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| Stuff.co.nz - 26 Jun (Stuff.co.nz)Nassella tussock is on the rise in rural South Canterbury, worrying Environment Canterbury’s biosecurity team. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | RadioNZ - 21 Jun (RadioNZ)The start-up technology sector appears to be thriving despite the downturn in the wider economy. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 21 Jun (Stuff.co.nz)Environment Southland says using emergency powers to drain high water levels at the lagoon would be “legally questionable”. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | RadioNZ - 21 Jun (RadioNZ)`Fifty-one percent of Pacific children currently fall into the category of obese or overweight - which is over 70,000 Pacific children.` Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 20 Jun (Stuff.co.nz)‘’The reserves are there for a rainy day, and the community is telling us it’s raining,“ chairman Nicol Horrell said. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | PC World - 19 Jun (PC World)At a glanceExpert`s Rating
ProsModest price for decent specsBright, clear, and colorful displayCute and funky designImpressive microphonesConsDoesn’t have good sustainNot as snazzy or speedy as competitionHinge can pinchOur VerdictThe Acer Aspire Vero 16 is pretty average in most areas, but at just about every turn it avoids being bad. This makes for a good all-around package that’s pleasant to use and rarely feels like a letdown. Its affordable price makes it a viable competitor even though some of its competition can offer considerable performance upgrades for those with a bit of flexibility to their budget.
Acer’s eco-conscious project with the Aspire Vero family continues into 2024 with the Aspire Vero 16 (AV16-51P-5641). This new model carries on the recycled-plastic design and funky detailing — colorful feet and mirrored R and E keys. At $749 for a model with a decent set of specs offers a compelling budget package. It’s not the most exciting system, but as a piece of utilitarian hardware, it gets the job done. Too bad there are others doing it better.
Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops available right now.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Specs and features
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 starts out with mid-range specs, avoiding the minimal memory and storage pitfall of cheap laptops. For $749, you get a 12-core Intel Core Ultra 5 125U (2 performance cores, 8 efficient cores, 2 low power efficient cores), 16GB of soldered memory, 512GB of storage, and a 1920×1200 display. Configuration options are limited with a storage bump to 1TB, touchscreen functionality, and a processor upgrade to Core Ultra 7 155U bumping the total to $900. Acer has mentioned a configuration with a 2560x1600p display, but at the time of testing, we couldn’t see one available.
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 125U
Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X
Graphics/GPU: Intel Graphics
Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS
Storage: 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD
Webcam: 1440p
Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio, 1x Kensington lock slot
Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Biometrics: Windows Hello fingerprint
Battery capacity: 53 watt-hours
Dimensions: 14.16 x 10.1 x 0.78 inches
Weight: 4.0 pounds
MSRP: $749 as-tested ($749 base)
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Design and build quality
Somehow, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 avoids feeling like Acer’s many cheap Aspire models. Despite having much the same shape as Acer’s other laptops, the Aspire Vero 16 pulls something off with its visible and tangible use of recycled materials. The mix of different colors plastics makes for a unique chassis that has loads more character than the bland, shiny plastic on other models. This design may differ from the other Aspire models, but it’s largely consistent with earlier Vero models, which Acer has been doing for several years now.
Something about the texture also just feels more comfortable, as well. It feels more like I’m resting my hands on a park bench than on a slab of plastic slowly heating up from the system humming away inside. The chassis flexes a bit under pressure, but not to a worrying degree. And Acer has the system built to a few Mil-Spec specifications, including drop and cold resistances.
Since the display has a 16:10 aspect ratio, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 also steers clear of dated-looking bezels. It’s still flanked by strips of plastic, but they’re not terribly chunky.
The laptop is fairly sizable, though not overly so for a 16-inch laptop, and it still just narrowly manages to squeeze into a laptop sleeve meant for 15-inch laptops. It’s also not overweight for a 16-inch laptop, weighing in at just a hair over four pounds.
The base of the laptop sits on a set of four rubber feet colored in a pastel blue that continues to make this a more fun-to-look-at system than most Aspire models. The hinge design has a flaw, though. If you open it while the laptop is on your laptop, it has a propensity to pinch hard. That’s an ouch. The front edge of the laptop would also have been better with a little more rounding. Venting on the bottom lets you see right through to the heatpipes and fans, but this proximity to the surface can make the base feel more than a little hot, especially if the laptop is charging.
All told, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is an attractive laptop for what it’s offering. It could improve in a couple small ways, and it would be nice if the Acer Jumpstarts app didn’t plug ads into the notification panel, but its faults are minor for a $750 laptop.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Keyboard, trackpad
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
On the one hand, the Acer Aspire Vero 16’s keyboard is a step up from others in the Aspire line, but on the other, it’s still held back by one of the same issues. The tactility is on point, with poppy keycaps that snap back quickly and have decent resistance and stability for quick typing. But they have the same convex keycaps that make typing on Acer systems such a pain for me, as my fingers always struggle to naturally find and maintain center on the keys.
As a result, I have to settle into a slower typing speed to avoid accuracy issues. Trying to type at a fast pace, I end up with tons of errors. Relaxing into a rhythm of around 100 words per minute, I find it easier to maintain accuracy, and this bore out in Monkeytype, where I hit 108 words per minute with 99 percent accuracy after a series of much worse results that came from trying to go faster.
The keyboard includes white backlighting that’s generally helpful in dark conditions and offers two different brightness levels. Oddly, especially for a laptop presenting itself as environmentally conscious, the laptop defaults to turning the keyboard backlights on every time it wakes up even if they were manually turned off.
Acer isn’t setting a high bar with its trackpad on the Aspire Vero 16, but it gets the job done. It’s reasonably large, though definitely could have been larger. It’s pleasingly smooth, and it has a satisfying click to it. Acer has squeezed a fingerprint scanner into the trackpad, taking up just a small slider of space in one corner. Impressively, it doesn’t really impair the functionality of the trackpad in the least. A swipe over it will track just the same as a swipe anywhere else on the trackpad, though it has a distinct feel that makes it less pleasant to swipe over.
While the hardware isn’t much of an issue, sometimes the system introduces some latency to the trackpad that can impede fluid navigation. It also has a knack for rejecting hardware clicks if two fingers are on it. As someone who often guides the cursor around with a middle finger and clicks with an index finger, this can be more than a little frustrating, but it may be a niche case for others.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Display, audio
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
The display on the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is a surprising strong point. It’s very easy for laptop makers to skimp on the display, especially when it’s fitted into a more affordable machine like this. But Acer has stepped up. At 1920×1200 it’s not incredibly sharp for a 16-inch display, but it’s plenty for most uses. With a peak brightness of 374.2 nits from its anti-glare IPS panel, it proves easily visible in most conditions. Its somewhat thick bezels are even that much easier to ignore when considering the 1250:1 contrast ratio the screen achieves — a step up from the typical 1000:1 of IPS panels. Where Acer goes above and beyond is in the color.
The display reaches 86 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, which isn’t rivaling recent OLED displays, but is very respectable for just about any sub-$1,000 laptop. The color is accurate as well, measured at an average dE of 1.62 with no color exceeding a dE of 2.73. So whether you’re working on spreadsheets or web design, the display is up to the task.
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 doesn’t rock when it comes to the little down-firing speakers it has built in. They’re not very loud at all. But they do have a nice balance. Even when they’re cranked up, they don’t distort significantly, and they have a respectable amount of low-end, enough to give music and movies a little punch to the sound. Just about any pair of headphones or half-decent Bluetooth speaker will be better, but they’re certainly viable for solo listening in a quiet space.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Webcam, microphone, biometrics
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
Acer opted for a slim fingerprint scanner that lives on the trackpad, and that wasn’t for the best. In addition to it impacting the feel of the trackpad, it’s just not the best scanner. I find it struggles to register my print more often than others I’ve tested (though most bumble the task to some degree). And one time the laptop seemed to get confused and not even register my fingerprint, just registering my finger as touching the trackpad.
The webcam is a sharp one, offering a 1440p resolution that provides clear detail in photos and video. That said, resolution is only one half of the battle. While the camera does manage to pull in a decent amount of light, it doesn’t always manage light intelligently, often vacillating between underexposure and overexposure, both of which look fairly bad. The field of view is also quite wide, which may be useful if you want to get multiple people in, but may require sitting extra close if you want to fill the screen in your video calls and recordings. For privacy, the camera has hardware shutter
The microphone system built around the camera is another story. It doesn’t capture my voice at a very high volume when sitting at arm’s length, but my voice is clear. Better still, the system eliminates background noise incredibly well. A box fan blowing on me from less than two feet away wasn’t picked up by the mic in the slightest, and background café noise coming through computer speakers was also eliminated. You’ll just want to be sure you sit close and speak up so you get a good volume out of the mic array.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Connectivity
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
IDG / Mark Knapp
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 has a respectable array of ports for a budget-friendly laptop. It certainly could have done more with its size, like including an SD (or even microSD) card reader, but its inclusion of two USB-A 5Gbps ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a full-size HDMI port leaves little else to be desired for on-the-go connectivity and at-home docking options. A 3.5mm headset combo jack and Kensington lock slot round out the ports.
Wireless connectivity is also decent. The laptop features Wi-Fi 6E, so it’s ready for high-bandwidth applications and stable connectivity. Though I noted that it can take a few seconds to get connected to networks after the laptop wakes from sleep. The Bluetooth 5.3 connection proved stable during my testing as well.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Performance
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is kitted out for everyday performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 125U isn’t a top-tier chip, nor is the onboard graphics anything to get too excited about. But for the typical computing demands of a student or office worker and for casual web browsing, it’s up to the task. That said, so are plenty of other systems.
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 shows respectable performance in PCMark 10, which runs it through a variety of different workloads. And while it keeps up pretty well in most tested tasks, like video conferencing and web browsing, it falls behind dramatically when it comes to digital content creation. This comes down to its weaker peak performance and lack in graphical might. This is the first hint at why Intel isn’t giving the graphics on deck here the “Arc” branding.
Single core performance of the Acer Aspire Vero 16 actually wasn’t terribly far behind the others here, only 10-15 percent behind its Core Ultra 7 155H brethren, but the sustained multi-core performance is where it was held back. It just can’t keep up with the more powerful chips here. And with Acer lagging behind in the bursty load of Cinebench R20, it’s little surprise to see it fall even further behind in the sustained load of Handbrake.
While Handbrake, in part, helps us see multi-core performance, it also helps us see a laptop’s ability to sustain performance. Cinebench R20 is a fast test, seeing the cores spin up, rip through a task, and then wind down. By contrast, Handbrake spins them up and slams them hard for the duration of the test. That sees heat build, and enough heat will force the processor to dial back its speeds, resulting in a longer time to complete the encoding.
When I tested the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 Gen 9, I saw that it was fairly successful at managing its thermals, and that explains how it manages to come out so far ahead of the Acer Aspire Vero 16 in the sustained load of our Handbrake test despite being nearly equals in Cinebench R20. This is more than a little disappointing for the Acer Aspire Vero 16, especially as it has two fans onboard to try keeping it cool.
3DMark’s graphics benchmarks highlight the weakness of the generic Intel Graphics onboard here. Just like we saw on the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 running the same chip, the performance is just not exceptional. Not only is the score lower overall, but we see the GPU-specific results sitting at about half of what’s on deck for the Intel Arc graphics. Different breeds of Intel’s graphics aren’t created equal. This graphical shortcoming manifests itself from time to time in everyday operation, too. Every now and then, it seems to have just had too much, and the whole screen will go black while it reboots itself.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Battery life
Battery life is a strong point for the Acer Aspire Vero 16. It proved capable of running for over 12 hours in our video playback test, which is respectable for any laptop and quite impressive from one with just a 53Wh battery. With an anti-glare coating on the display, the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is also perfectly usable at the 250-nit brightness we use for our test, so it can reflect real-world battery life for video playback well.
Sadly, the Acer Aspire Vero 16’s merits are overshadowed by its competition, which simply knocked it out of the park when it came to their battery life. All four of these other laptops beat the Acer Aspire Vero 16 by an hour or more, with the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED and Dell Inspiron 14 Plus almost delivering an extra 5 hours, though they did have smaller screens and bigger batteries. That’s little excuse for the Acer Aspire Vero 16, though, which certainly should have had the space to fit more battery if its smaller rivals could.
Acer Aspire Vero 16 (2024): Conclusion
The Acer Aspire Vero 16 is a cute, eco-conscious laptop (if you ignore its soldered on memory). It offers a decent all-around package that leaves very little to complain about. It’s performance is up to snuff in everyday use, with only a few snags here and there when it’s overloaded with browser tabs. While nothing about it is remarkable, its average marks in just about every category are worthy of some praise for a machine coming in at $750.
There’s more performance and more exceptional designs available from quite a few other laptops coming in below $1,000, but the Acer Aspire Vero 16 is still the cheapest by a wide enough margin that anyone who can’t stretch their budget or stomach the smaller screens can rest assured the Acer Aspire Vero 16 isn’t a bad alternative. And it might just be a better option for the environment.
Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | RadioNZ - 19 Jun (RadioNZ)In the mood for some big emotions? Want to feel better about the environment? Film critic Dan Slevin serves up his pick of what`s on offer at this year`s festival. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | PC World - 19 Jun (PC World)If your existing printer suddenly gives up the ghost and can no longer be repaired, a replacement is usually needed quickly. After all, many people can’t manage without an output device — not in the family and certainly not in the home office or small office. It’s not a good idea to jump straight to the next best printer offer, no matter how attractive the price of the device may seem.
It is much better to ask yourself a few questions about your future printer model before making a purchase. The more precise your answers are, the better the output device will ultimately suit your application scenario.
It’s worth the effort when you consider that a well-chosen printer will usually serve you for several years without complaint.
The focus here is not so much on output quality. After all, there is no such thing as a really bad printer these days. The printing units in all printer classes are too sophisticated for that. Bad purchases are more likely to be caused by the wrong choice of printing technology, a lack of features or excessive follow-up costs.
What do you need: Printer or multifunctional device?
The first decision before buying a printer is simple:
Do you only want to print or should the new purchase also be able to make copies and scans?
In the first case, a pure printer (single function) will suffice. In the second case, you should focus on a multifunction device. Then ask yourself whether you need a fax or not. This allows you to quickly rule out certain device series.
Very inexpensive combination models usually only have a rudimentary control panel with small displays — as here on the HP Deskjet 2820e. They often prove to be impractical, as you have to perform most actions using buttons without labelling.
Very inexpensive combination models usually only have a rudimentary control panel with small displays — as here on the HP Deskjet 2820e. They often prove to be impractical, as you have to perform most actions using buttons without labelling. HP
Very inexpensive combination models usually only have a rudimentary control panel with small displays — as here on the HP Deskjet 2820e. They often prove to be impractical, as you have to perform most actions using buttons without labelling. HP
HP
You need to be aware of this: A multifunction device gains in size the more functions are integrated. Almost all models with a fax function also have a built-in automatic document feeder (ADF), which increases the height of the device. If there is enough space at the planned installation site, you can of course also consider a model with an ADF but without a fax.
If you decide in favor of a multifunctional device, the control panel is an important point. Its importance is often underestimated. Wrongly so, as it makes numerous tasks besides copying — such as connecting to the WLAN or searching for problems — much easier.
On the other hand, a device with a very small display or pure button operation often turns out to be cumbersome and time-consuming to use. Over time, you will usually prefer to carry out certain monitoring and control activities via an app on the mobile device or using a driver or help tool on the PC.
On the other hand, large touch displays are reflected in a higher purchase price. That’s why entry-level multifunction devices only have text displays, from which you often can’t read much more than the number of copies.
Which is better: Inkjet or laser printing technology?
Whether a printer with inkjet or laser technology is best for you depends on the main purpose of use.
A printer for your workplace, which is essentially intended to print invoices on company paper or typesets, does not need to be able to display bright colors, but must be able to print texts very clearly and legibly. In this case, a black and white laser printer is the right choice. Small single-function devices are available from as little as $100 — such as the Pantum Laser Printer.
A monochrome printer is out of the question for a family printer. Color printing is a must here, as the tasks are too varied. After all, the device should be able to fulfil the printing needs of all users. Both a color laser model and an inkjet device can do this. As the document authenticity of a color laser printer is probably not important in the family, an inkjet printer is the best solution.
Pure black and white printers, such as the Brother HL-L2400DWE shown here, are ideal if color is not important but texts need to be crystal clear on paper. As compact workplace devices, they start at a good $100.
Pure black and white printers, such as the Brother HL-L2400DWE shown here, are ideal if color is not important but texts need to be crystal clear on paper. As compact workplace devices, they start at a good $100. Brother
Pure black and white printers, such as the Brother HL-L2400DWE shown here, are ideal if color is not important but texts need to be crystal clear on paper. As compact workplace devices, they start at a good $100. Brother
Brother
Once you have come this far in your decision-making process, you should also consider how high your throughput will be. This is not an easy question to answer — especially if your focus is on private printing.
If you expect or know that the printer will be in use several times a week and will have to produce multiple copies, this already speaks in favor of higher usage.
And the more potential users there are, the higher the expected number of printed pages. This increases the utilization of the device. Small entry-level printers are quickly overwhelmed here. It is best to choose a mid-range inkjet model.
For multifunction devices, the price gives a rough indication: An all-round cartridge model should cost over $100. If you’re looking for a multifunction printer with a tank system, you can expect to pay around double that amount.
While laser printers are the best at printing text, inkjet devices are unbeatably flexible when it comes to handling different print materials. In addition, only inkjet printers can print photos without borders.
While laser printers are the best at printing text, inkjet devices are unbeatably flexible when it comes to handling different print materials. In addition, only inkjet printers can print photos without borders.
IDG
While laser printers are the best at printing text, inkjet devices are unbeatably flexible when it comes to handling different print materials. In addition, only inkjet printers can print photos without borders.
IDG
IDG
In some respects, inkjet technology clearly beats laser printing: Only an inkjet device can print with more than the four standard print colors blue, red, yellow and black. With all-round devices, you will therefore often find the black cartridge in two versions — one as text black and one as photo black. The former increases the quality of text printing, while the latter benefits image printing.
In addition, only an inkjet printer can print a photo without borders. A laser printer always leaves a white border.
The inkjet printer is also ahead when it comes to the use of materials. For example, it can handle photo papers that imitate the classic photo print thanks to their multiple coating. When printed, these papers not only look like photos, but also feel like them.
How can follow-up costs be calculated in advance?
When it comes to price, buying the device is not enough, as every printout costs money. It is therefore useful to know the follow-up costs for ink or toner before you buy.
With a little research, you can at least roughly estimate the cost per page. This is because the manufacturers must specify a mileage in A4 pages for the ink cartridges and toner cartridges. In both cases, the range values are subject to ISO standards.
If you have now set your sights on a particular printer model, take the time to find the right replacement cartridges or toner cartridges. The text page is quickly calculated as you only need to divide the price (in cents) for the black color by the number of pages. Inexpensive devices should cost between 1 and 3 cents for a black and white page.
To estimate the color page price, calculate the sum of the cartridge prices of all available colors. In addition to blue, red, and yellow, this also includes any additional colors for inkjet printers. Divide these in turn by the page yields. However, the mileage can also differ depending on the color. You then need to calculate the values for each color individually and add the results together at the end to get an estimate of the color page price.
If the calculated result is less than 10 cents, the color page costs are low. Anything above this limit tends to be expensive.
Further reading: 6 printer tricks that solve problems and save energy
Notes: If you want to calculate the color page in a more practical way, add up the results of the black and white and color pages. Even with the color page, which is used for ISO ink measurement, there is a text component for which most printers use black ink.
We must also contradict the widespread opinion that the page prices of laser devices are always cheaper than those of inkjet printers. In addition to the toner cartridges, other consumable components can be added depending on the model — such as developer units or transfer ribbons. These are considerably more expensive than possible wearing parts on inkjet printers, such as the ink waste container. Not to mention the electricity costs, which are much higher for laser devices than for inkjet models.
Is an ink subscription worth it?
If you print and copy regularly but don’t want to deal with ink ranges and cartridge replacement, you can opt for an ink subscription model. This form of replenishment is particularly recommended if you want a low-cost printer and only have a low printing requirement.
With this combination, you can cleverly compensate for the disadvantage of small cartridges with little content and the resulting high follow-up costs.
HP is a pioneer in ink subscriptions with Instant Ink. Several printer manufacturers now offer a comparable service. Brother calls it Refresh, Canon Pixma Print Plan and Epson ReadyPrint .
What they have in common: They offer a subscription based on a certain number of printed pages. Unused pages can be carried over to the following month and additional printed pages cost extra.
Some of the offers differ in terms of quotas and tariffs. They also usually only apply to certain printer series. You should therefore check whether your desired device is included before making a purchase.
Which equipment is worthwhile in the long term?
Laser printers in particular — such as the HP Laserjet M234xx series — are available in different configurations. They are labelled with letters in the product name. If you need a WLAN connection, look out for a small “w”.
Laser printers in particular — such as the HP Laserjet M234xx series — are available in different configurations. They are labelled with letters in the product name. If you need a WLAN connection, look out for a small “w”. HP
Laser printers in particular — such as the HP Laserjet M234xx series — are available in different configurations. They are labelled with letters in the product name. If you need a WLAN connection, look out for a small “w”. HP
HP
Some features only become particularly worthwhile over time. These include the automatic duplex printing unit. It allows you to save paper with every multi-page document. This is good for your wallet and also for the environment. With a multifunction device, make sure that the automatic duplex function can also be used for copying.
If you often handle several print formats or paper types, then a second paper feed is an investment that you will really appreciate after a while. Even frequent printers can increase the total supply with an additional tray and save frequent paper reloading.
Printers are not always in the ideal place. For this reason alone, a Wi-Fi connection is worthwhile. It is also automatically included with most inkjet models for the home or home office.
The situation is still different with laser printers. As these are often intended for office environments, the models are available in different versions. The Wi-Fi connection is usually labelled with a “w” in the product name, as is the case with the HP Laserjet M234dwe.
What should I know about print speed?
Even with ink tank printers, not every model is fast at processing print jobs, although the high ink supply might suggest this. Especially with compact entry-level devices for home use, such as the Epson Ecotank ET-2821, the speed in color is only half that of black and white printing.
Even with ink tank printers, not every model is fast at processing print jobs, although the high ink supply might suggest this. Especially with compact entry-level devices for home use, such as the Epson Ecotank ET-2821, the speed in color is only half that of black and white printing. Epson
Even with ink tank printers, not every model is fast at processing print jobs, although the high ink supply might suggest this. Especially with compact entry-level devices for home use, such as the Epson Ecotank ET-2821, the speed in color is only half that of black and white printing. Epson
Epson
For each printer model, you will find the speed specifications in A4 pages per minute in the technical data.
It is important to take a close look here: To compare the speed values of different devices, focus on the time measurements based on the ISO/IEC24734 standard. It specifies a fixed document set and standard resolution for the speed runs. On the other hand, you should be wary of specifications with the addition “up to.” As a rule, these are performance specifications for the lowest resolution level (design mode).
If you need a high throughput, a laser printer is often the right choice. Even inexpensive models can print up to 18 black and white ISO pages per minute. If the figure for color printing is just as high, the color laser printer has a built-in single-pass printing unit.
With inkjet printers, the throughput of black and white and color pages differs in the vast majority of cases due to the technology used. The following applies here: If the print speed in color drops by half compared to black and white performance or if it is significantly less than 10 pages per minute in black and white printing, you must expect that all color prints will become a real waiting game.
Printers Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | RadioNZ - 18 Jun (RadioNZ)A long list of cuts to climate and environment-related areas means the government risks damaging its global reputation, an academic says. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | PC World - 17 Jun (PC World)Your antivirus will protect you from many online threats, but no antivirus is perfect. Truth is, your PC can still be hacked even if you’re using reputable security software with a solid track record.
When we talk about your computer possibly being “hacked,” that’s exactly what we mean: a cybercriminal has gained access to your PC and compromised it in some way.
The hacker in question may be a criminal organization that’s installing malware on millions of PCs (e.g., to spy on you and steal your credit card numbers), or the hacker may be an individual using a remote access Trojan (RAT) to personally spy on you through your webcam.
Here some common warning signs that your PC might’ve been hacked, exposing your personal data and system resources.
Is something fishy? Run an antivirus scan
First things first: If you’re concerned that your computer has a virus or another type of malware, you should run a scan with an antivirus program—ideally one of our recommended antivirus software picks.
You should also consider using the free Norton Power Eraser (or a similar tool). Tools like this will reboot your PC into a special scanning environment outside of Windows so they can spot and remove malware like rootkits that normally evade detection.
Perhaps you’ve already run a scan. If your scan didn’t find anything wrong but you’re still concerned, I recommend getting a second opinion.
Beyond that, let’s dig into the actual signs you may have a problem with viruses, worms, rootkits, keyloggers, Trojans, crypto-miners, ransomware, or other dangerous malware on your Windows computer.
More like this: What to know about ransomware before it’s too late
1. Antivirus warnings and other messages
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Warnings from your antivirus—whether that’s the Windows Defender antivirus built into Windows itself or another antivirus you’ve installed—can be a sign that an attacker has gained access to your PC.
If you see lots of notices about a virus or other malware being detected, that’s a real sign that something is wrong. Even if your antivirus continues to insist that the malware was removed, if it keeps happening over and over, you should be suspicious.
It’s possible that your antivirus is only doing a partial cleanup. Whoever has hacked your system may have a foothold on your system that your antivirus software isn’t catching.
Meanwhile, strange messages saying that your antivirus is disabled are also a problem. An attacker who hacked your PC may have disabled your antivirus to stop it from getting in the way.
2. Webcam light mysteriously on
If your computer’s webcam light is ever on and you don’t know why, that’s a big problem and you should find out why. If you can’t pin down the cause, a hacker may be involved.
If someone is using a remote access Trojan (RAT) or some other kind of malware that spies on you through your webcam, you’ll usually see a webcam light indicating the camera is in use. (Some laptops and PCs don’t have webcam lights, but they may still show you that your webcam is in use with a system tray icon.)
You may be able to see which application is using your webcam from your PC’s Settings app, but, unfortunately, malware can hide from this list.
It’s also possible that you’ve left a video conferencing app running in the background, of course—and that’s also something you’ll want to know about! Here’s a guide for taking control of your webcam privacy.
3. Unusually slow performance
If your computer was hacked and malware is running on it, you may see slow performance. Applications may take a long time to open, web pages may take a long time to load, and things may just feel sluggish.
This can happen if a lot of malware is running on your PC or if you have a specific type of malware that’s draining your system resources. For example, crypto-mining malware may use all your CPU and GPU resources to mine cryptocurrency, slowing everything to a crawl.
You can dig into the Windows Task Manager to see exactly what’s consuming resources, but Windows has a lot of legitimate background processes that could be using lots of system resources. For example, things can slow down while installing updates.
So, if performance seems low and your computer is crunching away on something in the background, it may not necessarily mean you have malware—but it’s definitely worth looking into.
4. Computer freezes and application crashes
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
If Windows keeps freezing or your apps keep crashing, that’s another sign that something isn’t quite right.
Malware that digs deep into the Windows operating system may install drivers or interfere with the Windows kernel, which can cause system instability in the form of blue screens, crashes, and freezes. It may also interfere with the applications you use, causing them to crash.
This isn’t foolproof evidence of your computer being hacked, though. Blue screens can be caused by hardware problems and application crashes can be due to the application itself. But if you can’t figure out the root cause, malware should be on your radar.
5. Strange applications and popups
If you’re getting a lot of weird popups (like browser popups) or other weird, unexpected applications showing up, that could be a sign someone with access to your PC—or just malware running in the background—is installing that junk on your PC.
Of course, even this isn’t a way to know for sure. PCs often come with a lot of manufacturer-installed applications you may not recognize, and some applications you use may create popups.
Popups of a text-mode Command Prompt window quickly appearing and vanishing should be suspicious, but some legitimate applications create popups like this one when they install updates.
6. Changes to browser home page, search engine, or extensions
Adware, spyware, and other “junkware” (junk software) have historically been known to take over web browsers.
When they do, these nasty forms of malware may change your browser home page and default search engine to capture more advertising revenue. They may also install browser extensions to spy on your web activity, capture information, and insert more ads into web pages.
If your browser has strange changes like these, that’s a sign your computer may be compromised in some way. You can reset your browser, but it’s also a good idea to run a deeper scan to root out the malware.
7. Odd emails being sent and received, password changes, and more
Hacks aren’t just about access to your computer. Hackers also want access to your various online accounts.
One of the most common ways accounts are “hacked” doesn’t even involve hacking a computer at all. The attacker may discover a password you use—possibly a password that you re-use everywhere, which ended up leaked in a data breach somewhere.
Then, the attacker uses your username and password combination to see if they can gain access to your other accounts. If the service allows the attacker in with your leaked credentials, they’ve essentially hacked your account. That’s why re-using passwords is so dangerous and why enabling two-factor authentication is so helpful.
If you see strange emails being sent and received, or if your account passwords are suddenly reset, it could be the result of a hack. Someone with access to your computer (or someone who knows your passwords) may have gained remote access to your accounts.
If malware scans come up clear and your computer seems secure but you still see strange things like this, it’s a good idea to change your passwords just in case.
Be on alert and trust your gut
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
Chris Hoffman / IDG
To be clear, this isn’t an exhaustive list. There may be other warning signs of hacks and/or malware. What’s even scarier is that a particularly well-executed hack may not leave any signs at all.
A sophisticated attacker doesn’t want to be noticed at all. They want to quietly spy on you and steal important data, and they’re going to do their best to ensure their hack doesn’t affect your PC in any noticeable way so they can remain undetected. That’s a big difference from the bog-standard malware that will be happy to waste your PC’s resources just to mine some cryptocurrency.
Ultimately, the best answer is to trust your gut. If something seems wrong, run scans with the various antivirus programs we recommend.
If nothing comes up and you’re still concerned, consider resetting your PC. This is basically like reinstalling Windows—you’ll get a “factory default” setup and you can set everything up again. This process will remove any malware or other hacker tools that could be lurking on your system, but you’ll have to reinstall the programs you use and set things up again afterward. Still, that’s a small price for peace of mind.
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