4 Common Newbie Mistakes You Make When Building Your First Computer

What are the common mistakes that beginner PC builders make? Oh, the list can be long, and based on many experiences, we can name at least 20 here alone. For beginners, building a PC is not easy, but it’s not rocket science either; but there are enough components and enough small things that make it easy to overlook a minor, but critical aspect of assembly.

So, here’s hoping that presenting the four most common newbie mistakes when building a first-time PC can help alleviate those mistakes, and that means four less mistakes and 16 more to go. Just kidding.

Mixing up the power cables

Of course you do know how to plug in your cables, but not all plugs are created equal. Take your computer’s internal power supply that has two different kinds of 8-pin power cables: one for the graphics card and the other one for the CPU’s motherboard. So be sure to take a closer look at the pins since they’re shaped differently so you don’t force into where they don’t belong.

Leaving the graphics card hanging out

If the GPU is screwed into the case and plugged into its power, don’t immediately assume that it’s good to go. The graphics card needs to be plugged into a slot on the motherboard. There’s a rubber shield you need to remove to expose the PCI-Express slot, and then the card needs to plug into a matching PCI-Express lane on the board. Make sure of this by pushing the graphics card into the slot until the lock – at the far end of the slot – snaps into place. Then be sure to screw in the card and don’t rely on the motherboard slot to carry all the weight.

Not pushing the power cables all the way in

Many newbies and even experts have fallen into trap of not being able to figure out why the desktop wouldn’t boot. The motherboard seemed to be getting power, the graphics card seemed to be getting power, but the computer just wouldn’t turn on. Take the time to really study because the motherboard power cable could be just a fraction of a millimeter shy of being properly plugged in. It just needed a tiny little push to snap into place. It can look like it was plugged in, but more often it’s not.

Not using anti-static procedures when building a PC

“Grounding” refers to the process of discharging static electricity from the human builder into safe ground that sinks the charge and pulls it away from the user. This prevents electrostatic build-up and discharge into components that will ultimately damage computer hardware, and this damage is not usually immediately visible until the PC is used often. It’s advisable to take some sort of grounding safety precautions such as a simple anti-static wrist strap or a banana plug receptacle that connects to the third prong in a wall outlet.

Choosing the Right Computer Components to Suit Your Needs

Building your own computer is not a rite of passage for anyone, regardless of how tech savvy you are, or aren’t. The reason to build your own computer – and choose the best components for it – is because of the need to do so. When you build your own computer:

• You can easily upgrade it because it’s custom-built.
• By choosing your own components you avoid buying a low-end computer if you’re on a budget, and what you’ll build will run faster. Many low-end computers use inferior components.
• You get more benefits by choosing what you really need:

• Basic system – if you just need something for homebased work and nothing special, you can get solid parts.
• Home system for the family – mainly more RAM and a dual-core processor so all family members can be served.
• Gaming system – you’ll need a faster ATI or Nvidia graphics card, a dual-core processor or quad-core processor, a good quality and faster RAM, and a good SATA hard drive.
• Music sound mixing and production – you’ll need a strong and non-integrated sound card, a decent amount of RAM, and a decent processor.
• Video editing – you need to choose a graphics card fast enough to render what you need to be done. These cards are not the same as gaming cards since there are cards actually made for the professional editing market. A quad-core processor is needed and a large hard drive is needed with multiple terabytes if you need to do a lot of video editing.

What are the bare minimum components you can choose for a computer?

• CPU case with a power supply
• Motherboard (be careful since some motherboards come with integrated video card while most have integrated sound and network)
• Processor
• Memory (RAM)
• Hard Drive
• Video Card

The Processor

This is fairly easy because although you may choose AMD for basic units depending on the motherboard, the best choice will always be an Intel, particularly one of the Intel Core 2 CPU’s if you’re unsure what to choose. Even with an Intel, examine the specs to know what kind of motherboard you need. Just take note that if you plan to purchase a separate video card, don’t get a board with integrated video on it.

The Graphics Card

Choosing a video card will depend on whether you play PC video games or not. If you do, then you’ll need to spend some money for a good card. If not, then you can pick up the regular $50 ATI or Nvidia DVI video card that works fine. Just make sure your motherboard has the correct slot. If you’re a serious gamer, then you’ll need at least an Nvidia 8800 GTS card since it’s blazing fast. Take note that most high-end video cards require a separate power connector, so make sure your power supply has the right connector.

Hard Drives

Most computers at least hold 80GB and you can install a SATA 500GB hard drive for $100. Always get SATA since it’s faster and more stable than the older IDE or PATA. You can also get the newer RAID (redundant array of independent disks) that allows multiple, lower cost hard drives to function as a single unit. SSD’s are more expensive and has less capacity but is more mechanically reliable.

5 Ways to Optimize Your Gadgets to Maximize their Capabilities

Aside from a desktop computer or a laptop, there are so many tech gadgets in our lives today, and it’s important to keep these tech gadgets optimized and well-maintained periodically to keep things running smoothly. Like your desktop PC and laptop, your other tech gadgets need to be cleaned and maintained properly as well as staying well optimized.

Update your Wi-Fi router

Since all tech gadgets connect to the Internet, if you’re experiencing slow Wi-Fi speeds, spotty connections, or trouble with technologies, you might need to update the firmware of your router. Router manufacturers update firmware on a regular basis to fix issues and improve performance. The process for updating a router’s firmware is generally pretty simple but varies between brands, so it’s best to check the user manual or online documentation.

Keep the operating system and other software updated

While Apple, Android, and Windows will default to automatic downloading and installing of updates, some programs and apps on your tech gadgets and devices needs to be updated as well. It’s a good idea to manually check for updates as well, just in case. Sometimes security patches come “out of cycle,” meaning that if the vulnerability is serious, Apple, Microsoft, or Android will release a patch for it as quickly as possible. You also need to check for updates on new drivers for your tech gadgets. If you regularly use a tablet, always check the OS for updates even if the default is set to automatic.

Clear up disk space

Just like a PC and laptop, tech gadgets need to be cleaned internally, that is, old files and other unused items should be cleared out or transferred. While some phones have an SD card for more saving space and most tablets now have a big capacity, eventually, this space gets filled up fast. For tech gadgets to work faster and better, delete or transfer files not in use. Delete what you don’t need and transfer other files that aren’t needed to your PC. For instance, if you have a lot of pictures and videos from all your vacation trips stored in your gadgets, simply transfer these to your PC or an external drive.

Uninstall old unused programs and apps

Almost similar to a PC or laptop, as time goes by and your gadgets rack up space from all those downloaded programs and apps, perhaps it’s time to get rid of what you don’t need or don’t use anymore. In some cases, a few of these were never even used at all. As you remove these programs and apps, you free up more space on your gadgets and they’ll start working faster and smoothly again.

Clean your gadgets

Like a desktop PC and laptop, even tech gadgets collect a lot of dust internally, and its external features also become dirty. You can use canned or compressed air to blow out all this dust and dirt. With most tech gadgets, all you need to remove is the battery to blow out the dirt inside.

5 Steps to Prepare Your Business for Technology Growth

It’s one thing for business owners to start using technology to grow a business; it’s another matter when the business needs to prepare for technology growth. Naturally, technology improves all aspects of a business such as in sales, marketing, production, and communication, and so, a business must always keep in step with technology so its brand or services can also keep pace with its customers.

However, the rate that technology is changing can be daunting for any business. As quickly as a company puts up new computers to improve work production, it quickly becomes outdated or a new version has taken its place in a few years time.

And so, here are a few steps to keep pace with changing technology trends and growth that will help any business to stay ahead.

Acknowledge that not everyone needs to be in the office

A business owner must realize that this isn’t the age of typewriters anymore wherein everyone needs to be in the office and follow a clocking system wherein everyone needs to punch out by 5:00 p.m. Some can be on a business trip, on the road dealing with customers, or staying at home, all using technology to work from where they are. Staying locked to a desk is no longer the norm, especially when innovation is needed. Likewise, the 9-to-5 clocking is no longer the norm since many businesses are now going 24/7 in order to stay in step with their customers. Business owners must realize that technology growth means improving work production but seeing less and less of your workers in the office.

Make the most of communication

A worker no longer needed to be at their desk to be reached by phone. No matter the location of any worker, even overseas, mobile phones, instant messaging, and video conferencing is now making the office worker more mobile and always reachable. Contact and communication is almost always instantaneous. Business owners need to invest in growing communication technology to improve work production.

Paperwork and presentations are no longer done manually

Back in the old days, paperwork was paperwork, and any errors on the manual work was corrected manually as well with white correction fluid and typed over. Likewise, product or brand presentations had to be drawn on overhead projector slides. All this mess is gone thanks to technology. Business owners can invest in software that improves paperwork and filing to the point of paperless files and presentations that can be prepared in a matter of minutes.

Technology streamlines operations

With a growing technology, any business system becomes more efficient, operates much faster, is less burdensome, and is even sometimes automated. By being aware of technology growth, all areas of a business can run smoothly and efficiently.

Technology growth will improve customer service

Technology growth means providingand improving customer service. Technology makes the system run smoothly and efficiently, thus, making customer service interaction in real time and making everything including payments a seamless experience.

5 Reasons Why Every PC Owner Should Always Update their Antivirus Software

It’s one thing to have antivirus software installed to protect your computer against threats, but it’s another matter to keep it consistently and constantly updated.

It’s actually not hard to miss because all antivirus software will prompt you for an update, which is that little pop-op on your screen that notifies you. But if you have been failing to regularly update your antivirus software by ignoring the notifications, chances are you’re not fully protected from Internet safety risks and external attacks. Most notably, your computer might be attacked by a new virus that your software has not been updated for.

It is crucial to update your antivirus software frequently to make sure that it has all of the information it needs to fight the most recent threats. Here are some of the important reasons why PC owners should always update their antivirus software.

New Threats are Created on a Daily Basis

Cyber criminals are always looking for holes and vulnerabilities that they can exploit to create new and more powerful viruses. If your PC’s antivirus software is not updated against the most current viruses that have been created, you are leaving yourself open to attack. Remember that your antivirus protection becomes outdated as soon as a new virus is released, so it is important to keep it as updated as possible.

Virus Protection is Crucial for Protecting Your Valuable Files

Did you know that some viruses and spyware can actually hack into your system and erase or corrupt the data on your computer? Some viruses can even lock away your own information with a password that you didn’t create. If you have any sort of sensitive, valuable, and private information on your computer, it is vital to make sure that you are protected against the most recent viruses.

A Hacker Can Turn Off Your Updates

Are you aware that someone could have accessed your antivirus software and disabled the “real-time” monitoring feature, which automatically downloads updates? Sometimes, this happens when someone is trying to compromise the security of your computer and other times it can happen by accident. If you have set your antivirus software to automatically update but it has been turned off without your knowledge, you could have a false sense of security that leads you to believe that you are protected, but in reality, you are not. Make sure that you check and verify that your computer has the latest software and that it has been updating with the latest virus information.

Your PC Could Infect Others

If your computer contracts a virus, it could affect not only your own hard drive but it could also be passed along to other computers by e-mail, USB flash drive, or network links. This means that any computer you come in contact with or all other computers at work could be infected just because you didn’t update your virus protection.

These are just a few of the reasons why it is so important to keep your antivirus software up to date. If you don’t, you could be leaving your computer dangerously vulnerable to infection.

Reasons Shy It's Worth Buying a 4k TV Now

4K is becoming a new household standard for consumers. 4K UHD TVs are now starting to settle in with a price that reflects build quality, and more and more companies are now focusing on producing more 4K UHD TVs than regular HD TVs. It's inevitable that they will eventually replace our current TVs and move us into a brighter, crisper era of entertainment in the near future.

Here's why some 4K TVs are tremendously cheaper or more expensive than others.

Quality to the Dollar

A TV's display quality is the most important factor for purchasing one, right? The look and feel of a TV, based on the display, can vary widely in a number of ways, far more than simply the amount of pixels packed into a given space. A 4K, or UHD TV will pack in double the amount of pixels as a regular 2K (High Definition) display.

In layman's terms, when 4K content is played on the display, it will look sharp and clear and roughly twice as good as that of a typical HD TV. In addition, many of these 4K UHD TVs will offer more features such as High Dynamic Range (HDR), which is a screen technology that allows a wider color gamut, deeper blacks, and brighter whites. Essentially, the color appears to "pop" a bit more.

Watching 4K Content

If you still watch a lot of content via cable TV, you will not benefit as much from a 4K UHD display. This is because the technology is not yet set up to sent 4K content over the airwaves.

However, there is an increasing amount of 4K content being released on platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. If you plan to ditch your cable provider or already have done so, a 4K UHD TV may be a great choice for you.

If you would like to play games in 4K, the Xbox One S and PS4 Pro offer 4K output. Do bear in mind, though, that not all games are offered in 4K. Rest assured that the number of game studios producing 4K content will definitely grow as time goes on.

Additional Features

When shopping for any electronic gadget or appliance, you always consider all of the added features when making a purchase to get the best value. Not every brand is the same, or even similar for that matter, when it comes down to how color and sharpness will display, the user interface of smart capabilities, and so on.

4K TVs are more expensive than others because more features added into it to make it "smart." A 4K UHD TV marked as "smart" will offer some sort of user interface that enables you to interact with content-based apps such as YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix. This often comes as an additional cost.

Curved TVs will have a slight curve in the display that adds depth in the content being viewed and it makes viewing content from the side of the room a bit easier. And since it's more difficult to produce this type of display, expect that prices will be tremendously higher.

Yelling at the Tech Agent Who is Trying to Help You Will Not Fix Your Computer

In short, users, customers, and callers should try to stay calm when talking to the tech support person on the phone or online because shouting or scolding him will never solve any computerproblem.

Also, not everyone is good at explaining technical computer problems, but the job of technical support persons is to listen intently and carefully to the caller or user. On the user’s part, it helps if the problem can be properly explained, so some advice may be helpful on this part.

Computer complaints, frustration and feelings of helplessness are pretty standard for people who spend their work virtually sitting in front of a computer for the whole day, 5 days a week. So, too, is the temptation to chew out the tech support professional at the other of the phone when you’re staring at a blue screen and you have a deadline coming up.

But before you bite off the head of the help desk analyst, consider that your actions might have consequences later.

People tend to be more emotive over the phone or in an e-mail than they would ever be in person. Especially on the phone, we say things that we would never say face-to- face. In the workplace, the customer is always right but sometimes, a customer can get out of hand and needs to be put in their place. Customers need to be careful because a comment you might call snide or just a way to blow off steam might be construed by a help desk attendant and the HR department as a rather serious workplace offense called bullying.

The customer might simply describe their behavior as being annoyed, dissatisfied or snippy. But the technical support person on the other end of the phone might perceive those comments as belligerent or bullying. If someone feels they are being bullied or intimidated or disrespected, they have a right to complain.

Tech support help desk analysts also complain that there are times when they have customers with high positions or jobs who demand things, demand them immediately, and demand them rudely. In those cases, the tech support can go to the supervisor and simply say: “This guy is really out of line.” Usually, that takes care of the problem, although it may involve a long drawn out out-of- court discussion between the customer and the HR department, and in some cases, even lawyers become involved.

People should realize that tech support call centers sometimes get backed up and need to prioritize the most critical problems first. So if every caller who can’t get her solitaire to work thinks it’s the end of the world, there is now a certain sense of entitlement. People think they’re paying for a service and can walk all over the people providing that service.

And it is unfortunate that 80-20 rule very much applies in these situations; 80 per cent of the calls come from the same 20 per cent of the customers. But if a customer gets belligerent toward one of the technicians, again remember that this has consequences.