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Reviews, tutorials and articles about hardware components, laptops, smartphones, computers, and gadgets of all kinds. Learn how to manage your hardware and its settings.

Reviewing ASUS Chromebox 3: Chrome OS is fast in a mini PC with lots of options

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
ASUS Chromebox 3 is a small form factor PC that runs on Chrome OS and offers almost everything the regular computer user might want. The ASUS Chromebox 3 comes in many hardware configurations, for each budget size. Furthermore, it also supports 4K, WiFi using the fast 802.11ac wireless standard, and USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C. To make things even better, you can install apps from the Google Play Store on

Tenda nova MW6 review: What you get from the cheapest mesh WiFi system?

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
If you are looking for cheap mesh WiFi systems, you may have encountered the Tenda nova MW6. On paper, this system looks promising: it has an affordable price, it is not bad looking, it has many of the features other mesh WiFi systems offer, and it can be remotely controlled from anywhere on the internet. Is it a good deal? To find out, read our detailed review for Tenda nova

How long are millions of keystrokes and clicks, in years?

  • misc
  • Radu Tyrsina
When you look at the technical specifications for modern gaming keyboards and mice, you notice that manufacturers provide lifespan estimations like "this keyboard will last 80 million keypresses" or "this mouse will last 30 million clicks." What do these metrics mean? Can you use them to estimate how many years these products last? I wanted to answer these questions, and I have performed some experiments, using software that tracks my

Linksys Velop AC1300 review: Linksys' most balanced mesh WiFi system!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Velop is the Linksys brand for whole home mesh WiFi systems. There are several Velop models on the market, with different prices, colors and numbers of stations. This time we received the more affordable WHW01 variant for testing. This model is smaller in size and in price, and it has different hardware. Here is what you get from the more affordable Linksys Velop WHW01: [DC-SUMMARY-BREAK] NOTE: In this review, we

Reviewing Kingston A400: SSD storage on a budget!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Do you need to speed up your computer or laptop, without paying much money? A great way to do that is to purchase and install an SSD drive. On Amazon, the Kingston A400 SSD is one of the most popular budget choices you can find and, if you look at the reviews, users love it. Is its popularity well deserved? How fast is this SSD drive? Read this review and
article SSD vs. HDD: Do SSD drives give you higher frame rates in games?

SSD vs. HDD: Do SSD drives give you higher frame rates in games?

Gamers worldwide purchase SSD drives for their gaming computers, instead of traditional hard disk drives (HDD). SSD drives are proven to be much faster for writing and reading data, but do they also help you get more frames per second when gaming? To answer this question, we experimented using a desktop computer with a popular video card and switched between using an SSD drive

Razer Kraken Pro V2 review: A headset for gamers who want to keep things simple!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
We received the Razer Kraken Pro V2 gaming headset to test. It is designed, manufactured and sold by Razer, a popular company for gamers. This wired headset promises excellent sound and reliable build quality, at a decent price. Is that true? After using it to play games, watch movies, and listen to music, we would like to tell you our opinion about the Razer Kraken Pro V2. If you want

Set how the screen behaves and when the PC goes to sleep (on battery vs. plugged in)

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
One of the great things about Windows is that it allows you to customize almost everything you want. This includes modifying the default power plans found in Windows so that they better suit your needs. That means that you can configure things like when your Windows laptop or tablet dims or turns off its screen (after a period of inactivity), when it goes to sleep after you step away from

What are power plans and how to switch between them in Windows

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Using a mobile device is handy, especially when you travel a lot, but these devices are limited by the amount of energy their batteries can provide. For this reason, paying attention to the power plan that you are using and its settings can make a huge difference in how much battery time you have available. Fortunately, Windows 10, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 provide us with the necessary tools to

Review ASUS VivoMini VC65-C1: small form factor PC with many expansion options

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
We had the opportunity to test one of the latest Mini PCs created by ASUS. It is called ASUS VivoMini VC65-C1, and it was launched earlier this year. In a small form factor, it promises high performance offered by 8th generation Intel processors, DDR4 RAM, multiple storage options including the possibility to add a Blu-Ray or a DVD writer unit, support for Optane memory, 4K Ultra HD video output and

9 ways to access the power plans in Windows

  • tutorial
  • Radu Tyrsina
Windows operating systems have a useful feature called power plans. They are collections of settings that change the way your hardware and software uses system resources. Thus, power plans can make your PC work faster but use more energy, or they can make your PC work slower but save significant amounts of energy. If you are using a Windows device with a battery, power plans are even more important than

Sony MDR-XB950N1 review: Noise-cancelling headphones for bass lovers

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Sony has released a new set of headphones designed for all the bass lovers in the world. They are called Sony MDR-XB950N1, they are wireless (through Bluetooth and NFC), have extra bass, noise canceling, and a pleasant design. We tested them for a while, and now we want to share our impressions with you. Whether they are a great choice for you, or not, you can find out in this

ASUS ROG Swift PG27VQ review: Immersive gameplay and fast response

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
We received for testing a curved gaming monitor called ASUS ROG Swift PG27VQ. With a 1ms response time, it is advertised as being the world's most responsive curved monitor. Not only that but it also features an overclockable refresh rate of up to 165Hz and Nvidia G-Sync support. For the right price, it promises an immersive experience and smooth gameplay, with no tearing or stuttering. As this was the first

Huawei P20 review: excellent camera and a more affordable price!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Huawei has received lots of positive press for its Huawei P20 Pro launch, and many have stated that it is the best smartphone for photography. Alongside the Huawei P20 Pro, the company has launched a cheaper version, named the Huawei P20, with almost identical looks, and hardware, and two rear cameras instead of three. People who cannot afford the more expensive model, but want a great photography experience, will be

TP-Link Archer C5 v4 review: A popular wireless router, refreshed!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
TP-Link Archer C5 is an old and classic wireless router, that is popular in the market of affordable routers. Its success in sales has convinced the company to create a new revision of this model, so they just launched TP-Link Archer C5 v4. We received this new version for testing, and we took it through all our usual tests and benchmarks. If you want to know whether TP-Link Archer C5
tutorial 7 things you can do with the Disk Management tool, in Windows

7 things you can do with the Disk Management tool, in Windows

Modern versions of Windows come with a handy disk management utility that allows you to create, resize and delete drive partitions on the fly, without having to boot into a particular disk utility or purchase additional software. The Windows built-in tool we are talking about is called Disk Management, and it is quite easy to use. If you want to make some changes related

Bitdefender Box 2 review: Next generation home network security!

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Smart homes include more devices than they used to include five years ago. Many homes have Smart TVs, smart plugs, smart bulbs, all kinds of smart sensors, and so on. All these devices are useful, but they tend to have little to no security built into them. Many of them rarely receive firmware updates that fix problems and security issues. As a result, your home may be smarter than it

Review Huawei P20 Pro: One of the best smartphones of 2018

  • review
  • Radu Tyrsina
Huawei P20 Pro is the best smartphone made by Huawei, and it competes for the title of the "best smartphone of the year" alongside big names like Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and the iPhone X. It runs on the latest mobile hardware available, it looks great, and it comes with a three-camera system, powered by Leica optics. Does it sound interesting? We believe it does, and after testing it for
tutorial 2 ways to create a partition, in Windows (all versions)

2 ways to create a partition, in Windows (all versions)

When you get your hands on a new hard disk or solid state drive, the first thing you have to do is partition it. That means that you must create one or more partitions so that you can then store data. Although you could use third-party tools for this task, the Windows operating system includes tools that can handle partitioning disks just as well.
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