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Question from Kendra: Hi, Rick. I really love your blog, especially the section where you answer questions from your readers.
If you don’t mind I’d like to ask a question of my own.
Back in March of 2023 the tech guy I used at the time installed a Crucial 500GB SSD in my Acer laptop and it really made it run a lot faster. [Read more…]
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I’m frequently asked to recommend a specific tech item that I trust and feel comfortable recommending to others.
Since I receive so many of these requests I thought it might be a good idea to create a page featuring the products I recommend most often.
Note 1: If you click on a product link and find that the item is sold out, please let me know so I can update it. Thanks a bunch!
Note 2: Amazon’s user reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to choosing the best item in its category, but only if you know how to properly evaluate the reviews. I strongly recommend that you read this before making a buying decision based upon competing reviews.
This laptop is very affordable, yet well suited for typical home/student/Internet use.
It comes with Windows 11 Pro instead of Windows 11 in S mode (that’s a huge plus). It also comes with a 15.6″ screen, which is larger than the screens you’ll find on many budget laptops.
This nice Dell is for those who need a little more horsepower than you typically find in a budget laptop, but in a machine that won’t break the bank.
It has a great combination of RAM and fast SSD storage to go along with its very capable Intel i5 CPU. I believe it’s a really good deal for the money.
If you’re looking for a machine with speed and power to spare, this could well be the best value you’ll find in its price range.
Its ultrafast AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 Processor, 16GB DDR5 RAM and spacious 1TB SSD and other advanced features make this a fantastic choice for a less-than $1,000 laptop.
This quickly became my favorite gaming laptop after it was introduced – and it still is.
ASUS ROG machines are quite popular with gamers thanks to their reputation for high quality and power at a very reasonable price. This particular model is fantastic.
This is an excellent machine for everyday Internet, social media, home and business use.
If you’re looking for a good, but very affordable desktop PC that’s capable of most any typical home computing task, this is it.
This little gem is about the size of a brick, but it has about as much processing power, RAM and SSD storage capacity as some mid-range laptops.
This tiny PC is roughly the same size as the brick-sized GMKtec machine above, but it’s packed with tons of computing power.
If you want a desktop PC that doesn’t take up a lot of desk space but is absolutely packed with computing power, storage and general awesomeness, this is the one.
This laptop is perfect for students or most anyone else who wants to move into the Apple world without spending a ton of cash.
It comes with all the usual advantages found in Apple products and it’s quite fast when performing most every tasks.
This machine fits into what I consider to be sweet spot when it comes to Apple MacBook laptops, providing a great balance between price and performance.
High performance rules the day with this high-end MacBook Pro. This is a top-seller for Apple, for good reason.
Like it’s MacBook Air cousin, this popular iMac is an excellent machine for anyone wanting to move to the Mac world.
It’s compact all-in-one design is a real space saver, and it packs plenty of punch for the price.
If you’re looking for top performance in a desktop Mac, you can’t go wrong with this gem.
I believe this is the best Chromebook deal going at the moment and it’s the only one I’m currently recommending.
This little gem is still an excellent value for the money!
More power and speed. Well worth the upgrade.
If you’re looking for a tablet that rivals the power of a laptop, this one is fairly close.
I’ve used more expensive Android tablets but I really like this one for an everyday tablet.
If you need something a bit faster and more responsive, this is a great choice.
I don’t have a recommendation for this because I really can’t justify the extra expense for an Android tablet that costs more than $500.
One of my most frequent recommendation requests is for a really cheap monitor that’s still dependable and gets the job done. This is it.
This is my primary work monitor. I love it!
This is one of the best-selling gaming monitors on Amazon. Try it for 15 minutes and you’ll find out why.
I have used Brother printers for years, with great success. This is the laser printer that one I use on a daily basis and I love it.
Again, I have to go with Brother… This is a really good one.
This could well be the best value for a reliable backup storage drive, period.
I believe this is the best deal going right now for a really good, and really fast external SSD.
I have had three of the units protecting my work computers and TV for quite some time. They work flawlessly.
Unlike a typical WiFi extender, this three-node mesh system provides much better coverage even though it’s very close in price to what you would pay for a quality extender.
This system supports Gigabit speeds and great coverage, without the premium price tag.
This kit features the latest WiFi 7 technology with support for up to 5 Gbps speeds and expanded coverage (up to 6,000 sq. ft.).
This system provides reliable backup power for extended power outages (or when you’re camping). It will keep your CPAP machine, your refrigerator and your other essential gear powered up any time you don’t have available grid power.
If you only need to keep your phone and other small gadgets powered up during power outages or when you’re on the go, you don’t really need a full-blown solar generator. This little gem is all you really need.
This is probably the easiest digital picture frame to use, period. And it works like a champ.
This little gem will keep you updated right to the very second with what’s going on weatherwise in your very own neighborhood (indeed, in your very own back yard).
This thing is simply amazing. Plug it into any existing 120V electrical outlet and you’ll have the equivalent of a 5 outlet surge protector and 4 USB charging ports in one very compact unit. I have three of them and I absolutely love them.
This will protect everything in your entire home from power surges and lightning strikes., including your major appliances that cannot be plugged into a standard surge protector.
As businesses grow, data naturally accumulates. But when that accumulation turns into “data sprawl,” it stops being an asset and starts becoming a liability. You aren’t just paying for storage you need; you are paying to store redundant, obsolete, and trivial data that no one has touched in years.
This isn’t just a housekeeping issue—it is a significant financial drain. According to Security Magazine, most organizations are spending 30% or more of their IT budget on data storage. That is nearly a third of your resources tied up in maintaining digital clutter rather than driving innovation.
Cleaning up your cloud environment is about more than just tidying up folders. It is about recovering your budget, securing your infrastructure, and turning your storage into a streamlined, strategic asset.
[Read more…]
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I frequently receive questions about speeding up computers that have become sluggish over time or fixing problems that prevent Windows from working as it should.
There are a number of different responses that I usually have for those questions, and the one I give depends on the actual issues they are experiencing with their machines.
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I often hear from readers how much they hate having to contact “Tech Support” when an issue arises with their computer or one of their other gadgets.
As you probably know, calling Tech Support is usually about as much fun as having a tooth pulled without an injection of Novocain.
Well, truth be told, the Tech Support experience is often intentionally designed to be frustrating because some companies would rather have you resolve the issue on your own instead of utilizing their Support system.
Luckily, there are a few things you can try that just might help you resolve your issue without having to call Tech Support at all: [Read more…]