Articles by Chris Hoffman
5 reasons you should become a Windows Insider (and 5 you shouldn't)
Not sure if the Windows Insider program is worth joining? Here are several considerations to help you decide.
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 review: ChromeOS gets luxurious
The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is a 2-in-1 Chromebook that delivers an excellent all-around ChromeOS experience. Of course, it’s more expensive than the average Chromebook — and it’s not perfect.
20 obscure Windows features every student should know about
Windows is packed with hidden features and tricks that can make your school life easier.
Acer Nitro 14 review: Proof that gaming laptops don't have to bankrupt you
The Acer Nitro 14 delivers great RTX 4060-powered gaming performance at a low retail price. This machine makes many compromises to keep the price down, but they’re all reasonable.
15 practical free apps for your college laptop
Get your laptop ready for school with these useful apps that don't cost a thing.
The 5 best note-taking apps for college students
Make sure you're able to take the best notes in a way that works for you with one of these excellent note-taking apps.
Framework Laptop 13 review: Build your own laptop
The Framework Laptop 13 is based on a compelling vision of a possible future, and some PC enthusiasts will love building, upgrading, and repairing their own laptop. But this isn’t the right machine for the average PC buyer.
How to protect your college laptop: A student's guide to cybersecurity
Here's everything you need to know about keeping your laptop safe, secure, and protected against hackers, viruses, and data loss.
Asus ProArt PX13 review: Serious creative horsepower with Ryzen AI 300
The Asus ProArt PX13 is a creator-focused laptop with impressive CPU performance thanks to its AMD Ryzen AI 300 series hardware. But, while this x86 machine has power and beauty, AMD’s latest hardware still falls behind Arm PCs when it comes to fan noise and battery life.
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus review: A competent Snapdragon X laptop
Dell’s first Copilot+ PC is fine, but there’s nothing about it that stands out in the Snapdragon X lineup. That’s a problem when it costs as much as a Surface Laptop — but the right sale might make this machine a good buy.
Gigabyte Aorus 17X review: High-end internals and a giant screen
The Gigabyte Aorus 17X delivers a premium GPU and CPU in a surprisingly portable package for a 17-inch laptop. But the laptop’s dim display disappoints.
10 simple security actions that keep you much safer online
These everyday online security tips are simple, fast, easy, and free.
10 ways Snapdragon AI PCs are just like Chromebooks
Microsoft finally has a serious Chromebook competitor on its hands because Copilot+ PCs are surprisingly similar in many ways.
The AI PC revolution: 18 essential terms you need to know
Feeling out of the loop on AI PCs? Here's a rundown of all the important terms you should know, explained in a way that makes sense.
Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge review: Thin, light, and long-lasting
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is an excellent Snapdragon X Elite-powered PC with a beautiful display, long battery life, and great build quality. But you’re paying extra for high-end Snapdragon X Elite hardware on the 16-inch model, and it doesn’t deliver the big performance bump you might expect.
Intel's Lunar Lake laptops won't let you upgrade your RAM, and that's fine
For most PC users, it's not a huge deal. Plus, user-upgradeable RAM isn't completely dead.
Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x review: OLED meets long battery life
This Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptop combines a beautiful 14.5-inch OLED display with long battery life. But Snapdragon laptops without an OLED screen will get even longer battery life, and application compatibility still isn’t perfect on these new Arm PCs.
Norton 360 antivirus: 5 settings to change first
Make the most of PCWorld’s top-rated antivirus software with these quick tweaks.