by PC Freak on November 20, 2008
When it comes to fixing a certain part such as perhaps a PC video card, there is no doubt that they are getting cheaper as video card vendors are slowly coming out with new ones today. While many would consider buying a new video card, trying to make do with old ones (assuming they are still functioning properly), would be best done until the time you consider buying at least a brand new CPU with parts that are advanced than your new one.
There was a previous post before about changing the auxiliary fan of video cards for the time being while saving the cost of buying a new video card. The price disparity is glaring considering that a well-fitted auxiliary fan would cost about 10% of a brand new video card. With some changes to the fans, you may be surprised at how much you can save for now rather than buying a new one which may have cases as not being compatible with new motherboards once you finally decide to upgrade.
There is no doubt that some video cards and peripherals are flexible. In fact, you can go as far as using them again in the future. There are usual AGP or PCI slots common in most motherboards and before you buy a new one, you know the slots of the motherboard needed to entertain your old specs.
But ask yourself first if you would make use of old video cards when you get a new one. For sure you will be getting a new since a new CPU would tempt you to get it as a whole anyway. So with that in mind, what would you do with the old video card? Sell it perhaps? Maybe but then again, consider the cost analysis. You may have been better off fabricating your old one instead.
by PC Freak on November 19, 2008
One thing you will notice as far as modern casings today are concerned is that a lot of them offer transparent sides thus revealing the internal chips of your CPU. Is there a bearing with regards to the overall performance of the computer? Not necessarily. Outside that of being fashionable, these transparent casings only allows you to showcase you internal computer chips and parts which normally makes use of plexi glass as a fashion statement.
They may look great but they are added costs since they are specialized casings for a chosen few But as far as cooling or improving the scale of PC performance, you can bet that they barely have something to do with improving actual processes and if ever they do, it is all psychological in nature.
With that in mind, why are people buying them? PC owners just want to be different and stylish. Some can afford to turn to these casings for a different look and identity. For an extra amount of dollars, people get them mainly for status symbols. However, inside of them, unless something powerful comes up like processors or other PC parts is concerned, on the outside they are nothing more than fabricated computer cases that house pretty much the same peripherals as the standard PC case.
by PC Freak on November 18, 2008
Aside from the holidays coming in, computer stores are desperately trying to get rid of old inventory with the expectation that new processors and desktop solutions from Intel shall be soon hitting the market. We have been hearing much buzz about Intel’s new chip such as the Intel Corei7 and chances are people will start looking for them these holidays to put their bonuses to good use. The problem is how do you get rid of the old ones?
For one, price drops and cheap computer packages are bound to be spreading like crazy. People may be looking at the new Intel Corei7 processors but make no mistake about it, customers are not about to let good deals pass. Pairing these discounted desktops with fast moving products such as NVIDIA video cards or large capacity hard disks are bound to be aplenty as people are looking to upgrade old computers for faster and powerful ones offered today.
So are the customers going to bite? Surely they will. The new processors will be out and one thing that people are expecting are price drops. The new Intel Corei7 is not expected to come out cheap as for sure, only a selected few can afford them once they hit the market.
With that in mind, consumers are expected to have a field day checking out the stores for their usual packages this Christmas. They will get rid of old inventory but it all depends on the lucrative deal that will be offered by them.
by PC Freak on November 17, 2008
The introduction of multi-purpose printers has taken the IT world by storm and rather than turn to the usual printer which have become disposable in a sense, the evolution of 3-in-1 printers that include a scanner, copier and a printer rolled into one has certainly been gaining ground. But the question is, are they worth the investment?
One would be surprised at the cost of one printer. Normally a Hewlett Packard 3-in-1 printer would cost somewhere in the vicinity of $80 to $150. Not bad considering the use it can give. As far as print cartridges are concerned, it is similar to the traditional ones we buy.
Other printer manufacturers such as Canon and Epson have unveiled their own versions although majority of focus is still on HP, a prime leader in printing technology. Epson and Canon have their own share of loyalists but what you have to wonder in the end is the durability of these printers.
For example if the scanner or the printer feeder gets busted, would you still be able to use it? Traditionally, we have seen most printers that bog down end up being left for naught. Why? Changing a printer head practically costs more than buying a new one so why bother?
So with that in mind, would it be wise to buy these 3-in-1 printers over the plain printers today? Depending on the use, people can get a lot of mileage out of them. But if you are just buying one because of features, think again. It may not be worthy if you just want plain quality printing.
by admin on November 14, 2008
Search history is a big privacy concern these days and many people don’t know it is being collected and stored in all kinds of places on your PC. Here’s just a few places history can be stored:
- In your web browser
- In the search box at your search engine of choice
- In any toolbars that you search from
- In Google itself, if you have a Google Account
If you aren’t deleting your search history from each of these places often you run the risk of your child, wife, boss, etc finding your search history and seeing everything you’ve searched for, which could be very private information.
People tend to think of dirty searches only and don’t worry if they aren’t doing that, they are ok, but you are actually far from it -
- Do you really want your child to find out by accident that you are terminally ill?
- Or your wife to find out what the perfect Christmas gift is that you got her, before christmas?
- Or how about your boss simply taking a peek and seeing your recent job searches… uh oh.
The list goes on and on. Luckily there is help out there!
If you need a little help or want to delete every trace for maximum privacy automatically I suggest checking out the tool Bob reviews to delete search history permanently (recommended, automatic is key!).
Bob is one of the leading guys as far as search history goes so you’ll be in good hand to follow his advice!
by PC Freak on November 14, 2008
For the gamers in search of powerful desktops, chances are this is the gaming desktop you are looking for. Alienware has joined forces with Nvidia in bringing you perhaps one of the sophisticated setups that a hardcore gamer can think of.
We all know how touchy the requirements have been as far as new gaming desktops are concerned and apparently this new desktop named Area-51 750i Gaming Desktop from Alienware and Nvidia aims to satisfy the growing hardware and power requirements that has become evident for the growing number of gamers today.
“The Area-51 750i desktop is one of the most robust computers we’ve ever developed. There is something here for everyone, from the entry-level system to the high-end maxed out configuration, the Area-51 750i promises an experience that will fit your gaming needs and your budget.”
You can just check out the initial specs and see if it does indeed satisfy most of the premium requirements that gamers are being asked to be ready with:
1. Intel Core 2 Extreme CPU
2. 8GB of DDR2 Memory
3. 64-Bit OS
4. NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX multi-GPU
Price starts at $1,049.00 for the Area-51 750i gaming desktops.
Source
by PC Freak on November 14, 2008
Conservative and economical consuming desktops are being sought after by most PC enthusiasts today and apparently Dell has heeded the call. Majority of these requirements are being called upon by the commercial sector as we see the growing demand for wise consuming computers in lieu of the traditional ones which seem to be eating up a lot of energy when operated parallel to business.
The Dell OptiPlex desktops aim to cut the consumption issues by more than half of the standard consuming energy PCs today and this will certainly capture the fancy of most companies who want to bring down electricity consumption costs that they have to deal with today.
Energy consumption is a key utility expense that many companies want to answer and while the investment may sound petrifying for most, it remains that if you want to change something concurrent, you have to start by getting rid of the old PCs and get the new ones into your fold.
It is not a matter of only upgrading but also about investing wisely in your IT infrastructure. PCs serve as workstations that gather data and are point of origins in an office setting. Many companies are due for an overhaul in the IT side of things and apparently Dell offers the OptiPlex to answer all these problems, both for computer requirements and of course addressing the power consumption issues.
Source
by PC Freak on November 13, 2008
You would think that gamers could care less of the capacity that their usual PC power supply can handle but apparently, the increase in hardware specifications such as video card requirements and power drain that stems from their everyday playing needs to be addressed.
The ALU650W PSU from GlacialPower is likewise targeted to the graphics designers which are growing in number and have had their share of shortage in power requirement. Hopefully though with the ALU650W, most of these issues will be answered and laid to rest.
Who would ever think that power supplies in the traditional PCs would not matter? Well apparently it does in a lot of ways and the new thermal solutions thrown our way by GlacialPower is certainly a welcome option as far as configuring and enhancing the standard power supply units we have that can only accommodate a normal wattage of 300 watts by default.
The AL650W (PSU) has won already many awards for its performance including Modreactor Excellence Award, MIKHAILTECH Editor”s Choice Award, and various other award from test benches from across the world.
Source
by PC Freak on November 12, 2008
For the people who love to “Do it Yourself” as far as assembling your computer is concerned, you have to consider as well that peripherals need to have the proper grounding and when you screw them to the casing, there has to be something placed in between the motherboard and the screwable areas.
When you buy a motherboard, it normally comes with static foam. Now that is not mainly used to protect the motherboard. They can be used to negate the static and ground that usually occurs when you install everything into the casing.
At times, you may not have these foam available but it doesn’t mean you cannot install the motherboard. Get some masking tape and tape the screw holes to avoid surges and electrical malfunctions. That may sound easier if you don’t have the usual foam guard to go.
So how would you know if the motherboard is grounded? Well for one, after you have installed all the PC parts, it will not turn on. No matter what you do, it will just be dead even if you play around with the connections.
Now these may sound technical but they are really simple troubleshooting techniques that anyone can learn from. It may be hard to get by at first but the fact remains that you learn from experience. It is not easy assembling a computer and with these instances, you can learn to become accustomed to it. The next time you buy a computer or consider an upgrade, at least you would know better.
