TL;DR: Secure a lifetime license of Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows for $34.97 — no recurring costs. Still paying monthly for basic work apps? Microsoft Office Professional 2021 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more — all available for a one-time purchase of $34.97. This version is a solid choice for freelancers, business owners, students, and anyone who wants to create polished documents, presentations, and spreadsheets without juggling subscriptions or relying on cloud-only tools. You’ll also get Publisher and Access, plus the free version of Microsoft Teams and OneNote — all installed directly to your Windows PC. This license is tied to your device, not your Microsoft account, so once it’s activated, it’s yours for good. The suite runs on Windows 10 or 11 and supports all languages. And you’ll get instant download links, license keys, and free customer service included. If you’ve been sticking with older versions or jumping between free apps, now’s your chance to upgrade your setup — and actually own it. A lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2021 Professional is available now for just $34.97 (MSRP $219.99). Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

MSI showed off a bunch of intriguing hardware for professionals at this year’s CES, with a wide range of miniature AI PCs, and an utterly gorgeous OLED monitor. Whether you’re looking to get your boss to fund a new upgrade for work or it’s time to overhaul the home office, the kit MSI has on show at CES 2026 could be what you’re looking for. Key takeaways Mini AI PCs: MSI Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG (Intel Panther Lake) and Cubi NUC TWG (Intel N Series) Compact power desktops: Pro Max DP80 AI+ and Pro Max DP150 AI+ with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series + Nvidia RTX options Top-tier local AI machine: AI Edge PC based on AMD Strix Halo with 128GB memory New pro monitors: PRO MAX 271UPXW12G (QD-OLED + anti-glare) and PRO MAX 271QPHW E14 (1440p/144Hz + glare reduction) MSI Cubi NUC mini PCs: tiny footprints, big AI performance Mini PCs continue to trend upward in offices and creator setups. MSI is leaning into that with its latest Cubi NUC systems, which offer impressive performance in a tiny footprint. Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG: Intel Panther Lake and 180 TOPS CPU: Up to Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Graphics: Intel Arc AI performance: Up to 180 TOPS total (up from 120 TOPS last generation) Built around Intel’s next-generation Panther Lake mobile CPUs, the Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG targets users who want strong multitasking and better performance-per-watt in a small form factor.Ready for anything, the Cubi NUC AI+ 3MG has up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU with Intel Arc graphics, and an incredible 180 TOPS total AI performance – that’s a significant improvement over the 120 TOPS the last generation could manage, and perfect for accelerating the latest local AI workloads. Cubi NUC TWG: efficient “always-on” systems for servers and frontline use Want to go even leaner and lighter? The Cubi NUC TWG demands even less from the outlet but still offers strong performance thanks to Intel’s next-generation Core Processor N Series. Designed to be turned on and left on, these little systems are fantastic as expansive NAS servers, or as a media server for quick-streaming across the network. They’re also excellent options for real-edge systems for powering digital signage, or for running kiosks and small workstations for frontline employees. MSI Pro Max AI+ PCs: compact desktops with real GPU muscle Foundry / Adam Patrick Murray If you’re looking for faster rendering or better performance in CUDA-accelerated professional workloads, MSI’s compact Pro Max DP80 AI+ PCs give you access to an AMD Ryzen AI 300 series CPU and Nvidia RTX graphics in a compact form factor. Discover the new PRO MaX SERIES Pro Max DP80 AI+: Small but serious CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 300 series GPU: Nvidia RTX graphics Chassis size: Compact 8-liter design Pro Max DP150 AI+: Bigger and badder GPU: Up to RTX 5070 VRAM: 12GB, useful for many AI and creator workloads Memory: Up to 64GB DDR5 for strong multitasking performance The Pro Max DP150 AI+ PC can fit up to an RTX 5070 for enhanced graphic performance – the 12GB of VRAM isn’t half bad for running large language models, either – and it can come with up to 64GB of DDR5 memory for excellent multi-tasking performance. MSI AI Edge PC: one of MSI’s most powerful micro workstations for 2026 Foundry / Adam Patrick Murray CPU: AMD AI Max+ 395 Cores/threads: 16 cores / 32 threads GPU: Integrated Radeon 8060S NPU: XDNA2 Memory: 128GB high-speed system memory One of MSI’s most powerful 2026 micro working machines is the AI Edge PC, built around AMD’s excellent Strix Halo platform. It combines the cutting-edge AI Max+ 395 CPU with 16 cores and 32 threads, with an integrated Radeon 8060S GPU and XDNA2 NPU. Most importantly, it packs 128GB of high-speed system memory, making this miniature machine a fantastically-powerful all-in-one AI PC. MSI PRO MAX monitors: QD-OLED clarity and comfortable for long work sessions Foundry / Adam Patrick Murray Whatever you’re working on and however much power you need, you can always make it look better with an MSI PRO MAX monitor. MSI PRO MAX 271UPXW12G: QD-OLED, anti-glare, low reflection QD-OLED panel Anti-glare, low-reflection surface (AGLR) Reduced eye strain via better diffusion of ambient light Strong fit for photo and video editing DarkArmor Film for enhanced black levels and panel protection The PRO MAX 271UPXW12G uses a QD-OLED panel, delivering incredible color, contrast, and brightness. This is a super-accurate display that – with its anti-glare, low-reflection surface (AGLR) – helps reduce eye strain by better diffusing ambient light, making it perfect for photo and video editing over long sessions. DarkArmor Film adds panel protection with 3H scratch resistance, delivering 2.5x greater scratch resistance, and enhances pure blacks by 40% for better contrast. There’s App Store-based firmware control for macOS, while the M-Color preset mode keeps colors perfectly in sync with Mac computers, making this monitor a fantastic fit for any worker on any platform, on any system. Make your work look and feel better than ever before with a new MSI QD-OLED display. MSI PRO MAX 271QPHW E14: Affordable 1440p, 144Hz display Size: 27-inch Resolution: 1440p Refresh rate: 144Hz Panel feature: Circular Polarizer technology to soften transmission and reduce glare The MSI PRO MAX 271QPHW E14 is another capable option. An affordable, business-friendly 1440p display that’s also game-ready with a 144Hz refresh rate, this 27-inch monitor uses Circular Polarizer panel technology to soften light transmission, reducing reflection and glare for a more comfortable viewing experience. Discover the new PRO MaX SERIES Final thoughts MSI’s CES 2026 professional line-up is focused on three things: compact power, local AI acceleration, and better display quality for long working sessions. From ultra-efficient always-on mini PCs, to GPU-powered compact desktops, to a flagship AI Edge PC with 128GB memory, MSI is building a full ecosystem for modern working – and making sure it all looks great with new PRO MAX QD-OLED displays. Read...

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Intel launched its long-awaited Core Ultra Series 3 “Panther Lake” mobile chips at CES 2026 this week, promising an alluring blend of long battery life and shockingly great integrated graphics performance thanks to its new Arc Xe3 graphics cores. (It’s true! We benchmarked Panther Lake gaming performance ourselves.) Core Ultra Series 3 is looking pretty damned good, and its strengths could help Intel finally establish a stronger foothold in Steam Deck-style gaming handhelds – a segment long dominated by AMD’s bespoke Ryzen Z1 and Z2 handheld chips. The combo led Nish Neelalojanan, senior director of client product management for Intel, to come out swinging about Panther Lake’s potential advantages in tomorrow’s PC gaming handhelds. “They’re selling ancient silicon, while we’re selling up-to-date processors specifically designed for this market,” Neelalojanan told PCWorld’s Mark Hachman in an exclusive interview. Much like Intel’s Panther logo, Neelalojanan has confident swag about Core Ultra Series 3’s handheld performance.Mark Hachman / Foundry Bold words indeed… but ones that may have a ring of truth to them, as AMD’s lower tiers of Z2 chips lean on both older CPU tech and older GPU tech to help keep costs down. Well, it just so happened that Mark also had a roundtable interview scheduled for the very next day with Rahul Tikoo, senior vice president and general manager of the client business at AMD, to discuss all of the compay’s CES 2026 chip announcements. And naturally, he asked Tikoo about Intel’s comment as part of the far-ranging interview. Here’s the excerpt, lightly edited for clarity. Be sure to check out the rest of the interview for insights into AMD’s new Ryzen AI 400 laptop lineup, the just-released Ryzen 9 9850X3D and rumors of a dual-core X3D chip, and more. I just came back from Intel, where they planned to invest heavily in the handheld space, which you’ve dominated. They claim that you’re selling “ancient silicon.” What’s your strategy going forward in the handheld space? “We’re very committed to the handheld [space]. I mean, we created the space, so it’s a space that we’re very committed to. Here’s the beauty, though, of AMD and why we have a much higher chance of success in that space: because of our console business, or how we develop semi-custom silicon for the console business. You can’t just use mobile silicon and put it in the handheld. You can, but the handheld or the consoles, they care about high graphics. They don’t care about as much compute, and they don’t care about the I/O. So, if you’re putting a notebook chip like Panther Lake in there, and you’re not purpose building it, you have all this baggage that Panther Lake is going to carry around its chiplet architecture. You know, the interconnects of the chiplet architecture, the I/O that they have in there. I mean, it’s a Swiss Army Knife, and it’s good for certain things. We can do that, too. In fact, we do that in the handheld space in some segments. But when you think about the core of the handheld space, they want purpose-designed, purpose-built chips that have great graphics technology, great software like FSR, integration with game developers on Xbox, PlayStation, etc. We can have high battery life, good fidelity of content, high frame rate, and we do that very well.” Intel believes their low-power E-cores give them an advantage, as they extend battery life. Does AMD have a response to that? “We haven’t seen any issues there. I’ll tell you this, Intel does play games sometimes, and it’s very interesting. We had a customer. They said the same thing. They’re like, hey, I can get more battery life with Lunar Lake against the 300 series. So, we’re like, okay, let’s do a quick experiment. And we did this in the lab. And actually, Qualcomm did a video on this too, because we didn’t want to go out and do a video and everything. Qualcomm did a video on this: Lunar Lake has great battery life when measured with MobileMark with the power connected. As soon as you go in DC Mode, battery life climbs while performance drops. The Core i7 performs like a Core i3. So, the E-cores are very good for efficiency, very bad for performance. We balance the two, and we’re already making those choices for our customers and saying, hey, you don’t have to worry about it.” But does that hold true for Panther Lake? We were able to benchmark Core Ultra Series 3 both plugged and unplugged, and the frame rates were surprisingly close in the limited testing available during CES 2026. So there you have it – it appears a full-fledged war (or at least a war of the words) is brewing for the CPUs beating in the heart of the PC gaming handhelds that have taken the world by storm. Will Panther Lake’s potent Arc graphics manage to unseat AMD’s stranglehold on this new class of devices? Time will tell, but it seems clear that both Intel and AMD aren’t shying away from a fight. Read...

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