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Hardware and Sound

Hardware reviews, gadgets, gaming accessories, sound equipment, and more. How to work with hardware, update drivers, firmware, and so on.

What is firmware? What does firmware do?

What is firmware? What does firmware do?

Firmware… you've probably heard about it at some point. It sounds like a weird German name, doesn't it? But what is firmware? What is the meaning of this term, and how would you define firmware? What does firmware do? How does firmware work? Surely, its purpose is not just to confuse you. As you will learn in this tutorial, the firmware is critical for hardware
What model is my Windows 10 PC, laptop, or tablet? 8 ways to find out

What model is my Windows 10 PC, laptop, or tablet? 8 ways to find out

Knowing the make and model of your laptop, computer, or tablet can be useful in a variety of situations. You might need it when searching for the right drivers for your device, when you want to upgrade some of its hardware components, when you contact technical support, or even when you decide to sell it. Do you know what model your Windows 10 PC, laptop,
How to connect Bluetooth devices on Android: All you need to know

How to connect Bluetooth devices on Android: All you need to know

Nowadays, you can connect more Bluetooth devices than ever to your Android. The Android Bluetooth option is present on every smartphone or tablet and lets you pair any Bluetooth device to your Android. And there are many different types of Bluetooth devices: headphones, portable speakers, keyboards, smartwatches, fitness trackers, medical devices, and more. This tutorial shows you how to connect Bluetooth headphones to an Android
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G review: 2020’s best Samsung smartphone?

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G review: 2020’s best Samsung smartphone?

Samsung did a great job with its S20 lineup of Android smartphones, all of them featuring top-notch hardware, beautiful design, excellent cameras, and good software. However, most of the S20 devices have premium prices, including the Galaxy S20, S20+, and Note20. To get the price down but keep what users want, Samsung created the Galaxy S20 FE (Fan Edition) 5G. For a more affordable sum
TP-Link Archer AX10 (AX1500) review - Affordable Wi-Fi 6 for everyone!

TP-Link Archer AX10 (AX1500) review - Affordable Wi-Fi 6 for everyone!

TP-Link Archer AX10 or TP-Link Archer AX1500 has a different name depending on the country and the shop you buy it from. However, it is the same router, with the same hardware and specifications in all countries. We wanted to test it because it is one of the most affordable routers with Wi-Fi 6, and many people are interested in it. Even Amazon recommends it
Intel NUC10i5FNH review: Solid performance in a small form factor!

Intel NUC10i5FNH review: Solid performance in a small form factor!

Small form-factor PCs or mini-PCs are attractive to a lot of people. If you don’t do gaming, video editing, or computer-aided design, you may prefer a smaller but still powerful PC on your desk instead of a bulky traditional desktop computer. Intel's NUC line-up has enjoyed excellent success in recent years, and the NUC family has many options at different price-points. Intel NUC10i5FNH is the
How to use Check Disk (chkdsk) to test and fix hard drive errors in Windows 10

How to use Check Disk (chkdsk) to test and fix hard drive errors in Windows 10

The Error Checking or chkdsk tool verifies the partitions and disk drives in your Windows 10 computer for problems such as disk errors or bad sectors. You can also use this tool to repair errors and have your drives working normally again. In Windows 10, chkdsk is available through a graphic interface called Error Checking. However, the command-line tool has kept its original name as
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X overclocked at 4.8 GHz: Is it worth it?

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X overclocked at 4.8 GHz: Is it worth it?

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is probably the best mid-range processor of the year. It has a fair price and comes with six cores and twelve execution threads, running at a base clock of 3.7 GHz, while its maximum boost clock reaches 4.6 GHz. It’s an excellent desktop CPU that offers top-notch performance both in gaming and productivity apps. Although it’s a great processor on its
How to test your RAM with the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool

How to test your RAM with the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool

RAM can cause some of the most frustrating computer problems. Symptoms can be diverse and somewhat random: you may encounter high system instability, data corruption, or unexplained behaviors that leave you puzzled. When you have problems like these, it is a good idea to test the RAM on your Windows computer. One way to do it is to use the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic app.
12 ways to start the Windows Memory Diagnostic troubleshooting app

12 ways to start the Windows Memory Diagnostic troubleshooting app

Windows Memory Diagnostic is a troubleshooting tool that is less known by Windows users. That's because it can come in handy only when you have problems with your computer's RAM or experience random reboots and system instability. One possible cause for such problems may be faulty RAM. A way to test if this is the real culprit for your problems is to run Windows Memory
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X review: The world's best gaming processor?

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X review: The world's best gaming processor?

The Zen 3 family of processors is available on the market, bringing significant improvements to the already impressive Zen 2 architecture. One of the best new processors is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, which comes second only after the Ryzen 9 5950X. This CPU features a massive amount of 12 cores and 24 threads and is dubbed by AMD as the world's best gaming processor.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ review: The best Android tablet of 2020?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ review: The best Android tablet of 2020?

Samsung is one of the few big consumer-tech companies that are still making good Android tablets, and the best they have on shelves right now is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+. It's a tablet that aims to compete with the best, including Apple's famous iPads. Among others, the Galaxy Tab S7+ features one very fast chipset, a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, and support for S
3 ways to turn on Bluetooth on Android (including Samsung devices)

3 ways to turn on Bluetooth on Android (including Samsung devices)

To connect your smartphone to another device without the use of cables, you must first learn how to turn on Bluetooth on Android. While active, the Android Bluetooth chip available on phones and tablets lets you connect to all kinds of gadgets and accessories, like headsets, speakers, keyboards, other mobile devices, and even PCs. This tutorial illustrates three ways to enable and turn off Bluetooth
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X review: The best mid-range desktop processor for gaming?

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X review: The best mid-range desktop processor for gaming?

AMD launched a new lineup of desktop processors built on the new Zen 3 architecture. One of the highlights of this series is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, a CPU that promises top-notch performance in any workload, but especially in gaming, all at a reasonable price. The new processor wants to deliver more performance/watt than ever, lower power consumption, and a feature set impossible to
MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS review: Powerful gaming laptop with a Sci-Fi design

MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS review: Powerful gaming laptop with a Sci-Fi design

MSI just launched a new premium gaming laptop called the MSI GE66 Raider 10SGS. It's a high-end device that's available in a multitude of configurations. We got a sample that featured an Intel Core i9-10980HK processor, 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, and the best mobile graphics card these days: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER with Max-Q Design (and 8GB of GDDR6). Are you curious to
Panasonic RZ-S500W review: Wireless earphones with excellent noise canceling

Panasonic RZ-S500W review: Wireless earphones with excellent noise canceling

Many manufacturers are releasing true wireless earphones, and such audio devices are slowly conquering the world. However, they tend to have high costs for what they have to offer. Panasonic decided to compete with big names such as Apple and Sony by offering true wireless earphones with similar specs at lower prices. The Panasonic RZ-S500W is one such device with excellent specs and a noise-canceling