Computers Archives – Page 2 of 5

Review: LaCie’s 1big Dock SSD Pro – The BIG Storage Dock for Your Professional Needs

By Om Patel
March 3, 2022
Computers Storages

Many creative professionals, especially videographers, editors, and graphic artists, use peripherals for different kinds of projects every day. However, with such devices, comes the need for extra adapters, ports, hubs, and extra storage space. High-quality hubs and docks, especially, are usually pricey. And the pricier ones are almost most likely the ones that you would need to get your devices to work properly and efficiently. LaCie, a computer hardware company, specializes in external hard drives, RAID arrays, optical drives, Flash Drives, and computer monitors. And today we will be...

Review: OWC Thunderbolt 4 Hub – Perfection Amid Quirks and Duty

As someone who grew up with an intrinsic love for the aesthetic of Apple hardware as well as a genuine appreciation for the joy of tinkering with visually inelegant technology – the second of which ended up becoming my full-time profession and thereby my single means of livelihood – I am caught in a perpetual quandary between my longing for the ultimate degree of minimalism and an insistence on uncompromising functionality. The Story of a Use Case Think of a reasonably massive desk, laminated in a matte yet slightly...

Review: Acer Helios 300 – The Insanely Powerful Predator

By Bruce Green
February 19, 2022
Computers Laptops

Games are becoming more and more realistic than ever! The quality of design for some of the biggest games of the year are so refined and beautiful, that a person can immerse themselves into them without realizing how much time they’ve been playing. That is, until the hardware hiccups and reminds us that we are playing a video game. This is why we need the most powerful computers on the market to keep up with the insane amount of detail. Meet the very powerful Predator Helios 300 Laptop.

Review: Plugable 4K Displayport – UD-6950PDZ

By Craig Sehlhoff
February 18, 2022
Accessories Computers

The Plugable USBC Triple 4k HDMI and Displayport Display Horizontal Docking Station is a very impressive accessory catered to those who have laptops and are looking to expand their ports and displays. Regardless of its ridiculously long name this device has its uses but for the high price point is it necessary? The box that the Plugable Displayport comes in is extremely generic and the initial reveal was lacking. Not to mention the single small instruction “booklet” it came with had four pictures and roughly 25 words on it....

Review: Plugable Thunderbolt Dock – USB4-HUB3A

By Craig Sehlhoff
February 17, 2022
Accessories Computers

Plugable USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 HUB with 60w Host Charging and a USB 4.0 Port is deceivingly powerful despite its small size. It has the potential to take your PC set up to the next level if you have the proper ports and are willing to drop just under $200 on this piece of hardware.

Review: OWC Mercury Elite Pro Mini – The Perfect Data Solution

By Josh Picchioni
February 6, 2022
Computers Storages

External storage is an essential tool for the modern computer user to utilize. With the sizes of files rapidly increasing as the years go on, it’s imperative to have more storage to hold your precious data. Life is also very completed and accidents can happen. Backups of your important data are needed as your computer equipment can get lost, broken or stolen. This is where the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Mini hard drive comes in. The OWC Mercury Elite Pro Mini provides users with the functionality of a conventional...

Review: Roccat Burst Core Gaming Mouse

By Craig Sehlhoff
January 27, 2022
Accessories Computers

A Mouse for Gaming? Gaming mice are a dime a dozen these days. It seems most tech companies have their own brands and even sub brands within them. It can be extremely overwhelming trying to find one that completely fits your needs. Chances are when you bought your PC it came with a default mouse that covers all the bases, left click, right click, mouse wheel, etc… Why should you care about getting a gaming specific mouse or, more specifically, the Roccat Burst Core – Extreme Lightweight Optical Core...

Review: Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Chromebook – Functional, Basic Computing for the Masses (With a Few Caveats)

By J. Glenn Künzler
January 21, 2022
Computers Laptops

From my earliest days as a technology user, and in particular since I began reviewing products over a decade ago, I have taken joy in experiencing various different versions of the modern computing concept, whether that means different types of hardware, different operating systems, different interaction concepts such as touch screens, and so forth. The latest aspect in this journey brought be from the land of souped up personal laptops to the humble ChromeBook – in this case Lenovo’s IdeaPad 5i ChromeBook – here are my thoughts.

Review: Turtle Beach Recon Wired Controller

By Craig Sehlhoff
January 15, 2022
Accessories Computers

Ever since gaming got popular there have been a large number of companies trying to cash in. A lot of them by making off brand controllers. I had one for my SNES back in the day. It wasn’t licensed by Nintendo, but the bonuses it came with made it worth it. Brands like MadCatz became known as the “little brothers’ controller” companies. The companies who made off-band products that never truly matched the quality of the real thing. That being said, I was extremely surprised by the quality of...

Review: Synology DS220+ NAS – Sleek Home Storage

By Mike Boyd
January 6, 2022
Computers Storages

The concept of a NAS is not a new one. Network-Attached Storage (NAS) has been around for quite some time – especially if you’re old enough to have shared a folder on a network from a Windows PC back in the day. And with the rise of music and video streaming, demand for in-home storage of mp3 (music) and mp4/mov (video) files has waned. That is if you look at NAS from the perspective of a decade ago. Today the NAS is fundamental to any content creator that needs...

Review: Plugable USB Docking Station – More Than Just a Hub

By David Christopher
December 29, 2021
Accessories Computers

I recall my introductory computing class in middle school. One of our vocabulary words was peripheral. To this day, I have trouble pronouncing it correctly, and don’t ask me to spell it without the aid of a spellchecker. It is defined as a term meaning, Peripheral: connected to a computer but not an essential part of it. Back then, most of the computers were a single unit. But we knew that a Peripheral could be a light pen or a mouse. The teacher told us a mouse was easier...

Review: iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit – Above All the Rest

By Josh Picchioni
December 3, 2021
Computers Tools

The iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit provides the consumer with a well above average repair kit, for an extremely affordable price. The tools packed inside are of extremely high quality and feel great when in use. My personal favorite tool from the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit is the iFixit screwdriver; the smooth metallic finish feels amazing in the hand! It’s extraordinarily clear that quality was the number one priority when creating this tool kit. The Only Toolkit You’ll Ever Need The iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit also includes an extremely large...

Review: ASUS TUF Gaming AX5400 Router

By Arwyn Gray
December 1, 2021
Computers Networking

Elevate Your WiFi Experience With Asus Do you live in a house full of device loving people and are always fighting for WiFi signal? Well, look no further because, Asus has created another technologically advanced product that can solve all of your WiFi problems. The TUF Gaming AX5400 router not only enhances WiFi, but ensures security for all of your wired and wireless devices. Let’s find out why. An Out Of This World Gaming Router That Offers The Best In Functionality And Design The sleek, modern and futuristic design...

Review: OWC 14-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock

While Apple’s new custom chips in the latest MacBook Pros, Mac Minis, and iMacs are extremely impressive in terms of boosting performance, reducing power consumption, and providing a smooth computing experience on every level, many users find that they simply need more ports than can be reasonably fit on a laptop without making the device thick and unwieldy. Fortunately for those users, Other World Computing, which has a long history of providing upgraded solutions for Apple’s devices, has just what the doctor ordered: 14 extra ports to help you...

Review: Acer Nitro XV2 – Faster refreshes than you trying to buy a new graphics card

By Billy Jacoby
October 12, 2021
Computers Monitors

When choosing the right monitor for you and your specific setup there are a number of factors that you have to keep in mind. The first thing to nail down is what the main purpose of the monitor will be for. I’m someone who uses my PC for both my job and also for gaming. This means that I not only need something with a high refresh rate, but also something that makes it easy to look at code on it all day. Enter the Acer Nitro XV2. This...

Review: OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt Enclosure – DIY Addition

By David Christopher
October 11, 2021
Computers Storages

Three things come in limited supply—Time, Space, and Money. The challenge comes in balancing all of them. That can be especially true when it comes to our laptops. To be mobile, they are generally light and expensive. However, they are sadly limited in space. That is to say, insufficient memory. You may find the easiest way to expand your device’s memory capacity is an external storage medium. OWC has come up with a way to help you stay within those three, your Time, Space, and Money. The Envoy Express...

Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano – The Classic ThinkPad, Thinner, Stronger, and More Evolved

By J. Glenn Künzler
October 1, 2021
Computers Laptops

When I first switched to the MacBook Pro – my first ever Mac – way back at the very beginning of the Intel transition, it caused me to begin to think differently about how we describe computers, and even evaluate them. I learned very quickly that things like processor speed, RAM, and other raw specs become arbitrary at some point – and what really, truly matters is the experience that using a device provides. As such, when presented with the opportunity to review Lenovo’s thinnest and lightest generation of...

Review: SanDisk 1TB Thumb Drive and “Extreme” Micro SD Cards

By Bruce Green
September 14, 2021
Computers Storages

SanDisk has proven to be one of the all time leaders in personal storage devices. From Internal and External Hard Drives to SD Cards and Thumb drives, SanDisk has you covered. As the years move forward, file sizes for photos, videos and even some documents have gone up drastically. As a random comparison, today a single five minute uncompressed raw video from a mid to high level camera can be around the same file size as an entire video game that runs on a PC or console. This means...