Artificial General Intelligence is the precursor to sentience perhaps and quantum computing may be the doorway to both. Given the advances being made in these fields, are we ready for the moral and ethical implications associated with reaching these milestones? Read...

If you use Google Chrome on your mobile phone, or if you have a modern Android phone, then you’ve probably stumbled across the Discover feed at some point. The Discover feed is available on Chrome’s mobile New Tab page, in the Google app, and on the home screen (by swiping right). Soon, it’ll also be available on desktop PCs. Google Discover is a personalized recommendation engine that shows you articles from around the web that Google thinks you’d be interested in. The recommendations are based on various factors like your location, your browsing history, your opted-in interests, and more. (If you’ve disabled history tracking in your Google account, the recommendations will be far less personalized and less useful.) Search Engine Roundtable reports that Google showed off the new desktop Discover feed during yesterday’s Search Central Live event in Madrid, Spain. The Discover feed on PCs will be split into two sections, with one section for Google-recommended articles that might interest you and another section where you’ll see more general information, including weather, stock market trends, and more. From what we know, the Discover feed will seemingly be available on the Google home page (google.com), with the Discover feed appearing below the main search bar. It may or may not come to the Chrome browser’s New Tab page, or even elsewhere. We don’t know yet. If you don’t see the Discover feed on Google’s home page, you may have to opt into Google experiments—or wait for the rollout to reach you. Google has been planning to bring the Discover feed to desktops for several years now, and has tested several different versions of the feature with different looks and content in the feed. If you feel like it’s hard to find decently interesting articles to read via Google Search or social media, then you should definitely try Discover once it’s available to you. Read...

Windows Recall has always been Microsoft’s best argument for upgrading to one of those brand-new Copilot+ computers… and it’s also been the most controversial addition to Windows in years. The AI-powered feature periodically “reads” your on-screen activity and saves each moment as a series of searchable screenshots. If you’re interested, the Recall feature is rolling out to the Windows Insider Release Preview channel now. You’ve probably heard a lot about Recall since Microsoft revealed it last year, because, well, there’s a lot to say. Our Windows expert Mark Hachman gave it a thorough test when it hit the Insider Preview Dev channel in December (that’s roughly analogous to an alpha test for Windows 11, versus the Release Preview’s beta test). He found Recall’s performance to be slow and stuttery, though there are a few somewhat comforting nods to the privacy issues, like making you authenticate with Windows Hello whenever you open your own activity history. But the system was inconsistent at best and buggy at worst, and not anywhere near ready to replace, say, a manual screenshot or bookmark you take yourself for referring back to later. Is that worth the privacy risk of having a huge, visual history of your PC activity, even if you take Microsoft at its word on how secure and safe it is? Well, that’s for you to decide. I imagine enterprise users have expressed distaste, because Microsoft has already confirmed that it’ll be disabled by default on the enterprise version of Windows. If you’re not fond of the idea, Recall can be disabled and removed by regular users, too. I don’t have a Copilot+ PC handy to test out the new and improved version of Recall on the Insider Release Preview, but you can try it yourself if you’re so inclined. After a disappointing announcement, Microsoft will probably try to get it out to the general Windows 11 user base—again, with the feature only available to PCs and laptops with newer Copilot+ processors—sometime later in 2025. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Premium price, premium value Integrated high-performance SSD Generally stable Thunderbolt 5 Cons Eye-popping price, period You’ll need a PC with Thunderbolt 5 to get the best value You’ll need displays with USB-C ports or dongles to connect SSD was unformatted, with poor instructions on how to fix it Our Verdict Sonnet’s Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock is one of the best docks I’ve ever reviewed, with a premium SSD hidden inside. If you can afford it, this dock is very much worth the price. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Sonnet’s Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock carves out a new tier in both price and performance, blowing away conventional Thunderbolt 4 docks as a new tier of ultrapremium Thunderbolt 5 docking stations takes hold. I fully expect more Thunderbolt 5 docking stations to be released. Hopefully, their performance meets or even exceeds that of the Sonnet Echo 13, which should place among the best Thunderbolt docks that we recommend that you buy. Sonnet’s dock is the second Thunderbolt 5 docking station I’ve tested, and the first with an integrated SSD. The integrated SSD drives up the cost substantially, but its performance sits well above a conventional external SSD. (Intel’s original reference design included an integrated SSD, my contacts say, so some manufacturers followed suit.) It’s a smart decision, nevertheless, and one that is a killer selling point for this laptop docking station. Sonnet’s dock measures about 8.5 inches long and about 3.75 inches deep, and is slightly thicker than an inch. There is no option to mount it vertically. The dock is made of plastic, with what appears to be venting on the top and sides. This is one of the best Thunderbolt docks I’ve ever tested, even with the Thunderbolt 5 infrastructure still in its infancy. On the front of the dock is a power button, with LEDs signaling power and an active Thunderbolt connection. The power button needs to be held down for a second or two to turn the dock on and off. Sonnet clearly labeled both front ports: a 140W Thunderbolt 5 port that connects via a 31-inch Thunderbolt 5 cable, as well as a second, 60W Thunderbolt 5 port. On the front is a 10Gbps USB-A port, a UHS-II SD and microSD card slot, and a headphone jack. On the rear of the dock are two more Thunderbolt 5 ports, two more 10Gbps USB-A ports (and a 5Gbps USB-A port, too), and an RJ45 connector for up to 2.5Gbit Ethernet. Sonnet’s Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock can pass data at up to 120Gbps.Mark Hachman / Foundry Unfortunately, given the price of the dock, there are no dedicated HDMI or DisplayPort ports, which may require you to purchase additional cables. On the other hand, my 4K, 160Hz test displays support high-speed USB-C inputs, and if you’re in the market for such a dock, yours might as well. Remember, Thunderbolt 4’s base spec supports two 4K displays at 60Hz; Thunderbolt 5 supports three 4K, 144Hz displays. In this case, I simply reused existing 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 cables. Two of my test displays reliably connected at 4K, 144Hz resolution, but not three. (The dock sent content to all three 4K displays, at 144Hz — but just two at a time.) Given the issues I had with this same laptop and a Kensington dock, I suspected that my test laptop might be the issue. At press time, there were virtually no Thunderbolt 5 laptops to test with; after consultation with Sonnet’s engineers and other sources, I’ve concluded that the laptop’s Thunderbolt 5 controller may be split between the two ports. That won’t allow the laptop to display on three external 4K144 displays, even if the dock allows it. I’ll be updating my test laptop as soon as I can. The front of the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock, with power and LEDs, plus the Thunderbolt 5 connection to your PC, USB-A, and SD/microSD card slots.Mark Hachman / Foundry Note that while this dock is backwards-compatible with a Thunderbolt 4 laptop, you’ll receive the best value using Thunderbolt 5 hardware. Sonnet notes that the slower Thunderbolt 4 I/O connection will throttle the SSD, which is a key selling point for this dock. Integrating an SSD offers benefits as well as concerns As someone who typically leaves a USB key plugged into the dock to serve as a “sneakernet” of sorts, the idea of having dedicated storage in a dock appeals to me. Sonnet ships this dock with either a 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB SSD inside; my review unit had a 2TB SSD. You’d never know it, though. My review unit came with the drive in an unformatted state, meaning that it didn’t show up in File Explorer and essentially didn’t “exist” as far as my PC was concerned. Sonnet’s original documentation said nothing about this, and even an updated version that the company sent electronically barely mentioned it or what to do. It’s not hard to search for how to solve this problem; using Windows’ own search tool and looking for “create and format hard disk partitions” brings up the Disk Management window under the Windows Control Panel. That tool shows the unformatted drive, which you can right-click on to format and make the drive usable. A Thunderbolt dock, however, is essentially plug-and-play, and formatting an external SSD most decidedly is not. I’d recommend that Sonnet either pre-format the drive or include a dedicated, detailed tutorial on how to do so. There are a pair of lock slots on the end of the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock.Mark Hachman / Foundry The drive is not encrypted by default, though it is surrounded by the dock itself and is not designed to be user-accessible. Windows does provide drive encryption, known as BitLocker, though that’s a feature that’s exclusive to Windows 10/11 Pro. (A Windows 10/11 Home machine can access a BitLocker-encrypted external SSD via a dedicated password that must be typed in.) If you don’t encrypt the embedded SSD, that means that there’s a drive that anyone can access just by docking their laptop. Could someone malicious plant spyware or malware on it? Possibly. A portable SSD can also be picked up and carried with you, or secured elsewhere. This isn’t an argument for or against Sonnet’s dock! But it is a list of things to think about if you’re considering buying it. Sonnet does claim that the integrated SSD, connected via Thunderbolt 5, will be faster than an SSD connected to your PC via USB. And boy, is it ever. Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock: Performance My earlier experience with the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station, the first TB5 dock I’d tested, was a huge bust. At the time, I didn’t feel confident in trying to assign blame, since I was working with a new laptop, new cables, and a new dock. For this testing, I used the same Maingear laptop (with a 14th-gen Core HX chip and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU) that I did for that previous test. My experience with the Sonnet dock was far better, and what I’d expect from the Thunderbolt 5 experience. The rear of the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock includes three USB-A ports, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and the two upstream Thunderbolt 5 ports.Mark Hachman / Foundry Stability-wise, the Echo 13 demonstrated a decent amount of what I call “display bounce.” Plugging a laptop into the dock — which was already connected to a pair of 4K, 144Hz displays — produced a situation where the displays flipped off and on and realigned themselves for a few seconds. That’s not particularly unusual. After that, everything settled down, all the displays remained connected, and the performance was smooth and pretty stable, as you’d expect. But there were several times that the dock struggled to light one display after resuming from sleep, and rarely (once every couple of days) one display disconnected for a second, resumed, and continued normally. (Powering the dock on and off solved this.) I suspect that this was the laptop’s fault. The SSD remained accessible at all times. The dock is rated to supply 140W of output power to a laptop. While my test laptop, Maingear’s ML-17, supports Thunderbolt 5, it can’t accept the 140W of power the dock theoretically provides. (Dell’s latest workstation-class laptops do, though I do not have one to test.) So while I can’t confirm how much maximum power the dock can provide over the Thunderbolt cable, it did provide 78W over the main TB5 connection, and 56W (out of a rated 60W) via the other front Thunderbolt connection. That’s just fine to fast-charge a smartphone. (Note that the 85W passed via the Thunderbolt 5 cable will not be sufficient to charge gaming laptops, such as the first few with Thunderbolt 5 connections. You’ll still need to charge those devices via their dedicated chargers.) During my streaming tests, where I stream a 4K, 60Hz video over the internet via the Ethernet cable, everything went perfectly — the dock dropped 6 out of 10,000 frames, which is negligible. I did notice a little judder from simultaneously playing a second video on a second display, which I normally didn’t do. But YouTube didn’t note any dropped frames, so that might have been an issue with the GPU. But the storage performance is revelatory. Sonnet describes the internal SSD’s speed as “ridiculous” and this is one of the few times I’d agree with the marketing copy. Ludicrous speed, even! I check SSD speeds by connecting a standard SSD to the dock’s USB-C port and running PCMark 10’s external benchmark, which reports the transfer data in megabytes per second as well as an abstract score. To date, the very best scores I’ve ever seen are about 135MB/s, with a score of 850 or so. Directly connected to the laptop, my test SSD delivers 160MB/s and a score of 1,042. Sonnet’s Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock delivered data to the laptop at 279.8MB/s for a score of 1,891. That’s a 75 percent increase in pure throughput! Put another way, when testing the drive using CrystalDiskMark 8.0, sequential read performance was 3,977MB/s, almost double the read performance of 2,036MB/s from the Lexar SL600, an external 20Gbps SSD. I also simply copy a folder of raw multimedia files from the SSD to the desktop. All of these tests are pushing this data through the dock’s internal circuitry over the Thunderbolt 5 cable. About the best score I’ve seen is 1 minute, 2 seconds, tacking on an additional 4 more seconds if I’m streaming video during the copy process. Sonnet’s Echo 13 copied the files in 13.9 seconds, or 14.2 seconds while streaming. That’s a 78 percent decrease in the time taken by that test alone! It’s worth noting that I still connected my traditional test SSD to the dock’s USB-C port, and here Sonnet’s dock wasn’t nearly as impressive: 106.2 MB/s, or a score of 682. That’s lower than the competition, if you decided not to use the internal SSD. Throughout all of that, the dock was as cool as the other side of the pillow — quite literally. It didn’t even warm to the touch, probably because it sounds like it has a quiet, active fan cooling the dock. Should you buy the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock? The integrated SSD is a significant cost adder, and not necessarily worth it if your storage needs are already served. On the other hand, the performance of the dock’s SSD certainly makes up for it. A premium Thunderbolt dock plus the price of a 2TB SSD works out to about $450, which isn’t too much less than what Sonnet is charging. In general, this dock did everything I’ve asked it to do. I’m still struggling with a test bed that can adequately measure the power a Thunderbolt 5 dock provides, and I’m pretty sure that the dock’s inability to output to three 4K/144 displays (as opposed to just two) may be the fault of the laptop, not the dock. We already know that not much Thunderbolt 5 hardware is available. Otherwise, I’m extremely pleased with the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock and would recommend it even in the current state of the market and at its current price. Sonnet’s Echo 13 offers both amazing performance and reliable stability, and sets the bar for other ultrapremium Thunderbolt 5 docks to trail in its wake. Others will follow, certainly. But right now, Sonnet’s dock is the best I’ve ever tested. Read...

President Javier Milei has made sweeping cuts to public services since he took office 16 months ago. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Class-leading 5K2K resolution Strong SDR image quality Solid HDR brightness Incredibly immersive 45-inch ultrawide panel Cons Design isn’t bad, but not up to the price tag Limited USB connectivity Curved display will be too extreme for some Our Verdict The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B’s high price and extreme curve will turn off some, but it’s hard to argue with its sharpness and HDR performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B is a big deal. Literally. Measuring 45 inches diagonally across a 21:9 aspect ratio, the 45GX950A-B’s total display surface area is about 15 percent greater than a 49-inch super-ultrawide, like the Philips Envia 8000. The 45GX950A-B isn’t quite as wide, but it’s a lot taller. On top of that, the Ultragear 45GX950A-B is the first 45-inch OLED ultrawide to offer a display resolution of 5120×2160. Earlier 45-inch OLED ultrawides, like the Corsair Xeneon Flex, had 3440×1440 resolution. The LG’s MSRP of $1,999.99 means it’s not an impulse buy, but it’s a great choice if image quality and HDR performance are your top priorities.  LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B specs and features The 45GX950A-B’s biggest advantage is its 5K2K (5120×2160) resolution. That’s higher than what’s typically available from ultrawide and super-ultrawide monitors of this size. Here’s an important note: the 45GX950A-B does not flex. LG announced the monitor at CES alongside the 45GX990A, another 45-inch 5K2K ultrawide that will be able to flex between curved and flat panel modes. The 45GX950A-B, reviewed here, doesn’t offer that feature. Display size: 45-inch 21:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 5120×2160 Panel type: 10-bit WOLED Refresh rate: “Dual Mode” 165Hz at 5K2K, 330Hz at 2560×1080 Adaptive sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certified Ports: 1x USB-C with DisplayPort and 90 watts of Power Delivery, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.1, 3.5mm audio jack (4-pole with DTS support) Audio: Built-in speakers Warranty: 2-year warranty Price: $1,999.99 MSRP Size and resolution aside, the 45GX950A-B delivers a ton of features. It offers USB-C with Power Delivery, supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, bundles built-in speakers, and includes a “dual mode” feature for refresh rates up to 330Hz. But it’ll cost you. The monitor has a sky-high MSRP of $1,999.99. That’s two to three times higher than a more mundane 34-inch OLED ultrawide. It’s also quite a bit more than a 49-inch super-ultrawide like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, which often retails near $1,000. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B design I’ll be honest: The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B didn’t make the best impression out of the box. It’s broadly like other LG monitors, with a charcoal look that’s both aggressive and reserved. The design is attractive and inoffensive. Even so, I can’t help but remember competitors like the Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED and Philips Envia 8000. Those 49-inch super-ultrawide monitors look and feel more luxurious. The 45GX950A-B’s $2,000 price tag is a big premium over other monitors, and I think LG could do more to make the monitor look and feel special. Functionally, though, the LG is solid. It ships with a compact stand that, despite its relatively small size and flat base, kept the monitor stable. It also adjusts for height, tilt, and swivel, and offers compatibility with 100x100mm VESA mounts. This is notable. Some monitors in this size category, like the Corsair Xeneon Flex, have stands that are both too large and less functional. Matthew Smith / Foundry Speaking of size, the 45GX950A-B is big. Really big. It measures a tad more than 41 inches wide and almost 18 inches tall. It’s two inches taller than a typical 32-inch widescreen monitor and almost as wide as two 27-inch widescreen monitors placed side-by-side. It’s also a curved display with an aggressive 800R curve, which means the edges of the display sit about 6 inches closer to you than the center. None of this is a problem—on the contrary, it’s kind of the whole point—but it’s important to measure your desk before you buy this monitor. The aggressive curve also points to the monitor’s intention. Nothing will stop you from editing photos or writing a novel on the 45GX950A-B, but that’s not the focus, and the curve can make day-to-day tasks feel a bit…off. That’s especially true if you’re trying to edit video, images, or photos. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B connectivity LG offers four video inputs on the Ultragear 45GX950A-B. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 2.1, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort and up to 90 watts of Power Delivery. Downstream USB-A is limited to just two ports. That’s okay, since it’s enough to support a wired keyboard and mouse, but it’s not a lot. The monitor also lacks KVM switch functionality and there’s no downstream USB-C. When it comes to audio, the monitor has a 4-pole 3.5mm audio jack with support for DTS:X HP audio. It’s a niche feature but one that gamers with a high-end headset may appreciate. I didn’t have a DTS compatible headset to test it with, however. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B menus and features The Ultragear 45GX950A-B’s menus and features can be accessed with a joystick centered behind the monitor’s lower bezel. LG’s menu system is easy to navigate and text is crisper than some competitors. The monitor also works with LG’s OnScreen Control, a software utility that lets you adjust monitor settings within Windows. Whichever you use, the Ultragear 45GX950A-B offers a good range of image quality controls. These include gamma and color temperature adjustments, six-axis color calibration, several brightness modes, and brightness control across both SDR and HDR. The gamma and color temperature adjustments target vague labels rather than numerical values, however (i.e. “Warm” instead of “6500K”). LG provides the usual range of gaming features, including an on-screen crosshair, timer and frame rate counters, and a dark equalizer that can elevate brightness of dark areas of the screen (to reveal foes). Matthew Smith / Foundry These are paired with a range of picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes. While these modes are common to ultrawide monitors, the 45GX950A-B’s gigantic display means they’re especially useful. If you’re feeling wild, you could use this monitor as an alternative to two 27-inch monitors placed side-by-side. The LG 45GX950A-B includes a decent set of built-in speakers. That they exist at all is noteworthy, as many ultrawides don’t include them. Better still, they provide a decent audio experience at low to medium volumes with some bass and good clarity. They become distorted at higher volumes, though, so most owners will still want headphones or external speakers for immersive audio in games and movies. The 45GX950A-B beats its OLED rivals on both sharpness while retaining all their other perks, which makes it the new top choice for immersive HDR gaming. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B SDR image quality The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B has an LG WOLED panel with a resolution of 5120×2160. This panel is a bit special. It’s currently unique to the 45GX950A-B and gives the LG an edge in sharpness that no current 45-inch ultrawide can match. The WOLED panel also scores high marks across the board, though it does lag QD-OLED in color performance.  Matthew Smith / Foundry LG gets off to a good start in brightness, as the 45GX950A-B delivered up to 280 nits. That’s not spectacular when compared to high-end IPS-LCD monitors, which can exceed 400 nits. But sat next to other OLED monitors, the 45GX950A-B ekes out a win. Also, the monitor chooses a semi-gloss rather than glossy finish, which makes the most of the brightness. On the other hand, I found the monitor’s intense curve could amplify light sources directly behind me. Because of that, I don’t recommend using the monitor in a setup where a lamp or window sits behind you. Matthew Smith / Foundry As expected, the 45GX950A-B provides an effectively infinite contrast ratio. That’s thanks to its perfect black level performance, which dips down to zero nits when a scene calls for it. It leads to better detail in dark scenes and a great sense of depth to the image. All modern OLED monitors achieve this, however. The LG’s contrast, while outstanding, isn’t an advantage. Matthew Smith / Foundry Color gamut is a minor and unsurprising weakness for the 45GX950A-B. LG’s WOLED panels are a step behind Samsung’s QD-OLED in this area, so monitors that have QD-OLED (like the Odyssey OLED G8 and Philips Envia 8000) can display more colors overall. This can give QD-OLED competitors a more vibrant and saturated look, though the difference is often hard to notice outside a direct side-by-side comparison. Matthew Smith / Foundry The LG 45GX950A-B produced mediocre results in color accuracy with slightly higher-than-average color error across the board. I would like to see a color error under 2 from this monitor. Despite that, the monitor’s general color performance is good enough to provide an eye-catching, vivid image. I was pleased by the 45GX950A-B’s gamma and color temperature performance. It hit a gamma curve of 2.2, right on target, and a color temperature of 6600K at 50 percent brightness, which is just barely off the target of 6500K. The 45GX950A-B provides multiple gamma and color temperature modes, so you can adjust them if needed. Sharpness is among the LG’s best traits. The 45GX950A-B’s 5120×2160 resolution works out to about 125 pixels per inch (ppi). By comparison, the older 45-inch Corsair Xeneon Flex packed only 78 ppi. That’s a 60 percent improvement, which is extremely noticeable. Fonts look far more crisp and high-resolution games have a tack-sharp look. The 45GX950A-B is also sharper than a 42-inch 4K television, which offers 104 pixels per inch. Overall, the LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B has great SDR image quality. Competitors with a QD-OLED panel, like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 and Philips Envia 8000, can provide a slightly more vivid and saturated image. That might give you pause if you plan to use the 45GX950A-B for content creation, but then again, that’s not really the monitor’s purpose. The 45GX950A-B is really built for movies and games, and delivers superior image quality when used for that purpose. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B HDR image quality The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B does well in HDR with a peak HDR brightness of 798 nits in a 10 percent window. As the graph shows, that’s a high result for an OLED monitor and equivalent to many recent OLED alternatives, which were themselves hitting new high watermarks in HDR brightness. Matthew Smith / Foundry The 45GX950A-B’s high HDR brightness has two main benefits. First, HDR highlights (like a lightning strike or explosion) leap from the screen. Second, HDR images show detail in bright areas that might otherwise be shown as a sheer, white image. I was particularly impressed by the monitor’s performance in the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road. The intensity of the action was boosted by both the monitor’s good HDR brightness and its sheer size. However, like other OLED monitors, the 45GX950A-B’s maximum brightness falls drastically as larger portions of the screen are lit. So, while an explosion in a dark alley looks brilliant, a snowy landscape on a sunlit day won’t look all that bright. Fortunately for OLED, the first case is more common than the second. As you might notice from my photos, the 45GX950A-B is a bit too large to fit well on my desk. But if I only cared about watching HDR video or playing immersive HDR games, I’d be willing to put up with that. The 45GX950A-B looks fantastic in HDR. LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B motion performance The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B is a “dual mode” display that can vary its resolution and refresh rate. It provides a refresh rate of up to 165Hz at 5120×2160 resolution, or up to 330Hz at 2560×1080 resolution. Also, like other OLED monitors, the 45GX950A-B quotes a gray-to-gray pixel response time of 0.03 milliseconds, which is extremely low. As a result, the 45GX950A-B can deliver good motion clarity. Fast-moving objects show little motion blur and scrolling text is usually easy to read. Clarity is noticeably improved at 330Hz over 165Hz, but clarity at 165Hz remains excellent. Of course, gamers can buy monitors that provide even better motion clarity. 4K OLED monitors with a refresh rate up to 240Hz are readily available, as are 1440p OLED monitors with a refresh rate up to 360Hz. The very best OLED monitors for motion clarity can reach up to 480Hz. As you might expect, these will look crisper than the 45GX950A-B at 5K2K resolution. Whether that matters depends on the games you play. Highly competitive MOBA and FPS fans may prefer a widescreen OLED with a higher refresh rate. On the other hand, hardcore simulation, MMORPG, and strategy fans will see more benefit from the 45GX950A-B’s size and increased resolution than they would from better motion clarity. Adaptive Sync is supported by the 45GX950A-B, and it officially supports both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Most modern monitors that support Adaptive Sync work with both AMD and Nvidia cards, but it’s still good to see. Should you buy the LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B? The LG Ultragear 45GX950A-B is a fantastic, though somewhat niche, ultrawide monitor. It delivers all of OLED’s usual benefits alongside 5K2K resolution that provides a sharper image than competitor 45-inch ultrawide and 49-inch super-ultrawide monitors. The 45GX950A-B also scores high marks in HDR. On the other hand, the 45GX950A-B’s extreme curve and high price mean the monitor’s appeal is limited to gamers who plan to use the monitor exclusively for entertainment. If that sounds like you, go for it. The 45GX950A-B beats its OLED rivals on both sharpness while retaining all their other perks, which makes it the new top choice for immersive HDR gaming. Read...

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Many PC enthusiasts focus on the hardware components like the GPU and processor, but they often overlook the importance of a good PC case. Many times, enthusiasts pick the cheapest option to save money. However, this decision can lead to problems down the road like poor build quality and limited airflow. To help avoid these issues, we’ll walk you through the aspects you should consider when buying a PC case. We’ll also highlight top cases at various price points. 1. Size and form factor are a must First of all, make sure you get a case that can fit all of the components. The form factor determines whether your mainboard will fit into the case. The most common options are ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. There’s also XL-ATX and E-ATX, which are slightly larger than ATX but are rarely used in gaming PCs. Large cases often also support small form factors, but the reverse is, of course, difficult. If you try to fit a big custom RTX 5080 into a mini-ITX case, for example, you will quickly realize that it won’t fit. So you also need to make sure that the case has enough space for all the components like the graphics cards, AIOs, fans, and power supplies. Let’s take a look at the usual case sizes. There are big towers, midi towers, mini towers, and ITX. Big towers offer the most space; all standard motherboard sizes fit in here, and often XL-ATX and/or E-ATX are also supported. With these cases, you have plenty of space for components and cable management. Midi towers are somewhat smaller; ATX boards still fit in there, but not always E-ATX. Mini-towers are more compact; only Micro-ATX and smaller will fit, and ITX systems will logically only fit ITX. 2. Do all the components fit? To check which components will fit in your PC case, you can take a look at PC Part Picker–you’ll find all the relevant information listed there. If you’re looking for a midi tower, for example, you can see all the sorting options directly. By selecting a specific case, you can check the “Motherboard form factor” section to see what it accommodates. Everything up to E-ATX fits, but you also need to consider three additional components: Power supply unit, CPU cooler, and graphics cards. In this case, we have an ATX power supply unit, i.e., the standard size. Please note: ATX power supply units have different depths. For compact builds, there are SFX and SFX-L power supplies. You should also check the maximum size of your CPU fan and graphics card. For the CPU fan, it’s about the height, i.e., how far the fan protrudes from the mainboard. As for the GPU, it’s the length measured from the slot bracket. You can also see how much space your case still has and how the case is constructed. This information is usually available from PC Part Picker, but if not, you will have to look on the manufacturer’s website. Fortunately, if you toss all your desired components into the website, it’ll warn you if there are any compatibility concerns. 3. Airflow, fan, AIO Getting a decent airflow isn’t rocket science, but finding the right housing for it isn’t easy and there are a few traps you shouldn’t fall into. Our recommendation? Keep it simple. Manufacturers like to come up with the fanciest “cooling solutions,” but these quickly backfire. The principle is relatively simple. You need to get as much cold air into the housing as possible and then get warm air out again. The easiest way to do this is with a mesh front, which are perforated grilles. If you’re using an air cooler for your CPU, a mesh front is highly recommended. As a rule, two to three fans fit in there; you have a decent air throughput, and the cold air is directed straight at the GPU and the CPU cooler. Add a fan at the back that blows air out, and you have an overpressure system that is completely sufficient for most configs. Some cases also have fans pre-installed, which you can also check at Geizhals. Here you can also see which fans are compatible at which point in the case. For example, the front of a case may fit either one 140 fan, two 140 fans, or three 120 fans. If a fan is not labeled “optional,” then it’s already pre-installed. There are other ways to create a good airflow. With an AIO, i.e., an all-in-one solution, everything looks entirely different again. We first have to see which radiators fit into the housing. At Geizhals, you can also see which radiator sizes can be placed where. In the Corsair case (see picture above), everything up to 360 millimeters fits at the front, top, and right. At the back, where the single fan is usually located, a 120 mm AIO would also fit instead. With an AIO, a mesh front is no longer so important, unless you want to put the radiator right there. Nevertheless, your components should not get too hot, so you need a proper airflow in the housing even with an AIO. However, it’s no longer important that this is orientated towards the CPU, so you should be a little more creative about where you place the fans–this is especially true for big and midi towers. However, if you’re building a compact system, you should think more about the cooling and perhaps watch a few tutorial videos. 4. Connections and equipment Many people don’t pay too much attention to the connections and features when buying a case, but that’s a big mistake! There are usually USB-A, headphones, perhaps a microphone, or USB-C ports on the outside of the case. However, you should also check the exact USB standards. In addition, not all cases have front ports, which can be important. In terms of features, as previously mentioned, you should pay attention to the presence (or absence) of pre-installed fans. You should also consider how many SSDs and hard drives you want to install. Although gaming PCs hardly need hard drives anymore, many still use at least one 2.5-inch SSD. Again, you can check Geizhals to see how much space is available, usually under “Internal.” Mini tip: Cable management Before we come to the last point, a few words about cable management. It’s difficult to tell from Geizhals how suitable a case is for cable management. You should therefore take a close look at the available product images. Pay attention to whether there are enough cable feed-throughs and whether there is enough depth at the rear for all the cables. If you have shortlisted an enclosure, take a look at a few videos. 5. Quality and price Finally, let’s talk about price. How much should you spend on a decent enclosure? A decent case doesn’t have to be expensive, as many of them come equipped with all the important connections and quality fans. But a $40 case is usually made of very thin materials and may not be as well-built as a pricier one. Ultimately, the case has to fit your budget. Sure, you can put together a $2,500 PC and pack it into a cheap case, but it might not look good. As a general rule, aim to spend about five to 10 percent of your budget on the case. So, for a $1,000 PC, you should look for cases in the $50-$100 range. This is just a rough guideline, though. There are always affordable or more premium options out there. You can also look out for a sale or add cases to your wishlist for future purchases. Our recommendations Here are our recommendations for each price range: Endorfy Ventum 200 Air, midi tower, four pre-installed fans without RGB, glass window, dust filter, good cable routing, $67.95 at Amazon Corsair Frame 4000D, midi tower, good airflow, only two fans pre-installed without RBG, $109.99 at Amazon Be Quiet Light Base 900, big tower, double glass wall, removable feet, comes with four pre-installed fans, $189.90 at Amazon Read...

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