MakeUseOf

5 reasons you should think twice before upgrading your GPU right now

Dave Meikleham — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:00:22 GMT

This is the least ideal time to be upgrading your GPU that I’ve seen in the past couple of decades. Trust me, I should know. My PC cost more than my car. Due to the influence of AI on the consumer PC hardware market, graphics cards that were launched years ago are currently retailing at higher prices than they initially launched at.

I was avoiding Arch Linux for one reason, and this tool fixed it

Dipan Saha — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:30:17 GMT

We've all been there at one point, being forced to install a fresh copy of an OS. Installing an operating system is almost always a chore, especially when you take into account the initial setup process. Signing in to your email and social accounts, setting up Steam, and downloading a bunch of games, the list goes on and on.

Windows Search is hopeless — I use this alternative instead

Pankil Shah — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:16 GMT

It’s no secret that Windows Search hasn’t kept up. It’s slow, inconsistent, and constantly tries to force you into doing things its way. Sometimes it finds what you need, but there are times when it annoys you by prioritizing web results and random suggestions over the file or app you actually wanted. And don’t even get me started on how it keeps nudging you toward Bing and Edge, even if you’ve set different defaults.

After a decade with Google Keep, this one feature made me switch note-taking apps

Abhijith N Arjunan — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:30:17 GMT

Google Keep has been my go-to note-taking app for over a decade now, and I have always loved its simplicity, integration, and speed. Sure, I prefer other dedicated tools for research or writing, but Google Keep felt like the ideal place to store important snippets, links, or images I frequently come across.

I nearly ruined my monitor with this one cleaning routine

Dave Meikleham — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:00:17 GMT

Let me level with you: far too much of my waking day is taken up by thoughts where I worry about the state of the various displays in my apartment. I’m particularly fixated on looking after the OLED TV in my living room and an ultrawide monitor that ensures I no longer have to worry about window management in my home office.

This Android shortcut saves me hours every week, and almost nobody knows it exists

Bryan M. Wolfe — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:19 GMT

I've spent 15 years writing about mobile operating systems. Yet I still get that "eureka" moment when I find a toggle I've ignored for three hardware cycles. It's usually tucked away in a sub-menu with a boring name like "Gestures." I scroll past it a dozen times before finally tapping it and wondering how I ever lived without it.

This free PDF tool made me ditch Adobe Acrobat, PDFgear, and PDF24

Pankil Shah — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:17 GMT

I don’t know about you, but PDF editing has always felt more complicated than it needs to be. Sure, there are plenty of online tools that get the job done, but uploading a document every time I want to edit it isn’t exactly convenient. There are also desktop tools like Adobe Acrobat, but they often come with a price tag. PDFgear comes close to being a good option, but it’s hard to say how long it’ll stay free.

Windows File Explorer annoyed me a lot less after I found these 5 tools

Tashreef Shareef — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:01:17 GMT

I've tried many File Explorer alternatives, which include File Commander, Files App, File Pilot, and OneCommander, to name a few. However, every time, I am forced to come back to File Explorer because of how closely it's integrated with Windows.

The best comedy on Netflix isn't a Netflix original — and it's leaving soon

Dan Selcke — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 23:00:17 GMT

Netflix remains the best streaming service out there because of the sheer amount of content on offer, from dramas to comedies to great shows you've never heard of until they suddenly blow up out of nowhere. But not all of that content stays on the service forever. A lot of the best stuff on Netflix isn't actually made in house, which means it's subject to licensing agreements, which means it may come and go from the service over time. One of the funniest series on Netflix is about to leave, and it deserves the spotlight before it goes.

You're probably using the wrong Windows power plan — I was too

Yadullah Abidi — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 22:01:18 GMT

If you've been using your Windows laptop exactly how you found it in the box, you might be leaving considerable performance on the table. It's one thing to debloat your PC if you want a faster, cleaner Windows 11, but if you're using the wrong power plan — and you likely are — your laptop isn't going to perform at its full potential.