AMD first started competing with Intel in the early 80s. Their 286 and 386 processors were positioned as affordable (and inferior) clones to Intel’s CPUs. When Intel laid down a lawsuit, it seemed like AMD would be a short-lived competitor in an increasingly monopolized marketplace, but AMD fought back. The K5 couldn’t quite keep up …
For LED monitors, 24 to 27” seems to be the sweet spot. You get a ton of screen real estate for very little money, and many monitors offer an incredible bargain. Unfortunately, a low price doesn’t always indicate a good deal. Bargain-minded manufacturers often sacrifice the quality of their hardware in exchange for something that …
In the early 2000’s, computer enthusiasts could flex their hardware muscles with a RAM drive. All you’d have to do is build a system with a ton of volatile memory (this was expensive!) and allocate a portion of it to storage. The shockingly fast access times made it feel like our data was being transferred …
What makes a good mouse? There are a variety of factors at play. For some, proper ergonomics is the mark of a good mouse. Others value precision. We’re seeing an increasing focus on ease of use, with many mice that can be automatically paired, or have a long battery life. Mice have been around almost …
When it comes to printers, it’s hard to know how low the price can go. Historically speaking, affordable printers were best to be avoided. They used to offer bare-bones functionality, mediocre (at best) print quality, and low yield ink that can add up in expenses for anyone who dares print a moderate volume of pages. …