Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i PCWorld

Only a few short months after Intel launched the 11th-gen Core H35-series microprocessors for mobile gaming, Intel is at it again: On Tuesday, Intel officially launched the 11th-gen Core Tiger Lake H-series processors for mainstream and gaming laptops. The product line includes five new processors, including the premium unlocked Core i9-11980HK, the Core i7-11800H, and a pair of Core i5 processors. Quad-core processors have disappeared from the lineup. Instead, the new chips include hyperthreaded six-core and eight-core processors, offering double the cores of the 11th-gen Tiger Lake cores Intel launched in September. Versus last year’s 10th-gen Core mobile gaming chips, base core clock frequencies are slightly up across the board. The maximum single-core boost clock has dipped, though—possibly a black mark for gamers. However, Intel is once again publishing its…

First, the bad news: Security researchers recently discovered five high-severity flaws in Dell’s firmware update driver—and they’ve been pushed to customer computers ever since 2009. Now the good news: A fix is already (or finally?) available for people who own Dell desktops, laptops, and tablets. You’ll want to take advantage if you’re affected, as the secretive code won’t stay a secret for long. “These multiple high severity vulnerabilities in Dell software could allow attackers to escalate privileges from a non-administrator user to kernel mode privileges,” writes Kasif Dekel, a security researcher at SentinelOne, which sniffed out the vulnerability. That could let attackers bypass security software or assault the network of an organization that deploys Dell PCs. “Over the years, Dell has released BIOS update utilities which contain the vulnerable driver…

Microsoft is killing one of my most beloved Windows 10 features, a versatile tool that I use every single day, and I am incredibly sad about it. I’ve recommended Windows 10’s Timeline tool over and over again, calling it a truly helpful feature you don’t know about and recommending it as a key Windows tool to supercharge your productivity. Timeline shows you a chronological history of your recent activity in supported key apps, including individual Office files, images, and browser tabs in Edge or Chrome. Clicking one of the files or webpages shown in Timeline opens it back up, making it dead simple to jump back into something you were working on before. The best part of Timeline is its cross-device syncing functionality. The feature hooks into your Microsoft Account to show…

Is the performance of AMD Ryzen mobile on battery really that bad? If you’re asking that question, you’ve doubtless heard Intel’s claims that Ryzen 4000 CPU performance tanked running on battery. Plugged-in performance was dandy, but in tests of multiple Ryzen 4000U-based laptops, performance dropped hugely on battery, depending on the task. While some reviewers checked AC and DC performance and found some nuggets of truth to Intel’s claims, the issue has mostly lain dormant for the last six months. Now that Ryzen 5000 is out, we decided to circle back and see if the claims still held. As you’ll see in our tests, what’s “good” or “bad” depends on whether you care more about performance or battery life. HOW WE TESTED For our testing we used the same two…

If you’ve just about given up on finding a GPU to build yourself a gaming PC, take heart: We’ve tried Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming for the web, and it’s not half bad. It is available in a limited beta for both the web as well as the Apple iPhone and iPad. (Xbox cloud access on the latter platforms has been hamstrung by Apple’s draconian control of its App Store.) In any event, both Windows PCs and Macs now have access to playing Xbox games on Microsoft’s cloud via the web. There are two key ways in which Xbox cloud gaming is superior. First, you don’t actually need a physical Xbox, especially one of the new Xbox Series S or X PCs, which are difficult if not impossible to find. Second,…

Windows 10 has a fantastic set of built-in security tools. In recent years, Windows Defender, the built-in antivirus for Windows 10, has performed as well as (and sometimes even better than) the major third-party suites. Many of Windows 10’s security features are turned on by default, such as Windows Defender’s real-time malware scanning and scheduled quick scans. Still, there are items that are either not enabled by default or have a lot more to offer than you may realize at first glance. Here are five Windows 10 security tools that are well worth knowing about. 1. SCAN OPTIONS You can easily get by with Windows Defender’s automated scanning regime, but did you know you can carry out manual scans just as you can with third-party antivirus suites? By default, Windows…

Sometimes the best software tools are built right into the operating system you’re already using. Case in point is Windows 10’s Clipboard History tool, which lets you store multiple items at a time for copying and pasting. While there’s no shortage of third-party clipboard managers for Windows—many of which cost money—Microsoft’s own option might be all you need. It’s especially handy if you are often juggling a lot of text or images and find yourself copying and pasting the same items repeatedly. Using the Windows 10 Clipboard History tool is easy: Press Win+V, and you’ll see a small pop-up prompting you to turn on the feature. From that point onward, you can press Win+V to view a running list of the last 25 text snippets or images that you’ve copied.…

Most security experts agree that two-factor authentication (2FA) is a critical part of securing your online accounts. Google agrees, but it’s taking an extra step: It’s going to sign up Google account holders up for two-factor accounts automatically. Google sees two-factor authentication as a replacement for passwords, which Mark Risher, Google’s director of product management for identity and user security, in a statement called “the single biggest threat to your online security.” Because they’re easy to steal and hard to remember, users will end up reusing passwords. If stolen, they can be used to unlock multiple user accounts, adding to the risk. Google already uses 2FA to secure accounts, but it’s been optional until now. If you have 2FA enabled on your Google account, for example, you can view the…

If you use multiple monitors with Windows, you’ve probably encountered this frustrating bug: When your PC resumes from sleep, all your application windows arbitrarily rearrange themselves. Microsoft is finally fixing this. Microsoft calls this Rapid Hot Plug Detect (Rapid HPD), and it tends to affect multimonitor setups that can use the DisplayPort interface or that run DisplayPort over another cable, like Thunderbolt. Now Microsoft says an upcoming Windows update will finally fix the problem. Here’s the scenario that Microsoft says the Windows update fixes: Your PC is connected to an external monitor, with apps scattered across all of the screens. Then you either put the PC to sleep or your PC falls asleep after you’ve left it alone for a while. When you return and your PC resumes from hibernation, Windows…

Intel’s underpowered Atom CPU has finally found some respect—but it had to go all the way to Mars to get it. The lowly chip had a tough time on Earth, winning the faintest of praise for its pedestrian performance. But its energy-sipping ways were apparently a good fit for a couple of compute modules that NASA built into its $2.7 billion Perseverance rover. Intel said that there are at least two Atom SoCs embedded inside the Perseverance. The chip is the main processor aboard a COMEX-IE38 computing module developed by Israel-based CompuLab. The COMEX-IE38 is built around Intel’s 22nm Atom E3800 and runs up to 8GB of DDR3 and 64GB of storage along with Gigabit ethernet, PCIe, SATA, USB, and serial UARTs. It’s long been a running joke that the…

HP’s Elite Folio is the first laptop we’ve seen that’s powered by Qualcomm’s latest Arm chip, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2. Yes, the Gen 2—supposedly a faster, more powerful upgrade to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx. Is it? We tested the HP Elite Folio and the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 chip to find out just how fast it is. This isn’t a formal review. What we did was take HP’s elegant, vegan-leather–wrapped tablet and run a few early tests on it to draw some immediate comparisons to previous reviews. While we typically run benchmarks several times to determine the average performance, in this case we’ve run our benchmark suite just twice—enough to ensure our results are accurate, however. Our results have caveats. Remember that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips are based upon the…

The Pro 2 is the sequel to 8BitDo’s SN30 Pro+—a full-size controller designed with modern features and wrapped in classic gaming aesthetics. At first glance the new controller looks almost exactly like the old one, but it packs some welcome upgrades while keeping the cost at a more than reasonable $50 price tag. These features make the Pro 2 worthy of the “Pro” name and make it an easy recommendation for any gamer looking for a powerful and versatile gaming option. Spec overview: • Compatibility with Windows 7 and up, Android 4.0 and up, Nintendo Switch, macOS 10.10 and up, and Raspberry Pi 2B, 2B+, 3B, Zero • Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity • 2 additional back paddle buttons • Custom profile switch that can switch between the 3 profiles on the…

It’s surprisingly easy to fall for an online scam even if you’re hyperaware of all the ways bad actors can trick you. Online scammers are playing a numbers game. If they send out their scams to enough people, they’ll find a few people who posses a magic combination: folks who are distracted by life and also concerned about the status of their online accounts. That’s how I almost fell for an online scam. My credit card bill was coming due, but I was busy that month, and paying the bill was just one of many things percolating in the back of my mind. Then I suddenly got an email stating my bank was freezing my account if I didn’t log in. “Oh no!” I thought. “I’m late paying my bill.”…

Q: I need to set up an elderly relative with a computer for times when a smartphone doesn’t cut it—printing information from websites and documents, mainly. I’ve got an old machine from 2007 that still works, and it’ll have to do since I’ve been ordered not to spend “any money whatsoever” on this project. Got any tips on making this machine semi-pleasant to use? I’m willing to spend a little on hardware upgrades and lie about it later. A: You shouldn’t need to drop much cash on that machine to make it tolerable by modern standards. Despite the age of that dual-core processor and low-end discrete graphics card, the combo can handle web browsing (including streaming video) and printing just fine. You also have 4GB RAM, which is a sufficient…

Samsung recently unveiled its new Galaxy Book Pro and Galaxy Book Pro 360 laptops. The four thin-and-light systems are designed with premium features, innovative enhancements, and close ties to the rest of Samsung’s product ecosystem. Announced at the company’s virtual Samsung Unpacked event on April 28, the laptops started shipping May 14. Prices will start at $1,000 for the Galaxy Book Pro 13 and $1,100 for the Galaxy Book Pro 15 clamshell notebooks. The convertible models (with 360-degree hinges) start at $1,200 for the Galaxy Book Pro 360 13 and $1,300 for the Pro 360 15. Samsung is also offering special discounts through Amazon, Best Buy, and its own online store. We’ll discuss some of the highlight features of the Galaxy Book Pro laptops, and you can find the specs…

If you’re the kind of person who puts doing work ahead of playing games, you’ll understand why I think the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX might be the perfect monitor. Announced at CES 2020 (not 2021!) and finally due to ship by the end of May, the ROG Swift PG32UQX is a feature-packed panel possessing just about every acronym you can find, including miniLED, DisplayHDR 1400, IPS, 10-bit, G-Sync Ultimate, 144Hz, and 4K. That’s probably just alphabet soup to regular people, so let me translate it for someone who works more than they game—but is tired of staring at compromise every day in the form of some random 1080p LCD. The top feature of the ROG Swift PG32UQX is its use of miniLEDs. These smaller, highly efficient light sources are still rare…

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 4 has significantly improved where it matters—in performance and in battery life. Even though it’s largely unchanged otherwise compared to the Surface Laptop 3, and is available in the same 13.5-inch and 15-inch sizes, that stability is not a bad thing given the product line’s tradition of offering a great screen, a great keyboard, and great battery life. Microsoft has hit its mark on all three criteria once again, and the important changes under the hood make all the difference. Our praise comes with a few qualifications. The product line is expensive. The long battery life is attained with a few tricks. We also don’t know how the Ryzen 7 version we’ve tested here compares to its siblings with an Intel CPU inside. Despite these unknowns, we…

Crucial’s BX500 internal SSD offers a lot of capacity for not so much cash, along with great everyday, real-world performance. Most users will be perfectly happy with this QLC drive, as long as they don’t bang on it too hard—as in writing large amounts of data in a short period of time, or filling the drive to point where it runs out of NAND to treat as cache. At that point, write performance drops to around the hard-drive level. DESIGN AND PRICE The BX500 is a 7-mm-thick, super-light, 2.5-inch SATA 6Gbps SSD. It comes in several flavors: The 2TB capacity we tested (currently $200 on Amazon), 1TB ($90 on Amazon), 480GB ($55 on Amazon), and 240GB ($39.95 on Amazon). That’s about as cheap as you’ll find, not to mention a…

With component prices soaring right now, computer builders are starting to eye prebuilt PCs as the quickest way to replace an aging system—or to scratch that itch for a brand-new gaming rig. We ourselves have even recommended buying a prebuilt PC instead of going DIY as a strategy. But some DIY builders remain skeptical of prebuilts, especially those from big companies like Dell and HP, and for good reason. Not so long ago, prebuilt gaming PCs came equipped with proprietary motherboards and power supplies, making common DIY upgrades difficult. (You couldn’t easily swap in a beefier graphics card, for example.) The parts in those same prebuilts often didn’t perform as well as what you could get off the shelf for a DIY build. But as you can see in our…

Google collects a lot of data about you if you use the company’s services. To its credit, the company makes finding and deleting that data easy by showing most of it on a single website. Here’s how to see the bulk of what Google knows about you, and how to delete it if you want. Once you delete data from your Google Account, the company immediately starts removing it and stops using it for personalization. “We then begin a process designed to safely and completely delete the data from our storage systems,” Google explains. It may be forced to keep some information to satisfy legal requirements, which you can read about at the link just provided. GOOGLE ACCOUNTS The primary starting point to see what information Google has about you…