Articles by Madeline Ricchiuto, Staff Writer

A former lab gremlin for Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Tom's Hardware, and Tech Radar; Madeline has escaped the labs to join Laptop Mag as a Staff Writer. With over a decade of experience writing about tech and gaming, she may actually know a thing or two. Sometimes. When she isn't writing about the latest laptops and AI software, Madeline likes to throw herself into the ocean as a PADI scuba diving instructor and underwater photography enthusiast.

Articles by: Madeline Ricchiuto

Intel Core Ultra 200V performance benchmarks

Intel Core Ultra 200V's extraordinary performance claims acquire extraordinary benchmark evidence

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 3 September 24

Intel has made plenty of claims about the performance of the new Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" chipsets, but how do they actually handle when put to the test?

Intel Lunar Lake gaming demo, showing F1 on AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm laptops

Intel's Lunar Lake raced AMD Strix Point and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite in an F1 24 gaming demo — here's what happened

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 3 September 24

The days of needing a discrete GPU to play games at medium or high settings may very well be behind us thanks to AMD Ryzen AI 300 "Strix Point" and Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" chipsets.

Intel VP of Client Computing Josh Newman at the Intel Core Ultra global launch event

Intel's Lunar Lake is here to change how we think about AI PCs because "an NPU isn't enough for the AI Market"

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 3 September 24

Intel has launched the Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" series of processors today, September 3, 2024, in Berlin, Germany just ahead of the IFA Berlin trade show.

After a week with this Lenovo IdeaPad Pro, this is the laptop I would buy instead

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 1 September 24

Sometimes paying just a bit extra is more than worth it

Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i 16 (Gen 9): a few stumbling blocks for an otherwise solid laptop

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 31 August 24

The Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5i is a consumer laptop for the person who needs powerful performance, a quality OLED display, and discrete graphics without sacrificing battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x with the lid open sitting on a white desk

More Copilot+ PCs could be coming soon, and at a new low price of just $800

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 30 August 24

Battery life for days without spending a whole paycheck? Sign us up

M4 MacBooks may fix my biggest Mac complaint, but at what cost?

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 26 August 24

Apple's M4 Macs are just around the corner, and the fall launch is expected to come with multiple chip models and possibly a new base configuration for the MacBook Pro.

The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x running Horizon: Zero Dawn

This one McAfee feature makes the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x the only Copilot+ PC I’d buy

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 25 August 24

McAfee's deepfake detection software is more essential than ever

The HP Envy x360 2-in-1 on a white desk beside a white mouse with the game Death's Door on screen

I love a great 2-in-1 laptop. Here are 3 that share a crucial but underrated feature.

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 24 August 24

Performance and battery life are key factors when reviewing laptops, but another area shouldn't be dismissed.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4 review: Are dependable performance and a budget-friendly price enough?

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 23 August 24

We rarely see business laptops hit the 2-in-1 convertible form factor, which makes the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 such an interesting concept.

The three best back-to-school laptops under $1,000

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 22 August 24

If you're looking for the best laptop to take to class and need to stay on a budget, these are the three laptops we recommend.

Has JBL finally solved your biggest in-flight pet peeve?

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 21 August 24

JBL just delivered a major upgrade with its Tour Pro 3 earbuds with over 15 feature additions, one of which solves my top travel pet peeve. Does this bother you?

Intel Lunar Lake Core Ultra 200 chip on a yellow gradient background

Intel Core Ultra 200 ‘Lunar Lake’ chips are expected in September: What this means for AI PCs

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 21 August 24

Intel's anticipated second-generation AI processors may be here sooner than expected.

MacBook Air 13 M3 open facing camera on a slatted wooden table

The 8 longest-lasting back-to-school laptops — no more outlet hunting

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 21 August 24

Battery life is one of the biggest factors to consider when you are back-to-school laptop shopping, so here are the 7 longest-lasting laptops based on our testing.

If I were going back to school, I would buy one of these 3 affordable AI PCs

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 20 August 24

It's been a hot minute since I last needed to go back to school shopping, but if I were looking to grab a new laptop for school, AI PCs would be at the top of my list.

Maingear ML-16 review: Smooth graphics and a reasonable price forgive its biggest failing

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 18 August 24

The Maingear ML-16 is a solid gaming laptop with smooth Nvidia RTX 4070, clear audio, a vibrant 100% sRGB display, and plenty of ports. If only it had better battery life.

Epic Games Store brings 'Fortnite' back to the iPhone, but not for everyone

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 16 August 24

The Epic Games Store has launched on iOS in the EU and on the Google Play Store worldwide, letting gamers play Fortnite on mobile for the first time in years.

Alienware AW2725QF Dual-Resolution Gaming Monitor

Alienware debuts a gaming monitor that solves one very frustrating problem for gamers

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 15 August 24

Alienware revealed the new 27-inch monitor today at Gamescom, an annual video game exposition in Cologne, Germany.

Google's Pixel Watch 3 looks better than ever: 5 features that may convince you to upgrade

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 13 August 24

If you've ever wanted a large smartwatch that will not only track your runs but also let you change channels on your TV, the Google Pixel Watch 3 is the answer.

Targus ErgoFlip EcoSmart Mouse review: A near-perfect all-use mouse with an eco-friendly ergonomic design

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 11 August 24

Editor's Choice

It's hard to argue with high-level performance and sustainability

The AMD Ryzen and NVIDIA RTX stickers on the Acer Nitro 17

'You basically have to throw your computer away': Researchers explain AMD 'Sinkclose' vulnerability, but do you need to worry?

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 9 August 24

Researchers are warning that a major flaw in AMD processor firmware could give attackers access to deep control over a computer, leading to "unfixable" infections.

How to overclock a GPU: Can you maximize your laptop's performance safely?

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 8 August 24

When you think of overclocking, you probably think of a custom-built PC, but you can in fact overclock a laptop. As long as you're careful.

Google Pixel 9 Pro renders based on leaked information

Forget the Pixel 9 Pro, this leak may get me to buy a discounted Pixel 8 Pro instead

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 7 August 24

The latest leaks for the Pixel 9 Pro show off a few new Google Gemini features and a camera update, which leaves us underwhelmed with the upcoming Google flagship phone.

This hidden Windows 11 taskbar trick lets you end tasks with two clicks — here's how

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 30 July 24

A recent Windows 11 update gives users a quicker, easier way to end tasks through the right-click taskbar menu.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail graphics comparison

I tested Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail on two gaming laptops and a PS5 — I was surprised by the results

By Madeline Ricchiuto published 21 July 24

Not even the RTX 4080? Seriously?

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Madeline Ricchiuto

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