Sydney Butler, How-To Geek

Sydney Butler

How-To Geek

George, WC, South Africa

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • How-To Geek
  • 9to5Mac

Past articles by Sydney:

How to Use NVIDIA Video Super Resolution

Bandwidth is limited, and some older video content just doesn’t look that great on modern displays. So NVIDIA decided to use its GPU AI muscle to upscale those grainy videos in your browser to something sharp and beautiful to behold. Here’s how to start using it. → Read More

Why Does a Formatted Drive Have Less Space Than Advertised?

A gallon of milk is a gallon of milk, but a terabyte of hard drive space may not be what it says on the box! The difference between advertised and reported drive capacities is easy to explain. → Read More

10 Reasons DVD Movies Are Still Worth Collecting

Netflix paid $500M to get Seinfeld for five years, but for seventy bucks, you can have it for the rest of your life! It turns out the humble DVD may be a hidden gem in this age of fickle streaming. → Read More

Can You Build a Fanless Desktop PC?

If you’ve seen gaming PCs, you may have noticed the monstrous number of fans these systems use to keep things cool, but what if you went the other way? Can you build a PC that has no fans at all? → Read More

5 Reasons You Should Print Your Smartphone Photos

Even entry-level and mid-range phones have great cameras now, and you probably have hundreds if not thousands of photos taken with your phone over the years. While we all love sharing these photos digitally, why not print them as well? → Read More

6 Reasons You Might Want to Stick With 1080p

While 4K TVs are commonplace, and many PC gamers are moving on to 1440p monitors or higher, there are many reasons why you don’t need to upgrade your 1080p display yet. There’s plenty of life left in “Full HD.” → Read More

Can You Upgrade a Gaming Laptop?

Gaming laptops have become a viable alternative to gaming desktop PCs, but one area they’re objectively lacking is upgradeability. That doesn’t mean you can’t upgrade your gaming laptop at all! There are ways to get more from your gaming laptop. → Read More

How to Browse the Web With Maximum Privacy

It seems that the modern web makes it hard to stay private, but there are still ways to make it less likely that anyone can trace you. While no one can promise 100% privacy protection, these tips can maximize your odds. → Read More

5 AI Technologies Hackers Can Use in Terrible New Ways

AI technologies may be disrupting numerous industries, but at least in most cases, we can see how they’ll be more useful than harmful in the long run. However, these new tools are also opening many new opportunities for nefarious types. → Read More

It’s Time to Stop Using Desktop Icons

Modern computers carry a lot of baggage from the past, and desktop icons are perhaps one of the most unsightly remnants of the earliest days of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). If you’re still living with them, it’s time to quit. → Read More

Are High-End Game Controllers Worth the High Price?

The controller that came bundled with your current-generation console is pretty good regardless of brand, but better versions always exist. When you see the asking price for these “elite” controllers, though, you might wonder, are they really worth it? → Read More

The First DirectStorage Game Is Here. Is Your PC Ready?

DirectStorage for Windows promises to bring the rapid loading speeds of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 to PC gaming, and the first title to actually implement this technology arrives January 24, 2023. Can your PC handle it? → Read More

Gaming Laptops: How Far Are They Behind Desktops?

You probably know that choosing a gaming laptop over a gaming desktop PC means getting less performance, but how big is that gap exactly? The answer is probably not as large as you think. In fact, it may not matter! → Read More

Buying a GPU? Here’s Why You Need a Lot of VRAM

It’s tempting to focus on the GPU power of a new graphics card and ignore how much VRAM it has, especially if you’re not playing at 4K. However, modern game engines and technologies like ray tracing are changing this fast. → Read More

Are 3D Monitors Making a Comeback?

At one point many years ago, it seemed like home 3D TVs and monitors were the future. Before the rebirth of VR, this was how we’d get more immersive media. Then, 3D seemed to die outside movie theaters—but next-generation 3D displays are here, and they don’t need glasses. → Read More

Should You Use a TV as a PC Monitor?

Large, high-resolution computer monitors are expensive, so why not use a TV instead? There are good reasons to consider using a TV instead of a monitor, but at the same time, there are important tradeoffs to consider before you commit. → Read More

What Is VSync, and Should You Enable It?

Video games commonly have a toggle in their graphics settings called VSync. But what does VSync do, and should you enable it? We’ll explore the pros and cons of VSync technology to help you decide when it’s the best option. → Read More

Do You Really Need G-Sync or FreeSync on a Monitor?

If you’re in the market for a gaming monitor, in particular, you have the option of buying a model with G-Sync or FreeSync support. These features can attract a higher price, but are G-Sync and FreeSync worth it, and do you really need either of them? → Read More

The RTX 4090 Is a Great GPU. Here’s Why No One Should Buy It

NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 is a $1600 GPU that will absolutely smash any real-world workload you throw at it. It’s indisputably packed with clever tech and absurd levels of raw power. However, even if you have the money, you probably shouldn’t buy one. → Read More

4 Benefits of Running Your Monitor Above Native Resolution

You may have noticed that your computer allows you to select a resolution higher than the resolution of your monitor. This may be counterintuitive at first, since your screen can’t show that extra detail, so why do it? Here’s where going beyond your native resolution brings rewards. → Read More