MakeUseOf

I ran Chrome's built-in speed test and found out my own browser was adding four seconds to every site I visited

Pankil Shah — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:12 GMT

Any time sites take longer than usual to load, the blame usually goes to one of two places — your internet connection or the site itself. Sometimes, though, it’s neither of those two things, but the browser itself that causes the slowdown. Honestly, I wouldn't have believed this if you told me last week, but Chrome's built-in speed test tool proved me wrong. It exposed exactly what was adding four seconds to every site I visited — and it had nothing to do with my Wi-Fi.

Your old monitor isn't junk — here's how to put it back to work

Dipan Saha — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:13 GMT

Ever had an old monitor you never knew what to do with? Specifications so old and a panel so mediocre that you’d likely be better off using an external makeshift display. That being said, a monitor is still a monitor, and there are multiple ways to repurpose an existing one from being sent into the EWaste bin. No number of fancy HDMI cables can make up for a terrible panel, so this won't be your primary display.

Claude Code replaced my CAD software, and I'm printing parts in half the time

Yadullah Abidi — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:13 GMT

I've been using Claude to design 3D parts for a while now. I first taught it Blender, and then FreeCAD. It got me to some basic working parts, and I figured that was all it could do. I was wrong.

I stopped using Samsung DeX the obvious way — and that's when it became useful

Pankil Shah — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 10:00:12 GMT

Samsung DeX has been around for a few years now, but like most people, I’ve struggled to find a good reason to use it. That pitch of “turning your phone into a PC” never really clicked for me.

I turned every old speaker in my house into one perfectly synced sound system

Jack Mitchell — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:00:13 GMT

I have always liked the idea of a whole-home audio system, but it usually means investing in an expensive ecosystem, such as a multi-speaker Sonos setup. What I really wanted was something that would sync all the mismatched audio gear I already owned, and Snapcast offered an intriguing solution. This open-source multi-room audio system distributes music from one source across multiple perfectly synced devices, and after some tinkering, I achieved exactly that.

Valve doesn’t need the Steam Machine to win

Dipan Saha — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:00:12 GMT

Valve has been on a bit of a roll lately. The Steam Deck was a massive success, and Steam is more dominant than ever as the ultimate PC gaming storefront. When Valve announced a successor to its ancient, last-gen Steam Machine lineup, like many, I too was excited for its eventual release, only to be met with immediate disappointment when its $1049 price tag was revealed.

Your DeWalt 20V tool has a second power level — the battery unlocks it

Jonathon Jachura — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:00:12 GMT

Two DeWalt drills can sit side by side in the same aisle, wear the same 20V MAX badge, and behave like different tools under load. The motor isn't the variable. The pack clipped to the bottom is. Certain tools in the 20V MAX lineup identify the battery the instant it seats and set their power ceiling accordingly, holding back until a qualifying pack shows up. DeWalt has renamed that capability twice since 2024, so the badges that used to advertise it have quietly left the shelf. What follows is how the handshake works, how to tell whether the tools and batteries already in your garage are a matched set, and which pack is worth the money if they aren't.

Brave's new Containers feature finally gave me a reason to leave Chrome for good

Afam Onyimadu — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 20:01:12 GMT

One way I avoided mixing up accounts was by keeping three Chrome windows open: one for work, one for personal matters, and one for everything else. This was a slow and messy setup, and occasionally, I caught myself sending an email from the wrong inbox. Container extensions helped, but Brave recently added native containers.

Windows 11 retired Control Panel but forgot to move these 5 essential features

Oluwaseun Bamisile — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:31:12 GMT

When I started using a computer about 15 years ago, one of the first things my instructor taught me was how to navigate the Control Panel. This was during the Windows XP era, and it was the only place to tweak almost every setting on your Windows PC.

I printed multicolor designs without an AMS and saved hundreds of dollars

Yadullah Abidi — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 19:01:12 GMT

I put off buying a 3D printer for years, but when I eventually did, I did not go for the AMS systems from Bambu or Elegoo because I didn't think I'd be printing in different colors. After all, it produces far too much waste and takes far too long to print. But when I saw slick multicolor prints on MakerWorld and 3D printing subreddits, I couldn't help but drool.