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Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3): the best laptop in the world just got better

5:00 pm | March 7, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: AI | Comments: Off

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3): Two-minute review

After several months of rumors and speculation, Apple has officially launched the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) (alongside a 15-inch version as well) – so has it been worth the wait?

While Apple’s announcement came out of the blue – there was no event to announce the launch, just a press release emailed to media outlets – it wasn’t entirely surprising.

As well as all those aforementioned rumors about new MacBook Airs, when Apple launched its M3 chip last year it also launched new M3-powered MacBook Pros and a new iMac. The fact that this was the first M-series launch to not feature a MacBook Air didn’t go unnoticed – and many of us assumed (or hoped) that an M3-powered Air would appear at some point. Thankfully, we’ve not had long to wait.

Starting at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799, the latest MacBook Air model straight away addresses one of my main complaints about the previous M2 version: the high starting price. The M2 MacBook Air launched in 2022 with a new, noticeably higher, price for its base model ($1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,899), and while it remained the best laptop you could buy due to design and performance, it wasn’t as good value as the earlier M1 MacBook Air model, which launched at $999 / £999 / AU$1,599.

So, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is a much better-value proposition, and in a world where the price of everything seems to be climbing it’s great to see Apple buck that trend and release a laptop that’s cheaper than its predecessor. With the launch of the M3 version, Apple has officially dropped the price of the M2 model to $999 / £999 / AU$1,599, and has stopped selling the M1 version altogether (it’s still available for the moment from third-party retailers, and will likely drop further in price).

New MacBook Air 13-inch with M3 being used in a cafe — (Image credit: Future)

While the base M3 model’s price is a nice surprise, what’s less surprising – and less nice – is the fact that this model has the same 8GB of unified memory and just 256GB of SSD storage space as its predecessor. In 2024, those specifications don’t really cut it – especially for a laptop that starts at just over $1,000.

The configuration I was sent from Apple comes with double the memory and storage and 16GB and 512GB, along with a slight bump to GPU cores in the M3 chip over the base model, and it’s a much more well-rounded offering that won’t feel outdated after a year or so. This model is significantly pricier, though, at $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,399.Other than the switch to the M3 chip, the new MacBook Air 13-inch keeps essentially the same design as the M2 version, which is no bad thing, as that model remains one of the nicest-looking thin and light laptops out there. I much prefer the 13-inch MacBook Air to the 15-inch model, as the smaller device is much more easy to carry about. The fact that the battery lasted over 14 hours on a single charge in our battery life tests again shows just how good the 13-inch MacBook Air is for people who want a compact laptop they can use almost anywhere.

Performance-wise, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) does an excellent job with day-to-day tasks such as web browsing and watching TV shows, while also putting in an impressive showing when used for content creation. I used applications including Adobe Photoshop and Ableton Live 11, and even played a few games, and the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) proved fast and dependable at all times. Even when putting this laptop through its paces by trying out a range of apps (often at the same time), the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) didn’t once freeze or crash. The M3 model retains its predecessors' fan-less design, so it’s essentially silent when in use.

While the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) isn’t a radical reimagining in the way the M2 model was, it doesn’t need to be. This is an assured release from a company at the top of its game, offering improved performance for a lower price, which means I have no trouble recommending the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) as the best laptop you can buy right now.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Price and availability

Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799
Lower launch price than M2 model
M2 model is now the cheapest MacBook sold by Apple

The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) was announced on March 4, 2024, with pre-orders from Apple’s online store going live on the same day and the new MacBook hitting physical stores from March 8.

The base model costs $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799, and comes with an M3 chip with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of unified memory, and 256GB SSD storage. This is the same M3 chip as found in the base iMac 24-inch (M3), which starts at $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,199. That’s quite a leap in price for the all-in-one PC.

You can also get the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD storage. This model also comes with a more powerful 35W dual USB-C power adapter (the base model’s adapter tops out at 30W), and costs $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,099.

Finally, you can get a pre-configured MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) with the same M3 chip and other specs, but with 16GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD storage for $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,399. This is the model I’m reviewing here.

As with previous models, you can further configure the new MacBook Air with up to 24GB of unified memory, 2TB SSD storage, and a 70W USB-C power adapter. This fully maxed-out model costs $2,299 / £2,299 / AU$3,599.

In a rather rare bit of welcome news, the M3 MacBook Air has launched at a lower price for the base model than the M2 MacBook Air. When that MacBook Air debuted back in 2022 the base model was priced at $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,899. Since then, it’s had an official $100 price cut, but one of the few complaints I had about the M2 MacBook Air (which went straight to the top of our best laptops list) was that high price. It’s great to see Apple somewhat rectify that with the M3 model, and while it’s still an expensive laptop, it’s now better value for money – which is an important consideration these days.

Apple will also continue to sell the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2, dropping the price to a very appealing $999 / £999 / AU$1,599. This is a repeat of the move it made when it launched the M2 MacBook Air, as it continued to sell the M1 model at the lower $999 price point.

It’s good to see Apple doing this again, as the M2 model remains an excellent laptop, especially at this new lower price. Unfortunately, it means that the M1 model is no longer sold by Apple. However, we’re already seeing that model on offer for an even lower price at other retailers looking to clear their stock ahead of the new MacBook Airs arriving.

So, if you’re looking for the cheapest sold-by-Apple MacBook to get into Apple’s ecosystem, the M2 MacBook Air is the one to go for, but the M3 model represents very good value for money – and it’s now the cheapest M3-powered Mac on the market (until an M3-powered Mac mini arrives at some point, which is likely).

Price score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Specs

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) comes in three pre-configured options, and you can further configure the amount of memory and storage space before you buy. You’ll need to do that to match the review and max configurations below.

The specs of the new MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) are broadly in line with what we were expecting. However, and as mentioned above, in 2024 the base configuration with just 8GB of memory and only 256GB SSD storage is looking increasingly outdated, especially for the price. With the 8GB of memory being shared between compute tasks (regular day-to-day jobs, essentially) and graphics, it could start to struggle if you’re running multiple apps at once.

The 256GB SSD will likely fill up fast as well, especially if you’re thinking about buying the new MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) for creative work, such as photo or video editing. In typical fashion, Apple has made the MacBook Air as difficult as possible to open up, so you won’t be able to upgrade the memory or storage later. Add in the fact that the base model comes with a weaker integrated GPU in its M3 chip (eight cores as opposed to the 10-core GPU included in the other models), and I’d recommend spending a bit more to get the review configuration that I tested, as the more powerful GPU, 16GB of memory and 512GB SSD makes it far more future-proof.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Design

No major redesign
Midnight color has been improved to reduce fingerprints
More recycled materials than ever

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)’s design doesn’t break any new ground – but it didn’t really need to. While we loved the M1 MacBook Air, its design increasingly felt dated, and when the M2 MacBook hit the shelves in 2022 it came with a bold redesign that included a better and larger screen, thinner bezels around the display and a much more modern look. I personally loved the redesign, so the fact that the M3 MacBook Air looks pretty much identical doesn’t bother me.

This is still an impressively thin and light laptop. The 13.6-inch LED display looks bright and vibrant, and the native 2560 x 1664 resolution offers 224 pixels per inch, leading to a pleasingly sharp and detailed image. As with the previous generation of MacBook Airs, the 15-inch MacBook Air (M3), which launched alongside the 13-inch model, comes with a larger screen, but also a higher resolution, which means the pixels per inch number is very similar to the 13-inch model.

Basically, you won’t lose out on image quality no matter which MacBook Air model you go for. For many people, the 13-inch model will be much more convenient as it’s lighter and smaller, yet still very powerful. The keyboard once again feels comfortable to use, with a surprising amount of key travel for such a thin device. This means that typing away on the MacBook Air’s keyboard feels tactile and responsive. It comes with a Touch ID button that powers on the MacBook and can quickly log you in by just using your fingerprint. The touchpad below the keyboard is spacious and performs well - just as it did with the previous model.

Port-wise the MacBook Air M3 keeps the same selection as the previous model, with two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports that offer up to 40Gb/s data transfers, a MagSafe 3 port for charging, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The MagSafe 3 and Thunderbolt ports are all on the same side (the left) which can be a bit fiddly if you’re using them all at once, and it also means you don’t get a choice of which side of the laptop to plug the charger into (you can also use USB-C chargers from other manufacturers to top up the battery if you find yourself without the MagSafe connector).

None of the new MacBook Air models support Thunderbolt 4, which remains exclusive (in the Mac space) to Macs running M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.

The bump to M3 also allows the new MacBook Air 13-inch to support two external monitors at once, one with up to 6K resolution and 60Hz, and the other with up to 5K resolution. The previous M2 model could only handle one 6K external monitor.

There is a rather large caveat to this, however: you can only run two external monitors with the MacBook Air’s screen closed. Opening the lid turns off one of the screens – so don’t go thinking this new feature will let you work on three screens simultaneously. For office workers who usually use their laptop in a dock with the lid closed this may not be an issue, but it’s a curiously inelegant implementation. Interestingly, the MacBook Pro 14-inch with the M3 chip launched without this feature, but Apple will be enabling it in a future software update.

Overall, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is another fine-looking thin and light laptop from Apple, and while it looks almost identical to the previous model, it still feels like a stylish and modern device.

I say ‘almost identical’ as there is a tiny difference with the new MacBook Air. The model that comes in the Midnight color (essentially, a very dark blue) now benefits from a “breakthrough anodization seal to reduce fingerprints.” This seems to be a response to criticisms of the previous model in the same color due to how easily fingerprints, scratches and other marks showed up (and remained) on the body.

While the 13-inch MacBook Air that Apple sent me to review was in the Starlight color (four colors are available – Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray and Silver), I was also able to get my hands on a Midnight 13-inch MacBook Air for a few minutes at Apple’s headquarters in London, and from what I could see the new Midnight finish does indeed seem more resistant to fingerprints.

Apple is also keen to highlight the fact that the new MacBook Air is its first product to be made with 50% recycled materials. The body uses 100% recycled aluminum, and the main logic board uses 100% recycled copper. While I would like to see Apple be more flexible when it comes to allowing its customers to repair or upgrade its products, having any company use more recycled materials is always welcome.

Design score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Performance

M3 chip brings decent gains
You can actually game on this MacBook
New focus on AI

Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6.2.2 Single-Core: 3,148; Multi-Core: 11,893
Cinebench 2024 Single-core: 141 ; Multi-core: 615
Battery life (TechRadar movie test): 14 hours and 19 minutes

The major change for the new MacBook Air 13-inch is the inclusion of the M3 chip, Apple’s most recent piece of silicon, which debuted at the end of last year alongside new MacBook Pros. Unlike last year’s MacBook Pros, the MacBook Air 13-inch only comes with the M3 chip, not the more powerful M3 Pro or M3 Max versions. However, the MacBook Air is a much more mainstream device, so it’s unlikely that people will be using it for heavy-duty creative tasks.

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch comes with two versions of the M3 chip: a base model with an 8-core GPU, and a slightly more powerful chip with a 10-core GPU. Both versions feature an 8-core CPU with four high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, which the MacBook Air switches between depending on what kind of tasks you’re performing. This allows it to achieve a good balance between performance and battery life.

The Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) can be configured with up to 24GB of unified memory and 2TB SSD storage, and the review sample the company sent for me to test comes with the 10-core M3 chip, 16GB of memory and 512GB storage. So, if you go for the cheaper base model of the MacBook Air 13-inch, the performance might not quite match what I’ve experienced, though I’d be surprised if there was a huge difference.

However, I would recommend going for a MacBook Air with more memory and storage if possible. In 2024, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD feels a bit mean for a laptop, with the SSD especially likely to fill up quickly if you install lots of apps and store a lot of photos and video. Out of the box, the MacBook Air I tested had 30GB of space already used by macOS and pre-installed apps, and while this isn’t an issue with the 512GB model, it may be more of a concern with the 256GB model.

In day-to-day use, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) performs brilliantly. macOS Sonoma feels fast and responsive, and there’s now a large library of apps that have been built natively for Apple’s M series of chips, which means they can take full advantage of Apple’s latest hardware.

I used a variety of apps, including Safari, Garage Band, and Apple TV, and the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) kept pace with ease. Even when I was using more demanding applications such as Adobe Photoshop, the MacBook Air performed really well. For the vast majority of users, the MacBook Air 13-inch with the M3 chip will be plenty powerful enough.

One of the best things about the efficiency of Apple’s M-series chips is that they produce less heat, and thanks to Apple’s thermal design of the modern MacBook Airs, it means the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is completely fanless. So, even when it’s working hard, you’re not getting annoying fan noise in the background.

This is impressive, and a very pleasant change from many Windows laptops, which often fire up their fans at the drop of a hat. It’s also incredibly useful if you’re using the MacBook Air to record audio, as it means the built-in microphones (or any external ones you plug in) won’t pick up any background noise from the laptop.

Speaking of the built-in microphones, the new 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a three-mic array to help with clarity and minimize pick-up of ambient noise, and the FaceTime HD camera is again 1080p. In a world where many laptops at this price point still come with 720p webcams built in, it’s good to see Apple include a high-quality camera for the video calls and meetings that have become a regular feature of both work and social interactions since the pandemic.

According to Apple, the M3 chip also pitches in to improve video and audio quality, and while I couldn’t see any difference in quality compared to the M2 MacBook Air, which has the same webcam and mic array, the results are nevertheless crisp and clear.

The M3 MacBook Air also gets an upgrade to its Wi-Fi, as it supports Wi-Fi 6E (the previous model has Wi-Fi 6). This offers faster speeds and more reliable connections over larger distances, and during my time with the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3), I found its wireless connection to be excellent.

The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) also makes a decent fist of playing modern games, even some rather graphically-intensive ones. I played a few titles, including a fast-paced racing simulation game, and while it’s never going to challenge the best gaming laptops out there, gaming on a thin and light MacBook Air is possible – something that until recently didn’t seem like a realistic prospect. And, while you won’t be able to crank up visual settings to the max, the games I tried looked very nice on the vibrant 13.6-inch screen. As a PC gamer, it’s also a real novelty to play games on a fan-less laptop – usually, gaming laptops are big and bulky beasts, with noisy fans that keep the powerful components cool, but which can also be distracting. Not so with the MacBook Air.

When Apple announced the new MacBook Air 13-inch (M3), a lot of people noted that the company made a big deal about its AI capabilities. Artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to generating content, is a hot topic at the moment, with many of Apple’s competitors, most noticeably Microsoft and Google, going in hard on the technology. You’ll certainly be hearing a lot about AI laptops this year – and it almost felt like Apple was being left behind.

So, Apple’s focus on the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)’s AI performance was a pleasant surprise – especially as the M-series chips have actually been ahead of the game for quite a while for AI thanks to the Apple Neural Engine, which has been included since the original M1 chip, and which even back then was pitched as being able to help with machine learning tasks. While Apple’s chip-making rival Intel has only just put out new processors with NPUs (Neural Processing Units) dedicated to AI tasks, we’ve now had three generations of Apple silicon that have this capability – and Apple is now, understandably, making a big deal about it.

The M3 comes with an upgraded 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple claims is “faster and more efficient” than previous versions, making this MacBook Air, in Apple’s words, “the world’s best consumer laptop for AI.” While it’s difficult to confirm this, especially until other laptops with AI-focused chips come out, I saw how the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) coped with cloud-based AI in the form of Microsoft Copilot – which is included in the Mac version of Microsoft Office and is dependent on an internet connection – as well as on-device AI in apps such as Pixelmator Pro and Photoshop. The on-device performance was especially impressive, as everything is handled by the M3 chip – so you can be offline and still make use of AI tools to automate repetitive tasks such as sharpening photos, or generating content like text based on a simple prompt.

The screen and speakers aren’t the best you’re going to get in a MacBook – the far more expensive MacBook Pros offer mini LED technology for stunning contrast and vibrancy, along with ProMotion features that offer faster refresh rates for smooth and snappy scrolling.

The new 15-inch MacBook Air also comes with better speakers – you get six speakers with force-cancelling woofers in the larger model, which offers richer and deeper sounds.

The 13-inch MacBook Air (M3) makes do with four speakers, which to be honest is still a lot for a thin and light laptop, and while this model doesn’t feature Apple’s highest-end tech, it still does a very good job when you’re watching or listening to media, or working on projects. The sound is loud and clear – certainly a far cry from the often tinny speakers in most laptops. The screen is also bright and crisp, and as usual comes with support for the P3 color gamut to help ensure colors are accurate. This means the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) remains a compelling and affordable alternative to the MacBook Pro for content creators.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Battery life

Lasts over 14 hours
Charges quickly

The battery life of Apple silicon-powered MacBooks has always impressed, and is one of the reasons why I recommend them so enthusiastically. The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) continues this – while the M3 chip brings performance increases, it remains impressively efficient, so the battery doesn’t appear to drain significantly faster.

Apple claims the 13-inch MacBook Air (M3) is good for up to 18 hours of Apple TV and up to 15 hours of wireless internet browsing – this is the same theoretical battery lifespan that Apple quotes for the 15-inch MacBook Air (M3). While the 15-inch model comes with a larger 66.5 watt-hour battery, compared to the 13-inch’s 52.6 watt-hour battery, the reason for the parity is most likely due to the larger 15.6-inch screen being more power-hungry.

In our battery life test, where we play a looped 1080p video until the battery dies, the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) managed 14 hours and 19 minutes. That’s a drop from the 16 hours and 6 minutes the M2 version managed in the same test, and may be evidence that the performance gains of the M3 chip have come at a cost to efficiency. Still, the drop isn’t huge, and over 14 hours is still very impressive – you should get through a full work or school day on a single charge, although the more intensive the tasks you perform, the quicker the battery will drain. Impressively, even when gaming, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) lasted for hours, when usually gaming drains battery extremely quickly.

Another thing I really appreciate about the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) is that even when it’s unplugged there’s no impact on performance. Other laptops usually throttle performance when on battery power to prolong battery life, but the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) doesn’t seem to do that – at least not in any noticeable way. That, combined with the long battery life, makes the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) a brilliant laptop for people who want a device to work on when out and about. Using the included charger, the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) charged to over 50% in under an hour. As with other MacBooks, the new 13-inch MacBook Air also does a great job of conserving battery life when not in use, so you can leave it for several days, open it up and you’ll still have battery. To prove this – and as a nice touch too – the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) comes fully charged out of the box, so you can set it up and start using it straight away.

Battery score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3)?

Buy it if...

You're after the best laptop in the world
Apple has done it again with an incredible laptop that isn't outrageously expensive and will cope with almost any task you throw at it.

You want a laptop to work on while travelling
The 13-inch formfactor is ideal for taking this laptop out and about with you, and the long battery life will also help.

You don't need extreme power
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) offers brilliant performance, so if you don't need a MacBook Pro for heavy creative tasks, the Air is a great alternative.

Don't buy it if...

You want a big screen
The 13.6-inch screen makes the MacBook Air a great portable device, but some people may prefer the 15-inch model for working on.

You want the cheapest Mac
The M2 MacBook Air has a new price cut, and the Mac mini both offer lower costs of entry if you want a modern Mac.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review: Also consider

If our Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

How I tested the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)

I used the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) for most of the week
I used it as my day-to-day work laptop
I ran several apps and games throughout my time using it

The MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) was announced on Monday, March 4, and by Tuesday I was at Apple's headquarters in London to test out the new laptop. I also received both the 13-inch and 15-inch models to fully review, and have been using the 13-inch model primarily throughout the rest of the week.

I used the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) for various work tasks, including writing some of this review, while also testing out various apps including Adobe Photoshop and Ableton Live 11. I also watched a few movies and TV shows, and played a couple of games as well.

I've reviewed almost all of Apple's MacBooks for TechRadar over the past 10 years, as well as hundreds of Windows laptops and Chromebooks, and used this experience, alongside my time with the MacBook Air 13-inch (M3) to draw my conclusions.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Bigger, bolder, faster, better

5:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Laptops Macbooks | Tags: AI, Death Stranding | Comments: Off

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3): Two-minute review

Sometimes I struggle to explain why someone might choose a larger, heavier MacBook Air 15-inch over the regular super light and thin MacBook Air. It's an especially difficult conversation because, aside from size, there are no functional differences between the new Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) and equally-new MacBook Air 13-inch (M3).

Aesthetically, they have the same design. MacBook Air left the wedge look behind a couple of years ago (and officially canceled it this year with the removal of the M1 MacBook Air) and now sports a flat and still pleasing slab look. Both MacBook Airs are made of recycled aluminum and an anodized midnight black finish that does a decent if imperfect job of repelling fingerprints (space black on the MacBook Pro hides the prints a little better).

The Magic Keyboards and trackpads are essentially the same, including the quite useful Touch ID/power/sleep button.

They have similar, spatial-audio-capable sound systems that I like (though I tend to use AirPod Pros with them so as not to disturb my office mates). Due to the larger size of the MacBook Air 15-inch, however, you get two extra speakers (six rather than four), and the 15-inch model's speakers include force-canceling woofers that offers decent bass without causing distracting vibrations.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 REVIEW — (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Ultimately, it all comes down to size. The MacBook Air 15-inch offers significantly larger palm rests, which makes my typing experience that much better. The screen, though no sharper than the MacBook Pro 13-inch's 224ppi Liquid Retina display, adds hundreds of pixels to make it the most expansive MacBook Air experience available.

And that's what it comes down to – more space. Is that worth an extra $200? Perhaps. I've been using the MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) for the better part of a week and already am a little spoiled by the extra screen real estate and roomy keyboard base.

It still bothers me that, despite the larger, thicker, and heavier chassis, the 15-inch MacBook Air offers no more battery life than its substantially smaller sibling. Still, having a powerful M3 chip inside makes this a big-screen workhorse that might turn a few heads from the pricier MacBook Pro 14-inch that can also be configured to feature an M3 chip. Sure, you give up an SD card slot, an HDMI port, a little bit of battery life, and that higher-resolution screen, but you get a larger screen, a slightly lighter system, and save $300.

Overall, I think for those who demand more screen real estate (without connecting it to up to two external displays – but while keeping the laptop closed), the 15-inch MacBook Air is the right choice.

Compared to the 15-inch laptop market, the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 will maintain its leadership position atop our best 15-inch Laptop buying guide. It's better looking, faster, and either comparable or more affordable than many of the top-tier models available from Dell, HP, and Razer (I'm not talking about heavy, bargain basement 15-inch models, by the way).

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Price and availability

Announced on March 4, 2024
Shipping March 8
Base model is $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 (2024) begins shipping out globally to customers on March 8, 2024.

The base model starts at $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 and ships with an M3 CPU (8-core CPU and 10-core GPU ), 8 GB of unified memory, and a 256GD SSD. The system is configurable to up to 24GB of memory, and 2TB SSD. My test unit arrived with 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD, a configuration that would run you $1,499.

While it can be hard to directly compare Intel Core i7 systems with those running Apple silicon, the price of the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 base model still compares favorably to Core i7 systems like the Dell XPS 15.

Price score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Specs

The Apple MacBook Air 15-inch M3 (2024) is available in three configurations that essentially add memory and storage but otherwise leave the base system unchanged.

You get your money's worth, but I do think it's time for the base model of all MacBook Airs to start with at least 512GB of storage.

Each of these options can be configured to add more memory (up to 24GB), and add storage up to 2TB.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Design

Larger 15-inch screen
Design unchanged from M2 MacBook Air 15-inch
The Midnight finish rebuffs fingerprints

I know some people still mourn the loss of the MacBook Air's original wedge shape and like to imagine what that would look like on a 15-inch model, but the slab look of the new MacBook Airs (now on their second generation) has grown on me. The recycled aluminum chassis is all clean lines and buffed corners.

The dimensions of this M3-sporting MacBook Air match those of the last 15-inch model. It's still 0.45 (11.5mm) inches thick (a hair thicker than the 13-inch model, which is 11.3mm thick), 13.40 inches wide, and 9.35 inches deep. The portable weighs 3.3 lbs, which is a little more than half a pound heavier than the 13-inch model. That's still pretty lightweight for a 15-inch model. However, as much as I like this big screen, I still prefer carrying the lightest possible laptop and would probably choose the 2.7 lb. MacBook Air 13-inch over this one.

Apple offers the MacBook Air in a variety of colors (silver, starlight, space gray, and midnight) but my preference is for the new midnight, which like space black (available on the MacBook Pro 14 M3 Max I reviewed last year) is anodized to cut down on fingerprints. Because midnight is not as dark as the black, it's not quite as successful at hiding all of my fingerprints. I hope that future MacBook Airs get the awesome space black option.

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The MacBook Air 15-inch M3 design is, in some ways, cleaner than that of the MacBook Pro. Where the latter has fine speaker grills on either side of the keyboard, the MacBook Air 15 – which has room for speakers – is all smooth metal. I like the look of it.

Apple's Magic Keyboard remains one of my favorite ultraportable typing experiences. There's a pleasing amount of travel and response and, of course, lots of room to work. Similarly, the force touch trackpad is huge and responsive. I still wish Apple would offer an update where you could draw on the touchpad using an Apple Pencil (a guy can dream, can't he?).

As you might expect the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 is not packed with every port you can imagine or need. There is, however, a pair of Thunderbolt ports capable of driving up to two external displays (but only with the laptop closed). I used my test system with it connected to a Targus 7-port universal USB-C adapter, which was then connected to a 24-inch HD display. The ports are also useful for data and power. They both sit on one side of the laptop, next to the MagSafe charge port. On the other side is that vestigial 3.5mm headphone jack that audiophiles will appreciate. Apple should add one more USB-C port on this side of the laptop. Maybe they will the next time they redesign the MacBook Air.

One of the big (get it?) selling points of the 15-inch MacBook Air is the expansive Liquid Retina display. It's still 224ppi but where the 13-inch MacBook Air's 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display offers a resolution of 2560 x 1664 pixels, my 15-inch MacBook Air's 15.3-inch display offers a 2880 x 1864 resolution, which means hundreds more pixels and a lot more screen real estate

There is a lot to love about this display. It supports 1 billion colors and and the P3 wide color gamut. This means that everything from the depressing Netflix movie Spaceman to games like Death Stranding Directors Cut looks excellent. 500 nits is not necessarily the brightest screen, but I found the display viable in all manner of light situations.

I have grown used to the rather larger notch at the top of the screen, which accommodates the Facetime camera. That 1080p camera is also excellent for Google Meets, and Zoom conferences. One person told me I looked "crystal clear" during our one-on-one video meeting, while another, who was part of a more bandwidth-constrained group meeting, told me I looked a bit cartoonish.

Design score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Performance

Powered by M3 chip
It does it all
All the power and intelligence you need for local AI tasks

Benchmarks

Here’s how the MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

Geekbench 6.2.2 Single-Core: 3,102; Multi-Core: 12,052 Battery Life (Web Surfing test): 15 hours and 3 minutes

In Apple silicon's short history, there has yet to be a shred of disappointment. Every iteration builds on the last in spectacular fashion. I've tested every Apple silicon update from the initial M1 to this new class of M3 chips and, without exception, each one is as blindingly fast and as efficient as an SoC (System on Chip) can be.

Without Apple silicon, the MacBook Air 15-inch would be a relatively lightweight, big-screen laptop bursting with Apple's signature style but perhaps weighed down a bit by Intel's still underperforming desktop-class silicon.

With the M3, my MacBook Air 15-inch is fast, flexible, and ready for just about anything. Its Geekbench 6 numbers are noticeably higher than those of the previous-class M2 MacBook Air 15-inch.

In real-world use, the ultrabook is as effective an everyday browsing and information-gathering system as it is a platform for intense image editing and a wide array of onboard and in-the-cloud AI operations.

In Adobe Photoshop, I asked the Firefly Generative AI platform to create a whole picture based on a thumbnail of a house in the hills. The result came instantly and looked real but also dreamy.

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Running Adobe Firefly (Image credit: Future)

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When I asked the local AI engine Freechat for a presentation on horology, it quickly spit out an outline for all my slides. It would not, however, create the slide images. And when I asked Microsoft's Copilot for images, the cloud-based app took a bit longer but I eventually got a bunch of pictures of "A middle-aged bald guy with glasses using a laptop in the middle of a magical park".

I tried the same prompt with the local AI tool DiffusionBee (it lets you download the image models to the MacBook) and while it was a bit faster, the results were not nearly as good.

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local and cloud-based AI — A Microsoft Copilot test (Image credit: Future)

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If you're wondering why I'm suddenly talking about generative AI in the context of a MacBook Air, blame Apple. The company's been doing AI forever and has built every Apple Silicon SoC with an onboard Neural Egninge but only recently started touting its AI bona fides because, well, everyone else is doing it.

To be fair, it's clear to me that whatever generative AI skills Apple introduces at WWDC 2024 in June, the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 will be ready for it.

The MacBook Air 15-inch M3 is also an able gaming system. I played Death Stranding: Directors Cut and Asphalt 8 (with a connected PlayStation Controller). The M3 is well-equipped to handle HD-level gameplay on both games. I tried cranking the resolution up to the max on DeathStranding, but the frame rate sputters to well below 30fps. If you want to play AAA games on this laptop at a smooth 60fps, you'll want to keep the resolution at an HD level (1920x1080). In that setting, I could still see the texture of Léa Seydoux's skin.

On the connectivity front, Apple upgraded the WiFi from Wifi 6 to WiFi 6E. Bluetooth is the same as it was on the last model: 5.3.

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If you're wondering why I'm suddenly talking about generative AI in the context of a MacBook Air, blame Apple. The company's been doing AI forever and has built every Apple Silicon SoC with an onboard Neural Egninge but only recently started touting its AI bonafides because, well, everyone else is doing it. To be fair, it's clear to me that whatever generative AI skills Apple introduces at WWDC 2024 in June, the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 will be ready for it. The MacBook Air 15-inch M3 is also an able gaming system. I played Death Stranding: Directors Cut and Asphalt 8 (with a connected PlayStation Controller). The M3 is well-equipped to handle HD-level gameplay on both games. I tried cranking the resolution up to the max on DeathStranding, but the frame rate sputters to well below 30fps. If you want to play AAA games on this laptop at a smooth 60fps, you'll want to keep the resolution at an HD level (1920x1080). In that setting, I could still see the texture of Léa Seydoux's skin. On the connectivity front, Apple upgraded the WiFi from Wifi 6 to WiFi 6E. Bluetooth is the same as it was on the last model: 5.3. — Playing DeathStranding on a MacBook Air 15-inch M3 (Image credit: Future)

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Part of the reason you want this (or really and MacBook) is because of the platform. MacOS is not only a mature operating system. it's one that manages to feel unencumbered by its years of existence. Apple's managed to marry its fast and efficient Apple silicon with a desktop-class OS without any noticeable compromises.

This is a system that works, is flexible, and never crashes. Better yet, all your favorite apps already work on it. Perhaps even more exciting is that macOS and Apple Silicon are slowly but surely becoming a viable platform for gaming. AAA titles like Lies of Pi feel perfectly at home and, I can tell you, they are a joy to play on the large 15.3-inch display.

Performance score: 4.5/5

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Battery life

Lasts almost 18 hours
Still charges quickly

If you want to know why I love the current generation of MacBooks, it's not just because of their good looks and blazing performance: It's the battery life. I absolutely love a laptop that can deliver a full day of work without being plugged in.

Apple promises 15 hours of web browsing and 18 hours of video streaming. In our Future Labs tests and my anecdotal ones, the MacBook Air 15-inch M3 lives up to those promises. We got over 15 hours of continuous web browsing. I spent the better part of a day unplugged and only truly taxed the battery when I played Death Stranding, a game that can zap a full battery in a matter of a few hours (I had a similar experience when gaming on the MacBook Pro 14 M3 Max).

My only criticism is that I wish the larger MacBook Air 15-inch provided more battery life than the smaller MacBook Air 13-inch.

Battery score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)?

Buy it if...

You're looking to marry thin and light with a big screen
You won't get more battery life but all that screen real estate is enticing.

You want Apple Silicon without the price or heft
This 15-inch laptop is a great alternative to the pricier entry-level MacBook Pro.

You want the best-looking 15-inch laptop
No one makes laptops like Apple and macOS is one of the most reliable platforms on the planet.

Don't buy it if...

You value portability above all else
This is a MacBook Air that comes perilously close to blowing the "air" part of the name. It's light for 15 inches but also over 3 lbs.

You want more battery life for the size and money
Apple still can't figure out how to make a 15-inch MacBook Air that gets more battery life than its much smaller MacBook Air 13-inch sibling.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) review: Also consider

If our MacBook Air 15-inch (2023) review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

How I tested the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3)

I used the MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) for most of the week
I used it as my day-to-day work laptop
I ran a number of cloud and local Generative AI operations on it

I received the Apple MacBook Air 15-inch (M3) at the start of the week and, after quickly unboxing it, adopted the laptop as my work system.

I used it to produce stories, edit photos, play games, watch movies, read content, and generate AI-based images and text.

I've been testing laptops and technology for over 30 years.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK review: A solid performer for a reasonable price

12:40 pm | March 6, 2024

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

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Two-minute review

It’s gotten to the point where you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a generally solid gaming experience. That’s certainly where AOC is positioning their latest panel, the catchily named AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK, which brings with it the ideal combo of panel size and resolution – 2560 x 1440 strewn over a 27-inch screen – alongside purposeful looks and a generally great image for reasonable money in today’s economy.

There’s quite a sea of options at this more affordable price point, but the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK offers a lot for a good price, and may well just be one of the best gaming monitors out there in its price bracket.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK is perhaps a little non-descript compared to some similarly-priced gaming monitors, opting for a simple but effective black plastic chassis with flecks of red on the stand and underside of the bottom bezel. This is typical for AOC monitors and makes this panel look as if it’s a successor to the AOC display I use day to day.

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK photographed on a desk. — (Image credit: Future)

Its simple design pays off, as it’s a good-looking monitor, with thin bezels helping it to look reasonably modern. A weight of 5.5kg gives it some nice heft, and it feels well-made, considering the price. The stand on offer is practical, offering solid adjustment with tilt, height, and swivel, but not rotation - arguably given the slight 1500R curvature. This is also a VESA-compatible panel if you want to opt for wall mounting or on a desk clamp with a mount, as opposed to the bundled stand.

It’s also easy to put together with a tool-less construction. Instead, the CQ27G2S/BK uses a screw-in stand that attaches to the panel especially conveniently, making life easy. If you’re like me and have a small phobia of manual labor then putting together AOC’s candidate is a doozy.

As for inputs, the CQ27G2S/BK features a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports and a singular DisplayPort 1.4 option, as well as a headphone jack. Given the more affordable price point, I’m not too worried about the lack of more modern accoutrements such as any USB ports, although they would have been nice to have.

There are built-in speakers, although they aren’t the best, sounding thin overall with little in terms of bass and top-end. The saving grace here is that the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK features a 3.5mm earphone jack so you can connect up external speakers, which would be preferable.

Apart from the actual panel itself, the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK doesn’t offer much else in the way of additional features. The big thing here though is its on-screen display (OSD). While offering plenty of features to play around with including dedicated gamer modes as well as a handful of HDR modes you can enable, it isn't easy to navigate. It takes a few seconds to move from menu to menu, and the buttons on the bottom right offer very little in the way of assistance with function and direction. A joystick would have made things a lot easier.

In delving into the actual panel, the CQ27G2S/BK utilizes a 27-inch VA panel, complete with a 2560x1440 resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. There is support for VRR with AMD FreeSync, although Nvidia GPUs are supported with adaptive sync, and there's a vague semblance of HDR with support for DisplayHDR 10.

In testing, the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK provided some excellent image quality. It provides decently bright images with a measured peak figure of 242 nits while offering pretty deep blacks and solid contrast that actually exceeds AOC’s own quoted 4000:1 by a little bit. Its 6900K color temperature is solid for a monitor of this price too, as is its SDR color accuracy. 100% sRGB coverage means it displays all the colors needed for mainstream work and play as accurately as possible while 90% DCI-P3 means it could handle more specialist workloads if you wanted to.

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK Key Specs

Panel size: 27 inches
Panel type: VA LCD
Resolution: 2560 x 1440
Brightness: 250 nits
Contrast: 4000:1
HDR: HDR10
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 165Hz
Inputs: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm headphone jack

In enabling HDR though, it’s where AOC’s more affordable mid-ranger falls over. It becomes a much more washed-out and overall less enticing picture. Its 80% sRGB and 59% DCI-P3 color space coverage mean that the CQ27G2S/BK isn’t at all suitable for HDR workloads, and you should stick to working in SDR.

However, it’s important to note that this isn’t necessarily a panel designed for color-sensitive workloads, and for gaming in SDR, it was excellent. The combination of a 27-inch screen and 1440p panel offered solid detail over a great size for my desk, while the 165Hz refresh rate ensured output was smooth. Playing CS:GO at a high frame rate felt especially responsive while using it for day-to-day work and running my Football Manager 2023 save felt sharper.

The moderate 1500R curve helped to provide a tad more immersion in FPS titles, and allowed me to focus more on firing at bots in CS:GO (I refuse to play online, I don’t want to get smoked!). That curvature was also welcome for filling my eyesight for day-to-day working, and while it may seem like an odd thing to say, the CQ27G2S/BK helped to immerse me in what I needed to get done. When rewatching the last series of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel on Prime Video, the curvature helped there, and viewing YouTube videos was solid too.

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Price & availability

How much does it cost? £220 (US model $290, about AU$425)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Currently available in the UK

The AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK appears to be a UK-exclusive panel, being priced at £220 - at least, this exact model. A virtually identical monitor - the AOC Agon Q27G2S - is available in the US for $290 (around AU$425). It sits well amongst some of the best high refresh rate monitors we’ve looked at in the past, such as our top choice, the Gigabyte Aorus CV27Q, and other similar specced options.

The CV27Q, despite now being a slightly older panel, matches well against AOC’s latest option with the same screen size, resolution, and refresh rate, although offers a quicker response time of 1ms, but a worse contrast ratio at 3000:1 compared to AOC’s 4000:1.

Perhaps the next nearest competitor to the CQ27G2S/BK is an option from the brand 'X=', a spin-off from UK retailer AWD-IT. Their X=XRGB27WQ offers a virtually identical spec sheet to AOC’s choice with the same resolution, screen size, and resolution. It gets a little brighter than the CQ27G2S/BK with 350 quoted nits and offers an IPS panel as opposed to VA. That’ll run you £230, although you are banking on trusting a lesser-known brand.

Other options from the likes of Dell are going to cost at least £100 or so more than the CQ27G2S/BK, making it a rather great value-for-money choice in its category.

Should you buy the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK: Report Card

How I tested the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S/BK

Spent nearly two weeks testing
Used for gaming, photo editing, watching videos and day to day work
Tested using a colorimeter for testing overall image quality

During my time with the AOC Gaming CQ27G2S, I used it as my main working monitor, using it for day-to-day work writing articles and editing images with Photoshop. I also used it to watch streaming content on Disney+ and Prime Video after work, as well as playing a variety of games

This is a monitor primarily designed for gaming, hence my testing in eSports titles such as CS:GO, where you’re more likely to feel the benefit of the panel’s 165Hz refresh rate. Its excellent color accuracy also makes it suitable for productivity and generalist workloads, as opposed to using it for more specialist tasks.

As someone who has a few years of experience writing reviews and testing all sorts of monitors, I’ve got the right tools to help you through the minefield of whether a monitor is actually any good or not. You can trust me to take everything into account to help you make the right buying decision.

First reviewed March 2024

Lenovo Legion R45w-30 review: A large ultrawide that doesn’t cost the earth

8:26 pm | March 5, 2024

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

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: One-minute review

It’s easy to see the appeal of ultrawide monitors, as long as you’ve got the space for them. You get loads of horizontal screen real estate to give you more screen space to use, and that can wrap around you to get you more immersion.

It’s also gotten to the point where you can get solidly specced choices that don’t cost the earth, relatively speaking, That’s where Lenovo is aiming to push their latest screen, the Legion R45w-30, which is one of the larger ultrawide panels available on the market today, and undercuts many of the best ultrawide monitors around in price by quite some distance in the name of offering a solid overall experience backed by a massive 44.5-inch screen.

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Price & availability

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 ultrawide gaming monitor on a desk. — (Image credit: Future)

How much does it cost? $799 / £799 / AU$999
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the UK and USA

The Lenovo Legion R45w-30 is available in both the UK and USA for reasonable sums of money compared to other ultrawides, and was subject to a handy discount in the UK this past Black Friday to bring its price down further.

It matches reasonably well against our top ultrawide monitor choice, the LG UltraGear 38GN950, which clocks in at a third more in price than this Lenovo option, at £1200 or so. That panel offers a smaller screen size and aspect ratio, but makes up for it with higher brightness and contrast. It lacks some other nice-to-have features though, including extra USB ports and a KVM switch, making this Lenovo choice especially good value.

Other options from the likes of Samsung are going to cost nearly double that of the Legion R45w-30, given they are OLED, making the Legion R45w-30 a rather great value-for-money choice in its category.

Value: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Design

Easy setup
Plenty of connectivity options
Lackluster speakers

The Legion R45w-30 is a good-looking monitor, and carried a lot of presence when placed on my desk. It filled my 120cm desk entirely, and offers a lot of display real estate for the price, that’s for sure. Its black plastic construction feels sturdy, and the flecks of metal across the base of the stand were a nice touch alongside the small Lenovo logo. It means that it should fit well in virtually any setup, with looks to it that are far from being the most obnoxious.

On the point of the stand, that’s especially sturdy, as it would have to be to support such a large monitor. The Legion R45w-30 is also especially easy to put together, and requires no tools to do so. This proved useful if you’re someone who has no dexterity in your hands like I do, so being able to put this Lenovo ultrawide together with little effort was rather handy. You do have to be a bit stronger to put it on the VESA mount if you don’t want to use the included stand, though - and of course, for that you’ll need to make sure you’ve got a stand that supports a monitor that weighs 8.3kg without the stand.

Lenovo Legion R45w-30 Key Specs

Panel size: 44.5 inches
Panel type: VA WLED
Resolution: 5120 x 1440
Brightness: 450 nits (quoted)
Contrast: 3000:1
HDR: HDR400
Pixel response: 1ms
Refresh rate: 165Hz
Inputs: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DP 1.4, 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x USB-B upstream, 3x USB-A downstream, 1x Ethernet

The scope for adjustment is decent, and you can tilt and pivot the Legion R45w-30 to your liking. It can swivel left and right up to 30 degrees, as well as being height adjustable with a scope of five inches, while its tilt is between 5 and 22 degrees, which is useful for making sure you’re comfortable. Admittedly, in using the Legion R45w-30, the massive screen did take some getting used to.

The vast array of inputs on offer pushes the Legion R45w-30 up a lot in my estimations, given it also packs in some options you don’t usually see on more affordable panels. You get a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 as well as an Ethernet jack, a trifecta of USB-A downstream ports, a USB-C upstream and USB-B upstream, as well as a headphone jack. That gives you a lot of options for connecting additional devices, speakers, and multiple desktops or laptops.

Design: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Features

Easy-to-use UI
KVM switch is useful
Weak, thin-sounding 3W speakers

The OSD that the Legion R45w-30 provides is easy to navigate, especially with the mixture of buttons and a joystick to navigate through its numerous modes. Inside it, you can toggle between various HDR modes and profiles, and fiddle with more traditional settings such as brightness and contrast. I did find myself pressing the wrong buttons inherently, but that’s down to my own incompetence more so than the monitor. Having the joystick for navigating inside menus was a godsend though, and made my life a lot easier.

You even get access to a KVM switch, meaning you can have two devices connected to the Legion R45w-30 and use the same input devices. Switching over from my MacBook Pro to my desktop PC using the same peripherals (don’t worry, my keyboard has dual legend keycaps) was seamless. If you want to, you can also split sources on-screen by using either USB-C or the DP port with picture-in-picture, allowing you to work on two systems at the same time, which is a nice touch, and means you can take full advantage of the 44.5-inch screen for multitasking. Features like that truly exhibit the purpose of an ultrawide panel for productivity workloads.

There are built-in 3W speakers, although they aren’t the best, sounding thin overall, although they do give plenty of volume. You’ll definitely be thankful for the presence of that 3.5mm jack for connecting some external speakers to boost your audio performance.

Features: 4 / 5

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Performance

Overall image quality is fantastic
Deep blacks and vibrant color reproduction in games
HDR performance is weak

In testing the Legion R45w-30, it provided some good detail and especially smooth output when running Counter-Strike 2, Assetto Corsa Competizione, and Forza Horizon 5 - even if the latter would only run at 21:9, so it couldn’t take advantage of the full wide 32:9 aspect ratio on offer.

Nonetheless, the Legion R45w-30 impressed me, with its good colors and responsive feel. Having never used an ultrawide panel for games before for an extended period, I can certainly see the appeal. ACC especially impressed me, with the entire cockpit of the GT3 Bentley Continental I was driving around Silverstone wrapped around me. Using such a wide monitor seemed to also take away the need to use the camera navigation buttons to move around, as I physically turned my head to take note of where competitors were. The Legion R45w-30 worked wonders for sim racing, not least when I moved from using an Xbox Elite 2 controller to my trusty Logitech G29 wheel.

It also proved to be much the same story when playing Dirt Rally 2, with sharp images and smooth motion thanks to the 165Hz refresh rate. On tight, twisting rally stages with lots of quick changes of direction, the sharper output was most certainly welcome. Counter-Strike 2 was a lot of fun in ultrawide form, with detailed visuals and smooth frames with that 170Hz refresh rate, even if I was terrible at killing enemies.

Out of the box, the Legion R45w-30 offered up relatively deep blacks and near-perfect whites alongside wonderfully accurate colors. It offered a crisp experience for both work and play, and the 5120 x 1440 resolution served up some excellent detail whether I was bombing my way across a New Zealand rally stage or watching some mindless content on YouTube.

A peak brightness of 367 nits is good enough for the price, and meant images did look rather vibrant. Cranking things up to that level didn’t have that much of an impact on whites, although blacks weren’t quite as deep. However, as much as SDR performance here was great, the same can’t be said for HDR. Enabling HDR400 on the monitor and in Windows revealed more washed-out colors and lower color accuracy, meaning this isn’t necessarily the best panel for those workloads. Stick to SDR though, and you’ll be golden.

Performance: 4 / 5

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion R45w-30?

Buy it if...

Don't buy if...

Also Consider

Lenovo Legion R45w-30: Report Card

How I tested the Lenovo Legion R45w-30

Spent nearly two weeks testing
Used for gaming, as well as photo editing and watching videos and day to day work.
Tested using a colorimeter for verifying overall image quality

During my time with the Lenovo Legion R45w-30, I used it as my main working monitor, using it for day-to-day work writing articles and editing images with Photoshop. I also used it to watch streaming content on Disney+ and Prime Video after work, as well as to play a variety of games, including sim racing and shooter titles.

This is a monitor primarily designed for gaming, hence my testing in eSports titles such as Counter-Strike 2, where you’re more likely to feel the benefit of the panel’s 165Hz refresh rate, and using it in sim racing titles such as Assetto Corsa Competizione and Dirt Rally 2 allowed me to gauge its true immersion capabilities. Its fantastic color accuracy and detail also make it suitable for productivity and generalist workloads.

LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB: Two-minute review

The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB is a special monitor, to say the least, and is effectively a new benchmark for the best ultrawide monitors thanks to its phenomenal balance of price, performance, and features.

The 45GR75DCB stretches its ultrawide display up from the usual 3,840 x 1,440p resolution up to 5,120 x 1,440p (32:9, rather than the more typical 21:9), and spreads that across just under 45 inches (44.5 to be precise) of display running up to 200Hz.

Then there are various features ranging from KVM capabilities for use across various devices, AMD Freesync Premium Pro compatibility, and more. Most importantly, the 45GR75DCB lacks the incredibly high $2,000 launch price tag of the LG UltraGear 38GN950, instead coming in at $799. This makes the 45GR75DCB one of the best gaming monitors currently available in its class.

An LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB on a desk — (Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB has a simple set-up out of the box. Three parts need to be connected including the base, stand, and display itself. The base has an easy screw at its bottom that connects to the neck.

Once that’s done, the neck connects to four slots on the display’s back. Weight distribution feels pretty even during setup so putting all the parts of the 45GR75DCB together wasn’t difficult. Power is supplied by a slightly enlarged brick that connects to a jack in the rear near a larger collection of ports.

An LG UltraGear 45GR75C on a desk — (Image credit: Future / Ural Garrett)

The ports sit on the right side of the back panel directly next to the display neck. In this section are two HDMI ports alongside a singular DisplayPort, USB-C port, USB-B, and two USB-A ports for KVM capabilities.

At the panel bottom near the power button/menu stick is a 3.5mm audio jack that also features DTS Headphone:X for virtual surround sound. It’s incredibly easy to navigate system menus with the stick as the user interface is pretty snappy as well. Unfortunately, there aren’t any internal speakers so headphones or external speakers are going to be mandatory.

When it comes to aesthetics, it won’t win any awards for beauty as it's more about function over form. For a small bit of oomph, there is an UltraGear logo on the back panel and that’s about it. The bezels are thin enough not to interfere with display real estate due to its 3-sided virtually borderless design.

Thankfully, the feet of the base don’t spread out wide enough to be a nuisance, which is great. The 45GR75DCB also doesn’t have any of the customizable lighting of the 38GN950 but that’s fine, and some might even see that as a positive. Though it’s impossible to rotate the 45GR75DCB vertically to get into portrait mode, there are enough height, tilt, and swivel adjustment ranges for a comfortable setup.

There are plenty of features that come packed in the LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB that add to various levels of functionality from creative work to pure gaming applications. The USB-C port allows for various functions including video and data transfer alongside power delivery up to 90W.

There also are a slew of various picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes as well as the splitting the monitor between two 2560 X 1440p displays. Multitasking is taken even further through KVM capabilities which allows a single mouse and keyboard input over two devices. This is perfect for gamers who want to stream content through one monitor and set of inputs.

When it comes to more image quality-focused features, the 45GR75DCB has a 1500R curve and 178° viewing angle. The 44.5-inch VA panel produces true-to-life images and videos, boasting 1.07 billion colors and VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification for high-dynamic range, encompassing 95% of the DCI-P3 gamut. Additionally, it offers a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a brightness of 400 nits among its standout features.

Real-time frames per second data can be splashed across all four corners of the display through an FPS Counter. Though the accuracy of the counter is a bit wonky during our test, it’s a great resource to keep up with fps data without using a third-party app that could take away system resources. Shooter fans looking to become as accurate as possible have several choices of a center-display crosshair for improving precision and accuracy. Though the 45GR75DCB doesn’t have external speakers, having DTS Headphone:X certification for virtual surround sound is a phenomenal plug-in-play feature.

General gaming performance on the LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB is pretty fantastic despite the wide visual real-estate. High frame rate games like Doom Eternal, Fortnite, and Counter Strike 2 definitely make the most of the blistering fast 200Hz display. Input lag while playing those games was non-existent thanks to its 1ms (GTG) response time, as well. Moreover, its compatibility with multiple variable refresh rate standards, including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, allows users to seamlessly apply the suitable variable refresh rate function to any PC or console.

Fans of games including Forza Motorsport, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and recent PlayStation ports of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered are going to be in for a treat. They not only perform well but feature ultrawide support for incredibly immersive gameplay. Just be sure that you have the best gaming PC you can get because it'll need to be powerful enough to get the most out of the ultrawide resolution and refresh rate.

When it comes to general image quality, the UltraGear 45GR75DCB is respectable but is held back by its 400 nits of brightness alongside the anti-glare screen, which ultimately produces colors that aren’t as vibrant or crisp as they could be. This is more noticeable when HDR is turned on as colors feel even more flat and drab.

This means that the ultrawide desktop should be avoided by content curators like photographers or colorists. While using Photoshop, it was an issue getting internal monitor settings to look right. For optimal image quality, it’s best to leave HDR alone unless one wants to do a lot of tinkering. Like many premium gaming monitors, there are several genre-specific color settings for first-person shooters, racing, and the like. However, they don’t do much to help improve image quality.

Overall, though, the LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB is one of the best gaming monitor options for those who want the real estate of an ultrawide monitor but aren't looking to spend a fortune to get one. When it comes to functionality and performance, you'd be hard-pressed to find better, just don’t expect a premium look for overall image quality.

LG UltraGear 45GR75C: Price and availability

The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB is available now in the US for $799.99 and in the UK for 979.94, though there isn’t a release date for the UK or Australia right now. For the size available, this pits it against larger ultrawide screens like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 or Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 but significantly cheaper.

Though the UltraGear 45GR75DCB lacks a lot of the image quality of those other ultrawide gaming displays, it nearly matches them with its functionality and performance.

Should you buy the The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB?

Buy the LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB if...

Don't buy it if...

You want better overall image quality
Colors lack boldness and contrast compared to other ultrawide monitors in its tier. Though it’s good enough for gaming, creatives may have some issues when it comes to color correcting.

You don’t have a powerful PC
Gamers who already have trouble running games like Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone at high frame rates on their rig, let alone higher fidelity games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake 2, won't be able to take full advantage of this display.

The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB: Also consider

If my LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB review has you considering other options, here are two more monitors to consider.

How I tested the LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB

We tested the LG UltraGear 45GR75C for about a little over a week
We used it for gaming, creative work and general computing tasks
We used various games alongside Adobe Suite software

The LG UltraGear 45GR75DCB was made for high performance gaming so a majority of the time was spent playing various titles. To test the performance prowess of the monitor, I played games like Counter Strike 2, Fortnite, and Doom Eternal to test how far refresh rates could be pushed. When it comes to games displaying high levels of visual fidelity, I played Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077, and Forza Motorsport.

I used Adobe Suite software including Photoshop and Premiere Pro to test its color accuracy and image quality. To test video capabilities, various YouTube videos were played across a range of image qualities as well.

I’ve spent the past several years covering monitors alongside other PC components for Techradar. Outside of gaming, I’ve been proficient in Adobe Suite for over a decade as well.

First reviewed March 2024

Asus ROG G22CH review: the Intel NUC Extreme lives on, at least in spirit

7:00 pm | March 1, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Gadgets Gaming Computers Gaming PCs | Tags: DLSS, GPU, RGB, Total War | Comments: Off

Asus ROG G22CH: One-minute review

As chipsets get smaller and more efficient, the past handful of years have seen a rise in smaller-form gaming PCs like the Asus ROG G22CH.

Not only are they non-intrusive compared to the biggest and best gaming PCs, but they have a nice amount of portability as well. Most importantly, clever cooling and component management allow them to pack a nice performance punch at the cost of real upgradability.

In the case of the ROG G22CH, the rig looks like a horizontally wider version of the Xbox Series X. There’s a sleek all-black look that’s accented by some nice angles with customizable RGB lighting. With that said, the performance specs are also miles ahead of a similar console.

The ROG G22CH has an Intel i9-13900K CPU, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. That’s more than enough for some solid native 1440p gaming with the ability for 4K through DLSS upscaling.

Starting at 1,399.99 in the US (about £1,120/AU$1,960), it can get expensive pretty quickly as you increase the specs, with UK and Australian buyers more restricted in the kinds of configurations they can buy.

This is a bit of an issue since upgradability down the line is likely going to be a problem due to the extremely tight chassis. When packing so much performance within such a small rig, efficient cooling is a must. There are two different options including fans and liquid but both are loud during intensive tasks.

That said, potential buyers looking for a small-form gaming desktop should definitely keep the Asus ROG G22CH in mind, since it's one of the few available on the market now that Intel has retired its NUC Extreme line. Beyond its pretty aggressive styling, its performance prowess is where it matters the most, and it excels in this regard. The gaming desktop can run all of the most popular esports games at high frame rates such as Fortnite and Valorant while handling more visually demanding games like Alan Wake 2 without much fuss. If cost and upgradability are a problem, it might be best to go with a gaming rig that has a bigger case

An Asus ROG G22CH on a desk — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Asus ROG G22CH: Price & availability

How much does it cost? Cost range between $1,399 and $2,499
When is it available? It is available now in U.S., UK and AU
Where can you get it? From various stories depending on territory

The Asus ROG G22CH is relatively expensive regardless of what configuration one has. For gamers looking for some solid 1080p gaming, the $1,399 option comes with an Intel Core i5-13400F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD.

That’s definitely a solid choice for anyone looking to play some of the bigger esports games like Fortnite, Rocket League, Call of Duty, or Valorant. Our review configuration came to about $2,299 and for $200 more users can pump up to the Intel Core i9-14900KF, though this isn't necessarily a huge jump in CPU power.

When it comes to the UK, there’s only one option available which includes an Intel Core i7, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 16GB RAM, and 2TB SSD for £2,099. Australian buyers have two configurations they can buy. Both have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, 32GB DDR5, and a1TB SSD, but for AU$4,699 you can get an Intel Core i7-14700F configuration, or for $4,999 you can get an Intel Core i9-14900KF system.

For good measure, there’s even an included mouse and keyboard that comes packed in with all configurations. Serious gamers will probably want to check out the best gaming keyboard and best gaming mouse options though, as the stock peripherals aren't spectacular.

Small-form PC Gaming rigs are usually expensive and naturally face issues when it comes to upgrading. However, the Acer Predator Orion 3000 is the most approachable price-wise and the lowest configuration is a bit more powerful than the ROG G22CH. Meanwhile, if performance is a main concern regardless of money the Origin Chronos V3 with a little bit of upgradable wiggly room and the Corsair One i300 has the best form-factor.

Asus ROG G22CH: Specs

The Asus ROG G22CH currently comes in a variety of customizable configurations.

Asus ROG G22CH: Design

The case is 4.53" x 12.72" x 11.30" inches and weights 18.52Lbs
An all-black design is accented with two strips of RGB lighting
There's not much room for GPU upgrading

Balancing form and functionality are the most important attributes of a small-sized gaming PC, and the Asus ROG G22CH does a solid job with both. When it comes to design, there’s much to appreciate in terms of the all-black chassis. Having two vertical strips of customizable RGB lighting on the front panel does lend the rig some personality.

There’s one small stripe on the upper left side and a longer one on the lower right side. Between them is an angular cut alongside the ROG logo. When it comes to ventilation, there’s some form of it on all sides of the ROG G22CH. Just looking from the front panel, the overall design is really sleek and could give the Xbox Series X a run for its money.

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There are plenty of ports available as well. The top IO panel features two USB-A ports alongside a singular USB-C, a 3.5mm combo jack, and a power button. Unfortunately, that USB-C port is the only one available on this PC. On the back are four USB-A split between 2.0 and 3.2, three audio jacks, and a gigabit Ethernet port. That should be more than enough for most PC gamers and creatives though.

Though upgradability will be tough, the ROG G22CH does somewhat make the process easier. Featuring a tool-free design, there’s a sliding latch that allows both sides and upper portions to be lifted to access to its inside. Having that ability without using screws does help a lot, outside of possibly RAM and SSD, getting a large GPU or attempting to swap out motherboards in the future is going to be difficult, if not impossible.

Asus ROG G22CH: Performance

1440p performance is spectacular
DLSS can do 4K when needed
Fans will run at full volume

Benchmarks

Here's how the Asus ROG G22CH performed in our series of benchmarks:

3DMark Speed Way: 4,404; Fire Strike: 34,340; Time Spy: 17,500
GeekBench 6 (single-core): 2,866; (multi-core): 17,650
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 137 fps; (1080p, Low): 343 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 123 fps; (1080p, Low): 162 fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 173 fps; (1080p, Low): 283 fps

Outside of gaming, the Asus ROG G22CH is a phenomenal workhorse for various general and creative tasks. Using Google Chrome in addition to listening to high-fidelity music through Tidal are fine working experiences.

Using Adobe Suite worked totally fine on the G22CH as well. Photoshop was able to handle multiple-layer projects with incredibly high-resolution photos without issue. Editing videos through Premiere Pro allowed easy editing of 4K videos with speedy export times.

That said, this is a gaming desktop, and it's its gaming performance where the G22CH really shines.

When it comes to handling the top tier of high-fidelity visuals in gaming, the G22CH can handle Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption II, Alan Wake II, and the like at native 1440p at high frame rates without breaking a sweat. Our Cyberpunk 2077 tests produced an average 123 fps on Ultra settings at 1080p. Bumping to 1440p with path tracing placed frame rates in the high 90s. Having everything turned to the max in settings allowed Alan Wake II to run in the high 60s.

If wanting to go up to 4K, users are definitely going to have to rely on Nvidia’s DLSS technology, but it's possible with the right settings tweaks.

When it comes to high esports-level performance, users right now can enjoy a serious edge over the competition. Games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Valorant, Country Strike 2, and Fortnite were able to pump out frame rates well over 100 fps on high settings which is more than enough for the best gaming monitors. For more competitive settings, it’s easy enough to reach past 200 fps.

Just understand that users will know when the G22CH is being pushed to the limit. When playing rounds of Helldivers 2 and Alan Wake II, the noise from the PC's fans reached around the low 80-decibel mark. This means that headsets are going to be necessary when gaming.

Should you buy the Asus ROG G22CH?

Buy the Asus ROG G22CH if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Asus ROG G22CH

I tested the Asus ROG G22CH over two weeks. During the day, many general computing tasks were done including Google Chrome and Tidal. Having multiple Google Chrome tabs allowed me to use Asana, Google Docs, and Hootsuite. For creating graphics alongside short-form social media video content, I used Adobe Premiere and Photoshop.

Testing out high frame rate possibilities, games played included Call of Duty: Warzone, Valorant, and Fortnite. To see how hard we could push visual fidelity, we tried games including Cyberpunk 2077, Alan Wake 2 and Forza Motorsport (2023).

I’ve spent the past several years covering monitors alongside other PC components for Techradar. Outside of gaming, I’ve been proficient in Adobe Suite for over a decade as well.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2024

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: AMD’s China-only card goes global—and upends the midrange market

7:42 pm | February 28, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD | Comments: Off

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Two-minute review

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE was originally launched in China back in July 2023, and from what everyone was told, that card was going to be exclusive to that region.

Well, following the launch of the RTX Super series of GPUs last month, AMD's decided to surprise everyone and launch the RX 7900 GRE globally, starting this week, and it looks primed to upend the midrange GPU market in a pretty huge way.

That's because the RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition) is going on sale starting at $549, which puts it directly in competition with the Nvidia RTX 4070 on price, and undercuts the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super by offering competitive performance for just over 90% of the cost.

To be clear, the card that is being released globally is the same card that has already been available for Chinese consumers, and so it has been extensively benchmarked for months, with much of that data freely available online for everyone to see.

This has no doubt driven much of the global interest in the RX 7900 GRE since it originally launched back in July, and I fully expect this card to fly off the shelves since it is without question one of the best graphics cards for the midrange you're going to find.

In terms of raw synthetic performance, the RX 7900 GRE follows the familiar AMD-Nvidia pattern where the Radeon card is better at pure rasterization while the GeForce card is the better ray-tracer, but the difference between the RX 7900 GRE and the RTX 4070 Super in ray-tracing performance isn't as wide as it might have been last generation.

What's more, when it comes to gaming, Nvidia's advantage in native ray tracing is overcome by the RX 7900 GRE as soon as you bring upscaling into the mix, which you invariably have to do whenever ray tracing above 1080p is involved.

The RX 7900 GRE is even a much more capable creative card than I was expecting, so long as you're not working with CUDA, but for graphic designers, photographers, and video editors, this is a surprisingly powerful GPU for a lot less money than it's rivals.

Overall, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE isn't so powerful that it completely knocks out Nvidia's RTX 4070 Super, but it's hitting Nvidia's newest GPU a lot harder than I think Nvidia was expecting so soon after launch. Unfortunately, this does put the only-slightly-cheaper-but-not-as-good AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT in a bit of an awkward position, but for gamers looking to get the best performance for their money, more options are better in this case.

An AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE from PowerColor on a desk with its retail packaging — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $549 (about £440/AU$770)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is available starting February 27, 2024, with a US MSRP of $549 (about £440/AU$770). This is the same price as the Nvidia RTX 4070, $50 less than the RTX 4070 Super, and $50 more than the RX 7800 XT.

This launch doesn't include an AMD reference card, so you will need to buy the RX 7900 GRE from third-party partners like ASRock, Gigabyte, Sapphire, and others. The sample I was sent for review is the PowerColor Hellhound RX 7900 GRE, a model line that typically sells for AMD's MSRP or below (when on sale).

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Features & specs

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is a modified Navi 31 GPU with four fewer compute units than the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, as well as slower clock speeds. It's power requirements are also officially lower at a starting TGP of 260W, but this will vary by which card you go for.

The Radeon RX 7900 GRE also has 16GB GDDR6 VRAM to the RX 7900 XT's 20GB, and while the RX 7900 XT has a 320-bit memory bus, the RX 7900 GRE has a slimmer — but still sizeable — 256-bit bus. With a memory clock of 2,250 MHz (compared to the RX 7900 XT's 2,500 MHz), the RX 7900 GRE comes in with an effective memory speed of 18 Gbps and a memory bandwidth of 576 GB/s, which is a notable decline from the RX 7900 XT's 800 Gbps and 800 GB/s, respectively.

Also notable are the two 8-pin power connectors, which won't require you to fuss around with a 16-pin connector like Nvidia's latest graphics cards require you to do, whether that's through an adapter or an ATX 3.0 power supply.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Design

While there is an AMD reference card for the RX 7900 GRE, AMD has said that global availability will only come through AIB partners, so the design you get with your card will vary by manufacturer.

The card I tested, the PowerColor Hellhound RX 7900 GRE, sports a triple-fan cooler with RGB lighting in the fan. It's a long card to be sure, and even though it's technically a dual-slot card, the shroud makes for a tight fit.

The backplate of the Hellhound RX 7900 GRE has some notable features, like the Hellhound logo, the exposed GPU bracket, and a hole in the backplate opposite the third fan to leave an open path for air to pass over the GPU cooler's heatsink fins to improve cooling efficiency.

An AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE from PowerColor in a test bench — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Performance

Now we come to the heart of the matter. I can't tell if AMD was inspired by the release of the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super or not, but whatever convinced Team Red to bring the RX 7900 GRE out of China to the rest of the world, midrange gamers everywhere should be grateful because this is easily the best midrange graphics card on the market right now.

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Rx 7900 GRE synthetic benchmark results — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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Starting with synthetic benchmarks, the typical rasterization-ray tracing divide between AMD and Nvidia remains, but like we've seen with other cards this generation, the gap is narrowing. The Nvidia 4070 and RTX 4070 Super definitely pull ahead in terms of raw compute performance, but overall, the RX 7900 GRE is the champ of the under-$600s.

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Rx 7900 GRE creative benchmark results — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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For creative use, the RX 7900 GRE is the strongest rasterizer, but lags Nvidia with video editing, and serious stumbles when it comes to 3D rendering as seen in Blender Benchmark 4.0.0.

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RX 7900 GRE 1080p gaming benchmarks — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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RX 7900 GRE 1440p gaming benchmarks — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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Rx 7900 GRE 4K gaming benchmark results — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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When it comes to gaming, though, the RX 7900 GRE is the clear winner among midrange cards, with spectacular 1080p and 1440p gaming performance, with only slightly worse ray tracing performance than the RTX 4070 Super.

As a 4K graphics card, however, the RX 7900 GRE isn't that far behind the RTX 4070 Ti, with the former getting an average 55 fps (30 fps minimum) and the latter getting an average of 63 fps (minimum 42 fps). The RTX 4070 Super, meanwhile, only averages 41 fps at 4K, with a minimum of 28 fps.

Ultimately, the RTX 4070 Super can't really be considered among the best 4K graphics cards, but the RX 7900 GRE definitely can, thanks to its wider memory pool and larger memory bus.

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Power and Temperature benchmarks for the RX 7900 GRE — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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Of course, this performance comes at the cost of power draw. You can throw the official 260W TGP right out the window here, with the RX 7900 GRE pulling down 302W, but the strong cooling performance on the PowerColor Hellhound card did manage to keep the RX 7900 GRE below 53 degrees Celsius.

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Final benchmark results for the RX 7900 GRE — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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Creative benchmarks for the RX 7900 GRE — (Image credit: Future / Infogram)

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Overall, then, there's just no getting around the fact that the RX 7900 GRE effectively outperforms any other card in the midrange. And despite the RX 7900 GRE falling well short of the RTX 4070-series GPUs overall, it's worth keeping in mind that with Photoshop and similar rasterization-dependent programs, the RX 7900 GRE performs the best, and it doesn't fall too far behind the RTX cards when it comes to video editing.

The weakness of the RX 7900 GRE is that most, if not all, 3D modeling software relies so heavily on Nvidia's CUDA that it heavily skews the creative performance averages, that it can be somewhat deceptive—unless you NEED this graphics card for 3D modeling. If that's the case, nothing else matters, and you need to go with an RTX 4070-class graphics card despite the RX 7900 GRE's superior performance everywhere else.

How many people will that stipulation apply to ultimately? Not enough to hold the RX 7900 GRE from claiming the crown as the best graphics card in the midrange, and since its final value score is just shy of the RX 7800 XT's, there really isn't any reason to opt for any other card right now. The RX 7900 GRE is honestly just that good.

Should you buy the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE?

Buy the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE if...

You want the best midrange graphics card
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is the best overall graphics card for under $600 you can get.

You want to game at 4K
Thanks to the RX 7900 GRE's 16GB VRAM and wide memory bus, you can absolutely game effectively at 4K with this card.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best ray-tracing graphics card
The AMD RX 7900 GRE is a good ray-tracing graphics card, but it's not as good as the RTX 4070 Super.

You do a lot of 3D modeling
If you're a 3D modeling professional (or even a passionate amateur), you need an RTX card, full stop.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE: Also consider

If my AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE review has you looking for other options, here are two more graphics cards to consider...

How I tested the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE

I spent about a week with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
I tested its synthetic, creative, and gaming performance
I used our standard suite of benchmarks

Test system specs

This is the system I used to test the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE

CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K
CPU Cooler: MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO Cooler
RAM: 32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6000
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790 Tomahawk WiFi
SSD: Samsung 990 Pro 4TB NVMe M.2 SSD
Power Supply: Thermaltake PF3 1050W ATX 3.0
Case: Praxis Wetbench

I spent about a week testing the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, including extensive benchmarking as well as general use of the card in my primary work PC.

I also made sure to benchmark other competing graphics cards in the same class with updated drivers to ensure correct comparable data, where necessary.

I've been reviewing computer hardware for years, and I have tested and retested all of the best graphics cards of the past two generations, so I know very well how a graphics card in a given class ought to perform.

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

First reviewed February 2024

Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC review: a flashy makeover for those who want that RGB

5:00 pm | February 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets | Tags: Forza Horizon, GPU, RGB | Comments: Off

Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC: Two-minute review

Following years of anticipation, Intel jumped into the GPU market dominated by AMD and NVIDIA with some respectable results last year.

Both the Intel Arc A750 to the Intel Arc A770 showed real promise and managed to undercut the best graphics cards both chipmakers had to offer despite, at least on price if not necessarily matching performance benchmarks.

Regardless, the A770's price just kept it from being one of the best cheap graphics cards for those looking for a GPU that could provide good ray-tracing alongside hardware-accelerated AI upscaling. Though it couldn’t match the sheer raw 1440p power of an AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT or Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, general performance was more than respectable for the $349 launch price.

With third-party variants of the A770 available, the Acer BiFrost Arc A770 OC might be a more attractive buy, especially now that the Intel Limited Edition cards are no longer being manufactured. There are a few things that lean in its favor including customizable RGB lighting through the Predator BiFrost Utility and overclocking capabilities.

Sure, the lighting that comes with the BiFrost Arc A770 OC looks more attractive than the original A770, but that’s pretty much the biggest plus when it comes to this GPU over the Intel reference card. Performance power doesn’t increase much even with overclocking, which means that the dual-8-pin connection pulls even more power for no real reason, but you can make adjustments to its power draw if that's an issue. Be sure to make sure Resizable BAR is activated through your motherboard's BIOS settings as well because performance will absolutely tank if you don't.

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An Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC on a gray deskmat — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

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As mentioned previously, the Acer BiFrost Arc A770 OC comes feature-packed with ray-tracing and AI upscaling capabilities. When it comes to ray-tracing, it’s not going to deliver performance that matches AMD let alone Nvidia, but that doesn’t mean that ray-tracing performance wasn’t good.

When tested with the Dead Space Remake and Cyberpunk 2077, framerates stayed within the 30 fps ball-park. On the other hand, Intel’s XeSS AI upscaling technology is as good as DLSS and AMD FidelityFX in games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023), Forza Horizon 5, and Hi-Fi Rush. Though 1440p performance is generally great, for more fps, brining it down to 1080p delivers better overall results.

There are around 70 games that support XeSS so far with more popular games like Fortnite, League of Legends, and Counter Strike 2 missing from the list. During playtesting some games performed horribly including Crysis Remastered and Forza Motorsport (2023) even when dropped down to borderline potato settings.

As in TechRadar's original A770 review, older games may have performance issues due to driver compatibility, since games developed with DirectX 9 and Direct X 10 were not made with the Arc GPUs in mind, meanwhile, AMD and Nvidia drivers have over a decade of legacy support for these games built-in since earlier versions of the drivers were developed back when those games were first released. That said, DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 performance is much better, and Intel's drivers are being actively improved to support these games.

One thing that surprised me is that the A770 provides pretty decent performance when using Adobe Suite software like Premiere Pro and Photoshop if your project scope is kept reasonable. In the meantime, it’ll be interesting to see Adobe provide official support for the graphics card in the future.

Acer does have a Predator BiFrost Utility that allows users to change RGB lighting within its card, but outside of that, it’s not as useful as Intel’s own Arc Graphics utility driver. Both allow users to have various system overlays alongside overclock power limit, temperature limit, and fan speed. One thing's for sure, even when running at full power, the Acer BiFrost Arc A770 OC wasn’t incredibly loud compared to other power-hungry GPUs available.

Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC: PRICE & AVAILABILITY

How much does it cost? US MSRP $399 (about £320 / AU$560)
When is it available? Available now
Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia

The Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC is currently available now in the US, UK, and Australia. Right now, there are ways to get around the $399 MSRP with some stores like Newegg selling the GPU for around $279. With the original A770 going for as high as $429, the BiFrost Arc A770 OC could be considered a better buy.

For gamers on a more restricted budget looking for the best 1440p graphics card capable of playing many of the best PC games of the past couple of years, the BiFrost Arc A770 is definitely more accessible than comparable Nvidia and AMD graphic cards. Individuals who are working with a higher budget should definitely consider getting the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, which is just $50 more at $449 and provides much better 1440p performance.

Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC: Specs

Should you buy the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC?

Buy the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC if...

You need for budget level price with nearly mid-tier performance
With solid ray tracing and AI upscaling capabilities, the 1440p performance on the BiFrost A770 OC is commendable.

You require a GPU to match your RGB ready desktop’s flyness
The dual fan design and RGB lighting does look cool compared to the original A770.

Don't buy it if...

You want the best midrange GPU
Due to developer support at the moment, the A770 lags behind AMD and NVIDIA, which means performance won’t be the best for many of the top-tier games.

You want a GPU that uses less power
The Acer BiForst Arc A770 uses a lot of power but the performance doesn’t really reflect that.

Also consider

If my Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC review has you looking for other options, here are two more graphics cards to consider...

How I tested the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC

I spent around two weeks with the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC
I used the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC for gaming and creative test

Testing with the Acer Predator BiFrost Arc A770 OC happened over a two-week period on a second home computer where I split between gaming and creative tasks. On the gaming side, titles played during testing included Crysis Remastered, Call of Duty Modern Warfare III, Forza Horizon 5, Forza Motorsport (2023), and Dead Space (2023).

Creative usage was split between Premier Pro and Photoshop. I’ve been testing gaming desktops alongside components for around three years for TechRadar and fully understand how GPUs are supposed to perform compared to similar tech.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2024

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S review: Netgear’s first Wi-Fi 7 router provides blistering performance

1:30 am | February 24, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Computing Computing Components Gadgets Servers & Network Devices | Comments: Off

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: One-minute review

Netgear originally announced the Nighthawk RS700S as its first Wi-Fi 7 router back in March 2023, although it didn’t go on sale in the US until the end of the year. What's more, the Wi-Fi Alliance that oversees the development of Wi-Fi technology didn’t officially launch the new standard until CES 2024 – under the somewhat odd label ‘Wi-Fi Certified 7’ (also known as IEEE 802.11be, for the more technically inclined).

So, what we have with the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S is some bleeding-edge tech that makes it a shoe-in for a spot on our best WiFi router page, though not without caveats.

Unsurprisingly, the state-of-the-art RS700S is seriously expensive, with a single unit costing $699.99 in the US, and a whopping £799.99 in the UK (not to mention the additional subscriptions that Netgear tries to sell you as well).

To be fair, Wi-Fi 7 does blow away previous generations of Wi-Fi, with the tri-band RS700S boasting a top speed of 19Gbs using the 2.4GHz, 5.0GHz, and 6.0GHz bands. Netgear also claims that it has the ability to reliably connect to 200 devices all at once, though I don't have nearly that many devices to attempt to test such a claim.

Of course, all of this is probably overkill for most of us – especially since there aren’t many computers or mobile devices that even support Wi-Fi 7 yet - but the RS700S certainly gives us a fascinating glimpse into a future where 8K video and VR headsets and gaming are the norm.

And, of course, Wi-Fi 7 is still backwards-compatible with older computers and mobile devices, so it will still work with your existing devices as well, but if you don't have the kind of hardware that can take advantage of the new tech, you're better off waiting until you do.

A Netgear Nighthawk RS700S on a table — (Image credit: Future)

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: Price & availability

How much does it cost? $699.99/£799.99/AU$1499.00
When is it available? Available now
Where is it available? Available in the US, UK and Australia

There are very few Wi-Fi 7 routers currently available, so the RS700S doesn’t have many comparable rivals at any price. However, top-of-the-range Wi-Fi 6E routers such as the Asus Rapture GT-AXE11000, which runs at a still impressive 11Gbps, come in at around $400/£450/$700, so you’re paying quite a premium for the extra performance of Wi-Fi 7. It’s early days, though, so hopefully prices will begin to fall as rival manufacturers start to release their own Wi-Fi 7 routers and mesh systems throughout 2024.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: Specs

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: Design

The tall, upright design and blinking lights of the RS700S are certainly eye-catching, and a departure from the winged ‘Cylon battle-cruiser’ designs of previous Nighthawk routers.

Standing a lofty 282mm high, the slimline black pillar looks more like the monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, with a series of LEDs on the front panel that provide information about both wired and wireless connections.

Netgear also claims that this upright design helps the RS700S and its eight internal antennae to more effectively transmit a Wi-Fi signal through a full 360 degrees, giving it a reach of 3,500 sq. ft (quoted as 3,000 sq. ft in some countries due to differences in national regulations).

You also get some idea of the power of the RS700S when you spot the large cooling vents on both the top and bottom panels, and a glimpse at the spec sheet reveals that the router is driven by a powerful quad-core processor running at 2.6GHz, backed up by 2GB of memory and 512MB of internal storage.

The size of the router also leaves plenty of room for additional connectivity features, including no less than six Ethernet ports on the back panel and a USB-A port for connecting a network hard drive.

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The mobile app interface for the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S — (Image credit: Future)

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The web interface for the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S — (Image credit: Future)

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: Features

The ample ports give you an indication of the performance offered by the RS700S, as they include one 10 Gigabit Ethernet port for your Internet connection (via your existing broadband router or modem), along with a second 10 Gigabit port to provide a high-speed wired connection for a laptop, gaming console or other device that requires the fastest possible connection.

There are also four Gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections as well, with the ability to combine two ports (known as ‘link aggregation’) to provide a 2 Gigabit wired connection.

Just as important, though, are the features provided by the Nighthawk app. It gets the basics right, walking you through the initial set-up process quickly and easily.

To keep things simple for first-time users, the app has a Smart Connect feature that automatically connects your computers and mobile devices to the frequency band that provides the best performance in that particular room or location.

However, you can turn this off and create separate networks for each frequency if you prefer, and also set different passwords for each network. And, for more experienced users, there’s also a web browser interface that provides more in-depth control over your network settings.

It's worth mentioning that the RS700S also includes a 12-month subscription to Netgear’s Armor security service, which can protect your network and devices from online threats such as malware and phishing websites. But, after 12 months, you’ll need to pay $99.99 per year to continue with the service.

The RS700S also seems to be something of a work in progress, as there’s one important new feature in Wi-Fi 7, called ‘multi-link operation’ that allows devices that support Wi-Fi 7 to connect to all three frequency bands at once (rather than a single band, as is the case with previous versions of Wi-Fi).

Netgear says that this feature will require a software update that is due in Q1 of 2024, so if you’re keen to see the full potential of Wi-Fi 7 it might be worth watching the Netgear website for updates.

Netgear Nighthawk RS700S: Performance

Benchmark results

Ookla Speed Test - 2.4GHz (download/upload)
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 123Mbps/80Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 78Mbps/45Mbps
Ookla Speed Test - 5.0GHz (download/upload)
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps/150Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps/150Mbps
Ookla Speed Test - 6.0GHz (download/upload)
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps/150Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps/150Mbps
20GB Steam Download - 2.4GHz
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 70Mbps
20GB Steam Download - 5.0GHz
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbps
20GB Steam Download - 6.0GHz
Within 5ft, no obstructions: 150Mbps
Within 30ft, three partition walls: 150Mbp

Even so, the RS700S still provides more than enough speed for most home and office networks.

Even on the slower 2.4GHz band it outperforms the sluggish 85Mbps of our office router, hitting 123Mbps on the Ookla speed test for devices that are in the same room as the router.

And, as I switch to the 5.0GHz and 6.0GHz bands, I feel as though the router is giving me the side-eye as both bands breeze along to the full 150Mbps provided by our office broadband.

Longer, sustained downloads on Steam give the router more time to ramp up to speed and all three bands hit 150Mbps with no effort at all. Moving further away, to a back office separated by some partition walls, the Ookla test slows a little to 78Mbps when using the 2.4GHz band, while Steam downloads dip to 70Mbps.

Even so, that’s still almost twice as fast as the 40Mbps that our normal router provides for both tests. And, needless to say, the 5.0GHz and 6.0GHz bands don’t have any trouble as I wander along the corridor to that back office, with both the Ookla and Steam tests maintaining a smooth and steady 150Mbps throughout.

Should You Buy The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S?

Buy the Netgear Nighthawk RS700S if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

First reviewed February 2024

Keychron C3 Pro review: punching way above its weight

2:59 am | February 23, 2024

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

Keychron C3 Pro: Two-minute review

The Keychron C3 Pro keyboard thrives in a league of its own with a price point that’s below $40 while offering features usually reserved for the heavier hitters with money to spend.

To get a good keyboard for less than $50 usually means sacrificing a lot to give the illusion of more premium-priced products. When it comes to performance, the most obvious cut-back in the design are the key switches, lack of programmable keys and the like. Regardless of how one uses the C3 Pro, the mechanical keyboard is backed by a sophisticated gasket mount design and sound-absorbing foam that keeps keystrokes relatively quiet.

Having a black and red design aesthetic, the ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) chassis feels durable. Adding comfortability are three adjustable typing angles and curved keycaps. If there’s anything exactly wrong with the C3 Pro’s design its the location of the USB-C port that sits near the back-panel center.

The awkward placement can be a nuisance but it also allows better cable management as there are both vertical and horizontal nooks. This can be a problem for those who want to travel with the keyboard, but the average desktop user won’t think much about it after installation.

The Keychron C3 Pro on a purple deskmat — (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

The C3 Pro is a mechanical switch keyboard with a 1000Hz polling rate and ARM architecture with 256KB flash storage. With N-Key Rollover into the mix, you have an incredibly solid gaming keyboard that goes a bit beyond casual usage.

Serious gamers who need quick keys or maybe more pronounced media keys may find trouble with the C3 Pro, but considering its price, anyone with those complaints should probably spend the extra money on the best mechanical keyboard they can afford and save themselves the trouble.

For most users though, it won’t matter if you use this keyboard for gaming or general tasks, the keystrokes will always feel good. They are tactile and springy enough for quick multiplayer rounds of Call of Duty or writing editorials through Google Docs.

The C3 Pro’s versatility is also one of its biggest assets, featuring the ability to switch between Windows and macOS keysets. All users have to do is hold the function key and tap the CAPS Lock.

Add QMK/VIA software support and there’s some crafty customization that can take place when using the C3 Pro. The open-source nature even contributes to some intricate backlight effects due to the per-key lighting that only comes in red. Interestingly enough, there are over 14 types of red back lights to choose from though many may have an issue with the singular color type.

Overall though, the Keychron C3 Pro is a masterpiece of customization, performance, and price, and is absolutely one of the best keyboard offerings we've seen so far this year, and it will be hard to beat.

Keychron C3 Pro: Price & Availability

Priced at just $36.99 in the US, the Keychron C3 Pro is currently available in the US and the UK through both Keychron’s website and Amazon. Australian residents are out of luck, however. At least for now.

Considering the budget nature of the C3 Pro, it stands tall against various rivals in both gaming and creative sectors. When it comes to rivals within its price point, the Logitech G213 Prodigy and Roccat Pyro RGB lean more into gaming. The Logitech G213 Prodigy provides more gaming specific features, tenkey number pad, and dedicated media keys in exchange for Mech Dome switches at the same price.

Meanwhile, the Roccat Pyro RGB has mechanical switches alongside dedicated media keys but is a bit more expensive at around $80. Considering those are more serious gaming keyboards, they lack the versatility provided by the C3 Pro. For someone looking for a keyboard on a budget, this is definitely something to consider.

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Keychron C3 Pro: Design

As mentioned above, the Keychron C3 Pro’s black and red design adds a bit of flair to the ABS chassis. Despite the plastic material, it successfully rides the fine line between being lightweight but flimsy and sturdy but heavy, giving it the right amount of strength without adding too much weight.

This means that the C3 Pro can also survive a rough time in a backpack alongside some reasonable drops to the floor. Part of that may come from the internal keyboard plate material being made out of steel. The backlight design comes in over a dozen modes that affect the keys alongside light bars that run along the side. And while the all-red LED looks fine and also helps save on cost instead of per-key RGB lighting, some other solid color options would have been nice.

To make sure that users are on the correct operating system layout, there’s a small LED light that sits next to the CAPS Lock notification, which is a nice touch. The C3 Pro is also made to be configured with different keycaps so you can personalize its look somewhat. By itself, the key placement is laid out well enough while allowing users to easily switch between layouts for Windows and macOS. Considering there aren’t any additional media buttons or anything, the function button works well with the function keys.

Comfort really takes centerstage in this the design, starting with three separate typing angles, and the key quality if outstanding, making it great to type on. If anything, the biggest design issue I have is the location of the USB-C port on the back panel near the center. The trade-off is that there is both a horizontal and vertical nook for better cable management, but it can still be a pain sometimes.

Keychron C3 Pro: Performance

The Keychron C3 Pro was billed as a keyboard that’s ideal for “gaming and work.” When it comes to casual gaming experiences, it does more than a good job. Having a 1000Hz polling rate and N-Key Rollover makes the experience of playing fast paced shooters like Doom Eternal, El Paso, Elsewhere and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III a blast.

Keystrokes were springy, tactile, and responsive, and the additional foam padding underneath the switches also ensures that this keyboard won’t disturb anyone in the office with a whole lot of clickity clack.

As mentioned previously, switching between Windows and macOS is as easy as hitting the function button neat the CAPS Lock, and when using a Macbook, users can easily set spaces, change brightness, and more. In an interesting touch, there’s an AI assistant button for Apple users who need Siri to make an appearance.

Users looking to customize their button layout can use either QMK or VIA for support as the keyboard also has a 256KB flash storage. Serious gamers who want more dedicated macro buttons in addition to other functions are going to have to pay a bit more or leave the mechanical switches aside for something less.

Though less complex shooters like the ones mentioned above will work more than fine with the C3 Pro, gamers into macro-heavy games like League of Legends and high-level Fortnite play might want to look elsewhere. Again, within the bounds of its $36.99 price point, the C3 Pro can hang in there with rivals double its price even if some features are missing.

Should You Buy the Keychron C3 Pro?

Buy the Keychron C3 Pro if...

You want a cheap yet quality keyboard
At $36.99, there isn’t a better budget mechanical keyboard for gamers who have to get general task work done as well.

You are ambidextrous for Windows and macOS
Users who love both Windows and macOS are going to appreciate the C3 Pro a lot.

Don't buy it if...

You need a more gamer-centered keyboard
Serious gamers or individuals with e-sports aspirations may want to spend the money for something that offers a bit more in terms of feature set.

You want a colorway and backlight that’s more than red
While the black and red colorway looks great, it would be nice to have other color options available.

Keychron C3 Pro: Also consider

If my Keychron C3 Pro review has you looking for other options, here are two more keyboards to consider...

How I tested the Keychron C3 Pro

I tested the Keychron C3 Pro over a week’s time. When using Windows, some of the games played included Palworld, Alan Wake 2, Robocop Rouge City, El Paso, Elsewhere and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. When not working, Google office suite and Adobe Photoshop were used as well. For macOS, Google Office suite and Adobe Photoshop were used as well.

Since 2020, I’ve been covering various gaming laptops, monitors, keyboards and more for TechRadar. As a PC Gaming enthusiast, I can definitely help anyone who is looking for a quality keyboard for various price tiers.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed February 2024

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