If you’re a PC gamer, you know how expensive it can be. In addition to purchasing your favorite triple-A titles, you also need a powerful machine to run them on. When it comes to gaming laptops, it gets even more complicated, as it requires an intricate cooling system to handle the heat-generating components inside. Fortunately for you, there are some inexpensive options out there. In fact, when it comes to a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop, you don’t have to cut as many corners as you may think. If you’re feeling totally lost, don’t worry–we did the hard work for you. The laptops below have been personally tested and vetted by members of the PCWorld team, so you know you’re getting a good machine. Just note that laptop prices can fluctuate, so our picks below may occasionally go over $1,000. For more recommendations on gaming laptops, see our roundup of the best gaming laptops across all prices, or take a look at our roundup of the best laptop deals. Why you should trust us: Hey, it’s in our name! PCWorld prides itself on laptop experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we now review more than 70 laptops every year. All of the picks below have been personally tested and vetted by our experts, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards. We’re also committed to reviewing PC laptops at every price point to help you find a machine that matches your budget. Quick links to select top recommendations Best overall: Acer Nitro V 16 Most portable: MSI Thin GF63 Best connectivity: Acer Nitro V 15 Acer Nitro V 16 – Best overall Pros Solid performance Competitive price Dedicated button for quick performance mode switching Fast 165Hz display with good colors Cons Fully plastic build Mushy keyboard Weak battery life Why we like the Acer Nitro V 16 The Acer Nitro V 16 is a really good sub-$1,000 laptop, full stop. The IPS display is big and fast, and the RTX 4060 GPU has enough power to run most games on the Medium or High graphics preset. While running the built-in Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, the Nitro turned in a respectable 136 frames-per-second. Sure, it’s an older game/bench, but the fps shows that it’s very playable. The 16-inch 1920×1200 display’s 165Hz refresh rates ensures nothing but smooth gameplay. Who should buy the Acer Nitro V 16 Anyone who’s looking for an affordable laptop that doesn’t compromise on performance. The display is a great choice for action-packed worlds because it’s big and fast and the RTX 4060 GPU is capable of “running any modern game,” according to our review. The battery life isn’t the best (four hours on a single charge), but that’s about par for the course with gaming laptops. The gamer aesthetic is also a bit, ahem, loud. If you can live with those trade-offs, then you can’t pick a better value than the Nitro V 16. Alternative option: The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition ($1,099.99), which was our previous Best Overall pick until the Acer Nitro V 16 usurped its throne, is still a good option to consider. For about a grand, you’re getting reliable graphics performance, a spacious keyboard, and long battery life. The HP Victus 15 ($1,099.99) is a more subtle-looking gaming laptop if that’s your cup of tea. In addition to the sophisticated design, gameplay should look smooth thanks to the high refresh rate display (144Hz). Read our full Acer Nitro V 16 review MSI Thin GF63 (2023) – Most portable Pros Good 1080p gaming Attractive backlighting Rugged build Cons Not the most color-accurate screen Best Prices Today: $815 at Amazon Why we like the MSI Thin GF63 The MSI Thin GF63 weighs just over four pounds, which is lightweight for a gaming laptop. For context, most gaming laptops tip the scales at five or six pounds. In addition to the MSI Thin GF63 being portable, it’s also packing a good amount of power. Between the Intel Core i5-12450H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, you should be able to run most games on the Medium or High graphics preset. The 1080p display is also spacious at 15.6-inches with a refresh rate of 144Hz. Who should buy the MSI Thin GF63 The MSI Thin GF63 is a good option for college students, as it’s light enough to take with you from class-to-class. It’s also powerful enough for everyday tasks like watching Netflix, writing papers, and so on. It’ll scratch the gaming itch, too. Read our full MSI Thin GF63 (2023) review Acer Nitro V 15 – Best connectivity Pros Solid build quality Loads of connectivity options Good gaming performance Cons Mediocre display Small amount of RAM Why we like the Acer Nitro V 15 The Acer Nitro V 15 is a well-rounded gaming laptop with a ton of connectivity options, which may appeal to those who prefer to plug into an external monitor or mouse. Most of the ports live on the left side of the laptop. Those are one Gigabit Ethernet, one HDMI 2.0, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2. You’ll also find an additional USB-A 3.2 and one 3.5mm audio jack, which brings the total of USB-A ports to three. That’s excellent news, especially if you want to connect to “a keyboard, mouse, and still have room left over for a webcam or external hard drive,” according to our review.” As for the guts, the Acer Nitro V 15 is rocking an Intel Core i5-13420H CPU and an Nvidia RTX 4050 6GB GPU, which is more than enough graphics firepower. In fact, this machine hit an average of 105 frames-per-second during the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which is a sizable improvement over laptops with RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti graphics. The only caveats are the limited amount of RAM and the mediocre display. Who should buy the Acer Nitro V 15 Anyone that needs a good amount of connectivity options in their life. Overall, the Acer Nitro V 15 delivers respectable gaming performance for a fair price. In addition to that, it also comes loaded up with a wide array of ports, which is good news for those who want to have a wired connection or plug into a monitor. The RAM is light at 8GB and the display is just okay, but if you can live with those minor nitpicks, then the Acer Nitro V 15 is a fantastic option. Read our full Acer Nitro V 15 review Dell Inspiron 16 Plus – If you`re willing to spend a little more… Pros Metal build Long battery life Respectable graphics performance Cons Light on ports Gets loud under heavier workloads Why we like the Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 The Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 is something of a sleeper hit due to its powerful internal components and high refresh-rate display. Inside, you’ll find an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, which delivers solid gaming performance. The reviewer was able to play Cyberpunk 2077 at a respectable 30 frames-per-second at 1080p with the Ray Tracing: Ultra preset turned on. In addition to the good performance, you’re also getting a quality metal build as well as good battery life. Who should buy the Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 If you’re able to stretch your budget another $200 or so, we feel as though the Dell Inspiron Plus 16 7630 is a good option for college students and remote workers. It can handle anything from multimedia applications and day-to-day productivity as well as some gaming. It’s a little light on the port selection and it can get loud under heavier loads, but those are minor nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. Alternative option: The $1,349 Gigabyte G6X is a great alternative option to the Dell Inspiron Plus 16. It’s similar to the Dell in terms of sheer power, but it has a higher refresh rate display (165Hz) as well as a wider array of connectivity options. Recent laptop reviews We’ve reviewed several new laptops recently, though many cost more than $1,000. Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1: The Lenovo IdeaPad 5x 2-in-1 delivers good bang for the buck. Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360: The Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 is an excellent 2-in-1 laptop with long battery life thanks to Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware. But Lunar Lake’s focus on battery life comes at a cost, and this hardware doesn’t excel at multi-threaded CPU performance. Lenovo Chromebook Duet: The 2024 edition of the Chromebook Duet doubles down on its hybrid form factor and budget price. Lenovo has refined this design very well, and it remains a great choice if you want a cheap, reliable Chromebook that fits in small spaces and can do some light tablet duty. Just keep an eye on your tabs. Acer Swift 14 AI: The Acer Swift 14 AI isn’t exciting, but it packs well-rounded performance, good battery life, and a nice buffet of connectivity at a reasonable price. HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14: If you’re looking for a solid 2-in-1 that gets the job done and you can get behind the idea of efficiency over power, then the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is worth your consideration. Dell Inspiron 14: The choice to switch to a Qualcomm SoC should have come with some advantage over other systems, but our testing couldn’t really find one. How we test gaming laptops under $1000 The PCWorld team puts each and every Windows laptop through a series of benchmarks that test GPU and CPU performance, battery life, and so on. The idea is to push the laptop to its limits and then compare it against others we’ve tested. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each test and the reasons why we run them. For a much deeper look at our review methodology, check out how PCWorld tests laptops. Windows laptops PCMark 10: PCMark 10 is how we determine how well the laptop handles lighter tasks like web browsing, word processing, spreadsheets, and so on. HandBrake: HandBrake is more intensive than PCMark 10. It basically measures how long a laptop’s CPU takes to encode a hefty 30GB file. Cinebench: Cinebench is a brief stress test of the CPU cores. It does this by rendering a 2D scene over a short period of time. 3DMark: 3DMark checks if 3D performance remains consistent over time by running graphic-intensive clips. Gaming tests: We benchmark each gaming laptop using several titles. Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies. What you should look for in a budget gaming laptop When it comes to picking the right gaming laptop, it really depends on what you want to do with it. Do you plan on playing lightweight indie titles like Stardew Valley (no shade, I love this game) or something more visually demanding like Cyberpunk 2077? Are you going to use the machine for work as well as play? It’s possible to get reliable performance out of a gaming laptop that costs under a grand, but you’ll need to take a hard look at the individual components. You don’t need a powerful GPU for something like Fortnite. You can run even most of the newest games very well at 1080p resolution with even entry level graphics cards if you don’t mind dialing down the in-game visual settings from Ultra to more-reasonable High to Medium settings. You’ll almost certainly need to do so to hit 60 frames per second in modern games on a gaming laptop under $1,000, but the good news is they should still look good, especially on a laptop display. GPU: The thing about the GPU is that it can’t be swapped out and upgraded later, so you need to be real choosy about which one you pick, as this component will determine how well your machine runs games. Luckily, you don’t need the best of the best to get reliable gaming performance. The GTX 1650 is an entry-level GPU that’s affordable and good enough for 1080p gaming with low-to-mid graphics settings. That said, expect lower frame rates on newer titles. If you’re looking for a bit more power, the more modern RTX 4050 and 4050 Ti are preferred options, and commonly found in gaming laptops under $1,000. These perform well at Medium to High settings at 1080p. You may occasionally find a deal on an RTX 3060- or 4060-powered laptop under $1,000, but they’re relatively rare, and your best option for 1080p gaming with few compromises. CPU: Like the GPU, the processor can’t be upgraded either, so you’ll want to be selective. For Intel, we’d recommend an 13th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 or newer. For AMD, you’ll want to spring for a Ryzen 5000 or 7000. A processor with at least four cores is good, but six cores or more is better. RAM: You’ll want at least 8GB of RAM. If you can afford 16GB of RAM, it’s highly recommended. Memory is normally upgradable, so you can always swap it out and add more later on. Storage: Storage impacts how many games and applications you can install on your laptop. Like RAM, storage is often upgradable and can be swapped out later. However, you should aim for at least 512GB of SSD storage plus a hard drive, as AAA titles tend to eat up a lot of space. SSDs load games faster, as data is stored on chips rather than spinning disks. Display: 1080p is what you can expect at this price range, either with a 60Hz or 144Hz (preferred) refresh rate. Budget gaming laptops don’t always have the best displays, as that’s where manufacturers tend to cut corners to keep the cost low. If you’ve got a dim display, you can always pick up an external monitor to plug into it. Battery life: Generally speaking, gaming laptops are known for having poor battery life. That’s because they use a ton of power. They also tend to be heavier than other laptops because they need more space for heatsinks and other cooling components. Depending on the use, most will last anywhere from four to six hours on a single charge. That said, there are a few exceptions. For a deeper dive into the nitty-gritty details, check out our guide on the specifications you want in a sub-$1,000 gaming laptop. FAQ 1. Are Chromebooks good gaming laptops? This will depend on the type of gaming you want to do. But frankly, no they don’t make good gaming laptops in a general sense. Chromebooks can handle web games and Android games just fine. But a Chromebook won’t cut it if you’re looking to play the latest high-powered AAA games. This comes down to two factors, they don’t run Windows and they likely don’t have sufficient graphics power.With that said, Google is trying to bring cloud gaming to Chromebooks and it will likely be available in the future. Cloud gaming services use a remote PC or console to play games streamed through the cloud onto the Chromebook. Until that service is up and running though, Chromebooks will not be able to compete in the gaming arena. 2. Can you game with integrated graphics? Nowadays, the latest processors with integrated graphics can run a faire amount of modern PC games at reasonable settings. Intel’s newer Iris Xe line of processors with integrated graphics, for example, have been shown to run some of the latest games at 1080p and 30fps. You should know though that not all integrated graphics are capable of the same things. Intel and AMD’s integrated graphics have made huge leaps in recent years with regard to gaming performance. If you’re on a budget or looking for an ultra thin laptop with integrated graphics you can still enjoy some light gaming as well. Check out our article about Intel’s Core 12th-gen Iris Xe and AMD’s brand new Ryzen 6000 RDNA 2 for more detailed info. 3. What size laptop is best? This will come down to personal preference and intended use. If you plan to travel a lot with your laptop, then a small ultraportable size in the neighborhood of 13 to 14 inches is best. However, if want to use it as a gaming machine, then something in the 15- to 17-inch range would be ideal. Also, don’t forget to check the weight of the laptop before you buy it. Ultra thin laptops can weigh a featherlight 2 pounds while beefy gaming computers top the scales at three or four times that. Read...

Intel’s new Lunar Lake hardware is a reflection of modern chip design.  It’s tempting to call it a “processor” or “CPU” — old habits die hard, after all — but it’s really a system-on-a-chip (SoC), both in terms of architecture and philosophy. The CPU cores are joined by integrated GPU cores, a neural processing unit (NPU), and even on-chip RAM. Also, unlike past Intel chips, Lunar Lake seems set on striking a balance between the three. That’s keenly felt in Intel’s approach to Lunar Lake’s integrated graphics (iGPU). Building on the success of Intel Core Ultra, Intel’s new processors also offer Intel Arc graphics — but this time around, Intel has returned to providing each iGPU a name unique to its configuration, and the best version here is the Intel Arc 140V with eight Xe Cores and a max frequency of 2.05GHz. Meanwhile, Intel’s competition hasn’t been spinning its wheels. AMD’s latest Ryzen AI processors have their own integrated graphics updates in the form of the Radeon 880M (succeeding the well-respected Radeon 780M) and the new Radeon 890M (which clearly thumped an earlier Intel Arc iteration in our last integrated graphics test). So, how well does the iGPU in Intel’s Lunar Lake chips perform? Is it a minor boost over previous incarnations? Or a major update? Spoiler alert: Lunar Lake’s visual chops are good enough to let you play many modern games without paying extra for a discrete graphics card. Keep reading for our in-depth benchmark test results. Updated on November 22, 2024: This article was updated to include benchmark results from the Asus Zenbook S 14 with Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. Additional testing was conducted after initial results suggested the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition might be delivering lower-than-typical graphics performance for this configuration. Hardware specifications for our tests Our game benchmarks below were conducted on two laptops: a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition with Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor and an Asus Zenbook S 14 with Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processors are high-end Core Ultra 7 chips for slim-and-light laptops, though more mid-range in terms of overall core count and performance (as opposed to, say, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K). These chips are common choices for thin, light, Intel-powered laptops sold above $1,000. Cheaper laptops may offer them as upgrades. While neither the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V nor 258V are the most powerful SKUs in Intel’s latest line-up, their iGPU looks impressive on paper. Both are badged as Intel Arc 140V, which is the best version of Arc integrated graphics in the Lunar Lake line-up. They have eight Intel Xe Cores, the same number as higher Lunar Lake SKUs. With that out of the way, let’s get to the benchmarks. 3DMark Let’s start things off with 3DMark’s Time Spy and Night Raid tests. Time Spy is a more demanding (but still not especially punishing) benchmark while Night Raid is a less demanding benchmark meant for entry-level graphics hardware, including integrated graphics. Matthew Smith / IDG The Asus Zenbook S 14’s Arc 140V shows strong synthetic benchmark performance, scoring 31,946 in Night Raid and 4,236 in Time Spy. That’s a big improvement over the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition’s results of 28,193 and 3,585, respectively. While the Zenbook puts Intel closer to competing with AMD’s Radeon 890M, AMD still maintains an advantage of 39,966 in Night Raid, though it falls behind in Time Spy. That suggests we’ll see varied results in actual games, with Asus’ implementation providing stronger performance than our initial Lenovo test unit. Onward, to the games! Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Let’s give a polite round of applause to Civilization VI. First released in October 2016, the game is now eight years old — and over the course of that journey, it has roughly doubled its active player base since the months following its launch (based on publicly available Steam stats). With Civilization VII due out in 2025, the sun is setting on this title. But, at the moment, it’s still by far the most popular and commercially successful entry in the Civilization franchise. It’s also a less demanding game that’s playable even when frame rates dip below 30 FPS, which makes it easy to enjoy on mid-range, thin-and-light laptops with integrated graphics.  Matthew Smith / IDG The Asus Zenbook’s Arc 140V delivers 72.46 FPS average with 43.35 FPS 1% lows. While this matches the Lenovo’s average frame rate of 72.6 FPS, the improved 1% low (compared to Lenovo’s 55.6 FPS) suggests more stable performance. However, both Intel Arc 140V laptops trail significantly behind AMD’s Radeon 890M and Radeon 880M, which average 126.5 and 89.9 FPS, respectively. Even the older Radeon 780M beats Intel’s Arc 140V by a few frames per second. That’s a huge advantage for AMD in this title. Dota 2 Although not often discussed in “mainstream” gaming news, Dota 2 still typically sits among the top three games on Steam and has a vibrant esports scene. It’s also the least demanding game used for this test. Matthew Smith / IDG Dota 2‘s average frame rate sees another marginal uplift for the Intel Arc 140V. Though it churned out a slightly better average frame rate, its advantage comes down to just a handful of frames, which is trivial in a game that averages above 100 FPS. The minimum frame rate is more impactful. The Asus Zenbook S 14 beat a 1% low of 60 FPS, which means it can generally achieve 60 FPS or better in even the most demanding scenes. Intel Arc 140V beat the 1% lows from the AMD Radeon 880M and 890M laptops by roughly 10 FPS. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition was not as quick, however, and more-or-less tied its AMD-powered peers. Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantasy XIV is a personal favorite and remains among the most popular MMORPGs on the market. The latest expansion, Dawntrail, brought a graphics update that noticeably improves texture quality and polygon count. That makes it somewhat challenging for iGPUs to handle, though most can deliver an average around 30 FPS or better at High (Laptop) detail. Matthew Smith / IDG These results are the opposite of what we saw from Civilization VI. The Intel laptops dominate, with the Asus Zenbook S 14 averaging nearly 52 FPS and the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition averaging about 45 FPS. Both figures leave AMD’s Radeon 890M and Radeon 880M behind. Total War: Warhammer III Though it sits in the same grand strategy genre as Civilization, Creative Assembly’s Total War: Warhammer III is far more demanding. It’s enough to challenge the most capable iGPUs, even at just 1080p and the Low detail preset. Intel’s Arc 140V is no exception. Matthew Smith / IDG This is a disappointing result for Intel. While the Asus Zenbook S 14 with Intel Arc 140V delivered a small performance boost over the prior generation of Intel Arc, the game still can’t provide a consistent 30 FPS at these settings. The slower Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is even worse off, as it averaged a tad under 30 FPS. AMD’s Radeon 890M notches a win here, raising the minimum frame rate above the crucial 30 FPS line. The Radeon 880M, on the other hand, finds itself tied with Intel Arc 140V. It’s playable, I suppose, but barely. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Though over 10 years old at this point, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that keeps on giving. It remains popular and, thanks to graphical upgrades in the Special Edition, it’s still somewhat demanding for iGPUs when played at 1080p resolution and High detail. Matthew Smith / IDG These results are good for Intel. While none exactly hit 60 FPS, it’s important to note the game has a 60 FPS cap. Because of that, it’s the minimum frame rate that matters most — and Intel’s Arc 140V beats both the AMD Radeon 890M and Radeon 880M by that metric. On the other hand, the older Dell Inspiron 14 Plus with Intel Arc delivered performance very close to the Asus Zenbook S 14 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition with Intel Arc 140V. Skyrim plays well on Intel Arc 140V, but Intel’s prior-gen hardware is nearly as good. Cyberpunk 2077 We finish off with Cyberpunk 2077, a notoriously demanding game that, despite a lackluster launch, has roared back to popularity in part thanks to its visually stunning and immersive world. Matthew Smith / IDG This is a good result for the Intel Arc 140V, which delivers a noticeable improvement over its predecessor. Asus’ Zenbook S 14 took a clear lead over the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, as the Asus averaged about 48 FPS against the Lenovo’s 40 FPS. Compared to the AMD-powered systems, Intel’s Arc 140V seems to edge out the AMD Radeon 880M, but it falls behind the AMD Radeon 890M. Still, it’s important to note the Intel Arc 140V scored both average and minimum frame rates above 30 FPS at these settings. That means the game should feel playable on Intel’s Arc 140V — which, given how demanding this game can be, is impressive. Intel Arc 140V performance discussion Intel’s Arc 140V is definitely superior to the prior-gen Intel Arc offering. How much so depends on the game, but best-case scenarios see that it can increase average frame rates by up to 25 percent. That would be significant in any case, but it’s especially important for integrated graphics solutions that often struggle to hit the 30 FPS target in modern titles. An extra 25 percent can mean the difference between clearing a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS or falling short a few frames — and that’s exactly what happens in Cyberpunk 2077. However, not every game saw a noticeable performance boost. Civilization VI was no quicker on the new Intel Arc 140V than it was on an older Dell Inspiron 14 Plus with first-gen Intel Arc. The performance uplift was also rather marginal in Skyrim and Dota 2. To be fair, though, all these games were enjoyable at the settings we used for testing. We also saw a notable difference in performance between the Asus Zenbook S 14 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition. While the former felt like a respectable upgrade over the prior generation, the latter just barely edged ahead. We’ve also tried other laptops with Intel’s Arc 140V, like the Acer Aspire 14 AI, and we’ve found that performance leans closer to the Asus Zenbook S 14 than the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition (so far). But this goes to show that, in 2024, you can’t count on a graphics solution to perform similarly across all laptops that use it. You’ll need to read a review of the specific laptop you want to buy. How does the Intel Arc 140V compare to AMD’s Radeon 880M and Radeon 890M? We’d say the Intel Arc 140V has a general edge over the AMD Radeon 880M but isn’t as quick overall as the AMD Radeon 890M. As mentioned, it depends on the particulars of a given laptop. The verdict on Intel’s Arc 140V In summary, the Intel Arc 140V is a good update over prior Intel Arc integrated graphics. It pushes integrated graphics performance in a way that is at times meaningful, especially in more demanding games (like Cyberpunk 2077) that struggle to offer a steady 30 FPS. In other games, like Dota 2, the performance increase is evident in benchmarks but slim enough that it’s hard to notice in real gameplay. The real winner in all of this, truth be told, is you. Intel Arc and AMD Radeon integrated graphics solutions are competitive, and that competition is forcing both companies to put their best feet forward. In fact, Intel Arc 140V and AMD Radeon 880M/Radeon 890M graphics can now deliver performance that isn’t far behind some laptops with Nvidia GTX 3050 mobile graphics — and thanks to that, there’s a buffet of modestly priced laptops that can handle today’s most popular PC games. Read...

Begun, the OLED monitor price wars have! We’re already seeing tons of deals on gaming displays for Black Friday, and OLED upgrades have recently smashed through a $500 price floor. This 27-inch AOC 1440p OLED monitor is the cheapest one we’ve seen yet, with Newegg selling it for just $400. That’s a whopping $200 off its regular price, making it less than half of what you’d pay for a similar monitor just a little while ago. Though AOC is generally a budget brand, this Agon Pro AG276QZD isn’t skimping. It’s a 27-inch monitor with the “sweet spot” QHD (2560×1440) resolution that’s popular with PC gamers right now. And with its 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, it’s more than fast enough for intense online multiplayer games. The screen gives you DisplayPort and double HDMI inputs, plus two USB-A ports, a headphone port, a little RGB bling around the back, and VESA mounting if you want to add a monitor arm. The included stand is pretty good, with a vertical option and an angled base if you like to contort your gaming keyboard into weird spots. The only thing missing here is USB-C for easy laptop connections, but at this price that’s a justified sacrifice. Newegg is offering free shipping and labeling this as a “Black Friday Deal,” so presumably it’ll stick around for the next week. The price might stay the same, but Newegg’s stock might go quickly… so get an order in quick if you’re ready to buy! Get this 27-inch 240Hz 1440p OLED monitor for just $400Buy now at Newegg If this isn’t quite what you’re looking for, then check out our dedicated Black Friday monitor deals roundup! Read...

Steam, the world’s largest PC gaming platform, is truly a pioneer. It recently established new rules for age ratings in games and made it clear that you don’t own the games you buy. Now, the platform wants to crack down on misleading DLCs and Season Passes. Specifically, the crackdown focuses on how developers communicate upcoming content for their games and what they’re allowed to promise. Failure to honor and deliver their advertised promises could have serious consequences for the games in question. The new rules for DLCs and Season Passes Many developers on Steam already utilize the option to expand game content via DLCs and Season Passes, and those usually cost money to unlock. Sometimes, you might even buy a DLC or Season Pass ahead of a game’s release to secure future promised content. However, there are obvious risks to doing that. Some developers are deliberately vague about what exactly they’ll deliver, and others may never deliver at all. Steam wants to change this via updated official guidelines. Games with additional content must fulfill the following requirements: A complete list of all DLC included in Season Passes A basic description of the content included in each DLC An expected release date for each DLC (listed as the year, quarter, or exact date if possible) Furthermore, a Season Pass may not be released without at least one additional piece of content being made available. According to Steam, it isn’t necessary to name all of the additional content exactly. However, the spirit here is to give buyers a rough idea of what they’re getting for their money. What happens if devs don’t comply? These new guidelines are good news for players. They provide more certainty about what you’ll get before you buy, and it’s especially nice that Steam now gives you the right to be compensated for missing content or unfulfilled promises. However, non-compliance with these new guidelines can have other consequences for developers. They’re allowed to postpone the release of a DLC by up to three months, but it can only be done once. Steam can intervene in the event of further postponements: “Even if there has not yet been a customer complaint, Valve may take action if you delay a DLC more than a quarter (3 months) beyond the release window you originally promised. Actions include removing the Season Pass from sale on Steam, refunding all customers who purchased the Season Pass for the value of unreleased DLC, or allowing customers the option of refunding the entire Season Pass. For the purposes of refunds, the value of unreleased DLC will be decided in discussion with Valve. Valve may also take action if your Season Pass content is not released after one year has passed. Actions may include refunds to customers and removing the Season Pass from sale on Steam.” And if a developer ever cancels or fails to release a DLC in a Season Pass, you’ll be offered a refund for the value of that unreleased DLC. Furthermore, Steam reserves the right to decide which developers are allowed to offer DLC content on Steam. Trusted partners can continue to monetize their content, but new or smaller developers could quickly run into problems if they fail to deliver on time. Read...

Earlier this year, I said we need more anime girl PC parts. Not because I want to make my computer look like a Tumblr blog circa 2012, but because we need more variety and intentional visuals in a market that follows rote trends. And today, I saw not just a cat-themed motherboard, but a cat-themed BIOS update for it. Hell yeah! VideoCardz.com shows off the latest BIOS update for the MEOW series of motherboards, a line from Colorful/Colorfire that’s covered in cartoon cats. Now the software is also covered in cats, along with new support for AM5 and Ryzen 9000 chip features. Colorfire You can see a walkthrough of the 760M BIOS and all the goodies you get in the box from a user on Bilibili. Look at this! It’s freakin’ adorable — and still entirely functional! That’s what I’m talking about! (Imagine me making wildly expressive hand gestures as I say that. I’m not gesticulating, I have to use my hands to type. That’s how online writing works.) Sadly, it looks like actually getting your hands on these MEOW motherboards outside of China is extremely difficult. Ditto for the matching components that let you make a full orange cat-themed build, like this MEOW RTX 4060 graphics card (oh my frickin’ GOD). It’s possible — though not cheap or easy — to get them on reseller markets like eBay. There’s also a fantastic pre-built PC made with these parts, complete with a matching micro-ATX case. But has anyone actually been able to buy one? I can’t find that online. C’mon, manufacturers. Please have the courage to give us computer parts that don’t look like stealth jets covered in Christmas lights. Read...

If you’re waiting for Black Friday to score a powerful gaming laptop that won’t break your wallet, that deal is already here: Best Buy has a Lenovo LOQ for just $700. That’s 30 percent off its $1,000 MSRP, a phenomenal price for this RTX-powered machine. Let’s start there, shall we? This would already be a pretty good price for an RTX 4050 laptop, but it’s an insane price for an RTX 4060 laptop. You just don’t see these going for $700, and this is a graphics card that’ll let you crank up your settings on all but the most demanding games. And those graphics are going to sizzle on this 15.6-inch screen with 1080p resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. That means smooth graphics and no frame drops on up to 144 FPS. Plus, with the anti-glare coating, you’ll have reduced eye strain during long gaming sessions. All of that’s boosted further by an AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS CPU and 16GB of DDR5 RAM, giving you enough power to tackle nearly any task, ranging from your daily workload to your favorite games. Need even more power? You can later upgrade to 32GB of RAM. Lastly, it comes with a 512GB SSD, which isn’t enormous but is certainly spacious enough to house all your documents, photos, videos, apps, and games if you’re mindful. Unfortunately, there’s no way to expand the internal storage. If you ever need more space, you’ll likely want to grab an external SSD that connects via USB-C. This RTX 4060 laptop for just $700 is a bargain, so get it while you still can! This early Black Friday deal is truly a stunner. Save big on this RTX 4060 Lenovo gaming laptopBuy now at Best Buy Read...

If you’re looking to remove sensitive information like passwords or 2FA codes from the clipboard on your Windows PC, you’ve come to the right place. There are many ways to delete the content on the clipboard. You can delete it in the command line, in the Windows setting, and much more. If you’re not sure where to begin, don’t worry, we’ll guide you every step of the way. Further reading: Clear your Windows clipboard fast with this handy trick Option 1: Using the clipboard history for deletion If you call up the clipboard with the Windows key, you can delete the contents of the clipboard via the “Delete all” menu item. To remove the individual entries from the clipboard, use the three-dot menu to the right of the individual entries. Option 2: Delete the clipboard in the Windows settings To delete content on the clipboard, open the Windows settings and go to “System -> Clipboard.” You’ll then want to click on the “Delete” button under “Delete clipboard data.” Option 3: Delete the clipboard in the command line Use the “echo.|clip” command to delete the content of the clipboard via the command line. However, this only works if you haven’t activated the clipboard history. Option 4: Delete the clipboard with the key combination Create a new shortcut via the desktop context menu with “New -> Shortcut.” Use the command “cmd /c echo.|clip.” If you save the shortcut, you can delete the content of the clipboard by double-clicking on it. You can insert any key combination in the shortcut’s properties at any time. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Read...

Some users are experiencing a bug after updating to Windows 11 24H2 where sound levels are unexpectedly increasing to 100 percent, and it’s mainly happening on gaming-focused PCs. There are no error messages or indications other than suddenly loud volume. As of a few days, Microsoft has confirmed the bug and found that it occurs when one or more of the following are true: Your PC has updated to Windows 11 24H2. You’re using the Creative Sound BlasterX G6 external USB digital audio converter (DAC) sound system. You manually put your PC into sleep mode and then manually wake your PC from sleep mode. You attach and then immediately detach the external DAC sound system from your Windows system. You adjust the volume of the external DAC sound system and then immediately detach the external DAC sound system from your Windows system. According to Microsoft, this issue is due to a timing problem in the AudioEndpointBuilder service. No further details were given, but Microsoft is working on a fix and will provide more information as it becomes available on the issue’s support page. Read...

Black Friday still a week away, but it feels like it’s already here with some of the great deals we’re seeing — like this 49-inch ultrawide Samsung 240Hz OLED monitor that’s $650 off on Amazon. That’s a stunning 41 percent discount that drops it down from $1,500 to now $950. The Odyssey G9 OLED, as its name suggests, features an amazing 49-inch display with OLED panel, bringing you the deepest blacks and most vibrant colors available. But this is also a gamer-friendly monitor, with a fast 240Hz refresh rate and a lag-free 0.03ms response time that makes your gaming sessions as smooth and immersive as can be. It’s compatible with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, too. This is an ultrawide beauty, with a 5120×1440 resolution (32:9 aspect ratio) that’s essentially two normal 2560×1440 monitors squashed together side-by-side. It has an 1800R curvature that wraps around your field of vision, making it not just great for gaming but also useful for multitasking and productivity with minimal eye strain. It has just enough connectivity to not be a pain, including one DisplayPort 1.4 port, one HDMI 2.1 port, one MicroHDMI 2.1 port, and two USB-C 3.0 ports. The fact that it’ll clear up some desk space (taking the place of two monitors) should help make up for it, but do note that the built-in stand is only height-adjustable and it doesn’t have a VESA-compatible mount. It’s almost impossible get an OLED monitor that’s this big, this fast, and this gorgeous for this price. If you’ve been itching to upgrade your setup, now’s your chance — grab this Samsung OLED ultrawide for $950. This massive ultrawide 240Hz OLED is a whopping $650 offBuy now on Amazon Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Generous selection of ports Long battery life Good performance Cons Bad trackpad The Intel version is faster Arm PCs still have compatibility drawbacks Dim display Our Verdict The Acer Swift 14 AI offers solid all-around performance with the latest Snapdragon silicon and a generous selection of ports, but the trackpad is poor and Copilot+ features are still MIA. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Acer Swift 14 AI looks like an unimposing laptop that could easily be mistaken for any number of machines in Acer’s lineup. It has a secret inside, though. The Swift 14 AI is Acer’s first Arm-based notebook, running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor. Laptops have changed a lot in the last few years as Arm-based chips have finally gotten powerful enough to run Windows. The Acer Swift 14 AI might not be the best representative of that change, though. The Acer Swift 14 AI is slim and efficient, running for ages before it needs to recharge. It also has a pretty generous selection of ports for a thin-and-light laptop. However, the trackpad is below average, and there’s entirely too much bloatware. There are also issues that aren’t Acer’s fault—emulated apps don’t always work right and some hardware won’t play nice with Arm PCs. For the right price, the Acer Swift 14 AI can be a fine entrée to the world of Copilot+ PCs, but that price is not the MSRP. Further reading: Best laptops 2024: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Acer Swift 14 AI: Specs and features You won’t have to make any difficult choices when purchasing the Acer Swift 14 AI. There are only two variants of the machine, one with a touchscreen and the other without. Both display options are the same 2560×1600 IPS. The touch version (which I have been testing) is $1,099.99, and the non-touch version is $1,049.99. The specifications are identical, so there’s no reason not to get the touch version for an extra $50. Inside, the Acer Swift 14 AI sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100), a 12-core Arm processor that we’ve seen in laptops like Dell XPS 13 (9345). The capable Oryon CPU cores are backed up by an integrated Adreno GPU—similarly capable but not ideal for gaming on Windows. The machine comes with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage, which is sufficient in 2024 but not class-leading. CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (X1E-78-100) Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno Display: 14.5-inch 2560×1600 IPS, 120Hz, 300 nits Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD Webcam: QHD IR Webcam (2560×1440) Connectivity: 2x USB-C (USB4, 40Gbps), 2x USB-A (USB 3.2), 3.5mm audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Battery capacity: 75 Wh, 65W USB-C charging Dimensions: 12.7 x 9 x 0.66-0.72 inches Weight: 3.2 pounds MSRP as tested: $1,099.99 Acer Swift 14 AI: Design and build quality IDG / Ryan Whitwam Acer’s first Arm laptop is a nice-looking piece of hardware, with a sleek aluminum chassis that is only 0.72 inches at its thickest point. The metal frame feels sturdy in all the right places, like around the keyboard and trackpad, but I did notice some visible flexing around the vents. The trackpad itself also has issues, which I’ll get to below. The Acer Swift 14 AI is slim and efficient, running for ages before it needs to recharge. The body should stand up to daily wear and tear alright, but it wouldn’t take much to leave a dent if you’re negligent when tossing it into your bag. It’s not overweight at 3.2 pounds, but I’d like to see a laptop this size at three pounds or less. While the Acer Swift 14 AI sports a touchscreen, it’s not a convertible machine. It’s a standard laptop form factor with a reasonably sized 14.5-inch display. The bezels around the screen are slim, but not as compact as some similarly priced machines. The top bezel is a bit hefty, but it leaves room for the excellent webcam. The webcam above the display is better than most, featuring a 1440p resolution that can really show off the AI-enhanced Studio Effects, one of the few Copilot+ features you can access right now. The camera also has IR for Windows Hello biometric unlock. The hinge is smooth and opens smoothly with one hand. However, the display is also prone to sagging if you move the laptop around while it’s open—it could stand to be a little stiffer, even if it’s harder to open. You might notice the cluster of dots in the corner of the trackpad. This is Acer’s new AI indicator. The idea is that it’ll light up whenever your PC accesses AI features. Since most of Microsoft’s Copilot+ features are still in development, you’ll rarely see it illuminated. It might be an interesting quirk when there are AI features to use, but it could also be annoying. Luckily, you can disable the LED illumination in the settings. Both of the machine’s USB-C ports are on the left edge. You can charge the laptop with either one, and you won’t be hurting for ports when you do. There’s a USB-A port next to the C ports, and there’s another USB-A on the opposite side. There’s also a 3.5mm jack on that side. That’s an embarrassment of ports for 2024. I also appreciate that Acer included a USB-C to HDMI adapter with the computer. Acer Swift 14 AI: Display and speakers IDG / Ryan Whitwam The 14.5-inch display is a great size, splitting the difference between sometimes-too-compact 13-inchers and less portable 15 or 16-inch machines. The 2560×1600 resolution results in crisp visuals, and the 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth animations. The colors and brightness consistency are also excellent for an LCD panel. Touch response is quick as well. The peak brightness, however, isn’t very good. The screen maxes out at 300 nits, which is 100 nits lower than many other laptops in this price range. You won’t notice the deficit in dimmer indoor settings, but this screen can be hard to read outdoors or in a brightly lit office. The glossy finish doesn’t help, either. Acer says this laptop has advanced audio tuning courtesy of DTS. Even the best tuning is limited by the hardware, though. The speakers are tucked under the left and right edges, which is common for laptops of all prices. They get loud enough to be heard over a noisy room, but there’s very little bass even after tweaking the sound profile in the included DTS app. The mids also get distorted past about 50 percent volume. It gets the job done, but this machine won’t set a new standard for laptop audio. Acer Swift 14 AI: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Ryan Whitwam The keyboard takes advantage of the available real estate to keep most of the keys close to their standard sizes. The up and down arrows share a single key unit, though, and the power button is crammed in next to backspace, which is one of the worst places you could put it. Acer is not alone in making that decision, though. HP also loves that easy to hit power button. The keys feel better than most Acer laptops I’ve used. There’s a nice tactile bump and reasonable travel. The bottom isn’t too mushy, but you can see and feel the deck flexing if you’re a heavy typist. The trackpad is a different story. It’s a good size, and the glass surface is smooth to the touch. The illuminated AI icon is an unnecessary addition, but it’s easy to ignore. The problem is structural—the trackpad has substantial droop toward the front. When pressing to click, I can see the trackpad pulling away from the case unevenly, which makes it feel cheap and flimsy. And even when it’s not being touched, the pad on my review unit sits higher on one side than the other. Acer says the trackpad on this machine is within the normal manufacturing variance it expects. So unfortunately, the trackpad might be a deal breaker for some. If I bought a laptop with this trackpad, I’d probably consider returning it. Acer Swift 14 AI: Performance The stumbling block for Windows on Arm has long been applications—if they’re not built for the Arm64 architecture, Windows has to emulate them. Emulation was terrible on older versions of Windows, but Windows 11 does a reasonably good job. Simple applications work fine, but I’ve encountered issues with a handful of x86 programs, particularly installing them. You might also run into trouble with peripherals. Drivers have to be created for the Arm platform, so esoteric or vintage hardware probably won’t work.  In day-to-day usage, the Acer Swift 14 AI can handle all your basic computing tasks. When using Arm apps, the machine is indistinguishable from the average Intel or AMD-powered notebook. Emulated apps might be a little slower but not enough to notice most of the time. Games, however, will not run well on the Swift 14. The Snapdragon chip does at least ensure your laptop will wake up quickly. Some Windows laptops can languish in the twilight between sleep and awake for a strangely long time, but this Arm-based PC is ready to go almost immediately. IDG / Ryan Whitwam Cinebench is a CPU-focused test that shows how a PC handles heavy but brief multi-core workloads. More CPU cores grant higher scores in Cinebench, and cooling doesn’t matter very much. The Swift 14 AI runs on the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100, which is not the highest-specced version of the chip. It’s definitely the one we’ve seen the most often, though. Its 10 CPU cores push it well past the Snapdragon X Plus-powered Dell Inspiron 14. The Acer machine is only a few points behind the Dell XPS 13, which runs the slightly more powerful X1E-80-100 version of the chip. IDG / Ryan Whitwam Our preferred ARM gaming test is 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. This result illustrates the problem with gaming on Snapdragon PCs. These chips can limp along in emulated games, but the integrated graphics in AMD and Intel chips are several times faster. You can get away with simple 2D games on the Snapdragon X Elite, but you’ll have to wait for native Arm games before we can truly take advantage of the Adreno GPU. Acer Swift 14 AI: Battery life Laptops today emphasize battery life like never before, with some models running a whole day without recharging. Arm computers are noted battery life champs, but the latest Intel and AMD chips are catching up. In some low-power configurations, x86 machines can even run a bit longer than Arm ones. IDG / Ryan Whitwam Our battery rundown test consists of running a 4K video at 250 nits on a loop until the laptop dies. The Acer Swift 14 AI manages one of the higher scores we’ve seen in this test at 1,050 minutes (about 17 and a half hours). You should not have any range anxiety while using this computer, and it charges reliably with any USB-PD charger and USB-C cable, to a maximum of 65W. While the battery life is fine, it is interesting to see the Intel version of this machine actually lasts a bit longer. The gap is small, about an hour, but that’s still an impressive showing for Intel. Acer Swift 14 AI: Conclusion The Acer Swift 14 AI makes a good first impression with its solid aluminum frame and ample connectivity options, but it doesn’t quite make the sale. Acer’s trackpad feels cheap and even looks a bit off-kilter. The display, while very sharp and fast, is also a bit on the dim side, and the super-reflective glass will make it even harder to use in a bright environment. It’s hard to judge the value of Copilot+ certification because almost none of those features are available. What limited AI there is at launch is heralded by the illuminated trackpad. This is an unnecessary gimmick, which you can turn off. In general, Acer goes a bit too far with preloaded software, too. Possibly the best thing I can say about the Acer Swift 14 AI is that you can easily forget this is an Arm PC. Most x86 apps work just fine in emulation, and more Arm-optimized apps are finally becoming available. Games are off the table, but the laptop starts up quick and stays quick for the long haul. Even with its drawbacks, the Acer Swift 14 AI could be worth picking up as your first foray into the Copilot+ world. However, you should wait for a sale. The MSRP of $1,099 is a bit steep for what you get. If you can find it for closer to $900 this holiday season, it could be a good value. Read...