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| PC World - 25 Jun (PC World)At a glanceExpert`s Rating
ProsAttractive, slim, and lightClass-leading battery lifeExcellent wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi 7Good performance in real-world situationsConsVague keyboard falls short of competitorsIPS touchscreen’s image quality can’t compare to OLEDGaming performance doesn’t hold upOur VerdictThe Microsoft Surface Laptop’s strong processor performance and top-tier battery life prove that Windows’ transition to Arm has staying power, but even the most casual gamers should think twice.
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It’s a new era for Windows PCs.
The latest Microsoft Surface Laptop (alongside the revised Surface Pro) ditches Intel and AMD hardware for Qualcomm chips. This isn’t a first, as previous Surface devices like the Surface Pro 9 5G also used Qualcomm. But those devices were introductory sideshows to the main event.
The new Surface Laptop is available only with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. No Intel or AMD variants are available or planned. This bold move helps the Surface Laptop achieve strong performance and outright spectacular battery life in a thin laptop, in addition to standing as Microsoft’s debut AI-infused Copilot+ PC.
Looking for more options? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Specs and features
The Microsoft Surface Laptop’s most intriguing hardware is, of course, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. It’s a system-on-a-chip that pairs up to 12 CPU cores with Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics. Entry-level Surface Laptop variants have a 10-core processor, but the one I tested had the 12-core upgrade.
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12-core)
Memory: 32GB LPDDR5x
Graphics/GPU: Qualcomm Adreno integrated graphics
Neural Processing Unit (NPU): Qualcomm Hexagon
Display: 13.8-inch, 2304×1536 resolution, 3:2 aspect ratio, 120Hz IPS-LED touchscreen
Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 solid state drive
Webcam: 1080p with dual-mic array
Connectivity: 2x USB-C, 1x USB-A, 1x Surface Connector, 1x 3.5mm combo audio
Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition via webcam
Battery capacity: 54 watt-hours
Dimensions: 11.85 x 8.67 x 0.69 inches
Weight: 2.96 pounds
MSRP: $999.99 to start, $1999.99 as-tested
Processor aside, the Surface Laptop was well-equipped with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. These upgrades run up the price, though, which doubles from the entry fee of $999.99 to an as-tested price of $1999.99. That’s rather expensive, though comparable to other premium portable laptops like the Dell XPS 14 and Lenovo ThinkPad X1.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Design and build quality
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
It’s easy to mistake the new Surface Laptop for an older model at a glance—and I mean that as a compliment. The new Surface Laptop, like its predecessors, has a sleek aluminum body that looks luxurious and feels rigid. It favors a minimalist look with no badging aside from the glossy Windows logo on the display lid.
Look closer, though, and a few details stand out. The display bezels are much smaller than prior Surface Laptop models, and they’re now rounded at the corners for a more organic, approachable look. The edges taper more aggressively than before, too, which makes the new laptop feel thinner in-hand. The new Surface Laptop is technically thicker than its predecessor, but feels more nimble.
The Surface Laptop weighs 2.96 pounds. That’s a bit heavier than competitors like the Apple MacBook Air 13 M3 and Dell XPS 13, both of which weigh 2.7 pounds. Though the difference seems trivial on paper, I did notice it. In fact, the first thing I said while unboxing the Surface Laptop was, “Wow, this feels a bit chunky.” Once placed in a backpack or bag, however, the Laptop’s extra ounces fade away.
Microsoft continues to stick with an unusual display aspect ratio of 3:2, which is far closer to square than the more common 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratios. As such, the Surface Laptop feels a bit boxier than competitors and it might not fit in some sleeves meant for a 13.3-inch widescreen laptop, as its dimensions are different from the norm.
But the 3:2 aspect ratio is an advantage if you frequently work with text documents or web pages, as you can see more vertical space at once. (In fact, the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop’s vertical display height is identical to a 15.6-inch laptop with a 16:9 aspect ratio.)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Keyboard and trackpad
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
The new Surface Laptop’s keyboard doesn’t live up to expectations. It has a roomy layout with large palm rests, which makes it comfortable to use, but key feel is an issue. Keys activate with a mushy, quiet, ill-defined action that lacks feedback.
Don’t get me wrong: it’s usable. But I don’t like it as much as the prior Surface Laptop (I own a Surface Laptop 4) or the keyboards found on competing laptops, like the Dell XPS 14 and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED.
A keyboard backlight comes standard—as is typical for a laptop in this price bracket—and offers three levels of brightness. It’s a bit dim even at maximum brightness, so the backlight isn’t easily visible when used in a bright room. However, the backlight’s minimum brightness is very low, which is preferable if you use the laptop in a nearly pitch-black space.
While the keyboard is a miss, the touchpad is solid. It measures roughly five inches wide and a bit more than three inches deep, which is comparable (or smaller) than other Windows laptops. But the touchpad felt extremely smooth and responsive.
It also handled multi-touch gestures with ease. Fans of Windows’ pinch-to-minimize (and other more complicated multi-touch gestures) will be pleased. It also supports haptic feedback, which convincingly emulates the feel of a mechanical button when the touchpad is tapped.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Display and audio
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
As mentioned earlier, the Surface Laptop has an unusual 13.8-inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio. It also has a unique resolution of 2304×1536, which works out to a pixel density of 200 pixels per inch.
That’s a bit less than 14-inch competitors with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a resolution of 2880×1600, which hits about 242 pixels per inch. It’s also less than a MacBook Air M3 13.6-inch, which delivers 224 pixels per inch. These numbers aren’t as meaningful as they seem, though, because all three pixel densities look sharp in the real world. Still, the Surface Laptop is at a slight technical disadvantage as far as sharpness.
The Surface Laptop also continues to lag in display technology, as it sticks to an IPS-LED display without a dynamic backlight. That’s bad news for the laptop’s contrast ratio, which is far less impressive than competitors with an OLED display panel or Mini-LED display backlight.
It’s not a problem when working in Word or Adobe Acrobat, but it’s easy to notice when playing games or watching movies, especially in a dark room. The Surface Laptop looks less immersive and engaging than competitors like the Dell XPS 14 and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED.
That said, Microsoft strikes back with a 120Hz touchscreen that feels snappy. Many Windows laptops have abandoned the touchscreen, and others that offer touch—like the Dell XPS 14—stick to a lower refresh rate that feels less responsive. Plus, the Surface Laptop’s traditional clamshell design isn’t well-suited to touch input (the hinge doesn’t even fold back 180 degrees), but if you like to smudge up the screen, the Surface Laptop has you covered.
The 120Hz refresh rate can also, in theory, deliver a more fluid experience while playing PC games. However, the Surface Laptop’s gaming performance and support isn’t great, so finding titles that can run at up to 120 frames per second will be a struggle.
Audio performance is good, if not amazing. The Surface Laptop’s speakers are extremely loud at maximum volume and sound good with less-complex content, like podcasts. Throw a bass-heavy track at the Surface, though, and the speakers become muddy and harsh.
The speakers are above-average for most 13- to 14-inch laptops, but still behind audio leaders like the Dell XPS 13 and Lenovo Yoga 9i.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Webcam, microphone, and biometrics
A 1080p webcam is packed into the Surface Laptop’s thin top bezel. It provides acceptable video quality straight away, which is improved by AI-powered Studio Effects filters (a feature the Surface Laptop shares with other Copilot+ PCs). The filters add background blur, automatic framing, and real-time effects that, in practice, add up to decent video quality.
Microphone quality is great. It picked up my voice with excellent volume and easily filtered out background noise, including persistent noises (like a fan) just a few feet away from the laptop.
Biometric login is supported through Windows Hello facial recognition. It worked well in my testing and, because it uses an IR camera instead of the primary sensor, it’s reliable in both very dark and bright rooms. Many competitive laptops support the feature, but it’s good to see it included.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Connectivity
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
The bulk of the Surface Laptop’s wired connectivity comes from a pair of USB-C ports on the laptop’s left flank. Both ports support USB4, Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, and can accept up to 65 watts of Power Delivery. There’s also a single USB-A 3.1 port for older devices and a 3.5mm combo audio jack for headphones, headset, or microphone.
Microsoft’s Surface Connect is back. It’s a proprietary data and power connector that magnetically attaches to the right flank. The bundled 65-watt power adapter uses Surface Connect instead of USB-C but, as mentioned, the USB-C ports support Power Delivery and can be used to charge and power the laptop as well.
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Dedicated video-out (in the form of HDMI or DisplayPort) is missing, which might be annoying if you want to connect an older monitor or a modern TV. There’s no wired Ethernet, either. You’ll need a USB-C adapter, hub, or dock if you want to use the Surface Laptop with devices that require these ports. Though a tad disappointing, it’s typical for a portable Windows laptop.
Wireless connectivity is excellent, with support for both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Wi-Fi 7 is the latest wireless internet standard. It’s so new, in fact, that very few people even have a Wi-Fi 7 router. Still, I think it’s the right move to make Wi-Fi 7 standard. (Anyone willing to pay almost $2,000 for a well-equipped Surface Laptop is likely to be an early adopter of Wi-Fi 7, after all.)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Performance
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop is one of more than a dozen new Copilot+ PCs with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. The Snapdragon uses the Arm instruction set instead of the x86 instruction set that’s common to Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors.
Laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors, like the new Microsoft Surface Laptop, promise better battery life and efficiency. However, Arm and x86 aren’t natively compatible, which means Windows apps coded only for x86 won’t run on Arm.
To solve that, Microsoft has aggressively urged software partners to develop new Arm-compatible software, meanwhile providing an emulation layer (called Prism) that can run x86 software on Arm hardware.
What does that mean for performance? Let’s dig in.
Note: The Surface Laptop I tested had the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite, an upgrade over the 10-core chip in entry-level configurations.
Cinebench R20
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
First up is Cinebench R20, a heavily multithreaded CPU benchmark. This version of the benchmark doesn’t support Arm, so the new Surface Laptop uses emulation to run the benchmark. The emulation’s stability was perfect in this test, with no crashes or bugs.
The Surface Laptop is certainly slower than the x86 competition in this test, but it’s not a bad result for software that runs under emulation. The performance of both the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro creeps close to the Dell XPS 13, which has an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor.
Handbrake
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Next up is Handbrake. Though it does have an Arm version available, that version is much newer and not comparable to the version of the software we typically use. Because of that, this benchmark runs under emulation.
And here, unlike Cinebench, the Snapdragon X Elite has problems. The benchmark was stable but required a dreadfully long time to finish. Clearly, emulation has met its match with this test.
Geekbench 6
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Next up is Geekbench 6. This synthetic benchmark isn’t part of our normal test suite, so we have less data on laptops using it. It has an Arm native version, however, so no emulation is required.
And what a difference it makes! The Surface Laptop hits an impressive multi-core score of 12,988. That edges out the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (which itself is among the more capable laptops with an Intel Core Ultra processor) and easily defeats the OneXPlayer X1 (a Windows tablet forced to fit Intel’s Core Ultra in a tight wattage envelope).
And the new Surface Laptop is roughly twice as fast as Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 5G. Launched in 2022, the Surface Pro 9 5G has a custom chip—the Microsoft SQ3—which was designed in collaboration with Qualcomm and based on the Snapdragon 8cx. Clearly, Qualcomm’s performance has improved since then.
3DMark
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
The Snapdragon X Elite’s processor performance looks good, but what about the integrated GPU?
Qualcomm and Microsoft have spent less time marketing the performance of Qualcomm’s Adreno graphics, aside from a demonstration at Microsoft Build 2024 that showed games like Borderlands 3 and Baldur’s Gate 3 running through Prism emulation.
3DMark’s Time Spy and Night Raid tests provide a lot to dig into. Time Spy does not run native on Arm, but Night Raid does, and that has obvious implications for performance.
The Surface Laptop lags far behind Intel Iris Arc and AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics in Time Spy. In Night Raid, however, Qualcomm’s Adreno powers the Surface Laptop to a respectable score of 23,348, which trades blows with Intel and AMD’s best integrated graphics.
Does Snapdragon X Elite work in the real world?
The Microsoft Surface Laptop’s benchmark results look solid on paper. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is on par with, or slightly quicker than, Intel and AMD alternatives when apps have native Arm versions available. Performance under Prism emulation varies but, at its best, it doesn’t inflict a terrible penalty.
But a benchmark suite can only represent a small slice of apps, and my day-to-day experience was simultaneously worse than and better than these benchmarks suggest.
First, the bad news: I don’t think gaming is viable at launch. Microsoft knows this because, during the Reviewer’s Workshop held to answer questions from reviewers about the laptop, the company downplayed the laptop’s gaming performance. (Microsoft Devices VP Pete Kyriacou also told PCWorld that the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Surfaces will excel in productivity, not games.) Microsoft said Qualcomm chips don’t support discrete GPUs or external GPUs, so there’s no way to upgrade performance or side-step Qualcomm’s Adreno graphics.
These problems aren’t just in demanding games, like Cyberpunk 2077 or Total War: Warhammer III. I was surprised and disappointed to find that recent indie favorite, Halls of Torment, failed to play smoothly… despite the fact it relies entirely on 2D graphics. PCWorld will have more to report on the Surface Laptop’s gaming performance in an upcoming article, but for now I caution gamers to sit on the sidelines.
If you want a laptop for productivity and content creation, though, the Surface Laptop holds promise. The apps I use for professional work include the Microsoft Office suite (for writing, editing, and time tracking), GIMP (for photo editing), and Wondershare Filmora (for video editing).
While I expected Office to work without flaws, I was surprised to find that both GIMP and Filmora support Windows on Arm. Both apps worked flawlessly, and the Surface Laptop performed well enough when I opened the Filmora project file for my 43-minute-long video about the development of Baldur’s Gate 2. The timeline took a moment to fully load when flipping back and forth, but the video played in the editor without dropping frames. Cutting, moving, and copying clips were all smooth.
The list of productivity apps with Arm support is decent and growing. Notepad++, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and DaVinci Resolve 19 all support Arm (though, in some cases, the Arm version is still in beta). Adobe Premiere Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects will receive Arm updates this year.
Just want to browse the web and watch Netflix? You’re unlikely to run into issues. Most web browsers, streaming platforms, and video conferencing software support Windows on Arm. Apps that don’t support it yet should still run well under emulation. And while I can’t guarantee every app will work perfectly, I didn’t see problems in my testing. Aside from games, every app I used launched, and none crashed in my time using them.
A note about Copilot+ PCs
The Surface Laptop, like other Copilot+ PCs, has an integrated neural processing unit (NPU) that can handle up to 45 trillion operations per second, and it was meant to highlight Windows 11’s AI features. Instead, the Copilot+ PC launch is a public relations disaster.
The flagship feature, Microsoft Recall, is indefinitely delayed over security and privacy concerns. Microsoft has reeled in the features of Windows’ Copilot app, too. Earlier preview versions could adjust settings and search files, but the version currently available lacks those features.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Battery life
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is quick, to be sure, but power efficiency is the chip’s real claim to fame. Microsoft says the Surface Laptop can provide up to 20 hours of video playback, a promise it easily fulfilled.
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Matthew Smith / IDG
Real-world battery life lived up to expectations set by the benchmark. I often used the laptop for several hours at a stretch, yet saw the battery reduce by no more than 10 percent. My use is light (mostly web browsing and writing in Word or Google Docs), but the Surface Laptop’s endurance is much better than usual for a Windows laptop.
These results are even more remarkable given the Surface Laptop’s modest 54 watt-hour battery. Many competitors with AMD or Intel hardware, like the Lenovo ThinkBook 13x and Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, have a battery capacity above 70 watt-hours.
Still, the Surface Laptop’s battery life is spectacular. In fact, I’d say it’s the most significant threat to alternatives with AMD and Intel hardware. Battery life like this fundamentally changes how the device is used, providing peace of mind when leaving the house without a charger.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 7: Conclusion
Microsoft’s Surface Laptop is a success, though not without its issues.
After years of misfires, Arm on Windows is finally a viable option. With it comes access to new hardware, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite, which proves an alluring alternative to Intel and AMD devices. Qualcomm’s chip isn’t a good choice for gaming, but it’s great for battery life and it scores well in CPU benchmarks with native Arm support.
These traits make the Surface Laptop a solid choice for people who travel frequently or just don’t like to worry about battery life.
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Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | BBCWorld - 25 Jun (BBCWorld)New technology promises TV and phone screens that use much less electricity than current models. Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | PC World - 25 Jun (PC World)Are you always on the move and need a reliable way to keep your phone, earbuds, and other devices charged? A good power bank is the ideal travel companion, ensuring you’ll never run out of battery.
And if you need a power bank, good news: the Anker 313 PowerCore 10K is now available for just $18 at Amazon, a superb price for an everyday gadget that’s so useful to have on you.
At 10,000mAh, the PowerCore 10K can fully charge a modern powerhouse phone at least one full time, while older phones with less capacity might even get two complete charges. It comes in super handy when your phone’s battery life isn’t what it used to be.
This Anker power bank is super slim, lightweight, and fits into any bag or even your pocket. It’s about the size of a smartphone and it weighs about 7.5 ounces, so carrying it around should be no problem.
It has two input options for charging the power bank: a USB-C port and a microUSB port. (Only one can be used at a time.) It has a single USB-A output port, with PowerIQ and VoltageBoost technology that detects what it’s charging and delivers up to 12 watts.
While we haven’t personally reviewed this particular power bank, the device has over 102,000 reviews on Amazon with 4.5 out of 5 stars, which is basically the next best thing.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic deal! For just $18, this slim power bank buys you peace of mind when you’re out and about. (Don’t forget to clip the Amazon coupon to get the best price.)
This slim Anker power bank is only $18Get it now on Amazon
Mobile Phone Chargers Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 25 Jun (PC World)You could once count on privacy as given. Even when PCs first became widespread in homes, they could serve as tools for this purpose. You could anonymously answer your most embarrassing questions using a digital encyclopedia or early online database.
But as internet usage rose, control over our personal information began to plummet. Now we’ve reached a stage where no one has complete say in the details shared about us—and more and more, tech products and services don’t just spill the beans, but they’re also digging deeper into our lives.
Further reading: Best VPN services 2024: Top picks for speed, price, privacy, and more
Take Microsoft Recall—a new feature with the potential to save hours of headache. When active, Windows captures screenshots of everything you do, then leans on AI to comb through that data when you want to find the recipe you looked at last week, or a message your coworker sent a few months ago. Essentially your PC surveils you, but for your benefit. And as announced, Microsoft Recall was on by default (for compatible PCs) and stored the data in a way that could’ve still allowed hackers to see all your activity if your system gets compromised. (Make sure you’re always running an active antivirus, folks.)
After fierce blowback, Microsoft quickly retooled Recall. The company set it to be off by default, required Windows Hello for use, and switched to decrypting the files only when accessed (aka just-in-time decryption). The speed of response was commendable, but also suggested Recall could have been announced in this incarnation from the start.
Microsoft Recall in action, as shown at Build 2024.
Microsoft Recall in action, as shown at Build 2024.Microsoft
Microsoft Recall in action, as shown at Build 2024.Microsoft
Microsoft
And so I’ve wanted to know why that didn’t happen—especially given how AirTags showed the dangerous ways that tracking technology can be used. Microsoft had the opportunity to learn from Apple’s slow reaction to the use of AirTags for stalking and then layer in the extensive knowledge it already has about online threats and data security. It chose not to.
Thirty years ago, the buoyant optimism of technology made sense. The world was less interconnected; access to the internet was new. Innovation could focus on the best-case scenarios. Much like small towns where front doors can be left unlocked, you could release fresh features with little concern that someone was going to exploit them.
Times have changed. I know the big tech companies are aware, as I’ve spoken to several recently about security. I’ve also talked with them about their efforts to broaden the voices at their tables and include more viewpoints. But inclusion isn’t just identity, but a diversity of experiences too. And either the design teams are lacking wide perspective or it’s being overridden, and that’s a shame.
Tempering optimism with realism doesn’t make for a weaker product. It broadens the appeal. Personally, I’m much more likely to try Microsoft Recall in its current form (whenever it launches, anyway). If a company takes clear steps to show they truly understand all the nefarious ways a technology can be used and have added in protections, I’m far more likely to try it.
Sometimes, it feels like the internet is now a sprawling metropolis—a place where you not only have to lock your front door, but sometimes add an iron gate in front of it (and perhaps over your bottom-floor windows, too). Any tech product or service that even touches on that connectivity is like a car that gets you around. But the people selling those cars don’t seem to listen when city folk tell them to empty their interiors before parking. Instead, they just add a steering wheel lock and are surprised when no one wants a car with broken glass.
Further reading: Windows includes built-in ransomware protections. Here’s how to turn it on
Security Software and Services, Windows Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 22 Jun (PC World)Modern external computer data storage technologies (DAS, or Direct Attached Storage) run the gamut from USB hard drives, to optical discs (yes, still), to USB thumb drives, to the latest, greatest NVMe SSDs in high-speed Thunderbolt or USB 4 enclosures.
PCWorld has been reviewing external storage since the 1980s and the era of floppy drives, though these days we stick with SSDs and the occasional hard drive. Everything else seems, well… quaint. Not to mention, drearily slow.
What does PCWorld look for in an external storage device?
Capacity
Generally speaking, more capacity is better, but determining capacity takes no effort on our part — it’s generally written plainly on the box. Capacity by itself doesn’t score a lot of points unless it’s a jump from the norm, however…
Price
…the cost per gigabyte counts heavily in our evaluations. That said, the star rating is weighted more toward the quality of the product, not how much it costs. But all things being equal, the cost per gigabyte can tip the scales.
Performance
Basic performance obviously depends on the technology involved: HDDs, SSDs, USB, Thunderbolt, etc… We run benchmarks and perform real-world operations to determine its speed relative to others of the same ilk. Performance relative to a device’s peers as well as in the grand scheme counts greatly in the final rating. There’s far more granular info on our testing methodology and consideration below.
Durability
Of course, speed is nothing if a device gives up the ghost in six months. HDD failure has become progressively rarer since the bad old days when up to 15 percent of hard drives failed per year. Early SSDs also had their issues, but the only problem we’ve heard of recently was with the SanDisk Extreme Pro line. Every SSD we’ve tested is still going strong, as are all the hard drives from the last five years or so.
That said, SSDs are still a relatively young technology, and NAND blocks/cells can only be written to so many times. We make special note of the TBW ratings for SSDs. That’s an acronym for terabytes written, or the number of terabytes that may be written before a drive runs out of replacements (overprovisioning) for worn-out cell blocks.
MTBF (mean time before failure) ratings for HDDs are a guess at best, and rarely accurate or provable, so we generally don’t pay attention them.
Seagate Ultra Touch HDD
Seagate Ultra Touch HDD
Seagate Ultra Touch HDD
Given the limited time we have between testing and publication, 100 percent accuracy on long-term reliability is impossible. We keep our test units in service, but it can take years for a problem to crop up.
One thing we can check is how well an external device sheds heat — the general enemy of electronics. If the temperature of an SSD gets too high, the controller will slow down/throttle operations to reduce said temperature to avoid damage to the components.
We also check the quality of construction and the materials used. With SSDs, shock mounting and shock resistant silicone covers are plusses, but with HDDs they’re an absolute must.
Many devices are IP rated — i.e., designed and tested to ward off dust and liquids. We’ll always discuss this with any ruggedized device, and it does score brownie points.
Portability
When it comes to portability, smaller is obviously better. Thumb drives are generally the smallest and most portable. Their integrated Type-A or occasionally Type-C connector eliminates the need for an additional USB/Thunderbolt cable or power adapter, which takes up space and which you must remember to bring with you. If a device is designed to be portable, the overall ease of transport is obviously considered.
Corsair E1000U
Corsair E1000U
Jon L. Jacobi
Corsair E1000U
Jon L. Jacobi
Jon L. Jacobi
Devices designed for your desktop might be portable to a degree, but a bit of size and heft is in order. Anyone who’s ever inadvertently sent a small, light drive flying across the table (or room) understands. It’s especially true for 2.5-inch external hard drives, which can’t absorb nearly as many G’s as an SSD. With desktop drives, we also rate such stability — i.e., we check for non-skid feet, etc.
Power requirements
AC adapters are required with 5.25-inch hard drives (still the only way to get more than 8TB in a single unit!), and with very large-capacity USB 3.x SSDs. Single, external 2.5-inch hard drives rarely require an AC adapter; however, some RAID units with more than one drive will. At least non-Thunderbolt types.
Sandisk’s 8TB USB 3.2×2 SSD requires an AC adapter (the round port). Most single external SSDs and HDDs do not.
Sandisk’s 8TB USB 3.2×2 SSD requires an AC adapter (the round port). Most single external SSDs and HDDs do not.Jon L. Jacobi
Sandisk’s 8TB USB 3.2×2 SSD requires an AC adapter (the round port). Most single external SSDs and HDDs do not.Jon L. Jacobi
Jon L. Jacobi
Speaking of which, both USB 4 and Thunderbolt deliver more power over their connections than older USB 3.x, which is why you generally won’t need external power unless, as mentioned, there’s more than one drive in the enclosure.
One exception to this is when using Thunderbolt generational adapters (Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3/4), which may not pass through power. In that case, external power, or a dock with power, may be required.
How does PCWorld test external storage?
Connectivity/bus speed considerations
Connectivity, i.e. the transport protocol or bus type, is the essential indicator of expected performance and compatibility and obviously the first thing we consider. Highly compatible 5Gbps USB SSDs will max out somewhere south of 500MBps, while also highly compatible 10Gbps USB SSDs top out at around 1GBps.
20Gbps USB 3.2×2 drives can reach 2GBps, but only on the still somewhat-rare 3.2×2 connector or USB 4. But even that’s not a given. While Macs (and many PC Thunderbolt ports) support USB 4 20Gbps, they only support 10Gbps when using USB 3.2×2 SSDs. Why? Don’t know. USB 4 and Thunderbolt 3/4 SSDs can operate at 40Gbps, or around 4GBps.
In USB 4 and Thunderbolt 3’s case, it’s not actually specified that they support anything greater than 20Gbps. Yeah, it’s a mess of a “standard,” but we always test drives on their native bus at their highest possible speed. Note that the Thunderbolt 4 ports on our test bed also support all flavors of USB, including USB 4.
All USB drives are backwards compatible to at least USB 2.0, but they’re always limited to the speed of the bus they’re on.
Generally speaking, though faster is always better, we compare external storage devices with their technology peers: 10Gbps USB to 10Gbps USB, Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 3, hard drive to hard drive, etc.
Internal technology considerations
The technology inside a device (SATA, NVMe) also has a lot to do with its expected performance. For instance, a SATA SSD will never go much faster than 500MBps even across USB 4 or Thunderbolt 3/4. SATA HDDs rarely top 250MBps (3.5-inch) or 120MBps (2.5-inch).
NVMe on the other hand is fast enough that the bus is a major limiting factor. For example, the fastest internal PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD we’ve tested clocked almost 15GBps, while the fastest Thunderbolt SSD could muster only 4GBps.
All HDDs to a small degree, and SSDs to a large degree write slower as they fill up so the benchmark numbers we publish are best case. Drive slowdown is why we recommend that you always buy at least twice the SSD capacity that you might think you need. This is not generally necessary with HDDs, but a good idea.
Again we generally compare similar internal technologies in our reviews: SATA vs. SATA, 20Gbps USB vs. 20Gbps USB, etc.
NAND and SSD design considerations
When it comes to testing, SSDs have “special needs.” Mostly because of the way they cache data to achieve and maintain best performance. Primary caching is either done with onboard DRAM, which offers the fastest random performance, or in the case of cheaper Host Memory Buffer (HMB), your device’s system memory. Recent implementations of the latter have turned in startlingly good numbers with sequential transfers.
But the primary cache is generally a relatively small amount. A couple of gigabytes with DRAM and 58/64MB with HMB. Hence SSDs use another method as secondary caching.
A controller can write 3-bit (Triple Level Cell/TCL) or 4-bit NAND at either their native bit depth or, far faster, as on/off 1-bit SLC. This single-bit writing is used for secondary caching. Data is later rewritten at the greater bit depth to reclaim the lost space.
The reason writing at greater bit depths is slower is due to the error-checking required to determine if the correct voltage (one of 8/16 levels with TLC/QLC) was written to a cell, rather than the simple charged/not charged binary of 1-bit SLC.
This screen cap shows the slowdown in write speed due to secondary cache running out.
This screen cap shows the slowdown in write speed due to secondary cache running out.
This screen cap shows the slowdown in write speed due to secondary cache running out.
How vendors handle this secondary caching technique mostly affects performance during very long writes. Some fix the amount of NAND that can be used for secondary caching, while some allocate it dynamically. We often have to rewrite the 450GB file several times, depending on the capacity of the SSD, before the drive will drop to its native 3-bit/4-bit write speed, which can vary anywhere from 150MBps (slow QLC) to nearly 1GBps (faster TLC).
Note that as a drive fills up, performance may suffer as there is less NAND available to allot as secondary cache. We test with empty drives but warn users that performance may degrade over time. It’s also why we recommend that you overbuy in terms of capacity.
Many NMVe SSDs use DRAM for primary caching and some use your computer’s own memory as cache (Host Memory Buffer/HMB). The former greatly improves random performance, while the latter can actually improve sequential performance.
The number of chips on an SSD can also affect performance, as the more chips there are, the more data paths there are to shotgun data over. This is, again, why we warn you in each review that our results apply only to the capacity SSD we tested.
All these factors must be accounted for and inform our modus operandi when it comes to testing SSDs.
Further reading: Best external drives
What tests does PCWorld run to determine how fast an external storage device is?
Benchmarks
NVMe SSDs, as they have matured, have broken the nearly 1:1 ratio of benchmark to real-world transfer performance that existed right up through SATA SSDs — drastically, when it comes to internal SSDs, and to a lesser, but still noticeable extent with bus-constrained external SSDs.
The benchmarks aren’t errant, they simply use their own I/O, which has matured to take advantage of NVMe’s unique capabilities such as multiple threads and queues.
Operating systems, and the vast majority of software have not. For example, Windows Explorer never uses more than a single queue or thread. Hence our test transfers proceed at a far slower pace than what’s actually possible, and spoken of by the benchmarks. A drive capable of reading at 15GBps in benchmarks, will barely manage 4GBps under Windows.
We benchmark using CrystalDiskMark 8 and AS SSD 2.0. There are other perfectly valid benchmarks, but these are two whose results have consistently matched the level of the technology involved over the years.
Also, we have a huge set of results from years past to compare. On occasion, at vendor request we will run other benchmarks such as ATTO or IOmeter to simulate a particular workflow that a drive has been optimized for.
Real-world tests
To augment the benchmarks and give users an idea of what they’ll actually see under Windows, we perform a series of real-world transfers. Firstly, a 48GB folder full of smaller files and folders, and a single 48GB virtual hard drive (VHD) written to and read from the device. The second drive is actually a 58GB RAM disk that is faster than the fastest NVMe SSD we’ve tested to date. But it’s getting to be a close contest, so we may have to come up with other means in the near future.
Our final test is writing a single 450GB VHD file to the drive. This is not to measure performance as such, but to test the secondary caching. See above.
Note that both our 48GB and 450GB VHD files are filled with data, to minimize the impact of any compression techniques. Some controllers can compress all zeros with lighting speed, which throws a monkey wrench into the results.
What hardware does PCWorld use to test external storage devices?
We test all storage products on a dedicated X790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of memory total). The Intel integrated graphics are used as well as Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit. The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB total memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which also contains the operating system.
PCW storage test bed. USB 4 is tested over Thunderbolt.
PCW storage test bed. USB 4 is tested over Thunderbolt. Jon L. Jacobi
PCW storage test bed. USB 4 is tested over Thunderbolt. Jon L. Jacobi
Jon L. Jacobi
On occasion, should any aberrations arise on the main test bed, we also test on our older AMD test bed. This consists of an MSI MEG X570 motherboard socketing an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core CPU and 64GB of Kingston DDR4. The same software is used as on the Intel platform. This machine is also the software test platform.
For Mac-oriented products or those tested for Macworld, a first-gen Mac Studio M1 Max with 32GB of memory and a 1TB internal SSD is employed. This system has the aforementioned interesting limitation common to all Apple Silicon Macs — it supports USB 4 20Gbps, but does not support USB 3.2 2×2 20Gbps. Sigh.
How does PCWorld determine an external storage device’s rating?
As noted, our overall ratings reflect a lot of factors, but the performance/cost ratio carries by far the most weight. And with only a 10-level system (five full stars, five half stars), the star ratings aren’t particularly nuanced.
Therefore, it’s important to actually read the reviews for the particulars, and at least the pros/cons to see the major strengths and weaknesses when trying to decide which storage device you want to buy.
Computer Storage Devices, Storage Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 22 Jun (PC World)Video editing can put quite a heavy burden on any computer. So, when shopping for a laptop for video editing, you’ll want to make sure you’re loading up on enough heavy hardware firepower to get the job done. While you might not need the absolute top-of-the-line gear, simply buying a gaming laptop and calling it a day is probably not going to cut it. Beyond just processor and graphics performance, serious video editors need to take into account a few things such as the quality of the display, port selection, and onboard storage capacity.
Why you should trust us: PCWorld has been covering PCs since 1983, and reviews more than 70 notebooks a year in our never-ending quest to find the best laptops. Our expert reviewers evaluate every machine using a combination of performance benchmarks and rigorous usability standards, with an eye toward identifying the best laptops for specific needs and at various price points. We also edit lots of videos ourselves, with the results appearing on PCWorld’s YouTube channel. Take a look at our top picks for video editing below, followed by buying advice and more details about our testing process.
If you’re on a budget or just looking to save some money, you may also want to check out our daily roundup of the best laptop deals to scope out any discounts on content creation notebooks.
Update June 20, 2024: In addition to updating the list of recent laptop reviews, we’ve also replaced the Best Ultraportable for Video Editing pick with the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 ($1,599.99). It’s far less expensive than our former pick and it’s lightweight and has a wide range of connectivity options.
The best laptops for video editing
Dell XPS 17 (2023) – Best laptop for video editing
Pros
Expansive 17-inch 16:10 display
Thin chassis
Incredible battery life
Cons
Expensive
720p webcam
Why we like the Dell XPS 17 (2023)
The Dell XPS 17 (2023) is a fantastic laptop for content creation because it has a gigantic display and a good amount of graphics firepower. The OLED touch display, which measures a massive 17-inches, features a crystal clear resolution of 3840×2400 and a maximum brightness of 550 nits. It’s perfect for media editing, multitasking, and so much more. The machine is also powered by an Intel Core i7-13700H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, which means it’s more than capable of handling any video editing you throw at it. The specific configuration we reviewed will cost you well over $3,000, so it’s likely not a viable option for the budget-conscious, but if your time is money, the Dell XPS 17 is money very well spent.
Who should buy the Dell XPS 17 (2023)
We feel the Dell XPS 17 is a phenomenal option for serious or professional video editors. The 4K screen is divine and it has the perfect amount of horsepower as far as internal components go. It also includes an SD card reader and multiple Thunderbolt 4 ports for quickly offloading videos or photos. Finally, the Dell XPS 17 can run up to 11 hours on a single charge, eliminating the need to go outlet hunting. Although we would’ve liked to have seen this model with an OLED screen, it’s still a top-notch pick.
Alternative option: The Dell XPS 16 is another good option for content creators. In fact, the hardware is almost identical to our top pick. The only real difference is that the Dell XPS 16 has an OLED screen and the Dell XPS 17 9730 does not. That said, the Dell XPS 16 didn’t make the cut because it doesn’t have as many Thunderbolt 4 ports and the keyboard is a real headache to use due to stiff keys.
Read our full
Dell XPS 17 9730 review
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra – Best laptop for video editing (if you don`t need 4K)
Pros
Fantastic battery life
Solid GPU performance
Gorgeous OLED screen that can be used outdoors
Great audio
AI-powered Core Ultra inside
Cons
Chargers keep getting bigger
Still not a great keyboard
Best Prices Today:
$2999.99 at Best Buy
Why we like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra offers powerful performance as well as a gorgeous OLED display. Thanks to the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, it’s well equipped to handle any video editing task you throw at it. Plus, the 16-inch OLED display has a resolution of 2880×1800 and a refresh rate of 120Hz–so you can expect a crisp-looking picture with rich colors. Sure, it’s not 4K, but it’s still a fantastic screen for content creation. Battery life is absolutely absurd, too. This machine lasted a whopping 18 hours and 54 minutes on a single charge. Wall outlet? Who is she?
Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra
Anyone looking for a powerful, long-lasting laptop and doesn’t need to edit 4K videos. In addition to the stunning OLED display and the long battery life, the audio is also quite punchy, sounding great up and down the audio range. If you switch on the Dolby Atmos feature, you’ll hear even richer sound. Though content creators may not necessarily need good audio (or likely use dedicated headphones), it’s still a nice perk.
Read our full
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra review
Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro) – Best MacBook for video editing
Pros
Good performance
18GB of RAM
Runs quiet
Cons
Low performance advantage over M2 Pro
Best Prices Today:
$1,699 at Amazon$1849 at Best Buy$1999 at Adorama
Why we like the Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro)
The Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro) will kick you in the teeth with its power (in the best way possible). Inside, you’ll find a 14-core GPU as well as 18GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. That amount of RAM will keep things running nice and smooth while the beefy GPU will chew right through any intense edits, though intense video editors will want to upgrade to a model with more storage or invest in an external SSD for added capacity. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display also has a ridiculously high resolution of 3024×1964, so editing should be a delightful experience. It even comes with three Thunderbolt 4 ports for speedy data transfers.
Who should buy the Apple MacBook Pro (M3, Pro)
Anyone who prefers Apple’s ecosystem. This configuration shows a 44 percent increase in performance (according to Geekbench’s Compute Metal test) compared to the M3 (sans Pro) model. You’ll also be able to see every detail of your photo or video editing work thanks to the gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display. Battery life isn’t too shabby, either. The M3 Pro MacBook Pro will last you over ten hours on a single charge, which is more than a full work day.
Alternative option: If you’re looking for a bigger screen, then you should check out the MacBook Pro, M2 Pro. The Liquid Retina XDR display measures 16.2-inches and has a resolution of 3456×2234, so visuals should be sharp as knives. The M2 Pro also comes loaded with a powerful 19-core GPU.
Read our full
Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M3 Pro, 2023) review
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition – Best budget laptop for video editing
Pros
All-day battery life
Stunning display
Durable build
Cons
720p webcam
Keys feel too soft
Why we like the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition
The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition is a good option for those on a tight budget, as it ticks off all of the right boxes for a sub-$1,000 machine. For one, colors appear rich and varied on the 16-inch 1200p FHD display. Sure, it’s not 4K, but it’s still a good screen–our reviewer was surprised by the “depth of the blacks and greys.” As for internals, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S GPU and the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS CPU should blitz right through graphically demanding tasks like video editing. It also lasted a whopping 11 hours on a single charge, which is shocking for a gaming laptop.
Who should buy the Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition
Anyone who’s looking to save money on a capable and long-lasting laptop. You don’t have to go outlet hunting because of the long battery life and the 1200p display offers nothing but stunning visuals. While the keys feel a bit mushy and the 720p webcam won’t be doing you any favors on video calls, we feel as though the pros far outweigh the cons, especially given the reasonable price point.
Alternative option: The Lenovo LOQ 15 is another good budget option to consider. It has a better GPU (RTX 4060) than our current top pick. Despite the high star rating, it didn’t end up making the cut because of the poor battery life (not unusual in a gaming laptop) and limited connectivity options. The Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition just stands out from the pack, especially where battery life is concerned, but the Lenovo LOQ would be a good budget option if your workflow is accelerated by Nvidia features and technology.
Read our full
Asus TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition review
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 – Best ultraportable laptop for video editing
Pros
Very light and compact design
Excellent performance for its size
Robust build
Visually stunning display
Cons
Keys feel soft and mushy
The webcam isn`t the best quality
The downward facing woofers sometimes sound muddy
Best Prices Today:
$1599.99 at Best Buy$2499 at Asus
Why we like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is “exceptionally sleek and compact,” according to our comprehensive review. Not only does it tip the scales at just 3.31 pounds, but you can easily pick it up with an index finger and a thumb. The slim form factor is impressive given the hardware inside, which consists of an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU. That means it’s powerful enough to handle editing photos in Adobe Photoshop and playing games with the graphics turned up. The connectivity options are also quite good and the OLED screen has a high resolution of 2880×1800. It’s not 4K, but you can still expect a sharp picture. The port selection includes two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, one USB-C 4, one HDMI, one 3.5mm combo jack, and one microSD card reader.
Who should buy the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Anyone that likes to work on-the-go. In addition to its slim form factor, it’s also quite tough with “premium CNC-milled aluminum alloy” throughout the chassis. It even achieved impressive frame rates in a couple of modern games. In fact, it managed 133 frames-per-second during the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark and 101 frames-per-second during Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark, which is newer and more demanding. If you’re looking for reliable gaming performance in a tiny package, look no further than the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.
Read our full
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 review
Recent laptop reviews
Acer Aspire Vero 16: The 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.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1: Lenovo delivered a 2-in-1 ThinkPad with great build quality, a nice pen, and serious battery life. But you may want to wait for a next-generation model powered by Intel’s Lunar Lake hardware.
Acer Chromebook Plus 514: Acer’s Chromebook Plus 514 is a decent budget Chromebook that beats competitors on RAM and storage.
Lenovo ThinkBook 13x: Lenovo’s ThinkBook is a better business laptop for most people than a top-of-the-line ThinkPad, but the lack of ports may be a problem.
How we tested
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. Chromebooks, on the other hand, go through a series of web-based tests. It wouldn’t be fair or possible to run the same kinds of tests on a Chromebook, as they’re Chrome OS-based machines.
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 beefy 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.
Video rundown test: To gauge battery life, we loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies & TV app until the laptop dies.
FAQ
1.
What should I look for in a laptop for video editing?
The first thing to look for in a laptop for video editing is its CPU and GPU. The faster your hardware, the faster your edits.
If your workload is primarily CPU-driven, we’d recommend springing for the Intel Core i7 or the Intel Core i9. HX is designed for raw horsepower, which id deal for gaming and content creation, and the Ultra is built around power efficiency. For a more in-depth look at the difference between the two processors, we’ve done a thorough compare and contrast piece that really lays it all out. For those on a strict budget, you can get by with an Intel Core i5, but it’s going to be slower.
You probably won’t need a dedicated graphics card everyday video editing, but if you work on motion graphics, then the extra firepower really comes in handy. For most video editing projects, we’d suggest the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 or higher, though having any RTX GPU onboard can help accelerate some specific workloads. For those who prefer AMD over Nvidia, we’d recommend the AMD Radeon RX 7600S or higher. Unless you’re looking to play AAA games on the side, you don’t really need the best graphics card out there. A mid-range GPU will serve most people.
Another thing to consider is storage size. A 4K video, for example, will require more storage space than a 1080p video. In other words, you’re going to need quite a bit of storage, otherwise your laptop might get too bogged down. For those who work with 4K resolution, you should go for at least 1TB of SSD or higher. You could probably get by with just 512GB of SSD storage, but you’ll probably need to keep offloading files onto an external storage device.
RAM is important too, as it determines how fast your laptop will generally run. Video editors tend to work with large files, which can cause your laptop to slow down. That’s why we’d recommend at least 16GB of RAM. However, if you’re editing 4K video, you’ll definitely want 32GB of RAM or more. More RAM reduces the likelihood of bottlenecks, which can be a real pain in the neck when you’re in the middle of an important edit.
2.
What kind of display should I get?
You’re going to want a display that’s both bright and color accurate. For example, a display that’s close to 100 percent of the sRGB spectrum is ideal. While a 4K display isn’t necessary, we’d strongly recommend it for serious video editing. A high resolution display will produce sharper images, which helps reduce eye strain, and allow you to edit 4K video at full resolution. A larger screen like a 15- or 17-inch is preferable as well, as it provides better visibility for editing.
3.
What do the experts recommend?
PCWorld video director Adam Patrick Murray stresses that an ideal laptop for video editing includes an SD card reader for grabbing video off of a camera. He also recommends opting for a notebook with a 4K, 60Hz panel over the ultra-fast 1080p panels often found on gaming laptops that would otherwise be ideal for video editing. You need a 4K panel to edit 4K videos well and blazing-fast refresh rates don’t mean anything for video editing like they do for gaming. If color accuracy matters to you—it might not if you’re only creating casual videos for your personal YouTube channel, for example—then support for the full DCI-P3 color gamut is also a must along with Delta E .
You won’t often find those sorts of specs listed for (or supported by) gaming laptops, but dedicated content creation laptops should include that information. That said, if you want the fastest possible laptop for video editing that can also satisfy your gaming proclivities, you can always pair that burly gaming laptop with a color-accurate external monitor for creation tasks.
Laptops Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 22 Jun (PC World)We have some excellent news: our top-pick portable SSD is currently on sale! The Samsung T7 Shield is heavily discounted at Amazon right now, with the 1TB version’s price down to $100 from its MSRP of $170 for a cool savings of $70.
The T7 Shield is a super-fast storage option that’s sleek, gorgeous, and rugged enough for almost anything you throw its way. It was designed to withstand the elements—IP65 rating for water and dust resistance—making it a solid portable SSD for when you’re out and about.
When we reviewed the Samsung T7 Shield, we found it to be excellent, granting it 4.5 out of 5 stars and our Editors’ Choice award.
Thanks to PCIe NVMe technology, the T7 Shield offers blazing-fast read and write speeds up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s. “The T7 Shield was also the fastest 10Gbps external SSD we’ve tested writing 450GB, and somewhat surprisingly, bested two of the 20Gbps drives we’ve tested,” wrote our expert Jon Jacobi in his review.
Compatibility isn’t an issue with this tiny portable SSD, either. Samsung’s T7 Shield works just as well with Windows PCs, speedy Macs, Android devices, gaming consoles, and more.
The 1TB version is the most affordable, but there are also larger storage options: the 2TB version is $195 (down from $285) and the 4TB version is $318 (down from $500). We also recently spotted the non-Shield version of the T7 on sale at a significant discount that’s still available.
But the best deal is the 1TB version of the Samsung T7 Shield, which you can grab right now for just $100. Don’t miss it!
Save $70 on Samsung`s T7 Shield right nowGet this deal on Amazon
Computer Storage Devices Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 22 Jun (PC World)Having a single wall charger for all your devices can save you time and keep your space decluttered. Need a charger like that? The Anker 747 Wall Charger is it, and it’s currently available for its best price yet.
Down from its normal $110, you can get it for just $70 right now—a spectacular 36% discount for a powerhouse device.
Imagine this: Your laptop is running low on battery, your smartphone isn’t far behind, and your wireless headphones are about to die, too. But there’s only one power outlet and no power strip.
One option is to plug in your laptop, then charge your phone and headphones through the laptop. But that would take a while. Why do that when you could instead fast charge all three at once?
The Anker 747 offers high-speed charging for two simultaneous laptops, four simultaneous smaller devices, or an impressive 100W output for a single device. It has four total ports: three USB-C and one USB-A. Altogether, it can deliver 150W total power.
Powered by GaN technology, this charger isn’t just fast—it’s also more energy efficient than traditional chargers. And it’s pretty darn compact, about 38% smaller than Apple’s 140W charger.
So, whether you’re a frequent traveler, a tech enthusiast, or someone who just hates clutter, the Anker 747 Wall Charger is a game changer. It’s small, it’s versatile, and, most importantly, it’s on sale right now!
This 4-device Anker wall charger is 36% offGet it now on Amazon
Mobile Phone Chargers Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | - 22 Jun ()Hackers attempted to commit credit card fraud against UN Women Australia, but its chief executive says the group managed to beat the attackers with the help of its technology partners. Read...Newslink ©2024 to | |
| | | PC World - 21 Jun (PC World)Gaming laptops are some of the most exquisite in their class, combining fast processors with speedy storage and ultra-powerful graphics chips for serious visual performance.
Even so, no gamer has ever said they don’t need even more performance, that they’re perfectly content with their frame rate and visuals. Nope. More is almost always better!
But what can you do? Upgrading a gaming laptop isn’t as straightforward as upgrading a gaming PC. Unless you’re gaming on a Framework Laptop, you can’t just slot a new graphics chip in there and call it a day. You have to be a little more creative.
Here are several features and settings you can tweak to make your gaming laptop run even faster and make your games look better.
See also: The best gaming laptops worth getting
Use dynamic upscaling
One of the biggest advances in PC gaming in recent years has been in dynamic upscaling, where AI is used to enhance picture quality without demanding more resources, thereby improving performance while making the game look better, too.
This feature is available via Nvidia’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), and Intel’s XeSS (Xe Super Sampling), and you can use dynamic upscaling in a range of games across various hardware.
More on this: AMD FSR 3 vs. Nvidia DLSS 3, compared
Whatever upscaling solution you have available, consider using it. DLSS in particular makes games look almost indistinguishable from higher native resolutions, and all of them deliver a big uplift in frame rates.
Enable frame generation
AMD
AMD
AMD
The most advanced graphics performance boosting technology in 2024 is, without a doubt, frame generation. This is an AI-powered technique that takes two rendered frames and AI-generates an in-between frame, making a smooth transition and boosting frame rates.
Frame generation is available via AMD’s Fluid Motion Frames feature and Nvidia’s DLSS 3 Frame Generation feature.
There are some concerns with frame generation—it isn’t ideal for latency and the image quality isn’t always the best—but there’s no denying that frame generation can take a sedate frame rate and make it much, much higher with no real effort.
The list of supporting games for each technology is still in the low double digits, but it’s growing! The feature is well worth enabling if you need a frame rate boost and your hardware and game support it.
Enable ReBAR/SAM
This is a feature that everyone should have enabled—especially if you have an Intel graphics card, as it’s almost mandatory to make Intel’s latest GPUs competitive with AMD and Nvidia.
It’s generally called ReBAR (Resizeable BAR), but AMD calls theirs SAM (Smart Access Memory) even though it’s essentially the same thing. Either way, the technology allows your CPU to access much more of your GPU’s video memory at a time, making it much more efficient.
Further reading: What is Resizeable BAR and how does it work?
ReBAR/SAM doesn’t tend to boost performance dramatically, but for a simple toggle in your driver suite or BIOS, it’s a great feature that’ll net a few more frames per second for near-zero effort. It’s even possible to get with a BIOS update on particularly old gaming PCs.
You already have ReBAR support if you have an Nvidia or Intel GPU, but you’ll need both an AMD CPU and GPU to enable SAM. Enable whichever one you can for a notable performance bump in most games.
Enable Windows Game Mode
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
Windows Game Mode is a special PC state that tells Windows you’re gaming so it should de-prioritize background applications.
Game Mode won’t stop those background apps entirely, though, so you might actually get better results by manually closing any apps that are particularly resource intensive. However, Game Mode only takes a second to turn on and it’s way more convenient.
Navigate to Settings > Gaming, then toggle Game Mode to On.
Want to tweak Game Mode a little more to make it even better? Check out our guide on fine-tuning Windows Game Mode.
Enable XMP/EXPO
Most RAM is capable of running far faster than stock settings, so manufacturers include a factory overclock setting known as XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) or EXPO (Extended Profiles for Overclocking).
This setting can be enabled in the BIOS to give your memory a real boost, improving overall system performance.
Not all laptops support XMP/EXPO, however, so if you find that your BIOS has no option for enabling this, you may be out of luck. Check the manufacturer’s website as it’s possible a firmware update will give it to you, but there’s no guarantee.
See also: The best gaming laptops under $1,000
Plug in before playing
Gaming on a laptop is often a tale of two experiences: gaming while plugged in and gaming on battery.
When your laptop is plugged in, it can bypass the battery entirely and draw all the power it needs right from the mains power. That doesn’t mean it’s going to suddenly become more powerful than it was before, but it does mean performing at full potential.
In other words, there’s no compromise made to save power or optimize efficiency—it’s pure, as-good-as-it-gets gaming performance. If you’re going to be gaming in one spot for an extended period of time, make sure to plug the laptop in. The difference can be dramatic.
Set the right power plan
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
What if you’re gaming on the go and can’t plug in? In that case, you must consider how long your battery is going to last. To help you manage that, Windows has several power plans to pick from, allowing you to prioritize performance or battery life as needed.
The efficiency-oriented power plans tend to put the CPU and GPU into lower power states, though, potentially locking you out of greater performance in an effort to keep the battery going for longer.
If you don’t care about that, or feel you can manage your battery life yourself, then switching to either Balanced or High Performance power plan (instead of Power Saver) can make a real difference.
When gaming while the laptop is plugged in, these power plans are unlikely to have as dramatic an effect—Windows may even switch to the High Performance plan automatically—but it’s still worth checking to make sure.
Note: Higher performance power plans can also affect other areas of operation, such as preventing your USB ports from sleeping, so your laptop may feel less responsive in lower performance power plans.
Adjust driver settings
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
Jon Martindale / IDG
Nvidia, Intel, and AMD graphics cards all have a number of settings in their driver suites worth tweaking. Often that’s where you’ll find ReBAR/SAM, but that’s far from the only tweak worth making.
For AMD gamers, you have AMD Chill, which can dynamically lower frame rates when there’s no motion on screen (e.g., in menu screens or when listening to dialogue). This keeps your laptop’s temperature down, allowing it to boost harder for longer when you actually need it.
AMD also has Radeon Boost, which can dynamically adjust resolution and other in-game factors for improved performance.
For Nvidia gamers, it can be a good idea to set the Power Management Mode to Prefer maximum performance and G-Sync to On (if your laptop supports it) to maximize performance and avoid screen tearing.
Both AMD and Nvidia have their own anti-lag technologies, too. If you’re playing competitive games or want to reduce input lag as much as possible, enable them to improve your reaction times.
Overclock CPU/GPU
Overclocking is when you manually increase the clock speed of a component—in this case, CPU and/or GPU—so that it runs even faster, unlocking greater performance.
Overclocking is typically better suited to desktop PCs because they’re better equipped for cooling and they don’t have as much concern for battery life or fan noise. But if your laptop’s components support overclocking, it can be a great way to boost performance.
Overclocking your CPU and/or GPU will produce more heat, leading to greater fan noise, and it’ll drain your battery faster. It may also reduce system stability, causing it to crash more often. So make sure to take your time and overclock your components safely.
Learn more in our guides to fine-tuning AMD Radeon graphics cards and fine-tuning Nvidia GeForce graphics cards.
Still not enough? More performance!
With all the above features and settings tweaks, your gaming laptop should be running faster than ever. That’s not all you can do to fully min/max performance, though!
See our guide to boosting laptop performance for a few extra tips on making your laptop as performant as possible.
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