Some Americans who`ve lost their homes in the LA fires are among those showing interest in the move, a business expert says. Read...

Whether you’re into gaming, doing creative work, or just want a laptop that’ll handle everything you throw at it, here’s one that you should seriously consider. The Asus Vivobook 16X is down to $1,000 at B&H right now, a nice $300 off its usual price. This laptop is ready for any task, equipped with an Intel Core i9-13900H CPU, a whopping 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. It’s a high-performance machine that can multitask all your apps, load software in a snap, and keep going strong with a gazillion open Chrome tabs. But this laptop also features a Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card that’ll serve you well through all your favorite games. Complete with a 16-inch display at 1920×1200 resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz, it’s a solid and reliable machine for gaming and video editing. It’s a powerful configuration for the price, so don’t miss out on this great deal. Get yourself the Asus Vivobook 16X for $1,000 at B&H! Save $300 on this laptop with Core i9 CPU and RTX 4060 GPUBuy now at B&H Read...

Some Windows 10 users have reportedly been experiencing problems with their USB accessories after installing update KB5049981, which was released on January 14. Specifically, affected users are encountering this error message: “This device cannot start. (Code 10). Insufficient system resources exist to complete the API.” As reported by Windows Latest, the issue appears to be rooted in a bug where the USB DAC doesn’t load. After installing update KB5049981, DACs stop working on Windows 10 PCs and show an error in the Device Manager. If you’re affected by the issue, you should uninstall the update and wait for a fix. If you haven’t yet installed the update, you may want to hold off for a while. This isn’t the only issue, by the way. Other users — though to a lesser degree — have been reporting issues with Wi-Fi connectivity, with the System Guard Runtime Monitoring Broker Service, with the Snipping Tool, and other stray blue screen crashes. Read...

At a GlanceExpert`s Rating Pros Flawless setup and client interface Fast, glitch-free performance Syncing briefcase with online editing (Pro version) or separate service Unlimited backup Cons Mac Client requires third-party software for briefcase functionality Our Verdict The adjective that Livedrive inspires is “smooth”: Smooth signup, smooth setup, and smooth operation. Offering unlimited storage backup with online/device sync, we also find the pricing more than reasonable. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Retailer Price Livedrive $119.88 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Livedrive online backup Retailer Price Livedrive $119.88 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket After two tire-kickings of the Windows version of Livedrive, I struggle to find anything about the service that isn’t first-rate. Signup was a breeze, the client installed quickly, and operation proved easy to both understand and use. Most importantly, Livedrive never glitched. In fact, it never even hinted at glitching. That inspires confidence — something that’s essential when trusting your precious data to an online backup service. It also proved far faster than I expected for a service with its data centers overseas. Sweet.  See how well Livedrive compares to the competition in our big online backup roundup.  Note: For more about data backup, see our best Windows backup software roundup. What are Livedrive’s features? While I’ve already praised Livedrive for its operational solidity, the attention to detail in the interface is also outstanding. If I had a dime for every poorly rendered, scaled, or translated GUI element I’ve seen in the backup arena, I’d be well on my way to being rich. Obviously, there’s someone at the company other than backup programmers. That said, it does use the British “centre,” rather than the American “center.” God save the Queen! (Err, King.) Live drive running on Windows 11. Though Livedrive automatically selects everything most users want to back up (read: the User folder), you can alter the selections on your own. That’s a good thing for me as I have almost 1TB of VMs, ISO, and storage test files on the desktop — few of which really need to be backed up. Yes, Livedrive provides unlimited backup, but for speed’s sake, you should always skip anything you can easily recreate and limit backup to anything that will produce negative emotions if lost. Livedrive backups may be scheduled as granularly as every hour, or in multiples of hours. There’s also a daily option that should be sufficient for most users, depending on what you’re backing up. If your data set changes more often, use the hourly. In the event you need to restore data, you my use the client software as shown below, or download the data via Livedrive’s web portal. Livedrive’s restore page. Livedrive (Pro Suite or separate) also offers sync in the form of the Briefcase, which is where backups from your mobile devices reside. It is accessed via a virtual network drive invoked by the Open Briefcase button on the Briefcase page of the client software. You may add local folders to the Briefcase via drag-and-drop or create new ones. Folders dragged in are copies of the original folder, not shortcuts — i.e., you’re not syncing the original folder as is the case with folders created inside the drive. The Livedrive Briefcase mounted as a virtual network drive in Windows. A Briefcase-related feature is LAN transfer. This is used to sync the Briefcase among computers on your network running Livedrive. This requires the Pro Suite version, or more than one seat license, and bypasses the overhead of downloading the folder from the Livedrive online repository. Probably my only complaint about Livedrive is that the Mac client requires the installation of macFuse for the Briefcase to function. It’s not alone in using that extension, but it does complicate the dead-easy vibe you get in Windows. Other Livedrive options include excluding files and folders, file-type priority (which files transfer first), bandwidth allocation (performance), proxy server support (VPNs), and an integrity check (comparing local and online files). The Livedrive client’s settings page. For security, Livedrive uses transfer layer security (TLS, the successor to the NSA-supported SSL) and two-factor authentication. The service also ensures that data is distributed across multiple locations and obfuscated so it can’t be linked to an individual account. It conforms with all EU privacy laws for Britain’s continental brethren. How this fares in light of Brexit, we can’t say. But Livedrive is secure. Livedrive also provides Android and iOS apps so you can keep your mobile devices backed up. See below The iOS Livedrive client. How much does Livedrive cost? Livedrive’s base pricing is reasonable at $10 a month for unlimited data backed up from a single PC, though it was on sale for $8.33 at the time of this review. There’s also a standalone Briefcase sync service (think iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.) with a generous 2TB of space for $17.58 a month (currently on sale for $14.66 per month). The Pro Suite offers both Backup and Briefcase as well as five seat licenses for $27.50 a month ($22.08 on sale). Nicely, according to the company, the sale prices are also the rollover prices so there’s no unexpected bump in cost when your plan renews. Note that I evaluated the Pro Suite version which also includes five seat licenses. Livedrive pricing. The non-sale prices are up just slightly from those we saw at our last look in 2021. The Briefcase options are rather pricey considering the aforementioned alternatives, many of which are free for smaller data sets. Online backup competitor iDrive offers sync as part of its standard backup plan.  Nicely, the sale prices are also the rollover prices so there’s no unexpected bump in cost when your plan renews. How fast is Livedrive? I was pleasantly surprised by the 5- to 10MBps upload rate I saw from Livedrive. The company’s data storage facilities are in the United Kingdom so it’s traveling a ways from San Francisco, CA, U.S. where I reside. Of course, that speaks as much to continual improvements in internet infrastructure as the company’s operations, but the bottom line is that you don’t have to worry about backup speed as you might have once. Livedrive starting a backup. It completed successfully in case you were wondering. Nor do you have to worry about the backup’s impact on system performance. Livedrive had backed up 34.5GB of a 250GB backup without my even noticing it. Backups that don’t disturb your computing day are nice.  Should you pay for Livedrive? Yes. Its flawless setup, minimalist interface, and smooth operation make for a superior experience. If you value impeccability, Livedrive is an excellent choice for online backup. That said, it would be nice if the client provided a secondary backup to local storage — restore from local media, when available, is far faster.   Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article. Read...

Google Chrome has added a new feature that allows it to split a tab into two parts, allowing the user to view two separate web pages in the same browser window. This feature was first spotted by browser reviewer Leopeva64 via Windows Latest. It’s currently hidden in the latest version of Chrome and cannot be used. Google is working on a `split screen` feature for Chrome, this feature will allow you to view two websites in one window, it is still in an early stage of development so it doesn`t work yet:https://t.co/9Uc4TqtaPK.https://t.co/5gVxnxS1mC pic.twitter.com/0XhByppVqJ— Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) January 17, 2025 Once available, it looks like it’ll be possible to split a tab into two different display halves by right clicking on it and selecting the “Split Tab with Active Tab” option. The same feature has previously been seen in Microsoft’s Edge browser where it’s called “Split Screen” and can be activated via the settings in the three-dot menu. In Edge, it’s also possible to right click on a tab and select “Open in Sidebar” to achieve similar functionality. At this point, it’s unknown when the split tabs might appear in the stable version of Google Chrome. Read...

The Steam Deck has been a smash hit on the PC gaming scene, at least as much for its low price and portability as for its efficient Linux-based SteamOS. We’ve seen a few tries at making an equivalent mini PC or gaming set-top box with the software, but what if you cut out the middleman and just shave every possible hardware element off the Steam Deck itself? Say hello to the “Steam Brick.” A modder known as crastinator–pro did just that, outlining their process on the Steam Brick GitHub page (spotted by Hackaday). They removed pretty much everything from the Steam Deck except the primary motherboard, cooling system, and battery, then shoved it into a custom-made 3D-printed case. The result is a tiny headless PC that measures 7.6 inches by 4.9 inches and weighs just over a pound. It can be played on the go with a wireless controller and portable screen (or with a set of AR glasses, like the Xreal Air 2 Pro shown in the photos). Alternatively, you can plug it into a dock or an external monitor via USB-C and operate it like a regular Steam Deck in docked mode. Crastinator-pro The modder fully admits that the build isn’t exactly overflowing with utility. “I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could that I didn’t stop to think if I should,” they say, quoting a certain leather-bedecked chaotician. That said, I’ve been wondering for over a year if there’s a market for cheap, low-power alternatives to a Steam Deck that can be tossed behind a TV and operated like a game console. The Steam Brick isn’t that machine, specifically. There’s still a battery inside, and of course it’s a one-off design. (Though if you want to make your own, there’s more than enough info available to replicate it.) But I wonder if companies like Lenovo, Asus, and Acer aren’t taking a look at these kinds of projects, at Valve licensing out SteamOS for fully third-party hardware, and doing a bit of math for future product development. Read...

Update KB5050009, the first patch of the year for Windows 11, released two weeks ago on January 15. However, instead of fixing and improving the problematic 24H2 version of Windows 11 (which is now mandatory), this update once again brings with it a number of problems. As reported by Windows Latest, users are encountering various errors with sound output, Bluetooth connections, and more. Main issues of update KB5050009 After installing patch KB5050009, some users have no more sound. The issue can be traced to USB DAC ports no longer working, so headphones are no longer recognized. But it isn’t clear why this is happening. Unfortunately, even if you switch to Bluetooth headphones, you may still be left without sound. Headsets and earphones can still be connected via Bluetooth, but won’t emit any sound after the update. No specific manufacturer is currently tied to these issues. There were already problems with the audio output of Windows 11 back in December with a different patch. At that time, Microsoft blocked the availability of 24H2 for affected devices, meaning affected PCs temporarily couldn’t update to version 24H2. As of this writing, no update block has been issued for patch KB5050009. Other problems in update KB5050009 In addition to USB audio and Bluetooth connection issues, this update has a bug where integrated webcams are no longer recognized on some PCs. It mainly appears to affect Dell monitors so far, and only a complete reinstallation of Windows 11 can fix the issue at the moment. Furthermore, users have been reporting all kinds of other issues ever since the January 2025 update for Windows 11 24H2, including: Installation errors with error codes or endless restarts. Crashes caused by the Alt + Tab key combination during gaming. Ctrl + Alt + Delete and the Task Manager no longer working. Smart App Control incorrectly blocking apps and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). There’s currently no known solution for the issues caused by patch KB5050009. Your only course of action right now is to try uninstalling the update and hoping it’ll resolve your errors. You should also pause the automatic installation of updates if you’re affected. In any case, the timing of this patch and its problems is pretty bad, as Microsoft wants to convince Windows 10 users to switch over to Windows 11 24H2 with the offer of a free upgrade. Read...

Maybe you just subscribed to a new VPN service and are already regretting it. Or maybe you’re a long-time subscriber and your old provider just isn’t cutting it any longer. Perhaps your current VPN is in hot water for selling user data or a competitor has better pricing.  The VPN market is in constant flux, with the relative quality of services and features vacillating between providers at any given time. What was the fastest VPN or had the most servers last year may look different now. Given this, there are a myriad of potential reasons to switch VPNs. But should you? I’ll break down the best reasons to help you decide if it’s time to consider a change. Your VPN is too expensive On the surface, this reason is pretty simple: Your current VPN costs too much money and a competitor is cheaper. And this is good logic if you’re totally strapped for cash or you just use a VPN to connect to the same server every time. But it’s not the case for most users, and if you dig down a little deeper you’ll find that there is more to consider regarding pricing. Things such as a VPN’s speeds, server network, and feature set should all be taken into account when looking at a service’s value. Sure, a VPN might charge less than one dollar a month, but you’ll likely find it has poor speeds, a small network, or the most basic of features. Some of the more expensive services such as NordVPN might charge upwards of $12 per month, but they come with a load of useful tools and features that potentially make them worth that extra dough. Further reading: The best VPN services Still, as VPN providers offer larger and larger feature sets, they’re also predictably upping the price on subscriptions. It eventually reaches a point for many where it’s no longer worth it. If you end up still needing a VPN but don’t want to spend so much money, then there are a couple of options to ease the financial burden. If possible, I’d recommend that you try to switch during common sales events. Times like Black Friday or the holiday season at the end of the year are great opportunities to find excellent discounts on even the top providers. You could potentially lock in a long-term deal during these sales events for half price or cheaper. Otherwise, there are always some VPN deals running throughout the year where you can potentially snag a good discount. If you’re still unsure about switching, many providers offer money-back guarantees or free trial periods where you can try out the new VPN without having to commit. A competitor provides better privacy and security A clearly defined and detailed no-log policy should be a top priority for your VPN.StrongVPN Many people use a VPN to keep their activities private and secure. Using a VPN that has known security flaws or privacy issues defeats the purpose. Therefore, if you know that your VPN service has any problems with either of these two critical elements, it’s best that you change providers right away. There are a few common warning signs that you can look out for regarding the privacy and security of your VPN. The first is a recent data breach or hack. This is a clear red flag and an indicator that it’s time to switch services. Regularly checking the news for info about your VPN provider can help alert you to a problem early on.  User privacy is another key factor that determines the quality of a VPN. It’s a little trickier to determine if your VPN is adequately protecting your privacy though. A VPN should have a clear and comprehensive no-logs policy and preferably back up this claim with a third-party audit. Further reading: 9 things you realize when you first start using a VPN Some more shady VPNs, most commonly free services on the app store, have been known to hoover up the private traffic of users and sell it to third-party advertisers and data brokers. If you suspect that your VPN may be collecting your data or just want to be extra careful, it’s a good idea to first check the company’s privacy policy. Make sure that it has a stated no-logs policy backed up with an independent audit. If not, it’s time to jump ship. Your VPN’s connection speeds are too slow Here you can see speed tests both for my baseline internet and while connected to a VPN—it will always drop, but it doesn’t mean your internet should slow to a crawl.Sam Singleton While privacy and security are the main selling points of a VPN service, connection speeds shouldn’t be overlooked. Choosing a fast VPN  can have a huge effect on your quality of life, leading to quicker file downloads, website load times, lower latency while gaming, and higher-quality streaming—basically just a better overall experience. If you notice spinning wheels or long buffering times while connected to servers with your current VPN, it might be too slow. This is of course all dependent upon your home internet connection speed. All VPNs typically slow down your connection a bit, but if your home internet is already slow, switching VPNs won’t help. The best way to figure out if your current connection is too slow is to test your VPN speed. Using an internet speed test site such as speedtest.net, you should first test your home internet to establish a baseline. After that, connect to your VPN on your regularly used servers and run the test again. Internet speeds are notoriously fickle, so it’s best to try these tests over multiple days to really get a clear picture. Further reading: How to test if your VPN is working These tests will give you a better idea of how much your VPN is slowing your home connection. But really this is going to come down to what you want to use a VPN to do online. If streaming, torrenting, or gaming are your main goals and your current VPN is just too slow, then you should consider a faster alternative service. You can’t access streaming services with your VPN Nowadays it’s common for people to utilize a VPN to get around geo-restrictions on streaming content. Simply connecting to a VPN server in a different area or country allows you to access a whole different catalog of shows and movies that you might not have in your home country or while traveling.  If your current VPN doesn’t have a large enough server network to cover the countries you want, then you probably want to choose a different service. Likewise, if you connect to your VPN in the desired country and notice that streaming services are already blocking that connection, you’ll need to switch. A Top VPN for Streaming ExpressVPN VPNs and streaming services are in a constant cat-and-mouse game of blocking and circumvention. Sites such as Netflix pour a ton of resources into finding and blocking incoming VPN users so it’s fairly common to find a blocked connection. That said, the best VPNs for streaming are generally reliable at getting around these bans. Services such as ExpressVPN have long been able to stay one step ahead of even the most formidable streaming watch dogs. Another VPN offers more features NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature provides tons of great security tools that you aren’t available with most other VPNs.Sam Singleton The VPN market is ever-changing and progressing. With a constant inflow of new features and services, VPN providers are always looking for new ways to distinguish themselves and entice users into using their service. While this may seem irrelevant to some who are happy with just the basic features—most of the changes are nonessential security add-ons—to others it’s a great way to upgrade. Missing out on one or two extraneous features probably won’t make a difference, but eventually they add up. If you’re paying the same amount for your current VPN without all of the nice-to-haves, but a competitor offers them for a similar price, this can be a great reason to switch over. Best VPN for features NordVPN Read our review Services such as NordVPN and Surfshark offer a veritable treasure trove of features for only a few dollars more per month than many other services. These include advanced protocols, antivirus, ad- and tracker-blockers, configurable multi-hop connections, and post quantum encryption. Each on their own may not be enough for you to drop your current VPN, but all of these features together provide significant value for money. It’s best to look at your current VPN and compare and contrast the features it offers for the price compared to those of competitors. If you find that your service is lacking features that you need, then switching to an alternative provider makes sense.  It’s also a good idea to consider the overall experience of your VPN. Does it work with all of your devices? Is it easy and intuitive to use? These are seemingly innocuous conveniences that if absent, can be easily remedied by opting for a new VPN provider. Read...

PC laptop trackpads are really good now. The average laptop trackpad works well, and many even feel downright great. But there’s one big upgrade that can take your laptop trackpad experience to the next level — a haptic trackpad. Haptic trackpads are still tough to find on modern PC laptops, but they’re getting there — as we see in Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptops. All else being equal, haptic trackpads offer a much nicer controlling-a-mouse-with-your-finger experience than typical trackpads, elevating any laptop to the next tier of premium feel. If you’ve ever used a haptic trackpad, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you haven’t had the pleasure of using one yet, here’s why they’re awesome and why you’ll want your next laptop to have one. Related: The best laptops, from premium to budget options What is a haptic trackpad? Let’s start by considering the traditional mechanical trackpad. When you press your finger down and click, the trackpad physically presses down and activates a physical switch. It’s simple and intuitive. Most laptops still include this type of conventional trackpad. On the other hand, a haptic trackpad doesn’t physically move when you click down on it. Instead, it has several components — a touch sensor, a force sensor, and a haptic actuator — that detect a click intent and then respond with feedback to let you know a click was registered. Microsoft Surface Pro 11 (2024)Mark Hachman / IDG So, when you glide your finger over the touchpad, it senses where you’re touching and moves the cursor accordingly (just like on a mechanical touchpad), but when you press down to perform a click, the trackpad itself doesn’t move; instead, it vibrates. It’s a lot like the haptic feedback you experience on modern Android phones and iPhones. It’s a vibration. But it doesn’t feel like a vibration. It feels like a click. How does this provide an improved trackpad experience? The differences are subtle yet significant. Let’s dive into why it’s better. Why is a haptic trackpad better? If you’ve ever used a good haptic trackpad like the ones in Microsoft’s latest Surface Laptops, you know that they just feel better to use. It’s clear as soon as you press your finger down for the first time. Now, to be fair, “better” is always subjective. You may actually prefer the conventional trackpad experience with its physical actuations. But for many, here are some of the tangible advantages that make haptic trackpads superior in feel and performance: You can click anywhere on the surface of a haptic trackpad, whereas on a mechanical trackpad you’re usually only able to click on the bottom half, not the top half. The click force is consistent across the entire surface of a haptic trackpad, whereas on a mechanical trackpad you may have to use different amounts of force to perform a click on different areas. Haptic trackpads are more durable because they don’t have physical switches that can wear out. They’re also thinner and take up less room in the laptop, making them perfect for thin-and-light laptops. You can customize how a haptic trackpad works. For example, you can choose how much force is needed to register a click, and you can change the feedback’s vibration pattern. (On Windows 11, these options are available under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad if your PC has a haptic trackpad.) Chris Hoffman / IDG Because haptic trackpads can measure the amount of pressure you’re applying with your finger, they can respond differently to different pressure levels and perform different actions. They can also provide different types of haptic feedback in different applications depending on what you’re doing. There’s a lot of potential customizability that can be unlocked by the various applications that support it. But, for me, the biggest advantage of a haptic trackpad is that it just feels so much better to use. You can click anywhere on the surface with the same pressure level and get crisp, responsive feedback. It’s just qualitatively different than clicking down on a mechanical trackpad. Which laptops have haptic trackpads? PC manufacturers are a little late to the haptic trackpad game. I hate to do it, but I have to point out that Apple popularized this technology on MacBooks a long time ago — called Force Touch and first released back in 2015 on both MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The PC industry is still playing catch-up, but they are catching up. We’re seeing an ever-increasing number of Windows laptops with haptic trackpads, and those trackpads are made by a company named Sensel. Dell XPS 13 (2024)Mark Knapp / Foundry At the start of 2025, here are some noteworthy Windows laptops with haptic trackpads available on the market: Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 7 models offer haptic trackpads. That’s one of the big advantages they have when compared to other Copilot+ PC laptops in the same price range. The Surface Laptop’s trackpad feels excellent, and I prefer it to the mechanical trackpads on more expensive laptops I’ve reviewed. Dell’s XPS 13 has a haptic trackpad, as do XPS 14 and XPS 16 models. Mark Knapp found the haptic trackpad on the XPS 13 to be “satisfying” in his review here at PCWorld. Lenovo offers a few laptops with haptic touchpads, including the ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 and ThinkPad P1 Gen 7. Yes, this is a very short list. Microsoft Surface Laptops, a few Dell machines, and a few Lenovo machines. Is that all? Really? Unfortunately, yes. It’s slim pickings out there for PC users at the moment, and I can only hope more PC manufacturers will follow suit and that haptic trackpads will become more common. They really are great. That said, here’s a bit of good news for desktop users: At CES 2025, Hyper announced an external haptic trackpad accessory. Some people do prefer desktop trackpads, but I confess I’m not one of them. Give me a traditional mouse at my desk! And as for mechanical trackpads… When it comes to trackpads, I personally prefer the haptic one on my Surface Laptop. It blows away the mechanical trackpads on all the other laptops I own and review. But not everyone agrees. Yes, some people do prefer the mechanical trackpad experience with its physical click. At the end of the day, trackpad preferences are just that — preferences. You have to figure out what you like, so I encourage you to visit any local electronics store, head over to the laptop area, and play with some of the trackpads there. There’s a good chance they’ll have at least a Surface Laptop on display. Again, decide what feels best to you. (If you aren’t sure about the trackpad or anything else before buying a laptop, you can always take advantage of laptop return policies.) I’ve spent a lot of time talking about trackpads here, but for the record, I prefer a good physical mouse over any trackpad, even a haptic one. But when I’m working on a laptop and don’t have the option of using a separate mouse, a haptic trackpad is my ideal choice. Read...

Years ago, I really wanted a laptop with an external GPU. It seemed like the holy grail of portable laptop gaming — a power-hungry GPU that lived on your desk, to be plugged in for gaming performance as needed, then unplugged when you needed to work on the go. Sadly, external GPUs never really took off. While some products were released, the idea never went mainstream. But that doesn’t mean the dream is dead! In fact, one of our favorite showings at CES 2025 was a new Asus external GPU with Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. Are we finally on the cusp of external GPUs taking off? Let’s look at what happened to external GPUs, why they didn’t take off, and why 2025 could be the year that sparks an eGPU revolution. The first external GPUs weren’t so good External GPUs now go back at least a decade. In 2015, we reviewed the Alienware Amplifier, an external GPU for Alienware laptops. A few years later, they were becoming more standardized and could connect to laptops over Thunderbolt 3. For example, in 2017, we reviewed the Akitio Node Cabinet, a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU. The problem was, eGPUs like these only worked on some Thunderbolt 3-enabled laptops. It didn’t stop people from using them, but it wasn’t exactly ideal. So while some hobbyists even created their own DIY external GPU setups, eGPUs languished in uncertainty. Furthermore, they just weren’t as fast as having the same GPU directly in your PC. Why? Well, the speed of the Thunderbolt 3 connection was a bottleneck, plus the extra latency that came from connecting the GPU over a cable rather than inserting it directly into a motherboard slot. PCIe lanes were another factor. When you insert a GPU into a PCIe slot on your PC’s motherboard, you’re generally inserting it into a PCIe x16 slot with 16 “lanes” for data transfer. An external GPU would likely use a PCIe x4 slot instead, with only four lanes. That doesn’t make it four times slower, but it does have a non-trivial impact on performance. Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry And this isn’t just theoretical hand-waving. We can point to real benchmarks that show this in practice. In 2020, PCWorld’s Adam Patrick Murray benchmarked a variety of games with a Thunderbolt 3 eGPU. With The Witcher 3, the eGPU ran the game at 60 FPS while the same GPU in a desktop PC ran the game at 140 FPS. That’s more than double the performance… with the very same GPU! (By the way, the eGPU was faster than the laptop’s older built-in GPU, but not by much.) Why external GPUs failed to take off As PCWorld’s benchmarks demonstrated, while you could slap a powerful desktop GPU into an external GPU enclosure, you’d get much better performance from that very same GPU if it was running directly in your PC. So, your hard-earned cash was better spent buying a better gaming laptop with a more powerful built-in GPU. Meanwhile, gaming laptops became ever thinner, lighter, and more portable over the last decade. Yes, they’re still a bit bulkier than thin-and-light laptops, but they’re no longer the heavy bricks that gaming laptops were a decade ago. You can now get surprisingly good battery life and portability from many gaming laptops, no external GPU required. Plus, to really get the most value out of a desktop GPU, you needed it inside a full-blown desktop PC, not sitting in an enclosure that was bottlenecked by cable speeds. And besides, if you were spending that much on a powerful desktop GPU that you could only use while sitting at your desk anyway, why not just build a powerful gaming desktop? (Or buy an equally powerful pre-built PC.) In the end, eGPUs were just too slow and too expensive. As gaming laptops grew more portable and as desktop PCs grew more powerful, it was hard to justify the expense back then. But maybe not anymore. How Thunderbolt 5 makes a difference In 2025, we’re talking about eGPUs again because we now have Thunderbolt 5, the cutting-edge tech that offers more. While Thunderbolt 3 could only hit 40Gbps max, Thunderbolt 5 can reach up to 80Gbps — or even 120Gbps in some situations. And with Intel (who develops the Thunderbolt standard) trumpeting Thunderbolt 5 for external graphics, it’s all pretty exciting. But is it just hype? Mark Hachman / Foundry Asus was at CES 2025 showing off the latest version of the Asus ROG XG Mobile, an external GPU solution that supports everything up to Nvidia’s new $1,999 GeForce RTX 5090 GPU. While it looks impressive, will it perform as well as an RTX 5090 directly inside a desktop PC? We haven’t had a chance to benchmark it yet, but I’m excited to see what those tests will show. If products like this can close the gap, that’ll be amazing — and I’ll be the first to jump on these new external GPUs. Asus But there’s a big hurdle right now: the lack of Thunderbolt 5 support in the latest PCs. As PCWorld’s Mark Hachman pointed out, Thunderbolt 5 was essentially a no-show on the latest laptops at CES: “From my conversations at the show, device makers blamed two things. First, the continued lack of Intel chipsets with integrated Thunderbolt 5 inside. But they also pointed to the stalled transition to 8K content. Without it, device makers say that consumers seem happy enough with the capabilities Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 provide.” So, even if Thunderbolt 5 external GPUs prove to be amazing, the “year of the external GPU” may not come until Thunderbolt 5 itself arrives in more laptops. And the industry may zoom right past these eGPUs, like with Nvidia announcing that GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards will come to laptops. Why bother with an external GPU when you can get a faster built-in GPU on your laptop? Why eGPUs might not be the future A decade after my interest in eGPUs was piqued, I have to be honest: eGPUs still don’t feel like they’re about to go mainstream. Yes, the tech is getting better and more capable thanks to Thunderbolt 5, but the rest of the industry continues to change around it. Gaming laptops just aren’t that inconvenient anymore. A gaming laptop can be your only laptop now, especially now that gaming laptops can be surprisingly lightweight and portable. You don’t need an external GPU to have a truly good gaming experience on a laptop. IDG / Chris Hoffman If you’re chasing absolute top-end performance, nothing beats a desktop gaming PC. Theres more to it than a GPU, too. Even in a perfect world where external GPUs performed equally as well as internal GPUs, the gaming PC would have a better CPU with stronger performance! And the cost is still a problem. Dollar for dollar, you might be better off spending your cash on the right gaming laptop (or building a gaming desktop) than buying an external GPU in addition to a normal laptop. Dominic Bayley / IDG Not to mention that performance isn’t everything. The rise of gaming handhelds like Valve’s Steam Deck proves that, with integrated graphics hardware getting more and more capable as well. Personally, I’m still intrigued by external GPUs. I want the technology to work and I want it to succeed. It’s just cool. But I no longer crave one like I used to because gaming laptops have become portable enough for me. In 2025 and beyond, external GPUs look like they’ll get better and better. But will they ever truly go mainstream? We’ll see! Further reading: The best gaming laptops under $1,000 Read...