Cybersafe Press

Comparison of CPU Speeds - Benchmarks

2010-02-08T15:54:44-08:00

I get asked in classes on Improving PC Performance about CPU speed. With new brand names coming out from Intel and AMD (the two makers of most PC and MAC CPU's) it's getting harder and harder to compare what you have now with what you're thinking of buying, and to comparison shop by price between two or more computers.

Benchmarking is a way to compare two CPU's to each other and come up with an impartial

performance number. There are a number of industry standard benchmarks that will produce a performance number that a consumer can use to compare relative performance of one CPU to another.

The process is simple, a third party (not the CPU maker) creates a set of calculations for the CPU to run and gets the results. Each CPU tested is given the benchmark performance number and usually charted so you can see if a CPU is faster or slower than others that have been benchmarked.

One good site that benchmarks CPU's is Passmark's software site, where common CPU's that people are likely to buy are listed and ranked. The oldest CPU listed is a Pentium 4 2Ghz model with a rating of 254. A CPU with a rating of 500 would be about twice as fast, with 1000 would be 4 times as fast, etc.

This site gives you a way to compare what you might buy with what you have now, or to compate 2 computers to each other. The average laptop or desktop at $500 has a pretty powerful CPU which is more than adequate for most applications other than games and graphics.

Fall Classes Scheduled

2009-10-10T22:36:14-07:00

Here is my schedule for Fall 2009 classes:

October 17th Improving PC Performance Pasadena City College

October 17th Blogging for Fun & Profit Pasadena City College

October 20th Improving PC Performance Los Alamitos Recreation Center

October 24th How to Promote Your Business on the Internet Riverside Community College

November 7th   Improving PC Performance     Riverside Community College

November 7th Blogging for Fun & Profit     Riverside Community College

November 14th Improving PC Performance     Santiago Community College (Tustin)

Windows 7

2009-09-21T08:44:22-07:00

I've been using Windows 7 for about a month and have decided that Microsoft got it right with this one. Everything is easier to do than in Vista or XP. So far all the applications I ran on Vista have run successfully on 7. You won't see as much if the User Account Control - I barely notice it after I installed my applications. Connecting to wireless networks, projectors, printers, and other connections work much better. Boot up time was much shorter and faster. For more information see Microsoft's web site.

Lowest Cost Upgrade

2009-01-13T21:21:18-08:00

By far the lowest cost upgrade a user can make to their computer is the addition of Random Access Memory. If RAM has never been upgraded, the computer is almost assured of being in need of additional RAM. RAM is used by all software that needs to run, and as a result is a physical limitation of the computer that cannot be overcome with any tuning or cleanup.

In addition, RAM is relatively inexpensive and is easy to install. Even if you hired a technician to install the RAM, it can be installed in less than an hour, probably even less time.

Additional RAM can be purchased for less than $50 for most computers. The memory manufacturers make it easy to find your model and determine the maximum amount of RAM that can be installed. A lookup on sites like Kingston, Crucial, or others will help you find the correct memory for your computer model. If you don't know your computer model, you can check the mother board number, if you don't feel comfortable with that, a technician can easily determine the correct RAM.

Windows XP Stops Shipping?

2008-06-29T13:23:04-07:00

On June 30th Microsoft will no longer be shipping Windows XP with new PC's. However, there is an option if your BUSINESS depends on Windows XP. Note the key word BUSINESS, as in NOT a consumer. Consumers don't really depend on Windows XP and should be migrating to Vista.

Anyone making a new PC purchase will have to make a decision about which Microsoft operating system they choose to use. Microsoft WILL support Windows XP through April 2009 for bug fixes and security updates in what they call "Mainstream" support. Microsoft will also support Windows XP through april 2012 under "Extended" support which could require payment for bug fixes and security patches. You can read the details on Microsoft's web site here.

Buyers of Vista Business and Vista Ultimate versions can buy "downgrade" rights to run Windows XP Professional (not Home Edition which most consumers use). XP Professional is the version used by virtually all business PC's in corporate and education environments and has always been more expensive that XP Home Edition. For a business buyer that has usually purchased Windows XP Professional, the additional price for buying Vista with downgrade rights compared to buying XP Professional is negligible.

For a home user, it will cost more to get XP. The comparable cost of buying Vista Home Premium compared to buying a Business or Ultimate is significant enough to make you think about whether you really need to get another Windows XP system with a price difference of about $75-$80 between the two. In addition to having to buy the more expensive edition however, you will also need to buy the "downgrade" package with XP. Dell is offering XP pre-installed for $99 at a promotional price good only through July 7th. It's not clear what the price will be after that time.

Microsoft got a lot of bad press about Vista when it rolled out because it sacrificed some compatibility in return for better security and stability. Service Pack 1 is shipping with Vista and I've had a Vista system for over 6 months and haven't had any issues with it.

I did need to purchase a new versions of some applications that didn't have upgrades to Vista so there was some addtional expense involved. If you have applications that are more than a year old running on your XP machine, make sure the software manufacturer has updates for Vista or you may not be able to use it or have to buy an upgrade version (updates are usually free, upgrades you pay for).

Microsoft is moving us all to Vista whether we like it or not and with Service Pack 1 and over 120 million Vista licenses sold it's not a problem to buy on a new PC. For anyone with an existing PC, I recommend keeping the operating system that shipped with it but for new PC's, a move to Vista is more an issue of seeing if you can use the applications you are using now.

IRS Stimulus Check E-mail Fraud

2008-06-19T16:01:16-07:00

The FBI warns consumers of recently reported spam e-mail purportedly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which is actually an attempt to steal consumer information. The e-mail advises the recipient that direct deposit is the fastest and easiest way to receive their economic stimulus tax rebate.

The message contains a hyperlink to a fraudulent form which requests the recipient's personally identifiable information, including bank account information. To convince consumers to reply, the e-mail warns that a failure to complete the form in a timely manner will delay the issuance of the rebate check.
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One example of this IRS spam e-mail message is as follows:

"Over 130 million Americans will receive refunds as part of President Bush's program to jumpstart the economy.

Our records indicate that you are qualified to receive the 2008 Economic Stimulus Refund.

The fastest and easiest way to receive your refund is by direct deposit to your checking/savings account.

Please follow the link and fill out the form and submit before May 10th, 2008 to ensure that your refund will be processed as soon as possible.

Submitting your form on May 10th, 2008 or later means that your refund will be delayed due to the volume of requests we anticipate for the Economic Stimulus Refund.

To access Economic Stimulus refund, please click here."
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Consumers are advised that the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications via e-mail. In addition, the IRS does not request detailed personal information via e-mail or ask taxpayers for the PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.

Please be cautious of unsolicited e-mails. It is recommended not to open e-mails from unknown senders because they often contain viruses or other malicious software. It is also recommended to avoid clicking links in e-mails received from unknown senders as this is a popular method of directing victims to phishing websites.

If you have received an e-mail similar to this, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov.

Updated Class Schedule for Summer

2008-05-28T19:50:49-07:00

Here is my schedule for summer classes:

June 3 6:30-9:30 Improving PC Performance Irvine Valley College

July 10th 6:30-9:30 Improving PC Performance Santiago Canyon Community College

July 16 6:30-9:30 A Parents Guide to Internet Safety Pierce College (818) 719-6425 (phone to register)

July 17th 6:30-9:30 Improving PC Performance Rio Hondo College

July 21 6:30-9:30 Improving PC Performance Los Alamitos Recreation Center

August 2 9-12 Improving PC Performance Chaffey College

Reporting Internet Fraud

2008-03-26T04:25:00-07:00

The FBI's Internet Complaint Center serves as a clearinghouse for the receipt, analysis, and dissemination of complaints concerning frauds perpetrated via the Internet. It provides a single point of contact for consumers and businesses to file a fraud complaint via e-mail. The Internet Crime Complaint Center uses the complaint information to identify Internet crime trends, quantify fraud patterns, and to provide statistical data of current fraud trends.

If you have been a victim of fraud while conducting business or other activity on the Internet, you may file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

FBI Work in Cybercrime

2008-03-25T19:22:54-07:00

Who do you go to for help in fighting cybercrime? The FBI. They play two roles according to their web site:

The FBI plays two important roles in protecting cyberspace: 1) the FBI is the lead law enforcement agency for detecting and defeating cyber-based attacks against the nation's critical infrastructures by foreign adversaries and terrorists; and 2) the FBI works to prevent criminals, sexual predators, and those intent on malicious destruction from using the Internet and on-line services to steal from, defraud, and otherwise victimize citizens, businesses, and communities. Investigations can include unauthorized access (hacking) violations, denial of service attacks, Internet fraud schemes, malicious code (virus and worms), or copyright violations.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1

2008-03-23T11:44:10-07:00

I upgraded to Service Pack 1 last night and discovered a few device issues. While it's important to upgrade, users may find that certain devices are not functioning properly. After my upgrade installed and I rebooted, I discovered that my NVidia GeForce 8600 graphics adapter driver wasn't working, my RealTek audio manager wasn't working, and I had lost my USB backup drive letter.

Microsoft warns users that the Service Pack 1 upgrade will affect device drivers and some device drivers may need to be reset, but many users may discover they aren't sure how to do this for their systems. For step-by-step how-to for updating and correct your device drivers read more...

After your upgrade, go to Start, Control Panel, then select System and Maintenence.

On the System Maintenance Screen select View Hardware and Devices

You'll get a a permission request from Vista, select continue

In the list of device managers, check to see that there are no yellow warning signs or red icons, which indicate that your device is NOT working properly.

If there are no warning icons, all your device drivers are working properly after the upgrade and there is nothing more you need to do at this point.

If there is a warning icon, select the device (you may have cot click on the little "plus" sign to see the actual device link," and right click. On the pull down menu, select update device driver.

Vista will ask you if you want to check your hard drive or have Vista search automatically, select search automatically. After your device driver updates, your computer may need to be rebooted, and then your device should work properly.