Equifax Hack: How to Know if You’re Affected
O C TO B E R 2017
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CONTENTS
OCTOBER 2017
» DEPARTMENTS
» FEATURES
7 News
95 Android 8 Oreo is Here 23 Reviews & Ratings
112 Here’s How
132 Tech Spotlight
107 5 Awesome YouTube App Features OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 3
MASTHEAD
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4 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
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OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 5
Save a life. Don’t Drive HoMe buzzeD. BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING.
News
TECH NEWS AND TRENDS THAT WILL AFFECT YOU TODAY AND BEYOND.
Equifax hack: How to know if you’re affected You need to find out if you’ve been affected by the data breach. BY BRAD CHACOS
C
redit monitoring agency Equifax revealed shocking news late September 7: A data breach of the company’s servers from mid-May through July 2017 resulted in the theft of the personal information of up to 143 million U.S. consumers—a huge chunk of the country’s 324 million population. Equifax
IMAGE: iSTOCK
says the breach leaked highly sensitive information, too, including “names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.” That’s everything crooks need to open up credit lines in your name, or worse. And now it’s in nefarious hands. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 7
NEWS
EQUIFA X HACK
phishing site, but fear not: equifaxsecurity2017. com is legitimate. Head to the The FAQ page on equifaxsecurity2017.com says Equifax doesn’t need to notify hack victims because it issued a press release and made a webpage. Potential Impact page (go.pcworld. EQUIFAX HACK: com/pipx) of the Equifax Security website to WAS I AFFECTED? find out if you were affected. Simply click the Shamefully, Equifax won’t be contacting most Check Potential Impact button and supply of the 143 million victims directly to let them your last name and the last six digits of your know they’ve fallen prey to data hackers. The social security number. hackers also swiped credit card numbers for 209,000 people, and “certain dispute documents with personal identifying information” for 182,000 more. Equifax will mail those particular victims—far less than 1 percent of everyone affected—a notice that they were affected by the breach. Finding out if you were affected by the Equifax hack is trickier (and murkier) if you’re not part of that sliver. Equifax created the www.equifaxsecurity2017.com website for U.S. consumers to “see if your personal information is potentially impacted.” Let’s be frank: It looks like a fraud site. It’s If the credit agency doesn’t believe you frighteningly bare-bones and runs on were impacted, it’ll tell you so and pitch you WordPress, the URL differs from Equifax’s to register for Equifax’s “TrustID Premier” main site, some browsers were throwing up credit monitoring service, which the company phishing warnings due to back-end will provide for free for one year regardless of configuration issues, and Equifax even asks for whether or not your data was stolen. your social security number to confirm Alternatively, the site may report that “We whether it leaked your social security number. believe that your personal information may Those are all classic signs of a malicious have been impacted by this incident” and 8 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
EQUIFAX HACK: MONITOR YOUR CREDIT REPORT
again prompt you to enroll for TrustID Premier. Equifax has confirmed that signing up for TrustID Premier will not prevent you from joining a class-action suit over this issue.
Equifax has also set up a dedicated call center at 866-447-7559 for additional questions. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern time every day, including weekends. If you receive a call that claims to be from Equifax, don’t provide any personal information. “They’re not from Equifax. It’s a scam. Equifax will not call you out of the blue,” the U.S. FTC (go.pcworld.com/ftc1) warns. Report the con artists (go.pcworld. com/tca) to the FTC.
Regardless of whether you accept TrustID Premier, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your credit report for fraudulent activity—even if Equifax “believes that your personal information was not impacted.” Experts poking at (go.pcworld.com/pa) Equifax’s data breach checker discovered it may be spitting out inaccurate records. You can get a copy of your credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com. You can request a free copy of your credit report once per year from each of the major credit monitoring agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Stagger the requests for every few months and you can keep an eye on things throughout the year. The FTC warns that www.annualcredit report.com is the only site “authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to under law,” so steer clear of others making similar claims. If you see any fraudulent activity on your credit report, notify your bank or credit card company immediately. You may also want to put a fraud alert or credit freeze on your account to thwart would-be identity thieves. Equifax is waiving its usual fee for credit freezes through November 21, Lifehacker (go.pcworld.com/ lha) reports. If you decide to take preventative action, be sure to read the FTC’s guide (go. pcworld.com/ftcg) to credit freezes versus fraud alerts. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 9
NEWS
Google Drive is being replaced by Backup and Sync: What to expect For consumers, the switch should be straightforward. G Suite customers have a confusing decision to make, however. BY MARK HACHMAN
G
oogle Drive for both the PC and Mac will begin to die on December 11, Google said in early September. Depending on whether you’re a business user or a strict consumer, it will be reborn as one of two new apps: Backup and Sync, for consumers, or Drive File Stream, for businesses. Here’s what to expect during the transition.
10 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
WHEN GOOGLE DRIVE IS GOING AWAY, AND HOW Note that Google doesn’t appear to be making any changes to the Drive service itself, just the apps. Google currently offers 15GB of online storage with Drive, and those files are accessible with any device with a Drive app installed. Those devices include Android devices, iPhones, and iPads—whose Drive IMAGE:GOOGLE
mobile apps are apparently being left untouched. Google said it will stop supporting the Drive app for Macs and PCs on December 11, and the Drive app will simply stop working on March 12, 2018. At that point, consumers will have to use Backup and Sync. Business customers subscribed to Google’s G Suite apps will be shifted over to Drive File Stream, a preview app that is now being pushed mainstream.
BACKUP AND SYNC VS. DRIVE FILE STREAM The major difference between Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream is the latter’s ability to stream files from the cloud—the popular “placeholder” capability that can display copies of all of your cloud-based files, without actually storing them on your PC. (Placeholders will be a feature of Windows 10’s Fall Creators Update as OneDrive Files on Demand [go.pcworld.com/odf].) Backup and Sync syncs files more traditionally, placing local copies on your desktop, and then backing them up in the cloud. If you want to back up your photos and videos, you’ll use Backup and Sync. Ditto with a generic USB drive that you want to add to the cloud. Where it gets confusing is if you’re working on a PC with G Suite access, because then you can use both services. Then it’s important to understand the differences between Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream (Google also published an explainer [go.pcworld.com/expl]).
Backup and Sync: • Access files in My Drive • Sync selected folders in My Drive • Use native Windows applications (such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop) • Sync local folders, such as Documents or Desktop Drive File Stream can do almost everything Backup and Sync can do, except sync local folders. In addition, it can: • Access files in Team Drives • Stream files on demand (the “placeholder” feature) • Sync individual files in My Drive Finally, Drive File Stream appears as a mounted drive under Windows Explorer, while Backup and Sync displays My Drive as a shortcut. The bottom line: In October, Drive for Mac/ PC users may start seeing messages notifying them about the change, according to Google. If you’re a consumer Drive user, it sounds like little, if anything, will change other than the name. Business users will be forced to choose between the two new apps, however. And if minimizing disk space via the use of placeholders is important to you, you’ll want to choose either a G Suite subscription or swap to Microsoft’s OneDrive. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 11
NEWS
Acer’s Switch 7 could overpower the Surface Pro and MacBook Pro An 8th-generation quad-core CPU and Nvidia Pascal graphics give it some real oomph. BY GORDON MAH UNG
A
cer’s Switch 7 Black Edition is big, black, and ready to stomp on the Surface Pro (go.pcworld. com/spro) and MacBook Pro 13 (go.pcworld.com/mb13). Sporting the latest quad-core CPU from Intel plus discrete graphics, it offers serious horsepower in a surprisingly slim package. Acer says the Switch 7 Black Edition will be available in
12 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
North America in December with prices starting at $1,699. Specs are still sparse, but so far we know that the 2-in-1 device with detachable keyboard (which Acer describes as a “laptop” rather than a tablet) features a 13.5-inch IPS touch screen with a resolution of 2256x1504. It uses a Wacom EMR digitizer with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity using the pen. IMAGE: ACER
The Switch 7 also features a new take on Windows Hello, with a fingerprint reader that’s tied to the power button. Rather than hitting a power button or keyboard and then using the Windows Hello biometric support to log in, the Switch 7 Black Edition will do it all at once. The 2.5-pound body is aluminum and features something Acer calls the AutoStand. As you might guess, it’s essentially a kickstand that deploys and retracts automatically. What’s really important, though, is what’s inside. Acer has somehow managed to squeeze Intel’s 8th-gen Core i7 CPU, along with Nvidia’s new GeForce MX150, into the slender chassis. The CPU is quad-core with a 15-watt TDP, and Intel says it’s up to 40 percent faster in some tasks. Nvidia’s GeForce MX150 was actually announced in late May as a replacement for the elderly GeForce 940MX. Few hard specs are available on it, but we do know it uses GDDR5 and is based on the current Pascal architecture used in the GeForce GTX 10-series of cards. According
to Nvidia, the MX150 is about three times more efficient than the GeForce 940MX, as well as about 30 percent faster. The performance bump of the GeForce MX150 should be welcome. Our own tests of several GeForce 940MX-based laptops show it has a healthy advantage over HD 520 and HD 620 graphics, but Intel’s faster Iris Plus 640 gives the older 940MX a good run for the money. GeForce MX150 is likely to push Nvidia to the front. The combined advantage of Pascal graphics plus a quad-core CPU vs. the dualcore CPUs with integrated graphics—even Iris Plus—means the odds are very good that this new laptop/tablet will handily outperform both Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Apple’s MacBook Pro 13. The only fly in this ointment is how well Acer can keep the heat from the new components in check. Acer said the Switch 7 features a fanless dual LiquidLoop cooling system that makes it possible for the Switch 7 Black Edition to be used for “intensive tasks, creative production and content streaming.” We’ll let you know how it runs if we have a chance to test it.
Think of the Switch 7 as a supercharged Surface Pro, with a quad-core CPU and Nvidia Pascal graphics inside.
OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 13
NEWS
Google Chrome will start blocking noisy autoplay videos in January Sites you watch videos on often won’t be affected. BY BRAD CHACOS
G
oogle is taking aim at one of the biggest scourges of the modern web. Starting in January 2018, the Chrome browser will automatically block noisy autoplay video on webpages.
14 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
“One of the most frequent user concerns is unexpected media playback, which can use data, consume power, and make unwanted noise while browsing,” Google wrote in a blog post (go.pcworld.com/blp). “To address this, Chrome will be making IMAGE:GOOGLE
autoplay more consistent with user expectations and will give users more control over audio.” In Chrome 64, autoplaying videos will be blocked by default unless they’re muted, or if “the user has indicated an interest in the media.” That means autoplay will be allowed for a site if you’ve frequently played a video on it or added the site to your mobile homepage. You won’t need to manually play every YouTube video or Twitch stream you select, in other words. Autoplay will also be enabled if you “clicked somewhere on the site during the browsing session” for some reason. If you want to start blocking unwanted audio from autoplay videos today, try Avram Piltch’s Silent Site Sound Blocker (go. pcworld.com/ssb) extension for Chrome. Apple’s Safari 11 browser will also allow you to easily stop autoplay videos (go.pcworld. com/sav) when it launches with macOS High Sierra on September 25.
MUTE WEBSITES IN CHROME Google’s paving the path for the wonderfulsounding feature by adding the ability to completely mute all audio for a given website in Chrome 63, which is currently in the testing
phase. The disabling will continue between browsing sessions. To activate page-muting when Chrome 63 goes live, load the website you want to disable audio for, click on the “Page Info bubble” to the left of the URL, and look for the Sound option. Above is a picture of it. The story behind the story: Noisy autoplay videos aren’t the only online bane in Google’s sights. Native ad-blocking capabilities (go. pcworld.com/abc) are coming to Chrome soon. “We plan to have Chrome stop showing ads (including those owned or served by Google) on websites that are not compliant with the Better Ads Standards (go. pcworld.com/bast) starting in early 2018,” Google’s Sridhar Ramaswamy announced earlier this year. Chrome’s ad-blocker won’t eliminate all ads—only the most distracting and burdensome ones. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 15
NEWS
The timing is perfect for a new Chromebook Pixel Android apps for the win. BY MICHAEL SIMON
O
ne thing is certain about Google’s fall event: A Pixel will steal the show. It might not be the one that fits in your pocket. A rumor published by Android Police (go.pcworld.com/apol) says Google is working on a follow-up to its discontinued second-generation Chromebook Pixel 16 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
(go.pcworld.com/cpi), which hasn’t been available for purchase since mid-2016. A new model would be a pleasant surprise for fans of the Google laptop, which was hailed at the time as the best Chromebook ever made (go. pcworld.com/cem). The third model could be the charm that brings premium Chrome devices mainstream. IMAGE: ROB SCHULTZ/IDG
The story behind the story: When a new Chromebook Pixel didn’t arrive last year, some speculated Google would retire the premium laptop as it focused on building its own smartphone. That assumption seemed correct when senior vice president for hardware Rick Osterloh seemingly declared (go.pcworld.com/sdex) the Chromebook Pixel dead earlier this year, bluntly stating the company had “no plans” to introduce a new model. However, Osterloh would quickly revise his statement with a less definitive, “we just have no plans to share at this time.” Now it appears Google will indeed have plenty to share at its fall event, especially since it will pack a killer feature: the ability to run Android apps.
SHINY AND CHROME Android Police’s report is extremely light on details, but a previous rumor about a “convertible” laptop arriving in the third quarter of 2017 (which could either mean a 360-degree hinge like Samsung’s Chromebook Pro, or a detachable keyboard like the Surface Pro [go.pcworld.com/sprr]) offered some more info: a 12.3-inch screen, 32GB or 128GB of storage, and 8GB or 16GB of RAM, all in a device around 10mm thick.(By comparison, Apple’s MacBook is nearly 13 mm thick, and the 2nd-generation Pixel was 16.3 mm thick.) The hybrid device is also expected to include an optional Wacom stylus.
But the biggest difference between a 2017 Chromebook Pixel and the 2015 one would be Android apps. While it’s highly unlikely that Android and Chrome will ever merge into a single OS (despite the persistent rumors), Google opened up the Play Store (go.pcworld. com/tps) to Chromebooks last year and has slowly been rolling out Android app support (go.pcworld.com/asup) with newer models. The overall experience, however, remains pretty hit-or-miss (go.pcworld.com/hom). A Google-designed machine could spur more developers to optimize their apps for the platform. Chrome would be more viable to power users with a full catalog of Android apps. An app-empowered Chromebook Pixel could actually pose a challenge to Apple’s MacBook and iPad Pro. Add LTE connectivity and a stylus, and you have the world’s first must-have Chromebook. While some nicer Chromebooks have shipped over the past two years (including the Dell Chromebook 13 [go.pcworld.com/ dc13] and HP Chromebook 13 [go.pcworld. com/hpc13]), they’re still largely built for price rather than power. A new Chromebook Pixel—especially one that pushes the boundaries of design—would solidify the Pixel line as the premier brand for Google’s OS platforms. In short: The time is ripe. Along with the new Chromebook, Android Police also says that Google will be introducing a new mini version of Google Home to challenge Amazon’s Echo Dot. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 17
NEWS
Comcast is the fastest ISP, and T-Mobile is the fastest wireless carrier, Ookla says Unfortunately, Ookla didn’t compare broadband pricing. BY MARK HACHMAN
C
omcast is the fastest broadband ISP in the United States, according to Ookla, the developer behind the popular speedtest.net website. Ookla also named T-Mobile as the fastest wireless carrier in the U.S. 18 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Ookla found that Comcast Xfinity narrowly topped Verizon’s FiOS service as the fastest broadband ISP, while T-Mobile just edged out Verizon Wireless as the fastest wireless carrier. The data reflected 26 million unique broadband users, performing over 111 million tests across Ookla’s service. In the mobile IMAGE: iSTOCK
space, about 3 million unique devices were used to generate 14 million tests, generating a comprehensive look at how each service performed both nationwide and over time. In both wired and wireless tests, Ookla generated its own “speed score” to measure such factors as latency, and how the networks in question varied from region to region.
WHO HAS THE FASTEST BROADBAND SERVICE? COMCAST. In order, the fastest broadband ISPs are: • Comcast Xfinity • Verizon FiOS • Cox • Spectrum • AT&T Internet • Frontier • CenturyLink
What’s a “good” download speed? Well, according to Ookla, the average within the U.S. for the first and second quarters of 2017 was 64Mbps down, and 22.8Mbps up. “These developments lead to direct improvements in speeds for individual ISPs and also spur the kind of competition that makes better, faster service available to more people,” Ookla found. Comcast’s Xfinity also scored the highest when measuring what Ookla called “acceptable speed,” or the number of times that the available speed climbed above 10Mbps. That’s fast enough, according to Ookla, to stream HD video while someone else on the same connection can adequately access the Internet. Comcast delivered that level of service over 90 percent of the time.
The most significant factor in increasing broadband speeds, Ookla found, was the transition to DOCSIS 3.1 modems (go.pcworld.com/mod), which helped boost speeds dramatically and made pricing innovations, such as a $69 gigabit package offered by Verizon, feasible. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 19
NEWS
BROADBAND SPEED TESTS
Comcast may be the fastest overall, but in certain areas, other competitors prevailed. In Southern regions like Texas and Florida, you’ll want to buy broadband service from Suddenlink. In Midwestern regions like Chicago and St. Louis, Mediacom provides the fastest broadband service, according to Ookla. In fact, Ookla also looked at the “winners” in major metropolitan areas, and found that Spectrum was the fastest in 24 of them, topping both Cox (19) and Comcast (18).
WHO HAS THE FASTEST WIRELESS SERVICE? T-MOBILE The average download speed by a wireless user was 22.69Mbps, according to Ookla— good, but just 44th in the world behind Fiji and Germany. Some of that is affected by the decreased speeds in rural areas, naturally. That’s part of what differentiates T-Mobile from Verizon, according to Ookla. T-Mobile has invested in speeding up its network, while Verizon spent more heavily in making its network “denser,” adding small cell towers and antennas to improve coverage. From fastest to slowest, the fastest wireless ISPs are: 20 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
• T-Mobile • Verizon Wireless • AT&T • Sprint Ookla wasn’t able to offer a comprehensive assessment of which wireless ISP offered better coverage than the others. Across what’s known as the 100 most populated Cellular Market Areas, however, T-Mobile outscored the others, with a “speed score” of 23.50. That’s higher than the 23.21 for Verizon Wireless as well as 21.17 for AT&T and 16.20 for Sprint. What this means for you: For wireless service, speed might not be the most important factor in your purchasing decision. But for broadband service, it probably weighs more heavily. In that case, your choice is clear: According to Ookla, Comcast wins.
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Reviews & Ratings
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AMD Radeon RX Vega: Vega 56, Vega 64, and liquid-cooled Vega 64 tested Find out whether RX Vega was worth the wait. BY BRAD CHACOS
A
fter months of teases and delays, the wait for Vega is finally over. First, AMD launched its flagship Radeon RX 64 lineup: the $499 Radeon RX Vega 64 (go. pcworld.com/v64) and the $699 liquid-
IMAGE: BRAD CHACOS/IDG
cooled Radeon RX Vega 64 (go.pcworld. com/xv64), which is only available as part of a convoluted “Radeon Aqua Pack” bundle (go. pcworld.com/rap). (After the initial wave of availability, virtually all available air-cooled Radeon RX Vega 64 cards are only available in OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 23
REVIEWS
AMD R ADEON R X VEGA
$599 Radeon Packs [go.pcworld.com/599] as well.) Then on August 28, the $399 Radeon RX Vega 56 hit the streets. And for the first time in a long time—over a year, in fact— the Red Team is fielding high-end graphics cards capable of challenging Nvidia’s enthusiast-class hardware. These are the first high-end Radeon chips built using the 14nm technology process, following in the footsteps of AMD’s mainstream-focused Polaris graphics cards (go.pcworld.com/pgc). Does Radeon RX Vega wrest the performance crown from the ferocious GeForce GTX 1080 Ti? Spoiler alert: Not even close. But Vega provides an intriguing—and sometimes compelling— alternative to the GTX 1070 (go.pcworld. com/gtx2) and GTX 1080 (go.pcworld.com/ gtx10), even if it isn’t the walk-off home run that AMD enthusiasts have been hoping for ever since Radeon marketing took a swipe (go.pcworld.com/tas) at Nvidia’s next-gen Volta graphics architecture (go.pcworld. com/vgas) eight long months ago.
MEET RADEON RX VEGA 56 AND RX VEGA 64 AMD sent PCWorld every version of Vega for testing, including both the air-cooled and liquid-cooled versions of the Radeon RX Vega 64. While the design and cooling obviously differ, the two models share the same underlying hardware. The water-cooled Vega 64 hits higher 24 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
clock speeds (and thus higher levels of performance) thanks to its embrace of liquid, but unfortunately we can’t recommend it. The card sure looks pretty but it disappoints on pretty much every other front, doubly so because it’s available only in a pricey $699 Radeon Aqua Pack edition. We’ll get into the details through the review, or you can cut straight to the chase in our Buying Advice (go. pcworld.com/bad) section. Vega 64’s technology mirrors that of the Fiji GPU found inside older Radeon Fury X (go.pcworld.com/rfx) in many ways. Both GPUs pack 4,096 steam processors, with 64 compute units (hence the name), 256 texture units, and 64 ROPs. Likewise, the Radeon RX Vega 56’s innards resemble those of the Fury X’s similarly cut-down sibling, the Radeon Fury (go.pcworld.com/rfu). But the compute units inside Vega are “next-gen CUs”—more on that and other deep-level tech later—and Vega distinguishes itself in more obvious ways, too. The Radeon Technologies Group tuned Vega to run at far higher clock speeds than its predecessor. While the Fury cards hovered around 1,000MHz, the air-cooled RX Vega 64 baselines at 1,247MHz, with a rated boost clock speed of 1,546MHz. The liquid-cooled version pushes that even further, to 1,406MHz base and 1,677MHz boost. Vega 56, meanwhile, bottoms out at 1,156MHz and boosts to 1,471MHz—or potentially more. While the boost clocks of previous Radeon
Radeon RX Vega64 Liquid Cooled
Radeon RX Vega64
Radeon RX Vega56
Architecture
Vega 10
Vega 10
3,Vega 10
Manufacturing process
14nm
14nm
14nm
Transistor Count
12.5 billion
12.5 billion
12.5 billion
Die Size
486mm2
486mm2
486mm2
Next Gen Compute Units
64
64
56
Stream Processors
4,096
4,096
3,584
Base GPU Clock
1,406MHz
1,274MHz
1,156MHz
Boost GPU Clock
1,677MHz
1,6546MHz
1,471MHz
Memory Bandwidth
484MB/s
484MB/s
410MB/s
Peak SP Performance
Up to 13.7 TFLOPS
Up to 12.7 TFLOPS
Up to 0.5 TFLOPS
Peak Half Precision Performance
Up to 27.5 TFLOPS
Up to 25.3 TFLOPS
Up to 21 TFLOPS
Texture Units
256
256
256
Peak Texture Fill‑Rate
Up to 429.3 GT/s
Up to 395.8 GT/s
Up to 330 GT/s
ROPs
64
64
64
Peak Pixel Fill‑Rate
Up to 107.3 GP/s
Up to 98.9 GP/s
Up to 94 GP/s
High Bandwidth Cache (HBM2)
8GB
8GB
8GB
Memory bandwidth
483.8 GB/s
483.8 GB/s
410 GB/s
Memory interface
2,048 bit
2,048 bit
2,048 bit
Board Power
345W
295W
210W
cards were a hard maximum, AMD is mimicking Nvidia’s methodology for Vega. The listed boost clocks for the Radeon RX
Vega 56 and 64 “represents the typical average clock speed one might see while gaming” now, to quote AMD’s reviewer’s OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 25
REVIEWS
AMD R ADEON R X VEGA
guide. Groovy. Vega’s memory capabilities took a turn for the better, too. Like the older Fury cards, Vega uses cutting-edge high-bandwidth memory (go.pcworld.com/hbmx). But while the Fury cards utilized first-gen HBM that was limited to 4GB of capacity—and can now struggle in some high-end games because of it—the Radeon RX Vega lineup leans on a more advanced HBM2 design with 8GB of onboard memory. At 484GBps, RX Vega 64’s memory bandwidth is actually slightly less than the Fury X’s total (it hit 512GBps) due to the use of fewer HBM stacks on-die, but still far ahead of the GTX 1080’s 320GBps via 8GB of GDDR5X memory. The 11GB GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (go.pcworld.com/1080ti) offers identical memory bandwidth to Vega 64, while Vega 56 is slightly slower at 410GBps.
26 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
With 8GB of HBM2 you’re unlikely to hit a memory bottleneck anytime soon—that’s doubly true thanks to an innovative new feature enabled by Vega’s high-bandwidth cache controller. Again, more on Vega’s big new tech features later. The air-cooled Radeon RX Vega 64 will be available in two forms: a basic version that looks like the reference versions of the Radeon RX 400/500-series Polaris graphics cards, only longer, and a Limited Edition with a brushed aluminum exterior. Limited Edition cards will be sold only to initial RX Vega 64 buyers until supplies last, and AMD wouldn’t say how many are being produced. All Vega cards include a backplate. We’re reviewing the standard models but took a picture of the Limited Edition at AMD’s Vega announcement at Siggraph (go.pcworld.com/vaas).
The Radeon RX Vega 56 looks similar to the standard RX Vega 64. While they both mime the Polaris reference cards at a quick glance, the Vega cards are longer (despite using space-saving HBM2 memory) and ditch Polaris’s plastic shell for sturdier metal materials, including a backplate. The Radeon logo on the side edge of Vega cards glows red. More importantly, the Vega cards use a vapor-chamber cooler that improves upon
the basic blower fan of Polaris. In the photo below, you can compare the Vega 56 (at top) to the Radeon RX 480 reference card (at bottom; go.pcworld.com/480rc). We’re also reviewing the liquid-cooled version of the Radeon RX Vega 64. It bears the same brushed-aluminum design as the air-cooled Vega 64 Limited Edition, but ditches the blower-style fan in favor of integrated water-cooling with a 120mm radiator, similar to the Fury X’s design. From its stark, unblemished face to that ruby-colored R in the corner, the liquid-cooled Vega 64 is gorgeous—so much so that my non-techie wife walked into my office, saw the card in its box, stopped dead in her tracks and gasped, “God, that’s beautiful.” That’s a first. But any points this card gets for attractiveness are offset by the ill-conceived tubing for the liquid-cooling. The older Fury X featured shorter tubing that sprouted from the end of the card, providing just enough length to install its 120mm radiator in the optimal fan spot at the rear of your case. By contrast, the liquidcooled Vega 64 awkwardly sprouts its tubing from the very OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 27
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front edge of the card, just behind the I/O bracket—and directly underneath where your radiator will likely be installed in your case. That could’ve been okay with short tubing, but Vega 64’s liquid-cooling tubes are actually longer than the Fury X’s (as you see below), yet too short to be able to comfortably route back around the end of the card. The end result? We had to tuck the problematic bundle of liquid-cooling tubes
28 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
underneath the card. It wasn’t very attractive and would’ve likely caused some headaches if we’d had other PCI-E devices installed in our mid-tower PC case. Longer tubing is handy for installing reservoirs elsewhere in your case, but this design feels like it could be more refined. Radeon RX Vega cards include a trio of DisplayPort 1.4-ready outputs and an HDMI 2.0 port. The architecture’s updated display engine can support up to two 4K/120Hz panels, or a trio of 4K/60Hz displays. That’s a whole lot of pixels! And of course, Vega cards support AMD’s FreeSync technology (go.pcworld. com/fst), which eradicates stuttering and screen-tearing on compatible monitors. It’s a major factor in the value proposition that Radeon marketing is pushing for Vega. Both versions of the Radeon RX Vega 64 also sport the nifty “GPU tachometer” feature that debuted with Fury. A line of LED lights above the power connectors flash to life correlating with the GPU load. The harder you put the pedal to the metal, the more lights flare up. It’s silly, but I adored it in Fury and I still adore it now. There’s just something satisfying about seeing the GPU tachometer start shining
when you boot up a game (see above).
RADEON RX VEGA POWER PROFILES All Radeon RX Vega cards also pack a pair of 8-pin power connectors, and for good reason. The air-cooled version of Vega 64 is rated for a whopping 295 watts of total
board power, and the liquidcooled model pushes that all the way to 345W. By contrast, Nvidia’s GTX 1080 has a 180W TDP and only requires a single 8-pin power connector. Vega 56, on the other hand, has a less imposing 210W TDP. AMD’s liquid-cooled Vega 64 review box explicitly states that the card needs a minimum of a 1,000W power supply, compared to the air-cooled version’s 750W requirement. Hot damn. You’ll be able to get by with a less-powerful PSU if you have a quality 80 Plus–rated one, though. AMD is combating those power concerns by introducing six different power profiles for Radeon RX Vega. If you open the Global Wattman (go.pcworld.com/gwa)
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Model
AMD R ADEON R X VEGA
Cooling Type
Air Radeon RX Vega64
Liquid
VBIOS Mode Power Saver
Balanced
Turbo
Primary
165W
220W
253W
Secondary
150W
200W
230W
Primary
198W
264W
303W
Secondary
165W
220W
253W
overclocking section of Radeon Software’s settings, you’ll find a new “performance profile” slider. By default, it’s set to a Balanced profile, which balances performance and energy/acoustic considerations. You can also opt to use a Power Save profile, a full-throttle Turbo profile, or create a custom plan. (Don’t forget to click Apply to make your decision stick.) But wait! That’s not all. Radeon RX Vega also includes dual BIOSs, swappable via a tiny toggle switch on the edge of the card, over the “Radeon” branding. The secondary BIOS uses the same performance profiles as the first, but uses even less power—significantly so, in the case of the Turbo profile. The table above has the GPU power limits for each profile on the air- and liquid-cooled Vega 64 cards, per AMD: Unfortunately, time constraints prevented us from testing the various power profiles extensively. AMD says activating Turbo mode in the default BIOS adds just 2 to 3 percent more performance across several games, but didn’t declare how much power it uses. 30 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Power Balance
Conversely, the company says activating the Power Save profile improves performanceper-watt significantly, though its materials don’t directly show the mode’s effect on overall frame rates. AMD is also (rightfully) keen to point out the power-saving features baked into its Radeon Software. The Radeon Chill feature introduced in Radeon Software Crimson ReLive can greatly reduce overall power use by detecting your inputs and intelligently ramping down the GPU when you’re idle. Unfortunately, it’s off by default and limited to whitelisted games, but that list is up to almost 40 of the most popular games around, like Witcher 3, Fallout 4, Battlefield 1, Skyrim, GTA V, Rocket League, and all the major e-sports titles. If you play any of the games, be sure to enable Chill for it in Radeon Settings. Radeon Software also includes a Frame Rate Target Control feature (go.pcworld. com/tcf) that lets you cap your target frame rate manually to save even more power and reduce noise output. If you have a 60Hz monitor, for example, you could set FRTC to
60fps and prevent your GPU from pumping out frames that would go unseen. You might not want to do that in Twitch-based games where keeping latency to a minimum takes priority, though. You can enable FRTC in the Global Settings section of Radeon Software’s Gaming tab. But enough about the basics. Let’s dig into Vega’s most noteworthy new technical features.
NEW TECH FEATURES Few of Radeon RX Vega’s new underlying features come as a surprise, as AMD already pulled back the curtain on the key details during the Vega technical preview (go. pcworld.com/vtp) at CES in January. We’ll cover the highlights that will most likely make a difference to everyday gamers here, but hit that link for more details, or check out this white paper on Vega’s architecture (go. pcworld.com/ova). Most interesting might be Vega’s revolutionary new highbandwidth cache and high-bandwidth cache controller, which creates what Radeon boss Raja Koduri calls “the world’s most scalable GPU memory architecture.” As we wrote in the technical preview, the high-bandwidth cache
replaces the graphics card’s traditional frame buffer, while the cache controller provides fine-grained control over data and supports a whopping 512 terabytes—not gigabytes, terabytes—of virtual address space. Vega’s HBM design can expand graphics memory beyond onboard RAM to a more heterogeneous memory system capable of managing several memory sources at once. That sounds like a feature best suited to data center workloads—and AMD is indeed rolling out Radeon Instinct cards for machine learning (go.pcworld.com/cfm) based around the Vega architecture—but a new Radeon Settings feature makes it useful for gamers, too. If you open Radeon Software’s Gaming tab and head to the Global Settings, you’ll see a new HBCC Memory Segment section. That slider lets you allocate a portion of your system’s main RAM to gaming, combining with RX Vega’s 8GB of onboard HBM2 to create a larger memory pool. “The
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See the HBCC Memory Segment slider at the bottom?
high-bandwidth cache controller will monitor the utilization of bits in local GPU memory and, if needed, move unused bits to the slower system memory space, effectively increasing the size of the GPU’s local memory,” AMD explains. That sounds awfully intriguing, and it could theoretically prevent stuttering and slowdowns in extremely taxing games. Unfortunately, time constraints prevented us from testing the feature, and to be honest, using more memory than the native 8GB of HBM2 can handle might prove difficult. Color me excited though, especially because AMD says the HBCC can also improve overall memory utilization in games, raising minimum frame rates. Vega also includes revamped “next-gen 32 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
compute units” that can perform two 16-bit ops (aka FP16) simultaneously, which isn’t possible in previous AMD GPUs. AMD calls the feature “rapid packed math.” Rapidpacked math wouldn’t work with all aspects of a game, but functions that can utilize it (like some lighting, procedural, and postprocessing effects) can essentially be doubled, as demonstrated in the February Vega (go.pcworld.com/ifv) demo where enabling RPM allowed a system to render 1,200,000 hair strands per second, as opposed to 550,000 with RPM disabled. Far Cry 5 (go.pcworld.com/fc5) will support rapid packed math. Steve McAuley, the game’s 3D technical lead, says the game will run faster, at a higher frame rate, and at a more stable frame rate as well. Wolfenstein II:
The New Colossus (go.pcworld.com/mar) will also support RPM in some way. Vega has a couple of other features designed to improve performance by working smarter, not harder. Rendering a scene is a complex process. A new programmable geometry pipeline can use primitive shaders to identify polygons that aren’t visible to the player and cull them quickly, allowing the GPU to start rending the geometry you can actually see faster. Yay, efficiency! Vega’s pixel engine introduces a “draw stream binning rasterizer” that also improves efficiency and, hence, performance. After the geometry engine performs its (already reduced amount of) work, Vega identifies overlapping pixels that won’t be seen by the user and thus don’t need to be rendered. The GPU then discards those pixels rather than wasting time rendering them. DSBR should also reduce the load on RX Vega’s memory.
It’s similar to the tile-based rendering that helped give Nvidia’s GeForce graphics cards a tremendous boost in efficiency starting with the Maxwell architecture (go. pcworld.com/mar), though it remains to be seen whether AMD’s solution is as effective. And get this: Vega is fully compliant with Microsoft’s DirectX 12 level 12.1 features.
RX VEGA RADEON PACK BUNDLES Before we dive into performance testing, it’s worth noting the unconventional way Radeon RX Vega is being sold. Sure, you can buy stand-alone versions of the air-cooled Radeon RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 at their respective $399 and $499 price points, but AMD’s also selling the graphics cards at a $100 markup with Radeon Packs that offer bundled games and another $300 in discounts on Ryzen and FreeSync hardware. The liquid-cooled RX Vega 64 is only available as part of the $699 Radeon Aqua Pack. You can’t buy it as a stand-alone. It sounds simple enough, but the situation’s actually somewhat complex. (You don’t actually have to buy the extra hardware OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 33
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if you pick up a Radeon Pack edition of a Vega card, for example.) Head over to PCWorld’s RX Vega Radeon Pack explainer (go.pcworld.com/rpe) for a full breakdown. One crucial tidbit: It remains to be seen how much Vega stock gets allocated to standalone versions and how much gets set aside for Radeon Packs. Here’s what AMD says about the situation: “We can’t break out volumes, but we’re working to ensure ample quantities of both stand-alone cards and the Radeon Packs so that gamers can get exactly what they’re looking for.” Enough talk. Let’s benchmark!
OUR TEST SYSTEM We tested the Radeon RX Vega 64 on PCWorld’s dedicated graphics card benchmark system (go.pcworld.com/cbs1). Our testbed’s loaded with high-end components to avoid bottlenecks in other 34 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
parts of the system and show unfettered graphics performance. Some secondary details differ from prior reviews, however, as we’re in the process of upgrading to a more modern testing system. The case, power supply, and SSD model have changed, but the core aspects remain the same as before, and we retested all of the cards • Intel’s Core i7-5960X with a Corsair Hydro Series H100i closed-loop water cooler ($110 on Amazon, go.pcworld.com/ x99a) • An Asus X99 Deluxe motherboard • 16GB of Corsair’s Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory ($148 on Amazon, go.pcworld. com/cv3a) • EVGA Supernova 1000 G3 power supply ($200 on Amazon, go.pcworld. com/snma) • A 500GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD ($175 on Amazon, go.pcworld.com/s25) • Corsair Crystal Series 570X case, deemed Full Nerd’s favorite case of 2016 (go.pcworld.com/fc16; $180 on Amazon, go.pcworld.com/cc570) • Windows 10 Pro (go.pcworld.com/w10p;
$180 on Amazon, go.pcworld.com/mwpa) I’d hoped to perform more extensive testing on Radeon Vega, going so far as to prepare a Ryzen 1800X system ahead of time to provide benchmarks on both AMD- and Intel-based systems. I’d also hoped to test the cards’ hash rates for mining. Unfortunately, some hardware failures in our main test rig and an extremely tight testing window (AMD shipped the Vega cards to us painfully close to the deadline) prevented me from doing more than standard games testing. A version of Wattman that enabled Vega overclocking arrived over the weekend, so I wasn’t able to dabble in that, either. The limited testing time and hardware failures also affected our lineup of tested graphics cards. We’re reviewing the $399 Radeon RX Vega 56, $499 air-cooled RX Vega 64, and $699 liquid-cooled RX Vega 64, of course. All were benchmarked using the Balanced power profile on the stock BIOS.
We weren’t able to retest the Fury X (go. pcworld.com/fux), Vega’s HBM-packing predecessor. The card was a bit slower than the GTX 1070 when Nvidia’s card launched in May 2016. We also retested the cards’ natural competitors, the (theoretically [go.pcworld. com/the]) $350 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 (go.pcworld.com/gfg) and $500 GTX 1080 (go.pcworld.com/x108). We’re also including the reference $700 GTX 1080 Ti (go.pcworld.com/g080), with performance results from April drivers. Our Founders Edition card suffered an early death shortly thereafter, so we weren’t able to retest it with Nvidia’s latest drivers but wanted to include the numbers as a reference point. Because we’ve added a couple of new games to our suite for this review, we’re also including results from the $735 PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 (go.pcworld.com/pny), a GTX 1080 Ti variant with a custom cooler, a slight overclock, and a very modest markup over the reference version. We try not to mix reference and custom models in reviews, but it felt warranted in this case—especially considering the liquid-cooled Vega 64’s price tag. Each game is tested using its in-game benchmark at the mentioned graphics presets, after disabling VSync, frame rate OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 35
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caps, and all GPU vendor-specific technologies—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and FreeSync/G-Sync. Given the capabilities of these cards, we tested the Vega 64, GTX 1080, and GTX 1080 Ti at 1440p and 4K resolution. The Vega 56 and GTX 1070 were tested at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. They’re versatile!
BENCHMARKS GALORE
The Division (Ultra graphics) Blue = 4K, Green = 1440 Nvidia GTX 1070 (Reference)
60.3 34.4
Radeon RX Vega 56
66.9 39
Nvidia GTX 1080 (Reference)
75.1 44.9
Radeon RX Vega 64 (air)
76.1 43.9
Radeon RX Vega 64 (liquid)
81.4 47.4
Nvidia GTX 1080Ti (Reference)
97 54.4
The Division PNY GTX 1080 Ti 100.2 The Division (go.pcworld.com/ 57.2 tdiv), a gorgeous third-person LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E shooter/RPG that mixes elements of Destiny and Gears of War, kicks things off with Ubisoft’s Snowdrop engine. cards pump out smooth gameplay in the We test the game in DirectX 11 mode. games we tested. Vega 56 trounces the GTX 1070 Founders Edition by roughly 13 percent across all Ghost Recon: Wildlands resolutions. Chalk that up as a solid win for Next up: Ghost Recon: Wildlands, a drop-dead AMD. The air-cooled Vega 64 and GTX 1080 gorgeous and notoriously punishing game Founders Edition essentially trade blows, with based on Ubisoft’s Anvil engine. Not even the the liquid-cooled Vega getting a decent 7 to GTX 1080 Ti put in a decent showing at Ultra 9 percent uplift from its cooler temperatures graphics settings at 4K, so we dropped down and higher clock speeds. The similarly priced to Very High, which “is targeted to high-end GTX 1080 Ti blew away all comers though, hardware.” It’s a game that includes some and—spoiler alert again—will continue to do Nvidia GameWorks features, but again, we test so without testing. with those disabled. Minimum frame rates aren’t listed in this Unless you’re running a GTX 1080 Ti or are review. We tend to mention that metric only willing to reduce graphics settings below what when it’s an issue, and it wasn’t. All of these we tested here—and for reference, dropping 36 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Ghost Recon: Wildlands (Very High graphics) Blue = 4K, Green = 1440 Nvidia GTX 1070 (Reference)
57.35 33.47
Radeon RX Vega 56
58.23 32.53
Nvidia GTX 1080 (Reference)
68.23 40.75
Radeon RX Vega 64 (air)
64.93 38.45
Radeon RX Vega 64 (liquid)
67.28 38.64
PNY GTX 1080 Ti
86.03 53.85 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (High graphics) Blue = 4K, Green = 1440 Nvidia GTX 1070 (Reference)
55.5 28.4
Radeon RX Vega 56
64.8 33.4
Nvidia GTX 1080 (Reference)
67.7 35.1
Radeon RX Vega 64 (air)
down to the High preset only added 3fps of performance to the air-cooled Vega 64—this game is much better suited to 1440p than 4K. The Vega 56 draws even with the GTX 1070 at those resolutions in this Nvidia-leaning game, though the GeForce card opens the lead a bit at 1080p. Likewise, the GTX 1080 maintains a 5 percent lead over both Vega 64 models at 4K, which only amounts to a couple of frames per second in practice. It keeps that advantage over the air-cooled Vega 56 at 1440p, though the liquid-cooled version closes the gap. The PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 still carries the performance torch, with a 32 percent performance advantage over the GTX 1080 at 4K, and 26 percent performance advantage at 1440p. The GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition would likely be roughly 5 percent slower.
73.4 37.1
Radeon RX Vega 64 (liquid)
79.5 39.8
PNY GTX 1080 Ti
92.5 48.9 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Now it’s time for another graphically punishing game, but this one favors AMD hardware. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided replaces Hitman in our test suite OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 37
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because its Dawn engine is based upon the Glacier Engine at Rise of the Tomb Raider (4K) Blue = very high, Green = high Hitman’s heart. We dropped all the way down to the High Nvidia GTX 1070 48.7 (Reference) graphics preset for this one and 44.1 Radeon RX Vega 56 still struggled at 4K. We tested in 50.11 45.87 DirectX 12, as that mode raises all Nvidia GTX 1080 61.05 (Reference) performance boats regardless of 56.05 which brand’s GPU sits at the Radeon RX Vega 64 56.02 (air) heart of your graphics card. 51.54 Radeon RX Vega 64 No surprise here: AMD wins 60.79 (liquid) 55.25 across the board. Once again, Nvidia GTX 1080Ti 80.75 (Reference) Vega 56 surpasses the GTX 1070 73.14 Founders Edition by 12 to 13 PNY GTX 1080 Ti 82.79 percent depending on resolution. 75.22 Vega 64 especially dominates the LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E GTX 1080 at 1440p resolution, and the liquid-cooled version’s higher clock speeds give it a sizable 8 optimizations for AMD’s new Ryzen percent boost over the air-cooled model. processors (go.pcworld.com/nrp; not that it The liquid-cooled version delivers 17.5 matters here). percent more performance than the GTX Vega 56 manages to hang blow-for-blow 1080 Founders Edition at that resolution. with the GTX 1070 even in this best-case Even the overclocked, custom-cooled scenario for GeForce cards—impressive PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8 fails to come anywhere indeed. Vega 64 churns out decent frame near the 60fps gold standard at 4K. The GTX rates of its own, but isn’t as fast as the GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition would likely be 1080 Founders Edition, even with a decent roughly 5 percent slower. performance boost in liquid-cooled form. The gap is most noticeable with everything Rise of the Tomb Raider cranked at 1440p resolution, where the Rise of the Tomb Raider (go.pcworld.com/ air-cooled Vega 64 lags the GTX 1080 by 15 rotr) tends to perform better on GeForce percent. Still, Vega 64’s 90fps average is cards, on the other hand. It’s utterly gorgeous nothing to sneer at. and one of the first games to receive specific The $700 GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 38 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
outpunches the $700 Vega 64 liquid-cooled edition by nearly 33 percent. That is something worth raising an eyebrow over.
Far Cry Primal (4K) Blue = ultra, Green = high Nvidia GTX 1070 (Reference)
40 34
Radeon RX Vega 56
43 38
Nvidia GTX 1080 (Reference)
47 41
Radeon RX Vega 64 (air)
50 43
Radeon RX Vega 64 (liquid)
51 46
Nvidia GTX 1080Ti (Reference)
64 56
PNY GTX 1080 Ti
66 58 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Ashes of the Singularity (4K) Blue = DX11, Green = DX12 Nvidia GTX 1070 (Reference)
58.8 56.9
Radeon RX Vega 56
65.7 47.8
Nvidia GTX 1080 (Reference)
73.7 64.2
Radeon RX Vega 64 (air)
Far Cry Primal Far Cry Primal (go.pcworld.com/ fcpr) is yet another Ubisoft game, but it’s powered by the latest version of the long-running and wellrespected Dunia engine. We benchmark the game with the optional Ultra HD texture pack enabled for high-end cards like these. Both the Vega 56 and Vega 64 beat Nvidia’s GeForce equivalent cards here, though the GTX 1070 manages to eke slightly ahead if you go all the way down to High settings at 1080p. That’s not a scenario you’d ever actually want to use, though. The GTX 1080 Ti’s solid lead here makes it the only card capable of flirting with 4K/60fps.
71.9 50.8
Radeon RX Vega 64 (liquid)
80.5 49.9
Nvidia GTX 1080Ti (Reference)
86.7 66.1
PNY GTX 1080 Ti
94.7 72.3 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Ashes of the Singularity Ashes of the Singularity (go. pcworld.com/asi), running on Oxide’s custom Nitrous engine, was an early standard-bearer for DirectX 12, and many months later it’s still the premier game for OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 39
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seeing what next-gen graphics technologies have to offer. Nvidia Whole system power draw Blue = idle, Green = load drivers have greatly improved GeForce performance in Ashes Nvidia GTX 1070 203 (Reference) over the past several months. We 65.9 Radeon RX Vega 56 test the game using the High 264 61.9 graphics setting, as the wildly Nvidia GTX 1080 241 (Reference) strenuous Crazy and Extreme 66.4 presets aren’t reflective of realRadeon RX Vega 64 347 (air) world usage scenarios. 60.3 Radeon RX Vega 64 Vega 56 beats the GTX 1070 402 (liquid) 65.3 across the board in DirectX 12 Nvidia GTX 1080Ti 298 (Reference) mode. The GTX 1080 and air70.2 cooled Vega 64 are evenly PNY GTX 1080 Ti 304 matched at 4K, with the more 59.1 potent liquid-cooled version WAT T S ( LO W E R = B E T T E R ) opening a 9.25 percent lead over the GeForce card. AMD’s hardware starts pulling ahead at 1440p entire system into a Watts Up meter, running resolution, though. the intensive Division benchmark at 4K At least in DirectX 12: Nvidia’s cards resolution, and noting the peak power draw. trounce Vega in DirectX 11. That’s worth Idle power is measured after sitting on the noting because DX12 is available only in Windows desktop for three minutes with no Windows 10. Ashes is a definite victory for extra programs or processes running. AMD for Windows 10 users, while Nvidia is AMD spent a lot of time talking up Vega’s the clear victor for everybody else—though power efficiency, but it’s clear the company the majority of PC gamers have migrated to really cranked on the clock speeds to bring Windows 10, according to the Steam performance in line with the GTX 1080, hardware survey (go.pcworld.com/shs). especially when you consider the power savings that HBM offers over traditional POWER, HEAT, NOISE, memory. At 347 watts of total system power CLOCK SPEEDS draw, the air-cooled Vega 64 uses 106W Power more power than the GTX 1080 Founders We test power under load by plugging the Edition—heck, even the mightily 40 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
overclocked EVGA GTX 1080 FTW (go.pcworld.com/80ft) Maximum GPU temperature only used 248W. The liquidNvidia GTX 1070 74 (Reference) cooled model draws an Radeon RX Vega 56 66 astonishing 402W. That’s Nvidia GTX 1080 roughly 100W more than even 82 (Reference) Radeon RX Vega 64 our overclocked GTX 1080 Ti 82 (air) XLR8 requires. Radeon RX Vega 64 60 (liquid) A silver lining for AMD? Nvidia GTX 1080Ti 82 (Reference) Vega’s sky-high thirst for power PNY GTX 1080 Ti 66 makes the 60W gap between D E G R E E S C E L S I U S ( LO W E R = B E T T E R ) the GTX 1070 and Vega 56 look far less imposing. While we didn’t measure it here, the same 82-degree Celsius max as the GTX Radeon Chill can indeed bring down your 1080 and 1080 Ti Founders Edition cards. power use and temperatures significantly— AMD’s blower-style reference cooler gets but only in the whitelisted games, and you awfully loud under load though, vapor have to enable it manually (which you chamber or no. should do)! Frame Rate Target Control can Speaking of loud, our liquid-cooled Vega also help reduce GPU load. Seeing these 64 suffered from a buzzing coil whine when Vega power results, it becomes more clear sitting on menus or the Windows desktop. It why AMD invested so much in powergoes away in-game, but it isn’t very pleasant. saving software features in recent months. The card hovers between 55 degrees Celsius and its max of 60 degrees Celsius Heat and noise during testing. That’s slightly warmer you’d We test heat during the same intensive expect from a liquid-cooled card; the older Division benchmark at a strenuous 4K Fury X never topped 56 degrees Celsius in resolution, by running SpeedFan in the our benchmarks. It’s also worth noting how background and noting the maximum GPU that 60-degree-Celsius maximum for the temperature once the run is over. liquid-cooled version isn’t much chillier than Despite using so much more power than the PNY GTX 1080 Ti XLR8’s triple-fan the GTX 1070 Founders Edition, the Vega 56 solution, and that GeForce card delivers a actually runs much cooler, topping out at 66 whole lot more performance for roughly the degrees Celsius. The air-cooled Vega 56 hits same price. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 41
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The Vega 56 varies between 1,474MHz and 1,312MHz steps.
Given Vega’s wild power draw, the liquid-cooled model probably would’ve been more effective with a 240mm radiator rather than the included 120mm version. Clock speeds All of these cards hold their rated boost speeds pretty consistently, with 42 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
The Vega 64 usually sticks to its 1,536MHz boost speed.
couldn’t really tell the difference,” AMD said in the aftermath. A sizable chunk of AMD’s Radeon RX Vega reviewers guide is also dedicated to touting FreeSync’s benefits and cost advantage versus G-Sync, with expected performance results in games being boxed inside “FreeSync ranges” in AMD’s charts. And just in case I didn’t get it, AMD also sent along a Viewsonic XG2700-4K display ($550 on Amazon; go.pcworld. The liquid-cooled Vega 64 is mostly rock solid at 1,668MHz, but it sometimes dips to 1,560MHz and spikes as high as 1,750MHz. com/4ka) so I could test FreeSync’s benefits firsthand. some slight, temporary bumps up or down in It’s no wonder AMD’s beating this drum performance. Here are screenshots of Radeon so hard. Once you’ve enjoyed the stutter- and Wattman graphs of each card’s performance tearing-free experience an adaptive-sync during Deus Ex: Mankind Divided benchmark monitor provides, it’s painful to go back to a runs. normal monitor. Heck, many Radeon 290/390/Fury-wielding enthusiasts have THE FREESYNC VARIABLE refused to pick up a GTX 10-series card simply During pre-launch promotions for Radeon RX because Nvidia hardware isn’t Vega, AMD set up blind “taste tests” (go. FreeSync-compatible. pcworld.com/btt) at fan events. PC gamers As we discuss in PCWorld’s got to play Battlefield 1 on 100Hz, comprehensive FreeSync vs. G-Sync 3440x1440 monitors, with one setup using explainer (go.pcworld.com/fsv), FreeSync’s the GTX 1080 and a G-Sync monitor, and open nature means there are many more another using Vega 64 with a similar FreeSync FreeSync monitors available than G-Sync monitor that cost $300 less. monitors, and the AMD-friendly displays tend “Though the Radeon RX Vega + FreeSync to cost much less. Nvidia views G-Sync as a (left system) came out on top for most gamers, premium add-on for premium monitors and they said the differences were minimal and requires display vendors to use a proprietary OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 43
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Screen tearing is gross. FreeSync (and G-Sync) eliminate it.
hardware module. FreeSync is built atop the DisplayPort 1.2 adaptive sync standard, and AMD doesn’t even charge certification or licensing costs. FreeSync was made to spread far and wide, and cheaply. On Newegg right now, G-Sync monitors (go.pcworld.com/ gsmo) start at $600, while only two FreeSync monitors (go.pcworld.com/fsmo) cost more than $600. FreeSync indeed tends to be cheaper, but buying a FreeSync monitor requires a bit more legwork than with G-Sync due to its variability. Color accuracy isn’t certified. FreeSync monitors support adaptive sync only inside of specified refresh rate ranges, and some are 44 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
awfully tiny. If you fall outside that range, tearing and stuttering returns. That’s an easy thing to do at 4K, because many 4K FreeSync monitors kick in at 40Hz, and Vega has troubles hitting a consistent 40fps in our 4K Deus Ex, Ghost Recon, and Division tests. A FreeSync feature called Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) combats the issue and behaves similarly to G-Sync’s solution, but it’s optional and a lot of monitors don’t have it. The ViewSonic monitor AMD sent along doesn’t, in fact. Fortunately, AMD’s FreeSync page (go. pcworld.com/afsp) includes a Monitors tab in a chart at the bottom that lets you see the
supported FreeSync ranges of every FreeSync display before you buy. FreeSync’s price advantage can diminish on exceptionally high-end monitors. Do your homework!
BUYING ADVICE So was the wait for Vega worthwhile? It’s complicated, made more so by the fact that cryptocurrency miners have greatly inflated today’s graphics card prices—and Nvidia’s next-gen Volta chips loom in the near future. One thing’s for certain: The $399 Vega 56 will be the best buy of the bunch when it launches on August 28. It runs cooler than the GTX 1070 Founders Edition and delivers more performance than Nvidia’s card in many games, hanging tight even in titles that favor GeForce hardware. Sure, it uses more power, but not remarkably so. The Vega 56 is also a huge step up over the (theoretically) $240 8GB Radeon RX 580 (go.pcworld.com/8gbr), delivering between 25 percent and 45 percent more performance depending on the game and resolution you’re looking at. The value of FreeSync is alluring indeed if you’re looking to get into 1440p or 1080p/144Hz gaming without breaking the bank. Speaking of which,
current street prices for GTX 1070 cards are another point in Vega 56’s favor, as the cheapest GTX 1070 currently available on Newegg is the MSI GTX 1070 Gaming, for $470 (go.pcworld.com/470). That’s a whopping $120 over the GTX 1070’s $350 MSRP. Fingers crossed miners don’t similarly jack up Vega prices after launch. Considering how large the GPU die is, and how limited HBM2 production appears to be, I don’t expect there to be abundant supplies floating around to combat demand by miners and pent-up gamer demand for Vega. The $500 air-cooled Vega 64 (go. pcworld.com/500ac) is a trickier proposition now that GTX 1080 prices (go.pcworld.com/ t10) are finally starting to settle down around the card’s $500 MSRP. Vega 64 trades blows with the reference GTX 1080 depending on the game you’re playing, but it uses a ton of electricity to do so. The only real reason to buy Vega 64 over a GeForce GTX 1080 is if
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you plan to pair it with a FreeSync monitor for 1440p or ultrawide gaming at a high refresh rate (like the superb, hassle-free Nixeus EDG 27 [go.pcworld.com/ e27]), or 4K gaming (often sub-60fps). Affordable adaptive sync or vastly superior power efficiency? Pick your pleasure. There’s no wrong answer…unless you choose Vega and don’t get a FreeSync monitor. We can’t recommend the liquid-cooled Vega 64 no matter how gorgeous it looks. The card’s performance results leave me very interested in seeing what overclocked Vega 64 cards with custom cooling solutions can do in the future, but at this time the liquidcooled Vega 64 has too many strikes against it. The coil whine isn’t guaranteed to affect every unit, yet even taking that off the table, the awkward tubing, wild power draw, essentially GTX 1080-level performance, and the fact that it’s limited to a $699 Radeon Aqua Pack edition render it undesirable for the most part. It’d be much easier to swallow if it were available in a stand-alone version for $100 less. As-is, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti blows it away in performance for roughly the same price (go.pcworld.com/rts1). In fact, give the Radeon Pack editions of all these cards a hard pass unless you already 46 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
planned to pick up both Prey (go.pcworld. com/prey) and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (go.pcworld.com/wii, a $120 value) at full price, build a swanky Ryzen 7 system with a premium motherboard, or want a swanky $950 Samsung monitor (go.pcworld.com/s950; that blows away FreeSync’s value proposition) for $750— and all only at select retailers, as part of a single massive purchase. Again, our Radeon Pack explainer (go.pcworld.com/rpe1) dives into the details, but the bundles don’t really make sense for most buyers the way they’re configured, and the $100 surcharge pushes the Vega cards into the “not worth it” range unless you plan to put the extras to good use.
THE BIG PICTURE Taking a step back, it’s great to see AMD finally return to enthusiast-class graphics cards. Dedicated FreeSync owners finally have worthy high-end gaming options to
drive their displays! Competition is back! But it’s hard not to feel a bit let down by Vega on the gaming front. Nvidia launched (go.pcworld.com/nla) the Pascal GPU-based GTX 10-series 15 months ago, in May 2016. It’s taken AMD this long to release graphics cards that merely compete with the GTX 1070 and GTX 1080, and Vega needs a far larger die size (486mm vs. 314mm) and far more power to do even that. The Titan Xp and GTX 1080 Ti still reign comfortably supreme in performance. This is after AMD mocked (go. pcworld.com/dmo) Nvidia’s forthcoming Volta GPU architecture during a video revealed at CES in January, stoking hopes that Vega would be an utter beast. Eight months later, Vega can only battle with the aging GTX 10-series, and Nvidia’s already showed off Volta (go.pcworld.com/ sov) in its ultimate-datacenter form. Volta-based GeForce graphics cards can feasibly drop at any point and ruin Vega’s fun, though Nvidia may wait until the new year. Vega 56 and Vega 64 hold up pretty well in raw performance against Nvidia’s graphics cards today, but you have to wonder how they’ll manage when fresh Volta
cards arrive. Taking a step even further back, AMD’s Vega architecture works in important features—like FP16 and the technically stunning high-bandwidth cache controller— that seem potentially interesting for gaming in the future but designed more to earn the company a foothold in data centers and machine-learning scenarios. That’s where the real money is these days, so the focus there makes sense. Nvidia creates different GPUs for different market segments, but the much smaller AMD simply can’t afford to do so. Radeon RX Vega ain’t bad, but it ain’t mind-blowing despite some nifty tricks, and it’s awfully late to the game. Here’s hoping its successor, Navi (go.pcworld.com/isn), will be able to push the gaming envelope in 2018…and that the wait won’t be as excruciatingly long as it’s been for Vega.
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Acer Predator 21 X: The most insane laptop ever built Acer’s Predator 21 X is giant, fast, and super-expensive. BY GORDON MAH UNG
T
here are three things you should immediately know about Acer’s Predator 21 X laptop. First, it’s hands down the fastest laptop we’ve ever seen. Period. Second, it’s the widest laptop we’ve ever seen: 22.4 inches wide, 12.4 inches deep, and 2.71 inches to 3.28 inches high, front to back. And third: It’s the most expensive laptop 48 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
we’ve seen in a long time. Sure, at $9,000, you’d think it would be the priciest ever in PCWorld history, but a 1990-era 286 laptop that cost $6,000 adjusted for inflation would be $11,367 today. So, the Predator 21 X is almost a deal, right? But seriously, Acer’s Predator 21 X isn’t meant to be a mainstream product. Hell, it’s not even meant to be a high-end product. It’s the very definition of a showcase, IMAGE: GORDON MAH UNG/IDG
The screen is a 2000R curved screen.
low-volume, high-profile “halo” product, intended to show that Acer can produce the biggest, baddest laptop on the planet. And Acer’s done just that.
FEATURES: EVERYTHING INSIDE THE PREDATOR 21 X The most striking feature of the Predator 21 X is its 21-inch curved screen. The panel is 2560x1080, and supports G-Sync with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The high refresh rate and G-Sync means everything is simply smoother—from gaming to just moving windows and scrolling a browser window. Once you’ve used a high refresh-rate panel, you never want to go back. The panel has decent off-axis support and a light anti-glare finish, but it won’t win any color accuracy contests. It is decently bright, though—we measured its maximum brightness at 420 nits.
We generally prefer curved screens to flat screens—on ultrawide panels measuring 34 inches. At 21 inches, the curve—rated at 2000R— doesn’t make a huge difference to our eyes, but it certainly adds to the panache of the Predator 21 X. To drive that 2.8-megapixel screen, Acer stuffs no fewer than two GeForce GTX 1080 cards inside, in SLI mode. There’s also a quad-core Core i7-7820HK, 64GB of DDR4/2400, two Toshiba 512GB NVMe M.2 drives, and a 1TB hard drive. It’s hard to quibble with that much storage, but if we had to complain, we’d say the hard drive is too small at 1TB. It looks like the thickest hard drive you can get in the Predator 21 X is a 9.5mm HDD, which tops out at 2TB today. The good news is there’s two free M.2 slots that are easily accessible once you remove the service door on the bottom of the laptop. The bad news is they operate only at SATA speeds.
KEYBOARD AND TRACKPAD The Predator 21 X features a full-height mechanical keyboard using Cherry MX brown switches. Acer isn’t the first laptop maker to integrate full-height mechanical keys, of course, but it’s a nice touch. The keys are individually RGB-lit, too. If you don’t like the OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 49
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Because no external bricks are available in sizes larger than 330 watts, Acer uses the old trick of slaving two 330-watt bricks together. Each brick gets its own port in back. Both are identical, so there’s no specific order for plugging them in. In a sign of how much thought Acer put into the Predator 21 X, the company includes a rubber stand for the An offset trackpad can be flipped over to reveal a 10-key pad. Magnets hold it in place. AC adapters, emblazoned with the Predator logo and shaped colored WASD keys, Acer includes more in an X. For the sake of appearance and sedate black keys in the box. neatness, it’s a nice touch you’d expect of a There’s an integrated Tobii EyeX eye premium machine. tracker under the display, and a rather unique Power consumption itself, for what it’s trackpad. The trackpad is offset to the right of worth, generally sat in the 400-watt range the keys, but Acer knows any gamer worth a under a graphically intense workload such as damn won’t use a trackpad to play, so the Furmark. We ran into one interesting trackpad can be flipped over (it’s attached via behavior: If you push the GPUs hard running magnets) to reveal a 10-key pad. The keys are Furmark, with the CPU and GPUs not mechanical, but we won’t get picky. overclocked, and then suddenly pull the plug, the Predator 21 X immediately cut PORTS AND POWER power to the laptop. For any other laptop, The Predator 21 X pours on the ports: one you’d expect it to switch over to the internal Thunderbolt 3, four USB 3.0 Type A, two battery. But considering the Predator 21 X’s DisplayPort, and one HDMI 2.0. There’s also formidable power load, it’s probably safest to an SD Card reader, gigabit ethernet, a hit full stop rather than shove a 400-watt load Kensington lock slot, and an analog mic and onto the onboard batteries in a millisecond. headphone port. When there wasn’t a load on the Predator As you can imagine, all of this hardware 21 X, the laptop would behave in a more civil takes a considerable amount of power to run. matter. Unplugging the laptop would switch 50 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
off the overclock and severely ratchet back the GPU clock speeds.
OTHER UPGRADES You already know about the two M.2 SATA slots under the bottom service door. But there’s also more hardware you can replace on the top. Just remove one screw and carefully pull off the personalized plate, and you can replace the hard drive (again, limited only to 9.5mm) and replace the RAM if you need to.
PERFORMANCE: POWERFUL, YET STILL RELATIVELY QUIET Gaming laptops have come a long way in just two years, and so have consumer expectations. Two years ago, loud and gaming went hand-in-hand. Today, people want their gaming as quiet as possible.
Acer Predator 21 X PROS
• Acer stuffed every gaming component you could want into this laptop • The distinctive design includes a curved display, Tobii eye tracking and much, more more CONS
• At $9,000, this is a fantasy for most people BOTTOM LINE
The Acer Predator 21 X is the very definition of a showcase, low-volume, high-profile “halo” product, intended to show that Acer can produce the biggest, baddest gaming laptop on the planet. And Acer’s done just that. $8,999
Fortunately you get that with the Predator 21 X, which can bring on the GPU and CPU loads without sounding like a Huey chopper is taking off in front of you. This may not sound like a big deal to you, but keeping this much hardware cool under load is an impressive accomplishment. Sure,
The Predator 21X’s size lets it hold very high overclocks without sounding like an F-22 on afterburners. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 51
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HANDBRAKE PERFORMANCE
Acer’s task is made easier due to the sheer size of the laptop, but it’s still something the company should get credit for.
Most people don’t do 3D rendering, though, so we also gauge CPU performance using the CINEBENCH R15 free and popular HandBrake encoder. For this PERFORMANCE test, we take a 30GB 1080p MKV file and Our first test is Maxon’s popular Cinebench convert it using the Android Tablet preset. 15 benchmark. It’s a benchmark based on the Like Cinebench, HandBrake loves CPU clock company’s Cinema4D engine and scales well speed and CPU thread and core count. with clock speed and core and thread count. But unlike Cinebench R15, which runs in For the most part, quad cores are quad cores, just a minute or three, HandBrake can take 45 and the performance is predictable for the minutes to run on a quad-core, and well in laptops you see here. excess of an hour to run on a dual-core. On The Predator 21 X at its stock speed is small laptops, this is a challenge for their slightly edged out by the MSI GT73VR by cooling systems. On giant gaming laptops, about 4 percent. Overclock the Predator 21 X it’s really no sweat at all. using the built-in Turbo preset, though, and it Again, the GT73VR pulls ahead slightly. spits out a result 20 percent faster. (We suspect both CPU results were overclocked results, but we no longer have the laptop to Cinebench R15 check.) And just like with Multi-threaded performance Cinebench R15, when you run Acer Predator 21 X OC the Predator 21 X in its Turbo 935 Core i7-7820K preset, it’s clearly in front of the MSI GT73VR 804 Core i7-6820HK pack. Everyone’s close Acer Predator 21 X 772 Core i7-7820K enough, though, that the Alienware 15 R4 745 differences don’t matter much. Core i7-7700HQ Asus ROG GX501 Core i7-7700HQ
743
Gigabyte Aero 15 Core i7-7700HQ
734
Acer Predator 17 X Core i7-6820HK
689
MSI GS63VR Core i7-6700HQ
688 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
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MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR PERFORMANCE You don’t buy a laptop like the Predator 21 X unless you want
Mordor. We run the game at 1920x1080 resolution using 1080p Encode (sec) the Ultra preset and the optional 4K texture pack. Acer Predator 21 X OC 2,189 Core i7-7820K As with the CPU MSI GT73VR 2,460 benchmarks, we ran this test Core i7-6820HK Acer Predator 21 X with the CPU and GPU both set 2,641 Core i7-7820K to the Turbo overclock preset. Alienware 15 R4 2,743 Core i7-7700HQ The boost is fairly significant Dell XPS 15 2,743 Core i7-7700HQ during the overclock. Gigabyte Aero 15 If you look at the results 2,775 Core i7-7700HQ here a little harder, you may be Asus ROG GX501 2,783 Core i7-7700HQ skeptical of the Predator 21 X’s Acer Predator 17 X 2,969 Core i7-6820HK graphics chops. After all, the S H O R T E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E stock performance is a pretty marginal step up over the MSI GT73VR and its single GPU. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Some of the lack of Ultra 4K texture (fps) impressiveness is likely due to Acer Predator 21 X OC the resolution we set for this 190.6 Core i7-7820K game. We run most of our Acer Predator 21 X 173.8 Core i7-7820K real-world gaming tests at MSI GT73VR 160.2 Core i7-6820HK resolutions that most gaming Asus ROG GX501 156 laptops support: 1920x1080. Core i7-7700HQ The Predator’s 120Hz G-Sync Alienware 15 R4 130.9 Core i7-7700HQ panel has a native resolution of Acer Predator 17 X 87.8 Core i7-6820HK 2560x1080 which is about 2.7 Gigabyte Aero 15 86.7 million pixels, versus the 2 Core i7-7700HQ MSI GS63VR million pixels of an FHD panel. 82.6 Core i7-6700HQ Running Middle-earth at its LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E native resolution and still overclocked, we saw the top-notch gaming performance, so our first Predator 21 X actually spit out 198 fps, gaming test is Middle-earth: Shadow of compared to 190 at 1920x1080. Even though
Handbrake 0.9.9
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the Tomb Raider was 95 fps. With SLI off (without overclocking), performance jumps to 115 fps, which is on a par with the MSI GT73VR and its GTX 1080 GPU. What gives? Fewer and fewer games are optimizing for Nvidia’s SLI, and it’s starting to show. Of course, you can disable one of the GPUs to get normal performance, but at that point, you’re getting nothing for all the money you paid for an SLI configuration.
it was rendering 30 percent more pixels, the dual GTX 1080’s were still paying off significant dividends. In fact, dual GTX 1080’s probably don’t really get a workout until you’re playing games at 4K or running multiple monitors at low resolutions.
RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER PERFORMANCE The hard truth everyone should know when considering an SLI laptop is just how many games ignore multi-GPU support. We ran Rise of the Tomb Raider at 1920x1080 using the Very High preset and in DirectX 11 mode. If you look at the chart below, you’ll see that SLI made a difference in this game—it depressed performance. With SLI enabled, performance in Rise of
3DMARK FIRESTRIKE EXTREME PERFORMANCE Still, there are many games that do indeed get a decent performance bump from SLI, and even some new games support it. If you really want to feel good, you can also run the synthetic 3DMark benchmark. It scales very well with multiple GPUs, and we can see what’s possible theoretically.
Rise of the Tomb Raider 19x10 Very High DX11 Acer Predator 21 X Core i7-7820K (SLI Off)
115.5
MSI GT73VR Core i7-6820HK
114.3
Acer Predator 17 X Core i7-6820HK
105.7
Asus ROG GX501 Core i7-7700HQ
104.8
Acer Predator 21 X OC Core i7-7820K
95
Alienware 15 R4 Core i7-7700HQ
93.9
Acer Predator 21 X Core i7-7820K (SLI On) Gigabyte Aero 15 Core i7-7700HQ
88.6 61.6 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
54 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
BATTERY LIFE Our last test measures how long a laptop will play a looped 4K video at 250 to 260 nits. Yes, the Predator 21 X has a battery—a decently sized 89-watt-hour tank. But no surprise, a 21-inch, 120Hz panel combined with two GeForce GTX 1080 cards, RAID M.2 storage, and a quad-core CPU means dismal
3DMark FireStrike Extreme Overall
Acer Predator 21 X OC Core i7-7820K
15,344
Acer Predator 21 X Core i7-7820K
13,917
MSI GT73VR Core i7-6820HK
9,514
Asus ROG GX501 Core i7-7700HQ
7,840
Alienware 15 R4 Core i7-7700HQ
7,663
Acer Predator 17 X Core i7-6820HK
5,524
MSI GS63VR Core i7-6700HQ
5,108
Gigabyte Aero 15 Core i7-7700HQ
5,017 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Should you care? Probably not. Video playback is one of the lightest chores a laptop can perform today. If we were to play games on any of the laptops listed, we wouldn’t expect more than an hour on any of them. So, as bad as this looks like, if you’re buying a gaming laptop this powerful to play a video on a plane, you bought the wrong laptop.
IT’S SO BIG, IT HAS ITS OWN CASE
We’ve seen gaming laptops so large, they come with their 4K Video Playback own giant backpacks. For the Battery life (mins) Predator 21 X, that isn’t Gigabyte Aero 15 410 enough. It is, after all, an 94Whr/FHD Alienware 15 R4 18.7-pound laptop with 340 99Whr/FHD/G-Sync another 6.5 pounds’ worth of Dell XPS 15 331 97Whr/FHD/Touch power bricks. When you add in MSI GT73VR 228 80Whr/FHD/G-Sync the brick coupler and MSI GS63VR 193 magnetically attached wrist 65Whr/4K rest, you want wheels. For all Acer Predator 17 X 163 89Whr/FHD/G-Sync that, Acer includes a custom Asus ROG GX501 115 48Whr/FHD/G-Sync rolling Pelican case. Acer Predator 21 X 102 If you know your hard 89Whr/UWHD/G-Sync cases, Pelican is one of the LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E premium makers. The case battery life. How dismal? It’s actually the features cutouts and compartments for all worst we’ve seen from a gaming laptop in your parts. One thing we do wish Acer had video playback. done was to leave a little room for other OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 55
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The Acer includes a customized Pelican case with cutouts for your hardware.
accessories, such as a gaming-grade mouse. (Check out our roundup of the best gaming mice: go.pcworld.com/bgm.)
BOTTOM LINE Normally our review is supposed to tell you whether to buy this product. Answering that question for the Predator 21 X seems simple: probably not. But the actual answer is more complicated. For the price of the Predator 21 X, you could buy a “normal” gaming laptop and have enough left over to buy a nicely built gaming desktop, too. Or a used car, or several months’ worth of rent on your 56 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
apartment. But that attitude misses the entire point of the Predator 21 X. It’s not for you or me, or the kind of person who gets weakkneed over a good hardware bargain on Slickdeals. No, if you’re the kind of person who is even considering a $9,000 gaming laptop, you probably also take a helicopter to the Burj Al Arab and have the bellhop roll your Predator 21 X up to the Presidential Suite for you. So, yes, if that’s you and you need something to get your game on, it would be hard to find a more appropriately excessive gaming laptop than the Predator 21 X. The rest of us can just keep dreaming.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Don’t call it a comeback, call it the phone of the year Come for the incredible 6.3-inch screen, stay for the dual cameras. BY MICHAEL SIMON
N
o one would have blamed Samsung if the Note 8 were never released. After a global recall (go.pcworld.com/gr) halted sales of the Note 7 in their tracks, some execs at Samsung probably floated the idea of retiring the Note brand altogether. It’s good they didn’t. The Note 8 isn’t just
IMAGE: DOUG DUVALL/IDG
a return to form, it’s the best phone Samsung has ever made, bar none. And until the iPhone 8 (go.pcworld.com/ph8) and Pixel 2 (go.pcworld.com/px2) make their appearances—and maybe even after—it’s simply the best phone money can buy. Mind you, the best phone money can buy doesn’t come cheap. At $930, it’s $100 OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 57
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more expensive than last year’s model and inches ever closer to that psychological $1,000 barrier. But if you don’t have any qualms about dropping a small fortune on something with such a high probability of cracking, you’ll be plenty happy with your purchase (unless, of course, it cracks). Everything about the Note 8 improves upon both the Note 7 and the Galaxy S8+ (go. pcworld.com/gas8) (even the fingerprint sensor). Barring another catastrophic rollout, the Note 8 should once again set the standard for productivity phablets.
A FAMILIAR DESIGN WITH A TWIST
But the Note 8 isn’t identical to the S8+. Along with the addition of an S Pen slot on the bottom edge, the main difference is the shape. While the S8 has rounded corners on the case, the Note 8 is more squared-off, making the phone appear even taller than it is. It’s a weird optical illusion that eventually faded after a few days, and I ultimately learned to like the design even more than the S8’s. It’s surprisingly functional, too. I dropped the S8+ almost immediately after I opened up its box (and numerous times thereafter), but the squared-off edges on the Note 8 help me keep a firmer grip. The Note 8 is, however, about 20 grams heavier than the S8+, and the extra weight is definitely noticeable, making the Note 8 feel significantly more substantial. Flip it over and you’ll find the same horizontal camera array, except this time around there are two lenses. The fingerprint
Put the Note 8 and the Galaxy S8+ side by side on a table and you’ll barely see any difference. The Note 8 has the same gorgeous Infinity Display as the S8+, and at 6.3 inches, the screen is a barely perceptible 0.1 inches larger. It also has all the same ports and buttons— power, volume, Bixby, 3.5mm, and the off-center USB-C—and delivers the same fast wireless charging and IP68 water The Galaxy Note 8 (right), is a little bigger than the Galaxy S8+ (center), and a resistance. lot bigger than the Galaxy S8 (left). 58 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
sensor is in the same position to the right of the array, though it’s not nearly as terrible to use as it is on the S8.
A BIG, BOLD SCREEN Like the S8, the Note 8 is all about the screen. It’s essentially the same as the one on the S8+: Super AMOLED WQHD+ (1440x2960), though the extra tenth of an inch means the pixel density is slightly reduced (521 PPI vs. 529 PPI on the S8+). Also, the corners of the screen match the squarer edges of the phone, making for nice symmetry. It’s also a good deal brighter than the S8+. At more than 1,200 nits, the Note 8 is nearly blinding in a dark room, but that makes it eminently readable in direct sunlight. It’s straight-up the best phone I’ve ever used outdoors, and I was able to comfortably read and browse in super sunny spots once I
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 PROS
• Bright, brilliant 6.3-inch screen is a stunner in any light. • Dual camera is a big step up from the S8 and Live Focus is a winner. • The S Pen is better than ever and truly complements the Note’s screen. • Battery life in excellent despite a decrease in size. CONS
• Bixby button and fingerprint sensor are a nuisance • It might be a bit too big and heavy for some users BOTTOM LINE
The Galaxy Note 8 is nothing less than a triumphant return for Samsung’s flagship phablet and the best phone it has ever made. $929
cranked up the brightness. Also, it’s been mobile HDR certified, so it’s ready to play high-dynamic range movies. And there’s already some great content, as Netflix has added the Note 8 to its list of supported devices (go. pcworld.com/osd), even before the Galaxy S8 and S8+. It’s worth noting that if you have even the newest Gear VR unit, the Note 8 won’t fit in it. Samsung is selling a new version of the Hopefully Netflix will let Note 8 users watch Stranger Things in HDR. headset that’s OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 59
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identical in every way to the old model, but just a little bigger to accommodate the larger Note 8 screen. That probably won’t affect too many people, because would-be Note 8 buyers likely haven’t purchased one of the new USB-C headsets released alongside the S8. But it’s still strange that Samsung didn’t account for future handsets. Speaking of size, it seems that Samsung has hit a ceiling when it comes to the Note’s display. While most everyone will be able to hold the phone with one hand, using it is another story. I pretty much need two hands to do just about anything on the Note 8, and even with extra fingers at my disposal, I still have to continuously adjust my grip to reach the upper half of the screen. So... Good thing this phone comes with an S Pen! If Samsung fully eliminated the top and bottom bezels, it could probably squeeze out a 6.5-inch display for the Note 9, but anything beyond that will start to look comically tall and be difficult to use.
POWER, RAM, AND BIOMETRICS The Note 8 includes the same Snapdragon 835 chip as the S8 and adds an extra 2GB of RAM to bring the total to 6GB. But even with that, the two phones are neck-and-neck in the performance department, whether you’re measuring with benchmarks or realworld use. Over time, the extra RAM will probably 60 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Inside the enclosure is a ton of power and RAM.
help keep the Samsung Experience system running smoother than in previous phones, but I didn’t notice much of a difference between the Note 8 and my 5-month-old S8+. Apps opened and switched quickly, and PCMark scores were in the high 6,000s, as expected. It’s safe to say the Note 8 is at least as fast as any Android phone I’ve used, and even stood up to the iPhone 7 Plus. So until the Snapdragon 836 and Apple’s A11 chips make their appearance, the Note 8 will be among the most powerful phones around, and I suspect it’ll hold its own against those next-generation processors, too. As far as unlocking goes, the Note 8 includes the same bevy of biometrics as the
S8: fingers, eyes, and face. I still prefer iris unlocking as the most secure and convenient, but the usability of the fingerprint scanner has been improved. While Samsung unfortunately didn’t relocate it from its inconvenient spot on the rear panel, it did switch things up some by putting the LED flash between the fingerprint sensor and the camera, and by adding a thicker border around the sensor. These changes make it somewhat easier to nail the sensor on the first try while also cutting down on camera lens smudges. Still, I’m hoping the next generation of flagship Samsung phones rethinks the position of the fingerprint sensor altogether.
A BATTERY THAT LASTS AND LASTS Much ink will be spilled on the Note 8’s battery. While the S8 was the first major phone from Samsung following the global recall, the Note name will forever be synonymous with battery explosions.
Battery life PC Mark 2.0
9:02
Galaxy Note 8
8:52
Galaxy S8+
9:14
Galaxy S8 Galaxy Note 7
7:14 LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E
Samsung has taken major steps to make sure Note 8s won’t catch fire. Samsung blamed the explosions on a “flaw in the manufacturing process (that) resulted in the negative electrodes and positive electrodes coming together.” One interpretation says the battery was just too big for its allotted space. In response, the Note 8’s battery is just 3,300mAh, which is smaller than the 3,500mAh batteries in both the Note 7 and the S8+. I’m no engineer, but my guess is that the S Pen slot, the extra rear camera, and an abundance of caution necessitated the downgrade. But fear not, because in my real-world testing, the difference was pretty negligible. The Note 8 easily lasted through a full day of heavy use, and benchmarks hit the 9-hour mark, running circles around the Note 7 and even besting the Galaxy S8+. Samsung has clearly spent considerable effort optimizing the Note 8’s battery for the chip and the OS, so there’s no need to risk another disaster by squeezing in a too-large battery just to fill out a spec sheet. Simply put, the battery on the Note 8 shouldn’t be a concern, whether you’re worried about it lasting or exploding.
THE PRODUCTIVITY DIFFERENTIATOR The very existence of a stylus on the Note 8 is enough to set it apart from nearly every other smartphone, but OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 61
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the S Pen isn’t just for comfort and precision. It gives the Note a level of productivity that just isn’t available on other handsets. Aside from a couple of small snags with the springy slot on the bottom of the phone, I loved using the S Pen, and I miss having one on every other handset I pick up now. The pen itself has the The Note 8 will convince you to love the stylus again. same 0.7mm tip and 4,096 pressure levels as the Note 7’s, but it the first version. For one, you don’t need to brings a new set of tricks. pair your Bluetooth mouse and keyboard And you don’t even have to turn on the before you plug it in anymore. For another, screen to enjoy it. Screen-off memos isn’t apps are better optimized to take advantage technically a new feature, but Samsung has of the desktop format, with many able to upgraded it with the ability to write up to 100 continue running seamlessly once it’s pages of notes, so it could actually replace plugged in. It might very well be the world’s your notebook, if you’re the kind of person first phone that can legitimately replace your who carries one. The Air Command menu has tablet and your laptop. gotten a few upgrades, with the ability to translate not just words but full sentences. A SECOND CAMERA MAKES There’s also a Live Message option that lets ALL THE DIFFERENCE you send hand-drawn GIFs to your friends. Even with all the above changes, the Note 8 But as good as the S Pen is, what really might simply be an OK upgrade, but gives the Note its productivity cred is the probably not one worth nearly $1,000. The DeX dock. Introduced alongside the S8, the camera makes all the difference. $150 accessory turns your phone into a It might not be all that technically superior full-fledged desktop computer. The Note 8 to the S8’s—in fact, it has the same 12MP Dual fixes a few of the biggest annoyances with Pixel, f/1.7 main camera—but it adds a couple 62 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
The Galaxy Note 8’s optical image stabilization (left) really came into play when the lights were turned way down, capturing more clarity and detail than the Galaxy S8+ (center) and the Pixel (right).
of key features that bring it over the top. Most Apple’s Portrait mode. The images I was able notably, the Note 8 has a second 12MP lens to get were as good as the ones on the with a f/2.4 aperture, and in tandem, the two iPhone 7 Plus. cameras offer 2x optical zoom. Plus, there’s But the processing magic on the Note 8 optical image stabilization in both cameras. isn’t just behind the scenes: Both before and That makes the Note 8’s camera more versatile than what came in earlier Galaxy phones, letting you capture clearer photos from farther way and take far better portraits than the selective focus mode on the S8. Faux bokeh on smartphones is hardly a new concept, but Samsung has clearly done its homework. Tapping the Live Focus button I consistently captured remarkable portraits using the Note 8’s Live activates a mode similar to Focus mode. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 63
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The camera app in the Galaxy Note 8, left, has made things easier to find compared to the one on the S8 (center). But the killer feature is the slider to adjust blur after snapping a Live Focus shot (right).
after you take your photo, you can adjust the intensity of the background blur with a software slider. It might sound like a party trick, but it’s way more than that. The adjustments I was able to make with the Note 8 regularly turned bland portraits into excellent ones, and it’s a feature every dualcamera phone should copy. The Note 8 took fantastic non-portrait shots too. While it didn’t pack quite enough technical prowess to take down the LG G6 in our in-depth camera showdown, the pictures I took with the Note 8 were sharp and rich, 64 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
with even better color accuracy than the S8’s. In low-light situations, the OIS really shined, capturing superb details in the harshest of light. Samsung has also cleaned up its camera app to make things easier to find. The buttons for Bixby and stickers are clearly labeled, and the download button, which lets you add new shooting modes, is placed with the rest of the other options, so more people are likely to use it. There’s also a new full-screen icon to use the whole display as a viewfinder—much
easier to find than digging into the settings and figuring out which picture size to select. Around the front, the Note 8 has the same 8MP, f/1.7 aperture camera with auto focus, and the app is loaded with stickers and filters to jazz up your selfies.
worth seeking out. It lives in the Edge Panel, and lets you pick two apps to launch at the same time. You can set it up the same way you select apps icons, but instead of one shortcut, you’ll put two together. When you tap the icon, both apps will automatically launch into Multi-window. It’s probably not a NOUGAT’S NEW TRICKS, feature I’d use every day (and during this BIXBY’S OLD ONES review, I didn’t), but taking away the need to The Note 8 is running the Samsung fiddle with the Recents screen to activate Experience based on Android Nougat 7.1.2, Multi-window is a welcome change. a newer version than the 7.0 one on the S8. It I can’t finish this review without doesn’t bring any visual changes that I could mentioning Bixby. Unlike at the S8’s launch, see, but there is at least one new feature it’s now a fully-formed assistant (go.pcworld. worth mentioning. It’s called App Pair, and it’s com/ffa), with voice recognition and multia perfect match for the Note 8’s giant screen. step commands at the ready. As Bixby It’s a little tricky to find, but App Pair is matures, it’s becoming clear that Samsung wants it to be more of an on-phone tool than a knowledge database, and Bixby does come in handy every now and again. That said, it just doesn’t need to have a dedicated hardware button. I accidentally The new App Pair feature on the Note 8 lets you select two apps to automatically launch together into Multi-window. launch Bixby OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 65
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way more often than I deliberately summon it. I’m hoping Samsung adds the Bixby button to the list of things it needs to rethink in next year’s phones.
SHOULD YOU BUY IT?
made a real contender with the V30 (go. pcworld.com/v30). But because the Note has so many things going for it, it’s safe to say it’ll be able to hold its own against any of them. The S Pen alone delivers such unique functionality. If price is your only sticking point, know that Samsung is offering (go.pcworld.com/ sio) the choice of either a Gear 360 camera or a 128GB microSD card with a fast wireless charger for orders through Sept. 24. And if the S8 is any indication, there will be other offers to follow. Even if you pay full price, you won’t regret it. The Note 8 is nothing less than a brilliant return to form, with an industry-leading screen, stylus, and camera, and a simply stunning design. It’s so good, you won’t even mind all the bad exploding battery jokes you’ll have to endure from your friends.
If you’ve gotten this far in the review, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve given the Note 8 a 5-star rating. It’s not a score PCWorld hands out lightly—I’ve personally never given one until now—but there’s no denying what Samsung has delivered here. The reasons why the Galaxy S8+ lost a half-star in my review were primarily Bixby’s half-baked launch and the location of the fingerprint sensor, and both have been fixed to the point where they’re much less consequential to the experience. The Note 8’s improvements far outweigh the remaining negative points. But there’s no denying that the Note 8 is an expensive phone. In fact, if you use the 64GB storage option as the comparison point, it’s the most expensive phone you can buy. But as the 5-star rating attests, it’s also the best phone you can buy. Sure, the iPhone 8 and the Pixel 2 are right around the The Galaxy Note 8 and the S Pen, perfect together. corner, and LG has 66 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Logitech Craft hands-on: This keyboard’s mini-Surface Dial is truly innovative The concept’s sound, but some bugs still need to be worked out. BY MARK HACHMAN
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he Logitech Craft keyboard is what happens when a keyboard engineer glimpses Microsoft’s Surface Dial hockey-puck peripheral and decides: We can do that, too. Pairing a small, Dial-like keyboard knob with software templates preconfigured for popular apps makes the Craft a useful tool for almost
IMAGE: LOGITECH
any application. When it ships in October, however, it’ll come with a hefty $200 price tag attached. Nevertheless, as a productivity tool, the Craft (for both Macs and Windows PCs) is worth serious consideration. Logitech dubs its version of the Dial the Crown, and you can tap it, spin it, or push-and-turn it to perform OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 67
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various functions on an app-by-app basis. Logitech’s approach feels much more like something everyone could use, while the Surface Dial still feels like a specialized instrument for digital illustrators and artists. Aesthetically, though, there’s room for improvement. The Craft weighs a ponderous 2.08 pounds, anchored by a broad metal bar that runs across the top of the keyboard and houses the 1,500mAh battery, plus the electronics driving the crown. You can’t adjust the Craft’s slope. And personally, I found the Craft’s scalloped keys to have a shallower travel than I’d like. Unfortunately, the beta software that controls the Craft sometimes became confused about what application I was working within. Even a few updates hadn’t solved all of its problems by the end of my time with it. Partly for that reason, we’re holding back from presenting a formal review. But for now, I’d characterize the Logitech Craft as a decent keyboard, with an intriguing, powerful, but still slightly problematic ability to take productivity into a new dimension.
BASIC SPECS: SOLID, BUT CLUNKY The Craft measures just short of 17 inches across, 5.88 inches from front to back, and about 1.13 inches thick. According to Logitech, the pitch—the distance from the center of one key to the next—is 19 millimeters. 68 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
A closeup of the Logitech Craft crown, slightly larger than the size of a quarter.
At just over two pounds, the keyboard lands on your desk with a thunk. Unfortunately, it lacks the traditional hinge or legs to adjust the slope, set at 4.7 degrees. It’s absolutely sturdy, however, without any discernible flex. With the Craft’s added functionality, though, comes the need to set it up. Connecting the Craft to your PC means either pairing it via Bluetooth or with the associated Logitech unifying receiver, a USB dongle that’s included in the box. You’ll also need to download the associated Logitech Options software, the secret sauce that connects the Craft’s crown to the applications on your PC. Because it’s an executable file, that means that the Craft won’t work with Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 S operating system. Windows also doesn’t recognize the Craft’s crown as a Surface Dial, meaning it can’t take on any of that device’s functions.
TYPING EXPERIENCE ISN’T UP TO SNUFF Logitech certainly understands the basic requirements of a keyboard, and the Craft is thoughtfully designed. Along the top row of function keys Windows The upper metal bar across the top of the Craft holds its battery and the Crown’s electronics, but it doesn’t allow for any flexibility in slope. users will find dedicated keys for switching between The first cause for concern is the battery applications, launching Action Center life. According to Logitech, the Craft will last notifications and minimizing applications, and just a week with the backlight powered on. locking the keyboard, along with the standard (By contrast, Logitech’s popular K360 media controls and keys to adjust either the wireless keyboard (go.pcworld.com/k360) keyboard backlighting or the brightness of lasts three years on a AA battery.) the screen. There’s also a handy calculator The Craft’s backlight turns off after a few button above the dedicated number pad. seconds of inactivity, but resumes when you Remember, this is a Mac as well as a put your fingers near it. If you turn Windows keyboard. Logitech opted to avoid backlighting off in the Settings menu, the any trademark issues, though, so there’s a 1500mAh battery will last about three dedicated Start key, rather than the expected months, according to Logitech. I can partially Windows key. The same, too, goes for attest to that: My review unit came partly Apple, as only the Apple Command (CMD) powered, and I had exhausted it into a key is present. Features like Logitech’s critical low-power state by the end of the Easy-Switch allow the Craft to be paired with second day. Charging the Craft took me either a Mac or Windows PC, via Bluetooth about six hours via the Craft’s USB-C cable, or its unified receiver USB dongle. Three from my PC. Logitech also includes a power dedicated buttons allow you to pair it with switch on the front of the keyboard, another three different machines. tip-off that the Craft consumes more juice I’m not entirely impressed with how the than you might expect. Craft functioned on an everyday basis, OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 69
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THE CRAFT’S CROWN SETS IT APART With any other keyboard, the review would end there. With the Logitech Craft, though, we’re just getting started. Obviously, the real reason to buy the Craft is the Crown, the small dial that squats on the upper left-hand corner of the keyboard. It spins either The number pad and some of its specialized keys, along with detail of the scalloped keys. smoothly or incrementally, depending on what kind of however. It’s actually nice for keys to have a menu or function you’re using with it. You can slight concavity to guide your fingers, but the also press it, press-and-hold it, or even press, Craft’s keys have an unusually deep dimple hold and turn it simultaneously. The Crown is that felt distracting to me. While the scissorextremely sensitive, so just the lightest brush switch mechanism under each key responds of your finger will trigger a pop-up on your firmly, the 1.8mm key travel is rather shallow screen indicating what function will trigger if for a desktop keyboard—my fingers you spin it. Switching the Crown between bottomed out too quickly to be comfortable. simply turning it and press-and-turn mode is The space bar also frequently emitted a slight, accompanied by a bit of haptic feedback, and annoying squeak when I struck it, but that a noise that sounds disconcertingly like a could be a quirk particular to my review unit. camera shutter. According to Logitech, its customers— And what function is that? That’s up to creatives and photo editors—“like the tactile feedback of the keystroke with the silence of The Crown is extremely the scissor mechanisms,” according to a sensitive, so just the lightest company representative. I’ve always brush of your finger will trigger believed that the keyboard experience is a a pop-up on your screen largely subjective one, which will vary from indicating what function will person to person. For me, the Craft isn’t quite there. trigger if you spin it. 70 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
your mouse buttons. With the Craft, your options expand seemingly exponentially. By default, spinning the Crown adjusts your PC’s audio volume (even without the Options software installed), but you can assign pretty much whatever function you’d like to either the spin, push, or push-and-spin functions. If you’d like the Logitech’s Options provide a wealth of choices for you to assign the Craft’s crown and keyboard function keys to. Crown to be a Cortana button, it can be that. I assigned my dial key to cycle through my various applications, my “press” function to play and pause my media player, and press-and-hold to adjust the volume. Note that there are far more options available to the “press” input, as granular as opening My Documents or performing a right-click. Naturally, you can reconfigure the Logitech’s Options provide a wealth of choices for you to assign the Craft’s crown and keyboard function keys to. keyboard’s function keys, too, though that almost you. Most of Logitech’s peripherals ship with seems like an afterthought. its Options software, a set of standard utilities Almost immediately, I found that using the that allow you to map specific functions to Crown was far more convenient than simply OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 71
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Within an app like Adobe Illustrator, the Craft keyboard is preconfigured with contextual options that you can adjust with a tap on the crown.
Alt-Tab-ing around my desktop, and I was able to consolidate my workflow down to a single monitor, something I rarely if ever do. That’s a win, in my book. Logitech went the extra mile, though, and developed custom profiles for popular apps: Microsoft’s Edge browser, plus Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox; Excel, PowerPoint, and Word; and the Adobe Creative Cloud apps, including Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. In each, Logitech already assigned the button to specific functions. Spinning the Crown cycles through open tabs in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, for example. Within 72 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Illustrator, you can change the stroke size and color just by adjusting the Crown, similar to what you can do with some drawing apps with the Surface Dial. Word allows you to resize images or quickly change document formats. It’s these preconfigured apps that add an additional function to the Crown: tapping (not pressing or depressing) the Crown to move between one or more functions that you can then adjust by turning the Crown. If you’ve been paying attention, though, you may have already sussed out one of the Craft’s issues: How does it know what you want to do? In other words, you
may find yourself in a situation where you’ve set up the crown to cycle between apps within all Windows apps, but between open tabs while using Chrome. If you’re in Chrome, should the Crown cycle between apps, or the open tabs? For most of the time that I used the Craft, The competition: the Microsoft Surface Dial. No, the Craft’s crown can’t do the keyboard this, but the Dial doesn’t come as part of a keyboard, either. sometimes couldn’t quite answer that question. After Logitech THE PRICE OF INNOVATION issued an updated driver, though, the Craft Logitech clearly realizes it has something worked as I’d programmed it to: to switch nearly unique in the Craft—a rarity in the between apps when I twisted the crown in peripherals market—and has priced it every app but Chrome, where twisting the accordingly. Given that Microsoft’s Surface crown would switch between tabs. Even Dial is already priced at $100 just by itself, and after Logitech issued its fix, however, I still is restricted to a few Microsoft Surface noticed a second or two of latency while the machines, you can see how a price of $200 Craft adjusted to its app-specific settings. for the Craft would be arguable, if hard for After that, it settled down and worked as most people to digest. expected. The care that Logitech put into the Crown and the associated software is undermined by the nagging bugs I experienced, though Even after Logitech issued its updated drivers did lead to more stable (if still fix, however, I still noticed a not flawless) performance. Given some questions about battery life and a keyboard second or two of latency while that doesn’t quite feel right for me, the Craft the Craft adjusted to its appcan’t earn my buy until it nails the details. specific settings. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 73
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LG V30 hands-on: A 6-inch beast with more power and fewer gimmicks While it’s not quite as gimmicky as the V20, the V30 is still packed with clever features— and some top-shelf components. BY MICHAEL SIMON
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he V30 isn’t the typical fall flagship from LG. While the V20 (go.pcworld.com/v20) was a bountiful bag of tricks for hardcore Android nerds, the V30 is more subtle and refined—LG’s bid to make a premium Android phone that appeals to a wider audience. The philosophy shift starts with ditching 74 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
two novel features that were unique to the previous V phones: the removable battery and the second screen. While their usefulness was debatable, they definitely gave the earlier V phones some identity, and there will certainly be a faction of LG fans who ragetweet about the loss. But for everyone else, the V30 could be the best phone of the year. The competition is IMAGE: MICHAEL SIMON/IDG
fierce with the Note 8 (go.pcworld.com/sn8) and Pixel 2 (go.pcworld. com/gp2), not to mention the iPhone 8 if we’re talking about the entire phone universe. But LG has built a compelling phone that The V30 (bottom) takes many of its design cues from the G6. looks good, runs fast, and still manages to deliver features you quite a bit smaller than the V20—151.7mm x won’t find on any other smartphone. 75.4mm versus the V20’s 159.7mm x 78.1mm dimensions. For this, we can thank the V30’s LEAN AND MEAN DESIGN 18:9 aspect ratio and slimmer bezels. It’s easy To look at it, you wouldn’t know the V30 is a to hold and operate with one hand, and follow-up to the V20. It takes most of its strikes a sweet spot (size-wise) between the design cues from the G6 (go.pcworld.com/ 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.3-inch Note 8. The g6), with thin bezels all around, and rounded V30’s sides are a bit more rounded than the corners on the display. Its chin is so thin, in G6’s, but otherwise, it’s similar, with identical fact, LG had to put its logo on the back for the port, button, and speaker placement. first time (not that I’m complaining). Around the back, LG’s rear power button/ At 6 inches, its screen is bigger than the fingerprint sensor remains, as does the dual 5.7-inch screens on both the V20 and G6, but camera, though the camera assembly is much it’s not just the size that’s changed. The smaller and the bump on the V30 is far less 1440x2880, 18:9 display that LG pioneered pronounced than on the V20. And while the with the G6 makes its way over to the V30, V30 doesn’t have a removable panel to swap and for the first time, LG is using its P-OLED out the battery, the consolation prizes of IP68 tech in a major smartphone. Put the V30 side water resistance and wireless charging are by side with the G6, and the difference is acceptable trade-offs. unmistakable. The V30 delivers deeper blacks and better contrast than the LEDs phones that PACKED WITH PREMIUM came before, as well as a nice design touch COMPONENTS with 2.5D curved edges on the glass. The inside of the V30 is just as impressive as But even with the larger screen, the V30 is the outside. There’s a top-of-the-line OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 75
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plastic lens. The wide-angle camera, meanwhile, gives you 13 megapixels and an f/1.9 aperture. There’s also a new photo service called Graphy that lets you see how The camera app in the LG V30 has some cool new features. stellar images are shot, and then Snapdragon 835 chip, 4GB of RAM, 64GB or borrow their settings for your own photos. 128GB of storage, and a 3,300mAh battery. For example, if you’re trying to photograph a Like the V20, you also get 32-bit quad DAC sunset, you can select one in the Graphy for true hi-fi streaming, along with a pair of gallery right in the camera app, and it will high-performance microphones. The automatically import the same ISO, white upgraded DAC is more customizable with balance, and exposure settings into your four sound presets, and if you subscribe to a camera. service that streams master quality authenticated (MQA) sound files, the V30 will There’s also a new photo actually be able to play them. service called Graphy that lets And then there are the cameras. LG’s V you see how stellar images are phones have always delivered excellent shot, and then borrow their camera features—the V10 had optical image settings for your own photos. stabilization (OIS) and dual lenses long before other major manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon—and the V30 continues this The V30 really ups its game when it tradition. The main camera clocks in with 16 comes to video, too. Along with OIS and a megapixels and an f/1.6 aperture (the fastest wide-angle lens with 30 percent less ever on a smartphone), and boasts a “crystal distortion, LG is introducing a series of “cine clear” glass lens rather than a traditional effects” that apply preset color grades while 76 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
shooting. The effects are subtle and artistic— and much more appealing than some of the messy, one-hue-fitsall filters you’ll find in other camera apps. And the video tricks don’t end there. With Point Zoom, you can lock in on a subject, and the video camera will stay focused and steady on the subject The LG V30’s floating bar is a virtual second screen. as you zoom in on it. Once you’re done shooting, you can stay reserve judgment until LG issues the final V30 right on your phone to finish your project. build. But the most interesting tweak is a LG’s new Quick Video Editor brings the ease floating bar on the screen that aims to of Apple’s iMovie to Android, letting you replicate the physical second screen on the combine photos and videos, trim clips, apply V10 and V20. themes, and add text and music to your V series enthusiasts may see the floating project right on the V30. bar as a cheap imitation, but it does well to deliver the same functionality—app shortcuts, NO OREO music controls, favorite contacts—in a lessThe pre-production unit I got to play with was obtrusive way. Like Samsung’s Edge Panel, it running Android 7.1.2. It’s the latest version of hangs out on the side of the screen, and you Nougat and is newer than the 7.0 version can easily move it where you’d like or disable that’s still on the G6. However, last year’s V20 it all together. was the first Nougat phone in the wild (it There are also new biometric methods for arrived even before the Pixel), so it’s a unlocking the phone: vocal and facial bummer that the V30 won’t be running Oreo recognition (though LG actually warns about out of the box. their security in the settings). Vocal UX 6.0+ has undergone quite a few visual recognition is a cool concept, and is unique changes—some good and some bad, but I’ll to V30: Much like with Google Assistant, you OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 77
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You can now show pictures on the always-on display.
train the phone to recognize a personal wake word that will trigger the unlock. But should you ever utter your wake word in public? What’s to stop you from unlocking someone else’s V30 by playing a simple audio recording of their wake word from another phone? So unless LG is preparing some serious security enhancements for the final release, it could be more gimmicky than legit. Elsewhere, LG has enhanced its always-on display to show color images. And once again, the company has teamed up with Google to offer a few exclusive Assistant commands. You can ask it to record a video or open the camera in manual mode, and there are even a couple of V30-specific prompts, like recording a Cine video. They’re nifty features and work well, but 78 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
the last time LG had Assistant exclusivity (go. pcworld.com/hae), it didn’t take long for Google to open it up to everyone.
STIFF COMPETITION LG is entering an extremely crowded market with the V30, what with the Galaxy Note 8, Essential Phone, Pixel 2, and iPhone 8 all arriving around the same time. But the V30 still checks off all the right boxes: big screen, small body, speedy chip, and loaded camera. If anything, the V30’s success may depend on two things we don’t know: price and availability. If the price is right—and rumors say it will start at a palatable $700—it could pose a formidable challenge to the Note 8 and the Pixel 2.
Best password managers of 2017: Reviews of the top products If you’re still using your dog’s name to log in to your bank, you are courting disaster. BY MICHAEL ANSALDO
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e are terrible at passwords. We suck at creating (go. pcworld.com/sac1) them (the top two most popular remain “123456” and “password”), we share them way too freely (go.pcworld.com/wtf), and we forget them all the time (go.pcworld. com/attz). Indeed, the very thing that can
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ensure our online security has become out biggest obstacle to it. This is what makes a good password manager essential. A password manager relieves the burden of thinking up and memorizing unique, complex logins—the hallmark of a secure password. It allows you to safely share those logins with others when necessary. And OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 79
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because these tools encrypt your login info in a virtual vault—either locally or in the cloud— and lock it with a single master password, they protect the passwords themselves. But password managers vary widely in their capabilities and cost, so we compared six of the most popular. All support Windows Mac OS, Android, and iOS, as well as the major browsers. And all will let you sync your data across multiple devices, though you may have pay extra for the privilege. Here are our top two picks, followed by tips on what to look for when shopping for a password manager and full reviews of all six products.
BEST OVERALL PASSWORD MANAGER LastPass (go.pcworld.com/lps) ticks all the boxes on our password manager want list. It
Its password auditing and updating features let you identify and eliminate weak or duplicate passwords with just a mouse click or two. makes it a breeze to create unique, complex passwords; capture and manage login credentials; sync them across multiple devices; and share them with others you trust. Its password auditing and updating features let you identify and eliminate weak or duplicate passwords with just a mouse click or two. It also stores credit card numbers and other personal data to autofill web forms when you’re making a purchase, signing up for a service, or paying a bill. LastPass also supports a range of multifactor authentication options for protecting
LastPass displays all your login accounts as tiles in its virtual vault. 80 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
your vault, including app-based authenticators like Symantec VIP and Google Authenticator, hardware tokens like YubiKey, and fingerprint readers. And its $12-a-year subscription is a steal when other password manager services charge as much as $35 for a single user (go.pcworld.com/12y).
RUNNER-UP Dashlane (go.pcworld.com/dle) is the strongest contender for LastPass’s crown. It has a beautiful interface, is easy to use, and is stocked with features to help you strengthen your online security. Chief among these is a stellar security dashboard that grades your passwords and suggests actions for boosting your score and your protection. Only its $40 price tag (go. pcworld.com/40p)—the highest in our
roundup—dampened our enthusiasm for this fantastic password manager.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A PASSWORD MANAGER At their most basic, password managers capture your username and password— usually via a browser plug-in—when you log in to a website, and then automatically fill in your credentials when you return to that site. They store all your passwords in an encrypted database, often referred to as a “vault,” which you protect with a single master password. Of course, most password managers do much more than this and many extend protection beyond your login credentials to other types of personal data. We narrowed it down to a few essential features that we looked for and you should too:
Dashlane will evaluate and rate your passwords and tell you how to make them stronger.
Password generation: You’ve been reminded ad nauseam that the strongest passwords are long, random strings of characters, and that you should use a different one for each site you access. That’s a tall order. This is what makes password generation— the ability to create complex passwords out of letters, numbers, and OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 81
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special characters—an indispensable feature of any good password manager. The best password managers will also be able to analyze your existing passwords for weaknesses and upgrade them with a click. Autofill and auto-login: Most password managers can autofill your login credentials whenever you visit a site and even log you in automatically. Thus, the master password is the only one you ever have to enter. This is controversial, though, as browser autofill has long been a security concern, so the best managers will also let you toggle off this feature if you feel the risk outweighs the convenience. Secure sharing: Sometimes you need to share a password with a family member or coworker. A password manager should let you do so without compromising your security. Two-factor authentication: To an enterprising cybercriminal, your password manager’s master password is as hackable as
Most password managers can autofill your login credentials whenever you visit a site and even log you in automatically.
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any other password. Increasingly, password managers support multi-factor authentication—using a second method such as a PIN, a fingerprint, or another “trusted device” for additional verification—to mitigate this risk. Choose one that does. Protection for other personal data: Because of how frequently we use them online, credit card and bank account numbers, our addresses, and other personal data can be securely stored in many password managers and automatically filled into web forms when we’re shopping or registering an account. No online security measure is 100 percent foolproof, though, as we were reminded when LastPass, one of the most reputable password managers, recently scrambled to fix a pair of vulnerabilities (go.pcworld.com/ pov) that could have compromised users’ passwords and their computers. And just last month, OneLogin (go.pcworld.com/oln) was victim of a breach that compromised customer data, including the ability to decrypt data. Still, most security experts (go.pcworld. com/secx) agree that password managers are still the safest way for people to manage their myriad logins, and we agree that the benefits far outweigh the risks. Just choose your password manager carefully after researching all the options starting with the guide.
The best PC game recording software: 5 freeware capture tools compared For an emerging Twitch broadcaster, or any gamer eager to share epic highlights with pals. BY IAN PAUL
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hether you’re an emerging Twitch broadcaster or simply a gamer who wants to share your epic gaming highlights with pals, recording your video gameplay is all the rage these days. But which recording software should you use if you’re just dipping your toes into capturing gaming videos? There’s no shortage of free video
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recording tools out there vying for your attention, many with unique hooks or features. We played with five of the most popular freeware gameplay capture tools around— Open Broadcast Software Studio, Nvidia ShadowPlay, AMD ReLive, MSI Afterburner, and Plays.tv—to answer that question. Each serves a different purpose, such as recording OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 83
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and sharing highlight clips, broadcasting your gameplay to the world, or creating a complete archive of your favorite game. This guide will point you to the best recording software for your needs. (If you’re looking to start livestreaming specifically, be sure to check out PCWorld’s guide to game streaming with Twitch (go.pcworld. com/gtgs).) Let’s start with an overview of each of the five featured programs in no particular order, followed by a look at what sort of performance hit each program inflicts on games. If you don’t like any of the five tools we look at, we’ve also added two video capture alternatives—though one isn’t free.
PLAYS.TV
on the left hand rail: Explore, Feed, and Dashboard. Explore features a collection of popular gameplay clips from the Plays.tv website. It shows six larger thumbnails for game clips, several of which rotate as a carousel. Click on the video you want to watch to view it inside the desktop program. Each clip can also be shared to Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit. Feed is a list of your uploads as well as those of the people you follow, interspersed with clips from games you’ve played and popular clips from Plays.tv. Dashboard, meanwhile, is a beta feature that shows you stats about your most popular videos from the past month or less—there are options for viewing stats for the last two weeks, three days, and so on. As for the actual game recording features, when the app is running it starts
Of the five game recording programs we’re covering, Plays.tv (go.pcworld.com/ptv) is by far the easiest to use. Plays.tv makes it really simple—and fun—to post short gaming clips online. But Plays.tv isn’t just a video capture tool; it’s hooked into a website that’s sort of like an Instagram for gamers (go.pcworld.com/ifg). When you first boot up Plays.tv, the program features three options The Plays.tv client’s Explore section. 84 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Plays.tv’s Dashboard section.
recording your gaming sessions automatically. By default, Plays.tv will record up to 10GB of gameplay at 720p resolution and 30 frames per second. If you’d like to tweak the maximum storage capacity, resolution, bitrate, recording framerate, or other technical aspects of the video, all those options can quickly be changed in the software’s settings. The settings also let you disable automatic recording of full gameplay sessions if you’d like, and allow you to enable configurable hotkey-based video capture instead. Once you’re done with your gaming session, Plays.tv pops up with your recorded gameplay and very simple tools for cutting down your video into a shareable 60-second or less clip. (If you’re playing League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, Dota 2, or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the client
will even automatically flag key moments like deaths, kills, and bomb plants.) Once that’s done, you add a title, a description, and upload it to Plays.tv with one click. The URL for your new clip can be copied to your clipboard for easy sharing on email, instant messaging, or social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
NVIDIA SHADOWPLAY Nvidia’s GeForce Experience software (go. pcworld.com/gfe) for PCs with GeForce graphics cards looks straightforward, but it’s got a few nice hidden features, including automatic game optimization and a highly regarded game recording application called ShadowPlay. To start using ShadowPlay, click the triangle-looking “share” button in the upperright corner of the GeForce Experience (GFE) window. This will summon what Nvidia calls the Share UI. You can tweak each feature’s quality, audio, activation, and length of recording by clicking the feature you want to tweak and selecting Customize from the drop-down menu. By default, ShadowPlay records up to five minutes of gameplay at any given time unless OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 85
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The Nvidia Share overlay.
you turn on the manual recording feature, similar to Plays.tv. Nvidia’s approach which captures your action until disabled. The requires game developers to integrate the Instant Replay feature saves the last five feature in their games. As this is still a new minutes of your gameplay if you press Alt + feature, only one game has integrated F10. That’s an important tool if you do something cool or want to record a ridiculous bug, but didn’t hit the manual record button. If five minutes isn’t enough, Instant Replay can save up to your last 20 minutes of gameplay up to 1440p at 60 frames-per-second. You can also configure ShadowPlay to stream your gameplay to Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook via the Broadcast feature. Nvidia announced a new feature in February called ShadowPlay Highlights (go.pcworld.com/sph) that automatically records your best gaming highlights in select games, N vidia Share’s broadcast settings. 86 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
ShadowPlay Highlights: LawBreakers (go. pcworld.com/lbrx), which is out now.
AMD RELIVE AMD also has its own game capture software for Radeon graphic cards users, called Radeon ReLive. The new-ish software replaces the Raptr-powered AMD Evolved that the company dumped in 2016. ReLive is part of Radeon Software Crimson (go.pcworld.com/ rsc), AMD’s alternative to Nvidia’s GeForce Experience. The ReLive part of Crimson lets you record and stream video, as well as capture highlights and grab screenshots. ReLive is disabled by default. To fire it up, open Crimson and go to Settings > ReLive. Once it’s enabled, you can summon the ReLive overlay to record video. ReLive’s recording keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + R. For a complete rundown of ReLive check
out our look at Radeon Software Crimson (go. pcworld.com/rscr). AMD recently updated ReLive (go.pcworld.com/url) with enhanced audio controls, double the maximum recording bitrate for higher-quality videos, webcam transparency options, memory optimizations, and more.
OBS STUDIO OBS Studio (go.pcworld.com/obs) is a popular open-source solution for recording gameplay, and more specifically, for blasting it out to the world. OBS Studio can broadcast your game streams on platforms like Twitch, and OBS is also used for creating screencasts. It’s a powerful program, but it’s probably too much for anyone who just wants a quick and easy game capture solution. OBS Studio packs a lot of features and settings, and if you’re willing to put in the time to learn it, this program offers amazing
AMD’s ReLive settings. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 87
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OBS is not for beginners.
flexibility for power users. To ease the learning curve, OBS Studio includes a wizard to help you optimize your setup for streaming or recording video when you first fire up the program. It’s also surprisingly easy to figure out compared to OBS Classic. OBS works best if you have a multiscreen setup where you can observe OBS on one display and play your game on the other, though that’s not a requirement. Unlike the other apps, OBS doesn’t throw up an in-game overlay. Instead, it just does its work in the background. For most uses, you’ll also have to tell OBS to start recording or streaming once your game is running. Unless you’re willing to put in some time to learn this software or have needs beyond simple game recording—professional Twitch 88 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
streamers swear by OBS and its deep, configurable power—OBS Studio probably isn’t for you. If you do decide to go with OBS Studio I’d highly recommend checking out some online tutorials. Once you understand the inner logic of the program you’ll be up and running in no time.
MSI AFTERBURNER This program isn’t exactly game capture software, but it is a popular program with gaming enthusiasts. If you’re already using it, you can just have it pull double-duty instead of downloading a separate piece of video capture software. MSI Afterburner (go. pcworld.com/msia) is predominantly a graphics card overclocking (go.pcworld.
com/gco) tool—and not just MSI graphics cards, either—that comes with a second download called RivaTuner Statistics Server. RTSS is a great tool for limiting the frame rates of your games if your GPU is working harder than necessary. In the current version of Afterburner— version 4.3.0—you can get to the video capture settings by clicking on the settings cog icon in the center of the main dashboard. Then use the scroll arrows in the window that opens to get to the Video capture tab. By default, you set your own hotkey to start recording, but you can also set it to automatically start recording every time you start a game. There are other settings below that if you want to change any video capture settings, such as the recording frame rate or the default video file type.
GAME VIDEO RECORDING BENCHMARKS
Recording gameplay can potentially take a toll on performance, so we benchmarked what sort of frame rate drops you can expect from using these five programs. We didn’t use a top-of-the-line rig for our tests, but a laptop with an external GPU setup (go.pcworld.com/egpu). The point wasn’t to see what a tremendously powerful system (go.pcworld.com/tpsx) can do, because tremendously powerful systems won’t have much of a problem running anything. Using this setup shows how a modest system fares while gaming and recording at the same time. Take these numbers with a slight grain of salt, though. The performance hit created by video capture software can vary wildly among different PC configurations. Your CPU, graphics card, and other hardware can greatly affect results. But these benchmarks still provide a helpful, general idea on recording software performance. And note that the unique features of each of the gaming capture programs discussed here may lead you to pick one over another regardless of potential MSI Afterburner’s primary use is for overclocking your graphics card, but it can record video, too. performance concerns. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 89
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Our test rig was a Lenovo X220 laptop with 8GB of RAM, a 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Sandy Bridge Core i7 2620-M processor with HyperThreading, and an Asus GeForce GTX 750Ti overclock edition (go.pcworld. com/agf) with 2GB of dedicated onboard memory. Game-wise, we used Metro: Last Light Redux’s built-in benchmarking utility running on High graphics settings at 1080p resolution. Pretty much everything else that could be turned off was turned off, including SSAO, motion blur, tessellation, V-Sync, and Advanced PhysX. The utility was set to run the scene three times for each test, and all video capture systems were set to record at their default settings whenever possible. Simultaneously recording and playing a game can hammer PCs, particularly the CPU. Activating many of the recording options on this dual-core Core i7 system invoked a serious decline in game performance despite its HyperThreading—but not all of them. The best all-around performer was Nvidia’s ShadowPlay (aka Share), which lost a little more than 8 percent of performance compared to the baseline. I didn’t have an 90 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
AMD graphics card handy so I couldn’t test AMD ReLive; however, the general consensus is that ReLive offers similar performance to Nvidia ShadowPlay, as Gamers Nexus reported in late 2016 (go.pcworld.com/gnr). (PCWorld’s past experiences with ReLive correlate Gamers Nexus’s claims.) OBS Studio in recording (not broadcasting) mode was a distant second, with a performance hit close to 23 percent. That’s far better than OBS Classic used to perform, and I’d expect a more powerful machine focused on broadcasting to handle OBS Studio and a game just fine. That said, many of the top Twitch streamers have a two-PC setup with one machine dedicated specifically for OBS. Surprisingly, Plays.tv had a weak outing this time around, with a performance hit of 29.41 percent. When we last ran these tests in
Frame rates with video capture MSi Afterburner OBS Studio Plays.tv Nvidia Share
32 35 32
OTHER OPTIONS If none of the above programs suit your needs, here are two other popular choices. One is built into Windows 10, while the other will cost you money.
41.67
The Windows 10 Game Bar Windows 10 includes a native LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E feature called Game DVR that performed even better than ShadowPlay—though only Percentage performance slightly. In my tests using the loss with video capture same Metro Last Light benchmark, Game DVR MSi Afterburner 29.41% dropped frames by just 5.14 OBS Studio 22.79% percent compared to the Plays.tv 29.41% baseline. That’s really good. The Nvidia Share 8.07% downside is that sometimes Game DVR can be a little finicky, Baseline 0% as we’ll see in a moment. LO N G E R B A R S I N D I C AT E B E T T E R P E R F O R M A N C E To get started, open Windows 10’s native Xbox app early 2016, Plays.tv’s frame rate drop was a and click on the settings cog icon on the single digit percentage. I performed the bottom of the left rail. Click Game DVR from benchmark several times and on different the top menu under Settings and turn on the days just to be sure, since the difference was slider labeled Record game clips and so dramatic, but the result remained screenshots using Game DVR. If you want consistent. MSI Afterburner scored the same Game DVR to automatically start recording as Plays.tv. while you’re playing, scroll down the page a Surprisingly, the best performer in our little bit more and under Background tests is built right into Windows 10—though recording, activate Record in the background some usability quirks keep us from while I’m playing a game. recommending it outright. Below that, under Game clips, you’ll also Baseline
45.33
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(go.pcworld.com/tk)
The Windows 10 Game Bar.
find the maximum recording times for each manually activated recording session. You can set it for 30 minutes, one hour, or two hours. There is no way to stream video directly to Twitch or YouTube, though the Windows 10 Creators Update lets you stream to Microsoft’s own Mixer service (go.pcworld. com/stm). Here’s where Game DVR runs into problems. To manually record a game clip, simultaneously press the Windows key + G to call up the Game Bar and then hit the record button. But sometimes it just plain doesn’t work and the Game Bar fails to appear. When that happens, you’ll have to use the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + G to record the last 30 seconds of gameplay, or hit Windows 92 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
key + Alt + R to just start recording. Game DVR “confirms” that it’s recording by blinking the screen, similarly to what happens when you take a screenshot in Windows 10 using Windows key + PrtScn. But the Game DVR blink is more subtle and easily missed. Because of these basic issues—plus the fact that it’s limited to Windows 10 and Mixer streaming—we put Microsoft’s homegrown
Because of these basic issues— plus the fact that it’s limited to Windows 10 and Mixer streaming—we put Microsoft’s homegrown solution down here in the “alternate” section.
solution down here in the “alternate” section. Its performance is fantastic, but when you can’t use the Game Bar you never really know if you’re recording until the gaming session is over. Fraps The open source Fraps is a popular choice for benchmarking games that lack a benchmark tool. It’s also an easy way to display a frame rate counter in the corner of your screen. Fraps can also capture gaming video, but unlike the other tools mentioned here, you have to pay for access to extensive video recording. At this writing, a lifetime license for Fraps cost $37. That’s a pretty fair price for a piece of software that’s very easy to use, but when you can find tons of game capture tools for free, paying a premium is a pretty hard sell. If you just use the free version, you can
capture video but your clips are limited to 30 seconds, and they’ll have a Fraps watermark on them. If you want to give the recording tools a try, open the program and click the Movies tab. Here you’ll find all the settings for recording games. By default, videos are saved to C:\ Fraps\Movies. Videos are saved at 30fps, and F9 is your video capture hotkey. Make sure you only minimize Fraps to your taskbar while running games, as the program does not run in the background once dismissed.
BOTTOM LINE So there you have it: PCWorld’s look at the top video capture tools for PC gaming. Gamers with a budget system will have to be prepared to suffer a performance hit of varying severity to record your most glorious gaming moments. Due to their mixture of ease-of-use and minimal performance impact, we’d recommend Nvidia ShadowPlay or AMD’s Radeon ReLive for most users, though specific features in the other software may sway you to another option. You’ll still take a small hit in frame rates, but that’s the price you pay for a folder full of gaming memories. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 93
a hairbrush.
Recycle me.
FEATURE
ANDROID 8
OREO What’s new, what’s changed, what’s awesome BY MICHAEL SIMON
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et your phones ready because Android Oreo is finally here. (That’s right, it’s called Oreo, not Orangina.) After months of betas, an eclipse-themed countdown (go. pcworld.com/e), and the usual rampant naming speculation, Google has lifted the veil of secrecy from Android O’s full name, and we can start looking ahead to what confectionery Android P will adopt. (My money’s on Petit Four.) But its name isn’t the only thing that’s sweet about Android 8. While it might not be as jam-packed with features as other Android releases, Android Oreo has plenty of features that make it a must-download, from picture-inpicture to notification changes that will help you keep annoying alerts at bay. So bring your sweet tooth because there’s a lot to chew on.
ANDROID 8 OREO UPDATE FAQ Can I install it on my phone? As with any new Android release, the devices on which you can install Oreo on day one are extremely limited. Here’s the list: • Pixel (go.pcworld.com/pix) • Pixel XL (go.pcworld.com/pixl) • Nexus 5X (go.pcworld.com/5x) • Nexus 6P (go.pcworld.com/6p) • Pixel C tablet (go.pcworld.com/pct) • Nexus Player set-top box (go.pcworld.com/np1) 96 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Other than those devices, you’ll need to wait for manufacturers and carriers to begin rolling out their own versions of the OS. On the plus side, Google says it’s working with its partners to deliver Android 8 to phones “by the end of this year.” These manufacturers include Essential, General Mobile, HMD (Nokia), Huawei, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. However, you’ll likely still need a handset released in late 2016 or newer. OK, I have one of the supported phones. How do I get the update? Once the Android Oreo update is ready for your phone, you’ll receive a notification of a pending system update. Tap it and you’ll be taken to the Settings app where you can proceed to download and install it. If by chance you want to install the update manually, you can find the factory images for Pixel and Nexus devices here: go.pcworld. com/he. Do I need to unenroll from the beta program first? Nope, there’s no need to do that. Even though your phone will continue to say you’re enrolled in the beta program, once you get the update, you’ll still be running the final version of Android Oreo, just like everyone else. And as new betas land for 8.1 and beyond, you’ll be among the first to get them, too.
Won’t Project Treble help me get updates quicker? Project Treble (go.pcworld.com/pt) is more of a foundation for the future than a current user feature. Designed to make it easier for manufacturers to deliver timely updates, it will presumably mean that your Galaxy S and LG G phones won’t have to wait as long to get the latest version for Android. However, it’s probably not going to affect the speed of Android 8 updates. As Android’s engineering team explained in a recent Reddit AMA (go.pcworld.com/ rama): “Devices launching with Android O will come Treble-enabled out of the box. Project Treble will make it easier, faster and less costly for device maker partners when these devices are updated in the future.” So, while Android P might make it to non-Pixel phones quicker, it won’t have an effect on Android Oreo updates.
help get things done faster, and “Vitals” to keep your phone running smoothly while demanding less battery power. Here’s everything that’s new in Oreo. Settings The most obvious change to the interface and navigation can be found in the Settings app. There’s a new icon inspired by Oreo’s aqua marine-accented motif, and many of the menus have been rejiggered and rearranged. Gone are the categories for Wireless & Networks, Device, Personal, and System. Instead, various settings have been given smarter groupings. For example, Network & Internet collects Wi-Fi, mobile, data usage,
ANDROID 8 OREO FEATURES When you launch Android Oreo for the first time, you won’t be smacked with any obvious new features—but there are still a few worth checking out. Google has divided its improvements into two main areas: “Fluid experiences,” which bring productivity and UI changes to
The Settings app in Android Oreo (left) has gotten a face-lift as you can see in this comparison with Android Nougat (right). OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 97
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and hotspot into a single screen, while Connected Devices does the same for Bluetooth, Cast, NFC, and Android Beam. Individual settings screens have been tweaked as well. Tap on the Battery tab, for instance, and you’ll see a new visualization of remaining run time (tap it to get back to the old chart), as well as toggles for battery saver and adaptive brightness, and the inactivity sleep timer. You’ll have to explore When you’re watching a video in Chrome using Android 8, you can turn yourself to find out where it into a picture-in-picture window on your home screen. everything is, but if you get lost, you can still use the handy search icon in From there you can move it around the the top right corner. screen, close it out, or tap to launch the app again. It’s a feature that’s sure to be more Picture-in-picture useful on Android Oreo tablets than phones, Of all the new stuff in Oreo, the feature but on the giant screen of the Nexus 6P, the everyone is going to want to try out first is tiny window is definitely watchable. picture-in-picture. It doesn’t yet work with a lot of apps, but it’s a feature developers will Autofill likely want to support as quickly as possible. Picture-in-picture might be Oreo’s coolest Using it is easy. When you’re watching a feature, but its most useful one will likely be full-screen video in YouTube or Chrome, just autofill. I know, you’re thinking, “We’ve had press the home button and the video will autofill in Android for years,” but the new shrink down to a window that floats on top of approach applies directly to passwords, and whatever else you’re doing. goes a step beyond Google Chrome’s Smart 98 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Autofill will be super-charged to work with third-party password managers.
Lock feature. Just like you can customize Android’s keyboard with a better one, now you can customize password management with a third-party platform. And it works all over Android, not just in Chrome. That means when you reach an app that requires a saved login in Android 8, the fields will automatically populate using info from your personal password vault. And it’ll work with your password manager of choice: Dashlane, 1Password, and Enpass have already announced support for autofill in Android 8. So if you aren’t using a password manager, now’s a great time to start.
Notifications Every new Android release includes some changes to notifications, and like Nougat, Android Oreo brings some big ones. Its starts with the notification shade. The quick settings panel is now white instead of black, and the Settings app shortcut has been moved to the space below the icon strip. A couple of the quick settings tiles have changed as well. The battery icon has been replaced with Battery Saver, but you’ll still be able to see your remaining battery life in the status bar (previously it disappeared when you pulled down the shade). And there’s a new System icon that tells you the version of Android OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 99
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you’re running. The Night Light tile is gone as well. The way notifications are handled has also changed. Swipe right and you’ll see two icons: Settings and a new clock— touch the clock to snooze the alert for up to two hours. Also, if you long press on a notification, you’ll be able to turn off all future alerts. On some apps you’ll see a simple switch, but others will have a Categories button, which lets you get granular with what notifications you Android O puts small dots on icons to alert you to unread notifications. receive. So, instead of an Then you can long press to see them. all-or-nothing decision, you can now choose what type of notification unread notifications. They won’t display a “channels” you will receive without needing numeral that indicates the specific number of to fuss with the individual app’s settings. unread notifications (a feature in Nova and In Maps, for example, there are 31 other launchers), but the dots will give you a separate categories that can be switched off visual indication that an alert has arrived. or silenced, so if you want to be alerted of They’re visible whether the app is on the location sharing but not new places, you can home screen or inside the app drawer, and if do that right in Settings. Most third-party apps you long press on an app icon, you’ll see your don’t have any options yet, but once they unread notifications. Tap to open them in the start rolling out, notification categories app, or clear them with a swipe. should help you keep your notification shade a whole lot neater. Smart text selection Finally, Android 8 is introducing icon Another useful feature in Android Oreo is badges—or as Google calls them, dots—for smart text selection, which aims to cut down 100 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
longer, but there are a few things you can see. In the notification shade, a persistent notification will now alert you to any apps that are running in the background. You can also finally opt to display your battery percentage next to the status-bar icon at the very top of your display. But the real improvements to battery life will be under the hood. Google has concentrated its efforts on three main areas: implicit broadcasts, Text selection has gotten a whole lot smarter in Android O. background services, and location updates. That on various text-handling frustrations. When means that Android Oreo will severely limit you tap on an address in Oreo, the textwhat apps can do when you’re not using selection engine will be smart enough to them, so rogue operators won’t be able to recognize a full address, not just the word harpoon your battery life. Again, most of you’ve tapped on. And once it’s selected (by these changes won’t affect your daily use— double-tapping the original highlighted word you’ll still be able to play Spotify songs and if it didn’t get it the first time), you’ll see a new get directions—but users of older phones option to head straight to Google Maps or (in should notice an uptick in their battery life. the case of a phone number), the Phone app. There’s also a handy new Paste As Plain Text Speed boost option that will strip any formatting. Google understands our pain when it comes to Nougat boot times, and it has seriously Battery improvements upgraded Android 8 to cut down on the time Google has optimized much of Android Oreo it takes to load. All Android Oreo devices behind the scenes to make your battery last should see a significantly reduced boot OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 101
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speed, but Pixel owners will particularly benefit. Google says boot times on the Pixel and Pixel XL have decreased by about half of the time it took to load under Nougat, and the upcoming Pixel 2 (go.pcworld.com/p2x) will surely push it even further.
one phone and circles on another without upsetting the overall vision for the icon. The new system also allows developers to add visual effects and subtle animations (go. pcworld.com/ve) to their icons, such as parallax or scaling effects.
Icons Android Oreo is introducing adaptive icons in an effort to create some unity over how they look. Much like last year’s push for circular icons with Nougat and the Pixel Launcher, Oreo is pressing developers to submit icons that can dynamically change with the system, so they can be square on
Emoji Here’s something you will definitely notice in Android Oreo: New emoji. Say goodbye to the blobs and hello to a new set of easier-todistinguish cartoons. But the old blobs aren’t gone completely: You can download the old-school emoji as an animated sticker pack in Google Allo (go.pcworld.com/ga).
Google wants icons to be more uniform and adaptive in Android O. 102 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
ANDROID 8 OREO TIPS Get notification dots to appear on your Nexus 5X or 6P If you own a Nexus 6P or 5X, you probably aren’t seeing notification dots on your phone. That’s because the feature requires the Pixel Launcher. But don’t worry, it’s an easy fix. Head over to APKMirror and download the Google-signed Pixel Launcher APK for Android 8 (go. pcworld.com/gsp). Install it on your phone and head over to the Settings app. Go to Android O gives users control over the PiP settings. Apps & Notifications, tap Default Apps, then Home App, and select Pixel Enable or disable pictureLauncher as your default. As long as you keep it as in-picture for individual apps the default, you’ll get to enjoy notification dots Picture-in-picture is a very new Android on your apps. feature, and as such, it only works with a couple apps, namely YouTube and Chrome. Choose which apps However, Google hasn’t limited the feature to display notification dots video apps, and you’ll soon be able to have You can opt to disable all app dots in the all sorts of apps floating around your home Notification settings, but if you want more screen. To see which ones can be used, open control over which app gets to display the Apps & Notifications in Settings and select blue dot, each app has its own toggle. To Special App Access. Inside there will be a tweak the settings for each app, go to Picture-in-Picture option. Tap it and you’ll be Settings, then Apps & Notifications, App Info, able to see all the apps available that can use and finally App Notifications. Inside you’ll see picture-in-picture, each with their own toggle an Allow Notification dot toggle. to enable or disable the feature. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 103
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the Languages & Input tab in Settings. Tap Autofill Service and you’ll get a list of any apps that support autofill (including Google’s own service), and you’ll be able to select the one you want. Adjust Night Light Night Light was one of our favorite new features in Android Nougat, but Google didn’t allow any control over it. That’s changed in Android 8. Head over to the Display tab in the Settings app and you’ll find a new intensity You can finally put the battery percentage in the status bar. slider below the Night Light toggle. The higher you turn it Show battery up the less blue light is emitted, and the percentage in the status bar yellower your screen will appear. (Note: Night Nearly every Android phone includes the Light only works on Pixel phones.) option to display the battery percentage next to the icon in the status bar—except it wasn’t Reveal the Android Octopus a stock feature until now. In Android Oreo, Just like in prior Android releases, Google has you’ll find a toggle inside the new Battery tab hidden an easter egg in Oreo. Go to Settings in Settings. Flip it on and you’ll always know and scroll all the way down to System. Tap it, exactly how much juice you have left. then tap About Phone. Tap on Android Version a bunch of times and you’ll see a giant Choose your autofill provider Android O symbol pop up on screen. LongOnce password managers start updating their press on the center until you feel a vibration (it apps with support for Oreo’s Autofill, you’re might take a couple attempts) and an going to have to pick one as your default. Just animated octopus will appear on the screen like with keyboards, you can find the option in that you can stretch and drag around. 104 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Dare to ďŹ nd a career where you can truly make a difference. Your skills and talents could be exactly what we need to build the next generation of great teachers. Get resources to explore whether teaching is right for you at teach.org.
I was one of our nation’s hungry kids growing up. Today, 1 in 5 children in America struggle with hunger. But when they get breakfast, their days are bigger and brighter. Learning, attention, memory and mood improve. Together, we have the power to get breakfast to kids in your neighborhood — let’s make it happen. Go to hungeris.org and lend your time or your voice. Viola Davis, Hunger Is Ambassador
Hunger Is® is a joint initiative of the Albertsons Companies Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which are 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.
Photo By: Peggy Sirota
MA KE B R E A K FAST HAPPEN SO K I DS C AN B E H U NG RY FO R MO R E
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t can be easy to take the YouTube app for granted. It’s been there for years, opening videos when you click on a link, and receding into the background when you’re done. However, the YouTube app can do more than serve video links, and you’re probably not coming anywhere close to taking full advantage of the app’s capabilities. Let’s see what we can do about that.
1. DOUBLE-TAP TO SKIP AHEAD It can be difficult to get to just the right spot in a video with the inherent inaccuracy of a touchscreen, but YouTube has a little-known feature that can help you get there. All you have to do is double-tap on the video to automatically skip forward 10 seconds. If you find that’s not working well for you, head to the settings and change the skip time.
Stop overshooting the mark with a double-tap. 108 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
You’ll find this option in the General YouTube settings near the top. The options for Double-tap To Seek range from five to 60 seconds, so you should be able to find something that works for you.
2. BACKGROUND PLAY Sometimes you don’t need to see the video part of a YouTube video because the audio is actually what’s of interest. Users had to pester Google for years to get a native background playback option, and it exists now. However, it’s part of the YouTube Red subscription. If you’ve got Red, you can take advantage of this feature. Alternatively, you can turn it off because it can be a little annoying. When you’re logged in with a Red account, simply hit the home button when watching a video and the audio will continue in the background. If you don’t want that to happen, go to the YouTube app settings and go into Background And Downloads. Select Playback and set it to Off. The alternative: YouTube also supports only streaming background audio when your device is connected to headphones or an external speaker. Select that if you think you might use background play in such a way.
from ever happening. Open the YouTube app settings and go into the General settings. At the top is a toggle to Limit Mobile Data Usage. Turn that on, and YouTube will only stream in standard definition when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi.
4. VIEW IN CARDBOARD YouTube has a fair number of 360-degree videos these days. They work on desktop and mobile 3. LIMIT MOBILE DATA devices, but the experience can be USAGE fundamentally better on mobile thanks to easily Watching a few YouTube videos can be a accessible VR. All you need is a Google good way to kill a couple minutes while on Cardboard viewer or a Daydream headset (go. the go. However, those videos can use more pcworld.com/dh1). Search for a 360-degree data than you might expect, and that could video and tap the cardboard icon in the put you over your monthly data cap. Luckily, lower-right corner. There’s also a shortcut in the YouTube has a setting that can prevent that video settings when you tap the menu button and select View In Cardboard. Either way, it works just fine in a Daydream headset, too. Technically, all this option does is boot the video player into split left and right images. The motion of your phone lets you move your head to look around inside the video. You can use this same Eke more video out of your monthly data cap with this feature. option to watch a regular Keep the audio going while you do other things.
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When you initiate your first download, the app will ask what quality level you want to download, along with an estimate of the total size. By default, this dialog remembers your choice and won’t pop up next time. You can uncheck the box to pick each time, or head into your YouTube app settings and tweak this setting. It’s in the Eke more video out of your monthly data cap with this feature. Background And Downloads area. You might also want to enable the video in VR, but only via the menu button. option to only download videos on Wi-Fi in These non-immersive videos play in a floating this menu. There’s a chart in this menu as well, window that looks like a giant screen when which shows how much storage YouTube you’ve got the phone attached to your face. downloads have used. There’s a Delete All option here as well. 5. DOWNLOAD VIDEOS If you don’t have a YouTube Red By far the most requested feature in YouTube subscription, see PCWorld’s article about over the years has been a way to download other options for downloading YouTube videos for offline viewing. Like background videos (go.pcworld.com/dyt). playback, this was only delivered alongside YouTube Red. That means you need a subscription to have access to downloads, but it’s almost worth the price all by itself. To download a video, tap the download button right under the title. Save your faves for offline viewing. 110 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
News, tips, and reviews about smart homes, home security, and home entertainment.
TechHive helps you find your tech sweet spot. We steer you to smart-home tech products you’ll love and show you how to get the most out of them. www.techhive.com | Follow us
Here’s How
HOW TO BUILD, MAINTAIN, AND FIX YOUR TECH GEAR
How to stream media from your PC to your HDTV over Wi-Fi What to do when your PC is in one room, and your HDTV is in another. BY LINCOLN SPECTOR AND IAN PAUL
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ay you have a nice collection of media on your PC in one room, but you’d like to be able to view it on your nice big TV in another room. Windows offers a simple way to do that over Wi-Fi. 112 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
There’s actually an open standard for sharing media files across a home network. It’s called the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), and you probably already have everything you need to use it. There’s also a second, and newer, standard called IMAGE: iSTOCK
Miracast that will be of particular note to Windows 10 users. First, some definitions for DLNA: The device that sends the stream—such as a PC—is the DLNA server. The device that receives the stream—such as an HDTV or something connected to the TV—is the DLNA renderer (I really hate that term; player or receiver would be much friendlier). Both devices must be on the same network.
SETTING UP A DLNA SERVER ON WINDOWS Assuming that your PC is running Windows 7 or higher, it can serve your media without additional software. Windows Media Player (WMP) is, among other things, a DLNA server, but you have to enable it first. In WMP 12, select Stream > Turn On Media Streaming from the menu bar at the top (screen 1).
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In Windows 10, you’ll now see a permissions dialog box. Click Turn On Media Streaming one more time (screen 2). This brings you to another dialog box that allows you to control which devices on the network can receive the stream. Don’t worry about this box at the moment. Just click OK at the bottom (screen 3), but you may want to return to it at another time. You can also find DLNA servers for other operating systems, including Android, iOS, Mac OS X, and Linux. Consumer networkattached storage (NAS) systems almost always contain DLNA server software as well.
WINDOWS 10, MIRACAST, AND DLNA If you have a Windows 10 PC, there’s an extra feature you can try. The above process with Windows Media Player will still work, but Microsoft has also built streaming, or casting, right into the operating system via DLNA and Miracast.
Right-click on media in Windows 10 to cast it. 114 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Cast from Edge with a few clicks.
Casting has been present in Windows since version 8.1; however, we’re only going to cover Windows 10 here. Using this feature is pretty straightforward as long as you have a DLNA- or Miracast-compatible device. If you’ve ever used a Chromecast, then the process of casting from Windows 10 will be familiar. Right-click on a video or other piece of media on your PC. From the rightclick context menu select Cast To Device. You’ll then see the devices on your local network that you can cast to. Pick one and you’re done. Things work similarly in Microsoft Edge. Open the browser, select the webpage you want to cast such as a YouTube video. Then in the upper-right corner select the More
Options menu (the three horizontal dots) and select Cast Media To Device. After that, a Windows 8–style side panel will appear on the right with available devices.
SET UP DLNA-COMPATIBLE MEDIA PLAYERS The vast majority of network-capable HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and game consoles can render DLNA. Check your device’s home screen for music, pictures, and video options. When you select one of these, you’ll likely get a list of DLNA servers currently running on the home network. From here, you simply select the media file you want to stream. If you don’t see any DLNA servers, check the device manual for DLNA support. Alternately, with the right apps, you can turn a Chromecast or a Roku into a DLNA renderer. If you have a Chromecast and an Android phone, download the free Android app BubbleUPnP (go.pcworld.com/upnp). The app’s setup wizard will recommend installing its own server on your PC, but you don’t have to. That said, the app doesn’t play well with Windows Media Player so you may have no choice. Next, open the menu on the left under the “hamburger” menu icon, and under Renderer select the device that will receive the content. Then under Library select the DLNA server that has the media you want, and choose your content. In my case, I can choose from my PC’s hard drive, as well as my Plex Media Server.
Your content should now start playing on your TV via the Chromecast. Note that while MP4 files should work without a hitch, sometimes MKV files may not play nicely even with BubbleUPnP’s server installed on your PC. Things are much simpler with a Roku. Just download the Roku Media Player channel, and you’ll have clear and simple access to the media on your PC. That’s how you stream content from your PC to your TV the standard way. To learn about other ways to get content on your TV, read our colleagues at TechHive’s Cord-Cutter Confidential column (go.pcworld.com/cc1). Also check out their best streaming devices (go.pcworld.com/bsd) hub for buying info about the Apple TV, Roku, and other devices for watching locally storied content on your TV, as well as online streaming services.
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Galaxy S8 battery life tips: How to control battery drain Is your Samsung Galaxy S8 or S8+ draining too fast? These battery-saving tips can help you get a few more hours of use. BY FLORENCE ION
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he Galaxy S8 and S8+ are two of the best Android smartphones available, but if you’re going to get any use out of features like Bixby Voice and Samsung’s stellar camera, you’ll want to implement a few powersaving strategies. 116 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Fortunately, Samsung bundled in a helpful power-saving mode to keep the Galaxy S8’s battery steadily pumping throughout the day. We’ll teach you how to set it up, as well as how to implement some best practices for prolonging the life of your shiny Samsung phone. IMAGE: iSTOCK
The best part is that you don’t need to download anything to improve the health of your Galaxy S8’s battery. All you have to do is read on.
GET RID OF BATTERYSUCKING APPS If you notice your battery has been draining more quickly lately, you can probably blame a specific app. Indeed, The Device maintenance panel has tons of battery customization options. eliminating or disabling power-hungry apps is the easiest way to are placed toward the top). From here, you perform device maintenance when you’re in can make informed decisions on which apps need of a quick boost of battery life. Android to disable or uninstall. offers built-in system-level features that can detect those ravenous apps so that you won’t have to do all the data crunching yourself. Head into the Settings app, tap Device Maintenance and then tap Battery. From here, under App Power Monitor, you’ll see which apps are taxing your battery most (the ones drawing the most power The App Power Monitor can help put apps to sleep. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 117
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It’s best to do this exercise toward the end of the day, after your phone has cycled through a few hours of notifications, and with apps running in the background. If you decide to make an app dormant so that it only ramps up when you select it, you can tap on the app here to put it to sleep. Select your targeted apps from the aforementioned list and then The Galaxy S8’s built-in Power saving mode is a useful utility to have. tap Save power to put these ones to sleep. of the phone, and it’s worth setting up. You If you’re a social media fiend, you might can access it under the same Settings menu, see apps like Facebook and Twitter placed under Device Maintenance > Battery. Under toward the top of the power-hungry list. If you Power saving mode, you can choose decide you simply can’t live without these between two different modes to extend your services, consider implementing web-based battery life. apps—when available—into your daily The Mid mode decreases brightness, routine. Social networks like Facebook and bumps down the screen resolution to Twitter can be seamlessly accessed through 2220x1080, and turns off background the Chrome browser, for example, and they network usage. The Max mode drops the can be closed out once you’re done with your screen resolution even further to 1480x720 business. Just don’t forget to disable Chrome and limits maximum CPU performance to 70 notifications for these sites, since they tend to percent of its full abilities. You can also latch one in the background. customize it so that the mode restricts background network usage and turns off the SET UP POWER Always On display (we’ll explain why it’s not SAVING MODE so power efficient later on). The Galaxy S8’s bundled Power Saving Mode When you’re ready to hop into Power has actually been around for a few iterations Saving Mode, you can toggle it on from the 118 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
Quick settings. By default, it switches the phone into Mid mode, but you’ll want to flip into Max mode if you’re hoping for prolonged power saving.
GET NOTIFIED OF BAD BEHAVIOR In the same battery settings panel, tap the menu button for Advanced Settings, then tap Notification Settings to ensure that the App Power Monitor is looking after unused apps, battery-draining apps, and unstable apps. It’ll alert you when the system is out of order, as well as help remind you to be more consistent about smartphone maintenance.
GO LOW RESOLUTION Do you really need the Galaxy S8 and S8+’s nearly bezel-less screen to display in 2K
Turn auto brightness off. You don’t need it!
(2960x1440) at all times? Probably not. Using the phone at its full resolution is what sucks up most of your battery power in the first place, so you’ll want to keep your display settings at Full HD+ (2220x1080). This resolution should be enough to satisfy your detail-hungry eyes until the next time a higher resolution is absolutely necessary.
AUTOMATIC BRIGHTNESS ISN’T ALWAYS A SAVIOR
You don’t need 2K all the time. You can get by with FullHD+ and save some battery life.
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The always-on display is useful, but does incur a slight battery life penalty.
situation. So if you’re experiencing constantly fluctuating performance, you might want to turn off auto brightness completely. For the most part, it’s more energy efficient if you adjust the brightness yourself because the display won’t be constantly swinging from brightest to darkest. Your battery will thank you for it.
DITCH THE ALWAYS ON DISPLAY If you’re ever in a situation where your Galaxy S8 won’t be anywhere near a charger for a very long time, it’s a good idea to shut off its Always On Display feature. Think about it. This feature does what it 120 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
says it does: It keeps your display on—always. Sure, it mostly displays black pixels, so the image isn’t as taxing as a full screen of bright colors. But a display that’s always on still sucks up battery, even if it’s relatively minimal. If you absolutely must have the Always On Display, consider scheduling it so that it’s only on at times you’d normally have your phone plugged in.
DITCH THE ASSISTANTS, TOO Let’s say you’re at a music festival, or camping, where wireless service is minimal at best. You’ll want to turn off any features that aren’t necessary, like Bixby and Google Assistant, since they’re virtually useless without a data
Bixby and Google Assistant are definitely helpful, but they don’t need to be listening to you all the time.
charge is to turn off the screen—and keep it off. Samsung’s Super AMOLED display is beautiful, but it’s particularly demanding of energy resources. You should also turn on the Keep Screen Turned Off option under Settings. This will ensure the display doesn’t accidentally turn on when shoved in your pocket— or when stuck deep in your couch cushions.
connection. You don’t have to turn off their entire feature set if you don’t want to, either. Just ensure that Bixby and Google Assistant aren’t always hanging in the background, waiting for your beck and call. You’ll also want to turn off connectivity features you don’t need, like Bluetooth, location services, and Wi-Fi. You can easily do so from the notification shade, and then toggle them back on when it’s necessary. NFC is also worth turning off if you aren’t using wireless payment services—and you’re probably not if you’re in the middle of nowhere.
KEEP THE SCREEN OFF After all is said and the done, the best thing to do if your Galaxy S8 or S8+ is screaming for a
Here’s a handy option that prevents accidental battery drain. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 121
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How to get started with Linux: A beginner’s guide True, Linux is different, but fear not. This helpful primer gives you everything you need to know to begin exploring this new world. BY CHRIS HOFFMAN AND ALEX CAMPBELL
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he world of Linux is ready to welcome you, with a shower of free open-source software you can use on any PC: hundreds of active Linux distributions, and dozens of different desktop environments you could run on them. It’s a far cry from the one-size-fits-all, 122 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
this-is-just-what-comes-with-your-PC vision of Windows. Everything from software installation to hardware drivers works differently on Linux, though, which can be daunting. Take heart—you don’t even need to install Linux on your PC to get started. Here’s everything you need to know. IMAGE: iSTOCK
CHOOSE AND DOWNLOAD A LINUX DISTRO The first step is choosing the Linux distribution you’ll want to use. Unlike Windows 10, there’s no single version of Linux. Linux distributions take the Linux kernel and combine it with other software like the GNU core utilities, X.org graphical server, a desktop Fedora Linux with the GNOME Shell desktop. environment, web browser, and more. Each distribution unites some combination of these elements into a single operating system you can install. DistroWatch offers a good, in-depth summary (go.pcworld.com/ids) of all the major Linux distributions you might want to try. Ubuntu is a fine place to start for former (or curious) The Cinnamon desktop environment running on Linux Mint 18.2. Windows users. Ubuntu strives to eliminate many of Linux’s rougher priority, though. Just choose a fairly popular edges. Many Linux users now prefer Linux one like Linux Mint (go.pcworld.com/lm), Mint, which ships with either the Cinnamon Ubuntu (go.pcworld.com/ub), Fedora (go. or MATE desktops—both are a bit more pcworld.com/fed), or openSUSE (go. traditional than Ubuntu’s Unity desktop. pcworld.com/osu). Head to the Linux Choosing the single best isn’t your first distribution’s website and download the OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 123
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You can use the Universal USB Installer to easily create a bootable thumbdrive using an .ISO image of a Linux distribution.
ISO disc image you’ll need. Yes, it’s free. You can now either burn that ISO image to a DVD or USB. Note that booting from USB 3.0 is faster than booting from DVD these days, and more versatile given that most laptops and many desktops no longer include a DVD drive.
To burn an image to USB, you’ll need a specialized program. Many Linux distributions recommend using Rufus (go.pcworld.com/ ruf), UNetbootin (go.pcworld.com/unet), or Universal USB Installer (go.pcworld.com/ usbi). If you’ll be using Fedora, we think the Fedora Media Writer (go.pcworld.com/fmw) is by far the easiest way to go. For most desktops and laptops, the above instructions will suffice. However, if you want to use Linux on a Chromebook (go.pcworld. com/cbx), Raspberry Pi (go.pcworld.com/ rpx), or another type of device, there are special instructions you’ll need to follow.
RUNNING LINUX LIVE OFF AN EXTERNAL DRIVE
Now you’ll need to boot that Linux system. Restart your computer with the disc or USB drive inserted and it should automatically boot. If it doesn’t, you may need to change your BIOS or UEFI (go. pcworld.com/biox) firmware boot order, or select a boot device during the boot process. If you’re not sure whether you’re running UEFI or BIOS, you’re probably running UEFI, unless your PC is five years old or more. To enter your BIOS or UEFI on a desktop, Fedora’s Media Writer utility is a thing of beauty and can run on Windows or Mac OS. It’s the easiest way to make a bootable Linux USB stick. you’ll generally have to hit 124 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
the Del or F12 key during the POST process (before Windows starts booting). It can be a little trickier to get into the BIOS/UEFI on laptops. Many modern laptops don’t give you the option to enter UEFI by keystroke. Some laptops may include a small, unlabeled button on the side that you can hold down while you turn on the laptop. If you’re Fedora’s Live CD interface, like most Linux distributions, lets you choose to unsure about how to run the OS from your bootable media or install it to your hard drive. enter the UEFI setup screen, consult your PC’s user manual. everyday operating system, having this Linux On younger Windows PCs running live DVD or USB drive around can be useful. Windows 10, you may have to disable Secure You can insert it into any computer and boot Boot before booting Linux. (Secure Boot has Linux whenever you want. Use it to been a headache [go.pcworld.com/bae] for troubleshoot Windows problems, recover many Linux users.) Most of the larger Linux files from a corrupted system, scan an infected distributions will boot normally with Secure system for malware, or provide a secure Boot enabled, but others won’t. environment for online banking and other Your Linux distribution of choice probably important tasks. allows you to use it in a “live” environment, If you have more than one USB stick to meaning it runs entirely off the disc or USB spare, you can try different Linux distributions drive and doesn’t actually need to be installed and pick the one you prefer. Another handy to your computer’s hard drive. Just use the trick: If you enable the “persistence” option Linux desktop normally and get a feel for it. when putting Ubuntu on the USB drive, you can You can even install software, and it’ll remain save files and settings to the drive and they’ll installed in the live system until you reboot. remain accessible every time you boot it. Even if you don’t want to use Linux as your To leave the live Linux system, just OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 125
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reboot your computer and remove the disc or USB drive.
need to. Even if you’ve never used VirtualBox before, you’ll find that it’s a cinch to set up. USE LINUX IN A VIRTUAL Once you have it installed in Windows 10, you MACHINE can set up a VM in a couple minutes with With free virtualization tools like VirtualBox VirtualBox’s wizard. The VirtualBox manual’s (go.pcworld.com/vb), you can have multiple step-by-step instructions (go.pcworld.com/ virtual machines (VMs), complete with their vbm) are a great resource if you’re not quite own boot sequences and isolated storage. sure where to start. One of the most popular things to do with While using VirtualBox is a great way to try virtual machines is to run different operating out one or more Linux distributions, there are systems on one computer without needing some disadvantages. Virtualization comes to reboot. with a performance hit due to overhead, It’s pretty easy to create a VM on Windows though this is reduced if your CPU has to create a virtual environment to run Linux in. virtualization support built-in. Intel calls its VMs are easy to manage, and when you’re virtualization support VT-x, while AMD’s is done using them, you can delete them. You called AMD-V. To take advantage of this can even back up copies of the entire technology, you also have to make sure that virtualized (guest) operating system if you virtualization support is enabled on your motherboard (in the UEFI or BIOS) as well. In addition to a performance hit, virtual machines generally won’t have direct hardware access to things like video cards. Despite the disadvantages, if you’re Linux-curious, and not ready to install Linux on your PC’s “bare metal,” You can use VirtualBox to test different Linux distros while running virtualization offers a Windows or Linux. Here, Debian 9 (the guest) is running in VirtualBox on Arch Linux (the host). great way to try out Linux 126 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
without the need of a USB stick.
YOUR LINUX DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT Depending on which Linux distribution and desktop environment you choose, your desktop environment and installed applications will The Fedora 25 desktop running GNOME’s Software and Nautilus vary—though most will cover applications. your typical needs. Most Linux distributions ship with the Firefox web you want to try Ubuntu, we recommend browser, for example. The open-source trying Ubuntu GNOME, which uses the Chromium browser (or Google’s Chrome, if GNOME desktop instead of Unity. you prefer) is just a few clicks away. Additionally, be sure to enable virtual Your desktop environment should have all desktops (most modern Linux desktops have the standard bits: an application menu, some disabled them by default) and give them a sort of taskbar or dock, and a notification area shot, too. or “system tray.” Click around to see what If you’re unhappy with the desktop you’re everything does. You should also find a using, don’t worry. While some distributions collection of system utilities that will let you are optimized for a particular desktop, nearly configure your hardware and make your every major distribution gives you the option desktop work the way you’d like. to install the desktop of your choice after the Ubuntu 16.04’s Unity desktop can be system is installed. As long as you have quirky, but it’s packed with useful features enough storage to spare, you can have you’d never find on your own, like the HUD. If GNOME, KDE, Cinnamon, XFCE, and other you’re going with Ubuntu 16.04 or earlier, be desktops installed at the same time. When aware that Ubuntu will be abandoning its you log in to the desktop, you can choose Unity desktop in future versions. Ubuntu what desktop environment to run. dropped Unity in favor of the GNOME Shell If you ever get lost, there is plenty of help (go.pcworld.com/dui) that comes as the online. Generally Googling your default on Fedora and other distributions. If distribution’s name followed by the question OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 127
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of just running it from a USB drive or disc are productivity and convenience. Unlike running Linux live, installed Linux will remember your settings, keep your installed software, and maintain your files between reboots. Once you’re ready to take the plunge, installing Linux on your PC is easy—just GNOME Software is an application that uses a store-like interface to launch the installer provided help you browse for and install software. GNOME Software is availin the live Linux environment. able on Ubuntu and any distribution that uses the GNOME desktop. You have yet another choice will lead you in the right direction. If you here, though: You could wipe away your prefer a more structured help environment, existing Windows system (assuming that’s the Ubuntu (go.pcworld.com/ubu) and your current OS) and replace it with Linux, but Fedora documentation websites are great installing it in a “dual-boot” configuration, or resources. While the Arch Wiki (go.pcworld. “alongside Windows,” in Ubuntu installer com/aw1) is written with users of Arch Linux parlance, is the more flexible choice. The in mind, it is a great in-depth resource for installer will resize your Windows partition to Linux programs in general. make room for Linux, and you can select which operating system you want to use every INSTALL LINUX, OR NOT time you boot your computer. You have choices about when and how to Of course, you can always choose to install Linux. You can leave it on a disc or USB install Windows in a virtual machine (go. drive and boot it up whenever you want to pcworld.com/iw) as well. play with it. Play with it several times until you’re sure you want to install it. You can try HOW TO INSTALL MORE several Linux distributions in this way—you SOFTWARE can even re-use the same USB drive. Software installation on Linux works very The big reasons to install Linux instead differently from software installation on 128 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
OpenSUSE’s YaST software management tool.
Windows. You don’t need to open your web browser and search for applications. Instead, look for the software installer on your system. On Ubuntu and Fedora, you can install software using GNOME’s software store application (aptly called “Software”). Software managers aren’t just fancy interfaces for downloading software from the web. Your Linux distribution hosts its own “software repositories,” containing software compiled to work with it. This software is tested and provided by the Linux distribution. (If you choose a rolling-release distribution [go.pcworld.com/rrd] like Arch or openSUSE Tumbleweed, the newer software can cause problems. If you prefer stability over the latest-and-greatest versions of software, stick to a “versioned”
Linux distribution to start out.) If security patches are necessary, your Linux distribution will provide them to you in a standard way. Basically, it’s like an app store full of free, opensource software—except Linux distributions were doing “app stores” like this long before Apple popularized the concept. While most major distributions offer GUI programs to help you install software, all distributions have command-line tools that can do the same thing. Though it can be intimidating for newbies, we recommend users familiarize themselves with how to install applications from the command line (go.pcworld.com/cl), even if they prefer using the GUI. If an installation fails for some reason, using the command line will offer hints as to why the installation failed. Some applications—particularly closedsource applications like Google Chrome
Your Linux distribution hosts its own “software repositories,” containing software compiled to work with it. OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 129
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on the desktop, the program’s GitHub page may have a link to a package for your distro (.deb or .rpm). If not, you’ll often find directions to manually install the program on the README page. Contrary to widespread belief, you probably don’t need to install GNOME Software is an application that uses store-like interface to browse hardware drivers for and install software. GNOME Software is available on Ubuntu and any distribution that uses the GNOME desktop. manually when you install the operating (go.pcworld.com/gch), Steam (go.pcworld. system. Most of the hardware drivers you’ll com/ste), Skype (go.pcworld.com/skx), need are built-in on Linux. There are a few Minecraft, and others—may have to be closed-source drivers you might want—the installed from outside your Linux Nvidia and AMD drivers for optimal 3D distribution’s package manager. But check graphics performance, or Wi-Fi drivers to your package manager first—you’ll be make your Wi-Fi hardware work right. surprised what apps may be available However, most of the hardware you have through your distro’s repositories. (even touchscreens) should work out of If you can’t find the app you need, you the box. can download these applications from their It’s worth mentioning that while Nvidia’s official websites, just as you would on proprietary Linux drivers are great Windows. Be sure to download the installer performance-wise, Nvidia’s proprietary package designed for the Linux distribution drivers don’t always play nice with the you’re using. open-source community. (Linus Torvalds, the Other open-source applications can be guy who wrote the Linux kernel, famously obtained on GitHub (go.pcworld.com/ gave the finger to Nvidia on camera because ghb). If the application is commonly used of this.) If you’re not planning on doing a lot 130 PCWorld OCTOBER 2017
The Software Manager in Linux Mint 18.2’s Cinnamon desktop has a user-friendly interface.
of gaming on Linux, Intel’s integrated graphics (which is present on pretty much all non-enthusiast Intel Core CPUs) will do the job just fine. Ubuntu and Linux Mint will recommend drivers to you via their hardware driver tools, if necessary. Some Linux distributions may not help you install these at all. For example, Fedora doesn’t want to endorse closed-source Linux drivers. If you need specialized drivers, check your distribution’s documentation. Most distros have help pages for people who have AMD
or Nvidia video cards, for instance. Despite the software installation differences, Linux should feel reasonably familiar to anyone who’s used a Windows desktop before. You’ll find windows, context menus, control panels, and more. Many of the applications you’ll use on Linux are popular programs you may have already used on Windows, from Firefox to VLC and LibreOffice. Now you have the basic knowledge you need to get started using Linux. Happy exploring! OCTOBER 2017 PCWorld 131
Tech Spotlight
A video showcase of the latest trends
Watch the video at go.pcworld. com/wmrh
First Windows Mixed Reality headsets
≥ Microsoft’s bid to bring Windows mixed reality to the masses is taking shape with a raft of affordable PCs and headsets, Acer’s headset, for instance, will be available for $299 without the controllers, undercutting the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. The Dell Visor, will ship for $350 for just the headset, $100 for the controllers, and $450 for a bundle of all of them.
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