In 2024, there’s no reason you can’t have a wireless keyboard anymore. From the most complex mechanical boards to the sleekest designer sets to the flashiest gamer machines, and everything in between, there are plenty of options for wireless excellence. That even includes keyboards for budget buyers — you can find a great pick in every category for well under three-digit prices. We’ve spent hours and hours using each model, banging away on our reviews, surfing the web, and keeping up on social media to bring you a list of the very best wireless keyboards around. For example, the Logitech Wave Keys isn’t our pick for the best wireless ergonomic keyboard, even though it’s a fairly good option and a great value. While there’s no one-size-fits-all keyboard, our recommendations aim to help you make an informed decision based on your own personal needs. After you’ve perused our best picks, be sure to check out our buying advice at the end to help you learn what to look for when shopping for a wireless keyboard. Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been the go-to name for personal computer news and reviews for over 40 years. And as the writer of this roundup, and the reviewer of most of the keyboards on this list, I can assure you they’ve been thoroughly tested by people who are absolutely obsessed with keyboards.  Every single keyboard on this list has been used by an expert, put through its paces for features and reliability, and carefully considered against the alternatives. We’ve tested every facet of the boards, even programming and complete disassembly for those that support it.  For a more in-depth look at how we test keyboards of every kind, check out our dedicated article covering our keyboard review process.  Updated May 10, 2024 to include a new recommendation for the best wireless keyboard for travel: the Nuphy Air V2. This compact mechanical keyboard proves that you don’t need to sacrifice quality or features in exchange for a portable form factor. See our summary of the Nuphy Air V2 below to learn why we are so smitten with this stylish and capable board. Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Keyboard – Best overall wireless desktop keyboard  Pros Great typing experience Customizable keys Long battery life Auto-dimming backlight Cons No height adjustment Wireless can get choppy in crowded environments Best Prices Today: $104.99 at Amazon Why I like the Logitech MX Keys S Logitech’s top-of-the-line keyboard design returns in an S variant, this time with an updated Bolt multi-device receiver and a new auto-adjusting backlight feature. The typing experience is as good as it was in the original model, and it’s even a tiny bit cheaper, so this upgrade is a win-win if you like your keyboards thin and stylish. Just be aware that dozens of Bluetooth devices in the vicinity might bog it down. If you prefer your Logitech boards a little more clicky-clacky, check out the MX Mechanical variant. This design is also available in a smaller “60%” model — see below. Who should buy the Logitech MX Keys S If you want one of the most stylish keyboards around that isn’t mechanical, and one that effortlessly works with multiple devices, this is it. The MX Keys is also shockingly quiet, so it’s a good choice for crowded offices. But it you want a longer, more traditional key travel or an ergonomic layout, there are better options out there. Read our full MX Keys S Keyboard review Logitech MK540 Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – Best value proposition Pros Quiet yet tactile keys Programmable function keys and mouse gestures Roomy, comfy design Cons Too bulky for mobile use Limited MacOS support Best Prices Today: $44.99 at Best Buy$44.99 at Lenovo$49.99 at Adorama Why I like the Logitech MK540 Advanced combo Logitech does it again with the MK540 Advanced combo. It might not have the convenience of backlighting that the K800 offers, but it hits all the other important features for productivity: a roomy layout, dedicated media buttons, a numpad, programmable keys, and tactile typing. In addition to all that, the keyboard comes with a decent wireless mouse, that’s also programmable, so you’re good to go. This budget combo isn’t especially good for gaming, and you might find your multi-device options (especially on MacOS) limited. But if you’re in desperate need for a keyboard and mouse, you need them wireless, and you want to spend as little money as possible, then this is the combo for you. Who should buy the Logitech MK540 Advanced combo Anyone who needs a keyboard and mouse for a desktop PC that didn’t come with its own, or who wants a quick-and-dirty setup for a laptop workstation, will be well-served here. But if you’re looking for a keyboard that can take a little gaming-grade punishment, or connect to devices over Bluetooth, check elsewhere on this list. Read our full Logitech MK540 Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo review Corsair K65 Plus Wireless – Best wireless gaming keyboard Pros Solid hardware Great value for wireless Tons of customization options  Cons No wrist rest Slightly awkward default layout Why I like the K65 Plus Wireless Corsair has been improving its designs for the last couple of years, incorporating more premium features and customization options. And it all comes together in the vastly redesigned K65 Plus, and does so at a shockingly low price.  This keyboard combines the popular 75% form factor, high-speed, multi-device wireless, high-quality switches, and hot-swappable key sockets, with Corsair’s typically good gaming pedigree. The result is a keyboard that does a lot, for a lot of users, for a relatively low price.  While the K65 skips a couple of exotic features like adjustable actuation or an OLED screen, and it doesn’t include a wrist rest in the box, it nails just about every other facet of design. It’s simply the best gaming keyboard you can get at the moment. Who should buy the K65 Plus Wireless Anyone who wants a high-quality keyboard with tons of options for customization, both hardware and software, will be pleased with this design. It also has some excellent bonuses, like PBT keycaps and a dedicated button for turning RGB on (or off, if you want maximum battery life).  The 75% form factor isn’t for everyone — you’ll have to look elsewhere, or wait for Corsair to offer more models, if you want a different format. It’s also considerably less “flashy” than other gaming keyboards, and doesn’t offer the heft and quality of a metal body. Read our full Corsair K65 Plus Wireless keyboard review Redragon K596 – Best ultra-budget wireless gaming keyboard Pros Low price Included wrist rest Long battery life Volume wheel Cons Ugly keycaps Can only program G keys No Bluetooth Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Gamestop Why I like the Redragon K596 Gaming keyboards usually don’t come cheap, and that goes double for wireless models. Redragon is a company that thrives in the bargain bin, and the K596 offers up most of the options of its full-priced competition at under 100 bucks. It also manages long battery life, a fancy volume wheel, and even a column of dedicated macro keys. Not bad. Note that this is still very much a budget model from a budget brand, so it’s missing some of the fit and finish of more expensive keyboards. For example, you can only custom program those five G keys on the left. But for anyone who needs a deal, Redragon delivers, and throws a wrist rest into the package. Who should buy the Redragon K596 There are a surprising amount of wireless keyboards that claim to be for “gaming,” even on the budget side of things. But Redragon is one of the few that walks the wireless walk, with most of the bells and whistles you’d expect and performance that doesn’t lag behind. Note that this is one of the few boards on this list that doesn’t offer Bluetooth — a fair trade for the value. Read our full Redragon K596 Wireless Keyboard review Nuphy Air V2 – Best wireless keyboard for travel Pros High-quality switches Hot-swap sockets Colorful style Sound dampening VIA programming Cons Cramped number pad layout That’s it, it’s a darn good keyboard Best Prices Today: $159.99 at Amazon$167.53 at Aliexpress Why I like the Nuphy Air V2 series Low-profile keyboards are sleek and travel well, but you give up a lot of the powers of a mechanical keyboard by going with a more compact design. Or do you? Nuphy’s Air series wants to cram as many features as possible into the teeny-tiny keyboards, and for the most part, it does just that. Metal body? Check. RGB lighting? No big deal. PBT keycaps? Yup. There’s even interior dampening for a wonderfully “thocky” feel, and premium switches customized by the manufacturer. And like a lot of the keyboards on this list, you can customize your layout and macros with browser-based VIA software. But the most impressive inclusion here is that Nuphy made the Air keyboards hot-swappable. There are a lot fewer options with Gateron low-profile switches…but Nuphy sells a handful of customized switches itself, instantly upping your choices when you order. It doesn’t hurt that the keycaps and case colors are poppy and stylish. Who should buy the Nuphy Air V2 series If you’re looking for a keyboard that travels as well as it looks, the Air V2 series is available in full-sized, 75 percent, and 60 percent form factors. (I’d recommend the 75 for a good balance between size and practicality.) It gets this slot over a limited number of competitors thanks to cramming as many features as possible into a high-quality, super-slim package. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the keyboards are a lot cheaper than you might think based on the features and materials. Depending on the size and switch choices, they range from $100 to $140 at standard prices. Read our full Nuphy Air96 V2 keyboard review Logitech Casa – Best all-in-one travel option Pros Clever, aesthetically pleasing design Excellent battery life Range of remappable keys Makes working-from-home more ergonomic Cons Not travel friendly Expensive Why I like the Logitech Casa If you need something a little more comprehensive for your travel needs, Logitech’s Casa might just hit the spot. It’s a keyboard and touchpad set that also comes in a swanky bento-style case, which doubles as a stand that significantly elevates your laptop. As an all-in-one solution for those who want to set up an office-style workstation on the go, it’s a pretty neat little package. It is on the pricey side, though — for the same price you could get a laptop stand, keyboard, and touchpad and save a bit of dough, albeit without the neat travel-friendly design. Who should buy the Logitech Casa If you can’t stand typing on your laptop but you prefer a touchpad to a mouse, then this is the perfect package for you. It’s also surprisingly stylish in its all-in-one case, which folds down into a portfolio for grab-and-go convenience. The option to raise your laptop screen may appeal, though there are easier ways to do that on the go. There are certainly cheaper ways to do all three. Read our full Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk review Keychron Q Max series – Best high-end mechanical keyboard Pros Tons of features Excellent typing Improved 2.4GHz wireless Endless customization Cons No adjustable feet No wrist rest Why I like the Keychron Q Max series For the last couple of years Keychron has been absolutely killing it with its high-end Q series. These mechanical boards make features previously available only via building your own or spending a fortune on a boutique design available to everyone, like full aluminum bodies, gasket-mounted PCBs, and easy, open-source programming with VIA. They’re about as good as you can get for a standard design. The Q Max series takes these designs and shores up their one weakness: reliance on Bluetooth. While Q Max keyboards have multi-device Bluetooth available, they’re also packing standard 2.4GHz wireless with a USB dongle, making them ideal for use with a hefty desktop PC (and they even do alright as gaming boards). With a wide variety of layouts like the TKL-sized Q3 Max above, there’s a keyboard in this series for just about anyone, including split “ergonomic” designs. They’re fantastic as stand-alone purchases, or bases for your custom dream build with replacement switches and keycaps. Who should buy the Keychron Q Max Series If you’re ready to step up to a premium mechanical keyboard design, one of these Q Max models should be at the top of your list. At the time of writing they’re available in full-size with number pad, TKL, 75%, 65%, and compact “1800” sizes, plus oddball Alice and left-handed models. There’s even a Happy Hacking Keyboard clone version, all of which come with hot-swap switch sockets and RGB lighting. They’re great on their own with no extra mods, with the only real downside being so-so stabilizers. But you can swap those out too if you’re okay with opening the case, and the rest of the board is just as customizable. They can be custom-programmed, too, so both newbies and veterans are welcome. Keychron’s high-end boards are on the pricey side, even if they aren’t as expensive as the boutique builds they’re inspired by, so bargain hunters should hunt somewhere else. And while they offer 2.4GHz wireless and wired options for gamers, the lack of game-specific software features means that there are better choices if you want to slay first and type later. Read our full Keychron Q3 Max keyboard review Keydous NJ80-AP – Best typing experience Pros Amazing typing experience High-quality parts Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless Long battery life Cons Clunky software Plastic case A bit heavy Best Prices Today: $135 at Amazon Why I like the Keydous NJ80-AP Keychron gets the recommendation for an all-around mechanical keyboard. But if what you really want is a fantastic “thocky” typing feel right out of the box, then this unassuming little keyboard is the best I’ve ever tested. It does this with a lot of high-quality components, like PBT keycaps, a brass plate, premium stabilizers, and lots of internal sound dampening. But the big magic is in the switches. Keydous went with exotic, high-end switches from Kailh to make the NJ80-AP and its stablemates stand out. These “Blueberry Ice Cream” BOX switches have a ridiculous name, but with soft POM plastic housing, reinforced stems, and a factory-lubed sliding mechanism, they feel amazing. They’re the best I’ve ever seen come standard on a keyboard, and that includes boards that cost twice as much as this one. The NJ80-AP also offers both Bluetooth and dongle-based wireless, RGB lighting, an aluminum volume wheel — all the standards from a high-end mechanical design. Its plastic case and fiddly, proprietary programming software are a disappointment, but for satisfying typing out of the box, it’s simply the best around. Who should buy the Keydous NJ80-AP If you’re looking for a standard design with absolutely amazing typing, look no further. The NJ80-AP delivers, and if you want something bigger or (slightly) smaller, the same features are available in 65% and compact “1800” layouts (full number pad, slightly squished). Just make sure to order the one with those fancy switches. But on the other hand, the software leaves a lot to be desired, and you can get keyboards with better all-metal bodies or faster wireless by spending a little more. And if you really want to go all out, you can get most of the way towards the high-quality typing of this board by ordering the same switches online and putting them in another board with hot-swap capability. It’ll cost a lot — Keydous designs are on the cheap side of the high end — but if you’re dropping more than three digits on a keyboard anyway, it’s a legitimate option. Read our full Keydous NJ80-AP wireless mechanical keyboard review K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard – Best full-size multi-device option Pros Works with all major platforms Can toggle between three paired devices Quiet keys with great travel Cons Not built for portability Best Prices Today: $52.49 at Amazon$59.99 at Adorama$59.99 at Best Buy Why I like the Logitech K780 If you like the convenience of a Bluetooth keyboard that can switch among different devices, but don’t require the compact layout of the MX Keys Mini, Logitech’s K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard promises to be the one keyboard to rule all your computing gizmos. Indeed, it’s fully compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS for fast and effortless switching between your computer, smartphone, and tablet. It also costs a good deal less than the MX Keys Mini, and offers a roomy layout with a numpad. The integrated device stand is especially good for phones and tablets up to about ten inches in size — like the standard iPad Air. Anything bigger might need its own separate stand. That makes this an excellent companion for a multi-device desk…though it doesn’t exactly pack away well. Who should buy the Logitech K780 If you’re constantly switching between a PC and a phone or other mobile gadget, this keyboard is exactly what you’re looking for. The dedicated keys for switching gadgets and the integrated stand make it an excellent way to save time and space on your desk. Read our full Logitech K780 Multi-Device Wireless Keyboard review Logitech Ergo K860 – Best ergonomic wireless keyboard Pros Curved and split ergonomic design Comfortable wrist support Palm raise feature lets you adjust height for sitting or standing Cons Requires some time to get used to split design Expensive Best Prices Today: $129.99 at Adorama$129.99 at Amazon$129.99 at Best Buy Why I like the Logitech Ergo K860 Logitech’s Ergo K860 has finally conquered our skepticism about awkward ergonomic keyboards. In the course of our review, there was a marked improvement in typing comfort and reduced muscle tension, all without sacrificing productivity to a steep learning curve. It’s a little expensive compared to a conventional wireless keyboard, but if you’re struggling with comfort, the K860 is the only ergonomic keyboard we’d heartily recommend. If you need a more compact, affordable version of Logitech’s curvy keyboard design, check out the Wave Keys instead. Who should buy the Logitech Ergo K860 Ergonomic keyboards aren’t the easiest to find, especially with big, comfy integrated wrist rests. Among major vendors it’s basically this design and the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard, which is wired. So if the split, angled layout with low-profile keys is what you want, the K860 is the best game in town. If you aren’t trained in strict home row-style typing (index fingers on F and J, et cetera), the split layout may cause a headache. Try the Wave Keys instead if you want bigger, more responsive individual keys and a continuous layout that still has a comfy wrist rest integrated into the design. Read our full Logitech Ergo K860 review FAQ 1. What’s the difference between a Bluetooth keyboard and a wireless keyboard? Wireless keyboards connect to a PC in one of two ways: via Bluetooth or a USB receiver. Wireless keyboards that connect via a USB receiver or dongle can only connect to a computer or device if it has a USB port. Bluetooth connectivity on the other hand does not require any dongle or extra receiver and can therefore easily connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices without the need for any ports. Additionally, Bluetooth keyboards tend to cost a little more but also offer longer battery life. While shopping, you may find that older devices do not support Bluetooth. However, if you need a keyboard to work across different platforms on newer devices, a Bluetooth-enabled model is the way to go. 2. Can a laptop be used with a wireless keyboard? Yes, you can use a wireless keyboard with a laptop without issue. Depending on whether you are using a wireless USB dongle keyboard or a Bluetooth keyboard, you just need to connect to the laptop and then you are good to go. This is true if you wish to connect a wireless keyboard to your tablet or 2-in-1, as well. 3. Do wireless keyboards need special batteries? Usually wireless keyboards are powered using either rechargeable or disposable batteries. Wireless keyboards with rechargeable batteries will just need to be plugged into an external power source such as a computer or wall outlet when the battery is low. Otherwise, wireless keyboards with disposable batteries will need those batteries to be replaced when they die. The most common types of batteries these keyboards use will be either AA or AAA alkaline batteries. 4. Are wireless keyboards good for gaming? Wireless keyboards are a fantastic option for most people, but they have a few limitations when it comes to gaming. Wireless keyboards can produce some slight latency issues between the keystroke being made and it being registered by your computer. This lag can be especially frustrating when playing games that require fast reaction times or in competitive environments — the latency may in some instances lead to a competitive disadvantage. That being said, wireless technologies have improved immensely in recent years and any lag or interference issues are becoming extremely rare with the latest technology. Most casual gamers will be just fine with a wireless keyboard — opt for 2.4GHz wireless over Bluetooth for the most reliable results. You can minimize interference issues by keeping other wireless devices away from your wireless keyboard, as well. Business, Keyboards Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating ProsVery good value1440p, 30HzAutofocus, which works well in good lightingGood noise-cancelling micsDecent imageryConsAutofocus doesn’t work as well in dim lightingSomewhat precarious connection to a laptopUnnecessary utility softwareOur VerdictThe eMeet’s SmartCam C960 2K is a decent $50 midrange webcam that’s a good value, with decent imagery in good lighting. It’s not a definitive upgrade over the 1080p model, though. Best Prices Today: eMeet SmartCam C960 2K Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket The eMeet SmartCam C960 2K pushes into midrange webcam territory by offering 1440p video at a 1080p price, but you’ll still find some areas in which this webcam feels more like a budget offering. Will that matter to you? Probably not. eMeet’s SmartCam C960 2K is the upgraded version of the eMeet SmartCam C960, a rather decent webcam and one of the most popular on Amazon by virtue of its reasonable price and feature set. As the name suggests, the autofocusing C960 2K offers “2K” resolution, which is another way of saying that it produces 1440p video (at 30Hz) and 2560×1440 images. This review forms part of our roundup of the best webcams for Windows PCs. eMeet SmartCam C960 2K build quality At 3.9 x 2.3 x 2 inches., the C960 2K is a compact little webcam that perches on top of your monitor. A pair of noise-canceling mics are mounted to either side. This is a $50 (or less) webcam, but it’s still a bit disappointing to see that eMeet preserved the “stickum” privacy shutter that graced the cheaper model. It’s a folding plastic tab that connects via sticky tape to the top of the camera, instead of being already attached. In fairness, it works just fine, but feels a bit cheap. Again, eMeet cut a corner (rather literally), in that the mounting mechanism consists of the standard “tooth” that hooks over the front of the display. In the C960 2K’s case, the webcam’s mount is a “V,” with the webcam mounted on one leg. The other leg swivels on a hinge. Some webcam makers add another hinge, allowing the webcam to better accommodate a variety of laptops and monitors. In this case, the webcam sat easily on top of my desktop display, which has a slightly curved backing. On a laptop, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K grips a little too precariously for my taste. On a laptop, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K grips a little too precariously for my taste.Mark Hachman / IDG On a laptop, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K grips a little too precariously for my taste.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG On laptops, though, the eMeet C960 2K sits much more precariously, gripping the top of a laptop more like a pair of chopsticks than anything else. While you can swivel the C960 2K around its mount by 360 degrees, it has much less vertical play — maybe 20 degrees in either direction. On a laptop, then, the C960 feels more like a balancing act than an extension of your laptop. There is a threaded hole, however, if you prefer a tripod. The C960 2K’s cable stretches almost 5 feet, terminating in a legacy USB-A port. The manufacturer says that the cable is an older USB 2.0 cable, which should be able to connect to a legacy 480Mbps USB port on your laptop. The C960 2K is an autofocusing camera, but it’s a different type of autofocusing: According to eMeet, it “uses time-of-flight camera technology to calculate the distance to the object, and when adjusting the focus, it prioritizes the distance to the object, so it can focus more accurately…. In addition, TOF focusing can work better in low-light environments because it does not rely only on visible light.” There’s a flip-down privacy lid on the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K. There’s a flip-down privacy lid on the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K.Mark Hachman / IDG There’s a flip-down privacy lid on the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG As it turns out, I’m not so sure about that. eMeet SmartCam C960 2K performance If you’re not a fan of downloading random utilities to assist peripheral devices, you might be able to skip downloading eMeetLink, the webcam’s utility software. Microsoft’s Bing search engine began autosuggesting “is eMeetLink safe” after typing the first two words, which wasn’t particularly reassuring. When installing the driver, Windows will note that the software comes from a manufacturer which is identified in Mandarin, not English, so the source of the software isn’t easily determined. In any event, eMeetLink overlaps heavily with Windows’ own built-in webcam controls (Settings > Camera, then select the eMeet camera) with contrast, brightness, and other image controls within the app. But there really isn’t anything else, although I suspect that it would influence how well it can control autofocusing. I downloaded the app on a test notebook anyway. The eMeet SmartCam C960 2K, captured at 2K (1440p) resolution, in my downstairs office. The eMeet SmartCam C960 2K, captured at 2K (1440p) resolution, in my downstairs office.Mark Hachman / IDG The eMeet SmartCam C960 2K, captured at 2K (1440p) resolution, in my downstairs office.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG I thought eMeet’s camera did an excellent job in terms of color accuracy, though I accidentally reset the settings when I was testing the utility. That made the camera reassess the ruddy look it had given my face (Irish-German heritage, hurray) and color it more accurately. It still looks fairly red in my sample shot. I was convinced that the camera wasn’t delivering the proper resolution, however, until I discovered that it simply wasn’t focusing correctly on my face. I use two locations to capture images: one, downstairs, in a rather dimly-lit office; and upstairs, in my living room with much more natural light. The claim that the camera autofocuses better in low light doesn’t quite hold up, in my opinion. Upstairs, focusing wasn’t an issue, and the camera captured me pretty well. I still feel that the image was dimmer than it could be, compared to the laptop’s internal webcam that I used as a reality check. What the camera doesn’t do — and this is a good thing — is constantly focus in and out. That drives me nuts, like people who tap their brakes constantly on the highway. Upstairs, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K’s picture is rather dim. It was a bright spring day outside, around noon, and the drapes were open. Upstairs, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K’s picture is rather dim. It was a bright spring day outside, around noon, and the drapes were open.Mark Hachman / IDG Upstairs, the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K’s picture is rather dim. It was a bright spring day outside, around noon, and the drapes were open.Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG A great webcam isn’t great unless it can make your voice sound good, too. I test webcams and their noise-cancelling mics by playing background music and white noise to see how well the camera filters them out. The eMeet SmartCam C960 2K didn’t do badly: I was able to faintly hear a rock song I was playing in the background as I recorded my test sample, which would be apparent to a listener but not enough to overwhelm the conversation. Simulated white noise (in this case, rainfall) was filtered almost perfectly. My voice sounded normal, too. Remember, there’s no “privacy shutter” for the C960 2K’s mic. It’s always on, and you’ll have to unplug the camera to turn it off or manually turn off the mic in the Windows Settings menu. Should you buy the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K? I think the C960 2K is worth buying. I’m not sure I agree with the TOF autofocusing being better than traditional methods. As with all webcams, better lighting produces a better picture, and if you prefer working in a dim environment, this webcam is a little hit or miss. You might want to add a ring light or just open the blinds a bit during a call. Even in a brighter environment, you may have to adjust the brightness settings within Windows to produce a better image. I do like a solution that works well out of the box. Here, though, any focusing issues disappear. Is the eMeet C960 2K better than the eMeet C960 (1080p)? Not definitively. I rather liked the images the vanilla C960 produced in well-lit areas. The 2K’s mics are better, in my book. I think with some fiddling you can produce a better picture with the C960 2K, but it’s not an overwhelmingly better camera. I’m convinced, though, that the C960 is indeed a solid webcam, at the price. I’m not awarding it an Editors’ Choice award, but it earns my approval nevertheless. Webcams Read...

Nearly half of New Zealand`s technology leaders are investing in off-site IoT, boosted by fibre connectivity, enabling innovation and growth. Read...

Mechanical keyboards have been around almost as long as personal computers, and the basic switch technology we’re still using first popped up in the 1980s. But it’s not an exaggeration to say that mechanical boards have never been as popular, or as stunningly variable, as they are right now. If you’re just getting into the craze, you might feel paralyzed by the number of options available. Allow us to remove some of the questioning and doubt. Below are the best mechanical keyboards we’ve reviewed, in a variety of categories—best overall, on a budget, for gaming, wireless, et cetera. Not everything makes the list — for example, though G.Skill’s KM250 is a shockingly good deal, we can’t say the same for the larger and very different KM360 design. Though they excel in different areas, each mechanical keyboard pick is absolutely the best in its class, and well worth both your attention and your hard-earned dough. Be sure to check out some of our most recent reviews, like the Happy Hacking HHKB Studio and the Razer Huntsman V3. Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been the go-to name for personal computer news and reviews for over 40 years. And as the writer of this roundup, and the reviewer of most of the keyboards on this list, I can assure you they’ve been thoroughly tested by people who are absolutely obsessed with keyboards.  Every single keyboard on this list has been used by an expert, put through its paces for features and reliability, and carefully considered against the alternatives. We’ve tested every facet of the boards, even programming and complete disassembly for those that support it.  For a more in-depth look at how we test keyboards of every kind, check out our dedicated article covering our keyboard review process.  Update May 10, 2024 to include a new pick for the best low-profile mechanical keyboard: the Nuphy Air V2. Read our summary below to see why we’re so smitten with this compact mechanical keyboard that doesn’t skimp on any of the bells and whistles that a keyboard enthusiast could want, and for less money than you’d think. Keychron Q Max Series – Best mechanical keyboard overall Pros Tons of features Excellent typing Improved 2.4GHz wireless Endless customization Cons No adjustable feet No wrist rest Why I like the Keychron Q Max series For the last couple of years Keychron has been absolutely killing it with its high-end Q series. These mechanical boards make features previously available only via building your own or spending a fortune on a boutique design available to everyone, like full aluminum bodies, gasket-mounted PCBs, and easy, open-source programming with VIA. They’re about as good as you can get for a standard design. The Q Max series takes these designs and shores up their one weakness: reliance on Bluetooth. While Q Max keyboards have multi-device Bluetooth available, they’re also packing standard 2.4GHz wireless with a USB dongle, making them ideal for use with a hefty desktop PC (and they even do alright as gaming boards). With a wide variety of layouts like the TKL-sized Q3 Max above, there’s a keyboard in this series for just about anyone, including split “ergonomic” designs. They’re fantastic as stand-alone purchases, or bases for your custom dream build with replacement switches and keycaps. Who should buy the Keychron Q Max Series If you’re ready to step up to a premium mechanical keyboard design, one of these Q Max models should be at the top of your list. At the time of writing they’re available in full-size with number pad, TKL, 75%, 65%, and compact “1800” sizes, plus oddball Alice and left-handed models. There’s even a Happy Hacking Keyboard clone version, all of which come with hot-swap switch sockets and RGB lighting. They’re great on their own with no extra mods, with the only real downside being so-so stabilizers. But you can swap those out too if you’re okay with opening the case, and the rest of the board is just as customizable. They can be custom-programmed, too, so both newbies and veterans are welcome. Keychron’s high-end boards are on the pricey side, even if they aren’t as expensive as the boutique builds they’re inspired by, so bargain hunters should hunt somewhere else. And while they offer 2.4GHz wireless and wired options for gamers, the lack of game-specific software features means that there are better choices if you want to slay first and type later. Read our full Keychron Q3 Max keyboard review Keydous NJ80-AP – Best typing experience Pros Amazing typing experience High-quality parts Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless Long battery life Cons Clunky software Plastic case A bit heavy Best Prices Today: $135 at Amazon Why I like the Keydous NJ80-AP Keychron gets the recommendation for an all-around mechanical keyboard. But if what you really want is a fantastic “thocky” typing feel right out of the box, then this unassuming little keyboard is the best I’ve ever tested. It does this with a lot of high-quality components, like PBT keycaps, a brass plate, premium stabilizers, and lots of internal sound dampening. But the big magic is in the switches. Keydous went with exotic, high-end switches from Kailh to make the NJ80-AP and its stablemates stand out. These “Blueberry Ice Cream” BOX switches have a ridiculous name, but with soft POM plastic housing, reinforced stems, and a factory-lubed sliding mechanism, they feel amazing. They’re the best I’ve ever seen come standard on a keyboard, and that includes boards that cost twice as much as this one. The NJ80-AP also offers both Bluetooth and dongle-based wireless, RGB lighting, an aluminum volume wheel — all the standards from a high-end mechanical design. Its plastic case and fiddly, proprietary programming software are a disappointment, but for satisfying typing out of the box, it’s simply the best around. Who should buy the Keydous NJ80-AP If you’re looking for a standard design with absolutely amazing typing, look no further. The NJ80-AP delivers, and if you want something bigger or (slightly) smaller, the same features are available in 65% and compact “1800” layouts (full number pad, slightly squished). Just make sure to order the one with those fancy switches. But on the other hand, the software leaves a lot to be desired, and you can get keyboards with better all-metal bodies or faster wireless by spending a little more. And if you really want to go all out, you can get most of the way towards the high-quality typing of this board by ordering the same switches online and putting them in another board with hot-swap capability. It’ll cost a lot — Keydous designs are on the cheap side of the high end — but if you’re dropping more than three digits on a keyboard anyway, it’s a legitimate option. Read our full Keydous NJ80-AP wireless mechanical keyboard review Corsair K65 Plus Wireless – Best mechanical keyboard for gaming Pros Solid hardware Great value for wireless Tons of customization options Cons No wrist rest slightly awkward default layout Why I like the K65 Plus Wireless Corsair has been improving its designs for the last couple of years, incorporating more premium features and customization options. And it all comes together in the vastly redesigned K65 Plus, and does so at a shockingly low price.  This keyboard combines the popular 75% form factor, high-speed, multi-device wireless, high-quality switches, and hot-swappable key sockets, with Corsair’s typically good gaming pedigree. The result is a keyboard that does a lot, for a lot of users, for a relatively low price.  While the K65 skips a couple of exotic features like adjustable actuation or an OLED screen, and it doesn’t include a wrist rest in the box, it nails just about every other facet of design. It’s simply the best gaming keyboard you can get at the moment. Who should buy the K65 Plus Wireless Anyone who wants a high-quality keyboard with tons of options for customization, both hardware and software, will be pleased with this design. It also has some excellent bonuses, like PBT keycaps and a dedicated button for turning RGB on (or off, if you want maximum battery life).  The 75% form factor isn’t for everyone — you’ll have to look elsewhere, or wait for Corsair to offer more models, if you want a different format. It’s also considerably less “flashy” than other gaming keyboards, and doesn’t offer the heft and quality of a metal body. Read our full Corsair K65 Plus Wireless keyboard review Nuphy Air V2 – Best low-profile mechanical keyboard Pros High-quality switches Hot-swap sockets Colorful style Sound dampening VIA programming Cons Cramped number pad layoutThat’s it, it’s a darn good keyboard Best Prices Today: $159.99 at Amazon$167.53 at Aliexpress Why I like the Nuphy Air V2 series Low-profile keyboards are sleek and travel well, but you give up a lot of the powers of a mechanical keyboard by going with a more compact design. Or do you? Nuphy’s Air series wants to cram as many features as possible into the teeny-tiny keyboards, and for the most part, it does just that. Metal body? Check. RGB lighting? No big deal. PBT keycaps? Yup. There’s even interior dampening for a wonderfully “thocky” feel, and premium switches customized by the manufacturer. And like a lot of the keyboards on this list, you can customize your layout and macros with browser-based VIA software. But the most impressive inclusion here is that Nuphy made the Air keyboards hot-swappable. There are a lot fewer options with Gateron low-profile switches…but Nuphy sells a handful of customized switches itself, instantly upping your choices when you order. It doesn’t hurt that the keycaps and case colors are poppy and stylish. Who should buy the Nuphy Air V2 series If you’re looking for a keyboard that travels as well as it looks, the Air V2 series is available in full-sized, 75 percent, and 60 percent form factors. It gets this slot over a limited number of competitors thanks to cramming as many features as possible into a high-quality, super-slim package. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the keyboards are a lot cheaper than you might think based on the features and materials. Depending on the size and switch choices, they range from $100 to $140 at standard prices. Read our full Nuphy Air96 V2 keyboard review Keychron C3 Pro – Best mechanical keyboard under $50 Pros Fantastic price for a mech board Decent switches, internal foam, gasket mounting VIA and QMK programming Cons Only red lighting USB-C cable is a little stiff to plug in Best Prices Today: $27.47 at Amazon$34.99 at Keychron Why I like the Keychron C3 Pro You can spend hundreds of dollars on a mechanical keyboard if you want, but you sure don’t have to. This entry is just $37 in its retail price — often on sale for under $30! — and it has a lot of the features much more expensive boards do. These include gasket mounting and internal foam for better typing, decent if not amazing switches, and programming with open-source VIA software. You won’t get hot-swap switches or PBT keycaps at this price, and the red backlighting doesn’t offer the dazzling rainbow of RGB. But if you’re looking for a solid keyboard while spending as little as possible, the C3 Pro fits the bill. A few extra touches, like double-stage feet for an adjustable angle and a detachable USB-C cord, really push the value home. Who should buy the Keychron C3 Pro Anyone who wants a full mechanical keyboard experience on a budget will be well-served with this pick, especially if you manage to pick it up on sale. While it lacks some of the more premium touches, it’s punching way above its weight in terms of price — the equivalent keyboard from a vendor like Logitech would cost twice as much, and wouldn’t offer as many options. The C3 Pro is serviceable, but not great, for gaming. If that’s what you’re after, the G.Skill KM250 — which offers faster switches and the option to swap them out — is a better choice. Both are under $50, with the only real sacrifice being the lack of per-game programming. Read our full Keychron C3 Pro keyboard review Dygma Raise – Best ergonomic mechanical keyboard Pros Sturdy build Hot-swappable switches Easy keyboard programming in VIA Priced very competitively Cons Slightly awkward keyboard layout No tenting kit available (not even as an optional accessory) Best Prices Today: $419 at Dygma Why I like the Dygma Raise Gamers who need a split ergonomic layout don’t have a lot of choices available to them. The Dygma Raise is the best of this very limited selection, offering a mix of customization and ergonomic options that will delight those who can afford it.  With fully split halves and a tenting kit that can give you extreme angles no standard keyboard can reach, the Raise (get it?) appeals to gamers and mech fans who need extremely specific angles for comfort or health reasons. And its custom software is no slouch, either. Who should buy the Dygma Raise If you demand the absolute best in both gaming performance and ergonomic flexibility, there’s no substitute for the Raise. Adding on extras when ordering ups the price, and the capability.  But unless you absolutely need the latter, there are far cheaper options in the gaming category. Keychron offers a split mechanical keyboard with fewer options for quite a bit less. Read our full Dygma Raise review Model F Ultra Compact – Best old-school mechanical keyboard Pros Excellent typing feel Classic layout is instantly familiar Durable die-cast metal chassis Easy to repair and customize Cons Heavy key feel isn’t great for fast-paced games Lacks modern hardware and software features Expensive Best Prices Today: $420 at Model F Why I like the Model F Ultra Compact Arguably the most famous keyboard among mechanical enthusiasts is the IBM Model M, thanks to its unique and incredibly tactile (and noisy!) buckling spring switch mechanism. Some of these keyboards have been in continual use for more than 40 years, but if you’re looking for something a little more accessible, Model F Labs is making reproductions with exactly the same tank-like build and modern USB connections. The typing experience on this keyboard is like nothing else on the market, harkening back to a time before cheaper rubber dome manufacturing in the ’90s transitioned to smaller and less noisy designs. Just don’t be surprised if it’s a little harder than you’re used to — on both your fingers and your wallet. Who should buy a Model F Ultra Compact Those who want a keyboard that they can pass on to their descendants (or that can be used as a door stop or a melee weapon) might be very interested in the Model F. For actual typing, you’ll love it if you’re the kind of person who slams down on the keys like you’ve got a grudge against them. Be aware that it’s also extremely loud, even by mechanical keyboard standards…which might be a good or a bad thing depending on whether you work from home. The downside is the cost, with prices starting at around $300 and going up. For that much dough you might consider rescuing an actual Model M from the dustbin of history — there are still plenty available on eBay — and using an adapter instead. The long travel and heavy click also make these keyboards poorly suited to modern gaming. Read our full Model F Ultra Compact review Razer Huntsman V3 Pro – Best analog mechanical keyboard Pros Excellent software customization Great controls for analog input Easy layout swapping Cons Expensive Typing is loud and wobbly Hard wrist rest Best Prices Today: $219.99 at Amazon Why I like the Huntsman V3 Pro “Analog” keyboards, those which can adjust the actuation point of their keys by software, are a rare and expensive breed. Razer has the best of the lot by a whisker, thanks to its excellent software and some thoughtful design. Pro gamers — or gamers with “pro” esports aspirations — need look no further than the Huntsman series.  This flagship of Razer’s keyboard stable stands a bit above the rest thanks to its complex Gen 2 optically triggered switches and the Synapse software package. But even without software, the onboard LED indicators can let you quickly switch between light and heavy actuation, or program a quick macro.  With otherwise excellent design, not to mention an included wrist rest, the Hunstman V3 Pro is the best in a small field of competition. It’s available in full-size, TKL, and “mini” 60% variants. Who should buy the Huntsman V3 Pro The Huntsman V3 Pro is for those who want the ultimate in gaming keyboard capability. With extra functions like Rapid Trigger and analog-style movements, the Huntsman can do tricks that lesser designs simply can’t manage. And it has the price tag to prove it.  Those who don’t need these very niche capabilities, who prefer hardware customization over software with hot-swap switch sockets, or who simply want to make do with a more sober budget should look elsewhere. Read our full Razer Huntsman V3 Pro TKL keyboard review FAQ 1. What’s a mechanical keyboard? A mechanical keyboard uses a more elaborate construction than a standard keyboard. Instead of a wide membrane covering the entire board and activating an electronic sensor to detect keypresses, each individual key has a dedicated switch mechanism with an internal spring. When you press down on the key, the stem depresses the spring and closes an electrical circuit, registering your key press. This makes for a longer, more satisfying typing experience, more like an old-fashioned typewriter than a laptop. 2. What should I consider when shopping for a mechanical keyboard? If you’re just getting into mechanical keyboards, then you’re probably most interested in how it “feels” to use one. In short, mechanical switches offer a deeper and more satisfying press on each key, which is preferred over standard inexpensive keyboards by heavy-duty typists and gamers. (Not all of them, of course, but most people seem to favor at least a certain level of clickiness.) But there are a lot of different variables that can affect how those keys feel, and other options like wireless or customization. 3. What kind of key switches should I choose for a keyboard? Modern mechanical keyboards come in a staggering array of switch varieties, from smooth and linear to loud and clicky, with tons of options for mechanisms and spring strength. Many keyboard makers buy switches from other companies, and some (especially gaming brands) build their own custom designs. The only real way to know which one you prefer is to try ’em out (retail store displays are great for this). That being said, more expensive keyboards tend to come with nicer, high-quality switches from name brands like Cherry and Gateron. For the ultimate in customization, track down a keyboard with hot-swap switch sockets, which let you swap out the switches for new and different ones whenever you want. 4. What are keycaps? Keycaps are the little pieces of plastic that sit on top of the switches — what your fingers press down on. Switching out the keycaps for a set of nicer ones, maybe made of better PBT plastic or themed after your favorite TV show, is a popular and easy keyboard mod. Some keyboard makers even sell their own upgrade sets. Keycaps with a Cherry MX-compatible stem will work with almost all modern mechanical switches, just make sure you find a set that matches the layout of your keyboard. 5. What keyboard layout should I choose? The layout of the keys on your keyboard varies more than you might think. Full-sized (100%) keyboards include a 10-key number area to the right of the arrow cluster, but gaming models often omit this in order to make more room for mouse movements, calling this the “10-key-less” or “TKL” layout. Some keyboards go even smaller, with 60% being the smallest that mainstream brands use, chopping off the Function row, 10-key area, and even the arrow keys (which have to be accessed via a Fn button). A few designs go even larger than the full layout, with an extra column or two of programmable keys for custom bindings or macros. But there are a wide range of layout choices between these broad categories. Popular 65% and 75% keyboards are quite small, but still keep the arrow keys for ease of use, while smooshing down some others to make room. Ergonomic layouts on split keyboards try to emulate the curvy designs of some elaborate conventional keyboards. Which one you want comes down to use-case, available space, and perhaps more pertinently, taste. These general layouts shouldn’t be confused with country- and region-specific key layouts for letters and numbers, like ANSI and ISO. Most popular designs are available in at least those two variants. 6. Should I buy a wireless mechanical keyboard? Mechanical keyboards start with a standard wired USB connection, which may or may not be detachable from the keyboard itself for easier cable routing. Wireless is usually a premium upgrade, though some budget models are available too. Wireless boards tend to default to Bluetooth these days, since pretty much all PCs and mobile devices can use it. More premium models offer both Bluetooth and the faster, more reliable USB wireless dongle, typically on a 2.4GHz connection. Gamers definitely want to stick to wired or dongle options as Bluetooth’s susceptibility to input lag and interference can hinder gaming. 7. Do I need LED lighting on a mechanical keyboard? Even budget gaming keyboards come with LED backlights these days, giving you a little extra help when hunting for keys in the dark. More elaborate models — especially from gaming brands like Razer and Corsair — offer fully synchronized RGB light shows with elaborate animations. But unless you’re constantly playing in the dark and you can’t touch-type, it’s entirely cosmetic. It’s fun, that’s about it. You don’t need lights on a keyboard, it’s just a fun extra. 8. What extras should I look for in a mechanical keyboard? Keyboard makers are forever trying to one-up each other with extra features. For a mechanical board you can generally expect a removable USB cable (maybe a braided one for nicer boards), and possibly an included keycap puller and wrist rest. Larger boards usually include dedicated media controls, and the nicer ones get a fully programmable wheel or knob, as well as hot-swap switch sockets that let you experiment with different types of key switches. An especially nice option is on-device memory, allowing you to keep key layout programs without running a driver program on each new computer. The most expensive boards have premium metal bodies, internal foam for sound reduction, and sometimes even gasket mounting, which gives the keys an extra bit of bounce by suspending them between two layers of foam or silicone. None of these are really necessary, but they’re all nice and enhance the experience. Depending on your taste and budget, you can look for a board with a few extra features, or hunt down a super-premium “endgame” design with all of them. Keyboards Read...

With a little luck and a good weather forecast, you might be able to see the Northern Lights. But the solar storm bringing them could also affect our technology. Read...

Hitting the trail or the beach this summer? When you’re spending time outdoors, you want to have your soundtrack handy. So, rather than keep it to yourself with headphones, gear up with the TREBLAB HD77 Outdoor Rugged Wireless Speaker with TWS Support, which is $40 off for a limited time. This durable speaker is equipped with DualBass subwoofers and TWS technology, delivering immersive 360º HD sound even in the most wide-open environments. It’s built for outdoor use, with an IPX6-rated waterproof design and shockproof protection — all while remaining portable enough to pack up easily. You can stream music via Bluetooth 5.0 or plug into the AUX port, giving you optimum versatility. Plus, with a 5,200mAh battery, you’ll have up to 20 hours of playtime so you won’t have to worry about it running out of battery in the middle of a beach day. Bring your soundtrack anywhere this summer. Right now, you can get the TREBLAB HD77 Outdoor Rugged Wireless Speaker with TWS Support for 39% off $99 at just $59.99.   TREBLAB HD77 Outdoor Rugged Wireless Speaker with TWS Support – $59.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Accessories Read...

With a little luck and a good weather forecast, you might be able to see the Northern Lights. But the solar storm bringing them could also affect our technology. Read...

Calling all gamers! Whether you consider yourself a competitive pro or someone who’s more casual, we’ve got quite the diverse list below. The best part is that every gaming laptop has been tested by a member of PCWorld and we’ve checked out everything from graphics performance and typing experience to connectivity options and image quality. These rigs can basically do anything a desktop PC can do, and we’ve tested dozens after dozens of them to bring you this roundup of the best gaming laptops around. Why you should trust us: It’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing gaming laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget. See our roundup of the best laptops for even more recommendations—premium laptops, ultraportables, Chromebooks, and more. Update May 10, 2024: We added the Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 as an alternative option underneath our Best Connectivity Features pick. Not only does it offer great connectivity options and strong performance, but it also has a bigger screen. We’ve also updated our list of recent laptop reviews and added a new “at a glance” section below. Best gaming laptops at a glance Alienware m16 R2 (Best overall gaming laptop) $1,849.99 at Dell MSI Titan 18 HX (Best high-end gaming laptop) $5,449 at Amazon Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (Best gaming laptop under $1,000) $955 at Amazon HP Omen Transcend 14 (Most portable gaming laptop) $1,699.99 at Best Buy Razer Blade 16 (Best 4K gaming laptop) $4,299.99 at Razer Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 (Best connectivity features) $1,884.99 at Walmart Acer Chromebook 516 GE (Best gaming Chromebook) $449 at Best Buy Alienware m16 R2 – Best overall gaming laptop Pros Great gaming performance Durable Long battery life Cons Dim display Why we like the Alienware m16 R2 The Alienware m16 R2 is a well-rounded gaming laptop, especially for the price and performance. Not only are you getting great graphics performance, but you’re also getting long battery life, an unusual combination for a gaming laptop. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU are a powerful duo, as shown in our testing. It averaged 144 frames-per-second when running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which is nothing to sneeze at. According to our review, it’s just “four frames-per-second slower than the Razer Blade 16,” which is rocking a more powerful RTX 4090 GPU and a $3,000+ price tag. It also lasted 11 hours and fifteen minutes on a single charge, which is more than a full work day. Who should buy the Alienware m16 R2 Anyone looking for a fantastic gaming laptop. You can play most games on the High or Ultra graphics preset and the 90 watt-hour battery will keep you going long into the night. The 1600p IPS display is also quite spacious at 16-inches and the 240Hz refresh rate should result in smooth gameplay. The picture quality is quite good, but it’s not an OLED panel, where the colors would be more saturated. While it’s not the brightest or most color rich display we’ve ever tested, it’s still fine for gaming. Besides, if you’re really desperate, you can always plug into an external monitor. Alternative option: If you’re looking for the same great Alienware package with a bigger screen, the Alienware m18 R2 is worth considering. It offers strong gaming performance, an 18-inch display, and a fantastic mechanical keyboard with Cherry switches. That said, it’s very expensive and the laptop itself weighs a colossal nine pounds (!!!). Talk about a back-breaker! Read our full Alienware m16 R2 review MSI Titan 18 HX – Best high-end gaming laptop Pros Tons of connectivity options Rugged build quality Fantastic mechanical keyboard Phenomenal CPU and GPU performance Cons Very expensive Mediocre touchpad Why we like the MSI Titan 18 HX The MSI Titan 18 HX is one hell of a powerhouse, so performance is no issue here, as it’ll run pretty much anything you throw at it. Inside the beast’s shell, you’ll find an Intel Core i9-14900HX CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, 128GB of RAM, and 4GB of SSD storage. Holy cow. When we ran the Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition benchmark, it churned out an outstanding 87 frames-per-second at 1080p resolution with the Extreme detail setting switched on. Did we mention it also has a phenomenal 4K Mini-LED display? Who should buy the MSI Titan 18 HX If you’re after the ultimate gaming experience, the MSI Titan 18 HX will certainly deliver. In addition to the massive amount of power this thing generates, it also has loads of connectivity options for those times when you want to hook up to an external mouse or monitor. That said, it’s an incredibly expensive machine. If money is no object, then the MSI Titan 18 HX is the right pick for you. For those on a stricter budget, check out our best budget pick below. Alternative option: We strongly considered putting the recently reviewed MSI Raider GE78 HX 14VIG on this list. It’s similar to the MSI Titan 18 HX as far as sheer power goes, but it didn’t make the cut because of the finicky rear power port and loud fan noise. That said, these nitpicks are relatively minor. I will say, the MSI Raider GE78 HX 14VIG is less expensive than the MSI Titan 18 HX at $3,799.99. Read our full MSI Titan 18 HX review Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best gaming laptop under $1,000 Pros All-day battery life Robust chassis Gorgeous 16:10 display Cons 720p HD camera leaves little to be desired Keys feel a little soft Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is something of a unicorn and I mean that in the best way possible. It exhibits strong graphics performance as well as long battery life. Long battery life? A gaming laptop? How preposterous! Well, not anymore! The Asus TUF managed an incredible 11 and a half hours on a single charge. Also, thanks to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU inside, it achieved an impressive 123 frames-per-second in the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. That’s nothing to sneeze at, especially for a sub-$1,000 gaming machine. Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget. For under a grand, you’re getting reliable graphics performance, a spacious keyboard, and long battery life. It also works as a good general purpose machine, which is perfect for college students that want to work and play. With a Cinebench R20 score of 589, it should have “no trouble running lightweight apps and programs,” according to our review. Alternative option: The recently reviewed Lenovo LOQ 15 is another good budget option. It’s affordable and it comes with a better GPU (RTX 4060). Despite getting a high rating, it didn’t earn the nod here because of poor battery life and limited connectivity options. If you plan on mostly staying plugged in and don’t need a long battery life, the Lenovo LOQ may be a better option due to its more capable graphics. Read our full Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review HP Omen Transcend 14 – Most portable gaming laptop Pros Compact and lightweight Gorgeous OLED screen Good performance for the price Cons Keyboard is a bit mushy Annoying bloatware Why we like the HP Omen Transcend 14 The HP Omen Transcend 14 is a great machine because of its lightweight design (3.6 pounds!), stunning OLED display, and reliable performance for the price. Most gaming laptops tip the scales at around five pounds or more, so the fact that this machine is a little heavier than your standard ultraportable is downright impressive. In addition to its lightweight design, it also has an all-metal chassis, which means it’s rugged enough to handle the daily abuses of life. The hinge that connects the display to the keyboard deck also feels pretty solid. As for performance, it’s no slouch! Thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, it achieved a respectable 93 frames-per-second during the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark. Who should buy the HP Omen Transcend 14 Anyone that likes to game on-the-go! It’s both lightweight and powerful, which is a rare combination when it comes to gaming laptops. Battery life is quite good, too. The HP Omen Transcend 14’s large 71 watt-hour battery lasted eight and a half hours on a single charge, which is impressive, as most gaming laptops tend to die at the four or five hour mark. The 14-inch 1800p OLED display is lovely as well. It has a maximum brightness level of 500 nits and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. According to our reviewer, who normally uses IPS displays on a day-to-day basis, “OLED displays like this one look incredibly beautiful” to him. Alternative option: If you’re interested in an alternative option, check out the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. It weighs a scant 3.31 pounds, which is a little less than our current pick. Although it has a nice OLED screen, an exquisite and portable design, and packs a decent punch in the performance department, its ho-hum webcam lands it behind the HP Omen Transcend 14 here. Read our full HP Omen Transcend 14 review Razer Blade 16 – Best 4K gaming laptop Pros Dual-mode display is easy to use and beautiful to look at Attractive design Powerful Cons High price tag Case is a fingerprint magnet Why we like the Razer Blade 16 Woo boy. I’m not sure where to begin with this one. The Razer Blade 16 is a unique gaming laptop because it’s like having two displays in one. You get to choose between two modes, the native 3840×2400 panel with a 120Hz refresh rate or the 1920×1200 panel with a 240Hz refresh rate. You can switch between the two with Razer’s Synapse app. So, what does it all mean then? It means you can enjoy intensive shooters at 1080p 240Hz or you can take things slow and soak in all the details in your favorite strategy game. The laptop comes loaded with an Intel Core i9-13950HX CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, so you’re getting gobs upon gobs of power over here. Who should buy the Razer Blade 16 Anyone who desires gaming in 4K! If it weren’t for the $4,000+ price tag (ouch), I’d be tempted to buy this machine myself, as I’m a fan of city management games and would love to get up close and personal with every detail. The price of this laptop is a hard pill to swallow, even with these awesome specs, but the 4K dual-mode display really makes it stand out from the rest of the competition. Read our full Razer Blade 16 review Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 – Best connectivity features Pros Reasonably priced Fantastic connectivity options, includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports CPU and GPU performance is strong for the price Cons Off-center touchpad is awkward to use Audio is too quiet Display experienced some stuttering Best Prices Today: $1199.99 at Acer$1,629 at Amazon Why we like the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 The Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 comes packed with loads of ports and surprising gaming performance. Thanks to the Intel Core i7-13700HX CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU inside, you’ll get reliable performance for productivity tasks or gaming. Where the laptop really shines is its diverse selection of ports. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB-A ports, an HDMI port, Ethernet, a Micro SD card slow, and a 3.5 combo jack for audio. The Thunderbolt 4 ports make “downloading files at up to 40Gbps while streaming to an external display as easy as pie,” according to our review. Who should buy the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Anyone who needs a lot of connectivity options. Maybe you’re just the type of person that likes to hook up to an external keyboard, mouse, or monitor. If you look inside of yourself and find that to be true, then the Acer Helios Neo 16 is the one for you. It’s a bit unwieldy when on the go, but as far as connectivity and price-to-performance goes, you can’t get much better than the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16. Alternative option: The Acer Predator Helios Neo 18 offers plenty of connectivity options, speedy performance, and a comfortable keyboard and touchpad. It just has a bigger screen than our top pick, which some gamers may prefer. Read our full Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 review Acer Chromebook 516 GE – Best gaming Chromebook Pros Attractive design Excellent CPU performance Plenty of wired and wireless connectivity High resolution 1600p display Cons Mediocre keyboard and touchpad Disappointing speakers and microphone Display falls behind in contrast and color vibrancy Why we like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE The Acer Chromebook 516 GE offers reliable day-to-day performance as well as smooth cloud gaming gameplay, thanks in part to its fast, high-resolution display. Just so we’re clear–Chromebooks aren’t designed to run games locally, so you’ll need to be a member of a cloud gaming service like GeForce Now or Amazon Luna. Fortunately, this Chromebook has an Ethernet port, which scores major brownie ports as far as stable Internet connections go. Plus, compared to other budget Windows laptops, the $650 MSRP isn’t bad. Connectivity options are good, too. You’re getting two USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one HDMI, one Ethernet, and one 3.5mm combo audio. Additional goodies include a 1080p webcam, a 65 watt-hour battery, and a high refresh rate display (120Hz to be exact). Who should buy the Acer Chromebook 516 GE Anyone that wants to give cloud gaming a whirl on a reasonably priced Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE features strong day-to-day performance and, according to our review, “gameplay felt perfectly smooth” while playing on GeForce Now. That said, if you want to install and run games locally, or have a poor internet connection, one of the Windows-based budget gaming laptops above would be a better option. Read our full Acer Chromebook 516 GE review Recent laptop reviews Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14: The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro 14 is a lightweight, elegant all-rounder for business professionals. Acer Predator Helios Neo 18: Want a lot of performance for $1,500? Acer’s gigantic Helios Neo 18 is a good bet. Lenovo Yoga 7i: The Lenovo Yoga 7i (16IML9) is a competent and well-built at a palatable price. It’s not the best value for a standard laptop, but it’s flexibility may make up for its shortcoming for some users. Acer Swift Go 14: The Acer Swift Go 14 is a reliable travel workhorse through and through. How we test gaming laptops The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on. HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a beefy 30GB file. Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time. 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips. Gaming tests: We benchmark each gaming laptop using several titles. Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies. For a much more detailed explanation, check out how PCWorld tests laptops. Buying Guide: How to pick the perfect gaming laptop While there’s no such thing as a perfect gaming laptop, you can always find one that fits your budget and lifestyle. Need an affordable, entry-level gaming laptop? First of all, the GPU is the most important aspect to consider. If you think of a game like a vehicle, then the GPU is its driver. You’ll also need a good amount of SSD storage for your games library as well as a high refresh rate display, which keeps visuals looking nice and smooth. For additional reading, be sure to check out this comprehensive guide on the gaming laptop features that matter most. If you’re on a strict budget, then you should dive into this piece about what a $1,000 gaming laptop really gets you. Otherwise, our FAQ below dives deep into several component considerations for gaming laptops FAQ 1. What’s the ‘best’ screen for a gaming laptop? When you buy a gaming laptop, one of the most important decisions you’ll need to make regards the screen. After all, what you get on day one is what you’re stuck with until you junk the device. You could run an external monitor but then, what’s the point of a laptop? Look for an IPS or OLED display, though gaming laptops under $1,000 sometimes include a TN panel. You can get buy with a 60Hz display if you mostly play single-player games, but thankfully, most gaming laptops these days opt for faster 120Hz+ panels instead. 2. What’s the ‘best’ screen size for a gaming laptop? The size of the screen dictates the size of the laptop itself, and thus weight. You can’t, for example, get a 17-inch gaming laptop that’s four pounds (although MSI’s excellent GS75 gets awfully damned close at five), so think long and hard about whether you’re willing to take the weight penalty in exchange for the screen real estate. If the laptop is going to be your only gaming machine, having a 17-inch screen might be ideal. We should also add that a 17.3-inch screen is easier on weaker eyes than a 15.5-inch screen. This is very much a matter of personal preference. 3. What’s the ‘best’ screen resolution for a gaming laptop? The buzzword today is “4K.” That high resolution delivers sharper photo viewing and more space for video editing, but that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Anything not using the panel’s native resolution of 3840×2180, such as games running at lower-than-4K resolution, won’t look quite as sharp unless you exponentially increase the graphics power of the laptop. If you’re running at 1920×1080 resolution because your GPU can’t hit 60 fps at 4K, that feature is moot. For many gamers, 1920×1080 (1080p) or 2560×1440 (1440p) is more optimal. 4. IPS vs. TN vs. OLED: What’s the difference? The panel technology is also a key feature. IPS (in-plane switching) generally produces much greater color accuracy and superior off-axis viewing, but tends to lag in response times, which can lead to blurring. TN (twisted nematic) panels can offer far higher refresh rates and usually better response times than IPS, but can look washed out or just blah. A middle-ground technology that’s appearing more often is VA (vertical alignment). VA is sometimes alternately referred to as “wide viewing angle” technology. (Many assume this to spec to be IPS, but it’s not). In our experience, we’ve found VA panels to run the gamut from being worthy competitors to IPS to being worse than the better TN panels. Generally, if color accuracy is important, go IPS (a trademark of Sharp), and if you want the fastest response times go for a gaming-oriented TN panel. With the variability of VA, we recommend you check feedback from reviewers and users of a particular model. The wildcard in all this is OLED. OLED-based panels have been used in phones for years but have recently migrated to larger screens in laptops. IPS, TN, and VA all use LEDs behind the screen or along the edges. “Black” is produced by a shutter-like mechanism that blocks light from coming through. As you can imagine, there’s usually some light leakage, which means the black tends to be gray. OLED panels don’t rely on edge- or backlighting. Instead, each pixel generates its own light. To produce black, it just switches off the light. This amounts to truly stunning contrast ratios and vibrant colors. OLEDs also boast fantastic response times. The negatives include smaller screen sizes (we haven’t seen anything larger than 15.6 inches yet), higher cost, and lack of support for variable refresh rate. OLED panels can also use more power than conventional methods if the image is on a white background. 5. Should a gaming laptop have G-Sync or FreeSync support? Okay, we called this section G-Sync and FreeSync, but the reality is, when it comes to beefy gaming laptops, it’s a GeForce GPU world. And that means it’s a G-Sync world. In a nutshell, Nvidia and AMD’s respective variable-refresh-rate technologies help synchronize the monitor and the GPU to greatly reduce screen tearing. Variable refresh rates can make gaming at 40 fps far smoother to your eyes than a screen without it. The first variable-refresh-rate panels for laptops maxed out at 75Hz, only marginally better than the standard 60Hz. More recently, we’ve begun to see laptop panels that can push 120Hz, 144Hz and even 240Hz. This generally means smoother and sharper gaming to your eyes. It even helps smooth out everyday tasks such as scrolling a browser page or Word document. The downside of high-refresh rate panels is the technology it’s available on: TN. As we said earlier, TN generally looks less vibrant and less accurate than IPS. The off-axis view is generally inferior, too. You’ll also need a far more powerful GPU to feed that high-refresh rate monitor at its native resolution. One last very important note: G-Sync screens have to be connected directly to the laptop’s discrete GPU, which means a large hit in battery life. In most laptops without G-Sync, the Intel integrated graphics is connected directly to the screen, so the GPU can be turned off when not being used. So while G-Sync is beautiful to behold, the cost in battery life is huge. Which is right for you? If it’s primarily a gaming laptop—go for a high refresh rate and G-Sync (or FreeSync, if you can find a laptop that supports it with a Radeon GPU). If you tend to also push pixels in Photoshop or do any color-critical work, skip variable refresh for an IPS panel. 6. What should you look for in a gaming laptop keyboard and trackpad? A new trend in gaming laptops is the offset trackpad, which is more conducive to gaming than a dead-center trackpad. The concept is sound, but anyone who actually cares about PC gaming will just plug in a mouse. The worst thing about that offset trackpad is when you try to use it for non-gaming purposes. As far as keyboards go, the most important gaming feature is n-key rollover. This means the keyboard physically scans each key separately. If you wanted to, you could press 20 keys simultaneously and they’d all register, as each is independently wired. That probably sounds excessive, but keyboards that lack this feature can suffer missed keystrokes, which both ruins gameplay and hurts in everyday tasks. Anyone who’s used an Adobe product that might require a left-Alt, left-Shift, left-Ctrl plus two more keys to do something may have run into the limitations of non-n-key keyboards. Other keyboard considerations include LED backlighting (which adds ambiance but does nothing for gameplay) and mechanical keys vs. membrane. Mechanical keys are excellent—but are available on only a handful of laptops that usually weigh a ton. We have seen a few designs with low-profile mechanical keyboards, but even we admit they can be an acquired taste. 7. What kind of storage is best for a gaming laptop? Having your games load from an SSD instead of a hard drive significantly cuts down on load times. But beyond that, we haven’t found it to matter that much whether it’s a super-fast NVMe PCIe drive or a slower SATA SSD. What does matter more today is the size of the SSD rather than the interface it uses. With games now topping 50GB and some touching 100GBs, a once-spacious 256GB SSD will feel too small with just four games installed. So when spec’ing out that gaming laptop, be mindful of just how much total storage you have. If you go for laptop with a small SSD and large hard drive combo, expect to install your games to the hard drive. If the laptop will have an SSD only, choose an absolute minimum of 512GB, with 1TB preferred. 8. How much RAM do you need in a gaming laptop? When laptop makers spec out gaming laptops, one of the levers they use to try to convince you to buy their product is upping the amount of RAM. It’s not hard to find gaming laptops with “upgraded” configurations that go from 16GB of RAM to 32GB. While having an adequate amount of RAM is important for gaming, today’s games typically top out at 16GB of RAM, and sometimes can run fine with just 8GB of RAM. Most people should invest in a gaming laptop with 16GB of memory if possible, and it makes sense to opt for 32GB if you plan on holding onto your gaming laptop for a long time. Modern games are only getting more memory-ungry. 9. Should a gaming laptop have dual-channel or single-channel RAM? Besides the amount of memory, a couple of other important, but not critical, questions to ask is what clock speed and what mode. Modern CPUs let you run RAM in sets to increase the memory bandwidth.  More memory bandwidth immediately helps laptops that are running integrated graphics, but the conventional wisdom has long been that discrete GPUs in laptops don’t benefit as much because they have their own dedicated, much faster GDDR5 RAM to use. That’s typically the case, but the performance of today’s GPUs and CPUs can make this conventional wisdom wrong.  Gaming performance is often about a balance between the CPU and the GPU, and how graphically intensive a game is. With games that are graphically intensive, the GPU is the primary bottleneck on performance. Play a game that isn’t graphically intense, though, and the CPU can rapidly become the bottleneck on performance. With the power of today’s GPUs, a lot of games, especially at a sedate resolution of 1920×1080, have shifted more performance to the CPU. The reason we’re talking about this now is if you rob the CPU of memory bandwidth, even a decently fast one, you can take a sizable hit in gaming performance. The basic lesson is you should opt for dual-channel memory bandwidth configurations when possible. On a laptop spec sheet, you typically would see this expressed as “dual-channel” or “2 x 8” to indicate that two 8GB memory modules were used in a laptop. Some laptop makers will express memory in clock speed, so you’ll see “DDR4/2,133 or DDR4/2,400.” While a higher memory clock does increase memory bandwidth, the impact isn’t quite as great as going from dual-channel to single-channel mode. 10. How many CPU cores do you really need in a gaming laptop? How many cores do you need in a gaming laptop? For most people on a budget, a 4-core CPU with Hyper-Threading will function just fine in most games, especially when combined with a lower-cost and lower performance GPU. Still, if you have the extra cash, a 6-core CPU with Hyper-Threading is likely the sweet spot for today and tomorrow. If you plan to stream your gaming live or edit it, investing in a 6-core is recommended. Intel and AMD’s top-end 8-plus-core CPUs will deliver the greatest benefit to those who might do other graphics-intensive tasks, such as 3D animation or video editing. If you also plan to record and stream video, the 8-core will offer a performance benefit there, too. If you’re thinking, great, let me buy a 4-core Core i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU with a luxury laptop to save money, you usually can’t, because PC makers typically only offer budget CPUs with other budget parts. Why? Well, most budget shoppers can’t afford any luxury items, and most PC makers like to add in the extras to increase the profit. 11. What GPU is best for a gaming laptop? The single most important piece of hardware in a gaming laptop is undoubtedly the GPU. For AMD fans, the situation is as sad as it is in CPUs: It’s an Nvidia GeForce world. As with CPUs though, the good news is that the dominating products are top-notch. The hardest part will be deciding just how much GPU you need. Our general guidance is to buy as fast a GPU as you can afford and are willing to heft. Generally, the faster the GPU (or GPUs), the larger and heavier the laptop. If you’re talking about playing on a higher-resolution panel of 2560×1440 at high-refresh rates, then keep increasing the amount of money spent on the GPU. 12. What kind of battery life should a gaming laptop have? The last topic we’ll cover is battery life. The best way to understand battery life on a gaming laptop is to accept that it’ll be horrible for all things gaming. The minute you crank up a GPU on a gaming laptop to play a game, you’re basically limiting yourself to an hour or an hour and a half of battery runtime. Period. And in some cases, far less than that. The only reason to consider battery life on a gaming laptop is if you want to use your laptop unplugged for non-gaming purposes. In that respect, you’ll find a lot of variance, with some offering decent battery life, albeit with a trade-off in gaming performance. Gaming, Gaming Laptops, Laptops Read...

External USB/Thunderbolt drives are a super-convenient way to quickly back up your important files, as well as store any data that you don’t need on your computer’s internal storage. They’re also an extremely handy way to transport data between locations and devices. While any of these would be a great reason to pick up an external drive, the advantages of having reliable backup is the number-one reason your setup isn’t complete without one. Why? Chances are you have important data on your PC that you can’t afford to lose. To protect that data you’ll want to do two things: store it off-site on the cloud if possible and back it up to an external drive. This way you ensure your data is completely safe should anything go wrong with your computer. While we highly recommend that you consider cloud storage as a backup option, restoring from local storage is generally far, far faster than pulling your data down from the cloud. Therefore, an external drive should be your primary hedge against disaster. Why you should trust us: We’re PCWorld. We’ve been putting computer hardware through its paces for decades. We’ve seen it all and we know how to root out a drive’s strengths and weaknesses, using a combination of rigorous benchmark testing and real-world hands-on use. Below we offer our expert recommendations on the best external drives for everything from blazing-fast performance, to budget options, to portability, and more. Updated May 10, 2024 to include two new additions to our list of recommendations: The SK Hynix Tube T31, a thumb drive that offers the performance of an SSD; and the SanDisk Desk Drive, which is a compelling SSD option for large backups. Read our summaries below to learn more. Crucial X9 Pro – Best 10Gbps external SSD Pros Super small form factor Great 10Gbps performance Handsome design Cons Not the least expensive 10Gbps SSD available Best Prices Today: $94.99 at Amazon Not everyone wants or even needs 20Gbps USB drive performance, which comes at a price premium anyway. The Crucial X9 strikes a compelling balance between top-shelf performance and affordability that should please the majority of users. In our benchmark tests, it traded top scores with the SK Hynix Beetle (our runner-up choice below), but at a significantly lower cost. Making it an indisputable win-win for consumers. It’s also handsome, described by our reviewer as “a svelte object of desire.” More importantly, it feels well made, and is rated for IP55 dust and spray resistance, so you don’t have to baby this portable drive when you take it out. Read our full Crucial X9 Pro review SK Hynix Beetle X31 – Best 10Gbps external SSD runner-up Pros Top 10Gbps performer Compact, rounded design Cons Available only in pale gold Pricier than the competition Best Prices Today: $96 at Amazon As stated above, the SK Hynix Beetle X31 is every bit the performer as our top pick in the 10Gbps realm, with the two enjoying an equal number of wins in our benchmarks and handily besting the competition. But where the SK Hynix loses its edge is on price. Right now, it’s about $13 more for 1TB than the Crucial X9. It’s also more blinged out. Peep that gold scarab-inspired exterior. It will sit proudly on any desk, and for some buyers that might make the extra cost worth it. Read our full SK Hynix Beetle X31 review Crucial X6 Portable SSD (2TB) – Best budget 10Gbps external SSD Pros Ergonomic design Good everyday performance Very affordable for an external SSD Cons Performance tanks when cache runs out Best Prices Today: $49.89 at Amazon The Crucial X6 Portable SSD is square to be hip (search Huey Lewis). Or placed in your hip pocket, at any rate. In a sea of portable SSDs whose shape and sometimes sharp edges makes them a literal pain when situated in your shirt or trousers, the thin, rounded-edge X6 is a sigh of relief. It’s not state-of-the-art fast, but it’s fast enough for most users and extremely affordable. Read our full Crucial X6 Portable SSD review SK Hynix Tube T31 USB SSD stick – Best thumb drive SSD Pros Fast like an external SSD Decently affordable Small form factor Captive Type-A USB connector Cons Costs more than the common thumb drive Best Prices Today: $79.99 at Amazon There’s something to be said for the thumb drive form factor. It’s eminently portable, being both small and eschewing the necessity of a connector cable. It’s also versatile as it can slot into the ubiquitous USB-A port. The SK Hynix Tube T31 combines all that thumb-drive convenience with SSD performance, for the best of the both worlds. With 10Gbps NVMe storage, the wee Tube T31 performs like a cable-attached SSD, and definitively outperformed other thumb drives in its class. And while it’s priced relatively high compared to a standard thumb drive, it’s priced competitively for its performance. There’s no better option if fast and cable-free storage is what you’re after. Read our full SK Hynix Tube T31 USB SSD stick review Lexar SL600 Blaze – Best 20Gbps external SSD Pros Good 20Gbps performer Top bang for the buck Five-year warranty Cons 4TB model not yet available Best Prices Today: $129.99 at B & H Photo Let’s face it, the competition is very close in the top tier of 20Gbps external drives, with name-brand contenders trading wins up and down the benchmark charts. Nevertheless, a winner is a winner, and cumulatively, the Lexar nudged out our previous champ, Crucial’s X10 Pro, even if only by a hair. The upshot is that you can expect excellent performance from the Lexar SL600. On top of that, it comes in a uniquely shaped form factor, complete with an opening to accommodate a lanyard, if that’s how you roll. You can even take the highly portable drive’s design a step further by opting for the SL660 variant that comes with RGB lighting around its miniature handle. The drive comes with the standard five year warranty. When performance is this closely matched among products, the determining factor should be price. And in that respect, too, the SL600 is neck-and-neck with the Crucial X10 Pro, and priced slightly to significantly cheaper than some of its competitors, at least as of this writing — particularly at the 2TB level. Teamgroup M200 – Best budget 20Gbps SSD Pros Fast everyday performance Available in up to 8TB (eventually) capacity Attractively styled Cons No TBW rating Company will change components if shortages demand Writes slow to 200MBps off cache Best Prices Today: $46.87 at Amazon Rated for 20Gbps and selling for $90 with 1TB of storage, the Teamgroup M200 is an attractive (in a military fashion) external drive for the budget-conscious performance enthusiast. It might not be as cheap as the Crucial X6, but for the extra outlay you get outstanding everyday performance — in many tests, it’s the fastest 20Gbps drive we’ve ever tested. At just 4.13-inches long and 2.18-inches wide and weighing under 3 ounces, it’s also extremely portable and its slick styling will appeal to gamers. Read our full Teamgroup T-Force M200 20Gbps USB SSD review Samsung T7 Shield 4TB – Best 20Gbps high-capacity performance drive Pros Fast 1GBps sustained transfers Excellent real world performance Vast 4TB capacity Svelte and handsome Cons Not cheap Small 4K performance glitch under CrystalDiskMark 8 writing 4K files Best Prices Today: $319.99 at Amazon Once our top pick overall, the Samsung T7 Shield has been overtake in raw speeds by the two newcomers above. But if the 2TB limit of the drives above has you feeling too confined, the T7 Shield 4TB is a good option. The T7 Shield also leans into physical protection, with an IP65 ratings against particulate matter and water spray. Going hiking with your data? A T7 Shield is a good choice, and you can secure it with software-based password protection in lieu of a fingerprint. With its top-tier speeds and large capacity, the T7 4TB model is capable of handling the largest end-user data sets on the go. Read our full Samsung T7 4TB review Sandisk Pro-Blade Transport – Best 20Gbps modular storage Pros Fast 20Gbps performance Modular storage More affordable than you might think (as currently discounted) Cons Some non-fatal operational glitches Best Prices Today: $49.99 at Western Digital$159.99 at Amazon The SanDisk Pro-Blade Transport is a portable SSD dock that can be thought of as a cross between removable media and high-speed NVMe. It comes with easy-to-use removable storage cartridges for fast rotating backup. Additionally, it’s a good way to organize projects by their own media as well. The SanDisk Pro-Blade Transport’s modular design allows users to expand their TB count over the same connection and keep everything together and organized in neat, handsome cartridges. The cartridges come in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities and are all capable of transferring at speeds of 20Gbps. In our speed tests, the Pro-Blade’s cartridges did well in both synthetic benchmarks as well as real-world transfers, with good sustained speeds throughout both the shorter 48GB and longer 450GB read/write tests. We did notice a few hiccups though when the drive’s system would lock up and we needed to manually reboot it to fix the issue. These only came about during rigorous testing scenarios and aren’t likely to affect day-to-day usage. Also, this is something that SanDisk should be able to fix with a software update and it wasn’t a major issue anyways. Overall, this sleek storage system is a great option for organizing your storage and for those who need ultimate flexibility. Read our full Sandisk Pro-Blade Transport review OWC Express 1M2 USB4 SSD – Best USB4/Thunderbolt combo external SSD Pros Over 30GBps transfers with USB4 Works with all USB and Thunderbolt 3/4 ports Available unpopulated so you can leverage any NVMe SSD Cons A bit pricey when loaded with an SSD Large (but beefy) for an external SSD Best Prices Today: $219.99 at OWC Sure the SanDisk Pro-G40 is a fast, dual USB/Thunderbolt drive, but the OWC Express 1M2 takes fast USB transfers to a whole new level with USB4. The new USB4 technology allows for blazing-fast data transfer rates up to a maximum of 40Gbps — the same as Thunderbolt 4. And the OWC Express proves it. In our tests, it was the fastest external drive over every bus: Thunderbolt 4, 20Gbps USB, and 10Gbps USB. So no matter what you choose to use, the 1M2 is the ultimate drive for speed. The drive itself looks very much like a giant silver heatsink (the pink hue is the result of lighting) and feels quite large and hefty compared to some of the other drives on this list. We don’t mind it as the whole design makes the drive feel like it means business, but it doesn’t make the 1M2 the most portable external SSD either. Regardless, the OWC Express 1M2 is currently one of the absolute fastest external drives around if you’re feeling the need for speed. Read our full OWC Express 1M2 USB4 SSD review SanDisk Desk Drive 10Gbps USB SSD – Best external SSD for backups Pros Available in large 4TB and 8TB capacities Good 10Gbps performer Attractive and unusual, if somewhat large, heat-shedding design Cons Requires AC adapter Best Prices Today: $249.99 at Western Digital As the name suggests, the SanDisk Desk Drive isn’t meant to be portable, unlike many of the external drives on this list. It’s not only to bulky for a pocket, or even a laptop bag, but it also requires an AC adapter. But that doesn’t detract from its utility, because the Desk Drive is really best suited for backups. That’s evident in the fact that it only comes in 4GB and 8GB capacities, priced competitively at $250 and $700 respectively. Granted, that’s a lot more per-gigabyte than you’d pay for a backup hard drive. But with the Desk Drive you get brisk 10Gbps performance, and the assurance that comes from an SSD’s lack of moving parts. In other words, the price-per-performance makes it a wash with an HDD. Read our full SanDisk Desk Drive 10Gbps USB SSD review WD My Passport 5TB – Best external hard drive Pros Up to 5TB in capacity Low price per gigabyte Innovative and attractive styling Cons A bit slower than most external hard drives Best Prices Today: $112.25 at Amazon$149.99 at WD If your primary need from an external drive is data backup, WD’s My Passport 5TB is for you. You want to know why? It’s right there in the name — that extra 1TB can be invaluable in this age of 4K/8K. Furthermore, you don’t need the speed of an SSD to perform maintenance backups, which can be scheduled for times that create the least possible disruption. And by going with a hard drive over SSD, you can save loads of money. Read our full WD My Passport 5TB external hard drive review Our latest external drive reviews Adata SD810: This is a solid 20Gbps drive, as long as you aren’t in the habit of writing very large amounts of data to it on a regular basis, because in our tests, the drive slowed down considerably in that scenario. That being said, the 4TB capacity is a particularly good value at just $300. Lexar SL500: A stablemate of the Lexar SL600 — our pick for best 20Gbps external drive — the SL500 stands out for its very slim and attractive form factor. It has almost identical performance to the SL600, with the exception of performing slower than its sibling in our 48GB file writes. Corsair EX100U: This handsome drive, which could easily slide into a pocket, isn’t a great all-around performer, but if you’re mostly concerned with light workloads it will handle those tasks capably. On sale, it could easily earn its keep in that regard. What you need to know before you buy Yes, USB4 will provide the same massive throughput as Thunderbolt 3 at lower prices eventually, and likely far more products too. Yes, USB4 will provide the same massive throughput as Thunderbolt 3 at lower prices eventually, and likely far more products too. Yes, USB4 will provide the same massive throughput as Thunderbolt 3 at lower prices eventually, and likely far more products too. Capacity versus price For most consumers, the primary shopping criteria for external storage are capacity and price. However, while you might think that the lowest-cost drives provide the most value–they don’t. In fact, dollar for dollar, cheaper low-capacity drives have always been the worst deal in terms of price per terabyte. You can see the phenomena in the charts below where we compare the popular WD Elements desktop hard drive’s available capacities and prices. You’re paying more than twice as much per terabyte for the lowest-capacity drive versus the next step up. It’s almost as bad on the WD Elements Portable drive. The worst value for an external hard drive is typically the lowest-capacity drive. The worst value for an external hard drive is typically the lowest-capacity drive. IDG The worst value for an external hard drive is typically the lowest-capacity drive. IDG IDG The best “value,” as you can see, typically means the most capacious hard drives. But it also means higher total cost, and not everyone needs maximum capacity. How much capacity do you need? So how much storage do you actually need? For backup, we recommend a drive that’s at least twice the capacity of the total amount of data residing on your PC’s internal storage. If you have 1TB of storage in your PC, a 2TB drive allows you to make a full backup while keeping previous versions, as well as additional differential and incremental backups. I.e., the larger the capacity, the more backups over a longer period of time you can keep, or the more PCs you can back up to the same drive. While a desktop hard drive (read 3.5-inch) provides far more capacity (up to 26TB currently if you’re a data center), it also requires a power cable, weighs more, and generally won’t be as shock resistant as a portable 2.5-inch hard drive. The latter is designed to take bumps in a laptop, even when powered up. Then again, if you really want rugged–go the SSD route. Interface The vast majority of external drives today are USB drives. However, USB comes in many speeds: 5Gbps, 10Gbps, 20GBps, and—eventually with USB4—40Gbps as with Thunderbolt 3/4. Ignore the version number (3.x) and look for the speed. The USB Forum has changed its nomenclature to indicate throughput speed—SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (formerly USB 3.x gen 1), SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps (formerly USB 3.x gen 2), and SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps (formerly USB 3.2 2×2). For the sake of brevity (and our sanity), we generally shorten those to, for example, USB 10Gbps, 10Gbps USB, 10Gbps etc. All USB hard drives use a slower standard, typically USB 5Gbps. No hard drive, unless combined with other drives in RAID 0 or above, can saturate even the 5Gbps interface (roughly 500MBps real-world after overhead). Because of that, you’ll never see one rated higher. Where SuperSpeed 10Gbps/20Gbps, USB4, or Thunderbolt are of value is with the aforementioned RAID hard drive setups, or more likely—an SSD. USB 10Gbps is fast enough for most users, and getting cheaper by the week. A 10Gbps Samsung T7 Shield can be had for $80 in a 1TB capacity. Faster USB 20Gbps (Gen 2×2) basically doubles speed but moves you into a higher-price bracket, with the Seagate Firecuda Gaming SSD costing $100 for only 500GB of storage. Although far faster than 5/10Gbps, there still aren’t a lot of USB 20Gbps/USB4 ports out there. Thunderbolt 3 and the newer Thunderbolt 4 (almost exactly the same thing with stricter implementation requirements) are the highest-performing interfaces for external storage. The key negatives are the premium pricing and a general lack of compatibility with the far more popular USB. That said, there are dual Thunderbolt/USB SSDs available such as the Sandisk Pro-G40. The G40 is pricey at $160 for 1TB, but a fantastic drive for those who can afford it. Pure Thunderbolt external SSDs can be even pricier, as they’re almost all sold by Mac-oriented boutique vendors such as OWC and Sabrent. The top drive uses the older, slower Mini-USB interface. The second drive features the connector that replaced it: Micro B SuperSpeed. The Orange drive features both a SuperSpeed Micro B and Thunderbolt 2 (mini DisplayPort connector). The bottom drive features USB-C or USB Type C. The top drive uses the older, slower Mini-USB interface. The second drive features the connector that replaced it: Micro B SuperSpeed. The Orange drive features both a SuperSpeed Micro B and Thunderbolt 2 (mini DisplayPort connector). The bottom drive features USB-C or USB Type C. The top drive uses the older, slower Mini-USB interface. The second drive features the connector that replaced it: Micro B SuperSpeed. The Orange drive features both a SuperSpeed Micro B and Thunderbolt 2 (mini DisplayPort connector). The bottom drive features USB-C or USB Type C. Ports External drives come with a variety of ports, though they’re gradually (and thankfully) consolidating on the orientation-agnostic Type-C connector. Here’s the list of connectors you might see on your drive: USB 3 Micro-B — This wider, flatter port is still very common on many lower-cost portable and desktop external hard drives. It’s actually the same Micro USB port used on your phone, but with more data lines to hit USB 3.0 speeds. It’ll do 5Gbps and is fine for hard drives and SATA (internally) SSDs. Micro-B cables are generally Type-A on the PC end. USB 3 Type-B is the larger, squarer version of USB 3.0 Micro B. Type B ports are becoming rare, though you might find one on older 5.25-inch enclosures, printers, and scanners. It supports speeds up to 5Gbps and cables are generally Type-A on the PC side.  USB Type-C or simply Type-C is the latest USB connector and the one the world is standardizing on. It’s small, easy to insert, and you don’t have to worry about which side faces up as with Type-A. Keep in mind that Type-C refers only to the connector itself. What is carried over the wires varies greatly: USB 2.0 High Speed (480Mbps) to USB 3.2 SuperSpeed 20Gbps, as well as USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 and any combination of them. USB Type-A You won’t find this familiar rectangular port on any drive, but you will still find it on plenty of PCs and laptops as well as the male version on the other end of most Type-B and Type-C adapter cables. Thunderbolt 2 is dead at this point. It’s found on older Macs, but even Apple put it out to pasture in 2017. There’s no need to invest in a Thunderbolt 2 drive unless it’s for legacy support issues. That said… …Apple sells a bi-directional Thunderbolt 1/2 to 3 adapter if you need to connect the one generation to the other. The adapter does not, however, carry power, so bus-powered external drives (no power jack) will require a powered dock. eSATA is another legacy port that’s disappeared from newer tech. Created for attaching external storage to your computer’s SATA bus, eSATA was a cheap way in its day to move beyond the toddling 60MBps performance of USB 2.0. 5Gbps USB 3.0 put the last nail in eSATA’s coffin. As with Thunderbolt 2, the only reason to invest in an eSATA drive is for use with older computers. Two drives for backup? There’s a fundamental maxim in backup, appropriately named the Rule of Three. It states that you should always maintain three copies of your irreplaceable data: the original data, a backup, and a backup of the backup. Preferably, the two backups are kept in separate locations, one being offsite (online, or another location). Keeping a copy online is great for smaller amounts of data and certainly meets the offsite criteria. However, for vast photo, audio, and/or video collections, external drives in pairs (or more), are a far faster solution. Especially with most broadband still being relatively limited in upstream speed.   For guidance on building out the best backup plan possible, see our roundups of the best cloud backup services and best Windows backup software. How we test Some of the older reviews you might find here feature results gathered on an Intel Core i7-5820K/X99 motherboard with 64GB of Kingston DDR4 memory running Windows 10. A discrete Gigabyte Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 card and Ableconn USB 3.2 2×2 20Gbps card (Asmedia 2142 controller) were used for connecting the external drives. An Asus USB 3.1/10Gbps (Asmedia 1142 controller) card was employed for some of the really old drives on the chart.  Subsequently, drives were tested using Windows 11 64-bit running on an MSI MEG X570/AMD Ryzen 3700X combo with four 16GB Kingston 2666MHz DDR4 modules, a Zotac (Nvidia) GT 710 1GB x2 PCIe graphics card, and the Asmedia ASM3242 USB 3.2×2 card. Copy tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk using 58GB of the 64GB total memory. Currently, we’re using Windows 11 64-bit running on an X790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules (64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4 are on the board and Intel integrated graphics are employed. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB which also runs the OS. We run various synthetic benchmarks including Crystal Disk Mark 6/7/8, AS SSD 2, and Iometer. We also perform real-world transfer tests using a 48GB batch of small files and folders, as well as a large 48GB and 450GB files. The testbed boots from a NVMe drive, but the real-world (Windows) file transfers are performed to and from a 58GB RAM disk. Note that all review charts feature results garnered from the same test bed. External drive FAQ 1. What is the difference between an SSD and an HDD? HDDs (hard disk drives) have been around for more than 50 years. They are essentially boxes containing spinning platters with read/write arms that skim across them to detect the orientation of, or re-align particles in, the magnetic material that coats the platters.  SSDs (solid state drives), on the other hand, use flash memory and have no moving parts inside the drive. Data is instead stored in cells—aka, voltage traps—which are interconnected in a matrix. The matrix approach allows for data to be pushed or pulled to/from many different places at once and significantly increases both read and write speed—on the order of 100 times faster these days. Generally speaking, SSDs are a better bet for your external drives due to their smaller size, faster speeds, and far superior ruggedness and durability. The main drawback to SSDs is that you pay quite a bit more per terabyte of storage. As technology and production techniques improve, the price of SSDs has and will continue to drop. 2. How often should you back up your data? Ideally, you should backup your data as often as possible. This is especially true if you are working on an important project or have data that you absolutely cannot afford to lose.  If you have your external hard drive connected to your computer at all times, it is a good idea to automate the backup process and have the drive back up your data every hour or so. If you disconnect or travel with your external hard drive, you should try to remember to back up your data onto it every time you change your data or at least every day. See our roundups of the best Windows backup software and the best online backup services to learn more. 3. Why is my actual hard drive storage smaller than specified? This comes down to the perceived size of storage (KB, MB, GB, TB) versus the actual size of that storage. Most consumers are led to believe that a Kilobyte (KB) is 1,000 bytes when it is actually 1,024 bytes. Most consumers then are led to believe that a Megabyte (MB) is 1,000 KB when it is actually 1,024 KB. So a manufacturer’s hard drive that claims to have 1 TB of storage actually has only 931.31 GB of storage. It is essentially a rounding error that manufacturers neglect to advertise because round numbers are easier to understand.  Another reason that actual storage may appear less than advertised is that hard drives have to be formatted to read and write data properly. When formatting, a portion of the storage space on the drive is allocated in order to catalog the data. 4. How long does an external hard drive last? The average lifespan of an external hard drive is about three to five years. However, this is highly dependent upon the make and model and the conditions of usage and storage. The more you use an external hard drive, the less reliable it becomes.  One way to guesstimate the lifespan of your hard drive is to look at the manufacturer’s warranty and the TBW (total terabytes written) number. You can determine the estimated daily amount of storage you write and then extrapolate from there to see how long you can continue to use it everyday until you reach the TBW. These numbers are not entirely reliable, and drives can last much longer than these two values, but they give an idea as to when you will likely begin to encounter issues. 5. How do external hard drives fail? There are a number of ways that an external hard drive may fail. They are especially susceptible to failure due to frequent mishandling, outdated drivers, connecting and disconnecting, and unsafe or forced ejections. To ensure that you keep your hard drive working properly, keep it stored in a safe place, try not to drop it, update your drivers, and make sure that you connect and disconnect it from devices properly. Business, Storage Read...

Antivirus software is a necessary tool in today’s online world. Attacks are only becoming more sophisticated, especially with the continued rise of AI. Even the most tech-savvy and cautious among us can drop their guard at wrong time or get tricked into exposing themselves to a malware, spyware, or ransomware vulnerability. Antivirus protection is an essential backup against such threats.  We’re not suggesting that PC security software is fool-proof, but it does a great job of protecting your computer against harmful malware and ransomware. Most systems come with security software baked into the OS, but this is often the bare minimum you need. Choosing to purchase more robust antivirus software will provide you with features such as an advanced firewall, sandbox environments for suspicious programs, and multi-device protection, among other things. How do you choose a good antivirus? We’ve tested a multitude of offerings, including all the big names, so you don’t have to! When testing antivirus software, we look for products that strike a balance between excellent protection, a worthwhile selection of features, and minimal performance impact on your PC. For more information, you can read about how we test antivirus software below our picks. Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been deep in the trenches of testing computer hardware, software, and services since 1983—including security suites. For antivirus apps, we continually evaluate popular or noteworthy software. We consider the user experience, strength of protection against threats (online and offline), and how well it addresses the ever-expanding types of attacks. Our guide on how we test antivirus software at PCWorld gives the full details of our review process, but for the results of our work, read on. Update May 10, 2024: Want to further strengthen your security? A simple question can help keep your antivirus software’s workload a little lighter. We’ve also updated our AVG Internet Security and Avast One reviews to reflect the latest benchmark data from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives. Best antivirus of 2024 reviewed and ranked Norton 360 Deluxe – Best antivirus for PC overall Pros Strong antivirus protection Wide protection against major online threats Simple, straightforward features Cons Performance impact on some PCs User interface would benefit from consolidation Upselling of additional services Why we picked Norton 360 Deluxe An ideal antivirus suite packs in a little of everything needed for security without costing a ton—and that’s why our pick for the best antivirus software of 2024 is still Norton 360 Deluxe. Despite its slightly awkward interface, this software’s wide protection and affordable pricing is ideal for most users. This plan has just about everything most PC users need, without extra bloat. In addition to the antivirus engine and firewall to protect against malware and network threats, you get malicious link and attachment screening, dark web and privacy monitoring, and webcam safeguards. Norton also tosses in 50GB of storage for cloud backups, access to Norton’s password manager and VPN, parental controls, and PC utilities that include the ability to monitor for outdated software. Those major extras—the password manager, VPN, and parental controls—have easy, simple interfaces, without feeling stripped to the bone. You’ll actually want to use them, unlike some rival plans from Norton’s competitors. For antivirus performance, Norton doesn’t hit perfect marks across the board, but its online protection is strong. In tests performed by leading security research institutes, like AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware tests for November and December 2023, Norton detected 100 percent of the threats. Similarly, in AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for July through October 2023, Norton blocked 99.8 percent of the 512 test cases. And when tasked with the 10,007 samples in AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 malware protection test, Norton 360 scored a 99.98 percent online protection rate and 99.7 percent online detection rate. Its 86.0 percent offline detection rate puts it in middle on the leaderboards, but fewer users go offline these days, much less plug in unknown USB drives into their systems these days. Most file transfers and downloads are done online now. In our in-house benchmarks of system performance, Norton can hit a slower or older PC harder than other antivirus software during a full scan—at least, when faced with many new files. If you don’t do a lot of downloading or copying to your hard drive(s), the scans go pretty quickly and have a more minimal impact. Overall, Norton is an excellent option for those looking to consolidate their online security protections into a single software interface. It has a couple of quirks (namely a dual user interface that can mildly slow navigation), but its strengths far outshine its weaknesses. Who should use Norton 360 Deluxe Norton 360 Deluxe works for everyone—it consolidates all the biggest protections you need online into one package, including parental controls. If you have trouble keeping up with security experts’ recommendations (or haven’t yet gotten around to following all of them), this suite centralizes and simplifies it all. Read our full Norton 360 Deluxe review Avast One – Best overall runner-up Pros Good new design Well priced Excellent performance Cons Smart scan requires too much user intervention Avast asks to install Google Chrome Why we picked Avast One Avast not only offers solid protection, but a simple, friendly interface. Combine that together with useful extra features and multi-device coverage, and you have a winning combo in Avast One. Rounding out that top-notch antivirus and firewall are safeguards against remote webcam takeovers, malicious websites, and trackers—these keep you safe against major online threats. The Avast One plan also includes dark web monitoring (which looks for your email address in data breaches and alert you to compromised passwords), a VPN with up to 5GB of bandwidth per week, and protections for saved passwords in a browser. You get utilities to help you keep your PC’s drivers up to date, clean up your PC, and optimize your apps. These features may sound standard, and to be fair, many of them can be found in rival software. But Avast makes staying on top of security dead simple, whether you’re a novice or a security veteran. Its default settings require little input to keep your PC protected, and if you want to dig in further or tinker, you still have that option, too. In evaluations by leading security research organizations, Avast runs with the very top performers on the leaderboards. AV-Test gave it perfect scores for protection against zero-day and prevalent malware in its November and December 2023 evaluation. Meanwhile, AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 Malware Protection Test found that Avast blocked 99.97 percent of online threats, with similar marks for online and offline detection rates. In its July through October 2023 real-world test, Avast’s antivirus engine blocked 100 percent of the 512 samples. And the software had no real effect on system performance in our in-house hardware benchmarks. So what keeps Avast out of the top spot, when its software outperforms Norton’s? The amount of features for its price. Norton’s performance isn’t perfect, but it’s about as good for online protection, which is where it counts. And the two software plans cost about the same—Avast One is $51 for 5 devices (or $70 for up to 30 devices) during the first year. The cost rises to $110 and $150, respectively, per year afterward. In the end, the more well-rounded subscription wins out. Who should use Avast One You’re someone who has a password manager already set up, don’t need parental controls, and prioritize the highest marks in threat detection tests. Avast One lacks the first two features, and takes top marks for catching both online and offline risks. AVG Internet Security – Best budget antivirus suite Pros Top-rated antivirus protection Expanded protection against malicious websites and remote attacks Clean, straightforward interface Cons Some PCs may experience a performance hit during heavier workloads Several features are a bit rudimentary Why we picked AVG Internet Security AVG is best known for its excellent free antivirus software, but there’s good reason to upgrade. AVG Internet Security not only offers more comprehensive protection, but also easy management of those tools. That can be valuable if you find keeping up with online threats too overwhelming or time consuming. The Internet Security plan builds upon the free version’s protection against malware and web, email, and network threat by adding five features. You get safeguards for the passwords saved to your browsers; webcam takeovers; unknown access to files with sensitive data; malicious redirects for websites you’re trying to visit (aka DNS hijacking); and attacks conducted through Windows’ remote desktop protocol. In addition to real-time scanning of your PC and network, AVG Internet Security watches for malicious websites as you browse online—and even monitors where your email address appears online. If it’s spotted in a data leak, you’ll get a notification in the app. When tested by leading security organizations, AVG earned high marks for antivirus and malware protection. In AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware tests for November and December 2023, Internet Security detected 100 percent of the threats. Similarly, in AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for July through October 2023, AVG’s core antivirus component blocked 100 percent of the 512 test cases. When faced with 10,007 samples in AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 malware protection test, it scored a 95.3 percent offline detection rate, 99.5 percent online detection rate, and 99.97 percent online protection rate, with just one false positive. In our own PCWorld performance testing, AVG Internet Security had minimal impact on system resources during everyday tasks like video chatting and web browsing. Even a more intensive task like encoding a video was barely affected. However, during heavier Microsoft Office use, you can see a drop in performance when a full scan is happening—especially if you’re on an older or slower machine. Scheduled scans are timed to happen during off-hours by default, though, so most users won’t notice too much of a hit. Despite its quirks (like advertisements for additional paid features), AVG Internet Security is reliable antivirus software with a user friendly interface—and at just $60 during the first year for 10 devices, it’s affordable, too. In fact, it’s solid enough to earn a recommendation despite how strong the free version is on its own. Who should use AVG Internet Security You need deeper control and more expansive protection from your antivirus software, but you don’t want to pay extra for features you don’t want. AVG Internet Security expands just enough on the company’s free antivirus to make it worthwhile, even though it lacks elements like parental controls, VPN, and a password manager. Read our full AVG Internet Security review Trend Micro Maximum Security – Best antivirus for beginners Pros Mute Mode is an excellent feature for power users PC Health Checkup helps clean-up your PC Cons Some of the privacy features didn’t work reliably Data theft prevention not as robust as it could be Best Prices Today: $39.99 at Best Buy Why we picked Trend Micro The best antivirus suites are as simple as possible—one where the app lays everything out clearly for users of all stripes. Trend Micro Maximum Security nails this principle with some of the easiest navigation we’ve seen. It also packs in extras beyond protections against malware, ransomware, and web threats that aren’t often found in rival software. For starters, you can open Chrome and Firefox in a sandboxed mode to protect your banking and other sensitive browsing sessions. You can also enter information like a credit card number, email address, or telephone number into the app and it will automatically warn you if that data is leaving your PC. This suite also offers a browser-based password manager to safeguard your logins, as well as parental controls to filter websites, set time limits, and control access to Windows programs. When tested by leading security research organizations, Trend Micro’s antivirus engine takes top marks for online protection. It scored 100 percent in AV-Test’s November and December 2023 evaluation, catching all zero-day and web/email threats, as well as currently prevalent malware. Likewise in AV-Comparatives’ malware protection test, Maximum Security locked in a 97.95 percent online protection rate. It caught all 512 samples in the July through October 2023 real-world protection test, too. However, Trend Micro isn’t as good at detecting offline threats, with a score of 57.1 percent, and also had a higher false positive rate than rivals.  Most PC newbies won’t be affected by these performance results, since they’ll be online all the time. Only those on an older or slower PC might feel the effects of running Trend Micro Maximum Security, especially if during a CPU intensive task like encoding—during our in-house benchmarks, we saw system performance drop under heavy load. But this kind of intensive work isn’t usually typical for less seasoned computer users. If this easy-to-use, robust suite sounds appealing, it gets even better when you look at its cost. You’ll pay just $45 during the first year for five devices, and $76 every year thereafter. You can save more if you drop down to three devices, which is just $30 for the first year, and $46 every year afterward. Who should use Trend Micro Trend Micro Maximum Security is perfect for anyone wanting antivirus software that feels less intimidating to use—especially if you’ve got accounts and kids to protect. Maximum Security includes a password manager and parental controls, both of which are vital tools for online safety. Read our full Trend Micro Maximum Security review Avira Prime – Best antivirus for beginners runner-up Pros Strong security with a reasonable subscription price Well designed and user-friendly Offers a host of features in the areas of security, privacy, and performance Cons No subscription option for fewer than five devices Simplicity of app feels slightly at odds with the depth of the PC tools Best Prices Today: $59.99 at Avira Operations GmbH Why we picked Avira Prime Trend Micro Maximum Security may be our current pick for best beginner-friendly antivirus suite, but not for a lack of trying on Avira Prime’s part. In fact, Avira is arguably the better choice for those seeking more help with managing their PC. In addition to a simple, clear interface for malware scans and online protections, Avira Prime offers a password manager, unlimited VPN, and a boatload of PC utilities for tuning up your computer. These tools aim to boost your computer speed, save on laptop battery life, keep apps and drivers up to date, enhance game performance, locate duplicate files, and securely delete sensitive data. You also get many backup options that extend beyond just documents. The one major feature missing from Avira Prime (and partially the reason for its runner-up status) is a set of parental controls. You can’t use it to filter web content or monitor device usage. For antivirus protection, Avira generally provides solid protection against malware and other threats, with high performance in tests done by security research institutions. In AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware evaluation for November and December 2023 (the most current as of this article’s publishing), it caught 100 percent of the threats. It did almost as well in AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for July through October 2023, blocking 99.4 percent of the 512 test cases simulating online dangers. Meanwhile, in AV-Comparatives’ September 2023 malware protection test, Avira scored a 99.97 percent online protection rate, 99.1 percent online detection rate, and a respectable 92.5 percent offline detection rate. Avira only stumbles against more sophisticated, targeted threats—in AV-Comparatives’ November 2023 Advanced Threat Protection Test, it spotted just 8 of the 15 test cases imitating threats like malicious scripts and fileless exploits. Rivals also missed test cases, however. During our in-house benchmarks evaluating system performance, Avira Prime only minimally affects performance when left to run in the background. But when full scans are running, this security suite can hit slower and older PCs extremely hard if combing through every file—as can happen if you’ve added or changed large quantities of files on your computer. Most people won’t notice Avira running, though. For those who want the comprehensive simplicity that this security suite offers, you’ll pay $60 for the first year, and then $105 for every year after. That slightly higher cost is the other reason Avira Prime couldn’t quite dethrone Trend Micro Maximum Security as our newbie-friendly pick. Who should use Avira Prime Avira Prime will likely feel best to users who want a simple antivirus suite, broad online protections, and robust PC utilities—and also want to use those latter tools for more confident management of their computer. Not every utility is a winner, but the overall set can help you identify and understand the more technical aspects of Windows and system upkeep. Parents will need to look elsewhere for controls that let them monitor and limit their kids’ PC use, however. Read our full Avira Prime review McAfee Total Protection – Best for privacy Pros Good protection Nice features like file shredder and home network analyzer Cons Mixed impact on performance New app design is a little scattered Best Prices Today: $89.99 at McAfee Why we picked McAfee Total Protection Decades ago, McAfee made a name for itself for antivirus protection—but the company has kept the most current threats to PCs in its sights. These days, dangers extend beyond just malware to identity and privacy issues, and McAfee Total Protection addresses these just as much as it does ransomware and phishing sites. That ID protection makes it stand out against competitors, especially if you’re willing to pay to scale up the level of service. The plan we tested included dark web scanning, which keeps an eye out for any of your personal information that you’ve shared with the app (email address, phone number, social security number, passport, driver’s license, date of birth, tax ID, credit card, usernames, and more). If any of those details show up in a data leak, you get notified. The app also offers to help change your password for an online account when applicable. As a supplement for the identity protection, McAfee gives you a score on how well protected you are online, to help point out potential weak spots to fix. You also get access to a secure VPN to enhance both security and privacy—especially useful if you are on public Wi-Fi but need to conduct a sensitive transaction. In evaluations by leading security research organizations, McAfee passed AV-Test’s zero-day and prevalent malware tests with scores of 100 percent in both November and December 2023. For AV-Comparatives, McAfee earned 99.6 percent in the real-world protection test between July and October 2023, with just one false positive. For the malware-protection test in September 2023, McAfee earned a 99.95 percent online protection rate and 99.2 percent online detection rate. Its offline detection rate was much lower, coming in at 65.2 percent, but unless you often connect USB sticks of unknown origin into your computer while offline, this score matters less. Most threats these days get on to a PC while connected to the internet. More relevant is that mid-tier and budget machines could see some impact on system performance when running McAfee scans. During our benchmarks, where we ran a full scan during a variety of common tasks (web browsing, document editing, etc), we did notice some dips in performance. You can mitigate this effect by timing scans for off hours, though. Currently, McAfee Total Protection is available through third-party sellers (McAfee has turned its attention to its slightly newer McAfee+ plans on its website). We like this version still because of how deeply affordable it is—for example, a license on PCWorld’s own software site is just $19 per year, which covers up to ten devices for one year. Who should use McAfee Total Protection Your personal information can be used against you online—and with data breaches so painfully common these days, it can be a relief to have help in tracking who has your info. For anyone who doesn’t have as much time to handle that work themselves, or even keep track of a separate service, McAfee can serve as a central spot for managing all your online security concerns. Read our full McAfee Total Protection review Panda Dome Complete – Most feature-rich offering Pros Very easy-to-understand mobile-like interface Contains some basic smart home network monitoring Month-to-month pricing option Cons Good performance results but currently limited in third-party testing Best Prices Today: $30.10 at Panda Security Why we picked Panda Dome Complete All of the deluxe antivirus suites offer extra tools as part of their package, but if we had to pick one that stands out in this respect, it’d be Panda Dome Complete. And not only does it come with those noteworthy features, it also has one of the most striking interfaces we’ve seen. Similar to Microsoft’s Bing homepage, Panda Dome features a beautiful background photo, with the interface elements placed on top of it. The two features that particularly stand out are Rescue Kit and the Virtual Keyboard. Rescue Kit helps when dealing with advanced virus problems—it lets you create a recovery drive to boot your PC and then disinfect the machine. If that doesn’t work, you can try the advanced virus detector that uses Panda Cloud Cleaner, which can run on your desktop or off USB stick to dive deeper into your system.  Meanwhile, Virtual Keyboard is a software keyboard you operate with your mouse. It’s supposed to prevent any keyloggers installed on your system from grabbing your login info, credit card details, or other sensitive data when you type them in. Also included with Panda Dome Complete are utilities like an update manager for your Windows apps, a disk defragmenter, hard drive cleaner, and startup apps manager. It also packs in Wi-Fi protection (which lets you see what devices are connected to your network), a password manager, parental controls, and a VPN that offers 150 megabytes of bandwidth per day. These come in addition to the core antivirus protection and safeguards like a ransomware monitor for folders often targeted by such malware. When evaluated by AV-Comparatives, a leading security research organization, Panda scored well in its real-world protection test for July through October 2023. The suite blocked 98.6 percent of the 512 test cases, with about 20 false positives. In the malware protection test for September 2023, Panda blocked 99.41 percent of more than 10,000 samples. Its offline detection rate was among the lowest, however, coming in at 59.8 percent—but few people these days plug in unknown USB drives into their PC while offline. More importantly, Panda tracks close to Windows Security (Windows’ built-in antivirus defense) in antivirus protection performance, while providing a centralized interface for all of its many features—several of which you won’t find in many rivals, including Windows Security. It also has the most minimal impact on system performance in our in-house benchmarks. So minor, in fact, that in the real-world it works out to no difference. As one of the most feature-rich offerings, Panda Dome Complete also one of the most expensive, too. You can purchase a subscription for $64.50 during the first year ($86 per year afterward), but that’s covers just one device. Fortunately, it only costs a little more to upgrade to a three device plan ($72 for the first year, $96 per year afterward) or five device plan ($79 for the first year, $105 per year afterward). Who should use Panda Dome Complete Panda Dome Complete puts a ton of features right at your fingertips—an ideal interface for those who want to dive into everything straight away. If you hate buried or oversimplified menus, you’ll feel right at home with this software. Read our full Panda Dome Complete review Windows Security – Best free antivirus Pros Built into Windows 10 and 11 Settings are easy to review and customize Integrates with other security aspects of Windows Cons Tends toward false positives, especially with SmartScreen Lacks the advanced features found in third-party products Why we picked Windows Security If Windows’ built-in security suite already performs on par with the best free antivirus options—as we discovered in our roundup of the best free antivirus—you may ask yourself if you need the baggage of a third-party program. Sure, other antivirus programs might offer marginally better protection, but not enough to outweigh the convenience of rolling with Microsoft’s home-grown offering. Windows Security is a multi-piece suite, with both well-known and newer protections. Most users will recognize Defender, which monitors for viruses and malware, and Firewall, which blocks malicious incoming traffic and suspicious outgoing traffic. But it also includes ransomware protections (including controlled access to folders, as well as data recovery via OneDrive integration), app restrictions, and even basic parental controls. The most important of these protections are automatically enabled in Windows—you don’t have to lift a finger to get real-time antivirus scanning or network protection. You will have to manually switch on some features, though, including ransomware folder controls and file recovery. (To learn more, see our video on How to use Windows Security.) In tests performed by independent security organizations, Microsoft’s antivirus protection holds up well. It scored a 6 out of 6 for protection against malware in AV-Test’s November/December 2023 evaluation, and also turned in perfect marks for performance and usability. Testing from AV-Comparatives showed similar strong performance against online threats—in the September 2023 Malware test, it scored 99.95 percent in online protection, and a slightly lower 95.8 percent detection rate. (The best antivirus suites still clock in at 99 percent or higher for online detection.) However, for offline protection, Microsoft’s Defender engine slides down to a mere 77 percent—over 20 percent lower than top antivirus rivals. But for most people, who are online at all times, this score won’t affect their protection as much. You can find more features in other antivirus suites, like online privacy tools, a VPN, and encrypted cloud backups. But this free protection comes preinstalled on Windows machines and does a good job of keeping you protected from most threats. Who should use Windows Security You’re looking for lightweight, unobtrusive antivirus protection—and don’t mind configuring it, nor managing separate security tools to make sure you’re properly protected online. To get the most out of it, you must tinker with Windows Security’s settings. (You can learn more in our video on How to use Windows Security.) You also have to figure out your own online privacy tools, VPN, password manager, and encrypted cloud backup. Read our full Windows Security review Intego Mac Internet Security X9 – Best Mac antivirus Pros Two-way firewall Good performance Cons Mac-specific (no Windows / Android protection) Why we picked Intego X9 As the headline reveals, the focus of this roundup is the best antivirus for Windows PCs, but many PC enthusiasts are the de facto IT for friends and family. If you want to help an associate or loved one achieve strong antivirus protection for an Apple machine, our colleagues at Macworld recommend Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9. In the suite are two utilities. The better known one is VirusBarrier, which spots and eliminates malware threats—it was one of the first virus scanners on Mac. It comes paired with NetBarrier, a two-way firewall that watches for suspicious outgoing traffic from rogue apps on your Mac, as well as unusual incoming connection requests from the internet to your Mac. For the price of this suite, NetBarrier’s inclusion isn’t common, but definitely welcome. As part of its protection, VirusBarrier X9 scans for threats on your Mac’s internal storage drive (including any downloaded email and compressed archives), as well as connected disks and iOS devices. The app quarantines suspicious files, which you can then mark as trusted, leave in quarantine, or try to have repaired. In testing performed by independent research organizations, Intego’s VirusBarrier got high marks. It received an “Approved” rating in AV-Comparatives’ June 2023 test, detecting 99.4 percent of Mac malware, 97 of potentially unwanted applications, and 100 percent of Windows viruses (thus thwarting spread of infections to susceptible PCs). In AV-Test’s June 2023 evaluation, VirusBarrier earned a 5.5 out of 6 for protection, a 5 out of 6 for effect on Mac performance, and a full 6 out of 6 for usability. In Macworld’s own testing, VirusBarrier caught all the samples thrown at it, including those designed for other platforms. It also correctly flagged a disk image tainted with a malicious installer.Overall, Intego’s Mac Internet Security X9 offers good compatibility with macOS while looking like a real Mac program, too. It costs just $25 (or £20.00) for the first year using this special Macworld link. If you need additional tools, like a backup utility, speed optimizer for your Mac, or parental controls, you can upgrade to the Mac Premium Bundle X9 for $40 for the first year (£23.99). Who should use Intego X9 Intego VirusBarrier not only offers good compatibility with macOS, but it also looks like a real Mac program, too—making it an ideal match for anyone looking for an effective app that blends in seamlessly. How to choose the best antivirus software There are three basic requirements that an antivirus suite should meet: High-detection rate for malware and other threats Low impact on system resources An easy-to-use interface That’s not all to consider, however. These days, many security suites come with extras such as a backup service for your most essential files, Android and iOS apps for mobile security, a more advanced firewall, family protection (read: child restriction) features, and the right to use the program on multiple PCs. Access to a VPN and a password manager have become more common, too. Whether you need those extras depends on how much you’re willing to spend and your personal situation. If you’re looking to go beyond the basics, our baseline recommendation is to find a suite that comes with a firewall, supports enough devices to cover what you own, and (if you don’t already have separate services set up) access to a password manager and VPN. How we test antivirus software Our approach to testing antivirus software is multi-pronged—we look not just at how well the suite catches malware and other threats (though that’s certainly a top factor), but other elements as well. First, we take a look at the interface to determine how easy or complicated it is. Does the interface make it easy to get at essential tools like PC scans and password managers, for example, or is everything buried under multiple clicks? Are there elements that look like they should be clickable but aren’t? Are alerts interactive or purely informational, and do they make sense in context? We also examine the features on offer. Every good antivirus suite should have the basics like scanning and real-time protection, but many vendors offer elements that go beyond basic security like password managers or firewalls. We try to discern whether any of these extra features are particularly useful, or just frills that look nice but don’t serve a practical purpose. To test the suite’s demand on system resources, we run three benchmarks. The first is PCMark 10’s Extended test, which simulates a variety of workloads including editing spreadsheets, browsing the web, running video chat, and light gaming.  PCWorld PCWorld PCWorld We run the benchmark before the security suite is installed. Then we install the software, have it run a full scan on our Windows 11 test machine, and start a second run of the benchmark at the same time. Then we compare the overall scores to see if the decline between the two benchmark runs is significant. We repeat the same process using UL Procyon, which simulates document editing in Microsoft Office apps—e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Then, as the harshest stress test, we use Handbrake to transcode a video before and after installing the antivirus software. On many home PCs, this encoding task utilizes 100 percent of the CPU. We then compare transcoding times to see if there’s any significant decline. Our test machine is an Acer Aspire 3 15 with an AMD Ryzen 5 7520U, 8GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Each security suite is tested on a clean install of Windows 10 Home. As for the antivirus suite’s detection capabilities, we rely on the opinions of security researchers dedicated to this task. We take into consideration reports from outlets such as AV Comparatives and AV Test. We also take pricing into account and what you get for it.  When possible, we review security suites using a free trial to get a sense of what consumers see when they first try out a new product. Still have questions about our review process? You can get even more details (and the philosophy behind why we test as we do) in our full explanation about our antivirus testing practices. FAQ 1. Is antivirus necessary in 2024? Unfortunately, yes. Viruses, malware, and other online threats have only increased and become more sophisticated over time. Spending time on the internet or attaching any external drives to your computer without antivirus software is like going into battle without a stitch of armor. 2. Does Windows 10/11 need antivirus? In the basic sense, absolutely yes—which is why Windows 10 and 11 come with in built-in antivirus protection. But while Windows Security performs well, the best third-party antivirus software have even higher rates of detecting threats. The top antivirus apps also offer more control over settings, detailed logs of your PC’s activity, a more user-friendly interface, and additional features to strengthen your online security beyond just viruses and malware. So strictly speaking, a Windows PC doesn’t need third-party antivirus software, but you can benefit from more comprehensive online protection. 3. Will antivirus software slow down my computer? The short answer is maybe, but probably not. Antivirus software scans files and programs to ensure there is no malware or other harmful threat present. The longer the time frame between each scan, the more files the program will need to check. These intensive scans may have some noticeable effect on your computer speed. It’s therefore recommended that you schedule your scans to run more frequently and/or at night so as to not impact your computer usage. While antivirus software can affect the speed of your computer, it is most likely not the only factor—or even the most prominent. Other factors such as unnecessary startup and background programs, insufficient RAM, or even undiagnosed malware can have more drastic effects on your computer speed than a simple antivirus scan. 4. Should you pay for antivirus? It depends on what antivirus features are most important to you. Do you just need a program that will scan, detect, and remove malware? Then go with a free version. But if you are looking for more advanced features such as the ability to block webcam hacking, run suspicious apps in a sandbox environment, and permanently delete sensitive files, then you should seriously consider upgrading to a paid premium antivirus service.  Overall, premium antivirus software is better suited to more complete coverage against threats—especially for inexperienced users. Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable to modern threats and therefore paid antivirus apps, which allow for multiple-device protection, may be a better option for families. 5. How many antivirus programs are recommended for one computer? These days, most antivirus software are full suites. They take over completely for Windows’ built-in protection, and that single suite is all you need. More than that, and the different apps can start to conflict with one another. So no need to double up! 6. What should I do if my antivirus detects a threat? In a perfect world, your antivirus software will halt and clean the infected files for you. However, this largely depends on which antivirus program you are using. In general, the antivirus will send a warning to you and try to quarantine the infected file in order to keep it from spreading. Once isolated, the software will give you the option to try to remove the infection or delete the file altogether. 7. What is the difference between a full scan and a quick scan? A full scan performs a comprehensive and thorough check of your whole system. It usually checks your system memory, startup programs, system backup, email databases, hard drives, and any removable storage drives. A quick scan only checks a few areas including startup programs, system memory, and boot sectors. It may not detect all malware, but it can usually give you an idea if your computer has a virus. As to when you should do either, we recommend a full scan once per week, during computer usage downtime (such as late at night). A quick scan can be done anytime you like, but it’s usually only necessary if you notice suspicious activity on your PC. 8. Do I need to update my antivirus software? Absolutely! Keeping your antivirus software up-to-date is crucial in helping you to avoid the most recent threats. That being said, most antivirus software today—whether free or paid—will default to automatic updates. This way you don’t need to worry about manually updating your software. It may still be worth checking to confirm that your antivirus is running the most up-to-date version from time to time. 9. What features should my antivirus software have? Great question—especially since antivirus software continues to add more and more components to help keep you safe online. At absolute bare minimum, your app should have a scanner to protect against malware and online threats like phishing sites and a firewall. But other services like remote access protection, individual file encryption, and a password manager can be helpful too. Our breakdown of antivirus software features lays out the details you need to know, so that you can decide what you need. Antivirus, Business, Desktop PCs, Professional Software, Security Software and Services, Technology Industry Read...