Buyer’s Guide

Locating a budget monitor can be both simple and challenging. Finding a good deal is simple, but it can be difficult to determine which options are worth your money (and which are better to pass up) when there are so many possibilities available for a few hundred dollars or less. With several practical features and good image quality at about $200, the BenQ GW2786TC makes the choice easier. Specs and Features The BenQ GW2786TC’s specs might not seem particularly noteworthy…

As soon as I saw where Nvidia’s new $999 graphics card stood in our gaming benchmarks, that thought came to mind. The ostentatious $1,999 GeForce RTX 5090 bullied its way to the top of the performance charts with a tantalizing blend of raw muscle and DLSS 4 innovation. The more restrained approach of the still pricey but more accessible RTX 5080 results in unsatisfactory performance gains. Despite being the top graphics card in its weight class, it hardly outperforms the…

Thanks to new models from Samsung, LG, and other companies, smart monitors—monitors that run a smart TV operating system, such as Google TV or Tizen—quietly gained popularity in 2024. However, most of these displays are larger and aimed at higher price points. For those more concerned with a smart monitor’s functions than its image quality, the Asus ZenScreen Smart Monitor MS27UC is a more compact and reasonably priced option. Specs & Features The Asus ZenScreen Smart display MS27UC is essentially…

A popular 16-inch gaming laptop is the Lenovo Legion 5i. Lenovo mixes the GeForce RTX 4060, which is not the best GPU, with a top-tier Intel Core i9 CPU and an excellent cooling system in an unapologetically large chassis. The end product is a gaming laptop that, at a very affordable retail price of $1,399, offers surprisingly excellent performance considering the components. Specification There are several different versions of the 16-inch Lenovo Legion 5i (Gen 9) gaming laptop, but they…

5K displays are currently quite popular. 5K resolution was only accessible via a few monitors outside of Apple’s ecosystem, even though it was scarcely new (Apple first debuted a 5K iMac in 2024). But that is beginning to change thanks to monitors like the BenQ PD27230S. This feature-rich monitor comes with a built-in remote control, Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, and 5K resolution. Specs and features The BenQ PD2730S has a resolution of 5120 x 2880, making it a 5K widescreen monitor.…

The Cooler Master MK770’s hybrid design targets professionals and gamers who appreciate great build quality and flexibility. It has three connection options: USB-C cable, Bluetooth 5.1, and 2.4 GHz. It leaves a powerful imprint on paper when combined with an aluminum surface, RGB lighting that can be customized, and hot-swap, which allows you to use whatever switch you choose. Other advantages of Cooler Master include an inventive stabilizer design and built-in sound isolation for quieter typing. However, do the many…

Finally, the wait is over. It is an utter beast. Naturally, it should be for $2,000. Although the RTX 5090’s improvement in raw gaming performance is not quite as great as the 4090’s was over its predecessor, it still outperforms all previous GPUs and has no discernible technical issues. Although raw gaming performance is desirable, I believe DLSS 4, a new generation of Nvidia’s renowned AI-powered performance-boosting technology, will be the GeForce RTX 50-series’ deciding factor. Blackwell and Nvidia worked…

With the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, Lenovo continues to carry the ThinkPad flame forward. Despite the cumbersome moniker, there is plenty of meat to enjoy. Built around a new Intel Lunar Lake engine, the laptop combines the form and finish of a high-end ThinkPad with a stylish OLED display with an effective anti-glare surface, all in a small, light package. You will have to pay a hefty $2519 for the right to have it, and plenty of…

I do not know about you, but I always like having a touchscreen on my computer. Even if I do not reach up and touch the monitor all the time, there are times when it is a convenient substitute for the mouse. By providing a portable touchscreen display that works with both MacOS and Windows, the ViewSonic TD1656-2K attempts to fulfill that need. Specs and features The ViewSonic TD1656-2K’s display panel specifications aren’t unusual for a 16-inch portable monitor. It…