Grumpy Recommended Gear
Last Updated: September 2026
These are products I personally use, recommend, or would confidently buy myself.
These are the tools, backup devices, UPS systems, Wi-Fi gear, flash drives, and tech products I actually recommend and talk about on the channel.
Some links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Grumpy Sysadmin.
Have the Hardware? Now Get the System.
A backup drive or UPS only helps if you’re actually using it right. Grab the free backup checklist, or get the complete Windows Survival System for step-by-step backup, recovery, and repair.
Storage & Backup
WD My Passport External Hard Drive (2TB)
A simple external backup drive for saving important files, photos, documents, and recovery copies before Windows decides to do something “helpful.”
Samsung BAR Plus 256GB USB Flash Drive
A solid USB drive for Windows installers, recovery tools, rescue media, and bootable utilities. Cheap flash drives are fine until they fail exactly when you need them, because of course they do.
Bigger capacity for a bigger backup job. USB-C and USB-A cables in the box, so it plugs straight into a PC, Mac, or tablet without hunting for an adapter.
Samsung 990 PRO SSD 4TB
A very fast PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with plenty of room for games, video projects, virtual machines, backups, and the other digital junk we all swear we’re going to organize someday.
If your system supports Gen4 NVMe storage, this is the kind of drive that makes loading, copying, editing, and moving large files feel a whole lot less painful.
ASUS External Blu-ray Burner
A reliable USB Blu-ray drive for creating long-term, read-only backups of important photos, documents, and other files you do not want ransomware—or an accidental click—to rewrite.
It can read and write Blu-ray, DVD, and CD media, making it useful for both archival backups and older disc collections. For critical files, burn the disc, finalize it, verify it, and store it somewhere safe.
Verbatim Slim Disc Storage Cases — 50 Pack
A 50-pack of slim, stackable cases for protecting CD, DVD, and Blu-ray backups from scratches, dust, and the usual junk-drawer nonsense.
The pack includes 40 clear cases and 10 assorted-color cases, which makes it easier to organize different backup sets without taking up as much space as standard jewel cases.
Label each case with what is stored on the disc, the date it was burned, and whether you verified it. Because six months from now, “Backup Final 3” will mean absolutely nothing.
Verbatim BD-R 25GB Blu-ray Discs — 25 Pack
A 25-pack of single-layer Blu-ray discs, each holding up to 25GB of photos, documents, videos, and other important files.
These write-once discs are ideal for creating finalized, read-only archives that cannot be overwritten by ransomware, a bad sync, or an accidental click. Burn the files, verify the disc, label it clearly, and store it in a proper case.
For anything truly important, make two copies and keep the second one somewhere else. Because one backup in one location is still asking one bad day to ruin everything.
Desktops & Laptops
HP Pro Tower Desktop (Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM)
A solid, no-drama desktop for email, browsing, and everyday work — enough RAM that it won’t choke the moment you open more than three tabs.
CyberPowerPC Gamer Master (Ryzen 7, RTX 5060 Ti)
A prebuilt gaming desktop that doesn’t cut corners on RAM or GPU, so you’re playing current games instead of fighting with graphics settings.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i (Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM)
A dependable everyday laptop that keeps up with real-world use instead of grinding to a halt the moment Windows updates in the background.
ASUS Zenbook S14 (Intel Core Ultra 9, 32GB RAM)
A premium ultra-light laptop for people who want real power without hauling around a brick — the extra RAM means it stays fast for years, not months.
Lenovo Legion 5a Gaming Laptop (Ryzen 7, RTX 5060)
A gaming laptop that can actually game — solid GPU, fast display, and enough RAM that you won’t be shopping for an upgrade again next year.
Repair & Workbench Tools
Unitek USB 3.0 IDE/SATA External Adapter
Turn any old internal hard drive — 2.5″ or 3.5″, IDE or SATA — into an instant external drive. This is exactly what you need before wiping, recycling, or pulling files off a dead PC’s hard drive.
XOOL 62-in-1 Precision Screwdriver Kit
58 magnetic bits, a flexible shaft, and an extension rod in one case. Covers phones, laptops, tablets, and game consoles — basically every screw Windows PCs throw at you.
Pull a drive out of a dead laptop or desktop and read it as an external drive in minutes — no cloning software, no second PC, no guesswork. Works with both NVMe and 2.5″ SATA drives.
Run multiple external drives, a card reader, and a flash drive at once without starving any of them for power. The dedicated power adapter means no more “USB device not recognized” errors mid-recovery.
Networking & Power
Networking
TP-Link AV2000 Powerline Ethernet Adapter Kit
A simple way to extend a wired network connection to another room without running Ethernet cable through walls or relying entirely on Wi-Fi.
Plug one adapter near your router and connect it with Ethernet. Plug the second adapter near the device that needs a connection, and your home’s electrical wiring carries the network signal between them.
This kit includes two Gigabit Ethernet ports on each adapter and a built-in passthrough outlet, so you do not lose access to the wall socket. Performance depends heavily on your home’s wiring, but when the conditions are right, it can be a practical solution for desktops, TVs, game consoles, and other devices that benefit from a wired connection.
Wi-Fi acting up mid-transfer or mid-update? Plug this in and get a rock-solid wired connection on any laptop that dropped its Ethernet port years ago.
CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS
One of the best investments you can make for protecting your PC, router, NAS, or modem from outages, voltage drops, and Windows deciding today is the perfect day to corrupt something during a power flicker.
TP-Link Deco X55 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System
A reliable mesh Wi-Fi system for larger homes, dead zones, and people tired of buffering, disconnects, and yelling at their router like it personally offended them.
150W USB-C Fast Charger
A compact GaN charger that can power laptops, tablets, phones, and other USB-C devices without carrying a small bag full of wall bricks like some kind of traveling electronics goblin.
It has multiple ports, enough power for a laptop, and is handy for travel, desk setups, or anyone tired of playing “which charger is this?” every time something needs power.
Software & Utilities
Software & Utilities
Useful tools, security software, and utilities I recommend for Windows users.
This section includes software and services that can help with security, cleanup, recovery, backups, and keeping your PC from turning into a flaming dumpster with a login screen.
A solid security suite that actually stays relatively quiet, catches a ton of garbage, and doesn’t feel like it was designed by an advertising department on meth.
Good protection, lightweight enough for most people, and far less annoying than dealing with malware after the fact.
This is what most of my own recovery and repair USB drives run on.
Way better than just hitting delete and hoping for the best.
More Recommendations Coming Soon
I’ll keep this page updated with the backup drives, UPS units, USB flash drives, Wi-Fi gear, software, and practical Windows survival tools I actually recommend.
No random junk. No mystery miracle tools. Just useful gear that makes sense for real people trying to keep their PCs working.