Overclocking 101
Simply put, overclocking means pushing your PC’s internal components further than their specified speeds. For example, if your computer’s CPU runs at 2.6GHz, overclocking it would mean pushing the processor’s speed to maybe 2.8GHz. Contrary to popular misconception, you don’t need a high-powered liquid cooling system if you only plan on nudging your PC’s CPU up a speed grade or two, but if you really want to push your processor to the limit, you might want to invest in a dedicated temperature control unit. Similarly, many CPUs can withstand moderate overclocking, as every motherboard manufactured is set to a benchmarked speed to optimize performance within “safe” parameters. This doesn’t mean, however, that it can’t work a little harder – or faster.

Tweaking the BIOS
Overclocking is done by making adjustments to your computer’s BIOS settings. During your PC’s boot cycle, press either “Delete” or “F12″ to access your motherboard’s BIOS. From here, you may be able to access the CPU Clock Ratio setting. Another important setting is the BLCK Frequency, which, when adjusted along with the Clock Ratio, can result in significantly faster speeds.

It’s worth noting, however, that not all CPUs can be overclocked. If this is the case, you won’t see any options to change the Clock Ratio in the BIOS and you’ll have to invest in a faster motherboard. Fortunately, Newegg.com has dozens of the latest – and fastest – computer components, from motherboards and RAM to GPUs and cooling systems.

Of course, delving into the inner workings of your PC’s BIOS should only be done if you’re confident you know what you’re doing. Changing settings in the BIOS can render your PC useless if you’re not careful, so if you’re not sure what to do, either back up your hard drive and use a separate partition for BIOS tweaking or simply leave it alone.

For a more in-depth look at overclocking Intel’s 3rd Generation Core Processors, check out this video from Newegg TV:

CCleaner
Over time, browsing the web, installing and removing software and even general computer use can clog up your machine. Even if you take great care to keep your PC running smoothly, there are a lot of background processes and digital footprints left behind by common software applications that can adversely affect how well your computer runs. To ensure your machine is performing at optimal levels, install CCleaner or CCleaner Professional by Piriform. This handy tool enables you to quickly and easily delete your browser’s cache files, uninstall old programs, get rid of obsolete registry values and more. Running CCleaner once a week is an excellent way to keep your PC in top shape.

Auslogics Disk Defrag
Auslogics Disk Defrag makes defragmenting your computer’s hard drive a snap. Routine computer use can lead to files being moved and saved under different names, both of which can take up valuable space on your machine’s drive. Auslogics Disk Defrag enables you to analyze how efficient your hard drive’s disk usage is, before defragmenting it to ensure that those pesky file remnants aren’t affecting your computer’s performance. Depending on how much you use your computer, you shouldn’t need to defrag your hard drive more than once a month.

Duplicate Cleaner
No matter how organized you may be, from time to time you’ll probably come across duplicate files hidden away in the depths of your PC’s hard drive. Not only can these files take up additional space, duplicate documents can also lead to a range of problems, such as compatibility issues and permissions conflicts. To eliminate duplicate files, install Duplicate Cleaner. This application enables you to search entire hard drives and identify and kill duplicated files.

What other programs do you recommend for spring cleaning your PC?

Digital media, including videos, music, and photos, is everywhere. Storing all this media on your PC or Mac is no problem, but what about tablets and smartphones?  Many people have more media than their mobile devices can hold.

Corsair designed Voyager Air to be the perfect storage device for this new, mobile world. Voyager Air is an all-in-one network drive (Network Attached Storage), portable wireless drive, USB drive, and wireless hub that lets you consolidate all your digital media, and enjoy it anytime and anywhere.

It’s a network drive (NAS)

Corsair Voyager Air External Hard Drive

Voyager Air was designed to be useful at home – an environment where other wireless drives often fall short. With a high-speed Gigabit Ethernet port, the Voyager Air plugs into your home router, and works as shared network storage for all your desktop and notebook computers. With Voyager Air on your home network, it’s easy to consolidate and share digital media.

It’s a portable wireless drive

Voyager Air was also designed for mobility. The drive has a high-capacity rechargeable battery and built-in Wi-Fi, so it’s easy to take with you anywhere you go. Just connect to it from your tablet or smartphone as you would connect to a wireless network, and then use the free Voyager Air app to access the drive. The battery provides up to seven hours of video streaming, and it’s easy to recharge via AC, USB, or the included 2A car adapter.

As multi-user drive, Voyager Air is capable of streaming different HD video on up to five devices at the same time. If you’re in an area with public Wi-Fi, like a coffee shop or hotel, you can configure it using Wi-Fi Passthru to act as a wireless hub, providing Internet access to all your devices.

It’s a USB drive

Connect it directly to a PC or Mac with the included USB cable and it works just like any other portable drive. It works with Windows by default, and can be easily reformatted for Mac compatibility.

Works with PCs and Macs, and Apple and Android devices

Voyager Air works with Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS 9, and Mac OS X. The iOS mobile app is compatible with iOS 5.1 and higher. And the Android app works on tablets and smartphones running Android 2.3.3 and higher.

Take a look at this video below from Newegg TV for more information about the Voyager Air:

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Although most modern games need a fast CPU to run properly, many of the latest titles make use of GPUs, as well. High-end graphics cards flex some serious muscle when it comes to the GPU, which is essentially a computer in itself. The GPU handles memory management to enable games to run at higher frame rates. As a rule, the closer you can get to 60 frames per second, the better the game will look.

Although a fast GPU is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a graphics card, the faster the processor, the more heat it will generate. So what do you need to do? Cool things down a little.

Heatsink
As they generate so much heat, high-end graphics cards often come with built-in heatsinks. These components ensure that heat created by the GPU is distributed evenly across the card, cooling the surface temperature of the circuitry to avoid malfunctions due to overheating. Most of the best models on the market also feature fans to circulate cool air toward the card and dissipate heat generated by it.

Memory
Most high-end graphics cards use GDDR5 memory to supplement the power of the GPU. Just as with desktop computers, the more memory a graphics card has, the more tasks it can handle. Depending on your needs and setup, the amount of memory you’ll need will vary. The most powerful cards on the market can come with up to 8GB of memory, which will definitely pack a punch when it comes to handling high-end graphics.

Do you need an upgrade to your graphics card? If you’re in the market for the latest and most powerful graphics card, check out the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan or the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, desktops are most popular with older users. Younger users are more likely to own laptops and are the first generation to prefer mobile options to their stationary counterparts. Some industry experts aren’t prepared to say that desktop PCs are obsolete, but that time may be coming.

Desktop PCs used to be viewed as the most functional devices, but recent technological advances have given laptops equal footing. Manufacturers can now build mobile computers with strong performance power without adding extra weight to the hardware.

Additionally, cloud services have contributed to the growing popularity of laptops. Users can store all of their content to digital lockers, which eliminates the need for sizable desktops that are capable of saving large libraries of files.

What about the business world?
Desktops are viewed as necessities by most businesses. Desktop computers usually last longer than most laptops, and companies don’t have to frequently replace vital hardware. However, the need for desktops could soon decrease as working on-the-go becomes more popular.

According to a recent report from the United States Census Bureau, 9.5 percent of the American workforce telecommutes at least once a week. Additionally, 4.3 percent of employees work remotely for the majority of the week. As communication and information technologies advance, more workers are encouraged to leave their offices behind and perform their work at home.

Laptops aren’t the only tools that allow workers to stay at home. Tablets have grown increasingly functional over the last few years, and new productivity apps have improved the mobile devices’ performance. Employees can video conference and send faxes via tablets and eliminate the need for traditional office hardware.

The customizable desktop PC
On the other hand, desktops are extremely customizable, giving users the ability to build and create exactly what they want. This is particularly popular among PC gamers who need systems that require a lot of processing and GPU power to play those graphics-intense PC games. While there are great gaming laptops out there, with desktops, gamers can select exactly what components they want and continually upgrade them to the latest and greatest on the market.

What do you think the future holds for desktop PCs? Do you think desktops will eventually become obsolete?

Pre-orders for the ultrabook may have been delayed by Asus until mid to late December, but let’s take closer look at its features now.

It’s a tablet
The Taichi 21 has an outward facing screen with a Gorilla Glass surface that is usable while the laptop is closed. The monitor measures almost 12 inches across, making it just as big as the Surface or the Galaxy Note and bigger than the iPad. It also boasts a higher resolution than its competitors, with 1920 x 1080 high definition image capability. The touchscreen is scratch resistant and as sensitive as any other tablet on the market. Because it only weighs about twice as much as an iPad, it’s not too heavy to carry around comfortably.

It’s a laptop
The Asus Taichi is also meant to be used as a laptop, with a flip-open display on the opposite side of the touchscreen and a full keyboard underneath. When it’s open, users can shut off the outward facing monitor or leave it on for sharing, but both sides are touch-sensitive. Launched with Windows 8, the Taichi comes with Microsoft Office, Skype and the Asus Cloud drive for additional storage.

It’s an ultrabook
Supporting all these features is an Intel Core i7 driver and HD 4000 graphics card. Carrying only 4GB of memory and a diminutive hard drive, the Taichi is capable of high performance but is meant to be used in connection with the cloud. Its processor clocks in at 3.0GHz, meaning startup time and refresh rates on applications will be negligible in comparison to other laptops and tablets.

By combining the best facets of each kind of modern computing hardware, as well as the flexibility of current software and sharing trends, Asus laptops like the Taichi offer optimal performance and productivity without being cumbersome to carry.

What do you think of the new hybrid ultrabooks? Are they just a fad or are they here to stay?

If you’re careful, using less electricity doesn’t mean you have to deal with reduced performance. Below are five simple steps you can follow to help stretch a single charge on your laptop.

Turn down the display

A computer’s backlight uses a great deal of power. The brighter the screen is, the more power it’s using. Some users leave their displays incredibly bright so content is sharper and easier to read.

However, your screen doesn’t have to operate on its highest brightness level to be usable. You can adjust the settings based on every situation so that you’re not straining your eyes to read a darkened screen in a well-lit location.

Only access local files
When you stream online content or access data from external storage units like USB drives or discs, your laptop is dedicating power to reading those files. If you aren’t near an outlet and need your battery to last, it’s better to only view locally stored documents.

External devices use electricity even when they’re not active. To avoid wasting power, remove any peripheral gadgets that you’re not currently using.

Don’t run multiple programs
Asking your computer to support multiple applications can quickly drain your battery. It is recommended to just have your antivirus software and one other program active at any given time. Opening additional windows makes your computer work harder to save content.

Put your laptop on hibernate
Some users put their laptops to sleep because the low-power state saves their sessions and has faster reboot times. While this can be convenient, sleeping notebooks are still using power.

Choosing a “hibernate” setting allows laptops to save open programs while using less electricity during idle periods. This option turns off a system off completely, so it takes longer for notebooks to restart.

Turn off automatic updates
When applications access the internet to check for updates, they’re forcing your computer to work harder. You can turn this feature off for every program, so you’re not dedicating battery life to an unnecessary task. Updates can be performed manually when you’re using AC power so you don’t have to worry about your laptop dying.

How do you keep your laptop alive between charges?

Flash drives
USB drives are small enough that people can hang them on their key chains. They’re lightweight and compact, making them a convenient choice for many consumers who want a tool that lets them bring their files anywhere.

However, it’s important to remember that there is not an excess amount of storage space on these devices, so carefully consider how much data will be saved to a drive. Its small stature is convenient for carrying around, but also makes the drive easy to misplace.

External hard drives
Consumers who need to back up large libraries of data should consider purchasing an external hard drive. These storage units vary greatly in size, but many of them can save every bit of data that a user needs.

For those who need a data supplement because their computer’s memory has been maxed out, there are drive with terabytes (TB) of available space. More casual users would probably only need a few hundred gigabytes (GB), so all their music and pictures aren’t lost in the event of a computer crash.

Companies like Google and Microsoft offer limited cloud storage, but any additional space requires a subscription. Consumers should keep in mind that if they don’t have a strong internet connection, they won’t be able to view their cloud-stored data.

Cloud storage
Cloud services have become a popular option for consumers who don’t want to be tethered to an additional device to access their content and prefer to upload files online. Cloud networks can be accessed over any data network, so users can view their content on their smartphones as well as tablets and computers.

Are you using any of these storage devices? What matters more to you – ease of access or available space?

Consumers may be confused by all the available options and specifications, but learning what each tablet offers and figuring out if it meets a user’s needs is essential, as it results in a more informed purchase.

The new iPad from Apple is considered by some to be the best tablet available. The manufacturer has included a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel screen for clarity and detail. However, by comparison to the iPad 2, the new model is slightly heavier and its battery lasts for about two hours less.

The Google Nexus 7 may be a smaller tablet but it still delivers powerful performance. The device has a 7-inch screen and only weighs about 0.74 pounds. Unlike some tablets, there is no rear-facing camera or 3G support. Running on Android 4.1, the device has been optimized for easier customization. Users also have the ability to choose between landscape and portrait viewing regardless of which way they are holding the Nexus 7.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been viewed by many as the most serious competitor to Apple’s iPad for tablet supremacy. This tablet weighs in at 1.25 pounds and features 1280 x 800 resolution. However, the device has a tendency to oversaturate colors, making the device difficult to look at for extended periods of time.

Amazon’s newest tablet is 7 inches, making it the Google Nexus 7’s biggest competitor. The Kindle Fire 2 HD that features a physical volume button and camera, a low price at $199 for the 16GB version, a reduced-glare screen and eight hours of battery life. However, the Amazon app market is not as developed as the Apple app market, and the ad-free versions of the tablets cost an additional $15.

These tablets represent a small fraction of the devices available on the market. While the iPad is considered to be the industry standard, users should not limit themselves solely to Apple’s product based on its reception and popularity.

Do you own any of these tablets? Which ones would you recommend to your friends?

It seems the some of the most important factors students consider when purchasing tech products for college is mobility and convenience. After all, students are the ones who will have to be carrying the products around from class to class all day. Because each student will be the main user for each technology product purchased for back to school, it’s important that he or she is able to provide their input when making the purchasing decision.

Survey results also revealed that one in three students have an item purchased by a parent that they do not like or do not use. For example, 92 percent of students consider a laptop a necessity for college but 36 percent admitted that they were not completely happy with it throughout the academic year.

Sixty-six percent of students consider the printer a necessity for their classes. However, only 47 percent trust their parents to buy the right printer. The trend continues for software as well – 70 percent of students want to be able to pick out what programs to buy themselves instead of trusting their parents to buy it for them.

Technology is constantly being updated so it makes sense that the younger generation is much more in touch with it than their parents’ generation. In order to help bridge this generation gap, we launched the Parent Persuasion Program, which gives students access to unconventional marketing tactics to help students communicate to their parents which technology products are right for them. Visitors to Newegg’s Parent Persuasion site are treated to a set of videos which humorously advise the student on how to get their parents to buy the right products for them: “Welcome to the most advanced manipulation system in human history, focusing the power of 19 million geeks on a single task – getting your parents to open their wallets.”

How do you feel about your parents buying technology products for you?