Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Travis: I’ve been wanting to build a gaming PC for a while and I’ve finally saved enough money to build one as long as I can keep the cost of the CPU and motherboard to around $400 total.
I’ve found several combos in that price range but I’m most interested in this Intel Core i5 CPU and ASUS ROG motherboard.
Do you think these will make a good gaming computer if I install 16GB of RAM and a good video card?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Byron J.: Hi Rick. I have a serious problem and I need your help.
I bought a new Intel Core i7-4790K CPU the other day to go in a gaming rig that I’m building.
I removed the CPU from the packaging and placed it on the table. As I was working I dropped a screwdriver on the CPU and bent several of the pins.
None of the pins are bent really bad, but I’m afraid I might break them off when I try to straighten them out. As you know, this is a very expensive CPU and I don’t think I’ll be able to return it if I break a pin off.
Can you tell me the best way to straighten bent CPU pins without breaking them off?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Aaron P.: When my PC died I decided to build my own computer instead of buying one off the shelf to replace it.
This is a list of the parts I used in the build:
After the parts arrived I put everything together but I can’t get it to power up. The screen stays blank and there are no beeps or sounds of any kind except for the case fans and PSU fan noise.
I’ve double-checked everything I know to check. Any ideas?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Eric B.: Rick, I’m getting ready to buy a new laptop for my son to use for his schoolwork, and I need some advice on a matter that is puzzling me.
I’ve narrowed down my choices to two models: One has a 2.2 Ghz CPU and 8GB of RAM. The other has a 2.4 Ghz CPU but 4 GB of RAM. Which of these laptops do you think will offer more bang for the buck given that the cost is virtually the same?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]