Microsoft said last week that it will soon begin pushing its controversial PC Health Check app to all PCs, partly to prepare them for the Windows 11 transition, but also to provide users with a dashboard to monitor the ongoing health of their devices. The update, officially known as KB5005463, will install PC Health Check […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/547106/microsoft-will-push-pc-health-check-app-to-all-windows-10-pcs.html
There are a lot of different ways to play PC games on a big-screen TV, but nearly all of them are dependant on at least some kind of existing hardware. If your hardware includes a recent Xbox console, then your options just widened by a huge amount. Nvidia’s GeForce Now, a streaming platform that uses […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/547023/nvidia-geforce-now-for-edge-means-you-can-play-your-steam-games-on-xbox.html
Editor’s Note: PCWorld originally published this story in 2014. This year, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of Charles O’Rear’s iconic photo in 1996, which became the basis of the Windows XP desktop wallpaper. Microsoft first published Windows XP on Oct. 25, 2001. The vineyards are still there, greener than ever after the fall rains. It’s not […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/444752/the-story-behind-the-windows-xp-bliss-photo-and-what-it-looks-like-today.html
The ongoing chip shortage is causing low stock and high prices for everything from computers to Cameros. And unfortunately, it isn’t going away anytime soon. Speaking to shareholders to announce Intel’s third-quarter financial earnings, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said that he doesn’t expect the shortage to end until 2023 — at the earliest. “We’re in […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/546991/intel-amd-and-nvidia-agree-the-chip-shortage-isnt-ending-any
Microsoft has included a new “smart charging” feature in some new Surface devices, including the Surface Laptop Studio and Surface Pro 8, that prevents them being fully charged. This is a feature, not a bug—but it can also be frustrating if you don’t understand what’s going on or how to control it. Here’s how smart […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/546232/how-to-charge-your-surface-laptop-to-100-solving-the-smart-charging-mystery.html
If you want an affordable PC for a gift (or yourself) this year you’d better act quickly, and today Amazon is making it easier. The online retailer is putting on a one-day sale on Lenovo laptops, monitors, and a few all-in-one PCs. Don’t delay, though, as the deals disappear before midnight Pacific time on Monday […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/546921/pick-up-a-mid-range-lenovo-pc-today-before-deal-pickings-turn-grim-for-the-holidays.html
Let the battle of the Nvidia GPU siblings commence! The GeForce RTX 3060 versus the RTX 3060 Ti. First, we’ll cover the pricing and availability of these popular options with current market conditions. More importantly, we will clear up the confusion as to which of the two GPUs is the best graphics card for you. […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/544311/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-vs-rtx-3060-ti-which-gpu-should-you-buy.html
Windows 11 requires a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 as part of its hardware requirements, but only a very select handful of people will ever need to buy a physical module for their motherboard. Chances are extremely high you don’t need one—the vast majority of users can use firmware TPM instead, and everyone else with unsupported […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/545965/heres-where-you-can-buy-tpm-for-windows-11.html
The best wireless keyboards do more than free you from a cable. They let you toss the crummy keyboard you got for free with your PC—does anyone like that one?—and they also give you options. The models we’ve reviewed range from full-size desktop slabs to portable models that skip easily from laptop to tablet to […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/414972/best-wireless-keyboards.html
Anyone who uses a smartphone knows the importance of carrying a backup battery pack. But try searching for one on Amazon, say, and you’re likely to feel overwhelmed by the vast number of options. Besides the various charging specs, ports, and even cables you have to consider, there are a ton of competing brands. How […] https://www.pcworld.com/article/407599/best-power-banks.html