Computers

 Like most people, I was initially confounded by the switch to USB Type-C. The new charging and connectivity platform is appearing in newer smartphones, tablets and notebook PCs as a way to make devices sleeker, more versatile and help them to charge a lot faster. Is this really the one port to rule them all?

Alienware is a name synonymous with hardcore PC gaming. Whether you’re fighting off a Zerg swarm, adventuring your way to level 70 in Diablo 3 or freeing London of Nazi invaders in Wolfenstein: The New Order, the ultimate video game experience is on a PC and Alienware has long been a respected name among Windows gamers. And while gaming laptops offer a very good experience, to get the best, you need to go with a tower or desktop gaming PC. This is the form factor that has the space for the monster video card, the high performance CPU and all the other components that make a game look its best. Alienware has just released two new desktop gaming PCs that are available now at Best Buy: The Alienware X51-R2 and the awesome Alienware R4.

If you are looking at upgrading your computer but are confused about which graphics card to buy, let me give you tips for how to find the right video card for your computer.

It doesn't matter if you're upgrading an old machine or building a new rig, let me show you how to choose the right CPU for your gaming PC.

Got an older iMac, MacBook Air or other Apple computer you’re thinking of handing down to someone in your family? It’s tempting to pass your old Mac on to someone—especially a student—but new Macs bring a lot to the table. In many cases, it may be better to buy them a new Mac than to give them your old one.

As we hit the halfway point of summer vacation (for kids), back to school is starting creep closer. For many parents, that’s going to mean a mad scramble to find a laptop for their university, college high school or even elementary school student. But which one to choose? Best Buy alone stocks hundreds… I can’t tell you the perfect laptop for your student —the best advice I can offer is to make certain you understand your student’s requirements, research the options and don’t leave your choice until the last minute when popular models might be in short supply. To help you get started, though, here are my picks as some of the best laptops of the year for back to school.

Is your computer or laptop feeling a little sluggish lately? One of the best upgrades available for adding a whole new level of performance to a PC is to replace its hard drive with a solid state drive. SSD capacities continue to increase even as prices fall, so adding new life to your older PC is easier than ever.

Life is too short to spend it staring at a frozen screen. Stop waiting for your download, get rid of all those pesky cables and boost your current WiFi system with the Asus WiFi line of fast routers and USB Wi-Fi adapters that can handle 3D video streaming and gaming.

Trying to make the ultimate space for school work, or working from home? Here are some tips for creating your own stylish home office.

There’s a lot to like about portable computers, but Google and its hardware partners like Samsung, Acer and HP found a way to offer a light weight, lower cost alternative to the traditional Windows laptop. Chromebooks are a hot category of portable computers that run Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows or OSX. With Chrome’s lower hardware requirements and the ability to leverage Google’s cloud services, a Chromebook can offer a full-featured PC experience in a device that’s lighter and less expensive than traditional PCs, without the limitations of netbooks. They may not be ideal for everyone, but Chromebooks are designed to cover many scenarios and are particularly useful for students, road warriors, small business and those looking for light duty home PC.