How To Build A Computer Part 1

Most people just assume that a new computer is a Dell or Gateway. Few people (other than the technically inclined) know that Dell and Gateway skimp on the parts inside the computer. What you're left with is a third-rate computer that costs much more than it should have.

Firstly, you must gather the must-have parts for your computer to even boot up…

1. Motherboard - This is the essential piece that all other components of the computer hook into. If you are building a great computer, look for a board that contains PCI-Express slots for a killer graphics card (2005), plenty of RAM slots for memory, a good bus speed for fast processing, and 2-4 USB 2.0 slots would be nice for digital cameras, printers, etc. The motherboard is processor dependent (different types needed for different CPU's).

2. CPU - Major brands right now are Intel and AMD. Everyone has his or her own opinions, but AMD gives more bang for the buck. Go for the Athlon 64 model and a socket 759 or 939 motherboard as it's not ridiculously expensive and has great value. If you are an Intel fan since they are a little more stable, go with a Pentium 4 and a socket 775 board.

3. RAM - Again, dependent on the motherboard. A higher ranking is generally better but more expensive. I would go with 2 sticks of 512 MB DDR RAM as the minimum.

4. Hard Drive - They are being sold cheaper and cheaper. If you want one that will last for a long, long time...SATA is a must, 100-200GB recommended.

5. Case - A full tower if you are interested in a server class computer (very, very powerful and easy to upgrade) or a mid-size tower for a standard PC. They are usually the perfect size to stash it away and still have enough space to upgrade easily later on.

6. Monitor - I'd go with a 17" or 19" LCD monitor. They are much sharper the CTS (the boxy ones) and will leave your desk less crowded.

7. Keyboard & Mouse - It doesn't really matter much unless you love First Person Shooter games. Get a cheaper one if you don't. An additional option is to get wireless so it's less congested. If you love FPS games, then you should go with a corded, optical mouse (less lag) that has a nice feel and weight to it.

Well, that's all you need in order to build computers, but you still have the option to get an operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux), a CD/DVD Drive, Ethernet card, Floppy Disk Drive, Printer, Digital Camera, etc.

Secondly, you need to put the parts all together. That would be way too much information to put in one article, but I can show you a very helpful guide at http://www.gaming-computers-authority.com/Building-A-Computer.html.

How Cable TV Works ?

The move is on. Last year millions of Americans switched from cable TV to satellite TV.

Why? When you compare satellite TV to cable TV you'll discover the main reasons are cost, picture quality, program choices, and customer satisfaction.

Let's check out the differences ...

Cable vs. Satellite TV Fees

Cable TV fees across the country average $39.99 per month. In our area the cost for cable TV is $37.30 a month for 64 channels, plus $10.95 a month to add digital channels. Installation in one room is $39.95, plus $9.95 for each additional room.

Satellite TV fees from Dish Network are $31.99 per month for 60 channels, while DirecTV charges $41.99 per month for 115 channels. Both satellite TV providers currently offer free satellite TV equipment and free installation in up to four rooms.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Programming

Cable TV in most areas offers almost as many channels as satellite TV, and is broadcast in analog (over-the-air) format. If you want to have digital picture and sound you'll have to pay an additional fee, usually $10 to $15 a month.

Satellite TV offers more channels than cable TV (more than 250 channels), and more HDTV (high definition TV) programming. All satellite TV channels are broadcast in digital format for the highest quality picture and sound.

Cable vs. Satellite TV Equipment

With cable you only need cable boxes that connect the incoming cable line to your televisions. There is usually no charge or rental fees for cable boxes, however, If you want a digital video recorder, you'll have to pay an extra fee.

With satellite TV you need a satellite TV dish and TV receivers. Both Dish Network and DirecTV offer that equipment, plus installation, for free. Dish Network will give you a DVR (digital video recording) receiver or an HDTV receiver at no charge, while DirecTV charges $49.99 for DVR receivers and $299 for HDTV receivers.

Cable and Satellite TV Reliability and Customer Satisfaction

Cable TV outages average 3% to 5% per year. J.D. Powers and Associates ranks cable companies as good to poor in customer satisfaction.

Satellite TV outages average about 1%. J.D. Power and Associates has ranked the two satellite TV providers -- Dish Network and DirecTV -- higher in customer satisfaction than any of the cable TV companies for the last five years

The Bottom Line

If you only watch a couple of shows a week, and you live in an area where you can't get over-the-air TV and cable TV costs less than $20 per month, then cable may be your best option.

If, on the other hand, you want the biggest variety of shows, movies, sports, and news for the least amount of money ... you want to watch your all your shows in digital video and sound ... and you want the option of watching them in HD format and recording them on a DVR receiver, then satellite TV is what you're looking for.

How A Lava Lamp Works ?

Lava lamps have charmed people for decades. Edward Craven-Walker, a citizen of Great Britain, showed the world lava lamps in 1963. Two Americans bought the rights to this first lava lamp and called it the Lava Brand Motion Lamp, which was popularly dubbed the lava lamp. Lava lamp sales have been on a roller coaster ride ever since Craven-Walker introduced the hypnotic accessory.

Lava lamp sales peaked in the late 1960’s but popularity died off in the early 1970’s. Since the late 1980’s, lava lamp sales have been steadily increasing. There have been many brands of lava lamps, with Kmx lamp lava brand leading the way. There are also many different types of lava lamp, including Silver Streak, Glitter, Plasma, and many others.

Initially local retail merchants thought his lamps were ugly and disgusting. Luckily, for Craven Walker the "Psychedelic Movement" and the "Love Generation" came to dominate 60's merchandising in Great Britain and sales of the lava lamp soared. It was the perfect light for modern times, Walker declared. "If you buy my lamp, you won't need to buy drugs."
Ever wonder how a Lava Lamp works?

Many look at the lava lamps mesmerizing glowing goop and wonder: How does it work? Two elements fill the Lava Brand Motion Lamp: a specially developed wax type compound, and a liquid that is partly water. A metal coil and a light bulb sit at the bottom of the globe. When the lamp is turned on, the metal coil is warmed by the light bulb heating the wax. The heated wax becomes much less dense than the liquid so it flows toward the top of the lamp. The wax then cools when it is away from the heated coil at the bottom. As it cools, the wax density becomes higher than the liquid causing it to fall back to the bottom. This cycle repeats making for a mesmerizing and hypnotic exhibit. A lava lamp may not have lamp shades or lamp bulbs, but nevertheless, it is undoubtedly the most unique lamp available.

How HDTV work ?

What Is HDTV? by: Frank Johnson

Some satellite TV providers, such as Dish Network, offer HDTV receivers with their packages. But many people don’t know what it means to have HDTV. Here is some insight.
High Definition TeleVision is what HDTV literally means. But high definition compared to what? In order to answer this question, we need to know a bit about the original analog TV system.

Analog TV

30 images per second (in Europe 25) are shown by normal analog TV sets. It does this by writing image lines horizontally, 525 lines in one image (In Europe 625) on the screen. The number of pixels on one line is about 500. This would be a definition of 500 pixels per line by 525 (or 625) lines. Compared to modern computer monitors this is really bad. Even the lowest resolutions monitors have higher resolutions (640 x 480) than an analog TV.

HDTV - High Definition TeleVision

HDTV is high resolution Digital TeleVision (DTV) combined with Dolby Digital Surround Sound (AC-3). There are 18 different formats defined for Digital TV of which 6 are considered to be HDTV.

The difference between Progressive and Interlaced is not difficult. It has to do with how one image is built up. With interlaced technology the odd lines are shown first and then the even lines are shown. The lines are shown in this order: 1,3,5,….521, 523, 525, 2, 4, 6,…. 522, 524, 1, 3, etc. This means that every 1/60 of a second a half image is shown. This often results in flickering, which can be tiring for the eyes.

Progressive technology manages to show a whole image every 1/60 of a second, resulting in a much smoother picture.

How Is HDTV Better?

Normal TV has a resolution of about 210.000 pixels. An HDTV screen has a resolution of upto 2.000.000 pixels, which gives up to 10 times more picture detail.
The aspect ration of normal TV is 4 x 3 (4/3 times wider than high). An HDTV screen has an aspect ration of 16 x 9, which is also known as wide screen.

The Future of HDTV

The FCC (Federal Communications Committee) has mandated that all TV stations in the USA have to be able to broadcast HDTV programs by the year 2006. The mandates of the FCC do not have an impact on just the broadcast companies, but also on cable companies and consumers.

Broadcast companies have to invest on new equipment like cameras, editing equipment, etc.
Cable companies have to convert all of their equipment, including receivers at the homes of their clients.

Consumers may have to buy new equipment, like a top-box to convert digital signals back to analog signals, or even buy a whole new TV set.
HDTV is the future, and a really big step forward. We once started with simple black and white TV, then moved to color TV, and wide screen TV. But all those systems were still based on the same signals as the original black and white TV used. When color TV was introduced it was not possible to force the complete population to throw away their black and white TV-sets and buy a color TV set. Therefore a color TV signal still needed to be understandable for a black and white TV. This prohibited the improvement of picture quality until the age of Digital TV.
The need to satisfy older TV sets no longer exists and the much higher quality HDTV is available via Satellite TV Systems, including Dish Network.

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