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After months of build-up, YouTube TV’s new Sports and genre plans feel underwhelming. YouTube started hyping up these plans in December, promising cheaper bundles with fewer channels you don’t care about. Sports fans, for instance, can get a package without news or entertainment channels, while sports haters can finally stop subsidizing expensive channels like ESPN. But while the new plans could save you some money, they’re not much different from other skinny bundles that DirecTV and Fubo offer already. In some cases, they might even be worse. False start First, a disclaimer: You probably can’t sign up for YouTube TV’s new plans yet. While they technically launched last week, YouTube says it’s “rolling these plans out slowly to ensure the best possible experience.” They may not be broadly available for several weeks. In the meantime, YouTube TV is still withholding some basic information. While it’s promising more than 10 genre plans in total, so far it’s only announced five of them: Sports Plan ($65/mo.): Local broadcast channels and national sports channels such as ESPN, FS1/FS2, TBS/TNT, NBC (including regional NBC Sports in select markets), Golf, NFL Network, and NBA TV, with ESPN Unlimited to be added in the fall. Sports + News Plan ($72/mo.): The above plan, plus CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, CSPAN, and business news channels. Entertainment Plan ($55/mo.): Local broadcast channels and general entertainment channels such as Hallmark, Comedy Central, HGTV, and Bravo. News + Entertainment + Family Plan ($70/mo.): Basically everything except sports, including kids channels such as Disney and Nickelodeon. Sports + News + Entertainment ($78 per month): Nearly the full YouTube TV package, but without kids channels. YouTube TV’s base plan, with more channels than any of the above options, remains available for $83 per month. Note that YouTube hasn’t released full channel lists for most of these packages (though Deadline got a channel list for the Sports package). It’s also unclear whether we’ll see any additional genre packages, or if the remaining five-plus options will just be different combinations of the Sports, News, Entertainment, and Family plans that YouTube has announced already. How YouTube TV’s Sports package compares Even with incomplete information, we can start to compare YouTube TV’s genre plans with the competition. The Sports plan, for instance, will be the cheapest way to combine local broadcasts and national sports channels if that’s all you want from a live TV service. At $65 per month, it’s $5 per month cheaper than DirecTV’s MySports plan, which launched last year, and $18 per month cheaper than YouTube TV’s standard plan. YouTube’s case gets stronger in the handful of markets that carry regional NBC Sports Networks. They’re included with YouTube TV’s Sports plan, but not DirecTV’s MySports package. (YouTube’s plans don’t include any other regional sports networks, while DirecTV offers a $20 per month MyHome Team add-on in select markets.) But if you want cable news, DirecTV’s MySports plan has an edge at $70 per month, versus $72 per month for YouTube TV’s Sports + News option. It also includes MLB Network and NHL TV, which YouTube’s bundle lacks. Jared Newman / Foundry (Click to enlarge or view on Google Sheets) YouTube TV’s Sports + News + Entertainment plan is interesting, in that it cuts out kids channels such as Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network. It’s only $5 per month cheaper than YouTube TV’s standard package, but that’s better than nothing for channels you might never watch. Those who want more price flexibility could look to Fubo Sports instead. At $56 per month, it’s cheaper than YouTube TV’s Sports plan, but it does not include NBC, TNT, TBS, or any regional sports channels. These bundles aren’t the only way to slice and dice sports coverage. You could also opt for some combination of ESPN Unlimited, Fox One, Peacock for NBC, Paramount+ for CBS, and HBO Max for TNT/TBS. But if you’re going to pay for all of those at the same time, you’re better off picking a bundle that includes all of their corresponding TV channels. YouTube TV’s non-sports plans YouTube TV’s other genre plans are a bit different from what DirecTV offers, at least from what we’ve seen so far. The $55 per month Entertainment plan, for instance, caters to folks who have no interest in sports but don’t want to give up local broadcast stations or general entertainment channels. Same goes for the $70 per month News + Entertainment + Family Plan. No other streaming TV packages like these exist on the market today. But as more kids tune into Netflix and YouTube, and as cable’s entertainment channels become bereft of original programming, the appeal may be limited. With its new genre plans, YouTube TV missed an opportunity to start bundling streaming services alongside traditional cable channels. That’s what DirecTV is doing with its $35 per month MyEntertainment package, which offers many of the same channels as YouTube’s Entertainment plan along with Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. And while DirecTV’s MyEntertainment doesn’t carry local channels, you can combine it with DirecTV MyNews for $75 per month total. That gets you local channels, cable news, entertainment, and a trio of streaming services. It’s a more compelling package than any of YouTube’s non-sports offerings. Slice and dice Given YouTube TV’s status as the largest live TV streaming service—one that might become bigger than major companies soon—I thought its bargaining power would result in packages that are clearly better than the competition. The reality is more nuanced. The new YouTube TV genre plans can save you money, but you’ll still have to carefully consider the alternatives and choose wisely. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...

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At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Handsome design Magnetic mounting to any suitable surface Up to 4GBps transfers Cons Slowest USB4 SSD we’ve tested 10Gbps speeds during long writes Our Verdict The MSI DataMag 40Gbps offers handsome design, magnetic attachment, and solid Construction. But it’s merely a good, not fantastic, USB4 performer. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: MSI DataMag 40Gbps USB4 SSD Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Magnetically attached SSDs can be handy, especially speedy 40Gbps models such as the MSI DataMag 40Gbps reviewed here. They can be fixed in place on any suitable metallic surface. Alas, that doesn’t include my aluminum Macs, but it does include the router right next to them. What are the DataMag 40Gbps’s features? Well, the name and intro give away part of the story — the magnetic ring on the back of the unit (see below) and that the drive is 40Gbs USB4. It measures a little over 2.5-inches across in both directions, is a little under 0.5-inches thick, and has a lanyard opening on the upper right. Weight is 2.8 ounces, which gives a nice solid heft. The back of the DataMag 40Gbps with its magnetic mounting “ring” and Type-C port on the bottom edge. The DataMag 40gbps sports a Phison U21 controller and stacked/layered/3D TLC (Triple-Level Cell/3-bit) NAND. The company warranties the drive for five years, or until the TBW rating is reached. Said rating is 750TBW (terabytes that may be written) per one terabyte of capacity. That’s on the generous side for an external SSD. The norm is three years and 600TBW or less depending on the NAND involved. How much is the MSI DataMag 40Gbps? The DataMag 40Gbps is currently available in 1TB/$170 and 2TB/$296 capacities — those prices come from the company, which also promises that a 4TB version is on the way. Those are a tad pricey for USB4, but not outrageously so. The drive also hasn’t shown up on Amazon as of this writing, so there may be discounts to be had in the near future. How fast is the MSI DataMag 40Gbps? Short answer: plenty fast, though there were areas where the drive didn’t quite match the competition. Part of the issue was undoubtedly that the drive MSI sent us is only 1TB, meaning it had exactly half the NAND to play with as the Adata SE920, and one-quarter the NAND of the top-rated LaCie Rugged SSD4. Less NAND means less secondary cache and dropping to the NAND’s native write rate sooner. That said, the native write rate of around 830MBps will still get the job done in a suitable amount of time in many cases. Less secondary cache or not, the DataMag 40Gbps was in no hurry to get to its native write rate. In fact, it actually delivered an outstanding queued sequential read score in CrystalDiskMark 8 before dropping off the pace. The DataMag 40Gbps actually delivered an outstanding queued read score in CrystalDiskMark 8 before dropping off the pace. Longer bars are better. The DataMag 40Gbps was also outstanding in the CrystalDiskMark 8 4K tests. Especially with multiple queues in play. Queues are not something a lot of software feature (Windows doesn’t), but… The DataMag 40Gbps was outstanding in the CrystalDiskMark 8 4K tests. Especially with multiple queues in play. Not something a lot of software features. Longer bars are better. It was in our real-world 48GB transfers that the DataMag 40Gbps began to lag a bit more. I wasn’t expecting this to take place with the small file and folder operations; usually a good CrystalDiskMark 8 4K score translates to a good performance with the smaller files and folders. It was in our real-world 48GB transfers that the DataMag 40Gbps began to lag a bit. What we weren’t expecting was that it took place with the small file and folder operations. Usually a good CrystalDiskMark 8 4K score translates to good performance with the smaller files and folders. Shorter bars are better. Being “only” a 1TB drive no doubt hurt the DataMag 40Gbps’s 450GB write time, which was twice that of the competition. Being “only” a 1TB drive no doubt hurt the DataMag 40Gbps’s 450GB write time. Shorter bars are better. Here you can see where the lag in the 450GB write began. About 50GB in, the DataMag 40Gbps’s write speed dropped to USB 10Gbps levels, or around 830MBps. If MSI had sent us the 2TB version of the DataMag 40Gbps, it undoubtedly would’ve done better in the real-world transfer tests. Regardless, it offers a nice boost in sustained throughput over the soon-to-be-reviewed (but already tested) MSI DataMag 20Gbps, and other USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps) SSDs. Should you buy the MSI DataMag 40Gbps? I love the look, like the performance, and appreciate that magnetic attachment. Given competitive pricing I’d give it a nod, but as always — read our other reviews and shop around. How we test Drive tests currently utilize Windows 11 24H2, 64-bit running off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Ultra i5 225 feeding/fed by two Crucial 64GB DDR5 5600MHz modules (128GB of memory total). Both 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are integrated into the motherboard and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Internal PCIe 5.0 SSDs involved in testing are mounted in an Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 adapter card sitting in a PCIe 5.0 slot. We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 synthetic benchmarks (to keep article length down, we report only the first) to find the storage device’s potential performance. Then we run a series of 48GB transfer and 450GB write tests using Windows Explorer drag and drop to show what users will see during routine copy operations, as well as the far faster FastCopy run as administrator to show what’s possible. A 25GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 is used as the second drive in our transfer tests. Formerly the 48GB tests were done with a RAM disk serving that purpose. Each test is performed on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the results are optimal. Note that in normal use, as a drive fills up, performance may decrease due to less NAND for secondary caching, as well as other factors. This issue has abated somewhat with the current crop of SSDs utilizing more mature controllers and far faster, late-generation NAND. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Compact, high-quality aluminium casing Good system performance for office and multimedia Very fast SSD Modern connections including USB4 Moderate operating noise during normal use Cons Integrated graphics too weak for demanding games No dedicated NPU for local AI applications Our Verdict The Geekom A8 impresses with its high-quality workmanship and attractive design. The AMD Ryzen 7 delivers more than enough performance for everyday tasks and offers long-term reserves. Despite its compact design, the device has a wide range of connectivity options. Quiet, fast and reliable, it can replace a classic desktop PC for the office. The integrated graphics reach their hardware limits not only in gaming, but also in demanding local AI image generation, 4K video editing or 3D applications. Price when reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Geekom A8 Retailer Price $611.10 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Technical specs Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS (8 cores, 16 threads) Memory: Micron 16 GB DDR5-5600, expandable to 64 GB Hard drive: 1 TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4×4 SSD (Wodposit WPBSN4M8-1TGP) Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics 780M (integrated) Front ports: 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 × 3.5 mm audio Rear ports: 1 × USB 4 (Type-C), 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-C), 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type-A), 1 × USB 2.0 (Type-A), 2 × HDMI 2.0, 1 × 2.5G LAN Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 Operating system: Windows 11 Pro pre-installed Dimensions: 112.4 × 112.4 × 37 mm (W × D × H) Accessories: VESA mount, HDMI cable, external power supply The market for compact desktop solutions is developing rapidly. With the Geekom A8, we have a new device that claims to replace classic tower PCs in terms of office performance. Here we are testing the A8 in a configuration with an AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS, 16 GB DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Let’s find out if it can live up to that claim. In testing, the Geekom A8 proved to be an extremely versatile work computer for private use and the modern home office. Geekom A8: Design The chassis of the Geekom A8 is made of aluminum alloy. The silver surface looks elegant and is resistant to fingerprints. In direct comparison to the larger A9 Max models, the case appears significantly more compact – it measures just 112 x 112 x 37 millimeters (W × D × H). Christoph Hoffmann This makes the A8 flatter than competitors such as the Peladn WO4 or the Alliwava GH8. The rounded corners give the device a modern look reminiscent of Apple products. Despite its small size, the mini PC appears robust. The gaps are precisely crafted. The manufacturer’s logo is emblazoned on the top. The side panels are perforated for air circulation. There are rubberized feet on the underside to prevent it from slipping on the desk. They also cover the screws used to open the case. The workmanship is good, and everything looks as if it were made from a single mold. Christoph Hoffmann The cooling system is exceptionally quiet under normal load. The fan is usually inaudible during simple office work. Under full load, it revs up audibly without producing an annoying whistling noise. Heat dissipation via the metal surface works well. The included external power supply is still compact. Geekom A8: Features The AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS belongs to the Hawk Point generation and is classified as a powerful upper mid-range mobile processor designed specifically for efficient multitasking, office workflows and productive applications. The CPU was introduced in early 2024 and offers eight cores and 16 threads, but unlike the top models, it deliberately does without a dedicated NPU for AI acceleration. The AMD Radeon 780M is a modern integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3 architecture, which is found in CPUs such as the Ryzen 7 8745HS and is suitable for mainstream graphics tasks and games with low hardware requirements; It delivers significantly more performance than older iGPUs, but still lags behind dedicated graphics cards and is only truly suitable for e-sports titles, which are usually played at reduced resolution and low 3D settings. Christoph Hoffmann Given its compact design, the Geekom A8 surprises with its variety of ports. On the front, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones and headsets. The flush-mounted power button has a defined pressure point. Christoph Hoffmann The rear panel is densely populated: here, users will find a USB4 port with up to 40 Gbit/s. It also supports image output and power supply for external devices. In addition, there are two HDMI 2.0 ports and another USB-C port. The fast 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet connection (Realtek RTL8125) ensures stable network connections. Christoph Hoffmann While cheaper models such as the Acemagic M1 often skimp on USB speed, the A8 offers consistently fast ports. For wireless connectivity, the mini PC relies on a MediaTek MT7922 (IEEE 802.11ax) Wi-Fi 6E module, which supports the 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. This enables higher data rates, lower latencies and a more stable connection in heavily utilized networks. Bluetooth 5.2 is also included in the wireless equipment. This allows input devices, headsets and other accessories to be connected wirelessly. The 16GB of RAM comes from Micron and is located in a DDR5 SO-DIMM slot. According to the manufacturer, the RAM can be expanded to up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM. This provides sufficient reserves for demanding multitasking scenarios, productive applications and long-term use. Christoph Hoffmann A 2280-format M.2 SSD with PCIe 4.0 x4 connection from Wodposit (model WPBSN4M8-1TGP) is used for data storage. It enables very high sequential transfer rates and short access times, which has a positive effect on both system starts and the loading of large amounts of data, noticeably speeding up the mini PC as a whole. Christoph Hoffmann Geekom A8: Operating system The Geekom A8 comes with a hardware-bound Windows 11 license pre-installed, so no additional activation is necessary. When you switch on the mini PC for the first time, the Windows setup wizard starts automatically. During this setup, the first system and security updates are downloaded. Nevertheless, it’s advisable to check for further updates manually after the installation is complete. Christoph Hoffmann Although Windows 11 is basically ready to use as soon as it is delivered, the user must still install drivers for stable and performance-optimised operation. In particular, the latest AMD drivers for the Radeon graphics unit and the chipset should be installed as soon as possible. Both have a decisive influence on system stability, energy efficiency and graphics performance. Christoph Hoffmann In addition, you can check whether the feature update to Windows 11 version 25H2 is already available and can be installed. This was the case for us. Among other things, the update contains security-related adjustments as well as changes to system functions and operating system management. An update ensures that the system complies with the current support and update status from Microsoft. Geekom A8: Performance At the heart of the A8 is the AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS processor. The eight cores clock at high speed and handle multitasking tasks with ease. The benchmarks clearly show the strength of this CPU: in PCMark 10, for example, the system achieves a total score of 6,470 points. The tiny device is particularly impressive in the Essentials category with 9,912 points and in Productivity with 9,129 points. Office applications, surfing the web with dozens of tabs and video conferencing are no problem at all. Christoph Hoffmann The A8 achieves a solid 8,125 points in digital content creation. The A8 is ideally equipped for image editing in Adobe Photoshop or simple video editing. The 16 GB DDR5 RAM ensures smooth system operation. For comparison: the Alliwava GH8 with AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS achieves almost the same result in this benchmark. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS in the Geekom A7 Max is only slightly faster. In the CPU-specific tests of 3DMark, the processor scores 7,359 points at maximum thread count. This underlines its suitability for computationally intensive tasks. The differences to the two mini PCs mentioned above are similar to those in PCMark 10. Christoph Hoffmann When it comes to graphics performance, the Geekom A8’s integrated Radeon unit reaches its limits. It scores 1,877 points in the Time Spy benchmark, which is only ten points less than the Geekom A7 Max. The Steel Nomad Light test delivers a clear signal with 12.41 FPS: this mini PC is not a gaming machine. Even current blockbuster titles can only be played with greatly reduced details and low resolution. The estimated gaming performance usually remains below 30 FPS. Older e-sports titles such as League of Legends, on the other hand, run smoothly. Compared to the Sapphire Edge AI 370 or the Minisforum AI-X1 Pro, the A8 ranks in the upper mid-range. The lack of an NPU is noticeable in the Geekbench AI scores: the system achieves 3,646 points in the single precision score. The more expensive Max models are better suited for specialized AI workflows. Christoph Hoffmann With read speeds of over 7,160 MB/s and write speeds of 6,129 MB/s, the SSD delivers high transfer rates. Programs start without any noticeable delay. The system feels responsive and stable. Christoph Hoffmann Stress tests show that the compact case reaches its physical limits under prolonged full load. Although the Ryzen 7 8745HS briefly achieves very high boost clock speeds, after a few minutes of intensive computing, the system begins to slightly throttle performance (thermal throttling) in order to keep CPU temperatures within a non-critical range. Although the IceBlast cooling system is well optimized for short performance peaks, you can expect a performance drop of about 5 to 10 percent compared to a cold start during hours of continuous use. Geekom A8: Energy consumption & operating noise The Geekom A8 is quite efficient overall, but it takes its toll under load. When idle, the system consumes a modest 5 to 11 watts. However, as soon as full computing power and Radeon graphics are required, consumption rises to an average of 35 to 50 watts, with peaks of up to 90 watts. The included 120-watt power supply is therefore generously dimensioned and offers sufficient reserves to reliably power connected USB 4 peripherals. Under full load, however, consumption is higher than that of simple office mini PCs. The noise level of the A8 is a compromise between size and performance. While the PC runs almost silently when performing simple tasks such as surfing the Internet, the fan curve spikes quickly under changing loads. This can lead to audible fluctuations when background processes briefly demand CPU power. Under full load, the fan reaches levels of up to 45 to 55 dB(A). The noise is more of a constant hum without high-frequency whistling. In a quiet working environment, the mini PC is clearly noticeable under load. Is the Geekom A8 worth it? In testing, the Geekom A8 proved to be an extremely versatile work computer for private use and the modern home office. It handles typical everyday tasks such as office applications, web research, video conferencing, image editing and multimedia playback with ease and without any noticeable delays. Thanks to its high system performance, the mini PC is also suitable for more demanding multitasking and productive workflows that are otherwise reserved for larger desktop systems. Naturally, limitations become apparent with graphics-intensive applications. Users who regularly render professional 3D models, work on complex CAD projects or want to play the latest games in 4K resolution with high detail levels are better off getting a system with a dedicated graphics card. For the vast majority of users, however, the A8 is a compelling solution. This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German. Read...

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