All Newslinks - Page: 1
| PC World - 38 minutes ago (PC World)Yes, it’s true: That old AI gaming assistant April Fools’ joke that Nvidia made all the way back in 2017 is now reality. Well, kinda. And if Nvidia’s plans come to fruition, it could make your favorite PC gaming forums and wikis obsolete.
During its Computex keynote, Nvidia revealed “Project G-Assist” for the creation of customizable AI assistants for PC gamers, running on GeForce graphics cards. These AI assistants can be tuned to help you in specific games, providing detailed information about your personal adventures while reacting to on-screen events. They can also analyze and tune your entire gaming PC on the fly.
Ever wondered “What the hell is that??!!” when confronted by a snarling new alien menace in a game? G-Assist can tell you—and not just that, but also the optimal build for your character path if you’d like. It can then overclock your GPU to speed up performance, all without ever needing to leave your game.
G-Assist is the first AI assistant I’d actually want to install on my gaming PC. Let’s dig in.
Nvidia’s Project G-Assist is the ultimate gaming sidekick
Nvidia
Nvidia
Nvidia
Project G-Assist is the codename for a series of AI technologies and frameworks provided by Nvidia, with several new tools revealed for developers at the show. These capabilities monitor your gaming inputs (including on-screen information), process those inputs through a large language model (AI) with specifically trained data sets helped by other tools, then feed you the information you’re looking for in real time.
Anyone can use these tools however they see fit to create their own gaming assistants. The sky is the limit here. Nvidia provided two AI assistant concepts to show off G-Assist’s potential in eye-opening ways.
First, Nvidia created an Ark: Survival Ascended demo that shows how powerful these tools can be when they’re integrated by game developers and trained on a deep data set for that specific game.
It’s actually remarkable. Via a floating text field, you can ask the AI assistant what the best early weapons are, skill recommendations for your particular character build, help with problems, and more. It’s like having the world’s most knowledgeable wiki author riding shotgun with you, and you never have to alt-tab out to find the crucial info you need.
Nvidia
Nvidia
Nvidia
It’s a compelling vision—and it’s aided by computer vision, remember. In the demo, the protagonist asked “What is that thing?” while looking at a dinosaur and was promptly told that it’s most likely a titansaur, “[which] can be identified by its massive size and long neck.”
It’s easy to imagine enthusiast communities training their own AI assistants to provide tailored experiences for their favorite games, or developers providing help bots for new players, or an all-encompassing assistant trained on the top wikis to help in any game.
We’ll have to see if that dream winds up being reality, though. This all looks fantastic in theory, but Nvidia releases a lot of impressive tech demos and not all of them wind up being embraced by the community.
HAL, overclock my PC
But G-Assist’s potential isn’t limited to the act of playing games alone. Nvidia also showed off another G-Assist bot designed to help PC players tune their settings on the fly while tooling around in Cyberpunk 2077.
Nvidia
Nvidia
Nvidia
It was able to change options when asked to optimize the settings for image quality. It also suggested enabling Nvidia Reflex to reduce latency due to the system’s measurements at the time.
And when asked to provide a latency graph for the last 60 seconds, it popped one up immediately. That’s potentially a very helpful capability when you’re troubleshooting problems or trying to improve your responsiveness in-game.
Heck, it even initiated Nvidia’s one-click overclocking feature on command, complete with information about the GPU’s old and new clock speed measurements.
RAMMING SPEED
RAMMING SPEEDNvidia
RAMMING SPEEDNvidia
Nvidia
There’s a lot of promise here, and G-Assist showcases what’s possible with AI when you have a full-fat graphics card by your side. You won’t see GPU-less Copilot+ laptops pulling off capabilities like this, this fast, while actively gaming, on an NPU anytime soon. There’s a reason why Nvidia is pushing GeForce-equipped hardware as “Premium AI PCs” behind closed doors.
Separately, Nvidia is also working to introduce generative AI-powered NPCs in games via its Avatar Cloud Engine technology, which looks better and better every time we see it. Nvidia’s Seth Schneider recently joined our Full Nerd podcast to show off the ACE-powered Covert Protocol demo revealed at GDC this spring. Look for new ACE demos to be out in force during Computex 2024.
Gaming, Graphics Cards Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 38 minutes ago (PC World)It’s easy to see why portable monitors are gaining in popularity among both desktop PC and laptop users. What portable monitors sacrifice in size over a standard monitor they make up for in myriad other ways: Portable monitors are relatively inexpensive, easy to connect, and, best of all, portable. Whether you’re a student, someone who works from home, or a globe-trotting executive, the ability to easily pack up and move a portable monitor when needed is an attractive proposition.
Nevertheless, the widespread availability of these displays and the ability to manufacture them cheaply has resulted in a onslaught of questionable brands on the market. Many of these brands don’t have any established credibility, and quality can often be sub-par. That’s where we at PCWorld come in. We’ve tested multiple models and can separate the best portable monitors from the rest.
To learn more about our evaluation process, see “How we test monitors at PCWorld.”
Our list of favorites below will help you find the right portable monitor for you. You can learn more about what to look for in a portable monitor at the bottom of the article.
Further reading: See our roundups of the best monitors and best home office monitors for even more recommendations.
Arzopa A1 Gamut – Best budget portable monitor
Pros
Good build quality for the price
Bright, attractive display
Two USB-C inputs, plus mini-HDMI
All cables included
Cons
Stand only adjusts for tilt
Limited image quality adjustments
Mediocre contrast ratio
Best Prices Today:
$89.99 at Arzopa
The Arzopa A1 Gamut is a solid 15.6-inch 1080p portable monitor that delivers good image quality, an attractive design, and useful features at a low price.
Arzopa opts for a simple yet elegant design that pairs a thin display panel with a small bump on the lower half to house the monitor’s ports and internal electronics. A faux-leather cover is included to provide protection when stowed. It also folds into a kickstand when the monitor is in use.
The monitor has three input options: two USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and one Mini-HDMI. All required cables and accessories are included. However, the monitor’s menu system is hard to use and offers few adjustments.
Image quality is great for the price. The Azorpa A1 Gamut reaches a maximum brightness of 297 nits, which is brighter than many competitors. The color gamut spans 97 percent of sRGB and 74 percent of DCI-P3. The A1 Gamut appears bright and vivid in day-to-day use and, though not ideal for professional content creation, holds up well while browsing the web, working in Microsoft Office, or viewing YouTube.
The Arzopa A1 Gamut retails for $170 but is frequently sold at a steep discount, often as low as $110. It’s an absolute steal when on sale, and we highly recommend waiting for a discount if one isn’t currently available.
Read our full
Arzopa A1 Gamut review
Innocn 15A1F – Best midrange portable monitor
Pros
Excellent image quality
Durable and attractive design
Versatile clip-on stand
Unbeatable bang-for-the-buck
Cons
Doesn’t include a protective case
HDR is supported but disappointing
Best Prices Today:
$199.99 at Innocn$319.99 at Amazon
The Innocn 15A1F is an OLED portable monitor that brings excellent image quality and attractive design to a more affordable price point.
It has a 15.6-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 1920×1080 and a 60Hz refresh rate. Its design, reminiscent of the Apple iPad Pro, elegantly combines an aluminum rear panel with edge-to-edge glass.
It also has a unique, versatile clip-on stand that adds stability and a wide range of tilt adjustments. Innocn doesn’t include a protective case, however, so shoppers should consider a third-party protective sleeve.
Image quality is where this portable monitor stands out. It delivers a maximum brightness of 378 nits and achieves an infinite contrast ratio. This combination provides a bright, vivid, and immersive image. It also delivers an impressive 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 94 percent of AdobeRGB. That’s more than adequate for photo and video editing. The monitor’s 60Hz refresh rate might be a limitation for gamers, however.
Priced at an MSRP of $349.99, which often drops to a tempting $199.99 on Amazon, the Innocn 15A1F is an excellent choice if you want a portable monitor with top-tier image quality on a budget.
Read our full
Innocn 15A1F review
Arzopa G1 Game – Best portable monitor for gaming
Pros
Thin, light, and durable
Good SDR image quality
144Hz panel delivers good motion clarity
Inexpensive
Cons
No Adaptive Sync support
HDR is supported, but disappointing
Menu system offers little customization
Best Prices Today:
$129.99 at Amazon
Want a light, compact monitor that’s ideal for gaming while away from home? The inexpensive Arzopa G1 Game is a solid choice.
Arzopa’s portable gaming monitor has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 (better known as 1080p) and a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. The refresh rate, which indicates how many times the display can refresh per second, improves responsiveness and motion clarity. It’s a noticeable improvement over a portable monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate.
The monitor also delivers a bright, attractive image. 1080p resolution may sound mundane in today’s world of 4K displays but, due to a portable monitor’s small 15.6-inch display, it delivers sharpness close to that of a 27-inch 4K monitor. The Arzopa G1 Game also scores well in contrast, color gamut, and color accuracy.
It’s easy to pack, too, as the monitor weighs just 1.36 pounds and measures roughly four-tenths of an inch thick. A faux-leather case provides protection while traveling and serves as a kickstand. The kickstand’s tilt adjustment is limited, though, which can prove frustrating.
The G1 Game routinely retails for about $150 on Amazon.com and ranks among the most affordable 144Hz portable gaming monitors available. It’s a good value and an easy recommendation for travelers who frequently game away from home.
Read our full
Arzopa G1 Game review
Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED – Best portable monitor for creators
Pros
Excellent image quality
Useful built-in kickstand
Attractive and sturdy design
Extensive image-quality options
Cons
Flimsy bundled keyboard cover
Some on-screen menu options are confusing
Power adapter could be smaller
Best Prices Today:
$499.99 at Amazon$499.99 at Viewsonic
The Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED stands out in the crowded market of portable monitors, particularly for creators who prioritize image quality without sacrificing portability.
The VX1655-4K-OLED delivers exceptional sharpness, color accuracy, and contrast. Its brightness peaks at an impressive 457 nits, which is beneficial for working in brightly lit environments. Its comprehensive color gamut is suitable for color-critical work such as photography, design, and video editing. It also has a native resolution of 3840×2160 (4K), which makes it ideal for working with 4K video, as well as other high-resolution video and image files.
Design is another key strength. It has a built-in kickstand, slim bezels, and a sturdy chassis, all of which makes it easy to set up and stable when in use. The monitor’s connectivity options, which include two USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI port, offer flexibility. However, the inclusion of a full-sized HDMI port would have been preferable.
While the monitor does have minor drawbacks, like a flimsy bundled display cover and confusing on-screen menus, these issues are overshadowed by its overall performance and build quality. Its premium price point reflects its position as a high-end choice for professionals, and its image quality is the best of any portable monitor we’ve tested to date.
Read our full
Viewsonic VX1655-4K-OLED review
What to look for in a portable monitor
Many of the features we look for in a desktop monitor also apply to a portable monitor. A portable monitor should have a bright, sharp image with a decent contrast ratio, wide color gamut, and great color accuracy. The differences between portable monitors and their desktop brethren are more often found in their design, build quality, and connectivity.
Image quality
Most portable monitors have image quality similar to desktop monitors in the same price bracket. Portable monitors tend to score well in brightness and sharpness, but color and contrast are often lacking. OLED portable monitors perform significantly better than less expensive IPS LCD displays. Unfortunately, they’re much more expensive.
Numerous small brands have jumped into the portable monitor market in recent years and quality control can be an issue. We recommend sticking to monitors that are known to achieve high marks in image quality (otherwise, be prepared to use a retailer’s return policy).
Stands, kickstands, and covers
Portable monitors ship with a bundled kickstand or stand that is used to keep the monitor propped up and steady on a desk.
Unlike desktop monitors, where most stands are more or less identical, the stands used by portable monitors vary. Some have a simple kickstand that attaches magnetically, while others use a clip-on case. A rare few, like the ViewSonic ColorPro VP16-OLED, have a folding stand that provides significant height and kickstand adjustment.
Connectivity
Connectivity is key. A portable monitor that lacks the port you need to connect your tablet or laptop is useless.
Most portable monitors offer the option to connect over USB, a video input (usually HDMI), or both, but the number of ports available and the standards used vary widely. We look for monitors that offer a healthy selection of ports. We also prefer monitors that can be powered over USB-C by a connected desktop or laptop.
Portability, size, and weight
Our final consideration is the most obvious: portability. Most portable monitors live up to their name with an included kickstand case or cover that can fold flat and protect the display while it’s stowed.
Still, the exact size and weight of a portable monitor is important, and shoppers may need to accept trade-offs between weight and quality. A top-notch pick like the Viewsonic ColorPro VP16-OLED can offer superior durability, but a lightweight budget pick like the Azorpa A1 Gamut might be preferable if you’ll be hauling a portable monitor daily.
How we test monitors
PCWorld’s monitor evaluations stem from the expertise of freelance and staff contributors with decades of collective experience. Although our initial impressions rely on our eyes, we rigorously test each monitor using a Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra color calibration tool for a comprehensive analysis.
This device helps us objectively measure a variety of monitor attributes including brightness, contrast, color gamut, color accuracy, luminance and color uniformity, and gamma, among other traits.
We also rely on hands-on testing to judge the quality, size, and weight of a portable monitor. Every monitor we recommend is personally tested first-hand by a PCWorld contributor. This helps us pick out flaws in build quality and portability that separate the best and worst portable monitors.
FAQ
1.
What size of portable monitor is best?
Most portable monitors use a 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch panel, and those that don’t typically have a panel size close to one of those two standards (such as 13.1 or 16 inches).
A monitor with a 13.3-inch panel is great for frequent fliers and other travelers looking to pack light. A 13.3-inch model will typically weigh about a quarter- to half-pound less than a 15.6-inch model. The downside, of course, is a smaller display that can feel cramped, which can make a 13.3-inch display frustrating.
15.6-inch portable monitors are a better choice in many situations, as viewing the display for long periods of time will prove more comfortable. Though larger than a 13.3-inch model, 15.6-inch models remain small and will fit in most bags that fit a 14-inch laptop (or larger). 15.6-inch portable monitors are preferable for creators, too, as the larger display size makes it easier to view small details in videos, photos, and digital art.
2.
What resolution is best for a portable monitor?
1080p is the most common resolution and is a great choice for nearly all situations. This resolution may seem unimpressive on paper, but the small size of a portable monitor increases the display’s pixel density. A 15.6-inch portable monitor with 1080p resolution looks nearly as sharp as a 27-inch monitor with 4K resolution.
What about 4K portable monitors? We don’t generally recommend them. Portable monitors with 4K resolution are less common, more expensive, and the improvement in sharpness won’t be perceptible to most people.
We also recommend that you avoid lower resolutions such as 720p and 1366×768. Though uncommon, portable monitors sold at very low prices (often below $100) sometimes have a native resolution below 1080p. This isn’t a great choice. Most modern apps, web pages, and content assume 1080p as a “standard” resolution and feel cramped at 720p or 1366×768.
3.
What ports and connectivity should a portable monitor have?
We recommend buying a portable monitor that has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and USB Power Delivery. The DisplayPort Alternate Mode turns the USB-C port into a video input, and USB Power Delivery can be used to power the portable monitor. This enables a single-cable connection between the portable monitor and a laptop, desktop, or tablet with USB-C.
An ideal portable monitor should pair USB-C with a backup video input, such as HDMI or DisplayPort, for connecting devices that lack USB-C. Most portable monitors offer this feature, but the HDMI or DisplayPort input is usually a smaller variant of the connection (like Micro-HDMI).
4.
How much should a portable monitor cost?
Most portable monitors are inexpensive, but this is often reflected in their quality. We’ve noticed a wide range of build quality, design, and image quality among portable monitors that retail below $150. It’s possible to find a great portable monitor on a tight budget, but we recommend sticking to models tested by a professional reviewer.
A handful of portable monitors, such as the Viewsonic ColorPro VP16-OLED, are priced above $300. These rare models back up their price with special features such as a top-notch OLED panel or built-in battery. Paying extra for a quality monitor is worthwhile, but it’s not a requirement. Budget portable monitors like the Arzopa A1 Gamut look great and are well-suited to day-to-day productivity and web browsing.
5.
Should I buy a portable monitor with HDR?
We don’t recommend portable monitors for HDR. While some manufacturers claim HDR support, the truth is that current portable monitors lack the brightness required to make HDR look its best. A portable monitor that claims HDR support will display HDR content, but it won’t look superior to SDR.
6.
What battery life should I expect from a portable monitor?
You might be surprised to hear most portable monitors don’t include a battery and must be powered by an external source. In most cases, power is delivered over USB-C (or, in older models, USB-A) from a connected laptop, tablet, or desktop. You can also use an external power brick.
A few portable monitors include a battery, but we recommend you avoid these models. They’re considerably more expensive than portable monitors that rely on external power. The battery also adds weight and bulk. It’s often less expensive to buy an external battery pack to connect to the portable monitor.
Monitors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)If you bought an AM4 motherboard way back in 2016, you might want to sit down for this: You’ll be able to drop a brand new AMD Ryzen 5000 processor into it next month. That’s a full eight years on the socket, four years on the 5000-series architecture. With the new Ryzen 7 5800XT and Ryzen 9 5900XT, the AM4 socket might just be immortal.
The XT variants of the existing 5900X and 5800X designs (from 2020!) imply squeezing out a bit more performance from the Zen 3 architecture. And based on the specs, that appears to be the case. The 5900X uses 16 cores and 32 threads with a maximum speed of 4.8GHz and a 105 watt thermal design power (TDP). It’s boasting a generous 72 megabytes of cache.
The 5800XT will hit the same speed with just 8 cores and 16 threads, similarly halving the cache but drawing the same power. The Ryzen 7 chip will come with a Wraith Prism CPU cooler in the box, but those who go for the Ryzen 9 chip will need to find their own. Compared to the non-T variants of these chips, the Ryzen 7 5700XT gets a small 100MHz boost at the highest possible clock speed, while the 5900XT gets the same speed but boosts the core count from 12 to 16.
Oh, one last cool thing. During AMD’s Computex presentation, CEO Dr. Lisa Su was proud to boast that the AM4 socket has 145 different CPU and APU chips on the market. Impressive.
What about pricing for the new chips? Hard to say. The 5900X and 5800X cost $549 and $449 at launch, respectively, but that was four years ago when they were top-of-the-line CPUs. The new 5700X3D AMD launched at CES in January was $249, and given the extra game-boosting cache in that chip, I’d say it’s probably on par with the 5800XT in terms of production cost. Take that as you will.
At least we won’t have to wait long to find out. With both new Ryzen processors set to hit store shelves in July, you’ll be able to check for yourself soon enough.
CPUs and Processors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 1 hour ago (Stuff.co.nz)Maresca is the fourth permanent manager at Chelsea since the Premier League side got new American owners in 2022 Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | ITBrief - 1 hour ago (ITBrief)Object First has announced a major upgrade to its ransomware-proof backup storage, boosting capacity up to 192TB per node and 768TB per cluster. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | PC World - 1 hour ago (PC World)Here on the Computex show floor, the biggest and boldest players in the PC world are roaming about. Adam managed to lasso Donny Woligroski, AMD’s Senior Technical Marketing Manager, in order to pick his brain on a few topics. To find out more about AM4’s incredible longevity, AM5’s new lifespan, Ryzen 9000 chips, and the future of mobile PC gaming, check out our live interview.
First up, two more AM4 chips, after another two were revealed back at CES at the beginning of the year. That gives this single desktop socket seven years of support, and an amazing 145 total chips. Donny says, “Why do we make it? Because there’s a market and we have the material…if we can make something good that people will use, that makes sense for some people, why wouldn’t we make it?
On the topic of the now-standard AM5 socket getting extended support through 2027, Woligroski says there’s no reason not to give users the same kind of extended support. “…the next generation of DDR, or the things that would necessitate a new platform — we don’t see that hitting any time soon. So that gives us runway to keep the platform going, just like we do with AM4.”
When Adam asks about those new Ryzen 9000 chips scheduled for release in July, specifically about the pricing… Donny offered no details. Come on, you know these guys don’t like to give the juicy deets in live interviews. What about the new “Ryzen AI” branding for the laptop chips? “Is AI that huge of a deal, that you’re going to completely change that branding?” Adam asks.
“I think it is. If you look at what our partners are doing, like Microsoft, they’re really committed to adding functionality that would use an NPU that makes a difference in how a person uses their PC. This is a part of that. That’s another reason this is a whole new naming scheme, we’re denoting here this is something different.”
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Finally they broached Adam’s favorite niche, handheld gaming PCs like the Steam Deck. Specifically he wanted to know if new silicon is on the way, since the latest chips for these devices (even the one in the brand new ROG Ally X) are over a year old. “In the ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go we have the [Ryzen] Z1. Can we expect a Z2, or a Z2 Extreme, anytime soon?”
“I’m so sorry Adam. I cannot comment on future products.” Hey, no hard feelings Donny. You can’t blame a nerd for trying. Check out the full video for all the details I couldn’t cover, and be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube if you want an absolute avalanche of coverage on all the cool stuff coming out of Computex.
CPUs and Processors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 2 hours ago (PC World)Backing up your essential data is the only way to be sure it’s safe. And while there have been no major online storage disasters to date, it behooves you to maintain a local backup of your digital stuff even if you work exclusively in the cloud.
Some data, such as multimedia collections are definitely better stored locally, and should be backed up as well. As Murphy has proven time and again, redundancy is your friend.
There are many free and pay-to-play contenders to take hold of your backup operations, but not all are created equal. Here’s what we look for in our quest for the back backup software and how we evaluate backup programs.
What are the main features we look for in backup programs?
There are a host of programs, services, storage repositories, and methods for backing up your system and data. Hence, a good portion of our initial evaluation is devoted to perusing the methods a program supports.
The more types of backup a product supports, the more versatile it is and, generally speaking, the better a value it is. Value contributes to our rating though not as significantly as reliability. How bullet-proof a backup program makes backing up and restoring data reigns supreme in our ratings.
There are two primary types of backup: system backup, where everything, including your operating system, applications, and data are backed up; and data-only backup, where only your essential files are saved to safe locations. (Plural because you should have an original copy, a local copy, and a copy off-site).
System backup
The advantage of a system backup is that, in case of a system or drive failure, you can use it to quickly restore your operating system, applications, and data to the state they were in when you backed them up, in one fell swoop. This is also known as disaster recovery.
The disadvantage to a system backup is that the backups themselves are generally more time consuming. At least initially.
R-Drive Image is our favorite system-recovery and imaging software.
R-Drive Image is our favorite system-recovery and imaging software.
R-Drive Image is our favorite system-recovery and imaging software.
There are programs that perform only system backup such as the free Backup and Restore (Windows 7), but more common are products such as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (nee True Image), Aomei Backupper, and R-Drive Image that offer both system backup and data-only backup.
System backup programs generally use images (byte-for-byte copies of a disk or file system), or large proprietary container files. During the restore phase, these are read off the backup media and written back to your computer after you boot to the program that created them, using recovery media — CD, USB stick, etc.
best backup software overall
R-Drive Image
Read our review
Best Prices Today:
$44.95 at R-tools Technology
Data backup
The advantage to backing up only your data is speed. Corollary to speed is the ability to back up more frequently. With some programs this happens in real time — meaning as files change. The more frequent the backup, the less chance of you losing work.
Shown below is Windows File History, which is a bit hard to configure if you want to include folders from other locations, but a great and very free way to keep your data backed up. That’s right, you don’t really need third-party solutions, though you may want them as some are demonstrably better.
Windows File History is free, data-only backup software that comes with the operating system.
Windows File History is free, data-only backup software that comes with the operating system.
Windows File History is free, data-only backup software that comes with the operating system.
The downside to data-only backup is that, in the case of a system crash, you’ll have to reinstall the operating system and applications (possibly including the program used for backup) before you can restore your data. Then you’ll have to reconfigure everything to your liking. Re-configuration can actually be the most time-consuming part of the operation in this age of super-fast SSDs.
Sync
Sync, in its purest form, is mirroring data across multiple locations. It’s not true backup as files can be changed in any location and those changes reflected throughout the ecosystem. Want to revert to an older version? Sorry, outta’ luck.
However, many sync programs offer one-way sync (source to destination) with version retention, which is functionally the same as pure data backup. It all depends on how many older versions are retained and for how long. It’s not always permanent.
Sync is not necessarily backup, but it can be depending on the options.
Sync is not necessarily backup, but it can be depending on the options.
Sync is not necessarily backup, but it can be depending on the options.
The broader the support for these three types of backup, the better you can tailor your backup plan to your specific needs and the higher we’ll rate this aspect of the product.
The more granular features we look for in backup programs
After weighing how many backup MOs a program supports, we then peruse the finer aspects of each, such as…
System backup types
To save space, system backups back up everything the first time (full), then either use incremental (fast backup/slower restore — all changes since the last backup) or differential (slower backup/faster restore/easier to manage — all changes since the first backup) after that to save space. Incremental is a must, but offering both incremental and differential is a plus. There are many others that would take quite a while to explain, as you can see below.
Acronis offers a host of backup schemes that cover creation and management.
Acronis offers a host of backup schemes that cover creation and management.
Acronis offers a host of backup schemes that cover creation and management.
Space management
Most users have only a finite amount of space for backups, and action is required when it starts to fill up. This can be anything from a simple message telling you it’s time to start over or change media, to the ability to automatically cull older backups. Another advantage of differential backup is that the first and latest backups contain all current data you need and you can delete everything in between.
Scheduling
This runs the gamut from the aforementioned real time (files are backed up as they change), to continuous (every few minutes or so — sometimes better as it can grab temporary files), hourly, daily, weekly, monthly. The more options the better.
Buddha Backup’s options and scheduling dialog.
Buddha Backup’s options and scheduling dialog.
Buddha Backup’s options and scheduling dialog.
Compression and containers
The way data is stored in the destination of a backup can range from uncompressed plain files, to a compressed ZIP archive or other container file, to image files and virtual hard drives. Again, the more choice the more brownie points.
Data security
We like to see options for both encryption and/or password protection. The former actually requires the latter, or a separate key.
Boot/recovery media
Restoring a system backup requires booting from removable media, most often a USB stick these days, but optical as well. We like programs to support both Windows PR (Pre-install Environment — the disc Windows itself installs from) and Linux-based boot media.
Nova Backup’s boot media creation page.
Nova Backup’s boot media creation page.
Nova Backup’s boot media creation page.
Why both? Because we’ve had better luck with Linux recovery media over the last decade. Some programs seemingly have a difficult time correctly creating Windows PE media.
Network support
If you have a NAS box or other computer on your network it’s a great place to store backups, or data. We favor programs that allow you to back up to and from a network location. Quite a few freebies do not support backing up from network locations.
Device and operating system support
With so many phone-centric users these days, support for Android and iPhone is important, even if they’re being backed up to Google Drive or iCloud. Linux and macOS compatibility is down the list, but still nice perks.
Online storage support
Some backup programs such as Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office connect to their own proprietary cloud storage, some connect to the more common services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, but very few support the myriad other, often cheaper services such as Amazon S3.
Backup4All has one of the widest selections of online destinations.
Backup4All has one of the widest selections of online destinations.
Backup4All has one of the widest selections of online destinations.
Online storage support garners points, but the advent of cloud storage managers that will integrate many services, including cheap S3-compatibles, into Windows Explorer has lessened our emphasis on this feature.
Cloud storage managers not only let you work with online files as if they were stored locally, they allow you to use any backup software you choose. Want to use the command line with xcopy or Windows File History to backup online? With a cloud storage manager, you can.
ExpanDrive is just one of many cloud managers that allow you to use any backup software with your online storage.
ExpanDrive is just one of many cloud managers that allow you to use any backup software with your online storage.
ExpanDrive is just one of many cloud managers that allow you to use any backup software with your online storage.
Note that many online storage vendors offer backup services and clients, but we generally review these under the heading of online backup or storage services, not backup software. The distinction is growing fainter by the day.
Further reading: Best online backup services
Other options
There are myriad other small options, conveniences really, that we like to see. These include the ability to run other programs pre- (disk checkers, etc.) and post-backup (cleanup utilities, etc.), notification upon completion of tasks or errors (generally email), system shutdown post-completion (so you can run a backup last thing and save electricity by shutting down the system), etc.
Best backup software with malware protection
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
Read our review
Best Prices Today:
$49.99 at Acronis
There can also be added security features like malware protection (Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office) or ransomware protection (Retrospect Solo), which could be a nice value-add for someone who lacks that protection otherwise.
Interface and ease of use
No matter the breadth of features, if a backup program isn’t easy to use, users won’t take to it. If users don’t take to it, data doesn’t get backed up. That’s a bad thing.
Sadly, there’s nothing available for Windows that’s as easy and slick as macOS’s Time Machine. Vendors try, but it’s sometimes apparent that the interfaces are designed by programmers. Being a former programmer who designed his own interfaces, I know that skill in one discipline doesn’t directly translate to the other.
R-Drive Image was never hard to use, but the interface has certainly evolved. That said, it’s the program’s reliability that makes it our favorite.
R-Drive Image was never hard to use, but the interface has certainly evolved. That said, it’s the program’s reliability that makes it our favorite.
R-Drive Image was never hard to use, but the interface has certainly evolved. That said, it’s the program’s reliability that makes it our favorite.
Equally sadly, the genre is infamous for user experiences that suffer from needlessly abstracted concepts, terse language, poor organization, poorly written help files, etc. Some assume far too much knowledge on the part of users, and a few are, I hate to say it, just plain ugly.
Because we don’t want users baffled or making mistakes, the GUI, workflow, and documentation are areas that we place more emphasis on than you might think.
It had better work all the time (operational reliability)
Having witnessed the emotional distress that data loss can invoke, the ability to create a backup and restore it without issue is the number-one factor in our ratings. Nothing else comes particularly close. With some of backup programs being decades old, and the basic functionality a well-worn concept, you might think backup would be dead compatible and reliable. Alas, such is not always the case.
Part of the issue is Windows itself. It’s less than optimally programmed and documented, throws a lot of hurdles at developers seeking low-level file and disk access, and must support a huge variety of hardware. Poorly written drivers for this hardware can ruin any program’s day.
Successful completion of tasks is the number one requirement of any back up software.
Successful completion of tasks is the number one requirement of any back up software.
Successful completion of tasks is the number one requirement of any back up software.
But we’ve seen errors from a number of backup programs that were obviously self-inflicted. More than we’d like. Even reliable programs such as R-Drive Image can have issues when they introduce new features.
Additionally, picayune as it might seem on the surface, we look for interface glitches. If an interface is sloppily programmed, that sloppiness might affect something important, like the backup itself.
How PCWorld tests backup software
Testing backup software is like testing any other software, we try all the features and see if and how well they work. Seems simple, but media complicates the issue. We back up and restore from local SSDs, external SSDs, network locations, and if the program supports it — online storage and optical media (DVD+RW).
As speed is invariably reliant upon, and will vary drastically according to the type of media involved, it’s a second-tier criteria in our evaluation. We tend to report only glitches, stalls, or something unusually slow, as backing up to an internal PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD will obviously be faster than to a network location (our test network is only 2.5Gbps), 10Gbps SSD, or DVD+RW.
What we do check is that the program doesn’t slow your computer or other operations down, something almost unheard of with modern computers and devices. Even Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office with it’s dozen background processes doesn’t adversely affect the subjective performance of our test beds.
Even this many background processes won’t slow down a modern computer.
Even this many background processes won’t slow down a modern computer.
Even this many background processes won’t slow down a modern computer.
Boot media is also created and tested, because if you can’t boot to the program that created your system backup, you might as well have never backed up.
Note also that as we’ve been testing for well over two decades, we do count a program’s historical reliability (or lack thereof) in our evaluation.
How PCWorld rates backup software
While more features are generally better, we reiterate that by far the most important aspect of backup software is how reliably it works. Followed by how easy it is to use. A dead-reliable, one-trick pony is better than an umbrella suite that misfires.
All backup software is awarded a verdict of between 0 and 5 stars, with the top-rated programs being considered for our list of best backup software. Backup is about trust and we recommend the programs that have earned that.
Backup Software Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 2 hours ago (Stuff.co.nz)The Ultimate Championships will debut in 2026, potentially setting up a rival to the Olympics. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | PC World - 2 hours ago (PC World)If you listen to Qualcomm as it sings the praises of its new Snapdragon X series of laptop processors, Arm is the second coming of PC hardware. So if that’s the case, why not stick it into desktops too? They will, in fact. According to a presentation at Computex in Taipei, Qualcomm is bringing its Arm-based CPUs to “all form factors.”
That includes conventional all-in-ones with built-in screens, tablets, and small form factor machines a la the Mac Mini, at least going by the demo slide presented by Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon (see above). It also includes conventional stand-alone desktops in full-sized cases…though an example was conspicuously absent from the slide. He also said that the heavy hitters of the PC industry are all working with Qualcomm, including “Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, and Samsung,” according to Tom’s Hardware.
It seems like a safe bet that if you want a Snapdragon-powered Windows machine in a specific style sometime in the near future, you’ll have that option.
What does it mean for PC users who prefer to roll their own machines? That much isn’t clear. Arm CPUs and the Snapdragon X line in particular are generally soldered in place, requiring them to be shipped with specific motherboards. But there’s no technical barrier keeping them from using other user-replaceable components, like PCIE-standard graphics cards and storage, DDR memory, and a wide array of cooling and connective tech.
Whether anyone will be interested in selling off-the-shelf components for Arm-based PC hardware is anyone’s guess. The momentum behind x86/x64 hardware spans decades, so it would be an uphill battle to get gamers and power users to switch, no matter how widespread Qualcomm’s processors become in the consumer market.
Desktop PCs Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 2 hours ago (PC World)AMD’s Zen 5 is here! AMD launched its next-generation Ryzen 9000 series of desktop PC processors on Monday morning local time at Computex, kicking off the next round of processor competition between AMD, Intel, and (now) Qualcomm.
If you recall our Ryzen 7950X review, you’ll remember that that chip was accompanied by three others. That’s still the case: AMD launched the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X, plus the Ryzen 9 9900X, the Ryzen 7 9700X, and the Ryzen 5 9600X as well. This is AMD’s “Granite Ridge” architecture, supported by new X870 motherboards.
There’s a treat for existing customers, too: AMD is formally extending the lifespan of its AM5 socket through 2027, up from the previously pledged 2025, and is adding the Ryzen 9 5900XT and Ryzen 7 5800XT too on the AM5 platform. (AMD continues to show the older AM4 platform existing through 2024, too.)
Recall Intel’s new strategy: chasing Qualcomm into the low-power, all-day computing space while trying to maintain performance. AMD has leaned harder into outperforming its competitors, and is capitalizing on that. But there is no AI in these parts, unlike the AMD Ryzen 8000G series of APUs.
“This is the world’s most powerful consumer desktop processor,” said Donny Woligroski, senior technical marketing manager of consumer processors at AMD.
AMD Ryzen 9000: Speeds and feeds
From a product standpoint, the Ryzen 9 9950X looks very familiar: with 16 cores, 32 threads, and a 170W TDP, the 9950X looks the same on paper as the 7950X. (The Ryzen 8000 desktop APUs launched last fall are much more modest.) The difference? A significant IPC (instructions per clock) improvement. AMD is citing a 16 percent IPC improvement gen-over-gen on top apps and games, when comparing the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 7 7700X.
FOur new Ryzen 900 chips wil be launched today at Computex.
FOur new Ryzen 900 chips wil be launched today at Computex.Mark Hachman / IDG
FOur new Ryzen 900 chips wil be launched today at Computex.Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
The lower-end Ryzen 9000 chips benefit from the same performance boost, too. But there are even more hidden benefits there, albeit more understated.
Both the Ryzen 7 9700X and the Ryzen 5 9600X maintain the same core and thread count as their predecessors. But clock speeds have been nudged up a bit, and there’s a been significant drop in power: the older Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X were 105W parts. The new Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X consume just 65W, which will save some money on utility bills. They’re about on par with the slower turbo power settings of Intel’s H-series Meteor Lake parts, too, at 64W. (Qualcomm hasn’t cited TDP numbers for the Snapdragon X Elite.)
The lower power is a result of a combination of the chip’s process technology, firmware, and power optimizations an AMD spokesman said via email. The Ryzen 9000 chiplets are built on an optimized high-performance TSMC 4nm process node alongside a 6nm I/O die with integrated AMD RDNA 2 graphics and DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 controllers, he added.
Ryzen 9000 under the hood.
Ryzen 9000 under the hood.Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Ryzen 9000 under the hood.Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
All of the new Ryzen 9000s hide a small integrated GPU with 2 CUs similar to the Ryzen 7000 series, an AMD spokesman said.
None of the new Ryzen 9000 processors are here yet; they’ll arrive in July. Unfortunately, we don’t know the answer to a key question: how much does Ryzen 9000 cost? We also don’t know the base clock speed of these new chips, either, nor specifically which process technology they’re being fabricated upon.
AMD didn’t address why it skipped the Ryzen 8000 naming scheme for its new desktop parts, but I assume it was to avoid confusion with the Ryzen 8000 laptop family, the same rationale it used in launching the Ryzen 5000 desktop processors.
AMD Ryzen 9000: how fast is it?
Zen 5 delivers improved branch prediction accuracy and latency, higher throughput, and more parallelism. Specifically, the performance uplift AMD cited includes up to a doubling in the front-end instruction bandwidth, the data bandwidth between caches, and the AI performance in both AI and AVX512 throughput. All of these contribute to the Ryzen 9000’s performance.
These desktop processors do not contain dedicated NPUs, though the Ryzen 8000 series did. (AMD is also launching new mobile processors, the Ryzen AI 300 series, with a more advanced NPU.)
Will AMD’s Ryzen 9000 wipe the floor with Intel? We’ll have to test them to see.
Will AMD’s Ryzen 9000 wipe the floor with Intel? We’ll have to test them to see.Mark Hachman / IDG
Will AMD’s Ryzen 9000 wipe the floor with Intel? We’ll have to test them to see.Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
AMD hasn’t said how many PCIe lanes hang off the processor and chipset, but it is also saying you’ll get double the PCIe 5 bandwidth of an Intel Core i9-14900K. (“Intel’s Meteor Lake has sixteen PCIe 5 lanes to divide,” an AMD spokesman said via email. “If you run a CPU+GPU that usually drops to 8x/4x. On our CPU we have 20 lanes. You can run full 16x/4x.)”)
Separately, AMD is implying that the older 5900XT meets or exceeds the frame rates you’d get while gaming on an Intel Core i7-13700K, and the 5800XT will do the same for a PC powered by an Intel Core 13600KF — at least in some games.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Naturally, we’ll have to wait until July to test AMD’s claims for ourselves. And from there, it’s probably on to Intel’s next desktop chip, Arrow Lake, in the fall.
New X870 motherboards, new Ryzen 5000, and the importance of long-lived sockets
The spectacular launch of the Ryzen 5000 seems long ago in 2020, but AMD is celebrating the continuation of the AM4 socket and Zen 3 architecture with the launch of the Ryzen 9 5900XT as well as the Ryzen 7 5800XT. Do these chips seem familiar? They should. But they’ve also been tuned for additional performance and core count.
AMD launched the 5900X in 2020 as a 12-core/24-thread chip with a 3.8GHz base clock and a 4.8GHz turbo clock. The 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread chip with 3.8GHz base clock and a 4.7GHz turbo clock.
AMD
AMD
AMD
The 5900XT and the 5800XT (the “T” denotes a bit more performance, Woligroski said) add cores: 16 cores/32 threads for the 5900XT, at up to 4.8GHz speeds; the 5800XT is a 8-core, 16-thread part, also with a 4.8GHz turbo clock. And for these, AMD has released pricing: $359 for the 5900XT and $249 for the 5800XT.
“It should be comforting for someone who wants to invest in something new, that they don’t have to invest in a new platform in the near future,” Woligroski said.
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry
AMD’s commitment to socket consistency means that you’ll have an easy time understanding how AMD’s two new supporting chipsets, the AMD X870 and AMD X870E, fit in. Both are designed for the AM5 socket, which means that they’ll work with older Ryzen 7000 processors, for example. Likewise, you can insert the new Ryzen 9000 processors into older 600-series boards, Woligroski said.
The new chipsets include three key features: USB4 is now standard on motherboards designed for both chipsets; PCIe Gen 5 is also standard for both graphics and NVMe SSDs, too — even though PCIe 5 SSDs are rolling out with some caveats and PCIe5 GPUs have yet to materialize. Finally, AMD has added support for faster memory speeds for its EXPO technology, which is billed as AMD’s easy yet aggressive way to allow memory overclocking on AM5 systems for higher framerates in games.
CPUs and Processors Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | |
|
|
| Top Stories |
RUGBY
Former All Blacks defence coach Scott McLeod has landed a new job as the defence coach of Japan's Kubota Spears More...
|
BUSINESS
Hopes that China losing its crown as our top red meat exporter for April won't last long More...
|
|
| Today's News |
| News Search |
|
|