Computer Hardware - Guide to the PC Hardware

Let us have a close look at some of the benefits of LCD monitors to derive the optimum benefits from its usage. A LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor is quite aesthetically pleasing in its nature and offer an exceptional wide viewing angle. The color purity, image brightness and contrast ratio by these monitors is way ahead of the traditional CRT monitors. These monitors are also protected against any kind of magnetic interference as well as screen flickers.

The latest LCD monitors can be easily mounted on the walls and make use of just 25-50 watts of energy as opposed to 60-80 watts by a CRT monitor. Most of the present day LCD monitors come with USB ports, which allow the users to easily connect numerous devices at a single time. The response time of these monitors is quite exceptional, ranging between 2-16 ms.

Let us understand how a LCD monitor functions. It makes use of the LCD technology to deliver advanced and smart desktop/laptop solutions. The polarized sheets that lie between the sandwiched crystals are used, which make it less bulky than a CRT monitor. Some of the latest LCD monitors have an aspect ratio of 4:3. These cheap LCD monitors deliver unbeatable viewing experience.

They enhance the overall impact of the visual elements on a desktop/laptop and its OSD controlling adjustment keys are not flimsy. A huge number of the modern day LCDs are known to be easily tilted by a particular angle, a feature which is conducive to the office executive’s needs.

If you are looking for a vibrant, reliable and power-packed monitor then the ViewSonic VX1945WM, ViewSonic VX922 and ViewSonic VG2030WM are some of the most excellent options for you. These ViewSonic LCD monitors are exceptionally high on performance, quality, contrast ratio, viewing angle, image resolution, active pixels, sound quality, multimedia capabilities and image size, to name a few.

The current day LCD market is full of cheap LCD monitors but you need to exercise full caution before buying one. Do not forget to ask about the warranty and check the policy in relation with dead pixels. Do not try to install it on your own unless you have the required knowledge.

The author is a specialist in retail writing. Her writing skills reflect the outcome of years of exposure to the retail industry. Working with retail giants as a consultant has enriched her knowledge base and her passion for writing got fire. She can be read regularly on RetailsDirect.com. For details please visit: Cheap Digital Camera

Usage of computers in our lives are now so prevalent such that majority of people like you and me will access to computers in one way or another on a daily basis. Hence, it is even more crucial that our computer systems are functioning at tiptop performance every day.

As an experienced computer user, I know that there are problems abound, and with more than 20years of experience with computer troubleshooting, I will be striving to utilize my past skills and knowledge to contribute back to the IT community through various valuable information articles and also VIDEOS !!

Some of the common problems that often come to mind are as follows:

1) Long boot time

2) Slow performance

3) Security headaches

4) Insufficient storage space for files, important documents, and backup.

5) Affordable Upgrades

5) And much more….

Are you also starting to face these problems, or already quite frustrated with these problems for quite some time, and no avenue to seek help?? Well don’t worry. Help is here!!

Right Today, we will explore on practical and affordable ways to turn your current “not so new” PC into an almost Brand New computer system with Minimum upgrades and maintain peak performance.

First, we need to evaluate what we would like to achieve with the new PC. Feedback from friends and past customers show the following typical uses:

1) Home use

2) Work use

3) Gaming Enthusiasts

4) Digital Home Entertainment system

5) Server

Secondly, let’s take a lighter look at what constitutes a computer through an analogy. A computer is like a human, with a body and within the body, we have the vital components all working in sync towards a smooth operation and functioning. However, there are also times where computer like human will fall sick and have components failing, hardware failing, software failing, and need repair/replacement. On the whole, treat your computer well and your computer will treat you back well too!!

Detailed Breakdown of a Computer - What is inside your PC?

1) Chassis: (Body) Contains internal components, external components, and peripherals.

2) Internal components:

-Power Supply/PSU power supply unit: Provide appropriate voltages and currents for the various internal components.

-Motherboard/mainboard: Akin to a skeleton, all other components attach to this MB.

-Processor/CPU central processing unit: Akin to the brain, all major tasks and instruction are executed through this, so it is crucial to have a good CPU for faster better performance.

-RAM random access memory: Used to store program instructions and data. More RAM also implies better performance.

-Hard Disk: Used for storing your essential files and documents such as videos and pictures

-CD/DVD writer: Commonly used for accessing data on optical disks.

-Video Card: Provide an outlet to connect a monitor. Different video cards also have

individual performance levels.

3) External components:

-Keyboard: Typing use

-Mouse: Commonly used for click and drag functions

-Monitor: For displaying the output from your computer. You can’t do without one =)

How to upgrade with only the Essential Components ??

Given that technology gadgets are getting cheaper, I strongly encourage you to change the following essential items:

1) Processor / Motherboard

2) RAM

3) New Hard Disks

Items which typically can be moved over from the old PC are as follows:

1) Optical drives, e.g. CD/DVD drives

2) Floppy drives

3) Old hard disks: so that all essential documents are still available

4) Video cards

5) Audio Cards

6) Keyboard / mouse / printers / scanners / speakers

7) Monitor

As you can see, with only a few strongly recommended items to upgrade, it is both practical and affordable to revive your own system with some low cost upgrades (typically less than US$800)With the new PC components, assembly of the new DIY PC Begins…….

Have fun. =)

Originally Written Article here.

The author Jimmy Lee is involved in article writing, publishing, and website design on a freelance basis amid a daytime job as an electrical engineer. His favourite works can be found at http://flashgor.blogspot.com/ and http://www.diypc.wordpress.com/

The new ATI 4800 series is nearing its release, and more and more information is leaked on the whereabouts of the new NVidia 9900 series GPU, so the issue now is: which one will be better? Well, unfortunately, there are no credible benchmarks on either of these cards, so I will have to talk from the perspective of a business man.

The RV770, also known as the ATI Radeon 4800 series, is supposed to be released this month.Shortly afterwards, nVidia will release its 9900 series GPU’s in response to ATI. Now, this will be a very interesting show. First of all, ATI’s been steadily regaining its momentum. With the huge success of the ATI 3800 series GPU’s, ATI can use its recent success as a push toward the top of the hill.

While ATI pushes forward with its recent success, NVidia is now in a somewhat tense situation. With the disappointing debut of the 9800series GPU’s, NVidia must lick its wounds and push forward again to recreate the gains they had on ATI. Now that ATI is starting to build momentum, NVidia will have to work its butt off polishing the 9900series GPU’s as much as possible so that both GPU’s will not turn out to be the second 9800 series. Although they’re being released as replacements of the 9800 series GPU, NVidia will nonetheless have to do some serious work in the area of performance and price-to-performance ratio on their 9900 series GPU’s, because ATI will no doubt use their price-to-performance success on their ATI 3800 series GPU’s on their Radeon 4800 series GPU’s.

This is indeed a tight situation for NVidia; but an extremely valuable chance for ATI. This may bring back ATI to its former glory, and give ATI the chance to compete against NVIdia neck-to-neck, as an equally-polished GPU company once again.

Another side of this situation is that the pressure on NVidia might actually turn out to be favorable for NVidia, because the pressure might actually make NVIdia churn out an excellent GPu. Either way, both GPU’s, the NVidia and ATI GPU’s, will go neck to neck, and fight its way for the king of the hill.

To read more articles on computer hardware, go to http://www.ImIcarus.com

http://www.ImIcarus.com

:: Environment requirement on outdoor fiber optic cables

Outdoor fiber cables must endure harsh environment factors such as UV radiation from sunlight, storms, snows and 80 mph wind, so outdoor cables must be strong, weatherproof and UV resistant. The outdoor cable should also be able to endure the wild temperature variations both during installation and throughout its life span.

These factors determine the materials used for the cable construction. Various materials are used to suit the installation environment.

Outdoor cable jacket is treated to prevent UV light from penetrating inside the cable and damaging the internal glass fibers. Extra UV protection specification can be specified if needed.

:: Environment requirement on indoor fiber optic cables

Indoor fiber cables should be strong and flexible for easy pulling and installation. They should also possess NEC required fire and smoke ratings. As a industry standard practice, single mode fiber jacket is yellow and multimode fiber jacket is orange.

:: Popular cable materials in fiber optic cable construction

1. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

Features:

1) Good resistance to environmental effects. Some formulations are rated for -55°C to +55°C.

2) Good flame retardant properties. Can be used for both outdoor and indoor fiber optic cables.

3) PVC is less flexible than PE (Polyethylene)

2. PE (Polyethylene)

Features:

1) Popular cable jacket material for outdoor fiber cables

2) Very good moisture and weather resistance properties

3) Very good insulator

4) Can be very stiff in colder temperatures

5) If treated with proper chemicals, PE can be flame retardant

3. Fluoropolymers

Features:

1) Good flame-resistance properties

2) Low smoke properties

3) Good flexibility

4) Most often used for indoor fiber cables

4. Kevlar (Aramid Yarn)

Aramid yarn is the yellow fiber type material found inside cable jacket surrounding the fibers. It can also be used as central strength members.

Features:

1) Aramid yarn is very strong and is used in bundle to protect the fibers

2) Kevlar is a brand of aramid yarn. Kevlar is often used as the central strength member on fiber cables which must withstand high pulling tension during installation

3) When Kevlar is placed surrounding the entire cable interior, it provides additional protection for the fibers from the environment

5. Steel Armor

Steel armor jacket is often used on direct burial outdoor cables and it provides excellent crush resistance and is truly rodent-proof. Since steel is a conductor, steel armored cables have to be properly grounded and loss fiber optic cable’s dielectric advantage.

Applications:

1) Outdoor direct burial cables

2) Fiber cables used for industrial environment where cables are installed without conduits or cable tray protection

Features:

1) Provides excellent crush resistance for outdoor direct burial cables

2) Protects cables from rodent biting

3) Decreases water ingress into the fiber which prolongs the fiber cable’s life expectancy

6. Central Strength Member

For large fiber count cables, a central strength member is often used. The central strength member provides strength and support to the cable. During fiber optic cable installation, pulling eyes should always be attached to the central strength member and never to the fibers. On fiber splice enclosure and patch panel installations, the cable central strength member should be attached to the strength member anchor on the enclosure or patch panel.

Colin Yao is an expert on fiber optic technologies and products. Learn even more about plastic optical cable, plastic optical fiber pof and plastic optical fibers on Fiber Optics For Sale Co. web Site.

If your number one reason for building a computer is to save money, than you need to Plan to Save. An old Indian proverb says “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” The flowers that you seek are a highly functional computer that by building it saves you money. Well, you are in luck. I just so happen to have 4 seeds that I am going to give you. All you need to do is water these seeds and nurture them.

Create a budget

Have you ever tried to save money without first setting up some ground rules to spending? Well, if you are Bill Gates, this article isn’t for you. For the rest of us, we need to create some sort of budget. The budget is used as a guideline to spending. It makes us aware of how much we spend and what we are spending it on. Ok, enough with the Personal Budget 101 course (if you haven’t taken this course yet, I highly recommend you contact your local college and get enrolled). I just wanted to point out that in order to effectively save money; you need to be aware of what you are doing with your money. This way, you can adjust your spending accordingly, in order to accomplish short term and long term financial goals.

Know what you need to buy

Well, the same principle of budgeting can be applied when building a computer. In order to not over spend on a project, you need to focus specifically on what you need to buy and how much it costs. Let me help you out. Here is a list of what you need to buy:

Processor

Motherboard

Power Supply

RAM

Computer Case

Hard Drive

Optical Drive

DVD ROM

Monitor

Keyboard/Mouse

Operating System

This is just what you need to buy. You still have to consider what you want to buy. Now that you have a general idea of what you have to buy, now you have to think about what you want to budget for this project. $200 $300 $1000 It’s solely up to you.

How will the computer be used?

Next, you need to think about what you expect from your computer; not just what you want it to do today, but as far out as 3 to 5 years from now. You should always build a computer with future upgrades in mind. Do you plan on using it for word processing and internet surfing or for intense gaming? This will help you to determine how much RAM you need and how fast the CPU will be.

Put it all together

Now, this part is just like creating a personal budget. Either use an excel or equivalent spreadsheet, or a sheet of lined paper and write on the top the name of this project (Billy’s Computer Build) and how much money you’ve allocated for the project. Next, list all the components you need and want to buy. Beside each, write how much you want to spend on that particular component. Your motherboard, power supply and processor are your most important parts and I suggest you not short change these. Also, you should do some research on each component, so you have an idea of its cost.

This budget or plan will help you to stay within the funds you allocated to the project. If you have $50 allocated for your case and you catch a deal after rebate for $29.99, then you have $20 that you can re-allocate. Also keep in mind shipping and handling and taxes. This is money that you are spending too, so it should be posted against your budget.

Well, as promised I delivered you 4 flower producing seeds. What you do with them is solely up to you. I suggest you get them out of your mind and planted in execution.

Lee Jones is a computer enthusiast who enjoys building computers in his spare time. To get your FREE Computer Build Budget Worksheet, FREE tips, advice and suggestions, Check me out at: = > http://pcbuildersdelight.synthasite.com

The Asus EEE PC is hot, hot, HOT! Who would have thought that a sub-compact laptop would become so popular in a world where “bigger is better”? Everyone wants more storage and bigger screens and more features - and yet these small computers grow in sales every month!

The first surprise is that the Asus EEE PC is a sub-compact laptop that runs on “Linux” and not Windows. Right away that pigeonholes the purchasers to geeks and technophiles. The Macbook and Mac air are both geeky devices, and Mac’s OS share went from 9% to 14% from 2007-2008. Linux use on low-end PC’s is growing, the Everex gPC sold at Wal-Mart online sold out. Consequently, the gPC got pulled from Wal-Mart retail shelves, probably because geeks don’t shop in brick and mortar stores for tech gear. Currently, the Asus Eee PC 4G Surf is in the Amazon top 10 lists for “Computers and Hardware” beating out all Apple models.

Why is it that Makes the Asus Eee PC so popular?

I think one obvious point it that it’s cheaper than an iPhone, but a fully fledged computer. Both the screen and keyboard are smaller than a conventional laptop, but completely usable. If you’re tired of carrying around a PDA type phone with a folding keyboard from hell or tiny thumbkeys - why not just get an Asus EEE PC? It’s probably around the same money.

Features:

- affordable pricetag (from $300-$500)
- Built in camera (0.3 megapixel 30fps)
- Durable Solid State Drive (4-20GB SSD)
- MMC / SD memory card slot and 3 USB Ports
- 512MB - 2GB RAM
- 800×480 screen resolution
- Wifi b/g 10/100 wired connections
- Xandros Linux installed
- Great for Personal Use
- Only 2 lbs
- No bigger than a hardcover book

The company that makes these (Asustek) predicts selling 2 million units in 2008. That’s significant for a Linux based OS. It should be no surprise however that one of the most popular hacks is to convert the Asus Eee PC to Windows XP (if you have a valid license of course). Linux is great, but some of the most popular complaints in Amazon comments for the Eee PC are that it’s not user-friendly or for the first time Linux user. That’s where the geek factor comes into play. The happiest customers for the Eee are geeks that have no problems configuring and using Linux. Even though the Xandros distribution is very user-friendly, your average non-geek might run into problems when plugging in their store bought iPod, printer, or digital camera. Comment squakers will attest to this, but geeks will boast how easy-to-use and configurable it is.

So - it may be no surprise that Asustek is going to play to the masses and release a Windows XP version of the Asus Eee PC installed from the factory. In just the last month the Asus Eee PC 4G and 12G have been released with Windows XP Home installed. The main difference most will notice between the 4G and 12G an increased screen size to 8.3″, allowing a default 1280×600 resolution (much closer to a standard desktop). With the Windows versions selling well, Asus should have no problems reaching their 2008 sales goals.

That does raise the price slightly, but at just over $500 it’s not much more than an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. All in all the “bang for the buck” is pretty good with the Eee PC considering how much high end gaming systems and cell phones cost. Small portable computers are going to get more and more popular, will you be the next to buy one?

John Pratt writes tech reviews at The Smorgasbord and cell phone reviews at Used Cell Phones.

Microsoft Windows has a feature which enables the operating system to record information about why the machine is going to be shut down or in the event of an unexpected shut down; why it was shut down.

This functionality is called the Shutdown Event Tracker. The feature is turned off by default in Windows XP Home & Professional and most other desktop versions of the operating system. In the case of Windows Server 2003 and other versions in the server family it is enabled by default.

In our experience this functionality is not required for many server installations and in fact gets in the way frequently. It is intended to act as a audit tool to understand what has happened to the server, but in reality it make shutting down/restarting the server annoying. I switch this functionality off on all server’s I run, the process outlined below will allow you to do the same:

1. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc and press ok

2. Open the Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System Folder

3. Double click the Display Shutdown Event Tracker setting in the right hand pane.

4. Select the Disable option on the pop up window and press ok

When you attempt to Reset or Shut Down the computer next time the Shut Down Event Tracker option will no longer be displayed and you will be free to perform the operation without its annoyance. To turn it back on - repeat the above but select enabled.

This tip was brought to you by the team at Techita Consultancy.

Dave Hodgson is a technical consultant by career and a website designer for fun. He has spent time working for large systems integrators, small consultancy firms and on individual freelance projects. The articles written by Dave are in the nature of tricks and tips he has learned through his career and interactions with clients.

Nowadays very one is concerned about the quality, what ever the products is. Even in the market of TV, LCD televisions have taken the place from the traditional CRT televisions. Technologies are so advanced that LCD TV technology has now reached the position where picture quality is exceptionally good as compared to traditional CRT TV. LCD’s technology is commonly using in the standard TV sizes, but it is also extended for large screen sizes with PLASMA technology.

As far as the price of LCD TVs is concerned, it continues to fall rapidly. LCD TVs are more portable as compared to huge CRT TVs. It occupied a fraction of the floor space of a traditional CRT television. But people are not stopping of using their large CRT set. In fact, some models of LCD TVs are quite useful that they are possible to mount on a wall or sit them on a shelf; which in turn helps to free up all of your valuable floor space.

LCD TVs comes in different sizes. Typically LCD TVs start at 15″. The LCD TVs technology is moving forward all the way. 40″ to 45″ sets were widely available in October 2004, and Sharp announced the manufacture of a 65″ set. Shortly afterwards, Samsung announced an 82″ LCD TV, in March 2005. LG Philips announced a 100″ set, in August 2006.

The no of television viewer is increasing day by day. At the moment we can clearly see the undergoing huge changes in television viewing experience. Competition in the market is quite challenging since technology continues to go far ahead but prices are falling. So take the advantages, don’t forget to check out the prices of different LCD TVs before you decided to purchase an LCD TV.

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