by Mark Tiongco – April 11, 2010

Regarding the concept of multiple CPUs, Intel introduced this technology with its Pentium 4 processor. Even though there was only 1 physical CPU, Hyper-Threading fooled Windows XP by indicating there are 2 (virtual) CPUs running which helped a little with multi-tasking. Currently, chip makers such as Intel and AMD engineer their CPUs to have 1, 2, 3 and even 4 processors on a single chip package. The good news is that Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard have the ability to utilize all available processors to make the operating system run smoother.

Despite its advantages, the biggest issue with multi-core processors is the fact there aren’t many software programs for the average-joe PC user that take advantage of multiple CPUs. For software makers, it’s very labor-intensive to code software to utilize more than one CPU.In the last 10 years, we have seen many advances in CPU technologies that range from Intel’s SpeedStep which lowers CPU speed to save laptop battery life to AMD’s innovative integrated memory controller which increases performance. Still, one thing that hasn’t really changed is the majority of PC users still use their computer for checking email, listening to music and running Microsoft Office.Which brings us to the question, “how many CPUs do I really need?”To answer this question, let us examine commonly used software program CPU requirements:

• Windows XP – 233 Mhz Pentium CPU or higher
• Windows Vistaonline prescription viagra style=”font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 9.5pt”> – 1Ghz 32-bit or 64-bit CPU or higher
• Windows 7 – 1 Ghz 32-bit or 64-bit CPU or higher
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard – Intel CPU
• Office 2007 – 500 Mhz CPU or higher
• FireFox – 233 Mhz CPU or higher
• Adobe CS4 – 1.8Ghz CPU or higher
• iTunes – 1Ghz CPU or higher

From this list, we can see that many of the programs used every day require about a 1Ghz CPU to run smoothly. Most modern CPUs, regardless of performance class, run at least 1.5 times or twice these required speeds regardless of performance class. For the average PC user who routinely uses a computer for checking email with multiple browser tabs, writing school papers on MS Word, and playing music on iTunes, a Dual-Core CPU is plenty fast enough for these tasks.Below are examples of lower-end CPUs which have plenty of power for basic computing needs:

• Intel Pentium Dual-Core (budget)
• AMD Athlon X2 TK-XX (budget)
• Intel Core 2 Duo (mainstream)
• Intel Core i3 (high performance)

If you’re a moderate enthusiast who enjoys casual gaming and/or does lots of research for school or work and needs more horsepower, consider the following:

• AMD Phenom X3 710 (mainstream triple-core)
• AMD Phenom X4 630 (budget quad-core)
• Intel Core i5 (mainstream/high performance dual-core)
• Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 (high performance quad-core)

PC games released now are being written to utilize multiple cores which help make AI (artificial intelligence) more challenging for the gamer.For hardcore gamers who demand the most for the best graphical output or for multimedia professionals who need the computing muscle for Adobe CS4, the following are recommended:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 (high performance quad-core)
• Intel Core i7 (high performance quad-core)

Programs like Adobe CS4 can actually utilize all available cores, thus making whatever resource-intensive task such as image rendering take less time.

Since dual-core CPUs have become virtually mainstream, chip makers have bridged the gap between these and their high-performance quad-core counterparts. One trend is to disable 1 or 2 CPUs during manufacturing and offer it at a lower price. Thus, AMD’s Phenom X3 is actually a Phenom X4 quad-core with one CPU disabled. AMD can market this chip as a middle-of-the-road between budget and high performance. Intel has considered this approach and is releasing their Core i7 (code-named Gulftown) 6-core CPU.Another trend that Intel has introduced is the return of Hyper-Threading. As in the Pentium 4 processor, Hyper-Threading is inside all Core i3, i5 and i7 CPUs. So, for example, a computer will recognize a Core i7 as having 8 processors even though there are only 4 physical CPUs on the chip. In addition, Intel is adding Hyper-Threading to their low-power Atom CPU which is designed for netbooks. Starting with the N280 chip, the Intel Atom netbook can now mimic a multi-core computer while maintaining its tiny footprint and minimal power consumption.

If you’re in the market to purchase a new PC, keep in mind the reasons for your purchase. For example, if the salesperson is urging you to buy a fully-loaded $800 quad-core CPU desktop or laptop computer and you specifically told him it’s only for web research, email and watching YouTube videos, a $450 dual-core CPU system makes more sense.

by Ryan Morse – April 4, 2010

My favorite new feature in Windows 7 has to be Libraries. In previous versions of Windows, there were your personal folders: My Documents, My Music, etc. These folders were indexed for quick searching and seemed like a good place to put all your stuff. But, unless you kept a close eye on them, it was very easy to lose track of what was being saved where. Finding a specific photo, music file, or document often sent you clicking in and out of folder after folder. Enter Libraries: now you can see the contents of more than one folder at a time! While Libraries aren't traditional folders, they definitely come in handy for keeping your files organized. Each Library has a default save location, the Known Location, that you can set by right-clicking on a Library and selecting Properties from the dialog box. Even better, if your files aren't listed in a Library, you can tell that Library to look into a folder of your choosing, as well!

If you've tried to set up a home network using Windows before, you may be familiar with the complexity involved. For the most part, it was pretty simple just sharing one printer or folder. File and Printer sharing has been around awhile. But for different users to access shared folders, multiple identical user accounts had to be created for each machine to ensure that everything was interoperable. Now, you will need at least two computers running Windows 7 to make use of this. You may have already seen HomeGroup during Windows 7's initial setup, but sharing documents, photos, music, videos, and printers has never been easier. Simply find the HomeGroup Control Panel by typing homegroup into Search, from the Control Panel, or in the Network and Sharing center, and start the wizard. The wizard will guide you through selecting the types of objects you would like to share and will present you with a cryptic password, suggesting you write it down. You don't have to do that. You can change the password once the homegroup is set up, just navigate to the Advanced Sharing Settings menu from the Network and Sharing Center or from the HomeGroup menu itself in the Control Panel. Now file and printer sharing is as easy as typing a password.

Yes, that's right, Paint is new and improved in Windows 7. It's gone from that very basic program that was so comically inferior that it spawned its own art style, to a downright decent image editing application. It's been upgraded with more features and tools like new brushes and now features the Scenic Ribbon, the new UI design that was first featured in Microsoft Office 2007. Now it's functional, easy to use, and makes a perfect tool to use for taking quick screen shots or cropping and resizing images.

Just like it's artsy-fartsy friend Paint,Wordpad has received an upgrade as well. You've probably long-since replaced past versions of Wordpad for better, more robust word processing applications, but to keep pace, Microsoft has added a few new features as well as the Scenic Ribbon UI. Now it looks like a slimmed-down version of Microsoft Word and makes a perfectly acceptable tool for offline document creation or editing. It also now supports Open Document and Open XML file formats for opening newer files and saving them in formats that work with older version of Office. 

Previous versions of the Windows Calculator had all the basic functions just about every user would need. There was the standard look and the Scientific view, and this was largely unchanged since the very first version of Windows. The Standard and Scientific views are still there, but now online cheap viagra color=”#669900″>Microsoft has added Programmer and Statistics views as well as new functions in the form of Unit Conversion, Date Calculation, and Worksheets that pop out to the right of the Calculator itself. The Programmer view gives you data type and number format conversion options and the Statistics view gives you, of course, common statistics functions. The new Unit Conversion function converts just about anything you can think of, from angles and areas to temperatures and weights. Date Calculation makes it easy to do exactly what the name implies and Worksheets give you a way to calculate a mortgage, vehicle lease, and fuel economy in both miles and kilometers.

The Windows Key has been sitting on our keyboards since Windows 95 and now it's actually functional. Use the Windows Key plus the Up Arrow to maximize a window, the Down Arrow to minimize, and Left and Right Arrows to snap a window to the left or right. The Windows Key plus the G key will bring your Gadgets to the front, and using it in combination with Tab will let you cycle through opened windows in 3D. That's not all, pressing the Windows Key in combination with any number on the keyboard will launch an the application in that slot on the taskbar. For instance, if Internet Explorer is the first icon next to your start button, pressing Windows Key + 1 will launch Internet Explorer. It's now easier than ever to accomplish common tasks without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Last time we covered the new taskbar, but what if you'd like to customize it beyond just pinning application shortcuts to it and sliding them around?  What if the shortcut needs special instructions or needs to be Run As Administrator? Now, when you right-click a taskbar item, you're presented with the Jump List, which is handy, but not what we're looking for. If you navigate up the Jump List to the Application Name and right-click that as well, you're presented with another context menu that gives you the Properties, Run as Administrator, Pin to Taskbar, and Open options. This gives you fairly quick access to everything you need from the taskbar.

All these features combine to enhance your experience, giving you new ways to be more organized and productive. The best part is, these features are just a scratch on the surface of all the new improvements and capabilities just waiting for you to discover in Windows 7.

by Scott Nesbitt – March 28, 2010

A surge protector (also called a surge suppressor or a power strip) diverts power away from your delicate electronics. You've probably seen one, or even own one: a white rectangular strip about a foot long, which plugs into a wall socket. On the strip are anywhere from six to eight sockets for your electronics, along with a power switch. It's not what's on the outside that protects your devices. It's what's on the inside that really counts. A surge protector contains two lines: a main line that carries power from the wall socket to your devices, and a ground line that routes any excess voltage into the earth.When a power surge hits, the surge connection – which links the main and ground lines – comes into play. A device within the surge protector, called a varistor (or a MOV), is what diverts the electricity. The varistor is a semiconductor made from metal oxide that has a variable resistance. When the voltage is at normal levels, the varistor doesn't conduct electricity very well. But when the voltage increases, the varistor becomes a very good conductor.It's the varistor that shunts the excess electricity from a power surge from the main line to the ground line. Once the surge passes, the main line returns to normal.

There are a few. First, a power surge can carry a lot of electricity. The varistor in some surge protectors might not be able to handle all of that energy. It probably won't be able to if the surge lasts for more than a few fractions of a second. Some excess electricity may get to the device or devices that you're trying to protect. No matter how good it is, a surge protector won't do its job at the exact moment a power surge hits. There's a short delay while the surge protector kicks in. During that interval, some excess electricity may hit your devices. With any luck the damage will be minimal, but you never can tell.

When shopping for surge protectors, you really need to read the label (or the side of the box). That's where you'll find the information you need to make your choice.Here are four things to look for when buying surge protectors:

• First, the clamping voltage. This is the voltage at which the varistor will kick in. Common clamping voltages are 500 volts, 400 volts, and 330 volts. A surge protector with a clamping voltage of 400 volts or 330 volts will give you the best protection.

• Second, consider the response time (also called the clamping response time). This is how quickly the varistor will kick in. Obviously, you want the fastest response time that you can get. Most surge protectors have a response time of a few nanoseconds (billionths of a second). That's pretty fast. But if you want better protection, go with a surge protector that has a response time of a few picoseconds next day viagra (trillionths of a second).

• Third, look at the energy absorption and dissipation rating of the surge protector. This is the amount of energy, measured in joules, that the surge protector can handle before it's overloaded. Look for a protector with a minimum rating of 300 to 400 joules. A rating of 600 joules or higher will give you better protection.

• Finally, remember the warranty. Things happen, and even really good surge protectors fail. Look for a surge protector with a lifetime warranty and which offers replacements for damaged or destroyed equipment.

As for brands, APC makes some of the best surge protectors on the market. Belkin's surge protectors vary in quality, but some of their higher-end models work very well. Dynex also offers some solid surge protectors for both your home office and home electronics.

You've probably spent quite a bit of money on the electronics in your home. A power surge can do nasty things to those devices. To protect your investment, try to buy the best surge protector that you can afford. If the worst happens, the price will be well worth what you paid.

by Mark Tiongco – March 21, 2010

Since it’s free, most establishments do not use Wi-Fi encryption to secure their respective networks thus offering hackers a way to steal your usernames and passwords.  For example, Panera Bread has signs that say “802.11b Wi-Fi” in their restaurants.  802.11b was created in 1999 which has little security so a hacker can literally intercept your Facebook username and password as you’re logging on.  Even if Panera Bread equipped their bakeries with WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), this security is so outdated that it can be cracked in under a few minutes.  With that being said, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks and McDonald’s also have zero security in place for their Wi-Fi.  Upon reading Starbucks’ Wi-Fi policy, they explained the reason for using unencrypted 802.11g was to ensure maximum compatibility between communication devices. 

"War driving" is the idea of driving around town and looking for a Wi-Fi network that is unencrypted or has weak encryption and can be easily cracked.  Wardriving can happen near a Starbucks, your neighborhood or a business park where Wi-Fi networks are online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  With zero or minimal security, a hacker can intercept, unscramble and figure out the information being sent between a customer’s laptop to the Wireless Access Point of an establishment.The essence of Wardriving involves time. For natural viagra example, a hacker can crack the password to a wireless network in possibly 3-4 hours.  You spend 8 hours sleeping and 8 hours at work.  So theoretically a hacker has 16 hours to try and compromise a home or office Wi-Fi network. And let’s not forget the fact that Notebook Computers have become more powerful over time. Multi-core CPU’s and on-board Video Cards processing power is being utilized to run more advanced hacking programs.Going from bad to worse, current WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) can be cracked in about 15 minutes along with WPA2 as seen in 802.11n network products. Two popular ways of cracking a wireless network are Brute Force and Dictionary Attack. Brute Force involves exhausting every single letter, number and special character in multiple combinations until the correct combination is found.  Dictionary Attacks utilizes a specific set of words and phrases from a dictionary to “guess” the correct password.  Another tactic that can easily swipe your login credentials is a Rogue Access Point. In this case, a hacker can set up a Wireless Access Point that imitates the true Access Point.  If your notebook connects to this Rogue Access Point, you won’t see any difference as the hacker can duplicate the log-in screen with near 100% accuracy.  This is like phishing, where you receive an alert email from your bank or credit card company asking you to click on their link and “verify” your account is okay by logging in.

There are a few steps you can take to minimize the chance of your information getting stolen:

• First, make sure your passwords are long and are fairly unique.
  Having “GOLAKERS_1981” as one of your passwords wouldn’t
  be difficult to crack.
• Second, speak to your employer’s IT department about a VPN
  connection.  VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and allows
  you to connect to your company’s network in a secure way. 
• Third, when logging in, pay attention to the URL address along
  with any inconsistencies with the log-in page (i.e. spelling,
  inaccurate pictures).

Also, check to make sure your laptop is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network and not to one with a questionable name.

• Fourth, access your important banking and credit card
  accounts at home so as to minimize the chance of
  being a victim of financial identity theft. 

Wi-Fi has come a long way in a short while with its speed, convenience and utility.  By knowing the risks associated with free Wi-Fi service, you can minimize the chance of a data breach and possible identity theft.

by Ryan Morse – March 14, 2010

The biggest feature of USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB, is undoubtedly its higher bandwidth. The new specification has a signal rate of 5 Gigabits per second (Gbps). Compare that to the previous 2.0 specification, which was 480 Megabits per second (Mbps), and you're looking at a potential tenfold increase in performance. In Megabytes (MB), that's a jump from 60 per second to 625 per second! This means faster sync times for your mobile multimedia devices, flash drives, and other data-related peripherals. Another beneficial feature is optimized power efficiency. The previous specification allowed for up to five 100 mA unit loads, for a total of 500 mA, but the unit load values and totals have been increased to six unit loads of up 150 mA each. This can provide faster charging times for your mobile devices like portable DVD players.

If you're worried about replacing all your old devices, fear not; SuperSpeed USB will be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices. New USB 3.0 hosts will recognize USB 2.0 devices and new 3.0 devices will still connect to 2.0 controllers. The old connectors and cables were wired using four wires, one for power, one for ground, and two in a twisted pair for data transfers. The new specification builds off this design, using the standard power, ground, and two data wires, but add four more wires for SuperSpeed data. To accommodate the extra pins for this, USB 3.0 standard A connectors and ports will be longer and deeper than their predecessors, preventing older devices from ever coming into contact with the new pins. SuperSpeed standard B connectors will be built on top of the existing form factor. The only drawback is, while SuperSpeed standard A plugs will fit into USB 2.0 standard A ports, SuperSpeed standard B plugs will not fit into Hi-Speed standard B ports. For that, a new cable must be used to connect a SuperSpeed device to your existing USB 2.0 port, but cannot be used to connect old devices to your new 3.0 port. For the most part, you should be able to recognize USB 3.0/SuperSpeed ports and cables because they are color-coded blue.

The best part of all these exciting new features is that they are available right now! Chip makers have already released chips to motherboard and add-on card manufacturers, so you can buy a new motherboard with USB 3.0 already integrated or install an add-on card to an available PCI Express x4 slot for desktop systems or ExpressCard 2.0 slot for notebooks. A PCI Express x4 slot must be used because a x1 slot would limit the effective bandwidth to 250 Megabytes per second or about 2 Gigabits per second. The same is true for ExpressCard slots that are not ExpressCard 2.0 compliant. External hard drives, case enclosures, and notebook computers are already available using the technology, and with many more on the way, it's only a matter of time before you're spending less of it watching progress bars as you sync and charge.