{"id":1118,"date":"2009-11-04T04:20:47","date_gmt":"2009-11-04T09:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alsplace.info\/hardware\/1118\/pimp-your-pc-with-peripherals-%e2%80%93-speakers-and-webcams\/"},"modified":"2009-11-04T04:20:47","modified_gmt":"2009-11-04T09:20:47","slug":"pimp-your-pc-with-peripherals-%e2%80%93-speakers-and-webcams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/?p=1118","title":{"rendered":"Pimp Your PC with Peripherals \u2013 Speakers and Webcams!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- ALL ADSENSE ADS DISABLED -->\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"97%\" background=\"ffffff\">\n<tr>\n<td align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/images\/TT240titleban.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"TechTips 239 Three Great Alternatives to Acrobat Reader\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"490\" height=\"106\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\" <a href=\"http:\/\/www.neighborhoodrealtyonline.com\/\">generic viagra cheap<\/a>  bgcolor=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;> <\/p>\n<h2>Pimp Your PC with Peripherals &ndash; Speakers and Webcams!<\/h2>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/api.tweetmeme.com\/share?url=http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/pimp-your-pc-with-peripherals-speakers-and-webcams.htm&amp;alias=http:\/\/bit.ly\/2PrTnb\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/api.tweetmeme.com\/share?url=http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/pimp-your-pc-with-peripherals-speakers-and-webcams.htm&amp;alias=http:\/\/bit.ly\/2PrTnb\"> <\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic; margin: 5px 10px 20px 15px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%\">By Bryan Lambert &#8211; October 25, 2009<\/p>\n<p> <\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td align=\"left\" bgcolor=\"#ffffff\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/images\/tt240pullquote.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"&hellip;by far one of the easier ways to Pimp out your PC is by looking at what peripherals can be added to it or easily upgraded.\" hspace=\"10\" vspace=\"4\" width=\"210\" height=\"194\" align=\"right\" \/> <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">You know that there is nothing quite so pleasurable as Pimping out your PC &ndash; and what better way to do it than with upgrading your peripherals. In this week&#39;s Tech Tip, we&rsquo;ll look at some cool peripherals that will get your desktop PC styling in no time! Specifically, we&rsquo;ll be looking at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=SPK\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=SPK\">computer speakers<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products_sc.asp?cat=871\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products_sc.asp?cat=871\">webcams<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Most computers already come with a set of speakers and while they are just fine for playing around on the desktop computer, sometimes you just yearn for a little more. So when it comes to wanting your computer to sound its best &ndash; whether for gaming, movies, music or online web experiences &ndash; then you find that &quot;Pimping your PC&quot; with an upgraded set of speakers makes you computer &ldquo;come alive.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 4px 5px 4px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #000; font-size: 90%\">Some things to consider when getting a new speaker set for your PC:<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">If at all possible, try to listen to the speakers in person. If not possible, then try to hunt down some reviews (like on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/\">Amazon<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/reviews.cnet.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/reviews.cnet.com\/\">review.cnet.com<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Most computers use 3.5mm audio jacks (like the kind you see on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=MP3\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=MP3\">portable music players<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Some computers will also include a <a href=\"http:\/\/support.gateway.com\/s\/Mobile\/Gateway\/200ARC\/3501609rvr19.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/support.gateway.com\/s\/Mobile\/Gateway\/200ARC\/3501609rvr19.shtml\">digital audio jack (SPDIF<\/a>); for this type you need a digital speaker set (be sure to set your PC to SPDIF audio out too).<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Adding a subwoofer is usually the cheapest, quickest way to give your computer better sound.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Speaking of subwoofers &ndash; these are usually bundled with a speaker set. Speaker sets that include subwoofers are usually referred to as &ldquo;x.1&rdquo; sets where x is the number of other speakers. (for example, a set with 4 speakers and one subwoofer will be called a 4.1 set or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products_sc.asp?cat=790\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products_sc.asp?cat=790\">surround sound speaker set<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">If using a multiple speaker set, check your audio card connectors to be sure that you can actually connect all the speakers (newer computers will usually have them &ndash; older ones will be 2 speaker set-up only).<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">You can always (of course) connect your computer to your home stereo with the proper cable connection.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Speaker wattage ratings can either be listed as <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Audio_power\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Audio_power\">PMPO<\/a> (Peak Maximum Power Output &ndash; usually given for the entire set combined) or RMS (Root Mean Squared &ndash; listed for either each individual speaker or for the entire set combined). The <a href=\"http:\/\/answers.yahoo.com\/question\/index?qid=20080704200308AAZNFux\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/answers.yahoo.com\/question\/index?qid=20080704200308AAZNFux\">RMS rating<\/a> is more of a true indicator of the speakers &ldquo;power&rdquo; (in fact, take those PMPO ratings with a <a href=\"http:\/\/yeroc.us\/articles\/pmpo\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/yeroc.us\/articles\/pmpo\">grain of salt<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 4px 5px 4px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #000; font-size: 90%\">Webcams<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/images\/a77hf.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"webcam\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" align=\"left\" \/>Honestly, if you already have a webcam, then you know all the cool things that you can do. From video conferencing, to VoIP (think Skype) to just goofing around and uploading a video to YouTube &ndash; a webcam enhances your PC experience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">These days you can easily pick up a basic webcam for next to nothing (some are even well under $10) and for many first time webcam users, this may suffice. But with the market being the way it is, you will also find that for just a few extra dollars you can get higher end webcams that will make the experience that much better (even if you have an integrated webcam &ndash; don&rsquo;t worry, you can have both on the PC &#8211; however, most programs will only let you choose one at a time).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">For a more extensive look at picking out just the right webcam, be sure to see the Tech Tip &ldquo;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/choosing-webcams.htm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/techtips\/2009\/choosing-webcams.htm\">Choosing Your Webcam<\/a>&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 4px 5px 4px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #000; font-size: 90%\">Some things to consider when getting a new webcam:<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">The most basic webcams will usually be either a 100k or 300k (as in kilopixels &ndash; think either 0.1 or 0.3 megapixels) resolution (100k is 320&#215;240 and 300k is 640&#215;480 resolution &ndash; these are both good for basic &ldquo;webcamming&rdquo;).<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Higher end webcams will usually bump the resolution to either 1.3MP (megapixels) or even 2.0MP.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Most webcams use a manual focus.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Webcams are usually the stand alone type that sits on your desktop or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=MON\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/www.geeks.com\/products.asp?cat=MON\">computer monitor<\/a> though some models can also clip onto a laptop monitor or desktop LCD monitor.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Most have a USB interface and come with very basic software (or sometimes none at all). A camera can comes with a <a href=\"http:\/\/hometheater.about.com\/od\/hometheaterdoityourself\/ig\/Home-Theater-Connection-Photo-\/Composite-Video-Connector.htm\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"http:\/\/hometheater.about.com\/od\/hometheaterdoityourself\/ig\/Home-Theater-Connection-Photo-\/Composite-Video-Connector.htm\">composite video connector<\/a> (but will need a capture card), an Ethernet connection or even be wireless (WiFi) &ndash; but these are not usually called or sold as &ldquo;webcams&rdquo; per se (they are usually more for surveillance purposes).<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Some webcams may include infrared LEDs for a low-light night mode.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Other accessories a webcam may have are headsets (earphone with mic) or a microphone built right into the webcam.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 3px 10px 10px; padding-right: 20px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">Even higher up, but usually for the bigger bucks are the webcams that have pan, tilt, zoom capabilities (commonly abbreviated as PTZ) and webcams with tracking (generally when you start getting into these features, they start being sold more as surveillance cameras than webcams).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 style=\"margin: 4px 5px 4px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; color: #000; font-size: 90%\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; margin: 5px 10px 10px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 80%; word-spacing: 2px\">One of the cool aspects of owning a PC is being able to upgrade it and as we have seen, by far one of the easier ways to Pimp out your PC is by looking at what peripherals can be added to it or easily upgraded. We hope that this week&#39;s Tech Tip looking at speakers and webcams got your creative juices flowing and your mind working for these (and other ways) you can Pimp your PC!<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<!-- Social Bookmarks BEGIN -->\n<div class=\"social_bookmark\">\n<a title=\"Click me to see the sites.\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_down',{duration:2.5}) }); return false;\"><strong><em>Bookmark to:<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\n<br \/>\n<div class=\"d1118\" style=\"overflow:hidden\">\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a style=\"font-size:90%;text-align: right; \" title=\"Click me to hide the sites.\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); return false;\">Hide Sites<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- Social Bookmarks END -->\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); <\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pimp Your PC with Peripherals &ndash; Speakers and Webcams! By Bryan Lambert &#8211; October 25, 2009 You know that there is nothing quite so pleasurable as Pimping out your PC &ndash; and what better way to do it than with upgrading your peripherals. In this week&#39;s Tech Tip, we&rsquo;ll look at some cool peripherals that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<!-- Social Bookmarks BEGIN -->\n<div class=\"social_bookmark\">\n<a title=\"Click me to see the sites.\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_down',{duration:2.5}) }); return false;\"><strong><em>Bookmark to:<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\n<br \/>\n<div class=\"d1118\" style=\"overflow:hidden\">\n<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a style=\"font-size:90%;text-align: right; \" title=\"Click me to hide the sites.\" href=\"#\" onclick=\"$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); return false;\">Hide Sites<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- Social Bookmarks END -->\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">$$('div.d1118').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); <\/script>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alsplace.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}