The best PC hardware and software of 2025/2026

When historians look back at the PC industry in 2025, they’ll probably remember a time of intense turmoil. Between wildly unpredictable tariffs, geopolitical strife, the AI boom, hardware shortages caused by the AI boom (and tariffs), and hundreds of thousands of industry layoffs, it’s been an eventful – and stressful – year for the PC.

Nonetheless, great things happened. We’ve seen the launch of entire new graphics card generations from Nvidia and AMD. The laptops of today are the laptops of tomorrow we’ve always dreamed of. Handheld gaming is exploding in popularity, leaving Microsoft scrambling to make Windows a viable alternative to Valve’s SteamOS on those devices. Security is evolving daily to protect a new breed of AI-powered attacks.

Today is a day to celebrate the best of times. This is the Best PC Hardware and Software of 2025, as chosen by PCWorld’s editors.

Best laptop: Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (Aura Edition) is the most impressive Windows laptop we tested this year, and I’ll tell you exactly why. It combines a stunning 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED display with HDR and a 120Hz refresh rate, beastly specs (including an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU, 32GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, and Intel Arc 140V graphics), and a battery that can last up to 23 hours. It’s speedy enough to handle work tasks and binge-watching your favorite show on Netflix and, at under three pounds, it won’t break your back. 

The 2-in-1 design is nice too, especially if you move around a lot. You can flip it into tablet mode or set it up like a little tent. This versatility is cool when you’re working with limited space like in an airplane seat, for example. The keyboard and trackpad also feel great, and the Yoga Pen sticks right to the top so it’s always handy when you’re ready to create your next masterpiece… or just doodle for fun! -Ashley Biancuzzo

Best graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

Nvidia bet the fate of the GeForce RTX 50-series on DLSS 4’s incredible multi-frame gen feature. As magical as the feature can be, it left most of the RTX 50 lineup feeling flat at best, or as uninspiring sidegrades at best.

Not the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Unlike most of the 50-series lineup, the 5070 Ti includes a sizeable performance uplift, while costing less – versus the 4070 Ti, you get 25 percent faster performance for $50 less. Better yet, the 5070 Ti’s prowess makes it the perfect vehicle for DLSS 4’s multi-frame gen – the card delivers killer 1440p and solid 4K performance as-is, but flipping on MFG takes visual smoothness and frame pacing to utterly sublime levels. You’re going to want to pair this beast with a 240Hz monitor if you can manage it.

In a weak and price-engorged generation for graphics cards, only the RTX 5070 Ti and AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 series stand out as particularly appealing. The amazing power of DLSS 4 earns Nvidia this well-deserved nod. If you’re dismissing MFG as “fake frames,” you’re missing out. –Brad Chacos

Best laptop for battery life: HP OmniBook 5 14

The battery life on the HP OmniBook 5 14 is utter insanity. We’re talking over 25 hours in our testing–you can thank the super-efficient Snapdragon X Plus processor for that one. The 14-inch 1920×1200 OLED touchscreen also looks great because of its wide color gamut and high contrast ratio. While it’ll breeze through most day-to-day tasks, it isn’t a gaming rig or a 3D workstation, so you may want to mind how you use it. That said, the main draw here is the ridiculous battery life and an OLED display that truly pops… all for under $900! This is one stunner of a laptop. -Ashley Biancuzzo

Best monitor: Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED 

This year, the monitor that stood out as the best overall – i.e., the monitor most likely to satisfy the versatile needs of the majority of users – was the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED. Our high regard began with its big, sharp, colorful 4K QD-OLED panel. It grew with the 120Hz refresh rate and support for Adaptive Sync, making it a suitable option for work as well as entertainment, even gaming.  

With two video inputs (HDMI 2.1 and USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support), 90 watts of Power Delivery for connecting to either Windows or Mac laptops, and two USB-C downstream ports supporting 15 watts of USB Power Delivery and 5Gbps of data, it’s up for productivity. The monitor goes on to sweeten the pot with five speakers – wait, what? — for 25 total watts and support for spatial audio. Finally, it seals the deal with a price that undercuts the competition — $850 MSRP, but currently hovering around $700 on Amazon. – Katherine Stevenson  

Best password manager: Dashlane

Staying sane while dealing with online security is much easier with a password manager. A good password manager, that is—one that quickly creates and fills in strong passwords, stores passkeys, immediately alerts you to compromised or weak passwords, and lets you securely share credentials with others.

Dashlane gets the highest possible marks from us not just for its dependability, but its regular updates, too. In particular, the service now supports full passwordless login, which lets you sign in to your Dashlane account without a password. It’s also one of the first to implement secure import/export of passkeys and passwords (aka CXP). This puts it on the leading edge of credential security—other password managers are still working on their rollout.

Combined with standard features like passkey support and dark web monitoring, plus surprising extras like VPN access and real-time phishing protection, Dashlane provides a lot of broad protection for your logins. Other password managers may be cheaper, but not as complete. -Alaina Yee

Best SSD: WD Black SN7100

You might expect our pick for best SSD to use the latest-gen PCIe 5.0 interface, which can be 100 percent faster than the previous generation. But while the prospect of such blazing-fast transfer speeds is certainly tantalizing, for most everyday computing activities, including gaming, PCIe 4.0 performs comparably to PCIe 5.0 — and for a lot less money!   

This is why our pick for best SSD is the WD Black SN7100 SSD, a PCIe 4.0 drive whose overall benchmark performance bested those of its peers, even if only by small margins. The upshot is that this drive is fast, and it features a reassuring five-year warranty. Better still, at $74 for 1TB, it’s half the cost of the best PCIe 5.0 drive. Need we say more? – Katherine Stevenson 

Best desktop CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

It’s been a slow year for CPUs. Perhaps in reaction to 2024’s performance issues and regressions, both Intel and AMD have been quiet on the desktop front. Instead, focus has been on laptop CPUs. The lone bright spot for desktop enthusiasts? AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X3D.

We saw it coming. Last year, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivered stupendous performance in both gaming and content creation. A flagship version would be even beastlier—and the 9950X3D proved that assumption right. Against the Intel Core 9 285K, the 9950X3D showed gaming performance lifts ranging from 25 to 48 percent (!) and a content creation performance boost of about 10 percent on average. And that’s at stock settings. Turn on PBO and you get another bump in performance.

The only disappointing thing about the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is that it takes the title with no real competition. But that doesn’t make it a bad chip. On its own merits—and no matter what kind of PC user you are—it’s a win. -Alaina Yee

Best Thunderbolt docking station: Plugable TBT-UDT3 

I expected 2025 to be a breakout year for Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, and I wasn’t disappointed. Many docks I received, however, were priced at the high end of the spectrum. Plugable’s TBT-UDT3 was a notable exception, a moderately-priced laptop docking station I could recommend to those who needed a current-generation Thunderbolt 4 dock or who were looking to invest in next-gen Thunderbolt 5 hardware.

Why did I weigh price so heavily? Two reasons: first, the omnipresent tariff concerns, and second, because Intel has reserved (again!) Thunderbolt 5 as a discrete add-on component, making it the domain of high-end, premium laptops, and not the mainstream. Eventually, that will change. But Plugable gives you tomorrow’s hardware at today’s prices.

Plugable’s docking station offers the choice of three displays (or two plus an external SSD), Thunderbolt Share, and a general overall stability that unfortunately isn’t that commonplace. I think it’s the best overall docking station I tested, even though others had standout features that I ranked highly. –Mark Hachman

Best antivirus: Norton 360 Deluxe

Data breaches keep piling up. So too attacks via phishing links and malware. AI may be helping people with dinner recipes and email writing, but it has also sped up the discovery of vulnerabilities—and exploits of them. Even with good online browsing habits, the most careful person can still fall prey to common tricks. You need a safety net.

That’s why we love Norton 360 Deluxe. You could stitch together your own equivalent suite yourself, but this antivirus app pulls together and simplifies a very broad range of features for users. In addition to blocking malware and shady websites, Norton 360 Deluxe also offers dark web monitoring, a VPN, parental controls, a password manager, and 50GB of cloud storage for automated backups of critical documents. The subscription even includes general PC utilities like file cleanup, too. This highly comprehensive level of defense is rare—especially given how little Norton charges. You’ll be hard-pressed to find rivals that cost as little or provide as many features. -Alaina Yee

Best gaming handheld: Valve Steam Deck

If you want a solid, affordable handheld gaming PC…just get Valve’s Steam Deck. It’s nearly four years old now, but with a starting price of $400 and a “sweet spot” OLED upgrade at $550, it’s still the best option out there for most gamers (especially if you pair the Steam Deck with a GeForce Now subscription, an utterly transformative duo). SteamOS, smoother and better integrated than Windows 11, is a big part of that. If you want a little more gaming power or a bigger screen, the Legion Go S comes with a SteamOS option that doesn’t require any tweaking…but maybe wait for a sale. –Michael Crider

Best high-end gaming handheld: Lenovo Legion Go 2

For those who want a lot more oomph and options, and don’t mind paying for it, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is our pick. This beast of a handheld includes the larger screen and Switch-style breakaway controllers of the original design, plus an OLED upgrade and screaming Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. It runs Windows 11, but Bazzite is a Steam-powered option (and probably official SteamOS, later). Just be prepared to pay for it: this thing starts at $1350 USD. –Michael Crider

Best gaming laptop: Alienware 16X Aurora

Not only did the Alienware 16X Aurora impress us with its raw performance, but its high refresh rate display also makes everything look positively delicious. This laptop is equipped to keep up with the latest titles thanks to its Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU and RTX 5070 GPU. You can jump straight into the latest triple-A games without problem, with all the eye candy cranked, and they’ll play amazing. The 16-inch 2560×1600 IPS screen is crisp and big, and the 240Hz refresh rate makes every frame feel as smooth as silk. -Ashley Biancuzzo

Best personal data removal service: Incogni

You might be surprised how much of your personal data is being collected and sold online. Data brokers and people search sites are hoovering up your data at an alarming rate and it’s nearly impossible to keep a lid on it yourself. So the best solution is to let a personal data removal service handle the arduous task of removing this data for you. And none are doing it better than Incogni.

The service is dead simple to use, and the set-it-and-forget-it automation begins to work in a flash. After only the first day of using it, Incogni had already sent out hundreds of removal requests on my behalf, saving me months’ worth of effort. Plus, the service regularly follows up with every site to ensure my data doesn’t ever reappear. The addition of Custom removals means there is practically no site that Incogni won’t attempt to wipe your data from either. It can be a bit expensive, but if you’re concerned about your personal data being shared online, the piece of mind Incogni offers is unparalleled. –Sam Singleton 

Best gaming monitor: MSI MPG 272URX

For a gaming monitor to even warrant consideration, it needs to be fast and it needs to have a damn good picture. Those are just table stakes, which the MSI MPG 272URX delivers handily. Not content with the standard 1440p resolution, the 272URX goes full 4K for maximum clarity, and its 240Hz refresh rate renders even fast-paced games with buttery smoothness. Adaptive sync support is a given.  

But lest you think the 272URX’s talents begin and end with gaming, consider this: generous connectivity, including four video inputs, Power Delivery, and a KVM switch; a full complement of image-quality adjustments via a user-friendly on-screen menu; and HDR support. In sum, it’s an all-around winner. – Katherine Stevenson 

Best Chromebook: Asus Chromebook Plus CX34

When it comes to Chromebooks, the Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 is damned near flawless. It’s got an Intel i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, so it’s zippy when running everyday tasks, and the 14-inch 1080p touchscreen display looks sharp whether you’re cranking on daily workflows or zoning out to YouTube. It’ll also last around 13 hours on a single charge. You’ll get through a full workday, no problem – and with how great the keyboard feels, you won’t have any complaints while doing so. -Ashley Biancuzzo

Best webcam: eMeet Piko+ 4K

I am so glad I picked eMeet’s Piko+ 4K for our best webcam of 2025: the only flaw that I could find with this cute little 4K webcam is that it lacked a traditional webcam mount. Imagine my surprise when I double-checked my review and our shopping listings, only to discover that eMeet now ships a “traditional” version of this webcam, too!

I absolutely loved the clarity that this dual-lens 4K webcam offered, especially in low light. This webcam’s visual capabilities were simply excellent (the mic is merely average, but that’s okay) and the $90 price splits the difference between our $40 budget webcams and the $150-$250 you’d pay for an ultrapremium offering. I wasn’t expecting much from this webcam, but I was blown away by what it offers. –Mark Hachman

Best VPN: NordVPN

It’s never easy to select the best VPN overall. There are so many factors to consider such as privacy, ease of use, server network size, unblocking capabilities, and speed. The reasons people have for using a VPN varies widely and that all needs to be taken into account. Will the VPN be used to get around country blocks for streaming, staying anonymous online, torrenting, or something else—the list goes on and on. Many VPNs excel at a few of these functions, but rarely manage to shine across the board.

That is, except NordVPN. It’s one of the only services that consistently ranks at the top, or close to it, of each category. That’s why it’s my pick for this year’s best VPN. Not only does it continue to be the fastest VPN I’ve ever tested, but it has a huge server network, a vast array of security extras, and its no-logs policy is backed by plenty of independent audits. It also never fails to unblock streaming services and fully supports P2P. No other current service exemplifies all of the elements of a great VPN like NordVPN, full stop. –Sam Singleton

Best cheap VPN: Surfshark

Each time I review Surfshark I’m amazed at the new and interesting features it adds to the service while maintaining such an inexpensive subscription price. At this point, I find myself asking, what doesn’t Surfshark have? Not only do you get the VPN with an outstanding server network and lightning-fast speeds, but you also have access to a whole slew of top-notch privacy and security extras such as multi-hop, antivirus protection, rotating IP, ad- and tracker-blocking, and more.

The best part is that all of these great features and tools can be had for less than the price of a cup of coffee every month with Surfshark’s long-term plans. Even shady off-brand VPNs that market themselves as “cheap” barely offer subscriptions for this price—and none of them have the feature set or verified privacy record of Surfshark. It’s by far the best value VPN for those on a budget—and one of the best VPNs overall. –Sam Singleton 

Best portable SSD: Teamgroup X2 Max 

For truly portable storage that can be carried with ease and used without the need for any additional cables or adapters, look no further than the Teamgroup X2 Max USB stick. This USB 3.2 Gen2 drive uses NVMe internals to deliver sustained transfers of approximately 1.1GBps.  

Sure, you can find portable drives that are even faster than that – USB 3.2×2 or USB4, for example. But they won’t feature this lil’ one’s unique flexibility in the form of dual connectors. With both USB-A and USB-C connectors, one on each end, you are assured of being able to plug into any device as-is. Now that’s convenience! – Katherine Stevenson

Best Windows Backup software: EaseUS Todo Backup 2025

This year, things got interesting in the backup software space. Our long-time favorite backup program was knocked from its perch by EaseUS Todo Backup 2025, which made impressive strides to achieve what our reviewer dubbed “the most efficient workflow I’ve seen.” He also described the interface as “a joy.” Wow. These are the kind of superlatives that make the tedious chore of backing up data much more welcoming.   

Of course, EaseUS Todo Backup 2025 provides all the necessary functionality you need for complete confidence: whole drive and partition imaging, file and folder backup, sync, disaster recovery including a WinPE recover disk, and more. We also love that EaseUS bucks the trend by offering a perpetual licence ($59.99, or $79.99 for lifetime upgrades) in addition to a yearly subscription ($39.99). Although, to take advantage of EaseUS’s optional cloud storage at a respectable $20 per year for 1TB, you will need to opt for the subscription tier. – Katherine Stevenson  

Best online backup service: iDrive 

It makes a lot of sense to use an online backup service. In the context of the trusty 3-2-1 rule for backups, an online backup suffices as one of the two distinct types of media that’s suggested, as well as checks the box that a backup be kept in a remote location.  

What’s really great about iDrive, our pick for best online backup service, is that it offers even more than that, such as a client for local backups and basic imaging and disaster recovery, which is pretty rare among online services.    

The Personal tier, which starts at $69.65 per year, has support for multiple devices and includes 5TB of online storage. With its comprehensive feature set and user-friendliness, iDrive is tough to beat. – Katherine Stevenson

Best USB-C Hub: OWC USB-C Travel Dock

Most USB-C hubs are dongles: you get a long rectangular slab of plastic or aluminum about the length of a utility knife, with a number of ports attached. OWC’s Travel Dock looks a bit more like a docking station without the size of a docking station. It’s only 3.2 inches on a side, and ports sprout from all three sides of this 5-in-1 hub: USB-A, Ethernet, USB-C power input, HDMI, and an SD card reader. Even the cord tucks away.

For about $35 ($30 as I write this) you get the most important four ports you’ll need, all in a compact little square that still fits inside a pouch, purse, or pack. Or…perhaps a stocking? –Mark Hachman