tips

Replacing CD/DVD with a DVD RW

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:14:28 +0100

The issue with swapping Panasonic’s CD/DVD out for a DVD R/W is that Panasonic makes their CD/DVD drives as a master at the factory. Almost all other manufacturers make theirs as cable select. Simply swapping drive for drive will cause your CF-27, CF-28 or CF-29 Toughbook to have an error upon boot… If it even boots at all. This is a very easy “How-To!” All the hard work has been done… Figuring out how to do it! The whole operation can be done in about 30 minutes with a few simple tools. It is extremely important that you read these directions several times to familiarize yourself with the entire operation. Doing this will make things much easier when you are going through the process! You will need the following items for the swap; 1 - 40 watt soldering iron About an inch or two of solder A small Phillips head screwdriver A replacement slimline DVD R/W. (I recommend the Sony Optiarc model number AD-5540A) Possibly a small strand of speaker wire (You’ll see) The first thing to be done is to open the case. This is accomplished by removing screws on one side…

and four screws on the other…

Then carefully pop it open! (below)

At this point… You can see how easy this will be… Sort of…

Then flip it over and remove the screw shown. This will allow the CD/DVD module to come out. It will still be attached to the cable but you can very carefully separate the CD from the case.

When you remove the CD module you will see this… (below)

Now we need to remove the ribbon cable and small PC board that attaches to the back of the CD/DVD. To do this, we need to remove the next screw… Seen here… (Below)

With the screw removed the assembly comes out. (Below)

What you need to do next is to solder the two little dots of solder together in the box labeled R2. (Below)

Make sure that you have your soldering iron plugged in at this point and that the tip is clean. The iron obviously needs to be hot. You can solder these two points in one of two ways. You can try to bridge the gap with a blob of solder or you can string a tiny little piece of copper wire between the two points. This will allow the solder to “flow” along the wire and bridge the gap. This is what I am showing below. As you can see… It is lightly clamped in my vise. (If you are a purist you can use a small SMD 000 resistor... But the results will be the same!)
In either event you don't want to hold the soldering iron too long on the PC board. The last thing you want is to heat the board up too much and destroy it.

It is VERY important that the wire stay INSIDE the yellow box! You don’t want to solder ANYTHING ELSE other than the two solder points in the box, R2. Once the soldering has been done you can snip off the excess and you will have this! (Below)

You have now finished the “hack” and need to start putting it all back together. You can start by laying the PC board back in the slot from where it came. Make sure you have the connector on the left hand side so it can snap into the back of the new DVD when reassembled.

Now you need to put the small plastic top back on and screw in the screw to secure it.

The next thing you need to do is to remove the side carrier plate from the old CD. It is secured by two screws. (Marked with red arrows below)

It is VERY important that you apply a firm pressure to these screws when backing them out of the side of the CD player. You do not want to strip them out. It is also VERY important that you have the correct size mini phillips head screwdriver. You may be able to get by with a good set of jeweler’s screwdrivers… But it is the firm pressure that you need to back the screws out. When that is done… Install it on the new DVD R/W! DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS WHEN REINSTALLING THE SIDE CARRIER!(Below)

You’ll notice that the small copper piece is not used in the swap. The new DVD R/W does not have the required hole in it for it to fit. And it is not needed in the first place! It is time for you start to put the DVD R/W back into the case. You may need to pull out the connector a little in order to snap it into the back of the DVD. This is okay. There is a little wiggle room for you to do this. But you MUST make sure that it is properly aligned! It should fit with just a little bit of pressure. You should NOT have to force it into place. (Below)

After snapping the connector in the back of the DVD all you need to do is to carefully fit the cover back on top. Reinstall the cover by screwing in the 6 screws of the outer case. Now… Put it in the media bay and boot up the laptop and… BEHOLD!

You can now see that you have a DVD R/W in your updated Panasonic Toughbook! By the way... Something I must add... When you swap the drive... Make sure you run some electrical tape along the back of the DVD beside the connector. If you look at the drive you take out... You will see what I mean. This project has now just saved you about $150.00

** I take no responsibility for anyone messing up their CD-DVD drive because of incompetence, lack of motor skills, or basic stupidity on the part of the person attempting this. This is a very easy "First-timer's" hack and not much really can go wrong.**

ReadyBoost

Sat, 18 Dec 2010 03:38:22 +0100

ReadyBoost is a new feature that first included in Windows Vista & Windows 7 with the aim to speed up Vista & Windows 7performance. ReadyBoost is actually an disk caching technology that uses flash memory on a USB 2.0 drive, Secure Digital (SD), CompactFlash (CF), Memory Stick, MMC card, or other form of USB flash memory, USB flash drive or USB key, as extra virtual memory in order to boost system performance and make system more responsive. The theory is that flash drive which has no mechanical part, has a much faster seek time (less than 1 millisecond), thus will be able to service random disk reads requests for certain system files faster then hard disk. Beside, ReadyBoost also leverages the inherent parallelism of having two sources to read data from.

Although the actual performance increase by using ReadyBoost is minimal, you may still want to try to activate ReadyBoost to see if it helps and boosts your system speed or not. However, not all flash device are compatible and can be used to Ready Boost. In order to use an USB key flash memory with ReadyBoost, it must meet at least the following specification requirements of ReadyBoost-capable flash memory (NAND memory devices):

The capacity of the removable media must be at least 256 MB (or 250 MB after formatting).
ReadyBoost will only utilize maximum of 4 GB flash memory. The ReadyBoost.sfcache file size is also limited by FAT32 filesystem to 4GB.
The flash devices must be capable of 2.5MB/sec throughput for 4K random reads spread uniformly across the entire device.
The flash memory must also be capable of 1.75MB/sec throughput for 512K random writes spread uniformly across the device.
The device should have an access time of 1ms or less.
Sequential performance of the flash is not measured.
The device must have at least 235 MB of free space.
Both NTFS and FAT32 filesystem are supported.
ReadyBoost supports one flash device at any time as of currently.

So if you have purchased a USB key or flash drive purposely for ReadyBoost, but unable to meet these specifications and AutoPlay doesn’t show you Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost, try this trick.

Trick to Use Incapable USB Key with ReadyBoost

Insert USB Key into any USB2.0 port. Let Windows Vista detects and install driver fro the flash memory disk.
Ignore AutoPlay popup dialog window.
Open up Computer.
Right click on the Removable Media drive, then select Properties.
Click on ReadyBoost tab.
Check (tick) Do not retest this device, then click OK.
Open Registry Editor (type regedit in Start Search).
Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\EMDMgmt
Inside EMDMgmt registry key, all USB keys that been detected before is listed with the pattern such as (in one line, split for readability):
_??_USBSTOR#Disk&Ven_SanDisk&Prod_Cruzer_Micro&Rev_0.1#
20042203920759B05025&0#{53f56307-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}_2253922835

Inside the value date of the key, there are ReadyBoost requirement check status. So locate a registry subkey that belongs to your USB flash disk. If you fail to recognize the name of your USB flash device brand or model, try to check for value DeviceStatus which has value 4 (failed ReadyBoost check).
On the right pane, double click on DeviceStatus, and modify the value date to 2.
Double click on WriteSpeedKBs and change its value data to 1000 (Decimal) or 3e8 (Hexadecimal), or any higher amount.
Reinsert the USB key to computer.
Open My Computer.
Right click on Removable Disk drive for the USB key, and select Properties on contextual menu.
Click on ReadyBoost tab.
Select Use this device option button.
Click OK when done, and enjoy ReadyBoost although on a slower flash memory.

Removing a BIOS/CMOS Password

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 01:23:53 +0100

A BIOS password is a protection measure that can be used to stop someone powering up a computer system or making changes in some of the computers most sensitive areas. Many big name computer manufacturers such as Dell and HP lock the customers out of this area because they don’t want the customer changing anything and potentially damaging the machine (which the manufacturer may have to warranty). However, when someone like a computer technician or hardware enthusiast needs to make some hardware changes to the computer, they will need to access the BIOS. Here are some methods to bypass or remove a BIOS password.

NOTE: Do not try to guess the password on a passworded Hard Drive. 3 wrong guesses will often result in the information on the hard drive being lost forever.

How to Bypass or Remove a BIOS Password by Removing the CMOS Battery:

The simplest way to remove a BIOS password is to simply remove the CMOS battery. A computer will remember its settings and keep the time even when it is turned off and unplugged because these parts are powered by small battery inside the computer called a CMOS battery. If we pull out this battery, the computer will forget alot of its hardware settings, including its BIOS password. This should not be performed on Laptops if you are not experienced working with laptop hardware.

Anyway, open up the computer case using a screw driver and locate the flat, circular and metallic CMOS battery. It should look something like the picture to the right. Some computers have this part standing upright.

Once you have located it, observe how the latches are holding it. There are many different ways to remove a CMOS battery but the most common way on newer computers can be seen in the picture below.

Make sure to power down the computer, unplug the power cables and unplug any USB devices if they are powered. The computer must not be able to get power from anywhere for this to work. Take out the CMOS battery and wait 10 – 25 minutes before putting it back in. The reason for this wait is because the computer can still store power in its capacitors even though everything is unplugged. The waiting period allows enough time for them to discharge.

Plug everything back in, power up the computer and enter the BIOS again. If everything went well there should be no more password. In some cases, if you get weird error messages during boot-up now, you will need to go to “Load BIOS Defaults” in BIOS and save the changes to fix them.

If this method didn’t work, try one of the methods below.

How to Bypass or Remove a BIOS Password using Software:

!BIOS is a freeware utility which is designed to be a whole BIOS and security suite. It has the ability to decrypt the passwords used in some of the most common BIOS makes such as Award, Phoenix, American Megatrends, IMB etc..

It also has the ability to brute force the password (known as “blasters”). However, this method is dangerous and can result in some unexpected and unwanted results.

Note: Because of this applications password cracking abilities, some antivirus software may report it as a virus/trojan. This is a false positive.

To start using !BIOS, reboot your computer and take note of the BIOS type and version you are running. For example, If your motherboard uses Award BIOS you should look for the text “Award Medallion BIOS 6.0″ or something similar.

Download !BIOS from here and save it to your desktop. Then, open a DOS command windows by going to Start > Run and type: cmd

Once you see a black screen in front of you, type: cd desktop
You should now see something like: C:\Documents and Settings\YourUserName\Desktop>

Now type the name of the file you just downloaded, if you haven’t changed the name just type in: bios320.exe

Use the down arrow and choose “Crackers” and then press the right arrow. Using the up and down arrows, select the BIOS that the motherboard is using and press Enter.

You should now see a menu asking what you want to crack, in most cases its the Supervisor or System Passwords you want to crack, so press the 1 key on your keyboard. It will then show you another menu asking how you want it to be cracked. Option 1 is pretty good so try that first by pressing the 1 key on your keyboard. You should now have your BIOS password.

Reboot the computer, enter the BIOS and try it out.

How to Bypass or Remove a BIOS Password using the manufacturer backdoor password:

On many computers (especially old ones), computer manufacturers build in backdoor passwords for their own technicians to use so they can access the BIOS when the hardware is being serviced. Here are some of the ones that have been reported. You may need to try quite a few passwords before you find one that works

These passwords are CaSe SeNsItIve.

AMI BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

A.M.I.
AAAMMMII
AMI
AMI?SW
AMI_SW
BIOS
CONDO
HEWITT RAND
LKWPETER
MI
Oder
PASSWORD

Award BIOS Backdoor Passwords:

(eight spaces)
01322222
589589
589721
595595
598598
ALFAROME
ALLY
ALLy
aLLY
aLLy
aPAf
award
AWARD PW
AWARD SW
AWARD?SW
AWARD_PW
AWARD_SW
AWKWARD
awkward
IOSTAR
CONCAT
CONDO
Condo
condo
d8on
djonet
HLT
J256
J262
j262
j322
j332
J64
KDD
LKWPETER
Lkwpeter
PINT
pint
SER
SKY_FOXSYXZ
SKY_FOX
syxz
SYXZ
TTPTHA
ZAAAADA
ZAAADA
ZBAAACA
ZJAAADC

Russian Award BIOS Passwords:

%øåñòü ïpîáåëîâ%
%äåâÿòü ïpîáåëîâ%

Phoenix Backdoor BIOS Passwords:

BIOS
CMOS
phoenix
PHOENIX

Other Manufcaturers Backdoor Passwords: (manufacturer name – password)

VOBIS and IBM – merlin
Dell – Dell
Biostar – Biostar
Compaq – Compaq
Enox – xo11nE
Epox – central
Freetech – Posterie
IWill – iwill
Jetway – spooml
Packard Bell – bell9
QDI – QDI
Siemens – SKY_FOX
SOYO – SY_MB
TMC – BIGO
Toshiba – Toshiba

Cheque

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:42:39 +0100

Windows Shortcuts

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:00:19 +0100

Windows Key

The Windows key has this picture on it:

It's located between your CTRL & ALT keys.

Here are some common windows keyboard shortcuts (you'll need a "windows" keyboard to try these)

Hold down the "windows" key and press:

M - Minimizes all windows

SHIFT - M - Undo minimize all windows

E - Opens Windows Explorer

D - Switches between minimizing all open programs and showing them all.

F - Opens the Find Window

R - Opens the Run Window

BREAK / PAUSE- Opens System Properties

TAB - Cycles through items on the task bar

Or just press the Windows key to open the Start menu.

General Shortcuts

ALT- F4 - Quit a program / Shut down

ALT-TAB - Hold down the ALT key and hit tab to cycle through open windows.

CTL-ESCAPE - Display the Start menu

SHIFT - TAB - tab backwards through a form

CTRL - X - Cut

CTRL - C - Copy

CTRL - V - Paste

F1 - Help menu

CTRL - Z - Undo

SHIFT & Restart - To restart just windows and not your whole computer, hold down the shift key when you click the OK button on the shutdown screen. Saves lots of time.

CRTL-TAB - Navigate tabs on a tabbed screen

File & Desktop Shortcuts

Hold SHIFT while inserting a CD - Prevents the CD from "autorunning"

If an item is selected:

CTRL while dragging a file - Copies the file

CTRL - SHIFT while dragging a file - Creates a shortcut to the file

SHIFT - DELETE - Deletes an item without sending it to the recycle bin.

ALT-ENTER - Display a file's properties.

F2 - To rename the file

In Windows Explorer:

LEFT ARROW - Collapse the current selection if it is expanded

NUM LOCK-MINUS SIGN (-) - Collapse the selected folder

RIGHT ARROW - Expand the current selection if it is collapsed -Or- Select the first subfolder

NUM LOCK- * Expand all folders below the current selection

NUM LOCK- PLUS SIGN (+) - Expand the selected folder

F6 - Switch between left and right panes

In My Computer:

BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up

ALT- RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view

ALT- LEFT ARROW -Move backward to a previous view

Best Computer Processors

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:21:08 +0100

While buying a new personal computer, which is the one thing that matters above anything else? It's the computer's central processing unit (CPU) or processor. The silicon based processor chips are the brains of a computer that control every single function of the computer. The choice of processor decides the speed of computing and its multitasking ability. If you are planning to buy a new desktop or laptop computer, you would want to know which is the best computer processor to buy in the market. I have presented this writeup with the singular aim of presenting a list of processors that qualify to be the best in market, in terms of functionality, price and overall performance.

Every computer chip today is a piece of silicon etched at nanometer (10^-9 m) scales to form billions of transistors that together constitute the central processing unit of a computer. Today chip manufacturers have reached a limit in terms of the number of transistors that can be etched on a silicon chip and have instead opted for multicore chips. There are two, four or six chips that form a computer processor today, by working in coordination. This multicore design has helped chip makers like Intel to surpass the clocking frequency barrier and create faster chips.

Best Computer Processors On the Market

The things that you look for in a computer processor are high speed of computing (represented by a high clocking frequency), multitasking, ability to handle intensive 3D graphics, larger cache size (which grants more working memory) and of course reasonable cost. The best computer processor for the money is expected to possess more than one of these features.

There are more than one way of choosing the best computer processor depending on what you are really looking for. There is the topmost processor that is above all others and beats them in all departments of computing and then there is the budget choice, which offers the best at moderate cost. We will consider both types here. Following is the best computer processor in the market.

Unarguably the Best Computer Processor to Buy - Intel Core i7 980X

If you are looking for simply the best and cutting edge for your laptop or desktop computer, the Intel core i7 980X is 'The One'. It is simply the best processor on the planet. The most power packed processor launched by Intel, this is a beast of a CPU, with 6 cores, 12 threads, 12 MB smart cache and a maximum clocking frequency of 3.33 GHz that can touch 3.6 GHZ on demand, thanks to Intel's TurboBoost technology. Its 32nm architecture means that it is a leaner, yet more powerful beast than its 45nm build predecessors. Get over the quad core vs dual core debate, six core processors are here!

This is unarguably the best computer processor for gaming. Its power as a processor is boosted by Intel's Hyper threading, virtualization and speed step technologies. It is a processor born to rule and conquer gaming aficionados and power users. With all these features, the price tag on the chip is $999. The price is truly justified by the phenomenal performance and brute force powered by its 6 cores and 12 threads. It is truly one of a kind in the computing market today.

Best Computer Processor to Buy On a Budget

The only problem with Intel core i7 980X is the price which sets it beyond the reach of most mortals. However, there is a lot of choice in the lower ranks to choose from. As an AMD versus Intel chips comparison would reveal, top processors belonging to the other chip giant - AMD aren't in the same class as Intel's core i7. They are therefore competing with Intel by offering quad core chips at much lower prices. As the war between AMD vs Intel processors rages on, we consumers are the one to benefit from the competition.

As a core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison would reveal, there is a lot of choice offered by Intel too, for users with different levels of requirements in terms of features and price. Here are some of the best CPUs to look out for, that fall in the medium and low budget category, for you to choose from.

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4 GHz - $195
Intel Core i5 750 2.66 GHz - $196
Intel Pentium Processor G6950 2.80 - $87(!)
AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1 GHz - $102

If you are looking for the best computer processor for laptop, any one from the above list will meet your requirements. This best computer processors list above only includes those processors that offer great computing power at medium to low prices. Though they may not reach the dizzying heights of computing power reached by Intel core i7 980X, they are good enough for most gaming applications, as well as office or home use. Choose the one that suits your budget!

Computer Parts

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 14:07:54 +0100

What do you look for when you go to purchase a desktop computer or laptop computer for yourself. Of course, the answer is configuration. Besides, various computer manufacturers offer such good configurations at such reasonable prices that you really need to make a very wise decision before choosing between any of them. Now, without wasting much time any more on the reasons why should this article on computer parts information be written, let us straight away get into the details of the computer parts list.

Grouping of Computer Parts

The information about computer parts mentioned in this article can be divided into a few groups. The groups mentioned out here may not be the standard way, how the various computer manufacturers divide their components list into. But, this grouping methodology will help you in classifying, the most indispensable components, for which you cannot settle down at a low value. This will make the computer parts information in this article a bit more clearer to understand. The groups are as follows:

Output Parts: This is no doubt a standard way of defining the output devices of a computer. Monitor, printer and scanner are the most common output devices.
Input Parts: The components like computer keyboard, computer mouse, etc. which are used for feeding in data and instructions to the computer are called the input devices for a computer.
Processing Parts: The computer processor is the only processing component of your computer.
Input Output Connectivity Parts: The computer I/O parts and USB ports are the ways or means through which a computer can connect to other computer peripherals.
Memory Devices: The memory devices consist of the RAM and the secondary storage devices. Another memory called the cache memory is also included in the memory devices.

Information on Computer Parts

We will start off with the computer parts information, by explaining the most important component of a computer, the processor.

Computer Processor
This component deserves to be explained first of all. Because this is what makes a computer what it is. All the processing of information takes place in the computer processor. When you are working on your computer parts checklist before you go for purchasing your computer, take into consideration, that you choose a computer processor with a high frequency. A frequency of 2.2 GHz means that the computer takes 1/(2.2 X 10⁹) seconds to process one instruction. So, a higher frequency for your computer processor will mean that your computer processing time will decrease, hence increasing the speed of your computer. There are various types of processors available in the market. A 64 bit processor has a frequency, twice the frequency mentioned in your processor speed. For a 32 bit processor a computer frequency of 2.2 GHz will mean exactly 2.2 GHz, but for the same frequency, a 64 bit processor will have a frequency above 4 GHz.

The next important group, that deserves its place in this article on computer parts information is the memory devices group. Let us take a look at them.

RAM

The Random Access Memory of your computer is the primary memory of your computer. This is often also referred to as the main memory of your computer. In fact, when the term computer memory is used, it does not mean the computer hard drive, but the RAM of your computer. Any information that you want to access from the secondary storage devices, first needs to be loaded into the RAM before being accessed by the computer processor. Thus, it can be easily understood that a good amount of computer RAM will definitely enhance the performance of your computer.

Hard Drive

All the information that you want to store in your computer is stored in the hard drives. The computer hard disks can be broadly classified into two types, SATA hard disks and PATA hard disks. The SATA hard disk is a serial device, while a PATA hard disk is a parallel device. SATA hard disks are faster than PATA. By faster, it means that information can be stored and accessed from the computer at a very high speed. Owing to the age of digitalization, it is important that you see to it that your hard disks have good amount of memory capacity.

Cache Memory

This is the memory that comes in between the RAM and the computer processor. The size of the memory is not very large. It is usually in single digit MB. Certain logics are used to enter the most used information to the cache. The computer processor can access the cache memory, even before accessing the RAM. Hence, see to it that the computer you are willing to purchase has a sufficient amount of cache too.

Graphics Card

If you are into gaming then, a graphics card is something that will help you a lot. It takes off a whole lot of pressure from the computer RAM. It makes the processing speed faster and can handle graphics. The size of the graphics card comes in MB. There are in fact some games which won't run in your computer, without a graphics card.

Now, let us take a look at the devices used for entering data into the computer, the input parts.

Computer Keyboard

This is among the input devices of a computer. The computer keyboard is used for entering data into the computer. Obviously, nobody needs an explanation as to what a computer keyboard is. The question is what to look for in a computer keyboard. Computer keyboards nowadays, provide a wide array of other functional keys, besides the normal keyboard keys. There are keys to handle multimedia applications as well as gaming applications too. Purchase a computer keyboard that has all these functionalities included in it.

Computer Mouse

The pointing device of your computer, the mouse is the reason why most of us have forgot almost all the keyboard shortcuts. The application of a mouse mainly relies on the graphical user interface. The light detection computer mouse is what almost any person wanting to buy a computer goes for. In fact, the roll wheel mouse is almost out of use.

Computer Scanner

What if you want to feed in information into the computer through some pages. Suppose you want a photograph to be uploaded in your profile on the social networking sites. What would you do? The answer is a scanner. A computer scanner allows you to scan hard copy of documents and feed them into your computer. Browse over the Internet to find out which are the best scanners available in the market.

Let us now start off with the parts, through which the computer gives us the output of the processed information.

Computer Monitor

A computer monitor is an output device. Definitely this is another device that does not need an explanation as to what it exactly is. Now, the question is, what are the features that you need in a computer monitor. There are basically two types of computer monitors, LCD monitors and CRT monitors. If you are a gaming enthusiast and give a lot of importance to graphics and look and feel, then probably an LCD monitor is what you would want. LCD monitors may be a bit costlier than the CRT monitors, but the cost is worth it. As far as CRT monitors are concerned, if you are a bit tight on budget, you can settle down for a flat screen CRT monitor, which will of course cost far lesser than an LCD monitor.

Computer Printer

This is a printing device through which you can print out hard copies of documents. Though not extremely necessary that you should get so, but it is always preferable to get a printer for your computer, if you are into desktop publication. Besides, computer printers do not cost much nowadays. A laser printer gives you high performance as well as good quality hard copies of your documents at a very fast speed. So, if you are going to purchase a printer for your computer, try to get a laser printer.

Input/Output Ports

Input output ports are required by the computer for connecting to the external peripherals. A good number of input/output ports is very much important. Now, it is the age of USB devices. See that you have sufficient number of USB ports to your computer. After all, you may need to attach an external USB mouse, your USB flash drive and your mobile phone at the same time to the computer. Hence, it is important that you have sufficient number of USB ports.

CD/DVD ROM
This can be considered as an input as well as, an output device. You can get information through the CD or DVDs into your computer, or you can also write information into the same. It is very important that you have it in your computer. Take into consideration, that you take a CD/DVD ROM which can read as well as write DVDs.

So, this was all the computer parts information, that I could provide you. This is basically the pc parts checklist, that you need with you when you go for purchasing a computer. If you are going for a desktop computer, you can in fact ask for assembling the individual components. But if you are going for a laptop computer, you will have to check a lot more configurations and find out the best laptop deals.

Quad Core vs Dual Core

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:48:56 +0100

Is quad core faster than dual core? How will a change to quad core affect my computer performance? Without going into deep technical details I try to answer these questions through a quad core vs dual core comparison.

The computer chip is the brain of a computer and its speed of operation is directly proportional to its clocking frequency (measured in Gigahertz nowadays). More the transistors on a chip, more is its clocking frequency. So for many years, microprocessor manufacturing giants AMD and Intel focused on increasing the number of transistors, backed by Moore's law which stated that the number will double every 18-24 months. The number of processors in chips increased at the rate predicted by Moore's law until the hit a technological limit which forbid creation of chips faster than around 4 GHz.

When the computer microprocessor manufacturers hit a dead end in terms of the number of transistors they could put on a silicon chip (due to heat problems), they decided to put together multiprocessor chips. Instead of building a faster core, they decided to put together multiple cores which gave rise to dual core and quad core technology. The question that every common computer user and a new computer buyer asks is the following. Does a quad core give double performance speed compared to dual core? You will have an answer to that question in the quad core vs dual core comparison that follows next.

Quad Core vs Dual Core – Performance

Just like putting in more cylinders in a car engine provides greater speed and power, one would think that putting in twice as many processors should double the performance speed, right? Unfortunately, that is not true in case of multiprocessor chips and the speed does not double up, but is substantially higher. The reason for that is twofold. Although a dual or a quad core has multiple cores, the clocking speed does not double up as the task is not shared by the two or four processors simultaneously. However, there is an increased multitasking ability due to division of tasks among the chips. So quad cores can be fast but not twice as fast.

The second reason why the increased speed of the quad core due to greater multitasking ability is not useful is the incompatibility of softwares being run on them. The software that is being run has to have a multithreading facility. That is, it should be programmed to be able to use the four cores at a time! Very few software products can do that currently. If you run Adobe Photoshop on a quad core, which has a multithreading facility, you will see the application zooming fast compared to that on a dual core computer. Though the clocking speed is not substantially higher than dual core processors, quad processors offer phenomenal multitasking ability which surpasses any other processors. Let us get into a more specific comparison in terms of the quad core vs dual core – benchmarks. Here I present a performance comparison between Intel's dual core vs quad core processors and AMD's quad core vs dual core processors.

Intel Quad Core Vs Dual Core

The Intel quad cores provide a maximum clocking speed of around 3 Ghz which is comparable to the high end dual and is a lot more expensive than Intel dual cores. With a greater (12 Mb) L2 cache, the processing speed is indeed enhanced for the quad. However, you won't see the difference in the operation of a high end Intel dual core and a Intel quad, unless you run graphic intensive applications or application that use up substantial processing power.

AMD Quad Core Vs Dual Core

The AMD Quad Phenom has a maximum clocking speed of 3.4 Ghz, compared to the the Intel dual core maximum clocking speed of 3.33 GHz. This combined with a faster communicating ability between cores due to the 2000 MHz maximum FSB (Front Side Bus) compared to 1600 MHz FSB in Intel dual cores, AMD Quad Phenom is much faster. The AMD Quad processor also costs lesser than the dual cores of Intel. So AMD is clearly the winner here as it is faster and cheaper.

Quad Core Vs Dual Core - Gaming

If you make a comparison between dual core vs quad core processors, in terms of 3D graphic intensive gaming, the quad processors are clear winners. Due to their higher multitasking ability and the multithreading capacity of 3D gaming softwares, quad processors can easily handle graphic intensive gaming.

Quad Core Vs Dual Core – Prices

The prices of quad core are substantially higher than dual cores. Intel's quad Q8200 processor is priced at $170 compared to the prices of dual cores which are substantially lower. AMD quad prices are a bit lower compared to Intel quad processors.

Quad Core Vs Dual Core Processors: Verdict

In terms of performance, the quad core wins over hands down over the dual cores in terms of multitasking ability. More and more softwares are catching up and being upgraded with multithreading ability. That essentially means that buying a quad core is sound investment for the future. Once you upgrade to a quad core, you won't have to upgrade for a long time for sure!

Hope this quad core vs dual core comparison helps you in coming to a decision about whether you need a quad core upgrade. My advice is that you should go for the quad if its within your budget reach. It puts phenomenal computing ability at your hands and its particularly well suited for gaming!

Intel Core i3 vs i5 vs i7

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:50:49 +0100

If you are planning to buy a new desktop or laptop, you will notice the names of three new Intel created processor lines named core i3, core i5, and core i7 in the specifications. If you are undecided on whether to opt for the old core 2 duo models or go for these new lines, this article might help you decide. After reading through this article, you won't feel the need to make an Intel core i3 vs core 2 duo comparison. So how do the i3, i5 and i7 lines differ and what more do they offer compared to the older core 2 duo lines? That is what I explain through the core i3 vs core i5 vs core i7 comparison presented here.

Intel Core i3 Vs i5 Vs i7 Comparison

Intel has presented the new hierarchy of its processors with three classes. The entry level processors are the core i3 series, mid level processors are core i5 series and high end ones are the core i7 processors. Let us see how these three processor lines differ in terms of technical specifications and performance.

Core i3 Vs i5 Vs i7: Technical Specifications
Let us begin with the core i3 line. Core i3 5xx (Clarkdale) series launched in January 2010 consists of three processors (i3-530, i3-540 and i3-550) with a clocking frequency ranging from 2933 MHz to 3200 MHz. All three processors have a 2x256 KB L2 cache, 4MB L3 smart cache with DMI (direct media interface) bus and are fitted with the new LGA 1156 socket. All three processors have two cores and an integrated GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) and are based on a 32 nm architecture which enables more transistors to be placed on a chip compared to the earlier 45 nm architecture.

The processors have two cores and four threads backed by Intel's hyperthreading and virtualization technology that enhances the multitasking ability of these chips. Hyperthreading is simultaneous multithreading ability. The Intel HD graphics technology offers great visual performance. All in all, the core i3 series is a great entry level chip that offers all that a home user needs including high quality 3D graphics and great multitasking ability. The price for all the chips is around $133. Other than these processors Intel has developed i3, i5 and i7 lines for mobile phones too.

Now let us move to the second part of our core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison and discuss the core i5 line of processors. This family of processors consists of three lines of processors which include the core i5 7xx, core i5 7xxS and core i5 6xx series. They have processor clocking frequencies ranging from 2.4 GHz to 3.33 GHz which can be enhanced by Intel's new Turbo Boost technology. Some processors have 4 cores with 4 threads (core i5-7xx and core i5-7xxS Lynnfield series) and some with 2 cores and 4 threads (core i5- 6xx Clarkdale Series with hyperthreading disabled). Most have an 8MB L3 cache, with LGA 1156 socket, direct media interface and integrated GPU. All are enabled with Intel Turbo Boost technology, Intel HD graphics and Intel Smart Cache technology. Prices range from $176 to $256. Core i5 have the edge over the core i3 processors in terms of the Turbo Boost technology that makes them faster and powerful.

Let us now move towards the last part of the intel core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison and discuss the core i7 processor family. The core i7 family of processors are built to outperform. They consist of eight different series of processors. Dubbed by Intel to be 'The Best Processors On the Planet', these are quad core processors with 8 threads with clocking frequencies touching 3.06 GHz which can be enhanced to 3.33 GHz with Intel's Turbo Boost and Hyperthreading Technology.

With 8 MB of smart cache which reaches 12 MB in the Gulftown line, these processors are nothing short of phenomenal. With 3 channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory that is backed by an integrated memory controller and Intel's QuickPath Interconnect technology (that enables upto 25.6 GB/Sec of data transfer speed), the core i7 processors are simply unbeatable. The prices range from $320 to $1000.

Core i3 Vs i5 Vs i7: Performance
In terms of performance, if you make a core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison, the graph rises higher as you go from the i3 line, through the i5 line towards the core i7 line. Core i3 is a great entry level processor that offers high definition graphics and 3D capabilities and ensures that multitasking wouldn't take a toll on computer speed. This is the default pick for home users with desktop computers.

The core i5 line is speedier and more powerful than the i3 line offering all that the i3 series offers and yet goes beyond in terms of performance. The Turbo Boost technology along with hyperthreading technology enables two different tasks to be handled by two different processors which increases processing speed. They are the best processors for laptops with a high level of multitasking needs.

A core i5 vs core i7 comparison reveals that the i7 lines are simply miles ahead of the two other processor lines. The i3 vs i5 vs i7 benchmark tests reveal core i7 processors to be the clear winners. The i7 line has an inherent advantage provided by the four cores. A quad core vs dual core comparison will reveal the edge that more cores give a processor. You can develop 3D games and images, go for video editing and get an unparalleled gaming experience. Core i7 line places phenomenal computing power at your fingertips.

Hope this straightforward core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison has cleared any doubts you had about these new processor lines developed by Intel. Opt for core i3 processors if you are a home user with graphic intensive application usage and mainly multimedia use. Core i5 processors are for people who want to go for intensive gaming and run heavy programs. The top of the line core i7 processors are best for people who want to go for intensive multitasking and are designed for computers that have to function as web servers or database servers, video editing workstations or developer workstations. They are designed for business use. However, all depends on how much are you willing to pay for a new laptop or desktop. If you can afford it, why not go for a top of the line processor of the core i7 line? The decision is yours of course. Choose any processor from any line but my personal recommendation would be to go for the mid level core i5 series, which is cost effective, reasonably priced and offers real value for your money!

i3 vs i5

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:51:29 +0100

Intel has completely revamped its manufacturing process and rolled out a completely new family of processors in the form of the core i3, core i5 and core i7 series. The broad processor range, spread over three classes is designed to cater to the varying computing needs of various consumers. These three series also include a separate mobile processor line. If you are planning to buy a new laptop or desktop computer and are in a dilemma about whether to opt for an core i3 or core i5 chip, this article may help you make a decision. The i3 vs i5 comparison that I provide here will highlight the major differences between the two processor lines.

Core i3 Vs Core i5 Comparison

Core i3 is intended to be the entry level series of processors while core i5 series is the new middle class of Intel processors. On a scale of ascending computing power, the order would be core i3, core i5 and finally core i7 series which is the high end line. Let us pick out the first two series and make an i3 vs i5 comparison according to technical specifications and performance.

i3 Vs i5: Technical Specifications
The core i3 5xx series (Code name: Clarkdale) consists of three chips (i3-530, i3-540 and i3-550) with a clocking frequency range starting from 2933 MHz and extending to 3200 MHz. All processors have a twin core and four threads, with an integrated graphic processing unit (GPU). These processors have a 4MB L3 cache and 2 x 256 Kb L2 cache. As part of the total architectural revamp, FSB bus that was usually used before is replaced by the DMI (direct media interface) bus, along with a new LGA 1156 socket. The major difference is the migration to a 32 nm based architecture which enables more transistors to be placed on the chip. With Intel's new Hyperthreading technology enabled in these chips, it provides greater multitasking ability. The cost of these chips is around $133.

Continuing with the Intel core i3 vs i5 comparison, let us have a look at the core i5 series. This line of processors is further divided into three series of processors named the core i5 7xx, core i5 7xxS and core i5 6xx. This line consists of processors with dual and quad cores with 4 and 8 threads respectively.

One main point of difference from the core i3 series is the enhanced 8MB L3 cache. All have an integrated GPU and a LGA 1156 socket with DMI bus. The processor clocking frequencies range from 2.4 Ghz to 3.33 GHz.

What sets this line ahead in the i5 vs i3 comparison is the Intel Turbo Boost technology. It can increase the clocking frequency and boost it beyond the set frequency when need be. Besides this, core i5 series processors have Intel HD graphics and Intel Smart Cache technology. The cost of these chips ranges from $176 to $256. You may go further and make a complete Intel core i3 vs i5 vs i7 comparison that will reveal the full range of the computing power provided by Intel at your disposal.

i3 Vs i5: Performance
Core i3 series is well suited for the entry level desktop and laptop computer market. With greater multitasking ability and Intel HD graphics technology, it provides the home user with a stunning visual experience. However, the core i5 series offers all this and a lot more. With Intel Turbo Boost technology and the additional two cores that have multithreading feature, core i5 goes beyond core i3 in terms of performance in every task. A core i5 vs core i7 comparison will reveal the computing power that the last line (i7) offers, which goes beyond the abilities of a core i5 chip.

Hope this i3 vs i5 comparison has helped you come to a decision about which one of the processor lines to opt for. Core i5 series has a range of extra features that puts it ahead of the core i3 series which is well suited for an entry level market. Core i3 was designed to replace the core 2 duo line of processors. As an Intel core i3 vs core 2 duo comparison would reveal, it has successfully bettered its predecessor in terms of processing power and speed. Core i5 offers more speed and multitasking ability. Choose which ever processor line that suits your budget and computing requirements. Among each of the core i3 and core i5 series, you have a range of processors to choose from. If you ask me, opting for the core i5 is the better option to choose for the long run!