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Message: <blockquote data-quote="zCexVe" data-source="post: 1751184" data-attributes="member: 3878">4.2 Tips & what to buy   The Current trend is DDR2 RAM. In Sri Lanka only Kingston is widely available. Other few are consisted of unbranded Corsair and Patriot.Since we do not have options I recommend getting 1GB or more in Capacity and DDR2 667 or more in speed.   For the High-end go with the RAMs which have heat spreaders on them and with lower timings.The most common timings for widely used DDR2 667 is 5-5-5-15.   Getting 2GB sticks lower your OC adventures but makes you able to have 8GB.      Memory chips are the important thing.Not the memory OEM.   Micron , Elpida , Samsung , Qimonda mem chips are great.   Nanya , Hynix are normal.       Reputed memory manufacturers are Crucial , G-Skill , Corsair , Buffalo , Mushkin , Cellshock & OCZ.   Namely Buffalo firestix,Crucial Balistix,Corsair Dominator,OCZ reaper are the greatest.S     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5. Hard Disk Drive     A mechanical part. <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" /> These things store our data. Over the years the physical size has gotten smaller and capacity got bigger.5.1 Basics      Interface -Two are available.SATA or EIDE.Go for SATA and do yourself a favour.SCSI is the fastest but can’t get ‘em here.   RPM -RPM the hard disk cylinders spin.Normal is 7200.Raptors have 10000,Cheetahs have 15000.More the better.   Cache -The cache memory hard disk have. In LK you can find 8MB & 16MB now.32 MB is available.More the better.   Size -in GBs.40,80,160,250,320,500,1000.(SATA HDDs)Choose according to your needs.I’ll recommend to have more than 250GB.   Seek time/write time/Latency -These average times say how fast data can be found, written and the lagging of HDD. These specs are not on the hard drive label so don’t look for it. There is a link to look for them in chapter 16.   Disk throughput – This determines how much data can be handled in a second.Samsung F1s holds the record here.5.2 Tips and what to buy   All are the same.Good -Hitachi Better -Seagate,Maxtor,Western Digital,Samsung Best –Seagate Cheetah, Western Digital Raptor/X /VelociRaptor, Samsung F1,------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6. Power Supply Unit               Sri Lanka is filled with rebadged 250W Chinese PSUs.They are able to just hold on to you rig.   6.1 Understanding the termsWattage       -The more the better.But this must be the actual.Many local PSUs have wattage only in label but not in PSU.For a single VGA standard setup 30 MPs will be adequate.More for multiple VGA,RAIDed Overclocked systems.12V rail\s -This is the most important as most components run on 12V.Better to have at least 30A on 12V rails.Some PSUs have more than one 12V rails.NOT the 12V wire lines that have molex connectors but actual multiple power lines.PFC -Power Factor Correction-No matter the input voltage fluctuate,these PSUs can hold on.They have an input voltage range.Usually 90V~250V.Efficiency -In a PSU efficiency matters because it directly affects the power bill.With the current PSU system only a max of 85% efficiency can be attained.Closer to that the better the PSU is.6.2 Tips & what to buy      Read the PSU label. Get the Amperage under +12V line\s. Now multiply from the voltage. This is close to actual wattage.Ex-+12v1-15A,+12v2-14AWattage=12*(15+14)=350W.But since other lines are powered this is not accurate.I can’t recommend a good brand.Anything over 10k is good.Also people usually say the more heavier PSUs are good because transformers,capacitors are heavy and that means more of them in it.Here are some what good budget PSUs I heard.Delux , Sonic gearASUS , Gigabyte and FOXCONN are the best choices so far.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  7. Optical Disk Drives   Another mechanical part. Used to read/write data from optical media such as CD,D VD, Blu-ray.nnX    – The speeds that the writer can read or write into the media used.Usually CDs are able to be written @ 52X read @ 52X.Rewritable CDs are @ 32X max.DVD ± R can written @ 22X max.reading is usually @ 18X .DVD-ROM is @ 12X.These speeds can be vary from drive to drive.And X in CDs and DVDs are different.   Lightscribe/LabelFlash-A technology which allows user to burn an two color image on the surface of lightscribe compatible CD/DVDs. Will take up to 15 minutes. Cool but not so gorgeous. LightScribe is yellow and Labelflash is Blue.   Blu-ray- Newest OD standard. Not widely available yet, none in SL.      Do yourself a favor and buy a DVD writer. These days they are starting from 3200 Rs so don’t even think of CD-ROM,CD Burner, DVD-ROM. Specs to look are all the same. Get a one supports higher speeds and more flavors. The higher the DVD writing speed, the newer and better the DVD-Burner is.Good brands-Lite-on,LG,Samsung   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  8. Casings   Get a spacious one, ATX or bigger than that. Fix in at least one intake fan and one exhaust fan. Look for a bit stronger one. Two materials are used. Aluminium is less durable but light weight. Steel is heavy but provide good protection. There are beautiful ones available but please look for their built quality, strength and durability. Always look for the front panel connectors. Handle is handy if you move your case, say for LAN Parties.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  9. Sound card      Without this a PC feels like nothing worth. Even though On Board sound is more than enough (Now a days they come in HD, EAX, CMSS 3D ,bass boost and so on..) I felt like adding the basics so you know how to get an external sound card. I <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/love.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":love:" title="Love    :love:" data-shortname=":love:" /> <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/love.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":love:" title="Love    :love:" data-shortname=":love:" /> music <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" />9.1 BasicsFrequency Response      – The range of frequency the hardware can produce. This should exceed the human hearing range for optimal performance.<20Hz and >20kHz.The dB rating with this says how much amount of volume variation across the hearing range. This should NOT exceed +- 3dB.SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio)   – SNR=Output audio signal /noise within that signal   The higher the SNR the better the audio quality. Anything over 100dB is great.Dynamic range   – Alternative for the SNR.I can put it like this.Dynamic range = {full (loudest) signal – no signal}/noise floor level      Its given in dB and higher is better.Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N)   –This is an alternative for SNR. It means the total of unwanted signal in the output of a given harmonic level. THD means the unwanted sound in the output and Noise means the noise in the output signal.   This measures only the distortion in sound. 0% is the virtual best. Smaller is better.Inter Modular Distortion + noise (IMD+N) –   Better measurement than THD+N ,this measures all unwanted things in the sound including not related to the harmonic level. It is too advanced even for me to explain. <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/sad.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":(" title="Sad    :(" data-shortname=":(" /> The closer to 0% is better.Stereo Crosstalk   – How much of a channels output (right/left) interfere with other. Mono means 100%. <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" /> Lower the better. Lower the rating you will feel the difference more between the channels. Usually <= -90dB is considered better.9.2 What to buy      For separate cards here are the choices.(Credits to Chanster) These are 5.1/7.1 HD sound cardsLow end=Audigy value,Xtreme AudioMid Range=Xonar DX,Audiotrak Prodigy,Xtreme Music High end=Asus Xonar D2,Auzentech X-Fi Prelude,Auzentech X-Meridian        ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10. LAN/MODEM card   These are old age.Modems are replaced with routers and built-in modem CDMA phones and LAN comes onboard.I recommend not to have any of these.<img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/P.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":P" title=":P    :P" data-shortname=":P" />   If you really need them,get a cheapest 56K data/fax modem.   For a network card get a Killer NIC.(A hole in the pocket for sure <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" />)Others are all the same.<img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" />     ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11. TV/radio/Capture cards   These are for your entertainment.Please get a card with a digital tuner (Cards do not have a big shiny metal box on it).Analog tuners tend to get errors as time passes.ASUS and Pixelview ones are great with the budget. Namely Pixelview 8000/8800GT and ASUS my cinema ones.You can capture video with your TV card too but not in pro quality.For capturing Pinnacle and Snazzi cards are great and available.Or Use your high-end ATI Radeon card cheaply like me. <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/D.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D" data-shortname=":D" />    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12. Monitor12.1 CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)(The big bulky power eaters <img src="/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/default/P.gif"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":P" title=":P    :P" data-shortname=":P" />)   For CRT monitors, get a bigger ,black, Flat, recently created one with digital menus. Or my choice is 2nd hand 17” black imported one with digital menus. Its the same and cheap. Only difference is warranty. But do not worry. They are good rather than crappy brand new here.Good brands-Samsung, Dell, HP, Acer, viewsonic12.2 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)   Here are the basics.Input Ports - Most LCDs nowadays have both DVI and VGA ports. Digital ones are better.Wide or not -16:9 is wide, 16:10 is editing and 4:3 is normal. I highly recommend 16:10.The ease with that ratio is mmmmmmmmm…Panel Type - All LCDs have a TFT panel. The question is if it is TN, IPS, MVA or PVA Panel. 1.TN Panel: The TN panel is the cheapest to produce and is the one most LCD manufacturers use. These panels have the fastest response time, however, they produce the worst color and the color will slightly change when you move up or down / left to right. They also have limited viewing angles.2.IPS Panel: An IPS is one of the best panels available for an LCD. These panels offer very good viewing angles and color. However, these cost much more than the TN panel and have higher response times.3.MVA Panel: This panel is more of a hybrid between a TN and IPS panel. These panels offer a big viewing angle and color with a fast response time. However, these panels cost more than the TN panel, but less than an IPS panel.4.PVA Panel: Very similar to the MVA panel but offer much higher contrast ratios when compared to the MVA panel.Response Time - This is the amount of time it takes for the screen to synchronize. This is especially important for gamers since if the response time is not fast enough you will see ghosting or the video lagging. For gaming anything 8ms and under in response time is good and you should not see any types of ghosting. Please note, that some monitors with 2ms response times sometimes gets stuck since the response is too fast.Color Support - This is the amount of colors that the display can show. There are currently 2 amounts for this. 16.2 million (6bit) or 16.7 million (8bit). 8 bit gives you the feel of CRT and it is better.Contrast Ratio - This is the contrast between colors. Higher the better. This is more important for people who use visual programs. Most common are 700:1, 1000:1.Brightness - This is to have a bright monitor similar to a CRT.Try to get a wide screen. At least get 1440x900 or 19” one. Under 5ms is great.Always look for 16.7 million colors.Good brands-Samsung ,Acer, HP, Viewsonic ,NEC   </blockquote>

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