Monthly Archives: July 2022
Read This Before You Buy A Laptop.
Read This Before You Buy A Laptop.
Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just a few of your options?
Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop doesn’t have to mean learning a whole new language. It just means that you have to know what your needs are and what kinds of equipment is best suited to meeting those needs. Ask yourself the following two questions:
1. How am I going to use this machine?
The demands you anticipate placing on a machine will dictate how much memory you need, processor speed, display size, and the size of your hard drive. It also matters how much wear and tear you think you’re going to put on your laptop. For example, are you going to be schlepping it from college room to coffee shop, or are you mostly going to be using it at home, as a replacement for a desktop machine? Are you going to be storing lots of digital music files or photos or other multimedia that will eat up huge amounts of hard drive space? Do you need wireless capability and lots of peripherals, like CD-RW drives or DVD drives? Are you going to be doing graphics work or watching a lot of video on your laptop, such that a powerful, rapid processor and a large and high-resolution screen are important to you?
2. How do I find the laptop that will do what I want?
Thinner is not always better; but then, less is sometimes more. In the laptop jungle, searching out the perfect machine can be a challenge. It might help to look at the different models of laptop and see what features each one has to offer.
* Ultraportables
These machines are thin, small, and light—typically not more than four pounds. What they don’t have going for them is a lot of processing power or the bells and whistles of bigger systems: they don’t have internal CD or DVD drives, they have smallish hard drives, and they have displays of 12 inches or smaller. A good choice for someone on the go a lot who doesn’t demand a lot of their system, but performance lags behind other laptop models.
* Thin-and-lights
Perfect for business travelers, these laptops have powerful internal processors, 14-inch displays, and wireless networking capability, plus a combo CD-RW/DVD drive. They have lots of memory and roomy hard drives. Trade-off: they weigh a bit more (four to six pounds) and they cost quite a bit more.
* Mainstream notebooks
Basically, these laptops are desktop computers that can do a little travel. At six to eight pounds, they come with a 14-inch or larger display and more than enough basic power, in terms of processing speed, memory, and hard drive space.
* Desktop replacements
The name says it all: these laptops think they’re desktops. They have 15-inch to 17-inch monitors, more than big enough for gaming or creating home movies. They have the fastest processors, the largest hard drives, and the most memory of any other laptop available. And they weigh at least seven pounds.
Knowing at least some of the terminology should help you carry on intelligent conversations with laptop salespeople. And remember: because technology changes so fast, you’ll never have to be stuck with a dud laptop for more than two years!
Power Behind The Xbox360
Power Behind The Xbox360
Although Microsoft’s Xbox was able to sell millions and millions of units worldwide, it was still considerably outsold by its competitor, Sony’s PlayStation. In this day, wherein another revolution in video and gaming technology is at hand, the Xbox360 is more promising than ever.
What difference does the Xbox360 hold against its predecessor? Well, just like all gaming consoles, it is basically a computer that is designed to run video game programs. The difference is that they focus specifically on this function alone.
So how does the latest model from Microsoft differ from any other gaming console. As was mentioned earlier, the Xbox360 is a computer designed for playing video games. But aside from this, it was also designed to perform as a complete stand-alone entertainment system. To break it down, this new console can allow users to connect via a network, it can copy, stream, and download all sorts of media. This would, of course include in its arsenal, the ability to download and play HD movies, audio, as well as digital photos and games.
Now, since we know that all gaming consoles are simply computers designed for playing video games, let us take a look at the heart of all computers – the CPU. Just the same, video game consoles have a processor that would, of course, ‘process’ all the information being fed into the system. You could think of it as similar to a car’s engine – it is the one that powers every function of the whole system. The latest innovation in the Xbox360 is that, they “modified the engine” to be able to deliver optimum performance for players.
Traditionally, CPUs process information via a single path. The more technical term for this is a thread. Now what the latest edition of the Xbox is bragging about is that under its hood, is a processor, or a core, that is able to process two threads simultaneously. This means that all the information that is being fed into it, is processed more effectively and efficiently because the “brain” is “multi-tasking”. Meaning, information about sound could be processed via one path, the other for the video graphics, etc. If you’ve ever noticed, past video games would either pause a bit or stutter occasionally. This is because the system is being bombarded by too much information, and it takes time for their ‘brains’ to be able to cope with the demands.
In addition to this, Microsoft has incorporated with this technology, a multi-core system that allows them to integrate more than one processor into a single chip. This is by far the latest innovation by hardware manufacturers – and yes, Microsoft has included it in their new Xbox game console. Having the ability to perform multiple tasks at the same time, it allows the game developers to come with strategies on how to maximize the potential of the machine, to deliver optimum performance.
This is the heart of why the Xbox has evolved to become even more powerful. There are a lot of other features about the new Xbox360 that definitely boosts its performance. But the heart of all of this, is of course the core that runs everything in it.
Find The Best Computer Hardware
Find The Best Computer Hardware
In our age, owning a personal computer is something that most people have the luxury of. In fact, I know several people who have multiple computers in their home and at their office. As the popularity of computers and the internet have grown in the past decade, so has the need of the people in having a computer to call their own. Sure, they can go to a local computer shop and purchase a desktop or a laptop computer, but more and more people are opting to put together a computer from separate pieces of hardware.
Computer hardware is basically all of the parts of your computer. Your screen, your keyboard, your tower, your disc drives. All of the parts that make up your computer are considered its hardware. Hardware is not to be confused with the software of a computer which is its programs and the things you can do on a computer.
The growing trend of building your own computer or of having someone build one for you can be a great alternative to purchasing a computer from a large company. This process of computer building is much easier, however, when you have a friend or two who knows the details of computer hardware and who will help you learn as well.
If you are wanting a homemade computer with hardware from a variety of companies, than your first step is to do what I have already suggested: find a computer expert and enlist them to help you in the cause of finding great hardware for your computer. The chances are high that they will know just where to find hardware for you whatever your computer wish may be.
Looking for computer hardware to build your own computer can be a bit overwhelming. The important thing is just to start. Start by looking in your newspaper and in other sources of local news to see what kinds of computer hardware are available for sale. Often times businesses will be upgrading their computers and will sell their old hardware to the public at very reasonable prices. Just keep your eyes pealed for these deals and you’ll be collecting computer hardware in no time. Make sure you have a detailed list from your computer expert friend of what you will need so that you don’t make any mistakes with your purchases.
Another great source for buying cheap computer hardware is to look online. There are warehouses of hardware pieces just waiting to be sold to the public at discounted prices.
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Computer Recycling – Switch To Environmental Friendly Mode
Computer Recycling – Switch To Environmental Friendly Mode
Computer recycling refers to the practice of salvaging useable components from obsolete electronic devices or safely disposing off electronic devices. It is a practice that each one of us must inculcate because inappropriate handling of discarded computers and other electronic devices can cause environmental hazards.
Studies estimate that over 40 million electronic pieces become obsolete annually. These pieces have constituents such as lead, cadmium, barium, and mercury, which are hazardous to the environment. In a landfill, these materials seep into the ground and then into our food and water supplies. This can cause serious health concerns over a long period.
Obsolete Computers: Environmental Threats
Obsolete computers that are simply dumped in the garbage drums are the biggest threat to the environment. The computer monitors have cathode ray tubes containing four to five pounds of lead that contaminates the environment acutely. Besides lead, the computers have many other hazardous elements such as mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium. When inhaled over a long period, these elements cause high blood pressure, liver and nerve disease, blood with poor iron, and even brain damage to the exposed group. This causes great concern, considering several million computers become obsolete annually.
Therefore, we must handle the obsolete electronic devices carefully. Moreover, different Environmental Laws have banned the illegal landfills by the disposals of computers and other electronic equipment. These laws necessitate sending the un-functional computers to a reputable recycler for harmless recycling. The laws also specify the need for regular recycling to avoid such computers from piling up.
There are several methods to deal with old computers. Some of them are as follows:
· Give It For Reuse: If your computer is in a decent condition, you can sell it to a company or an individual so that it can be used further, or simply donate it to someone needy.
· Trade It In: There are many computer dealers (e.g. HP) who offer trade-in promotions on computers and peripherals.
· Auction It: You can sell the computer on eBay or any other auction site. You can also organize a quick garage sale and see if any of your friends or neighbors wants the computer.
· Set up a Server: You can continue using the old computer as a server to store and share data.
· Salvage Some Parts: You can see which parts of your computers are in good working condition. You can salvage those parts and use them in your new computer.
Go for computer recycling and safe the planet earth!