Wednesday, February 6, 2008
How to choose a Optical Drive?
A brief guide
The Optical Drive is, primarily, a device for your computer to receive external media and data. Users would do well to invest in the appropriate Optical Drive for their PC. What are some of the considerations to be made when choosing an Optical Drive? To begin with, what would you be using your Optical Drive for? To listen to CD albums? To watch DVD films? To backup data? Below are the functions for the different types of Optical Drives.
Functions for different type of Optical Drive
Optical Drives
Functions
CD ROM
Able to read CDs
CD Writer
Able to read and write CDs
DVD ROM
Able to read CDs and DVDs
Combo Drive
Able to read CDs, DVDs and write CDs
DVD Writer
Able to peroform all functions mentioned above.
PC-TECH Explains
With the prevalence of DVDs and CDs now, most users should be familiar enough with optical drives without us having to explain more. We can only try to point you to some of the latest features in DVD burners. Lightscribe is one feature that has got us going potty over recently. Lightscribe enables you to put to emblazon labels onto your DVDs. No more magic markers! Just use the provided software to burn graphics onto your freshly copied disc. Some high end models have a ‘silent operation mode’ if noise is a concern for you.
Picking a Optical Drive
Remember always to make sure the Optical Drive you purchase comes with its relevant software. DVD players will need softwares such as Roxxio or Nero to perform their writing functions. So, before you go for that ‘bargain’ DVD drive, make sure that the package includes the relevant writing software or you might end up having to trouble your geek friend to help out with some ‘software problem’. Speed CD Drive speeds are measured in multiples of 150 KB/s audio CD rate. This speed is referred to as 1X. In other words, a 48X CD Drive transfers data at 48 times 150 KB/s, or 7,200 KB/s. DVD Drives use a different calculation. A 1X DVD drive transfers data at about 1.321 MB/s, or about nine times faster than a 1X CD drive.
Region Code
When you have just bought a new DVD writer, it is most likely to be region protected. Usually, the region code can only be changed 5 times. When the counter gets to 0, your drive will be permanently locked to the last region it was set to.
There are a total of 6 region code in this world.
Region
Region Code
America and Canada
1
Europe, Japan, Middle East and South Africa
2
South East Asia
3
Australia and South America
4
Africa, Russia and the rest of Asia
5
China
6
There are ways to get around this problem. Some models have resetting tools made by 3rd parties to reset the change limit back to 5 and some also have firmware patches to remove the region lock. Using either of these will invalidate your Drive’s warranty and if you do it wrongly, the Drive will become useless. If you are prepared to take that risk, the firmware can usually be easily found on a search engine. To avoid all these problems, you should get a region-free DVD drive or writer.
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The price difference between a DVD Writer and a CD ROM is about $50. Unless you are on a very tight budget, go for a DVD writer as it can read almost all types of disc media available in the market. Even if you won’t ever be watching a DVD film on your PC, you can still use the large storage space of a DVD to backup your data. We usually recommend our customers to include 2 drives when they are configuring a system (a DVD-RW matched with a DVD ROM). That way, you can use one drive to do all your burning jobs quickly by transferring data from one disk to another in the two drives. Pick a disk drive that is reliable, in that it must burn an error-free disk every time. Imagine the frustrations you’d be subjected to if you own a drive that burns a faulty disk every other time! We also think that it is worth paying more for quality brand name DVDs and CDs for burning. Quality manufacturers like Memorex and Verbatim use higher-quality dyes that provide higher reflectivity and last longer. One last footnote: Always make sure the Optical Drive(s) that you are getting match the colour of your Casing!
Disclaimer
The above guide is provided as a free service for our customers and visitors and all information is written as objectively and accurately as possible. PC-TECH are not responsible for any undesirable outcomes resulted directly or indirectly from reading our hardware guide.
Monday, February 4, 2008
How to choose a Power Supply Unit?
A brief guide
The Power Supply is an integral part of a PC system yet it is often overlooked when people are building their PC. The Power Supply is the life support for your PC system; if your Power Supply dies, your entire system will cease to work.
Along with the Casing, the Power Supply is often the most overlooked hardware of a computer. There is one maxim when it comes to buying a Power Supply:
Go for a reliable manufacturer!
You can save money by buying less RAM, a smaller Hard Disk, a less fanciful Casing, a lower-end CPU etc and upgrade in future, but an inferior Power Supply can result in frequent system crashes and can even short circuit some or all of your components.
PC-TECH Explains
The weight of PSUs varies largely even among those of the same wattage. The heavier the Power Supply relative to its wattage, the better it is. Based on this, some good quality 250 W Power Supplies can be better than some poor quality 300W Power Supplies. Therefore, remember to take the weight/ wattage ratio into consideration when shopping for a Power Supply and do not just search blindly for a high wattage one. The price of a Power Supply will usually be proportional to its weight… says a lot doesn’t it?
While it is oversimplifying to state that the weight of a Power Supply reflects its reliability, it is nonetheless foolish not to take note of the correlation. This is the simplest and easiest way for an average PC user to compare the quality among Power Supplies.
Picking a Casing
There are some important points to consider when choosing a PSU.
Wattage
You have to make sure that your PSU can supply your PC with enough power, including any upgrades you might want to perform in future. It is better to err on the side of caution if you can’t be sure. A PSU that is larger than necessary will step down to your power requirements but a power supply that is too small to meet the requirements of your PC will often result in your system rebooting for no apparent reason. Note: Changing the Power Supply of a system involves rewiring your whole system!
You can access the following excellent website
(http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php)and utilize its ‘Power Supply
Calculator’ to calculate the power your system needs.
Warranty
We recommend any computer builder to go for a PSU from a respectable maker. Reputable manufacturers of PSUs usually provide a decent warranty to go with their products.
Efficiency
This is a difficult one to check. But bear in mind that some Power Supplies are very inefficient. These Power Supplies convert a lot of energy into heat and end up raising the temperature of your room. Again, the best way to avoid purchasing an inefficient Power Supply is to make sure you purchase from a reputable brand.
PC-TECH recommend
Unless they really know what they are doing, we normally advise buyers not to go for Power Supplies that come bundled-in with a Casing. Such Power Supplies are usually of a low quality and may cause permanent damage to your hardware.
Many computer companies provide inferior Power Supplies to cut cost and increase profit margins so be sure to ask about the PSU when you are considering the purchase of a pre-configured computer. Asking about the brand and wattage is a good place to start.
Do not take risks where the electrical supply of your computer is concerned!
Also, try to buy a PSU with a 120mm bottom-facing fan rather than one with an 80mm rear fan. This ensures you’ll have a more efficient and quieter cooling system for your PSU.
There are plenty of decent brands of PSU available in most retailers. The following are some excellent brands that have consistently delivered top quality performance over the years.
PC Power & Cooling provides arguably the best Power Supplies; with the lowest failure rate backed by the industry’s strongest warranty program, they set an unbeatable standard when it comes to PSUs.
Seasonic is another Power Supply manufacturer that we strongly recommend. It is great value for money, with extremely high quality and an extremely low failure rate. Antec – This is a good quality brand but beware of their low end series. NeoPower, Phantom, and Neo HE are all decent series but you’ll do well to steer clear of the SmartPower series.
Disclaimer
The above guide is provided as a free service for our customers and visitors and all information is written as objectively and accurately as possible. PC-TECH are not responsible for any undesirable outcomes resulted directly or indirectly from reading our hardware guide.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
How to choose a Casing?
A brief guide
The Casing is the structure in which all the components are assembled. The Casing defines the whole image of the computer. It determines whether the computer blends in with its surroundings or disrupts the tranquility of a carefully sculpted Zen-inspired bachelor’s pad.
Casings come in a wide variety of aesthetics, features and prices. If you are buying a preconfigured computer model from a computer brand, you will probably have to make do with a generic company Casing that is designed for their branding purposes, setup compatibility, and efficient shipping arrangements.
Too many people often make the mistake of choosing a Casing based solely on its looks and not its functions. Try to keep a balance between having a Case that looks nice to you and does an able job of keeping the system cool and quiet.
PC-TECH Explains
Along with the Power Supply, the Casing is often the most overlooked component of a computer. The Casing may not be one of the core components that determine the performance of your PC but it is vital in maintaining the well-being of your system.
Whether you are building your own computer or not, there’s a few issues to consider about computer cases. The Casing lays the cornerstone for your PC’s cooling system, your PC’s main contributor of noise.
Cases can be made of flimsy plastic or durable steel. Some are so small that there’s little space to add on anything else, while some are so spacious inside it can fit more than 10 Hard Drives.
The placement, size and speed of the fans in your Casing are crucial in keeping your PC cool and stable. And of course there’s the overall aesthetics that’s going to define the style of your PC.
If you are not building your own PC (i.e. buying a preconfigured system), remember to ask about the Casing. Too often Casings’ specifications are left out because of their inferior quality.
Picking a Casing
It is prudent to check hardware reviews of Casings to see if there are any poorly constructed models that give off rattling or buzzing. Thankfully in recent years, manufacturers have started making Casings that are both efficient and pleasing to the eye. Some Casings come with a side panel for users to show their friends the components it houses. Users can even embellish their Casing’s interior with fluorescent tubes to create a snazzy effect, so if money is not an issue, you’ll really be spoilt for choice. The following is a list of other considerations to make:
1.) Case MaterialThe material used for Casings is usually either steel or aluminium. Aluminium cases are light in weight and suitable for LAN party users as it is very transportable but it is also much more expensive. Users will also have to take into consideration that aluminium is a lot softer and therefore will be dented a lot easier than steel in the event of knocks. Other than weight, price and built factor, there is no significant difference between the two materials. However, some people believe that aluminum cases have a slightly better cooling ability than steel cases.
2.) Expansion Slots and Drive Bays Do take into consideration the number of Hard Drives, Optical Drives and Expansion Cards you want inside you PC and make sure the Casing of your choice supports all your extra components. It is pointless to pay a premium price for the latest state-of-the-art Casing when it cannot house all the components you purchase for your computer.
3.) Front Ports Some users have IEEE1394 and USB devices and would like to connect it through the front of their Casing rather then from the back. IEEE1394 and USB are the small rectangular ports that have taken over serial ports. These ports allow you to plug in your printer, mouse, and thumb drives. Not all Casings come with these ports at the front so bear this in mind when shopping for a Casing.
4.) Cooling The cooling mechanism in a PC is often an overlooked aspect of PC sytems. Air flow is very important for your hardware to achieve optimum performance as it prevents them from overheating. The Power Supply unit fan alone is not enough to fan out all the hot air. Since most Casings come with only 1 intake fan (front of the case), users are encouraged to buy an additional exhaust fan (rear of the case) to ventilate the hot air generated by all the components slogging inside your Casing. Take note of the rear fan dimension for your Casing as they vary in size. Two fans are usually enough for most configurations.
5.) Noise Fans inside the Casing are usually the main contributor of noise. Although the Hard Drive and Optical Drive contribute their fair share, most of the noise is bearable. Choose fans with lower decibels if you want a quieter PC. Usually, larger fans spin at a lower speed and are thus quieter.
PC-TECH recommend
In a nutshell, you should always take note of the kind of cooling mechanism your Casing can support. Adequate ventilation ensures the longevity of your hardware.
If you’re buying a computer, check with the vendor if they offer choices on their Cases. A lot of computer companies like to use inferior Casings to increase their profit margins.
Disclaimer
The above guide is provided as a free service for our customers and visitors and all information is written as objectively and accurately as possible. PC-TECH are not responsible for any undesirable outcomes resulted directly or indirectly from reading our hardware guide.
How to choose a Hard Dive?
A brief guide
The Hard Drive is the warehouse of your computer.All the information that needs to be saved is stored and kept there even when the computer is turned off. The two main aspects about Hard Drive that you need to know are capacity and speed. The capacity is how much storage space you have and speed is how fast your Hard Drive can access the files stored inside it. The bigger your storage space, the more information you can save and the faster your Hard Drive, the faster you can load, edit, and access the files in your Hard Drive. Hard Drive space is measured in terms of GB (Gigabytes) and its speed is measured in terms of RPM (revolutions per minute).
PC-TECH Explains
The different connections are ATA, SATA, or SCSI. We will concentrate on SATA connection in this guide as it is gradually making other connections obsolete, and give the best performance for their price. For the past decade, the ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) format has been the ubiquitous interface (or connection). With the introduction of SATA (Serial ATA), ATA became known as PATA (Parallel ATA). The Hard Drive interface is the channel by which the Hard Drive communicates with your Mainboard. The SATA format has a much faster transfer rate which let you move more data without getting disruptions. This format has become the new industry standard for Hard Drives.
Picking a Hard Drive
1.) Interface (Connection)
Unless you already have a Mainboard that supports only the ATA connection, there is no reason to buy an ATA Hard Drive for the above-mentioned reasons. Even SATA Hard Drives are not that common now as the latest upgrade, SATA2, is backward compatible and is slowly phasing out the original SATA. At the time of writing, most Mainboards have SATA2 connection incorporated into them. A SATA2 connection can transfer data at a rate three times as fast as an ATA connection although current Hard Drive transfer rate has yet to catch and take advantage of the technology.
2.) Capacity
One of the most important factors of a Hard Drive is obviously its storage space. The more storage space you have, the better it is for you. Instead of being measured in terms of per square metre, Hard Drive space is measured in terms of bytes. 1 Kilobyte = 1000 bytes 1 Megabyte = 1000 Kilobytes 1 Gigabyte = 1000 Megabytes Sizes for Hard Drives range from 80 Gigabytes to 750 Gigabytes. What is the required size for your Hard Drive? This will depend on your needs and budget. If you use the PC just for word processing, surfing, and emailing, an 80GB Hard Drive is more than enough for your usage. But if you intend on building a personal video and audio library, try to go for a Hard Drive with the largest storage space that is within your budget. To put things in perspective, a 3 minute mp3 file takes up, on the average, 3 – 5MB worth of storage space.
3.) Price
The increase in Hard Drive space is not directly proportional to its price. You may find that a 160 GB Hard Drive costs only slightly more than an 80 GB Hard Drive. To find value in choosing Hard Drive, you can take the PRICE / TOTAL Hard Drive capacity. This will give you the price per gigabyte. To get the best value for money, choose the Hard Drive with the lowest ratio per gigabyte from your short listed Hard Drives.
4.) Speed or Revolution per Minute (RPM)
The rotational speed of the disks in the Hard Drive is the singularly most important factor that affects its performance. The faster the rotational speed of the disks, the more data the drive can read and write from itself in a given time. Most home computer Hard Drives rotate at 7200 RPM while some higher speed server drives run at 10 000 RPM or higher.
5.) Buffer, Cache, or Memory
Like your CPU, your Hard Drive uses buffer, cache or Memory to speed up data retrieval. Most drives come with either 8 MB or 16 MB of cache memory. 8 MB should be fine for handling standard PC applications but if you work with huge spreadsheets, or massive image and video files, you might like the performance increase of a 16 MB Hard Disk Cache.
6.) Areal Density
Areal density refers to the amount of data that can be squeezed into a square inch of a Hard Disk’s magnetic platter surface. Measured in terms of gigabits per square inch, higher densities usually mean faster Hard Disk drives.
PC-TECH recommend
Most users want speed and capacity for their Hard Disk. Remember that most Main Boards can support 4 or more Hard Drives so you can always add more Hard Drives in future when your storage space runs out but it is not possible to increase the speed of your Hard Disk. If you are on a budget, sacrifice storage space over speed. Don’t forget that there is always the option of using external Hard Drives via USB or Firewire ports to store data that you don’t use often. 10 000 RPM is a great speed but a bit of a luxury if you are on a budget. Also, users have to consider two issues when choosing a Hard Drive with high rotational speed, namely: heat and noise. Heat affects the performance of the Hard Drive’s surrounding hardware especially if there is poor ventilation. Noise can cause distractions to people around the computer. We recommend most home PC users to go for 7200 RPM Hard Drive for its lower noise decibels, lower cost, and convenience in configuration.
Most importantly, as Hard Drive is one of the core components alongside CPU, RAM and Mainboard, make sure you choose a well-established brand. The best manufacturers offer up to a 5 year warranty on their Hard Drives. Make sure you enquire about the warranty of the Hard Drive when you purchase a computer. You do not want to compromise on the quality of your Hard Drive and have your Hard Drive failing with all your important data within 2 years of buying your computer.
Disclaimer
The above guide is provided as a free service for our customers and visitors and all information is written as objectively and accurately as possible. PC-TECH are not responsible for any undesirable outcomes resulted directly or indirectly from reading our hardware guide.
How to choose a RAM?
A brief guide
Random Access Memory (RAM) is best known as computer memory and is one of the most important components in your PC. It is so-called because the CPU can access any part of the Memory randomly instead of through a serialization process (i.e. checking from one end of the data to the other end to find the needed piece of data).
When you run applications on your PC, it copies information to your RAM where the information can be edited and accessed quickly. The RAM only temporarily stores this information and is constantly loading and unloading new information.
In basic terms, the more RAM you have, the faster your computer will run. When shopping for a system, try to buy no less than 512 MB (megabytes) though we usually recommend 1 or 2 GB (gigabytes) of Memory (1 GB = 1024 MB) even for the typical user.
PC-TECH Explains
It is important that your Memory speed synch up with your Processor speed. The measure of RAM is expressed in terms of 400 MHz (megahertz), 667 MHz. 800 MHz… etc. Another thing about RAM is that they need a certain time to ‘rev up’ to their maximum speed. This attribute is called ‘latency’. You can think of it as the time it takes for a car to accelerate from 0 to 100km. The lower the latency of your RAM, the faster your RAM hits its optimum speed.
‘Dual Channel’ is another feature found specially in RAMs. In laymen’s speak, it means that RAM operates faster in pairs than by itself as a single stick. In other words, a pair of 512 MB RAM will perform faster than a single stick of 1024 MB (1 GB) RAM.
Matching your RAM and CPU speed is a tedious process involving various calculations but rest assured when GooGoo assemble a computer for you, we will have done our research and matched the Memory and Processor to achieve the best possible performance for your computer.
Picking a RAM (Pair)
How much is enough?
As is the case with money, you just can’t have enough RAM. This is especially the case if you are building your computer for 3-D graphics projects, or playing the latest games. Next to the CPU, the RAM is probably most important component that determines a PC’s performance. Sometimes, upgrading the RAM alone makes more of a difference than getting a new CPU!
That said, though you want to be covered in the Memory department for present and future demands, you do not want to go over the top and overspend on RAM. Microsoft recommend 128 MB as the minimum requirement for Windows XP but it is better to go for at least 512 MB even if you are using the PC for basic applications such as surfing the web and word processing. If you need to do design work such as 3-D modeling or intensive gaming, you’ll be well-advised to go for as much RAM as you can afford.
Types of RAM
What type of RAM your Mainboard can accommodate is the next thing you must know. The different types are DDR, DDR2, SD-RAM, SODIMM … etc. We will only discuss the DDR2 RAM for two reasons:
It makes use of the latest technology. The DDR2 (Double Data Rate) RAM is the second generation of DDR RAM and has greater speed. It uses lower voltages to support significant performance improvements over DDR RAM.
Most Mainboards presently come with the appropriate connection for DDR2 RAM.
Below is a list of the different types of DDR2 RAMs.
DIMM Module
Chip Type
Clock Speed (MHz)
Bus Speed (MHz)
Transfer Rate (MB/s)
PC2-3200
DDR2-400
200
400
3,200
PC2-4300
DDR2-533
266
533
4,266
PC2-5400
DDR2-667
333
667
5,333
PC2-6400
DDR2-800
400
800
6,400
We stress again the importance of synchronizing your RAM speed with your Processor speed. A lot of users do not even know how much their PC is underperforming due to mismatching the pair. If you are unsure, GooGoo will be able to help you to achieve peak performance for your computer by synchronizing your RAM speed with your Processor Speed.
PC-TECH recommend
If you are configuring a high-end system with the best Processor, Mainboard, etc, then go for a high-end RAM to keep up with the high performance of your system. Otherwise if you have a tight budget, save on your RAM and invest somewhere else… say a better Mainboard for example.
The reason for this is that RAM can be upgraded easily. Most of the time, you don’t even have to replace your RAM – you only have to add more to it. The same cannot be said for the Mainboard.
If your computer is going to be for basic programs such as emailing, surfing and listening to music, 2 x 512 MB of RAM will suffice but if your computer is going to be sweating over graphics editing like CAD and 3D Studio MAX, or intense gaming, it will be better for you to start with at least two sticks of 1024 MB.
Though you can save on the quantity of RAM, remember you can’t save on the quality of your RAM! We cannot stress enough how important the Memory is to the computer and therefore we advise buyers to invest in top quality Memory from reliable manufacturers.
You do not want to experience problems such as computer freezing, or worse, data corruption. If you are buying preconfigured models from computer brands, always enquire about the brand of the RAM they are offering. Do not allow your self to be lured into thinking you are getting a good bargain for a PC system with DDR2 RAM without first checking with the salesman the brand of the RAM they are offering.
In general, the larger, more established brands are more consistent with quality, control and testing. For example, some brands like Kingston Technology offers a lifetime warranty for their RAMs. This warranty is fast becoming the industry benchmark so we recommend strongly that you always purchase RAMs that come with a lifetime warranty.
Disclaimer
The above guide is provided as a free service for our customers and visitors and all information is written as objectively and accurately as possible. PC-TECH are not responsible for any undesirable outcomes resulted directly or indirectly from reading our hardware guide.
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