Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i PCWorld

The GPU shortage appears to have well and truly ended, if market prices are anything to go by. After literally years of insane inflation seeing graphics cards go for double or even triple their retail value, street prices have fallen off a cliff in 2022. A combination of factors appears to be at play, including the long-awaited bursting of the cryptocurrency bubble and an easing of the chip shortage. But the end result is that prices for graphics cards have dropped by almost exactly half in the last year. That’s according to market data gathered by Jon Peddie Research and analyzed by German site 3DCenter. In the third quarter of 2021 the average selling price of a new desktop GPU rose to an all-time high of US$1,077, more than tripling in…

Last year, Amazon spiffed up the Kindle Paperwhite, infusing its mid-tier e-reader with an array of premium hardware upgrades. The tweaks were enough to push the humbler entry-level Kindle firmly out of the spotlight given its inferior screen, lower number of front light LEDs, and lack of waterproofing. But now the basic Kindle is getting its own luxe touches. The 2022 Kindle sports a much higher-resolution screen and double the storage of its predecessor. Its 6-inch display jumps to 300 ppi from 167 ppi in previous generations, the same resolution of more expensive models (like the Paperwhite). You get 16GB of onboard storage now, too, which is twice that of the 2019 model…and the current Paperwhite. Battery life also has improved. You’ll now get up to six weeks on a…

If you use Windows, you want PowerToys. This collection of open-source goodies, guided and published by Microsoft itself, is one of the best free software packages out there, and we can’t recommend it enough. That only becomes more true today, as the company publishes an updated version with three brand-new tools: the previously spotted Text Extractor (an optical character recognition tool), a ruler for measuring pixels on your screen, and a tool for quickly inserting little-used accents into text. Text Extractor is probably the most universally applicable addition here. It’s an open-source version of Joseph Finney’s paid Text Grab app, now integrated into PowerToys and free for Windows users. The tool essentially acts just like a screenshot grabber, allowing you to highlight an area of an image (1) and automatically…

WD’s Black SN850X lit up our test meters with outstanding real-world and random performance. It equaled or surpassed the mighty Seagate FireCuda 530 in a couple of tests, and by a rather wide margin in one. Even if it couldn’t quite match its rival’s sequential throughput under synthetic benchmarks, the SN850’s overall performance makes it a more than viable alternative to Seagate’s best. It’s also just a bit cheaper, though its TBW ratings are also far lower. PRICE AND DESIGN As you might guess given our glowing report on performance, you won’t be seeing the WD Black SN850X in the bargain bin. Indeed, while it’s less expensive than the FireCuda 530 at the moment, it’s still not cheap, with an MSRP of $160 for the 1TB model, $290 for the 2TB,…

Budget gaming laptops are in a tough spot. The lack of new entry-level discrete graphics from AMD, Nvidia, or Intel (which has repeatedly delayed its new Arc graphics products) has led to stagnation. Price is often a budget gaming laptop’s most important trait and that’s where the HP Victus 15 excels. This laptop delivers reliable processor performance at a reasonable price. However, the build quality leaves a little to be desired and the display is dimmer than we like. That said, if you’re really strapped for cash, the HP Victus 15 may be worth considering. SPECS AND FEATURES The Victus 15 I received for review is an entry-level model that currently appears to be only available from Best Buy. It equips Intel’s Core i5-12450H processor, an entry-level chip in Intel’s…

I’m finally a believer in Framework’s promise of an upgradeable laptop after installing its new Intel 12th-gen CPU module. It’s not that I didn’t believe in the concept of a notebook that lets you replace or upgrade every single component when I reviewed the Framework laptop last year. In fact, I took the original Framework laptop out of the box and stripped it down to its base components and then reassembled it without violating any warranty. It’s just that for an upgradeable laptop to actually be real, you have to be able to purchase that promised upgrade. Color me cynical, but I’ve seen many companies much larger and richer than Framework promise the moon over the last 20 years, only to see all of them to fail. Before you “well,…

Microsoft spent years trying to make its own mobile operating system work, but that’s in the past, and now it’s gone all in with Android. Microsoft makes Android-powered Surface phones and helps you connect Android devices to Windows, and you can even install Android apps in Windows 11. However, the partnership with Amazon’s Appstore provides access to only a handful of useful Android apps. If you want more Android power in Windows 11, you can “sideload” other apps in just a few steps. GETTING SET UP Before you develop any fanciful ideas about running every Android app under the sun, you should check your system specs. The Windows Subsystem for Android requires at least 8GB of RAM, but 16GB is recommended. Your PC also needs a relatively modern processor in…

It’s official: Ryzen 7000 has arrived. In late August, AMD took the wraps off its upcoming Zen 4 processors, giving us the details on price, availability, launch processors, and much more during its live stream from Austin, Texas. In late September, they launched. We’ve got the full technical rundown for you in our recap of AMD’s Ryzen 7000 launch event, but if you’re looking for the highlights, here are the top five takeaways. PRICING, RELEASE DATE, AND LAUNCH LINEUP UNVEILED The first Ryzen 7000 processors hit shelves on September 27. The initial lineup of AMD’s first 5nm chips almost mimics that of its predecessor, Ryzen 5000, but with some interesting deviations. The Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 7 7700X, and Ryzen 5 7600X sport the same number of…

Web users are becoming more and more aware of their privacy—or lack thereof—on the modern internet. Search engine DuckDuckGo has always catered to those concerns, and doubled down on them with a dedicated Webkit-based browser for the Mac earlier this year. Now the company is completing its hat trick with a privacy-focused email service. Naturally, new accounts get the @duck.com domain. The DuckDuckGo email service has been in closed beta, but the company just removed the waitlist and made the service open for all. The service is called Email Protection, though in practice it works more or less like any web email system. DuckDuckGo provides users with a forwarding service—a “PCWorldMichael@duck.com” address, for example. Emails sent through this alias will have embedded tracking cookies and other methods of observation removed, and…

Late last year, we told you about the Chungus 2, a virtual computer that was “built” within the blocky world of Minecraft. The initial processor design could play super-basic games like Snake on a 32×32 display. Minecraft builder Sammyuri and their team have been expanding the enormous project. Now, the virtual computer is powerful enough to play…Minecraft. Surprisingly, this hasn’t opened any black holes or portals to the netherworld, at least not that we know of. The Chungus 2 and similar in-game Minecraft computers use physical game elements to mirror designs of real-world processors and other computer hardware like memory and storage. They’re essentially using the game’s physics engine to simulate computer science principles on an enormous scale. Because each “block” in Minecraft is one meter cubed, the scale of…

Want to play games at a very high refresh rate on a modest budget? That used to be impossible, but a rapid decline in pricing has led to new, affordable options like the Dell G2723H. This monitor packs a refresh rate up to 280Hz for as low as $260 on sale—and while image quality isn’t superb, it should be enough for most owners. THE SPECS The Dell G2723H is part of a wave of 1080p, 240Hz to 280Hz monitors washing across the globe in 2022. Refresh rate is the star of this show, as the G2723H otherwise makes few notable claims. It doesn’t promise a wide color gamut or HDR, nor does it even have built-in speakers. Display size: 27-inch Native resolution: 1,920×1,080 Panel type: IPS Refresh rate: 280Hz HDR:…

Not so long ago, using anything wireless with a PC gaming setup was a small heresy. Gamers terrified of their inputs, um, inputting even thousandths-of-a-second slower put their trust in good old-fashioned copper wiring. But these days wireless keyboards abound, as do designs made specifically for PC gaming. And unless you’re some kind of computer yourself, you won’t be able to tell the difference in performance. Wireless gaming keyboards do tend to be on the expensive side, even more so than their wired progenitors. So if you’re going to get one, it makes sense to research to ensure you are getting the best wireless gaming keyboard for your needs. Or go for a budget model—because frankly, gaming gear from the major names is often ridiculously overpriced anyway. BEST WIRELESS GAMING…

While Valve is still working on fulfilling Steam Deck orders for folks who reserved one last year, it’s not too early to start thinking about a potential Steam Deck 2. After all, Valve itself has confirmed that new Steam Decks are coming, referring to the handheld gaming PC as a “multi-generational product line” with “improvements and iterations to hardware and software.” And although I’m personally a satisfied Steam Deck user, I can imagine plenty of ways in which Valve might improve the hardware in future versions. So let’s indulge in a bit of wishful thinking. Based on my experience with the Steam Deck so far, here’s what I’d love to see in next-generation Steam Deck hardware. THE BASIC STUFF Let’s get the obvious improvements out of the way first: A…

If you’ve just bought a new laptop or desktop PC for yourself, chances are good that you purchased it online. That gives you downtime before it arrives, which you can use to chip away at some necessary preparatory work before using your new PC. Sure, you can wait until your new computer arrives to do these steps. But doing some of the work now makes getting to the fun part—enjoying your shiny new PC—much faster. It’s also less of a slog. When you go to a store and bring home a new laptop, you’ll usually end up undertaking all this work in a single, hours-long go. Of course, you don’t have to do everything on this list. But if it’s applicable to your situation, we highly recommend it to make your life…

If you use Microsoft Edge, you may notice something new to the right of your browser as of late last week: a small vertical sidebar of icons. Some, specifically a collection of widgets called Tools, are actually worth using. Adding sidebars functionality isn’t new; other browsers, such as Vivaldi, have made it one of their centerpiece features. And Edge, too, has offered sidebar functionality for some time, with the ability to search for a term in a sidebar, so as to avoid the need to move to a new window or tab. But the new icons are essentially a control panel for many of the functions you’ll use in Windows. First, if you want to turn the Edge sidebar off, you can: there’s a small window-ish icon to the bottom.…

If you want to build the fastest PC you can around AMD’s new Ryzen 7000 processor, you’ll have to wait until November. New SSDs built using the PCI Express 5.0 interface will debut then, AMD executives said during the late August launch of the Ryzen 7000 in Texas. PCI Express 5.0 will be built into Ryzen 7000 and its four supporting AM5 motherboard chipsets: the X670 Extreme, the X670, and the B650 Extreme and B650. Current Ryzen 5000 PCs use PCIe 4.0, and while Intel’s rival 12th-gen Alder Lake chips incorporated PCIe 5.0 when they launched last fall, no PCIe 5.0 consumer SSDs have been released thus far. AMD didn’t say much about the new chipsets at its Monday evening launch. We do know, however, that the two Extreme chipsets will feature both…

It’s important to be smart about your choices when buying a sub-$500 laptop, since, realistically, you will need to make some compromises. That doesn’t mean you can’t still get a great laptop on a budget. And believe it or not, there are actually upsides to less-expensive laptops—their low-powered processors mean you can expect good battery life, and Chromebooks are often less vulnerable to malware. Within this budget range, Windows machines with Intel Core i3 or i5 processors or entry-level Chromebooks are the way to go. We have tested numerous inexpensive laptops and each one has its pros and cons, but those that stood out are included in this list. If you’re looking for something other than the standard clamshell design, we’ve included our favorite inexpensive tablet with a detachable keyboard…

Top-shelf earbuds come with top-shelf pricing—and sometimes you just can’t spend that much. But even at nearly half the price of more expensive rivals, Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro doesn’t feel like a step down—at least, not when it comes to sound quality. In fact, its audio chops are so strong that even with its foibles, these buds are a compelling contender. SPECS MSRP: $169.99 Colors: Midnight Black, Frost White, Dusk Purple, Fog Gray Water-resistance rating: IPX4 Supported audio codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC Bluetooth version: 5.2 (10m/33-foot range) Charging: USB-C Warranty: One year DESIGN, FIT, AND CONTROLS With a sleek oval shape and glossy finish, the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro offers an understated, compact profile that comes in four colors (black, white, light purple, and blue-gray) and looks great out of…

Many of us have become used to building our own PCs, inserting graphics cards and SSDs into a motherboard. Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger sees a sea change coming to the chip industry where the chips inside your PC are “assembled” in very much the same way. This matters. For years, a PC’s processor has been a relatively simple affair, made by a single company on a single-process technology. But something happened in March of this year that will allow Intel and other companies to mix and match specific pieces of logic inside a single chip, in almost exactly the way PC makers build PCs. That was the introduction of the Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe), and the concept is simple enough. Use different “tiles,” or chiplets, plug them into a base…

Got a minute to spare? Let’s add some pep to your Windows PC by preventing it from launching unnecessary apps at startup. Slimming down your startup process will of course lead to faster boot times, but it can also help unclutter your taskbar or menu bar, while also freeing up processing power from programs you seldom use. You don’t even need expensive system cleaner apps for this brief bit of PC maintenance. All it takes is a quick trip to your Windows settings menu, where you can decide which apps to launch straight away. Here’s how to disable startup apps: • In either Windows 10 or 11, click the Start menu and select the Settings icon. • Head to Apps > Startup. • Uncheck any apps you don’t immediately need…