Best Free Programs to Install on a New PC

Here at Logical Increments, we receive numerous questions and comments from people who are either about to build a computer, are actively building a computer, or have just built a computer. (Shocking, I know!)

One question that has been common among all three groups is, ‘What programs do you recommend putting on a new computer directly after installing the operating system?’ Well, I can’t speak for the needs of every user (nor even for the preferences of every LI team member), but I can offer you a list of excellent programs that I personally install on just about every computer for my own use after building a PC.

All of them are free or have worthwhile free versions, and many of them are volunteer-produced and/or open-source software. These programs encompass an array of important categories, including workstation tasks, media playback, and hardware monitoring/security—and will be (loosely) grouped along those lines below.

Let’s take a look!

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10 Recommended Mechanical Keyboards for 2021

As the primary point of physical contact between you and your desktop, your keyboard can make or break your PC gaming experience. With different form factors, switch types, and extra features, it can be difficult to find the right one for you.

This list briefly looks at ten recommended mechanical gaming keyboards in five categories for satisfying a variety of wants and needs, after ruling out options that are out-of-stock as well as options that are only available through group buys, preorders, and other limited stock methods.

Let’s begin!

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PC Hardware Supply vs. Demand in 2021 and Beyond

Let’s be fair: it would be more than a little presumptuous if we expected or even demanded improvements to the current hardware shortages. Even after a monumental vaccine rollout procedure in many countries, the pandemic is still having a huge global effect, and we as builders need to have patience.

At this point, we are now deep into the knock-on impact of slowdowns at the lowest and earliest stages of manufacturing affecting every aspect of the assembly and distribution pipeline.

But even after all these caveats and disclaimers, people remain curious: which parts are being affected the most, what are the ongoing problems, and when might things get back to normal? Well, those are the exact topics we intend to cover in this post, part by part!

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Building a Workstation PC with the i9-11900K

The i9-11900K is a somewhat confusing component. On the one hand, it compares unfavorably with its own predecessor, the i9-10900K: it has 8 cores (down from its older sibling’s 10), yet has the same top speed. And indeed, benchmarks by Gamers Nexus show that performance is very similar, with the i9-11900K sometimes slightly behind its predecessor.

On the other hand, 8 cores (and 16 threads) is likely to be more than enough for the vast majority of both gaming and workstation users, 5.3 GHz is still an excellent native top speed, and the two fewer cores do make a slight positive difference in favor of cooler temperatures on the 11900K. Thus, although the core count has been ‘downgraded,’ this i9 remains a powerful processor.

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Guide to Alternative Mechanical Keyboard Switches

The world of mechanical keyboard switches isn’t only made of Cherry Blues and Browns! While Cherry’s popular MX lineup of switches hold the lion’s share of the market, there’s (Many, many… many!) different switches you can find in avaialable mechanical keyboards.

In this article, we’ll look at a handful of lesser-known Cherry switches, an array of switches from Cherry’s competitor Kailh, and some proprietary switches you’ll commonly find in Razer and Logitech branded mechanical keyboards.

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Everything You Wanted to Know about Cryptocurrency and PC Hardware in 2021 But Were Too Afraid to Ask

Ever wondered what the cryptocurrency fuss is all about? Why are some PC enthusiasts so upset about cryptocurrency? And why are some other PC enthusiasts so happy with cryptocurrency?

Let us take a thorough look at this tantalizing love/hate relationship, then consider what companies are doing to address the situation, and finally present a ‘new and improved’TM prediction about when the graphics card market will improve.

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Building a Gaming PC with the i7-11700K

Intel recently launched a new lineup of chips, and one of them was the i7-11700K, an 8 core/16 threaded powerhouse with a boost clock of 5 GHz. With such specifications, this processor runs any game smoothly. As a result of the high core count, it would also be fit for workstation purposes such as video rendering.

It does have a noticeably high TDP: 125 Watts! This already tells us the processor might get a little hot under high loads. Nevertheless, the performance is astounding and makes up (slightly) for the high TDP.

In this article, we’ll be building using the new i7 to build a PC for high-tier gaming. Let’s dig in:

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AMD 5nm vs. Intel 7nm: Whose CPUs Will Win?

 

Time traveling is always a risk. When you go to the past, there’s the usual dangers like making sure you don’t talk to your past self, not stepping on any bugs so you don’t trigger the butterfly effect, etc… and when you go to the future, there is the danger that your expectations could be a million miles off of what actually happens.

Well, that second type of time travel is what we’re risking today: we’re gonna take a speculative leap forward in time, to discuss AMD and Intel’s CPUs of the future!

We’ll do our best to base our speculations on available evidence, in the hopes that they won’t be a million miles off of reality (maybe only a thousand miles). So, let’s take a look at some future manufacturing tech, and see who might come out on top in the next era of the ongoing battle between red and blue.

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A Quick Rundown on Starlink: Is it Ready for PC Gaming?

Imagine for a moment: High-speed, low-ping internet costing the same or less than the lowest-tier options provided by your current ISP, regardless of your location. Sounds like an impossible dream, doesn’t it? Must we forever be stuck with a ping of 400 ms? Must the frugal among us always face download speeds that require waiting days before being able to play a newly bought game?

Well, that dream may become a reality in the not-too-distant future, as high speeds, low ping, and reasonable costs are the attributes promised by the upcoming ‘alternative’ internet service Starlink. But what exactly is promised, and does it seem likely that it can live up to its own hype?

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