24 but at least it won’t lead naïve shoppers to
hours of battery life. Hold up—24 hours of expect multi-day endurance.
battery life? In real laptops? Well…no.
AMD did test an unspecified reference CES 2022 WAS A
laptop under conditions that returned the result BOON FOR LAPTOPS
AMD claims. It’s a true statement. However, you On balance, CES 2022 was unquestionably
can’t buy an AMD reference laptop, and the use positive for PC laptops despite the ongoing
case is a specific video playback test that’s not pressures of high chip prices (fave.
representative of real-world use. The claim that co/3wOPaBP) and Apple’s competitive
laptops with Ryzen 6000 APUs can hit 24 hours M1-powered MacBooks ([Link]/30CQkEV).
of battery life does not mean AMD laptop The laptops shown at CES should deliver
impressive
performance,
highly
competitive
pricing, and
unmatched
versatility.
There’s no
question that PC
laptops remain
the top choice if
you want one
computer for
Is it possible to hit 24 hours of battery life? Yes. Will you see it happen now? No. work and play.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 21

NEWS

The newest Intel CPUs give 4K

Blu-rays a 1080p downgrade
Security issues and DRM mean that 4K playback on PCs is going away for the latest
hardware. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

f you’re planning on using a newer Intel Blu-ray discs and player software. The end

I processor in your next media center PC

build, a combination of security
precautions and digital rights
management might just have you singing the
Blu-ray blues. Intel is dropping support for the
result: Those fancy movies will now play back
in a rather pedestrian 1080p resolution.
As reported in Bleeping Computer (fave.
co/3ArDfvJ), there’s no intentional malice in
this move. Intel is depreciating the SGX
software guard extension feature in 11th- and functionality that’s been present in Core
12th-gen Core processors, which breaks processors since Skylake (2015) because of a
DRM functionality for the latest 4K Ultra HD series of attacks made by security researchers,

22 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: DRAZEN ZIGIC/SHUTTERSTOCK

 (AMD’s Ryzen CPU
architecture also
does not support
4K Blu-ray
playback.)
CyberLink, maker
of the most
popular Blu-ray
playback software,
has noted the
problem (fave.
co/3tNePeY) and
doesn’t mention
Intel is dropping support for the software guard extension feature in 11th- and any work-around.
12th-gen Core processors. At the moment
there doesn’t
who found it an easy vector for getting appear to be any option for users who want
through CPU defenses. So doing without it 4K Blu-ray on newer PCs. Sticking to older
will result in appreciably increased security Intel hardware or using a dedicated Blu-ray
(and perhaps less patching work on Intel’s player are the only choices.
part) for newer
hardware. And
weighed against the
vast majority of users
who no longer have
or use an optical
disc drive, it seems
like a prudent move.
Still, this is going
to be a serious
problem for home
builders who enjoy
the dwindling media
center PC niche. AMD’s Ryzen CPU architecture also does not support 4K Blu-ray playback.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 23

Veterans,
when you’re struggling,
soon becomes
later becomes
someday becomes
...when?

Don’t wait. Reach out.

Whatever you’re going through,
you don’t have to do it alone.
Find resources at [Link]/ REACH
 NEWS

PC makers said they care about

sustainability at CES. Is that true?
Going green requires more than talk. We dig into PC sustainability efforts. BY MATT SMITH

ES sets trends in the PC market companies? I dove into a pile of CES

C for the year to come. This year,

sustainability became an area of
focus, with multiple PC makers—
and, of course, companies in other
industries—announcing sustainability goals
announcements and annual corporate
responsibility reports to find out.

WHO HAD
ANNOUNCEMENTS?
and promising to use more recycled materials Most PC makers had something to say on
in new devices. sustainability during CES 2022, but Dell
But to what end? Do PC makers have (which technically didn’t attend CES and
anything new to say on sustainability, and is hosted its own digital event) had the best
there really a difference between reveal. The Concept Luna prototype (fave.

IMAGE: PEACH SHUTTERSTOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 25

NEWS CES 2022: PC MAKERS’ SUSTAINABILIT Y CL AIMS

co/3KzwJHO) is Dell’s attempt to pair able to opt in by the end of January 2022 (in
sustainable, repairable design with the some regions, at least).
thin-and-light appeal of XPS laptops. Luna Acer impressed with its Vero National
would let users swap key components, like Geographics Edition laptop (fave.
the display or keyboard, to extend the life of a co/3rCedWO). The machine will use post-
laptop instead of swapping it out for an consumer plastics in a number of large
all-new PC. (You can see the disassembled components, from the chassis covers to the
laptop pictured below.) key caps, and pledges use of 100 percent
The downside? It’s only a concept—and, recyclable packaging. The laptop will also be
as I’ll get into later, some start-ups are already relatively easy to repair thanks to a design that
selling what Dell’s concept has promised. uses standard screws to secure the bottom
Lenovo also had a strong showing. The cover. It looks outstanding, but Acer doesn’t
new Yoga 13 ([Link]/3H1YbM8) will offer plan to sell it in North America. We’ve already
a fabric-wrapped cover made with what it reviewed the eco-friendly Acer Vero laptop
described as “up to 50 percent recycled ([Link]/3rAssvm) it’s based on, however,
plastics.” The power adapter and which was quickly followed by a fuller Vero
packaging will use recycled materials as lineup ([Link]/3GS5upJ).
well. The company is also expanding the HP continued its long-standing
CO2 offset service that it debuted for some sustainability work ([Link]/32jC5pq) by
business customers last year. Shoppers announcing new Elite Dragonfly devices (fave.
buying Lenovo Legion and Yoga PCs will be co/3H1Yuqg) that claim to be the first laptops
to incorporate
ocean-bound
plastics. “Its speaker
enclosure
component is made
with 50 percent
post-consumer
recycled plastic
including 5 percent
ocean-bound
plastics,” the press
release (fave.
Dell’s Concept Luna sustainable laptop. co/3ImCnLC)

26 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

proudly proclaims, and
the Elite Dragonfly is just
the spear of a wider
ocean-bound plastics
initiative for the company.
“Others include the HP
EliteDisplay E273d, the
world’s first display
manufactured with
ocean-bound plastics,
and the Original HP ink
cartridges made with
plastic bottles collected Acer’s Aspire Vero National Geographic Edition.
in Haiti. To date, HP has
sourced over one million pounds—or more PRODUCT IMPACT REPORTS
than 35 million plastic bottles or more than LET YOU BE THE JUDGE, BUT
450 metric tonnes—of ocean-bound plastics NOT EVERYONE PUBLISHES
from Haiti for its products.” THEM
LG and Samsung had nothing to say about The CO2 offset service Lenovo announced at
sustainability in the PC market, instead focusing CES 2022 products is one piece of an
on television and appliances. This makes sense important puzzle. However, discerning the
given that each company’s PC business is a tiny impact of a particular laptop or PC is
sliver of its pie. Still, it hints that eco-friendly impossible without help from the company
laptop shoppers should look elsewhere. that made it.
Which brings us to the eco-losers of CES Three major PC makers publish product
2022: Asus, Razer, and MSI. Each had impact footprint for all or a large majority of
nothing to reveal about improvements in their products: Dell, Lenovo, and HP. These
sustainability, repairability, or carbon reports are not standardized but tend to
footprints. This isn’t a shock given each include roughly similar information. They
company’s small size and focus on high- account for manufacturing, packaging,
performance hardware, but it’s still lifetime power consumption, and proper
disappointing. If Acer can put out a repairable disposal at the end of the PC’s useful life.
laptop partially built from recycled plastics, Product impact reports are an excellent
why not Asus or Razer? resource and well worth perusing before you

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 27

NEWS CES 2022: PC MAKERS’ SUSTAINABILIT Y CL AIMS

make a purchase. They provide clear, concise Acer, Asus, Razer, MSI, Samsung, and LG
information that’s directly relevant to the lack impact reports for nearly all PC laptops
laptop or desktop you want to buy. and desktops, though there are occasional
The differences between machines can be exceptions. I can understand why Razer or
significant. Lenovo estimates the ThinkPad X1 MSI might lack the resources to produce
Titanium has a lifetime carbon footprint of 470 these reports, but megacorporations like
kg CO2. That’s almost 50 percent more than Samsung and LG have no excuse.
Dell’s XPS 13 9380, which lists an average of
317 kg CO2. COMPANY EMISSIONS ARE
There’s an even larger gap between PC A BIG DEAL
categories. Upgrading from the Dell XPS 13 Dell, Lenovo, and HP take the lead on
9380 to the XPS 17 9710 lifts total carbon company-wide emissions as well, with
footprint from 317 kg CO2 to 509 kg CO2. A commitments to achieve net zero greenhouse
high-end desktop tower like the Dell Precision gas emissions by 2050 and 2040,
7920 blows the lid off the carbon impact, respectively, and each promising a 50
raising it to an estimated 2,496 kg CO2. percent reduction of direct emissions by 2030.
Dell, Lenovo, and HP deserve credit for The trio also publishes significant data
these reports, which take no small effort to about the total impact of each company’s
produce. Other PC makers don’t live up to operations. This is known as “scope 3”
their example. emissions and tallies the many ways a
company may indirectly put
greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere, from employee
commuting to disposal of old
and obsolete products.
LG and Razer are less
aggressive, but deserve
mention for their commitment
to reach carbon neutrality by
2030. This isn’t quite the same
thing as a pledge to reduce total
greenhouse gas emissions,
however, and each company
Dell XPS 13’s sustainability report. published limited data on total

28 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

scope 3 emissions in
their latest corporate
sustainability reports.
Acer, and Asus have
weak goals, such as a
pledge to hit 100 percent
renewable energy by 2035
(for Acer) or a 50 percent
carbon reduction in
emissions from “global
operations centers” by
2030 (for Asus). Samsung
and MSI lack specific, The ultra-repairable Framework laptop.
company-wide
commitments to carbon neutrality or National Geographic Edition shown by Acer
greenhouse gas emission reduction. at CES 2022 certainly looks more repairable
than an Acer Swift 5, but how does it
REPAIRABILITY NEEDS compare to a Lenovo ThinkPad E15?
MORE ATTENTION Absent leadership from PC makers,
When it comes to environmental friendliness, start-ups have seized the initiative.
it’s usually better to stick with the devices you Framework, a small company focusing on
own than to buy new, even if the new device is repairable laptops, released its first laptop
more efficient than the one it replaces. But in 2021 ([Link]/33F6u2f). The Framework
that’s not always an option. Modern laptops laptop is easy to disassemble with a
are notorious for complicated and compact phillips-head screwdriver and is highly
design that can force you to toss out an entire modular. Even the keyboard and
laptop because a single port stopped working. motherboard can be replaced. This was
Major PC makers don’t have a grasp on enough to earn it a score of ten (out of ten)
this problem. There’s limited standardization from iFixit. Framework is also focused on
of components, often even across laptops in making parts readily accessible, which is a
the same model line, and repairs range from key sticking point for other machines. Some
difficult to impossible. larger laptops from Dell, Lenovo, and HP
There’s no agreement on how repairability are not hard to repair, but finding the parts
should be measured, either. The Vero can be a hassle.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 29

NEWS CES 2022: PC MAKERS’ SUSTAINABILIT Y CL AIMS

System76, which focuses on laptops and estimates below the competition’s. Apple’s
other PCs that ship with Linux, also deserves new MacBook Pro 16, for example, has an
mention. The company doesn’t focus on estimated lifetime impact of 349 kg CO2.
repairability in its marketing, but users report That’s barely more than Dell’s smaller, less
good luck repairing its machines, most of performant XPS 13.
which have a straightforward design and use Repairability is a weakness for Apple, with
phillips-head screws. its products consistently scoring far below a
Despite this, each company’s impact is typical PC laptop in iFixit’s repairability
blunted by the company’s size and niche reports. Only Microsoft’s Surface line has a
appeal. Framework is not a household name similarly lackluster track record.
even among PC enthusiasts and System76’s However, Apple is making a move in the
commitment to Linux guarantees it won’t right direction with Self Service Repair (fave.
reach shoppers browsing for a laptop on co/3Kq80pz), an initiative that will make parts
Amazon. Innovation in repairability needs to and repair manuals available to consumers.
happen at scale. This service will roll out through 2022, so it
I hope Dell’s Project Luna concept is a sign remains to be seen how well Apple will
the company is ready to take this aspect of execute the plan.
sustainability seriously. It has the reach and
marketing know-how to make repairability ON SUSTAINABILITY, SOME
important. If Dell moves forward, others may LEAD AND SOME FOLLOW
follow suit. Does sustainability differ between PC makers?
I believe it does.
WHAT ABOUT APPLE? Dell, Lenovo, and HP are the leaders. Each
I’ve focused this discussion on the PC market company publishes corporate sustainability
(this is PCWorld, after all). Still, it’d be silly not reports with metrics, makes concrete pledges
to bring up the 1,000-pound gorilla from with clear data, and publishes product impact
Cupertino. Apple is, broadly speaking, a reports that help you gauge the relative
company PC makers should aspire to carbon footprint of a PC you want to buy.
emulate. It plans to take its entire supply chain This makes your choice clear. If
carbon-neutral by 2030. It’s also aggressive in sustainability is high on your list of priorities,
the use of sustainable, recycled materials and you should buy from Dell, Lenovo, or HP.
smart packaging in its products. Start-ups like Framework ([Link]/33Xt3Pf)
This shows in product impact reports, and System76 ([Link]/3AmUZsk) are also
where Apple quotes carbon emission worth a look.

30 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Samsung’s first PCIe 5.0 SSD is here
and it’s stupidly fast
Does this data center SSD portend PCIe 5.0 SSDs for consumers? BY GORDON UNG

amsung’s new PM1743 might be looks like the PM1743 soaks up the speeds.

S aimed at servers, but as the first

PCIe 5.0 SSD to arrive, it should
still titillate storage nerds about
what’s likely to come for consumers.
The PM1743 essentially offers double the
Samsung officials said the drive is capable of
hitting 13,000MBps read speeds and random
read speeds of 2,500K IOPS.
That adds up to a smooth 1.9x to 1.7x
performance boost over Samsung’s stunning
potential bandwidth over drives based on PCIe 4.0 drives ([Link]/3pl4AfJ). Write
PCIe 4.0. Doubling of the interface doesn’t speeds are rated at 6,600MBps, with
mean much if the drive can’t use it, but it random write speeds of 250K IOPS, which is

IMAGE: SAMSUNG FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 31

NEWS SAMSUNG’S FIRST PCIE 5.0 SSD

The PM1743 essentially offers double the potential bandwidth over drives based on PCIe 4.0.

also nearly a doubling over the previous 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs ([Link]/3FgvPfZ),
Samsung drives. you can guess that consumer-focused PCIe
Samsung said the drive will be offered in 5.0 SSDs with tantalizing double-digit read
capacities from 1.92TB to 15.36TB in the speeds are in the works too. Here’s hoping
traditional 2.5-inch form factor or the newer we start seeing PCIe 5.0 drives show up on
3-inch EDSFF “ruler” form factor (fave. our roundup of the best SSDs (fave.
co/3IsU1h0). The company expects to go co/2Z26gQg) sooner than later.
into mass production
of the drive in first
quarter of 2022.
So what does the
arrival of Samsung’s
first PCIe 5.0 SSD
mean for consumers?
It’s always a chicken-
or-egg scenario with
new standards, but
now that the first PCIe
5.0 desktops are
finally here with Intel’s The first PCIe 5.0 desktops are here with Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs.

32 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

5 monitor trends from CES 2022
you can’t ignore
Displays are getting faster, brighter, bigger…and squarer? BY MATT SMITH

ES 2022 is an important show Here’s a rundown of the most important

C for PC monitors. The presence

of display giants like LG and
Samsung sets the tone for the
coming year, while smaller monitor makers
tease announcements for upcoming
monitor trends from CES 2022. For even more
CES coverage, check out our roundup of five
laptop trends you can’t ignore (see page 16).

1. NVIDIA WANTS TO MAKE

flagship releases. GAMING MONITORS
Many monitors shown at CES 2022 won’t BIGGER AND FASTER
arrive until the latter half of the year, and Nvidia came to CES 2022 touting the benefits
pricing remains in short supply. Still, the show of 27-inch, 1440p monitors with a 360Hz
can help you decide between upgrading a refresh rate ([Link]/3rG76MO) as an
monitor now or waiting for the next holiday alternative to traditional 25-inch, 1080p
shopping season. e-sports monitors.

IMAGE: ASUS FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 33

NEWS CES 2022: 5 MONITOR TRENDS

1440p at 360Hz is new, but 27-inch 3DOEuWk), so the company’s claims deserve
monitors are extremely common. In e-sports, to be treated with skepticism.
however, 25-inch monitors remain the Still, I see the potential. Rallying
standard. Professional players often have an professional and casual players around the
almost superstitious attachment to not only a 27-inch 360Hz standard at 1440p could lead
particular monitor size, but a particular brand to a class of mainstream gaming monitors that
and panel technology. handle all genres and play styles with little or
Nvidia’s argument for the upgrade? A no compromise.
27-inch 1440p monitor provides a larger, That’s only if e-sports players go for it,
sharper view of the game. The company of course—and converting them could be
claims this can increase accuracy in shooters a challenge.
by up to 3 percent. That’s not a lot, but any
tangible edge is important to professional 2. MINI-LED GETS A LITTLE
players fighting for a championship title. MORE AFFORDABLE
I must mention Nvidia has skin in this I’m bullish on Mini-LED monitors (fave.
game. Pushing monitors to higher resolutions co/3rDPT6T). The lack of burn-in and the
and refresh rates is good for Nvidia’s bottom potential for excellent HDR performance
line, as powering those experiences demands makes them a superb choice for both office
more potent graphics cards ([Link]/ settings and hardcore gaming. I don’t own

1.

34 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

one, however.
Why? Well,
they’re really
expensive.
That’s not
going to
change in a
year, but CES
2022 provides
hope. First up is
the Acer
Predator X32
and X32 FP, a
pair of 32-inch
monitors with
576 Mini-LED
zones (the X32 2.
supports
G-Sync Ultimate but not HDMI 2.1, while the Samsung hasn’t clarified the Mini-LED
X32 FP supports HDMI 2.1 and FreeSync). dimming zone count or the price. However,
They pack 4K resolution and a refresh rate up Samsung’s 49-inch Mini-LED super-ultrawide,
to 165Hz. the Odyssey Neo G9, retails for $2,499 (fave.
The Predator X32 will retail for $1,999 and co/3FOeDP0). I’d expect Neo G8 to retail for
the X32 FP will go for $1,799, with both less than that.
expected to arrive in Q3 2022. That’s not Mini-LED is headed in the right direction,
cheap, but it’s a lot less than 2021 Mini-LED and certainly remains competitive with OLED
monitors like the Asus ROG Strix PG32UQX, monitors. Perhaps we’ll see it hit sub-$2,000
which was released at an MSRP of $2,999 (it price points at next year’s CES.
currently retails for $2,549 on Amazon [fave.
co/3Az43KN]). 3. 42-INCH OLEDS OFFER A
Samsung is entering the 32-inch Mini-LED NEW OPTION
arena with the Odyssey Neo G8 (fave. PC enthusiasts are mad with envy for the
co/3FQSdwe). It will serve 4K at up to 240Hz excellent Sony and LG OLED televisions
and boasts Quantum Dot technology. console gamers can enjoy for less than

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 35

NEWS CES 2022: 5 MONITOR TRENDS

it an especially
tempting option.
Pricing has not
been announced
for either 42-inch
OLED. LG’s
48-inch C1 OLED
([Link]/3KwtH7l)
carries an MSRP of
$1,299, so the
42-inch model will
likely be less
3. expensive. Don’t
expect a big discount, though. The
$1,500. Some even try to use televisions as 48-inch C1 OLED is only $200 less than the
monitors ([Link]/3512HfQ). This often 55-inch model.
doesn’t work well, as even 48-inch TVs are
too big to use at a desk. Sitting so close can 4. QD-OLED MAKES ITS
cause eye and neck strain and makes 4K DEBUT
resolution look less impressive. OLED is great, but it’s not perfect. The
CES 2022 brings a new solution: technology has issues with sustained
42-inch OLED displays. You can choose brightness, can consume significant power
from two flavors. Those who want an on large displays, and is haunted by the
affordable, general-purpose option can opt spectre of burn-in. QD-OLED, short for OLED
for LG’s new 42-inch C2 OLED. If you prefer displays with Quantum Dot technology, is the
a straight-up monitor, however, you might latest effort to dismantle these shortcomings.
consider Asus’ ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ The technical details are complex, but
([Link]/3H2csbG). much of it boils down to efficiency. QD-OLED
A 42-inch screen is still too large for use can produce a wide range of colors more
on a typical desk, but it’s viable if you’re efficiently than prior OLED panels which, in
willing to rearrange your setup or wall-mount the case of a display, means a higher
the OLED as a secondary display for games percentage of the light from the OLED panel
and video. PC gamers who stick to cross- reaches the viewer. That translates to
platform titles with gamepad support will find improved brightness and can even help with

36 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

burn-in. QD-OLED improves color gamut and expect QD-OLED monitors to appear before
accuracy, too. them. Pricing? It’s likely to be astronomical.
However, the point most important for PC Still, a 34-inch ultrawide OLED would be a
owners is extremely simple: QD-OLED dream display for many PC setups.
monitors actually exist! And they might come
out this year! 5. THINGS GET…UNIQUE
Dell has announced the Alienware CES is an opportunity to get weird, and 2022
AW3423DW ([Link]/3KvKHKO), a 34-inch was no exception. Samsung and LG came to
ultrawide OLED monitor with 3,440x1,440 the show with strange displays that offer a
resolution and a 175Hz refresh rate. It’s also new take on how monitors could—or
VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certified. Samsung should—be used.
has a nearly identical QD-OLED ultrawide Samsung’s Odyssey Ark is a 55-inch
called the Odyssey G8QNB. curved monitor on a massive stand that can
Unfortunately, details about price and rotate the display between landscape and
release date aren’t available. Televisions portrait orientation. The company imagines
shown at CES typically arrive in late spring or PC users playing games in landscape mode
in summer of the same year, and I wouldn’t and then switching to portrait orientation for
massively
vertical
productivity.
Let’s get
real. A
55-inch
curved
display in
portrait
mode is
useful only
for early
onset arthritis
of the neck,
and the
landscape
4. orientation is

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 37

NEWS CES 2022: 5 MONITOR TRENDS

too big for gaming at a desk. Despite this, meanwhile, think built-in webcams are a good
Samsung plans to bring it to market. That idea ([Link]/3GOWUs0). I doubt either idea
wouldn’t be a shock, as Samsung went to will catch on, but it’s fun to see monitor
stores with the nutty rotating Sero television makers experiment with out-of-box ideas.
it debuted at CES 2020 ([Link]/3nLUgvx).
LG brought a more modest take on the BOTTOM LINE
vertical monitors with its funky DualUp CES 2022 was a good year for monitors,
28MQ780 ([Link]/3AkOfek). The DualUp is though not everything PC enthusiasts had
a 28-inch monitor with a 16:18 aspect ratio. hoped for. OLED and Mini-LED technology
That’s nearly square. LG says it’s similar to displays remain out of reach for many. The
stacking two 21-inch monitors on top of each monitors shown at CES 2022 show prices are
other. The focus on vertical use remains odd, starting to come down but, as I’ve explained
but its reasonable size is less likely to turn your before ([Link]/3qN7BWg), it’ll likely be
neck into a pretzel. years before they’re truly affordable.
These monitors, though silly, are a Still, monitors are moving in the right
response to the move toward remote work. direction. Given the lack of progress over the
Samsung and LG seem to think vertical past five years, PC enthusiasts will have to take
monitors will be attractive. Dell and Lenovo, what they can get.

5.

38 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 WHEN IT COMES TO
MAKING PLANS
YOU’RE THE BEST
MAKE A PLAN
TO PROTECT YOU AND
YOUR LOVED ONES FROM
A NATURAL DISASTER

Sign up
for local weather and
emergency alerts

Prepare
an emergency kit

Make
a family
communications plan

Get started at [Link]/plan

It’s Up

to Us
#MaskUpAmerica
Help keep America open for business.

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 TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS
Reviews & Ratings WE PUT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING

AMD’s $199 Radeon RX 6500 XT

tested: 5 things you need to know
Performance, memory intricacies, feature sets, and more. BY BRAD CHACOS

MD’s $199 Radeon RX 6500 XT is usual. Head over to our comprehensive

A here, bringing both real-time ray

tracing and affordable graphics
cards back to the masses—if it
can stay well-stocked enough to remain on
store shelves for close to its suggested pricing,
Radeon RX 6500 XT review ([Link]/32rh0JT)
for the complete rundown, but for folks who
don’t feel like wading through thousands of
words and dozens of charts worth of analysis,
here are five key facts you need to know
that is. This ain’t your average graphics card, about the Radeon RX 6500 XT.
though. AMD needed to tweak and tune the
Radeon RX 6500 XT to (hopefully) keep 1. THIS IS A GREAT
cryptocurrency miners at bay and hit the GRAPHICS CARD FOR
coveted, crucial sub-$200 price point. BEGINNING PC GAMERS…
Putting this GPU through its paces took PC gaming picked up serious steam over the
quite a bit more effort and explaining than pandemic, but newcomers haven’t had a shot

IMAGE: AMD FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 41

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6500 X T

at investing in affordable new gear, with most memory over a minute 64-bit bus unheard of
graphics cards going for double MSRP or in modern gaming GPUs, though those
more thanks to a mixture of a chip crunch, memory chips are clocked at a blazing-fast
logistics woes, booming demand from 18Gbps and come augmented by AMD’s
cryptocurrency miners seeking profits, and radical Infinity Cache technology (fave.
more ([Link]/3pkV3oL). We’ve resorted to co/3G8rn3b). It also, somewhat shockingly,
suggesting a CPU with good integrated only supports four PCIe lanes rather than the
graphics as the best budget “graphics card” usual 16.
for gaming ([Link]/3DOEuWk). Ugh. Those decisions mean that while the
That all changes with the Radeon RX Radeon RX 6500 XT excels at what it’s
6500 XT. Not only is this card affordable at designed for—e-sports and triple-A gaming at
$199, it will absolutely chew through Mid to High settings and 1080p resolution—if
competitive e-sports titles at high frame you crank the eye candy to Ultra or jack up the
rates, and will play modern triple-A games at resolution to 1440p, you could run into
a fast pace using Medium to High settings at performance issues (like slow frame rates or
1080p resolution. It also supports modern lag spikes). Start at 1080p Medium graphics
features like ray tracing, AMD’s Smart Access presets in your favorite games and nudge
Memory, FidelityFX Super Resolution, knobs up from there if you’re able to do so.
Radeon Anti-Lag, and Radeon Boost, and all
but ray tracing can help make this graphics 3. IT’S BUILT TO EVADE
card run even faster. Groovy. CRYPTO MINERS
If you already have a graphics card like the While many of AMD’s design choices were no
GeForce GTX 1650 Super or Radeon RX 580, doubt made to hit the Radeon RX 6500 XT’s
though, the Radeon RX 6500 XT doesn’t juicy $199 suggested pricing, it’s a bit more
provide enough of a performance uplift to be complicated than that when it comes to the
a compelling upgrade (unless you want memory system. If the GPU world wasn’t so
access to those features). crazy right now, releasing a 1080p graphics
card with just 4GB of RAM and a 64-bit bus in
2. …IF YOU STICK TO WHAT 2022 would get AMD laughed out of town.
IT’S GOOD AT But in today’s wild graphics card market,
Crafting a sub-$200 graphics card in these those limited specifications are almost
trying times required AMD to turn to some genuine features, as the memory
unorthodox design decisions. The Radeon RX configuration will make the Radeon RX 6500
6500 XT packs a scant 4GB of GDDR6 XT unappealing for mining Ethereum, the

42 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 influence over, to
optimize that card
to be as accessible
as possible to the
use of gamers.”
We’ll see if that
translates into
actual widespread
availability at its
$199 suggested
price, but the
Radeon RX 6500
AMD also announced a Radeon RX 6400 graphics card exclusive to prebuilt XT has a better
systems, with slower clock speeds and a much lower power draw. shot than most
modern graphics
popular cryptocurrency fueling a lot of the cards at actually being obtainable—including
sky-high graphics card demand. Ethereum Nvidia’s imminent $250 GeForce RTX 3050
thrives on memory bandwidth, and mining it ([Link]/3IqtAsg). Fingers crossed. For more
requires your graphics card to have more than info, check out our explainer on why less
4GB of memory. memory could mean more in AMD and
“There’s a lot of dynamics that are Nvidia’s budget GPU battle (fave.
involved in the availability of the GPUs we co/3GVju27).
have,” Radeon vice president Laura Smith said
to PCWorld as part of a small roundtable with 4. DON’T WORRY ABOUT
journalists during CES. “We have really USING THE RADEON RX
optimized this one to be gaming first.…You 6500 XT IN AN OLDER PC
can see that with the way we’ve configured After its reveal, gamers worried that the
the part. Even with the four gigs of frame Radeon RX 6500 XT’s four limited PCIe lanes
buffer, that’s a really nice frame buffer size for would translate to terrible performance on
the majority of triple-A games, but it’s not any gaming PC more than a few years old.
particularly attractive if you’re doing That’s because those lanes work best on
blockchain-type or mining activities. We’ve modern computers featuring the much-faster
tried to make some gamer-first transitions for PCIe 4.0 interface. Older PCs have PCIe 3.0,
the things we don’t control, but we have and people feared that detail, mixed with the

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 43

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6500 X T

minimal number of available lanes, would 1650, regardless of which version of PCIe is
choke off frame rates. being used.
Spoiler: It does, but not to a degree That said, you need to keep the Radeon
worth worrying about in most games, thanks RX 6500 XT’s intended usage in mind. Stick to
to the helping hand provided by AMD’s fast those Medium to High graphics settings at
GDDR6 chips and 16MB of on-chip Infinity 1080p and only nudge things up as you can.
Cache. Across our 11-game test suite, we If you try to play on Ultra settings in intense
saw two major outliers—Rainbow Six Siege games or at 1440p resolution, you’re likely to
performed identically on both PCIe 3 and 4, exceed the 4GB frame buffer on this card,
while Total War: Troy suffered a major 18.4 and if that happens over PCIe 3.0, lag spikes
percent loss on PCIe 3.0—but otherwise and performance slowdowns could get real
games were only an average of 6.4 percent nasty, real fast.
slower in PCIe 3.0 mode. That’s noteworthy
but doesn’t significantly alter the value 5. OTHER MISSING
proposition of the graphics card. It’s still FEATURES
usually in the same performance ballpark as AMD also stripped out some other features in
GPUs like the Radeon RX 580 and 5500 XT, its quest to hit the $199 price point, albeit
or Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 6GB and GTX ones the company claims most people don’t
use in this pricing bracket. The Radeon RX
6500 XT lacks AV1 decoding as well as H.264
Shadow of the Tomb and H.265/HEVC encoding capabilities.
Raider, 1080p medium (There is H.264 and H.265 decoding,
Frames per second
though.) AMD also only slapped singular
Asus ROG Strix GeForce
GTX 1650 (Super 4GB) 86 HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort connections on this
Sapphire Pulse Radeon
RX 5500 XT (4GB) 79 GPU. The combination means the Radeon RX
Nvidia GeForce
GTX 1060 (6GB) 68 6500 XT won’t be a great choice for home
Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 580 (8GB) 78 theater PCs, and people looking to stream
XFX Radeon RX 6500
XT Quick 210 (PCIe 3.0) 84 their gaming adventures will probably want to
XFX Radeon RX 6500
XT Quick 210 90 look elsewhere as well.
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
That’s it for our roundup of must-know
facts. For much, much more info, be sure to
Using the Radeon RX 6500 XT in PCIe 3.0 mode check out our full comprehensive Radeon RX
doesn’t devastate performance as some gamers
feared, if you’re using reasonable graphics 6500 XT review ([Link]/32rh0JT).
settings for this GPU.

44 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Kindle Paperwhite (2021) :
Luxurious updates raise the bar—
and the price
Nighttime reading is much easier on the eyes now. BY ALAINA YEE

he last time Amazon updated the revolutionary. Outside of the larger 6.8-inch

T Kindle Paperwhite, the changes

were dramatic. Our review of the
fourth-generation model (fave.
co/3fQn29M) called them a “raft of
innovations,” with waterproofing and twice
screen, they’re refinements—ones that make
the digital reading experience more
comfortable…and expensive.

SPECS, FEATURES, PRICE

the amount of storage among the more Storage: 8GB standard version or 32GB
standout upgrades. Signature Edition
The enhancements in the new fifth- Display: 6.8-inch, 300ppi,16-level
generation Kindle Paperwhite are less grayscale

IMAGE: AMAZON FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 45

REVIEWS AMA ZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE (2021)

Front light: 17 LEDs with adjustable Those in need of additional storage will have
color temperature (white/amber) to pay $30 on top of that for the Signature
Dimensions: 6.9x4.9x0.32 inches Edition. No cellular model exists this time
(175.2x124.6x8.1 mm) around; if you want to download books, you
Weight: 7.23 ounces (205g) for 8GB need a Wi-Fi connection.
version; 7.34 ounces (208g) for 32GB For our review, we received the ad-free
Signature Edition Signature Edition, which has 32GB of storage
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), and two features not found in the standard
Bluetooth version: automatic adjustment of screen
Battery life: Up to 10 weeks on a single brightness based on ambient lighting and
charge support for wireless charging. To take
Charging: Via USB-C port (both advantage of wireless charging, you’ll have to
versions), or optional 10W Qi-certified buy your own Qi-certified pad for about $10
wireless pad (Signature Edition) to $15.
Special offers: Ad-free versions are $20
extra; same cost to remove ads later on DESIGN
Price: $140 (ad-supported), $190 The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite is made for easy
(ad-supported Signature Edition) reading. Like recent predecessors, it renders
Skim over the 2021 Paperwhite’s specs text at a crisp 300 ppi, the same resolution
and you’ll see plenty to distinguish it both as a used as the industry standard for printed
respectable update on the 2018 model (fave. books—while raising the game by presenting
co/3Iy8SXe), as well as a deluxe upgrade pages on a larger, 6.8-inch display. The
from Amazon’s entry-level Kindle (last bigger screen fits several more lines per page
updated in 2019). This mid-tier e-reader and more words per line, resulting in fewer
continues to incorporate features once page turns (and fewer interruptions in a
reserved for higher-end Kindles, like auto book’s best parts). You’ll fly through chapters,
adjustment of screen brightness, while especially if one of the nine provided fonts
adding fresh improvements such as a larger perfectly matches your preferences.
screen and front-light LEDs capable of both Leafing through graphic novels,
cool and warm color tones. magazines, and PDF documents is fast, too.
Amazon doesn’t provide extras without Page turns and pinch-and-zoom inputs feel as
asking for more money, however. The price of quick as when interacting with text-only
this mid-tier Kindle has risen—the base model e-books, making for a surprisingly good
with 8GB storage now starts at $10 more. reading experience despite the

46 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 white during the day
to mimic sunlight,
and then choose a
softer amber tone for
nighttime. Before
you write this off as
trivial, or pandering
to concerns about
digital screens
before bedtime,
know that the
warmer front lights
do feel more
comfortable to look
We reviewed the ad-free version of the Signature Edition. Ad-supported at night, particularly
devices will show ads on the lockscreen or in a banner on the Home screen. when in a pitch-dark
room. I didn’t expect
black-and-white pages and a lower resolution to love the screen warmth adjustment as
than tablets with LCD displays. much as I do. Like screen brightness, you get
Further enhancing the reading experience a scale of 0 (white) to 24 (amber) to work with,
is an increase to 17 front-light LEDs, up from and if you use the scheduling feature for
four in the 2018 Paperwhite. It makes for a handling color transitions, you’ll never have to
bright, evenly lit display that can hold up to stop to fuss with the screen at any time of the
bright outdoor situations and blackout day. You can even tie the LED’s color shift to
conditions alike. On the Signature Edition, official sunrise and sunset, or a fixed transition
moving between those two lighting extremes that happens at set times.
is a cinch if you flip on auto-brightness Happily, these improvements don’t affect
adjustment. Otherwise, you can manually battery life negatively. In fact, the new
choose a setting between 0 (the dimmest) Paperwhite has a higher rating of up to 10
and 24 (the brightest). weeks, or four more weeks than the previous
The LEDs now support cool and warm generation. Amazon bases its estimate on 30
color temperatures as well, finally matching a minutes of reading per day, with Wi-Fi off and
feature found for years in Kobo’s rival screen brightness set to 13. You can easily get
e-readers. You can keep the lights as a stark this much time off a single charge, if not more.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 47

REVIEWS AMA ZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE (2021)

With screen brightness and color temperature Small increases in weight and size do
set to 13, and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accompany the bigger screen and longer
turned off, the battery depleted at about 1 battery life. The 5th-generation Kindle
percent per hour—or a rate that more than Paperwhite is close to a full ounce (23g)
doubled Amazon’s 10-week estimate. heavier than its predecessor, and about a
Of course, how long the battery lasts quarter of an inch (75mm) wider and taller. It’s
depends on your personal habits. Screen still comfortable to hold in one hand, but has
brightness, frequency of page refreshes, a tangibly denser heft.
and whether you put your Kindle to sleep More awkward is the power button
between uses will affect the duration. For positioning at the bottom edge of the screen,
mixed usage that includes audiobook placed next to the USB-C charging port. I
playback via a Bluetooth audio device, your often fumbled to get at it if the Paperwhite
battery life will drop to days rather than was on a tablet stand, and attempting to press
lasting weeks. Getting back to a full charge it one-handed generally resulted in comedic
doesn’t take long, though. It’s fastest over a juggling. (Adding a cable to the mix while the
wired connection (three hours max), but device is charging just ramps up the
wireless charging is only marginally slower. fumbling.) Pressing up to activate a button
You can keep using the Paperwhite while requires two hands for stability, unlike
it’s charging. pressing down or to the side. A top-mounted
button (or one on the face of the
device) would improve one-
handed usability.
You can partially sidestep this
issue by purchasing a cover for the
Paperwhite. Opening or closing a
magnetic cover automatically
wakes the device or puts it to
sleep. Official options include $30
fabric, $50 cork, and $60 leather
options, but if previous Kindle
generations are any indication,
compatible third-party alternatives
The Paperwhite’s Signature Edition supports auto will eventually arrive and expand
brightness adjustment. your choices. A cover also helps

48 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 upgrade from an older, slower e-reader
will appreciate this zippiness, and
those coming from a model with
physical buttons shouldn’t find the
transition too hard to make.
Menus and view options are easy to
figure out, with just the right amount of
customization options within e-books.
They’re simple enough to get through
quickly, yet not so limited that you’re
Amazon has finally moved on from micro-USB charging forced to make do. The Home screen
ports for the Kindle. does feel a bit bare-bones, but
between search and the ability to
prevent damage from accidental falls…like create Collections (lists of books,
when you’ve tried to get at the power button audiobooks, and other content you’ve
and instead sent the device to the floor. manually grouped together), finding what
A cover isn’t necessary for protecting this you want to open isn’t difficult.
Kindle from water damage, however. The General navigation within books is
5th-generation Paperwhite carries on the missing one ability though, and in my
previous version’s IPX8 rating, so it can be opinion, it’s a notable one: When using the
submerged in up to 2 meters of fresh water Paperwhite solely with your right hand, you
for 60 minutes without harm. It lasts
only 3 minutes against 25cm of salt
water, though.

USER EXPERIENCE
Like other Kindles, the 2021
Paperwhite relies on a touch-based
interface for navigation. To access
menus and navigate through books,
you swipe and tap. Doing so feels as
smooth as on a smartphone, even
with the difference in how e-ink Customizing the look of books is straightforward, with a
displays refresh. Anyone looking to decent array of options.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 49

REVIEWS AMA ZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE (2021)

As you can see progress, bookmarks, and more. You can also
from the Kindle
easily load content from your PC via USB cable
Paperwhite’s
online manual, or by emailing it to your device’s email address.
only one set of Keeping young, inquisitive minds away from
taps exists for
going to previous gory mysteries or other mature content is easy
pages. For most thanks to straightforward passcode setup.
people, that
means you can
only do so with BOTTOM LINE
your left hand. The higher starting price of the 2021 Kindle
Paperwhite may give some people pause, but
it does deliver a luxurious reading experience
can’t use screen taps to go back to previous commensurate with its cost. In fact, the
pages in a book—that’s only possible when bigger screen, improved front light, and
holding it in your left hand. You can only higher resolution tip the scales when deciding
swipe for one-handed navigation with your between it and Amazon’s basic Kindle (fave.
right. This limitation seems like an oversight, co/3tYgr5x). Catch it during one of Amazon’s
since not everyone has the level of wrist semi-frequent sales and it becomes an easy
strength and/or stability needed to manage choice over the alternatives.
swiping. I struggled with right-hand-only
navigation, since the Paperwhite is larger and Amazon Kindle
distributes its weight more widely than a Paperwhite (2021)
smartphone. Amazon’s accessibility options
don’t make up for this lack, either. Settings PROS
• Larger screen (6.8-inch).
that allow more zones for taps or custom • Long battery life (up to 10 weeks+).
zones would be a very useful addition. Some • USB-C charging port.

people can’t always make use of both hands. CONS

• Higher price.
(When asked about this, Amazon did not • Noticeably heavier than previous model.
respond to our inquiries.) BOTTOM LINE
The higher starting price of the 2021 Kindle
As for getting content onto a Kindle Paperwhite is commensurate with its luxurious,
Paperwhite, the process is straightforward. Just comfortable reading experience. A bigger screen, a
higher resolution, and an improved front light make
turn on Wi-Fi, and you can transfer the e-books it an extremely appealing e-reader in its own right,
and it’s even harder to say no to it during one of
and audiobooks available in your Amazon Amazon’s semi-frequent sales.
account over the company’s Whispersync $140
system, which keeps track of your reading

50 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon:
Gen 9 goes to 16:10
This Lenovo laptop is a phenomenal option for business professionals. BY MATT ELLIOTT

Nearly ten years old, the Lenovo Lenovo also tweaked the display hinge,
ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 has expanded the touchpad, improved the
grown taller. Lenovo’s flagship positioning of the laptop’s speakers, and
ThinkPad is still the same sleek, integrated the fingerprint reader into the
sturdy corporate ultrabook you may recall, but power button. Inside, the laptop received
the manufacturer has ditched the 16:9 display the expected Intel update to the chipmaker’s
ratio in favor of a 16:10 display that provides 11th-gen Tiger Lake chips. With its roomier
more room from top to bottom. The taller display and other improvements, the
display gives you more room to work and ThinkPad X1 Carbon remains a top choice for
requires you to scroll less through lengthy business execs, even if its webcam is behind
documents and long web pages. the times.

IMAGE: LENOVO FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 51

REVIEWS LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON

SPECIFICATIONS two Intel Core i5 Tiger Lake chips, and two

Nailing down the pricing for Lenovo’s laptops Core i7 Tiger Lake chips—with and without
is a challenge because the company lists Intel’s vPro. Our review unit is packing the
inflated prices on its website that are usually standard 16GB memory allotment, but you
then discounted by substantial and fluctuating can double it to 32GB of RAM. There are
amounts. The baseline X1 Carbon Gen 9, for three solid-state drives available: 256GB,
example, features a list price of $2,459 but is 512GB, and 1TB. We received the 512GB
currently discounted to $999.99. It has an middle child. We also got the baseline,
11th-gen Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a non-touch, Full HD display, but there are two
256GB SSD. The manufacturer also lists a touchscreen options—one with Lenovo’s
handful of preconfigured ThinkPad X1 Carbon Privacy Guard technology and one without—
Gen 9 models, but our test configuration is and a non-touch 4K option. Both 4G LTE and
not among them. Using the customizable 5G mobile broadband are upgrade options;
model on Lenovo’s site, we outfitted our test neither was included on our test system. You
system for $1,799.60. Here are its specs: can configure the X1 Carbon Gen 9 with
CPU: Quad-core Intel Core i7-1185G7 Windows 11, but our test system was running
Memory: 16GB Windows 10 Pro.
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe
Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD DISPLAY GETS TALLER
Display: 14-inch, 1920×1200 IPS touch The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 does not
Webcam: 720p with physical camera stray from the standard ThinkPad script. The
shutter matte-black chassis will look familiar to
Connectivity: Right side: 2 x anyone who’s been in an office with Lenovo’s
Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0; business machines. Made from aluminum,
left side: USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, combo audio jack carbon fiber, and magnesium, the chassis
Networking: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 feels rock solid with little to no flex. Lenovo
Biometrics: Fingerprint reader coats the surfaces with a rubberized paint
Battery capacity: 57 watt-hours that provides a smooth yet grippy feel but
Dimensions: 12.38x8.72x0.59 inches also makes the laptop a magnet for
Measured weight: 2.54 pounds (laptop), fingerprints and smudges.
0.65 pounds (AC adapter) The ThinkPad X1 Carbon has toughness
OS: Windows 10 Pro baked in to help it hold up in the field. It has
Our test system features the top-end passed a series of MIL-SPEC tests against
CPU offered. There are four CPU options, environmental hazards and extremes. But it’s

52 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 to an enormous difference
when working. A 16:9 display
makes sense for an
entertainment-minded laptop
because the wide display is a
good match for watching
movies, but it feels cramped
when you are multitasking and
juggling a handful of windows.
The taller 16:10 display also
means you need to scroll less
through long documents,
spreadsheets, and web pages.
For getting work done, a 16:10
not a bulky tank of a system. Just the opposite. display is the way to go.
It weighs a svelte 2.54 pounds. That’s a hair The 14-inch display features a 1920×1280
more than the 2.4-pound X1 Carbon Gen 8 resolution and boasts a crisp image. The
version, but the added ounce or so of panel is rated for 400 nits of brightness and
carrying weight is certainly worth it for the my measurements confirmed this figure. The
roomier 14-inch 16:10 display. Plus, its 2.5- brightness is offset some by an overly blue
pound weight is light among premium cast that cools its overall impact. I much
ultrabooks. For example, the
14-inch HP Envy 14 weighs 3.3
pounds and the 13.3-inch HP
DragonFly Max is smaller but is
slightly heavier at 2.59 pounds.
The biggest change from
the X1 Carbon Gen 8 to Gen 9
is a move from a 14-inch
display with a wide 16:9
aspect ratio to a 14-inch
display with a taller 16:10
aspect ratio. It may seem like a
trivial change, but it amounts

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REVIEWS LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON

The laptop features two

upward-firing speakers
on either side of the
keyboard and two
woofers on the bottom
panel. They produce
some of the best laptop
audio I’ve heard, with
loud, dynamic sound
and some bass
response. You may not
prefer the warmer screens of the HP Elite need such sound during the workday, but the
Dragonfly Max and HP Pavilion Aero I looked X1 Carbon Gen 9 will be of great utility after
at earlier this year. The X1 Carbon’s contrast work for watching Netflix or even listening to
was excellent, with bright white and deep music—gasp!—without headphones. I can’t
blacks, but its colors tended toward the blue remember the last time I could say that about
end of the spectrum. a laptop I’ve tested.
There’s also a new display hinge. It’s one As impressive as the speakers are, the
long bar that runs nearly the width of the webcam is decidedly mediocre. At a time
laptop. The hinge
provides smooth action
while keeping a firm
hold on the display’s
position. The new
design also allows for
venting on the back
edge of the laptop,
which helps with
cooling efficiency.
The display may not
be geared toward
entertainment pursuits,
but the speakers can
handle fun and games.

54 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

when 1080p cameras
are becoming more
common, it’s
disappointing to see
Lenovo stick with a
standard 720 cam on
its flagship laptop. If
Zoom meetings are a
big part of your
workday, then a
1080p camera can
make you much
clearer to colleagues
and clients. The X1
Carbon’s 720p cam
produces a well-
balanced image with accurate colors, but it’s SAME GREAT THINKPAD
grainy. A 1080p upgrade ought to be on the KEYBOARD
wish list for the X1 Carbon Gen 10 if not The main constant across all ThinkPads is the
already at least an upgrade option for the excellent keyboard, and such excellence
Gen 9. Even a 1440p webcam isn’t too shows up here. The keys feel snappy, are
much to ask for—that’s what you get with quiet when mashed, and offer just the right
HP’s Elite Dragonfly Max. The X1 Carbon’s amount of travel. There are no annoyingly
only camera upgrade is a 720p camera with shortened keys to interrupt your typing flow,
IR, which allows you to use facial recognition but as with all ThinkPads, the Function and
for logins. In the plus column for the X1 Control keys are flip-flopped, which may take
Carbon’s webcam is the presence of a getting used to. Two-level backlighting is on
physical privacy cover. board, as is the red pointing stick in the
The X1 Carbon Gen 9 is not without middle of the keyboard.
biometrics. A fingerprint reader comes The pointing stick survives and makes it
standard. It was previously located next to the to another generation of ThinkPad, probably
touchpad and has been relocated on the Gen because there would be riots in the streets
9 and integrated into the power button by the ThinkPad faithful if Lenovo ditched
above the keyboard. this legacy input device. The dedicated

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 55

REVIEWS LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON

A pair of
Thunderbolt 4
ports are the
highlights of the
X1 Carbon Gen
9’s connectivity.
You also get a
pair of USB-A 3.2
Gen 1 ports,
which means you
won’t need to
carry a USB
dongle. The
biggest omission
is an Ethernet
jack, which
means you will
need to carry
around an
Ethernet adapter
if you want to
connect to a
mouse buttons for the pointing stick sit wired network. The laptop supports Wi-Fi
between the spacebar and touchpad, and 6, the latest wireless networking standard.
they are less intrusive than past efforts.
Instead of being raised, with bold red PERFORMANCE
striping, they sit more flush, with subtler red Our ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 features the
stripes on their front edges. quad-core Core i7-1185G7 from Intel’s
Lenovo states that the X1 Carbon Gen 9’s 11th-gen Tiger Lake family of processors. It
touchpad is wider than the Gen 8’s, and I also supplies 16GB of RAM and integrated
must believe it. It doesn’t appear to be bigger Intel Iris Xe graphics. There’s no option for a
than the average touchpad, but it’s roomy GPU upgrade, making the X1 Carbon a
enough that I didn’t feel cramped with better fit for busy execs than creative pros.
swiping, pinching, and two-finger scrolling. We compared it against HP’s premium Elite

56 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 PCMark 10 HandBrake 0.99
CPU performance Seconds
HP Pavilion Aero 13 HP Pavilion Aero 13
Ryzen 7 5800U 6,024 Ryzen 7 5800U 1,677
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 5,128 Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 2,698
Razer Book 13 Razer Book 13
Core i7-1165G7 4,940 Core i7-1165G7 2,977
HP Elite Dragonfly Max Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310
Core i7-1185G7 4,896 Core i7-1165G7 3,287
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
Core i7-1165G7 4,877 Core i7-1160G7 3,508
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano HP Elite Dragonfly Max
Core i7-1160G7 4,436 Core i7-1185G7 4,124
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

Dragonfly Max, which packs the same Core 5800U CPU. All of these laptops have
i7-1185G7 CPU. We also included the Razer integrated graphics.
Book 13 and the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310, Our first benchmark is PCMark 10, which
both of which use a Core i7-1165G7 chip. measures performance on everyday
And we compared it to the Core i7-1160G7 computing work including office productivity
chip inside the 13-inch ThinkPad X1 Nano. tasks, web browsing, and video chats. The X1
Each of these Core i7 parts is a quad-core Carbon finished first among the Intel-based
processor with eight processing threads. systems here but well behind the pace set by
Rounding out the charts is the HP Pavilion the AMD-based HP Pavilion Aero. Still, a
Aero 13 with AMD’s eight-core Ryzen 7 score above 5,000 indicates that the X1

Cinebench R15 Cinebench R15

Single thread All threads
HP Pavilion Aero 13 HP Pavilion Aero 13
Ryzen 7 5800U 235 Ryzen 7 5800U 1,676
Razer Book 13 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Core i7-1165G7 227 Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 930
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310
Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 226 Core i7-1165G7 921
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
Core i7-1165G7 213 Core i7-1160G7 868
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Razer Book 13
Core i7-1160G7 205 Core i7-1165G7 843
HP Elite Dragonfly Max HP Elite Dragonfly Max
Core i7-1185G7 203 Core i7-1185G7 589
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 57

REVIEWS LENOVO THINKPAD X1 CARBON

Carbon is well equipped to run Office and our tests have shown, we have yet to reach
other productivity apps and able to manage a the era where an integrated GPU will catch
variety of multitasking scenarios. the attention of gamers.
The X1 Carbon also finished behind the To test a laptop’s battery life, we loop a 4K
HP Pavilion Aero and ahead of the other Intel video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app,
machines on our HandBrake test, which with the laptop set to airplane mode and
involves encoding a large 30GB video file. It earbuds plugged in. We set the screen
can perform some media editing, but more brightness at a relatively bright 250 nits to
processing cores and threads would make 260 nits, which is a good brightness for
quicker work of such a task. watching a movie in an office with the lights
If our HandBrake test is a marathon, then on. The X1 Carbon’s 4-cell, 57 watt-hour
Cinebench is a sprint. This test renders a battery lasted nearly 13 hours on our battery-
complex 2D scene over a brief period of time. drain test, which is competitive and will get
Again, the X1 Carbon proved itself capable, you through the longest of workdays. That
but more cores and threads would shorten said, it’s still roughly 1.5 hours less than the
the time spent rendering. runtime we saw from the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1.
Don’t let its first-place showing on our
3DMark test fool you. None of these laptops, BOTTOM LINE
all of which rely on integrated graphics, Lenovo made some significant changes to the
posted a score indicating much in the way of ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 while also
3D graphics capacity. Although Intel’s Iris Xe knowing when and where to leave the good
integrated graphics is surprisingly good, as bits alone. The new 16:10 display gives you

3DMark Time Spy 1.2 Battery life

Graphics performance Minutes
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano
Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 1,793 Core i7-1160G7 868
Razer Book 13 Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310
Core i7-1165G7 1,786 Core i7-1165G7 862
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Razer Book 13
Core i7-1165G7 1,714 Core i7-1165G7 773
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Core i7-1160G7 1,502 Gen 9 Core i7-1185G7 768
HP Elite Dragonfly Max HP Elite Dragonfly Max
Core i7-1185G7 1,362 Core i7-1185G7 650
HP Pavilion Aero 13 HP Pavilion Aero 13
Ryzen 7 5800U 1,331 Ryzen 7 5800U 520
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

58 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 you throughout
the workday and
the keyboard is
both quiet and
soft, which is
perfect if you’re
in a meeting. It’s
fantastic for
travel, too. The
laptop is super
rugged, as it’s
built with high-
quality materials,
but it’s not
overly bulky or
more room to work with and barely adds any heavy. That makes it tough enough to
weight. The new display hinge is smooth and withstand any accidental bumps but also
steady and allows for rear vents that keep the light enough to take with you on an airplane.
laptop quiet and cool. And the new speakers If you’re looking for a laptop that can travel
produce shockingly good laptop audio. With well and has decent performance, this is
these changes, you still get the ThinkPad the one to pick.
keyboard that remains the standard against
which all Windows laptops are measured. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
And the X1 Carbon’s sleek yet rugged case
makes it eminently portable while also being PROS
• Roomy 16:10 display.
able to withstand the abuses heaped upon it • Thin and light yet rugged.
during daily business travel. Really, our only • Stellar keyboard.

gripe is the slightly cool display and mediocre CONS

• Webcam limited to 720p.
webcam. In this era of Zoom meetings, • Display color is a bit cool.
Lenovo needs to upgrade it to a 1080p or BOTTOM LINE
The ninth generation of Lenovo’s flagship ThinkPad
1440p resolution or at least offer a resolution gets a 16:10 display for getting work done but
higher than 720p as an upgrade option. otherwise doesn’t stray too far from the successful X1
Carbon script. It’s fantastic.
Minor nitpicks aside, it’s a great laptop for
$1,799
business professionals. The battery life will last

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 59

REVIEWS

Adata Atom 50 SSD: Affordable

with excellent performance
While not one of the fastest PCIe 4 NVMe drive in benchmarks, this worthy scored big
time in our real-life transfers. BY JON L. JACOBI

The Adata Atom 50 is one of instead utilizes HMB (Host Memory Bus, aka
the more affordable PCIe 4 your computer’s RAM) primary caching, a
SSDs on the market, which technology we’ve seen less than stellar results
would seemingly make it a from previously. Alas, Sony’s FAQ (fave.
nice option for the PlayStation 5. It’s second- co/3fPGEek) says the PS5 doesn’t support
tier over PCIe 4, according to synthetic HMB, which means the Atom 50 may not be
benchmarks, but it tied for first place in our quite as fast inside that console.
real-world 48GB transfers—an eye-opening
performance considering the price. DESIGN AND SPECS
Even more impressive, the Atom 50 Adata’s Atom 50 bucks the trend of bargain
managed that feat without a DRAM cache. It SSDs based on Phison-based designs by

60 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: ADATA

 PERFORMANCE
The Atom 50 turned in good
PCIe 3 numbers and decent
second-tier numbers over PCIe
4 in CrystalDiskMark 6,
CrystalDiskMark 7, and AS SSD
2. Those benchmarks rate the
fastest PCIe 4 NVMe SSDs
during sustained transfers at
around 7GBps while the Atom
50 was just below 5GBps.
I should mention that
second-tier NVMe is still quite
good in the grand scheme of
things and the norm at the Atom
50’s price point. It was easily the
employing a RealTek RTS5766DL to shuttle match of the equally bargain Sabrent Rocket
data to and from the SSD’s 176-layer TLC 4 as shown in the CrystalDiskMark 6
(Triple-Level Cell, 3-bit/state) NAND. As you’ll numbers below.
see below in the performance section, it
proved very proficient.
As noted, there’s no DRAM cache, Adata CrystalDiskMark 6
MBps
instead opting for HMB. Also as mentioned, Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 4) Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 3)

this is the first time we have seen HMB Sabrent Rocket 4 (PCIe 4) Crucial P5 Plus (PCIe 4)

perform up to snuff. Sequential Write

(Q=32, T=1) 4,724
3,103
The Atom 50 is currently available in 1TB
4,256
$120 (tested) and 2TB $250 flavors. That’s a 5,028

hair pricey for a bargain PCIe 4 SSD (fave. Sequential Read

(Q=32, T=1) 5,001
3,564
co/3vs9d8J), but it’s still in the ballpark and 5,008
doesn’t consider any discounts you might 6,611

see. The drives are warrantied for five years or LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

650TBW (terabytes written over the life of the

While not as fast as Crucial’s P5 Plus under
drive) per 1TB of capacity. That latter is about CrystalDiskMark 6, the Atom 50 still matched the
average for the price point. Sabrent Rocket 4.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 61

REVIEWS ADATA ATOM 50 SSD

48GB Transfers 450GB Single File Write

Seconds Seconds
Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 4) Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 3) Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 4) Adata Atom 50 (PCIe 3)
Sabrent Rocket 4 (PCIe 4) Crucial P5 Plus (PCIe 4) Sabrent Rocket 4 (PCIe 4) Crucial P5 Plus (PCIe 4)

Total Time 219 450GB Write 249

280 367
234 236
241 285
48GB Folder 84 S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Write
109
86
95
The Atom 50 did very well in the 450GB large file
write, never slowing down appreciably despite
48GB Folder 90
Read being an only 1TB drive. Note that the fastest PCIe
117
4 SSDs finish this test.
100
102
48GB Write The Atom 50 turned in an average time
22
26 writing our single large 450GB file over PCIe
22
4, though it never slowed down and handily
22
48GB Read outpaced the Crucial P5 Plus. The 450GB
23
28 write tests secondary caching algorithms and
26
22
the speed of the NAND. Keep in mind that
S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
the Atom 50 we tested was only a 1TB drive
while the Sabrent Rocket 4 it nearly matched
The Atom 50 tied the Corsair MP600 Pro XT for the was a 2TB unit.
fastest aggregate time we’ve seen in our 48GB
transfer tests.
I found little to complain about with the
Atom 50’s performance, even if it couldn’t
Where things got interesting was during match the 7GBps that top-tier SSDs deliver
our 48GB real-world transfers. The Atom 50 on synthetic benchmarks or their super-fast
over PCIe 4 actually tied the Corsair MP600 sustained 450GB writes (191 to 215
Pro XT for the fastest aggregate time (1 seconds). How often do you write 450GB?
minute, 39 seconds) we’ve seen. Looking at That said, consider the FireCuda 530 (fave.
the Atom 50’s PCIe 3 48GB numbers, which co/3vs8HYl) or MP600 XTs (fave.
aren’t bad but are hardly record-setting, I’m co/3qViPIo) if every second counts.
thinking that HMB might be a lot more Otherwise you can save some money with
effective over the faster PCIe 4 bus than it the Atom 50.
was over PCIe 3. The PCIe 3 tests utilize Windows 10

62 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

64-bit running on a Core i7-5820K/Asus hardware, your drive does not perform as well
X99 Deluxe system with four 16GB as our test unit, let us know.
Kingston 2666MHz DDR4 modules, a
Zotac (Nvidia) GT 710 1GB x2 PCIe BOTTOM LINE
graphics card, and an Asmedia ASM3242 The Atom 50 is an excellent bargain and a
USB 3.2×2 card. It also contains a good fit for your PC. It will work in your PS5.
Gigabyte GC-Alpine Thunderbolt 3 card, However, you might not see exactly the same
and Softperfect Ramdisk 3.4.6 for the performance. Still, this is a nice effort from
48GB read and write tests. Adata and the best HMB NVMe drive we’ve
The PCIe 4 testing was done on an MSI tested to date.
MEG X570 motherboard socketing an
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core CPU, using Adata Atom 50 SSD
the same Kingston DRAM, cards, and
benchmark software. ImDisk replaces PROS

Softperfect as the RAM disk. All testing is • Excellent real-world performance.

• PS5 compatible.
performed on an empty or nearly empty
CONS
drive that’s TRIM’d after every set of tests. • A couple of GBps slower on PCIe 4 synthetic
benchmarks.
Performance of any SSD will decrease as • PS5 doesn’t support HMB.
you fill it up. BOTTOM LINE

Write performance will decrease as the The Atom 50 was second-tier on synthetic
benchmarks, but tied for number one in our real-life
drive fills up. In some rare cases, components transfer tests over PCIe 4. Nice. It’s affordable and
PS5 compatible, but uses HMB (your PC’s DRAM) for
may change for the worse. Adata promises primary cache, which the PS5 does not support.
that the components in the Atom 50 will not Hence, there might be a small drop in performance
inside Sony’s console.
change over time. However, our standard
$120
warning with all drives is that if, given similar

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 63

REVIEWS

XPG Xenia 15 KC: A powerful

gaming laptop that’s actually quiet
It turns out you can make a thin-and-light gaming laptop quiet after all. BY GORDON UNG

We’ve long wondered if it was The Xenia 15 KC will look familiar to many
simply impossible to have a as it is largely built on the same chassis as its
thin Intel-based gaming laptop predecessor, which we reviewed previously
that didn’t howl like a banshee ([Link]/3AtXcC5). The key changes include
or if no one was bothering to even try. That all a more powerful CPU and GPU, a more
changes with XPG’s Xenia 15 KC, which is useful screen for work, and impressive
truly the thinnest, lightest, and—more acoustic attributes.
important—quietest gaming laptop that we’ve And we’re not just not throwing out the
ever touched. word impressive either—most of the time the

64 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: ADATA

Xenia 15 KC is dead silent
where other laptops would
be screaming. There’s a cost
to the quietness, but not as
much as you might expect.
First, we’ll walk you through
what’s inside the Xenia 15 KC.

SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Intel 8-core 11th
gen Core i7-11800H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX
3080@125TGP with 20 watt
Dynamic Boost 2.0
RAM: 32GB DDR4/3200
in dual-channel mode
SSD: XPG 1TB Gammix
S70 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD1 Card reader is on USB 3.0 and offers the
Battery: 94 watt-hour battery same meh-to-OK performance as the
Display: 15.6-inch 2560x1440@165Hz previous laptop, with read speeds in the
IPS 90MBps range. We do appreciate that the
Weight and size: 9.2x14x0.8 inches. XPG has placed even more ports on the rear
4.2 pounds for laptop, with 1.3 pounds for of the laptop, including a Thunderbolt 4,
230 watt charger full-size HDMI 2.0, Gigabit ethernet port, and
Ports: Like the previous design, the Xenia DC-in port for the charger.
15 KC features a healthy
number of ports with a
lock port, USB-A
10Gbps, and headset
jack on the left side. The
right side features an
additional two USB-A
10Gbps ports and an SD
card reader. The SD

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 65

REVIEWS XPG XENIA 15 KC

KEYBOARD AND TRACKPAD many different vendors on occasion. It’s likely

The keyboard is also unchanged from the the tolerance of our unit was not a problem in
previous iteration. The mechanical keys use the entire lineup.
optical switches and offer a generous 2mm of
travel. As the laptop body is magnesium, WEBCAM AND SPEAKERS
which helps lower the overall weight, the cost The webcam is a Windows Hello–compliant
is a single window for the keyboard opening biometric camera, which we appreciate as it’s
rather than individually cut holes for each key. often a feature overlooked in gaming laptops.
This means the keys are placed a little closer It is, however, still just 720p. That means you
together than what you might find in other won’t be getting very good picture quality on
designs. Some may feel the keys are too close Zoom calls. However, despite the lackluster
together—despite their generous key cap webcam, the audio is much improved from
size—but our fat fingers had no issues with it. the Xenia’s previous iteration.
Each key is lit with RGB lighting but it’s not The original Xenia 15 sounded thin and
very bright. If you’re into the familiar rainbow- was good enough for an email alert chime,
wave effect, the Xenia 15 KC’s colors flow but not much else. The Xenia 15 KC has a little
about as smoothly as jagged pixels in a 1980s more presence but is still just barely
console game. That said, XPG officials claim adequate, especially when compared to
the updated software smooths out the effect. laptop vendors that put so much speaker in
The trackpad is fine as well, but our model them, they almost rattle when cranked up.
had a slight rattle to it, which we’ve seen from More speakers also means more weight and a
bigger body, though. But
if you’re looking for the
bass—keep looking.

IT’S REALLY,
REALLY QUIET
There are two cool
features of the Xenia 15
KC that you should be
aware of. The first one is
its weight. Coming in at
4.2 pounds on our scale,
it’s significantly lighter

66 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 balanced mode. It also
3DMark Time Spy activates its passive cooling
Xenia 15 KC RTX 3080 Xenia 15 RTX 2070 MQ mode, which means the fans
or fan barely spins up.
How quiet is it? Really
quiet. In fact, here’s a
comparison of how loud the
previous Xenia 15 would get
running 3DMark Time Spy
versus the current Xenia 15
KC doing the same
graphically intense
benchmark run. For every 3
A lower sound level is better.
decibels, the sound energy
than other laptops with similar specs. essentially doubles. That means older 9th-
Comparable laptops usually weigh about 4.5 and 10th-gen laptops in a similar-size body
pounds or more. The other compelling would all start to scream far sooner and far
feature is just how quiet the laptop is. louder.
We’ve long gotten used to gaming The Xenia 15 KC handles CPU-only tasks
laptops that sound like jets
taxiing for take off. The Xenia
Cinebench R20
15 KC, however, rarely Balanced Mode (dBA)
makes noise under normal Xenia 15 KC Core i7-11800H Xenia 15 Core i7-9750H
use. Some of that is tied to
the laptop’s easily accessible
performance mode button,
which toggles between the
following modes in real
time: battery saver,
balanced, and performance.
Switch it to performance and
the laptop might see an 8dB
increase in volume. On
default, though, it’s in A lower sound level is better.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 67

REVIEWS XPG XENIA 15 KC

like a champ, as you can see in the Cinebench Core i7-9750H, as well as being based on the
R20 chart. The blue line represents the Xenia newer and much faster 11th-gen Tiger Lake H
15 KC, which never spikes above 30dBA—the CPU. The Tiger Lake H version simply finishes
two peaks early on are from a car going down the same all-core task that much faster. Yes,
the street outside the home where the test it’s faster while also being quieter.
took place. It’s essentially dead silent most of Since there’s no such thing as a free lunch,
the time, with only one fan spinning up to there’s a performance cost for running the
1,300 RPM. One key difference in the new Xenia 15 KC in its default Balanced Mode. We
version is the use of a liquid metal compound noticed that going from Performance Mode
over less efficient thermal paste. Liquid metal to Balanced Mode costs you about 19
isn’t the answer to everything, though. We’ve percent in performance. We also tested the
seen many liquid metal laptops in the past that laptop in Performance Mode and Benchmark
sound like Huey helicopters, so this is likely Mode, which means 100 percent fans.
due to tuning and design more than anything. To get a better idea of how the Xenia runs
If you’re wondering why the blue line for lighter tasks like browsing the web or using
the Xenia 15 KC’s Core i7-11800H is so much Adobe Photoshop, we ran the Cinebench
shorter than the orange line for the older Core R15 benchmark, which uses a single CPU
i7-9750H—it’s because the Core i7-11800H thread or core. The short answer is few can
has 8 cores versus the 6 cores of the older tell the difference between any of these

Cinebench R15 Cinebench R15

All threads Single thread
XPG Xenia 15 Performance XPG Xenia 15 Performance
mode Core i7-9750H 1,311 mode Core i7-9750H 195
XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark
mode Core i7-11800H 2,149 mode Core i7-11800H 231
XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance
mode Core i7-11800H 2,067 mode Core i7-11800H 231
XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced
mode Core i7-11800H 1,680 mode Core i7-11800H 231
Dell XPS 17 9710 Dell XPS 17 9710
Core i7-11800H 2,104 Core i7-11800H 230
Acer Nitro 5 AN517 Acer Nitro 5 AN517
Ryzen 7 5800H 2,010 Ryzen 7 5800H 237
Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Acer Nitro 5 AN515
Ryzen 7 5800H 2,083 Ryzen 7 5800H 231
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
Core i9-11900H 2,122 Core i9-11900H 242
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage
Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 2,347 Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 239
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

68 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 HandBrake 0.99 3DMark Time Spy Overall
Seconds Graphics performance
XPG Xenia 15 Performance XPG Xenia 15 Performance
mode Core i7-9750H 1,674 mode Core i7-9750H 7,568
XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark
mode Core i7-11800H 1,200 mode Core i7-11800H 10,301
XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance
mode Core i7-11800H 1,282 mode Core i7-11800H 9,022
XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced
mode Core i7-11800H 1,541 mode Core i7-11800H 9,049
Dell XPS 17 9710 Dell XPS 17 9710
Core i7-11800H 1,355 Core i7-11800H 7,004
Acer Nitro 5 AN517 Acer Nitro 5 AN517
Ryzen 7 5800H 1,219 Ryzen 7 5800H 8,605
Acer Nitro 5 AN515 Acer Nitro 5 AN515
Ryzen 7 5800H 1,189 Ryzen 7 5800H 9,679
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
Core i9-11900H 1,085 Core i9-11900H 10,500
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage
Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 1,073 Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 10,820
S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

laptops while doing the boring work. Even Performance Mode, though, the newer Xenia
though the older Core i7-9750H looks meh, 15 KC still trounces the older Xenia 15 and is
most people won’t be able to tell the slightly faster than the Dell XPS 17 9710 with
difference between them. the same CPU.
Cinebench R15 is a 3D-modeling The Xenia 15 KC’s GPU is rated at 125 watt
benchmark that runs fairly quickly. Modern TGP but, with its Dynamic Boost 2.0, it’s
laptop performance is often constrained by capable of hitting 145 watts under some
heat, so longer-running tasks help shed more loads. Using 3DMark Time Spy, which is
light on actual performance. For this, we use mostly a GPU benchmark, the Xenia fits in
Handbrake to convert a 1080p video file with other 3070 laptops. In Benchmark Mode
using the Android Tablet preset. In with the fans running 100 percent, we see a
Performance Mode, the Xenia 15 KC finishes significant performance bump that puts it in
the task in about 17 percent less time versus the neighborhood of some RTX 3080
the much quieter Balanced Mode setting. laptops. Strangely, we’re not seeing much of
Since our all-core encode takes more than 25 a difference between Performance Mode and
minutes to run—we see the performance Balanced Mode.
between the 8-core Core i7-11800H close up Rise of the Tomb Raider is a 6-year-old
just under 8 percent with the 6-core Core game and not exactly very strenuous for these
i7-9750H when set to Balanced Mode. In laptops. The Xenia 15 KC does quite well in all

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 69

REVIEWS XPG XENIA 15 KC

and the brightness in the 250 to 260 nit

Rise of the Tomb Raider range. With more than 8 hours of video
Very High DX11 1920x1080 playback time, the Xenia 15 KC is only
Frames per second eclipsed by the Dell XPS 17 9710—but we’d
XPG Xenia 15 Performance
96 say both are quite impressive. Several of the
mode Core i7-9750H
XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark
115 laptops here feature compromised battery
mode Core i7-11800H
XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance
114 capacity for laptops with this much hardware
mode Core i7-11800H
XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced
111 inside, so it’s no surprise they are short of the
mode Core i7-11800H
Dell XPS 17 9710 Xenia 15 KC by several hours.
Core i7-11800H 84
Acer Nitro 5 AN517 We were surprised by where the XPS 17
Ryzen 7 5800H 97
Acer Nitro 5 AN515 and the Xenia 15 KC came in because they
Ryzen 7 5800H 101
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 have higher-resolution panels, which tend to
Core i9-11900H 144
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage
use more power. The Xenia 15 KC’s
Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 112
2560x1440 resolution is almost twice the
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
pixel density of the older Xenia, for example.
The Dell XPS 17 is even more impressive
modes, really only losing to an Asus ROG because it features a much larger 17-inch
Zephyrus S17 with an 11th-gen Core i9 and screen with a 4K UHD+ resolution panel. In
GeForce RTX 3080. the end, thanks to the battery capacity and
Our next game is Metro Exodus, which is
far harsher than the older Rise of the Tomb
Raider. Even though we don’t switch the Metro Exodus 1080p
games’ use of DirectX Raytracing, you can see Extreme Preset
it shatter any beliefs that a higher TGP RTX Frames per second
3080 doesn’t pull its weight. Overall, we’d XPG Xenia 15 Performance
mode Core i7-9750H 32
say the Xenia 15 KC does quite well, XPG Xenia KC 15 Benchmark
mode Core i7-11800H 43
especially when you consider its svelte build XPG Xenia KC 15 Performance
mode Core i7-11800H 41
and weight compared to the other gaming XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced
mode Core i7-11800H 37
laptops here. Dell XPS 17 9710
29
Core i7-11800H
Battery life in a laptop this light is Acer Nitro 5 AN517
36
Ryzen 7 5800H
important, as you’ll likely want to take it with Asus ROG Zephyrus S17
67
Core i9-11900H
you. During the battery test, we activated the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage
Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 48
Xenia 15 KC’s balanced mode using our LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

standard 4K video local file in airplane mode

70 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 3DMark’s Time Spy stress test. The test loops
Battery life Time Spy 20 times, which can last 10 minutes.
Minutes It also measures for stability and will flag you if
XPG Xenia 15
Core i7-9750H 446 frame rates vary by more than 3 percent from
XPG Xenia KC 15 Balanced
mode Core i7-11800H 518 run to run. The WASD keys and the palm rest
Dell XPS 17 9710
595 were 82 degrees or less, with the bottom of
Core i7-11800H
Acer Nitro 5 AN517
357 the laptop getting the hottest.
Ryzen 7 5800H
Acer Nitro 5 AN515
324 We did hit a few snags while temperature
Ryzen 7 5800H
Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 testing. The fans would decrease in speed
Core i9-11900H 354
Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage and never spin up again, which caused the
Edition Ryzen 9 5900HX 377
laptop to reach near-dangerous levels of 144
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

degrees near the bezel and on its underside.

XPG officials said this could potentially be a
the Xenia 15 KC’s optimization options, you driver issue, which may have been released
can actually use it on the road. from Windows Update. The manufacturer
We’ll close out with additional testing on recommended we reset the laptop and then
just how warm the Xenia 15 KC gets when its try to replicate the problem. After resetting
running in its default balance mode which turns the laptop to its factory settings, we were
on a passive cooling mode.
That basically means the
Cinebench R20
laptop will sometimes turn off Balanced Mode (dBA)
all of the fans or only run a WASD Ambient Bottom Palm Rest

single fan at 1,300 RPM.

That’s quiet enough where
you can’t hear that fan unless
you put your head to the
keyboard. As you can
imagine, that means the
laptop also gets pretty warm.
To find out just how hot
it gets, we attached four
temperature sensors to the
laptop and recorded its
temperature while running A lower sound level is better.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 71

REVIEWS XPG XENIA 15 KC

quiet the Xenia 15

KC runs. As we said,
we’re just so used to
the fans spinning up
on a thin gaming
laptop so easily that
we legitimately
wondered if
something was
wrong with this
laptop. We’ve just
never seen such a
thin, powerful
laptop run so
quietly. Hopefully
that’s something
other vendors
unable to reproduce the issue again even replicate instead of chasing the longest bar
after installing the drivers and updates from on a benchmark chart. If you want a quiet,
Windows Update. lightweight gaming laptop, the Xenia 15 KC
The main takeaway is that although the is hard to beat.
Xenia 15 KC is extremely quiet under
general use, the temperatures stay quite XPG Xenia 15 KC
reasonable.
PROS

BOTTOM LINE • Very light.

• Very quiet.
There’s a lot of like about the Xenia 15 KC, • (Relatively) quite fast.
but it’s not perfect. The design is a little CONS
• Subpar RGB.
generic for us and doesn’t stand out like
• Just barely adequate audio.
those of the MSI GS66 Stealth, Acer
BOTTOM LINE
Predator Helios 300, or Alienware X15. All The XPG Xenia 15 KC breaks the laws of thin gaming
laptops by actually being very quiet—and also very
three of those laptops are heavier, though— powerful.
with some of them considerably heftier at 5 $1,999
pounds. The main differentiator is just how

72 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

NZXT BLD Kit: DIY PC building with
training wheels
This novel idea helps smooth out the ups and downs of PC building. BY ALAINA YEE

ntil recently, owning a desktop appealing but also daunting.

U PC was the result of one of two

choices. You went out and
bought one already built, or you
purchased the components and assembled it
yourself. No middle path existed for those
Enter NZXT and its new BLD Kits (fave.
co/3fYBGfr). Launched back in October, these

VIDEO: BUILDING WITH

AN NZXT BLD KIT
Watch now at [Link]/3H2A28i
who found the idea of building a PC

IMAGE: NZXT FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 73

REVIEWS NZ X T BLD KIT

curated collections of PC parts both eliminate guardians are leery about the lack of
the stress of selecting your own components centralized support with a DIY PC; NZXT’s
and figuring out how to put them all together. approach removes that risk.
You simply choose from one of three different Turns out that these BLD Kits do simplify
configurations, wait for a box with all necessary PC building…but can’t eliminate all of the
components and tools to arrive, and then potential headaches that come up. In some
follow the detailed assembly instructions. ways, our experience perfectly encapsulates
Should anything go wrong, NZXT provides a the highs and lows of assembling your own
two-year warranty and serves as a singular system—as well as the benefit of having a
point of contact for customer support, even single company at your back for support.
after the warranty period expires.
Naturally, as seasoned PC builders, we WHAT YOU GET IN THE BOX
were curious as to how easy NZXT makes the Our BLD Kit sample was a launch-day
process. Not only could a BLD Kit assuage the Streaming Plus model, which included the
fears of first-time builders, but it also removes following components:
another major roadblock for kids eager to put CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (6 cores, 12
together their first PC. Frustrated young threads)
people often write us to say that parents or CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken M22 120MM
AIO Liquid Cooler
Motherboard: MSI
B550-A Pro (CEC)
RAM: 16GB Team
T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4-
3200 (2x8GB)
GPU: Gigabyte RTX
3060 Ti Gaming OC LHR
PSU: Seasonic S12III
650W 80+ Bronze
Storage: WD Blue
SN550 NVMe M.2 1TB
(WDS100T2B0C)
Wi-Fi: MSI MS-B905C
All the parts and tools you need come packed in a single box. You’ll have Dual-Band Wireless PCIe
to purchase a keyboard and mouse separately, though. Adapter Card

74 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 an 8-core, 16-thread AMD
Ryzen 7 5800X. The power
supply also increases to 750
watts, in order to
accommodate the 3080 Ti.
As you might guess, the price
takes a mighty leap as well:
up to $2,799, or over $1K
that of the current Streaming
Plus kit.
Universal among the kits
is how they arrive. You get
Each component’s label includes a letter that indicates its order in the one big box of PC parts, with
assembly process. the components in a mix of
packaging. In our kit, the
Case: NZXT H510 (White) power supply and graphics card were in their
OS: Windows 10 Home original boxes, but the motherboard was
Keyboard and mouse not included. repacked in a plain white box. Smaller parts
Among the configuration options, the like the RAM and the storage drive were put
Streaming Plus model falls squarely in the in anti-static ziplock bags. No matter what the
middle. Our version is actually now out of type of packaging, every PC part had a clear
date—since launch, NZXT has changed the label that identified what it was and when you
class of GPU. This config now comes with would install it.
the upgrade of an RTX 3070 card and Also in the shipping box was a detailed
costs $1,749. PC building guide, a parts list, and a
Stepping down to the $1,399 Starter Pro magnetized toolkit. You don’t need to
kit drops the graphics card to an RTX 3060 Ti, purchase anything separately to complete the
and swaps in an Intel Core i5-11400F as the assembly. (You may want to, though—for
CPU. It also comes with an air cooler and a example, a handful of velcro ties to help with
lower-wattage 500W power supply. All other cable management.)
specs are the same. However, you must buy your own
Moving up to the Streaming Pro kit is a keyboard and mouse. They don’t come
much bigger jump—you go straight to a RTX included, which could come as a surprise to
3080 Ti, 32GB of DDR4-3000 memory, and previous owners of prebuilt PCs, which

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 75

REVIEWS NZ X T BLD KIT

builders at ease.
Stick to what’s
on the page and
success should
come with little
trouble. As I
found out, going
off-script can
cause confusion,
as you can see in
the embedded
video above.
During the live
build of our BLD
The building guide has clear, detailed pictures to go along with the instructions. kit, I occasionally
complicated
typically come with peripherals. NZXT isn’t matters by going on autopilot and prepping
explicit about this fact in the product listing things out of habit, resulting in skipped steps
pages for the kits. or other impediments to progress.
In the event that you can’t understand
BUILDING EXPERIENCE the written guide or don’t do well with
Following the BLD Kit’s written instructions is static visual instructions in general, you can
easy. The guide has a similar vibe to a Lego instead watch a series of instructional
kit’s, with full-color diagrams for the YouTube videos. During our build, we
installation of each component. It’s even found that the videos serve as a good
themed—you’re a cartoon adventurer who’s supplement to the guide. But for those who
discovering a treasure trove of PC parts— are using both, tiny differences in
which makes the process more approachable instruction can potentially cause confusion.
without feeling overly childish. Even if you’re I ended up relying on the guide and using
not into the cute vibe, you can still clearly see the videos for better views of installation
the care and attention NZXT poured into its technique, rather than trying to reconcile
building manual. both sets of instructions if they conflicted.
Each step is broken down into small NZXT could improve on its already
actions designed to put brand-new PC excellent instructions with a few

76 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

additions—like a motherboard diagram with 10 media creation webpage. It would help
labels for the different parts, rather than eliminate confusion down the road should a
pushing new builders to navigate a far less wipe become necessary (which it almost did
friendly manufacturer’s manual. For our kit, a in our case).
new builder wouldn’t have even been able to All that said, these are mostly nitpicking
consult the manufacturer’s manual, unless suggestions for further improving the
they thought to look online for the PDF experience. NZXT successfully keeps PC
version. The manual wasn’t transferred over building from being intimidating, and we
from the original packaging to the white box enjoyed how the guide and videos hold your
the motherboard came in. hand through the process. Our only true
Advice on how much to tighten screws, criticism is the handling of Windows 10
the ideal tightening pattern for securing media—mostly because of what happened
screws, and even how to check motherboard after we finished the build.
stand-offs for adequate seating would be
useful tips, too. Ideally a build goes without a POST-BUILD
hitch and that last point isn’t necessary—you TROUBLESHOOTING
wouldn’t ever have to fuss with disassembly Aside from a few moments of self-inflicted
to troubleshoot problems. But problems can mistakes, putting together our BLD kit went
crop up despite the best instructions and smoothly. However, after we booted up the
careful assembly. Such tips can go a long way PC, things took a decisively hard turn into
toward ensuring a positive experience, and bumpy territory.
it’s good information for
new builders to know in
any case.
It’s also puzzling why
a backup DVD for
Windows 10 was
included instead of a
USB stick. These BLD kits
lack a DVD drive—heck,
the case doesn’t have a
5.25-inch drive bay.
There’s not even a
mention of the Windows Our BLD Kit had trouble booting into Windows.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 77

REVIEWS NZ X T BLD KIT

We successfully entered POST on the first up a Blue Screen of Death. And that’s when
try—that wasn’t the issue. But we did run in to the actual problem reared its head: On
a POST error message that the CPU or reboot, the system showed a blank black
memory had changed or the CMOS had screen—no POST, no sign of response
been cleared. Presented with the choice to outside of the power being on.
enter setup or load default values and This is the sort of situation that can
continue, I chose the latter. happen during DIY builds. Usually
Usually I would choose to enter setup to something isn’t assembled quite right, but
manually verify that the BIOS or UEFI one of the components could be faulty, too.
recognized all of the components accurately. I NZXT handling the components beforehand
might also choose to leave RAM at stock can accidentally throw a wrench into matters
speeds, if anything registered incorrectly and I as well, as could the pre-installation of
anticipated more troubleshooting to come. Windows 10 on the storage drive. For us, it
But some new builders might decide they was not a big deal. For a new builder, it
don’t know enough about computers to could be a heart-stopping moment.
navigate through BIOS settings and instead Unfortunately, this problem was not
trust that the defaults wouldn’t steer them fixable using NZXT’s basic troubleshooting
wrong. I decided to mimic that line of thought. tips, which would leave a new builder in our
After making this selection, Windows situation with two choices: contacting
loaded for a brief moment, only to then throw customer support, or looking up the problem
on the internet in the
hopes of figuring it
out themselves.
Most buyers
would presumably
contact NZXT first,
but, as with prebuilt
PCs, the wait time for
help from technical
support can be
prolonged. When
we tried calling, we
The Windows Blue Screen of Death wasn’t so problematic. But this blank black were given an
screen that followed—that was stickier to deal with. estimated wait time

78 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 good to hear,
because being
able to have
common visual
references speeds
up the process.
Ultimately,
what solved the
boot issue was a
relatively simple
step: clearing the
CMOS. I knew to
try this from
experience, so I
The CMOS battery on our BLD Kit’s motherboard. didn’t follow up
with NZXT’s
of 9 minutes—and ended up on hold for 55 customer support, and instead went solo.
minutes before being shunted to a voicemail I unplugged the system from the wall,
system, due to the close of the business day. removed the GPU for access to the CMOS
The next step would have been to leave a battery, pulled it out from the motherboard,
voicemail or file an online support ticket. In waited about 10 minutes, and then put
either case, you can end up waiting days everything back. (For the record, the CMOS
before help is available—support hours are could’ve been cleared in half that time, but I
only Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. got distracted with work email.) Upon
Pacific Time, with some additional closures on powering on the system, I got the same POST
major holidays. error message as during first boot, and this
That said, even after listening to hold time I entered the BIOS/UEFI settings to verify
music for an hour, I appreciated that phone everything was set correctly.
support was available. Wading through And yet the saga didn’t end there. The
internet forums can be intimidating, especially Windows 10 boot issues still remained—I
if the answers involve information you’re ran into recovery issues a couple of times
completely unfamiliar with. NZXT tells us that before the initial setup screen finally
its technical support team makes use of video appeared. (Because of the initial error
calls during troubleshooting, too—which was code, I suspect we could have accidentally

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 79

REVIEWS NZ X T BLD KIT

gotten a drive that was cloned for an Intel how RMAs worked, I was told that support
CPU configuration.) guides customers through troubleshooting
Because of these Windows 10 issues, I tips. If over the course of that process, it
strongly believe NZXT should mention how becomes apparent that a part is actually
to create a Windows 10 USB drive (or far bad, NZXT creates a shipping label for it to
better, include one with the kit). I came close be sent back. The company then tests and
to needing to wipe the drive and start over replaces the part in two days or less, and
with a fresh installation, and I had no usable ships it back via an expedited service. If you
installation media on hand. And actually, I have to send in parts, expect them to take
would still do a fresh wipe and install anyway three to five days to arrive at NZXT, and
just to play it safe, if this were my PC. It’s then it will take another one to three days
easier to do it at this stage, rather than for the replacement to reach you.
assuming everything’s fine and then having
to deal with issues after you’ve settled into BOTTOM LINE
the system and have your apps and files to Even with our experience going as it did,
manage as well. NZXT’s idea is a very good one. A novice
I also think it’s an oversight to not include builder gets clear guidance and
troubleshooting advice about issues with instructions, and can speak with an actual
booting into
Windows 10 upon
first startup. Dealing
with an operating
system is just as
much part of the
DIY build
experience as the
assembly is.
When I
reached out to
NZXT to ask how
the technicians
handle more
complicated NZXT provides easy-to-access support, but a little extra documentation in the
problems, and guide could help people more quickly understand how to fix their problems.

80 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

human when seeking
help. That assistance
may not be as ideal as
personally knowing an
expert to consult with,
but not everyone has a
friend or family
member they can lean
on in that way. You
don’t have to dig
online to figure out
problems as you
would when going
solo with a DIY build, This is a solid option for new builders to consider.
either. So while I think
NZXT can still improve some on the support could offer, as they have a broader selection
front, this initial launch definitely gets the of parts for their prebuilt PCs.
building part right. I don’t expect most But overall, this is a solid option for new
people to run into the kind of trouble that I builders to consider, be they adults or young
did, either. enthusiasts, or as a family project.
The upcharge you pay for these kits, as
compared to going completely DIY, is also NZXT BLD Kit
reasonable. You’ll shell out a couple to a
PROS
few hundred dollars more for a BLD Kit, but • Eliminates hassle of picking parts.
obtaining a graphics card right now can • Excellent build instructions.
• Decent configuration options.
cost much more than that. (Thanks for
CONS
nothing, scalpers.) • Troubleshooting advice could be more extensive.
The primary drawback to these BLD Kits • Long wait times for customer support help.
is the limited choice of parts available. For BOTTOM LINE
NZXT’s BLD Kits do a superb job of taking the pain out
example, you can have whatever case you of DIY PC assembly, with minimal upcharge for
handling part research and sourcing. The full
want, as long as it’s the NZXT H510. (The customer support also protects against the potential
H510 Flow isn’t even an option.) It would be problems of a DIY build, too, making these kits an
excellent option for new builders to consider.
fun to see what kind of building kits system
$1,749
integrators like CyberPowerPC or iBuyPower

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 81

FEATURE

THE BEST FRE

SOFTWARE
FOR YOUR PC
START OFF RIGHT
WITH SOLID SECURITY
TOOLS, PRODUCTIVITY
SOFTWARE, AND OTHER
PROGRAMS THAT EVERY
PC NEEDS.
BY BRAD CHACOS
& IAN PAUL

82 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

E

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 83

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

1.

he best free PC software programs And if you’re selecting these programs as

T aren’t about the cost (or lack

thereof), they’re about a fresh
opportunity—collections of code
that put the dumb hardware in your computer
to smart use, tools that can accomplish
part of breaking in an all-new PC, be sure to
check out our guide to how to set up your
new computer the right way ([Link]/
32wRrqG). Let’s dig in!

anything from balancing your household 1. A BETTER BROWSER

budget to helping cure cancer. Before you roll up your sleeves and start
Stocking your PC is an intensely personal slinging software around, make sure to
task. But some programs are so helpful that snag your web browser of choice. Using
we heartily recommend them to everybody. Windows 10’s default Internet Explorer or
These free PC programs—a mix of must-haves Edge browser when you’re accustomed to
and delightful auxiliary apps—deserve a place something else feels like wearing
on almost any computer. There are times somebody else’s shoes. (Blech.)
when a paid alternative makes sense, That said, our money’s actually on Edge,
however. We’ve pointed out the which earned top honors in PCWorld’s
circumstances where an upgrade over the extensive best browser showdown (fave.
free offering is warranted, along with our co/3DOPmn4), barely nudging out
recommendation for the category. Google’s just-as-superb Chrome browser.

84 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

But hey, they’re all free! Try before you “buy.” Installer to receive a single, custom .exe file
And if the big names aren’t your thing, containing the installers for those programs.
there’s a legion of highly specialized Run the executable, and Ninite installs all of
alternative browsers ([Link]/3r4zOIt) them in turn. And it automatically declines
begging for your attention. the offers for bundled bloatware so many
free apps try to sneak in. No muss, no fuss,
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? no hassle.
Maybe. Browsers are largely free and mostly
fantastic already. For Windows users there is Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?
Ghost Browser ([Link]/3AABeh1), which lets No. For most users there really isn’t a worthy
you sandbox separate online identities while alternative, and even if there was it wouldn’t
viewing them all in a single window. At $120 justify the cost. That said, there is a paid
per year, however, you’ve got to really need complementary utility called Ninite Updater
what Ghost Browser’s offering to pay for it. that costs $10 per year ([Link]/3rLuNU0)
that makes it easy to keep all your desktop
2. NINITE programs up to date.
Ninite ([Link]/32BzNlO) makes loading up
a new computer a breeze. Simply head to 3. UNCHECKY
the Ninite website, select which free Accidentally installing unwanted bloatware is
software you’d like to install on your PC—it one of the greatest dangers of free software,
offers dozens of options, including many of the sanctity of Ninite aside. For everything else,
the programs named here—and click Get use Unchecky ([Link]/3r3i7sP). Unchecky
automatically unchecks all of
the checkboxes when
you’re trying to install a
program, and warns you if
shady software is trying to
sneak something ugly onto
your machine.

Is it worth it to upgrade
to a paid version?
No. Again, Unchecky is in a
2. league unto itself, and

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 85

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

even use it as a regular antivirus

program, but it’s invaluable
when you think that something
nasty has slipped by your
primary antivirus utility.

Is it worth it to upgrade to a
paid version?
Yes. As the saying goes, “a few
megabytes of prevention is worth
a terabyte of cure,” or something
like that. Malwarebytes is great at
3. saving infected computers, but
Malwarebytes Premium at $40
while you might find similar capabilities per year ([Link]/33TkuFF) is on guard to
bundled in an antivirus program, there’s little stop the malware from getting in its hooks in
reason to look elsewhere. the first place.
Beyond that, premium antivirus options
4. MALWAREBYTES offer a combination of excellent protection, a
ANTI-MALWARE FREE worthwhile selection of features, and minimal
The Windows Security software (fave. impact on your PC’s performance. PCWorld’s
co/3tXSvPP) enabled by default in Windows guide to the best antivirus for Windows PCs
10 provides solid protection for
most users, but no single
antivirus utility offers
bulletproof protection,
especially against the latest and
most clever threats.
MalwareBytes Anti-Malware
Free ([Link]/3H3fUCV) was
designed specifically to find
and eliminate those cutting-
edge “zero-day” vulnerabilities.
You can’t schedule scans or 4.

86 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 shut down your PC, or even kill processes and
perform math calculations with the right
plug-ins ([Link]/3r2Vt3K). Read Lifehacker’s
superb tutorial ([Link]/3ACASGr) and forget
about your Start menu.

Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid

version?
No. Launchy is another Windows
utility that is unto itself; however, the
developers do accept donations,
and we highly recommend tossing
5. them a few dollars for their work on
this excellent program.
([Link]/3CnDHuk) can walk you through
your options. 6. 7-ZIP
Windows can create and extract ZIP files
5. LAUNCHY natively, but if you find yourself staring at
On the surface, Launchy ([Link]/3r4xJwa) is another compressed archive you’ll need a
a simple app launcher, and that’s swell all on dedicated program to handle it. A lot of
its own! App launchers let you activate them cost money. 7-Zip ([Link]/35jPK0R)
software far
faster than
navigating
Windows, even
if you use the
Windows key
and search for
an app by name.
But Launchy can
do much, much
more: Open any
file or folder in
mere seconds, 6.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 87

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

Windows 7, it’s
incapable of playing
DVDs out of the box
([Link]/3g12dZm).
Your PC might have a
DVD-playing program
installed if you bought a
boxed system, but if
not, the simply
wonderful VLC media
player (fave.
7. co/3rUYx0L) can play
your flicks (and music,
is open-source and free, ready to perform and podcasts, and…) for free. It can even
all your archiving needs from Windows’ play (some) Blu-ray discs with a little fiddling
right-click context menu. You can even ([Link]/3o2UChz).
encrypt 7-Zip archives with a password to
send them securely. Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?
No. VLC is just fantastic, and you won’t find a
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? paid option that justifies its worth compared
No. 7-Zip is great, and paid parallels such as to this free workhorse. You can, however,
WinZip really don’t offer
enough to justify the fee.
If you spend all day
unzipping massive
archive files, maybe a
faster utility like WinZip
([Link]/34coH71) is
worth it. For most of us,
however, 7-zip is fine.

7. VLC
Windows 10 has a
prickly problem: Unlike 8.

88 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

send the VideoLAN
organization a donation as a
thank you for its hard work.

8. [Link]
Don’t let [Link]’s (fave.
co/3r2tQYz) freebie status
fool you: This image editor
may not have all the bells and
whistles of Photoshop, but it
packs everything most people
need (even layer-based 9.
editing) and costs hundreds
of dollars less. We’ve got [Link] tips to help 9. AUDACITY
you get started with this killer no-cost If you need to record or mix audio without
software ([Link]/33L9D0F). spending big bucks on pro software, Audacity
If you’re a graphics professional, and you ([Link]/3o0T2g2) is hands-down the best
can’t afford Photoshop but require more than option. This powerful open-source audio editor
[Link] offers, check out GIMP (fave. offers excellent production capabilities and a
co/33TKn8n). It has a challenging learning dizzying array of buttons and options. Snag it,
curve, but its capabilities are damned then read PCWorld’s Audacity primer (fave.
impressive once you wrap your head around co/3r06sLg) to bone up on the basics.
it. Those aren’t your only options, though.
Check out our roundup of the best free Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?
Photoshop alternatives ([Link]/3o2gglX) for Maybe. Audacity is a powerful tool, but if you’re
more no-cost programs for everything from rising to the level of semi-pro and need a deeper
quick tweaks to nitty-gritty image edits. level of audio editing, Adobe’s Audition CC
([Link]/3KOK27p) for $21 per month might be
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? worth it. Keep in mind, however, that Adobe
Yes. Free image editors are generally great and Audition is a pro tool, not a starter option.
GIMP is looking better than ever. But Adobe’s
hobbyist-level Photoshop Elements at $100 10. REVO UNINSTALLER
([Link]/3E7K5qw) has advanced features that When you delete software using Windows’
you won’t find in the free programs. default uninstallation utility, it can leave a lot

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 89

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

[[Link]/3o155tD] can
loosen its grasp.)

Is it worth it to upgrade
to a paid version?
Yes. Revo Uninstaller only
takes care of the basics. If
you need features like
getting rid of remnants
from previously uninstalled
programs or mass-
uninstalls, then spending
$20 on Revo Uninstaller
Pro ([Link]/3H2Yd6M) or
10. a $20 yearly subscription
to IObit Uninstaller Pro
of remnants behind in weird places, sucking ([Link]/3H6dxiL) is worth it.
up precious storage space. Revo
Uninstaller ([Link]/345VWZQ) wipes out 11. SPACESNIFFER
everything. It’s great. Managing your computer’s storage space is
(Pro tip: If you encounter a program that kind of an all-or-nothing experience.
says it can’t be deleted because it’s currently Windows will tell you how much space is left
in use by your system, IOBit’s free Unlocker on your drive, and that’s it; it’s up to you to
dive into a million
different directories
and clear out the
gunk when you’re
running low on
space. SpaceSniffer
([Link]/3crnCcq;
try not to giggle at
the name) from
Uderzo Software
11. solves this by

90 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

scanning an entire
drive and
presenting your
files and folders in
a visual grid,
which makes it
easy to find “lost”
programs eating
up huge chunks
of your hard drive
space. It’s one of
the five Windows
power tools we
can’t live without 12.
([Link]/34fj9cg).
WinDirStat ([Link]/3KIOXGZ) is another co/3IznuWg), another top-notch free
free program that behaves similarly to program. Still, Recuva has saved my bacon on
SpaceSniffer. If you’re looking to free up some more than one occasion.
space for the latest massive game install,
you’ll want one of these installed on your PC. Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?
Maybe. Recuva helps you recover files, but if
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? you want power user features like virtual hard
Nope. Enough said. drive support and automatic updates, then
the $20 for Recuva Pro ([Link]/3rVtYrS)
12. RECUVA might be worth it.
But what if, on the other hand, you want to
bring a deleted file back to the realm of the 13. SUMATRA PDF
living? Recuva ([Link]/33QmI8N) is a clean, Adobe Reader may be the go-to PDF reader
simple undelete program from Piriform, the for many people, but it’s clunky, constantly
maker of CCleaner. updating, and frequently targeted (fave.
Be warned: Recuva won’t be able to co/3nYZAvu) by malware peddlers. If you
recover all deleted files, and the odds are need only basic functionality, go with Sumatra
even lower if you erased a program with a PDF ([Link]/33TMoBt) instead. Sumatra
secure delete tool like Eraser (fave. lacks the fancy extras found in many

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 91

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

PDFs, watermark, and

annotate them.
If you must have
these advanced
features, check out
PCWorld’s guide to
the best PDF editors
([Link]/3HpAoGI).

14. SPOTIFY
OR iTUNES
Sometimes blasting
13.
tunes is the only thing
that makes slogging
full-featured PDF readers, but when it comes through a spreadsheet or a stuffed inbox
to straight-up reading PDF files, Sumatra PDF remotely tolerable. The exact music client you’ll
is blazingly fast and completely accurate. Oh, want will depend on whether you’ve already
and since it’s less ubiquitous than Adobe’s bought into a service. For musical neophytes I
offering, hackers tend to stay away from recommend two programs: iTunes (fave.
Sumatra PDF. co/3IDywKq) and Spotify ([Link]/3G1JxU8).
The iTunes Windows client notoriously
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? sucks, but it gets the job done—and that job
No. There are paid
PDF readers such
as Adobe’s
Acrobat (fave.
co/32zmimx) or
Wondershare’s
PDFelement (fave.
co/3ABgrKg). But
they offer features
that few people
need such as the
ability to edit 14.

92 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 15.

includes giving you access to a vast universe of home the point: You need strong passwords,
premium music downloads and keeping your and you need a different password for each
iPhone’s music library synced with your PC. site you visit. Rather than juggling dozens of
Spotify is an all-you-can-eat streaming service alphanumeric codes in your noggin,
with millions of top-tier tunes available, all for download a password manager.
free if you don’t mind a few ads. There are several options available, but
our favorite is LastPass ([Link]/32xOQNg), a
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? cloud-based password manager that
Yes. In fact, if my editors let me use “Hell, Yes” generates strong, random passwords and
as an option, I’d say, “Hell, Yes!” You don’t keeps track of your credentials across all your
need to be an audiophile to recognize the devices for free. Dashlane ([Link]/3KHCnrA)
sound difference in the higher-quality versions is another stellar option, but the free version is
Spotify ([Link]/35g33iQ) and Apple Music limited to a single device. PCWorld’s guide to
([Link]/3Ga0BHG) premium subscribers the best password managers (fave.
get, plus no ads and the freedom to listen to co/3lRkfRz) can walk you through all the
your music anywhere? Sold. available options.

15. A PASSWORD MANAGER Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?

The high-profile hack attacks (fave. Yes. Password managers are important tools,
co/3nZ0isE) of the past few years have driven but you need them on all your devices to be

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 93

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

effective, and that means paying for the Google Docs ([Link]/33TNtJx) also rocks.
service. LastPass Premium ([Link]/33Lt61e) is PCWorld’s guide to the best free Microsoft
the cheapest subscription at $24 per year, but Office alternatives ([Link]/3KxJJxG) explains
there’s also 1Password ([Link]/3IKy2lP) and your various options.
Dashlane Premium ([Link]/3KHCnrA).
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version?
16. A PRODUCTIVITY SUITE Maybe. You can get a lot done with
PCs excel at helping you Get Things Done— LibreOffice or Open Office, or even
but few of them ship with a productivity suite Google Docs. But there’s a lot to be said
installed. Fix that, stat! Even if you don’t plan for Microsoft’s subscription service, Office
to use a productivity suite regularly, it’s smart 365 ([Link]/3KKXQzJ), which offers an
to have basic editing capabilities available on added 1TB of OneDrive storage and
your computer. monthly Skype minutes.
Legions of people swear by Microsoft’s
legendary Office; I do, too. But you don’t 17. AUTOHOTKEY
have to drop big dollars on Office if you don’t Macros sure are great in Microsoft Word and
need its myriad bells and whistles. Free—and Excel, aren’t they? AutoHotKey (fave.
good—alternatives abound, with LibreOffice co/3G7r4FA) lets you create customized
([Link]/3nVmyDZ) being the flagship keyboard shortcuts for any program or
free-and-open-source option. The online-only action on your PC. It’s not exactly beginner-
friendly, as
configuring
AutoHotKey
requires some
very basic
scripting, which
most people
will be able to
pick up quickly
enough. It’s
downright
magic once you
figure it out,
16. though.

94 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Is it worth it to
upgrade to a paid
version?
No. Even if you could pay
for a pro version, why
would you? But if you like
keyboard shortcuts,
Vimium (fave.
co/3AGg29d) is another
great free option for
adding keyboard 17.
controls to your browser.
TunnelBear is great, and we think it’s a
18. TUNNELBEAR VPN trustworthy product, but the 500MB monthly
Browsing websites and sending private data limit is so tiny. There are numerous VPNs to
over open Wi-Fi hotspots is just begging for choose from. Check out our roundup of the
hackers to capture the details. Virtual private Best VPNs ([Link]/3FtTTMs) to find the one
networks secure your connection. If you need that suits you. Our current top pick is
to log in to your work website or email at ExpressVPN ([Link]/3nthVRR).
Starbucks, use TunnelBear
([Link]/3G57c61) to
keep your data safe. It’s
fast, easy to use, and has a
straightforward privacy
policy, unlike many VPNs.
The free version is
limited to just 500MB of
data per month, though.

Is it worth it to upgrade
to a paid version?
Yes. This is another one
where “Hell, yes!” would
be appropriate. 18.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 95

FEATURE BEST FREE SOFT WARE FOR A NEW PC

19.

19. FREE GAMES! Origin ([Link]/3KEUPkJ), the Epic Games

All work and no play makes Homer something Store ([Link]/3r29VZB), and Blizzard (fave.
something ([Link]/3rVyE0O)! Valve’s co/3H4MB34) can all satisfy your gaming
outstanding PC game marketplace, Steam needs once the free games aren’t enough.
([Link]/3g0LUMk), makes it easy to shrug off
the stress of the workday and blow off 20. BONUS: BACK UP YOUR
some…well, you know. You’ll find tons of free PC!
games available on Steam, and games are This isn’t an official recommendation
frequently given away free for a limited time. If because the best way to back up your PC for
you want a steady stream of freebies, the rival free ([Link]/3IDHya7) is to use a
Epic Games Store ([Link]/3r29VZB) gives hodgepodge of native Windows utilities and
way a free game or two every single week. no-cost third-party solutions. But backing up
your data is so vital—especially in this rising
Is it worth it to upgrade to a paid version? age of ransomware—that it needs to be
Probably. Free games can only take you so far highlighted here.
before you’re left wanting more. Steam (fave. If the idea of using a mishmash of tools
co/3g0LUMk), GOG ([Link]/3nWYFf1), EA’s makes you wince, check out PCWorld’s guide

96 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 our guide to the best
online backup services
([Link]/3FWaMk6)
for more details.

21. MASTER
YOUR
WINDOWS
10 PC
Now that you’ve
loaded up your PC
with the best free
20. software around, it’s
time to put Windows
to the best Windows backup software (fave. itself to work. Head on over to PCWorld’s
co/3nlNb3Z) for more options. You’re going best Windows 10 tips, tricks, and tweaks
to need some portable storage to stash your guide ([Link]/3qYn6L7) to seize even
bits on, too. PCWorld’s best external drives more control over your PC for the low, low
roundup ([Link]/3n5NlMC) can help there. price of nothing.

Is it worth it to upgrade
to a paid version?
Yes. The best strategy for
backing up your PC isn’t
just throwing your files on
a hard drive over USB.
You also need to have an
online backup, and there
are many services to
choose from, such as
Backblaze (fave.
co/3g4pMQY) and
Carbonite (fave.
co/3IVo94T). Check out
21.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 97

FEATURE

BEST OF
CES 2022:
THE MOST
INTRIGUING AND
INNOVATIVE PC
HARDWARE
98 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGES: CES
CES 2022 WAS HALF PHYSICAL,
HALF VIRTUAL, BUT THE
PARADE OF PC HARDWARE
(AND MORE!) WENT ON.
BY BRAD CHACOS

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 99

FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

ES returned to Las Vegas in 2022, our Best of CES picks—the most intriguing

C but most of the major PC players

decided to stick to the safety of
remote events. The parade of PC
hardware went on regardless. Big names
AMD, Intel, and Nvidia all made splashy
and innovative products we saw. (If you’re
looking for higher-level impressions from the
show, be sure to check out our roundups of 5
laptop trends [see page 16] and 5 monitor
trends that PC enthusiasts can’t ignore [see
announcements, and PC manufacturers page 33].)
followed in their wake with new products,
many coming soon. Peripherals and displays 1. CYBERPOWERPC KINETIC
proved just as exciting. We also witnessed CASE
some deeply interesting reveals that had We’ve seen a lot of PC cases in our time, but
nothing to do with computers whatsoever, none that has the wild take on practicality of
like a chameleon-like color-shifting BMW. CyberPowerPC’s new Kinetic series (fave.
No time to sift through all our CES co/3rV2Mtg). This futuristic case features a
coverage? No set of small, angular panels on its front that
problem! Read automatically open and close to manage
on for airflow. Between the geometric design,
sleek white-and-copper aesthetic, and
mechanical wizardry, it looks like
something straight out of a sci-fi movie.
The company demurely refers to its
design as “intelligent airflow,” but it’s a
hell of a way to stand out in the field of
mid-tower ATX cases.—Alaina Yee

2. DELL XPS 13 PLUS

Dell’s XPS 13 is arguably one of the most
high-profile laptops around thanks to its
history of setting the stage for what all
laptops strive for. For example: Before
the first XPS 13 with InfinityEdge bezels
appeared, all laptops rolled out with
bezels about as ridiculous-looking as
1. bell-bottom corduroy pants.

100 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 The Dell XPS 13
Plus grabs onto
another controversial
design decision with
both hands by ditching
the beloved 3.5mm
analog headset jack.
Dell said it dumped the
jack to save space (also
the reason it ditched
physical function keys),
which lets it stuff way
more hardware
2.
inside.
Obviously,
Dell’s vaunted line once again reaches for everyone will wonder if it’s worth losing that
the brass ring with the new 14-core XPS 13 headset jack and physical F4 key, but we’d
Plus ([Link]/3ItUIXj), which gives off a guess there are plenty of folks that would call
gorgeous and minimalistic look with its those worthy sacrifices to get a 14-core CPU
integrated haptic trackpad. The trackpad is in a laptop weighing less than three pounds.
still there in the central part of the palm rest What we can tell you is that to win big,
but rather than using a conventional piano- you have to take risks, and the XPS 13 Plus
hinge design, it “clicks” similarly to how your swings for the fences like Dell did years ago,
phone shakes. when it basically forced all other laptop
Dell also isn’t shy to take the Internet’s makers to catch up.—Gordon Mah Ung
slings and arrows with the integration
of—well, not a touch bar, but a bar you can 3. ALIENWARE 34 QD-LED
touch to access the function keys striped We’ve seen a few OLED screens aimed at PC
across the top. Sure, the tech press that gamers before, but they’ve generally been
previously lauded Apple’s Touch Bar as repurposed TV panels with a few extra bells
“futuristic” and “smart” is now out in force and whistles (and of course, that lucrative
saying the XPS 13 Plus’ capacitive touch “gamer” branding). Alienware seems to be
function key is a bad idea—but that’s the the first out of the gate with a screen built
fickle press for you. from the ground up with PC gaming in mind.

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FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

This massive 34-inch monitor (fave. In short, while there are bigger and more
co/3KvKHKO) is still tiny by comparison to impressive OLED “monitors” on the show
previous designs, fitting into the popular floor, this is the one I’m going to be extremely
34-inch ultrawide category. tempted to spend (lots and lots) of money on
But it’s not wanting for bells nor in 2022.—Michael Crider
whistles. In addition to the usual RGB
lighting, G-Sync support, and abundance 4. 12TH-GEN INTEL ALDER
of inputs expected from a premium PC LAKE LAPTOP CPUS
gaming monitor, the Alienware QD-OLED We wouldn’t be lying if we said CES 2022’s
34 combines quantum dot technology with bushel of laptop CPUs was an embarrassment
the perfect blacks and vivid colors of OLED of riches, with AMD first announcing Ryzen
for a brighter overall panel, overcoming 6000 mobile CPUs ([Link]/33XB32L) using
some of the technology’s inherent its impressive Zen 3+ cores, and then Intel
weaknesses. It’s a common theme among firing back with its 12th-gen Alder Lake
the new TVs at CES, so it’s great to see that mobile CPUs ([Link]/3IjREg4). What’s
(finally [[Link]/3qN7BWg]) going right better? Well, we don’t honestly know yet, to
into a PC monitor. On top of that you get a be honest. Both lines offer pretty spectacular
speedy 175Hz native refresh rate feature sets ([Link]/3KOR5Np), such as the
(impressive for this size), a new RDNA 2-based GPU cores in AMD’s
USB hub, and a host of Ryzen 6000 processors, which offer twice the
gamer goodies as performance of the older chips. Intel’s CPUs,
well. meanwhile, bring core counts to unheard-of
levels with 3-pound laptops wielding 14
cores on tap.
So you can see our predicament
in trying to pick the best laptop CPU
announcement at CES—everyone’s
a winner! “Best of” awards never
get shared, however, so that
means we have to pick a winner,
and with phaser to our head, we
declare Intel’s 12th-gen Alder
Lake laptop lineup as the best laptop
3. CPU of the show.

102 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 monitors and televisions.
But given world
circumstances right now,
the idea of setting up a
big-screen viewing
experience almost
anywhere hits just right.
Whether you want to
have outdoor movie
nights or make the most
of ultra-tight living
4. quarters, the Samsung
Freestyle can adapt to the
Offering a hybrid architecture with up to situation. It takes the same amount of room as a
six performance cores sitting aside another 8 thermos, can run off of a USB PD power bank,
efficiency cores—a combination expected to and even screws into standard E26 light bulb
offer more than 40 percent increased sockets. No one needs this projector, but I
performance over Intel’s already pretty definitely want one. (Get the full lowdown on
awesome 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPUs—Intel’s the Samsung Freestyle over at TechHive [fave.
12th-gen chips will be very difficult CPUs for co/3G7vBI6], our sister site.)—Alaina Yee
even AMD’s new
Ryzen 6000 series to
unseat in terms of
raw performance.
—Gordon Mah Ung

5. SAMSUNG
FREESTYLE
PORTABLE
PROJECTOR
Projectors may seem
out of fashion these
days, given the
ubiquity of fancy 5.

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FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

6. LENOVO THINKBOOK 7. AMD RADEON RX 6500

PLUS GEN 3 XT
You know what’s better than one display? Two Over three long years after Nvidia’s GeForce
displays. The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 3 RTX 20-series kicked off the real-time ray-
([Link]/33w8UjP) certainly raised some tracing revolution, the first sub-$200 graphics
eyebrows at CES this year due to this rather card capable of handling those beautifully
unusual feature. That said, it’s a cool bit of strenuous lighting effects is finally here—and it
hardware that makes multitasking a whole lot came from AMD, not Nvidia. The Radeon RX
easier. The secondary display, which lives on 6500 XT ([Link]/35v7vut) is a humble $199
the right side of the keyboard, is 8 inches with desktop GPU pitched more as a budget
a resolution of 800 by 1280. The screen is successor to the popular Radeon RX 570 than
made of glass and touch-enabled, and it allows a true ray-tracing powerhouse, but flipping on
you to quickly access apps like Microsoft AMD’s new Radeon Super Resolution feature
Outlook or Edge. It’s a great productivity ([Link]/3Kyi5AT), which will speed up
machine for business professionals performance in all your games, should help
looking to get some serious work pick up the slack.
done, that’s for sure. The sheer fact that a $199 graphics
—Ashley Biancuzzo card exists in the midst of a severe GPU
drought is worth cheering, and since
AMD outfitted the 6500 XT with 4GB of
RAM, it can’t be used to mine
Ethereum ([Link]/3GVju27)—the
primary cryptocurrency helping
to drive up graphics card
costs. Time will tell if you’ll
actually be able to get
your hands on one of
these for around its sticker
price, but I’d wager you’ll
probably have a lot better odds of
finding a Radeon RX 6500 XT in stores than
Nvidia’s newly announced $249 RTX 3050,
whose juicy 8GB memory buffer puts it
6. squarely in the sights of miners. The Radeon

104 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 move ever, akin to casually
drinking from a diamond-
encrusted Evian bottle while
surrounded by masses of
people dying of thirst. If you
were offended by it, though,
you’re missing the whole
point of the GeForce RTX
3090 Ti’s existence in the
first place.
Coming as the
replacement for a card so
luxurious that most reviewers
7. said to skip it (ourselves
included [[Link]/3wPpJAn]),
RX 6500 XT could be just what desperate PC the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti does two things: It
gamers need in 2022. Fingers crossed. gives those trying to scrimp by on $200
—Brad Chacos million NBA Super Max contracts something
to buy to replace their old GeForce RTX 3090
8. NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX with, and it flexes muscles in AMD’s and—
3090 TI more importantly to Nvidia—Intel’s face in a
In a world where gamers are grateful to buy year in which we’re likely to see a GPU cat
four-year-old used
GPUs at their
original list price,
Nvidia’s mic-drop
reveal of the
GeForce RTX 3090
Ti ([Link]/3IqtAsg)
(it’s pronounced
“tie”) felt like a slap
to everyone’s face.
It’s also, frankly, the
most gangster 8.

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FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

fight the likes of which we’ve never seen application of dye (the two biggest issues for
before. So while the 3090 Ti may not be the DIYers). You simply choose one of 40 shades,
best GPU at CES (that honor goes to the load in the cartridge from the haircolor kit,
Radeon 6500 XT), it’s definitely the best and then brush the device through your hair
BFGPU at CES.—Gordon Mah Ung for dye application. We’ll see how effective
this product will be for dark hair (which
9. L’OREAL COLORSONIC typically needs to be bleached first), but color
Back when CES used to be something we me intrigued.—Alaina Yee
visited in person, I got pitched my fair share of
beauty-tech products. But unlike the “magic 10. ALIENWARE X14
mirror” products of yore, which showcased We never owned Alienware’s original
cool tech but didn’t actually solve a netbook-size gaming laptop, the M14x, and
widespread problem, the L’Oreal Colorsonic to this day we still pine about the “one that
([Link]/3G7wgt4) piqued my curiosity in the got away.” But maybe—just maybe—we’ll
same way that innovations in PC cases and have our chance again to own an ultra-
smart home products did—it’s tech that aims portable gaming notebook, as the new
to eliminate common hassles. Alienware x14 ([Link]/33XyxtI) claims the
L’Oreal says this hair-dyeing wand title of being the “thinnest gaming laptop in
simplifies the process of at-home coloring by the world.”
making it far less messy and ensuring even Yeah, we know, you wrinkle your nose at
“thin laptops,” but
nothing motivates
sales like a thin
laptop, while also
challenging
engineers to make
faster laptops with
increasingly limited
amounts of space.
Alienware’s x14
measures a mere
12.66×10.4 inches at
just 0.57 inches (or
9. 14.5 mm) thick. How

106 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 heritage. Sure, to get
there you have to use
soldered-down
LPDDR5/5200 RAM,
but that also helps with
battery life on a laptop
that you likely won’t
mind actually carrying
in your really thin bag.
—Gordon Mah Ung

11. AMD
RYZEN 7
5800X3D
10.
Like the news
about laptop
thin is that? Most gaming laptops chest- CPUs, the desktop CPU news at CES was
pound for being 19.5 mm, so the x14 is 25 beefy, with Intel filling out its entire desktop
percent thinner. In fact, the Alienware x14 lineup of 12th-gen CPUs ([Link]/3KtkrAX),
“out-thins” Apple’s new MacBook Pro 14 by a from $42 budget chips to the non-K CPUs
whole millimeter. most people buy. Intel closed off with news
Despite its small stature, the
x14 packs in plenty of
hardware, with up to a 14-core
12th-gen Core i7 cooled with
Alienware’s Element 31 thermal
interface, and a GeForce RTX
3060 6GB GPU along with a
144Hz FHD panel and G-Sync
plus Optimus Advanced.
While other thin gaming
laptops have tended to tone
down the gamer aesthetic to
go “legit,” the x14 embraces its 11.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 107

FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

and a demo of a special-edition KS chip that Ryzen 7000 is sexy and Alder Lake’s full roster
can run all of its performance cores at 5GHz is exciting, but the value of a “fastest gaming
while gaming. AMD, likewise, talked up its CPU” sticker on the box is going to make
next-gen Ryzen 7000 processors due in the most consumers gooey inside and easily
second half of the year—which can also run qualifies as the best desktop CPU
games with all cores at 5GHz. The CPU that announcement at CES.—Gordon Mah Ung
might have the most impact for gamers,
however, was AMD’s Ryzen 7 5800X3D 12. BMW iX FLOW
([Link]/3qNUtAh), which packs 64MB of BMW’s iX Flow is a concept, but one that
high-performance L3 cache on top of an should be familiar to PC users. What would
8-core Ryzen 7 5800 die (hence the “3D” in happen if you took an ordinary BMW SUV and
the name). instead replaced the “paint” with a bunch of
That cache, AMD says, is just what games E-Ink panels? The result is the BMW iX Flow,
love, and will boost the Ryzen 7 5800X3D to which can change colors on the fly. Since
gaming performance at and above that of they’re E-Ink, you can only switch between
Intel’s top-end Core i9-12900K chip (fave. black, white, and limitless combinations of
co/3FgvPfZ). It’s so fast that AMD laid claim gray, black, or various patterns, but it’s simply
to its being the “fastest gaming CPU.” Sure, way cool.—Mark Hachman

12.

108 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 needed, using all the
same peripherals,
without adding any
extra clutter—in the
form of a standalone
dock ([Link]/3vtA0BE)
or switcher—to my
already-cluttered desk.
Shoot, you could
possibly even daisy-
chain a second
monitor. At the same
time, the UltraSharp’s
dock would be
keeping my laptop
charged without the need for its own
13. power cable. How great is that? Ports
include DisplayPort 1.4, USB-A ports,
13. DELL ULTRASHARP 32 4K 10Gbps USB-C connections, an RJ45 port for
This seems so obvious I’m surprised it hasn’t Ethernet, and audio. It even has a built-in
been done before: The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K webcam.—Katherine Stevenson
is a desktop monitor that doubles as a
Thunderbolt I/O dock ([Link]/3r3sL2L). 14. ACER PREDATOR TRITON
Maybe it just strikes me as particularly genius 500 SE
now that I’m working from home more often Acer’s Predator Triton 500 SE (fave.
than not and finding myself regularly moving co/3fMxuPE) strikes a balance between work
between my personal desktop and my work and play, something that will hopefully
laptop, while having just one large monitor become a trend in the future. Why have a
and one desk between them. gaming laptop and a productivity laptop
With the UltraSharp 32 4K, I could when one notebook can do both? Sure,
connect both machines to my 3240×2160 there’s a powerful 12th-gen Core and an
IPS display, as well as my mouse and Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti GPU inside, but the real
keyboard, and use the KVM switching feature story is the workmanlike exterior and lack of
to seamlessly move between the two PCs as RGB bling. Long battery life, a high-res

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 109

FEATURE BEST OF CES 2022

My favorite, though? The TP-Link

AXE11000 Tri-Band Archer AXE200
Omni ([Link]/3u2sT4u), and for a
very, very dumb reason: It features
mechanically self-adjusting arms
that have a practical purpose—
maximizing throughput from this
ultra-fast router—but, just as
important, look absolutely badass.
As Wes Davis put it in his
coverage, the whirling robo-arm
setup “delights me—as
someone who grew up with
14. an ’80s family-friendly sci-fi–
fueled vision of the future
display, and gaming chops—now that’s a wherein all houses are full of whirring gizmos
trend we like to see.—Mark Hachman with superfluously rotating, undulating,
oscillating whatsits and doodads—on a purely
15. TP-LINK AXE11000 superficial level.” And as a simple man who
TRI-BAND ARCHER likes simple pleasures, all I can say is amen,
AXE200 OMNI brother.—Brad Chacos
Routers packing Wi-Fi 6E—the cutting-
edge networking standard worth
investing in ([Link]/3GOiLzJ)—showed
up in force at CES 2022 after sticking
mostly to rare, high-end models in
2021. We saw Wi-Fi 6E routers
rolled out by Netgear (fave.
co/3r2mxzT), TP-Link (fave.
co/3tW2hlw), Asus ROG (fave.
co/3KNRLmr), and even Comcast
([Link]/3H6mpoz) at the show,
every one featuring blazing-fast
speeds and killer next-gen features. 15.

110 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 17. LENOVO
LEGION 5I PRO
With its glacial-white chassis
and barely-there bezels, the
Lenovo Legion 5i Pro (fave.
co/3r3txNd) is sure to turn
heads. The minimalistic,
sophisticated aesthetic is a most
welcome departure from the
traditional gamer look. But it’s
16. more than just a pretty face. The
2960-by-1600-resolution IPS display
16. LG C2 42-INCH OLED TV features a lightning-fast adaptive refresh rate
Prior to LG’s announcement this week, using of 240Hz. The sky-high refresh rate is a major
an OLED television as a monitor meant going selling point, as it means smoother gameplay.
big—displays started at 48 inches and only The laptop is also driven by a 12th-gen Intel
went up from there. Having one sitting just a Core processor and RTX graphics. If it’s
couple of feet from your face was borderline power you’re looking for, the Legion 5i Pro
unwieldy. The upcoming 42-inch version of should have everything you need.
the LG C2 doesn’t sound all that much —Ashley Biancuzzo
smaller, but the six-inch difference should
make desk usage feel far more
comfortable. And at that close distance,
you’ll be able to properly enjoy OLED’s
deep black levels in all of your favorite
dark, moody games and movies. The only
bummer about LG’s announcement is that
the 42-inch and 48-inch version of the C2
lack the brighter EVO panels of their
larger siblings. (For more info on the LG
C2 lineup and other OLED TV
announcements from CES, head over
to our sister site TechHive [fave.
co/34a1wdy].)—Alaina Yee 17.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 111

#Dadication

[Link]
Here’s How HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN,
AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR

How to configure your

Chromebook for ultimate security
Chrome OS is already tops at security, but with a few extra tweaks you can ensure the
gates are even more secure. BY IAN PAUL & DEREK WALTER

hromebooks are fantastic PCs for internet wanderings or prevent your every

C people who just need the basics

and a computer that doesn’t
require a lot of maintenance.
Because of that philosophy, a Chromebook is
already an ultra-secure computer straight out
online action from contributing to an
advertising profile.
You may share a Chromebook with others
or desire a setup that’s protected against the
latest security threats. Perhaps it’s time for a
of the box. little de-Googling ([Link]/3IzafFc) in your
But you can always do more, particularly life, as the giant from Mountain View can
if you want to minimize traces of your collect a lot of information about you.

IMAGE: ACER FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 113

HERE’S HOW CONFIGURE YOUR CHROMEBOOK FOR SECURIT Y

Whatever your reasons, here are some have a solid password and use two-factor
ways to fortify your Chromebook’s security authentication.
and privacy. Google now makes two-factor
authentication extremely easy via Google
OWN YOUR GOOGLE prompts. Instead of getting a code from an
SECURITY authentication app, Google’s prompts throw
Chrome OS benefits from Google’s ongoing up an alert on your mobile devices running
security efforts to identify malicious websites Android or iOS (iPhone 5S and up). You can
and sandbox each browser tab so one site then authorize signing in to your Google
can’t take down your whole computer. account by simply tapping Yes on your phone.
Good security, however, includes you Another alternative is to use a security key
and how you manage your own data. In this such as YubiKey to sign in. This can also be
case, it means ensuring that you’ve assigned as a two-factor backup if your phone
properly secured your own Google isn’t nearby. You can set up security keys in
account. Your Google Account is the major the two-factor authentication section of your
gate to your Chromebook, so you should Google Account ([Link]/3AydE49).
One thing you
definitely don’t want to
do is use text or voice
messages as two-factor
authentication. Text
messages aren’t
encrypted, you can easily
get phished, and the
phone company can be
fooled into transferring
your phone number to an
attacker. If you are using
SMS authentication, turn
it off in the two-factor
authentication section
linked above.
Google Prompts are an easy way to add two-factor authentication to If you want a little
your Google Account. more convenience for

114 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

sign-in, however,
a Chromebook
can also use your
phone as
authentication
instead of a
password.
Anytime your
phone is located
near your
Chromebook, it
will just
automatically Chromebook’s built-in security options let you manage who uses your device.
unlock. That’s a
nice convenience feature, but it may not be then enter their Google Account email
desirable for some scenarios. If you want to address. It’s also a good idea to deactivate
set this up, go to Settings > Connected the Enable Guest browsing option on this
Devices > Android phone > Set up, and then page for maximum user restriction.
follow the instructions. If any of the people on your device are
In your Chromebook settings, you can also children, you can enable Google’s
also tweak a number of different features. parental controls by going to Settings >
For maximum security, restrict sign-in to just Accounts > Parental Controls. Click Set up
your account. This means no one else can and follow the instructions.
sign in and use your Chromebook—nosy If you’re going to loan your Chromebook
relatives or miscreant youth will be denied to someone else or plan to resell it, there’s a
at every turn. very easy method to wipe your data from the
If others are determined to use your device. Use the Powerwash feature in
Chromebook, you can at least assert a little Settings > Advanced > Reset settings >
more control by allowing only specific Powerwash > Reset.
Google accounts to use your device. To start, Resetting a Chromebook is different from
go to Settings > Security and Privacy > doing this to a Windows PC since
Manage other people and then activate the Chromebooks largely leave all important files
option that says “Restrict sign-in to the in the cloud. You’ll still want to check if you
following users.” Next, click Add user, and have any unique files saved to your laptop,

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HERE’S HOW CONFIGURE YOUR CHROMEBOOK FOR SECURIT Y

but with 32GB to 64GB of storage it’s not like secure HTTPS (the lock symbol) connection
you can have that many in the first place. when available on sites you visit. HTTPS
Everywhere isn’t as necessary as it once was
LEAVE NO TRACE thanks to Google. The search giant basically
You’ve probably had the experience of forced any HTTPS holdouts to enable the
checking out, say, a new tent on Amazon, security feature through warnings in Chrome
and then suddenly ads for that shelter ([Link]/3KHQvkM), as well as considering it
appear on every site you visit—even after as a factor for search rankings (fave.
you’ve bought it. co/3Awq6Sa).
You can stop the madness with privacy- Nevertheless, you will run across non-
focused extensions like Privacy Badger (fave. secure sites that don’t default to HTTPS, and
co/3KTJCwT), an extension from the this extension can help. If the site doesn’t
Electronic Frontier Foundation, and uBlock have an HTTPS option at all, however, this
Origin ([Link]/32yqzqs). The latter is an extension won’t help—site owners need to
explicit ad blocker, while the EFF extension is enable it and acquire an SSL/TSL certificate.
focused on blocking trackers. Both allow you Also, keep a careful eye on your
to whitelist specific sites if you need to. extensions. Google is better at vetting the
Another helpful extension from the EFF ones you can install in Chrome. Nevertheless,
privacy advocates is HTTPS Everywhere (fave. it’s still best to stick to well-known extensions.
co/3G3ABxk), an extension that forces a Check the reviews in the Chrome Web Store
as well to see
what others
have to say.
Finally,
you can also
use a VPN.
Although a
VPN won’t
protect you
from prying
advertisers (or
Google or
Facebook), it
UBlock Origin at work on a Chromebook. can shield

116 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

your activity from
your internet
service provider
(if that’s a concern
for you), as well as
add an extra layer
of security when
using public Wi-Fi
networks.
Our favorite
VPN provider for
privacy and
security is Chrome OS lets you change your default search engine.
Mullvad (fave.
co/3Cywibv), but we have tons of other Another alternative is to use Chrome’s
recommendations as well in our best VPNs Guest Mode, which enables you to browse
roundup ([Link]/3FtTTMs). with Chrome without attaching any of the
history to your Google account. All you
BACK OFF ON GOOGLE need to do is sign out of your current session
Maybe you want to give Google a little less and log in as a guest (unless you disabled it
information to have on you (all those details in the previous step). It’s perfect for when
can lead to some interesting results). One you don’t want your browsing history to
solution is to switch your default search follow you around for all time, though this
provider to DuckDuckGo. It’s a privacy- feature does allow others to log in to your
focused search engine that doesn’t track your device and use it.
search history. Finally, just like with Chrome on Windows
To do this, go to DuckDuckGo, right-click or macOS, Chrome OS has an incognito
in the address bar, and select Edit Search mode where Chrome promises not to track or
Engines. Then, from the list of “Other search record your online activity in any way when
engines,” click the three vertical lines next to using it.
DuckDuckGo and select “Make default.”
Now when you type a search query in GOING DARKER
Chrome, it will be powered by the quacky You can further minimize Google’s hold on
search engine that keeps your secrets safe. your personal information by turning off

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HERE’S HOW CONFIGURE YOUR CHROMEBOOK FOR SECURIT Y

autofill and adjusting automatic sync in To continue our journey, open the
Chrome. While the autofill feature is definitely Chrome OS settings app and go to Settings >
convenient, you may not want to have this Accounts > Sync and Google services. Under
feature at the ready to put in your name, “Other Google services” turn off the
address, email, and more in online forms. As following: “Autocomplete searches and
for sync, we’ll make it more secure since URLs,” “Help improve Chrome’s features and
killing it off means your search browsing performance,” “Make searches and browsing
history, bookmarks, and other preferences better,” and “Enhanced spell check.” You can
will remain local to that machine, which is not also turn off Google Drive search
particularly convenient. suggestions, but if you’ve already got your
To deal with Autofill you need to adjust documents in Google Drive, well… ¯\_( )_/¯.
the settings in Chrome itself by entering Next, let’s bump up your Google Sync
FKURPHVHWWLQJVDXWRÀOO in the settings in order to keep syncing but make
browser’s address bar. Here, you can turn off your data more private. To do this go to
the settings for Chrome that offer to Settings > Accounts > Sync and Google
remember or fill in passwords, payment services again. Under “Encryption options”
methods, and addresses. If you want this select the radio button for encrypting with
feature but don’t want Google to handle your own passphrase. The catch here is that
them, a password manager with a Chrome you’ll have to remember your passphrase,
extension can take care of this for you. Check but that’s easily solved if you have a
out our roundup of the best paid ([Link]/ password manager.
3lRkfRz) and free password managers (fave. Let’s also turn off one final key feature—
co/3nT9nDq) to find one that’s right for you. namely, Google Assistant. Go to Security >
Search and
Assistant >
Google
Assistant. If
you just want
to forget the
whole thing,
turn the slider
at the top of
the screen to
You can turn off the settings for Chrome that offer to remember or fill in passwords. Off. If you

118 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

want to keep
Google Assistant
activated, then at
the very least turn
off “Screen
context,” which
allows Google
Assistant to take a
screenshot of
your display when
you ask
questions. I
mean, what? And Google Assistant can be turned off and adjusted in Settings.
if you don’t want
to use voice activation, then you can turn off OpenDNS, then enter [Link] or
“Hey Google” using the drop-down menu on [Link] in the first two boxes. Or if
this screen. you want to use Family Shield DNS (fave.
To go even deeper into the privacy co/3ICoTf2), which blocks adult content use,
woods, you can switch up your DNS server enter [Link] and [Link].
to a provider that won’t log or retain these Now you can close this up, and you’re all set.
lookups. By default, your administrator or If you want to be extra sure you’re using the
internet service provider may retain this new DNS, you could disconnect and
information. reconnect to Wi-Fi, but it’s not necessary.
To change the DNS settings on your DNS settings are configured on a per-
Chromebook, first head to the Chrome connection basis. If you use multiple networks
menu, choose Settings > Network, and select regularly, then you’ll have to edit the DNS
your active Wi-Fi connection. settings for each one to use your new DNS
Next scroll down to the Network tab and servers on it.
choose the radio button labeled “Custom While your Chromebook is already about
name servers.” Four text entry boxes will as secure a computer as you can get, it can’t
appear below the button. Now it’s just a hurt to go the extra mile. With a few strategic
matter of choosing your DNS provider. There moves, your Chromebook and your Google
are a number of free services such as Account will be better protected against
OpenDNS or DNS Watch. If you use many of the dangers lurking on the web.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 119

HERE’S HOW

7 ways Microsoft’s PowerToys

enhance your PC experience
This collection of free utilities for Windows is a toolbelt to accomplish common tasks.
BY MARK HACHMAN

ou probably have a “tool drawer” Windows tools that perform specialized tasks

Y in your house or apartment with a

wrench, a few screwdrivers, and
some other tools for simple home
projects. That’s exactly what PowerToys
is—just for Windows.
to improve your life. Some can be extremely
powerful. I will show you a number of ways I
use Microsoft’s PowerToys within Windows 10
and 11 as examples for you to accomplish
more, too.
Microsoft’s PowerToys debuted more For those who want to dive into the code,
than two years ago ([Link]/3n44Fl3), you can visit PowerToys’ GitHub page (fave.
evolving from a single utility to an even dozen co/349ru12). But if you simply want to

120 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: UNSPLASH

download and use PowerToys, there are two needing to manage the Windows Power &
simple ways: Sleep settings.
• Download PowerToys from the Color Picker: ([Link]/3H3jgWD) Want
Windows Store ([Link]/3KGaQXA), or to know the exact color of an image
• Use WinGet: Open PowerShell from the underneath your cursor? Color Picker will
Start menu and type in or copy this code: identify and even copy it.
winget install Microsoft. FancyZones: ([Link]/3HgGuJf) The
PowerToys -s winget original PowerToy. Arrange and snap your
Either way, you’ll end up with a small utility windows into a variety of arrangements on
that will live in your Taskbar. At any time, you your screen.
can click on it to open its Settings menu and File Explorer add-ons: (fave.
play around with the various tools. Each co/3nWPwmG) This beefs up File Explorer,
PowerToy offers a ton of configurability— allowing you to preview file types like PDF
that’s the whole point!—but the basic documents and SVG images without a
functions are simple enough that you should separate editor.
be able to easily grok what each does. And Image Resizer: ([Link]/3o0cEkn) A
each PowerToy has a master on-off switch, so simple way to resize images without needing
you can disable each if you don’t need to run a separate photo editor to do so.
it. (This isn’t necessary, but it’s an option.) Keyboard Manager: (fave.
co/3FZyeM7) Remap your keyboard’s keys,
WHAT ARE MICROSOFT’S including keyboard shortcuts, simply
POWERTOYS? and quickly.
Here’s a list of each PowerToy and what
it does. We’ve linked each to
Microsoft’s per-tool support document,
which goes into more detail on how
they can be used.
Always on Top: ([Link]/348I7cV)
While you can use whatever app you
want, Always on Top prevents Windows
from burying an app underneath
another window.
Awake: ([Link]/3qYNioX) Your PC
will stay awake at full power, without

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HERE’S HOW POWERTOYS ENHANCE YOUR PC EXPERIENCE

Mouse Utilities: ([Link]/3rRT36X) 2. Quickly label vacation photos

Though called “Mouse Utilities,” this is with PowerRename
essentially a shortcut to the “Find My Mouse” You probably don’t want to micromanage
utility we’ll explain below. vacation and event photos, and I don’t
PowerRename: ([Link]/3G1wMZJ) either. But cloud services aren’t great at
If you want to search for and then highlight and grouping photos by anything besides
batch-rename a number of files, this is the utility. location and the time they were shot. With
PowerToys Run: ([Link]/3qZIQq1) PowerRename, you can go into OneDrive,
PowerToys Run is a quick launcher for apps lasso a group of photos with your mouse,
and files. It supplements the Start menu. and PowerRename them something simple,
Shortcut Guide: ([Link]/349sthK) such as EricElaineWedding. The tool will
If you’ve forgotten all of the available assign each photo its own unique name,
Windows shortcuts that use the Windows key, such as EricElaineWedding4. In this way you
this utility lists them. can avoid having to create special folders
Video Conference Mute: (fave. for each event, and the process takes just
co/3H4GQCC) This is a quick shortcut to turn a few seconds—once you know what you’re
off your mic and camera. doing.
PowerRename works more like a find
HOW POWERTOYS CAN and replace for filenames than anything
IMPROVE YOUR LIFE else, though you can use a wildcard (*) like
Here are several quick ways PowerToys I did in the example shown to accomplish
improve my productivity:

1. Keep a calculator or other

app Always on Top
Occasionally, I’ll have to run a few quick
calculations on benchmark data, some
of which I may not have programmed
Excel to accommodate. If I need to
enter the data somewhere else, the
Calculator app can get buried behind
the other window. Always on Top
prevents that from happening, which is 1.
far more useful than you might think. You can put one or more apps Always on Top.

122 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 4. Image Resize photos for
publication
Taking, editing, and publishing
photos is part of my job, and
the photos I take are large
enough for publication. That’s
not always the case for vendor
photos, which might not meet
the minimum size our content
management system requires. I
finally set up a custom Image
Resizer configuration so I can
2. quickly resize photos, and then
upload exactly what I need to
my task. (I used Surface shots, rather than meet a deadline.
the actual wedding, to preserve the The only annoying aspect of this is that
attendees’ privacy.) “Image resize” isn’t in the main drop-down
menu that appears when you right-click a file
3. Keep my PC Awake while in Windows 11. You’ll need to go into the
downloading games “Show more options” menu at the bottom,
California’s electric utility charges an arm and from there to the submenu. It’s much
and a leg for electricity, and our home more convenient in Windows 10.
doesn’t have solar, yet. We also pay for
a midtier broadband connection. There
have been times that I want to leave a
computer on to download a game or
two, without tweaking Windows’
power and sleep settings. I simply
check the estimated time to download
the game, and then flip Awake on for
that amount of time via the tool’s
settings, along with the option to turn
off the screens. The game downloads
and then my PC goes back to sleep. 4.

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HERE’S HOW POWERTOYS ENHANCE YOUR PC EXPERIENCE

key into your muscle

memory (alongside Ctrl-V,
say) triggers Find
My Mouse. It just takes a
second and gets you
back on track.

7. FancyZones is
a power version
of Windows Snap
Weirdly, I don’t use
FancyZones—once the
reason to use PowerToys
A spotlight “zooms in” on your cursor, which looks a lot better in ([Link]/3n44Fl3)—as much
reality than in a screenshot. as I used to, if only because
Windows 11 basically has a
[Link] yourself in a videoconference simplified version of FancyZones built right in.
with Video Conference Mute But if you’re on Windows 10, FancyZones is
Being part of a global media organization incredible. You can organize windows
means that meetings aren’t always scheduled however you’d like, tweak and resize them as
at the most convenient times for my time you’d like, and the window “zones” will
zone. Sometimes I’m forced to listen in on remain in place. It’s an absolutely fantastic
an early morning Zoom or Teams call, where way of working, and arguably one of the
my presence is required, but not necessarily strongest selling points of Windows 11. Below
my participation. With the Video is the how-to video we shot in the early days
Conference Mute shortcut, I can be sure of PowerToys.
that any mics and cameras are off. The bottom line: PowerToys is free,
convenient, and available to Windows
6. Find My Mouse users. It’s a must-have, and it just keeps
I’m a big believer in using multiple monitors getting better.
to maximize productivity, and sometimes
even doing something like wiggling the VIDEO: HOW TO USE
mouse won’t make the cursor’s location FANCY ZONES
Watch now at [Link]/3rQ27cO
obvious. Plugging a double-tap of the left Ctrl

124 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Can’t buy a new GPU? Here’s how
to make your graphics card faster
Level up without spending up. BY THIAGO TREVISAN

PUs are a blazing hot commodity thing you’ll want to do is remove it from your

G right now. If you’re unable to get

your hands on a new one due to
the shortages, don’t fret. There
are quite a few things you can do to make your
old GPU feel new again. Let’s make it cleaner,
case and give it a good cleaning. This will
involve removing built up dust. Were your
GPU cables messy? Clean those up, too. This
will go a long way in improving thermals now
that the dust is gone and the airflow path is
quieter, and cooler, and extract more frames cleared. A neat system cabling process will
per second from those games! help avoid cables touching your GPU fans,
too. Be gentle and take precautions with
CLEAN UP YOUR static, though.
HARDWARE Stock Cooler: Now let’s take it a step
Before we get to the software tweaks, let’s further. If you’re comfortable taking the stock
talk about the physical GPU itself. The first cooler apart, there are two things you can do to

IMAGE: PIXABAY FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 125

HERE’S HOW MAKE A GR APHICS CARD FASTER

improve your GPU.

Depending on the age, it
may be beneficial to
reapply the thermal paste
on the GPU itself and even
update some of the
thermal pads. These can
be easily purchased online
but make sure to use the
correct sizes and heights
to avoid contact issues.
Water Block: You
can even add a water block to your GPU. This NVME drive can also speed up load times
is a fun process, but not all GPUs will have and general system performance, too. Your
appropriate water blocks available for them. If RAM doesn’t have to be the latest DDR5, but
you’re successful, however, you’ll enjoy much make sure you have at least enough for
lower temperatures and noise levels. This will gaming. We recommend 16GB for most
give you more headroom for overclocking, gaming use cases.
too. It will feel like an entirely new GPU
afterwards! For older GPUs, check out online MIND YOUR GAME
selling groups or eBay to find a good deal on SETTINGS!
a compatible water block. Yes, everybody likes the idea of ultra-graphics
If you don’t want to go the full water block settings. Yes, it’s also the first setting I try
route, optimizing the airflow in your case can tweaking when I need more performance on
also go a long way to improve thermals on a new game. Why? Well, it’s ultra-interesting.
your GPU. Adding a few fans can allow your I quickly regret it when I see how much better
GPU to clock higher while keeping those a lower setting performs while not giving up
noisy fans quiet. Read our article on optimiz- much in terms of graphics. Don’t be afraid to
ing case and fan airflow ([Link]/3rjjpA0). lower the graphic presets on some games if
Third tip: Be mindful of other hardware your GPU is struggling. Ultra is often the land
system bottlenecks. If you’re gaming at of diminishing returns with a high-
1080p, a CPU upgrade may help your FPS performance penalty for minimal gain. Here
performance in games with your older GPU. are some other settings to be aware of that
Making sure you’re running a fast SSD or can have a large performance affect.

126 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

 Adjust the resolution: Gaming at your Automatic graphics settings
monitor’s native resolution is preferred, but optimizations: Nvidia’s GeForce
some games do offer the ability to either Experience software can optimize your
lower or raise the resolution by a games for you, giving you settings it thinks
percentage. However, raising it will often will run best with your GPU. Many games
exact a heavy performance penalty, so only also offer automatic detection of hardware
do it if you have the headroom. Lowering and optimizations, but your results may vary.
the resolution may be effective in achieving We recommend trying these out if you’re
higher FPS at the cost of some sharpness. unsure what settings to tweak, and going
This will likely be more effective in fast- back and adjusting what works for you after
paced e-sport titles where performance is you’ve gotten some feedback from your
preferred over visuals. gaming session.
Antialiasing, Temporal, Monitor and Refresh settings: Don’t
Multisample: Settings such as FXAA, TAA, forget to match the refresh rate of your
and MSAA serve to make your graphics monitor to your Windows settings, which can
more polished by removing rougher edges. be done in the display settings or Nvidia’s
They can decrease FPS, however, so use Control Panel. If you’re using a high refresh
them sparingly if you want to maintain rate monitor like a 144hz, this will help even
better performance. older GPUs look smoother on screen if they
While these may be the “cherry on top” if go above 60 FPS in games. Nvidia G Sync or
you’re already enjoying ultra-graphics, they AMD Free Sync technology can also help
won’t help if you’re trying to keep your old smooth out the action if you aren’t able to hit
GPU competitive. Even if you turn off or your monitors refresh rate, too. (Read more
lower these settings, you won’t typically about monitor refresh rates in Ashley
notice a huge difference visually. Depth of Biancuzzo’s article [[Link]/3H2YNS3]).
field and ambient occlusion can also be If you’re gaming at 1440p or 4k and your
lowered for better performance with some older GPU is struggling, consider downgrading
reduction in your environment visuals. to a 1080p monitor until the current GPU
DirectX11 and DirectX12: Some market improves. You’ll likely not notice a big
games will give you the option of running difference in visuals. You’ll notice higher FPS
either. Some games may have much better numbers at 1080p, which is less taxing on your
performance on your hardware, so GPU. Also, 1080p monitors have come down
remember to experiment with these to find in price considerably and many offer great
the best route. features and improved LCD panels.

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HERE’S HOW MAKE A GR APHICS CARD FASTER

PCIE RESIZABLE
BAR AND AMD SAM
If you own a very modern PC,
using hardware released over
the last year or two, it may
support a performance-
boosting technology called
PCIe Resizable BAR, or AMD
Smart Access Memory. These
give your system’s CPU full
access to your GPU’s memory,
which can make some games PCIe Resizable BAR can make some games run faster.
run faster.
The actual performance boost varies from old GPU look good, however. Ray tracing can
game to game, GPU to GPU, and even boggle even the latest RTX 3090 in many
resolution to resolution, but depending on games if not used in conjunction with DLSS.
your specific setup the uplift ranges from If you’re on a lower-powered GPU, it’s
negligible to substantial. One thing is best to steer clear of ray tracing, as its lighting
certain, though: If your hardware supports effects are pumped up to the max. This means
PCIe ReBAR or AMD SAM, you should huge performance drops, which can be
enable it. Check out our guide to PCIe mitigated by DLSS or FSR. These are the AI or
Resizable BAR ([Link]/3aReZar) for all the intelligent scaling of your game while trying to
info you need to know. keep performance consistent with the
improved graphics.
RAY TRACING AND NVIDIA But here’s the thing: You can use these
DLSS, AMD FSR technologies separately from ray tracing and
Here’s another thing you should be aware of: you’ll get a nice performance boost from
ray tracing coupled with either Nvidia’s Deep DLSS or FSR. Activating these options is easy.
Learning Super Sampling or AMD’s FidelityFX You can find them in the graphics menu of
Super Resolution. Ray tracing will typically be supported titles.
most effective on new RTX 3000 GPUs and If you’re using an AMD GPU, Radeon
some AMD RX 6000 ([Link]/3nquWvm), but Boost can also help you achieve better
it can also work on older GeForce RTX 20 performance by adjusting resolution
series models. It’s not ideal for making your dependent on what’s happening on your

128 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

screen. (We have more Radeon tips [fave. so be conservative at first and stress-test
co/3H2Znzd].) with your favorite game or benchmarking
suite. We’d recommend beginners simply
OVERCLOCKING AND raise the power limit at first, which can often
UNDERVOLTING result in your GPU boosting higher by itself.
Overclocking your GPU, especially in Settings will vary by each GPU, so you’ll
combination with the tips above, can garner have to put your research hat on and see
some nice performance gains. If you’re what settings have worked for other people
hesitant to manually overclock, check out our on similar hardware.
article on Nvidia’s automatic overclocking Undervolting ([Link]/3AwvaWy) often
tools ([Link]/32bk5O1). goes hand in hand with overclocking, but it
If you take it a step further, overclocking can also be done independently. Basically,
can be fun and effective. Using a simple free the aim is to keep similar performance to
program such as MSI Afterburner allows you stock numbers while reducing power draw
to tweak your GPU. This will include raising and heat output. This can make your old
power limits, upping the core and memory GPU quieter and much more efficient!
clocks, and even setting a manual fan curve.
Do note that with overclocking, you’re BOTTOM LINE
often increasing system power and heat, It’s a tough GPU market out there, with
too. Instability can also rear its ugly head, availability low and prices high. These tips can
help breathe some life into
your old GPU without
diminishing too much in
terms of performance or visual
niceties. Mastering these tips
will come in handy when you
finally get your hands on the
next-gen GPUs—you can use
them to also increase their
already great performance.
(And you may want to use
some of these tips to lower
Undervolting your graphics card can significantly improve its their mighty power and heat
thermals while maintaining a high level of performance. output, too.)

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 129

HERE’S HOW

5 free privacy tools for protecting

your personal data
Here’s how to block trackers, hide your email address, and more. BY JARED NEWMAN

deally, protecting your privacy 1. STOP MOBILE TRACKERS

I shouldn’t require hours of time or gobs

of money. Instead of having to
meticulously manage all the personal
data that’s floating around on the internet,
you should be able to minimize data
WITH LOCKDOWN
Tech giants like Google and Facebook aren’t
the only ones trying to collect data about you.
Many other apps also collect details about
your phone, your usage patterns, and
collection automatically or proactively. If you possibly your location, then ship it off to
value privacy like I do, you’ll want to check analytics firms and advertisers (fave.
out the following apps and tools. While some co/32x4l87).
have premium versions for certain features, all Lockdown is a free and simple utility for
of them are free to use. iOS ([Link]/3rQ1BeI) and Mac (fave.

130 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022 IMAGE: SONG_ABOUT_SUMMER/SHUTTERSTOCK

 app ([Link]/3GfFjbH), then head
to Settings > App Tracking
Protection.

2. MASK YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS WITH
ABINE BLUR
For marketers that want to track
your online behavior, your email
address is the ultimate prize (fave.
1. co/3g0D6pz). Once you log into a
website or app, that site can use
co/3u5FhR1) that prevents apps from tracking cookies to follow you around and
connecting with these data trackers. I’ve had associate the data with your email. And, for
it on my iPhone since January and in that time less scrupulous marketers, opting out of their
it’s blocked more than 1 million tracking emails can be a major hassle.
attempts in a completely unobtrusive way. Abine Blur ([Link]/3o2bGnE) protects
Until sitting down to write this newsletter, I’d your inbox by letting you set up masked email
forgotten that I’d set it up already. addresses such as lsq9x1tecv1y@[Link],
Keep in mind that Lockdown is not a VPN, which will forward any messages to your
so it’s not routing any of your internet traffic actual email. The sender never learns your
through its own servers to mask your location, true address and you can turn off or delete
but I think that’s mostly a positive since it doesn’t addresses through Abine’s website to cut off
interfere with connectivity. If you do want a VPN communications. Abine even offers a browser
service, however, Lockdown sells it as an add-on extension that can generate masked emails
subscription. (One other note: The app can directly inside sign-up forms.
hinder your ability to log into Facebook
Messenger or WhatsApp, but turning it off while
logging in seems to solve the problem.)
For Android users, DuckDuckGo’s App
Tracking Protection feature ([Link]/3tZRB5j)
is in private beta testing now and provides
similar blocking against third-party trackers.
To join the waitlist, download the Android 2.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 131

HERE’S HOW 5 FREE PRIVACY TOOLS

Abine Blur isn’t the only tool of

its kind. Apple offers a “Hide My
Email” option ([Link]/33PTZ3X)
for users with paid iCloud+
subscriptions and DuckDuckGo
offers masked emails (fave.
co/3G9z1KE) through its mobile
apps and browser extensions. But I
like the fact that Abine Blur works
across platforms and doesn’t 3.
require changing your default
search engine. When you first install the extension, you
The only catch is that you must disable decide which tracking cookies to allow or
some elements of Abine’s browser deny, and Super Agent quietly fills out those
extension if you don’t want to use its preferences on each website you visit. The
password manager and other assorted extension’s icon shows a little green indicator
services. To do that, click the browser when it’s successfully dealt with a pop-up,
extension icon, head to Settings > Settings and by clicking the extension icon and the
for All Sites, then turn off everything except gear button inside, you can see a record of all
“Mask my email.” the clicks you’ve saved.
Super Agent works with every major
3. OPT OUT OF TRACKING desktop browser and is also available as a
COOKIES WITH SUPER Safari extension on iOS. The developers make
AGENT money by selling code to websites that want
If you’re tired of seeing those annoying to integrate with the extension and promise
“accept cookies” prompts ([Link]/3IFvK7e) never to sell your data ([Link]/3rQ3msk).
while browsing the web, a browser extension
called Super Agent is the best solution I’ve 4. PROTECT YOUR PHONE
seen yet for making them go away. While NUMBER WITH GOOGLE
other extensions merely hide the pop-ups in a VOICE
way that can break some websites, Super Next time a business asks for your phone
Agent ([Link]/3IH91bc) automatically fills number and you’re not comfortable giving it
out and dismisses cookie consent forms on out, consider handing out a number from
your behalf. Google Voice instead. When you sign up for

132 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022

Google Voice ([Link]/3KHVqC5),
you claim a phone number from an
area code of your choosing. Incoming
phone calls will then forward to your
real number and you can check text
messages through the Google Voice
website or mobile app.
Why is this better than handing out
your actual number? For one thing,
you can avoid getting pestered with
unwanted text messages since you’ll 4.
have to proactively check them on
your own. And for phone calls, Google Voice single-use cards, preventing untrustworthy
offers built-in spam filtering (available through vendors from running off with the card info.
Settings > Security), call screening, and do This isn’t just a form of payment
not disturb hours. If all else fails, you can also protection, though. It’s also a privacy tool that
switch to a different phone number to cut off prevents credit card companies from tracking
previous contacts. Consider it your secondary and selling your shopping habits (fave.
spam number for any businesses or other co/3o1QIFz). Combine this with a masked
entities you don’t fully trust. phone number and email address and
vendors will have a much tougher time mining
5. CREATE A LOCKED- that data. (Check out my colleague Ian Paul’s
DOWN CREDIT CARD AT review [[Link]/3nYJ4vA] for more details.)
[Link]
Similar to how Google
Voice can mask your real
phone number, Privacy.
com ([Link]/3AwuhNM)
lets you use virtual credit
cards for online stores and
subscription services. You
can then put spending
limits on each virtual card
or even designate them as 5.

FEBRUARY 2022 PCWorld 133

Tech Spotlight A video showcase
of the latest trends

Watch the
video at
[Link]/
JCYCKwX9ET0

Dell XPS 13
≥ The all new
Plus Hands-on Dell XPS 13 Plus
is here and it’s unlike any XPS you’ve ever
seen, featuring radical design changes and a
loaded 14-core Intel 12th-gen CPU. Watch
Gordon Mah Ung go hands-on with this
overhaul of an all-time great laptop.

134 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2022