TL;DR: Windows 11 Pro is $14.97 — AI-powered features, DirectX 12 for gaming, and top-tier securityWant to squeeze every last drop of power from your PC? Microsoft Windows 11 Pro is a quick and easy upgrade offering exceptional gaming performance, AI-powered productivity tools, or enterprise-grade security. Windows 11 Pro introduces DirectX 12 Ultimate, delivering higher frame rates, improved ray tracing, and lower latency for a smoother gaming experience. If you want faster load times and better graphics, this is your chance to optimize your rig. Plus, with AutoHDR and DirectStorage, Windows 11 Pro ensures snappier gameplay and richer visuals. On the AI side, Windows Copilot, powered by OpenAI, acts as your built-in assistant, helping with everything from system settings to generating text and images on demand. Need help writing an email? Want to summarize a web page? Copilot has you covered. This upgrade also includes enterprise-level security features like BitLocker encryption, secure boot, and enhanced malware protection to keep your data safe. More Pro Features Snap Layouts & Virtual Desktops for better multitasking TPM 2.0 & Secure Boot for enhanced protection Remote Desktop Access to control your PC from anywhere Hyper-V & Windows Sandbox for virtual machine testing Seamless Microsoft Teams Integration for better collaboration Stop waiting — Get Windows 11 Pro for just $14.97 until 3/30 at 11:59 PM PST.   Microsoft Windows 11 Pro – $14.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Windows 10 remains one of the most robust versions of the operating system, which is why so many users see no reason to switch to Windows 11. However, this month’s KB5053606 update is proving problematic and causing concern for Windows 10 users, reports Windows Latest. For starters, some users aren’t able to install the update in the first place, with the installation process failing with error codes like 0x80070020. For others, the installation takes an unusually long time, which is out of the ordinary for a small update that doesn’t bring any new features. Still other users are finding that the update installs even though automatic updates are disabled for their system. (It’s worth noting, however, that KB5053606 is an important security update. As such, Windows 10 is supposed to install it automatically.) Get Windows 11 Pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro For the rest who are able to install KB5053606, that’s when the real problems start. Some have complained about icons disappearing from the taskbar, while others have mentioned that individual customizations to the desktop are being reset to factory settings. Windows 10 is also apparently slowing to a crawl and sometimes getting a delay with keyboard input, resulting in a sluggish experience. Windows 10 PCs that are still being used in the corporate sector are also experiencing printer problems. Windows Latest quotes one user as saying: “Our clients got KB5053606 yesterday and most could work just fine today, until they did a restart. After a restart, something in the user profile seems to be broken. Print spooler has many issues, like slow loading, programs crashing, and no passthrough into Citrix.” On the update’s support page, Microsoft has acknowledged the issues with Citrix and USB printers, but none of the other problems. There are no known solutions yet, so if you’re affected, you’ll have to wait for a fix. Read...

At HP Amplify 2025, the company’s big annual conference for showcasing its latest products and services, HP unveiled nearly the entire set of its new PCs for the year. I lost count at some point, but HP claims over 60 new models of laptops and PCs. While technically true, it’s a bit fudged—the company counts some variants of the same computer as separate. For example, if the same laptop comes in Intel, AMD, and Snapdragon options, then each one is a distinct “model” even if everything else is the same. That also goes for screen sizes, 2-in-1 variants, and so on. The calm before the storm, just before HP Amplify 2025 kicked off.Mattias Inghe / Foundry Even so, there were a lot of computers. I was there in person, wandering around the showroom with everything on display, along with plenty of other innovations (especially for business customers), such as management systems, security and printing solutions, etc. But I was there for the computers, from neat little desktop PCs to mighty workstations to laptops of all kinds. There were so, so many laptops. OmniBook takes over the laptops It was hard to tell them apart, but HP aims to make them easier to distinguish than before. The older, confusing sub-brands—Pavilion, Envy, and Spectre—have been scrapped and replaced by OmniBook. HP ushered in that line with a few OmniBook laptops last year, but now everything will be OmniBook going forward. These OmniBooks are then divided by suffixes. For example, the OmniBook 3 is cheap and simple, the OmniBook 5 more “normal” and mid-range, the OmniBook 7 more luxurious and lighter, and the OmniBook X supposedly at the top… except for the OmniBook Ultra, which is really the high-performance tier. Lots of new business laptops being shown off at HP Amplify 2025.Mattias Inghe / Foundry Are HP’s laptops now easier to parse? Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll have to come back in a year or two when all the older models have disappeared and OmniBook reigns alone. But to make matters a bit more confusing, there’s also the new OmniDesk line of desktop PCs and OmniStudio line of all-in-one machines. HP’s gaming PCs retain the names Omen and Victus (with only a single model launched in the latter). Business laptops are still called ProBook and EliteBook, but specialized model names are apparently being phased out here as well. (I didn’t see any new “Dragonfly” ultra-light business laptops, for example, but some EliteBooks were really slim.) I saw all kinds of consumer PCs, like these stylish desktop OmniDesk models.Mattias Inghe / Foundry Finally, there’s the Z series of powerful workstations for professionals, which get to keep their names. Plenty of new ZBook laptops and Z desktop PCs were also on show. AI is creeping into everything It’s no secret that HP is making a major investment in AI. Expect all new releases, starting with the OmniBook 5 and up, to be equipped with an NPU that can run local AI features. What about the budget-focused OmniBook 3? It’s unclear whether that one will also come with AI capabilities. I didn’t see any, but maybe with time. And even more computers! It just never ended.Mattias Inghe / Foundry I couldn’t quite figure out if there was Copilot+ certification across the board, but HP has added several of its own AI features to its machines, right down to the cheapest models. For example, there are Poly Studio (which adds webcam effects and controls, plus noise reduction for microphones) and AI Companion (HP’s own AI app that indexes local documents and lets you do semantic searches via a chat interface). All of this happens locally on your computer’s NPU to keep your data private and secure. My 5 favorites from all the ones I saw Mattias Inghe / Foundry HP Omen 16 Slim. The new gaming laptop that’s barely 0.89 inches thick and only weighs 5.29 pounds but has a fast 16-inch display, massive cooling elements, and heavy performance under the hood with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics. Learn more about it in PCWorld’s hands-on experience of it. Mattias Inghe / Foundry HP OmniBook 7 Aero. A very stylish 13-inch laptop that weighs about 2 pounds and packs plenty of performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor. It has decent graphics performance, 50 TOPS for AI, and low-power operation. I’m really looking forward to trying this one. Mattias Inghe / Foundry HP OmniBook 5. This one comes in sizes from 14 to 16 inches and feels very stable, comfortable, and well-built for something that starts around $800. That’s a great price for a quality laptop with AI performance, and it could be many people’s first AI PC. Mattias Inghe / Foundry HP Z2 G1a. When I tested Asus’ monster ROG Flow Z13 tablet, I wondered what a compact desktop PC with the same processor (Ryzen AI Max Pro 395) could do with more cooling and higher power. The answer is here. HP has put it in a compact mini PC format and is selling it as an HP Z workstation. It really does go fast—and it costs. The AMD rep I spoke to said it would be released globally, but couldn’t say for sure if it was for all markets. I hope so because I want to test it. Mattias Inghe / Foundry HP EliteStudio 8. This all-in-one computer seriously lives up to its “all in one” epithet. With a large, built-in Poly webcam that pops up, speakers built for clear voices, and AI-powered microphone management, along with Poly Studio software, this machine is perfect as a video conferencing workstation. With its last-gen Intel Core Ultra processor, AI performance isn’t quite up to scratch, but it’s good enough for most tasks. KVM functionality means you can also use it to dock your laptop. It certainly seems complete and very all-in-one. There could of course be more highlights in the deluge of computer news. If I were to ask HP, they’d say every single one was a highlight, so I was none the wiser. But these made my tester fingers itch and I hope all of them can be found and reviewed during the year. Read...

Large, powerful gaming laptops are usually a bittersweet proposition for me. They have an irresistible draw like no other laptop thanks to their huge displays, powerful chips, and large, flashy RGB keyboards. But are they lifestyle-friendly for me? No, they tend to be just too heavy or cumbersome for my on-the-go lifestyle. That was my perspective before attending HP’s launch of the Omen 16 Slim at the Amplify Conference in Nashville this week. The Omen 16 Slim is just as its name implies; it’s a slim and lightweight 16-inch gaming laptop weighing just 5.3 pounds and measuring a very thin 0.89 inches at the front end (that’s 16 percent thinner than HP’s flagship Omen 16 gaming laptop, which it’s mostly a slimmed-down version of). Apart from being a little thinner and lighter than the Omen 16, the 16 Slim has all the hallmarks of a large desktop-replacement style gaming laptop: a beautiful and large display framed up in a 16:10 aspect ratio, a chassis measuring a large 14.1 x 10.6 (WxD), and a generous 87 percent screen-to-body ratio, all of which make the laptop’s visual impact quite dramatic. check out pcworld`s top pick for gaming laptops Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 9 Read our review A gorgeous, full-sized backlit keyboard with four zones of RGB, including a numpad, which should prove useful for macros, looked sublime in the showroom, as you would expect such a keyboard to look. HP had the 16 Slim displayed on a pillar like some kind of objet d’art, and it certainly looked a sight for sore eyes. Its sturdy frame, made from black recycled metal and plastic, reflected just enough light to look sophisticated and draw in passersby for a closer look. “Go on, pick it up,” beckoned the HP representative as I stared at the richly colored, 100 percent DCI-P3 WQXGA (2560x1600p) IPS-grade panel (other display options will also be available). When I did, I found it was super easy to carry with just one hand. That brought home to me how far we’ve come in the large gaming laptop space. Far removed from the chunky gaming laptops of old that weighed over 6.5 pounds, this is actually one I could imagine fitting into my lifestyle, whether that be taking it into the office, to a friend’s place, or just carrying it around my home, so it should have a lot of appeal for similar portability-conscious gamers. While some other large laptops only achieve a thin and lightweight profile at the expense of performance, the 16 Slim oozes power and performance thanks to the addition of next-generation Intel Core Ultra H Series and Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 Series hardware. For the CPU, it can be configured with processors from the lowest-tier Core Ultra 5 225H up to a top-tier Core Ultra 9 285H. The latter means the 16 Slim will harness clock speeds up to a maximum 5.2 GHz and also draw power to a maximum 105 Watts – that’s ample grunt for achieving exceptional performance in games well into the future. The 16 Slim’s GPU is its main point of difference from the Omen 16. While the Omen 16 supports up to a Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the 16 Slim settles for a mid-range RTX GeForce 5070 GPU. I’d choose the latter any day because that portability is just too useful – I’d never want to forego that for a little extra graphics power. Besides, the RTX 5070 is a very powerful GPU in its own right. The HP Omen Slim 16 features a stylish Omen logo on the top lid.  Dominic Bayley / IDG Being one of Nvidia’s newest RTX 50 Blackwell GPUs, the RTX 5070 benefits from DLSS 4’s upscaling technologies like Frame Generation, so you can a high FPS and smooth motion in games. The 16 Slim also utilizes the Omen AI feature, which automatically analyzes your system’s hardware, OS, and the game you’re playing. This results in a big FPS uptick (I saw leaps upwards of 50 FPS). HP’s Omen AI automatically optimizes your laptop’s hardware, OS and game settings for a noticeable boost to FPS. Dominic Bayley / IDG The RTX 5070 also just seems more practical in a lightweight portable device. I can’t say with certainty without testing it but since the RTX 5070 draws less power than the RTX 5090, I’d expect longer battery life from the 16 Slim’s 4-cell 70WHr lithium-ion pack. The 16 Slim’s CPU feeds either 16GB, 24GB, or 32MBs DDR5 RAM running at 5600 MT/s, which is surely enough to service the most demanding games. You can select from a 512GB or 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage, which isn’t a lot of space these days but enough to keep a few must-play games loaded. Like most gaming laptops, you’ll also find a large port selection. I would have given more praise here had there been a Thunderbolt 4 port. Sadly, it doesn’t have one, but it does have a 10Gbps USB-C port, three USB-A ports, a HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. You also get a 1080p webcam with a privacy shutter for making video calls. The HP Omen Slim 16’s fullsize backlight RGB keyboard.  Dominic Bayley / IDG As for performance, videos and games appeared to run smoothly on the display at its native resolution thanks to a variable refresh rate (VRR) of 60-240Hz and the panel’s 3ms response time. In the glary showroom where light was beaming from multiple directions, the panel appeared to benefit from its anti-glare and 500nits of peak brightness. I was impressed with the 16 Slim. HP managed to acchieve a nice balance between portability and hardware. Of course, I’d like to back up my observations with performance benchmarks, so I’m waiting to get my hands on a review unit to do just that. No word on pricing or availability details just yet. Note: PCWorld accepted travel and accommodation to the HP Amplify Conference in the United States in order to view and try out HP products that were being released and not physically available in the author’s location. Read...

Before the internet, phonebooks let you look up the names, addresses, and phone numbers of just about anyone. But you had to be local to find that information. Nowadays that’s no longer the case. Anyone in the world can see where you live and what your phone number is plus your age, birthdate, email address, and other personal information—and it only takes a simple, fast Google search. Google doesn’t share the details directly. Rather, it lists results from data broker sites that collect your data, then sell it. Sometimes you can even see select details in the search result teasers. While you may never share your personal information online, you could still be easily found. It’s all available on the regular web—a person hunting for you wouldn’t need to access the dark web. Fortunately, Google now understands the security and privacy hazards of this scenario. Back in 2023, it rolled out a free tool called Results About You to help automate restoring your privacy. Through this feature, you can see if any Google search results exist for the phone numbers, addresses, email addresses, nicknames, and maiden names you’ve asked it to track. Recently, the company refreshed Results About You to simplify the sign-up process—making now an ideal time to get started with this proactive monitoring service. PCWorld To get started, head to Results About You on a desktop or mobile browser. Alternatively, you can open the Google app on your phone, click on your profile icon, then choose Results About You. For the best experience, choose to activate notifications. Whenever Google finds results with your details, you’ll receive an alert through email or the Google mobile app. You can now also directly request the removal of search results more easily. When you click on the three-dot menu next to a result, you’ll see Google’s updated interface. This lets users more quickly select the reason for removal and ask for a refresh of the engine so your info disappears faster. Still, even when your personal details disappear from Google’s search results, they’re not actually gone from the web. You just make it harder for people to find them in bare seconds. To truly wipe the info, you must reach out to the data broker sites directly. Don’t bother with their internal search features to find your record. They’re often slow as molasses. Instead, look for a Do Not Sell My Info or Opt Out link on a site. You’ll then either search for your record through the opt-out form, select it, then submit the request for deletion; or you’ll have to enter the URL to your record. Google’s Results About You findings come in handy here, as they often link directly to the specific URL for your info. PCWorld Requests can take several business days to complete, so you must check to verify that your data was removed. However, you can reappear on these data broker sites even after you first remove yourself. In the U.S., these businesses collect details from public records, social media, online activity, businesses you do business with, and other sources. You cannot fully control this flow of data, and a major event could cause you to reappear in listings. But you can stay wary of who you share information with—if it is ever sold or stolen, you have less to clean up and monitor. You can also enlist help to wipe your data from hundreds of data broker sites. Dedicated businesses have sprung up to help with removal requests. Some have dubious reputations (e.g., OneRep was outed as being run by an owner of multiple data broker sites), but more trustworthy companies exist. For example, security software companies like McAfee and Norton offer such a service as a feature, either as part of an antivirus subscription or a standalone product. California residents also have some relief coming in the form of the Delete Act, which requires data broker companies to comply with a simple opt-out process. By August 2026, a single request should restore your privacy and eliminate the need to play continual whack-a-mole. Read...

The wait is almost over. You can get Lenovo’s curvy new Legion Go S gaming handheld right now if you’re okay with it running Windows. But if you’re like me, you’re eagerly waiting for the SteamOS variant, which will be the very first third-party gaming handheld to run Valve’s SteamOS. That one is now up for preorder at Best Buy. The retailer is offering two models of the Legion Go S Powered by SteamOS, its full and unwieldy title. The $550 base model comes with 16GB of RAM, a 512GB storage drive, and an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor. For $750, you can bump that up to 32GB of RAM, a full 1TB of storage, and the older but more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip. According to the preview page, they’re scheduled for release on May 25th, at least in the United States. (I’ll point out that $550 is 10 percent more than the price we heard back at the announcement… but a lot has happened in the last couple of months.) The Legion Go S ditches the blocky body and Switch-style removable controllers of the original Legion Go handheld, but keeps a lot of the other features intact. While the more ergonomic body is a definite improvement, it’s not enough to get over the general jankiness of running Windows on an 8-inch device, and that lower-power chip certainly doesn’t help with the software overhead. Being a poor deal compared to the Steam Deck sure doesn’t help. For more info, check out our review. Before Lenovo confirmed it would ship the first non-Valve PC handheld to run SteamOS back at CES 2025, we’d heard that Valve was also looking at the Asus ROG Ally family. The most recent preview version of SteamOS mentions that it’s laying down the groundwork for that hardware expansion. But if you’re tired of waiting, you can always try rolling your own with some Linux-based alternatives. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros 26.5-inch 4K OLED panel looks sharp Great contrast and color performance Strong motion clarity Respectable HDR performance Lots of connectivity including USB-C Cons Design is a bit bland Gamma, color temperature slightly off-target 4K OLED panel carries a premium price Our Verdict The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED isn’t just a superb 4K gaming monitor. It’s a great all-around display for office productivity, HDR movies, and creative work. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: MSI MPG 272URX Retailer Price MSI $1099.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket OLED monitors had a great 2024, but this year might be even better. The first 27-inch 4K OLED displays based on Samsung’s third-gen QD-OLED have arrived. That’s important for two reasons: 27-inch 4K monitors are popular, and QD-OLED’s pricing will undercut the rare few 27-inch 4K OLED displays that were available before. MSI’s MPG 272URX QD-OLED is the first of this new breed to land on my desk, and it’s impressive. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED specs and features The MSI MPG 272URX’s most important feature is its resolution. 27-inch 4K monitors were available prior to this year, but they were rare. The new MSI also has a 240Hz refresh rate, while prior 4K OLED monitors were stuck at 60Hz. Display size: 26.5-inch 16:9 widescreen Native resolution: 3840×2160 Panel type: QD-OLED 10-bit panel Refresh rate: 240Hz Adaptive sync: Yes HDR: Yes, HDR 10, DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certified Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR20), 1x USB-C with DisplayPort and 98 watts USB Power Delivery, 1x USB-B 5Gbps upstream, 2x USB-A 5Gbps downstream, 1x 3.5mm audio-out VESA mount: 100x100mm Speakers: None Price: $1,099.99 While the 4K QD-OLED panel is the headliner, MSI hasn’t skimped on the extras. The MPG 272URX has a DisplayPort 2.1a port that can handle up to 80Gbps of bandwidth, a USB-C port with 98 watts of Power Delivery, and a pair of downstream USB-A ports. A KVM switch is included, as well. Read on to learn more, then check out our roundup of the best 4K monitors for comparison. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED design The MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED doesn’t make a strong first impression. From the front, it features slim bezels on the sides and top, while a matte-black plastic chin lines the bottom of the display. Around back you’ll find a mixture of matte-black metals and plastics with some attractive but subtle MSI branding. Thankfully, the monitor includes RGB LED lighting to provide much-needed flair. Matthew Smith / Foundry Its sturdy and functional stand follows the same understated approach, using matte-black materials that avoid drawing attention. While the stand’s base is large, its flat design means the desk space it occupies remains usable. The stand includes a generous cable management cutout and provides typical ergonomic adjustments: tilt, swivel, and height. It can also pivot 90 degrees for portrait orientation. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for third-party monitor stands and arms. The MPG 272URX QD-OLED has an internal power supply instead of an external power brick. This slightly increases the monitor’s thickness but eliminates the hassle of finding space for an awkward power brick on your power strip. Personally, I prefer an internal power supply and appreciate MSI’s decision. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED connectivity MSI doesn’t hold back on connectivity with the MPG 272URX QD-OLED. The monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 2.1a port, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort mode, totaling four video input options. The DisplayPort 2.1a connection supports up to 80Gbps of bandwidth, the maximum this version of the standard can provide. The monitor’s USB connectivity is equally impressive. The USB-C port delivers up to 90W of power delivery, making it suitable for charging connected tablets or laptops. The monitor also includes two USB downstream ports and a USB-B upstream port, providing connectivity for devices without USB-C. A KVM switch function rounds out the feature set. While the MSI’s connectivity is excellent, it’s largely matched by what’s available on competing 27-inch 4K OLED monitors entering the market, such as the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. However, the specifications for the upcoming Alienware AW2725Q and Samsung G81SF show they won’t offer USB-C with DisplayPort, which gives MSI and Asus an advantage in connectivity. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED features Matthew Smith / Foundry An easy-to-use joystick, centered on the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED’s chin, provides access to the monitor’s on-screen menus. It offers a comprehensive range of quality adjustments including gamma, color temperature, and color settings, as well as color calibration. Competitors usually offer these options too. However, the MSI notably lacks a uniform brightness mode. This is an option provided by some competitors, such as Asus, which restricts the OLED monitor’s maximum SDR brightness to reduce fluctuations when switching between dark and bright content. The monitor also lacks brightness adjustment in HDR mode. I think both Uniform Brightness and adjustable HDR brightness should be standard for any premium OLED monitor. MSI provides the standard array of gaming-centric features, including an on-screen crosshair, timer, refresh rate readout, black equalizer for boosting visibility in dark areas, and a scope mode for zooming in to take more precise shots. While these features don’t provide an edge over the competition, gamers who use them will appreciate their presence. The MPG 272URX QD-OLED takes a pass on audio. The monitor doesn’t include built-in speakers, so owners need to rely on a headset or external desktop speakers. That isn’t unusual for a gaming monitor, and since most people would likely use a headset anyway, the lack of audio output isn’t a significant drawback. The MPG 272URX’s 4K OLED panel delivers a big boost to sharpness over last year’s 1440p OLED panels. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED image quality The MSI MPG 272URX has a 26.5-inch third-generation Samsung QD-OLED panel with 3840×2160 resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. 4K resolution is the headliner for this monitor and, indeed, its overall performance is otherwise in line with prior QD-OLED monitors (in SDR, at least). Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry We start off with brightness, where the MPG 272URX QD-OLED provides a modest maximum SDR brightness of 269 nits. That’s right in line with most QD-OLED monitors we’ve tested. The Asus ROG Swift PG27QDP, which has an LG WOLED panel, was a bit brighter in this test. A glossy finish coats the QD-OLED panel. Though it has a good anti-glare finish, reflections will be obvious when a bright light source is opposite the monitor, and in any brightly lit room. The monitor is more than bright enough to use in most settings, but glare could become an issue if your room has large, sunlit windows or bright lights sitting opposite the monitor’s position in the room. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry Contrast is a strength for all OLED monitors. An OLED panel’s ability to activate each pixel individually makes it possible to achieve a minimum brightness of zero nits. That’s important, as it provides a better sense of realism in depth, as well as more convincing detail in dark scenes. The MPG 272URX does well here, though it also has no advantage, as all its competitors offer the same contrast performance. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry The MPG 272URX produced a color gamut that spans 100 percent of sRGB, 98 percent of DCI-P3, and 92 percent of AdobeRGB. These figures aren’t much different from prior QD-OLED monitors, but they’re excellent results and show the monitor can provide a vibrant and hyper-saturated image that many people will enjoy. They also make the monitor a good choice for creative work, and the monitor even includes preset modes for sRGB, DCI-P3, and AdobeRGB. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry Color accuracy is more mid-pack, but the MPG 272URX’s color error remains slight and is unlikely to stand out to most viewers. The color error reading was highest in blue and cyan but, even knowing this, the image looked accurate to my eyes. This level of color accuracy is good for gaming, entertainment, and most creative work. To be frank, shoppers who need better accuracy than this should be looking at a display for creative professionals, like the BenQ SW272U. The MSI MPG 272URX varied from our gamma and color temperature targets. I measured a gamma of 2.3, off our target of 2.2, which indicates the image is a bit darker than it should be. That is common for an OLED gaming monitor. I also measured a default color temperature of 6100K, which is a bit warmer than our target of 6500K. Personally, I like a warm image, so this didn’t trouble me. The monitor also has several color temperature presets for further adjustment, though they target vague labels like “Warm” and “Cool” instead of specific color temperature values. The MPG 272URX’s 4K OLED panel delivers a big boost to sharpness over last year’s 1440p OLED panels. More importantly, 4K resolution greatly reduces the sub-pixel oddities that OLED panels can suffer. While 1440p QD-OLED monitors are great, they show unsightly aliasing around small fonts and some high-contrast edges. The new 4K QD-OLED panel doesn’t entirely remove this but, due to the higher pixel density, it’s much more difficult to notice the effect. The MPG 272URX looks about as sharp as any other 4K monitor when viewed from two to three feet away. That’s good news for the MPG 272URX. Sharpness is the big reason to buy a more expensive 4K QD-OLED monitor over a cheaper 1440p QD-OLED monitor. Whether the improvement is worth the money will depend on your preferences, but there’s no disputing 4K QD-OLED delivers a dramatic boost to sharpness.    MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED HDR image quality Samsung’s third-gen QD-OLED panels are excellent in SDR, much like the prior generation. But what about HDR? Here, QD-OLED has something to prove as LG’s latest WOLED panels, which entered the market in the second half of 2024, generally served up better HDR brightness. Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry The MPG 272URX delivers solid HDR performance. Like most OLED monitors, it performs best when only a small portion of the display is brightly lit. I measured a maximum brightness of 934 nits when just 10 percent of the display panel showed a bright white HDR image, but that was reduced to 263 nits when that image is shown full screen. Still, the MSI’s peak brightness beats most OLED monitors. Subjectively, I was incredibly impressed by the monitor’s HDR performance. The lightning strikes that crackle through the “Into the Storm” scene from Mad Max: Fury Road felt eye-searingly bright. The monitor also teased out subtle gradients of luminance around the black hole in Interstellar’s “Gargantua” scene. While I wouldn’t say the MPG 272URX redefines the standard for the best HDR monitors I’ve reviewed, it certainly ranks near the top of its class, and I found HDR content enjoyable on the display. MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED motion performance The MSI MPG 272URX excels in motion clarity, boasting a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz and Adaptive Sync support (with official G-Sync compatibility and unofficial FreeSync support). The result is stunningly smooth motion. A 240Hz refresh rate strikes a practical balance, as it’s the highest rate that mid-range to high-end GPUs can realistically achieve at 4K resolution in modern games (as you need a consistent 240 FPS to fully benefit from the refresh rate). The monitor’s motion clarity is further enhanced by OLED’s rapid pixel response times, which reduce motion blur during fast-paced action. In practice, the motion clarity is crisp, though not without limitations. Scrolling test images from DOTA 2 and League of Legends revealed that terrain, character silhouettes, and spell effects were discernible, though some character names and hitpoint bar details were hard to make out. Still, this is a high standard of performance. In titles that ask less of a monitor’s motion clarity, like World of Warcraft, the image approaches perfection in motion. It’s worth noting that 27-inch OLED monitors with 1440p resolution and a 360Hz refresh rate are available, providing a minor but noticeable improvement in clarity that competitive players will appreciate. However, for most people, the MPG 272URX’s 4K 240Hz strikes an ideal balance between sharpness and motion clarity. Should you buy the MSI MPG 272URX? The MSI MPG 272URX is a remarkable 27-inch 4K OLED monitor. It retains the stunning contrast, rich colors, and pinpoint accuracy of previous OLED displays while stepping up with a sharper image and improved peak HDR brightness. The design, though not flashy, is functional and well-equipped, offering a good selection of video and USB connectivity. However, the $1099.99 price tag might make some hesitate. With older 27-inch 1440p OLED monitors now dipping below $800, the MPG 272URX’s value proposition rests squarely on its 4K resolution. For those who crave extra sharpness and detail, though, the premium is certainly justified. Read...

Windows 10 has been one of the best and most stable versions of the operating system from Microsoft, and it is no wonder that many users have waited to update to the new Windows 11. Despite its release in 2021, there are still significantly more people running Windows 10. But now the clock is ticking for the system. In October 2025, the very last regular update of the system will come. After that, Microsoft will only make security updates available to customers who pay extra for the Extended Security Update (ESU) program. Are you one of the many people who have reluctantly realized that it’s time to update? You’re not alone, but I can also tell you that it’s not nearly as bad as you might think. Windows 11 is mostly the same, and while Microsoft has made some questionable changes, it’s not a repeat of the disaster that was Windows 8. Join me as I walk you through how to safely update and get started with Windows 11. Further reading: Windows 10 will hit end of life in 2025. Here’s what to expect Check that your computer is up to scratch Before you can install Windows 11, you can check that your computer actually meets the system requirements. An easy way to do this is to install all available updates in Windows 10. The Windows Update section in Settings will then offer you to upgrade to Windows 11 as long as your computer meets the requirements. Foundry You can also install the PC Health Check program. If your computer does not meet the system requirements, the program will show you what is missing and you can then see if it’s something you can fix without having to get a new computer to run Windows 11. It can be as simple as the TPM module in the processor not being enabled in the BIOS settings. The minimum requirements are a 64-bit processor of at least 1GHz, 4 GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, UEFI with support for Secure Boot (though it doesn’t have to be enabled), TPM 2.0, a screen with at least 720p resolution, and an internet connection. Since Microsoft released version 24H2 of the system, slightly higher requirements are placed on the processor. For Intel, it requires the eighth-generation Core or later, or the equivalent of Celeron/Atom/Xeon. For AMD, at least second-generation Ryzen or third-generation Threadripper, or the equivalent of Epyc, is required. Also a bunch of Zen-based Athlon chipsets are supported. Back up so you can roll back if disaster strikes Jan Van Bizar Before you start upgrading to the newer system, it’s a good idea to make a full backup of the current system, a so-called clone backup. This makes it much easier to roll back to Windows 10 if something goes wrong during the installation (or if you simply can’t stand Windows 11). There are a number of different programs that can clone your hard drive. R-Drive Image has long been one our favorite full-featured program. For a free version, it’s hard to beat EaseUS. I have seen some reports of problems getting the computer to boot from a ready-made clone, so don’t forget to test before you proceed. Further reading: How to save your older PC when Windows 10 hits end of life Update from Windows 10 or reinstall? Foundry Now the question is: Should you install Windows 11 as an update to your existing Windows 10 system, or should you spring clean your computer with a fresh install? This question comes up every time Microsoft releases a brand new version of Windows. You can find users who swear that the system will be faster and suffer from fewer bugs with a brand new installation. But there are also users who believe that this is pure nonsense and that an update is faster and easier as you don’t have to reinstall all your programs and other things. My recommendation if you are unsure is to have a solid backup (see above) and start by testing an update. If all goes well, you will be up and running in Windows 11 considerably faster, and in the unlikely event that you run into any difficulties, you can always do a reinstallation afterwards. If you run the update and go and do something else in the meantime, you’ll lose almost no time. Update in place – keep files, programs, and settings To perform a regular update without having to redo anything after installation, there are two options. The easiest is to go through Windows Update in Settings and let the system itself take care of the update. Then it works much like a major regular update, for example when Windows 10 22H2 was released. The computer will restart a few times during the installation, but otherwise it is just like a regular update. If for some reason you are not offered to update in Windows Update, or you just prefer it, you can download an iso file with the latest version of the system and install from it. You don’t need to create installation media on a USB stick, just double-click the .iso file in Explorer, go to the mounted disc image, and run the Setup.exe program. Foundry After a few steps where the installer checks the computer and a few other things, you will get to a dialog box where you can choose what you want to keep. The default option is to keep everything — that is, files, installed programs, and settings. You can also choose to keep only files, but since you then have to reinstall programs and redo system settings, I think it is better to do a total reinstallation and then move back personal files from the backup. Blow out and start from scratch Foundry If you have a weekend to spend on the update, it can be a great opportunity to spring clean your computer. Over the years, Windows accumulates a lot of junk that never gets cleaned up. Old programs you’ve forgotten you ever installed. Settings, caches, downloaded updates, and much more can gradually fill up your disk. Reformatting and starting from scratch will free up space and make your system more stable. If you then start by removing all the pre-installed programs you don’t need and then installing only the ones you actually want, you’ll end up with a system that feels airier. If you do this, it is particularly important that you have a full backup. Make sure you can boot from it, and that all important files and other things are there. Then use an .iso file of the latest version of Windows 11 and Microsoft’s installation media creation tool on a USB stick. Boot your computer from that and when you get to the step where you choose where to install the system, you can reformat the disk. If you have more than one SSD or hard drive, it is important that you choose the right one, and you may have to disconnect all the drives except the one you are installing on first. The Windows installer is a bit finicky about this. Further reading: The Windows 11 upgrade checklist First acquaintance with Windows 11 Foundry Once the update is complete and you start Windows 11 for the first time and log in, you’re greeted by a full dialog box you need to go through before you get to the desktop. It’s about location services and various features related to how Microsoft collects analytics data and the like. You can always change your mind later in Settings. Next, the system will suggest you “complete the installation,” which is Microsoft’s slightly sneaky attempt to get you to choose Edge as the default browser, enable backup to OneDrive, and a few more things. You can click through but only select the things you actually want. (If you don’t want to see this “helpful” dialog box again, you can open Settings > System > Notifications > Additional settings and tick off the various options.) Nothing more, and you are now greeted by the desktop with the Taskbar in its usual place at the bottom. The Start menu and application icons have moved to the center of the screen instead, but you can move them back to the left if you prefer. One major change is the Start menu itself, which has a new look and layout. Microsoft has made some changes since Windows 11 was first released, and version 24H2 finally has the option to display all installed programs in a list instead of a grid. Click on the All apps button at the top right. Unfortunately, there is no way to open that view by default. Foundry The taskbar also behaves differently than before. If you have multiple windows open in a program, these are not shown as separate icons, but you have to hover the pointer over the program icon to see the different open windows. If you want to go back to the way it was before, you can go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar Behaviors and select Never for Combine taskbar buttons and hide labels on other taskbars. In the same menu you can also left align the Taskbar. Here are some other things that have become different and may confuse or require some time to get used to: Copy and Paste Both the toolbar and the context menu in Explorer have changed, and the most common commands, like copy and paste, have become icons. Fortunately, Microsoft has listened to user feedback and the context menu also shows the title next to each icon. Action Center is gone Joel Lee / IDG On the far right of the Taskbar used to be the Action Center, which brought together notifications, quick settings, and shortcuts to various functions. The whole feature is gone in Windows 11 and instead there is a new notification view. Default programs Foundry Microsoft has changed how you set up default programs for different file and link types. Open Settings > Apps > Default apps. Here you will find a list of installed programs. Click on an application and a list of file types for which that application is the default application will appear. You can also search for file extensions or link types in the search bar at the top and change the default application for that type. Better Microsoft Store Microsoft In the past, it was almost always best to download programs directly from the developers, and the Microsoft Store didn’t have standard desktop programs. In Windows 11, the store has gotten better and today many of the major programs can be found here. It’s often worth checking the store first and going via the web if you can’t find it. Copilot replaces Cortana As long as you’re signed into a Microsoft account, you’ll have access to the company’s AI chatbot directly in Windows, and the old assistant Cortana is long gone. New design on Settings Foundry Finding your way through all your system settings just got easier. The program now has a permanent list of categories on the left. There are still very deep hierarchies for some settings, but the search function often works well to find a specific setting. How to restore to Windows 10 Foundry If you have installed Windows 11 as an update with Windows Update, you can roll it back directly in Settings. Go to System > Recovery and click Go back. Follow the instructions. Wait for it to finish (it may take as long as installing the update). If this option is missing, it’s either because you didn’t update with Windows Update, you’ve run System Cleanup after the update, or it’s been so long that Windows has automatically cleaned up the files needed. In that case, you can restore your old installation by cloning back the system from the clone backup you made before updating. Keep in mind that this will overwrite any newer files, so it’s best to make another backup of the system as it is now so you can copy back everything new when you’re done. Of course, this requires an additional hard drive that is large enough. The fact that it’s much easier to roll back with the Go Back feature is another argument in favor of updating to Windows 11 instead of reformatting and reinstalling. Read...

The famous Taupo McDonald’s with a decommissioned DC-3 plane features in a book by an award-winning US photographer. Read...

Many Windows users look down on OneDrive and Copilot alike, so the combination of the two might seem like the worst of all worlds. Expect the new Copilot for OneDrive to be equally polarizing. Microsoft is launching Copilot for OneDrive for the Web, which has been exclusively a feature for business users until now. Today, Microsoft begins rolling it out to consumers — on the cloud, and not on your PC. Many PC users detest Windows’ OneDrive function, which launches, slurps up your data, and begins sending it to the cloud — taking up CPU cycles and broadband bandwidth. Copilot is really just a glorified app at this point, and not overwhelmingly useful even in the cloud. Anything that Microsoft deems a productivity boost for Copilot is often hidden behind a subscription. (In this case, it is as well: Copilot for OneDrive is only available with Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, and only by the person who pays that bill.) Microsoft said Thursday that if you meet those criteria, it’s going to be turning on Copilot for OneDrive automatically for users over the next several months, through June. A related FAQ doesn’t seem to indicate that you’ll have any choice in the matter, either, although Microsoft claims that it will only work on the files you specify: Microsoft’s Copilot for OneDrive for the Web.Microsoft “Copilot uses your files and files that you have permission for to provide you with insights on your content,” the FAQ says. “Copilot can only be activated on the files that you select in OneDrive.” Microsoft is pitching Copilot as a tool to enable certain features, some of which do appear to be useful. There’s the ubiquitous summarization, for one, which would allow you to upload a copy of a lease agreement and have Copilot summarize it. Copilot can also compare documents using AI — deduplication programs can also do the same to tell you which file is larger or more recent, but Copilot will do this analytically, examining the contents of a document. Naturally, you can also query a document, to “ask” some healthcare paperwork what would happen if you couldn’t pay your bill on time. There are some limitations: you can only compare five documents at a time, and they have to be documents (Office files like .DOC and .PPT file formats, Web pages, or M365 formats like .LOOP files) and not pictures or encrypted files. Beig able to intelligently compare documents via Copilot for OneDrive for the Web seems rather useful.Microsoft Microsoft will also charge you for using Copilot, via its “AI credits.” Each use of Copilot deducts one AI credit, and Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers receive 60 AI credits per month. It sounds like Microsoft intends for Copilot to not have access to specific files until you authorize it. But that probably won’t satisfy privacy-conscious users who are concerned about Microsoft going through their digital closet. Read...