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Acer Predator Triton 14 review: lightweight and affordable with great performance

5:00 pm | April 2, 2024

Acer Predator Triton 14: Two-minute review

“Thinner laptops imbued with the latest hardware” is an adequate mantra for Acer’s Predator Triton series of gaming laptops. From the 500 to the 300 SE, these powerful yet slim devices continuously balance from and factor, and this is nowhere more evident than the latest Acer Predator Triton 14.

Starting at just $1,499.99 in the US (£1083.05/AU$4,599) and standing less than an inch tall when closed and weighing under four lbs, the model I reviewed is packed with a 14-core Intel i7-13700H CPU, Nvidia RTX 4070 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. Then there’s the 14-inch display that has a 2560 x 1600 resolution alongside a 250 Hz refresh rate.

Accompanying the wonderful gaming laptop monitor are powerful DTSX-certified speakers that are loud enough when performance isn’t being pushed. Through and through, the Predator Triton 14 is also suitable for not just gaming.

The form factor makes this great for general computing while the powerful components are more than good enough when editing photos or videos through Adobe Suite software. Portability doesn't sacrifice a respectable battery life either, with multiple ways of charging the gaming laptop as well.

The port selection is well thought out and a wonderful keyboard features per-key RGB lighting and plenty of hotkeys. All of these can be customized beyond the performance settings that can be customized through the Predator Sense app. Even the trackpad is smooth as butter with its incorporated fingerprint scanner.

Despite the balanced approach, some compromises come with the Predator Triton 14. As mentioned above, the cooling and fan system can get incredibly loud when playing a game like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan Wake II, which means headphones are going to be a must. However, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem when writing a review on Google Docs while listening to music on Tidal. The underside can get uncomfortably hot when under loud as well, so make sure it's being placed on something like a desk if you intend to game on it especially hard.

Potential buyers looking for the Predator Triton 14 to be their main general-use laptop may also need to understand that this is a dedicated purchase. Unfortunately, both RAM and SSD storage aren’t upgradeable at this time. RAM-wise, 32GB is slowly becoming the top-tier standard, so having 16GB may be a bit on the lower side, but it'll still get you several years of gaming.

Meanwhile, with modern AAA games using well over 100GB of storage, 1TB really isn’t cutting it much anymore. Right now, these specs are more than adequate, but they’re coming close to “not much longer” status.

If that doesn’t necessarily matter, there’s so much to appreciate with the Acer Predator Triton 14. Not only does it look ready for action but it's ready for any type of game users throw at it. Gamers looking for solid 1440p performance who are content creators are going to have a blast with this, and given its decent price point, it easily makes our list of the best gaming laptops going.

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HP laptop various angles — (Image credit: Future - Joel Burgess)

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Acer Predator Triton 14: Price and availability

How much does it cost? It’s available in 2 configurations in U.S. and UK for $1,499 ( £1083.05) and $1,999 ( £1575.38) and AU for $4,599
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? From Acer’s online store in U.S., UK and AU

Both U.S. and UK configurations of the Acer Predator Triton 14 share the specs for their $1,499 ( £1083.05) and $1,999 ( £1575.38) price points. All configurations have identical Intel i7 CPU, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, port selection, audio and Full HD webcam.

At the base price, users get an Nvidia RTX 4050 with 6GB RAM, 1920X1200 resolution display at 165Hz and 512GB SSD storage. This is totally fine for anyone looking to stay in the 1080p native resolution range when gaming. The highest $1,999 configuration for 1440p performance comes with the Nvidia RTX 4070 with 8GB RAM, 2560 x 1600 resolution display at 250Hz and 1TB SSD storage. There is only one configuration as of print for Australia which is in line with the top tier option outside of offering 32GB of RAM.

There are two 14-inch gaming laptops that come to mind when thinking of alternatives to the Predator Triton 14. One is the more expensive Razer Blade 14 which starts at $2,399. For those who need something cheaper, the Lenovo Legion 5 Slim 14 gives up performance power for a 1,439.99 price point. With that said, the Predator Triton 14 does find a happy medium when it comes to value.

Value score: 4 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 14: Specs

The Acer Predator Triton 14 currently comes in two configurations in the United States, two in the UK, and one in Australia.

Acer Predator Triton 14: Design

The design matches aggressiveness with modesty alongside a healthy port selection
Awesome visual/audio capabilities
Outstanding keyboard layout and touchpad

The Acer Predator Triton 14 hasn’t changed its looks going as far back as the past two years and that’s totally fine. Acer’s 14-inch gaming laptop manages to have more powerful components and still manages to be lightweight and thin. Therefore, that’s an accomplishment on its own. Only coming in one color, Sparkly Silver, the Predator Triton 14 feels good enough to hold in one hand yet not fragile enough to crash if dropped. Regardless of the power packed in, there are three sets of vents on each side and rear which can turn into leaf blowers when performance is put to the max.

Port selection is solid with the right side housing an HDMI port, USB-A port, and headphone jack. The other has a charge port for the nice-sized power adapter, a USB-A port, and a USB-C port that can also be used for charging as well. At the front of the gaming laptop is a micro-USB slot which will definitely be helpful for creators looking to offload content for use later.

Once opened, the 14-inch display provides fantastic image quality and performance. For one, the display is Vesa Certified for DisplayHDR 600. This definitely provides great image quality with vivid colors that are the right amount of crisp in contrast, a high level of brightness, and deep blacks.

This means outside of gaming or watching videos, color correcting on Photoshop and Premiere is easier. Though there are a handful of games that’ll be able to match its 250 Hz refresh rate output with the performance specs, the gameplay looks purposefully smooth. When the cooling fans aren’t running loudly, the DTS:X speakers work sound great as well. Having the codec also means that users can get true virtual surround sound or Spatial Audio if using some form of headphones.

Keyboard input strikes a nice balance between being tactile and punchy. Typing out long-form editorial content is a comfortable and precise feeling. Playing games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Cyberpunk 2077 feel just as good as writing a complex email.

Then there’s the per-key RGB lighting that adds a bit of personal flair. On top of that are several function keys including some for media and access to the Predator Sense app. There’s even a button to switch between performance modes too. Even the touchpad feels great and smooth alongside the fingerprint scanner on the top left side. However, even casual gamers will know to get a gaming mouse instead.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 14: Performance

1440p gaming at high settings are possible
DLSS is clutch
Cooling fans get outrageously loud and lap can get hot

Benchmarks

Here's how the Acer Predator Triton 14 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Speed Way: 2654 Fire Strike: 24205 Time Spy: 11147
GeekBench 6: 2633 (single-core); (multi-core) 14626
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 83.6fps; (1080p, Low): 212.6fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 90.74fps; (1080p, Low): 89.15fps
F1 23 (1080p, Ultra): 43fps; (1080p, Low): 208fps
25GB File Copy Transfer Rate (Mbps): 2214.546879
Handbrake 1.6: 63 fps
CrossMark Overall: 2075; Productivity: 1980; Creativity: 2155; Responsiveness: 2132;
Web Surfing (Battery Informant): 5:17:26
PCMark 10 Battery (Gaming): 1:49

1440p gaming performance on the Acer Predator Triton 14 successfully manages to play some of the top AAA games available without much problem. As of right now, two of the most visually demanding games on the platform are Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake II. The Predator Triton 14 handles both games well at 1440p with frame rates that are usually in the 60 fps range.

Having the 14-core Intel i7-13700H and Nvidia RTX 4070 really goes a long way in helping in-game performance. Having the RTX 4070 also means that users can do AI upscaling through DLSS which can push in-game performance even more. Due to the 2560 x 1600 resolution with a 16:10 ratio, one way to get higher performance is to play a game in native 1080p and upscale from there if playing through the display. Native 2560 x 1600 is fine on its own though. Be mindful that there won’t be too many current games that’ll even come close to hitting a 250-frame-per-second mark at native resolution. The only games that could theoretically come close are possibly Counter-Strike 2, Doom Eternal, and Fortnite if graphics settings are in a reasonable range.

Both Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2 are also fine examples of games that’ll test a GPU’s ray tracing capabilities as well. Thankfully, both games work excellently in that regard though Alan Wake II for sure requires some tweaks to maintain a high frame rate. Of course, these games will require max power output or Turbo mode which will have the fans running incredibly loud. If playing on the lap, the heat can get uncomfortable.

Outside of gaming, Adobe Creative Suite performance is acceptable as well. We were able to use multiple layers on photos without much slowdown when using Photoshop. Through Premiere Pro, we could edit 10 minutes worth of 4K video that took less than 10 minutes to export. When it came to general use tasks like web browsing, I had a few dozen Google Chrome tabs opened without much issue.

Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Acer Predator Triton 14: Battery life

Battery life reached the halfway mark in about 4 ½ hours
Can be charged through a charging port or USB
Recharge time is around two hours

Gaming laptops aren’t necessarily known for their battery life prowess but Eco-mode on the Acer Predator Triton 14 does lead to impressive results. It took around 4 ½ hours for the battery to reach the mid-way point. In total, we were able to get around 7 hours and some change in total. Of course, turning off features like Bluetooth alongside turning down the brightness and keyboard lighting can help reduce battery load too. Trying to play games that’ll push the laptop to the max will deliver around an hour’s worth of gaming so it’s best to keep it plugged in if one plans on doing so.

Gamers who need to get work done during a bi-coastal trip should have plenty of time before they need to charge. Users can change via the powerport which will take around two hours to get the battery to full. Meanwhile, if users forget their power brick, users can charge through the USB-C port but won’t get the same level of performance.

Battery life score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Acer Predator Triton 14?

Buy it if...

You need a slim gaming laptop with respectable performance
Weighing under 4 lbs and as tall as a quarter, the Acer Predator Triton 14 still manages to shine when it comes to 1440p performance.

Don't buy it if...

You would like a quieter machine when pushing specs to the max
The cooling system is incredibly loud when pushing high-quality visuals and performance.

The Acer Predator Triton 14

How I tested the Acer Predator Triton 14

Tested over a two week period
Split between general tasks, creative work and gaming

My time with the Acer Predator Triton 14 lasted a little over a two-week period. During the day, I used it as my main laptop while working the office job. It was here that I was able to test general performance and speakers. During office hours, I used Google Chrome and related services like Google Docs, Tidal to listen to high fidelity music alongside creative software.

Through Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro, I was able to create graphics and short-form video clips. When away from work, I took the time to play various AAA games. These games included Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Motorsport (2023), Dead Space (2023), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and Alan Wake II.

Since 2020, I’ve been covering various gaming laptops for TechRadar. As a PC Gaming enthusiast, I can definitely help anyone who is looking for a gaming laptop that’s worth their performance measures and pocketbook.

First reviewed April 2024

Dell XPS 14 9440 review: a stunning laptop that gives Windows users a real MacBook competitor

11:44 pm | April 1, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: Battery Life, OLED | Comments: Off

Dell XPS 14 9440: Two minute review

The Dell XPS 14 is the newest entrant into an already storied line of laptops, and it is arguably the best laptop of this newest crop of XPS devices thanks to its powerful new processor, stunning OLED display, and a design that looks better than just about any other Windows laptop on the market.

The XPS 14 9440 starts at a somewhat pricey $1,499 / £1,599 / AU$2,998.60, and it lacks the dedicated Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU and OLED display, so you'll want to upgrade these two specs in particular, though it will end up costing you much more for the privilege.

To be clear, Dell XPS laptops have never been cheap, but my recommended configuration, the same as the one I reviewed, will set you back nearly $2,400 / £2,650 / AU$4,300. For the hardware packed into such a slim 14-inch form factor, it's more than worth the investment as this laptop will last for years before it becomes obsolete.

In terms of design, the XPS 14 fully commits to the design changes that the Dell XPS 13 Plus introduced back in 2022, but introduces a couple of quality-of-life improvements on its smaller cousin.

For one, the down-firing speakers have been moved up top alongside the keyboard, producing far better sound in exchange for diminishing the XPS 13 Plus's infinity edge-style keyboard. This is a much better design choice, ultimately, and you don't sacrifice much in the way of key space on the deck itself.

The display is what really steals the show here: a gorgeous 3.2K OLED display with super-slim bezels. This latter feature is impressive because Dell has somehow managed to squeeze in a 1080p webcam. There's no physical privacy shutter, but that's never really been Dell's thing, unfortunately.

The Dell XPS 14's Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the Nvidia RTX 4050 deliver powerful performance across all workloads, and in some cases can even match or exceed what you'd get from a MacBook Pro 14-inch, especially for gaming (though the RTX 4050 isn't nearly powerful enough to keep up with the best gaming laptops).

Overall, the Dell XPS 14 9440 is a powerful performer for everything from everyday computing use to 1080p gaming to moderate content creation. It's an expensive investment, but on balance, it's one of the best Windows laptops you can buy right now.

Dell XPS 14 9440: Price and availability

A Dell XPS 14 on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

How much does it cost? Starting at $1,499 / £1,599 / AU$2,998.60
When is it out? It's available right now
Where can you get it? You can get it in the US, UK, and Australia

The Dell XPS 14 9440 is available now in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $1,499 / £1,599 / AU$2,998.60. For that price, you get an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with integrated Arc graphics, 16GB LPDDR5x memory, 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD storage, and a 14.5-inch full HD+ (1920x1200p) non-touch display.

My review unit, which sells for $900 / £1,050 / AU$1,300 more, upgrades to discrete graphics with an Nvidia RTX 4050 (30W) GPU, 32GB LPDDR5x memory, 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD, and a 14.5-inch 3.2K (3200x2000p) OLED display.

You can max out your configuration with 64GB LPDDR5x RAM and 4TB M.2 PCIe SSD, in addition to the above, for $3,399 / £3,238.99 / AU$5,999.40.

Value: 4 / 5

Dell XPS 14 9440: Specs

Dell XPS 14 9440: Design

Gorgeous design
OLED display is stunning
Upfiring speakers

The Dell XPS 14 doesn't shy away from the design choices that the XPS 13 Plus introduced, for better or for worse, but it does make some very important improvements to the previous design iterations.

For one, let's talk about top-firing speakers. Down-firing speakers are genuinely terrible. They might be necessary, but they're terrible, and any time we can get top-firing speakers on a laptop, your audio experience is automatically going to improve substantially.

The exterior finish comes in two colors: Platinum or Graphite. The finish is a CNC machined aluminum with a glass palm rest, and everything about it feels premium. The chasis itself isn't all that heavy, but it's not as light as something like the LG Gram or some of the best ultrabooks that prioritize portability over performance.

For ports, you have three Thunderbolt 4 ports with power delivery and DisplayPort output, a 3.5mm combo jack, and a microSD slot. Given its size, I'm not expecting all that much on the ports front, but it's good to see the microSD slot included since this at least gives some flexibility for creative professionals or those who might have a device that saves to microSD, like one of the best drone models.

As for the keyboard, this is one area that's not so great, since the nearly flat surface of the keys makes it difficult for touch typers who are used to a bit more definition to find their place among the keys. You'll get used to it, but it's not the best typing experience I've ever had on a keyboard out of the box.

Another major issue is the trackpad, in that it's invisible. This does give the laptop a bit of a 'future' feel to it, but at the cost of accessibility. Likewise, the touchbar along the top is in place of actual function keys. All of these features work fine enough for me, but I can see someone with reduced vision struggling with this keyboard and trackpad.

Next, you have the webcam. Somehow, Dell managed to fit a 1080p webcam into the narrow top bezel of the display panel, and it's a welcome addition. Too many laptops skip the 1080p webcam in order to retain the thin bezels, and that was fine in the pre-work-from-home era, but nowadays, you need a quality webcam, there's just no getting around it.

Finally, the air intake on the Dell XPS 14 comes in from the side and bleeds out the back though a vent underneath the display hinge. The heat management is ok, but given its thin form factor, the underside can get hot under load.

As far as Windows laptops go, this is possibly one of the best-looking laptops going. There are some who won't love—or even like—the planar-leveled keyboard and lack of physical function keys or clearly defined trackpad, but overall, there is way more to like here than to nitpick, especially if you're opting for the OLED display.

Design: 4.5 / 5

Dell XPS 14 9440: Performance

A Dell XPS 14 on a desk running resource intensive apps — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Excellent all-around performance
Surprisingly competitive against the MacBook Pro for creative work
Fantastic productivity and solid gaming performance

Finally we come down to the performance of the Dell XPS 14, and I can definitely say that it is among the best you're going to get on a laptop right now.

The direct rival of the Dell XPS 14 is the Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch with M3 Pro, and the XPS 14 holds its own against the best Apple has to offer in terms of general performance, features superior gaming performance, and also manages to battle the MacBook Pro 14 to a draw for some typical creative workloads.

While the MacBook Pro 14-inch ultimately offers better single-core performance and slightly better multicore performance, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with an Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU does an admirable job against one of Apple's best processors.

In terms of overall system performance, the MacBook Pro 14 with M3 Pro (11-core) does manage to score about 23% better in our Crossmark benchmark, as well as scoring about 12% better in Geekbench 6.2's multicore performance test.

The two laptops are evenly matched for SSD performance, and the MacBook Pro 14-inch scores better in 3DMark's Wildlife Extreme and Wildlife Extreme Unlimited. The RTX 4050 in the XPS 14, meanwhile, pulls ahead of the M3 Pro's GPU in Solar Bay and Solar Bay Unlimited, which are ray-tracing workloads, so this shouldn't be surprising as Nvidia's hardware can handle ray tracing far better than Apple's chips right now.

In terms of creative performance, the Nvidia RTX GPU in the XPS 14 will outperform pretty much any comparable Apple device when it comes to 3D modeling, since just about every 3D modeling tool relies on Nvidia's CUDA instruction set, so Apple, AMD, and Intel will always be at a disadvantage.

When it comes to video encoding, the XPS 14 manages to encode a 4K video into 1080p about 7% faster in Handbrake 1.7, though depending on the app you're using, Apple's specialized encoding engine might be determinative. If you're a creative pro working in film and video, you'll know which tools play best with Apple and which lean towards Nvidia, so which is better will come down to the tools you'll ultimately need to use.

Finally, taking the average 1200p gaming performance on Max settings, the Dell XPS 14 does a better job than the MacBook Pro 14 across the board. The XPS 14 does about 62% better with Civilization VI, getting nearly 90 fps at 1200p with performance and memory impact set to max. In Total War: Warhammer III's battle benchmark, the XPS 14 gets around 40 fps, which is about 25% higher than the MacBook Pro 14-inch's 32 fps. It's only in Shadow of the Tomb Raider that the MacBook Pro 14-inch scores a win, getting 48 fps at 1200p on highest settings, while the Dell XPS 14 manages to get 47 fps, but there's a huge caveat there.

This doesn't factor in the RTX 4050's DLSS upscaler, which can push the XPS 14's fps much higher than that, depending on the settings you select. This is a huge advantage for the XPS 14 that, for right now at least, Apple's best MacBook struggles to counter since its upscaler, Apple MetalFX, is developer-dependent, and not a lot of games include it as an option.

In the end, then, the Dell XPS 14 manages to go toe-to-toe with the venerable MacBook Pro 14 and comes out with some very important wins in the process.

Performance: 5 / 5

Dell XPS 14 9440: Battery life

Intel Evo is back, baby!
Charges to full in less than 90 minutes

Intel chips have not had good battery life for years. Back in 2020, Intel Evo was a big deal, and one of its biggest qualifiers was achieving more than 9 hours of battery life on a standard battery test. With the 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake laptop processors released in 2021, battery life on Intel laptops absolutely tanked, and Intel Evo faded away for a few years as Intel went through Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, and Raptor Lake Refresh, all of which had generally terrible battery life (even on an ultrabook!).

Now, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, Intel seems to have refocused itself on more battery efficiency rather than dumping electrons into maximum performance.

The Dell XPS 14 benefits with a nine-hour 35-minute battery life on our proprietary web surfing test, which is far better than the six or seven hours these laptops were getting just a year or two ago.

Under heavier load, the XPS 14 still struggles to get more than seven hours of battery life on PCMark 10's Modern Office battery test, and the PCMark 10 Gaming battery test only ran for about one hour 50 minutes before shutting down.

These are a far cry from what Apple is able to pull off with the MacBook Pro 14-inch with M3 Pro, which lasted about 17 hours 32 minutes in our battery tests, but knowing where Windows laptops have been in the past couple of years, I'll gladly take a laptop that can last a full workday without a charge.

Battery Life: 4 / 5

Should you buy a Dell XPS 14 9440?

Buy the Dell XPS 14 9440 if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Dell XPS 14 9440: Report card

First reviewed April 2024

How We Test

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

Read more about how we test

Samsung 990 EVO review: great for the price, just don’t expect true PCIe 5.0 speeds

8:00 am | March 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: PC, SSD | Comments: Off

Samsung 990 EVO: Two-minute review

The Samsung 990 EVO steps into the spotlight following the well-received Samsung 990 Pro, setting the stage for an SSD to carry forward the EVO series' legacy of performance and reliability.

The 970 EVO Plus, this SSD's predecessor, was one of the best SSD picks when it was released a couple of years back, and it's still celebrated as one of the best cheap SSDs you can get even now, despite lacking the kinds of data rates you'll get with a modern PCIe 5.0.

That leaves the 990 EVO with the ambitious task of following up a beloved budget model while introducing a hybrid PCIe 4.0/5.0 interface aimed at carving out a niche in an increasingly competitive SSD arena, and in that, it kind of succeeds - but also disappoints.

Right out the gate, the 990 EVO distinguishes itself with an interface capable of toggling between x4 PCIe 4.0 and x2 PCIe 5.0, which gives PC users a decent amount of wiggle room for their PCs if they've got a lot of drives plugged in. Coupled with a newly minted 5nm controller designed to enhance efficiency, the 990 EVO should be set up for success.

The drive opts for a DRAM-less configuration, however, that somewhat tempers expectations with its more modest bandwidth, leading to speeds that clock below what the best PCIe 4.0 drives are capable of.

Despite this, the single-sided 2TB variant I reviewed presents a versatile option for both PC enthusiasts and PlayStation 5 owners, a nod towards the growing standardization of high-capacity, single-sided drives. It lacks a heatsink, so PS5 users especially will want to look at an add-in heatsink just to be safe, but given the speeds involved, this drive doesn't really get hot enough that you'll need to be too concerned.

A Samsung 990 EVO slotted into a motherboard — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Targeted primarily at the laptops, OEM, and pre-built PC markets, the 990 EVO promises to deliver sufficient performance for gaming and everyday use, and positions itself as a compliment to the far more robust 990 Pro. It's a more cost-effective solution for gamers and others while still benefiting from Samsung's solid software support and reliability, and the option to toggle between PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 is a real value add for this drive.

Price-wise, the 990 EVO entered the market with a recommended retail price of $149.99 for the 1TB model and $239.99 for the 2TB variant, according to Samsung's website, but even there, these prices have been marked down quite a bit, and you can find the 1TB model for about $90/£100/AU$219, depending on where you look.

This pricing strategy places it in a good balance with its Pro sibling and other competitors, especially in a market where SSD prices are on the rise.

Performance specifications for the 990 EVO boast up to 5,000 MB/s and 4,200 MB/s in sequential reads and writes, respectively, alongside impressive random read and write IOPS. These figures are complemented by a standard five-year warranty and support for TCG Opal 2.0 encryption, making it an attractive option for security-conscious laptop users.

In terms of real-world performance, I more or less achieved these speeds across the board, and the drive's flexibility to operate across both PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 interfaces is a highlight. Despite the drive's low-ish 5,000MB/s advertised sequential read speed (which doesn't come close to maxing out the PCIe 4.0/5.0 lanes available to it), the drive does at least hit or exceed this claimed speed.

Despite these technical intricacies, the 990 EVO's broader challenge lies in its identity within the highly competitive SSD market. It seeks to offer a balance between performance, efficiency, and price - a task complicated by the competitive pricing and superior performance of PCIe 4.0 alternatives like the 990 Pro, PNY XLR8 CS3140, or Patriot Viper VP4300.

All together then, the Samsung 990 EVO represents a solid addition to the SSD market. It doesn't bring you the kind of PCIe 5.0 speeds we see with the Crucial T705, but it's not meant for full-on performance. If you want that, you'll be better off investing in a 'real' PCIe 5.0 SSD, but for what it is, the 990 EVO hits the mark it needs to hit.

A Samsung 990 EVO with its retail packaging — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Samsung 990 EVO: Price & availability

How much does it cost? MSRP starting at $149.99/£100/AU$219
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Samsung 990 EVO starts at $149.99/£100/AU$219 for 1TB and maxes out at 2TB for $239.99/£169/AU$359, at least officially.

This doesn't include a heatsink, but given the rather modest speeds and energy usage of this SSD, your motherboard's heatsink will be more than enough since you really don't even need the extra heat spreader for this drive.

While the above are retail prices for this SSD (according to Samsung's website), even Samsung can be found offering these drives for up to 40% off, making this one of the best cheap SSD options out there if you're hoping to find a good balance between price and performance.

Samsung 990 EVO: Specs

Should you buy the Samsung 990 EVO?

Buy the Samsung 990 EVO if...

You want good performance for the price
This isn't the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD, but for the price, its performance is great.

You need a laptop SSD
The biggest selling point of this SSD is that it's geared more towards efficiency than high performance, so it'll be good for laptops where battery life is a concern.

Don't buy it if...

You want PCIe 5.0 speeds
The speed of this drive is ok for what it is, but don't let the PCIe 5.0 interface fool you; you're not even going to get max PCIe 4.0 speeds with this drive.

You just need any ol' SSD
If you're just looking for an SSD for extra storage and you don't actually care how fast it is, save your money and buy a cheaper SSD, maybe even the Samsung 970 EVO Plus or similar PCIe 3.0 drives.

Samsung 990 EVO: Also consider

If my Samsung 990 EVO review has you looking for other options, here are two more SSDs to consider...

How I tested the Samsung 990 EVO

I spent about two weeks testing the Samsung 990 EVO
I used it as my main system drive on my workstation PC
I used my standard battery of benchmark tests along with content creation and general use

I spent about two weeks testing the Samsung 990 EVO, using it as my primary system drive on my workstation PC that I used for content creation, general work use, and some light gaming.

Primarily, though, this drive is best reserved for mobile devices like laptops and possibly PC gaming handhelds that can better benefit from its improved energy efficiency.

I've been reviewing PC hardware for several years, in addition to earning my Master's Degree in Computer Science in 2024, so I know very well how a drive like this should perform with its given architecture and price point — knowledge I leverage to ensure you find the best SSD for your needs and budget, whether it's the Samsung 990 EVO or a competing drive.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

Crucial T705 SSD review: fantastic speed for those who can afford it

2:14 pm | March 22, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: SSD | Comments: Off

Crucial T705: Two-minute review

The Crucial T705 SSD is inarguably one of the fastest PCIe 5.0 drives to hit the market in recent months, making it a must-have for gamers, content creators, or anyone who needs outstanding storage performance.

Starting at $239.99/£245.99/AU$379.99 for 1TB without a heatsink, this isn't the best cheap SSD on the market, but you're getting a lot for what you pay for, and given that it is a strong contender for the best SSD you can get in 2024, the price isn't out of line with what you should expect to pay.

What you get for that investment is an incredibly fast SSD that reaches speeds that deliver on the promise of PCIe 5.0, including nearly 14,400MB/s sequential read speeds, so gamers especially are going to love the incredibly fast loading times you're going to get from this drive.

Its sequential write speed topped out at 12,465 MB/s in my testing, so this drive is also going to be great as a working drive for content creators like video editors who need to save or export massive files on a regular basis.

That said, seeing as it is PCIe 5.0, this isn't the best PS5 SSD since you won't be able to take full advantage of the PCIe 5.0 lanes (the PS5 is limited to PCIe 4.0, which caps out at about 7,500MB/s), so you're better off with a Samsung 990 Pro, PNY XLR8 CS3140, or a Patriot Viper VP4300, which will get you the absolute fastest PCIe 4.0 speeds on the market (and will probably save you some money too).

In a properly capable PC motherboard though, this SSD will absolutely fly. All this performance comes at the price of significantly higher thermals though, so you will need a heatsink for this drive, whether that's the one on offer from Crucial or the one that comes with your motherboard.

And honestly, you're better off with either the Crucial or a more 'powered' heatsink that has some form of active cooling like a fan, because the heat generated by this SSD is not for the faint of heart.

So, in the end, the question is really whether you should be buying this SSD for your next rig or workstation, and the answer is unequivocally yes, assuming you have a setup that can take advantage of the PCIe 5.0 tech built into this drive.

Right now, all the best graphics cards are PCIe 4.0, so you don't have to worry about splitting any PCIe 5.0 lanes just yet, but if you're planning to run a top-tier system in the coming years, make sure your motherboard can support both your GPU and this SSD, since it's quite an investment and the rollout of PCIe 5.0 drives like the Crucial T705 has driven down the price of the best PCIe 4.0 drives a good bit.

If your motherboard can only support one or the other, and you're looking to snatch up the Nvidia RTX 5090 when it drops in late 2024/early 2025, you're going to get a lot more out of a PCIe 5.0 graphics card than a PCIe 5.0 SSD. If that's your situation, you might be better off opting for the top-of-the-line PCIe 4.0 SSDs like the 990 Pro, which you can get for much cheaper than this drive. But if high-end graphics card performance is less of a concern that fast loading times for gaming and rapid exports to disk from Adobe Premiere Pro, AutoDesk, or other similar content creation apps, than the Crucial T705 SSD is a fantastic drive to get you the kind of performance you need at a reasonable price-per-terabyte.

A Crucial T705 SSD on a pink desk mat — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Crucial T705: Price & availability

How much does it cost? Starting at $239.99/£245.99/AU$379.99
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Crucial T705 is available in the US, UK, and Australia, starting at $239.99/£245.99/AU$379.99 for 1TB, without a heatsink.

For those with beefy motherboards with M.2 slot heat sinks, this should be fine, but for high-performance machines and workstations, I recommend upgrading to an included heatsink for an extra $16/£20/AU$50, which does a better job of keeping the SSD cool.

The T705 is also available in 2TB ($399.99/£454.79/AU$729, without heatsink) and 4TB ($713.99/£833.99/AU$949, without heatsink), which puts it on the higher end of the best M.2 SSD options out there. The Samsung 990 Pro, for example, is the best PCIe 4.0 SSD currently and retails for $169.99 / £155 / AU$265 for 1TB, and going as high as 4TB for $464.99/£284/AU$699, before including an option for a heatsink.

This puts the Crucial T705 on the high-end of SSDs, but it's only slightly more expensive than the best PCIe 4.0 SSD going but delivers about twice the performance, so it's hard to argue that the T705 isn't an incredible value in the end.

Crucial T705: Specs

Should you buy the Crucial T705?

Buy the Crucial T705 if...

You want fast loading times for games and apps
With incrediblly fast sequential read speeds, this drive will load your games, apps, and even your OS in no time.

You need to write large files to disk frequently
If you're a content creator, exporting a work-in-progress to disk can be time consuming, but this drive makes it much easier.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget
This is hardly the cheapest PCIe 5.0 drive out there.

You're looking for a PS5 SSD
This drive's PCIe 5.0 interface makes it way more expensive than a PCIe 4.0 drive, so PS5 users are better off going with a cheaper SSD since you won't get the full performance of this drive on a console right now.

Crucial T705: Also consider

If my Crucial T705 review has you looking for other options, here are two more M.2 SSDs to consider...

How I tested the Crucial T705

I spent about a week testing this SSD
I used it for gaming, content creation, and general storage use
I used my standard suite of SSD benchmarks as well as daily use

To test the T705, I ran it through our standard benchmark suite, including CrystalDiskMark 8, PassMark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, and out proprietary 25GB file copy test.

I used this drive as my main system storage (C:\) drive for over a week on our test bench, where I used it extensively for loading games for benchmarking purposes, content creation, and more.

I've been reviewing PC hardware for several years now, in addition to earning my Master's Degree in Computer Science, so I know how an SSD of this caliber should perform for the price, and I leverage that knowledge to help you find the best SSD for your needs and budget, whether it's the Crucial T705 or an alternative.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

Loomly review

5:27 pm | March 18, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Software | Comments: Off

Loomly is one of the newer and snappier entries into TechRadar Pro's list of the best social media management tools, and with good reason. Built for the social media era, Loomly tries to make life simple for its users – which could soon include you.

We've already thoroughly tested the likes of Hootsuite, HubSpot, and Circleboom, and while these might be more familiar names in the social media space, Loomly is definitely worth checking out.

Loomly themselves tout huge time savings of 30 hours per week for average users, who can make use of the built-in 300 or more content ideas, which can be especially helpful for smaller organizations with fewer people to bounce ideas off.

Sign up for Loomly

There's a reason that the likes of Dior, Honda, BMW, The Salvation Army, Thomas Cook, and many more use Loomly's services to manage their brand posts across every major social media channel, and some smaller ones too.

Given the world we live in has become dominated by social media platforms, making sure your business can stay ahead of the pack is vitally important. Just having a company blog no longer cuts it in 2024, sadly, as users discover services via social media and everyone is competing for attention.

In this review, we're going to cover a lot of ground and make sure you can make an informed decision about whether Loomly is your pick for best social media manager in 2024. Let's dive in.

We've also featured the best small business software of 2024

Loomly social media — (Image credit: Future)

Plans and pricing

First, the good stuff: pricing. If you're a small business, or even a one-person operation, then cost is going to be very, very important and might weigh more on the decision than the respective features.

Loomly is priced very competitively and splits its service into four very easy to understand tiers: Basic, Standard, Advanced, and Premium. We'll go through each.

Basic: as the name suggests, this is the lowest level tier that Loomly offers, with support for 10 accounts, two users, and access to interactions, analytics, a hashtag manager, post previews, and more, for $32 per month.
Standard: billed as the most popular option, a Standard subscription gives you everything in Basic plus 20 accounts, six users, advanced analytics, content exports, and Slack and Teams integration, for $60 per month.
Advanced: for larger clients, this tier supports up to 35 accounts and 14 users, plus the ability to set custom roles, create custom workflows, and enjoy scheduled reports, all for $131 per month.
Premium: finally, for the biggest companies, Loomly offers a tier that can handle everything, including up to 50 accounts, 30 users, and the ability to add custom branding, plus everything else in the other three plans, for $277 per month.

All of these subscription tiers include a discount when paying annually, which might be something your organisation wants to do anyway – a nice little addition.

Loomly also offers an Enterprise tier that comes upon request, and includes tailored support via an account manager and the ability to scale up beyond even the heights of Premium, while getting a nice little discount.

Features

With pricing out of the way, let's get into the actual features that Loomly has on offer. As standard, Loomly supports all of the major social networks – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Google, Snap, and so on – and that applies to all of the tiers, not just the more expensive ones, which is a nice touch.

All users can also access the ability to schedule unlimited posts, publish directly, manage hashtags, use link shorteners, and store unlimited assets on the platform. Compared to some of its rivals, that's a decent list.

Loomly also lets every user access an approval workflow (which is very handy given the downsides to posting things before they're ready) and the ability to set user roles. All but Basic get Slack and Teams integrations, too.

In terms of actual content creation, Loomly offers users Basic through Premium access to post previews, Google Drive, Canva, a post inspiration tool, the ability to reply to interactions, and an analytics dashboard.

Finally, Loomly's iOS and Android apps are available to all and really help with jotting down ideas on the go or making tweaks while you're out and about. Some rivals reserve the apps for higher tiers, so this is also a nice thought.

If you thought this section went on for a little it's because, well, Loomly is very generous with the "basic" features on its service, making this ideal for any organization that doesn't want to spend too much while being able to do a lot.

We've also featured best Business plan software of 2024

Digging a little bit deeper, let's take a look at some of the more advanced features that Loomly offers. While the company is generous, there are some features your business might want to take advantage of that require a higher plan.

Starting off with an obvious one, Loomly lets Standard tiers and upwards access its advanced analytics, which does go into a lot more detail, as well as the ability to export results. Advanced and Premium users can also schedule reports.

Exporting content, such as analytics, lists, calendars, and posts, is also not something the Basic tier can manage, meaning you'll need to go for Standard or above if those workflows sound important.

Custom branding, something big organizations will surely want, is limited to only the most expensive Premium plan. Users can utilize a branded subdomain, custom favicon, and a custom logo as part of this feature set.

To close out this section, Loomly also offers access to over five million royalty-free images and videos, plus daily post inspiration to get the ideas flowing.

We've also featured the best business laptops in 2024

Analytics and reporting

Given that keeping track is one of, if not the main reason to use social media management platforms, this section might be the most important, depending on your organization, of course.

Loomly tracks a lot. Post-performance can be measured in real time across every single major social network, labels are available to help measure campaigns, and users can schedule analytics reports at regular intervals to help keep things under control.

The main aim is to help users get a better understanding of what's working and, importantly, what's not: not every post will be a smash hit, but over time you'll be able to build up a knowledge of what works.

Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (or Twitter) all get the detailed analytics treatment, with granular insights into how posts are performing, and the ability to create new posts to "mimic" those. Having everything in one place makes life so much easier, too.

Finally, Loomly offers loom.ly domains for its clients, helping you get additional data on who is opening your links, when, where, and why. It's a neat little addition.

User interface

For our money, Loomly has one of the best UIs out there when it comes to social media managers: everything is in the right place and easy to use, even advanced features and settings.

The company recently redesigned many of its core features to make everything that much smoother based on customer feedback and it's made a huge difference.

A great example is the rebuilt Post Builder, which, as you can imagine, is one of the main places you'll be hanging out in the app. Loomly worked on reducing the number of steps to create content, such as by introducing collapsable post ideas, the ability to close content, and new ways to label different pieces of work.

Loomly's ultimate goal is actually to automate much of your workflow – part of the reason there is a focus on mimicking older posts – and that bleeds into how you spend time actually using the app. Unlike some rivals, Loomly almost wants you to spend less time on there, or at least doing boring tasks.

As the company says of its website: organize away the chaos. By making Loomly your creative and organization hub for all things social media, life becomes a bit simpler.

We've also featured best website builder for small business of 2024

Support

As you might expect, support is handled very well, from the most basic to specific customer-by-customer help. Loomly publishes a blog, YouTube tutorials, and much more to answer many of the most basic questions.

On top of these, Loomly also publishes webinars and hosts specific courses to help users make the most of its powerful software. That's the thing, ultimately: Loomly wants users to get the absolute best bang for their buck.

We found the Help Center to be super useful for answering some early questions, and in fact it helped point us towards some things we didn't immediately know about before, which in turn helped improve our workflows.

As mentioned above, big enterprise clients are assigned a specific account manager to help them out in whatever way is necessary.

The competition

As we said above, TechRadar has spent many hours assessing the best social media management tools and found that SEMrush actually ranks the highest because it also includes an SEO management platform, plus the usual features, making it an ideal one-stop shop for everything your business needs online.

Hootsuite works the best for tracking analytics, although there is an over-arching focus on Twitter (or X), while Sprout Social ranks the highest for actually creating and posting content to the platforms.

Buffer offers great post tracking tools, on top of a great all-round platform, and Hubspot is amazing for automating workflows. Meanwhile, Circleboom has an OpenAI integration that can suggest posts, which is very high tech.

Basically, Loomly has a lot of competition! But don't let that dissuade you: if anything, the abundance of quality social media managers means that your organization is the winner, being able to choose exactly the software that fits the specific need of the business.

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Final verdict

The bit you've all been waiting for. Loomly offers a great all-round package of social media manager tools in one place, designed with the current landscape in mind and offering generous benefits across all of its tiers.

While some of its rivals might be more powerful in absolute terms (more features, and so on), what Loomly offers is a really friendly UI that takes only a moment to understand, underpinned by a powerful suite of tools that aids with every step of the process, from post creating to scheduling and managing your colleagues.

Campaign tracking is up there with the best, too, with the focus being on Loomly's calendar feature, which helps you and your coworkers be on the same page.

Working in social media can sometimes feel repetitive, and so automation is key to fighting that and at least remove some of the most tedious parts of setting up posts.

As if all of that wasn't enough, there's even a 15-day free trial on most plans.

So, to summarise, we recommend Loomly to a forward-looking business that wants the absolute best of social media management with all of the modern twists.

BenQ PD2705UA review: a photographer’s dream monitor

8:00 pm | March 17, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Comments: Off

BenQ PD2705UA: Two-minute review

Unless you’re looking for a super-fast monitor for competitive gaming, there's very little to fault with the BenQ PD2705UA. It’s a fantastic display, whether for work tasks or those jobs that require greater accuracy such as photo and video editing.

While 27 inches may seem small when it comes to shopping for the best monitors, it will be the perfect size for those not wanting to be overwhelmed by their display. In fact, it has all the makings of the best 4K monitors for most people, with any issues I’ve had with the BenQ PD2705UA pretty minimal.

For instance, the sound quality isn’t anything to shout about; but then I've yet to come across a monitor that has really delivered in that realm. Plus, you can always use a set of speakers.

When it comes to what makes this monitor special, I have to start with its ergonomics, specifically the PD Ergo Arm. Instead of the usual stand, it clamps onto the lip of the desk for incredible stability. From there, you can swivel the monitor to either side by a massive 275 degrees. Its tilt is a bit more modest at five degrees down and 30 up, although I don’t find it to be too bothersome. More interestingly, it’s very easy to pivot the screen 90 degrees into portrait mode – perfect for coders.

A BenQ PD2705UA monitor on a desk — (Image credit: Future / James Holland)

Also worth mentioning about the Ergo Arm is the fact that cable management is built right into it for a very clean-looking setup.

Port selection impresses, too, with HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C options. The latter is particularly welcome; I no longer need a dongle to plug in a MacBook, plus it comes with charging to keep that MacBook juiced up during use.

There’s also a USB-hub with KVM capabilities, so you can use the same keyboard and mouse no matter the source – and while this isn't a new feature, it’s implemented well here. Again, that USB-C shines insofar that you don’t need an upstream cable connected to that computer to use the KVM feature. Unfortunately, there’s only one upstream cable included, despite the inclusion of two ports. As such, if you want to use the KVM feature between an HDMI and DisplayPort source, you’ll have to invest in an extra cable.

As far as controls are concerned, they’re situated on the monitor's back-right corner and consist of three buttons and a joystick. Using them to navigate the OSD menu is about as straightforward and intuitive as it gets. However, BenQ also includes a hotkey puck with a dial for some easy manipulation, which can be customized in the OSD menu.

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The display itself is a 27-inch IPS panel with a 4K resolution at 60Hz. Unless you want total immersion, which I think is more important for gaming over anything else, it’s actually the perfect size. And, with 99% Rec.709, 99% sRGB color coverage, it’s vibrant enough for any media and can handle any color work you need to complete.

While it’s plenty bright at 250 nits, its 350 nits peak in HDR is only adequate. It’s nice to have, but I do wish HDR was a bit better. However, considering this is a sub-$600 monitor with so much going on, I’m not surprised.

There are some additional features that really add to the experience, though, with two that photo editors in particular will appreciate. First, there are a number of color modes (specifically: Animation, CAD/CAM, Darkroom, DICOM, HDR, Low Blue Light, M-Book, Rec.709, sRGB, User) for different situations, so you can adjust the color coverage and temperature for your work or for matching your laptop’s screen – the M-Book to match an Apple laptop’s XDR display, for instance.

The second is an extension of those color modes. Specifically, you can split the screen between any two color modes so that you can see what your work will look like on different screens.

Additionally, Picture-In-Picture and Picture-By-Picture are available with the BenQ PD2705UA. My only issue with either is the fact that it takes a bit of work to adjust each source’s resolution manually to fill the screen, although that’s probably more of an issue with Windows than with the monitor.

As mentioned before, the BenQ PD2705UA comes with two 2.5W speakers. It isn't particularly loud, there’s little bass, and it can sound a little boxy. However, it will do in a pinch, if need be. That said, I'd recommend using the monitor with a set of external speakers, especially for any audio work when working on video.

BenQ PD2705UA: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $549.99 / £549.99 / AU$739
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK and Australia

A price tag of $549.99 / £549.99 / AU$739 could be considered pricey; but if you consider all that the BenQ PPD2705UA has to offer, it’s more than reasonable. Especially if you have an awkward setup and are in need of its ergonomics or want good color coverage.

Consider, for instance, the LG 32UN880, which has been around for a few years already. It’s still priced higher, even though we reviewed it back in 2020. At the time, it went for $699 (£599, AU$1,203) and now seems to hover closer to $630. Of course, it's bigger at 32 inches and has a similarly useful ergonomic arm, not to mention top-notch color coverage (or 4K resolution). However, the cable management and range of KVM implementation on the BenQ PD2705UA is better.

This BenQ model is just a bit cheaper than the BenQ PD2706UA I reviewed last year priced at $629.99 (about £503.60, AU$932.65). And, as far as I can tell, the PD2706UA is just a bit brighter with a focus on its DCI-P3 color coverage.

Price: 4 / 5

BenQ PD2705UA: Specs

Should you buy the BenQ PD2705UA?

Buy the BenQ PD2705UA if...

You need a great screen for photo editing
With 99% sRGB and Rec.709 color coverage, not to mention that sharp 4K resolution, accuracy of photo editing work won't be an issue with this monitor.

You care about ergonomics
The Ergo Arm stands above typical stands in more than just a literal way. It can turn in all sorts of directions, making it perfect for those who have an awkward setup or want to put their monitor in portrait mode.

Don't buy it if...

You want a high refresh rate
If you’re looking for a high-refresh-rate monitor, this isn't for you. It’s capped at 60Hz and is meant for creatives and worker bees, not competitive gamers.

You’re on a budget
While the price is good for those who need such a monitor, technically it still can't be classed as cheap. Of course, for editing work, you’re better off saving up for a monitor such as this over opting for a cheap model.

BenQ PD2705UA: Also consider

If my BenQ PD2705UA review has you looking for other options, here are two more monitors to consider...

How I tested the BenQ PD2705UA

Used regularly for a week
Tested with multiple sources
Tried out all the features

I used the BenQ PD2705UA regularly for a week. While I did play some games on it (which went very well), it was mainly used as intended. I tried multiple sources and used the various features to see how well they worked, especially the KVM and various color modes. I also played around with the Ergo Arm to assess its limitations.

Having used this monitor, it’s clear that it’s meant for professionals and creatives, particularly photographers, who want a great monitor that doesn’t break the bank.

I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years, from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise to deliver an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

BenQ PD2705UA: Price & availability

TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5: the best DDR5 RAM you’re going to find at this price

6:08 pm | March 14, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: RAM | Comments: Off

TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5: Two-minute review

The TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 isn't the effective default DDR5 RAM for most custom builds just for its pretty aesthetics, as it turns out.

It's been about two years now since the best DDR5 RAM kits started hitting the market, and as more and more consumers have upgraded their systems to DDR5-capable processors from Intel and AMD, TeamGroup's T-Force Delta RGB has been a mainstay for builders and casual upgraders alike for its mix of fantastic design, awesome performance, and accessible price.

The RAM kit I reviewed, currently priced at $109.99 (about £90 / AU$150), is not the cheapest DDR5 RAM on the market, but it is the best RAM at this price point that we've tested, offering an incredible value on balance against much more expensive kits on the market.

A set of TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 RAM modules in a motherboard — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The design of the Delta RGB DDR5 modules is sleek as hell, featuring an aluminum heat spreader finished in matte black. This choice not only provides an attractive (if aggressive) look but also ensures effective heat dissipation.

While the branding on the heat spreader may not be to everyone's taste, it does little to detract from the overall design quality. Standing at a height of 46.1mm, these memory modules are built to fit comfortably under the best CPU coolers, though a compatibility check is always recommended before buying.

Given its RGB branding, illumination is a key feature of the Delta RGB DDR5, with RGB lighting integrated through a diffuser along the top, enhanced by a distinctive 'R' cut-out on the heat spreader for an even more captivating display. You'll need to check your motherboard compatibility for the RGB scheme, but given TeamGroup's prominence, you're likely to be fine as far as RGB compatibility goes.

Out of the box, the memory operates at DDR5-4800 with standard timings (which aren't great, to be honest), but engaging XMP profiles can raise the performance to DDR5-6000, with a slight adjustment in voltage and timings. This fine-tuning capability highlights the memory's balance between default efficiency and the potential for enhanced performance.

Overclocking the memory revealed substantial headroom, with minimal voltage increases yielding significant performance improvements, raising it to the top of the list of RAM kits running at 6000 MHz.

For most people, this is going to be more than sufficient for their needs, underscoring the TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5's appeal to enthusiasts who want both out-of-the-box efficiency and the ability to push their hardware beyond standard specifications.

In the end, it's easy to see why TeamGroup's T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 is often found in custom PCs and topping the lists of sought-after components for the PC build community, given the excellent balance of price, performance, and design. As far as midrange DDR5 RAM kits go, you really can't get much better.

TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $109.99 (about £90 / AU$150)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 RAM kit is available in the US, UK, and Australia. There are a whole plethora of speeds and timings available that make it unwieldy to track here, but the kit we reviewed, a 2 x 16GB kit running at 6,000MHz / CL30, will run you $109.99 (about £90 / AU$150).

This is the lowest price of the various DDR5 RAM kits we've tested that are running at 6,000 MHz, and given that its performance generally outpaces its rivals, there's no question that this is among the best values you're going to find for a midrange DDR5 RAM kit right now.

TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5: Specs

Should you buy the TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5?

Buy the TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 if...

You want the best performing DDR5 RAM for the price
The best thing about this RAM kit is the level of performance on offer for the lowest price at this speed.

You want great looking RAM for your build
Between the stylish silouette and the RGB trim, this is some great looking RAM.

Don't buy it if...

You want the absolute fastest RAM
While I tested a midrange RAM kit, the T-Force Delta RGB caps out at a lower level than some other RAM kits.

You're on a restricted budget
At more than $100 (about £80/AU$140), this RAM kit is hardly the cheapest DDR5 kit on the market right now.

TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5: Also consider

If my TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB DDR5 review has you looking for other options, here is another DDR5 option to consider...

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS review: performance gaming on a budget

12:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Monitors Peripherals & Accessories | Tags: HDR | Comments: Off

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: One-minute review

1440p on a 27-inch panel is arguably still the best choice for mainstream PC gaming. It's also cheaper than ever, with even high-refresh options dipping below $200. In that context, the new Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS doesn't immediately look like a bargain.

For sure, it's cheaper than the equivalent model from Asus's premium ROG range. But at around $300 it's still a fair bit more expensive than entry-level screens that tick the 1440p, 27-inch, and high-refresh-rate boxes.

Then again, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS does have a pretty strong spec list with which to do battle with the very best gaming monitors. Beyond the 1440p, 27-inch thing, you get 180Hz refresh instead of the 144Hz more common to cheaper models, plus 1ms GtG response. That later figure implies this is probably an IPS rather than VA panel, and that is indeed the case.

The Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS gaming monitor on a white desk. — (Image credit: Future)

What's more, it comes with HDR400 support, and thus can achieve 400 nits peak brightness. HDR400 is the lowest level of HDR compliance, so you have to be realistic about what this kind of screen can achieve. But it's better than no HDR support at all.

Then add in USB-C with power delivery and a stand that adjusts every which way, not to mention the fact that this is a monitor from one of the best brands in the gaming business and you have a very attractive overall proposition. Sure, it's not the cheapest 1440p panel out there. But it's pretty reasonably priced and very promising on paper.

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $299 / around £325 / AU$450
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US at the time of writing

At $299 in the US, and likely around £325 in the UK and $450 in Australia (pricing in those two territories has yet to emerge at the time of writing) the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't the cheapest high-refresh 1440p panel out there.

Still, it's pretty competitive given the specs, including a 180Hz refresh from an IPS panel, and the fact that it's from Asus. If you want cheaper, you could try the Gigabyte G27Q, which is also an IPS panel but only hits 144Hz.

Value: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Design

Fully adjustable stand
Premium build quality despite the relatively low price
HDR400 rating, but no local dimming

As a member of the more affordable Asus ROG Strix range, as opposed to the more premium ROG Swift line, it's perhaps not a huge surprise that the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't decked out with a zillion RGB lights. However, you do get a high-quality and fully adjustable stand, including height, tilt, swivel, and pivot into portrait mode.

Generally, it looks and feels a cut above more affordable 1440p options. That extends to the connectivity, which includes not only DisplayPort and HDMI, but also USB-C with power delivery. If the latter is an impressive inclusion at this price point, the catch is that you only get 7.5W of power delivery. So, you can forget keeping a laptop juiced up in a single-cable scenario, that's not enough power.

Instead, Asus envisages that you'll use it to charge your smartphone, for which there is a slot on the front of the stand base. That's just about plausible, but it's not a really clear-cut advantage over just plugging your phone into the wall. If the stand did wireless charging or the USB-C interface did a lot more than 7.5W then the utility on offer would be a whole lot better.

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS Key Specs

Panel size: 27 inches
Panel type: IPS
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast: 1000:1
HDR: HDR400
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 180Hz
Inputs: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C with 7.5W PD

Beyond the 1440p and 27-inch basics, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS offers a very solid set of specs. You get 180Hz refresh, which is plenty for all but the most serious esports addicts, plus 1ms response times. That's about as good as it gets for an IPS gaming monitor and this panel is comfortably faster than cheaper models based on VA rather than IPS screen technology. For tangibly better response, you'd need to speed nearly three times as much on an OLED monitor.

As for HDR, there's DisplayHDR 400 certification, which means 400 nits brightness. There's no local dimming, so this isn't a true HDR display. However, with a claimed 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, this is a fairly high-fidelity monitor.

Yes, there are higher-specification gaming monitors, including 1440p models. However, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS's spec ticks all the important boxes for a great gaming experience.

Design: 4 / 5

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Performance

Factory color calibration is excellent
Solid SDR visuals in HDR mode
Incredibly snappy response times

This is a beautifully calibrated monitor. The colors are pitch-perfect and there's oodles of visual pop. This is a vibrant, punchy, and accurate display.

If that all applies to the default SDR mode, the HDR mode is even better. But perhaps not for the reasons you might expect. As an HDR400 panel with no local dimming, there's only the most basic HDR support on offer. But it's the way SDR content is handled in HDR mode that actually most impresses.

In short, this is the closest an affordable HDR-capable LCD monitor gets to perfect SDR calibration in HDR mode. All too often this class of entry-level HDR monitor makes a mess of SDR content in HDR mode. That means you have to keep jumping back and forth between modes depending on content type. But with this Asus Strix panel, you can leave it in HDR mode all the time. It's so much simpler.

Another highlight is pixel response. This is as good as IPS gaming monitors get for perceived pixel response, it's really, really sharp and clear. Even better, in the OSD menu you can choose from no fewer than 20 levels of pixel overdrive. If that sounds like overkill, and it is really, it means you can strike exactly the balance between outright speed and overshoot that you are willing to tolerate.

In truth, even with the overdrive maxed out the overshoot and inverse ghosting are pretty mild. In fact, the only real demerit in the response department is that the ELMB or Extreme Low Motion Blur mode only slightly improves subjective response and does so like all other ELMB modes, by crushing brightness to the point it's hard to imagine why anyone would use it.

Anyway, short of an OLED monitor for about 2.5 times the money, you'll have a hard time spotting the extra speed from more expensive 1440p panels. Even here in 2024, 1440p on a 27-inch makes a lot of sense for mainstream gaming. You get plenty of image detail but without the debilitating GPU load of 1440p. So, you don't need a $1,000 graphics card to get the most out of this display.

At the end of the day, the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS isn't the cheapest high-refresh 1440p panel out there. But it is a clear cut above lesser alternatives when it comes to everything from speed to accuracy and all-round visual pop.

The only obvious flaw is the fairly pointless USB-C interface with such limited power delivery (and the gimmicky phone slot in the stand, if that bothers you). But that aside, this is just a really nice gaming panel with great specs for a decent price. Highly recommended.

Performance: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS: Report Card

First reviewed March 2024

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro review: Samsung’s MacBook killer gets Intel’s latest CPU

7:21 pm | March 13, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops | Tags: CPU, OLED, SSD | Comments: Off

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Two-minute review

If you like the look of Apple's MacBooks but prefer or simply require the Windows ecosystem, well, you can do a lot worse than the new Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro. Like its predecessor, the very similar Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro, it owes its overall look and feel to the MacBook.

Thanks to its sleek wedge-shaped chassis, it's most similar to Apple's now defunct MacBook M1 Air in terms of design. But for features and performance it probably falls somewhere in between the newer and boxier MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) and the base model MacBook Pro 14-inch.

Available in both 14-inch and 16-inch formats, this 14-inch model has both advantages and weaknesses compared to Apple's alternatives. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro's OLED screen is a definite highlight with incredible image quality plus 120Hz refresh. It also supports touch input. Apple simply can't compete.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro's speakers disappoint and its trackpad is merely OK. Apple definitely does those things better. As for performance, it's a close-run thing compared to the Apple M2 chip, though the latest M3 is arguably a step above. You get Intel's hot new Meteor Lake CPU in Intel Core Ultra 7 155H configuration with six performance cores and eight efficiency cores.

Samsung says the new Intel chip improves the Galaxy Book4 Pro's already impressive battery life by about 10% and we found you can get nearly 14 hours of video playback and over 11 hours of more intensive use. Put simply, this laptop offers genuine all-day longevity.

On the downside, the design is definitely derivative, the speakers are very disappointing and the trackpad is merely OK. But overall, this isn't just one of the best Windows alternatives for MacBook fans. It can take the fight to any competing laptop in our best laptop 2024 guide.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro in use on a desk showing the screen — (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $1,449 / £1,599
Where is it available? Available in the US and UK

Priced at $1,449 in the US and £1,559 in the UK for the entry-level model with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro is definitely premium priced but it's not outrageously expensive. It's a little pricier than a comparably specced MacBook Air, but cheaper than the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro.

On the other hand, Dell's XPS 13 can be had with the same Meteor Lake CPU with matching memory and storage specs for a little less money, and the XPS 14 for about the same money.

However, the XPS 13 can't be had with an OLED display and with the XPS 14 an OLED panel can be configured, but adds $300 / £200 to the price. All of which means the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro isn't cheap, but it does still offer a strong value proposition.

Price score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro comes in two configurations, 14-inch and 16-inch versions.

Specs score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro next to a MacBook Air — (Image credit: Future)

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Design

Good build quality
Apple-derivative design
Very portable

There's no denying it. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro wouldn't look like it does were it not for the Apple MacBook and more specifically, the MacBook Air and its wedge-shaped chassis. The Galaxy Book4 Pro is awfully, awfully similar, from the tapering chassis thickness to the keyboard design, the look of the trackpad, and the way the screen lid hinges and closes.

Samsung has also come pretty close to matching Apple's signature build quality and engineering. The keyboard bed is super rigid and the chassis feels strong even if the way the various parts fit together doesn't quite match Apple's peerless precision.

There are other details where Samsung can't match Apple. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro's speakers don't even come close to those of the MacBook Air, let alone the MacBook Pro. That's a real pity and it's hard to understand why Samsung can't give this laptop high sound quality to match the stunning OLED screen. That display, of course, is a touchscreen, which adds an extra string to this Windows laptop's bow that no MacBook offers.

The trackpad, meanwhile, is fine by Windows laptop standards, but isn't quite as precise and satisfying to use as Apple's haptic trackpad. On the other hand, Samsung has managed to offer better port selection than the MacBook Air. Along with a pair of Thunderbolt USB-C ports, you get a legacy USB-A, a full HDMI socket, microSD, and a headphone jack.

That's impressive given the compact form factor which comes in at just 11.6mm thick and 1.23kg. This is an extremely portable laptop, a fact that's only helped by the teeny-tiny 35W USB-C power adapter.

So, this is a very nicely designed and engineered machine on pretty much every level. Among Windows laptops, few if any are better built. But it is, ultimately, a pretty derivative machine in aesthetic terms. Dell's XPS portables are much more distinctive, while Apple's MacBooks are ultimately the real deal.

Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Performance

Intel Meteor Lake CPU is punchy
OLED screen is stunning
Good storage performance

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Benchmarks

Here's how the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Night Raid: 22,295; Fire Strike: N/A; Time Spy: 3,343
Cinebench R23 Multi-core: 7,016 points; Single-core: 1,579
CrystalDiskMark 8 SSD sequential: 5.047MB/s (read); 3,993MB/s (write)
CrystalDiskMark 8 SSD 4K: 72MB/s (read); 175MB/s (write)
CrossMark: Overall: 1,601 Productivity: 1,466 Creativity: 1,803 Responsiveness: 1463
Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm: 38fps
PCMark 10 Battery Life: 11 hours and 48 minutes
1080p video playback battery life: 13 hours and 54 minutes

Intel's new Meteor Lake CPU isn't a radical step forward for performance. But it does deliver all the performance you could reasonably ask for in a thin and light laptop like this.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H gives you six meaty Performance cores running at up to 4.8GHz, plus eight Efficient cores capable of 3.8GHz. For day-to-day tasks like web browsing and content consumption, the combination of the Intel chip plus 16GB of fast DDR5 memory and a really quick Samsung SSD makes for an ultra-speedy and responsive experience.

But you also have plenty of performance in hand for some pretty serious workflows like image and video editing. Really, the only limitation involves graphics performance. The new Intel Meteor Lake CPU has a good integrated graphics processor. But it can't quite match that of the integrated GPU in AMD's competing Ryzen laptops APUs and it isn't up to the job of playing modern PC games.

Of course, you can get similar performance from a whole slew of Windows laptops that offer Intel's new Meteor Lake chips. But it's still impressive to experience this level of performance in such a compact and portable laptop.

Another highlight is the AMOLED screen. It's just so vibrant and offers perfect per-pixel lighting control, so the HDR experience is truly spectacular. No LCD screen, even one with local dimming, comes close. It's also much brighter than comparable desktop OLED monitors. What's more, it runs at 120Hz for extreme smoothness and responsiveness and has touchscreen functionality.

The only slight flaw involves the screen's dynamic refresh mode. It can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz on the fly and according to application demand. The idea is that running at 120Hz increases battery load, so the screen only steps up to 120Hz when significant on-screen motion is detected. We noticed very occasional stutters that may be related to this feature. It's not a major flaw and, in any case, you have the option of running in conventional 60Hz and 120Hz modes.

Overall, our only significant reservation regarding the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro's performance is those aforementioned speakers. By Windows laptop standards, they're OK. But if you are familiar with Apple's MacBooks and thinking of making the switch, you'll be very disappointed.

Where watching movies and video content on MacBooks, perhaps while on holiday, is a really enjoyable experience, thanks to some great speakers, on the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro you'd have to bring an additional Bluetooth speaker to get a similar experience. That's a pity.

Performance score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Battery life

Even better than before
Genuine all-day battery life

The Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro already had great battery life. With the upgrade to Intel's latest CPUs, it just got better. For movie and video playback, you're looking at the thick end of 14 hours, more than enough for pretty much any plane flight.

Even under heavier loads browsing the web and undertaking more demanding workflows, well over 10 hours is possible. That means with light and occasional use, you'll get multiple days out of this laptop. And when you're getting important work done, you can rely on it lasting all day away from the mains.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro?

Buy it if...

You want a MacBook-style Windows experience
The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro looks and feels a lot like Apple's MacBook machines and that's mostly a good thing.

You want great battery life
With around 14 hours of video playback and well over 10 hours with more demanding use, all-day battery life is genuinely achievable.

Don't buy it if...

You want to play games
The Intel Meteor Lake CPU is great for just about everything. But despite an improved integrated GPU, that doesn't include games.

You want to watch movies and video
The OLED screen is fabulous. But the built-in speakers are very disappointing and spoil the content consumption experience.

Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro: Also consider

If our Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro

I tested the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro for a week
I used it both on a desk and while travelling

I used the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro as my main workhorse for a week, including as a desktop machine plugged into monitors, when on the move, lounging on the sofa, the works.

That gave me a good idea of how it coped with all kinds of tasks, how portable it is and how well the battery lasts in the real world (spoiler, it lasts really well). I have a MacBook Air of my own, so it made for an intriguing comparison. And I have, of course, been testing and reviewing laptops since the early Mesozoic period, so I have plenty of context to draw on.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

Circleboom review

1:21 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Internet Social Media | Comments: Off

Circleboom is one of the most exciting entrants into the best social media management tools since its 2019 launch. Alongside the likes of Hootsuite and Buffer, Circleboom stands up as one of the more complete and comprehensive platforms, especially for managing Twitter (or X) accounts.

Almost every modern company engages with social media in some form, whether to hear from customers, solicit new business, or tell users about something new, and that makes managing those channels a high priority task.

Gone are the days when companies had a blog, updated whenever there was a new announcement, replaced by an ability to have more insight into users and readership than ever before, across an array of platforms that reach more people than ever in human history.

For Circleboom, the goal is to make intuitive and easy-to-use products, mostly focused on managing Twitter accounts and publishing across social media. The service isn't focused on adding tons of random features, just offering the best.

Sign up for a Circleboom plan

Circleboom boasts that it offers the "most intuitive" social media management tool and, after using the service, it's hard to disagree. While some competitors offer a much wider variety of different dials and knobs, Circleboom delivers on the basics (with some advanced features sprinkled in).

Combine that with some really reasonable pricing – as little as $210 per month for large enterprise customers, and much less for smaller businesses – and you get a very compelling offering.

Let's dive into our Circleboom social media management review.

Circleboom: Plans and pricing

Circleboom splits its offering into two sections: Twitter Management, focused on Twitter (or now X) as the name implies, and Publish, which lets users design, plan, and automate their posts across a ton of platforms.

Starting with the X-focused offering, there is a very limited free offering that mostly serves to promote the other offerings. We'll break down each plan and what it offers.

Limited Plan: mostly for tweet and like deletion, costing $9.99 per month
Pro: offering the basic set of features, like Follower Insights, Tracking, and other analytics, with support for accounts up to 25,000 followers, costing $16.99 per month
Plus: the most popular plan, which has all of the benefits of Pro plus dedicated 24/7 support, two accounts, and up to 100,000 followers, costing $23.99 per month
Premium: everything above plus support for 1 million followers and 150 account/keyword searches per month, costing $29.99 per month

(On top of these tiers, users can also pay an extra $1.99 per month for X unfollower notifications.)

The more advanced Publish option follows a fairly similar pattern to the Twitter-focused tool, except for higher prices due to the expanded nature of its features.

Pro: up to five social accounts, 300 scheduled posts, standard support, and ChatGPT integration for $24.99 per month
Premium: up to 10 accounts, unlimited posts, and ChatGPT for $34.99 per month
Business: up to 30 social accounts, unlimited posts, ChatGPT, and 24/7 support for $79.99 per month
Enterprise: up to 100 accounts, unlimited posts, and more for $209.99 per month.

For more details on the pricing and to find the best tier for your organisation, head to Circleboom. Right now, the company is offering money off many of its plans when you pay annually, so keep that in mind, especially if you're thinking about Circleboom for a larger business.

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Circleboom: Features

Circleboom covers a lot of ground for many of the key tools of social media management. Creating, scheduling, and managing posts is really easy and comes as part of all of the tiers except the most basic Limited Plan.

Analytics, follower tracking, advanced search, deleting tweets or posts, and a lot more comes as standard on most of the plans, too. Twitter Management is also handily available via an iOS app, for on the go tweeting, although the Publish suite requires a web browser.

On top of that, the Publish tool offers OpenAI's ChatGPT AI smarts to create social media posts – which can then be vetted by humans before reaching the real world. Circleboom includes AI integrations in the cheapest level of Publish, too.

According to the company, support for TikTok is on the horizon, meaning you can easily measure your audience and post to the it-platform of the moment. There is already support for LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other platforms.

Because of the focus on a simple and understandable UI, Circleboom really excels on the basics and we had no trouble managing our accounts via the platform. Everything worked smoothly.

But what about when you needs get a bit more complicated?

If you're a social media professional then deleting posts, checking analytics, and so on are things you can do in your sleep. You want more!

Luckily, Circleboom delivers when it comes to adding a ton of really technical features for managing the minutiae of the social media world. For this part, we'll mostly focus on Publish, the more advanced of the two.

Let's reel off some features: a Canva design tool, image and gif creation tools, advanced Instagram features (including Reels support, a hashtag generator, tagging, and AI content generation), a similar set of features for Facebook, X polls, LinkedIn document posts, advanced Pinterest posts, and "best time to post" features.

There's a huge amount there and we recommend checking out Circleboom's own list to see if your specific niche has been catered too. Suffice to say, whether you want to share insights on LinkedIn or corporate outtakes on TikTok, Circleboom has you covered.

One thing that's worth repeating is the addition of OpenAI-powered smarts, which could make a big difference, especially if your social media department is small (or even a single person). Having a way to test ideas and concepts, and everything else we know AI can do, could prove to be an edge in 2024.

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Circleboom: Analytics and reporting

The higher your tier goes the more choices of analytics tools there will be, but all of the plans come with the absolute basics of follower counts, suspected fake/spam followers, unfollower alerts, and similar insights for friends.

Users can also track follower growth, characteristics, language stats, gender stats, how each post is performing, and see the best time to tweet. Circleboom will also generate an interest cloud for your followers and create reports on rival accounts.

What you're looking for will be different from company to company, but it's highly like that Circleboom will have you covered on some level.

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Circleboom: User interface

This, really, is the big one for Circleboom: the website screams at every opportunity that their tool is an "intuitive and easy-to-use social media product", created with a "keep it simple" mindset, a focus on intuitive design, and only adding features that are deemed essential.

Now, for the most hard-core user, that might not sound ideal, but for everyone else, especially those who want an easy way to just get on with social media without having to invest too much time, Circleboom is really, really good.

All of the various widgets and dials are well thought-out and, importantly, in obvious places around the user interface. I never found myself having to search for too long to find something specific, which is somewhat rare among its competitors.

Circleboom: Support

Circleboom offers dedicated support but only for its more expensive plans, starting at the Premium plan for Publish and Plus for Twitter Management. What you get is high quality 24 hour phone and video support, helping solve most problems.

The company also publishes an extensive help section on its website, with a ton of different details from the very nooks and crannies of its app. Anything you're unsure about will likely be covered there. You can, of course, also get in touch with Circleboom directly about any issues.

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Circleboom: The competition

While Hootsuite, for example, offers some of the most complex and detailed features for any of the apps, as do Buffer and Zoho Social, there is a beauty to the simplicity and ease with which you can use Circleboom.

We've taken an extensive look at the best social media management tools going right now, comparing them across a huge array of categories, so check that out if Circleboom didn't quite scratch your itch.

Circleboom: Final verdict

There's a reason that NBC News, Netflix, BBC News, SoundCloud, the American Red Cross, L'Oreal, and a ton of other big-name companies use Circleboom: ease, efficiency, and integration across an array of apps.

The addition of AI-generated posting options via ChatGPT is really exciting and will give social media managers a new way to brainstorm ideas and concepts. All of the basics are there, too, from detailed analytics to support for all major services.

Big companies will definitely want to consider the more expensive, fully featured plans but we feel like there's a level for everyone, and Circleboom is running some very exciting promo deals for many of its tiers, so don't wait too long.

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