As artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent modern day computing, Microsoft’s new Copilot PCs bring powerful AI capabilities right to your fingertips. Equipped with specialized hardware and advanced software, these devices promise a faster, smarter experience. In this article, we’ll explore what makes Copilot PCs stand out from the rest. 1. Specifications of Copilot PCs To ensure that the advanced AI functions can be executed quickly and smoothly, Copilot PCs must meet certain hardware requirements. The most important criterion is the presence of a special neural processor (aka the NPU). This component, which deals exclusively with AI tasks, must be able to perform at least 40 TOPS (trillions of operations per second). Copilot PCs must also have at least 16 gigabytes of RAM (DDR5 or LPDDR5) and be equipped with an SSD (solid state drive) with a capacity of 256 gigabytes or more. Security is a core feature, too. Every Copilot PC comes equipped with the Microsoft Pluton security chip, which works alongside TPM 2.0 to provide protection against both current and emerging cyber threats. 2. Advantages of an NPU By using a specialized processor that deals exclusively with the work associated with artificial intelligence, you benefit in two ways. First, the main processor (CPU) and graphics card (GPU) are noticeably relieved so that these components can take care of their traditional tasks. Second, a neural processor enables selected AI tasks to be performed locally, which significantly increases processing speed. This is likely why Microsoft describes Copilot PCs as “the fastest and most intelligent Windows PCs ever built.” IDG 3. AI without an internet connection If the computer has a dedicated NPU, an internet connection isn’t necessary for AI tasks. And since the content can be processed locally, you don’t have to worry about your data falling into the hands of third parties. IDG The only exceptions are web-based AI services such as ChatGPT, Dall-E, and Midjourney. They cannot be used in offline mode. Microsoft also points out that when using the AI component “Copilot” integrated in Windows 11 24H2, data is transmitted via the internet to ensure that user input does not violate the terms of use. 4. Qualcomm currently dominates the market There isn’t a particularly large selection of Copilot PCs available yet. This is because, at launch, only devices featuring one of two Qualcomm processors (Snapdragon X Pro or the Snapdragon X Elite), were released at launch last year. These include the Acer Swift 14 AI, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, the Microsoft Surface Pro, and the Microsoft Surface Laptop. IDG The Snapdragon CPUs share a key trait. They consume relatively little power, which can significantly increase battery life in normal operation. According to Microsoft, the Surface Laptop Copilot PC can run up to 22 hours on a single charge. 5. Other manufacturers are following suit AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 and select models from the Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 8000 series as well as Intel’s Core Ultra 200V processors are also AI-optimized. In contrast to the Qualcomm processors, however, they’re based on the conventional x86 architecture. This can be a decisive criterion for users who want to continue using all Windows programs in their possession in the future. IDG However, AMD and Intel AI processors do not yet support all the special Copilot PC functions. According to Microsoft, the missing AI features will be added through free Windows updates by the end of 2024 or early 2025. This means Copilot PCs with AMD and Intel processors will also support the full range of AI functions. 6. Current Copilot PC features Windows 11 24H2 already includes several AI features that run on all computers, including the web-based AI assistant Copilot, the Image Creator function in Paint, and the Microsoft Designer components built into the standard in the Windows Photo Viewer app, which lets users redesign images with a single click. IDG In contrast, Copilot PCs offer exclusive AI features that require a neural processor. These include Windows Studio Effects for better video conferencing, real-time transcription of conversations with translation into more than 40 languages, and the Cocreator function in Paint, which can convert any drawing into professional graphics and supports user-defined prompts when designing images. 7. AI features coming soon In addition, Microsoft has announced a range of other AI features. Super Resolution is designed to increase the resolution of images many times over, while Restyle can transform ordinary photos into small works of art. However, the controversial Recall function, which has been criticized over potential data privacy concerns, is still up in the air. IDG So far, all that’s known is that Microsoft has removed Recall from the final version of Windows 11 24H2 for Copilot PCs, meaning the feature is only available to users in the Windows Insider program. 8. Program from other manufacturers also support NPUs Third-party software can also take advantage of the neural processors build into Copilot PCs to accelerate demanding AI tasks. Many well-known manufacturers have already optimized their programs for the AI age. These include the image editing software Adobe Photoshop, the video editing program Capcut, and the mixing software DjayPro. IDG 9. ARM instead of x86 In contrast to Copilot PCs with AMD and Intel processors, devices equipped with a Qualcomm CPU are based on the ARM architecture. This differs from the x86/x64 architecture of conventional computers, meaning that not all apps and applications developed for Windows can be used. However, Microsoft states that users spend about 90 percent of their time using programs that are also available as native ARM versions. IDG The selection is indeed large–from office packages like Microsoft 365, LibreOffice, and Microsoft Office, to browsers such as Google Chrome, Brave Browser, and Opera, and even security software like Avast Premium Security, Bitdefender Total Security, and Trend Micro Antivirus. Almost all of these are available in native ARM versions. Adobe deserves a special call-out here, as the company already has many products optimized for the ARM architecture. This means Adobe can be used on Copilot PCs with Snapdragon CPUs without any problems. In addition to Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom, this includes the video editing program Premiere Pro as well as the beta versions of Illustrator and Indesign. 10. Emulating x86 programs In order to be able to use programs that were not developed natively for the ARM platform, Windows 11 for ARM architectures includes Prism, a new emulator that converts x86 control commands into ARM instructions in real time. IDG In practice, this works quite well as long as it does not involve applications that intervene deeply in the system such as virus scanners, VPN tools, or virtualization software. On the windowsonarm.org website, you’ll find a regularly updated list of all programs that run natively or can be used on ARM systems with the help of the emulator. Video conferencing with AI support The AI functions Auto Framing, Portrait Light, Eye Contact, Background Effects, Creative Filters, and Voice Focus included in Windows Studio Effects are designed to improve the quality of video and audio transmissions during video conferences. These effects can be activated through both the Windows Settings and via the Quick Settings, which you can open using the Win + A key combination. Here’s another advantage. Because these functions are permanently integrated into the operating system, it doesn’t matter whether you hold video conferences via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or another video conferencing app. Windows Studio Effects require an NPU, so they are only available on Copilot PCs. Read...

On February 2nd, 2025, computer scientist and OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy made a flippant tweet that launched a new phrase into the internet’s collective consciousness. He posted that he’d “fully given into the vibes” when programming with AI assistance. There`s a new kind of coding I call `vibe coding`, where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists. It`s possible because the LLMs (e.g. Cursor Composer w Sonnet) are getting too good. Also I just talk to Composer with SuperWhisper…— Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy) February 2, 2025 The tweet of course kicked off a flame war, because that’s how X works, especially under the current management. But for me, the tweet hit home—because it perfectly describes how I use AI to code. Update: After this article proved popular, I wrote a vibe coding tutorial to help interested tinkerers start making their own custom apps! Check out ‘Vibe coding’ your own apps with AI is easy! 7 tools and tricks to get started and begin your own journey. I’ll link it at the end as well if you’d rather read this before hopping over. My experience with vibe coding I’ve always had an interest in programming, because I’ve always had an interest in computers. I put together websites in HTML as a teenager (which, yes, were hosted on GeoCities) and have been occasionally dabbling in Python since. Yet none of my projects got very far and, apart from my early websites, I never made anything useful. My efforts all followed a familiar pattern: I’d fixate on a particular resource—like an O’Reilly book or an online course—and get started with great enthusiasm, but as I’d realize I was months or years away from creating anything remotely useful, I’d give up. I’ve used Claude AI to quickly generate a simple dice roller web app.Matt Smith / Foundry That changed in late 2024 when my general frustration with WordPress, which I was using for my personal website, got the better of me. In a fit, I threw my website’s content plus a screenshot of it into Claude 3.5 Sonnet and asked the AI to replicate my site with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. To my amazement, Claude 3.5 generated a functional website. It wasn’t perfect, but after a couple hours of working with Claude, I wound up with a website I liked even better than its WordPress predecessor. My approach was exactly what Karpathy described. I didn’t read the code, nor did I really try to understand it (though I did have to think a bit about how the featured articles carousel works). That aside, I just told Claude what to do, copy-and-pasted the results in VSCode, saved the file, and reloaded my browser to see what changed. And it worked. A work-in-progress screenshot of my Pico-8 puzzle game and the vibe-coded source.Matt Smith / Foundry But the most important part? It was fun! Fun enough that I’ve since tried my hand at several other coding projects. I made an online tool to track initiative and roll dice when DMing tabletop roleplaying games, I made another tool to simplify rolling dice in Battletech, and I’m currently making a puzzle game for the Pico-8 virtual game console. I also used AI to guide me through setting up tools that require a bit of fussing, like OpenAI’s Whisper speech-to-text model. Notably, all three projects were in different programming languages—HTML/JavaScript, Python, and Lua—none of which I’m even remotely proficient with. I’ve also dabbled in some C#, as I started to make the puzzle game in Unity before deciding it was overbuilt for my needs and swapping to Pico-8. I also toyed with turning my tabletop RPG tool into a Windows app before deciding that wasn’t helpful. The risks and pitfalls of vibe coding So, yeah, I’m vibing. But is it all good vibes? Or does vibe coding herald the same kind of AI slop-driven era for software as we’re seeing for blogs, forums, artwork, video, and music? That’s the big fear of critics, and it’s easy to understand those fears. Karpathy’s “vibe coding” is fast, fun, and approachable, but it isn’t rigorous, detail-oriented, or careful. The code written by AI will often work, but it can contain flaws that aren’t immediately obvious—and that raises an obvious question: how does a know-nothing programmer spot bugs and security flaws in AI-generated code? The simple answer is… they can’t. Take the case of Leonel Acevedo—better known as just “leo”—who posted about his experience vibe coding a SaaS startup, only to find himself dealing with major issues like unsecured API keys. It led to hundreds of videos and social media posts dunking on Leo’s naïveté: guys, i`m under attackever since I started to share how I built my SaaS using Cursorrandom thing are happening, maxed out usage on api keys, people bypassing the subscription, creating random shit on dbas you know, I`m not technical so this is taking me longer that usual to…— leo (@leojr94_) March 17, 2025 To be clear, I don’t have much sympathy for Leo. He used social media to promote his business with posts clearly built to drive engagement. And, well, that’s how chasing influence on social media works. Sometimes you’re the hero and sometimes you’re the villain. (Predictably, Leo is already making content about “rebuilding my SaaS in 30 days.”) Yet, I question what his problems are supposed to prove. Is vibe coding a SaaS and going straight into production dumb? Sure. But are most people vibe coding a SaaS startup and flinging it into the world like the baby in an Xbox commercial? Of course not. The reality is a lot more practical. Some people, like me, see vibe coding as a fun way to tackle simple projects that were previously out of reach. Others, including many software engineers, will use it as way to build prototypes, demonstrate proofs of concept, and—yes!—learn. It’s the blogging revolution… for code In a strange way, vibe coding reminds me of the circumstances from decades ago that paved the way for me to become a tech journalist. I grew up in a small midwestern town. My high school was so small, we didn’t even have a school newspaper. Then I went to college and got a degree… in English Literature. Not journalism or communications. I never wrote for the college paper, either. I then graduated college with no useful contacts or work experience. But I lucked out. I graduated right when the blogsphere exploded and social media took over the internet. Suddenly, formal credentials and an industry-specific degree, though helpful, weren’t necessary. So, I started writing—and eventually publications started paying me for it. I’ve been doing this now for 17 years. To me, vibe coding looks like it will do something similar for future software engineers and the programming landscape. Forget formal training. With AI assistance, people who are interested in programming don’t even need informal training. Anyone who knows their way around a laptop can ask ChatGPT about the tools they need to get started, how to install them and get them working, and generate the very code they need to get the first version of their project up and running. These people will make mistakes. A lot of the code generated will be bad, or at least inelegant. People will lose projects because they encounter a bug they can’t fix. The AI-generated code in my own projects is enough to make a senior software engineer go blind, I’m sure. But if it opens programming a bit wider to people (like me) who otherwise lack the patience to spend six months reading an O’Reilly tome just to spin up a halfway decent Python program, well, that seems like a win. Further reading: ‘Vibe coding’ your own apps with AI is easy! 7 tools and tricks to get started Read...

Prime Day offers some of the best opportunities to score Chromebook deals, and Amazon’s Chromebook sales are settled into the final days of the sale. Amazon Prime Day(s) officially run from July 8th to July 11th, and I’d expect these deals to run the full length of the four-day sales period. Some of these deals actually launched before Prime Day, and are carrying over. We already test and recommend the best Chromebooks available, which means that we already understand what makes for a great Chromebook. I personally have compiled lists of the best Chromebook deals for Prime Day, Black Friday, and more throughout the past few years. While I don’t expect the very best Chromebooks to go on sale for Prime Day, I do think that you’ll find that some good deals on good Chromebooks — and determining what those are is where PCWorld, and I, come in. To compile PCWorld’s list of Chromebook deals for Prime Day, I looked at the specifications, the price, the manufacturer, and any reviews we’ve published on a specific Chromebook. But there’s an enormous wild card out there that we can’t do anything about: tariffs. President Trump’s 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs expires July 9th, the second official day of Prime Day, and we really won’t know what will happen there. Buying early is the safest bet. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks at Amazon Lenovo IdeaPad 3i, Intel Celeron N4500/8GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $192.88 (33% off at Amazon) Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3, MediaTek Kompanio 520/4GB RAM/64GB SSD (plus docking station), 14-inch 1080p display, $258.99 (21% off at Amazon) Acer Chromebook Plus 514, Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display, $329.99 (18% off at Amazon) HP Chromebook 14 (14a-nf0099nr), Intel N100/8GB RAM/128GB UFS, 14-inch 768p display, $199.99 (49% off at Amazon) Right now, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i deal at the top of the above list was the best early no-compromise Chromebook deal I’ve been able to find, period. It has everything you need at an outstanding price. The others? Not bad, but I’d compare them to the other deals listed below. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks at Amazon’s competitors Asus CX15, Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/128GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $159.00 (28% off at Walmart) HP Chromebook, Intel N200/8GB RAM/64GB eMMC, 15.6-inch 1366×768 display, $179.00 (60% off at Best Buy) Lenovo IdeaPad 3i, Intel Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $149.00 (40% off at Best Buy) Acer Chromebook Plus 516, Intel Core i5-120U/8GB RAM/256GB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 display (120Hz), $349.00 (46% off at Best Buy) Lenovo IP5 (Refurbished), Intel Core i3-1215U/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 display, $268.99 (49% off at Target) HP 2-in-1 Chromebook, Intel Core i3/8GB RAM/256GB UFS, 14-inch 1920×1080 display, $479.00 (24% off) HP 14-inch Chromebook, Intel Celeron N4500/4GB RAM/64GB SSD, 14-inch 768p display, $129.00 (60% off at Best Buy) Do yourself a favor and check the price of the Asus CX15. For a short time on Tuesday, Walmart lowered the price to $110, then reverted it before we could file an update. Maybe it will do it again? Best Buy is usually the source of some outstanding Chromebook deals, but right now Amazon has it beat on the best all-around Chromebook sale. On the other hand, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a world-beater in terms of price, and even slightly smaller amounts of RAM and storage won’t detract from it. Acer’s Chromebook Plus is the only Plus deal I’ve seen. Chromebook Plus is Google’s premium brand, and it comes with a 12-month Google One AI Premium plan (worth $239.88) that gives you Gemini Advanced and 2TB of cloud storage, among others. If you want to pay a bit more, both the hardware and the software package are a solid deal. I very rarely recommend refurbished Chromebooks, because they can be a crapshoot in terms of flaws. Here, the Lenovo IP5 offers an absolute ton of solid features for a very reasonable price. I don’t think of Chromebooks as gaming machines, but you’ll feel the improvements in the screen and memory even bopping around on the desktop. Expect those more powerful components to reduce the battery life, however. Some people just want the cheapest Chromebook they can score on Prime Day. I don’t really recommend the HP 14-inch Chromebook because of the small amount of memory and its subpar screen, but it’s there if you need it. Updated 10:37 AM PT on July 9. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks FAQ 1. How much should I pay for a Chromebook during Amazon Prime Day? Expect to pay between $170 to $250 or so, depending on the configuration. You’ll see bargain-basement options below $120 and more premium versions will cost $300 and above. We’ve used that advice for the past few years, and even with inflation that still seems to hold true. I’m not expecting sharp discounts to take hold once Prime Day deals officially begin. You may see some on older hardware, but the sense is that the sales will be somewhat muted for Prime Day 2025. Of course, we’ll highlight the best deals above. 2. What’s a good Chromebook to buy during Amazon’s Prime Day sales? There are two ways of shopping during Amazon’s Prime Day. The first is to go down our list of recommended Chromebooks until you find a price you like. Our real-time pricing services should reflect real-time discounts, but occasionally “lightning” or instant sales may slip through. The other way is to shop using our recommended deals above. Typically, I look for at least a large 1080p display unless it’s an absolute budget model. (Anything higher than 1080p is a bonus.) I also really prefer a Chromebook with at least 8GB of RAM, for keeping many tabs open and running programs. The third priority is actually the processor, and it’s a bit of a challenge to explain which is the “right” chip to buy. A recent Intel Celeron, AMD Ryzen, or Arm chip from Qualcomm or Mediatek is a good choice. Chromebooks are now supported for ten years, which is fantastic. But that also leads to “trap bargains” like this Samsung 12.2-inch Chromebook, whose processor was discontinued eight years ago in 2017 and has 4GB of RAM to boot. 3. How does PCWorld decide what a good Chromebook deal is? Generally, Chromebooks tend to fall into three categories: ultracheap models at about $100 to $200, which can offer solid discounts but can hide gotchas like a subpar screen; the typical midrange price of between $250 and $400; and premium Chromebooks at $500 or more.  Those prices can sometimes blur together, of course. I basically compare the price with the specifications. As I said above, I’m looking for a Chromebook with 8GB of RAM and at least a 1080p screen, along with a “good” processor. (I typically make a list of processors, mental or otherwise, with the relative performance of each one and how old they are.) I then start selecting candidates for good deals. Are they one of our recommended Chromebooks? They then go to the top of the list. At this point, I start checking for how long the support window is. Chromebooks are supported for ten years after their ship date, but most of these deals use Chromebooks which have been on the market for at least a few years. No one wants a Chromebook which won’t receive upgrades next year. I also almost always recommend a “new” Chromebook, rather than one which has been refreshed or “renewed” by Amazon. 4. Will tariffs affect the price of a Chromebook and Prime Day Chromebook deals? Yes and no. Remember, tariffs only take effect when the product enters the United States, so it’s very likely that a bargain Chromebook has been available on the market and even sat on a U.S. store shelf for a few years. Chromebooks are very price-dependent. Right now, the Trump Administration has paused its reciprocal tariffs until July 9, day two of Amazon Prime Days. At a guess — and that’s all we can do right now — I wouldn’t think that tariffs will affect the price of most of the Chromebook deals we feature. But it could add to the price of new, premium Chromebooks, shipping from where they’re manufactured overseas. 5. Are the best Chromebook deals during Prime Day at Amazon? Amazon would like to think so! But we check other sites as well, just to make sure. You’ll find those Chromebook deals from sites other than Amazon listed above, too. 6. Does a Chromebook’s brand matter? Interestingly, Chromebooks are one of the few tech categories whose products are almost all made by big “name” brands. We might prefer a Chromebook made by one company over another, but generally Chromebooks are manufactured by companies like Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and more — all big, reputable brands. Read...

Amazon’s annual Prime Day event of the year is in full swing, and unlike previous years, we’re going to have a four-day sale extravaganza in 2025 — so you have more time to snag the best discounts. Here at PCWorld, we’e dug through thousands of Prime Day deals over at Amazon to find the very best ones. Our tech experts have been testing PC hardware and gadgets for decades and know what’s worth buying and what should get a pass. You’ll need to be a Prime member to seize advantage of the sales though! Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free if you need it. We’re updating often, so make sure to check back frequently to see what deals we found. Best Prime Day deals on mainstream laptops and Chromebooks Apple 2025 MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $849 ($150 off at Amazon) Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch ?2304×1536 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $993.79 ($406.20 off at Amazon) Asus Vivobook S 14, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor/14-inch 3840×2160 OLED display/24GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,057.99 ($142 off at Amazon) Lenovo IdeaPad 3i Chromebook, Intel Celeron N4500/8GB RAM/64GB SSD, 15.6-inch 1080p display, $192.88 (33% off at Amazon) Lenovo IP5 (Refurbished) Chromebook, Core i3-1215U/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 16-inch 2560×1600 display, $268.99 (49% off at Target) Samsung Galaxy Book5 360, Intel Core Ultra 7 processor/16-inch 1920×1080 AMOLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1049.99 ($300 off at Amazon) HP Envy, Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/64GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,329 ($360 off at Amazon) Acer Chromebook Plus 514, Core i3-N305/8GB RAM/128GB SSD, 14-inch 1080p display, $329.99 (18% off at Amazon) HP 2-in-1 Chromebook, Intel Core i3/8GB RAM/256 UFS, 14-inch 1920×1080 display, $479 (24% off at Best Buy) Best Prime Day deals on gaming laptops MSI Thin 15, Intel Core i5-13420H processor/RTX 4060 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $782 ($67 off at Amazon) Acer Nitro 17, AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor/RTX 4050 graphics/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $979.99 ($220 off at Amazon) Asus ROG Strix G16, Intel Core i9-14900HX processor/RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,359.99 ($340 off at Amazon) Lenovo Legion 16, Intel Core i9-14900HX processor/RTX 4070 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/64GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,999 ($239.74 off at Amazon) Best Prime Day deals on gaming and mainstream desktops Skytech Azure, Ryzen 5 7600X/RTX 5070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,749.99 (17% off on Amazon) MSI Aegis Z2, Ryzen 7 7700/RTX 4060/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,254.33 (10% off on Amazon) Alienware Aurora, Core Ultra 7 265F/RTX 5070 Ti/32GB/1TB SSD, $1,899.99 (17% off on Dell) Dell 24 AiO, Core 5 120U/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p touch display, $849.99 (24% off on Dell) iMac M4, M4/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 5K display, $1,541.88 (9% off on Amazon) Best Prime Day deals on mini PCs Kamrui E3B – AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $224.09 (36% off, was $350) Acemagician Kron K1 – AMD Ryzen 5 7430U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $236.55 (26% off, was $319) Bosgame P4 Light – AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $285 (29% off, was $400) GMKTec M2 Pro – Intel Core i7 1195G7, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $420 (34% off, was $640) Acemagician K1 – AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $249 (38% off, was $399) Peladn WO7, AMD Ryzen 7 7735U, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, quadruple display – $352 (20% off, was $440) Beelink S12 – Intel Alder Lake N100, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 500GB SSD, dual display support – $169 (23% off, was $219) Geekom IT13 – Intel Core i9 13900HK, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, quad display support – $599 (14% off, was $699) Best Prime Day deals on monitors Samsung Odyssey OLED G93SC 49-inch, 5120x1440p, 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $900 (700 off at Amazon) Samsung Odysey OLED G95SC 49-inch, 5120x1440p, 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $891.04 ($909 off at Amazon) Alienware 27-inch 1440p 360Hz OLED gaming monitor — $599.99 ($300 off at Dell) Acer 27-inch 1080p IPS 120Hz monitor — $99.99 ($50 off at Best Buy) Dell 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor — $179.99 ($40 off at Dell) Samsung 34-inch 1440p ultrawide monitor — $219.99 ($110 off at Amazon) MSI 49-inch ultrawide 144Hz OLED gaming monitor — $749.99 ($350 off at Amazon) LG 27-inch, IPS 1440p, 240Hz gaming monitor — $284.05 ($215.94 off at Amazon) Alienware 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $849.99 ($350 off at Dell) MNN 15-inch portable USB-C monitor — $59.97 ($30 off at Amazon) KYY 15.6 1080p portable monitor — $69.98 (46% off at Amazon) Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and USB flash drives Teamgroup T-Force Vulcan Z, 1TB 2.5-inch SATA SSD – $48 (26% off) WD Black SN770M, 2TB Gen 4 SSD (Steam Deck compatible) – $150 (40% off) Samsung T7, 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSD – $120 (40% off) Samsung Bar Plus, 256GB flash drive, USB 3.1 — $22 (45% off, was $40) SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go, 1TB, USB 3.2, both USB-A and USB-C connections — $65 (41% off, was $110) Samsung Fit Plus, 128GB, USB 3.1 — $15 (35% off, was $23) SanDisk Ultra Flair, 512GB, USB 3.0 — $37 (21% off, was $47) Best Prime Day deals on USB-C hubs and Thunderbolt docks StarTech USB4/Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, 98W charging, $248.36 (25% off at Amazon) Ugreen Revodok Max 208 8-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, 85W charging, $159.99 (36% off at Amazon) Microsoft Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, 96W charging, $199.99 (33% off at Amazon) Anker 13-in-1 USB-C Docking Station, 85W charging, $139.99 (30% off at Amazon) Anker 5-in-1 USB-C Docking hub, $18.99 (24% off at Amazon) Ugreen Revodok Pro 6-in-1 USB-C hub, $13.29 (34% off at Amazon) Baseus 9-in-1 Laptop Docking Station USB-C hub, $37.98 (38% off at Amazon) Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, 14-in-1, 140W charging, $339.99 (15% off at Amazon) Plugable 10-in-1 Dual HDMI docking station, $79.95 (38% off at Amazon) Best Prime Day deals on chargers and power banks Baseus Picogo Power Bank, 10,000 mAh/1 xUSB-A/2x USB-C/PD 45W Fast charging technology, $19.75 (51% off on Amazon) Baseus Laptop Power Bank, 20,000 mAh/1x USB-A/3x USB-C, $62.99 (37% off on Amazon) UGREEN Laptop Power Bank, 25,000 mAh/1x USB-A/2x USB-C, $79.98 (38% off on Amazon) Ugreen Nexode charger, 65W power/3x USB-C/ 1x USB-A, $23.99 (44% off on Amazon) Anker Nano II charger, 65W power/2x USB-C/1x USB-A, $25.99 (35% off on Amazon) Blavor Solar Charger Power Bank, 10,000 mAh/2x USB-C/1x USB-A, $22.79 (43% off on Amazon) Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks Staples Cartwright Task Chair, Black – $50 (58% off at Staples) Staples Hyken Mesh Task Chair, Black – $120 (60% off at Staples) HON Crio High Back Task Chair, Black – $207.51 (15% off) Flexispot 48×24 sit-stand desk, Black – $100 (41% off) Huanuo 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Black – $104.98 (34% off) Fezibo 42×24 Adjustable electric standing desk, Rustic brown – $80 (33% off) Comhoma 48×24 Adjustable electric standing desk with monitor stand, White – $189 (30% off) ErGear 48?x24? Adjustable electric standing desk, Black – $99.98 (17% off) Best Prime Day deals on security cameras and video doorbells Aqara Camera Protect Kit Y100, AC-powered, integrated home security hub, 1440p resolution: $99.99 (39% off at Amazon) Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen) 2-pack, AC-powered, 1080p resolution: $59.98 (40% off at Amazon)   Tapo C120 Indoor/Outdoor Wi-Fi Security Cam, AC powered, 2K resolution: $23.73 (41% off at Amazon) Reolink Argus PT Ultra with solar panel, battery-powered, 4K resolution: $97.99 (30% off at Amazon) Roku Indoor Camera (2-pack), AC-powered, 1080p resolution: $29.99 (45% off at Amazon) Tapo C230 Indoor Pan/Tilt Security Camera , AC-powered, 3K resolution: $29.99 (25% off at Amazon) Arlo Essential Security Camera, indoor/outdoor, 2K resolution: $47.99 (53% off at Amazon) Blink Outdoor 4 bundled with Blink Sync Module XR: $89.99 (50% off at Amazon) Blink Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) with Sync Module, battery-powered, 1440 x 1440 resolution $29.99 (57% off at Amazon) Ring Battery Doorbell Plus, wired or battery power, 1536 x 1536 resolution: $79.99 (47% off at Amazon) Other great Prime Day tech deals Amazon brands Kindle Scribe, 16GB — $260 (35% off at Amazon) Kindle Paperwhite, 16GB — $125 (22% off at Amazon) Amazon Kindle Kids, 16GB — $95 (27% off at Amazon) Echo Spot smart speaker — $45 (44% off at Amazon) Amazon Smart Plug — $13 (48% off at Amazon) Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet, 64GB — $140 (39% off at Amazon) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $25 (50% off at Amazon) Amazon Fire HD 10 — $70 (50% off at Amazon) Apple Apple iPad Mini A17 Pro, 256GB — $479 (20% off at Amazon) Apple AirPods 4, no ANC — $89 (31% off at Amazon) Apple AirPods Pro 2 — $149 (40% off at Amazon) Apple Watch Series 10 — $279 (30% off at Amazon) Apple Watch SE 2nd gen — $169 (32% off at Amazon) Samsung Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, 40mm — $160 (47% off at Amazon Samsung Galaxy Ring — $300 (25% off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 — $15.50 (48% off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro AI — $166.24 (34% off at Amazon) SAmsung Pro Plus microSD memory card + adapter, 1TB — $90 (25% off at Amazon Cameras DJI OSmo Action 4 action camera, 4K, 120fps — $209 (30% off at Amazon) Vantrue N5 4 channel dash cam, 360-degree, 2.7K+1080p front rear inside – $265 (34% off at Amazon) 70mai 2.7K dash cam front and rear A500S – $75 (32% off at Amazon) Insta360 X4 action camera, 8K, 135 min battery life, waterproof – $349 (30% off at Amazon) Smart Home Petlibro automatic cat feeder with 1080p cam – $90.09 (44% off at Amazon) SwitchBot S10 robot vacuum and mop – $360 (70% off at Amazon) Eureka J15 Ultra — $490 (30% off at Amazon) Yeedi M12 Pro+ robot vacuum and mop — $380 (53% off at Amazon) Dyson V15 Detect Plus — $570 (24% off at Amazon) Audio & TV Treblab Z2 headphones, ANC, 35H battery – $69.97 (46% off at Amazon) Beats Solo 4 — $97.99 (51% off at Amazon) JBL Clip 5 — $59.95 (25% off at Amazon) Soundcore Boom 2 speaker — $90 (36% off at Amazon) LG OLED Evo AI C3, 65-inch — $1,197 (10% off at Amazon) Roku Ultra 4K streaming device — $69 (31% off at Amazon) Gadgets Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 portable power station — $399 (50% off at Amazon) Segway Ninebot E2 Plus II electric scooter — $400 (33% off at Amazon) Other Prime Day deal roundups These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks Amazon Prime Day deals FAQ 1. Do I need to be a Prime member to get Amazon’s Prime Day deals? Yes, as the name suggests, this this an event dedicated to Amazon Prime subscribers. While there will still be many deals that come with no strings attached, the vast majority will have the Prime stamp. Amazon’s Prime Day is, to an extent, a great way for Amazon to make its Prime subscription service even more enticing. It start with a 30-day free trial and continues with a $14.99 per month or $139 per year fee. Subscribers don’t just get access to amazing deals and faster shipping, but also access to Prime Video, Grubhub+, Amazon Music and Amazon Photos, and more. 2. When does Prime Day 2025 start and end? For the first time ever, this year’s Prime Day event will last for four days. It will kick off on July 8 at midnight PDT and will run until midnight on July 11. That’s a total of 96 hours of deals! 3. How can I tell whether a Prime Day deal is worth it? If you need to figure this out for yourself, the best way to figure out whether a deal is worth getting is to check the price history. There are several sites that help with that, including Camel Camel Camel or Keepa. But if you want to be certain something’s a good deal and a product worth buying, you’re better off with getting recommendations from our experts, so make sure to check back here at PCWorld. We’re tracking all the best Prime Day PC tech deals, category by category. Read...

The final day of Amazon’s annual Prime Day extravaganza is here, with the deals drawing to a close at midnight Pacific. This is your last chance to score deep discounts! One thing we’re really loving about tech this year is the explosion of mini PCs. We’re seeing a lot more of them and they’re super affordable, rather powerful, and absolutely tiny. Some come with the latest AMD CPU, others run on Intel, some feature DDR4, others come with the newer DDR5. Storage is usually not a problem with mini PCs, either, and multitasking on multiple screens is expected. I’ve gone ahead and hunted all the best mini PC deals you can currently get your hands on right now. Here are the best Prime Day mini PC discounts I found, along with my recommendations. There’s also an FAQ at the end in case you need more guidance when buying these. You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of these deals — here’s how to score a free Amazon Prime trial subscription and get in on the action. AMD Ryzen mini PCs Bosgame P4 Light – AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $284.99 (29% off, was $400) Acemagician AMR5 – AMD Ryzen 7 5875U, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $299 (40% off, was $499) Beelink SER5 MAX – AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, 24GB DDR5 RAM, 500GB SSD, triple display support – $299 (25% off, was $399) Kamrui E3B – AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $271.94 (37% off, was $430) Acemagician Matrix M1 – AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $278.09 (30% off, was $399) Peladn WO7, AMD Ryzen 7 7735U, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, quadruple display – $352 (20% off, was $440) Beelink SER5 Max, AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $349.90 (22% off, was $449) Minisforum AI X1 Pro – AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370, 96GB DDR5 RAM, 2TB SSD, AMD Radeon 890M, quad display support – $1,063.99 (24% off, was $1,400) My favorite of the bunch is the Acemagician Matrix M1 for $278.10. That’s an impeccable price for a fantastic device. Running on a Ryzen 7, with 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB SSD, this is a great daily driver. It even supports three 4K displays, thus allowing you to multitask to your heart’s desire. Even though it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card, it does feature the RAdeon 680M GPU, which is more than enough for some light gaming. The Bosgame P4 is a close second, especially since it delivers a full TB of storage space for $285. Intel mini PCs Kamrui GK3 Plus – Intel Alder Lake N95, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $131.98 (37% off, was $210) Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 – Intel Core i5 14400T, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB SSD, dual display support – $605.61 (15% off, was $712.49) HP Pro Mini 400 G9 – Intel Core i5 12500T, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, dual display support – $599 (21% off, was $759) GMKTec M2 Pro – Intel Core i7 1195G7, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $420 (34% off, was $640) Geekom IT13 – Intel Core i9 13900HK, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, quad display support – $599 (14% off, was $699) My favorite deal on this list is for the GMKtec M2 Pro which is down to $420 from its $640 MSRP. Running on a speedy i7 processor and with 32GB RAM, as well as a 1TB SSD, this device gives you loads of power to complete any of your tasks. Did I mention it supports three displays? That’s amazing! If you’re aiming to use four screens, you should go for the Geekom IT13 for $599 – you’ll pay a little extra, but you’ll have a ton more space to spread all the apps you need. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks FAQ 1. What to consider when buying a mini PC? There are multiple things to consider when getting a mini PC, starting with your performance needs. Once you figure out what you’re going to use the PC for, you can make the right choice for you in terms of CPU, memory, and storage. Whether or not it comes with an operating system should also be on your checklist because you may not want to worry about installing a fresh copy of Windows, for instance. 2. Can a mini PC replace a desktop? Yes, mini PCs can absolutely replace desktops for many users, especially if you’re mainly going to use it for office work, browsing, and media streaming. Some higher performance models can even handle video editing or gaming, but their price tag reflects that. 3. What is the downside to a mini PC? One of the main downsides to most mini PCs is that they don’t come with a dediated graphics card, so their usability for gaming is limited. Also, most mini PCs are geared towards general use, so tasks like video editing may not work as well. Understanding component limitations can help you pick the right system for your needs. 4. Do mini PCs support multiple monitors? Yes, most mini PCs support at last two monitors, which is more than we can say about numerous laptops on the market. Many models support three or four monitors, thus enabling you efficiently multitask, spreading your apps across multiple screens. Most often than not, you can connect the displays via HDMI, DisplayPort, but also via USB-C. 5. What can you upgrade on a mini PC? Most mini PCs are easy to upgrade. The RAM and SSD are usually extremely easy to swap out and each model will come with specific requirements, as in the specific type of SSD it can support, maximum storage capacity and maximum supported RAM. Many models come with a magnetic cover that you need to pop open to access both RAM and SSD, while others require a tiny screwdriver to take out the case. Either way, it’s a fairly painless process. Read...

Amazon’s Prime Day sale, and the various accompanying sales all over the web, are great. But a deal is only a deal if you actually need it and you can afford it. So a $900 OLED monitor might be tempting, but somewhat less so if you have to worry about inconsequential things like food and rent. So here are the best ones I’ve found under fifty dollarydoos. The best Staples budget desk chair: $50 Staples An office chair, or at least one that’s comfortable to use for more than a few minutes, can be a surprisingly pricey item. At $120, the basic Staples model was already pretty affordable, but at $49.99 on the Staples website with free delivery, it’s unbeatable. And it’s got a 4.4-star rating, too. If you’re looking for a slightly more deluxe option, the phenomenal Staples Hyken beloved by Redditors and PCWorld staffers alike is also on a deep discount, 60 percent off. Get a Staples office chair for $50View Deal A tiny, portable laptop desk: $50 Dekhaoxe I love my 6-foot-wide “battlestation” in my office, but it doesn’t really work if I want to use my laptop on my couch or my bed. In that case, this light, maneuverable little desk on wheels is a perfect alternative. The best part is that it’s height-adjustable, making it ideal for a variety of users and furniture. Get a laptop desk on wheels for $50View Deal A dual-monitor USB-C laptop dock: $38 Baseus Modern laptops are amazingly powerful and versatile, but they tend to be a little light on ports. You can fix that on the cheap with this Baseus extender. Plug it into your USB-C port and you’ll get tons of extras, including two 4K HDMI ports for monitors, SD and MicroSD card slots, three more USB ports, and wired Ethernet. Oh, and it’ll charge your laptop at up to 85 watts. Get a laptop USB-C dock with dual 4K monitor support, $38View Deal A portable laptop USB-C extender: $19 Anker Okay, but what if you’re more of a digital nomad, and you don’t need to connect to multiple displays all the time? This Anker dongle extender is a perfect companion for your laptop bag. One USB-C port gives you access to two extra 5-gigabit USB-A ports, plus keeping access to 100 watts of charging and USB-C data, with an HDMI port to boot. Get a portable USB-C laptop dongle, $19View Deal A tough solar-powered USB battery and flashlight: $23 Blavor This little gadget has something of an identity crisis. In addition to being a 10,000mAh USB-C battery, it’s also a MagSafe wireless phone charger and a flashlight. Oh, and it can recharge itself via a built-in solar panel. And since it looks like a great camping companion, it might also function as a blunt weapon to fight off bears and mountain lions. And since it’s tough enough to resist shocks, dust, and water, that might actually work! (That’s a joke. Don’t use a battery to fight bears.) Get a tough solar-powered 10K charger and flashlight, $23View Deal A super-handy USB-C phone battery extender: $20 Anker A full USB battery bank is great for extended jaunts, but not exactly pocket-friendly. I love this little Anker design with a fold-out charging port. It’s just big enough to give my phone a full 5000mAh recharge, and small enough to keep plugged in while I’m using it. You can even recharge the thing without any extra cables. This makes a great stocking-stuffer, so buy half a dozen and you can be sure you’ll give all of them away — I certainly have. Get a tiny Anker USB-C phone charger, $20View Deal A big 9-device wall charger: $36 Anker Laptop, phone, watch, headphones, other headphones, battery, portable gaming gadget…good grief, we’ve got a lot of stuff to charge these days. This Anker charging station can get it all juiced up, no matter what plug it needs, with 100 watts of power and standard wall outlets, USB-A, and USB-C ports aplenty. It’s a great addition to a guest room, too. Get a 9-device 100-watt charger, $36View Deal A slim 6-device wall charger: $38 Anker And if the big chunk of wattage above won’t fit, this slim one will. This smaller charger is great for slapping next to a bed or a couch to meet all your device charging needs — it’s perfect for giving a boost to all those battery-hungry game controllers, for example. It’s sleek, but still has room for two wall outlets, two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports. Get a slim multi-device charger, $38View Deal A cheap, USB-C and USB-A 256GB flash drive: $23 SanDisk No matter how ever-connected we get to the web, sometimes you just can’t beat the good old flash drive. This one’s crazy flexible thanks to USB-C and USB-A ports that slide out when you need them, and stay hidden and protected when you don’t. Throw it in a bag and you’ll be the savior of the meeting when the Wi-Fi goes down. Get a 256GB USB-C/USB-A flash drive, $23View Deal A squishy keyboard and car cleaner: $9 ColorCoral Don’t look now, but your keyboard is filthy. So is the dashboard of your car, or the little bits in the crevices of your furniture. This goopy stuff is what the pros use to clean all that, getting into the nooks and crannies that are so hard to dust. This deal is two tubs of the stuff for under ten bucks! Get a laptop USB-C dock with dual 4K monitor support, $38View Deal Other Amazon Prime Day deals For all the best Prime Day deals from Amazon and across the web, you can check out the rest of PCWorld’s coverage. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks Read...

Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 sales event is in full swing and there are tons of great deals on desktop PCs available — though they’ll turn into a pumpkin at midnight Pacific on Friday. This year’s event includes solid discounts on everything from gaming PCs to all-in-ones to traditional mainstream desktop computers. You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of Amazon’s steep discounts. If you aren’t a member already, check out our guide for how to get Amazon Prime for free. I’ve been tracking and writing about the best computer deals year-round for a long time now, and at PCWorld I’ve used this knowledge to curate a list of the best available computer deals across the internet specifically for this Prime Day. Other retailers have jumped in on the Prime Day action, and some of the best desktop PC deals can even be found outside of Amazon, so I’ve included those deals too. Best Prime Day deals on gaming desktop computers LXZ Gaming PC, Ryzen 7 8700F/RX 7650 GRE/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $879.99 (20% off on Amazon) Alienware Aurora, Core Ultra 7 265F/RTX 5070 Ti/32GB/1TB SSD, $1,899.99 (17% off on Dell) Alienware Aurora, Core Ultra 9 285K/RTX 5080/64GB RAM/2TB SSD, $2,674.99 (21% off on Dell) Alienware Area-51, Core Ultra 9 285K/RTX 5090/32GB RAM/2TB SSD, $4,699.99 (15% off on Dell) Skytech Azure, Ryzen 5 7600X/RTX 5070/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,749.99 (17% off on Amazon) MSI Aegis ZS2, Ryzen 7 7700/RTX 5070/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,699.99 (15% off on BestBuy) Ningmei Gaming PC, Ryzen 7 5700X/RTX 4060/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $899.99 (21% off on Walmart) My top picks: For those on a budget, the LXZ Gaming PC is the deal to get right now. Don’t let the unusual AMD RX 7650 GRE graphics card throw you, it might not be a common model in the U.S., but it’s every bit as capable (and slightly more) than an equivalent RTX 4060. Plus, you get 32GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage—nearly unheard of at this price. Dell is running fantastic deals on their Alienware line of gaming PCs, but one of the best is the Alienware Aurora for $400 off on its website. Rocking a Core Ultra 7 265F and RTX 5070 Ti, this is a killer value for a strong midrange build with a latest-gen GPU. Alternatively, if you want something even more powerful than the other Alienware Aurora model for $725 is the cheapest you’re going to get for a gaming desktop with these higher-end components—a Core Ultra 9 285K and RTX 5080 plus an epic 64GB of RAM are a steal at this price. Best Prime Day deals on mini-PCs Acemagician Matrix M1, AMD Ryzen 7 6800H/16GB DDR5 RAM/512GB SSD/triple display support, $308.99 (23% off on Amazon) Bosgame P4 Light, AMD Ryzen 7 5700U/32GB DDR4 RAM/1TB SSD/triple display support, $284.99 (29% off on Amazon) Beelink SER5 MAX, AMD Ryzen 7 6800U/24GB DDR5 RAM/500GB SSD/triple display support, $299.00 (25% off on Amazon) Kamrui E3B, AMD Ryzen 7 5700U/32GB DDR4 RAM/512GB SSD/triple display support, $319.93 (26% off on Amazon) AtomMan G7, Ryzen 9 7945HX/RX 7600M/32GB RAM/1TB SSD/triple display support, $1,055.90 (20% off on Amazon) Kamrui GK3 Plus – Intel Alder Lake N95, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB SSD, triple display support – $148.99 (29% off on Amazon) GMKTec M2 Pro – Intel Core i7 1195G7, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD, triple display support – $419.99 (34% off on Amazon) The best of the bunch is the Acemagician Matrix M1 for $91 off on Amazon. Running a Ryzen 7 6800H, with 16GB DDR5 RAM, and 512GB SSD, this is a great daily driver at an impeccable price. It even supports three 4K displays allowing you to multitask to your heart’s content. The Bosgame P4 for $114 off on Amazon is another great deal, especially since it delivers a full TB of storage space at this price point. Note: If you’re looking for even more great deals on mini-PCs be sure to check out our full roundup spotlighting the very best Prime Day mini-PC deals. Best Prime Day deals on all-in-one & mainstream computers All-in-one desktop computers combine a PC’s hardware with a modern display to make a desktop computer that has both form and function. Since everything is built together, you can save precious desktop space with an all-in-one. They make capable work computers and they can also be excellent home computers with the wide range of features appealing to the whole family. Dell 24 AiO, Core 5 120U/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p touch display, $849.99 (24% off on Dell) HP OmniStudio X AiO, Core Ultra 5 226V/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/31.5-inch 4K display, $1,229.99 (25% off on HP) HP AiO 24, Core Ultra 5 125U/8GB RAM/512GB RAM/24-inch 1080p display, $629.99 (32% off on HP) Dell 24 AiO, Core i5-1334U/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 1080p display, $699.99 (18% off on Dell) iMac M4, M4/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/24-inch 5K display, $1,541.88 (9% off on Amazon) My top picks: Dell’s reliable 24 AiO is $200 off on its website right now. The always dependable all-in-one comes loaded with the latest-gen Core 5 120U and a handy 1080p touch display. Alternatively, the new HP OmniStudio X AiO model for $420 off on HP’s website is a step up from the Dell if you prefer spending a tad more for more power. The latest all-in-one from HP comes with a dazzling 31.5-inch 4K display and a Core Ultra 5 processor for even more oomph. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks FAQ 1. What type of desktop computer should I get? You’ll see a ton of options when searching for a desktop computer, but they all mainly fit into four main categories: gaming PCs, mainstream PCs (towers or mini PCs), and all-in-ones (AiO). Which you should end up buying is entirely dependent upon what your needs are and what you want to do with your computer. If you’re looking for something that will work in a home office or family room, then a mainstream PC or AiO with a solid CPU and a decent amount of RAM and storage is probably the way to go. If gaming is your main concern, a gaming desktop PC can offer a lot more bang for your buck than a laptop and you should prioritize getting the best GPU possible. 2. How much processing power will I need in a desktop computer? If you’re after CPU power, look for processors with higher numerical labels. Intel processors are available in the newer Core Ultra 3, 5, 7, or 9, and the older Core i3, i5, i7, and i9. AMD processors are available in the Ryzen 5000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 versions. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the more powerful the CPU for both manufacturers. If you don’t need a ton of power, Intel Core Ultra 5 or Core i5 processors are your best bet, as they offer good performance at a decent price. You can get along just fine with a Core Ultra 3 or Core i3 for basic office and web browsing. A Core Ultra 7 or Core i7 is more suited to gaming and more intense work than everyday tasks. Also, if gaming is your concern, you may want to consider opting for the older Core i-processors as the newer Core Ultra processors are optimized for AI performance rather than gaming. As for AMD options, the Ryzen 5000 chips rival Intel’s Core i5 as solid all-arounders. If you need more power, the Ryzen 7000 or 8000 chips are well suited for content creation like video editing. Finally, if you’re dealing with 4K video or want peak gaming performance, spring for a Ryzen 9000. 3. What GPU should I get for a desktop computer? If you don’t intend to do any gaming on your computer, then feel free to save some money by going with integrated graphics. However, if you are looking to get your game on, then we recommend at least an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 or RTX 5060 as these are the least expensive discrete graphics cards that can handle 1080p gaming on High graphics settings in most games. For 1440p gaming you’ll typically want to aim for an RTX 4070/5070, and for 4K gaming you’ll need to shell out for at least an RTX 4080/5080 or upgrade to the RTX 4090/5090 Thankfully, the latest-gen GPUs have dropped significantly in price in pre-built systems so opt for those if you have the money and want a performance boost. But if you’re on a tight budget, then opting for a rig with a previous-generation card can allow you to save some money while still providing decent graphics quality. 4. How much memory do I need in a desktop computer? As for RAM, nowadays I think it’s best to shoot for 16GB at the minimum for all systems. If you’re on a budget or just need a basic browsing machine then 8GB may suffice but you’ll likely notice a performance drop if you tend to have multiple applications or browser tabs open. Those looking to do heavy content creation such as video editing should aim for at least 32GB or go for 64GB for 4K editing. 5. What is a good amount of storage for a desktop computer? Storage size is dependent upon your personal needs, but it is generally a good idea to opt for an SSD over a standard HDD as they are much faster and don’t significantly affect the price of a desktop. Before deciding, it’s best to consider what your intended use of the computer will be. Are you just storing documents or doing web browsing? Then something like 512GB will be plenty. If you want to load up a lot of large files such as games or content creation projects, then you’ll need at least 1TB to 2TB of storage. However, just remember that even if your computer doesn’t have enough storage built-in you can always upgrade your SSD or go with an external drive to increase your available storage options. 6. Will tariffs affect desktop computer prices? Yes, it’s likely that any tariffs on foreign imported computer materials or products is going to lead to an increase in prices for the consumer. As the U.S. still heavily relies on China and other Asian countries for the production of desktops and computer hardware, a tariff on imports from these countries will mean someone has to pay more. Companies typically don’t want, or can’t afford, to eat these increased costs so they shift the burden to consumers. At this point it’s still hard to tell how much prices will increase; just because a 20 percent tariff is imposed doesn’t mean computers will become that much more expensive. Every company will adjust prices differently and products with many individual components—such as computers—will vary due to the tariff effects on each component. That being said, a recent independent Consumer Technology Association study concluded that desktops may see price increases of up to 24% or an average of $287 per computer if the latest round of tariffs hold. 7. Is now a good time to buy a desktop computer? While the prospect of tariff-induce price increases may seem daunting to consumers, I believe the timing on this Prime Day may actually make for a great time to buy a new desktop if you time it right. Currently, tariffs have been paused until July 9 with many countries scrambling to make deals exempting technology products. This means that you might have a small window to get in and snag a good deal on a desktop PC during Prime Day before any additional tariffs take effect. Read...

Many users are concerned about what happens to their data when using cloud-based AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Deepseek. While some subscriptions claim to prevent the provider from using personal data entered into the chatbot, who knows if those terms really stand. You also need a stable and fast internet connection to use cloud AI. But if there’s no internet connection, what then? Well, there’s always an alternative. One solution is to run AI applications locally. However, this requires the computer or laptop to have the right amount of processing power. There’s also an increasing number of standard applications that rely on AI now. But if a laptop’s hardware is optimized for the use of AI, you can work faster and more effectively with AI applications. Further reading: ‘Vibe coding’ your own apps with AI is easy! 7 tools and tricks to get started Working with local AI applications makes sense Running AI applications locally not only reduces dependency on external platforms, but it also creates a reliable basis for data protection, data sovereignty, and reliability. Especially in small companies with sensitive customer information or in private households with personal data, the local use of AI increases trust. Local AI remains usable even if internet services are disrupted or the cloud provider has technical problems. The reaction speed improves significantly as computing processes are not slowed down by latency times. This enables the use of AI models in real-time scenarios such as image recognition, text generation or voice control without delay. What’s more, you can learn how to use AI completely free of charge. In many cases, the necessary software is available completely free of charge as an open source solution. Learn how to use AI with the tools and benefit from the use of AI-supported research in your private life too. Why the NPU makes the difference Without a specialized NPU, even modern notebooks quickly reach their limits in AI applications. Language models and image processing require enormous computing power that overwhelms conventional hardware. This results in long loading times, sluggish processes and greatly reduced battery life. This is precisely where the advantage of an integrated NPU comes into play. IDG The NPU handles the computationally intensive parts of AI processing independently and does not rely on the CPU or GPU. As a result, the system remains responsive overall, even if an AI service is running in the background or AI image processing is in progress. At the same time, the operating temperature remains low, fans remain quiet and the device runs stably, even in continuous operation. For local AI applications, the NPU is therefore not an add-on, but a basic requirement for smooth and usable performance. NPUs significantly accelerate AI locally once again As specialized AI accelerators, NPUs enable computationally intensive models to be operated efficiently on standard end devices. This reduces energy consumption compared to purely CPU- or GPU-based approaches and makes local AI interesting in the first place. An NPU is a special chip for accelerating tasks where conventional processors work inefficiently. NPU stands for “Neural Processing Unit.” Such networks are used in language models, image recognition, or AI assistants. In contrast to a CPU, which flexibly executes various programs, an NPU concentrates on calculations that are constantly performed in the field of AI. This allows it to work significantly faster and more economically. An NPU takes on precisely those tasks where a CPU reaches its limits. AI applications calculate with a large number of numbers at the same time, often in the form of matrices. These are tables of numbers with rows and columns. In AI, they help to structure and calculate large amounts of data. Texts, images or language are converted into numbers and represented as matrices. This enables an AI model to carry out computing processes efficiently. NPUs are designed to process many such matrices simultaneously. The CPU processes such arithmetic patterns one after the other, which costs time and energy. An NPU, on the other hand, was specially built to carry out many such operations in parallel. Intel For users, this means that the NPU processes AI tasks such as voice input, object recognition, or automatic text generation faster and more efficiently. Meanwhile, the CPU remains free for other tasks such as the operating system, internet browser, or office applications. This ensures a smooth user experience without delays or high power consumption. Modern devices such as notebooks with Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite already integrate their own NPUs. Apple has also been using similar technology in its chips for years (Apple Silicon M1 to M4). AI-supported applications run locally and react quickly without transferring data to cloud servers. The NPU ensures smooth operation for image processing, text recognition, transcription, voice input or personalized suggestions. At the same time, it reduces the utilization of the system and saves battery power. It is therefore worthwhile opting for laptops with an NPU chip, especially if you are working with AI solutions. These do not have to be special AI chatbots. More and more local applications and games are using AI, even Windows 11 itself. YouTube Open source brings AI locally to your computer: Ollama and Open Web UI Open source solutions such as Ollama allow you to run LLMs on a notebook with an NPU chip free of charge. LLM stands for “Large Language Model”. LLMs form the heart of AI applications. They enable computers to understand natural language and react to it in a meaningful way. Anyone using an AI to write texts, summarize emails, or answer questions is interacting with an LLM. The AI models help with formulating, explaining, translating, or correcting. Search engines, language assistants, and intelligent text editors also use LLMs in the background. The decisive factor here is not only the performance of the model, but also where it runs. If you operate an LLM locally, you can connect local AI applications to this local model. This means you are no longer dependent on the internet. Ollama enables the operation of numerous LLMs, including free ones. These include DeepSeek-R1, Qwen 3, LLama 3.3, and many others. You simply install Ollama on your PC or laptop with Windows, Linux, and macOS. Once installed, you can operate Ollama via the command line in Windows or the terminal in macOS and Linux. Ollama provides the framework through which you can install various LLMs on your PC or notebook. To work with Ollama in the same way as you are used to with AI applications such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Microsoft Copilot, you also need a web front end. Here you can rely on the OpenWeb UI solution, which is also free of charge. This is also available as a free, open-source tool. What other local AI tools are available? As an alternative to Ollama with Open Web UI, you can also use the more limited tool GPT4All. Another option in this area is Jan.ai, which provides access to well-known LLMs such as DeepSeek-R1, Claude 3.7, or GPT 4 from OpenAI. To do this, install Jan.ai, start the program, and select the desired LLM. Thomas Joos Please note, however, that model downloads can quickly reach 20 GB or more. Additionally, it only makes sense to use them if your computer’s hardware is optimized for AI, ideally with an existing NPU. Read...

One of the easiest ways to enhance your PC experience is to get a better monitor. It doesn’t require any upgrades for your desktop or laptop, and it shines up the primary way you interact with almost everything: the visuals. Prime Day is upon us again, and from July 8th-11th, there are plenty of deals to be found on the best and most affordable displays. (Here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free so you can get in on the deep, deep discounts.) With U.S. tariffs affecting prices, to say nothing of general consumer trends, it might not be the smorgasbord of discounts we saw in previous years. But there are still savings to be had, on OLED monitors, gaming monitors, and standard office designs — and I’ve hunted down the best monitor deals in the list below. Even though it’s Prime Day, some of the best discounts can be found elsewhere on the web, so I’ve included those in the list as well. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on OLED monitors Samsung Odyssey OLED G93SC 49-inch, 5120×1440, 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $899.99 ($700 off at Amazon) LG UltraGear OLED 34-inch 1440p 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $714.99 ($585 off at Amazon) ASRock 27-inch 1440p 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $479.99 ($166 off at Newegg) Alienware 27-inch 1440p 360Hz OLED gaming monitor — $619.99 ($280 off at Dell) Alienware 34-inch ultrawide 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $679.99 ($120 off at Amazon) Alienware 32-inch 4K 240Hz OLED gaming monitor — $849.99 ($350 off at Dell) MSI 49-inch ultrawide 144Hz OLED gaming monitor — $749.99 ($350 off at Amazon) OLED monitors are the cream of the crop for gamers, thanks to incredible color vibrance and contrast, even if they’re not the absolute fastest on the market right now. For my money, MSI has the best deal at the moment…but then I’m an ultrawide fanboy and I love that gigantic 49-inch format. If you’re looking for an OLED upgrade at the lowest price, ASRock is leading the pack with a rare 27-inch pick under the $500 mark. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on gaming monitors KTC 24-inch 1080p 165Hz gaming monitor — $93.99 ($46 off at Newegg) Asus 25-inch 1080p 180Hz gaming monitor — $109.00 ($50 off at Amazon) ASRock 27-inch 1080p 240Hz gaming monitor — $104.77 ($85 off at Newegg) LG 27-inch 1440p 144Hz gaming monitor — $180.49 ($119.50 off at Amazon) Alienware 34-inch ultrawide 1440p 180Hz gaming monitor — $309.99 ($90 off at Dell) Gigabyte 28-inch IPS 4K 144Hz gaming monitor — $329.99 ($270 off at Newegg) LG 27-inch, IPS 1440p, 240Hz gaming monitor — $284.05 ($215.94 off at Amazon) For more affordable options for gamers, ASRock once again delivers with a 27-inch, 1080p display at just a hair over a hundred bucks. But I’d say that Gigabyte is giving the best bang for your buck with its 28-inch 4K option. Not only is it using an IPS panel for greater color accuracy, it’s packing a USB-C port for flexible video. It’s a great, affordable centerpiece to a setup that works for both, well, work and gaming. Prime Day 2025 deals on office monitors Acer 27-inch 1080p IPS 120Hz monitor — $99.99 ($50 off at Best Buy) Samsung 27-inch 1080p IPS monitor — $99.99 ($50 off at Amazon) Dell 27-inch 1440p IPS monitor — $179.99 ($40 off at Amazon) LG 27-inch 4K IPS monitor — $229.99 ($150 off at Amazon) Asus 32-inch 4K IPS monitor — $209.99 ($90 off at Amazon) Samsung 34-inch 1440p ultrawide monitor — $219.99 ($110 off at Amazon) MNN 15-inch portable USB-C monitor — $59.97 ($30 off at Amazon) I can personally recommend Dell’s 27-inch, 1440p IPS monitors, because I’ve been using them for years on either side of my ultrawide center display. It’s a perfect way to expand your desk space, but unless you need some gaming-grade speed, it works great as a primary display too. For laptop users, there’s no easier way to expand your mobile capabilities than with a USB monitor (especially since they now include power and video). And there are a bunch of affordable options now, too. Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks FAQ 1. What size of monitor should I buy? Monitor size depends on personal preference and location.  A 24-inch monitor is fine for a desk that is around 24 inches deep, or less. Its small size will still be sufficient because the monitor is closer to you. Most people, however, will want to go with a 27-inch monitor. The added size will make the monitor easy to see. This also opens up a wider range of 4K monitor options, as 4K is very rare on a 24-inch monitor. Larger monitors, such as a 32-inch widescreen or 34-inch ultrawide, are great for deep desks and people who want an immersive experience. Monitors this large can serve as a TV replacement in a small room.  Displays of even larger size, such as 42-inch or 48-inch HDTVs, are best for home theater setups or an unusually large office. You’ll want to sit four to six feet away from a display of this size. 2. What display input is best? (HDMI vs. DisplayPort vs. USB-C) USB-C is the best display input for most people. It works by bundling DisplayPort into USB-C, so offers all the same features as DisplayPort. Yet it retains the features of USB-C including optional support for Power Delivery to charge external devices. This is why we recommend a USB-C monitor for most people. DisplayPort is generally second-best. It supports higher resolutions and refresh rates than HDMI. This input is particularly common on desktop computers.  HDMI comes in third due to lower resolution and refresh rate support. This is improved by HDMI 2.1, but this feature remains hard to find and often adds to a monitor’s price. All three of the options above handle 1080p at 60Hz, which is the most common resolution and refresh rate available today. It’s also important to buy a monitor that has an input compatible with your PC. 3. Are all monitors compatible with Windows and MacOS? Modern monitors are compatible with all recent versions of Windows and MacOS. They’re plug-and-play, which means the monitor should display an image without the need to install driver software or mess with Windows or MacOS settings. 4. Are tariffs affecting monitor prices? Yes. Deals for monitors around this sale aren’t as good as they were during Amazon’s last big sale in October, particularly for the largest, most expensive models. That said, we have managed to avoid the complete shutdown of imported stock that seemed likely during the most tumultuous back-and-forth tariff negotiations…so that’s something. Prices are unlikely to improve later in the year, so if you find a delectable deal on a monitor you’re interested in, Prime Day may be one of your best bets of the year. Especially if you buy on day one of the event — President Trump says additional reciprocal tariffs will return on July 9, the second day of Prime Week, and could plunge prices into chaos. Read...

Amazon Prime Day 2025 is officially live, and if you’ve been eyeballing those juicy laptop deals, now’s the time to commit and jump in. But this year, Amazon’s switching things up. Prime Day is now a four day event (July 8th to July 11th), which gives you more time to snag the best discounts. Just remember, you’ll need a Prime membership to access the deals. Here’s how to get it for free. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with a curated list of the best laptop deals on Prime Day. Why should you care about what I’ve got to say? Fair question. I oversee all laptop and Chromebook review coverage at PCWorld. I also maintain our best laptop deals roundup daily, along with our best laptops of 2025 roundup weekly. That means I’m hunting for the best laptop discounts online every single day, so I’m pretty well-attuned to the landscape, while my hands-on knowledge helps me unearth the true gems. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on budget laptops Lenovo IdeaPad 1, Intel Celeron processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/12GB RAM/128GB eMMC + 256GB PCIe), $284.05 ($74.95 off at Amazon) Asus VivoBook Go, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $329.99 ($100 off at Amazon) Dell Inspiron 15 3535, AMD Ryzen 5 7520U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $399.99 ($50 off at Amazon) Our top pick: With 8GB of RAM, a comfortable 1080p display, and a spacious 512GB of storage, the Dell Inspiron 15 3535 really hits the sweet spot at this price point (under $500). If you want a laptop that remains peppy after weeks of use, then this is the one to pick. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on mid-range laptops Samsung Galaxy Book4 (AI), Snapdragon X Plus processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $599.99 ($300 off at Amazon) Dell Inspiron 5441, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $694.99 ($105 off at Amazon) Dell Inspiron 16 Plus, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $816 ($133.99 off at Amazon) Apple 2025 MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $849 ($150 off at Amazon) Asus Vivobook 14 Flip, Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor/14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $869.99 ($130 off at Amazon) Our top pick: The Dell Inspiron 16 Plus is a great pick because you’re getting a high resolution 16-inch display (2560×1600), a good amount of RAM (16GB) and storage (1TB), and a powerful Intel Core?i7-13620H processor–all for under $800. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on premium laptops Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Elite processor/13.8-inch ?2304×1536 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $989.99 ($410 off at Amazon) Apple MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,049 ($150 off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy Book5 360, Intel Core Ultra 7 processor/16-inch 1920×1080 AMOLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,049.99 ($300 off at Amazon) Asus Vivobook S 14, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor/14-inch 3840×2160 OLED display/24GB RAM/512GB SSD, $1,057.99 ($142 off at Amazon) Asus ZenBook 15 Pro OLED, Intel Core i7-13620H processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,099.99 ($100 off at Amazon) HP Envy, Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/64GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,399 ($290 off at Amazon) Our top pick: Just a little over a grand for the Asus Vivobook S 14? That’s an excellent price for a laptop with the latest AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and a super crisp 14-inch 3840×2160 display. You’re also getting 24GB of RAM, which is more than most laptops get at this price point. Best Prime Day 2025 deals on gaming laptops Acer Nitro V, Intel Core i5-13420H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $649.99 ($150 off at Amazon) Acer Nitro 17, AMD Ryzen 5 8645HS processor/RTX 4050 graphics/17.3-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $979.99 ($220 off at Amazon) Asus ROG Strix G16, Intel Core i9-14900HX processor/RTX 4060 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,359.99 ($340 off at Amazon) Lenovo Legion 16, Intel Core i9-14900HX processor/RTX 4070 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/64GB RAM/2TB SSD, $1,999 ($239.74 off at Amazon) Our top pick: The Asus ROG Strix G16 really stands out. Not only does the RTX 4060 graphics card deliver excellent gaming performance, but you’re also getting 16GB of RAM (ideal for running modern games) and 1TB of SSD storage for large installs. The 16-inch 2560×1600 display also gives you slightly more vertical space than your standard 1080p panel.  Other great Prime Day deals These aren’t the only Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found. Best Amazon Prime Day tech deals: Great sales chosen by experts Best Prime Day PC computer deals: Gaming & mainstream desktops Best Prime Day laptop deals: Gaming notebooks, 2-in-1s, and more Best Prime Day deals on SSDs and storage Best USB flash drive deals for Prime Day 2025 Best monitor deals for Prime Day 2025: OLED, home office, and more Best Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs Best Prime Day mini PC deals: Big savings on tiny computers Best Prime Day deals on battery chargers and power banks Best Prime Day 2025 deals on Chromebooks Best Prime Day deals on office chairs and standing desks FAQ 1. What kind of laptop should I get? Well, it depends on your needs and lifestyle. A 2-in-1, for example, is a good fit for someone who travels often. You can swing the screen back 360 degrees and use it in tablet mode for taking notes or you can prop it up like a tent for watching movies with friends. If gaming is a top priority, then you’ll want to look into a laptop with powerful graphics hardware and a display with a high refresh rate. For those of us who need a basic laptop for general web browsing, a low-powered Windows laptop should do you just fine. 2. How can I tell whether a laptop is a good Prime Day deal? I always use CamelCamelCamel, a free tool that tracks Amazon price history. Just create an account, enter a product’s ASIN (found in its Amazon URL and starts with the letter B), and you’ll see a graph of its price history over time. It’s an easy way to spot the good stuff and to also know if you’re getting the lowest price. 3. Do laptop brands matter? Not really, as long as you stick to well-known brands. Big manufacturers like Acer and Dell make solid machines and often offer steep discounts on their websites. You might have a personal preference, though, like maybe you’ve historically stuck with HP machines. 4. How much memory do I need in a laptop? I always tell my friends and family to aim for at least 8GB of RAM. Anything less, and you’ll likely notice things starting to slow down. If you can go higher than 8GB, even better. The more RAM you have, the snappier your laptop will feel, especially for everyday tasks like web browsing or working in spreadsheets. For more demanding work, 16GB is a solid choice for productivity and gaming, while 32GB and beyond is ideal for video editing and other intensive tasks. 5. Is now a good time to buy a laptop? Will tariffs affect laptop prices? Yes! Prime Day tends to offer some of the lowest laptop prices of the year, especially on budget and mid-range models. Prices on premium and gaming laptops are all over the place, but Prime Day is one of those rare times where you’ll see good discounts across every category.  As for external factors like tariffs, there are currently no major new tariffs affecting laptops in the U.S., but this can change fast depending on trade decisions. Manufacturers hike the prices up later in the year, especially if supply chain issues pop up again, so if you’re thinking about pulling the trigger on a new laptop, now’s a good time to do it. Read...