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I hate to say it, but desktop PCs are behind the times. This may seem a little strange, but I haven’t used a desktop PC for years (decades?) until recently. Laptops, even an odd Chromebook or two, generally took care of my needs. In the evening, I’d fire up the Xbox or use a gaming laptop. It’s only recently that I’ve jumped back into desktop PC gaming, and my desktop — all desktops, really — lack one important feature: A Thunderbolt port. Or, a USB4 port, if you prefer. Thunderbolt or a high-speed USB4 port are now staples on laptops, even some gaming laptops. Most gaming laptops still include a dedicated DisplayPort or HDMI port, primarily because gamers prefer a directly connected, high-speed interface to a high-refresh-rate display. And that’s fine; I get that. Until now, Thunderbolt hasn’t delivered. Instead, both Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 support two displays running at 60Hz, or an 8K display (try buying one of those!) running at 60Hz, too. PC gamers, however, will turn up their nose until both frame rates and refresh rates hit at least 90Hz. Even then, many gaming displays run at 240Hz or above, although the resolution may still be 1080p or 1440p (2K). Since Thunderbolt 3 and 4 can’t deliver what gamers want, the technology has largely been confined to content-creation PCs. Cable Matters Cable Matters Cable Matters But there’s a new standard on the block: Thunderbolt 5, with the next-gen, rival USB4 version 2 waiting in the wings. And that changes the game altogether. Thunderbolt 5 raises the available bandwidth from 40Gbps to 80Gbps. In certain situations — in what Intel calls Bandwidth Boost — multiple channels can be tied together to enable up to 120Gbps of bandwidth in a single direction. From a display standpoint, Thunderbolt 5 enables massive improvements: three 4K displays running at 144Hz, not 60Hz. Single displays can run up to a whopping 540Hz. (Intel hasn’t clarified whether that display would run at 1080p, but that seems likely.) These are gaming-caliber numbers. (The USB equivalent, USB4 v2 or sometimes called USB4 symmetric, has its own 80Gbps specification and optional 120Gbps feature. Intel has been more vocal about Thunderbolt 5, but USB4 v2 and Thunderbolt should be direct competitors. Because of Intel’s certification process, USB4 is usually associated with AMD Ryzen chips.) Now we wait for devices to follow the introduction of the Thunderbolt 5 specification. Intel began shipping its “Barlow Ridge” Thunderbolt 5 chipset earlier this year to laptop and dock manufacturers. As of now, I only know of two laptops that actually use the discrete component, a Razer Blade and a laptop manufactured by Maingear. Only one Thunderbolt 5 dock has crossed my desk, from Kensington. Razer demonstrated this prototype Thunderbolt 5 dock at CES 2024, but we haven’t seen it ship yet. Razer demonstrated this prototype Thunderbolt 5 dock at CES 2024, but we haven’t seen it ship yet.Willis Lai Razer demonstrated this prototype Thunderbolt 5 dock at CES 2024, but we haven’t seen it ship yet.Willis Lai Willis Lai Thunderbolt: From laptops to desktops Is it time to start thinking about adding Thunderbolt 5 ports to a desktop PC? I believe so. Before, Thunderbolt didn’t have as much to offer gamers as it does now. There’s another angle, too. Most desktop PCs include an I/O panel on the rear with numerous ports, including USB-A, USB-C, DisplayPort, and HDMI. A graphics card usually has its own dedicated display ports as well. Gamers are used to snaking HDMI cables from the rear of their PC, up to their display. But desktops, ironically, have a fundamental problem: a lack of ports anywhere else on the case. If you ever need to connect an SSD or a printer or some other peripheral, it probably means fishing around with a flashlight at the back of the case. Installing a Thunderbolt port into a desktop PC chassis does a few things: One, there’s the simple USB-C interface, which means that you don’t have to remember whether the HDMI connector is a smiley face or a frownie face, or how the DisplayPort connector aligns. It’s much more conducive to connection-by-feel. If you want to use that Thunderbolt port as a direct display connector, you can. If you want to use that Thunderbolt cable to connect to a separate Thunderbolt dock, you can as well — there’s no need to fish around your case for a spare USB-A port, because it will be right on your desk. There’s certainly room for one more port! There’s certainly room for one more port!Mark Hachman / IDG There’s certainly room for one more port!Mark Hachman / IDG Mark Hachman / IDG There are two catches right now, as I see it. First, a discrete Thunderbolt 5 component means added cost as well as an extra card slot inside your case, which adds complexity and ups the price tag a bit. Eventually (very soon, we can hope) Intel will integrate Thunderbolt 5 right into the processor/chipset, solving that problem. That hasn’t happened yet. Second, there’s the cord length. Thunderbolt 5 cables, to my knowledge, can’t stretch more than a meter (3.25 feet), which might be a bit short in some setups, especially if the “desktop” is placed on the ground. An intermediary dock might help solve this, or perhaps a forthcoming active cable. (Apple sells Thunderbolt 4 cables in excess of 9 feet.) These are all issues which can be overcome. The best Thunderbolt docks do a fantastic job of extending the capabilities of your laptop. But it’s time for desktops to join the club, too. Thunderbolt 5 should be their ticket in. Read...

Competitive gaming can feel like an Olympic-sized endeavor for many. It demands time, dedication, practice, grit, and mental fortitude. You have to cultivate success from many angles — and part of that involves making sure your network isn’t impeding your performance. The best online esports gamer in the world with a top-tier gaming rig is still at the mercy of one vital bottleneck: network latency. When playing competitively online, ping or lag or latency (whatever you want to call it) can turn a winning move into a disaster. You need every millisecond you can get for your reaction time and cat-like reflexes, otherwise your opponents will have an advantage over you. As a competitive PC gamer myself, I know this all too well. Here are my best tips for how to lower your latency in online games, whether you’re a casual gamer or have dreams of an esports future. Tip #1: Kill network-hogging apps One thing you need to be mindful of when playing online games is that the game isn’t the only thing sending and receiving data. Most of the other apps on your system — and the operating system itself — are likely dealing with their own network data. Of course, a lot of those apps aren’t hogging your network. They’re probably using a few megabytes here and there, so nothing to be concerned about. But there are a few heavy-hitting apps to be aware of, and you’ll want to exit them before you game. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG For example, game launchers like Steam, Epic Games Store, and even Microsoft Store might end up downloading games and updates in the background. (Nothing will tank your in-game network performance faster than an active download!) Look in the settings for a way to disable downloads during gameplay. Streaming services like YouTube and Netflix are also common culprits. It takes a lot of data to serve streaming video, especially if you’re watching in 1080p or 4K. Yeah, you might prefer to have something playing in the background, but just know that it’s affecting your bandwidth. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Torrenting is the third common major culprit as far as reasons why your ping might be laggy in online games. Always make sure you haven’t accidentally left your torrents on in the background. And, of course, you also want to make sure that no one else on the network is doing any of these things. Your partner who’s streaming 4K episodes and your sibling who’s torrenting are affecting the network all the same. (You can kind of mitigate this with a properly configured router. More on this below in Tip #3.) Tip #2: Benchmark your network speeds Ping and latency are recorded in milliseconds (ms). For best performance, you want to have less than 20 ms of latency in online games, but that may not be possible due to server distance or network equipment limits. You can have close-to-ideal performance under 50 ms, while 100 ms is about the limit of playability. Above 100 ms, lag and network artifacts are increasingly more likely to impact gameplay. Readily-available internet speed tests are a quick, easy, and free way to test your download and upload speeds while also seeing your ping and latency to the test server. This is good for establishing a reference point before you make adjustments to your home network. Related: How to test your home internet speed A few terms worth knowing: Round Trip Time (RTT) is how fast a network data packet can be sent from your network to a server and then back. Jitter is how much variation there is in RTT, based on an averaging of results. This gives a more accurate picture of latency. Packet loss refers to how many network data packets never reach their destination, requiring them to be resent. This can drastically affect jitter if it’s frequent. You basically want the lowest numbers for latency, else you’ll run into lag and disruptions while gaming (and while doing anything else that’s network-intensive, like video chatting, streaming, etc.). Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network. Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Cloudflare network speed test results on a wireless office network.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG In-game tools are also commonly available to let you know what your ping is. You can test with a wireless connection and then switch to Ethernet to more scientifically calculate any differences. Every connection is different, so this can be a good way to see how your specific connection behaves in your environment. Tip #3: Tweak your router settings For the most part, network latency is mostly influenced by your ISP, your internet connection type, your network equipment, and your distance to game servers. It’s important to make sure your network equipment (e.g., router) isn’t causing a bottleneck somehow. If you’re gaming on a Wi-Fi connection, stick to 5GHz bands instead of 2.4GHz bands. 5GHz is generally faster and has less interference. (If you can get a router with 6GHz bands, that’ll be even better.) You may have to manually enable 5GHz for your router, so make sure it’s on (and make sure you’re connected to the 5GHz network.) Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Your router may also have a setting called Nagle’s Algorithm, which basically bundles together network data packets before sending them out (as opposed to sending them out individually as they’re ready). This has its benefits, but it can increase your latency. If it’s enabled in your router, try disabling it to see if it has a measurable impact on your gaming. Related: Why Nagle’s Algorithm is bad for PC gamers Quality of Service (QoS) is another router feature that can aid with connection quality. In a nutshell, QoS lets you prioritize the most important activities on your network (e.g., gaming) so that those data packets are always processed first. For example, if you’re playing a game and someone else is downloading a large file, your router’s QoS can prioritize your gaming traffic over their download traffic. Related: What is Quality of Service? Explained You can further push network priority to devices on wired connections over wireless connections to ensure best latency. (See below Tip #6 for more on why you should use a wired connection.) Some gaming routers have “gaming modes” that handle all of this for you automatically, making it easier to optimize network latency without being an expert yourself. Gaming modes can typically be found in the router’s admin panel or BIOS settings. Related: The best router settings for gaming And speaking of the BIOS, make sure your router firmware is updated to maximize stability and benefit from improvements. Tip #4: Optimize your network routing Network packets travel at the speed of light, which means your latency is limited by the laws of physics. The farther your data packets have to travel, the higher the latency — no way around that. Which means the physical distance between your machine and the game server is very important. If the game lets you choose between multiple servers, always choose the one that’s closest to you. My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server. My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server.Thiago Trevisan / IDG My ping level in Quake Champions on a moderately distant server.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG The amount of servers available to you will depend on a lot of factors, though. Popular games may run a lot of servers all over the world while lesser-known indie games may only have a couple. If you’re in the US, you’ll have more options than someone in Australia. (Sad but true.) All of this is beyond your control. However, if you have high latency on a relatively close server or if you don’t have any server options near you, what can you do? There are some VPN services out there that promise to reduce gaming lag by providing a special networks with optimized routing. For example, WTFast uses machine learning to find optimized paths between your network and gaming servers, which might help in some cases to reduce latency, reduce packet loss, and improve stability. Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust! Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust!Thiago Trevisan / IDG Your gaming rig won’t save you if your network isn’t robust!Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG If you already have good network routing, these kinds of services probably won’t do much for you. They’re mainly for extreme situations, like if you live in a remote area with underdeveloped broadband. Your mileage may vary. Tip #5: Improve your Wi-Fi network Wi-Fi performance has improved tremendously over the last several years. With the newer Wi-Fi 7 standard hitting the market, you can get unprecedented speed and latency. Many routers also support multiple bands, helping to mitigate issues with interference in busy areas. Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router. Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Good wireless gaming performance is possible, but you’ll need a solid router.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG But if you can’t afford to get a fancy router, there are some other optimizations worth trying. Tweaking your wireless network channel can mitigate interference and congestion, while elevating your router and moving it to a central spot can reduce interference further. Proximity to your wireless router matters a lot, too, and you should be able to secure a stronger signal just by moving closer to it. If your main issue with Wi-Fi has to do with spotty connections and inconsistent performance, you might consider something like a Wi-Fi extender or even going with a wireless mesh system. However, there’s a trade-off: in exchange for a more stable connection, you might experience slightly higher latency. That might be worth it if your ping is constantly spiking due to shoddy signal. Tip #6: Use a wired Ethernet connection While I’m a huge fan of Wi-Fi for everyday use because it’s just so convenient, it has its flaws and quirks — and if you need every last bit of network performance in your competitive games, then you should reconsider using Wi-Fi while gaming online. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Switching to a wired Ethernet connection is the best way to eliminate potential issues with Wi-Fi and get faster internet speeds. Plus, it’s cost effective and cheaper than a pricey gaming wireless router. With wired Ethernet, you don’t have to worry about wireless signal drops or interference from other wireless devices cluttering up the space. Sure, cable interference is also a thing, but it’s way less common and can be mitigated with high-quality Ethernet cables. Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG More importantly, Ethernet is faster than Wi-Fi in most cases. As of this writing, a CAT 8 Ethernet cable can theoretically deliver up to 40Gbps while Wi-Fi 6 can theoretically deliver up to 9.6Gbps. In real-world usage, Wi-Fi transmissions rarely operate anywhere close to max speed; meanwhile, Ethernet connections are more stable. There are even specialized fiber-optic cables on the market for the most serious of esports gamers, and these cables allow for faster data transmission compared to typical copper cables. But they’re more expensive and have diminishing benefits. For most gamers, a standard Ethernet cable is more than enough. Tip #7: Upgrade your ISP plan The latest and greatest Wi-Fi and Ethernet technologies mean nothing if the internet service to your house is poor OR if your network router is too weak to process that much data quickly enough. If you’re paying peanuts to your ISP for the budget-tier 150Mbps plan, then you don’t have much to work with. And same goes if you’re still on a cheap, years-old “Fast Ethernet” router that maxes out at 100Mbps. Your internet speed is limited by the slowest bottleneck in your network — and in this example, you’d be stuck with 100Mbps on either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. To be fair, 100Mbps could be enough for online gaming. But if you have a lot of devices connected to your router, they could be clogging up network traffic and causing slowdowns. That’s when it’s worth paying for a higher ISP plan and/or upgrading to a better router. Your internet service type can also affect latency. For example, satellite internet is terrible for gaming because of the way the technology works: your data has to bounce off satellites in space to reach its destination, then bounce back off those satellites to return to you. That’s why satellite connections have much higher latency. If possible, switch to an ISP with a dedicated fiber-optic line. Cable internet is the next best thing. DSL internet can be a last resort. Tip #8: Upgrade your router Now, if you have a high-speed multi-gig ISP plan, make sure you also have an advanced router that’s capable of delivering those speeds to all the devices on your network. (No point paying for 1Gbps internet if your network traffic is just going to be throttled by a dumpy router.) This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port. This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port.Asus This Asus ROG wireless router has a dedicated gaming port.Asus Asus Some high-end routers, such as the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 Pro, even have a dedicated 10Gbps LAN port with a “Game Boost” feature that prioritizes your gaming connection and helps ensure the fastest speeds and minimal latency, especially when network traffic is congested. Advanced wireless routers, such as the Asus ROG AX11000, also typically have more antennas. These extra antennas allow the router to more easily split Wi-Fi bands between 2.4GHz and 5GHz. They also tend to include more gaming-focused settings to tweak within their admin panels, too. A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging. A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging.Thiago Trevisan / IDG A wireless gaming router with branded Call of Duty packaging.Thiago Trevisan / IDG Thiago Trevisan / IDG The quality of your router matters a lot more for wireless connections than it does for Ethernet connections, so consider splurging on the best router your budget allows — one that at least has Wi-Fi 6, supports multiple bands, and can handle your ISP plan’s speeds. Further reading: Wi-Fi 5 vs. Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E, explained Read...

Modern Windows PCs often include some kind of biometric hardware, mainly in the form of facial recognition (using infrared cameras) or fingerprint scanning. Both of these features let you use Windows Hello for better and more convenient PC security. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Not only are face IDs and fingerprints harder to hack than PINs and passwords, they’re much quicker to input when it comes to unlocking your PC. Signing in a lot faster and you’re better protected and you can use some really cool extra features in Windows Hello. Keep reading to learn more about what Windows Hello is, why you should be using it, and how to set it up as painlessly as possible. (This applies to both laptops and desktop PCs!) What is Windows Hello? Windows Hello is an operating system feature that lets you securely sign into your PC without typing your Windows account password. It supports biometrics, so you can sign in with facial recognition or fingerprint scans (as long as you have the requisite hardware). Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password. Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password.Chris Hoffman / IDG Windows Hello’s fingerprint scan prompt to unlock 1Password.Chris Hoffman / IDG Chris Hoffman / IDG But Windows Hello isn’t just for signing in. You can also use Windows Hello to unlock certain applications, like password managers. You can access your password vault without your huge master password. And if you’ve ditched passwords altogether for passkeys instead, Windows Hello is doubly useful — it integrates with passkeys in web browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. You can create a passkey for a website, which is then secured with Windows Hello so that you must authenticate (with your face or finger) to sign in. Related: How to start using passkeys on Windows Technically, Windows Hello also includes the PIN login method, but I don’t recommend using that. When security experts talk about Windows Hello, they’re mainly focusing on the more secure biometric options. Is Windows Hello secure? For starters, Windows Hello never syncs your facial recognition data, fingerprint data, or even your PIN between your devices or to your Microsoft account. It’s all stored only and entirely on your PC. Windows Hello’s security relies on the underlying Trusted Platform Module (TPM) hardware that’s found on modern PCs (a required PC component if you want to install Windows 11). The TPM handles the authentication and signing in process, and it’s also used for other things like encrypting and decrypting your computer’s storage. Related: What is the Trusted Platform Module? Explained And again, Windows Hello is separate from your Microsoft account. Even if someone were to capture your fingerprint, face, or PIN, they would only be able to use it to log into your Windows Hello-enabled PC and wouldn’t be able to access your Microsoft account. (All of this Windows Hello data is stored securely in the TPM, so hackers can’t access it.) Windows Hello is also secure against anyone who tries to unlock your PC via facial recognition trickery. For instance, Windows Hello isn’t fooled by someone holding up a photo of your face because Windows Hello facial recognition uses an infrared (IR) camera to ensure it’s looking at a real live person. That’s why you need a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera to even start using Windows Hello facial recognition. Of course, Windows Hello isn’t perfect. Fingerprint scanners are still vulnerable to James Bond-style attacks where someone lifts your fingerprint off a glass and uses that to sign into your PC. (CEOs of major companies and political dissidents may want to be extra careful.) But it’s more than secure enough for the average person, especially since those spy movie-style attacks require access to both your physical laptop and a carefully duplicated copy of your fingerprint. Facial recognition vs. fingerprint reader: Which method is better? If your PC only has one or the other, you don’t really have a choice — use whichever Windows Hello method is available to you. If it has both, then you can actually use both. But if you only want to use one, then it ultimately comes down to personal preference. I prefer facial recognition, especially on laptops. It works surprisingly well and the experience is seamless. As soon as you open your laptop, Windows scans your face with the IR camera, then signs you in. It all happens so quickly — an automatic sign-in without you having to press anything at all. Just open up your laptop. And some newer, higher-end laptops even have “presence sensing” hardware that detects when you physically sit down in front of your PC. It then automatically wakes up and uses the IR camera to sign you in via Windows Hello. A secure way to sign into your laptop just by sitting down in front of it? It’s as awesome as it sounds. Of course, fingerprint scanning also works almost as smoothly, especially if the fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button. In that case, you go to press the power button to wake up the laptop, then keep your finger resting on the fingerprint reader to unlock your machine. So, again, it’s a matter of personal taste. Note: When you’re shopping for a laptop, make sure to check out the biometric options it offers — whether it has a Windows Hello-compatible IR camera, a fingerprint scanner, both, or neither. We always mention these features as a matter of course in our laptop reviews here at PCWorld. How to set up Windows Hello Windows normally prompts you to set up Windows Hello when you first sign into a new PC, but you probably skipped it when you were setting everything up. That’s okay, because you can always configure later. If you’d like to set up Windows Hello (or maybe just see which biometric options are available on your laptop), you can do so from the Settings app on either Windows 11 or Windows 10. To configure Windows Hello, open the Settings app, select Accounts, and select Sign-in options. You’ll see options for configuring your machine’s available sign-in methods under Ways to sign in. Note: If your PC doesn’t have a certain option, like facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, then you’ll see the message: “This option is currently unavailable.” Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11. Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11.Chris Hoffman / IDG Setting up Windows Hello options in Windows 11.Chris Hoffman / IDG Chris Hoffman / IDG Here, you can also tweak and configure facial recognition and fingerprint recognition. For example, you might want to scan your face in different lighting conditions, train Windows to recognize your face with and without glasses, or add an additional fingerprint. Some applications will also prompt you to authenticate with Windows Hello. For example, the 1Password password manager lets you quickly use Windows Hello to unlock your password vault. How to add Windows Hello to any PC Not all PCs come with Windows Hello biometrics. Some laptops just don’t include Windows Hello hardware, which can be one way to keep costs down on otherwise expensive builds (e.g., gaming laptops). Also, if you’re building your own desktop PC, you won’t get Windows Hello unless you incorporate compatible hardware. If you don’t have Windows Hello but you want it, the easiest and most effective option is to buy a Windows Hello-compatible webcam. And not just one that has IR technology, but one that’s a high-quality webcam in its own right so you look good in video calls and meetings. Related: The best webcams for Windows Hello The other option is to hunt down a fingerprint scanner that plugs into your computer via USB. Be sure to pick one that explicitly states compatibility with Windows Hello! I’ve personally used this inexpensive Kensington USB fingerprint reader in the past, and I have no complaints despite it only costing $18 on Amazon. Take the next step with Windows Hello Windows Hello is far from mandatory. You can certainly use your PC without it — and along with millions of other PC users who have gotten by without biometrics thus far, you can probably get by just fine. But biometric PC security is absolutely a step up, not only in terms of protection but also convenience. The first time you open your laptop or sit down at your desktop PC and you’re automatically signed in with facial recognition? It’s almost surreal. After that, it’s tough to go back to typing a PIN every time you need to sign back in. Whenever I review a laptop and it turns out the manufacturer skipped Windows Hello hardware to keep costs down, I think it’s a real shame. It’s just an awesome feature that makes using Windows PCs a lot nicer. I highly recommend you get Windows Hello hardware in your next laptop, or pick up a compatible webcam for your desktop PC. Further reading: Is Windows 11’s built-in antivirus enough? Read...

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We love our laptops, but it’d be great if they had more ports. In the process of slimming down modern laptops, they’ve also lost a lot of their connectivity — but you can get ’em back with a good docking station. And right now, one of our favorite docks is on sale: the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core is down to just $68.92 on Amazon, a jaw-dropping 66% drop from its usual $200 MSRP. This particular model uses Thunderbolt 3 technology for fast and reliable connections between your laptop and all your peripherals. And it has plenty of connectivity options: a DisplayPort 1.4 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-C PD port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB-A 2.0 port, and a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a headphone/microphone jack. All of this is enough to hook up two 4K monitors and whatever accessories you have, plus you can easily charge your laptop while in use. When we reviewed the Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core, our expert adored it and gave it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, appreciating its compactness and its ability to support two 4K displays. It’s sleek and aesthetically pleasing, too. The small form factor makes it easy to pack with your laptop when traveling: “At a nearly square 5.2 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches and 0.47 pounds, the Thunderbolt Dock Core doesn’t take up much room or weight, and the included 7.9-inch Thunderbolt 3 cord provides ample length for flexibility.” (The built-in Thunderbolt cable is less than 8 inches long, so plan to keep it close to your laptop.) At this price, this docking station is the most cost effective way to expand your laptop’s connectivity, so grab this super-discounted Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Core for just $68.92 while you can. Save $131 on this 7-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 dockBuy now on Amazon Read...

OLED displays have been one of the hottest new things in laptops these past few years, and they’re just as desirable in desktop monitors, too. And why wouldn’t they be? OLED screens have some big advantages, like vivid image quality and better contrast. So, maybe you bought one and maybe you’re reading this article on an OLED display. Maybe you are impressed by OLED image quality and you have zero regrets having shelled out all that cash for it. But there’s one thing you might not have considered when it comes to optimizing the OLED experience: you have to embrace dark mode. Further reading: The best laptops for any budget and use case Why darker is better on OLED To understand why dark mode reigns supreme on an OLED screen, you have to understand the display technology behind it. The key difference between OLEDs and traditional LCDs is that OLEDs don’t rely on a backlight to illuminate the entire display. Instead, when an image is shown on screen, every individual pixel illuminates itself. So, the brighter a particular pixel needs to be, the brighter that single pixel will get — and in order to do that, the pixel in question is going to require more power. On the flip side, if a pixel doesn’t need to be bright at all, then it can dim itself down entirely. Matthew Smith / IDG Matthew Smith / IDG Matthew Smith / IDG In other words, what this means is that white (bright) pixels draw more power than black (dark) pixels, which barely draw any power at all. And there’s the key concept: on OLED screens, darker images require less power to show on screen than brighter images. That’s especially important for OLED laptops. When you’re running on a battery and need to conserve as much juice as possible, one thing you can do is use dark mode to darken the screen pixels. While dark mode doesn’t necessarily make every window and background completely black, it does shift a large proportion of pixels on screen towards the darker end — and even darker colors, even if they aren’t completely black, help to save power versus brighter colors. But it’s not just about power savings. Sure, longer battery life is a valuable perk, but OLED screens have always been faced with concerns of image retention and burn-in. Burn-in can happen on OLEDs when pixels wear out over time, and that generally occurs when pixels are “stuck” illuminating static elements like logos, banners, or the Windows taskbar. With dark mode, pixels spend less time in extreme illumination and end up being less vulnerable to this kind of degradation. Related: Everything you need to know about OLED laptops Using dark mode on Windows On Windows, dark mode turns most bright pixels into either black or dark gray. While black is ideal, even the dark grays use less energy than they would if they were white or bright gray (as they’d be in light mode). Fortunately, switching to dark mode in Windows 11 is easy: Joel Lee / IDG Joel Lee / IDG Joel Lee / IDG First, open the Settings app (which you can do by searching for “settings” in the Start menu). Then, go to Personalization in the left navigation, then scroll down and click Colors. Locate the “Choose your mode” option and change the drop-down menu to Dark. In Windows 10, the process is largely the same. However, the “Choose your mode” option is instead labeled as “Choose your color.” On top of that, you may also need to enable dark mode in certain apps and browsers separately. In Chrome, for instance, you can change the settings to match the system theme, which should toggle dark mode if you’ve done so for Windows. But if it doesn’t, simply navigate to Settings > Appearance, locate the “Mode” option, and select Dark from the drop-down menu. (Choose Device if you want it to match your system theme.) Further reading: How to enable dark mode in Microsoft Office Read...

Quantum computers are the future, and a near-term future at that. They will be exponentially more powerful than the computers we have today and will allow us to make huge potential leaps forward in fields such as curing diseases and artificial intelligence. They can also be used to easily crack today’s passwords, hack into secure networks, and quickly harvest mass amounts of data. Due to these risks, VPN providers such as NordVPN are trying to stay ahead of the game with post-quantum encryption. NordVPN, one of the best VPNs on the market, and a company continually on the bleeding-edge of privacy and security features, has just released its first-ever app with post-quantum encryption support.  It’s currently only available for Linux and complies with NIST standards for post-quantum encryption. The company stated that it hopes to roll out post-quantum algorithms on all NordVPN applications no later than the first quarter of 2025. In a blog post following the launch, NordVPN’s CTO Marijus Briedis said, “Trends show that cybercriminals are intensifying what are known as ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ attacks. Simply put, they are trying to accumulate huge quantities of encrypted data and decrypt them once quantum technology is developed. Thus, the VPN industry must enter a new phase of development to defend against future quantum computing threats.” Despite quantum computing being a ways off, it is still a reality that will likely come to fruition at some point. Being prepared for such a revolutionary technology before it arrives is an important step. At least this way, when we connect to a VPN in the future we can still enjoy some semblance of privacy and security from our robot overlords. Read...

Massey is now reviewing the use of online exam technology after bugs in the system locked students out of their exams. Read...