The Last “Cheap” B450 AM4 Mini-ITX Motherboard

Published: November 21, 2021 YouTube Videos

The ECS KAM1-I AM1 mini-ITX motherboard and the AMD Athlon 5150 AM1 processor cost me $50 US in 2015. I paid $25 US for the motherboard and $25 US for the processor. A nice little combo for a Linux box to back up my FreeNAS file server.

I got the ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/AC AM4 motherboard for $100 US as a replacement. The last cheap B450 AM4 mini-ITX motherboard available in today’s market.

I’ll explain the old AM1 motherboard and the new AM4 motherboard.

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Why I Buy $20 US Mouse When I Have $300 US Keyboard

Published: October 17, 2021 YouTube Videos

I tweeted last month that I replaced the Cougar Minos X5 mouse with the Cougar Minos X2 mouse. The scroll wheel on the X5 became “twitchy” when cycling through inventory in FortNite. The last thing I want to pull out during a firefight is an unloaded weapon. The X2 was half the cost of the X5, similar in size, and didn’t have RGB. That created a controversy for some viewers of my YouTube channel. Why do I buy a $20 US mouse when I have a $300 keyboard on my desk?

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Installing Windows 11 on My Test PC

Published: October 10, 2021 YouTube Videos

Two weeks ago, I upgraded my editing PC with the EVGA SuperNOVA GA 850-watt power supply. The Rosewill Glacier 500-watt power supply went into the junk box. This week I cleaned up my test PC by replacing the power supply and air cooler and installing Windows 11. Cleaning up the hardware was more impressive than installing Windows 11.

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Pre-Holiday PC Upgrades for Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Published: September 24, 2021 YouTube Videos

Is your PC ready for that Black Friday/Cyber Monday upgrade special that you plan to get this year? If your PC is like my editing PC, probably not. You might need to upgrade your PC now to make a Black Friday/Cyber Monday upgrade special possible. This week I replaced the Rosewill Glacier 500-watt power supply with the EVGA SuperNOVA GA 850-watt power supply. I’ll be able to get that Black Friday/Cyber Monday upgrade special without blowing up my power supply.

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Revisiting The Verge PC Guide Fiasco w/Stefan Etienne

Published: September 11, 2021 YouTube Videos

Linus Tech Tips had a surprising episode with special guest Stefan Etienne this week. If he looks familiar, Stefan hosted the infamous The Verge PC build guide video two years ago. Linus gave him the opportunity to tell his side of the story while fixing the mistakes he made in that video. I’m going to recap the PC guide fiasco, the copyright strikes that followed, and the new info from Stefan.

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How to Deflect PC Heat AWAY FROM YOU

Published: September 8, 2021 YouTube Videos

JayzTwoCents had a recent video on how to keep your PC from heating up your game room.

  • He explained how hot air move from the PC into the room.
  • He had tips for reducing heat without reducing performance.
  • He even suggested opening the window and/or door to let fresh air in.

But there was one scenario he didn’t cover in his video. How to deflect heat away from you when your PC sits underneath your desk. I got a $5 USD solution that you may already have in your home.

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Installing and Troubleshooting Orico USB 3.0 Add-In Card

Published: August 13, 2021 YouTube Videos

When I took the CompTIA PenTest+ beta exam in late June, I had to switch out the editing PC for the test PC. The test PC had a clean install of Windows 10 that allowed the exam software to find the microphone and the webcam. Since I had so many USB cables coming off the editing PC, I had to sort out which cables were keyboard, mouse, and webcam. I was also running out of USB ports in the back. I’m going to install and troubleshoot the Orico USB 3.0 add-in card to add more ports and reorganize my USB cables.

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be quiet! Ultimate Screwdriver (Parody Ad) #SHORTS

Published: July 25, 2021 YouTube Shorts

The be quiet! ultimate screwdriver is a must have tool for any PC builder. Designed for hard to reach mounting screws on air coolers. Available for $90 USD. For a limited time, includes the Dark Rock Pro 4 air cooler for free (requires a big ass case).

NOTE: This short video is a parody ad. When you buy the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 air cooler, the screwdriver is included. Considering how useful the screwdriver is after installing the air cooler, it’s more valuable than the air cooler itself.

Deep Cool Gammaxx 400S Air Cooler for $27 USD

Published: July 18, 2021 YouTube Videos

Last month I looked at the be quiet Pure Rock Slim 2 air cooler for $25 USD. A viewer requested that I do a review of the Deep Cool Gammaxx 400 V2 air cooler that was also available for $25 USD. I didn’t like that model because the LED fan would have gone straight to the trash. The closest I ever came to having an LED fan was installing the Phanteks Halo Lux RGB fan frames. I got the Deep Cool Gammaxx 400S air cooler with a silent, non-LED, non-PWM fan for $27 USD. Which budget cooler was better?

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WhyNotWin11 Detection Script For Windows 11 #SHORTS

Published: June 27, 2021 YouTube Shorts

WhyNotWin11 is a detection script to help identify why your PC isn’t Windows 11 compatible. A detailed alternative to the Microsoft PC Health Check Windows 11 app. Since the script is unsigned, Windows 10 makes it very hard to download and run the script. Once the script is running, you can see at a glance what area of your PC isn’t Windows 11 ready. In this short video, I’ll go through the steps of downloading and running the script.