Author Archives: Dominic

Best External Sounds Cards for Gaming

If you have a high-end gaming PC and are still using the built-in motherboard sound card, you may be missing out on a fully high-end gaming experience. Built-In motherboard sound cards have definitely improved over the years, however, a stand alone sound card in most cases will provide better sound. In this post, we look at a few reasons why you would opt for a stand-alone sound card and then we pick a few of the best external sound cards for gaming.

External vs Internal Sound Card

It is pretty obvious that the main difference between external and internal sound cards is how they are installed. An internal card will be installed directly into the motherboard, whereas an external sound card will connect externally, usually via USB, to the PC. read more

Razer Ornata V3 vs Cynosa V2: Which Budget Razer Keyboard Should You Buy? (2026)

Last Updated: May 2026

The Razer Ornata and Cynosa lines represent Razer’s budget and mid-range keyboard offerings — both membrane-based alternatives to their pricier mechanical keyboards. If you want the Razer brand experience without spending $100+, these are the keyboards to consider. But there are meaningful differences between them, and one important update for 2026: the Cynosa V2 has been discontinued by Razer. Here’s everything you need to know.

Quick Verdict

Choose the Ornata V3 if you want the better overall keyboard — mecha-membrane switches, included wrist rest, better sound dampening, and superior typing feel at a modest price premium. read more

4 Reasons to Avoid a Free VPN for Gaming

There are two pretty common questions we get asked with regards to VPNs and their usage while gaming. First, many people wonder if they should use a VPN for gaming at all. Second, the question of whether or not to use a free VPN for gaming comes up. In this post, we look at why you should avoid using a free VPN for gaming and either opt for a solid paid VPN or no VPN at all.

Free VPNs May Contain Malware or Spyware

One of the issues with free VPN in general is that it is tough to find one that is 100% safe to use. A recent study found that almost a third of free VPNs contained some type of malware or virus. Quite frankly, that is more of a risk than I am willing to take. I would prefer to use no VPN at all than to take the risk of getting malware. Obviously, if you use a free VPN that gives you malware, it is going to ruin your gaming experience. read more

Is Gaming RAM Worth It Compared to Value RAM?

Whether you are upgrading an old computer or if you are building or just buying a brand new computer, you may wonder if it is worth buying high performance ram. Generally speaking, high performance memory claims to be faster and also claims to be able to handle higher temperatures, and for this you pay a higher price. However, is it really worth the extra money?

Performance RAM Speed

One claim by memory manufactures is that performance memory is faster. To a point, they are correct. In a recent study done by Tom’s Hardware, they found that, on average, performance memory was 1-3% faster than standard memory. They found cases in which the memory was even faster, but they also found cases in which the regular memory outperformed the higher performance memory. For me personally, if this was the only factor, a 1-3% gain is not worth the extra cost.

Heat Dissipation and Overclocking of Performance RAM

Another reason that you may opt for performance RAM is that you are attempting to overclock. In this case, the performance RAM shows its main benefit. In many tests conducted by users at tom’s hardware and overclockers.com, they have found that they are able to push a system with performance RAM to higher speeds and maintain stability. This is mainly due to the fact that performance RAM can handle and dissipate heat better than normal or value memory. So, if you thinking about overclocking, going with the performance memory may be worth it for you.

Now, this is not to say that you can’t overclock with normal memory. You can achieve very impressive overclocks with normal memory. However, if you are a minmaxer, then you may want to go with performance RAM.

Consider Pricing and User Reviews

If you are about to make this decision, you may want to look at the price difference and user reviews. During a recent sale, I was able to pick up some performance memory that was only 10% higher than the regular memory. At this price, it was worth it to me. By looking out for a deal, you may not have to pay much more for a higher quality product.

In this article, I am talking in generalities. Before making any purchases, I highly recommend that you read product reviews and research the product you are looking at buying. This will give you a good idea of the quality and reliability of the product you are purchasing.

Wrapping Up

The conclusion is pretty simple, if you have the money and want to go for extreme overclocks, I would recommend a highly rated performance memory. However, if you have no intention of minmaxing your overclock or if you don’t plan to overclock at all, normal RAM or value-ram should be fine for you.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

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5 Tips To Never Get a Virus Again

Being a software engineer, I get called quite often by friends or family to help them with a virus problem. In these instances, we usually can get the virus removed. However, removing a virus can be a real time waster, even for tech experts. One of odd things about this is that I rarely, if ever, have to remove viruses from any of my personal computers. I think that their are some distinct reasons why I am able to avoid getting a computer virus. In this post, I am going to give you some of my personal tips so you never get a virus again.

Install a Good Antivirus Software and Keep it Up to Date

If you don’t have antivirus software installed, then you need to get on this right away. I personally prefer to use a free antivirus. I believe many of the free anti-virus software packages are pretty good. If you want to stick with a free anti-virus, I would recommend Windows Defender. The second part of this is that you need to keep this software up to date. Most good antivirus software will automatically update itself. However, it is a good idea to check that this is happening. When it comes to scanning, it is a good idea to scan every week or so. I recommend setting up your antivirus to run on a schedule. That way you won’t forget to scan. By keeping your virus protection software up to date and by scanning often, you can make sure you catch any threats before they can wreak havoc on your PC.

Be Careful When Opening and Clicking Links Within Emails

Opening a bad attachment or directly clicking on a virus in an email are two really common ways to get a virus. There are quite a few ways to avoid this. First, be really careful opening emails that have attachments from people you don’t know. Second, if you open an email, you don’t recognize the sender, and the email itself doesn’t make any sense, don’t click on any of the links in the email. In this case, it is best to just delete the email and move on. Last, if you are not with a solid email provider like GMail, Yahoo Mail, etc, then you may want to think about switching. These services do a great job of filtering out any viruses before they even get to your inbox. One last tip is if you do click a link and your browser gives you a big warning about the page you are about to visit not being secure, don’t continue, and close out of the browser immediately.

Be Careful When Browsing the Internet

Another really common place to get a virus is from a bad website. We have all been there, we have clicked on a link or a result in Google search and we end up at a website that just doesn’t look trustworthy. These bad sites will often have a number of popups, try to get you to download files, and won’t even let you click the back button. In most cases, you are still OK. However, what you do next may determine if you get a virus or not.

First, see if you can go back or even see if you can close out the browser window. If it doesn’t let you, you can try to close any popups or notifications using the “X” or the cancel button. If you still can’t get away from the bad site, you can use the task manager by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL to manually close your browser task. The big key here is that you don’t download and install anything. Most browsers today will ask if you are sure that you want to continue with a download. This is where you make your last stand against the virus.

Next, it is best to avoid certain types of sites. First of all, it is recommended that you avoid public torrent sites. These are well-known virus farms. You also want to be careful around any type of adult sites or any low quality streaming sites. I am not talking about YouTube. I am talking about sites that stream a specific TV show or channel illegally. These types of sites can contain malware as well.

One last thing to look out for when browsing is fake “download”, “play now”, “play”, etc buttons. (Image courtesy of PCWorld)

Be really careful around these. Keep an eye out for these on sites that you particularly don’t trust. Also, while on the topic, don’t fall for the “Your computer is infected” ads or popups. These are usually a trick to get you to download a virus. If you see one of these and you are unsure, close it, then open up your virus protection software and run a scan. This will tell you if you are truly infected or not.

Be Careful When Downloading Programs or Files

There are many times when you really just need to download a program or file from the Internet. If you do this correctly, then there is no issue. However, the key here is that when you download something, make sure it is from a trusted source. Downloading software directly from the software developers website is one good tip. For example, if you need to download iTunes, download it from Apple itself, not some third party distributor. The only time you should download from a third party site is when the site itself links to the third party site for the download.

Avoid Free VPNs

A VPN is a solid tool in your security arsenal. It won’t really protect you from getting a virus or malware, but it can protect in other ways. One thing that you will want to avoid is using a free VPN. Many free VPNs can do more harm than good. A recent study found that about a third of free VPNs contained malware. We do recommend using a VPN for the benefits they provide, however, stick with solid ones like NordVPN or IPVanish.

By following the tips and advice above, hopefully you will never get a virus again.

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