Pcworld November 2021

high-refresh-rate display above 60 Hz for We know that eventually Android apps will be
inking. DRR provides a “smoother” inking integrated in Windows 11, probably looking
experience when needed by dialing up the quite a bit like the Linux apps running in the
refresh rate to 90Hz or even 120Hz, than Windows Subsystem for Linux and the
lowering it to reduce power. DRR was Android apps in the Your Phone Companion
designed specifically for inking on tablets like app. It’s also not clear how deeply they’ll be
the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (fave. integrated into your PC. Will Android apps
co/3n7Q3Rw), where we’ve seen it in action. have access to the camera, for example? Will
Related variable-refresh-rate technology like they go full screen? Based on what Microsoft
Nvidia’s G-Sync has been a staple of gaming said in August, we’d doubt we’ll see Android
PCs for years. apps in Windows 11 before 2022 (fave.
co/3lOXb67).
AutoHDR (fave.co/3j9sMNV) will do for
PCs what AutoHDR does for the Xbox Series
X and S: It adds high dynamic range
capabilities via AI for games that weren’t
specifically coded for HDR. This is a visual
enhancement, adding touches like blowing
out your screen’s white balance if a
character emerges from the dark into the
bright sunshine. In addition to Windows 11,
your PC will need an HDR-capable GPU and
a display that supports HDR, too. To be fair,
you’ll probably need a side-by-side
comparison to see the benefits of AutoHDR
on older games, but it’s a nice visual bonus
that gamers will get for free with Windows
11. Our guide to HDR gaming on the PC
(fave.co/3BRX0MQ) can make sure you’re
squared away on the visually impressive but
technically finicky technology.

WINDOWS 11’S TO-DO LIST Usually, Edge will dim “sleeping” tabs to show that
they’re not actively being used. But you can also find
Microsoft left one major feature out of out by hovering your cursor over them.
Windows 11’s initial release: Android apps.

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 51

REVIEWS WINDOWS 11

Intel, oddly, might be responsible for the think make Windows 11 worthwhile, such as
delay, as it’s Intel’s Intel Bridge Technology Android apps, DirectStorage, and AutoHDR,
that seems to be the foundation for Android too many are specific to certain hardware or
apps. Intel has also told us that Windows 11 aren’t yet available. The hardware support
will be the operating system that best controversy and issues with local accounts in
supports its upcoming Alder Lake hybrid Windows 11 Home further muddy the waters.
processor (fave.co/3BV0luv), via the
Windows 11 Thread Director thread scheduler Windows 11 is absolutely usable in its
that best optimizes that chip’s performance. current state, and, like Windows 10, it will
improve over time. There’s already some
Microsoft still has some bugs and other evidence that Microsoft may be backtracking
issues to fix, too. When we tested a week on certain aspects, such as dragging and
before Windows 11’s October 5 launch date, dropping icons onto the Taskbar.
some of the bugs we experienced included a
blank Widgets app, a Widgets app that failed With Windows 10, Microsoft discarded the
to accommodate a resolution change on the troubled tiled interface of Windows 8 and
display it was shown on, a black screen in the strode boldly forward into an optimistic future of
Windows 11 Settings menu where the theme biometric logins and virtual assistants. Windows
should have been shown, an Edge window 11 feels practical and productive, but less so
that expanded to cover the Taskbar, and more. than its predecessor in many aspects. Microsoft
lost some of its magic along the way.

BOTTOM LINE Windows 11

Essentially, Microsoft places the most PROS
disconcerting aspects of Windows 11 front
and center, while its best features are hidden • Fresh new look.
deeper within. That puts Windows 11 at a • Initial installation is clean and purposeful.
marked disadvantage out of the gate. • Settings menu is even more useful.

We can applaud Microsoft’s efforts for trying CONS
to visually refresh Windows while
acknowledging that, functionally, it isn’t entirely • Taskbar, Start reworkings don’t benefit users.
successful. Defending Windows 11 means trying • Teams Chat is unnecessary and potentially
to explain why Windows 11 robs certain
functionality from the Start menu and Taskbar, obtrusive.
while adding frankly extraneous apps like • Several major features aren’t here yet.
Widgets and Teams Chat. Of the features we do
BOTTOM LINE

A decidedly mixed bag of improved features and
unnecessary changes. Windows 11 will undoubtedly
improve over time, but it’s a very polarizing upgrade
that many users will want to forgo for now.

Free

52 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Microsoft Surface Laptop
Studio: Windows 11’s flagship
feels like the future

Microsoft pretty much nails both content creation and consumption with the Surface
Laptop Studio, though it’s a little rough around the edges. BY MARK HACHMAN

M icrosoft’s Surface Laptop Tell us if you’ve heard this before, though:
Studio feels like a glimpse The Surface Laptop Studio doesn’t come
of  the future. Microsoft’s cheap, and its excellent new inking
new pull-forward design capabilities require the separate purchase of a
arguably improves upon the Surface Book 3,
its spiritual predecessor, offering you a VIDEO: SURFACE LAPTOP
light menu of gaming, content creation, STUDIO: RTX POWER +
and everyday computing capabilities to UNIQUE DESIGN
choose from.
Watch now at fave.co/3DRVhYz

IMAGE: MICROSOFT NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 53

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

$130 Slim Pen 2. You can opt for Windows 11 Microsoft is highlighting in the Surface Laptop

(see page 25) to power this new 2-in-1 PC, Studio—inking—requires the separate

though the new hardware, software, and purchase of a new Surface Slim Pen 2 (fave.

drivers may make this a bit of a bumpy road to co/3jfy6zC; $129.99), which can fit

begin with. You’ll also have to decide underneath the Surface Laptop Studio in a

whether this arguably niche device is worth little receptacle. Selling the pen separately is

the investment, versus general-purpose by now a Surface tradition, though the Pen 2

notebooks that may offer more value. feels like less of a prerequisite with the Studio

Nevertheless, this is the most intriguing than it does with the Surface Pro tablet lineup.

Surface of the last half decade. Display: 14.4-inch PixelSense Flow touch

SPECS display (2400×1600 (201 PPI), 120Hz)
Processor: Intel Core H35 i5-11300H,

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio is available H35 i7-11370H (Core i7 as tested)

in a variety of configurations, ranging in price Graphics: Iris Xe (H35 i5-11300H), Nvidia

from about $1,600 on up to over $3,000. RTX 3050 Ti w/4GB GDDR6 DRAM;

Essentially, you’ll have a choice between an Commercial: RTX A2000 with 4GB GDDR6

11th-gen Core i5 and Core i7 chip, specifically GPU (RTX 3050 Ti as tested)

the H35 version that Intel launched (fave. Memory: 16GB/32GB LPDDR4X RAM

co/3pfXWXP) this past spring. You can also (32GB as tested)

choose from between 16GB

and 32GB of RAM, as well as

between 512GB, 1TB, and a

whopping 2TB of SSD

storage. (The SSD is

technically upgradable by a

“skilled technician.”) Finally,

the Core i7 models ship with

Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

graphics, a moderately

powerful raytracing-capable

GPU for content creation and

light gaming.

Keep in mind that one of

the standout features that Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio in clamshell mode.

54 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Storage: 256GB , 512GB,

1 TB, 2TB SSD (all removable;

1 TB as tested)

Ports: 2 USB-C

(Thunderbolt 4/USB 4.0), 1

Surface Connect, 3.5mm

headphone jack

Camera: User-facing

1080p

Battery: 56.3Wh (design),

57.8Wh (full capacity, as tested)

Wireless: 802.11 ax (Wi-Fi

6); Bluetooth 5.1

Operating system:

Windows 11 Pro/Home, or

Windows 10 Pro (Windows 11 Microsoft doesn’t really tout this fact, but you can flip the Surface
Home as tested) Laptop Studio’s screen backward to reverse the display, just as the
Surface Book allowed you to do.
Dimensions (inches):

12.7x9.0x0.7 inches

Weight: 3.83 pounds (Core i5), 4.00 Core i7/32GB/2TB/RTX 3050 Ti:

pounds (Core i7) $3,099.99

Color: Platinum PULL-FORWARD: THE HOT
Price: Starting at $1,599; $2,699 as TREND IN 2-IN-1 PCS
reviewed

CONFIGURATIONS, PRICES Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio will remind
you far more of a Surface Laptop than of the

Core i5/16GB memory/256GB SSD/ Surface Studio all-in-one (fave.co/3pgYlti)

integrated GPU: $1,599.99 when it emerges from the box. Upon

Core i5/16GB/512GB/iGPU: opening, you may be a little shocked by the

$1,799.99 vast expanse of the new haptic trackpad that

Core i7/16GB/512GB/GeForce RTX dominates about half of the keyboard tray,

3050 Ti: $2,099.99 seemingly squishing the keyboard into the

Core i7/32GB/1TB/ RTX 3050 Ti: upper half. Fortunately, that’s more of an

$2,699.99 illusion than a reality, as the space allotted to

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 55

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

the keys remains the same as on the Surface display, which transforms the Laptop Studio
Laptop—about 12 inches wide and 6 inches from a clamshell notebook to a presentation
back toward the screen. device, and then to an inking platform. To be
honest, the Laptop Studio is almost too good
Some of our hands-on impressions (fave. as a clamshell laptop. Unlike the Surface
co/3jcO9y3) still hold true: The Surface Studio, whose entire display folds forward,
Laptop Studio is a sort of hybrid of other the Laptop Studio’s display nestles tightly into
Surface devices, combining elements of the the structural backing that allows it to fold
Surface Laptop, Surface Studio, and Surface forward and back, supported by what
Book. Physically, it’s a bit heavier than either Microsoft calls a “dynamic woven hinge.”
the 13-inch or 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 (fave.
co/3jfyVII; 3.4 pounds), but not as heavy as I took a minute or two trying to pry it loose
the Surface Book 3, which tops out at 4.2 from its backing before remembering that you
pounds (fave.co/3n9ATLI). It’s a bit thicker than can simply push either of the top corners of
the Surface Laptop and a bit thinner than the the display to push it back and then angle it
Surface Book. In fact, it looks very much like forward, a bit like a lounge chair. You can
the Acer ConceptD 7 Ezel (fave.co/3vmS3JC), even flip it entirely backward. The SLS doesn’t
which was first introduced in January 2020 and feel quite as sturdy as the ConceptD 3 Ezel
has been upgraded since then. we received for review, which offers the ability
to ink in almost any direction. It’s a bit
What sets the Surface Laptop Studio deceptive, though, as the Ezel’s stiff hinge
apart, of course, is the Ezel-like folding

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio (left) and the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel. The Ezel feels a little clunkier, but it
has a more powerful 10th-gen H-series processor inside it, too.

56 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

doesn’t quite provide all

the support it promises.

In clamshell mode,

the Surface Laptop

reclines to 125 degrees.

Pull it forward into what

Microsoft calls Stage

mode, and the screen

rests at an angle just in

front of the keyboard for

streaming video or

presentations. This

completely prevents you

from typing with the

keyboard, but allows

you to navigate around There’s something about pulling the screen toward you, combined with
using the trackpad and the Surface Laptop Studio’s superb audio, that makes movies pop. (Video
touchscreen. You can shown is Tears of Steel, sharable via a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
license. Source: (CC) Blender Foundation | fave.co/3vqCe4C).

also flip it backward to

reverse the screen, similar to the Surface Unlike the screen of the Surface Book, at

Book, or you can fold it flat into Studio no time does the screen ever detach. The

mode to ink on it. Surface Pro, with its more accommodating,

We need to emphasize this point: folding kickstand, can support the tablet at

Microsoft nails the Stage mode experience. practically any angle from 90 degrees to

The Surface Laptop Studio thrusts the video nearly flat. But from a flexibility standpoint, the

forward, right into your immediate field of Surface Laptop Studio is surprisingly adaptive

view, creating a theater-like atmosphere to whatever you’d like to do with it.

that’s reinforced by the excellent Dolby- Throughout the last few generations of

augmented speakers mounted inside the Surface devices, Microsoft has seemingly

palm rest. In my experience no laptop has clocked down its laptops and tablets,

offered anything close to the experience of a shipping them in a mode that rarely turns on

living-room TV, let alone a movie theater. The the fan. The Surface Laptop Studio follows

Surface Laptop Studio nearly does. It’s suit. The additional thickness is used for, in

surprisingly impressive. part, additional cooling and venting. A grille

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 57

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

The color gamut of the Surface Laptop Studio, as measured by the Datacolor SpyderX colorimeter. The
Vivid mode covers 100 percent of the sRGB color space and 80 percent of AdobeRGB. The sRGB setting
only covers 98 percent of the sRGB color space.

runs up and down each side of the laptop. new Surface Pro 8—though at least to my
But the fan rarely turns on, even when the eyes, it’s not a particularly noticeable
system was running benchmark software. It’s downgrade on the smaller screen, either.
far, far quieter than I would have expected, What Microsoft calls the PixelSense Flow
except when gaming. Then fan noise rises to multitouch display is available in either a
a breathy but very neutral hiss, with no coil Vivid or an sRGB mode at a bright 483 nits of
whine. The consequence? The Surface luminance, which is suitable for a brightly lit
Laptop Studio is also much more thermally room.
sensitive than we expected, which affected its
performance, as you’ll see later. PixelSense Flow supposedly involves what
Microsoft calls Dynamic Refresh Rate, which
A BEAUTIFUL, LOWER- varies the screen’s refresh rate between 60Hz
RESOLUTION DISPLAY and a new 120Hz refresh rate. The latter was a
feature Microsoft promised for the Surface
The Surface Laptop Studio takes a step Laptop Studio, but it didn’t make the final cut.
down from the extreme resolution offered by Instead, the display refresh rate is locked at
the Surface Book. There, Microsoft shipped 120Hz by default—great for performance, but
the 15-inch Book 3 with a 3,000x2,000 it puts a hit on the battery life, too. Somewhat
15-inch display. The Surface Laptop Studio is weirdly, Microsoft promised us that the
available in just a single 14.4-inch display display would include HDR support,
option, with 2,400x1,600 pixels. That’s including Dolby Vision, but the Windows 11
about 75 percent of the pixel density of the Settings menu doesn’t indicate the display is
15-inch Surface Book 3 and also less than the capable of HDR.

58 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

A SHIFT TO
THUNDERBOLT

From a connectivity perspective, the

greatest change that the Surface

Laptop Studio introduces is the

Thunderbolt 4 port—in fact, it has

two. Thunderbolt is essentially a

supercharged USB-C port, capable

of throughput that allows for

everything from displays to high-

speed external devices (fave.

co/3n5NlMC) to be connected.

Microsoft rather smartly included

both its traditional Surface

Connector (capable of charging the A pair of Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 ports are located on the left
Surface Laptop Studio) as well as the side of the Surface Laptop Studio.

two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which are

also capable of charging the laptop. This the Surface Book 3) use a 65W charger or

allows the Surface Laptop Studio to use the less. These legacy Surface chargers don’t

small but growing ecosystem of Thunderbolt supply enough power for the Surface Laptop

docks (fave.co/3vtA0BE), while it can also Studio, especially while gaming.

use existing Surface

chargers and the Surface

Dock 2 (fave.

co/3lTNG5J). There are

no older USB-A ports on

the Surface Laptop

Studio, however.

There’s a catch,

though: The Surface

Laptop Studio uses

Microsoft’s 102W Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio, with its 3.5mm headphone jack and the
charger, and most Surface Connect port. You can also see the how the laptop vents hot air via
Surface devices (save for the grillwork at the bottom.

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 59

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

INKING IS A PLEASURE WITH would jar loose, either. A short review period

THE SLIM PEN 2 didn’t allow us enough time to measure how

Inking with a stylus is a real pleasure on the long the charge lasted.

Surface Laptop Studio. Microsoft said the Microsoft still hasn’t convinced me about

screen digitizer has been made more the appeal of the pen’s haptic feedback,

efficient, reducing the ink latency, and it was which provides a tactile response to certain

specifically designed to work with the Surface inputs. It felt gimmicky in my hands-on and

Slim Pen 2. The laptop supports the Microsoft still feels less useful than perhaps Microsoft

Pen Protocol. The palm rejection works intended. That, plus the fact that you can only

effectively, and Microsoft reduced the e-ink really ink on the Surface Laptop Studio in

latency down to just a tiny smidge below Stage or Studio mode, are slight knocks on

perfect. There’s no line offset that I can detect, an otherwise solid experience.

but there is a bit of jitter, especially when THE KEYBOARD MEETS
drawing diagonal lines slowly. SURFACE’S STANDARDS OF
EXCELLENCE, ALMOST
The Slim Pen 2 fits within…well, not
exactly a cubby, but a charging well

underneath the laptop that magnetically Microsoft’s Surface Book has remained one of

holds it in place and charges the pen. It my favorite laptops to type upon for the last few

seems a little weird, but it doesn’t seem like it years, but its luxurious 1.5mm of key travel

hasn’t been replicated across

the other Surface PCs. The

Surface Laptop Studio

continues this trend, with just

1.3mm of key travel. That’s such

a fine difference, but it’s very

noticeable! Fortunately, the

Surface Laptop Studio’s keys

feel springy and resilient, and

there’s a marked improvement

over those of the Surface

Laptop, whose key travel is also

The Surface Slim Pen 2, inking lines on the Surface Laptop Studio 1.3mm. Keyboards made by HP
using a straight edge within Whiteboard. Ideally, these lines would remain on my personal Mount
look perfectly straight. There’s still a bit of a wavy effect, or jitter, Rushmore of laptop keyboards,
while inking slowly and at a diagonal angle.

60 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

and forth between virtual

desktops. Using it brings

to mind how Windows

Hello face logins

transformed the PC—it

seems so intrinsically

obvious. I can tell I’ll miss

this touchpad when I go

back to other laptops.

The only quirk I

encountered was that

when I selected a

configuration option in a

game using the

The Surface Laptop Studio’s keys feel springy and resilient. touchpad, the game

interpreted it as a double

but the Surface Laptop Studio demands click, inputting my choice and a confirmation

consideration, too. Otherwise, the keyboard of that choice. The Windows 11 Settings menu

looks just like those of any other recent Surface, includes controls for both haptic feedback and

with no changes in the keys. There are three touchpad sensitivity to help solve problems

levels of backlighting. like this.

The touchpad, though? Wow. The Surface WEBCAM IMPROVES, JUST
Laptop Studio is Microsoft’s first touchpad NOT AS EXPECTED
with haptic feedback, meaning you’re not

mechanically clicking a touchpad so much as Microsoft only includes one user-facing

the touchpad is clicking you. Haptic feedback camera on the Surface Laptop Studio, but it’s

is what smartphones like the iPhone already best of class. The colors and white balance do

add to provide tactile feedback, but it feels so look better than those of the Surface Book 3,

much better as a trackpad than as a Microsoft’s previous high-water mark for

smartphone feature. The absolutely massive camera quality. (The on-screen image also

touchpad is smooth and absolutely uniformly looks sharper, too, though that could be an

clickable over the entire surface area. artifact of the slightly lower-resolution screen.)

Gestures worked as expected, even the Though it’s unlikely that many people take

four-finger gestures needed to swipe back photos with their user-facing Surface camera,

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 61

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

woofer on either side,

with the bass tones

pushed out of the side

grilles. The volume is

utterly bombastic, to

the point where I

dialed down the

volume just to pick up

the nuances of my

recorded audio.

Microsoft uses Dolby

While the photo and video is softer than I might like, the color balance and Atmos (for speakers
lighting on the Surface Laptop Studio’s webcam is better than most. This shot and headphones) to
was taken in a deliberately dimmed room, and yet it looks pretty well lit. augment the audio,

though Microsoft

the available resolution options have hasn’t included an onboard Dolby app to

diminished considerably, to a maximum fine-tune the highs and lows.

resolution of 1920×1080. When we connected the Surface Laptop

Microsoft also promised us that the Studio to a first-generation Surface Dock,

camera would use Windows Hello 2.0 Windows 11 suddenly couldn’t find an audio

technology, which would include the ability source. A reboot solved that problem.

to log you in even wearing sunglasses, a PERFORMANCE
beard, or a surgical mask. That latter scenario

isn’t true, as the laptop couldn’t recognize Our review unit shipped with Windows 11

me while wearing a mask, and it wouldn’t let installed, which will likely be the preferred

me create a facial profile while wearing a option. For whatever reason (a clean

mask, either. installation or synergy between hardware and

EXCELLENT AUDIO, TOO software?), Windows 11 felt far less laggy on
this new Surface hardware than on our

Microsoft believes that the Surface Laptop separate test PCs. Speaking of performance,

Studio offers one of the best aural some have wondered why Microsoft didn’t

experiences on a laptop, and I’m inclined to opt for a six- or eight-core processor (or an

agree. Microsoft’s “quad Omnisonic” AMD Ryzen) instead of the quad-core H35

speaker system includes both a tweeter and a chip Intel debuted (fave.co/3pfXWXP) this

62 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

spring for ultraportable gaming. whether it be new hardware, new firmware,

Still, the Surface Laptop Studio seems like or some interaction within Windows 11. There

it was tailor-made for content creators who simply are too many variables to be absolutely

would normally be driven up the wall by loud, sure.

noisy fans cooling a

powerful GPU. The

Surface Laptop Studio

isn’t fanless, but for the

vast majority of tasks

you’ll hear hardly a

whisper from the Laptop

Studio’s cooling system,

as set in the default

Recommended mode

within the Windows 11

power/performance

settings. It’s only when

we tried gaming with the We picked two games to check how well the Surface Laptop Studio plays
Laptop Studio that the games: Microsoft-owned Forza Horizon 4, which yielded a solid 61 frames
fan really dialed up. per second (FPS) at 1080p Ultra settings…

That can make a

difference where

performance is

concerned, though.

Normally we rerun our

benchmarks several

times to generate

consistent results, but

the scores don’t vary by

that much. In places, the

Surface Laptop’s scores

deviated significantly, …and A Total War Saga: Troy, which ran at 49.5 FPS at High settings.
leading us to believe that (Incidentally, bumping up to Ultra settings caused the frame rate to crash
something is going on, to about 31 FPS.)

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 63

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

PCMark 10 Cinebench RT15.038

CPU performance All threads

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 5,646 Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 1,712
OLED UX582 Core i9-10980HK 5,330 OLED UX582 Core i9-10980HK 1,531
5,153 1,115
HP Envy 14 14-eb0010nr 5,119 Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 970
Core i5-1135G7 5,103 Ryzen 7 4980U SE 921
4,920 896
Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel 4,808 Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel 745
Core i7-10750H 4,774 Core i7-10750H 693
4,457 678
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3,509 Acer Swift 3X 626
Studio Core H35 i7-11370H Core i7-1165G7

Acer Swift 3X Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310
Core i7-1165G7 Core i7-1165G7

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 HP Envy 14 14-eb0010nr
Core i7-1165G7 Core i5-1135G7

Huawei Matebook X Pro Microsoft Surface Laptop
(2021) Core i7-1165G7 Studio Core H35 i7-11370H

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Microsoft Surface Book 3
Ryzen 7 4980U SE Core i7-1065G7

HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV
Core i7-1165G7 Core i7-1165G7

Microsoft Surface Book 3 Huawei Matebook X Pro
Core i7-1065G7 (2021) Core i7-1165G7

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio does fairly well The CPU performance that Intel’s H35 processor
here, offering a dramatic improvement over the generates inside the Surface Laptop Studio isn’t
older Surface Book 3. really all that hot. The Surface Laptop 4 runs rings
around it.

From a practical standpoint, however, the Studio to several laptops, including its
Surface Laptop Studio streamed 4K video spiritual predecessor, the Surface Book 3
without even a single dropped frame, offering (fave.co/2ZbBNiN), highlighted in orange.
a seamless experience. Our review unit also We haven’t formally reviewed the $1,499
shipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel, but we were able to
graphics chip with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM run our suite of benchmarks on it as a close
inside. Nvidia’s RTX hardware is commonly and less expensive competitor. The HP
associated with PC gaming, and its hardware Spectre x360 14 (fave.co/3lVUik6) and Dell
raytracing capabilities can be seen in real-time XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 (fave.co/3jgxeuy) aren’t
reflections on damp roads in Forza Horizon 4. designed as much for pen-centric content
Forza, for that matter, hit a solid 60 fps at creation as the Surface Laptop Studio, but
1080p resolution on the Ultra quality preset, they’re among our favorite laptops, too. The
indicative that the Surface Laptop 4 can be HP Envy 14 (fave.co/30GDB3V) traditional
used for gaming and content creation alike. clamshell targets content creators, too, but
for an incredibly good price of under $1,000.
We’ve compared the Surface Laptop

64 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Finally, the odd Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 the cores and threads to complete the task. We
(fave.co/3n9TFT8) is a massive powerhouse shouldn’t expect that much, since the H35 chip
of a content-creation machine, but in a inside the Surface Laptop Studio is just a quad-
category of its own. core processor. (The single-thread result was
187.) We reran these tests several times and saw
We apply several benchmarks to test results ranging from 615 to 880. Really, though,
laptops. The first, PCMark 10, applies several it didn’t matter: The highest score Microsoft’s
real-world tests, from videoconferencing to Surface Laptop Studio produced at default
app startup to light gaming to CAD work, and settings wouldn’t have moved the needle in our
generates a final score. This generally tests product rankings.
just the CPU, but graphics work like CAD asks
something of the RTX graphics chip, too. We use the open-source Handbrake tool
to transcode a Hollywood movie. The test
The Cinebench R15 test was a bit of a measures how well the laptop can cool itself
headscratcher, as we saw an unusual and preserve a high clock rate and
divergence of results in these results. Cinebench
R15 asks the CPU to render a scene, using all of

Handbrake 0.99.0 3DMark Time Spy 1.2
Encoding (H.264)
CPU performance
Seconds
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 7,748
OLED UX582 Core i9-10980HK

Microsoft Surface Book 3 4,615
Core i7-1065G7

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15 1,493 Microsoft Surface Laptop 4,502
OLED UX582 Core i9-10980HK 1,493 Studio Core H35 i7-11370H

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 1,837 Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel 3,396
Ryzen 7 4980U SE 2,461 Core i7-10750H
2,561
Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel 2,570 HP Envy 14 14-eb0010nr 3,220
Core i7-10750H 3,285 Core i5-1135G7
3,287
HP Envy 14 14-eb0010nr 3,315 Acer Swift 3X 1,917
Core i5-1135G7 3,622 Core i7-1165G7

Acer Swift 3X Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 1,714
Core i7-1165G7 Core i7-1165G7

Microsoft Surface Laptop Huawei Matebook X Pro 1,692
Studio Core H35 i7-11370H (2021) Core i7-1165G7

Microsoft Surface Book 3 HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV 1,454
Core i7-1065G7 Core i7-1165G7

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 1,296
Core i7-1165G7 Ryzen 7 4980U SE

Huawei Matebook X Pro LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE
(2021) Core i7-1165G7
While the Surface Laptop Studio does well in this
HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV test, it failed a thermal stress test of its own:
Core i7-1165G7 A looped Time Spy test delivered 91.4 percent
of the expected performance on the final run,
SHORTER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE meaning that 3D performance may degrade as
the laptop heats up.
The Surface Laptop Studio outperforms the
Surface Book 3 here, but it doesn’t keep up with
its contemporaries.

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 65

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE LAPTOP STUDIO

performance throughout the task. of gaming laptops. It sure does.
It’s worth noting that we used a second Battery life, naturally, is important as well.

check to see if the Surface Laptop Studio The Surface Book 3 slipped disappointingly
thermally throttled itself, running Cinebench here, and we anticipated Microsoft returning
R23 once, and then looping it repeatedly for to form with an all-day workhorse. We were not
throughout a ten-minute cycle. If the laptop let down, but there are some caveats. By
was thermally constrained, its looped result default, the Surface Laptop Studio will adjust
should have been significantly less than the the screen brightness as well as tweak the
single run. At a single-run score of 4,750 content to improve battery life. (Turn off those
versus 4,746 for the test loop, that simply isn’t tweaks and battery life plunges to 543
the case. minutes, or just over nine hours.) We adjusted
these options to create a scenario in which we
Our final performance test uses the 3DMark turned off the brightness sensor for
Time Spy test for mainstream PCs. Naturally, repeatability, but left the content options
we’d expect that the Surface Laptop Studio unchanged. We perform our battery test by
would outperform most of its competition, since looping a 4K video repeatedly until the laptop
the RTX GPU propels it upward into the territory shuts itself down.

Battery life 901 BOTTOM LINE
881
Minutes 862 What I referred to once as the “Surface Laptop
809 Book Studio” around the office still feels true.
HP Envy 14 14-eb0010nr 753 This is the niche product that, counterintuitively,
Core i5-1135G7 717 tries to do it all. Microsoft has never shied away
691 from asking for a premium price where Surfaces
HP Spectre x360 14 1Q881AV 602 are concerned, however, and so you’ll pay a
Core i7-1165G7 541 little more versus another notebook. If you’re
385 OK with not actually detaching the tablet, the
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 Surface Laptop Studio does everything else that
Core i7-1165G7 the Surface Book 3 does, functionally and
arguably more elegantly. Pull-forward two-in-
Microsoft Surface Laptop ones feel like they might end up dominating the
Studio Core H35 i7-11370H category in a few years.

Acer Swift 3X Overall, the Surface Laptop Studio is a
Core i7-1165G7 good laptop—if you’re thinking of it as a

Microsoft Surface Book 3
Core i7-1065G7

Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel
Core i7-10750H

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Ryzen 7 4980U SE

Huawei Matebook X Pro
(2021) Core i7-1165G7

Asus ZenBook Pro Duo 15
OLED UX582 Core i9-10980HK

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Battery life of about 13.5 hours is quite good as
a practical matter, although the Surface Laptop
Studio doesn’t lead the category.

66 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Microsoft is onto something with this radical do-it-all notebook.

laptop, that is. It’s much more than the sum of Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio
its parts, offering a superior content-creation
and content-consuming experience, plus PROS
some light gaming capabilities. It has some
bugs to work out; New hardware plus a new • Pull-forward design feels like the future.
operating system plus new firmware • Inking experience is very good.
inevitably generates glitches. And again, • Bright, high-refresh-rate display.
you’ll also have to decide whether this • Superb audio quality.
arguably niche device is worth the • A very good keyboard.
investment versus general-purpose
notebooks that may offer more value. But CONS
Microsoft is definitely onto something with
this radical do-it-all notebook. • Pricey.
• Display resolution steps down a bit versus Surface
Yes, it’s a niche product for now, but the
Surface Laptop Studio seems to be offering us Book 3.
a glimpse of the future. • Dynamic refresh rate feature isn’t quite here.
• Performance isn’t quite up to the competition.

BOTTOM LINE

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio feels like the
wave of the future, but you’ll pay a little more for
this content creation, consumption, and gaming
convertible 2-in-1 that is helping to launch
Windows 11.

$1,200

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 67

REVIEWS

AMD Radeon RX 6600: Finally, a
true 1080p graphics card

It’s good, though pricey. BY BRAD CHACOS

I t’s finally happened. Well over a year overkill for gaming on a standard 60Hz
after this generation of graphics cards monitor. And the rival GeForce RTX 3060
(fave.co/3DOEuWk) kicked off, AMD is (fave.co/3lUcqKX) doesn’t offer enough GPU
releasing the first true 1080p GPU of the grunt for no-compromises 1440p, but Nvidia
lot with the Radeon RX 6600, which is being ladened it with a ludicrous 12GB of VRAM,
both announced and launched today. which contributes to its sky-high street price.

Sure, the step-up Radeon RX 6600 XT The Radeon RX 6600 offers very good
(fave.co/3vni0c0) ostensibly targets high- Ultra-quality 1080p gaming paired with 8GB
refresh rate 1080p gaming, but it’s massively of GDDR6 memory, a remarkably sane

68 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021 IMAGE: AMD

combination. Its $329 suggested price might significantly, however, AMD neutered this

raise an eyebrow at first blush; that matches lower-end GPU by greatly reducing the

the MSRP of the RTX 3060, and AMD’s card is amount of power provided—132 watts,

both slower and packs 4GB less VRAM. But versus 160W in the XT model—and cranking

you’ll find the RTX 3060 going for $675 to back Game Clock speeds by a whopping

$850 on Ebay, way above its official $330 300MHz plus. The Radeon RX 6600 is rated

MSRP. In fact, the Radeon RX 6600 XT sells for for 2044MHz Game Clock speeds,

less than the RTX 3060 online despite being compared to 2359MHz in the 6600 XT.

faster across the board—you can find it for That, paired with key improvements in how

$575 to $675 on Ebay. AMD made its RDNA 2 architecture (fave.

Still, expect the Radeon RX 6600 to co/3aRUJWc), makes the Radeon RX 6600

command a markup on the streets. But given very power efficient.

all those pricing intricacies and

the ongoing GPU shortage SPECIFICATIONS (REFERENCE MODELS)

(fave.co/3pkV3oL), AMD’s Architecture AMD Radeon AMD Radeon AMD Radeon
street price feels reasonable for Manufacturing Process RX 6600 RX 6600 XT RX 5600 XT
the hardware on offer—even if Transistor Count RDNA 2
being forced to pay well over Die Size 7nm RDNA 2 RDNA
$300 for great 1080p Compute Units 11.1 billion 7nm 7nm
performance remains very 237 mm2 10.3 billion
28 11.1 billion 251 mm2
237 mm2 36

32

unreasonable unless you have Ray Accelerators 28 32 –
deep pockets or little patience. Stream Processors 1792 2048 2304
Game GPU Clock Up to 2044 MHz Up to 2359 MHz Up to 1375 MHz

Boost GPU Clock Up to 2491 MHz Up to 2589 MHz Up to 1560 MHz
Peak Single Precision
SPECS, FEATURES, Performance Up to 8.93 Up to 10.6 Up to 7.19
AND DESIGN Peak Half Precision TFLOPS TFLOPS TFLOPS
Performance
The Radeon RX 6600 sports a Peak Texture Fill Rate Up to 17.86 Up to 21.21 Up to 14.4
TFLOPS TFLOPS TFLOPS
cut-down version of the Navi 23 ROPs
Peak Pixel Fill Rate Up to 279 GT/s Up to 331.4 GT/s Up to 224.6 GT/s
GPU that debuted in the
AMD Infinity Cache 64 64 64
Radeon RX 6600 XT.
Up to 159.4 GP/s Up to 165.7 GP/s Up to 99.8 GP/s

32MB 32MB

The new GPU features 28 Memory 8GB GDDR 6 8GB GDDR 6 6GB GDDR 6
compute units, compared to Memory Bandwidth 224 GB/s 256 GB/s 288 GB/s
32 in the Radeon RX 6600 XT (up to) 128-bit 128-bit 192-bit

Memory Interface

(and 36 in the last-generation PCIe Interface PCIe 4.0 x8 PCIe 4.0 x8 PCIe 4.0 x16

Radeon RX 5600 XT). More Board Power 132W 160W 150W

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 69

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

Part of that 1440p-focused Radeon RX 6700 XT and
power efficiency 128GB on AMD’s higher-end 4K options.
comes from its Radeon product manager Nish Neelalojanan
unique memory told me that the “hit rate” that determines the
configuration. Infinity Cache’s effectiveness is “very similar” in
Well, it’s not totally the 6600 XT at 1080p to what the other cards
unique—the achieve at their targeted resolutions.
Radeon RX 6600
copies the memory But as you’ll see in our benchmarks, if you
loadout of its try to step the resolution up to 1440p, the
pricier XT brethren. Infinity Cache’s hit rate decreases significantly,
Here’s what we meaning the Radeon RX 6600 needs to
said about the memory during that review, instead rely on the traditional memory system
which also applies to this non-XT model: much more. When that happens, the Radeon
RX 6600’s relative performance plummets
Part of the reason AMD’s new cards are so compared to that of graphics cards featuring
power efficient is the addition of “Infinity more traditional, larger memory buses and
Cache,” a large blob of L3 memory embedded higher overall memory bandwidth (though
right within the GPU die. Games tap into it for the lower memory bandwidth also makes
a lot of memory tasks, which means the GPU modern Radeon GPUs less attractive to
doesn’t need to send requests “all” the way crypto-miners). Bottom line? This graphics
out to the graphics card’s GDDR6 memory. card truly was built for 1080p gaming, though
That in turn lets AMD build Radeon RX 6000–
series GPUs with smaller memory buses, which
helps save power. The [Radeon RX 6600]
features a narrow 128-bit memory bus (think of
it as the highway for memory data—more
lanes lets traffic move faster) versus a 192-bit
bus on the older 5600 XT, and a 256-bit bus
on the 5700 XT.

It’s not all roses, though. AMD tuned the
[Radeon RX 6600] Infinity Cache for 1080p
gaming, giving it significantly less capacity
than its brethren—32MB, versus 96MB on the

70 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

you can still get a decent 1440p experience if with triple-pin power requirements, the XFX
you don’t mind dipping slightly below 60 Swft 210 sticks to a standard 2-slot height.
frames per second or dialing your graphics Between that and the single 8-pin power
options down a bit. connector required, it should slip into almost
any gaming PC as a no-hassle upgrade. It
Speaking of “this card,” there is no comes with a single HDMI 2.1 port and three
reference version of the Radeon RX 6600. All DisplayPorts.
the cards you’ll find for sale come from third-
party graphics card vendors like Asus, This more modestly priced card lacks
Sapphire, MSI, and the star of this review, XFX. some of the extra features found in more
luxurious models. You won’t find integrated
AMD sent us the XFX Radeon RX 6600 fan headers or even RGB lighting on offer
Swft 210 for review. It’s cool and quiet, with here, though the XFX Swft 210 does include
an attractive design reminiscent of XFX’s a dual-BIOS switch. That’s helpful in any
blacked-out style this generation, albeit in a troubleshooting endeavors and especially
smaller and more constrained package. It handy during overclocking attempts. It’s a
uses a pair of larger 100mm fans with 11 welcome addition indeed, along with a
blades apiece (rather than the triple-fan metal backplate that will look nice and clean
configuration of costlier XFX options [fave. in your system.
co/3DLMuYa]) sitting atop a heatsink with a
pair of 6mm heatpipes snaking through it. The Swft 210 runs at the Radeon RX
While most higher-end GPUs wield 6600’s reference speeds, and XFX says it
monstrous triple-slot coolers, often paired should debut for “about” the suggested

$329 price during the
initial launch window for
AMD’s new GPU.

Like other RX 6000–
series GPUs, the Radeon
RX 6600 supports all of
RDNA 2’s various
features, including
FidelityFX Super
Resolution (fave.
co/3lWqKT6) and Smart
Access Memory (fave.
co/3aReZar) to boost

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 71

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

performance, real-time ray-tracing boosting AMD Smart Access
capabilities, AV1 video decoding, DirectX Memory and Nvidia Resizable BAR
12 Ultimate goodies (fave.co/3jglNCY), an features (which are both based on
improved version of Radeon Boost (fave. the same underlying PCIe standard).
co/2Z8zSvt) that wraps in Variable Rate Currently, we’re testing on an open
Shading, Radeon Anti-Lag across all major bench with AMD’s Wraith Max air
DX APIs, FreeSync display support, AMD cooler; in the future, we’ll be
Link streaming to other devices, and much moving the setup into a case and
more. AMD’s robust Radeon Settings app adding an NZXT Kraken liquid
includes both manual and automatic cooler to the mix. Most of the
performance tuning controls hardware was provided by the
so you can tweak the card to manufacturers, but we purchased
your heart’s extent. the storage ourselves.
• AMD Ryzen 5900X, stock settings
Let’s get benchmarking. • AMD Wraith Max cooler
• MSI Godlike X570 motherboard
• 32GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4 3800
memory
• EVGA 1200W SuperNova P2 power
supply ($352 on Amazon [fave.co/3ASrw81])
• 1TB SK Hynix Gold S31 SSD (fave.
co/3lRPhZM)

OUR TEST SYSTEM

We evaluate graphics cards on
our dedicated AMD Ryzen
5000–series test rig in order to
benchmark the effect of PCIe
4.0 support on modern GPUs,
as well as the performance-

72 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

We’re comparing the $330 XFX Radeon expect to see slightly faster performance in
RX 6600 Swft 210 against the $550 Asus some modern games, though some rare
ROG Strix Radeon RX 6600 XT, $330 EVGA games (like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla) run
GeForce RTX 3060 XC Black, and last much faster with those features active.
generation’s $350 Radeon RX 5700 (non-XT)
and $350 GeForce RTX 2060. That should We’re simply going to provide the charts
provide a well-rounded view of the $300 during this game benchmarking portion,
price bracket in recent times, though it’s saving most commentary for our summary at
worth noting that all of these graphics cards the end of the review.
sell for significantly higher on the streets these
days. Yes, even the older ones. GAMING PERFORMANCE
BENCHMARKS
We test a variety of games spanning
various engines, genres, vendor sponsorships Watch Dogs: Legion
(Nvidia, AMD, and Intel), and graphics APIs Watch Dogs: Legion is one of the first games
(DirectX 11, DX12, and Vulkan). Each game is to debut on next-gen consoles. Ubisoft
tested using its in-game benchmark at the upgraded its Disrupt engine to include
highest possible graphics presets unless cutting-edge features like real-time ray tracing
otherwise noted, with VSync, frame rate caps, and Nvidia’s DLSS. We disable those effects
real-time ray tracing or DLSS effects, and for this testing, but Legion remains a strenuous
FreeSync/G-Sync disabled, along with any game even on high-end hardware with its
other vendor-specific technologies like optional high-resolution texture pack installed.
FidelityFX tools or Nvidia Reflex. We’ve also
enabled temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) to push Watch Dogs Legion
these cards to their limits. We run each
benchmark at least three times and list the Frames per second
average result for each test.
1080p 1440p
AMD suggested testing this card against
the RTX 3060 with Smart Access Memory and AMD Radeon RX 5700 59
PCIe Resizable BAR on, respectively; we did 42
not. Those newer capabilities can indeed Nvidia GeForce RTX
increase performance (fave.co/3aReZar), often 2060 FE 45
in AMD’s favor, but they’re not enabled on 32
most gaming PCs out there. If your rig supports EVGA GeForce RTX
Smart Access Memory (fave.co/3pkDsgG), 360 XC Black Gaming 60
45
XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 63
44
Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 70
51

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 73

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

Horizon Zero Dawn Gears Tactics

Frames per second Frames per second

1080p 1440p 1080p 1440p

AMD Radeon RX 5700 86 AMD Radeon RX 5700 93.5
65 64.3
Nvidia GeForce RTX Nvidia GeForce RTX
2060 FE 79 2060 FE 80.7
61 55
EVGA GeForce RTX EVGA GeForce RTX
360 XC Black Gaming 95 360 XC Black Gaming 90.9
75 54.4
XFX Radeon RX XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 87 6600 Swft 210 88.5
64 56.4
Asus ROG Strix Radeon Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 101 RX 6600 XT 102.4
75 69

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Horizon Zero Dawn load different settings than “Ultra” on a weaker
Yep, PlayStation exclusives are coming to the card. We manually set all options to their
PC now. Horizon Zero Dawn runs on Guerrilla highest possible settings.
Games’ Decima engine, the same engine that
powers Death Stranding. Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is more fun when you
Gears Tactics can play cooperatively with a buddy, but it’s a
Gears Tactics puts it own brutal, fast-paced fearless experiment (fave.co/3aOPJ4r)—and an
spin on the XCOM-like genre. This Unreal absolute technical showcase. Running on the
Engine 4–powered game was built from the Vulkan API, Youngblood achieves blistering
ground up for DirectX 12, and we love being frame rates, and it supports all sorts of cutting-
able to work a tactics-style game into our edge technologies like ray tracing, DLSS 2.0,
benchmarking suite. Better yet, the game HDR, GPU culling, asynchronous computing,
comes with an abundance of graphics options and Nvidia’s Content Adaptive Shading. The
for PC snobs. More games should devote such game includes a built-in benchmark with two
loving care to explaining what flipping all these different scenes; we tested Riverside.
visual knobs means. You can’t use the presets
to benchmark Gears Tactics, as it intelligently Metro Exodus
scales to work best on your installed hardware, One of the best games of 2019, Metro Exodus
meaning that “Ultra” on one graphics card can remains one of the best-looking games

74 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Wolfenstein: Youngblood Borderlands 3

Frames per second Frames per second

1080p 1440p 1080p 1440p

AMD Radeon RX 5700 166 AMD Radeon RX 5700 75.4
108 54
Nvidia GeForce RTX Nvidia GeForce RTX
2060 FE 154 2060 FE 59.3
71 40.7
EVGA GeForce RTX EVGA GeForce RTX
360 XC Black Gaming 191 360 XC Black Gaming 72.7
123 51.7
XFX Radeon RX XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 169 6600 Swft 210 77.1
107 52
Asus ROG Strix Radeon Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 197 RX 6600 XT 91.2
128 62.9

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

around, too. The latest version of the 4A the most powerful modern hardware, as
Engine provides incredibly luscious, ultra- you’ll see below, though the game’s Ultra and
detailed visuals, with one of the most High presets still look good at much higher
stunning real-time ray-tracing frame rates.
implementations released yet. The Extreme
graphics preset we benchmark can melt even We test in DirectX 12 mode with ray
tracing, Hairworks, and DLSS disabled.

Metro Exodus Borderlands 3
Borderlands is back! Gearbox’s game defaults
Frames per second to DX12, so we do as well. It gives us a
glimpse at the ultra-popular Unreal Engine 4’s
1080p 1440p performance in a traditional shooter. This
game tends to favor AMD hardware.
AMD Radeon RX 5700 37.8
28.3 Strange Brigade
Nvidia GeForce RTX Strange Brigade is a cooperative third-person
2060 FE 39.4 shooter where a team of adventurers blasts
23.6 through hordes of mythological enemies. It’s
EVGA GeForce RTX a technological showcase, built around the
360 XC Black Gaming 48.4 next-gen Vulkan and DirectX 12 technologies
35.1
XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 35.2
25.8
Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 41.6
30.8

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 75

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

Strange Brigade (Vulkan) Total War: Troy

Frames per second Frames per second

1080p 1440p 1080p 1440p

AMD Radeon RX 5700 153 AMD Radeon RX 5700 71.6
111 49.2
Nvidia GeForce RTX Nvidia GeForce RTX
2060 FE 148 2060 FE 68.9
105 45.9
EVGA GeForce RTX EVGA GeForce RTX
360 XC Black Gaming 177 360 XC Black Gaming 78.9
132 54.2
XFX Radeon RX XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 157 6600 Swft 210 60.2
102 39.6
Asus ROG Strix Radeon Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 185 RX 6600 XT 78.8
119 51.3

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

and infused with features like HDR support fun) option that the Forza series. It’s built on
and the ability to toggle asynchronous the latest version of Codemasters’ buttery-
compute on and off. It uses Rebellion’s smooth Ego game engine, complete with
custom Azure engine. We test using the support for DX12 and Nvidia’s DLSS
Vulkan renderer, which is faster than DX12. technology. We test two laps on the Australia
course, with clear skies on and DLSS off.
Total War: Troy
The latest game in the popular Total War saga, F1 2020
Troy was given away free for its first 24 hours on
the Epic Games Store, moving over 7.5 million Frames per second
copies before it went on proper sale. Total War:
Troy is built using a modified version of the Total 1080p 1440p
War: Warhammer 2 engine, and this DX11 title
looks stunning for a turn-based strategy game. AMD Radeon RX 5700 143
We test the more intensive battle benchmark. 108
Nvidia GeForce RTX
F1 2020 2060 FE 120
F1 2020 is a gem to test, supplying a wide 88
array of both graphical and benchmarking EVGA GeForce RTX
options, making it a much more reliable (and 360 XC Black Gaming 143
107
XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 147
106
Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 172
127

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

76 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

ShadowoftheTombRaider Rainbow Six Siege

Frames per second Frames per second

1080p 1440p 1080p 1440p

AMD Radeon RX 5700 105 AMD Radeon RX 5700 262
71 167
Nvidia GeForce RTX Nvidia GeForce RTX
2060 FE 101 2060 FE 234
66 148
EVGA GeForce RTX EVGA GeForce RTX
360 XC Black Gaming 122 360 XC Black Gaming 292
82 188
XFX Radeon RX XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210 109 6600 Swft 210 263
70 158
Asus ROG Strix Radeon Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT 127 RX 6600 XT 309
83 188

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Shadow of the Tomb Raider of the game that we use to test. By default,
Shadow of the Tomb Raider concludes the the game lowers the render scaling to
reboot trilogy, and it’s still utterly gorgeous a increase frame rates, but we set it to 100
couple of years after its debut. Square Enix percent to benchmark native rendering
optimized this game for DX12 and performance on graphics cards. Even still,
recommends DX11 only if you’re using older frame rates soar.
hardware or Windows 7, so we test with
DX12. Shadow of the Tomb Raider uses an Ray-tracing performance
enhanced version of the Foundation engine We briefly tested ray-tracing performance
that also powered Rise of the Tomb Raider and using Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Metro
includes optional real-time ray tracing and Exodus, two games in our suite that support
DLSS features. the cutting-edge technology. The tests were
conducted at 1080p resolution without
Rainbow Six Siege Nvidia’s AI-enhance DLSS technology
Rainbow Six Siege still dominates the Steam enabled, which both early ray-tracing titles
charts years after its launch, and Ubisoft support. Image upsampling technologies like
supports it with frequent updates and events. DLSS and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution
The developers have poured a ton of work are key to clawing back frames lost to cutting-
into the game’s AnvilNext engine over the edge ray-tracing effects, increasing
years, eventually rolling out a Vulkan version performance by rendering visuals internally at

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 77

REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

a lower resolution before using various tricks except in the ultra-rare games that support
to increase the final resolution. The software both DLSS and FSR, like Marvel’s Avengers.
techniques work in very different ways,
however, so testing with them disabled is the This largely confirms what we already knew
only way for an apples-to-apples benchmark from higher-end Radeon and GeForce GPUs.
(AMD’s last-gen Radeon RX 5700 does not
ShadowoftheTombRaider, support ray tracing, hence the zero score in RT
ray-tracing (ultra) enabled benchmarks above.) Nvidia’s second-
generation implementation of ray-tracing
Frames per second hardware performs better than AMD’s first stab
at the technology, though both enable you to
RT Ultra RT Off play ray-traced games after making some
graphics option tweaks (or enabling DLSS/FSR).
AMD Radeon RX 5700 0
POWER DRAW, THERMALS,
Nvidia GeForce RTX 58 105 AND NOISE
2060 FE 74 101
We test power draw by looping the F1 2020
EVGA GeForce RTX 53 122 benchmark at 4K for about 20 minutes after
360 XC Black Gaming 63 109 we’ve benchmarked everything else and
noting the highest reading on our Watts Up
XFX Radeon RX 127 Pro meter, which measures the power
6600 Swft 210 consumption of our entire test system. The
initial part of the race, where all competing
Asus ROG Strix Radeon cars are onscreen simultaneously, tends to be
RX 6600 XT the most demanding portion.

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE This isn’t a worst-case test; this is a GPU-
bound game running at a GPU-bound
Metro Exodus, ray-tracing resolution to gauge performance when the
(ultra) enabled graphics card is sweating hard. If you’re
playing a game that also hammers the CPU,
Frames per second you could see higher overall system power
draws. Consider yourself warned.
RT Ultra RT Off
The Radeon RX 6600 is by far the most
AMD Radeon RX 5700 0 power efficient GPU of this bunch, drawing a
staggering 73 fewer watts than the RTX 3060.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 37.8
2060 FE
21.6
EVGA GeForce RTX 39.4
360 XC Black Gaming
26.8
XFX Radeon RX 48.4
6600 Swft 210
20.6
Asus ROG Strix Radeon 35.2
RX 6600 XT
24.3
41.6

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

78 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Whole system the highest maximum temperature at the end.
power consumption Even with its smaller design, the XFX Swft

Watts 210 delivers outstanding cooling. Of course,
a lot of that has to do with the RX 6600’s more
Load Idle humble clock speeds and power draw, as
well. You don’t need a massive custom cooler
AMD Radeon RX 5700 69.8 289 to keep a small, power-sipping chip chilly.
66.5 301
Nvidia GeForce RTX 66.7 326 BOTTOM LINE
2060 FE 65.3
66.5 253 You probably shouldn’t buy any graphics
EVGA GeForce RTX 287 card right now, as I’ve said to close every
360 XC Black Gaming graphics card review in 2021. Prices remain
outrageous even all these months later. I’d
XFX Radeon RX recommend most people sit on the sidelines
6600 Swft 210 and stream their PC games via Nvidia’s
GeForce Now service (fave.co/2Xr5wDz)—or
Asus ROG Strix Radeon maybe even consider buying a console—until
RX 6600 XT the dust settles.

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE The Radeon RX 6600 is the first true
1080p graphics card of this generation, and
RDNA 2’s efficiency has been a big win for it shines in that role—you can crank up a
AMD this generation, and pairing that with game’s eye candy to the max, and the
the lower power requirements and clock power-sipping nature of this GPU means
speeds in the Radeon RX 6600 (to create your rig will still run cool and quiet (though
more differentiation versus the XT model, no you can still get a decent 1440p experience
doubt) means this GPU barely sips any juice. if you don’t mind possibly dipping below
60 frames per second, or dialing your
We test thermals by leaving GPU-Z open graphics options down a bit). You won’t be
during the F1 2020 power draw test, noting spending extra on excessive VRAM for this
resolution, unlike on the RTX 3060. And
Maximum GPU with miners preferring the memory
temperature under load configuration of GeForce GPUs, paired with
the small die size of the Radeon RX 6600,
Celsius we’re hopeful that we’ll see a (somewhat)

AMD Radeon RX 5700 77
67
Nvidia GeForce RTX 64
2060 FE 64
61
EVGA GeForce RTX
360 XC Black Gaming

XFX Radeon RX
6600 Swft 210

Asus ROG Strix Radeon
RX 6600 XT

SHORTER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 79





REVIEWS AMD R ADEON R X 6600

more decent supply of this AMD GPU on ancient Radeon RX 580 on the
store shelves in the early days. The recent streets. If supplies of the Radeon RX
6600 XT launch offered stock levels that 6600 impress in the early days, and
made the idea of buying one laughable, for prices stay somewhat close to the
example, but not impossible. card’s MSRP, this may be your best
shot at an upgrade in a long time,
In a sane world, we’d spend more time even if the cost does make it hard to
raging at the idea of spending $330-plus on a get excited about. It is what it is right
solid 1080p graphics card in 2021, half a decade now. Pay up if you must, but sit on
after AMD’s own Radeon RX 480 (fave. the sidelines for now if you can.
co/2Z5Y5Cw) offered no-compromises 1080p
and solid 1440p gaming for $200. The Radeon If you do decide to bite the
RX 6600 also sometimes (though rarely) loses to bullet, fear not: The Radeon RX 6600
Nvidia’s older RTX 2060 over two and a half years is an excellent GPU for 1080p gaming,
after that card’s debut. In a vacuum, this card’s although it struggles against Nvidia’s more
price-to-performance should be disappointing. mature implementation in ray-traced games.
And deep down, it really is. I’d rather spend And the XFX Swft 210 specifically stays cool
$300 on an Xbox Series S (fave.co/2Xw2BcY), to while looking good; it’s strongly worth
be frank (you know, if you could find one). considering if you don’t need a version of the
RX 6600 with more elaborate features or RGB
But in this wild year full of pandemics and lighting.
crippling supply shortages, $330 seems like a
reasonable ask for the Radeon RX 6600. AMD Radeon RX 6600
You’ll currently pay more than that for an
PROS

• Great 1080p gaming with Ultra graphics.
• 8GB of memory.
• Incredibly power efficient.

CONS

• Very high price for a 1080p graphics card (though it
seems more reasonable in today’s GPU shortage).

• Slower at ray tracing than Nvidia GPUs.

BOTTOM LINE

AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 is the first true 1080p
graphics card of this generation, finally. It’s fast and
incredibly power efficient, but it comes at a high
price (one that will soar even higher on the street),
and it isn’t a great 1440p option.

$329

80 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Microsoft Surface Pro 8: A superior
Windows 11 tablet

Microsoft's latest Surface ushers in Windows 11 with an outstanding new Surface tablet.

BY MARK HACHMAN

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8 Yes. The Surface Pro 8 boldly strides
tablet arrives as Windows 11 forward with a larger, higher-resolution, faster
(see page 25) goes out the screen, a revamped inking experience
door. Microsoft has already spearheaded by the optional Surface Slim
shipped one tablet this year, the Surface Pro Pen 2, and a pair of Thunderbolt ports that
7+ (fave.co/3C0zXPZ), which rose to the supplement the legacy Surface Connect
top of our roundup of the best Windows charger. It’s a dramatic reworking of the iconic
tablets of 2021 (fave.co/3FWsIuO). Can the Surface Pro tablet line, and that’s enough to
Surface Pro 8 improve upon it? grab your attention.

IMAGE: MICROSOFT NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 81

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

SPECIFICATIONS Security: Camera (Windows Hello)
Camera: 5MP/1080p (user-facing), 10MP
For now, there’s one important change in (rear-facing)
configuration between the Surface Pro 7+ for Battery: 50.2Wh (design), 51.3Wh
Business and the latest Surface Pro 8: The (full charge)
Surface Pro 8 lacks an inexpensive Core i3 Wireless: WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth
option, and thus its base price is $100 higher, 5.1; optional LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14,
at $1,099. The good news is that all of the 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66
Surface Pro 8 options Microsoft is selling Operating system: Consumer:
should offer enough computational power Windows 11 Home; Business: Windows 10
and memory for any buyer. Our review unit Pro or Windows 11 Pro
also lacked cellular capabilities, so we didn’t Dimensions: 11.3x8.2x0.37 inches
test those. Weight: 1.96 pounds (as specified)
Color: Platinum, Graphite
Microsoft continues to sell the Surface’s Price: Starting at $1,099.99, $1,599.99
companion keyboard and the pen separately, as reviewed
though there’s an explicit keyboard and pen Optional accessories: Surface Slim Pen
bundle that Microsoft will sell for an additional 2 (fave.co/3jfy6zC): $129.99; Surface Slim
$279.99. The Surface Pro 8 has been Pen Charger: $34.99; Surface Pro Signature
designed with the new Surface Slim Pen 2 Keyboard with Slim Pen 2 Bundle: $279.99;
(fave.co/3jfy6zC) in mind, however, and Surface Pro Signature Keyboard (fave.
Microsoft says you’ll experience reduced co/2Z3QlBj): $179.99 (Alcantara Ice Blue,
e-ink latency and lag if you use it. Poppy Red, Platinum, Black), Surface Pro
Keyboard: $139.99
Display: 13-inch PixelSense Flow
(2880×1920, 267 PPI) PRICES

Processor: Consumer: Core i5-1135G7, Core i5/8GB RAM/128 GB SSD:
Core i7-1185G7; Commercial: Core $1,099.99 (Platinum)
i3-1115G4, Core i5-1145G7, Core i7-1185G7
Core i5/8/256: $1,199.99 (Platinum,
Graphics: UHD (Core i3), Iris Xe (Core i5, i7) Graphite)
Memory: 8/16/32GB LPDDR4x RAM
(16GB as tested) Core i5/8/512: $1,399.99 (Platinum,
Storage: 128GB/256GB removable Graphite)
SSD; 512GB/1TB SSD (256GB as tested)
Ports: 2 USB-C (USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4), Core i5/16/256: $1,399.99 (Platinum,
1 Surface Connect port, Surface Type Cover Graphite)
Port, 3.5mm jack

82 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

you’ve already

purchased the

Surface Pro

Signature

Keyboard to

take full

advantage.

Like other

Surface Pro

devices

dating back to

On the left-hand side of the Surface Pro 8 sits the volume rocker and headphone jack. the Surface

Pro 3, the

Core i7/16/256: $1,599.99 (Platinum, tablet reclines to nearly horizontal. The

Graphite) Surface Pro’s Signature magnetic keyboard,

Core i7/16/512: $1,899.99 (Platinum, though, clasps it firmly. If that matters to you,

Graphite) buy a Surface Pro 8. Rival tablets don’t invest

Core i7/16/1TB: $2,199.99 (Platinum) enough in the magnetic connection, and a

Core i7/32/1TB: $2,599.99 (Platinum) tablet on your lap already risks flipping

Two years ago, the Surface Pro X (fave. backward over your knees.

co/3pkW2Wa) showcased the future of Microsoft ships the Surface Pro 8, as it

Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet lineup. Today’s ships most of its Surface devices, dialed

Surface Pro 8 has been redesigned in its down to minimal performance levels. Though

image, with a pair of Thunderbolt ports and you give up a bit in terms of performance,

an integrated charging cubby for the Surface this also means that the Surface Pro 8 rarely

Slim Pen 2. That can be a little disconcerting engages its cooling fan, and it only does so

for long-term Surface owners, as Microsoft very quietly when necessary. (You can adjust

has moved things around. The power button the performance within the Windows 11

is now on the side of the tablet, for example. Settings menu, specifically System > Power &

Though the Surface Pro 8 is now slightly battery.) Narrow grillwork runs along both

heavier and chunkier than its predecessors, sides of the tablet, providing cooling.

you’ll need to compare them side by side to Typically, Surface tablets get warm to hot

notice. Otherwise, the Surface Pro 8 looks the along the upper rear panel, and the SP8 is no

same as it emerges from the box. Hopefully exception to that rule.

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 83

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

The color gamut for the Surface Pro 8, as measured by our Datacolor SpyderX colorimeter.

With the Surface Pro 8, Microsoft is unfortunately. Instead, Microsoft locked the

introducing a slightly larger 13-inch refresh rate at 60Hz, though you can manually

(2,880x1,920) multitouch PixelSense Flow adjust it via the Settings menu (System >

display that preserves the 3:2 screen ratio, Display > Advanced Display) to the higher

versus the 12.3-inch (2,736×1,824) displays 120 Hz setting. Doing so would imply that

we’ve traditionally received as part of the your battery life would decrease, but we

Surface Pro lineup. Originally, Microsoft told didn’t experience that. We’ll talk more about

us that the PixelSense Flow display would this during our performance tests, specifically

dynamically shift back and forth between the the battery life section.

standard 60Hz refresh rate

and a new 120Hz refresh

rate, a feature known as

Dynamic Refresh Rate.

Higher refresh rates are

easier on the eyes and

would also improve inking,

as the pen’s ink would

“flow” more smoothly onto

the screen.

Microsoft’s Dynamic

Refresh Rate feature didn’t On the right-hand side sits the Surface Connect power port, the two
make it to the Surface Pro 8, Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, and the power button.

84 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

With the Surface Pro 8, the Surface Pro model, they also use Dolby Atmos, which is
line makes a major transition to Thunderbolt, built in and not really adjustable by the user
an enhanced I/O capability that has existed outside the normal audio settings. Our
on rival notebooks and tablets for some Surface Pro 7+ review (fave.co/3C0zXPZ)
time. The Surface Pro 8 includes a pair of noted that the speakers sounded somewhat
Thunderbolt ports on one side, and has flatter and softer, and it appears that Microsoft
done away with the older USB Type-A port has rectified this in the Surface Pro 8.
entirely. (Unlike the Surface Pro X, Microsoft
has thankfully included a headphone jack as In general, the audio is certainly among
well.) This allows the Surface Pro 8 to the better options for tablets, and sounds as
connect to a small but growing ecosystem of good or better than that of some laptops. You
Thunderbolt docks, as well as charge from won’t need headphones to enjoy music on
them—provided that they’re powered. That the Surface Pro 8.
gives SP8 buyers the option to either charge
directly from the included 65W Surface TYPING EXPERIENCE AND
charger, or tap into a Thunderbolt dock KEYBOARD
(fave.co/3vtA0BE).
Microsoft’s Surface Pro Signature Keyboard,
The sacrifice? Microsoft has done away sold separately, doesn’t seem to be anything
with the microSD slot for this different than what Microsoft has offered in
generation, a tacit push for people to
upload their photos directly to the
Microsoft OneDrive cloud. If you need
a physical microSD port, you have a
number of great USB-C dongles to
choose from (fave.co/30z4JBG).

AUDIO The Signature Keyboard connects to the tablet and provides
a lightweight, comfortable typing experience.
We didn’t hear any substantive
qualitative differences between the
Surface Pro 8 and earlier Surface
tablets, but the speakers are indeed
louder: They’re now 2W speakers,
versus the 1.6W speakers used by the
Surface Pro 7+. As in the earlier

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 85

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

conjunction with past Surface Pro tablets. As INKING

noted above, the magnetic hinge clasps the As on the Surface Laptop Studio, inking is a

keyboard tightly to the tablet, freeing you of priority on the Surface Pro 8. The Surface Pro

the anxiety of working on your lap. On a 8 uses the Microsoft Pen Protocol in

desktop, the Surface Pro 8’s keyboard feels conjunction with the Surface Slim Pen 2.

comfortable, put simply, with a satisfactory While I’m not a professional illustrator, my

amount of key travel and resilience. You impression is that using Microsoft’s two-

should be able to use the keyboard button Surface Slim Pen 2 is more accurate on

comfortably for an entire day without any the Surface Pro 8, perhaps in part because

additional strain on your wrists or fingers. the screen offers more pixel density than the

The touchpad also appears to have Surface Laptop Studio. Pairing the Slim Pen 2

remained unchanged. It’s actually clickable is a breeze, so much so that it seemed like the

for almost the entirety of the trackpad, though pen paired as soon as I connected the

you’ll have to exert an unreasonable amount keyboard. You can launch apps by pressing a

for force at the top of the trackpad for the button, and “erase” just by rubbing the top of

clicks to register. Though a bit plasticky, the the pen against the screen.

trackpad is comfortable to use. The Slim Pen 2 also includes haptic

What’s new for the Surface

tablet line is that the Surface Pro 8’s

new Signature Keyboard includes a

pen cubby for the Slim Pen 2 (fave.

co/3jfy6zC), which appears to be

the future of Microsoft’s pens. As

we noted in our best tablet

roundup (fave.co/3FWsIuO), not

every tablet keyboard that

incorporates these new pens has a

strong magnetic connection. The

keyboard folds up, too, holding

the pen securely while charging it.

It’s a great design and completely

eliminates the risk of losing a pen

while the Surface Pro 8 is stored The Surface Slim Pen 2 (sold separately) sits neatly in its
inside your bag or your backpack. dedicated charging cubby.

86 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

feedback, so that you’ll “feel”

interactions with shapes on

Microsoft Whiteboard, for

example. This may in fact be an

assistive technology dressed up as

a new consumer feature, but I

wouldn’t buy a Slim Pen 2 for this.

Don’t discount the

rechargeable pen, either, or its

cubby! The days of trying to hunt

down a AAAA battery for your

Surface Pen are over. (Microsoft This is what we found when we tested the Surface Pro 8 to
says that earlier Surface Pens will determine the ink jitter, or how well the pen tracked our
still work, but that you won’t see movements. We created these lines by drawing in the tablet with
the same reduced latency as a straight edge. They should be perfectly straight, but there’s
you will while using the Surface still a slight wiggle or rippling effect while drawing slowly. In all,
however, it’s pretty good.

Slim Pen 2.) CAMERA
I manually adjusted the display refresh

rate to 120 Hz to see the improved inking As the company behind the Teams

benefits, something that Microsoft had videoconferencing software, Microsoft

originally pledged it would do dynamically. intrinsically understands that people need to

In any case, I didn’t see any line offsets, look good on camera during meetings or just

where ink flows from a different location chatting with friends. Though the Surface Pro

from where the pen touches, even with the 8’s user-facing camera still shoots just 1080p

pen at an angle. There is still a tiny bit of ink video, Microsoft has added ambient color and

latency as you move about the page, but to lighting sensors, too. The latter sensor does a

me it wasn’t significant. It also appears that better job of highlighting your image using the

the pen jitter—where the pen’s lines ripple proper exposure, while the color sensor will

back and forth—is less than on the Surface automatically adjust your screen color to

Laptop Studio or previous Surface Pro compensate for ambient light. Unfortunately, if

tablets. While we didn’t compare the inking the color sensor’s job is to show the webcam’s

ability to that of a dedicated Wacom tablet, subject in the best light, it needs some work,

it’s fair to say the Slim Pen 2 offers an as the image on the next page indicates.

impressive inking experience. Microsoft also enhanced its rear-facing

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 87

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

Microsoft requested

that we rerun our

benchmarks to

double-check the

anomalies. We again

updated the Surface

Pro 8 to the latest

Microsoft drivers

and reran the

benchmarks. This

time, we received a

I’m Irish on my mother’s side, but I certainly haven’t been this “sunburned” in a consistent set of
while. This isn’t color accurate where my skin tone is concerned! results.

Microsoft also

requested that we

camera, too, adding a 10-megapixel camera add performance benchmarks for the Surface

sensor, up from 8MP. We’re not the sort that Pro 8 at its maximum performance settings.

takes photos with a tablet, but the added Microsoft typically ships its review units with

resolution certainly can’t hurt. performance dialed down to a minimum to

We were hoping that the Windows Hello eliminate fan noise. The competition typically

2.0 feature Microsoft disclosed to us would uses either “balanced” settings or dials them

be enabled on these machines. Windows up to maximum, too. We’ve added these

Hello 2.0 supposedly can interpret your face revised Surface Pro 8 numbers with previous

even with a beard, glasses, or an N95 mask reviews, so we did so again. In the charts

on. We tested the latter and…no dice. below, the maximum performance settings

Windows couldn’t set up a new face profile are outlined in black.

with a mask on, and couldn’t recognize me It’s worth noting that the retests resulted

with one on either. in significant differences in the Cinebench

PERFORMANCE benchmark; in our prolonged performance
test, Handbrake; and, to a lesser extent, in

Our original testing showed surprisingly PCMark 10. Our tests of 3D graphics

inconsistent behavior when running our performance remained unchanged. Battery

standard suite of benchmarks, which we’ve life increased slightly.

noted in the introduction. After publication, From a usability standpoint, the Surface Pro

88 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

PCMark 10 Cinebench RT15.038

CPU performance All threads

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Max 5,074 Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 1,531
Core i7-1185G7 4,774 Ryzen 7 4980U
4,756 952
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 4,650 Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Max 862
Ryzen 7 4980U 4,529 Core i7-1185G7 819
4,481 776
Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable 4,016 Microsoft Surface Pro 8 751
Core i7-1180G7 3,838 Core i7-1185G7 740
3,400 737
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable 3,367 Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable 576
Gen 1 Core i5-1135G7 2,685 Gen 1 Core i5-1135G7 558
457
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ 245
Core i7-1185G7 Core i5-1135G7

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Core i7-1065G7 Core i7-1065G7

Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable
Core i5-1135G7 Core i7-1180G7

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Core i5-1065G7 Core i5-1065G7

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Core i5-8250U Core i5-8250U

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Microsoft Surface Laptop 2
Core i5-8250U Core i5-8250U

Microsoft Surface Go 2 Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
Core M3-8100Y (3rd Gen) Core i5-8250U

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE Microsoft Surface Go 2
Core M3-8100Y

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

At default settings, the Surface Pro 8’s The Surface Pro 8’s CPU performance is excellent
performance in our everyday PCMark under our revised testing results.
10 benchmark falls just under that of its
tablet competition. If you choose to dial up
performance, your results will increase as well.

8 performs well. Our 4K streaming test video key points of comparison are the Dell Latitude
rendered dropped just 8 frames out of 10,000 7320 Detachable (fave.co/3vvGcJq) and the
or so, which means that video will stream jitter Lenovo ThinkPad Detachable Gen 1 (fave.
free even at high resolutions. With the same co/3AZn9rY), which directly compete against
GPU as the Surface Pro 7+, you should expect the Surface Pro 8. We’ve highlighted those
comparable gameplay if you choose to go that tablets with a lighter shade of blue in the charts
route—plan on playing games at 1080p in this section. Technically, the Surface Go 2
settings on High. This is a business and inking (fave.co/2Z2lrIY) is also a smaller tablet
tablet, though, first and foremost. competitor. We’ve also added notebooks like
the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (fave.
We’ve compared the Microsoft Surface Pro co/3DX3wm5) and Surface Laptop 4 (fave.
8 to the Surface Pro 7+ (fave.co/3C0zXPZ) and co/3jfyVII) as additional points of comparison.
Surface Pro 7, of course, as well as some of the
other tablets in our recent tablet roundup. The We use the PCMark test to measure how

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 89

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

the tablet will fare under general computing Handbrake 0.99.0
workloads. The PCMark test measures Encoding (H.264)
videoconferencing, word processing, some
light gaming, CAD work, application startup, Seconds
and more. Here, the Surface Pro 8 performs
up to expectations, with increased gen-over- Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 1,493
gen performance. Ryzen 7 4980U 2,510

The Cinebench R15 benchmark measures Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Max 2,890
synthesized CPU performance, with the Core i7-1185G7 2,973
implication that performance will scale on the 3,245
CPU-dependent applications we can’t Microsoft Surface Pro 8
specifically test. In our first batch of results, Core i7-1185G7 3,313
performance was all over the map — some 3,874
results were 50 percent of the others. After Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 3,895
our rerun, the benchmark scores varied by Core i7-1065G7 3,975
just a few percent. We’ve averaged them
together to create a composite score. Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ 4,116
Core i5-1135G7 4,877
Cinebench measures the performance of
all of the CPU cores and threads working Microsoft Surface Pro 7 8,682
together in concert, which is reflected here. Core i5-1065G7
The SP8’s single-core result was 188, which is
also excellent. Microsoft Surface Laptop 2
Core i5-8250U
Cinebench R23, a more-advanced version
of the benchmark, offers a way to check Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable
whether thermal issues may be at play: Run a Gen 1 Core i5-1135G7
single test, then loop the test over and over
for ten minutes and compare the results. Our Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable
scores were comparable—2,895 versus Core i7-1180G7
2,867—which led me to doubt that the
Surface Pro 8 has any thermal issues where Microsoft Surface Pro 6
the CPU is concerned. Core i5-8250U

We originally saw more anomalies in the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
Handbrake test, which uses a free tool to (3rd Gen) Core i5-8250U
transcode video into a format formatted for an
Microsoft Surface Go 2
Core M3-8100Y

SHORTER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE

Only the Surface Laptop 4 outperformed the
Surface Pro 8 in our Handbrake tests.

Android tablet. It’s a real-world application,
though less so in a world where Netflix movies
can be saved to a laptop. We measure the time
Handbrake takes to complete the task as a way
to determine both the performance of the
tablet as well as its ability to keep cool over a
long period of time. In our retesting, however,
those anomalies disappeared, and we report
what we consider to be the tablet’s true
performance in our chart.

In graphics, though, the Surface Pro 8
delivered consistent results. Here, we used
the 3DMark Time Spy test, and the Iris Xe GPU

90 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

3DMark Time Spy 1.2 Battery life

CPU performance Minutes

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Max 1,836 Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 633
Iris XE 1,819 Core i5-8250U 626
1,714 605
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 1,544 Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 605
Iris XE 1,511 Core i7-1065G7 602
1,319 588
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 9310 1,296 Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable 563
Iris XE 1,290 Core i7-1180G7 563
970 536
Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable 952 Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ 521
Iris XE Core i5-1135G7 441
426
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Iris XE Ryzen 7 4980U

Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable Microsoft Surface Pro 6
Gen 1 Iris XE Core i5-8250U

Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable
Ryzen 7 4980U Gen 1 Core i5-1135G7

Asus ZenBook Flip S Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Iris XE Core i7-1185G7

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Iris Plus Core i5-1065G7

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Microsoft Surface Pro X
Iris Plus Microsoft SQ1

LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE Microsoft Surface Go 2
Core M3-8100Y

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet
(3rd Gen) Core i5-8250U

Microsoft may be running the Iris Xe at a higher LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE
clock rate to achieve increased performance, but
it’s paying off.

performed excellently. charged past 80 percent. We were notified by
Finally, we tested battery life. Battery life is Microsoft that the Surface app can be used to
turn this feature off if you’d like your battery to
becoming increasingly more challenging to charge to its maximum potential.
test, as more laptop manufacturers add sensors
that detect the ambient brightness of the screen All this means there are simply too many
and adjust the output accordingly. variables involved to present you with a
(Smartphones do this regularly.) The wrinkles comprehensive picture of how long the
that the Surface Pro 8 adds to this are threefold. Surface Pro 8’s battery will last. We typically run
Microsoft and Windows will adjust the down a laptop battery by looping a 4K video
“content” of video being played back to over and over until it expires, and we did that
preserve battery life; adjusting the display here. We reran rundown tests where we
refresh rate will affect battery life, too. Finally, our disabled the lighting sensor (though not the
Surface Pro 8 review unit decided after a few content adjustment) to provide a repeatable
days to implement “smart charging,” a new though worst-case scenario. (We did not test
feature that prevents the battery from being with performance set to maximum.)

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 91

REVIEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 8

At 9 hours, 23 minutes, you should get a Essentially, your tablet choices boil down to
full workday’s use out of the Surface Pro 8. the excellent Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable
Dialing up the refresh rate to 120Hz didn’t (fave.co/3vvGcJq) and the very good Lenovo
seem to actually lower the battery life at all, as ThinkPad X12 Detachable Gen 1 tablet (fave.
the tablet expired after 628 minutes, or 10 co/3AZn9rY). A key difference here is price:
hours, 46 minutes. Our Lenovo review tablet is priced at $1,331,
while the Dell costs $2,189. Our Surface Pro 8
Turning off both the lighting and content review unit costs $1,599. Yes, paying $1,500
adjustment capabilities on the Surface Pro 8 for a tablet is still a lot to ask, but the Surface
delivered an awful battery life of 375 minutes, Pro 8 simply offers so much more than its
or 6 hours 15 minutes. That’s at a 60Hz refresh current competition.
rate, too. That’s not the default configuration,
however, and you would need to adjust the We’re not happy with how hastily
tablet’s settings within the Settings menu to Microsoft pushed this tablet into our hands,
achieve that score. (This result was also part of and our initial negative reaction is still justified.
our original set of testing results.) That was then, however. Microsoft’s Surface
Pro 8 now offers leading-edge performance
With our second run of testing, we now at a competitive price, plus a top-notch
feel comfortable in stating that the Surface screen and inking experience. We think that
Pro 8 delivers performance that exceeds the Surface Pro 8 is simply the best Windows
that of its competition, or at least matches it tablet on the market right now.
in most cases.

BOTTOM LINE Microsoft Surface Pro 8

All of this presents a question: How well do PROS
we know the Surface Pro 8? From a
hardware perspective, quite well: We can • Superior screen: larger, higher-res, higher refresh
certainly see the value of the larger, superior rate.
display, and the tablet’s audio sounds great,
too. Sure, the webcam appears to need a • Inking is a pleasure.
little work, but that’s a tweak Microsoft • Good audio, with louder speakers. New optional
should be able to implement quickly.
Type Cover integrates pen well.
Thankfully, after our retesting with new
updates we now know much more about how CONS
the Surface Pro 8 performs, as well, and we’re
left with a much more positive impression. • Webcam might need some tweaking.
• Pen and keyboard still cost extra.

BOTTOM LINE

The Surface Pro 8 offers an excellent upgrade to
Microsoft’s tablet lineup, with superior performance,
inking, and audio, providing very good value for
the money.

$999

92 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

NordVPN: Fast and feature-
packed VPN for power users

Incredible speeds and a solid set of features make this a great VPN for power users and
newbies. BY IAN PAUL

NordVPN has long earned top organization Nord Security (fave.co/3vrrT8B),
marks among the VPNs I’ve alongside other services such as the NordPass
reviewed. It’s notable for its (fave.co/3C16fKT) password manager,
incredible speeds, a generous NordLocker (fave.co/30zkt7I) for secure file
country and server count, and the choice of storage, and business tools like NordLayer
WireGuard or OpenVPN protocols. It has also and NordWL.
removed the hard drives from its servers to
increase privacy and security. And in its aim to FEATURES AND SERVICES
be more than just a VPN, the service is but
one product under the larger umbrella When you first open NordVPN on Windows,
you get a very user-friendly interface. The

IMAGE: NORDVPN NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 93

REVIEWS NORDVPN

left-hand rail includes a list of all

available countries in alphabetical

order. This section also has quick

links to NordVPN’s specialty

servers, such as Onion over VPN

and P2P-friendly servers (for

NordLynx and OpenVPN), as well

as dedicated IP (for an extra cost)

and double-hop VPN when using

OpenVPN. The rest of the app

window contains a map that you

can drag around to select a

specific country. NordVPN with an active WireGuard connection.

Both the list and the map let

you quickly decide where to connect. Two fastest connection for you based on your

interface options are a bit redundant, but this country of choice.

approach accommodates both power users Dipping into settings, there are a number

and novices. of features worth knowing about. The first is

The list in the left-hand rail is where most CyberSec under Settings > General, which

of the power user advantages reside. Hover blocks ads and protects against malware and

over a country listing and click on the three phishing. It’s turned off by default, but is well

dots to the left of the country name. This worth using. There’s also an internet kill

reveals a pop-up window where you can switch, as well as an app kill switch under

choose the region of a country (if Settings > Kill Switch. The latter stops any app

applicable), as well as any of the servers from connecting to the internet if an active

listed in that region. VPN connection drops, while the former does

If you choose to connect to the U.S., for that for the entire PC.

example, you’d pick the “region,” which is There are also options to go invisible on

really one of a number of major cities such as the local area network, and a specialized

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver, or auto-connect feature. Auto-connect not only

Phoenix. Then you can pick any of the connects you to the VPN automatically but

servers listed there; each server in the list lets you customize that connection. You can,

displays its current load. If you don’t want to for example, automatically connect to a

drill down that deep, NordVPN picks the double VPN or a specific country. You can

94 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

also choose whether to connect whenever PRIVACY, ANONYMITY,
the app starts or only on “unsecure AND TRUST
networks.” The ability to customize the
automated connection is an awesome little To create an account, NordVPN requires an
power-user feature that you don’t often see email address. It accepts payments via credit
on other VPNs. card, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and
cryptocurrencies. NordVPN costs $59 as an
You can also set your own DNS provider if introductory price for the first year, and the
you like, as well as use obfuscated servers if current renewal price is $99 for a year. There
you’re trying to use NordVPN in a place that is also a first-time deal of $89 for a two-year
blocks it. Nord also has a split-tunneling subscription, and a month-to-month option
feature to specify which apps should (or of $11.95.
should not) use the VPN connection.
NordVPN has come a long way in
NordVPN advertises that it’s compatible identifying its leadership. After years of not
with Netflix, and it worked well this time publishing the names of its owners, the
around in my tests, though in the past there information is now out there. This happened
have been issues. This is not uncommon as around the same time that NordVPN became
there’s a continual cat-and-mouse game just one product in a larger portfolio of
between the long arm of Netflix’s anti-VPN products under the Nord Security brand.
enforcement and the VPN service providers Nord Security doesn’t have an official head
that oppose it. office, or at least the company declined to say

NordVPN’s general settings. where it was, but it does have
offices in Germany, Lithuania,
the Netherlands, and the U.S.

Officially, Nord Security
doesn’t own NordVPN. That
honor belongs to a company
called nordvpn s.a. based in
Panama. Despite all that legal
stuff, the management team of
Nord Security effectively runs
NordVPN and the other
products, as far as we
understand it. Whether those
people are acting as

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 95

REVIEWS NORDVPN

employees of Nord Security or Selecting a granular connection with NordVPN’s
nordvpn s.a. when they make advanced features.
business decisions is irrelevant for
our purposes. Nord Security lists push notifications, search, and so on. This
10 people on its management can also be opted out of by turning off the
team (fave.co/3C2ZB6W), all with setting mentioned above. Those who are
links to their LinkedIn pages concerned about the privacy implications
shown. The management listing of the CyberSec feature can read about it
includes the three founders, Tom in the privacy policy under “Threat
Okman, Eimantas Sabaliauskas, Protection feature.”
and Jonas Karklys. Okman is based
in the U.K., while the other two are NordVPN has also jumped on the trend of
in Lithuania, according to their running diskless production servers similar to
LinkedIn profiles. those of companies such as OVPN (fave.
co/3ASQaFG) and ExpressVPN (fave.
NordVPN’s privacy policy (fave. co/3EdDIm7). Diskless servers don’t store any
co/3BYPrUx) says it has a “strict information on them at all. They are controlled
no-logs policy,” meaning it does not store and booted from a remote server, and
time stamps, browsing data, used bandwidth, everything runs in RAM. That makes it mighty
traffic logs, IP addresses, and so on. Third- difficult to pull any user data from these servers.
party audits in 2018 and 2020 confirmed this.

Nord does keep some information for
very short periods of time. It keeps the
username and timestamp of the last session
to monitor simultaneous connection limits.
This information is deleted 15 minutes after
a session is terminated. It also logs whether
a user has logged on in the last 30 days.
The company says it needs this data “to
prevent abuse and to be able to dispute
unfair chargebacks.”

NordVPN also harvests some data about
usage such as app diagnostic data, but you
can opt out under Settings > Advanced. It
also takes in telemetry data such as opening

96 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021

Another step NordVPN takes to increase able to maintain 49 percent of the base
trust is the VPN Trust Initiative (fave. speed. That’s fast enough to qualify among
co/3G3XmCt), an effort that includes the top five speediest VPNs. We’re certain
ExpressVPN, Golden Frog, IPVanish, Ivacy, that NordVPN is fast enough for doing pretty
PureVPN (of VyperVPN fame), SaferVPN, much anything reliably.
Strong VPN, and others. The VPN Trust
Initiative’s goal is to strengthen trust and BOTTOM LINE
mitigate risk for VPN users.
NordVPN is a fantastic service that keeps
The company has also published a blog getting better. The price is on the high side,
post (fave.co/30D1nxv) detailing how it but you get a lot more for that money than
prevents vulnerabilities like the one that with other services.
occurred in 2018 (that incident was only
reported in 2019). The plan includes Nevertheless, while NordVPN’s
penetration testing, a bug bounty program, excellent service can’t be ignored, there are
the new infrastructure audit, vendor better options, like Mullvad (fave.
assessments, and the aforementioned co/3ASQaFG), if maximizing your
diskless servers. anonymity is a priority. But if you want
something that appeals to power users, has
That’s a lot of effort to get users to trust multi-hop and solid speeds, and works with
NordVPN, and we’re happy to see the Netflix, then NordVPN is a solid choice.
company finally revealing its top leaders. It’s
also being more transparent about the NordVPN
company structure, but to be honest they’re
still being a little cagey about the details and PROS
the organization seems to be more
complicated than necessary. Regardless, • Excellent speeds.
anonymity for the people running a company • Enough features to appeal to both power users
that is supposed to be all about trust just
never sat well with us, and we’re glad to see and novices.
this change. • No-logs policy.

PERFORMANCE CONS

NordVPN’s speeds are excellent. In our tests • Expensive.
using default settings over multiple days and
multiple connect locations, NordVPN was BOTTOM LINE

NordVPN offers a lot with its service. There are
specialized servers for multi-hop connections, P2P
file sharing, and dedicated IP addresses at an extra
cost. It also offers a ton of country connections, and
the ability to drill down to a specific server if you
want. It also works with Netflix and has malware and
ad blocking. NordVPN is expensive, but you get a
lot of value.

$59

NOVEMBER 2021 PCWorld 97

REVIEWS

Acer Predator Triton 500 SE: A
gaming laptop that’s safe for work

The 16:10, 1440p, 165 Hz display is great for more than just gaming. BY JARED NEWMAN

The Acer Predator Triton 500 taller 16:10 aspect ratio to help with regular
SE is a gaming laptop that old office work.
doesn’t just want to be a
gaming laptop. Instead, it falls Yet the Acer Predator Triton 500 SE is
into a burgeoning category of more work- ready to party when needed, with an Intel
friendly gaming rigs, joining the likes of the Core i7-11800H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (fave.co/30JaT2m), RTX 3060 Max-Q GPU, and a 165Hz refresh
Gigabyte Aero 17 (fave.co/3b1dczr), and rate display for super-smooth gaming (and, to
Dell XPS 17 9710 (fave.co/3vxLp3o) in be honest, web browsing). While some
toning down its wild side. There are no games don’t play nice with a 16:10 aspect
racing stripes or flashy LED patterns here, ratio, and the display could be more vibrant,
and the 2560x1600 resolution screen has a overall this is a solid value for a laptop that’s
equally comfortable at work or play.

98 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2021 IMAGE: ACER