Welcome to the Computer Hardware section of our blog, the go-to resource for enthusiasts, professionals, and everyone in between who wants to get the most out of their computing experience. Whether you’re looking to upgrade a specific component or planning to build a PC from scratch, this category delves into the essential hardware elements that define the performance and functionality of your computer.
CPUs (Central Processing Units)
Relevant Brands: Intel, AMD
The CPU is the brain of your computer, where most calculations take place. From Intel’s Core series to AMD’s Ryzen line-up, we examine the specifications, performance benchmarks, and power efficiency to help you choose the right processor for your needs.
GPUs (Graphics Processing Units)
Relevant Brands: NVIDIA, AMD
Whether you’re gaming, rendering video, or running complex simulations, a powerful GPU is essential. NVIDIA’s GeForce series and AMD’s Radeon cards are the primary contenders, each with their unique features and capabilities.
Power Supplies
Relevant Brands: Corsair, EVGA, Seasonic
A robust and efficient power supply is the backbone of any stable system. We discuss the importance of wattage, efficiency ratings, and brand reliability, focusing on leading manufacturers like Corsair, EVGA, and Seasonic.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Relevant Brands: Kingston, Corsair, G.Skill
RAM is where your computer stores data for quick read and write access. We look into speed, capacity, and compatibility, highlighting top brands such as Kingston, Corsair, and G.Skill that offer a range of options to suit various needs.
PC Cases
Relevant Brands: NZXT, Cooler Master, Fractal Design
The PC case is not just an aesthetic choice; it impacts cooling, upgradeability, and system layout. Brands like NZXT and Cooler Master offer various designs and form factors, from minimalist to RGB-heavy, that cater to different tastes and requirements.
Motherboards
Relevant Brands: ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte
The motherboard is the central hub connecting all your components. We delve into form factors, chipsets, and expandability, focusing on reputable brands like ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte.
Storage: NVMe, SSD, Hard Drives
Relevant Brands: Samsung, Western Digital, Seagate, Crucial
Your storage solution influences not only how much data you can keep but also how fast you can access it. We cover the speed advantages of NVMe drives, the reliability of SSDs, and the capacity benefits of traditional hard drives, examining offerings from brands like Samsung, Western Digital, and Seagate.
As we venture deeper into this digital age, understanding the hardware that powers your computing experience has never been more critical. This category aims to provide you with the essential information, objective comparisons, and expert insights needed to make well-informed decisions on your computer hardware. So go ahead, explore, and build the machine of your dreams!
I have recently been featuring more multi-gig networking products on the site. Most of these are aimed at home enthusiast/SOHO users and are as affordable as possible. The StarTech Intel X550-T2 may not quite tick those boxes being priced between £190-280 depending on stock. While this may be pricey for your average home users and…
Honor is going all-in with AMD and their latest updated laptops at IFA 2020. Honor MagicBook 14 & 15 – Same as the current models but with upgraded Honor MagicBook 14 & 15 They have updated the two existing MagicBook 14 & 15 models from the AMD Ryzen 3500U to the AMD Ryzen 5 4500U….
Qualcomm Snapdragon / Arm powered Windows laptops have been around for a few years now, but struggled to gain much traction. The first few iterations were bogged down with performance and compatibility problems. I reviewed the HP Envy X2 a couple of years ago, and while it was good, there were a lot of problems….
Graphics cards surprisingly hold their value well, which make the ever-increasing cost of a new GPU a little more bearable. Even my old GTX 1070 which I bought for £370 in 2016 looks like it will sell for £150-ish, so £220 for 4 years of gaming is a bargain if you ask me. With the…
Yesterday NVIDIA announced the much-anticipated GeForce RTX 30 series which is based on its Ampere architecture and built on an optimized version of Samsung’s 8nm process. The cards have been heavily leaked over recent weeks and we knew there had been lots of claims of increased performance and we also knew that NVIDIA were going…
The Kingston DC1000M was launched back in March, it is a U.2 enterprise NVMe so quite a bit different than my usual content though some SOHO/SMB users may appreciate it. The is a new affordable U.2 drive which aims to be an alternative to SAS, or SATA SSD drives in an enterprise environment. Pricing is…
Recently Nvidia announced their new low power mobile GPU, the GeForce MX450. Its predecessor, the MX350 was only released in February 2020, with the MX250 being released in February 2019. Nvidia hasn’t released that much information about the GPU and a lot of companies have only just started using the GeForce MX350, with many others…
I don’t often cover Chromebooks, the last time being the Dell Chromebook 11, which I had forgotten about until writing this. I have become a bit of a convert since using this, with it being well made, quick to load and login, a superb battery and plenty of performance to handle all the apps I…
If you find yourself in need of a lot of storage and want something that is both fast and affordable, the new TerraMaster D4-300 4-Bay DAS could be a good solution. While network attached storage may be the more popular solution, NAS devices cost more and are often reliant on gigabit ethernet. With the new…
In my previous post, I covered the best VDSL WiFi Routers for 2019. While that advice is accurate the Wi-Fi market has changed a lot in recent years and an all in one solution may not be the best fit for some people. While it is nice to have one device to do it all,…
AMD has finally announced its most affordable option for the current generation of motherboards, but what does it offer over the previous generation or the overclocking friendly B550 chipset? For this comparison, I will ignore the X570 chipset, if you are considering A520 I doubt you will be persuaded with the premium-priced X570. One big…
A short and slightly niche review compared to my usual content. Recently I have been covering quite a bit of multi-gig networking including the Zyxel XGS1210-12 switch as well as various multi-gig Wi-Fi 6 routers. Most of the affordable 10Gbps switches use SFP+ ports rather than copper RJ45 meaning you then need to find an…
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