Tech Spotlight A video showcase

of the latest trends

Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/proj

What is ≥ What is Project Athena? It’s the

Project driver behind some of the nicest

Athena? laptops available today. Melissa

talks with Josh Newman (CCG Vice
President and GM of Mobile Innovation at Intel) and
Donnie Oliphant (Senior Marketing Director of XPS at
Dell) about what Project Athena is, how it’s being
implemented in laptops, and why you should care.

122 PCWorld JUNE 2020

INSIDE 7 WAYS TO SPEED UP AN OLD ANDROID PHONE

JUNE 2020

10 PROGRAMS YOU WON’T

REGRET BUYING

PLUS IS UPGRADING A LAPTOP’S RAM & SSD WORTH IT?

“I want my daughter to see how strong
women create their own future in retirement.”

Visit AceYourRetirement.org/Shero for:

• 3-minute online chat with a digital retirement coach
• Free personalized roadmap based on your retirement goals
• Free tips to start boosting your retirement savings now
 CONTENTS

JU N E 20 20

» DEPARTMENTS » FEATURES

ƺ News

ƶƺ Reviews & Ratings ƻƳ Is upgrading a laptop’s SSD and RAM worth it?

ƴƳƶ Here’s How

ƴƵƳ Tech Spotlight Ƽƴ 10 programs you won’t regret buying

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 3

MASTHEAD

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matt Egan

EDITOR IN CHIEF, CONSUMER BRANDS Jon Phillips
DESIGN DIRECTOR Robert Schultz

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EXECUTIVE EDITORS Melissa Riofrio, Gordon Mah Ung
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FOUNDERS
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4 PCWorld JUNE 2020

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JUNE2020 PCWorld 5
WHEN YOU’RE BUZZED,YOU
GET IDEAS. LIKE ASKING
EVERYONE INSIDE THE TACO
TRUCK WHAT DRIVING
AROUND IN A KITCHEN IS
LIKE AND THEN ORDERING
22 TACOS WITH EXTRA
GUACAMOLE AND ALL THE
CHEESE FOR EVERY DRUNK
PERSON IN LINE. BAD IDEA
FOR YOUR WALLET, BUT
NOT AS BAD AS DRIVING
HOME BUZZED.
News TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL
AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.

The $1,799 MacBook Pro 13 vs. the

$650 Acer Swift 3: Guess who wins?
Can a budget PC smoke Apple’s new MacBook Pro 13? Yes, it can. BY GORDON MAH UNG

pple’s MacBook Pro 13 just That’s not a typo. The Acer Swift 3 costs

A came out, and it already has a

tough adversary. That foe is not
the usual high-end, high-priced
Windows workhorse like the Dell XPS 13 (go.
pcworld.com/d930) we just tested, as great
just six hundred fifty dollars. But this budget
laptop has a secret weapon: AMD’s Ryzen
7 4700U (go.pcworld.com/470u). When
we reviewed the Acer Swift 3 ( see page 37),
it surpassed all expectations by keeping
as it is. No, the reason Apple should worry is pace with laptops far bigger and more
because based on our sister site Macworld’s expensive. And sorry to say, the MacBook
preliminary performance tests (go.pcworld. Pro 13 is in the same pickle as those
com/ptst), this $1,799 premium laptop could other powerhouses. Keep reading and
be lapped by the $650 Acer Swift 3. weep, Apple.

IMAGE: APPLE JUNE 2020 PCWorld 7

NEWS MACBOOK PRO 13 VS. ACER SWIFT 3

It’s pretty, but is it fast?.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE to Wi-Fi 6 when you’re using a Wi-Fi 6 router

MACBOOK PRO 13 (go.pcworld.com/w6rt). Hey, but you do get
The MacBook Pro 13’s spec list is first-class all that OLED Touch Bar that Apple users love to
the way, starting with a 10th-gen Core hate (go.pcworld.com/lhte). All this can be
i5-1038NG7 with a base clock of 2GHz and had for a mere $1,799. It’s about as expensive
boost clock of 3.8GHz. You’ve probably and refined as a European performance car
never heard of the chip before, and neither with bespoke leather interior.
have we. You can’t even find it in Intel’s official What happens though, if you’re at a
database of CPUs. All we know is it’s an Ice stoplight with your fine European
Lake chip built on Intel’s most advanced 10nm performance car, and a primer-painted
process. It features four cores with Hyper- Datsun 510 (go.pcworld.com/d510) pulls up
Threading and Iris Plus graphics. We can’t and revs its engine? That would be the Acer
confirm it, but we strongly believe it to be a Swift 3, a 2.6-pound, 14-inch laptop with
28-watt TDP chip, which means it can Ryzen 7 4700U, 8GB of LPDDR4X/3733
generate nearly twice the heat of a standard memory, 512GB SSD, and Wi-Fi 6. Using
15-watt TDP Ice Lake chip and therefore, published performance data, we can actually
technically, run faster. see what would happen.
The rest of the MacBook Pro 13 is equally
luxurious, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a MACBOOK PRO 13 VS.
beautiful 2560x1600-resolution panel, 16GB SWIFT 3 ON GEEKBENCH
of LPDDR4X/3733, and a 512GB SSD. Oddly, The benchmark we have now is Geekbench
Apple gives you only Wi-Fi 5, which is inferior 5. It’s a popular test that measures multi-core

8 PCWorld JUNE 2020

The Acer Swift 3 costs just $650 but gives you an 8-core Ryzen 7 CPU and Radeon graphics

and single-core performance using various Geekbench 5 also measures multi-core

synthetic loops, which developer Primate performance. The Acer Swift 3’s 8 cores (even
Labs has modeled on real application use. if they don’t have SMT turned on) easily outrun
In Geekbench 5’s single-core performance the MacBook Pro 13’s 4 cores. This likely
test, the MacBook Pro 13’s Core i5-1068NG7 means the MacBook Pro 13 will be eating the
pulls out the win. That’s no surprise, because Acer Swift 3’s dust in video encoding, 3D
Intel’s most advanced 10th-gen chip has many modelling, or just about anything that relies on
under-the-hood enhancements which multi-core performance.
Geekbench also takes advantage of. The The last performance test we have at this
Intel-powered Mac, in other words, has a time is GeekBench 5’s OpenCL, where it uses
decent edge here and gets to the next the chip’s integrated graphics to perform
stoplight first. In real life, this might translate several computing tasks. For the MacBook Pro
into a small edge for the Intel-based Mac in 13 it’s Iris Plus, and for the Swift 3 it’s Radeon.
photo editing, browsing, or other optimized The Acer Swift 3 wins by a mile. That
code that uses a single CPU core. surprises us, because we’ve seen the Core

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 9

NEWS MACBOOK PRO 13 VS. ACER SWIFT 3

Geekbench 5 Geekbench 5
Single-core performance Multi-core performance
Acer Swift Acer Swift
Ryzen 7 4700U 1,124 Ryzen 7 4700U / Radeon 5,308
MacBook MacBook Pro
Pro 13 2020 1,257 13 2020 4,480
Core i5-1038NG7 Core i5-1038NG7 / Iris Plus

LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

Geekbench 5 gives the MacBook Pro 13 and its The 8 cores of the Acer Swift 3 leave the 4-core
Core i5 the lead over the Ryzen-powered Acer MacBook Pro 13 eating dust in multi-core
Swift 3. performance.

i7-1065G7 perform in the 10,000 range Of course, it’s not only the engine you’re
from a Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. The shortfall paying for—you’re also paying for the build
from the Core i5-1068NG7 means its quality, the panel quality, the speaker quality,
graphics could be clocked lower than the the keyboard quality—and the logo on the lid.
Core i7-1065G7’s, or perhaps operating That’s what we tell ourselves when the Datsun
system optimizations make Windows faster 510 leaves us so far behind at the light, we
than MacOS. check to see if we had our luxury European
performance car in reverse.
NEED WE COMPARE This is obviously just one benchmark on
THE COST? one laptop, so we’ll update the performance
The last chart compares cost, but you don’t scores of the Swift 3 against more MacBook
need a picture to tell you that the Acer Swift 3 Pro 13 scores as they come out. But it’s a bad
at $650 is over $1,000 cheaper than the start for the MacBook Pro 13, and a great one
$1,799 the MacBook Pro 13. for the Acer Swift 3.

Geekbench 5 Laptop price

OpenCL performance Freedom dollars
Acer Swift 3 Acer Swift 3
Ryzen 7 4700U / Radeon 11,925 Ryzen 7 4700U / Radeon $650
MacBook Pro 13 MacBook Pro 13
2020 8,376 2020 $1,799
Core i5-1038NG7 / Iris Plus Core i5-1038NG7 / Iris Plus

LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E H I G H ER C OS T

The $650 Swift 3 issues a crushing blow to the Despite costing almost three times as much, the
$1,800 MacBook Pro 3 in the OpenCL test. MacBook Pro 13 eats dust and then has seconds
against the $650 Acer Swift 3.

10 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Microsoft launches Surface Book 3
and Surface Go 2, a new Surface
Dock and Surface Headphones 2
Microsoft’s spring launch features updates of familiar Surface hardware. BY MARK HACHMAN

icrosoft has launched a new refreshes. The Surface Book 3 adds new

M generation of Surface devices

that aims to offer something
for everyone. Announced in
early May, the devices include the new
Surface Book 3, Surface Go 2, and Surface
10th-gen Ice Lake Core processors, as well as
Nvidia GTX and Quadro RTX ray-tracing GPU
options. The Surface Go 2, meanwhile,
boasts 8th-gen Intel Core m chips.
Tying them to displays and other
Dock 2. To help you stay focused, Microsoft peripherals will be the Surface Dock 3 and the
will soon ship the Surface Earbuds, and— Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub. The real surprise
surprise!—the Surface Headphones 2. is the Surface Headphones 2, now with a black
While the Surface Book 3, Surface Go 2, option, a rotating earcup, and improved
and Surface Dock 2 were not unexpected, the battery life. There’s more, too: Last year’s
breadth of Microsoft’s Surface-related Surface Earbuds, plus a pair of new keyboards.
hardware comes as a bit of a shock. Virtually “As we continue to expand our Surface
all of the new Surfaces can be classified as family of devices, our goal is to design a Surface

IMAGE: MICROSOFT JUNE 2020 PCWorld 11

NEWS MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SURFACE LINEUP

for every person, every work style and every premium, but not too premium, experience.
location, scaling from the most portable to the Both the 13.5-inch and 15-inch Surface Book
most performant,” Panos Panay, chief product 3’s are based on Intel’s recent Ice Lake
officer of Windows + Devices, and Robin Seiler, 10th-gen chips, both well-regarded mobile
corporate vice president of devices for processors with integrated graphics (though
Microsoft, said in a statement. The two said their AMD’s Ryzen Mobile 4000 chips [go.
goal was “to give you devices that can switch pcworld.com/rzm4] look even better).
context as quickly as you do to take you from Because the cheapest Core i5 Surface Book 3
work to play to everything in between.” doesn’t use a dedicated GPU, it relies on Ice
Lake’s graphics—meaning that Microsoft’s
SURFACE BOOK 3 couldn’t go with the faster, CPU-only Comet
Microsoft’s Surface Book has always been the Lake alternative (go.pcworld.com/clal).
company’s flagship 2-in-1, combining the Otherwise, the Core i5-1035G7 and Core
power of a workstation with a unique design i7-1065G7 options will be married to either
that marries a tablet with a traditional an Nvidia GTX 1650 (Max-Q) or GTX 1660 Ti
clamshell form factor. The Surface Book 3 (Max-Q). At the high end, there will also be
won’t be cheap: Prices will start at $1,599. Nvidia Quadro RTX GPU options, too, for
The Surface Book 3 will ship May 21, in both those seeking more traditional workstation-
the 13.5-inch and 15-inch form factors of its like performance. So yes, there will be
predecessor, the Surface Book 2 (go. support for ray tracing—even if the GPU is
pcworld.com/sbk2). designed for creation, not gaming, and is a
For that price, Microsoft’s offering a slower Max-Q option at that. It gets a little
crazier in memory
The Surface Book lineup is and storage: up to
unique: there’s currently 32GB LPDDR4X
no other detachable 2-in-1
in the industry. The design
memory, and a 2TB
allows for dual batteries as SSD option for
well as a discrete GPU. United States
customers.
A number of
things have
remained
unchanged, for
better or worse.

12 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 The Surface
Book 3 should
be able to
accommodate
multiple 4K
monitors with
ease.

Battery life should remain pleasantly massive: key to the upgraded Surface Go 2, though, is
up to 15.5 hours for the 13.5-inch device, and probably the processor: an 8th-gen Intel Core
up to 17.5 hours for the 15-inch device, about m3 chip improves the overall performance by
the same as before. Unlike the Surface Laptop a whopping 64 percent, according to
3 (go.pcworld.com/slt3), key travel remains Microsoft.
at 1.55mm for the keyboard, making it one of The Surface Go 2 is priced beginning at
the best in the industry. Unfortunately, $399, and will ship May 12 in versions for
though, the ports remain static, too: a pair of consumers and for businesses. Unfortunately,
USB-A, one USB-C (with power delivery) and consumers will be stuck with Windows 10 S,
a full-size SD slot.
We’ve published the full The Surface Go 2,
Surface Book 3 specs in a separate shown here, will
be sold without
story (go.pcworld.com/b3sp). the accompanying
Signature Type Cover
SURFACE GO 2 and Surface Pen.

Microsoft’s follow-up to the

original Surface Go (go.pcworld.
com/srgo) squeezes a slightly
larger, higher-resolution 10.5-inch
screen inside the same ultralight
Windows tablet hardware. The

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 13

NEWS MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SURFACE LINEUP

while business users receive Windows 10 Pro. from home. Neither is new, and we’ve
The Signature Type Cover and Surface Pen will seen the rear-facing Camera app, which can
still be sold separately, though they’re often “read” documents and output them to the
bundled together by third-party retailers. Whiteboard app. Still, they’re features that are
Otherwise, this is the same compact very of-the-moment.
Windows tablet that should appeal to those We’ve published what we know of the full
seeking an inexpensive Surface tablet, or to Surface Go 2 specs in a separate story (go.
frequent-flyer businesspeople who need pcworld.com/g2sp), along with some early
something that fits on a tray table. Surface Go performance analysis.
2’s magnesium chassis is still supported by a
kickstand that reclines to about 165 degrees. SURFACE DOCK 2 AND
Battery life is now about 10 hours, in either MICROSOFT USB-C
one of two options: Wi-Fi-only, or a separate TRAVEL HUB
LTE-equipped version. We had an idea about what the Surface Dock
Pay attention to another Surface 2 would offer, from leaked product listings
component that Microsoft is emphasizing: a (go.pcworld.com/lked) before Microsoft
user-facing 5MP webcam and a pair of announced it. The leak from Dr. Windows, a
far-field mics, both designed to make you German site, correctly identified that the
look and sound your best while you work Surface Book 3 would ship with a 125W
charger, solving
the Surface Book
2’s power
problem (go.
pcworld.com/
pwpb). (The
actual number is
127W.)
The Surface
Dock 2 will
certainly generate
enough power to
let the Surface
Book 3 operate at
The Surface Go 2, like the Surface Go, is Microsoft’s ultraportable tablet. full speed—

14 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Microsoft representatives
say it will pass 199W to the
Surface Book 3 and other
devices. Here’s an
interesting twist, though:
according to Microsoft’s
specifications, the Surface
Dock 2 is compatible with The Surface Dock 2 looks about the same as the first generation, just
the Surface Book 3, the with USB-C ports instead of the miniDisplayPort connectors. The power
port is to the left, with ethernet, an audio jack, two USB-C ports, and
Surface Pro 7, the Surface
two USB-A ports next to it.
Pro X, the Surface Laptop 3,
and the Surface Go 2. It is
not compatible with older
Surfaces, including the
Surface Studio, Surface
Hub, Surface Pro 4, Surface
Pro 3, or the first-generation
Surface Book. We don’t
USB-C connections have been added to both sides of the Microsoft
know why these older Surface Dock 2.
models are cut off.
The Surface Dock 2 swaps the cables, instead of the tried-and-true miniDP-
miniDisplayPort connections on the first to-DisplayPort cables.
Dock for USB-C ports. There are two The Surface Dock 2 is priced at $260,
“generic” USB-C ports by themselves, on about $60 higher than the original
one side of the device. On the other, Surface Dock.
Microsoft has added what it calls “video- Microsoft isn’t saying much about the
enabled USB-C ports,” presumably Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub, though it’s
designed with the DisplayPort interface in undoubtedly designed to offer functionality
mind. There are also two USB-A 3.2 similar to the number of great USB-C hubs
(10Gbps) ports, Gigabit ethernet, a 3.5mm (go.pcworld.com/ushb) already on the
jack, and a Kensington lock. market. The Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub is
The Surface Connect cable is longer, too, priced at $100. Both it and the Surface Dock
at 80cm, or just over 2.5 feet. Unfortunately, it 2 will start shipping to customers later this
probably means investing in USB-C-to-HDMI month in select markets, the company said.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 15

NEWS MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SURFACE LINEUP

worked specifically on
identifying human voices,
and either blocking or
amplifying them.
Three things are new for
this generation: rated battery
life that’s increased from 15
to 20 hours, an ear cup that
now rotates 180 degrees for
greater comfort, and a new
This image of Microsoft’s USB-C Travel Hub appears to show ethernet, black option to complement
HDMI, VGA, USB-A, and a USB-C power connection. the classic platinum look.
Microsoft started
SURFACE HEADPHONES 2 shipping its Surface Headphones 2 on
AND SURFACE EARBUDS May 12.
Our hands-on with the Surface Headphones Meanwhile, Microsoft showed off the
(go.pcworld.com/hosh) proved they Surface Earbuds last October (go.pcworld.
worked extremely well to filter out the com/sebd), which seems like a lifetime ago.
cacophony of a busy product launch. From Originally set to challenge Amazon’s own
all accounts, the noise filtration ranked $130+ Echo Buds, the Surface Earbuds have
extremely high among competing devices. now been marked down from $250 to their
Now Microsoft’s unexpectedly
updated the Surface Headphones
to give us the Surface
Headphones 2, priced $100 less
than the original Surface
Headphones at $249.
That sounds like a solid deal,
given that Microsoft appears to
have left what was good about
the Headphones intact—the
ability to dial the ambient noise
control up and down, across 13 Microsoft’s original Surface Headphones were well-received.
different levels. Microsoft said it’s Now they ship in black, with upgraded battery life.

16 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 your earlobes.
Otherwise, though, it looks as though
Microsoft will have its own competitor to the
Google Pixel Buds, the Apple AirPods Pro
(go.pcworld.com/arpr), and more.

TWO NEW MICROSOFT

KEYBOARDS
Microsoft’s also launching two new mouse-
and-keyboard combos. The Microsoft
Ergonomic Desktop is priced at $89.99,
and the Microsoft Bluetooth Desktop is
priced at $59.99.
Microsoft described the Microsoft
Ergonomic Desktop as one that “reduces
fatigue and delivers exceptional comfort and
control with a split keyboard design featuring
Another view of Microsoft’s Surface Headphones 2. a cushioned palm rest and an ultra-precise

final selling point of $199. They, too, started

shipping on May 12.
Microsoft originally pitched the Surface
Earbuds as both a terrific way to listen to
music via Spotify—with rich Omnisonic
sound—as well as a transcription and even
translation tool for Word, Outlook and other
apps. Originally, Microsoft said the Surface
Earbuds were good for 24 hours of charging
via the charging case: 8 hours per charge,
with two “refills” from the case. (The company
now says they offer “all-day battery life” with
the included wireless charging case.) If there
Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds are charged within
was any knock against the Earbuds, it’s that their own case and feature a large control surface
the large, tappable control surface dominated for interaction. A triple-tap launches Spotify.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 17

NEWS MICROSOFT UNVEILS NEW SURFACE LINEUP

Microsoft’s Ergonomic Desktop mouse-and-

keyboard combo.

mouse with cushioned thumb rest.” The coronavirus pandemic means that we
Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard is a “full-sized couldn’t see and try out all of these devices
keyset” in a slim, modern design, in person at the announcement event, we’re
accompanied by a “compact, stylish mouse hopeful that we’ll be able to review some or
that fits comfortably in your hand.” all of these products as they roll out. Fall
It looked like Microsoft might be making brought us the Surface Laptop 3 (go.
its excellent Surface Precision Mouse (go. pcworld.com/sl03), the Surface Pro X (go.
pcworld.com/sprm) part of this combination, pcworld.com/srpx), and the Surface Pro 7
but representatives say it’s actually the (go.pcworld.com/pr07). The spring
Microsoft Ergonomic Mouse. hardware refresh looks to be just as
While it’s disappointing that the meaningful.

Microsoft’s Bluetooth Desktop mouse and keyboard combination is a bit less expensive.

18 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Why Microsoft needs an Xbox
gaming laptop
Xbox isn’t just for consoles anymore, and a dedicated gaming laptop would let Microsoft
flex its PC gaming muscles. BY BRAD CHACOS

he first week of May was a big want is something that straddles those

T week for Microsoft. On May 6,

the company introduced an army
of enticing Surface updates (see
page 11). On the 7th, it held an Xbox
event to introduce the first batch of next-
two worlds and solidifies Microsoft’s
position as a driving force in gaming—and
yes, that includes PC gaming. I want an
Xbox gaming laptop, built with the same
attention to detail as the Surface lineup, but
gen games (go.pcworld.com/xsxr) coming focused on highlighting the best of
to the Xbox Series X console (go.pcworld. Microsoft’s gaming innovations and what’s
com/xspc) launching this year. But what I possible on the PC.

IMAGE: IDG JUNE 2020 PCWorld 19

NEWS WHY MICROSOFT NEEDS AN XBOX L APTOP

DX12 at play as
Microsoft works
to level up
everyone’s
gaming
experience.
Before real-
time ray tracing
could debut in
Nvidia’s GeForce
RTX 20-series
graphics cards
Windows 10’s Game Bar in Forza. (go.pcworld.
com/20gc),
Diehard PC enthusiasts may scoff—it’s Microsoft added DirectX Raytracing (go.
hard to look past the epic failure of Games for pcworld.com/dctx) to Windows. DirectX 12
Windows Live—but hear me out. Ultimate (go.pcworld.com/12ul) enshrines
other cutting-edge technologies (mostly Nvidia
WHY XBOX MATTERS FOR innovations) into both Windows and the
PC GAMING forthcoming Xbox Series X for the good of all
Under Phil Spencer’s stewardship, Microsoft’s gamers—including Radeon owners. Microsoft’s
Xbox division has doubled down on PC forward-thinking Xbox Play Anywhere initiative
gaming, introducing
new features that
improve the lives of PC
gamers even if they
aren’t aware of them. A
lot of those benefits are
intrinsically tied to the
underlying DirectX 12
graphics technology
shared between
Windows 10 and Xbox,
but there’s more than A recent beta made Minecraft the new gold standard for ray tracing.

20 PCWorld JUNE 2020

lets you buy a
game once, then
play it on PCs or
consoles, and it’s
been bolstered by
the company’s
impressive
support of cross-
play features.
Xbox Games Pass
for PC (go.
pcworld.com/
pass) is the best
value in gaming
today, offering Microsoft’s Surface Book 3 can game, but it isn’t focused on gaming.
over 100 games
for $5 per month. Even the Windows 10 Game improvement to an already glorious hybrid.
Bar kicks ass (go.pcworld.com/10br) now. We dubbed the Surface Book 2 “the ultimate
To pave the road for the Xbox Series X’s laptop” (go.pcworld.com/b2rv) in our 2017
ray-tracing support, a recent beta made review. This version ups the ante with Intel’s
Minecraft the new gold standard (see page latest 10th-gen processors, modern Nvidia
67) for ray tracing. Seriously: It’s stunning. GPUs, massive storage and memory
Xbox isn’t just for the living room upgrades, and even a more potent power
anymore. It’s the brand for all of Microsoft’s brick to sidestep the energy-draw woes that
gaming endeavors, uniting PCs and consoles served as the one glaring drawback in the
alike. But sadly, Microsoft’s most innovative last model. We haven’t reviewed it yet, but
gaming technology isn’t emphasized in the on paper, it looks like everything we
recent Surface releases, even though some could’ve asked for in an update.
could be used as gaming devices. But on the proverbial eve of seeing the
Xbox Series X bring real-time ray tracing into
SURFACE BOOK 3 GETS RAY the mainstream, the consumer-focused
TRACING, KIND OF versions of the Surface Book 3 don’t support
The Surface Book 3 announced in May (go. real-time ray tracing.
pcworld.com/msb3) looks like a serious There are a lot of available Surface Book 3

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 21

NEWS WHY MICROSOFT NEEDS AN XBOX L APTOP

configurations, and all but two rely on Nvidia’s The decision makes sense for the high-
GeForce GTX 1650 and GTX 1660 Ti GPUs. end Surface Book 3! Microsoft’s always
They’re fine gaming options—especially the pitched its detachable laptop as a high-
GTX 1660 Ti—but Nvidia’s GTX 16-series performance notebook for pros, a more
graphics don’t include the dedicated versatile alternative to Apple’s MacBook Pro.
hardware required to accelerate real-time ray Quadro fits perfectly. But the Surface Book
tracing. Two Surface Book 3 versions include doesn’t get updated very often, and with
Nvidia’s Quadro RTX 3000 GPUs, which do Microsoft’s gaming divisions pushing so hard
support ray tracing, but those workstation- on real-time ray tracing, it’s a shame that you
class cards can’t run Nvidia’s Game Ready won’t be able to take full advantage of games
GeForce drivers. GeForce drivers get that support the technology on the only
updated frequently to include optimizations Surface device with discrete graphics.
for the latest games. Quadro cards need to
use either Quadro drivers or the creation- HIGHLIGHTING
focused Nvidia Studio drivers (go.pcworld. MICROSOFT’S BEST
com/nstd), which revolve around more Microsoft created the Surface to highlight the
professional use cases. best of Windows, to show what’s possible

The Xbox Series X’s custom AMD chip.

22 PCWorld JUNE 2020

when you tightly
integrate the
operating system’s
capabilities with
hardware tailored
to use those
powers to full
effect. That’s why
Microsoft needs
an Xbox gaming
laptop, too—a
sleek, powerful
device built with New Seagate NVMe drives will plug into the back of the Xbox Series X, tapping
the same loving into the blazing-fast Xbox Velocity Architecture. Imagine it in PCs, too!
attention as the
Surface but dedicated to showcasing the best If Microsoft really wanted to get crazy, it
of what’s possible with PC gaming. Of Xbox could even (maybe?) make an Xbox gaming
gaming, beyond the console. laptop stand out from the gaming notebook
An Xbox gaming laptop could come hordes by integrating support for the
clad in black, mirroring the Xbox Series X’s fantastically fast “Xbox Velocity Architecture”
branding while standing apart from Surface’s add-in SSDs (go.pcworld.com/xbvl)
traditional silver hues. Load it up with Nvidia’s debuting in the Xbox Series X.
ray tracing-capable GeForce RTX graphics, There’s no shortage of gaming notebooks
of course, or AMD’s eventual RDNA2 GPUs available (go.pcworld.com/gmlp), and
(go.pcworld.com/rdn2). Integrate wireless Microsoft’s PC partners probably wouldn’t
Xbox controller connectivity (go.pcworld. appreciate it if the creator of Windows
com/xbcn). Microsoft’s advanced Surface encroached even further on their turf. But done
camera (go.pcworld.com/sfcm) and the right, a dedicated Microsoft gaming laptop
dual far-field mics would work wonderfully would leave no doubt that yes, Xbox matters for
for Twitch (or Mixer) streaming. I’m getting PC gamers, too. Toss in a free subscription to
hot and bothered just thinking about the idea Xbox Game Pass for PC for a few months, and
of Microsoft’s luscious PixelSense displays it’d make one hell of a statement as the
amped up to game-ready 120Hz-plus refresh vanguard for Microsoft’s PC gaming ambitions.
rates. You know, like Surface does for Windows.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 23

NEWS

Google Drive gains an important

security feature on iPhone,
forgets Android exists
Android once again takes a backseat to iOS. BY MICHAEL SIMON

f you’re an Apple user who uses the logging you in like before, you can opt to

I Google Drive app to share files, a cool

security feature just landed on your iOS
device. If you’re an Android user who
uses the Google Drive app to share files,
however, you’re out of luck.
need to verify your identity via Face ID or
Touch ID, depending on the device you’re
using. When activated, Google Drive won’t
open without proper authentication, so if
someone borrows your phone they won’t be
The new feature is called Privacy Screen, able to access what’s inside your drive
and it adds an extra layer of protection for the without your permission.
Google Drive app. Instead of instantly After updating the app to version

24 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: IDG

4.2020.18204,
you can find the
setting under
Privacy Screen
within the
Settings in the
side menu.
Simply flip the
toggle and
choose the
delay for
when the
authentication
resets after
closing the app The Google Drive app on iOS has a new Privacy Screen feature that locks down the
(immediately, 10 app behind an extra layer of biometric authentication.
seconds, one
minute, or 10 minutes), and the next time you visible as well.
launch the Google Drive app, a Face ID or Still, it’s an important extra layer of
Touch ID screen will pop up before logging protection during a time when more people
you in. are sharing files using cloud drives.
It’s unclear what the requirements for the Unfortunately, if you’re an Android user you’re
feature are, but an iPhone 6s running the iOS out of luck. Even though the Pixel is made by
13.5 Public Beta was unable to see the Privacy Google—you know, the same company that
Screen option in the sidebar, while an iPhone makes Google Drive—there’s no option to use
11 updated to iOS 13.4.1 was. Face Unlock to secure the app. There isn’t
For now, Privacy Screen is an all-or- even a Privacy Screen setting for the Google
nothing feature, so you can only lock down One app, which is only available to users who
the entire app rather than individual files or pay for extra Google Drive storage. And
folders. Also, since Apple doesn’t lock down there’s no indication that Privacy Screen is
the Files app with biometric authentication, ever coming to Android.
people will still be able to access your Google So as the saying goes, if you want the best
Drive files there if you’ve allowed access. protection for your Google Drive app, switch
Google also warns that notifications may be to the iPhone.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 25

NEWS

The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook

Duet is avant-garde, yet affordable
It melds Chromebook productivity with Android versatility. BY MELISSA RIOFRIO

he Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Asus Chromebook Flip (go.pcworld.com/

T Duet is bringing its message to the

people. The message is about the
versatility of a 2-in-1 Chromebook
tablet with detachable keyboard, and it’s
for the people because this avant-garde
flip), start well north of $400. The most
popular Chromebooks continue to be
traditional, small clamshells costing around
$200. The IdeaPad Chromebook Duet splits
the difference, and that could bring in budget
design is available for the affordable starting buyers as well as Chromebook fans looking
price of $279. for something different.
The price point is important. Chromebook Announced on May 11 and available at
2-in-1s already available, such as the Google launch, the IdeaPad Chromebook Duet
Pixel Slate (go.pcworld.com/slte) and the consists of a 10.1-inch tablet with detachable

26 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: LENOVO

 The Lenovo IdeaPad
Chromebook Duet
has a detachable
stand cover and a
detachable keyboard.

kickstand and keyboard. In addition to the (1920x1200) IPS touch

$279 base unit with 64GB of storage, a $299 Graphics: ARM G72 MP3 800GHz
version will come with 128GB of storage. A Cameras: 2MP front, 8MP back
stylus costs extra. PCWorld received an early Connectivity: USB-C
128GB unit, and a review is forthcoming. In Networking: 802.11ac (2x2), Bluetooth 4.2
the meantime, we’ll go through the specs Dimensions: 9.44 x 6.29 x 0.29 inches;
and talk about some of the highlight features. 9.64 x 6.66 x 0.71 inches with Keyboard Pack
Weight: 0.99 pounds; 2.03 pounds with
SPECS AND FEATURES Keyboard Pack
There’s a reason why the Chromebook Duet is Prices: $279 with 64GB, $299 with
so affordable. Lenovo seems to have focused all 128GB from Lenovo.com (go.pcworld.com/
the money on the display and the stylish stand lncm)
cover and keyboard, while the
other components are more The Lenovo IdeaPad
pedestrian. Chromebooks can Chromebook Duet is
0.71 inch thin with all
function adequately on pretty components attached
lightweight hardware, so this and closed.
isn’t necessarily a knock.
CPU: Mediatek Helio P60T
Octa-Core
Memory: 4GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 64GB or 128GB
eMMC
Display: 10.1-inch FHD

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 27

NEWS LENOVO IDEAPAD CHROMEBOOK DUET

DESIGN
The highlights of the IdeaPad
Chromebook Duet’s design are its
display, keyboard, and kickstand.
Those parts are included for the
price, but if you want a (USI-
compatible) pen, that will cost extra.
We’re accustomed to fairly
low-rent, low-res, low-brightness
displays on most Chromebooks,
but the Chromebook Duet pushes
all that aside. Its 10.1-inch display The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet’s detachable keyboard
has a healthy Full HD resolution of offers 1.3mm of travel and 18mm of pitch between the keys.
1920x1200 pixels. Its 3:2 aspect
ratio is better for productivity than 16:9, as a Microsoft’s Surface Go (go.pcworld.com/
taller display lets you see more of your mgo2), except this one is removable.
spreadsheet or document. The Lenovo IdeaPad Chromebook Duet is
We’re also not used to seeing nice the latest attempt to meld Chromebook
keyboards on most Chromebooks, but the productivity with more portable versatility.
IdeaPad Chromebook Duet seems to have a Can the affordable price shift more users away
pretty nice one. It attaches to the tablet using from plain old clamshells? We’ll let you know
pogo pins. Although it’s very thin, the keys when we publish our review.
have a good travel of 1.3mm.
The pitch (the distance from The kickstand on
center to center of adjacent the Lenovo IdeaPad
Chromebook Duet’s
keys) is 18mm, not too cramped stand cover is adjustable
considering the size. The up to 135 degrees.
trackpad is centered under the
spacebar.
The fabric-clad stand cover
that attaches to the back panel
bends in the middle to form a
kickstand that’s adjustable up to
135 degrees. It reminds us of

28 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Microsoft officially delays Surface
Neo, dual-screen Windows PCs
Microsoft’s chief product officer, Panos Panay, also pledges to accelerate Windows 10
features. BY MARK HACHMAN

icrosoft has officially In some sense, the blog post (go.

M confirmed that it’s delaying

its dual-screen Windows
experiences, including the
Surface Neo, until “the right moment”
arrives. That announcement was part of a
pcworld.com/acin) announcing the changes
reads like a recap of what we already know:
The Windows 10 May 2020 Update will begin
shipping to the general public in May;
Microsoft is turning its Build conference into a
blog post in which Panos Panay, the new free, online-only event; and Microsoft is
chief product officer of Windows and postponing its own dual-screen devices.
Devices, laid out his vision of what he sees Microsoft had only internally
for Microsoft’s Windows 10 and related communicated the latter choice internally,
hardware programs. according to a recent ZDNet report (go.

IMAGE: MICROSOFT JUNE 2020 PCWorld 29

NEWS MICROSOFT DEL AYS SURFACE NEO

pcworld.com/rczd). That
report said Panay had
indicated that the pandemic
had prompted Microsoft to
refocus its priorities on single-
screen devices.
On May 4, Panay
confirmed this, and offered
more insight into Microsoft’s
rationale for adjusting its
strategy. “The world is a very
different place than it was last
October when we shared our It appears that you won’t be seeing this dual-screen view in
vision for a new category of Windows 10X hardware anytime soon.
dual-screen Windows
devices,” he wrote. “As we continue to put Windows 10X (go.pcworld.com/w10x),
customers’ needs at the forefront, we need which simplified the Windows experience
to focus on meeting customers where they and stretched the experience across two
are now.” screens, will now emphasize the “simple”
That means that Microsoft will “pivot our rather than the two screens. (Microsoft’s
focus toward single-screen Windows 10X Windows 10X emulator recently added a
devices that leverage the power of the cloud single-screen experience.) Focusing the delay
to help our customers work, learn, and play in on “dual-screen Windows devices” also
new ways,” Panay wrote. “These single- suggests that Microsoft may still ship the
screen devices will be the first expression of Surface Duo (go.pcworld.com/sdu0), a
Windows 10X that we deliver to our dual-screen Android phone, on time.
customers, and we will continue to look for
the right moment, in conjunction with our THE FUTURE OF
OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices WINDOWS 10
to market.” More subtly, Panay also indicated that
Based on his phrasing, that essentially Microsoft may be gearing up to add more
means that Microsoft is delaying the Surface new features to Windows 10. We’ve already
Neo (go.pcworld.com/sfne), which was reviewed the Windows 10 May 2020 Update
originally scheduled to ship in 2020. (go.pcworld.com/my20), due to roll out

30 PCWorld JUNE 2020

sometime in May, so we know that Microsoft What those improvements are, and when
updated features like the Windows Subsystem they’ll arrive, aren’t known. Microsoft has
for Linux and Cortana without adding new wrestled with the tension between
functionality. enterprises and some consumers, some of
“The May 2020 Update is just the first which have argued for fewer, less frequent
step,” Panay wrote. “As a team, we are changes and thus potential bugs. Others have
committed to delivering meaningful welcomed new additions, feeling that
innovation in ways that matter most to the Windows 10 has grown stale.
billion people around the world relying on Interestingly, Panay highlighted some of the
Windows right now. That is why, in this lesser-known additions to the Windows 10 May
holiday and the next, we are going to 2020 Update: the improved tablet experience,
accelerate innovation in Windows 10 to drag-and-drop functionality to the Eye Control
ensure that Windows devices are the best gaze tracker, and the additional kaomoji to the
way to work, learn and play. We are going to Windows keyboard. We’ll have to see if those
make important improvements in every one of types of features are the new additions Panay
those areas.” will champion going forward.

Panay highlighted some of the lesser-known additions to the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, such as the
improved tablet experience.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 31

NEWS

DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 will let

laptops connect to 16K displays
over USB-C in 2021
While the bandwidth enabled by VESA’s DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 standard will power
multiple 4K displays, you’ll need to pay attention to your USB-C cables. BY MARK HACHMAN

ext year will see the introduction The new standard takes the DisplayPort

N of laptops and desktops that

should be able to connect to
massive 16K displays running
HDR across USB-C, thanks to a new
DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 standard released
2.0 standard launched last year (go.pcworld.
com/ds20) and eliminates the need for a
dedicated DisplayPort connector. Instead, it
allows the same protocols to run over USB-C,
the interface increasingly common among
by the Video Electronics Standards laptops, giving them a massive boost in I/O
Association (VESA) on April 29 (go.pcworld. bandwidth for displays and other external
com/ves4). devices.

32 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: VESA

 The new specification will allow for the hood will mean that you’ll need to take
supported laptops to connect up to three 4K some care when buying and configuring
(3840×2160) displays, each running at 90Hz, hardware. For one thing, USB-C devices
and with 30 bpp (bits per pixel) 4:4:4 HDR connected to your laptop communicate
(no compression). The spec will also allow among themselves, so any devices attached
you to connect a single 10K (10240x4320) to a USB-C hub have to share the available
60Hz display without HDR, or a single 16K bandwidth. Fortunately, there’s enough
(15360x8640) display with 30 bpp HDR, available bandwidth that this won’t matter,
though the latter capability requires unless you’re also connecting to multiple,
compression. Our earlier story (go.pcworld. high-resolution monitors.
com/d2ln) has more detail. Second, you’ll likely have to buy new
The enabling technology is what VESA cables. Most cables supporting the new Alt
calls DisplayPort Alternate Mode 2.0. While Mode, according to Anandtech (go.
using DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0, the USB-C pcworld.com/almd), will require some
connector can transmit up to 80Gbps of active redrivers in the cable to enable the
DisplayPort video data utilizing all four high- highest resolutions. If the cable can’t
speed lanes in the cable, or up to 40Gbps deliver enough bandwidth, your laptop will
while using the other lanes for USB data negotiate to a lower-bandwidth signaling
delivery to storage devices and other level, probably without directly informing
peripherals. (The real-world throughput you. That will mean that your shiny new 10K
is more like 77Gbps after encoding is display won’t output correctly.
factored in.) It’s also not clear whether laptop
Put another way, common DisplayPort 1.4 manufacturers will use the proper logo to
devices, using DisplayPort cables, can differentiate between the new DisplayPort Alt
transmit 4 channels of data at 8.1Gbps Mode 2.0 devices and other ports. Both
apiece. DisplayPort 2.0 via USB-C (Alt Mode) DisplayPort 2.0 and USB4 are based on
ups that to four channels of 20Gbps apiece. Thunderbolt 3 signaling, which means
Finally, DSC 1.2a, the same advanced there’s enough commonality between them
compression protocol used in DisplayPort to help enable the new standard to move
1.4a, can be used to double that bandwidth forward. Still, you’ll probably need to read
yet again. your future laptop’s manual carefully, as well
While DisplayPort’s new Alt Mode spec as any reviews that make note of the new
will run over the same USB-C connection as features, as this technology begins rolling
your laptop may have already, changes under out next year.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 33

NEWS

Crytek announces Crysis remaster

releasing this summer
Can your PC run Crysis…Remastered? BY HAYDEN DINGMAN

an it run Crysis?” has been a On April 16, Crytek announced Crysis

C PC-building meme for over a

decade now, but once upon a
time it was a legitimate question.
When Crysis released in 2007, very few PCs
could run it, and even fewer could run it well.
Remastered, due to release this summer on
PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and yes, the
Nintendo Switch. Lumping all those consoles
in with the PC version does not give me high
hopes for seeing a second coming of the
The game itself was fine, but the foliage? The “Can it run Crysis?” phenomenon. If two
foliage was incredible. It felt like Crysis pulled 2013-era consoles and a handheld can run
back the curtain on the future and showed this remaster, your PC almost certainly can.
people what games might look like in 2012 or Still, the list of visual bells and whistles
2013. Those moments come once in a goes deep. Maybe the max settings will make
hardware generation, at best. And now it runs your PC sweat a bit? From the announcement:
on a Nintendo Switch. Go figure. “Crysis Remastered will focus on the

34 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: CRYSIS REMASTERED

original game’s
single-player
campaigns and is
slated to contain
high-quality textures
and improved art
assets, an HD texture
pack, temporal
anti-aliasing, SSDO,
SVOGI, state-of-the-
art depth fields, new
light settings,
motion blur, and
parallax occlusion
mapping, particle
effects will also be
added where
applicable. Further
additions such as
volumetric fog and
shafts of light,
software-based ray
tracing, and screen
space reflections
provide the game The original Crysis pulled back the curtain on the future.
with a major visual
upgrade.” others. I’m looking forward to turning all my
I fell off the series after Crysis 2 and LEDs to blue (so the case runs colder,
honestly couldn’t tell you the first thing about obviously) and busting out a Razer
the plot anymore, except you wear some DeathAdder and the crappiest LCD panel I
futuristic sci-fi armor. I’ll be excited to check can find to really recapture the moment. Hell,
out that foliage again, though. maybe I’ll even leave the side off my case with
Crysis played a formative role in my early a box fan blowing in for that extra bit of
PC-building benchmarks, as I’m sure it did for authenticity.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 35

SO CAN
YOU.
Reviews & Ratings TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS
WE PUT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING

Acer Swift 3: Ryzen 4000 delivers

insane performance for the price
Concealed within its unassuming aluminum body is Ryzen 7 4700U, an 8-core CPU with
Radeon graphics. BY GORDON MAH UNG

The latest Acer Swift 3 has a 7nm Ryzen 4000 with Radeon graphics.
surprise for you. Concealed As a budget box, you don’t get
within its unassuming and Symmetrical Multi Threading (AMD’s version
borderline generic aluminum of Hyper-Threading) but that hardly seems to
body is Ryzen 7 4700U (go.pcworld.com/ matter. This $650, 14-inch, 2.6-pound laptop
r4rv), an 8-core CPU based on AMD’s new is so fast, it actually can compete with larger,

IMAGE: GORDON MAH UNG JUNE 2020 PCWorld 37

REVIEWS ACER SWIFT 3

pricier gaming and content-creation laptops CPU: AMD 8-core Ryzen 7 4700U
in CPU tasks. Keep reading to find out more RAM: 8GB of LPDDR4X/3733 in dual-
about this unlikely screamer of a PC. channel mode
GPU: Integrated Radeon graphics
SPECS SSD: 512GB Samsung NVMe SSD
The Acer Swift 3’s configuration (Model Display: 14-inch, 1920x1080, LG LP140WFA-
SF314-42-R9YN) mostly jibes with its SPD1 AH-IPS display rated at 250 nits.
affordable price (currently $650 from Amazon. Dimensions: 12.73 x 8.62 x 0.63 inches
com [go.pcworld.com/bys3]). For instance, Weight: 2.6 pounds (not counting the AC
the 8GB of RAM is the minimum you’d want in adapter)
a Windows 10 system for loading up a bunch of Networking: Intel-based Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth
apps and browser tabs. The 14-inch display’s 5.0
maximum brightness of 250 nits is about as Biometrics: EgisTec Fingerprint reader
good as it gets among budget machines. But Webcam: The Swift 3’s 720p webcam is OK.
that CPU opens up some unexpected We did find the auto-exposure a little muddy
possibilities. Here are the details: and dark compared to that of HP’s Elite

The Acer Swift 3’s webcam (right) compared to HP’s Elite Dragonfly (left), taken in the same lighting
condition and setting. Also: Papyrus font.

38 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Dragonfly. Its top-bezel
mount is optimal for
Zoom calls.

KEYBOARD
AND
TRACKPAD
The keyboard felt as
broken-in as a pair of
comfortable jeans. This
may bug some, as
laptop keyboards can
get looser as they wear
in. All we can say today
is it’s nice to have a The Acer’s keyboard is Microsoft Precision Driver-compliant.
keyboard that’s not
painfully stiff. the two newer and smaller “wedge”-style
The trackpad was so-so. It’s Microsoft locks in use.
Precision Driver-compliant, so it supports the There’s also a combo analog audio jack
full list of Windows 10 controls. Our unit had a and a USB 2.0 port. Yes, USB 2.0. In our
slight rattle to it, which could be an isolated testing, we hit the full 40MBps across the
incident. port. It’s slow. Acer retains this port on several
of its more budget laptops, and the logic is
PORTS likely that you’ll plug your mouse (or
Because the Acer Swift 3 isn’t
trying to win the America’s
Next Thinnest Laptop contest,
it offers plenty of room for
ports. This is a bonus you’ll find
on other budget notebooks,
too, and we like it.
The right side of the Swift 3
gives you a full-size Kensington
lock, not to be confused with On the right you’ll find an analog audio jack, and a USB 2.0 port…

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 39

REVIEWS ACER SWIFT 3

supports DisplayPort,
but we did not test it.
The charger that
comes with the Swift 3
is 65 watts and yes, it
feels like a low-cost
power brick. The
laptop also supports
USB-Power Delivery,
…and on the left there are USB-C, full-size HDMI, and USB-A sockets. so you can charge it
with any aftermarket
keyboard) to this side, because the only way USB-PD charger. We used an HP charger with
to exist in this world correctly is to be no issues. You’ll just need a 65-watt one to
right-handed. run it and charge it at the same time.
The left side features a funky, tiny barrel There’s no Thunderbolt 3, but this fancier
charger that’s basically the same one used on interface rarely makes it into lower-cost
Acer’s $150 Chromebooks, along with laptops. What’s more, this Intel-led
USB-C, full-size
HDMI, and USB-A.
Acer says the
USB-A port only
supports USB 3.2
Gen 1, or 5Gbps.
We measured file
transfers on it at
close to 977MBps,
which would make
it USB 3.2 Gen 2
port rated at
10Gbps. We saw
the same 977MBps
on the USB-C port
as well. Acer said
the USB-C port The guts of the Acer Swift 3 shows fairly sedate cooling for the Ryzen 7 4700U.

40 PCWorld JUNE 2020

technology hasn’t made it onto any AMD-
based laptop we’ve seen. Cinebench R15.038
Multi-core performance
UPGRADES Dell XPS 15 7590
Core i9-9980HK 1,712
In upgrade-land, the Swift 3 is on a par with
Dell XPS 13 7390
most laptops: You can change the M.2 drive Core i7-10710U 1,106
and Wi-Fi module. Because it uses LPDDR4X, Acer Swift 3
the memory modules are soldered to the Ryzen 7 4700U 1,061
motherboard. Although it’s not intended as an Dell XPS 13
9300 Default 780
“upgrade,” you can also easily access the Core i7-1065G7

MSI Prestige
battery after it’s gone flat by removing 10 Phillips 14 Default 726
Core i7-10710U
screws on the bottom panel, and removing the HP Spectre x350
panel using a spudger or guitar pick. 13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
714
Microsoft Surface
Laptop 3 15” 695
PERFORMANCE Ryzen 7 3580U

Dell Inspiron
We covered a lot of the Acer Swift 3’s 15 7000 684
Core i7-8565U
performance in our Ryzen 7 4700U review HP Spectre x360
(go.pcworld.com/470u), but we’ll show you
13 2019
Core i7-8565U
623
how it stacks up to a wider assortment of Acer Swift 3
Core i5-1035G1 562
laptops here. We include on our chart the
Acer Swift 3
burly XPS 15 7590 with Intel’s Core Core i5-8250U 551
i9-9980HK inside for context, even though Acer Swift 3
Core i7-8565U 539
that laptop really is in a different class.
Huawei MateBook
First up is Maxon’s Cinebench R15 X Pro 529
Core i7-8550U
benchmark, based on its 3D-modeling
engine from Cinema4D. While few buyers of LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

Acer Swift 3-class laptops are doing 3D

Cinebench R15 is a good way to measure multi-
modeling, it’s a widely used and reliable core performance even if most people aren’t
gauge for multi-core performance. doing 3D modeling on their laptops.
All laptops based on Intel’s more advanced,
but lower core-count Core i7-1065G7 get left in to squeeze past the Swift 3 at the finish line, but
the dust by the Swift 3. Laptops based on Intel’s we’d call it a near-tie.
less advanced, but highly refined Core Because few applications in use on this
i7-10710U, with 6 cores and 12 threads, manage class of laptop call for multi-core

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 41

REVIEWS ACER SWIFT 3

Cinebench R15.038 HandBrake 0.99 Encode

Single-core performance Seconds
Dell XPS 15 7590 Dell XPS 15 7590
Core i9-9980HK 200 Core i9-9980HK 1,595
Dell XPS 13 7390 Acer Swift 3
Core i7-10710U 197 Ryzen 7 4700U 1,876
Dell Inspiron Dell XPS 13 7390
15 7000
Core i7-8565U
190 Core i7-10710U 2,635
Dell XPS 13 MSI Prestige
9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
184 14 Default
Core i7-10710U
3,192
HP Spectre x350 Microsoft Surface
13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
184 Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
3,280
Acer Swift 3 Dell XPS 13
Ryzen 7 4700U 183 9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
3,654
MSI Prestige Dell Inspiron
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
177 15 7000
Core i7-8565U
3,654
HP Spectre x360 Acer Swift 3
13 2019
Core i7-8565U
172 Core i7-8565U 3,734
Huawei MateBook Acer Swift 3
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
170 Core i5-8250U 3,927
Acer Swift 3 Huawei MateBook
Core i5-1035G1 169 X Pro
Core i7-8550U
4,175
Microsoft Surface Acer Swift 3
Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
152 Core i5-1035G1 4,183
Acer Swift 3 HP Spectre x360
Core i5-8250U 146 13 2019
Core i7-8565U
4,302
Acer Swift 3 HP Spectre x350
Core i7-8565U 140 13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
4,399
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E

Single-threaded performance sees most of the On heavier loads, the Core i7-10710U-based
laptops bunch up, with the highest-clocked chips laptops give up ground as the heat builds up and
in front. You probably won’t feel the difference. their boost clocks burn off.

performance, we also run Cinebench R15 set The Swift 3 doesn’t win, but it’s basically
to use just one thread. A lot of photo editing dead-even with most of the pack. Few could
apps are surprisingly reliant on one or two tell the difference between most of these
threads for much of their work. Most functions laptops for most single-threaded tasks.
in Office likely don’t use many cores either. One issue with Cinebench R15 is that it’s a

42 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 PCMark 8 Work 2.0 3DMark Sky Diver 1.0
Native resolution Graphics score
Acer Swift 3 Dell XPS 15 7590
Ryzen 7 4700U 3,858 Core i9-9980HK 25,564
Dell XPS 13 MSI Prestige
9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
3,818 14 Default
Core i7-10710U
17,406
HP Spectre x350 Acer Swift 3
13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
3,807 Ryzen 7 4700U 10,877
Acer Swift 3 Dell XPS 13
Core i7-8565U 3,642 9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
9,946
HP Spectre x360 Dell Inspiron
13 2019
Core i7-8565U
3,632 15 7000
Core i7-8565U
9,408
Acer Swift 3 HP Spectre x350
Core i5-8250U 3,508 13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
9,287
Acer Swift 3 Acer Swift 3
Core i5-1035G1 3,377 Core i7-8565U 8,766
Dell XPS 13 7390 Huawei MateBook
Core i7-10710U 3,338 X Pro
Core i7-8550U
8,570
Dell XPS 15 7590 Microsoft Surface
Core i9-9980HK 3,303 Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
8,382
MSI Prestige Acer Swift 3
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
3,109 Core i5-1035G1 6,226
Huawei MateBook Dell XPS 13 7390
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
3,046 Core i7-10710U 5,015
Dell Inspiron Acer Swift 3
15 7000
Core i7-8565U
3,039 Core i5-8250U 4,502
Microsoft Surface HP Spectre x360
Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
3,017 13 2019
Core i7-8565U
4,421
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

The laptops with Intel’s Core i7-1065G7 and Ryzen Gaming on the Swift 3 should be comparable to
7 4700U lead the way here. “gaming” on a low-wattage GeForce MX150 chip
or Intel’s newest Iris Plus.

fairly short task, completing in maybe a Swift 3 and its Ryzen 7 4700U. Even the MSI
minute. Depending on the cooling in the Prestige 14 with its fans cranked up, can’t
laptop, modern CPUs boost and then ease keep up with the Swift 3.
down as they heat up. On longer loads, the The Swift 3’s performance should
Core i7-10710U laptops fall behind the Acer excite cheap performance freaks, but let’s

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 43

REVIEWS ACER SWIFT 3

handling, video conferencing, and running

4K Video Battery Life a spreadsheet. Yup, work that you almost
Seconds don’t want to get done sooner, because it
HP Spectre x360 just leads to more work.
13 2019 971
Core i7-8565U The Ice Lake laptops and the Swift 3 all
HP Spectre x350
13 5th Gen 956 bunch up in front, we think because of the
Core i7-1065G7

Dell XPS 13
advanced media and graphics cores on the
9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
758 chips. The test largely seems to disrespect
Dell XPS 15 7590 laptops with discrete GPUs. With PCMark 8
Core i9-9980HK 637
Work it doesn’t really matter that much which
Acer Swift 3
Core i7-8565U 603 laptop you have, as TPS reports process at
Dell XPS 13 7390
mostly the same speed on all of them.
Core i7-10710U 568 The Swift 3 is not meant for gaming, but
Acer Swift 3 3DMark Sky Diver gives you a taste for how
Core i5-8250U 517
well it would perform if you tried.
Dell Inspiron
15 7000 500 Depending on the game’s vintage, what
Core i7-8565U

Acer Swift 3 settings you use, and what your tolerance is

Ryzen 7 4700U 490 for frame rates, certain games should be fine
MSI Prestige at 1080p, while others should probably be
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
471
responsibly played at 720p. Basically, the
Acer Swift 3
Core i5-1035G1 464 Swift 3 will easily crush the “gaming”
Microsoft Surface experiences you’ve had with Intel’s older
Laptop 3 15” 445
Ryzen 7 3580U UHD graphics, but it’s no replacement for a
Huawei MateBook
X Pro 435 proper discrete GPU.
Core i7-8550U
The most important laptop metric for
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
many is battery life. The battery capacity in the
Battery life on the Ryzen 7-based Swift 3 is in Swift 3 is rated at 50.29 Watt-hours, but it
line with Intel-based Swift 3 laptops we’ve seen, safely tops up to 49Wh.
but certainly nowhere near what you can get on
premium laptops. For our video rundown test, we put the
fully-charged laptop into airplane mode and
pour a little cold water on your fantasy with loop a 4K video using Windows 10’s Movies
the next test: PCMark 8 Work. This & TV app. We connect earbuds (with volume
benchmark measures performance in at midpoint) to reduce variability from the
simulated office-drone tasks of document audio subsystem. We set the display

44 PCWorld JUNE 2020

brightness to
The Acer Swift
250 to 260 nits,
3 offers an
which is the unbeatable
Swift 3’s amount of
performance
maximum per buck.
anyway.
The battery
performance, at
490 minutes or a
little over 8
hours, is nothing
special, but it’s
basically in line
with the results
from the three
previous Swift 3
units we’ve
seen. Two were
based on
8th-gen Intel CPUs (one with a GeForce those on a tighter budget who are willing
MX150), and one with a 10th-gen Core to give up fit and finish for rubber-burning
i5-1035G1. But hey, for $650, no one should performance, it’s hard to beat Acer’s Swift
expect the moon. 3 today.

BOTTOM LINE Acer Swift 3 SF314-42-R9YN

As the first Ryzen 7 4700U laptop we’ve seen,
Acer’s pedestrian Swift 3 is suddenly a sprinter, PROS
• Stupidly fast performance at this price.
delivering unprecedented performance for a • Relatively light and thin.
laptop this light and this small. It can compete CONS

with some gaming and content-creation • Trackpad has slight rattle.

• Battery life could be better.
laptops in CPU-focused tasks.
BOTTOM LINE
Sure, it could use a better and brighter The Ryzen 7 4700U in the Acer Swift 3 delivers
unheard-of performance at this bargain price range.
screen, a less creaky trackpad and, well,
$650
there’s no Thunderbolt 3 either. But for

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 45

REVIEWS

Dell XPS 13 9300: The bezel is

finally dead
Dell’s latest XPS 13 achieves the pinnacle of what an ultraportable laptop can be.
BY GORDON MAH UNG

With Dell’s XPS 13 9300, you The story of the XPS 13 is a long and storied
can mark a momentous date in one at this point. When the first “InfinityBezel”
laptop history: the death of the version hit the scene in 2015, it set the trend for
laptop bezel. Previous models what could be done in a tiny laptop, forcing
killed the top and sides, but that last useless competitors to reevaluate their designs. The
part has stuck around until now. latest XPS 13 9300 ($1,749 at Dell.com [go.
Dell’s XPS 13 9300, however, kills that pcworld.com/d174]) may not move the ball
bottom bezel dead. More importantly, the forward much in performance, but its 16:10
smaller bezel makes the XPS 13 possibly one aspect-ratio InfinityBezel touch screen and dual
of most compact laptops around. biometric inputs still make a difference.

46 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: GORDON MAH UNG

WHY THIN BEZELS MATTER SPECS AND FEATURES
Lest you think we’re raving about an While the display is clearly the star of the XPS
inconsequential feature, you just have to 13 9300’s configuration, it offers plenty more
look back to 2017, when companies were top-shelf parts in its slender chassis. Here are
still selling laptops with so much bezel, the details.
you could sell billboard space on them. CPU: 10th gen Core i7-1065G7
Apple’s 2017-era MacBook Air, for GPU: Intel integrated Iris Plus
example, looks about as fashion-correct as RAM: 16GB LPDDR4X/3733
disco-era bell-bottom pants and wide- Storage: 512GB Intel 760P NVMe SSD
lapel paisley shirts would seem during the (go.pcworld.com/760p)
grunge era. Display: 13.4-inch 1920x1200 Sharp IPS
For the new XPS 13 9300, Dell wisely Biometric Support: Realtek biometric
eschews the common, narrow 16:9 aspect camera in top bezel, Goodix finger print
ratio that lowers the overall height of the reader integrated into power button.
screen. The company instead goes with a Ports: The XPS 13 9300 features one
taller 16:10 aspect ratio for the 13.4-inch Thunderbolt 3 port on each side, a
screen. The top of the screen is about the microSD reader on the left side, and an
same height as that of a more conventional analog combo audio jack on the right
16:9 laptop, such as the HP Elite Dragonfly side. Compared to the previous model,
(go.pcworld.com/dfly), giving you more you’re losing one USB-C port and the
screen real estate without increasing the wedge-lock port. As with the prior model
size of the laptop.
The screen itself is a
beautiful 450-nit IPS
touchscreen. When we say
IPS, we mean actual Sharp
IPS too, not the “IPS-like” or
“wide-viewing angle”
language companies use to
describe copycat versions.
This is a beautiful, top-
quality display that will
help you stay
productive. Dell’s 2020 XPS 13 9300 achieves full no-bezel.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 47

REVIEWS DELL XPS 13 9300

there is no USB-A port. If you retain any KEYBOARD, TRACKPAD

legacy USB-A devices or just need more AND WEBCAM
connectivity, it’s time to buy a USB-C hub One of the better moves Dell takes with the
(go.pcworld.com/husb). XPS 13 9300 is to stick with a traditional dome
Networking: Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650, keyboard. Although its cousin the XPS 13
Bluetooth 5 2-in-1 (go.pcworld.com/dl73) is slightly
Size and weight: 11.6 x 7.8 x 0.27 thinner because of its MAGLev 2 low-travel
inches, 2.9 pounds without AC adapter keyboard, it’s a controversial feature.
Upgradability: “Upgrades” on Keyboard feel is subjective, but let’s just say
modern ultraportable laptops are always our fingers prefer more travel in our
very limited, but Dell keeps it down to keyboards.
earth with a standard M.2 slot for the Intel The keys are about 0.75mm wider than
SSD inside of it. This may seem like no big the keys from the previous XPS 13 7390’s.
deal, but the XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 soldered They also seem to be a little flatter. Overall, we
its SSD. Dell’s reason (like Apple’s) is to think it’s an improvement. The trackpad is
save space and make the laptop thinner, glass-smooth and supports Microsoft’s
but many have roasted the company for Precision touchpad drivers. We essentially
the move. have no complaints here.
How the world has
changed around
webcams. Once valued
as much for the features
that hid them, such as
physical shutters and
hardware cut-off circuits
to maintain privacy, we
now clutch webcams to
our chests like solid-
gold bars.
So yes, webcam
performance suddenly
matters again. Most
Ports on the XPS 13 9300 are pretty easy. Each side features a Thunderbolt
3 port. The left side has a microSD reader. The right side adds an analog models you’ll find use
combo audio jack. the 720p resolution,

48 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 quality. Others,
including
Apple (go.
pcworld.com/
mp20), appear
to be caught
flat-footed with
inferior 720p
output. While a
1080p webcam
may seem like a
desirable
upgrade,
remember that
the higher
The keyboard is good ol’ traditional dome, and it feels great.
resolution
but that doesn’t mean they’re all the same. creates a larger data file—which may end
Some vendors, including Dell, may employ up getting compressed by applications
software tricks to enhance 720p video such as Zoom anyway.
We compared the XPS 13
9300’s webcam module to that
of six other laptops, including
HP’s Elite Dragonfly and the Dell
XPS 13 2-in-1 7390. All feature
720p cameras, and all
performed adequately. We’d
give the Elite Dragonfly a slight
edge. Most of the webcams
produced overly compressed
imagery typical of their tiny
sensors and optics. In the end,
the XPS 13 9300 produces
Dell’s new XPS 13 9300 features a single thick heat pipe, two perfectly fine video for your
fans, plus a standard M.2 slot. Zoom videoconferences.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 49

REVIEWS DELL XPS 13 9300

The XPS 13 9300’s webcam is fair and far from the worst we’ve seen.

PERFORMANCE quad-core 10th gen Core i7-1065G7 isn’t going

For the newest XPS 13 9300, Dell takes an to beat the six-core 10th-gen Core i7-10710U
interesting approach for the CPU, which is that’s used in the XPS 13 7390, even if the latter
somewhat of a step back in performance. You CPU is a little older. Those concerned about
read that right: The performance of the newest multi-core performance in an XPS 13 may want
XPS 13 9300 is step back compared to the XPS to nab the older XPS 13 7390 (go.pcworld.
13 7390, which features a 6-core CPU. We’ll com/xp73) instead of the XPS 13 9300.
get into how to navigate that later on. Luckily, the most mundane work on
ultraportable laptops mostly use just a single core
Cinebench multi- and single-thread on the CPU. We measure that performance using
We’ll kick off the benchmarks with Maxon’s Cinebench R15 again, set to a single thread.
Cinebench R15. It’s a standalone benchmark Here, the higher clock speeds of the 10th-gen
that measures CPU performance while Core i7-10710U  in the XPS 13 7390 still take it
rendering a 3D image. While it’s not a task higher (coming close to the much heavier, much
many will do on an ultraportable laptop, it’s still faster Dell XPS 15 7590), but we’re looking at only
a good way to gauge multi-core performance. a 7-percent gap compared to the XPS 13 9300.
The keyword is multi-core, because the Most people would never even feel that.

50 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 Cinebench R15.038 Cinebench R15.038
Multi-core performance Single-core performance
Dell XPS 15 7590 Dell XPS 15 7590
Core i9-9980HK 1,712 Core i9-9980HK 200
Dell XPS 13 7390 Dell XPS 13 7390
Core i7-10710U 1,106 Core i7-10710U 197
Dell XPS 13 9300 Dell Inspiron 15
Performance
Core i7-1965G
833 7000
Core i7-8565U
190
Dell XPS 13 9300 Dell XPS 13 9300
Default
Core i7-1965G
780 Default
Core i7-1965G
184
MSI Prestige HP Spectre x350
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
726 13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
184
HP Spectre x350 Dell XPS 13 9300
13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
714 Performance
Core i7-1965G
183
Dell XPS 13 9380 Dell XPS 13 9380
Core i7--8565U 705 Core i7--8565U 181
Microsoft Surface MSI Prestige
Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
695 14 Default
Core i7-10710U
177
Dell Inspiron 15 HP Spectre x360
7000
Core i7-8565U
684 13 2019
Core i7-8565U1
172
HP Spectre x360 Huawei MateBook
13 2019
Core i7-8565U1
623 X Pro
Core i7-8550U
170
Acer Spin 5 Acer Spin 5
Core i7-8550U 539 Core i7-8550U 165
Huawei MateBook Microsoft Surface
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
529 Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
152
HP Spectre x360 HP Spectre x360
13 2016
Core i7-7500U
320 13 2016
Core i7-7500U
143
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

In multi-core performance, the XPS 13 9300 takes Single-threaded performance is pretty close
a step back from the older XPS 13 7390. Both between the earlier XPS 13 7390 model and the
Default and Performance modes are shown here. current XPS 13 9300.

HandBrake tell you how a laptop might run on a lengthy

One issue with Cinebench and other similar all-core load.
tests is the short run times. Because modern To test that, we use the free HandBrake
CPUs rely on boosting clock speeds for short encoder to convert a 30GB movie file
periods, a benchmark that’s too brief doesn’t using the Android tablet preset. On most

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 51

REVIEWS DELL XPS 13 9300

As we said before: Unless you really need

HandBrake 0.99 Encode to hammer an all-core workload all the time,
Seconds the performance doesn’t matter that much.
Dell XPS 15 7590 For example, if all you do is drive Office and a
Core i9-9980HK 1,595
browser all day, multi-core performance
Dell XPS 13 7390
Core i7-10710U 2,635 doesn’t matter.
MSI Prestige
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
3,192 PCMark 8 Work
Microsoft Surface To measure a conventional workload, we use
Laptop 3 15” 3,280
Ryzen 7 3580U
UL’s PCMark 8 Work test. Suddenly the more
Dell XPS 13 9300
Performance 3,312 modern 10th-gen Core i7-1065G7 chips lead
Core i7-1965G

Dell XPS 13 9380

the pack, but the margins again are narrow.
Core i7--8565U 3,469 Remember, if all you do on your laptop is
Dell XPS 13 9300 “normal” stuff, don’t get too wrapped up in
Default
Core i7-1965G
3,654
the performance metric.
Dell Inspiron 15
7000 3,654 While the 6-core Core i7-10710U in the
Core i7-8565U

Acer Spin 5 older XPS 13 7390 leads in CPU tasks, one

Core i7-8550U 4,151 area where it falls apart is graphics. Here
Huawei MateBook we see the Iris Plus graphics cores in the
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
4,175
XPS 13 9300 offer nearly 100 percent
HP Spectre x360
13 2019
Core i7-8565U1
4,302 better performance than the older XPS 13
HP Spectre x350 7390. That basically mean games as well
13 5th Gen 4,399
Core i7-1065G7 as OpenCL-based tasks will run faster.
HP Spectre x360
13 2016
Core i7-7500U
6,638
Battery life
S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
The most important metric of any
HandBrake can take 50 minutes to run on an ultraportable laptop is likely its battery life.
ultraportable laptop with a quad-core CPU. For our test, we loop a 4K video file using
Windows’ Movies & TV app. We set up the
quad-cores, you’re looking at about 50 laptop as if it were playing a movie on a
minutes of running the CPU hard. cross-country flight. We put it into airplane
Performance of theXPS 13 9300 is in line mode and attach earbuds with the volume
with that of most 10th-gen Core i7-1065G7 set to its midpoint. We set the screen
laptops. brightness to 250 to 260 nits, which is a

52 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 PCMark 8 Work 2.0 3DMark Sky Diver 1.0
Native resolution Graphics score
Dell XPS 13 9300 Dell XPS 15 7590
Performance
Core i7-1965G
3,891 Core i9-9980HK 25,564
Dell XPS 13 9300 MSI Prestige
Default
Core i7-1965G
3,818 14 Default
Core i7-10710U
17,406
HP Spectre x350 Dell XPS 13 9300
13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
3,807 Performance
Core i7-1965G
9,981
HP Spectre x360 Dell XPS 13 9300
13 2019
Core i7-8565U1
3,632 Default
Core i7-1965G
9,946
Acer Spin 5 Dell Inspiron 15
Core i7-8550U 3,398 7000
Core i7-8565U
9,408
Dell XPS 13 7390 HP Spectre x350
Core i7-10710U 3,338 13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
9,287
Dell XPS 15 7590 Huawei MateBook
Core i9-9980HK 3,303 X Pro
Core i7-8550U
8,570
Dell XPS 13 9380 Microsoft Surface
Core i7--8565U 3,205 Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
8,382
MSI Prestige Dell XPS 13 7390
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
3,109 Core i7-10710U 5,015
Huawei MateBook Dell XPS 13 9380
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
3,046 Core i7--8565U 4,963
Dell Inspiron 15 Acer Spin 5
7000
Core i7-8565U
3,039 Core i7-8550U 4,431
Microsoft Surface HP Spectre x360
Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
3,017 13 2019
Core i7-8565U1
4,421
HP Spectre x360 HP Spectre x360
13 2016
Core i7-7500U
2,706 13 2016
Core i7-7500U
3,704
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

PCMark 8 Work tell us the CPU doesn’t really The new Iris Plus graphics cores in the XPS 13
matter much if all you do is drive a browser and 9300 easily outrun the older XPS 13 7390’s UHD.
Office.

comfortably bright settting for an office or Spectre x360 13t (go.pcworld.com/hp13),

airplane’s daylight settings. which runs to nearly 16 hours, but the Spectre
The overall performance of the XPS 13 has a larger battery and a “1-watt” panel (go.
9300 is quite good, with playback lasting just pcworld.com/1wtt).
over 12 hours. It’s not quite as good as HP’s Your mileage will vary. For the light

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 53

REVIEWS DELL XPS 13 9300

workload of video playback, 12 hours is BOTTOM LINE

plenty. We should point out that if you are The Dell XPS 13 9300 enters 2020 with more
using Office or a browser, expect to lop off competition than ever. In 2015, 360-degree
at least a third of that battery life. Push the designs were still unproven and very rough.
CPU hard, and expect no more than a Today’s versions, such as the XPS 13 2-in-1
couple of hours or so at best. Heavy GPU (go.pcworld.com/dl73), give up nothing
use might push it under two hours. while also offering tablet and pen
functionality. The utility of those designs are
so good these days, we wonder whether the
4K Video Battery Life days of pure clamshell laptops are reaching
Seconds their end.
HP Spectre x360 If we are truly coming to the end of
13 2019
Core i7-8565U
971
clamshell laptops as the preference, we
HP Spectre x350
13 5th Gen
Core i7-1065G7
956 recognize that Dell’s XPS 13 9300 just might
Dell XPS 13 be the pinnacle of what can be done. It’s
9300 Default
Core i7-1065G7
758 small, thin, and light, with a beautiful display
Dell XPS 15 7590
Core i9-9980HK 637 and nearly flawless features. The addition of
Iris Plus graphics erases a weakness with its
Acer Spin 5
Core i7-8550U 571 predecessor. It’s one of the best laptops
Dell XPS 13 7390 we’ve ever tested.
Core i7-10710U 568
Dell XPS 13 9380
Core i7--8565U 543 Dell XPS 13 9300
Dell Inspiron 15
7000
Core i7-8565U
500 PROS
• Gorgeous InfinityEdge screen with almost no
MSI Prestige bezels.
14 Default
Core i7-10710U
471 • Dual biometric input options.
Microsoft Surface CONS
Laptop 3 15”
Ryzen 7 3580U
445 • Slightly slower than the previous model, the XPS 13
7390.
Huawei MateBook
X Pro
Core i7-8550U
435 • No USB-A Port.
BOTTOM LINE
HP Spectre x360
13 2016 429 Dell’s XPS 13 9300 takes a step back in performance,
Core i7-7500U but its beautiful screen, small footprint, and
near-perfect size still make it one of the best
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
ultraportable laptops.
$1,749
The XPS 13 9300’s battery lasts just over 12 hours
during video playback.

54 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Adata SE800 Portable SSD: IP68
rating makes it extra-tough
This compact, good-looking, good-performing drive can also stand up to the elements.
BY JON L. JACOBI

Most ultraportable SSDs are pocket, given that it’s cheaper and just as fast
rugged by design, but Adata’s as the top-tier competition.
SE800 Potable SSD takes the
cake with a real, honest-to- DESIGN AND FEATURES
goodness IP68 rating. That means you can When we classify the SE800 as an
drop it in the pool or bury it in the garden ultraportable, it’s because it’s a mere 2.8 x 1.7
without fear of damage. Why you’d want to x 0.4 inches thick, and weighs only 1.4
do those things is another question. We’d ounces. It’s the most compact we’ve seen,
recommend you simply keep it in your though none of the competition (Samsung’s

IMAGE: ADATA JUNE 2020 PCWorld 55

REVIEWS ADATA SE800 PORTABLE SSD

T5 (go.pcworld.com/sgt5) and T7 (go. reveal the Type-C USB port. That cover (which
pcworld.com/sgt7), SanDisk’s Extreme Pro protects the port while in transit) is why it is
Portable (go.pcworld.com/snxp), Crucial’s IP68 (go.pcworld.com/ip68) rated against
X8 (go.pcworld.com/crx8), etc., is the elements. Without it, the drive would
significantly larger. All will lay lightly in the likely not survive the 1.5-meter, 30-minute
palm of your hand or ride easily in a shirt submersion test that rating requires.
pocket. Note that the SE800 is USB 3.2 Gen 2
The SE800 ships in either black or a rich (also known as Super Speed USB 10Gbps),
blue, however, its most salient physical feature not the dual-channel 20Gbps Gen 2x2 (also
is a captive plastic end-cap that pops off to known as Super Speed USB 10Gbps) that’s
the salient feature of the USB 3.2 spec.
Confused by USB versions (go.pcworld.com/
cnfs)? You’re not alone. It’s most confusing,
frustrating, and space-wasting naming
convention in the history of computing.
The SE800 is available in two flavors:
512GB (currently $90 from Amazon.com [go.
pcworld.com/a512]), and the 1TB capacity
we tested (currently $150 from Amazon.com
[go.pcworld.com/a1tb]). The drive is
warrantied for three years. Adata didn’t
provide a TBW (TerraBytes Written) rating, but
neither do other ultraportable SSD vendors
for some reason. The company did let us
know that the NVMe bridge chip/controller is
from Innogrit, and the NAND is 96-layer
stacked/layered/3D.

PERFORMANCE
The SE800 couldn’t match SanDisk’s Extreme
Portable Pro in terms of overall performance,
but it’s no slouch either reading or writing
The Adata SE 800 Portable SSD is available in data. None of the latest NVMe-based ultra
black or this rich blue.
portable SSDs are. Even the PNY Pro Elite (go.

56 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 CrystalMark 6 48GB copies
MBps (Seconds)
Adata SE800 PNY Pro Elite Adata SE800 PNY Pro Elite

Samsung T7 SanDisk Extreme Portable Pro SSD Samsung T7 SanDisk Extreme Portable Pro SSD

Sequential Total time

Write 674 658
(Q=32, T=1)
779 642
925 683
1,033 574
48GB
Sequential folder 250
Read 1,039 write
(Q=32, T=1) 205
410
272
1,034
195
1,044
48GB
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E folder 212
read
230
CrystalDiskMark 6 rated the SE800 quite fast as a 203
reader, but only a mediocre writer. Performance 225
levels out with larger amounts of data.
48GB
folder 123
104
pcworld.com/pelt) with its aberrational 136
synthetic benchmark results is fine in the real 72
world. 48GB read
73
CrystalDiskMark 6 gave the SE800 a
103
mediocre rating for sustained writing, 72
considerably slower than the Samsung T7’s. 82
However, the SE800 actually bested that S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E

competitor in our 48GB write tests.

The Adata isn’t a great writer, but it isn’t a bad
Note that while the CrystalDiskMark 6
one, and it is a very fast reader.
results above may be true for relatively small
transfers of 1GB, as data sets get larger, the
difference in performance between the drives such as CDM 6 or AS SSD. The 48GB transfer
drops significantly. None of the ultra- results below bear that out.
portables, nor SSDs in general, live up to the Although it placed third among the latest
numbers generated by synthetic benchmarks NVMe ultra portables we’ve tested, the

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 57

REVIEWS ADATA SE800 PORTABLE SSD

The Adata SE 800 Portable SSD will easily fit into a pocket.

SE800’s margin of defeat was relatively slight. performance as the competition is the kicker.
It easily outshines any of the last generation of Recommended, unless you just have to have
SATA-based ultraportable SSDs. the Samsung T7’s fingerprint scanner, or every
Testing is performed on Windows 10 last ounce of speed that the SanDisk Extreme
64-bit running on a Core i7-5820K/Asus X99 Pro Portable offers.
Deluxe system with four 16GB Kingston
2666MHz DDR4 modules, a Zotac (Nvidia)
Adata SE800 Portable SSD (1TB)
GT 710 1GB x2 PCIe graphics card, and an
Asmedia ASM2142 USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) PROS

card. Also on board are a Gigabyte • Very fast reader.

• IP68-rated with captive end-cap in place.
GC-Alpine Thunderbolt 3 card and • More affordable than the competition.
Softperfect’s Ramdisk 3.4.6, which is used for CONS

the 48GB read and write tests. • Write performance just slightly off the pace.
BOTTOM LINE
The SE800 is a great reader and a decent writer
BOTTOM LINE that’s a few bucks less than the competition and get
this—IP68 rated. Other ultraportable SSDs are
The SE800, with its weather-proofing end rugged, but this is the first we’ve seen with an IP
rating, and a very healthy one that covers submersion
cap, is unique in its ability to withstand at that.
immersion in liquids. Given that it costs less $149
while providing roughly the same

58 PCWorld JUNE 2020

OnePlus 8 Pro: A great phone that’s
no longer a great value
OnePlus used to give you a lot for the money. Now it just gives you a lot. BY MICHAEL SIMON

he OnePlus 8 Pro ushers in a bunch even the first OnePlus phone with IP-rated

T of firsts for the humble Android

phone maker. It’s the first OnePlus
display with a hole-punch camera
and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s the first
OnePlus phone with wireless charging and a
water resistance.
It’s also the first OnePlus handset to top a
thousand bucks (with tax), more than three
times the cost of the original OnePlus One. To
be fair, things have changed quite a bit since
quad-camera. It’s the first time OnePlus has 2014, when Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5
made Wi-Fi 6 and 5G standard. Heck, it’s cost just $650 off-contract. But even though

IMAGE: MICHAEL SIMON JUNE 2020 PCWorld 59

REVIEWS ONEPLUS 8 PRO

OnePlus can claim the 8 Pro costs $300 less bigger, and it’s a bit lighter (199 grams vs. 210
than the closest apples-to-apples comparison grams) and thinner (8.5mm vs. 8.8mm).
Galaxy phone, a four-figure sticker price is still There’s one noticeable deviation: The curved
much more shocking on a OnePlus phone display now has a hole in the upper left corner
than a Samsung one. for the selfie cam, rather than the delightful
While the 8 Pro is a fantastic phone that pop-up cam introduced on the 7 Pro.
continues to shine a light on just how It’s probably for the best that OnePlus
expensive premium Android phones have removed the moving and inherently
become, the light is less illuminative this time breakable parts, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I
around. By throwing out its own playbook to missed it. The pop-up selfie cam might have
give die-hard fans everything they wanted, been a little gimmicky, but it gave the 7 Pro a
the OnePlus 8 Pro has joined the ranks of the unique feature that set it apart from other
phones it was supposed to undercut. premium Android phones. The hole-punch
camera gives it a sameness that makes it feel
DESIGN: BIG AND less special, amplified by the fact that the
BEAUTIFUL bezels haven’t really shrunk much either.
The design of the OnePlus 8 Pro doesn’t But while the overall look may be a little
deviate much from that of its predecessor, the on the safe side, the OnePlus 8 Pro is still a
OnePlus 7 Pro. Its dimensions are a touch very nice phone. My chief complaint is the
rather bulbous camera
bump, which is once again
centered and vertical but
noticeably thicker, making
the OnePlus 8 Pro all but
impossible to use on a flat
surface. It’s better with one
of OnePlus’s bumper
cases, but with such a
beautiful, fingerprint-
repelling frosted glass
finish in Ultramarine Blue
or Glacial Green, you
The OnePlus 8 Pro Ultramarine Blue color doesn’t reflect light like the 8’s won’t want to cover it with
Interstellar Glow, but it’s a beauty in its own right. a slab of silicone.

60 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 more hertz of refresh, and 3
fewer pixels per inch. Taken
together, though, all those
small changes make a huge
difference. The faster refresh
rate is the most noticeable,
with simply effortless scrolling
and super-smooth transitions.
But even when you’re not
touching the screen, the
brightness, refined motion
interpolation algorithms and
HDR Boost are noticeable. My
only complaint is with edge
rejection, which is a constant
The OnePlus 8 Pro (right) might look similar to the OnePlus 8, but it’s
nuisance on a phone this size.
better in every way. The brightness of the
display helps the optical
DISPLAY: PIXEL PERFECTION fingerprint scanner. On the whole, it’s
While there are plenty of “pro” components speedier and more reliable than the S20’s
inside the OnePlus 8 Pro, none of them matter ultrasonic sensor, but despite conscious effort
more than the display. OnePlus isn’t often at from OnePlus to improve the experience, it’s
the forefront of screen tech—its first OLED still very hit-or-miss. All things being equal, I’d
screen didn’t arrive until late 2015, in fact— much rather have 3D facial recognition like
but the Fluid Display on the 8 Pro is on the the Google Pixel 4’s Face Unlock, even if that
absolute cutting edge of smartphone screen meant a return to a notch.
tech, belying the seemingly minor spec-sheet Biometrics aside, the OnePlus 8 Pro isn’t
improvements over the 7 Pro: just the best screen OnePlus has made—it’s
OnePlus 7 Pro: 6.67-inch 3120x1440, the first I’ve used that rivals the latest from
516 ppi, 19.5:9, 90Hz refresh rate Apple and Samsung. The brightness, color
OnePlus 8 Pro: 6.78-inch 3168x1440, gamut, and color accuracy truly raise the bar.
513 ppi, 19.8:9, 120Hz refresh rate But I’m not sure anyone who would consider
We’re talking about a tenth of an inch a OnePlus phone necessarily needs a screen
more screen, a slightly taller aspect ratio, 30 this good. It’s not that OnePlus customers

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 61

REVIEWS ONEPLUS 8 PRO

I didn’t get a chance to

test the 5G modem because
I’m a Verizon customer
(Verizon is supporting 5G
only on an exclusive OnePlus
8), but my experiences with
T-Mobile’s 5G network on the
S20 left much to be desired.
T-Mobile might be able to
boast that it has America’s first
nationwide network, but for
the most part, it’s not all that
much faster than LTE. We’re
still years away from superfast
The matte frosted glass on the OnePlus 8 Pro (right) looks even 5G being anywhere near as
classier next to the glossy OnePlus 8. ubiquitous as 4G, so the extra
expense for the 5G modem in
aren’t discerning, but when faced with a the OnePlus 8 Pro won’t pay off for a while.
$1,000 price tag, I wonder how many What’s more impressive about the 8 Pro is
would-be buyers would just pick up a Galaxy the 4,500mAh battery. It’s a good size, but it
or an iPhone instead. Besides, the display on performs like it’s much bigger. Even with the
the $499 OnePlus 7T is very good too. 120Hz screen turned on, I was able to make it
through a full day of heavy use with juice to
PERFORMANCE: PLENTY spare, rivaling the performance of the
With the Snapdragon 865 processor and 5,000mAh battery in the S20 Ultra.
next-gen Wi-Fi onboard, the OnePlus 8 Pro is Benchmarks bore this out, topping 10 hours in
every bit the screamer you’d think it is. I PCMark’s tests, an impressive feat for a battery
regularly topped 10,000 in PCMark Work 2.0 under 5,000mAh in an Android phone.
benchmarks, and my gigabit home internet The OnePlus 8 also introduces wireless
with an Orbi WiFi 6 System delivered charging for the first time. It’s a welcome
consistently fast speeds better than 600Mbps addition, even though third-party charges are
(versus 450Mbps on the OnePlus 7T). The only supplying slow 5W charging. You’ll
S20 Ultra benchmarked a little better overall, need to buy a separate Warp Charge 30
but the 8 Pro is insanely fast. Wireless Charger for $70 to get the full 30

62 PCWorld JUNE 2020

watts of power that the OnePlus 8 pro is bi-monthly Android updates with the 8
capable of, but most people should probably Series, a schedule that’s not going to cut it for
skip it. Not only is it pricey, but the built-in fan a thousand-dollar phone. To be fair, updates
is so loud that OnePlus built a configurable could arrive sooner than that, as OnePlus has
bedtime mode that limits the charger to 10 a robust beta program to make sure the final
watts, so it won’t disturb your sleep. release is free of bugs. But when Samsung
Helping the speed and power and Google are pushing out system updates
management is OnePlus’s delightfully minimal near the beginning of every month, OnePlus’
Oxygen OS. The new parts are relatively update schedule seems stuck in the past.
slight—most notably dark mode has been
enhanced a bit, and Live Caption makes a CAMERA: GREAT
welcome appearance—but as usual, OnePlus’ EXPECTATIONS
skin is less about features than functionality. With such a high price tag, the expectations
For example, the system can detect when for the OnePlus 8 Pro are high as well, and no
you’re less likely to use the screen—when other component will be more scrutinized
you’re playing a movie, for instance—and than the camera. On paper, the OnePlus 8
effectively lower the refresh rate to 60Hz to Pro’s camera is top-notch, sporting four lenses
preserve battery. Conversely, the touch including a novel color filter camera and a
sampling rate is bumped to 240Hz when you new Sony IMX689 image sensor with a
are using the screen, so tapping and scrolling 1/1.43-inch sensor.
feel even faster than they look. In a general sense, the OnePlus 8 Pro
However, OnePlus is still only promising takes great pictures, and anyone who uses
one to snap a landscape or a
portrait in good-enough lighting
will be happy with the results.
However, it still feels like a
generation or two behind the
smartphone leaders. Just like last
year’s 7T Pro was bested by the
iPhone 11 Pro and Galaxy Note
10+, the 8 Pro isn’t quite at the
level of its newest peers when it
comes to processing, particularly
The camera bump on the OnePlus 8 Pro is quite large. with night mode and action shots.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 63

REVIEWS ONEPLUS 8 PRO

In pitch blackness, the Pixel 4 (right) was still able to pull the correct colors and some detail, while the
OnePlus 8 Pro, left, and OnePlus 8 (center) struggled with white balance and focus.

With solid hardware, the 8 Pro’s camera advantage served the Pixel 4 in typical low-
abilities could change with updates—and as light conditions as well: Google’s processing
such, a mid-review update did improve the engine did a better job with sussing details
speed of autofocus and quality of low-light and preserving the integrity of the scene.
shots—but it’s unlikely that the 8 Pro will see a OnePlus’s inferior processing is evident
significant leap. You can argue that the issues with action shots as well. While OIS and
I’ve outlined below are nitpicky, but at Super Steady mode do well to keep videos
$1,000, the OnePlus 8’s camera should stand stable, the photo engine struggles to capture
up to those in other like-priced handsets. clean motion even in brilliant sunshine. In the
Take night mode. While OnePlus has photos at right, the 8 Pro (left) was able to
done a fine job with improving its phones’ lock in on my son’s face, but his feet and
low-light abilities over the years, the OnePlus hands are blurry, and the badminton birdie
8 Pro still doesn’t quite measure up to and racket are barely recognizable. The Pixel
Google’s stellar output. In the image above, 4, on the other hand, snapped the whole
both phones are able to pull out an scene as if everything were perfectly still.
impressive amount of detail from pitch OnePlus’ most unique camera feature is its
blackness. The Pixel 4 handled the color fourth lens, which introduces a color filter lens
properly, however, and captured far greater for snapping Instagram-worthy shots at the
detail than either OnePlus phone. That source. In a world where filters are a dime a

64 PCWorld JUNE 2020

In dark lighting, the OnePlus 8 Pro (left) outduels the OnePlus 8 (center), but the Pixel 4 does a better job
with both exposure and clarity.

dozen, it’s a little gimmicky, especially for the price, good enough isn’t good
considering there are only four options to enough anymore. If OnePlus is going to
choose from, and the 5MP image quality is compete in this space, it’s going to need a
quite low compared to that of the main lens. camera that challenges the Pixel and iPhone
Granted, these are smallish problems, but in the areas where they excel. The OnePlus 8

When capturing motion, the OnePlus 8 Pro (left) and OnePlus 8 (center) both struggled, while the Pixel 4
(right) was able to perfectly freeze the moment.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 65

REVIEWS ONEPLUS 8 PRO

You can have some fun with the filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro (from left, Photocroma, Vivid, B&W),
but ultimately it’s a useless gimmick.

Pro just isn’t on their photography level yet. OnePlus had an opportunity to expose
how excessively expensive high-end Android
BOTTOM LINE phones have gotten. All it has proved with the
There’s no denying that the OnePlus 8 Pro is a 8 Pro is that building a cutting-edge 5G
great phone. It can hold its own against any phone in 2020 is expensive.
other Android flagship when it comes to
performance, and in an apples-to-apples OnePlus 8 Pro
comparison, you won’t find a better price for
a phone with these specs. PROS
• Insanely great display with all the trimmings.
That said, the $899 starting price isn’t • Wireless charging and IP-rated water resistance
the same bang-for-your-buck deal that the arrive.
• Gorgeous design that rivals Samsung’s best.
$669 7 Pro was, especially when you
CONS
consider that it’s limited to just one color, • Price tops off at a thousand bucks.
green. If you want the OnePlus 8 Pro in black • 5G isn’t ready for prime time.
• Camera pales in comparison to the Google Pixel 4’s.
or blue you’ll need to swing for the $999
BOTTOM LINE
model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of The OnePlus 8 Pro isn’t just another OnePlus phone
with high specs and a low price—it’s a bona fide
RAM. That’s still less than the $1,200 S20+ premium Android handset, with a price to match.
or the $1,400 S20 Ultra, but the value isn’t $899
nearly as apparent as it once was.

66 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Tested: Minecraft showcases
the beauty of ray tracing—
and Nvidia’s DLSS 2.0
Ray-traced Minecraft is a glorious feast for your eyes, and a grueling test for your graphics
card. BY BRAD CHACOS

fter an endless drip of teases, make even the most fearsome graphics cards

A Minecraft for Windows 10 has

rolled out a beta that adds
support for real-time ray tracing
and Nvidia’s faster, better Deep Learning
Super Sampling (DLSS) 2.0 technology (go.
sweat when you activate the cutting-edge
lighting technology.
We’ve already discussed the technical
details in our Minecraft beta announcement
coverage (go.pcworld.com/btcv). Hit that up
pcworld.com/d1ss). Friends, the wait was to learn what you’ll need to run this new-look
worth it. Ray-traced Minecraft is glorious to Minecraft. (Spoiler: A GeForce RTX 20-series
behold, completely altering the look and feel GPU is mandatory at the moment, as it’s the
of the game—though this low-fi legend can only gaming hardware with dedicated

IMAGE: NVIDIA JUNE 2020 PCWorld 67

REVIEWS TESTED: MINECR AFT

rasterization
techniques. (Our
explainer to the
DirectX Raytracing
API (go.pcworld.
com/dctr) goes
into far more detail.)
But Minecraft, like
Quake II RTX before
it (go.pcworld.
RTX on.
com/qke2), opts
for full-on path
tracing instead. That
means all lighting in
the game happens
with rays, delivering
incredibly realistic
shadows, lighting,
reflections, and
more.
RTX off. Heck, you can
even see colors
reflected off other
ray-tracing hardware built-in.) This article will solid surfaces, as shown below. Look at how
only tackle visual comparisons and the pink and yellow hues from the colored
performance concerns. blocks reflect off the marble stairs.
Long story short: My god, it’s gorgeous. The Minecraft beta adds “physically based
Most ray-traced games, such as Control materials” that react to the realistic ray-cast
and Metro: Exodus, embrace the technology lighting. In the standard version of the game,
in a hybrid manner. A couple of effects in textures have only two material states: Color
those games use real-time rays for added and opacity. Ray traced worlds support
fidelity—more lifelike shadows or reflections, materials with not one, not two, but four
for example—but the vast majority of the additional states: Metallic, normal, emissive,
visuals are rendered using traditional and roughness.

68 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 These new materials
make the game feel
much more alive and
natural, but requiring
them means you can’t
simply turn on RTX in
your existing Minecraft
worlds. Instead, you
need fresh worlds (or
migrated existing
Java-based worlds (go.
pcworld.com/jvbs) that
are built around a seed with a ray-tracing packs for the beta’s launch, as well as five
texture pack. Nvidia worked with members of bespoke worlds designed to show off the
the Minecraft community to supply texture potential of the new technology:
• “Of Temples & Totems”
by Razzleberries
• “Imagination Island” by
Blockworks
• “Crystal Palace” by
GeminiTay
• “Aquatic Adventure” by
Dr_Bond
RTX on. • “Color, Light, & Shadow”
by Pearlescent Moon
• “Neon District” by
Elysium Fire
You can find each of the
free maps in Minecraft’s
Marketplace by searching for
“ray tracing.” The official
worlds each list Nvidia as the
creator in the store. I spent time
RTX off.
exploring them to show some

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 69

REVIEWS TESTED: MINECR AFT

examples of
Minecraft’s ray tracing
in action, and to get a
gauge for the
technology’s
performance impact.
Hybrid ray tracing is
strenuous; full-on
path tracing hits hard.
Once you’re in a RTX on.
ray-traced map, you
can disable the
technology and
return to Minecraft’s
default render
engine on the fly by
pressing the semi-
colon button on
your keyboard. Let’s
take a look at a
couple of RTX off.
particularly
interesting on/off comparisons from oomph of ray tracing. Click on any image to
Nvidia’s maps, which maximize the visual view it in full size.

RTX on. RTX off.

70 PCWorld JUNE 2020

RTX on. RTX off.

RTX ON VERSUS RTX OFF water you’re immersed in. With ray tracing off,
COMPARISONS the scene looks flat and opaque; with ray
Here’s a scene from the Aquatic Adventure tracing on, you can see through the water to
map, positioned close to the surface of the the outside world, and sunlight cascading in,
and ripples distorting the
scenery around you. It’s
gorgeous in this picture, but
even more stunning in
motion.
The path tracing and
new materials make lava
much more ominous than
before, as the scene from Of
RTX on. Temples & Totems shows.
With ray tracing off, the
orange lava looks lifeless
against the flat, gray stone.
With ray tracing on,
everything takes on an angry
glow emanating from the
much more fierce-looking
lava flow.
RTX off.
Look at the openings in
the temple background,

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 71

REVIEWS TESTED: MINECR AFT

gray slabs with

the technology
disabled, as
base Minecraft
doesn’t support
reflections like
this. Wow.
The
additional
scenes from
RTX on. Color, Light, &
Shadow show a
stunning
combination of
realistic lighting
sources and
reflective
surfaces. The
first scene
speaks for itself.
In the second
one, pay
RTX off.
attention not
only to the light
too. With ray tracing enabled, you’re able to streaming in from overhead, but also the
see much more detail inside the doors and different hues on the roof farther down the
windows, thanks to the more realistic and hall. Alcoves down there include colored
reactive lighting. lights inside, and you’re seeing that reflected
The room from Color, Light, & Shadow on that roof, like you would in real life. It’s
(see opposite)—which is essentially a ray gorgeous stuff, and it makes Minecraft feel
tracing tech demo—reveals how striking much more vibrant.
reflections can be using the new materials.
The tiny room’s mirrored walls look PERFORMANCE
spectacular with RTX On, but just like basic That said, glorious visuals like this don’t come

72 PCWorld JUNE 2020

free. Path tracing kneecaps your graphics rates with virtually no loss in visual fidelity
card’s performance, though Nvidia’s despite the upscaling. It’s great.
wonderful DLSS 2.0 technology scrapes a lot While some games let you choose
of it back. DLSS renders a scene at a lower between Quality, Performance, or Balanced
resolution—like 1440p if you’re on a 4K presets to adjust the aggressiveness of DLSS
screen—and then upscale the visuals using 2.0’s upscaling, Minecraft automatically selects
the machine learning capabilities of the settings for you depending on your resolution.
dedicated tensor cores inside of GeForce RTX If you’re playing at the less-strenuous 1080p
20-series graphics cards. The first iteration of resolution, for instance, it’ll run the Quality
DLSS disappointed, but this new version preset (2x) upscaling, whereas if you play at
works much better, greatly increasing frame 4K, it’ll use Performance mode (4x upscaling
from 1080p to 4K
resolution). It all
looks good,
though. You can
only run DLSS 2.0
(or “Upscaling,”
as it’s called in
Minecraft’s menu)
if you have ray
tracing active as
RTX on. well. You can’t run
it alone for a frame
rate boost in
traditional
Minecraft
worlds—not that
traditional
Minecraft worlds
need a
performance
boost on most
RTX off.
PCs, anyway.
I toyed

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 73

REVIEWS TESTED: MINECR AFT

Standing
still in the
scene above,
the opening of
Aquatic
Adventure, I
achieved a flat
120 frames
per second
with ray
RTX on. tracing and
DLSS disabled
completely.
Enabling just
ray tracing
sent that
plummeting
to a chunky,
stuttering 18
frames per
second that
felt awful. Like
RTX off. I said: full-
blown path
around in Nvidia’s demo maps in my personal tracing is no joke. It murders GPUs. Then I
rig, which has a Ryzen 7 1800X and a enabled the Upscaling option and DLSS 2.0
Gigabyte Aorus GeForce RTX 2080 Ti inside, worked its magic, boosting the frame rate all
on a 4K display. Minecraft doesn’t have the way to an eminently playable 49 fps.
resolution options and defaults to your So yeah, you’re going to want to leave
monitor’s settings. Note that you’ll need the Upscaling on whenever you play Minecraft in
newly released GeForce Game Ready 445.87 ray traced form. Wandering around the other
drivers released Wednesday to enable ray maps, my rate hovered between 40 and 60
tracing in Minecraft, so upgrade that GPU frames per second with all the RTX
software if you haven’t recently! technologies enabled.

74 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 Nvidia says that every RTX graphics card revving up far more often and far more loudly
playing at its intended resolution will deliver than they have in any other game before,
“playable” frame rates in the game, which a even Control or Metro Exodus with ray tracing
representative defined as 30 or 40 frames-plus. on. My colleague Adam Patrick Murray says
The 60-fps-or-bust snobs among us may turn his RTX 2070 Super hasn’t suffered the same
up their noses at that, but in a slower, less fate during his own testing, so your mileage
detailed game like Minecraft, playing it felt fine. may vary.
A lower, but playable frame rate isn’t the Enabling ray tracing also dramatically
only sacrifice required for the glory of path reduces the draw distance of far-away
tracing. My custom graphics card’s fans objects.
screamed every few seconds as I wandered In this scene from Imagination Island,
across more intensive parts of the worlds, turning on ray tracing makes the castle, Ferris
wheel, forest, and
other rides in the
distance disappear,
though this map’s flat
layout makes it
somewhat of a
worst-case scenario.
Until I’d wrapped my
mind around the
world’s layout, I
RTX on. actually needed to
toggle ray tracing off
periodically to get my
bearings.
It’s noticeable
even in closer scenes,
though, at least if
you’re toggling ray
tracing on and off. It’s
probably less obvious
if you stick to ray
RTX off.
traced visuals alone.

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REVIEWS TESTED: MINECR AFT

This scene from Imagination Island looks lively than before, despite the occasional
much better with ray tracing on—witness the draw distance concerns.
realistic reflections and shadows around the To get the final verdict, I asked the expert
boat area, and how much more vibrant the in my house: my fourth-grader, who spends
lava appears. But also look at how much of hours playing every week and is currently in
the background detail disappears, again the process of creating her own theme park
giving this scene a bit of an empty look. world to send to her favorite Minecraft
Most scenarios aren’t that bad, though as YouTubers. Is ray traced Minecraft cool?
someone who plays Minecraft regularly, I felt “OH YEAH,” she somehow both whispered
the reduced draw distance looking out over and yelled at the same time, then asked me if
scenes in other worlds as well, particularly the I was almost done working so she could play
more open areas in Of Temples & Totems. in the realistic water world again. Enough
Those drawbacks are worthwhile, though. said.
Those reflections on the water and shadows The free beta drops today. We’ll be
dotting the trees in the image above sure look streaming it on PCWorld’s YouTube channel
gorgeous. later (go.pcworld.com/ptbe). Don’t hesitate
Fully path traced Minecraft is a visual feast, to give it a whirl. I won’t be playing Minecraft
one that makes the game feel much more with RTX off—or DLSS off—ever again.

You can really feel the reduced draw distance in some scenarios. This is from a crowded jungle.

76 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Fallout 76: The free Wastelanders
expansion deserves a second trip
into West Virginia
Hell, if you like Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Wastelanders is potentially a better follow-up
than Fallout 4. BY HAYDEN DINGMAN

o say I had low expectations for mounted, I became less and less convinced.

T Fallout 76’s new Wastelanders

expansion would be an
understatement. My original Fallout
76 review was not kind (go.pcworld.com/
fl76), but at least ended on a hopeful note.
Still, when Wastelanders released in
April, I figured I might as well give it a shot.
After all, the expansion is free for anyone
who owned the game, and...well, I owned
the game. Why not, right? It’s not like there’s
“Maybe like Elder Scrolls Online, Bethesda much releasing this spring (go.pcworld.
can tease a decent game out of this com/rlsp).
foundation in a year or two,” I wrote. But as And you know what? I’m glad I gave it a
time went on, and as the controversies shot, because it’s surprisingly solid.

IMAGE: HAYDEN DINGMAN JUNE 2020 PCWorld 77

REVIEWS FALLOUT 76: WASTEL ANDERS

are cumbersome,
especially on mouse and
keyboard where
repairing a weapon at a
workbench requires no
less than four different
button presses. The food
and water systems are an
annoyance at best.
Bethesda doubled your
stash size, but it’s still
comically small
SKELETONS IN THE BATHTUB considering how much junk you’re expected
There are still myriad issues with Fallout 76, to collect for crafting.
don’t get me wrong. As far as I’m concerned, And performance is still wildly
it gains very little from being an always-online inconsistent, with shadows seemingly the
multiplayer experience, but it certainly loses a leading cause of frame rate issues. My
lot. colleague Adam Patrick Murray even had the
Moment-to-moment combat (and there’s game crash on him during our stream the
a lot of it in Fallout 76) is particularly other day. (We’ve embedded the whole thing
underwhelming. The real-time conceit means at the end of the review if you want to watch.)
VATS is essentially useless—which would be I don’t even want to talk about the
disappointing but not the end of the world, in-game store and the “Fallout 1st”
except that playing Fallout 76 as a standard subscription, which is its own can of worms
shooter isn’t fun either. I can’t tell you how (go.pcworld.com/wrms). Your feelings about
many times I’ve fired a shot at an unsuspecting paying over-and-above the $40 base price for
ghoul’s head only for the game to tell me I cosmetics and an unlimited stash probably
“missed.” I’m no Fortnite pro but I’m not a hinge on whether you feel this is first-and-
complete scrub either, and it happens often foremost a Fallout game or an MMO.
enough in Fallout 76 that I think it’s netcode- I’m torn, personally. I think the monthly
related. I never had such trouble with Fallout subscription price is pretty decent for what
4 or, say, Doom Eternal (go.pcworld.com/ you get compared to Final Fantasy XIV or
dmet). World of Warcraft or whatever—but I’m also
The list of problems continues. The menus never going to pay it, and I think putting

78 PCWorld JUNE 2020

certain quality-of-life improvements (i.e. a Capitol Wasteland. In Fallout 76 you’re just
second fast travel point) behind a paywall chasing ghosts, and finding them only leads
does more harm to Fallout 76 than good, to more ghosts.
especially at this stage, and given Fallout “Post-nuclear West Virginia is filled with
76’s reputation. terminals to read and holotapes to collect,
but none of it feels important or even
BUT...IS IT GOOD? particularly interesting. They’re well-written,
That said, the Wastelanders expansion and the holotapes well-acted, but it’s no
makes a huge difference to Fallout 76. I substitute for an actual conversation.”
spent most of my original review Now just get rid of that whole section.
complaining how empty everything felt. Wastelanders adds people to Fallout 76.
Here, let’s just recap really quick: It adds a dialogue system—one themed after
“There are no human NPCs in Fallout 76. Fallout 3 and New Vegas, not the ill-received
Bethesda made that clear repeatedly before wheel from Fallout 4. It even peppers those
release. I still thought that left the door open dialogue trees with skill checks, and while
for ghoul NPCs though, but nope! Not from Fallout 76’s leveling system is still an absolute
what I’ve seen. And even robots aren’t really mess, I can’t tell you how excited I was the
NPCs as much as quest dispensers. They first time a “[Strength 8+]” tag showed up in a
don’t talk with you, they talk at you. There’s conversation. It’s a real roleplaying game!
no dialogue system in the game whatsoever, Wow!
and so no real opportunity for
roleplaying. You either finish
a mission or you don’t.
“Most of Fallout 76’s
quests fall flat. It’s a lot of
“Find This Item” or “Kill This
Enemy” without any of the
motivation that usually stems
from a well-written
adventure. You’re not trying
to rescue Nick Valentine to
get a lead on your son, or
accelerate the growth of a
tree-man to reforest the

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 79

REVIEWS FALLOUT 76: WASTEL ANDERS

Bethesda even figured out instancing. interesting with people roaming around,
One of my major complaints from the Fallout peppered with vignettes—raider camps up in
76 launch involved a quest that ended with the mountains, hopeful settlers trying to
killing a specific ghoul. Trouble was, if revitalize crumbling towns, roadside bars and
someone else had already killed the ghoul a new Vault everyone wants to break into. It’s
you had to either wait for it to respawn or the sort of small-scale storytelling Fallout’s
bounce to another server and hope it was always been good at, and which was so
alive. No more! Now there are certain noticeably lacking in Fallout 76 at release.
interiors that are specific to your quest and Not that it’s seamless. I think Wastelanders
your character, and allow you to make choices is probably better (to some extent) for new
that actually affect the story. players than it is for returning players.
Would I still prefer a proper offline Fallout Bethesda’s completely rewritten the early
sequel? Absolutely. That said, Wastelanders is hours of the game, introducing a bar called
so much closer to what Fallout 76 should’ve The Wayward almost directly on top of the
been at launch. There are still problems, some Overseer’s Camp players originally traveled to
of them fundamental design choices made to after leaving Vault 76.
accommodate multiple players, but But if you played Fallout 76 at release, this
Wastelanders feels like a proper online Fallout leads to some weird cognitive dissonance. I
and not an empty imitation. left off playing in the middle of a quest to hunt
And the parts of Fallout 76 that were down the old Vault 76 Overseer, following her
already strong have been made stronger. audio logs across West Virginia. Starting up
Post-apocalyptic West Virginia is a lot more Wastelanders, I was surprised to find out she
now lives right down
the road from Vault
76—and when asked
about her audio logs,
she simply says she
left them to “help”
me. I guess I could
chase them down still
if I wanted? To what
end?
Wastelanders
also remixes certain

80 PCWorld JUNE 2020

areas, allowing factions
to take them over or
adding new story lines.
How many of these will I
miss simply because I
already “explored” the
locations though? I’m
not sure.
Certain parts of the
map have been purged
of location markers, so
there are clearly new
adventures to be discovered, but even then I could win me over, I thought, but it seemed far
feel like I’m missing part of the experience by more likely I’d spend two or three hours back
fast-traveling around West Virginia at will, in Fallout 76 and then remember why I’d left.
hauling thousands of rounds of ammo and Credit to Bethesda though. They hammered
being generally overleveled for everything I’ve and hammered and hammered and finally
encountered in Wastelanders’ early hours. forged Fallout 76 into not only a better game,
Most of it doesn’t scale to your level—and the but one that deserves a second chance—from
parts that do usually take me by surprise, one me, from you, and from all the naysayers.
minute pitting me against Level 4 molerats and
the next against a Level 23 deathclaw. Fallout 76: Wastelanders

BOTTOM LINE PROS

• Dialogue trees in the Fallout 3/New Vegas style.
Nevertheless, I’m having a surprising amount • Fallout 76’s best locations are improved even more
of fun with Wastelanders. This is precisely the by their new human denizens.
CONS
pivot I hoped Bethesda would make—and
• Returning players get a lesser experience
one I feared they couldn’t (or wouldn’t). compared to newcomers.
• So. Much. Monetization.
I’m not sure it has the staying power with
BOTTOM LINE
me that it does with others. I’ll probably play It’s still not as good as a proper offline Fallout sequel,
through the story and then dip out until the but Fallout 76’s Wastelanders expansion injects
some much-needed personality into post-apocalyp-
next major expansion. That alone is more than I tic West Virginia. If you haven’t been back since
release, give it a second look.
expected though. Going into Wastelanders
$39
this week, it was make-or-break. Maaaaaybe it

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 81

FEATURE

82 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 IS UPGRADING
A LAPTOP’S
SSD AND RAM
WORTH IT?
WE TRY IT IN
THE DELL
INSPIRON 15
7000
GETTING INSIDE IS
SURPRISINGLY EASY.
IMAGE: AMD
BY HAYDEN DINGMAN

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 83

FEATURE IS UPGR ADING A L APTOP’S SSD & R AM WORTH IT?

s it worth it to

I upgrade a laptop’s
RAM or storage?
We had a chance
to find out when Dell
asked us to test the
upgradability of its
Inspiron 15 7000.
I admit that as I
faced this challenge, I
started sweating.
Panic-sweating. In my
experience, upgrading
a laptop is never a fun
time. Cracking the case Captive screws help separate the bottom panel from the rest of the chassis.
open feels borderline
illegal, and once you’re inside you find a maze packs an Intel Core i7-9750H, an Nvidia
of tiny screws, tiny parts, tiny wires—like GeForce GTX 1050, a 512GB M.2 SSD, and
disarming a bomb built for ants. Many laptops 8GB of DDR4 RAM.
don’t want to be opened, hiding the screws It’s a strange machine, for sure. At just over
or voiding the warranty if you dare. $1,000, the Inspiron 15 7000 still feels a bit
Imagine my surprise when I found the overpriced—blame the Core i7 processor and
Inspiron 15 7000 almost...friendly? Getting that generous 512GB of storage. But only
inside still feels a bit illicit, but it was pretty 8GB of RAM? Meanwhile, the cheaper $900
easy to do. Was it worth it? We ran model (go.pcworld.com/i593) touts a Core
benchmarks to find out. i5-9300H and Intel UHD 630 graphics, but
16GB of RAM.
BUILDING A BETTER LAPTOP What’s an enterprising buyer to do if they
The Inspiron 15 7000 is a good candidate for want a Core i7-9750H and 16GB of RAM to
upgrades, because no single configuration is go with it? You do it yourself, of course.
perfect. The model Dell sent over is the
top-of-the-line Inspiron 15 7000 Model 7591 CRACKING THE CASE
(currently $1,050 on Dell.com (go.pcworld. The Inspiron 15 7000 is held together by
com/md75)), a humble little machine that eight screws, all very visible on the bottom of

84 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 you have one. A “spudger”
is the correct tool for the job,
but anything will do so long
as it’s thin, durable, and
plastic. Starting from the
existing gaps on the hinge
side, run your plastic
doohickey under the edges
to pop the clips holding the
bottom panel in place. This
is the part that always feels
illegal. Even after you’ve
freed the edges you might
Run a “spudger” under the edges to pop the clips holding the bottom notice the panel’s still
panel in place. holding on. Give the captive
screws one more twist if this
the machine. The three along the hinge side happens. That’s usually the culprit.
are “captive,” meaning they’re not meant to And voila, we’re inside. From here, the
come out of the lid. After turning them a bit, hardest part is just deciphering all the various
you’ll hear a pop as the threads snap back components.
into place. Stop turning! They’re
“out,” even if it’s difficult to tell.
Captive screws help separate
the bottom panel from the rest of
the chassis. Once you’ve
loosened all three, you should
notice the side with the hinges
has already begun separating. All
that’s left is to loosen the five
remaining screws. Keep a coffee
cup nearby to stash them so they
don’t get lost.
Then, get ready to rock—by
which I mean, find a guitar pick if Inside the Dell Inspiron 15 7000.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 85

FEATURE IS UPGR ADING A L APTOP’S SSD & R AM WORTH IT?

Out with the old... ...and in with the new.

Luckily if you’re here to swap RAM, Dell a standard 2.5-inch HDD or SSD. Hard drives
labeled everything for you. DIMM A and B are are pretty cheap nowadays, offering massive
covered by a thin black sheet. Lift it up and amounts of storage space—assuming you
you’ll see the existing 8GB stick, which is don’t care about speed.
easily freed by pressing down the little clips Those with a bit more spending money
on either side. Line up your replacement RAM can add a second M.2 SSD—or replace the
with the slot, press it in (firmly), then lower it existing SSD, or replace and add. You’ve got
until it clicks into place. a lot of options here.
Keep in mind: You ideally want RAM to Adding an M.2 drive is the most
match. Tempting as it may be to buy
one 8GB stick and pair it with the
existing one, you’ll typically find better
performance (and fewer headaches)
buying a 16GB set instead. We stuck
with 16GB because it’s what we had
on hand, but you could go higher if
you’d like.
Dell’s provided plenty of storage
options. In the bottom left corner (if
the hinges are facing down) you’ll see
a big, silvery panel attached by a You’ll need to lift the silvery panel in the bottom left corner
single screw. Lift it, and you can install before you can install a new SSD.

86 PCWorld JUNE 2020

This is what you’re looking for. Notice the “M.2” All secured! Easy.
label on the motherboard.

straightforward, though spotting the M.2 slot then unscrew the primary drive and remove it.
is hard at first. With the hinges facing down, Once it’s out, you’ll see a tiny metal brace set
look to the right of the RAM enclosure and to the “2230” marker. Remove that as well,
you’ll see a little black stripe—and a screw swivel it, and then slot it into the clips for the
two inches farther to the right. Remove that 2280 setting (assuming you’re using a
screw, insert the M.2 drive into the port, press standard M.2 drive). And then...put it all
it down, and then put the screw back in. back together.
That’s it. You’re done. This approach is also more complicated
Replacing the existing drive is a bit more because you’ve removed the C: drive.
complicated because Dell uses an M.2 Before upgrading, you’ll need to navigate to
2230-size SSD. This is quite a bit
smaller than the usual M.2 2280 (or
22mm x 80mm) form factor used by a
Samsung 970 Evo, our 1TB Firecuda,
and so forth.
The primary drive is also semi-
hidden underneath a thermal panel—
though proximity to the empty 2.5-
inch enclosure means you might
mistake it as the place for your
secondary drive. (I did.)
Unscrew this tiny piece of metal, It looks like this when closed up.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 87

FEATURE IS UPGR ADING A L APTOP’S SSD & R AM WORTH IT?

Dell’s website and download the Dell OS

Recovery Tool, then put it on a 16GB USB
stick. Plug this drive in when you boot the
machine for the first time, and you’ll be
walked through Dell’s custom Windows 10
installation. An OEM Windows installer
will not work.
Once you’re done mucking around
inside, lay the bottom panel back on the
laptop’s guts—checking the orientation, of
Remove the default M.2 2230 form factor drive. course. Secure the captive screws first, then
press the keyboard layer and bottom panel
back together. The area around the trackpad
is tricky, and you may need to use your
spudger to wedge the whole thing apart
and try again. You’ll probably need to push
harder than you think for everything to snap
into place.
Once that’s done, find your coffee cup of
screws and replace them as well. Assuming
you didn’t replace the OS drive, Dell will run a
Next, look for this metal clip that’s in the “2230” quick check on your memory to make sure
position... everything looks good.
It’s (at least in my experience) pretty hard
to seat RAM improperly in a laptop and still
get it to close, so barring a malfunctioning
stick you should be good to go.

THOUGHTS AND
BENCHMARKS
So...should you do it? Is it worth it?
Upgrading the Inspiron 15 7000 was
...turn it around and reinsert it at the 2280 easier than I anticipated. No special tools
position for most off-the-shelf M.2 drives. (except a guitar pick), no hidden tricks. It’s not

88 PCWorld JUNE 2020

These angled screws are a bit of a pain. A Fingers crossed.
magnetic screwdriver helps with this step.

the only laptop to make it this easy, but it’s Having more memory is just generally
one of the few that does so while staying useful—as is filling out that second DIMM.
relatively thin and lightweight. Usually this Your PC can only read and write so much
level of access is reserved for larger gaming information to memory at a time. Two DIMMS
laptops with more room inside. means effectively double the bandwidth,
The thinner you get, the harder it is for especially with a Core i7-9750H that can take
manufacturers to lay out the components while advantage. Check out the results we saw
keeping them accessible. Considering all that, when we ran the Inspiron 15 7000 through
the Inspiron 15 7000 is pretty impressive. It’s GeekBench 4 (see overleaf).
very clean inside, and I could get the bottom
panel off, the parts replaced, and everything Geekbench 4
screwed back together in under 10 minutes, GB/sec
Multi-core performance Single-core performance
easy. Maybe five minutes, if I rushed.
There are obvious benefits—particularly Upgraded
(RAID 0) 30.2
when it comes to storage. When you need 24.8
more space, you really need it, and the Upgraded
hardware 30.9
Inspiron 15 7000 makes it easy. While its 27.3
included 512GB is a respectable amount of Stock
hardware 14.2
storage, it’s hardly impossible to fill. Throw in
12
a 2TB 2.5-inch drive or another M.2, and
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

you’ll have plenty of space to expand.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 89

FEATURE IS UPGR ADING A L APTOP’S SSD & R AM WORTH IT?

That’s a huge bandwidth increase, most of The same pattern played out in
it resulting from adding a second stick of Cinebench, which tests the CPU over a much
RAM. You probably won’t notice the shorter period of time.
additional speed, but it will make the Inspiron
15 7000 a little bit more responsive across the
3DMark Sky Diver
board. Graphics score
Upgraded
(RAID 0) 19,471
HandBrake Total Encode
Time Upgraded
hardware 22,529
Seconds
Stock
Upgraded hardware 21,822
(RAID 0) 2,215
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
Upgraded
hardware 2,222
Stock
hardware 2,272 The trend repeated in 3DMark, where we
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
used the Sky Diver benchmark to simulate
some basic gaming performance, as well as
For instance, when we ran our usual Hand some real-world testing with Counter-Strike:
Brake test, encoding a 30GB MKV file down to Global Offensive at 720p, where the
the “Android Tablet” preset, our upgraded performance bump from a memory increase
Inspiron 15 7000 finished the task approximately could better come into play. Across the
a minute faster than the default hardware. board, our in-house upgrades performed
better than the stock Inspiron 15 7000.

Cinebench R15.038
Multi-core performance Single-core performance
Counter-Strike
Upgraded
(RAID 0) 1,025 Fps
171 Upgraded
Upgraded
(RAID 0) 233.1
hardware 938
Upgraded
170 hardware 236.7
Stock
hardware 905 Stock
hardware 171.4
167
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E

90 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 Now, was it much better? No, and I think worse, as a consequence of being split
the performance benefits are probably across the slower Dell drive and the
secondary to the more tangible benefits. faster Firecuda.
Adding another M.2 drive is better first and If you install two zippy new M.2 drives,
foremost because you have more space to RAID 0 might net a slight speed increase.
store your files. Moving to 16GB of RAM Otherwise, if you’re just adding a secondary
allows you to open more Chrome tabs or run drive, it’s probably better to take full
games that require 16GB of memory. That’s advantage of your faster M.2 speeds when
more important than any day-to-day speed needed, and leave the original drive to
increase. handle the OS and anything that’s less
One final note: Dell specifically asked sensitive.
us to explore the benefits of installing the
second drive as a RAID 0 array instead of a BOTTOM LINE
separate drive. RAID 0 links two (or more) I hope laptops—especially gaming
drives into one massive storage space, and laptops—continue to trend toward
in theory can improve performance. I upgradability. One of the biggest problems
typically don’t bother with RAID, though, with gaming laptops (compared to their
because the speed increase is offset by desktop counterparts) is they tend to last
the risk. If one drive in the array fails, the only three or four years before they’re
entire array fails, and you can lose all irrelevant. Maybe five if you don’t mind
your data. dipping settings. That’s while costing two
Still, we tried it—and if you’re sticking to three times as much as comparable
with the default Dell-provided drive, I desktop hardware.
wouldn’t recommend it. As you’ll see in But if you could get in there and replace
the charts above, our benchmarks actually some of the parts, you could potentially add
came in lower (for the most part) when we another few years of use. RAM and storage
set up RAID 0 compared to running are a good start, and Dell’s made it such
programs directly off our newly-installed upgrades easy.
secondary M.2 drive. The Firecuda’s What we really need are CPU and GPU
speed dragged the average up, meaning upgrades, though. That’s trickier, but
the OS and anything else installed only to imagine buying an Inspiron 15 7000 and
the C: drive probably performed better. then being able to swap out the already-
Anything we could’ve installed directly to dated GTX 1050 for a top-shelf part. That’s
the secondary drive? It all performed the dream. Maybe one day.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 91

Coronavirus.org Artwork by Shepard Fairey | Amplifier.org
 FEATURE

SOFTWARE WORTH
PAYING FOR:
10 PROGRAMS YOU
WON’T REGRET
BUYING

SURE, YOU CAN STOCK YOUR PC WITH SOME EXCELLENT FREEBIES,

BUT THIS SOFTWARE IS WORTH PAYING FOR. BY B R A D C H ACO S

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 93

FEATURE SOFT WARE WORTH PAYING FOR

Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Outfitting your computer with useful
software doesn’t have to cost a dime, as our roundup of the best free soft-
ware for your PC proves (go.pcworld.com/bfs). But paying up for programs
often gets you perks you won’t find with freeware, from smoother inter-
faces to more plentiful features, or even customer support if you need help.
Some of the most useful software is available only in premium form.

Freebies tend to get the headlines, but today,

let’s shine a light on some programs and
VIDEO: GROUPY:
ORGANIZE WINDOWS
services that are actually worth paying for, GROUPED TABS
drawing on both our extensive testing archives Watch now at go.pcworld.com/gow
and a few personal picks. Break out your wallet,
you won’t regret it. changed the way I work and play: Stardock’s
Groupy (go.pcworld.com/sg), which costs $5,
GROUPY or comes as part of Stardock’s $30 Object
Before we dive into better-known categories, I Desktop Suite (go.pcworld.com/obds).
want to recommend a program that’s completely Groupy lets you group your various open

Groupy in Windows 10.

94 PCWorld JUNE 2020

windows and programs in a single window, software worth buying in general, and its
essentially treating them like browser tabs. That Object Desktop—billed as “a powerful suite
makes it easy-peasy to manage the far-flung files of desktop enhancements that transforms
associated with a given project. I like to have a your Windows experience”—gathers the
singled Groupy’d window open with my heaviest hitters together under one roof.
most-used work programs—Slack, Chrome, Check that out too while you’re at it.
Outlook, etc—as well as windows dedicated to a
given task, such as having a Word document, LASTPASS
Excel spreadsheet, and PDFs related to a specific In a world gone crazy with security breaches,
graphics card review. Groupy even lets you keep everyone should use a password manager to
multiple instances of Windows 10’s File Explorer create strong, unique passwords for their
open in a single window. Hallelujah! significant accounts. If you invest in only one
I can’t recommend Groupy strongly piece of software, make it this. Lastpass (go.
enough (go.pcworld.com/se). It keeps me pcworld.com/lpss) tops our list of the best
from drowning in open windows. Better yet, it password managers (go.pcworld.com/lbp),
has a 30-day free trial available if you want to though Dashlane (go.pcworld.com/dla) puts
try before you buy. Stardock tends to make up a strong showing, too. From our review:

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 95

FEATURE SOFT WARE WORTH PAYING FOR

“LastPass ticks all the boxes on our pass- your accounts inevitably gets breached.
word manager want list. It makes it a breeze
to create unique, complex passwords; ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
capture and manage login credentials; “Over three decades, the revolutionary Adobe
sync them across multiple devices; and Photoshop has become an industry standard
share them with others you trust. Its pass- synonymous with image editing and manipula-
word auditing and updating features let tion,” we said in our Photoshop Elements
you identify and eliminate weak or dupli- 2020 review (go.pcworld.com/pe20). “Even
cate passwords with just a mouse click or if you’ve never used it, you know what it is.”
two. It also stores credit card numbers and There’s a reason so many people use
other personal data to autofill web forms “Photoshop” as a generic term for general
when you’re making a purchase, signing up image tinkering. Adobe’s software remains
for a service, or paying a bill.” the gold standard for creative professionals
(go.pcworld.com/tgs), be it Photoshop,
Better yet, Lastpass’s basic password Premiere, Illustrator, Lightroom, or any of the
management service is free, though paying $3 other programs available via Adobe’s Creative
per month for a premium account unlocks Cloud subscriptions (go.pcworld.com/acc),
helpful extras that are well worth the investment which cost varying amounts depending on
(go.pcworld.com/3per). It’s a small price to pay what you need. Yes, no-cost alternatives like
to keep your data as secure as possible, and to GIMP (go.pcworld.com/g1m) and Paint.net
minimize the potential damage when one of (go.pcworld.com/pne) exist, and they’re
surprisingly powerful
in the right hands.
But they’re not as
potent as Photoshop
proper, and their
interfaces tend to
be less intuitive. If
you’re serious about
creative editing,
Adobe Creative
Cloud is worth
its steep monthly
Photoshopping a butterfly in Photoshop CC. price.

96 PCWorld JUNE 2020

You install games via a dedicated Xbox Game Pass for PC app, which is much better behaved than
Windows 10’s atrocious Microsoft Store.

XBOX GAME PASS FOR PC pcworld.com/aoe)—on the day of launch.

If you’re interested in play as well as work, Xbox Better yet, the PC version of Xbox Game
Game Pass for PC (go.pcworld.com/xbp) is Pass is loaded with top-tier indie games,
easily the best value in gaming, usurping the including MechWarrior 5, The Surge 2, Frost-
title long held by Humble Monthly (RIP). punk, Ark: Survival Evolved, A Plague Tale:
Microsoft’s subscription service costs just $5 Innocence, Mutant Year Zero, Kingdom Come:
per month for unlimited access to over 100 PC Deliverance, and a whole lot more. You’ll also
games. That includes all of Microsoft’s own find a smattering of third-party AAA titles like
first-party titles—like Halo (go.pcworld.com/ Dishonored 2, Wolfenstein: Youngbloods, and
hlo), Gears Tactics (go.pcworld.com/ger), Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Forza (go.pcworld.com/frz), Outer Worlds (go. For $5 a month (go.pcworld.com/5am)?
pcworld.com/owo), and Age of Empires (go. It’s an absolute steal.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 97

FEATURE SOFT WARE WORTH PAYING FOR

MULLVAD VPN company auto-generates an account number

If you want to use a VPN to encrypt your for you, which is all that’s required to log in.
Internet traffic while you’re out and about—or Mullvad now offers a much improved and user
if you want to view streaming movie cata- friendly interface, its speeds are good, and the
logues in other countries—then you should company takes privacy very seriously.”
pay for it, full stop. Yes, once again, free Picking a best VPN isn’t easy, though.
alternatives exist, but free VPNs track your Some are better at privacy, while others offer
online activity and sell it to the highest bid- faster speeds or a slicker interface. Mullvad’s
ders, or could even use it for our top overall pick, but several other sterling
nefarious purposes. choices exist. Check out our guide to the best
Paying for a VPN buys VPNs if you want to dig deeper (go.pcworld.
you privacy and com/dde).
security—the very
reasons you’re VIDEO TOOLS FOR MEDIA
likely subscribing ENTHUSIASTS
to a VPN service A lot of homes rely solely on cable or streaming
in the first place. video services for their TV fix, but if you’re the
We keep those more hands-on type, don’t sleep on Plex DVR
aspects in mind when or Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 20 Ultra. These
we’re evaluating VPNs, programs give video enthusiasts some extraor-
along with more traditional
features like speed, cost,
and ease-of-use. Right now,
the little-known Mullvad (go.
pcworld.com/mul) tops our
list of the best VPNs. It costs
just €5 (or roughly $5.50)
per month. (go.pcworld.
com/550)
“Sweden-based Mullvad
is like the Swiss Bank account
of VPNs,” we said. “Instead
of attaching your account to
an email address, the Plex DVR

98 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 It’s “the first choice
for those seeking
every last ounce of
video quality, and of
course those that
want to play com-
mercial DVD, Blu-
Ray, and Ultra Blu-ray
discs using a PC,”
we said. If you’re an
image snob, it’s
worth splurging the
Cyberlink’s PowerDVD 20. $100 on PowerDVD
20 Ultra rather than
dinary tools, each with a different focus. relying on (admittedly also excellent) freebies
Plex DVR (go.pcworld.com/pdvr) revolves like VLC (go.pcworld.com/dvd20).
around recording and streaming over-the-air
television broadcasts, then distributing the video NORTON SECURITY
to your various devices. “For power users who PREMIUM
don’t mind fiddling with their cord-cutting Now we’re getting into the more discretion-
setups, Plex’s combination of video and audio ary picks. You can get by pretty well with free
quality, granular recording
controls, and extensibility is as
good as it gets,” we said in our
review. Using the DVR function-
ality requires a Plex Pass sub-
scription (go.pcworld.com/
ppas), which costs $5 a month,
$40 a year, or $120 for a lifetime
account.
PowerDVD 20 Ultra (go.
pcworld.com/pdvd), on the
other hand, reigns supreme
as a high-quality video player. Norton Security Premium’s dashboard.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 99

FEATURE SOFT WARE WORTH PAYING FOR

antivirus solutions (go.pcworld.com/fav), security suites for our guide to the best antivirus
which rely on the same underlying protection for Windows PCs (go.pcworld.com/wpc), and
as their paid-for siblings. The Windows Norton Security Premium’s led the pack for years
Security app built into Windows 10 (go. running (go.pcworld.com/nsep). The latest
pcworld.com/wsa) delivers solid protection version earning 4.5 out of 5 stars and our Editors’
as well. But free antivirus is very basic, offering Choice award. “Norton Security Premium does
few helpful features beyond simple scanning, an excellent job of protecting your PCs, doesn’t
and usually no customer support whatsoever. bother you too much, and has a very easy-to-use
Paying for antivirus gets you a fully interface,” we said. It also offers helpful features to
backed, more comprehensive security back up data, clean out your temporary Internet
solution that protects you against much more files, securely erase stubborn data, manage your
than just malware. Features like browser passwords, and more.
protection, email protection, and phishing Norton isn’t the cheapest, though. While
protection come standard in premium antivi- you’ll only pay $55 to protect up to 10 devices
rus suites, often bundled with extras like during your first year (go.pcworld.com/55), the
password managers and cloud storage. In a price doubles after that. It’s worth it for the
pinch, you can contact customer support for excellent protection and abundant features
help if you’re paying for a product. That alone Norton offers, but if you want to shop around, be
is worth a premium for many people. sure to check out our guide to the best antivirus
We’ve evaluated over twenty different paid for Windows PCs (go.pcworld.com/bav).

ADOBE
ACROBAT
PRO
Reading PDFs is
easy. Even Adobe
offers its Acrobat
PDF Viewer for free.
But if you want to
start editing PDFs,
you’ll need to pay
up, especially if you
need more
Adobe Acrobat Pro DC has three views: Home, Tools, and Document. advanced features.

100 PCWorld JUNE 2020

No matter how you do it, back up your data!

Once again, Adobe’s software stands heads- is our favorite budget PDF editor (go.
and-shoulders above the crowd. pcworld.com/fap), packing much of the
“Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (go.pcworld. power of Acrobat for $69 per year. Nice.
com/adc) r emains the industry standard for
good reason,” we said in our guide to the best BACKUP SERVICES
PDF editors (go.pcworld.com/bdf). “Its rich AND SOFTWARE
combination of creation, editing, reviewing, Backing up your precious data is the most
and security features are what the best alterna- important computer maintenance you can
tive options are built on, but we feel Acrobat perform, but once again, you don’t have to
still does it best. Its recent interface redesign pay to do it. Windows 10 comes loaded with
makes it much easier to navigate its robust various backups tools (go.pcworld.com/
toolset than the nested menus of yore.” vbt), though their far-flung nature means
Acrobat Pro earned a flawless rating and relying on them is more of a cobbled-to-
our coveted Editors’ Choice award, but the gether solution than anything else. And you
gold standard comes at a gold price—it could always just drag your most critical files
costs $15 per month via a $180 annual over to an external drive. But premium
subscription (go.pcworld.com/x180), or $25 backup tools can make backing up your data
per month without one. If that’s a bit too rich easier, or offer more robust options, or both.
for your budget, PDF Architect Professional If you want to set it and forget it with

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 101

FEATURE SOFT WARE WORTH PAYING FOR

minimal hassle, an online backup service is a Not the cheapest service, but easily the most
great option (go.pcworld.com/bse), and comprehensive.”
storing your backups offsite can be a benefit if If you’d rather keep your data in your own
your home ever suffers from disaster. Once you hands, the venerable Acronis True Image (go.
get an online backup service up and running, it pcworld.com/acti) remains our favorite
does all the busywork in the background with Windows backup software. “True Image is
little to no input required from you. Our favorite one of the very best for good reason,” we
is iDrive (go.pcworld.com/idi), which costs said. “It’s capable and flexible, and rock-solid
$69.50 for a year of backups, or $99.50 for reliable.” Acronis’s software has more features
two years (go.pcworld.com/995). than you can shake a stick at, and granular
“iDrive has you covered six ways to backup options galore. From our review:
Sunday when it comes to backup,” we said in
our review. “Online, local, sync, snapshots, “The program will back up partitions, whole
shipping hard drives to you for quicker drives, and files, and do so with versioning,
recovery... You name it, the company does it. incrementally (all post-initial backups

True Image also includes a number of auxiliary tools that are very useful.

102 PCWorld JUNE 2020

contain only changes since the last removable, optical, and FTP. Tape isn’t
backup), differentially (all post-initial supported, but I’m guessing there aren’t a lot
backups each include all changes since the of people left who use that storage type.”
initial backup), and as a one-time event.
“You can fine-tune which versions are Phew. Better yet, you can get Acronis True
kept, how older backups are culled, and Image for a one-time $50 fee (go.pcworld.
more. There’s scheduling, of course, plus com/ot50) rather than having to pay a monthly
pre- and post-backup commands, email or annual subscription.
notifications (where’s the social media,
Acronis?), file exclusions, validation and WINDOWS 10
backup splitting settings, backup perfor- Finally, we’re being a bit cheeky here, but if you
mance throttling for slower systems, and want your PC on Windows, you’re going to
just about every other option ever included have to pay for the privilege. It’s included in the
in a backup program. cost of laptops and prebuilt desktops, but if
“There’s also syncing with other PCs you’re rolling your own rig, check out our tips
running True Image. You can back up to just on how to score Windows 10 for cheap (and
about any kind of media or location, including maybe even free; go.pcworld.com/10).

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 103

Here’s How HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN,
AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR

Your old Android phone isn’t

dead yet: 7 ways to make it run
faster and last longer
Freshen it up with a good reboot, an OS update, battery-boosting tricks and more.
BY MICHAEL SIMON

our old Android phone needs way too soon. Or maybe you’re not quite

Y some help. Maybe it’s feeling

sluggish. Maybe it’s groaning
under the weight of excess
photos and apps. Maybe the battery dies
ready to part with it.
The good news is, you can save it. With a
little work, you can make your sluggish
Android phone feel fresh enough to get you

IMAGE: MICHAEL SIMON JUNE 2020 PCWorld 105

HERE’S HOW 7 WAYS TO MAKE AN OLD ANDROID PHONE FASTER

through at least a little more time together. to begin with, a weekly restart will do
Here are seven ways to make your old wonders for your phone’s performance
Android phone feel a little younger, starting and battery life.
with...restarts!
2. CHECK FOR ANDROID
1. RESTART YOUR ANDROID UPDATES
PHONE REGULARLY While Google’s own Pixel and Nexus
Let’s start simple. You might not think about phones update automatically in the
restarting your phone unless an update background due to seamless updates that
comes along, but just like a PC, it can do a rolled out with Android’s Nougat, most
lot to fix an ailing handset. A simple other phones do not. Depending on your
30-second restart will give your phone an settings, you might not even get a
instant speed boost by freeing up your notification alerting you that an update is
memory, killing background apps and available. So you’ll want to make sure your
processes, and unsticking any stuck apps. phone is up to date with the latest security
Even if you dutifully swipe away apps on patches and bug fixes.
your Recents screen, they might still be The exact location will depend on your
holding onto some RAM, which quickly phone, but the System or Software update
adds up. And if you’ve only got 2GB or 3GB pane in Settings is your best bet. Depending

Check to see
whether there
are any pending
updates for your
Android phone.

106 PCWorld JUNE 2020

on how long it’s been, you might have Moving
large
several updates waiting, so double-check
files to
after it’s installed. Google
Drive
can help
3. DELETE UNUSED APPS speed
ON YOUR ANDROID PHONE up your
phone.
With most apps hidden from our daily view,
it’s easy to let dozens of unused games and
utilities collect digital dust in our app
drawers. That’s fine if your phone has 128GB
of storage, but if you’ve got 32GB or less,
your free space can fill up fast. And just like
your PC, if you’re bumping up against your
limit, important system functions might not
work as well as they should. So take a look at
the apps on your phone and get rid of any
you haven’t used in a while.

4. MOVE LARGE FILES TO AN 5. RE-CUSTOMIZE THE

SD CARD OR GOOGLE DRIVE DISPLAY
Even if your app drawer is lean, you can still You probably set up your display just the way
have files on your phone that are taking up you wanted it way back when you bought your
precious space and slowing things down— phone, but it might be worth a second look.
namely music, videos, and photos. If you With a few tweaks, you can extend your phone’s
don’t want to straight-up delete them, you battery life and speed up performance, and
can still safely store them outside your phone your eyes will never know the difference:
in your Google Drive, or a micro SD card if Turn on dark mode: If your Android
you phone has a slot built into the SIM tray phone has an OLED screen, using dark
(Pixels don’t, but most others do). That way mode will actually extend the battery life
you’ll still be able to access them on your because it’s using less power to light the
phone but they won’t eat up free space. Just display. Unlike LCD screens, OLED displays
head over to the Files app (or My Files on turn off the pixels to achieve blackness, so
Samsung phones) to find your biggest files using fewer pixels is more efficient.
and send them to their new home. Lower the screen resolution: Like PC

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 107

HERE’S HOW 7 WAYS TO MAKE AN OLD ANDROID PHONE FASTER

Chrome has a
solution. Head
over to the
Settings inside
the app and scroll
until you see Lite
mode. Tap it, and
turn on the toggle
to load pages
faster with up to
60 percent less
data use. Some
activities will
suffer, such as
Most phones let you lower the resolution, which can help with your battery life. video streams,
but for the most
monitors, many phones offer the option for a part the only thing you’ll notice is how much
lower resolution in the Display settings, snappier everything feels.
which will have an immediate impact on
battery life. Because the screen is so small, 7. PERFORM A FACTORY
you probably won’t be able to tell the RESET
difference anyway. Cleaning out and decluttering your phone is
Turn off the always-on display: It’s one thing, but the only surefire way to make
nice to be able to glance at our phones to sure a bad app or background process isn’t
see incoming notifications and the time, but slowing down your phone is to erase all of
the always-on display can be a battery killer. your data. You’ll want to make sure you’ve
Besides, your phone is usually in your pocket backed up first, so head over to your phone’s
anyway. backup settings and run it one last time to be
safe. Then find the reset option, tap it,
6. TURN ON CHROME’S confirm, and your phone will restart as if you
LITE MODE just peeled off the screen protector. If you
If you’re waiting longer and longer for want to restore from a backup you can
webpages to load, your phone might be choose the most recent one in setup, or just
struggling to process data quickly. Thankfully start completely fresh.

108 PCWorld JUNE 2020

1080p vs 4K: Which is better for
your work-from-home setup?
You can get more done with more screen space across multiple monitors, rather than a
single high-resolution display. BY MARK HACHMAN

hould you buy a 1080p or 4K (1920x1080 pixels), or 4K (3840x2160

S monitor for your home office? This

is a question you’ll inevitably face,
especially if you’ve been trying to
work off of a single monitor or a cramped
laptop display at home. If you have the
pixels), the higher resolution that’s already
common on TVs and some high-end
laptops.
PCWorld’s editors have been through
exactly the same debate with our own home
budget and space to add a second or third offices. The strategy we’ve landed on is this:
monitor, you then have the choice between Buy a 1080p monitor (or two!) now, to create
buying the ubiquitous 1080p resolution your own dual-monitor (go.pcworld.com/

IMAGE: CHANCE REECHER JUNE 2020 PCWorld 109

HERE’S HOW 1080P VS 4K

Scaling text and images can

increase the usable screen
space somewhat by
allowing you to cram more
information onto a single
screen, but tiny text and
images aren’t fun to work
with.
Windows 10’s Snap
feature and its spiritual
successor, FancyZones (go.
pcworld.com/fnzn), can
You do not need to go this crazy in creating a home workstation, but help, as they both allow
multiple monitors do create a vastly more productive workspace. you to organize windows to
various corners and zones
dlmn) or insane multi-monitor setup (go. on your monitor or monitors. But Snap limits
pcworld.com/mtmn). Then save your you to four windows on a screen at one time,
pennies and upgrade to a far more for reasons that should be obvious: The
expensive 4K display later. Because windows eventually become too small to
everyone’s situation is different, we’ll help use. Adding display space allows you to see
you decide your best path forward. more apps and windows at once, so you can
juggle multiple tasks or add focal points to
WHO SHOULD BUY ONE your workspace.
(OR TWO) 1080P DISPLAYS Right now, even a pair of 1080p displays
The biggest reason to buy 1080p first is are vastly cheaper than a single 4K monitor.
bang for your buck. Because 1080p displays A decent 1080p display like this Acer
are a lot cheaper than 4K displays, you can KA220HQ (go.pcworld.com/ka22) 22-inch
get more monitors for your money; and display is priced at $100, while the cheapest
more monitors are better than more standalone 4K display we could find was the
resolution. LG 24UD58-B (go.pcworld.com/24ud), a
While a 4K (3840x2160) display 24-inch display priced at $297. If you’re
translates into four times as many pixels as interested in a multi-monitor setup, you’re
1080p (1920x1080), it certainly doesn’t simply getting more for your money with
equate to four times the screen space. 1080p.

110 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 We haven’t reviewed these 1080p Acer HA270 (go.pcworld.com/ha27): I
displays, but here are some suggestions: prefer a larger 27-inch panel like this one
Sceptre E225W-19203R (go.pcworld. (which takes up 24 inches of horizontal desk
com/e225): This frameless 22-inch display space). This IPS panel runs at 75Hz, and
costs less than $100, operates at an eye- offers AMD FreeSync technology for
pleasing 75Hz, and includes an HDMI cable. gaming. At just $140 or so, it’s a good deal.
Speakers, too.
Asus VA229HR (go.pcworld.com/ WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE
va22): Another 21.5-inch frameless display ROOM FOR TWO
that also runs at 75Hz, for $100. It’s an IPS MONITORS?
panel, with wide viewing angles and good Some of you may be saying, the reason I
color. wanted to buy a 4K display is that I don’t
actually have space
for an extra monitor.
Think again! Start
thinking like a city
planner. Think up.
If you have a tight
desk space, consider
buying a monitor that
swivels into portrait
mode, like a
skyscraper. A 1080p
monitor on my desk
measures 22 inches
along the horizontal,
and I’ve reduced its
footprint to just 13
inches by rotating it
vertically. You might
want your primary
display positioned in
Microsoft’s FancyZones tool allows far more flexibility for organizing landscape for video
windows than Snap does, but you’re still limited by available screen space. playback, but portrait

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 111

HERE’S HOW 1080P VS 4K

HP VH240a (go.
pcworld.com/vh24): At press
time, this 23.8-inch 1080p
pivoting monitor was just
$110 on Amazon, which
seems like a solid deal. While
there don’t appear to be that
many bells and whistles,
portrait mode and a VESA
mount make this a good
choice.
Philips 226E9QDSB
A monitor in portrait mode next to a monitor in landscape mode. (go.pcworld.com/226e): The
Philips 226E9QDSB does
mode lends itself well to websites, Word not rotate into portrait mode on its own
documents, and even email. stand, though it does have a VESA mount
(Here’s a buying tip: if you’re searching a that you can use to orient it as you wish.
shopping site, use either “pivot” or While it’s small at 22 inches, it’s priced
“portrait” as a search term to search for comfortably under $100 and offers 75Hz
displays that can be aligned
vertically.)
Another option is a VESA
mount, which essentially
replaces the monitor’s display
stand with a custom mount that
you can buy. A VESA mount like
this $35 option (go.pcworld.
com/vs35) can elevate a display
above your desk, either
suspending it from a wall,
or—much easier and cheaper—
mounting it on your desk using a
C-clamp or grommet. If you have a monitor capable of supporting a VESA mount, going
Here are some suggestions: vertical is an option.

112 PCWorld JUNE 2020

frame rates to boot. displays typically can’t rotate into portrait
Samsung S24E450DL (go.pcworld. mode, either.
com/s24e): You’ll pay closer to $160 for this Instead, consider “frameless monitors,”
larger 23.6-inch TN display, which includes (go.pcworld.com/fmls) whose nearly
pivot, tilt, and VESA mounting along with nonexistent bezels may make good
some attractive low-power capabilities. candidates for placing them directly next to
one another. We have a guide for setting up
SHOULD I GET A a dual-display configuration (go.pcworld.
WIDESCREEN DISPLAY? com/dlmn).
Taking the 1,920 horizontal pixels of a 1080p
display and doubling them to create a THE 1440P COMPROMISE
3,840-pixel-wide display might sound like a There’s a reason that we’ve begun to round
terrific way of buying more screen space for up the best graphics cards for 1440p
your money. After all, you’re effectively gaming (go.pcworld.com/gc14)—because
stretching two 1080p panels across a single 1440p (2560x1440 pixels) represents a
display, with just a single monitor stand on sweet spot between 1080p and 4K. A
your desk. 1440p display has 1.78 times the pixels of a
Unfortunately, the market doesn’t agree. 1080p monitor, allowing for more detail. An
Amazon doesn’t offer many, and Newegg’s inexpensive 1440p monitor like this 24-inch
cheapest option was a
refurbished $659
3840x1080 Samsung
C49HG90DMN. A
2560x1080 display is
another option, which
adds 33 percent more
pixels to the display, and
might be wide enough
to provide larger, more
easily visible windows.
Still, a display like this
29-inch LG 29UB67-B
(go.pcworld.com/29ub) Ultrawide monitors like this HP S430c curved display look amazing, but
is $307. Ultrawide they’re not always the cheapest option.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 113

HERE’S HOW 1080P VS 4K

B01K1IO2DG (go.pcworld.com/vx24) costs with HDR capabilities. I bought the display

about $230. for two reasons: as a replacement for an
With that price, however, our base existing 1080p display; and as a 60Hz
argument still holds: A 1080p display, even a gaming display for an Xbox One X and some
more expensive model, simply makes more PC gaming. I also retained an existing 1080p
financial sense. There are reasons to monitor that I intended to continue using.
consider 1440p, especially if you’re thinking If you already own a pair of external
about gaming at higher resolutions. In displays, now might be the time to start
general, though, stick to a 1080p display if thinking about higher-resolution upgrades,
additional space is the priority. especially if the ones you already own are
1080p.
WHO SHOULD BUY A 4K It’s at this point that 1440p or even a 4K
DISPLAY? WHEN YOU’RE display makes more sense, especially if
READY TO MOVE UP FROM you’re trying to fit more information on your
1080P screen or use the displays for watching video
Six months ago, I shelled out close to $400 and want your favorite shows or streams in a
for the LG 27UK650-W (go.pcworld. higher-resolution format. Of course, you can
com/27uk), a fantastic 4K 27-inch IPS display also simply choose a larger monitor in the
same resolution, or
choose among
HDR or higher-
refresh-rate
options for more
visual
improvements.
My advice,
though, is to start
basic and work
your way up. You’ll
enjoy all the
benefits of more
screen real estate
If you have the hardware, three displays is an option as well. We have a guide for without breaking
setting up a three-display system (go.pcworld.com/mtmn), or even more. the bank.

114 PCWorld JUNE 2020

How to improve your writing using
Editor for the online version of
Word, Chrome, or Edge
Note that you’ll need a Microsoft 365 (formerly called Office 365) subscription to use it
BY MARK HACHMAN

icrosoft’s conversion from handy dashboard of suggestions to improve

M Office 365 subscriptions to

Microsoft 365 (go.pcworld.
com/36sb), beginning
Tuesday, will be accompanied by features
that will be rolled out over the coming
your writing.
As the name suggests, the new Editor
feature isn’t available for the downloadable
version of Word, whether it be in Office
365/Microsoft 365 or in Word 2019. You’ll
months. But there’s an exception that’s need to load Word Online (go.pcworld.
already available: Microsoft’s new Editor for com/ofcm) to use it, as well as subscribe to
the online version of Word, which provides a Office 365/Microsoft 365. (Microsoft

IMAGE: MARK HACHMAN JUNE 2020 PCWorld 115

HERE’S HOW 1080P VS 4K

make whatever changes are

necessary.
Editor is part of Word’s
toolbar and shows up by
default when you open a
new document. Editor is
also accessible when you
click the Home tab in
Word’s toolbar. Either way,
you’re free to use Editor as
you write, or cut-and-paste
a finished draft into Word
Online’s Editor to evaluate
its quality. Simply click the
Here’s where the new Editor button for Word Online lives. Remember,
if you have your window compressed below a full-screen view, the Editor button, and Word’s
“Editor” portion may be removed to save space, leaving only the icon. cloud-powered AI tools will
process your draft in just a
sometimes refers to it as Word Online, Word second or two.
for the Web, or Office Online.)
Editor is also available as a plug-in for HOW EDITOR ASSISTS
Google Chrome (go.pcworld.com/pgch) or the YOUR WRITING
“new” Microsoft Edge browser (go.pcworld. A large purple scoreboard tallies your
com/edad), too, which may be even handier for obvious errors (“Corrections”) as well as
those working with a variety of apps. suggested Refinements. Oddly, clicking the
Editor is both a rebranding and an scoreboard does not begin the editing
improvement over similar tools found earlier process. Instead, clicking each
in Word Online: 2014’s Insights added subheading—Spelling, for example, and
context (go.pcworld.com/inof) via Bing, Grammar—will begin highlighting the words
while 2019’s Ideas for Word (go.pcworld. or phrases that could use improvement.
com/idea) integrated much of the Click at the top of your document to
functionality included in Editor. Editor, tell Editor to start its suggestions from the
though, consolidates much of this into a new beginning. At each suggestion, you’ll
dashboard format, allowing you to step need to the click the small left or right
through individual words and phrases and caret (“>”) to skip to the next suggestion.

116 PCWorld JUNE 2020

 inside or outside quotations,
knowing that this may vary between
the Queen’s English and American
conventions.
Keep in mind that Microsoft’s
Editor isn’t the definitive arbiter of
how you should write. As my editor
points out, language evolves.
Professional writers joyfully wade
into passionate attacks (and
defenses) of the Oxford comma. I
You may find some suggestions handy, like this one to vary remain convinced that “Mbits/s”
your language.
more effectively conveys “megabits
Clicking the small ellipsis menu provides per second” than “Mbps.” Running William
additional options, such as ignoring a Faulkner’s “The Bear” through Editor would
deliberately misspelled word through the probably crash Microsoft’s server. I found
entirety of the document. it interesting, for example, that Editor’s
At each step, Editor helpfully explains recommendation to shy away from
why it is making each suggestion. While it contractions contradicts Microsoft’s own
doesn’t expressly follow any particular online style guide (go.pcworld.com/stgd).
manual of style, Editor prefers short No matter. Word’s Editor function is a
sentences to improve readability, while quick, handy reference to improve your
implicitly rewarding rich, diverse language. It writing.
also assumes that you’re writing
formally, often recommending
eliminating informal contractions.
Finally, Editor is also politically
correct. Editor leads you away from
overly gendered language, or
“sensitive geopolitical references,”
such as referring to the Republic of
the Union of Myanmar as “Burma.” It
will also suggest that you double- You may want to disregard other suggestions for various
check the position of punctuation reasons, such as a technical word choice.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 117

HERE’S HOW

Organize your Kindle library

Stay on top of your Kindle’s library with our tips. BY MICHAEL ANSALDO

indle e-readers make it easy to organize books en masse. You have to open

K amass and read books.

Unfortunately, they don’t make it
particularly easy to organize
them. There’s no folder structure or tagging
system to impose order on large libraries.
each book and assign it to a collection
individually. Still, with some effort and
patience, Collections can help you
streamline your library, which will definitely
help you better enjoy your Kindle. Here’s
Instead, Kindle offers Collections, a way of how to get started.
sorting books into logical groupings on the
device screen. HOW TO DELETE BOOKS
Alas, Collections are far from perfect. FROM YOUR KINDLE
You can’t drag-and-drop books, even if your The first step to organizing a big library is to
Kindle has a touchscreen, or otherwise trim it down. Sure, the thought of getting rid

118 PCWorld JUNE 2020 IMAGE: AMAZON

of books sickens most bibliophiles. The Long-
tapping
beauty of the Kindle, though, is that
on a book
purchased books deleted from the device opens
aren’t truly gone—they’re still available in options to
delete it or
your Kindle account to be downloaded add it to a
again whenever you get the urge to reread Collection.
them. It makes sense, then, to start your
organization efforts by removing any books
you’ve already read, as well as those you
don’t plan to read anytime soon. This is also
a good time to get rid of any book samples
cluttering up your library.
To get started, tap Your Library from the
Kindle home screen to get to your books. By do the same. Then move on to the next
default, the Kindle will display all your book, and so on, until you’ve thinned your
books—both those on the device and the library to your liking.
ones in the cloud. On the upper left of the
homescreen, tap Downloaded to see just HOW TO CREATE
those books stored on your Kindle. Then go COLLECTIONS
to the upper right, tap Sort, and choose A Collection is essentially a virtual folder into
either Grid or List to customize how the which you can group books by genre,
books are displayed. subject, or other criteria. Grouping ideas will
Personally I like Grid mode, as it lets me likely present themselves as you scroll
easily identify books by their covers. List through your books, but one of the simplest
mode seems to enable faster scrolling, ways to use Collections is to sort books into
however, as it doesn’t load thumbnails. That those you’ve read and those you’ve yet to
may make it better for combing through read. Really, you’re limited only by your
large collections. imagination.
From this point, all you have to do is find There are three ways to create Collections:
a book you want to remove from the Kindle. on the Amazon website (called Kindle Cloud
In Grid mode, just long-tap the book cover Collections), in the Kindle app, and on the
and select Remove From Device from the Kindle itself. Let’s look at each in turn.
pop-up menu. In List mode, tap the three- To create a Cloud Collection on the
dot icon at the far right of the book title and Amazon site, go to the Your Account menu

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HERE’S HOW HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR KINDLE LIBR ARY

relatively simple. Select Your

Library from the home screen,
then press the three-dot icon
in the upper right and tap
Create New Collection. Name
the collection and tap OK.
Now go into your library
and find a book to add to this
new Collection. Long-press
the book, select Add To
Collection from the pop-up
You can create Cloud Collections on the Amazon website, which window, then check the box
will sync with your Kindle. next to the appropriate
Collection.
and select Your Content and Devices. You You can also create and add to
should see a list of all the books you’ve Collections on the Kindle app for PC, Mac,
downloaded. Click Show > Collections from Android, and iOS. Though there are
the drop-down menu at the top left of the variations in the app interface for each of
screen. these platforms, the basic steps are similar.
On the page that opens, click Create Using the Android app as an example:
new collection and give it a descriptive
The Kindle app for
name, like “To Read” or “Sci Fi.” Then click Android (pictured)
the button labeled Create new collection. iOS, Windows and
Mac OS allows
Now go back to the Show drop-down you to create
menu and select Books. Every book in your Collections on
library will be displayed in a list. Click the your other devices
just as you would
three-dot button next to a book and select on the Kindle.
Add to collections from the pop-up menu.
Another window pops up, from which you
can choose an existing collection or create a
new one. Once you’ve done so, click the
Add to collection button to add your book.
Despite its funky functionality, using
Collections on your Kindle device is

120 PCWorld JUNE 2020

Launch the app
and tap Library
from the toolbar.
Long-press a
book you want to
add to a
Collection. A new
toolbar slides
down from the
top of the screen
showing Share, a
‘+’ sign, and
three-dot icons.
Tap + and, in the
Desktop organizers like Calibre offer an elegant interface for editing eBook
window that metadata and organzing books by formats, ratings, and tags on your computer.
pops up, check Unfortunately, you can’t sync this information with your Kindle.
the box next to
the Collection to which you want to add the OS, Linux) and Kindlian (go.pcworld.com/
book. Tap Done to return to your library. kdln) (Windows only). You connect your
Regardless of which option you use, all Kindle to your computer via USB, and the
your Collections will remain in sync across all desktop organizer scans your devices library,
of them. displaying the books in an elegant, full-color
interface. You can edit your ebooks’
USING THE CALIBRE OR metadata, and organize them by author,
KINDLIAN DESKTOP format, rating, tags, and other criteria.
ORGANIZERS Your entire library stays neat and
There was a time when you could manage organized—albeit only on your computer,
the books on your Kindle device using one not the Kindle itself. Still, many users,
of several third-party desktop organizers. including this one, find they make your
That’s no longer the case, as Amazon has library more visually appealing and easier to
since closed off its firmware. But these tools parse than in Amazon’s own tools. You can
can still help you get a handle on your library. also use them to move books to and from
Two of the best are Calibre (go.pcworld. your Kindle, and side-load eBooks you get
com/calb) (compatible with Windows, Mac from places other than Amazon.

JUNE 2020 PCWorld 121