Archive for the ‘Hardware & Peripherals’ Category

A laptop offers a lot of convenience and portability, but its screen size can be a real drawback. If you want to, though, you can enjoy the travel portability as well as a lot more screen space when you get home. Most of the the newer laptops manufactured in the past few years are able to connect to several types of external displays, such as flat panel display, a CRT… Continue reading

Knowing the difference between the two: a cell phone data cable and an USB cable is important, and can be so easily misunderstood.

The two are easily confuse because most modern cell phones now have a USB port (with an USB symbol on them), as well as similar features. A lot of people are under the impression that if it fits into the outlet, it’s okay to… Continue reading

There are multiple reasons you’d need to install a case fan in your computer, but we can all agree that they are there for the sole purpose of making your PC all that much cooler. In my case, I’m installing a fan to keep my graphics card from overheating, as my previous card had overheated and burned out. This was probably due to lack of good airflow in the case… Continue reading

I received an e-mail earlier this week from a reader who was concerned about his computer’s fan speed. During the course of normal operation, the fan would randomly go into a sort of “turbo mode”; spinning really fast for awhile and then going back to normal after a few minutes.

So why does this happen?

It’s simply, really. Your computer… Continue reading

Most modern PCs have USB ports in the front and back. For best results, use the back ports for hardware such as printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, card readers, or digital camera docks—things you never or rarely unplug.

Save the front USB ports for things you plug in/unplug often like digital cameras, mp3 players, “thumb drives”, etc. This is not only a better way… Continue reading

The Power Supply Unit, or PSU, is the most important part of any PC, powering each section of your computer, it is essential to make sure it is running smoothly.

There might be multiple reasons for you to change your PSU, but the most common would be that you want to upgrade, as some higher range graphics cards need more wattage than your… Continue reading

Back in the day buying a processor was as simple as looking at the megahertz or gigahertz and purchasing based on the bigger number. I know there’s more to it than that like onboard cache and what-not, but in comparison to what we’ve got to work with today, life seemed simpler back then.

So, for example, what’s the difference between Core 2 and… Continue reading

Recently, Worldstart ran a tip on laptops concerning the dangers of keeping them plugged in for too long. Corrections are in order, I feel, and although some of the information found in the article holds true, I’d like to take the time to explain a key point with more detail.

On the topic of batteries exploding or being ruined form being plugged in… Continue reading

Are you looking for an affordable, modern way of getting on the Internet and checking your e-mail? You don’t need a gigantic desktop computer or even an expensive laptop, people! All you need to do is take a closer look at netbooks.

A netbook is a wireless enabled, mini laptop primarily used for web browsing and e-mailing. There’s a lot of options out… Continue reading

This is another one of those instances where I could’ve sworn we already had a tip on this somewhere, but again I was left in surprise. A reader e-mailed me recently and asked me how to set their mouse to single click in Windows Vista and Windows 7. I went looking through our vast archives and found no such thing, so I thought today would be a good day to… Continue reading

There’s a new iPod Shuffle out! It’s $79 from the Apple Store and can hold 1000 songs in short. Let’s take a closer look at the new features of this tiny new device!

New controls

Remember how on the old iPod Shuffle the controls were actually on the player itself? Now they’re in the headphones!

Just click the volume up and down buttons for volume control, the… Continue reading

If you have a digital camera, cellphone or other device that uses memory cards then you’ve probably used or heard of a memory card reader before. A memory card reader is a device in which you insert an applicable card to transfer pictures, music and what-have-you over to your computer and vice versa. Some of the newer computers come with memory card readers built-in, but the most common form factor… Continue reading

Conserve your LCD Monitor’s Lifespan

Like all electronics, LCD monitors have a lifespan. Usually, this can be up to ten years or so, but even after only a couple of years our monitors can begin to dim; giving us a dark, eye-straining image that can make it difficult to get anything accomplished! You can tweak the brightness, fiddle with the contrast, but the damage has already been done… Continue reading

USB Speeds

If you’ve gotten a new computer in the last few years, it more than likely came with USB ports. If you’re not sure, USB ports are the little slots on either the front or back of your computer that you can use to plug in certain devices, such as a flash drive or digital camera. USB ports come in two different speeds: 2.0 and 1.0, with… Continue reading

Monitors: LCD vs. CRT

There’s a fierce battle raging in the world of computer monitors these days! It’s basically old technology pitched against a constantly evolving new technology and there’s no telling who will eventually triumph over the other. It will more than likely be LCD, but for now, let’s take a look at the following factors before favoring one over the other. Here we go!

Size Does Matter

There’s… Continue reading

USB Disk Ejector

I saw this posted on WorldStart’s message board by user “Bazcaz” and I thought it was a neat little application that you all might enjoy as well. It’s called the USB Disk Ejector and it’s just a simple little program that makes working with your USB devices a little bit easier. So, if you use flash drives or other USB devices regularly and you’ve been… Continue reading

Buying an Inkjet Printer: Dos and Don’ts

Are you in the market to buy a new inkjet printer? If so, I urge you to take the following suggestions with you when you go shopping. They are dos and don’ts that are sure to save you from disappointment! They’re also very simple and easy to implement. Continue reading for the full scoop!

Quality Speaks for Itself

Often times, we ask for… Continue reading

Q:
Now that you’ve told us what to look out for in a faulty power supply and how to go about replacing it, can you please tell us how to install a new one? That’s the only thing you haven’t covered yet. Thanks for all your help with this!

A:
Of course I will! As promised from yesterday’s newsletter, I will tell you exactly how to install your… Continue reading

The Power Supply

So, tell me, has your computer ever made a noise that sounds like one of your fans is dying? I’m sure you would know if it has, because it can be pretty loud and it usually just sounds awful! Well, either way, I’m willing to bet that your fan really isn’t the culprit here. Nope, it could be your power supply instead. If you have… Continue reading

Q:
I have a quick question about the fans in my computer. I’m not sure if they’re working properly. Can you give me some information on how they should be acting? Thank you for your help!

A:
That is an excellent question and I’m so glad you asked! I’m sure you’re not the only one who has ever wondered about this either. So, in a sense, I’ll be… Continue reading