Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the shocking topics on our YouTube show or freshest news from across the web? You’re in the right place. Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website! Skepticism is normal. But cynicism is different. It blocks receptivity—as I realized after this week’s discussion about Qualcomm’s launch of its Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme processors. TFN regular and my colleague Mark Hachman joined us to chat about the press briefings he attended last week, which included a reveal of phenomenal benchmark results. According to its numbers, Qualcomm’s second-gen Snapdragon Elite chips don’t just smash the baseline set by its predecessors. They smoke Intel and AMD’s laptop CPUs, too. In Cinebench 2024, the X2 Elite Extreme outpaced rival silicon like the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and Core Ultra 7 155H by as much as 56 percent in single-core performance. Meanwhile, in multi-core performance, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme posted a lead of over a 200 percent. Qualcomm claims this insanity extends to gaming as well, teasing a doubling of performance in games—which would boost the expected output from 1080p 30fps at Low settings to 60fps. For the thin-and-light laptops that Snapdragon Elite chips would power, this shot in the arm for gaming would be impressive. And yet, while guiding the conversation, I poked at the shadows lurking on the periphery of this information. I wanted to know: Where’s the PC vendor support? The software support? (Especially games…) Why didn’t Qualcomm focus more on its battery life performance, where it already stands strong? I still believe these are fair questions. But after the show, I thought back to when another semiconductor company made a fresh push into laptops. We think of this company with positivity today, but five years ago, AMD faced a tough uphill battle.  Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme chip looks like it’ll zoom.Mark Hachman / Foundry At the time, Intel held around 90 percent of the market. AMD mobile chips also carried the reputation of being low-performance, found only in cheap budget laptops. So while Team Red had turned around its desktop reputation, this initiative met with reserve and even cynicism. We now know that such unwillingness to consider success for AMD was unfounded. AMD’s mobile chips now sit comfortably shoulder-to-shoulder with Intel’s best—and even set the bar for expectations in high performance (i.e., Strix Halo). AMD has also steadily gained ground in the market—Intel’s now down to just under 80 percent for laptop share, according to recent reports. So yes, my questions were fair. Qualcomm still needs more robust software support. And it can be confident in the Snapdragon Elite reputation for long battery life. But I think it’s worth calling myself out here. I didn’t shine light on these areas with an attitude of curiosity. I was wary—and it’s not yet justified. Because that last piece of the puzzle—PC vendor support—never happens in a vacuum. Laptop makers won’t offer Qualcomm models without interest. And I don’t have independent benchmark results yet to warrant anything more than reserve. If I want to see more innovation, I can’t let skepticism get the better of me. It’ll turn into cynicism, blocking the spirit of The Full Nerd. Gordon always championed the idea of companies pushing into the unknown. In this era of economic turbulence, such an approach is even riskier. It’s up to us in the stands to remain open. We could otherwise accidentally kill off incredible hardware with indifference, before it ever launches. In this episode of The Full Nerd In this episode of The Full Nerd, Alaina Yee, Brad Chacos, and Mark Hachman dig into the details of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 Elite and Elite Extreme chips (including the Elite Extreme’s eye-popping benchmarks) and if Windows 10’s looming death is really a big deal. With Will out this week, I take up the mantle of indignant chicken over Microsoft’s [censored] promise of 500 rewards points for using the Bing app. (Yes, yes, I know, more fool me.) I also lowered Brad’s respect for me by confessing I like rubber domes better than mechanical switches. Why? You’ll have to tune into the Q&A section to get the full context. (Also, shoutout to the homies on our Discord server, who’ve been offering great advice about my issues with using a mechanical ergo keyboard.) I had strong feelings this week.Willis Lai / Foundry Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time! Don’t miss out on our NEW shows too—you can catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition now! And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds. This week’s confounding nerd news I did a double-take when I heard of Microsoft’s unexpected Game Pass price hike. Same for the idea that the world’s getting literally darker (but not colder). At least we still have pieces of joy out there to take comfort in—like the wonderful hit of nostalgia I got from imagining the sound of 12 56K modems all blaring at once. LinkedIn is training its AI on your data: I almost missed this news. I’m sour about it too, because you can’t retroactively take back any data already in use. These keycaps sound so good: I might have unusual switch preferences (or unnatural, depending who you ask), but I still enjoy the sound of mechanical keyboards. Mike Crider, our resident keyboard guru, recently tested one with ceramic keycaps. I could listen to it on repeat for a while, to be honest. It’s soothing. I’d be down to be serenaded by 12 56K modems: Not indefinitely, mind you. But I’m very onboard with this kick of doing fun stuff with old tech. Earth is getting darker, NASA warns: So we’re gonna roast in perpetual twilight at some point? Cool cool cool. (Read the article; it’s not actually this outcome. Yet.) I’m still wary of AI browsers: But I have to admit, I found it interesting reading someone else’s hands-on experience with one. If you ignore the security and privacy concerns of such an AI browser, the potential to help people with accessibility challenges is cool. Life on Mars, discovered soon? Honestly, I don’t care which country snags a viable sample first. I’m more curious about what we’ll find out. This sleeper build jolted me awake: I admit, I was nodding off a bit while scrolling through r/sffpc this week. Then I saw this one my feed. I rarely take to sleeper builds, but I dig this one’s understated retro flavor. (Also cute: this “itty bitty” $25 build with seasoned parts.) Microsoft slaps Game Pass Ultimate with a staggering 50 percent price hike: Ouch. (I guess Microsoft plans to make money by losing subscribers.) Maybe gamers don’t hate Windows 11: You know, I actually forgot to consider how motivated people are by deadlines. Now I’m wondering what the October and November Steam surveys will look. Will Adam sniff this next? I’m not sure how I feel about an SSD with a built-in oil diffuser. But I am sure Adam would give this a go. Someone owns almost every graphics card ever made: You know that sound made by the claw-machine aliens in Toy Story? Yeah, that was me when I saw the picture of the collection. Catch you all next week—or maybe later today during my first PC build livestream in awhile! (I’m finally getting to build in the Hyte X50!) ~Alaina This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Read...

Microsoft Flight Simulator X is a lot of fun, but the game isn’t cheap. If you don’t want to pay for your flight simulator, you might just want to try GeoFS instead. It’s a free flight simulator with a global environment generated by satellite images and digital geographic data. The simulator runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. There are more than 30 aircraft to fly and navigation charts with 40,000 referenced runways. You can even run it in your web browser without anything to install. Dominic Bayley / Foundry I really dig the realistic physics and the fact you can fly a wide variety of planes—everything from single engine biplanes to giant jumbo jet Airbus A380s. It’s worth noting, though, that it’s a little tricky to get the hang of at first, so you’re really going to want to personalize the controls before you fly. That’s a wrap for this Try This. If you want more recommendations like this one, be sure to sign up to our Try This newsletter. Read...

In 2015, ahead of my first vacation to Italy, I wanted to learn some Italian. It’s polite to know at least some basic words and phrases when visiting a foreign country, right? Enough to get by, anyway. With about three months to learn, I landed on Duolingo—and instantly fell in love with the way it teaches a language through implicit learning and gamification. As someone who’s never been particularly academic, I still remember those days with a special fondness because I’d never had so much fun while learning something new. A lot of that had to do with the fact I could see (and feel) how much progress I was making. Duolingo has been part of my life for a decade now, but I’m falling out of love with it. What was once my favorite app has turned into something I dread, and the fun I once had is no longer there. What happened? I was using the free version of Duolingo, but liked it enough to start paying That first Italian vacation I mentioned above went pretty well and I was able to enjoy basic conversations in Italian with the locals. Duolingo actually helped, and since then I’ve used the app to learn the basics of several other languages when visiting other countries. For a long time, it was the most exciting app on my phone. Dave Parrack / Foundry And in fact I liked Duolingo enough that I started paying for the privilege of using it. It was so useful that I felt the developers deserved some compensation, and more than that it was actually entertaining. So, why not? I rarely pay for premium subscriptions, but I gladly handed over my hard-earned money for a 12-month Super Duolingo plan. Things went well for a couple of years, and I didn’t mind seeing my Super Duolingo subscription automatically renew every year… but then some frustrations started creeping in. The negative quirks of Super Duolingo For one, I became more concerned about maintaining my Duolingo streak and gaining XP—whether to make the top 3 in my current league, to get promoted to a higher league, or to avoid demotion to a lower league—instead of actually learning the languages. I found myself just doing the personalized practice session every day to earn a quick 20 XP. (For those unfamiliar, practices only review mistakes and weak areas.) With Duolingo, I could earn more total XP by completing actual language lessons where I’m learning new words and phrases, but doing so takes a lot more time and effort. In order not to break my streak, I felt compelled to take the easy way out with easy XP sources. This meant I was making zero progress towards learning new languages. Dave Parrack / Foundry The gamification was great for building my streak—but once that streak was built, the gamification started backfiring. There’s also the fact that Super Duolingo gives unlimited hearts, and that robs the whole gamified learning process of its stakes. With limited hearts, I’m encouraged to apply myself and do my best so I don’t lose any of them. With unlimited hearts, I can half-ass my way through lessons, knowing I can just try again if I mess up. I end up going through the motions without taking anything in or testing myself. Recently, Duolingo has switched from its hearts system to an energy system, where every lesson costs a bit of energy. Energy slowly refills over time or instantly refills by watching a rewarded ad. You also get bonus energy for a perfect lesson. Is this better for learning? The jury’s still out. I canceled Super Duolingo when I realized it was preventing me from learning A couple of years later, when I realized the quirks of Super Duolingo—personalized practice being the easiest source of XP and unlimited hearts making it easy to coast through lessons—were holding back my learning, I decided to cancel my premium subscription. Now I’m back to using the free version of Duolingo… and I’m actually enjoying it again. I’m actively learning new languages again, having returned to completing 1 or 2 lessons most days. With limited hearts (or now energy), I have to pay attention and do well. Consequences are a great tool for focusing the mind and putting in effort. Dave Parrack / Foundry Unfortunately, the free version of Duoling has its own annoyances to deal with, like paywalled features and advertisements. Don’t get me wrong. Both of those things make sense for any freemium app. I understand that Duolingo isn’t a charity, that they need to earn revenue to keep the lights on and the app active developed. But it is an annoyance, nonetheless, and it’s kind of ironic that it keeps prodding me to try Super Duolingo for free. I’ve already tried it! And it’s no good. I’m adapting to using the free version again, despite its many flaws I still have Duolingo installed on my phone and I still use it most days. However, I’m now doing it on my own terms, tackling lessons when it suits me. I’m no longer subject to Duo’s passive-aggressive reminders to start a lesson so as not to lose my streak. Ultimately, I’ve realized that maintaining a streak isn’t important. My streak was greater than 1,200 days at the time I canceled Super Duolingo, and losing it was the best thing that could’ve happened. It was freeing. I can now miss a day and not care less. Back to zero? Oh well. The world keeps turning and I can keep learning another day. Dave Parrack / Foundry Ultimately, I think Duolingo has got the balance wrong. The paid version encourages you to focus on the wrong stuff and takes away the good pressures that matter. You care more about keeping streaks and reaching new leagues instead of completing courses and passing actual learning milestones with real meaning behind them. As for the free version, it feels set up to annoy you enough to subscribe to the paid version. I still think Duolingo has a lot of value and can be used to learn new languages in a fun and accessible way. However, right now, it’s hard to recommend it to anyone not already using it. Read...

Screens with OLED panels are increasingly being used in laptops and PC monitors. The reason: The prices for OLEDs have fallen, and this is likely to continue in the future. A laptop with an OLED display is currently available for as little as $750, such as the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14. You won’t find top equipment here, neither in terms of components nor the screen. However, the 60-hertz display offered in this device class masters most everyday tasks without any problems, as long as gaming is not involved. A monitor with an OLED panel is often aimed at special application scenarios. It either supports creative work with outstanding detail or gaming on the computer with ultra-fast switching times. An OLED gaming monitor with a 27-inch diagonal, QHD resolution and 240 hertz refresh rate is priced at a good $700 — such as the LG Ultragear OLED 27GS95QE-B. A 4K 32-incher such as the Dell 32 Plus (S3225QC) costs upwards of $800. This means that OLED monitors are still no bargain, but their prices are increasingly moving into affordable regions. The Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLEDMatthew Smith / Foundry Stumbling block: Burn-in due to static image content Just like OLED televisions, OLED monitors also impress with their outstanding contrast. As they can dim with pixel precision and switch off the pixels completely, they display true black. The self-illuminating pixels also impress with their rich colors, very short switching times, and extremely stable viewing angles, where colors hardly change at all, even when you look at the screen from the side. What curbs the enthusiasm for OLED screens in the computer environment is the risk of burn-in. These effects can occur if image content is displayed statically for a long time. In the case of televisions, this applies to channel and program logos, for example. There are far more possibilities when working on a desktop monitor or laptop display on a daily basis. This is because many applications involve the display of static content — for example, tables, texts, or the Windows taskbar, which always remains visible in the default settings of the operating system. Even if the OLED panel is not yet a bargain for PC monitors, many gaming screens, such as the LG Ultragear OLED 27GS95QE-B shown here, are now quite affordable. LG There are different levels of burn-in effects: image sticking, image retention, or ghost image is a temporary effect. A slight shadow image or outline remains visible even though the image signal has already changed. The effect is caused by the fact that OLEDs react very sensitively to changes in the current voltage. If the threshold voltage of the pixel transistors shifts, the faulty picture can occur. Proper burn-in or image retention, on the other hand, is permanent in OLEDs. Static content that is displayed repeatedly over a long period of time leaves permanent traces on the panel. You then see them as shadow images in the background that no longer disappear. Burn-in occurs because OLED panels wear out during operation. They age and lose luminosity in the process. However, this is a very slow process. For this reason, genuine defects caused by burn-in are covered by most manufacturers’ device warranties. In addition, the panel can compensate for a deficit in luminosity by increasing the power supply to precisely these pixels. OLED maintenance support For both desktop monitors and most laptops with OLEDs, the manufacturers offer built-in maintenance measures. You should definitely carry them out in order to maintain the panel quality. In the case of monitors, you will find the integrated routines for OLED maintenance in the on-screen display (OSD). They are often located under the menu item “Other.” Laptop manufacturers often integrate the functions into the manufacturer’s own maintenance tools. Asus, for example, has added the “Asus OLED Care” section to the MyAsus utility program for laptops with OLED panels. In many cases, there are also additional apps for both device categories that support you with OLED care. However, the offer depends very much on the specific device. Lenovo, for example, limits the Lenovo Display Refresh utility to the Thinkpad X1 Fold. At the same time, an update of the respective tool does no harm. In our experience, some OLED maintenance functions are only enhanced by an update. Pixel refresh: Basic maintenance for the OLED screen A common maintenance routine that is intended to prevent the risk of burn-in from the outset is the pixel refresh, or pixel update. This measure checks and corrects the threshold voltage on the pixel transistors. This can shift in the course of OLED operation — especially when many bright areas are displayed. This is where the most current flows and the highest temperature is generated as a result. The aim of the routine is to restore the threshold voltage that was set when the panel was produced. The correction also eliminates any display errors. The pixel refresh starts automatically on most devices after a certain number of operating hours. Some monitor models, such as the Dell 32 Plus S3225QC, indicate in the OSD that a pixel refresh is necessary after just four hours. Visually, a green dot at “OLED screen status” changes to yellow. In this case, however, we do not receive an active notification to intervene. If we start the correction, the process runs automatically and takes six to eight minutes. The display switches off at the end. For good reason, the setting in the OSD cannot be deactivated. However, you can select that the refresh only starts when the monitor is in standby mode. Taking a look at the OSD from time to time and performing the refresh will benefit the lifespan of your OLED monitor. Panel refresh: Self-calibration of the OLED pixels To prevent irreversible damage caused by real burn-in, all OLED panels have an integrated self-protection mechanism — panel refresh, also known as panel compensation. The protection process starts automatically after a specified operating time. The device manufacturers are keeping quiet about when exactly this happens. However, several hundred operating hours have probably already passed. The panel refresh starts as soon as the display is switched off. For this reason, you should not completely disconnect an OLED monitor from the power supply via a switchable power strip. During panel refresh, the screen uses a memory function. The internal controller saves all the data on light duration and brightness — for each pixel. Those OLED pixels that have been shining at high brightness for a particularly long time and have therefore already diminished in brightness are given a higher power supply. This works because OLED panels do not usually light up in the maximum range, but on the basis of the Average Picture Level (APL). This describes in percent how high the average brightness of a picture on the screen is. Further protective measures: Pixel shifting, logo dimming, and more. Especially with OLED monitors and laptops intended for gaming, manufacturers integrate additional protective mechanisms for the OLED screen. However, not every model has to feature all of these processes. Pixel shifting: This function is also known as pixel orbiter. If it is activated, the displayed image is shifted horizontally and vertically by a few pixels at predefined intervals — approximately every three minutes. This changes its position on the display. This is intended to prevent certain pixels from being overused and therefore ageing more quickly. Logo recognition can be activated on some devices with OLED screens. It detects the static image content on the screen and darkens it to protect the panel from burn-in. Foundry Logo dimming/logo detection: If the operating menu of your monitor offers this function, the display automatically recognizes logos and recurring overlays and reduces their brightness. You can usually determine how much this should happen yourself using several levels. This setting is a precautionary measure that is useful for toolbars in games, channel logos, or program names. Screen saver: To protect the entire display, you can activate a screen saver via the manufacturer’s tool. It starts as soon as there is no input signal — often after just two minutes. An activated screen saver — here on a Samsung OLED monitor — protects the display from damage caused by static content when the computer is not in use.Foundry OLED protection measures for everyone With these measures, you can protect the valuable OLED screen from burn-in effects and preserve the lifespan of the pixels. Hide the taskbar: On the computer, the Windows taskbar is one of those static contents that are always displayed. To protect the OLED pixels, you can prevent this by hiding the taskbar. In Windows 11, right-click on the desktop and select “Personalize.” In the “Taskbar” area, scroll down to “Taskbar behaviors.” Tick the box next to “Automatically hide the taskbar.” Screensaver: Even if your OLED device does not have a screensaver, you can activate it in Windows 11. Again, under “Personalize,” click on “Lock screen” and go to “Screen saver.” Ideally, you should choose a dark color. You can display it in the preview and set a waiting time in minutes. Foundry Dark mode: Dark mode is a suitable means of further reducing the bright areas on the OLED screen. It is not only easy on the eyes, but also on the OLED panel. It can also be switched on in the Windows “Personalization” area. Click on “Colors” and select “Dark” under “Choose your mode.” Full screen mode: Full screen mode is particularly recommended for watching films and videos, so that the video display is scaled to fit the entire screen area. Cinema fans should therefore pay attention to the 16:9 format at the time of purchase to avoid annoying bars on the sides. Brightness control: With desktop monitors, ambient light sensors often regulate the brightness of the OLED screen depending on the conditions at the installation site. Depending on the situation, the luminance is automatically reduced. For moving images such as films, it is advisable to use existing modes — such as film mode. If you use HDR settings, don’t forget to switch them off again. This reduces the peak brightness, protects the OLED pixels and also saves energy. Related content Best laptops: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1, and more The best monitors: 11 top picks for gaming, 4K, HDR, and more Are OLED laptops worth the extra price? 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Cloudera intensifies its AI focus, helping enterprises harness data securely while managing costs and risks amid rising regulatory pressure and AI adoption. Read...

TL;DR: Get Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 for life on sale for only $9.97 (reg. $499). Big software projects call for tools that can handle serious workloads and keep teams connected. Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022 is a 64-bit integrated development environment built to manage large codebases and cross-platform development, and right now, a lifetime license is only $9.97 (reg. $499). Developers can use Visual Studio Pro to create web, desktop, and mobile apps using .NET MAUI or Blazor, and they can debug .NET and C++ code on Windows or Linux. Hot reload lets you see changes the instant you make them, so you can test new ideas without constant restarts. IntelliCode predicts the next lines of code based on context, while CodeLens shows authorship, test results, and commit history right inside the editor. Collaboration tools are built in. Live Share allows real-time pair programming and group sessions so teammates can edit and debug together from anywhere. Integrated Git support makes version control simple, and advanced testing tools help catch issues before release. Don’t pay monthly for an IDE when you can get Windows Visual Studio Pro for life on sale for only $9.97. Sale ends October 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2022See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

AI has boosted phishing success as 44% admit falling for scams, yet only 48% of firms fully use multi-factor authentication, says Yubico survey. Read...

Fastly has secured its seventh consecutive Gartner Peer Insights Customers` Choice award for Cloud WAAP, praised for its Next-Gen WAF by 130 verified reviewers. Read...

Triple Zero calls have surged 44 per cent in a decade. Carrier networks are failing, and bushfire season is here. Can Australians still trust the system? Read...

Optic Security Group won Security Integrator and Security Consultant of the Year at the 2025 New Zealand Security Awards in Auckland. Read...