INSIDE: WINDOWS 11’S ANNUAL UPDATE IS HERE

NOVEMBER 2025

DON’T GET
HOOKED
8 PHISHING
SCAM
RED FLAGS

PLUS: BENCHMARKS
SNAPDRAGON X2 ELITE
SMOKES INTEL LAPTOPS
Vaping can
cause a lifelong
nicotine addiction.

A conversation
might prevent one.

The best person to talk to your kid about vaping is you.

Start the conversation at [Link]
 CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2025

≥ DEPARTMENTS ≥ FEATURES

7 News

29 Reviews & Ratings 78 Eight red flags of a phishing scam

91 Here’s How

104 Tech Spotlight 84 Nvidia’s alliance with Intel

COVER IMAGE: ADOBE STOCK NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 3

MASTHEAD

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Jon Phillips

DESIGN DIRECTOR Robert Schultz

EDITORIAL
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4 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

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NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 5

News TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL
AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.

RTX graphics on CPUs: Nvidia and

Intel are officially joining forces
Nvidia is investing $5 billion into Intel and partnering to integrate RTX chiplets on
consumer and AI processors. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

N
vidia is on top of the world right So color me shocked when Nvidia and
now, riding waves of investment Intel announced a joint venture this morning
in artificial intelligence and that could be huge for both.
becoming one of the most Nvidia is investing $5 billion into Intel
powerful and most profitable companies on stock—a comparatively small slice for both
the planet. Intel? Not so much. The company companies—and approximately half of what
has been struggling in sales and performance the U.S. government invested in it (fave.
for more than a year. co/4oeCAFD) after President Donald Trump

IMAGE: INTEL NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 7

NEWS NVIDIA & INTEL OFFICIALLY JOINING FORCES

and other politicians demanded action on had, slipping even as it reportedly sells every
Intel’s CEO. But the bigger news coming from GPU it can make ([Link]/4gXHcgQ).
the press release is that Nvidia and Intel will Things are better for AMD on the CPU side,
partner on new chips for both data centers where it’s gaining ground against Intel on
and consumer PCs. The x86 RTX chips will the back of strong sales for laptop and
integrate Nvidia-designed graphics and AI desktop chips, especially its well-regarded
chiplets into Intel CPUs. X3D gaming series.
“This historic collaboration tightly couples Intel has been trying to enter the discrete
Nvidia’s AI and accelerated computing stack graphics market for the last three years. But
with Intel’s CPUs and the vast x86 despite impressive gains in performance right
ecosystem—a fusion of two world-class out of the gate, the Arc series of desktop
platforms,” said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang graphics cards ([Link]/3CKla1D) has made
([Link]/42wUMly). barely a blip, falling to nearly zero percent
Nvidia has been unassailable on the market share. Exactly what will happen to Arc
discrete graphics card front for years, now if Intel starts to co-brand Nvidia integrated
commanding over 90 percent of sales (fave. graphics isn’t quite known.
co/3KLGzei) for desktop add-in boards in an Nvidia’s meteoric rise to the top of both
effective monopoly, and dominating both the chip market and the technology world has
sales and discussion for anything related to recently hit a highly visible snag, as reports
graphics, gaming, and AI industrial indicate that the Chinese government is
processing. Its longtime rival AMD has blocking purchases of its chips (fave.
struggled to hold onto what market share it co/47hmdlW). The incredibly lucrative
market was already showing some
speed bumps as embargoes limit the
performance of exported chips (fave.
co/4q3mkJ8) and China invests in
domestic production to leverage its
incredible energy and industrial
infrastructure to compete with rivals
like the United States and Taiwan.
Intel and Nvidia will hold a joint
press conference this afternoon,
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang called the collaboration “a broadcast live on the web (fave.
fusion of two world-class platforms.” co/4q16pv7).

8 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Windows 11’s annual ’25H2’
update arrived, and it’s a weird one
Windows 11’s big annual ‘25H2’ update arrived in early October, but you’ll get the new
features even without upgrading. Here’s why. BY BRAD CHACOS

W
indows 11’s annual “big” That’s because Windows 11 25H2 is a
update is here! But while so-called “enablement package.” Here’s how
the “25H2 update” Microsoft VP John Cable describes the setup
(dubbed so because it’s in his announcement post:
being released in the second half 2025) “Windows 11, version 25H2 will be
builds the foundation for a year of new delivered as an enablement package (eKB).
Windows features, you might not even notice This means that it contains all the recently
when it slips onto your computer. announced features in Windows 11, version

IMAGE: ALEX PHOTO STOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 9

NEWS WINDOWS 11’S ’25H2’ UPDATE ARRIVES

list of improvements looks

relatively ho-hum, this new
focus explains why.
That’s not to say 25H2
is a useless appendage. It
contains some substantial
tweaks to Windows 11’s
bones under the hood.
“Version 25H2
includes significant
advancements in build and
The existing Windows 11 Start menu, and the improved one coming as runtime vulnerability
part of 25H2. detection, coupled with AI
assisted secure coding,”
24H2. Both versions use a shared code base Cable wrote. “We’ve designed version 25H2
and servicing branch, streamlining the to address and mitigate security threats in
update. It also means that you’ll continue to adherence to a robust security development
see new features released to Windows via lifecycle (SDL) policy and requirements.
monthly updates as part of our continuous Version 25H2 is also leaner due to removed
innovation model.” legacy features such as PowerShell 2.0 and
In other words, all of this year’s new Windows Management Instrumentation
features—from the awesome new-look Start command-line (WMIC).”
menu ([Link]/4mUx6yA) to more robust
phone integration and beyond—will become HOW TO GET WINDOWS 11
available to you whether you’re on the 25H2 UPDATE
existing 24H2 branch or move to the new The staggered rollout for Windows 11 25H2
25H2 one. Groovy. We’ve got a rundown of began October 4. To get in line, open your
all of Windows 11 25H2’s exciting new Windows Settings, head to Windows
features ([Link]/48Vw3v4) if you’re curious. Update, and make sure the “Get the latest
Microsoft’s new commitment to a updates as soon as they’re available” box is
“continuous innovation model” means new checked. That said, Microsoft has flagged
Windows 11 features can now trickle out four known bugs that will prevent you from
throughout the year, rather than being limited upgrading to Windows 11 25H2 (fave.
to a once-yearly cadence. If you think 25H2’s co/3L0cMi2).

10 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Benchmarked: Snapdragon
X2 Elite Extreme crushes Intel’s
laptop CPUs
Qualcomm is setting a high bar with its Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme. BY MARK HACHMAN

Q
ualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 The performance is genuinely impressive.
Elite is once again threatening Intel’s Panther Lake and AMD’s successor to
to upend the PC CPU market. its Strix Point chips certainly will have to
About two years ago, deliver to keep up with Qualcomm.
Qualcomm debuted the Snapdragon X1 Elite, Qualcomm didn’t allow journalists to
an Arm chip that replaced the company’s “review” the chip in the traditional sense. Like
mediocre 8-series Snapdragon chips and the “tests” that were run on the first
performed impressively. Now it’s the Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm provided test
Snapdragon Elite X2’s turn, and the 18-core laptops, loaded them up with benchmark
X2 Elite Extreme is ready for the spotlight software, and allowed reporters to monitor
([Link]/3KI2seD). the results afterwards. Naturally, this setup

IMAGE: QUALCOMM NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 11

NEWS BENCHMARKED: SNAPDR AGON X2 ELITE EX TREME

assumed Qualcomm supplied valid silicon, placing memory on-package or off-chip like a
benchmarks, power, and cooling. But normal notebook. Qualcomm isn’t necessarily
comparing the Snapdragon X Elite’s specifying that 48GB will be the amount
Qualcomm-administered benchmarks (fave. shipped; it’s simply what was used in the
co/4cX88uH) and the final Snapdragon X X2E-96-100 demonstration units.
Elite results in our review ([Link]/4q17OBN), The other two chips, according to
we can safely assume that Qualcomm isn’t Qualcomm senior vice president of compute
playing tricks. and gaming Kedar Kondap, rely on an external
Qualcomm provided access to one chip, DDR5 DRAM interface and can be configured
the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (X2E-96- with whatever amount of memory a PC maker
100), with 18 total cores, including 12 prime chooses, up to a maximum of 128GB.
cores (4.4GHz all cores sustained/5.0GHz Journalists were invited to supervise the
boost), and six performance cores (3.6GHz testing, even if Qualcomm expected results to
sustained, no boost). fall within a certain range. All tests were
The chip also includes 48GB of integrated performed on wall power, and journalists
DDR5x memory, which remains a bit of a wild weren’t allowed to unplug the laptops.
card ([Link]/4o5DrbC). Of the three However, given Qualcomm’s statements that
Snapdragon X2 chips Qualcomm announced, the Snapdragon X2 Elite should operate the
the X2 Elite Extreme offers the option of same on wall power as it does on battery, it
probably doesn’t
make a difference.
Qualcomm
selected a range
of tests that
covered the CPU,
GPU, and NPU,
using many of our
standard
benchmarks.
The results are
very, very
impressive. When
compared against
Qualcomm’s test setup, which involved a test and then the expected result. the last-

12 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Cinebench 2024 Geekbench 6.5
Single-thread Multi-thread Single-thread Multi-thread

Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 160 Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 23,349

Elite Extreme X2E-96-100 Elite Extreme X2E-96-100
1,967 4,083
Microsoft Surface Laptop 123 Microsoft Surface Laptop 13,371
(2024) Snapdragon X1E-80-100 (2024) Snapdragon X1E-80-100
869 2,387

Asus Zenbook S 16 113 Asus Zenbook S 16 13,318

Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
849 2,808
Microsoft Surface Pro (2024) 107 Microsoft Surface Pro (2024) 13,275
Snapdragon X1E-80-100 Snapdragon X1E-80-100
836 2,676
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 102 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 12,766
Core Ultra 7 155H Core Ultra 7 155H
557 2,367
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 121 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED 10,820
Core Ultra 7 258V Core Ultra 7 258V
497 2,514
Microsoft Surface Pro (5G) 68 Microsoft Surface Pro (5G) 6,303
Microsoft SQ3 Microsoft SQ3
344 1,553

LO N G 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 LO N G 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

generation mobile microprocessors from all versions (for example, Geekbench 5 versus
three chipmakers, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Geekbench 6).
Extreme blows them all away. Qualcomm didn’t provide actual
We didn’t compile charts for all of the benchmarks for gameplay, though executives
benchmark tests available to reviewers, but we did say that game performance would about
took representative tests from the CPU, GPU, double (2.2 times) versus the first-generation
and NPU. The X2 Elite excels in all of them. Snapdragon X1 Elite. This will be a key point
The Snapdragon fared well in CPU of interest, since most games like Control
testing, really giving AMD’s Ryzen AI 300 were playable at 1080p resolutions and Low
chips a run for their money. In Cinebench settings, with frame rates of about 30 fps or
2024, it isn’t even close. so. Doubling that could get that up to 60 fps.
Geekbench also highlights the X2 Elite That’s still not great, but we won’t know
Extreme’s dominance. The only caveat I’d for sure until we have a chance to test these
make here is that our tests were performed products ourselves. The 3DMark scores,
using Geekbench 6.1, while the comparison however, certainly continue the Snapdragon
here used Geekbench 6.4. The scores should X2 Elite Extreme’s strong showing.
be comparable, though Geekbench advises Finally, there’s the massive NPU inside the
against comparing results across major Snapdragon X2 Elite, and its 80 TOPS of AI

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 13

NEWS BENCHMARKED: SNAPDR AGON X2 ELITE EX TREME

3DMark Steel UL Procyon Vision

Nomad Light Qualcomm Snapdragon X2
Elite Extreme X2E-96-100 4,208
Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED
Elite Extreme X2E-96-100 5,648 Core Ultra 7 258V 1,733
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Microsoft Surface Laptop
Core Ultra 7 258V 3,261 (2024) Snapdragon X1E-80-100 1,563
MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo MSI Prestige 16 AI Evo
Core Ultra 7 155H 3,106 Core Ultra 7 155H 466
Asus Zenbook S 16
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 3,118 LO N G 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

Microsoft Surface Pro (5G)

Microsoft SQ3 2,132
LO N G 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
that still represents well over a 2 times
performance. In this case, we’d expect the X2 advantage there.
Elite Extreme to blow everything else away, Again, we didn’t test or compare
and it does. everything. Qualcomm, however, supplied a
For testing, Qualcomm used UL’s list of expected scores. Yes, it felt
Procyon Vision benchmark to test AI. I orchestrated to us, too—but at least we could
would have used an actual AI art generation oversee the tests themselves and verify them.
or LLM test, both of which UL supplies, but Qualcomm didn’t say whether these
we’ll have to wait for those scores. Even so, chips were pre-production samples or
whether customers had
already received
shipments. We suspect the
former, since the company
expects Snapdragon X2
notebooks to debut in the
first half of 2026.
Qualcomm is first out of
the gate for this generation,
so we’ll have to wait and see
what AMD and Intel bring to
the table. Nevertheless, the
Snapdragon X2 Elite
Extreme performance is
extremely impressive no
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme score compilation. matter how you slice it.

14 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Google’s new AI app searches
‘anything,’ including your PC
Google is blurring the line (again) between search and AI. BY MARK HACHMAN

G
oogle said Tuesday that it’s “Now you can search without switching
testing a new experimental windows or interrupting your flow,” Google
search app for Windows said. “Whether you’re writing in a doc or in
that will search your PC as the middle of a game, just press Alt + Space
well as the web, applying Google Lens to instantly search for information from your
when needed. computer files, installed apps, Google Drive
Google classified its new app (fave. files—and of course, the web.”
co/42y8aG9) as an “experiment,” relegating Interestingly, Google did not brand the
it to its Labs program for now. The app is search app as a “Gemini” project, the name
simply called “Google app for Windows,” associated with its AI efforts. However, the
and was explained in a terse blog post app certainly blurs the lines between
([Link]/42zOKRb) on Google’s site. traditional search and AI.

IMAGE: GOOGLE NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 15

NEWS GOOGLE’S NEW AI APP

Search app to “see” what’s

being displayed on the screen,
and ask Search questions
prompts to explain it further.
This is closer to what Google
has shown off in its Gemini
app, or what Microsoft allows
you to do via Copilot or the
version integrated into its
Microsoft 365 (Office) apps
([Link]/3KMmpkl).
Finally, Google is also
promising that you can turn on
Google is promising that any results you ask for will be sourced
from the web and your local files, as well as any files you might AI Mode ([Link]/4n5TSFl) within
have connected via Google Drive—even local apps. this search app, if you want its AI
capabilities to take over.
From a search perspective, Google is To try it, you’ll need to be part of the
promising that any results you ask for will be Google Labs program, and download the
sourced from the web and your local files, as app for Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs on
well as any files you might have connected via your personal—not Workspace—account. It’s
Google Drive—even local apps. It’s unclear, only available to U.S. users, and space is
however, whether this new Search app will limited, Google said.
surface results culled from
Google Meet or even
third-party apps like Slack,
or if they’ll just be files
associated with the keyword
you’re looking for. Google
provided an example at
[Link]/4pXYEWR.
The new Search app has
an AI element, too: Google
is promising that you’ll
be able to allow the new Google says you’ll be able to turn on AI mode within the app.

16 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Hands on with Amazon’s new
AI-enhanced Echo smart speakers
and displays
The Echo Studio is back, along with the revamped Echo Dot Max and two gorgeous
Echo Show displays. And they’re all packing AI chips for Alexa+. BY BEN PATTERSON

Y
es, round is still in when it comes chips allowing for “on the edge” Alexa+
to Amazon’s refreshed Echo smart processing, ideal for getting speedier replies
speakers, with the high-end Echo while enabling advanced sensors that allow
Studio and the smaller Echo Dot the new Alexa to sense what’s going on in
both getting big Alexa+ makeovers at the immediate area.
Amazon’s fall hardware event in New York. First comes the new Echo Studio (fave.
Also on tap were new versions of co/3WwtGY8)—pictured on the next page—
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 and 11 displays, that’s switching from its previous cylindrical
which chopped the chunky design of look to a spherical design, the same as for the
previous-generation Echo Shows in favor of new Echo Dot Max ([Link]/433sT4E).
slimmed-down screens mounted in front of The Echo Studio ($219.99) crams three
oval-shaped rear speaker components. full-range drivers and a high-excursion woofer
Available for pre-order now, the new Echo into its round shell, which is encased in a
devices pack Amazon’s new AZ3 and AZ3 Pro 3D-knit fabric and now boasts a “face”

IMAGE: AMAZON NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 17

NEWS AI-ENHANCED ECHO SMART SPEAKERS AND DISPL AYS

revamped Echo Dot Max,

and I’m eager to give it a
listen (we didn’t get to hear
the Echos in action during
the hands-on demos).
Besides using them as
stand-alone smart speakers,
you can also pair up to five
Echo Studios or Echo Dot
Maxes to compatible Fire TV
sticks for surround sound,
with a new feature—Alexa
The new Echo Studio switches from its previous cylindrical look to a Home Theater—slated to
spherical design. automatically calibrate the
audio according to the shape
housing the volume and “action” buttons. As of the room and the position of the speakers.
with the previous Echo Studio, both spatial We also got to see two new Echo Show
audio and Dolby Atmos are on board. displays: the Echo Show 8 and 11, both with
Meanwhile, the Echo Dot Max lands with enticing and slimmed-down designs if
the same size and shape as the previous missing some of the “wow” factor of the
fifth-generation Echo Dot, with the new Echo earlier Echo Show 10 incarnations.
Dot Max earning its
name thanks to the
including of two
drivers rather than just
one. So yes, double
the drivers versus the
older Dot, but also
double the price:
$99.99 rather than
$49.99. Amazon is
promising a
completely revamped
audio design with the The latest Echo Dot is the same size as its predecessor.

18 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 room. That
motorized screen
seemed like an
ideal match for
Alexa+, but alas,
the screen
swiveling is all
manual with
the latest
Echo displays.
Both new Echo Show displays appear as if the screen is floating in space. Still, the new
Echo Shows do
Both the Echo Show 8 ($179.99 from come with built-in 13-megapixel cameras,
[Link]/3J5Rm2x) and Echo Show 11 while the displays themselves offer in-cell
($219.99 from [Link]/3IYGjrN) come with touch and negative liquid designs for better
slim displays mounted on oval-shaped viewing at wide angles.
audio and processing components, The revamped Echo Studio and Echo
allowing the screens to appear as if they’re Dot Max are set to ship October 29, while
suspended in space. the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 will
You can tilt the displays up and down, as arrive on November 12.
well as swivel them back
and forth—and
refreshingly, you can
swivel the screens without
needing to hold the base
as you do so.
It’s a pleasing design,
but there’s no eye-
popping feature like the
motorized display offered
by the third-generation
Echo Show 10 (fave.
co/46XjLjd) that could The Echo Shows’ displays offer in-cell touch and negative liquid
follow you around the designs for better viewing at wide angles.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 19

NEWS

Microsoft slaps Game Pass

Ultimate with a staggering 50%
price hike
“The best deal in PC gaming” might not hold that title for long, as both the Ultimate and
PC passes are going up in price. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

I
’ve often considered that Microsoft’s That still includes hundreds of local and
Xbox Game Pass is the best deal in streaming games (heavily featuring titles
gaming ([Link]/3vohwCJ), if you’re published by Microsoft’s various studios, of
looking to get a huge amount of variety course) across Xbox and PC, and sometimes
and access for a small monthly fee. I might jumping between them. Microsoft is also
have to recalculate after the latest price hike. trying to convince players that the increased
On October 1 Microsoft announced prices price comes with extra incentives, including a
going up in the U.S. by quite a lot, rising from new selection of “classics” from the Ubisoft+
$19.99 to $29.99 USD for the all-you-can- catalog of digital games. There’s also a new
play Ultimate package. partnership with Epic, which includes the

20 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: MICROSOFT

 on PC and other platforms,
and those day-one
releases…but notably omits
the Ubisoft Classics. It’s a
pretty sizeable price increase
with no added value, save
the arguable extras you get
from new game additions in
the announcement. These do
include some notable
A new partnership with Epic includes the Fortnite Crew subscription. newcomers like Hogwarts
Legacy, Prince of Persia:
Fortnite Crew subscription ([Link]/48iFSTC) The Lost Crown, Diablo IV, and Cities:
starting in November. This adds a bunch of Skylines Remastered.
skins and digital currency for the popular Other tiers of Game Pass are getting
battle royale game. changes, but less drastic ones. Game Pass
Microsoft says ([Link]/3L0zO8u) these Standard is now called Game Pass Premium,
additions are worth $16 and $12 a month, and it’s still $14.99. This one’s probably the
respectively…but of course, when it comes to least impacted by the changes, as it’s only
all-digital assets, the “value” is set by the getting a wider selection of games with the
companies in question. Whether you agree addition of PC access in addition to console
with them is up to you…and I don’t. Even as games, plus streaming for both libraries. But it
someone who plays Fortnite
regularly and gets the battle
pass for most seasons, I’ve
never seen the point of
Crew, and I’m not especially
tempted by creaky old
Ubisoft games, either.
The PC Game Pass is
moving from $11.99 to
$16.49. This includes the
full range of PC games in
the library, streaming access Newcomers to Game Pass include Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 21

NEWS GAME PASS ULTIMATE GETS 50% PRICE RISE

doesn’t get access to the full 400-plus game Rush, [Link]/3Wz5dRW) is a lot more
library, and won’t get high-profile, day-one palatable than $50 to $70. But pumping that
releases like the recent Hollow Knight: up to $30 means I can wait for a sale. It sure
Silksong. You’ll have to wait a year or so, doesn’t help that in its flurry of acquisitions
according to the Xbox Wire announcement. and layoffs, Microsoft has kneecapped a lot of
“Game Pass Essential” is the new name for its own studios and developers…like, say, the
Game Pass Core, basically the bottom tier makers of Hi-Fi Rush ([Link]/42xm3UY).
needed to access online multiplayer for Xbox There are other problems for penny-
consoles. It now includes a wider selection of pinchers. You can no longer exchange
free game access and play on consoles, PCs, Microsoft Rewards—which is getting a
or streaming. Prices in territories outside the profile boost thanks to the upcoming
US are going up by roughly the same amount. Windows 10 cutoff ([Link]/4nLxHnI)—
The price hike hurts, and I’m not the only directly for an Xbox Game Pass
one who thinks so, judging by the scuttlebutt subscription. Now, you’ll need to buy Xbox
in the PCWorld staff chatroom. (Hi, I instantly gift cards and cash those in for a Game Pass
canceled my Ultimate subscription—Brad the subscription—but said gift cards are
editor, [Link]/4mT5VEn.) I’ve dipped into available in $25 increments, while Game
Game Pass a few times just to try out a new Pass Ultimate now costs $30 a month. Ick.
release, as $15 or $20 to go through a new And it surely hasn’t escaped the notice of
game that seems interesting (like, say, Hi-Fi keen observers that this price increase came
a couple of weeks before the
arrival of the Asus ROG Xbox
Ally ([Link]/46UjEF3),
Microsoft’s play to extend the
Xbox brand into portable
devices and shine up Windows
for handheld gaming PCs at the
same time. With prices starting
at $600 and stretching to
$1000 for the Xbox Ally and
upgraded Xbox Ally X,
respectively, fans of the Xbox
This price increase came a couple of weeks before the arrival of platform might be seeing a lot
the Asus ROG Xbox Ally, of sticker shock right now.

22 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Intel Arc graphics face murky future
after Nvidia’s $5B RTX mashup
Intel CPUs with Nvidia RTX GPUs are coming. Are Intel’s homegrown Arc GPUs
doomed? BY BRAD CHACOS

S
urprise! We woke up this morning joining forces with the company formerly
to a blockbuster mashup between known as Chipzilla. Imagine the possibilities!
Intel and Nvidia (see page 84). But I also have to ask myself at the same
Team Green invested a cool $5 time: What does this mean for the future of
billion into Intel, and in exchange, the two Arc, Intel’s own in-house graphics project?
companies will be co-creating consumer and
data center x86 processors interwoven with INTEL ARC’S SHORT HISTORY
Nvidia’s RTX graphics. Human sacrifice, dogs SHOWS PROMISE…
and cats living together…mass hysteria! Arc is still in its infancy. Intel famously canceled
It’s simultaneously a shocking shakeup of its early “Larrabee” graphics architecture in the
the PC chip triumvirate (AMD must be 2000s, which became a liability after the rise of
fuming), a much-needed lifeline for struggling Bitcoin and AI demonstrated the powerful
Intel, and a recipe for a potentially exciting potential of GPUs. Intel realized it had missed
future—the world’s foremost graphics pioneer the boat and rushed—slowly at times—to

IMAGE: INTEL NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 23

NEWS INTEL ARC GR APHICS FACE A MURK Y FUTURE

orchestrate both the Arc brand and the Xe customers. Intel figured it was worth eating
graphics architecture girding it. that loss to build for a stronger GPU future.
The first Arc graphics cards launched in Intel’s partnership with Nvidia suddenly
just October 2022 ([Link]/3g2HHuI), throws that into question, even though the
delivering great value for its price despite an company says no major changes are currently
onslaught of annoying bugs. Intel diligently planned. “We’re not discussing specific
fixed those bugs over time, and by the time roadmaps at this time, but the collaboration is
the second-gen Arc B580 launched (fave. complementary to Intel’s roadmap and Intel
co/3CKla1D) in late 2024, we called it “the will continue to have GPU product offerings,”
first worthy budget GPU of the decade.” And an Intel spokesperson told me.
Arc’s underlying Xe graphics architecture now Intel needs strong GPUs to battle Nvidia
powers the integrated graphics in Intel’s CPUs in the data center, because AI is where the
too, bringing a notable spike in laptop real money is. The consumer Arc cards are
gaming performance ([Link]/42AKFw6). stepping stones to that goal. Now Nvidia is
investing $5 billion in Intel—roughly a 5
…BUT POTENTIALLY SHAKY percent stake, if the recent government
FOUNDATIONS investment is any indicator—to integrate RTX
Software bugs aren’t the only problem you’ll graphics into at least some Intel consumer
encounter when you’re trying to break into a CPUs, and to create data center solutions that
new field where Nvidia and AMD have a interweave Intel’s x86 chips and Nvidia’s
decades-long lead. Intel’s GPU hardware class-leading graphics.
prowess isn’t up to par with its rivals yet If a major investor is bringing GPU
either; this shows in the size of the discrete technology to Intel’s chips, spanning from
Arc GPU die sizes. Bigger dies are much more consumer to enterprise, and gifting Intel a
expensive to make. The $250 Arc B580’s die lifeline in the data center where AMD has
size is a relatively massive 292 mm. By been eating Intel’s lunch. Is Arc worth
contrast, Nvidia’s RTX 4060 was around 150 investing in separately anymore?
mm, while the RTX 5060 is around 181 mm.
That matters. Intel’s Tom Peterson (a INTEL ARC’S CERTAIN YET
frequent guest on our Full Nerd podcast, fave. UNCERTAIN FUTURE
co/3Bgmfxj) admitted last year (fave. From a strategic standpoint, there’s certainly a
co/46XvqhZ) that the Arc B580 is a loss case to keep Arc around. What if the Nvidia
leader—a product that costs the manufacturer relationship suddenly goes sour despite the
money to sell, in the hopes of attracting big money? The company is known to be a

24 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 arm—not least by likely
infusing Intel’s beleaguered
14A process, the current
crown jewel of Intel’s
foundry arm, with work from
Nvidia and other companies
inspired by Nvidia’s faith.
Either way, don’t
expect to hear any major
GeForce RTX graphics card plugged in within desktop PC. announcements from Intel in
the near future.
ruthless partner. Keeping Arc and Xe in “I don’t expect these platforms for 2-3
motion protects against a potential future years,” Patrick Moorhead, an analyst who
where Nvidia pulls the rug out from founded Moor Insights & Strategy (fave.
underneath Intel, especially since Xe (and co/42AL4yC) and formerly served as an
seemingly this Nvidia partnership) touches AMD executive, told me via direct message.
everything from laptops to data center GPUs. “Both companies said there are no roadmap
Continued investment into internal GPUs changes…on either side.
makes so much sense for Intel’s future. “Now…what will the demand be for Arc
But I’m not sure that’s what’s going to be once these are in market by customers
happen. Bright futures have a way of bumping remains to be seen.”
into ugly realities. Xe and Arc have driven much-needed
Part of the reason this Intel-Nvidia mashup competition in the entry-level graphics card
even happened is because Intel lost its market this turbulent decade. I hope they
manufacturing lead and has been manage to stick around. If not, Nvidia’s $5
hemorrhaging cash (and CEOs, fave. billion investment could not only get the
co/4b0yrzz) ever since. Nvidia’s deal follows company a foothold in the x86 markets, but
in the footsteps of the U.S. government taking also drive a competitor out of the market. If
a 10 percent stake in the company to help it that happens, that sky-high price tag will wind
stay afloat, and Intel selling off subsidiaries like up looking like a downright bargain in the
RealSense cameras ([Link]/42ztqv4) and rearview mirror.
Altera’s FPGA chips ([Link]/3VTsSMV). In the meantime, the Intel Arc B580
Intel is scrambling to stay relevant, and remains the best budget GPU of the decade
Nvidia’s partnership is a major shot in the ([Link]/3CKla1D).

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 25

NEWS

Shhh! California takes aim at loud

streaming ads
Netflix, Hulu, and the other big streaming services must keep a lid on volume spikes in
streaming commercial breaks in the wake of a new California law. BY BEN PATTERSON

H
ad it up to here with commercials broadcast by streaming services
commercials that crank the shouldn’t be any louder than the programs
volume during your favorite they’re accompanying.
streaming shows? Relief is on the If the language of the new legislation
way thanks to a new California law that seeks sounds familiar, you might be thinking of
to dial down the intrusive ads. Congress’s Commercial Advertisement
Signed on Monday by California Gov. Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act, which
Gavin Newsom, SB 576 mandates that was passed in 2010. That law also sought to

26 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: FOUNDRY

curb annoyingly loud commercial breaks, but SB 576 arrives amid the growing
it only applied to broadcast and cable TV popularity of ad-supported streaming
operators, not streaming services. plans, which offer a cheaper alternative to
“We heard Californians loud and clear, the ever-increasing price of ad-free
and what’s clear is that they don’t want streaming tiers.
commercials at a volume any louder than the Netflix, for example, charges just $7.99 a
level at which they were previously enjoying a month for its “Standard with ads” plan, versus
program,” said Newsom in a statement (fave. a much pricier $24.99 a month for its top-of-
co/4mX2BrZ). “By signing SB 576, California the-line Premium tier, which offers ad-free 4K
is dialing down this inconvenience across HDR streaming.
streaming platforms, which had previously But as more and more streamers sign
not been subject to commercial volume on for ad-supported streaming plans,
regulations passed by Congress in 2010.” advertisers are getting more aggressive
Authored by state Senator Thomas about the volume levels during commercial
Umberg (D-Santa Ana), who introduced the breaks—so much so that the FCC issued a
bill after loud streaming commercials had call for public comment in February
been waking the baby of his legislative following a spike in viewer complaints about
director, SB 576 only applies to California. too-loud ads.
But as Politico
notes (fave.
co/3VXkvjm), the
new law could well
become the
national standard
IMAGE: KASPARS GRINVALDSSHUTTERSTOCK
for streamers
considering
California’s
“massive sway” in
the industry. The
volume caps for
streaming ads will
go into effect in July
2026, according to As more streamers sign on for ad-supported streaming plans, advertisers are
Politico. getting more aggressive about the volume levels during breaks.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 27

“With the help of
an adult education
center, I finished my
high school diploma,
and it changed
my life.”

Jamie, Age 26

Find free adult education

centers near you at
[Link]
 TESTED IN PCWORLD LABS
Reviews & Ratings WE PUT HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
THROUGH RIGOROUS TESTING

Lenovo Legion Go 2: A gaming

handheld dripping with luxury
The 8.8-inch OLED display is stunning in your hands. BY CHRIS HOFFMAN

THE ELEPHANTS

T
he Lenovo Legion Go 2 (fave.
co/3KNyZzQ) is a high-end First, Windows 11 still isn’t ready for a gaming
handheld gaming PC that handheld. When I reviewed the Lenovo
outshines the Asus ROG Xbox Ally Legion Go S ([Link]/434YLWA), I noted how
X in many ways. The huge 8.8-inch OLED much of a mess the interface is compared to
display is beautiful, and you’re getting the Steam Deck I own. For example,
everything from a built-in kickstand to Windows 11 has a gamepad keyboard layout
detachable controllers for flexibility. For a
handheld gaming PC, this is great hardware. VIDEO: LEGION GO 2: 5
There are two huge elephants in the room IMPROVEMENTS, 3 SIDE-
here, so let’s get them out of the way so I can
GRADES, & 3 ISSUES
Watch now at [Link]/4q5qjVQ
review the Lenovo Legion Go 2 for what it is.

IMAGE: LENOVO NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 29

REVIEWS LENOVO LEGION GO 2

that lets you navigate with the

on-screen keyboard with the
joysticks, but it’s not activated
by default. You have to tap
into the little settings menu in
the on-screen keyboard and
turn it on before you can use
said on-screen keyboard with
the joysticks. Many people
will miss this buried setting.
Why is this not activated by
default on a handheld gaming
PC? Windows 11 is full of Lenovo’s thoughtful design feels good to hold.
issues like this.
The good news is that Microsoft is at $1,099 ([Link]/437dPTD). Handheld PC
making Windows better for handheld PCs, gaming started off with surprisingly affordable
but the bad news is that Legion Go 2 owners hardware, but this device costs more than
will have to wait for the fix. The Legion Go 2 many gaming laptops. It’s a premium device.
will get it in “Spring 2026.” If you want it Tariffs are almost certainly to blame for part
sooner, you’ll have to buy Asus’s ROG Xbox of this. But deals can still be found—as I write
Ally ([Link]/46UjEF3), which will be this, it’s the Steam Autumn Sale and you can
available in mid-October, shortly after the grab a base-model Steam Deck for $319.20.
launch of this Lenovo’s Legion Go 2. I You’d have to really want higher-end hardware
haven’t yet gone hands on with ROG Xbox (without a polished operating system
Ally console, but from a user experience experience) to pick this over a Steam Deck.
standpoint, I imagine its optimized Windows However, if you are looking for a high-end
experience for handheld PCs is going to be handheld experience and you don’t mind the
much better than the Legion Go 2 at launch. extra expense—and if you know what you’re
(There’s already a leaked way to enable it on getting into with the Windows operating
any handheld, but your mileage may vary, system quirks on a device like this one—this
[Link]/3L4PPKA.) handheld combines the latest high-end
The second elephant in the room is handheld-optimized hardware with a
pricing. The Legion Go 2 we reviewed is beautiful OLED display in a nice form factor,
$1,349 at launch, and the base model starts and I really enjoyed playing with it.

30 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

SPECS Connectivity: 2× USB Type-C (USB4), 1×
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has an AMD Ryzen combo audio jack, 1× microSD card reader
Z2 processor with AMD Radeon 890M-class Biometrics: Fingerprint reader
graphics. I reviewed the $1,349 model, Battery capacity: 74 watt-hours
which comes with AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme Dimensions: 11.64×5.38×1.66 inches
hardware and 32GB of RAM. Bear in mind Weight: 2.03 pounds
that the base model comes with AMD Ryzen MSRP: $1,349 as tested
Z2 hardware and 16GB of RAM, so it won’t
perform at the same level. DESIGN AND BUILD
Under the hood, this is RDNA 3.5—the QUALITY
same graphics you’ll find in Ryzen AI 300 The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is made of black
series (Strix Point, [Link]/40gbCmB) plastic—Lenovo calls this color Eclipse Black.
laptops, but tuned for a handheld where It’s a thoughtful design that feels good to
power usage is critical. hold, and the plastic is high quality. Lenovo
There’s a lot to like here: The RAM is has really gone above and beyond thinking
soldered, but the internal SSD is user through ways to make the hardware better
upgradable. Plus, this machine’s USB4 ports than many competing consoles, including
mean external GPUs are a possibility. the Steam Deck I own and the Legion Go S I
Model number: Lenovo Legion Go 2 reviewed.
83N0000BUS For example, you can easily detach the
CPU: AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme side controllers as if you’re using a Nintendo
Memory: 32 GB
LPDDR5x-8000 RAM
Graphics/GPU: AMD
Radeon 890M
NPU: None
Display: 8.8-inch
1920×1200 OLED display with
touch screen and up to 144Hz
variable refresh rate
Storage: 1 TB M.2 SSD
Webcam: None
Networking: Wi-Fi 6E, The Legion Go 2 also has a built-in kickstand, so you can easily
Bluetooth 5.3 prop it up and use it on any surface.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 31

REVIEWS LENOVO LEGION GO 2

Switch. The Legion Go 2 also has a built-in JOYSTICKS, CONTROLS,

kickstand, so you can easily prop it up and use AND TRACKPAD
it on any surface. The power button has a The Lenovo Legion Go 2 touts Hall Effect
built-in fingerprint reader, so you don’t have to joysticks for a smooth experience and no
tap a PIN into the sign-in screen each time you stick drift, and they feel great. The buttons
wake the console. While the side controllers on the Lenovo Legion Go 2 feel great.
are detachable, you have to press a button on Lenovo has also added a few extra buttons
the back of each one to detach them. While for accessing Legion software features, the
attached, they feel incredibly secure. desktop, and Alt+Tabbing between apps.
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 isn’t trying to be On the top of the handheld, you’ll find
the lightest console—it has a big 8.8-inch power and volume buttons.
OLED screen—so it’s no surprise it’s a little on The right controller can be used in FPS
the heavy side. At 2.02 pounds (compared to Mode—you detach it, snap it into a base, and
1.41 pounds for a Steam Deck OLED), that’s a flip a switch on the bottom. Then you can
real factor. It’s not that it’s too heavy to hold, hold it and move it around. While it looks like
but the weight discourages me from holding a joystick, it’s more like a virtual mouse. I
it in certain positions for extended periods of didn’t find it particularly ergonomic in my
time. But the extra weight is a fair trade for the experiments with it, but perhaps you’ll love it
higher-end hardware and larger screen. if you put some time into learning it.
This handheld also has a
good-size trackpad on the
right controller, and it’s just
the right side and shape to
use the mouse with your
thumb. After the extremely
tiny trackpad on the Lenovo
Legion Go S, this one feels
excellent. But it’s not like a
Steam Deck’s trackpads—
there’s no haptic feedback
here. It’s a convenient way to
accomplish some mouse
Lenovo touts the Hall Effect joysticks for a smooth experience and no input, but I wouldn’t want to
stick drift, and they feel great. use it all the time.

32 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 handhelds I’ve used, despite
this higher-end display.
While this is a vivid OLED
display, it has a glossy surface.
It’s prone to reflections in bright
environments like direct
sunlight. If you’ll be using this
as a handheld console outdoors
in challenging lighting
environments, that’s going to
be a problem: You may want to
The Legion Go 2’s display is one of its standout features. look for a device with a more
anti-reflective screen. But glossy
The display here is also a touch screen screens look beautiful in the right lighting,
with multitouch. That’s often critical for and this one is no exception.
navigating Windows, but it does mean you’re The HDR support was another place
encouraged to put fingerprint smudges on where Windows 11 doesn’t make sense on
the display. this handheld: By default, Windows disabled
HDR on this device while it was unplugged
DISPLAY AND SPEAKERS “to save battery life.” That’s yet another
The Lenovo Legion Go 2’s display is one of its example of Windows not understanding
standout features. It’s an 8.8-inch OLED these devices.
screen on a handheld PC. What’s not
to like? I’m not sure I’d even want a
larger screen than this one when I’m
holding it this close to my face!
With HDR support and up to
1,100 nits of peak HDR brightness
and a variable refresh rate up to
144Hz, it’s beautiful. And the display
doesn’t seem to massively cut into
battery life, either. The battery life
was ticking down at a reasonable If you want to use the Legion Go 2, you may want to look for a
rate that felt similar to other gaming device with a more anti-reflective screen.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 33

REVIEWS LENOVO LEGION GO 2

The speakers here are great for gaming. streamlines a major pain point Windows 11
They had more than enough volume, and the has on a gaming handheld.
chunky sounds of firing a shotgun in Doom:
The Dark Ages were satisfying. Naturally, CONNECTIVITY
there’s not a lot of bass in a handheld console. The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has two USB Type-C
ports, and both of them are USB4. You’ll find
MICROPHONE one on the top of the handheld and one on
AND BIOMETRICS the bottom. It comes with a USB-C charger,
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has a dual-array so it’ll charge through one of these ports.
microphone setup. The microphone sounds Because these are speedy USB4 ports, this
fine, and the audio is clear enough for handheld should be ready for external
in-game chat on a handheld gaming device. GPUs, too. Aside from the two USB-C ports,
It’s a little muffled—this doesn’t sound like a you’ll find a combo audio jack and a microSD
high-end business laptop mic picking up card slot on the bottom of the handheld.
crystal-clear audio for Zoom meetings. But it’s That’s it, and it’s plenty of ports for handheld
plenty good for voice chatting while gaming. gaming PC. If you want more ports when
There’s no webcam on the Lenovo using it at a desk, you can connect a dock to
Legion Go 2, but you probably wouldn’t the USB-C port.
want one and it might be a challenge to fit it This device has both Wi-Fi 6E and
into the bezel. Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. I’d prefer to see
Lenovo put a fingerprint
reader into the power
button, and it works
extremely well. When you
wake the Legion Go 2 by
pressing the power button,
it can instantly sign you into
Windows with Windows
Hello ([Link]/3PXybYg).
You just have to rest your
finger on it for a split
second longer. It makes the
experience of waking the
console fast and The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has a decent selection of ports.

34 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Wi-Fi 7 at this point, especially in a premium
$1,349 handheld gaming PC, but most PCMark 10 Overall
people don’t have Wi-Fi 7 yet anyway. CPU performance
Lenovo Legion Go 2
Ryzen Z2 Extreme 7,285
PERFORMANCE Lenovo Legion Go S
Ryzen Z2 Go 5,406
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 had solid Lenovo Legion 5i
7,534
Core i7-14700HX
performance. I was able to play Doom: The Acer Nitro V 16
7,235
Ryzen 7 8845HS
Dark Ages, and while I prefer shooting HP Elitebook X G1a
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 6,455
demons with a higher FPS, it was technically
LO N G 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

playable. Treating this like a console, I fired up

games like Sonic X Shadow Generations and
saw buttery-smooth performance. The reality hardware (I benchmarked the Lenovo Legion
is that, while handhelds are improving a lot, Go S) as well as modern gaming laptops.
their graphics performance is far from high- Spoiler: It’s a big upgrade over the last
end desktop or laptop GPUs. If you’re mainly Lenovo handheld I reviewed. In many
looking to play the latest high-end, most- workloads, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
demanding games, these may not be ideal. hardware in the Legion Go 2 was often nearly
But the hardware here offers incredible twice as fast as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go
smooth performance in older games. hardware in the Legion Go S.
I was impressed by how quiet the fans First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of
stayed, even in demanding games like Doom: overall system performance. This is designed
The Dark Ages. The speakers could easily as an overall system performance benchmark,
drown them out, and the console itself stayed but CPU performance is a big factor.
comfortable, with cool air being sucked in on With an overall PCMark 10 score of
the underside of the device and blown out 7,285, overall performance was quite good.
the vents on the top. Playing a lightweight 2D The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme hardware here
game like Deltarune, they were so quiet I is substantially ahead of the lower-end AMD
could only just barely hear them once I muted Ryzen Z2 Go hardware in the Lenovo Legion
the game. Go S. It scored on par with lower-end
As always when we review gaming PCs, gaming laptops.
we ran the Lenovo Legion Go 2 through our Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a
standard benchmarks ([Link]/4cjKcl4) to see heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses
how it performs. The results show us how it on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick
performed against previous-generation benchmark, so cooling under extended

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 35

REVIEWS LENOVO LEGION GO 2

Cinebench R20 3DMark Time Spy 1.2

CPU multi-thread performance GPU performance
Lenovo Legion Go 2 Lenovo Legion Go 2
Ryzen Z2 Extreme 5,239 Ryzen Z2 Extreme 3,984
Lenovo Legion Go S Lenovo Legion Go S
Ryzen Z2 Go 2,215 Ryzen Z2 Go 2,369
Lenovo Legion 5i Lenovo Legion 5i
Core i7-14700HX 9,548 Core i7-14700HX 12,431
Acer Nitro V 16 Acer Nitro V 16
Ryzen 7 8845HS 6,258 Ryzen 7 8845HS 9,206
HP Elitebook X G1a HP Elitebook X G1a
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 6,795 Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 3,877
LO N G 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 LO N G 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

workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily benchmark, but it runs over an extended
multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a period. This demands the PC’s cooling kick
huge advantage. in, and many PCs will throttle and slow down
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 with its eight- under load.
core Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU produced a The Lenovo Legion Go 2 completed the
multi-threaded score of 5,239, a huge jump encode process in 1,076 seconds, which is
over the Legion Go S. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t nearly 18 minutes. That’s only a bit slower than
catch up to larger and more power-hungry gaming laptops with AMD Ryzen hardware.
gaming laptops, but this is very respectable It’s also a massive improvement over the
for a handheld PC. Legion Go S’s performance here.
We also run an encode with Handbrake. Next, we run a graphical benchmark, just
This is another heavily multithreaded like we do on gaming laptops ([Link]/
4dEHNlK). First, we run 3Dmark Time Spy, a
graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU
Handbrake 0.9.9 Encode performance. With an overall 3DMark Time
Seconds Spy score of 3,984, the Lenovo Legion Go 2
Lenovo Legion Go 2
1,076 showed substantial improvements over the
Ryzen Z2 Extreme
Lenovo Legion Go S Legion Go S. The HP Elitebook X G1a (fave.
Ryzen Z2 Go 2,333
Lenovo Legion 5i co/4cssufK) in the chart here isn’t a gaming
Core i7-14700HX 656
Acer Nitro V 16 laptop, it’s a premium business laptop with a
Ryzen 7 8845HS 915
HP Elitebook X G1a similar GPU. That’s a perfect example of what
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 914
you’re getting here—higher-end integrated
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

graphics from AMD.

36 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Shadow of the Tomb Raider Metro Exodus
Frames per second; 19×10 Highest Frames per second; 1080p Extreme, no RT
Lenovo Legion Go 2 Lenovo Legion Go 2
Ryzen Z2 Extreme 40 Ryzen Z2 Extreme 14
Lenovo Legion Go S Lenovo Legion Go S
Ryzen Z2 Go 25 Ryzen Z2 Go 8
Lenovo Legion 5i Lenovo Legion 5i
Core i7-14700HX 153 Core i7-14700HX 51
Acer Nitro V 16 Acer Nitro V 16
Ryzen 7 8845HS 130 Ryzen 7 8845HS 38
HP Elitebook X G1a HP Elitebook X G1a
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 132 Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 43
LO N G 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 LO N G 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

Compared to gaming laptops with beefy the Lenovo Legion Go 2 was substantially
discrete GPUs, this machine is far behind on faster than the Legion Go S here—nearly
GPU performance. But that’s the idea. It’s twice as fast. But you can see how much faster
designed for handheld use, possibly away gaming laptops are.
from an electrical outlet. Big gaming laptops Overall, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme and
need to be plugged in to deliver solid its Radeon 890M-class graphics delivered
gaming performance. solid performance for a handheld gaming PC.
After that, we run the benchmark built into
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, an older game, BATTERY LIFE
but one that’s very useful for comparing The Lenovo Legion Go 2 has a 74 Watt-hour
performance across hardware. battery along with AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
With an average FPS of 40, Shadow of the hardware, which can operate between 15W
Tomb Raider was playable on the highest and 35W of TDP. The precise battery life you’re
settings here, unlike on the Lenovo Legion going to get will heavily depend on how you
Go S. You’ll get even smoother performance use the handheld. A less demanding game will
if you nudge the settings down, but once use much less power. Also, you can configure
again this is a great example of the relative power usage by pressing the button at the top
performance of a handheld versus a of the right controller and choosing your
traditional gaming laptop. preferred thermal mode. The Performance
Finally, we run the benchmark in Metro setting will deliver more hardware power for
Exodus. This is a very demanding game, and gaming but drain the battery faster, for
we run it with extreme detail settings. With an example. Depending on the game you’re
average FPS of 14 in our standard benchmark, playing, lower thermal settings may be fine.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 37

REVIEWS LENOVO LEGION GO 2

gaming PC, the screen is big and beautiful,

Battery Life and the hardware is well thought out. You get
Minutes detachable controllers and a kickstand for
Lenovo Legion Go 2
Ryzen Z2 Extreme 796 extra flexibility, too.
Lenovo Legion Go S
Ryzen Z2 Go 562 But, between the Windows handheld
Lenovo Legion 5i
225 experience and tariffs driving up the cost of
Core i7-14700HX
Acer Nitro V 16
234 hardware, Lenovo is fighting an uphill battle
Ryzen 7 8845HS
HP Elitebook X G1a here. At $1,349, you could currently buy a
Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 649
LO N G 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
$999 gaming laptop and a $319 Steam Deck
and come out ahead with a more powerful
laptop at your desk and a more lightweight
For our standard Windows PC battery handheld for on-the-go gaming.
benchmark, we play a 4K copy of Tears of But if you want a handheld gaming PC
Steel on Windows 11 with airplane mode with higher-end premium hardware—that
enabled until the PC suspends itself. We set 8.8-inch OLED is nice—and you’re willing to
the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our wait for an improved software experience or
battery benchmarks. This is a best-case deal with the realities of Windows 11 today,
scenario for any PC since local video you’ll be happy with this, assuming you’re
playback is so efficient, and real battery life ready to spend this much cash.
in day-to-day use is always going to be
less than this. Lenovo Legion Go 2
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 lasted 796
minutes in this test—that’s over 13 hours and PROS
• Competitive handheld performance.
beats even the HP Elitebook X G1a, which is a • Big and beautiful OLED display.
business laptop. This hardware can really • Detachable controllers
• Surprisingly quiet.
scale down and sip electricity when you aren’t
CONS
playing demanding games. • Expensive.
• Windows isn’t ready for handhelds yet.
• Glossy display isn’t ideal in direct sunlight.
BOTTOM LINE
BOTTOM LINE
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is a high-end The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is an awesome handheld
handheld gaming PC. The AMD Ryzen Z2 gaming PC with the best display you’ll find on a
handheld gaming PC. The hardware is excellent, but
Extreme processor and its Radeon the high price and the Windows 11 experience are
huge drawbacks.
890M-class graphics delivered solid
From $1,349
performance and efficiency for a handheld

38 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Kingston NV3: Amazing real-world
SSD performance for the price
This DRAM-less design shows how far Host Memory Buffer technology has come—it’s
very fast. BY JON JACOBI

Last year’s NV2 (fave. FEATURES

co/3J4MH0M) from Kingston The NV3 is a PCIe 4.0 x4 (four lane), M.2
delivered great bang-for-your- NVMe SSD using a DRAM-less (Host Memory
SSD-buck. This year’s NV3 is Buffer/HMB) design to cut down on costs.
still wonderfully affordable, yet massively The controller is a Silicon Motion SM2268XG
improved — even setting a record writing our and the NAND is Kingston-labeled, stacked
450GB single file. Who would’ve thought? QLC. At least that’s my assumption given the
Editor’s note: This article was edited on performance off cache and TBW rating. The
September 18, 2025 to correct the TBW actual type of NAND and the number of layers
ratings and add info about a new 2230 wasn’t specified by Kingston, and the company
version. says that will vary from capacity to capacity.

IMAGE: KINGSTON NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 39

REVIEWS KINGSTON NV3

PRICE
The NV3 is available in 500GB/$54, 48GB Transfers
1TB/$77, 2TB/$154 (tested) flavors. A 4TB Seconds
Kingston NV3 Kingston NV2
version is in the works, but not as of yet
Crucial P310 Corsair MP600 Elite
priced.
Total Time 136
While the NV3 is very inexpensive, it 145
might just cost you some peace of mind. The 127
121
drive is warrantied for only three years, rather 48GB
Folder 62
than the usual five. Additionally, the TBW Write 64
(terabytes that my be written) rating is a 60
52
miserly 320TBW per terabyte of NAND, 48GB
Folder 44
though we’ve seen as low as 250TBW for Read 44
39
QLC NAND.
40
That previous low was for a QLC drive, 48GB
Write 16
hence our speculation that this is what the 21
14
NV3 employs. For whatever reason, vendor 14
outlooks aren’t nearly as sunny on the 48GB 14
Read
longevity of QLC as they are on that of TLC. 16
14
Still, 160TB is a lot of writing for the 15
average user. 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

On 9/12/25, Kingston sent me a 2230

(only 30mm long) small-fry version of the While the NV3 was fast in our 48GB transfers, it
NV3. Performance is nearly identical, but didn’t set any records.
it is priced at $45 for 500GB, $68 for
1TB, and $130 for 2TB. The same TBW Corsair M600 Elite ([Link]/4ob4kuC) shown
ratings apply. in the charts are both similarly performing 2TB
PCIe 4.0 host memory buffer designs, though
PERFORMANCE the former is a small form-factor 2230 (22mm
While the synthetic benchmark results were a wide, 30mm long).
touch below average for a HMB design, the Once the generous secondary cache
NV3’s real-world results were slightly better. (approximately 600GB of the NAND written
Not to mention, a huge improvement over its as SLC) on our 2TB test unit ran out during a
NV2 predecessor. subsequent 900GB file write, the NV3 also
The Crucial P310 ([Link]/47hpf9L) and slowed dramatically — oscillating between

40 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 CrystalDiskMark 8 CrystalDiskMark 8
4K Performance Sequential Performance
MBps MBps
Kingston NV3 Kingston NV2 Kingston NV3 Kingston NV2
Crucial P310 Corsair MP600 Elite Crucial P310 Corsair MP600 Elite

Random Write 291 Sequential Write 5,160

4K (Q=1, T=1) (Q=1, T=1)
238 2,611
391 5,422
410 5,186
Random Read 64 Sequential Read 3,692
4K (Q=1, T=1) (Q=1, T=1)
56 3,030
71 3,887
78 4,218
Random Write 516 Sequential Write 5,731
4K (Q=32, T=1) (Q=8, T=1)
407 2,618
553 6,133
629 4,481
Random Read 929 Sequential Read 6,148
4K (Q=32, T=1) (Q=8, T=1)
510 3,630
906 6,998
911 7,032

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

The NV3 also did amazingly well in random While not rated the fastest of the three drives,
operations, though not on a par with the NV3’s CrystalDiskMark 8 sequential transfer
DRAM designs. performance is still good for PCIe 4.0.

80MBps and 900MBps, mostly on the low BOTTOM LINE

side. Note that as the drive fills, this slowdown The NV3 will give you 98 percent of the
will occur earlier during writes. However, top-shelf NVMe experience for a whole heck
when this occurred in our testing, the transfer of a lot less cash. Unless you really intend to
rate seemed to stabilize at around 220MBps pound on your drive, it’s all most users need.
rather than oscillate. This is a fantastic improvement over the NV2
This write slowdown will affect very few and a good value.
users, but pros constantly banging on their
SSD might opt for a more consistent TLC HOW WE TEST
design, not to mention one with a higher Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11, 64-bit
TBW rating. running on a Z790 (PCIe 4.0/5.0)

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 41

REVIEWS KINGSTON NV3

48GB Write
Seconds
Kingston NV3 Kingston NV2
Crucial P310 Corsair MP600 Elite

450GB Write 131

1,405
348
311

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

Where the NV3 did set a record was in writing This slowdown occurred with the 2TB NV3 about
our 450GB file. Sweet! Note that the NV2 was a 75% full.
1TB SSD with considerably less secondary cache,
as well as likely also employing QLC, hence the
tragically long write time. to the capacity tested. SSD performance can
and will vary by capacity due to more or fewer
motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two chips to shotgun reads/writes across and the
Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 4800MHz modules amount of NAND available for secondary
(64GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB caching. Vendors also occasionally swap
and Thunderbolt 4 are integrated to the back components. If you ever notice a large
panel and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. discrepancy between the performance you
The 48GB transfer tests utilize an ImDisk RAM experience and that which we report, by all
disk taking up 58GB of the 64GB of total means let us know.
memory. The 450GB file is transferred from a
2TB Samsung 990 Pro ([Link]/43OAnd3) Kingston NV3
which also runs the OS.
Each test is performed on a newly NTFS- PROS
• Excellent 10Gbps performer, even with long writes.
formatted and TRIM’d drive so the results are • Small even for a thumb drive.
optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive • Both Type-C and Type-A connectors.

fills up, performance may decrease due to less CONS

• Slows down off secondary cache.
NAND for secondary caching, as well as other
BOTTOM LINE
factors. This can be less of a factor with the Not only is the X2 Max the fastest, most compatible
(Type-A and Type-C) thumb drive I’ve ever tested, it’s
current crop of SSDs with far faster late- among the fastest 10Gbps SSDs of any size I’ve
generation NAND. tested. It’s not cheap, but its tiny-dancer excellence is
worth the price.
Caveat: The performance numbers shown
From $70
apply only to the drive we were shipped and

42 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Razer Blade 18 review: I love this
monstrous gaming laptop
This laptop is so good that its dual-mode screen almost feels like a step down.
BY MARK HACHMAN

Razer’s Blade 18 is the limo That’s fine for most people. Smart buyers,
you take to the airport: however, will consider the Blade 18, since its
probably way too much aesthetics have a purpose.
laptop for your daily needs, For 2025, the laptop brings several
sure. But why not simply enjoy it? notable updates: Intel’s latest Arrow Lake
Someone who buys an 18-inch laptop architecture, Nvidia GeForce GPUs up to the
simply wants the best and biggest laptop RTX 5090, and a new dual-mode screen that
around, a desktop replacement capable of combines a 4K creator-class display with a
playing any game at maximum frame rates. high-resolution e-sports monitor. Fantastic

IMAGE: RAZER NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 43

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

performance, smart design, even weight that

won’t burn out your biceps—there’s very little
I didn’t like about the Razer Blade 18.

CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
Razer’s 2025 update of the Razer Blade 18
steps up to Intel’s Arrow Lake Core Ultra 9
275HX, whose mobile performance
impressed me ([Link]/4h7qOL5). But there’s
also Razer’s first use of the Nvidia GeForce
RTX 5000 lineup, memory that jumps to 64
GB, and up to 4 TB of storage. Razer’s RGB logo adorns the back of the Blade 18.
Razer has returned to using a dual-mode
screen, first seen on the 2023 version (fave. on the Blade 16. That usually translates to
co/43YosGx) of the Blade 16. That model higher performance.
offered a less robust version of what’s in the At Razer, your choices are limited: Every
2025 Blade 18. During the day, you can edit version ships with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX.
on its 4K, 240Hz display. By evening, switch to Otherwise, you can downgrade the GPU from
a 1080p, 480Hz mode for e-sports gaming. an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 with 24GB of
Razer used to sell its Blade laptops on VRAM to an RTX 5080 (16GB VRAM) or to a
Amazon as well as its own site. At the 5070 Ti option. The way Razer phrases it, it
moment, however, most models have been seems like simply dropping down to an RTX
pulled from Amazon. The only place to buy 5080 will save you $1,100, period. But Razer
the Blade 18 appears to be Razer’s website ties your GPU selection to other RAM and
([Link]/4h21Lsy). storage options, so that there are essentially
If the Blade 18 is simply too much, Razer four versions of the Blade 18 to choose from:
also ships the Blade 16 ([Link]/4kCL6gc) • Razer Blade 18 with RTX 5090, 4TB (2TB +
and Blade 14 ([Link]/41tp2x2), though the 2TB) SSD, 64GB RAM: $4,599.99 (as tested)
components step down a bit. A larger • Razer Blade 18 with RTX 5090, 2TB
notebook allows for more cooling, which SSD, and 32GB RAM: $4,199.99
means more power can go through the CPU • Razer Blade 18 with RTX 5080, 1TB SSD,
and GPU. Both the Blade 16 and Blade 18 32GB RAM: $3,499.99
offer an RTX 5090 option, but the Blade 18 • Razer Blade 18 with RTX 5070 TI, 1TB
supports 175W of GPU power versus 160W SSD, 32GB RAM: $2,999.99

44 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Razer also tosses in some “gifts”—at press Operating system: Windows 11
time, Borderlands 4, Battlefield 6, and a Home 24H2
month’s worth of Game Pass Ultimate PC— Dimensions: 15.74×10.84×0.86-1.1in.
with the purchase of the Blade 18. Weight: 7.06 pounds
Color: Anodized black
SPECIFICATIONS Price: $2,999.99–$4,599.99
Display: 18-Inch dual-mode IPS display: ($4,599.99 as tested)
3840×2400, 240Hz; 1920×1200, 440Hz
(non-touch) OUT OF THE BOX
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX Most ultra-premium gaming laptops that
(5.4GHz turbo, 24 cores/24 threads) I’ve seen tend to prioritize the internal
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, components over the external chassis:
12GB GDDR7 VRAM/RTX 5080, 16GB Throw in a bit of RGB bling and spend the
GDDR7 VRAM/RTX 5090 (150W + 25W rest of your engineering talent worrying
dynamic boost), 24GB GDDR7 VRAM (5090 about keeping the components cool. Take
as tested) the rival Maingear Ultima 18 (fave.
NPU: No co/48oXIEA): It’s just a big black slab. Stick
Memory: 32GB–64GB DDR5-5600 it on its end, and you can imagine a tribe of
(64GB as tested) apes worshipping it while “Also sprach
Storage: 1TB–2TB M.2. NVMe PCI 4.0; Zarathustra” plays.
4TB (both M.2. slots filled) (4TB
as tested)
Ports: Thunderbolt 5
(DP 2.1, 100W charging),
Thunderbolt 4 (DP 2.1, 100W
charging), HDMI 2.1, RJ45
(2.5Gbps Ethernet), UHS-II SD,
3.5mm headphone jack
Security: Windows Hello
(camera)
Camera: 1440p, 30 Hz
(user facing)
Battery: 99Wh A small cutout exposes some of the components behind a clear
Wireless: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Mylar plastic window, lit by user-adjustable RGB lighting.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 45

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

Razer’s Blade 18 is different.

Instead of extending the laptop’s
underside the length of the laptop,
there’s a bump that protrudes from
the underside, housing the cooling
module. A small cutout exposes
some of the components behind a
clear Mylar plastic window, lit by
user-adjustable RGB lighting.
Add to that the existing RGB-lit
Razer logo that’s already mounted
on the top and rear of the laptop
itself, and that’s a healthy dose of
Notice how when the Shift button is depressed, only the
RGB right there. Fortunately, it’s punctuation lights up, not the numbers. And yes, the chassis
out of sight, and at least the vapor attracts fingerprints.
chamber lighting can be disabled,
if necessary. You’ll find a couple of fun quirks right off
All this isn’t totally unique; the Alienware the bat: The first is the dual-mode display,
16 Area-51 ([Link]/46WX4NU) includes a which we’ll talk about in a bit. The second is
similar cooling bump and light-up logo. But the keyboard, which not only offers a number
it’s still an interesting twist that attracts the of adjustable RGB lighting effects, but also
eye. (Note to Razer: If you’re going to leave assigns two RGB LEDs to selected keys. Put
the logo lighting on at all times, an Ambilight another way, when you tap the Shift key, the
mode might be a neat addition—[Link]/ RGB lighting will illuminate only the %, ^, and
3VZ7xS8.) & keys, not the numbers themselves.
Unlike other gaming laptops I’ve tried, the One of the few things I didn’t like about
Blade 18 doesn’t feel ungainly. At 7.06 this laptop is that the relatively uninspired
pounds, it’s surprisingly manageable. The boot sequence. Press the power button, and
chassis is made from CNC-milled aluminum the Blade just sits there—or seems to. While
and features a fingerprint-resistant coating. there’s a small green light on the front of the
(That’s technically true. Fingerprints might not keyboard tray that lights up during the boot
stick, but the chassis will pick up oil and dust, sequence, the rest of the laptop seemingly
and I had to spend a few minutes polishing doesn’t respond. Only after the Windows
the chassis for photos.) boot sequence appears on the screen does

46 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

the laptop respond with a ripple of RGB I like to put my laptops on my desk’s
lighting across the keyboard, a visual signal keyboard drawer, and the Blade 18 is a bit too
that you’re ready to go. big for that. You’ll need a flat desk, or risk the
The power cord might be a bit polarizing, laptop supporting itself on its cooling bump.
too. I’ve used Maingear laptops and That’s probably fine, but still. (I did all my
bemoaned the jiggly, rear-mounted power testing on a flat surface.)
cord. Razer uses a side-mounted power cord One note on the ports, which are listed
(connected to a 400W charger), and it’s quite above: This is the first laptop I’ve seen with
stiff to work it in and out of the charging port. both a Thunderbolt 5 and a Thunderbolt 4
Some of you might like that (how often do you port on it, neither of which is labeled. The
remove a gaming laptop’s power cord, TB5 port is on the right, and the TB4 port is
anyway?), but I found it slightly annoying. on the left.
Note that while this laptop does include a I found myself repeatedly returning to
Thunderbolt 5 port, that port doesn’t support the hyper-detailed Razer Synapse
the full 240W charging specification—just application, which contains controls for
100W instead. Of course, even TB5 couldn’t adjusting the lighting, laptop performance,
supply the nearly 400W that the Blade 18 and display. Razer includes several
demands under full load. performance profiles, (Balanced, Silent,
The fan noise on the Razer Blade 18 Performance, and Turbo), which I bounced
certainly does get loud under load, as in and out of depending on the application.
expected from a gaming notebook. It’s not Unfortunately, the Silent mode wasn’t
overwhelming, just a bit unpleasant. There’s entirely silent, even when simply writing
minimal coil whine, but it’s there.
Razer says that it’s expanded the
vapor chamber to its largest ever,
combining triple fan blades and
0.075mm exhaust fins to
generate 280W across the
package. Our thermal tests (more
in the performance section)
detected no thermal throttling
under prolonged CPU and GPU
testing. That’s the result Razer The left side of the Razer Blade 18 includes a Thunderbolt 5 port,
was designing for. which is unlabeled, as well as the HDMI and USB port.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 47

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

time, a Windows 11 Pro license is

just $13 ([Link]/4oheWII).

DISPLAY
A major change for the 2025
Blade 18 is the display. Previous
models offered either a QHD+
mini LED panel (2560×1600) at
300Hz or a 4K screen at 300Hz,
both stretched to 18 inches
On this side, there’s a Thunderbolt 4 port as well as Ethernet, diagonally. That’s the traditional
more USB-A, and the power port and 3.5mm jack. way of buying a laptop; you
choose one or the other.
this review, and I would have liked it to shut With the 2025 version of the Razer Blade
down the fan entirely. 18, you get a dual-mode display—both for the
Synapse also failed to launch the Razer price of one, basically. The price, if there is
module for adjusting the performance one, is that there’s no touchscreen.
when I rebooted the laptop without an Specifically, the Blade 18 offers a
internet connection. Turning on the Wi-Fi 3840×2400 240Hz display, switchable to a
reinstated the module and the
performance settings, which
were still there after turning off
the Wi-Fi. I don’t know if it was a
glitch or not, but I wasn’t
impressed. That’s one of the few
things I didn’t like about
Synapse, which is about as well
thought out as utility software
goes these days.
I’m a little surprised that Razer
shipped the laptop with Windows
11 Home, not Pro, but PCWorld’s
software store features some killer You can use the incredibly handy Razer Synapse application to
Windows 11 Pro deals—at press switch between display modes.

48 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

1920×1200, 440Hz option after rebooting
the laptop. The idea is that creators will spend
all day designing using the 4K option, then
swap to the super-high-refresh-rate option for
after-hours fun. In reality, I actually never
wanted to switch to the 1200p mode, since
playing games at 4K+ resolutions at 240Hz is
pretty damn cool all by itself.
Since the Consumer Electronics
Association considers 4K to be 3840×2160,
you’re getting a bit better than a 4K screen
just to begin with. Ditto for the 1080p-ish
1200p mode, too. The drawback is that both
share the same IPS panel, which some might
consider a downgrade compared to the
miniLED panel of yesteryear. The Razer Blade
18 (2024)’s miniLED panel boasted 2,000
“dimming zones” that can be turned off and
on to approximate the elite contrast of an
OLED panel. IPS doesn’t really offer the same
visual contrast.
Another issue is that Windows didn’t
automatically adjust the scaling when
switching from 4K to 1200p resolution. The
scaling became enormous, and in some
applications, I couldn’t access menu items at
the bottom of the window without
connecting to an external display. Windows, The Razer Blade 18 color gamut, as measured
unfortunately, thought that the new resolution under the 4K (top) and 1080p settings (bottom).
was a minimum, so that the only adjustment to
be made would be to make the text and The games I tried adjusted for the new
windows even larger. settings. And when connected to an
That only seemed to happen with the external display the text on that display
laptop display, however, under Windows. rendered normally. Still, if you’re going to

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 49

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

buy a laptop with a premium display, it clickable, with an additional quarter or

should work correctly. so clickable after applying substantial
Otherwise, the color gamut on the Blade pressure. That gives the trackpad a bit of a
18’s display wasn’t quite as good as that of a vestigial feel. After all, Razer would be happy
creator-class notebook, but it put out a hefty to sell you one of its branded mice.
532 nits of luminance whether it was in the 4K The keyboard, however, is far better. The
or 1080p mode. That’s enough for working Blade 18’s keys depress with 1.5mm of key
outside, though the abysmal battery life of this travel, which is about where I like it. Keep in
laptop will mean you won’t be working long mind that I typically use a business keyboard,
before you hunt down a power outlet. where 1.25mm of key travel is common—I
welcomed the additional travel distance. If
KEYBOARD AND TRACKPAD you’re looking for a truly mechanical keyboard
Razer’s purchasing department obviously with far more key travel, however, something
bought the Blade 18’s trackpad at the like the Alienware X16 R2 ([Link]/46V2h8B)
warehouse store, with an enormous might be more your style.
touchpad that’s nearly 6 inches wide and Each key is configurable via the Synapse
3.75 inches long, reaching nearly from the key to configure it for a keypress, macro,
edge of the keyboard tray to the spacebar. mouse movement, or more, and there are
Unfortunately, only about half was easily even four dedicated memory keys to store
specific configurations.
Using the Synapse
application, you can adjust
each key’s function in eight
different ways!
As mentioned above,
many of the keys have dual
RGB LEDs inside them, all
configurable from the
Synapse application.
Depress the Shift key, and
specific keys light up; that
goes for the function (FN)
keys as well as the Numlock
Razer has included a huge trackpad with its keyboard. keys. That’s hella cool, and

50 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Hz, but I suspect that it’s using some of
that additional resolution to crop in and
“zoom” in on your face using Windows
Studio Effects. In any event, the image is
somewhat soft, and my face looked a bit
too ruddy under artificial light and too
washed out under natural lighting. This
isn’t necessarily a plug for PCWorld’s
recommendations of the best webcams
([Link]/3LZ3Gjk), though if you can
afford a $4,000 gaming laptop, what’s
an additional $50 or so?
The Razer Blade 18 in a darkened room. What Razer is primarily concerned
with, however, is the laptop speakers,
I was unreasonably happy that Razer especially when playing back movies and
included that function. playing games. Razer’s speakers are passable,
When playing a game, the WASD (and R and a bit bass-heavy; that’s not surprising for a
and C) keys light up by default (or at least by a laptop with four woofers and a pair of
setting that I didn’t recall tweaking). Given tweeters, all enhanced via THX. Nothing
that I’m a left-handed gamer and use the stood out in my mind as something I’d prefer
keypad instead, that’s actually a little insulting. listening to, and that was while the laptop’s
However, there’s a full 10-digit number pad to fans were set to Silent.
the right, an important
concession to lefty gamers
who use that instead of
WASD keys.

WEBCAM,
MICROPHONE
SPEAKERS
The Razer Blade 18’s
webcam is passable.
Supposedly it allows for
1440p video captures at 30 The Razer Blade 18’s webcam is passable.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 51

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

Typically, gameplay on a gaming

laptop is accompanied by roaring
fans. While Razer’s Blade 18 doesn’t
overwhelm you with noise, the fans
are loud enough to drown out the
small nuances. A game like
Expedition 33, for example,
demands headphones to ensure
you hear the full range of the score.
Put another way, the typical Blade
18 customer will be using
headphones anyway.
The noise filtering on the two In the high-end Turbo mode, the Blade 18 pulls close to its
dual- array microphones, though, is rated 400W at full load.
nearly perfection—some of the best
I’ve (not) heard, ever. I usually hold up my TOPS requirement to earn the Copilot+
phone and move it behind my head and off to designation. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
the side, playing back rock music and then does not.
some white noise at a loud volume. The Razer But the 275HX does include an NPU with
Blade 18 filtered it all out—every bit— 36 total TOPS. And Nvidia’s 5090 GPU—
perfectly. I couldn’t really find any built-in basically the most powerful mobile GPU on
controls for this, so it must have done it by the planet at the moment—will absolutely
default. Just be sure and adjust the Windows chew through AI tasks while just falling short of
settings for the mic (System > Sound > earning Microsoft’s AI badge of honor. Crazy!
Properties > Test mode for microphone audio
processing) to the Communications drop- PERFORMANCE
down setting, or else your voice will sound Spend $4,500 on an 18-inch notebook, and
somewhat hollow. you probably have one requirement: that it
play any game you’d like, at full resolution.
IS IT A COPILOT+ PC? We can’t say this with certainty, but the
No. As we segue into our performance Blade 18 will certainly get you almost all of
testing, it’s worth pointing out that most of the way there.
the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor family Note: In the performance tests that follow,
does include an NPU with the requisite 40 frame generation and upscaling are off. Some

52 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

gamers call these “fake frames.” The results I tested the Razer Blade 18 in both of its
here are “farm-to-table” frames, rendered 4K and 1080p configurations, because I
directly by the notebook itself. You can turn wasn’t sure if the performance would differ.
on these upscaling features for additional As it turned out, the two configurations do
performance, though some people notice a not differ. But it’s a question I didn’t know
small drop in visual quality as a result. In the answer to with certainty, so it was worth
almost all cases, the laptop is good enough investigating.
to deliver more than playable framerates Likewise, I tested the Razer Blade 18 in
without any AI enhancements. both its default Performance configuration as
For a laptop like this, you want to take the well as the top-end Turbo mode. Turbo kicks
best gaming laptops out there, lock them in a the power consumption up a notch, from a
room, and don’t let them out until one peak of 380W to 392W—close to the rated
survives. The only fair thing to do is to put the 400W charger limit. In some cases,
$4,599 Razer Blade 18 up against other performance increases. I tested using this
industry heavyweights. setting as well.
We chose the $3,599 Maingear Ultima We can generate a general level of
18 ([Link]/48oXIEA), the $5,099 MSI CPU performance using the Cinebench
Raider A18 HX A9W ([Link]/4n9a9rW), benchmark, which pushes all of the
the $4,199 MSI Stealth 18AI Studio A1V laptop’s CPU threads to their utmost to
([Link]/3WuDZfl), the $3,700 Gigabyte render a scene.
Aorus 17X ([Link]/4nieHwd), and the
$3,349 Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 (fave.
co/46WX4NU). All of these except for the Cinebench R24
last two include 18-inch displays, which CPU multi-thread performance
gives the chassis more than enough room MSI Raider A18 HX A9Q
Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 2,111
for sizeable cooling options. We plugged Razer Blade 18 Turbo
Core Ultra 9 275HX 2,096
in last year’s $3,549.99 Alienware m18 R2 Alienware 16 Area-51
2,061
Core Ultra 9 275HX
([Link]/3VpnXCw) with a Core i9 Maingear Ultima 18
2,028
Core Ultra 9 275HX
14900HX and an RTX 4090; how does that Razer Blade 18
Core Ultra 9 275HX 2,021
compare with 2025’s newest CPU and Gigabyte Aorus 17X
Core i9-14900HX 1,459
GPU? We also added Razer’s own 16-inch Razer Blade 16 (2025)
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 1,295
([Link]/4kCL6gc), which offers a different MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
Core Ultra 9 185H 1,016
CPU but a similar RTX 5090 GPU (at 175W)
LO N G 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

and at a very comparable $4,499 price.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 53

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

On the desktop, AMD’s Ryzen AI decade ago, but this now requires just minutes
processors have bested Intel’s Arrow Lake to complete (6.78 minutes, for the Razer
architecture. In mobile, it’s much closer, and Blade 18) to convert an entire 90-ish minute
the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D squeaks by a tiny movie. We measure the time in seconds it
margin, even above the Turbo setting. We’ve takes Handbrake to complete the job.
used older Cinebench benchmarks in the The one test we were not able to run was
past; the R2024 test takes longer and works UL’s PCMark 10, which according to UL’s
the system harder. support staff has a known issue with Nvidia’s
In general, however, all of these 18-inch latest GPU driver and the RTX 5090. That’s
(and even one 16-inch) notebooks are very disappointing, as PCMark still uses a
close where synthetic CPU performance representative swathe of applications, from
is concerned. web browsing to video chats to light gaming
Handbrake takes this approach and and CAD work, and generates a score.
extends it. This is an open-source conversion While I’d like to include these numbers to
tool, originally designed to allow you to shrink provide a complete picture, I think I can safely
down movies to store on a tablet for use on a say that the Razer Blade 18 will handle all of
long airplane flight. It asks the CPU to run at your office tasks with ease.
its fastest speeds for a long duration—this test We can move on, then, to the GPU
could take over an hour to run on a Celeron a performance. We’ve used the UL 3DMark test

Handbrake 0.9.9 Encode 3DMark Time Spy

Seconds GPU performance
Razer Blade 18 Turbo Razer Blade 18 Turbo
Core Ultra 9 275HX 407 Core Ultra 9 275HX 22,418
Razer Blade 18 Razer Blade 18
Core Ultra 9 275HX 433 Core Ultra 9 275HX 22,394
Alienware 16 Area-51 MSI Raider A18 HX A9W
Core Ultra 9 275HX 434 Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 21,765
Maingear Ultima 18 Alienware 16 Area-51
Core Ultra 9 275HX 458 Core Ultra 9 275HX 20,960
MSI Raider A18 HX A9W Alienware m18 R2
Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 471 Core i9-14900HX 20,914
Alienware m18 R2 Gigabyte Aorus 17X
Core i9-14900HX 609 Core i9-14900HX 19,342
Razer Blade 16 (2025) Maingear Ultima 18
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 682 Core Ultra 9 275HX 19,168
Gigabyte Aorus 17X Razer Blade 16 (2025)
Core i9-14900HX 685 Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 18,704
MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
Core Ultra 9 185H 829 Core Ultra 9 185H 15,737
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 LO N G 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

54 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

to evaluate synthetic 3D performance,
specifically the Time Spy test for Shadow of the Tomb Raider
compatibility’s sake. You’d expect the RTX Frames per second; 1080p Highest
5090 inside the Razer Blade 18 to perform Razer Blade 18
Nvidia RTX 5090 233
well, and it does. Razer Blade 18 Turbo
Nvidia RTX 5090 233
Gaming, of course, is a big reason why MSI Raider A18 HX A9W
230
Nvidia RTX 5090
you’re buying this laptop. We use a Alienware 16 Area-51
213
Nvidia RTX 5080
representative series of three games as a Alienware m18 R2
Nvidia RTX 4090 205
benchmark across generations of laptops and Maingear Ultima 18
Nvidia RTX 5080 190
desktops. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Gigabyte Aorus 17X
Nvidia RTX 4090 184
published by Square Enix, doesn’t feel Razer Blade 16 (2025)
Nvidia RTX 5090 164
especially old, yet it was released in 2018. MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
Nvidia RTX 4090 156
We push the graphics quality to its highest
LO N G 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
setting and turn off frame generation, ray
tracing, and various effects. You can see the
massive generational jump from gaming ray tracing off, but turns on other effects to
notebooks that use CPUs and GPUs just a give the game a more dynamic look. While
generation old and what the latest laptops all of our test laptops can play this game,
like the Razer Blade 18 can achieve. there’s a definite spread between the most
For reference, most gamers may tolerate
30 frames per second in some games, but 60
fps is usually considered the minimum, with Metro Exodus
90 fps preferred. All of our gaming Frames per second; 1080p Extreme, no RT
benchmarks are expressed in frames per Razer Blade 18 Turbo
Nvidia RTX 5090 105
second (fps), and you’ll have no issue here. Razer Blade 18
Nvidia RTX 5090 103
Remember, this laptop has a dual-mode MSI Raider A18 HX A9W
Nvidia RTX 5090 99
screen. But while I ran these benchmarks on Alienware m18 R2
97
Nvidia RTX 4090
the 4K as well as the 1080p, high-refresh-rate Alienware 16 Area-51
92
Nvidia RTX 5080
settings, I saw no difference. Razer Blade 16 (2025)
Nvidia RTX 5090 91
Here we see that, well, there are games Maingear Ultima 18
Nvidia RTX 5080 87
and settings that will push the Blade 18 to its Gigabyte Aorus 17X
Nvidia RTX 4090 86
limits. Deep Silver’s 2019 game, Metro: MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
Nvidia RTX 4090 71
Exodus, certainly does. Here, we use the
LO N G 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

game’s Extreme settings, which does leave

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 55

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

powerful devices on the top of this chart, deliver playable frame rates at the native
and those below. panel resolution. (At 1080p, the result was
It’s hard to believe that Cyberpunk: 2077 is 269 fps.) All of this subsample of tests dialed
almost five years old, too. This game has been a up the laptop to its maximum Turbo settings.
phenomenal benchmark, with a wide variety of Although Razer doesn’t market its Blade
available settings. This is a game which would 18 as an AI workstation, the fact that it
like you to turn on ray tracing. For this test, I includes an RTX 5090 GPU with a hefty 24GB
do—both the 1080p Ultra settings are tested, of VRAM automatically qualifies it for AI use.
as well as the Ray Tracing Overdrive setting, I recently reviewed the Framework
which really asks everything of the laptop. Desktop ([Link]/47jw3nm), which includes
Remember, we turn off upscaling and AMD’s Strix Halo Ryzen AI Max chip, with
frame generation to help generate consistent gobs of memory. That allows it to load large
scores. But after turning on frame generation AI LLM and image models, which gives it a leg
and upscaling, Cyberpunk delivered 130 fps up in terms of AI capabilities. It’s also much
(minimum 118 fps) on the Ray Tracing quieter. But the fact remains that most AI apps
Overdrive setting at the native settings of the take full and best advantage of a GPU. These
panel, 3840×2400. In other words, you can are test workloads, so the models used by
push Cyberpunk, at maximum settings, to UL’s Procyon test are going to be smaller and
more outdated than the state of the art. But
they’re also standardized.
Cyberpunk 2077 In this context, there’s simply no content
1080p Ultra 1080p, RT Overdrive between an “AI workstation” and the gobs of
MSI Raider A18 HX A9W 166 GPU compute power than an RTX 5090 can
Nvidia RTX 5090
47
generate: four times the Framework Desktop.
Razer Blade 18 Turbo 162
Nvidia RTX 5090
47
Razer Blade 18 156
Nvidia RTX 5090
47
Alienware 16 Area-51 137 Procyon AI Image
Nvidia RTX 5080
36
Generation
Maingear Ultima 18 115 Stable Diffusion 1.5 (FP16)
Nvidia RTX 5080
30
Razer Blade 18
Razer Blade 16 (2025) 102 Core Ultra 9 275HX 3,664
Nvidia RTX 5090
40 Framework Desktop
96
Ryzen AI Max+ 395 884
MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
HP ZBook Ultra G1a
Nvidia RTX 4090
32 Ryzen AI Max+ 395 712
LO N G 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 LO N G 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

56 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 The weak spot? Battery life, naturally. For
Procyon AI Image whatever reason, gaming laptops simply
Generation don’t last longer than a few hours in terms of
Llama 2 Llama 3.1 battery life unless they’re tweaked. And this is
Mistral 7B Phi 3.5
just video playback. Just become accustomed
Razer
Blade 18 4,294 to bringing your charger in case you want to
Core Ultra 9 3,862
275HX
4,314
game on the road. And remember, the
4,452 Thunderbolt port doesn’t supply enough
Framework
Desktop 972 juice to keep the Blade 18 running for long.
Ryzen AI 795
Max+ 395
874 The chart below ranges from awful to
984 rather good, actually. You might not be
HP ZBook
Ultra G1a 899 impressed with how the Razer Blade 16
Ryzen AI 745
Max+ 395
822 performs on all of the gaming benchmarks,
905
but it won’t conk out as quickly as the Razer
LO N G 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
Blade 18 will, that’s for sure. All told, the Razer
Blade 18 delivers 4.9 hours of battery life
The same holds for AI chatbots or LLM text while playing back video.
generation, too. Here, I’m much more But it’s a gaming laptop, right? So how
sympathetic toward AMD’s processors. One long does it last while gaming? On battery,
of the measures of LLM performance is simply looping the Time Spy gaming benchmark, the
how quickly the response can be generated,
in both the time to the first token (or word)
and how quickly the entire answer is Battery Life
generated. In my book, speed matters a bit Minutes
less if you can’t read as quickly as the AI Razer Blade 16 (2025)
Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 637
generates its response. Gigabyte Aorus 17X
Core i9-14900HX 348
The Framework Desktop can allocate up MSI Stealth 18 AI Studio
304
Core Ultra 9 185H
to 96GB of VRAM for AI in our review unit. By Razer Blade 18
294
Core Ultra 9 275HX
comparison, the 5090 GPU in the Blade 18 Maingear Ultima 18
Core Ultra 9 275HX 288
allows only 24GB. This means the Blade 18 is Alienware m18 R2
Core i9-14900HX 278
much faster at calculating AI responses, Alienware 16 Area-51
Core Ultra 9 275HX 253
though you might prefer the quality of results MSI Raider A18 HX A9Q
Ryzen 9 9955HX3D 174
it produces. So there’s a subjective as well as
LO N G 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

an objective angle to this particular test.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 57

REVIEWS R A ZER BL ADE 18

tests indicate, it certainly doesn’t fall

short of expectations.
My main gripe is that Windows
doesn’t smoothly handle shifting
between the two screen modes,
which means near-constant UI
adjustments. The stiff charger and
quirky boot sequence add minor
annoyances, though Synapse
remains an exceptionally well-
thought-out piece of software.
The Razer Blade 18 excels where performance is concerned. Overall, the Razer Blade 18
excels where performance is
laptop’s uptime was just one hour, six concerned, which certainly is the key metric.
minutes. That is really bad. Synapse does But it’s also clear how much thought and
come with numerous adjustments and care went into the design, and that won me
configurations that can be made while on over early on. In all, the Blade 18 easily earns
battery, but you’re still trying to draw blood PCWorld’s Editor’s Choice award.
from a stone.
Razer Blade 18
BOTTOM LINE
Of all the gaming laptops we’ve tested, I think PROS
• Terrific performance.
that the $3,349 Alienware 16 Area-51 AW30 • Synapse utility app is fantastic.
([Link]/46WX4NU) offers the most bang for • Smartly designed, comfortable keyboard.
• Light and quiet (for a gaming notebook, anyway).
your buck, though it’s a smaller 16-inch
CONS
machine. But aside from the truly abysmal • Battery life is abysmal.
battery life—which, to be fair, is typical of • Ports could and should be labeled.
• Boot sequence could be more responsive.
most gaming laptops anyway—the Razer
BOTTOM LINE
Blade 18 shines. Razer’s Blade 18 outperforms basically everything else
I wondered whether Razer’s goal of a thin, out there, with an exception or two. This relatively
quiet gaming notebook does suffer from the short
light gaming laptop would fall short. A typical battery life of its rivals, and the default 4K screen is so
good that the cool dual-resolution mode will
18-inch gaming laptop weighs about eight probably go underused.
pounds, while the Blade 18 comes in just From $2,999
above seven pounds. As our performance

58 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Private Internet Access review:
A low-price, high-value VPN
This jack-of-all-trades VPN proves it’s still one of the best. BY SAM SINGLETON

Private Internet Access (PIA) improvements by lifting the device

has seemingly been around connection limit and undergoing a third-
since the advent of third-party party audit. So, with these new updates,
VPNs. Since that time, it’s how does PIA stack up against the other
been a favorite VPN service for many users titans of the VPN market?
thanks to its excellent pricing and good Read on to learn more, then see our
privacy guarantees. Recently the service roundup of the best VPN services (fave.
has made some truly promising co/43k8IzX) for comparison.

IMAGE: FOUNDRY NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 59

REVIEWS PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS

Private Internet Access in brief: connect to a Shadowsocks obfuscated server

P2P allowed: Yes directly from the app itself.
Simultaneous device connections:
Unlimited Hands-on
Business location: U.S. Upon first opening PIA, you’re presented with
Number of servers: 35,000-plus a simple panel in the lower-right corner of
Number of country locations: 91 your screen. By default, this panel is anchored
Cost: $11.95 per month, $39.95 for a to that location unless you unlock it in the
one-year plan, or $79 for a three-year plan settings menu. It’s an interesting design
decision and one that breaks the mold of
FEATURES AND SERVICES nearly every other windowed VPN app out
What’s new there. It feels a bit constrained, but then again
Since my last review, PIA has mostly focused maybe I’m just used to having a free-floating
on systematic improvements. It has expanded window by default.
its server network to include 10 new locations The Windows app itself is pretty
in Europe, plus it has added servers in all 50 straightforward. There’s a big on/off button at
U.S. states—although some of them appear the top, and below that is the VPN server
to be virtual. location—clicking it expands the screen to
Additionally, the service has redesigned view and choose a different country or server
its Android app, completely rewriting it in location. For countries with multiple location
Kotlin. As a result, the app now features more options, you’re able to click a drop-down
extensive user menu to display all of the available server
customization locations within that country. And boy, are
options and there a lot to choose from. PIA offers servers
added the across 91 countries and, while not officially
ability to confirmed, it’s believed to have a staggering
35,000-plus servers.
Next to each country location is its latency
PIA’s home displayed in milliseconds, and there’s a heart
screen defaults icon that allows you to designate a server as
to a minimized
window that can one of your favorites. It also conveniently
be expanded denotes which servers are virtual servers, with
to show more
information or an icon that states “This is a geo-located
servers. region” next to the name.

60 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

PIA’s extensive server and the UK. There are also tiles for
list provides useful
bandwidth usage, a performance graph,
information including
latency and physical data encryption and handshake settings
or virtual server being used, and basic settings control. If you
locations.
prefer to see any of this information on the
compact view instead, you’re able to click
the bookmark icon on any tile to display it.
A virtual server is You can add or remove any of these options
not located within as you see fit.
the country itself, While I appreciate the extra connection
but rather assigns an details menu, when expanding the drop-
IP address of the down menu, it shot past the bottom of my
country location screen, making it awkward to view all of the
instead. The data or even find how to reshrink the menu
transparency here back down. It’s a small gripe, I know, but an
should be (overdue) interface update could easily
commended as not remedy these clunky app display issues.
many other VPN Private Internet Access comes with an
providers willingly label which of its servers abundance of great features such as split
are virtual or physical. tunneling, multi-hop, and a kill switch. It even
Overall the server list layout effect is nice allows you to designate an app-based kill
and simple to follow. PIA allows you to sort its switch, which will block traffic only on specific
server list either by latency or location name. apps should the VPN connection break.
This makes it much easier for people to find It’s worth talking a little bit about PIA’s
the optimal connection for speed or to find split-tunneling feature. Split tunneling allows
their desired location by name. you to pick and choose which apps you wish
Once connected, the app displays your to run through a VPN, allowing you to
actual IP address and the VPN address you’re optimize bandwidth for low-risk activities such
using. This basic information is all you can see as streaming or gaming. And PIA has one of
in the compact view, but if you click the the most dynamic split-tunneling features I’ve
downward-facing arrow at the bottom you ever seen. Power users can go to town
can see a ton of extra details as well. tweaking things such as which apps, IP
This includes quick-connect options with addresses, and DNS requests are allowed to
locations such as France, Germany, the U.S., bypass the VPN.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 61

REVIEWS PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS

Additionally, taking after

other VPN providers such as
NordVPN ([Link]/3wX9BwC)
and Surfshark ([Link]/
3Z1OmGj), PIA has added a
handy security extra in the
form of an ad- and tracker-
blocker it calls MACE, and
data-breach monitoring with
its Identity Guard feature. This
is something that’s becoming
more common as a means to
entice users with a complete PIA has a robust feature set, which includes a highly customizable
online security suite rather than split-tunneling feature.
just a VPN service. You can
even opt in to an antivirus tool from PIA for settings is mind-boggling. For the right user,
an additional fee when you sign up if you this makes PIA a better choice overall. Plus,
so choose. unlike other competitors who may have lost
The convenience of this all-in-one the plot with their desire to innovate, PIA has
approach is enticing, but generally speaking a never strayed from the VPN-first mentality, and
standalone antivirus software, like our favorite that should be commended.
antivirus suites ([Link]/3CnDHuk), will offer PIA is available for all major platforms,
you more comprehensive coverage and including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android,
overall security. Linux, the Chrome browser, and some
PIA offers a lot of great configurable gaming devices and smart TVs.
features and settings, making it a power user’s
dream. Some may argue it lags behind since PRICE
its main competitors have started offering PIA has long been one of the most affordable
shiny new features and add-ons—something premium VPN services on the market. That
PIA has so far passed up. But I would argue still remains the case. Some other services
that what PIA lacks in feature quantity, it more can even be found cheaper, but usually that
than makes up for in feature quality. have fewer features.
The sheer amount of customization PIA offers three plans, including a monthly
options and ways to tweak connection plan, 1-year plan, and 3-year plan. The

62 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

monthly rate is $11.95, which is above the speed. PIA’s speeds were all right, but they
industry average, but cheaper than other top weren’t enough to make our top five fastest
services with similar feature sets. VPNs ([Link]/3OWgSrf). Across all
The 1-year plan will set you back $39.95 locations tested, the speeds averaged 50
or $3.33 per month. If you opt for the 3-year percent of the base download speed and a
plan, PIA throws in an extra three months for more respectable 77 percent of the base
free, and it will cost a total of $79 or $2.03 upload speed.
per month. Of course, as one would expect, I noted
A unique and economical pricing feature that locations closer to my physical location
of PIA’s long-term plans is that they don’t had better speed averages, while server
drastically increase in price after the renewal locations further away were slower. Latency
period. So if you opt for the 1-year plan, after scores overall were relatively good,
the first year you’ll only be charged a comparing similarly to even the fastest
moderate increase to $49.99 for any services I’ve tested. This means that PIA
subsequent years. should be suitable for gaming for most
Most VPN providers will offer you an people. I was able to play online FPS games
enticing long-term plan deal initially. Then, while connected to a PIA server and had no
after the renewal period, your price will noticeable lag or connection issues.
skyrocket up to a much less affordable However, for a top VPN, I have to admit
amount for as long as you continue that these overall connection speed averages
subscribing to the service. are a bit disappointing. NordVPN (fave.
When you sign up for PIA, it only asks for co/3wX9BwC), one of PIA’s top competitors,
your email address. It accepts a good range has average speeds of over 75 percent of the
of payment options including credit card, base download speed—a full 25 percent
PayPal, Amazon Pay, and cryptocurrencies faster. Users who demand ultra-fast
such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin— connections while streaming 4K video or
there’s also an option to use Bitpay instead of downloading large files may want to consider
direct wallet transfers. other options.
At the end of the day, PIA’s speeds
PERFORMANCE aren’t terrible, and they should be plenty
In my testing, I measured connection speeds fast enough to allow you to stream or
across PIA’s servers in different countries all browse to your heart’s content without
around the world for multiple days and then noticeable lag—depending on your own
compared them to my baseline internet home internet connection, of course.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 63

REVIEWS PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS

When it comes to
streaming, PIA successfully
accessed all of the major
streaming services such
as Netflix, Disney+,
Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
I didn’t come across any
servers that were
blocked, and geo-
restriction access was
never an issue no matter
which country’s server I
was connected to.
PIA offers an abundance of configuration options for both OpenVPN and
SECURITY AND WireGuard protocols.
PRIVACY
PIA has been owned and operated by Kape the market today, including PIA, ExpressVPN,
Technologies, a UK-based company formerly ZenMate VPN, and CyberGhost VPN, as well
known as Crossrider, since 2019. There have as Mac antivirus firm Intego.
been some questions in the past about the To its credit, PIA has taken steps to ease
somewhat dubious practices surrounding the minds of privacy-focused users with
Crossrider. Its development platform for regular quarterly transparency reports (fave.
browser extensions was used by co/4mXyNve). Additionally, in 2022 and
independent developers to deliver malicious again most recently in 2024, the service
adware and malware to users. Realizing this underwent independent security audits by
and facing backlash, Crossrider closed the Deloitte to review its no-logs policy. In both
platform in 2016 and rebranded itself as instances, Deloitte confirmed that PIA stores
Kape Technologies. no logs and no details that could be used to
Since this reset, and subsequent identify users or their activities.
leadership reorganization, Kape Privacy is the main pillar of a good VPN
Technologies has pivoted to become a major service, and these independent audits,
provider of digital security software. It has combined with PIA’s continued willingness to
gone on a run in recent years of purchasing strive for transparency, has done a lot to rectify
ownership over some of the largest VPNs on any concerns over its parent company’s past.

64 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 PIA uses the industry standard AES-256 affordable VPN is well polished with a
encryption and both the Windows and nice—if slightly outdated—interface,
Android apps support WireGuard and thousands of servers to choose from, and
OpenVPN protocols. There is also built-in loads of customization options. The
protection against DNS leaks, which, when service’s continued publication of
tested using a DNS Leak test tool, proved transparency reports and up-front nature
my real IP was always hidden while regarding user privacy and security should
connected to PIA’s servers. PIA also uses also be commended.
diskless RAM-only servers, which boot on a It’s true that the speeds might not be
read-only image and use RAM modules the fastest, and its parent company has had
instead of hard disks. By not storing data on its fair share of dubious issues. But that is all
hard disks, RAM-only servers are more seemingly in the past, and PIA has done its
resistant to tampering both by hackers and best to show that it is removed from all of
by physical breaches. Data on RAM-only that. While there may be other services that
servers is also wiped with each server do one single thing better, PIA stands apart
restart, meaning that any collected user data as a jack of all trades that does everything
is usually never stored for very long. While well. It continues to be a top-tier VPN that is
RAM-only servers have become more only getting better with age.
commonplace among VPN providers
recently, PIA was well ahead of the game in Private Internet Access
installing them years ago.
PIA is based out of Denver in the U.S. PROS
• Multiple independent no-log audits.
This unfortunately means it could be • Unlimited simultaneous device connections.
subjected to mandatory data sharing with • Massive server network.
• Low-cost subscription plans.
the government as the U.S. is a member of
CONS
the Five Eyes Data Sharing Alliance. • App is a little clunky.
Thankfully, as the multiple independent • Speeds are underwhelming.

audits of its no-logs policy prove, even if user BOTTOM LINE

Private Internet Access continues to be one of the top
data is requested, PIA would have nothing to VPN services on the market. It’s affordable, it offers
plenty of servers and unlimited simultaneous device
share anyway. connections, and it has proven strong privacy
credentials thanks to multiple independent audits. It
might not win any speed races, but it’s hard to argue
BOTTOM LINE with the value it provides.
Private Internet Access has been at this From $11.95 per month

game for a long time and it shows. The

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 65

REVIEWS

Plugable TBT-UDT3: The

affordable, fast Thunderbolt 5
dock I recommend
You won’t find an SSD or active cooling inside this Thunderbolt 5 dock, but the price
seems reasonable. BY MARK HACHMAN

Plugable’s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt of older docks, its integrated Thunderbolt

5 (TBT-UDT3) docking station Share delivers file sharing and a KVM-like
is a moderately priced experience for free.
Thunderbolt 5 dock that can What Plugable doesn’t offer is integrated
future-proof your PC for years to come. While storage or active cooling, saving your wallet
it might not offer the dedicated display ports some additional cash. Just keep in mind that

66 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: PLUGABLE

you may have to make up for that by buying corner Plugable cut, but it doesn’t seem to
some additional display cables. have affected its stability at all.
I usually refer to docking stations without
DESIGN AND BUILD dedicated display ports as hubs, not docks. In
Plugable calls this dock the Plugable this case, Plugable’s TBT-UDT3 includes two
Thunderbolt 5 Dock with 3× Thunderbolt 5 Thunderbolt 5 ports on the rear of the dock
ports ([Link]/3J5zcxR), 140W Laptop and one in front. All three can be used for
Charging, or TBT-UDT3. It’s a rather compact display connections.
Thunderbolt 5 docking station, measuring Make sure you choose the proper cable
6.9×1.6×3.1 inches. I’ve always been for the job. A Thunderbolt 4 dock at 60Hz
somewhat partial to docks which utilize can use a USB-C to HDMI adapter (fave.
vertical space, such as the HP Thunderbolt co/3L4k7Nz) that supports 4K60 output.
G4 Dock ([Link]/4h2xQ3s), simply because That works fine with this Thunderbolt 5 dock,
my desk doesn’t have that much space on it. too. But a TB5 dock (like this one) should
Plugable’s dock can fit into a vertical stand output a 4K display at 144Hz per port—you’ll
included in the package. This maximizes your need a slightly more expensive cable (about
available desk space even more. $25 apiece, [Link]/4o6zROk).
The TBT-UDT3 is made of aluminum and Specifically, Plugable’s dock puts its
ABS plastic. These two materials weave their power button on front, lit by a bright white
way in and out of the chassis. You’ll find metal LED which, accidentally or not, leaks into the
coating the top and bottom (if mounted flat, internal ports, giving them a faint glow and
not vertically), which feels necessary. The making them easier to insert connections into
dock was fairly warm inside my air- when you’re in a dim room. The front of the
conditioned office, using
two 4K displays
connected via the dock’s
included Thunderbolt 5
cable. (That cable
measures 39 inches, or 1
meter long.) Some TB5
docks include active
cooling, with an external
The rear of Plugable’s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 (TBT-UDT3) docking station,
fan; the TBT-UDT3 does with two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports and an upstream TB5 port to
not. That’s possibly a your computer, plus 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, USB-A, and locking slots.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 67

REVIEWS PLUGABLE TBT-UDT3

dock also includes both a microSD and SD Keep in mind that the full charging
card slot at 312MB/S UHS-II speeds, a capabilities of Thunderbolt 5 go up to 240W.
10Gbps USB-A port, a Thunderbolt 5 port, This dock taps out at 140W. On the other
and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the rear hand, Thunderbolt 5 is (for now) confined to
are two more Thunderbolt 5 ports, both a gaming laptops, and those laptops generally
5Gbps and 10Gbps USB-A port, the pull close to 400W or more while gaming
downstream TB5 connection to the PC, a under load. Put another way, even 240W isn’t
2.5Gbps Ethernet jack, and two lock ports. going to cut it for gaming right now. That
Plugable’s dock doesn’t really offer power supply might be suitable for
charging capabilities—one rear USB-A port tomorrow’s content-creation and light
supplies 7.5W—but you can certainly plug in gaming notebook, but not today’s.
a phone to an unused USB-C/Thunderbolt 5 Plugable’s dock also includes an
port, which is rated for 15W of power for a unexpected bonus: Thunderbolt Share (fave.
phone or an external device of some sort. It co/3z0ULdM), a technology that came and
actually provided 13.9W under load. That used went without a lot of fanfare from the mobile
to be enough to fast-charge a smartphone community. Using Thunderbolt Share, two
like a Samsung Galaxy S19, but it can’t really PCs can share files over a Thunderbolt
keep up with the high-speed charging power connection, or two PCs can share a single
used by recent iPhones or Android phones, screen. However, Thunderbolt Share requires
which fast-charge at 45W or higher. that the PCs download the Thunderbolt Share
app. One of the devices must
also have a Thunderbolt Share
license—or in this case, the
dock. Only then is Thunderbolt
Share allowed to work. (You
can see our video demonstration
of Thunderbolt Share:
[Link]/42wgQwD.)

PERFORMANCE
For these tests, I used Razer’s
Blade 18 ([Link]/4h8vCzG),
The front of Plugable’s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 (TBT-UDT3) docking
station is simpler, with just an external TB5 port, plus SD/MicroSD which includes a Thunderbolt 5
and a headphone jack. port as well as a separate

68 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Thunderbolt 4 connection.
On that laptop, Plugable’s
dock seemed almost perfectly
stable. It connected to a pair
of 4K160 displays at the
dock’s rated speed of 144Hz,
my test bed’s default
configuration.
It also connected perfectly
to a third 4K160 display at
144Hz, too, as it should. In
this scenario, however, my
test laptop’s display wouldn’t
light up until I rebooted. After
it did so, all three external
displays lit up at 144Hz, plus
Plugable’s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 (TBT-UDT3) docking station, deep
the laptop’s display. The into testing. Your desk will hopefully be more organized than this
laptop-dock combination one is. Note how the vertical orientation saves space, however.
couldn’t handle streaming
4K60 video to all displays, but static Web was resuming from sleep, that problem did
pages loaded with no issue. not manifest on the Blade 18 and its TB5 port.
I also connected it to my daily laptop with I’ve been testing Thunderbolt docks for
a Thunderbolt 4 port, and I had no issues several years using a standardized
using Plugable’s same dock with the same 4K methodology ([Link]/47gUmSW).
displays at 60 Hz. Thunderbolt 5, however, requires an
When I accidentally powered off the dock update to my test procedures.
when trying to insert it into its vertical stand, I stream 4K video at 60Hz across two
there was a bit of panic, where the displays displays, then three—Plugable’s dock
cycled through and flipped on and off for a handled it like a champ without dropping
few seconds. That was user error, however, more than a handful of frames. Streaming data
and the dock and the connected displays from an attached SSD, though, is a bit more
worked quite well thereafter. While the dock challenging with a higher-bandwidth
had some issues bringing up the displays Thunderbolt 5 dock. OWC kindly provided us
when connected to an older TB4 laptop that with an Envoy Ultra SSD ([Link]/3IHyZAZ),

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 69

REVIEWS PLUGABLE TBT-UDT3

rated at Thunderbolt 5
speeds. That puts more
pressure on the dock itself
to keep up.
To date, there just
haven’t been that many
Thunderbolt 5 docks
available. Most of my
reviews cover Thunderbolt
3 and 4, so this dock, along
with the Sonnet Echo 13
Thunderbolt 5 Dock (fave. Using Thunderbolt Share, two PCs can share files over a Thunderbolt
co/4n4pEkP), represent a connection, or two PCs can share a single screen.
small cadre of the fastest
docks available. As it happens, the bundle of files from an SSD through the
performance of the two is roughly comparable. dock to the desktop, showed any real
I ran PCMark’s storage test against the difference from the Sonnet: 13.9 seconds
Envoy Ultra, both directly connected and also for the Sonnet, and 16.9 seconds for the
connected to a Thunderbolt 5 port on the Plugable dock, or 14.2 seconds versus
dock. Directly connected, the Envoy Ultra 18.96 seconds while streaming.
returned a bandwidth score of 469MB/s or a I tested Thunderbolt Share, which
score of 3,202. Connected to the dock’s TB5 crashed the first time I tried it. (I didn’t notice
port, performance dropped to 437MB/s or a that OneDrive was syncing in the
score of 2,920. That’s a 7 percent drop, and background.) Using one laptop to control
basically identical to the 436MB/s bandwidth another worked fine. I was able to transfer my
score that the Sonnet Echo 13 yielded when folder of files in about 54 seconds, slightly
the Envoy Ultra was connected to its faster than my Thunderbolt 4 dock tests.
Thunderbolt 5 port. That’s reasonable, given that both a
While streaming the two 4K videos across Thunderbolt 4 laptop and a Thunderbolt 5
the integrated Ethernet port, performance laptop were connected to the TBT-UDT3.
dropped to 402.77 MB/s, since some of the It might be worth noting that the rival
bandwidth was taken up by the Ethernet port. Sonnet Echo 13 includes a 2TB integrated
Only my folder copy test, which SSD and costs $439 at press time;
measures how long it takes to copy a Plugable’s dock does not include an SSD,

70 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

and OWC’s Envoy Ultra (2TB) costs about I’ve seen do not add dedicated display ports,
$300 alone at press time ([Link]/ as their TB4 and TB3 offerings did.
4qjqWv8). On the other hand, the internal Don’t forget about Thunderbolt Share,
bandwidth of the Sonnet’s internal SSD was either. It’s not a technology you might use
279.84MB/s, substantially less than the often; after all, you can always connect a hard
Plugable + OWC SSD combination. drive to the dock, copy a file to the drive,
The bandwidth of Sonnet’s internal SSD is replace the laptop with another, and
similar to what you might expect of external download the file. Still, it’s an interesting twist
gaming SSDs. On the other hand, the read that most docks don’t offer.
and write speeds of the OWC Envoy Ultra If you’re interested in future-proofing your
plus the Thunderbolt 5 connection push PC, though, the combination of the high-
upward into the speeds of a good internal speed display options Thunderbolt 5 offers,
PCIe4 SSD ([Link]/2Z26gQg), and that’s plus Thunderbolt Share, and the additional
worth something, too. performance a high-speed external TB5
The one thing I didn’t test is how well this SSD offers makes this dock really intriguing. I
dock accommodates an external GPU. That’s really liked the flexibility the SSD inside the
a capability that’s built in (again) to Sonnet Echo 13 offered, but Plugable offers
Thunderbolt 5, but I don’t think an eGPU an alternative with a different but very
makes a compelling argument yet if TB5 ports viable perspective.
are only found within gaming PCs already
equipped with discrete GPUs. Plugable TBT-UDT3

BOTTOM LINE PROS

• $300 MSRP seems reasonable.
I would recommend the Plugable TBT-UDT3. • Thunderbolt 5.
Generally I hope for premium Thunderbolt • Three-display capability, or two displays
plus an SSD.
docks to be in the $250 range or a little lower, • Thunderbolt Share is included.
and $299 seems pretty reasonable for a CONS

premium dock—though you may have to add • You’ll probably need to buy display
adapter cables.
display adapter cables to that price. A two- • No active cooling, but it didn’t seem to need it.
year warranty is included. Though this dock BOTTOM LINE
Plugable’s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 (TBT-UDT3) docking
does offer access to three displays, you might station is a solid all-around TB5 dock with a great mix
find that connecting two displays plus a of features and ports. Pair it with a TB5 SSD and
you’ve got impressive storage performance.
high-speed SSD works best for you.
$299.99
Interestingly, all of the Thunderbolt 5 docks

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 71

REVIEWS

TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock:

I feel like a sci-fi movie hero
TCL’s latest top of-the-line smart lock adds a doorbell and better battery to its impressive
hands-free security tech. BY JAMES BARBER

F
irst we ditched our housekeys for a reader that takes just 0.3 seconds to unlock
numerical code that unlocked our your door once you present your hand in
doors, then we moved up to front of its tiny scanner.
sometimes balky fingerprint TCL, best known for its budget-friendly
readers. The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart TVs, moves further into the home security
Lock ups the ante with an amazing palm vein market with its second generation of smart

72 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: TCL

door locks that hit the market alongside its to fail and that it’s protected from water jets
B1 Security Camera. The D2 Pro is the top of coming from any direction. It has an operating
the line and TCL’s only lock to feature a palm temperature range of -4 degrees Fahrenheit
vein reader. to around 140 degrees F (-20 C ~ 60 C). It has
The D2 Pro also features a built-in the customary adjustable bolt to
doorbell (but not a camera). Pressing the accommodate doors with different-sized
doorbell button a sounds a chime on the lock backsets (2.36 or 2.76 inches, 60 or 70mm),
itself, and it also sends a push notification to and it fits in either a 1.5-inch (38mm) or
your smartphone. You can unlock the door six 2.13-inch (54mm) cross-bore (an adapter is
ways: with your palm, of course, by tapping a included for the larger diameter).
PIN on its numeric keypad, using the TCL app, TCL has not submitted this deadbolt for
with a voice command (via Amazon Alexa or ANSI or BHMA certification, so there’s no
Google Home), with an NFC keycard or fob standardized rating as to its suitability for
(not included), or with a physical key (two are commercial (ANSI) or residential (BHMA)
provided). Each of those methods has its own installations. The two standards bodies
advantages, and if you’re not looking for a measure such things as open-close cycles,
lock to seamlessly integrate into one brand’s survivability after repeated hammer blows,
suite of smart home products, the D2 could and the quality of a lock’s finish, among other
be an excellent choice for your home security. things. That missing rating could be an issue if

BUILD QUALITY
The D2 Pro comes sports an aluminum
housing—silver, with black accents—
that’s all hard angles and sharp
corners, a design that echoes the
future imagined by the movie
Robocop. The vaguely brutalist design
won’t be for everyone, even though
TCL’s promotional literature hopefully
points out a resemblance between the
D2 Pro and the Tesla Cybertruck.
Its specs are typical: The lock is
rated IP55, meaning that no amount of The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock will be an imposing
dust can get inside and cause the lock presence on the interior side of your door.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 73

REVIEWS TCL D2 PRO PALM VEIN SMART LOCK

your insurance carrier or local building code Since I was replacing a previously installed
requires such certification (although that’s not deadbolt, I didn’t need to replace the strike
typical). We have another story that explains plate on my door jamb. That made for quick
ANSI and BHMA certification ([Link]/ 15-minute install that only required a Phillips-
46KHVyC) in more detail if you want to know head screwdriver.
more about it. After installing the battery in the unit and
the TCL Home app on my phone, I was able
SETUP AND INSTALLATION to use the app to connect to my wireless
Setup and installation were easy and network with the D2’s built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
incredibly straightforward, at least until the adapter (5GHz networks are not supported).
final step. First, I had to give the included If the process ended here, I’d be telling
10,000mAh battery a full charge, which I did you how easy this lock was to install.
overnight before the day I planned to install. Unfortunately, my lock required four
That battery is removable and is charged via incremental firmware upgrades before it was
USB-C cable. If the battery dies while you’re ready to use. Would it be easier if the lock
out and about, you can use the USB-C port on could just download the latest firmware upon
its exterior escutcheon to charge enough for its first connection to the internet? Absolutely!
the lock to operate. Is it possible to write the software so that
these incremental steps aren’t
required? I have no idea, but this
isn’t an issue I’d previously
encountered when reviewing other
smart home devices. Fortunately,
there was mostly good news once
the updates were complete.
Well, almost. I realize that the
app was written to work with all TCL
smart home devices, but I had
trouble setting up the palm vein
reader after the app asked me to set
up both a security code for using
the app and another one that would
TCL was smart to provide a rechargeable battery that can be
removed and plugged into a power source via a USB-C cable allow me to unlock the D2 Pro (and
when you need to recharge it. any of the other locks in the D2 line).

74 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 from engineering a workaround
from prints you might leave on a
drinking glass or door handle.
Once I had it up and running,
the palm vein reader instantly
unlocked my door once I mastered
the waving gesture. If you’re
worried about security, TCL stores
the palm data on the device itself, a
feature that also makes it possible
to open your door when your Wi-Fi
or broadband is down.
You’ll need to thread a power cord from the exterior
escutcheon and through your door’s bore hole, and then plug The numerical keypad was 100
it into a socket on the interior escutcheon. percent reliable in my testing, as
was using the controls in the TCL
I had to dig around in the app’s settings Home app. Setting up with Alexa and Google
for a few minutes before I found what I was worked as well as you might hope, and the
looking for. After navigating to User ability to unlock the door for a visitor via voice
Management > Administrator (me), I found command is a definite plus.
the palm vein settings and was able to set up TCL does not include an NFC keycard or
the palm security. fob with the D2 Pro, so I was unable to test

UNLOCKING
YOUR DOOR
TCL says its own lab results show
that its palm vein tech is 99.9999
percent accurate. The infrared light
reads the veins under your skin,
avoiding both the positioning and
pressure issues that affect
fingerprint readers. And if you
believe the Mission: Impossible
movies, using your palm instead of As you can see here, the TCL D2 Pro’s interior escutcheon is
a fingerprint will prevent an intruder much larger than the half you’ll mount on the outside.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 75

REVIEWS TCL D2 PRO PALM VEIN SMART LOCK

that entry method. Based on

its performance with the
other entry methods, I
would expect them to work
seamlessly as well.
Note that you can only
unlock the door via the TCL
Home app when there’s an
active internet connection to
the D2 Pro. Also keep in
mind that this lock doesn’t
support Matter or Apple
Home, so you won’t be The TCL Home app may not be the most polished user experience, but
able to integrate the lock its settings are straightforward once you set up your lock.
into that kind of smart home
setup. There’s also no Bluetooth, Thread, the lock has no means of determining if the
Zigbee, or Z-Wave support, as is typical of door is ajar before it throws its bolt. That can
a Wi-Fi lock. lead to damage to the molding around your
door if someone tries to close the door while
THE TCL HOME APP the lock’s bolt is extended.
The TCL Home app looks simple at first Wrong-Try Protection locks down the D2
glance, but there are a host of options Pro for a time (2 to 5 minutes) after a set
buried in its settings. You can set up a number of wrong code attempts. There’s
security code for each device you add to volume control for both the doorbell and the
the app. Users must type in the code to pleasant British accent that delivers voice
access the settings. You might want to skip prompts. Away Mode disables all user
that extra level of security because it’s a permissions aside from the master password.
chore to type it in every time you want to On the main screen, you can check the
make an adjustment. battery level, set up one-time-use passwords
Tap the Settings gear icon to get access to for visitors or service people, unlock the door
Auto Lock, which sets a time (between 10 with a long press, or access an Events
seconds and two minutes) for the door to Summary that tells you who unlocked the
automatically relock after opening. If you door at what times over the past seven days.
enable that setting, however, be aware that Parents can monitor curfews by creating a

76 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Homecoming Reminder that alerts the Unlocking a door by waving a hand in
administrator if a user has not unlocked the front of a sensor can feel like we’re finally
door by a certain time. living in the future Star Trek promised on
those after-school reruns. The palm-vein entry
TCL OFFERS OTHER is secure and reliable, a godsend for anyone
OPTIONS, TOO who’s usually lugging packages with them
If you’re looking for a lower-priced lock from when returning home.
TCL, the TCL D2 Plus ($119.99 from fave. TCL offers all the other basics, including
co/4n5iMUj) swaps the palm vein scanner for individual profiles, one-time codes, and
AI-enhanced fingerprint recognition. It retains remote unlock, that you’d expect from a
the app, keypad, and physical key options for high-end smart home lock in 2025. The
unlocking, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity, voice firmware update experience could use some
control, and IP55 weatherization. But it relies work, the app needs a bit more polish, and
on 8 disposable AA batteries (with a 6-month TCL should really find a way to have its
lifespan) rather than rechargeable power. devices better integrate with other
The base TCL D2 ($79.99), meanwhile, manufacturers’ smart home hardware. This
offers the simplest feature set: unlocking via lock’s touch-free entry is just too magical to
PIN, app, or key; the same aluminum alloy be stuck in a smart home silo.
build; IP55 weather resistance; Wi-Fi
connectivity; and voice-assistant integration. TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock
It also runs on 8 AA batteries.
PROS
• Unlocks almost instantly after recognizing an
BOTTOM LINE enrolled palm.
The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock replaces • Never failed to recognize a palm.
• Local data storage means it can operate without a
the D1 Pro model that came out last year, and Wi-Fi connection.
it features impressive upgrades. The 10,000 CONS
• No support for Matter or HomeKit.
mAh battery in the D2 Pro offers 10 months of
• No NFC keycard or fob is included.
battery life, where the D1 Pro’s 7,800 mAh • Auto-lock lacks door-ajar detection.
battery was limited to 9 months. The D2 Pro is • App and firmware updates can be buggy.

more water resistant, with an IP55 rating BOTTOM LINE

The TCL D2 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock looks and operates
compared to the D1 Pro’s IP54. There’s also like a device from a sci-fi movie. The touchless unlock is
both captivating and rock-solid, but you might be
no doorbell on the D1 Pro. The palm vein disappointed it doesn’t support Apple Home or Matter.
technology and other unlock methods are the $169
same on both models.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 77

FEATURE

RED FLAGS
PHISHING
I INSTA-DELETE A
WITH THESE TIP-O

DARE TO RESIST
PHISHING SCAMS
WITH THESE TIPS.
BY JON MARTINDALE
78 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: YAKOV OSKANOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
S OF A
SCAM:
ANY EMAIL
OFFS

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 79

FEATURE 8 RED FL AGS OF A PHISHING SCAM

P
hishing is alive and well in 2025 what they want. Take a pause and think it
([Link]/4odgoeY), as even with through first.
robust antivirus and anti-malware
([Link]/3CnDHuk) protections, URGENCY
the weakest link in the security chain is often The scammer’s best tool is urgency. Whatever
the human element ([Link]/470u2vb). We it is they need, they need it right now. You
all make mistakes, skim an email, and think it’s need to respond quickly. Do it before you
probably fine to click that link. But wait! Don’t stop and think about what they’re actually
do it! Phishing scammers rely on you not asking you to do. Do it before you remember
using due diligence to protect yourself, your to consider demands and urgency with
data, and your devices with good personal caution and skepticism.
security practices. Although this tip is broad and doesn’t
The best way to spot phishing emails is to specify exactly what the scam might be like,
know what to look for. Here’s a list of some of many scams will encourage a swift
the big phishing red flags that should send response from you. Whatever it is the person
you running when you spot them. claims to need, it’s incredibly rare that
someone who needs something quickly will
ASKING FOR ANYTHING email or message you for it. If you’re
For a scam to be worth doing, the scammers concerned a digital account may be
need to make money. For that, they need compromised, it’s still worth taking the
to get you to send them something of
value. That can be in the form of cash,
cryptocurrency, or Amazon gift cards,
or something they can sell on later,
like your passwords or digital identity.
Although friends and family may
occasionally ask you for something,
they probably aren’t going to do it
over Facebook messenger, Email, or
a Whatsapp message out of the blue.
If you think it might be real, contact
that person directly using another
This is an example of a phishing email that is trying to get
method and discuss it with them. the intended victim to respond urgently. Always take a
Don’t immediately respond with second and consider whether it’s a scam first.

80 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

time to log in through a secure
method rather than clicking the
link in the email.
Whenever any email asks you
to do something with urgency,
take a second and consider
whether this might be a scam.
Look for other signs, and if in
doubt, contact the person or
organization through a different
method that you know is safe,
and secure and confirm whether Suspicious activity warnings such as this are often red flags—
the request is legitimate. it’s best to go directly to the source website to check.

SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY there’s a problem with your account, you can

WARNINGS address it manually yourself.
As organizations have improved their digital
security, you’ll sometimes get an email SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
warning you that there has been some ERRORS
suspicious activity on your account. Usually This one is less common in 2025, as just as we
this is just you logging into your email all do, scammers have access to Grammarly
account on a new phone or via a different and ChatGPT ([Link]/4nMeZfK)—they can
browser. Sometimes it is legitimately easily write convincing-sounding emails. Still,
someone trying to log in to your account for the odd scammer out there still doing the
without your permission. hard work of handwriting phishing scams,
But sometimes it’s someone sending you they’re not always native English speakers,
a fake warning. In those cases, they’ll push and their typing skills aren’t as strong as the
you to update your login information or those of the writers at PCWorld.
confirm some aspect of your account. Look for silly typos, odd word ordering,
If you think it’s a scam, don’t click on any strange sentence structure, and other
buttons or links. You can safely delete the indicators that a person might not be
email and forget it. If you want to be sure, whoever it is they’re claiming to be. You
close the email, navigate to that site or service aren’t going to get typos in an email
using a different tab, and log in that way. If coming from Amazon that claims your

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 81

FEATURE 8 RED FL AGS OF A PHISHING SCAM

account has been hacked and you need to bottom left of your browser window. There
send half a Bitcoin to fix it. you’ll see the URL that the button or link is
Also consider emails or messages that are trying to send you to. If it doesn’t line up with
out of character. If you get an email from your the site or service you’re expecting to use,
boss at 6:45 at night but you know they don’t click it.
always clock off at 5:30, trust your gut and
delete it. The worst case if you’re wrong is still GENERIC OR RANDOM
far better than not trusting your instincts and SENDER EMAIL
getting caught out by a scam. Email scams can be sophisticated enough to
look like they come from someone you know,
NEFARIOUS BUTTONS but often they don’t change the email it’s sent
AND LINKS from. If the email you’ve received claims to be
I make it a habit not to click on buttons or links from an official account like Microsoft,
in emails as a matter of course. Sure, that Amazon, or PayPal, check the sender email. If
means I often have to take a few extra steps to it’s a generic Hotmail, Live, Gmail, or other
log in to a service that has emailed me, but I email that technically anyone could have
think it’s worth the added security. created, delete it. It’s almost certainly a scam.
You don’t need to go quite that far, but The same goes when the email is a
when you are thinking of clicking on a link or random string of numbers and letters. That’s
button in an email, be sure to check the likely set up automatically by the scammers on
mass to build out their
phishing infrastructure. Your
friends, colleagues, and
official institutions don’t have
emails like that.
Also watch out if you
aren’t addressed personally in
the email. If it feels generic
and unspecific, as in “Dear sir/
madam,” or if they just get
your name wrong, be wary.
These are other signs the
It’s usually best to avoid clicking any buttons in an email, and if sender might be trying to cast
you’re unsure, be sure to check the URL link first before proceeding. a wide net for their scams.

82 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 SPOOFED
VOICE NOT
USING YOUR
PASSWORD
This one’s not an email
phishing scam, but it’s
still worth looking out
for. One of the most
nefarious and
underhanded scams in
recent years has been AI
voice spoofing. Like a
deepfake, but for a
voice, the scammers
After clicking on this attachment, the victim was sent to what looks like
a Google login page. A look at the URL bar reveals it’s actually a fake site emulate a loved one’s
displayed by a local file trying to capture the information for scammers. voice and call you up in
a panic, asking for
ODD ATTACHMENTS money to solve an immediate problem.
Email attachments are one of the most The voices can sound almost identical to
popular ways for hackers to spread malware, the real person—especially when you throw
as there’s no real way to guarantee they’re in the mild distortion you often get with a
safe before you download them. Some phone call.
email platforms will automatically scan them The combination of urgency and realism
for you, but that’s no guarantee either. can make this a hard phishing attack to
If you aren’t expecting an attachment spot. The best way to check if it’s real or not is
from someone, if they don’t reference it in with a pre-determined password or
the email, if the file type or file name looks phrase. Maybe you have a favorite TV show,
odd, or if anything else about the email or a little family motto, or some other
feels off, don’t open it. secret that is only known to you and your
If you want to make doubly sure, contact loved ones. Ask them to say it. If the person
the person who sent it to you using a different on the other end of the phone can’t or
communication system and ask them to send won’t do it, then you know it’s a scam and you
you the file over a more secure medium like a can safely hang up and report it to the
cloud service. relevant authorities.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 83

FEATURE NVIDIA’S ALLIANCE WITH INTEL

84 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 NVIDIA’S
ALLIANCE
WITH INTEL
SIGNALS THE
END OF PC
GRAPHICS
AS WE
KNOW IT
IT’S MASSIVE NEWS...AND
NEITHER AMD NOR QUALCOMM
IS READY TO COMPETE.
BY MATTHEW S. SMITH
IMAGE: ALIENWARE NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 85
FEATURE NVIDIA’S ALLIANCE WITH INTEL

A CHIP ALLIANCE

I
f you told me 25 years ago that Intel
would end up in decline, that Nvidia THAT CAN’T BE BEAT
would buy a chunk of the ailing The development of a chip that fuses Intel x86
company, and that the two would cores with Nvidia RTX graphics will be a huge
partner to build chips that integrate Intel x86 deal for all the obvious reasons.
CPU cores with Nvidia’s RTX GPU cores, I Nvidia rules PC graphics with an iron fist
would’ve called you crazy. But here we are. but currently lacks an integrated graphics
Nvidia has acquired a $5 billion stake in play. That’s created a few safe spaces—like
Intel ([Link]/4qjhrMu)—roughly 5 percent of portable gaming laptop ([Link]/4dEHNlK)
the company. “For personal computing, and gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck—
we’re going to create new Intel x86 SoCs that where Nvidia’s advantages are irrelevant.
integrate Nvidia GPU chiplets, fusing the It also provides an even playing field
world’s best CPU and GPU, to redefine the between Intel and AMD CPUs in high-end
PC experience,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang laptops, where said CPUs are paired with
said on an investor call following the Nvidia’s discrete graphics. A laptop maker’s
announcement. choice between an Intel and AMD CPU is
The announcement made headlines and mostly about the performance and power
for good reason. This alliance will create a draw of each, not how tightly the CPU
monster that Intel and Nvidia’s competitors— integrates with Nvidia’s GPU.
namely, AMD and Qualcomm—will struggle An Intel-Nvidia chip obliterates that
to defeat. balance. Suddenly, Nvidia integrated
graphics in portable PCs looks
entirely plausible. A tight
integration between Intel x86
cores and Nvidia RTX graphics
will provide efficiencies in SoC
design, power draw, and
feature set that AMD and
Qualcomm simply can’t match.
And it’s no better in
high-end laptops. An Intel-
Nvidia alliance will make it
easy for Intel to convince
Nvidia has acquired a 5 percent stake in Intel. laptop makers they should

86 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

pick Intel. They’re all going to use
Nvidia GPUs anyway, so why choose to
build a laptop around an AMD SoC with
Nvidia discrete graphics if they could
instead build around a complete
Intel-Nvidia SoC?
Qualcomm is even worse off. The
company doesn’t offer discrete
graphics support at this time, and its
integrated graphics solutions are far
behind the curve ([Link]/42AKFw6).
The company was already playing
catch-up in the graphics race (fave.
co/3Sb779H), and an Intel-Nvidia chip
alliance now moves the finish line As Steam’s latest survey shows, Nvidia’s dominance in
several miles further away. both laptop and desktop graphics is close to absolute.

IS THIS THE START OF AMD integrated graphics. AMD’s most

A NEW DUOPOLY? popular discrete graphics product—the RX
The threat of an Intel-Nvidia alliance is so 6600—is the 30th most common GPU in the
severe that it raises questions about how survey. That puts it behind ancient Nvidia
regulators will view them if they’re successful GPUs like the GTX 1050 Ti and RTX 2060.
at market. Intel’s command of the CPU market is less
As the latest Steam Hardware Survey absolute, with a roughly 60-40 split in favor of
shows ([Link]/47jTtZO), Nvidia’s dominance Intel over AMD. The data also shows that
in both laptop and desktop graphics is close AMD’s CPU share leans toward high-end
to absolute. (I personally find this a bit odd, as parts with a clock speed of 3GHz or better,
I’ve put my money on AMD the last few times I while Intel’s CPUs appear to be a mix of low-,
needed a new GPU. But apparently I’m in the mid-, and high-end options.
minority.) As it stands, Nvidia’s PC video card But Steam actually skews the results in
market share sits at a massive 74.88 percent. AMD’s favor, as the company’s consumer
And Nvidia’s lead is arguably even greater CPUs are particularly excellent for gaming.
than that figure suggests because most of the Other non-gaming data sources show that
non-Nvidia market share stems from Intel and AMD’s consumer CPU market share is still

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 87

FEATURE NVIDIA’S ALLIANCE WITH INTEL

under 25 percent ([Link]/

VVs4XT). That’s largely due to
laptops and low-end desktops,
where Intel CPUs remain the most
common choice.
These figures paint a grim picture
for competition in the consumer PC
arena. An Intel-Nvidia alliance pairs
the consumer CPU market leader
with the consumer GPU market
leader—and the result is a
monster that eats up whatever The future of the desktop PC will look a lot like the
gains we’ve seen in hardware Framework Desktop (pictured).
competition recently.
significantly reduces latency when moving
SAY BYE TO DESKTOP tasks across each. This is exactly the
GRAPHICS AS WE KNOW IT advantage of Apple’s in-house silicon and
I suspect this alliance could herald long- AMD’s Ryzen AI Max ([Link]/4aiBFhw).
anticipated changes in the PC hardware The efficiencies provided by an integrated
world, and one of the biggest changes GPU were traditionally most important in
wrought by Intel-Nvidia GPUs will be the mobile, where space and power are at a
death of discrete graphics as we know it. premium. But recent GPUs have shown these
Here’s the issue: discrete graphics kinda issues are relevant to desktops, too. Desktop
suck. They duplicate silicon, including GPUs are physically massive and draw so
memory, that could be more tightly much power that they can melt power
integrated. They make it difficult—even connectors ([Link]/3IYjViq). Yet they also,
impossible—to pass workloads from CPU to due to cost constraints, have relatively slim
GPU, forcing these powerful components to pools of memory, with even top consumer
function in silos. They’re inefficient. models limited to a measly 32GB of VRAM
An integrated approach—with all and most stuck at 16GB or less.
memory shared across the CPU, GPU, and While I expect that Intel and Nvidia will
NPU—is superior. It cuts down on focus first on laptop chips, which represent the
duplication of memory resources, as well as bulk of the PC market, the same advantages
the shared silicon on each chip, and also apply to the desktop. I think the future of

88 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

the desktop PC will look a lot like the available right now. However, Ryzen AI Max’s
Framework Desktop ([Link]/47jw3nm), availability is currently limited to just a handful
which is built around AMD’s Ryzen AI Max— of end-user PCs. The threat of an Intel-Nvidia
but instead of that, we’re looking at Intel-Nvidia SoC could force AMD to accelerate its plans
SoCs. That means you could kiss upgradeable to broaden its reach.
discrete desktop graphics goodbye. I also think that, in the short term, this is an
obvious win for PC buyers and enthusiasts.
OKAY, THEN. WHAT’S THE Intel-Nvidia SoCs are likely to be hits in both
GOOD NEWS? performance and battery life, and they’ll
I don’t think it’s possible to overstate the probably be competitive on price without the
potential upheaval that will come from this need to replicate costly memory across CPU
Intel-Nvidia alliance, and it might sound like and GPU. The resulting laptops and desktops
bad news for competition in the PC market. could deliver better bang for your buck than
Still, there are a few reasons to hope that it any PC SoC to date. Dominant Intel-Nvidia
will work out for the better. SoCs might cause problems if they crowd out
Maybe Nvidia will drag its feet and the competition, but that’s years down the road.
number of Intel-Nvidia chips that come to No matter how you slice it, it’s clear that
market will be few. I don’t think this will this announcement is a big deal for consumer
happen, as Huang says Nvidia will “be quite a PCs. It’s also clear that when the planned
large supplier of GPU chiplets into Intel x86 Intel-Nvidia SoCs come to market, the PC is
SoCs.” And ailing Intel has plenty of incentive likely to be forever changed.
to turn those chiplets into products
quickly. But company politics, like
all politics, are messy…so there’s
always the possibility that one or
both partners will falter in their
alliance ([Link]/3VZp6Sg).
Any delay could give AMD the
chance to strike back. I’m sure
AMD will respond to the Intel-
Nvidia alliance by reminding
everyone that AMD’s Ryzen AI Max
has similar advantages as a Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says the company will “be quite a large
potential Intel-Nvidia SoC, and it’s supplier of GPU chiplets into Intel x86 SoCs.”

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 89

Protect what matters.
Secure all your guns.
Don’t live with the threat of family fire.
Learn how to make your home safer at
[Link]
Here’s How HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN,
AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR

12 tweaks to make your Windows

PC lean, mean, and fast
The leaner your Windows system is, the faster your PC is. We show you how to free up
memory with simple commands and tools. BY THOMAS JOOS

I
f the storage space on the C drive is decluttering Windows as it can lead to
running low, every free gigabyte counts. fewer processes, a faster startup, and a
Windows often occupies more than 25 lower CPU load.
GB of space for things such as updates, Caution: Not every measure is risk-free. If
restore points, and cache files. Plus, pre- you remove system components or libraries
installed bloatware further increases memory too aggressively, Windows may become
utilization. Freeing up memory can quickly unstable, updates may fail or programs may
become critical on notebooks with 128 GB refuse to work. You should therefore always
SSDs or devices with soldered memory. But work with a restore point, back up your
even on well-equipped systems, it’s worth Windows installation, and choose your

IMAGE: PATHDOC/SHUTTERSTOCK NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 91

HERE’S HOW 12 T WEAKS TO MAKE YOUR WINDOWS PC LEAN

“System -> Memory ->

Memory optimization,”
and activate automatic
cleanup. You can also
control the behavior for
other drives via
“Advanced storage
settings.” In combination,
all of these will result in
quickly gaining several
Turning on Storage Sense will free up space. gigabytes of space.

methods carefully. Some changes can be DELETE SEARCH INDEX AND

undone immediately, while others require a REMOVE UPDATE BUFFER
new installation. The Windows Search Index might not be
commonly known, but it’s often several
QUICK START: DELETE gigabytes in size. The [Link] file is
TEMPORARY FILES AND located under %ProgramData%\Microsoft\
UPDATE REMNANTS Search\Data\Applications\Windows and
Start with the on-board function “Disk grows over time. If you’re already working
cleanup” and also click on “Clean up system with the Everything tool ([Link]/3MHB2SS),
files.” Open it via “cleanmgr” in the command you can deactivate the Windows search
prompt or in the properties menu of the C service and delete the file.
drive. Activate all tick
boxes here including
“Update cleanup.” Be
sure to avoid
“Downloads” if you are
still using the folder.
Also, you can empty the
Recycle Bin without
any hesitation.
In addition, open You can reclaim space by executing the command
Settings, navigate to Set-WindowsReservedStorageState -State Disabled -Online in PowerShell.

92 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Windows also reserves up to 7 GB for ([Link]/4ohGxcM) or Compactor (fave.
future function updates by default. If you want co/4nJGh6f). Both support various
to reclaim this space, open Powershell with algorithms such as LZX or Xpress16K and also
administrator rights and execute the work stably with large directories.
command Set-WindowsReserved While CompactGUI relies on the familiar
StorageState -State Disabled -Online (fave. [Link] backend and integrates
co/3L5wUiM). The change only works if no itself into the Explorer menu with an
maintenance processes are currently running. intuitive interface, Compactor uses the
If an error message appears, wait until Windows API directly and therefore offers
Windows has completed all updates. some additional functions. For example, the
The shared memory will then remain tool analyzes the data blocks before
available, but future updates will require compression and intelligently decides
sufficient free space in the active file system. whether a file can be compressed at all,
eliminating pointless operations on
COMPRESSING SYSTEM incompressible files.
FILES WITH COMPACTOS A small hash database remembers these
A powerful and often underestimated cases permanently, which significantly
command, compact /compactOS:always, is speeds up subsequent runs. Compactor also
used by Windows to
For targeted
compress all system files compression
without any loss of of individual
folders, use
functionality. The space CompactGUI.
gained is between 2 and 6
GB. The command works
from Windows 10 onward
and can be cancelled
at any time with compact /
compactOS:never. Use
compact /compactOS:query
to check whether the
function is already active.
For targeted
compression of individual
folders, use CompactGUI

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 93

HERE’S HOW 12 T WEAKS TO MAKE YOUR WINDOWS PC LEAN

shows (in real time) how much storage space Compactor, we recommend the 64-bit
is actually freed up by each individual step, version directly from the GitHub release area.
including a pause and resume function while After the first start, the tool can be used
compression is running. without logging in, all processes run
Both tools offer a choice of compression locally. Compactor compresses reliably,
algorithms. XPRESS4K works the fastest, quickly and with minimal CPU load—even
LZX offers the highest reduction. Especially on older systems.
in game directories or with software such as
Visual Studio, Adobe products or SDKs, WINDOWS 11 WITHOUT
space savings of 40 to 60 percent can be BALLAST: USING TINY11
achieved with LZX. The developer of CORRECTLY
Compactor documents typical results Tiny11 is a modified Windows 11 installation
directly on GitHub—from 2.4 GB to 1.4 GB without the need for TPM, an online account
for AI War 2, or from 9.6 GB to 4.7 GB for and bloatware. The latest version based on
Visual Studio. Windows 11 24H2 uses only 3.5 GB with LZX
It is important to note that the programs compression, less than a DVD. You can
remain fully functional as the compression is either obtain Tiny11 via the Internet Archive or
transparent. All files can be opened or create your own ISO with the Tiny11 Builder.
executed as usual without having to be • Create a new directory, such as
decompressed first. C:\t11.
However, you should note that certain • Download the “Source code (zip)”
formats such as SQLite databases or virtual archive from GitHub.
machines do not harmonize well with • Mount the Windows ISO by right-
Windows compression. DirectStorage- clicking on Mount.
based games under Windows 11 should also • Open Powershell (Administrator).
be excluded, as the decompression step • Enter: Set-ExecutionPolicy unrestricted.
cancels out the advantage of the direct • Change to the directory with cd \t11
connection to the GPU. If you want to be on and execute: .\tiny11maker.ps1.
the safe side, use the integrated exclusion • Enter the drive letter without a colon
lists and check all critical programs after the (that is, “E”).
first run. System folders such as C:\Windows • In the next step, select Windows 11 Pro
are automatically ignored. (that is, option 5).
Both CompactGUI and Compactor are • You will then find the new ISO under
portable and do not require installation. For C:\t11\[Link].

94 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 Copy this to a
USB stick using
Rufus (fave.
co/3PKgDQq).
Important:
Deactivate all
settings in the
“Windows user
experience” dialog.
Install the system
offline to create a
local account.
WinUtil creates automated minimal images with a local account.
WINUTIL:
PRECONFIGURED IMAGES variant is extremely lightweight, it cannot
WITH MINIMAL EFFORT be updated.
If you don’t just want to slim down Alternatively, install Windows directly on a
Windows, but want to start it preconfigured virtual hard disk (VHD). The WinNTSetup tool
and without any setup procedures, you can ([Link]/4h4F8Ut) creates a bootable VHD
use WinUtil by Chris Titus (fave. that you can use like a normal system, which is
co/47idRdM). The tool creates automated ideal for experiments.
minimal images with a local account, You can also run the Win11Debloat tool
without a TPM check, without online ([Link]/3WBjNbC). It specifically removes
connection and with only half the memory apps such as Xbox, Onedrive, Cortana or
requirements of a regular Windows. Edge. If you want to go even further, use
Win Reduce. Here, individual system
EVEN MORE RADICAL: folders such as WinSxS or System32 can be
TINY11 CORE AND greatly reduced in size, but be careful as
SLIMMED-DOWN VHD the system can no longer be updated
INSTALLATIONS afterward. The configuration is carried
The Core version of Tiny11 also removes out via text files in the format remove-
Windows Defender, Windows Update, and and keep-.
recovery mode. You can activate this profile Note: This procedure is only suitable for
with .\tiny11coremaker.ps1. Although this experts or test environments.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 95

HERE’S HOW 12 T WEAKS TO MAKE YOUR WINDOWS PC LEAN

WIN10XPE AND
PEBAKERY: BUILD
MINIMAL WINDOWS
YOURSELF
If you want to start an ultralight
Windows without installation
constraints and with portable apps,
Win10XPE is the right choice. The
project is configured using the
PEBakery tool ([Link]/4n2exZn).
The goal is an ISO file that runs
completely in RAM, ideal for
emergency use or old hardware. For
desktop integration, place portable PEBakery will help you create an ultralight Windows.
accessories such as LibreOffice or
Firefox in Custom\x64\IsoRoot\Programs. Debloat and remove Candy Crush, Xbox
Optionally, mount the target folder as drive Y Game Bar, or Feedback Hub. Under Privacy
via CDUsb.y. The ISO can be tested via and Telemetry, you can deactivate diagnostic
VirtualBox or written to USB with Rufus. transmissions, advertising IDs, and other
background services. The software creates a
REINSTALL WINDOWS restore point before every action.
WITHOUT BALLAST, LEGALLY
If you want to completely do without a FURTHER TIPS WITH
customized version, use NTLite (fave. A DIRECT EFFECT
co/49dVh59). The tool loads the ISO, Remove the hibernation file with powercfg -h
removes apps, services, and language packs, off to save up to 4 GB.
and adds updates or drivers if required. It • Move the swap file to another drive with
then creates a new, clean ISO. This gives you [Link] ,3.
a legal Windows setup, customized exactly to • Reduce the system protection memory
your requirements. with [Link] ,4 > Configure.
WinScript ([Link]/47idRdM) offers a Avoid deduplication of updates by
graphical interface with functions for app switching off the transfer optimization under
removal, optimization of data protection, Windows Update > Advanced options >
performance, and gaming options. Select Transfer optimization.

96 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Get rid of AI results in Google
Search with this Chrome extension
Bye Bye, Google AI strips out the AI Overviews and other annoyances from Google’s
search results. BY MICHAEL CRIDER

G
oogle seems to be all-in on its and more crowded by ads and other junk meant
artificial intelligence search to keep you from…well, what you’re actually
results, to the detriment of the searching for. If you want the old Google back,
web at large ([Link]/3KIuuqq) there’s an extension that might help.
and no small number of users. It seems to be the Bye Bye, Google AI ([Link]/4nEq6qW)
end result of years of diminishing quality for is an extension for Chrome and other
search results, and a search page that’s more Chromium-based browsers (Edge, Brave,

IMAGE: [Link]/SHUTTERSTOCK NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 97

HERE’S HOW GET RID OF AI RESULTS IN GOOGLE SEARCH

works at removing the extra

stuff, some of it doesn’t.
This extension was
spotted by GHacks (fave.
co/48qKuaq) and it’s not the
first one that gets rid of
Google’s intrusive AI slop. But
with over 60,000 users and a
4.5-star rating, it seems to be
doing very well. As always,
be careful of third-party
Bye Bye, Google AI is an extension for Chrome that strips the AI extensions (even those on the
Overviews panel from the top of almost all current Google searches. official Chrome Web Store,
which are nominally scanned
Vivaldi, [Link]/4q5vvZN, and so on) that and approved by Google). The extension can
makes me start humming a certain Don McLean always change with a new owner (fave.
song. It does exactly what you think it does, co/3IFTuOx) or release a sneaky update.
stripping out the AI Overviews panel from the Or you could just switch to another search
top of almost all current Google searches. It’s a engine ([Link]/4fBsBXT) from a company
pretty basic CSS adjustment, and it can do a that hasn’t essentially admitted that being evil
few other things too, like get rid of video isn’t such a bad thing after all. Alternately, you
results, discussion blocks, the People Also Ask could go all in on AI in search and in the
module, and sponsored sections. Some of it browser ([Link]/4q5oyI1).

Here’s a
look at
a demo
Google
search
before (left)
and after
(right) the
extension
is applied,
in a logged-
out mode.

98 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

Your SSD is hiding extra speed.
Unlock it with these 5 tweaks
Tweaks that make a difference! BY DOMINIC BAYLEY

KEEP THE CAPACITY TO LESS

W
hen it comes to
performance tweaks, we THAN 80 PERCENT FULL
tend to think of slight Solid-state drives tend to slow down
changes we can make to considerably when more than 80 percent
our CPU or GPU settings that will make a capacity is used up. For that reason, you’re
difference. But it’s also possible to squeeze going to want to keep capacity below that
more performance from your SSD. Here are limit. For example, if you have a 1TB SSD,
some awesome ways to get more throughput don’t have more than 800GB of files
from your SSDs. loaded on it.

IMAGE: SICK VISUALS/SHUTTERSTOCK NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 99

HERE’S HOW GIVE YOUR SSD EX TR A SPEED

Change “Turn
off hard disk
after” to 0.

ADJUST THE POWER PLAN • Now choose “Change plan settings” on

IN WINDOWS the right. In the next window, select “Change
Adjusting your PC’s power plan prevents the advanced power settings.”
SSD from going to sleep, removing the wait • Now change “Turn off hard disk after” to 0.
time for it to wake up.
Part 2:
Part 1: This prevents the PCIe bus from
• Type choose a power plan into the search downclocking, which slightly affects the
box and click Enter. Select the top result. SSD performance.

Change the
setting from
Maximum Power
Management
to Off.

100 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025

 • Under PCI Express > Link State Power behavior query DisableDeleteNotify and
Management, change the setting from click Enter. If the result is 0, TRIM is enabled. If
Maximum Power Management to Off. the result is 1, TRIM is disabled, and you’ll
want to turn it on.
INSTALL THE LATEST You can manually turn on TRIM by running
FIRMWARE UPDATE the following command in the Command
Firmware updates for SSD frequently deal Prompt window: fsutil behavior set
with bugs and can also provide performance DisableDeleteNotify 0.
updates. The classic example of this is the Conversely, to disable TRIM on SSD, enter
5B2QGXA7 firmware for Samsung 980 Pro the command: fsutil behavior set
SSDs. This update stopped a problem where DisableDeleteNotify 1.
the 980’s health status deteriorated to the
point where the SSD was unusable. ADD A HEATSINK
Make sure you know what utilities to use If your SSD doesn’t have a heatsink, you
to download the latest firmware updates. For should get one, especially if you’re running a
Samsung SSDs, you can use the Samsung PCIe Gen 4 or PCIe Gen 5 SSD. A heatsink
Magician app ([Link]/4h6nu2I). can siphon heat off the SSD and keep it
cooler. If your SSD is running hot, that will allow
ENABLE TRIM IN THE it to once again operate in its standard
COMMAND PROMPT temperature range for optimal performance.
TRIM helps the SSD clean junk files regularly. It’s possible to find a name brand heatsink
A clean SSD naturally runs faster. To check if for just $20 ([Link]/42D3pLr); or you can
the TRIM is on, type cmd in the Search Bar opt for a lesser-known brand and get a
and press Enter to open it. Now type fsutil simpler option ([Link]/4n1XLdc) for $10.

To check if the TRIM is on, type cmd in the Search Bar and press Enter to open it. Now type fsutil behavior
query DisableDeleteNotify and click Enter.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 101

HERE’S HOW

How to set up a passkey for your

Microsoft account
Not to be confused with how to set up a passkey in Windows. BY ALAINA YEE

A
s I’ve said before, passwords likely only seen Windows asking to create and
suck. Microsoft agrees—last store passkeys ([Link]/47aWGsi) for other
year, it announced a goal of services and sites you visit on your PC.
getting one billion users to Here’s how to do it:
embrace passkeys instead. 1. Go to [Link]/4okBjwN.
As part of that effort, setting up a passkey 2. Under Account, click on “Manage how
for a Microsoft account is very easy. You might I sign in.”
not have noticed, though, since most people 3. Under “Ways to prove who you are,”
don’t often go into account settings. You’ve choose “Add a new way to sign in or verify.”

102 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025 IMAGE: FOUNDRY

 4. Select Face, fingerprint,
PIN, or security key.
5. A new screen will
appear in your browser tab,
along with a Windows pop-up
asking to save your passkey.
Click OK.
6. In the next Windows
pop-up, change where the
passkey will be stored. By
default, Windows will save the
passkey to your PC—you don’t
want that. For most people,
it’ll save your MS account
passkey in your Microsoft
account.
7. To set up a passkey
on your phone, use your
camera app to scan a QR
code. For a security key (such
as YubiKey or Google Titan
Security Key), insert it into
your PC.
For any passkeys saved to
an iOS or Android device,
they’ll be cloud synced
through iCloud Keychain or
Google Password Manager—
so be sure to keep those
accounts safe with strong login
credentials, too.
You’re all set! You can use
this passkey for login anytime, These screenshots show what the setup process looks like for
including for Windows itself. creating a passkey on your phone.

NOVEMBER 2025 PCWorld 103

Tech Spotlight A video showcase
of the latest trends

Watch the
video at
[Link]/
21m2SBVitZo

I Think We Know What OS

The Next Xbox will run
≥ Xbox and Windows have always been siblings under the
Microsoft corporate umbrella. But recently they’ve gotten a lot
closer, with the Xbox Game Pass featuring tons of PC games and
the Asus ROG Xbox Ally—a Windows-powered device—getting
that official Xbox branding. But what’s the next step? Adam asked
former Xbox team member Mike Danseglio on the latest PCWorld
YouTube video.

104 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2025