Table of contents for November 2021 in PCWorld

Just three months after its announcement, Windows 11 is here. With it comes some major overhauls to existing features—and the arrival of new ones. You may wonder where to begin with this new OS. To help get you started, we’ve picked the top six features that deserve at least a closer look. Enough has changed that you owe it to yourself to check things out. You may discover something new to like, and if you don’t…well, good news is that Microsoft seems to be listening to feedback these days. 1. TASKBAR Much has changed about the taskbar in Windows 11. All your pinned and open applications exist as centered icons on the taskbar, including the Start menu button. It’s a bold move after decades of left-aligned icons and tabs—one that…

Netgear has announced the first quad-band WiFi 6E router, in the form of the Orbi Quad-Band Mesh WiFi 6E System AXE11000 (RBKE960). Historically, high-performing, hot-rod routers have been tri-band, meaning they have an extra WiFi 5 band to cover the higher channels and offer more throughput for 160 MHz–capable devices. In contrast, every WiFi 6E router broadcasts on the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequency bands; hence they are all necessarily tri-band. Unfortunately, this means you lose that second, higher-throughput 5 GHz band in exchange for a band that very few devices currently use. This doesn’t generally matter in any practical sense, but it’s worth acknowledging. Where this new Orbi mesh system diverges from the norm is in adding a fourth band, which you will not be using directly…

Windows 11 doesn’t convincingly answer the question every PC user should ask: Why do I need this upgrade? The new operating system repurposes some of Microsoft’s cancelled Windows 10X code, but lacks the unified vision that 10X promised. In some ways, Windows 11 feels very much like a product of 2020. Last year, we often felt we had to do something, and for some very good reasons, but without a real sense of the way ahead. And so goes Windows 11. Aesthetically, Windows 11 sacrifices productivity for personality, but without cohesion. A new Start menu seems designed for enterprises. A hyperactive Widgets app pushes celebrity gossip. Teams Chat asks you to reorganize your social circles around Microsoft. Yes, you’ll find things within Windows 11 worth applauding: the initial installation…

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 tablet arrives as Windows 11 (see page 25) goes out the door. Microsoft has already shipped one tablet this year, the Surface Pro 7+, which rose to the top of our roundup of the best Windows tablets of 2021. Can the Surface Pro 8 improve upon it? Yes. The Surface Pro 8 boldly strides forward with a larger, higher-resolution, faster screen, a revamped inking experience spearheaded by the optional Surface Slim Pen 2, and a pair of Thunderbolt ports that supplement the legacy Surface Connect charger. It’s a dramatic reworking of the iconic Surface Pro tablet line, and that’s enough to grab your attention. SPECIFICATIONS For now, there’s one important change in configuration between the Surface Pro 7+ for Business and the latest Surface Pro 8:…

PNY’s new LX3030 NVMe SSD isn’t for everyone. It’s marketed directly at Chia cryptocurrency plotting, a very high-bandwidth sustained write task. If you want some info on how much data Chia requires, you can find it here. But if your workload involves something similar, such as continuous large-scale backup, video encoding, or anything else that involves writing lots and lots of data, it might also be of interest. Why? The LX3030 is the fastest PCIe 3.0–based sustained writer we’ve tested and its TBW (TeraBytes that can be Written) ratings are astounding: 27,000TBW per 1TB of NAND. Seagate’s scorching-fast FireCuda 530 is rated for 1,250TBW per terabyte—a lot of data by normal standards, but shy one zero compared to the PNY’s rated durability. The catch? When I say the LX3030 is not…

Windows 11 has finally been released to the public, and you can download it right away if you’d like! Here’s how to get Windows 11, a free upgrade for your Windows 10 PC. Downloading the official final version of Windows 11 is very much like downloading the original Windows 11 beta, but Microsoft has added a tool to facilitate the process. In fact, there are four ways to download Windows 11, each of which has its own unique advantages. We’ll show you all four, after explaining what you should know before you upgrade. WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO DOWNLOAD WINDOWS 11 Before you begin downloading Windows 11, make sure you have the right PC hardware. While we don’t think there’s much risk to downloading and installing Windows 11, there’s always the…

If you’re wondering how to increase the performance of your Windows 11 PC, you may already know one way: Use the Windows 10 power-performance slider. But in Windows 11, Microsoft has hidden it in a new location. We’ll show you where. Microsoft offers an easy way to boost performance in Windows 10, as our previous article notes. On the Windows taskbar, clicking the battery icon opens the power slider, where you can trade lower performance for extended battery life. Naturally, this feature is common on laptops, less so on desktops. But it does make a difference. Microsoft, for example, dials down the performance slider on its devices to their most minimal settings, preserving battery life at the cost of performance. On Surface devices like the Surface Laptop 4 and the Surface…

The memory card wars are about to heat up again. This week, Adata showed off its first SD Express memory card. Adata said the device, dubbed the Premier Extreme SDXC SD 7.0 Express Card, will use PCIe Gen 3 x1 and hit read and write speeds of 800MB and 700MB, respectively. Adata also pointed out that is about 1.5 times faster than a standard SATA SSD. Compared to existing SD cards using the UHS-II SD and UHS-I SD interface, it’s about 2.7 to 8 times faster. SD Express is an evolutionary upgrade to the familiar SD cards used in cameras, laptops, and connected devices such as security cameras. It basically integrates PCIe Express and NVMe standards into SD card bodies. SD Express and microSD Express 7.0 will max out at…

Well, this is bad. Twitch, the ultra-popular streaming site, appears to have been hacked. An anonymous leaker on the 4chan message boards released a 125GB torrent that allegedly contains source code for the streaming service, along with payout information for creators and details about an unreleased Amazon Steam rival dubbed “Vapor.” You can’t trust anonymous hackers at their word, but noted security journalist Catalin Cimpanu of The Record downloaded some of the files and confirmed that “the content of the leak is in tune with what the hacktivists claimed to have shared.” Meanwhile, security researcher Troy Hunt has compiled a Twitter thread of various Twitch streamers confirming that the payout data is legitimate, and Video Game Chronicles says “an anonymous company source” told them that “the leaked data is legitimate, including the source…

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio feels like a glimpse of the future. Microsoft’s new pull-forward design arguably improves upon the Surface Book 3, its spiritual predecessor, offering you a light menu of gaming, content creation, and everyday computing capabilities to choose from. Tell us if you’ve heard this before, though: The Surface Laptop Studio doesn’t come cheap, and its excellent new inking capabilities require the separate purchase of a $130 Slim Pen 2. You can opt for Windows 11 (see page 25) to power this new 2-in-1 PC, though the new hardware, software, and drivers may make this a bit of a bumpy road to begin with. You’ll also have to decide whether this arguably niche device is worth the investment, versus general-purpose notebooks that may offer more value. Nevertheless, this…

NordVPN has long earned top marks among the VPNs I’ve reviewed. It’s notable for its incredible speeds, a generous country and server count, and the choice of WireGuard or OpenVPN protocols. It has also removed the hard drives from its servers to increase privacy and security. And in its aim to be more than just a VPN, the service is but one product under the larger umbrella organization Nord Security, alongside other services such as the NordPass password manager, NordLocker for secure file storage, and business tools like NordLayer and NordWL. FEATURES AND SERVICES When you first open NordVPN on Windows, you get a very user-friendly interface. The left-hand rail includes a list of all available countries in alphabetical order. This section also has quick links to NordVPN’s specialty servers, such as…

“Microsoft places the most disconcerting aspects of Windows 11 front and center, while its best features are hidden deeper within.” That’s how I closed my Windows 11 review (see page 25), and it still feels true today. But what are those hidden, superior features? Yes, you’ll need to hunt a bit. But Microsoft has scattered some hidden gems here and there within the new OS, and we’ll show you what they are. We’d still advise you to wait on Windows 11 while Microsoft smooths out the bugs, but at least you’ll know that there are some cool new capabilities waiting for you when you finally upgrade. We mentioned some of these features in our deep-dive Windows 11 review. Others, like the new Snap View, could easily remain hidden until you eventually…

Microsoft knows how you want Windows to look. That, at least, seems to be the company’s message with Windows 11 (see page 25). It makes big changes to the user interface and continues the trend of making user customization more difficult. It’s not currently possible to fully revert Windows 11 to the look for Windows 10 and, given Microsoft’s current attitude toward user interface customization, it may never be. Still, there are several key tweaks that can make you more comfortable. 1. START MENU LOCATION Windows 11’s most obvious design change is the relocation of the Windows Start menu from its traditional home, nestled on the taskbar’s left side, to the center of the taskbar. Fortunately, this change is easy to revert. Open the Windows Start menu and then the…

Nearly everyone is familiar with traditional routers—they’ve been around pretty much forever at this point. You need just one to manage the internet connection that’s provided through your modem. For some folks, this may be the combination modem and router (also known as a gateway) that you received from your internet service provider. Mesh routers came on the scene around 2015, and with them came a different kind of setup that relied on multiple devices. Usually you place at least two nodes around your house, with the option to easily add more for thorough coverage. The arrangement can be repositioned and/or expanded as needed to eliminate dead zones. Though mesh routers are newer, they don’t make their traditional counterparts obsolete. They’re just different. And because mesh routers are generally pricier when…

Windows 11 is now available (see page 25) as a free upgrade from Windows 10. Should you jump on board, or sit tight for now? We’re currently recommending that most people wait to install Windows 11, with the emphasis on most. That article explicitly lays out our reasons for that recommendation, but it really boils down to this: While Windows 11 offers some excellent new features, it also has plenty of rough edges, and it actually removes some key functionality you might have used in Windows 10. In the spirit of that mixed reception, here are three things we love in Windows 11—and three things we hate. WE LOVE: THE SETTINGS MENU Nearly a decade after the new Settings menu appeared in Windows 8, Microsoft has finally made a real…

Choosing the correct USB-C charger and cable for your laptop is about as fun as visiting the dentist, but new logos released today should go a long way toward making things easier. The USB Implementers Forum group that oversees the USB standard has released logos that easily indicate whether a cable or charger can hit the new 240 watt rating. Previous USB-C chargers and cables were rated to hit 65 watts or 100 watts, but a new version of USB Power Delivery released this May has pushed the limit to an impressive 240 watts. Obviously, that means if you’re looking for a 240 watt aftermarket charger for a new gaming laptop that supports it, you don’t want to settle for a lesser product. With the new USB-C logos, all you…

It’s finally happened. Well over a year after this generation of graphics cards kicked off, AMD is releasing the first true 1080p GPU of the lot with the Radeon RX 6600, which is being both announced and launched today. Sure, the step-up Radeon RX 6600 XT ostensibly targets high-refresh rate 1080p gaming, but it’s massively overkill for gaming on a standard 60Hz monitor. And the rival GeForce RTX 3060 doesn’t offer enough GPU grunt for no-compromises 1440p, but Nvidia ladened it with a ludicrous 12GB of VRAM, which contributes to its sky-high street price. The Radeon RX 6600 offers very good Ultra-quality 1080p gaming paired with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a remarkably sane combination. Its $329 suggested price might raise an eyebrow at first blush; that matches the MSRP of the RTX 3060,…

The Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is a gaming laptop that doesn’t just want to be a gaming laptop. Instead, it falls into a burgeoning category of more work-friendly gaming rigs, joining the likes of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15, Gigabyte Aero 17, and Dell XPS 17 9710 in toning down its wild side. There are no racing stripes or flashy LED patterns here, and the 2560x1600 resolution screen has a taller 16:10 aspect ratio to help with regular old office work. Yet the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is ready to party when needed, with an Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Max-Q GPU, and a 165Hz refresh rate display for super-smooth gaming (and, to be honest, web browsing). While some games don’t play nice with a…

Want to maximize your desktop’s real estate? You have two options: an ultrawide monitor or a dual-monitor setup. Either choice will massively expand the screen space at your command. But ultrawide and dual-monitor setups are not the same. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Here’s how to decide whether an ultrawide monitor or dual monitors is right for you. HOW WIDE IS IT? Everyone looking to buy an ultrawide monitor or dual monitors wants more usable display space. But how much do you gain with each scenario? A 34-inch ultrawide monitor, the most common size, is not as large you might think. This size of ultrawide is nearly identical to a 27-inch widescreen monitor in height and about 8 inches wider. Purchasing a second 27-inch monitor will, of course,…

There are thousands of options for watching shows and movies on your TV: Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max are just a few popular ones. But what if you want to watch live TV, including local channels? You can watch live TV through your PC just as you would watch Netflix, or you can kick it old-school with a TV tuner and an antenna. Here’s how. CHECK YOUR CABLE SUBSCRIPTION FIRST Do you have a cable subscription? If so, you may already have access to live TV on your PC. Many cable companies offer streaming live TV as part of their standard cable package. Comcast’s Xfinity and AT&T’s DirectTV Stream are examples of Internet-enabled cable packages that can stream to not only a PC, but also to mobile devices like an iPhone or…

Within Windows 11 (see page 25), the Widgets drawer is huge. But what if you don’t want or need Widgets? You might not be able to banish it entirely from your system, but you can get rid of the Widgets button from your Taskbar in just a few easy steps. In fact, if you don’t use the Search icon or even Task View, you can remove those icons from your Taskbar as well. Widgets is the Windows 11 reboot of News & Interests, the Windows 10 feature that pre-selects news, weather, sports scores, and stock prices and collects them in a small widget that lives at the bottom of your screen. (In Windows 10, News & Interests displays the temperature and weather within your Taskbar, while within Windows 11 it…