Monday, May 5, 2008
How To Buy A New Computer
Not terribly long ago, I wrote that anyone considering the purchase of a new computer should 'Stay calm despite tempting computer prices.' The revolution that took about six years to develop was underway at the time and newer technologies revolutionized the guts of PC's we can buy in the stores.
Break time is over. Capable 64-bit applications, processors and Operating Systems (OS's) are now mingling on store shelves with the old, standard 32-bit applications. SDRAM was stamped out by DDR RAM that fathered DDR2 and DDR3. Graphics hardware has become a branch of processor science all to itself. Single core processor motherboards share the market with dual-core processors and dual processor motherboards. Add to all that clutter on the market the impending release of the World's largest software maker's newest OS due out shortly and you get panic at purchase time.
With the idea of a computer purchase between 'now' and mid-2007, here's what's best for us... We'll need either a 3Ghz single core processor or a dual-core processor that's 2Ghz or better if we can't get a computer with TWO processors. We can even explore purchasing a 64-bit OS for any 64-bit processor scheme that we like provided the letters X and P don't show up together in the OS title.
Getting DDR2 RAM (the computer's short-term memory) where one stick provides a minimum of 512MB is great insurance against being left behind by a faster future. The DDR2 prefix means that it won't soon be phased out, but will get old enough soon to drop in price when it comes time to purchase another 512MB or even 1GIG stick to increase performance. Keep your eyes sharp on the Specification sheets and know that 'dual channel' DDR RAM is okay too.
Your love of graphics may not extend beyond the picture you have on your personalized desktop, but pay heed! "Shared RAM" was one of the best ideas ever, but is now so completely backward and obsolete that it's a term to avoid at any cost. That cost is quite real in many cases; high-end graphic cards sometimes have better RAM (DDR3) than the Motherboard. But this is paramount to a future that will be filled with online video and pictures in e-mails exceeding data sizes of 3 and 4 Megabytes. Nearly any PCIe or PCI-e (most common notation) or PCI-express card will ensure that you physically have a slot to fill in the future with a more powerful PCI-e card. The antithesis of good graphics cards is the replaced nomenclature, AGP. That's the slower stuff that PCI-e helped phase out even though PCI-e was slow to mature.
Finally, we arrive at one of the most understated but vital numbers to look at when purchasing a computer that should last us a while. It's called the chipset and is usually a three-digit number where higher is better. A Pentium 4 with a 745 chipset will not deliver the computational speed that the same Pentium 4 with a 925 chipset would. This difference can create a $100 jump that's worth it in the long run. The chipset more or less represents the speed limits on the pathways that data travels on. Faster is better.
Bryan writes about a plethora of topics for http://www.DINARIUS.com where computer users are made smarter everyday. Knowledge is wealth.
Nintendo DS Online Gaming
Every gadget that comes along these days cant be without the latest technology buzzword, Wi-Fi. For those who dont know, this allows a device to connect to other compatible devices without the traditional mess of wires by using a radio connection. Nintendos hand held console, the Nintendo DS, is no exception to this.
And why have they done this? So you can play Nintendo DS games online for free. There are a number of Nintendo DS online games available including Mario Kart that let you pit you gaming skills against other DS gamers all over the world.
On its own the Nintendo DS has a wireless range of only 30-100 feet so you can only play with other gamers who are close by. But in November 2005 Nintendo launched a service called Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that lets you connect to other DSs over the Internet. Not only that, but this service is free!
How can you connect to this free service? Well, you can do this using one of several different methods. First off, Nintendo have set up a network of wireless hotspots in public places such as cafes, libraries and they have arranged a deal with McDonalds to set up hotspots in some of their restaurants.
You dont even have to leave the comfort of your own home to access Wi-Fi Connection. If you have access to a wireless router you can you can set up your Nintendo DS to connect to other gamers online. There is room on your Nintendo DS to configure and store up to 3 of these connections.
Don't worry if you dont have a wireless router. You can still play Nintendo DS games online with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection if your PC has a broadband connection. All you need is Nintendos USB Connector. This plugs into your one of your PCs USB sockets and doesn't even require you to set up the connection like a wireless router does.
With an ever growing list of online games your Nintendo DS has become the gateway to a whole new gaming experience you can share with others all across the world.
Thomas Heaney is the webmaster of Nintendo DS Gamer and has been playing video and computer games in one form or another since he got his first computer, a ZX Spectrum back in 1984.
