Most of us don't have the luxury of building a PC with an unlimited budget. It's almost always a question of optimizing the budget for raw performance rather than building a balanced PC. In this struggle, the case is often sacrificed at the altar of performance, next-gen connectivity, and a future-proof power supply. While a PC case is technically one of the components you can cheap out on, it should only be done on extremely tight budgets. Every PC builder ought to realize the importance of the case, not just for their current build, but also for all future builds to come. It's not just a box for your core components — it's the visual centerpiece of your build and dictates every aspect of it.

Bash is undeniably the go-to shell for many developers, especially those who primarily work on Linux. It's powerful, flexible, and has been rigorously tested for years now. However, on Windows, PowerShell has become increasingly popular due to its modern features, ease of use, and tight integration with the OS.

The crossover between video games and Hollywood is something that has always been around since gaming became bigger in the 1980s. Many well-known celebrities that grew up playing video games have been involved with promoting or collaborating with game publishers in a variety of ways, often tied to their branding. But while most have just made appearances at events or talked about games while promoting a movie or TV show, there have been instances when popular celebrities have gone beyond a basic association with them. And the results have been a wide range of reactions over the years.

When Google first announced NotebookLM, it didn’t launch with any of the innovative learning tools it has today, like Audio/Video Overviews, Flashcards, and Quizzes. NotebookLM started off with the same goal it has today: to help users manage the rapid growth of information. Instead of simply scouring the web for relevant content like most AI chatbots, NotebookLM focuses on helping users organize and leverage their own knowledge by pairing powerful AI models with the material they provide.

Between my Single-Board Computer, mini-PCs, and Network-Attached Storage rigs, I’ve got quite a few budget-friendly devices in my arsenal. Having tinkered with them for the last couple of months, I’ve realized that even the most inexpensive hardware can be used for everything from daily tasks to containerized workloads. Capable of running Linux and Android apps, Chromebooks also fall under this category, and the same holds true for their lesser-known Chromebox siblings.

Home Assistant is a powerful self-hosting platform for connecting all your smart home devices. I'm talking about speakers, light fixtures, temperature sensors, movement detection, and much more. Think of it as your all-in-one hub for all Internet of Things (IoT) hardware. I was able to use Home Assistant and Proxmox to effectively remove all proprietary equipment from my home, creating a much more friendly ecosystem for adding any device we wished. It's possible to add countless USB devices, and here are a few examples we've used right here at XDA.

When I was in school, having the right software was a real headache. Back then, powerful writing or graphics programs were expensive and totally out of reach for most students. There just weren't many good, free options. I either had to spend a lot on pricey licenses or settle for clumsy, basic tools that waste your time.

A firewall is one of the first lines of defense against existential threats to your device, and most operating systems include one in some form, so you have protection even if you don't pay for robust antivirus tools. The built-in Windows Defender Firewall is surprisingly robust. Beneath its clunky interface lies a powerful packet filtering engine that does a respectable job of keeping unwanted elements out. However, one trip to the Advanced Security settings page reveals a travesty of tedious wizards to configure simple rules. For technophiles and home lab enthusiasts who want granular, explicit control over every packet leaving their machine to ensure a chatty smart device doesn't contact a random server.

Starlink satellites awaiting deployment. | Image: SpaceX On Sunday, SpaceX launched 56 additional Starlink satellites on separate Falcon 9 rockets, surpassing 10,000 total satellites launched into low Earth orbit to date. The milestone was reached on board the 132nd Falcon 9 launch of 2025, tying the previous annual launch record with more than two full months to go in the year.Of those 10k satellites, only about 8,608 are currently operational, according to Jonathan McDowell’s satellite tracker calculations. Starlink satellites have a lifespan of roughly five years before they’re intentionally de-orbited to burn up in the atmosphere. The first Starlink prototypes launched in February 2018 ahead of its 2021 commercial service offering.SpaceX has approval to launch 12,000 satellites — with over 30,000 planned — to bring fast, low-latency internet to the world. Others like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and efforts in Europe and China, have their own mega constellation plans, raising concerns about the threat caused by overcrowding.

Microsoft Loop is one of those tools I almost immediately loved after trying it. It nails that balance between structure and freedom that many project management tools miss. Everything about it feels clean and thoughtfully designed. Unlike many other tools that require so much organization and management on my part, Loop is the kind of workspace I actually look forward to spending time in.

Transparency is one of the most appealing parts of modern software development. When a company says its product is “open” or that the source code is available, many people assume that means open-source. It’s an easy mistake to make, since all three terms imply that the code is visible. The problem is that visibility alone doesn’t equal freedom, and that’s where the distinction truly lies.

When it comes to temperature monitoring, the voltage regulator module (VRM) doesn't often get the spotlight that CPUs and GPUs get.