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Give Your PC a Monitor Makeover
Whether you are crunching figures at a front office job or crouched over a blood and gore video game in some deep recess of your room, there is the right kind of screen available to suit your needs. Monitors are one segment where you are truly spoilt for choice. Be it a 15-inch, 17-inch or 19-inch CRT monitor* or a sleeker range of LCD screens*, there is a wide range to fit your budget. Hardware Software Articles: http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com/archive/index.php/ *Size and resolution* There are two aspects you must consider when selecting a monitor: physical size and resolution. Screen size is the diagonal screen measurement, usually in inches. For instance, a computer monitor display might be 14 inches wide and 11 inches tall. This same screen has a diagonal measurement of 19 inches, which is the screen size. Monitors also have an aspect ratio. This is the ratio between the horizontal dimension and the vertical dimension (horizontal dimension divided by vertical dimension). Common monitor aspect ratios are 4:3 (1.3333) and 5:4 (1.25). Basics: http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com/archive/index.php/f-2.html A 4:3 aspect ratio means the picture is 4 units wide for every three units of height. Wide screen monitors are easier on the eye (and much more expensive). The higher the resolution, the greater the ability to render more detail. If you work with graphics or enjoy graphic-intensive games, you will need a monitor with higher resolution. With most currently available models being flat screened, the difference is in the size and picture quality. A resolution of 1024 x 768 is a good one for most users. *CRT monitors* If you've decided to get a new CRT, make sure it has a sufficiently high refresh rate. This refers to how often the screen is redrawn per second. With low refresh rates you can get screen flicker and eyestrain. Virus: http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com/archive/index.php/f-14.html Aim for a rate of 75 Hz for a monitor up to 17 inches in size and 85 Hz for any larger monitor. Another consideration for CRTs is dot pitch. The smaller the dot pitch, the sharper the image. Opt for a dot pitch of 0.26 mm or smaller. CRTs function very well at multiple resolutions, can display detailed graphics and can be viewed comfortably from wider angles. *LCD screens* One of the primary disadvantages of LCDs when compared to CRTs is their limited viewing angle. When viewing a LCD straight on, it looks great. But the screen will appear washed-out if you move your head over to the side and look at it from a wider angle. Also, LCDs are optimised to perform at a single resolution. Low-end LCDs have viewing angles of only 100 degrees, which won't give everyone crowded round your desk a clear view. For a standard 15-inch LCD, try to get a 140 degree viewing angle. Increase that by 20-40 degrees when shopping for an 18-inch LCD. The brightness of LCD monitors is an important factor. LCD monitors have several backlights that provide illumination. The backlights in a LCD are good for 10,000 to 50,000 hours of operation. Ensure that the backlights come with at least a one-year warranty. Messenger: http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com/archive/index.php/f-7.html *Making a choice* LCD screens generally cause lesser strain to eyes than CRT monitors. CRTs have better graphics, but they tend to occupy five times as much space. If you are a gaming freak, then a CRT is a better option as it is best for any graphic interface. If you want the sleek look, an LCD is meant for you. It is widely used in banks and treasury and trading rooms. Adam Fletcher is the webmaster of Hardware Software Articles http://www.hardwaresoftwarearticles.com.
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If we are to ask people on the streets, it wouldn't come as a surprise that they dont know much of what an SSD is. Even if they do know, most probably it would be limited to a USB pen drive, a CompactFlash or a Secure Digital card, which are more on the consumer side of the storage industry. Technically speaking, they are not wrong. Most web definitions describe an SSD as a high-performance plug-and-play storage device that contains no moving parts. Therefore, given that most of the aforementioned mobile disk storage devices contain no movable parts, they can certainly be categorized as SSDs. But then again, there's more to SSDs than being a non-volatile device. The purpose of this article is to give readers a clearer picture of what an SSD is, its usage as well as its difference when pitted against the predominant data storage device at present - the hard disk drive (HDD). More than its non-volatility, this article will reveal how much potential SSDs have in optimizing the performance of the computing system. SSD Defined Here are several ways the SSD is defined: "A solid state disk (SSD) is electrically, mechanically and software compatible with a conventional (magnetic) hard disk or winchester. The difference is that the storage medium is not magnetic (like a hard disk) or optical (like a CD) but solid state semiconductor such as battery backed RAM, EPROM or other electrically erasable RAM-like chip. This provides faster access time than a disk, because the data can be randomly accessed and does not rely on a read/write interface head synchronising with a rotating disk. The SSD also provides greater physical resilience to physical vibration, shock and extreme temperature fluctuations. The only downside is a higher cost per megabyte of storage."(2) "Abbreviated SSD, a solid state disk is a high-performance plug-and-play storage device that contains no moving parts. SSD components include either DRAM or flash memory boards, a memory bus board, a CPU, and a battery card. Because they contain their own CPUs to manage data storage, they are a lot faster (18MBps for SCSI-II and 44 MBps for UltraWide SCSI interfaces) than conventional rotating hard disks ; therefore, they produce highest possible I/O rates. SSDs are most effective for server applications and server systems, where I/O response time is crucial. Data stored on SSDs should include anything that creates bottlenecks, such as databases, swap files, library and index files, and authorization and login information."(3) For the rest of the article, we will compare the HDDs and Flash-based SSDs. The latter are the most popular type of SSDs employed by the military, aerospace, industrial and embedded systems industries. Mortality Rate Hard disk failure is a common occurrence in this age of desktops and notebooks. A lot of horror stories have been told, passed around and even published about how valuable data was lost and the agony of trying to retrieve or at least save a portion of the crashed hard drive. It is during this time that people wonder, why do hard disks fail? The reason is simple - wear and tear. Just like any good old machine with mechanical components, HDDs tend to deteriorate over time. HDDs consist of rotating, magnetically coated disks, known as platters, that are used to store data. This rotating motion of the mechanical arms results in much wear and tear after long periods of use. The operational lifespan of a computer HDD is over three years.(4) A Flash-based SSD is different. Although the most common Flash chips have around 300,000 write cycles, the best Flash chips are rated at 1,000,000 write cycles per block. On top of that, Flash SSD manufacturers employ different ways to increase the longevity of the drives. In some cases, they use a "balancing" algorithm to monitor the number of times each disk block has been written, which greatly extends the operational lifespan of the drive. Furthermore, these manufacturers also designed special "wear-leveling" algorithms where once a certain percentage threshold for a given block is reached, the SSD will swap the data in that block with the data in another block that has exhibited a "read-only-like" characteristic in the background. This reduces performance lag and avoids further wearing off of the blocks and thrashing of the disk. Even with usage patterns of writing/reading gigabytes per day, a Flash-based SSD should last several years, depending on its capacity. Add to that the inclusion of a DRAM cache in the disk architecture that further enhances its operational capabilities as well as lifespan. Speeding Up With the very fast paced lifestyle these days, most businesses are time-bound and cannot afford a slowing down in their transactions. This makes speed of HDDs a crucial point in technological purchases. The typical access time for a Flash based SSD is about 35 - 100 s, whereas that of a rotating disk is around 5,000 - 10,000 s. That makes a Flash-based SSD approximately 100 times faster than a rotating disk. This however raises another point - what's the benefit of a high-speed SSD when the entire system cannot support it? The evolution of CPUs in terms of performance has far surpassed the development of the data storage system. The HDD is actually limiting the potential of a computer system when they are not able to keep up with the performance of the other components, particularly the CPU. If an HDD is replaced by a high-speed SSD, the performance would significantly improve. The resulting system would be a high-powered set-up that can go beyond the demands of high-speed business or military environments. Size Matters To be a true plug-in replacement for HDDs, Flash-based SSDs are manufactured in standard 2.5" and 3.5" form factors. 2.5" SSDs are normally used in laptops or notebooks while the 3.5" form factors are used in desktops, or in JBOD or other SAN/NAS/DAS configurations. They can often be used to replace traditional disks in storage arrays or in a server's internal disk bays. Flash-based SSDs certainly fit the storage needs of most embedded systems that require much smaller form factors. Reliability In terms of reliability, conventional HDDs pale when compared to SSDs. The absence of mechanical arms and spinning platters is the reason behind its reliability. In demanding environments, SSDs provide the type of ruggedness required for mobile applications. Unlike the HDD, SSD's can withstand extreme shock and vibration with data integrity and without any danger of data loss. This feature is very important in industrial applications where exposure to highly combustible materials and electromagnetic radiation are typical. Their ability to deliver unnerving performance in extreme conditions also makes SSD play a vital role in military operations, be it in defense, aerospace or aviation applications. Military applications require, in most cases, an operating temperature range of -60°C to +95°C. Shock, vibration, and temperature ratings of HDDs cannot comply with military standards, only SSDs can. Power Play In addition to speed, reliability and mortality rate being positively affected by the SSD's non-volatility, they also consume much less power than traditional HDDs. No additional power is required to activate the platters or the mechanical arms present in most HDDs. Its power consumption is practically only a fraction of a hard disk drive. Heat Dissipation Along with the lower power consumption, there is also much lesser heat dissipation for systems using Flash-based SSDs as their data storage solution. This is due to the absence of heat generated from the rotating/movable media. This certainly proves to be the one of the main advantages of Flash-based SSDs relative to that of a traditional HDD. With less heat dissipation, it serves as the ideal data storage solution for mobile systems such as PDAs, notebooks, etc. Users can do away with large cooling fans, internal power supply and batteries for large storage arrays in storage area networks. Cost Considerations Of course, everything comes with a price. Based on a cost-benefit logic, it is but expected that something with very impressive features be priced higher than something that offers fewer benefits. SSDs as being a bit more pricey than the traditional hard disk drive may be one of the compelling reasons why up to now it hasn't gained as much popularity as it should be getting with all its brilliant functions. While the use of SSDs today have mostly been limited to industrial and military implications, enterprise are now looking closely at SSDs for implementing tiered storage and optimizing their storage architectures. To quote from the Solid State Disks Buyers Guide published by storagesearch.com, "In fact the SSD is replacing servers and software licenses. SSDs can be used either to speed up the response time of existing applications as an alternative to buying more servers, or to reduce the number of servers and software licenses deployed. The economics can be compellingly in favor of an SSD deployment". The industry is also expecting more breakthroughs as higher memory capacities and faster performance are now being produced for a wider array of choices fit for any mission-critical application. Analysts foresee a rapidly closing gap between HDD and flash SSD pricing (see related article "Are Flash Solid-State Disks Ready for the Enterprise"(5) ). This vision is also bolstered by a recent announcement(6) of electronic giant Samsung that they will invest heavily in improving their flash and DRAM production lines and flash SSD equipped laptops. Only time will tell if we will witness widespread commercial adoption of SSDs.(end) This article has been reprinted from www.e-disk.com An Inexpensive Solution to Securing Public Access Computers Offering secure public Internet access is not as easy as it may seem. As the IT manager for a mid-sized public library, it's become apparent to me that creating a secure network of library workstations for use by the public is more important than ever before. System administrators have the responsibility of protecting the library's networks and systems, while ensuring quality and speedy service to all patrons. Offering public Internet access requires a dynamic security plan that is constantly under revision, taking into account the technical changes of the times. Traditionally, the software options available for help in this regard come at a significant price, often forcing libraries to spend thousands of dollars securing their computer rooms. Buying Cheap Refurbished Laptops When comparing refurbished laptop models, ask about these specifications: Laptop Computers and the PVP Effect! Roll over lumbering desktop computers, the limber laptop is here, and it's here to stay! For a while now notebooks have outstripped their ageing desktop PC siblings, easily winning the gold medal in the computer sales olympics. We will illustrate how the PVP effect has contributed greatly to the increase in popularity of notebook computers.
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