PCWorld October 2019

The next two Windows 10 updates, code-named “19H2” and “20H1,” reflect Microsoft’s recent decision to split the major Windows 10 feature releases into two: a full-fledged update, with new features, and a secondary patch update. We’ve already had the major “19H1” update, known officially as the May 2019 Update, so we’re now looking forward to the minor 19H2 patch and then the major 20H1 feature release. Here’s what we know so far about both of them. As of July 2019, the upcoming 19H2 feature will focus on “quality enhancements,” while the “20H1” feature will return to more substantive improvements. If the latter hews to Microsoft’s usual schedule, it’ll drop in March or April of 2020. Interim beta builds will provide further hints about what’s coming, and we’ll continue to cover them.…

Intel said that it plans to ship two high-end desktop processors next month: both its monstrous Core i9-9900KS processor and its upcoming Cascade Lake-X gaming processor will go on sale. In a presentation from the IFA show in Berlin, Ryan Shrout, chief performance strategist at Intel, said that Intel is aware of the competition, specifically AMD and Qualcomm, and was “adjusting” to deliver market-leading products. AMD has already delivered a cost-competitive Ryzen processor, and there’s reason to believe a next-gen Threadripper is coming soon. As Intel did at Computex, the chipmaker announced future products in hopes of taking some wind out of its competitor’s sales. Intel had already announced the Core i9-9900KS at Computex, a 4GHz, 8-core/16-thread chip that boosts to 5GHz—and, more importantly, across all cores simultaneously. That gave Shrout the…

The Dell OptiPlex 7070 Ultra answers a prayer. This long, slender mini-PC slides into the back of a monitor stand, creating the first all-in-one that’s modular and upgradable. Officially, it’s designed for corporate desk jockeys needing to de-clutter their open-office workspaces. Anyone who’s had to junk an entire all-in-one PC because one component has died, however, understands why we’re so excited about this design. Due to ship on September 24, the OptiPlex 7070 Ultra will have what Dell calls an “average price” of $749. Remember, it’s modular, so the cost will depend on what you buy with it. The primary decision is which base to get with the mini-PC—it has to mount to something. The compatible choices are a fixed-height and height-adjustable stand, plus an offset VESA mount that lets you attach it…

Lenovo’s C340 and S340 Chromebooks are built for consumers who want a little more style or substance in their browser-based laptop. Of course, Lenovo’s been selling rather dowdy, education-oriented Chromebooks for years. The company’s first foray into retail has clearly graduated and is ready to break out of that mold, offering some better materials and features, plus some eye-opening color. LENOVO CHROMEBOOK C340-11 PRICING AND FEATURES First up is the budget-minded Lenovo C340-11. This model has the same 11-inch display size and compact form factor of most Chromebooks. Its processor remains basic: up to an Intel Celeron N4000. However, an aluminum lid shaves off weight and adds a bit of premium feel (the bottom is still plastic), and the Sand Pink color option is a refreshing break from silver, black, and blue.…

Acer rolled into the annual IFA tradeshow in Berlin with plenty in store for PC gaming enthusiasts, showing off a hulking $14,000 multi-monitor gaming cockpit, a laptop with a blazingly fast 300Hz display, an affordable new gaming notebook, and more. Believe it or not, the $14,000 Predator Thronos Air is actually $6,000 cheaper than the original Predator Thronos gaming chair revealed last year. The monitor arm that holds up to three displays isn’t motorized anymore, but the Thronos picked up massage capabilities, so that’s a net win in my book. It’s still a gigantic steel beast of a cockpit, complete with Acer-blue LED lights, a foot rest, and a camera mount above the middle monitor for any budding Twitch stars. Look for it in the fourth quarter, but be warned: That…

Larger laptops are typically big, weighty machines, pushing into the territory of mobile workstations. Dynabook, however, is announcing the Tecra X50, a “thin and light” 15.6-inch notebook that delivers big-screen convenience without the weight. Dynabook, which carries on the legacy of Toshiba’s PC division, already offers X-series laptops in 12-, 13-, and 14-inch models. But Dynabook’s ToughBody magnesium alloy chassis weighs in at just 3.13 pounds, far less than, say, the 15-inch Microsoft Surface Book 2 (4.2 pounds) or the Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen 2 (3.75 pounds). To be fair, both of the latter machines aspire to powerful mobile computing platforms, if not outright workstations. The Dynabook X50’s aspirations are more modest: Rather than lead the way into Intel’s 10th-gen Core generation, the X50 uses an 8th-gen Whiskey Lake chip with vPro,…