Tag: Buy
September 30, 2009 by
Jason
When you consider that computers now consume about 10 percent of the electricity generated in North America and that a great many PCs still end up in landfills, leaching deadly chemicals, it makes sense to adopt more eco-friendly computing options.
John Hiddema, technical consultant for Nerds on Site, is one of the many people making a conscious effort to go green. He recycles, buys organic produce, uses cleaning products less harmful to the environment, owns energy-efficient appliances, and has configured his
PC to use less energy. He’s also going green on the job. Some of the work he does for clients’ computer systems can be done remotely from his home office, drastically reducing his need for a car.
Here are some tips for making your technology use more eco-friendly.
1. Manage power consumption
Did you know that approximately 40 percent of the energy used for home electronics is consumed while these devices are turned off or idling? Techies refer to computers and related gadgets that draw power while not in use as vampire load. Turn off and unplug everything when you’re not using it. Even simpler: shut down everything and then turn off the power bar. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »
January 21, 2009 by
Jason What, exactly, are supercomputers? The clue is in the name, really: they’re powerful computers capable of calculating many millions of floating operations per second (FLOPS) essentially, they’re very, very fast.
While any array of powerful computers, such as a modern-day web server which consists of several motherboards (the main circuit board of a computer) running in parallel can be considered a supercomputer, generally the term is reserved for machines that dedicate their entire hardware to one complex task at any given time.
Take the NEC Earth Simulator in Japan, for example, which was created specifically for modelling weather problems associated with global warming. Or the world’s fastest computer, BlueGene/L at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the US, which simulates the behaviour of biomolecular structures and protein folding. It’s capable of 600 trillion FLOPS (tera-FLOPS or TFLOPS), whereas, the six-year-old Earth Simulator is only capable of 36TFLOPS. BlueGene/L won’t hold the top spot for long, though. Supercomputers twice as powerful will be online soon. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »
The Windows Experience Index Score was introduced in Windows Vista and used to give you a good idea of the capabilities of a computer. You can use a computer’s Experience Index base or sub score to help determine if it’s what you need when purchasing a new computer.
The Experience Index Score rates your computer’s components performance from 1 to 5.9 with 1 being the worst performing and 5.9 being the best. The score’s benchmarks were established when Windows Vista was released.
Base Score Explained
The base score represents the overall performance of your system as a whole, based on the capabilities of different parts of your computer, including RAM, CPU, hard disk, general graphics performance on the desktop, and 3-D graphics capability. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | 1 Comment »
most of the DVD recorders made by LG and Panasonic are now able to record in all current DVD formats: DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, and DVD-RAM. In addition there are more DVD recorders that are able to reccord in either DVD-R DL (double layer) or DVD+R DL (double layer) as well.
In addition, Sony offers standalone DVD recorders that can record in the DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW formats, while Toshiba and several others have introduced DVD recorders that record in DVD-R/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM. Pioneer DVD Recorders record in DVD-R/-RW only. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | No Comments »
One of the easiest ways to boost performance for any PC is to add memory to the system. But before you go to get that memory upgrade, be sure to gather information about your computer to ensure you get the right memory for your system. You need to know what type of memory the computer uses, the memory module sizes and what already exists in the system.
How Much Memory Do I Have?
Find out how much memory is in the computer by examining the BIOS or operating system. For Windows, this can be located by opening up the System properties from the Control Panel. Also open up the case while the computer is off and find the memory Read More»
Posted in Hardware | 4 Comments »
What is “DVD” Media, and How Is It Different From CDs?
DVD, which was originally named for Digital Video Disc, now means Digital Versatile Disc. It is a special recording format for computers, audio, and TV/movies.
Superficially, a DVD disc looks just like a CD. It is 120mm in diameter, and 1.2mm in thickness(comprised of two polycarbonate substrates, 0.6mm each). Unlike CDs, however, DVD discs can be single or double sided. Furthermore, each DVD side may contain a second invisible “layer” to increase the disc’s storage capacity. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware, Internet | 2 Comments »
Just days after the launch of the sacred Apple iPhone in the US, and amidst an unexpectedly mixed set of reviews, CNET News reports that owners of the highly desirable shiny black squarkbox will have to stump up $79 for replacement battery packs, plus another $7.00 for shipping back to Apple. That’s bad enough but the real problem is that all data on the phone will be lost and it will be up to users to back it up first. Read More»
Posted in Mac | No Comments »
Many Microsoft Xbox 360 console owners have been experiencing a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights. Microsoft has acknowledged the unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers.
Xbox 360 support has a list of solutions when the three lights on the Ring of Light (RoL) flash red on the front of the Xbox 360 console. Since it is a hardware failure, there is not much you can do. Read More»
Posted in Hardware | 1 Comment »
Does your laptop run way too hot? I mean, hot enough to make you hands uncomfortable? Hot enough to burn your lap on the couch? Hot enough that the CPU seems to “throttle down” or the system “locks up” after a period of intense & extended computation? (Video editing or Windows Media playback for example)
I own a Compaq Evo n610c and this sucker leaves my leg red and my left palm scalded. The thing runs hotter than any laptop I’ve ever used and while it’s a reasonably power machine, even by today’s newer standards, it’s downright hard to use because of the heat coming off of it. So I started pursuing resolutions to the problem. Here’s a few tips I’ve researched and found useful. Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | 8 Comments »
CompuMentor, a provider of technology assistance to other nonprofits and the home of TechSoup, is working with Microsoft Corporation and other organizations to improve the environment and bridge the digital divide by helping consumers properly donate or recycle computer equipment. Here are some guidelines you can use when passing along your machines.
1. Determine if your old computer can be reused.If you have a computer that is less then five years old, chances are that it can be put to good use by someone else. Rather than donate equipment directly to a charity or school, Read More»
Posted in Computer, Hardware | 1 Comment »
Loading ...
