Computers have changed a lot over the last decade, but one thing remains the same – the need SSD vs HDD For gaming|https://pcbuildinsight.com/ cooling. Efficiency has pushed temperatures down but hasn’t eliminated heat as an issue. That’s particularly true for high-end workstations and gaming

The custom budget build ultimately has a better CPU, a better GPU, and more RAM. It has less hard drive storage and lacks a wireless adapter. While 1 TB sounds a lot better than 500 GB, you should still be able to live with 500 GB of storage. Also, the absence of a wireless adapter isn't a huge issue, as an Ethernet connection is more reliable, generally faster, and more responsive than a wireless configuration anyw

A desktop computer consists of various components, each of which needs power. The power supply is responsible for managing and distributing power. It needs to have the right plugs and it needs to be able to handle the overall power demand of your desktop at l

One icon – a mouse – will be highlighted at the top of the window. Double-click this and your device will then be listed as Nintendo RVL-CNT-01 – connection is complete, as indicated by the dotted green line between your device icon and the orange sph

In this installation guide on how to build home media servers, I am using an old, reinstalled version of Windows XP SP3 with a 1TB Hitachi hard disk drive. (Note: This should work equally well on Windows Vista with User Account Control (UAC) off and an Administrator account set up on the serv

Some of the power connections in desktops have remained the same over time, but some haven’t. The most recent examples of new connections are SATA and PCI Express. If you own a computer that is more than five years old it may not support them, and that means you won’t be able to use a SATA hard drive or a PCI Express video card without an adapter. Always makes sure that your power supply has the connectors required to accept any new hardware you might purch

Everything inside a computer must connect to the motherboard for it to function. Most motherboards have a significant number of connectors for installing new hardware, but the number is finite, and can be filled to capacity more quickly than you’d th

The fan you purchased should come with at least four screws. These are usually short and stubby like the one in the photo below. However, the screws may be longer if they are meant to install alongside another piece of hardware, such as a radiator used in a liquid-cooling syst

(For more cool articles on how to build home media servers, check out these articles by Damien on how to set up a Media Server [ Part 2 ] using Linux. Or if you are ready to invest some cash check out our guide on How To Build A Great Media Center P

Screw the metal standoffs into the case in the corresponding holes (the same ones the motherboard ends up using) so that the motherboard won't be directly touching the side of the case. Place the motherboard on top of the standoffs and screw it in. Make sure that you also have the I/O panel (the back panel where you connect everything) pressed into the back of the panel before screwing in the motherboard. You want the female connectors to be visible and accessible through the holes in the I/O pa

We finally have a custom budget gaming desktop that was cheaper to build than to just buy an Alienware X51! I installed Ubuntu as it's the most common distribution of Linux and the most recommended distro of game developers like Steam. Of course, to make full use of the graphics card, I also installed AMD's proprietary graphics drivers (to learn how, read Installed Ubuntu on Your Laptop? 6 Tweaks You'll Nee

All you need to complete installation is power. The fan will come with a three or four-pin female connector like that shown in the picture above. This needs to be plugged into a three or four-pin male adapter located either on the motherboard or power supply. The connector on a motherboard looks like

Elsewhere on MakeUseOf we’ve covered methods for connecting PS3 controllers and Xbox 360 controllers to your PC – but did you know that it is also possible to interact with your computer via the Wiim

How do you prefer to interact with your computer? Sometimes a mouse and keyboard just isn’t enough. Depending on what you’re doing, a completely different interface method is required for you to get the most out of your computer. Personally, I use a trackball and keyboard, for gaming as well as standard use, and there are many Windows computer owners who prefer to do the majority of their work using a graphical tablet and sty

Installation is as you would expect. Just insert the screws into the holes drilled in the case and then through the holes in the fan itself. Righty-tighty until the screw is flush with the mount and can't be tightened further. Because the screws usually have a very flat base you may find that inserting them is difficult. That’s another reason to temporarily tape the fan in place – it will make inserting the screw eas