Buying a new motherboard is often a part of buying a new processor. There’s a wide selection of them available and they range in price from $50 to $400 or a little more. High-end motherboards are often given exciting names like Formula, Sniper or Ramp
Once you have a fan of the correct size you need to open your case and line up the fan with the mounting area. It will have four screw holes, as will the fan, so you just need to line up the screw holes on e
If the fan is installed and has power it should start to spin as soon as the system begins to boot – if it does not, check the power connection again. Something may have come loose or the fan may be fau
Also make sure that you have the fan mounted so it blows in the proper direction. The fan should have a printed or molded arrow that shows the direction air flows. Fans can be installed as either an intake (air blowing in) or exhaust (air blowing out). There may also be an arrow that shows the direction of s
You also can work this checklist in reverse when shopping. Instead of asking if your old parts work with the new motherboard, find a new motherboard that works with the old parts. It won’t always be possible but it’s worth a l
This most commonly occurs because you’re using an older operating system or an unpopular one. Windows XP will work with most of today’s hardware despite its age, but you’re often going to be left with reduced functionality. Mac OS X is very finicky about the hardware it will work with. Linux is a little better, but only if you stick with popular, well-supported distributi
Your selected Steam server could be the cause of slow downloads. A massive amount of data is handled by Steams servers, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. But the problem might be having the wrong server selec
After all, a massive amount of data is handled by Steams servers—usually the service is up to the task. Just check this live graph of Steam’s bandwidth over the past 48 hours . You can drill down through the data to select regions, and even see which ISP provides the biggest bandwi
Though, of the many kinds of fan technologies on the market, some cannot receive lubricant; however the vast majority of low quality fans that come with cases can receive external lubrication. Ironically, cheaper fans have less expensive maintenance than high quality o
Making the move to upgrade your PC is exciting for any geek. There’s almost always something bigger or faster available – if only you spend another fifty bucks. This can lead to a slow budget creep that sneaks up to you and then, BAM! You’re spending a lot more than wan
Technology moves quickly. Except when it doesn’t. Processors continue to advance at a blistering pace but mechanical hard drives, optical drives, sound cards, network adapters and power supplies have experienced less progress. It’s possible, even likely, that your existing PC has several components that can still be u
Overall power draw can sometimes be an issue, as well. Video cards are the primary troublemaker. Be sure to Check This Out the power requirements specified by the manufacturer before buying a new video card. If your current supply is below the requirements you should upgrade it before installing new hardw
That doesn’t have to happen. Through a combination of smart buying and willpower you can keep costs down while gaining a significant performance upgrade. Here are five ways to keep money in your wallet instead of your
You can use this list as a guide to switch to a faster ISP. While a new ISP might still throttle data, if the upper speed limit is faster, and the bandwidth is available, throttling shouldn’t impact gaming on St
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
With the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, houses across the globe get a nice cleaning to rid them of dirt and clutter that has accumulated over the past year. Dust and junk also settle on our computer. Whether your PC is suffering from a clocked up fan or an overloaded hard drive, it is time to give it a thorough spring cleaning. With the following checklist this will be a bre
Optionally, using common household items or after a visit to the hardware store, you can choose to build your own filters. To get started, simply measure the size of your PC’s air-intake vents and cut an appropriate length of material to fit its opening. I’ve heard of pantyhose and screen from a screen-door being used with great succ
There are a lot of good options in the $100 to $150 range for any given processor and, if budget is your concern, it’s wise not to stray too far from them. Top brands like ASUS, Gigabyte and MSI offer plenty of choice for budget shopp