![NewsLinks - Powered by NZCity](/news/nimages/tit-newslinks.gif)
Search results for 'Technology' - Page: 7
| PC World - 30 May (PC World)Hot-swap keyboards are a revolutionary development in the world of mechanical keyboards, allowing users to swap individual switches without soldering. This feature opens up a whole new dimension of customizability and maintenance that is attractive to both beginners and experienced users. Some enthusiasts can’t live without it.
But what exactly makes a keyboard “hot-swappable”? And how do switches and sockets work with this technology?
A hot-swappable socket is a special device on the printed circuit board (PCB) of a keyboard that allows you to easily plug and unplug mechanical switches. These sockets are designed to mechanically hold the switch in place while making an electrical connection without soldering. This means that users can swap switches at will to customize the feel, sound and performance of their keyboard.
Further reading: The best mechanical keyboards
Hot-swappable keyboards are all the rage due to their flexibility. This makes it easy to try out switch types with different parameters such as pressure point or click sound.
Hot-swappable keyboards are all the rage due to their flexibility. This makes it easy to try out switch types with different parameters such as pressure point or click sound.
IDG
Hot-swappable keyboards are all the rage due to their flexibility. This makes it easy to try out switch types with different parameters such as pressure point or click sound.
IDG
IDG
The switches are the centerpiece of a mechanical keyboard. They determine how a key feels and sounds when pressed. There are different types of switches, which can be divided into three main categories: linear, tactile, and clicky. Linear switches provide a smooth typing feel with no noticeable resistance. Tactile switches have a tactile resistance point that provides feedback without producing an audible click. Clicking switches combine tactile feedback with a distinct clicking sound that many typists appreciate.
Mechanical keyboards with a hot-swap function offer an excellent opportunity to try out different switch types. This allows you to find your own preference without having to invest in multiple keyboards. In addition, it is a practical solution for those who shy away from technical challenges such as soldering, as defective or unwanted switches can be replaced simply by pulling out and inserting new ones.
This is what the hot-swap sockets (here for 3- and 5-pin switches) look like in detail. The connection to the system is made through the connectors.
This is what the hot-swap sockets (here for 3- and 5-pin switches) look like in detail. The connection to the system is made through the connectors.
IDG
This is what the hot-swap sockets (here for 3- and 5-pin switches) look like in detail. The connection to the system is made through the connectors.
IDG
IDG
Other advantages of hot-swap technology are durability and future-proofing. If a switch wears out after intensive use, it can be easily replaced. This avoids the need to replace the entire keyboard. Thanks to hot-swap compatibility, you can also equip the keyboard with completely new switch types. This also applies if the switches only came onto the market after the keyboard was purchased. Once purchased, the keyboard proves to be a long-term investment: a device that never loses its relevance.
Further reading: The best gaming keyboards
Hot-swap keyboards are therefore not only a flexible and user-friendly option for a personalized typing experience. They are also an economical and sustainable choice for anyone who values quality, customizability, and durability.
Desktop PCs, Gaming Desktop PCs Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | PC World - 30 May (PC World)A good laptop is only as good as its ports. That’s a saying I just made up but there’s some truth to it. While there are some ultraportable laptops that can make do with just a couple of USB-C connections, trusting you to use adapters for everything else, most people will prefer to have a wider selection on-board. The odd legacy connection, a video output for using external monitors, and that ever-useful headphone jack are handy to have.
Fortunately, most manufacturers appear to have moved beyond the trend of leaning-out laptops to the point of limited connectivity. Many of the best laptops in 2024 come with a solid selection of port options — and, yes, you can always use a hub or docking station to get more.
If you’re buying a new laptop and want to make sure it has all the connections you need, though, what are the ports you should really look out for? While some of these may be more important to you than others, these are the ports you should definitely consider for your next laptop upgrade.
USB-C
Thunderbolt 4 (the small oval ports) is the fastest USB-C can be, but just any old USB-C will do.
Thunderbolt 4 (the small oval ports) is the fastest USB-C can be, but just any old USB-C will do.IDG / Josh Hendrickson
Thunderbolt 4 (the small oval ports) is the fastest USB-C can be, but just any old USB-C will do.IDG / Josh Hendrickson
IDG / Josh Hendrickson
USB-C has the dubious honor of being the most successful and confusing USB standard in quite some time. Coming off the back of the mess that was USB 3.0 naming, that’s saying something. Where USB-C has made USB technology far more simple — it’s reversible and just about any USB-C device will work with just about any USB-C port — there are a number of caveats to this recommendation.
You want a USB-C port on your laptop for its pure simplicity. Even the weakest of USB-C ports can handle power delivery and basic data transfer speeds up to 5Gbps. And, since just about every new electronic device with USB connectivity is also now using USB-C, you want USB-C on your laptop. But which type of USB-C?
For the absolute best, fastest, most capable USB-C connection, you want Thunderbolt 4. It has the strongest mandated minimum specifications of any USB-C connection and ensures that you get a 40Gbps bidirectional data transfer rate, a minimum of 15W USB power delivery for device charging, and support for up to two 4K displays. You can get up to 100W charging speed on some devices, too, making them great for charging up your laptop.
USB 4 is worth looking for as an alternative, and can in some cases offer even faster data transfers and charging speeds, but it’s not guaranteed in the same way as Thunderbolt 4, so you’ll have to read the fine print. The same goes for Thunderbolt 3, which can be as good as its newer sibling, but typically isn’t.
Ultimately, though? Just make sure a laptop has USB-C at a minimum. It’s the only real “must-have” on this list.
Further reading: Best USB-C cables for charging and data transfer
USB-A
USB-A ports (far right) come in a variety of speeds.
USB-A ports (far right) come in a variety of speeds.Mattias Inghe
USB-A ports (far right) come in a variety of speeds.Mattias Inghe
Mattias Inghe
While not essential, because you can just plug an adapter, hub, or dock into your laptop’s USB-C port, it’s nice not to have an additional expense. Why bother with extra adapters and cables when you can just have a couple of native USB-A ports?
These ports can only offer up to USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, which works out to 10Gbps, but often you’ll have the slower USB 3.0 5Gbps speed. USB-A can also offer power delivery to connected devices, though it’s usually limited to 12W.
While those specs might sound a little paltry compared to the newer USB-C standards, it’s not a massive concern. These ports are perfect for plugging in external keyboards and mice, the majority of which are still built around USB-A cabling. Unless you’re transferring massive files regularly, too, then a USB-A connection is just fine for most external drives, as well.
3.5mm headphone jack
This is the one that has its firm fans and detractors, but if my 2023 smartphone can come with a headphone jack, my new laptop should have space for it too. As convenient as Bluetooth and wireless headphones and headsets can be, they don’t offer the same low latency or high bit-rate of a wired connection. If you consider yourself any kind of audiophile, then a wired headphone connection is a must.
It’s also great as a backup solution when your battery-powered headset is out of juice and you just want to get into a game with your friends right now. Sure, it’s a little bulky in 2024, but it’s no Ethernet jack. Bonus points if your laptop comes with two 3.5mm jacks for the microphone and headphone separately, too.
HDMI
For simple external displays, HDMI is hard to beat.
For simple external displays, HDMI is hard to beat.Foundry
For simple external displays, HDMI is hard to beat.Foundry
Foundry
Arguably the least “essential” of the ports we’ve discussed here, an HDMI port is still one of the easiest ways to address the biggest limitation of most laptops: Their screens are just too small compared to a desktop PC. If you want to use your laptop for regular office work, a bigger screen can make a massive difference, and there’s just no substitute for a big gaming monitor when you really want to enjoy your favorite games.
While USB-C certainly has the specifications to handle this task itself, most monitors are designed around HDMI or DisplayPort connections, and unless your laptop has a new DisplayPort 2.0 connection, HDMI 2.1 is the fastest display connector out there. If your laptop comes with one of those, it can easily output to a 4K 120Hz display and enjoy it in its full glory. Even HDMI 2.0 is fine for 4K 60Hz, or higher refresh rates at lower resolutions.
For the sheer convenience of it all, an HDMI port lets you plug in any HDMI cable you have lying around and get a big screen picture on any big display you have. No adapters, no dongles, no finagling required. Grandma wants to see your holiday photos on a bigger screen and the Chromecast is acting up? Connect your laptop to your TV and away you go.
Honorable mention: Ethernet
Ethernet (to the left of the HDMI port here) is helpful on all laptops but nearly a must-have on gaming laptops, where network speeds are essential.
Ethernet (to the left of the HDMI port here) is helpful on all laptops but nearly a must-have on gaming laptops, where network speeds are essential.IDG / Matthew Smith
Ethernet (to the left of the HDMI port here) is helpful on all laptops but nearly a must-have on gaming laptops, where network speeds are essential.IDG / Matthew Smith
IDG / Matthew Smith
Ethernet is more of a personal favorite, and certainly not something that most would consider essential, since it’s just not that common on modern ultrabook designs. It’s too big, too bulky, and for most people, completely unnecessary thanks to modern Wi-Fi standards.
But. And it’s a big but. Wi-Fi is temperamental. Wi-Fi can be insecure. Wi-Fi can be congested. When wireless lets you down, or you just want to get online quickly, there’s no real substitute for just plugging in an Ethernet cable and enjoying the consistent quality connection of wired networking, especially if you’re gaming.
Although, like all the ports on this list, you can get excellent Ethernet performance with a USB-C adapter, that’s one more piece of equipment you need to carry with you for if and when you might need it. To avoid that, a built-in Ethernet port is a must-have for some of us. You can even get a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection if you want to make your Wi-Fi jealous.
Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | PC World - 29 May (PC World)“The year of the AI PC” got off to a strange start.
All the “AI PCs” sold by manufacturers for the first half of the year are now effectively out of date. They won’t be able to run Windows Recall, the Windows Copilot Runtime, or all the other AI features Microsoft showed off for its new Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC certification just taught us a valuable lesson in buying PC hardware: Never buy hardware based on the promise of what it might be able to do in the future. Only buy PC hardware because of what it can actually do today.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen PC hardware that promised a glorious future end up not panning out and needing a new generation before really managing to deliver. It’s happened many times before.
Further reading: What exactly is an AI PC?
Why the first “AI laptops” are already outdated
Intel, Microsoft, and PC makers have been promoting “AI laptops” since the start of 2024. PC makers have been talking a lot about how Intel’s Meteor Lake “Core Ultra” hardware has a built-in neural processing unit (NPU) that can accelerate AI tasks.
These systems certainly do have NPUs, and those NPUs aren’t totally worthless. You can use Windows Studio Effects for “AI-powered” webcam effects and you can hunt down a collection of third-party, mostly open-source utilities that take advantage of the NPU.
While that’s all true, it’s really just the beginning—or not.
If you thought these AI laptops were “future-proof” because of their neural processing units (NPUs), you were in for a rude awakening when Microsoft recently branded them “too slow” for new AI features.
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i may have a Copilot key, but it’s not a Copilot+ PC.
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i may have a Copilot key, but it’s not a Copilot+ PC.Chris Hoffman
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i may have a Copilot key, but it’s not a Copilot+ PC.Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman
Intel’s NPUs deliver 10 TOPS (trillion operations per second) while AMD’s NPUs deliver up to 16 TOPS. Neither are fast enough to meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC baseline standard of at least 40 TOPS.
To be fair, no one promised that these first-generation AI PCs would be able to run future Windows AI features. But I feel like a lot of people in the PC industry wanted us to believe they would be ready for and capable of the AI features coming to Windows.
Or maybe we just wanted to believe.
I recommended not going out of your way to buy an AI PC near the start of 2024, yet even I’m surprised to see them left behind so quickly.
Again, here’s the lesson: You shouldn’t buy PC hardware based on its potential future. Wait until that future arrives, and then you can buy the right hardware to take advantage of it.
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs were early, too
When Nvidia announced their GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs back in 2018, they delivered transformative technology. These were the first graphics cards that could provide real-time ray tracing in games—something that was long considered the holy grail of gaming graphics.
They also included the first generation of Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which could run games at a lower resolution and then upscale them to a higher resolution, delivering similar graphical quality with much higher performance.
It all sounded great. And honestly, today, it is great! Ray tracing is actually here and functional. If you’re a gamer and you haven’t experienced ray tracing in the Metro series or Cyberpunk 2077, you really should give it a try—because it’s amazing. Nvidia’s DLSS technology is up to DLSS 3 now, and it works very well. Lots of games support these things.
CDProjekt Red
CDProjekt Red
CDProjekt Red
But things weren’t so great back in the first few years after the big launch. Gamers who bought those first-generation RTX 20-series GPUs based on the promise of transformative changes had to wait a while. Windows didn’t even support ray tracing when the GPUs were released, and game developers were slow to implement support for ray tracing and DLSS into their games.
By the time these technologies started becoming reasonably widespread, Nvidia was already launching GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs. Those 20-series GPUs weren’t immediately made obsolete, but if you wanted games that supported these technologies, you could’ve skipped those first-generation GPUs and gone straight to the faster 30-series hardware for an even better experience.
Our Nvidia RTX retrospective from a few years back gets into all the details, and I recommend you read it.
The curse of the early adopter repeats itself
This isn’t the first time “future-proof” hardware has proven anything but. Call it the curse of the early adopter. Don’t believe me? Let’s look back at just a few things that didn’t quite pan out in the PC space:
DirectX 12
DirectX 12 launched in 2015 and AMD talked up how its R7 and R9 300-series GPUs would be compatible, but many games were stuck with DirectX 11 for years.
There was no point in buying AMD’s GPUs to “future proof” your gaming PC. You were much better off waiting until DirectX 12 support became widespread in games and buying a current graphics card then.
3D monitors
Remember 3D monitors? Everyone was pushing those a few years ago. I hope you didn’t buy one based on the promise of an explosion in 3D content, because they didn’t take off and the media and software never really arrived for them.
Windows Mixed Reality
How about Windows Mixed Reality and Microsoft’s plan to run “universal” Windows apps on VR headsets? That didn’t pan out. In fact, Microsoft just removed Windows Mixed Reality from Windows.
Want Windows apps in VR headsets? This week, Microsoft started talking about how it’s now working with Meta on “Windows Volumetric Apps” for Meta Quest headsets.
You’ll want a Meta Quest headset for that sort of thing—not an out-of-date Windows Mixed Reality headset—but I wouldn’t buy a headset for this purpose until the software materializes!
Be an early adopter at your own risk
It happened before, it’ll happen again. Not everything pans out—and even when a technology does take off, the first-generation product may not be powerful enough to participate (which is what we’re now seeing with first-generation AI laptops and Microsoft Copilot+).
Now, if you’re all about bleeding-edge technology, I get it. So am I! I need to play with this stuff so I can share my hands-on experiences here on PCWorld and with the readers of my free Windows Intelligence newsletter. But you have to know what you’re getting into.
If you only care about the best and most reliable experiences, you’re better off avoiding the bleeding edge. Let other people get cut while the new products get polished.
Then, when it makes sense to upgrade, when there’s widespread support for the new hardware, you can swoop in and get an even more refined product—often for less money than you would’ve spent on that first-generation hardware. Score.
Desktop PCs, Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | PC World - 29 May (PC World)PDFs can be a real nuisance. Yet, we continue to use them because they’re stable, small files that are easy to share. But when you have to make an edit, that’s when they’re a pain. Fortunately, with a tool like PDF Converter Pro, working with PDFs is much easier, and it’s on sale for Memorial Day.
PDF Converter Pro has earned 4.4/5 stars on Trustpilot. This seamless tool makes it easy to convert to and from PDF and a wide range of file types. You can edit and annotate PDFs in-line without having to change the format. You can extract images and text from PDFs using OCR technology, merge pages, split pages, and much more to give you greater organization and control over your PDF files.
Working with PDFs doesn’t have to be a pain. Now through 11:59 pm PT on 5/31, you can get a lifetime license to PDF Converter Pro for just $24.97 (reg. $99).
PDF Converter Pro: Lifetime License – $24.97
See Deal
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Accessories Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | ITBrief - 29 May (ITBrief)![NZ Located](/pimages/nzsmall.gif) Cyclone has been awarded Apple Authorised Education Specialist status in New Zealand, highlighting its 30-year dedication to enhancing education through technology. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | RadioNZ - 29 May (RadioNZ)![NZ Located](/pimages/nzsmall.gif) Technology can only pick up turbulence when there`s rain involved. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | PC World - 29 May (PC World)Tired of being caught out in bad weather? A home weather station could be just what you need, giving you notice of temperature, humidity, precipitation, and more at a glance.
The La Crosse Technology Advanced Weather Station is one to look into because it’s available for a mere $43 right now, which is a cool 22% off its regular price of $55.
This handy device features a full-color LCD display with weather information that’s easy to glean. The atomic self-setting clock ensures accurate time and date, and it automatically adjusts itself whenever Daylight Savings Time dips in and out.
The Advanced Weather Station can monitor both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, and it can send temperature alerts so you know when it’s going to be unexpectedly hot outside.
Setting up this weather station is easy. You just have to plug the device in your home and set up the sensor outside.
While we didn’t review this particular weather station, it has a 4.4/5 star rating on Amazon out of over 9,700 ratings. Buyers appreciated the device’s accuracy and its easy-to-read multicolored display.
If you need accurate, real-time weather information at a glance, the Advanced Weather Station by La Crosse Technology is worth getting at its limited-time discounted price of $43.
Get this home weather station for $43 on Amazon
Sensors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | PC World - 28 May (PC World)At a glanceExpert`s Rating
ProsHigh-end performancePremium build qualityA great mechanical keyboardExcellent speakersConsExpensiveLow display brightnessNo HDR for gamesNo Ethernet jackOur VerdictThe Alienware x16 R2 is a premium 16-inch gaming laptop at a premium price. But its mechanical keyboard and the highest-end hardware will cost you extra.
The Alienware x16 R2 is a high-end 16-inch gaming laptop. An Alienware representative told me this machine is Alienware’s “most premium ever.” It comes at a premium price, too — this is the kind of machine you pick if you want a polished experience with an all-metal chassis, mechanical keyboard, and high-end speakers. It’s not a value-focused gaming laptop that will give you the most gaming performance possible at the lowest price point. But if a more premium design is what you’re looking for, this might be the gaming laptop for you.
Looking for other options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best gaming laptops.
Alienware x16 R2: Specs
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 is a 16-inch gaming laptop with a lot of powerful hardware inside. Our review model had a high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU, but the base model is also available with a Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H CPU. These are both Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, which means this laptop comes with the neural processing unit hardware that may become important to take advantage of AI features in Windows and other applications one day.
The model we reviewed had Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics hardware, but Alienware also offers a higher-end model with GeForce RTX 4090 hardware — or you can step down and choose an RTX 4060 or RTX 4070.
Alienware included 32 GB of RAM our review model, but the base model has 16 GB. Additionally, we had a machine 1 TB of solid-state storage, but you can get versions of this laptop that come with a built-in RAID — up to two 4TB storage drives for a combined 8TB of solid-state storage.
The Alienware x16 R2 we got our hands on had a mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX ultra low-profle switches, but the base model comes standard with an “Alienware X Series keyboard” — a more traditional laptop keyboard.
Finally, the laptop we reviewed included a 16-inch 2560×1600 resolution IPS display with a 240Hz refresh rate. Alienware told us you can also get this laptop with a 2220×1080 display with a blazing-fast 480Hz refresh rate.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X, 7467MT/s
Graphics/GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080
Display: 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS display with 240Hz refresh rate
Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Webcam: 1080p webcam with HDR
Connectivity: 1x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort), 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with DisplayPort, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1x combo headset jack, 1x microSD card slot, 1x DC power in
Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello
Battery capacity: 90 Watt-hours
Dimensions: 14.36 x 11.41 x 0.73 inches
Weight: 5.86 pounds
MSRP: $3,199 as tested ($2099 base price)
Alienware x16 R2: Design and build quality
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 is a well-designed gaming laptop. While it’s a 16-inch gaming laptop weighing in at nearly six pounds, the curved edges ensure it doesn’t look or feel too blocky. Alienware calls the color scheme “Lunar Silver.” The laptop’s lid is silver with a glowing alien head logo you can customize the color of, the inside of the laptop is black, and the back of the laptop — where all the ports are conveniently placed — is framed in white. The design is very Alienware, but it’s polished and not gaudy or over the top — as far as gaming laptops go.
This is a laptop with a full metal chassis. The lid and bottom of the laptop are made from anodized aluminum, there’s stainless steel around the keyboard, and the palm rest is made of a magnesium alloy. It feels nice to hold, and the solid metals give the laptop more of a premium feel than less-expensive gaming laptops that are often just made of plastic. (Plastic is fine and there’s nothing wrong with it, but there’s certainly something that feels high end about a nice metal laptop.)
There’s no weird flex to the laptop’s chassis, and the screen is very solid — it wobbles very little when you adjust its position.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The LEDs are well integrated: The keyboard offers per-key backlighting, and the entire touchpad’s surface has backlighting, too. (The touchpad backlighting turns on when you’re using it and then fades away a few seconds after you take your finger off of it, so it’s not always distracting.) The alien head logo on the lid is backlit, too.
The back of the laptop also has “stadium” backlighting, with a sleek-looking lightbar around the panel with the ports on the back of the laptop. All this “AlienFX” backlighting is customizable in the included Alienware Command Center software. But, out of the box, everything is a nice shade of blue — no over-the-top rainbow effect the first time you boot it up. (But you can configure it to look like that, if you like!)
It’s also worth noting that the touchpad and “stadium” backlighting on the back of the laptop have “100 micro LEDs,” according to Alienware. This means you can customize them with a variety of different colors and effects — you don’t have to choose just a single color.
Alienware x16 R2: Keyboard and trackpad
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 we reviewed had an excellent keyboard. This is no surprise — the model we reviewed came with a mechanical keyboard with CherryMX ultra-low profile switches. Since this is a mechanical keyboard, the keys have a great tactile feel and “clickiness” to them — totally different from the standard keyboards you’ll experience on the average laptop.
Mechanical keyboards aren’t too common on gaming laptops. They’re usually found more on the external keyboards you’d use with desktop gaming PCs.
While I’m a big fan of mechanical keyboards — and so are many other gamers and PC users in general — they’re not a must-have feature. If you’ve never tried a mechanical keyboard, you should give one a try in person to decide how important this feature is to you, since it’s an additional upcharge and not included on the base model.
Mechanical keyboards tend to be on the loud side. While this is fairly quiet for a mechanical keyboard, it’s definitely a bit noisier than the average non-mechanical keyboard. If you’ll be gaming in a quiet room with someone sleeping next to you, the mechanical keyboard version of this laptop probably isn’t ideal. Otherwise, the sound is probably no big deal.
This laptop’s touchpad also feels excellent with a pleasantly smooth surface and good location. I’ve used gaming laptops with larger touchpads, but the touchpad’s size was never an issue — and the compact size ensures palm rejection works well, too. I wasn’t accidentally bumping it while typing.
Alienware x16 R2: Display and speakers
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 has a 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS display with a 240Hz refresh rate. The display looks good, but there are some things you need to be aware of.
First, this laptop’s display doesn’t have full support for HDR. Alienware says it supports Dolby Vision videos, so that will be nice when streaming Dolby Vision-enabled content. But this is a gaming laptop, and it’s notable that the display does not support HDR in video games.
Speaking of brightness, this display is on the dim side. It offers just 300 nits of brightness. Other high-end gaming laptops — the Asus ROG Strix Scar, for example — offer 500 nits of brightness.
The laptop looked good while gaming. It felt a lot brighter and looked better than the on-paper brightness numbers would lead me to expect. And that 240Hz refresh rate makes for a smooth experience. But the Alienware x16 R2 is definitely behind some of its competitors on brightness and HDR.
The x16 R2’s speakers sound excellent — perhaps the best speakers I’ve ever heard in a gaming laptop. You’re getting a decent amount of bass (for a laptop.) It’s a six-speaker system with two upward-firing tweeters, one on each side of the keyboard. If you plan to do a lot of gaming with the laptop’s speakers — rather than plugging in a pair of headphones or external speakers — you’re getting a worthwhile premium speaker setup with this laptop.
Alienware x16 R2: Webcam, microphone, biometrics
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 comes with a 1080p webcam with HDR. The webcam looks good — much better than the cheap 720p webcams that are often found in lower-end laptops. Also, thanks to the neural processing units (NPUs) included with Intel’s Meteor Lake chips, you get access to Windows Studio Effects — a suite of AI effects like Eye Contact that makes it look like you’re always looking at your webcam when you aren’t, as well as blurring your background and framing the video around your face.
The dual-array microphones work well for built-in microphones. I still would want to use a dedicated microphone for gaming sessions — especially if you’re blasting sound from those speakers — but the microphone setup is perfectly serviceable for online meetings or for gaming in a pinch.
The Alienware also comes with an IR camera for Windows Hello. It reliably signed me into Windows with my face in a variety of different lighting conditions. It’s a great convenience feature to have, and I missed Windows Hello when I reviewed a gaming laptop without it recently.
Alienware x16 R2: Connectivity
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 has a rich selection of ports and great connectivity options — with the notable exception of an Ethernet port for a wired network connection, which is a popular feature on desktop-replacement laptops like this one.
All the ports on this laptop are conveniently located on the back of the laptop, ensuring cables aren’t sticking out to the sides of your laptop and getting in the way. Of course, if you’re a fan of USB and headset jacks on the side of your laptop, this may not be the machine for you — but you could always plug in in a USB-C hub or dongle for easier access.
On the back of the laptop, you’ll find a combo headphone jack, a microSD card reader slot, an HDMI 2.1 port, a Mini DisplayPort, and a power jack. You’ll also find a total of four USB ports: This machine has two USB-C ports, one of which is a Thunderbolt 4 port and one of which is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port. There are also two USB-A ports, both of which support USB 3.2 Gen 1.
When it comes to wireless networking, this laptop is as futureproof as you can get thanks to its support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. You probably don’t have a Wi-Fi 7 router yet, so it’s not essential to have right now — but it means this laptop’s hardware will be ready when you upgrade your router. (Wi-Fi 7 connectivity isn’t available at launch and will be activated later in the year with a software update, according to Alienware.)
There’s one big omission: This laptop doesn’t offer a built-in Ethernet jack for wired network connections. Most gaming laptops of this size offer built-in Ethernet connectivity, but of course not everyone uses it. You’ll need a dongle if you want to connect it to your network via Ethernet — otherwise you’ll just be using Wi-Fi.
Alienware x16 R2: Performance
The Alienware x16 R2 delivered great performance in both gaming and day-to-day desktop use — that’s no surprise thanks to the high-end Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics hardware, and 32GB of RAM.
I enjoyed playing Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion with maxxed-out settings. The Alienware x16 R2 generates a lot of heat, but it has the cooling system to deal with it. Alienware says it has “Alienware Cryo-tech cooling technology,” and whatever it’s called, it worked well. It definitely moves a lot of hot air away from the laptop. The keyboard and other places you’d touch on the laptop stay cool enough that it’s not a problem.
But benchmarks will tell the full story. As always, we ran the Alienware x16 R2 through our standard benchmarks to see how it really performs.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. While this is supposed to be an overall system performance benchmark, the CPU has a bigger impact than the GPU here. The 16-inch Alienware x16 R2 delivered a score of 7664.
That’s about what we’d expect to see — Alienware’s 18-inch m18 R2 with its Intel Core i9 185H CPU beats it. The Gigabyte Aorus 16X with its Intel Core i7-14650HX CPU also edges out the CPU in this Alienware laptop, but only by a little bit. Those Intel HX CPUs are delivering slightly better top-end performance than Intel’s latest Meteor Lake CPUs. Meteor Lake CPUs are more focused on power efficiency and AI performance, with their integrated neural processing unit.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling isn’t a huge factor. Since it’s multithreaded, CPUs with more cores deliver more performance and get higher scores.
The Alienware x16 R2 delivered a score of 7742. That’s a few notches below the Gigabyte Aorus 16X. Despite the Aorus having a “Core i7” CPU with a 7 in the model number rather than a 9, that particular CPU outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 9 in this laptop. If top-end CPU performance is what’s important to you, you’ll probably want a gaming laptop with an HX chip.
However, this isn’t representative of real-world gaming performance — these CPU differences don’t necessarily make that much of a difference in games, which are much more about GPU performance. A laptop’s cooling system is also an important factor, as we’ll see below.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
We also encode a video file with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended period of time. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load.
The Alienware x16 R2 completed our standard encode process in 728 seconds — that’s just over 12 minutes. Interestingly enough, the Alienware x16 R2 outperformed the Gigabyte Aorus x16 R2 that beat it in the Cinebench benchmark. That suggests that the Alienware x16 R2 has a better cooling system that does a better job of keeping its CPU running cool under load, even if the CPU in the Aorus does have higher top-end performance.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
Next, we run a graphical benchmark — the most important type of benchmark for gauging gaming performance. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance.
The results give us a look at how the different Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs compare to each other. The Alienware x16 R2, with its Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 GPU, delivered an average score of 17089. That’s a great score — a no-expenses-spared RTX 4090 is only 22 percent faster here. The RTX 4080 is significantly faster than the RTX 4070 — and much faster than the RTX 4060 and RTX 4050.
Next, we run the benchmarks in some games. First, we use the built-in benchmark in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to test all the gaming laptops we review. It’s an older game, but it’s a great way to compare graphical performance across different PCs.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 ran the benchmark with an average performance of 166 frames per second. Once again, the RTX 4080 in the model we reviewed was slower than the top-of-the-line RTX 4090, but significantly faster than the RTX 4070.
Finally, we run the built-in benchmark in Metro Exodus. This is a more demanding game, and we set the benchmark to 1080p resolution at the Extreme detail setting.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
The Alienware x16 R2 delivered an average FPS of 72. Again, that’s midway between the performance of an RTX 4070 and an RTX 4090.
Overall, the Alienware x16 R2 delivered excellent performance. But this laptop is very customizable, and graphics performance will come down to which GPU you choose to put in your Alienware x16 R2 at checkout.
You may be able to get more top-end CPU performance by opting for a different laptop with an HX CPU instead of a Meteor Lake Core Ultra CPU — but remember that cooling is important, too. A Core Ultra-based laptop like this one may still deliver better sustained CPU performance than an HX-based laptop that has to throttle down to stay cool, as we saw in the Handbrake encode benchmark.
Alienware x16 R2: Battery life
Gaming laptops aren’t known for their long battery life, but the Alienware x16 R2 has a built-in 90 Watt-hour battery. That should deliver decent life — it’s nearly the biggest battery you can get. The largest batteries in gaming laptops top out around 99 Watt-hours, as the U.S. Transportation Security Administration won’t let you take larger batteries on airplanes.
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
IDG / Chris Hoffman
To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat in the Movies & TV app on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmark. This is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient. Bear in mind that real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this as you use various applications.
The Alienware x16 R2 delivered surprisingly good battery life for a 16-inch gaming laptop, running for an average of 425 minutes — that’s just over seven hours. It lasted 15 minutes longer than the Gigabyte Aorus 16X, despite that laptop having a larger 99 Watt-hour battery. This may be down to the difference in CPUs — as mentioned, the Meteor Lake-based Core Ultra CPU in this laptop is more focused on power efficiency than those HX CPUs, which are more focused on top-end performance.
It’s a great result for a gaming laptop. You aren’t going to be using this laptop away from an outlet for an entire eight-hour workday, but you have plenty of battery life to go for hours away from an outlet when you need it. (Bear in mind that all gaming laptops run games slower when they aren’t plugged in, so you’ll want to plug into an outlet to play games, anyway.)
Alienware x16 R2: Conclusion
The Alienware x16 R2 is a polished 16-inch gaming laptop with a good-lucking design, a nice all-metal chassis with great build quality, lots of customizable LEDs, and a collection of ports smartly placed on the back of the laptop. The mechanical keyboard on our review model felt great, too. It’s also very customizable with a wide range of different CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage options, and the configuration of our review model delivered great performance with excellent cooling.
There are a few weak points: You’ll find brighter displays elsewhere, and the lack of HDR support within games does feel like a shame at this high price point. Neither are deal-breakers, but they’d be nice to have upgrades on a premium gaming laptop. Additionally, if you want to use an Ethernet cable with your laptop, you won’t find that here — I know that will be a deal-breaker for some people.
Our review model was $3,199, so we’re definitely not in budget gaming laptop territory here. But the machine we reviewed was a high-end gaming laptop with an RTX 4080, mechanical keyboard, all-metal chassis, impressive speakers, and unusually long battery life for a gaming laptop. You’re paying extra for these things.
The base model starts at $2,099, which is a much lower cost than the model we reviewed— but you’re getting a Core Ultra 7 CPU, RTX 4060, 16GB of RAM, and no mechanical keyboard. These prices do feel a little high, and I expect you can save hundreds of dollars by choosing a less expensive gaming laptop with similar hardware — perhaps even an Alienware m16 R2. Those less-expensive laptops will probably be made of plastic instead of metal, though — and I don’t think their speakers will sound anywhere near as nice either. (Still, they may have brighter displays!)
Overall, the Alienware x16 R2 is a premium product at a premium price point, and that’s mostly what you’re getting — but it would be nice if that display had premium-level brightness and HDR support, too.
Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | ITBrief - 28 May (ITBrief)![NZ Located](/pimages/nzsmall.gif) AI technology is transforming how we secure software and data supply chains, promising to automate and bolster cybersecurity defences beyond current methodologies. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | | RadioNZ - 27 May (RadioNZ)![NZ Located](/pimages/nzsmall.gif) Electricity - how do we generate it, how does it get from a hydrostation to our kettles, and where is the technology heading? Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | ![](/n.gif) |
| ![](/n.gif) | ![](/n.gif) |
|
![](/n.gif) |
![](/pimages/bldn.gif) | Top Stories |
![](/n.gif)
RUGBY
All Blacks great Sam Whitelock will make his Barbarians debut as captain in what looms as his final rugby match on Sunday morning against Fiji at Twickenham More...
|
![](/n.gif)
BUSINESS
AI computer chip maker Nvidia has surpassed Microsoft to become the most valuable company in the world More...
|
![](/n.gif)
|
![](/n.gif)
![](/pimages/bldn.gif) | Today's News |
![](/n.gif)
![](/pimages/bldn.gif) | News Search |
|
![](/n.gif) |