Brian Fagioli

Not everyone can afford the top of the line graphics card, and that's fine. If you are a PC gamer on a budget, there are plenty of options these days that will allow you to play the latest and greatest games, albeit with the resolution and other settings turned down a bit. For instance 4K is all the rage these days, but if you are OK with 1080p gaming, you can actually get by with some affordable gear.

Today, AMD shows some major respect for the 1080p gamers of the world with the all-new Radeon RX 5500 XT. While not the most powerful card, it should be able to play all of the newest games at 1080p. It should be positioned a bit higher than the excellent, yet aging, RX 580. Best of all, the starting price is significantly below $200.

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Remote work is all the rage these days. After all, some jobs can be done from home -- why waste gas and time commuting to a shared office just to sit alone in a cubicle all day? Of course, for remote working to be successful, you must have useful communication tools -- both software and hardware. For instance, Microsoft Teams and Slack are great ways to stay in touch, but what about when you need to make audio or visual calls for collaboration? For that, high-quality hardware can make all the difference.

Apparently, Logitech sees great value in combining audio and visual communication in one package. The company has launched two new hardware packages which it calls "Personal Collaboration Kits." What exactly are these kits? Quite simply, a combo consisting of a high-end headset and webcam. There are two options from which to choose, with one being given the "Pro" designation. The truth is, however, both kits would be good for either professional or home use.

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Apple's newest Mac Pro computer, configured with the top specifications, costs over $50,000 (yes, really). The starting price for the Apple Pro Display XDR with the official Pro Stand is $5,998. And yet, despite these outrageous prices, you don't even get a webcam! Seriously, folks, Apple's latest and greatest premium display doesn't even have an integrated camera! Sigh.

Thankfully, Logitech is here to save the day with its all new 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam. As the name implies, it features a resolution of up to 4K, and it connects to the top of the Apple Pro Display XDR with a magnet. While this new webcam it is a bit expensive, it isn't obscenely so like Apple's new hardware. And while it is only designed for the Apple Pro Display XDR and macOS, I wouldn't be surprised to see it rest comfortably atop other monitors or maybe even work with Windows 10 too.

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Modern Linux users have it pretty good. In 2019, there are many major players supporting desktop operating systems running the open source kernel. Years ago, it felt like Linux on the desktop was a second class citizen -- switching from Windows was not as easy as it is today. These days, it is totally possible to forgo Microsoft's desktop operating system and still have a high quality computing experience with top-notch software, including video editing and PC gaming.

To show just how far we've come, Microsoft today brings an essential Office 365 program to Linux. No, it isn't Word, Excel, or PowerPoint -- that would be a true miracle. Actually, it is one of the newer Office applications that is seeing a surge in popularity -- Microsoft Teams. This is a top-notch communication and collaboration service. Depending on who you believe, Teams actually has more users than Slack -- a very impressive feat. Now, Microsoft Teams joins Slack on the Linux desktop!

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Western Digital is a name often associated with quality hard disk drives, but the company's solid state drives are quite excellent too. They are reliable and fast, making them a good choice amongst other trusted brands of SSD, such as Samsung and Intel.

Today, Western Digital unveils its latest solid state drive. Called "WD Blue SN550," it is an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with read speeds up to 2,400 MB/s. As a sign of the company's confidence in the drive's reliability, it comes with a respectable 5-year warranty.

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When Apple Maps first launched, it was laughably bad. Even Apple's most hardcore fans had to admit that Google Maps was far superior. To this day, Apple Maps has a reputation for offering a subpar experience, even though that is no longer true. In fact, Apple Maps is actually quite good, with many iPhone users using it regularly with great success. With that said, Google Maps is still better, although the gap is slowly shrinking.

What make Google Maps best? Besides its very accurate navigation, it is chock-full of useful features. It is a very robust and mature app, and it is continually improving. Case in point, today, Google Maps for iPhone is getting even better. You see, the search giant is adding a privacy-friendly called "Incognito Mode." While this is already available on the Android version, it is still a welcome addition to iOS.

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When you buy a monitor, it typically comes with a stand. And so, you are stuck using the stand the display came with, right? Actually, no -- not necessarily. If your monitor's stand is removable, you can actually opt for a third party stand. But why would you do this? Quite simply, you can potentially gain more adjustment options, allowing you to better position the monitor for optimal viewing. Not to mention, some can mount to the edge of your desk, creating more workspace. Some stands and mounts even feature multiple arms, so you neatly organize a dual or even quad monitor setup -- great for productivity.

Now, popular company StarTech.com is launching an entire new line of monitor stands and mounts. In fact, there are a massive ten different models from which to choose! Some are simple stands, while others can mount your display to your desk or the wall. Regardless of model, however, they all look well-built and are surprisingly affordable. In fact, this product line from StarTech.com highlights just how absurd it is for Apple to charge $999 for its monitor stand.

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Here's the deal, folks. I'm a New Yorker, so I am, by default, a coffee expert. While Starbucks isn't terrible, it isn't great either. True coffee connoisseurs know there are only two places to get some proper brew -- 7 Eleven and Dunkin' Donuts. The former is the best for those that like to add milk/sugar themselves, while the latter is ideal for those that trust the workers to add those extras. I go to both, but generally prefer Dunkin' since they have a drive through.

If you are a caffeine fan like me, and you get your daily coffee fix from Dunkin', I have some amazing news. Starting today, you can order your coffee through Google Assistant. Unfortunately, there is a big catch.

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Do M.2 PCIe solid state drives need heatsinks? Need? No, but believe it or not, sticking a piece of aluminum on the drive won't only potentially extend its life, but it can make it faster too. Yes, really. You see, when these SSDs get hot, read and write performance can take a hit. And so, cooling can matter. Keep in mind though, a heatsink can prevent an SSD from being used in a laptop if there isn't enough room for it.

Today, Patriot (under its VIPER GAMING brand) is launching a new solid state drive that not only has a big aluminum heatsink, but it is very beautiful too. Called "VPR100," this M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 RGB SSD features customizable lighting and impressive read and write speeds. Does RGB lighting on an SSD really matter, though? Possibly. In some computers, the PCIe SSD can be hidden from view, making it a non-factor.

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Hardware encrypted USB flash drives are fairly common, but usually, they leverage keypads for unlocking. Biometrics -- such as a fingerprint reader -- are far more convenient, however. Today, Kanguru launches a new hardware encrypted flash drive that uses your finger to decrypt it.

Called "Defender Bio-Elite30," the company claims the drive will work on any operating system, meaning those on Windows, Mac, or Linux can take advantage of the biometric unlocking. The drive will even work with devices such as Smart televisions. The Defender Bio-Elite30 is bus-powered too, so you won't have to be concerned about an internal battery failing. Believe it or not, despite the cool technology, it is rather affordable.

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Are all sticks of RAM the same? No. Any seasoned system builder will tell you that opting for cheap budget memory can lead to frustrating experiences of troubleshooting errors and blue screens of death in Windows. Saving a few bucks is never worth it. Take my advice and stick to reputable companies for both RAM and power supply units -- you will be thankful you did.

With all of that said, there are many reputable companies manufacturing sticks of RAM these days, making it hard to know what to select. You probably know all the typical names, such as G.SKILL, Crucial, and HyperX, but there are other lesser-known brands you can depend on too. Case in point, TEAMGROUP -- many system builders trust its memory. Today, that company announces its latest DDR4 RAM and it is absolutely gorgeous. Called "T-FORCE XTREEM ARGB," it features customizable lighting, a mirror design, and an achievable overclock of up to 4800MHz.

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Millions of people are regular YouTube users, and it's not hard to see why. The Google-owned site provides countless hours of quality video entertainment for free -- just watch the occasional short ad. I literally spend hours daily on YouTube watching quality content on my desktop computer, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV. Hell, even my television comes from Google's video service, as I subscribe to the wonderful YouTube TV.

If you aren't sure what to get someone for the holidays this year, why not give them the gift of YouTube? After all, it is something that they are pretty much guaranteed to love. This year, Google is making it easier than ever to give YouTube as a present -- you can now order a Gift Code through Amazon.

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When you have an upset stomach, there is a magical elixir that can provide relief -- Pepto-Bismol. Yes, that strangely delicious pink liquid can work wonders. Today, Logitech announces a new mouse that seems to get some inspiration from Pepto-Bismol.

Called "PIXEL", it technically isn't a new mouse. Instead, it is merely the existing Logitech G PRO wireless gaming mouse with a pretty pink paint job. That's not a bad thing -- the G Pro is already a great mouse. You can read more about it (including specs) here. The new color is just fun icing on the cake. Best of all, profits from this PIXEL mouse will be donated to charity!

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elementary OS has long been viewed by many as the future of Linux on the PC thanks to its beautiful desktop environment and overall polished experience. Development of the Ubuntu-based operating system has been frustratingly slow, however. This shouldn't be surprising, really, as the team of developers is rather small, and its resources are likely much less than those of larger distributions such as the IBM-backed Fedora or Canonical's Ubuntu. And that is what makes elementary OS so remarkable -- its developers can make magic on a smaller budget.

Today, the latest version of the operating system is released. Code-named "Hera," elementary OS 5.1 is now available for download. Support for Flatpak is now baked in — this is significant, as the developers explain it is “the first non-deb packaging format we've supported out of the box.” The Linux kernel now sits at a very modern 5.0. One of the most important aspects of elementary OS, the AppCenter, is now an insane 10 times faster than its predecessor. Wow.

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Back in October, we told you the Linux Mint developers were hoping to have version 19.3 released by Christmas 2019. Well, I have some good news regarding that -- Linux Mint 19.3 "Tricia" it is still on schedule for a release by December 25! Yes, Linux Mint fans, you will likely be treated to something much better than any gift wrapped under your tree-- a new version of the OS you love.

With all of that said, I have some more great news about Linux Mint 19.3 "Tricia" -- the BETA will be released this upcoming Tuesday, December 3! This past Friday was "Black Friday," tomorrow is "Cyber Monday," and I think we can now dub the day after that "Mint Tuesday."

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