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When my editor told me about Window’s built-in battery report, my first thought was: “How have I never heard of this before? Also, that sounds pretty useful!” So I looked at the guide he sent (from Laptop Magazine) and tried it out. It ended up being just as interesting as it sounded, so I figured I’d share, in case you also haven’t come across this handy built-in tool.

Windows has been keeping track of how your laptop’s battery is doing since it was installed. The report, which you can run using just two command prompt commands, will show how many cycles you’ve used on your battery and how it’s been used in the past three days. It will also give you a picture of what Windows estimates your battery life should be versus what it actually is.

So if you’re curious about your battery status or you’ve been noticing that your battery life has been a bit of a drag lately and are wondering if it’s due to neglect or some power virus on your computer sucking back a bunch of juice, this report should let you know.

First, open the Command Prompt tool. To do that, you can search “CMD” from the Start menu, and click on Command Prompt to open it.
The report will be spit out as an HTML file, so we’ll want to make sure it’s easy to find. To do that, type in:

cd %HOMEPATH%/Desktop

This command simply navigates your current directory to your desktop, so when you generate the report, you can find it there.
To generate the report, type:

powercfg /batteryreport

This runs the powerconfig tool and tells it to spit out a battery report, which should now be sitting on your desktop as an HTML file.
Double-click the file to open it up in your browser (or it might ask you which program you want to open the file in, which would be your browser). Now you can see all of that sweet, sweet battery information.

The battery usage graph can tell you how fast your battery drains over time.

This could help you get an idea of how you use your battery or show your recent computer habits.

Seeing the design capacity estimate versus your actual time could tell you whether it’s time to replace your battery.

One caveat: my laptop is used, and as a policy, I completely nuke whatever Windows install is on any laptop I buy, overwriting it with a new one. If you’ve just bought a used laptop and want to know what state the battery is in, you’ll probably want to run this tool before wiping Windows, as it seems the cycle count only reflects what’s happened on the current Windows install. My laptop is a 2018 model, and I’m pretty sure it’s gone through more than 177 cycles since then.

Even if you’re on a newer install, you can get a general sense of the health by looking at the design capacity and then the full charge capacity to see how different they are.

If you’re an Apple user who’s feeling left out, don’t worry: macOS lets you access some battery information, too, though there isn’t as much historical data. To see it, go to the Apple menu in the top left, and click “About This Mac.” Then click the System Report button, and under Hardware, go to Power. There, you can see the cycle count of your battery, its estimated health, and all of your current power settings. To see your battery usage graphs over the past 24 hours or 10 days, go to System Preferences and then Battery.

Apple has fewer graphs built in, but you can see usage statistics in System Preferences > Battery.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Thunderbolt 4 is just starting to make noise in the consumer space, but, of course, the folks behind the technology are already looking toward the next generation. This week, executives from Intel stopped by The Tom’s Hardware Show to discuss Thunderbolt and what its next form could look like.

While celebrating Thunderbolt’s 10th birthday, Ben Hacker, Intel’s director of I/O strategy in the Client Connectivity Division, explained that the development of Thunderbolt 4’s successor is already in place with sights set on higher speed.

“What I think we’re pretty confident of is for at least another speed bump somewhere, and who knows exactly what that is, but call it roughly a doubling,” Hacker said on The Tom’s Hardware Show.

Thunderbolt 4’s max bandwidth is 40 Gbps, allowing it to support up to two 4K resolution displays at 60 Hz refresh rates or even an 8K one at 60 Hz. Increasing the bandwidth would bring support for even higher resolutions and refresh rates.

Hacker also pointed toward the need for more bandwidth for concurrent workflows, like editing data on a high-resolution screen, and SSDs as drivers for more bandwidth.

“Today our data path bandwidth within Thunderbolt 4 is kind of aligned to like a PCIe Gen 3×4 performance, and for some of our storage applications, you’re seeing storage in that kind of form factor already doubling in speed,” Hacker said.

“There’s already a need for kind of high-performance storage for, maybe, NVMe SSDs or desktop raid arrays that are going to be able to consume more than the 40 gigabits of bandwidth or just under 40 that we can provide today.”

Backward compatibility is also important for the next generation of Thunderbolt. Intel notably shared the Thunderbolt protocol for what is now known as USB4.

“We started first with that connector and cable convergence, and then we have the architectural convergence [with USB4],” Jason Ziller, Intel’s general manager of the Client Connectivity Division, said. “As we move forward, as USB4 evolves, we’ll continue to be converged on those elements of it. But we’ll continue to provide features and capabilities above that or just the optional features in the USB spec that we make required because we know computer users want them.”

The next version of Thunderbolt will presumably be called Thunderbolt 5, but Ziller said they don’t know what the branding moving forward will be yet. Whatever it’s called, Intel expects next-gen Thunderbolt to continue working over USB-C.

“I think we can definitely stay within the electrical kind of communication path and on the same connector so it’s truly a familiar, backward compatible … solution,” Hacker said. “ … At least kind of for the next step, whenever that comes, I think we’re pretty confident that we can keep that on a kind of same mechanical interface, same connector, roughly the same topology.”

Of course, we’re still years away from Thunderbolt 5 (or whatever it ends up being called) striking. In the more immediate future, development is in the works for more Thunderbolt 4 accessories, including docks in different sizes and shapes and docks that don’t require their own power adapter and instead uses a laptop’s USB-C charger.

And for those with the need, Thunderbolt 4 cables up to 50m (164 feet) long should be available around next year.

“We had in [the] previous generation optical cables up to 50m, and so we’re working on delivering that as well now,” Ziller said.

The Tom’s Hardware Show is live every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. You can enjoy this week’s episode via the video above, on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch or wherever you get your podcasts.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Asus has seemingly confirmed specifications for the mobile GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. As spotted by momomo_us, the graphics card, which Nvidia has yet to confirm, will be available in a cheaper configuration of Asus’ TUF Dash 15 gaming laptop.

Early this year, the SKU was listed with an “NVIDIA GeForce GN20-P0,” and Asus confirmed to Tom’s Hardware that that configuration wouldn’t be available in the U.S. Now, the laptop listing reads “GeForce RTX 3050 Ti,” sparking further intrigue.

The sole mention of a GeForce RTX 3050 Ti is interesting. “RTX” branding in the model name implies that the graphics card will come with ray tracing support, but Nvidia has never offered ray tracing on a xx50-series SKU before.

For Turing, Nvidia marketed the GeForce RTX 2060 as the entry-level model card for ray tracing. If Asus’ listing is accurate, then Nvidia will eventually offer ray tracing across the entire Ampere product stack. However, it might be too early for PC builders to celebrate.

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti never had a true heir. For reasons unknown, the GeForce GTX 1650 Ti was only available in the mobile form factor. Asus listed the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti for one of its gaming laptops; therefore, it’s uncertain if the GPU will make it to the desktop market to compete with the best graphics cards.

GeForce RTX 3050 Ti (Image credit: Asus)

Asus only listed the card’s memory capacity (4GB of GDDR6). So we still have questions around its other specifications. By today’s standard, 4GB of memory will have trouble pushing some of the more demanding triple-A titles and activating ray tracing only only puts more burden on the graphics card.

Historically, Nvidia’s xx50-series graphics cards have used the xx7 silicon. For example, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1650 Ti leveraged the GP107 (Pascal) and TU117 (Turing) dies, respectively. Therefore, it’d make sense for the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti to be based on the GA107 (Ampere) die. The silicon still comes out of Samsung’s 8nm furnace but is smaller than the other Ampere dies that we’ve seen so far.

The GeForce RTX 3060 features 3,584 CUDA cores, and the GeForce RTX 3050 has been rumored to come with 2,304 CUDA cores. The GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, which would end up in between the aforementioned SKUs, might come equipped with 3,072 CUDA cores then. In that case, the graphics card would probably have 96 Tensor cores and 24 ray tracing (RT) cores. If the 4GB of GDDR6 memory sticks, the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti should employ a 128-bit memory interface. Assuming that the memory is clocked at 14 Gbps, we could be looking at a memory bandwidth up to 224 GBps.

Would this GPU actually even warrant the inclusion of ray tracing? That’s debateable, and certainly ray tracing games have shown a tendency to require more memory capacity with RT enabled. However, Nvidia’s RTX brand also includes DLSS support. For an entry-level gaming solution, that could prove more beneficial than ray tracing, and at least you still get the option to attempt RT if you want.

A couple months ago, AIDA64 added support for the GeForce RTX 3050, and now, Asus has listed the GeForce RTX 3050 Ti as a graphics card option for its upcoming gaming laptop. It wouldn’t surprise us if Nvidia is on the verge of announcing either graphics card.

Using a password manager is one of the best steps you can take to protect your security online. A good password manager makes it easy to generate unique, strong passwords, and it will then securely save them so they’re available wherever you need them, whether that’s on your phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop computer. Basically, they take 90 percent of the work out of being safe online.

Hopefully, at this point everyone knows why it’s important to use a unique password for all of your accounts online. But the short version is that using one password everywhere means that if just one site you use gets hacked, an attacker potentially has the password that unlocks your entire online life. Breaches still matter if you use a password manager, but at that point it’s a case of resetting just one password rather than dozens.

Although different password managers have different selling points, most offer the same core set of features. They generate passwords which they securely store, and they’ll prompt you to save passwords when you use them on websites. They’ll also sync your passwords across devices and autofill them into websites and apps when required.

There are many good password managers available that charge a monthly fee, but for this guide we’re going to be focusing on free services. All of them have paid subscription tiers, but for most, the free tier offers the essential core features of a password manager.

Our pick for the best for most people is Bitwarden.

The best for most people: Bitwarden

Bitwarden has basically everything you could want out of a password manager. It’s available across iOS and Android; it has native desktop applications on Windows, macOS, and Linux; and it also integrates with every major browser including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.

Bitwarden’s security has also been audited by a third-party security company, and although it uses the cloud to sync your passwords between devices, it says it stores them in an encrypted form that only you can unlock. You also have the option of protecting your Bitwarden account with two-factor authentication to provide an extra layer of security.

Importing our passwords was easy, and Bitwarden has guides for many popular password managers in its support pages. It supports biometric security on iOS and Android, and all of its software is nicely designed and easy to use.

Bitwarden does have paid tiers, but we think most people will be able to do without most of the features they offer. Paying gets you access to encrypted file attachments, more second-factor security options, and reports on the overall security of the passwords you have in use. But even on the free tier, you can perform checks to see if individual passwords have been leaked in a password breach. Paying also gets you access to a built-in one-time code generator for two-factor authentication, but it’s easy and arguably more secure to use a separate app for this.

Verge Score: 9

Good stuff: Well-designed apps and browser extensions; third-party security audit

Bad stuff: No bulk exposed password report with free tier; desktop prompt to save passwords a little small

Bitwarden

Runner-up

As part of our research, we also tried a variety of other password managers. Of these, Zoho Vault is another feature-packed free option, but its interface isn’t as good as Bitwarden’s.

Zoho Vault

Image: Zoho

Zoho Vault’s iOS and Android apps are nice enough, but its browser extension is a little clunky and buries useful features like its password generator behind one too many sub menus. It’s also unclear if the software has gone through a third-party security audit; the company didn’t respond to our query in time for publication.

Verge Score: 7.5

Good stuff: Cleanly designed apps; reports on strength of passwords

Bad stuff: Clunky browser extension; no native desktop apps

Zoho Vault

Also-rans

There were two other free password managers we felt weren’t up to Bitwarden and Zoho Vault’s standards. Norton Password Manager has the advantage of coming from a well-known cybersecurity company. But we found the way it attempts to simplify its setup process actually makes things more confusing, and Norton’s support pages didn’t do a great job at helping us work out where we’d gone wrong. Norton didn’t respond to our email asking whether the software has gone through a third-party security audit.

We also gave LogMeOnce a try, but we weren’t reassured by the presence of ads in its smartphone app. It also asked for many more permissions than the other password managers we tried. The company says this is necessary to enable its Mugshot feature, which attempts to give you information about unauthorized attempts to access your account, which is an optional feature. The company says it regularly hires third-party security researchers to test its products.

Until recently, LastPass would have been included as a free password manager, but it’s making some changes to its free tier on March 16th that mean it will be much less usable as a free password manager. After that date, free users will be able to view and manage passwords on just a single category of devices: mobile or computer. “Mobile” subscribers will have access to phones, tablets, and smartwatches, while “Computer” subscribers will be able to use the service across PCs, Macs, and browser extensions. Given how most people switch between these two classes of devices on a daily basis, we think this will severely limit how useful LastPass’ free tier will be for most people.

Our focus on simplicity also means we’ve excluded KeePass, a password manager that relies on third-party apps on non-Windows platforms. In addition, if you want to sync your passwords between devices, you have to use a third-party storage service such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

Beyond the free options, there’s a huge array of paid password managers out there. Some of these have free tiers, but they’re so restrictive that they’re effectively not usable as a day-to-day password manager. 1Password is perhaps the most well-known paid option, but others include NordPass, RememBear, Passwarden, Dashlane, RoboForm, and Enpass, all of which limit their free versions in ways that we think make them unsuitable for long-term use.

Finally, most modern internet browsers offer built-in password management features, but we think it’s worth taking the time to store your passwords in a standalone service. It gives you more flexibility to switch platforms and browsers in the future, and password managers also generally have interfaces that are better suited to the task of storing passwords. To make things simpler for yourself, you might want to turn off the built-in password manager in your browser once you’ve picked a standalone version to use, so you don’t run the risk of having passwords stored in two places at once.

Nvidia might be preparing to launch a new RTX 3050 Ti GPU, according to a leak from laptop maker Asus. VideoCardz reports that Asus has published updated specifications for its latest TUF Dash F15 gaming laptop, and it mentions an unreleased Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop GPU.

The numbering scheme suggests Nvidia could be about to launch a fourth 30-Series laptop GPU to join the existing RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 cards. Asus’ website mentions the card has 4GB of memory, but the company hasn’t included any further details on clock speeds etc. The RTX 3050 Ti is rumored to be an entry-level option, with a 128-bit memory bus and 60W TGP.

The Asus TUF Dash F15 laptop listing.

Nvidia’s launch of RTX 30-Series laptop GPUs has also been a little confusing. Nvidia is no longer adding “Max-Q” labels to the weaker, more power-efficient variants of its laptop-grade GPUs, and it’s more difficult to tell exactly what GPU you’re getting. Nvidia has started requiring laptop makers to be more transparent about RTX 30-series specs, but the previous Max-Q branding made it a lot easier to work out a laptop’s GPU performance without having to know its specific clock speeds.

We’ve reached out to both Nvidia and Asus to comment on the RTX 3050 Ti appearance, and we’ll update you accordingly.

(Image credit: jd.com)

Even though Intel’s Rocket Lake-S processors haven’t officially been released, that hasn’t stopped a Chinese laptop manufacturer, Hasee, from updating its current laptop offerings with desktop-based Rocket Lake parts and releasing them into the wild.

This is the second time we’ve seen a company violate Intel’s official Rocket Lake launch date – the first was a German e-tailer that sold over a hundred Rocket Lake chips a few days ago.

The laptops in question are the Hasee TX8 and TX9. The TX8 is the cheaper machines with multiple CPU choices including the Core i5-10400, i5-11400, or the Core i7-11700. You also get to choose between an RTX 2060 or the newer RTX 3060.

The TX9 is the flagship of the lineup and features the same CPU options, but boosts the discrete graphics card up to either a vanilla RTX 2070 or an RTX 3070.

(Image credit: jd.com)

Theoretically, the biggest benefit of going with a desktop CPU in a notebook chassis is the higher clock speeds gained from the extra power the CPU can consume.

Hasee’s choice is especially interesting in that they chose mid-range parts like the Core i5-11400 and i7-11700 which feature a rather low 65W TDP. 65W is a wattage modern mobile CPUs are capable of hitting in thicker notebook chassis with the introduction of more aggressive Turbo Boosting algorithms and configurable TDPs.

The good news is if you want a Rocket Lake chip ahead of launch, you now have another way of getting it, as long as you’re prepared to pay international shipping fees.

The bar has just been lowered (in a good way!) for Resizable BAR, the PCI-Express graphics feature that lets CPUs directly access a GPU’s onboard memory to improve gaming frame rates. That’s because AMD just announced it’s bringing the tech to its last-gen Ryzen 3000 series processors, not just the new Ryzen 5000 chips that initially launched with the feature.

AMD originally debuted the feature as “AMD Smart Access Memory,” and you specifically needed an AMD Ryzen 5000 CPU and an AMD Radeon RX 6000 graphics card to make it work. That wasn’t a particularly easy sell, considering both have been incredibly hard to find at retail since they first debuted.

But it was an easy sell for Nvidia and Intel, which announced in January that they’d be adopting Resizable BAR with initial support for Nvidia’s RTX 3000-series laptop GPUs, and later rolling out to RTX 3000-series desktops when paired with both AMD and a selection of both 11th Gen and 10th Gen Intel CPUs. Nvidia just launched support for the new RTX 3060 desktop graphics card last week, with its other new GPUs coming in late March (though you’ll need a motherboard update, too).

With Ryzen 3000, AMD’s actually promising up to 16 percent more performance, compared to the 10 percent both AMD and Nvidia previously offered, though it will really depend on the game. TechSpot discovered that some games could see a 20 percent boost on the AMD CPU+AMD GPU side of things, while other games actually had reduced performance.

Because of the possible downsides, Nvidia decided to only turn it on for certain games where there’s a benefit, with the first wave including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Battlefield V, Borderlands 3, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Metro Exodus, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Gaming notebook manufacturers may have found a new ally: cryptocurrency miners. DigiTimes today reported that the ongoing GPU shortage has led miners in China, Taiwan, and South Korea to purchase laptops featuring RTX 30 series graphics.

The lack of available RTX 30 series graphics cards is only part of the reason for this shift, according to DigiTimes, which said the shrinking price gap between a desktop GPU and a gaming notebook has also contributed to the latter’s rise among miners.

Some cryptocurrency miners have reportedly asked manufacturers to combine RTX 30 series graphics with budget components to further reduce that price gap. They aren’t planning to play games with the systems so why pay for other high-end parts?

We already knew that some miners had turned to gaming notebooks, but the efforts to essentially buy a GPU with a laptop for a case are new, and the report suggested that relying on these devices is becoming more popular than originally expected.

DigiTimes said that “notebook shipments were originally expected to slip quarter by quarter in 2021 as the pandemic would be gradually put under control,” but its sources claim “demand from cryptomining may keep the volumes in high gear.”

The problem is figuring out how to serve cryptocurrency miners with as little risk as possible. It’s hard to remember now, but just two years ago both Nvidia and AMD had to contend with an oversupply of GPUs because of the crypto market bust.

So it makes sense to build custom gaming notebooks, or introduce a product line specifically for cryptocurrency miners, while the market booms. But it’s also easy to forgive manufacturers for wondering if these miners are merely fair weather friends.

You could now line up five years’ worth of Surface Pro devices next to each other and it would be all but impossible to tell them apart. Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 7 Plus keeps the same familiar design, which is likely just to satisfy corporate customers who want to standardize their hardware for years at a time. That might be good news for business customers, but for the rest of us who want slimmer display bezels and a more modern design like the Surface Pro X, then the wait continues.

It’s no surprise then that Microsoft is limiting sales of the Surface Pro 7 Plus exclusively to businesses and schools. Consumers won’t be able to purchase this from a store, and it’s really for businesses and schools looking to upgrade older machines.

While I’ve bemoaned the current design of the Surface Pro for a couple of years now, there are some changes inside the Surface Pro 7 Plus that will appeal to many. Microsoft now offers built-in LTE on select models, and the SSD is now removable, much like the Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro X. Intel’s latest processors also promise better performance and battery life. It’s nearly everything you’d want from a Surface tablet in 2021, but I still wish it looked like a Surface Pro X with an Intel chip inside.

The Surface Pro 7 Plus starts at $899.99, which is a $150 premium on the price of the Surface Pro 7. Thankfully, the base model is now the Intel Core i3 version, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Microsoft has dropped the 4GB of RAM option for the Plus model. I’ve been testing a Core i5 model with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and built-in LTE connectivity, which is a steep $1,649.99 before you add a keyboard or stylus. The cheapest option for LTE is the $1,149.99 model with a Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Microsoft offers all 11 models in the classic silver option, but oddly the black version isn’t available with built-in LTE. You’ll also need a separate Surface Type Cover, and the business versions are priced at $159.99.

Overall, the hardware on the Surface Pro 7 Plus is almost identical to the Surface Pro 7. There’s the same 12.3-inch (2736 x 1824) touchscreen with its 3:2 aspect ratio, a single USB-C port, and the regular USB-A port. Microsoft still hasn’t made the switch to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 here, so you can’t hook this tablet up to an external GPU or use many of the Thunderbolt drives and docks available.

The real changes to the Surface Pro 7 Plus can be found inside. Microsoft has moved to Intel’s latest 11th Gen processors, and you can pick between Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 variants. I’ve been testing the Core i5 model, and it has remained cool even when using heavy apps like video or video-editing software. Like other Core i5 Pro 7 models, this has no internal fan, so it’s also silent while working.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 has a familiar design.

These latest processors also include Intel’s Iris Xe graphics. While it’s not enough to turn this into a portable gaming laptop, it does help make the Surface Pro 7 Plus feel a lot snappier in a variety of tasks. Combined with improved SSD read and write speeds, lightweight photo and video editing is certainly faster than what I’m used to with the regular Surface Pro 7.

The biggest new hardware addition is built-in LTE, though. It’s the first time the Surface Pro lineup has included this for a few years, but unfortunately there’s no 5G support. Microsoft is using Qualcomm’s older Snapdragon X20 LTE modem inside the Surface Pro 7 Plus. There’s a dedicated SIM slot at the side of the device, which replaces where you’d normally find the microSD slot.

As England has been in a pandemic lockdown for months, I haven’t ventured outside enough to really push the LTE connectivity to its limits, but I didn’t find it impacted battery life too much in my limited tests. LTE connectivity is a great option to have on a device like the Surface Pro, especially for those who normally work remotely, visit clients, or just want something to replace really bad Wi-Fi connectivity.

The other significant hardware change on the Surface Pro 7 Plus is removable SSDs. This is really designed for commercial users to swap out faulty SSDs or to retain corporate data. The SSD is easily accessible from an access door at the rear of the Surface Pro 7 Plus, and a simple SIM tool will open it up. Microsoft’s reseller network has started selling SSD kits, with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options, so there’s even the option to upgrade storage space here. It’s encouraging to see Microsoft make this so easy to do, which makes it far quicker for IT admins to get a machine up and running again.

All of these internal hardware changes also mean that Microsoft has managed to squeeze a bigger battery (46.5Wh to 50.4Wh) inside the Surface Pro 7 Plus. The company now promises 15 hours of battery life, compared to the 10.5 hours on the original Surface Pro 7. I haven’t noticed any drastic improvements in battery life during normal usage, though.

I typically got around seven to eight hours of battery life during my testing, which includes a mix of apps ranging from Chrome, Discord, and Netflix to Adobe Photoshop. If all you’re doing is watching videos, then you’ll probably see closer to Microsoft’s 15-hour promise, but realistically this is still just enough to get you through a regular day of work. I’m still hoping that one day a Surface Pro will reliably hit 10 hours, so I never have to worry about traveling without a charger.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7 Plus is only available to businesses and schools.

I’m still a big fan of the Surface Pro, despite the lack of design changes. Microsoft is clearly catering to a specific audience here, and the Surface Pro 7 Plus has been built for businesses. I hope that means we’ll soon see a consumer-focused Surface Pro that mixes everything that’s great about the Surface Pro X with the power and performance of Intel’s chips.

Built-in LTE and removable SSDs are great additions to the Surface Pro lineup, but we’ve still been waiting years for basics like Thunderbolt 3 support. And while LTE is a great option to have once again, it’s odd that Microsoft isn’t including more futureproof 5G connectivity. If you’re using an older Surface Pro and looking to upgrade, it might not look like a lot has changed over the years, but these subtle hardware changes do make a small difference.

Microsoft completely redesigned the inside of the Surface Pro this year to include this LTE support and removable SSDs. I’m just hoping a complete redesign on the outside is on the way. It’s still the 2-in-1 to beat, but the Surface Pro could offer so much more.

(Image credit: Movo)

Having all your telecommuting equipment in one dedicated device is an enticing promise, which is probably why ring-light equipped webcams like the Razer Kiyo exist. But as someone who still attends work meetings with a headset, even the best webcams still leave me wanting a separate microphone. That leaves demand for a proper all-in-one device, which is at least one reason why the Movo WebMic HD Pro Kickstarter hit its $15,000 goal in less than three hours when it launched earlier today.

Coming from audio equipment and smartphone recording accessory maker Movo, the WebMic HD Pro is essentially a cardioid condenser microphone (think the Blue Yeti or Razer Seiren) with a built-in 1080p @ 30 fps camera and halo ring light. There’s also a detachable stand that’s supposed to double as a handheld grip for more stable video, plus a clamp for attaching it to a monitor or laptop.

We don’t often cover Kickstarter projects, because they’re just too volatile and prone to making promises that are too big. But Movo’s a well-known company–a video journalism course I took at Columbia actually provided me with some Movo gear as part of the tuition. And given how necessary good recording equipment is right now, having a product that takes down the technical demand of managing multiple devices is appealing.

(Image credit: Movo)

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have our concerns. Chief among them: We can’t imagine it’s easy to get the most flattering angles and the best audio at the same time with this device. Normally, flattering video angles tend to come from above (hence the ‘Facebook angle’ meme) while the best audio comes from a microphone that’s closer to your mouth. That means you’ll probably need to compromise between the two with the WebMic HD Pro, and even in Movo’s promotional images, you see a lot of sample use cases that would result in what we lovingly call the ‘nose cam’ effect, which is when a webcam is placed in a way that it shoots up your nostrils.

(Image credit: Movo)

There’s also a lack of special features on the camera itself. There are 5 options listed on the Kickstarter, though all of them only capture footage at 30 fps, only two capture in 4K, and only two have the ring light. One option even only has the microphone, which seems to go so against the concept of the device that it almost shows a lack of confidence in it.

Finally, Movo doesn’t specialize in cameras themselves, so much as camera accessories, so we worry about video quality and low-light performance.

Still, the price is right. The 1080p WebMic HD Pro with the ring light, microphone and camera currently starts at $89 to “super early bird” backers, which is the same price as the similar Razer Kiyo, but will also get you that microphone functionality. That’s listed as 47% off the normal price, which would put its typical cost closer to $168, which is still great value given the device’s supposed functionality.

It’s also likely that this is one Kickstarter project that will come to fruition since Movo is such a well-known brand. In fact, because the Kickstarter project’s goal was so low, it was most likely put out to gauge interest in and promote the WebMic HD rather than actually fund it. With that in mind, it’s not too surprising to see a promised June delivery date.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Apple recently updated macOS to resolve an issue that, according to ZDNet, could result in some USB-C docks bricking specific MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models.

Apple said that “macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 prevents MacBook Pro (2019 or later) and MacBook Air (2020 or later) models from incurring damage when they are connected to certain third-party, non-compliant powered USB-C hubs and docks.”

Mac owners affected by the bug initially speculated that Apple’s new M1 chip was to blame. The first Macs to feature the chip weren’t released until 2020, however, so the inclusion of the “MacBook Pro (2019 or later)” line suggests that isn’t the case.

But it wouldn’t be surprising if the M1-equipped MacBook Pro was disproportionately affected by this bug compared to its Intel-bearing counterpart simply because it doesn’t offer nearly as much connectivity out of the box.

The most recent Intel-equipped MacBook Pro offers four USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports; the model featuring the M1 chip only has two USB 4 / Thunderbolt 3 ports. Both have headphone jacks, too, and the MacBook Air has the same configuration.

It’s not hard to imagine someone whose laptop only has two ports—one of which has to be used to charge the device—turning to a USB-C dock sooner than someone whose laptop has two more ports. Those cables have to go somewhere, right?

Luckily the specificity of Apple’s release notes suggests that most USB-C docks were safe—only some “third-party, non-compliant powered” accessories were to blame. Docks that were standards-compliant or non-powered shouldn’t have caused issues.

Still, the best way for anyone who owns a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air affected by this bug to stay safe would be to install macOS Big Sur 11.2.2, which is available now.

Our Verdict

If you’re after an affordable injection of clarity and detail for your wired headphones, iFi has it in the Can

For

Expansive, detailed, sound
High-end feature set
Classy build and finish

Against

A little sonically polite

Often when the What Hi-Fi? team receives a new product for review, we like to pit it against a similarly specified class leader within its price category. But here, that’s not really possible, because the rather unique iFi Zen Can is an all-analogue headphone amplifier that costs just £149 ($150).

Features

(Image credit: iFi)

iFi says the Zen Can has many features usually reserved for high-end headphone amps – it employs basically the same Class A discrete power output stage as the outfit’s flagship headphone amplifier, the Pro iCan, which is more than 11 times the price of the model on review here.

It also promises prodigious drive capability for such a modestly priced headphone amp, delivering 1600mW (7.2V) into 32 ohms from the single-ended output. It’s an amp that iFi bills as ‘nitro for your headphones’ and you certainly do get a substantial power jolt for the money.

Although petite, the Zen Can is a desktop headphone amp rather than a portable device since it requires mains power (a 5V charger is included). Although it offers wired listening, you could of course pair it with the Zen Blue to add Bluetooth connectivity. As well as a headphone amp, it can double as a preamp to feed a power amp or a pair of active speakers, with the use of a dedicated, balanced 4.4mm to XLR cable.

Build

(Image credit: iFi)

As with the other iFi Zen Series products, such as the Zen DAC, Zen Phono stage and aforementioned Zen Blue, the Zen Can is smartly finished with a sturdy and neatly sized aluminium enclosure, the dimensions of which are akin to a large hip-flask or a small pair of binoculars.

In the centre of the Can’s front panel is a premium-feeling rotary volume control. To the left, beside the power button and input switch, is a control for selecting the appropriate gain, with little white LED lights to denote the level you’ve selected. You get four settings in six steps – 0dB, 6dB, 12dB and 18db. These options ensure good headphone matching and an adequate range of operation for the volume control.

iFi Zen Can tech specs

(Image credit: iFi)

Inputs 4.4mm, RCA, 3.5mm jack

Frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz

Dimensions (hwd) 158 x 117 x 35cm

Weight 515g

To the right are a pair of headphone outputs – a 6.3mm output for headphones that have a standard single-ended connector (compatible with all headphones, provided you have a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter), and a 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output for headphones with a balanced connection.

Next to the headphone sockets is a button to engage the latest versions of iFi’s ‘XBass’ and ‘3D’ sonic tailoring options for headphones. Again, tiny LED lights signify which options are deployed. XBass adjusts the frequency response to augment low-frequency performance, which could be useful with open-back headphones that might ‘leak’ deep bass. We try it with our Grado SR325e cans and like the extra ounce of power through the low end. It’s not particularly subtle, but it is fun.

Meanwhile, 3D aims to compensate for the ‘in-head localisation’ effect that can occur when using headphones to listen to music that was mixed using a pair of speakers. It does a good job of widening the headphone soundstage to deliver a more speaker-like experience. Both XBass and 3D engage purely analogue processing and may be bypassed entirely if you prefer, but there’s much to like about them – particularly the immersive and opened-out presentation we’re treated to when using 3D.

Around the back, the Zen Can offers stereo RCA and 3.5mm inputs, plus a balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn input. There’s also another 4.4mm connection to provide a balanced output so that the iFi can connect to an appropriately equipped power amplifier or pair of active speakers. All the Zen Can’s inputs and outputs are gold plated, too – a nice premium touch.

Though Class A circuitry often produces a lot of heat, the iFi Zen Can only runs slightly warm – it never gets hot, even when we keep it running overnight. That’s no mean feat and a tribute to iFi’s engineers.

All in all, it’s a lot of attention to detail within a resoundingly classy build. The fact that iFi has implemented all of this in a headphone amp retailing for just £149 ($149) is certainly impressive.

Sound

(Image credit: iFi)

We stream a Tidal Master file of FKA twigs’ Two Weeks from our MacBook Pro, and the heavily altered vocal and bassy intro are expansive and cohesive. Twigs’ ethereal vocal is three-dimensional, textured, well-timed and hugely impactful. It’s a solid step-up in terms of detail and space over simply plugging the same Grado headphones into our laptop.

Switching to a hi-res (24-bit/88.2kHz) FLAC file from our server, we listen to Michael Jackson’s Thriller album in its entirety. There’s a human feel to Jackson’s vocal, alongside a pleasingly musical and competent layering of each musical passage. We play Billie Jean and while the strings toy with our left ear, a synth presents itself to our right, and Jackson’s numerous harmony lines are all different, emotive and noteworthy.

The melodic outro to Human Nature feels sparkling and accurate across the frequencies too, thanks in part to the space it is afforded, while often imperceptible vocal licks as the track ends aren’t lost. It may not be the liveliest presentation, but it still entertains.

We stream a Tidal Masters file of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, this time on our Astell & Kern Kann Alpha portable music player (using its 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced output), and there’s just a bit of excess politeness to the sound. This track is raw and untethered, but through the iFi it’s a shade off for rhythmic precision and attack. That said, we look again at the Zen Can’s price and find it easy to forgive.

Verdict

The iFi Zen Can is a resoundingly good upgrade on plugging your wired headphones directly into your laptop or other source. It’s a solid, talented and capable little performer. And on top of this, it offers a premium-feeling build for a truly affordable price.

SCORES

Sound 5
Features 5
Build 5

MORE:

Read our guide to the best headphone amplifiers

Read our iFi Zen DAC review

Read our iFi Zen Blue review

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is beautiful, bold, and totally functional.

Samsung’s flagship Chromebook is less expensive and better than before

I’ll spare you the suspense: the battery life is good.

It’s not incredible. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 is far from the longest-lasting Chromebook I’ve ever tested. But after last year’s Samsung Galaxy Chromebook couldn’t even make it five hours on a charge, my expectations were on the floor. I performed my first battery test on this year’s sequel in an optimistic but nervous state. Finally, several months after the Chromebook 2 was announced, I’m breathing a sigh of relief. To repeat: the battery life is not a disaster, folks. The battery life is fine.

That’s sort of the theme of this machine. There are a couple of standout features, and the rest of it is fine. And I’m very happy with that.

Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook, released almost a year ago, was a high-risk, high-reward play. There were a number of fantastic features, some of which (the OLED screen, the built-in S Pen, the 0.38-inch-thick chassis) were so fancy it was shocking to see them on a Chromebook. But two of its features were significant problems: the $999 price tag (putting the device in competition with the likes of the MacBook Air), and the battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 (which isn’t so much a sequel to the Galaxy Chromebook as it is a more affordable alternative) lacks some of the Galaxy Chromebook’s most ambitious features. The stylus, the fingerprint sensor, and the OLED panel have all disappeared. But in their place are all-day battery life and a sub-$700 price tag. In doing so, it makes its case not as a groundbreaking Chromebook of the future, but as a device you might actually want to buy today.

With colors like these, who needs OLED?

From afar, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 looks fairly similar to the Galaxy Chromebook. That’s a compliment — the Galaxy Chromebook’s striking design was one of its biggest selling points. The Chromebook 2 comes in a bold “fiesta red” color, which is a cross between bright red and bright orange. You certainly don’t see Chromebooks of this hue every day, and it’ll turn heads if you’re sitting in public. (You can also buy this in “mercury gray” if you’re boring.)

Pick the thing up, and you’ll start to see where Samsung has cut some corners. It’s thicker and heavier than its predecessor, at 0.55 inches thick and 2.71 pounds, respectively. It’s still plenty light, though it’s a bit hefty to hold as a tablet for long periods. With square edges, it also has a blockier vibe, and the finish feels a bit plasticky and is quite a fingerprint magnet (though the prints are easy to wipe off if you have a cloth on hand).

None of these changes are massive knocks against the Galaxy Chromebook 2, though, especially at this price point. It still looks quite nice, and the aluminum chassis is sturdy. There’s little to no flex in the display or keyboard, and while I saw a bit of screen wobble while typing and using the touchscreen, it wasn’t too distracting. This is where the Chromebook 2 has an advantage over our current top pick, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713. That device is bulkier than Samsung’s, quite bland in its design, and has a bit more flex in its keyboard and screen.

The really big chassis downgrade Samsung has made is in the display. The Galaxy Chromebook has a 4K OLED panel that’s absolutely beautiful but, to be honest, not necessary for the majority of people. Instead, the Chromebook 2 is the first Chromebook ever to feature a QLED panel. QLED panels aren’t OLED, despite the name similarity; they’re LED-backlit LCD screens that use Samsung’s quantum-dot technology.

But OLED or not OLED, this is still one of the best displays I’ve ever seen on a Chromebook. It’s gorgeous. Colors were vibrant and accurate, with solid contrast and fine details. This machine is great to watch videos on. It is glossy and kicks back some glare but nothing that was too distracting. The other disappointment is that it’s 16:9 (1920 x 1080 resolution). The Chromebook Spin 713 also has a very nice panel at the roomier 3:2 aspect ratio. But on the whole, the Chromebook 2 looks great. Its speakers sound quite good as well, making for a solid entertainment device all around.

I’ll admit that the keyboard took some getting used to. It’s flatter than some of the best Chromebook keyboards I’ve used, including that of Google’s Pixelbook Go. But it does have a nice key texture with a click that’s satisfying but not too loud. I was enjoying it after a few days into my testing. In terms of ports, you get two USB-C ports (one on each side — bonus points for convenient charging!), a microSD slot, and a headphone jack. The one thing I’d wish for is a USB-A, but I know I’m fighting a losing battle there.

As I noted before, the Chromebook 2 is missing some of the snazzier features you’ll see on more expensive devices (including the Galaxy Chromebook). The most significant is that there’s no biometric authentication on this; it’s password-only, and I do miss the convenience of the fingerprint reader on its predecessor. (If you’re super anti-password, you could, technically, pair the Chromebook to an Android phone and unlock it with that phone’s biometrics.)

Another thing you don’t get is a bundled stylus. The Galaxy Chromebook shipped with a nice pen, which lived in a tiny garage in the chassis. The Chromebook 2 is compatible with USI pens, but you’ll have to store them separately. And there’s no camera on the keyboard deck, something a number of recent Chromebooks have included to allow for easy front-facing photos while in tablet mode.

But while those features are all nice bonuses, they likely won’t impact the average user’s experience too much. And at the $549 to $699 price points, I’m not enraged by their absence.

Pretty chassis with no stylus garage in sight.

You can buy the Galaxy Chromebook 2 with one of two processors: the starting $549.99 configuration includes an Intel Celeron 5205U with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and the $699.99 model (which I received) includes a Core i3-10110U, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

In my first hands-on with this device, I was hesitant about the base configuration. Despite the appealing price, a Celeron with 4GB of RAM is quite an entry-level system, and I generally wouldn’t recommend it for anyone who needs their device to do school or office work. However, I now think there’s one compelling use case for the Celeron model: a Netflix machine. If you don’t plan on using the Galaxy Chromebook 2 as a primary driver but want to take advantage of the QLED screen for entertainment, you can probably get away with the $549 price. (Everyone else should probably spring for the Core i3.)

The Core i3 is a step down from the Core i5, the processor that powered the Galaxy Chromebook. But like an OLED screen, that processor is overkill for many Chrome OS tasks. As I used the Chromebook 2 to send emails, fiddle with spreadsheets, write in Google Docs, stream Spotify, and do other standard work, I didn’t notice any performance issues. I also never felt any heat in the keyboard, the touchpad, or the bottom of the deck. (The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has a fan, which some thin Chromebooks don’t.)

Battery life, as mentioned, is quite acceptable. I averaged 7 hours and 21 minutes of continuous work at 50 percent brightness, sometimes using a mix of Chrome and Android apps and sometimes sticking mostly to Chrome. The Chromebook 2 does take a bit of time to charge, though. It only juiced up to 54 percent in an hour.

Where the system lagged was in tasks that leverage the internal storage. The Galaxy Chromebook 2 has eMMC storage, which is considerably slower than the SSD you’ll find in most laptops. The process of getting a batch of around 100 photos from a camera into Adobe Lightroom just dragged. It took so long that, several times, I considered aborting the mission and hopping over to my MacBook. I ran AndroBench to confirm that the storage was the issue, and the results were… not great. To be clear, eMMC isn’t a huge knock against a Chromebook at this price, but it is a spec I’d stay away from if you’ll need to do anything with photos or other tasks that involve writing files to the drive.

Great for lighter loads, meh for more.

Finally, I think this is my first Chromebook testing period where I haven’t run into any big hiccups with Chrome OS. The operating system itself has been smooth for a while, but I’ve run into all kinds of issues with Android apps (one of the OS’s big selling points) in the past. No major problems here, though: nothing crashed, nothing bricked the device, nothing randomly changed size, nothing disappeared during tablet-mode transitions. That’s a welcome relief.

Your experience with Android apps on the Galaxy Chromebook 2 will vary widely based on the app. I generally used them to keep distractions like Twitter separate from my browser where I was working. Some popular services, such as Podcast Addict and 1Weather, don’t have great browser equivalents, so it’s handy to be able to load those apps through Chrome OS. But on net, I found that the apps I used for stuff every day — Slack, Messenger, Google Docs, Reddit, Twitter, Gmail — were either equivalent to or worse than their browser counterparts. The Android interfaces were generally slower to update and still had some kinks to work out. (You can’t click and drag to highlight in Docs, for example.) Slack also wouldn’t let me clear my status icon and occasionally sent me multiple pings for the same message. And Facebook Messenger occasionally refused to minimize, and also sent me huge dumps of notifications each morning from conversations I’d had on my phone the previous night. If you run into issues with Android apps, you can use the web app versions, which mostly work great.

In comparing the Chromebook 2 to the market, the most prominent competitor that comes to mind is Google’s Pixelbook Go. It offers similar benefits (an attractive design, decent battery life, a portable build) with similar caveats (no biometric authentication, no built-in stylus). But as of this writing, the $649 Pixelbook Go configuration comes with only 64GB of storage and an older Core m3 chip. So while there are reasons certain folks might prefer Google’s device (it has a better keyboard, it’s thinner and lighter), I think the $699 Galaxy Chromebook 2 is the better value among the two. For just $50 more, you get a better processor, more storage and RAM, a brilliant color, a convertible build, and a spectacular screen.

A $549 Chromebook that looks like a thousand bucks.

A more difficult comparison is the convertible Chromebook Spin 713. For $70 less, you can get that system with a Core i5, an NVMe SSD, a better port selection that includes USB-A and HDMI, and a 3:2 screen that’s also excellent. On the whole, Acer’s device still offers better value for the average person. That said, there’s a valid reason some people may want to splurge on the Galaxy: looks. The Spin 713, like a number of Chromebooks that are great on the inside, looks like something that you’d see on a middle school laptop cart. Pared-down as it is, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 is still a Samsung device: it asks a premium for hardware that’s beautiful to look at and built to last.

Put the Galaxy Chromebook 2 next to the Galaxy Chromebook, and the former has clearly cut some corners. But it’s cut the right corners. In some ways, it’s the device I’d hoped the Galaxy Chromebook would be: beautiful, bold, and totally functional as well. It’s exchanged a bit of panache for a lot of simplicity. It’s, as I said in my hands-on, “a regular-ass Chromebook.” And I couldn’t be happier with it.

Our Verdict

The MSI GP66 Leopard is a powerhouse gaming notebook housed in a fairly subtle shell that also boasts a comfortable keyboard. It also offers plenty to upgrade or repair, but it’s a chore getting inside.

For

Strong gaming performance
Comfortable keyboard
Replaceable components
Subtle design for a gaming notebook

Against

Difficult to open
Touchpad feels cheap
Too much bloatware

Just because you grow up a bit doesn’t mean you need to stop having fun. The MSI GP66 Leopard ($1,799.00 to start, $2,599.00 as tested) is a powerhouse gaming notebook with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and Intel Core i7-10870H. But it would fit in anywhere, whether it be an office or a gaming room, thanks to its matte-black stylings. If you’re looking for gaming power without all of the flash, this might be on your list of the

best gaming laptops

If you ran some workstation tasks on this, you might believe it was a work machine. Only when you turn on the RGB keyboard do you know it’s time to play. There aren’t red stripes, or, say, an RGB lightbar like MSI’s other models.

It’s a powerhouse, and many of the components are upgradeable for replacement down the line. But while the GP66 Leopard is all grown up, there are still some areas, like its touchpad and its bloatware, where it needs some more maturing.

Design of the MSI GP66 Leopard

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As far as MSI’s gaming notebooks go, the Leopard is quite plain. While some of its other laptops have red accents or RGB light strips, the GP66 is an all-black affair. On the aluminum lid, even the dragon shield logo is tone-on-tone. Only the hinges, which are connected to aggressively shaped plastic molds, suggest this is anything other than a workstation PC.

The only real sign of the GP66’s gaming prowess is the keyboard, which has RGB backlighting courtesy of SteelSeries. But the black aluminum deck and the fairly thin bezels around three sides of the display suggest just a premium notebook. The bottom cover is plastic.

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The Leopard is a thick machine at 0.92 inches tall, so there’s plenty of room for ports. However, MSI has placed only a few of them on the sides: The right side has a pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, while the left side has another Type-A and the headphone jack. The rest of the ports — USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet and the charging port — are all on the rear of the device. Alienware has been doing this for years, and it’s a benefit if you use your laptop like a desktop replacement and don’t move it around much. But it can also be inconvenient if you like to use your laptop on your lap.

At 14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92 inches and 5.25 pounds, the Leopard isn’t exactly portable in the toss-it-in-a-bag sense. Dell’s 15-inch competitor, the Alienware 15 m4, is slightly lighter at 5 pounds and a similar size 14.2 x 10.9 x 0.9 inches, but its design is slightly more sleek. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G is expectedly larger with a bigger screen, at 5.95 pounds and 14.9 x 10.8 x 1 inches.

MSI GP66 Leopard Specifications

CPU	Intel Core i7-10870H
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6, 130W Max graphics power, 1605MHz boost clock)
Memory	32GB DDR4-3200
Storage	1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Display	15.6, 1920 x 1080, 240 Hz
Networking	Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2 ax), Bluetooth 5.1
Ports	3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, RJ-45 Ethernet
Camera	720p
Battery	65 Wh
Power Adapter	230W
Operating System	Windows 10 Home
Dimensions(WxDxH)	14.09 x 10.51 x 0.92 inches / 357.89 x 266.95 x 23.37 mm
Weight	5.25 pounds / 2.38 kilograms
Price (as configured)	$2,599.00

Gaming and Graphics on the MSI GP66 Leopard

MSI opted for a powerful implementation of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 for the GP66 Leopard. This version has a 130W max graphics power and a

boost clock

of 1,605 MHz.

Besides running benchmarks, I tried playing Control, a game I use often on laptops with RTX GPUs because of how tough it is to run and because

ray tracing

has a truly noticeable effect. With the settings maxed out at 1080p and with ray tracing on high, the game ran between 52 and 57 frames per second as I traded shots with hiss guards surrounding a control point, though it went as high as 70 during exploration.

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On Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p, highest), the GP66 hit 106 frames per second. The Aorus 17G, with an RTX 3080

Max-Q

ran the game at 86 fps, while the Alienware m15 R4 with an RTX 3070 played it at 77 fps.

The Leopard played Grand Theft Auto V (1080p, very high) at 125 fps, beating the Aorus (100 fps) and Alienware m15 (108 fps).

MSI’s laptop ran Far Cry New Dawn (1080p, ultra) at 103 fps, beating both the Alienware and Aorus by over 10 frames per second.

The GP66 Leopard outperformed on Red Dead Redemption 2 (1080p, medium), playing at 82 fps.

It also won out on Borderlands 3 (badass, 1080p), at 99 fps, while the Aorus 17G ran at 79 fps and the Alienware hit 84 fps.

We also ran our gaming stress test on the GP66 Leopard by looping the Metro Exodus benchmark at RTX settings for 15 runs, simulating roughly half an hour of gaming. It ran at a largely steady average of 76.38 frames per second across the runs. The CPU ran at an average of 3.73 GHz and an average temperature of 61.85 degrees Celsius (143.3 degrees Fahrenheit). The GPU ran at an average of 1.1 GHz and 61.49 degrees Celsius (142.68 degrees Fahrenheit).

Productivity Performance on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Beyond gaming, the GP66’s Intel Core i7-1070H and GeForce RTX 3080, along with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD are powerful parts that should aid in creative endeavors like streaming or video editing.

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On the Geekbench 5 overall performance benchmark, the GP66 earned a single-core score of 1,274 and multi-core score of 7,848. The Gigabyte Aorus 17G had scores of 1,265 and 7,895, respectively, while the Alienware 15 R5 notched scores of 1,252 and 7,642.

On our file transfer test, the Leopard copied and transferred 25GB of files at a rate of 1,059.78 MBps, falling just below the Alienware but ahead of the Aorus.

It took the GP66 Leopard seven minutes and three seconds (7:03) to complete our Handbrake test, transcoding a 4K video to 1080p. That’s slightly faster than the Alienawre (7:07) and far speeder than the Aorus (8:33).

Display on the MSI GP66 Leopard

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Our review unit came equipped with a 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 (FHD) display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. The most demanding titles won’t run that fast, but you can take advantage of it if you like playing esports titles like Overwatch, Fortnite or Rocket League.

When I watched the trailer for the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie, I felt the need to turn up the brightness for the best experience. Cole’s yellow gloves popped, as did Kano’s red eye lasers against a dark background, but the screen was largely serviceable rather than special.

When I played Control, the screen was bright enough, even in some dark spaces. That game has a lot of red, and it really popped, especially against the Oldest House’s dark walls.

MSI’s panel covers 78.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, matching what we saw on the Aorus 17G. We reviewed the Alienware m15 R4 with a 4K

OLED

screen, so it’s not surprising to see superior coverage there.

However, at 277 nits of brightness, the screen was dimmer than both the Aorus (300 nits) and the Alienware (362 nits).

Keyboard and Touchpad on the MSI GP66 Leopard

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

MSI’s inputs are a mixed bag. Arguably the more important part of a gaming laptop, the keyboard, is the superior of the two. For years now, MSI has partnered with SteelSeries on its keyboards, and they’ve typically been quite good. On the Leopard, the keys are a bit more shallow than I would like, but they’re still fairly comfortable to type on. I hit 120 words per minute with a 2 percent error rate, which is about as fast as I ever get on the 10fastfingers.com typing test.

The 2.5 x 4.1-inch touchpad is fine for navigating and gestures with its Windows precision drivers, but it felt like cheap plastic compared to the aluminum around it. On top of that, I found I had to click harder than on most laptops. For gaming, you should be using a mouse anyway, but this could be a little better for general productivity use.

Audio on the MSI GP66 Leopard

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When I listened to Daft Punk’s “Something About Us,” the various synths and samples were quite clear through the laptop’s bottom-firing speakers. The vocals, purposefully distorted, still stood out on top of the track, along with some piano backing. The low end, including some drums, could have used a bit more punch.

There is a semblance of bass, which many laptops don’t offer, and I was able to tune it more to my liking in the Nahimic audio software.

When I played Control, Jesse’s internal thoughts were clear, especially as her narration ran over the creeping voices of the hiss. At some points, though, I wished I was able to make the volume louder, though this is something else that could be solved with headphones.

Upgrading the MSI GP66 Leopard

The GP66 Leopard is pretty easy to upgrade or repair. Well…it is once you manage to get inside. Compared to some other gaming notebooks, it’s like breaking into Fort Knox.

At first, eleven screws separate you from the GP66 Leopard’s internals. A size 000 Phillips head screwdriver will do the trick. Note, though, that one screw is beneath a factory seal, which is a questionable practice at best. If you send this back through warranty, MSI will know you opened it.

Even after removing all the screws, the system was too tight to open at first. No spudger or pick would fit in the cracks in the chassis. I tried this for longer before I cared to admit, before I eventually found

a YouTube video

from someone that had cracked the case. There is a decorative cover around the hinges, which you can pop off with a spudger. Once that’s off, you can slowly move your way around from the rear ports to the front of the case and carefully remove the bottom.

Once you’re in there, you’ll find that the RAM, Wi-Fi card and the SSD are replaceable. There are two PCIe

m.2 SSD

slots, and since ours came with a sole 1TB boot drive, there is room to expand. The 65 Wh battery, too, is replaceable.

Battery Life on the MSI GP66 Leopard

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The MSI’s GP66 Leopard’s 65W hour battery isn’t going to last it terribly long on a charge. This, unfortunately, is a trend on gaming notebooks, but the Leopard with its full-power RTX 3080, didn’t last as long as competitors.

MSI’s notebook endured for two hours and 25 minutes on our test, which browses the web, runs OpenGL tests and streams video over Wi-Fi, all at 150 nits of brightness. The Alienware m15 ran for 4:01 and the Gigabyte Aorus 17G ran for 4:42.

Heat on the MSI GP66 Leopard

Call it the MSI GP66 Jet Engine.

To keep its components cool, the GPU fans run hard and loud (especially in extreme performance mode, which MSI sent the GP66 Leopard to us set to by default). Admittedly, if you use headphones this is a bit less of a problem.

We took surface temperatures while running our Metro Exodus gauntlet (see the gaming performance section above).

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The center of the keyboard, between the G and H keys, measured 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.48 degrees Fahrenheit), while the touchpad reached 25.6 degrees Celsius (78.08 degrees Fahrenheit). The hottest point on the bottom of the laptop was 46.7 degrees Celsius (116.06 degrees Fahrenheit).

Webcam on the MSI GP66 Leopard

MSI has a laptop with a 1080p

webcam

coming this year. This isn’t it.

No, the GP66 Leopard still has a 720p webcam, and an image at my desk was grainy, though at least it was color accurate with my blue eyes and green t-shirt.

One minor annoyance is that the light that notifies you the camera is on blinks, rather than staying on and static. This is extremely distracting when you’re having a video call or streaming and want to focus on what’s on the screen.

Software and Warranty on the MSI GP66 Leopard

There is quite a lot of software preinstalled on the GP66, which has been a trademark of MSI laptops for a bit now. Unfortunately, a lot of it is bloatware.

Let’s start with the good stuff (it’s a shorter list). There’s MSI Dragon Center, which lets you monitor CPU and GPU usage and other stats, as well as change between different modes of performance. SteelSeries Engine 3 lets you configure the lighting on the keyboard, though I feel MSI should roll this into the other app. Nahimic lets you customize audio profiles.

Aside from that, MSI has added a ton of extra bloat, including the Cyberlink suite (AudioDirector, ColorDirector, PhotoDirector and PowerDirector), as well as Microsoft Sudoku, LinkedIn, Music Maker Jam and Norton Security.

That’s on top of the regular

Windows 10

inclusions, like Roblox, Hulu, Hidden City: Hidden Object Adventure and Adobe Photoshop Express.

MSI sells the GP66 Leopard with a one-year warranty.

Configurations

We tested the MSI GP66 Leopard with an Intel Core i7-1070H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD and a 15.6-inch, FHD display with a 240 Hz refresh rate. All of that adds up to a grand total of $2,599. (We have, however, seen an identical model with 32GB of RAM going for $2,499, so be sure to shop around).

For $1,799, you can get the Leopard with a Core i7-10750H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and an FHD 144 Hz display.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for a powerful gaming notebook that draws attention to games, not itself, the GP66 Leopard is worth looking at. The combination of a full-power RTX 3080 and 10th Gen Intel makes for a potent, if loud, gaming machine. And MSI has put it in a chassis that looks and feels fairly adult, even compared to something like the Alienware m15, which has also gone minimalistic.

There are some things MSI needs to work on here: primarily, the touchpad, which feels like an afterthought, and the sheer amount of bloatware that the company includes on its laptops. If you prefer a premium experience, the Alienware may be a better way to go, but a similarly specced model (with a 300 Hz compared to 240 Hz on the Leopard) is a little more expensive as of this writing.

But if you want a gaming notebook with powerful graphics performance, subtle styling and replaceable parts (even if it takes a bit of work to get to them), this Leopard will impress.

(Image credit: Elecrow)

Just days after Elecrow launched its Kickstarter campaign for Crowbits on February 24th, the company has already received pledges 3x over its goal of $9,994 thanks to strong community support. But it’s not too late to send in your pledge since there are still 40 days left before the end of the fundraiser. All orders are expected to ship to customers by June 2021.

Following the success of its CrowPi 2 Raspberry Pi Laptop which launched last year, the electronic maker has come out with another fun STEM-based learning product that’s geared toward teaching kids to code as they play. Crowbits has over 80 magnetic blocks that easily snap together to build various projects. It’s packaged as a series of learning kits, from the basic kit aimed for beginners, and progresses to more complex kits that include additional modules and offer more challenging projects for advanced learners.

(Image credit: Elecrow)

Each kit has various modules that can be programmed based on their function and are differentiated by size and color.

Crowbits is also designed to seamlessly work with Lego bricks (a most welcome and added bonus for Lego enthusiasts) to extend the creative play, develop building skills and encourage imagination.

(Image credit: Elecrow)

Crowbits has five learning kits available: the Hello Kit, Explorer Kit, Inventor Kit, Creator Kit, and Master Kit. The initial kit requires no coding at all. It targets pre-schoolers and focuses mainly on developing critical thinking and building skills. The Explorer, Inventor, and Creator kits provide extra challenges for older kids that want to learn or level up their coding skills and explore more complicated projects.

(Image credit: Elecrow)

Capping the series is the Master Kit which teaches kids how to program their own mobile phone, game console, or radar sensor. This kit requires more complex programming and includes a TFT display and an ESP32 board.

Elecrow developed its own customized visual programming tool called Letscode which is based on Scratch 3.0, a drag-and-drop block-based programming software that allows kids to learn to code easily. Crowbits also supports multiple open-source platforms such as Arduino, Micro:bit, and Raspberry Pi. We look forward to reviewing this product in the near future.