About Richard Devine
A former project manager and long-term tech addict, Richard has been covering the industry for over a decade from phones, to gaming, and PCs, and everywhere in-between.
Latest Articles
Best thermal paste in 2024
Keeping your CPU cool is essential if you want a working PC. If you want some of the best thermal paste around, here are your options.
Thermal paste is critical in keeping processor temperatures low. It ensures the most effective transfer of heat between the chip itself and the metal block attached to the socket. Some of the best CPU coolers will come with thermal paste already applied, but it's not a bad idea to remove it and apply a better one. It's also good to have some thermal paste on hand if you ever need to reseat the CPU or remove the cooler. To that end, we've compiled a list of our favorite thermal pastes.
Best M.2 SSDs in 2024
Need a storage upgrade? You probably want an M.2 SSD, and these are the best options you can find right now.
The M.2 solid state drive (SSD) is the fastest form of storage available for laptop and desktop PCs. It's also one of the best upgrades for existing systems, offering considerable bumps in performance over 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA drives. Choosing the right M.2 SSD can be tricky if you're unfamiliar with all the jargon and what to consider. Capacities can range between 250GB and 8TB, with speeds exceeding 12,000MB/s. To help you out, we've already rounded up all the best M.2 SSDs you can buy in 2024. We'll also explain the differences between SATA and NVMe M.2 drives so you can find the best drive for your PC.
Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake: Everything you need to know
Get your Intel 13th Gen Raptor Lake fix here
Intel's 13th Gen "Raptor Lake" desktop CPUs hit the market on October 20, 2022, as successors to the 12th Alder Lake chips. The initial launch — which included six K-series desktop CPUs — followed AMD's late-2022 launch of the Ryzen 7000 series to turn the tides in Intel's favor, but the full lineup including gaming and budget laptops, mainstream Ultrabooks, consumer desktops, and more only showed up at CES 2023.
How to install and play games from the Epic Games Store on Steam Deck
In addition to Steam, you can also install the Epic Games Store and play games from there on the Valve Steam Deck. Here's how to do it.
The Steam Deck is arguably the best PC gaming handheld out there, thanks in no small part to its affordable price compared to most of the competition. Part of the reason for that is that it's designed to only play games from Steam by default, but what's great about PCs is that they can easily be modified to do whatever you want.
Do you need a new power supply for the Nvidia RTX 4090?
At 450W and using a connector you may never have seen before, do you need a new power supply for the Nvidia RTX 4090? Maybe not.
The Nvidia RTX 4090 remains one of the best GPUs out there in 2024. Not only is it a solid graphics card, but it's also among the biggest and the most power-hungry cards on the market. It's also one of the first GPUs to use the 12VHPWR 16-pin connector, which is now commonly seen on many other RTX 40-series graphics cards, including the new RTX 4080 Super.
How to access developer options on Amazon Fire TV?
The developer options allow you to sideload apps and access other advanced options.
The Amazon Fire TV stick is among the best things you can buy to revive an aging TV. The Fire TV OS is packed with a lot of great features, and it's perfect to breathe a new life into your old TV by adding some smart features to it. The Fire TV stick's operating system comes with all the essential features you need out of the box, but there are a few advanced options that are hidden under developer options.
Best gaming monitors in 2024
From high refresh rate panels to 4K displays, these are the best gaming monitors you can buy.
You finally managed to buy all the components for your new gaming rig, including a new graphics card. I hope you still have some money left over because now it's time to complete your rig with one of the best gaming monitors. Luckily, there's no shortage of great monitors on the market, so you can pick up the one you want based on the GPU you bought. After all, the graphics card tells you what kind of gaming monitor is worth buying.
Best GPUs for gaming in 2024
The GPU is arguably the most important part of any gaming PC build, so we're here to help you choose the right one
A graphics card is arguably one of the most important components of a gaming PC. But just like most PC parts, there's no single GPU that works for everyone. While some users may want the ultimate gaming experience on PC, others may want to sacrifice power to find great value. Many might just need one of the best budget graphics cards for a casual 1080p gaming experience.
Best motherboards for AMD CPUs in 2024
If you're looking to build a rig with AMD CPUs, you're going to need the right motherboard.
Picking out the best motherboard for AMD CPUs requires a compatible socket and chipset for the processor in question. Newer AMD processors support motherboards with an AM5 chipset, and thus we'll be focusing on these options. It's possible to buy a decent motherboard for AMD chips for as little as $100 or as much as $1,000, depending on what features are important to your system build. All the motherboards in our buyer guide will work well with the best CPUs from AMD.
How to stop receiving updates on Windows 11
Whatever your reason, if you'd rather Microsoft left your PC alone here's how to stop getting Windows 11 automatic updates.
Generally speaking, keeping your Windows 11 PC up to date is always recommended. But every now and then, Microsoft tends to release some updates with big problems, and it doesn't hurt to hold off on an update for a few days to make sure you won't have glaring issues.
Best AMD CPUs in 2024
AMD makes some of the best desktop CPUs you can buy right for gaming and productivity, and these are the best options around.
AMD CPUs have evolved a lot over the years to become so much more than just an affordable alternative to Intel CPUs. They've been stomping on Intel chips for a few generations now in some areas, offering incredible value with an appealing price-to-performance ratio. AMD CPUs are ever-present in the collection of the best CPUs as well as the best gaming CPUs on the market right now.
How to back up and restore a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distro
Making a backup of your WSL distros is a smart idea and can help you move instances between machines as well. Here's how you do it.
It's always a good idea to back up your PC occasionally. You never know when something will go wrong, so whether you're using Linux, Windows 11, or macOS, regular backups are a good thing. And if you're using the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), it's also a good idea to back up your Linux instances.
Best ChromeOS games in 2023
Chromebooks can be pretty good for gaming. No, really. Using Android and the cloud, you can play these games on ChromeOS.
ChromeOS isn't exactly known as a gaming platform. Most people think about even the best Chromebooks as low-cost machines that work great as a dedicated browser or school laptop. However, it's actually quite easy to enjoy a host of games on your Chromebook or Chromebox.
Best PC cases in 2024
Your new PC deserves a shiny new case to live in, and we've rounded up the best options you can buy depending on what kind of rig you want.
Just about every PC component is important, but the PC case is what will hold everything together and shield them from the outside elements. Picking the best PC case for your build will need to factor in the size of your GPU and motherboard, cooling solution(s), and the number of drives that need to be installed. There's also the case of heat and how effective the case is able to exhaust it, especially for more powerful CPUs. In this guide, you'll find our recommendations for best PC case that covers all budgets and form factors.
Crucial MX500 SSD review: Good, but not class-leading mass storage for any PC
The Crucial MX500 isn't the absolute fastest SSD around, but it's reliable and available in up to 4TB so you really can store all the things.
There was a time when adding large quantities of storage to your PC would require using 3.5-inch hard drives. However, they're large, clunky, and slow, so it felt like you were dragging your files through a molasses swamp. But they got the job done.
Best SSDs in 2024
From 2.5-inch SATA drives to more advanced M.2 NVMe drives, these are the best solid-state drives you can buy right now.
The best solid-state drives (SSDs) have evolved a lot over the years, and you can now reliably find great storage with more capacity, faster transfer speeds, and lower prices. SSDs are available in a bunch of different shapes and sizes, and they use different technology to communicate with your PC. This can make buying the right drive a bit of a challenge. Whether you're shopping for PCIe 5.0, PCIe 4.0, PCIe 3.0, or M.2, SATA, we've put together this collection of the best SSD storage you can buy today. Check out our top picks for best portable SSD if you need something you can take with you.
Best MSI motherboards in 2024
If you're in the market to buy a new motherboard, then should you check out our collection of the best MSI motherboards you can buy.
MSI is a brand that needs no introduction in the PC hardware space. From the best gaming laptops to the best monitors, there aren't many categories MSI hasn't tapped into. It's been in the motherboard business for years and is one of the big four motherboard manufacturers alongside Asus, ASrock, and Gigabyte. Naturally, MSI has a ton of motherboards to choose from.
Best chargers for Steam Deck in 2023
Running out of power is a Steam Deck owner's nightmare, so get yourself an extra charger or two so you'll always have power
The in-box Steam Deck charger is good, but you can always do better, right? There's also the fact that it's never the best idea to have only one charger for your device, especially for a portable game console. The Steam Deck charges over USB-C, so you can actually get a new charger to juice up the Steam Deck as well as your phone, tablet, or perhaps even a laptop. You can even get one that charges your device away from a wall socket. For the best performance, however, you will need to ensure that you'll get at least 45W out of the charger. To help you out, we've selected some great options to pack with your Steam Deck.
Best skins for your Steam Deck in 2023
The Steam Deck only comes in one color, so if you want to change up the look of your handheld or protect it, check out these great skins
The popularity of the Steam Deck against products like the Logitech G Cloud, Lenovo Legion Go, and even the ROG Ally means that there is no shortage of accessories for it. You can buy microSD cards for extra storage, and docks and adapters to connect it to a larger screen. But, as with your phone, laptop, or tablet, good-quality skin is also worth considering.
Best coolers for AMD AM5 PCs in 2024
Building a new PC on AMD's AM5 platform? You'll need to get yourself a good CPU cooler.
AMD has made its first platform change in some time with Ryzen 7000. The new chips are for the AM5 socket, and all of them need to be cooled. AMD doesn't always include a cooler in the box with its Ryzen CPUs, so you'll often need to provide one yourself, especially for high-end models because the better the cooling, the better the performance, not to mention a better cooler means quieter fans.