This is an instance which has caused many a PC builder some serious frustration – only because they didn’t know the root cause of the problem. Situation: You upgrade a component of your PC, be it the processor, graphics card or what-have-you. After the upgrade, you start getting random BSODs and you have absolutely no idea why. You think it might be...

Lowballing when it comes to desktop PCs and laptops simply means purposely going with what’s known as "basic" or "entry level" (whatever that means) computers. It’s safe to say that these days there’s really no such thing as a slow computer anymore. Why? Windows 7. That OS will run quite well even on a single-core 1.6GHz CPU...

On my desktop PC I have absolutely no wireless peripherals connected mainly because I consider swapping/charging batteries for a desktop computer rather ridiculous. Until now. This peripheral will make an appearance in this week’s newsletter but it definitely deserves its own article because yeah, it’s that good. I give you the Logitech Wireless...

When it comes to certain audio hardware, NewEgg, a favorite among tech shoppers, doesn’t always fit the bill in this respect. In the video above I do a quick comparison to see which is the better site for finding a relatively simple piece of audio equipment – an audio...

In the tail end of this article I briefly touched upon that if you want to use a big external hard drive, USB 3.0 or eSATA would be the best choice because both run circles around USB 2.0 and both technologies are affordable to anyone who wants them. With either technology, both have their pros and cons, so I’ll cover a few of them. Drivers eSATA has more...

Media in the context of this article refers to file storage. I’ve covered this before but I have a few new things to add, plus it’s just a good refresher to know this stuff. Facts about hard drives and optical media Western Digital used to offer lifetime warranties on consumer PC hard drives There was a point where any WD HDD you bought had a...

I decided to do what I call a "mild" upgrade to my tower PC. I call it mild because I’m keeping my existing CPU for the time being, but the rest involves a new motherboard, 8GB of RAM, new 500GB hard drive and a few other items. What I essentially did is upgrade about 60% of my computer box. CPU and video card remained the same because...

Changing it up a bit, I would like to pose a question to our readers to see what you think. When building/purchasing a computer, there are 3 essential hardware components which determine overall how fast the computer runs:Processor Memory Hard Drive (platter based, not SSD since they are not yet standard)To address the “what about XXX” up front:...

Everyone at some point or another has bought computer hardware only to find out it wasn’t powerful enough, or that money could have been saved because too much was purchased. Sometimes it’s tough to find that happy medium where you get what you want without spending too much. This is a quick true-or-false list on some of the more common computer...

We have all heard of open source software which produces many popular programs, but have you ever heard of open source hardware? Basically the premise is exactly the same as open source software – the specs for building the hardware are freely available for you to do anything with. To view some of the open source hardware projects of this past year, take a...

If you are looking to have a simple home server, or already have one, which shares your files across the network, a device you should take a look at is the SheevaPlug. Plug it into a wall socket and bam—a fully-functional Linux server that can store digital media accessible remotely via the internet or function as a remote print or web server. Plus, it...

Full disclosure, I would probably be considered by many to be a border line tree hugger. Among other things, I hate throwing items away which can be reused or recycled by either myself or someone else, especially hazardous things such as computers. That said, I always try to “max out” what I have before considering getting something new. Recently I...

If you ever have the need to compare a couple of old CPU’s to see which one is “faster”, a good resource is PassMark’s CPU Benchmarks chart. This chart lists almost any older CPU you can think of and is compiled based on actual scores submitted by users. While certainly not definitive, this gives you a quick comparison of the relative...

The old saying goes “if it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it”. This is a good approach to existing, functional device drivers on your system. However, if you are installing a new device going with the most recent stable driver is probably the best bet. Whenever you purchase a retail device, it almost always comes with a driver CD. Instead...

This is a call for all of you out there to post a comment telling us what you’re running right now for a computer. It doesn’t matter if it’s old or new, pre-built or custom, fast or slow, laptop or desktop, etc. Post your specs. If you have multiple computers in the home, go ahead and name them all. What I’m looking for here is a simple...

While not as popular as the PC vs. Mac or Windows vs. Linux debates are today, the argument for either leaving your computer on all the time or turning it off at night has certainly had it’s fair share of discussion. So to revisit this subject, I thought I would pass along a few articles which address this very subject:Q/A on HowStuffWorks – This...

What is a keylogger? It’s something that records keystrokes and is normally used without the consent of the user. You’ve probably heard that keyloggers are a bad thing. It is when used for illegal purposes, such as having a keylogger app installed without your knowledge via spyware. But it’s not a bad thing when you are the one who installed...

When it comes time to get a new computer, whether you are building your own or purchasing a pre-built, to really get the most bang for your buck you should only pay for the hardware you need. For example, if you are getting a machine for just internet and email, you don’t need a fancy graphics card because you ‘might’ play games on it…...

Periodically I get asked the question, “So, what are you running?”, in relation to my computer box, its OS, the apps I use, the hardware I use and so on. Before I list off my stuff, Dave uses a Mac Pro quad-core with I believe 9GB of RAM. His monitors are dual Dell 24-inchers and an older third one that I can’t remember the make/model of at the...

Cleaning your computer hardware is something you should periodically do. The reason is simple as over time dust accumulates on the components and acts as both a barrier to airflow and an insulator which can bottle up heat on your components. If you have never physically cleaned your computer, the process is quite simple and doesn’t take long to do....