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Even if you’re cautious, there’s always a chance that a virus could sneak onto your PC. Sure, Windows does have built-in security to block malware, but all it takes is one wrong click. Maybe it’s a sketchy link, a shady browser extension, or a random file from a site you probably shouldn’t have trusted. If your PC is acting weird and showing signs of malware, you might be wondering if a factory reset can fix it.
A factory reset wipes everything on your PC, including your apps, photos, videos, and files. It also reinstalls Windows and puts all your settings back to how they were when you first got the computer. In most cases, a factory reset should get rid of any viruses or malware hanging around. It’ll also make your PC run like new and fix any performance issues or software glitches you’ve been dealing with.
Windows offers more than one way to reset your PC, so it’s important to pick the right one. If you go with the option that keeps your files, it may not fully remove the malware. If you’re on Windows 11, you can head to Settings > System > Recovery. For Windows 10, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery. Then, click the Reset PC button, and you’ll see two options. Pick the “Remove Everything” option to wipe everything clean.
While doing a factory reset can help remove malware, it may not always work. Some viruses are sneaky enough to survive even a full reset. This usually happens when the malware has infected something deeper, like the BIOS or your motherboard. Since a factory reset doesn’t affect those areas, certain types of viruses can stick around, even after you’ve wiped everything. These are often known as rootkits, and they’re especially good at hiding. A rootkit can let the attacker take full control of your PC and steal your data without much effort.
If your PC keeps crashing with a Blue Screen of Death, or you notice strange changes to your browser or system that you didn’t make, it might be a sign of a rootkit. This kind of malware isn’t very common, but if you feel your PC might be infected, try running the Microsoft Defender’s Offline Scan. It works outside of Windows after a restart, which helps it catch and remove anything trying to hide. Here’s how to run it.
Click the search icon on the taskbar, type “Windows Security”, and hit Enter. Go to the Virus & threat protection tab. Click Scan options. Select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. Finally, click Scan to confirm. The scan should only take about 15 minutes. Your PC will restart during it, so make sure you save anything you’re working on first.
Doing a factory reset deletes all your personal data, so you’ll probably back everything up to a hard drive or flash drive first. But if one of those files is infected with malware, or if the backup drive itself has something nasty on it, the malware could sneak right back in after the reset. Before you copy anything back over, it’s important to scan the backup drive using a different computer.
Malware can also hide in other external devices like a USB hub, printer, or Wi-Fi adapter. That usually only happens if some sketchy, unsigned firmware gets installed. It’s rare, but it’s still worth being careful and protecting your system.
Windows Security does a solid job of protecting your system, but it’s still wise to have an antivirus program just to be safe. Microsoft also suggests keeping your PC up to date with the latest security patches. And, of course, you should follow the best security practices. Try to avoid clicking on suspicious links, don’t open unknown attachments, and only install apps and software from sources you trust. Doing all of this should help keep your PC safe from viruses and other threats.
Sony’sPlayStation Plus subscriptionservice has evolved over the years, initially beginning as a way to get new games each month, then giving access to online multiplayer. Now, the service has built upon both of those features, functioning a lot more likeGame Pass Ultimateand offering a lengthy catalog of games for a monthly fee, although it doesn’t add its own first-party games to the service right away. It still gives you new games each month and enables online play just as before, but now you have the option between Essential, Extra, and Premium for various prices and features.
As subscription prices have gone up, PS Plus might be a bit too much to stay subscribed to all year. Sony doesn’t make it simple to cancel, and there’s a somewhat sinister auto-renew change that may end up costing you.
Difficulty
Easy
Duration
5 minutes
If for whatever reason you want to cancel your PS Plus membership — whether you have the Essential, Extra, or Premium version — you can do so from your smartphone, computer, or a PlayStation console itself. It’s not the most complicated process, but knowing the steps before you start will no doubt save you time. Here’s how to cancel your PlayStation Plus subscription.PlayStation >>>LIP1708 Battery for Sony PlayStation 5 PS5 DualSense Controller CFI-ZCT1W
How to cancel PlayStation Plus on PS5 and PS4
First, you should be aware of how to cancel your subscription from a PS5 system, as it’s the most straightforward. You can also cancel from a PS4 console, and the process is nearly identical to its current-generation counterpart.
Step 1:From the home screen, navigate to theSettingsmenu.
Step 2:SelectUsers and Accounts.
Step 3:From theAccountmenu, selectPayment and subscriptions.
Step 5:Then, selectCancel subscriptionon the bottom left.
Step 6:You’ll be brought to a screen that asks you if you’re sure you want to cancel. SelectConfirm cancellation. This will end your services on the next expiration date, coinciding with however long your subscription is due to last. You’ll be able to enjoy the benefits until that expiration date.
If you don’t currently have access to your PS5 or PS4 system but still want to cancel your PS Plus membership, you can do so via a web browser on a computer and/or smartphone, and it’s pretty simple, thankfully!
Step 1:First, visit theSony Account Management pageand log in using your PlayStation credentials.
Step 2:SelectSubscriptionsfrom the list of menu options on the left. It’ll ask if you want to go to another page, so confirm this to move on to the next step.
Step 3:Once you arrive at the next page, a new list of options will appear on the right side of the screen, one of which isCancel Subscriptionat the bottom.
Previously, there was the option toTurn off Auto Renewthat would prevent you from being charged once your current subscription ran out. Now that this option is gone,Cancel Subscriptionserves that same purpose – it won’t instantly end your subscription. This confusion has caused many users to think they have to wait until the end of their subscription to cancel and end up forgetting and getting charged again.
Step 4:SelectConfirm Cancellationand you’ll be all set.
What happens when you end your PlayStation Plus subscription?
It’s important to be aware of what happens when you cancel your PS Plus membership. After your subscription end date (which is clearly displayed during the cancellation process), you’ll lose access to any games acquired via PS Plus. This means you won’t have access to any of the monthly games, titles from the PS Plus collection, or any games available from the catalog across Essential, Extra, and Premium memberships. You also won’t be able to play online multiplayer (with the exception of free-to-play games).
If you decide to resubscribe, you will gain access to any of the aforementioned games included with PS Plus.
These are the best laptops for students across all budgets and preferences
Picking the best student laptop can be difficult, whatever level of learning you’re at. Balancing value, performance, and battery life is vital, since you’ll need a laptop that can handle a full day of classes and study sessions but won’t break the bank.
We’ve rigorously tested every laptop in this guide for our in-depth review process, including synthetic benchmarks, graphical performance, battery testing, and general real-world use. If a laptop has made it into the list below, you can be confident that it’s been carefully selected by yours truly as a worthwhile inclusion.
Our current number one pick is theApple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)- since the release of the M4 models, you can often find this one at a discounted price, but that M3 chip is no slouch, so you’re still getting plenty of bang for your buck. If you’d prefer something even more affordable, theAcer Chromebook Plus 514is a stellar choice. Whichever laptop you decide on, know that you can buy in confidence with batterymap’s combined expertise at your back.
Screen:13.6-inch 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina display
Storage:Up to 2TB SSD
Reasons to buy
+Excellent performance +Fan-less design +Very good battery life +Lower price
Reasons to avoid
-Base specs are a bit weak -External monitor support feels compromised
Buy it if:
✅ You want great performance:Apple’s M3 chip is a powerhouse, delivering top-notch all-rounder performance with 14+ hours of battery life.
✅ You like to stay on the move:Weighing just 1.24kg, the 13-inch model of Apple’s flagship laptop is easy to take with you wherever you go.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You’re on a tight budget:Although the M3 model is a year old now and can often be found below retail price, it’s still a fairly premium laptop.
❌ You prefer Windows:While macOS is great, some software is only available on Windows, and if you’re used to Microsoft’s OS already, making the switch can be tough.
The M3 MacBook Air 13-inch might be last year’s model, but that’s preciselywhyit takes the crown of the best student laptop. A healthy generational price cut on the 2025 M4-powered model means that you can now frequently pick up the M3 version ofApple’s signature laptop at a discounted price at most retailers.
And here’s the thing: the M3 MacBook Air is still an absolute powerhouse of a laptop. In our review, we gave it a rare five-star score, citing its boosted performance in virtually every area, new AI features, and excellent display. It also boasts solid battery life, around 14 hours in our tests, and is even capable of a bit of gaming – and it does everything without a whisper thanks to its fanless design.
It’s honestly hard not to recommend it, especially since it can now be commonly found at prices comfortably below its $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799 launch price. If you’re willing to wait for a sale event, you can pick one up at a ridiculously low price; our deals hawks recently spotted it on sale forjust $699 at Best Buy. I’m not beating about the bush here: that’s an insane deal, and I’d recommend it to just about any student.
Best for:Budget-minded students who don’t need a lot of power
CPU:Intel Core 3 100U
Graphics:Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM:8GB LPDDR5
Screen:14-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 16:10
Storage:128GB UFS
Reasons to buy
+Great performance +Excellent display +Practical port selection
Reasons to avoid
-Keyboard isn’t the most premium -No SD card slot -Can get a little noisy
Buy it if:
✅ You’re after a great value laptop:Despite its low price, this Chromebook punches above its weight.
✅ You want something simple but effective:With decent battery life, speedy performance, and an impressive screen for the price, this laptop is perfect for students.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You need a powerful device:While the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 offers great performance in everyday workloads, we wouldn’t recommend it for more intensive tasks like video editing or 3D rendering.
❌ You want a silent laptop:One of our only key criticisms of this laptop is that the fans can get quite noisy if you’re running more demanding software.
Chromebooks can be an excellent choice for students working with a tight budget, as they’re designed with affordable efficiency in mind. ChromeOS is a less resource-intensiveoperating systemthan Windows or macOS, meaning that a Chromebook can run smoothly even with a less powerful (and therefore cheaper) processor.
Still, theIntelCore 100U CPU at the core of the latestAcerChromebook Plus 514 is leaps and bounds ahead of the feeble chips we’ve seen powering budget Chromebooks of yore. No, it’s not going to run the latest triple-A games or handle complex scientific modeling software, but for straightforward tasks like writing assignments or researching online, our reviewer found it ran smoothly and efficiently, with enough battery life to see you through a full day of classes.
Best for:Students who want a high-quality ChromeOS laptop
CPU:Intel Core i3-N305
Graphics:Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM:8GB LPDDR5
Screen:15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080), 144Hz, 16:9
Storage:128GB UFS
Reasons to buy
+Great all-round performance +Good display for a Chromebook +Premium build quality
Reasons to avoid
-Small lid opening angle -Not convertible -Typing can feel cramped
Buy it if:
✅ You want one of the best Chromebooks around:With good performance and a premium-feeling design, this sets a new gold standard for Chromebooks.
✅ You like using the cloud:Like most Chromebooks, HP’s Plus model works best when you take advantage of Google’s cloud-powered software suite with Google Drive.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You want a large keyboard:Since it includes a numpad, the keyboard of the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch may feel a little cramped for users with larger hands.
❌ You want to run demanding software:Like most Chromebooks, this laptop simply isn’t well-suited for high-level tasks like 3D rendering or video editing.
If you’re already a ChromeOS lover or are looking to make the leap to Google’s cloud-focused operating system, theHPChromebook Plus 15.6-inch is a solid choice. With strong productivity performance and a battery that gave us more than 11 hours of continuous use in our tests, this feels like a laptop for serious students.
Reviewing this laptop, our Reviews Writer praised its premium-feeling build quality – something of a rarity for a Chromebook, which can often feel a little cheap in the hands – along with its surprisingly good display and quiet cooling fans. He described using the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch to navigate ChromeOS as “a largely seamless experience” – although he did note that the keyboard can feel a little cramped at times, due to the inclusion of a numpad.
Of course, since it’s a Chromebook, it’s not going to be the right choice for students studying creative disciplines like graphic design or videography. If you’re taking a course that doesn’t require the use of intensive software, however – like Business Studies or Creative Writing – this laptop can definitely go the distance.
The best lightweight student laptop
4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 13 (2025)
The best lightweight laptop for students
Specifications
Best for:Students who want something super-portable to use on the go
CPU:Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus 8-core
Graphics:Qualcomm Adreno X1-45
RAM:16GB LPDDR5X
Screen:13-inch, FHD+ (1920 x 1280) 60Hz PixelSense Touch Display
Storage:256GB SSD
Reasons to buy
+Stunning design +Extremely portable +Fantastic battery life +Great keyboard and trackpad
Reasons to avoid
-MacBook Air M4 offers far better performance -Limited ports -Display is just OK
Buy it if:
✅ You need a super-portable laptop:Incredibly thin and lightweight but still delivering good performance, the Surface Laptop 13-inch is ideal for taking with you on the go.
✅ You want a great Windows laptop:With full support for Copilot+ in Windows 11 and Microsoft’s own close control over the Surface hardware ecosystem, this is one of the best Windows laptops out there.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You’re on a very tight budget:Though not quite as pricey as other premium Ultrabooks, this might be out of reach if you’re seeking something super affordable.
❌ You prefer macOS:Considering the price point, a MacBook Air will give you better overall performance – though it does mean switching over to macOS.
In his review, my American counterpart described the new Surface Laptop 13-inch as “the Purple MacBook I’ve been begging for” – and trust me, he’s been begging for that forquite a while now.
With 17+ hours of continuous battery life, strong performance across productivity workloads, and a wonderfully portable design (weighing just 1.22kg),Microsoftseems to have finally hit its stride with the Surface product line. This is a made-for-Windows Ultrabook with a premium-feeling chassis, offering a very comfortable keyboard along with a high-quality touch display.
John did note that in terms of performance-per-dollar it loses out to the latest M4 MacBook Air, but for users who prefer Windows to macOS, it’s practically perfect. It’s also one of the best ways to use Microsoft’s fancy new Copilot+ AI PC features inWindows 11.
The best laptop for creative students
5. Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M4, 2025)
A powerhouse MacBook for students on creative courses
Specifications
Best for:Students working in visual creative disciplines
CPU:Apple M4 (10-core)
Graphics:Integrated 10-core GPU
RAM:Up to 32GB Unified Memory
Screen:15.3-inch 2880 x 1864 Liquid Retina display
✅ You want creative control:With a powerful Apple M4 chip and gorgeous Liquid Retina display, the latest MacBook Air 15-inch is perfect for creative workloads.
✅ You want a premium laptop:The MacBook Air 15-inch remains one of the best-looking laptops on the market, with a high-quality keyboard and great battery life too.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You’re on a budget:With a bigger screen and newer processor, this MacBook Air will cost you a fair bit more than the 13-inch M3 model at the top of our list.
❌ You just need to do simple tasks:If your course primarily involves attending online classes and writing up coursework, any current-gen MacBook is frankly overkill.
As I’ve already noted further up in this guide, some laptops that are great for the average student won’t hold up against the workload of a student studying creative disciplines. Graphic design, photo and video editing, 3D art – all of these need a bit more power than even thebest student Chromebookscan provide.
Enter the MacBook Air 15-inch with Apple M4 chip. A powerful system that packs an improved CPU (10 cores vs 8 cores) over the M3 model, plus a larger battery thanks to the 15-inch chassis, this is a solid choice for anyone who wants plenty of bang for their buck when it comes to running creative software.
Sure, you could opt for aMacBook Proif youreallywant a ton of power at your fingertips, but frankly, the standard M4 chip in the MacBook Air is perfectly capable – and you won’t have to worry about fan noise here, either.
The best 2 in 1 Chromebook for students
6. Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360
The best 2-in-1 Chromebook for students
Specifications
Best for:Students who want a lightweight, versatile Chromebook
CPU:Intel Celeron N4500
Graphics:Integrated Intel UHD Graphics
RAM:4GB LPDDR4x
Screen:12.4-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) LED Touch Display
Storage:64GB eMMC
Reasons to buy
+Excellent display +Great build quality +Small form factor
Reasons to avoid
-Less powerful CPU and RAM -Heavy and thick for the size -Unimpressive battery life
Buy it if:
✅ You need a versatile 2-in-1:The low package weight and 360-degree hinge on the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 make it a flexible and effective little device.
✅ You prefer looks over performance:Design-wise, this is one of the best-looking compact Chromebooks on the market – but it doesn’t offer high-end performance.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You prefer a larger display:The 12.4-inch touch display on this Samsung Chromebook is actually very sharp and colorful, but it’s certainly on the smaller side.
❌ You need lots of processing power:With only 4GB of RAM, this is probably the least powerful laptop on this list – it puts portability over performance.
While its lower-end internal specs might hold it back from achieving true greatness, theSamsungGalaxy Chromebook 2 360 nonetheless does an admirable job of what it sets out to be: a lightweight, compact, and flexible laptop.
With the smallest display size of any laptop on this list, it’s easy to take with you on the go or hold in your hands when flipped into tablet mode – and despite its small size, the touchscreen is a rather impressive QHD+ panel that places it above many of its Chromebook siblings.
Granted, some sacrifices have been made here to allow that excellent display at the very reasonable $429 / £419 / AU$707 starting price (though you can often find it cheaper than that). In terms of its CPU and RAM, this Chromebook is admittedly one of the weaker devices on this list – but as long as you’re just planning to do basic tasks like word processing and watchingYouTube, you should be fine.
The best 2 in 1 Windows laptop
7. Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (2025)
The best 2-in-1 Windows laptop for students
Specifications
CPU:Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 288V
Graphics:Up to Intel Arc Xe2
RAM:Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Screen:Up to 14-inch FHD+ (1200p) touchscreen
Storage:Up to 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe
Reasons to buy
+Very solid productivity and general performance +Affordable +Lightweight
Reasons to avoid
-Not good for high-performance work -Display isn’t good for a 2-in-1
Buy it if:
✅ You want a well-rounded 2-in-1 laptop:With strong performance at a very respectable price point, the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is a great all-rounder.
✅ You need longer battery life:Considering that 2-in-1 laptops often struggle with battery life due to their form factor, the 15+ hours of use you get from a single charge is great.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You want something super-cheap:Although the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 is very competitively priced for a Windows 2-in-1, there are cheaper laptops out there.
❌ You need a high-quality display:The display on this laptop is decidedly just average, which is a shame considering how well it performs in other areas.
Earlier this year, our US computing editor John reviewed the new Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 and was pleased with its performance, design and price (starting at $649 / £849 / AU$1,498). However, he also noted that he was willing to accept some flaws on the regular Dell 14 Plus clamshell model to keep the price low, but had more issues with the 2-in-1 model. Specifically, John noted in his review that the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1’s display was “okay.”
On a 2-in-1 device, however, where notetaking and collaborating across a table with your classmates are common use cases, the quality of the display matters a lot more than it does on other laptops. That’s not to say the 14-inch IPS panel on the 14 Plus 2-in-1 isbad, it’s just not great, and it’s a compromise that more than a few 2-in-1 fans might not be willing to make.
The other big issue John had with the laptop was its lack of high-end performance, but given the focus on a lower price point with the 14 Plus lineup, you really shouldn’t be expecting more than a productivity and general computing laptop. In that regard, John found the performance more than up for the task, but he definitely recommends against trying to do any serious PC gaming or video editing work on this one.
The best premium laptop for students
8. Dell XPS 13 (2025)
The best premium Ultrabook for college and university
Specifications
Best for:Students with a larger budget who want a premium-feeling device
CPU:Up to 2nd-gen Intel Core Ultra 9
Graphics:Integrated Intel Arc Graphics
RAM:Up to 32GB LPDDR5X
Screen:Up to 13.4-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED 60Hz Touch Display
-Not enough ports -Touchpad and touch bar hurt accessibility
Buy it if:
✅ You need best-in-class battery life:With a ridiculously good battery life that almost makes it to a full 24 hours on a single charge, this laptop can go the distance.
✅ You want a strong all-rounder laptop:The Intel Core Ultra chip that powers the Dell XPS 13 is a beast, and the premium build quality and high-end display make it the definitive premium Windows laptop.
Don’t buy it if:
❌You’re on a tight budget:While it’s great value for money in terms of the quality and performance you get, this is a fairly pricey laptop, especially for the more powerful configurations.
❌ You want lots of ports:The biggest criticism we can level at the XPS 13 is that it lacks a good range of physical ports – though this won’t be an issue for many users.
Looking for a laptop that just screams ‘premium’? Look no further: students with some cash to splash who want a high-end device with some real staying power should absolutely spring for the 2025 Dell XPS 13 – perhaps the last XPS 13 we’ll ever see, sadly.
See, Dell is switching up its naming conventions, ditching the XPS brand (a totally insane move, in my humble opinion) in favor of new Plus, Premium, and Pro tiers for its laptops. Despite this, the latest XPS 13 is still available from both Dell and third-party retailers, and it’s still an absolutely gorgeous laptop.
When I reviewed it, I had nothing but praise for its excellent touch display, absolutely phenomenal 24-hour battery life, and strong productivity performance with its Intel Core Ultra processor. My only real criticism is the lack of ports; with just two USB-C ports and nothing else, you’ll want to go fully wireless or invest in a USB hub.
FAQs: How to choose the best student laptop for you
The best student laptop is going to give you the right balance between sufficient performance for productivity tasks, affordability for a student’s budget, and durability to handle the kind of wear-and-tear that a student can put their laptops through – and having it look good never hurts.
But that can be a hard thing for students and families to balance, especially if they aren’t as familiar with computer hardware as they’d like to be. Fortunately, there are some general guidelines that you can follow to get the right student laptop for your needs and budget: check out these frequently asked questions.
How much storage does a student need?
This depends on what type of laptop you decide to pick up, as well as what subject you’re studying. For example, if you’re a creative writing student rocking a straightforward budget laptop, you really don’t need to worry about storage that much. Simple text documents don’t take up much space, and Chromebooks make heavy use of cloud storage via Google Drive anyway. 256GB, 128GB, or even 64GB is fine in these cases.
On the other hand, students studying disciplines that involve using resource-intensive software and large files – think photo and video editing, scientific modeling, and anything that involves rendering 3D files – are going to want a lot more storage. For this, I’d recommend 1TB of SSD storage as the minimum; 2TB is better, and you might even want to consider investing in one of thebest external hard drives.
The same goes for students who plan to install and use lots of programs at once – if you’re like me, and like to keep dozens of games installed on your computer (because I’m chronically indecisive), bear in mind that you’ll want a laptop with storage measured in the TBs rather than the GBs.
Is 4GB RAM enough for a student laptop?
For any Windows or macOS laptop, 4GB is fundamentally not enough RAM for modern use cases. 8GB should be considered the bare minimum for light work on these operating systems; 16GB is better, and has become the de facto new industry standard.
For Chromebooks, things are a little different; the lightweight software ethos of ChromeOS means it can comfortably run well on less powerful hardware, meaning that 4GB of RAM is a more viable option. Still, more RAM is useful for multitasking; I’d recommend springing for 8GB if you’re the sort of person who likes to keep 10+ browser tabs open at once while playing music in the background.
Is a MacBook a good laptop for students?
This is a slightly loaded question, because the best operating system for students (whether that’s Windows 10 or 11, macOS, or ChromeOS) will ultimately come down to which OS the student in question prefers to use. Some of us are married to the effective functionality of Windows; others might prefer the aesthetically pleasing UI of Apple devices, or the Android-esque, streamlined user experience Chromebooks provide.
If you’re already comfortable using a specific operating system, making the leap can be tricky. ChromeOS is arguably the easiest to pick up and use, but changing to MacOS after a decade spent familiarizing yourself with Windows might lead to confusion. Take this into consideration when choosing a new laptop for school or college.
On the hardware side, we’re pleased to say that MacBooks are more competitive than ever. Apple’s fantastic M-series chips are much more capable of running demanding tasks than processors with integrated graphics, making Apple laptops excellent all-rounders for the busy student. However, if you need to run highly intensive software, it’s worth considering a Windows laptop with a dedicated GPU – ideally an Nvidia RTX one – since this will give you a lot more grunt in GPU-accelerated programs.
Which is better for students: a laptop or a desktop?
Simply put, most college-level students will need a laptop for their studies at this stage. While having a computer of some kind is practically a necessity at this point – with the rise of remote learning and content creation among university students – a laptop can be thrown into a rucksack and taken along to lectures and workshops, unlike a desktop PC.
Yes, a desktop will typically offer more processing power and the advantage of a bigger screen, but you can easily end up spending more (especially once you factor in the need for peripherals) and then still find yourself needing a portable device for note-taking and working on the go. If you’ve already got a small tablet or laptop that you can take out and about, you might want to consider buying one of thebest desktop computers, but otherwise, we recommend you get a more capable laptop and use that in lieu of a desktop.
If you don’t remember a time when SSDs didn’t exist, it’s easy to take for granted how much of a difference they make in modern gaming. Before the 2010s, HDDs, the mechanical predecessor of SSDs, were enough to run anything. Yes, including the famously PC-crushing “Crysis”. But HDDs, being mechanical, are prone to failure, often physically bigger, and most importantly, a lot slower than SSDs.
It’s no wonder SSDs quickly replaced HDDs as the default ROM storage component in computers and current-generation consoles. In fact, it’s gotten to the point that an SSD has become a compulsory requirement for some major must-play AAA titles, like “Baldur’s Gate 3,” for example.
Still, it’s not enough to simply have an SSD. While they’re generally better than HDDs, there are still levels to the SSD game, and it all boils down to read and write speed. One of the slowest SSD types, a SATA SSD, for instance, usually has a read and write speed of 200 to 500 MB/s — miles better than the 80 to 160 MB/s you’ll get on standard HDDs. But these are nothing compared to 2,000+ MB/s you can get from an NVMe SSD. You should check out our post on the difference between a SATA and PCIe SSD if you want to learn more about the differences.
But how much do these speeds affect your game? And is there a point where faster write speeds don’t matter anymore?
Since SSDs are primarily where your video game installation files are stored, how can they be important to video game speed? Why isn’t it better to get a large HDD for cheap storage and download all the games you want on it instead of using a smaller and more expensive SSD? You may think, “after all, it’s only for storage, the RAM, GPU, and CPU should do all the real heavy-lifting.” That’s true, but you’re missing one crucial part: loading screens.
When a game loads, it takes the assets and data from your SSD, moves them to the RAM, the graphical assets are then sent to the VRAM, and finally the GPU renders the frame. The movement from SSD to RAM relies heavily on the read and write speeds of your SSD. Many of the newer open-world games use a process called “streaming,” where the world around you is loaded into the RAM, but as you move, the game constantly pulls in textures, models, and sounds from storage. Slow storage will slow down this process, and you may notice stuttering, lag, or even crashes.
This doesn’t mean that your games will load infinitely faster the faster your SSD gets, remember that SSDs are only a part of the loading process. Moving from a SATA SSD to a PCIe SSD can see considerable (up to 35%) loading time improvements depending on the game. However, moving from a PCIe 3.0 to a PCIe 4.0 SSD would make a marginal difference, if any at all. A 5,000 MB/s SSD and a 7,500 MB/s one will give very similar performance in terms of gaming. While these SSDs may read and write faster outside of gaming, other important components like engine optimization also contribute greatly to gaming speeds.
You’ll have to turn on Windows Backup, or redeem some of those unused rewards points you got from Bing. But Windows 10 is getting a stay of execution, without the $30 charge.
For a long time, there’s been a Sword of Damocles hanging over the PC users who didn’t want to give up Windows 10, no matter how much Microsoftbegged them to upgrade to 11 and/or buy a new laptop. As the countdown to October kept ticking, we were wondering if Microsoft would relent for millions of users in no mood to change. As it turns out, they have…with some quid pro quos.
To be clear, this isn’t exactly a reprieve for Windows 10. The operating system, which is approaching its tenth birthday in July, won’t get any significant feature updates after it loses hits end of life in October. But Microsoft is expanding the Extended Security Updates program, cruciallyremoving the $30 fee for its first year…if you use Windows Backup to sync your Windows settings to OneDrive. Alternately, you canuse 1000 Microsoft Rewards pointsto get the same benefit.
If you don’t want to do either of those, you’ll want to cough up $30 USD to extend full support to October 13th, 2026. Businesses and commercial organizations have some other options — if you’re a Fortune 100 company with about ten thousand machines and you don’t feel like upgrading to Windows 11 just yet, Microsoft is much more likely to listen to your concerns.
October 15th, 2025is still going to be something of a deadline for most regular users, who need to exercise one of those three options above or stop receiving crucial security and stability updates. But on the other hand, it might not be as dire a situation as that sounds like, at least initially. Microsoft will continue to updateWindows’ free, default Defender Antiviruson Windows 10 through October 2028, and that’s the first line of defense in terms of security from things like viruses, trojans, and spyware.
Of course, Microsoft would still very much prefer you to upgrade to Windows 11…or better yet, just buy a new PC. (Those Copilot+ laptopsaren’t going to sell themselves, after all.) In fact,the Windows Experience Blogstill calls 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh” even as it gives you two new, free options to put off that refresh for another year.
Maybeall those baked-in advertisementsand pushes to use questionably-necessary AI tools (and theexpensive subscription they require) aren’t going over as well as some of the higher-ups in Redmond would have liked.
Intel has published a paper about its 18A (1.8nm-class) fabrication process at the VLSI 2025 symposium, consolidating all its information about the manufacturing technology into a single document. The new 18A production node is expected to deliver significant improvements in power, performance, and area over its predecessor, increasing density by 30% while enhancing performance by 25% or reducing power consumption by 36%.
But, perhaps more importantly, 18A will be Intel’s first process technology in years that will compete head-to-head with TSMC’s leading-edge technology when both enter mass production in the second half of this year.
Intel’s 18A process node is designed for a wide range of range of products across both client and datacenter applications, and the first Intel’s product to use it will be the Panther Lake CPU, which is due to be formally announced later this year. To address different applications, Intel 18A has two libraries: high-performance (HP) with 180nm cell height (180CH) and high-density (HD) with 160nm cell height (160CH) for lower-power applications.
How 18A stacks up against previous nodes
Intel 3 vs Intel 4
18A vs Intel 3
Power
?
36% (at 1.1V) – 38% (at 0.75V)
Performance
18% (?)
18% (at 0.75V) – 25% (1.1V)
Density
–
1.3X
SRAM Cell Size
0.024 µm²
0.021 µm²
Transistor
FinFET
RibbonFET GAA
Power Delivery
Front-side
PowerVia BSPDN
HVM
mid-2024
H2 2025
Intel says that compared to Intel 3, its 18A fabrication technology boosts performance by 25%. It manages to achieve this without increasing voltage or circuit complexity when running a typical Arm core sub-block, implemented using a 180CH HD library at 1.1. When operating at the same clocks and 1.1V voltage, it also cuts power usage by 36% compared to the same design on Intel 3. At a reduced voltage of 0.75V, 18A offers an 18% speed increase and uses 38% less energy. Furthermore, designs fabricated on 18A occupy roughly 28% less area than those built with Intel 3.
(Image credit: Intel)
There is a major catch about comparison of voltages between Intel 3 and 18A. The former supports <0.6V, 0.75V, 1.1V, and 1.3V, which makes it particularly suitable for data center devices. This type of workload needs to burst to high clocks, across dozens of cores when demanding peak performance. Then, it’ll need to throttle down to a low-power state to save power. To contrast, 18A seems to support 0.4V, 0.75V, and 1.1V, which very good for client PCs and data center CPUs, but may not be ideal for processors that need maximum clock speeds. However, other advantages of Intel’s 18A will likely offset the lack of 1.3V support for the vast majority of applications (more on this later).
As for SRAM, Intel’s 18A process includes a high-density SRAM bit cell measuring 0.021 µm², translating to an SRAM density of roughly 31.8 Mb/mm². This is a major improvement over the 0.024 µm² bit cell used in Intel 4. This puts Intel 18A on par with TSMC’s N5 and N3E nodes in terms of SRAM density. However, TSMC’s upcoming N2 process goes further, reducing the bit cell to approximately 0.0175 µm² and achieving a higher density of around 38 Mb/mm².
Intel 7
Intel 4
Intel 3
Intel 18A
Contacted Poly Pitch
54nm/60nm
50 nm
50 nm
50 nm
Fin Pitch
34 nm
30 nm
30 nm
?
M0 Pitch
40 nm
30 nm
30 nm
32 nm
High Performance Library Height
408 nm
240 nm
240 nm
180 nm
High Density Library Height
–
–
210 nm
160 nm
HP Library Height x CPP
24.4K nm²
12K nm²
12K nm²
9K nm²
HD Library Height x CPP
–
–
10.5K nm²
8K nm²
Intel’s 18A relies on the company’s 2nd generation RibbonFETgate-all-around (GAA) transistors, and aPowerVia backside power delivery network (BSPDN). We investigate exactly how Intel managed to implement GAA transistors and BSPSN below.
In GAA transistors, the gate completely wraps around the channel, offering superior electrostatic control compared to FinFETs, which only wrap around on three sides. Such an architecture enables engineers to finely tune device characteristics for either high performance or low power consumption by adjusting the total effective channel width (Weff). This is typically achieved by varying the width and number of stacked nanosheets. More sheets, alongside wider sheets, can increase drive current and performance at the cost of power, while fewer or narrower sheets reduce both performance and power consumption.
(Image credit: Intel)
Intel’s 18A RibbonFET transistors feature four nanoribbons and support eight distinct logic threshold voltages (VTs) — four for NMOS, and four for PMOS — spanning a 180mV range. This level of VT granularity is achieved through dipole-based work-function tuning, a method that allows precise control of transistor behavior without altering its physical dimensions. This approach is especially important, given the tight spatial constraints in GAA transistor structures, such as RibbonFETs, where traditional methods, like doping adjustments, are limited.
An Intel graph from the paper shows that despite this wide VT range, the transistors exhibit strong electrical characteristics, including steep subthreshold slopes and well-behaved drive currents across both Id–Vg and Id–Vd curves. These results confirm that Intel has successfully maintained device performance and control across the entire VT spectrum, which enables flexible circuit design choices that balance frequency, power, and leakage within the same process.
Intel’s PowerVia backside power delivery network (BSPDN) relocates power delivery from the top metal layers to the rear side of the chip, creating a physical separation between power and signal wiring. This technique addresses issues like rising resistance in the vertical connections of in the back-end-of-line (BEOL) layers, which in turn enhances transistor efficiency and reduces power usage. Additionally, it prevents signal degradation caused by power interference and allows for tighter packing of logic elements, increasing overall circuit density.
(Image credit: Intel)
Intel’s PowerVia delivers power to transistor contacts, which is a slightly less sophisticated approach compared to TSMC’s Super Power Rail (coming in 2H 2026 along with A16), which connects directly to each transistor’s source and drain. In addition to BSPDN, Intel also implemented its new high-density metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor to enhance power supply stability.
Intel has now disclosed the key benefits of its backside power routing. First up, PowerVia increases transistor density by 8% to 10%, which is quite a sizeable part of 18A’s overall 1.3X transistor density increase over Intel 3. Secondly, the front-side metal layers in its 18A process achieve approximately 12% better resistance-capacitance (RC) performance and show a 24% to 49% decrease in via resistance compared to Intel 3, thanks to improved metallization techniques and the use of ultra-low-k dielectrics. Thirdly, 18A’s PowerVia reduces voltage droop compared to Intel 3 (the worst-case scenario for Intel 3) by up to 10 times. Lastly, BSPDN simplifies chip design as it simplifies the routing of signal and power wires.
PowerVia’s reliability
Since PowerVia is the industry’s first backside power delivery network (BSPDN) used in mass production, Intel also presented reliability test results. These demonstrate its long-term durability and chip-package interaction (CPI) performance.
(Image credit: Intel)
According to JEDEC-standard TQV tests, PowerVia passed multiple stress conditions with zero failures, including highly accelerated stress testing at 110°C and 85% humidity for 275 hours, extended high-temperature bake tests up to 1000 hours at 165°C, and 750 cycles of temperature swings from –55°C to 125°C. These results confirm that PowerVia can withstand harsh operating environments, without compromising structural or electrical integrity.
In addition to CPI reliability, Intel evaluated the impact of PowerVia on SRAM aging and performance stability. Under conditions equivalent to 1000 hours of high-temperature operation, SRAM arrays maintained stable minimum operating voltage (Vmin) with margin, showing no signs of degradation. This suggests that PowerVia does not negatively affect sensitive on-chip memory and is robust enough to support both digital logic and embedded SRAM under extended stress. Together, these findings are meant to affirm PowerVia’s readiness for deployment in high-performance, long-lifecycle computing platforms.
Manufacturability
In addition to improving performance, reducing power consumption, and enabling higher transistor density, Intel’s 18A simplifies production flows and simplifies chip design.(Image credit: Intel)
By moving power delivery to the backside, Intel eliminates the need for a front-side power grid, which, combined with direct EUV patterning, lowers the total number of masks and simplifies the front-end metal process. By using low-n absorber reticles with tailored dimensional adjustments, Intel also enabled single-pass EUV patterning for the M0–M2 metal layers. This simplification of the lower metal layers reduces process complexity and helps offset the cost of adding extra backside metal layers, which are based on mature, low-cost fabrication techniques. As a result, the overall design process becomes easier and cheaper.
In addition, the backside metal layers of 18A’s PowerVia are designed for low resistance and high thermal conductivity, which helps manage the increased power density from the GAA transistors. Also, carrier wafer bonding is optimized for heat removal through the backside, addressing the thermal challenges introduced by high-performance transistors. Finally, PowerVia is compatible with advanced packaging methods like Foveros and EMIB, though we already know this from the fact that Panther Lake uses 18A tiles as well as Foveros 3D.
Summary
Intel’s comprehensive technical overview of its 18A process node has highlighted the architecture, performance, and manufacturability improvements that position it as a competitor to TSMC’s upcoming N2. The 18A process introduces Intel’s second-generation RibbonFET (GAA) transistors and the industry’s first mass-production-ready backside power delivery network, PowerVia.
Together, these innovations enable up to 25% higher performance or 36% lower power consumption compared to Intel 3, while also increasing transistor density by about 30%.
Intel’s PowerVia contributes an 8–10% density gain, 12% RC improvement in metal layers, and up to 10 times lower voltage droop.
The new node has also passed stringent JEDEC reliability tests, including 1000-hour high-temperature aging and extensive thermal cycling to verify that it can be used for designs meant to work for a long time. Additionally, Intel further streamlined front-end patterning using single-pass EUV at M0–M2, thereby reducing mask counts and simplifying the design.
However, whether or not 18A can help Intel restore some of the lustre to its brand remains to be seen, as the company continues to wade its way through rocky waters.
Picking thebest laptop for collegeis a tricky decision to make — what OS to go for, how much power you actually need for your studies, any actually useful AI features and what about the battery life? All questions form a finely tuned balance you need to find for your course.
Well, if you’re looking for a recommendation that cuts through all the marketing noise (includingApple’s rather hilarious PowerPoint presentation), I’d like to put one in front of you. The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is a serious shout for the best back-to-school buy you can make.
With a gorgeous OLED screen, the most powerful Arm chip I’ve seen in a Chromebook, an OLED display and up to 17 hours of battery life, the hardware has a lot going for it. But the real beauty lies in the software and its logical AI implementations.
And while comparatively, this is quite pricey for a Chromebook starting at $649, I believe for what you get, it’s absolutely worthwhile. Let’s get into it.
Before I go into all the “just laptop things,” I want to hone in on that MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910 chip. You see, up until this point, AI on a Chromebook has been very much reliant on the cloud — given the lower-end chips used to keep costs down.
For most of us always being surrounded by Wi-Fi, that’s fine, but it does cause latency in the features that matter. But with a new chip that sports an NPU capable of 50 trillion AI operations per second (TOPS), Google and Lenovo are moving over to a hybrid approach.
This brings on-device AI features that are sensibly implemented and actually useful! First thing’s first, Smart Grouping — perfect for a multi-tab Chrome browsing monster like me.
If you’re working across multiple projects and need to bring some structure to what you do, the on-board AI is able to analyze all your tabs and separate them into different desktops by task.
(Image credit: Google)
The speed of doing this is a cinch, too, as you just swipe up with three fingers on the touchpad and you’ll see the suggestion appear at the bottom. Then Chrome OS works it all out for you. It’s a level of smart organization that you just can’t find on a Windows laptop or a MacBook at the moment.
Then there’s AI image editing directly in the gallery app. This is more of a “fun to have” than a real useful tool, but it does drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to remove a background and create a PNG sticker of the subject.
Up to the cloud
But the AI features don’t stop there. I could go on about the 12 months of Google AI Pro that you get for free — giving you access to 2TB of cloud storage,Gemini 2.5 Proand Deep Research,Veo 3video generation platform and the incredibleNotebookLM(perfect for notetaking in lectures).
But what caught my eye the most is the intelligent Text capture that plugs into all your Google services. Essentially, this is the company’s circle to search feature on speed, as it is able to capture text from any image and take contextual action on it.
(Image credit: Google)
So, beyond the usual capture a picture and shop for the thing via Google Search, you could highlight a text entry and get it as editable text in Google Docs, capture an event promo image and add it as a Google Calendar event.
In my testing, I wrote out a table by hand, highlighted the picture of it, and it was still able to intelligently recognize and turn it into a spreadsheet. This could be huge for people who work out by doodling to digitize their work.(Image credit: Google)
Also, shoutout to the Simplify expansion to help me read, which can take complex subject matter and dumb down the language a bit. Now I can finally sound as clued up on deep psychological studies as my fiancée!
Not forgetting the fundamentals
For all the things I do like about using a Chromebook, one thing that can get lost along the way is actually being a good laptop. I’ve faced a minefield of mushy keyboards, bad speakers, poor displays and battery life that drops to zero if you even look at it funny.
With the Chromebook Plus 14, I think Lenovo’s cracked it. First of all, I can’t ignore that dazzling OLED screen, which Google has gone ahead and paired with NASA to make some custom wallpapers of Jupiter to really make it sing.
This makes it an ideal panel that’s easy on the eyes for getting work done, which is further backed up by a properly tactile-feeling keyboard (that same comfortable thump to each key that you know and love from Lenovo) and a smooth, clicky touchpad.
It also comes in clutch for those moments when you’re so over your studies for the evening, as the Dolby Atmos setup of two woofers and two tweeters sounds fantastic (even in the busy room I was in). That’s sure to make this a binge-watching beast or a great laptop to turn to for firing up the playlist in your student dorms.
That Arm chip doesn’t stutter when opening any programs. With 12-16GB of RAM, I didn’t feel any slowdown or hitching when I took the Plus 14 up over 20 tabs. And Lenovo is stepping up to the mighty stamina of MacBooks with a claimed 17-hour battery life.
And all of this in a premium aluminum shell with a playful ribbed plastic underside and a 5MP webcam for catching up with your family at home. Everything has been considered here, and when it comes to the typical Chromebook compromises, none of them have been made.
Outlook
For some of these claims (like battery life), I’ll leave that for our full review (coming soon), but early impressions are strong. The Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 is a shoo-in for thebest ChromebookI’ve ever tested, and possibly one of thebest laptopsof 2025, too.
It’s easy to count out Chrome OS as the third-place option in favor of Windows 11 and macOS. However, with system-level AI implementations across the board that actually make sense and an incredibly easy-to-use UI.
Of course, there are the big question marks here, like dedicated app support. Google does say that more are coming, but we’ll wait and see on that. But in terms of a solidly powerful system with a great screen, zippy internals, a great screen for binge watching and a stellar OS for getting stuff done, this has everything a student needs.
The once-high-speed connection that reached its peak on Apple’s first music player, appears to be dead.
Technology is always moving forward, which often means old technology gets left behind. For example, NekoMichiUBC on X hasdiscoveredthat the macOS Tahoe beta lacks support for FireWire. That means that legacy devices, such as theoriginaland2nd-generationiPod, storage devices. cameras, and more won’t work with Macs running Tahoe.
It’s actually impressive that Apple has supported FireWire for so long, since Apple tends to drop old tech in a few years. Known by the standard name of IEEE 1394 (FireWire is Apple’s branding), Apple led its development in the late 1980s as a solution for devices that needed high-speed connectivity. In the 2000s, USB became popular and FireWire ports on Macs were eventually dropped, but support had been kept in macOS until Tahoe.
What to do if you have a FireWire device you want to use? Well, you don’t have to upgrade to Tahoe; your Mac is just fine running that older version of macOS. It means, though, that you can’t useTahoe’s features. It also means that any features that operate between iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and Tahoe won’t be available to you, such as Call Screening. If you have a spare Mac, you can decide not install Tahoe on it and use it when you need to use FireWire devices, like an iPod.
If you depend on those old FireWire devices daily, it’s a good idea to upgrade, especially if it’s a storage device. That FireWire hard drive has a lot of miles on it, so its chances of failure are relatively high and increasing every day. You can probably get a faster drive with a lot more storage for a lower price than what you paid for that FireWire drive (storage was much more expensive back then). Get our picks for thebest external hard drivesandSSDs. If it’s a camera, your iPhone 15 probably produces better quality photos, though using old cameras for stylistic purposes is a thing. We get it.
There’s always a chance Apple could reinstate FireWire support in Tahoe–it’s in beta and changes always happen during the cycle. There doesn’t seem to be any technical consequence to it, but Apple likes to drop old tech as part of its proper housekeeping practice. Chances are, it’s gone, so take the time to prepare yourself before Tahoe is officially released in the fall. Learn more aboutmacOS Tahoe.
After most Apple iPads, including the current iPad Pro M4, received the worst possible rating on the new EU energy label, Apple is criticizing the European Union. The criticism is justified in at least a few areas.
The Apple iPad Pro receives the worst rating from the new EU energy label. (Image source: Apple, edited)
Since June 20, all smartphones and tablets sold in the European Union have an energy label attached, which, similar to household appliances, must be displayed by all retailers and online shops. Aswe previously reported, energy labels have been issued for 603 smartphones and tablets so far, 142 of which have been awarded the highest possible rating of “A”. None of these top ratings went to Apple.
While the iPhone 16 Pro at least received a “B” rating, most iPad models only received a “G” rating – the worst rating stipulated by the EU. As the comparison of the labels between iPhone and iPad shows, the latter receives a significant deduction because it can barely survive drops and is not waterproof. The current iPad Pro gets a mediocre repairability rating of “C” – a fairly generous rating, as a look at the iFixit teardown reveals. There is also a deduction for the fact that Apple does not guarantee software updates.
So wird die Akkulaufzeit getestet, die auf dem EU-Energielabel ausgewiesen wird.
In response to the introduction of the EU Energy Label, Apple has published a44-page document explaining its own test methodology and criticizing the European Union’s specifications. According to Apple, the test results would have been sufficient to give the iPhone 16 Pro a better rating by one level in the areas of energy efficiency and drop resistance, but to account for ambiguities in the test specifications, Apple downgraded itself by one notch in each case.
This demonstrates one of the problems with the EU Energy Label: all tests are carried out by the product manufacturers themselves and are only checked by the EU in individual cases. Apple’s main criticism is that the specifications are sometimes vague and open to different interepretations, which in turn leads to different test methodologies and thus different ratings between manufacturers. This is not atypical for the EU, as these are only “preliminary” specifications that will be updated as soon as sufficient data and feedback from manufacturers is available.
Furthremore, Apple argues that some of the specifications are so vague that they barely make sense. For example, the rating of how well a product survives drops can be “overstated” by up to three levels depending on how the test parameters are interpreted. The EU requires a drop onto a steel plate, but does not provide any information on the degree of hardness or surface texture, which can influence the results significantly. Furthermore, only five drops are required, which, according to Apple, is too little for obtaining reliable results.
VRM is an essential part of every computer, but it’s often given little attention. In fact, even many computer-savvy enthusiasts don’t even know what it is or how it works. VRM stands for Voltage Regulator Module. Without a VRM to regulate the huge voltage coming from the power supply, your computer’s more delicate, high-powered components, like the processor, could get fried in an instant. And if your VRM is faulty or fails, your CPU could start showing signs of failure, such as the blue screen of death.
But rather than simply bottlenecking the computer’s power supply, the VRM’s job is more nuanced. It must convert the incoming power into not just a lower but a consistent voltage. That way, your high-powered components don’t receive dips or surges, which could potentially damage them. This consistency is achieved through an array of capacitors and inductors organized into special circuits around MOSFETs, which are specialized transistors. The “brain” of the VRM is an integrated circuit, often referred to as the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller. Within the VRM, capacitors are responsible for resisting sudden changes in voltage, inductors are responsible for resisting sudden changes in current, and MOSFETs are responsible for limiting the incoming charge to specific levels.
The VRM can be found on the motherboard, right where it’s needed the most: near the CPU socket. To identify yours, look between the motherboard’s power connector and CPU socket. You should see one or more rows of cylindrical capacitors, cube-shaped inductors, and MOSFETs, which are typically black square chips. The VRM is soldered right onto the motherboard, so its name describes this entire array of capacitors, inductors, transistors, and the PWM controller contained within the VRM circuit.
As described, the circuit of a VRM is composed of capacitors, inductors, and MOSFETs, which are all controlled by a PWM controller. The simplest schematic of a VRM is a single-phase circuit. Basically, in a single-phase VRM circuit, the MOSFETs act as switches to turn the flow of energy on and off, while the inductors and capacitors act as its signalers and current and voltage storage, respectively. The electrical engineering involved is pretty complex, but what’s important for computer performance is how this process generates heat.
Whenever the MOSFET is switched off, the electrical input to the inductor, or “choke,” is sent back. This switching of current results in a magnetic charge with nowhere to go other than dissipating into the air and surrounding components. As a result, every time the MOSFET is switched on and off, heat is generated. Leaks in the insulation around capacitors will also generate heat. Fortunately, it’s a small amount of heat — the immediate temperature can be about 300 degrees Fahrenheit, but it happens in a fraction of a second. Unfortunately, the MOSFET switches on and off dozens of times per second, so heat becomes a significant issue in the design of a VRM.
Engineers found a simple way to solve the VRM’s problem of heat dissipation. Rather than using a single-phase VRM circuit, modern computers rely on multi-phase VRMs to split the workload into smaller phases across a greater physical area. Using multi-phase VRMs can also improve accuracy and efficiency since each MOSFET only needs to be responsible for a fraction of the total power load. Thus, the heat is both lower in the areas where it’s generated and more widely spread out.
VRM is one of the most important considerations when choosing a motherboard. While the VRM on basic-level motherboards is typically good enough to handle standard graphics cards and CPUs, an expensive motherboard might be worth it if you’re using it for high-end processing and overclocking. Not only do premium motherboards typically have higher-quality VRM components capable of handling the demands of powerful processors, but they’re also usually better at temperature control. Quality VRMs regulate voltage by using more phases to disperse the power load (and, therefore, the temperature) across a greater area. Basic VRMs use about four to six phases, while high-end VRMs break the current into as many as eight or more phases; however, the quality of the VRM components still plays a greater role in heat management.
The effectiveness of a VRM’s heatsink is especially important when overclocking the CPU. Gamers often want to know how to overclock their PCs but may overlook the important role a quality VRM has in reducing the risk of overheating. Because an overclocked CPU generates extra heat, the nearby VRM components must be able to operate at higher temperatures without failing. VRM components also need to be able to meet the increased power demands from an overclocked CPU. As a result, the VRM adds extra heat to the already-heated system.
However, the price of a motherboard isn’t necessarily a great indication of the quality of its VRM components. Instead of relying on the price, search for VRMs with leak-resistant capacitors. These are often marketed under different, eye-catching names such as “Dark Capacitors” and “Japanese Capacitors.” High-quality inductors are also sold under different names, like “Super Ferrite Chokes.” You can search the web for any particular name you don’t recognize to see if it’s a quality component.
PlayStation
(Image credit: Intel)
(Image credit: Google)
