I have been a technology journalist for almost 30 years and have covered just about every kind of computer gear—from the 386SX to 64-core processors—in my long tenure as an editor, a writer, and an advice columnist. For almost a quarter-century, I worked on the seminal, gigantic Computer Shopper magazine (and later, its digital counterpart), aka the phone book for PC buyers, and the nemesis of every postal delivery person. I was Computer Shopper's editor in chief for its final nine years, after which much of its digital content was folded into PCMag.com. I also served, briefly, as the editor in chief of the well-known hard-core tech site Tom's Hardware.
During that time, I've built and torn down enough desktop PCs to equip a city block's worth of internet cafes. Under race conditions, I've built PCs from bare-board to bootup in under 5 minutes. I never met a screwdriver I didn't like.
I was also a copy chief and a fact checker early in my career. (Editing and polishing technical content to make it palatable for consumer audiences is my forte.) I also worked as an editor of scholarly science books, and as an editor of "Dummies"-style computer guidebooks for Brady Books (now, BradyGames). I'm a lifetime New Yorker, a graduate of New York University's journalism program, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
I use a lot of computers on rotation in my daily work, but I rely on just a few to get things done. I split my work life mostly between a Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (a 15-inch Ryzen model), paired with a Lenovo ThinkVision portable monitor, and a custom-built big-chassis Windows 10 desktop PC that has served me well for years now. (Specs: Liquid-cooled Intel Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition, 32GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1080 card.) That's all in a giant chassis with six hard drives and SSDs packing its bays. (As I upgrade systems, I just keep moving the old warhorse drives over.) This behemoth is hooked up to a 32-inch LG monitor.
I also have a bunch of PCs around the house, all custom builds: another one attached to my main TV (for gaming and occasional forays into VR), a mini-PC on the bedroom TV (acting as a media server), and a Mini-ITX desktop in a corner of the living room...just because. I carry around an oversize OnePlus phone, but when I do long-haul travel, a vintage iPod Touch comes along, too, for old times' sake.
I wasn't always a PC guy. I cut my teeth on a cassette-drive-equipped Commodore VIC-20 in the 1980s. But I got serious with Apple desktops in the early 1990s, starting with a Macintosh SE, then a Macintosh LC, and finally one of the short-lived Umax "clone" Macs, before building my first PC and never looking back.
With all my typing and editing work over the years, I've become a huge proponent of thumb trackballs, which minimize wrist action (and my wrist pain). I have a secret cache of the long-discontinued Microsoft Trackball Optical Mouse (my personal favorite), held in an undisclosed location.
Overwhelmed with paper records? A fast sheetfed scanner can digitize them, so you can send them to the shredder. We've tested the best models and created a guide to help you find the right document scanner for your needs.
6 days, 19 hours
PC Labs tests more than 100 laptops every year. Buckle up: Based on our in-depth benchmarking, these are the speediest laptops on the market today.
1 week, 3 days
Ready to experience best-in-class typing? A mechanical keyboard delivers the feel and feedback that ordinary keyboards lack. Here's how to buy the right one, plus our top tested picks.
1 week, 6 days
Need portable storage that can survive a wilderness trek...or just the worst commute ever? Here's what to look for, plus reviews of the best tough flash and platter drives we've tested.
1 week, 6 days
Dump that poky portable hard drive! External solid-state drives are faster than ever. Check out our top-rated SSDs, plus detailed advice on how to buy the right one for you.
3 weeks, 6 days
Whether you're scanning specialized items, keeping your luggage light, or yearning to be free of cables and cords, you'll find the perfect portable scanner in this guide. (We've tested all the major models.)
4 weeks, 1 day
If you want space savings, power, and flexibility—all from a single desktop computer—you need an all-in-one (AIO) PC. We've got the advice, backed by our lab-based reviews, to help you find the right AIO.
1 month
Looking to turbocharge an aging laptop? A solid-state drive is the fast way to success. SATA, M.2 SSDs, PCI Express, NVMe: Here's everything you need to know about laptop SSD upgrades, plus the best drives to buy.
1 month, 2 weeks
A force in business laptops, Lenovo also makes mainstream models, 2-in-1s, and gaming machines in a wide range of prices and styles. See the top-rated models we've tested from the maker of the IdeaPad, ThinkPad, ThinkBook, Legion, and Yoga lines.
1 month, 3 weeks
Hunting down an opponent? Typing up a TPS report? The right keyboard is the star of your desk set. Here's how to find the best one for you, plus the top picks from our (very) hands-on reviews.
1 month, 3 weeks
Outfitting a compact PC for 4K and VR, or a tiny budget tower for 1080p gaming? These are our favorite Nvidia GeForce, AMD Radeon, and Intel Arc graphics cards that come in smaller sizes for your next PC build or upgrade.
1 month, 3 weeks
Cooling fans are eating up valuable motherboard space just as AI laptops need it most. Could Ventiva's fanless ionic airflow rewrite the rules of notebook design?
1 month, 3 weeks
Today's fastest internal SSDs come in the super-small "gumstick" M.2 format. Here's how to buy the right M.2 SSD, along with deep-dive reviews of today's top models.
2 months, 1 week
Whether you're upgrading your desktop PC or building a new one, choosing the right processor is the most crucial and complex choice you will make. Let's simplify it! Here's how to make sense of AMD's and Intel's lines, backed by dozens of our deep-dive reviews.
2 months, 1 week
Some are bare-bones kits. Others are ready to go out of the box, complete with an operating system, RAM, and memory installed. Whatever the form, these expert-tested Windows micro desktops all deliver surprising features, value, and pep for their size.
2 months, 2 weeks
Network-attached storage is the most versatile way to store data, but that's just one of the many benefits of a NAS device. We've tested the top models: See which will work best for your home or small business.
2 months, 2 weeks
Follow back with us to every big reveal, trend, and hands-on from the world's biggest PC show, held in Taipei the first week of June.
2 months, 3 weeks
Case makers showed up with giant displays, panoramic glass, adjustable airflow systems, and enough engineering excess to make PC enthusiasts smile.
2 months, 3 weeks
Computex always delivers PC-enthusiast eye candy, but this year's standouts pushed the envelope with transparent components, wood-trimmed graphics cards, unconventional cooling, and a few delightfully niche upgrades. Plus, holograms!
2 months, 3 weeks
At Computex 2026, I sat down with Microsoft product designers to ask them how they put Nvidia's latest hot chip into a Surface laptop.
2 months, 3 weeks