Buying a gaming desktop or laptop is a big commitment. However, if you get a machine powerful enough, it can provide years of entertainment. Desktops are cheaper and easier to upgrade so if you don’t need portability, you can get more machine for your money that way. No matter which route you go, the advice in this article is applicable for both systems.

Generally speaking, with gaming laptops, you have the classic 'pick two' rule: Power/Specs, Size/build quality, Affordability - pick two. The slimmer and lighter something is, the less powerful - unless you are willing to pay more for it. There are relatively affordable gaming laptops that are significantly less expensive than the thin and powerful variety, but they are usually an inch thicker or more. It's only on the very high end where no matter how much you spend it won't be thin (like SLI video cards and such).

All system types discussed herein are assumed to be Windows computers. Macs can play some games, as can Linux, but they are sadly limited. And while Linux can actually use much of the same hardware as Windows, so most of this guide still applies (with the caveat that OS and hardware support is all on your own), you are still limited on game selection (though you may learn other useful technology skills!). On Mac, you are limited to the maximum of a midrange gaming GPU - for their top of the line Macbook Pro prices. Typically, I would say that people who purchase Mac computers do not or should not choose them with primarily gaming in mind. This is something that Apple Corp. has simply chosen to ignore; they do have the power to fix it if they so choose. Instead, Apple has pre-chosen size and build quality as their sole focus, which is dandy, but they do not make gaming capable laptops, and what they do offer is extremely expensive.

The first step in purchasing a gaming machine is to determine your budget. Faster machines are more expensive and there is no way around that. Most laptops come with Intel graphics but if you want to do some serious gaming, you’ll have to pay a premium for AMD or Nvidia graphics. If you plan on doing VR with your system, you’re going to want a GeForce GTX 1060 at least. Anything faster is, you guessed it, more money.

Thank you Urban Armor Gear for sending us this phone case to review!

My past two phones have been Samsungs with my previous one being an S4 and my current one an S7. To protect both of them I have used Otterbox covers and have been very happy with their performance. I can’t how count how many times I’ve accidentally dropped my phone, but it happens. Between dropping my phone and it getting shuffled around in my purse it’s on its second tempered glass screen protector. The base phone itself is in pristine condition.

My pink Otterbox case has taken a beating with broken plastics around the USB and headphone connections. I was in the market for a replacement when hearing about Urban Armor Gear.

On their website, Urban Armor Gear advertises their military grade cases as rugged, lightweight, and providing drop protection. Their testing requirements are dropping their products twenty-six times at a height of forty-eight inches. On top of that they offer free shipping, a one-year warranty, and US based customer support. Compared to current S7 Otterbox case prices, the Urban Armor Gear sells for $10 more on Amazon. Is it worth the extra cost?

The bottom ports are easily accessible since they are not covered like the Otterbox model. The power and volume buttons feel nice and are very responsive. The thickness is about the same as my previous phone cover so there’s not much change there.

Thank you Echo Connect for sending us a prototype review sample.

Echo Connect has launched an Indiegogo campaign for their revolutionary dual connector charge key.  It's an Apple licensed and micro-USB charging device.  Because of its small size it can be worn on a lanyard or key chain.  

We were sent  an early prototype that unfortunately broke for us within hours of use.  Our review sample only had a micro-USB connector that came out completely.  The final version of the product will have both connectors attached to each other in a Y shape that should prevent that from happening again.  Another modification from the prototype sent to us is that the USB connector will have metal housing around it.  One change I hope they make in the final product is that they flip (or give the option to) the micro-USB connector around.  My Samsung Galaxy 4 phone had to be upside down when I connected it to my laptop to charge.  It won't matter for portable charging devices though.  Since this is a small device there's not much clearance for tablets and I had to remove my 8" LG tablet's cover to charge it.

Because we do not own an iOS device and our review sample did not have an Apple connector, we cannot comment on that aspect of the Echo Connect.  As I'm writing this post their campaign is fully funded and all of their $9 early bird sales are gone.  The $15 tier is limited and the $19 tier is unlimited.  For $25 you can get a personalized key.  The writing on the prototype was rubbing off within hours of receiving it. I hope the quality is better for the final product.