Yogil's blog with articles about hardware and software

Computer Memory - Why It's Important

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Many of you have probably asked yourselves this many times. For those of you who are looking to buy or have already purchased a computer may still be asking yourselves what this piece of hardware does for your computer. Buying computer memory is not as simple as going to the store and asking a sales representative for it. Each computer can only support a certain type of memory.

Walk into any computer store and either look at the cute little sticker they put on the case or just ask the sales representative and they will almost always let you know exactly how much memory, or RAM, the computer has. Ask them what it means and depending on where you're shopping you may or may not get an answer. The purpose of this article is to help you get a better grasp on what you need to look for when it comes to computer memory.

A more common name for computer memory is RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. For those of you who are not fluent in computer lingo you may still be complexly lost.

To help you understand better about the purpose of RAM we will go over how anything gets done on your computer without RAM. Each time you start an application on your computer it goes through many steps to bring up the application you are wanting. It usually starts with an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. Let's pick on a well known application that most of you are probably familiar with; Notepad. You would start by taking a hold of your mouse and clicking on the start menu. Doing so would in turn pop up a menu. From that menu you would find and click on notepad. Once you click on the notepad icon, information is sent electronically through the wire of the mouse down to your USB or PS/2 port on your motherboard. When it gets there the information then travels to your processor. The processor then decides where it needs to send this information. Most of the time, the information is needed to be sent to your hard drive, since your hard drive is where most of your information is kept. Once the information gets to your hard drive it then searches for Notepad. All the files needed to run Notepad are sent back to your processor. The processor then sends the files where they need to go to run Notepad.

Now that seems like a long journey to pull up an application as simple as Notepad, doesn't it? This is what makes RAM so wonderful. All those files that are needed to run Notepad can be stored on RAM. When you click on the Notepad icon on your start menu your RAM will actually send the required files needed to run Notepad rather than the long trip explained above. This alleviates a lot of stress on your computer. Instead of worrying about where the files that are needed are and searching for them, RAM will step up and let your computer know, "Hey, I have those files right here! You can start Notepad now!"

If you have ever seen a stick of RAM you may have noticed that it looks a lot like little black squares attached to the greenish colored circuit board. These little black squares are where the information is stored.

RAM does this for starting and running all applications on your computer. The most important thing you must remember when looking at memory is that each application you need to run requires a certain amount of RAM in order for it work correctly. The more you have the better off you will be and the faster your computer will run. You have to be cautious though, having too much RAM can cause problems. The problems mainly arise because of a combination of both hardware and software restrictions. If you have a fairly recent computer you could safely get away with running 2GBs of computer memory. The operating system you probably use, Windows XP, will only support up to 4GBs. This isn't a lot when you compare the size to hard drive space. But your computer doesn't need a lot of RAM because the information that is stored in it is not permanent. It would be almost impossible for you to run so many applications and work on them all to 'fill up' your RAM with application information. But as technology grows applications will require more and more RAM to operate. So the amount of RAM that you can safely use will eventually increase. Windows XP 64-bit version already supports up to 16GBs of RAM and although it hasn't gone retail yet, Windows Vista will also support up to 16GBs. This will allow for programmers to create a more diverse range of applications to run on your computer.

The underlying factor in the benefits of getting RAM is two-fold. It relives stress on your CPU and can make your computer a lot faster. Now if you upgrade from 512MB to 1GB you may not see much of a difference. Going from 512MB to 2GB will undoubtedly show you some massive speed improvements with your computer. Always be sure to check with your motherboard documentation before getting RAM for your computer. Each motherboard will only support a certain type of RAM. Don't make the mistake of buying RAM that you can't even use.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Computer Memory

DeFragging Your Hard Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:47:00 +0000

A multi-tasker needs all the RAM his PC will handle. I just increased mine to 2GB and I can tell a big difference. On the other hand, 512MB is a pretty healthy amount of real memory for a notebook - especially if you are using a PIV processor. If you have a Celeron, however, it needs a lot of help. I have resorted to the reformat, reinstall process a few times - but it was always with Celerons and the computers were slow from the second you turned them on.

I would first try dumping all of your background programs. You can do that by running `msconfig', choosing `selective startup', going to the startup tab, and unchecking everything but your antivirus program. Another software maintenance issue (besides defrag) is keeping all of your junk files cleaned out (recycle bin, temp files, temp internet files, cache, history, etc.). I like a little program called `Window Washer' but there are several on the market, another problem you may be having is heat. If the underside of your notebook is not well ventilated it could be running hot - and that will really slow it down.

Multi-tasking is a memory thirsty pastime. Your CPU can clearly cope. Adding 256MB of RAM would make a difference; 512MB would have a much bigger impact though. Don't reformat mate, you'll be gutted afterwards, as you can never get things quite the same again. First, I'll list below, a way you may be able to greatly improve things by simply tweaking windows a bit.

You may or may not be familiar with Virtual Memory. (If you are, prepare to suck eggs, sorry) It's an area of Hard Drive specifically allocated by Windows to act as an overflow for when your system runs low on Physical RAM. So if your system has 512MB and your Multi-tasking requires 1024MB, Windows will use 512MB of Virtual RAM to make up the extra.

When you defragment your Hard Drive, the Virtual Memory is shown as Data that cannot be moved (Green). The Problem with Windows is that it manages your Virtual Memory Dynamically. Setting a minimum and a maximum value that, changes as and when required. This tends to slow things down as the Virtual Memory allocation becomes fragmented on your Hard Drive. In turn this delays your Processor as it retrieves Data from all over the place instead of simply off your Memory module(s).

The best way to overcome this is to monitor Task Manager while you are multi-Tasking. And while the PC is at rest. You need to note the "Page File" usage (This is another name for Virtual Memory). See how high it goes when you're hammering it, and how low it goes when it's resting. Deduct max from min and add around 10%. This is the figure you'll need later. Your aim is to end up with a Page File in one place with no fragments. All you're doing is optimizing your system.

Start by, Defragging your Hard Drive. Now left click Start,right click My Computer,left click Properties. You should now have the System Properties Window open. Click the Advanced tab,Performance Settings,Advanced. In The Virtual Memory area, click Change. Select Custom Size and insert your calculated figure (Max-Min) +10%.

You need to insert the same figure for both Max and Min. This will fix the memory size and stop windows from expanding and shrinking it dynamically. You'll probably be required to restart before the changes will take effect. Once restarted, you can go to Defragmenter and analyze the Drive to ensure you have just one Fragment of Page File. This information can be viewed in the report generated by Defragmenter. If you find the Page File is fragmented, try defragging it again to try and clear a contiguous area big enough for it.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for http://www.BuyRAM.info/ , a computer memory Super Store. BuyRAM.info carries an excellent selection of computer memory, notebook memory, and digital camera memory for every type of computer, notebook, and digital camera on the market. Click Here to Search for System Memory by selecting the make and model of your system.

How to build a Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:45:00 +0000

Building a computer is not like trying to break the bank at an online casino or a casino in Las Vegas, it is very simple, once you know how.

To make a computer work you must have a mother board a processor some ram a CD ROM drive and a hard drive, with these key components you can build a computer than can easily be upgraded ever few years instead of having to get an entirely new PC.

The first step in building a computer is to find a nice sized clean workspace. The next thing you must do it to lay everything out on the table so that when it is needed it is close.

Before going any further open the box for the motherboard and remove the manual from the box. The manual will tell you everything you need to know about building the computer. Not reading the manual for the motherboard before starting to build your PC is like gambling in a casino at the craps table, without knowing the rules for craps, and you would not play a casino table game without knowing the Gambling Expressions or the rules for that game would you?

Take the computer case and open the side panel. This will open the space you will be building the computer in. before touching any of the actual computer components make sure you have attacked your anti static line to your workspace and your wrist, a shock from your hand to one of the computer components can damage them permanently.

With the computer case you will have a bag of screws. In this bag are some posts, place the mother board in the case just to see where the holes line up, and in each of the holes place a post screw. These posts are used as spacers so that the motherboard does not sit directly on the computer case.

After putting in the posts, the mother board can be placed on top of them and screwed into place. When screwing in the motherboard make sure to use the paper washers on each of the screws attaching the motherboard to the case.

Now you can carefully open the processor box and remove it, carefully line up the cutout in the processor with the one in the motherboard, and gently put the processor in place. Once the computers processor is on the motherboard, make sure to lock it, to stop it from moving.

Before you can put on the heat sink and fan you must put on a layer of thermal glue to the back of the processor, this glue makes sure the heat flows from the processor to the heat sink and fan. Without this glue the processor will over heat and burn out fast.

Most modern motherboards have a Nic card, video card and sound card as part of the mother board. This make is much easier to build the computer because that is 3 less things that have to be purchased or installed.

Now you can install the Ram. This is done by locating the cut out of the ram chip and lining it up with the slot for the ram on the mother board. If you are not sure where to install the ram make sure to check the motherboards manual it will show you exactly where to install the ram.

Now all that is left is the hard drive CD Rom drive and some wires connecting the computers on and off button to the motherboard.

The mother board will come with the cables you need to install your heard drive and your CD Rom drive. It is simple to do just plug one end of the cable into its place on the motherboard and the other end to the device you are attaching; it is as easy as playing Keno.

There will still be 4 or 5 wires that will need to be hooked up from the case to the motherboard. These wires are for the on and off button the reset button and the power lights on the computers case.

By reading the manual and following the directions you can build a computer in about an hour.

Trevor Green has a degree in computer science, but likes to write reviews for Online Casinos because of his passion for Craps and other online casino games.

Physical Damages of Hard disk

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:43:00 +0000

When clicking sound starts coming from hard disk drive, this indicates that hard drive is facing some problem. This only happens when power fluctuate while you are working on the computer. This shows that your hard disk is physically damaged.

Some of the hard disks give message when such sounds start coming that some error has reached. Such kinds of troubles are faced by many factors but most common which becomes the primary cause for its failures are given below.

Hard disk head smashed:
Hard disk magnetic plates are used to store the data on the disk and head on the hard disk supports in reading and writing of the data. When head finds any scratches on the magnetic plates; sound is produced when head revolves on the plate to that specific sector for reading or writing data. This needs to be taken care of immediately because if you start fixing the damage then it may result in further disk damage. Immediately shutdown your system and call any recovery experts for consultation. Data stored in hard disk is very sensitive it should be examined and recover in clean room labs.

Bad sectors of the Hard disk:
Bad sectors of the hard disk are areas on the tracks of magnetic plates which get corrupted due to any reason. When head try to read data from these sectors, its all attempts go in vain. Sound heard during the reading of that corrupted sectors which indicates that some of the sectors are failed and damaged.
If hard disk is very old and its condition seems to be very bad; best tip to stream line it again is to scan the whole disk for bad sectors. Scanning process will help in identification of all the damaged or corrupted areas and it will not let hard disk to write any thing on those sectors again.

Damaged Circuitry of Hard disk:
Other than the above two major reasons, additional grounds can be cause of failure of some internal components of the hard disk. It can be out of order spindle; loose head of hard disk, wrong placement of head and any disconnected connection of internal circuitry.
This is always seen that after clicking sound of your hard disk it freezes or stop working any more. Best solution to fix the damage is to take your hard disk to any famous hard disk data recovery company.

Lesser space of storage:
If stored data on hard disk cross the storage limit of hard disk then hard disk uses the technique of virtual memory paging to do the task which are left to process. Such kind of tasks increases the processing of the hard disk and raises it to exhausted state.
In order to overcome over this problem some extra space should be added, for this purpose RAM and extra hard disk is the best solution.

Webmaster:

Geeksnerds, data recovery solutions UK offers data recovery services and software to salvage data from damaged hard drive, RAID system, laptop and removable storage media.

Fallout 3 bargain round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:05:00 +0000

Fallout 3 is officially released on Friday October 31st, and to celebrate we’ve compiled a list of specials across Australian retailers. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions normally retail for $119.95, while the PC version is slightly cheaper with a suggested retail price of $99.95.

Unsurprisingly, most retailers are charging similar prices for the game. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions can be snapped up for $89 at JB Hi-Fi and Kmart, while Dick Smith is charging just 74 cents more. For PC gamers, Kmart, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman are the best places to go as they’re charging a mere $79.

In case your wallet is still recovering from the global economy crisis, or if you’re simply a cheap skate, then you’ll be please to hear there are a number of trade-in deals on offer. First up, JB Hi-Fi is offering the 360 and PS3 versions for FREE when you trade-in three games – just remember to check their exclusions list (.pdf file) before heading into your local store. In contrast, you can pick up the console versions for $19.95 at EB Games when you trade-in two games, though you’ll need to make sure they’re on the eligible titles list. Lastly is GAME’s trade-in deal, where they’ll give you a 50% discount on any version of Fallout 3 if you trade in one eligible game (see below). Unfortunately, the deal expires on the 31st of October, so you only have two days to take advantage of it.

For a complete list of specials please see below:

Dick Smith:

360/PS3: $89.74
PC: $79.78

EB Games:

360/PS3: $119.95 or $19.95* when you trade-in two selected games
PC: $99.95

*For a list of eligible trade-in titles click here.

GAME:

360/PS3: $119.95 or 50% off* SRP when you trade-in one selected Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game.
PC: $99.95 or 50% off* SRP when you trade-in one selected Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game.

*Eligible titles include Madden 09, FaceBreaker, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, SoulCalibur IV, FIFA 09, LEGO Batman: The Videogame and Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat GOTY Edition. Trade-in deal is valid until October 31st only.

Harvey Norman:

360/PS3: $99
PC: $79

JB Hi-Fi:

360/PS3: $89 or FREE* when you trade-in 3 games.
PC: $79

*Exclusions apply. For a complete list of excluded titles, click here (.pdf file)

Kmart:

360/PS3: $89
PC: $79

Target:

15% off storewide. Ends Saturday, November 1st.

360/PS3: $101.96
PC: $84.96

Wow – Sight and Sound:

360/PS3: $99

MTV announces Beatles music game

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:05:00 +0000

MTV has announced a deal that will see MTV Games, Rock Band creators Harmonix and Apple Corps Ltd (The Beatles' media company, not the iPod/Mac creators) work together to create a new standalone title featuring the music and history of The Beatles.

The exclusive agreement will see the creation of an interactive music game created with input and support from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison:

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” Sir Paul McCartney said.

“It gives me great pleasure to be part of The Beatles / Apple and Harmonix / Rock Band partnership,” said Ringo Starr. “The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence.”

“It’s cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades.”

“People are having so much fun playing Rock Band. Combined with The Beatles tracks, it is a great way to either listen or participate,” said Olivia Harrison. “If you like the music, it doesn’t take much persuasion to get you to play.”

Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles LOVE project, will act as Music Producer.

Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music, was keen to express his excitement about the project, stating "We are honored to be part of this new way for people to discover the timeless music and art of The Beatles - the most creatively and commercially successful, critically acclaimed, and influential band in the history of popular music".

Speculation as to who would actually be getting the rights for The Beatles' game can now be put to rest. Hardware details are yet to be confirmed, but a Christmas 2009 release date has been mentioned.

New conquest maps available for Battlefield: Bad Company

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:04:00 +0000

EA Games have sent out a press release today stating that Battlefield: Bad Company players can now download the free Community Choice Map Pack. The pack is available right now via the PlayStation 3 Update, and will be released tomorrow on the XBLM.

The pack consists of four brand new Conquest multiplayer maps, gameplay enhancements (which aren't specified) and PlayStation 3 Trophy support. The maps include Par for the Course and Acta Non Verba, which where voted by "the community" as the most wanted single-player maps to be featured in Conquest mode. The other two maps were selected by the development team, and are Ghost Town and Crossing Over.

Microsoft Deny Blu-Ray For Xbox Again, But Is Is Time?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Okay, we could ask this question every time someone restarts the 360 receiving a Blu-ray rumour and publish the quote of Robbie Bach, Microsoft’s president for entertainment and devices, saying that its not happening. In fact, todays quote is “(that blu-ray for the xbox 360 is) so far out that there isn’t anything to talk about.”

This does leave the door open somewhat, and it may be a door that Microsoft need to walk through.

Consider the HDD install option, a great way around multiple disks, an option Microsoft has recently introduced. Unfortunately, large capacity hard drives are not an option, as the price is utterly dispicable with many of us needing to sell of one of our lesser used organs to purchase anything of practical size.
Also, as developers push the console further, higher resolution textures and sound are being packed into blockbuster titles. These require space, or a dreaded disk swap. A combination of the two could work, but who wants their one button start up that took them away from PC gaming in the first place to take such backward steps? And even if the game is installed on the HDD you'll still need the disk in the drive.

Of course, if you believe Microsoft, the answer is downloadable content. But lets face it, with new games weighing in at a minimum of 8GB , this is not a practical alternative for the masses, not at least for the current generation and probably not for the next. And as studios work more of a Hollywood angle into gaming, you can be sure these sizes will increase, particularly if the physical limit of the disk were removed via direct delivery.
It would be a safe bet that this is the last christmas that Microsoft can ignore the needs of the industry. To keep pace with an ever improving PS3 who are steadily increasing the worlds Blu-ray install base, the options are limited. Come the gaming explosion that will be next christmas, one DVD will not be enough.

Sony: We won't drop PS3 price this Xmas

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Sony believes that "the best [software] line-up of any PlayStation generation" will help the PS3 remain competitive this Christmas, despite the console carrying what's increasingly looking like a heavy price tag around its neck.

"As previously discussed we aren't making any price moves this holiday season," Patrick Seybold, director of corporate communications at Sony Computer Entertainment America told Edge.

"In my opinion," he added, "we have the best line up of any PlayStation generation going into this holiday and consumers will be very receptive to it."

Sony's managed to cut the sales gap between PS3 and Xbox 360 during 2008, saying last week that PlayStation sales for the year are 30 percent ahead of target, but Microsoft recently responded by cutting the price of its console for the second time this year, leading to a surge in 360 sales.

Nevertheless, Sony says it's confident that PS3's software line-up, along with upcoming virtual space Home and the console's multimedia features, will see the system prosper over the coming months.

"With PS3 titles for this including Resistance 2, LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM, MotorStorm: Pacific Rift to name but a few of our multiple exclusives, combined with PlayStation Home and increasing multimedia features for the hardware, we expect to have continued momentum going into and beyond this holiday season," Seybold said.

Call of Duty 4: Can It Maintain Its Online Appeal?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:49:00 +0000

It is October 8th, 2008. The avalanche of Holiday games is upon us. Each week now until the end of the year, gamers will be showered with new titles to choose from. Each year, a few shooters are in the mix of anticipated titles. Last year, the two heavy hitting FPS titles were Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I enjoyed both titles, but took to CoD 4 much much more. It is a title in which I still play on a very regular basis online.

This Holiday season, we have five very promising looking FPS/3rd person shooters, all with hefty online portions to go along with their single player campaigns.

Socom: Confrontation (PS3) 10/14/08
Far Cry 2 (Multi) 10/21/08
Resistance 2 (PS3) 11/4/08
Gears of War 2 (360) 11/7/08
Call of Duty: World At War (Multi) 11/11/08

With all of these new shooters being released, will Call of Duty 4's reign be over? Will the mass of players shift away to one of these new titles or multiple titles, leaving little or no time for CoD 4? This is something I have been thinking about over the past month. As much as I wish i could buy every promising title being released this fall, my wallet unfortunately will tell me I have to stop at two, at the most three titles.

I usually jump on the new shooter bandwagon each Fall. This year is going to be different. As I stated earlier, I love CoD 4. This has made me realize I may not need to buy as many shooters as usual this Holiday. As much as I want each game on this list of shooters plus about another 5 titles in different genres, I believe I have narrowed my Fall 2008 titles for purchase down to three. My decisions were based on the fact that I can live with playing Call of Duty 4 online well into next year to get my online shooter fix.

Fable II: I have completed all the meat and potatoes in Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and look forward to Fable II filling this void. I just hope the game lives up to the hype and has enough to do to keep me busy for quite some time.

Fallout 3: What can I say other then I'm f*kcing stoked for this game. It will be the first Fallout game I have played, but I am digging the plot and it is made by Bethesda. Whats not to love? A RPG that allows me to shoot in real time. Though its not a shooter, it will have similarities minus the online gaming portion.

Gears of War 2: Played the first title two years ago and can't wait for the second installment. I look forward to both the campaign and multi-player portions of the title.

As excited as I am for Gears of War 2, I enjoy FPS over 3rd person, so it is safe to say I will continue to play Call of Duty 4 on the regular as well.

In time, I will pickup Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet. I will also pick up Far Cry 2 if the map editor is as sick as it looks. Unfortunately, they won't be day one pick ups. It will give me something to look forward to play in the dead of winter. Plus Killzone 2!!!

Take part in my online Poll on this topic. Will Call of Duty 4 maintain its popularity this Fall? Or will it fall off? What are your thoughts?

Why Choose A Core 2 Duo For Your CPU In Your New High End Computer ?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:57:00 +0000

Most onlookers expected Intel to take back the performance crown from AMD, but few anticipated the sheer magnitude of this victory, or the nearly flawless style with which Intel performed it. And the Core 2 Duo is just the first strike in this battle, as Intel is also planning preemptive Pentium D price drops and has revamped its single-core Pentium 4 and Celeron D lines as well.

The Conroe excels in three areas, which add up to the very definition of what a current buyer expects from a top-end desktop CPU. These factors are price, performance, and power requirements, and the 65-nanometer-process Core 2 Duo and Extreme have surpassed their AMD counterparts in each, completing the same type of triple play that AMD had turned on the Pentium 4 and Pentium D.

The question of who's got the best performance is not even up for debate: The 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800 is the fastest desktop processor on the planet, and the 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700 is not far behind. Even the next-step-down 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 is an outstanding desktop performer that can outpace AMD's flagship Athlon 64 FX-62 in most tests.

Power and cooling requirements are also extremely low -- the Core 2 Duo line offers the lowest power draw of any dual-core processor, with the Core 2 Duo Extreme not far off. Prices are also extremely competitive. In fact, it's amazing that for such a competitive price , the Core 2 Duo E6600 can outrun AMD's entire desktop lineup. The lower-end Core 2 Duo E6300 and E6400 models are even more affordable, although their 2MB instead of 4MB of Level 2 cache mean their relative performance isn't as high.

Intel has accomplished this via a drastic shift away from the Pentium's NetBurst technology. Conroe's next-generation core performs more instructions per clock cycle (IPC), rather than having a longer and potentially less efficient pipeline that can be clocked into the stratosphere. Core 2 processors' 2MB or 4MB of 256-bit L2 cache feature what Intel calls Advanced Smart Cache, dynamically shared between the two cores for maximum efficiency rather than chaining half the cache to each core.

With IPC levels exceeding those of AMD plus clock speeds up to 2.93GHz and a 1066MHz front-side bus, Intel has moved well ahead in the performance game despite sticking with traditional CPU and chipset architecture rather than AMD's on-chip-memory-controller approach.

The Conroe design also reflects a need to keep power requirements and heat production down via various power-saving technologies. Since the basic architecture will be shared through all of Intel's processor lines (except the Itanium), including upcoming mobile CPUs, this translates into very power-efficient processing.

The Core 2 Duo and Extreme processors may offer industry-leading performance, but Intel's SpeedStep technology ensures that the chips can ramp down the multiplier and reduce clock speed to conserve battery power and/or lower core heat levels.

Moreover, new Intelligent Power Capability can go beyond slowing the CPU as a whole to turning various core functions on and off as required. These power-saving techniques don't get in the way of outright performance, as the Conroe instantly jumps back to top speed when required.

Through the use of technical expertise obtained through advanced CPU server technology and exprertise Intel has leapfrogged once again to a combination of power , low energy use and heat production and reliability especially since with advances in CPU speed can disabling and damaging hear.

The Core 2 Duo CPUs should be a major consideration in your next high end computer purchase.

About The Author:
Mr. Arthur Fellon IT Dept Head Ace Employment Services http://www.aceemploymentservices.net Interest in Vintage Computer Technology http://www.vintageomputersystems.net http://www.vintagecomputermanuals.com

How to build a Computer

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Building a computer is not like trying to break the bank at an online casino or a casino in Las Vegas, it is very simple, once you know how.

To make a computer work you must have a mother board a processor some ram a CD ROM drive and a hard drive, with these key components you can build a computer than can easily be upgraded ever few years instead of having to get an entirely new PC.

The first step in building a computer is to find a nice sized clean workspace. The next thing you must do it to lay everything out on the table so that when it is needed it is close.

Before going any further open the box for the motherboard and remove the manual from the box. The manual will tell you everything you need to know about building the computer. Not reading the manual for the motherboard before starting to build your PC is like gambling in a casino at the craps table, without knowing the rules for craps, and you would not play a casino table game without knowing the Gambling Expressions or the rules for that game would you?

Take the computer case and open the side panel. This will open the space you will be building the computer in. before touching any of the actual computer components make sure you have attacked your anti static line to your workspace and your wrist, a shock from your hand to one of the computer components can damage them permanently.

With the computer case you will have a bag of screws. In this bag are some posts, place the mother board in the case just to see where the holes line up, and in each of the holes place a post screw. These posts are used as spacers so that the motherboard does not sit directly on the computer case.

After putting in the posts, the mother board can be placed on top of them and screwed into place. When screwing in the motherboard make sure to use the paper washers on each of the screws attaching the motherboard to the case.

Now you can carefully open the processor box and remove it, carefully line up the cutout in the processor with the one in the motherboard, and gently put the processor in place. Once the computers processor is on the motherboard, make sure to lock it, to stop it from moving.

Before you can put on the heat sink and fan you must put on a layer of thermal glue to the back of the processor, this glue makes sure the heat flows from the processor to the heat sink and fan. Without this glue the processor will over heat and burn out fast.

Most modern motherboards have a Nic card, video card and sound card as part of the mother board. This make is much easier to build the computer because that is 3 less things that have to be purchased or installed.

Now you can install the Ram. This is done by locating the cut out of the ram chip and lining it up with the slot for the ram on the mother board. If you are not sure where to install the ram make sure to check the motherboards manual it will show you exactly where to install the ram.

Now all that is left is the hard drive CD Rom drive and some wires connecting the computers on and off button to the motherboard.

The mother board will come with the cables you need to install your heard drive and your CD Rom drive. It is simple to do just plug one end of the cable into its place on the motherboard and the other end to the device you are attaching; it is as easy as playing Keno.

There will still be 4 or 5 wires that will need to be hooked up from the case to the motherboard. These wires are for the on and off button the reset button and the power lights on the computers case.

By reading the manual and following the directions you can build a computer in about an hour.

Trevor Green has a degree in computer science, but likes to write reviews for Online Casinos because of his passion for Craps and other online casino games.

Computers: External Hard Drive Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Even though there are several ways that you can store your data, at some point in time the electronic or mechanical device is bound to break down, resulting in a loss of data. Even though the device may work good for years, it can always break down when you least expect it, with no way to avoid it.

Hard drives are the most common way to store data, although they are mechanical devices and can break down or crash at any time. When they crash, youâ€™ll normally lose all of your data, which can put you in quite a bind. To be on the safe side and keep yourself protected, you should always have a backup plan, such as an external hard drive.

An external hard drive is very handy to have around. You can store any type of file on it, including music and pictures. Most people use them for videos, as they can store a lot of videos. You can get them in many different sizes, going as high as 500 GB. If you have a lot of video on your computer that is taking up a lot of much needed space, you can easily transfer it to an external hard drive and free up some of your space.

On the data recovery side of things, external hard drives are a great solution. You can back up your entire hard drive on them, even a mirror image.

Most external drives are FireWire or USB compatible and will work with most computers. To use an external drive all you need to do is connect it to your computer. Then, using the software that came with the device, you can begin to transfer your data and files.

If you have a big hard drive, youâ€™ll want to get a bigger external hard drive. If you are transferring your entire internal hard drive to the external drive, it may take you a few minutes. You can also add files and such along the way as well, if you get newer files to add. Backing up your entire hard drive to an external drive is a very smart idea, especially if your area gets a lot of electrical storms. Once you have backed up all of your data to an external hard drive, you can rest assured that your information will be there when you need it. External drives donâ€™t crash, for the simple fact that they arenâ€™t in use until you need them. The registry keeps growing when you use Windows. As it does, it attracts obsolete information and becomes cluttered. Get Free Registry Cleaner Scan here!

They will last you many years as well, which makes them great for pictures and other precious files. If you own a business, you may find them to the best way to store your business documents and other files that relate to your company.

All in all, external hard drives are the perfect way to create a back up of your data. Once you have your data backed up, youâ€™ll be ready for anything that happens to your internal hard drive. In the event of a crash, you can use your external hard drive and transfer the data back to your hard drive, and be back up and running in no time at all.

External hard drives take all of the guess work out of the data recovery process - and may also save you the trouble of having to send your hard drive off to be repaired.Scan your registry for free at http://www.registry-cleaners-reviewed.info

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PlayStation Network – What Does it Have to Offer?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:52:00 +0000

One of the main features of the PlayStation 3 is its ability to hook up to the Internet and allow owners to download some fantastic exclusive content, with one such example of what is on offer being fresh games ready to be installed onto your hefty PlayStation 3 hard disk drive and then played to your heart’s content. But there are already several games out there that are bustling for your attention and it can be confusing trying to decide which one is most worthy of your hard earned cash. Step up PS3 chat, with a handy guide of what is currently up for selection and should be catching your eye…

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection (845 MB, £6.99)
The most obvious choice of what to look at is Namco Bandai’s very impressive Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, which started life as a full priced PlayStation Portable title, but has now been transferred to this different medium. This makes a welcome change from what many thought would happen, in other words the new game is much more appreciated than a re-release of an old PSone version from the series’ past! With the handheld edition of the game costing £34.99, this certainly is a real bargain that has been available from Day One here in Europe.

In fact, this is a far better prospect than the PlayStation Portable edition, since it is actually a more faithful translation of the original arcade game, which was built on PlayStation 2 hardware, meaning that there is a lot more gloss to proceedings and the benefits of using a proper controller in the form of the Sixaxis must not be overlooked either. Now you have no worries about bashing away to pull off those combination fighting manoeuvres and possibly dropping or damaging your expensive portable device anymore!

The only real drawback is that two of the PSP modes have been ditched, as they were not included in the arcade version. Therefore, Command Attack and Gold Rush are absent, as well as a Training Mode that means complete newcomers may indeed become far too overwhelmed at the prospect of figuring out all the moves on offer. Thankfully the Ghost Mode is still present and correct, emulating the true arcade experience of being able to choose whatever direction you wish to head in, honing your skills along the way. Mix in a rudimentary multiplayer mode, thirty four characters, plus accessories that can be unlocked for your fighters and you have quite a damn good title on your hands.

Blast Factor (97 MB, £3.49)
Next up is a brand new offering from Bluepoint Games, an outfit that appears to have no prior games to its name, but has delivered the goods with this shooter, available at a ridiculously low price…and the wonderful thing here is that included in that price are the co-operative and versus modes that had to be bought separately over in the US. No doubt many of you will have heard of Geometry Wars and Mutant Storm for the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade platform and this game definitely falls into a similar category as those.

The basic aim is to rid cells of deadly viruses by blasting them with your handy laser beam. First of all, there are three different speed settings on offer, with higher points available for multiple kills during the faster modes, providing high score fanatics with something to aim for – definitely a must addition for such an ‘old skool’ effort. Next up, each level is set in a hexagonal stage format, with enemies flying in from all angles, leaving you to rely on your skills and instincts to blast them down without delay. Depending on how quickly you despatch the enemies and your overall performance (such as not being killed even once during a particular level), you will be taken along different routes towards the final goal, and along the way there will be no easy ride, with large bosses awaiting you as well.

Other extras included that try and make this feel like a more impressive effort than its brethren are things like a pulse that slows everything down for a limited time, allowing for the ducking out of sticky situations during moments of high intensity and use of the Sixaxis motion controller. This is used for what probably seemed like a great idea on paper, but not in the best way possible in reality, with the addition seemingly clumsy and detrimental to play at times when the tilting is activated involuntarily as your hands naturally move during gameplay! However, it is essential for killing certain enemies as specific ones require flipping over before they can be despatched…Luckily for those that are still unconvinced there is the option to download a small demo version to get a nice taste for how the game handles.

flOw (128 MB, £3.49)
Coming from thatgamecompany ( whom PS3 Chat interviewed recently ), flOw originates from an online Flash game that has been fully re-worked and transformed into a delectable PlayStation Network offering that, whilst a little on the short side, definitely justifies the cost of purchase. The game is somewhat like a life simulator in that you evolve by eating others, and by doing so it means you can eat larger things as you progress.

Akin to a traditional scrolling shooter, though, you take control of a creature ready to zoom along and digest anything in its path that is possible to consume. This time, however, precise Sixaxis control has been implemented, so that tilting forward or backward brings your creature up or down on the screen and left or right tilts correspond to appropriate on-screen movements – you literally do ‘flow’ with the greatest of ease. Each stage of the evolutionary process allows you to access special moves that are accessed using the controller’s button layout. These range from basic speed boosts to more intriguing options such as a petrifying move that simply stops other beings in their tracks.

In order to progress further into the game, deeper into the unknown waters, you must locate a red sign floating around the water, with a similar blue indicator somewhere around that allows back tracking to early stages. This means that should you so wish, you can just hunt down the red marker and fly through the game as quickly as possible. However, it is far more entertaining and rewarding to follow the game’s mellow pace and relax as you work through the Electroplankton-style world (a niche Nintendo DS music creation game from artist Toshio Iwai that looks remarkably like flOw), discovering new transformations as you munch your way through the various creatures around you, whilst fending off the interference of others with the same goal as you (the game supports four players, so the game can become quite hectic!). £3.49 well spent indeed…

Go! Sudoku (78 MB, Free for the starter pack)
The coding brain behind the recent Virtua Tennis 3 and OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Sumo Digital, is back with a new take on the age old Sudoku puzzle craze. In fact, this is a port of its PlayStation Portable game of the same name, except with the addition two four player online modes, the first being ‘Versus’ where you see who can complete a whole Sudoku grid quickest, and ‘Battle’, which has you facing off against others to see who can clear sub-grids quickest.

For those not sure what Sudoku actually is, the idea behind it all is that you are faced with a large nine by nine grid that must be filled up with digits ranging from one through to nine. Each horizontal line can only have any one digit from this range and the same goes for each vertical line, and… each separate three by three grid (of which there are, of course, nine in total). Sounds complicated, right? Well, the trick is that each digit must be uniquely placed, meaning a ‘1’ cannot appear more than once in any horizontal or vertical line, or separate grid. When starting up a puzzle (of which there are a massive 520 ‘easy’ ones on offer in the completely free starter pack) there will already be select numbers placed around the large grid. From these it is up to you to work out how best to fit other numbers in without any clashes occurring.

Of course, there are various settings available to increase the tension, such as having a set time to beat or time limit in which to complete a puzzle. Whilst it all may sound more than a little confusing when written here in an attempted explanation, practice in real-time is the key and Sudoku very quickly becomes simple to get to grips with and proves to be highly addictive. The major drawback here is the bright colours and effects in the background that can prove rather distracting and have no real place in such a game. But other than that you have a great time waster on your hands, with 680 extra puzzles to download across varying levels of difficulty for a nominal price.

Gran Turismo HD Concept (630 MB, Completely free of charge!)
Rounding off our look at the best on offer from the PlayStation Network games currently on the server to download, Europeans are treated to the latest update of Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo HD Concept, in the form of Version 2.0, which includes force feedback. Surprised? Well, Immersion and Sony have settled their differences, kissed and made up, leaving Polyphony free rein to rework its Gran Turismo demo to take advantage of the following Logitech steering wheels’ rumble technology: Driving Force Pro, GT Force, Driving Force and Driving Force EX.

The demo that is aimed at building hype for the eventual launch of Gran Turismo 5 on the PlayStation 3 features ten cars, all readily available in various colours, along with one track to race on. What proves to be the draw is how there are many features to unlock from repeated play. Starting the demo with just one car, the Suzuki Cappuccino, you can only choose to play Time Attack on the game’s single track, having to beat the set time whilst racing around the Eiger Nordwand course. Once the time is cracked, another vehicle becomes available, along with a lower time to match. Eventually you progress to the point where a reversed version of the course is unlocked, along with tuned versions of the vehicles and a ‘Drift Attack’ mode where points are attributed to graceful skidding around corners.

And, of course, everything looks spectacular, with some of the most realistic graphics ever seen in a racing game of this ilk so far. With an easy to use interface, plus online ranking mode that allows you to compare yourself against others around the world in terms of track variation and what times you have achieved with different vehicles, plus even watch the top ten performances with the greatest of ease, Gran Turismo HD Concept is a fabulous free taster for the full game that is due out in just over a year’s time.

Between those great games that are ready to download now and the wealth of trailers, new demos and even downloadable PSone games that are on the horizon, the PlayStation Network is certainly picking up quickly and proving to be a great addition to the already bustling full game line up available at retail!

Article by Adam Rile

A New Level in Gaming

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:48:00 +0000

Those of us of a certain age can remember a time when computer gaming signified all the excitement inherent in a game of Pong, that toe-curlingly breathtaking game where one or two players hit a computerized ball against a computerized wall or between tow, you guessed it, computerized paddles. While those early days of gaming were exciting enough for a generation to whom all this technology was new, today's gamers are merely bemused by what used to pass for a good time. But then they're used to so much more, a fact exemplified perfectly by the 2005 pre-Christmas release of Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Computer gaming has come a long way in the last twenty years. From iconic Atari Pac-man who chomped through a screen of varying two-dimensional foes, gaming today is now barely recognizable as the same species of fun. Today an enormous variety of games include graphics that are startlingly life-life and storylines complex enough to sustain film versions of the same plot, creating a leisure activity so immediate and thrilling that it satisfies the urges of the most dedicated adrenaline junkie.

The Xbox 360 exemplifies all that is possible in today's gaming world. With powerful graphic and audio capabilities, this console offers a gaming experience that is second to none. And as developments in the world of technology allow functional lines to be easily crossed, the Xbox 360 also offers much more than those old Atari games ever could.

With the release of the Xbox 360, Microsoft also revamped their Xbox live, the service that allows gamers to connect to the Internet and thereby to one another, creating their own personal profile and gaming history and buddy lists that allow communication between fellow gamers. As well as this high quality gaming experience, and the ability to share it with others, the Xbox 360 also acts as a larger media center, allowing users to download movies, music and pictures, on top of playing movies on DVD and music CDs.

With the release of the Xbox 360, many reviewers argue that Microsoft has set a new standard for gaming. And with a variety of functions and an enormous array of games to choose from, there is little doubt that this new standard will not disappoint.

Xbox 360 - Gamer's Dream Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:48:00 +0000

The Xbox360 is a video game console that is visionary. It competes with the Sony Play Station 3 and Nintendo Revolution. A gamers' dream machine, the Xbox 360 is sold in two versions a premium edition that has a hard drive, a wireless controller, headset, Ethernet cable, a HD AV cable, and an Xbox live silver subscription and a core system.

Powerful and futuristic the Xbox360 includes HD gaming, perfect sound, and sensational graphics. The system offers high-end gaming with several exciting possibilities. It revolutionizes video game consoles and is, in actuality, a computer dedicated to gaming. It is not just a gaming machine it is a media center that allows you to play games, network with other gamers around 360 of them, rip, stream, and download high definition movies, music, digital pictures, games, music, and play DVDs and CDs. It is what makes dreams into realities.

The Xbox360 has around 18 titles in the US including games like Call of Duty 2, Dead or Alive 4, Every Party, FIFA 06, NBA live, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, and Project Gotham Racing 3. Technically, it has advanced graphics and a 115 GFLOPS theoretical peak performance. All games support a six channel Dolby Digital Sound with no voice echo.

Apart from video and DVD playing the X box 360 live market place allows the user to connect to Xbox live even if offline. Users can view messages and game invites sent by other Xbox live members. The live market place allows download of avatars, trailers, as well as game demos.

With the Xbox360 a person can view a complete record of games played, play games downloaded from marketplace, play game demos, watch movie as well as game trailers, listen to music customized for the user, view pictures as well as videos stored on a camera or any other portable device, and activate the media center extender.

The Xbox 360 has backward compatibility and so, users can play games originally developed for the earlier versions of the box. Wireless connectivity and wireless controllers offer great freedom and connectivity at large distances. And, you can download and play arcade style games using the Xbox Live Arcade. Game demos and trailers are offered free but full versions of games have to be purchased using Xbox Live Marketplace using Microsoft points which can be bought through Live or via game cards sold retail.

Technically a few small glitches have been reported. There is what is known as the Xbox360 screen or death which is an error screen. This stops the console and the user is requested to contact technical support. Another problem is that of the Xbox 360 freezing due to overheating. To solve this, users are requested to ensure proper airflow and a cooler environment. If the Xbox is moved from its vertical to its horizontal position while reading a disc, the movement causes the pickup assembly to brush against the disc resulting in radial scratches. Often the Xbox displays red lights instead of a green ring of light to indicate errors.

The X box360 transforms gaming experience into something futuristic and exciting.

Xbox 360 - Gaming Now

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:47:00 +0000

With a variety of gaming consoles available today, all produced by well known and high profile corporations, it can be difficult to know which one is the best to invest your hard earned money in. The choice can become even more overwhelming as technology marches on relentlessly and consoles seem to change as quickly as you can turn around, so if you are having some trouble making a choice, here are some thoughts that might just help you out.

The average lifespan, it is estimated, of a games console is about five years. That is not to say that your still working gaming equipment will suddenly and inexplicably combust after a five year period, rather that at about that time, manufacturers typically introduce a more technologically advanced version of their former console. If being at the cutting edge of technology is important to you, then purchasing a console at the start of this standard five-year period is a wise move.

That's partly why the Xbox 360 is a great choice right now. Released at the end of 2005, the technology it comprises is absolutely cutting edge, making it, according to a whole host of reviewers, the best buy available. With a wide range of features, including high quality online gaming capability and HDTV compatibility, the Xbox 360 offers a fantastic all round gaming experience. And though this version of the Xbox surpassed its predecessor after only four years, the lifespan of the previous console has been extended to a certain extent, as over two hundred of the most popular Xbox games are compatible with the new 360 version.

Some gamers are holding off on purchasing the Xbox 360. Why? Because the PlayStation 3 is due out sometime this year. But while most experts agree that the PS 3 is likely to contain more technological innovation that the already released Xbox 360, the PlayStation is likely to cost up to $200 more. For the extra investment, the PS 3 will include a Blu-ray high definition DVD player - the down side of this, however, is that movies are not currently available in this format, though they are likely to surface within the next two years.

There is little question that the upcoming PlayStation will be somewhat technologically superior to the Xbox 360, but with a release date still to be confirmed, many gamers prefer not to wait to enjoy gaming of the highest quality. And with technology that will be useless to the majority of consumers for the next couple of years, for many gamers, the PlayStation 3 simply isn't worth the wait. So enjoy the moment in all its glory, and go for an Xbox 360.

10 Reasons To Buy An Xbox 360

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:47:00 +0000

Gamers and techies have waited with bated breath for advancements and innovations in gaming. To set the pulse racing and the mind thinking one needs to be challenged. This has become possible by computer technology and the wonderful world of gaming. Just as adventures and wars would have done in yester years these days it is technology that offers to quench the thirst for adventure. Microsoft has created a challenge in the form of the Xbox 360-- a visionary, super powerful, multimedia console that brings to you the GenX gaming world. Of course, the markets being competitive present so many choices.

If you need to be convinced here are a few reasons why you must buy the Xbox360.

1. There are games galore for the thirsty. Kameo elements of power, Project Gotam 3, Perfect dark Zero, and many more. All unique, with great effects and gaming wizardry.

2. The Xbox360 has wireless controllers as well as internet connectivity. The premium pack presents great delights offering freedom of movement and a superb range of over 30 feet. Ergonomically designed the controller has skip wires, tangles and boomerangs.

3. With an aim to please even the most discerning palate, the Xbox360 has an amazing variety of games. Some are exclusively designed for the box like Condemned, and Dead or Alive. Titles that have been widely acknowledge by expert gamers are: Call of Duty 2, Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo, King Kong, and Condemned.

4. Amazing and most welcome is the fact that over 200 Xbox games will be backwardly compatible with the Xbox360.

5. Xbox 360 brings with it the arcade marketplace. Imagine free games, cheap games, and addictive non-stop games. The possibilities are endless and thrilling.

6. The Graphics are stupendous and bring to life the games in virtual reality. Xbox360 has three 3.2 GH processors that run with a 500MhzATI graphics processor. Whew-let's bow to power.

7. Endless possibilities with the Xbox360. Games, CDs, movies and customized music. It even connects to the Microsoft media center for a complete media sensation. You can let your creativity and innovativeness take wing.

8. The Xbox 360 is more than an everyday console. It is interactive and you can buy many things like bonus levels, episodic content, gamer specials, and gamer tag images. You can download demos, and bonus packs from game developers. A live platform with no limits marketplace for developers and publishers.

9. The Xbox360 is a keeper of records. It creates history. The gamer card becomes your identity with name, image, scores, games you like, and your aims and mottos. This takes online fraternities a step closer to one another.

10. Fulfils many dreams and fantasies. The games are the best, interesting, mind stimulating, and exciting. The Xbox 360 takes the gaming world forwards and offers options like downloads, online plays, movies, as well as a touch button marketplace for games.

The Xbox360 is a must for serious gamers. It indicates your dedication as a gamer and reflects your tastes and reputation in the cyber gaming universe. Opens up endless possibilities and takes you to the next generation gaming delights.

Hardware inside Xbox3 Reviewed and Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:46:00 +0000

Gaming has reached new levels with newer and meaner machines coming into the market. The Xbox 360, PSP3, and Wii are all set to fulfill gaming dreams. What makes a console powerful and state-of-art is its hardware.

The Xbox 360 has a 20GB hard drive; wireless controllers; headset; DVD remote; Ethernet cable; AV cables; and external power supply.

• Inside the mean gaming machine, the Xbox 360 is a powerful computer. The Xbox 360 harbors a customized IBM Power PC CPU with three processing cores with 3.2 GHz power. The system has a 3.2 GHz tri-core PowerPC based CPU and a 500 MHZ GPU.

• The ATI graphics processor has a capacity of 500 million triangles per second. It has a chip, Xenos, designed by ATI. This raises the 3D effects and graphics to astounding levels of clarity and definition. The X box 360 is said to have a 16 giga samples p/s fill rate along with 4X antialiasing and 48 billion shader operations per second and a9 billion dot product operations per second. The specifications are breathtaking and according to the CNET editors review, " it is hard to compare or comment on a machine with futuristic capabilities and one that is yet to have a comparison." What the Xbox 360 will have is realistic graphics.

• The memory system is GenX and has a 512 MB of 700 megahertz GDDR3 RAM on a 128-bit bus. The system has a unified memory architecture which is shared by the CPU and GPU.

• The bandwidth is high and is utilized for z-buffering, alpha blending, and antialiasing. The system is designed to be efficient and save time and space on the GPU die.

• The Xbox 360 has a six channel Dolby Digital surround sound. The sound files are encoded and an MPEG-2 decoder is included in the DVD video playback. The voice communication is handled by the console and allows cross-game communications. The system is sophisticated and has no voice echo.

The CNET Editor's review has awarded the Xbox 360 a rating of 8.4 /10. According to the reviewers the Xbox360 will support high definition gaming. The Xbox 360, a gaming console developed by Microsoft is user-friendly and sturdy in design. The system offers downloads, communications, and excellent gaming opportunities. A GenX media hub the Xbox 360 allows playing of DVDs, CDs, TV shows, and games. It has the power and performance of a high-end gaming console which includes great networking. What is negative about the X box 360 is that it has a few design flaws that need ironing out. The power supply is oversized, the fan noisy, there is no inbuilt wireless networking, no DVI or HDMI output, a substandard DVD player, and no suitable storage for high definition content.

Opinions on the Xbox 360 are widely divided. A firm consensus can only be reached twelve months or so after the release when gamers and developers world wide begin using the console and discover the flaws and hidden facets.
Gaming has reached new levels with newer and meaner machines coming into the market. The Xbox 360, PSP3, and Wii are all set to fulfill gaming dreams. What makes a console powerful and state-of-art is its hardware.

The Xbox 360 has a 20GB hard drive; wireless controllers; headset; DVD remote; Ethernet cable; AV cables; and external power supply.

• Inside the mean gaming machine, the Xbox 360 is a powerful computer. The Xbox 360 harbors a customized IBM Power PC CPU with three processing cores with 3.2 GHz power. The system has a 3.2 GHz tri-core PowerPC based CPU and a 500 MHZ GPU.

• The ATI graphics processor has a capacity of 500 million triangles per second. It has a chip, Xenos, designed by ATI. This raises the 3D effects and graphics to astounding levels of clarity and definition. The X box 360 is said to have a 16 giga samples p/s fill rate along with 4X antialiasing and 48 billion shader operations per second and a9 billion dot product operations per second. The specifications are breathtaking and according to the CNET editors review, " it is hard to compare or comment on a machine with futuristic capabilities and one that is yet to have a comparison." What the Xbox 360 will have is realistic graphics.

• The memory system is GenX and has a 512 MB of 700 megahertz GDDR3 RAM on a 128-bit bus. The system has a unified memory architecture which is shared by the CPU and GPU.

• The bandwidth is high and is utilized for z-buffering, alpha blending, and antialiasing. The system is designed to be efficient and save time and space on the GPU die.

• The Xbox 360 has a six channel Dolby Digital surround sound. The sound files are encoded and an MPEG-2 decoder is included in the DVD video playback. The voice communication is handled by the console and allows cross-game communications. The system is sophisticated and has no voice echo.

The CNET Editor's review has awarded the Xbox 360 a rating of 8.4 /10. According to the reviewers the Xbox360 will support high definition gaming. The Xbox 360, a gaming console developed by Microsoft is user-friendly and sturdy in design. The system offers downloads, communications, and excellent gaming opportunities. A GenX media hub the Xbox 360 allows playing of DVDs, CDs, TV shows, and games. It has the power and performance of a high-end gaming console which includes great networking. What is negative about the X box 360 is that it has a few design flaws that need ironing out. The power supply is oversized, the fan noisy, there is no inbuilt wireless networking, no DVI or HDMI output, a substandard DVD player, and no suitable storage for high definition content.

Opinions on the Xbox 360 are widely divided. A firm consensus can only be reached twelve months or so after the release when gamers and developers world wide begin using the console and discover the flaws and hidden facets.

Author Bio
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for www.1888freeonlinegames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for Free Software Downloads Site www.1888softwaredownloads.com.

3 Must have Nintendo Wii Accessories Reviewed and Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:44:00 +0000

Gaming is a multi-pronged world with consoles, accessories and more crowding the market. apart from gaming consoles there have developed over the years a great many gaming accessories that take gaming to new never before explored levels.

With Wii Nintendo brings to the fiercely competitive market a product that has family appeal, is affordable, and encompasses great technology. Nintendo intends with the release of Wii to retain its market presence and bring to its consumers new delights in gaming.

The much awaited Nintendo Wii comes with its own batch of must have accessories:

• The Wii remote is slotted for release in the US on November 19th and is priced at USD 39.99. According to pre-release information the Wii remote has a one-handed remote control design and so is more sensitive to pointing, movements, and user friendly. The remote has wireless functions and works using a short-range Bluetooth radio. One can use a maximum of four controllers at a distance of 5 meters from the Wii sensor bar. The Wii remote is multi functional and allows ambidextrous use, can be used horizontally, or like a steering wheel. According to expert gamers the design is such that experienced players will be able to hold a remote in each hand or a Nunchuk in one and a remote in the other. Technically advanced the Wii remote can sense movement and orientation. The remote can identify linear motion along three axes. The optical sensor can determine the direction. According to experts reviewers at CNET the pointer can get jerky or twitchy. And, the tilt control requires a light and subtle touch. The remote controls cannot be calibrated manually and gamers have to make do with Wii's calibrations.

• The Nunchuk is also slotted for release on Nov 19th and is priced at Us 19.99. This is a device that can be plugged into the Wii remote. It has an analog stick and two buttons and can be used in games like Red Steel and Twilight Princess. Since the nunchuk has motion sensors it permits gamers to perform specific character actions, like a spinning slash attack. According to industry reports this is all set to become the most popular and "must have" accessory.

• The Nintendo Classic Controller will also be released in the US on Nov 19th and is priced at USD 19.99. This is the classic-style expansion controller which can be used with the Wii remote slotted in to play games using a traditional game pad. It is to be used to play existing games, virtual console games, and multiplatform games. It connects to the Wii remote through a cord.
Aimed at gaming being fun the Nintendo Wii will disappoint if graphics and special effects are what are required. The biggest draws are supposed to be the motion-sensing remote , pseudo-reality controls, and internet capabilities. The Wii in its present form will not play CDs or DVDs although this feature is in the offing.

Author Bio
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for www.1888freeonlinegames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for Free Software Downloads Site www.1888softwaredownloads.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

The Must Have Nintendo Wii Accessories

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Nintendo Wii came out in the market just recently, but has gained great reputation and accolades from thousands of people from different areas in the world easily and quickly. Today, more and more Nintendo Wii consoles are crowding on the market, not to mention the Nintendo Wii accessories.

Speaking of Nintendo Wii accessories, several video gaming equipments and accessories have been developed for the Nintendo Wii enthusiasts to consider. These accessories are designed and introduced possessing certain capabilities that can help take the gaming experience to a higher level. They are designed with the exact details in mind, making the Nintendo Wii accessories worth possessing.

Want to know what Nintendo Wii accessories are hot in today’s market? Consider the following:

Nintendo Wii Remote

Released in November 19, 2006 in North America, the Wii Remote is one of the major Nintendo Wii accessories designed for the Nintendo Wii to work best. This item comes one handed with a control design that works in a three dimensional way. It works when pointed to the Wii sensor and can even let you experience a game much like that in real life. For instance, you can move or swing the remote when playing the golf. This is what basically makes the Wii remote controls truly impressive. The Wii remote also has wireless functions and it works with a Bluetooth radio. It can also be used horizontally, or even like a steering wheel. Today, the Wii remote comes around $39.99.

Nintendo Wii Classic Controller

The Wii classic controller was also released in November 19 in North America at a price of about $19.99. As the name implies, the Nintendo Wii Classic Controller is designed with a classic style. It can be used with the Wii remote and with the Wii traditional game pad. Aside from that the controller is designed by Nintendo itself to be utilized for the existing Wii games, including the multiplatform and the virtual console games. All you have to do for it to work is to connect it to the remote control through a cord.

Nintendo Wii Nunchunk

Offered at a price of about $19.99, the Nintendo Wii nunchunk is a tool that works when plugged into the remote control. It is noted specifically for its two buttons and analog stick. Also, it is popular for games like the Twilight Princess and the Red Steel. It has motion sensors which allows the video game enthusiasts to do certain actions according to the character played in the game. If you are playing tennis with the Wii, the nunchunk works to allow you to make your spinning attacks.

The Nintendo Wii Price: How Much Does Wii Cost?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Released and launched in November 19, 2006, the Nintendo Wii finally hit the market with a fixed price. It was offered in North and South America at a price not above $250. Yes, the Nintendo Wii price just targets $249.99, allowing the people to obtain the product without spending more than $250. This Nintendo Wii price was released right on the product’s launching date.

Such initial price of the Nintendo Wii was offered for the full product package. The Nintendo Wii package includes the Wii remote, an AC adapter, a sensor bar, a sensor bar stand, an audio and video cable, a piece of nunchunk attachment, two batteries, and the console itself. There are also several retailers of the Nintendo Wii that offer the item at the same price with a copy of the Wii Sports, which is but a collection of the best championship sports – baseball, tennis, boxing, bowling, and golf.

Although that said, the Nintendo Wii price is subject to change depending on the market dealers. This change in price occurs primarily for the reason that more and more add-ons are developed for the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Wii games are a great factor that affects the change in Nintendo Wii price. The initial package, however, is intact, but if you want more games to be downloaded to your Wii, you need to pay an additional price for the individual games offered.

For instance, it was first mentioned in some news releases that the Nintendo Company, Limited is introducing more titles for the video gamers to consider. These titles will include games patterned from Zelda, Mario, and Donkey Kong. These games are developed for the virtual console of the Nintendo Wii, and each of them costs from a range of $5 to $10. If we will convert such prices to yen, the result would reveal that the Nintendo Wii price of each of the virtual games may cost from 500 to 1,000 yen, for those that are marketed in Japan.

There are further variations in the price of the games included in the Nintendo Wii package. According to the Nintendo Company, Limited, the newly developed Wii games should cost around $49.99 each. Well, it is this Nintendo Wii price which makes the Wii much affordable than its counterpart, the Xbox 360. Note, however, that such above mentioned price is only applicable to the first party Wii games. Those that are developed by the third party are not yet priced.

Finally, since many consumers of the Wii sometimes buy the Wii equipments and accessories separately, the company had set certain prices for each Wii part. The controller, for instance, costs $20, while the nunchuck costs around $19.99. The Wii remote, in case it interests you, costs around $39.99.

How to Order Nintendo Wii

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Hundreds of people are asking where indeed they can find and order Nintendo Wii. This question started to arise following the claims that the Wiis are already sold out. Well, fact is, although most stores are running out of Wii stock, the Nintendo Company, Limited is continually producing Wii models to be released on the market.

So if you find yourself really calling for it, or you have a special someone who loves to get Nintendo Wii for this Christmas, then don’t worry too much. You can order Nintendo Wii anytime you want from the available stores out there.

But, for you to find the right portals to order Nintendo Wii easily and quickly, there are certain steps that you need to take prior to spending bucks for a piece of Nintendo. These important steps are the following:

Step #1: Ask someone you know to help you find the right place to order Nintendo Wii. Involve your family or your friends in the act. Have them contact the most common portals that carry Nintendo products. Try the video game stores in your hometown, as well as the department stores, electronic and discount stores. You can check the availability of Nintendo Wii in these stores by simply calling their respective numbers. If you’ve caught one of them by phone, don’t forget to inquire about their order shipments. Know the exact schedule and time, and call back to see the shipment process involved.

Step #2: Found no available place in your local area that sells Nintendo Wii. If so, then it’s time for you to go beyond your location. So to the nearby towns and ask there where you can possibly order Nintendo Wii. However, expect to find a less stock of Nintendo Wii especially in small towns as the demand for this video game console could not be strong as that of the bigger towns. If you find a highly potential suspect, then call them now and negotiate with your own preferences.

Step #3: Find the offline sources a bit limited? If yes, then there’s no other way you can take than to check online. Checking online can be one of the most important steps you can do to find and order Nintendo Wii. A number of video game retail stores are in fact available out there for you to consider. Many of these portals are owned by some of the biggest video game stores, so don’t miss the opportunity. Nevertheless, when you go online check immediately the available stock, and if the sites states that Nintendo Wii is already out of stock, call or send an email to the store owner. This is also important to know exactly about the delivery process offered by the store you are considering with. Also check the policies maintained by the company for orders of Nintendo Wii.

If you’ve found the right place to order Nintendo Wii, then prepare your money. Make sure that you have enough pockets to support your needs.

My Wii Play Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:23:00 +0000

My Wii Play Thoughts

Posted by AndyG as Wii Articles at 2:10 PM EDT

I finally got the time to sit down and enjoy out Wii Play last night at a pals house and I know I’m a little late to the party, but if you haven’t checked it out and are wondering what the minigames are all about, read my thoughts below. We played all nine minigames and overall I would have to say they were quite fun with none of them standing out as being overly bad. I’ve played all of the current minigame titles out including Monkey Ball, Wario Ware, and Raving Rabbids, and in the case of Monkey Ball and Raving Rabbids, they both had a couple of minigames that just didn’t work or were flat out no fun. Read along for my take on all of the minigames and overall thoughts on Wii Play:

Table Tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping pong to some, is similar to Wii Sports Tennis, only this time you are doing more than just swinging the racket to volley the ball back. You have to actually line up your paddle with the ball as it’s coming at you then volley it back. After playing both, Wii Sports Tennis and Table Tennis, I have to say I appreciate the more simple mechanics of Wii Sports Tennis a bit more. While the Table Tennis game was overall enjoyable, some of the fun was taken away trying to lineup the paddle with the ball. Where I thought I had the paddle ready to swing was sometimes just out of reach of the ball. Given the fast paced nature of the game, this turned out to be a fatal error based on perhaps a learning curve of where to hold the Remote to correspond with the on-screen paddle. We did have a couple of heated volley exchanges going on during the game and it’s not bad or boring by any means, I just enjoy Wii Sports Tennis a bit more.

Laser Hockey
Laser Hockey is like everyone’s favorite game of air hockey, only on a TV screen from a top down perspective with glowing laser graphics. The controls handled a tad easier than Table Tennis perhaps due to the fact you are only dealing with a 2D plane and didn’t have to deal with the 3rd dimension. Twisting the remote causes your paddle to change it’s angle, allowing for some very tricky shots. We never really felt like the paddles didn’t respond as we had intended, the connection between our in-air Wii Remote movements and the on-screen paddles were spot on with no lag whatsoever. The graphics were very clean and added to the experience with their futuristic looking “lasery” feel. We played a few rounds of this and agreed it would be in our top three favorite games on the disk.

Fishing
Fishing in Wii Play is much like the first fishing mission in Zelda: Twilight Princess. Nothing fancy, it’s actually quite basic, just drop the lure into the pond and as a fish bites, whip the Wii Remote up to catch it. When playing this against a friend, you will want to attempt to catch larger fish than your opponent to add to your overall score. There are various types of fish swimming around and eventually, the game throws in some rather comically large fish for you to attempt to catch. Catching a small fish detracts from your score so just let them bite and move on. You can move the lure to a better spot in the pond at any time if you see a bigger fish you’d like to catch. While a fun little minigame overall that did a great job of handling the fishing controls for the system, it wasn’t one we spent too much time playing. There were just other games that brought more fun to us than this one, but it is a great addition to the title.

Find Mii
This minigame is very “Where’s Waldo”-y having you search groups of Mii’s for a certain type according to the current level’s rules. Playing against an opponent can get frantic as you are scanning through the on-screen Mii’s looking for the matching pair or for the one who is running faster than the other. To pick out the Mii’s the game is asking for, you simply aim your Wii Remote at the TV and the corresponding target reticule will hover over them, then you push the A button to select that Mii as your choice. It’s a very simple game that is fun for everyone and very easy to pick up and play. It also uses your collection of Mii’s so it’s fun to find the matching Chewbaccas or Uncle Earls or whatever other crazy creations you might have in your Mii collection. Overall, very fun and I can see us playing this one as a way to introduce new people to the Wii system along with a few other titles on the disk.

Pose Mii
Pose Mii is similar to the Find Mii game in the sense that it’s easy to pick up and uses the recognizable Mii’s as the main characters in the game. It actually uses the Mii you chose to play as and the object in the game is rotating the Mii and getting them into various poses to match the silhouettes in bubbles floating down the screen. To rotate your Mii, you rotate the Wii Remote. To put them into the positions shown in the bubbles, you will need to use a combination of A+B button presses. As the levels go on, the poses will rotate and change calling for you to constantly alter the position of the twisting Wii Remote as it challenges you to remember which button combos equate into the poses shown. You can imagine how complicated the game can get after a few levels of it changing so much. This was a great 2 player game that emitted laughter from everyone watching as we frantically tried to keep up with the falling bubbles and match the poses inside them. The game caused both of us players to get quite animated throughout as we played and overall, it was a fun time.

Shooting Range
This minigame could be called Duck Hunt 2 as it features the players shooting at on-screen ducks and targets in efforts to increase their scores. As the targets show up, you both aim your reticules at them and fire, hopefully faster than the other player to rack up points. The position of the targets constantly change and there are sometimes surprise targets that will popup offering more points than the others. Another simple game that anyone could pick up and enjoy, we found this game to also be in our top 3 from the title.

Billiards
Billiards, or pool as some would call it, is a simplified on-screen game of 9 ball. This game really helps show off the versatility of the Wii Remote by giving players the ability to lineup and take shots using the Remote as the in-game cue stick. You play from a behind the cue ball perspective and once you line up your shot, draw back the Remote and then quickly press forward to strike as if you were playing a real game of pool. Graphics wise, the game is very sharp with a basic pool table and balls rendered on-screen. There is a helpful marker that will let you know which ball you need to strike with the cue ball next. The controls for me were spot on as after my opponent fouled by sinking his cue ball, I ran the table and won the game by knocking in each of the remaining balls needed. I now consider myself the Wii Play Billiards King and if anyone wants to challenge me, you let me know! The game is a good interpretation of billiards and further, how the Wii Remote could be used by a developer to flesh out a more feature filled game that had various types of billiards available.

Charge!
Charge is a fun little racing game that has you holding the Wii Remote sideways to navigate your player who is riding on a cow down the racetrack. Along the way, you will want to run into scarecrows for more points and twist the controller forward to go faster. You can bounce the Wii Remote up to make your cow jump over obstacles that would otherwise slow him down. He who makes it to the end of the race fastest with the most scarecrows ran over wins! Charge! is a fun game that makes use of the sideways controller racing style very well.

Tanks!
If you’ve ever played Combat! from the Atari 2600 days, then you have the basics of Tanks!. In Tanks!, you and your buddy take on computer controlled enemy tanks on various levels in attempts to reach the next level. The levels are laid out with various obstacles you must navigate your tank around and one or more enemy tanks which you must destroy. Be careful though as the enemy tanks are also out to get you and are sometimes equipped with fast launching rockets, exploding mines, and other tricks. You control your tank with the nunchuk and Wii remote for best results, driving the tank with the nunchuk and aiming and firing with the Remote pointed at the screen. While rather simplistic for hardcore gamers, out of all the games on the disk, this one is about the most complex but at the same time, the most fun. We had a blast working through the levels as a team trying to destroy the enemy tanks in the simple maze type levels presented. When you both die on a level, the game is over and you start all over again. After getting a gold and finishing the first 20 levels, you can unlock a massive 100 new levels which present new enemies and maps for you to enjoy. Overall, our favorite game on the disk that never got old for either of us.

In the end, I found Wii Play to be a very fun title that would make a great addition to anyone’s collection of Wii games. Throw in the complimentary Wii Remote that the game comes with and it’s really a no brainer to pick up this title if you are already looking for an extra Wii Remote. It’s got something for everyone and will be a hit if you have friends over for parties or even bringing your Wii and this game to holiday gatherings and showing it off to folks that perhaps aren’t into games as much as we are. We all had fun with the title and already can’t wait to play it again when we visit our pal next time.

What would you want in a Wii “Elite” model?

noreply@blogger.com (Yogil) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:23:00 +0000

Seeing that Microsoft has launched their 360 “Elite” system, it got me wondering what folks would want from a Nintendo Wii “Elite” system. I would assume most folks would want better graphics, more storage, and better high definition support, but what else can you guys come up with? Here’s a few features I came up with off the top of my head just for fun, feel free to comment and add you own:

Support for playing Nintendo DS games - Ok this one is a long shot as it would have a few technical limitations in place as far how the dual screens and touch screen action would be handled. There is also no Mic on the Wii (yet!) so this one would take a bit of work.
Ports or an official converter allowing for NES, SNES, N64, and other official VC system controllers - This one could be handled by simple converters, some of which are already being made by 3rd party companies. How cool would it be being able to play the Virtual Console games with the original controllers legitimately supported by Nintendo?
Wireless Nunchuk and Classic Controller - I’m not sure if this would require a whole console conversion hardware wise or if a software update could allow the Wireless Nunchuks to talk to the system, but it would be great to not have to deal with the cable between the Wii Remote and the ‘Chuk. While they are at it, make the Classic Controller wireless as well.
Wireless Sensor Bar - This is another option that is available through third parties, but could possibly be improved up if designed by Nintendo themselves. Improvements could include a way to recharge the bar using the next item on the list.
Recharge Station - A recharge station could be used to recharge your Wii Remotes, Nunchuks, Classic Controllers, and the Sensor bar. How it would all fit together and work properly, I would leave up to the guys in the lab, I’m just the idea guy! It would be great to have it built into the base of the system somehow and not have to bother with recharging batteries.
More Internal Storage - Downloading those N64 games can really suck the current storage dry and having more could never hurt. By way of an internal hard drive would be optimal, but I wouldn’t want to see the price of the system sky rocket nor would it be a good thing to split the user base by having games come out that then depend on it. I am sure it could be worked out in some fashion and one day we may see a USB capable hard drive peripheral so let’s just make it internal for this “Elite” system.
More High Definition Options - HDMI support, 1080i support, the whole rigmarole. For the sake of argument, we could say that there’s not enough people to warrant the “Base” model having these add ons, but it would be a nice addition for the “Elite” model.
DVD Support - This is actually something that has been talked about coming to the Japanese markets and while most folks probably already own another DVD player of some sort, it would be nice to have the player thrown in.
Include that Kickass Lightgun Accessory.. Maybe Even a Robot - Much like the original NES packages back in the day, bring back that idea offering the “Base” Wii system that is currently in production, but also this version which would include the Wii, a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, toss in a Classic Controller, the Lightgun accessory as seen at E3, and heck, why not a R.O.B. II.

Alright, that’s all I got. I have no idea how much this would cost but if I had to guess, I’d say around $500-$600. Would it appeal to many folks, I’m not even sure. The point of this is to just brainstorm what Nintendo could do with an “Elite” model of their system and what it would bring to the current model. Some of this stuff some folks would use more than others and some of the ideas perhaps only I would use. What do you think would be a good addition to the current model Wii?