Technology and Computing
RAM modules are one of the most important parts of your PC. Good RAM can give you plenty of benefits, including sizable performance gains and the power to multitask. Here’s how to properly choose RAM, and how to avoid overspending. Buy at Least Two Sticks First off, perhaps the most important thing you should have in mind is that you should never buy single sticks of RAM. If you want to put 16GB of RAM on your PC, you should…
There are plenty of options out there for keyboards and mice. Depending on what you might need, you might look for gaming-style options or just premium ones. But what if you need something cheap? You probably don’t need to look any further than the Logitech MK370 combo. The MK370 combo serves as a successor to the user-favorite MK270 combo and includes a keyboard and a mouse. These are your standard, run-of-the-mill peripherals, so don’t expect anything too groundbreaking or revolutionary.…
You may know NZXT for its cases and PC hardware, or for its pre-built PCs, but that’s not all the products under its belt. NZXT has now entered the audio market with a new headset and speaker system. NZXT has plenty of microphones, but today, the company is releasing a range of new audio products with the Relay lineup, including the Relay Headset and the Relay Speakers & Subwoofer, as well as the SwitchMix stand. The company tried to enter…
If you’ve been looking for a Linux-powered laptop, System76’s many options are probably quite tempting for you. And if you haven’t settled on one just yet, you might want to look for the new Bonobo WS and the Oryx Pro, depending exactly on what you want. System76 has announced an update to the Oryx Pro, one of the company’s laptops that ship with desktop Linux. It has a 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it excellent for reading…
While a massive gaming monitor may initially seem appealing, potential drawbacks can outweigh the benefits. Issues like lower pixel density, strained reactions, ergonomic stress, and additional hidden costs contribute to diminishing returns as screen size increases. For optimum gameplay, comfort, and budget balance, smaller monitors often prove more beneficial.Common wisdom would say that a bigger screen is better than a smaller one. People would prefer a 100-inch TV over a 50-inch one most of the time, right? However, that desire…
The right-to-repair movement has pushed companies to offer (sometimes only marginally) better access to replacement parts for PCs, tablets, smartphones, and other devices. Now you can buy parts for Microsoft Surface products for your own repairs. Microsoft announced in a blog post, “While we have always offered world-class warranty and repair services via Microsoft support, we have been working to increase repair options by designing products that are easier to repair and by expanding our network of Authorized Service Providers.…
Intel has been slowly undergoing a big rebrand over the last couple of generations. First, it discontinued the classic Pentium and Celeron brands. Now, the company is dropping the “i” branding from its mainstream processors and introducing a new line of Core chips. Intel is replacing its classic Core i branding, which has been in place since 2008 — a whopping 15 years, making it one of Intel’s longest-living brands. Instead, Intel is just going with “Core” with no i.…
Teraflops provide a simplistic view of GPU performance, but fail to account for differences in architecture, efficiency, and software optimizations. Real-world performance testing and understanding of architecture specifics provide a more accurate comparison of GPUs.Teraflops, often hailed as the ultimate GPU comparison metric, have limitations. This oversimplification doesn’t capture GPU complexity, masking their true performance. Instead, real-world performance testing, nuanced understanding of architecture, and context-specific uses are what matter. What is a Teraflop? A teraflop is a unit of computing…
Troubleshoot your device and then contact Steam Support. Wait for an answer from Steam Support. Back up and factory reset your Steam Deck. Ship it to a Steam Deck repair center with the prepaid shipping label. Wait for an email from Valve notifying you that your Deck has been repaired or that you'll receive a replacement. The Steam Deck is an incredible gaming machine, and machines break. If and when your Steam Deck malfunctions, you will most likely have to…
Although building PCs has become easier over the years, one thing hasn’t changed — static electricity. It was a problem for PC builders decades ago, and it’s a problem now. Here’s how to properly ground yourself while working on your PC so a few zaps don’t turn a fun project into a pile of frustration. Step 1. Prepare Your Work Environment The second step, right after grounding your environment, is, of course, to keep yourself grounded. Just because you secured…
Laptops with mechanical keyboards are rare, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Many brands now sell notebooks that swap the membrane for individual switches, which brings a host of benefits with it. Some Gaming Laptops Have Mechanical Keyboards Mechanical keyboards are far more common than they once were. You don’t need to spend hundreds or build your own mechanical keyboard anymore; there are plenty of budget-friendly options that can provide an appreciably better typing and gaming experience. Laptop manufacturers…
There have been rumors for a while about a larger MacBook Air. Today, Apple made it official at WWDC: the 15-inch MacBook Air is here. Apple revealed a new 15-inch version of the MacBook Air today, which will be sold alongside the existing 13-inch model that was revealed last year and the older M1 Air. Apple is officially dropping the price of the 13-inch Air to $1,099, and the M1 Air will remain at its current cost of $999. The…