Ask any computing enthusiast, and theyd almost always point you to a Network-Attached Storage when you want a robust means to store important data. But just like everything else in the tech industry, youll find multiple other alternatives that can fulfill your needs. In the case of external storage, there are Direct-Attached Storage enclosures, that, despite sounding somewhat similar to NAS setups, are entirely different products with their own niche use cases. If youre having a hard time choosing the ideal option for your storage-related workloads, this article will help clear up your doubts.

Buying peripherals for your home network can be a bit of a challenge when youre just starting out and arent sure what you may need in your setup. With network switches being one-time purchases that can last for decades instead of needing to be replaced once every year, you'll have to be extra cautious when grabbing one for your computing setup. So, here are the most essential aspects you should be on the lookout for when picking up a network switch.

Well, that's that - Halloween 2024 is in the books. I hope you had a lovely time and spent the day doing spooky things with your friends and family. Now that November is here, it's time to think about the family gatherings with Thanksgiving and Christmas now on the horizon. If you've been busy getting ready for the holiday season and missed out on what's going on in the tech world, here's our top five news stories for the past week.

The Elgato Stream Deck was a revolution when it first launched, bringing customizable LED-backed buttons to control livestreaming functions for self-broadcasting simplicity. It's gone through some changes over the years, most notably to the software but also to different form factors and things like the new XLR dock that enables better microphones for stream use. It's easily one of the best peripherals for any PC or Mac user, and an indispensable one for anyone who owns a capture card. But they're not just for streamers, and you can set those customizable buttons to a ton of terrific tools or functions.

It's almost as if AMD and Intel jointly decided to launch disappointing new CPU lineups this year. On the one hand, AMD dropped the ball with the Ryzen 9000 processors, offering minimal gains over its previous-gen Zen 4 chips. On the other hand, the much-awaited Arrow Lake chips from Intel debuted with unexpectedly lackluster results. The Core Ultra 5 245K and Ryzen 5 9600X are currently the most affordable entry points on both these platforms.

Lathes are indispensable tools for metalworking, woodworking, jewelry making, and more. A lathe can be used to shape and machine materials like metal, wood, and plastic. The lathe rotates the piece around a fixed axis while you use various cutting tools to trim or grind the material to fit the look or purpose you want it to have.

Single-board computers (SBCs) arent just used for DIY projects, home lab environments, and Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets. Yes, SBCs are excellent for such projects because of their compact size and budget-friendly prices, but these tiny computers are also frequently used in industrial and scientific capacities. Quite a few of the roles set up for SBCs require real-time processing for various reasons. Lets explore why real-time processing can prove so crucial for an SBC.

People take to a Raspberry Pi in different ways. While some want to make something fun or humorous with them, others want to create a tool that can aid them in their daily lives. If you're in the latter camp, you'll want to check out this cool weather forecast display powered by a Raspberry Pi. Not only does it give you everything you need to know about how it feels outside, but it does so with a sleek e-paper display you can use for other projects.

There are many network-attached storage (NAS) enclosures to choose from. Brands such as TerraMAster, Asustor, QNAP, and Synology offer a range of NAS servers for different applications and price points. Still, these enclosures come with a premium, just like a prebuilt desktop PC. Instead of buying an enclosure, you can build a DIY NAS through standard, off-the-shelf PC parts. If you have an old PC in storage, it can be used without purchasing a single component aside from NAS storage drives. This guide will run you through what you'll need to build a NAS.

Setting up network-attached storage (NAS) is easier than you might assume. Turnkey enclosures from Synology and ASUSTOR are ready once connected to your LAN and a power outlet. As long as you have at least one drive installed, you can configure the OS and start storing data. But there are some things to bear in mind when setting everything up. Since you'll be storing a lot of data on this device, it's vital to spend some time securing not only your NAS but also the network and all other devices connected to it. Here are some basic security mistakes I've seen people make when setting up their first NAS.

Copying and pasting are probably among the most common tasks we do on our Windows PCs, whether it's grabbing text from the web for a document or exporting numbers from an Excel sheet. Its a repetitive task that eats up a fair amount of time, yet most of us still rely solely on CTRL + C and CTRL + V keyboard shortcuts. Your new laptop or PC offers many more tools for copying and pasting that could save you time. For example, you can enable Clipboard history to save and paste multiple items. Here are five unique ways to level up your copying and pasting game on Windows.

Well, we warned you. It was only yesterday when we reported that someone had hacked their Alarmo to show a cat picture, and we promised that we'd report on them again if they managed to get Doom running on it. Well, color us surprised when we discovered that he did just that. Now you can play the classic FPS on your alarm clock, and you don't even need to break it open to get the job done.