Articles about PC

RGB lighting makes everything better. Yeah, there are some "haters" out there that decry these lights being added to so many products, but you know what? Those folks are just devoid of joy. As far as I'm concerned, every PC component and accessory should contain them! I mean, look, you can always just turn them off.

Nowadays, even sticks of RAM have RGB lighting. If your existing memory doesn’t have this lighting, it would be foolish to replace them to get it -- that just wouldn’t make financial sense. Thanks to a new product from Thermaltake, however, you can add RGB to your existing sticks of RAM. Called "Pacific R1 Plus," it fits over your existing RAM. How cool is that?

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While your computer's onboard sound might be "good enough," if you are serious about audio quality, it would be wise to invest in a sound card. USB variants in particular are a great way to easily update your desktop or laptop's sound. This won't just benefit listening to movies and music, but in some cases, gaming too.

Creative has long manufactured superior PC sound hardware -- its "Sound Blaster" products are legendary. Today, the company announces its latest such offering. Called "Sound BlasterX G6," the USB DAC offers an insane 130dB dynamic range. Best of all, it is compatible with PC (Windows and macOS), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It will probably work with Linux-based operating systems -- such as Ubuntu and Fedora -- too.

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Yesterday was all about Windows 10. Microsoft released its latest major version, called "April 2018 Update," and it is actually quite good -- for Windows, that is. Linux users won't likely care about that, however, as today there is an arguably more important operating system release -- Fedora 28. Yes, following an official Beta release, the distribution of choice for Linus Torvalds -- the father of Linux -- becomes available today.

Fedora 28 has many new features, but one in particular will surely excite desktop/workstation users -- GNOME 3.28, which introduces Thunderbolt 3 support and improved laptop battery life. Fedora has long used GNOME as the default desktop environment, and best of all, it is mostly a stock affair -- no silly tweaks enabled by default. In other words, you get a very pure GNOME experience, making Fedora Workstation the preferred OS for many hardcore fans of the DE.

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If your laptop has Thunderbolt 3 -- and you want to connect it to a keyboard, mouse, and display -- a TB3 dock is a worthwhile investment. This allows you to both charge and connect your peripherals with a single cable. Don't have Thunderbolt 3? That's OK -- you can still utilize a USB dock. While it won't charge your machine, it will still offer much convenience.

While my MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt 3, my family and I have Windows and Linux notebooks that still use USB 3.0. For these computers, I have been testing a new USB 3.0 dock from VisionTek called "VT1000." Not only does it serve as a 3-port USB 3.0 hub (two Type-A on front, one on rear), but it also provides gigabit Ethernet, audio, and the ability to push two displays. For this, it offers very versatile connection options -- HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA.

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Home consumers probably own just one desktop computer -- if they don't instead have a laptop. Enthusiasts and professionals, however, can own two or more (workstations, servers, etc.). Managing them all can be a pain in the butt, as you must own several keyboards, mice, and monitors -- a costly and messy affair. Of course, alternatively, you can own just one set of peripherals and constantly switch them between the machines -- a hassle that also puts wear on the ports.

The best alternative, however, is to utilize a KVMP switch, which allows you to easily switch one set of peripherals -- including USB, audio and video -- between several machines. Today, IOGEAR launches two new high-end KVMP switches with dual 4K video-out. One supports two computers, while the other handles up to four. And yes, the 4K video is at 60Hz.

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If you don't have a mechanical keyboard, I straight up feel sorry for you. I mean, look, if you like your current non-mechanical keyboard, then more power to you, but there's a good chance you simply don't know what you are missing. If you are a millennial in particular, you probably missed out on the good ol' days of computing when keyboards weighed a ton and were built like tanks -- the throw-in keyboards that desktop manufacturers include nowadays are largely garbage. Mechanical keyboards are just so much more rewarding and satisfying to use.

Today, CORSAIR launches its all-new K68 RGB mechanical gaming keyboard, and it has a lot going for it. First of all, it is IP32 water resistant, so if you spill your drink (or sweat profusely on it), it is less likely to break. Since it is a gaming product, it is chock-full of RGB lighting, because all gaming gear must glow -- it's the law. Best of all, it uses authentic Cherry MX switches (either red or blue) -- not some sort of knock-off.

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Boy, do we have something for everyone today. If you think the PC market has no future and that it's all going downhill, you're going to love this story. If, on the other hand, you think that there's hope and that people are still loving the PC, guess what? You're going to love it too!

You must be sitting there confused, wondering what the heck I am on about. It can't be both, right? Well, no, but if you read the latest reports on PC shipments in Q4 2017 from IDC and Gartner you are going to get that impression. IDC thinks we've just had the first growth quarter in six years, while Gartner claims shipments are down year over year. Isn't this interesting?

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The PC market has been in bad shape for several years. While the why is up for debate, it certainly wasn't helped by two disappointing versions of Windows in a row -- 8.x and 10. Not to mention, hardware lasts much longer these days, as performance has long surpassed the needs of many consumers -- the concept of needing to upgrade a PC every two or three years is dead. Hell, many consumers can get by with just their smartphones and tablets -- a traditional PC just isn't as necessary as it once was.

Shockingly, according to IDC, the PC market could finally be on the road to recovery. While the market is still very unhealthy overall, there is one stat that signals something special could be on the horizon. You see, for the first time in six years, the worldwide PC market saw a Q4 increase year over year. In other words, Q4 2017 outperformed Q4 2016. This is particularly significant, as both Christmas and the holiday shopping season are in these months.

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Razer may be a smartphone maker nowadays, but don't think for a second the company has forgotten its roots. True, Razer is branching out to other businesses, but it is still a gaming peripheral company at its core.

To drive that point home, today, Razer unveils two new hardcore PC gaming peripherals -- the "Naga Trinity" gaming mouse and "Tartarus V2" gaming keypad. These are two very intriguing products -- evolutions of prior peripheral generations -- both of which focus heavily on complicated multiplayer games, such as MOBA and MMO. The mouse has a replaceable left side, which can give optimized thumb controls based on the game and user preference. The keypad is designed to make many keyboard keys accessible to one hand, making it a more comfortable and streamlined control experience. After all, traditional keyboards were designed for typing -- not gaming.

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It is no secret that the PC market is struggling. Even though there are some encouraging signs, like upgrades to Windows 10 on the business side, it is becoming harder and harder for manufacturers to attract buyers -- even in the back-to-school season.

Gartner, which just released its report on PC shipments in the third quarter of 2017, says that "traditional promotions," like back-to-school sales, are "no longer an effective growth driver," which is why this back-to-school sales season has been "very weak." The report says that the market declined by 3.6 percent year-over-year, as a result.

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Once you build your first PC, it is hard to go back to buying pre-built machines. Not only is building a computer a great learning experience, but it is very personal too. You get to pick every component of your PC, piece by piece. It is super rewarding and very fun.

Unfortunately, a first build can go very wrong. It is not uncommon for first-timers to buy the wrong parts. Compatibility aside, they can dedicate too much of their budget on a certain component, when they should be putting more money towards another. If you have an unlimited budget it can be quite easy, but come on, not many people can claim that. Thankfully, online retailer Newegg is launching new kits that put "newbies" on the right track.

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It is difficult to imagine what the PC market would look like today had Microsoft not introduced the Surface RT and Surface Pro back in 2012. The software giant created a category, set the benchmark for high-end productivity-oriented tablets, and pushed rivals, like Apple, to compete in this space.

Despite this, Canalys CEO Steve Brazier and Lenovo COO Gianfranco Lanci believe that the Surface line will be put out to pasture by 2019. Why? The Surface business is not a huge money-maker for Microsoft, making it harder and harder to justify the cost to produce new devices and the low margins involved.

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Both PC and console gaming are wildly popular nowadays -- people even game professionally. Who would of thought in the early days of, say, "Pong," that people would eventually earn money for playing games? Crazy, right? Well, that is the the state of the world nowadays. Heck, gaming tournaments are even getting exposure on television -- TBS, for instance, broadcasts them weekly every Friday night.

To better enjoy their video games, consumers often purchase gaming peripherals and accessories, such as mice, keyboards, and game pads. For many, a headset is also a popular purchase, as it can let them either trash-talk opponents or communicate with teammates. SteelSeries makes many types of gaming peripherals -- including headsets -- and today, it announces that the popular and affordable Arctis 3 is now available in three new limited edition colors -- blue, grey, and red. Best of all, when you buy this headset in one of the new colors from SteelSeries' web store, the company will donate 10-percent to "Ditch the Label" -- an organization with a mission to stop bullying.

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Apple's Safari has more security vulnerabilities than Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer combined, according to a new report from Google's Project Zero.

Using an automated testing tool called Domato, Project Zero's Ivan Fratric analyzed the most popular desktop browsers and discovered two security vulnerabilities in Chrome, four in Firefox and Internet Explorer, six in Edge and 17 in Safari.

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PC prices in UK have increased by 30 percent since the Brexit announcement this year, according to distributor data.

Channel analyst Context has revealed that the average sale prices for computers including desktops, notebooks and workstations reached £480 in July and August, which is up by a third when compared to the same time last year.

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