computer hardware Archives - Page 9 of 10

Q&A: Should I buy a PC with a stand-alone graphics card?

Posted on February 22, 2013

Question from Kim F.: Hi Rick! I really love your daily tech tips, especially the questions and answers. Now I have one of my own…

I’m in the process of shopping around for a new desktop computer and I’m pretty much up to speed on the advantages of more memory and faster CPUs, but there’s one thing I’m unclear about.

Does it really pay to spend more for a computer with a stand-alone graphics card rather than one with integrated graphics? Thanks in advance for your reply!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Charge your iPad from any computer with a USB port

Posted on February 18, 2013

meritline-usb-ipad-charger The USB ports in a typical laptop computer simply cannot supply enough current to charge an iPad, but now there’s an awesome little device from Meritline allows you to charge your iPad from any computer’s USB port, including your laptop.

As you can see in the photo, the dongle looks somewhat like an over-sized USB drive. Just plug it into a USB port, then plug in your iPad and you’re all set!

While I haven’t tried it personally, the customer reviews I’ve read on the Meritline website give it high marks, and independent testing by at least two national computer magazines seem to confirm that the praise is warranted. And the best part is you can get your hands on one for just $4.99 – and that includes the shipping fee!

Click here to check it out at the Meritline website.

Q&A: Can I buy an external hard drive that works with both my PC and Mac?

Posted on February 17, 2013

Question from Chad: I’m in desperate need of a USB external hard drive that I can plug in to my Mac when I’m at home and then take it to work with me to plug into the Windows 7 PC I use there. The larger the better, but 2TB or larger will suffice.

I’ll be using this drive to transfer large video files that are several gigabytes each. Can you tell me where I can find a drive that meets this requirement? I’ve checked all over the web with no luck. Thanks! [Read more…]

Q&A: How much memory can my Dell Inspiron 620 hold?

Posted on February 14, 2013

Question from Renita: Rick, I have a Dell Inspiron 620 desktop computer with 4GB of RAM in it. It’s running Windows 7.

A friend told me that I should upgrade the memory to the maximum that it’ll hold because it’ll speed up my computer. I actually have two questions:

1 – Is he right?

2 – If he is, how much memory will this computer hold? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it safe to run my Sony Vaio Z laptop with a bad fan?

Posted on February 10, 2013

Question from Camille: I have a 2 year old Sony Vaio Z laptop that works great but I recently noticed that the fan never comes on anymore. It does seem to get hotter than usual but it never gets too hot to touch. Since it’s over 2 years old I hate to spend a lot of money on getting it fixed. Do you think it’ll be ok to run it with a bad fan?

Rick’s answer: Camille, if I were you I’d spring for the repair bill and have the fan checked out and replaced if it indeed turns out to be defective. My guess is that it is, but there are other problems besides just a bad fan that can cause it to stop spinning. [Read more…]