Build Your Own Computer: Picking a CPU is the First Step

Writen by Michael Quarles

The most important step, in fact the first you will take when building your computer, is to select a CPU. Virtually every authority on the subject will tell you this is so, and for a very good reason. The entire design of the system is based on this selection.

The CPU determines the socket type of the motherboard, gives you a good idea of the wattage requirements for the computer, and of course, the speed it is capable of. Different CPUs can be used effectively in different units. One that would be ideal for surfing the internet and word processing might be inadequate for use in a gaming computer. In the reverse situation, a gamer CPU would way overmatch the needs of a person wanting to build a basic PC. It would be like buying a Ferrari, when what you needed was a nice economical Toyota.

When deciding on a CPU, I recommend you ask yourself the following questions.

First, how fast does your computer need to go? The previous example of a basic PC can be met by chips that are going for dirt cheap prices, that of course are nowhere near the upper end of the speed scale. My advice is not to get the very cheapest, and very slowest chip out there, unless price is the main concern. Get something a notch or two faster, in case your needs grow later on.

Second, how much can you afford to spend? The very latest CPUs sell for many hundreds of dollars, yet chips that are very nearly as fast sell for only a fraction of that amount. It all has to do with the industry’s intense competition to bring new and better products to market. What was a company’s crown jewel a month ago, is now a discount item. There are great bargains to be had.

Third, does the chip have a reputation for running hot? This shouldn’t cause you to back off, particularly for heavy duty tasks like gaming, 3-D animation, and the like. But it will influence the design of the computer, perhaps guiding you toward a water cooled system.

Server Racks

Writen by Josh Riverside

A “rack” is designed to hold items, and it is usually on a two-post or four-post frame. So a server rack is a frame that contains server components. The new server racks are designed to hold the servers and also to cool them and other electronic equipment by allowing air to flow in a front-to-back direction.

Server racks come in various shapes and sizes, adhering to the needs of a prospective customer. A customer can design his own server rack according to the viable space he has to accommodate the rack. The price of server racks range from $153 to $265 with and without additional options. The Open Frame Server Racks have sizes from 24U to 50U. These racks have an optional caster kit, and a 2Post Server Rack is also available with large datacenter installations. The cost of 24U server rack starts from $429, and that of 50U server rack starts from $469. Normally, most server racks should meet with EIA standards.

Server racks generally come with advanced features such as cooling, power distribution, and cable management for servers and networking applications for IT atmosphere. The rugged, fully welded CORACK comes with unique features such as 180 degree door hinges, curved door, flush latch, etc. Server racks are mostly designed with smoother edges to reduce cable damage and chaffing. Some primary advantages of server racks are improving cabling management, providing superior physical security, and easy hardware maintenance. Modern designs provide accommodations for keyboard, video, mouse switches, Ethernet hubs, etc. These server racks also come with a high-tech appearance.

Server racks of the utmost premium quality can be equipped with multiple shelves, glide-mounted drawers, or keyboard shelves with ambidextrous mouse trays, etc. When servers are locked up into a rack, the risk of server knocking is avoided.

Server racks ensure that your servers stay up and running and are safe. Online shopping is the best way to shop for a server rack, as you can compare several types, models, and brands of server racks, so that you find what that will work for you based on your desired configuration, security, capacity, and other features.

Server Racks provides detailed information on Server Racks, Computer Server Racks, LAN Server Racks, Vertical Server Rack Storage and more. Server Racks is affiliated with Hard Drive Data Recovery.

Monitor Glossary of Terms

Writen by Willson Peterson

CRT – Cathode Ray Tube, big glass bulb used in the large bulky monitors similar to TVs.

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display.

TFT – Thin Film Transistor, a type of LCD technology where every pixel is connected to a transistor.

Pixel – Abbreviation of picture element. They are individual dots (elements) which constitute the image created on the LCD monitor.

Viewable Area – The diagonal measurement of a CRT screen from where the glass becomes visible from behind the bezel.

Colours – How many colours the monitor can reproduce, which can be up to 16.7million. Some displays require dithering to display such an array of colours, and can normally reproduce 252,000 colours.

Dithering – Dithering is the attempt by a computer program to approximate a colour from a mixture of other colours when the required colour is not available. Dithering also occurs when a monitor attempts to display images specified with more colours than it is equipped to handle.

Response Time – How quick the monitor reacts to a keystroke or CD-ROM. Very pertinent for graphical use, such as game playing. The lower the time the better e.g. 20ms is better than 40ms. There is a rising (r) and falling (f) time, this gives the overall figure.

Footprint – used to describe the amount of space on a desktop a monitor covers.

Dot Pitch – A measurement of distance between the centres of two same colour phosphor dots on the screen. The closer the dots, the smaller the dot pitch, and the sharper the image. For example 0.264mm is better than 0.297mm.

Resolution – The size of the image displayed in number of dots (pixels) which makes up the width and the height of the image e.g. 1024 X 768.

Brightness/Luminance Cd/m2 – Cd is an abbreviation for candela. A candela is a unit of measurement of the intensity of light. An ordinary wax candle generates one candela.

NIT – Candelas per square metre can also be called NIT: The term for brightness / luminous (surface) intensity of a light source.

Contrast Ratio – The degree of difference between light and dark extremes of colour on the screen. Contrast is a method of measuring a dynamic range. 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.

Aspect Ratio – The ratio of width to height. When an image is displayed on different screens, the aspect ratio must be kept the same to avoid “stretching” in either the vertical or horizontal direction. For most current monitors, this ratio is 4:3.

Colour Temperature – A measurement of the colour of white light, expressed in Kelvins. (The Kelvin scale is a measure of temperature, starting from absolute zero.) The colour temperature is the colour of light a perfect black-body radiator emits when heated to that temperature. Computer monitors typically have a colour temperature of 5000-9300 Kelvins: 5000 Kelvins is a yellowish-white, 9300 Kelvins is a blue white.

RGB – A colour model using red, green, and blue; the additive primary colours. RGB data is used by PCs to transfer images to connected displays, such as LCD monitors, via a VGA cable.

VGA – Video Graphics Array use RGB data to transfer data.

15 Pin D-Sub – This is the shape of connector which plugs into the VGA port on PCs.

MPRII – Rules created by SWEDAC (Swedish Board for Technical Accreditation) to reduce the emissions of a monitor while working. Together with the TCO rules, it belongs to the rules followed by the manufacturers to safeguard the health of PC users.

TCO These are the initials, in Swedish, of the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, which has set stringent standards for devices that emit radiation.

Willson Peterson is computer expert and network engineer. He is the author of “How to backup your computer data.” Click here ==> http://www.ebookarticle.com to visit his website.

PC or Mac? A Big Decision for Your Business

Writen by Jeremy Maddock

When purchasing new desktop or laptop computers for your business, there are a few important decisions to be made. These include which exact features you want in a computer, as well as which manufacturer you wish to purchase from. The most fundamental decision of all, however, is whether your business should use a Windows-based PC, or a Macintosh.

The primary benefit of buying a Windows PC is the mainstream worldwide popularity of the Microsoft Windows operating system. For well over a decade now, these computers have been top-of-the-line in terms of software compatibility, with most application developers thinking about Windows first and Mac second. That’s why, generally speaking, you’ll find a lot more business-minded programs that work with PCs than with Macintosh machines.

In terms of speed and performance, however, Macs do have some definite advantages. In terms of graphical editing, video, and multimedia, for example, Apple’s Mac OS computers are known to perform extremely well, often making more efficient use of memory and processing power. Macintoshes do have quite a number of profound strengths, but it’s their low market share (about 10%) that can render them a less-than-perfect solution for those seeking flawless compatibility with mainstream business software.

Overall, the decision of Mac or PC rests solely on what functions you value most. It’s a good idea to look at numerous models of both types to determine which machine is best for your company’s unique purposes.

Obsolete Is A Dirty Word (Intel Pentium 64 Bit Microchip)

Writen by Rick David

Get ready everyone, home computers are about to set new LAN speed records! The Intel 64-bit microchip will soon be powering the new line of Pentium 4 computers. This long awaited sizzling fast release will be heading to store shelves across America just in time for the new blazing fast Windows 64-bit operating system. You’ll get the 64-bit Pentium microchip, the 64-bit operating system, and that’s not all, if you spend all your money, you’ll also get all the new 64-bit stellar fast software programs that will leave current versions coughing in the rooster tail of their 64-bit micro-dust.

Yet a startling new poll indicated a majority of respondent(s) were actually upset by the good news from the technology sector.

Here are the fascinating results of the poll:

Respondent(s) gave a 1-10 rating regarding their anticipated personal happiness and productivity that the newer and faster computers would yield. 1 being: “I’m in electronic nirvana, I waited to buy, I was patient and did not up-grade pre-maturely, and now the technology gods have rewarded my computer buying diligence, bestowing upon me a new Intel 64-bit processor, operating system and software as soon as they come out!!” And 10 being: “Don’t talk to me I hate you!” The margin of error was +/- 0%. Questionnaires were sent to a scientific sample of 1.

OK it was me. I polled myself. And no I’m not happy. But wait, before you judge me harshly, I should give you some facts about myself that might engender some empathy. First of all, I’m cursed. I don’t know how this works, but I hold all power over technological advances. That’s right, new technology will not be released to the computer buying public until I finally decide to upgrade…to the old technology. Narcissistic? Hardly. There is a cosmic triggering mechanism that knows. If you happened to be tuned in, it would go a little something like this: “Technology universe heed! Rick has purchased Super Gizmo 3.0. Prepare to launch version 4.0. Wait for my command….Steady… There, he’s exceeded the store return policy envelope. Launch upgrade. Brace for impact and greatness of sorrow. That is all.”

So I hope you’re happy. Because the only reason, that you can go out and buy the new Intel 64-bit P4 wonder machine and all of the wonder programs & software to come, is because I just bought a beautiful 32-bit machine with matching laptop. No, that’s ok, you don’t have to thank me. It’s just a burden that I must carry. I do it stoically and with quiet dignity, normally, but this is a revolutionary advance, a tectonic shift in computing acceleration and I’m going to wail out loud, because I just can’t go out and buy another computer and stay married! At least that’s how she interprets the vows.

Oh…you think I make too much of this do you? Perhaps. But for those of you who may not be as, how should I say…techno hip… let me explain the speed differential between the present 32-bit sludge processors (like the one I just bought…twice) and the new sleek Intel 64-bit miracle maker.

Picture languishing in a huge super Wal-Mart with two hundred bargain happy shoppers squeezing through 32 cash registers at once. And just to make it really painful, some have price checks and questionable coupons. See yourself in line. A long line. And all you can do to pass the time is inch along reading the “13 Things Wives Never Tell Their Husbands”. After awhile, you might get close enough to see another magazine cover with a picture of Jennifer, …the exact moment she found out about Brad. Go ahead judge Brad, you’ve got the time. You can even manufacture some contempt for that vixen Angelina. You’re not going anywhere, no one is going anywhere. They’ve only got 32 cash registers open!

Suddenly, one of the cashiers feels the heat, fumbles for the microphone, and makes a garbled announcement. It must be in code, because no one can understand it, yet the next thing you know, everyone is tossing magazines and trampling children, nuns, & puppies. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because 32 more cashiers are now open for the next person in line! That makes a grand total of 64 cashiers “processing” transactions instead of 32! The line is moving fast…”Come on people, we’re all going home!” And that my friend is how the new Intel 64-bit microchip works. Do you see now why I mourn?

“The analogy is brilliant”, you might say, “but how does that translate into reality?” Well, the average home computer user will now be able to print a letter at .005 nanoseconds instead of .006! Think of it. You’ll be pulling out your letter from the printer, while I’ll still be be pulling out my letter from the printer too, but a whole .001 nanoseconds behind, unless I come up with an ingenious “low tech” way to make up the difference and win.

So go ahead, buy the faster computer, see if I care, I don’t mind. One day I’ll have that 64-bit, right before the 128’s come out. And perhaps you’ll be standing with me, in 64-bit hell, wanting my Cosmo, but no, I’m not done reading it yet. I still need to find out the “22 Secrets of True Passion and How To Enlighten Your Idiot Man.” And then we’ll see who mourns, when I look you in the eye and say, “Go find your own magazine!”

Rick David writes a humor column entitled, “Don’t Laugh, It Could Happen To You!” for http://sandiego.merchantamerica.com

Digital Photo Printers

Writen by Jason Gluckman

There are many types of digital photo printers available that are made especially for printing photographs. They come in many sizes; many of them are small enough to be carried along with your camera so that you can print photos whenever you need them. Several of these, which include portable printers, connect to your digital camera. This means a computer is no longer needed to print photographs. Some have special slots for a digital media cards. This means you can just detach the card from your camera and attach it directly into the printer. With these printers, you get photos immediately. However these come at a cost. More expensive than normal inkjet printers, they begin at $150 and go up to $300 to $500. At the higher end are the professional ones.

The more expensive are essentially inkjet printers, with six color cartridges. A few use the thermal dye or dye sublimation technology, which melts ink “crayons” onto the pages. While they provide high quality, they are only good for photo printing. Today, color lasers are also used, though they are not as popular. The desktop color lasers are not as good, though they have improved. They are cheaper, and it is possible to get monochrome lasers. Dell offers monochrome Printer 1100; it is also below $100. Scanners available for photographers have add-ons that that allow scanning of film and negatives.

There are few ways you can get more out of your photo printer. Fine-tune to the highest resolution when you want to print the pictures. The picture that is to be printed should not be saved as JPEGs or in any other compressed file format; save the original instead because this will help you get a better picture. You can improve upon the picture that has been taken; if you are taking a test print, decrease image size and load the printer with plain, $2-a-ream paper. Check out the printer software as it may allow printing of many images on one sheet.

Matte-finish photo cards can be used instead of glossy photo paper when printing 4-by-6-inch images. These have a better finish and are cheaper. Some printers like the Canon’s i960 printer have a superior color palette. You can install this in your printer if you are not happy with the current printing quality.

If you are printing black and white photos, you could use the color mode and you will get a better finish. Remember to keep the nozzle clear because they may get blocked if they are not used. You could call a professional or use a kit costing about $15. Some printers stay clean if turned on and off once a week.

Some of the best digital photo printers now available are Kodak Professional 9810 Digital Photo Printer, Epson Stylus Pro 4000, Canon Pixma iP8500 Photo Printer, Canon Selphy DS700 Photo Printer, Epson PictureMate Deluxe Viewer Edition, and Sony PictureStation DPP-FP30. Check out the one that suits you best.

How to Choose a Computer Power Supply

Writen by Matthew Thompson

What does “ATX” stand for? ATX stands for Advanced Technology eXtended. In summary it defines a set of standards in measurements and forms that helps make things such as computer power supplies interchangeable with one another.

ATXPowerSupplies.Com writes this article on choosing the right power supply for your computer to help you in your decision making process. Whether you are purchasing a power supply for your new computer or just replacing an old one we hope this will help in the selection process.

The first question to ask yourself is, “Is my power supply an ATX form factor?”. If you have this information available then the selection process is much easier. The information is sometimes stamped somewhere on the power supply or may be contained in the manual for your existing computer. If you’re looking for an ATX power supply make sure the power supply is an ATX form factor, not micro ATX or any other.

Perhaps the most method to use in selecting a power supply is comparing the physical dimensions. Make sure your computer case can accommodate the the Height, Width, and Depth of the power supply. If you are replacing an existing power supply then take measurements of it before you discard it. Take a look at the graphic above to gain a better understanding of Height, Width, and Depth. If your power supply is considerable smaller than the typical dimensions of our atx power supplies then it could be possible that you have a micro atx power supplies. If you feel you might have a micro atx power supply then you could compare its dimensions with our 200W micro atx power supply.

After you have chosen your power supply based on physical dimensions you need to take a look at what connectors you need on your power supply. Different power supplies have different connectors so it’s best to choose one with connectors that meet your every need. It’s okay if you buy a power supply and not use some of the connectors. You can just leave them hanging unconnected. Below is pictures of some common connectors found on atx power supplies: atx connector

20 pin ATX Connector – The 20 pin ATX connector that inserts into an atx motherboard. If your motherboard has a slot for the 20 pin connector shown in the graphic they you can be almost 100% certain that an ATX power supply is required for your motherboard.

Be sure to pay close attention to the number of pins. On some computers we’ve found that this connector contains 24 pins instead of 20.

24 pin ATX Connector – Some computer motherboards require a 24 pin ATX Connector. Given our past experience we advise purchasing a power supply with a 24 pin connector built in rather than a converter that converts the 20 pin to a 24 pin. The converters tend to have poor power distribution while a power supply with the 24 pin connector built in will be powered directly from the power supplies.

P4 Connector – Most motherboards that have Intel Pentium 4 processors will have a slot on the board for this P4 connector. If your motherboard has this slot then make sure you get a power supply with a P4 connector on it. If your motherboard doesn’t have a slot for this connector it is still okay to purchase a power supply with this connector, and leave the P4 connector unconnected.

4 pin IDE Connector – This is the IDE connector that supplies power to your hard drives and cdroms. Most atx power supplies have 4 connectors of this type included. If you need more than 4 connectors it’s best to purchase y-splitters to increase the number of connectors. Purchasing power supplies with more than 4 connectors can often be much more costly than purchasing a y-splitter.

4 pin floppy connector Floppy Connector – The 4 pin floppy connector supplies power to any floppy drives that may be on your computer. Some of the card reader drives use this connection also. Most atx power supplies have two of these connectors included.

6 AUX connector – Look on your motherboard and see if there is a slot that accepts the 6 pin AUX connector. If there is a slot for it then chances are you’re going to need it.

Sata connector – Hard drives and other devices with sata connectors as shown here are becoming more and more popular. We aren’t sure exactly what the advantages are to this technology, but if you have any devices in your computer that use the sata connector you’re going to need a power supply with sata connectors.

You need to know how much power you’re going to need. It’s okay to buy a power supply that is larger than necessary because the power supply will step down to your power requirements. On the other hand, buying a power supply that is too small for your requirements will be annoying. Many times people will complain of their computer rebooting for no reason at all. Nine times out of ten the reason for this is an undersized power supply. Many companies that sell computers will install an undersized power supply to save money and increase profit margins. Buyer beware!

This article is supplied by ATXPowerSupplies.Com as a complimentary service. It may be reproduced only if credit is given, and all hyperlinks remain intact in the article.

Copyright 2005 Two Point Enterprise

Matthew Thompson, Webmaster
http://www.atxpowersupplies.com

Your Common Questions and Answers On Your Inkjet Cartridges Are Now Ready For Your Review

Writen by Joseph Mercado

There are so many questions within the printer market which still haven’t been answered. No more mysteries. It’s usually the most common questions which are frequently asked where people have the most trouble.

On that note, let’s get straight to the point and no cutting corners, shall we…

Q1. What is the difference between a new toner cartridge and a remanufactured cartridge?

A. The difference between a new toner cartridge and a remanufactured cartridge is the price, quality, and packaging. The majority of the internal parts are replaced with new parts, reusing only those long life components that are in good condition.

Many new OEM (original equipment manufacturer) cartridges, such as Hewlett Packard or Canon, are also built from new and used parts.

What you will notice is a difference in the outside of the packaging and most importantly, the price of the product. You will save anywhere from 40% with the toner cartridges and up to 80% with the ink cartridges, which is less than OEM pricing.

This reducing un-necessary overhead will result in saving capital. At the same time, you will maintain the highest quality print output to give you phenomenal end results.

Q2. Will using a replacement toner or ink cartridge voids my printers warranty?

A. No, according to all printer manufacturers, using a replacement toner or ink cartridge will not affect coverage under the printer’s warranty.

This especially goes for those who purchase extended warranties with their local retailer. This is proven by the following US Congress Legislation.

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT:

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce and trade Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties 15 Section 2303.

No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subjection may be waived by the commission if:

1)The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and

2)The Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

This means that the printer manufacturers cannot void the warranty on your printer because you use supplies and products manufactured by a third party manufacturer.

We cannot replace a printer nor have it fixed should any problems occur from using a remanufactured or compatible cartridge.

We guarantee our products from any faults and we have not had a single case of a printer being damaged by a cartridge sold by us.

Q3. What do my printer’s error codes mean?

A. Your printer can produce a variety of numerous error codes in two-digit format. Please contact Inkjet Surplus, Inc. to diagnose the problem.

Q4. Why does paper keep jamming in my printer?

A. There are simple reasons and complex reasons to why paper can jam in a printer. You will experience paper jams if you use the wrong type of paper in your printer, such as it being too thick, too thin, or laminated with an unnatural chemical finish.

If paper jams occur at the front of your printer, the problem may be more serious, such as a worn-out pickup assembly. The pickup assembly is responsible for feeding the paper from the paper tray into the printer.

It is possible that when using a top load paper feed tray, dust particles can cause the rollers to jam the paper, which will lead into causing streaks when printing.

To avoid paper jams align the paper properly in the tray, and do your best not to load too much paper in at once.

Q5. When should I consider adding more memory to my printer?

A.If your printer isn’t printing as fast as its rated engine speed, adding more memory can and may help close the wide area. You will also need to add more memory if you frequently receive memory overload messages when trying to print documents.

Those messages indicate that your documents are too complex, sending more data to your printer at one time than your printer’s memory can handle.

“Those who do not ask the questions are those who are ignorant within themselves”

Q6. When should I consider upgrading my printer?

A. As good as your printer may be, there will come a time when upgrading makes sense. For one thing, printers do wear out eventually, getting to a point where the cost of repairs approaches the cost of a new machine.

You may even want to upgrade before your printer’s lifespan comes to an end. No matter how much memory you add to your printer, it will never print faster than its rated engine speed, also as fast as the new technology that recent machines contain.

If you or your staff frequently have to wait for the volume of pages you need to produce, then upgrading to a faster printer would contribute to the efficiency of your operations.

As your business changes, you may develop printing needs that your current printer simply cannot handle or perform, such as high resolution, print speed, or paper sizes. That is when it is time to upgrade.

Q7. Our printer can get very warm during printing. Will this indicate a problem or cause my printer to fail?

A.Most printers are sturdy enough to operate for many hours at a time. In the process they do get warm, After all, the fuser mechanism reaches nearly 400 degrees in order to melt toner onto the paper.

That being said, it is possible for your printer to get extremely hot. If its air intakes are blocked or if its air filter is dirty, your printer won’t be cooling it properly and could overheat.

Very serious overheating will occur if your printer’s fan fails. A strong recommendation to reduce this from happening, purchase a printer that has a high monthly volume or duty cycle that can handle heavy printing loads.

Consider too, that keeping your printer in a cool environment, such as an air conditioner can help keep it cool.

Q8. What does the fuser assembly do, and does it need to replaced periodically?

A. The fuser assembly is located at the back of your printer. After toner has been deposited on the paper, the fuser (which gets very hot) melts the toner so that it adheres permanently to the paper.

If the fuser is not cleaned properly and regularly, it could need to be replaced as early as 35,000 prints. Dirt and debris can damage the fuser by scoring its surface. If you notice a ring around the roller, it may be time to replace the mechanism.

Q9. What is DPI?

A. DPI stands for dots per square inch. It represents the level of intensity as well as quality depending on how many microscopic drops per dot are layered upon each other.

There are directions in which ink is layered, horizontally and vertically. Pixels are contracted together to bring the image to its realistic life looks.

A high resolution such as 2400 x 1200 dpi will result in its best performance on high quality photo paper. DPI is measured on the amount of drops layered on the base of the paper, not the size of the resolution.

Q10. What is the difference if I purchase a printer that contains the print heads built-into the carriage or on the cartridge?

A. The difference is that every time you purchase a new cartridge such as a HP or a Lexmark, you are getting a brand new print head.

Whenever a printer is purchased with the print heads built-into the carriage, the more wear and tear will occur on the print heads within that printer. The cost of having a carriage replaced or repaired can result to the same cost as a new cartridge or even a new printer depending on the manufacturer.

Q11. What are compatible cartridges?

A. Compatible cartridges are specifically manufactured to meet or exceed Original Equipment Manufacturer specifications.

These cartridges offer a high output of quality, reliability, and offer great printing results.

Compatible cartridges are brand new retail boxed cartridges, containing only new components such as OEM product.

They are also an economical alternative to expensive brand – name cartridges and supplies that allow the consumer to enjoy big savings. The use of compatible or replacement cartridges does not void the printer’s warranty.

In description of, Joseph Mercado is known as the Motivational Marketer. He specializes in the consumable market involving studies on marketing inkjet cartridges; http://www.InkSecretsRevealed.com

Your Printer Is Out Of Ink — Now What?

Writen by Bill Smith

We’ve all been there. You’re in the middle of printing out an important document and your printer suddenly stops. It’s the dreaded “out of ink” message. So you pull your backup ink cartridges out of your desk drawer and replace them. Wishful thinking, right?

Most of us just don’t plan ahead — no matter how many times this has happened to us. When we buy ink cartridges, we tend to just get one set of black and color cartridges. The cost of ink is so high that buying more than one set is just too expensive for most consumers. Thankfully, there are less expensive options out there – and you don’t have to sacrifice quality.

Option 1 – Avoid Staples, Best Buy, and other large retailers altogether. You’re never going to get a good deal on ink cartridges since they only sell name brand replacements. Instead, do your homework on the internet. There are many reputable websites out there that charge up to 80% less for cartridges.

How is that possible? Rather than selling name brand replacements, online ink retailers sell compatible and remanufactured cartridges. There cartridges are technically just as good as the originals, and can be purchased for half as much money. As an added precaution, however, we recommend buying ink cartridges at sites that offer 100% guarantees. In the online world, you never know what you’re getting. My advice — run a search on Yahoo for “ink cartridges.” Visit the first 5 sites. Find the web site that offers the best prices, lowest shipping costs, and a 100% guarantee.

Option 2 – Refill your ink cartridges. It’s not as bad as you might think. And best of all, this is definitely the cheapest way to go. You can fill your ink cartridges up to 10 times with a single ink refill kit. There is obviously some work to this. You basically use a syringe to inject ink back into your original cartridges. If you do this correctly, this is no spillage, and you’ll be up in running in no time. It takes a bit of practice to master the art of refilling ink cartridges. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a couple of tries before you get it down.

Bill Smith is a printer expert who has specialized in ink cartridges and refill solutions for over 5 years. Visit his site at http://www.buythebestbuy.com.

Building A Computer – Picking Components

Writen by Chris Silop

Picking the parts for your computer is one of the most important things in building a computer, because you cant assemble a computer without the parts! Picking parts for computers has become much easier than before, because things have been standardized, however, you need to make sure everything will fit. The first thing to think about when choosing the components for your computer is what you are going to be using it for. If you are creating a computer for just checking your eMail and using word, you are going to need much diffrent parts than a computer that you are going to be using for gaming.

CPU

The first thing you should pick out about your computer is what CPU you are going to use, because it determines what motherboard you are going to get, which determines what other components you get. There are two main CPU manufactruers, Intel and AMD. Both have their Pros and Cons, but they are pretty similar. I would suggest using AMD, because they give you a little more bang for the buck.

Here is a brief overview of the diffrent Intel and AMD CPUs:
Budget: AMD: Sempron
Intel: Celeron D

Midrange: AMD: Athlon 64>br> Intel: Pentium 4

High End: AMD: Athlon64 X2
Intel: Pentium D

If you are spending below $500, I would suggest a budget proccesor, Between $500 and $1000, midrange and $1000 and above I would suggest a high end proccessor.

Motherboard
Choosing the right motherboard is vital to building your computer. First, make sure you find a motherboard that has the right socket type for your CPU. Then, check the diffrent features of the motherboards you are looking at. If you arent going to buy a video or sound card, make sure your motherboard has onboard video and/or sound. Other things to check for on your motherboard are the hard drive interface, graphics card interface, expansion slots, the memory size and speed. Also, check for the chipset. There are too many to talk about, but generally Intel and nVidia chipsets are better than the other ones. Now that you picked out your motherboard, you know what to look for in your other components.

RAM
Getting the right speed and amount of RAM is vital to the speed and stability of your system. If you are running XP, you will probably need at least 256 or 512Mb of RAM. If you are going to be doing anything memory intensive, gaming, rendering or just want a faster computer, you should get 1Gb. Make sure your motherboard has enough DIMMs and the right type of DIMMs for your RAM. Also, be sure to check the speed and CAS Latency.

Hard Drive
Now its time to pick your hard drive. There are few variables in picking a hard drive. The first, and most important is size, 120Gb is usually enough for most people unless, you are going to be storing alot of pictures and video. Also, make sure you get an HD with the right interace that fits your motherboard. Almost all motherboards have IDE, but some have SATA (Serial ATA) Which is a much faster hard drive interface and uses a thinner cable which helps with airflow in your case. There is even SATAII now, which is twice as fast. Also look at speed, almost all desktop HDs are 7200RPM and Cache, most are 8Mb, dont buy a HD below those standards. If you want to spend some money, you can get 2 HDs and run them in RAID which increases performance.

Video Cards
If you are going to be doing any gaming, be sure to buy a video card, if youre not, onboard video is fine. The first thing to check for is the interface, most are AGP or PCI-E. I personally like nVidia cards better. If you are going to be doing graphic intensive games, I would suggest at least a 6600. If you have alot to spend, go with a 7800.

Optical/Floppy drives
Another thing you are going to is a CD drive, most are IDE. Get a DVD Burner if you are going to use it. Also, you should get a floppy drive, they are only $10ish and you might need it to install drivers when building your computer.

Case and Power Supply
Make sure you have a sufficient power supply!! If you have a high end computer, you should get a 450W PSU. Otherwise, 350W should be fine for most people. Most cases are ATX, but make sure it is the same type as your motherboard (ATX, MicroATX, BTX, etc…).

Be sure to make sure all your components are compatible!

Chris Silop, owner and admin of

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