RAM and Latency - What you Need to Know

No one likes a slow computer. Well, at least not anyone I know. People spend thousands of dollars on upgrades and cutting edge systems to use a faster computer. However, upgrading your computer is not the only way to have a quicker computing experience. For those looking to squeeze the last bit of performance out of their machines, there are many ways to optimize your system for speed.

Overclocking your CPU, tweaking your registry, and fine tuning the bios are some the most common ways to optimize your system. Another often overlooked method is reducing your RAM’s latency.

RAM latency occurs when the CPU needs to retrieve information from memory. In order to receive information from RAM, the CPU sends out a request through the front side bus (FSB.) However, the CPU operates faster than the memory, so it must wait while the proper segment of memory is located and read, before the data can be sent back.

RAM latency is measured in wasted FSB clock cycles, since the data is transferred through the FSB. The bigger the latency number, the more FSB clock cycles it missed. The goal in reducing latency is to get the data back to the CPU in the least amount of FSB clock cycles possible.

The easiest way to reduce RAM latency is to increase the speed of the front side bus. This means that the FSB can send and receive data between the CPU and memory faster. However, this also overclocks the CPU, RAM, and possibly the AGP bus as well.

Overclocking your system will void your computer’s warranties and could possibly damage and/or destroy your system, so only attempt it if you’re willing to risk frying your computer. Adjusting your PC’s FSB is usually performed through the BIOS or through jumpers on your motherboard, although not all motherboards support overclocking.

A safer method is to adjust your RAM’s timings, although this can still potentially damage your system and usually only wields nominally performance gains. There’s no simple way to say it, so I’ll apologize in advance for spitting some tech jargon your way.

RAM timing are measured in CAS, RCD, RP, and RAS. CAS refers to the amount of clock cycles to reach the correct column of memory, RCD refers to the amount of cycles between RAS to CAS, RP refers to the amount of cycles needed to close a row and open the next row for reading, and RAS refers to the smallest number of clock cycles a row must be actively accessed. To simplify that explanation, remember that RAM timings are measured in FSB clock cycles, so the lower the number, the faster your system is.

For example, my RAM timings are 3-3-3-8 (CAS-RCD-RP-RAS.) To optimize my timings, I first tried lowering my CAS in my bios to 2.5 and rebooting. Windows booted just fine and everything worked correctly, so I then rebooted and went back into my bios and dropped my CAS down to 2, so now my timings were 2-3-3-8. Again, this setup seemed stable so I went in and tried reducing my RAS, since it was pretty high. This was the last stable tweak that I could do. When I tried to go below 2-3-3-7 in any timing my system either wouldn’t boot or Windows would generate a mass amount of memory related areas.

I used 3dMark 2005 to get an idea of how much improvement my memory adjustments made, if any. Before tweaking my timings I posted a 2105 3dMark score, after the tweaking I scored 2114. Not much of difference, but when it comes to optimizing your system for speed, every last bit helps.

While reducing RAM latency may not have a huge impact on system performance, it can give it a little extra kick, which combined with other methods of optimization, can result in a much quicker PC. So until you’re ready to buy a new computer, consider tuning up your current one to it’s fullest potential.

Nicholas Spriggs at desktop-computer-guide.com is dedicated to providing up to date and accurate information in the computer and technology field. For more information subscribe to DCG Ezine, or check us out at desktop-computer-guide.com/computer-memory.html

5 Desktop Computer Hardware Myths Exposed

The big boys in the computer industry want you to continue thinking the way you are. The major desktop computer manufacturers thrive on consumers lack of knowledge and old ideas about desktop computers and computer hardware to drive sales of new desktop computers.

It works in their favor to keep these myths alive, because their business depends on it. So what are they?

Myth 1: You need top of the line computer hardware

Maybe some years ago this might have been true with older computer hardware, but times have changed. When computers were much slower than they are now, the latest version of any computer hardware increased speeds noticeably and allowed new possibilities from your desktop computer.

Those increases from computer hardware no longer yield such a huge increase in performance. With the basic uses of the desktop computer set and been in place for a while now, speed increases no longer result in real world benefits for most desktop computer users.

What was great computer hardware last year is still good enough now.

Myth 2: Computer hardware is the domain of Geeks

When personal computing was coming into its own, you really did need to be a Geek to know what was happening. For those old enough to remember, imagine life without Windows and hacking away at the command line, as used to be the case. Some still do, but I wouldn’t want to do that again.

Desktop computers are such commonplace that the basics of computer hardware can be understood and researched with the minimum of hassle. The ball is on the consumers side of the court. You no longer need to be a geek, just a little knowledge that is now readily available.

Myth 3: A faster desktop computer will speed up the Internet

Possibly. If you are running 5-year-old computer hardware this might be the case. But the real reason for the increase in speed is usually not the computer.

Internet speed is related to your connection speed. If you have a dial up connection, it’s going to be quite slow. When you upgrade your desktop computer and they throw in a cable internet, or DSL package the improved speed is from the faster connection, not the computer. Both cable and DSL can offer more than 10 times the speed of a dial-up connection. The computer has little to do with it.

Myth 4: To speed your computer up, upgrade!

New computer hardware is a very obvious way to speed things up. Even I have gone for new parts purely for this reason.

But it’s definitely not the only way.

Various factors play into overall speed. On a purely physical level, upgrading memory is still a fantastic way to get things to move along a little faster. But apart from this the main things that slows things down on the programs and other stuff you have on the computer.

Over time, as more programs are put on and taken off and changed, things get left behind, and things get forgotten. When your computer starts, many things get loaded into memory and each one of those takes that little bit more of the computers resources. When you switch to a new program and don’t remove the old one, the older one will still use resources.

Myth 5: Big brands are the best

Big brands essentially piece together a computer. They pick and choose the pieces to make a computer package. They also choose some software, give a warranty and then sell it to you.

Dell computer company has become well known for its customer service. This is the best part about Dell computers. The downside is there are limited choices. They pick what goes into the computer, which are often quite expensive parts. They are motivated by the suppliers to put more recent parts into their computers, keeping the prices at the same level and maintaining the “to get more, pay more,” mentality.

You don’t have the power of these big guys, but you have something more. Choice.

Your pick of parts for your desktop computer will allow you to put together something completely tailored to your needs. Put the money where you need it most, into the computer hardware that makes the biggest difference to you, and in the end getting a desktop computer you will fall in love with, rather than despise.

Get the most honest and useful reviews to make the right choice at our Desktop Computer Hardware Reviews site or get practical computer buying tips at our Computer Buying Guide site

HDCP, High -Bandwidth Digital Content Protection: Beginners Guide

Background:
High Definition digital video allows users to experience high resolution, near perfect video content. As more content is delivered digitally, the content creators are increasingly concerned with content piracy because digital content can be perfectly duplicated. Therefore anti-piracy safeguards such, as High Bandwidth Content Protection (HDCP) is necessary in order for original content creators to protect their assets. In this article we will touch on the key points of HDCP

What is HDCP:
High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection, HDCP, is an encryption scheme developed to defend against uncontrolled copying of digital content over high bandwidth digital interconnects such as DVI and the HDMI. The FCC approved HDCP as a “Digital Output Protection Technology” on August 4th, 2004.
A HDCP protected system consists of: 1) HDCP transmitter (DVD player for example), 2) the digital interface (DVI or HDMI), and 3) the HDCP receiver (your display monitor). In brief, the content is encrypted at the transmitter and the signal is passed to the HDCP receiver (display) via the DDC lines (in essence an I2C bus) where it is decrypted before viewing. HDCP requires that both the transmitter and the receiver comply with standards. If either one does not comply, the video will not be displayed properly. Incidentally, HDCP does not apply to analog interface such as component video although component video can be used to display high definition video.

Why should the consumer care about HDCP:
It is highly recommended that consumers be aware of HDCP and purchase sets that are HDCP compliant. Here is why. It has been speculated that the two competing high definition DVD standards HD DVD, and BLUE RAY, due out in 2006 will only deliver full resolution on HDCP protected outputs such as HDMI or DVI. If true, then users must have a HDCP monitor in order to experience full resolution HD DVD technology. Therefore it is prudent for the consumer to select HDCP compliant displays so the display can be used with future applications.

What is involved during a HDCP session:
HDCP is a complicated process but can be broken down to 3 key functions: Authentication, Encryption, and Renewability

Authentication: The first step before video is actually sent is for the HDCP transmitter to determine if the receiver is “authorized” to accept HDCP protected content. Stored in the PROM of each transmitter and receiver is an array of 40, 56-bit secret keys and a 40-bit entity called Key Selection Vector. Authentication requires that the transmitter and receiver pair exchange “secret keys” and key selection vectors. The keys are scrambled and never revealed. The math behind the encryption allows each half to calculate a resultant number, call it Rs, based on the key exchanges. The Rs value is then shared and compared. If the Rs value matches, the receiver is accepted as an authorized HDCP receiver and video transmission can start.

Encryption/Transmission: Once authentication is completed, transmission of the video content can commence. To prevent an unauthorized receiver from receiving the content, the video data must be encrypted prior to transmission. At the transmitter end, the video data bits are exclusive-ored with a shared calculated number lets call it Rt ( Rt is similar to how Rs was calculated) and sent to the receiver. At the receiver end the encrypted data is again exclusive-ored with Rt. Since the XOR function is invertible, XORing with the same Rt at the receiver end will reveal the true unscrambled video bits. Incidentally, a new Rt value is calculated about every 2 second to prevent corruption due to hacking.

Renewability: renewability futhur ensures that the private keys are not exposed to unauthorized users due to tampering.

Conclusion:
HDTV technology is changing rapidly. Content providers need to protect against piracy by implementing HDCP. HDCP and digital connection standards such as HDMI will become the de facto standard for digital video connections. We have outlined the important features of HDCP, so the consumer can make intelligent purchasing decisions.

Jeff Su is product marketing manager at Octava Inc. http://www.octavainc.com. Jeff is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (BSEE, MSEE) and has over 10 years of experience in CATV systems, RF, and microwave designs. He may be reached at info@octavainc.com

Fiber Optics: The Freakiest Haunted Carnival Fun House EVER Since “Enter The Dragon”

Enter the Dragon
You stumble through a maze of mirrors, placed methodically so that the camera filming you doesn’t film itself… you have hot pink fluids smeared over your arms and torso as an obscure, esoteric reference to human blood… there is a chinese actor chasing you with an over-sized rabbit’s foot with marshmallow roasters attached to the fingers as an obscure esoteric reference to a bear-claw-esque weapon (which will henceforth be reverenced in the form of a mouth-watering innamon/frosting medley pastry).

Is this the freakiest haunted carnival fun house ever? Is it a story Spielberg, Coppola, Lucas, and the like tell over a campfire to try to scare each other sleepless? None of the above! This horror (multiplied by several millions) is what a poor innocent signal particle experiences every time he/she is sent through the most horrible rollercoaster of death: the fiber optic cable.

Enter the Nightmare
Fiber optic cable is virtually a tube lined on the inside with a flexible mirror that bounces the poor innocent signal particle around until it gets to the other side. Imagine trying to shine a light down a bending tunnel. If the tunnel is lined on the inside by mirrors, the light will bounce around until it finally arrives at the end. More specifically:
each optical fiber has three layers:
1.Core: A thin glass center of the fiber where the signal/light particle travels
1.5.Scary Chinese actor with over-sized rabbit’s foot
2.Cladding: Optical Material that surrounds the core and reflects the light back into the core.
3.Buffer Coating: Plastic coating that protects the fiber from damage and moisture.

Thousands of hundreds of tens of a couple of these fibers are arranged in bundles in optical cables in an outer covering called a “jacket”.

Single Mode Lee vs. Multi-mode bear-claw man
Optic fibers come as Single-mode fibers and Multi-mode fibers.

Single Mode fibers have small cores (about 9 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared laser light.

Multi-mode fibers have larger cores (about 62.5 microns in diameter) and transmit infrared light from LEDs (light emitting diodes).

Who Cares How it Works, Get Back to the Scary Chinese Actor with the Bear-Claw
Lets talk advantages to Fiber over Copper:
Thinner- Optical fibers can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire.
Less Signal Degradation- fiber optic cable not only can be used in networks, but to extend USB, Firewire, DVI, and other types of signals that degrade over short distances. Gefen, for instance, carries a great DVI extender that will carry your DVI signal up to 1640 feet, for when you want to do a powerpoint at a Vegas trade show at the Belagio without leaving the dollar black jack machine at “Jim’s Food and Fuel Safari” somewhere far away from the strip.

No Interference- Interference will someday be extinct from the english language except when used soley to refer to the famous playground Deus ex Machina that saved you from total dodgeball humiliation. In other words, with the advent of fiber optics, information will be sent through light signals and not electrical signals (used with copper wires), eliminating that nasty bully called interference.

Less Power- Because signals in fiber optics degrade less, less power is needed to make degradation corrections.
No Fire Hazard- Since light (not electricity) being passed through these cables, there is no fire hazard.
Flexible- Fiber optic cable is smaller, more flexible, and therefore more agile than copper. It is especially useful in medical imaging, mechanical imaging, plumbing, etc.

Cameron Postelwait works in business development at Sewell Direct, proud carriers of Fiber Optic Extension products, the USB to Serial Adapter, and many other connectivity products.

The Hard Drive Buyers Guide

As home computers become more advanced, and our uses for them become more complex, the need for higher performance and capacity hard drives increases. It is now possible to choose hard drives with vastly different capacities and rotational speeds, making things more confusing for the consumer.

Thankfully for consumers the hard drive market is extremely competitive and the price at which a high capacity hard drive can be bought is quite astounding. Now that broadband internet is common place, with more and more people downloading music and movies, the need for high specification hard drives has never been greater.

When choosing a new hard drive it is important to consider What you use your computer for. Those who just use their home pc for basic requirements such as word processing and surfing the internet will not need to spend as much on their hard drive as someone who may use music applications or lots of games. When buying a hard drive also try and anticipate any future requirements also.

Lets consider the following hard drive specifications:

1)Capacity

2)Rotational speed

3)Buffer size and transfer rates

In terms of capacity, hard drives can range from 30 - 300 GB. 40 GB hard drives are fairly standard these days. If all you will be using your PC for is to run a few basic software applications and games then this will provide you with plenty of space. But as most people these days are generally also using their home computer to store lots of music, videos and photos, I would strongly recomend buying something between 60 - 120 GB capacity. With hard drives being relatively cheap these days it is better to buy something that will continue to provide storage in the future, than go for a smaller option now and have to upgrade sooner.

The second factor we really need to consider is the rotational speed of the hard drives. This has become a big selling point for manufacturers. The speed is measured in revolutions per minute and you will find figures such as 5400RPM, 7200RPM, 10000RPM, 15000RPM quoted by the hard drive manufacturers. Hard drives work by reading information from rotating magnetic platters as they rotate, hence the faster the rotating speed, the quicker the information is read. There is a down side to faster rotating speeds though, and that is wear and tear. The faster a hard drive spins the quicker it will wear out and it will also be more vulnerable to crashes. Rotational speed is really important, so if your going to be using your PC for music or gaming then you need to buy a 7200RPM drive. If its just for basic usage then a 5400RPM drive will suffice. Again as the price difference between 7200RPM and 540RPM drives is minimal, you may consider opting for the faster speed as this will not need upgrading as soon.

The buffer size and transfer rates will not be of importance to many people, and only need to be considerd by people building
dedicated games machines or for high end music applications. The buffer is used as a temporary store for data and the larger the buffer size the better your pc will operate. It is possible to buy hard drives with a buffer size of 8MB. Its best to buy a drive with as large a buffer as you can afford. The same is true for transfer rates, buy the drive with the highest transfer rate that you can afford.

This buyers guide should have covered all the points you need to consider when purchasing your new hard drive, but if you want more information then plenty is avaiable on the internet. For further information please visit our site.

Steve Jones has worked with computers all his life and is now using his knowledge to write articles for http://www.officialharddrive.com.

Iggy Discovers USB Networking

My new laptop is fantastic, with it’s nice new squeaky-clean operating system it runs like a dream. But it wasn’t long before I had to face the technical challenge of getting all my old data from my old desktop computer (which was bursting at the seams with data!) onto my new laptop.

I was also intending to format and give away my old computer, so I could not afford to lose any of this data in the process.

I sat down at my old computer and listed all of my important files to assess exactly what and how much data I needed to transfer over to the new laptop.

Including my pictures, MP3’s, Office documents, work backup’s and so on, I was looking at transferring about 20 Gigabytes worth of data, it seems to build up so quickly! Thank goodness for my new laptop’s 100 Gigabyte Hard Drive, which will allow me to transfer all of my data to it and still have room for a lot more. I know that the main application programmes (Word, Excel and so on) from my old computer will all have to be reinstalled on to the new laptop from their original install disks, but how do I get all the rest of the data over to the new laptop?

Floppy disk? - no way, even if my laptop had a floppy disk drive I would need about 14,000 disks!

CD or DVD? - Both my new laptop and my old computer have CD ROM drives, to get all my data over using CD’s I would need about 30 disks as well as some software to package all the data up nice and tidily across the 30 disks, viable but a lot of work and time needed. DVD’s would be better but my old computer does not have a DVD drive! There must be an easier way.

USB Memory Stick? - Not really a viable option, the maximum capacity of the USB Memory Stick that I can afford is 512MB, so this would require about 40 swaps from the old computer to the new and as my old computer is only USB1.1 which transfers at 1.5 mega bytes this process is going to be possible but really slow.

Networking? - Apparently I could network my two machines together with a “Cross Wired Network lead” and a copy of “Networking Computers for Dummies”, but unfortunately my old dinosaur of a computer does not have a network card! Network cards are cheap enough but I still don’t want to spend any money on this old computer and really don’t fancy fiddling around inside the desktop. Although it does sound good to be able to connect the two computers together and transfer the data through the cable.

This is when I came across a very handy cable called a USB Data Link Cable. Apparently I can just plug one end into the USB port on my old PC and the other end into the USB port on my new laptop and then as if by magic, I should have a USB Network between both computers. Now this sounds more like it! Both my computers have USB ports and even though my old computer is USB1.1 and my new laptop is USB2.0 the cable should work anyway, although the transfer rate will only be at the lower USB1.1 speed.
After finding more about this cable on the Internet I found out that it is also known as a USB File/Data Transfer Cable. Once connected, the transfer of data is done quickly and effortlessly by simply dragging and dropping files from one window to another, just as you normally would when moving files around on your system. So I ordered one online right away.

The USB Data Transfer Cable arrived the next day and I got down to the business of getting the thing to work, the hardest part was working out the blatantly “translated” instructions. All I had to do was install the included software from the CD, once only on each of my computers, then plug the cable into a USB port on each computer and run the software. Two Windows Explorer type windows appeared, one showing files on the laptop and the other showing files on the PC, then I simply dragged and dropped files between the two computers.

I was amazed, this USB cable solution was fantastic. It was so easy to set up and turned out to be the cheapest option by far at only £15 and much less hassle than any other option, almost too good to be true, magic!

Article by Iggy Quazi director of Ecommerce business Mouse2House based in Essex, England stocking a wide range of digital imaging devices. For more info visit the Mouse 2 House company website at www.mouse2house.co.uk where you will find the latest in digital media products. For CD and DVD media see www.mouse2house.co.uk/index.php?CatURN=640

Maison Genevois Three in Rome

Maison Genevois 3 is located in the heart of Rome a few blocks from the historical centre, in the luxurious area of “Prati”. Because of it’s strategic position, it’s easy to walk in just 7 minutes to S. Peter’s, Vatican and Vatican Museums, Spanish steps, Pantheon, Navona square and Popolo square.

Our Bed and Breakfast is right above the metro stop “Lepanto” (line A), which connects in just 5 stops the railway station “Termini”, 2 stops Spanish steps, 3 stops Trevi fountain. Busses 24 hours a day allow you to reach any place in the city, like Gianicolo, Coliseum and many other magical sites which we will be glad to show you.

Besides being well connected, our area is one of the most calm and safe both day and night. Prati, is also one of the most ancient areas of Rome and nothing is missing: from the characteristic markets to the last fashion shop, from the take away pizzeria to the high class restaurant, from pubs to discos.

Rooms, just renewed, give a comfortable atmosphere, warm, relaxing and absolutely private. The mixture of our new and modern furniture with the antiquity of “Prati”, reflects the charming character of the eternal “caput mundi”.

Rooms are single, matrimonial, double with separate beds, and triple. On the whole there are two rooms with share bathroom and one room with private bathroom. Kitchen with tables and chairs is arranged for breakfasts and snacks.

It would be a real pleasure to host you in Maison Genevois 3.

Gas and electricity expenses
Expenses of water, gas and electricity for domestic consumption are included in the price.

Domestic animals
We allow cats and small dogs in rooms with balcony

Timetable of arrival and departure
The rooms are available from 12:00 a.m. of the day of arrival (in case of arrival to the structure after 1:00 p.m., we ask to be informed at least three days before and confirmed one hour before arrival. We need to know the time of arrival, to be able to organize a meeting with our staff near the structure, for the delivery of the keys).
Rooms must be left within 10:00 a.m. of the departure day, unless otherwise specified at the moment of the reservation.

Other suggestion for Rome? Wide choice and Low rates on Rome accommodations: compare rates for Hotels in Rome, or compare price for other kind of accomodations in Rome (apartments, Bed and breakfast, Guest Houses,…), or make a reservation for a tour in Rome

Thin Clients Benefits are Excellent Options for Computer Homeschools… Just a Suggestion

Wireless Consulting and Solution Providers have always been important to african american small businesses and now after several years of having the most technologically advanced homes in our neighborhood, we are beginning to realize that our neighbors could benefit from the same technology in educating our children. With the future our african american children are facing being dependent on computers and broadband access it is critical to have the proper tools for our children to have the confidence necessary to face the future.

Psyche. There is a very good friend that is a Wireless Solution Provider in Chicago, whose wife “suggested” that he share his expertise with a neighbor who had been visiting his family’s computer homeschool. Well after one thing led to another he finally enabled about 18 african american computer homeschools in the Chicago area, thus becoming a african american homeschool resource for wireless.

This little story is related because while I myself was working in Chicago for 4 years, he came to me for assistance in selecting a networked computer system that would be affordable for his clients. I had success with using thin client computers before with african american owned small businesses, networking them through a small server and then upgrade them to an additional firewall for full strength protection. He tried this with one family and for around $1700 they received 2 thin pc’s and a server, they were excited to say the least. The thin pc benefits kept working for him and his clients over and over again when creating a computer homeschool.

Now I begin to work in North Texas and my sister “suggests” to me that I consult for a african american single mom in Dallas. *Side note… for those who perhaps may be uninformed about my use of the word “suggest” let me share with you how an african american woman “suggests” anything to men. First she will begin by asking you to handle a certain situation and if you don’t respond correctly (never have, never will, women are smarter) the next level of the speech will be at a volume that will make the suggestion clear.

Back to the benefits of thin client and how they make an excellent option.

Thin clients have no CD drive, floppy drive, and don’t look for a hard drive because it’s on the server the actual workhorse of the network. The point is that it is ‘thin’ and most of the really hard work is done by another computer with all the bells and whistles as it needs them to ‘manage’ the thin pc’s. That alone saves you money, and when it comes time to upgrade (and you know it’s coming), all your processing power is actually in the server that manages your network.

Even if you do have to replace one of your thin pc’s, it costs $500 or less and a full blown fat desktop starts at $900 on up. Installing thin client networks are a breeze, setup the server and load it with the software you need to use, plug in the wireless thin client pc’s and go for it! Lower upfront costs, easy to upgrade and install makes this a better option for today’s computing homeschool.

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer
Helps african american homeschools bridge the digital
divide by becoming computer homeschools. Free article
on “Computer Homeschooling” and other related articles
http://www.homeschoolwireless.com/homeschoolwireless.htm

<309.403.4983 phone/fax>

Inkjet Jargon Explained

With all the technical terms out there, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with inkjet jargon. Unfortunately, understanding the differences between the various terminologies is a must in todays advanced technological age. Below are a few of the more commonly used inkjet jargon terms you might come across and some information that will help you keep it all straight in your head.

Sometimes you might see the term CMYK. This strange looking word is simply an acronym to identify the colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black (blac*K*). These are the standard colors used by printer industries. For example magazines and brochures use these colors frequently to produce glossy photography prints. CMYK allows printers to use all four colors combined in a mixture to create multiple hues and tones.

The next commonly used word you might run across in inkjet jargon is DPI. Again, this is simply an acronym that is short for Dots per Inch. This is a measurement term defining the resolution on the printer. A printer’s resolution will have values ranging from high to low. High resolution is defined as a DPI of 1200 and above. A lower resolution would be anywhere from 300 DPI and below and would generally produce a printed picture with noticeable pixel dots. Low resolution is not usually recommended for high quality graphical or photographical output. The best possible photo output comes from using the highest DPI values.

What about Duplexing? The word Duplexing refers to the capability of the prtiner to print on both sides of the paper. This ability is beneficial in a number of ways. Not only does Duplexing conserve on paper, but it is better for the environment as well. While duplexing is not an inexpensive option, it is used infrequently in today’s business world. In most situations, duplexing can be achieved manually by placing even and odd numbers first and then flipping the pages over. This will allow the user to print on the other side regardless of whether a printer can duplex or not.

The term inkjet printer has been around for awhile, but if you’re not computer savvy you might not know the difference between an inkjet printer and dot matrix printer. An inkjet printer produces printed characters by spraying ink in a line of dots to form characters. Early inkjets were somewhat inefficient due to the fact that they had a reputation for clogging. The newer models, however; are designed to deliver high print seeds, superb graphics and crisp text. The technology present in modern
inkjet printers has become so advanced that photographic inkjet output is on a par with that of photolabs.

Finally, another common term used is interface. This term refers to the type of connection the printer is able to obtain from the computer. Much older computers use a parallel interface. Today, this type of interface has become a thing of the past as new interface technologies such as USB and Firewire have taken centre stage purely due to their speed and reliability.

Taking the time to better understand inkjet jargon can prove to be particularly beneficial when you are considering purchasing a new printer. Don’t let yourself fall for salesman jargon and buy the wrong product simply because you didn’t understand the
terminology used. Knowledge is power.

This article was provided courtesy of Inkjet Printables.com. On the website you’ll find tons of useful information on cheap inkjet cartridges

Types of Monitors and Specific Features

CRT

CRT or Cathode Ray Tube monitors are the monitors everyone will have seen before. They that look like televisions. They range in size from 15 to around 22 Inch, and weight up to 30 kilos.

Advantages

Great value for money

Mature technology

Good for graphical detail

Can accommodate many different resolutions

Disadvantages

Big

Take up a lot of space

Cost more to run than an LCD

LCD/TFT

LCD or Liquid Crystal Display screens have now been around a few years, these are the thin screens. Some look almost like a picture frame. You will see them referred to as LCD or TFT (TFT being a type of LCD). They start at around 14 inches, and due to technological advances bigger LCDs are being produced all the time, 30 Inch are already available with 40 inch on the way too. They weigh very little compared to their CRT equivalent and can be mounted on a wall or shelf with ease.

Advantages

Less desk space needed

Require less power to run, more environmentally friendly

Increased Viewable area, a 15″LCD can give the same viewable area as a 17″ CRT monitor

Disadvantages

Viewing angle can affect image quality

One native resolution

More expensive than a CRT

General Monitor Features

Size

Here is one area where size does matter, the bigger the monitor the easier it will be on the eye. You will be able to open more windows and the text should be easier to read. Keep in mind the viewable area, all CRT have a smaller viewable area than their size. For Example a typical 17″ CRT will have a viewable area of around 15.8″. LCD tends to have the same viewable area, so a 15″ LCD will have a 15″ viewable area. Monitor size (and TVs) are measured diagonally, from the top left corner to the bottom right hand corner.

Resolution

Resolution is the number of pixels displayed on screen at one time, it’s usually in the format Horizontal x Vertical, e.g.?- 800×600 or 1024×768. CRT monitors can display multiple resolutions easily, while LCD monitors are optimised for 1 native resolution (They can display other resolutions, but are optimised for 1) the higher the resolution the more you can get on screen and the sharper the image.

CRT Specific Features

Dot Pitch

Dot pitch is the distance in millimetres between two dots of the same colour on the screen, it’s usually measured diagonally and you should be looking for something around 0.26mm

Refresh Rate

This is the number of time the screen is redrawn per second, most new monitors should have reasonable refresh rates, 75Hz or higher. Some older CRTs had lower refresh rates that can cause screen flicker and induce eye strain.

LCD Specific Features

Brightness

Because LCDs require their own back light to create colour, brightness is an important factor. It’s measured in candelas per metre squared or cd/m2, where one candle produces a brightness of 1 candela. The higher this number, the brighter the screen.

Contrast Ratio

This is the degree of difference between the extremes of light and dark colours. The higher the contrast ratio, the more detailed the image will be. Blacks will be blacker, whites will be whiter, and particularly text on the image will be more vivid. It will usually be written as 500:1 or 250:1

Response Time

Refers to just how quickly a pixel can change colour. It’s measured in milliseconds with 20-30ms being the normal at the moment. Gamers and people who watch a lot of movies on LCD screens would be better opting for something with a fast response time, around 16ms as this reduces the ghosting effect of fast motion.

When looking to buy a new monitor all of the above needs to be considered. Keep in mind you will be looking at your purchase day in day out for the next few years, so do not cut corners here, buy the best you can afford, your eyes will thank you for it later.

Dead Pixel Policy

Due to the difficulties associated with producing LCD screens very few brands guarantee a pixel perfect (Class 1) product,
and those that do charge a premium for it.
Most of the screens we sell currently adhere to the international standard, ISO 13406-2 and use class 2 panels.
It is possible, although uncommon, for a Class 2 LCD screen to have a small number of faulty pixels.
In these cases, this standard deems the screen as being ‘not faulty’.

For an LCD monitor to be considered faulty there has to be a certain number of dead pixels:

Acceptable malfunctioning pixels by class & type per Million pixels:

2 complete pixels constantly illuminated (a white spot)

2 complete pixels not illuminated (a black spot)

5 sub pixels constantly on or off or intermittent fault. May blink or show a pixel as a base colour (Red, Blue, Green, Cyan, Magenta or yellow)
or, any 2 sub pixel faults within a 5 x 5 block of pixels

Also, the faults are cumulative, so if you have 1 white spot and 1 black spot per million pixels then this counts.

Native Resolution Pixel Count Example

1024 x 768 786,432 2 or more dead pixels considered faulty

1280 x 1024 1,310,720 3 or more dead pixels considered faulty

1600 x 1200 1,920,000 3 or more dead pixels considered faulty

So, You can have a 19″ LCD monitor with a low native resolution where 2 pixels would be considered faulty, but if it had a native resolution of 1600 x 1200 and therefore had many more pixels, then 2 would not be classed as faulty.

For any LCD to be classed as faulty it must meet the above requirements, primarily those of the specific manufacturer. Please contact the manufacturer directly for their current dead pixel policy.

Willson Peterson is computer expert and network engineer. He is the author of target=_blank rel="nofollow">“How to backup your computer data” and “Monitor Glossary of Terms.”

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