TL;DR: Get a Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business Lifetime License for Mac or PC for just $179.99 (MSRP $249.99). Your career deserves reliable, up-to-date productivity tools. For a limited time, you can get a Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business Lifetime License for Mac or PC for just $179.99 (MSRP $249.99). This one-time purchase gives you lifetime access to essential Microsoft apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook — without recurring subscription fees. Office 2024 is designed for modern professionals who need seamless collaboration, offline reliability, and strong security. It features a modernized user interface that follows Microsoft’s Fluent Design principles. Performance upgrades—especially in Excel—allow you to work with large datasets and multiple workbooks without lag. PowerPoint now includes enhanced presentation recording capabilities, letting you add voice narration and video directly into your slides. AI-powered features across Word and Excel offer intelligent suggestions, natural language processing, and smarter data analysis to boost productivity. Office 2024 also improves real-time co-authoring, integrates more deeply with Microsoft Teams, and provides reliable offline access—ideal for both professional and personal use. It’s a permanent, professional-grade solution for anyone who needs top-tier Office tools without ongoing costs. Get a Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business Lifetime License for Mac or PC for just $179.99 (MSRP $249.99). Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

In a world where “always online” has become the norm, millions of programmers, designers, and gamers spend more time in their chairs than in their beds. The result? Chronic back and neck pain, muscle fatigue, and long-term spinal issues—all symptoms of a lifestyle built around prolonged sitting and high cognitive stress. As the digital generation pushes human creativity forward, one question lingers: Can our bodies keep up? Enter the LiberNovo Omni — a revolution in ergonomic design, engineered for the people shaping the digital age. Unlike traditional chairs that simply hold you, the Omni moves with you. It’s not just a seat—it’s a dynamic health partner that adapts to every posture, every click, and every late-night code sprint. Unlock early savings ahead of Black Friday: From November 1–9, LiberNovo’s official site will feature a dedicated gift card presale, giving early adopters a chance to lock in savings before the full Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale begins. LiberNovo A chair that moves as you move At the heart of Omni’s innovation lies its Dynamic Support System, a synchronized mechanism that keeps the seat, backrest, armrests, and neck rest perfectly aligned. Whether you’re leaning forward to debug code, relaxing during a gaming session, or reclining to watch a livestream, Omni maintains your spinal alignment in real time. This isn’t static comfort—it’s active ergonomics. The Bionic FlexFit Backrest, equipped with 16 joints and 8 adaptive panels, molds seamlessly to your spine’s natural S-curve, ensuring balanced pressure and fluid motion throughout your day. Unlike conventional chairs that let your posture collapse under fatigue, Omni supports micro-movements, keeping your spine alive and your body engaged. LiberNovo Smart reclines for every task Digital professionals don’t just sit—they transition constantly between focus and recovery. That’s why the Omni features Four Intelligent Reclines, each engineered for a different state of work or play: • Deep Focus (105°): Perfect for coding, editing, or intense gaming. • Solo-Work (120°): Maintains balance and stability during long creative bursts. • Soft Recline (135°): Ideal for streaming, chatting, or light breaks. • Spine Flow (160°): The “zero-gravity” recline for decompression and recovery. In its Spinal Decompression Recline, the Omni stretches the spine and relieves stiffness accumulated during long sitting sessions—an invaluable feature for gamers and engineers who regularly pull 10-hour marathons. LiberNovo Built-in recovery for the modern body The OmniStretch system takes recovery to the next level with a motorized spinal massage and gentle decompression sequence. In just five minutes, users can alleviate tension, improve circulation, and restore mobility. Paired with the StepSync Footrest, which tilts at an ergonomic 10° to promote leg circulation, it transforms the sitting experience into an active state of wellness. Every component—from the 4D adjustable armrests to the breathable triple-layer seat cushion—is precision-tuned for long-haul comfort. The multi-density foam design distributes pressure evenly, supporting sit bones while reducing thigh strain, ensuring your body feels light even after endless hours of sitting. LiberNovo For those who build the future The Omni isn’t just for office workers—it’s designed for engineers, gamers, designers, and creators. Its Dynamic Screen Alignment system ensures that as your head moves, the neckrest [1] follows, keeping your eyes level and your neck free from strain. Every motion feels intuitive, every posture, natural. LiberNovo, from Liber (liberty) and Novo (innovation), represents freedom through innovation—the freedom to create without pain. Its 2200mAh battery can power months of adaptive motion and massage functions—the Omni defines a new era in ergonomic technology. With a single full charge, the device can last for one month—with daily OmniStrench use and five lumbar support adjustments per day. As our world continues to blur the lines between work and play, the LiberNovo Omni reminds us that the future of sitting isn’t about staying still—it’s about staying well. For the coders who build, the gamers who explore, and the dreamers who design, the Omni offers more than comfort. It offers liberation—through movement, balance, and care. Sit to focus. Shift to relax. Recover anytime. Welcome to the new standard of ergonomic design. Unlock early savings ahead of Black Friday From November 1–9, LiberNovo’s official site will feature a dedicated gift card presale, giving early adopters a chance to lock in savings before the full Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale begins. On November 10, the main event launches with site-wide discounts up to 34% on the Omni chair, with prices starting at just $803 (US) or $1,223 (Canada). Orders over $800 will be entered into a holiday prize draw, with rewards ranging from a free LiberNovo Omni chair to accessories, plus gift cards and gift bundles. LiberNovo Omni Explore More Read...

When you buy an expensive piece of technology, you want to know that it’ll have support from the manufacturer for a long time. That goes double for graphics cards and similar tech, where the latest games might need driver tweaks. That’s why the latest AMD Adrenalin release is dismaying for owners of cards and laptops just a few years old: a lot of them just got left in the dust. New Game Support is spelled out for “Radeon RX 7000 and 9000 series graphics products” in the release notes…leaving Radeon RX 6000 and 5000 cards, the newest of which were released just two to three years ago, with only “maintenance mode” support. This is a line that hasn’t been included in other update text posts, so the conspicuous absence of older cards was immediately jarring to many users. AMD has since confirmed that graphics hardware based on RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 will not get optimization for the latest games, instead being moved to only critical security and bug support. That means these RDNA 1 and 2 graphics systems, including the integrated graphics on many laptops and handhelds, will start to fall behind the graphical curve a lot faster than they might otherwise. Some of these chips were released as late as 2023, though the majority came out in 2022 or earlier. The Steam Deck may feel like it stands out as the 800-pound gorilla here — the custom 8-core APU designed for Valve’s handheld gaming PC debuted in February 2022, with RDNA 2 support. With millions of users on the Steam Deck alone and no first-party successor in sight, it seems shocking that AMD would drop support for RDNA 2 in particular. But the Valve actually uses Linux’s open-source RADV drivers for the Steam Deck, so it shouldn’t be affected here. Gamers who install Windows on their Steam Deck, or have a Windows-based handheld with AMD’s RDNA 2 tech inside (like the just-launched ROG Xbox Ally) are seemingly, suddenly staring at a bleak future. Maintenance-only support doesn’t mean that these graphics cards, laptops, and handhelds will suddenly stop working. They’ll be able to play new games…unless they run into a problem, at which time developers will be on their own when it comes to a fix. Without significant driver updates, AMD’s RDNA 2-based GPUs will begin to be less and less useful for the newest games and other tech. The latest Adrenalin driver package includes New Game Support tweaks for Battlefield 6 and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2…tweaks that won’t benefit owners on this older hardware. PC gamers are, in a word, pissed. While no hardware stays in full support forever, this decision comes at a time when AMD’s graphics market share is falling further and further behind Nvidia. Trying to lean into newer devices and leaving owners of older hardware out to dry isn’t a great way to create loyalty, no matter how good the latest RDNA 3 and 4 features are. I also can’t help but wonder if AMD is redistributing some resources, trying to prioritize its better-faring CPU and/or industrial AI output. Read...

While it once scoffed at the possibility of offering an ad-supported tier, Netflix has since embraced the idea, with millions of users snapping up its “Standard with Ads” plan, garnering plenty of interest from Madison Avenue along the way.  Since its arrival nearly three years ago, Netflix has added a variety of features to its ad-supported tier to set it apart from the streaming crowd—and for now, its price remains a fraction of Netflix’s priciest 4K streaming plan.  So, how much does Netflix with ads cost, what’s included, and is anything left out? Here’s what you need to know. How much does Netflix with ads cost? Netflix Standard with Ads costs $7.99 a month, which reflects a buck-a-month price hike that Netflix imposed back in January 2025. For some context, Paramount+ Essential is also $7.99 a month, while Peacock Premium—which, confusingly, is ad-supported—costs $10.99 a month. Meanwhile, HBO Max Basic with Ads goes for $10.99 a month (the same as Peacock Premium) after a recent price increase. Finally, the ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu tiers cost $11.99 a month each following (yet another) recent price hike (they’re considerably cheaper if you bundle them together), So for now, Netflix is tied with Paramount+ for the cheapest ad-supported plan among the biggest streaming services. (There’s also Peacock’s new Select tier, another ad-supported plan that goes for $7.99 a month, but it offers only a “selection” of Peacock’s original content.) How many streams do you get with the Netflix Standard with Ads plan? At launch, Netflix’s ad-supported plan (which was initially called “Basic with Ads”) only offered a single stream. But in 2023, Netflix upped the number of concurrent streams available on the Standard with Ads plan to two. Does Netflix with ads offer 4K HDR video resolution? No, but the video quality of Netflix Standard with Ads has improved since the tier was first launched. While ad-supported Netflix once offered only 720p video quality, it has since been boosted to 1080p, same as Netflix’s ad-free Standard plan. Currently, only Netflix’s priciest plan–Premium ($24.99 a month)–offers 4K HDR streaming, with four concurrent streams per household. Netflix, and most other streamers, reserve their 4K HDR streams for ad-free subscribers, although that’s not a universal policy; Paramount+, for one, does allow ad-supported subscribers to stream in 4K. Does ad-supported Netflix offer downloads for offline viewing? One of the best perks offered by the big streamers is the ability to download videos for offline viewing, perfect for binge-watching your favorite series during a long flight or when you don’t want to bust through your ISP’s (or carrier’s) data cap. Until recently, Netflix didn’t allow its with-ads subscribers to download videos for offline viewing, a restriction shared by the other big streamers. But in November 2023, Netflix reversed course, becoming the first big streaming service to enable offline downloads for subscribers to its ad-supported tier. There is a monthly limit to downloads for Standard with Ads subscribers, however: 15 downloads per device, resetting on the first of each month. How many commercial breaks does Netflix with ads have? Netflix Standard with Ads subscribers will have to sit through 4- to 5 minutes of commercials per hour, with the ads running at the beginning and during videos (ideally during “natural plot breaks”). Each ad will be either 15 or 30 seconds. That 4- to 5-minute-per-hour figure is pretty much in line with Netflix’s competitors. For example, the “with ads” version of Max averages about four minutes an hour, while Peacock tops out at about five minutes per hour. Is Netflix with ads available on all streaming devices? Most devices that work with ad-free Netflix should also support Netflix Standard with Ads, although a “small percentage” of streaming players and TVs won’t work because the device’s Netflix software can no longer be updated. And while the ad-supported Netflix plan wasn’t initially supported on Apple TV streaming devices, it is now (on Apple TV HD devices and later) following an update of the Netflix tvOS app in March 2023. Netflix with ads is also available on most other streaming platforms, including Amazon’s Fire TV, Android and iOS devices, most smart TVs, Mac and Windows computers, and Google TV players. Does Netflix with ads offer the same content as ad-free Netflix? You’ll find almost, but not quite everything. While the “vast majority” of TV shows and movies on Netflix are available for “with ads” viewers, a “small number” are missing because of “licensing issues,” Netflix says. If you do run across a video that’s unavailable on the Netflix Standard with Ads plan, you’ll see a padlock on the title or a “Change plan to watch” banner in place of the standard “Play” button. Why did Netflix launch an ad-supported plan? Netflix lost subscribers during the first and second quarters of 2022, ending a decade of growth and sending Netflix’s stock price into a tailspin. And while Netflix is ubiquitous in North America, it’s having trouble gaining traction in the rest of the world, where it’s facing tough competition from cheaper streaming services. Meanwhile, Netflix’s rapidly growing competitors, including HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Hulu, rolled out their own cheaper ad-supported plans, all of which undercut Netflix’s least expensive ad-free plans. So while it wasn’t all that long ago that Netflix executives scoffed at the idea of cheaper ad-supported plans, the company abruptly changed course when it became clear that its once seemingly unstoppable growth had stalled. In May 2024, Netflix reported that its Standard with Ads tier had roughly 40 million global active monthly users, up from just 5 million users in May 2023. (Netflix has since ceased tallying its monthly user base for the public.) Updated in October 2025 with the latest pricing details and other recent streaming developments. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Brilliant display Sleek design and hardware Respectable gaming performance Great speakers Strong battery life Cons CPU and GPU aren’t top of the pack Non-upgradeable memory Our Verdict The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 offers a well-rounded package with plenty of performance and surprising battery life for a 3.3-pound system. The fact that it’s built so well with a good selection of ports, a solid keyboard and trackpad, and a truly great display and speaker pairing make it all the more compelling. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Retailer Price $1,678.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Asus had a great machine on its hands with the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G14, and the 2025 model brings some commendable updates without messing with the formula. While much remains unchanged in the chassis and display, the 2025 model brings some under-the-hood updates for a boost in graphical performance and efficiency. All of this culminates in a laptop that’s great for work on-the-go, a joy to use, and potent enough for gaming at home with a few tweaks to graphics. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 being so well rounded may not make it the best laptop for pure gaming, but it makes it an excellent all-arounder. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Specs and features CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 270 Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 5060 8GB 100W Display: 14-inch 2880×1800 120Hz OLED, Glossy, G-Sync Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Webcam: 1080p IR Connectivity: 1x USB4 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x microSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 73 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.24 x 8.66 x 0.64 inches Weight: 3.3 pounds MSRP: $1,799 as-tested ($1,799 base) This test unit with the specs above is a unique Best Buy offering (though a similar config has shown up on Amazon and Walmart from third-party sellers) with lower specs and a lower base price than what Asus offers directly from its store. There, the G14 starts with an RTX 5070, double the memory, and a $2,099 price tag but is otherwise identical. For $2,499, that can bump up to a configuration with a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, an RTX 5070 Ti, and 2TB of storage. That CPU upgrade for the top-tier configuration is notable, as it not only jumps to a different class of CPU but also a very different architecture. It also brings along a much more powerful NPU that pushes the system up into Co-pilot+ territory thanks to 50 TOPS of NPU compute compared to the Ryzen 9 270 NPU’s 16 TOPS. Even with those upgrades, the chip has a lower default TDP (though both have overlap in their configurable TDP ranges) and has the potential to make that configuration more efficient than the one tested here. While the base configuration offers decent value, its 16GB of soldered on memory could become an issue, and the upgraded $2,099 model will likely be more competitive with its extra GPU horsepower and the better longevity it can provide thanks to its 32GB of memory.  For anyone after a gaming laptop that can work well on-the-go, this is an excellent choice. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Design and build quality Foundry / Mark Knapp The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a brilliant piece of hardware. Between its slim, 0.64-inch design, its 3.3-pound weight, and its CNC’d aluminum construction, it feels like a great little laptop. And that’s before considering how nice the design looks and feels. The display has a clean glass cover and swings up on a smooth and firm hinge that still allows one-handed opening. The bottom bezel may be a little thick, and the top bezel isn’t even with the sides, but it’s easy to overlook once you see the display.  The keyboard deck is a lovely piece of aluminum with a very smooth finish and very little flex. It wraps down the side with chamfered corners that improve comfort. And the bottom aluminum panel offers clean seams with the upper portion of the frame. The display lid is smooth and adorned with small ROG branding in one corner and a bold, mirror-finished, diagonal slash across it with integrated lighting.  The system sits on two wide rubber feet that angle the laptop up slightly and provide an air intake channel underneath. Surprisingly, there are no exhaust vents leading out of the hinge and up toward the display, nor are there exhausts above the keyboard or at the sides. The exhaust in the rear sits below the display hinge in very cramped slits and behind the rear rubber foot.  All in all, I’d be happy to have a laptop with this build whether it was a gaming laptop or not. It feels sturdy, smooth, and well polished.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Keyboard, trackpad Foundry / Mark Knapp The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 continues to demonstrate its rocking hardware with the keyboard and trackpad. The keyboard offers flat, square keys with strong stabilization, a firm actuation force, and a modest travel. It can make quick, light typing a little difficult, but I was able to get up to a typing speed of 113 words-per-minute at 98 percent accuracy with little practice in Monkeytype, which is a good result. Slightly more contour to the keycaps would help some, as the force needed combined with the flat surfaces made it hard for me to get up to a great typing speed and accuracy on the keyboard. The arrow keys are small, but at least not cramped into the space that should be home to other keys. Asus also included dedicated volume keys above the function row that can come in handy.  The keys have RGB backlighting that does a good job of lighting up the primary legends on most keys, but they don’t illuminate some of the bigger legends on some keys (like Enter) and they struggle to illuminate legends for secondary functions almost at all. It’s a small and common fumble, but a fumble nonetheless.  The trackpad is lovely. Asus used up just about all the available vertical space and made it quite wide as well. It has a super-smooth glass surface and matches the surrounding metal well for a cohesive look. Depressing it offers a gentle pop with a soft clicking sound.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Display, audio Foundry / Mark Knapp The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 has a brilliant display. It provides a sharp picture with a 2880×1800 resolution across its 14-inch panel. It can run that at 120Hz for smooth game visuals, and it supports G-Sync to avoid tearing. As an OLED display, it also has a very fast pixel response time that makes visuals appear all the more fluid. It’s also a stunner for its color, which covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. That color is accurate as well with an average dE1976 of 1.08. OLED hasn’t always been known for being bright, but the display here happily reaches up to 401 nits in SDR and was able to hit 631 nits in HDR for a full white screen. For folks with eyes sensitive to alternating current flicker, Asus offers DC dimming support for the display in its Armoury Crate program.  The speakers only enhance the experience further. Asus has packed six speakers into the system, combining four woofers and two tweeters, to provide impressively rich sound. These fire out of the bottom of the laptop and at the sides of the keyboard. Not only does the volume reach uncomfortable peaks without significant distortion or terribly harsh sound, but the bass depth is considerable for a laptop. There can be a little sibilance at max volume, but it doesn’t ruin the experience. The soundstage is even surprisingly wide, with some stereo audio even sounding like it’s coming from outside the bounds of the system. These are simply some of the best laptop speakers I’ve heard, and it’s all the more impressive they’re squeezed into a 14-inch laptop that’s also housing a large battery and high-power hardware. Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The web camera on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is decent but not exceptional. It captures decently exposed video with natural color, but even with its 1080p resolution, visuals appear a bit grainy and soft. Having IR sensors for Windows Hello facial recognition is nice, though, providing a consistently quick way to sign on. The three-mic array on the laptop is also decent. It captures my voice with a modest fullness and doesn’t sound overly compressed, but I do sound somewhat distant. It avoids picking up too much background noise, like that of a fan I had running loudly nearby, but it didn’t eliminate the sound of me typing while I recorded.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Connectivity Foundry / Mark Knapp The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 offers up respectable connectivity for a laptop of its size. You’ll find USB-C ports on either side of the system, and both are capable of charging the laptop (requires 20V/5A) or transmitting display data. Only the left one offers USB4 speeds, but the right one connects to the GPU to support G-Sync with its video output. Asus has also put USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on both sides — this splitting is a lovely gesture for those who want some flexibility on where they plug in accessories.  The system includes a UHS-II microSD card reader on the right side as well. An HDMI 2.1 port and 3.5mm jack on the left side round out the ports. Since the system also comes with its own proprietary charging port, you can run the system on AC power and still keep all the ports freed up for whatever you want. Wireless connectivity is also a plus on the Zephyrus G14. It supports tri-band Wi-Fi 7, and it has proven very fast and stable in my testing, albeit while connected to a Wi-Fi 6 network. Its Bluetooth 5.4 connection has also proven consistent, though it’s getting disappointing to not see Bluetooth 6.0 nowadays.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Performance The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 offers excellent performance thanks to its potent hardware, though it may not be quite as powerful as one would hope from a gaming system. In particular, its CPU performance lags a bit behind many of its competitors, even trailing the 2024 model slightly, though it can still come out ahead next to thin-and-light productivity laptops. One surprising thing is that the Zephyrus G14 never seems to get very hot under load. It does get warm, but the base and keyboard area where you’re likely to rest your hands avoid getting painfully hot. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 inside the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is solid, but not a showstopper. It’s older architecture from AMD, and therefore isn’t showing the kind of single-core or multi-core performance uplift you can get from newer Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra chips. Across Cinebench CPU benchmarks, the Zephyrus G14 generally trails the Alienware 16 Aurora, which uses an Intel CPU, though Alienware’s laptop is also much larger and should have the advantage in cooling. Meanwhile, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 can’t keep up with AMD Ryzen AI 9 365-powered Razer Blade 14, but the Zephyrus G14 is also much cheaper. Perhaps the bigger blow is the Intel Core i7-14700HX-powered Lenovo Legion 5i 15IRX10 (at $1,199) dominates the Zephyrus G14 and the rest of the group here in CPU performance The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 puts a stronger foot forward where graphics come into play. It’s not going to be an absolute performance powerhouse considering its running a lower-tier RTX 5060 GPU and doing so in a thinner and lighter chassis than most other gaming laptops. But that actually makes it all the more impressive that it can manage fairly decent performance. In the demanding Port Royale graphics benchmark, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 actually manages to narrowly exceed the much larger Alienware 16 Aurora. Though it’s still clear there’s room for improvement as the two Lenovo systems offer a nearly 20 percent uplift running the same RTX 5060 GPUs. Lenovo has a knack for making the most of the GPUs in its gaming laptops, but that doesn’t excuse Asus for lagging behind. Even with Asus’s Turbo profile boosting performance in this benchmark to 7132 points, Asus trails Lenovo. While 3DMark demonstrated a more extreme scenario where the system is largely bottlenecked by the GPU, actual game benchmarks can show some differences. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 actually manages to flip the script in some cases, having a little extra CPU potency helps it actually step out ahead of the Lenovo LOQ 15, which may offer faster GPU performance but doesn’t have the CPU speed to keep up with the Zephyrus G14.  Unfortunately for the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, some games are so graphically demanding, they can still create heavily GPU-bottlenecked scenarios. That’s the case for Metro Exodus with its Extreme graphics preset turned on. This sees the Zephyrus G14 struggle to break an average of 40fps. The curve here ends up looking a lot more like what we saw in 3DMark’s Port Royale test with the exception of the Alienware 16 Aurora managing to lead the Zephyrus G14, likely thanks to more effective cooling over the course of this longer benchmark.  Cyberpunk 2077 demonstrates another highlight demanding scenario for the GPU, and the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 continues to fall behind here. It does manage a playable average framerate over 60fps at 1080p Ultra, but the beefier systems it stacks up against lead it by a considerable margin, showing that extra cooling can go a long way when you need to run a power-hungry component like the GPU hard. While the Razer Blade 14 demonstrates that a higher-end chip alone can make a difference, the RTX 5060-powered Zephyrus G14 might be a more attractive option for those seeking extra performance in a compact form, especially since it’s available at a substantial discount compared to the higher-end system. Alas, none of the systems provide playable framerates at 1080p with Cyberpunk 2077’s RT Overdrive settings.  To the Zephyrus G14’s credit, Asus does a good job managing thermals. Running 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Stress Test, the Zephyrus G14 maintained 98.7 percent consistent performance over the course of 20 runs. That’s all the more impressive considering that the fans aren’t very loud.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Battery life The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 may have fallen short in performance, but it more than makes up for that in battery life. The system runs on a 73-watt-hour battery, which is sizable for a 14-inch laptop. And Asus pulled all the right levers to ensure that when the system is operating on battery power, it can sip on power. This let it run for almost 13 hours in our video playback test, dramatically outstripping its competition here and offering a marked improvement over the 2024 model. That’s a great showing for a gaming laptop, and it’s helped by Asus’s software automatically ensuring the GPU is disabled on battery power when it’s not needed.  Running on battery power and using the integrated graphics has its downsides though. The system still experiences the same freezing issues I’ve seen for years on AMD’s Radeon integrated graphics. It seems to crop up whenever there’s a call for too much video memory. This will commonly occur while browsing with a window on one half of the screen and playing a YouTube video on the other half.  Asus ROG Zephyrus G14: Conclusion The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 isn’t a perfect machine, but it’s brilliant. For the most part, it’s delivering great hardware with a largely elegant design, solid inputs, ample I/O, a wonderful display, and outstanding speakers. Pairing that with respectable performance and excellent battery life in its class, the Zephyrus G14 proves a very well balanced system that should have the Razer Blade 14 shaking in its boots because Asus’s system is nearly the same size, lighter, and much cheaper. For anyone after a gaming laptop that can work well on-the-go, this is an excellent choice. Read...

No one who assembles a PC or sets up a new computer can avoid the BIOS or UEFI. That’s where you define the basics, from the boot sequence and memory profiles to security features like Secure Boot. Modern UEFI interfaces are graphical, can be operated using a mouse, and are much more convenient than legacy BIOS text menus… but they can still be daunting for first-time users. If you’re reluctant to dive into your PC’s BIOS/UEFI, have no fear! These tips will get you familiar and comfortable in no time. How to boot into BIOS/UEFI settings Mark Hachman / Foundry In order to boot into BIOS/UEFI, you have to press a key (or a combination of keys) during the startup process. If you aren’t quick enough, or if you press the wrong keys, you’ll end up in Windows. The exact key(s) you need to press depend on your motherboard’s manufacturer, but most of them use one of the following standardized keys: Delete, F2, F10, or F12. The correct key is often displayed on the screen for a brief moment with the motherboard logo, and it’s best to press the key several times as soon as you see it. However, there’s also an alternative way in Windows 11: open Settings > System > Recovery, scroll down to the Recovery options and look for “Advanced startup,” then click the button labeled Restart now. There you can directly call up the UEFI firmware settings. Step 1: Update your BIOS/UEFI Before you even start fine-tuning, you should update your BIOS/UEFI to the latest version. New versions often bring better RAM compatibility, extend CPU support, and/or fix security vulnerabilities. Download the update from the manufacturer’s website. (Pay attention to the exact model of your motherboard.) It will usually come as a ZIP file, which you can unzip and copy to a USB flash drive. Then, you should be able to find the update function in the BIOS under “EZ Flash,” “M-Flash,” or similar. (If you can’t find it, run a web search for instructions on how to update your particular motherboard.) Important: Make sure your PC doesn’t crash, restart, or shut down during a BIOS/UEFI update. Also, refrain from experimenting with overclocking or unstable power supplies while updating. Also, avoid the update if there’s an impending thunderstorm or if there are known power fluctuations affecting your area/house. Step 2: Set language and interface Many modern UEFI menus offer a graphical view, and some of them even let you interact using mouse controls. You’ll usually find the language setting directly in the main menu or under a tab labeled “General Settings.” Always change the language first so that you can find your way around more easily later. Some motherboards also offer a “Simple view” for beginners and an “Advanced mode” for fine-tuning. Step 3: Customize the boot sequence In order to install Windows on a PC, the PC must be bootable from a USB flash drive. That means you might have to re-order the boot sequence so that if the system detects a plugged-in USB drive, it first tries to boot off of it before moving on to the internal SSD (for example). You can do this in the BIOS/UEFI by navigating to the appropriate section and dragging the USB flash drive option to the top. After Windows is installed, make sure to change the order back and select the Windows Boot Manager or your system hard drive as the first boot device. Tip: If your PC doesn’t reliably recognize your USB drive at startup, try deactivating “Fastboot Mode.” Step 4: Optimize working memory Foundry By default, RAM often only runs at base clock rate. Activate the appropriate profile in the UEFI—depending on the manufacturer, this is called XMP (Intel), DOCP (Asus/AMD), or EXPO (AMD). This allows your RAM to utilize the full speed for which it’s designed without you having to manually overclock. You can usually find this option on the main page of the UEFI menu or under a tab such as “AI Tweaker” (for Asus), “OC” (for Gigabyte), or “Advanced Memory Settings.” Step 5: Set the fan and temperatures You can adjust fan curves under menu items such as “Q-Fan” or “Smart Fan Control,” which allows you to determine how loudly or quietly your PC fans run in everyday use. A steeper curve (i.e., faster at higher temperatures) is recommended for gaming while a flat curve (i.e., remain slow even when temperatures rise slightly) is more suitable for office or home server use, ensuring peace and quiet. Step 6: Optimize energy and performance Many motherboards offer power-saving features such as “C-States” (reduces the CPU voltage when idle) or “ErP ready” (reduces power consumption when switched off). If you need more power, activate Turbo Boost (Intel) or Precision Boost Overdrive (AMD). The latter ensures higher clock rates, but requires good cooling. Note: The combination of power-saving features and aggressive performance options can lead to instability on cheaper motherboards. If your PC crashes frequently after making such changes, switch Turbo Boost/PBO/C-States off again as a test. Step 7: Check security settings In order for Windows 11 to be installed, certain security features must be active in the BIOS/UEFI. If they’re missing, the setup will be canceled or even refuse to start. The two most important options are: Enable Secure Boot: Ensures that only boot loaders signed by Microsoft are loaded. Without Secure Boot, malware could be installed before the operating system starts. As a security measure, Windows 11 will refuse to install without Secure Boot. Enable TPM 2.0: Referred to as “fTPM” (AMD) or “PTT” (Intel) depending on the manufacturer. TPM 2.0 stores cryptographic keys securely in the system. Windows 11 will refuse to install without it. It’s also worth taking a look at the extended security options: BitLocker support: With TPM enabled, hard drive encryption such as BitLocker can be used without additional effort. This protects your data in the events of theft or loss of the computer. Supervisor/BIOS password: Protects the firmware settings from unauthorized access. Lock interfaces: Some motherboards allow you to deactivate USB ports or network adapters directly in the UEFI. This is practical for particularly sensitive environments where access to external devices needs to be restricted for security reasons. Step 8: Other advanced features If your PC is still running stably after all of the above tweaks, it’s now worth taking a look at some additional options: SATA/NVMe mode: For single SSDs and HDDs, AHCI is the standard. This ensures full performance and TRIM support. RAID is only worthwhile if you want to use several drives for purposes of data mirroring (RAID 1) or performance (RAID 0). Importantly, this setting must be defined before Windows is installed, as changing it later can lead to startup errors. Learn more about RAID setups and multiple drives working together. Activate virtualization: Features such as Intel VT-x and AMD-V make it possible to run virtual machines efficiently. If you want to use Hyper-V, VirtualBox, or VMware, you should switch this option on. Without virtualization activated, many things will still run but with significantly reduced performance. IOMMU/SR-IOV (optional): This feature is interesting for advanced users who want to use device passthrough or special virtualization scenarios. Tip: Even if you don’t need virtualization immediately, you can activate the feature directly now. This will save you having to search the BIOS later if you ever end up experimenting with virtual machines. Get comfortable with your BIOS/UEFI In short, the BIOS/UEFI is the control center of your PC. Just a few settings—such as RAM profile, boot sequence, and Secure Boot—can make a world of difference between a system that’s limping along versus a system that’s stable, fast, and secure. If you feel like it, you can eventually try your hand at fine-tuning the deeper settings, from individual fan curves to overclocking. But even without experimenting, with the right BIOS/UEFI settings, your new PC will now be ready to start and optimally prepared. Good to know: You only need to make most BIOS/UEFI adjustments once. After that, your computer will run permanently with the optimum settings without needing any annoying readjustments. Read...

TL;DR: Right now, it’s only $55 to get Microsoft Office Pro and Windows 11 Pro for life. This year, Microsoft raised the price for Microsoft 365 and ended support for Windows 10. If you want to avoid subscription fees and protect your computer, then get Microsoft Office Pro and Windows 11 Pro for life for only $54.97 (reg. $418.99). This sale will not last much longer. The Microsoft Office lifetime license comes with Word Excel PowerPoint Outlook Teams (free version) OneNote Publisher Access There are no recurring fees or renewals, and the software connects to your device rather than your Microsoft account. You can use it offline without losing access, and updates are included. Part two of this bundle is a lifetime license for Windows 11 Pro, which has a cleaner interface, faster performance, and stronger built-in security. It includes features like BitLocker drive encryption, Hyper-V virtualization, and Windows Sandbox for testing new apps in a safe environment. Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, is integrated to help with tasks like changing settings or summarizing web content. Right now, it’s only $54.97 to get Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro for life. The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro BundleSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Canva debuted an updated visual suite on Thursday, with integrated AI across the platform as well as a new video editor. Canva’s calling this its “Creative Operating System,” though it’s nothing of the sort — just a creative suite tied together with AI. Canva said that its new design model can generate layout and content within seconds, and that its AI is integrated inside its entire product suite. That includes @askcanva, an AI assistant that can provide assistance. The new suite includes what the company is calling “Video 2.0,” a reimagined video editor that can work with templates or generate content from a prompt. Much of the new suite includes an emphasis on commercial customers, with new email design tools, integrated forms, and a way to connect Canva’s code tool to its Sheets spreadsheets. A Canva Grow tool also is designed for end-to-end marketing, as well. Canva’s new vide editor features an updated timeline.Canva Our sister publication, TechCrunch, has more details, including an interview with Canva’s senior executives. Read...

Revolut has launched an eight-week NZ campaign with All Blacks star Ardie Savea, highlighting its app’s global finance features and ease of use. Read...

Microsoft, really, really, really wants you to log in with a full, connected Microsoft account for Windows 11. It’s essential for tracking user data, feeding people ads, and generally making your PC experience much more frustrating (though it also enables ease-of-life features like OneDrive and account syncing between PCs). Users have been finding ways around this requirement for a while, and sharing their results. This is apparently a “harmful or dangerous” act, according to YouTube. That’s the inescapable conclusion one must draw from the fact that YouTube creator CyberCPU Tech has reportedly had a video on this topic removed from the platform, and all appeals to YouTube and Google have been denied, according to the creator. The same thing happened a week later for a guide on how to install Windows 11 25H2 on older, unsupported hardware, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Both videos were flagged by YouTube’s automated system as a violation of its “Harmful or dangerous content policy.” Again, when the creator asked for a manual review, the appeal was denied. YouTube’s policy outlaws obvious things like “instructional theft” (piracy, defeating retail store theft prevention, etc), “hacking” with the intent to steal information, bypassing payment systems, and phishing. I haven’t seen the videos, of course — they’re gone. But as far as I can tell, none of CyberCPU’s instructions would have included any of this, assuming it was just telling people how to install Windows 11 on older hardware or install it without a connected user account, something Windows has been able to do for decades. According to the policy, a channel that gets three such strikes in a 90-day period can be terminated permanently. CyberCPU says that only one strike was applied to the channel, with the second video included in the original warning. The CyberCPU Tech channel is five years old and has 300,000 subscribers, which is considered mid-range for the platform, but many creators make a living from channels that size. After taking a class provided by YouTube, the channel will be in good standing with the platform by January 2026, and the creator has applied to get a personal representative assigned from YouTube. In a follow-up video posted two days ago, CyberCPU Tech claims that the second appeal was denied in less than a minute. Other YouTube creators that have covered similar Windows topics have also had their videos removed, according to yet another video from the channel. While they didn’t initially believe that Microsoft had anything to do with the takedowns, instead blaming YouTube’s “AI-enhanced” and notoriously unreliable automated system, they now think otherwise. “In fact, I believe they [Microsoft] are entirely responsible for this.” After outlining alternative video options, the creator said, “Are we not allowed to make videos about installing Windows on unsupported hardware because of some backroom deal with Microsoft? If that’s the case, then Microsoft’s own website shows how to do it. But fine, we won’t make those videos anymore, we just need to know the rules and make them clear.” No evidence for direct Microsoft involvement was offered, though YouTube’s labyrinthian processes for creators aren’t helping to assuage those fears. Copyright strikes, a separate but easily exploitable system, are often used by IP owners to shut down unfavorable YouTube videos even when they clearly fall under fair use. YouTube channel operators have to navigate an inscrutable system that offers little to no guidance on what specific part of a video constitutes a violation, whether actions were taken automatically or due to reports from viewers or third parties, and how they might avoid getting strikes in the future. CyberCPU Tech intends to continue making videos on similar Windows topics, though they may be posted elsewhere. The creator mentioned X/Twitter, Floatplane, a tech-focused platform owned and operated by Linus Media Group (owner of Linus Tech Tips), and Rumble, an alternative video site made for right-wing influencers. Rumble provides hosting for U.S. President Trump’s personal social network Truth Social, and is popular with influencers who have been banned from more mainstream platforms, like game streamer “Dr Disrespect” and alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate. The creator said that Rumble is not a realistic option for tech creators who want to move off YouTube. “…After two years and hundreds of videos, I’ve made a total of 43 cents.” Non-political content on YouTube alternatives struggles to maintain viewers (though more generalized competitors like TikTok and Instagram Reels are faring better). “But as long as people continue to upload to YouTube,” says CyberCPU, “YouTube will still be able to abuse their creators, because they have no incentive not to.” Whether automated or guided by human hands, YouTube’s policies continue to frustrate many of the creators who make the platform successful. Regular viewers are also becoming tired of the site’s many problems, including rising prices for ad-free viewing and a massive influx of AI slop, much of which is provided by YouTube itself. Even as the platform gets measurably worse in many different ways and faces increasing competition from services like TikTok, it remains the de facto home of user-uploaded video on the web. Read...