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Hardware

Reviews, tutorials and articles about hardware components, laptops, smartphones, computers, and gadgets of all kinds. Learn how to manage your hardware and its settings.

tutorial Test your HDD or SSD and check its health status

Test your HDD or SSD and check its health status

We recently had the misfortune to find out that a computer owner's worst nightmare is a failing hard disk drive. It is not because you need to buy a new one, but because you face the risk of losing some or even all of the data you stored on that hard drive. Moving on from the initial apocalyptic perspective, as the life expectancy of
review Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review: The cheapest smartphone that runs Fortnite!

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review: The cheapest smartphone that runs Fortnite!

We recently encountered the following challenge: one of our editors is a father, and his boy wanted a new smartphone that can run the highly popular game Fortnite. If you do a bit of research, you see that Fortnite tends to run on high-end smartphones that cost a lot of money. But… there is one smartphone that stands out with its powerful hardware, beautiful
review Review ASUS VT229H: A monitor with touch and a frameless design

Review ASUS VT229H: A monitor with touch and a frameless design

In this article, we are testing and reviewing a touch monitor called ASUS VT229H. The manufacturer says that it is a 21.5-inch monitor with a frameless design, 10-point multi-touch, a beautiful IPS panel, and wide viewing angles. We were curious whether it was a good product, so we started using it. Here is what we found out about ASUS VT229H, during our review:
review Sony CP-AD2M4 charger review: charge multiple devices safely

Sony CP-AD2M4 charger review: charge multiple devices safely

Charging your mobile devices has become a difficult task at home, at the office and even more so on the road. The Sony CP-AD2M4 charger gives you the ability to charge multiple devices safely. Finding an electrical outlet for every charger that comes with every device you have can be daunting. YIf you find one, you're most likely to plug in your smartphone. What
article Comparing gaming keyboards: What do you get for $39.99 vs. $199.99?

Comparing gaming keyboards: What do you get for $39.99 vs. $199.99?

There are many gaming keyboards available, from lots of brands. On one side, you have lesser known brands that come with affordable options, like Trust and Redragon, and then you have brands that are famous for their premium gaming accessories, like ASUS, Corsair, Logitech, Razer, ROCCAT, or SteelSeries. To get a good overview of the market, we analyzed the specs of 27 keyboards, from
review Review ASUS Mini PC PB60G: A small, powerful, and stackable PC

Review ASUS Mini PC PB60G: A small, powerful, and stackable PC

We recently received in testing one of ASUS' latest mini-PCs, called PB60G. Even if it is a small form factor PC, that does not stop it from being powerful. It comes with 8th generation Intel processors, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, 4K Ultra HD video output and many ports, including USB 3.1 Gen2 and USB Type-C. Furthermore, it also boasts a modular design,
article The ultimate guide to gaming keyboards: what makes a keyboard great?

The ultimate guide to gaming keyboards: what makes a keyboard great?

Gaming keyboards are highly popular and for good reason. We use them at Digital Citizen both for work and play because they bundle everything that makes a keyboard great. However, gaming keyboards vary in terms of price and quality, and some of them are inferior products that everyone should avoid. To make things even more confusing, manufacturers brag about highly technical features that people
article Dual SIM: What is it? What does it mean? How does it work?

Dual SIM: What is it? What does it mean? How does it work?

Have you encountered Dual SIM smartphones in shops? Do you want to know what makes them useful and how the Dual SIM technology works? Maybe you already know that, but you still have questions like what makes Dual SIM Dual Standby different from Dual SIM Dual Active? If you want to know what the Dual SIM technology is, how it is implemented in modern
article What is the MAC address, and how is it used?

What is the MAC address, and how is it used?

MAC addresses are a vital part of networking. Much like IP addresses, MAC addresses can be a confusing concept for someone without a technical background. Nevertheless, in this article, we give you enough information about MAC addresses for you to understand what they are, why you need them, and how they are used. Let's get started: First, the basic components of all networks
review Reviewing Synology DiskStation DS418: Modular and well built!

Reviewing Synology DiskStation DS418: Modular and well built!

Synology is quite the brand name when it comes to NAS (Network Attached Storage) solutions. Recently, we received their DiskStation DS418 4-bay NAS for testing. It is a well-built device, with excellent modular software. By default, when you turn it on the first time, it includes only the bare-bones features of a NAS. However, you can extend it to be anything you wish, from
tutorial How do I connect my iPhone to my computer with Windows 10?

How do I connect my iPhone to my computer with Windows 10?

There are many reasons why you might want to connect your iPhone to your Windows 10 PC. Maybe you want to move some music from one device to the other, add some videos on your iPhone to watch while commuting or even create a manual backup of everything important on your iPhone. Whatever your reasons are, here is how to connect an iPhone to
review MIO MiVue J60 review: Dash cam with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS tracking

MIO MiVue J60 review: Dash cam with built-in Wi-Fi and GPS tracking

The dash cams market has grown slowly but steadily over the last few years and is now filled with many choices. MIO is one of the most prolific manufacturers of dash cams, and most of them are excellent. We received in testing one of their more discreet dash cams called the MiVue J60. It is a camera that hides from sight in the back
tutorial 2 ways to see which Windows 10 apps drain the most battery

2 ways to see which Windows 10 apps drain the most battery

Most smartphones and tablets offer ways of finding out which apps drain their batteries. However, Windows devices did not have this feature in the past, and there was no easy way to discover which apps consumed the most power on our laptops or tablets. However, newer versions of Windows 10 have brought new features that change all that. Now, there are two ways in
review ASUS TUF Gaming K5 review: Affordable keyboard with RGB illumination

ASUS TUF Gaming K5 review: Affordable keyboard with RGB illumination

The ASUS TUF family of gaming peripherals includes a keyboard called K5, which we tested for about ten days of daily use. The ASUS TUF Gaming K5 keyboard features RGB illumination with AURA Sync compatibility and Mech-Brane key switches that are said to offer excellent tactile feedback, similar to mechanical switches, although they are using domes. It also has media buttons, a wrist pad,
tutorial What is and how to disable Peak Performance Capability on iPhones

What is and how to disable Peak Performance Capability on iPhones

The iPhones that are running new versions of iOS include a power management feature that protects them from shutting down unexpectedly. It is called Peak Performance Capability, and it is automatically enabled if the battery cannot deliver the required amount of power during various tasks. If you want to learn about what Peak Performance Capability is on your iPhone, and how to disable it,
tutorial 7 ways to tell how many cores your processor has

7 ways to tell how many cores your processor has

Unless you own an old computer, and by that we mean a computer that's from the nineties, you probably have a multicore processor inside it. Do you know how many cores and logical processors your CPU has? Do you want to find out this information? In this article we will show you seven methods that you can use to see how many cores your