The central processing unit (CPU) is the brains of your PC. “Central” is right there in the name, after all. But every ruler needs a throne—and, when it comes to the CPU, the throne matters a lot. In fact, if your CPU gets …
DDR5, the next generation of RAM, should appear on store shelves somewhere around late summer or fall of 2021. DDR5 is the successor to DDR4 RAM. DDR5 promises better speeds, better power management and efficiency, and more …
New PC builds happen along a common trajectory: You decide on your GPU and CPU in whichever order is important to you. Next, you usually decide on the motherboard based on your budget (and chosen CPU), the case, and then ever…
Forget about software. In 2021, it’s cryptocurrencies that are eating the world. Thanks to miners looking to strike it rich in cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Dogecoin, prices are sky-high in the consumer market for graph…
Keeping your PC cool is critical, whether it’s a high-powered gaming machine or just an office PC. There are a lot of PC types in between these two extremes, and many require robust cooling under heavy load. So should you sti…
It’s finally done. You’ve got all the components you want in your PC, and you’re set for the next few years. Now what? It’s a good time to think about refining your setup with a few accessories that, while not strictly necess…
No one wants a tangle of cords inside their PC case. Proper cable management may seem superfluous, and after spending hours building a PC, it feels like the last thing you want to do. In the long run, however, proper cable ma…
When building a PC, the case is usually an afterthought. People pick a CPU, GPU, a good motherboard, RAM, a PSU, maybe a liquid cooler—and, with whatever budget is left, pick up a case. But your PC’s case deserves more thou…
Many CPUs come with a free cooler. This is fantastic since it means you have one less component to buy when building a new PC. But many PC builders believe these coolers aren’t worth using. You can definitely buy better CPU c…
AMD offers a free overclocking program called Ryzen Master that lets you experiment with overclocking your AMD Ryzen CPU. Ryzen Master makes overclocking a lot easier than it used to be.
Both Wi-Fi extenders and mesh networks promise to improve and extend your Wi-Fi signal, but they achieve this through different means. Plus, if you don’t purchase the appropriate system, you may find that the investment wasn’…
The motherboard is where it all starts for the PC. It’s the component underlying everything. There are so many different analogies you could draw, but here’s our favorite: It’s like the computer’s nervous system. Its primary…
There’s a good chance you run into a lot of ads for VPN (virtual private network) services while visiting websites or listening to podcasts. They are everywhere these days thanks, in part, to a renewed focus on privacy and se…
High-quality sound on PCs from drop-in sound cards and external DACs is a weird subject. It’s not as necessary as it once was. In fact, nobody even thinks about it much anymore. There’s no song or game that you won’t be able …
There are a ton of considerations when buying a new PC or creating the perfect desktop setup. But one that should never be overlooked is the keyboard—especially since a cheap or poorly designed keyboard that’s difficult to …
The power supply (PSU) is a critical part of any PC. It powers all the components in your PC, and a bad or faulty one can bring everything down. Here’s what to look for in a power supply while putting together a PC….
Laptops offer the power of a PC wherever you go, from the other side of the country to the other side of the couch. But sometimes you want a desktop for a bigger display, a larger keyboard, and a beefy mouse. Here’s how to t…
You might not realize it, but every time you purchase a new desktop CPU, you also get a ticket for a giveaway called the “silicon lottery.” Two CPUs of the same model can perform differently when pushed to their limits thanks…
Anybody looking for serious graphics power needs to have a graphics card from AMD, NVIDIA, or (someday soon) Intel. Not everyone wants that kind of power, however, especially when it comes at a price tag of $150 to more than …
Computer graphics are an essential part of any modern computer system, even lightweight laptops. “GPU” stands for graphics processing unit, and it’s the part of the PC responsible for the on-screen images you see….
For years, getting a dedicated sound card for your PC was a given because it was the only way to get quality sound. Modern PCs, however, have good audio hardware built into their motherboards. But dedicated sound cards still …
Apple is rethinking how components should exist and operate inside a laptop. With M1 chips in new Macs, Apple has a new “Unified Memory Architecture” (UMA) that dramatically speeds up memory performance. Here’s how memory wor…
People often draw parallels between computers and the human brain, and sometimes, it’s an apt comparison. For example, both the brain and a computer have short- and long-term memory. RAM is where a computer stores its short…
The most important part of your computer, if you had to choose just one, would be the central processing unit (CPU). It’s the primary hub (or “brain”), and it processes the instructions that come from programs, the operating …
Here we go again! AMD Zen CPUs already have a reputation as the best performers in multi-threaded and productivity application performance. Now, the chip manufacturer has its eye on Intel’s longtime dominance in PC gaming….
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