Discount Computers

Upgrading RAM We have understood by now, that more memory will
enable your computer to work faster. How much memory you need is
really a factor of the nature of work that you do on you
computer. Two factors are worth considering: the first, that if
your computer does not have enough memory, it will run slowly.
Conversely, if you computer already has enough memory, then
adding more will not necessary enhance performance. In this
case, your microprocessor or graphics may be slowing your
computer down. Hence, do consider these factors and use common
sense while upgrading. That said, since memory chips have become
a lot cheaper, it makes sense to install a little more than you
anticipate you will need. If you do not have a large enough
budget, then of course there is the option of upgrading later.

Upgrading your microprocessor A faster microprocessor means a
faster computer, given that the other components (memory,
graphics card etc) are up to date. First you need to assess
whether it is really your microprocessor that is slowing down
your computer. It may be that you have a good microprocessor but
a slow graphics
card or insufficient memory. On the hand, if your
microprocessor is slow, and your other components are relatively
efficient, then it would make sense to upgrade the
microprocessor. The idea is to achieve a balanced

PC in which all the components are relatively equivalent in
terms of performance. If you just want more speed, and all your
other important components are up to date, then a microprocessor
upgrade would well do the job.

Upgrading your graphics card If you are playing hi-tech games
and finding that the animation is slow, then your graphics card
probably needs to be upgraded. Upgrading the graphics card in
such a situation would certainly enhance the speed of your
computer. If you work a lot with images and find that it takes
time to update, then also the graphics card could do with an
upgrade. However, if your word processing or spreadsheet
functions have slowed, then your graphics card is not the
culprit and upgrading it will not help.

Upgrading your hard drive When most of your hard disk space has
been used up, then it would be wise to upgrade your hard drive.
But there is another option – you might consider getting a CD
burner instead. This way, you could store a lot of the data that
you don’t often use on CDs and free that much space on the hard drive.
However, upgrading the hard drive in such situation may be the
wiser thing to do.

Speed is another consideration for hard drive upgrades. The new
hard drives available today are faster than the older ones.

Upgrading your motherboard Quite a lot of work goes into
upgrading the motherboard. If you need more slots for more
expansion cards or if you want a faster motherboard, then an
upgrade would be needed. Consult with your retailer about
whether or not installing a new motherboard with a faster bus
would be useful for you.

About the author:
Logan writes about various topics. This article is free to
re-print as long as nothing is changed, the bio remains, all
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How does a video card work? A video card basically converts the
computer’s digital signals coming from the processor into a
signal that the monitor is able to interpret. Hence, its basic
function is to convert data. The main point of difference
between an entry level video card and a state-of-the art one is
that the latter’s conversion speed is much better.

The Chips The chip is the heart of the video card. It is where
all the processing is done. It also makes 3D acceleration
possible. The chip is to the video card, what the processor is
to the computer. Of the two major chip manufacturers, ATI and
NVIDIA, the former is well known for high quality and great
technology.

Pipes The information must travel through tunnels called
‘pipes’, before it can be converted. On one end it starts as raw
data and ends up at the opposite end in a format that is
compatible with the monitor. On its way, the data undergoes the
conversion process. The greater the number of pipes, the more
data that can be converted simultaneously.

The amount of data that a pipe can hold is called its Memory
Interface. A pipe with a 128 bit interface can process more
data than one with a 64 bit interface.

Memory The memory is used to store temporary or transient
information. Video information, being very data heavy, needs
more memory. The two main types of memory are SDRAM and DDR RAM.
DDR is superior as it can transmit information faster.

ATI Technology An ATI card will offer many technologies that
will significantly enhance your video experience. ATI’s cards
are fully compatible with all the latest 3D technologies and do
not rely on your computer’s CPU to process information, as do
some of the entry-level cards.

SmartShader™ This technology will unleash a new generation of
visual effects on your computer. Realistic graphics with
breathtaking 3D effects are possible with SmartShader™. DVD
movies can be viewed to better effect with it too.

SmartVision® SmartVision® has the effect of removing jagged
edges, improving the image, bringing its finer details to light.

Fullstream™ This is the latest technology in
video processing, which is particularly for the Internet and
video playback processing. It greatly improves the quality and
performance of streaming video.

About the author:
Logan writes about various topics. This article is free to
re-print as long as nothing is changed, the bio remains, all
hyper links remain intacked and the rel=”nofollow” tag isnt
added to any links. Thank-You

Ah yes, I want a laptop but I am not going to spend a couple of
thousand dollars for one. Well guess what you don’t have to.
Laptop prices have come down dramatically over the past year
alone and they will continue to do so as technology advances.
But the trick here is to find good quality laptops that fit your
needs at the cheapest prices available today.
I would say that there probably is a store near you right now
that has cheap laptop computers. In fact, many stores already
have them. The reason being, like any other new product, laptops
were once considered the cream of the crop in the computer world
which made them very expensive. However, all that has changed
now. Laptops are a dime a dozen! The hand held digital
assistants, Bluetooth cell phones and tablet pads are the new
rage making laptop computers cheap.

Now, don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that they are
cheaply made. Thanks to the wonders of the technological cycle,
laptop computers are decreasing in price as their capabilities
rise. Of course, there are the latest and greatest monsters out
there that are made for gaming or high powered multimedia
applications and these babies still cost a pretty penny.

But for the average user, you can find cheap laptop computers
that provide all the power you need and then some. Every major
manufacturer out there, like Dell, HP, Compaq, Gateway, and IBM
have their lower end and intermediate models that come with more
than enough speed and usability.

Now here is the key to finding the right cheap computer laptop
for you, and that is to figure out exactly what you need it
for.

Are you going to use it mainly for surfing the web or word
processing? Do you need it to work from home or mainly to save
your MP3s and digital pictures?

Ok, so now you have an idea of what you want to use your laptop
for. Now lets go out shopping and compare. You can visit any of
the top manufacturers websites or visit your local store and
find their low end or intermediate models that may suit your
needs. The three top components of a computer you want to look
for is the hard drive size, memory, and processor speeds and
take notes of each model you find on each component and
model.

The hard drive, you can consider this the brain of your
computer, this is where all your files, applications and folders
are stored. If you plan on using your computer for MP3s and
digital pictures your hard drive should be large since these
files are usually very large. I personally would look at 80gb as
minimum.

Next would be the memory, memory can be considered the thought
processes of your computer. As a minimum I would look at 512mb
but if you plan on using your laptop for gaming of course this
should be much larger, in the area of 1 to 2gb. Now memory is
used whenever a program or application is running. So the more
memory you have the faster your computer can process the
program.

And finally your processor, now your processor is just that it
processes all the inner workings of how each program runs. The
faster the processor is, the faster the program instructions are
processed. Again if your looking for a laptop for gaming uses
you want your processor with high speeds 2ghz or more. For other
uses you can go less.

Other parts of the computer to also consider are the ports
involved that can connect your computer to your digital camera
or your mp3 player for example. You also want to check that your
laptop has wireless and broadband connectivity. Many cheap
computer laptops today already come with this but you want to
make sure or you will have to pay additional, for example, a
wireless card to install in your laptop to have this
capability.

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