JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Ada kabar kurang menyenangkan dari Taiwan bagi mereka yang ingin membeli memori DDR3. Menurut para analis di negara yang berbentuk daun tembakau itu, harga DDR3 akan melampui DDR2 dalam hari-hari ini. Inilah dampak dari bermigrasinya para OEM (original equipment manufacturers) ke DDR3 dari DDR2.

Harga kontrak untuk modul 2GB mainstream telah melejit setinggi langit. Begitu kata DRAMexchange. Menurut lembaga ini, harga spot untuk DDR3 1GB telah meningkat menjadi US$ 3, sementara harga chip DDR2 1GB yang bermerek terkenal dan sudah teruji ada di kisaran US$ 2, 6 – US$ 2,8.

Sejak Windows 7 meluncur, para produsen PC menuntut lebih banyak DDR3. Ini mengejutkan para pengamat pasar yang mengira tuntutan DRAM akan melemah setelah Microsoft meluncurkan sistem operasi barunya.

Harga kontrak untuk modul-modul DDR2 2GB dan DDR3 2GB telah melonjak masing-masing 19% – 21% dan 13% – 18%. Harga rata-ratanya selama dua minggu pertama November menjadi masing-masing US$ 41 dan US$ 39. Sementara itu harga rata-rata DDR2 1GB pun merangkak naik 15,5%, alias US$ 2,38. Angka ini berada di atas harga DDR3 1GB yang US$ 2,25.

Editor: Waduuuh, bakal gagal upgrade memory netbook ini…

Вече са факт първите лаптопи базирани на новата платформа на Intel, ориентирана към геймърите и ентусиастите. Тази нова платформа съдържа Intel Core i7 “Clarksfield” мобилен процесор и новият Intel PM55 Express чипсет. Полученият резултат поставя мобилните компютри с още една позиция по-нагоре спрямо настолните.

Базирани на актуалната 45нм Nehalem микро-архитектура, продуктова линия процесори Intel Core i7 се състои от три модела:Core i7-920XM Extreme Edition, Core i7-820QM и Core i7-720QM. С контролер на паметта вече на самия процесор и IO контролиран от чипсета, производителността на тези процесори е по-конкурентна отвсякога спрямо настолните варианти.

920XM и 820QM притежават 8MB кеш L3, докато 720QM – 6MB L3. Говорейки за производителност, тук е момента да се спомене, че Core i7 920Xm Extreme Edition подлежи на овърклок, докато останалите два модела,  могат да бъдат контролирани единствено от Intel Turbo Boost технологията.

Нека разберем какви са по-специалните екстри, които предлагат тези процесори: вграден контролер на паметта, Hyper-Threading (позволява на приложенията да използват едновременно дублираните блокове на процесора), Turbo Boost и DDR3. Що се касае за енергопотреблението, 820Qm и 720Qm имат максимално TDP от 45W, докато 920XM има максимално TDP – 55W.

Intel Turbo Boost технология динамично управлява честотата на процесора, в зависимост от това в кой момент имате нужда от повечко производителност. Това включва автоматиче овърклок при интензивни задачи и в същото време, може да намалява честото с цел по-дълъг живот на батерията.

Снимката отгоре демонстрира действието на технологията. Автоматично покачва честотата до 2.26Ghz, когато използвате и четирите ядра, до 3.06Ghz – използвайки две от ядрата и до 3.26Ghz, когато използвате едно от ядрата.

От Intel са добавили приложение, работещо под Windows 7 или Vista, показващо честотата на процесорът в настоящият момент.

Чипсетът PM55 Еxpress поддържа 8 PCI Expres 2.0 x1 за множество конфигурации от карти. RAID масиви, които чрез Intel Matrix Storage технологията се свързват двата RAID масива и се осигурява по-висока производителност от единия масив и сигурност от другия. Това е чудесно имайки впредвид и постояният спад на цените на твърдите дискове напоследък. Поддръжка на 14 USB порта, може да ви звучи налудничево, но със сигурност могат да бъдат използвани от всеки един потребител. Очаквайте и първите предложения в он-лайн магазинът за компютърни технологии – www.vario.bg

We’ve been providing news on the hottest PC notebook to come out in years as it comes and rather than write a whole bunch of words here, I will just let the specs speak for themselves.

Core 2 Duo 1.4 Ghz ULV processor (kind of on the weak side, compared to the MacBook Air’s 1.8 and 2.0 Ghz C2D)

4 GB DDR3 800 Mhz RAM

128 GB Solid State Disk (SSD)

13.4″ WLED screen with 1366 x 768 resolution

Intel GS45 integrated graphics

2 USB (1 more than the MBA)

Mini Display-port

802.11n & Bluetooth

Webcam

User replaceable battery in two options: 20 watt/hr = two and a half hours after full charge, or a 40 watt/hr = about 5 hours (super thin battery and its swappable makes the MBA look sad)

Dimensions: 0.4″ x 13.39″ x 10.78″ (thinner than the MBA…can notebooks get any thinner than this?)

3.2 pounds (this thing is heavier than my HP Mini netbook! that weighs only 2.38 lbs)

Runs Windows 7

Price: $1799

Release date: TBA, but Dell says in time for the holidays

PC World was able to nudge some prototype information from Dell. Here is what the Dell Adamo XPS could have been.

- 4″ Multi-touch LCD touchpad

- Touch capacity keyboard (no pressing feed-back would be awkward…)

PC World

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 е среден клас графичен адаптер и може да бъде открита в конфигурациите на повечето хитови модели на нашия пазар пък и не само. Възможностите й са сходни с тези на видеокартата на ATI за настолен компютър – Radeon HD 4550. Това всъщност накратко означава, че всички DirectX 9 заглавия на игри може да играете на високи детайли и резолюция. Игри като Call of Duty или F.E.A.R са напълно по възможостите на Radeon HD 4570. Няма да имате възможността обаче да се насладите напълно на най-взискателните игри като Crysis например. Видеокартата е базирана на RV710 чип и включва 80 поточни процесора. Тези поточни процесори са наричани още ALU, а именно Аритметико Логическо Устройство и са групирани в пет VLIW инструкции, които са независими една от друга и именно заради това производителността зависи от оптимизацията на драйвера. Едно от специалните неща при Radeon HD 4570 е възможността да използва DDR2 и DDR3 графична памет, което е евтината алтернатива на GDDR3. Все пак карти, които използват такъв тип памети, са по-бавни от тези с GDDR, но разбира се и цената е значително по-висока. Radeon HD 4570 включва Avivo HD видео технология, която предполага звуков чип за 7.1 канален звук прези HDMI или DisplayPort и второ поколение Unified Video Decoder. Това UVD 2 поддържа пълно декодиране на H.264/MPEG-4 AVC и VC-1 потоци. В допълнение на това, поддържа също и декодиране на двоен видео поток и Картина-в-Картината режим. Според производителя видеокартата консумира между 12-15 вата.

Лаптопи с ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570:

Acer Aspire 5738DG

Dell Studio 1555

Toshiba Satellite L500

W dellu jest cienko. Bardzo cienko. Jest tak niewyobrażalnie cienko, że nawet laptopy produkują cienkie. Wszak Dell Adamo XPS to jeden z najcieńszych laptopów na świecie. W dodatku przez niektóre osoby model ten jest uznawany za mityczne zwierze. Pełni on rolę jednorożca . Tak więc możecie sobie wyobrazić moje zdziwienie faktem wypuszczenia informacji na temat jego specyfikacji. No kurcze, jakby mi wylądował E.T na ganku to bym się mniej zdziwił. A tu proszę, coś takiego jak Adamo XPS jednak istnieje i w dodatku jest wyposażone w dwurdzeniowy procesor Intela 1.4GHz lub 1.9GHz. Do tego został dołożony dysk twardy SSD o pojemności 120 lub 180 giga, 4GB pamięci RAM DDR3, grafikę Intel GMA X4500MHD. Efekty działania tego zestawienia będziemy mogli sobie obejrzeć na monitorze o przekątnej 13,4 cala w rozdzielczości 1366 x 768 pikseli. Nice teraz trzeba tylko poczekać na wieńce danych i być może szykuje nam się przebój gwiazdkowy od firmy Dell.

Akibat lelet dan lemotnya komputer kerja yg dipakai buwat rendering video ma ngedit – ngedit gambar . Hari ini ngusulin beli VGA card baru ke management , akhirnya disetujui (acc). Cari2 dapetnya kayak gini . Lumayan daripada manyun sebelumnya ^______^

XPhase Chipset Powers DDR3 Memory Modules

International Rectifier has introduced the IR3522 and IR3506 XPhase chipset to provide a complete power solution for DDR3 multi-phase memory applications. The IR3522 dual-output PWM controller with built-in I2C interface provides overall system control for both the DDR3 VDDQ and VTT rails. The device interfaces with any number of IR3506 phase ICs to drive as many phases as needed to power any number of DDR3 dual in-line memory modules (DIMMS), simplifying layout and reducing board space.

The IR3522/IR3506 chipset enables accurate tracking with the additional flexibility of margining between the VDDQ and VTT outputs through the I2C interface. The Xphase solution for DDR3 applications delivers a power supply that is smaller, more flexible and easier to design while providing higher efficiency from light load to full load when compared to conventional approaches, according to International Rectifier. The IR3522 combines the precision of analogue control with programmability of power management functions via I2C.

It allows output voltage programming capability for both VDDQ and VTT outputs through the I2C compatible interface with a VDDQ set point error of +/-0.5 per cent. The IR3506 provides both source and sink capability to enable more accurate tracking of the VTT output to VDDQ. It supports a power-saving function (PSI) to maximise efficiency at light loads. The IR3522’s I2C interface programs the VTT tracking ratio +/- 25 per cent and provides digital on/off control. Four I2C addresses are selectable using two ADDR pins, while four different VREF1 voltages are selectable using two VID pins if I2C communication is not available.

Soft-stop turn-off to ensure VDDR and VTT tracking is also featured, as well as a fault activated Crowbar pin to drive external NMOS devices for external output voltage protection. As with all Xphase ICs, the IR3522 features protection against over-current, over-voltage, open remote sense and open control. The IR3506 phase IC features 7V/2A gate drivers (4A GATEL sink current) and supports loss-less inductor current sensing. The device also features a soft-stop turn-off to ensure VDDR and VTT tracking.

The IR3506 offers over-current protection during PSI assertion mode operation, integrated bootstrap synchronous PFET, debugging function, self-calibration of PWM ramp, current sense amplifier and current share amplifier and single-wire bidirectional average current sharing.

Ce faci cand nu mai ai ce imbunatatiri mari sa aduci memoriilor? Le faci sa fie cat mai ‘Eco’. Cam acelasi lucru au facut cei de la G.Skill, denumindu-si chiar ‘Eco’ noua serie de memorii DDR3.

Cele 6 noi kit-uri au frecvente intre 1333Mhz si 1600Mhz, avand nevoie de doar 1.35V pentru a functiona la configuratiile precizate, fata de DDR3-urile standarde de 1.5V si Lynnfield-ul lui Intel de 1.65V. G.Skill declara ca avantajul noilor memorii nu este doar voltajul mai mic, ci sunt si mai ’sanatoase’ pentru mediu, avand temperaturi mai mici (cu 16% mai mici decat standardele), o stabilitate mult mai buna si nu in ultimul rand ajuta clientul la economisirea banilor.

Toate cele 6 memorii sunt kit-uri dual-channel, cu module de cate 2GB fiecare, fiind disponibile in urmatoarele configuratii:

- DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL9-9-9-24 1.35V
- DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL8-8-8-24 1.35V
- DDR3 1333 4GB (2GBx2) CL7-7-7-21 1.35V
- DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL9-9-9-24 1.35V
- DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL8-8-8-24 1.35V
- DDR3 1600 4GB (2GBx2) CL7-8-7-24 1.35V

*CL (sau CAS Latency) – durata de timp (sau cicluri – clock cycles) necesara memoriei pentru a raspunde la o comanda. In general pentru memorii DDR CL-ul este de 2 sau 2.5.

Con l’uscita di Photoshop CS4 gli utenti PC si sono dovuti nuovamente misurare con la quantità industriale di RAM che il programma richiede ma che il classico Windows “mangia” letteralmente. Per questo motivo, un sistema tradizionale a 32 bit che gestisce un massimo di 4 giga di RAM, (se parliamo di Vista mentre per XP scendiamo a 2,5 GB circa) diventa lento e macchinoso da utilizzare.
Per ovviare a tutto ciò, riporto la configurazione per la quale ho optato nella “costruzione” del mio PC, corredata da un breve video nel quale potrete verificare le prestazioni del sistema così configurato.
HARDWARE
- piastra madre ASUS P5QL o superiore con quattro slot di RAM nella quale sia possibile installare almeno 8GB di memoria RAM, due o più dischi SatA (meglio scegliere una piastra non economica con installabili 16GB ram)
- due dischi SATA tipo segate barracuda o similari con 7.200 giri 1,5TB (o superiore)
- 8 GB RAM DDR3 o superiore
- Processore Pentium CORE DUO QUAD o superiore (i nuovi Intel core I7 hanno il 25% di velocità in +…)
- scheda Video HD 4780 1GB RAM (o superiore: ora vi consiglio una Nvidia Quadro)
- Un alimentatore molto performante ed una ventola di raffreddamento aggiuntiva (fidatevi che serve)
- Un Monitor con ingresso digitale con pannello PVA e non TFT (es. Samsun 971) o superiore
- Un calibratore per monitor tipo spyder 3 o superiore (questi due ultimi componenti non influiscono ovviamente sulle prestazioni del sistema ma parlando di fotoritocco è essenziale possedere un buon monitor e un buon calibratore)
SOFTWARE
- Windows Vista a 64 bit in una versione che gestisca almeno 8GB di RAM (meglio 16 GB)
- Photoshop CS4 a 64 bit
NB
è importante sistema operativo e Photoshop, siano nella loro release da 64 bit in quanto, questo tipo di applicazioni sfruttano oltre 4GB di ram, limite massimo per le controparti a 32 bit. Da notare che non esiste in commercio (si parla della CS5) una versione 64bit di photoshop per Mac che resta “inchiodato” a 4GB come limite massimo sfruttabile. Prendete anche nota del fatto che i plugin a 64 bit sono pochi al momento. Noise ninja, image portrait e pochi altri. I software oneone per esempio funzionano solo a 32 bit ma non preoccupatevi troppo: la versione di photoshop a 64 bit installa anche la versione a 32bit perfettamente fuzionante nella quale potrete utilizzare tutti i plugin;)

Il passo successivo dopo l’assemblaggio del PC  è quello di disabilitare tutta una serie di fuzioni che Vista ha di default, ma che non sono funzionali alla finalità di avere un PC performante in relazione all’utilizzo di  Photoshop. A tal proposito vi segnalo questo sito: FAQWindows.com dove troverete dettagliate (quanto sicure) procedure per ottenere ciò che vi siete prefissi. Noterete come, in sostanza, disattivando:  gli “abbellimenti grafici” di vista, la sidebar, il servizio indicizzazione dischi e molti programmi in avvio automatico, in pochi minuti, riuscirete ad ottenere un sistema molto più snello ed adatto allo scopo, senza inficiare il normale fuzionamento del sistema.
Fatto ciò,  dovrete impostare photoshop in modo che sfrutti tutta la RAM a disposizione. A tale scopo aprite il programma e andate su: modifica – preferenze – prestazioni. Abilitate photoshop ad utilizzare il 95% della RAM disponibile e fleggate la partizione primaria (quella con windows installato) e non la secondari,  più gli eventuali dischi aggiuntivi.
A questo punto site pronti per testare il vostro nuovo PC che, vi assicuro, vi stupirà in quanto a leggerezza e velocità di utlizzo. Qui sotto trovate il video di un photomarge di 7 file raw in qualità 16 bit ottenuti da una CANON 40D del peso di circa 12.7Mb l’uno. Giudicate voi stessi il risultato finale e tenete presente che è una sola elaborazione dimostrativa e che il mio sistema è comuque datato (un anno) e migliorabile con pochi euro di diferenza. Ci sono mille altri vantaggi nell’utilizzo “normale” di Photoshop, oltre all’elaborazione di photomerge, cominciando dallo zoom immediato anche su immagini da 500 MB, da un’apllicazione dei filtri velocissima ecc.

Después del anterior post, donde quedó demostrado que aún siendo el mismo tipo de memoria, es más potente dá mejores resultados la de 512M frente a la de 1Gb, en uno de los comentarios, un lector me lanzó una proposición, ¿y si las pruebas las haces con 2Gb en vez de con 1Gb de RAM?

Como aún tenía el tenderete montado y motivado por mi curiosidad, no me costó mucho localizar un módulo de memoria Kingston 2GB DDR3 1066 y repetir las pruebas anteriormente hechas.

El resultado :

9800GT

EAH4830

Y yo pensando que al aumentar la memoria RAM no influiría en este tipo de test, ya que suponía que lo que se testea es el rendimiento de la gráfica.
Ahora reconozco que estaba equivocado.

In sfarsit, dupa prezentarea GPU-urilor de 40nm ce suporta DirectX 10.1, Nvidia anunta lansarea placilor video cu aceste procesoare luni, pe data de 12 octombrie.

Procesorul GT 220 lucreaza la 615 Mhz, placa va avea 1 GB de memorie DDR3 la 1580 Mhz, cu o interfata de 128 biti si cu 48 de procesoare stream, care vor avea frecventa pentru shadere de 1335 Mhz. Pe langa acestea, noua placa video va avea porturi DVI, D-Sub si HDMI si va suporta CUDA si PhysX.

Din pacate placa nu va fi disponibila consumatorilor directi, fiind destinata sistemelor OEM preconfigurate.

[via Fudzilla]

Hace unos dias, hablando con un amigo acerca de un equipo que vió en la portada del folleto de publicidad de tontolandia, me comentaba que ese equipo estaba bien porque llevaba una tarjeta gráfica de 1Gb y le servía para jugar.
Yo intentaba explicarle que una tarjeta gráfica, dentro de un equipo tan económico, por mucho que fuese de 1Gb no podía ser buena, pero él erre que erre que si, que si era de 1Gb era buena y le iban a funcionar los últimos juegos. Que si mejor 1Gb que 512, que si DDR2 o DDR3. Al final, ante tanta insistencia, decidí dejarlo por imposible.

Y ayer, aprovechando un huequito que tenía, decidí meterme en faena.
Cogí dos tarjetas gráficas de gama media, una de 512M y la otra de 1GB para ver si entre éstas realmente hay mucha diferencia.

El equipo :
* Placa base Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R
* Microprocesador Intel Pentium D 3,0Ghz
* Memoria Corsair 1GB DDR2 800
* Windows VISTA Home Premium SP1

Las tarjetas gráficas :
* NVIDIA 9800GT 1GB DDR3
* ATI RADEON EAH4830 512M DDR3

Test :
* 3DMark 06
* 3DMark Vantage

El resultado :

9800GT

EAH4830

Después de las pertinentes pruebas, y confiando que la lógica me daría como ganadora del resultado la 9800GT 1Gb, queda demostrado que no, por lo que llego a una curiosa conclusión, que nada es lo que parece.

The motherboard

The motherboard in any computer is the main circuit board inside the box. Whether you own a laptop or a desktop computer, the motherboard is essential to the function of the computer. The motherboard is a printed circuit board also known as a PCB. The PCB with all the components attached is the PCBA or PCB assembly. The typical components of a circuit board are present with capacitors, diodes and resistors. These components connect the electrical circuit within the board and each component has a specific function within the circuit. The capacitors store an electrical charge and can keep constant power present despite power surges and sudden drops in power. The diodes are silicon chips that allow current to only pass through the circuit in a single direction. The resistors do just what they sound like in providing a specified amount of resistance to the electrical current. Circuit boards are double sided with a component side and a solder side to place the components and hold them in place. A motherboard itself is useless, but a computer cannot run without the use of the motherboard. Essentially the job of the motherboard is to hold the microprocessor and have all the computer components connect to the motherboard through a slot, port or socket. All contained on the motherboard is the CPU or central processing unit, BIOS or basic input output system, memory and storage.

The shape, size and layout of the motherboard is referred to as its form factor. Many form factors have been invented over the years, but there are a select few form factors which are typical to most motherboards on the market. There are many different form factors specific for large server computers and smaller motherboards for mini computers. As the motherboard gets larger or smaller it is intuitive on how much the motherboard can be expanded as there are a limited number of interfaces for cards or upgraded memory or capability. The most common form of motherboards is the ATX form factor which was developed by Intel in 1996. ATX stands for Advanced Technology Extended, with the board measuring 12”X9.6”. ATX replaced the now obsolete AT form factor to become the default for new computer systems. There have been several variations to the ATX board with similar capability in a smaller board. The sacrifice comes with less slots being available for expansion. In 2003, Intel introduced the BTX form factor to be the replacement to the ATX motherboard. As technology progresses, the power demands for components increased and so did the heat given off by the components. ATX is still the most popular form factor for do-it-yourselfer computer builders. If you are looking to replace your motherboard in your current box, make sure the motherboard matches up with the correct dimensions. A smaller motherboard may have to be installed if the size of the box constrains the motherboard which can be installed.

The microprocessor or CPU is a main component on the motherboard which determines the speed and performance of the computer. The faster the processor, the faster the computer can process instructions or think. The socket is the interface the microprocessor fits into where originally, the CPU connected through a PGA or Pin Grid Array. There are a plethora of CPU selections to choose from starting with the selection between Intel and AMD. There are many common sockets which have replaced the outdated technology.

AM2+ is the newest AMD socket on the market currently. It is very similar to its predecessor the AM2, but the main difference is the 2.6GHz HyperTransport speed versus the 1GHz speed of the AM2. The AM2+ also features split power planes with each dedicated to the CPU core and the other for the IMC or Integrated Memory Controller. The split plane allows the CPU to be in a sleep mode, while the IMC is still active which equates to better power management within the system. The aforementioned socket is Socket AM2, which was designed by AMD and released on to the market in 2006. The AM2 replaced Socket 939 and Socket 754. Socket AM2 is a PGA socket with 940 contacts and supports the AMD Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64 FX and Opteron Processors. The socket features memory support of DDR2-SDRAM and is a single processor socket. The front side bus or FSB is a 200MHz system clock with a 1GHz HyperTransport, which makes the system faster by replacing the typical FSB structure. Although it is unreleased at this point in time, socket AM3 is AMD’s newest socket which is due out late in 2008. The PGA socket is expected to support a DDR2 or DDR3 SDRAM type memory. In terms of compatibility, AM3 processors will work on AM2 motherboards, but not vise versa, as the AM2 chips lack the necessary memory controller for DDR3 memory. Computer enthusiasts will be able to upgrade to the AM3 on the current AM2 board, but not be able to enjoy the DDR3 memory. The advantages lie in the user being able to install faster processors into their system. The only true means to fully appreciate the AM3 is to have an AM3/DDR3 board.

Socket LGA 775 is one of Intel’s latest sockets to hit the market. Also known as Socket T, the LGA flip-chip works with the Pentium 4 chips, Dual Core, Xeon and Celeron processors. The Socket supports Dual channel DDR2 800/667 Un-buffered / Non-ECC memory. Socket 775 replaced Socket 478 because the LGA format of Socket 775 offers better power distribution versus the PGA Socket 478. The FSB speed is greatly increased to 1600 MT/s or Mega Transfers per second, which is exactly twice the transfer rate of the preceding Socket 478. The chips are less fragile with their LGA format and have increased heat dissipation qualities by allowing it to sit perfectly level with the internal heat sink.

Both of the sockets for Intel and AMD’s latest processors fit on all the ATX form factor boards and any smaller board which is based off the larger ATX board. These boards include, ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX which are the most popular and common form factors on the market for computer enthusiasts.

The motherboard connects the different functions of the microprocessor to the rest of the computer through the use of a north and south bridge. The northbridge is connected directly to the processor and connects components and slots needing the highest amount of processor speed necessary to operate at their optimum level. The front side bus or FSB connects the processor to the northbridge. The southbridge is slower than the northbridge and connected to the southbridge are the slots which do not require faster processor speeds. Information must pass through the northbridge before reaching the southbridge.

Bus speed determines how quickly a circuit board can connect one part of the motherboard to the other. The bus speed is measure in megahertz or MHz and this speed will tell the user how much data can move simultaneously through the bus. When reading bus speed on a specification sheet, this is usually referring to the FSB or front side bus, which connects the northbridge and processor together. When selecting a motherboard, again knowing the desired function of the completed computer system is essential. The AGP or Accelerate Graphics Port connects the video card to the memory module and the processor. Gaming without any kind of hitch in the action is facilitated by having a high bus speed in the AGP.

PCI or Peripheral Component Interconnect is how you would add different cards to the computer or expand your PC. PCI was the standard for adding any kind of additional sound or video graphics card to your computer. These are your expansion slots. Because PCI is more of a general purpose expansion connection, the newer cards requiring higher bandwidth have also been form fitted to fit specified interconnects on the motherboard. The AGP or Accelerated Graphics Port is like the PCI interconnect in that it is a point to point channel specifically installed on a motherboard to interface with a high-end graphics card. Because there are typically more than one PCI interconnect on a motherboard, the AGP provides a dedicated access between the port and the microprocessor, which makes communication between the card and processor much faster. AGP has recently been replaced with PCI Express which was designed to completely replace PCI and AGP. PCI e does not structure itself around a bus speed, but uses a serially linked full duplex point to point system called, lanes. There can be up to 32 lanes of data dedicated to the PCI e and the motherboard. This allows for extremely fast data transmission. The fastest potential speed is 8 GB/s but the fastest available speed at this time is 4 GB/s. For serious gamers, and high graphic necessity, the PCI e is essential when selecting a motherboard. For enhanced 3D graphics, NVIDIA’s SLI or Scalable Link Interface allows the user to link two or more video graphics cards together. More than one PCI e slot is needed to have this capability as well as an Intel processor. Crossfire made by ATI is a competitor of NVIDIA’s SLI and can link up to four graphics cards together. The advantage with ATI is that they have opened the architecture to Intel after it was designed for AMD. SLI requires an SLI certified motherboard, while ATI simply requires more than a single PCI e slot. ATI has a higher bandwidth, but a slower clock speed. ATI’s Crossfire is not available for notebooks, where SLI is available for notebooks. Proper research, desired functionality and performance must first be ascertained before building the motherboard. Start with the desired processor only after investigating what components are supported by the processor.

Integrated Drive Electronics or IDE and Advanced Technology Attachment or ATA are interchangeable terms used to describe the port at which storage devices are connected to such as hard disks and CD-ROM drives. These drives are among the most primitive of the connections to a motherboard as the ribbon used to connect the drives was first developed in 1986. The cables or ribbon are in two varieties of a 40 wire or an 80 wire ribbon which connect the drive to the interface. Typically, a mother board will have two or more interfaces to connect these peripheral devices. The IDE or ATA is controlled by the southbridge as the speed needed to process the information is comparatively low. Each interface can handle two devices of the like. Many new computers have two CD-ROM drives where one can act when the other one is not.

Both of these drives are connected to the same ribbon and attach to the interface. The master slave relationship is described as the slave drive checking if the other drive or master drive is in use. If the master is not in use, the slave will operate. When setting up a second CD-ROM drive, the computer will ask the installer if the drive being installed is a master or a slave. Choose accordingly to what drive is which. When installing one drive, most situations require that the drive be a master.

There are several other components to determine the speed of your computer aside from the processor speed. The amount of RAM or random access memory present in your computer is a large determinate of how quickly your computer can access information in no particular order, or at random. There are several different types of RAM and motherboards will come with expandable memory slots where more RAM can be added to your computer. Should the computer become low on RAM, the computer will then begin using hard drive space for additional memory, which slows computer performance. Memory is usually bought in the form of DRAM or Dynamic RAM which is structurally much more simple than Static RAM or SRAM, but DRAM requires a capacitor refreshing, as capacitors lose charge over time and the memory will also fade. When purchasing additional RAM, the buyer is typically purchasing DRAM. The pieces of DRAM are about the size of several sticks of gum and are easily inserted into the slots where your computer will immediately have an increase in performance.

The only real visible portion of the motherboard from the exterior of the computer box is usually in the rear with the connections to the various peripheral devices. The ports are soldered directly to the motherboard and they connect your mouse or keyboard to the motherboard. Serial and parallel ports will connect a printer for example, where the serial can be used to connect a joystick for gaming purposes. This was the old standard, and most gamers hook up their peripheral devices to the USB ports. Although most computers come equipped with parallel ports, most peripheral devices can be hooked to the computer via USB. Your phone cable line and Ethernet cable hookup, as well as the various USB ports are also soldered directly to the motherboard. If you plan on attaching a high definition audio video device to your computer, the consideration of a Firewire or IEEE 1394 High Speed Serial Bus might want to be considered. The Firewire is preferred over USB because the Firewire has greater speed, higher sustained data transfer and power distribution capability and does not need a computer host. This equipment is very standard with all motherboards. The most important features to look for are of course the processor speed and what kind of expansion slots are available to upgrade the computer for specific needs. There is a lot of information which goes into selecting a motherboard, but with the proper research and knowing the desired performance and functionality, the average computer enthusiast can build himself a powerful computer with excellent capability.

Вчера Toshiba представи 3 нови модела от Satellite серията си – Satellite T110, Satellite T130 и Satellite Pro T130, които са доста красиви на външен и разполагат с доста добри спецификации. Всички ще разполагат с Intel CULV технологията, която би трябвало да осигурява много малко изразходване на енергия и да пести батерия. Satellite T110, Satellite T130 и Satellite Pro T130 ще бъдат с предварително инсталиран Windows 7 (не се споменава коя версия) и ще излязат на пазара в деня, в който стартират продажбите и на новата операционна система на Microsoft – 22 Октомври. Новите предложения ще се предлагат в няколко вариации за всяка, като разликата ще бъде единствено в процесора на съответния модел.

Цените и на трите нови нетбука на Toshiba не са споменати, но ето техните обявени характеристики:

Toshiba Satellite T110:

• Intel Pentium или Intel Celeron Single CoreTM процесор
• До 3GB DDR3 памет
• 250GB HDD
• 11.6″ LED дисплей с резолюция 1366 x 768 пиксела
• Вграден Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Вградена уеб камера с функция за разпознаване на лица
• 3 x USB 2.0 порта, 1 x HDMI порт
• Тегло 1.58 кг.

Toshiba Satellite T130:

• Intel® Pentium, Intel Single Core или Intel Celeron Single Core процесор
• До 4GB DDR3 Памер
• До 500GB HDD
• 13.3″ LED дисплей с резолюция 1366 x 768 пиксела
• Вграден Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Вградена уеб камера с функция за разпознаване на лиц
• 3 x USB 2.0 порта, 1 x HDMI порт
• Тегло 1.76 кг.
• Ще се предлага в следните цветове: Черно, Червен металик и Бяла перла (последния е много красив)

Toshiba Satellite Pro T130:

• Intel Celeron Single CoreTM или Intel Core 2 Duo процесор
• До 4GB DDR3 памет
• До 320GB HDD
• 13.3″ LED дисплей с резолюция 1366 x 768 пиксела
• Вграден Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Вградена уеб камера с функция за разпознаване на лиц
• 3 x USB 2.0 порта, 1 x HDMI порт
• Тегло 1.76 кг.
• Ще се предлага само в Черен цвят

Източник: Toshiba

45 nm işlemcilere hazırlanın. En sonunda X38 Q Hızla gelişen teknoloji masaüstü sistemlerimizin yenilenme vaktinin geldiğini gösteriyor. Özellikle oyunlar bu konuda itici güç konumunda. Intel’in yeni 45 nm işlemcileriyle uyumlu olan Asus’un anakartı, tabii ki LGA 775 soket yapısıyla eski işlemcileri de destekliyor. İşlemcinin etrafı Anakartın üretiminde tamamen katı kapasitör kullanılmış. İşlemci yuvasının etrafı geniş bir pasif soğutma sistemiyl çepeçevre kuşatılmış. Bu sistem sayesinde anakart üzerinde etkili bir soğutma sağlanmış. Aynı zamanda işlemci yuvasının etrafında bir açıklık bırakılmış. Bu sayede piyasada bulunan gerek aktif gerekse pasif birçok işlemci soğutucusunun rahatlıkla kurulması için gereken boşluk oluşturulmuş. Kart üzerinde 1 x 4 pin ve 5 x 3 pin olmak üzere toplam altı adet fan güç girişi bulunuyor. Sistemin sağlıklı biçimde soğutulması için gerekli ve hatta fazla fanı kasanıza ekleyerek ısınma problemini tamamen ortadan kaldırabilirsiniz. Anakart yalnızca DDR3 bellekleri destekliyor. Yeni nesil olduğu için bu desteği artık yadırgamamak gerekiyor. Anakart üzerinde bulunan 6 X SATA girişinin dördü anakartındışına bakıyor. Asus’un daha önceki  anakartlarında da gördüğümüz bu özellik daha iyi soğutma için düşünülmüş. Fakat kartı kurduğunuz kasanın biraz büyük olması şart. Aksi takdirde bu yuvalara kablo takmanız ve kasa içinde erişimizin oldukça zor olabilir.
Ayrıca 1 x ESATA ve bir adet 2 PATA destekleyen 1 X UltraDMA yuvası
olduğunu da belirtelim. Özetle kartın sabit disk desteği oldukça geniş. Kart RAID 0, 1, 5 ve 10 kurmanıza da izin veriyor. Anakart üzerinde bulunan iki adet PCI-E16x yuvası Crossfire kurmak isteyenler için düşünülmüş. Fakat enli ekran kartları kullandığınızda diğer yuvalar engelleniyor ve kart üzerinde
bir sıkışıklık oluşuyor. Genel olarak birçok anakartta yaşanan bu sorun, grafik kartlarının sağlıklı olarak soğutulamamasına sebep oluyor. Madalyonun diğer yüzü Kartın arkasında altı adet USB yuvası bulunuyor. Anakart üzerindeki girişlerle bu destek toplamda 12’ye çıkıyor. Kartın arkasındaki USB yuvaları ikişerli gruplar halinde birbirlerinden uzak halde konumlandırılmış. Bu sayede sıkışıklık giderilmiş. Bir adet ethernet girişi, altı adet ses girişi ve bir adet optik çıkış da bu kısımda yer alıyor. Ses kartı sekiz kanala kadar desteklenmiş. Tek PS/2 klavye girişi bulunan üründe,fare için ayrı bir PS/2 girişi bulunuyor. Son olarak bir adet ESATA girişi ve bir adet IEEE-1394 girişi, kartın harici birimlerle bağlantı desteğini arttırıyor. Kartla gelen yazılım ve donanım desteğiyle kartınızın çalışma, sıcaklık gibi değerlerini takip edebildiğiniz gibi, BIOS’a girmeden Windows ortamında değişiklikler yapabilmeniz de mümkün. Kartın genel yapısına baktığımızda, Asus’un iyi bir iş çıkardığını rahatlıkla söyleyebiliriz. Gerek soğutma gerekse genişleme imkânlarıyla kullanıcıyı memnun edecek kart gelecekte DDR3’ün DDR2’ye göre daha fazla fark yaratmasıyla daha da ön plana çıkacaktır. Sonuç X38 desteğiyle Intel’in yeni nesil işlemcisine hazır olan kart geleceğe yatırım yapmak isteyenlerin ilgisini çekebilir.