Unlocking the Duron and Athlon Using the Pencil

Unlocking the Duron and Athlon Using the Pencil

Introduction

The best and most stable way to overclock your Athlon and Duron CPU is through changing the CPU clock multiplier. Overclocking can be done by changing the FSB (front side bus) of the motherboard, but the Athlon doesn't respond well to overclocking that particular way. To get your Athlon CPU ready to be overclocked requires a slight modification of the CPU called "The Pencil Trick".
The Pencil Trick unlocks the full potential of your CPU. Overclocking the Intel series of CPUs is different than that of an Athlon, and was done mainly by tweaking the FSB of the CPU on the motherboard. FSB overclocking methods, such as running your 300A Celeron set to run at 450MHz by setting the FSB to 100MHz x 4.5 instead of the factory setting of 4.5 x 66MHz, were done very easily. This resulted in a stable overclocked CPU at 450MHz. If you tried overclocking your Athlon in such a way, your system would never POST because the Athlon is not designed like the Intel chip to be compatible at the higher frequencies of an increased FSB. The only drawback to this is that the potential for customers to be ripped of by untrustworthy dealers selling overclocked CPUs to the public at the price of the actual CPU speed is increased by a large margin. Intel long ago locked the multiplier of their CPUs to keep such things from happening with their processors. So with the Intel, chip adjustment of the FSB was the only available option for overclocking.
The Athlon CPU is not designed to handle a high frequency FSB, but will allow you to reconnect the L1 bridges, allowing the processor to be set at any clock frequency, making overclocking an easy task. In the first releases of the Athlon/Duron motherboards you had to not only modify the processor, but you had to modify the motherboard to be able to adjust the Vcore and voltage settings to get a stable overclocked system. But manufacturers soon got the point and started to include those features on their motherboards, making the CPU the only modification you need to make. This works, and is very risk free. The room for error is not great, so even the not-so-mechanically-inclined can take on this task and be successful. I have always been against too much modification, because it can result in the loss of equipment. I wholeheartedly believe in this procedure, as the modification is very minimal and the chance of ruining your equipment is almost zero.

Contents
1. Introduction
2. Setup
3. Step 1
4. Step 2
5. Step 3
6. Conclusion
Setup
You will need a very small-tip pencil, preferably a 0.5mm-type mechanical pencil such as the one made by Ritter, as the tool for this procedure. People think this is absolutely a crazy idea, but it actually works great, and is very easy to do. Lead will not burn at the frequencies running along it, so there is no fear of that happening, as is suggested by some. The L1 Bridges on The Athlon/Duron CPUs are the bridges that lock the multiplier. These bridges are cut off by laser at the factory to lock the CPU at a certain clock frequency, but can be reconnected by using the graphite of the pencil lead to conduct electricity across the bridge, effectively unlocking a locked processor. This is safe and relatively simple to do. Just take your time and follow a few simple procedures

Step 1

Remove your processor from your system and find a well-lit and flat working area. Set your CPU on something that won't damage the pins of the processor. Locate the L1 bridges on the CPU and get your mechanical pencil ready for action. Both the Athlon and Duron processors have the same L1 connecting bridges and are done in the same way.

Step 2

Hold your CPU in your left hand and look very closely at the CPU, so as to clearly see the L1 bridges. Use a business card to separate the bridges so that you do not connect the L1 bridges to each other. Work your way across the bridges from left to right (using a business card as a separation tool) and connect the bridges by rubbing the pencil back and forth over the bridges about twenty times until it is dark black, not the normal gold color. Make sure that all the bridges are reconnected, but not touching each other, and you are on your way. I know it sounds incredible, but that is actually all there is to it. Your processor, if done correctly, is ready to be overclocked. It can now be set to run at different clock frequencies, eliminating the need to increase the FSB.

Step 3
Reinstall your processor back into your system. Make sure you use a good cooling solution, such as the Silver Orb by Thermaltake or an equivalent, as the CPU will need to have better cooling in an overclocked state. Use thermal grease if you have it, preferably a silver-based compound. You can see some good stuff at www.arcticsilver.com. It is messy, but it is very necessary when you are overclocking your CPU, as it makes a seal with the cooling solution for better heat dissipation. You may need to adjust the voltage in order to obtain a stable overclocked CPU. I had to increase the voltage by .05 percent, but then everything ran stable. I was able to run a 650MHz Duron at 800MHz and a 700MHz Athlon at 900MHz just by using a pencil and a few BIOS adjustments. This is a very easy task and can be done by just about anyone who has access to a pencil. I like the mechanical pencil, but a sharp There are many motherboards out currently on the market that support overclocking and have good features to insure you have a properly running, stable system.

Conclusion
This is the simplest and easiest way to modify a CPU that I have ever seen. You can gain a significant amount of increased processor power for the cost of about five cents of pencil lead. Those who are still reluctant, let me tell you I was too, until one day I just gave it a shot, and it was so simple I had to laugh at myself for waiting so long to try it. The Athlon and Duron Processors respond very well to this, and can be set to run at many different speeds with the right combination of settings. All I have to say in closure is take a chance. Grab your Athlon/Duron processor, get a pencil, and unlock that CPU of yours. Then you can get the most performance out of it.

OverClocking

OverClocking ?...

Description:

Overclocking is the somewhat unknown and uncommon practice of running your CPU (or other parts) past the speed that it is rated at. An example is running a 1.2 GHz CPU at 1.4 GHz or a 200 MHz CPU at 233 MHz. How can this be achieved? The following description isn't exact, but it captures the basic idea. Most CPU companies create their CPUs and then test them at a certain speed. If the CPU fails at a certain speed, then it is sold as a CPU at the next lower speed. The tests are usually very stringent so a CPU may be able to run at the higher speed quite reliably. In fact, the tests are often not used at all. For example, once a company has been producing a certain CPU for awhile, they have gotten the process down well enough that all the CPUs they make will run reliably at the highest speed the CPU is designed for. Thus, just to fill the demand, they will mark some of them as the slower CPUs.
Beware, however, that some vendors may sell CPUs already overclocked. This is why it is very important to buy from a dealer you can trust.
Some video cards are also very overclockable with some companies selling their cards already overclocked (and advertised this way). The Programs like Powerstrip can often be used to easily overclock the cards.
Also, if you're afraid to overclock your CPU, let another company do it for you! Companies like ComputerNerd sell CPUs pretested at overclocked speeds.

What To Consider:

• Do you NEED to overclock? It may not be worth the risk if your computer is running fine as it is. However, if it seems a little too slow and/or you're a speed freak, it may be worth the risk.
• How important is your work? If you're running a very important network server, it may not be worth it to put the extra strain on the computer. Likewise, if your computer does a lot of highly CPU intensive operations, you may also want to not overclock. Obviously the most stable computer is going to be one that is not overclocked. This is not to say that an overclocked computer can not be 100% stable because they CAN. If you just use your computer to play games and would like to have a little faster frame rates, then overlcocking may be worth it.

Potential Side-Effects?

• The first impression people usually have of overclocking is "isn't that dangerous?" For the most part, the answer is no. If all you do to try to overclock your computer is change the CPU's speed, there is very little chance that you will damage your computer and/or the CPU as long as you do not push your computer too hard (i.e. trying to run a 500 MHz CPU at 1 GHz. Damage has happened, but it's a rare thing. Also, if you start increasing voltage settings to allow your CPU to run at a higher speed, there is more of a risk there.
• The best way to prevent damage is to keep your CPU as cool as possible. The only way you can really damage your CPU is if it gets too hot. Adequate cooling is one of the keys to successful overclocking. Using large heatsinks with powerful ball-bearing fans will help to achieve this. How hot is too hot? If you can't keep your finger on the CPU's heatsink comfortably, then it is probably too hot and you should lower the CPU's speed.
• Changing the bus speed is actually more beneficial than changing the CPU's speed. The bus speed is basically the speed at which the CPU communicates with the rest of the computer. When you increase the bus speed, in many cases you will be overclocking all the parts in your AGP, PCI slots, and your RAM as well as the CPU. Usually this is by a small margin and won't hurt these components. Pay attention to them though. If they're getting too hot, you may need to add extra cooling for them (an additional fan in your case). Just like your CPU, if they get too hot, they may be damaged as well.

Difficulty Level:

• Believe it or not, it's actually quite simple. In many cases all you have to do is change a couple of jumpers on the motherboard or change settings in your motherboard's BIOS.

Recommendations:

• Most of today's CPUs are multiplier locked, but you can change the bus speed. As an example, you could run a 1.2 GHz Thunderbird that normally runs at 133 bus (also called 266 because it is "double-pumped) at:
• Multiplier * Bus Speed = CPU speed in MHz
• 9 * 133 = 1,200 MHz = 1.2 GHz = default
• 9 * 140 = 1,260 MHz = 1.26 GHz
• 9 * 145 = 1,305 MHz = 1.3 GHz
• 9 * 150 = 1,350 MHz = 1.35 GHz

Even though that CPU is multiplier locked, you can change the multiplier by connecting the "L1" dots on the CPU itself with a normal pencil (it's just enough to conduct electricity to allow you to change the multipliers). If you do this properly, it is perfectly safe. Here's an article on how to do this.

• 9 * 133 = 1,200 MHz = 1.2 GHz = default
• 9.5 * 133 = 1,264 MHz = 1.264 GHz
• 10 * 133 = 1,333 MHz = 1.333 GHz
• Or change both together, like this:
  10 * 140 = 1,400 MHz = 1.4 GHz
• All you need to do here is use common sense really. For example, you wouldn't want to try to run a 233 MHz CPU at 400 MHz. For one thing, it won't work. For another, that probably would damage your CPU. I would advise starting out low and slowly trying to go higher. If you have a 233 MHz CPU, try running it one step higher, then the next step. Most likely you won't be able to get a CPU like this to run much higher than 300, but that is a possibility.
• Be more concerned with changing the bus speed than the CPU speed as that will provide the greatest amount of speed improvement. For example, running a CPU at 250 (83.3x3) would be better than 262.5 (75x3.5) in most cases because the bus speed of 83 is higher than 75. The default for most CPUs is at 66 MHz bus speed. The newer P2's bus speed is 100 MHz by default. Many computers will not have options on bus speeds, but if you get any of the motherboards I recommend, you will have different bus speed options. The higher bus speed you can run at reliably, the better. Depending on what your other components are though, they may cause your computer to crash or become unstable if they can't handle the higher bus speeds. With bus speeds like 133, you have to have higher quality PC133 or PC2100 DDR SDRAM to be able to achieve this bus speed reliably.

Motherboard

Motherboard

Contents

Description
What To Look for
Recommendations

Description:

• The best way to describe the motherboard goes along well with my human body analogy that I used for the CPU. The CPU is the brain, and the motherboard is the nervous system. Therefore, just as a person would want to have fast communication to the body parts, you want fast communication between the parts of your computer. Fast communication isn't as important as reliable communication though. If your brain wanted to move your arm, you want to be sure the nervous system can accurately and consistently carry the signals to do that! Thus, in my opinion, the motherboard is the second most important part of the computer.
• The motherboard is the circuit board to which all the other components of the computer connect in some way. The video card, sound card, IDE hard drive, etc. all plug into the motherboard's various slots and connectors. The CPU also plugs into the motherboard via a Socket or a Slot.

What To Look For:

• There are many parts of the motherboard to consider. I'll start with the bus speed support. The fastest pentium IV CPUs run at 800 MHz bus speed, and the fastest Athlon XP CPUs run at 400 MHz bus speed (both of these are in actuality 200 MHz multiplied 2 or 4 times by being double or quad pumped).
• The type of Chipset is the most important thing to consider in your motherboard. The chipset contains all of the motherboard's basic instructions, and also determines many of the motherboard's features. Latest chipset info is available under Motherboard Recommendations.
• Hardware support is also quite important as you want your motherboard to support the hardware you are putting in it. Most of this will be determined by the chipset, but some will not, such as number of slots for memory expansion, number of PCI slots, number of USB and Firewire ports, and the presence of LAN, audio, and other possible onboard components. USB 2.0 and Firewire connectors come in handy for connecting peripherals.
• Onboard components used to be something to avoid, but they have improved lately. Getting an onboard network connector is usually helpful, and onboard audio is common now too. Onboard video is generally something to avoid though. Onboard audio generally isn't going to give you the best quality, but it's sufficient in most cases. With the nForce line of motherboards, the onboard audio is excellent.
• Another thing to consider is whether the motherboard comes with a cooling fan on the chipset. As speeds increase and chipsets become more complex, having good cooling becomes more important. While this isn't one of the most important things to consider, it is another sign of a good motherboard.

Buying Tips:

• There aren't many buying tips to be concerned with as most motherboards have fairly similar costs. The motherboard cost is often determined by the chipset being used. Obviously, you will want to get a motherboard that is going to last you awhile though. One key to doing this is to be sure your motherboard will support the newest CPUs. Of course, it's not always wise to buy the first motherboard based on a new chipset either. So, this decision can be a tough one... Often times it is best to wait a little while after a new chipset has come out to be sure the new products are good quality.

Recommendations:

Choosing between Intel and AMD is a personal preference. For more information on choosing between the two platforms, I suggest you read the CPU Recommendations page.

• AMD Athlon 64 FX Motherboards
• AMD Athlon 64 Motherboards
• AMD Athlon XP Motherboards
• Intel Pentium IV Motherboards
  
• Athlon 64 FX Motherboards:
  Thees motherboards are hard to come by and a little pricey. They also require Registered DDR400 memory instead of the typical unbuffered memory. Few are available at the time of this writing, but good ones to look for use the nVidia nForce 3-250Gb chipset. It's possible these boards may actually perform slower than the Via K8T800 chipset, but Via has had a history of problems compared to the nForce chipsets. Many have been very successful with that chipset however, and if you do want to give one a try, I'd suggest the Asus SK8V motherboard. If you want to play it safe, then find a motherboard with the nForce 3-250 Gb chipset, such as MSI's K8N Neo Platinum motherboard.
  
  Athlon 64 Motherboards:
  With little difference in performance between the nForce 3-150 and Via K8T800 chipsets, I would strongly recommend the nForce 3-150 chipset motherboards simply because of their reputation for stability and quality. A couple of good choices here are the Chaintech ZNF3-150, AOpen AK89 Max, and particularly the Gigabyte GA-K8N PRO. (or for a little extra money, get Gigabyte's GA-K8NNXP which adds all kinds of unique features including their DPS technology to improve stability, a "backup power" system, and more.
  
  Athlon XP motherboards:
  If you are going to use an Athlon XP CPU, I suggest using motherboards based on the nForce2 chipsets (particularly the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset). These motherboards are very fast and stable. nVidia is a relative newcomer to the motherboard market, but they have consistently produced high quality products from day one. All of the nForce2 motherboards have been high quality, but I do have some specific recommendations. Here are the specific nForce2 motherboards I recommend:
• Gigabyte GA-7NNXP or 7N400 Pro (the "K7 Triton" series): These two motherboards are very well-featured and stable boards, not to mention fast. The 7NNXP costs quite a bit more ($50 - $60) for the addition of a second LAN port and "DPS technology" which is supposed to improve stability and longer life of the components (this is debatable though). Both include features like dual BIOS (as a backup), FireWire, IDE RAID, and Serial ATA RAID.
  DFI NFII Ultra LanParty: If you're looking for a fancy motherboard that will look great through your case window, look no further! Add a black light and you get UV reactive slots on the motherboard and UV reactive rounded cables. Aside from just looking cool, the performance and stability is great too! Just like the Gigabyte board, it's loaded with features. It even features RAID 1.5 (a new RAID format that combines mirroring and striping with just two drives [that's reliability and speed for those unfamiliar with RAID configurations] - jury's still out on how well this works, but it's just an extra option if you don't plan to use it). The only negative on this board is the price.
  Soltek NV400-L64: The best feature of this motherboard is its price. It's a single channel DDR motherboard instead of dual channel (which is generally better). However, in testing, this motherboard performed on par with the dual channel motherboards in most tests and was the best in many gaming benchmarks. If you're looking for an inexpensive gaming motherboard, this one's a great choice!
  Other good manufactureres of nForce2 Ultra motherboards include Asus, Chaintech, AOpen, and perhaps Abit (they're great for overclocking, but Abit has had reliability problems in the past).
  
• Intel Pentium IV Motherboards:
  The two best chipsets for Intel's Pentium IV are the 865PE and the 875P. Which is better? Neither, really. They both perform about the same despite Intel's assertion that the 875P is faster due to its "PAT" memory access. Many manufacturers of the 865PE motherboards have activated PAT in their motherboards, so there's really no difference between the two chipsets! So which should you get? You might as well get the 865PE and save some money! Here are my specific recommendations on these chipsets:
  
  Gigabyte GA-8PENXP: I think this board is currently the best overall choice when considering performance, features, and stability. Like the Gigabyte boards I listed for the AMD CPUs, this one has DPS technology, a "backup power" system, and other features that set it apart from the rest. This comes at a price preimum though, so if you want a cheaper board, consider one of the others below. It uses the 865PE chipset. Features abound, including gigabit LAN, IDE RAID, Serial ATA RAID, 6 DIMM slots, and 2 FireWire ports.
  Asus P4P800-E Deluxe: Asus has always been a great motherboard manufacturer, but lately I've started to use Gigabyte's boards more. Nevertheless, this is still a great motherboard, and cheaper than the Gigabyte too. It uses the 865PE chipset.
  Gigabyte GA-8IPE1000 PRO-G: If you want a great, inexpensive board, this one is a good choice. It has most of the features you'll need along with a low price tag and good performance. It uses the 865PE chipset.

Glossary Page...

This page is meant to define terms that are used in other pages. I tried to keep them in fairly simple terms. It is quite thorough, but there is a nearly infinite number of computer terms, so this covers only the major ones.

3D: Everybody knows what 3D is, but what is it in a computer? 3D is generally what is used to refer to the capabilities of the video card. Today's video cards use a variety of instructions built into the video card itself (not software) to achieve more realistic graphics in computer games that appear to have depth. Most of today's video cards have these capabilities, but there are incredibly large differences between specific cards. That's why you need to read the Video Card recommendations. These 3D capabilities are generally used for games, but high-end video cards are used for creating 3D models and 3D animation. Many of these cards cost well over $1,000 and are not intended for home use.

3D Audio: Again, this is for gaming more than anything else. Sound cards such as the Live! and Diamond MX300 use techniques that I do not fully understand to make your speakers present sound that sounds like it is coming from behind or beside you instead of in front of you where your speakers are. The true effect is best with a set of four speakers.

3DNow!: AMD's set of additional instructions that they integrated into their CPUs. Similar to MMX and SSE/KNI, these instructions are intended to speed up CPU performance. These only appear in AMD CPUs.

AGP: Accelerated Graphics Port is a high speed connection only used by video cards, so there is only one of them in a computer (older computers do not have AGP). It is faster than PCI and has direct access to system memory so that the computer's memory can be used in addition to the video card's memory. Default AGP speed is 66 MHz.

AMR: Audio Modem Riser and CNR (Communications Network Riser) are slots on motherboards that can accommodate low cost sound cards, network cards, etc. So far there isn't really much available for these slots, and they're not likely to be used much in the future either.

ATA: See IDE.

AT/ATX: These are two standard types of motherboards, cases, and power supplies. An ATX motherboard generally must be used in an ATX case with an ATX power supply. When upgrading your computer, you need to know what type you have and what type you will be getting. If they're not compatible they won't work. ATX is becoming the norm, particularly for Pentium II, III, and Celeron computers. Retail computers like Gateway, Dell, Packard Bell, and Compaq often have their own proprietary standards. These often cause problems and prevent users from upgrading their motherboards and other components.

BIOS: This is the Basic Input/Output System and is installed on the computer's motherboard. It controls the most basic operations and is responsible for starting your computer up and initializing the hardware. It is data that is usually held in a ROM chip, which can be updated by "flashing". BIOS upgrades may correct errors, support new CPUs, support new hardware, etc.

Burner (CD-ROM): This is a device that allows you to save data to a CD-ROM. Special CD-Rs are required for this. They also allow you to make backup copies of your CDs. There is a large variety of types, including CD-R or CD-R+RW. The latter has support for rewritable CDs which can be erased and rewritten to, while CD-R only drives can only write to their CDs once. Like CD-ROM drives, burners can be IDE or SCSI. SCSI is definitely preferable when it comes to burners, but a SCSI card is required. Burners are generally quite picky and must have a constant stream of data to work properly. If that stream is interrupted, the burn will fail. This is one reason why SCSI burners tend to be better; SCSI devices can deliver a more reliable stream of data than IDE, while other applications are being run as well.

Bus or System Bus: This is just a collection of wires that transmit data from one component to another.

Bus Speed: This is a speed measured in Megahertz that determines how fast the memory and CPU run. The only "official" bus speeds supported by Intel are 66 and 100. However, numerous others exist (75, 83, 103, 112, 124, 133, 153, etc.). High-quality memory is required for the higher bus speeds. The bus speeds usually determine the speed of the PCI and AGP buses as well The default PCI bus speed is 33 and the default AGP bus speed is 66 MHz.
The CPU speed is determined by a combination of the bus speed and multiplier (i.e. 100 bus speed x 4.5 multiplier = 450 MHz CPU speed).

Cache: It's said just like cash, but has an entirely different meaning. Cache memory is the fastest type of RAM available and is used in CPUs, hard drives, and a variety of other components. As with RAM, the more cache, the better, but CPU and hard drive cache generally cannot be upgraded. Pentium II CPUs have 512 KiloBytes of cache, and the high end IBM 9LZX SCSI hard drives have a large 4 MegaBytes cache. Like RAM, data generally passes through cache memory before going to the component that is going to use it (the CPU). It holds the data for quick access as well. The speed of the cache is also very important. Pentium II CPUs have 512 k cache, and Celeron CPUs have 128 k of cache, but the Celeron cache runs at full CPU speed while the Pentium II's cache runs at 1/2 CPU speed. Thus, there is a tradeoff that makes the Celeron run about as fast as the Pentium II CPU.

Case: The computer's case is nothing more than its shell or a skeleton. The case performs the function of holding the computer together, cooling (with fans), and grounding the computer components through its steel. Larger cases with a lot of expansion bays are preferable. This way you can have a lot of room to work in your case and be able to upgrade with more hard drives, DVD drives, burners, etc. SuperMicro's SC750-A server tower is an example of a great case. It has a total of 8 external bays, plenty of room to work, and a great cooling setup with space for a lot of fans. Tower cases are generally preferred over desktop cases because they have more room for expansion and better cooling capabilities. A case can be AT or ATX, differing in the way the holes are laid out to connect the motherboard to and the type of power supply if it comes with one. Cases generally come with power supplies, but it is often advisable to get them separately so that you can get high quality parts for both.

CD-ROM Burner: See Burner.

CD-ROM Drive: Reads compact disks in the form of audio or CD-ROM. A CD-ROM holds data (perhaps audio as well). Newer CD-ROM drives will read CD-R (Writable CDs) and CD-RW (ReWritable CDs). The speed of a CD-ROM drive is not usually very important except when installing programs, running games that require use of the CD-ROM drive, or "burning" CDs with a CD-ROM Burner - a CD-ROM drive that is able to write to special CDs called CD-Rs. Visit the CD-ROM Drive page.

CNR: See AMR.

Chips/Chipsets: These are the little pieces of silicon that hold computer information and instructions. Just about any computer component has at least one chipset on it. Motherboard chipsets control the basic ins/and outs of the computer. Video card chipsets control the rendering of 3D graphics and the output of images to your monitor. The CPU is just a very important chip. Common motherboard chipsets include the BX, i810, i820, and many others.

Color Depth: Refers to the number of colors displayed to the monitor by the video card. The more colors used, the more realistic the display. With photographs, changing the computer's color depth may or may not help if the picture is limited to a small amount of colors. Common color depths are 256 colors, 16-bit (65,000 colors), 24-bit, and 32-bit (millions of colors). 24-bit and 32-bit are difficult to differentiate between, but 16-bit and particularly 256 colors will show a noticeable lack of quality or realism.

CPU: The CPU is the computer's control center. Think of it as the brain that does all the thinking (computation), thus it is called the Central Processing Unit. The actual CPU is about 1.5 inches square, yet it is the most critical part of the computer. Having a fast CPU (measured in MegaHertz) greatly aids in the overall speed of your computer. Visit my CPU Page.

DDR: This is a new type of RAM called Double Data Rate RAM. It is used in some of the newer video cards such as the Nvidia GeForce cards.

Digital Camera: This is a camera that does not use film, but instead stored the photographs in a digital format in memory on the camera. These images can then be downloaded to a computer.

DIMM: This is a type of memory connection that uses 168 pins. The most common type of DIMM is SDRAM (see it for more information). DIMM stands for Dual Inline Memory Module. DIMMs are the succesor to SIMMs (Single ...). The most common type of SIMM is EDO and is used primarily in older Pentium computers.

DPI: Dots per Inch is a measurement used both on monitors and printers. The measurements are done different ways though. The higher numbers on printers generally represent more detailed print quality (i.e. 1440x1440 would be very high resolution printing). The lower numbers on monitors represent clearer picture quality (i.e. .22 dpi would be a very high quality monitor).

DVD-ROM Drive: Similar to a CD-ROM drive, a DVD Drive reads CDs, CD-ROMs, and the newer DVDs. The acronym DVD originally had no meaning, but has since been referred to as Digital Video Disk and Digital Versatile Disk. DVD's advantage over CDs is that it holds many times the capacity of a single CD. DVDs can also hold full-length movies and can be used double-sided for extra storage. Currently very few software titles are available only on DVD-ROM, but are also available on CD-ROM, usually requiring multiple CDs. DVD videos are only available on DVD though. DVD also requires and MPEG decoder card to view the Videos. Software DVD decoding can be done on very fast machines, but hardware decoding (simply meaning a piece of hardware is added to the computer along with the drive - a decoder card) will work much better. Some more discussion of this appears on the CD-ROM Drive Page.

Ethernet: See NIC.

GigaBytes: This is equal to 1,000 MegaBytes.

Hard Drive: The hard drive stores all the computer's information and retains the information when the computer is turned off. A fast hard drive is needed to supply the CPU with data as fast as it needs it. Hard drive sizes are typically measured in GigaBytes. The larger the number, the more applications and games you can have installed. A hard drive can be IDE or SCSI. See IDE or SCSI for more information. For more information, go to my Hard Drive Page.

IDE: IDE stands for Integrated/Intelligent Drive Electronics. It is an ATA specification (the terms are often used interchangably). This is the most common disk interface for hard drives, CD-ROM drives, etc. It is easy to use, but also the most limited. IDE is integrated into your motherboard. It only allows for 4 devices. The other option is SCSI which is faster, more complicated, and allows for many more devices. SCSI requires a separate add-on card and different types of hard drives (SCSI).

ISA: ISA is an older technology for connecting computer peripherals (stands for Industry Standard Architecture). Common current devices include modems and sound cards. ISA is much slower than PCI, so PCI devices are generally better if you have a choice. ISA is starting to fade and eventually will be removed entirely. Most motherboards still come with at least one or two ISA slots on them.

KNI: See SSE.

LAN: See NIC.

MegaBytes: Megabytes are the measurement used for the amount of hard drive space available, used, required, etc. One megabyte is equal to one million bytes or one thousand kilobytes. One megabyte is small by today's typical file sizes. Hard drive sizes are commonly given in gigabytes, each of which is one thousand megabytes. Memory is also measured in megabytes.

Memory: See RAM.

MMX: A set of additional instruction (Multi-Media Extensions) integrated into CPUs starting with the Pentium MMX CPUs. They are still present in the Pentium III CPUs, and AMD integrated them into their K6 series of CPUs. The MMX instruction sets had a fairly small impact. SSE or KNI are a similar set that was integrated into the Pentium III and later CPUs.

Modem: It stands for Modulator Demodulator, but it's use is much simpler. It enables a computer to "dial-up" to another computer for a variety of purposes including Fax, Gaming, or Internet connections. There is a large variety of modems available now including the original 14.4, 28.8, 33.6, and 56k modems as well as newer ISDN (128k) and ADSL (256k) modems. To use any modem, your Internet Service Provider must support the format (modem, ISDN, or ADSL). Also, new phone lines are needed for ISDN, and ADSL must have support in your area. Visit the Modem Page for more information and recommendations.

Monitor: The high-resolution TV-like tube that displays your computer's output. Today's monitors have much better quality displays than any TV is capable of.

Motherboard: The motherboard is easily compared to the human body's nervous system. The wires (nerves) on it transfer data between all of the other components. Having a high-quality motherboard (not described in retail computers) is essential to a reliable computer.

MHz: This stands for the "MegaHertz" rating and is the primary measure of a CPU's speed. One Megahertz is one million clock cycles per second. Thus, a 400 MHz processor will have twice as many clock cycles per second as a 200 MHz processor, but this doesn't necessarily mean it is twice as FAST...

Multiplier: This number works with the bus speed to determine how fast the CPU is run. A multiplier of 4.5 coupled with a bus speed of 100 MHz yields a CPU speed of 450 MHz (4.5x100). Most of Intel's newest CPUs are multiplier locked in that only a specific multiplier can be used and not others (i.e. a 450 MHz CPU can only use a 4.5 multiplier, but not 4 or 5). The bus speed is independent and can be changed so that 4.5x100 and 4.5x103 will give different CPU speeds (provided the CPU will run at that speed).

Networking: See NIC.

NIC: A Network Interface Card allows your computer to connect to a network of computers. The most common type of NIC is ethernet - a very fast method of transferring data between computers. A modem is generally used to dial-up from a home computer to connect to a network or the Internet. However, an ethernet NIC uses a cable that usually connects to a hub which connects to a router which connects to a switch, and these pieces are also often connected to a server through the same type of cable and to the Internet backbone via a fiber optic cable. The NIC allows the computer to share with and get resources from other computers on the network (as well as the Internet if it is not a Local Area Network (LAN). A LAN is a closed network consisting of 2 or more computers that are connected through NICs and hubs, generally not connected to the outside world - the Internet. Hubs allow several computers to share one cable connection (1 cable connects to another hub or router, and the hub provides 5 (more or less) connections for other computers or hubs to connect to).

OverClocking: This is the term for running a CPU, video card, or other component faster than its rated speed. See my Advanced Topics for more information on this.

PC100/PC133: A rating that certifies that the memory is capable of running at 100 or 133 MHz bus. This memory is generally required for running at those specific speeds.

PCI: "Peripheral Component Interconnect" is a high-speed connection for devices including SCSI cards, video cards, sound cards, modems, video capture cards, etc. This is the primary way of adding devices to your computer. It is faster than ISA, so is preferred for devices such as sound cards and SCSI cards. It is slower than AGP which is for graphics cards only, so AGP graphics cards tend to be better than PCI ones. Default PCI speed is 33 MHz.

Power Supply: Generally this comes with the case. It can have an AT or ATX power connector and it is measured in its rated output. It converts power from your outlets into a steady stream of power the computer can use. A 235 or 250 Watt power supply is generally sufficient for home users, but power users may need a 300 or 400 Watt power supply if they have a lot of hard drives or other components. The quality of power supply can be very important and may make the difference between a stable computer and a computer that crashes often. I recommend power supplies from PC Power and Cooling and CalPC.

PPGA: This stands for Plastic Pin Grid Array. PPGA is the same as Socket 370 and is a relatively new CPU connection type. The CPUs are very similar to the Socet 7 CPUs, but they cannot be used in the same motherboards. Like the Socket 7 CPUs, they have pins at the bottom of a flat square CPU, and sit parallel to the surface of the motherboard.

Printer: A printer outputs data that is seen on the computer screen. Most printers are used through a parallel port, but some newer ones use USB connections. USB is somewhat faster, but there's not much of a difference for printers. Networked computers usually print to a printer through the network card. The most crucial printer measurement is its dots per inch rating. Although this can be misleading, a higher number is generally better. Printers are best chosen by actually seeing the quality of the printer output.

RAM (Memory): This is the component that holds recently accessed data for the CPU to have quick access to. It is much faster than reading from a hard drive, so having a lot of RAM makes it quick to retrieve recently accessed files, applications, and other data. All programs must be run through RAM before they can be used. RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is typically measured in megabytes. My Memory Page may also be helpful.

RDRAM: This is the Intel-backed form of memory that is competing with PC133 SDRAM. It boasts speeds up to 800 MHz for very high bandwidth, but whether or not it will be worth its high price is a tough call. RDRAM comes in RIMMs which will not fit in the BX motherboard DIMM slots.

Refresh Rate: This is the speed at which the monitor's picture is redrawn or flashed in front of your eyes. Slower refresh rates provide a noticable flicker. Higher refresh rates create a steady picture (and is easier on your eyes). The refresh rate is determined by the video card, but also must be supported by the monitor. The maximum refresh rate will be different for different resolutions. A minimum of 75 Hertz is recommended (TV refresh rates are 30 Hz, which is why there is a noticable flicker).

Resolution: Similar to dpi, the resolution is how many pixels can be displayed on the screen at once. The resolution is measured in the number of pixels wide and high that the display is. The most common resolutions are 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1600x1200. Higher resolutions provide sharper, better quality pictures, but also make type and images smaller since more information is squeezed onto the same size screen. The size of the monitor is important when considering the resolution. A 14" or 15" monitor is best with an 800x600 resolution. 1024x768 is best for 17" monitors. 19" monitors can use 1280x1024 or 1024x768 well. 1600x1200 or greater is recommended only for 21" or larger monitors. The resolution of a TV screen is 640x480; another reason why a computer's display is much better than a TV's.

RIMM: A RIMM is a form of memory connection much like a SIMM or DIMM. RIMMs are physically different from the others and cannot be used on a BX chipset motherboard. RIMM stands for Rambus Inline Memory Module. RDRAM comes in RIMMs.

Scanner: This device allows you to read images and text into your computer. Scanners use a variety of connection formats including Parallel Port, USB, and SCSI. USB is simple, SCSI is fast, and Parallel Port is extremely slow. The Miscellaneous Page discusses scanner suggestions.

SDRAM: This is the most common type of memory used today and is a type of DIMM. SDRAM (like all memory) is measured by its access time, CAS latency, its rating, and other timings. Recent ratings are PC100 and PC133, and this memory is required for newer Pentium II and III CPUs.

SECC: A Single Edge Contact Cartridge is a type of connection for the CPU to plug into the motherboard. It is the same as Slot 1. All Pentium II and III CPUs are Slot 1, as are some Celeron CPUs. These CPUs require a Slot 1 motherboard using the BX or LX (older) chipsets as well as newer ones. They plug into the motherboard much like a PCI sound card or other component would. Thus, they sit perpendicular to the surface of the motherboard.

SIMM: See DIMM.

Slot 1: See SECC.

Slotket / Sloket: These terms are used to refer to an adapter card that allows a PPGA CPU (Celeron) to be used on a Slot 1 motherboard. Newer ones also allow for voltage adjustment.

Socket 370: See PPGA.

Socket 7: This is an older CPU connection format that was used by the Pentium, Pentium MMX, all the AMD K6 and later CPUs, and several Cyrix CPUs. Slot 1 CPUs cannot be used on these motherboards, nor can Socket 370 CPUs. These CPUs are flat squares that sit parallel to the motherboard. Their pins plug into the motherboard.

SCSI: This acronym is pronounced "scuzzy" and stands for Small Computer Systems Interface. There are two types of interfaces for hard drives, CD-ROM drives, etc. One is SCSI, the other is IDE. IDE is much more common and less expensive. SCSI is more expensive and also more flexible and generally faster. With a single SCSI card you can have 15 or more devices whereas you are only allowed to have 4 devices with an IDE system. The fastest hard drives (and generally CD-ROM drives too) are SCSI-based. Examples are the 10,000 rpm IBM 9LZX hard drive. The fastest IDE drives run at 7,200 rpm. To have a SCSI-based computer, you have to have a SCSI card, SCSI hard drive, etc. SCSI is more complicated to configure and should not be taken on by amateurs. There is a variety of connections such as 25, 50, 68, 68 LVD, 80 SCA, etc. (where the numbers represent the types of connections. See my SCSI Card page.

SSE (KNI): Streaming SIMD Extensions (formerly known as Katmai New Instructions) represent a set of instructions integrated into Intel's Pentium III CPUs. Similar to MMX and 3DNow!, they are intended to speed up CPU performance. While MMX did not have much of an impact, SSE appears to offer significant improvements. SSE is the primary difference between the Pentium II and Pentium III CPUs.

Tweaking: This is a term used to describe changing settings, adding programs, etc. in order to make your computer run faster or more efficiently. Visit my Tweaking Tips.

UltraDMA/UltraATA: Also known as ATA/33, this is a technology in newer IDE hard drives that allows for greater overall throughput. ATA/66 is now available with many hard drives which is even faster. However, a 7200 rpm ATA/33 drive will generally be faster than a 5400 rpm ATA/66 drive. That is, the speed of the drive itself is much more important than the ATA/33 or 66 rating.

USB: USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and is a new technology theoretically capable of connecting a very large number of external devices on a computer. USB is intended primarily for low bandwidth (slow) components such as mice, keyboards, modems, joysticks, etc., but not fast devices like hard drives. USB has its benefits and its problems, which I will not go into depth about. Most computers have 2 USB ports. Some USB devices will have another port so that another USB device can be plugged into it. This is called "Daisy-Chaining". Otherwise you run out of ports quickly, in which case you may need a USB hub which will add more ports (usually 4).

UPS: This stands for Uninterruptable Power Supply, and it is a device that provides continuous, reliable power to your computer. It is a device that plugs into your outlets and you then plug your computer, monitor, and other components into. It uses a battery to make sure that the computer will stay on even if there is a power outage. These are generally used only for critical machines and servers, but they can also be useful at home if you have blackouts/brownouts or voltage irregularities. UPSs made by APS or Opti-UPS are generally good quality.

Video Capture / Output: This is generally achieved with a video capture card that is capable of taking video in from a TV or VCR and recording it to a computer video file. Usually a separate device is required, but some of today's video cards have this capability built in. If you want to be able to do this, be aware that your video card must support it, or you must have a video capture card. Computer generated videos can also be output to VCR tapes.

Video Card: This component is used to transfer data to your monitor so that it can be displayed. Today's video cards have a variety of "3D" capabilities. 3D video cards are only needed for playing games though. When playing 3D games, the video card is the most important component. See my Video Card section for a more in-depth discussion of this.

Voltage: This is the amount of power supplied to a components. CPU voltage is the only one that we ever have any control over. Increasing the voltage can be helpful in overclocking your CPU to a high speed. Most motherboards do not support this as an option though.

CPU

Contents

Description
What To Look for
Recommendations

Description:

So what's a CPU? It stands for Central Processing Unit. Many users erroneously refer to the whole computer box as the CPU. In fact, the CPU itself is only about 1.5 inches square. The CPU does exactly what it stands for. It is the control unit that processes all* of the instructions for the computer. Consider it to be the "brain" of the computer. It does all the thinking. So, would you like to have a fast or slow brain? Obviously, the answer to this question makes the CPU the most important part of the computer. The speed here is the most significant. The processor's (CPU's) speed is given in a MHz or GHz rating (see Glossary). 3 GHz is roughly 3,000 MHz.

* In today's computers, the video cards, sound cards, etc. also process instructions, but the majority of the burden lays on the CPU.

What To Look For:

• One basic thing to look for in a CPU, the GHz rating. Obviously, the higher, the better. If there is one part you are going to splurge on for your computer, make it the CPU. A good rule to go by is getting a CPU that is a couple steps below the top speed CPU. You won't notice much of a performance difference, and you'll save a lot of money since the very fastest CPUs are significantly overpriced.
• Bus Speed is another very important thing to look for (see Glossary for definition). Currently 200 MHz is the most common bus speed (although this is often reported as 400 MHz or 800 MHz as it is dual or quad pumped). Many CPUs still run at 166 or slower though.
• Internal Cache is the quick access memory that is on the CPU to hold recent data. This memory is very important in speeding things up. When comparing CPUs, you may want to look at how much cache the CPU has. Be warned: Intel's Celeron CPUs have very little cache memory - that's why they're cheaper! Oddly enough, in some applications it performs quite well, but other applications may cause it to perform very slowly.
• Another thing to consider with CPUs is the micron size of the CPU die. Smaller sizes result in cooler operation and thus allow for higher clock speeds.

Buying Tips:

• So, considering the CPU is the most important part, should you buy the fastest CPU available? Not necessarily. There are two things to consider here. First of all, the highest speed CPU is usually way overpriced. One or two steps down will get you a CPU that will perform just as well to the human eyes, yet cost much less. That is probably the best strategy. A second strategy you may want to consider is to buy a slowish, cheap CPU to start. Purchase the slow CPU with the intention of upgrading your CPU in about a year or less. Then, after that time has passed, you can probably buy a CPU that would be faster than you could have gotten before, but now it would cost much less. Here's an example with fictional figures and CPUs:
  Buy a 2.6 GHz CPU for $150 when the top of the line is 3.2 GHz for $500. After about a year, buy a 3.4 GHz CPU for about $150. Now, you got a faster CPU, but still saved $200 overall! Note, you might not encounter that wide of a range of CPU speeds that would all fit in the same motherboard.
  Related topic: Motherboard.
• Buy from a dealer you KNOW you can trust. Why? Simply because there is a rapidly spreading trend going around where some dealers are "remarking" their CPUs. For example, they may take a 2.8 GHz processor, remark it and overclock it, and try to sell it as a 3.2 GHz processor in order to make more money off the CPU. Thus, the dealer is overclocking the CPU before you own it. You can check ResellerRatings.com for customer reviews of merchants.

Recommendations:

• Intel's Pentium IV and AMD's Athlon 64 CPUs are currently the CPUs of choice for most users. The Pentium IV Prescott has 1 MB cache instead of the original Pentium IV's 512 k cache. The Athlon 64 CPUs differ from the Athlon XP in that they are 64-bit CPUs (AMD has the advantage over Intel here, since Intel's Pentium IV CPUs are not 64-bit) and some offer 1 MB cache. 64-bit CPUs will be needed to run Windows XP 64-bit and other 64-bit applications. It's nice to be able to buy a CPU now that will work with both 32-bit and 64-bit later (the Athlon 64). Intel reports their CPUs in real MHz speed (although they're about to go to a ranking scheme also). AMD reports theirs in a performance ranking format, compared to Intel's CPUs. So for example, an Athlon XP 3200+ is supposed to perform on par with a 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium IV. Here's a handy table of their real speeds. You may find it confusing because the "faster" CPUs sometimes run at slower clock speeds. That is because the core has been improved and/or the bus speed is higher and/or there is more cache memory. Older CPUs are not included, and I didn't include AMD's Opteron CPUs because they are meant for servers and not as popular with home users:

Athlon 64 FX 53 2.4 GHz / 1 MB cache Athlon 64 FX (or FX 51) 2.2 GHz / 1 MB cache Athlon 64 3400 2.2 GHz / 1 MB cache Athlon 64 3200 2 GHz / 1 MB cache Athlon 64 3000 2 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon 64 2800 1.8 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 3200 / 400 bus 2.2 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 3200 / 333 bus 2.2 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 3000 / 400 bus 2.1 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 3000 / 333 bus 2.167 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 2800 / 333 bus 2.08 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 2700 / 333 bus 2.167 GHz / 256 k cache Athlon XP 2600 / 333 bus 1.9 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 2600 / 266 bus 2.08 GHz / 256 k cache Athlon XP 2500 / 333 bus 1.83 GHz / 512 k cache Athlon XP 2400 / 266 bus 2.0 GHz / 256 k cache Athlon XP 2200 / 266 bus 1.8 GHz / 256 k cache

• Intel vs AMD. These two companies have been fighting it out for many years. Which one is better? That is a tough decision to make, and much of it depends on the current time period. AMD may have the crown for awhile, then Intel steals it, and it goes back and forth. AMD is usually cheaper, but they had a history of relatively unstable CPUs (or unstable motherboards that go with them). This has improved significantly in the past couple of years, and I now consider Intel and AMD to be equally stable. Which do I recommend? It's really up to you. If you want to save a little, get AMD now. If you want the absolute best performance (it's going to cost you, and you may not notice the difference!), go for Intel's fastest. I personally prefer the AMD Athlon XP and Athlon 64 CPUs.
• My current picks for best AMD CPUs are:
  Athlon 64 FX 53 2.4 GHz 400 FSB - personally, I'd never buy this while it is the fastest CPU - it's just too pricey. But, if you must have the best performance, get this! If you need this kind of speed, try to just wait a little while until AMD introduces a faster CPU and this one drops in price. Note, the FX CPUs require socket 940 motherboards which are pricey and a little hard to come by. Those motherboards also require more expensive *Registered* DDR 400 memory.
  Athlon 64 2800 1.8 GHz 400 FSB - more expensive than any of hte Athlon XP CPUs, but still a good idea if you want to have future 64-bit compatibility... These Athlon 64 CPUs work in Socket 754 motherboards.
  Athlon XP 3000+ 2.1 GHz 400 FSB - A great mid-range performance CPU at a very reasonable price. The Athlon XP CPUs work in Socket A (462) motherboards.
  Athlon XP 2500+ 1.83 GHz 333 FSB (Barton core) - Far from the fastest, but a great buy. Better yet, get the Mobile version of this CPU. The mobile version is essentially the same, but it runs at 1.88 GHz, much lower voltage, and is unlocked. All these combine to make this one of the best overclocking CPUs in a long time. Almost everyone can run this CPU at 2.2 GHz, and many get it as high as 2.6 GHz without a problem.
  
  My picks for best Intel CPUs are:
  3.4 GHz Pentium IV Extreme Edition - 800 FSB - This CPU has an enormous 2 MB cache, but the cost is also enormous (more than twice the cost of the regular 3.4 GHz at the time of this writing). It's not worth it, but if you must have the speed... :) You could save some money by getting the 3.2 GHz version of either CPU.
  3.0 GHz Pentium IV Prescott - 800 FSB - This will perform very well, but it is high priced. It will provide you with good performance though!
  2.8 GHz Pentium IV Prescott - 800 FSB - This is only a modestly fast CPU, but still priced fairly high. Unfortunately, that's the way it goes with Intel CPUs. If you're on a tight budget, stick with AMD.
  2.4 GHz Pentium IV Prescott - 533 FSB is reasonably priced, but also no performance king...
  
  

Video Card

Contents

Description
What To Look For
Recommendations

Description:

Video cards provide the means for the computer to "talk" to your monitor so it can display what the computer is doing. Older video cards were "2D," or "3D," but today's are all "2D/3D" combos. The 3D is mostly useful for gaming, but in some applications can be useful in 3D modeling, etc. Video cards have their own advanced processing chips that make all kinds of calculations to make scenes look more realistic. The many video cards out there are based on much smaller number of different chipsets (that are run at different speeds or have slight differences in the chipsets). Different companies buy these chipsets and make their own versions of the cards based on the chipsets. For the most part, video cards based on the same chipset with the same amount of RAM are about equivalent in performance. However, some brands will use faster memory or other small optimizations to improve the speed. The addition of other extras like "dual head" (support for two monitors) or better cooling fans may also appear by different brands. At any rate, the first decision to make is what chipset you want your video card to use. If you aren't interested in games, then the choice of chipset isn't too difficult - just about any will do for the 2D desktop applications. There's no point in buying a video card over $100 if you don't plan to play games.

What To Look For:

• There are so many different things to look for in video cards these days, and I certainly can't cover them all. I will discuss a few of them though. First, there are many different 3D features such as bump mapping, hardware T&L (texture & lighting), Z buffers, FSAA (anti-aliasing - reduces jagged edges), anisotropic filtering (improves detail on textures), etc. The last two are the biggest issues right now. They can dramatically improve the visual quality of games, but always at the expense of speed (which is generally measured in the number of FPS [frames per second]). A low FPS would cause the game to be jerky instead of smooth (and thus more difficult to play). Higher resolutions (i.e. 1280x1024 instead of 640x480) also significantly improve the video quality, but at the expense of speed. It's nice to be able to play games at 1024x768 or higher with 4x FSAA and 4x anisotropic filtering (or better). 4x in the previous number just means the number of passes to render the anti-aliasing and filtering. The more passes, the better the quality. Confused yet? :)
• AGP or PCI video cards used to be a question, but now pretty much everyone buys AGP video cards.
• The chipset is what controls the video card's operation and does all the calculations (much like the CPU does for the entire computer). The latest chipsets are designed to do both 2D and 3D applications. The best chipsets currently come from NVIDIA and ATI. Other companies include S3, Matrox, Number 9, etc. The chipset is the most important part of the video card, and the faster, more advanced chipsets will clearly be the better choice. The first decision you should make is which chipset you want to use. This will primarily be dictated by price and the level of performance you're looking for. Video cards have become the most or second most expensive component in a computer (CPUs can cost more).
• Amount of memory on the card is also important. It can affect the speed of operation as well as the number of colors and resolution size that can be used in games. I would suggest 128 MB for a video card that will be used for gaming. 32 MB is really sufficient for 2D desktop applications though. AGP video cards can also use system memory but that can slow things down, so it's better to have plenty of RAM on your video card. The type of memory is also important. DDR SDRAM is about twice as fast as regular SDRAM, and DDR II is even faster than that (DDR stands for double data rate).
• Also pay attention to the supported resolutions, refresh rate, and color depth. These are important if you want to run at very high resolutions with a large number of colors. For most home desktop computers, all current video cards will be sufficient in all these aspects. Refresh rate determines how fast the video card can refresh (redraw on the screen) your display. The higher the better. Pay attention to what the max refresh rate are at the higher resolutions. A 60 Hz refresh rate is too low and will cause noticable flicker on your monitor. 85 or 100 Hz is an ideal refresh rate (easier on the eyes), but 75 Hz may be sufficient for you. Make sure your monitor supports these resolutions and refresh rates as well.
• Some other things to consider are TV-Out, TV-In, video capture capabilities, the speed of the RAM DAC, particular 3D effects that are supported (such as hardware transform and lighting effect), the quality of the cooling fan included (and noise produced by it), and what software bundle the video card comes with since you can often get some good free games through the bundle.

Recommendations:

Chipsets
Cards

• Chipsets - For almost all users, NVIDIA and ATI's lines of video card chipsets are the best solution. It's debatable which is better right now. NVIDIA's fastest (GeForce FX 5950 Ultra) is on par with, or a little slower than ATI's fastest (Radeon 9800 XT 256 MB). These are both very pricey though, and I wouldn't really recommend either due to the extreme prices for a fairly small performance increase. Plus, new cards are on their way out that will cost about the same but offer a huge performance increase. Early benchmarks show the nVidia 6800 Ultra (AKA NV40) performing double the speed of previous cards in some benchmarks. ATI also has a new product coming out - the Radeon X800 XT (AKA R420), and early benchmarks show it even outperforming the nVidia 6800 Ultra! However, if you can't wait for these cards and you have the money to burn, get the ATI Radeon 9800 XT if the absolute best performance is what you're after and money doesn't matter. At most other price levels, ATI is slightly outperforming NVIDIA also. This all depends on what game you play and what features are turned on though. ATI has a much better implementation than NVIDIA of some DirectX 9 features like Pixel Shader 2.0. In some newer games that take advantage of these features, the ATI cards will significantly outperform the NVIDIA cards.
  
  Take a big step down in price, and you have ATI's Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB slightly outperforming NVIDIA's GeForce FX 5900. This is what I would consider the performance sweet spot. Not too pricey, but you still get great performance.
  
  Take another step down and we find a price sweet spot. For under $130 you can get very respectable performance from the Radeon 9600 Pro. Another good option is the GeForce FX 5600 Ultra, although it's quite a bit more expensive. The cheaper GeForce FX 5600 can be found for a little less than the Radeon 9600 Pro. For these cards (and cheaper ones), I suggest not using FSAA or anisotropic filtering (or at least limit it). You should still get good frame rates if you don't enable these options.
  
  If you don't mind older technology and are very price conscious, a GeForce Ti 4200 (with 128 MB RAM) will still do okay in most of today's games (and you can even overclock it some). Tomorrow's games won't perform so well though! You can find this card for under $100.
  
• Cards - Choosing the actual brand of video card doesn't usually matter quite as much as the chipset. Most video cards using a given chipset are made according to a reference design from the manufacturer of the chipset. Thus, most of the video cards using the same chipset are very similar. Differences can appear in the amount of memory and / or the speed of the memory though. This can make a big difference in performance, particularly when overclocking. Taking all of this into consideration, I generally recommend getting one of the cheaper brands as long as it's a brand with a good reputation. I recommend the Saphire line of ATI cards. PowerColor is also okay.
  
  For NVIDIA, I recommend all of these brands (listed with the best first). The ones I don't recommend aren't listed.
• Guillemot / Hercules
• Asus
• LeadTek
• PNY
• MSI
• Gigabyte
• Gainward
• EVGA
• AOpen
• Chaintech
• ECS

Monitor

Monitor

Contents

Description
What To Look For
Recommendations

Description:

Monitors obviously display what is going on in your computer. They can run at various resolutions and refresh rates. 640x480 is the default resolution for the Windows operating systems (this is a low resolution where objects appear large and blocky). 640x480 just means that 640 pixels are fit across the top of your monitor and 480 up and down. Most users prefer higher resolutions such as 800x600 or 1024x768 all the way up to 1600x1200 (and higher for graphics professionals). The higher resolutions make objects smaller, but clearer (because more pixels are fit in the screen). You can fit more objects on a screen when it is in a higher resolution. Larger monitors are better for running at the higher resolutions. If you run a high resolution on a small monitor, the text may be hard to read because of its small size, despite the clarity.

The refresh rate is how fast the monitor can refresh (redraw) the images on the screen. The faster it can do this, the smoother your picture will be and the less "flicker" you will see.

The monitor has a lot to do with the quality of the picture produced by your video card, but it doesn't actuall "produce" the graphics - the video card does all this processing. But, if your video card is producing a bright detailed picture and your monitor is dim and blurry, the picture will come out the same way.

What To Look For:

• First, consider the monitor size that you want. The larger you can get, the happier you will be. The monitor is the one part that you can keep with you through all the times you upgrade your computer or purchase a new computer, so it doesn't hurt to spend the extra money once on a monitor you will be happy with for awhile. 15" is considered the bare minimum anymore. 17" monitors are also on the small end. The 19" monitors provide a nice large screen at a fairly cheap price, and they don't take up a huge space on your desk either. Anything above 19" is pure luxury and not really needed unless you're into graphic design, etc. If you plan to do graphic design, watch DVDs at your computer, or even play a lot of games then a 21" or larger monitor may be just what you need.
• The type of monitor is very important in many users' eyes. To me, the "aperture grille" monitors (aka Trinitron or DiamondTron) provide a much superior image to the traditional "shadow mask" monitors, despite having two faint support wires across the screen. Aperture grille monitors are also usually flatter than the shadow mask monitors.
• The dot pitch of the monitor is one of the most important things to look for when considering a new monitor. It basically shows how clear the picture will be (higher dot pitch numbers may provide a fuzzy image). Anything at .26 mm dot pitch or smaller should be fine for most users. Pay attention to how the dot pitch is measured. It can be written as horizontal, vertical, or other forms. Usually horizontal is used, but avoid or at least question monitors that present different measurements for the dot pitch. Aperture grille monitors often have a dot pitch "range." If that is the case, look for a range of .25-.27 or better (.24-.25).
• Look for monitors that support fairly high resolutions for their size. Consider, however, that it is impossible for a small 14" monitor to display at 1600x1200 resolution (same for a 15"). 17" monitors are about the minimum to be able to run at 1024x768 comfortably. A 15" monitor can usually do 1024x768, but objects are small and somewhat hard to see. 19" monitors are ideal for running at 1024x768, 1280x1024, or even 1600x1200 (although that's a little too high for my eyes).
• Higher refresh rates will definitely make computer work easier on your eyes. Consider 75-85 Hz as a minimum refresh rate for any resolution that you actually plan to run your monitor at. Anything above 85 is a nice bonus... Make sure your video card will support the higher refresh rates and resolutions.
• Another important thing to consider is how flat the monitor is. Watch out though, many manufacturers call their monitors flat, but they are only flat up and down. Sony's "FD Trinitron" monitors are perfectly flat both up and down and side to side. A flat monitor avoids distortion of the image by the curves in the monitor.
• LCD flat panel monitors are becoming more popular, but not because of better image quality. While they can be brighter, in general the image quality is better on a regular CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor. LCD monitors are really just useful because they take up less desk space. They are also prone to stuck pixels and ghosting of images (since they redraw slowly), thus they are poor for games.
• The monitor's controls can be important as well. These are helpful in tweaking the picture for proper brightness, contrast, and taking the picture to the very edges of the monitor, not to mention for removing any slight curves or other abnormalities that may be present in the picture.
• Some monitors come with USB hubs that allow you to easily attach desktop USB items like mice, keyboards, or game controllers without crawling behind your tower case. Front mounted microphones are also often included on the monitors. The speakers that occasionally come on monitors usually have terrible sound, and I would not recommend them.

Buying Tips:

The nice Trinitron tubes are all made by Sony, but often resold to other manufacturers who then build the casing around the tube and sell the monitor for less than the Sony model costs. So, you can get essentially the same monitor for a lot less. You can get monitors like these from manufacturers such as KDS and Princeton Graphics.

Recommendations:

17" Monitors
19" Monitors
21" And Larger Monitors

• 17" Monitors:
• Any of Sony's current 17" FD Trinitron monitors with .24mm aperture grille pitch would be a great choice. These include model numbers CPD-E240, HMD-A240R, CPD-G220R, and CPD-G220S. The primary differences are max resolution (1600x1200 on the G220) and the inclusion of speakers (in the G220S).
• Other monitors that use the same tube as the monitors listed above (just different case, controls, and possibly resolutions / refresh rates) include the Viewsonic G71F+SB, CTX PR705F, IBM P76, and a few others.

• 19" Monitors:
• Once again, I choose Sony's FD Trinitron monitors with .24mm aperture grille pitch. These models include HMD-A440, CPD-E440, and CPD-G410R.
• Other monitors that use the same tube as the Sony monitors above, but for a lower cost, include the Philips 109P40, IBM P97, and probably others..
• Also worth considering are the NEC/Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 930SB and FP912SB which also have a .24mm aperture grille pitch and are similar to Sony's but use NEC's own tube.

• 21"And Larger Monitors:
• Sony's GDM-F520 is a 21" Trinitron monitor with an amzaing .22mm aperture grille pitch. This is by far the best monitor you can get. However, the cost is prohibitively high (about $1,500) - twice the cost of other "good" 21" monitors. It has the sharpest image available though, and you can tell the difference.
• Sony's CPD-G520 and CPD-E540 are 21" monitors with a .24 mm dot pitch throughout (not variable).
• A good alternative to the Sonys is the NEC/Mitsubishi 22" Diamond Pro 2040U is a "Diamondtron" monitor (Mistubishi's version of Trinitron). The dot pitch is slightly higher at .24.
• There are a couple other good options that use the same tube that's in the Sony CPD-G520 (just a different case and controls). These include the HP P1130, IBM P260, Compaq P110, IBM P275, Nokia 445Pro, and the CTX PR1400F (which comes with a USB Hub).
• The Viewsonic P815 is a good choice if you prefer shadow mask monitors. This display has a .25mm dot pitch for a crisp display along with a USB hub.
• Another good shadow mask choice is the Iiyama Vision Master 504 (model # S104MT). This 21" monitor also has a crisp .25mm dot pitch.