AMD has fixed this annoying power management feature in Windows

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I've complained in the past about how display power savings, or content-aware brightness is a stupid feature in Windows designed to save power. It changes the brightness levels depending on what you're looking at to save power, but it often produces ugly results with distorted colors and hard-to-read text in certain situations. I even wrote a guide on how to disable this, which I've linked here.Recently, though, I received a review unit for an AMD-powered gaming PC, and I'm happy to report that AMD has seemingly beaten Intel to the punch when it comes to simplifying this. See, this used to be just a feature included in graphics drivers from AMD and Intel, but it was later added to Windows 11 natively. However, the options in the driver software remained, meaning you had to disable the feature in two palces to get the best experience.As it turns out, AMD has now removed the Varibright toggle from its driver software, directing you to use the Windows 11 Settings app to turn content-aware brightness on or off. Instead, the AMD software now only includes a slider to adjust the intensity of the effect when the feature is turned on. This is the ideal approach for something like this, and I'm glad to see someone improve the user experience in this regard. Hopefully Intel follows suit soon.

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As someone who writes for a living, you might think I'm someone who's learned the most efficient method for typing quickly, but I have to admit, I can't manage typing with every finger on my hands. I remember having some typing lessons back in college where we learned how to type more quickly by using all fingers, and I did try back then, but today, I simply can't do it without feeling like I have way less coordination. Maybe it would be worth adapting to it, but the time it would take to learn would significantly hurt my productivity. I mostly type with just four fingers, those being the index and middle fingers on both hands. I occasionally use other fingers for accents or to press the Shift key, but that's about it. Does that sound crazy to you, or do you also type with just a few of your fingers?

Unlike Windows and macOS, the Linux landscape is teeming with countless distributions that bring their own set of unique features to the table. But with so many options, you're bound to have a distro or two as your favorites. Personally, I find it quite difficult to hone in on one distro. Instead, I have several options that I cycle through depending on my needs. For example, I love NixOS' unique (and downright eccentric) nature in my coding-oriented projects, while Pop_OS! is my go-to choice when I want to use an Nvidia GPU inside Linux. However, I'm also quite fond of Debian's stable nature, and even prefer it over Ubuntu. Then there's Q4OS, which can rejuvenate any old PC when combined with the ultra-light Trinity desktop environment. But that's just me being indecisive after years of distro-hopping. What about you?

I may call myself a hardcore desktop user, but there's no denying that a laptop was responsible for my downward spiral into the world of tech. As a kid, I loved tinkering with the Dell Inspiron 8500, which was more of a family laptop than something I had full sovereignty over. After going through similar non-gaming laptops for almost a decade, I finally made the switch to a desktop, as I wanted the extra oomph that my laptops were unable to provide. And I haven't looked back ever since. What about you? What was the laptop that kickstarted your journey into the computing landscape?

After over a year of using a static image on my QD-OLED Alienware gaming monitor, the worst possible thing happened. Yep, burn-in, with the swirly flame-like design from the iconic Windows 11 wallpaper showing up in other apps. I caught it early, so it only shows up on some colors, mostly grays, and it's fading after using the Windows spotlight wallpaper, which changes every few hours, but it's still frustrating. Then again, it took a year, it's still in warranty, and I've had monitors fail more spectacularly. It still won't dissuade me from how good QD-OLED or OLED is for gaming use, although I'll be picking up a newer generation panel next time.

Microsoft released Windows 11 version 24H2 starting yesterday, October 1st, and it's making its way to PCs across the world gradually. Of course, you can install it manually by going to the Windows 11 download page and using the Installation Assistant to force your computer to upgrade.The question is: did you do that? What features, if any, prompted you to upgrade right away? Of course, I upgraded my main PC immediately because I always want to be on the latest thing, but realistically, there isn't a lot about this update that would get me to install it. It's a relatively light one in terms of new features, though things like sudo support are pretty cool to see. But I suspect many people will probably wait until a broader rollout or even until the update is forced. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

It's now been just over a month since Microsoft made the initial release of Windows 11 version 24H2 available to the public. It's rolling out gradually to compatible PCs, and the company has put a compatibility hold on some devices, so I'm sure a lot of people don't have it yet.For myself, I installed the update early on all the PCs I've used, and I've been liking it so far. I haven't noticed a ton of differences in terms of overall performance, but I also haven't noticed any major issues, so I'm pretty happy with it so far. One of my PCs seems to have lost the ability to manage device encryption, though, which is odd.What about you? Have you upgraded? What's your experience like so far?

Microsoft has been trying increasingly hard to push Windows users to try its other services, and OneDrive is a big example. After introducing the ability to backup entire folders from your PC, the company started enabling this feature by default on Windows 11 computers, which I personally hated. One of the first things I did when I learned of this was write a guide on how to disable it. Basically, OneDrive backs up your Desktop, Pictures, and Documents folders to the cloud by default, so they're accessible everywhere, but in my opinion, it causes more trouble than anything. You end up with a bunch of duplicate icons on your desktop, most of which don't work. But I also disable it for other folders to save space in OneDrive. What about you? Do you leave these backups on or do you also find them to be a nuisance?

The promise of generative AI and fully featured chatbots replacing human interactions is still a ways off, but I've found that one of the most boring AI features is actually my favorite. No, I don't mean AI-powered grammar checkers, although those are a close second, but the email summaries that Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini add to my inbox. I remember when email was exciting, and every digital missive that landed in my inbox was a joy to open. Now, it's mostly advertising or not-quite-spam, but I'm always fearful of missing something important when I skim through the day's headers. Now, I don't have to worry, as I can see a few-line summary of the email's contents, so I always know if it's something I should read. Now, all I need is an AI chatbot to remind me to respond.

Motherboards are still being released without a Q-code display for error codes. LED status lights are not a suitable replacement for a simple display. The latter can relay far more information with codes for lookup. A RAM LED staying on could mean memory timing being performed or an issue with one of the modules. Which is correct is anyone's guess. All new motherboards should have a Q-code display for this purpose, especially if priced at $200 or above.

Intel announced its Core Ultra Series 2 platform last week, codenamed Lunar Lake, promising to beat Qualcomm in both performance and battery life. Both João Carrasqueira and I have the hardware, and we're ready to test it.He's got the Asus Zenbook S 14, while I've got a pair of Dell XPS 13 units, one with an FHD screen for maximum battery life and the other with the tandem OLED panel because it's just awesome.So, what do you want to know? We're not allowed to publish reviews until September 24, so if there's anything you want to see tested, tell us here!

A few years ago, when I first joined XDA, I wrote a guide on ten things you should do with a new Windows PC. Among those tips, I suggested deleting whatever partitions were created by your laptop manufacturer and using a single partition. A few people called me out saying that there is a use for multiple partitions, specifically separating the OS files from your data, so in case the OS gets corrupted, you can reinstall Windows without losing everything. I stand by my opinion, though. I think multiple partitions just make things unnecessarily complicated, and in most cases, you can reinstall Windows these days while keeping your personal files. Do you prefer using multiple partitions on your PC? Aside from dual-booting, do you think there's any reason to do it?

Despite being a huge hardware nerd since childhood, I had to wait until 2014 before I could finally purchase a discrete GPU. After a lot of internal debates, I ended up choosing the GTX 760. Of course, I'd used my fair share of PCs before I got my hands on the GTX 760, but most of them were laptops that lacked a dedicated GPU, and I had to wait for years before I could finally build my own GTX 760-powered desktop.It's not something I'm proud of, because I feel like I missed out on the golden age of multi-GPU setups that began in the early 2000s and ended with the GTX 600 series in 2012. Eventually, I moved on to better GPUs after realizing the limits of my budget-friendly GTX 760, and my trusty RTX 3080 Ti is currently the most powerful graphics card in my arsenal. But what about you? Which graphics card did you start your PC-building journey with?

With modern games requiring more memory than ever, it's possible to experience lower frame rates if your system lacks enough RAM. Unless you're Apple, 8GB is no longer good enough for a PC in 2024. While I do believe that 16GB will remain the standard for a while, I find 32GB to hit the sweet spot for all my computing needs. That's also the amount of RAM I have on my primary gaming machine, and I don't see myself upgrading to 64GB memory anytime soon. But that's just me. How much RAM does your primary computing machine possess?

As someone who frequently writes how-tos and guide posts, taking screenshots (and editing them) is one of my everyday tasks. Over the years, I gave the Print Screen method a lot of chances, but I found it to be rather finicky and unreliable, as Windows would often fail to take screenshots even after using the Windows and Fn combos. So, the Snipping Tool was my primary application for taking screenshots until a certain Windows Update in 2022 broke the functionality for me.In desperation, I tested a handful of apps before eventually settling down on Greenshot. And let me tell you, it was the best decision I ever made! Sure, there may be better apps with more features out there. But Greenshot has the holy trifecta of a simple UI, responsive performance, and open-source nature, which makes it my preferred companion when working on long tutorial posts. But enough about me. What's your favorite app or method of capturing screenshots?

I'm no fan of artificial intelligence, at least in the form companies are pushing in today's marketing. You've got Copilot on Windows, AI on Apple devices, and Gemini on Google. Every tech company and its founder's grandparents are pushing AI yet there still doesn't seem to be any breakthrough reason for the general public to get excited. It seems I'm not alone as even Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, stated as much in a recent podcast. It's heavily inflated by marketing and simply not there yet. Hit me up when they push AI into games to smarten up NPCs.

Productivity-oriented users often invest in portable displays to increase their laptop's screen estate. However, these screens are just as fantastic for your home lab. Since home labs serve as testing grounds for your computing experiments, it's easy to break things when you try to bring your insane projects to life. That's where these easy-to-move displays come in handy, as you can connect them to any device in your home lab setup and troubleshoot errors without wasting extra time repositioning the workstation to pair it with your PC's monitor (s).

Over the last couple of months, I've created, tested, and disassembled multiple systems in my home lab. But if there's one thing I'm bad at, it's naming the NAS enclosures, PCs, SBCs, and server systems that comprise my computing setup. Initially, I wanted to call my Proxmox server Nautiloid, as it runs all my essential self-hosted services. My NAS, on the other hand, would be called Leviathan, because of all the TBs of data on it, and I planned to grant my SBCs the names Wyrmling, Nothic, and Mephit. Unfortunately, my D&D-riddled mind couldn't decide on the perfect name for the other devices, and I ended up ditching custom names altogether. But enough about my naming escapades. What naming convention do you follow in your home lab?

Are you a fan of Valve's Steam, CD Projekt's GOG, or the Epic Games Store? Each offering has different features and focus with a slightly different experience, but if you had to pick one as your favorite, which would you choose and why? Mine would be Steam for the Linux support through Proton and extensive game library, though I do hold a soft spot for GOG.

2024 may be the year of generative AI, but I've never found much use for this "life-changing technology" outside the occasional Photoshop task. But a few weeks ago, I came across Art-from-the machine's Mantella mod, which harnesses the power of LLMs, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text tools to make Skyrim NPCs as interactive as possible. Despite sounding rather gimmicky, I was surprised at how well the mod worked. Sure, there were a couple of minor issues with the setup process, but being able to talk to NPCs and have them respond to you without breaking character is quite a technical feat. While I'm still not onboard with the AI hype, I can't wait to see developers and modders integrate generative artificial intelligence models into their creations, especially in titles belonging to the life-sim and horror genres.

Microsoft has just released a new build of Windows 11 to Insiders in the Canary channel that adds support for additional CPU extensions when running emulated 64-bit x86 apps. This is a pretty big step forward that should make Windows Arm PCs all the more compelling, particularly for users who need apps that leverage these extensions.But that got me thinking — what apps are those for you? Microsoft mentioned Adobe Premiere Pro as one of the first apps to take advantage of it, but is there a particular app that's been making you hold back from upgrading to an Arm PC because it just didn't work? Or, if it does work, is there an app that just doesn't run well under emulation and that you sorely need?As you likely already know, I'm rooting for the Windows on Arm ecosystem, so I'd love to know what would help make the platform better for others. For me, Beeper is a big one that I noticed ran quite slowly when I reviewed my first Windows on Arm PC.