You might want to wait till after Christmas!
Intel to release quad-core processors in November
Originally posted on Geek.com
High-end enthusiasts will have a new toy to wish for come the wintery months. For those looking toward the sky for the high-end performance up there, Intel will have a single-chip answer that is sure to offer lots of processor bang: a true four-core processor available in time for the holidays. Kentsfield, Intel's code-name for its quad-core desktop chip based on the Core 2 architecture, was originally slated to arrive sometime in the first quarter of 2007; however, due to Intel's fast product ramp and validation process on its 65 nm line of products, we will be seeing this chip as early as November.
AMD's alternate quad-core solution will also be available around that time, but its chip will consist of two physical chip packages, each with a dual-core chip connected through HyperTransport on a dual-socket motherboard. In contrast, the chips from Intel will be true quad-core single-socket chips. For many enthusiasts this could be a winner. On the alternate side, when AMD releases its quad-core chips, the 4x4 platform can have the dual-core chips replaced with quad-cores to make an instant 8-core machine.
We seem to be getting to the point where you'll either buy for performance, or if you don't you'll have options to choose from. Each has different merits depending on where you place value.
Is AMD finished? It's still on 90 nm with some 65 nm woes.
Read more at eWEEK, and post your thoughts below.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wired vs Wireless Networking: What's right for you?
Over the past several years we've seen a greater emergence of multiple PC's in a single family home. Typically you'll find a home PC for Mom and Dad, a PC for the kids to play games and in more and more cases a laptop used for business purposes. All this creates a greater demand for home networks either wired or wireless. With this great demand you often find the question asked is wireless right for me, and what about security. In more and more cases we find consumers opting to go with wireless networks, but that might not be the best choice for your specific needs.
Is a Wired, Wireless or Wireless/Wired Network Best For You?
The truth is if you are using outdated products then no matter what you need to upgrade. Outdated hardware such as wireless B routers are a major security risk. The wireless B standard uses something called WEP encryption which is surprisingly easy to break, allowing would-be hackers easy access to your network. The cost of the upgrade to the newer wireless G standard is well worth the added security. However before going out and buying that new wireless router you need to know your options and decide which option best suits your needs.
A quick guideline:
Key points to keep in mind when going wireless
A few wireless marketing myths to avoid
Do not buy into the marketing hype of "super G" "turbo-G" or "speedbooster". They simply are not any faster nor are they any better than regular wireless G. It is also best to stay clear of "pre-N". Manufactures may boast greater range and faster speeds but as of yet pre-N has not been approved as an industry standard.
The cons of being hard wired
The final call
There are going to be many more factors to consider mostly your current hardware and software as well as the size of your house and your particular needs. It is best to consider all the factors before ruling out one or the other.
If you do decide to go wireless please make sure you have your network secure
I'll be creating an easy to use guide to network security shortly however here are a few tips. Typically you can make all the following changes by typing one of the following in your browsers address bar http://192.168.0.1 http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.126.2.1.
Is a Wired, Wireless or Wireless/Wired Network Best For You?
The truth is if you are using outdated products then no matter what you need to upgrade. Outdated hardware such as wireless B routers are a major security risk. The wireless B standard uses something called WEP encryption which is surprisingly easy to break, allowing would-be hackers easy access to your network. The cost of the upgrade to the newer wireless G standard is well worth the added security. However before going out and buying that new wireless router you need to know your options and decide which option best suits your needs.
A quick guideline:
- If you are mainly using desktop computers, a wired network is likely to be your best bet. In most cases it is easier to have cable ran from room to room than to buy a wireless router that may or may not spread signal coverage throughout the entire house. Keep in mind that if you have a large house it is likely that your router will not cover the entire house creating the need buy more hardware.
- If you have two or more laptops, or if you prefer the portability of carrying your laptop from room to room then you will likely want a wireless network. However this doesn't mean you need to use wireless cards in all your PC's. Typically you'd want to setup your PC's as wired and use only your laptop's wireless capabilities.
- If you share a lot of files with other people in the house: example transfer files from your laptop to your desktop or from one desktop to another desktop. Then you will want to have a wired connection. Wired connections always run faster and transfer files faster across the network. This doesn't mean they will access the Internet faster just that they will connect faster to other computers connected to your network.
Key points to keep in mind when going wireless
- Many routers and network cards are un-reliable. Make sure you read the reviews before making a decision on your wireless components and don't skimp. Usually the cheaper parts are just that cheaper, and offer a limited range.
- The range of the signal is greatly affected by objects in and around your house. Things like concrete walls, large furnishing and appliances will all limit your coverage area.
- Your wireless signal is affected by other wireless signals as well. Not just cellular phones, but microwaves as well as other routers in your area can cause connection issues. A big problem is with newer cordless phones. Most of them run at the same freq.{2.4ghz} as your wireless router and they will interfere with each others signal causing you to either loose phone calls or drop your Internet connection.
- Signals can be easily intercepted and even with the best security your signal is still being transmitted and can be intercepted.
- Overall cost can be a major concern. Wireless routers currently cost $50+ for a decent router and $30+ for a network card. While decent wired routers typically are much cheaper and most computers come with onboard network adapters.
A few wireless marketing myths to avoid
Do not buy into the marketing hype of "super G" "turbo-G" or "speedbooster". They simply are not any faster nor are they any better than regular wireless G. It is also best to stay clear of "pre-N". Manufactures may boast greater range and faster speeds but as of yet pre-N has not been approved as an industry standard.
The cons of being hard wired
- You are limited in mobility, basically you are wired to one room unless you wire terminals through out the house.
- Wires are very unsightly. Even if you have terminals in every room you'll still have a cord running from your computer to the wall.
- Portability may be a major concern. Your connection is limited to the rooms you have pre-existing wires in. With a wireless connection your connection goes with you anywhere in the house and in most cases a limited range outdoors.
- Wireless hands down beats out wired in terms of convenience. With a wired network you'll have to worry about running wires throughout your house. Usually this means crawling around in tight places, or having a technician come out and do that for you.
The final call
There are going to be many more factors to consider mostly your current hardware and software as well as the size of your house and your particular needs. It is best to consider all the factors before ruling out one or the other.
If you do decide to go wireless please make sure you have your network secure
I'll be creating an easy to use guide to network security shortly however here are a few tips. Typically you can make all the following changes by typing one of the following in your browsers address bar http://192.168.0.1 http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.126.2.1.
- Secure your wireless router or access point administration interface. Your router has a log-in ID that you need to change to something specific for you.
- Enable WPA encryption instead of WEP. WEP is better than nothing but to date WPA and WPA-2 have been unbreakable.
- Disable remote administration, most routers have the ability to be remotely administered via the Internet. That's means almost anyone anywhere could potentially find and access your router. As a rule, unless you absolutely need this capability, it's best to keep remote administration turned off. (It's usually turned off by default, but it's always a good idea to check.)
Common Spyware Solutions
I've run into several people that have asked me to help them fix the problems associated with Spyware, Adware, Trojans and other misc. malicious programs. Often times people have told me they had to call "Geek Squad" or gone to their local computer shop and paid good hard earned money to remedy the situation. So I decided to pass along some useful information that provides FREE solutions that any computer user can use.
Before I start I'll say that obviously the best way to avoid problems with spyware and viruses is smart computing. Pay close attention to the sites you visit and the things you download. Don't click on banner ads that lead you to random sites that you don't know anything about. If you do go there make sure you don't allow any content to be installed on your computer. And I must say most important of all is once you notice a problem take care of it as soon as possible. Spyware can lead to worse viruses and Trojans that can and will still your personal information.
Spyware defined:
Suggested Applications:
First and foremost you need to make sure that you have all the latest patches and updates installed from Microsoft. Then I strongly suggest using a browser other than Internet Explorer. Browsers such as FireFox or Opera are much safer, much more secure and more feature packed! However they aren't perfect, but I at least recommend trying them out and forming your own opinions.
The following applications are available free of charge! Make sure you download and install the latest version of the software.
Important:
If these utilities fail to clean up the problem please run HijackThis. This application will create a log of all installed and running applications. Once you have done that and created a log file you can visit a tech site such as Techimo.com and post the log file and ask someone for help. Use a descriptive subject like "Problem with spyware" post the information you have available and someone will help you out.
It is also important to note that some "Anti Spyware" utilities ARE SPYWARE They may work to clean up some spyware, but they may also install their own spyware so sticking with the popular solutions given above will be helpful.
Another suggestion is to try using an online virus scanner such as
TrendMicro House Call
Panda Active Scan
Do a full scan to make sure viruses are not causing the problem.
A great free virus scanner is available for download from Grisoft.
One finally tip, you need to turn off system restore and boot to safe mode while running these scans and removing your spyware or viruses. Booting to safe mode is easy. Continually press the f8 key right after your computer starts.
Before I start I'll say that obviously the best way to avoid problems with spyware and viruses is smart computing. Pay close attention to the sites you visit and the things you download. Don't click on banner ads that lead you to random sites that you don't know anything about. If you do go there make sure you don't allow any content to be installed on your computer. And I must say most important of all is once you notice a problem take care of it as soon as possible. Spyware can lead to worse viruses and Trojans that can and will still your personal information.
Spyware defined:
"In the field of computing, the term spyware refers to a broad category of malicious software designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the informed consent of that machine's owner or legitimate user. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party.
In simpler terms, spyware is a type of program that watches after what users do with their computer and then send this information to a hacker over the internet. Spyware can collect many different types of information about a user. More benign programs can attempt to track what types of websites a user visits and send this information to an advertisement agency. More malicious versions can try to record what a user types to try to intercept passwords or credit card numbers. Yet other versions simply launch popups with advertisements."
Suggested Applications:
First and foremost you need to make sure that you have all the latest patches and updates installed from Microsoft. Then I strongly suggest using a browser other than Internet Explorer. Browsers such as FireFox or Opera are much safer, much more secure and more feature packed! However they aren't perfect, but I at least recommend trying them out and forming your own opinions.
The following applications are available free of charge! Make sure you download and install the latest version of the software.
Important:
Once you install one of these applications you need to run the update process! Anti Spyware utilities need to be updated just like anti virus utilities so they must have the latest reference files to be successful.
If these utilities fail to clean up the problem please run HijackThis. This application will create a log of all installed and running applications. Once you have done that and created a log file you can visit a tech site such as Techimo.com and post the log file and ask someone for help. Use a descriptive subject like "Problem with spyware" post the information you have available and someone will help you out.
It is also important to note that some "Anti Spyware" utilities ARE SPYWARE They may work to clean up some spyware, but they may also install their own spyware so sticking with the popular solutions given above will be helpful.
Another suggestion is to try using an online virus scanner such as
TrendMicro House Call
Panda Active Scan
Do a full scan to make sure viruses are not causing the problem.
A great free virus scanner is available for download from Grisoft.
One finally tip, you need to turn off system restore and boot to safe mode while running these scans and removing your spyware or viruses. Booting to safe mode is easy. Continually press the f8 key right after your computer starts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)