I review a lot of laptops and I’ve noticed many of them come with a “free trial” of McAfee antivirus preinstalled. I’ve clicked through so many warnings about how my PC will be “at risk” unless I pay up for extended protection, and those McAfee alerts are in a stark red color that’s surely designed to scare me. It’s too much!
It’s not just a problem on budget laptops, either. I…
It’s official: The U.S. owns 9.9 percent of Intel
August 25, 2025
On Friday afternoon, Intel confirmed what everyone already knew: that the U.S. government is taking the unprecedented step of investing $8.9 billion into the company.
On Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the United States was pushing Intel to accept its…
Remember back when Windows 11 first came out and Microsoft gave everyone a free pass to upgrade? On the surface, it was a generous move; in actuality, it was a ploy to lure us away from Windows 10.
Obviously, if Microsoft was giving something away, it was going to come with…
Newegg has RTX 5090 cards in stock at base price right now
August 22, 2025
It’s been seven months since Nvidia launched its flagship RTX 5090 card to a hungry audience of PC gamers… and people building AI data centers… and a bunch of scalpers trying to bilk them all. In that time, I’ve yet to see one actually available to purchase at the alleged base price of two thousand dollarydoos. Until now! As of just before 11 AM Eastern US time, Newegg has one for the base…
Best 4K monitors: HDR, gaming, budget, and best overall
August 22, 2025
4K resolution is now within reach of everyday PC users, promising a massive improvement to image quality, with four times the pixels of a 1080p display. A 4K monitor is useful not only in games and movies but also when editing documents or browsing web pages. The extra…
The most exciting thing about the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, at least for me, isn’t that it’s an Xbox. Nope, it’s the fact that it isn’t an Xbox, it’s a Windows 11 PC, albeit a teeny-tiny one. And with Microsoft onboard, it’s packing a refreshed, streamlined build…
At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
Battery power and a magnetic mount provide lots of placement flexibility
2K resolution, double that of previous myQ cameras
Powerful onboard LED spotlight
Cons
Lacks infrared night vision
Nighttime motion activates the spotlight, and you can’t disable that behavior
Can’t record video without a subscription
Our Verdict
Chamberlain gives this…
Microsoft wants to soothe a big pain for PC gamers: Shaders
August 21, 2025
Microsoft said Wednesday that it’s working to remove one of the frustrating headaches for PC gamers: the need to compile shaders. Microsoft said that it will release an AgilitySDK in September to solve this problem, speeding up your time from downloading a game to playing…
We already knew that Google Assistant was soon to be replaced by a “new experience powered by Gemini.” Now we know what that new experience will be called, and when it’s arriving.
Gemini for Home is the name of the new Gemini-powered voice assistant for Google smart…
Upgrading to Windows 11? Here’s how to use remote help
August 20, 2025
Remote access to another PC via the internet can be a blessing, solving many IT problems quickly and easily. The helper can get a clear picture and often solve the problem immediately, even without being physically present. It also avoids the often frustrating process of troubleshooting over the phone.
A surge in support needs is expected around October 14, when Microsoft stops providing free…