Tech

The Best iPhone X Case That You Can Get (2019)

Last updated on August 5, 2019

Looking for a new iPhone X case? There are a ton of options out there. But, which one is the best? Well, while there is clearly no single perfect option for everyone, there are some cases that are kinda the best for specific types of people.

By taking that into account, we decided to hunt for the best iPhone X case that you can get for each kind of usage like elegance, beauty, toughness, etc. Without any ado, let’s check them out!

1: Best iPhone X Case For Protection: Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro

Obviously, one of the main reasons for buying a phone case is protection; and when it comes to protection, the Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro is one of the best choices out there.

Sure. It’s not the most elegant case out there and it’s also not the most beautiful. But, that’s the price you pay for the ultimate level of protection. That being said, there are a few options out there which offer a mix of protection and beauty. But, for now, let’s focus on this one.

One of the advantages that the Supcae Unicorn offers compared to other options is the built-in screen protector and the dust protection system. It basically covers the exposed port with a sort of port flap that you can close and open at will.

This should be helpful for keeping out any dust and water droplets that you may come across on your daily usage.

Last, but not least, Supcase are saying that this case is compatible with wireless charging. However, seeing how thick it is, we’d advise you to take that info with a grain of salt.

Pros:

Quite possibly the best iPhone X case for protection
One of the few choices that can keep out dust and debris so effectively
Nearly a thousand positive reviews

Cons:

Most people may find it rather dull looking
Generally not the most beautiful option out there

Overall, this is one of the best iPhone X cases that you can get right now. It may sacrifice a bit of glamour, but that’s necessary in order to achieve the highest level of possible protection.

2:Best iPhone X Case For Everyone: Torras Slim Fit

This is the second time that we recommend the Torras slim fit as the best all-around choice for your average person. After all, it’s cheap, good looking, and it offers a very simplistic design which is what makes it suitable for so many people.

One very good thing with slim cases, apart from the fact that they are super elegant, is the fact that almost always play well with wireless charging. After all, when it comes to wireless chargers, thickness is the second biggest enemy.

Now, as far as style and personality is concerned, this is obviously not the best case, no pun intended. But, then again, that’s not what the Torras Slim Fit aims to deliver.

This is supposed to be a simplistic option and if that’s what you’re looking for, then it’s definitely one of the best options out there at the moment!

Pros:

Simplistic
Likeable by the vast majority of people
Slim
Cheap
More than a thousand positive reviews
Compatible with wireless charging (Your mileage may vary depending on the charger)

Cons:

Doesn’t offer a ton of protection (Still much better than nothing)
Doesn’t have a lot of personality to it

Overall, if you want something simple that gets the job done, do consider this one!

3: Best Case For An Elegant Look: Spigen Liquid Air

While Torras’ case is kinda standing on neutral ground, the Spigen Liquid Air is focused a bit more on elegance and style. So, if that’s what you’re after, consider this one.

And it’s not just stylish. The Spigen Liquid Air also offers quite a lot of protection with air cushioning along with support for wireless charging, fingerprint-resistant materials, and engravings which assist with grip.

Considering that we can get all of that for a tiny bit more than 10 bucks, this is one of the best bargains out there. And if there’s one case that is coming close to offering the best of all worlds, then this is probably it.

Pros:

Stylish
Elegant
Looks good while also offering decent protection
Allows for wireless charging
More than a thousand positive reviews

Cons:

Not the best option for those who want something colorful

Admittedly, it may be a bit too dark for some people, which is why we’re going to be checking out some more options!

4: Best Fancy Case: i-Blason Cosmo Glitter

Elegance and simplicity are wonderful. But, some people just want a bit of color in their lives. If you’re that kind of person, do definitely consider i-Blason’s offerings!

Just because it’s beautiful, doesn’t mean that it needs to sacrifice toughness for it. I mean, obviously, it doesn’t feel as sturdy as the Supcase Unicorn, but it’s still a decent offering and much better than nothing.

Speaking of protection, this case comes bundled with its own screen protector as well. Though, do keep in mind that the reviewers don’t seem to be particularly fond of it.

While we are on this subject, let’s not forget to mention that at the moment, this almost has 800 reviews with an average rating of 4.3/5. So, that goes to say something about how trustworthy it is!

If there’s one downside, then that would be the price tag. It commonly retails at about 22 bucks, which isn’t horrible. But, considering that most cases sit in the $9/12 range, we just had to mention it.

Pros:

Colorful
Adds a lot of personality to the phone
Tons of positive reviews
Compatible with wireless charging
Comes with a screen protector
Tons of options to choose from

Cons:

A bit expensive compared to other options
May be a bit too flashy for some people

5: Best Girly Case: Velvet Caviar Floral Rose Gold

Here is something to treat our female readers. Not that a man can’t enjoy a cute case. But, just saying.

Velvet Caviar is generally known for making some of the best cute cases out there. The only problem is that they are also some of the most expensive choices. Sometimes, what you pay is really what you get.

Don’t forget that if you’re not a fan of this specific pattern, there are always a ton of other options to choose from. They all share the same design, but different patterns.

This means that you can get the style that is most suitable to your liking while still having access to the same quality standards of Velvet Caviar.

Overall, if you want something cute, do definitely consider this one.

Pros:

One of the best choices when it comes to cute and/or girly designs
Adds a lot of personality to the phone
Great average rating (Not a lot of reviews, though. Possibly because of the unattractive price point)
Stylish
Numerous options to choose from

Cons:

Generally more expensive than other options
Definitely way too girly and/or cute for some people

Best iPhone X Case To Get in 2019: Wrapping Up

In the end, there’s no universal option that will please everyone. That’s why we gathered different choices for different kinds of people. We hope that you were pleased with them and if not, let us know about your recommendations in the comments down below!

iPhone 11 Leaked: Square-Shaped Camera, Budged Oriented, And More

Last updated on July 4, 2019

More interesting leaks and rumors for the iPhone 11 are here with some of them talking about a square-shaped camera design and others mentioning a budget-friendly version. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. So, let’s get right into it, shall we?

Square-Shaped Camera?

Apple is known for keeping their phone design fairly simple and consistent over the years. Very small changes have been made from generation to generation with the notch being one of the biggest additions. After all, if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

But, it looks like a big change is coming towards our way this time as we’re possibly looking at a square-shaped camera design.

This is a render based on all the information that we’ve got till now from OnLeaks. And that’s indeed something that we’ve never seen before from Apple.

It slightly looks like the concept of the Mate 20 Pro, but not exactly. The cameras are a little bit oddly positioned. But, that shouldn’t make a huge difference.

There are various assumptions regarding the functions of these lenses. And the truth is that they could be anything. However, one of the most likely setups is:

Main camera
Telephoto lens
Wideangle lens – or 3D camera

Regarding the 3D camera, various rumors are saying that it may be a TOF sensor or something like that. Still, at this point, this is nothing but pure speculation. So, take that info with a grain of salt.

Budget Version?

One thing that is very likely to happen is that the new iPhone 11 will come in multiple variants with some of them being more expensive than the others. That’s nothing surprising and we’ve seen it happen numerous times before – both with Apple and other companies.

However, one thing that did surprise us is that we may see a budget variant. Something that is leaning towards the mid-range/budget market.

This budget iPhone is allegedly going to ditch the Face ID in favor of an in-display fingerprint scanner. If you ask us, that doesn’t sound very likely to happen. But, hey, don’t hate the messenger. We’re just delivering the news here.

Now, we’ve got both good news and bad news regarding this launch. The good news is that as this is targeted a bit more towards the budget range, it’ll likely cost less than $580. I mean, this isn’t exactly cheap. But, hey, we’re talking about Apple here.

As for the bad news? The launch is rumored to take place only in China. Or at least for starters and then maybe we’ll see a worldwide launch. We don’t have any information about the launch dates. But, we’ll let you know if we find out.

Name, Pricing, And eSIM

Regarding the name, well, it’s most likely going to be either iPhone 11 or iPhone XI. That’s a given. The variants are most likely going to come with an additional letter to separate them from the bunch, something like iPhone XIX, XIXL, or anything like that. Though, that looks a bit confusing.

In terms of pricing, well, we all know that it’s not going to change too much. About a thousand bucks for the base edition sounds about right. Apple has been consistent with their pricing for years now. The budget variant that we talked about before may be the only exception.

Last, but not least, some of our sources have mentioned that there is a possibility for Apple to go through the full eSIM route. Meaning that won’t have to bother with physical SIM cards any more. Instead, you’ll only have to take your phone to your carrier and he’ll set the number up for you.

That’s all for now. We’ll let you know if anything else comes up. So, stay tuned!

SOURCES: TECH RADAR, FORBES

How to Check iCloud Mail on PC, Mac, And Phone

Last updated on July 3, 2019

How to Check iCloud Mail on PC, Mac, And Phone

Learning how to check iCloud Mail on any device is a one-step process. Once you go through it, then it basically becomes a walk in the park really. That being said, let’s get right into it.

A Small Note

While you can you freely use iCloud by itself in any device, certain services are locked down to Apple devices only. And you guessed it, the iCloud Mail is one of them.

Here’s the deal:

Using iCloud Mail should technically be possible on any device
But the creation of an iCloud Mail account is restricted only to those who own either an iPhone or Mac

In other words, if you only have a Windows or Android device and you tried logging in without spotting the Mail, then that’s normal. Apple won’t let you get a mail account unless you already have one of their devices and you need to create it from there.

You can still use iCloud normally with the use of a web browser – anything will do. But, the iCloud Mail isn’t going to be available. Again, that is unless you already own an Apple device which you used to create your iCloud Mail.

Now that we cleared this out of the way, let us move on with the guide.

How to Create an iCloud Mail Account

If you already have an account, then feel free to skip through this step. You can primarily use two kinds of devices to get an iCloud Mail account:

Your iPhone
And your Mac

The setup process is extremely easy in both cases. So, just go with whatever you feel most comfortable with. Just do keep in mind that the steps are slightly different for phones that are running iOS 10.3 or earlier and VS iOS 10.2 earlier devices.

For 10.3 and higher:

Go to Settings
Select your name/Apple ID
Go to iCloud
Enable Mail
Follow any instructions that your phone will give you
And you’ll be good to go

The process on iOS 10.2 devices and earlier is the same with the main difference that instead of clicking on your name, you go straight to the option which says “iCloud”. After that, simply enable your Mail, follow any instructions that your device will give you, and you’ll be set in no time.

If you don’t get any instructions after enabling the Mail, then chances are that you already went through the necessary steps before and just forgotten about it or something.

How to Check iCloud Mail Through a Browser

This is how iCloud looks through a web browser. The reason that you can’t see Mail on this screenshot is because it wasn’t enabled through an Apple device. But, if you’ve followed our previous steps or you’ve enabled it before, then you should be able to see it and get access to it.

It doesn’t really matter what device or browser that you’re using. You only need to make sure that:

You are running the latest version of your browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc)
And that you’ve completed the Mail setup

After that, all you have to do is head over to the home page of iCloud right over here, then insert your login credentials (Apple ID, Password, and potentially the security questions.) and you’ll be good to go.

Once you’re in, all you need to do is select the Mail icon and you’ll be taken to your inbox. Again, this should work with all devices. All you need is a normal web browser and that’s about it.

How to Check iCloud Mail on Windows

Alright, so, getting access to your mail through a web browser is cool and everything. But, what if you want to do it the old fashioned way? Some of us just don’t feel comfortable without our dedicated programs. Well, Apple has you covered.

If you’ve got a Windows PC, you can check your iCloud Mail with mainly 3 ways:

Web browser
Windows app
Universal Windows app

We already talked about the web browser method which works pretty much universally. So, let’s move on to the Windows app. This one should technically work with pretty much any version of Windows including Windows 7 and 8.

All you have to do is head over to this page, click on the “Download icon”, wait for the download to finish, and install the program. Simple as that. After that, all you need to do is log in with your Apple ID and password, select what services you want (Including Mail), and you’ll be good to go!

If you’ve got a Windows 10 machine and you want to use UWP version which is exclusively made for Windows 10, then you can do so by heading over to the MS Store and installing it from there.

How to Check iCloud Mail on Android

It’s not uncommon for some people to own both an Android and an iPhone or at least a Mac and an Android. So, what if you are on the road with your Android phone and you wanna check on your mail?

Well, while there’s not a dedicated app for you, you can still use Gmail to access your iCloud related emails. In most cases, it comes pre-installed with your phone. If you don’t have it, you can easily get it on the Google Play Store.

After that, all you need to do is:

Head over to your Apple ID settings through any browser
Log in
Go to your security tab
Add an app-specific password
Use something that you’ll remember as you’ll need it for Gmail
Now open your Gmail app on your Android phone
Click on your account on the upper right corner
Select: “Add another account”
Select: “Other”
Insert your Apple ID/Mail and the app-specific password that you just created
And you should be good to go

Gmail allows you to use multiple emails on the same app. So, no need to worry about that. Just try not to get confused with your different Inboxes.

By the way, the same process applies and can be used with the Windows’ Mail app. But, there’s no reason to go through this rather troublesome process when you can just use the official program for it, right?

How to To Use The Mail on iPhone And Mac Devices

The Mail service is already pre-installed on your Mac and iPhone device. So, as long as you went through the setup process, you can launch it from your home-screen/apps list and that’s all there is to it. Just make sure that you’ve got it enabled through the settings.

That’s all for now. If you’ve got any questions or in case that something went wrong, do let us know about it in the comments and we’ll get back to you.

Learn How to Type Faster in 10 Minutes

Last updated on June 19, 2019

Wanna learn how to type faster? You can do so in 10 minutes by reading this guide. However, do keep in mind that just knowing how to type isn’t enough to get faster. You’ll need hundreds of hours of practice to truly get good and become one with your keyboard.

Now, I’m not the fastest typist alive. But, with an average speed of 90-100 WPM, I think I’m at least qualified to give a few typing tips. So, let’s get right into it!

1: Learn How to Type Faster With Touch Typing

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a professional or seasoned writer who needs to look at his keyboard. That’s because most of us are accustomed to at least one kind of touch typing.

The image that you see above is more or less the standard touch typing layout that your average typist uses. All you have to do is merely place your index fingers on the F and J button, the rest of your fingers side by side, and then type by only moving each finger up or down depending on the button that you need to press.

The only exceptions are your index and pinky fingers as they can move left or right to reach other keys. Everything else only goes up or down.

That being said, it’s not like you’re forced to rely on this layout. You can make your own modifications to fit your personal style and whatever feels best for you.

For example, I personally don’t like using my little fingers for pressing the 0 and 9. I prefer pretty much anything else that’s near them at that point. You can do anything similar.

If up till now you relied on your eyes to type, then it’s definitely going to take you a while to get used to blind typing. Not only because you need to memorize every key and have your fingers become one with your keyboard, but also because you need to develop a certain level of finger dexterity to move each individual finger freely. The smallest fingers can be particularly tough.

Still, once you get through this, I can guarantee you that your typing speed will start skyrocketing.

2: Learn How to Type Faster By Typing Slower

When you want to type fast, the logical approach of every newbie to typing is trying to type as fast as possible. And that sounds logical, right?

However, there is one huge issue with that approach. The average brain is rather weak and fragile. If you push it to 100% even for more than a few seconds you’ll start getting tired and losing focus. That leads to mistakes which have a tremendous impact on your typing speed.

Typing a bit slower than your maximum potential and being accurate will actually lead to you being faster than simply going as fast as you can. After all, hitting that backspace key is truly a speed killer.

Fan fact: Rally drivers are known for only operating at 90-95% of their full potential. That’s because a single mistake can kill them or at the very least end the race. So, they leave a little bit of room and go just a tad slower than they can just to minimize the risk of making a mistake and crashing. It’s more or less the same thing for typing. You’re fighting with accuracy and trying to avoid mistakes as much as you can.

3: Get a Good Keyboard

If you’re trying to learn how to type faster, lots of people will say that your keyboard has nothing to do with your ability. I assume that they’ve never managed to get past 60 WPM or they just have fingers that are made of iron or something.

A keyboard can make a huge difference in your typing speed. I personally can’t type over 60WPM on my Laptop’s membrane keyboard but I’ve managed to get up to 138WPM on my Desktop’s mechanical one.

Of course, I’m not saying that mechanical keyboards are better than membrane ones. It’s a matter of personal preference. And that brings us to the next point: finding something that fits your style and preference.

As mentioned above, you can primarily pick either a membrane or a mechanical keyboard. Both of them give of a very different feeling, have different features, endurance levels, price points, noise levels, etc.

Which type should you choose? Well, to put it in nutshell, membrane keyboards tend to feel a bit mushier and “heavy” on your fingers. However, they are also extremely silent and some people prefer that soft, mushy feeling.

Mechanical keyboards feel a little bit more like a typewriter and some of them offer the tactile feedback that so many people are after. However, they also tend to be very expensive, heavy, and loud. So, do your research and pick whatever fits you best.

If you’re into mechanical keyboards, make sure to check our best selections! I personally use the Corsair K70 Lux with red LEDs as my daily driver and it’s a wonder to work on. But, again, it’s a matter of personal preference.

4: Look Forward And Find Your Own Style

Once you truly learn how to type fast, you’ll soon notice that despite how fast you are, you can still read and think much faster than you can type. Unless you’ve got superhuman fingers or something; in which case, you clearly don’t belong in this guide or in this world for that matter.

So, take advantage of that fact to type faster. How? Simply think about what word is about to come after and proceed to place your fingers in the appropriate positions before you actually need to start typing that word.

This saves up a lot of time and speeds up your typing. If you want to learn how to type faster, then this skill is a must have. Especially after a certain point where you’re at least two times faster than your average typist.

It’s tough at first. But, if you practice enough it’ll become second nature to you and you won’t even have to think about it!

What is Overclocking And When is it Bad?

Last updated on June 13, 2019

What is overclocking? Can it damage my components? Do I need to pay anything extra for it? All good questions that are commonly asked by those who are new to overclocking. Let’s find the answers, shall we?

What is Overclocking?

The cores of your processor and graphics card work in frequencies that we measure in Hz. 1GHz means that your CPU can make a billion calculations per second, 2GHz means that it can do two, you get the point.

So, the higher the frequency that your CPU or GPU offers, the more performance that you’ll get out of them. However, do keep in mind that this only applies when we’re talking about the same models.

You can’t compare two different CPUs and judge how fast they are solely by their frequency because they are built differently. Core VS Core, a Pentium 4 CPU at 3.5GHz will always be several times slower than a Core i5 at the same frequency or even at a much lower one.

But, if you get two identical i5 processors with one of them offering a higher clock/frequency, then that one is definitely going to be faster than its sibling which offers a lower frequency. Easy enough to understand, right?

That being said, processors ship with a specific range of core speeds that they can achieve out of the box without you touching anything. Some of them can be modified to reach higher speeds – and that’s when overclocking comes in.

Overclocking is when the user raises the CPU or GPU core frequencies in order to gain higher levels of performance. But, how can you do that? When? And is it safe?

Can I Overclock? How?

When it comes to processors, Intel and AMD are the only ones who can create them for traditional desktops or laptops. And when it comes to overclocking, the situation is a bit different for each team.

Those of you who own an AMD Ryzen processor can all overclock your processor – no strings attached. Intel users, however, need to own a K series processor and a Z motherboard. If you don’t, your CPU’s core clock will be locked and there’s nothing that you can do about it.

As for how to overclock your CPU, in most cases, you need to reboot into your BIOS settings, start raising the CPU frequency and/or voltage little by little, reboot, stress test, and stop when you see that the PC is crashing. NEVER raise the frequency by more than 50 or 100Hz at once and never raise the voltage abruptly. More on that later.

Now, for graphics cards, almost all GPUs can be overclocked by using something like MSI Afterburner. Thankfully, you don’t need to keep on rebooting for this one to work.

All you have to do is launch the app, start raising the core frequency little by little, benchmark, and keep on going with this process until your games/benchmarks start crashing. A GPU crash can differ from model to model. Some of them just throw you out of the game while others completely crash the whole system.

Can Overclocking Harm My Computer?

Every time that I’m asked, “What is overclocking?”, the next question that almost always comes after is if this is dangerous. The answer? Kinda. Mostly if you don’t know what you’re doing.

When it comes to overclocking, there are primarily three things that can kill your CPU, GPU, or even motherboard:

Heat
Voltage
Bad motherboard VRM

Heat

First of all, let’s start with heat. Making your components work faster, regardless of if you’re pushing more voltage into them or not, will make them heat up more than before.

So, while overclocking, always start with frequency only and move with small steps every single time while monitoring temperatures to ensure that you’re fine. Most chips can go up to 95C before shutting down. But, the cooler that you can go, the better. I personally prefer staying under 70C at all time. Though technically speaking, anything up to 80-83C is generally considered “perfectly safe”.

Voltage and VRMs

After that comes voltage. And voltage can definitely shorten the lifespan of your components – depending on how much you’re pushing into them.

This is a highly controversial topic. But, most people agree that:

1.3V core voltage is the safe level for 24/7 operation
1.4V up to 1.45V is still relatively safe but may slightly degrade the lifespan of the CPU
And anything above that is getting dangerous and will definitely have an impact on the lifespan of the processor

Note: Do keep in mind that the safe levels differ from CPU to CPU.

Then you also have VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules). Those are the tiny things that you see around the CPU on your motherboard and they are responsible for providing stable voltage to the processor. If those are crappy, then they may not be able to handle overclocking which can lead to crashes, slowdowns, or even motherboard/CPU failures.

That being said, AMD users may be the only ones who have to worry about it since their chips are overlocked regardless of which motherboard you use. While Intel, on the other hand, only allows you to overclock on specific motherboards that meet the requirements for overclocking.

Summary: If you know what you’re doing, then overclocking is relatively safe. But, it still poses a few dangers. While we’re on this subject, let us not forget to mention that overclocking is NOT recommended for professionals. You don’t want your PC crashing while you’re working on something and losing all progress.

Does Overclocking Cost Me Anything?

Technically speaking, overclocking is free performance. Practically speaking, it costs you so much that you may as well spend that money on a better CPU in the first place.

See, as mentioned above, one of the things that can damage your components while overclocking is heat. And in order to keep everything cool, you need to spend money on cooling solutions like:

A 3rd party CPU cooler
Good case fans
Maybe even a new case that’s focused on cooling

Not to mention that overclocking is a time-consuming process and you know what they say: “Time is money”. For all the time and money that you spend on overclocking, you may as well save your money, spend your time working, and get a Ryzen 7 instead of a Ryzen 5 which will deliver much better performance without you having to worry about damaging the chip.

So, if things are like that, then why is it that so many people love overclocking? Well, first of all, it’s situational. Maybe you already have your CPU for a few years now and you’re trying to squeeze every bit of performance out of it without buying a new chip or something.

Other than that, it’s also a hobby. Some people just love doing this stuff not so much for the performance that they are getting, but because it’s fun.

Questions that were answered today:

What is overclocking?
Is it harmful?
Does it cost me anything?

If you’ve got any more questions, then let us and everyone else know about them in the comments section down below! The WTLS team will try to get back to you as soon as possible along with the rest of our community.

How Much Does it Cost To Build A Gaming PC?

Last updated on June 10, 2019

We’ve all heard the argument: “Why buy a gaming PC when you can get a console without spending nearly as much?”. And the truth is that building a gaming PC is expensive. Or is it? The price will greatly vary depending on what you’re aiming for. So, how much does it cost to build a gaming PC really? Well, let’s find out!

How Much Does it Cost To Build A Gaming PC? Entry Level

My choice of specs:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE B450 AORUS M= $74
Case: Thermaltake V200= $70
CPU: Ryzen 3 2200G= $87
GPU: Integrated
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury 2666MHz (X2)= $58
Storage: Kingston 120GB A400 (SSD) and WD Blue 1TB= $64
PSU: Corsair CX 650= $70
Total: $423

This setup should deliver at least 30FPS in 1080P low/medium settings for pretty much all games that are out there right now. If it can play something like AC Origins, then it can definitely handle everything else. And it goes without saying that it can handle e-Sport titles like CS: GO easily while delivering more than 100FPS (depending on settings and resolution).

More or less a console-like experience for a console-like price. For the money, this is an extremely good setup which gives you a lot of upgradability options. In fact, simply putting a good GPU in there could turn this into an awesome mid-range build. And if you’re up to the task, upgrading the CPU and RAM later will basically give you a high-end PC without having to buy everything again from scratch.

Now, you could probably save a hundred bucks or more by skimping a bit on the PSU, motherboard, case, or storage. However, I’d advise against it.

You see, if there is one thing that you don’t want to cheap out, then that’s the PSU – maybe also the case. A crappy PSU can destroy your whole computer and a cheap case leaves you with bad airflow and limited choices for upgradeability. So, yeah. And don’t get me started on faulty motherboards. They can be a pain in the butt.

Speaking about power supplies, this is definitely overkill for this build. But, it gives you more room for upgrading without having to get a new one.

How Much Does it Cost To Build A Gaming PC? Mid-Range Build

My choice of specs:

Motherboard: MSI X470 Gaming Plus= $137
Case: NZXT H500i= $90
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600= $145
GPU: GTX 1660 Ti= $280
RAM: HyperX Predator 8×2= $124
Storage: Kingston 120GB A400 (SSD) and WD Blue 1TB= $64
PSU: Corsair RM560x= $90
Total: $930

For a little bit less than a thousand dollars, this mid to high-end build allows you to run almost everything out there at 1080P, ultra, 60FPS. If you’re willing to drop down the settings you can move on to 1440P as well. You can even go up to 4K. But, you’ll have to accept lower framerates for that.

Compared to our cheaper build, we’ve now ditched the APU setup and we got ourselves a more powerful processor along with a dedicated graphics card. Since this setup uses more power, produces more heat, and gives the option of using much more powerful parts along with overclocking, we decided to go with a more reliable PSU. Hence the RM650x.

The case also gives you lots of cooling, room for drives, extra fans, and upgradeability options. RGB is included in numerous parts as well – if you’re into this sort of thing.

Last but not least, we also added more and faster RAM as AMD CPUs greatly benefit from this sort of thing. Overall, this is a very powerful build which will leave little to be desired.

How Much Does it Cost To Build A Gaming PC? High-End/Very Powerful Build

My choice of specs:

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z390 Aorus= $230
Case: Corsair Crystal 570X= $160
CPU: Core i7-9700K= $400
GPU: RTX 2080Ti= $1,280
RAM: Ballistix Sport 16×2= $200
Storage: Samsung 970 Pro 1TB + WD Black 4TB= $497
PSU: Corsair RM 750i= $120
Total: $2,887

Flirting with a $3k price tag, this setup is the ultimate gaming machine. It can easily deliver 60FPS on 4K and well over 100FPS at 1080P max settings.

This time I decided to move over to Intel since it delivers better performance on the high-end spectrum. And though the 3rd generation of Ryzen 7 is right around the corner, we still haven’t seen any real-life usage from it (At the time of writing this article). A Core i9 is completely overkill for gaming so let’s leave that out of the way.

Apart from that, memory, storage, and the GPU are several steps ahead from our last build. In fact, only the GPU costs more than our mid-range build.

You can cut more than 400 bucks by taking it easy on the RAM and storage. But, if you’re going to make a high-end 4K build, you may as well go all out. At least that’s what I thought while making this setup.

The PSU and case aren’t a huge upgrade in any way. The only difference is that this power supply delivers 100 more watts and also offers power monitoring with software. Also fan control, if memory serves right. The case is just a bit fancier, but, other than that, more or less the same thing functionality wise.

Overall, this is one of the most powerful gaming computers that you can get – if not the most powerful. If you’re into enthusiast stuff, you can go even higher with a threadripper and dual or even quad GPU setups and a monster power supply. But, again, that’s more about having a hobby and bragging rather than owning a functional gaming machine.

Wrapping Up

So, how much does a gaming PC cost? As I showcased in great detail, the price can greatly vary depending on what you want and how much you’re willing to sacrifice for each build.

You can start from as low as 300-400 bucks (or lower if you’re looking into the used market) and go well over the $3K mark. It’s all about how much you are willing to spend and what you need.

For example, if you’ve got a 1080P/60Hz monitor sitting around your house, then getting a high-end build for it is silly. Chances are that you won’t notice the difference in performance between the two since you don’t get to see the extra FPS and you won’t be able to go into higher resolutions either. You get my point.

F.A.Q

Why is it that most of the builds are based on AMD and Nvidia? Are you a fanboy? – No. It’s just that AMD offers a better value on the CPU market and Nvidia dominates the mid to high-end GPU market. There’s no room for debate over that.
That case/motherboard is bad. Why not get X choice instead? – Nobody stops you from choosing something else. That’s the magic of PC building. If you don’t like a motherboard or case for any reason, you can go with another one. In most cases, no pun intended, cases and motherboards aren’t just “better” compared to each other. Just different.
Why not just go with the cheapest case? Doesn’t make a difference. – Airflow and room for upgradeability is a big deal. Both can royally screw you over down the line.
I’ve got a cheap PSU and it’s been working well for years. Why go with a premium choice? – Cheap power supplies have a much higher chance of ruining one of your components or even blowing up and destroying your whole build. Maybe the odds are 1 in a 100, 1,000, more, are you still gonna take the risk? You’re risking hundreds of dollars just to save 50 bucks or so.
Both Intel and the RTX 2080Ti are bad value. Why recommend them? – Because they offer the best performance that you can get right now. If you want the most powerful PC that you can build out of the enthusiast range, you don’t have any other options.
A 1TB SSD AND a 4TB HDD? Why? – Look at the previous answer. Same thing. Do you want the “almost reasonable” best? That’s probably it.

If you’ve noticed any mistakes, and I’m almost certain that there will be a couple, let me know about them. Reasonable recommendations are welcome as well.

Other interesting articles

Best Budget Gaming Mouse

Best Headphones for Gaming in 2019

Best PC Gamepad

How To Use iMessage On PC/Windows

Last updated on May 28, 2019

Looking for how to use iMessage on PC? Well, while the app itself isn’t natively available on Windows, we do have a couple of tricks up our sleeve. There’s an easy way and a hard way. And when we say hard way, we really mean a 90% of it not working. Still, the easy way is bound to work, so, let’s dig right into it!

How To Use iMessage On PC With Chrome’s Remote Desktop Feature

So, as we mentioned above, iMessage isn’t natively available on Windows. But, what if we told you that you can actually use iMessage from your Mac – but from another computer?

In case you haven’t heard about it, Remote Desktop is a sort of feature that allows you to control computers remotely by using other devices like phones, tablets, or even from other computers. There are applications which are dedicated to providing this kind of thing while there also others which provide it as an additional option. We’ll be looking at the second one, Chrome’s Remote Desktop feature.

For this to work, you need to have:

Chrome installed
Chrome’s Remote Desktop add-on
A Mac and a PC
An Internet connection with both of your computers being connected to it locally

So, if you haven’t already, the first thing you need to do is head over to this link and follow the instructions that you’ll be provided with to download and install Chrome on both of your computers.

After that, you also need Chrome’s Remote Desktop extension. You should be able to get it from this link. All you have to do is click on “Add to Chrome”, wait for the installation to finish, and then you should be all set – almost.

Now we need to set things up and you’re ready to go.

Setup

Now that everything is installed, you need to set things up. It’ll take but a minute if you follow these steps (Use your Mac for those):

Open a new tab
Head over to your bookmarks bar at the top left part of your screen and click on “Apps” (Make sure that the “Apps” shortcut is enabled. if not, right click on your bookmarks bar and select “Show Apps shortcut”.
Click on “Chrome Remote Desktop”
Select “Enable Remote Connections”
Wait for the download to finish and choose a PIN

Now that this process is done, your Mac should be ready to be “Controlled” by another computer. All that remains to be done is for you to open your Windows computer, get access to your Mac, and use your Windows PC as if you were using a Mac. To do that:

Make sure that your PC is connected to the same network with your Mac
Open Chrome’s Remote Desktop (Follow the same steps that we provided above)
Head over to “My Computers”
Select your Mac computer which should be detected by now
Input the PIN which you choose
And you should be all set

That’s it for the easy way which is more or less bound to work without any issues. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can follow the hard way as well. However, do keep in mind that you’ll most likely come across numerous issues with this one – if it’ll work at all.

2: How To Use iMessage On PC With VirtualBox

If you’ve got the appropriate software, hardware, and tools for it, computers have the ability to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. So, if your PC is powerful enough, you’ll be able to run both Windows and Mac at the same time, which effectively allows you to get access to iMessage natively.

Now, do keep in mind four things:

You’re doing this through a virtual machine – which means that Mac OS won’t be running natively
Only specific CPUs and motherboards are known for playing well with Mac OS. AMD chipsets are particularly known for not working at all with this
Even if you’ve got the exact hardware that works flawlessly with Mac OS, chances are that you’ll come across numerous issues
This isn’t a detailed guide. We’ll be posting one in the upcoming weeks

That being said, only follow those steps for the lols. If you are serious about getting iMessage to work on your PC, stick with our previous method. It’s the safest, easiest, and verified to work.

Download and install VirtualBox
Find the appropriate ISOs. Medium has already made a right over here
Open VirtualBox and proceed with the installation procedure

If the steps that VirtualBox provides you with don’t make much sense, you can wait until we release our dedicated guide on how to install Mac OS as a virtual machine.

Now, again, even if you do everything right, there is a good chance that you’ll come across issues or that the OS won’t work at all.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, that helped you with your issue. If you’ve got any questions, let us know about them in the comments section and we’ll see if we can help you.

If you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your friends. Feel free to come back as we regularly post new content including, but not limited to, how-to guides, reviews, listicles, and more! Till next time!

How to Delete Snapchat Account on iPhone And Android

Last updated on May 16, 2019

Looking on how to delete Snapchat account on iPhone or Android devices? We’ve got a couple of easy solutions for you right here. So, without any further ado, let’s check them out!

1: How to Delete Snapchat Account on iPhone

Unfortunately, this only works for iPhone users. We’re not sure why, but the Android app doesn’t allow you to delete your account without accessing the website. So, if you’re on Android, move on to the second step.

For our iPhone users, all you need to do is follow these easy steps:

Open Snapchat
Bring the profile menu forward by swiping down or by clicking to your profile icon
Select the gear icon on the upper right corner
Go to “Support”
Head over to “My account and settings”
Select “Delete my account”
Enter your password then hit continue
Your account is now deactivated

After that, your account will get deactivated and if you don’t activate it again in the next 30 days, then it will get permanently deleted. So, you’ve got a bit of time to rethink your decision. Just in case.

Now, this process may slightly change with every new update. And while we always try to keep all of our guides updated, there is a chance that we’ll miss it due to the high volume of guides that we’re creating on a weekly basis.

For the reasons that we mentioned above, if you follow these steps and you’re still unable to delete your account, or if you can’t follow them at all, move on to our second method which should work normally regardless of what version of Snapchat you have installed. Also works for Android

2: How to delete your Snapchat on both Android and iPhone

This is a bit of a universal method as it works for both Android and iPhone. It’s also the most effective method because you won’t have to worry about which version of the app is installed.

The reason that this works for both platforms and regardless of the version that is installed is because you have to do it by using a browser. It doesn’t matter if it’s from your phone or PC. Whatever suits you best.

Head over to Snapchat’s accounts portal
Insert your login credentials (Keep that private. If you’ve forgotten your password, just click on the “I forgot my password button”)
Insert your password one more time then click on “Continue”
Done

So, that’s all. Simple isn’t it? Again, in case you change your mind, you still have 30 days to re-activate your account. All you need to do is login and it’ll keep on working like nothing ever happened.

If you just leave it be, then your account will be permanently deleted. You’re still free to make another account if you ever wish to do so, but your old one will be gone forever. So, do keep that in mind.

That’s all for now. Those are the two easiest ways of deleting your Snapchat account. If you’ve got any questions or if you came across any issues, then let us know about them in the comments section down below!

How to Fix Android Black Screen

Last updated on May 16, 2019

Coming across an Android black screen is one of the most terrifying situations that you can get yourself into. Especially if you own an expensive device or if you can’t afford another one at the moment.

Assuming that your phone or tablet isn’t completely bricked, there are a few solutions to this problem. The exact process will differ depending on the reason that you’re getting a black screen in the first place. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right into it!

1: Make Sure That Your Screen Isn’t Disconnected

First of all, make sure that your display isn’t connected or that your screen’s cable that connects the display to the phone isn’t done for. You see, your phone’s display isn’t actually “glued” to your phone. There is a very short cable that connects it and it kinda looks like this:

If you drop your phone hard enough, the shock can pull out the cable from its slot. Of course, it’s much more likely that your actual display will shatter. But, trust me. I’ve seen this happen before.

And the thing is that you can’t really see it. So, how do you tell? Well, the way I see it, you’ve two options:

See if there’s anything that the phone displays at all while booting
Open your phone and take a look inside or take it to a pro to do it for you

So, the first choice is rather easy. If you see anything while booting the device, then chances are that this is not to blame. You could’ve damaged the software or something else in the device. But, more on that later.

In case that you actually don’t see anything, yet you still get some sort of vibration or any sign that the phone itself isn’t entirely dead, then your only option is to either open it yourself and see if the cable is to blame or take it to a pro to do it for you.

2: Try Charging

I know this sounds dumb. But, listen for a moment… Or actually read. There was a time where a little bit of moisture made it into my phone. I got the Android black screen problem with everything else working just fine. Sound, touch, calls, you get it.

Then it runs out of battery and when I try to plug it in, it just refuses to charge. A few days pass and I decide to plug it in once more. Again, nothing happened. But, after a minute or so, the phone came back into life fully working and it has been fine ever since. Maybe that’s the case for you as well.

Try plugging it in and leave it there for a couple of minutes. See if that helps. If you happened to gather moisture or water as well, make sure to put it into rice first as that’s great for absorbing water.

3: Wipe Your Cache Partition And/Or Perform a Factory Reset

The first time that your screen refuses to turn on, it’s common sense to think that it’s a hardware related problem. However, there is also a chance that your operating system is to blame.

If your phone goes through the first boot stage, meaning that you can see the icon, but goes black before booting into Android, then this is most likely what you’re going through. To solve it, you can either:

Wipe your cache partition
Perform a factory reset
Install a whole new ROM

The first two options are rather easy. You need to turn off your phone then:

Hold down the power and volume up buttons (Exact combination may differ from phone to phone. In such cases, Google is your friend)
Select “Wipe Cache Partition”
Reboot and pray that this will work

Wiping your cache partition shouldn’t cause you any problems as it mostly contains temporary files or data from previous updates and generally stuff that don’t affect you too much in case that you end up deleting them. So, you can go ahead and try it.

Performing a factory reset, however, will end up deleting everything that is saved on your phone’s internal storage. So, do keep that in mind. If the previous step did nothing for you, then you basically need to follow the previous steps. Except, this time, you need to select “Wipe data/factory reset”. Then simply reboot and wait to see if that worked.

Installing a new ROM is your last resort and unfortunately, we can’t guide you through it. After all, the process differs from phone to phone while some devices do not allow you to touch such things in the first place. So, again, Google is your friend.

Still Can’t Solve The Android Black Screen Of Death?

Still can’t get out of the black screen? Then there’s a chance that your phone is bricked. Especially if you dropped it into water. And even if you did nothing wrong, electronics do have a limited lifespan. Smartphones are actually extremely endurable. But, every now and then someone gets unlucky.

Then again, you know what they say: “Hope dies last”. There are still a few miscellaneous fixes. But, don’t expect too much from them.

Try removing your SD card if you have one installed. Some users have reported that this fixed their problem – not sure why.
Remove and re-insert your battery if it’s removable.
Try booting into safe mode. The exact button combination differs from phone to phone. For example, the Galaxy Note 9 boots into safe mode by turning it off, powering up again, and holding the volume down button as soon as the Samsung icon pops up.

Android Black Screen Issue: Wrapping up

This problem can occur with both hardware and software related issues. So, make sure to go through all of the above-recommended steps and hopefully one of them will work for you.

If you feel like we forgot to mention something important or that we got something wrong, then do let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!

What’s The Best PC Gamepad? (2019)

Last updated on May 10, 2019

The mouse and keyboard are the main weapons of every PC gamer. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t times where a PC gamepad may be needed.

For example, racing gamers like Dirt Rally are generally much easier to play with a gamepad. The same goes for most RPG titles like The Witcher, Dark Souls, etc.

That being said, if you’re planning on getting a PC gamepad, you best make sure that it’s going to be endurable, compatible with your games, and with good build quality. No need to go on a searching spree – we already did that for you. So, let’s check out the best options that we came across.

Best PC Gamepad With Cross-Platform Compatibility: Gamesir G3s

I (the author) have personally been using this gamepad for about a year now and it’s definitely one of the best gamepads that I’ve ever tried. At least when it comes to PC.

Because, to be honest, while it’s one of the very few gamepads to offer cross-platform compatibility out there, it still kinda sucks at that. Getting it to work on a PS3 was a pain and it has quite a lot of input delay when using it wirelessly with a phone. No problems with wired connectivity, though.

Still, it offers a vastly better experience on PC and that’s what we care about here. First of all, after more than a year of heavy use, it still works like brand new with no signs of usage. Sure, the left stick is a tiny bit more sensitive. But, that’s about it.

Other than that, the GameSir G3s also offers XInput which is the same with Xbox controllers. This is very important because it gives you global compatibility with all games that support PC gamepads without you having to tweak and adjust anything. And you get all that with about 30 bucks. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

You can use it both wired and wirelessly, as it comes with a removable cable and a wireless adapter. But, do keep in mind that there is a tiny bit of input delay when using it wirelessly. Nothing deal breaking if you’re playing an RPG like The Witcher or something. But, that tiny delay can make the difference between winning or losing in competitive games like Tekken or Dirt Rally. So, do keep that in mind.

Check out the GameSir G3s on Amazon

Best Budget PC Gamepad: Xbox 360 Controller

Flashy LED lights and cross-platoform compatibility are great and everything. But, when it comes to raw performance and endurance, the Xbox 360 controller from Microsoft is definitely one to look out for.

As you’d expect, it works out of the box with every game that supports gamepads out there while offering the build quality of Microsoft. Overall, it simply gets the job done for less than 30 bucks.

The only downside that it has is that you can’t use it wirelessly. And while there is a wireless version, it probably doesn’t make too much sense to get it when you can simply go with the newer Xbox One controller that works both wired and wirelessly on demand.

One advantage that this old fella has compared to any other PC gamepad out there is the guarantee that it’s not going to give up on you anytime soon. Some people have even mentioned that it’s more endurable than the Xbox One controller.

The 360 gamepad may be older, out of style, and cheaper than the competition. But, again, it’s one that will surely work for a long time without having you to worry about things like input lag, endurance, compatibility, or anything like that. If you haven’t used one before, now is your chance to check it out!

Check out the Xbox 360 controller on Amazon

Best High-End PC Gamepad: Xbox One Controller

You saw that coming from a mile ago, didn’t you? If not, you should have (JK). The Xbox One controller is basically the improved version of its predecessor.

Just like the Gamesir G3s, it allows you to go wired or wireless with its removable cable while it offers excellent build quality, game compatibility, and a solid feel. Definitely a great contender when it comes to premium gamepads. And if you feel like spending even more, you can also get the Elite version.

Other than that, there’s really not a lot to say about it. Other than the fact that you can connect headphones and that the buttons feel a little bit better, especially the Dpad, this is another gamepad that simply gets the job done.

You can usually find it new for about 50 bucks brand new and $35 second hand – depending on how heavily it has been used, how long, and if it has any signs of wear.

Check out the Xbox One controller on Amazon

Best Gamepad For Compatibility And Customizability: Steam Controller

There seems to be a lot of hate around this controller. Most likely because it’s not something that your average gamer will really need. However, there’s no denying that it’s the best at what it does.

You see, as we mentioned above, our recommendations are widely compatible with games that feature gamepad support. The Steam controller, however, is even compatible with games that do NOT feature gamepad support. And that’s one of the amazing things that this gamepad does.

By using it through the Steam platform, you can customize this controller to work with pretty much any PC game out there. Not to mention that the touchpad helps tremendously with playing FPS games.

However, do not forget that in some cases, you’re far better off with a traditional gamepad. For example, a “normal” gamepad will likely fare much better in things like fighting and racing games. Maybe even RPG.

But, when it comes to playing full-fledged PC games from your couch that normally require a mouse and keyboard, no other gamepad does it as well as the Steam controller. So, check it out!

Check out the Steam controller on Amazon

Best Budget Option: Logitech Gamepad F310

So, all of the gamepads that we checked out till now are obviously great. But, pretty much all of them cost at least 30 bucks with the exception of the 360 controller which is kinda old and we couldn’t find it new anyway.

That being said, we decided to include a budget option in this list. And the best gamepad that we could find for a small price (without completely butchering compatibility and build quality) is the Logitech F310!

At the moment, you can get it for about 15 bucks which is frankly ridiculous. It couldn’t get any cheaper than that. Obviously, for that price, you can’t expect any fancy features or insane longevity.

What you get, however, is a gamepad that gets the job done without asking for a lot of money. Again, it does feel a lot cheaper compared to the rest of our options and it sacrifices a little bit of performance due to the Dpad and trigger design. But, still, it gets the job done. And at the end of the day, I guess that you get what you pay for.

If you feel like there is another gamepad that is worthy of being on this list, then make sure to let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!