Windows

Lenovo redesigns its affordable enterprise series, the ThinkPad L series. The new 2020 models ThinkPad L14 and ThinkPad L15 are therefore completely revamped compared to their predecessors. They also are the first affordable enterprise models from Lenovo with the Ryzen Pro 4000 CPUs.

Following our extensive Core i5-equipped Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review we also took a closer look a the i7 SKU with more RAM. Users can expect more than just improved CPU performance. Find out in our review what other differences we found between the two convertibles.

Eve will launch its "last chance" to buy its first crowd-designed tablet, the V, soon. The company will sell the core i7, 16GB RAM variant of this product at less than US$800 on this date. However, the actual delivery of the same has been surrounded by controversy in the past; furthermore, it is to get a 2nd generation soon.

Don't be fooled into believing that the Core i7-1065G7 CPU in the latest Surface Pro 7 tablet can perform roughly the same as the Core i7-1065G7 in a "proper" Ultrabook. The tablet version of the processor can be around 22 percent slower than the similarly equipped 15-inch Surface Laptop 3.

MSI tries to strike a balance between a lot of mobility and high performance, with which content creators' attention in particular should be drawn to the Prestige 14. Unfortunately, there's no escaping the fact that compromises also have to be made.

GTA V remains incredibly popular despite having a few years under its belt. If the main story and GTA Online are not enough, then how about GTA V in VR? Well, after year's of development, the R.E.A.L. mod for GTA V has done just that.

In our review, the Acer ConceptD 5 shows some interesting qualities. But at important points, Acer ruins things with cost cuts. The Acer laptop just does not make sense to us, a clear target market is missing.

More and more Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 owners have been reporting cracks appearing on the screens of their devices. It appears the issue is affecting mostly the non-alcantara models, with some users putting the problem down to a possible design flaw. Microsoft is currently “evaluating the situation” of what could be causing the cracks in the latest Surface Laptop.

The GPD Win Max has been in development for a while now, with leaked images of the device first appearing online almost a year ago. GPD has overhauled the Win Max since then, and while its Ice Lake processor and bevvy of ports are impressive, its unwieldy size is not. Best of luck using the device's built-in controllers, folks.

Released earlier today, the free "Crews of Rage" update for Sea of Thieves comes with new Bounty Voyages into the Devil's Roar that allow you to fight Ashen Skeletons, while the new Chests of Rage contain valuable treasure and can also be traded at The Reaper's Hideout.

Acer's Swift 3 SF313 has been visually and technically upgraded, and it scored very well with its Ice Lake CPU and its bright 3:2 display. Nevertheless, the SoC's overall performance did not meet our expectations.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 suffers from an identity crisis. Is it an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650-powered multimedia laptop, or one that is held back by the lesser GTX 1650 Max-Q variant? Well, it seems that Lenovo does not know, either. Most signs point to the laptop having a Max-Q GPU, but it is not that straightforward.

After nearly 13 years, Microsoft seems to have addressed an oft-ignored issue when it comes to how Windows deals with multi-monitor refresh rates. Till now, Windows 10's Desktop Window Manager (DWM) caused stutters and frame-skips when running multiple monitors with mismatched refresh rates. Windows 10 2004 20H1's DWM, which supports hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in WDDM 2.7, finally seems to have corrected this issue as demonstrated by a user on Reddit.

Some specifications for the upcoming Microsoft Surface Book 3 and Microsoft Surface Go 2 have been leaked online. The Surface Book 3 convertible can expect to sport 10th Gen Intel processors and GPUs from Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 16 series lineup. The Surface Go 2 is rumored to be getting a low-end chip that could be Pentium Gold branded or Core M.

Strengths of the Extensa 15 include the Core i5 processor, NVMe SSD, low noise levels and moderate heat development. The installed display represents the biggest weakness of the system. The preinstalled Windows 10 Pro OS is partially responsible for the price.

The HP Pavilion x360 14-dh1153ng has a Comet Lake processor, an Intel Optane SSD and a backlit keyboard. The IPS touchscreen display can be operated with your fingers or using the HP Pen (1MR94AA, not included).

Time and again, laptop manufacturers equip their devices with up-to-date CPUs without adapting the system to the requirements of the new hardware. Asus also makes this mistake with the ZenBook 14, which raises the question of whether you should chose a slightly weaker CPU for less money.

The second generation of the X1 Extreme introduces new CPUs, a new GPU and a wider choice of displays. However, the X1 Extreme Gen 2 performs worse than its predecessor in some areas, especially in terms of its processor. We would recommend giving the 4K panel a miss too as it decimates battery life.

The sub-$1000 ceiling seems to be a sweet spot for Ice Lake laptops. The Surface Laptop 3 joins the HP Spectre 13, Lenovo Yoga C940, and Razer Blade Stealth as some of the least expensive laptops you can find with Intel's latest 10 nm 10th gen Core i5 to Core i7 CPUs.

All the talk and expectation around mobile silicon from Qualcomm this year is understandably focused on its beastly Snapdragon 865. However, there are to relatively new PCs on the market that are running PC-optimized versions of the 2019 flagship Snapdragon 855. These are of course, the Samsung Galaxy Book S and the Microsoft Surface Pro X. The Galaxy Book S runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx while the while Microsoft’s Surface Pro X runs a custom variant of the 8cx dubbed the Microsoft SQ1. So, what are the differences between them and is there much of a difference in performance between the chipsets?

No, Microsoft has not released a new or slimmed-down operating system. Instead, Windows 12 Lite is a Linux distribution that, according to its developers, is superior to Windows 10 "in every respect". Someone is even selling physical install discs of the dodgy Linux distribution, too.

Vivaldi 2.11.1811.33 is this year's first desktop update and comes with "a new and improved" Pop-out video mode, Themes update to match the OS dark/light mode, the ability to shift focus between different UI areas using the keyboard, upgraded developer tools, and improved full-screen tab casting.

While porting Windows 10 to the Raspberry Pi 3 has proven troublesome, the situation with its successor is much better. There is still little productive use for Microsoft's latest OS on the Raspberry Pi 4 yet, though.

Eve, or rather Eve Distribution as it has been called since late last year, has announced its next 2-in-1. Called Version 2.0 for the time being, the company is promising to deliver a Tiger Lake-powered 2-in-1 that will improve upon the original Eve V without abandoning its Surface Pro-esque design. Claims of unfulfilled orders and refund refusals continue to dog the company, though.

A retailer has posted preliminary listings for some upcoming Asus laptops. They do not contain product images, however, based on their model numbers and listed specs, they are clearly destined for the high-end gaming markets. For example, one of them appears to be for a Ryzen 9 4900H-powered Zephyrus G14.

Lenovo prices the ThinkBook 15 at around US$870 for the new entry-level Intel Comet Lake variant. The Core i5-10210U-powered device also comes with 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD, along with a 15.6-inch 1080p display. While that all sounds promising in theory, the device cannot get the most from its quad-core CPU.

In terms of optimization, HP still has some work to do with its Ice Lake based notebooks. In our tests, the fan control is either annoying, or ensures a weak performance.

The Surface Duo spotted in the wild appears to be a pre-production sample that is tested by Microsoft employees. Unlike the model showcased last October, this one comes with a LED flash on the front and appears to be slightly slimmer, as well. Unfortunately, this could mean that there will be no rear cameras.

The "bring your own game" approach caters better to PC gamers because GeForce Now will be compatible with titles from your existing Steam, Origin, or Epic libraries. For $4.99 a month, subscribers can play their existing digital games on Nvidia's servers for up to six hours per month.

The ThinkPad T480s is the lighter and slimmer version of the standard ThinkPad T480 to strike a better balance between a traditional lightweight Ultrabook and a full-on business laptop. The Core i5-8250U may not be the newest, but performance isn't all that different from the pricier Core i5-10210U, either.

Project Athena was supposed to usher in the next generation of Intel-powered Ultrabooks with Thunderbolt 3, super-long runtimes, and thinner designs. But in reality, Athena is barely on anyone's radar as even OEMs seem to be avoiding the term in their advertisements.

With the low-priced VivoBook 17 M712DA, Asus could have improved a few things without increasing the price in the process. In that case, the fact that the Ryzen 5 cannot reach its full potential would beside the point.

Another Surface product that could be receiving a refresh this year is the Surface Go, according to another round of 3DMark listings. The Surface Go 2 with an Intel Core m3-8100Y processor would offer a decent performance boost over the current Pentium Gold-powered Surface Go, while 3DMark shows that an LTE SKU could be on the cards too.