Don’t spend money on your PC
In these challenging times for the PC economy, you shouldn’t be forced to pay ridiculous prices for PC components. APC explains how to squeeze more power, speed and storage from your existing hardware. Our guide shows how you can make your current PC more capable, and put off expensive upgrades.
Plus, in this issue APC explains how to de-Google your life by switching to more private and secure alternatives. They won’t collect your personal data, target you with ads or force unwanted AI on you – and they’re free to use.
And, we round up a group of the best gaming and creator laptops and put them to the test. The combination of ferocious CPUs and powerful graphics chips means they can tackle creative tasks just as well, whether that’s 3D rendering or video editing.
FEATURES
Upgrade your PC for free
APC explains how to squeeze more power, speed and storage from your existing hardware.
Give up Google
Google is ruining its tools with unwarranted data collection and unwanted AI. APC explains how to de-Google your life by switching to private alternatives. Here, we recommend the best replacements for Google tools, so you can try de-Googling your life. They won’t collect your personal data, target you with ads or force unwanted AI on you – and they’re free to use.
Why you must use passkeys
Passwords are officially doomed, so you need to change the way you sign into online accounts. APC explains why you should switch to passkeys and how to do it.
Be your own IT department
If something goes wrong with your IT equipment in a big company, it’s generally someone else’s problem. In a small business or your own home, you don’t have that luxury. It’s your responsibility to source kit, log it, keep it updated and secure, and repair it when things go belly up. You are your own IT department. Our feature will show you the lessons that can be learned from how big firms behave, and how they can be applied at small business or home level.
Run your own AI Chatbot on a Raspberry Pi
Stop sharing your data with cloud AI services. APC shows you how to set up a completely private LLM on your home network.
LABS TEST – CREATIVE AND GAMING LAPTOPS
Gaming laptops are no longer a niche affair, in part because they’re no longer merely gaming laptops. The combination of ferocious CPUs and powerful graphics chips means they can tackle creative tasks just as well, whether that’s 3D rendering or video editing.
Alienware 16 Area-51
Alienware 16X Aurora
Gigabyte Aero X16 1WH
Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10
Razer Blade 16 (2026)
REVIEWS
Asus ProArt GoPro Edition Copilot+ PC
Aorus Master 16
ROG GR70 MiniPC
Asus ProArt GeForce RTX 5090 OC Edition
Seagate 32TB NAS HDD
Logitech G512 X keyboard
Honor Magic 8 Pro
TCL Nxtpaper 70 Pro
ReMarkable Paper Pure
Viture Beast AR
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Got a question for the APC editorial team? You can get in touch with us by sending an email to apcmag@futurenet.com.