Apple : Best gaming chair 2019: the best PC gaming chairs

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• Best gaming chair 2019: the best PC gaming chairs
• Best gaming mouse pads 2019: the best mouse mats for gamers
• Microsoft HoloLens 2 needs to get into living rooms sooner rather than later
• Mother's Day flowers: the best last-minute online delivery services
• Windows 10 is a step closer to never needing passwords
• Amazon Prime Day 2019 US: everything you need to know for the July deals event
• The best Samsung Galaxy Watch Active prices and deals in May 2019
• Facebook relaxes blockchain ad rules
• AMD Ryzen 3000 processors may come with up to 16 cores inside
• Best PC power supply 2019: top PSUs for your PC
• Toyota and Panasonic team up on smart homes
• Best RAM 2019: the top memory for your PC
• Best CPU cooler 2019: top CPU coolers for your PC
• The best PC case 2019: top cases for your desktop computer
• Best webcams 2019: the top webcams for your PC
• Best computer speakers 2019: the best audio systems for your PC
• Best SSDs 2019: the top solid-state drives for your PC
• Best hard drives 2019: the top HDD for desktops and laptops
• The best motherboard 2019: the top Intel and AMD motherboards we've seen
• The best graphics cards 2019: all the top GPUs for gaming

Best gaming chair 2019: the best PC gaming chairs Posted: 09 May 2019 01:15 PM PDT Let’s say you just got a new gaming PC, a new gaming monitor and maybe even picked up some of the best PC games that’ve been on your list for a while. But, where are you going to sit? Rather than settling for that ratty old office chair handed down to you by your dad, the best gaming chairs can take your gaming experience to another level. After all, no one wants to emerge from an hours-long gaming binge looking like Igor from Young Frankenstein.  But, there are so many gaming chairs on the market today, plus plenty of knockoffs that will break in a few weeks. So, we here at TechRadar put our sitting expertise to the test, picking out the best gaming chairs on the market right now. From chairs that will make you look like a futuristic race car driver to more bland and stealthy affairs, we’ve covered all the bases. We’ll help you find the perfect gaming chair for your set up, so you can spend more time sitting and gaming, and less time shopping. Because – let’s be honest – we do our own fair share of sitting here at TechRadar, and we’re very familiar with the best gaming chairs. Whereas most gaming chairs try to market themselves as being luxuriously upholstered with leather, Secretlab has shown fabric is the way to go. Between the Secretlab Titan’s SoftWeave fabric exterior and extremely plush padding, you won’t find anything softer or more comfortable this. This throne of gaming chairs also comes with a larger seat, subdued molding and built-in lumbar support, so it really is unlike anything else on the market. It’s no exaggeration to call the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather the best gaming chair. From the cross-thatched embroidery to the real leather of its namesake, if you’re looking for a no-compromises gaming throne, this is it. Plus, it’s surprisingly quick and easy to set up. And, once the set-up is complete, the Epic Real Leather is a dream to sit on – and you can customize your position however you want. Just do us a favor, and read the instructions while you’re setting it up. If you’re looking to sit back and play games all day in comfort, but you don’t want a chair that looks like a gaming chair, you’ll want to take a look at the Autonomous ErgoChair 2. Marketed as an office chair, the ErgoChair 2 has a very modern and stylish aesthetic to it that will appeal to anyone that doesn’t use RGB as a personality trait. It’s not all style, either, as the ErgoChair will also let you adjust basically every part of the chair, so that no matter how your body is built, you’re guaranteed to be comfortable while gaming. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Respawn 115  You don’t so much as sit on the Secretlab Omega, but rather, you float on it. Not only does this gaming chair some of the thickest foam we’ve ever had the luxury of sitting on, both the neck pillow and lumbar pillow are also made of memory foam covered in velour. Most gaming chairs are designed to be slept in, but the Secretlab Omega is the only one comfortable enough for us to doze off in long stretches. Leather and fabric have their advantages, namely to comfort and texture, but sometimes a mesh office chair is best – especially if you live in a warmer climate, where breathability is of utmost importance. The Respawn-300 combines the racing-seat design and lumbar support and mesh material from some high-end office chairs. It really does take comfort to another level and is one of the best PC gaming chairs you can buy today.  This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather.  Corsair is known for making popular and high-end PC components and gaming peripherals, and now it’s making a mark in PC gaming chairs. This has resulted in one of the best gaming chairs we’ve ever sat in. The Corsair T2 Road Warrior is covered top to bottom in breathable PU leather with neck and lumbar pillows wrapped in microfiber, you’ll be able to game in both comfort and style. And, with its rollerblade-style wheels, you can move it around on any surface without having to worry about scratching up your floor.  Noblechairs is well known for crafting some of the best gaming chairs out there – and the Noblechairs Icon makes it clear why. While it’s more affordable than the flagship Epic Real Leather, it’s still extremely comfortable and one of the best PC gaming chairs out there. This is thanks to its nice lumbar pillow, which you can easily remove if you don’t like it.   The Edge GX1 is a gaming chair that actively avoids the popular racing style that is increasingly popular with modern gaming chairs. Rather than sticking to a form factor that’s designed to limit your movement, the Edge GX1 instead aims to give an ergonomic experience, where comfort is the priority – while also providing a premium chair. And when we say premium, we mean it, with the Edge GX1 costing £800, a huge amount for a gaming chair. It’s hand-crafted in the UK, and there’s some great touches, such as inflatable lumbar support. It’s a huge asking price, but we’ve been using it for a while now, and it is very comfortable. You’ll have to adjust a bit, but once you get it right, it’s worth the high price. It ships worldwide from the UK, but US and Australia readers should beware the high shipping costs. You can only buy this chair direct from Edge There’s a certain subset of the PC gaming community that needs to have the absolute best of everything, at whatever the cost. These people are going to be absolutely enamored with the Vertagear Triigger 350 SE. It features over 350 individual components with a mix metal, mesh, leather and high-end plastics to create the ultimate PC gaming chair. If you have the money to spare, and you can’t stand to have anything less than the best, you might want to give this chair a look.  The Nitro Concepts C80 is a gorgeous, comfortable gaming chair that could easily blend in in an office environment – it looks more expensive than it is. Nitro Concepts made one of the best gaming chairs by keeping the price down, while keeping compromises to a minimum – like using polyurethane instead of leather. And, no compromises were made in the build quality, either – this is an impressively sturdy gaming chair. Just make sure you get a friend to help you put it together – constructing this thing had us tearing our hair out. This product is only available in the UK at the time of this writing. US and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noblechairs Icon  Image Credit: TechRadar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best gaming mouse pads 2019: the best mouse mats for gamers Posted: 09 May 2019 01:13 PM PDT Just a few years ago, the best mouse pad for gaming was just a mouse pad, maybe it had an extra slick surface or some gaming logo on it. However, these days things have changed radically. The best gaming mouse pads now feature things like RGB lighting and even wireless charging – they truly have adapted to all the demands of modern PC gamers. It should be obvious that having a good mouse pad is essential, but if you’re already playing the best PC games on the best gaming PC with the best gaming mouse, why would you settle for anything less than the best mouse pad? Spoilers: you wouldn’t. Loading up an online retailer will immediately make one thing clear: there are hundreds of mouse pads. And, while that does mean that it’s hard to find the best mouse pad for your needs, it also means there’s a mouse pad out there for everyone. So, whether you want to light up your desk like a Christmas Tree, or if you want a slick pad for maximum accuracy and response times, we’ve found the best gaming mouse pads you can use today. Image Credit: Corsair The Corsair MM600 isn’t interested in distracting you with brightly colored lights like the MM800. Instead, it offers a great deal more versatility than its higher priced sibling. This double sided mouse pad stays secure in place with rubber stoppers on each corner so that your mouse moves – not your mouse pad. The MM600 is also made of aluminum, and features a low-friction surface that will boost your response times in-game.  Image Credit: SteelSeries Existing solely as a budget mousepad, the SteelSeries QcK does exactly what you want out of a mousepad and nothing more. The QcK’s surface material has a high thread count for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth glide. At the same time, its rubber base helps prevent it from sliding around your desk while you’re gaming. It comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and there’s even a higher end version with RGB lighting – the SteelSeries QcK Prism.  Image Credit: Cooler Master There are a lot of mouse pads out there that we love in theory, but just won’t fit our desk – either too big or entirely too small. However, the Cooler Master MP510 looks to get on top of this problem by offering 4 different sizes, from a small pad that’ll fit any desk to a giant mouse pad that will take up even the largest desk. It’s made of a durable Cordura fabric that won’t fray, stain or even absorb liquid. So, you won't have to panic when you inevitably spill your drink – except for all your other peripherals, we guess.  This product is only available in the UK as of this writing. US and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the SteelSeries QcK. Image Credit: Razer Sure, everyone loves RGB lighting, but what if you’re looking for an unobtrusive, seamless desk surface? Well, the ultra thin – less than half a millimeter in height – Razer Sphex v2 is the mouse pad for you. Despite its thin profile, the polycarbonate surface is durable and optimised for laser or optical gaming mouse control. We picked the regular size, but if you have a smaller desk, there’s a Small size variant as well.  Image Credit: Roccat The top of the Hiro+ is covered in a vulcanized silicone surface with a 3D structure to help increase your  gaming accuracy and speed. The base has a non-slip surface for steady mouse control, and the edges have been rounded for a smoother profile. Its surface is also coated to protect from water and grime, and makes for easy cleaning. Image Credit: Corsair Most people think that the best gaming mouse pads are just glorified tablecloths that you move your mouse on top of. Well, until the Corsair MM1000 Qi hit the market, that was almost right. Not only is this thing one of the best gaming mouse pads, but it also features Qi charging. Launching alongside the Corsair Dark Core RGB SE, which itself features Qi compatibility, the MM1000 Qi isn’t just Corsair’s answer to the Logitech PowerPlay, it takes mouse pads to the next level. Image Credit: Razer Let’s say you have a ton of RGB-bedecked peripherals, a keyboard, a mouse and maybe even a headset. You can’t just leave your mouse pad out of the RGB party, so you should keep an eye out for the Razer Goliathus Chroma. This illuminated mouse pad takes Razer’s expert RGB implementation and throws it into a soft gaming mouse pad that’ll let you score those headshots, and do it in style. Image Credit: Corsair You simply can’t go out looking for the best mouse mat for gaming in 2019 without considering RGB. All the hottest gaming peripherals right now boast about how they can light your desk up like a Christmas tree, and the Corsair MM800 RGB Polaris is no different. On top of Corsair’s always-fantastic RGB implementation, the MM800 uses a low-friction finish that’ll allow for quick and precise tracking across its surface. And if the lighting wasn’t enough, the MM800 uses Corsair’s special CUE2 interface to sync its lighting with your other peripherals and even your PC through RGB share. It’s even available in two materials: cloth and a micro-texture surface.   Image Credit: Asus More of a ‘desk pad’ than a gaming mouse pad, the Asus ROG Scabbard is absolutely massive. It can hold your laptop or keyboard and mouse, along with any other accessories you have lying around. It has a non-slip ROG red rubber base and low-friction Sheath woven surface for maximum mouse control. Asus has even temperature tested the ROG scabbard down to -30°C – but we wouldn’t recommend gaming in sub-zero conditions, even if you’re really into overclocking. Image Credit: MSI Are other mouse pads just too soft for your gaming setup? Well, if so, you’re in luck – the MSI Thunderstorm gaming mouse pad is all metal. To be precise, this gaming mouse pad is made of an anodized, hairline-surfaced aluminum material with rubber stoppers. This textured surface is optimized for mouse control and speed, while its L shape allows it to be situated close to the keyboard. And, if that metal surface is just too real for you, you can flip it over for a micro-textured surface and the comfort of cloth.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Microsoft HoloLens 2 needs to get into living rooms sooner rather than later Posted: 09 May 2019 01:13 PM PDT Watching someone use Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 while holding a conversation with you is almost as good of a demonstration as using it yourself. It’s a glimpse at the wild future of computing in store for us – all of us – mere years from now. While watching Greg Sullivan, director of communications for Microsoft’s HoloLens division, swipe at, pinch and tap invisible objects in the demo room – all the while answering my endless questions about how the device works – I’m in awe of the dexterity with which he does it all. Sure, this is someone who has given these demos to the press and analysts likely hundreds of times by now, but he does so with such intuition or even instinct that you or I would approach a touchscreen or keyboard with today. There’s something that comes so incredibly natural to him about it that’s convincing enough of what technology like HoloLens 2 holds for the future. Then, I put the headset on for the first time.  Surprisingly, all of my assumptions are affirmed. This is a brand new technology that’s still in development, after all, but it’s nevertheless telling of where computing is headed in the long-term future. So sad am I to hear Sullivan tell me, then, that consumers shouldn’t expect to see Microsoft entertain a consumer version of its augmented reality (AR) for another few years at least. This is especially depressing because, like far too many things, it comes down to money. Replace the architecture mockup with a riveting game of Minecraft, and you're there. The highest hurdle in front of HoloLens 2 Simply put, HoloLens 2 is just too expensive of a product to produce at mass market scale. Sure, plenty of people are clearly entertaining the prospect of a $1,980 (£1,800, about AU$2,810) Samsung Galaxy Fold that might not even work. Alas, the HoloLens 2 sticker price of $3,000 (about £2,290, AU$4,260) is just too much for the majority of consumers today. With that, Microsoft is focused on enterprise, industrial design and field work applications, areas where businesses can recoup the high cost almost instantly in the amount of regular expenses the headset would eliminate. If a Japanese airline can troubleshoot one of its planes grounded in Australia without sending an engineer down there personally, the one-time price of HoloLens 2 would cover those travel costs – and nearly every cost thereafter – instantly, Sullivan tells me. He makes an excellent point. This is why HoloLens 2 makes much more sense as a product for businesses than it does for our living rooms today. But, if Microsoft wants to see its incredible vision for holographic computing gain critical mass, it’s going to need to produce a version of the technology that more consumers can afford.  The HoloLens is already inside classrooms at nearly all levels of learning, I’m told, but that won’t be enough if those same lucky students can’t take those immersive lessons home with them. Perhaps pricing closer to that of, say, the first folding phones would be more palatable. Pre-orders of the Samsung Galaxy Fold sold out shortly after they were made available, and that’s only the first crack at such technology – one that isn’t going so well at that.  Meanwhile, HoloLens 2 is a clearly more proven product being the second version, but it’s still prohibited from mass market growth today. It’s likely that one or more of the parts within the HoloLens 2 headset that create the AR experience are too expensive to source or produce in-house for Microsoft to price it more appropriately for consumers. That is, at least in the short term. Imagine outfitting your house with furniture before even stepping into the store. Microsoft clearly wants this But, I’m told that Microsoft isn’t ruling out the possibility of releasing a mass market version of HoloLens in a matter of years. To wit, one of the company’s first times introducing the headset was at its E3 gaming conference keynote, showing what mega-hit Minecraft could look and play like in AR. Sullivan himself confirms to me this is exactly why Microsoft chose this as one of the first showings of the technology many years ago. Microsoft used the event to gauge consumer interest, but it was likely the later-revealed price that scared folks away – not the device itself. Even if that was the case, HoloLens 2 solves many of the issues with the first model in terms of comfort and usability. After trying it out at Build 2019, it’s so much more improved that I would love to see an enhanced version of Pokémon Go for HoloLens 2: imagine multiplayer Pokémon battles playing out on your coffee table. Beyond that, the implications for home life are exciting regardless. Connecting with long-distance friends and family as if they’re in the room with you, taking homework to the next level and drastically enhanced board games are just the beginning. While it’s already merely a matter of when we’ll see Microsoft’s HoloLens technology offered up to consumers in an earnest way, the civilian world is ready for it now … and we’re growing impatient. These are the best laptops to date, most which running Windows Image Credits: Microsoft This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Mother's Day flowers: the best last-minute online delivery services Posted: 09 May 2019 12:45 PM PDT Mother's Day is only a couple days away (this Sunday to be exact) and if you're still searching for the perfect gift for mom, then placing an online order for flowers is always a fantastic last-minute option. You can order a gorgeous bouquet in minutes from a variety of online retailers such as Pro Flowers, 1-800-Flowers, Amazon and more. Most online retailers are offering promotions on Mother's Day floral arrangements that are guaranteed to ship in time for Mother's Day weekend. Whether she likes roses, hydrangeas, tulips or wildflowers - all of the retailers we listed offer a wide selection of bouquets that meet all needs and budgets. We've listed all of the delivery fees and schedules below, so you know the cut-off dates for the standard delivery fee. If you do decide to procrastinate, fear not. Some online flower delivery services offer same-day delivery but will charge a premium fee. If you don't mind an early delivery date, 1-800-Flowers is currently offering 25% off orders with a delivery window starting now through Thursday. We've listed all the current promotions below so you can find the best deal for mom. Best last-minute online flowers (US) Best online flowers (India) Shop more Amazon Mother's Day gift ideas (India) More Mother's Day sales If flowers aren't your thing, we've listed a wide selection of Mother's Day sales and gift ideas below from retailers such as Nordstrom, Amazon, Walmart and more.  Amazon - save on tablets, smart speakers and more Fitbit - up to $30 off select gifts plus free 2-day shipping on orders $50+ with code MOMROCKS SimpliSafe - Mother's Day sale, save 15% off + free camera ($99 value)  Amazon - Flowers, chocolates and gift baskets Coach - complimentary gift on orders $350+ with code GIFT19 Apple - Apple watches Amazon - Kindle E-readers Walmart - gift ideas that include appliances, jewelry, flowers and more Amazon - sous vide precision cookers Overstock - save on watches, jewelry and other Mother's Day gifts Shari's Berries - 20% off gifts $29+  Nordstrom - gifts that include jewelry, fragrance, clothing and more Kate Spade - send a virtual bag to Mom via email or text message  J Crew - up to 50% off denim and chambray Gap - 40% off everything with code STYLE  Sephora - Mother's Day gift sets This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Windows 10 is a step closer to never needing passwords Posted: 09 May 2019 12:41 PM PDT Microsoft's vision of a passwordless future is one step closer to becoming a reality now that the company has gained official FIDO2 certification for Windows 10's biometric authentication system, Windows Hello. The certification is for the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Windows 10 version 1903) which is scheduled to be made publicly available in late May. Currently Windows 10 users can use Windows Hello to access their devices via a fingerprint or by facial recognition on their PC. Users can now log in to Microsoft accounts without a password World Password Day: is this the last one? Empowering CISOs to strengthen password security In a blog post announcing the Windows Hello Fido2 certification, group manager for Microsoft's crypto, identity and authentication team in Azure Core OS, Yogesh Mehta explained the company's reasoning behind trying to do away with passwords, saying: “People don’t like passwords because we have to remember them. As a result, we often create passwords that are easy to guess—which makes them the first target for hackers trying to access your computer or network at work.” FIDO2 certification Now that Windows Hello has gained FIDO2 certification, users can expect to see FIDO Certified logos on new Windows 10 PCS. The Windows 10 1903 FIDO2 certification will also extend beyond Microsoft's software and users will be able to log into their Microsoft Account and to other FIDO-supported sites from Mozilla Firefox. Windows Hello authentication will also be coming to the company's Chromium-based Edge browser soon. According to Microsoft, users should be able to sign in using Windows Hello to its various apps and services including Outlook, Office 365, Skype, OneDrive, Cortana, Xbox Live on PC, the Microsoft Store and more. The days of using a traditional password are slowly coming to an end and thankfully Microsoft and other tech giants such as Google are fully embracing our passwordless future. We've also highlighted the best VPN Via ZDNet This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Amazon Prime Day 2019 US: everything you need to know for the July deals event Posted: 09 May 2019 12:34 PM PDT Get ready to mark your calendar because Amazon Prime Day 2019 is only a couple of months away. The tech giant hasn't officially announced the date, but based on previous years we know the big shopping event will be held in mid-July.  Prime Day first launched in 2015 and has grown into the biggest shopping day of the year with Prime Day 2018 even surpassing Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Last year's Prime Day had 89 million visitors that logged on to the site with 100 million products purchased during the sale event. Globally it was the biggest day of sales in Amazon’s history, and we expect Amazon Prime Day 2019 to be even bigger. It didn't just increase in terms of territories or numbers, but the sale itself lasted longer too. Where 2017's Prime Day ran for only one day (well, 30 hours), 2018 ran for a day and a half (36 hours). We expect this year's sale to last even longer, so Prime members will have even more time snag the hottest deals of the year. Last year's Prime Day was also the first year that discounts were extended to local Whole Foods Market stores. Prime members were able to save on popular grocery items and earned rewards and cash back through Amazon's site. Read on to learn what we can expect for this year's Prime Day and everything we've learned from last year's Prime Day. When is Amazon Prime Day 2019? Even though Amazon hasn't announced the exact date of the big day, we can take a pretty good guess based on previous years. Last year Prime Day went live on Monday, July 16 at 3 PM ET and lasted for 36 hours. Past years the event only lasted for 24  or 30 hours and happened between July 10 and 12. Thanks to the World Cup, Prime Day started later in the month last year. We predict this year they'll stick to their original event dates and start Prime Day on Monday, July 8, although July 16 is our next best bet. The big question is whether the sale will be extended beyond past years. Each year the sale has been lengthened so we assume this year that you could see the longest Prime Day yet. Last year Amazon didn't formally announce the dates of Prime Day till only a few weeks before the big event. Thanks to some snooping from the TechRadar team, we were able to figure out the date a full month before it was announced.  Top Amazon Deals You Can Buy Now Even though Prime Day 2019 is still a couple months away, that doesn't mean you can't find stellar deals now from the tech giant. We've scoured Amazon's site to find the best discounts that you can take advantage of today. We'll be updating this page regularly, so check back to shop the best deals up until the big shopping day. Image credit: Amazon What were the best-selling items from Prime Day 2018? Prime members around the world purchased more than 100 million products during the 2018 Prime Day event. The top-selling items from last year's Prime Day included a mixture of home goods, electronics, and Amazon devices. In fact, it was the biggest event ever for Amazon devices with the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot leading the pack of best-selling items worldwide. The top selling products in the US from Prime Day 2018 consisted of the 6-Qt Instant Pot, Fire TV stick, Echo Dot, 23andMe DNA Test, and the LifeStraw personal water filter. Last year Prime Day extended its sale from devices and electronics to discounts on groceries at the Whole Foods Market chain. Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and Prime Day 2018 was the first time they promoted the big sale event at the grocery store. Savings included price cuts on popular food items and discounts for first time users of the grocery delivery service Prime Now. Amazon also offered $10 back in Amazon credits to use on Prime Day for members that spent $10 at Whole Foods. Amazon credit card users also received double the rewards when they used their card at Whole Foods during the week leading up to Prime Day. We expect this year to be more discounts on groceries in-store as well as promotions with the Amazon Rewards Card and Prime Now. Image credit: Shutterstock How can I sign up for Amazon Prime? To participate in the big shopping event, you must be an Amazon Prime Member. Your membership will not only let you partake in Prime Day, but you'll also have access to Amazon Prime movies, books, music, photos, and more. You can sign up here for a 30-day trial and cancel at any time. All you need is an Amazon account with a valid credit card tied to the account. Once you sign up for your free trial, you'll have access to all the Prime benefits, receive free two-day shipping and partake in the biggest shopping event of the year. Image credit: Amazon What other retailers participate in Prime Day? Every year more and more retailers are trying to compete with the tech giant by participating in their own version of Prime Day. You'll find discounts on clothing, tech, home goods and more from a variety of online and local retailers. Last year Walmart joined in on Prime Day by offering free two-day shipping without membership fees and free same-day pickup on qualifying items. They also discounted a wide array of products that included TVs, Google Home devices, kitchen appliances, laptops and much more. Other big retailers like Target, Best Buy, Macy's and eBay also promoted their own one-day sale with discounts on best-selling items throughout their site. We expect this year that more retailers will participate in the July event and will even extend the one-day sale to a weeks worth of discounts. Amazon Prime 1-day delivery Amazon just recently announced plans to offer free one-day shipping for Prime members on most orders. Amazon's CFO Brian Olsavky revealed the ambitious project during Amazon's first-quarter earnings call. To achieve this, the tech giant says they plan to invest $800 million in the second quarter of 2019 and continue its expansion of their fulfillment and logistics network. Amazon currently offers free 2-day shipping for all Prime members and offers free one-day and same-day delivery on certain items in eligible zip codes. Amazon's future plans include increasing the locations and available items so free one-day delivery replaces the standard two-day Prime delivery window. While we don't think the new one-day delivery will be rolled out in time for Prime Day, we do believe there will be more items available for one-day and same-day delivery in eligible zip codes for the big shopping day. Image credit: Shutterstock Prime Day and Whole Foods Last year Prime Day extended its sale from devices and electronics to discounts on groceries at the Whole Foods Market chain. Amazon bought Whole Foods in 2017 and Prime Day 2018 was the first time they promoted the big sale event at the grocery store. Savings included price cuts on popular food items and discounts for first time users of the grocery delivery service Prime Now. Amazon also offered $10 back in Amazon credits to use on Prime Day for members that spent $10 at Whole Foods. Amazon credit card users also received double the rewards when they used their card at Whole Foods during the week leading up to Prime Day. We expect this year to be more discounts on groceries in-store as well as promotions with the Amazon Rewards Card and Prime Now. Image credit: Amazon How much money did Amazon make on Prime Day? Amazon was predicted to gross $3.4 billion on Prime Day last year, although we don’t know if that prediction is accurate as Amazon doesn’t release such information. However, it did announce that third party sellers shifted a billion dollars of product in just one day. As for its own sales, Amazon was content to say that “sales this Prime Day surpassed Cyber Monday, Black Friday and the previous Prime Day, when comparing 36-hour periods, making this once again the biggest shopping event in Amazon history.” That’s a little sneaky, mind you: last Prime Day only ran for 24 hours, not 36. What were the best deals on Prime Day? As ever, some of the best deals on Prime Day were on Amazon’s own devices. The Echo Show dropped from $229.99 to $129.99, the Echo Spot from $129.99 to $99, the Echo Dot from $49.99 to $29.99, the Echo from $99.99 to $69.99 and the Echo Plus from $164.98 to $99. There was a big drop on the Amazon-owned Ring video doorbell pro too, which went from $249 to $174, and on the Echo Look camera: that went from $199.99 to $99.99. Kindles and Fire ranges got deep discounts. The Fire Stick went from $39.99 to $19.99 and the Fire TV Cube from $119.99 to $89.99 (we told you it was worth waiting a few weeks before Prime Day) while Fire Tablets dropped significantly: the Fire 7 went from $49.99 to an incredible $29.99, the Fire 10 from $149.99 to $99.99 and the Fire 7 Kids from $99.99 to $69.99.  There were good deals on TVs too. In the US, the excellent TCL TVs were massively discounted and better known brands such as Hisense were chopped too: for example Hisense’s 43-inch 4K TV dropped from $349.99 to $239.99.  The best phone deal we spotted in the US was a big drop on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, which went from $799 to a much more affordable $549. Image credit: Amazon Why did Amazon crash on Prime Day? Did the crash cost it money? Amazon struggled to cope with traffic on Prime Day, an issue that affected not just the Amazon site but services such as Prime Video and Twitch. Customers found their shopping carts would suddenly empty, or links simply wouldn’t work, or they couldn’t access Amazon at all. The issues were largely confined to the US website and customers, although problems with Prime Video lasted well into the evening in the UK. Some sites got their calculators out and concluded that the worst outage, which lasted for 63 minutes, cost Amazon just under $100 million in lost sales. Amazon disagrees, saying that the effect on sales was “minimal”.  CNBC has seen internal documents that describe what happened. First, it didn’t secure enough servers to cope with the demand; secondly, that shortage caused a “cascading series of failures” that knocked out key services; and thirdly, Amazon temporarily killed all international traffic to reduce the load. All of those things happened within the first 15 minutes of Prime Day.  The outage wasn’t the only issue Amazon faced on Prime Day. There were also strikes in protest at the way it treats its workers. Image credit: Amazon Why were workers striking and supporters urging Amazon boycotts on Prime Day? Prime Day wasn’t the first time Amazon has been accused of terrible working practices, but it was a great day to get the issue into the papers. Workers in Spain and Germany went on strike over working hours and conditions while activists urged people to send Amazon a message on Prime Day by boycotting it altogether over its treatment of workers and its tax arrangements. It was also marked by a surge in health and safety complaints from UK workers.  As you’d expect, Amazon denies the allegations, with a spokesperson telling us: These allegations and the data are just not accurate — safety incidents in our fulfillment centers did not increase around Prime Day, they actually decreased from the previous week. We’re proud of our team and our workplace, and invite anyone to come see for themselves – we offer public tours of our buildings and you can learn more at amazonfctours.com."   Amazon also told Wired that the Organise campaign behind the publicity was indulging in fake news. “To our knowledge, Organise doesn’t verify that respondents actually work for the company they claim to work for.” Image credit: Amazon What could Amazon have done better on Prime Day? It should have anticipated and been able to cope with the load not just on its ecommerce site but on its cloud services too: we weren’t the only ones irritated because we couldn’t get our Preacher fix on Amazon Prime Video. It’s all the more embarrassing when you remember that Amazon provides the cloud infrastructure for many high-profile sites and services: Prime Day wasn’t a great ad for that side of its business. Our main criticisms aren’t technological, though. Navigating the deals was hopeless and many of the deals were laughable, especially in gaming: we frequently found much better console bundles on AO.com’s eBay page than we did on Amazon.  Here’s a great example. On Prime Day, one of the flagship deals we identified was $50 off a set of Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones. That brought the price down from $299 to $249. Just three weeks later, Amazon US was listing the same headphones for $169. Image credit: Amazon Will Amazon Prime Day 2019 do things differently? Yes. CNBC reports that Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO of worldwide retail, has already demanded improvements to prevent a repeat the previous Prime Day’s capacity problems: “tech teams are already working to improve our architecture”.  We’d like to think that Amazon will also improve the navigation and discoverability of its deals for Prime Day 2019, although we aren’t holding our collective breath: both factors’ general rubbishness didn’t stop Prime Day breaking all records, so there’s not much incentive for Amazon to change it unless it decides better navigation will drive significantly higher sales. But that's why we're here to show you the best Prime Day deals! It’s a safe bet that Prime Day 2019 will be longer. It’s already grown from one day to one and a half; further inflation seems inevitable. Image credit: Amazon What does all this mean for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? It’s clear that Amazon is prioritising Prime Day over Super Black Friday Deals Month or whatever convoluted name it’s going to give its Black Friday sales period in 2019: according to Digitalcommerce360.com, 67% of this year's Prime Day deals were lower than comparable deals on the preceding Black Friday.  That’s not to say Amazon won’t take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It will, and it’ll offer the same kind of discounting that we’ve seen in recent years. But Prime Day is more important to the firm, and we’d expect its discounts to be deeper, especially on its own devices. Image credit: Amazon Prime Day: why does it matter more to Amazon? There are some crucial differences between Prime Day and Black Friday. The first is that Prime Day is Amazon’s own day. It’s right there in the name, which of course refers to Amazon’s Prime membership programme and associated services. Amazon doesn’t own Black Friday, and that means ultimately it’s just another retailer shouting for attention – a massive retailer with a really loud voice, of course, but Black Friday is a sales event for the entire retail sector. It’s much harder for rivals to muscle in on something that Amazon has effectively created from thin air. The second and more important difference is that Black Friday doesn’t create new spending. It just moves it slightly. As we’ve discovered in recent years, the money people spend over the Black Friday period is money they were probably going to spend anyway: all Black Friday really does is concentrates pre-Christmas shopping in the last week of November.  Prime Day spending is different in two ways. First of all, people aren’t spending the money they’d already planned to spend on Christmas presents. And secondly, they’re buying mainly for themselves, not for others. If you go back to the list of bestsellers there’s an awful lot of impulse buying in there: Instant Pots and Hue Lightstrips, frying pans and dishwasher tablets. This is new spending, not merely moving pre-planned spending.  There’s another key benefit for Amazon. Its best-sellers on Prime Day weren’t just Amazon devices; they were Amazon devices that connect to Amazon services. Fire TVs, Kindle Fires, Echo devices, Alexa remotes. Each one of them connecting to Amazon Prime, and each one of them requiring a Prime membership to buy in the first place. So when Black Friday rolls around, Amazon will have a whole bunch of Prime members for whom shopping on Prime is the default, and who might want to enhance their Amazon-powered smart homes with Amazon-branded Black Friday deals. Prime Day means that for Amazon, Christmas now comes twice a year. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best Samsung Galaxy Watch Active prices and deals in May 2019 Posted: 09 May 2019 11:45 AM PDT Along with the announcement of the Galaxy S10 phone, Samsung also unveiled its newest Galaxy smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active. The latest Samsung wearable is available for purchase now, so we've rounded up the best Samsung Galaxy watch prices and deals for from several retailers below. As the name implies, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is focused on fitness, and its new design and features reflect that. The ultra-lightweight Galaxy Active comes in one size and features a 1.1-inch display. The fitness watch continually monitors your heart and will send alerts when an abnormal heart rate is detected. The Samsung watch can also help with your sleep and stress, analyzing your sleep patterns and sending you breathing exercises when high stress levels are detected. The Galaxy Active will also help you keep on track with your health and fitness goals by tracking up to 39 exercises and displaying your health summary on the smartwatch display. The waterproof watch comes in four different colors and has a battery that lasts for days on a single charge. Samsung Galaxy Watch prices The Samsung Galaxy Active Watch currently retails for $199.99/£229. The main reason the Active Watch is cheaper than the original Samsung Galaxy Watch ($329 / £279 for the 42mm model) is that the Active is missing the rotatable bezel, a core feature from the Samsung Galaxy Watch. So navigation of the menus and features is handled by the touchscreen and two side buttons. If you plan on using the Samsung watch just for fitness purposes, then the Galaxy Active is a great alternative at a lower price. You'll find all of the prices from several retailers below.  You can also find out more about the Samsung smartwatch with our Samsung Galaxy Watch Active review. If you're interested in Samsung's newest phone you can find the best Samsung Galaxy S10 prices and deals in the US, and we've got you covered for UK pre-order deals of the Galaxy S10 too. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Facebook relaxes blockchain ad rules Posted: 09 May 2019 11:40 AM PDT A year after banning all blockchain-related ads, Facebook has decided to relax its rules and allow ads for “blockchain technology, industry news, education or events related to cryptocurrency” without the need for pre-approval by the social networking giant. The social media site still won't allow users to advertise for ICOs and ads for cryptocurrencies and exchanges will still need prior approval but the move could lead to renewed interest in blockchain technology. Following last year's cyrptocurrency boom and eventual decline, the industry has struggled to regain the public attention it once had with blockchain events being hit especially hard as Facebook's local and interest targeting capabilities made the social network an ideal place to sell tickets to potential attendees. Facebook launches new blockchain team Huawei rolls out global blockchain Amazon reveals its own blockchain platform Facebook's decision to ban ads about blockchain came out of an interest to protect its users from Initial Coin Offerings and other cryptocurrency deals at the height of the boom. Blockchain ads Users began to see ads for blockchain education this week and other related ads will soon make their way into their news feeds soon. While Facebook has relaxed its policies on blockchain ads, it will soon ban ads for contracts for difference (CFDs) beginning on June 5th as they are often associated with predatory behavior. News of the social media giant's own blockchain efforts surfaced this week with a report from Bloomberg that revealed that its own blockchain group now has over 50 employees, many of which joined the company from PayPal. Apparently  the group is developing a stablecoin which will be pegged to a bundle of currencies Facebook is attempting to raise from outside investors with the aim of keeping the price of its cryptocurrency stable. Greater interest in blockchain could be beneficial to society as a whole as both large and small businesses are looking for new ways to utilize the technology for payments, real estate transactions and more. Interested in blockchain technology? This is everything you need to know about blockchain Via TechCrunch This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AMD Ryzen 3000 processors may come with up to 16 cores inside Posted: 09 May 2019 11:24 AM PDT Before Ryzen 2nd Gen processors (CPUs) even launched, there were rumors of 16-core Ryzen 3000 CPUs, and a fresh leak from TUM_APISAK on Twitter supports that. AMD's third generation Ryzen processors (CPUs) are expected in the coming months, and their 7-nanometer (nm) Zen 2 architecture opens the door for more cores on every chip. The details in the tweet mention an engineering sample Zen 2 processor with 16 cores, a base clock of 3.3GHz and boost clock of 4.2GHz. The CPU is listed as using a motherboard with a X570 chipset. TUM_APISAK is a reliable source for hardware leaks, so this is a strong hint in favor of a Rzyen 3000 processor with 16 cores. So far, AMD hasn't shown off a Ryzen CPU with that many cores. The Threadripper series has shown off 16-core CPUs, with some models offering substantially more than that. But, with Threadripper 3rd Generation CPUs seemingly delayed until 2020 after they were removed from AMD's 2019 roadmap, the Ryzen 3rd Generation CPUs may be the high-core-count option for this year. Check out the current generation of Ryzen Here's all the latest on Ryzen Threadripper 3rd Generation See our review of the Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX Not exactly what we were expecting This isn't the first time we've seen rumors of 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 3000 CPUs. And, as AMD has shown a consistent drive to offer ever-increasing core counts, it feels almost inevitable that Ryzen 3rd Generation CPUs will get 12- and- 16-core variants. But, this latest leak doesn't exactly line up with some of the detailed leaks we've seen before. We'd seen suggestions that AMD would release the following Ryzen processors: Ryzen 9 3850X: 16-cores, 32-threads, clocked at 4.3GHz to 5.1GHz Ryzen 9 3800X: 16-cores, 32-threads, clocked at 3.9GHz to 4.7GHz There's a considerable difference in speeds between these processors and the engineering sample found by TUM_APISAK. So, the question is whether the engineering sample will be representative of of the speeds of the consumer models, or if it simply has lower clocks because it's an engineering sample. Speeds aside, the likelihood of Ryzen CPUs with increased core counts just seems that much more likely as another frequent leaker, Jim@AdoredTV, responded to TUM_APISAK's tweet all but confirming the findings and suggesting a faster 12-core model. Now, we just have to wait and see what AMD CEO Lisa Su has to say at the AMD Computex 2019 keynote, as Ryzen 3000 CPUs and Navi GPUs are both expected. Here are all the details on Computex 2019 Via Hot Hardware This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best PC power supply 2019: top PSUs for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:49 AM PDT Picking out the best PC power supply is the first thing you should do before setting out to build a new PC. Power supplies aren’t as exciting as the best graphics card, but every PC component in your rig will depend on your PSU for power. You don’t want to compromise on a PC power supply, even if it means you’ll have less cash for one of the best processors. Still, finding the best PC power supply doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Even if you’re trying to save some cash, you can  find a great deal on many of the best PSUs. Don’t worry, there are still high-end power supplies, rocking all the RGB lighting you’d expect and enough power capacity to power a small village – or one of the best gaming PCs with two RTX 2080 Tis in SLI. No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find the best power supply for your build right here. Finding the best PC power supply is incredibly important, as if your PSU dies, replacing it can be a major hassle. And, you probably won’t know your PC power supply is dying until it’s too late, as many of the symptoms are hard to detect: they can be as subtle as some lost power efficiency and as obvious as having your PC burst into flames. So, do yourself a favor and pick up one of the best PC power supplies today, so you don’t have to worry about it tomorrow. Image Credit: Corsair The Corsair RM750x scores the top spot on this list for one simple reason: it’s the most well-rounded power supply you can buy today. On top of a 10 year warranty and an 80 Gold Plus efficiency rating, the Corsair has a fully modular cable system. This means you only need to install the cables you need – you can say goodbye to the mess of cables and shoddy airflow that non-modular PSUs endure.  Image Credit: EVGA If you’re on the market for an affordable power supply that doesn’t cut too many corners, there aren’t a lot of options right now. So, an economical power supply like the EVGA 500 B1 may be right up your alley. For less than the price of a new game, you’ll get a full 500 watts of power transmitted through several SATA cables and two PCIe cables. This is hands down one of the best power supplies because it covers the bare essentials and nothing more, which is exactly what a budget PC component needs to do. The three year warranty is a nice touch, as well.  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Corsair RM750x  Image Credit: be quiet! Even the best PSUs seem to have extremely loud fans, and unlike case fans, it’s not exactly easy to replace them. Luckily, the Straight Power 10 line-up runs nice and quiet. Options range from 400w to 700w, and they’re SLI and Crossfire certified. They’re also modular, meaning you only need to use the cables that are necessary for your build.   Image Credit: SilverStone The best PC power supplies unfortunately tend to be giant hunks of metal that don’t fit into smaller PC cases. However, the Silverstone SFX SST SX550 is a compact power supply that fits in plenty of cases. It’s half the size of most of the other PSUs on this list, allowing for more room for better airflow. This makes it an easy pick for anyone building a mini ITX or micro ATX build, and you can even slide it into a mid- or full-tower, if you feel like it. And, with small form-factor PCs being all the rage in 2018 – it’s easy to see why the Silverstone SFX is one of the best PC power supplies. Image Credit: Corsair If you’re a serious builder that plans on building an absolute behemoth of a rig, with multiple graphics cards, cooling systems on top of some healthy overclocking, the Corsair AX1500i is the best PC power supply for you. It has the highest possible 80 Plus Titanium efficiency rating, and is fully modular, so you only need to add the cables your build actually requires.  Image Credit: NZXT If you’re really trying to maximise the visual appeal of your build, a modular power supply is almost essential – you can avoid all of those messy looking wires cluttering up your case. The NZXT E650 takes things a step further. Not only is it a fully modular power supply, meaning you only need to connect the wires you actually need, but it’s also extremely attractive itself, begging to be shown off in your case. This is all topped off with an 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating and a 10-year warranty – not only will it look good, but it’ll deliver power efficiently and last forever while it does it.  Image Credit: Thermaltake In 2018, if your PC isn’t strapped to the nines with RGB lighting, you’re not trying hard enough. Enter the Thermaltake Smart RGB 700W – not only does it have beautiful, addressable RGB lighting, but it also features a reliable 80 Plus efficiency rating and enough power to support even the best gaming PCs. Yeah, it’s not modular, but at less than a hundred bucks, we’re willing to look the other way – especially with that sick lighting.  Pick up the best processors while you're at it Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey has also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Toyota and Panasonic team up on smart homes Posted: 09 May 2019 10:49 AM PDT Toyota and Panasonic have announced that the two Japanese companies will form a new joint venture with the aim of developing connected services that will be used in homes and urban development. This isn't the first time that the two businesses have agreed to join forces and in January they announced a separate joint venture to build batteries for electric vehicles by combining the automaker's R&D and manufacturing strength with Panasonic's prowess in batteries. Toyota and Panasonic will set up a new company early next year with a focus on technology that will allow the two companies to offer personalized services in the home. Toyota showrooms use augmented reality to let customers 'see' inside cars The future of IoT connectivity Panasonic launches monthly payment model for Toughbook devices The two companies will be 50-50 partners in the new business and will also increase cooperation at their respective housing operations in their home country of Japan. Connected homes Toyota and Panasonic's announcement comes at a time when the auto industry has been beset by increased competition from ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft and from lower-emission vehicles. This has led automakers to seek out alternate revenue streams in other industries. Toyota for instance, has been developing connected cars with the ability to share usage information which could be leveraged for on-demand ride-sharing services, insurance and maintenance. The company is prepared to tap into its partner network and its other operations to hopefully expand into new transportation and home energy services. Toyota's President Akio Toyota offered more details on its plan to leverage this network to reporters during the announcement of its new joint venture with Panasonic, saying: “If we are able to use this network going forward not only to manufacture and sell vehicles but to also provide new services, our future possibilities will greatly expand. In addition to cars, I think that having our own housing business and connected business will be a big advantage for us.” This is everything you need to know about the Internet of Things Via Reuters This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best RAM 2019: the top memory for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:49 AM PDT Even if you have an absolute beast of a computer, you’ll run into some kind of slow down at some point. Thanks to memory hungry operating systems like Windows 10 or macOS Mojave, having the best RAM is more important to your PC than ever before. So, if you computer isn’t running quite as fast as it used to, it may be time to go out and pick up the best RAM. But before you head out and buy the first stick of RAM you run across, consider that there are so many different capacities, speeds and even sizes of memory. If you’re not intimately familiar with the PC hardware scene, you may have a tough time finding the best RAM for your rig. Luckily, we here at TechRadar spend entirely too much time fussing over PC components. That’s why we went ahead and picked out the best RAM kits on the market right now. So, whether you’re looking for a quick and easy upgrade that’ll let you open more Chrome tabs, or if you’re trying to run the best PC games, you’ll need the best RAM you can get your hands on. Image Credit: Corsair Best RAM: Corsair Vengeance LED Corsair is one of the most trusted names when it comes to the best RAM on the market. Its Vengeance series, especially, has something for everyone with its LED DDR4 offerings. On top of giving PC builders that extra touch of vibrant lighting, this RAM has robust heat spreaders that maximise cooling for higher overclocking and maximum performance. Corsair’s Vengeance LED DDR4 series also features CL16 latency and whopping 3,466 MHz speeds, so it’s just as fast and responsive as it is aesthetic. Image Credit: G.Skill Best DDR4 RAM: G.Skill Trident Z RGB At this point, everyone kind of knows about G. Skill and its Trident Z RGB series of RAM. This is some of the best RAM not just because it’s fast, but the top of every DIMM features a full-spectrum rainbow wave light bar that you can use to match your RGB lighting across your entire system. Trident Z RGB DDR4 RAM features CAS latencies between 14 and 19 which is awesome enough, but with speeds up to 4,266, it’s almost perfect. No matter your aesthetic, it’s hard to argue with the G. Skill TridentZ RGB as the best RGB RAM. Image Credit: Kingston Best DDR3 RAM: Kingston HyperX Predator Kingston’s high-performance HyperX has some of the best DDR3 RAM on the market and the Predator models is particularly tuned for  and extreme-performance that’s further expandable with XMP profiles. The Predator DDR3 series achieves CL9 to CL11 latencies and speeds between 1866MHz to 2666MHz. Image Credit: Kingston Best Budget RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury  This Kingston HyperX Fury is auto overclocked memory that won’t empty your wallet. This smart DDR3 or DDR4 RAM auto-detects system components to overclock to the highest speeds possible, optimizing performance for all of Intel’s latest chipsets. It comes with latencies between CL14 and CL16, and has speeds between 2,133 and 2,666MHz. While it’s inexpensive, it really can have a huge impact on the performance of your rig.  Image Credit: Corsair Best High-end RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB If you want the best of the best, and you don’t care about pricing, Corsair’s Dominator Platinum memory has always been at the top of the list. However, in 2019, it’s been refreshed to include Corsair’s new Capellix RGB LEDs, leading to a much richer and more colorful design. It’s the same high-end RAM we know and love, with speeds up to 3,600 MHz, but the better RGB make the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB the best RAM around in 2019.  Image Credit: G.Skill Best double capacity memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC Sometimes, especially when you’re looking for the best gaming components, ‘go big or go home’ is the best advice. And, when you want more RAM than you’ll know what to do with, you’re going to want to go with the G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC memory. The DC stands for double capacity, as in,  32GB per stick. Now, this is definitely not the fastest memory in the world, right now it’s only available in up to 3,200 MHz, but if you need a lot of RAM without taking up too many DIMM slots (like if you have a big CPU cooler or a Mini-ITX board), you can’t go wrong with the G.Skill TridentZ RGB DC. Image Credit: Adata Best gaming RAM: Adata Spectrix D80  If you’re building an all-out gaming rig, you’ll want the flashiest hardware on offer – who doesn’t want a gaming rig that lights up the entire room? If this sounds appealing, the Adata Spectrix D80 is the RAM to go for. Not only is it available in frequencies up to 5,000MHz, but it’s also liquid cooled, meaning you don’t have to worry about it overheating. The Adata Spectrix D80 is going to be the best RAM for gaming in an RGB-lit cavern.  Image Credit: Kingston Best RGB RAM: HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB HyperX has always been a huge name in desktop memory, and it’s not hard to see why. The DIMMs they release always feature the latest technologies without pushing the price higher than it really needs to be – and the HyperX Predator DDR4 RGB is yet another example. Not only is this ram fast, but it looks good, too – with Infrared Sync tech that promises to actually synchronize the lighting between DIMMs. And, with its stylish black heat spreaders, this is the best RAM if you want your gaming PC to reach max aesthetic. Image Credit: Corsair Best Low-Profile RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX Corsair’s Vengeance LPX RAM is made for users who want the maximum performance with minimum footprint. This low-profile RAM is essential for PC builds with massive CPU coolers. Despite being so low-profile, they still feature an eight-layer heat spreader to cool while overclocking. While its thin design doesn’t allow for LEDs, but you can get it in three colors: black, red or blue.   Image Credit: G.Skill Best Mac RAM: G.Skill Mac RAM  G.Skill isn’t just dedicated to laptop and desktop RAM, but it also has memory upgrades for Macs. You see, Apple charges inordinate amounts for RAM upgrades, so going with a third party kit can save a ton of money. Well, as long as your Mac is old enough to still have upgradeable RAM. These SO-DIMM kits have a CAS latency between 9 and 11 and feature speeds between 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz. The best bang for your buck seems to be the G.Skill DDR3-1,333 for Mac.  Image Credit: Crucial Best Laptop RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport Crucial is by far the best RAM for laptop systems. This manufacturer has designed its Crucial Ballistix Sport SODIMMs for efficient battery life while still delivering fast speeds for multi-tasking. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to speed up the best laptops, and this memory likely offers higher memory speed than anything coming stock in your laptop. Just make sure your laptop actually lets you upgrade the RAM – repairability is falling out of fashion these days. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best CPU cooler 2019: top CPU coolers for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:48 AM PDT What’s cooler than being cool? That’s right, keeping your PC components ice cold. And, before you go out to find more exciting components like the best graphics cards, you should seriously consider picking out the best CPU cooler, in order to build the best gaming PC you can. After all, keeping your CPU at a low temperature will increase your computer’s longevity – and performance.   The best CPU coolers will come in every shape, size and even price point in 2019, so finding the perfect cooler for your build depends on your processor, whether you plan to overclock and you budget. Luckily, even if you’re trying to save some cash, you can still pick up one of the best CPU coolers – many air coolers are extremely cheap these days. However, you can still splurge on a high-end liquid cooler, taking your cooling performance to the next level. Regardless of what you need to do with your CPU cooler, we’ll help you find the perfect one. We gathered up some of the best CPU coolers on the market, using our PC component expertise. And, because we’ve used these coolers ourselves, you can be sure these heat dissipators will be worth your time. Plus, with our price comparison tool, you’ll know you’re getting a killer deal every time. Image Credit: Noctua The Noctua NH-D15 is the best CPU cooler you can buy in 2019 simply because it performs just as well as – if not better than some liquid coolers, while costing a fraction of the price. Now, you might not be too familiar with Noctua’s name, as they’re relatively small in the CPU cooler world, but its business is centered around designing coolers, so you know that when you buy one of their products, you’re getting a product by people who really know their craft. Not only will you get fantastic cooling performance from the NH-D15, but it’s nearly silent too.  Image Credit: Cooler Master There are some products out there that never really age out of relevance, and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo is still one of the best CPU coolers on the market. Even though it only features four heat pipes and an aluminum fin structure, this legendary CPU cooler has proven again and again to be just as efficient as any liquid cooling system. This air cooler is designed to make heat dissipation a breeze – literally – whether you’re playing Metro Exodus at max settings or browsing Twitter.  Image Credit: Noctua Noctua is an Austrian manufacturer that does one thing, and one thing only: make CPU coolers and fans. What this means is that while the Noctua NH-L9 is tiny, it is still capable of insane cooling with no compromises. This is a fantastic cooler for anyone with a smaller build, or even if you’re using a ton of large components, and you’re not comfortable with liquid cooling.   Image Credit: Corsair Corsair has enjoyed a position at the top of the liquid cooling game for a while now, and the H100i Pro continues the trend. Not only is this thing obviously strapped in RGB lighting, but it also features impressive cooling performance, thanks to Corsair’s unique and powerful fans, which you can control through the iCue software. This all results in a CPU cooler that not only performs well, but that is also completely customizable. Image Credit: Deepcool If you’re looking for a powerful liquid cooler that’ll help contribute to your epic RGB setup, the Deepcool Gamerstorm Castle 240 RGB is the best CPU cooler for you. Beyond the ridiculous name, it’s a reliable AIO cooler that can push your overclocks higher and higher with addressable RGB that’s compatible with a wide range of controllers – so you can effortlessly sync your lighting. The CPU Block stands a little high, but when it looks this good, does it really matter? Image Credit: NZXT If you’re running one of the best processors, and you want to push it to the limit, the NZXT Kraken X72 is the best CPU cooler for overclocking. Not only does it pack a gigantic radiator, but its high fan speeds ensure that cooling performance is top-notch all the time. And, because it’s 2019, it features addressable RGB and an infinite mirror design that looks amazing in any case. Then, to top it all off, the NZXT Kraken X72 is backed by a 6 year warranty. Image Credit: Cooler Master There isn’t a single component that can’t be improved through RGB, and Cooler Master is well aware – jumping on the RGB bandwagon with the MasterLIquid ML 120R RGB. What’s more, it integrates some of the first addressable LEDs seen on a liquid cooler. This all-in-one liquid cooling solution isn’t just about aesthetics – it features an oxidation free pump and an efficient radiator. This means that not only will it last longer – but it’ll keep your CPU cooler, and all without giving up too much case real estate. Image Credit: Arctic For less than 70 big ones in both US dollars and British sterling, the Arctic Liquid Freezer 120 is a deal you can’t pass up if you’re on the prowl for a liquid cooler that won’t break the bank. While it lacks the bells and whistles of pricier, more extravagant liquid coolers, like the NZXT Kraken, the Arctic Liquid cooler is enough to get you by, not to mention it’s still a massive step up from the classic fan and heatsink pairing. So, while you can’t expect RGB lighting or software – or even hardware-based fan control, the 120mm variant of the Arctic Liquid Freezer will keep your system refrigerated at a (mostly) quiet volume.  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Corsair Hydro Series H5 SF  Image Credit: Corsair Even if your budget will allow you to really go all-out on a serious liquid cooling solutions, if you have a smaller PC case, you’ll likely not have enough space. That’s where something like the Corsair Hydro H5 SF comes into play. Even on the smallest PC cases, you should able to use this CPU cooler to keep your CPU chilled, even if you have some beastly overclocks going on. And, because it’s a closed loop, you don’t even need to worry about maintenance. Set it up, and let it do its thing – you won’t be disappointed.  Image Credit: NoFan You’ve probably never heard of NoFan – unless you’re already neck deep into the rabbit hole that is silent PC assembly. The South Korean component company specializes in helping enthusiasts reach that 0dBA silent sweet spot. In doing so, of course, you can count on severely limiting yourself in terms of power, with its CR-95C fanless solution being limited in compatibility to processors whose TDP fall below 95W. Still, the NoFan CR-95C is worth a shot if you want to build a low-power computer that completely blends into the background.  This Product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noctua NH-L9  We’ve also ranked and reviewed the best gaming keyboards of 2019 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best PC case 2019: top cases for your desktop computer Posted: 09 May 2019 10:47 AM PDT If you’re setting out to build one of the best PCs you can muster, it’s tempting to channel all of your energy into finding the best processors, SSDs, RAM and, of course, the best graphics card. But, you should focus on finding the best PC case, so your PC components are kept cool – both in temperature and style. This is because the best PC cases will make your PC look better and last longer.  The best PC cases might not sound quite as important as something like one of the best processors or that beefy Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti you’ve had your eyes on. But, because heat is the mortal enemy of all PC components, having a reliable PC case that can boost airflow is extremely important to the lifespan of your computer. And, the best PC cases can determine how much room you have for future expansion. So, if you want to keep your PC running cool and up to date, you’ll want one of the best PC cases. But, there are just so many PC cases out there right now. And, while this means there are plenty of affordable options out there, it can be hard to get something worthwhile. That’s why we gathered up the best PC cases on the market right now. So, if you don’t know which chassis you’re building in yet, you’ve come to the right place.  Image Credit: Corsair If you’re going to do it, do it big – if the Corsair Obsidian 1000D had a slogan, that would be it. Packed front to back with a whopping 18 fan mounts and enough room for four 480mm radiators, this massive PC case will keep your system cool, no matter how extreme it is. What’s more, the Corsair Obsidian 1000D is a dual-system case, so you can build two separate computers here. Just think about it – a gaming PC and a streaming rig in the same chassis. Image Credit: Fractal Design It is extremely rare to see any PC case that even vaguely resembles the Fractal Design Meshify-C. Given that the front of the case is entirely made of a mesh material sectioned off into an array of polygonal shapes, the Meshify-C has a unique style – without compromising on function. With two fans pre-installed, cooling is (forgive us) a breeze, even if the Meshify-C is held back by a number of obstacles.  Image Credit: Nanoxia As its name suggests, the Nanoxia Deep Silence 4 has the sole purpose of being quiet as a mouse. This silence-focused case is a well-balanced Micro ATX chassis that’s affordably priced, without sacrificing room for expansion. That’s right you can fit even the biggest, most powerful graphics cards in the Nanoxia Deep Silence 4. The fact that you will never hear it go above 30 decibels is just icing on the very taciturn cake.  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Phanteks Evolv Shift X.  Image Credit: NZXT Every single day mini-ITX gets more popular, and closer to toppling Micro ATX. And, it makes sense – why not spring for a small computer that can get just as much work done as a full tower? NZXT’s new H-series case line manages to integrate a ton of the same features as its Micro ATX and mid-tower equivalents, with mesmerizing, built-in and smart device-controlled RGB lighting and an adaptive noise sensor that sees improvement only by way of the Grid+ V3 fan controller. Image Credit: Phanteks When you first look at the Phanteks Evolv Shift X, it looks more like a sound bar than one of the best PC cases, but this helps it vanish into any living area or studio setup. It’s flexible to the point that it looks natural placed under a TV as it does on a desk, next to one of the best gaming monitors. It may only be compatible with a Mini-ITX motherboard, but the Phanteks Evolv Shift X offers tons of space for components and liquid cooling loops. If this case is  a little large for your preference, you can get the smaller Phanteks Evolv Shift for easier management. Image Credit: Fractal Design Fractal Design wins again with the Define R5, yet another mid-tower case with a gorgeous aesthetic. The metallic and blue LED-lit face of this case is simple, yet elegant, and is accompanied by noise dampening materials throughout its interior. In spite of the detachable ModuVent panels and drive trays not being toolessly accessible, it’s incredibly easy to build a system inside of the Fractal Design Define R5, plus it’s not as expense as you’d expect from a PC case with such a pretentious name, either.   Image Credit: Cooler Master Cooler Master is kind of known for, well, cooling things – and the Cooler Master H500P Mesh is evidence of how it got there. This beautiful RGB-packed case has plenty of room for airflow, even accommodating up to 360mm radiators on the top and front for when you really want to take your cooling to the next level. Add on top of that the RGB lighting and tempered glass side panel and you have the potential to build something beautiful with this case. Go for it. Image Credit: Corsair If you’re looking to save a few bucks, while still getting one of the best PC cases, look no further than the Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-04 Tempered Glass. Not only does it have plenty of space for airflow, it also has a deceptively large amount of space for future expansion, meaning that even at this low price point, you won’t have to worry about fitting a full-sized graphics card. And, when you’re done building, the tempered glass side panel will allow you to show off your handiwork.  Image Credit: Antec The Antec Cube is without a doubt the best PC case for you Razer fans out there. While Razer hasn’t made its own desktop PC (not yet, anyway), you can build a Mini-ITX gaming PC, pretending it’s a razer product. You see, Antec partnered with Razer to bring its signature green-infused flare to the Cube, a small form-factor chassis. Complete with a deceptively high amount of space for future expansion, the Antec Cube is also compact enough to travel with.  Image Credit: Phantex Who says dual-system builds have to be in a hulking full-tower case? The Phanteks Evolv X takes dual-system compatibility and squeezes it into a mid-tower. Even with that second Mini-ITX motherboard installed,  there’s plenty of room for E-ATX motherboards and power supplies, and ample cooling. It is pricey for a mid-tower case, but with all this functionality, it kind of has to be. It’s thanks to all of these high-end features that the Phanteks Evolv X is one of the best PC cases around today.  While you’re at it, we've found the best gaming mouse you can buy Not into gaming? The best mouse of 2017 is multi-purpose This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best webcams 2019: the top webcams for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:47 AM PDT While it’s true that it’s hard to find a laptop or all-in-one PC without an HD webcam built in, many desktop PC users need an external solution. Luckily, there are so many webcams out there to choose from. These days, you can pick up one of the best webcams yourself for a similar – or even better – experience.  So, what should you look for in the best webcams? Well, like most things, it’ll boil down to how you use it. Are you looking to become the next Twitch celebrity? Or, do you just want to have some friendly video calls every now and then? No matter what kind of webcam you’re looking for, we’ll help you find the perfect fit. From high quality shooters with nice aesthetics to affordable webcams that will just get the job done, there’s a great webcam for everyone on this list. Plus, because we’ve included our exclusive price comparison tool, you can find a great deal on the best webcams. Image Credit: Logitech Logitech's newest webcam, the Logitech G922 Pro Stream features the same classy design as the C920 before it, but it’s especially interesting for gamers this time around. The C922 still boasts excellent 1080p video quality when it comes to hosting video calls, and its automatic low-light correction makes it a great cam for streaming with the lights off. It also supports background removal, making it ideal for budding YouTubers. Image Credit: Razer The Razer Kiyo looks weird, that’s for sure, but it’s still one of the best webcams out there for streaming – something that’s unbelievably popular right now. But, with the Razer Kiyo, Razer has stripped away a lot of the bells and whistles that more premium webcams offer, focusing instead on what matters to game streamers – good image quality and lighting through a “Light Ring”. This ensures you don’t need to spend a ton of time configuring the stream – just plug in the Razer Kiyo and get to work.  Image Credit: Microsoft The Microsoft LifeCam Studio is a webcam aimed at pro users with large displays, and features a familiar configuration of 1080p recording and 720p live video calling. It rotates 360 degrees, and can be mounted on a tripod with autofocus. The wideband mic delivers crystal clear sound and Microsoft’s TrueColor system will shift the exposure dynamically to keep you well lit. It’s a great choice for business conferencing and presentations. Image Credit: Mevo If you’re an aspiring journalist, or even if you’re just trying to capture footage in the real world, Mevo might be the best webcam for you. Either the Mevo or Mevo Plus will allow you to capture footage live, no matter where you are in the world – as long as you can connect to a mobile network. Plus, because Mevo is small and inconspicuous enough to not distract your subject in the middle of an interview. Image Credit: Microsoft Aimed at pro users with large displays, the LifeCam Studio features a familiar combination of 1080p recording and 720p live video calling. It rotates 360 degrees, and can be mounted on a tripod with autofocus. The wideband mic delivers crystal clear sound and Microsoft’s TrueColor system will shift the exposure dynamically to keep you well lit. It’s a great choice for business conferencing and presentations.  Read the full review: Microsoft LifeCam Studio Image Credit: Logitech Have you ever looked at a webcam in disgust because it doesn’t push as many pixels as your smartphone? Well, the Logitech Brio might be right up your alley. With a 4K UHD resolution and HDR, the Logitech Brio has brought high fidelity to the world of the best webcams. And, if that wasn’t enough, it also features Windows Hello functionality and an easy to use stand which will let you position it wherever you need. Image Credit: Creative Creative may not be the first company you think of when you’re looking for the best webcams, but after the Creative Labs Senz3D, that will change. This space-age webcam has more features than you can shake a stick at, and the high-tech 3D scanner and facial tracking tech promises to lead to some intriguing things in both AR functionality and even gaming. It isn’t cheap, but you’re getting all the bells and whistles with this Creative webcam Image Credit: Logitech The C930e claims to be Logitech's most advanced HD webcam and it's also one of the most expensive ones on the market. But, unlike traditional webcams, which rely on the PC to do the heavy lifting, this unit does the video encoding itself, which should in turn result in better video quality. The wide, 90-degree field of view means it’s well-suited to business videoconferencing and presentations, and of course it’s Skype-certified for PC and Mac. Image Credit: Samsung Samsung smart TV’s aren’t compatible with most of the best webcams. Luckily, though, Samsung has its own proprietary camera for its H, HU, JS and JU models. We wouldn’t recommend buying one for Skype, as the smart TV version of Skype is no longer supported, but if you want to use Samsung’s own gesture control features and its virtual mirror for fitness apps, then it’s your only real option. This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech C930e  Image Credit: Ausdom If you’re looking for a full HD webcam without the full HD webcam price, this little webcam is currently pretty cheap. Bolstering resolutions up to 1080p HD while supporting 12MP stills, a noise-cancelling microphone and low-light compensation, this camera is feature-packed yet frugal. There’s no autofocus and you don’t get a big bundle of software, but the low, low price more than makes up for any shortcomings.  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Microsoft LifeCam Studio  You can't stream without the best wireless router Bill Thomas has also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best computer speakers 2019: the best audio systems for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:46 AM PDT You’ve probably already heard plenty of people out there telling you that the best headphones are the only way to get fantastic sound when using a computer. But, what if you’re not comfortable wearing headphones day-in and day-out? For everyone else, the best computer speakers are a fantastic ideal. Still, like any piece of PC hardware, finding the best computer speakers isn’t quite as easy as you’d think. Before you pick the best computer speakers for your setup, there are a few things you need to consider. How do they sound? Is the surround or stereo separation up to snuff? Do they start to grate on you after a couple minutes? Is the sound nice and balanced? These are all important questions to ask. You should also consider what you’re going to do with your new pair of computer speakers. Are you going to sit back, playing the best PC games like the upcoming Rage 2, where immersion (and explosions) are everything? Do you just want to binge your favorite TV show? Or do you just want to listen to the latest Vampire Weekend album? No matter what you’re looking to do, the best computer speakers will make your computing life sound better. Image Credit: Audioengine Sure, the Audioengine A2+ launched four years ago, but they’re still the best computer speakers on the market. These aesthetically pleasing speakers will work with your PC’s USB port for uncompressed audio and beautiful audio quality with its built-in DAC. The Audioengine A2+ doesn’t come with a bass, but that’s not a problem unless you need really deep bass. Luckily, there is an RCA output, so it’s a breeze to connect an external woofer. Image Credit: Logitech While they may be more expensive than you’d expect to pay for the brand’s speakers, the Logitech Z623 is still very affordable when you consider just how powerful they are. The Z623 may look like your average pair of speakers, but its subwoofer produces a thundering sound that can easily dialed up or down depending on your preference. And, it offers a great soundstage – with great highs and mids – making for a more immersive gaming and movie experience.  Image Credit: Logitech Logitech has become a household name these days, but the G560 takes its speaker expertise to another level. These are the first Logitech computer speakers designed for gaming, and it has paid off. The Logitech G560 are without question the best computer speakers for gaming. Not only do they feature RGB lighting – a must for gaming accessories in 2019 – but through Logitech’s software, the multi-colored illumination can adapt to any kind of content you consume. Image Credit: Razer The Razer Nommo has a weird name, a weird appearance and a high price. And, while you might find yourself wincing at the $500 price tag, the Razer Nommo Pro has a lot to offer. You get a beefy down-firing subwoofer that’ll almost literally blow you away, but it also features Razer Chroma, so they’ll look just as good as they sound. There are definitely cheaper computer speakers out there, but with this level of quality, the Razer Nommo Pro is worth it. This product is only available in the US as of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Audioengine A2+.   Image Credit: Harman Kardon If you look at the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks III long enough, they’ll start looking like some kind of jellyfish. These translucent computer speakers look more like a modern art installation, rather than a functional speaker system – but that all changes once you turn them on. This speaker and sub combo features booming bass thanks to its woofer, while still producing crisp highs. You’ll get excellent sound at a decent price, making it perfect for music fans with a mid-range budget. This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse.  Image Credit: Edifier It might be a bit bassy for some people, but the Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse is a gorgeous speaker setup that not only looks good, but it also features amazing sound. The Luna, which comes in red, white and black, offers a powerful but controlled bass, fantastic balance with sharp mids and good stereo separation. It even includes a really nifty little remote control. The Luna Eclipse are some of the best computer speakers out there, especially if you like to pump up the volume with little to no distortion – and, who doesn’t? Image Credit: Logitech The Logitech MX Sound Speakers are simply the best wireless PC speakers you can buy today. They’re a thing of beauty, with their eccentric circular design and silver accents. And, for the price, they definitely deliver a little more than what you’d expect from the best laptop speakers. The bass may sometimes overpower the mids and highs, but it still delivers an excellent soundstage and powerful audio, which makes it great for gaming. It also features dual Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect two devices simultaneously. Finally, the backlit motion sensor controls are so sensitive, a light touch is all it needs.  Read the full review: Logitech MX Sound  Image Credit: Klipsch The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system brings enhanced sound for versatile use, so that whether you’re listening to music, watching movies, or playing games, you’re getting the best computer speaker experience. These THX-certified speakers boast power, a wide frequency range (31Hz to 20kHz), and a detailed audio quality with punch bass, maximum clarity and great balance. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s powerful enough to replicate that home theater quality. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech Z623  Image Credit: Dell Dell’s AE715 may not be the most powerful speaker in the market. It produces a decent 360-degree sound that, while is fairly common in portable audio, is a rarity with computer speakers. For it's low, low price, this Bluetooth speaker is nothing amazing; not a lot of bass and there’s a bit of delay, but the audio quality good enough if your listening standards aren’t quite as demanding.  However, what you’re getting in exchange are its wireless functionality, the USB charging port so you can charge the device, and the built-in mic so you can use it for conference calls. It’s definitely a great portable, wireless solution. This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Jabra SPEAK 510.   Image Credit: Mackie Mackie CR4BT promises professional-grade performance, which is a lot more than what its competitors offer. The question is, does it really do that? Well, they sound good for a premium pair of speakers, but there are drawbacks including thinner mid range, and high bass cut off at 70 Hz, which means while there’s good bass presence, you might be missing the really low stuff. The pros, however, include the acoustic foam pads to isolate the speakers from the surface it’s standing on, and the front auxiliary input. Overall, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill computer speakers. They are useful for multimedia creation and production as well. This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech MX Sound.      This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best SSDs 2019: the top solid-state drives for your PC Posted: 09 May 2019 10:45 AM PDT For years, we’ve been stuck with buying hard drives whenever we needed more storage, and they haven’t aged too well. Luckily, now that the best SSDs are more affordable than ever, you don’t need to rely on those old clunkers. The best SSDs are here to free you from the mechanical shackles of hard drives.  And, you won’t even need one of the best PCs to take advantage of the huge speed boost the best SSDs offer. The best Ultrabooks are practically designed to take advantage of the best SSDs, thanks to their unrivaled durability and speed. You can even slot one of the best SSDs into a PS4 Pro to seriously slash loading times. There are a lot of high-quality SSDs on the market right now, so it’s hard to find the right one for your PC. The good thing is, though, that you can find a choice SSD no matter your budget. Either way, no matter what you’re looking for, we’ll help you find the best SSD for your needs or budget.  Image Credit: Samsung Samsung isn’t a stranger to creating some amazing SSDs, but when it launched the Samsung 970 Evo Plus with higher speeds and new silicon, even we were surprised. The Samsung 970 Evo Plus is simply one of the fastest drives on the market, but the fact that Samsung is selling it at such a bargain price is just the cherry on top. Because of how affordable this drive is, it’s not hard to recommend it as the best SSD for anyone.  Read the full review: Samsung 970 Evo Plus Image Credit: Western Digital Western Digital has been busy making a name for itself among the best SSDs and hard drives for a few years now, and the WD Black SN750 is no exception, claiming the best gaming SSD throne. This NVMe SSD has extremely high random read speeds of 412.5MB/s, which should make games load before you get a chance to chug some of that Mountain Dew. And, when you consider that this is one of the most affordable NVMe SSDs, it’s easy to recommend this to any gamer looking for a new SSD. Read the full review: WD Black SN750 NVMe SSD  Image Credit: Samsung  For years, Samsung has been behind some of the best SSDs on the market, and even though other manufacturers like Western Digital and Adata are creeping up on its turf, the Samsung 970 Evo is still the best SSD you can buy if you’re after raw speed. And, while the read speeds haven’t improved over the previous generation’s 960 Pro, the write speeds see a significant bump – up to 2,700MB/s – which is how it retains its ‘fastest SSD’ crown. If you’re after the best SSD, with no compromises, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung 970 Pro.  Read the full review: Samsung 970 Pro  Image Credit: Toshiba If you're looking for plenty of options, the Toshiba OCZ RD400 series of drives come in 4 sizes and three different form factors: M.2, M.2 2280, and add-in card (AIC). Not all sizes are in all form factors, so if you're looking for a fast 1TB drive, make sure you have room in your computer case.  Image Credit: Adata If you’ve been waiting to jump on the M.2 train for an SSD that’s both fast and affordable, we have some good news for you. The Adata XPG SX8200 isn’t one of the best SSDs because it’s the fastest drive on the market, but because there isn’t a single drive out there that can match the raw price to performance ratio that the XPG SX8200 offers. Sure you can get any of the much faster, much more expensive SSDs on the market, but this is the drive we can recommend to anyone.to anyone. Read the full review: Adata XPG SX8200   Image Credit: Samsung  People might not be going crazy about SATA 3 anymore, but the Samsung 860 Pro proves that there’s still plenty of life in the aging interface after all. With storage up to 4TB and transfer speeds that approach the theoretical maximum of the SATA 3 interface and top-of the-line reliability and security – the Samsung 860 Pro is the best SSD for anyone still clinging to SATA 3. Read the full review: Samsung 860 Pro  Image Credit: Intel The U.2 standard allows for bigger SSD capacities and uses your computer's PCIe x4 slot to send all that data back and forth. The Intel 750 series includes a cable so you can mount the drive in the bay on your case and still plug it into the PCIe slot on your motherboard.  Image Credit: Samsung  Samsung had a hard act to follow – the Samsung 850 Evo was beloved for its stunning performance and affordability. And, the Samsung 860 Evo absolutely succeeded. Though limited by the SATA3 interface, the Samsung 860 Evo delivers performance that iterates on its predecessor with improved read/write speeds and an array of form factors, while still maintaining its budget price. The 860 Evo is the best SSD for anyone looking for an entry-level SSD without having to break open their piggy banks.  Read the full review: Samsung 860 Evo  Image Credit: HP If you need an SSD that will last through multiple computers, the HP S700 Pro is exactly what you want. Its life will far exceed its warranty, offering up to 2 million hours of use and up to 650 terabytes written. This is one of the best SSDs you can buy if you need something that’ll last, but the SATA interface may slow things down a bit in the read/write department, which technically helps it last even longer.  This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Samsung 860 Evo  Image Credit: Intel The best NVMe SSDs used to be way too expensive for most users. But, those days are coming to an end – the Intel 760p Series SSD changes everything. This SSD features awesome performance that’s only slightly behind the beloved Samsung 960 Evo, boasting speeds of 3,056 MB/s read and 1,606 MB/s write. But, what makes the 760p stand out is the fantastic price to performance ratio. Yeah, there are faster NVMe drives on the market, but you’ll be paying a premium that, frankly, isn’t worth it. This is one of the best SSDs out there, not just because it’s fast, but because the Intel 760p makes us excited about the future. Read the full review: Intel 760p Series SSD  Image Credit: Samsung  If you’re a creative or a professional, and you need an external NVMe SSD that’s going to save you time rather than waste it, you might want to give the Samsung X5 Portable SSD a look. Thanks to its use of Thunderbolt 3, rugged magnesium build and AES 256-bit encryption, it’s fast, secure and durable – everything you want in an external SSD. However, this isn’t a cheap accessory, this is one of the best SSDs and it’s priced as such. Everyday users may want to look elsewhere, this is all about sheer speed. Read the full review: Samsung X5 Portable SSD  Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best hard drives 2019: the top HDD for desktops and laptops Posted: 09 May 2019 10:45 AM PDT The best hard drives won’t be anywhere near as fast as the best SSDs, but they’re so much more affordable and capacious. They won’t be found in the best Ultrabooks, but a good hard drive can be useful for an extra drive or even an external measure – especially if you have a lot of data to back up. When you’re looking for the best hard drive, you need to consider what you need it for. If you want to expand the storage in your PS4 or Xbox One, a 2.5-inch drive or even an external hard drive is going to be perfect. However, if you have one of the best gaming PCs, and you need somewhere to store all those games, a 3.5-inch drive rated at 7,200RPM should be at the top of your list. It’s a lot to take in, but we went ahead and gathered up the best hard drives to help you out. Image Credit: Seagate It’s almost impossible to talk about hard drives without mentioning Seagate’s BarraCuda lineup – it’s a force to be reckoned with. And, it’s not hard to see why, Seagate BarraCuda drives offer a great gigabyte-per-dollar ratio and speed benefits to top it off. The 2TB model hits a sweet spot by balancing high performance and affordability. Since this drive combines 7,200rpm platters and high density data, computers outfitted with this drive will be able to read data extraordinarily fast. Image Credit: Toshiba Even if its laptops aren’t as popular as they used to be, Toshiba is still a huge name in computing, and has a lot to offer. When it comes to the best hard drives, the Toshiba X300 is a high-capacity, high-performance champ worth taking a look at. The X300 drives boast great gigabyte-to-dollar value without sacrificing on performance. These drives all spin at 7,200 rpm and include 128MB of cache for higher speeds. The only downside is the warranty only lasts two years, which feels short for a drive meant to store so much important data. Image Credit: Western Digital When it comes to PC gaming, it’s better to be fast than capacious. So, if you’ve been resisting the allure of an SSD, and looking to kick it old school with one of the best hard drives, the WD VelociRaptor should be up your alley. Not only does this drive have a whopping 10,000 rpm spin speed, but you’re going to want to pay attention to it. With capacities up to 1TB, the VelociRaptor drives are ready to store large game libraries, and the super fast platters will help your games launch and load quickly. This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Seagate FireCuda  Image Credit: Western Digital Western Digital offers a solid bargain with its line of WD Blue hard drives. With a wide variety of storage options from a small 500GB to a capacious 6TB, the WD Blue is a viable pick for almost any type of PC build that’s sticking to a budget. The best value comes from the larger drives – they’ll give you much more storage per dollar spent. And, if you’re looking for a bit more speed, there are also 7,200rpm models available that don’t come with too much of a price hike.  Image Credit: Seagate SSDs are incredibly popular, and it’s not hard to see why. But, if you need a lot of fast storage, and you don’t have a vault of cash, hybrid hard drives are a great option. The SeaGate FireCuda is the best hybrid hard drive on the market. It can fit up to 2TB of data, and then its 8GB of solid state cache storage learns which data you use most, so that you can access it quickly. That speed boost is even sweeter when you consider that this drive spins at 7,200rpm. With a 5-year warranty and an approachable price tag, it’s easy to see why this is one of the best hard drives you can buy today. Image Credit: Seagate It’s a little unfortunate that the Seagate IronWolf NAS drives come at a premium, but they aren’t priced much more expensively than a standard hard drive at their capacity. However, their native NAS optimization makes that premium totally worth it. These drives are capable of running at a fast 7,200rpm spin rate 24/7 without having to worry about drive failure. Really, if you have one of the best NAS devices for your business or home, the Seagate IronWolf NAS really is your best bet.  Image Credit: Seagate Upgrading the storage in a laptop can be tough, since the hard drives are much smaller. There aren’t a lot of impressive 2.5-inch hard drives, as anything fast comes with a serious markup, but Seagate’s 2.5-inch FireCuda hybrid drive strikes a nice balance. It offers an easy way to add loads of storage to a laptop while also giving it a speed boost thanks to 8GB of flash storage. A five-year warranty on the drive will also help ensure it lasts a long time. Image Credit: Western Digital Game consoles hard drives fill up fast with massive libraries. And, like laptops, the upgrade path for 2.5-inch hard drives isn’t all that great, but that’s where an external drive comes in. The WD My Book strikes an amazing balance of storage and price, offering enough room for massive game libraries. Running on USB 3.0, it may not be quite as fast as an internal drive upgrade, but it will run games and offer more storage at a cheaper rate. Image Credit: G-Technology A lot of people seem to think that the best hard drives are ancient and dead technology in 2019. However, with devices like the G-Technology G-Drive, you can show the naysayers in your life that spinning disks have their own place in the future. Not only does this external hard drive offer huge amounts of storage – up to 10 TB – but thanks to Thunderbolt 3 compatibility, it can even charge your laptop while you work. If you have a MacBook Pro, it’s hard to think of a better work companion. Read the full review: G-Technology G-Drive  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best motherboard 2019: the top Intel and AMD motherboards we've seen Posted: 09 May 2019 10:42 AM PDT If you’re setting out to build the best PC you can muster, you’ll want to make sure you get the best motherboard possible. Motherboards aren’t as exciting as the best graphics cards or processors, but that shouldn’t matter. Your motherboard serves as the backbone of your PC, helping your hardware reach its full potential by pushing it to its limits – utilizing and optimizing every inch of performance. Basically, you can overclock better with a high-quality motherboard. The best motherboards are one of the most critical PC components in your new build, so don’t settle for anything less than the best. If you compromise and pick up a cheap motherboard, it could die on you, forcing you to rebuild your entire PC from scratch. We’ve been there, and trust us, that’s not a road you want to go down. So, do yourself a favor and pick up the best motherboard today, so you don’t have to replace it tomorrow. There are so many different motherboards on the market these days, and things can get confusing. That’s why we went ahead and crafted a list of the best motherboards you can buy. So, we’ll show you all the best motherboards that we’ve had a chance to test ourselves. Not only will they do everything a motherboard needs to do, but all of these mobos will last for years. When Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs hit the market, Intel promised that they would be the best processors for gaming, and we knew that meant kitted out motherboards were on the way. And, lo and behold, the Z390 Aorus Gaming Pro Wifi – the best Intel motherboard on the market right now. It’s packed with gaming-centric features like reinforced PCIe slots and enough RGB lighting to blind you. It’s hard to find a better motherboard, especially at this price point. Sometimes, when you’re shopping for PC hardware, inundated with all the different features, components and requirements, you just want to throw your hands up in the air and say “just give me everything.” In times like these, a motherboard like the Asus ROG Maximus XI Code Z390 Gaming is your best bet. Packed with every feature that Intel’s new Coffee Lake Refresh processors support and then some, with a RGB-lit shroud covering every inch of circuitry on this motherboard.  Now that Coffee Lake Refresh has been on the market for a while, you’ll want to take advantage of all the power it has to offer. However, high-end motherboards can get pricey fast. So, if you’re looking for a budget option without many compromises, the Gigabyte Z390 should be at the top of your list. It doesn’t have bells and whistles like RGB lighting and built-in Wi-Fi, but it makes up for these compromises with excellent value. You get all the essential features that Z390 has to offer for a great price. If you’re looking to build a budget gaming system, the Gigabyte Z390 UD is the best motherboard for you.  If you’re looking for an edge on the competition, and you don’t have a lot of extra room on your desk, you’re going to want a Micro-ATX motherboard – you’re going to want the MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge AC. What you’re getting here is a Micro-ATX motherboard with all the features a full-sized ATX part, but a fraction of the price. Despite it’s reduced size, you still get getting dual M.2 slots, SLI and Crossfire support and all the scalding performance that Intel Coffee Lake Refresh has to offer. If you’re looking for a smaller motherboard, you can’t afford not to get the MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge MC.  If you need the smallest motherboard that you can get, without compromising on key features of your CPU, you should consider the Asus ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming. With this motherboard you don’t have to compromise on features or power. You don’t even need to settle for a measly 32GB of RAM, thanks to Asus’ double capacity memory compatibility – you can have up to 64GB of memory in the tiniest motherboard you’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, like most Z390 boards, it’s a bit pricey, so prepare yourself for that. With the X470 Aorus Gaming 7 Wi-Fi, Gigabyte further illustrates is mastery of motherboard design. Rocking the new AMD X470 chipset, allowing full support of the new AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation processors, this is the best motherboard if you’re looking to side with Team Red. What’s more, it supports Quad-GPU SLi and extremely fast RAM (up to 3,600 MHz) for peerless expandability, and thanks to its multi-zone RGB lighting, it looks good while kicking butt.  For the longest time, AMD has been the reigning champion of budget builds, and in 2018 that doesn’t seem to be changing. Marketed exclusively to gamers, the MSI X470 Gaming Plus is loaded front to back with features like two PCIe M.2 slots and quick performance tweaking buttons to make sure you’re on the top of the leaderboards at all times. And, since it’s a gamer-focused motherboard, it comes with all kinds of flashy RGB lighting that you can even customize it from your smartphone. These days, small form-factor PCs are all the rage and with motherboards like the ASRock B450M-HDV, we think they’re going to stay that way. Now, while this motherboard doesn't do SLI and supports only up to 32GB of RAM– it is a B450 unit, after all – it is still compelling due to its low price. Outside of these omissions, you still get a slot for a NVMe SSD and four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports around back. If you’re looking to build a solid budget gaming PC, this is going to be the best motherboard for you.   Asus aims to prove that big things can come in small packages with the ROG Strix X470-I. Featuring the latest and greatest AMD chipset, everything in this tiny board is designed with performance in mind. Even down to the BIOS, where you can find a stress test for overclocks before you even boot into Windows. This board even elevates beyond the constraints of the Mnii-ITX form factor by including an M.2 Audio Combo riser, so that you can install your M.2 NVMe SSD without getting in the way of other components.  The X-series processors are here and they're spectacular, so if you want to take advantage of all they have to offer, you need an X-series motherboard. This ASRock X299 is an excellent choice, with support for overclocked memory speeds up to 4400MHz(!!!) and 8 different slots for memory modules. It also supports up to 128GB of RAM, so with an X-series processor and a good graphics card (or 3…) this thing will absolutely tear apart anything you throw at it. If you have a lot of cash to build and want absolutely every feature you can get, the AsRock X399 Professional Gaming sTR4 may be the best motherboard for you. Not only does this beast of a board support 4-way SLI configurations, but you can also pack this thing with up to 128GB of DDR4 memory. It even features a ton of flashy RGB lighting, so that people won’t be able to look away from your rig. And, keep in mind that this mobo is compatible with Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Generation chips, you’ll just have to update the BIOS first. Coming to terms If you’re unfamiliar about what makes the best motherboards, well, better than the rest, we’d like to include a primer for anyone who might not know that much about them. Motherboards are available in a broad range of different form factors, the most common of which being ATX and Micro ATX. However, there are plenty of more less common form factors including mini ITX and E-ATX. Don’t worry though, most of the best PC cases will support multiple form factors.  Moreover, in our rundown of the best motherboards, we detailed the socket type that each mobo adheres to. For those not in the know, the socket is the part on the motherboard that the CPU locks into. Typically, newer Intel processors use either LGA 1151 or 2066 while the latest AMD Ryzen architecture is designed for the AM4 chipset. Next up, these are the best gaming monitors you can buy this year This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best graphics cards 2019: all the top GPUs for gaming Posted: 09 May 2019 10:42 AM PDT Now that Nvidia Turing powerhouses like the RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2060 have arrived alongside budget cards like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, the best graphics cards are better than ever. But, that brings up an excellent question: do you splurge on an expensive flagship? Or, do you go for a more budget-friendly graphics card, like the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 – perfect for 1080p gaming? No matter what you choose, you’ll be able to use the best graphics cards to play the best PC games from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to The Division 2. Keep in mind that the best graphics card for you will depend on what kind of PC you’re looking to build – finding that perfect GPU is an involved process. Luckily, we’re here to help: we’ve gathered up the best graphics cards on the market, each tested and reviewed here at TechRadar. So, before you go out to pick up that shiny new graphics card, we’ll help you find the perfect one for your rig. When Nvidia’s Turing cards started rolling out, we couldn’t help but balk at the high prices. However, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 turns things around, bringing value to the Turing lineup – or, at least, more value than what was there already. The RTX 2060 is already popular, due to the fact that it can handle pretty much anything at 1080p (or even 1440p) at max settings. And, there’s also the fact that it’s the most affordable way to experience RTX features, well, as long as you stick to 1080p.  Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 If you’re looking for the best graphics card, and you’re not ok with compromising, you may want to consider the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Without a doubt, this is the most powerful graphics card you can buy without going for a professional solution. And, especially now that games like Battlefield V and Metro Exodus actually use the RTX features, there’s never been a better time to jump on the raytraced bandwagon. Just brace yourself for that price tag. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti  If you’re more interested in sticking to QHD and saving some cash, you might want to go for the RTX 2070. This mid-to-high-end card brings performance that dwarfs the GTX 1070 that came before. Not only will you be able to play pretty much anything in 1440p, but you’re going to get insane performance – up to 120fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. However, you should note that the RTX 2070 is more expensive than its predecessor, so that trade off in value may not be worth it, especially if you already have a Pascal card. Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 When Nvidia first launched its Turing lineup, it was hard to find a model that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. However, with the launch of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, and specifically the PNY XLR8 Gaming OC model, next-generation performance is attainable for everyone. You won’t be able to do 4K 60 fps gaming with this card, but it’s absolutely perfect for anyone still using a 1080p panel. At that resolution, you’ll have trouble running into any title that slows you down. There aren’t any RTX features here, but since there are only a few games that use them, that’s not really a dealbreaker. Read the full review: PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8 Gaming OC We’ve been waiting for a new high-end graphics card from AMD since 2017’s Radeon Vega 64, but a lot has happened in the graphics market since then – namely Nvidia Turing. And, with the AMD Radeon VII, Team Red wanted to reclaim a piece of the high-end graphics pie, and it largely succeeded. The AMD Radeon VII holds its own in 4K gaming, but it particularly excels in content creation. Packed with 16GB of HBM2 memory, the AMD Radeon VII can compete with much more expensive creative-focused cards. Read the full review: AMD Radeon VII  If you’re trying to play the best VR games, you’re going to need the best graphics card for the job. And, these days, that’s going to be the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080. Packed with the latest Turing architecture and the VirtualLink VR connector, you won’t have to worry about choppy VR performance making you sick. And, outside of VR, you should be able to play all your favorite PC games at 1440p and 4K without breaking a sweat.  Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 If you’re setting out to build a microATX or a mini-ITX gaming PC, you shouldn’t have to settle for a low-end GPU. You can find mini graphics cards like the Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Mini. And, sure it’s not the latest and greatest GPU out there anymore, but the 1080 Ti has a lot of life left in it. Plus, when you can get that power in a card that’s just 211 x 125 x 41mm, the loss in performance is totally worth the beautiful mini PC you’ll get. These days, with all the expensive graphics cards, more budget-friendly products sometimes slip through the cracks. We think that’s a shame. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 deserves all the spotlights, delivering fantastic 1080p performance at a budget price. With the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G, you’re also getting a healthy factory overclock and all the outputs you’ll ever need, so you can play all your favorite games and have plenty of monitors attached. We’d call that a bargain, maybe the best we’ve ever had. Read the full review: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G Any eSports player will tell you that high frame rates are far more important than beautifully rendered graphical details – and that’s where the Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti shines. In a time where graphics cards cost as much as rent, it’s an affordable, but potent GPU that can play most eSports games well above 60fps. It’s a bit pricier than the lower-end Nvidia GTX 1050, but you’ll appreciate the extra power behind this card to play future eSports titles, as well as the odd AAA title.  Read the full review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti These are the best gaming monitors to go with your shiny new GPU Images Credit: TechRadar This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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