pcworld.com
Windows licenses are expensive—almost painfully so. Shelling out $139 for Windows 11 Home or $200 for Windows 11 Pro feels rough when Linux is free, since that much cash is easily a third of a budget PC build. But with less developer support for Linux, Windows is an inescapable necessity for most of us. What’s not a given is paying full retail. Yes, it’s possible to snag a discount on Windows 11. The amount you’ll save depends on how much hassle you can tolerate—as well as your circumstances. I…
4 months ago
pcworld.com
Cable used to be the only game in town for wide entertainment. Sure, if you wanted to subscribe to a game like EverQuest or World of Warcraft, you could (and well, guess the rest of us were never seeing you again). But for variety, cable is what you had—and it wasn’t cheap. So when streaming services came along, they seemed like an answer to everyone’s budget prayers. These days there’s a digital subscription available for most interests, including gaming. And individually, they’re affordable.…
4 months ago
pcworld.com
Cheaper and more powerful speakers exist, but sometimes you want an option that both looks and sounds good while taking little space. This is it.
4 months ago
pcworld.com
Tons of routers are on sale right now as part of Amazon’s October Prime Day, with some going dirt cheap. And that means it’s time to stop using (or worse, renting) a modem/router combo device from your internet provider—you can get a much better experience with an inexpensive upgrade. Especially if that step up is to a mesh router like the TP-Link Deco X20, down to $55 for a single unit. This is actually the mesh router that I purchased for a close family member just this past summer. I liked…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile may seem like your only cell phone plan options, but they’re not. And sticking with the familiar could be costing you hundreds per year. Alternative providers use the same networks as the big companies, offering almost identical service but with lower prices, still no contracts, and often more perks. With a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), an unlimited plan can be had for as little as $30 per month for a single line, and $25 per line for group plans. And that…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
Microsoft warned us last month that our favorite Windows upgrade loophole was over, but now it’s official: The activation servers no longer let you use Windows 7 or 8 license keys to activate Windows 10 or 11. (Cue “Taps.”) This change was confirmed this week by The Verge, which had earlier discovered that Microsoft didn’t immediately block Windows 7 and 8 keys after the company’s September 20 announcement. The death of the free upgrade was a long time coming, of course—Microsoft’s offer offic…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
The launch of Intel’s new 14th-generation Core desktop processors lacks the excitement of the last couple of years, but you can’t find better performers. (Yet.)
3 months ago
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Clicking on a Google ad can be like gambling, except that there are no winners in the game. Land on a legitimate website, and you’ve fed the algorithm info about what ads to keep serving you. End up on a malicious webpage, and well, you may have exposed your PC to danger...especially if you downloaded software from the phony site. We’ve issued this warning before, like when owners of AMD Radeon graphics cards were targets. Or when the crosshairs moved over to Bitwarden users. Now Malwarebytes,…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
You probably already know that 5G is a widely used abbreviation for a version of mobile network standards. (Also, that it’s the most current standard in use.) That “G” slapped next to the number means “generation.” It’s not a reference to the download or upload speeds you get on your cell phone. You also may have already seen the advertisements about Comcast’s new 10G Xfinity network blanketing the airwaves and other platforms. And since the Xfinity website doesn’t really clarify what “10G” mea…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
For many people, Microsoft Edge is the software you use to download Google Chrome. You need a browser to access the Chrome website, and Edge is the only option on a brand-new or freshly reset Windows PC. But while Microsoft once let people go without a fuss, it’s grown increasingly resistant to abandonment. The latest act of desperation: Now when you grab the installation file for Chrome, a survey opens in Edge to ask why you’re leaving. Initially spotted by Neowin, Microsoft’s plea to know wha…
3 months ago
pcworld.com
AVG Internet Security is a good upgrade on its free antivirus software, especially if you need broader online protection and don’t want to pay a ton for it.
3 months ago
