Digital Discoveries
Alex Campbell, Associate Editor, and Jarred Walton, Senior Editor, reveal their tech loves
UBUNTU 16.04 LIVE USB
There are a few things I like to keep around as a PC enthusiast. A screwdriver is obvious, as is the occasional can of compressed air. But one thing I’ve found a ton of use for is a USB thumb drive loaded with a copy of Ubuntu.
If you boot to the USB drive, you can start using Ubuntu right away, without any need to install it as your main or secondary OS. This is great if you’re just Linux-curious, or want your own OS that you can fit on a keychain and take anywhere. When running Ubuntu from a USB stick, the OS is normally nonpersistent ( when you reboot, everything you’ve done is gone). However, you can set up a persistent installation if you use UNetbootin to copy Ubuntu to the USB drive. With a persistent install, you can have a personalized OS you can take anywhere, with all your configs set how you like them.
Even if you’re running Windows, having an Ubuntu live USB is a good idea. There’s been more than one time Ubuntu has saved my bacon, allowing me to remove malware and spyware. It’s even handy for backing up your data if Windows won’t boot on its own.
There’s really no reason not to have an Ubuntu live USB, as the only thing it will cost you is the price of the USB flash drive itself.
GEFORCE GTX 1070
Not everyone who loves PC hardware is a gamer, but I certainly am, and if there’s one component that matters more than anything else for gaming, it’s your graphics card. The best hardware also costs a lot, but dropping down a notch is a great way to maximize value without having to compromise on performance.
We’ve reviewed the GTX 1070 on page 72, and to me it’s by far the most exciting GPU in the new line of chips coming from AMD and Nvidia. It’s faster than a GTX Titan X or a 980 Ti, and priced only slightly higher than a GTX 970. If you’ve been struggling along with a previous-generation GPU, the 1070 will enable you to max-out image quality in most games, while still running 1440p at 60-plus frames per second.
We might lust after the GTX 1080, and we can dream about AMD’s Vega 10 and Nvidia’s Volta, but the GTX 1070 is here, now, and it packs a serious punch for the price. I recently calculated fps per dollar spent on a graphics card, and the GTX 1070 came out on top. Who’s playing second fiddle now? There will always be something better right around the corner, but the waiting game is no fun. Upgrade to a new GPU right at release, and you can enjoy it for years to come.