Charlene R Gaona

I had high hopes for the company’s newest PCIe 5.0 WD Black SN8100 because WD’s 8TB Black SN850X was our best-rated PCIe 4.0 SSD, and the WD Black SN7100 was the second-ranked HMB (host memory buffer) PCIe 4.0 SSD. For reasons that are still unknown, I received both fantastic and not-so-great items. Please take note that if and when the “things” problem with the SN8100 (see the performance part) improves, I will go over this review again. Additionally, Sandisk appears…

Although high-end ultraportables can be expensive, their innovative designs and state-of-the-art technology make them more appealing than low-cost laptops. The Asus Zenbook S 14 (model UX5406; retails for $1,399 and $1,599 as tested) is a standout due to its flawless construction, bright OLED screen, wide range of ports, and remarkable battery life. However, some competitors provide speedier performance (like the Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14) or even longer battery life (like the Microsoft Surface Laptop), so this Zenbook is only a…