June 26, 2011
When you ask someone about their computer configuration, they will normally tell you about the CPU speed, RAM memory size, Hard disk size etc. What most computer users do not care much about is the Motherboard. Most don’t even know what is a motherboard. The heart of the computer is the Motherboard. Motherboard is as important to a computer as a foundation is important for a building. Even though you have high capacity hardware for the computer, if the motherboard is not efficient, then those hardware will also not function to their full capacity. Therefore when you buy a computer or when you upgrade your computer it becomes very important that you get a correct motherboard. Here are the buying tips for a motherboard: - It is important to know, how much speed of CPU the motherboard can support. For example if you are going to buy a CPU of 2.4 GHz speed then you should buy a motherboard that supports at least 3.06 GHz speed. The reason is, if you want to upgrade later, then you can just upgrade your CPU and reuse the existing motherboard. Therefore try to buy a motherboard that supports greater speed than your CPU speed.
- Take note of the CPU socket in the motherboard. The socket depends on the CPU. Socket 462 and Socket 478 are some examples.
- The chipset which controls all the hardware is very important. SIS, VIA, INTEL are some of the companies that manufacture chipsets. Intel 845E, VIA, KM 266 are some of the popular chipsets.
- Another important thing to note is to check how much RAM memory can be inserted into motherboard. Even if you are going to buy a smaller RAM size, make sure you have free slots for inserting RAM for later upgrade if needed. There are motherboards that can take upto 4GM RAM. Also see which type of RAM is supported. For instance there are SDR RAM and DDR RAM. Some costlier motherboards support both SDR and DDR RAM.
- In many motherboards the video cards are integrated. This is referred to as ‘Integrated Video’ or ‘Onboard Video’. If you buy a motherboard with this integrated video card then you do not have to buy another video card. So you can play games using these cards. However some higher end games and some software like CAD cannot be used with this video card. Therefore, if you are a game addict or you use video a lot, then make sure that your motherboard comes with a AGP slot, so that in future if you need a more powerful video card then you can buy and insert it here.
- Many motherboards also come with integrated sound cards. If you buy a motherboard with ‘Integrated bchannel’ audio then you can save cost on buying another sound card.
- You can also save cost by buying motherboards with Ethernet, USB 2.0 and FireWire integrated, so that you don’t need to buy them separately.
- Some motherboards also come with RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Devices) support. If you are buying a server then you should go for this. If you are a home user then normally it is not necessary.
- Motherboards that support bluetooth are available. If you use many wireless devices then you should go for bluetooth supported motherboards.
- The number of PCI slots also vary in different motherboards. The number of PCI slots vary from 2 to 6. It is better to buy a motherboard with more PCI slots so that you can insert any external devices as and when required.
- The Font Side Bus (FSB) speed of motherboard ranges from 133MHz to 533MHz. It is obvious that the FSM speed should be high. The motherboard Chipset should be able to handle your CPU speed and the FSB speed of your motherboard. This is called Form Factor. Now, Micro ATX form factor is quire popular.
- Also note that there should be adequate space around the CPU. This will enable more air flow to the CPU while functioning. If required buy an additional fan.
- Check that your motherboard comes with the User manual, Driver CDs, Required connection cables etc.
- The price of the motherboard usually ranges between $60 to $300. You can choose a cheaper motherboard with more features.
- Some of the popular motherboard manufacturers are Krypton, Asus, Msi, Mercury, Gigabyte and Intel. Choose the one with long warranty period.
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or hand held computers are gaining more and more popularity these days. Using PDA you can gather and store information, maintain addresses, have to-do lists and reminder alerts and calendar. Palm, Compaq, HP, IBM, Dell, O2, Dopod are some of the PDA manufacturers. Those who want a computer smaller than the laptop can buy a PDA. Since PDA and Desktop computer can be connected using serial or USB cables, you can transfer and synchronize data between these two. Bef... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
In 1980s there was a tussle between VHS and Betamax technologies. VHS (Victor Home System) and Sony’s Betmax were two different standards in Video tapes. People were confused as to which video tape to choose. Twenty five years later now there is a similar comparison in DVD technologies. They are DVD+R and DVD-R. The use of DVD writers is increasing tremendously. If you are thinking of buying a DVD writer, you can read buying tips on DVD writers. Though the DVD disks are same, the DVD burning... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
Most of the computer monitors will have a ‘Degauss’ button. What is the use of this deguass feature. On pressing the degauss button the monitor will shutdown for a second and come back to life. Why does this happen? By pressing this the magnetic energy is destroyed. Here we will discuss in detail about this technology. Monitor has a cathode ray tube. This monitors the electrons that produce the magnetic fields in the tube. The magnetic fields outside the tube for example the earth’s magn... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
Have you noticed that the CDs that you buy or the CDs that comes with books runs automatically when you insert the CD into your CD drive. This is because of the ‘Autorun’ facility in the CDs. But using this Auto Run feature you can only execute executable programs. Therefore the webpages and any other files cannot be opened automatically using Autorun. Imagine that you want to copy the powerpoint presentation that you created or the Word document into a CD and pass it to your friend. Will i... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
It often becomes necessary to bring your data stored in storage devices with you. The size of the floppy disk is 1.44MB, therefore the use of floppy disk is getting lesser and lesser. The storage capacity should be high but at the same time it should be easy to carry around. Immediately it reminds you of CD rom disks. But recently there are more options available such as external hard disk drives, zip disks, mobile CD writers, mobile DVD writers and thumb drivers. These storage devices are use... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
IPad is the next device from Apple in line with IPod, IPod Touch and IPhone. IPad has a large touch screen and makes internet browsing, emailing easier and much more interesting. Almost 140000 applications are available on IPad from day one. Listed here are the features of IPad. IPad maynot be available commercially in your countries. But it is sure to come with a bang. Features of Apple IPad Safari The large Multi-Touch screen on iPad lets you see web pages as they were meant to be seen — one ... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
You can lock iPad when you’re not using it. When you lock iPad, nothing happens if you touch the screen, but you can still listen to music and use the volume buttons. Lock iPad Press the Sleep/Wake button.
Unlock iPad Press the Home button or the Sleep/Wake button, then drag the slider.
Turn iPad on Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears. Turn iPad off Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then drag the slider.
If you donâ... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
Use the screen rotation lock to keep the iPad screen in portrait or landscape orientation. Use the volume buttons to adjust the sound volume of songs and other media, and of alerts and sound effects. Lock the screen orientation Rotate the screen to an orientation you like. Slide the screen rotation lock down to lock iPad in that orientation. When the screen is locked, the icon appears in the status bar. Slide the switch up to unlock the screen orientation.
Increase the volume Press the Volume U... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Hardware
June 26, 2011
There is always a danger that your emails are snatched on their way and be read. Luckily there are ways that you can use to make these emails unreadable by others on the way. In this article we shall see methods to secure your emails by encrypting them. Assume that Jack is sending an email to Stella. This email can be read by anyone who has access to this email on the way. If Jack wants that no one else other than Stella should be able to read this email then what can he do? Here’s where pub... Continue reading...
Posted by sarwar hossain. Posted In : Email
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