Looking for some cool Tech to upgrade your setup? but are on a tight budget.
Well, I got you covered
Welcome to episode 3 of Cool Tech under 50 for your setup.
[Music]
Kicking off the episode is the HMTech 7.
It's a tiny 7-inch portable IPS monitor
that can be used as a sensor panel to monitor your Hardware information.
I've done a dedicated video on a sensor panel for your PC
and while it's a pretty cool mod it's just not practical
most of our PCS are far away from us
so realistically speaking, it doesn't make sense putting that in your case
unless you are using it just for aesthetics
this is much more practical
as you can pretty much put it anywhere you want close to you on your desk.
it also comes with a built-in kickstand
that is adjustable so you can get your desired angle
now it does come with two cables that you will need to set this up.
an HDMI cable that plugs into your graphics card
and a micro USB cable that plugs into any USB port to supply power to the display
I personally don't like either of the cables
because they're just too thick.
it adds a lot of bulk to the device
you can see the cable sticking out from the side
it is far from minimal and you guys know I like minimal
so naturally I ended up swapping both of them with flatter cables
with a right angle connector
this gives it a much cleaner and minimal look
allowing you to be more flexible
on where you want to put it on your desk
without having the cables visible
after you plug in both cables and Power on your PC
the monitor will automatically show up as a secondary display.
so we just have to go into display settings and change the orientation.
one setting I do recommend changing is the taskbar visibility.
After that you have to go and download the AIDA64 software
to use the sensor panel feature.
they do have a free trial but if you want to pick up the full version
I think you can get a key for like a dollar 41 cents from g2a
after installing and opening it go to file preferences scroll down to sensor panel
and check the show sensor panel option.
and then hit apply and OK.
at first your sensor panel will look like a first graders project
but you can customize it to show whatever you want
or you can even download fully customized and completed sensor panels
from their forums
There are a lot of really cool customized sensor panels to choose from
so I'll drop a link to the forums down below below
as well as a link to my full tutorial on how to set up a sensor panel
if you guys are interested.
even if you don't want to use it to monitor your hardware
it's still viable as a supplemental secondary display
for example if you're streaming on a single monitor
you can use this to view your chat
or you can use it to see your Twitch sub count or YouTube sub count
basically any non-trivial use case scenario
where it doesn't make sense to buy a full-size monitor.
the only thing I don't like about this monitor are the viewing angles.
it says it's an IPS display but you get some really bad color shifting vertically.
guys this next item is gonna blow your mind
literally okay maybe not literally
it's gonna blow you..
it's the SmartDevil USB desk fan
and I know what you guys are thinking. A desk fan? Really, Ed?
let me explain why this was a game changer for me
now first off I can't take credit for this
because I stole this idea from a streamer from the last react video on the channel
and I saw that he also had a desk fan to help keep his hands from sweating
but it actually does more than that.
It's like a personal AC unit for yourself
I have it positioned so that the mouse and myself are within line of sight.
meaning the fan keeps my hands cool during gaming
and it keeps me cool at the same time
this makes such a difference in my room when it's hot outside
because there is so much heat being produced from all of my tech
even with the AC blasting it gets a bit toasty in here
with the fan on I stay nice and cool and my hands no longer sweat during gaming.
no sweat means a cleaner mouse pad.
which by the way if you guys do like this design
You can grab one or many like it for from dealsource.tech/store
there are a lot of desk plans available on Amazon
so I recommend picking one up that fits your budget and your needs but for me personally the SmartDevil is one of the best.
you can adjust the angle of the fan by moving it forward or back
and there's a knob in the front for the wind speed
I've never maxed this thing out by the way
because it's got amazing airflow
I always keep it between 50% and 75%
and it's really quiet.
the best part about this is that it's USB powered
so you can plug this into a USB hub in the back of your PC
or better yet if you have a monitor with a USB port
you can plug it in the back of that just like what I did
and because of how small it is you can tuck it away when you're not using it
it also comes in four different colors
so I'm sure you guys can find one that fits your setup's color scheme
but yeah if your hand is always sweating when gaming
or if your room just gets really hot at times
pick up a desk fan it's going to change your life
this next item is great for us PC users
who like to play on a controller
you know sometimes the keyboard and mouse
just doesn't make sense for certain games out there
like Elden ring or Forza Horizon 5.
a controller gives us better handling
personally I don't play on my PS5 anymore because I'm spoiled with a gaming PC
that I have mounted on the wall but I still use my controller on some games
but the problem I'm facing is that my setup is so minimal
it doesn't have legs let alone any storage space
this was until I picked up a super simple controller holder
and the biggest difference between this one and all the other controller mounts on Amazon
is the minimalistic design.
it's so thin that once you stick it under your desk it stays hidden.
you basically peel off the adhesive strips and slap it under your desk
or any flat surface and then you just slide in your controller
the two joysticks from your controller slide
into the two grooves from the mount holding it in place
I just love the simple and minimalistic design of this
compared to the other controller stands I've used in the past
now this will work with the PS4 and PS5 controller
but they do offer an Xbox and Nintendo switch version as well which I'll link below.
Yes indeed I just turned my PC on by pressing a switch underneath my desk
this is the DKE external power switch
and is the perfect solution for people
that have their PC further away from them
or for people who just want to power on their PC with style.
either way works.
so the switch comes in a white option or a black option
but the keycap is removable so you can put in any keycap you want.
the switch itself is mechanical but it doesn't State what it is on the website
it's definitely clicky so it's a blue switch variant of some kind
probably Gateron or Kailh Blues
If I had to guess..
the cable length is 2 meters or 6.5 feet
so it's long enough to reach most PCs.
in fact I have mine running across the bottom of the table top through the wall
and into the back of my PC
all right so to plug this into your PC
your motherboard would need to have a JFP1 connector
often located on the bottom right side of the board
then you basically match the pins
on the motherboard to the connectors from the switch.
the power LED plus and minus
go in the first and second pin on the top row
the power LED plus goes in the first pin on the top
and the minus goes right beside that in the second pin
the power SW or the power switch
plugs into the third and fourth pin on the top row of the JFP1 connector.
if you do it this way you can't use the power button on your PC
so if you still want to be able to use the power button in addition to the external switch
then you have to use the splitter cable provided
the only thing you have to do differently is plug both of the power SW extension pins
into the power switch connector on your motherboard and your case.
one goes into the power SW connector from your case cable
and the other power SW pin goes into the matching connector from the DKE power button
from the DKE power button.
you can pretty much stick this on any magnetic surface
since the bottom of the switch is magnetic
but you can also use the included magnetic adhesive
and stick it literally anywhere you want ideally somewhere that's within reach
with this installed I no longer have to reach for the power button on the PC to turn it on.
really cool!
last item of the episode is the Hoto Precision electric screwdriver set.
this is more of a bonus item as it's very useful to have around
not just near your setup but everywhere else too
I've been using the power giant electric screwdriver over the past two years
and this is the third time that it's broken down on me
the motor on these are very crappy and they break down after six months of use
so I decided to stop buying them and upgrade to the Hoto kit instead
this one has a more reliable motor but it's got a much better carrying case as well.
everything fits in one side of the case including the screwdriver itself
the power giant had this clear cylinder tube
that you can use to install your screwdriver in it
but I was always too lazy to put it back in
so I'd always end up misplacing the screwdriver.
I love that I can just store everything in this case and be done with it.
all the bits are attached magnetically and they are very easy to remove
although I do wish they would have included at least one extension
sometimes the bits themselves are too short to reach tight spaces
but overall very positive experience with this set.
I use it for PC builds taking apart my keyboard when I need to clean it
and other tasks around the house
highly recommended over the Power Giant screwdriver set
if you guys have any cool Tech to recommend for the next episode.
post it in the cool tech section of my Discord
if I find anything I like I'll pin it
and I'll send you guys 50$ in cash very easy.
I'll drop a link to everything I talked about down below
if you guys want to check it out
subscribe for more cool Tech content coming your way
thanks so much for watching and I'll see you very soon in the next one