How do I Build a Custom PC..?

How to build a custom PC ultimately depends on your overall working experience with computer hardware and specifications; as well as the budget you have allocated for this type of project.

Most folks who desire to build their own custom PC are either seeking a powerful game machine, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) machine, or high end multimedia production editing bay.

If this is the case, the best independent component investments to take into strong consideration are:

What is a Computer Port?

With each day that passes, we rely more and more on computers for all facets of our lives in the information age. Every aspect of daily life from financial matters, health issues, and leisure time all have ties to the World Wide Web and, ultimately, computers now. For some, their computer is their livelihood. For even more, their computer provides them a crucial resource for information, communication, and organization. One reason that computers are able to accomplish all of these remarkable feats that shape our lives is their ability to be versatile, powerful, and rapid in accomplishing given tasks. The cornerstone of the computer's connective capability is through its computer ports.

How does an Optical Mouse work?

Optical mice are the de facto standard for mice to communicate between the end user and the computer. The optical mouse is a great improvement over the mechanical mouse that was created in the early 1970's.

The Optical mouse was introduced in 1999 by Agilent Technologies; the technology uses a tiny camera that takes thousands of pictures per second to determine position and speed.

The optical mouse uses a very small light emitting diode more commonly referred to as an LED which is red in color. This LED bounces light off of a mouse pad or desk surface onto a CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).
Optical Mouse Process

First the LED produces a red light that is emitted onto a surface. The light is reflected off the surface back to the CMOS sensor. The CMOS sensor sends each image that is reflected back to a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) for analysis.

Using the thousands of images that the CMOS sends to the DSP for analysis, the DSP is able to detect both patterns and images and can determine if the mouse has moved, at what distance it has moved and at what speed. It is able to determine coordinates which are then sent to the computer that the mouse is hooked up to.

At this point the coordinates have been received by the computer and will show the movement of the mouse, usually by its cursor on the computer screen. Your computer is updated with mouse coordinates more than hundreds of times per second, because movement is so fast, the appearance of the mouse cursor on your computer screen is very smooth.
Benefits of Optical Mice

There are many benefits to using optical mice over its predecessor the track ball or commonly called manual mouse. First of all there are no moving parts. Since the optical mouse uses and LED instead of a tiny rubber ball, there is no way for the LED to stick or get dirty. This leads to high reliability. Many people complain that their manual mice need constant maintenance or repair. Optical mice usually work well for years without a malfunction.

Because the technology is more advanced and uses an LED and CMOS instead of a rubber ball to measure tracking, you will get much better response and performance. Usually, the better the tracking, the smoother the total experience.

Another great reason that the Optical mouse has become the most popular mouse technology is that you can use an optical mouse on lots of different surfaces. Manual mice need a mouse pad made out of a special material to function optimally, optical mice do well on almost any kind of desk top or materials.

Optical mice are also very inexpensive. Most optical mice are less than $30 and some can be purchased for less than $15.
Laser Based Optical Mice

A new technology has recently emerged piggy backing off of the LED optical mouse. The laser based optical mouse works similar to the LED based optical mouse. It uses a laser instead of a LED. The benefit is that because it uses a laser beam, the mouse can track much better, giving the user ultimately better response times, tracking and the ability to be used on even more surfaces.

10 Tips to Choose the Best Motherboard

Motherboard is the main part of any computer and you need to be highly concerned while choosing a motherboard for you computer. It is very simple to choose a motherboard. Motherboard is mainly integrated with number of devices.

It is highly recommended to select the motherboard with maximum number of ports with 2 serial, 1 parallel and 4 USB ports. It is also recommended to check the availability of upgrade options such as memory support and number of available PCI slots etc.

Here are some important tips to choose a motherboard when you decide to buy a new PC:

1. First thing you need to consider is the CPU you want to use because motherboard differs from CPU to CPU i.e. Intel and AMD CPUs both use different motherboards. This is because of socket type they use. The CPU needs the socket to communicate with motherboard components through the chipset.

2. Take a time to research on motherboards either from a computer magazine, online reviews, reading surveys, etc. And also look for some competitors on best motherboards online.

3. Do not go for costliest motherboard for unused additional features. Every time look cost for benefit ratio and select the motherboard assessing the utility value.

4. If you are looking motherboard for gaming purpose then you have to check for enough space around CPU to install larger heat sink-fan combination for cooling. So be sure to go for motherboard having facility to overclock Front Side Bus (FSB) in steps of 1 MHz and core voltage adjustment.

5. You also need to confirm the compatibility of chipset on motherboard with the speed of processor and FSB. It is very important step in order to improve the system performance.

6. Try to find out the feature rich motherboard for future upgrade and ensure about the extra PCI and memory slot for future expansion. This is important because the motherboard type you choose is sufficient for now but it may not always enough for latter.

7. Motherboard are also feature with onboard video chipset and an AGP slot. So if you are planning for expensive motherboard then be sure to check for such feature and also confirm whether AGP slot supports latest transfer rate.

8. Check the motherboard for onboard sound and integrated Ethernet because all the recent motherboard must features such thing otherwise you need to expense a bit more money to buy extra Ethernet chipset and sound card.

9. You need to consider on memory when selecting your motherboard. Most motherboard today comes with at least 2 memory slot and many with 4. If you are serious gamer then it is better to choose for 4 memory slots motherboard and 2GB memory card is enough if you like to add video graphic card.

10. Other things you need to consider while selecting a motherboard are the peripherals, such as keyboard, mouse, printer, flash drive, external drive and digital camera. You need to consider about battery ( you need to change it 4-5 years) and the preloaded BIOS (boots up computer)

There are still many things to consider while choosing the best motherboard. If you are still having a problem choosing a motherboard then you can look for some motherboard manufacturers for details on them. The best known motherboard manufacture is Kontron which deals with embedded motherboard the best for solution for wide variety of applications.

devilsworkshop.org

How to Make a Test Laptop Or Lcd Screen

Before you buy a new laptop or buy a replacement laptop LCD screen panel, you must want choose no dead pixel (burned pixel),no light pixe Lcd screen panle. The Simple question is who like trouble ? but if you have not specialized LCD test Software, you would read this article. It does not matter, we tell a good way to you,

Operating system has been installed
Click the “Start” → “Run”,input”command”(Windows 9X/Me operating system) or “cmd” (Windows NT/2000/XP operating systems),at this time,the “Command Prompt” window be open.input”debug “and click”enter”key.the screen will show “?”, the laptop run debug application.pushing”Alt+Enter”, Maximized windows fill the entire screen for test laptop Lcd screen.

Operating system has not been installed
Reboot your laptop ,enter DOS,input “debug”and click”enter”key.the screen will show “?”,the laptop run debug application.

input command
“F B800:00 F9F 20 70”Full-screen white，
“F B800:00 F9F 20 40”Full-screen red，
“F B800:00 F9F 20 20”Full-screen green，
“F B800:00 F9F 20 10”Full-screen blue.! `3 b4 M- ]1 p6 N. G

add gridding

“F B800:00 F9F C5 07 C4 07”Full-screen white gridding,
“F B800:00 F9F C5 04 C4 04”Full-screen red gridding，
“F B800:00 F9F C5 02 C4 02”Full-screen green gridding，
“F B800:00 F9F C5 01 C4 01”Full-screen blue gridding.

the way is very convenient. you do not need install test software,but also we achieve , l: m& J( d’ Z0 G Q! d/ I0 N/ V- k- Q/ x ?+ Mthe purpose of testing.

laptoppartwholesale.com

How to Install RAM for Your Computer

Most of the time, installing RAM is a very simple and straightforward procedure. The key is to do your research. Here's what you need to know:

• How much RAM you have
• How much RAM you wish to add
• Form factor
• RAM type
• Tools needed
• Warranty
• Where it goes

RAM is usually sold in multiples of 16 megabytes: 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 (which is the same as 1GB). This means that if you currently have a system with 64 MB RAM and you want at least 100 MB RAM total, then you will probably need to add another 64 MB module.

Once you know how much RAM you want, check to see what form factor (card type) you need to buy. You can find this in the manual that came with your computer, or you can contact the manufacturer. An important thing to realize is that your options will depend on the design of your computer. Most computers sold today for normal home/office use have DIMM slots. High-end systems are moving to RIMM technology, which will eventually take over in standard desktop computers as well. Since DIMM and RIMM slots look a lot alike, be very careful to make sure you know which type your computer uses. Putting the wrong type of card in a slot can cause damage to your system and ruin the card.

You will also need to know what type of RAM is required. Some computers require very specific types of RAM to operate. For example, your computer may only work with 60ns-70ns parity EDO RAM. Most computers are not quite that restrictive, but they do have limitations. For optimal performance, the RAM you add to your computer must also match the existing RAM in speed, parity and type. The most common type available today is SDRAM.

Additionally, some computers support Dual Channel RAM configuration either as an option or as a requirement. Dual Channel means that RAM modules are installed in matched pairs, so if there is a 512MB RAM card installed, there is another 512 MB card installed next to it. When Dual Channel is an optional configuration, installing RAM in matched pairs speeds up the performance of certain applications. When it's a requirement, as in computers with the Mac G5 chip(s), the computer will not function properly without matched pairs of RAM chips.

For complete guidelines on setting up Dual Channel configuration on Intel Pentium 4-based systems, check out this guide.

Before you open your computer, check to make sure you won't be voiding the warranty. Some manufacturers seal the case and request that the customer have an authorized technician install RAM. If you're set to open the case, turn off and unplug the computer. Ground yourself by using an anti-static pad or wrist strap to discharge any static electricity. Depending on your computer, you may need a screwdriver or nut-driver to open the case. Many systems sold today come in tool-less cases that use thumbscrews or a simple latch.

To install more RAM, look for memory modules on your computer's motherboard. At the left is a Macintosh G4 and on the right is a PC.

The actual installation of the memory module does not normally require any tools. RAM is installed in a series of slots on the motherboard known as the memory bank. The memory module is notched at one end so you won't be able to insert it in the wrong direction. For SIMMs and some DIMMs, you install the module by placing it in the slot at approximately a 45-degree angle. Then push it forward until it is perpendicular to the motherboard and the small metal clips at each end snap into place. If the clips do not catch properly, check to make sure the notch is at the right end and the card is firmly seated. Many DIMMs do not have metal clips; they rely on friction to hold them in place. Again, just make sure the module is firmly seated in the slot.

Once the module is installed, close the case, plug the computer back in and power it up. When the computer starts the POST, it should automatically recognize the memory. That's all there is to it!

History of Computer Printers

Printers
In 1953, the first high-speed printer was developed by Remington-Rand for use on the Univac computer.

In 1938, Chester Carlson invented a dry printing process called electrophotography commonly called a Xerox, the foundation technology for laser printers to come.

The original laser printer called EARS was developed at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center beginning in 1969 and completed in November, 1971. Xerox Engineer, Gary Starkweather adapted Xerox copier technology adding a laser beam to it to come up with the laser printer. According to Xerox, "The Xerox 9700 Electronic Printing System, the first xerographic laser printer product, was released in 1977. The 9700, a direct descendent from the original PARC "EARS" printer which pioneered in laser scanning optics, character generation electronics, and page-formatting software, was the first product on the market to be enabled by PARC research."

According to IBM, "the very first IBM 3800 was installed in the central accounting office at F. W. Woolworth’s North American data center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1976." The IBM 3800 Printing System was the industry’s first high-speed, laser printer. A laser printer that operated at speeds of more than 100 impressions-per-minute. It was the first printer to combine laser technology and electrophotography according to IBM.

In 1992, Hewlett-Packard released the popular LaserJet 4, the first 600 by 600 dots per inch resolution laser printer.

In 1976, the inkjet printer was invented, but it took until 1988 for the inkjet to become a home consumer item with Hewlett-Parkard's release of the DeskJet inkjet printer, priced at a whopping $1000.

How to Check a Sound Card

A sound card is a device that translates data into signals that can be output as audible sound to speakers or headphones. Sound cards usually have several input and output ports that are accessible from the back of a computer's case. Some sound cards are self-contained, meaning they plug into the motherboard through a PCI slot, while other sound cards are integrated into the motherboard itself.

Instructions

Checking a Sound card with the Dxdiag Command

1. Step 1

   Click on the "Start" menu and then click "Run."

2. Step 2

   Type "dxdiag" in the run box, then click "Ok."

3. Step 3

   Click on the "Sound" tab or tabs on the diagnostic pop-up window for detailed information about your sound devices.

Checking a Sound Card with the Device Manager

4. Step 1

   Click "Start," then click "Control Panel."

5. Step 2

   Double click on "Device Manager."

6. Step 3

   Locate "Sound, Video and Game Controllers" in the list of devices, and click the plus sign to expand the list.

7. Step 4

   Right-click on the audio device listed and select "Properties." The various property tabs will have information about the sound card, its driver and whether it is working properly.

Physical Identification of a Sound Card

8. Step 1

   Turn off the computer and unplug the power cable.

9. Step 2

   Use a screwdriver to take out the screws holding the left side panel of the case, and set the panel aside.

10. Step 3

    Locate the sound card inside the computer by noting which device your speakers are plugged into. If your speakers are plugged into the motherboard, you have an integrated sound card. If they are plugged into a card in a PCI slot (small, light-colored slots along the back of the case), it is a dedicated sound card.

11. Step 4

    Inspect the sound card for more information. An integrated sound card may not have any identifying information available, but a PCI sound card may have a sticker citing its manufacturer, the card type or other information.

12. Step 5

    Close the case when finished inspecting the card.

Identifying an Audio Device on a Mac (OSX)

13. Step 1

    Click on the "Apple" menu.

14. Step 2

    Click on "About this Mac."

15. Step 3

    Click "More Info."

16. Step 4

    Click "Audio" in the list of devices on the left-hand side of the window. This should produce a list your audio devices.

Tips & Warnings

• If your sound card is not working properly, faulty drivers are a likely cause. Try reverting to old drivers or installing new ones from the manufacturer's website to fix the problem. Laptops are likely to have integrated sound devices that can be difficult to access, so it is best not to attempt to physically identify laptop cards.

How to Check a Motherboard

All of the various components of your computer are connected in some way to the motherboard, so if it stops working your entire machine will be useless. Unfortunately checking a motherboard for problems is a much more extensive process than with any other part because every other component has to be ruled out first.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Power off the computer completely and then unplug all of the cables from the back of the case. Move the computer close to a different electrical outlet that you know for certain is working. Plug the power cable into the outlet and press the power button to see if the problem lies with the outlet or with a component on the computer.

2. Step 2

   Put your hand behind the power supply on the computer when it is powered and wait to see if you feel any air flowing from the fan, which will indicate that the power supply is working properly and is not the cause of the problem.

3. Step 3

   Turn off the computer and then remove the power cable. Set the computer case down so that the left side panel is facing up towards you. Check the back edge of the computer to see if the panel is connected to the case by a series of case screws, a twist-off thumbscrew or a metal latch.

4. Step 4

   Disconnect the side panel from the case by pulling up on the latch, twisting the thumbscrew off or pulling out the case screws with a screwdriver. Remove the side panel from the case and set it aside.

5. Step 5

   Check to see if there are any bent or burnt pins or transistors on the motherboard, which is the large flat sheet on the bottom of the case, to which all of the other components are connected.

6. Step 6

   Grab both sides of the plastic end of the SATA cable that is connected to the power supply and pull it out if the fan was not blowing air earlier. Remove the screws holding the power supply to the drive bay and then pull the power supply out. Slide a replacement power supply in and re-attach the screws and SATA cable.

7. Step 7

   Remove all of the SATA cables that are connected to the power supply a drive bays if the fan was working earlier. Pull out any expansion cards, such as video or sound cards, from the card slots on the lower left side of the motherboard. Remove the screws that hold the motherboard to the case.

8. Step 8

   Pull the entire motherboard out of the case carefully and set it down on a non-conductive surface such as a wood table. Place the video card back into the expansion slot if you are using one. Plug the power cable directly into the motherboard and then connect the monitor's cable into the corresponding port.

9. Step 9

   Pull the processor off of the motherboard and push down a replacement processor. Use a screwdriver to press in the latch that depresses when you would press the power button on the case. Check to see if the computer powers up properly, which will indicate the problem is with the processor instead of the motherboard.

10. Step 10

    Power off the motherboard. Repeat the process of using a replacement unit with the RAM modules and graphics card to see if either of them are causing the problem. Purchase a new motherboard if the computer still will not power on after replacing the processor, RAM and graphics card.

More Tips & Warnings

• Touch your hand to a metal object connected to the ground to remove the built up static electricity in your body before opening the computer case.
• Do not touch the motherboard or any of the components while the power is on as you can seriously injure yourself because of the electricity.

6 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows 7

Now that you've had a chance to install the Windows 7 Release Candidate and spend a few weeks exploring the OS, it's time to get serious and learn some keyboard shortcuts. Windows 7 adds some new ones to the mix, all of them based on the Windows key. Here are my five favorites:

Win + Home: Minimize all windows except the one that's currently active. Hit it again to restore the windows.

Win + Space: Makes all windows transparent so you can see through to the desktop.

Win + Up Arrow: Maximizes the active window.

Win + Left/Right Arrow: Docks the active window to the left or ride side of the screen.

Win + (+/-): Enables the magnifier and zooms in/out.

Win + P: Opens Windows' presentation settings so you can quickly adjust display settings to include a second monitor or a projector.

While we're on the subject of shortcuts, be sure to check out Three Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Learn Right Now, Seven More Keyboard Shortcuts You Need to Learn Right Now, and Five Firefox Shortcuts (also best learned right now).

Top 5 tips for buying a new computer

Get info from the three sources
Editor's reviews, user opinions and manufacturers information — each has a different perspective. Editors are going to have approached the product methodically and without bias if they are from an independent source like CNET.com. Users will have lived with the product for the longest time and in the most diverse ways, which can reveal flaws or benefits that don't become apparent in short-term lab reviews.

And Manufacturers will have a unique concept of how they intended the product to be used and what makes it stand out. Armed with these three perspectives you can feel pretty well-armed to figure out if the computer — or any consumer electronics product — is the right one for you.

Make more RAM (random access memory) your main priority with any PC
CPU speed and hard drive space are usually OK, memory is what's often skimpy on a new machine. All too often what is perceived by users as their computer being too slow is actually not the CPU speed but the amount of memory. When a computer has too little memory, it doesn't tell you, it just starts using part of the its hard drive space as a poor form of additional memory known as swap space or virtual memory. It's a clunky, slow way for a computer to run but it at least keeps things going. Much better is to give a computer the RAM it needs, 2GB at least if you want to run any of the latest operating systems with all their features.

Consider 3GB if you can afford it because there's almost no such thing as too much RAM and the sweet spot for RAM for most users is somewhere between 2GB and 4GB if they are running Windows Vista with all the bells & whistles enabled.

Shop for a laptop online and in store
You need to test drive the keyboard, mouse and monitor since they are integrated. You can always change the monitor, keyboard and mouse on a desktop PC but not on a laptop unless you have it tethered to a desk. Check the keyboard for good key action — the amount of travel from top to bottom of a key press; more usually feels better. Laptops use many different kinds of mouse pointing devices so make sure you like the one your new laptop uses. Or at least find out if you hate it and should buy a travel mouse right away.

And of course check the brightness of the monitor. Laptops are often used in brightly lit areas where ambient lighting it not idea, so make sure you have a bright display and one that seems large enough to your eyes.

Take advantage of weekly store specials
Computers are largely commodities, so chase a low price point aggressively. There are new models of computers coming on the market every few weeks and frankly they often differ very little in any meaningful way. So take advantage of the fact that the retailer wants to move the "old stock" by cutting prices of the remaining units in inventory. They also have other incentives for offering special price cuts, like special promotions from the PC manufacturer. The bottom line: There is usually nothing "wrong" with a machine that is being blown out cheaply since computers are very mature and not subject to dramatic technology improvements month to month. Shop for price somewhere in the range of $500 - $750 and you could almost go to the store blindfolded and still make a good choice.

Don't get hung up on parts
Computers are largely made from the same components. Rather, shop for a brand that will have good customer support. Computers are often considered commodity products since they all use pretty much the same guts, with just a different case and brand name on the outside. Businesses have known this for years and buy whatever brand gives them the best price when they deploy thousands of machines across an enterprise.

So buy like the pros and don't get hung up on some concept that a certain brand of PC is necessarily faster or better built than another. Instead you might want to ask friends and other users online what kind of product support experience they have had with a given brand of computer. That's where PC brands can differ rather substantially. Check the warranty, support section of web site, and even call their toll free support number with a test question to see what the people are like on the other end.