We all wish we could have the latest and most powerful laptops and PCs, but the reality is that they are costly, and we all have budgets to stick to. Luckily, I can often find great deals in the used market. Some power users and serious gamers upgrade to the latest models annually, often selling their capable older PCs at fantastic prices to offset costs.

Windows 11 may be Microsoft's best operating system in many ways, but it's also a downgrade from previous versions in many others. There are numerous tools designed to help restore certain parts of the Windows experience to their former glory, and one that I find myself having to recommend is ExplorerPatcher.

If you've ever felt uneasy about where your files are stored online or wanted a truly private and secure alternative to mainstream cloud services, then listen up. I tried Mega, pCloud, Nextcloud, and a bunch of other solutions, but they all fall short in one way or another. Then I stumbled upon Proton Drive, and the experience has been nothing short of amazing. This isn’t just about storing and accessing your files; it’s about taking control over your data with a level of encryption, privacy features, and an ecosystem that stands out.

Swimming in the frenzy of smart home gadgets and automation, I often forget the pain of managing them. Making smart home apps talk to each other seems like a fool's errand. All changed to sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns when I stumbled upon the Home Assistant. Its open-source project badge can be daunting to a layperson - it could involve a lot of work and a steep learning curve. Being a DIY enthusiast and perennial tinker, I thought it wouldn't faze me.

Google has had its fair share of weird AI experiments. Its dedicated Google Labs website showcases these experiments and lets users take a few of them for a test run. For instance, Google's latest experiment is Little Language Lessons, which are essentially three bite-sized experiences built using the company's beloved AI assistant, Gemini.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, surprised everyone last year by announcing that four Xbox-exclusive games, including Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, and Grounded, would come to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. This was one of the company's key steps in its multi-platform strategy and was also used to test players' reactions. And it looks like the company liked the kind of response it received, so much so that it didn't stop introducing more Xbox-exclusives to rival platforms like PlayStation.

With the release of the first commercial version of Photoshop in 1990, Adobe started its rise to stardom in the software industry. Over the last couple of years, Adobe has added a barrage of tools to its creativity-oriented suite, with each utility offering some unique features to aid your projects. Despite taking numerous anti-consumer steps, Adobe’s feature-rich application stack makes it hard for creative professionals to switch to other tools… assuming you’re on Windows and macOS.

Synology’s NAS lineup has long been the preferred choice amongst consumers looking to buy a new NAS drive. However, Synology's 2025-Plus Series NAS models now come with a catch — your drives need to be “compatible,” or DSM starts locking you out of core features like the ability to use your brand-new NAS. And as of today, the only drives on that list are Synology-branded drives. It’s frustrating, unnecessary, and very un-Synology. But here’s the good news. There are ways you can bypass it. In fact, there are two ways. Here's how.

Nvidia in 2025 is behaving much like a celebrity who continues to bank on past laurels, but expects the same devotion from their followers that they once rightfully claimed. While AMD and Intel strive to deliver improved graphics cards every generation, Nvidia seems to be regressing. Whether it's generational gains, price-to-performance, or sufficient VRAM, Team Green is failing on all counts.

If you missed the news, Microsoft really wants you to trade in your Windows 10 PC so you can buy a Windows 11 one. However, as I explored before, you won't get much for it. If you're currently sitting on a Windows 10 PC and you want to purchase a new one once support runs out, it may feel like the only alternative is to throw it out.

Like many people, I chose Portainer when I started self-hosting apps on my NAS. It was among the most widely recommended tools, and indeed, it proved to be a no-nonsense way to manage Docker containers. It has become one of the first tools I now install whenever I switch to a new NAS model for testing and reviews. However, over time, that convenience became a burden. I just wanted something that worked well while staying out of the way — the bells and whistles didn’t matter much.

With its release less than a month away, players will soon finally have their hands on Elden Ring Nightreign. Many of us played the network test and though we thought of a few ways to make the game better, it's the same Elden Ring goodness you're expecting. If you didn't take part in the test and were wondering if your PC can run it, chances are you can. The official Elden Ring X account recently released the minimum and recommended specs for PC users, and it's remarkably similar to the original Elden Ring's.