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OC TOBER 2 019
» DEPARTMENTS » FEATURE
ƺ News
ƶƸ Reviews & Ratings ƺƵ 10th-gen CPU buyers guide
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ƴƴƵ Tech Spotlight ƻƳ Reference vs. custom graphics cards: Which should you buy?
OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 3

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News TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL
AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.
Windows 10: What to expect

in the next two releases
It’s still early, but here’s what we know. BY MARK HACHMAN
T
he next two Windows 10 updates, 20H1 feature release. Here’s what we know
code-named “19H2” and “20H1,” so far about both of them.
reflect Microsoft’s recent decision As of July 2019, the upcoming 19H2
to split the major Windows 10 feature (go.pcworld.com/19h2) will focus on
feature releases into two: a full-fledged “quality enhancements,” while the “20H1”
update, with new features, and a secondary feature will return to more substantive
patch update. We’ve already had the major improvements. If the latter hews to Microsoft’s
“19H1” update, known officially as the May usual schedule, it’ll drop in March or April of
2019 Update, so we’re now looking forward 2020. Interim beta builds will provide further
to the minor 19H2 patch and then the major hints about what’s coming, and we’ll continue
IMAGE: MICROSOFT OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 7

NEWS UPCOMING WINDOWS 10 RELEASES
to cover them. Meanwhile, here’s where we the 19H2 release, OEMs will be able to set
stand on each release as of early August: this themselves.
NEW FEATURES FOR DIVVYING UP WORK

WINDOWS 10 19H2 AMONG ‘FAVORED’ CPU
Microsoft has aimed the 19H2 release CORES
primarily at enterprises, but a few potential A CPU may have multiple “favored” cores
features from recent builds are intriguing. (logical processors of the highest available
We’ll also see a number of tweaks to scheduling class), according to Microsoft. To
various UI elements. provide better performance and reliability,
Microsoft has implemented a rotation policy
A CHANGE TO ENABLE that distributes work more fairly among these
THIRD-PARTY DIGITAL favored cores, the company says. That may
ASSISTANTS TO VOICE- help the longevity and performance of
ACTIVATE ABOVE THE LOCK certain CPUs.
SCREEN
Previously, Windows 10 voice control was WINDOWS 10 S NOW
the domain of Cortana. But with Amazon SUPPORTS TRADITIONAL
Alexa’s integration into Windows (go. WIN32 APPS VIA INTUNE
pcworld.com/intg) as a Cortana skill, it Windows 10 S was originally designed to
appears you’ll be able to yell at a laptop or only download apps from the Windows
desktop running Alexa, similar to the way Store, not “wild” Win32 apps from any
you’d command a smart speaker. source. Now there’s a compromise: admins
will be able to send managed Win32 apps
A FIX TO REDUCE THE to Windows 10 S machines.
INKING LATENCY BASED ON
DEVICE CAPABILITIES NOTIFICATIONS ARE BETTER
According to Microsoft, Windows MANAGED
apparently “decided” on its own what the You’ll now see the options to turn off a
inking latency could be depending on the particular app’s notifications right from the
typical hardware configuration, rather than notifications. Notifications settings under
the actual capabilities of the device. An Settings > System > Notifications will now
odd decision to make in the first place, but default to sorting notification senders by most
one that’s apparently been rectified. With recently shown notification, rather than the

sender name, according to
Microsoft. And a Manage
Notifications button at the top of
the Action Center will launch the
Settings page.
NEW FEATURES FOR

WINDOWS 10 20H1
Microsoft’s May 2019 Update felt
light on new features compared to
prior releases. At this point—with
many, many months to go—20H1
feels the same. Still, there’s plenty
of time for Microsoft to shift gears, New terminal app.
especially if the majority of its
developers are still fixing bugs in time for the A NEW TERMINAL APP AND
19H2 release. For now, there’s a grab bag of WINDOWS SUBSYSTEM FOR
upgrades and new additions. This isn’t an LINUX
exhaustive list, but rather the more interesting Because Microsoft is publishing new apps on
features as of September 2019. its own schedule, the new Terminal (go.
pcworld.com/term) isn’t specifically tied to
A NEW TABLET EXPERIENCE any new release. Windows Subsystem for
FOR 2-IN-1 PCS Linux 2, a faster version of WSL1 (go.pcworld.
Microsoft is merging the traditional “tablet” com/wsl1), was released for Windows 10 Pro.
and “desktop” view in 2-in-1 PCs, moving Though it was added to the Insider program
away from a tiled interface to a more traditional in June, it’s on the 20H1 track.
“desktop” view, but with additional spacing. Linux files can now be accessed through
the File Explorer within Windows, too, as a
CLOUD DOWNLOADS separate improvement.
DURING PC RESETS
If you like, you now have the option of EMOJI 12.0 IS NOW FULLY
entirely re-downloading Windows during a SUPPORTED
reset operation, rather than restoring from Though support for Emoji 12 was added as
a partition. part of the May 2019 Update, it’s now fully

Windows
10’s Your
Phone
app now
supports
Android
notifications.
supported after Unicode released the final business users.

version. Now, Windows Ink will link more directly
to the Microsoft Whiteboard app, and also be
YOUR PHONE NOW able to perform a full-screen screen capture,
SUPPORTS ANDROID or snip.
NOTIFICATIONS
The Your Phone app is still somewhat ADD EVENTS RIGHT FROM
hamstrung by device limitations (though THE WINDOWS CALENDAR
virtually all Microsoft Surface devices can use FLYOUT
it), but it can interact with a small cadre of Instead of the need to open the Mail or
phones that now includes the Samsung Calendar app, you can add to the Calendar
Galaxy S10 family, the Note 8 and Note 9, app from the flyout in the bottom right-hand
plus the OnePlus 6 and 6T. corner, right near the Action Center
notifications. To be fair, though, the + button
WINDOWS INK LINKS TO that’s in the same location within the May
THE WHITEBOARD APP 2019 Update instantly launches the Calendar
Microsoft’s offered some lovely drawing in the New Event screen, so you’re not saving
apps (remember Fresh Paint! [go.pcworld. that much time.
com/frpn]), but Windows Ink is a tool that’s We still have many months to go before
been ignored as Microsoft focuses on 20H1 releases, so stay tuned!

Intel: Core i9-9900KS, Cascade
Lake-X chips will ship in October
Intel’s IFA presentation positioned its Core chips as superior to both AMD’s and
Qualcomm’s. BY MARK HACHMAN
I
ntel said that it plans to ship two high- pcworld.com/ftpr), the chipmaker announced
end desktop processors next month: future products in hopes of taking some wind
both its monstrous Core i9-9900KS out of its competitor’s sales.
processor and its upcoming Cascade Intel had already announced the Core
Lake-X gaming processor will go on sale. i9-9900KS at Computex (go.pcworld.com/
In a presentation from the IFA show in Berlin, i9ks), a 4GHz, 8-core/16-thread chip that
Ryan Shrout, chief performance strategist at boosts to 5GHz—and, more importantly, across
Intel, said that Intel is aware of the competition, all cores simultaneously. That gave Shrout the
specifically AMD and Qualcomm, and was opportunity to point out that rival AMD had
“adjusting” to deliver market-leading products. been caught out with 3rd-gen Ryzen chips that
AMD has already delivered a cost-competitive underperformed the company’s boost claims,
Ryzen processor (go.pcworld.com/rz30), and which AMD blamed on a bug (go.pcworld.
there’s reason to believe a next-gen com/blme) that the company will fix.
Threadripper (go.pcworld.com/32th) is It’s not clear what the Core i9-9900KS
coming soon. As Intel did at Computex (go. TDP will be, however, and Intel didn’t offer
IMAGE: INTEL OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 11

AMD’s Threadripper,
but at a dramatically
higher price.
Intel was at least
honest about how
the older Skylake-X
architecture that
formed the
foundation of the
Core i9-7980X
Intel also took a shot at Qualcomm, whose upcoming 8cx chip is said to about shaped up to
equal a Core i5 (go.pcworld.com/8ci5). Intel tried to establish exactly which
Core i5 was being referenced—the older Whiskey Lake—and how its latest Threadripper:
10th-gen “Comet Lake” (CML) parts would shape up. Unfortunately,
Intel refused to
any further details along those lines. We still answer any and all further questions about the
don’t know the price either, although it’s likely Core i9-9900KS, as well as the upcoming
to be somewhere north of exorbitant. Cascade Lake-X chip. But based on Intel’s
Shrout positioned the products as direct timing, we can probably assume that we’ll be
responses to its rivals. “The point is, we’re not seeing a lot of top-tier PC chip news next
taking this sitting down, we see the month, from both Intel and AMD.
competition, we see the landscape as it
is,” Shrout said. “We’re adjusting
because we take these customers very
seriously. And we want to give them
the best product possible.”
Probably the more direct attack
against AMD’s Threadripper,
however, will be the upcoming
Cascade Lake-X desktop chip, which
Shrout said would ship in October. If
you recall the massive 18-core Core
i9-7980X and 16-core Core i9-7960X During its presentation at IFA 2019 in Berlin, Intel showed the
performance per dollar of Skylake-X vs. AMD Threadripper
(go.pcworld.com798x) that shipped and the upcoming Cascade Lake-X, admitting that Skylake-X
in 2017, they actually outperformed was overpriced for what you got.

Dell’s OptiPlex 7070 Ultra mini-PC
fits into a monitor stand
It’s so skinny, you can barely tell it’s there. BY MELISSA RIOFRIO
T
he Dell OptiPlex 7070 Ultra why we’re so excited about this design.
answers a prayer. This long, slender Due to ship on September 24, the
mini-PC slides into the back of a OptiPlex 7070 Ultra will have what Dell calls
monitor stand, creating the first an “average price” of $749. Remember, it’s
all-in-one that’s modular and upgradable. modular, so the cost will depend on what you
Officially, it’s designed for corporate desk buy with it.
jockeys needing to de-clutter their open-
office workspaces. Anyone who’s had to junk VIDEO: DELL UNVEILS
an entire all-in-one PC because one
OPTIPLEX 7070 ULTRA
Watch now at go.pcworld.com/opl
component has died, however, understands
IMAGE: DELL OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 13

The primary decision is which base to get The OptiPlex 7070 Ultra
measures a slender 10.09
with the mini-PC—it has to mount to something. x 3.78 x 0.78 inches, and
The compatible choices are a fixed-height and weighs 1.43 pounds.
height-adjustable stand, plus an offset VESA
mount that lets you attach it to the back of any Storage: Your primary
VESA-compatible display. Prices for these drive can be either a 2.5-inch
components were not available before the SATA drive (500GB to 1TB
announcement. capacity), including a 500GB
I practiced taking the PC in and out of its self-encrypting drive; or an
bracket in the height-adjustable stand. The M.2 2230 SSD in capacities
mechanics are slightly finicky, but once you ranging from 128GB to 1TB,
get the hang of it, it’s easy—almost fun—to or a 256GB self-encrypting
slide it in and out. drive. You can add a second
Of course you’ll need a monitor or three 2.5-inch hard drive through
(that’s the max it can support), keyboard, and an accessible bay.
mouse—but you may already have these Networking: 802.11ac
components ready to fill out the setup. with MU-MIMO, gigabit
Modularity is a great thing. ethernet
Ports: The generous
OPTIPLEX 7070 ULTRA quintet of USB ports includes two
SPECS AND FEATURES USB-C that offer DisplayPort Alt Mode to
The OptiPlex 7070 Ultra is a very small PC. Dell connect directly to a monitor. One of those
packed a lot into its slim design, with an ports also supports Power Delivery, so it can
emphasis on mainstream productivity and a lot power a display through the connection.
of connectivity. However, you also have a bit of
internal upgradability. Here are the details: AN ALL-IN-ONE THAT
Dimensions: 3.78 x 10.09 x 0.78 inches GIVES YOU CHOICES
Weight: 1.43 pounds Dell’s OptiPlex Ultra shows a new path for
CPU options: All 8th-gen core, from the all-in-ones, where you aren’t stuck with your
Core i3-8145U to the Core i7-8445U configuration until the bitter end. This is
Graphics: Intel UHD 620 starting at the high end for a reason—it’s
Memory: Two memory slots take anything expensive to implement—but we hope
from 1 x 4GB DDR4 2,400MHz RAM, to 2 x someday that mainstream consumers may
32GB (64GB total). have access to these choices.

Lenovo’s C340 and S340
Chromebooks bring Core i3
substance and plenty of style
The C340-15’s Core i3-8130U is a big bump up from the basic CPUs we’re used to seeing
in Chromebooks. BY MELISSA RIOFRIO
L
enovo’s C340 and S340 ready to break out of that mold, offering some
Chromebooks are built for better materials and features, plus some
consumers who want a little more eye-opening color.
style or substance in their browser-
based laptop. Of course, Lenovo’s been VIDEO: LENOVO’S
selling rather dowdy, education-oriented C340 AND S340
Chromebooks for years. The company’s first
CHROMEBOOKS
Watch now at go.pcworld.com/lvo
foray into retail has clearly graduated and is
IMAGE: LENOVO OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 15

NEWS LENOVO C340 AND S340 CHROMEBOOKS
LENOVO CHROMEBOOK
C340-11 PRICING AND
FEATURES
First up is the budget-minded Lenovo
C340-11. This model has the same 11-inch
display size and compact form factor of
most Chromebooks. Its processor remains
basic: up to an Intel Celeron N4000.
However, an aluminum lid shaves off weight
and adds a bit of premium
feel (the bottom is still
plastic), and the Sand Pink
color option is a refreshing break
from silver, black, and blue. Most Here is the Chromebook C340-11 in Sand Pink.
The lid is aluminum, while the rest of the chassis
important, it offers 360-degree convertible
remains plastic.
versatility to use the C340-11 as a tablet as
well as a laptop. RAM: Up to 8GB LPDDR4
Available in September with a starting Storage: Up to 64GB eMMC
price of $290, here are further specs and Display: Up to 11.6-inch IPS touchscreen,
features: HD (1366x768)
CPU: Up to an Intel Celeron N4000 Ports: Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, Two
USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C (5Gbps), microCD,
combo audio/headphone jack
Networking: 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.2
Weight: Starting at 2.6 pounds
Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.18 x 0.7 inches
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
Colors: Sand Pink, Platinum Grey
LENOVO CHROMEBOOK
C340-15 PRICING AND
FEATURES
Lenovo’s Chromebook C340-11 offers 360-degree
While the 11-inch form factor is great for
convertible versatility. Chromebook portability (and low pricing),

and features:
CPU: Up to an Intel Core i3-8130U
RAM: Up to 4GB DDR4
Storage: Up to 128GB eMMC
Display: Up to 15.6-inch IPS touchscreen,
FHD (1920x1080)
Ports: One USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, Two
Dimensions: 14.23 x 9.8 x 0.75 inches
Lenovo’s Chromebook C340-15 moves up to
a 15.6-inch display with up to 1920 x 1080 Battery life: Up to 10 hours
resolution and touch capability. Color: Mineral Grey
it’s not that great for productivity. That’s

where the big sibling C340-15 comes in.
Sporting the same aluminum lid, it then
stretches out to a 15.6-inch display and even
adds a numeric keypad for number-
crunching in Google Sheets or Office 365. It
also offers the option of a full-on Intel Core
processor, specifically the dual-core Core i3,
which should be more than enough power
for most browser-based work.
Unlike its smaller sibling the C340-15
comes in just one color, but the weirdest
downgrade is this: just 4GB of RAM. I would
have expected more in a Chromebook
otherwise built to manage a bunch of online
spreadsheets. However, this might have been
a move to shave costs.
Lenovo’s Chromebook C340-15 offers a numeric
Available in October with a starting price keypad, a great productivity feature that’s still
of $430, the C340-15 will have these specs rare in Google laptops.

NEWS LENOVO C340 AND S340 CHROMEBOOKS
RAM: Up to 8GB LPDDR4

Storage: Up to 64GB eMMC
Display: Up to 14-inch IPS touchscreen,
FHD (1920x1080)
Ports: Two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, Two
Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.2 x 0.77
inches
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
The Lenovo S340-14 comes in a stunning Dark Colors: Onyx Black or Dark Orchid
Orchid color With the new C340 and S340
Chromebooks, Lenovo is making laptops that
LENOVO CHROMEBOOK won’t remind you of the drab models you
S340-14 PRICING AND used in school. With a mix of features and
FEATURES price points, and especially colors, these are
Lenovo knows that the bestselling Chromebooks adults can enjoy, and they still
Chromebooks remain budget models, so the cost a lot less than most Windows PCs.
S340-14 caters to that crowd while
giving them an important display-
size upgrade.
To keep costs down, the chassis is
all-plastic, and the processor drops back
to basics. But look at the stunning Dark
Orchid color option (above): No one will
see this and think you’re compromising.
Even the Black Onyx is somehow more
chic than expected
The S340-14 will ship in September
with a starting price of $250. Here are
further specs and features: The Chromebook S340-14 also comes in a chic
CPU: Up to an Intel Celeron N4000 Black Onyx.

Acer unveils a hulking $14,000
gaming cockpit, a 300Hz Predator
laptop, and more at IFA
Big guns and tiny laptops. BY BRAD CHACOS
A
cer rolled into the annual IFA Believe it or not, the $14,000 Predator
tradeshow in Berlin with plenty Thronos Air is actually $6,000 cheaper than
in store for PC gaming the original Predator Thronos gaming chair
enthusiasts, showing off a revealed last year (go.pcworld.com/thrn).
hulking $14,000 multi-monitor gaming The monitor arm that holds up to three
cockpit, a laptop with a blazingly fast displays isn’t motorized anymore, but the
300Hz display, an affordable new gaming Thronos picked up massage capabilities, so
notebook, and more. that’s a net win in my book. It’s still a gigantic
IMAGE: ACER OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 19

NEWS ACER’S IFA ANNOUNCEMENT
steel beast of a cockpit, complete with Acer-

blue LED lights, a foot rest, and a camera
mount above the middle monitor for any
budding Twitch stars. Look for it in the fourth
quarter, but be warned: That sky-high sticker
price doesn’t include an actual gaming rig or
any displays.
You might not need a luxurious $14,000
battlestation to get an awesome monitor
experience though. Acer’s updated Predator
Triton 500 gaming laptop bumps its refresh
rate all the way to a face-melting 300Hz. Yes,
300Hz. That’s so fast that the Core i7-8750H
and GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q inside its slim
0.7-inch chassis might not even be powerful
enough to feed it at full-force in all scenarios
even at its 1080p resolution. Still, 300Hz.
Yes, please. It’ll start at $2,800 when it The Acer Predator Triton 500.
launches in December.
Acer isn’t your only option though, as but equipping this particular laptop with such
Asus also announced a pair of gaming laptops a speedy screen is a bit of a head-scratcher, as
with 300Hz displays (go.pcworld. the entry-level GeForce GTX 1650 won’t
com/300h). come anywhere near hitting those speeds in
Speaking of thin gaming laptops, the anything but esports titles with the graphics
Predator Triton 300 refresh crams a Core i7 settings nerfed. Acer only announced EMEA
and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1650 into a slim availability for the Predator Triton 300, where
5.07-lb., sub-0.8-inch frame, which sounds it will cost €1,299 in October.
reminiscent of the newly upgraded Razer It wasn’t all gaming for Acer at IFA. The
Blade Stealth (go.pcworld.com/st13). It company also announced updated versions of
comes with 16GB or 32GB of RAM, up to two its ConceptD creator notebooks, its Swift and
1TB NVMe PCIe SSDs in RAID 0, and a 2TB Nitro mainstream laptops, four new
hard drive, along with a 1080p display Chromebooks, and even a portable projector.
buzzing along at a speedy 144Hz. Check out the company’s next@acer IFA page
I’m a huge fan of high refresh-rate gaming, to see more (go.pcworld.com/nxac).

Dynabook launches 15-inch thin-
and-light Tecra X50 notebook
with some big conveniences
If you can forgive an older chip inside of it, there’s a lot to like in Dynabook’s new Tecra.
BY MARK HACHMAN
L
arger laptops are typically big, Dynabook, which carries on the legacy of
weighty machines, pushing into the Toshiba’s PC division, already offers X-series
territory of mobile workstations. laptops in 12-, 13-, and 14-inch models. But
Dynabook, however, is announcing Dynabook’s ToughBody magnesium alloy
the Tecra X50, a “thin and light” 15.6-inch chassis weighs in at just 3.13 pounds, far less
notebook that delivers big-screen than, say, the 15-inch Microsoft Surface Book
convenience without the weight. 2 (4.2 pounds) or the Lenovo ThinkPad P1
IMAGE: DYNABOOK OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 21

NEWS DYNABOOK L AUNCHES 15-INCH L APTOP
generation, the X50 uses

an 8th-gen Whiskey Lake
chip with vPro, and no
discrete GPU.
On the other hand, the X50 is
one of the few to include an Intel
Optane SSD, as well as a power-
sipping Sharp IGZO LCD, which
helps contribute to a 17-hour rated
battery life—significantly more than
the more common 8 to 12 hours.
There’s a whopping 32GB of
memory, too, and a full terabyte of
SSD storage.
The Tecra X50 boasts a Harman/Kardon-powered audio system. It’s probably fair to say that
while the Dynabook Tecra X50
Gen 2 (3.75 pounds). may not measure up in sheer power, it tries
To be fair, both of the latter machines to compete in convenience. The notebook
aspire to powerful mobile computing uses a Modern Standby connection to
platforms, if not outright workstations. The maintain a low-power connection at all
Dynabook X50’s aspirations are more times, downloading email and patches in
modest: Rather than lead the way into Intel’s
10th-gen Core
A sliding webcam shutter helps preserve privacy..

the background. The chassis itself was The Tecra X50 will be
priced at $1,544 and up,
engineered to MIL-STD-810G drop,
Dynabook said.
temperature, humidity,
and dust
standards.
Dynabook also
built in a sliding
privacy shutter over
its HD webcam,
which doubles as a
Windows Hello login
mechanism. A secondary
biometric login device is
built into the Synaptics
touchpad. A pair of
Thunderbolt 3 ports gives
you data and display
connectivity, as well as
charging. It does not
come with any USB
adapters or a pen,
however. 3.5mm jack
Camera: HD, with privacy slider
BASIC SPECS Battery: 48Wh
Display: 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) Sharp IGZO Wireless: Intel Wireless-AC 9560
LCD touchscreen (802.11ac + Bluetooth 5)
Processor: Intel Core 1.9GHz i7-8665U Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
(“Whiskey Lake”) Dimensions: 714.1 x 9.8 x 0.69 inches
Graphics: Intel UHD 620 (17.6 mm)
Memory: 32GB DDR4 Weight: 3.13 pounds
Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Color: Aluminum
Ports: 2 USB-C 3.1 (Thunderbolt 3, Additional features: Fingerprint reader,
DisplayPort, USB charging, DC in); 1 USB smartcard reader
3.0 with charging; 1 HDMI, 1 microSD, Price: $1,544

NEWS
Steam’s long-awaited Library

overhaul: Salvation for your
massive game collection
You can opt in to the open beta starting September 17—and you’re going to want to.
BY HAYDEN DINGMAN
S
team’s library overhaul has taken If you’ve accrued a vast Steam library in the
longer than I think anyone would’ve last decade-plus, this update is going to be
guessed, which is about par for the your salvation.
course with Valve. It’s almost done
though. As of September 17, you can enter the COMING HOME
open beta for the new library interface. The heart of the update is the Library Home
And I think you’re going to want to, page. Clicking on the Library tab now brings
because it’s fantastic. Recently, Valve gave us you to a landing page with a familiar tiled layout,
a live demo, a deep dive into the myriad and sections at the top for What’s New, Recent
changes to expect. The short version though? Games, and Recent Friend Activity.
24 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: VALVE

Recent Games is
probably the subsection
I’m most excited about,
giving you a quick and
easy way to jump back
into whatever you’ve been
playing. During the demo
there were maybe ten
games listed, going back
over two weeks of activity.
More than enough for
most people, I assume.
The other lists are
essentially data that’s been
accessible in the store to
this point, but which has
been missing from your Steam’s new Library Home page.
actual library. What’s New
surfaces games that have recently been games), then choose Set Categories, then
updated, with the algorithm slanted toward select which categories you wanted a game
those you either play heavily or used to play to appear under—or add them to a new one
heavily. And Recent Friend Activity is exactly of your creation.
what it sounds like, full of games your Steam I make extensive use of Categories,
friends are playing. because with thousands of games Steam
Don’t care about any of these lists? That’s would be almost unusable otherwise. The
fine. The current Steam Library view survives process is cumbersome though.
intact anyway, with all your games sorted Collections are easier to assemble and
alphabetically on the left-hand side. Even this much more powerful. First and foremost you
is getting upgraded though, with the old can now drag-and-drop, so no need for that
Categories now replaced by Collections. whole right-click process I listed above. You
If you’ve never used Categories, I don’t just grab a game and pull it where it needs to
blame you. Organizing your Steam library has go, which is a relief.
been a tedious task to this point, requiring There are also myriad sorting options.
you to right-click a game (or a number of Some of these are personal, like the ability to

NEWS STEAM OVERHAULS LIBR ARY
sort by hours played—a

feature I just lauded in the
GOG Galaxy 2.0 beta (go.
pcworld.com/gog2) a
few months back. Excited
to see it come to Steam.
Many leverage Valve’s
existing meta-data
The old Categories have been replaced by Collections.
though. You can, for
instance, tell Steam to
display only games you
own that are RPGs with
full controller support—
and then create what
Valve’s calling a Dynamic
Collection. From then on,
any games you buy that
match those criteria (or
any others you specify)
will automatically
populate under the
correct list. And while I
only listed a few generic
criteria above, Valve says
you’ll be able to search
by any of the hundreds of Collections are easier to assemble.
tags that exist on the
Steam storefront, which should give you Activity categories I mentioned above.
plenty of ways to narrow and sort your library. The larger my personal Steam library’s
If there’s a collection you’re particularly grown, the harder I’ve found to wrangle it
interested in, you can also add that to your using the existing tools. I’d be hard-pressed
Library Home page as a Shelf. This creates to argue that the update is daring or
another horizontal row of tiles that works the innovative, but it’s definitely necessary. I’m
same as those What’s New and Recent excited to digitally declutter.

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS the top of the Details page, so even if you
And while I’m most excited about what never go to the store you’ll be able to find out
Valve’s adding with this update, there’s also a about the No Man’s Sky Beyond update, or
lot that’s been streamlined. new seasons of Destiny 2, and so forth.
Select a game from your library and you’ll Previously this information was either buried
be treated to the new Details page, which puts in the news feed or highlighted only on the
forth a lot of info that’s been heretofore buried. store page, where it wasn’t very useful to
No need to go to the store to see whether a existing owners.
game is Steam Cloud compatible, for instance. But I’m honestly most excited for the new
That info’s right near the top. There’s also a list Post-Game Summary page. Close out of a
of friend activity on the left-hand side, while the game and Steam will now transition from the
right belongs to the info you’re already familiar Details page to one that lists how long you
with from the current pages, including your played in your last session, the achievements
achievements and screenshots. you unlocked, and screenshots you took.
Keep scrolling down and you’ll see It sounds banal, and it is. Uplay has had a
community activity, which under the existing similar feature for years. As someone who
template is segregated into its own page. And takes a lot of screenshots though, I’ve grown
there are quick-access tabs for the Workshop, so damn tired of closing out of that pop-up
Discussions, and other features Valve’s added box Steam currently uses when you’re done
to Steam over the
years and stashed
into sidebars as they
went. Now all those
secondary
community
elements—arguably
Steam’s strongest
advantage over the
competition—are
easier to find.
Another neat
feature: Developers
can add a Major
Update banner to When you select a game, you’ll be taken to the new Details page.

NEWS STEAM OVERHAULS LIBR ARY
The Post-Game Summary page reveals information such as how many achievements you have unlocked.
with a session. This formalized Summary page There are a few interesting ideas coming
is both more useful and—more importantly— though. Valve’s adding an Event feature,
not a separate window. which should allow live games to push
one-off events like free weekends,
EVENTS AND EXPERIMENTS tournaments, and such to the forefront. I’ll be
But wait, there’s more. I’ve covered the library curious to see how enterprising developers
update, but Valve had plenty more to demo. take advantage of this to win back
Most of it isn’t applicable to us, as it’s developer- audiences—and whether Valve can stem what
facing tools that will have no impact on your seem like obvious ways to abuse the system.
own Steam usage. Steam Labs (go.pcworld.com/slab) is also

expanding, and I can’t imagine this latest Labs portal for the time being. That might not
experiment will keep that designation for long. last though, provided feedback is positive.
Valve’s built a new Search page, which should You might see new-Search replace the
be live by now. existing system in just a few months.
If you use or have used the Enhanced
Steam add-on, then a lot of these tools will be BOTTOM LINE
familiar. Valve’s finally adding price and sale The Steam Library redesign has been a long
filters to Steam though, which should make time coming, but the demo sold me. I’ll be
hunting down deals a bit easier. You also have opting into the beta, which is admittedly
the ability to hide games you already own risky. It’s still a beta, and hopefully I don’t
from view, and search results are being come to regret that decision. I can’t wait to
reconfigured to support infinite scrolling ditch the existing library interface though,
instead of being broken up in 25-game batches. which is woefully underpowered and...well,
Given it’s ostensibly experimental, new- old. The Steam storefront has expanded
Search will be accessed through the Steam dramatically in the past decade, and the
library view hasn’t
changed to
accommodate Valve’s
new hands-off
philosophy.
Until now, that is.
The new library, while
there’s still certainly
room for
improvement, should
make it a lot easier to
deal with digital
hoarding and the “I’d
buy that for a dollar”
mentality of the Steam
sales. Valve’s enabling
my own worst
Valve has added an Event feature, which should allow live games to push tendencies, but hey,
one-off events like tournaments. isn’t that the point?

NEWS
Nvidia’s Gamescom Game Ready

driver improves performance,
latency and sharpness
Nvidia tries to overtake AMD and Intel on many features. BY GORDON MAH UNG
N
vidia wants everyone to know • Adds integer scaling
that those nifty graphics features • Allows you to personalize image
AMD and Intel have been touting sharpening
are cute, but watch this. At The bread and butter of the driver are
Gamescom in mid-August, Nvidia dropped performance improvements for Apex
the Gamescom Game Ready driver, a massive Legends, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon, Strange
update (go.pcworld.com/msup) that: Brigade and World War Z. Performance
• Increases frame rates by as much as 23 improvements vary by game, resolution and
percent in some games GPU, but the buffs seem fairly decent, with
• Decreases the mouse click–to–reaction most of the improvements in the double-digit
latency in games range.
30 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: NVIDIA

UP TO 33 PERCENT com/gmbl). “By reducing the number of
LOWER LATENCY frames in the render queue, new frames are
Nvidia’s Ultra-low latency response time sent to your GPU sooner, reducing latency
mode can slice up to 33 percent of latency— and improving responsiveness.”
the time between when you click your mouse Nvidia said the ultra low latency mode has
to the response on the screen—by enabling three settings. The Off setting sets the game
“just in time frame scheduling.” engine to queue 1 to 3 frames for maximum
If that sounds familiar to you, it should, render throughput (and more latency). The
because AMD touted its low-latency mode at On setting limits the pre-rendered frames to 1,
E3 with its Radeon 5700 series of cards. Lest which Nvidia said is the equivalent of running
you give any credit to AMD though, the snark “Max_Prerendered_Frames = 1” on older
in Nvidia’s blog post announcing the feature drivers. The last setting is Ultra, which spits
made it clear the company’s calling firsts. the frame out to the GPU “just in time” for the
“The Nvidia Control Panel has—for over render to begin.
10 years—enabled GeForce gamers to adjust The company said the mode is most
the ‘Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames,’ the effective at times when the game is GPU-
number of frames buffered in the render bound, and frame rates are hovering
queue,” the blog post said (go.pcworld. between 60 fps and 100 fps. The mode
Nvidia has added a few features to cut latency by as much as 33 percent.

NEWS NVIDIA’S GAMESCOM GAME READY DRIVER
its first Gen 11-based CPUs (go.

pcworld.com/gn11) got to consumers
at the end of August. By adding
support at the mid-August Gamescom
event, Nvidia could say it was actually
first to support integer scaling.
The other clap back came in the
form of a new Freestyle Sharpening Filter
in GeForce Experience. Nvidia said the
filter offers improved image quality and
performance over its current “Detail”
setting Freestyle filter. Yup, again, there
must be an echo in the room, because
sharpening was a feature AMD touted at
its launch event for the Radeon 5700.
The company made sure to point out
A new Ultra setting cuts down on pre-rendered frames
the superiority of Radeon Image
from the game engine and sends it to the GPU ASAP.
Sharpening over Nvidia’s DLSS.
should work in “all” GeForce GPUs in Although we don’t know the performance
DirectX 9 and DirectX 11 games. The blog cost of Nvidia’s Freestyle Sharpen Filter,
post said DirectX 12 and Vulkan let the
game decide when to queue frames
for rendering, so the driver would
have no control over lowering latency.
Another feature Nvida showed off
was integer scaling. The mode is
designed to help retro or pixel-art-
based games run at higher resolutions
without sacrificing sharpness. Yes,
again, if this is familiar, it’s because Intel
made hay about integer scaling (go.
pcworld.com/hysc) to support the
Turing-based Nvidia cards can now do integer-scaling,
retro community in July. Intel, however, so you can play retro games at high resolution without
couldn’t support integer scaling until losing sharpness.

Nvidia’s new
Freestyle filter
improves
sharpening in
games.
Nvidia said its approach is different—and is if you have a FreeSync panel that has been
better. “Freestyle gives gamers the ability to blessed by Nvidia and use it with a GeForce
customize the amount of sharpness, from 0 to card, the variable refresh rate will turn on
100%, and apply this customization on a per automatically (as long as the monitor has the
game basis using the in-game overlay. We feature turned on).
believe sharpness is based on personal That brings the number of FreeSync
preference and varies from game to game, so monitors that Nvidia’s G-Sync Compatible
with Freestyle we designed a simple solution mode automatically supports to 38 (go.
that remembers your settings in each game,” pcworld.com/sp38). And yes, there are
the blog post said. roughly 780 monitors (go.pcworld.com/
And yes, Nvidia wants to point out: m780) listed by AMD with support for
Freestyle Sharpen Filter works in more APIs, FreeSync.
supporting DX9, DX11, DX12, and Vulkan. The last feature we’ll mention in the new
AMD’s Radeon Image Sharpening currently driver is 30-bit color support. Also
supports DirectX 9, DirectX 12, and Vulkan. commonly called 10-bit color, Nvidia first
introduced 30-bit to the GeForce line with
MORE FREESYNC G-SYNC its Studio Driver in July. That driver, however,
COMPATIBLE SUPPORT, TOO is mostly intended for content creation on
That’s not all. Nvidia said the new driver now GeForce and Titan cards. Support for a
supports G-Sync Compatible modes on three 30-bit workflow now moves over to the
more FreeSync monitors: The Asus VG27A, Game Ready Driver. The 30-bit support is
Acer CP3271, and Acer XB273K GP now will long overdue: Prior to the Studio Driver
have variable refresh rates supported support for 30-bit color, Nvidia offered it
automatically. What that means for consumers only on its pricier Quadro cards.

Reviews & Ratings
TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS
WE PUT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+:

If you have $1,100 to spend,
this is the phone to buy
It’s big, but it’s worth it. BY MICHAEL SIMON
T
he Galaxy Note 10+ will be too boxes without sacrificing too much of what
expensive for some people. It’ll be the Note 10+ brings.
too big for others. Some will balk at But if the four drawbacks I noted earlier
its lack of a headphone jack and a aren’t an issue, the Galaxy Note 10+ should
few might really want a dual selfie cam. For
those people, there’s the Galaxy S10+ (go. VIDEO: SAMSUNG
pcworld.com/s10r), which is an excellent
GALAXY NOTE 10+
Watch now at go.pcworld.com/gnt
alternative that checks off all of the above
IMAGE: DANIEL MASAOKA OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 35

REVIEWS SAMSUNG GAL A X Y NOTE 10+
quickly become your favorite

phone of all time. No matter
what handset you’re upgrading
from, the Note 10+ will be an
improvement, likely a significant
one. It’s not just the speed
(though it’s basically the fastest
phone ever made) or the display
(which is pretty much flawless).
From the bezels to the battery
life, the Note 10+ is at the very
top of its game, capping off The “hole-punch” selfie cam is much less offensive on the Note
Samsung’s strongest year in 10+ than it is on the S10+.
recent memory.
It’s so good, I’m not sure where Samsung the front camera, receiver/speaker, and
goes from here. While previous Galaxy Note various sensors, Samsung has gotten
phones have left clear upgrade paths for creative with the 10+. Like the S10, there’s a
future models, the Note 10+ clips every hole in the screen for the camera, but the
branch with a package that’s as stunning as it centered circle is way easier on the eyes than
is expensive. As long as you can handle its the S10’s right-corner design. It’s still too low
massive size. to center itself in the status bar, but most of
the time, I barely noticed the camera on the
THE CLOSEST YET TO A Note 10+ (even without applying special
SMALL-SCREEN DESIGN gradient wallpaper).
The first thing you’ll notice about the Note+ The back of the Note 10+ repositions the
is what it doesn’t have. Namely, bezels. camera array in the left corner—a first for the
Samsung has somehow trimmed the area Note line—and introduces a new Aura Glow
above and below the display beyond even color that turns the back of your phone into a
what the Galaxy S phones brought earlier mirror prism. It’s a cool look when the light
this year, giving the Note 10+ a real full- hits it just right, but it’ll pick up more
screen feel. The bezels are so skinny, I didn’t fingerprints than a glass door in an elementary
even mind the extra millimeter of space on school after a Popsicle party.
the bottom. Along with the camera, the left side of the
Without the Note 9’s bezel, which held phone is also where you’ll find the device’s

two lone buttons: the volume rocker and the headphone jack. Samsung says it was
power button. That gives the Note 10 the eliminated to make the phone thinner, but I’m
distinction of being one of the few not sure the trade-off was worth it. Samsung’s
smartphones that doesn’t have the power phones were among the few holdouts that
button on the right side, which will take some clung to the legacy jack, and if the only
getting used to. Taking screenshots and benefit is barely perceptible thinness, I don’t
turning off the screen will take some see the point. That said, the bundled AKG
re-training of your muscle memory, but it’s a USB-C headphones are as good as the
design decision most people should be OK 3.5mm version.
with, especially since it means the elimination
of the dedicated Bixby button. With its limited A GIANT SCREEN PUSHES
button array, Samsung offers a few options THE LIMITS
when you hold down the power button, With little else to distract your gaze on the
which is what it should have done all along. front of the phone, the screen gets all of the
The other thing that you won’t find in the attention, and it’s absolutely up to the task. In
Note 10+ will be much more missed: the no uncertain terms, the Note 10+’s 3,040 x
1440 display is the best I’ve ever laid eyes on,
with impressive brightness, remarkable color
accuracy, and impeccable uniformity. The
only thing it’s missing is a higher refresh rate
like the One Plus 7 Pro, but even at the
standard 60Hz, its still impressive.
One massive improvement on the S10+ is
the fingerprint sensor. It’s still an ultrasonic
sensor, unlike the optical sensor in the One
Plus 7 Pro and Galaxy A50, but it’s loads more
reliable here. The constant rescans that I had
to do on the S10 weren’t an issue on the Note
10+, and I was able to unlock the phone as
mindlessly as I did with a physical scanner. For
this we can thank the placement of the sensor,
which is a good deal higher than it is on the
The Note 10+’s Aura Glow color is simply stunning
S10 and in a more natural spot. But Samsung
in the right light. has also given the sensor a serious speed

8.8mm
iPhone XS Max:
157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7mm
A tremendous
screen-to-body ratio
makes the Note 10+ feel
much larger than its
contemporaries. As is the
case with recent Notes,
it’s taller and boxier than
the S10, which amplifies
the hugeness of the
screen. I experienced far
The Note 10+ (center) isn’t just bigger than the Galaxy S10+ (left) and the more accidental touches
Note 9 (right), it also was way more screen to contend with. than with the S10+,
especially when
boost, so you no longer have to hold your attempting to use it with one hand. But even
finger on it for more than a split second. After with two hands, it’s a tricky phone to hold,
several generations of Galaxy flagship phone and I cycled through several grips before I
fingerprint sensors that were less than good, found one was both comfortable and usable.
the Note 10+ finally nails it.
The Note 10+’s size
presents some issues though.
Don’t get me wrong, the Note
10+ isn’t alone in its immensity.
In fact, several phones can
challenge it for dominance:
Note 10+: 162.3 x 77.2 x
7.9mm
OnePlus 7 Pro: 162.6 x
75.9 x 8.8mm
Galaxy S10+ 5G: 162.6 x
77.1 x 7.9mm You’ll need really long fingers to even attempt to use the Note 10+
Note 9: 161.9 x 76.4 x with one hand.

The shape might have worked with pleasurable Android skins I’ve used, rivaling
previous Notes, but on the 10+, the form very even the Pixel phones for out-of-the-box
much dictates your grip, making it somewhat smoothness. Controls are smart, gestures are
less comfortable to use than other big- intuitive, and it feels like an elegant, modern
screened handsets. As someone who loves operating system built for the hardware that
giant phones, I think I’ve finally met my limit of runs it. If you’re upgrading from a Note 5 or a
what my hands can handle. Galaxy S7 that’s still on Touchwiz, the
difference will be visually striking and
IMPRESSIVE STORAGE, probably a bit jarring (particularly if you turn
SPEED, AND BATTERY LIFE on the ultra-black Night Mode, but you wont
The Note 10+ uses the same Snapdragon need to use it for very long to see just how
855 processor as the Galaxy S10, which is to much of an upgrade it is.
say it’s basically the fastest phone you can The Note 10+ has a 4,300mAh battery, a
buy. The newer 855+ processor might beat it touch smaller than the 4,500mAh battery in
in some tests, but the 12GB of RAM and the S10 5G, but still impressively large. The
super-speedy and spacious 256GB of UFS size translates into fantastic battery life that will
3.0 storage puts the Note 10+ ahead of its easily get you through a full day. I never had
855 peers. Apps launched incredibly fast and to plug in my Note 10+ during my two weeks
didn’t need to reload nearly as often, and the of testing, even after long days of work and
recent apps screen
was populated with
nearly 50 screens.
And the vapor
chamber cooling
system that seemed
like a gimmick on
paper actually did
keep the phone
noticeably cooler than
other 855 handsets.
Even before
Android 10 arrives,
One UI on the Note
10+ is one of the most The Note 10+ is pretty much the whole package—but you’ll have to pay for it.

streaming. Benchmarks echoed my real-world

experiences with better than 11 hours of
screen-on time, and if you flip on Adaptive
power saving in the Device carrier settings,
you’ll easily be able to push it to 12 hours.
Short of a major battery breakthrough, the
Note 10+ is as good as it gets.
MORE S PEN GIMMICKS

LEAD THE WAY Along with the usual Air Commands, the S Pen on
Samsung has once again added some new the Note 10+ also has gesture capabilities.
tricks to the Note 10’s signature feature, the S
Pen, but the implementation is just as half- your S Pen to take a group photo and use the
baked as last year. Samsung built Bluetooth S Pen as a shutter, but it’s certainly not a
into its mini stylus with the launch of the Note feature you’re going to use every day.
9 so it doubled as a remote, but it never built Far more useful is the optical character
out functionality beyond rudimentary camera recognition built into Samsung Notes. As
controls and music playback. always, the prime benefit of the S Pen is for
On the Note 10, the stylus can act as a sort quickly jotting down notes, but Samsung has
of magic wand, so Instead of
simply clicking to advance a
track, you can wave your hand
to change the camera mode or
raise the volume from a
distance. Does it work? For
the most part, yes, though
some of the gestures are tricky.
Is it useful? Not really. Since
the S Pen is generally docked
inside the Note, it takes more
planning to use Air Actions
than the other S Pen features. I
suppose there could be a The Note 10+ will convert and index your messy handwriting into
situation where you prop up legible text so you can search for written words within notes.

made them way more useful in the Note 10+. Camera 1: 16MP Ultra Wide, f/2.2
After you save a note, you’ll have the option Camera 2: 12MP Wide, f/1.5-f/2.4
to convert your writing into text using a new Camera 3: 12MP Telephoto, f/2.1
button at the bottom of the screen. Even after Camera 4: DepthVision
a live demo, I was skeptical, but the OCR The fourth camera is the same time-of-flight
engine was remarkably accurate at turning my lens Samsung introduced on the Galaxy S10+
admittedly terrible handwriting into the right 5G, and it’s responsible for sharper live focus
words. And if you leave your notes as images and videos as well as AR applications.
scribbles, they’ll still be categorized as text The bundled Measure app works as well, but
and fully searchable, which is pretty great. so do the ones on the Pixel and iPhone,
without a 3D camera. The S Pen-powered AR
EXTRA CAMERAS YIELD Doodle is way more unique and fun, using the
SIMILAR RESULTS camera to track drawings you make on faces,
After the Note 8 brought a dual camera and but I don’t know how often people will use it.
the Note 9 debuted Dual Aperture, its There’s also a 3D scanner built in that I had no
somewhat surprising that the Note 10+ has a luck with, but with patience, people have been
recycled camera array. Granted, it’s a four- able to generate usable images (go.pcworld.
camera array and one of the best ones com/gnim).
Samsung has ever made, but it would have The 3D camera will mostly be used for
been nice to see something new: portraits, and it’s there where the S10+
If you zoom in on these portraits, you’ll see that the Note 10+ (left) did a better job with the edges and the
bokeh, but it’s extremely similar to the S10+ (center) and note 9 (right).

Like other Galaxy phones, the Note 10+ tended to oversaturate in bright light, but there’s no denying the
beauty of its shots.
excels. Live focus images (Samsung’s name phones Samsung sells. In fact, Samsung uses
for portraits) were excellent, with crisp edges the same S10+ designation for the camera
and recognition of the tiniest details, but the model (SM-G975U1), making it even more
differences between
the Note 10+ and the
S10+ or even the
Note 9 are marginal.
You’ll need to zoom
in on the image above
to see the fine details
that the Note 10+
picked up.
As far as the other
three cameras go,
you’ll certainly take
great pics with the
Note 10+, but they’re
While both of these Night mode photos are soft, the Note 10+ (left) also
no better or worse than grabbed too much of the red from the flowers and added a tint to the rest of
the other Galaxy the photo, while the Pixel 3 XL (right) had a more accurate color balance.

difficult to tell the pictures apart.
Colors still lean a bit toward
over-saturated in most lights, but
most people won’t mind.
New to the Note 10+ is the
Night mode that arrived late to
the S10, and it definitely helps
with low-light shooting. Like
Google’s method, you need to
hold your phone steady while it
processes the available light,
but the results aren’t quite as We’ll miss you, headphone jack.
spectacular. Night photos
looked less realistic on the Note 10+, and the arrive, the Note 10+ is pretty much the
processing engine tended to get confused by epitome of Samsung’s smartphone evolution.
the dominant color and had trouble focusing, In a world of the Pixel 3a, Galaxy A50, and
where Google’s Pixel Visual Core handled the iPhone XR, there’s no real reason to pay $1,100
scene much better. But it’s definitely a step in for a phone. But if you must, you won’t feel an
the right direction. ounce of buyer’s remorse with the Note 10+.
BOTTOM LINE Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

There probably isn’t anything I wrote in this
review that’s going to sway you to buy or not PROS
• Amazing screen that’s big, bold, beautiful, and
buy a Galaxy Note 10+. With a $1,100 price bright.
tag and top-of-the-line everything, it’s geared • Super fast and long lasting with tons of storage.
• An in-display fingerprint sensor that works!
toward the Android user who wants the best,
CONS
and boy, does it deliver. • No headphone jack.
And really, there’s no reason to wait. The • Screen size will be too big for some hands.
• Camera doesn’t really bring anything new to the
Note 11+ (assuming there is one) will have a table.
better camera and maybe a few display and BOTTOM LINE
It might be a bit too big for some, but if you can
design tweaks, but there isn’t too much handle (and afford) it, you won’t find a better phone
Samsung can do to make it all that much better than the Galaxy Note 10+.
than the Note 10+. Until folding phones $1,099
become a viable product or in-display cameras

REVIEWS
5G on the Samsung Galaxy Note

10+ delivers dizzying highs and
frustrating lows
Here’s how Samsung’s 5G phone performs on Verizon’s network. BY MICHAEL SIMON
I
can sum up my first experience in 5G like 1.63Gbps. Nor did it represent an average
this: 1.21 gigabits. That’s the first speed I speed, which was closer to 450Mbps. But my
hit when I started walking around first impression of real-world 5G Ultra
Providence, Rhode Island, on a Wideband—made possible during a Verizon
Wednesday with the Samsung Galaxy Note
10+ 5G (go.pcworld.com/105g). VIDEO: SAMSUNG
That wasn’t the top speed I hit either. Later
GALAXY NOTE 10+ 5G
Watch now at go.pcworld.com/5gs
in the day, I touched 1.48Gbps and
44 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: SAMSUNG

press event, but using
already-deployed 5G
infrastructure nodes—kind
of blew me away.
Here are some real-
world stats to help you
wrap your brain around
the promise of gig-plus
download speeds:
• I downloaded The
Hateful Eight (2 hours, 47
minutes) from Netflix in 10
seconds.
• The first episode of
Stranger Things Season 3 Those three towers on the top of the this telephone pole deliver the 5G
in 4K downloaded in 6.28 signal for a few blocks.
seconds.
• The movie Next Gen (1 hour, 47 minutes) SMALL NETWORK,
downloaded in 11 seconds. BIG POTENTIAL
• PUBG Mobile (2GB) downloaded Verizon is the first to admit that it’s doing 5G
through the Galaxy Store in 47 seconds. the hard way. Instead of focusing on sub-
• With every test I ran, the same 6GHz spectrum, Verizon is starting with
download over LTE had barely begun by the millimeter wave spectrum (mmWave), a
time the 5G download was finished. slower process that requires the installation of
• Upload speeds were also impressive, carefully positioned mini towers—basically
topping off at around 50Mbps, faster than the building a brand-new network. That presents
speeds I get with my Comcast Gigabit service. all sorts of problems to solve—the least of
So it’s safe to say that the promise of 5G is which involves regulatory approval from each
real. I was actually walking the streets using city—but it has the biggest payoff, as
actual Verizon nodes sending actual 5G signals. evidenced by the speeds I was able to get.
I also experienced the actual frustrations In Providence, the three-tower nodes are
that these early 5G buildouts will bring for centralized on telephone poles along
anyone who drops an extra $200 on the College Hill, a bustling area with low-lying
Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. buildings and a straight thoroughfare

REVIEWS SAMSUNG GAL A X Y NOTE 10+ 5G
I’d see better results

because the signal
wouldn’t have to go
through my body to
get to the phone.
He was right.
At times the
5G connection
would revert to
4G without
moving. Other
times it switched
while walking
toward one of the
The node at the corner of Thayer Street and Bowen Street provides 5G to the nodes. Sometimes
surrounding streets. the Note 10+
registered the 5G
through the middle. That type of geography UWB network but delivered less-than-LTE
is important for mmWave, because the initial speeds. Trying to connect to 5G inside a
deployment sends a direct signal that is building was nearly impossible. But all in all, I
easily interrupted. Verizon says that came away impressed with what I was able to
beamforming will help mmWave signals turn do with a 5G phone, though the network
corners and eventually reach inside would need to get a whole lot stronger
buildings, but that’s still in development before I’d recommend buying into it.
(read more in our beamforming explainer by
Eric Geier [go.pcworld.com/bfrm]). THE FUTURE ISN’T NOW
So for now, getting 5G on your phone The $1,300 Galaxy Note 10+ 5G is identical
requires an awareness of where you are in relation in every way to the Note 10+, save for its
to the nodes. Turn a corner—or even turn deep-purple color and 5G modem. That’s a
around—and you might drop the signal. When I feat in itself. Previous 5G phones, such as the
questioned the fluctuating speeds, in fact, the Galaxy S10+ 5G and LG V50 ThinQ 5G, were
Verizon representative told me that the 5G thicker, larger versions of their LTE
network is so finicky that if I turned to face the counterparts to compensate for the heat,
node rather than use the Note with my back to it, battery, and modem. So Samsung is either

confident in the Note
10+’s battery and
cooling system, or it
didn’t want to make it
even more expensive.
Even with the same
body, the Note 10+ was
warm to the touch
during use. The battery
definitely took a hit
when compared to the
regular Note 10+,
going from 95 percent
to 52 percent after a
solid 2.5 hours of
testing and downloads.
Granted, that’s more
than most people will I regularly topped a gig-per-second in my testing.
do with it during such a
short time period, but even when keeping it regular basis. Even though Verizon has
in my pocket, it drained noticeably faster than already topped 2Gbps in some tests and
the non-5G Note 10+. hasn’t placed a technical limit on how fast 5G
That’s due to the constant switching can get, it’s hard to imagine 5G delivering
between 4G and 5G, which happened far steady gigabit-per-second speeds based on
too many times to count. It’s quite noticeable the issues I experienced when basically using
when the giant “5G UWB” designation the network all to myself.
pushes the other logos aside to declare its Like home gigabit service from your cable
superiority. I hope Verizon tones it down by companies that only promise gigabit with a
the time the 5G logo is on everyone’s phone. wired connection on a single device, 5G’s
Verizon will be building out its 5G real-world top speeds probably won’t get
mmWave network over the next several years, anywhere near the top scores I recorded with
so it’s going to take a while before we get the Note 10+. But even if 5G is only half of
there. And even when we do, you probably what Providence delivered, it’s going to be
shouldn’t count on gig-plus speeds on a worth the wait.

REVIEWS
Acer Nitro 5 (17-inch, AN517-

51-56YW): Here’s your cheap
Fortnite laptop
For a certain kind of gaming, Acer’s latest laptop gets the price right. BY JARED NEWMAN
I
n the field of low-end gaming laptops, settings. You can cross the same frame rate
Acer’s latest Nitro 5 (model AN517- and resolution hurdles in lots of other
51-56YW) is about as budget as they modern games with a few minor graphical
come. But for $880, you don’t need tweaks.
more than what the Acer Nitro 5 offers to Those who turn up their noses at sub-
play Fortnite and Apex Legends at 1080p 144Hz displays should stay away, of course,
and 60 frames per second with maximum and the Nitro 5’s speakers are a major weak
48 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: JARED NEWMAN

point no matter what kind of player you are. bandwidth, which can depress scores that
But for folks with calibrated expectations, the aren’t graphically intensive.
Nitro 5 is a big low-budget gaming laptop There’s also a slot for a second PCIe
that hits the right marks. NVMe M.2 drive, plus an open 2.5-inch
drive bay. Unfortunately, Acer no longer
SPECS AND FEATURES includes individual access hatches for each
Unlike a lot of other laptops, the 17-inch Nitro component, so you have to unscrew and
5 comes in just one configuration: peel off the entire bottom panel for
CPU: Intel Core i5-9300H processor upgrades. And while Acer includes a wiring
RAM: 8GB DDR4 kit and a link to installation instructions (go.
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 pcworld.com/hdin) for a hard drive, that
Display: 17.3-inch, 1920x1080 IPS, 60Hz same packaging says to bring the laptop to
refresh rate an Acer service center for installation or risk
Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD voiding the warranty. One gets the idea that
Those are pretty much the bare minimum the latest Nitro 5 is less upgrade-friendly
specs for a laptop that certainly looks the part than its predecessors.
of a gaming rig. As for ports, the Nitro 5’s left side has
Acer says the webcam supports HDR two USB 3.1 Type-A ports (one with power-
video, but it’s still a 720p camera, so don’t off charging), a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port
count on crisp video for your next Twitch with up to 5Gbps transfer speeds, a gigabit
stream. (Acer also sells a 15-inch version of the ethernet jack, full-sized HDMI, and a
Nitro 5, which we’ll
review separately.)
If those specs
aren’t enough, the
Nitro 5 does have a
second memory
channel for adding
another 8GB of RAM
or installing up to
32GB total. The use of
a single memory
module does limit the
CPU’s memory The Nitro 5 has gigabit ethernet, HDMI output, and plenty of USB ports.

REVIEWS ACER NITRO 5
overall, but the lack of

DisplayPort or
Thunderbolt 3 output is a
downer, especially for
folks who’d want to hook
up an adaptive
sync monitor.
DESIGN AND
DISPLAY
Considering the hexagonal
frame, the shiny red
display hinge, the red
You can upgrade the Nitro 5’s RAM and storage, but Acer removed
previous versions’ component hatches and warns against adding an keyboard backlighting, the
HDD on your own. interlocking exhaust vent
pattern on the backside,
Kensington lock slot. The right side has a and the red trim around the keyboard and
USB-A 2.0 port, a headphone jack, and a trackpad, there’s no hiding that the Acer Nitro
DC port for connecting the Nitro 5’s beastly 5 is a gaming laptop. And at 15.87 x 11.02 x
power brick. This is a fair selection of ports 1.06 inches with a weight of 5.73 pounds, the
Nitro 5 will stand out no
matter how it’s decorated.
Still, the Nitro 5 is fairly
trim for a 17-inch gaming
machine, thanks largely to
its narrow bezels that
measure 0.28 inches on
either side of the screen.
The entire laptop is only
about a half-inch taller and
wider than Acer’s popular
Predator Helios 300 (go.
The Nitro 5’s right side has one more USB port, a headphone jack, and pcworld.com/prdh), and
some extra ventilation for good measure. it’s only 0.22 pounds

Yep, it’s a gaming laptop.
thicker, yet its display is 1.7 inches longer on keyboard—and never felt uncomfortable
the diagonal. banging away on the springy keys.
The display itself isn’t as cutting-edge, On the downside, the laptop’s narrower
but its resolution of 1080p and refresh rate of frame and inclusion of a number pad makes
60Hz are a good match for the GTX 1650 the keyboard a bit more cramped than even
graphics card inside. Anything better would some tenkeyless 15-inch laptops. The keys
likely require a more powerful GPU to keep don’t always register if you strike them on
up. Besides, it’s still an IPS panel with great the corners with a light touch. The
viewing angles, and the peak brightness of placement of Acer’s NitroSense key, which
280 nits is decent. (Other gaming laptops lets users switch power profiles and tweak
we’ve tested lately hover around the 300-nit fan speed, is also a nuisance, as you’re
mark, which is what Acer actually advertises liable to hit it by accident instead of the
for the Nitro 5.) adjacent backspace key.
The trackpad, meanwhile, has a smooth
KEYBOARD, TRACKPAD, surface that’s fine for work. As with many
AND AUDIO other laptops, however, its clicking
If you need to get work done on the Acer mechanism starts feeling pretty stiff once
Nitro 5, you may appreciate the keyboard’s you’ve crossed above its halfway point. This
snappiness, travel, and number pad. In a is about the amount of attention you’d
typing test, I averaged 105 words per expect Acer to put into the trackpad on a
minute—on a par with my mechanical gaming laptop.

Acer’s decision to
skimp on speaker quality is Rise of the Tomb Raider
less forgivable. Bass (Frames per second)
response is almost
Acer Predator Helios 300
nonexistent, so while you’ll (Core i7-8750H) 74.1
clearly hear gunfire or Lenovo Legion Y7000P

(Core i7-8750H) 72
dialogue in games, you Dell G7 15 7588
(Core i7-8750H) 68.5
won’t get any of the
Acer Nitro 7
low-end atmosphere— (Core i7-9750H) 59.9
especially when the Nitro Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-

53.29
56YW (Core i5-9300H)
5’s cooling fans hit full Dell G3 15 3579
(Core i5-8265U) 46.2
blast.
Acer Nitro 5
(Core i5-8300H) 39.6
GAMING 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
PERFORMANCE
Perhaps because of the weaker CPU, the Nitro 5 doesn’t quite keep up
Let’s start with the with the Nitro 7 despite having the same graphics card.
anecdotal evidence: Acer
claims the Nitro 5 can clear
60 frames per second in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
“the most popular (Frames per second)
competitive games.” That Acer Predator Helios 300
(Core i7-8750H) 92.6
held true in rounds of
Lenovo Legion Y7000P
Fortnite and Apex Legends, (Core i7-8750H) 89.6
with both running Dell G7 15 7588
88.3
(Core i7-8750H)
smoothly at 1080p under Acer Nitro 7
(Core i7-9750H) 69.2
maximum graphics
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-
settings. Destiny 2 56YW (Core i5-9300H) 69.1
maintained its smoothness Dell G3 15 3579
57.9
(Core i5-8265U)
under maximum settings,
Acer Nitro 5
47.17
as did the downhill biking (Core i5-8300H)
game Descenders. 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
It is possible to find the

In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the Nitro 5’s GTX 1650 card
Nitro 5’s limits, though.
unsurprisingly falls between GTX 1050 and GTX 1060 laptops on
Playing Metro Exodus performance.

It’s always nice when two
3DMark FireStrike Extreme 1.1 separate GPU tests look
nearly identical in charts.
Overall (GPU score) (See the chart for Shadow
of Mordor opposite.)
(Core i7-8750H) 5,589
Lenovo Legion Y7000P
(Core i7-8750H) 5,213
Dell G7 15 7588
5,109 resulted in occasional
(Core i7-8750H)
Acer Nitro 7
choppiness while taking
(Core i7-9750H) 4,006
in elevated views of
56YW (Core i5-9300H) 3,954 post-apocalyptic Russia,
Dell G3 15 3579
3,583
and Forza Horizon 3
(Core i5-8265U)
played best while locked
Acer Nitro 5
2,700
(Core i5-8300H) at 30 frames per second.
LO N G ER B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T ER P E R F O R M A N C E
(The latter game is
notoriously CPU-
Cinebench RT15.038 intensive, so the GTX
(Single/multi threads) 1650 GPU probably
Dell G7 15 7588 179 wasn’t to blame in that
(Core i7-8750H) 1,104 case.)
178
As for the hard data,
(Core i7-8750H) 1,047 benchmarking in Rise of
the Tomb Raider
Lenovo Legion Y7000P 174
(Core i7-8750H) 1,020 predictably put the Nitro
5 between laptops with
Acer Nitro 7 181
(Core i7-9750H) 993
weaker GTX 1050 cards
(such as Dell’s G3) and
Dell G3 15 3579 173
(Core i5-8265U)
those with more
812
powerful GTX 1060
Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51- 179 cards (such as Dell’s G7
56YW (Core i5-9300H) 784
Acer Nitro 5 174 Cinebench lays bare the

(Core i5-8300H) 737 downsides of the Nitro
Single Multi 5’s weaker CPU. It’s well
behind other laptops from
this year.

and Acer’s Predator

Helios 300). Acer’s HandBrake Total Encode Time
step-up Nitro 7 did have (Seconds)
a sizable lead Lenovo Legion Y7000P
(Core i7-8750H) 1,865
of 6 fps in this test,
Dell G7 15 7588
possibly because of its (Core i7-8750H) 2,035
Core i7’s higher clock Acer Predator Helios 300
2,037
(Core i7-8750H)
speeds. Acer Nitro 7
(Core i7-9750H) 2,220
Depending on the
Dell G3 15 3579
game, a better CPU (Core i5-8265U) 2,607
may not translate to Acer Nitro 5 AN517-51-
56YW (Core i5-9300H) 2,725
better frame rates, as
Acer Nitro 5
we can see in Middle- (Core i5-8300H) 3,119
earth: Shadow of 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
Mordor. The Nitro 5

Because the Nitro 5 throttles aggressively under heavy CPU loads—and
and Nitro 7 were has a weaker CPU overall—it can’t keep up with other budget gaming
neck-and-neck in this laptops on video encoding.
test, though GTX

1060-based laptops
maintained a clear
Tears of Steel 4K
(250-260 nits)
lead.
The results were 56YW (Core i5-9300H) 410
practically identical in Lenovo Legion Y7000P
(Core i7-8750H) 364
the mostly-GPU test of
Dell G7 15 7588
3DMark’s FireStrike (Core i7-8750H) 332
Extreme, with the Dell G3 15 3579

327
(Core i5-8265U)
same rankings and Acer Nitro 7
(Core i7-9750H) 316
even similar
Acer Nitro 5
proportions to the (Core i5-8300H) 291
Shadow of Mordor Acer Predator Helios 300
271
(Core i7-8750H)
benchmark.
In tests of the CPU
alone, the Nitro 5 didn’t The Nitro 5’s near-seven hours of battery life is among the best we’ve seen
do nearly as well. This is for a gaming laptop.

the only gaming laptop we’ve tested in 2019 5 even came out ahead of other laptops
with an Intel Core i5 processor instead of a with comparable panels, including the
Core i7. In Cinebench the Nitro 5 fell well Lenovo Legion Y7000P. At least for battery
behind Core i7-equipped laptops. It even life, the Core i5 CPU is likely advantageous
turned in worse results than Dell’s G3, which over the Core i7 chips that are more
uses last year’s Core i5-8300H instead of the common in gaming laptops.
newer Core i5-9300H. The ultimate question is whether the
What accounts for the discrepancy? The Nitro 5 needs a better-performing CPU,
most likely explanation is that the Nitro 5 even if it would push pricing closer to the
runs hot and throttles aggressively. As we $1,000 mark. The answer, at least to me, is
also saw with the Nitro 7 (go.pcworld. no. Even without a Core i7 processor, the
com/ntr7), the laptop’s CPU temperature Nitro 5 accomplishes its mission of running
immediately jumps from an idle temper- games like Fortnite smoothly at maximum
ature of around 32 degrees Celsius to graphics settings, and it does so on a big
around 80 degrees Celsius under heavy screen with slim bezels. Every laptop has
workloads, and it never let up. The Nitro 5’s compromises (go.pcworld.com/lpcm), and
HandBrake encoding time—a stress test that the Nitro 5 makes the right ones in pursuit of
tends to reveal thermal throttling—was by entry-level gaming.
far the slowest of any laptop we tested with Just make sure to plug in some
current-gen Intel chips. headphones while using it.
It’s worth noting that Acer offers a
“CoolBoost” feature that runs its fans faster Acer Nitro 5
(and louder), but turning this on didn’t have
any major impact on CPU temperatures. PROS
• Smoothly handles competitive shooters on
(We left the feature disabled, as is the maximum graphics settings.
default, for benchmarks.) The only sure way • Not much bigger or heavier than some 15-inch
gaming laptops.
to bring temperatures down is to prop the • Supports RAM and storage upgrades.
laptop up along its edges so the bottom- CONS
• Not great for CPU-intensive tasks.
facing air vents have more room to breathe.
• Keyboard has some minor annoyances.
One thing that did surprise us, • HDMI-only for display output.
however, was battery life. Sure, 1080p BOTTOM LINE
For a certain kind of gaming, Acer’s latest laptop
graphics and a 60Hz panel probably help gets the price right.
increase runtime over laptops with more $879
pixels and faster refresh rates, but the Nitro

REVIEWS
Acronis True Image 2020: One of

the best backup programs adds
cloud features
The new features in True Image are welcome, as are the tweaks. BY JON L. JACOBI
It’s that time of year again: the friends? True Image is a trusted warhorse.
time when Acronis releases This year’s improvements are of course
the annual update of its welcome for subscription users, and go quite
venerable True Image backup a ways toward making the program easier to
program. It’s called True Image 2020 (we use. However, if you own a recent perpetual
tested the Standard version, $49.99 from license version they’re not a must-have.
Acronis [go.pcworld.com/atrt]), and, yes, I
know it’s not 2020 yet, as the moniker NEW STUFF
implies, but what’s a few months among old Acronis sent out an email claiming over 100
56 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: IDG

enhancements to True
Image 2020. I’m sure
there are, but the vast
majority are what I’d
describe as tweaks
and fixes. The only
major “adds” are
system tray
notifications and dual
protection (local and
cloud with the same
job), though the list
includes better The account page where you can upgrade, add cloud storage, or access
malware detection, your online management console.
friendlier sign-up
screens, and more. versioning, incrementally (all post-initial
Dual protection is the one I find most backups contain only changes since the last
interesting, as it partially addresses my major backup), differentially (all post-initial backups
complaint about many backup programs: the each include all changes since the initial
lack of multiple destinations (local, cloud, backup), and as a one-time event.
removable, network, etc.) for a backup job. You can fine-tune which versions are kept,
True Image provides Acronis Cloud as a how older backups are culled, and more.
secondary destination, which is great if you There’s scheduling, of course, plus pre- and
want to use the subscription-based service, post-backup commands, email notifications
but otherwise not that much help. You can (where’s the social media, Acronis?), file
still clone the job and change the destination. exclusions, validation and backup splitting
settings, backup performance throttling for
FEATURES, FEATURES, AND slower systems, and just about every other
MORE FEATURES option ever included in a backup program.
One thing to know about True Image is that it There’s also syncing with other PCs
has more features than you can shake a stick running True Image. You can back up to just
at, though some are only tangentially related. about any kind of media or location, including
The program will back up partitions, removable, optical, and FTP. Tape isn’t
whole drives, and files, and do so with supported, but I’m guessing there aren’t a lot

REVIEWS ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE 2020
of people left who use that

storage type.
The tangential but still-
interesting features include
security: 256-bit AES encryption,
block-chain file verification via
Acronis Notary, and electronic
signatures with the company’s
Asign. The latter two features are
available only with the Premium
version. The Standard version
includes Active Protection, which True Image has a number of auxiliary tools that are very useful.
wards off ransomware, as well as
crypto-mining of your data. doubt because it is checking your account/
There’s also a cleanup utility that erases update status and the state of True Image’s
histories and securely wipes the free space on various functions.
your hard drive. Add to that the ability to There are two things I wish True Image
create a restore partition, and Try & Decide, supported: the aforementioned multiple
which is something like creating a restore destinations beyond the proprietary cloud
point before you install new software, adjunct, and non-proprietary container
allowing you to roll back to the pre-install formats such as ISO, VHD, or even Zip. Not
state easily. True Image supports restoring to that True Image has any issues restoring data,
different hardware (bare metal restore), but if you want to browse a backup in 20
though that’s generally become far less of an years’ time, it would be nice not having to
issue with Windows 10’s more robust driver hunt down an old program to do it.
functionality and infrastructure.
If all those features sound like they will use INTERFACE AND DESIGN
a significant amount of system resources, Once you know your way around the True
you’re correct. The download is a whopping Image GUI, it’s efficient, but there is the
600MB, the installation about the same, occasional “what the heck” moment. Even
and there are six separate background after several years, I still grab the wrong part of
processes running at all times. The main the scroll bar, as the handles are light and the
program, which admittedly you’ll rarely background dark—the opposite of the norm.
need to run, is also rather slow to boot—no Tiny, somewhat indistinct ‘+’ signs to expand

trees, and minor language and organizational up yet another $50, but check your version’s
issues all add up to inefficiency in spots. features against this year’s and make up your
Overall, however, the look is attractive and own mind. You can also read our review of
modern-looking, and things improve a bit with True Image 2019 (go.pcworld.com/ti19) to
every iteration. understand the differences with past versions.
For those that aren’t currently
PRICING experiencing True Image, it is quite arguably
The Standard version of True Image is a the fastest, most powerful, and reliable
perpetual license without cloud storage for backup program on the planet. If you work
$50 and is the version I use. The Advanced with sensitive data, the active protection
version is the same price and includes could be a major boon.
250GB of cloud storage plus Office 365 Personally, I’ve been running True Image
backup. It’s a true subscription in that all but off of the recovery media it creates since its
the restore functionality will cease after the first iteration around 2003, along with the
one year you paid for. similar vintage R-Drive Image (go.pcworld.
The $100 Premium version uses the same com/rdrv), and it’s yet to fail me. Note that I
subscription model as Advanced, but perform more than the usual number of
includes the blockchain and electronic restores in resetting PCWorld’s and my own
signature functionality. Additional seat software test beds. I trust it, and that’s why I
licenses are discounted, and the program is continue to use it.
also available for Macs and various NAS
boxes (Linux-based). Acronis True Image 2020
Those variations will cover most users, but
it would be nice to see Acronis market the PROS
• Fast, reliable image and file backup.
recovery media on its own, or a Lite version • Includes anti-ransomware.
without all the fancy doodads (backup/ • Offers cloning, system recovery, and secure erase.
restore only) for an entry-level price. CONS

• Proprietary backup format is inconvenient.
• Demands a heavy system footprint.
BOTTOM LINE BOTTOM LINE
TrueImage is a venerable backup product that
If you’re a current owner on a subscription seasoned pros have relied on for years. It now offers
plan, True Image 2020 is nothing but good unique ransomware protection along with rock-solid
system and file backup. Great stuff, but arguably
news. If you already own a perpetual license overkill for the average user.
for True Image from the last couple of years, I $50
don’t think you’ll find much to warrant ponying

REVIEWS
Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition:

This chatty, Alexa-powered
playmate keeps tykes entertained
Amazon’s Echo Dot for kids boasts robust parental controls and a year’s worth of
Amazon FreeTime. BY BEN PATTERSON
If you’re looking for an gills with games and “skills,” the Alexa-
alternative to unleashing your powered Echo Kids Edition keeps children
kids on an iPad when you entertained while spurring their imaginations,
need a few precious moments all with you in control.
to yourself, the Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition The $70 Echo Dot Kids Edition is, for all
makes for an attentive and surprisingly intents and purposes, the same device as the
engaging companion. Loaded up with 3rd-generation Echo Dot, but it comes with a
parental controls aplenty and packed to the one-year subscription to FreeTime, an
60 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: BEN PATTERSON

Amazon service that boasts parental controls, between the standard Echo Dot and the Kids
thousands of Audible books, hundreds of Edition is the color selection, and surprisingly,
Alexa games and kid-friendly skills, and the Kids Edition offers only two choices:
ad-free tunes on Amazon Music. rainbow and blue. While the rainbow-colored
The FreeTime bundle is a $36 value ($60 Echo Dot is the more eye-catching of the two,
for non-Prime members), so given that the we chose blue because that’s my daughter’s
standard Echo Dot costs $50 (although it’s favorite color (or at least it was on the day we
frequently on sale for much less), ponying up picked it).
for the Kids Edition can save you some cash. The initial setup process for the Kids
Also, keep in mind that a FreeTime Edition is the same as for a vanilla Echo Dot:
subscription includes thousands of books and you plug the device into a power outlet, wait
videos that you can access on an Amazon Fire for the halo to glow orange, fire up the Alexa
tablet, a Kindle, or an iOS or Android device. mobile app, and then use the app to
Finally, the Echo Dot Kids Edition comes with “discover” the Dot and connect it to your
a two-year warranty, versus just 90 days for the Wi-Fi network. I had the Echo Dot Kids Edition
standard Echo Dot. up and running within a couple of minutes.
DESIGN AND SETUP SETTING UP FREETIME

If you already have a 3rd-generation Echo Once you have the Kids Edition connected to
Dot, you’ll already know what to expect from your Wi-Fi network, it’s time to configure
the Echo Dot Kids Edition, at least on the FreeTime’s parental controls. Open the
hardware side of things. Basically a 1.7-inch- FreeTime Parent Dashboard in the Alexa
thick hockey puck of a speaker, both the mobile app and you’ll find entries for your
standard Echo Dot and the kids version kids (which was pre-populated in my case,
come with 1.6-inch full-range speakers, a given that the all-knowing Amazon already
fabric-covered circumference, and a quartet knows the name of my seven-year-old
of buttons on top that let you control the daughter), and tapping an entry lets you start
volume, turn off the microphone, and tinkering with the various parental settings.
perform actions such as silencing alarms and Among the available options in the Parent
setting up Wi-Fi. A thin, halo-shaped LED Dashboard is the ability to set daily time limits
indicator lets you know when Alexa is (you can program weekdays and weekends
listening, has waiting notifications, or has separately). I went ahead and choose 8 a.m.
lost its wireless connection. and 8 p.m. as the time limits for my daughter
Indeed, the only real physical difference Claire, which means if she tries to summon

REVIEWS AMA ZON ECHO DOT KIDS EDITION
Alexa at, say, 8:05 p.m., Alexa will patiently Thanks to

Amazon’s
say “Sorry, I can’t play right now; try again
FreeTime
later.” Naturally, my daughter tends to keep service, you
nagging Alexa for some post-bedtime fun, can set daily
time limits for
but after a few fruitless attempts, she generally the Echo Dot
gives up and puts her head down. Kids Edition.
The Parent Dashboard lets you block the
ability to control any of your connected smart
home devices, as well as turn on an explicit
language filter for music. The language filter is
supposed to work for any connected music
services that support the feature, including
Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and (of
course) Amazon Music, while any music
services that don’t support a filter are blocked.
That’s all well and good, except for the messaging is restricted to the contacts you’ve
time my daughter was playing a Soulja Boy specified (Mommy and Daddy, in Claire’s
shuffle (Soulja Boy being a popular music case). I should note that as a parent, Drop In is
choice at summer camp this year, along with one of the more delightful features of the Kids
the ubiquitous Lil Nas X), and on one of the Edition, allowing me to summon my daughter
tracks, someone let loose with a hearty with curt commands such as “Claire, report to
four-syllable invective—whoops. My kid and I me immediately.”
exchanged an amused look (hey, she’s heard Finally, you can pause your child’s Echo
worse) and kept on dancing. That was the Dot within the Dashboard by tapping a
only time I heard any bad words slip by button and choosing how long the Alexa
FreeTime’s explicit language filter, so it might “time-out” will last. It’s an essential feature
have been simply a random and rare glitch, for when your kid’s Alexa usage heads into
but it’s worth mentioning. frenzied territory, but I wish it were easier to
The Dashboard also lets you control access; as it stands, it takes at least four taps
whether your kid can use Alexa’s messaging, to get to it.
Drop In, and Announce features. For the Drop
In and Announce features, your child can only ALEXA, LET’S PLAY
listen in on or make announcements over Beyond its various parental controls,
other Echo devices in your household, while Amazon’s FreeTime service offers thousands

Alexa will original. (Perhaps this was FreeTime’s explicit
only allow
language filter at work.) For the most part,
your child
to send though, asking Alexa to play music was a big
messages hit—so big, in fact, that I regularly used
to approved
contacts FreeTime’s “pause” feature to give myself
using the and Claire’s mother a break.
Echo Dot
Then there are Alexa’s hundreds of
Kids Edition.
kids-oriented skills, which run the gamut
from a bare-bones version of hide-and-seek
to some impressively produced “Choose
Your Own Adventure”–style reading games
from Audible.
Basic though it was, the Hide and Seek skill
proved to be a popular choice, mainly because
it was so easy to win. The game starts when
of Audible books and scores of premium Alexa asks your kid to choose a hiding space;
skills tailored for kids, not to mention the once your little one is hiding, Alexa starts to
run of Amazon Music. guess where your child is, and if she can’t
Before we get to the games and the guess correctly in three tries, she gives up.
books, however, let’s talk more about music, There aren’t any sensors or machine-learning
because dollars to donuts, that’s what your technology involved when Alexa plays hide-
kids will be doing with Alexa most of the time: and-seek; instead, Alexa’s strategy revolves
playing their favorite tunes. This being the around wild guesses, such as “Are you behind
summer of 2019, my daughter’s number-one the dollhouse?” (No, because Claire doesn’t
request has been for “Old Town Road,” a have a dollhouse.) Sure, Alexa’s version of
song that is now burned into my brain for all hide-and-seek is a tad dull, but for my
eternity. Coming in a close second is the Star daughter, winning never gets old.
Wars soundtrack, followed by Bruno Mars’ Another game that proved a hit was
“Uptown Funk You Up.” Master Swords, in which you clash blades
While my daughter got an undeniable with pirates by spelling words. When you
kick out of using her Echo Dot as a voice- battle a bad guy, you must spell a word (like
activated jukebox, she often grew annoyed “right” or “forest”) correctly to make your
when Alexa picked the wrong song, or blows land; if you get a word wrong, you
selected a cover of a track rather than the miss. It’s challenging, fun, well acted, and

REVIEWS AMA ZON ECHO DOT KIDS EDITION
stuffed with sound effects, although Claire Of course, we’re only scratching the
would occasionally grow frustrated (“That’s surface of Alexa’s various kids-oriented
weird!”) when the game cut her off before she skills—and indeed, if your kids are looking for
could finish spelling a word. a new activity, they can always just say “Alexa,
We also enjoyed the classic Choose Your let’s play,” and Alexa will pick a game to try;
Own Adventure books on Audible (such as indeed, that’s how we found Master Swords
Space and Beyond), which involve listening in the first place.
to a story and then making decisions about
what to do next at key points in the action. BOTTOM LINE
As with Master Swords, the Choose Your My daughter declared the Amazon Echo Dot
Own Adventure books we listened to were Kids Edition a keeper, and I’m inclined to
slickly produced, featured seasoned voice agree. Entertaining without becoming
actors, and included evocative sound disruptive, educational without veering into
effects. Still, frustration crept in when Alexa boring territory, the Echo Dot Kids Edition
occasionally misheard Claire’s directions and managed to keep my easily distracted
(for example) shot our character out of an second-grader engaged but rarely spun her
airlock rather than opting to stay within the into a frenzy, while letting me control how
confines of the starship. and when she could play with her new
Best of all was Star Wars: Choose Your digital friend.
Destiny, another choose-your-adventure
game that my Star Wars–obsessed tyke Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition
found riveting. In the particular story we tried
(you can pick between big adventures and PROS
• Easy to set up.
“mini” adventures, by the way), Han Solo • Robust parental controls.
and Chewbacca had to run an Imperial • Massive library of books, games, and skills.
blockade because they were, um…OK, does CONS

• Explicit language filter let a bad word through
it matter? In any case, Claire was clearly (once).
engaged, instructing Chewie to repair the • Misheard voice commands occasionally led to
frustration.
hyperdrive and ordering Han to run for cover BOTTOM LINE
rather than blindly charging ahead with his If you’re looking for an alternative to unleashing your
kids on an iPad when you need a few precious
blaster. Once more, enthusiastic acting moments to yourself, the Amazon Echo Dot Kids
Edition makes for an attentive and surprisingly
along with authentic Star Wars music and engaging electronic companion.
sound effects paid major dividends when it $70
came to holding Claire’s interest.

WoW Classic is a step back in
time—and a step back for World
of Warcraft
The 2004 revival splits the MMO into two different games, and so shatters its unique
sense of history and community. BY LEIF JOHNSON
F
ew of us ever get a chance to start online roleplaying game exactly as it played in
over from scratch, but last night 2004, right down to molasses-paced quest
World of Warcraft players got exactly text, a dearth of quest markers, and enemies
that with the launch of WoW Classic so tough that you feel compelled to group up
(go.pcworld.com/wwcl). with other players to beat them. Together,
Blizzard Entertainment’s “newest” game is features like these made World of Warcraft’s
essentially the popular massive multiplayer earliest incarnation more social than its current
IMAGE: LEIF JOHNSON OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 65

REVIEWS WOW CL ASSIC
form, and almost 15 years ago they helped lay called it) game is hosted on the official game
the foundation for some of the most enduring itself—instead of on rogue servers like
friendships of my life. Nostalrius Begins (go.pcworld.com/nbgn),
Yet it’s important to remember that Classic which helped spur the creation of WoW
isn’t a hard reset—a reboot that gives us a Classic—it diminishes WoW’s status as a
truly new game with wildly different storylines successfully versatile cultural force.
with content patches. So far, at least, Classic
looks as though it’ll be the same World of ALTERNATE HISTORY
Warcraft we knew all those years ago with Nothing has kept WoW relevant so much as
roughly the same patch schedules and its success in adapting itself to changing
combat class nerfs, although hopefully with tastes, audiences, and play styles. At
fewer bugs. It’s no doubt popular, as last BlizzCon, even in the wake of other successful
night’s massive login queues and Twitch Blizzard games like Overwatch, World of
numbers (go.pcworld.com/tnum) confirm: At Warcraft still gets many of the biggest cheers.
one point, more than one million people Sometimes Blizzard will stumble with
tuned in to watch folks slowly slaughter 30-50 WoW’s design as it did with some of the
feral hogs and find themselves slaughtered by progression mechanics in the current Battle
Hogger (go.pcworld.com/hggr). for Azeroth (go.pcworld.com/bfaz) expansion
But World of Warcraft Classic also feels like or the garrisons in 2014’s Warlords of
a rejection of
everything that
has kept WoW a
relevant cultural
phenomenon in
the first place.
On Blizzard’s
end, it slightly
looks like
surrender, or at
least the partial
closing of a
door. Now that
the original
“Vanilla” (as we “Did somebody say...?” (Risen on Alleria spawning Thunderaan for the first time.)

Draenor, but it usually
manages to redeem
itself with a followup
patch (as it largely
does with the latest
Rise of Azshara (go.
pcworld.com/roaz)
content drop in the
main game). Some of
WoW’s changes over
the last decade have
felt excessive (or at I do miss big server events, though.
least unnecessary), but
I highly doubt WoW would have retained so than many other persistent worlds.
much of its popularity had it clung to the same This is a special thing, and it’s unmatched
design we find in Classic. And by any realistic by any other game save perhaps EVE Online.
measure, World of Warcraft is one of gaming’s You’ll find similar situations in other
most stunning success stories. MMORPGs like EverQuest and Final Fantasy
Part of that success, though, has a lot to XIV (go.pcworld.com/fxi; and even Second
do with the fact that the game’s official Life), but those games usually lack one of the
timeline has unfolded in one unbroken line critical ingredients outlined above. This sense
from 2004 until now. Most games feel of a long, shared history and a persistent
anchored to a certain point in history, or—like, world is critical to WoW’s continued success;
say, The Witcher 3—have a timelessness it makes it feel like a place we can always go
springing from the fact that you can play them home to. It sometimes even leads me to think
over and over again so long as you have a of my character as an extension of myself. I
supporting system. was a member of one of the better-known
World of Warcraft, though, has a guilds back when this content was fresh—we
dedicated high-population multiplayer base, had a handful of world-first and -second raid
a constantly evolving storyline and world, an boss kills (go.pcworld.com/bskl), and a
old age for a game, and a sustained faction truckload of server firsts—and the mage I used
rivalry that give it a linear history that few other in those means a lot to me. I keep him
games have. Combined, all these factors help “retired” on a ranch so he’ll be happy even
World of Warcraft feel more like a real world though I play another class these days.

This sense of a linear

history that mimics what we
find in the real world is what
spurred the concept of the
“good ol’ days” in WoW to
begin with. It makes looking
at screenshots feel like
looking at photos from the
past. World of Warcraft has
definable eras, much as the
real world, and it’s lasted for
so long that you can even Sneaking into Hyjal was technically breaking the rules, but it always
point to different made people think you were cool.
generations of players. This
linear history lent power to the stories of “how the idea of playing with some dude on the
it used to be.” other side of the country still felt novel. We
WoW Classic, though, shatters this enjoyed sneaking into unreleased zones like
concept of a shared history, and as Classic Mount Hyjal precisely because we had no
ages, it’ll be increasingly hard to tell whether idea what Blizzard had planned for them.
someone is referring to Classic or the “real” Videos took ages longer to download in the
version from the mid-2000s. And with that, its days before YouTube, and so we all kept our
world feels a little less “real.” boss strategies close to the chest and
experimented with occasionally wacky
NOTHING LEFT TO tactics. (We once tried to tank the fire lord
DISCOVER Ragnaros with a hunter because it seems liked
That’s a shame, as Classic will always lack maybe that was the trick. It didn’t work out so
one of the key ingredients that made the well.) Even gear was a mystery, and so whole
original so appealing: discovery. (I’ve argued books’ worth of text were written with
this before [go.pcworld.com/apww].) In “theorycrafting” for optimizing what you
WoW Classic as it exists now, there’s nothing wore. There was always so much to learn, and
to truly discover. we had little idea of how our tidy “worldview”
The concept of exploring such a vast and would change with the next big patch.
seamless world in itself felt innovative in But there’s none of that now. There are no
2004, as the Internet was still a fun place and true surprises. Anyone playing Classic can tap

a few keys and immediately know how to waiting down the line.
defeat Ragnaros through Google or YouTube. For most of its history, Blizzard’s approach
Even if one player insists on not looking up to WoW showed it adeptly understood the
anything, there’s always going to be that one old Latin adage that the times are changing
guy in the group who looks up a strategy and and we are changing with them. Classic
tells everyone about it out of impatience. We rejects that change. That makes it a good fit
know exactly when this or that ability will be for the current tendency to wallow in
removed from the game. We even know nostalgia—and to our detriment. At the most
exactly which items will sell best during benign, this tendency makes us believe
specific patches, so even the economy lacks things were better in the past in part
mystery. In a weird meta way, playing Classic because we fail to account for the conditions
feels a bit like roleplaying the roleplaying that color that perception. At the worst, it
game. Or worse, it’s a little like trying to leads to cynical attempts to cash in on that
watch Game of Thrones again with the perception while doing little to move
knowledge of knowing how it ends and forward. Classic feels like it touches a bit of
being unable to forget the disappointments both of those ends.
Risen spawning Ragnaros for the first time on the Alleria server on April 16, 2005.

only on rogue platforms

like Nostalrius Begins,
but hosting them on the
official client opens an
entirely different can of
worms. From a personal
angle, I have one friend
who’s been playing the
mainstream game
constantly since 2004
who now says he’s
“switched over full time”
The “good ol’ days” included such fun as going AFK for hours so you could
level your weapon skills with auto-attacks. Photo from 2005. because he likes Classic
a “billion percent more
THROUGH A DARK PORTAL than current retail.” Classic essentially
I believe WoW Classic is most helpful for the introduces another faction rivalry aside from
ways it shows enough time has passed that that of Alliance and Horde—the Classic players
players are ready to once again embrace the versus the mainstream players—and so slips a
system design of the original game. Rather little too neatly into the modern proclivity
than releasing Classic, though, I wish Blizzard toward tribalism.
had simply experimented with reintroducing The next time WoW has an unfavorable
old systems into the next mainline content patch, people may just say “to hell
expansion—although I well remember the with it” and play Classic instead. That means
blowback when Blizzard tried to reintroduce we may see the end of the WoW community
crowd control-heavy dungeons in the 2010 that, much like people in the real world, has
Cataclysm expansion. And now that Classic stuck together through the good and the
seems like a hit—although I’m intensely bad times and held out hope that better
curious to see what the reception will be like things await down the road. As for me? I
two months from now—maybe some of those prefer to look forward rather than behind.
ideas will still spill over. I have little doubt that Classic will be a
But I worry the damage has already been financial success. But as for World of
done. WoW Classic is already splitting some of Warcraft’s place as an evolving and
the community. Aside from copyright issues, relevant cultural phenomenon? We may
“classic” servers were fine when they existed be looking at an end.

Jacob Sanchez
Diagnosed with autism
Sensory sensitivity is a sign of autism.

Learn the others at autismspeaks.org/signs.
FEATURE

10TH-GEN
CPU BUYERS
GUIDE
WE RANKED
EVERY NEW
INTEL
LAPTOP CPU
FOR YOU
SIX CORES VS. FOUR CORES,
AND 10NM VS. 14M. THERE’S
A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.
BY GORDON MAH UNG
IMAGE: INTEL OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 73

FEATURE 10TH- GEN CPU BUYERS GUIDE
I
f your brain broke when Intel Among the two different manufacturing
announced its 10th-gen Comet Lake processes (one advanced and one very
(go.pcworld.com/cmet) laptop CPUs, refined) as well as very different graphics
which will sell alongside its 10th-gen cores, core counts, and power levels, it’s
Ice Lake chips, we understand. confusing enough to make you want to switch
INTEL’S 10TH-GEN LAPTOP CPU LINEUP

MAX MAX
SINGLE ALL
GRAPHICS CORE CORE BASE GRAPHICS CPU
CODE CORES / EXECUTION TDP TURBO TURBO CLOCK CLOCK POWER
MODEL NAME PROCESS THREADS UNITS CACHE (WATTS) (MHz) (MHz) (MHz) (MHz) CLASS
Core i7-1068G7 Ice Lake 10nm 4/8 64 8MB 28W 4,100 3,600 2,300 1,100 U
Core i7-1065G7 Ice Lake 10nm 4/8 64 8MB 15W/25W 3,900 3,500 1,300 1,100 U
Core i3-1005G1 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 32 4MB 15W/25W 3,400 3,400 1,200 900 U
Core i7-1060G7 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 64 8MB 9W/12W 3,800 3,400 1,000 1,100 Y
Core i5-1030G7 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 64 6MB 9W/12W 3,500 3,200 800 1,050 Y
Core i5-1030G4 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 48 6MB 9W/12W 3,500 3,200 700 1,050 Y
Core i3-1000G4 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 48 4MB 9W/12W 3,200 3,200 1,100 900 Y
Core i3-1000G1 Ice Lake 10nm 2/4 32 4MB 9W/12W 3,200 3,200 1,100 900 Y
Core i7-10710U Comet 14nm 6/12 24 12MB 15W/25W 4,700 3,900 1,100 1,150 U
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
Core i7-10510Y Comet 14nm 4/8 24 8MB 4.5W/7W/ 4,500 3,200 1,200 1,150 Y
Lake 9W
Lake 9W
Lake 9W
Lake 9W
Don’t feel bad if you can’t keep Intel’s new 10th-gen lineup straight—there are no fewer than 19 new
CPUs to keep track of.

to a Windows on ARM laptop (just kidding, lot of different options. If you’re the kind of
we’re not that frustrated). Even Intel itself consumer who doesn’t care about code
admits there “might be some confusion” names, manufacturing process, clock speed,
between its different 10th-gen CPUs. core count or graphics execution units but
Fortunately for you, we’ve combed through you don’t want to make a buying mistake,
all of Intel’s newest 10th-gen laptop CPUs to try we’ve translated the hellish Excel spreadsheet
to find the strengths and weaknesses of the of the CPU lineup into concrete use cases.
19 different parts. Although we haven’t
personally touched each different model HOW TO USE OUR CHART
integrated into a laptop, we’re comfortable On the far left of the chart on the next page are
with our performance forecast based on the the individual model numbers of each new
fact that we’ve actually already run 10th-gen Ice 10th-gen CPU. The table shows important
Lake though its paces (go.pcworld.com/ilpv). performance criteria and how we’re rating each
As 10th-gen Comet Lake shares much in CPU model. As you move from left to right, ask
common with the 8th-gen Whiskey Lake U, we yourself how important each criterion is for what
know what to expect there too. you do or might do, and note how it balances
But first, here are the details of Intel’s against the other CPUs.
entire 10th-gen laptop CPU lineup to date. For example, if you want a CPU with good
Yup, that’s a lot of information as well as a multi-core performance and with good gaming

performance, plus you want the promise of new NEW INSTRUCTIONS

instructions that bring new performance down With the 10th-gen Ice Lake CPUs, Intel has added
the road, the 10th-gen Ice Lake Core i7-1065G7 support for AVX512 instructions, which can
should be on your short list. speed up deep learning and AI functionality. This
Remember that each of the ratings are can manifest in photo applications that can detect
against other 10th-gen CPUs, and not against faces faster and with more accuracy. We call
desktop nor older CPUs or AMD CPUs. Our features like AVX512 “future proof,” because the
chart assumes you want to buy a 10th-gen truth is the vast majority of applications today
Intel-based laptop, but you just don’t know don’t use the new instructions. If you buy into the
which one to buy. new feature, it’ll likely take months if not years for
WHAT 10TH-GEN CPU IS BEST FOR YOU?

SINGLE-CORE
“FUTURE QUICK SYNC MULTI-CORE WORKLOADS LIKE GAMING AND
PROOF” NEW VIDEO ENCODING WORKLOADS LIKE PHOTO EDITING GRAPHICS
INSTRUCTIONS PERFORMANCE VIDEO EDITING OR OFFICE PERFORMANCE BATTERY LIFE
Core i7-1068G7 Best Best Very Good Very Good Best Good
Core i5-1035G4 Best Best Very Good Very Good Good Good
Core i5-1035G1 Best Best Very Good Very Good Fair Good
Core i3-1005G1 Best Best Fair Good Fair Good
Core i7-1060G7 Best Best Fair Fair Very Good Best
Core i5-1030G7 Best Best Fair Fair Very Good Best
Core i5-1030G4 Best Best Fair Fair Good Best
Core i3-1000G4 Best Best Fair Fair Good Best
Core i3-1000G1 Best Best Fair Fair Fair Best
Core i7-10710U Fair Good Best Best Adequate Fair?
Core i7-10510U Fair Good Very Good Best Adequate Good
Core i5-10210U Fair Good Very Good Good Adequate Good
Core i3-10110U Fair Good Fair Good Adequate Good
Core i7-10510Y Fair Good Good Fair Adequate Best

Core i3-10110Y Fair Good Fair Fair Adequate Best
Here are the strengths and weakness of every single new Intel 10th-gen laptop CPU.

them to be used. Is it worth it? One example of such as video editing, 3D modeling, or
“future proofing” was the SSE support in the advanced photo tools that support the
Pentium III. It offered minimal practical benefits additional cores. You might also want to look
when launched in 1999 but rapidly became to multi-core performance CPUs if you like to
worth its weight in gold once MP3 encoders run multiple apps that are CPU-intensive at
supported it. With 10th gen, only the the same time. A CPU with more cores tends
10nm-based Ice Lake CPUs have AVX512. to outperform one with fewer cores when
multi-tasking heavily, so look to the CPU with
QUICK SYNC VIDEO the most cores for that job. In this case, it’s the
ENCODING PERFORMANCE Core i7-10710U.
Quick Sync is specialized video encoding However, if your idea of multi-tasking is
hardware in Intel CPUs with integrated having Chrome open alongside Outlook,
graphics support. The 10th-gen Ice Lake Word, and Excel, then a quad-core or even
features Intel’s newest encoding engine, which dual-core would likely be perfectly fine, as long
can be dramatically faster especially with as it’s paired with enough RAM and an SSD.
newer HEVC/H.265 CODECs. Applications
will need to be updated to support the faster SINGLE-CORE WORKLOADS
performance. If video conversion using the LIKE PHOTO EDITING OR
newest formats is important to you, the OFFICE
10th-gen Ice Lake should rank higher. Most applications, even new ones, usually
don’t take advantage of multi-core CPUs.
MULTI-CORE WORKLOADS These apps instead tend to get more
LIKE VIDEO EDITING performance from just a core or two running
More cores are generally going to be better at very high clock speeds or with greater
for most advanced content creation chores efficiency. Yes, Megahertz still matters. For

this category, we rate the CPUs with the

highest clock speeds, and the capability to VIDEO: PICK THE BEST
10TH-GEN LAPTOP CPU
actually hold them at the top. In this case, the Watch now at go.pcworld.com/10g
10th-gen Comet Lake CPUs that can hit
4.9GHz and 4.7GHz are likely to outpace the
10th-gen Ice Lake chips by a step or two. BATTERY LIFE
Lower clock speeds, however, can be Our last category is how we’d rate each CPU
mitigated by using each megahertz more model based on battery life. We say this with
efficiently. Ice Lake CPUs will actually perform the caution that battery life of a laptop is a recipe
quite well too. based on each individual laptop design
The slowest performance will be in Core including the screen quality and type, the screen
i3 laptops, which are intentionally limited in resolution, the battery size, and the tuning by the
clock speed, and in the low-voltage, power- laptop vendor. Still, the CPUs we rate as the best
efficient versions of Ice Lake and Comet Lake. are the ones intentionally tuned to lower power
Although we rate these as “fair” for single- consumption. For 10th-gen Comet Lake, it’s the
core workloads, don’t interpret that as poor Y series of CPUs and the power-sipping dual-
performance. core 10th-gen Ice Lake CPUs.
GAMING AND GRAPHICS

PERFORMANCE
Gaming and graphics performance is
pretty straightforward. The CPUs with
the best graphics performance will give
you smoother gaming or prettier graphics.
With this generation, the 10th-gen Ice Lake
chips with the “G7” rating get the highest
rating. In fact, it can be on a par with some
discrete graphics chips. We’re rating the
graphics performance of the 10th-gen
Comet Lake CPUs as “adequate,”
because for the most part, it’s the
same as previous 8th-gen, The new Inspiron 14 7000
ultralight laptops will also have
7th-gen, and 6th-gen laptops in the latest 10th Generation Intel
graphics performance. Core processors.

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FEATURE GR APHICS CARDS: REFERENCE VS. CUSTOM
From front to rear: A custom Asus ROG Strix graphics card, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2080 Super Founders
Edition, and AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 reference card.
W
hile our guide to the So should you buy a reference card or a
best graphics cards custom graphics card when you’re on the
(go.pcworld.com/ hunt for a new GPU? The short answer is
beg) can help you most—but not all—people should buy a
identify which hard- customized model.
ware works best within your budget, simply For the longer answer, as well as a look at the
knowing that you want to buy, say, a Radeon RX niche cases where you might be better suited
5700 is only the start of the process. You’ll find with a reference video card, here’s a high-level
endless models available for every graphics breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
card, ranging from humble “reference” cards
designed by AMD or Nvidia themselves, to REFERENCE GRAPHICS
highly customized options packing bespoke CARDS: PROS AND CONS
cooling solutions and extra features by “add-in “Reference” graphics cards utilize designs
board” partners like EVGA, Sapphire, Asus, crafted by AMD and Nvidia, the companies
Gigabyte, MSI, and more. that create and supply the actual graphics

processing units (GPUs) at the heart of the of your PC case, via ventilation holes around
hardware. They exist to ensure a baseline the bracket’s display connections. AMD’s
level of quality, and to help get more graphics Radeon reference designs stick to this legacy,
cards quickly out the door when new GPUs though the company (mostly) lets its partners
launch. Customized cooling solutions take handle consumer sales. You’ll usually buy
longer to engineer. That brings up the first Radeon reference cards from companies like
consideration: If you want to get a hot new XFX, Sapphire, or Asus rather than AMD itself.
GPU the second it releases, a reference The self-contained nature of blower-style
design may be your only option, as was the designs—they expel heat out of your case,
case for the first month (go.pcworld.com/ rather than dumping it into your case—make
fmo) of the Radeon RX 5700’s recent launch. them shine in scenarios where space or
Traditionally, reference designs deployed airflow is limited. If you’re building in a small
single-fan, blower-style coolers that blast the form factor case or running a powerful rig with
hot air generated by the GPU out of the rear multiple graphics cards installed next to each
AMD’s Radeon RX 5700 reference card uses a blower-style design.

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition.
other, blower-style reference cards eliminate graphics cards bucked tradition by switching
potential overheating concerns. to a dual-axial fan design (go.pcworld.com/
There’s a performance trade-off, how- dax). Nvidia also recently began selling
ever, as blower-style designs often run reference designs itself in the form of luxuri-
much hotter and louder than coolers with ous, metal-clad GeForce “Founders Edition”
axial fans that dump the hot air into your graphics cards, ending the trend of allowing
case. (Compare the Radeon RX 5700 AIB partners like EVGA and Asus to sell
reference card’s temperatures [go.pcworld. reference cards.
com/x57] versus the temperatures of the Founders Edition cards look gorgeous and
Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 [go.pcworld.com/ perform well, but Nvidia doesn’t overclock its
prx], an affordable custom dual-axial design cards as aggressively as many custom AIB
with a mere $10 premium.) GPUs can hit models do. Also, while the dual-axial cooler is
higher clock speeds at lower temperatures, a big improvement on blower-style reference
so reference designs can leave potential designs, custom cards still often hit lower
performance on the table. temperatures.
Nvidia’s current GeForce RTX 20-series Compatibility is a big win for reference

cards. Both AMD’s blower-style graphics CUSTOM GRAPHICS CARDS:
cards and Nvidia’s Founders Edition models PROS AND CONS
stick to standard length dual-slot dimen- Most custom graphics cards use axial fan
sions, meaning they should fit in the vast designs that expel the hot air generated by
majority of PCs. And if you’re a water-cooling your GPU back into your case, which is then
enthusiast, the universal availability of whisked out of your system by your case fans.
reference designs means that you can more (In general, you’ll want at least two case fans
easily find custom waterblocks for them. in your PC if you’re gaming: one intake, one
Finding waterblocks for video cards with exhaust.) That’s a good thing! As explained in
custom PCBs is much more hit-or-miss. the last section, axial coolers generally run
Finally, reference graphics cards usually cooler than blower-style fans, and they’re
lack extra features you can find in custom usually quieter too.
models, such as customizable RGB LED Cooler temperatures let your graphics
lighting and dual-BIOS switches. card’s GPU sustain higher clock speeds for
The Asus ROG Strix 1660 Ti spares no expense on its cooler design.

longer. Many custom graphics cards also ship (go.pcworld.com/mbd) with stock specifica-
overclocked from the factory. That combina- tions and decent coolers to monstrous
tion lets many (maybe most) custom graphics behemoths (go.pcworld.com/mbe) with
cards achieve higher out-of-the-box perfor- hefty overclocks and finely tuned everything.
mance than reference designs. Really high-end custom graphics cards can
Given all that, and given that most people demand significant price premiums. In
have only a single graphics card in their PC (so general, the more money you spend, the
overcrowding isn’t a major concern), custom more goodies you’ll get.
graphics cards are usually the best option for Like what? Even better cooling, for one.
most people. You’ll find custom cards with one, two, or even
The quality of custom graphics cards three axial fans, and some higher-end models
varies greatly depending on the vendor and integrate closed-loop liquid coolers. Pricier
how much you want to spend. Custom custom cards pack beefier heatsinks for better
graphics cards range from more basic designs heat dissipation, and some add extra
EVGA’s GeForce
GTX 1660 XC.

A blowout render of the Asus ROG Strix 1660 Ti’s cooler design.
hardware—like sensors, extra thermal pads, tend to be more expensive, though.

and dedicated VRM or memory chip cooling— Of course, more general extra features are
to drive temperatures even lower, or reduce another big advantage for custom graphics
noise levels. Some models, like EVGA’s cards. Custom RGB LED lighting is basically
GeForce RTX 20-series “FTW3” lineup, tie table stakes at this point. You can also find
individual fan speeds to different sensors, so nice quality-of-life upgrades like metal back-
that each bit of hardware gets devoted cooling plates, additional display connections, fan
based on their thermal needs. headers to tie a case fan’s speed to your GPU
If you’re an overclocking enthusiast, you can temperature, replaceable shrouds or axial
find custom graphics cards that skip the reference fans, and more. The sky’s the limit, though
PCBs designed by Nvidia and AMD to offer fully many AIB vendors require you to install their
bespoke hardware intended to get you the best proprietary software to access some of the
possible performance. You can find models with features or overclock your graphics card.
beefed-up power delivery systems, fuse protec- The biggest downside to custom graph-
tion, additional PCB layers, and dual-BIOS ics cards? They almost always cost more than
switches for different performance profiles and reference models. Most people would be
easy recovery from overclocking disasters. These happy with a custom design that costs $10

or $20 more than reference pricing, though hurts worse than buying a new graphics card
you’ll often need to spend more than that if and discovering it doesn’t quite fit in your PC.
you want more advanced features or plan on
serious overclocking endeavors. FIND THE BEST GPU FOR YOU
Spending more usually doesn’t get you Of course, before you can select which custom
much more actual in-game performance, graphics card to buy, you need to know which
however. Modern GPUs tend to push as hard as GPU you should buy. A basic 1080p monitor
possible out-of-the-box under any decent cooler. and an ultra-fast 4K display require very differ-
Custom cards come in a wide range of ent hardware to game on. Start your journey
form factors, for better and worse. If you want over at PCWorld’s guide to the best graphics
single-slot designs, shorter boards for mini-ITX cards for PC gaming (go.pcworld.com/pcg).
boards, or beastly triple-slot cooling solutions, We have battle-tested, no-nonsense buying
custom graphics cards are the only way to fly. advice for every budget and display resolution,
But because of that variability, you’ll also want complete with links to our comprehensive
to check a custom card’s physical dimensions reviews for each GPU.
before breaking out your credit card. Nothing Happy gaming!
The Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5700 includes both a metal backplate and a dual-BIOS switch for its $10
premium over reference cards.

I SERVE LUNCH
AT MY CHILD’S
SCHOOL, BUT STILL
CAN’T AFFORD TO
PUT FOOD ON OUR
TABLE.
Melissa, Michigan
HUNGER
IS A
STORY
WE CAN
END.
FEEDINGAMERICA.ORG
EVERY AMERICAN WASTES
290 POUNDS OF FOOD A YEAR
Here’s How HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN,
AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR
Android 10: Getting started with

the best new features
Go dark and start swiping. BY MICHAEL SIMON
hen you first start using you’re just looking in the wrong places.
W Android 10, it won’t look

all that different from
version 9. In fact, the
biggest change you’re going to encounter is
that it doesn’t have a tasty dessert moniker
Here are all the best new features in
Android 10 and how to start using them.
DARK THEME
Possibly the most highly anticipated new
attached to it (go.pcworld.com/mnkr). But feature in Android 10 is a simple one: dark
even without any radical new features, mode. Called Dark theme, it flips many of
Android “Don’t Call It Q” charts a whole the elements in stock Google apps from
new path for the OS, with new ways to blinding white to black or dark gray.
navigate, customize, and secure your However, it’s a little scattered, with some
phone. So if you can’t find anything new, apps turning automatically, while others
IMAGE: GOOGLE OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 91

HERE’S HOW ANDROID 10’S BEST NEW FEATURES
have their own internal switches. Here’s how • Messages

it breaks down:
Always dark
Dark theme-ready • Clock
• Notification shade • Play Movies
• Google search widget
• Chrome Not ready for dark theme
• Contacts • Gmail
• Drive • Google
• Files • Home
• Google Pay • Maps
• Keep Notes • News
• Photos • Play Books
• Play Games • Play Store
• Settings • Podcasts
• Wear OS
Separate dark mode available in app For the apps and elements that support
settings it, you can turn on Dark theme in two ways.
• Calculator The quickest is inside the Notification shade.
Just swipe down from
the top of the screen,
swipe again to expand
the quick settings, and
tap the Dark theme
icon. Alternatively, you
can find a toggle inside
the Display settings.
Google is already
teasing a dark mode
for Maps and Assistant
on its Android 10 site,
so it shouldn’t be long
before the remaining
Dark theme in Android 10 can be toggled with a quick settings icon. apps receive support.

There are now three ways to navigate your phone.
GESTURE NAVIGATION When you select Gesture navigation,

Gesture navigation technically launched with you’ll notice the buttons are completely
Android 9, but for all intents and purposes, gone, replaced by a thin line similar to the
Android 10 is its debut. That’s because iPhone’s home indicator. That’s where you’ll
Google has seriously refined its gesture do most of your gesturing, so Google has
system and introduced a whole slew of streamlined the whole system to make things
changes to how you get around. less dependent on the home button:
You’ll find gestures in the same spot as Go home: Swipe up from the bottom of
before—inside the System settings—but here it the screen when in an app.
has a proper name, Gesture Navigation. Last Switch apps: Swipe left or right on the
year’s method, which in Android 9/Pie was bottom of the screen.
called Swipe Up On Home Button, is now App Overview: Swipe up from the
named 2-Button Navigation. The super-old- button of the screen and hold your finger in
school nav bar icons are 3-Button Navigation. the center of the screen for a second.

Open app drawer:

Swipe up from bottom
of the screen when on
home screen, or swipe
up a second time when
in the app switcher.
Summon
Assistant: Swipe from
either the right or left
corner of the screen.
Because the Back
button is gone, you’re
probably wondering
how you go back one Notifications have received some smart changes in Android 10.
screen when using an
app. It’s simple: You swipe from either side limit”), so developers can still include slide-
of the screen. That means swiping left from out menus without disrupting the Back
the right side of the screen or swiping right gesture. If an app has a slide-out menu,
from the left side of the screen will go back a swiping from the bottom of the left side of
screen. You’ll see an arrow animation and the screen will pull out the menu, while
feel a small vibration, and then you only swiping from anywhere else will go back. If
need to lift your finger to go back a screen. an app doesn’t have a slide-out menu or
You’ll also notice there’s a new gear icon side-screen action, you can swipe anywhere
to the right of the description of how the to go back.
new gesture works. Here you’ll find settings
to adjust Back Sensitivity, giving you several ANDROID 10
levels for how hard you need to swipe to NOTIFICATIONS
trigger the Back feature. You’ll want a fine It wouldn’t be a new Android release without
degree of control, because some apps allow some tweaks to the notification system. The
for slide-out menus and other side-screen changes in Android 10 aren’t as dramatic as
actions. In fact, Google has allowed for they were in Pie, but they’re still meaningful.
blocking out roughly 25 percent of the You can still either long-press or short-
bottom half of the left side of the screen swipe on a notification in the shade to bring
(technically called a “vertical app exclusion up the alert settings, but there’s more to

them in Android 10. Instead of all-or-nothing Android 10 it’s practically instantaneous.
Stop Showing or Keep Showing buttons, It’s much quicker to find a sharing
you’ll be able to silence notifications or tap destination, too. The old version used app
into a new simplified settings menu for more and cache data to predict which app or
granular options. action you might want in a lengthy, disorderly
Speaking of silent notifications, you’ll list. In Android 10, sharing is broken down
also be able to track them better in Android into logical panes: your frequent message
10. Inside the notification panel, you’ll find a recipients, followed by four suggested apps
new grouping for silent notifications, so you based on use, and finally an alphabetical list
can quickly see what came through without of all possible app destinations. That makes it
a buzz or beep. The per-app settings have much quicker to track down the app you want
also been streamlined to make things easier when you aren’t texting.
to understand and control.
The app settings are largely similar to FOCUS MODE
Android 9’s, but a couple of new features are Google introduced Digital Wellbeing in
worth noting. In addition to the existing Android 9 as a way to keep track of your
Disable and Force Stop, you now have the phone use, and it was certainly an eye-
option to open an app from the App Info opener. In Android 10, Google wants to
screen. Also, the Notifications tab now shows help us do something about it.
you an estimate of how many notifications the In addition to Wind Down and app
app sends each week, so you can decide timers, Digital Wellbeing in Android 10 will
whether you want to limit them. also have a new feature called Focus Mode.
As its name suggests, Focus Mode forces
NEW SHARING FUNCTIONS you to keep your attention on work by
The share sheet has been something of a disabling distracting apps of your choice,
sore spot for previous Android releases, but like Candy Crush or Twitter. Unlike app
in version 10, Google has finally done timers, it’s an on or off thing, so you’ll need
something about it. Getting to the share to disable Focus Mode on your own when
sheet is the same, of course—tap the share you’re ready for a break. Thankfully, Google
button or icon inside an app—but the feel has made it easy with a Quick Settings
and functionality has completely changed. shortcut that lets you flip it off with a tap.
For one, it’s a whole lot faster. Where the Also new to Digital Wellbeing is the
previous menu took a second or two to load inclusion of Family Link. The parental control
the full list of app actions and shortcuts, in service was previously available via a

without
privileged
permission.
There are
some powerful
new settings and
switches if you
know where to
find them. First
and foremost,
there’s a new
Privacy menu in
Settings, where
Google has
Focus mode lets you shut down apps that might distract you from the task at hand. collected a bevy
of controls to
separate app. Google is now including it in limit how much of your device the company
the main Android settings, so you can can access. Most of the controls remain
quickly set up an account and set limits on available in other menus—location history,
your kids’ activities—as well as approve any ads, lock screen content, etc.—but it’s useful
extra time requests. It never really made to have them all in one place. There’s also a
sense that Family Link required a separate handy new Accessibility usage tab that tells
download and app experience, so it’s nice you if any apps have full access to your
to see it all incorporated under one device. In my case, 1Password was the only
umbrella now. app with full access, but this tab makes it easy
to shut down any nefarious ones on the list.
PRIVACY Inside the Privacy tab, you’ll also find a
Over the past several releases, Google has new Permissions Manager. Other than the
been working to make Android more private new name, it’s exactly the same as the App
and transparent. Version 10 continues the Permissions tab of old. Like before, you’ll
effort, though many of the changes are be able to see which apps are accessing
behind the scenes. For example, apps things like the camera, contacts, and
cannot access clipboard data or device microphone. Note an important change to
information such as IMEI and serial number the Location settings, however: Instead of

The privacy settings are much easier to find in Android 10.
a toggle that merely allows or blocks access, To change the permission, you’ll simply
there’s a new option—-allow only while need to tap the notification to get to that
using the app. That means an app won’t be app’s permission settings.
able to access location data unless you’re
explicitly using it, so you don’t have to WI-FI PASSWORD SHARING
worry about being tracked by apps running There’s always one thing your guests want
in the background . before a drink or a bowl of chips: your Wi-Fi
Because most users won’t be aware of password. In Android 10, Google is making
the change, Google will push out occasional it easy to give it to them. Head over to your
alerts to let you know which apps are Wi-Fi settings, tap on the network you’re
accessing your location. Occasionally, you’ll connected to, and you’ll see a new Share
get a notification warning that a specific app button. Tap it and a QR code will appear,
got your location in the background which can be scanned by a QR reader on
because it can always access your location. another phone.

HERE’S HOW
Alternatives for Adobe Acrobat,

Photoshop, and more
If you can’t or won’t pay Adobe’s monthly fee, you do have options. BY JD SARTAIN
remember when Adobe made the and home users may balk, especially for
I switch. In 2013, not long after I

purchased Adobe Creative Suite CS6,
Adobe terminated the desktop
versions of its software and launched
Creative Cloud, offering subscription-based
programs used only occasionally.
I love Adobe products, and I’ve used
them since Photoshop version 2.5. I’ve also
purchased Freehand and PageMaker, and
the Macromedia products. They’re the best,
access only to its suite of products. hands-down. But a subset of users have
It’s easy to understand why some users largely left their beloved Adobe software
have been unhappy with Adobe’s behind for a variety of clones, shareware,
subscription model (go.pcworld.com/adsb). and open-source products.
A large corporation has the budget to I actually use them all—Adobe and the
shoulder monthly fees, but small businesses alternatives—because each program has
98 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: iSTOCK

unique features I can pick and choose for my 2. PDF Architect 6 Professional
projects. The following programs are the PRICE: $69 FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/PDFR
best options we’ve found to replace This customizable PDF editor comes in
Acrobat, Photoshop, Illustrator, and several different flavors, each with its own set
InDesign. We also talk to experts about why of “modules,” or tools, so you can purchase
software subscriptions are on the rise. only those you need. But even the
Professional edition, which has a near
ADOBE ACROBAT complete tool set, only costs $109. You
ALTERNATIVES sacrifice little for that affordability, as it
Historically, Adobe Acrobat has been the includes plenty of review, collaboration, and
best option, but it has also been the most security features.
expensive, often putting it out of reach of
individuals and small businesses. That has ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
given rise to a wealth of alternatives with ALTERNATIVES
varying features and costs. Here are our All three of the programs listed below
favorites. provide effective photo-editing tools, from
sizing, cropping, and retouching to noise
1. Nitro Pro 12 reduction, color correction, and more.
PRICE: $159 FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/NTPR Affinity and Paint Shop Pro have a few more
Nitro Pro 12 bumps its previous version, features than GIMP does, and all three have
Nitro Pro 11, for the runner-up
spot. Its now full integration
with Nitro Cloud—as part of
Nitro Productivity Suite—
makes collaborating on
documents and securing
signatures easier than ever.
The ability to perform
common editing tasks right
in a browser rather than
having to toggle over to the
desktop program makes
document workflows feel Nitro Pro 12 users can sign documents directly in Nitro Cloud using
simpler and more seamless. drag-and-drop fields.

HERE’S HOW ADOBE ALTERNATIVES
fewer than Photoshop. The filters and special spectacular, the new SmartClone feature is
effects are what distinguish them from one amazing, and the Refine Brush, which finely
another and from Photoshop. details selections around difficult outlines
such as hair and animal fur is superb. But my
1. GIMP all-time favorite feature is the Picture Tubes,
PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/G1MP similar to Photoshop’s custom brushes, but
GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) in full 16-bit color.
offers 130-plus amazing filters and special
effects. See Alvin Alexander’s blog (go. 3. Affinity Photo
pcworld.com/alvn) for all the cool stuff GIMP PRICE: $49.99 FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/AFIN
can do. I especially like the Borders Sparkles, Affinity Photo stands somewhere between
Reflections, and Gradient Flare effects; and PaintShop Pro and Photoshop in features and
the Whirl and Pinch features. I also special effects. Its highlight features (go.
appreciate that GIMP works on multiple pcworld.com/hift) include custom brush nibs
platforms, uses minimal system resources, called Nozzle tips, which modify the shape and
and is super-easy to use. size of your lines as you draw them. Symmetry
mode creates amazing kaleidoscopes, and the
2. PaintShop Pro best Dispersion effect I have ever seen. You can
PRICE: $79.99, OR $9.99 FOR THE PRO VERSION even record and save actions as macros. Even if
FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/PSPR you own both PaintShop and Photoshop, this
I love PaintShop Pro. I’ve used it since little gem is more than worth the ticket.
version 5 and have
continued to
upgrade through
the current versions.
It provides hundreds
of excellent features
(go.pcworld.com/
nwft) such as
Capture, which is
much better than
Photoshop’s
Snipping Tool. The
Film effects are Affinity Photos offers a wide range of features.

Affinity Designer’s adjustable line weights are based on speed, pressure, and width.
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR and texture effects, an efficient 3D controller

ALTERNATIVES for creating shapes, plus all the standard
Photo editing software can now do almost editing and manipulation tools.
anything that illustration programs can do.
Some users prefer the illustrator drawing 2. Inkscape
tools over the photo drawing tools, but PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/INKS
that’s just a matter of personal preference. Inkscape is a free and intuitive vector
For alternatives, check these out. graphics editor used to create and edit
vector images. Inkscape’s best features (go.
1. Apache OpenOffice Draw pcworld.com/iksp) include text (or line) to
PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/OPOF path; pattern fills; and pencil, pen, and
The interface is intuitive (if a bit outdated), calligraphy tools. You also get embedded
and the product packs a punch. OpenOffice bitmaps; a nice gradient editor; impressive
Draw’s highlight features (go.pcworld.com/ color palettes and ramps; and standard
draw) include Styles, Glue Points, and object editing and manipulation tools,
Picture Gallery for stock images and clipart. though scaled down a bit from its
It also offers advanced rendering, lighting competition.

3. Affinity
Designer
PRICE: $49.99 FROM
GO.PCWORLD.COM/
AFDS
Very similar to
Adobe Illustrator,
Affinity Designer’s
most distinctive
features (go.
pcworld.com/dsft)
include the Multi
Stroke and Fill, Spring Publisher comes with some nice templates.
which, among other

things, stacks strokes and fills as layers so design program. I still say PageMaker was
they can support their own blending and the all-time best desktop publishing
gradients. Also nice: the adjustable line program, but it’s no longer supported by
weights, which are based on speed, Adobe or the operating systems.
pressure, and width. You get lots of new
presets for symbols, shapes, and lines; more 1. Spring Publisher,
options for custom gradients, textures, and Spring Publisher Pro
styles; and unlimited layers, masks, and PRICE: FREE AND $23.95 FROM
groups. A big plus: There are over 8,000 GO.PCWORLD.COM/SPUB
History steps for Undo/Redo. This little program is no InDesign or Affinity

Publisher, but if you just need a simple,
ADOBE INDESIGN free program (go.pcworld.com/sprn) with
ALTERNATIVES nice templates—and without all the
InDesign and the programs listed below are complicated menus, features, and
page layout, design, and desktop effects—this one’s for you. Easy to learn,
publishing software. There are no easy to use, easy Help language.
substitutions for this group unless you want
to use Microsoft Word or another word 2. Scribus
processor, but those applications are not PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/SCRB
really equipped to function as a layout and Scribus is an intuitively designed desktop

publisher with loads of predesigned THE PLIGHT OF ADOBE
templates to create brochures, posters, REFUGEES
greeting cards, invitations, business cards, Adobe’s switch to subscription services left a
and more. It also offers layout and design particularly large group of user “refugees”
templates for books, magazines, and looking for alternatives. For them,
newspapers. Big plus: Scribus is a cross- subscriptions can be a trap. Once you
platform application that runs on Windows, invest time, money, and training, and have
Mac OS X, and Gnu/Linux systems. projects created in a specific program, it’s
hard to let go. Then one day, you wake up
3. Affinity Publisher and realize that you could have purchased
PRICE: $49.99 FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/AFPB the program for half the cost of all those
Another Affinity success story, this desktop fees (that you are now obligated to pay
publisher has all the great bells and whistles in perpetuity).
of the competition that I have used, but for One aggravation for me is the new
less than $50. Familiar features (go.pcworld. Adobe Acrobat DC. It used to be on my hard
com/fmlr) include text wrap, drop caps, drive, accessible and on demand in a few
facing page spreads, tables, advanced seconds. Now, I have to be connected to
typography, artistic text and text styles, plus the Internet and “signed in” to read or create
an amazing set of tools. The graphical a simple PDF file; and it takes forever! After a
interface is user-
friendly, the Help
guides are easy to
understand, and the
menus are quite
intuitive. Check it out
and see for yourself.
Incidentally, you
can buy all three
Affinity programs
(Photo, Design, &
Publisher) for less than
what it costs to rent the
Creative Suite apps for Users need to be connected to the internet and signed in to Adobe Acrobat
three months. DC to read or create a simple PDF file.

One of the pros of the subscription-based model is that subscribers pay only for what they use.
few weeks of that, I uninstalled it and SUBSCRIPTION-BASED

reinstalled the old Pro 2017 version that I SOFTWARE: PROS AND
had on a disk. CONS
If you’re a non-subscription-based user, Gartner senior director & analyst John
always get your software on a disk. Even if Santoro says the subscription-based model
you download it from the Internet, pay the is gaining acceptance (even popularity) for
extra money to have them send you a many reasons:
physical disk. I’ve lost track of how many • It reduces the initial cost of the sale,
programs I paid for and downloaded, only because the up-front cost for a desktop
to lose them forever after a system crash or program is much bigger than a single
corrupt backup, or buying a new computer. monthly fee.
Companies go out of business, original serial • Subscribers pay only for what they use.
numbers or proof-of-purchase documents • Subscriptions change the dynamic
are lost; or vendors refuse to honor the between vendors and end users. Vendors
version I lost. And the cloud? Clouds must earn those ongoing subscription fees
dissipate—don’t trust them! The freedom by providing regular updates, patches, and
and independence of the desktop new features; easily accessible support; and
computer, with everything on your own creative incentives that convince customers
hard drive (with regular backup, right?) is to renew their subscriptions.
still the best system. “In addition,” Santoro says, “Because the

vendors handle everything from installation actually liked the older versions better,
to patches, updates, backups, because they satisfied her needs and
modifications, security, 24/7 support, and weren’t as complicated as the newer
more, the SaaS (Software as a Service) versions.
option is definitely the preferred solution for Others have confessed that they
both big and small businesses.” wouldn’t upgrade their operating system,
Forrester VP & research director Allen even when Microsoft stopped supporting it,
Bonde sees both the pros and the cons. because some of their favorite older
“The appeal of many subscription models, at programs are no longer available—and
first, is quick setup, automatic upgrades, and they’re incompatible with Windows 10.
the chance to try it before you buy it.” Another problem with the subscription
On the flipside, Bonde cautions, products, Forrester analyst Duncan Jones
“companies must be mindful of what they’re points out, “is that providers can continually
actually using and what is, effectively, shelf- increase prices, which customers are unable
ware; which hits your budget every month to resist. It’s like an escalator that you can’t
with recurring charges. There are cheaper get off, going up faster and faster.” Jones
alternatives to some of the brand-name tools noted that additional fees may arise. “It’s
such as Adobe, Microsoft, and others; but also the extra charges that are added to
you’re often trading off functionality for cost.” most of the new software programs. So
I asked family, friends, and colleagues costs go up more than customers can afford,
about their experiences with software until they start to rebel.”
subscriptions, and
it’s a mixed bag.
Some complain
that vendors aren’t
providing enough
of the “new”
features they
promise, and most
of the upgrades
aren’t any better
than the current
model. One user
confided that she Affinity Publisher is just one of the alternatives to Adobe InDesign.

HERE’S HOW
Windows 10’s first PowerToys app

allows custom Snap resizing and
looks amazing
Download the installer to get started with the revamped PowerTools for Windows 10.
BY MARK HACHMAN
f you’re a fan of Windows 10’s Snap to a PC and open any window there. Press
I feature, you’ve been waiting and

hoping for Windows to allow you to
design your own custom Snap layouts.
Now you can! One of the first Windows 10
PowerToys apps, FancyZones, does just
the Windows key and one of the directional
arrows. If you hit Windows + Left Arrow key,
for example, Snap snaps a window as a
column attached to the left side of the
screen. If you drag it toward any corner, the
that—and it looks incredible. window will snap to that corner, allowing
If you don’t know what Snap does, head you to create a 4-window tiled effect.
106 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019 IMAGE: MICROSOFT

But if those windows are a
little smaller than what you
want? Or if instead of two
columned windows, you want
three? Until now, you’d have
had to create your own,
dragging and resizing
windows manually. Now you
don’t have to.
Microsoft’s PowerToys
were a beloved staple of the
Windows 95 era, allowing Windows PowerToys’ Shortcut Guide.
users to add vetted extensions
to the basic operating system. Others, like context-aware, and will display what action
SyncToy’s tool for syncing folders (go. those shortcuts will take given the current
pcworld.com/snty), emerged as PowerToys state of the desktop and active window. If,
for Windows XP and Vista. Now, PowerToys after you’ve triggered an action, you still
is back, and each app even has the code hold down the Windows key, those shortcuts
available on GitHub for suggested will adjust to reflect what you’re seeing.
modifications. There are two initial
PowerToys apps: a Shortcut Guide, and the
FancyZones app. You’ll need to download
the PowerToys installer (go.pcworld.com/
pwty), then select which apps you’ll want to
install. You don’t even need to be on a
Windows 10 Insider build to get it—this is
open to anyone.
The Shortcut Guide is a cheat sheet to
what’s going on in your Windows screen.
With the Shortcut guide enabled, pressing
the Windows key for more than a second will
turn on the available Windows shortcuts for
what you’re currently seeing on your screen.
The implication is that Shortcut Guide is FancyZones lets you select from a list of templates.

HERE’S HOW WINDOWS 10’S POWER TOYS APP
FANCYZONES INCLUDES can be resized; or via subtraction, where a

SNAP TEMPLATES, OR YOU number of predefined zones can be
CAN CREATE YOUR OWN removed or adjusted. If you’re looking for a
When you snap a window to the side or way to quickly and easily rearrange windows
corner of the screen, what you’re doing is for Windows’ Snap feature, FancyZones
telling the window to shrink (or expand) to definitely seems worth a look.
a predefined region of
the screen. What
FancyZones does is
allow you to select
from a list of templates
of predefined zones,
or you can create
your own.
What’s great about
the predefined
templates is that it
creates useful layouts
right away: three
columns of text that You can create FancyZones from scratch, creating and resizing windows...
might be well suited
for a widescreen
monitor, for example—
or, alternatively, a
“priority grid” that
widens the middle
column.
If none of these
work, you can also
create your own
zones. FancyZones
allows you to do this
either additively, by
creating zones that ...or you can “subtract” them from existing predefined regions.

How to save money and scan your
photos digitally using your phone
and Google PhotoScan
Google’s free app can turn your prints into digital images in seconds, and all for free.
BY MARK HACHMAN
canning photos into digital copies extra money when you have a photo scanner
S isn’t just for old photo albums.

These days, you’ll often have to
decide whether to buy an
expensive digital version of school photos,
not to mention weddings. But why spend
in your pocket?
Google PhotoScan is an app both for
Android and iOS, and works by using your
phone’s camera to take several photos of a
print photograph, using intelligence to stitch
IMAGE: JENNIFER SUNDBERG OCTOBER 2019 PCWorld 109

HERE’S HOW SCAN YOUR PHOTOS DIGITALLY
them together and mark the

edges of the photograph. The
photo stitching also works to
eliminate glare from your
phone’s flash, though a well-lit
photo using natural light delivers
the best results.
To be fair, a native digital
image will present the clearest, To scan the entire photo, you’ll need to match up the center
sharpest results. And if you have targeting circle with the various target circles for a second or two.
a dedicated scanner, or a
multifunction printer with a scanner attached course, you’ll obviously need a photo, glossy
to it, that option should definitely be or not. Google doesn’t seemingly place any
explored. But scanners cost money, as do restrictions on size, though I’ve only used
the rights to digital images—the local smaller 3x5 and 4x6 prints.
photography service charged me $17! Second, begin scanning. When you
Instead, explore what your phone’s own launch the app, PhotoScan shows you what
camera can do before ponying up for that to do: Shoot the entire print inside the frame
Instagram post. of your camera. PhotoScan will then
(Just be sure and understand what rights superimpose four smaller circles over the
you have to share those images, and if the image of the print, and ask you to move
photographer asserts any rights to the PhotoScan’s “targeting” reticle over each.
photos in question. If you yourself have taken (Again, the short tutorial clarifies this nicely).
the photos in question, you should be fine.) Don’t worry if you don’t precisely align
the targeting reticle over each of the targets,
HOW TO SCAN A PHOTO as it didn’t seem to make any difference in
WITH PHOTOSCAN IN 3 the clarity of the finished image. The circles
EASY STEPS tended to jump a bit as I aligned them, too.
First, download Google PhotoScan for PhotoScan also allows you to define the
Android (go.pcworld.com/pscn) or PhotoScan corners of the image after the image is
for iOS (go.pcworld.com/phsn). Google captured. This came into play only if I used
doesn’t place any restrictions on what devices PhotoScan with a print set against a light
you can use with PhotoScan, though you’ll background, which made it harder to
need Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher. Of distinguish the edges.

What does seem to affect the image, designed to be simple and intuitive, and it is.
however, is the lighting. I shot the same Give it a try yourself, using an old photo. The
photograph inside in an unlit, draped room, results may surprise you—and be good
using my phone’s light to illuminate the enough that you can save some money on
image. I then went outside and future photo shoots.
photographed the same print in the
afternoon shade, with marked
differences in color. The outdoor one
looked a bit more washed-out in
places, though the color also
appeared to be more true to life. It
might be worth experimenting to
determine what works best. Note that
there’s a “magic wand” icon to turn on
or off PhotoScan’s ability to
compensate for the camera’s flash.
PhotoScan also appears to cut
down the resolution. Though I shot the
photo using a 12.2MP camera on the
Google Pixel 3, the scanned photo
saved in 3,000 x 2,000 resolution.
Third, post-processing. Just
kidding! There is no step three, at least
in the PhotoScan app. PhotoScan
saves the photo on your phone, which
allows it to be backed up automatically
into Google Photos, Microsoft
OneDrive, or Apple’s iCloud. Any
post-processing—adjusting the
contrast, color, or red-eye—must be
done using an app like Windows 10’s Scanning your photo using natural light or the artificial
Photos app, Google Photos, light of your camera can produce differences. The bottom
photo, shot indoors using the camera flash, looks brighter.
Lightroom, or something similar. However, the turquoise isn’t as close to the true color of
That’s it, though. PhotoScan is the photo, shot under natural light in the first frame.

Tech Spotlight A video showcase
of the latest trends
Watch the
video at
go.pcworld.
com/lpc
Let’s play ≥ Control is the culmination of
Control Remedy’s entire oeuvre to-date,

pairing a top-tier action game
with a dense story about the Federal Bureau of
Control and the unexplainable horrors locked
within. Oh, and there’s finally a worthwhile
showcase for ray-tracing as well.

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SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 10+

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its first Gen 11-based CPUs (go.

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