https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles daily 0.75 2026-07-15 https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/should-i-buy-a-new-or-refurbished-computer monthly 0.5 2026-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1784103791347-A56V25L4DNST80X9P5EV/unsplash-image-IxbNrHCYXm0.jpg Tech Articles - Should I buy a new or refurbished computer? - When looking for a new computer, you have two options: new or refurbished. If you are spending around or under the $1,000 mark, we typically recommend a Grade-A refurbished device. You’ll usually get a much better built device with faster performance and more cost effective repairs down the track compared to a similarly priced new model. But, if you want the latest features and are happy to spend a bit more to get the newest hardware, there are some very nice new devices on the market to suit your needs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1784104167474-RXZRA8BHCNHK7P2BQ9VE/unsplash-image-yf9hEzG8EKI.jpg Tech Articles - Should I buy a new or refurbished computer? - New Pros: You get the latest specs and features available on the market. Full manufacturer warranty and support. Maximum battery life (if equipped). Longest support for software updates. Cons: Potentially higher upfront cost. May have less performance than a similarly priced refurbished model. Can be tricky to get spare parts later on due to year-on-year design changes. May have lower build quality than a similarly priced refurbished business device. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/905fa6dd-37e5-45ca-b277-8e856ce1499a/BDFD7884-B478-426D-AE1C-107B9314DBA4.JPG Tech Articles - Should I buy a new or refurbished computer? - Refurbished Pros: Often significantly cheaper upfront cost for the same or greater performance. Typically higher end models at the same price, with more premium build quality. More environmentally friendly by reducing E-Waste. Spare parts are typically easier to source later on, as business models are usually easier to service and have more readily available stock. Cons: Some refurbishers may have shorter warranties. Lower grade devices may have cosmetic blemishes like scratches or dents. Older hardware may not receive software updates for as long. Battery life can be shorter if the battery has not been replaced. Quality of the device can depend on the refurbisher. https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/how-do-i-check-if-my-computer-hardware-is-a-bottleneck monthly 0.5 2026-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1782632088917-RFXURE6C4VJ87A2BNO4Y/unsplash-image-RuudPEDUM3w.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check if my computer hardware is a bottleneck? - When your computer feels slow, one of the first things to check is whether a particular part of your computer is holding everything up. You don't need to understand every graph or number, but just knowing what to look for can help you work out why your computer is struggling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/62c3ca09-2e22-4b74-87bf-61668e047e1d/Processes.png Tech Articles - How do I check if my computer hardware is a bottleneck? - Windows Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. If Task Manager opens in the small simplified view, click More details. Select the Processes tab at the top. Click on the CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network headings along the top to sort them from high to low. You might have to click twice if it sorts the wrong way. Look for any individual components that are being used considerably more than others. If the usage is above 80-90%, this is likely your bottleneck slowing everything else down. Usually high usage is highlighted in red for easy identification. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/7e34e980-542d-4b1d-be51-e59531f3f308/Activity+Monitor.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check if my computer hardware is a bottleneck? - MacOS Press Command + Space on your keyboard. Type “Activity Monitor” and press Enter. Click through the CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network tabs. Click on %CPU, Memory, Bytes Written/Read, and Sent Bytes/Rcvd Bytes headings respectively to sort them from high to low. Also reference the graphs at the bottom of each tab. Look for any individual components that are being used considerably more than others. If the usage is above 80-90%, this is likely your bottleneck slowing everything else down. https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/what-do-computer-specs-mean monthly 0.5 2026-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1782630952830-WJCHC9IWP4Z9UJK0OUVH/unsplash-image-WROdXvr9omQ.jpg Tech Articles - What do computer specs mean? - Shopping for a computer can be overwhelming when every model is advertised with technical jargon like Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and dedicated graphics. The good news is that you don't need to understand every specification. Knowing what a handful of key components do will help you choose the right upgrade or new computer and avoid expensive mistakes. https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/how-do-i-check-my-computers-uptime monthly 0.5 2026-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/01b203ce-8b6a-4d9d-995b-48ba1efd3174/Uptime.png Tech Articles - How do I check my computer’s uptime? - Windows Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. If Task Manager opens in the small simplified view, click More details. Select the Performance tab. Click CPU in the left-hand menu. Look for the Up time field near the bottom of the window. Tip: Shutting down your computer doesn't always reset the uptime. If Windows has Fast Startup enabled, choosing Restart is the best way to give your computer a completely fresh start. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/84bf2440-5492-4707-8d73-973c7fd72bf0/Uptime.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check my computer’s uptime? - MacOS Press Command + Space on your keyboard. Type in Terminal and press Enter. Type uptime in the Terminal and press Enter. Look for the number after up. https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/how-do-i-check-my-internet-speed monthly 0.5 2026-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1782622057594-9R675M2F7TDY265J26EW/unsplash-image-BI5JpNK5sE0.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check my internet speed? - If websites are taking forever to load, video calls keep freezing, or Netflix won’t stop buffering, your internet speed may be to blame. Fortunately, checking your internet speed only takes a minute or two and can help to determine if this is the cause of your headaches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/a42a81ef-8727-4704-9a0e-585bc32639ce/Internet+Speed+Test.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check my internet speed? - How To Run a Test Open your web browser on your computer, phone, or tablet. Search Google for Internet Speed Test. Click the blue Run Speed Test button at the top of the page. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/40c1715d-0aa2-4cc8-8af3-07911a1ff60a/Speed+Results.jpg Tech Articles - How do I check my internet speed? - What do the Numbers Mean? Download - Higher is Better The download speed is how quickly data can be received on your device from the internet. It affects things like loading websites, streaming videos, and downloading files. Upload - Higher is Better The upload speed is how quickly data can be sent from your device to the internet. It affects things like sending files or photos, and backing up to the cloud. Latency - Lower is Better Latency is how quickly your device gets a response after sending a request over the internet in milliseconds. Lower latency means a more responsive connection, which is especially important for online gaming, video calls, and browsing the web. https://www.4fronttechnology.au/tech-articles/why-is-my-computer-slow monthly 0.5 2026-06-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65b30b18e225cc4a4ff378c9/1782621428540-SLDCDRNTH1IMN13OK0LX/unsplash-image-yGPxCYPS8H4.jpg Tech Articles - Why is my computer slow? - A slow computer can be infuriating. You just want to get some work done, but instead you're left staring at a spinning loading icon while your computer struggles to keep up. But why is your computer so slow? It didn’t feel like this when you first got it out of the box. 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