Windows

Compounding previous fears of the Surface Go 2 being more of the same from Microsoft and its Surface sub-division, rumour has it that the upcoming device will retain the design of its predecessor. While Microsoft may sell the 2-in-1 in more colours than just silver this time around, thick bezels, pitiful ports and outdated processors do not make the Surface Go 2 sound like an inspired refresh.

Rumour has it that the Surface Book 3 will be released with Comet Lake-U processors. One prominent leaker refutes this though, and all other signs point towards Ice Lake-U upgrades instead. Is Microsoft really going to give 14 nm another go on its premier mobile hardware?

Although not a visual feast in the past, Minecraft finally gets ray-traced shadows, impressive reflective water, real-time caustics, and multiple atmospheric effects thanks to NVIDIA's RTX technology and the new levels that add a whole new level of depth and detail to the Windows version of this popular game.

The Surface Pro 7 is one of Microsoft's latest 2-in-1s. Some people who have bought it have subsequently gone back to the Redmond giant's product forum reporting a bug in which the tablet shuts off without warning. The issue may be addressed with some work-arounds, but the OEM is apparently yet to issue an official fix.

Simply NUC is trying its hand at 15.6-inch laptop models with the latest SNUC Book lineup developed in collaboration with Intel. Users can choose to add up to 64 GB of RAM, up to 4 TB of M.2 storage and may go with either a GTX 1660 Ti or an RTX 2070 Max-Q GPU. All variants are powered by Intel's i7-9750H CPU and come with a Thunderbolt 3 connector.

New details about the Microsoft Surface Book 3 have been published that indicate the device will soon be released. The latest retailer listings describe the core configurations for the 13.5-inch and 15-inch Surface Book 3 convertibles along with a list of prices in Euros. It seems these new Surface devices will be coming with quad-core Intel Comet Lake-U processors.

The Surface Go 2 is almost here, and it will be arriving with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity. An LTE variant is on its way too, with both rumoured to debut by the end of the month in an online event. Intel Core m3-8100Y and Pentium Gold 4425Y processors will make the Surface Go 2 nothing more than an incremental upgrade, though.

The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is now shipping and for as little as US$999.99. The Ryzen 7 4800H-powered machine has a 15.6-inch 144 Hz panel, but there is also the 17.3-inch A17 if you would like something larger.

The latest market research from the Gartner group indicates that the market for PCs has experienced its "sharpest decline" since 2013. However, it seems this year-on-year drop in shipments, which applies to the first 3 months of this year (1Q2020), is related more to the Covid-19 pandemic rather than to demand for this category.

A tech blogger has managed to get hold of some price lists that could be for the upcoming Microsoft Surface Book 3 devices. The listings also included prices for various related accessories and possibly the Surface Go 2. It has been opined that the “Surface Project T” could be the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 while “Surface Project U” could be the 15-inch model.

Not only is Microsoft said to be releasing a Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 this Spring, but it also has new accessories planned. While likely backwards compatible, they point towards Microsoft embracing greater connectivity options. It would appear that the Surface Book 3 will offer considerably more performance than its predecessor, too.

Schenker has chosen a similar path to Huawei and has equipped its VIA 15 with two Ryzen models from AMD instead of offering a wide range of CPUs. This means that the device is tuned to the chip so well that the Ryzen 5 3500U in our test unit reaches its full potential.

The Microsoft Surface Go 2 and the successor to the Microsoft Surface Book 2 should soon be available, and more details about both devices are starting to leak online. The price range for the Microsoft Surface Go 2 is expected to start at US$399 with the convertible launching in the next few weeks. The refreshed Microsoft Surface Book devices have been given unsurprising names.

It's the cheapest device around: The Jumper EZbook X3 is currently available for $250 and offers a Full HD IPS display and a Windows license. But don't get your hopes up. The 2016 SoC is unbelievably slow and the wobbly base unit laughs in the face of good workmanship.

Acer's Aspire 5 A515-54G delivers solid gaming performance and a brand-new Comet Lake processor on your desktop for a cheap price. However, we have some complaints in terms of the performance and the display.

Although playing World of Warcraft with a game controller is possible, the game does not fully support this control method out of the box. However, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands is expected to sport support for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 controllers, so we can only wonder if the game will also hit Sony's console.

Acer's ConceptD 5 mid-range notebook for creative professionals is a rarity with its 17 inches. With an i7-9750H and the GeForce RTX 2060 it is positioned well. The matte display with its 100% sRGB coverage and high AdobeRGB percentage also does not need to hide. Yet, this is not enough for top of the class.

The lightweight Elite Dragonfly from HP is primarily designed for mobile users looking for a light device without sacrificing familiar security features from the EliteBook series. We were very pleased with the compact convertible in our review, but not all configurations make sense.

At an affordable price, Acer's Aspire 5 A515-54G brings solid gaming performance and a brand new Comet Lake processor to your desk at home. Yet we hardly found any reason to complain in terms of the performance or the screen.

While the XPS 15 has been in need of an overhaul for a while now, it has already been usurped by a revitalised XPS 17 in our eyes. If Dell has fixed the cooling issues with this year's XPS 15, imagine what thermals its bigger sibling will offer?

Epic Games is holding a Spring Sale at the moment and there are dozens of titles to be had at knockdown prices. For example, 50% has been knocked off Borderlands 3, while 75% has been discounted from Assassin’s Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, and Anno 2205. The acclaimed This War of Mine can be purchased for just US$1.24.

Intel has witnessed a surprising reversal of fortune in Steam’s Hardware & Software Survey for March in terms of processor usage. While the chipmaker has been losing share against AMD consistently month after month, the latest data from Steam shows that Team Blue has now actually regained a significant amount of ground.

The big February update brought some internet connection problems for some users, especially when using a VPN. An unfavourable mistake in the age of the home office, in our opinion. Microsoft confirmed the bug and promised a quick update, which is now available to download.

Codenamed the OEMQN Product Name EV1, the Core i5-1035G1 is likely an entry-level version of the Surface Book 3. Sporting a 256 GB SSD and 8 GB of RAM this time, the long-awaited Surface Book 2 successor is expected to launch sometime this Spring.

The Surface alternative Eve V is back with a 2020 successor. Now, the company has revealed three concepts ahead of developing its next 2-in-1 and it is looking for community input. Claims of the project being another scam continue to dog the company, though.

Acer's 17.3-inch workstation shines with a lot of processing power, a 4K touchscreen display with an included Wacom digital pen and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The configuration is excellent otherwise as well: 32 GB of RAM, 16 GB of VRAM, NVMe SSD (1 TB).

This year's April 1st special takes Gaijin's game to space, but also come with a special event that can end up with a very rare piece of military hardware, namely the Object 279 heavy tank. Back in 2016 and 2017, these special events involved ships and modern tanks, which were both added to the game since then.

It seems that Dell has forgotten about the XPS 15. While we continue to award the device top marks year on year, Dell has essentially been releasing minor revisions of the same machine since 2015. Now, several UserBenchmark listings have given us an insight into what Dell has planned for this year's XPS 15, the 9500. Hardware-wise at least, it looks like we are in for another year of Dell flogging a dead horse. There is a flicker of a chassis redesign being on the cards, though.

The latest BIOS and Thunderbolt firmware update as of March 2 fixes the battery recharge rate of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon. If purchasing a unit from a reseller, the system may be outdated and in need of a manual update.

A new Surface device has appeared on UserBenchmark, which could well be a new product altogether. The Ice Lake-powered device has a 3:2 display, 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM and the same SSD found in the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X. Its processor has us scratching our heads, though.

It's 2020 and high-end Windows PCs are still shipping with 4 GB of RAM for some reason. Do yourself a favor and avoid this one if you intend to do more than just web browsing with a few open tabs.

The Asus convertible shines with powerful hardware, a sleek metal chassis, a backlit keyboard, good battery life and a Pantone validated 4K touchscreen display. The latter responds to both fingers and the included Active Pen.

The Pavilion Gaming 15's combination of CPU and GPU is able to display all current PC games smoothly on the 15.6-inch screen. On top of that, it comes with an NVMe SSD, 8 GB of RAM (dual-channel mode) and very good battery life. However, the display is disappointing.

Old LCD screens were almost impossible read when looking at them from the side. After having labored hard at removing this flaw from displays, it has now returned in the shape of a security feature.

Apple has long supported the ability for the Mac to be able to dual boot into Windows via Bootcamp. Now that it comes with native trackpad support, it opens up the intriguing possibility of dual booting into Windows 10 on ARM.

The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga is on the virtual shelf for 1,119 euros. The manufacturer relies on a modern Intel Comet Lake SoC with 16 GB RAM and an SSD with 512 GB storage space.

Fancy a ~1.3 kg ultrabook but do not fancy paying MacBook Air prices? Well, the MagicBook 14 may be worth a look if you live in the UK. Starting at £549.99, the MagicBook 14 still looks the part with its aluminium chassis. Fans of cutting-edge hardware may want to look elsewhere, though.