Hardware

Find computer hardware news, reviews and buying advice concerning everything from desktop computers, laptops, and tablets to solid-state drives (SSD) and processors.

Question

What’s the best way to clean an LCD monitor?

Posted October 3, 2013 - 1:31 pm

I’m afraid to use window cleaner on it, and just rubbing it with a clean cloth doesn’t do much beyond smearing around the fingerprints and other stuff that is already on there. I know there is screen cleaner (which I don’t have at the moment), but is that snake oil, or really a different product than glass/window cleaners.
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Question

How to check to see if a PC’s power supply is working?

Posted October 2, 2013 - 11:27 am

What’s the best way to check to see if a power supply is good or not?
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Question

how Can I Do Crossfire on My Radeon HD 7750?

Posted September 29, 2013 - 6:21 pm

how Can I Do Crossfire on My Radeon HD 7750?
http://www.amd.com
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Question

What does it mean when PC starts making clicking/tapping sound?

Posted September 26, 2013 - 4:11 pm

Clearly, it’s not good. I can still boot up (Compaq Windows PC) usually, although not always. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the hard drive.
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Question

How to get speakers to work on MacBook (headphones will still work fine)?

Posted September 25, 2013 - 3:12 pm

MacBook 2.0Ghz Core2Duo has no audio output through the speakers, but it works fine with headphones. Any idea what to do to fix this?
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Question

What does “safely remove hardware” do to make it “safe” to remove a USB drive?

Posted September 19, 2013 - 9:41 pm

I’ve forgotten a few time, with no ill effects that I’ve noticed, but why should I (presumably) use “safely remove hardware” before unplugging a USB drive from a Windows PC?
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Question

Does it cause any harm to the battery to leave a laptop plug in continuously?

Posted September 19, 2013 - 8:46 pm

Am I shortening my battery life or causing any harm if I leave my laptop always plugged in?
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Question

How many ppi before it is beyond the realm of human perception?

Posted September 9, 2013 - 5:28 pm

Apple really got people to pay attention to the ppi (pixels per inch) of screens with the brilliantly named Retina displays, but when do we reach the point that we lowly humans can no longer see an improvement. There has to be physiological limit there somewhere.
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Question

How to fix very dark laptop display?

Posted September 6, 2013 - 10:31 pm

I have a laptop that has a screen that is so dark that you can really only see it when you are in a dark room with no lights. I’ve tried all the setting changes I could think of in the control panel, but nothing seemed to help. Any ideas of what the problem could be? Do you think it is a bad screen?
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Question

How to fix key that isn’t working on a laptop?

Posted August 30, 2013 - 12:58 pm

I got a refurbished Lenovo laptop recently, and one of the keys on the keyboard isn’t working. I blew it out with canned air, and there was almost nothing in there, so I don’t think it is a bit of dirt causing the issue. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this problem?
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Question

Can you use the same USB cables with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0?

Posted August 30, 2013 - 12:37 pm

Are existing USB 2.0 cables compatible with the new USB 3.0 devices, or will we have to buy all new cables?
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Question

How to use MacBook display as temporary display for a PC?

Posted August 28, 2013 - 11:54 pm

Would it be possible to use a MacBook’s display as a temporary monitor for a PC (with a broken monitor)?
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Question

Do ergonomic keyboards actually help make typing more comfortable?

Posted August 26, 2013 - 7:39 pm

I find that my forearms and wrists start to get uncomfortable by the middle of the afternoon when I spend the day at my desk. I know they have been around for years, but I’ve never tried an ergonomic keyboard other than for short periods at a time.
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Question

How well does the new Leap controler work?

Posted August 20, 2013 - 10:54 am

Has anyone picked up one of the new Leap motion based controllers now that they are out? I thought it looked really neat in the demo videos, but of course, they would make it look as good as possible in those videos. What about in “real life”, any experiences, good or bad? Thanks.
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Question

How to connect a Mac to a HDTV?

Posted August 20, 2013 - 10:42 am

What do you need to do to connect a Mac to an HDTV with HDMI input? I saw a Thunderbolt to VGA adapter at the Apple Store, but they said they don’t make a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. There are some non-apple products that claim to do it, but if Apple decided not to support HDMI, are they safe to use?
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Question

Chromebook or cheap Windows laptop?

Posted August 16, 2013 - 5:03 pm

Which would you get for personal use along with some light business use (word processing, spreadsheets, email, that sort of thing)? Oh, and I’m buying out of pocket.
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Question

How do you calibrate a laptop battery?

Posted August 16, 2013 - 12:13 pm

Two questions, really - how do you calibrate a laptop battery, and does it actually do anything to help extend life of improve performance?
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Question

Which printers are AirPrint compatible?

Posted August 15, 2013 - 3:03 am

Where can I find a list of current AirPrint compatible printers?
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Question

Confirming A8 Quad Core or A9 CPU

Posted August 13, 2013 - 10:35 am

Hi,
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Question

How to diagnose sound of failing hard drive?

Posted July 26, 2013 - 4:42 pm

I have a Western Digital HDD that makes a sound on attempted start up that is a little like one of those European police sirens, three note long. Does anyone know either what could cause this or suggest a guide that can help diagnose problems by sound?
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Question

Can an HDMI port support Dolby 5.1 surround sound?

Posted July 26, 2013 - 12:22 pm

Will an HDMI port support Dolby 5.1, or will you only get stereo output?
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Question

How long is your desktop replacement cycle?

Posted July 23, 2013 - 4:30 pm

There is a bit of a debate at my work about our desktop PC replacement cycle. Currently, we are on a 5 year cycle, which I frankly think is too long, but I don’t get to make the call. This is a SMB with about 40 PCs, so we aren’t talking a Fortune 500 company here. How long is too long to hang onto PCs?
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Question

What causes batteries to ignite?

Posted July 12, 2013 - 12:17 pm

The most recent “cell phone blows up” story made me wonder, what actually causes these batteries to ignite? Is there something some users are doing that make it it likely to occur, or is it really one of those luck of the draw events that just occurs randomly?
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Question

How can I get sound when using HDMI to connect a laptop to a TV?

Posted July 11, 2013 - 12:25 am

When I connect my Compaq Windows 7 laptop to a tv using HDMI cable, I get picture but no sound. I though HDMI supported both. What am I doing wrong? it is literally just one cable to plug in, so I don't see what I could be messing up.
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Question

How much will the new Mac Pro cost?

Posted July 5, 2013 - 2:59 pm

I am seriously loving everything I’ve seen about the new Mac Pro so far, and not just the super cool cylinder exterior. What’s not to love about a Mac where the “base” model has a 3.2Ghz quad core Intel Xenon E5, 2 killer AMD Firepro GPUs, next-gen PCI Express flash storage, etc., etc. What I haven’t seen is how much it will cost.
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