PCWorld的November 2020目录

If you’re pining for a laptop with jaw-droppingly fast 5G download speeds, the future is now. The Lenovo Flex 5G is available right now through Verizon, and more 5G-capable laptops are on the way. But is now the right time to buy one? Sure, the idea of a 5G-enabled laptop is tempting. During my tests with the Flex 5G, I managed to get download speeds between 381Mbps and 476.7Mbps, with upload speeds in the 50Mbps range. That pretty much blows away the throughput on my home Wi-Fi network. Of course, you’ll only get those astounding 5G download speeds if you’re in a Verizon 5G coverage area, and as of now, they’re hard to come by. While AT&T and T-Mobile offer much broader 5G coverage, their slower but longer-range sub-6GHz 5G…

Google is marking its transition to a more unified G Suite workspace by changing Google G Suite’s name…to Workspace. In July, Google announced a more unified look for G Suite, announcing that you’ll be able to collaborate in apps like Sheets, for example, while within an entirely different app. For now, this integrated experience is just available to paying customers of Google Workspace, Google said in a blog post. In the coming months, Google said, the company plans to migrate the new UI over to the consumer experience, too, “to help them do things like set up a neighborhood group, manage a family budget, or plan a celebration using integrated tools like Gmail, Chat, Meet, Docs, and Tasks,” the company said. What’s changed? Besides the name, and some new limits on…

After launching its latest standalone VR headset, the Oculus Quest 2, in September, Facebook quietly dropped a bombshell: Oculus is moving away from PC-only VR headsets. The company that introduced the original Oculus Rift in 2016, which relied on the PC’s native CPU for the rendering, said in a blog post that it “won’t pursue PC-only hardware” anymore. ”We’re going to focus on standalone VR headsets moving forward,” the company said. “We’ll no longer pursue PC-only hardware, with sales of Rift S ending in 2021. That said, the Rift Platform isn’t going anywhere. In fact, we’ve seen significant growth in PC VR via Oculus Link, and the Rift Platform will continue to grow while offering high-end PC VR experiences like Lone Echo II and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond well into the…

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Intel’s 11th-gen Tiger Lake is perhaps the most important laptop CPU launch for the company. While previous generations suffered no real competition from AMD, Tiger Lake enters the ring facing a legitimate foe: Ryzen 4000. You can read up on AMD’s game-changing Ryzen 9 4800HS, or its recently surfaced and equally impressive Ryzen 7 4800U for mainstream laptops. And yes, that was a budget Acer beating a Core i7 MacBook senseless. Today, however, is about whether Intel’s new 11th-gen 10nm Tiger Lake chip and its SuperFin transistors and Iris Xe graphics have what it takes to keep AMD at bay. Intel gave us the opportunity to take an 11th-gen Tiger Lake reference laptop (a sample design, not a retail product) for a spin. Keep reading…

If you’re interested in a single 2.5-inch or M.2 SSD for upgrading your system or laptop, you can skip this article. The WD Black AN1500 reviewed here is a full-sized, x8 PCIe 3.0 card for use in gaming or creative PCs—with the goal of bringing near-PCIe 4.0 performance to PCIe 3.0 computers. In synthetic benchmarks, it gets darn close with 6.5GBps reading and well over 4GBps writing. That could be good news for those that opted for Intel over AMD Ryzen in their gaming or video rigs, but read the performance section closely. DESIGN AND SPECS I led with the information that the AN1500 is an x8 (eight lane) PCIe card. It ships with a large heat spreader covering the entire board, sporting a ring of programmable RGB lighting around…

Right now, the most comfortable, convenient way to take advantage of Microsoft’s new Xbox cloud gaming is on…a Chromebook?! On September 15, Microsoft formally unveiled cloud gaming for Android phones and tablets, in the form of an add-on to its Xbox Game Pass app. Cloud gaming, formerly known as Project xCloud, had been in trials for months, designed as an on-the-go option for gamers to squeeze in a bit of Sea of Thieves during downtime, waiting for a bus or plane. Part of the appeal of Xbox cloud gaming was its convenience. Another was the fact that cloud gaming runs remotely on Microsoft’s servers, allowing the relatively anemic CPUs found within phones and tablets to run a powerful, top-tier game. But wait—we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and many…

Some of us just never got over our love of pens and pencils, and Samsung’s latest Note 20 phones are here to scratch that itch. They cost a pretty penny ($1,300 for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra), but now you can do even more useful things with the S Pen stylus, assuming you can sort out the myriad features Samsung bundles with the phones. Here are eight awesome features of Samsung’s new S Pen to get you started. 1. AIR ACTIONS Air Actions, one of Samsung’s signature S Pen features, is back on the Note 20 with even more functionality. You can use the S Pen button to launch the camera (long-press) and snap photos (short-press). It also supports more apps, including Samsung AR Doodle, Samsung Gallery, Snapchat, and Spotify. The…

If you’re pining for a laptop with jaw-droppingly fast 5G download speeds, the future is now. The Lenovo Flex 5G is available right now through Verizon, and more 5G-capable laptops are on the way. But is now the right time to buy one? MD’s highly anticipated Zen 3 made its debut in early October, with four new Ryzen 5000 CPUs that aim to snatch the gaming crown from Intel. You won’t even have to wait that long, as AMD said the AM4-based CPUs will all go on sale on November 5. The four models released are: > Ryzen 9 5950X: 16 cores, 32 threads, 4.9GHz boost, 3.4GHz base, 105-watt TDP, $799 > Ryzen 9 5900X: 12 cores, 24 threads, 4.8GHz boost, 3.8GHz base, 105-watt TDP, $549 > Ryzen 7 5800X: 8…

Google Assistant can do a lot of things on our phones, but it’s not so great at interacting with our Android apps. Sure you can ask Spotify to play a song or send a text with Telegram, but for the most part, apps and Assistant are mutually exclusive. That’s no longer the case. As part of its Google Assistant Developer Day in October, Google announced that a handful of “your favorite Android apps” have begun working with Assistant voice commands, including Discord, Etsy, MyFitnessPal, Mint, Nike Adapt, Postmates, Snapchat, Spotify, Twitter, and Walmart. As long as the corresponding app is set up on your phone, all you need to do is summon Assistant and ask to do something within an app, like ordering pizza on Postmates or checking an order…

From everything we’ve seen, Cyberpunk 2077 looks like a truly next-gen game, but you won’t need a futuristic rig to run it. CD Projekt Red unveiled the system requirements for the hotly anticipated game on September 18, and they’re surprisingly forgiving. You’ll need more powerful gear to unlock the real eye candy, though. On the processor front, your needs are minimal: an ancient Intel Core i5-3570K or AMD FX-8310 CPU. That’s likely because Cyberpunk 2077 is also landing on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which rock ancient, atrocious AMD Jaguar cores. You’ll need only a 3GB GeForce GTX 780 or Radeon RX 470 graphics card, too, so this should run on most modern gaming PCs, even modest ones. The 8GB RAM and 70GB storage requirements are probably more onerous than…

The Surface Laptop Go is Microsoft’s second try at an affordable Surface, and it hits the mark better than the original Surface Go tablet did. It still offers compromises, with strategic cuts to keep the price competitive with a Chromebook. Still, they’re mostly smart decisions—even a sub-1080p display and Windows 10 in S Mode didn’t turn us off. Although the Surface Laptop Go lacks the easy expansion of some competing laptops, it’s otherwise a solid budget offering. Still, be picky in what you consider buying. We wouldn’t recommend the Surface Laptop Go’s minimum $549 configuration, but the middle $699 option (which we didn’t test) seems like the best bang for the buck. At $899, the 12.5-inch Surface Laptop Go review unit we tested bobs up to the very top of…

Another winner in a long line of budget-priced workhorses, the latest version of the Acer Aspire 5 graduates to Intel’s Ice Lake CPU and packs in enough power to tackle daily computing tasks with ease. This new Aspire 5 model does come saddled with a few compromises, including a cramped storage drive and so-so battery life, but its solid multi-core performance and impressive array of ports make up for those shortcomings, particularly once you consider its affordable price (currently $550 on Amazon). CONFIGURATION Last year, we saw versions of the Aspire 5 in various dual- and quad-core configurations of Intel’s Core Whiskey Lake CPUs and AMD Ryzen 3000 series chips. Now, in the second half of 2020, the Aspire 5 is moving to 10th-generation Intel processors and AMD Ryzen Series…

Q: How do you decide when it’s time to upgrade your PC versus replacing it altogether? Most PC builders (we included) operate on a gradual shift toward new systems. When assembling a brand-new system, we buy the best hardware we can at the time. Then we extend the machine’s usefulness for as long as possible, be it through upgrading select pieces or overclocking parts. Finally, we replace the whole system when it no longer can keep up with tasks thrown at it, and we can’t stretch it any further. Note: This approach applies equally to pre-built systems. However, with a pre-built system, you may find it more difficult to make upgrades—some vendors use custom parts that don’t easily accommodate changes. That line between choosing an upgrade and a full replacement…

If you’re bargain-hunting on Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, or Cyber Monday, Microsoft may have a secret discount deal waiting for you: Bing Rebates. Bing Rebates started as a beta program available only to a “select group of Microsoft Rewards members.” But as of October 8, Microsoft has made it live for everyone to use. Bing Rebates can be accessed via the Microsoft Rewards site. The discounts are tangible: up to 7 percent off from Microsoft, including Xbox games; 10 percent rebates at Verizon, plus rebates at Nvidia, Newegg, Best Buy, Woot!, Staples, and more. Essentially, Bing Rebates takes the discounts available to Microsoft Rewards members—including food, entertainment, and more—and gives back in the form of good old cash. Of all the deals, the benefits of shopping from Microsoft are…

Microsoft Surface Duo is officially on sale, but before you drop $1,400 on one, you might want to read a few of the reviews. Because the first impressions of the unique device aren’t great. The overall feeling is best summed up by Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, who says the device isn’t ready unless “you want an Android device that repeatedly ignores your taps on its screens, randomly slows down, struggles to figure out its own up, down and sideways positioning, and abruptly rearranges parts of its own interface.” That’s pretty scathing, but unfortunately, Stern’s conclusions aren’t out of the ordinary. In addition to saying the “lovely, well-designed” Surface Duo “is absolutely not worth” its $1,400 price tag, Dieter Bohn at The Verge criticizes the device’s complicated multitasking, confusing…

As Amazon Prime Day approached, Microsoft implemented a price-comparison tool within Microsoft Edge to help shoppers evaluate the best deal. The price-comparison tool is one of a number of new features coming to Edge, in conjunction with Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Those features include the formal launch of Bing Rebates, which offers Microsoft Rewards members site-wide discounts as they shop online. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s new price comparisons aren’t as easy as entering search terms in a search box. Instead, Microsoft has made them part of its Collections feature, which essentially bookmarks individual webpages inside a Collection. However, a Collection is more than a just a folder of bookmarks, as Microsoft’s Bing sniffs each webpage and pulls out the relevant data: price, availability, and so on. It’s this pricing data that Microsoft…

The OnePlus 8T couldn’t have come at a better time. When OnePlus launched the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro earlier this year, they were the company’s most expensive phones ever, and they came amidst a premium smartphone slump fueled by economic uncertainty and a global pandemic. In short, people needed the Samsung Galaxy A71 but got the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. With the 8T, OnePlus has returned to its roots. At $750 from OnePlus, not only is it $50 cheaper than a comparably specced OnePlus 8, but it also brings the kind of high-end features and innovations that fans expect without cutting too many corners. You’re still not getting wireless charging, which is almost a running gag for OnePlus at this point, but you are getting stupendous 65W Warp charging out of the…

The GeForce RTX 3080 is a monster. Nvidia promised that the Ampere GPU-powered RTX 30-series GPUs would be the company’s “greatest generational leap” ever, and it wasn’t exaggerating. The $699 GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition absolutely demolishes its predecessors in performance while working in all sorts of technological advances. It’s one of the best graphics card upgrades we’ve seen in a long, long time. You can read every nitty-gritty detail in our comprehensive review of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition. But if you don’t feel like sifting through thousands of words of technical and testing details, here are the five key things you need to know. 1. IT’S STAGGERINGLY FAST… Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition whups on everything that came before it. If you want to clear 60 frames…

Why are gaming phones still a thing? That’s what my colleague Michael Simon pondered after the recent releases of the Asus ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, and it’s a fair question to ask. When the Razer Phone created the “gaming phone” market in 2017, it rolled out with unique features rarely—if ever—seen in smartphones: a high refresh rate screen, binned processors, copper vapor chambers, and in-your-face “gamer” aesthetics. But in the years since, many of those “gaming” features have trickled down to mainstream phones like the Samsung Galaxy and various OnePlus models. Again: Why are gaming phones still a thing? Don’t be fooled: Despite the mainstream adoption of some of their features, these fire-breathing, enthusiast-focused devices continue to innovate. As someone who covered many of the most popular gaming…

Now that Microsoft has ended support for Office 2010 as of October 13, upgrading to Office 365 is one of your primary options. We know that switching from owning software outright to paying a subscription is a big change that many people dread. You can actually still buy Office 2019 as a standalone product if you want to stick to tradition. The subscription model has its upsides, though. You don’t have to fiddle with downloads, discs, or product keys. You get constant updates, including bug fixes, security patches, and new features. Microsoft’s subscriptions also offer flexibility on how many users and machines can access a product, so you don’t have to juggle a bunch of different copies of the same software. Here’s how it works. UPDATE OFFICE 2010 TO OFFICE…