Good Old Games (GOG.com) has launched what it calls the GOG Preservation Program, allowing you to keep playing “up to date” PC games even when the developers have stopped supporting them. GOG has placed 100 games in the program, including hits like the original Diablo and the Hellfire expansion, the first three Resident Evil games, Wing Commander III, Ultima VII, the original Fallout, and many more. They’re labeled as “Good Old Games” on GOG’s store page. GOG is attempting to solve what will inevitably become a growing problem: As more and more games are lost to history, developers and the PC industry move on. Code incompatibilities prevent older games from being used with the latest operating systems, and the small, niche market of fans face the specter of those games fading away entirely. GOG’s Preservation Program won’t add new features, but the company is trying to ensure the games at least run. “The GOG Preservation Program ensures classic games remain playable on modern systems, even after their developers stopped supporting them,” the company said Wednesday. “By maintaining these iconic titles, GOG helps you protect and relive the memories that shaped you, DRM-free and with dedicated tech support.” GOG’s Preservation Program basically formalizes efforts the company has been making for several years. For example, the page for Wing Commander III notes that the company “fixed an issue” with the German-language version as far back as 2016. It added cloud saves in 2019, and verified that the game would work with Windows 10 and Windows 11 as of today, November 13. GOG also adjusted the DOSBox emulator configuration to ensure that the game would run at enhanced performance on modern systems. It made similar changes to SimCity 2000, another game in the program. Other games that have been ported to the PC, such as Resident Evil, appear to have more detailed tweaks to ensure that the original console experience is preserved on the PC. GOG isn’t saying if its preservation efforts will stop here, or if it will continue supporting more and more games in the future. Even so, committing to the games we grew up with and loved is worth applause. Read...

As Black Friday draws closer, we’re seeing more and more stunning discounts for cool tech, and that includes this gaming-capable Acemagician AMR5 mini PC for just $289 on Amazon. That’s a big drop from its original $499 price tag. (The only catch here is that this price is for Prime members, but if you don’t have Prime, you can still snag this deal by signing up for a free 30-day Prime trial.) This tiny PC features a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor that’s coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, so you’ll have no issue running demanding apps and games. And if you want more power, you can later pop up the magnetic side cover and upgrade to 64GB of RAM. The Acemagician AMR5 also comes with a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, which should be enough speed and space for most of your files, apps, and games. If not, you can use the same accessible magnetic cover to add a second drive. Each drive can be up to 2TB, for a total of 4TB. And if you’re going to be using this mini PC as a workflow powerhouse, you can optimize your productivity with three 4K@60Hz displays, one through HDMI 2.0, one through full-feature USB-C, and one through DisplayPort. Other ports include four USB-A 3.0, full-size Gigabit Ethernet, and an audio in/out jack. Simply put, this thing is a beast. You can’t find a laptop or desktop PC with specs like this anywhere near this price. Act fast and grab this Acemagician AMR5 mini PC for just $289 while you can! Score this powerful gaming mini PC for 42% offBuy now on Amazon Read...

The future is coming, and that means making sure you’re well-versed in AI usage for when it matters. And while there are all kinds of AI tools now, the most prominent one remains AI chatbots like ChatGPT. When I take a step back and look at my own AI chatbot use, that’s what I’m predominantly doing with it: educating myself. Sure, I’m learning new skills and finding answers to questions when my kids stump me, but ultimately what I’m doing when I play around with the likes of ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro is learning how to use AI, period. And now that these AI chatbots have come out with premium subscription plans with even more advanced features, I wouldn’t blame you if you’re confused about why they have paid plans, what the benefits are, and whether they’re worth paying for. Like it or not, AI is the future The latest AI chatbots are impressive feats of engineering and software development that build on decades of work in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks. But it’s still a bit of frontier. Many are still figuring out what they can do and how best to use them, and many others still dismiss AI as a passing fad to ignore. While I don’t think we’ve yet reached the point where everyone needs to know how to use AI for day-to-day stuff, it feels like that time is fast approaching. Being able to work with AI is going to be a necessary skill, akin to general computer use and not being an ass to your colleagues. But can you get by on the free versions of ChatGPT, Copilot, and the rest? Or should you pony up for a premium plan? Well, that depends! Free AI chatbots are good enough for most If you haven’t found yourself dabbling with AI yet, whether at work or at home, and you don’t feel much pressure from colleagues or friends or family to do so, then you’re probably fine just using the free versions if and when you get around to it. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence — they all offer free access with adequate capabilities, able to do all the basics you’d need to get your feet wet with generative AI chatbots. They can answer questions, generate draft text, create images from scratch, and ultimately help you familiarize yourself with using them. And over time, it’s possible — even expected — that advanced features that are currently premium-only will eventually be made free. Things like custom GPTs and Advanced Voice will become commonplace while other, newer features are introduced to paid subscribers. One major component of these AI chatbots is that you can communicate with them using natural language, so once you get the hang of how to give them the information they need to give you the response you want, it doesn’t matter whether you’re typing it or saying it. You don’t really need Advanced Voice — it just feels cooler and more futuristic. Of course, not all premium AI chatbot features are merely for aesthetics, convenience, or early access. There are some real reasons to pay up. Keep reading for aspects you might think are worth paying for. Related: Practical use cases for ChatGPT When are premium AI chatbots worth it? One interesting thing about AI chatbots like ChatGPT is that they can support different GPT models and even run custom GPT models. In essence, you can switch out the “brain” for another one, changing how it interprets your input to give you different output. Consistent access to the latest and greatest GPT models is worth paying for if you end up using AI chatbots a lot. The free versions are great for getting your feet wet, but they tend to run on older GPT models; as a premium subscriber, you can basically pay for better results — and in this case, better means more accurate, more reliable, and more useful due to improvements made to the underlying language model. For example, the latest GPT model offers much better coding capabilities compared to earlier ones, so it’s going to be more helpful if you’re trying to learn how to code with the aid of an AI chatbot. Similarly, an older GPT model might have outdated information or lack access to the latest developments, which could lead to wrong or misleading answers. If accuracy and guidance are important to you, then you might seriously want to consider paying for the latest GPT models. Moreover, some AI chatbots even let you create custom GPT models that are specifically tailored towards certain needs and tasks. For example, one custom GPT might be designed to teach the rules to board games, whereas another custom GPT might be configured to talk and behave like a condescending pirate. (You know, for funsies.) Access to custom GPTs is usually limited to paid subscribers, though. I might need a custom GPT to pretend to be the MU-TH-UR computer system from Alien, but do you? And if so, are you willing to pay for it?Jon Martindale / IDG Personally, I’m more of a stan for ChatGPT Plus, but there’s no denying that it isn’t as good as Copilot Pro when it comes to app integration, particularly with Microsoft 365 apps. If you’re a big Word, Excel, or Outlook user, you should really look into Copilot Pro’s capabilities and weigh whether you’d benefit from from it. Related: ChatGPT Plus vs. Copilot Pro, compared AI integration within specific apps won’t always be the way it is right now, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’ll continue to improve, expand, and take over. You’ll be able to benefit from this shift sooner and over the long run if you take steps now to learn AI and become well-versed so you can more easily adopt newer advancements in the future. Another thing is that whether you’re using ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, or any other AI chatbot, premium plans typically remove (or at least increase) limits and grant priority access during peak usage times. That means you have assurance that you can use the tools of your choice whenever you want and that it’ll be consistent every time. On the other hand, if you stick with the free versions of these AI chatbots, you could get bumped for a premium user when the service is congested, or you might only be able to request a handful of prompts per day that aren’t enough to finish the task(s) you’re working on. Premium AI chatbots can be worth paying for, but only for some I don’t want to be “that guy” who says things like: “It’s only $20! You spend more on that on X, Y, Z…” Because I know that $20 is a lot, and who wants to shell out so much cash every month? Spending that much on an AI chatbot might be unjustifiable for you, especially if all you’re doing is having a bit of fun and familiarizing yourself with it. On the other hand, if you have money to burn, you could think about these novel premium features as “entertainment” and justify it as the cost of having fun with cutting-edge tech. But if there’s one group for whom premium AI chatbots are seriously worth it, it’s people who can make money with it. If you’re a creative, ChatGPT can help you brainstorm, write, edit, and think outside the box. If you’re an office worker, Copilot can drastically boost your productivity so you get more done in less time. If you’re a tech influencer, first-hand experience with AI is how you get the knowledge and expertise to do what you do. If you’re a job seeker, these AI chatbots can help you perfect your résumés and land better roles that pay more. In all of these cases, you’re likely going to cross whatever limits exist in their respective free plans, and you’re likely going to benefit from their advanced features that let you do more. For me, premium AI chatbot access pays for itself and then some, so it’s a no-brainer; if you can pay $20 per month and earn more out the other side, then that’s a sound investment. Plus, you can cancel as soon as you don’t need it. For now, premium AI chatbots don’t offer enough revolutionary features to be worthwhile for everyone. That’s on the developers, who still need to figure out what sorts of transformative features are needed to reach broader mainstream appeal. Until then, the free tier will likely remain more than good enough for most. Related: The truth of how people actually use AI chatbots Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Plenty of video inputs  Good SDR brightness  Excellent contrast ratio  Solid color gamut and accuracy  Cons Stand requires use of screws  No USB connectivity  Modest HDR brightness  Our Verdict The Gigabyte G34WQCP is an excellent budget ultrawide monitor that earns high marks in SDR brightness, contrast, and color performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Gigabyte G34WQCP Retailer Price $349.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Almost a year has passed since PCWorld reviewed the Gigabyte GS34WQC, a budget ultrawide monitor that earned our Editors’ Choice award. Now, Gigabyte is updating that model with the new Gigabyte G34WQCP. It’s similar to its predecessor but increases the maximum refresh rate from 144Hz to 180Hz.   Gigabyte G34WQCP specs and features  The Gigabyte G34WQCP’s basic specifications are similar to other budget ultrawide monitors. It’s a 34-inch, 21:9 aspect ratio display with a resolution of 3440×1440. The monitor also uses a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, which is the more common choice in this category, though some competitors use an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel. The monitor supports Adaptive Sync through AMD FreeSync and also supports HDR.  Display size: 34-inch 21:9 widescreen  Native resolution: 3440×1440 Panel type: VA  Refresh rate: Up to 180Hz  Adaptive sync: AMD Freesync Premium   HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified  Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x 3.5mm headphone  VESA mount: 100x100mm  Speakers: 2x 2-watt speakers  Price: $349.99 MSRP  However, the G34WQCP makes two notable changes compared to the previous Gigabyte G34WQC. As mentioned, the refresh rate has been increased from a maximum of 144Hz to 180Hz. In addition, the monitor now has two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, while the previous model had just one.  Further reading: See our roundup of the best gaming monitors to learn about competing products. Gigabyte G34WQCP design   The Gigabyte G34WQCP’s design is basic. From the front, the display panel is framed by thin black bezels on three sides, with a small chin at the bottom featuring a centered Gigabyte logo. Gigabyte uses matte black plastic for the stand, while the rear of the display panel combines that with some semi-gloss accents.   While the G34WQCP isn’t much to look at, it’s well-built. The monitor’s plastic panels didn’t warp when I handled the monitor, and I didn’t hear creaks or groans while I set it up. That’s not a high bar to clear, but budget monitors don’t always hurdle it.  Matthew Smith / Foundry The monitor’s display panel is curved with a radius of 1500R (a lower number means a more aggressive curve). This is a moderate, readily noticeable curve, but not so aggressive that it becomes distracting outside of games. With that said, people who work with digital art, photography, and video may not like the curve, as it slightly warps the appearance of images and videos on the display (lines that are straight may not appear so, for example).   Despite its affordable price, the G34WQCP includes an ergonomic stand with a good range of height and tilt adjustment, though it doesn’t swivel. I found the stand easy to adjust, as it required little force to move, yet stayed firmly in place once positioned. Setting up the stand is finicky, though, as the stand doesn’t clip into place but instead uses screws. It’s a minor annoyance, but it makes setup slightly more complicated. The display also supports a 100x100mm VESA mount for use with third-party monitor stands and arms.  Gigabyte has an edge over other monitors in this price bracket. Gigabyte G34WQCP connectivity and menus   The Gigabyte G34WQCP provides two HDMI 2.0 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, for a total of four video inputs—one more than is typical for a budget ultrawide monitor. That’s one more port than the older Gigabyte GS34WQC, which had one DisplayPort input.  However, the new G34WQCP doesn’t  support its maximum refresh rate over HDMI; only the DisplayPort connections can achieve the full 3440×1440 resolution at 180Hz. That’s not a major problem, as the HDMI 2.0 ports are likely to be used with game consoles that can’t achieve 180Hz. Still, it’s worth knowing if you plan to connect a PC over HDMI.  USB connectivity is also absent. There is no USB-C input and no USB downstream ports for connecting wired peripherals. This is typical for a budget ultrawide monitor, but it’s a minor disappointment, as it makes the monitor less useful if your gaming den doubles as your home office.  Matthew Smith / Foundry The monitor’s on-screen menus are controlled with a joystick located on the rear right side of the display panel. The joystick is responsive, and Gigabyte’s menus are easy to navigate, thanks to well-labeled options. The range of options is extensive and includes adjustments for color temperature and gamma.  Is Gigabyte Control Center supported?  The monitor also comes with a pair of 2-watt speakers that provide basic audio. They aren’t loud and lack low-end depth, so they’re not good for games, movies, or music. Most people will prefer to use external headphones or speakers. Still, the built-in speakers are an acceptable option for watching a YouTube video or listening to a podcast.  Gigabyte G34WQCP SDR image quality  SDR image quality is, of course, very important for the Gigabyte G34WQCP. While the monitor does support HDR, most PC games still only support SDR, and most Windows applications are also limited to SDR. Fortunately for Gigabyte, the G34WQCP is a strong performer in SDR content.   Matthew Smith / Foundry Starting with brightness, the Gigabyte G34WQCP delivered an impressive maximum SDR brightness of 485 nits. This is much higher than necessary for most situations, but it’s a perk if you plan to use the monitor in a brightly lit room or near sunlit windows.  It’s also worth noting that curved display panels have a tendency to focus light sources behind the viewer, which can make the display less comfortable to view. The G34WQCP’s high brightness helps balance out that problem.   Matthew Smith / Foundry Contrast is a real highlight, as the monitor achieved an impressive contrast ratio of 4720:1. That’s an excellent result for a display that lacks a Mini-LED dynamic backlight or an OLED panel.   The G34WQCP’s image is immersive and provides convincing shadow detail in dark areas under most viewing conditions. The G34WQCP’s edge-lit backlight means it will still display slightly elevated black levels in the darkest scenes, but contrast otherwise looks fantastic.  Gigabyte has an edge over other monitors in this price bracket. IPS monitors like the RCA Premium Gaming Monitor and Asus ROG Strix XG27QCS have a far lower contrast ratio, which can make their images appear slightly flat and washed out. Other VA panel monitors, like the Xiaomi G34WQi, come close to the G34WQCP, but Gigabyte’s result is the best we’ve seen from a VA panel this year.  Matthew Smith / Foundry The G34WQCP’s color gamut is solid but doesn’t provide any advantage over the competition. It achieves 95 percent of DCI-P3 and 86 percent of Adobe RGB—figures that translate to a bright, vibrant image that looks saturated and lively.   However, as the graph shows, the monitor’s performance is in line with similarly priced monitors.   Matthew Smith / Foundry The same can be said for color accuracy. The G34WQCP’s accuracy is good enough that any errors are generally unnoticeable in typical use. However, even budget monitors now tend to ship with strong color accuracy out of the box, so this is no longer a defining characteristic.   The monitor produced a gamma curve of 2.3, slightly off our target of 2.2, which means content appears a bit darker than it should. Color temperature came in at 7000K, noticeably higher than the 6500K target, giving the image a cooler tone. The monitor does offer gamma and color temperature settings, so it’s possible to adjust these results, but the out-of-box image could use some improvement in these areas.  With a resolution of 3440×1440 spread across a 34-inch ultrawide panel, the monitor has a pixel density of about 109 pixels per inch, which is identical to a 27-inch widescreen monitor with a resolution of 2560×1440. This level of sharpness is enough to look crisp in games, movies, and photography. It usually appears sharp on the Windows desktop and in apps, but small fonts can start to reveal slight pixelation around the edges of characters. However, shoppers don’t have much choice when it comes to sharpness—aside from a few high-end 5K displays, nearly all 34-inch ultrawides deliver 3440×1440 resolution.  Overall, the Gigabyte G34WQCP delivers a bright, high-contrast image with strong color performance and acceptable sharpness. The monitor’s only notable flaws are its color temperature and gamma results, which are slightly off-target, but these can be adjusted in the settings. The G34WQCP’s image quality is impressive for the price; to see a significant improvement, you’d need to consider an OLED panel or a high-end Mini-LED monitor, both of which typically cost closer to $1,000.  Gigabyte G34WQCP HDR image quality  While the Gigabyte G34WQCP proved itself in SDR, the monitor’s HDR performance was unremarkable.  I measured a maximum sustained brightness of 372 nits. That level of HDR brightness is typical for a budget monitor but, unfortunately, nowhere near what’s required to do HDR justice. Most HDR content targets a luminance of at least 1,000 nits, so HDR viewed on the G34WQCP will look dimmer than intended and lack detail in bright areas of a scene.   The monitor also lacks some practical features, like an HDR brightness override. That means the brightness of HDR is entirely controlled by the content displayed. That’s fine if you’re viewing in a dark room, but can become an issue in brighter rooms.  In brief, the G34WQCP isn’t a good HDR monitor. Shoppers who want better HDR on a tight budget should consider cut-rate Mini-LED displays, like the Innocn 27M2V or Xiaomi G Pro 27i. These have their own drawbacks but, when it comes to HDR, they’re far more capable.   Gigabyte G34WQCP motion performance  Refresh rate is among the Gigabyte G34WQCP’s highlights, as the refresh rate has increased from a maximum of 144Hz to 180Hz. That looks like a big improvement on paper but, in reality, I’m not sure I can notice the difference. I think a refresh rate bump to about 240Hz is required before most people will find it noticeable.   With that said, though, motion clarity is good given the monitor’s size and price. The monitor displays small objects with good detail and motion feels extremely slick at high refresh rates. This level of motion clarity is table stakes for a modern gaming monitor, but it’s still leagues better than an old-fashioned 60Hz IPS or VA panel monitor.  The G34WQCP, like other VA panel monitors, tends to suffer “dark smear,” which results in more noticeable blur behind darker objects than bright objects. The problem is definitely visible, and it’s the reason why competitive gamers often prefer IPS and TN panels. With that said, though, the problem didn’t distract from my enjoyment of the monitor.  Adaptive Sync is available with official support for AMD FreeSync Premium, but G-Sync also functioned when I connected a Nvidia-powered laptop to the G34WQCP. This is typical, as FreeSync and G-Sync have a lot in common. Frame pacing was smooth and I didn’t notice any flickering or display drop-outs, though the same can be said of nearly all monitors I review.  Should you buy the Gigabyte G34WQCP? The Gigabyte G34WQCP picks up where last year’s GS34WQC left off. While the two monitors are similar, the new G34WQCP delivers better image quality thanks to its higher brightness and slightly improved contrast. The G34WQCP also kicks up the refresh rate to 180Hz and adds a second DisplayPort.   These additions slightly increase the price from $329.99 to $349.99, and that throws a wrinkle into this review. The prior GS34WQC is available for as little as $279.99, and while the new G34WQCP is better, the older model is an alluring alternative if you’re on a tight budget. The Gigabyte also faces stiff competition from the recently released Xiaomi G34WQi, which performs similarly to the G34WQCP but is less expensive at $269.99.   That makes the G34WQCP more difficult to recommend than its predecessor. With that said, though, it remains a good budget ultrawide with top-notch SDR image quality for the price. Read...

Alteryx has unveiled its Fall 2024 update, enhancing hybrid analytics capabilities and introducing features like Magic Reports to boost user experience. Read...

It’s easier than ever to keep your desk tidy when you use a compact charging station — like this awesome Baseus model that’s on sale for $20 right now, a solid $30 off its original price. The Baseus 65W USB-C wall charger currently has a 40 percent on-page digital coupon and an additional 20 percent slashed off with the 7DUZIEDB coupon code, which you can either redeem on the product page or copy/paste at checkout. This tiny GaN charging station features two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, as well as a 5-foot extension cord that’s able to reach the nearest outlet no matter where you put it. From there, it’s up to you to plug in your various devices — laptop, phone, earbuds, tablet, camera, etc. — to get them recharged in a jiffy as needed. With a maximum output of 65W, your devices will refresh in no time. It’s fast enough to get an iPad Pro 11 from zero to a hundred in just two hours. (Of course, when multiple devices are plugged in, the charging rate will have to be split between them. That said, the charging station will smartly decide which ones to fast-charge.) Snatch this early Black Friday deal and get yourself a Baseus 4-port USB-C charging station for just $20 on Amazon! Save 60% on this fast 4-device USB-C charging stationBuy now on Amazon Read...

Nvidia has been trying all year to get its users onto the beta version of the Nvidia App, its new omnibus app for drivers, settings, and promos. This move might finally do it, though: the Nvidia App is now out of beta and ready to retire its predecessor. While GeForce Experience will still work if you have it installed, it’s no longer being bundled with Nvidia’s frequent GPU updates, and it probably won’t be long before the program is put out to pasture. If you haven’t tried it, the all-in-one Nvidia App is pretty good. It combines features from GeForce Experience and the seldom-used Nvidia Control Panel into a unified interface, including driver updates, system-wide and per-game graphics settings, monitor and video tweaks, and Nvidia’s promotional goodies (like some free in-game currency and goodies for Throne and Liberty). It doesn’t do everything, though. More advanced tools, like GeForce Now game streaming and Nvidia Broadcast, are linked and open in separate windows. And there are still a few small tools that aren’t in the UI yet, as Nvidia admits in its announcement post, like Nvidia Surround that can span virtual spaces across multiple monitors for playing games on two or three displays at once. Like GeForce Experience before it, the Nvidia App isn’t strictly necessary, and you can install drivers for your GeForce GPU using a separate, standalone process on both laptops and desktops. And Nvidia also gives you the option of running the App and downloading drivers without logging into an account, which is something I appreciate. Gotta keep that taskbar notification area lean! Further reading: Important Nvidia App tweaks for GeForce gamers Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Enjoyable keyboard Lots of wired, wireless connectivity Well-rounded CPU and integrated GPU performance Lengthy battery life Cons Boring design  Touchpad could be bigger IPS display can’t match OLED competition Multi-core CPU performance can lag competitors Our Verdict The Acer Swift 14 AI isn’t exciting, but it packs well-rounded performance, good battery life, and a nice buffet of connectivity at a reasonable price. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Acer Swift 14 gets a slight rebrand for the fall of 2024—it’s now the Acer Swift 14 AI. Like its predecessor, the new model is a thin-and-light Windows laptop that tries to deliver good performance at a mid-range price. Though it suffers a few flaws, like a mediocre display, it delivers on that promise.  Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Acer Swift 14 AI: Specs and features The star of the Swift 14 AI’s spec sheet is undoubtedly Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V, which is part of Intel’s new Core Series 2 lineup. It sits high in the product stacks and, in this incarnation, comes paired with 32GB of LPDDR5x. Model number: SF14-51T-75AF CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics NPU: Intel AI Boost (47 TOPs) Display: 14-inch 16:10 1,920 x 1,200 IPS touchscreen Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 solid state storage Webcam: 1440p 30fps camera with physical privacy shutter and IR camera for Windows Hello login Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x HDMI-out, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Fingerprint reader, facial recognition  Battery capacity: 63 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.3 x 8.71 x 0.63 inches Weight: 2.95 pounds MSRP: $1,299.99 MSRP  However, a few other specifications leap out. The laptop has an IPS touchscreen instead of an OLED display. Though obviously helpful for touch input, this decision hints that display quality will be a weakness. As an apology, the laptop packs a ton of future-proof connectivity including two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports and Wi-Fi 7.  The Acer Swift 14 AI is a competent laptop that makes good use of Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V to deliver strong performance and battery life at a mid-range price. Acer Swift 14 AI: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith Acer’s Swift laptops tend to strike an unassuming profile on a desk, and the Swift 14 AI is no exception. When closed, the laptop is marked only by a small holographic Acer logo and an odd symbol in the upper-left corner, which appears to be part of Acer’s new AI branding. Otherwise, the Acer Swift 14 AI could easily be mistaken for any number of mid-range Windows laptops released in the past few years. What the laptop lacks in flair, it makes up for in rigidity. Opening the laptop causes minimal flex in the display lid, and the lower chassis feels solid when picked up from a corner. This laptop doesn’t have a unibody design, and some flex can be found if you press firmly in the center of the keyboard. However, the same is true of many competing Windows laptops. The Swift 14 AI is rather thin and light, as it measures roughly 0.6 inches thick and weighs just under 3 pounds. While neither number is record-setting, the Acer Swift 14 AI feels noticeably lighter than competitors like the Dell Inspiron 14 and HP Omnibook Ultra 14. The Asus Zenbook S 14 has Acer beat, however; the Asus is under 0.5 inches thick and weighs less than 2.5 pounds. Acer Swift 14 AI: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith The Acer Swift 14 AI’s keyboard, like the rest of the laptop’s design, doesn’t make much of an impression. It has a conventional layout with color-coordinated, island-style keys. As is usually true of laptops that take this approach, the color of the keys doesn’t precisely match the surrounding laptop, which cheapens the look. But when it comes time to bang out an e-mail (or novel), the keyboard proves up to the task. Key travel is acceptable, and each key activates with a definitive snap. It’s not a leader, but it does the job. Keyboard backlighting is standard, as well, which is typical at this price point. The touchpad is less impressive. Though responsive, it only measures about five inches wide and three inches deep. That’s (at best) mediocre for a laptop in 2024, and the smaller touchpad’s modest size is noticeable when the Swift 14 AI is compared to alternatives like the Asus Zenbook S 14 or Apple’s MacBooks.  Acer Swift 14 AI: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Display quality is a weakness of the Acer Swift 14 AI. It has a 14-inch screen with a modest resolution of 1920 x 1200, using an IPS panel instead of a newer, more impressive OLED or mini-LED option. The absence of these higher-end technologies is somewhat surprising, as Acer often includes them in other models, and it’s not great news for image quality. The display looks fine in productivity apps like Word and Excel. However, when it comes to gaming or watching movies, the lack of contrast and color vibrancy is noticeable compared to an OLED display. Acer doesn’t market this laptop as an entertainment machine, but shoppers should be aware that if you want the best visual experience for games or movies, this might not be the right choice. On the plus side, the display is a touchscreen, which can be handy if you’d rather not use the touchpad. The display hinge also rotates 180 degrees, allowing the screen to lie flat on a surface. Together, these features make the laptop easier to use in cramped spaces or in unusual positions, like when reclined on a couch or crammed into an airplane’s economy class. The Acer’s modest display performance is echoed in its audio quality. The built-in speakers sound clear at lower volumes but become muddied and harsh as the volume increases. They’re adequate for listening to a podcast or attending a video call, but they’re not ideal for music, movies, or games. Acer Swift 14 AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The Acer Swift 14 AI has a decent webcam with a maximum resolution of 1440p (though, by default, the camera app still records at 1080p). The image is sharp for a webcam but can’t avoid classic webcam issues, like difficulty dealing with low-light situations that can lead to a grainy or over-exposed look. Still, it’s perfectly fine for Zoom calls. The same can be said of the microphone array, which picks up clear audio at acceptable volume. Acer ships the Swift 14 AI with a software utility to control features like portrait blur and microphone noise cancellation. It feels a bit redundant, though, since Windows already provides controls for these features. A physical privacy shutter is included to block the webcam when it’s not in use. The laptop has both a fingerprint reader and an IR camera and allows biometric login via Windows Hello with either (or both). That’s notable. While many laptops have one or the other, it’s less common to see both. Personally, I prefer Windows Hello facial recognition, but the fingerprint reader can be the better choice if you like to keep the webcam’s privacy shutter active.  Acer Swift 14 AI: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith Acer provides a good range of connectivity with the Swift 14 AI. It includes two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, both of which support DisplayPort video output and power delivery for charging the laptop. These are joined by two USB-A ports, an HDMI output, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. This selection makes it easy to connect both modern USB-C devices and older USB-A peripherals. The only physical port that’s missing is Ethernet, but this is typical for most thin and light competitors. Wireless connectivity is also solid, as the laptop supports both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4—the latest versions of each standard. While most routers and wireless devices have yet to adopt these standards (which limits their immediate impact), they help future-proof the laptop’s wireless connectivity. Acer Swift 14 AI: Performance This review covers the Acer Swift 14 AI with Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. However, Acer also sells the Swift 14 AI with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. They’re not identical:  the Qualcomm-powered model has a better 1600p 120Hz touchscreen and larger battery, though half as much RAM. Still, they look extremely similar and sell at a similar price (the Intel model has an MSRP of $1,299.99, while the Qualcomm model is $1,199.99).  IDG / Matthew Smith There is just one wrench in the works: Qualcomm’s hardware doesn’t play nice with every benchmark in our test suite, and PCMark 10 is among them. Personally, I’ve found that Qualcomm’s app support—both in terms of new native apps, and those that run through emulation—is excellent. But gaps remain, and the uncertainty that brings can be off-putting. Placing that aside, the Acer Swift 14 AI with Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V had a good showing. It beat many recently tested laptops with an overall score of 7,173. HP’s OmniBook Ultra 14, an especially strong performer with AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, is the only comparable system that leaves the Swift 14 AI in the dust. IDG / Matthew Smith Cinebench R23 is a heavily multithreaded, short duration CPU benchmark, and it seems to deliver a clear result. AMD rules, and Intel drools. Well…to be fair, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 is an especially strong incarnation of AMD’s new chips, and the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 is about $350 more than the Ace Swift 14 AI. Still, it’s a bit surprising to see the AMD-powered machine leap so far head.  Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite brings up the rear, but it also runs under emulation in this test. In Cinebench 2024, which has an Arm-native version more friendly to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon X Elite is generally at least as quick as Intel’s Core Ultra Series 2 silicon.  IDG / Matthew Smith Handbrake is a longer duration, heavily multithreaded CPU benchmark that involves a real-world transcode of a feature film.  Here, the Acer Swift 14 AI avoids the thermal throttling situation that holds back laptops like the Asus Zenbook S 14 (which, remember, is about a half-inch thick, and has less space to accommodate its cooling system). But the Acer again falls way behind the AMD-powered HP OmniBook Ultra 14. IDG / Matthew Smith The Acer Swift 14 AI has Intel’s Arc 140V graphics. Though it promised gains over the prior incarnation of Intel Arc, the results we’ve recorded so far have told a mixed story: the Intel Zenbook S 14 did post big gains, but the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition did not. Fortunately for Intel, the Acer Swift 14 AI leans towards the “big gains” side of the story. It delivered an impressive 3Dmark Fire Strike result of 4,446, then went on to an even stronger score of 36,591 in 3Dmark’s Night Raid benchmark. The Swift 14 AI defeats all similarly tested laptop, and sometimes by a wide margin. And here’s something else to consider: the Acer Swift 14 AI’s result of 4,446 in Fire Strike defeats the Lenovo Slim 7 Pro X with RTX 3050 that we reviewed in August of 2022. IGP performance is clearly on the rise and can now compete with entry-level discrete GPUs sold a couple years ago.    Overall, the Acer Swift 14 AI with Intel Core Ultra 258V is a well-rounded performer. Multicore performance is its weakest point, and it ends up falling behind competitors in heavily multithreaded CPU tests. However, the Core Ultra 258V packs a rather good integrated GPU and is helped along by 32GB of speedy memory. This leads the laptop to score well in 3DMark and PCMark 10. Acer Swift 14 AI: Battery life The Acer Swift 14 AI ships with a 63 watt-hour battery. That’s reasonably large but not unusual in the category; the Acer Zenbook S 14, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, and HP OmniBook Ultra 14 all have larger batteries.  IDG / Matthew Smith Despite that, the Acer Swift 14 AI proved itself an able travel companion. It provided almost 19 hours of battery life in our standard battery test, which loops a 4K file of the short film Tears of Steel.  That’s as good or better than competitors like the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Aura Edition. The Asus Zenbook S 14 is the only comparable laptop that lasts much longer, as it tops 20 hours of endurance. Acer Swift 14 AI: Conclusion The Acer Swift 14 AI is a competent laptop that makes good use of Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V to deliver strong performance and battery life at a mid-range price. It’s not the most attractive laptop, and shoppers who care about entertainment (whether that’s streaming Netflix or playing Fortnite) will be turned off by the mediocre display. Still, the Swift 14 AI is a good choice for home office work, travel, and less demanding content creation workflows. Read...

The titans of the PC industry slugged things out in 2024, jockeying for dominance in the new AI era blossoming before our eyes. It was most evident in laptops: Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips kicked off Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC era with long life and surprisingly competitive performance, only to be rivaled by Intel’s Macbook-killing Lunar Lake chips months later. AMD, meanwhile, focused on bringing high-octane speed to Copilot+ PCs, zigging for oomph while the others zagged to endurance. With competition flourishing, PCWorld expects to review over 120 laptops by the end of the year, by far a new high water mark! But laptops weren’t the only category laser-focused on innovation and performance. This year, cutting-edge monitors became the norm, Thunderbolt docks and SSDs embraced newer, faster standards, Intel and AMD launched overhauled desktop CPUs, gaming handhelds got truly competitive, and the software that runs on all that hardware kept getting better and better, too. You love to see it. With such a gluttony of choice, it became harder than ever for PC hardware and software to impress us. Few products earned our rare Editors’ Choice award. And only the very best of the best grace this list. Without further ado, this is the Best PC Hardware and Software of 2024, as chosen by PCWorld’s editors. Congratulations to the winners – with a field this crowded, they’ve definitely earned it. Best laptop: Dell Inspiron 14 Plus Dell Inspiron 14 Plus Read our review The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is one of the most well-rounded laptops we’ve ever tested here at PCWorld. You’re getting strong performance, phenomenal battery life (17 hours on a single charge!), and a vibrant 14-inch 1400p display to boot. It hits nearly every mark and is clearly the best laptop for most people. The aesthetics are a little bland, sure, but the hardware capabilities and marathon battery life more than make up for it – and a laptop that fits in with the crowd isn’t a bad thing. -Ashley Biancuzzo Best desktop CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry It’s been a dour year for CPUs – AMD’s initial Ryzen 9000 lineup offered minimal performance uplift and suffered from (since-fixed) Windows-related performance woes, while Intel’s radical new Core Ultra chips wound up being slower than their predecessors in gaming. But things ended with a bang courtesy of AMD’s jaw-dropping Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Thanks to a second-generation V-Cache that eliminated the caveats required by earlier X3D models – the 9800X3D isn’t a drawback for productivity now! — AMD’s new gaming champion brought the heat against Intel. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D obliterates Intel’s flagship Core Ultra 9 285K by 25 to 30 percent on average, with the whupping hitting an almost unbelieveable 45 percent in Cyberpunk 2077. Madness! I can’t remember the last time I witnessed a hardware beat down this relentlessly violent. If you want the single best gaming chip you can buy, the Ryzen 9 9800X3D is it – by a whole hell of a lot. -Brad Chacos Best password manager: Dashlane Dashlane Read our review Best Prices Today: $4.99 at Dashlane As data breaches increase in number and severity, password managers have become ever more important. A good one makes staying on top of your online security easy—quickly creating strong passwords, alerting when one’s been compromised, and updating compromised or weak credentials. Of the options out there, Dashlane’s consistency and continual feature updates have helped keep it as a long-standing favorite among our staff. Its paid Premium plan includes passkey support, passwordless login, dark web monitoring, VPN access, and even real-time phishing protection. The latter two features are a proactive stance against other dangers to your password health—a welcome touch if your online habits would benefit from extra privacy and online protection, but you haven’t yet looked into a dedicated VPN or antivirus subscription. – Alaina Yee Best monitor: Dell Ultrasharp U2724DE Dell Ultrasharp U2724D Read our review We knew this monitor was special when our veteran monitor reviewer, Matt Smith, described it as “arguably the most versatile monitor ever sold.” Say more! The Dell Ultrasharp U2724DE has what it takes to meet a user’s every display need, whether it’s as the command center of a busy workday, the canvas for content creation, or the means of losing yourself in a movie or game. The IPS Black panel gives the 27-inch screen incredible contrast, while a 120Hz refresh rate makes for great motion clarity. Add to that the oodles of ports, an attractive and functional design, and a reasonable price, and Dell’s stunner is definitely this year’s best monitor! – Katherine Stevenson Best desktop GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super Nvidia It was a slow year for graphics cards, but the GPUs we did get were welcome ones. Nvidia’s RTX 40-series Super refresh, announced at CES, righted the missteps made in the original 40-series lineup, lowering prices and beefing up specs where it made sense. The best of the bunch was Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 Super, which offers a super-sized performance boost over its vanilla namesake thanks to 20 percent more CUDA, ray tracing, and DLSS tensor cores, all at the same $599 price point as the original. Yes please! On top of best-in-class ray tracing performance, Nvidia’s also best-in-class software features (such as DLSS 3.5 ray reconstruction, dual AV1 encoders, and Nvidia Reflex, a must-have in competitive shooters) make the RTX 4070 Super shine bright in the most competitive segment of the graphics card market. What, that’s not good enough for you? The Nvidia RTX 4080 Super also earned an Editors’ Choice award for its all-around excellence, buoyed by a $200 price cut versus the original 4080. -Brad Chacos Best Chromebook: Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus Read our review From the versatile 2-in-1 design to the stunning touchscreen, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus has a lot to offer. The Chromebook Plus models have really raised the bar in terms of hardware capabilities and the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus pushes the pedal to the metal even further. Not only is day-to-day performance zippy, but the build feels strong in both tent and tablet modes. The 360-degree hinge is especially unyielding, which is exactly what we like to see. The original $499 MSRP price is a little high for a Chromebook, sure, but the overall fit, finish, and firepower make it worth the extra cash. – Ashley Biancuzzo Best SSD: Crucial T705 Crucial T705 NVMe SSD Read our review Best Prices Today: $174.99 at Amazon The cutting edge in solid state storage is the PCIe 5.0 interface, and the SSD that sets the bar for this echelon is the Crucial T705. If it’s speed you’re after, this bad boy brings it – as in 14.5GBps sequential reading and 12.3GBps writing in our synthetic benchmarks. Real-world performance is also impressive. And the price for the Crucial T705 has come down considerably since we first reviewed it, to sub-$200 for 1TB, making this high-performance drive a no-brainer for speed freaks. – Katherine Stevenson Best VPN: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN Read our review It’s a tough ask to select the best VPN overall. There are so many factors to consider such as privacy, ease of use, server network size, unblocking capabilities, and speed. Everyone’s intended usage may vary and that needs to be taken into account. Will the VPN be used to get around location blocks for streaming, staying incognito online, torrenting, or something else—the list goes on and on. Many VPNs excel at a few of these functions, but seldom manage to shine across the board. Enter ExpressVPN. It’s one of the only services that consistently ranks highly across each category. That’s why, for the third year in a row, it’s my top VPN. Not only does it continue to be one of the fastest VPNs I’ve ever tested, but it has a huge server network, it’s dead simple to use, and comes with a sterling user privacy record. It also never fails to unblock streaming services and fully supports P2P. There might be services with more extra features, but none exemplify all of the elements of a great VPN like ExpressVPN. — Sam Singleton Best gaming monitor: MSI MPG 341CQPX MSI MPG 341CQPX Read our review Best Prices Today: $849.99 at Amazon | $849.99 at MSI If your primary purpose is gaming, the MSI MPG 341CQPX is the monitor you want, hands down. The 34-inch curved display stands out among a sea of other QD-OLED competitors by boasting a higher refresh rate (up to 240Hz), strong HDR performance, and an excellent range of connectivity including the ability to charge a laptop or phone over USB-C. Of course, with QD-OLED, incredible contrast and color performance are a given. With a vibrant and realistic image and smooth-as-butter motion clarity, this display was made for immersive entertainment. – Katherine Stevenson Best Windows backup: R-Drive Image 7.2 R-Drive Image Read our review Best Prices Today: $44.95 at R-tools Technology When it comes to backup, the most important feature is reliability. R-Drive Image, which has been in the backup game for years, boasts an unblemished record in this regard. Now at version 7.2, it’s more full-featured and capable than ever. It offers the range of backup duties: disk and partitions, files and folders, WinPE and Linux boot media creation, the works. You can save your backups locally, to the network, or to your preferred cloud storage. You can even replicate backups across multiple destinations. The interface is straightforward, and performance is speedy. There’s really no need to consider other options. – Katherine Stevenson Best Thunderbolt Dock: Kensington SD5800T Kensington Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 Quad Video Docking Station (SD5800T) Read our review Best Prices Today: $280.40 at Amazon Many laptop docking stations come and go across my desk, enough that I donate the remainder to my coworkers at the end of the year. Kensington’s Thunderbolt 4 dock, the SD5800T, was one I didn’t want to give up. I love docks that don’t sacrifice either flexibility or stability, and the SD5800T offers it all: support for up to four displays, USB-C and USB-A, charging capabilities (7.5W to a phone, just under 100W to a laptop). There really aren’t any compromises, at all. The only concern I had was its price, and that’s fallen to a wholly respectable $250 at press time. Absolutely recommended. – Mark Hachman Best external drive: Adata SE920 Adata SE920 USB 4 SSD Read our review Best Prices Today: $179.99 at Adata | $179.99 at Amazon If you want the very best external drive, look no further than the Adata SE920. It features the latest-gen USB 4 spec, making it capable of 40Gbps transfers. Within that class, it’s the fastest external drive we’ve tested. But that’s not all. The SE920 also looks badass – a welcome perk on a device that will live on your desk or accompany you out in the field. The enclosure consists of a latched, spring-loaded outer shell that can slide open about half an inch to activate an internal fan, which is effective at heat dissipation and quiet. How clever is that? – Katherine Stevenson Best gaming laptop: Alienware m16 R2 Alienware m16 R2 The Alienware m16 R2 has everything you could ever want in a gaming laptop, and unlike most gaming laptops, it can even work as your daily driver, far away from a power outlet. It offers exceptional gaming performance thanks to the RTX 4070 GPU, a wickedly fast display (240Hz!), and an efficient cooling system. It lasted 11 hours on a single charge, which is impressive, as most gaming laptops tend to die at the five or six hour mark. The cherry on top? It’s a great value for a gaming laptop, especially one with RTX 4070 graphics. – Ashley Biancuzzo Best wireless keyboard: Nuphy Air V2 Nuphy Air96 V2 keyboard Read our review Best Prices Today: $159.99 at Amazon | $167.53 at Aliexpress If you don’t need gaming chops, the wireless keyboard you want is the Nuphy Air V2, full stop. It’s low-profile and stylish, but still has great components and excellent typing. And despite being low-profile, it still has hot-swap switches and a surprising variety of options from both Nuphy and Gateron. Combine it with easy VIA programming and a selection of layouts, plus a pretty good price, and it’s easily outpacing the latest slim designs from Logitech and the rest. -Michael Crider Best feature-packed VPN: NordVPN NordVPN Read our review Each year NordVPN seems to find something new and exciting to add to its service. At this point, I find myself asking, what doesn’t NordVPN have? Not only do you get the VPN with an outstanding server network and lightning fast speeds, but you also have access to a whole slew of top-notch privacy and security extras. Its “Threat Protection” service gives you ad- and tracker-blocking, anti-malware download protection, and a malicious URL link-checker. Then there is an active Dark Web monitoring service and built-in file transfer feature called Meshnet. The list goes on and on. No other VPN is as rich in features as NordVPN, making it an easy top pick this year. — Sam Singleton Best PC gaming handheld: Asus ROG Ally X Calling the Asus ROG Ally X “just a refresh” of the original ROG Ally is selling it too short. Yes, the ROG Ally X maintains the same 1080p 120Hz screen and AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor as before, but almost everything else has been redesigned based off community feedback, which has lead to a much better experience. Quieter fans, two USB-C ports (one with USB-4/ThunderBolt support), and refined ergonomics are just a few highlights, but the main one is the upgrade in battery life. Asus summoned dark magic (and excellent engineering) to get battery life that finally rivals Valve’s Steam Deck — all without a major weight increase! Sure, the Steam Deck is the de facto mainstream handheld gaming PC option, but if you are looking for the absolute best of the best out there, it’s the ROG Ally X. Dual-boot Bazzite (a custom image of Steam Deck’s SteamOS) and you can get the best of both worlds! – Adam Patrick Murray Best laptop for battery life: Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 Read our review The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 ran for almost 24 hours on a single charge, a first here at PCWorld. Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off of the floor! In addition to the phenomenal battery life, it also has a diverse array of ports and is powerful enough to handle light to moderate workloads. It measures just 0.67 at its thickest point and yet Lenovo somehow squeezed in two USB4 ports, two USB-A ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, and one 3.5mm combo audio. –Ashley Biancuzzo Best gaming headset: HyperX Cloud Mix 2 Wireless HyperX Cloud Mix 2 Read our review Most gaming headsets that claim to be versatile enough to be used as headphones fall somewhat short. With their large boom mic ports, obtrusive flip mics, or chunky earcups they’re obviously more at home in gaming dens. But not the HyperX Cloud Mix 2. This headset hides its mics stealthily in its earcups. It’s also a champion of portability being very compact and lightweight. The sound too is crisp and clear, with enough detail in the tones to make playing and listening a treat. Barely any clamp pressure in the headband and the headset’s soft leatherette ear coverings make it a comfortable fit that I can wear for hours on end. It also has awesome compatibility, connecting to almost all my gaming devices, plus my mobile devices. Suffice it to say, the Mix 2 is the only audio device I currently need. What’s also brilliant is that it has a 110-hour battery life, which means I can charge and then forget about plugging it in for days at a time. – Dominic Bayley Best gaming mouse: Lemokey G1 Wireless Lemokey G1 Wireless mouse Read our review Unboxing the Lemokey G1 Wireless, I was immediately surprised by its excellent maneuverability, which is smoother and faster than any pro gaming mouse I’ve ever used. If that impressed me right from the get-go – and then its devastatingly quick 8,000Hz wireless polling rate sealed the deal for me, making hitting targets a lot easier. With its lightweight design of just 1.94 ounces and smooth 30,000 DPI sensor with a maximum speed of 750 inches-per-second, this mouse gives me the edge I need to win one-on-one engagements in fast-paced games. It’s also the perfect size for my medium-to-large hand. For what I’m getting here I could have paid upwards of $150, but the Lemokey G1 Wireless is also a smashing bargain at just $69. – Dominic Bayley Best keyboard: Corsair K65 Plus Wireless Corsair K65 Plus Wireless keyboard Read our review It came out all the way back in February, but the best keyboard of the year is Corsair’s K65 Plus Wireless. It’s hitting all the big trends, excluding only a (wholly unnecessary) screen. It packs a 75% layout inspired by custom builds, hot-swap capability, and high-quality switches that are great for both typing and gaming. It’s wireless, obviously, which many of these designs aren’t. And it’s about half the price of Razer’s excellent, but very expensive, BlackWidow V4 Pro 75%, and doesn’t try to convince you that a screen belongs on a keyboard. (It doesn’t.) – Michael Crider Best antivirus: Norton 360 Deluxe Norton 360 Deluxe This year proved the necessity of strong online security. Vulnerabilities are getting discovered and exploited faster, and the rise of AI tools is only fueling the onslaught. Solid antivirus software will shield you from the worst of it, whether that’s viruses, malicious websites, hackers on public networks, or use of weak passwords. And it’ll do so with little effort on your part. Sure, you could stitch together different free services, but most people find a comprehensive security suite far easier – and Norton 360 Deluxe is easily the cream of the crop. It simplifies online security at a fair price, with a slew of features that cover you across the board. Beyond stopping malicious software and websites in their tracks, Norton also provides key protections like dark web monitoring, a password manager, VPN service, parental controls, and 50GB of cloud storage for automated backups of important files. General utilities like file cleanup are even included, too. This level of comprehensive defense is rare among rivals—especially for how little Norton charges. – Alaina Yee Best webcam: BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro Read our review Best Prices Today: $199.99 at Adorama | $199.99 at Amazon The advent of personal streaming, content creation and work-at-home has meant that webcams have advanced massively from even a few years ago. BenQ’s IdeaCam S1 Pro is a fantastic example of this, with functionality that goes beyond just making you look good. This “4K” webcam has a lot to offer just on that front, with sharp, lovely images and utility software that’s truly a utility. But there’s more! A macro mode seems gimmicky, but it works great. There’s even a “measuring” mode that would work well for detail work. And there’s a big bonus: a remote control “puck” that seems like something BenQ would sell separately, but includes in the box. That’s real value. – Mark Hachman Best USB-C hub: Ugreen 9-in-1 Revodok Pro Ugreen 9-in-1 USB-C (Revodok) Docking Station CM615 Read our review Best Prices Today: $139.99 at Ugreen | $169.99 at Amazon Ugreen’s 9-in-1 Revodok Pro is a simple, straightforward, compact little dock that uses the free, downloadable DisplayLink utility as an intermediary. It’s great for office work, with the flexibility to accommodate a pair of either DisplayLink or HDMI connections. It offers two USB-A ports (for mouse or keyboard, say), Ethernet, as well as a USB-C port for a smartphone or other peripheral. USB-C hardware can be exceedingly simple, like a dongle, or with a much more robust feature offering. The Revodok Pro provides the essentials, trims the fat, and keeps the price affordable. Ugreen’s a not a household name, but the company’s products have been consistently solid. – Mark Hachman Read...

Nerdio expands its Manager for MSPs platform to manage Microsoft 365, offering flexible pricing and enhanced security features through a CIS partnership. Read...