It is understandable that some of you out there who try to keep up do date on all the motherboard and graphics card reviews
available (and I include myself among you), might choose not to read this article; it is not intended for people like us. Rather, this article is intended for people who would like to familiarize themselves with the world of computer hardware, those people whom we often mistakenly assume are as familiar with the intricacies of setting up a computer as we are, or even of thinking they know what a computer’s most basic parts do.
I wrote this guide with my sister in mind; you may want to forward this
URL to yours.
But even if you are already a hardware junkie, go ahead and click through these pages
anyway to see how my approach differs from yours. If you are not one, I hope
the information contained therein is helpful to you. Be careful,
though; this computer hardware business can get addictive. Once you
start down the spiral, the next thing you know you may find yourself
spending all your hard-earned cash on all the latest and the greatest hardware,
or cutting "blowholes"
in your case to enhance your overclocking efforts.
Read the complete Howto....
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If you like high-quality 3D demos, are into scuba diving, or are simply looking for something interesting to do with all those idle CPU cycles, this is something you’ll want to check out: Deep Ocean, the top of the line screen saver from Leading Interactive, a Swedish 3D software company. A simulation of a complete underwater environment, Deep Ocean is hailed by its designers as probably the most advanced screensaver ever made so far.
Leading Interactive’s screen savers division (www.liscreensavers.com) has been plying their trade since 1999. In that short space of time, they have produced a dozen or so spectacular screen savers, all of which rank far above the norm in inventiveness and quality of visuals. They first came to my attention with their MIR Reentry saver, an animated depiction of the craft’s firey descent into the earth’s atmosphere and across the Fijian sky. That first taste was enough to make me go back and sample their entire collection.
MIR Reentry, like most of LI’s screen savers, is available for free download. As their premier offering, Deep Ocean costs $14.95, but at the time of writing, LI is including a second pay saver, "Desk Water" with each Deep Ocean purchase. LI also creates custom screen savers, which can serve as a very effective marketing device for your company. If you are interested in this service, e-mail them at developer@liscreensavers.com
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When VIA announced the KT133 chipset, nobody thought much of it. With DDR-supporting chipsets such as the AMD 760, ALi Magik and VIA KT266 just around the corner, and DDR supposedly about to reach price parity with SDRAM, who would be interested in buying a whole new motherboard to support an outdated memory technology? But then, things didn't initially turn out as the DDR camp hoped: the ALi chipset's performance disappointed, as did the AMD 760's (though to a lesser degree), and the KT266 was met with delays. More importantly, DDR prices remained high, while SDRAM became dirt cheap.
Suddenly, KT133A motherboards became enormously appealing. With a default FSB of 133MHz (even for Duron processors), the capability to reach 150MHz on Athlons, the best memory performance from a VIA chipset ever, and the ability to fill up those DIMM slots at a low price, overclockers and enthusiasts began flocking to boards based on this chipset.
The KT133A is essentially a chipset for performance fanatics. Not only does allow you to run your system beyond specifications with great ease; it is also a "discrete" chipset, in that it features no integrated VGA. (Its south bridge does however provide support for integrated sound, which the manufacturers including have variously chosen to make use of or not.)
Read the complete Review....
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