PC Pro Magazine - February 2023

In this issue

BROADBAND BARGAINS OF THE MONTH
BT would have had a lovely monopoly if it hadn’t been for that pesky Ofcom, and now the big ISPs have even more rivals thanks to gigabit fibre upstarts. Should you switch?

GUIDED TOUR OF THE MONTH
The motherboard is often ignored for its more glamorous component counterparts, but Darien Graham-Smith thinks it needs a closer inspection to reveal its inner magic..

11 ways to revive Dead Tech

Don't let old kit clutter up your house or go to e-waste. Computer repair shop owner Lee Grant shows how to put it to good use

10+ mins

Britain's fibre broadband boom

A glut of full-fibre providers is making it stupidly cheap to get ultrafast internet connections. But will Britain's broadband boom last? Barry Collins investigates

10 mins

SLASH YOUR ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION

With energy bills rising, Nik Rawlinson explores how to get your devices' power consumption under control

9 mins

Microsoft Surface Pro 95G

A bigger screen and day-beating battery life move the Surface Pro in the right direction, but the ARM chip brings hiccups

10+ mins

Lenovo ThinkPad X13s

Excellent battery life is your reward for an ARM chip inthis ultra-thin laptop for corporates

5 mins

Lenovo X1 Carbon Gen 10

A mixed update it's faster but with weaker battery life than the Gen 9-but it exudes the same class as ever

3 mins

Acer Swift 314in (2022)

What it lacks in finesse, this highly portable 14in laptop makes up for in power, storage and value for money

4 mins

Acer Chromebook Vero 514

A solid ethical choice, this is a well-built Chromebook that will keep speeding along until 2030

4 mins

Acer Swift Edge (SFA16-41)

A punchy 4K OLED screen and bags of power, but mediocre battery life diminishes its appeal

3 mins

Armari Magnetar M16R7-1300G3

Shows what the Ryzen 7000 series has to offer creatives: phenomenal performance in every CPU-related task

3 mins

Intel NUC 12 Pro

Pro If you're looking for a low-power system to fire up and forget about for three years, this is a great choice

3 mins

Wired2Fire Predator X7 Gaming PC

An excellent way to climb aboard the Ryzen 000 train, with quiet running matched by great all-round speed

4 mins

PCSpecialist Arc Elite R

A colourful and stylish system that gives Intel's Arc A770 graphics every opportunity to shine

3 mins

TP-Link Deco XE75

One of the fastest meshes money can buy, with good supporting features and a reasonably attainable price

3 mins

Google Nest Wifi Pro

Android integration and Wi-Fi 6E are plus points, but Google's latest mesh is a middling performer

3 mins

Motorola Razr 2022

A substantial improvement on previous Razr flip phones, with a bigger battery, nippier performance and a superb pair of screens

6 mins

Epos Expand Vision 1

A highly portable 4K webcam that offers serious competition to Logitech's premium offerings

2 mins

Verbatim AWC-02

The over-eager auto focus can annoy, but if you only have £35 to spend then this is a competent webcam

2 mins

Huawei Watch D

Built-in blood pressure monitoring is the Watch D's biggest strength, but what an amazing strength it is

2 mins

Epos Expand Vision 3T

This smartly designed and versatile bar integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams Rooms

3 mins

Logitech Rally Bar Mini

A professional solution for medium-sized meeting rooms with great video quality

2 mins

Owl Labs Meeting Owl3

The Meeting Owl 3 and its clever panoramic sound and vision ensures everyone gets a piece of the meeting action

3 mins

Poly Studio R30

An affordable option for small rooms with good image quality and smart tracking and framing features

3 mins

Synology RackStation RS422+

An affordable short-depth rack NAS with decent speeds and data protection but limited upgrade options

3 mins

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PC Pro Magazine Description:

The UK's biggest selling PC monthly magazine, and your source of professional IT news, reviews and tests. Combining in–depth industry comment and analysis with rigorous product testing.