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!
Solid State Storage is all the rage for laptops and desktops nowadays, it offers exponentially better performance than a mechanical drive while being smaller, quieter and giving off less heat. However, they are expensive compared to their mechanical equivalents and store less data, this means that we haven’t really seen many external SSDs on the…
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In the past year, Acer has rebranded their laptop line-up launching the new Swift and Spin range. Their names are a bit of a giveaway, with the Spin being the convertible line while the Swift is the normal ultraportable. The Spin range comes in 3 varieties, the 3, 5 and 7. The line-up is a…
Following on from my review of the excellent ultrawide monitor from Philips, I have been sent the Philips 328P6VJEB. This is a 32” 4k screen which at the moment costs £574.99 on Scan and is the cheapest 32” 4K screen that I can find on the market. The full specification includes: Manufacturer Philips Model Brilliance…
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AVM have announced details of the upcoming line-up of routers this year, the new lineup includes models with MIMO allowing them to achieve wireless speeds of 1,733 Mbit/s + 800 Mbit/s. The 2 new routers come in a more conservative design which will make them a bit more appealing to some. Press release as follows: The new top…
I have worked in web development for years, and while I am aware of monitor calibration, and the need for it in the graphic design industry, I have never actually tried it out until recently, thanks to Datacolor and their Spyder5 device. The Spyder5 is a hardware device that plugs in via USB that can…
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The Toshiba Canvio Connect II is an affordable USB 3.0 2.5-inch external hard drive that can be bought from Amazon for around £100 and comes with 10 GB Cloud Storage via Pogoplug. For me with things like this price is generally the main factor in my purchase and at around £110-120 it sits on the…
Gearbest recently sent me the MotoSpeed K87S mechanical keyboard to review. This is a tenkeyless RGB keyboard with edge to edge keys making for a very petite keyboard. For lack of a better word, the design is quite girly, which is not a bad thing, it is quite obvious what you are getting from the…
I have recently been dabbling with more business class networking hardware for some clients as part of my web development business. Cisco’s range of Meraki products is one of the main ranges I have been trying out as it offers full cloud management of all the hardware. The beauty of this is it allows me…
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