Gaming Hardware, Console Buying Guides & PC Fixes
PC and console gaming hardware guides: choosing a console, storage and displays, plus driver errors, game launch fixes and performance settings.
PC troubleshooting
Star Citizen stops at Easy Anti-Cheat
Save the full message and the time it appeared. An install error in the RSI Launcher and an anti-cheat error when the game starts have different fixes.
- Match the message to the right guide
Check whether it names Easy Anti-Cheat. If you see launcher error 5007 during a download, follow the separate Star Citizen log walkthrough linked here.
- Open RSI's Easy Anti-Cheat repair steps
Use the section for the error you actually saw, such as Code 0 or a 70k code. Try launching again and record what changed.
- Report a persistent failure to RSI's Issue Council
If Star Citizen still won't launch, include “Easy Anti-Cheat”, the exact message, the time and which repair you tried. Omit account details from your report.
More about the gaming guides
Console buying and PC troubleshooting
For buying decisions, start with the equipment you already own and the problem an upgrade would solve. For PC troubleshooting, confirm the cause before changing drivers, settings or hardware.
GTA 6: plan the setup
- Choose a console for GTA 6 — compare keeping your current console with the complete cost of a new purchase.
- Plan your GTA 6 storage — work out which games need to stay installed before choosing PS5 M.2 storage or Xbox expansion.
- Decide whether to upgrade your TV or monitor — check screen fit and supported inputs before replacing a display you already like.
PC fixes and performance
- Match an Easy Anti-Cheat error to the repair for your game — keep Windows protection on. If you suspect Smart App Control, check whether Windows recorded an enforced block for the same file at the time the launch failed.
- DX12 vs DX11: Which Gives More FPS — when DX12’s multi-core rendering actually helps, when DX11 is steadier, and a two-minute test to prove which is faster on your PC.
- VSync On or Off? The Right Setting for Your Monitor — the per-monitor answer (VRR vs fixed refresh), the exact NVIDIA App and Adrenalin menu paths, and the Blur Busters latency numbers behind the advice.
- Ultimate Performance Power Plan: What It Changes — Balanced vs High performance vs Ultimate, read setting by setting out of Windows 11, and the plan a gaming PC should run.
- Steam Not Opening: Fixes in Order — Valve’s own troubleshooting order plus the dated forum fixes it leaves out, from stuck steamwebhelper processes to reinstalling Steam without losing your games.
- Star Citizen Performance & Troubleshooting — the system requirements, settings, and launch/error fixes for the most hardware-hungry game on PC.
How this fits the rest of the site
Gaming sits naturally next to the hardware work already here: the $2,500 7800X3D + RTX 5080 build, the GPU reviews, and the DDR5 buying guide all feed directly into “will this game run well, and on what.” When a fix here depends on a part or a spec, it links to the hardware page that explains it.
All gaming guides and fixes
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Ultimate Performance Power Plan: What It Changes (2026)
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Steam Not Opening on Windows 11: Fixes in Order (2026)
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VSync On or Off? The Right Setting for Your Monitor (2026)
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Discord Not Opening? Check Support, Status and These Fixes (2026)
Discord not opening? Check OS support and incident timing, then follow the Windows fix order. Includes dated local tests and a downloadable case record.
Steam Content File Locked: Find the Cause and Fix It (2026)
Fix Steam's Content File Locked error by finding the process holding the game file, then use the correct cache, folder, or integrity repair.
Xbox Controller Not Connecting to PC: Wired and Wireless Fixes
Xbox controller won't connect to your PC wired over USB, or over Bluetooth or the wireless adapter? The fixes, ranked by what actually works.
Star Citizen Performance & Troubleshooting
Star Citizen runs harder on your PC than almost anything. System requirements, best settings for FPS, and ranked fixes for launch errors and crashes.
Easy Anti-Cheat Won't Open? Install and Repair Fixes
How to repair Easy Anti-Cheat when it won't open: supported fixes for not installed, 30004, 30005, Game Security Violation, untrusted files and more.
DX12 vs DX11: Which Gives More FPS (and When to Switch)
DX12 vs DX11 for FPS: why DX12 helps when your CPU is the limit, why it can stutter, and a simple rule for picking one per game.
Resizable BAR / Smart Access Memory: On or Off? (2026)
Resizable BAR (AMD Smart Access Memory) lets the CPU map all of your VRAM. Whether to leave it on, and the BIOS path on ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE and ASRock.
Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS): On or Off? (2026)
HAGS on or off by GPU: NVIDIA GTX 10 and newer, AMD RX 7000, Intel Arc B-Series, the driver and Windows build each needs, and when frame generation flips it.