Building a PC is a deeply personal journey for everyone, and I've spent days going back and forth on component selection. Like many others, I didn't pay much attention to the PC case that houses everything, and just got whatever had a glass side panel and filtered air intakes. As a result, my build suits my requirements, but also looks just like several others on the internet. Off-the-shelf cases and accessories, as great as they are, can sometimes lack that final touch of personality that makes a build stand out, but this is where 3D printing can shine.

The Nintendo Wii was a console that broke through barriers for Nintendo, bringing together many different kinds of people to enjoy video games. Unlike previous Nintendo home consoles, the concept of the Wii console was geared towards expanding Nintendo's outreach beyond the typical hardcore gamer audience that loved their products. The idea that anyone can jump in and play with others was a very appealing pitch to normal people. Casual players make up a large part of the human population, and they can be a major factor when it comes to buying new gaming consoles. The shift in direction was a smart move and led to the Nintendo Wii becoming one of the best-selling video game consoles of all-time.

Mini PCs tend to do well with their out-of-the-box settings, but sometimes you want to make a few tweaks for additional performance or stability. And like desktops and laptops, mini PC settings can be adjusted from the BIOS in addition to software settings changes you can make through Windows.

The world of tabletop 3D printing has shed its skin of being an esoteric, expensive hobby reserved for engineers and hardcore tinkerers, even though they may be at a slight advantage. Today, getting a capable 3D printer is more accessible and affordable than ever, turning what was once a niche technology into a practical household tool. Converting spools of plastic into unique and functional parts is fun, but you can easily expand your horizons beyond the printing community's creations. I've found 3D printing particularly useful for identifying problems I face and creating bespoke solutions.

A mini PC is technically a type of desktop, but there's a massive gap in performance between a mini PC and a full-sized ATX desktop tower. While there are clear benefits to going the mini PC route with your desktop setup, like serious space savings. Mini PCs can also be more portable, which is great for students, and you can even find gaming mini PCs these days, offering stronger performance than the standard ultra-slim mini PC.

If you've been considering upgrading the backbone of your home LAN to 2.5GbE or even to 10GbE, know one thing in advance — it's not as simple as the switch to 1GbE was. However, that upgrade wasn't particularly trouble-free either, now that I think about it, which goes to underscore how important it is to plan your network upgrade in advance.

No one can argue against the monitor being one of the highlights of any PC setup, but buying one without falling into marketing traps is easier said than done. Manufacturers love to market standard aspects of monitors as game-changing features, and the average user isn't savvy enough to know which monitor specs actually matter. Monitor brands can straight up lie about their products without facing any repercussions, because "hey, it's marketing, and everyone does it." So, here are some creative ways monitor manufacturers market specifications that don't mean what you think they do.

Got friends coming over? The first thing I do is write down the Wi-Fi password on a piece of paper. You know the drill. Guests walk in, get comfortable, and the first question is invariably about the Wi-Fi password. Now, if you are like me, with a fairly complex setup of IoT devices, NAS drives, and more on the network, you'd probably hesitate about giving access to your main wireless network. If you've been prudent about network security, you'd have set up a guest network completely blocked off from all critical devices using VLANs. But not everyone does that. But if you're a homelabber like me, you've probably invested in an Unifi setup and made use of guest vouchers. But much as I love it, it's not fast, and it takes forever to get through the menus for something so basic. There's got to be a faster way.

Interest in self-hosting seems to be picking up as more people become frustrated with the drawbacks of proprietary services and the impacts of data privacy. At the same time, there are also plenty of reasons why people don't self-host even when they have the skills to do so.

Windows has been around my entire life. I was born five years after the OS launched and was exposed to the platform throughout my school life and beyond. I recall the day I stopped using Windows completely, which was around 19 years ago. I was tired of having to deal with all the Windows (well, Microsoft) quirks and wanted something better for my outdated hardware. When Windows Vista launched, I was done and fully moved across to Linux. Since then, I've seen the OS mature to what it is today, offering freedom for those who wish to make the most of their hardware.

Are your older Windows 10 machines ready for the October end-of-life support? In case you're unaware, Microsoft is stopping Windows 10's security patches on October 14th, 2024. After that date, your PC won't get any more Windows 10 updates to keep it protected unless you sign up for the extended support program.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. Similarly, if the only tool you have is a 3D printer, every problem can be fixed with a 3D print. Okay, granted, you can actually own a ton of tools and still see everything as something you can fix with a spool of filament, but my point still stands.