Tree Topology in Computer Networking
Networks can be categorized in several different ways. One method defines the type of a network according to the geographic area it spans. Alternatively, networks can also be classified based on topology or on the types of protocols they support.
* Introduction to Area Networks
* Introduction to Network Topologies
* Packet Switching
* Network Protocols
Types of Network Equipment
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter
The building blocks of a home computer network include adapters, routers and/or access points. Wired (and hybrid wired/wireless) networking also involves cables of varying types. Finally, large-scale enterprise networks in particular often employ other advanced equipment for specialized communication purposes.
* What Is a Network Router?
* Routers vs. Hubs vs. Switches
* Wireless Network Hardware
* Network Cables
* Network Adapters
* Modems
* What Is a Lag Switch?
Ethernet
Ethernet - Cables and Switch
Ethernet is a physical and data link layer technology for local area networks. Homes, schools and offices around the world all commonly use Ethernet standard cables and adapters to network personal computers.
* What Is an Ethernet Card?
* CAT5 Ethernet Cables
* Ethernet Patch Cables
* Crossover Cables
* What Is Gigabit Ethernet?
* WoL - Wake-on-LAN
* Autosensing
* Ethernet Q&A Interactive Quiz
Wireless Local Area Networks
Chanalyzer 3 - Interactive Charts and Graphs for Wi-Spy
Wi-Fi is the most popular wireless communication protocol for local area networks. Private home and business networks, and public hotspots, use Wi-Fi to networks computers and other wireless devices to each other and the Internet. Bluetooth is another wireless protocol commonly used in cellular phones and computer peripherals for short range network communication.
Internet Service
Satellite Uplink Station - U.S. Military (1998)
The technologies used to connect to the Internet are different than those used for connecting devices on local area network. DSL, cable modem and fiber provide fixed broadband Internet service, while WiMax and LTE additionally support mobile connectivity. In geographic areas where these high-speed options are unavailable, subscribers are forced to use older cellular services, satellite or even dial-up Internet instead.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Biological Computers
INTRODUCTION
Biological computers have emerged as an interdisciplinary field that draws together molecular biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics. The highly predictable hybridization chemistry of DNA, the ability to completely control the length and content of oligonucleotides, and the wealth of enzymes available for modification of the DNA, make the use of nucleic acids an attractive candidate for all of these nanoscale applications
A 'DNA computer' has been used for the first time to find the only correct answer from over a million possible solutions to a computational problem. Leonard Adleman of the University of Southern California in the US and colleagues used different strands of DNA to represent the 20 variables in their problem, which could be the most complex task ever solved without a conventional computer. The researchers believe that the complexity of the structure of biological molecules could allow DNA computers to outperform their electronic counterparts in future.
Scientists have previously used DNA computers to crack computational problems with up to nine variables, which involves selecting the correct answer from 512 possible solutions. But now Adleman's team has shown that a similar technique can solve a problem with 20 variables, which has 220 - or 1 048 576 - possible solutions.
Adleman and colleagues chose an 'exponential time' problem, in which each extra variable doubles the amount of computation needed. This is known as an NP-complete problem, and is notoriously difficult to solve for a large number of variables. Other NP-complete problems include the 'travelling salesman' problem - in which a salesman has to find the shortest route between a number of cities - and the calculation of interactions between many atoms or molecules.
Adleman and co-workers expressed their problem as a string of 24 'clauses', each of which specified a certain combination of 'true' and 'false' for three of the 20 variables. The team then assigned two short strands of specially encoded DNA to all 20 variables, representing 'true' and 'false' for each one.
In the experiment, each of the 24 clauses is represented by a gel-filled glass cell. The strands of DNA corresponding to the variables - and their 'true' or 'false' state - in each clause were then placed in the cells.
Each of the possible 1,048,576 solutions were then represented by much longer strands of specially encoded DNA, which Adleman's team added to the first cell. If a long strand had a 'subsequence' that complemented all three short strands, it bound to them. But otherwise it passed through the cell.
To move on to the second clause of the formula, a fresh set of long strands was sent into the second cell, which trapped any long strand with a 'subsequence' complementary to all three of its short strands. This process was repeated until a complete set of long strands had been added to all 24 cells, corresponding to the 24 clauses. The long strands captured in the cells were collected at the end of the experiment, and these represented the solution to the problem.
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST COMPUTER
The world's smallest computer (around a trillion can fit in a drop of water) might one day go on record again as the tiniest medical kit. Made entirely of biological molecules, this computer was successfully programmed to identify - in a test tube - changes in the balance of molecules in the body that indicate the presence of certain cancers, to diagnose the type of cancer, and to react by producing a drug molecule to fight the cancer cells.
DOCTOR IN A CELL
In previous biological computers produced input, output and "software" are all composed of DNA, the material of genes, while DNA-manipulating enzymes are used as "hardware." The newest version's input apparatus is designed to assess concentrations of specific RNA molecules, which may be overproduced or under produced, depending on the type of cancer. Using pre-programmed medical knowledge, the computer then makes its diagnosis based on the detected RNA levels. In response to a cancer diagnosis, the output unit of the computer can initiate the controlled release of a single-stranded DNA molecule that is known to interfere with the cancer cell's activities, causing it to self-destruct.
Biological computers have emerged as an interdisciplinary field that draws together molecular biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics. The highly predictable hybridization chemistry of DNA, the ability to completely control the length and content of oligonucleotides, and the wealth of enzymes available for modification of the DNA, make the use of nucleic acids an attractive candidate for all of these nanoscale applications
A 'DNA computer' has been used for the first time to find the only correct answer from over a million possible solutions to a computational problem. Leonard Adleman of the University of Southern California in the US and colleagues used different strands of DNA to represent the 20 variables in their problem, which could be the most complex task ever solved without a conventional computer. The researchers believe that the complexity of the structure of biological molecules could allow DNA computers to outperform their electronic counterparts in future.
Scientists have previously used DNA computers to crack computational problems with up to nine variables, which involves selecting the correct answer from 512 possible solutions. But now Adleman's team has shown that a similar technique can solve a problem with 20 variables, which has 220 - or 1 048 576 - possible solutions.
Adleman and colleagues chose an 'exponential time' problem, in which each extra variable doubles the amount of computation needed. This is known as an NP-complete problem, and is notoriously difficult to solve for a large number of variables. Other NP-complete problems include the 'travelling salesman' problem - in which a salesman has to find the shortest route between a number of cities - and the calculation of interactions between many atoms or molecules.
Adleman and co-workers expressed their problem as a string of 24 'clauses', each of which specified a certain combination of 'true' and 'false' for three of the 20 variables. The team then assigned two short strands of specially encoded DNA to all 20 variables, representing 'true' and 'false' for each one.
In the experiment, each of the 24 clauses is represented by a gel-filled glass cell. The strands of DNA corresponding to the variables - and their 'true' or 'false' state - in each clause were then placed in the cells.
Each of the possible 1,048,576 solutions were then represented by much longer strands of specially encoded DNA, which Adleman's team added to the first cell. If a long strand had a 'subsequence' that complemented all three short strands, it bound to them. But otherwise it passed through the cell.
To move on to the second clause of the formula, a fresh set of long strands was sent into the second cell, which trapped any long strand with a 'subsequence' complementary to all three of its short strands. This process was repeated until a complete set of long strands had been added to all 24 cells, corresponding to the 24 clauses. The long strands captured in the cells were collected at the end of the experiment, and these represented the solution to the problem.
THE WORLD'S SMALLEST COMPUTER
The world's smallest computer (around a trillion can fit in a drop of water) might one day go on record again as the tiniest medical kit. Made entirely of biological molecules, this computer was successfully programmed to identify - in a test tube - changes in the balance of molecules in the body that indicate the presence of certain cancers, to diagnose the type of cancer, and to react by producing a drug molecule to fight the cancer cells.
DOCTOR IN A CELL
In previous biological computers produced input, output and "software" are all composed of DNA, the material of genes, while DNA-manipulating enzymes are used as "hardware." The newest version's input apparatus is designed to assess concentrations of specific RNA molecules, which may be overproduced or under produced, depending on the type of cancer. Using pre-programmed medical knowledge, the computer then makes its diagnosis based on the detected RNA levels. In response to a cancer diagnosis, the output unit of the computer can initiate the controlled release of a single-stranded DNA molecule that is known to interfere with the cancer cell's activities, causing it to self-destruct.
Multiple Graphics Processing Unit
In order to increase graphics performance, two or more GPU’s are used to simultaneously render the graphic. Scan-Line Interleave (SLI) from 3dfx is a method for linking two (or more) video cards or chips together to produce a single output. It is an application of parallel processing for computer graphics, meant to increase the processing power available for graphics. SLI from 3dfx was introduced in 1998. But 3dfx moved out of the scene and the two major players, NVIDIA and ATI technologies have their own multi-GPU solutions.
NVIDIA Corporation reintroduced the name SLI (renamed as Scalable Link Interface) and intends for it to be used in modern computer systems based on the PCI Express bus. SLI is, two graphics processors doing the work of one. Each graphics card is assigned 50% of the visual workload for a given scene and both GPUs render their share concurrently, effectively doubling the output. SLI offers two rendering and one anti-aliasing method for splitting the work between the video cards:
* Split Frame Rendering (SFR): This analyzes the rendered image in order to split the workload 50/50 between the two GPUs. To do this, the frame is split horizontally in varying ratios depending on geometry..
* Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR): Here, each GPU renders entire frames in sequence - one GPU processes even frames, and the second processes odd frames, one after the other.
* SLI Antialiasing. This is a standalone rendering mode that offers up to double the antialiasing performance by splitting the antialiasing workload between the two graphics cards, offering superior image quality. One GPU performs an antialiasing pattern which is slightly offset to the usual pattern (for example, slightly up and to the right), and the second GPU uses a pattern offset by an equal amount in the opposite direction (down and to the left). Compositing both the results gives higher image quality than is normally possible.
ATI technologies have named their multi GPU solution as CrossFire. This technology also makes use of two PCI Express cards. The CrossFire system supports four different rendering modes, each offering their own specific advantages and disadvantages.
* SuperTiling: It divides the screen up like a checkerboard, allocating adjacent squares ('quads') to alternate GPUs. (One card would render the white squares, and the other the black).
* Scissor: Divides the screen into two rectangles, one above the other. This render mode is more commonly known as Split Frame Rendering (SFR), which is how nVidia refers to it in SLI. Using Scissor mode means that the system has to carefully choose the "cutting point" in order to balance the load.
* Alternate Frame Rendering: Alternate Frame Rendering (as the name suggests) sets one GPU to render odd frames, and one the even frames. While this produces a high performance boost, it is incompatible with games using render-to-texture functions because one card doesn't have direct access to the texture buffer of the other.
* CrossFire Super Anti-aliasing: It is intended to improve the quality of the frames rendered. Super AA is able to double the anti-aliasing factor without any drop in frame rate.
NVIDIA Corporation reintroduced the name SLI (renamed as Scalable Link Interface) and intends for it to be used in modern computer systems based on the PCI Express bus. SLI is, two graphics processors doing the work of one. Each graphics card is assigned 50% of the visual workload for a given scene and both GPUs render their share concurrently, effectively doubling the output. SLI offers two rendering and one anti-aliasing method for splitting the work between the video cards:
* Split Frame Rendering (SFR): This analyzes the rendered image in order to split the workload 50/50 between the two GPUs. To do this, the frame is split horizontally in varying ratios depending on geometry..
* Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR): Here, each GPU renders entire frames in sequence - one GPU processes even frames, and the second processes odd frames, one after the other.
* SLI Antialiasing. This is a standalone rendering mode that offers up to double the antialiasing performance by splitting the antialiasing workload between the two graphics cards, offering superior image quality. One GPU performs an antialiasing pattern which is slightly offset to the usual pattern (for example, slightly up and to the right), and the second GPU uses a pattern offset by an equal amount in the opposite direction (down and to the left). Compositing both the results gives higher image quality than is normally possible.
ATI technologies have named their multi GPU solution as CrossFire. This technology also makes use of two PCI Express cards. The CrossFire system supports four different rendering modes, each offering their own specific advantages and disadvantages.
* SuperTiling: It divides the screen up like a checkerboard, allocating adjacent squares ('quads') to alternate GPUs. (One card would render the white squares, and the other the black).
* Scissor: Divides the screen into two rectangles, one above the other. This render mode is more commonly known as Split Frame Rendering (SFR), which is how nVidia refers to it in SLI. Using Scissor mode means that the system has to carefully choose the "cutting point" in order to balance the load.
* Alternate Frame Rendering: Alternate Frame Rendering (as the name suggests) sets one GPU to render odd frames, and one the even frames. While this produces a high performance boost, it is incompatible with games using render-to-texture functions because one card doesn't have direct access to the texture buffer of the other.
* CrossFire Super Anti-aliasing: It is intended to improve the quality of the frames rendered. Super AA is able to double the anti-aliasing factor without any drop in frame rate.
A Brief History of the Abacus
A Brief History of the Abacus
This is a brief history of the abacus and a Bibliography follows. The earliest counting devices known to man were his own hands and fingers. If that wasn't enough, things in nature were used like shells, twigs, pebbles, stones, and so forth. It is a good idea to think about the history of arithmetic, mathematics, writing and recorded information. Man's invention of the computer resulted from man's need to quantify, to count and to do mathematic calculations. Long before the computer, in the Roman Empire, Ancient Asia, and other parts of the World, man was inventing easier and faster ways of counting and calculating.
Definition of Abacus
" The abacus is a device, usually of wood (plastic, in recent times), having a frame that holds rods with freely-sliding beads mounted on them." 2
Counting Boards and the Salamis Tablet
The use of the abacus was pre-dated by the use of counting boards. A counting board had grooves along which one could slide beads or stones. The beads or stones did not have holes in them but only grooves along which they moved on the counting board. "The oldest surviving counting board is the Salamis tablet (originally thought to be a gaming board), used by the Babylonians circa 300 B.C., discovered in 1846 on the island of Salamis." 2 "The oldest surviving counting board is the Salamis tablet (originally thought to be a gaming board), used by the Babylonians circa 300 B.C., discovered in 1846 on the island of Salamis. " 2 Ancient Counting Boards is a Web site that further chronicles the history and use of counting boards, the Salamis tablet(about 300 B.C.) and the improvements of the early counting tablets, how they evolved into the first Roman abacus.
Around 1000 AD the Aztec peoples invented a device similar to an abacus which used corn kernels threaded through wooden frames. This was known as a Nepohualtzitzin. 3 An Aztec abacus would have seven "beads" by thirteen columns5. This abacus dated to around 900 A.D.6.
In an article attributed to Mr. Du Feibao1 the abacus was invented in China having already been "mentioned in a book of the Eastern Han Dynasty, namely Supplementary Notes of the Art of Figures written by Xu Yue about the year 190 A.D." It was during the Song Dynasty (960-1127) that Zhang Zeduan at Qingming Festival painted his famous long scroll, Riverside Scences, picturing an abacus lying beside an account book. 1 The abacus was known to the Chinese as suan-pan. 3
This is a brief history of the abacus and a Bibliography follows. The earliest counting devices known to man were his own hands and fingers. If that wasn't enough, things in nature were used like shells, twigs, pebbles, stones, and so forth. It is a good idea to think about the history of arithmetic, mathematics, writing and recorded information. Man's invention of the computer resulted from man's need to quantify, to count and to do mathematic calculations. Long before the computer, in the Roman Empire, Ancient Asia, and other parts of the World, man was inventing easier and faster ways of counting and calculating.
Definition of Abacus
" The abacus is a device, usually of wood (plastic, in recent times), having a frame that holds rods with freely-sliding beads mounted on them." 2
Counting Boards and the Salamis Tablet
The use of the abacus was pre-dated by the use of counting boards. A counting board had grooves along which one could slide beads or stones. The beads or stones did not have holes in them but only grooves along which they moved on the counting board. "The oldest surviving counting board is the Salamis tablet (originally thought to be a gaming board), used by the Babylonians circa 300 B.C., discovered in 1846 on the island of Salamis." 2 "The oldest surviving counting board is the Salamis tablet (originally thought to be a gaming board), used by the Babylonians circa 300 B.C., discovered in 1846 on the island of Salamis. " 2 Ancient Counting Boards is a Web site that further chronicles the history and use of counting boards, the Salamis tablet(about 300 B.C.) and the improvements of the early counting tablets, how they evolved into the first Roman abacus.
Around 1000 AD the Aztec peoples invented a device similar to an abacus which used corn kernels threaded through wooden frames. This was known as a Nepohualtzitzin. 3 An Aztec abacus would have seven "beads" by thirteen columns5. This abacus dated to around 900 A.D.6.
In an article attributed to Mr. Du Feibao1 the abacus was invented in China having already been "mentioned in a book of the Eastern Han Dynasty, namely Supplementary Notes of the Art of Figures written by Xu Yue about the year 190 A.D." It was during the Song Dynasty (960-1127) that Zhang Zeduan at Qingming Festival painted his famous long scroll, Riverside Scences, picturing an abacus lying beside an account book. 1 The abacus was known to the Chinese as suan-pan. 3
HARD DRIVE
HARD DRIVE
| |
| Speed Your computer's central processing unit (CPU) spends a lot of time waiting for your much slower hard drive to catch up. While operations inside the CPU are timed in nanoseconds (one billionth of a second), your hard drive operations are limited to mere milliseconds. Although considered very fast by human standards, a millisecond is actually 1,000,000 (one million) times slower than a nanosecond. Comparing the speed of your CPU to your hard drive is like comparing a Ferrari to a turtle. So when you're loading your favorite word processor, for example, your CPU will have to wait until your hard drive can access all of the necessary data and load it into RAM (which also operates in nanoseconds), before it can proceed and give you a blinking cursor, at which point you're ready to type away. Inside A hard drive is made up of several unique components. The most popular of these components are the platters and the read/write heads. The platters are disc-shaped, usually made out of aluminum or glass. Unlike the flexible media in floppy diskettes, these platters cannot bend of flex, which is where the term hard disk comes into play. Another popular term to describe a hard drive is fixed disk, which is derived from the fact that the platters are fixed firmly in place and are not removable. Physically, the operation of a hard drive is similar to a floppy diskette drive: the discs spin while the heads move over them to store or read data in tracks and sectors. Hard drives contain multiple platters with two sides each, where data is stored. For every platter, there is a read/write head, all of which move across the discs at the same time since they are all connected to one arm. Although it is these heads that are responsible for writing data to the discs, they will never actually come into physical contact with the platters. These heads are kept suspended by an extremely thin cushion of air, and thereby float just a fraction of a millimeter above or below the platter. If dust or other small particles ever get into this part of the drive, it would easily be enough to cause the head to come into contact with the platter and do physical damage to it. Also, if a sufficiently large shock were to be applied to the drive while under power, the force could be enough to cause the heads to go crashing into the spinning platters and once again causing physical damage to the drive, not to mention data loss. This is know as a "head crash." Performance The average seek time of the drive is the amount of time it takes for the heads to move from one cylinder on the drive to any other cylinder. The average access time, takes into account the drive's latency. Latency is defined as the average time (in milliseconds) that it takes for a sector to be available after the heads have reached a track. This figure is generally half of the time it would take for the disk to fully rotate once. On a drive with a spin rate of 4,500 RPM, a full rotation would take 13.33 ms, thereby making your latency equal to 6.67 ms. The average access time of the drive is the sum of its average seek time and latency. This gives us the average amount of time that is needed before a sector (chosen at random) can be accessed. The maximum transfer rate Transfer rates come in two different flavors: a disk transfer rate, and a host transfer rate.
A combination of a low average access time and high spin rate is a sign of a drive that will deliver maximum performance. Partitions Every file you store on a hard drive relies on some kind of file addressing system to organize all your data. Among PC's, the most common file system is known as FAT (File Allocation System). Windows 95 uses a modified version of FAT called VFAT (virtual FAT), which adds support for long filenames. Windows NT supports both FAT, and its own NTFS format. NTFS is the most advanced file system. It allows access to partitions up to 16 PB (petabyte) in size. [ Equal 16 million terabytes - 16 followed by 18 zeroes).] Each file system must organize data into segments called clusters. Under the FAT file system, the maximum size of any one cluster is 32KB (32,768 bytes). The maximum number of these clusters is limited to 65,536. When you multiply these two numbers, you come up with what has come to be termed the "2.1GB barrier," referring to the maximum number of bytes that can be allocated on the drive. Keep in mind that every file on your hard drive must occupy at least one cluster. This means that if you had a tiny batch file which was 156 bytes long, the FAT system would automatically allocate an entire cluster to that file, despite the fact that it's so small. What a waste of space. Microsoft later created FAT32 to support partitions larger than two gigabytes and pathnames greater that 256 characters. It also allows more efficient use of disk space since clusters are four kilobytes rather than 32 kilobytes. NTFS supersedes the FAT file system as the preferred file system for Microsoft’s Windows operating systems. NTFS has several improvements over FAT and HPFS (High Performance File System) such as improved support for metadata and the use of advanced data structures to improve performance, reliability, and disk space utilization, plus additional extensions such as security access control lists (ACL) and file system journaling. |
PROTOTYPE COMPUTER MOUSE
PROTOTYPE COMPUTER MOUSE
In 1964, the first prototype computer mouse was made to use with a graphical user interface. Douglas Engelbart's computer mouse received patent # 3,541,541 on November 17, 1970 for a "X-Y Position Indicator For A Display System"
Friday, October 1, 2010
How to Choose a CD, DVD or Hard Drive
There are many devices which can be used to store or write data in your computer system. The options include hard drives, USB/Firewire storage devices, CD writers and DVD writers.
Hard drives are a very essential (and delicate) piece of equipment and are a standard feature on most computers. CD writers are also very common.
USB/Firewire storage devices and DVD writers are currently getting more popular with consumers.
icon
Some hard drives, CD and DVD drives available in the market
This article will give you some tips on selecting proper data storage devices for your PC.
Hard Drives
First, let's cover hard drivesicon. We'll look at some hard drive terms like ATA and SCSI, as well as cover the factors to consider when buying a new drive.
ATA and SCSI
Let's get some terminology out of the way before we go further. In the hard drive world, there are two data access standards, ATA and SCSI (pronounced 'Scar-Zee'). The ATA standard is split further into Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial ATA (SATA). Most of normal hard drives we're used to rely on the PATA standard. Some newer hard drives use the SATA standard.
SATA allows transfer speeds of up to 150 MBs while PATA gives up to 133 MBs. However, to use SATA, you'll need a Serial ATA controller, a SATA drive and a SATA power cable. The speed difference between PATA and SATA is also not significant unless you have a high-end SATA drive.
The SCSI standard is a very fast hard drive standard used for professional computer systems which demand extremely fast data access. SCSI drives provide an access time of about 9.5ms - which I feel is really not needed for average home use.
Disk Space vs. Price
An important factor to consider is the disk space versus price ratio. When you look at the 30 GB, 40 GB and 80 GBPATA hard drives, you'll find they are very close in price. If you don't mind paying an extra $20 or so, I'd say go for the maximum disk space you can get! If you do a lot of graphics or video editing, you may want to consider larger drives like the Seagate 160 GB hard drive. For the average home user, however, 40 GB to 80 GB of disk space is plenty.
Drive Speed
If data access speed is important to you, you can go for faster SATA drives or SCSI drives. But remember that these drives come at a price premium and may not be necessary for average home use. Another option is to use a RAID setup where multiple hard disks are used to gain drive performance and/or data integrity.
CD Writers
CD writersicon are practically standard issue on all PCs these days. Prices are ridiculously cheap, so there's no reason not to get one, unless you prefer a DVD writer.
Drive Speed
For CD writers, you should generally look for a 40X record speed or faster. If you buy anything that is slower, it will definitely waste a lot of time when you're burning CDs.
Internal or External
You can choose between an internal or external CD writer. Internal drives are best suited for desktop PCs and are the cheapest option. If you want portability and don't mind paying a little more, you can get a FireWire or USB 2.0 external CD-RW drive.
DVD Writers
DVD writersicon are the newest rage in the consumer data storage market. They let you store up to 4.7GB on a single disc several times the amount of on a CD-RW disc. So let's look at some factors to consider when purchasing a new DVD drive.
Drive Speed
One factor to consider when buying DVD writers is drive speed. Most DVD-R drives write at 8X, with some older models supporting only 4X. Personally, I don't think there is significant speed difference between a 8X and 4X drive - so don't spend extra money unnecessarily if you don't have to.
Compatibility
There is a huge range of DVD media formats out there (DVD+R, DVD-R,DVD+R DL), represented by various brands. You need to consider compatibility of your DVD writer with these DVD discs. DVD-R and DVD+R formats are both very compatible with existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives - so try to get a player that supports those.
Internal or External
You can choose between an internal or external DVD writer. Internal drives are cheaper but it also means you need to deal with the installation hassle and non-portability. External DVD writers come with Firewire or USB 2.0 interfaces and may well be a better choice if you need to move your data around a lot.
Conclusion
To purchase a good storage device, be it a hard drive, CD writer or DVD writer, you need to consider what price you're willing to pay for a given set of features. In my opinion, the DVD burner is fast becoming an essential item in the average home user's PC. If you're building a new computer, you should definitely consider buying a DVD writer on top of your standard hard drive.
Hard drives are a very essential (and delicate) piece of equipment and are a standard feature on most computers. CD writers are also very common.
USB/Firewire storage devices and DVD writers are currently getting more popular with consumers.
icon
Some hard drives, CD and DVD drives available in the market
This article will give you some tips on selecting proper data storage devices for your PC.
Hard Drives
First, let's cover hard drivesicon. We'll look at some hard drive terms like ATA and SCSI, as well as cover the factors to consider when buying a new drive.
ATA and SCSI
Let's get some terminology out of the way before we go further. In the hard drive world, there are two data access standards, ATA and SCSI (pronounced 'Scar-Zee'). The ATA standard is split further into Parallel ATA (PATA) and Serial ATA (SATA). Most of normal hard drives we're used to rely on the PATA standard. Some newer hard drives use the SATA standard.
SATA allows transfer speeds of up to 150 MBs while PATA gives up to 133 MBs. However, to use SATA, you'll need a Serial ATA controller, a SATA drive and a SATA power cable. The speed difference between PATA and SATA is also not significant unless you have a high-end SATA drive.
The SCSI standard is a very fast hard drive standard used for professional computer systems which demand extremely fast data access. SCSI drives provide an access time of about 9.5ms - which I feel is really not needed for average home use.
Disk Space vs. Price
An important factor to consider is the disk space versus price ratio. When you look at the 30 GB, 40 GB and 80 GBPATA hard drives, you'll find they are very close in price. If you don't mind paying an extra $20 or so, I'd say go for the maximum disk space you can get! If you do a lot of graphics or video editing, you may want to consider larger drives like the Seagate 160 GB hard drive. For the average home user, however, 40 GB to 80 GB of disk space is plenty.
Drive Speed
If data access speed is important to you, you can go for faster SATA drives or SCSI drives. But remember that these drives come at a price premium and may not be necessary for average home use. Another option is to use a RAID setup where multiple hard disks are used to gain drive performance and/or data integrity.
CD Writers
CD writersicon are practically standard issue on all PCs these days. Prices are ridiculously cheap, so there's no reason not to get one, unless you prefer a DVD writer.
Drive Speed
For CD writers, you should generally look for a 40X record speed or faster. If you buy anything that is slower, it will definitely waste a lot of time when you're burning CDs.
Internal or External
You can choose between an internal or external CD writer. Internal drives are best suited for desktop PCs and are the cheapest option. If you want portability and don't mind paying a little more, you can get a FireWire or USB 2.0 external CD-RW drive.
DVD Writers
DVD writersicon are the newest rage in the consumer data storage market. They let you store up to 4.7GB on a single disc several times the amount of on a CD-RW disc. So let's look at some factors to consider when purchasing a new DVD drive.
Drive Speed
One factor to consider when buying DVD writers is drive speed. Most DVD-R drives write at 8X, with some older models supporting only 4X. Personally, I don't think there is significant speed difference between a 8X and 4X drive - so don't spend extra money unnecessarily if you don't have to.
Compatibility
There is a huge range of DVD media formats out there (DVD+R, DVD-R,DVD+R DL), represented by various brands. You need to consider compatibility of your DVD writer with these DVD discs. DVD-R and DVD+R formats are both very compatible with existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives - so try to get a player that supports those.
Internal or External
You can choose between an internal or external DVD writer. Internal drives are cheaper but it also means you need to deal with the installation hassle and non-portability. External DVD writers come with Firewire or USB 2.0 interfaces and may well be a better choice if you need to move your data around a lot.
Conclusion
To purchase a good storage device, be it a hard drive, CD writer or DVD writer, you need to consider what price you're willing to pay for a given set of features. In my opinion, the DVD burner is fast becoming an essential item in the average home user's PC. If you're building a new computer, you should definitely consider buying a DVD writer on top of your standard hard drive.
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