Elmo Krebs

There are two ways to place an operating system on the new drive. One is to clone the data on your previous drive to the new one. The other is to start fresh and put a new installation of your operating system on the new dr

For this particular exercise, I used a high-grade grease (non-conductive) rated for 2,000-3,000 RPMs. A thinner lubricant will suffer from separation at high speeds, which causes the grease to literally separate from the surface it coats. And, never, ever use WD

Series – cards are nearly always released in series (e.g. the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 and NVIDIA GeForce 9800 both belong to the 9000 series). What series a card belongs to is important to look at. It’s nearly always advised to pick a card from the latest possible series. One of those can sometimes be superior to a more powerful card from a lower ser

Even if these components can handle your upgrade you may still run in to trouble if it won’t fit in your enclosure. This has always been a common problem, but it’s even read more on pcbuildinsight.com`s official blog common today. Computers are becoming smaller, which means a lack of physical space is more of a conc

Whatever electronic equipment you are cleaning, do not clean it while it is turned on! Do turn the device off and remove the power source. Do not use dripping wet sponges or cloths. Do use damp cloths and alcohol-based cleaners as they will dry faster. Do not attempt to dismantle a device if you are unsure whether or not you will be able to put it back together. Do consult a manual or instructions from the manufactu

The benefits of SSDs are not in question. But how do you install one? Actually, installing a hard drive is one of the easiest upgrades possible. Anyone with two hands and a screwdriver can do it. Here’s

In 27 illustrated pages, get to know your RAM from your CPU, and learn how to pick a decent graphics card. Once you're done with it you’ll be able to buy the right components for your soon self-built

Once open, locate the drive bays. These are usually at the front of the case below the large optical drive bays. The bays themselves are usually just metal brackets with screw holes, though some more expensive cases will custom "tool-less" mounting system. If your case has such a system you may need to refer to it for mounting instructi

Getting started requires only one of the following - machine lubricant, a PC dust filter or pantyhose, although you can use all three if desired. However, keep in mind that these methods mostly apply to desktop PCs. For laptops, while you can easily build your own dust filter and grease its fan, you are better off first applying conventional methods because of their complex inner worki

Every self-respecting gamer needs a computer to match up with the growth of today’s games. Because of the constant upgrading, gaming can become a very expensive hobby. By building our own computer and reducing cost, we can save up to a few hundred bu

Once you’ve boot into your operating system from the solid state drive it’s time to install drivers. Most SSDs will come with drivers, and I do recommend installing them. They usually include drive management utilities that maximize the performance and reliability of the dr

To keep costs down you can aim for one of the less impressive options or an older product. The Crucial M4, which was once considered cutting-edge, is now pretty mundane. And that means you can buy a 128GB model for just

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

In this guide, you will learn how to build a gaming PC and familiarize yourself with all the different computer components, from a gamer’s point of view. Instead of telling you what to buy, we’ll teach you how to weigh and judge these individual compone

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

Operating systems generally are not a limitation when you are upgrading hardware, which is why the topic shows up last in this article. This doesn’t mean they are never an issue. It’s possible that you may find yourself with a hardware upgrade that is physically compatible with your system in every way but still doesn’t w

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