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Have you recently received a new tech gift? We're going to help clear up some misconceptions that you should be aware of.

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Let's start out with one of the most coveted items for gamers, graphics cards.

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We've covered them quite a bit on this channel, but here's a concern some gamers have expressed

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that has nothing to do with how they actually perform. Could a GPU be so heavy that it damages your motherboard?

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Should you shy away from buying the high-end GPU you've scrimped and saved for,

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for fear of it collapsing before your very eyes?

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Certainly, we can see where these worries come from. There are plenty of photos online of PCI Express slots that have been straight up

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ripped off of their motherboard due to a heavy graphics card just collapsing.

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And the largest consumer graphics cards these days weigh around five pounds,

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which certainly isn't light by any stretch. All that cooling that high-end GPUs require can make some cards pretty chunky.

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But here's the good news. Motherboard manufacturers are fully aware of how heavy graphics cards can get,

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and slots are designed with the card's weight in mind.

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Lots of these horror stories you've seen have been on older boards,

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or when significantly more force than just the weight of the card was put onto the slot.

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This can be the result of someone trying too hard to insert or remove a card,

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or neglecting to remove the card before shipping or otherwise relocating the PC,

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where extra force can be put onto the slot if the PC gets bumped or jostled around.

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As long as you remember to screw the card into the case and don't put extra force on it,

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you should be just fine even with the heaviest of cards.

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Although some larger cards do come with anti-sag brackets,

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because sagging can pose a risk of damaging the card if the sag is severe,

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these are more important if you're moving the system around a lot.

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They aren't necessary to prevent your PCIe slot from breaking off

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if you're keeping your computer in one place. Let's step away from graphics cards and talk about a hot ticket item for everyone.

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Alright, this tip is about none other than the venerable TV.

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Specifically, we're going to talk about High Dynamic Range or HDR,

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a feature that was once only found on high-end models, but has now trickled down to even budget TVs.

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But are you actually getting a good deal if you buy a discounted model

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that prominently advertises HDR support? The answer might be no.

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You see, HDR is a hyped feature because it can make the image on your screen look more detailed,

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especially in darker and brighter areas where traditional TVs often struggle,

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assuming of course that you're actually watching content recorded or mastered in HDR.

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But for HDR to make a real difference, the screen has to be capable of getting bright enough to reproduce these details accurately.

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This doesn't mean you need the highest-end panel in the market,

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but most cheap TVs just can't get adequately bright.

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In fact, some of these budget models that technically support HDR

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don't even get bright enough to produce a good non-HDR picture in a bright room.

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So if you want a decent HDR experience, our opinion is that you should find a TV that can put out at least 600 nits of brightness,

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and definitely don't go for anything under 400 nits.

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Some models will list how bright they can get on the spec sheet,

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while for others you may need to hunt down a review on a site like Ratings.

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Buying a really cheap TV just because it has HDR support

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is like going to a $15 buffet because they have unlimited steak.

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It might be technically true, but are you really going to enjoy gnawing on a piece of meat that resembles shoe leather?

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If it tastes good. Finally, here's one for anybody who just got a new pair of headphones or earbuds.

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A common piece of advice you see on some headphone enthusiast forums

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is to burn in the headphones for a certain amount of time.

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We're talking 40 hours or more of playing music, white noise, or frequency sweeps through the headphones

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before they're ready to listen to. The theory is that burning the headphones in will soften up the internals

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and allow them to respond more quickly to inputs, thereby producing a better sound.

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Kind of like breaking in a baseball glove until it becomes more pliable.

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But think about this. A softer headphone driver also won't stop moving as quickly,

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which would result in worse sound quality if you follow this burn-in logic.

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Furthermore, independent testing has already shown that various enthusiast-grade headphones

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showed no perceptible difference in sound quality after lengthy periods of burn-in.

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Any perceived difference is likely due to a placebo effect

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or a phenomenon some enthusiasts call brain burn-in, which is much more dangerous.

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This is the idea that after using an old pair of headphones for a long time,

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you get used to their sound. So when you switch to a new pair, the new ones don't sound neutral,

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leading you to think that they need to be burnt in

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when the reality is that you're just not used to a different sound signature.

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So the takeaway here is just to go ahead and start enjoying your headphones

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as soon as you take them out of the package. You gotta take instant gratification in life, the rare times you can get it.

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And I am instantly gratified to see that you've watched this whole video!

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Amazing! Thanks for watching! Like the video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it.

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Check out our other videos, comment below with video suggestions, and don't forget to subscribe and follow.

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I'm listening, I'm listening in my audio grade audio file grade headphones.

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I can hear you!