PCWorld - December 2021

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CONTENTS
DECEMBER 2021
≥ DEPARTMENTS ≥ FEATURES
7 News
33 Reviews & Ratings 80 The best PC hardware and software of 2021/2022
101 Here’s How
122 Tech Spotlight 94 Where are all the OLED monitors?
COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF INTEL DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 3

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4 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

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DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 5

Remember the last time your family visited the forest? It’s a place
of wonder and imagination for the whole family—where stories
come to life. And it’s closer than you think. Sounds like it’s time to
plan your next visit. Make the forest part of your story today at a
local park near you or nd one at iscover2heorest.org.
News TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL
AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.
Intel 12th-gen ‘Alder Lake’ vs.

Ryzen 5000: 5 key things to know
Is it worth it to upgrade your desktop PC right now? BY MICHAEL CRIDER
f you’re looking to build a powerhouse might as well make the right one, right?
I PC, one of the first things you need to do

is pick your poison: AMD or Intel? Both
companies are making some absolutely
fantastic CPUs and adjacent platforms, so
there’s really no wrong decision here.
Intel’s spanking-new 12th-gen Alder Lake
CPU series (fave.co/3cbahF5) is busting
benchmarks, but there are still plenty of
reasons to stick with AMD’s Ryzen 5000
architecture (fave.co/3caTZfh) from last year
But to hell with that fence-sitting BS: It’s — or to wait it out and see what comes next.
still a decision you have to make. So you Let’s break it down, shall we?
IMAGE: INTEL DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 7

NEWS INTEL ALDER L AKE VS. RYZEN 5000
INTEL OPTIONS
Processor number Core i9 12900K/KF Core i7 12700K/KF i5 12600K/KF
Performance/Efficiency Cores 8/8 8/4 6/4

Threads 24 20 16
Price $590/$570 $410/$390 $290/$270
THE CONTENDERS here (fave.co/3FgvPfZ) if you want to dig into

Assuming that you’re basing your decision on the numbers.
a budget for a PC build, and that you’re To make a long story short: The 12th-gen
phenomenally lucky and manage to find a Intel processors tend to beat out their
CPU at the base retail price, Intel and AMD’s competition on the AMD side of the aisle
options boil down to a few standard tiers with a decided advantage. The i9-12900K
(see above). even outperforms the much more expensive
Note that Intel’s slightly less expensive Ryzen 9 5950X, despite its double
CPUs, the F series, lack integrated graphics performance core count, in at least some
and need a separate GPU. You’ll also need to tests. While there are some exceptions,
pair Ryzen processors with a discrete graphics Intel’s showing a solid advantage of
card (fave.co/3DOEuWk). Since Intel is approximately 10 percent in practical,
certainly swinging for the fences, we’ll include
the top-of-the-line, 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X in
this comparison too. It doesn’t have a direct Procyon 2.0 Photo
competitor in the Core i9 series, since the Editing Benchmark
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16)
12900KF tops out at 8 cores, but Intel Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24)
manages to make it a pretty even fight
Procyon 2.0 9,149
Photo Score
anyway. If you’re willing to spend $800 on a 9,433
CPU alone, more power (supply) to you. 10,260
10,690
Procyon 2.0 8,951
1: ALDER LAKE BEATS Image Retouch
8,871
RYZEN 5000 — MOSTLY 9,980

10,109
We have an exhaustive review and benchmark Procyon 2.0
Batch Processing 9,354
of the top-of-the-line Core i9 12900K (the 10,031
10,740
slightly cheaper model with overclocking 11,306
disabled) and the more budget-friendly Core 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
i5-12600K. You can check out that review

AMD OPTIONS
Processor number Ryzen 9 5950X Ryzen 9 5900X Ryzen 7 5800X Ryzen 5 5600X
Performance 16 12 8 6
Threads 32 24 16 12
Price $800 $550 $450 $300
measured speed for complex CPU tasks over for PC gaming is still going to depend much
the equivalent AMD processor. more heavily on your GPU (assuming you can
This advantage is extended in a few find one [fave.co/3kF5Cjw]). But for what it’s
specific applications, notably Adobe’s worth, testing in comparable setups showed
Creative Cloud suite of content creation the Intel processors with a small frame-rate
programs and in demanding Microsoft Office advantage in most games. All of these
scenarios. In Office in particular, the cheapest processors rock for gaming, though.
Core i5 Alder Lake processor, with “just” six The advantage over both AMD and
primary cores, can beat the performance of previous-generation Intel chips is
the mighty 5950X. particularly dramatic when you compare
What about gaming? That’s not a hugely processes that rely on single threads. While
relevant question here, since the bottleneck the 5950X can still beat out Intel’s best
when multiple processes are thrown at it,
the Core i9 12900K wins in just about every
Pugetbench Lightroom other scenario.
Classic 0.93
Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24) 2: ALDER LAKE IS MORE
Pugetbench 0.93 1,096
FUTURE-PROOF THAN
Lightroom
Class Score 1,280 CURRENT AMD HARDWARE
1,317
1,502
Perhaps even more crucial than the
Pugetbench 0.93 100
performance gains of an improved design is
Lightroom
Active Score 112 the fact that Alder Lake processors support
105
115
the brand-new PCIe 5 expansion card (fave.
Pugetbench 0.93 120
co/2YNwrdr) and DDR5 (fave.co/3ot8wJ6)
Lightroom
Passive Score 146 memory standards. That means
158
185 approximately double the data bandwidth 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
future graphics cards, and boosted speed
and single-DIMM capacity for RAM.

Gaming Performance Gaming Performance

19x10 GeForce RTX 19x10 GeForce RTX
3090 FE 3090 FE
Frames per second Frames per second
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16) Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16)
Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24) Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24)
Far Cry New 127 Metro Exodus 142

Dawn Ultra Ultra Quality
Quality 135 143
131 140
149 145
Far Cry New 140 Metro Exodus
Dawn Normal Normal Quality 215
Quality 145 208
144 208
168 217
Gear Tactics 177 CS: GO
Ultra Quality 19x10 579
198 670
184 653
200 754
Gear Tactics 306 Red Dead
Medium Quality Redemption 2 136
322 Ultra Quality 136
301 141
359 142
Horizon Zero 171 Shadows of the
Dawn Ultra Tomb Raider 189
Quality 171 Highest Quality 188
173 202
175 205
Horizon Zero 209 Ashes of the
Dawn Original Singularity 41
Quality 196 Escaltation 45
Crazy Preset
214 CPU Focused 45
210 51
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 Rainbow Six 525

Siege Ultra
Quality 471
557
558
The Ryzen 5000 series relies on the most 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
powerful options that were available when it

was introduced: PCIe 4 and DDR4. These are
by no means bad—in fact, they haven’t yet 3: IT’S GOING TO COST A
made graphics cards that can really max out LOT FOR AN INTEL UPGRADE
the capacity for PCIe 4—but they mean you’ll Let’s assume for the sake of this article that you
hit a ceiling on upgrade options quickly if you can find new hardware at roughly its retail
build a new machine with Ryzen 5000 in mind. price. You probably can’t, due to the

ongoing semiconductor shortage. But we can series could represent a cost-efficient
also assume that price changes driven by upgrade. Even the most bombastic Ryzen 9
scarcity will scale at approximately the same 5950X processor works with the reliable AM4
rate once the initial rush for Alder Lake CPU socket, so you can bring along an older
hardware is over. motherboard if you’re already on a Ryzen
So you’re building a new PC, and you system. And even if you need a new board,
want the newest CPU from either Intel or your old DDR4 memory can come along for
AMD at its core. There’s no getting around it: the ride. So if you already have a desktop PC
Even with prices for the CPU roughly build that’s fairly recent, and you’re looking
comparable at different tiers, you’ll pay more for a budget-friendly upgrade instead of a
for the Intel setup. That’s because you’ll need complete replacement, AMD is the easy
to buy the latest generation of motherboard, choice here.
with support for its brand-new LGA 1700 CPU
socket and new chipsets, along with DDR5 4: ALDER LAKE CHIPS
memory. And in Alder Lake’s early days at (AND OTHER PARTS)
least, only high-end Z690-class motherboards MIGHT BE HARD TO FIND
will be available, with mainstream and budget There’s no getting around this: New 12th-gen
boards still to come. At least PCIe 5 Intel processors might be hard to find at
expansion slots will remain backward launch. Ditto for the new motherboards and
compatible with current PCIe 4 cards, so RAM modules that you’ll have to pair with it.
there’s no need to track down a new GPU Even in the best of times these complex
anytime soon. components would have limited production
These new motherboards and memory due to new fabrication processes. But with
DIMMs will be in both high demand and short the chip shortage extending for another year
supply (fave.co/3chTZtW), especially as the at least (fave.co/3wOPaBP), they could be
new CPUs launch. Even base retail prices especially difficult to track down. Be prepared
(before scalpers artificially inflate the market) to spend long nights hunting online, or
will be considerably higher than you’re used busting out a lot of money on the secondary
to for brand-new technology. And with those market, to get your hands on them if you miss
new socket and memory standards, you’ll out on the initial stock drop.
have to leave some of the most expensive AMD’s Ryzen 5000 processors aren’t
parts of your old PC behind. exactly easy to find, either. But with a year of
On the other hand, if you’ve already production behind them, not to mention
invested in a gaming PC, the Ryzen 5000 plenty of people hunting for newer options,

they should be notably easier to actually upgraded in 2022 with a revolutionary new
procure than the latest and greatest Intel V-Cache technology (fave.co/3owp5UE),
chips. If you’re looking to save time, money, and the next-gen Zen 4 architecture will
and frustration on a high-end build, Ryzen is debut in the same year. While the Zen 3
the way to go. upgrade will mean newer chip options for the
Ryzen 5, 7, and 9 CPUs listed above, the Zen
5: YOU MIGHT WANT 4 series will presumably be made to compete
TO WAIT FOR AMD’S with—and possibly surpass—the latest and
NEXT-GEN OFFERING greatest that Intel has to offer.
Between a performance upgrade that’s mild AMD has confirmed that its next-gen
for most real-world applications, and a huge CPUs will also use a brand-new socket, finally
amount of time and money needed to actually surpassing the venerable AM4, and support
get it up and running, the latest Intel hardware DDR5 memory. That will make them both
isn’t necessarily a slam dunk against AMD, more direct competitors to Alder Lake and
even though Alder Lake crushes Ryzen 5000 later chips using Intel’s LGA 1700
in performance. That being the case, PC motherboards, and better positioned for
builders who can wait for an upgrade would consumers who want to invest in hardware
be wise to do so. Concrete details on AMD’s that can be upgraded in the long term.
next-gen hardware is scarce. But the company It’s impossible to predict which company
has confirmed (fave.co/30vhFZM) that its will be more competitive a year from now. But
current Zen 3 (Ryzen 5000) chip line will be it’s safe to say that if you already have a
desktop PC that
meets your current
needs, you won’t
be disappointed if
you wait to find out.
And if you’re
looking to build a
new PC from
scratch right now,
Intel once again
holds the
performance crown
with Alder Lake.

Adobe Photoshop finally comes to
the browser, and Chromebooks
Adobe’s new web-based versions of Photoshop and Illustrator open the tools to a potentially
huge new audience. BY MICHAEL CRIDER
sers of Google’s Chrome OS selection of tools for editing images and
U have been waiting years—and

years, and years, Adobe—for the
industry-standard Photoshop
image editing tool to become available to
them. Today that wait is finally over. Sort of.
projects stored on Creative Cloud servers.
The system is available to subscribers
today in an open beta, with the vector-based
Illustrator also available in closed beta testing.
The web-based version of Photoshop handles
Adobe announced that subscribers to its most of the basics of image editing, but
Creative Cloud service now have access to a power users might find it a bit limited, both in
web-based version of Photoshop (fave. terms of its available tools and its
co/3noYObD), which offers a limited compatibility with long-memorized keyboard
IMAGE: ADOBE/PEXELS DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 13

NEWS PHOTOSHOP COMES TO THE BROWSER AND CHROMEBOOKS
viewing and
commenting is free,
even if you’re
sending to a user
who is not a Creative
Cloud subscriber.
Web-based
alternatives to
Photoshop like
Photopea (fave.
co/3kCAVeJ) and
Pixlr.com (fave.
co/30qKXIp) have
Adobe’s web tool can open basic images from local storage. been thriving in
Adobe’s absence
commands. (Trying to activate the Free from this market. While an official option will
Transform tool with Ctrl-T, for example, merely certainly be competitive, free users are likely
brings up a new tab.) Adobe calls the tools to remain with these services as long as
available on the web “light editing.” While Adobe charges a subscription fee. It currently
genuine Photoshop on the web is a potential costs a hefty $10 a month for the cheapest
game-changer, it’s nowhere near as powerful Creative Cloud plan that includes Photoshop.
or as flexible as the full
version on Windows,
Mac, or even iPads.
Creative Cloud
users need to upload
editable files to
Adobe’s cloud-based
storage and convert the
file before editing it,
though the web tool
can open basic images
from local storage.
Sending the files out for Photopea has been a popular web-based alternative to Photoshop.

In the same post,
ORIGINAL
Adobe announced new
products Creative Cloud
Spaces and Creative
Cloud Canvas. Spaces is
a shared repository of
files for teams, and
Canvas is a sort of digital
bulletin board for
showing collections of
images and documents
in the same visual space.
Among other
product enhancements,
Adobe showed off
powerful new upgrades
to the desktop version of
Photoshop as part of the
Adobe MAX
demonstration (fave.
co/3HhVHKp). Object The Landscape Mixer tool lets you alter the lighting and foliage of any
selection tools have image with just one click.
become far more
powerful, automatically selecting full objects Artists who work in multiple file types will
even multiple items are in focus in the be happy to learn of the new Illustrator
foreground. Users can also create object Interlop feature. This option allows you to
masks with a new quick menu tool. A copy vector objects from Illustrator into
Landscape Mixer tool in beta applies a Photoshop while preserving the ability to
collection of pre-configured filters to any image edit at least some properties, such as fill,
that can drastically alter the look of lighting and stroke, blend mode, and opacity. Adobe
foliage with just one click. Similarly, the announced a ton of more subtle upgrades to
Harmonization beta tool can match color and Photoshop as part of the MAX conference,
tone of backgrounds and foregrounds of any which you can read all about here (fave.
two layers without any manual tweaking. co/3ClxChU).

NEWS
Windows 10’s November update is

a lot smaller than we’re used to
With Windows 11 getting all the attention, new features are thin on the ground for
Microsoft’s former flagship OS. BY MICHAEL CRIDER
C users are all in a tizzy about the tooth Windows 10 until at least 2025. As if to
P shiny new Windows 11 that recently

dropped (fave.co/3FccfS2). But
don’t forget that Microsoft is still
supporting and updating the long-in-the-
prove its point, Microsoft released an update
to Windows 10 in November.
What’s new? Not a whole lot, now that
Microsoft’s technical and marketing powers
16 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: MICROSOFT

very specific users, but
won’t result in any
visible new options for
the vast majority of
Windows 10’s
consumer base. In the
meantime, Microsoft
will continue to push
Windows 10 users to
take advantage of a
free update to
The Windows Subsystem for Linux and Azure IoT Edge for Linux Windows 11 (fave.
systems are getting GPU compute support. co/3HquyVo), at least if their
hardware is new enough to
are focused on the future. Windows Hello for handle it. But those who aren’t impressed
business users will be updated to support with the fresh coat of paint (fave.co/3DQeFVJ)
passwordless deployments (fave. have several years of full support left on the
co/3kDt00H) for faster multi-machine setup. older operating system.
The Windows
Subsystem for Linux
and Azure IoT Edge for
Linux systems are
getting GPU compute
support, which has
been in the works for a
while (fave.
co/3BVdeVo). And
Wi-Fi connections will
now be compatible
with the new WPA3
H2E standard (fave.
co/3wL2HdT).
Those are some
welcome changes for Build 21H2 dropped for regular users via Windows Update in November.

NEWS
Is Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud

gaming worth it?
How it works, potential drawbacks, and price. BY THIAGO TREVISAN
vidia’s GeForce Now is a cloud technology is very exciting, but can it replace
N streaming service that targets

the current weak spot in the
market: hardware availability
and pricing. Essentially, you pay a
subscription fee for the ability to use Nvidia’s
a real GPU during the great shortage? Let’s
find out!
HOW DOES IT WORK?

By utilizing Superpod computers with 1,000
Superpod computers to stream games from GPUs in each (if you opt for the top RTX 3080
your library in lieu of having a physical GPU in tier [fave.co/3kyQJz9]), Nvidia leverages
your PC at home. The company recently cloud streaming to allow you to access your
announced an RTX 3080 tier, which claims game libraries (such as Steam, Epic games,
lower latency and ray tracing–enabled and so on). You can play on a variety of
performance. We will discuss how it works, devices, too. Old Apple MacBook? Sure, that
potential drawbacks, and price. The works. How about an old clunker PC with a
18 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: NVIDIA

5-year-old GPU? That’s
fine, too. Even your
browser can now be a
powerful PC! Essentially,
this is hardware as a
service, in contrast to
software as a service like
what we’re used to with
Netflix and its ilk.
What are your
options? Nvidia offers a
free basic tier, which
limits you to one-hour You’ll need a subscription to access Nvidia’s Superpod computers.
sessions and entry-level
hardware. You can upgrade to the Priority tier, Pro: Entry-level GPUs carry a massive
which will cost you $49.99 for six months. price premium during this GPU shortage, so
With this, you get extended sessions of six $49.99 for six months to rock 2080-level
hours and more powerful RTX 2080–level hardware is a comparatively good deal. The
hardware. You’ll max out at around 1080p, $99 for six months RTX 3080 tier will allow
60fps. The new RTX 3080 tier will cost $99 gamers to experience ray tracing and even 4K
for six months, but you’ll be upgraded to HDR, which is a relative bargain compared to
1440p 120fps on most devices. With an real RTX 3080 pricing (nearly double to triple
Nvidia Shield, you’ll even be able to do 4K the MSRP currently).
with HDR! Eight-hour sessions are allotted for Con: This is hardware as a service; you’re
the long-haul gamers here as well. paying a subscription fee to use a virtual GPU.
That makes resale value of traditional
THE PROS AND CONS OF hardware out of the equation. You must
GEFORCE NOW CLOUD weigh this against the cheaper upfront costs
GAMING and added value.
Streaming RTX 3000–level GPU performance Pro: GeForce Now works on a large
sure sounds a lot easier than waiting days in spectrum of existing systems. You’ll be able to
line at your local store to pick one up, run it on Apple MacBooks, old PCs, and even
doesn’t it? Let’s examine the pros and cons mobile devices or browsers. That is excellent
for the service: flexibility and saves you tremendous cost on

NEWS IS NVIDIA GEFORCE NOW WORTH IT?
game titles available

so you can jump
right in!
Con: Not every
game you own will
be supported, and
some game types are
not well suited for
cloud gaming.
E-sport and
competitive shooter
Nvidia offers three GeForce Now membership plans. games, which do
best under the
acquiring other supporting hardware that lowest latency possible, may not be ideal.
traditionally accompanies a high-end GPU They’ll be playable, but keep in mind that for
(such as high-performance CPUs, RAM, and best performance you’ll want a physical GPU
so on). for these types of titles. Single-player and
Con: The technology isn’t perfect. The more casual open-world games should be
biggest issue here will be with your internet fine, however.
connection and latency. For the top RTX 3080 Pro: If you have a solid internet
tier, Nvidia recommends at least a 35Mbps connection, you’ll be able to play the latest
connection for smooth performance. Issues AAA titles with high graphical fidelity, ray
with lag, disconnects, and low-resolution tracing, and generally good performance.
buffering are all facts of life on cloud You’ll also forgo having to deal with hardware
streaming services if you have internet issues. issues and driver updates that accompany
While the RTX 3080 tier leverages a more high-end GPUs. Most important, you’ll also
powerful rig, and Nvidia utilizes lower-latency stop worrying about the current GPU
technology, you’ll get the best experience shortage and ridiculously pricing.
with fast internet. Con: If your internet goes out, then you’ll
Pro: You’ll be able to stream your game be out of luck for that gaming period. You
library, with over 1,000 games supported. If also won’t have the ability to overclock or
you’ve been building up your Steam modify your hardware if you’re an enthusiast.
collection over the years, GeForce Now will This may be a sigh of relief for some who just
give you access. There are also over 70 free want to get straight to gaming, however.

IS GEFORCE NOW WORTH with the RTX 3080 tier. While we don’t think
THE PRICE? the eight-hour session limits on the top tier
During this historic GPU drought, Nvidia’s will be an issue for most, these are the types
GeForce Now is certainly an emerging of limitations you must keep in mind with a
technology that can add great value for service like this.
those who want to game on capable In an ideal world, high-performance GPUs
hardware. The technology can be impressive would be available at their MSRP pricing, and
with the ability to stream ray-traced games at most gamers would have access to modern
1440p and 120fps. For many gamers, this improvements in technology. Considering the
service is worth a try. It may even be a great current market, GeForce Now is a reasonable
way to keep yourself gaming while waiting alternative for those who want to experience
for the GPU market to come back to normal. next-level gaming at a more reasonable
Hardcore gamers may still prefer a physical upfront cost. Some may even prefer to use a
GPU, however—that’s where the best service like this in lieu of getting a GPU to stay
performance will be, as well as endless on the bleeding edge.
tinkering ability. (Plus, you’ll own the Could PC hardware go extinct like the
hardware—an important point for some who dodo bird or Blockbuster Video? Unlikely, but
don’t want a subscription service). with improving technology, streaming can
While the underpinning technology is certainly be an interesting option. If latency
impressive, keep in mind it’s not always standards continue to improve, and Nvidia
perfect, with real-world issues on the end- keeps offering value for the subscription fee,
user side. You’ll need good internet and low it may even attract more hardcore gamers,
latency to have a great experience, especially GPU shortages or not. We’d love to see
something like Xbox Game
Pass offered, where you’d get
great AAA-level games that
you can keep in your library
(in addition to the free titles
offered already). It’s great to
have options—especially
during our current GPU
market. You can game on
physical hardware or get your
GeForce Now works on a wide range of different systems. head in the clouds!

NEWS
How Amazon’s new Kindle

Paperwhite e-reader compares
to the old one
Amazon’s latest revamp of its mid-tier e-reader is out now. Here’s what you get compared
to the previous version. BY ALAINA YEE
ur pick for the best Kindle (fave. USB-C connector can rest easy at last.)
O co/3cc10wH) just got an

overhaul. The Kindle Paperwhite
now sports a larger screen, faster
hardware, longer battery life, and the addition of
an amber tone for the front light as new standout
But the new Paperwhite (fave.co/3DmaC3H)
also costs more, especially if you want the version
with more storage. To make it easier to decide if
you want to upgrade (or which version you want
if you see the 2018 edition [fave.co/3kCHRsa] on
features, and that’s just the headliners. (Fans of the sale), we’ve highlighted the key differences for
22 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: AMAZON

you, along with putting the full specifications for Brighter screen
each side by side. According to Amazon, the 2021 Paperwhite’s
display is 10 percent brighter at maximum
KEY DIFFERENCES compared to the 2018 version. Also related to
Size screen brightness: The Signature Edition
The 2021 model of the Paperwhite is larger automatically adjusts brightness based on
than the 2018 version. It’s about a quarter ambient lighting conditions.
inch (7mm) taller and wider. It does remain
about the same thickness, though. Front-light color temperature
On the 2021 Kindle Paperwhite, you can
Screen dimension change the color of the front light from white
The new Paperwhite has a screen size of 6.8 to amber. This new feature is meant to provide
inches (172mm), which gives you about better nighttime reading (and better sleep
another ¾ inch of real estate. The 2018 hygiene). You can even schedule the change
model has a 6-inch (152mm) display. between the cool and warm lighting.
Weight Hardware speed

The new Paperwhite models tips the scale by Amazon doesn’t reveal technical details
nearly a full extra ounce compared to its about the processors and screens it uses in its
predecessor. The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite Kindles, nor can you reasonably benchmark
weighs 7.23 ounces (205g), and the Signature the e-readers. But according to the company,
Edition variant weighs 7.34 ounces (208g). the 2021 Paperwhite has 20 percent faster
The 2018 Kindle Paperweight is a daintier 6.04 page turns compared to the 2018 model.
ounces (182g) for the Wi-Fi version, and 6.8
ounces (191g) for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version. New charging connector
People have wanted companies to ditch
Battery life micro-USB connectors for years—and
The likely reason for the new Paperwhite’s Amazon’s finally done it for the Paperwhite.
heavier weight is its longer battery life. Amazon The 2021 version uses USB-C for charging,
says you should get up to 10 weeks of reading which means you won’t have to think about
on the 2021 edition, up from the 2018 which way to plug in the cable anymore.
version’s max of 6 weeks. (Both estimates
presume 30 minutes of reading per day, with Wireless charging
Wi-Fi off and a setting of 13 for the light.) Those who go for the more luxe version of the

NEWS AMA ZON UNVEILS NEW KINDLE PAPERWHITE
new Paperwhite use wireless charging. The $140 for the 8GB model (up $10 from the 2018
Signature Edition supports 10W Qi chargers, version), and $190 for the 32GB Signature
though you will need to purchase one separately Edition (up $30 from the previous 32GB
(and verify compatibility before doing so). version). The Signature Edition takes a larger
jump, likely due to its support for wireless
Price increase charging and adaptive screen brightness—the
The upgrades don’t come free. You’ll now pay 8GB version lacks those features.
SPECIFICATIONS
KINDLE PAPERWHITE 2021 KINDLE PAPERWHITE 2018
Price and Editions 8GB model $140; 32GB Signature Edition $190. (Versions 8GB model $130; 32GB $160. (Versions without ads
without ads cost $20 more. You can also choose this as an cost $20 more. You can also choose this as an upgrade
upgrade later for ad-supported models.) later for ad-supported models.)
Colors Black Black, Twilight Blue, Plum, Sage
Dimensions 6.9x4.9x0.32 in. (175.2x124.6x8.1 mm). 6.6x4.6x0.3 in. (167x116x8.18 mm).
Display Size 6.8-in. flush-front screen 6-in. flush-front screen
Display Resolution 300ppi 300ppi
Weight Standard model: 7.23 oz. (205 g); Standard model: 6.4 oz. (182 g);
Signature edition: 7.34 oz. (208 g) Signature edition: 6.8 oz. (191 g)
Water Resistance Waterproof (IPX8 rating). Can withstand immersion in Waterproof (IPX8 rating). Can withstand immersion in
up to 2m of fresh water for 60 minutes; up to 25cm of up to 2m of fresh water for 60 minutes; up to 25cm of
salt water for minutes. salt water for minutes.
Battery Life Up to 10 weeks Up to 6 weeks
Charging Full charge (USB-C). Standard and Signature Editions: Full charge (Micro-USB). 4 hours via USB port on PC.
5 hours via USB port on PC; under 3 hours via 9W USB Under 3 hours via 5W USB power adapter.
power adapter. Signature Edition only: Under 3.5
hours with compatible 10W Qi charging pad (sold
separately).
Front light Adjustable front light (4 LEDs). Light temperature Adjustable front light (4 LEDs).
can be shifted between white and amber. Signature
Edition only: Adaptive front light—screen automatically
adjusts brightness based on environment.
Audiobook Support Audible audiobook playback (via paired Audible audiobook playback (via paired
Bluetooth speakers or headphones). Bluetooth speakers or headphones).
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac); supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Wi-Fi 5 (802.11n); supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
Accessibility VoiceView screen reader. VoiceView screen reader.
Warranty 1-year limited warranty. Guaranteed security updates 1-year limited warranty. Guaranteed security updates
until at least 4 years after device is last available for until at least 4 years after device is last available for
purchase as a new unit on Amazon. purchase as a new unit on Amazon.

Valve’s hotly anticipated Steam
Deck handheld delayed until 2022
Supply chain issues strike again. BY ASHLEY BIANCUZZO
he infamous “Valve time” strikes yet “We’re sorry about this—we did our best
T again. Valve has delayed the launch

of the Steam Deck (fave.
co/3HssgFE), a handheld portable
PC gaming system similar to the Nintendo
Switch, until February 2022. Unfortunately,
to work around the global supply chain
issues, but due to material shortages [fave.
co/3wOPaBP], components aren’t reaching
our manufacturing facilities in time for us to
meet our initial launch dates,” Valve says.
that means it won’t be available to purchase If you’re worried about losing your pre-
in time for the 2021 holiday season. Valve says existing reservation, don’t sweat it. Valve
it’s unable to deliver due to the global supply claims that existing reservation holders will
chain issues (fave.co/3wPqx8d). keep their place in line. As for the time frame
IMAGE: VALVE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 25

NEWS STEAMDECK DEL AYED UNTIL 2022
You can reserve a Steam Deck now, but it won’t be available until 2022.
of those reservation dates, that information of Valve’s Proton technology (fave.

will be coming shortly. co/3qBBDg4) wades into how the Steam
If you’re interested in nabbing a Steam Deck is able to run so many Windows games
Deck of your own, you can place a reservation despite running on a custom Linux
here (fave.co/3HlY1Qt). There are three installation. (Why does the Steam Deck run
storage options to chose from: 64GB eMMC, Linux? You can blame Windows for that [fave.
256GB NVMe SSD, and 512GB NVMe SSD. co/3wOrXjo].)
Our earlier
comparison of
the Steam Deck
versus the
Nintendo
Switch (fave.
co/3wVgqPh)
breaks down
the hardware
and software in
deeper detail if
you’re not up to
speed, while
our explanation The Steam Deck has been delayed due to supply issues.

Edit PDFs right in your browser
with Adobe’s Acrobat extension
Chrome users get the new features first, followed by Edge later on. BY ALAINA YEE
ood news, Chrome and Edge For more advanced features like converting
G users—you no longer need to

download PDFs in order to
make basic edits. Adobe has
officially rolled out new features to its Chrome
extension, giving you the ability to skip the
from PDF to Microsoft Word, merging PDFs,
and rotating or reordering pages, you’ll
need a subscription to Adobe Acrobat Pro
DC (fave.co/3Fj1rld).
(Note: Creative Cloud subscribers [fave.
standalone application for common tasks. co/3DkLt9y] with access to the standard
Filling out forms, signing a PDF edition of Acrobat DC seem to lack these
electronically, and adding comments or features currently. On our Windows 10
other notations are available to everyone. machine with Acrobat DC installed, we could
IMAGE: ADOBE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 27

NEWS ADOBE UNVEILS ACROBAT EX TENSION
says Add to Chrome. If for some

reason the link isn’t working, nor can
you find it with a web search, you
can go the long route instead: Enter
chrome://extensions in your
address bar, then click the
hamburger menu icon in the upper
left corner of the screen. Choose
Open Chrome Web Store, and then
search for “Adobe Acrobat.”
If you need the features available
to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
subscribers, but you can’t afford the
$180 per year subscription, be sure
to check out our roundup of the Best
PDF editors (fave.co/3HpAoGI). Our
For more-advanced features such as converting from PDF
to Microsoft Word, you’ll need a subscription to Adobe runner-up pick, Nitro Pro (fave.
Acrobat Pro DC. co/3chJZB8), offers similar features
but for a one-time cost of $180 rather
only perform these types of edits and than an annual fee. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
annotations in a dedicated program, even may be popular, but alternatives do exist.
after uninstalling
and reinstalling
the Chrome
extension.)
To install the
Adobe Acrobat
extension, simply
visit its page in
the Chrome Web
Store (fave.
co/3ngSyT4),
then click on the
blue button that The Adobe Acrobat extension installed in Chrome on a Windows 11 PC.

Tested: Start11 solves Windows 11’s
worst Start menu and taskbar sins
If you want a Windows 10–style Start menu within Windows 11, then Start11 may be for you.
BY MARK HACHMAN
tardock Software’s Start11 utility is Windows 10 Live Tiles, for example, and your
S now shipping as a 1.0 release, and

if you hate the reductionist new
design of the Windows 11 Start
menu and taskbar, you’ll want to check it out.
Start11, among other handy tricks, lets you
ability to move and resize the Windows 11’s
taskbar icons is still somewhat limited. But if
you’d like a more gentle transition between
Windows 10 and Windows 11, Start11
certainly helps.
move the taskbar around your desktop and Start11 is the latest iteration of the StartX
configure the Start menu to emulate Windows utilities from Stardock, which shipped similar
10’s look and feel. Start8 and Start10 utilities as throwback UIs to
Start11, priced at $4.99 (fave. earlier versions of the Windows operating
co/3Ht30Pu) as a standalone utility, doesn’t system after Windows 8 and Windows 10
offer everything: It can’t create any dynamic launched, respectively. Start11 simply installs
IMAGE: STARDOCK SOFTWARE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 29

NEWS TESTED: START11
resize the icons. (Doing so within the

Start11 Settings menu requires you to
click a button to restart the Windows
Explorer process manually.)
You can tweak the location of the
taskbar on each individual display,
and resizing the icons certainly helps
maximize usable screen space on
both tablet-size and 4K displays. It’s a
big improvement over the default
Windows 11 experience. But Stardock
has yet to fix a key annoyance of
Windows 11—the Windows system
clock still only appears on a single
Start11’s menu. display. Start11 also doesn’t yet allow
you to resize the taskbar, nor can you
over the top of Windows 11, presenting a drag and drop files on a taskbar icon to launch
more familiar way to interact with the the application, though those limitations no
operating system. The program itself consists doubt come from Microsoft more than they
of a straightforward settings menu, where you do from Stardock.
can tweak things as you’d like. After that, Nevertheless, it’s a solid start, even if it’s
Start11 makes Windows 11 look as you please not all that you might have hoped for quite
and then simply gets out of the way. yet. If it was, Stardock might have named it
Taskbar11 instead.
TWEAKING YOUR
TASKBAR WITH START11
As our Windows 11 review highlighted
(fave.co/3cdEtj3), Windows 11 doesn’t
let you resize the taskbar or move it
around your screen. Start11 does,
though not with the full flexibility of
Windows 10. Start11 allows you to
move the taskbar to the top or bottom Start11 allows you to resize your Windows 11 taskbar icons
of the screen—not the sides—and and put them at the top or bottom of the screen.

and group icons, resize them,
and generally make Start look
like Windows 10, but without
the animated Live Tiles that
Windows 10 supported.
Stardock also has its own
“modern” style, which shrinks
down the Start menu into an
ultracompact layout, and points
to your most recently used files
on an app-by-app basis rather
than in the OS at large.
Start11 provides some
additional options for
Start11’s Windows 10–style Start menu, pushed to the left corner. managing search, as well as
Note how icons can be grouped and resized. some other tweaks to launch
Windows 11’s own Start menu
SUPERCHARGING THE versus Start11’s own. Still, if the operating
START MENU WITH START11 system’s native look and feel caused you to
Windows 11’s Start menu is one of the more hold off on upgrading to Windows 11 (fave.
controversial aspects of Microsoft’s new co/3DQeFVJ), Start11 can successfully ease
operating system, but Start11 allows a number the transition.
of tweaks to make it more familiar.
You can use the Windows 11 Start
menu if you’d like—but Start11
allows you to resize it or open it in
a full-screen mode, which
Windows 11 doesn’t yet do. That
a handy option.
However, Start11 also lets you
open Start as a Windows 7–like
interface, or use the more tiled
approach of Windows 10. In the Start11’s “modern” Start menu. The right-hand caret menu on
latter environment, you can move each app points to the most recent documents.

BUZZED DRIVING
IS DRUNK DRIVING
TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS
Reviews & Ratings WE PUT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING
Intel Core i9-12900K: Intel. Is. Back.

Clash of the titans: Core i9-12900K versus Ryzen 9 5950X. BY GORDON UNG
Everyone likes redemption Hollywood ending, but Intel’s Core i9-12900K

stories, and Intel’s 12th-gen gets pretty damned close. After years of
Core i9-12900K is a comeback being pummeled by AMD processors, the
story for the ages. The once 12900K’s performance makes it the far better
mighty and complacent champ was defeated CPU for most people than its bitter rival, the
years ago, forced through one humiliating loss Ryzen 9 5950X (fave.co/3caTZfh). No, it’s not
after another at the hands of AMD’s resurgent a knock-out victory by any means, but
Ryzen processors, until finally somehow finding considering where it excels and the features it
a way back to fighting form and claiming victory packs, Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake processor is
once again. Fade to black and cue the credits. the CPU to buy today if you’re in the market
Life (and technology) never has that for a high-end desktop processor.
IMAGE: INTEL DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 33

REVIEWS INTEL CORE i9 -12900K
WHAT IS 12TH-GEN ALDER VIDEO: INTEL 12TH-GEN

LAKE? REVIEWS GALORE
You’ll want to read our coverage of Intel’s Watch now at fave.co/3llyQEd
12th-gen Alder Lake reveal (fave.co/3cbahF5)
for the full nitty-gritty details of the radical new “Atom-like” efficiency cores. But a better way to
architecture, but it’s essentially a hybrid CPU think of Alder Lake is that it’s Intel’s first “Intel 7”
design built on the Intel 7 process. That alone is process desktop CPU with a completely
a huge deal; after spending over half a decade redesigned big core, and for good measure, a
mired on 14nm transistor technology, Alder Lake bunch of extra efficiency cores that can perform
finally leaps up a node. (Intel 7 used to be called as well as its previous 10th-gen cores thrown in
10nm [fave.co/3FBpHzl] before a rebrand.) It too. 12th-gen Alder Lake also ushers in a new era
mixes newly designed high-performance CPU of features, including PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory
cores with smaller, more efficient cores to (fave.co/3ot8wJ6), and a new LGA1700 socket.
achieve an optimal balance of performance-to-
power ratios. Ever since rumors of Alder Lake HOW WE TESTED
first leaked, people (including ourselves) have For this review, we’ll be focusing on the main
wondered just what Intel was thinking by mixing event, dialing in on the performance of Intel’s
its long-anticipated upgraded cores with Core i9-12900K. Our review of the Core
i5-12600K will soon follow. With the
introduction of Windows 11 (fave.
co/3cdEtj3) and its associated
teething issues (fave.co/3wQfsUo),
it’s been a bit of a messy review cycle.
In the end, though, a new patch and
drivers that have corrected Ryzen
5000’s issues on the new OS meant
we conducted our tests only in
Windows 11 today.
While we were testing, popular
Youtube channel Hardware Unboxed
reported that it had run into an issue
where AMD’s Windows 11 L3 cache
bug returned (fave.co/3CnTlpz) if a
processor swap was conducted with

Ryzen. We fortunately didn’t run into it, but it its default state, with the Multi-Core
felt worth mentioning. And for those who Enhancement feature on auto and the XMP
would scream, “Testing should only be done memory profile (fave.co/3oQzLh9) selected.
on Windows 10 for Ryzen!” Hardware Both systems were cooled with Corsair
Unboxed also noted that Windows 11 H150i Pro Elite Capellix 360mm coolers (fave.
performance is generally 5 percent better for co/3ciFvu8) with fan profiles manually set to
Ryzen (fave.co/3cfT3Gu) than Windows 10’s. 1,800 RPM. LEDs were turned off on both
For the AMD Ryzen system, we used an systems during power consumption tests. For
MSI MEG X570 Godlike board updated with storage, 1TB PCIe 4.0 Corsair MP600 Core
latest BIOS and 64GB of DDR4/3600 Corsair SSDs (fave.co/3FfNLY0) were used. Both
Dominator dual-rank RAM. AMD’s Precision systems were powered with Corsair HX1000
Boost Overdrive feature was set to auto and we Platinum power supplies (fave.co/3Hlicy5).
selected the AMP memory overclocking profile. For graphics, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
For the Intel Core system, we used an Asus Founders Edition cards (fave.co/3wPpJAn)
ROG Maximus Z690 Hero board outfitted with were used.
64GB of DDR5/4800 Corsair Dominator Intel’s 12th lineup is pretty sparse, but fast
dual-rank RAM. As it is DDR5, the RAM is nonetheless. To see the image above (or any
technically quad-channel. The board was set to benchmark charts in this article) at full

Cinebench R23 nT Cinebench R23 1T

Core i9-12900K Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 27,275 (8/8/24) 1,984
Ryzen 9 5950X Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) 26,617 (16/32) 1,663
(6/4/16) 17,514 (6/4/16) 1,904
(6/12) 11,504 (6/12) 1,523
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
resolution, right-click on them and select 14,336, while the 8-core Core i9-11900K
“open image in new tab.” (fave.co/3kGPopZ) scores 16,264. Both, in
fact, are easily knocked out of the ring by
CPU RENDERING AMD’s 12-core Ryzen 9 5900X, which is in the
PERFORMANCE 22,168 range. It’s why we didn’t even bother
We’ll kick this off in an area that Intel rarely likes to wake up the 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X for
to talk about: 3D rendering and modeling. that fight, since it wasn’t needed.
Intel’s rationale has long been that so few The eye-opener here, though, is that long bar
people actually use these applications on a PC, for the Core i9-12900K. A lot has been said about
it’s silly to consider them as a meaningful whether it even made sense for Intel to pursue a
measurement of performance for users. Many hybrid design on Alder Lake, but for those who
will note that Intel made this pivot away from have been pounding the table for the last four
rendering performance only when eclipsed by years over Cinebench performance, the 12900K
AMD’s stellar Ryzen CPUs. With that said, we’ll makes no apologizes by slightly edging AMD’s
start with Maxon’s Cinebench R23, which is a best and brightest CPU in a benchmark where
free test based on the rendering engine used Ryzen has long held a home-field advantage.
in the company’s Cinema4D application, also Intel is right, though. Most PC users don’t run
embedded in some Adobe applications. applications that can use every CPU core and
The newest version adopts a 10-minute thread available, so it’s important to look at
throttling test as its default. We’re not fans of single-threaded performance using Cinebench
it, but many reviewers will publish this result. too. While multi-core performance in Cinebench
Although we don’t have a Windows 11 result may give you an idea of how an all-core video
for Intel’s 10th-gen and 11th-gen chips, we do encode or photo export in Lightroom Classic
know that under Windows 10, the 10-core might end up, the Cinebench R23 single-
Core i9-10900K (fave.co/3cetUMw) scores threaded performance gets you closer to

what you might see in Office or Photoshop ray-tracing technology that creates amazing
runs. Again, we don’t have Windows 11 images from simple text-based files. This leans
results for the Core i9-10900K or the Core a little more into the “who actually does this?’
i9-11900K, but we can tell you the 10th-gen argument that Intel makes, but it’s still a useful
part pulls down a (relatively) dismal 1,325, benchmark comparison of raw CPU
while the 11th-gen matches Ryzen at 1,640. performance. Up first is the all-core benchmark
Intel’s latest performance cores, however, between the chips. We again see these two
offer up an impressive as hell 19 percent monstrous CPUs battling it to a standstill.
increase in performance over the Ryzen 9 Like Cinebench, POV-Ray also offers a
5950X and embarrass the older 10th-gen single-threaded mode, which we run. The
chip to the tune of 31 percent. For Mac fans results mostly mirror the performance of
wondering how much the MacBook Pro’s M1 Cinebench R23, but the 12th-gen Core i9
Max beats Alder Lake—it doesn’t. In single- advantage is cut down to roughly 14 percent
threaded performance, which is a fairer way instead of 19 percent. It’s still a rock-solid win
to compare mobile chips with desktop chips, for the newest Intel CPU, though, and again,
the 12th-gen Alder Lake CPU is roughly 20 probably a little more important to what most
percent faster than Apple’s newest M1 chips. people do on their PC most of the time.
Sure, Intel’s new chips aren’t built for laptops, You might be wondering why Intel isn’t
but when Intel’s 12th-gen–based laptops plastering the world with its performance lead
come out, the MacBook Pro (fave.co/ over Ryzen 5000 in Cinebench. Well, first, that
30CQkEV) will have a fight on its hands too. would pretty much invalidate what Intel has
Moving on from Cinebench R23, our next been preaching about using “real-world”
test is the venerable POV-Ray benchmark that’s applications for the last few years and would
as old as the Amiga. The test has obviously be blatantly hypocritical. But multi-threaded
been updated over the years, but it’s a neat performance isn’t the total lock for the Core
POV-Ray 3.7.0nT POV-Ray 3.7.01T

(8/8/24) 8,974 (8/8/24) 728
(16/32) 8,992 (16/32) 641
(6/4/16) 5,837 (6/4/16) 700
(6/12) 4,044 (6/12) 587

Up next is the Corona benchmark that,

Blender 2.935 like Agent Johnson and Agent Johnson (fave.
Barbershop Interior Scene co/30sJ8uy), bears no relation to the beer or
Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 392 the virus. Instead, it’s an unbiased
Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) 329 photorealistic renderer. That doesn’t mean it’s
Core i5-12600K
639 a fair benchmark to chips; it just means when
(6/4/16)
Ryzen 5 5600X
813 it renders a scene, it takes no visual shortcuts.
(6/12)
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
We again see the Ryzen 9 chip get some
payback on the 12th-gen Core i9 by
i9-12900K either. For example, up next you rendering the scene 21 percent faster. The
see the result of using the open-source Blender good news for Intel’s 12900K is that despite
2.93 to render the Barbershop Interior being unable to win this battle with the Ryzen
Benchmark scene. The results are in seconds, 9, it’s still offering a significant performance
and we can see the Ryzen 9 5950X has the increase over the previous generation. Again,
lead here by finishing the render in 20 percent we didn’t have Windows 11–based results
less time than the 12th-gen Core i9. Some of handy for the Core i9-11900K, but that
this may be from the design of the Ryzen chip 11th-gen chip scores 5,937,670 in Windows
and Blender itself, as well as the particulars of 10, which gives the new Core i9-12900K a
this benchmark scene—but some of it may hefty 48 percent improvement over it.
simply be that 32 threads of all-big-core Our final 3D rendering test uses
performance matters too. The Ryzen ultimately Chaosgroup’s V-Ray 5 benchmark, which is a
has 25 percent more threads to process the professional rendering engine that has
render versus the 12900K’s 24 threads, eight garnered enough Emmy and Academy
of which come from the smaller higher- awards that it’s practically on the way to an
efficiency cores without Hyper-Threading. EGOT (fave.co/3oBjBYy). The benchmark
Corona Benchmark V-Ray 5 CPU

(8/8/24) 8,817,677 (8/8/24) 18,651
(16/32) 10,693,080 (16/32) 20,930
(6/4/16) 5,425,333 (6/4/16) 11,723
(6/12) 4,238,280 (6/12) 8,599

On the compression side, memory latency,
7-Zip 19.00 size of the data cache, and translation look
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16) ahead of buffer performance matters, while on
the decompression side integer as well as
7Zip Decompress 1T 79,159 branch misprediction penalties matter,
84,830
173,404 according to 7-cpu.com‘s (fave.co/3FmSBmm)
131,269
documents. In the end, we’d say the multi-
7Zip Decompress nT 84,830
threaded performance is fairly academic since
89,023
216,676 using the actual application to decompress or
141,060
compress files typically relies on a single thread.
7Zip Compress 1T 7,713
The problem for 12th-gen Core i9 is that
6,682
7,918 even there it’s not spectacular. In fact, the
7,473
11th-gen Core i9 is slightly faster at 7,916 in
7Zip Decompress 1T 10,055
9,080
single-threaded performance under Windows
10,871 10. The simple answer is that Ryzen 9 maintains
9,638
the edge in compression performance in 7-zip,
period. Some of it may come from the memory
latency of the nascent DDR5 memory and the
features GPU and CPU tests, but we’re fact that 7-Zip doesn’t make use of any special
obviously only interested in the CPU results instructions, but Ryzen wins here.
here. The 32 threads of the Ryzen 9 still put it
ahead, but the margin closes to 11 percent. ENCODE PERFORMANCE
Our next test is a CPU encode test where we
COMPRESSION take the free, open-source Handbrake
PERFORMANCE
Moving on from 3D rendering, we used the free, Handbrake 1.4.2 4K to
popular, and fast 7-Zip’s internal benchmark to 1080p HEVC Encode
gauge compression performance of the CPUs. Seconds
The benchmark looks at how many threads a Core i9-12900K
553
(8/8/24)
CPU has, and spools up multiple iterations of Ryzen 9 5950X
517
(16/32)
itself during the test. The big winner here is Core i5-12600K
(6/4/16) 730
Ryzen, to the tune of 24 percent in compression Ryzen 5 5600X
(6/12) 973
performance and 35 percent in decompression
performance when all cores are used.

transcoder and encoder (fave.co/3283omj) benchmark has been the subject of

and task it with converting the free, open- controversy in the past, but it is hard to
source 4K Tears of Steel video (fave. maintain any test today without sniping. It is
co/320ub3L) to 1080p resolution using stupidly popular, however, and no matter
H.265. The Ryzen 9 again comes in first, what you think of Geekbench 5, people
finishing the encode about 6 percent faster. want to see how a CPU performs on it. After
That’s not a huge victory, but first is first. a somewhat back-and-forth battle in 3D
rendering, compressing and encoding, we
SYNTHETIC PERFORMANCE see the Intel Core i9-12900K outpace the
Our next test shifts from practical Ryzen 9 5950X by about 8 percent.
compression and encoding to Geekbench Geekbench 5 also reports single-threaded
5. The test is a synthetic benchmark made performance, which is an easier way to make
up of 21 separate small loops that its cross-comparisons. You could, for example,
developer, Primate Labs, said are modeled compare the scores from the 16-core 12900K
on popular applications in everything from against a 10th-gen Core i5 or even a laptop,
text rendering to HDR to machine language since the core count advantage and thermal
and encryption performance. The advantage of a desktop is less of a factor in this
test. Against just the Ryzen 9 5950X though,
we see the 12th-gen Core i9 open its lead up
Geekbench 5.41 nT by about 11 percent.
Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 18,551
Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) 17,149 CONTENT CREATION
Core i5-12600K
(6/4/16) 12,764 PERFORMANCE
Ryzen 5 5600X
(6/12) 8,888 Moving from synthetic tests to actual
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 applications people use, our first test is UL’s new
Procyon 2.0. It’s a benchmark that requires you
to install Adobe Photoshop (we used 22.5) and
Geekbench 5.41 1T Adobe Lightroom Classic (we used version 10.4)
Core i9-12900K
2,001 on the PC. The test then tasks the computer
(8/8/24)
Ryzen 9 5950X with a set of scripts to determine performance.
(16/32) 1,791
Core i5-12600K It’s about as real as you can get since you’re
(6/4/16) 1,916
Ryzen 5 5600X actually measuring Photoshop and Lightroom
(6/12) 1,655
Classic performance.
The overall score gives the nod to the Core

i9-12900K by 4 percent over the Ryzen 9
59050X. Procyon 2.0 breaks down its results Procyon 2.0 Photo
two ways: image retouch and batch exports. In Editing Benchmark
the image retouch, it’s basically a tie between Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16)
the 12th-gen Core i9 and Ryzen 9, according
Procyon 2.0 9,149
to Procyon. In Batch Processing, which is Photo Score
9,433
mostly Lightroom Classic photo export 10,260
10,690
performance, the Core i9 nudges the lead up
Procyon 2.0 8,951
to 5 percent. That last one surprised us a little Image Retouch
8,871
because Lightroom Exports tend to lean very 9,980
10,109
much on multi-core performance, so we would
Procyon 2.0 9,354
have expected Ryzen 9 to win there. It didn’t. Batch Processing
10,031
With huge sprawling applications like 10,740
11,306
Photoshop and Lightroom Classic, different
actions and filters may actually give you
different performance results, so in addition
to Procyon 2.0, we also run Puget System’s
Pugetbench for Photoshop (fave. Procyon 2.0
co/3HrQ38w). It’s a free test that the custom Photoshop 0.93.1
workstation PC builder created to help inform Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16)
its customer recommendations.
Pugetbench 1,078
Unlike Procyon 2.0, Pugetbench for Photoshop 0.93
Score 1,218
Photoshop focuses solely on Photoshop 1,239
1,420
performance. While Procyon 2.0 gave the
Pugetbench 98
12th-gen Core i9 a mere 4 percent lead, Photoshop 0.93
GPU Score 111
Intel’s newest chip inks a far bigger win in 116
130
Pugetbench with nearly a 15 percent
Pugetbench 87
Photoshop 0.93
advantage over the Ryzen 9. Diving into the General Score 95
subscores the benchmark produces, we see 96
109
that 12 percent of that comes from the GPU Pugetbench
Photoshop 0.93 129
(yes, the same GPU and drivers were used Filter Score 149
152
on both), 13.5 percent in general use, and
175
15.1 percent in the filter test. This is a very
solid win for the Core i9-12900K no matter

benchmark. Our results below are little

Pugetbench Lightroom different because we’ve added two more
Classic 0.93 entries you didn’t see above. These are for
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16) the Intel CPUs with their integrated graphics
cores off, which limits Premiere’s ability to
Pugetbench 0.93 1,096
Lightroom access the chip’s encode and decode
Class Score 1,280
1,317 engines. Puget Systems actually recommends
1,502
that you leave the IGP on for video editing
Pugetbench 0.93 100
Lightroom
Active Score 112
even if you have a fast GPU. We consider the
105 official score to be with the IGP on, but Intel
115
also sells CPUs with the integrated graphics
Pugetbench 0.93 120
Lightroom cores permanently switched off, so just know
Passive Score 146
158 what you’re buying.
185
With the IGP on, the 12th-gen Core i9 is a
monster compared to Ryzen 9, with its overall
score nearly 37 percent faster. Much of that
how you cut it. comes from the live playback score, which
Pugetbench also includes a benchmark gets a huge boost from having the integrated
for Lightroom Classic. The result is another graphics cores. We’re not sure, but we
clear win for the 12th-gen Core i9 over Ryzen suspect Intel’s Quick Sync technology may be
9, with a score 14 percent faster than AMD’s responsible for much of this. With the IGP off,
mighty 5950X. Pugetbench breaks it down however, it’s far closer but still a 6 percent
by active score (which is how responsive the advantage for the 12900K.
system is while editing photos in Lightroom As we did with the image editors, we
Classic) and passive score (which is speed backstop our Premiere testing by also running
during such actions as file exports). In active Procyon 2.0’s Video Editing module. It also
performance, Pugetbench gives the Core relies on real-world applications and requires
i9-12900K about a 10 percent advantage, that Premiere Pro be installed. Unlike
while the passive score for exports generates Pugetbench, however, which looks at
a surprising 17 percent advantage. That’s two performance while actively driving the
out of two for Intel in Pugetbench, which are application, Procyon is mainly a measurement
very, very valuable wins to have. of how fast the system will export videos from
Moving on to video editing, our first test the timeline with color correction and other
again reaches for Pugetbench’s Premiere Pro effects and transitions applied. For these

Pugetbench Premiere Pro Procyon 2.0
2021 0.95.1 Video Editing Score
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16) Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 10,195
Ryzen 9 5950X
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i5-12600K (16/32) 8,912
IGP Off (8/8/24) IGP Off (6/4/16) Core i5-12600K
(6/4/16) 9,147
Pugetbench 800 Ryzen 5 5600X
Premiere Pro
2021 Score 1,312
(6/12) 7,935
1,071 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
1,462
1,133
906
Pugetbench 111
the Ryzen 9 5950X. It’s another solid victory for
Premiere Pro
2021 Standard
Export Score
87 the 12th-gen Core i9 and, frankly, one in a very
111
109
important category. People who drive
110 Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and Premiere
81.7
Pugetbench
Pro are probably one of the larger power users
Premiere Pro 104
2021 Standard 200 groups on a desktop PC besides gamers.
Live Playback
Score 104
224
112 AI PERFORMANCE
95
Our next category is the fast-moving field of AI in
Pugetbench 107
Premiere Pro
2021 Effects
image processing. Our first test is something
107
Score
107 we’ve been playing with for a few generations of
106
117
CPUs: Topaz Lab’s Gigapixel AI, which uses AI
98 to increase the resolution of an image with far
Pugetbench
Premiere Pro 112 more fidelity than simpler algorithms. For this
2021 GPU Score 100
112
work load, we take an 8.2-megapixel image of
97 an F-16 Falcon shot on a DSLR a decade ago
110
96 and increase its resolution by 6x. We allow the
application to download the latest AI models for
the upsample. We then time how long it takes
to perform the action three times. In the past,
results, we don’t have the CPU’s IGP on, but in we’ve seen Intel’s laptop chips lay waste to the
our testing it didn’t seem to matter either way. competition here—Apple and AMD included.
The winner is again the Core i9-12900K, The results here, however, are a little puzzling to
which comes in about 14 percent faster than us and hard to parse. As in our previous tests,

co/3kGjf1S)—which Intel reiterated was

Topaz Gigapixel AI 5.6.1 permanently switched off in Alder Lake—
F-16 Test could actually be enabled if you turned off the
Seconds CPU’s efficiency cores. Advanced Vector
Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 51 eXtensions 512 are 512-bit wide extensions
Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) 45 that can be used to accelerate math often
Core i5-12600K
(6/4/16) 71 associated with AI. It’s one of the pieces
Ryzen 5 5600X
(6/12) 77 under the umbrella of Intel’s DL Boost, which
we’ve frankly lost track of.
As we previously said, we were surprised
we run it with the IGP switched off, but even the 12th-gen Core i9-12900K lost this race to
when switched on, the Core i9-12900K is the Ryzen 9 5950X. After hearing that
actually a little slower than the results shown AVX512 could be enabled, we wondered if
below, taking 57 seconds. that was behind the Core i9’s loss, so we
It doesn’t help that Topaz Labs rolls out disabled the e-cores on our Asus
new versions of Gigapixel roughly every few motherboard and selected the option to
weeks. Since this is a rapidly iterating enable AVX512 in the UEFI.
technology, we don’t feel it would have We then reran our Gigapixel AI test and
been right to use an older version either. In both the Core i5 and Core i9 finished the
the end, the Ryzen 9 5950X ends up taking image resize about 11 to 12 percent faster
20 percent less time than the Core than with AVX512 disabled. It was enough, in
i9-12900K to finish the task at hand. That’s fact, for the Core i9 to pull dead even with the
really all that matters to
anyone who uses it.
12TH GEN’S
SECRET
FEATURE
That’s not the quite the
end of the story, though.
After our reviewer, we
learned from Anandtech.
com’s Dr. Ian Cutress that The 12th-gen CPUs appear to have AVX512 capability if you disable the
AVX512 (fave. chip’s e-cores in some motherboards.

remove the feature. We don’t know, but it is a
Topaz Gigapixel AI 5.6.1 nice little bonus feature to have after so much
F-16 Test back and forth over it.
Seconds Our next AI test uses Nero’s Score 3.0
Core i5-12600K AVX512
enabled (6/4/16) 63 benchmark to measure photo-tagging
Core i9-12900K AVX512
enabled (8/8/24) 45 performance. That’s essentially the same cool
Core i9-12900K
(8/8/24) 51 (or creepy) thing your smartphone does
Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) 45 where it will automatically tag images for you.
Core i5-12600K
(6/4/16) 71 The good news is that with Nero’s AI Photo
Ryzen 5 5600X
77 Tagger (which is based on the same engine),
(6/12)
it’s done on your PC where you maintain
control. The application and benchmark are
Ryzen 9. So what does this mean? Obviously based on Intel’s OpenVINO framework.
things are in flux in the rapidly moving scene Unlike with Topaz, we see Nero Score’s
of AI performance. It’s entirely possible that CPU AI tagging giving Intel’s parts a hefty 45
Intel’s 12th-gen chips will pull ahead as the percent advantage over its Ryzen counterpart.
applications are optimized for it. We are also Which number should we believe to predict
rather confused by the presence of AVX512 where AI is going to fall? Probably somewhere
after Intel again said it would not be between them. Intel has poured much money
permanently turned off. One theory Cutress
puts forward is that it’s a feature that wasn’t
quite fully validated in time for the launch, so Nero Score 3.0
rather than wait for AVX512, Intel opted to Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24)
cauterize it to not delay getting its chip in
Nero Score 3.0 6,480
Overall
front of consumers. 7,079
The thing is, it’s not really cauterized, as 6,459
7,417
previous features that have been turned off Nero Score CPU
AI Tagging 1,734
are usually physically cut off. It’s also possible 2,810
2,400
that Intel will leave it as a don’t ask, don’t tell
3,480
feature for adventurous people who may Nero AVC CPU
De/Encode 2,122
want AVX512 to run at their own risk. Another 2,249
2,231
possibility is that someone at Intel may read 2,505
yet more coverage of this and immediately 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
reach for the phone to tell board vendors to

and treasure into OpenVino that makes this world is actually more concerned with the
advantage real, after all. It should be tempered, boring stuff that pays the bills. For that, we
however, with the reality that the only thing have Microsoft Office performance, which we
that matters is application support to make that measure using UL’s Procyon 2.0 Office
a reality. And clearly sometimes it’s faster on Productivity test. Like the Adobe side, it’s
AMD chips, as Topaz showed. based on tasking Microsoft Word, Excel,
PointPoint, and Outlook with fairly advanced
REAL-WORLD and media-rich work. It’s about as real as you
PERFORMANCE can get, because real means boring.
People may fantasize about making special For those who drive Office and get off on
effects for their indie movie or editing photos crisp, crisp Outlook performance, the
from exotic trips, but the vast majority of the advantage goes to the Core i9-12900K,
which clocks in 16 percent faster than its
Ryzen rival. Diving into each of the individual
Procyon 2.0 applications, Procyon places the 12th-gen
Office Productivity Core i9 at 14 percent faster in Word, 19
Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16) percent faster in Excel, 10 percent faster in
PowerPoint, and 19 percent faster in Outlook.
Procyon 7,456
Office 2.0 Our last real-world test uses Google
8,403
7,980 Chrome 95 and runs three popular
9,273
browser-based benchmarks: WebXprt 3.0,
Word 7,301
8,476
JetStream, and Speedometer (fave.
8,184 co/3oECcDo). WebXprt 3.0 simulates an
9,311
array of browser-based tasks such as photo
Excel 7,502
9,041
enhancement, stock option pricing, online
8,608 homework, and an OCR scan. The results
10,261
are almost a wash, with the 12th-gen Core
PowerPoint 8,484
8,774 i9 about 3 percent faster than the Ryzen 9
8,597 5950X overall.
9,460
Outlook
The Intel chip pulls in a better win in
5,935
6,530 JetStream 2, which measures JavaScript and
6,044
WebAssembly performance. The test actually
7,220
combines portions of once popular, but now
abandoned tests such as SunSpider, Octane

Browsing performance Gaming Performance
19x10 GeForce RTX
Ryzen 9 5950X (16/32) Intel Core i9-12900K (8/8/24) 3090 FE
Frames per second
Chrome 95 343
WebXprt 3.0 Ryzen 5 5600X (6/12) Intel Core i5-12600K (6/4/16)
352
363
375 Far Cry New
Dawn Ultra 127
Chrome 95 216 Quality 135
JetStream
241 131
225 149
258 Far Cry New
Dawn Normal 140
Chrome 95 226 Quality 145
Speedometer
265 144
236 168
285 Gear Tactics
Ultra Quality 177
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 198
184
200
2, JetStream 1, and a few others. The good Gear Tactics
Medium Quality 306
news for the Core i9-12900K is a clear 322
301
performance edge of 15 percent, which 359
should lead to a little crisper performance Horizon Zero 171
Dawn Ultra
over Ryzen. Quality 171
173
The final browser test, Speedometer 2.0, 175
gives the 12th-gen Core i9 even more of an Horizon Zero 209
Dawn Original
advantage. The test is fairly lightweight and is Quality 196
214
designed to measure the responsiveness of a 210
web app by “timing simulated user 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
interactions.” The Intel chip has a 21 percent

higher score, which, again, should lead to It’s not that we don’t think gaming is
slightly snappier feel in a browser over a important, because it is. It’s just that focusing
Ryzen chip. on it sometimes ignores what’s going on.
First, for our game testing, we stuck with a
GAMING PERFORMANCE 1080p panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, which
We’ll close out our application performance is probably the optimal conditions where a
testing in a category that is probably the most faster CPU would matter. Overall, if we had to
important to many, but that we frankly see as a declare a winner, it would be the Core
little less grounded in actual reality: gaming. i9-12900K. There were certainly a few ties in

Does it really matter? No, not really.

Gaming Performance Gaming is still largely bound by how fast a
19x10 GeForce RTX GPU you have, and worrying about a Core
3090 FE i9-12900K versus a Ryzen 9 5950X probably
Frames per second
doesn’t yield the return on investment you’d
think it would. They’re both spectacular
Metro Exodus
gaming options. Your time would be better
Ultra Quality 143
143 spent trying to just score a fast graphics card
140
(fave.co/3DOEuWk).
145
Metro Exodus With that said, you just want to know what
Normal Quality 215
208 the best CPU is gaming is, and we declare it
208
217
to be the Intel Core i9-12900K.
CS: GO 579
19x10
670 POWER CONSUMPTION
653
754
Before we wrap this up, we do want to dig
Red Redemption 136
into the power consumption of Intel’s
2 Ultra Quality
136 12th-gen Core i9 chip. Rumors have been
141
142 running rampant that the CPU would be a gas
Shadows of the 189 guzzler, and it can be—but only when you
Tomb Raider
Highest Quality 188 mash the gas pedal to the floor on an all-core
202
205 load. The actual answer is a lot more nuanced.
Ashes of the
Singularity 41 To measure this we took our two systems
Escaltation 45
Crazy Preset outfitted with the same amount of RAM, the
CPU Focused 45
51 same model coolers, the same model GPUs,
Rainbow Six 525 the same model PSUs, and the same model
Siege Ultra
Quality 471
557
SSDS, and simultaneously measured how
558 much power they consume at the wall. Sure,
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 say you want to know how much the CPU
alone consumes, but that’s not how you pay
our results, but by and large, the wins lean your power bill.
toward the 12th-gen Core i9 over the Ryzen 9 We should note that the scale on the
5950X. We saw the 12900K with enough vertical axis of the first chart actually runs from
double-digit leads that to say otherwise 60 watts to 340 watts and the 0 is for the
would be wrong. horizontal axis for time. We first run

10 watts more. You can
Cinebench R20 nT and 1T Power Trace also see the Core i9
12900K 5950X
finishes the test faster and
then idles using less power
than the Ryzen 9 system.
To see how it plays out
in a more practical test, we
then simultaneously
recorded the power
consumption of both
systems while Procyon 2.0
is running Photoshop
and Lightroom Classic. You
can see the Ryzen 9 is
Total system power trace of the 12th-gen Core i9-12900K and Ryzen 9
5950X while running Cinebench R20. actually using more
power than the 12th gen
Cinebench R20 using all cores, and you can Core i9 in both applications. The upshot is that
see the 12900K (red)
pushes a total
consumption of 320 Procyon Photo Editing Benchmark
12900K 5950X
watts—or nearly 100 more
watts than the Ryzen 9
5950X (purple) pushed to
the max. That’s about 45
percent more power.
Once both chips are done
with Cinebench on all
cores, we run the chips
using a single-core or
thread. We now see the
total system power of the
12th-gen Core i9 in the 115
watt range, while the
Ryzen 9 consumes about

yes, the 12th-gen Core i9 can indeed guzzle they are on Windows 10, it shouldn’t change
down the electricity, but in actual practical use, too much in a pure CPU Cinebench R20 test
it tends to be fairly energy efficient. like this.
The generational performance change
THREAD SCALING from Intel’s 11th-gen to the 12th-gen is nothing
We’re going to close this out where we began: less than phenomenal. Using a single-thread,
Cinebench. For this evaluation, we run the Core i9-12900K is 42 percent faster than its
Cinebench R20 from one thread to the predecessor and just climbs from there. By the
maximum number of threads each CPU has. We time we max out the last-gen Core i9 at its
do this because not all applications use all cores, eight threads, the 12th-gen Core i9 is a jaw-
nor do they necessarily use a single core. You dropping 82 percent faster. It’s an absolutely
may find a mix so, this lets us visualize where the stunning change from the 11th-gen chip that
advantage might be for a particular CPU. Intel just introduced in March. While we
We’re going to borrow from our 11th-gen don’t have direct power traces, we can tell you
Core i9-11900K review results. Even though the older 11th-gen Core i9-11900K used nearly
380 watts to run Cinebench R20, while the
12th gen Core i9 is around 320 watts. So it is
Thread-Scaling Percent significantly faster while using far less power.
Performance
Core i9-11900K on Win 10 (8/16) vs . Core While it comes as no surprise that Intel’s
i9-12900K on Win 11 (16/24) Cinebench R20 older 11th-gen Core gets utterly pummeled by
1T 42% the new 12th-gen chip, what matters more is
2T 44%
3T 46%
how the Intel Core i9-12900K compares against
4T 54% AMD’s mighty Ryzen 9 5950X. With 16 cores of
5T 57%
6T 65%
Zen 3 goodness, this is no pushover like the
7T
8T
77% 11th-gen Core i9. The results, in fact, are a lot
82%
9T 75% closer when we run Cinebench R20 from a
10T 73%
11T single thread to the maximum amount of each
66%
12T 62% chip, but clearly one is generally better—and
13T 59%
14T 56%
that’s the Core i9-12900K.
15T 55% What’s really interesting is to see the 18 to
16T 50%
17T 49%
26 percent lead from one core to eight cores on
18T 50%
19T
the 12900K. At that point, the 12th-gen Core i9
49%
20T 54% runs out of its high-performance cores, and we
presume Windows 11 begins throwing work at

Cinebench R20 with the same score, but for
Thread-Scaling Percent many of those lighter loads, the 12th-gen Core
Performance increase i9-12900K should lead the way.
Core i9-112900K (16/24) vs. Ryzen 9 5950X
(16/32) Cinebench R20
1T
BOTTOM LINE
18%
2T 16% Here’s a secret: There is no such thing as the
3T 19%
4T
“best” CPU.
19%
5T 22% Instead, it’s really about what the best
6T 24%
7T
CPU is for your particular needs. To parse that
25%
8T 26% out of the thousands of words we’ve just
9T 21%
10T 15%
written, we’ll break it down into six categories
11T 11% that matter, and which chip won each one.
12T 8%
13T 8% The good news for Intel is that it’s sitting pretty
14T
15T
4% in just about every category.
3%
16T 0%
17T 0%
18T 1%
Rendering and high thread count
19T 2% In the high thread count applications and
20T 3%
21T 5%
rendering, the Core i9-12900K wrung out
22T 7% some impressive as hell wins, such as
23T 9%
24T 11% Cinebench R23, but enough of the results we
25T 10%
26T
saw in other CPU-rendering results makes this
8%
27T 7% far more nuanced. Frankly, if we were picking
28T 5%
29T 4%
a chip for a 90 percent rendering PC, the
30T 2% Ryzen 9 5950X is probably the better choice.
31T 2%
32T 0% Winner: Ryzen 9 5950X
Real world
the efficiency cores. No matter: It’s enough to The benchmarks in both Office productivity
keep the 12900K ahead of the Ryzen 9 5950X. and Chrome tell us the more responsive CPU
Both are dead even by the time the physical will be Intel’s. We fully believe that, but we
cores of both are reached at 16 threads. But also believe that a Ryzen 9 5950X can drive
then the 12th gen Core i9 gets a second wind both use cases just fine. And, well, if you’re
and reaches its peak performance at its full 24 building a high-end desktop rig to run
threads. The Ryzen 9 does ultimately end Outlook and Word and browse the Internet

as the number one thing—you could Value

probably take it a few notches down. Some still think AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950X wasn’t
Winner: Core i9-12900K a great value, while others think a $750 CPU
that offered performance on par with a
Content creation $2,000 CPU from the year before was a steal.
As we’ve seen, content creation isn’t just If you’re in the camp that thinks the Ryzen 9
about having the most threads, and the price was a steal, then Intel’s aggressive $589
12th-gen Core i9 has everything from a fair to pricing of the Core i9-12900K will have you
excellent performance bump over the Ryzen screaming for the company to take your debit
9 5950X. If you mostly drive Photoshop, card. Yes, the price is the bulk price, but
Lightroom Classic or Premiere Pro, the better traditionally, the 1,000 unit “tray” pricing is
choice is going to be Intel. within dollars of the street price once initial
Winner: Core i9-12900K demand settles. So yes, hell has frozen over,
because the value winner here is Intel.
Gaming Winner: Core i9-12900K.
We’ve said we think you should concentrate In the end, the Core i9-12900K is a
more on the GPU than on the CPU for real- stunning return to greatness and one hell of
world gaming gains, but in our gaming tests, an impressive CPU. Alder Lake was worth the
Intel’s 12th-gen Core i9 clearly notches more wait. Bravo, Intel.
wins or matches than the Ryzen part. Yes, it’s
the “best gaming CPU,” but you really can’t Intel Core i9-12900K
go wrong with either.
Winner: Core i9-12900K PROS
• Impressive application performance.
• “Best” gaming performance.
Features • Better value than AMD.
Intel’s 12th-gen platform ushers in the new CONS

• DDR5 adds price premium.
world of PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory. It’s also • Can be a power hog under heavy loads.
more likely to get you Thunderbolt if you need it • Ryzen is still faster in some multi-threaded tests.
and even has integrated Wi-Fi 6E. Sure, some BOTTOM LINE
After a long absence, Intel’s 12th-gen Core i9-12900K
will say DDR5 isn’t worth it today, and that’s fair, and its hybrid design puts Intel back on top in
desktop CPUs while offering next-generation
but there’s enough newness here that it would technology and a big surprise: relatively good value
simply be wrong to not declare this one for Intel. over Ryzen.
Winner: Core i9-12900K $649

Fitbit Luxe: Solid tracker’s deluxe
price delivers on looks, not features
This tracker’s features don’t have the same polish as its stylish design. BY ALAINA YEE
he Fitbit Luxe has the look you’d You’re looking at a bump up in glamour rather
T expect from its name. Encased in

stainless steel, available in black,
gold, and silver, and backed with a
line of fashionable accessory bands, it
blends readily with stylish outfits. Its slender,
than feature set, which doesn’t benefit fitness
enthusiasts. A couple of key hardware
upgrades even compromise performance
compared to the Inspire 2.
thinner profile is also discreet on your GOOD LOOKS,

wrist—of Fitbit’s lineup, it’s the smallest and CONSTRAINED
least obtrusive model. PREMIUM FEATURES
But a refined appearance is mostly what You’ll notice one of the Fitbit Luxe’s main
you get in this posh (and more expensive) upgrades at first glance—the 0.76-inch color
take on Fitbit’s cheaper Inspire 2 tracker. AMOLED display, which is roughly the same
IMAGE: FITBIT DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 53

REVIEWS FITBIT LUXE
size as the
Inspire 2’s
monochrome
PMOLED
screen, but on
a thinner body.
(The Luxe
measures
1.43x0.69x0.4
inches, or
36.3x17.5x10.1
mm, which
makes it a
touch shorter,
wider, and
skinnier than The paltry number of words you can see on a single notification line borders on comical.
the Inspire 2.)
And at first glance, the screen is crisp and buttons sounds like a step up, but in practice, it
bright, making it easy to read…in theory. makes menu navigation less enjoyable. To go
Unfortunately, the Luxe’s interface bungles back in a menu, you must double-tap on the
the appeal of the display. (Disappointment screen, which sometimes results in selecting
over the interface is a recurring theme with the option on-screen instead. Taps and swipes
the Luxe; more on that below.) The size and don’t always register on the first try, either.
text wrapping is at times comically bad. You’ll Interaction with a tracker is something you’ll do
notice this most when skimming through daily, and prioritizing form over function is
message notifications, where you often get wholly impractical here. Having to repeat
just one word per line. Trying to keep up with motions to use the device keeps it from being
chats or email actually began to test my a seamless part of your routine.
patience, unlike with other Fitbit trackers that The one Luxe enhancement that satisfies is
have limited screen real estate. Having an the SpO2 sensor. For most people, the
option for a smaller font or tighter line spacing readings of blood oxygen levels will be good
would have been useful. enough for a general idea of your health and
The Luxe’s touch-only controls are also subsequent changes to it. It doesn’t match a
problematic. On paper, the nixing of side pulse oximeter in accuracy, though. The Luxe

underreported my oxygen saturation by 2 to automatically, like walking and running, but
3 percentage points compared to a pulse don’t count on accurate assessments. My
oximeter. The Luxe has the advantage in terms strength training sessions didn’t register, and
of style for sure, though. You don’t need to dance confounded the Luxe just as it has
remove your nail polish for a proper reading, every other tracker I’ve used in the past eight
as you do with pulse oximeters. years. One session was recorded as “Sport,”
while another was broken up half into “Swim”
SOLID FITNESS TRACKING and half into “Aerobic Workout.”
AND DECENT BATTERY LIFE Speaking of swimming, the Luxe has an
While its fancier hardware features fail to IPX8 rating, with water resistance up to 50
dazzle, the Luxe does a good job at keeping meters. This tracker handles submersion in
tabs on your physical activity and wellness. water just fine, though your skin afterward
Fitness trackers and smart watches still aren’t might not. (It’s highly recommended to dry off
precise tools for measuring distance traveled, the tracker and let your skin air out before
heart rate, sleep, and the like, but the continuing to wear the Luxe.)
technology has improved enough to indicate As for GPS tracking, the Luxe relies on
how well you’re faring. phone-based GPS to map your route and
The Luxe
tracks steps, heart
rate, sleep
duration and
stages, menstrual
health, Active
Zone minutes
(times when your
heart rate climbs
high enough for
your activity to
count as
moderate or high
intensity), and
exercise. Some
exercises can be Swiping to the left and right cycles through the Luxe’s apps, but you can’t
tracked customize their order.

REVIEWS FITBIT LUXE
calculate your pace. To toggle it on and off Menus are snappy when the display
for walks, runs, and bike rides, tap on the registers your touch, as well as basic enough
exercise you want in the Exercise menu and to figure out without the manual. You simply
scroll down. swipe up, down, or side to side for access to
You’ll be able to power all of this stat different stats, settings, and apps.
recording for up to five days, which is Unfortunately, none of the interface is
respectable but not as impressive as the customizable. For example, just six apps are
less-expensive Inspire 2, rated for up to 10 available for the Luxe—Notifications, Exercise,
days. Going up to a color display hits battery Relax, Alarms, Timers, and SpO2—but you
life hard. You can stretch that time longer can only remove SpO2 from the lineup to
when not active—in the two months* that I reduce swiping. You can’t reorder them
tested the Luxe, I could go as many as nine or either, so you’re stuck with what appears first
10 days during slothful periods (just daily when swiping left or right.
walks). But you can often get more battery life Fitbit also doesn’t offer universal clock
on Fitbit trackers with low activity, so that’s not faces, meaning the Luxe’s options don’t
a quality unique to the Luxe. include any of the excellent ones from other
*I’ve never had a Fitbit tracker that didn’t trackers. Instead you can only choose from
have some kind of quirk when I first got it—all faces that prioritize aesthetics over function—
have had crashes, blank screens, hard resets, and most clocks show just a single stat. You
and the like at the start. When my Fitbit Luxe have to tap to see anything of further use. I’ve
sample showed a dead screen twice in the taken to changing the clock face based on
same evening, I decided to extend my time what I’m doing, which is highly inconvenient.
with it to ensure I was evaluating it fairly. Since It’s not a fast process.
applying a firmware update, I haven’t run into It makes sense that trackers would have
the same wonkiness, much less needed to do a fewer apps and menu options—for example, I
manual reboot or reset. don’t expect to be able to write custom text
messages. But not allowing a smidge of
AN INTERFACE THAT FEELS customization within those limits on a model
TOO BASIC with a premium vibe is baffling.
With a name like Luxe, you’d expect its Equally puzzling are the rather plain
interface to be as slick as its physical body. animations you get on the Luxe. On older
But the UI on Fitbit’s trackers has always had Fitbits, you would see different ones upon
a bare-bones vibe, and the Luxe is sadly no meeting your step goal, doubling it, tripling
exception to that. it, and so forth. Some were downright cute

The Luxe’s low profile definitely looks sleek, but it doesn’t feel as luxurious as its name or price implies.
too, like birds flying by with a banner showing Yes, your money is buying you a sleek,
the number reached. But on the Luxe? Just a more attractive tracker. The Charge 4 was
sneaker inside a circle. plastic and would never be mistaken for
anything but a slab of utilitarian tech on your
VALUE wrist. Even the Charge 5 with its aluminum
Compared to the $180 Charge 5 and $100 body is too bulky to blend in with jewelry the
Inspire 2, the $150 Fitbit Luxe might seem way the Luxe can (especially if you pair the latter
reasonably priced in the middle with its with the optional and rather gorgeous link
stainless steel body, color screen, and touch- bracelet band or double-wrap leather band).
only controls. But let’s talk about what $150 Don’t get me wrong. I would prefer more
bought you just a couple of months ago. stylish trackers to choose from. But it feels like
The Luxe lacks key features that the Fitbit has missed out on an opportunity here
now-discontinued Charge 4 had for the same to dress up the Luxe in a stylish and pragmatic
price. It doesn’t have on-board GPS, an NFC way. Even including an altimeter and a few
chip (and thus Fitbit Pay support), an altimeter more apps would help, if not also on-board
to track elevation changes or steps climbed, GPS. Drop the touch controls in trade.
or one or two additional apps like Weather More puzzling is the fact that the Inspire
and Spotify that would be very useful. 2 includes a full-year subscription to Fitbit

REVIEWS FITBIT LUXE
upgraded
aesthetics, even
when it comes to
hardware
upgrades.
That said, the
tracking the Luxe
provides is solidly
on par with that of
Fitbit’s other
offerings, and its
look is appealing,
especially if you
(like me) prefer to
The Luxe’s tracking is solidly on par with that of Fitbit’s other offerings. keep it on even
when going places
Premium ($80), while the Luxe only throws where style matters. It’s really a shame that
in six months. (The Charge 5 also only offers its luxury focuses on skin-deep glamour and
six months.) Pay less for a tracker and you ignores upgrades that enhance the quality of
get more time with the company’s paid the experience.
service, gratis.
Fitbit likely is aiming to get more money Fitbit Luxe
out of Inspire 2 users by hooking them on the
extra fitness challenges and games, more PROS
• Sleek profile.
detailed wellness stats, long-term trend data, • Solid fitness tracking.
and included workouts, but on the face of • Decent battery life for a color screen.
CONS
things, that difference sure makes the Luxe
• Touch screen could be more responsive.
feel less deluxe. • Limited, non-customizable interface.
BOTTOM LINE
The Fitbit Luxe is a dressed-up Inspire 2—you’re
BOTTOM LINE primarily paying for sleeker aesthetics, even when it
comes to hardware upgrades. It’s still a solid tracker,
Spending an extra $50 for the Luxe doesn’t but its luxury focuses on skin-deep glamour, rather
put you quite between the Inspire 2 and than upgrades that enhance the quality of the
experience.
Charge 5 in terms of better, more detailed $150
tracking. You’re primarily paying for

Avast One: Well-priced PC security
with excellent protection
Avast is back with a new design and new pricing. Is it better than what we’ve seen before?
BY IAN PAUL
There are two things Avast’s multi-device coverage. It has a new design,
paid security suites have been three pricing tiers, and a lot more features
known for besides solid included without extra cost, and the pricing is
protection: good design and much better than last we looked. For this
high prices. That’s changing a little bit, and for review we’re looking at Avast One Individual.
the better, with Avast One, the company’s Avast One includes an entirely new
new top-tier product. Avast still offers Premier desktop app. Gone are the blue and purple
as a step down, but Avast One is a suite well tones, as well as the orange splotch logo. In
worth considering if you’re interested in solid place of all that, you get a more subdued
antivirus plus some extra features and aesthetic, with a lot of whites and lightly
IMAGE: AVAST SOFTWARE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 59

REVIEWS AVAST ONE
shaded colors, accented by a bolder and and now are just included in the suite. The
easy-to-spot blue for the interface buttons. one issue with Avast’s approach is that it does
The left rail has four simple menu items: the scan in three stages: browser threats,
Home, Explore, Messages, and Account. This viruses and malware, and PC cleaning. That’s
makes Avast One look deceivingly simple, but fine, but it requires user intervention to initiate
there are a ton of features once you start each phase instead of just plowing through
digging in. the entire scan and delivering a report at the
The first time you fire up Avast One, it end. The constant requirement to say yes to
asks to run a smart scan, a not uncommon continuing at the end of each phase gets a
feature in a number of antivirus suites. Smart little annoying. It’s not a deal breaker, but this
Scans combine a security scan with scans could be handled better.
for other problems such as browser trackers While the smart scan is the primary scan
and an excess of temporary files. The basic Avast asks you to do, scroll down Avast One’s
idea is to clean up your PC and keep it Home page and you get shortcuts to run a
running smoothly, as opposed to just deep scan, to run a targeted scan on a
scanning for malware. specific folder or set of folders, to initiate a
This is a good idea since many top suites VPN scan, or to use the PC optimization tools.
come with PC cleaning and maintenance Moving on to Explore, you get into the
utilities, but often require you to activate meat of Avast One’s features. Explore is really
them. A smart scan gets you to use at least more of a launchpad for all the deeper
some of these capabilities, which is important controls of the security suite. For example,
considering some of them used to cost extra under Explore you have Scan Center, which
has its own screen and
includes the controls for all
the types of scans you want.
This includes the types of
scans we’ve already talked
about, as well as a boot-time
scan. You can also save scans
in the Custom Scans section if
there’s a type of scan you
want to run repeatedly. This is
also the section where you
can schedule scans, such as

Avast’s built-in VPN
allows unlimited bandwidth
as part of the paid packages,
with a wide range of country
locations to choose from.
Free users also aren’t left
out, with a solid 5GB per
week. This is quite a switch
from the prior suites, which
asked for more money to
use the VPN. The paid
version supports peer-to-
Avast One’s Explore section. peer transfers, as well as
streaming servers for
running a deep scan once a month, and viewing geo-restricted content. Avast can
perform a quick scan every day. also automatically turn on the VPN when you
Other key security features inside Explore do things like go to banking or shopping
include file shield for monitoring changes to websites. Those are nice additions, though
files for malicious behavior, ransomware be aware that you really shouldn’t be going
protection, web shield for staying safe online, onto a banking website over Wi-Fi on a
a firewall allowing you to block internet network you don’t trust.
access on a per-app basis, webcam The paid version also has what is commonly
protection, and a number of other features. called dark web monitoring but what Avast
The firewall is particularly nice since it offers calls Password Protection. This feature alerts
customizable security in a very simple you if any of your passwords for online services
interface. It’s not the most advanced firewall ever get revealed in a data breach.
you can find, but it’s a firewall that even non- The other two parts of Avast One are for
techies can use if they feel the need. For paid managing your account and receiving
users, the firewall hides key identifiers of your notifications from the company. That’s it. The
PC from other devices on the same network interface is far more simplified than it once
such as the PC’s name and the type of device. was, and it already wasn’t very complicated.
If another device starts doing a port scan on This is an excellent design and is easily
your PC, the firewall will notify you, and it’s built navigable by anyone from a grizzled PC
to deter man-in-the-middle attacks. veteran to a novice user.

REVIEWS AVAST ONE
PERFORMANCE threats from 380 samples. Only Norton,

Testing house AV-Test (fave.co/30uQGxd) Panda, and Trend Micro had a better score,
gave Avast Free, which uses the same while AVG, Bitdefender, K7, Kaspersky,
detection engines as Avast One, a 100 McAfee, Microsoft, Total Defense, and Vipre
percent score for protection against 0-day scored the same.
malware and widespread and prevalent For our in-house hardware performance
malware. The testing occurred in July and tests, we found that Avast had no real
August 2021. performance impact on our large file
AV-Comparatives’ September 2021 transfer test, archiving test, and Handbrake
Malware Protection Test (fave. encoding test. The only noticeable change
co/3wUMGCa) found that Avast blocked is that unzip times were actually a little bit
99.97 percent of threats from more than faster at just under 7 minutes with Avast
10,000 samples. That’s good, though Avira, installed compared with around 8 minutes
Bitdefender, G Data, McAfee, Norton, without it installed.
TotalAV, Total Defense, and Vipre scored For the PC Mark Extended test, the PC
slightly better—we’re only talking performed slightly better, with an average
hundredths of a percent here. score of 1630.67 after three consecutive
AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection runs compared with an average of 1643
test for July and August (fave.co/30GbrGp) without Avast installed. The main
found that Avast blocked 99.7 percent of performance impact was found in the
productivity tests that
deal with spreadsheets
and text documents.
That’s perhaps not
surprising given that
Avast One is
monitoring files for
malicious changes.
The difference isn’t too
huge overall, however,
and unless you’re
opening a ton of large
datasets in Excel you
Avast One’s messaging alerts you to actions that should be carried out. shouldn’t see much of

a performance impact. Gaming
performance was unaffected by
Avast One.
PRICING
Avast One Individual (fave.
co/3wSTgJg) costs $48 for the
first year for new customers, with
a regular price of $100 per year.
For that price you get one Avast
account that covers five devices.
That’s quite a switch from Avast’s Old habits die hard. Despite all the changes, Avast still offers to
old Premier pricing, which would install Google Chrome during setup.
cover a single PC for $70.
Avast One Family provides six accounts the Avast lineup, which is not something I
and coverage for up to 30 devices and is would have said about Avast Premier a few
priced at $72 for the first year for new years ago. If you’re looking for a new security
customers, and a regular price of $140 suite, or you want to upgrade your current
per year. Avast lifestyle, I’d highly recommend looking
If a paid suite isn’t your bag, then there’s at Avast One.
also Avast One Essential, which includes a lot
of features for free, including that 5GB of VPN Avast One
usage every week. But you miss out on items
like the sensitive data shield, webcam PROS
• Good new design.
protection, and optimization features such as • Well priced.
the disk cleaner and driver updater. • Excellent performance.
Avast One is available for Windows, CONS

• Smart scan requires too much user intervention.
macOS, Android, and iOS. • Avast asks to install Google Chrome.
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE Avast One is a much needed improvement with

excellent pricing, and all the features you’ve come to
Avast One is a very good security suite. The expect from this premium suite. Both the Individual
and Family plans are well worth a look for anyone
price is right, and its protection is excellent. looking for a solid third-party security suite.
The performance impacts are negligible for $48
most users, and it’s also a good value within

REVIEWS
Corsair MP600 Pro XT SSD:

Simply fantastic
This affordable PCIe gen-4 drive sets performance records for a nice price. BY JON L. JACOBI
This is our first look at an We can’t find much to complain about.

NVMe SSD from Corsair. In This is a fantastic high-performance SSD.
fact, it’s our first look at any
sort of Corsair SSD in over PRICING AND SPECS
seven years. And apparently we’ve been The Corsair MP600 Pro XT is available in two
missing out, because the Corsair MP600 Pro flavors: one with a large (removable) heatsink,
XT is an absolute barn-burner. This PCIe 4.0 and a Hydro version with a liquid-cooling
SSD hangs with and sometimes bests the jacket. Corsair sent us the 2TB version of the
fastest drives we’ve ever tested, for a former for testing. The plain MP600 Pro XT is
considerably lower price than its fellow available in 1TB/$200 (fave.co/3kJX5vC),
hot-rod rivals. And if you want to get fancy, 2TB/$400 (fave.co/3nnUIQP), and
there’s even a version designed to plug into 4TB/$990 flavors (fave.co/3DuOsMM). Add
the liquid-cooling setup of exotic PCs, for a $25 for the water jacket in the 2TB capacity,
minimal markup. and $10 in the 4TB capacity.
64 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: CORSAIR

Beyond the unique cooling option, the
MP600 Pro XT’s design is par for the course.
It’s a PCIe 4 x4, NVMe SSD using the
common 2280 (22 mm wide,
80 mm long) form
factor. The
controller is a
Phison
PS5018-E18 and
NAND is Micron
176-layer 3D TLC The slightly pricier Hydro
version of the MP600 Pro XT has
(Triple Level Cel/3- a liquid cooling jacket in place of the
bit). There’s 1GB of standard heat sink.
DRAM cache for every
1TB of capacity, and dynamic secondary PERFORMANCE
cache is employed. The MP600 Pro XT is the first drive we’ve seen
Dynamic means that the amount of NAND that performs on par with Seagate’s mighty
written as SLC (Single Level Cell/1-bit) varies FireCuda 530. It actually set a new record for
with the workload. Writing a single bit, off/on our 48GB transfer tests. Given that it’s more
voltage is far faster than writing three bits due affordable than its rival and most top-tier
to the error checking required with multiple
voltage levels.
CrystalDiskMark 6
Note that the less free space you have, MBps
the less NAND is available for secondary Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 4) Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 3)
Seagate FireCuda 530 (PCIe 4) Samsung 980 Pro (PCIe 4)
caching. And a shout-out goes to Corsair for
Sequential Write
providing the specs without making me jump (Q=32, T=1) 6,861
3,484
through hoops or tear off the heat sink as 6,865
many vendors do these days. 5,188
Sequential Read
The MP600 Pro XT is warrantied for five (Q=32, T=1) 7,315
3,548
years. The 1TB and 2TB capacities are rated 7,290
for 700TBW (terabytes written over the life of 7,129
the drive) per 1TB of capacity, while the 4TB 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
capacity is rated for 3000TBW. That’s a nice The MP600 Pro XT was extremely competitive,
little bonus on your thousand-dollar drive! even besting Seagate’s FireCuda 530 in reading.

REVIEWS CORSAIR MP600 PRO X T SSD
drives, color us impressed. 450GB sustained write, but it was still the
As you can see above, the MP600 Pro XT second-fastest performance we’ve seen. Note
actually beat the FireCuda 530 in that the company promise is 7100MBps read
CrystalDiskMark 6’s sequential read test. But and 6800MBps write performance—less than
the news gets even better. Yup, the MP600 what we saw.
Pro XT is faster than the FireCuda 530 by 5 The company stated that it would use the
seconds overall when transferring 48GB files Micron B47 NAND used on our test unit or
and file sets. The MP600 Pro XT fell a bit off better, or roll out a new part number. Another
the FireCuda 530’s pace on our ultra-long shoutout to Corsair for that.
The PCIe 3 tests utilize Windows 10 64-bit
running on a Core i7-5820K/Asus X99
48GB Transfers Deluxe system with four 16GB Kingston
Seconds
2666MHz DDR4 modules, a Zotac (Nvidia)
Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 4) Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 3)
Seagate FireCuda 530 (PCIe 4) Samsung 980 Pro (PCIe 4) GT 710 1GB x2 PCIe graphics card, and an
Total Time Asmedia ASM3242 USB 3.2×2 card. It also
220
280 contains a Gigabyte GC-Alpine Thunderbolt
225
239
3 card, and Softperfect Ramdisk 3.4.6 for the
48GB Folder 85
48GB read and write tests.
Write
111 The PCIe 4 testing was done on an MSI
87
98
MEG X570 motherboard socketing an AMD
48GB Folder 90
Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core CPU, using the same
Read
118
93
97
48GB Write
450GB Single File Write
23
Seconds
24
Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 4) Corsair MP600 Pro Xt (PCIe 3)
22
Seagate FireCuda 530 (PCIe 4) Samsung 980 Pro (PCIe 4)
22
48GB Read 22 450GB Write 207
27 240
23 191
22 258
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 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 MP600 Pro XT turned in an outstanding Though the Seagate FireCuda 530 beat the
performance in our 48GB transfer tests. This MP600 Pro XT handily in the 450GB write test,
test is as close to real-world performance as you Corsair’s drive was still the second-fastest single
can get. NVMe SSD we’ve tested.

own in the tests
it didn’t win
outright.
Gamers or
others with
intensive
workloads will
benefit from
the heavy-duty
heat sink, or the
liquid-cooling
option.
Considering
the Corsair
MP600 Pro
The Corsair MP600 Pro XT is the first SSD we’ve seen that’s beaten the Seagate XT’s tantalizing
FireCuda 530 at anything. combination of
price,
Kingston DRAM, cards, and benchmark performance, and features, an Editor’s
software. ImDisk replaces Softperfect as the Choice award was no-brainer. We highly
RAM disk. All testing is performed on an recommend it.
empty or nearly empty drive that’s TRIM’d
after every set of tests. Corsair MP600 Pro XT SSD
Write performance will decrease as the
drive fills up. In some cases, components may PROS
• Fantastic performance.
change. If your drive, given similar hardware, • Hefty heat sink (removable).
does not perform as well as our test unit, let • Liquid-cooling option.
• Affordable for PCIe 4.
us know.
CONS
• Much pricier than PCIe 3 drives.
BOTTOM LINE BOTTOM LINE
A liquid-cooling option sets this blazingly fast NVMe
The MP600 Pro XT is a very pleasant surprise SSD apart from the crowd. It’s also nicely affordable
coming from Corsair. It’s the first SSD we’ve for a PCIe 4 drive. The Corsair MP600 Pro XT is a
worthy competitor to the Seagate FireCuda 530.
seen that has beaten the mighty Seagate
$200
FireCuda 530 at anything, and it holds its

REVIEWS
LG Gram 17 (2021) : Lightweight

and primed for productivity
Big screen, light weight. BY DOMINIC BAYLEY
The LG Gram 17’s purpose is battery life, further adding to its versatility as
obvious: to deliver lightweight a portable productivity workhorse.
productivity chops in a 17-inch Combined, these features make it a standout
laptop that’s lighter than some in the category.
13-inch laptops. It performs that task
exceptionally well. LG’s notebook also has a SPECIFICATIONS
stunning display, and while it won’t break any The LG Gram 17 comes with a 1TB SSD and an
performance records, its 11th-generation Intel Core i7 CPU for $1,650 in black, or in
Tiger Lake CPU runs multiple applications and silver for $1,775. But if you want to scale
office-bound tasks with ease. down you can find 14-, 15-, and 16-inch
The LG Gram 17 also offers Thunderbolt versions as well, though those are named for
4 functionality and a better than all-day their respective display sizes instead. Here are
68 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: LG

the specifications for our review unit (model comparison, the Gigabyte Aero 17 weighs
17Z90P): 5.5 pounds.
CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7 As a result, the LG Gram 17 is an
RAM: 16GB LPDDR4X/4266MHz exceptional option for work and study
GPU: Intel Iris Xe (Shared) where frequent travel is required. Its
Display: 17-inch IPS-grade WQXGA presence was barely noticeable in my
(2560×1600), 16:10 ratio satchel. Carrying it, I couldn’t help but think
Storage: 1TB (M.2 2280) NVMe SSD it’s the kind of device you’d like to be
Right side ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 hauling if you want to avoid repetitive strain
(power delivery/display), UFS/MicroSD card injuries and postural problems.
slot A downside to being so light, though, is
Left side ports: 2x USB-A (3.2 Gen 2), that the Gram 17 does occasionally break a
HDMI 2.0 (up to 60Hz), 3.5mm headphone cardinal rule for laptops: Thou shalt not flex.
jack The top did slightly cave in when I applied
Networking: Intel Wi-Fi 6AX201 some pressure, and the screen wobbled for a
(2.4Gbps),Bluetooth 5.1 second each time I flipped it open. Did these
Dimensions: 14.97x10.24x0.7 inches things affect my experience? Not at all, since
(380.2x260.1x17.8mm) there are more sweeteners to compensate.
Weight: 2.98 lbs (1.35kg); 3.5 lbs (1.5kg) For example, there’s a neat hidden hinge
with AC adapter that tucks underneath the lower bezel,
Battery type: 80Whr battery allowing the display to sit higher up so you
Operating system: Windows 10 Home get a better view of it. Its fans are remarkably
quiet. The Gram also has U.S. military grade
DESIGN AND BUILD MIL-STD 810G durability certification,
The LG Gram 17 sports a nanocarbon and reassuring me that while it might move
magnesium chassis with silver Gram logos somewhat, it’s not going to break easily.
on the top cover and lower bezel. At
14.7x10.25 inches, its chassis is more KEYBOARD AND TRACKPAD
compact than that of 17-inch laptops like In our review of the 2019 version of the LG
the Dell Inspiron 17 (16.3x11 inches) and Gram 17 (fave.co/3wSC2Ma), one criticism
Gigabyte Aero 17 (15.6x10.6 inches), but was its keyboard. A full-size number pad
it’s still a pretty sizable presence on your meant that some keys were reduced in size,
desk. Despite this, it weighs just 2.98 affecting typing accuracy. Thankfully, this
pounds, which is quite remarkable. In problem has been fixed in the 2021 Gram 17.

REVIEWS LG GR AM 17 (2021)
release—are now wider,

reducing the chance of mistypes.
What’s more, these keys have
plenty of travel and are whisper
quiet and super bouncy. They’re
also comfortably backlit with a
soft light-blue light. Added up,
these features meant writing on
the LG Gram 17 keyboard was
never a chore.
When it came to the laptop’s
trackpad, the LG Gram 17 left a
good impression. The
The LG Gram 17 (2021) keyboard. rectangular pad felt silky-smooth
to touch and was the perfect size
for my fingers to navigate. It also
registered solid clicks and was
perfectly responsive.
A STUNNING
16:10 DISPLAY
I was hoping the LG Gram 17’s
WQXGA IPS-grade display
would be of a similar quality to
LG’s premium TV panels.
Thankfully, it is. Although not a
The LG Gram (2019) keyboard. touchscreen, its 2560×1600-
pixel display, which has twice the
Although it still sports a full-size number resolution of a FHD panel, displayed videos
pad, the Gram 2021’s keyboard extends and images with an almost clinical crispness.
further to the outer edges of the laptop’s Specifically, there was an absence of the
frame, providing room for generously distortion I sometimes get when viewing
proportioned keys. In particular, the Enter and images on some FHD panels. The panel’s 99
Shift keys—pain points in the previous percent DCI-P3 gamut coverage also

produced color with a vibrancy you’d be hard This extra room was particularly useful
pressed to find in a FHD display. when I was cross-checking figures between
Brightness is its one weakness. LG spreadsheets. It’s a task that can be highly
proffered a manufacturer reading of 300 nits, frustrating without adequate screen space but
which isn’t great for a 2021 premium laptop was a breeze on the LG Gram 17’s generously
(most budget laptops are this dim or dimmer). sized display.
With just standard brightness and no matte As is often the case with laptop speakers,
display, glare can be an issue with outdoor the LG Gram’s two 2-watt stereo speakers
viewing. You might want to stick to working weren’t overly impressive. The sound from
indoors with the LG Gram 17. the downward-facing speakers didn’t sound
Some may think a whole 17-inch display is tinny, but it lacked a strong bass presence.
overkill, but the Gram 17’s panel is the perfect Videos are best viewed with headphones in.
size for productivity. The display, built to a
16:10 aspect ratio rather than a 16:9 ratio, CONNECTIVITY
reaches 1600 pixels rather than 1400 pixels The LG Gram 17 has a good complement of
high. This provides 11 percent more screen ports that should be an asset in any enterprise
height than a 16:9 panel and makes it easier or educational setting, including 2x USB-A
to have multiple large windows open at once. ports, an HDMI port, and a MicroSD card
slot. One of the
biggest productivity
killers is having to wait
too long for files to
transfer to storage
devices, but the Gram
17’s Thunderbolt 4
ports speed this up
considerably. Having
two at your disposal is
highly convenient,
allowing the Gram to
benefit from rapid
power delivery and
charging via one port,
while at the same time

using the other port to display up to two 4K

(with a dock) or one 8K displays. Cinebench R15
Multi-threaded performance
PERFORMANCE Lenovo ThinkBook 14s
Yoga Core i7-1165G7 863
The addition of the Intel Core i7 11th-gen LG Gram 17 (2021)
Core i7-1165G7 835
chipset is the 2021 LG Gram’s biggest Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
776
Core i7-1135G7
upgrade and a worthy one. The processor Dell Latitude 7320
740
Detachable Core i7-1080G7
made light work of tasks like browsing and LG Ultra PC
616
Core i7-1180G7
Microsoft Office applications. Our HP Envy
Core i7-1065G7 579
benchmarks confirm its suitability for those LG Gram 17 (2019)
Core i7-8565U 554
lightweight tasks, but not for CPU-intensive
tasks. To be fair, this is understandable

considering its weight constraints; heavier
laptops generally have cooling advantages that put them in a league of their own.
that equate to a performance advantage Instead, we chose laptops with Intel i5 and i7
when things heat up. CPUs featuring integrated graphics that are
For our comparisons we avoided the mostly unsuitable as dual-purpose
vanguard power category of productivity productivity and gaming systems. These
laptops that includes laptops like the recently included the Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga,
reviewed Acer Swift X (fave.co/3FpJVf7) and Surface Pro 7+, MSI Prestige 14 Tiger, Acer
Dell XPS 17 (fave.co/3vxLp3o). These systems Swift 3, and Surface Pro 7+.
have components like discrete graphics cards Firstly, I ran the PCMark 10 benchmark,
which measures overall laptop performance
in office tasks like web browsing, writing, and
PCMark 10 working with spreadsheets. In this test the LG
CPU performance Gram 17 scored in the high 4900s,
Lenovo ThinkBook 14s
Yoga Core i7-1165G7 5,181 outperforming all the comparisons except the
LG Gram 17 (2021)
4,931 Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga (fave.
Core i7-1165G7
MSI Prestige 14 Tiger
4,898 co/3DrXI4a), which features the same Core
Yoga Core i7-1185G7
Dell Latitude 7320
4,756 i7-1165G7 processor.
Acer Swift 3 The LG Gram again placed a close second
Core i7-1065G7 4,226
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ to the Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga in the next
Core i7-1135G7 4,098
benchmark, the Cinebench R15 Multi-
Threaded performance benchmark. This test

LG Gram 17 lost some performance ground,
Cinebench R15 especially to the Lenovo ThinkBook and
Single-threaded performance Surface Pro 7+, which were significantly faster
Yoga Core i7-1165G7 219 at this task.
LG Ultra PC
Core i7-1180G7 189 Despite being 3 inches shorter, the
HP Envy
188 Lenovo ThinkBook weighs 4.8 ounces more
Core i7-1065G7
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
186 than the LG Gram 17, and its cores probably
Core i7-1135G7
LG Gram 17 (2019)
173 benefit from the allocation of some of this
Core i7-8565U
LG Gram 17 (2021) weight for cooling. The Surface Pro 7+ also
Core i7-1165G7 171
Dell Latitude 7320 surprisingly outperforms the Gram 17. These
Detachable Core i7-1080G7 139
results seem to confirm that the Gram 17 will
slow down a bit during CPU-intensive tasks

and suggests the Gram won’t excel at
stresses all the cores of our laptop’s CPU by creative work requiring 3D modeling,
rendering a graphics scene, providing a rendering, video editing, or CAD.
snapshot of how the laptop can handle In the 3DMark TimeSpy 1.2 benchmark,
general computing tasks. This is a decent which provides a look at 3D graphics
result for the LG Gram 17 and bodes well for performance, the LG Gram 17 proved
its ability to cope with a variety of office marginally better than the Lenovo ThinkBook
applications. 14s Yoga and HP Elite Dragonfly Max but
In our Cinebench single-threaded
benchmark, however, the LG Gram 17 slotted
in below all but the Dell Latitude 7320 HandBrake 0.9.9
Detachable (fave.co/3vvGcJq). This result was Encode 1080p MKV
unexpected considering the LG Gram 17’s Seconds
multi-threaded performance score. Microsoft Surface Pro 7+

Core i7-1135G7 3,245
We moved on to the HandBrake utility Lenovo ThinkBook 14s
Yoga Core i7-1165G7 3,296
test, a CPU-intensive benchmark that we use LG Ultra PC
3,584
Core i7-1180G7
to measure the time it takes our laptop to Dell Latitude 7320
3,975
encode a 32GB 1080P MKV file to an Android LG Gram 17 (2019)
4,049
Core i7-8565U
Tablet. It’s a good evaluation for not just CPU LG Gram 17 (2021)
Core i7-1165G7 4,083
performance, but also overall system cooling, HP Envy
Core i7-1065G7 4,278
as HandBrake encoding takes much longer
than most canned benchmarks. In this test the

this longevity brings can’t be overlooked, and

3DMark Time Spy because of the LG’s 17-inch size and WQXGA
CPU performance resolution display I thought it might run the
Dell Latitude 7320
Detachable Core i7-1080G7 1,544 80Whr battery down sooner. Nope. Along
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+
Core i7-1135G7 1,511 with achieving a mystifyingly low weight, LG
LG Gram 17 (2021)
1,396 has effectively eliminated the other major
Core i7-1165G7
1,372 buyer turnoff for larger laptops—lack of battery
Yoga Core i7-1165G7
HP Elite Dragonfly Max life. This is a big win for the LG Gram 17.
Core i7-1185G7 1,362
BOTTOM LINE
The LG Gram 17 is the lightest, most portable
trailed far behind the Dell Latitude and 17-inch business laptop with productivity
Surface Pro 7+. Admittedly, this tells us what chops available today, an achievement for
we already knew—the LG Gram is no gaming which you’d expect to see some big
rig or creative powerhouse, but it won’t let compromises. Yet its battery life is great, its
you down on the odd chance that your WQXGA display is roomy and a pleasure to
company presentation calls you to show off use, and it holds its own in processing power
some 3D art. for lightweight computing. All in all, the LG
Gram 17 offers a combination that‘s well
BATTERY LIFE worth the price.
The Gram 17 topped the chart in our battery
test running for just over 13 hours. The value LG Gram 17 (2021)
PROS
• Extremely lightweight.
Battery life • Excellent battery life.
Minutes • Stunning display (indoors).
LG Gram 17 (2021) CONS
Core i7-1165G7 785 • Lacks power for demanding tasks.
Acer Swift 3
Core i7-1065G7 784 • Screen a bit glary outdoors.
MSI Prestige 14 Tiger BOTTOM LINE
The LG Gram 17 compromises barely any top-line
Dell Latitude 7320
Detachable Core i7-1080G7 605 functionality to weigh under 3 pounds, excelling in
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ battery life and display quality and offering up
Core i7-1135G7 605 adequate power for its intended lightweight use, a
Lenovo ThinkBook 14s commendable feat for a 17-inch laptop.
$1,650

Dropbox vs. Google Drive: Which
cloud storage is right for you?
Two cloud storage titans, compared. BY MICHAEL CRIDER
oogle’s Drive and Dropbox are Unsurprisingly, Google Drive (fave.
G two of the most popular

options for cloud storage and
backup. Which makes sense,
because the two platforms compete with
each other intensely. Which one is right for
co/3wTSHiz) works best if you’re heavily
invested in Google’s other systems:
Android, Chrome OS, and the Google
Workspace suite of web apps. It’s also a
better value in general. Dropbox (fave.
you? That’s a complex question, and it comes co/3ozGjR6) is a better choice if you’re
down to several factors: your budget, your more concerned with speed and
total backup needs, and which platforms you performance, and you’re willing to pay
want to use them on. for it.
IMAGE: DROPBOX/GOOGLE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 75

REVIEWS DROPBOX VS. GOOGLE DRIVE
PRICING terms of bang for your buck, Dropbox really

At the consumer level, both companies offer only makes sense for individual users who
at least one approximately comparable plan want up to two terabytes of storage, or for
for cloud storage. In the table below we teams of users who need an absolutely
have a quick breakdown of the various plans huge amount: more than Google Drive’s
and prices. As you can see, Google Drive maximum 30TB.
(also known as Google One) offers both more Also, while Google allows free users to
initial, free storage, and more and cheaper access Drive from anywhere and on unlimited
options at different levels of storage. Dropbox devices, Dropbox makes users pay for more
users can boost their free storage by getting than three devices (fave.co/3qTPY7w) to
friends to sign up (fave.co/3HvUS0A) with have easy access via dedicated apps. You can
referral codes, up to 16GB. But making users get around this limit by using the Dropbox
essentially do your marketing for you to get browser tool, but it’s a pretty huge barrier for
what’s free elsewhere isn’t a great value free users.
proposition.
Both companies offer discounts for INTEGRATION
paying yearly instead of monthly. But in Google also wins out on integration with
different platforms. The Google Drive
STORAGE TIERS system is built into most Android phones
and tablets, as well as all Chrome OS–
Google Drive/
Google One Dropbox powered devices, and it’s the default way
2GB N/A Free (bonuses available) to save files in Google Docs and other
15GB Free N/A
Google Workspace tools. On top of that,
100GB $2 a month N/A
Google Drive/One apps are available on
200GB $3 a month N/A
$12 a month iOS and Windows, allowing for easy
2TB $10 a month (one user only), $20 a
month for 6 users
uploads and downloads.
3TB N/A
$20 a month Dropbox is also available pretty
(one user only)
$45 per month
much everywhere, but its integration is
5TB $25 a month (3 user minimum), less seamless on mobile and Chrome
$15 for each extra user
10TB $50 a month N/A
OS. While it’s possible to upload and
20TB $100 a month N/A download to Dropbox on almost any
30TB $150 a month N/A platform (via the browser if not using a
$75 per month
Unlimited N/A (3 user minimum), dedicated app), it may take a few more
$25 for each extra user
steps. The three-device limit on a free

to, the platform would prefer you to use its
built-in search tools.
Dropbox, on the other hand, assumes
that you generally know where you put
your stuff, and makes it easy to navigate
through folders and subfolders
either on an app or in a desktop
directory. It’s not effortlessly
intuitive, but it’s familiar to anyone
who’s been using desktops and
laptops for most of their adult lives.
It’s a PC-first approach, rather than
the (perhaps understandable) mobile-
style interface of Drive.
Dropbox account is a big limiter in this area
as well. PERFORMANCE
Both Google Drive and Dropbox integrate While Google Drive is by no means slow,
with a variety of other often-used services, like Dropbox gets the edge in performance, too.
Microsoft Office, Slack, Adobe Creative When trying to upload massive amounts of
Cloud, Zoom, and so on. Dropbox even lets both large and small data, Dropbox gave me
you sign in with a Google or Apple account if consistently faster upload speeds. That’s a
you like.
USABILITY
While Google is a clear winner
on value, and they’ve made it
easy to access your files on
multiple platforms, Dropbox still
has an edge on usability, in my
opinion. Google Drive tends to
treat its storage as one big pool
of data, and while it has support
for the basic directory system of
folders most PC users are used

REVIEWS DROPBOX VS. GOOGLE DRIVE
notable consideration if you plan on hitting connected to the local network. It’s a small
your storage hard and frequently. but crucial advantage if what you’re really
Dropbox also has a feature that makes it looking for is a bucket of syncing storage
faster to send files around your local that’s quick and easy to access.
network: LAN sync (fave.co/32c4Sfh). This
tool allows files added to your Dropbox SHARING STORAGE AND
account to start copying over local Ethernet PC BACKUP
or Wi-Fi connections even before they’re As you might expect, Google comes out
fully uploaded to the cloud. In practical ahead in terms of sharing storage between
terms, this makes a file added on your phone family members. While Google One plans
(say, a new photo you took of your pet) can be shared with up to five extra family
appear almost instantaneously in the members (for a total of six users) on the
Dropbox folder on your Windows or MacOS cheapest $2 a month tier, Dropbox only
computer, so long as both devices are unlocks this option once you start paying $20
a month for 2TB of storage.
Individual files can be shared easily on
both platforms, and there’s not much of a
difference between Google Drive and
Dropbox if you’re sharing accounts. But
unless you need a truly massive amount of
storage on Dropbox, Google Drive is better
in terms of value if you want to share that
storage between two or more users.
Both systems offer tools to back up your
PC’s files to the cloud in a systemwide
fashion…sort of. While it’s certainly possible
to treat Google Drive or Dropbox as a cloud
backup system, these platforms really aren’t
designed for a regular emergency backup.
Their slow upload speed and cumbersome
backup tools put them well behind dedicated
services like Carbonite (fave.co/3Hvq4Nv) or
Backblaze (fave.co/3cimYOB). I wouldn’t
give either one extra points of this feature.

unlocking some of its more
premium options under more
expensive consumer or
business accounts. Even the
full text search, a fairly basic
tool that you can perform
yourself on local files in just
about any OS, isn’t available
at the free tier. Once again,
Dropbox’s less generous
nature is hurting it in this
comparison.
BOTTOM LINE
While Dropbox has a superior
(For more on this topic, see our roundup of interface and user experience (at least for
the best cloud backup services [fave. people who prefer conventional PC-style file
co/3FWaMk6].) systems), and its performance and LAN sync
tools can leave the competition in the dust,
EXTRAS Google is offering a better product and a
On top of the above tools, there are less better value on almost all other points of
tangible advantages to both systems. comparison.
Purchasing extra Google Drive storage via the From the price of premium storage, to
Google One system gets you: integration with desktop and mobile
• Shared space for Gmail messages and operating systems, to less tangible bonuses
attachments and Google Photos as part of the Google One system, Drive is a
• Free access to the Google One VPN on clear winner. That’s doubly true if you’re
Android (fave.co/3nongcY) looking to stick to free tools.
• Discounts on purchases in the Google That isn’t to say Dropbox is necessarily a
Store bad choice. The extra performance and better
• Occasional deals on travel and some interface it offers might be worth it, especially
other items for users who don’t necessarily need the
How about Dropbox? Once again, massive amount of storage Google provides.
Dropbox is more stingy with its tools, Just be aware of the trade-off in value.

FEATURE
THE BEST PC
HARDWAR
SOFTWARE
OF 2021/20
THE BEST OF THE BEST, AS CHOSEN
BY THE PCWORLD EDITORS.
BY BRAD CHACOS

C
RE AND
E
022

FEATURE THE BEST PC HARDWARE AND SOFT WARE OF 2021/2022
f 2020 was a banner year for PC
I hardware (fave.co/3kOkMD1),
expectations came crashing back down
to earth in 2021. The reason? Chip
shortages and the supply chain crunch.
Simply getting your hands on new hardware
VIDEO: BEST PC
HARDWARE OF 2021:
THE FULL NERD AWARDS
Watch now at fave.co/318ArWL
helps you look and sound as impressive as

proved to be frustratingly difficult for most of possible took major strides forward in 2021.
the year, and even when you could find And this year we’re expanding our list of top
something to buy, it often sold for a picks to include the best software available,
staggering mark-up. as what you use all that computing power for
But that doesn’t mean PC vendors took is just as vital.
their foot off the gas. We tested some truly For this list, we asked PCWorld’s tech
impressive hardware in 2021, including experts to share their favorite picks in their
blazing-fast next-gen SSDs and notebooks areas of expertise. Without further ado, this is
that run laps around yesteryear’s models. Are the best PC hardware and software of 2021
you into streaming video? Hardware that and 2022. Yes, we’re looking forward to next
year, because until even newer products
begin launching in 2022, many of the
wins on this list will remain very relevant,
especially with no end to the chip
shortage in sight (fave.co/3wOPaBP).
BEST DESKTOP CPU:

INTEL 12TH-GEN ALDER
LAKE PROCESSORS
After several painful, painful rebuilding
seasons, Intel is back in championship
form once again with its stunning new
12th-gen Alder Lake Core series of
hybrid CPUs, which pack a mixture of
high-performance and high-efficiency
cores. Although the flagship Core
i9-12900K (see page 33) doesn’t
completely dominate AMD’s fabulous

Ryzen 9 chips (fave.co/3caTZfh) in all things,
it offers enough of a performance lead in
some very important areas—such content
creation apps and (if you squint your eyes
enough) gaming—to make Alder Lake the
clear winner for those who can afford the
entry price of cutting-edge DDR5 memory
(fave.co/3ot8wJ6).
But the real star in Intel’s
12th-gen lineup is the Core
i5-12600K (fave.
co/3qL4bDX), which inflicts so
much pain on AMD’s Ryzen 5 5600X
that a timeout was called while the Ryzen
5 was carried off the field on a stretcher. What
2022 holds isn’t known, but for 2021, there is
one dominant pick when it comes to CPUs:
Intel’s 12th-gen Alder Lake processors.
—Gordon Mah Ung 14 (fave.co/3FrZ7s5), built on Intel’s latest
11th-gen Tiger Lake CPU with Xe graphics. It
BEST THIN-AND-LIGHT offers screen options ranging from
LAPTOP: HP SPECTRE 1920×1080 IPS to a 3000×2000 OLED
X360 14 display, and with its 66 watt-hour battery, you
PC laptop buyers have an embarrassment of can expect all-day battery performance. Its
riches (fave.co/3qL4oHf) to pick from, but for stylish diamond-cut exterior also tells the
most people, a 360 convertible is the apex world that you actually think differently, too.
machine. Convertibles are basically —Gordon Mah Ung
indistinguishable from traditional clamshell
notebooks, but give you all the flexibility of a BEST GAMING LAPTOP:
tablet as well. That means you get touch and MSI GE76 RAIDER
even pen support on top of the usual You know MSI’s GE76 Raider (fave.
touchpad and keyboard combo. co/3FvJhN1) is something special when you
Our pick for the best thin-and-light laptop have none other than Apple tapping it for
easily goes to HP’s wonderful Spectre x360 comparisons to the hyped-up MacBook Pro

with its M1 Max to the GE76 (fave.

co/3nstxUS). Even better, Apple actually
admits that its very best M1 Max MacBook Pro
16 is slower than the Raider in the
comparison.
While we don’t think the two
laptops are in the same category to
even merit the comparison, we’re
not surprised Apple focused on MSI’s
killer gaming laptop (fave.co/3n3aNKv).
With its 8-core Intel 11th-gen Core
i9-11980HK Tiger Lake H processor, Nvidia’s BEST SSD: CORSAIR MP600
GeForce RTX 3080 GPU pushing a smoking PRO XT
165 watt TGP rating, and a buttery-smooth Corsair’s MP600 Pro XT (see page 64) passed
360Hz gaming panel, this hefty 6.6-pound our portals rather late in the year, but we’re
laptop packs some serious gaming and glad it showed up. It matches the blazingly
productivity firepower. Did we mention all the fast Seagate FireCuda 530‘s (fave.co/3vs8HYl)
RGB, too? —Gordon Mah Ung in performance, but is slightly less expensive,
and more important, Corsair’s ultra-fast drive
is generally available in both 1TB and 2TB
capacities. Seagate’s barn-burner is often in
short supply, tipping the scales toward
Corsair’s offering in the battle for the best SSD
(fave.co/2Z26gQg).—Jon Jacobi
BEST ANTIVIRUS:
NORTON 360 DELUXE
It may not be the most exciting choice, but
Norton’s long-lived security solution (fave.
co/30Bk59o) remains our top pick for the
best antivirus for Windows (fave.
co/3CnDHuk). The price is
right, at just over $100 for a
year of Norton 360 Deluxe

a spotlight on the best
discrete desktop video
card released over the
past 12 months. And
sure, several new
graphics cards were
released in 2021, from
1080p-focused offerings
like the Radeon RX 6600
(fave.co/3nquWvm) and
Nvidia GeForce RTX
3060 (fave.co/3lUcqKX)
to heavy-hitting 4K
behemoths like the
covering five devices. The suite offers a good $1,200 GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (fave.
amount of features, and the protection is co/3oGAMrR). But the chip shortage’s effects
top-notch. Norton also has a wide variety of were felt most acutely in the graphics space,
products to choose from, including Norton exacerbated by incredible demand from
360 for Gamers, which focuses on gamer-
centric features like a game optimizer and a
VPN to protect against DDoS attacks,
which are sometimes deployed by
hackers in certain games. Above all,
Norton is one of the more quiet antivirus
solutions. It just goes about its business
and doesn’t bother you with too many
pop-ups and notifications. Norton simply
works and does a fantastic job of
protecting you.—Ian Paul
BEST GPU: RYZEN 5000

APUS
Usually this category is called “Best
Graphics Card” (fave.co/3DOEuWk), casting

crypto-currency miners who use their graphics BEST THUNDERBOLT DOCK:

cards to mint virtual coins for real-world profits. PLUGABLE’S PLUGABLE
Understandably—though disappointingly— TBT3-UDZ
every new graphics card launched this year hit Plugable’s TBT3-UDZ
store shelves with staggering price tags, is simply the very best
though they also sold out instantly, only to Thunderbolt dock
appear on secondhand retailers like Ebay and we’ve seen, ever
Craigslist at up to twice the price of those (fave.co/3vtA0BE).
already inflated MSRPs. Gross. Plugable intrinsically
So this year we’re switching gears. The understands that
best gaming option for most people with Thunderbolt docks
modest budgets isn’t a graphics card at all, are about displays
but the GPU cores integrated into AMD’s (two 4K60 displays,
game-ready Ryzen 5000G APUs, which specifically), and it
remain in stock in both DIY form (fave. provides two HDMI
co/3wYLAW0) and inside numerous prebuilt and two
systems (fave.co/3CtuEbk). “You can build a DisplayPort ports
Ryzen 5 5700G machine today and get to accommodate
outstanding CPU performance along with whatever you have on your desk. There’s
OK gaming performance,” we said in our boatloads of other ports, too, and 96 watts
review (fave.co/3HxAKLA). Yes, you’ll need of charging power to top it all off. I absolutely
to dial down some graphics options for the love this thing.
best performance, but you’ll be able to play The catch? It’s extremely hard to find.
e-sports games and even triple-A titles at a While this model is clearly the best
decent clip at 720p or 1080p resolution. At Thunderbolt dock, the Plugable TBT3-UDC3
$259 for the Ryzen 5 5600G (fave. is smaller, cheaper, and slightly more
co/3CtuEbk) and $369 for the Ryzen 7 available. If you find one, buy it. Now.
5700G (fave.co/3HxAKLA), they aren’t —Mark Hachman
exactly cheap, especially since you’ll also
need a motherboard to plop them into. But BEST USB MICROPHONE
remember that you’re getting both a CPU FOR STREAMING: NZXT
and a doable GPU stand-in for the price. CAPSULE
And, hey, they’re actually in stock. Arguably the most important piece of
—Brad Chacos streaming hardware is a great microphone

(fave.co/3cuorkE). This top it off, the design is uniquely NZXT, with
year, PC component trademark gridded holes on the back and a
maker NZXT brought two-toned white version that makes it very
the company’s first stylish despite its larger size.—Adam Patrick
microphone to Murray
market with the $130
NZXT Capsule (fave. BEST PASSWORD
co/323f4Xg), MANAGER: LASTPASS
which is dead There is simply no excuse for being lazy
simple to use and about passwords—not when a password
sounds fantastic. manager makes using best practices so easy.
The Capsule is LastPass (fave.co/3CtvmFq) is the gold
packed with killer standard when it comes to this essential role.
specs, sports a Install the browser plugin, and LastPass
fairly large condenser capsule, and serves as a combination password generator,
is plug-and-play over an included password vault, and form filler, saving you
USB-C cable. the trouble of memorizing and manually
The sound entering any of your often-used credentials
profile is on or personal information. A Secure Notes
the warmer feature lets you store sensitive information,
side, with plenty of deep like bank account numbers, associated with
vocal reproduction for booming voices, and the various sites you visit.
clean and even highs for clarity.
One of the best features of this
mic is the included
detachable stand. It’s
large, heavy, super
solid, and something
I could actually
recommend
someone using
(which isn’t always the
case with these type
of desktop mics). To

The free version is limited to one device Intel’s 11th-gen Core chips hold the
type—PC or mobile. The Premium tier ($3 a high-ground on lightly threaded tasks and
month) supports unlimited devices and offers performance while on battery, with Ryzen
dark-web monitoring for vulnerabilities and 5000 U beating Intel’s processors in multi-
emergency access to your account. See our threaded tasks.
full review of LastPass (fave.co/3HwaMbf), as And just when it looked easy to declare
well as our roundup of all password managers AMD’s Ryzen 5000 H-class the winner, Intel
(fave.co/3lRkfRz).—Katherine Stevenson hit back with 11th-gen Tiger Lake H CPUs
(fave.co/3oJlDWP) that just slightly edge out
BEST LAPTOP CPUS the Ryzen 5000 H chips.
It’s been a banner year for laptop buyers So what’s the winner? There are really two
shopping for powerful CPUs thanks to classes of laptops today—really thin and light,
intense—and we mean intense—competition and really fast.
between AMD and Intel. We first saw the year For the really thin and light category, we’d
kick off with AMD’s Ryzen 5000 H-class be torn between Ryzen and Core i7, but the
gaming processors (fave.co/3nsxBEC) arriving 11th-gen Core came out last year. That leaves
to smash a folding chair on Intel’s elderly AMD’s impressive Ryzen 5000 chips as the
10th-gen H-class CPUs. AMD then followed up best CPU for thin-and-light laptops in 2021.
with its Ryzen 5000 U-class or low-power It’s an easy one to argue since you’re getting
consumption chips, which battled Intel’s an unheard-of eight cores of performance in
11th-gen Tiger Lake U chips to a laptops weighing less than 3 pounds.
standstill. In the need-for-speed
category, it’s a very
close race, but we
give the nod to Intel’s
11th-gen Tiger Lake H for
two reasons. First, it has the
slight edge in performance, giving
you a full x16 lanes of PCIe Gen 4, plus
support for PCIe Gen 4 SSDs (fave.
co/3vs9d8J). It’s simply a richer, fuller feature
set than AMD’s Ryzen H-class chips offer. The
other reason is the elephant in the room: You
don’t buy a laptop CPU without the rest of the

shared networks—to
just about any
destination of your
choosing, including
removable media.
Acronis essentially
has it all. Backups in
our tests were
performed quickly
and without incident,
making this the kind
of comprehensive,
easy-to-use, worry-
free experience you
want from a backup
program.
As the program’s
new name suggests,
laptop around it, and Intel’s Tiger Lake H is it offers more than just backups. Acronis
simply paired with more laptops with faster throws in malware and ransomware
hardware than their AMD counterparts.— protection, too. And if you opt for the
Gordon Mah Ung Advanced or Premium tiers, you can expect
bundled cloud storage and blockchain
BEST WINDOWS BACKUP certification of files as part of the mix,
SOFTWARE: ACRONIS respectively. Read our full review (fave.
TRUE IMAGE co/3oJm0AH).—Katherine Stevenson
There’s a reason Acronis True Image (recently
renamed Cyber Protect Home Office [fave. BEST USB-C DONGLE:
co/3oM78BI]) has remained our top pick for ANKER POWEREXPAND+
Windows backup software (fave.co/3nlNb3Z) 7-IN-1 USB C HUB ADAPTER
for years now. It offers all the functionality you Ordering a USB-C hub (fave.co/30z4JBG) is a
would expect: full, incremental, and little bit like ordering from an à la carte menu:
differential backup options—not just from These slow-speed cousins of Thunderbolt
your PC, but also your phone and any remote docks are far cheaper and far more

our choice for most people simply because

it’s easy to use, has all the features folks
typically need, and hides nicely behind your
rear-view mirror. We also love the clever
magnetic mount.
On the other hand, the 422GW is a
dual-channel cam, offering a modular interior
view, a rear window view, and—uniquely—
telephoto rear-view secondary cameras. Both
come in at around $230, but the 422GW’s
modules cost extra. Quite a bit extra, at $100
apiece. So what kind of dash cam do you
need? This year, both picks will have you
ubiquitous, but offer a covered.—Jon Jacobi
ton of expansion ports for
laptops. Anker’s $35 7-in-1 BEST VPN: MULLVAD
hub (fave.co/3nrtJnq) offers Choosing the best VPN (fave.co/3FtTTMs) is
everything but Ethernet connectivity, but the a tough job. Do you prioritize privacy and
upgraded 8-in-1 model with Ethernet costs anonymity, or do you pick something that
$90 (fave.co/3nqv2TM), which seems comes loaded with features? For our money,
extreme. Go with the $35 model instead. privacy is still the top consideration when it
—Mark Hachman comes to VPNs, which is why we highly
BEST DASH CAM:

GARMIN DASH
CAM 57 OR
NEXTBASE 422GW
This year’s best dash cam (fave.
co/3Ct8MwS) is a pick between
Garmin’s compact, low-profile,
set-it-and-forget-it Dash Cam 57
(fave.co/3kN1duK) and the
ultra-versatile Nextbase 422GW
(fave.co/3DtLOXF). The Garmin is

streaming hardware
specialist Elgato,
which released its
first webcam in 2021,
seeking to bring
top-of-the-line
camera specs and
deep controls down
to affordable
webcam prices. It
succeeded.
At $200, the
Elgato Facecam
recommend Mullvad (fave.co/ 3Cywibv). Its (fave.co/3wXLvlk) was made with streamers
speeds are within our top 10, and of all the and experienced camera users in mind,
no-logs VPNs out there, Mullvad has the best delivering a unique webcam that rivals the
approach by far, saving as little information best. Elgato focused on the basics with this
about its customers as possible. Pricing is also device and augmented them with killer
good, and the app is easy to use. If features
are your main concern, however, then we’d
recommend either NordVPN (fave.
co/3wX9BwC) or ExpressVPN (fave.
co/3nthVRR). Both have top-notch speeds
like Mullvad, and both support Netflix
overseas viewing. Privacy is good with
these services, but it simply isn’t up to the
standard of Mullvad.—Ian Paul
BEST WEBCAM
FOR STREAMING:
ELGATO FACECAM
Top streamers use mirrorless cameras
connected to their PCs, but those setups can
be both expensive and finicky. Enter

software that feels right at home for people open-backed gaming headphones out there,
who know camera lingo like ISO and color so I’m very excited to have such a great option
temperatures. While the 1080p 60FPS signal with this line.
sounds generic on paper, the image Pricing is a bit steep at $179 (fave.
is nothing but. The Facecam packs a high-end co/3oJ6nJg), considering the headset features
Sony sensor connected via an uncompressed an analog-only connection that is meant to be
signal for low latency and minimal artificing to paired with a nice DAC, but if you put audio
whatever streaming program you use. It’s a quality above feature sets then the H6Pro is a
premium webcam experience that isn’t quite must-try.—Adam Patrick Murray
perfect but brings the right things to the
table. The Elgato Facecam should push the
industry further.
—Adam Patrick Murray
BEST GAMING HEADSET:

EPOS H6PRO
The EPOS name may be fairly new to the
headset game, but the tech and engineering
minds behind them aren’t. The EPOS H6Pro
is a spiritual successor to the Sennheiser
GSP600/500, a gaming headset that had an
uncomfortable and off-putting design for
some people. Luckily the H6Pro focuses on
the basics. The sleek low-profile design is
lightweight for less stress during long gaming
sessions, and the audio quality is superb. On
top of that, EPOS offers an open-backed
version of the H6Pro,
which produces
even better
audio quality due
to its design and is
my preferred headset configuration for
work and play. There aren’t enough

The sooner you recognize
the signs, the sooner you
can help your child.
ScreenForAutism.org
FEATURE
WHERE
ARE ALL
THE OLED
MONITORS?
WHY THE BEST
DISPLAYS AREN’T
ON THE PC
DESKTOP MONITORS ARE
ESPECIALLY PRONE TO
BURN-IN MARKS.
BY MATT SMITH

FEATURE WHERE ARE ALL THE OLED MONITORS?
any enthusiasts consider long way in TVs and notebooks,” says Ross
Mfrom Samsung.
OLED the best display
quality. You’ll find OLED in LG
TVs, Apple’s new iPhones,
and a long list of smartphones and tablets
Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain
Consultants (fave.co/3DuSmFv). “But the
technology for monitors is not there yet.
There will be some monitors promoted in
2022 that use TV fabs. However, those
If you want to enjoy OLED on a PC, monitors will not be as high in resolution as
however, your options are limited. A small LCD monitors.”
handful of laptops, like the Dell XPS 13 and It is possible to produce 27-inch or
Samsung Galaxy Book, offer an OLED display. 32-inch 4K OLED panel, says Young, but the
A few OLED monitors exist, but most are production is low volume and “not cost
massive screens designed for use in a living optimized.” That’s why the few desktop-size
room, not on a desk. OLED monitors to hit the market in the past
Why is this true? And will it change five years were extraordinarily expensive (fave.
anytime soon? co/2YXsHWO).
The high price can be difficult to justify,
OLED DESKTOP MONITORS especially to mainstream shoppers unaware
DON’T EXIST BECAUSE of OLED’s benefits. “Consumers are generally
(ALMOST) NO ONE CAN very approving of OLED displays,” says
MAKE THEM
Desktop monitors are popular
among PC enthusiasts but,
compared to other markets for
displays, they’re a small market
with small margins. As a result,
companies that produce OLED
panels place a focus on panels for
markets with more volume.
Production that targets other
devices, like TVs, can be used to
produce a monitor—but the results
might not be what you expect.
“OLEDs can be produced cost OLED monitors, such as Dell’s UltraSharp display,
effectively in smartphones and have come a are extraordinarily expensive.

Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst at Moor Insights
& Strategy (fave.co/3FqI8GG), “but it’s one
of those technologies that you have to ‘see’
to believe, and that’s why you don’t quite get
enough people switching over to it.”
There is light at the end of the tunnel—
but that tunnel may be pretty long. Young
thinks PC enthusiasts will need to wait until
2024 and beyond, when the
“next generation” of
OLED fabs
comes
online, before
OLED becomes
cost-effective for monitors. That
doesn’t mean monitors won’t advance, Asus’s Zenbook Pro Duo 15 OLED UX582 has a
however. High-end monitors will move to beautiful screen.
embrace Mini-LED technology, which should
prove more affordable in the short term. million through 2021. I saw this commitment
first-hand. I’ve handled a half-dozen new
LAPTOP SHOPPERS laptops with a Samsung OLED display this
WON’T HAVE TO WAIT year, some of which were, in an unusual
FOR MORE OLED OPTIONS move, sent to me directly from Samsung
2021 was a good year for OLED laptops. Display. The company wants the world to
Asus, Dell, HP, and Samsung now offer know it’s serious about OLED in laptops.
several laptops with an OLED display. They’ve OLED’s popularity should only increase as
performed well in our testing (fave. improvements reduce power consumption.
co/3qPJFSD), with sufficient brightness for “There are a number of near-term advances
day-to-day use, an excellent contrast ratio, expected in reducing power,” says Young.
and vibrant color performance. “These developments combined could
Thank Samsung. Young says the reduce OLEDs power by more than 50
company’s display division, Samsung Display, percent.” Future OLED manufacturing will
made a commitment to rapidly grow the also reduce costs to make OLED more
market from 1.1 million panels in 2020 to 5.4 competitive with LCDs in midrange laptops.

FEATURE WHERE ARE ALL THE OLED MONITORS?
LG’s 48-inch CX OLED television has received rave reviews.
BURN-IN IS A PROBLEM compensation features, like pixel orbiting, to

WITH NO EASY SOLUTION decrease the chance of burn-in over time.
Linus Tech Tips published a video in October Still, it’s unclear when (or if) future OLED
of 2020 headlined “Every Other Monitor Is innovations will entirely resolve the problem.
Dead to Me.” It was Linus Sebastian’s love It doesn’t help that desktop monitors are a
letter to the 48-inch LG CX OLED television worst-case stress test for OLED burn-in.
(fave.co/3FuqtxI). Nine months later, Linus Windows 11 and MacOS are designed with
was back with a sorta-kinda retraction (fave. large static elements, like the Windows
co/323rkXM). He was still in love with the LG taskbar and MacOS dock, that rarely move or
CX OLED, but the burn-in was real. disappear even as applications are opened
“One solution to this issue is tandem and closed. Modern habits contribute, too.
structures, which could double brightness Two decades of LCD monitor dominance
and increase efficiency and extend the have taught owners it’s OK to leave a monitor
lifetime of OLED devices,” says Young. turned on, and without a screen saver, when
Manufacturers also continue to refine it’s not in use.

“It would be nice if Microsoft were to 2024, increasing capacity and lowering
solve this problem in Windows 11,” says Sag, prices to a point that’s more appealing for
“especially since they finally fixed the HDR desktop monitors. Laptops will move ahead
problems Windows 10 had.” However, of desktop monitors, though it’ll likely be
Microsoft hasn’t announced a plan to mitigate years before they have a shot at matching the
OLED burn-in issues. I don’t find that volume of LCDs.
surprising. Microsoft didn’t move That’s bad news if you want an OLED now,
aggressively to support HDR until HDR but there is a bright side. PC enthusiasts
monitors reached the mainstream market shopping for a premium monitor today can
(fave.co/3BRX0MQ). I think the same will buy without worry that a tsunami of better
prove true of OLED. OLED monitors will make it obsolete the very
next year.
WANT A 4K
OLED GAMING
MONITOR? COME
BACK IN 2025
Young’s and Sag’s insights are
not good news for PC
enthusiasts hoping to replicate
the experience of using an LG
CX OLED on a monitor that’s
practical for a typical desk. A few
4K OLED monitors, like the LG
UltraFine 32EP950-B (fave.
co/3DwD9DI), may trickle into
stores over the next few years.
However, pricing will remain
high and availability will be limited. It’s
also unclear when 4K OLED monitors will
receive expected gaming-centric features,
including a high refresh rate and
black frame insertion.
The situation will improve as new LG’s UltraFine 32EP950-B is one of the few 4K
OLED production becomes available through OLED monitors available.

“My wife knew that I was
mixing things up at work.”
— Mario, living with Alzheimer’s
When something feels different,

it could be Alzheimer’s.
Now is the time to talk.
Visit
alz.org/ourstories
to learn more
Here’s How HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN,
AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR
Auto HDR deep dive: How

and why to use Windows 11’s
eye-catching game feature
Can older games really look like new? What do you need to run Auto HDR?
We explain all. BY MATT SMITH
indows 11 (fave. sure to have PC gamers eyeing an upgrade to
W co/3cdEtj3) brings Auto

HDR, first introduced on
the Xbox Series X|S
consoles, to the PC. The feature promises to
make older titles look just as bright and
Windows 11 (fave.co/3FccfS2). Is it worth
making the leap?
We’ve dug deep into Windows 11’s Auto
HDR to find the answer. Here’s everything you
need to know: the hardware you need to how
vibrant as newer HDR-compatible releases to set it up, image quality comparisons with
without a major hit to performance. That’s the feature on and off, and comparisons of
IMAGE: GORODENKOFF/SHUTTERSTOCK DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 101

HERE’S HOW AUTO HDR DEEP DIVE
how Windows 11’s Auto HDR compares to the monitor. HDR monitors are not hard to find,
version offered on the Xbox. Let’s dig in. but most HDR monitors are rather bad at
HDR. The majority deliver a maximum
HOW TO USE AUTO HDR brightness of about 400 nits at best, and
Auto HDR is a standard feature of Windows 11 budget models routinely fall below that.
and is available when high dynamic range Entry-level HDR monitors also have a narrow
(HDR) is turned on. The Auto HDR toggle is color gamut that can’t display the full range of
found in the Display menu alongside the HDR color. Our guide to HDR on the PC (fave.
HDR switch. (Here’s a step-by-step guide to co/3qP3f19) explains everything you need to
turning on Auto HDR in Windows 11 [fave. know about the technology, including what
co/3kNl9Ob].) Some games will prompt you you should look for in an HDR monitor.
to turn Auto HDR on when launched if the I used Samsung’s cutting-edge Odyssey
feature is off. G9 Neo super-ultrawide (fave.co/3nnuyO5)
You can also turn on Auto
HDR through the Windows
Game Bar. Press the Windows
+ G keys to bring up the game
bar, select Settings
(represented by a gear icon),
and then open Gaming
Features. Select Use Auto HDR
with supported games to turn
on Auto HDR.
You will also see an HDR
Intensity option. Select this to
open a slider that lets you
enhance or decrease the HDR
effect. I generally found Auto
HDR was best at high intensity,
though this could look overly
sharp at times.
While Auto HDR will work
on any HDR monitor, the You’ll find the Auto HDR toggle in the HDR portions of Windows
benefits depend on your 11’s display settings.

for most of my testing, but I also tried Auto work—or at least looked different. Microsoft’s
HDR on Acer’s budget-friendly XV340CK documentation is unclear on this point.
ultrawide (fave.co/3DsWXrv). The XV340CK Of course, there’s literally thousands of
supports HDR input but can’t even hit 400 games you might use with Auto HDR. The
nits of brightness. As a result, HDR tends to feature’s presence doesn’t guarantee that it
look very dull and doesn’t show much will work properly or improve your
detail. Auto HDR doesn’t fix the issue. You experience. Microsoft does not run an Auto
will need to have a solid HDR monitor to see HDR certification program, and its official
an improvement. announcements surrounding Auto HDR tend
to focus on games from Microsoft-owned
HOW AUTO HDR WORKS studios. It’s the wild west, in other words:
Auto HDR uses an algorithm to analyze an Auto HDR will always be an option if you have
standard dynamic range (SDR) image and Windows 11, but it may not always have the
convert it to HDR. The algorithm pays intended effect.
particular attention to SDR luminance data. Don’t let that put you off, though. Auto
Think of it as like upscaling an image to a HDR does seem to function well with the
higher resolution, but with luminance data majority of modern games, and if it doesn’t,
instead of resolution. you can simply turn it off.
Still confused? Take a look at Jeff Grubb’s
coverage of Auto HDR on the Xbox Series X AUTO HDR IMAGE
(fave.co/3wYrmvp), which includes HDR QUALITY TESTED
heatmap footage provided by HDR expert Microsoft has put much effort into Auto HDR.
Adam Fairclough, aka EvilBoris (fave. But does it work as advertised?
co/3oDUF2T). The HDR heatmap footage To find out, I tested several games on
provides a sense of the raw luminance data Samsung’s Odyssey G9 Neo monitor. The G9
Auto HDR is using to boost brightness and Neo is an ultrawide Mini-LED monitor that has
overall contrast. a maximum peak brightness of 2,000 nits in
Auto HDR works at the operating system HDR content, and in my testing it could easily
level, so all games are compatible with Auto sustain over 600 nits in bright scenes. It’s a
HDR. The only restriction noted by Microsoft great choice for highlighting the impact of
is that a game must support DirectX 11 or Auto HDR.
DirectX 12 to enable Auto HDR (fave. I used a DSLR camera to take photos of
co/3CuFkGu). However, I found that titles the monitor with Auto HDR in action. This
that don’t support DirectX 11 or 12 seemed to isn’t a perfect solution. The camera’s photos

are not in an HDR format, and if you’re Auto HDR was turned on. This is a known
reading this on a PC, it’s likely you’re not downside to Auto HDR.
viewing on an HDR monitor. This blunts the On the whole, Auto HDR doesn’t do much
effect. Still, the photos offer an example of for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Let’s
what you can expect. move on to more promising games. This
To examine the screenshots in finer detail, underscores the limits of Auto HDR. It’s an
right-click on them in your browser and select algorithm, not magic, and it has less impact in
“open image in new tab.” games with few high-contrast scenes.
Age of Empires II:

Definitive Edition
The remaster of Age of Empires
II is not an ideal game for Auto
HDR, which is precisely why I
wanted to try it. Originally
released in 1997, this historically
themed real-time strategy game
lacks flashy explosions or
magical spell effects.
There’s not much to see
here. The two photos look Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Auto HDR off.
almost identical, with only a
subtle boost in brightness Auto
HDR turned on. Most players
would have a hard time
discerning whether the feature
was on or off.
My real-life impression of the
game was similar to what you
see in the photos,except that I
encountered an issue you can’t
see here. Menus and loading
screens were rendered with
eye-searing brightness when Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Auto HDR on.

Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV is a game
that embraces a flashy,
high-contrast
presentation. Originally
released on PlayStation 3
and PC, the game’s engine
doesn’t support HDR and
seems unlikely to receive
an HDR update in the near
future. Auto HDR, you’re
my only hope!
It’s clear that Auto HDR Final Fantasy XIV. Auto HDR off.
doesn’t entirely change
the game’s look even in
this high-contrast scene.
Look closely, though, and
you may notice that the
Aether crystal, surrounded
by a blue glow, shows
more detail with Auto
HDR. The street lights also
appear less blown out.
Finally, I think Auto HDR
shows slightly more
contrast overall. Dark
areas appear darker and Final Fantasy XIV. Auto HDR on.
brighter areas brighter, yet
both retain detail. Auto HDR’s issues with loading screens
I also noticed spell effects had more and menus remain. Final Fantasy XIV, like
punch with Auto HDR turned on. Spells cast most MMORPGs, has a lot of menus. Those
by my White Mage appeared to peak at a with a brighter presentation, like the map,
higher maximum luminance. Spell effects could appear overly bright when opened in
looked more defined and impactful. an otherwise dark environment.

My feelings on Auto HDR in

Final Fantasy XIV are mixed. I
appreciate the added dazzle of
spell effects, which, on a good
HDR monitor like the Samsung
Odyssey G9 Neo, offer eye-
searing results. Still, the overall
improvement is just OK. Auto
HDR is better, but I could take it
or leave it.
Halo: Reach (from Halo: The Halo: Reach from The Master Chief Collection. Auto HDR off.
Master Chief Collection)
Halo: The Master Chief
Collection includes HDR support
on the Xbox, but HDR is not
supported on the PC. That
leaves PC gamers with no
choice but to stick with Auto
HDR. Fortunately, the results in
Halo: Reach are solid.
These photos show a clear
difference in overall contrast.
The sun rising in the distance
appears brighter in the sky. But if Halo: Reach from The Master Chief Collection. Auto HDR on.
you turn your attention to the
foreground, you’ll see more depth in the There’s a noticeable increase in color
character’s arms and gun. and brightness in the sunrise. The SDR
I like what Auto HDR does with the gun’s photo looks fine, but Auto HDR brightens
ammo display. It appears flat in the SDR shot, and adds color to the clouds immediately
as if it’s a decal stuck on the gun rather than a surrounding the sunrise without losing
screen built into it. Auto HDR fixes this issue, detail. It better depicts the vivid glow you’ll
providing a sense of depth that makes the see when you’re watching a sunrise (or
screen appear set into the material around it. sunset) in real life.

It’s not all good news. Auto HDR is a clear appear brighter, more vivid, and more
improvement in-game, but the feature had a detailed than in SDR. Color presentation is
negative impact on the game’s interface. enhanced as well, with a richer yet more
Halo: The Master Chief Collection plays balanced look. The SDR shot is no slouch, but
pre-rendered video in the game’s menus. the foreground buildings have a warm hue
Using HDR led to distracting macroblocking that seems a bit unnatural by comparison.
artifacts in this video. This happened with You will see the sun is blown out in the
Auto HDR on or off. It’s a minor annoyance, Auto HDR shot, but don’t worry: This isn’t
but one you’ll frequently
encounter while navigating the
game’s multiplayer
matchmaking menus.
Skyrim Special Edition

Skyrim begs for HDR but,
unfortunately for fans, was
released years before HDR
became available. Even the
upcoming Skyrim Anniversary
Edition won’t support it. That
likely means it’s too large a Skyrim Special Edition. Auto HDR off.
technical lift to ever be included
in the game’s official release.
Fans have to rely on Auto
HDR—so how good is it?
Yes, I’ve saved the best for
last. Auto HDR does a lot for
Skyrim and provides a big boost
over SDR. As with Halo: Reach,
Auto HDR provides a noticeable
boost to the scene’s overall
contrast. The improved contrast
is most obvious in the
foreground buildings, which Skyrim Special Edition. Auto HDR on.

representative of reality. The

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9’s
peak HDR brightness is so
extreme that I had trouble
finding a level of camera
exposure that retained detail in
both bright and dark areas at
once. In reality, the level of
detail in the sun was similar in
both SDR and Auto HDR, but
the sun appeared significantly
brighter with Auto HDR on. Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Auto HDR off.
The only problem is one that
you may by now expect:
Skyrim’s out-of-engine menus
have issues. The fog that rolls
into the scene during the main
menu displays wide gray bands
and appears overblown.
It’s less of a problem with
Skyrim than with Halo: The
Master Chief Collection, though,
because players have little
reason to navigate this portion
of the game’s menus and will Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Auto HDR on.
instead jump straight into the
game. Skyrim’s in-game menus, including the how performance compared between PC
map and the magic selection screen, look fine and console. I connected the Xbox Series X to
with Auto HDR turned on. the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 to see for
myself. The Xbox Series X does not support
AUTO HDR ON PC VS. XBOX super-ultrawide (or ultrawide) aspect ratios, of
SERIES X course, so I placed the Odyssey G9 Neo into
Auto HDR is a feature that spans both the 16:9 display mode. All other settings
Xbox Series X and the PC, so I was curious remained the same.

Halo: The Master
Chief Collection
As mentioned before, Halo: The
Master Chief Collection
supports HDR on the Xbox
Series X, but does not support it
on the PC. This comparison is a
battle of “true” HDR against
Auto HDR.
The sunrise, and the area
surrounding it, appears similar
in both photos. Both Auto HDR Skyrim Special Edition. Auto HDR off.
on PC and native HDR on the
Xbox Series X show a red-
orange glow in clouds that
doesn’t pop in SDR. Auto HDR
and native HDR share an overall
boost in contrast that provides a
better sense of depth,
especially in the foreground.
However, native HDR on the
Xbox Series X has an advantage
in dark portions of the image.
The gun held by the character
shows more detail and contrast Skyrim Special Edition. Auto HDR on.
than on PC with Auto HDR
turned on. The same can be said of the Skyrim Special Edition
cliffside and trees, where portions of the Skyrim Special Edition does not natively
terrain faced away from the sun become so support HDR on any platform, so it relies on
dark that detail is lost. The PC photo appears Auto HDR on both PC and Xbox Series X. So
too dark by comparison. does Auto HDR look the same on console
Halo: Reach looks great in Auto HDR, and PC?
but this is a win for native HDR on the Xbox There’s a clear difference between the
Series X. color in each shot. The image captured from

Auto HDR on the PC has a cooler, cleaner tried the feature on several monitors besides
look, while the image captured from the Xbox the Odyssey Neo G9. I enjoyed my time
Series X looks warmer in the foreground. using Auto HDR, but the feature made me
It’s possible this is due to a variance in more aware of the problems facing HDR
time of day or seasons. While the photos gaming on the PC.
were taken at approximately the same time of The big issue is this: Auto HDR works
day, they weren’t snapped at the exact same best with a great HDR monitor, and great
in-game minute. HDR monitors are hard to come by. You will
Putting color aside, both photos are want an OLED or Mini-LED display with a
similar in contrast, detail, and brightness. maximum peak brightness of at least 1,000
Both offer better overall contrast compared nits to fully appreciate what Auto HDR has to
to SDR. More detail is visible in the rock offer. Unfortunately, most monitors fall far
wall in the foreground, as well as along below this requirement.
the darker portions of rooflines and in Auto HDR can make a difference when
characters. viewed on a solid HDR display, and the
The sun appears blown out in both HDR benefits are most noticeable in games with
photos, which is caused by the Odyssey Neo high-contrast scenes. Skyrim’s dramatic
G9’s high maximum luminance. The sun was, sunrises and copious god-rays look their
in fact, clearly visible to my eyes, but the best with Auto HDR. The flat, simple
camera was not able to capture it. presentation of Age of Empires II: Definitive
I prefer the photo captured from Auto Edition gains little.
HDR on the PC, but I believe the differences There’s no downside to Auto HDR, at
in presentation are due to variances in least. The benefit is sometimes large, and
in-game lighting and not Auto HDR itself. In sometimes small, but the feature is optional
any case, Auto HDR is an improvement over and can simply be turned off if you encounter
SDR on both PC and Xbox Series X. a problem.
If Auto HDR is the reason you’re
THE VERDICT: WINDOWS 11 considering an upgrade to Windows 11, ask
AUTO HDR CAN BE GREAT yourself this: Do you own a monitor with a
ON THE RIGHT DISPLAY peak brightness of at least 1,000 nits? If you
I spent several weeks testing Auto HDR in do, making the leap to Windows 11 for Auto
various situations beyond those I HDR is a good idea. If not, you should hold
photographed, with the bulk of my time off on Windows 11 and invest in a monitor
spent in Final Fantasy XIV and Skyrim. I also upgrade instead.

How to spot a scam email or text
Don’t fall for messages and texts with these telltale signs. BY JOSH NOREM
he fact that you and everyone you However, you are a savvy inbox navigator and
T know will receive spam and scam

emails (and texts) for as long as they
live should be added to the famous
Ben Franklin quote, “In this world nothing can
be said to be certain, except death and
a seasoned connoisseur of Nigerian missives.
The problem is, someone in your family is
decidedly not. Maybe it’s your mother or
father, an uncle, or even a step-relative. Here’s
some advice to keep them safe.
taxes.” Spam is constant and ever present,
and you likely have a few hundred messages ALWAYS KNOW (AND
sitting in your spam folder as you read this. VERIFY) THE SENDER
The very fact that we even need to have a An email from someone you know suddenly
spam folder tells us there’s a problem. arriving in your inbox with no warning is a red
IMAGE: PEXELS DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 111

HERE’S HOW HOW TO SPOT A SCAM EMAIL
flag. Typically, when we get email from our Facebook recently, which is obviously fake,
family or friends, it’s about a topic we are but when I clicked the drop-down for the
actively discussing, so when there is no actual address and CC’d people, I saw the
warning of an incoming email, tread lightly; it details below. Even your grandma knows that
could be a scam. If there is a link inside this is fishy. Not to mention the address
email, then it’s almost always a scam. Hackers Facebookmail750@gmail.com (1)—come on,
and ne’er-do-wells can sometimes take over spammers, try harder.
someone’s email account and just start
spamming all of their contacts with nefarious ALWAYS CHECK LINKS
links that seem safe but that will plant malware IN EMAIL
on your system, or worse. Luckily, this tactic is As a general rule, it’s safest to never click any
easy to counter since you can just verify if the links in emails, even if you think you know
person you think sent the email did indeed the source, mostly because you might not
mean to send it. A simple phone call or text actually know the source (see above) and
will do, and if they exclaim, “What email?” clicking links in email is how the vast majority
then you know what to do. of people fall victim to phishing operations
It’s also important to point out that when (see the U.S. presidential election of 2016
examining these emails, don’t just look at the [fave.co/3Hyl4Ys] for how disastrous this
name of the sender. Pay attention to the email can be).
address. For example, I got a spam email from That said, if you are sure of the source,
and you are confident it is not a spam or scam
email, you can always check the actual link
prior to clicking it, and the process is quite
simple. Just hover the cursor over the link in
the email, and a little window will pop up in
the lower corner of your browser (usually on
the left side) showing you what the actual link.
For example, when I hover over this
masterfully written article’s link on PCWorld.
com (fave.co/3nrv6Cu), I can look in the
lower left corner to see where it will take me.
You might need to enable this preview
window in your browser, so if you don’t see
1 link previews, click View in your browser’s

easiest red flags to
recognize. The
majority of scam
operations are run
from countries far
away, where English is
not their native
tongue, and
hence you get stuff
like this (4).
Sure, nobody is
2 perfect, and email can
be seen as a casual
3 way to communicate
at times, so even we
have typos in our
emails from time to
controls and look for something called Status time. But if you’re reading an email thinking
Bar or a similar name (2). the person had a stroke while typing it, you
When hovering over what you think might should mark it as spam.
be spam links, you’ll usually see some very
strange URLs that are not typical (3), which BE WARY OF EMAIL FROM
usually means it’s spam, of course. BIG COMPANIES
You will likely never receive an email from
SPELLING MISTAKES ARE A Facebook, Apple, or Google, unless you are
HUGE RED FLAG paying for a service from them, so it could be
Spelling mistakes, odd punctuation, and an invoice for iCloud, or Google Storage, or
weird use of language are probably the similar. They will not usually just email you out
of the blue to let
you know there’s
an issue with your
account. They
will, however,
4 send you an email

HERE’S HOW HOW TO SPOT A SCAM EMAIL
when a foreign device logs into your account, clickable links. Most big companies will also
but hopefully that’s you on a new device, and write in their emails to you that they will never
not some nefarious person. You should have ask for your password over email.
two-factor authentication enabled on all your One more thing to note: Typically, if you
accounts for online services anyway (fave. do get an email from a big company like
co/3co510T), so something like this should Facebook, there will not be clickable links
not be possible in the first place. within the email. It’ll be just to inform you of
That said, there are exceptions that can be something. However, if you are curious
safe. For example, I recently got an email from enough to follow up on it, do so outside the
Google asking me to add a second phone email itself. Open Facebook, or your
number to my two-factor authentication setup Google settings, or your iPhone, and
(5), and since Google is usually smart about investigate the issue there instead of
these things, it thoughtfully included a through the email you received.
non-clickable link at the bottom if I wanted to
copy and paste it myself instead of clicking an TEXTS ARE JUST AS
active link. That’s because, as we’ve said DANGEROUS AS EMAIL
previously, savvy users know to be wary of I’ll admit it, I have definitely been curious
about a few texts I have received,
which were worded like, “Your
Amazon package is delayed. Check its
status here.” Most of us have an
Amazon package en route often
enough for this type of message to be
applicable, but more often than not,
it’s a scam. Text messages are much
more dangerous than emails because
there’s not really a way to see where
the embedded link is taking you unless
you preview it, but not everyone
knows how to do that. Smartphones
have gotten smarter by displaying a
preview of what is linked in a box with
an image, but of course the scammers
5 have found ways around this, so there’s

In the link above (6), you know it’s
a scam just based on the URL alone,
but what if the message is more
sophisticated? What if they use your
name, or say something in the
message that is actually applicable to
your life? The same rules apply to
texts as they do to emails—if you
don’t know the sender, do not open
any links. Even if you know the
sender, contact them to verify they
are the ones who sent it. Either way,
your life will not deteriorate in any
noticeable fashion if you simply do
6 not click the link provided (7).
usually not a preview box. The best thing to SUMMARY

do, in almost every case, is simply ignore the To sum things up, the vast majority of
text and block the sender. phishing and malware attacks are only
successful if the target clicks on a link
provided. While there are “no click”
malware attacks going around right
now, they are expensive for a third
party to purchase on the black market,
so they usually target high-level
government employees, journalists
investigating corruption, and those
types of people. Most regular people,
will only get scammed if they respond
to a mysterious message, whether it’s
via email or text. So be safe, and do not
click on links you get that seem fishy,
no matter how curious you might be
7 about it.

HERE’S HOW
Get Office 365 on the cheap

With a little foresight, you can always manage to get Microsoft’s Office subscription
at a deep discount. BY JARED NEWMAN
ven at its list price of $70 per year, photos, documents, and personal music
E a personal subscription to
Microsoft 365—or Office 365, as it
used to be called—is one of the
better deals in tech.
That subscription gets you full access to
library from any device.
But part of that satisfaction comes from
never paying full price in the first place.
Instead, I’ve made a point of buying Office
365 discount codes on eBay, using them to
Microsoft’s Office suite along with 1TB of renew my subscription in one-year
OneDrive cloud storage. I’ve been a mostly increments. These codes are often found on
satisfied subscriber for years, partly for the sale for as little as $45, and they have been
Office software, though mainly to access my readily available every time I’ve checked.
116 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: MICROSOFT

(Here’s one example of such a discount [fave. even if they work, you won’t be able to use
co/3kJ6Km4].) them with your existing Microsoft account.
• Avoid buying from international sellers,
OFFICE 365 DISCOUNTS: and watch out for the shipping price. Some
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW sellers tack on a shipping fee.
To find these Office 365 discount codes, just Once you place the order, you should
search for Office 365 Personal (fave. receive a physical card in the mail containing a
co/3HzWN4k) and look for listings that offer code that you can redeem on Microsoft’s
a one-year or 12-month subscription. Make Office setup site (fave.co/3oGZgRD). Sign
sure that listing includes a picture of the into your Microsoft account on that site and
product advertising a one-year subscription apply the code. If you already have an active
for one person, and that the seller has a large subscription, Microsoft will simply push back
number of positive feedback ratings. your renewal date by 12 months.
Alternatively, if you’re looking for a family During this process, Microsoft might also
subscription, search for Office 365 Home offer you a bonus month if you turn on auto-
Premium (fave.co/3HzWN4k) instead. These renew; you can turn it back off right after
tend to be a bit pricier but allow up to six signing up and still get the extra month
family members to each have their own 1 TB tacked on. Just remember to repeat this
of OneDrive storage. process once per year and you should be
A couple words of warning: able to enjoy Microsoft 365 at a deep
• Do not, under any circumstance, discount for years to come.
purchase a
“lifetime”
subscription to
Office 365, no
matter how low
the price is.
These likely
come from
unscrupulous
sellers
distributing
shared or stolen Make sure you’re getting a one-year subscription and look for a strong seller
accounts, and reputation when buying Office 365 subscriptions on eBay.

HERE’S HOW
5 free Windows power user tools

we can’t live without
Swap audio devices with ease, free up space in a flash, or even reprogram your
keyboard. BY MICHAEL CRIDER
t’s been 21 years since my parents bought In two decades and change I’ve installed,
I me the first computer that was just mine,

one I didn’t have to share with anyone. It
was an eMachines desktop with a
Pentium 4, a whopping 64GB of memory, and
a 40GB hard drive. It ran Windows ME
tweaked, and uninstalled far more small
programs than I can remember, to solve little
annoyances or to smooth over the rough
spots in the Windows interface. Windows
itself has gotten a lot better over the years,
(Millennium Edition!) out of the box. And from and many of the little tools I loved have
the moment I turned it on right up until now, become redundant as those features have
I’ve been searching for software tools to make been incorporated into the operating system
my computer more efficient and easier to use. in one way or another. UltraMon (fave.
118 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: PEXELS

co/3qL1EcU) is a great example:
Microsoft copied its multi-monitor
taskbars for Windows 8.But there are
still a few programs I install on each
and every machine to make it better.
Here are five power user tools that
are small, simple, and free (though
most developers welcome
donations if you find their software
invaluable). Better yet, all of them SoundSwitch.
work with both Windows 10 and
Windows 11. devices, with no need to dig into the clunky
sound menu. SoundSwitch also supports a
SOUNDSWITCH: SWITCH separate list of recording devices with their
SOUND DEVICES WITH A own hotkey, and it’s constantly being
KEYBOARD COMMAND updated and improved.
Windows still isn’t great at managing more
than one sound device. Even in Windows 11 SPACESNIFFER: TRACK
it’s at least three clicks to switch from, say, DOWN THE FILES
your laptop speakers to Bluetooth CLOGGING YOUR DRIVE
headphones, or vice versa. This can get old Managing your computer’s storage space is
quickly if you’re swapping between kind of an all-or-nothing experience.
speakers and headphones on a regular basis Windows will tell you how much space is left
for video meetings.
SoundSwitch from
developer Antoine Aflalo
(fave.co/3DyJa2Q) fixes
this. Once installed, the tiny
program lives in your
toolbar, waiting for you to
input a keyboard shortcut (I
use Ctrl + Alt + ~). When
you do, it’ll switch between
any number of sound SpaceSniffer.

HERE’S HOW 5 FREE WINDOWS POWER TOOLS
on your drive, and that’s it. It’s

entirely up to you to dive into a
million different directories
and clear out the gunk when
your system is running low on
space. SpaceSniffer (fave.
co/3crnCcq)—try not to
giggle at the name—from
Uderzo Software solves this by
scanning an entire drive and
presenting your files and
folders in a visual grid.
With each directory taking MiniBin.
up a proportional amount of
space on your screen, it’s easy to see where icon shows you roughly how full it is, and you
the huge programs and media files are can right-click to open the Recycling Bin or
hiding. You can clear out unwanted folders empty it. With MiniBin installed, you can clear
(and even drill down to individual files) right in off the Recycle Bin icon (fave.co/3cpUDWy)
the program, and delete them without ever for a nice, clean desktop.
needing to open a file browser. It’s a fantastic
way to clean up drive space quickly. SHARPKEYS: REPROGRAM
ANY KEYBOARD
MINIBIN: MOVE THE If you have a full-size keyboard, odds are
RECYCLING BIN OFF there are at least one or two keys you don’t
YOUR DESKTOP ever use. When’s the last time you had to
How often do you actually use your Recycling hunt for the Scroll Lock key? If you’d rather
Bin? If you’re anything like me, it’s perhaps bind these keys to something more useful,
once a month, during a busy time. So why like using them for media controls,
does this thing that usually takes care of itself SharpKeys from RandyRants (fave.
need a dedicated spot on your desktop? If co/3HvTzi5) is your solution.
you’d like to clear it off, check out MiniBin SharpKeys actually modifies files in the
(fave.co/3cmKVEi). Windows Registry to permanently reassign
This tiny tool replicates your Recycle Bin as keys. So unlike, say, a programming tool for a
a taskbar icon in the notification area. The specific Razer keyboard, this software will

work on a
laptop and with
any third-party
keyboards you
plug in. Just
save your
settings and
reboot, and
you’re good to
go. I use it to
disable Caps SharpKeys.
Lock (which I
never use) and change Page Up, Page Down, powerful, like UltraMon. But wait! If you
and Home buttons to Volume Up/Down and don’t need the truckload of features in
Mute, respectively. UltraMon, there’s an official add-on from
Microsoft that can do it for free. The latest
POWERTOYS FANCYZONE: incarnation of PowerToys (fave.co/2Z3RSY0)
ROLL YOUR OWN SNAP includes a tool called FancyZones, among
WINDOW LAYOUTS many others. It lets you create custom
Windows 10 introduced some powerful window layouts for quickly organizing
window management tools, and Windows programs across your monitor. And it works
11 expands on them. But if you’re looking great for multi-monitor setups, too.
for more
customized
options—like
setting up a
quick window
zone that’s
exactly the
width of two
Tweetdeck
columns—you’ll
need
something PowerToys FancyZone.

Tech Spotlight A video showcase
of the latest trends
Watch the
video at
fave.
co/3d1Fjj6
Windows 11
Installation Info ≥ If you want
to jump into
& Set-up Tips Windows 11
and experience what Microsoft’s newest
operating system has to offer, then you better
watch this video first! Keith May provides
some important tips you need to know before
installation even begins.

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#Dadication

33 Reviews & Ratings 80 The best PC hardware and software of 2021/2022

101 Here’s How

122 Tech Spotlight 94 Where are all the OLED monitors?

COVER IMAGE COURTESY OF INTEL DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 3

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matt Egan

INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP, INC.

4 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

QUESTIONS AND COLUMNS

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 5

Intel 12th-gen ‘Alder Lake’ vs.

I PC, one of the first things you need to do

IMAGE: INTEL DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 7

Performance/Eﬃciency Cores 8/8 8/4 6/4

THE CONTENDERS here (fave.co/3FgvPfZ) if you want to dig into

RYZEN 5000 — MOSTLY 9,980

i5-12600K. You can check out that review

8 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 9

Gaming Performance Gaming Performance

Far Cry New 127 Metro Exodus 142

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 Rainbow Six 525

powerful options that were available when it

10 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 11

12 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

sers of Google’s Chrome OS selection of tools for editing images and

U have been waiting years—and

IMAGE: ADOBE/PEXELS DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 13

14 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 15

Windows 10’s November update is

P shiny new Windows 11 that recently

16 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: MICROSOFT

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 17

Is Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud

N streaming service that targets

HOW DOES IT WORK?

18 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: NVIDIA

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 19

game titles available

20 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 21

How Amazon’s new Kindle

O co/3cc10wH) just got an

22 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021 IMAGE: AMAZON

Weight Hardware speed

DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 23

Colors Black Black, Twilight Blue, Plum, Sage

Dimensions 6.9x4.9x0.32 in. (175.2x124.6x8.1 mm). 6.6x4.6x0.3 in. (167x116x8.18 mm).

Display Size 6.8-in. ﬂush-front screen 6-in. ﬂush-front screen

Display Resolution 300ppi 300ppi

Battery Life Up to 10 weeks Up to 6 weeks

Accessibility VoiceView screen reader. VoiceView screen reader.

24 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

T again. Valve has delayed the launch

IMAGE: VALVE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 25

of those reservation dates, that information of Valve’s Proton technology (fave.

26 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021

ood news, Chrome and Edge For more advanced features like converting

G users—you no longer need to

IMAGE: ADOBE DECEMBER 2021 PCWorld 27

says Add to Chrome. If for some

28 PCWorld DECEMBER 2021