Hello,
Core, Quad, Quint... it's getting hard to know just
which kind of CPU one really needs these days. More processor cores and
faster clock speeds generally indicate better "performance", but perhaps
you should keep a little bit of reality in mind as a family of new DDR3 friendly CPUs
sprout from Intel next week. The fastest CPU you need is the one that gets
the work that you do, done. If a single core
AMD or Intel chip handles what you use a computer for, then
you're set. Perpetual upgrade cycles are all well and good, but prove
somewhat unnecessary when software can't take full advantage of all that
horsepower don't you
think?
This week, your videocard is obsolete if it isn't DirectX 10
compatible. It's a good thing Dx10 games aren't out yet... ;-) If you
are preparing for the onslaught of killer DX10 graphics, then look no
further than a mainstream Geforce 8600GTS, we've got two reviews this issue.
The first Geforce 8600GTS comes from Foxconn with 256MB memory, and the
second from MSI with equivalent tech specs and a
pleasing low noise heatsink.
Up next is Biostar's excellent little AMD 690G chipset based TA690G
AM2 motherboard. This platform has
DVI, Analog and HDMI video outputs! It
would be pretty awesome for a compact home theatre PC. The upcoming Geforce
7050 chipset from nVidia should make things even more interesting. Also in
this edition are 104 Tech Tips for WindowsXP, the ultra quiet Zalman 600W
power supply, and a PCSTATS Beginners Guide to Tweaking Windows
Services.
The May edition
of PCSTATS handy ShoppingList is posted
here for those in need of hardware advice.
Thanks for
Reading,
Max Page
Editor-in-Chief - PCSTATS
As you might expect, the Foxconn 8600GTS-256 is backed up with 256MB of
GDDR3 memory that runs at nice even 2000MHz. The videocard does not come
with much, which is a bit disappointing, there are just two DVI to analog
converters, a TV output break out box (component and S-Video), a dual
molex to six pin power converter and a couple of HDD utilities on the
driver disk. No games, no fancy game controller, no DVI-to-HDMI
converter. In its current configuration the 8600GTS-256 is a single
slot solution, although you'll want to keep the expansion slot adjacent to
the videocard free so it gets a nice steady stream of cool air. Continue Here>>
Biostar has been releasing some really cool products the last little
while, the Sigma-Gate GeForce 7600GS being one of the
neatest videocards to pass through the PCSTATS test labs in all of 2006 in
fact. Today though, PCSTATS is excited to be testing out the Biostar
TA690G AM2 motherboard; a MicroATX platform ideal for home theatre PC
application. This board stands out because of the comprehensive video
outputs it has. A standard analog video output isn't too astounding, but a
digital DVI port, S-Video TV-output and an HDMI video output all on one
motherboard is pretty darn unique! With its' ATI Radeon X1250 Graphics on
board, the Biostar TA690G AM2 provides a good solid platform for office
applications and the like, without the need to install a stand alone
videocard. Continue Here>>
From quick tips to WindowsXP,
right through to cool tweak, toys and experiments, PCSTATS has go you
covered with over a hundred new Tech Tips! PCSTATS is pleased to present this latest installment
of our Windows XP Tips collection. This guide brings you 104 ways to make
using Windows XP faster, safer and more enjoyable. Combined with our first
two tips articles,101 Tech Tips and 99 Performance Tweaks, PCSTATS now has over 300 of the
best tips for Microsoft Windows XP assembled in one place! Continue Here>>
Zalman has launched a low noise power supply of its own, and no
surprise then that the 600W unit packs in components from a standard
heatsink to augment its cooling capabilities. Instead of building its own
power supply outright, Zalman teamed up with SPI (Sparkle Power Inc) to
introduce the ZM600-HP power supply to the world. Sparkle are in the same
league as PC Power & Cooling and Seasonic in terms of quality, and
heck the ZM600-HP has already received both nVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire
certification! At 600W, the Zalman ZM600-HP power supply is good for all
types of systems, from a quiet entertainment HTPC to a high end gaming
system with two videocards. Continue Here>>
A Windows service is an 'always on' application that is constantly
running in the background of your system. These applications are loaded at
startup with an executable file or started when needed, and do not have a
user interface or require a user to run them. They allow Windows XP to
perform functions that require constant management or access without
forcing the user to run a specific program or command. In Windows XP,
these background processes are called Services and they will be the topic
of this edition of PCSTATS always handy Beginner's
Guides. We're going to look at what the WinXP Services are and do, why
they are necessary, which ones should be running on your system and which
ones you can do without. Continue Here>>
nVIDIA is on an absolute roll, and there are no
challengers in sight! As its name indicates, MSI's
NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC videocard is based on the new nVIDIA GeForce
8600GTS core. The card packs in a modest 256MB of GDDR3 memory. High
Definition is the next big gaming challenge, and so it's not
surprising that we have dual DVI (dual link) outputs along with component
HDTV output via dongle. The NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC installs into a PCI
Express x16 slot, supports nVidia SLI if you have two of them, and is
fully DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2.0 compatible. What really makes
the MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC special is that MSI factory overclock the
card to
700 MHz core, 2100 MHz memory.
Continue Here>>
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PCstats Weekly Tech Tips:
Customized Search Tool in IE 7
By Colin
S. |
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By default Internet Explorer 7 has a
search option at the top right hand corner of the browser.
This embedded search tool makes quick work of the web, and for
your convenience (and Microsoft's coffers) is connected
directly to Microsoft's Live Search.
In case you're not a fan of Microsoft's
search engine, and we're not particularly attached to it, you
can change it to another search engine. To do this click on
the triangle to the right of the search text box and select
the "Find More Providers..." option. That will open up a new
window and from there you have the following four search
engine options "AOL", "Ask.com", "Google", "Lycos.com" and
"Yahoo!" Select the one you want, that will pop open a new
"Add Search Provider" option remember to check the "Make this
my default search provider" check box and then click the "Add
Provider" option. Congratulations you've just changed IE7's search
provider and don't have to use Microsoft Live Search anymore.
Alternatively, you can set the search box to go directly to just about any search box on any website, provided it meets certain criteria. While you're still on the "find more providers..." page look for "Create Your Own" and follow the instructions posted there. FireFox has a similar set of options if you use that great browser.Let PCSTATS
know what you think about this Tech Tip, and be sure to stop
by PCSTATS Forums and post your comments or questions.
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