FAQ about hardware

What is the speed of usb 2.0?
Below is the summazired speed for some common transfer protocol

Protocol : Transfer rate(MB/s)
IrDA-Control : 0.009
Serial : 0.02
Parallel : 1.0
Bluetooth 1.1 : 0.125
Bluetooth 2 : 2 to 12
IEEE 802.11 : 0.25
IEEE 802.11a : 6.75
IEEE 802.11b : 1.375
IEEE 802.11g : 6.75
USB 1.1 : 1.5
USB 2.0 : 60
SCSI 1 : 5
Fast SCSI 2 : 10
Fast Wide SCSI 2 : 20
Ultra SCSI : 20
Ultra Wide SCSI : 40
Ultra2 SCSI : 80
Ultra 160 SCSI : 160
FireWire (IEEE 1394) : 50
FireWire (IEEE 1394b) : 100
Ultra DMA ATA 33 : 33
Ultra DMA ATA 66 : 66
Ultra DMA ATA 100 : 100
Ultra DMA ATA 133 : 133
SATA : 150
SATA 2 : 375
PCI : 132
PCI-X (64bit) : 1.1 GB/s
PCI Express x1 : 250
PCI Express x16 : 4 GB/s
PCI Express x32 : 8 GB/s

Can I use ATI card on SLI mobo?
Yes you can. Note that it will not behave as SLI mode if you plug in 2 of ATI cards.

Can I put a pci-e graphic card in agp slot?
No you can't because the the slot is different.

My mobo only support DDR266. Can i put DDR400 in my mobo?
Yes you can but the DDR400 will become DDR266.

My hard disk is a 80 Gb model, why do I only have 74Gb avaible?
Hard disk manufacturers consider one Kilobyte is equal to 1000 Bytes, one Megabyte is equal to 1000 Kilobytes and one Gigabyte is equal to 1000 Megabytes. This is, however, not true. The real values are one Kilobyte is equal to 1024 Bytes, one Megbyte is equal to 1024 Kilobytes (1048576 Bytes) and so on. So if you're has 80 000 000 000 Bytes, hard disk manufacturers say it is an 80 Gb Hard Disk where as it really has only 74.5 Gb.

For quick reference I have made a simple table:
20 Gb - 18.62 actual Gb
40 Gb - 37.25 actual Gb
60 Gb - 55.87 actual Gb
80 Gb - 74.5 actual Gb
100 Gb - 93.13 actual Gb
120 Gb - 111.75 actual Gb
160 Gb - 149.01 actual Gb

I have two sticks or RAM that are the same model, same speed and same make(i.e.Kingston DDR400 512MB x2). Can i run both as dual-channel?
Yes, you can. Make sure that your mobo supports dual-channel and also the speed of your RAM.

edited by acedriver, credit to everyone who contribute to this thread, some posts need to be deleted..

This post has been edited by mycomnet: Feb 18 2005, 02:56 AM

Plugs and ports

Parallel ports
A parallel port is easy to recognize by its 25 holes.


Serial port
A serial port has 9 or 25 pins.


VGA graphics port
Has 15 holes.


Mouse port

A serial port may look like this.


This is a PS/2 mouse plug which isn't compatible with the serial port.


Keyboard port
Some PCs have a five-hole DIN connection. Others have a PS/2 keyboard port.

Keyboard port, DIN connection


Keyboard plug, DIN


USB

USB Ports


USB plug. This can be plugged in and out while the PC is on.


FireWire


Picture courtesy of ThePC.info

Pentium from Intel .

There's Pentium , Pentium 2 , Pentium 3 and Pentium 4 Proccessor until now . Every batch with different core such as Coppermine , Tualatin , E , C , B , A and bla bla .

Then Athlon is from AMD .

Athlon such as K6-3 , K7 with different core such as Barton , T-bred , Palo ..



This post has been edited by Breaktru: Aug 21 2004, 05:22 PM

Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA)

from : CLICK HERE

This post has been edited by navilink: Apr 29 2004, 10:02 AM

Chip packaging terms.

BGA = Ball Grid Array
TSOP = Thin Small Outline Package

This post has been edited by n305er: Feb 21 2006, 05:10 PM

No more acronym, if you wanna know about PC acronym go to TUCAA: The Ultimate Computer Acronyms Archive

Please only discuss basic computer functions.

Whenever you see a weird new term, remember:

http://webopedia.com

Pentium 4 willamette 400Mhz FSB (100Mhz Quad Pump) i840 chipset .
Pentium 4A Northwood with 400Mhz (100Mhz Quad Pump)
Pentium 4B Northwood with 533Mhz (133Mhz Quad Pump)
Pentium 4C Northwood with 800Mhz (200Mhz Quad Pump)
Pentium 4E Prescott with 800Mhz (200Mhz Quad Pump) 1Mb L2 Cache , 0.09n micron
Pentium 4EE (Extreme Edition) Gallatin additional 2MB L3 Cache .

the general conception is that the higher is the alphabet the better , mostly right except for the E version with contains optimizations for future software but not current software plus it generates 106 W/mk compared to the Northwood's 82 W/mk

EDIT: Some corrections:

Besides the FSB different between those chip , there's also pipeline stage different , micron built and etc . So every chip have different enchancement . (P.s all of those I dig from my memory , don't know if there's some minor error) .

Intel Pentium 3 if I am not mistaken have Tualatin Core , 133FSB with clock more than 1Ghz . And also their special Coppermine (800EB , 600EB .. etc) with special 133Mhz , compared with P3 100Mhz

THE DEFINITIVE GRAPHIC CARD REFERENCE



This post has been edited by sniper on the roof: Dec 29 2005, 04:27 PM

Wanted to add something very important too .

User always get confused with Manufacturer's brand and also model .

Let me do a very simple summarization .

Real Graphic Card Chip Manufacturer/designer

Graphic Card Model

Okay , first of all , you card might sound like Powercolor 9800pro . This means your 9800pro graphic card is made by Powercolor . But don't get it wrong , it is made by Powercolor , but Powercolor use the 9800pro reference chip from ATi . This mean ATi provided Powercolor the 9800pro chipset to Powercolor to produce this Powercolor 9800pro . This is what we called Powered By ATi (PBA)

If ATi manufactured the GPU themselve without going through third party , your card will only named ATi 9800pro , Or Build By ATi 9800pro . (BBA)

Same goes to Albatron 6800GT , MSI Geforce 4MX440 .

So there's no definite brand to choose when buying a graphic card . I saw statement such as "Buy powercolor for graphic card" Which is completely wrong . Research for the model first , then you choose the Manufacturer Brand . Usually , the graphic card between different brand will offer the same performance , unless some manufacturer tend to use better RAM chips , cooling solution , and thus they have slightly better stock card . Stock here mean factory clocked card . (default core/memory Mhz) And also different manufacturer might bundle different items , such as MSI usually come with more CDs , which makes their price slightly higher than other .

That's all for now ....

p.s Some magazine reviewer in Malaysia put Geforce FX as Geforce 5 . In Example Geforce5 900 , which is definitely not true . The accurate model is Geforce FX 5900 , and Nvidia never acknowledge any Geforce 5 out there .

This post has been edited by Breaktru: Aug 23 2004, 10:58 AM

Additional knowledge about AMD chips .

AMD chips performance cannot be measured by it clock speed , I mean compare it clock to clock with P4 chip .

For example , comparing a A64 2800+ with a Prescott 2.8Ghz . A64 2800+ running at 1.7Ghz (if i am not mistaken) and P42.8E at 2.8Ghz . Okay , P42.8E looks like have alot of advantages in the clock speed , but that doesn't mean A64 2800+ is slower than that . It's because the chips design , pipeline stage , cache , and the 64bit makes the 64bit processor to be faster than P42.8E at most cases . It's like 20%+ boost in gaming and comparable to any P43Ghz and above , except P4EE .

Even a Barton 3200+ running only at 2.xGhz is faster than P42.8E alot . AMD 3200+ is read as performance equivalent with P43.2Ghz or above , and don't measure the clock to clock performance next time .

BTW , I think this thread's name should be change . PC for dummies seems lame , because newbies sometimes tend to think that they are not dummies , and makes alot of different perspective . Mod ?

Sniper's Centrino FAQ

What is Centrino?

Centrino is a concept/package/ "stable image" promoted by Intel to represent what they think mobile computing should be.

- Powerful
- Light
- Long battery life
- Wireless capability

To be qualified as a Centrino notebook (and use of the Centrino sticker) , the product MUST have all 3 of the following:

UPDATE: Centrino family tree

Carmel : The first Centrino platform
- Intel Pentium M processor (Banias and later Dothan 400FSB core)
- Intel 855GM/GME/PM chipsets (Montara/ Odem)
- Intel Wireless Pro WLAN card (Calexico)

Sonoma: Current Centrino platform
- Intel Pentium M processor (Dothan 400/533FSB)
- Intel 915GM/GMS/PM chipset (Alviso) --> DDR1&2, SATA, beefier video,PCI-E
- Intel Wireless Pro WLAN card (Calexico 2)

Napa: 2006 Centrino platform
- Intel Pentium M single and dual core processor ( Yonah core )
- Intel 945GM/PM chipset (Calistoga)
- Intel 3945ABG WLAN (Golan) --> PCI-E interface.

Later in 2006 --> Merom dual core CPU with EMT64 support.


I have a notebook that has an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700. Is that a Centrino?

Yes, if it's using a 855PM/915PM chipset motherboard which is designed to be used with discrete graphic cards. 855/915GM has integrated (Intel Extreme Graphics 2) graphics. 855GME is the "enhanced" version of the GM that supports the Dothan and DDR333 memories.


Then how come by Acer [place model name] has 855GME but got 9700?

The 855GME supports AGP4X as well and it's easier/cheaper to just make one multipurpose motherboard....disable the integrated graphics and plug in a graphic card for one product while leaving the integrated graphics on for another product.

I have a notebook that has integrated ATI graphics. Is it a Centrino?

No, Centrino is like a marketing package so to speak. Instead of spending 3 times the money on advertising " Pentium M roxs", " 855/915 chipset no regrets" or " Intel Wireless Pro!!! ", Intel just spend one budget saying "Centrino rocks"

Think of it like a McDonalds Value Meal. It's got a burger, fries and coke. If you order a burger, fries and coffee.... it's not a Value Meal.

If so, why must I get a "Centrino"?

Not necessarily but....

We all know that the Pentium M processors rocks especially the Dothan with AMD64 rivalling performance in that only consume 21W of power versus the AMD's 67W and 35W.

There are also low voltage versions that consumes even less.

There are very little alternatives to the 2nd component of "Centrino" - the chipset. Besides Intel's own 855 series, only certain ATI chipsets supports the Pentium M.

Edit: Now there's more socket 479 chipsets available like VIA's PN800 and Nvidia's upcoming C51 in addition to newer ATI chipsets.

AMD's Turion64 is also seen as an alternative now but availability is just starting to trickle in and their cpu pricing is within 10% of the equavalent Pentium-M price.

As for the WLAN card, notebook bioses are not as flexible as desktops and it's always best to install parts that's certified by the manufacturer. Intel's WLAN card is obviously certified by every manufacturer under the blue sky while Cap Ayam may not be in the key parts list.

How come my Centrino got no Wireless Lan?

If it's got the Centrino sticker on the notebook, it should have wireless lan. Else you can sue their a$$ off and complain to Intel.

If it's got a Pentium M sticker on the notebook and the salesman tells you " Ma Car...ini banyak power mar... Centrino 1.5Ghz wor" then I suggest you check the specs of what you're getting and make sure Wireless Lan card is included.

Mmmm... AMD64 or "Centrino"? Which?

In most applications including games, both perform quite similiarly especially if compared with a Dothan.

Until lower voltage version of the A64 hits the market, the average "gaming" Centrino notebooks weigh less than 2.8kg while the average A64 notebook weigh 3.5kg and shorter battery life.

EDIT: See the Turion comment above.

Mmmm... "Centrino" or Celeron-M? Which?

Essentially the Celeron-M ( this is NOT mobile Celeron or Celeron Mobile) is the same darn thing as it's Pentium-M brother based on either the older Banias or current Dothan core. Difference being is half the L2 cache is disabled, 400FSB vs 533FSB and it doesn't support Enhanced Speedstep ( lowering down speed to save batt ).

To keep it from eating into the sales of the more expensive Pentium-M ( the Celeron-M's cpu price is half or less than a Pentium M), the fastest Celeron M at the moment is 1.7Ghz which is less than the slowest commercially available Pentium M @ 1.7Ghz. Clock for clock, performance is within a few single digit percentage difference for most applications.

So, if you're on a budget or spends most of the time plugged onto the AC, the Celeron-M is a viable consideration, in fact a much more viable consideration than the Semprons and others out there. Else, if every single second of batt life is important to you, Pentium M is the one for you.

What is MXM?

In short, MXM is an initiative pushed by Nvidia (ATI also adopted it after nobody gives a damn about its phailed AXIOM) to standardize the form factor of notebook vga's. The MXM form factor itself can be split into the following:

1) MXM1 for lil wussy cards like the 6200, 7300 etc
2) MXM2 for mid range vga's
3) MXM3 for performance range...this would be like the 7900GS etc
4) MXM-HE for the mucho taikor GTX's.

Note: Let's say ur notebook has a MXM3 card, MXM2 and MXM1 should fit but who the heck downgrades their vga.

So, does this mean I can upgrade me lappy?

Generally, that's no.
Manufacturers generally adopts MXM for faster time to market since it's much easier with a reference design. Additionally, notebooks are so optimised that a card from product A may not work with product B .... and the cooling system's different anyways.
Having said so, certain Dell models do allow a vga upgrade within a certain time frame but.....let's say u have a X700 now and 2 years down the road, you're not going to be able to upgrade it.


This post has been edited by sniper on the roof: Jul 5 2006, 01:53 PM

My answer even simpler; can

by default ddr333 & ddr400 will run @ the desire motherboard setting
it is back compatible,but it wont run at its rated speed

VGA memory: What does the "ns" in the specs means?

It's simply the speed the memory chips are rated to operate by the manufacturer.

For example:

1.6ns means rams are rated for 1250Mhz
2.0ns means rams are rated for 1000Mhz.

Calculation:

1000/1.6ns = 625

DDR means 625x2 = 1250Mhz

To find out what your VGA memory are rated, check the markings on the chips itself (no...no way you can tell by software) and check at the ramchip manufacturer's website (samsung, hynix, infineon etc).

Where can I check my HDD rpm??
No manual book.

Differences between Athlon64



if above link fail
http://img72.exs.cx/img72/1821/table9zc.gif

Enjoy

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: If my mobo only support max of DDR 266 can i put in DDR 400??
A: Sure, but the DDR400 will only run @ max capacity of mobo = DDR 266


This post has been edited by keith_hjinhoh: Jan 10 2005, 04:56 PM

Root Mean Sqaured (RMS - some engineering term) is the amount of power produced by the speakers over a continuous period. This rating is measured in wattage, and higher ratings usually mean better sound quality.

Usually speakers would provide another rating Max Power Output (or something like dat). By right, RMS wattage is what to consider when buying speakers, as it measures how much power the speakers can safely handle for long periods of time. P.M.P.O just measures the maximum power that can be produced by the speakers, of course just for over a split second
In proper speakers, you would usually expect the P.M.P.O rating to be about double the RMS...

Actually, generally speakering, RMS determines the VOLUME more than the SOUND QUALITY. For multimedia speakers, the driver size effects the sound quality more than the RMS. Higher RMS means you'll get a speaker that is more powerful, and can reach higher volume, but it doesnt say much about sound quality. If you're into sound quality, look out of driver size, build material and then only RMS.



This post has been edited by keith_hjinhoh: Jan 14 2005, 12:23 AM

Alright, i wanna borrow this thread to ask some questions.

I have been away from hardware forum that i missed a lot of the latest cards feedback.

What i would like to know is the comparison between 6600GT and X700 Pro .
I know 6600GT is faster in most of the benchies but does the quality of 6600GT match X700 pro.

(2) X700Pro has 6 vertex shaders and 6600GT has 3 VS. Does it play a significant role in today's game.

Cheers.

No need to see specs lar. It's generally agreed that the 6600GT tar pau's the X700Pro prompting ATI to paper launch the X700XT which didn't really show up in retail until it's discontinued. ATI's next contender for the 6600GT category will be a scaled down version of the X800.

As for image quality... no difference in IQ these days between the 2 makes.

Overview of Intel & AMD processors

Intel


AMD



Source:www.tomshardware.com

This post has been edited by songhan89: Jan 21 2005, 03:37 PM

CPU SOCKET TYPE

Socket Type
There are many different slots and sockets for CPUs, the slots correspond with processor types and with processor manufacturers. Newer sockets, those with a three digit number, are named after the number of pins they contain, where as older ones are named in the order of their invention or generation and usually contain a single digit.

Sockets supporting Intel CPUs

* Socket 1 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4
* Socket 2 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4
* Socket 3 - 80486SX, 80486DX, 80486DX2, 80486DX4
* Socket 4 and 5 - early Intel Pentium processors
* Socket 6 - 80486DX4
* Socket 7 - Intel Pentium and Pentium MMX
* Socket 8 - Intel Pentium Pro
* Slot 1 - Intel Pentium II, older Pentium III, and Celeron processors (233 MHz - 1.13 GHz)
* Slot 2 - Intel Xeon processors based on Pentium II/III cores
* Socket 370 - newer Pentium III and Celeron processors (800 MHz - 1.4 GHz)
* Socket 423 - Pentium 4 and Celeron processors (based on the Willamette core)
* Socket 478 - Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors
* Socket 603/604 - Intel Xeon processors
* Socket 755 - Intel Pentium 4 and Celeron processors



Sockets supporting AMD CPUs
# Socket 7 - AMD 80486, K5, and K6 processors
# SuperSocket7 - AMD K6, K6-2, and K6-3 processors
# Slot A - older AMD Athlon and Duron processors
# Socket 462 (or Socket A) - newer AMD Athlon, Athlon XP, and Duron processors
# Socket 754 - lower end AMD Athlon 64 with single-channel memory support
# Socket 939 - AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Athlon FX with dual-channel memory support
# Socket 940 - AMD Opteron and early AMD Athlon FX processors