Guides and how-tos
Practical hardware advice: what to buy, how to install it and what the specs actually mean.
September 21, 2026
Raspberry Pi 5 Alternatives: More Powerful Boards Worth Buying
The Pi 5 is still the right default, but if you need NVMe bandwidth, 2.5GbE, an NPU or x86, these boards beat it outright. Six alternatives compared on real specs.
September 21, 2026
Best Single-Board Computers with an NPU for AI Inference
TOPS alone does not tell you whether a board can run your model. The three that decide it are precision, toolchain maturity and RAM. Five NPU boards compared on all three.
September 21, 2026
Single-Board Computers with a PCIe Slot
"M.2 support" hides an eight-fold bandwidth gap. Lanes, key type and connector decide what a board can actually do. Five SBCs compared on what PCIe they really expose.
September 21, 2026
Why Your Docking Station Only Shows One External Display on a MacBook
Base M-series MacBooks are hard-limited to one external display through native docking stations. Here's why it happens and which docks actually get around it.
September 21, 2026
Docking Station Power Delivery Explained: What the Wattage Actually Means
The wattage on a docking station box rarely tells you what your laptop actually receives. Here's the difference between host charging, passthrough charging, and downstream port power.
September 21, 2026
Docking Station Ethernet Speed: What 1GbE, 2.5GbE and 10GbE Actually Mean
A plain "Yes" next to Ethernet on a dock listing hides whether you're getting 1GbE, 2.5GbE or 10GbE. Here's which tier you actually need.
September 21, 2026
Why "Total Ports" on a Docking Station Doesn't Tell You Anything
A dock advertising 20 ports and one advertising 14 can leave you with identical capability. Here's why the total port count is a marketing number, and what to check instead.
September 21, 2026
Best Routers with VLAN Support for a Home Lab
Most consumer mesh routers hide VLAN configuration entirely. Here are the three tiers of router that actually support real 802.1Q VLAN tagging for a home lab.
September 21, 2026
Low Profile DDR5 RAM That Clears a Big Air Cooler
Module height is the most common return reason for enthusiast RAM, and most listings bury it. Here's what low profile actually means and how to check your cooler's real clearance.
September 21, 2026
Laptop Buying Guide 2026: What To Look For Before You Buy
Our 2026 laptop buying guide covers CPUs, GPUs, displays, RAM, ports and battery life, so you know exactly what to look for before you buy.