intelguy

Asus+Toshiba? Probably not

 Recently a report from a Chinese website that Asus is contemplating acquisition of Toshiba has attracted a lot of attention. One thing for sure, it will benefit the consumers but the question is that will Toshiba sell it notebook division?

Personally, I think it is a mission impossible for asus to acquire Toshiba. After Toshiba has set a goal to achieve a worldwide notebook market share of 15% in 2010, it has done very well and has climbed the fourth place of PC markets. Toshiba's current ODM partners include Quanta Computer, Compal Electronics and Inventec. Shipments to North America and the Asia Pacific are all handled by Quanta, while the shipments to Europe and other smaller regions are handled by Compal and Inventec. They work seamless in unremitting efforts and there is really no sign that Toshiba will abandon its PC division.

 

The market share shows that Toshiba is the forth largest laptop vendors while Asus is the 6th. If the deal can be done, it is not only emerge of market share (it will oust Dell to be the 3rd or beat Acer to the 2nd) but also a combination of two advantages that each of them lack respectively. For Asus, hardware is its core business and it also pay no spare efforts to bring the latest technology into its lineups and it has done very well in the gaming laptop markets and this fame is still rising. For Toshiba, world’s No.1 vendor for 7 consecutive years (1994-2000), it has wealth of experience in marketing but also has rich culture of products design. Toshiba also make solid notebooks especially in its high end market. So this acquisition will be about the combination of strengths. More to read:Study: Asus, Toshiba Make Most Reliable Laptops

But for both of them, there are also some problems to deal with. First, brands issue. If the acquisition does succeed, what will the new one be called? Asus, Toshiba, or Asus+Toshiba or any other hybrid names? It is a pity if Toshiba was not used. The brand name Toshiba does represents quality in some people’s mind. Secondly, the culture diversities. Asus and Toshiba are both Asian PC giants but the culture diversities will be hard to copy with. It will be harder than IBM+Lenovo emerge although the two companies are much closer geographically. This is also the compelling aspects of Asian’s business. If Asus wants to achieve its initial goal, this part is sure to be the hard bone.

To emerge or not, that is the question but for both Toshiba and Asus, they are doing great job with ambitious. To emerge, it will be a win-win partnership. If not, both of them are still dangerous players in this field and no other vendors could belittle them. For me, again, Toshiba will never sell its PC division.

Netbooks

What is a netbook? It is very simple to define as CNET called netbooks "nothing more than smaller, cheaper notebooks." But there is also something else to be noted such as processors used in netbook lineups. Whether the earlier Intel Celeron M or latter Atom processor, these processors are only capable of some basic computing even comparing with old Intel Pentium D processors. We often treat Intel Pentium processor as castrated Intel core Duo, most of times; it comes with low frequency and smaller L2 cache. Then Atom is the castrated Celeron M with some architecture improvement. So you should not expect too much from these processors but the key feature of Atom family is power-efficient. The most frequently used Atom N280 or N 270 with TDP 4W is hardly beaten in performance-per-watt category. Even the new released Intel Atom 330(Dual core) only has 8W TDP; it is often used in Ion platform, which we will discuss later. So netbooks with Atom processor always consume less power and this means long battery life in real world, this great feature is of vital importance in this crazy world where every one is pursuing some powerful hardware which always means power hogger. I think only the electric bill can tell in the long run. Moreover, most netbooks come with smaller LCD or LED which also extend battery life. As for Screen size, 10.1 or 11.6" is the popular choice, most of them are no larger than 11.6 or 12.1" due to limitations set by Microsoft and Intel. So if vendors who wanna roll out some 12.1" netbooks have to use AMD neo or VIA Nano processors.
Other features Intel Atom lacks further stunt its ability in applications. That is, Only Atom 230 and 330 are activated x86-64. Other Atom implements the x86 (IA-32) instruction set. moreover, Atom CPU is often equipped with a cheaper, more power consuming chipset like Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chipse with Intel® GMA 950 IGP.(The Intel SCH US15W is validated with the Intel® Atom processor Z5xx series.) this means this platform lack the ability to deal with graphic applications or hd movie playbacks. then Intel shipped Atom 280 pairing of the GN40 chipset to address this then still can't handle Blu-ray. That is why Nvidia Ion we early mentioned is so compelling. An Intel Atom paring with 9400M graphics chip will do a great job even in some games. And Samsung N 510 is the first Ion netbook.
If you just use it for daily uses like surf internet emails etc then any netbook available in the market will fit the bill but if you wanna squeeze more juice out of it, it is always better to fork more bucks to get an Ion netbook while it hits the shell.

As for which one to choose, I will say they are more or less the same things, it won’t make much difference.

To spend your money wisely

 After years of pursuit of happiness in the IT industry, I finally come to the conclusion that there is really no need to care about hardware with full enthusiasm. Maybe we still remember the first time we got a new PC and even did not know how to power it on. Then maybe we got our first Smartphone, and found out that the smart phone was not smart at all especially the Windows CE. Apple’s Iphone, RIM’s palm and Google’s Android jumped on the bandwagon, Symbian and Window Mobile has suffered a lot in the coming years. Then we might move on to digital camera, craved for a DSLR. As the WIFI became popular, the spade of internet base devices mushroomed and we were quite obsessed with Apple Ipod Touch and some other knock offs. Since the economic situation worsened in the year 2008, consumers became more aware of values of your dollars, netbooks were another popular gadget and this trend continues even though the economy has bottomed out, People has make it as an alternative for notebooks.

The processor has upgraded from a single core to dual core, tri core and quad core. The video card even can do a lot of tasks which are executed by CPU. Nvidia and Intel were even debating on whether CPU or GPU will die in the future. With the release of Intel’s core i7, a new architecture with built-in memory controller sports the technology like Intel turbo boost and hyper-threading; you can’t even imagine what the boundary it is for the technology. With its new release of i7 (socket 1156) core i5 and Core i3, Intel even makes consumers more difficult choose by providing a wide range of products Portfolios.

The new Intel core i7 consist of two products: Intel core i7 870 and Intel core i7 860 which sport 2.93GHz and 2.8GHz respectively. While the core i5 750 is 2.66GHz with the famous Intel hyper-threading feature eliminated (As you probably already know, Hyper-Threading is Intel’s simultaneous multi-threading technology that presents each physical core as two logical cores to an operating system.), for those who might benefit from the hyper-threading, there is some reason for you to consider a core i7. Moreover, all these three processors come with dual channel DDDR3 controller, a not bad choice concerning the current price of ddr3 chips. How’re you supposed to choose between CPUs when architecture, functionality, and pricing are all so similar?

Moreover, AMD is also leveling its best to compete in the business and provide some good value processors. The most benefit for AMD fans after the unleash e of intel core i5 750 might be the slash of AMD 965BE price in the near future. How could you choose aside from other consideration of Motherboard and memory combinations? I don’t see the point of keep up the pace with the newest technology. There are wealth of choices for us to choose with the tech and manufacturing tech transition. The old technology is still plenty enough to perform certain tasks and even serve us well in the coming years, what is the point of pursuing the latest tech? So the wiser people will seize the great opportunity to get something really great bang for bucks right now. such might be the case, wit the new Intel core i7 and core i5’s hitting shelves, which Intel aims to replace its LGA 775 lineups, the price of the not-so-old Intel core 2 or Quad family are likely to enjoy the price slashes, then for those who are cautiously spend their hard-earned money, maybe it is not bad to snap a shell shocker of Intel core duo or from AMD’s equivalent lineups.

When you are not a big fan of hardware but still interested the exhilarating innovative tech, you probably know how to wisely spend your bucks and enjoy the great performance/price ratio of a wide range of products. With the limited budget, you can always enjoy more thanks to the rapid evolvement of PC industry.

A life without Internet

A life without Internet

--What is the use of a laptop without internet connection?  

Here is a very funny episode from South Park It's just Gone.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/166182

 

Can you imagine a world without Internet? I am just trying my level best to figure it out. I ended the contract with my ISP and started my life without internet a month ago (work hour will not be included, can't work without internet :-))
Day 1
wow, life is so good even without internet and the world won't change much. I just enjoy my daily life and have a sweet sleep.
Day 2
Er, I really wanna check out some info on my favorite websites and wanna know if there is any breaking news happened in this crazy world. Okay, I am planning to subscribe a newspaper. Good idea?
Day 3
I can't help surfing some work unrelated websites for about 1 or 2 hours. :-) This makes me feel better.
Day 4
I began reading newspapers but thought the info is outdated and can't find the info I needed. If I accessed to the internet, I can always collect the info I wanna know and find the info I am interested in, like hardware, sports etc.
Day 5
I took out my laptop, and talked to it.
ME: What is the use of a laptop without internet?
Laptop: Silence.
Me: I can watch some DVDs or play some games. Oops.
Day 6
I did watched an old movie. And write a blog about it but can only store it on my HDD and can't share it with my buddy, which annoyed me.
Day 7
There were 100+ emails in my Gmail account and maybe my friends missed me? or think I was dead or something. Actually, I was still not far away from the world, a cell phone in hand is better than two laptops without internet.
Day 8 to Day 30
I was living in a world without internet and knew nothing about this world.  I can't help recalling a sentence: There are a lot of drugs we take so reflexively we don't even know they’re drugs. One such drug is internet.

I have to confess I can't live in a world without internet. When you get the chance to access to the internet, you can always find solutions and get connected with the world. The wealth of information available online is worth so much more than the Circuit boards that the computer is made from. Now I realize that an Intel Core i7+X58 motherboard won't make sense if it is not connected. I would take a five year old P4 PC with an internet connection over a top line Intel core i7 rig that isn't connected with the internet.

 

Some facts about a new build or upgrade

Maybe you are plugging away at your brand new build list and can’t decide whether to go with Intel core i7 or not.  Or you are going to put some new stuffs in your 4 year old machine and wanna make it a little bit faster and just can’t decide which upgrade will be your best bet. No, I am not going to tell you what to do. Actually, I can tell you a good place to go, Eggxpert..com, and there are the best Eggs and they are doing their best to walk you through out. What I am trying to do is to tell you some facts about the build or upgrade, and hopefully some of them will be useful.

1.       Do I have to go with Intel core i7?

No. You don’t have to go with intel core i7 especially the money is the issue. IMHO, if you don’t wanna spend more than $1200, a top end AMD rig will be better which is great value for your bucks. But if you just plan a build which could last you a couple of years and don’t wanna upgrade in a period of time, I have to say, yes maybe even though your budget is $1000 or more, to fork out a little bit more bucks to grab an Intel core i7 rig will be a better choice. But to go with an AMD rig is also a nice choice. Even with the top AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE and AM3 motherboard with DDR3 slots, the total cost should be within control and great value for your dollars.

2.       DDR2 or DDR3

You have to use DDR3 RAM if you with Intel core i7 rig. And if you choose the motherboard which only has the DDR3 slots, then there is no alternative for you. But for most of the rig, especially the LGA 775 motherboard with Intel C2D or C2Q processors, DDR3 really does not make sense. For AMD rig, even with its AM3 socket, the new processor can both support DDR2 and DDR3 RAM. Again, you can choose a motherboard with both DDR2 and DDR3 slots then upgrade to DDR3 while it is dirty cheap. So far, DDR2 RAM is still enjoying the price/performance ratio. So there is really no reason to go with DDR3 unless you have to.

 

3, DDR2 533, DDR2 667, DDR2 800, DDR2 1066, DDR2 1300+

Probably all the motherboards like since P45 support all these memory standards so you can put in any DDR2 RAM but just to make sure that you will have to adjust BIOS to make sure the RAM faster than DDR2 800 will run as advertised in the species or it will default it as DDR2 800. if you have an old motherboard can only supports DDR2 533 or DDR2 667, you can also put some other sticks in but it will down clock to DDR2 533 or 667. So there is really no need to put some faster RAM. Moreover, you can’t even notice the difference between DDR2 800 and DDR2 1066 in daily use unless you OC a lot.

 

4. AMD or Intel, Nvidia or ATI

If you are a fanboy, or a loyal customer, to choose the one you like. Or the brands do not matter, just to grab the ones which are great bang for bucks.

 

5, Upgrade to a brand new build

For some old school rig, there is little headroom to upgrade. Like some old Pentium 4 rig, the motherboard won’t support the latest 45nm CPU, it is better to get a brand new CPU+Motherboard and then some faster RAM, then it seems that you will swap everything out, then a brand new rig will make much sense.

Bing or Google? Does It Really Matter?

Recently, Microsoft rolled out its search engine "Bing".it is the latest attempt to make up ground on Google in the rapidly expanding search business. It is a redesigned windows live search which fails at the competition in their last knockout, at least lost the market share like its IE. If you missed its demo or some ads.

 Bing sports intuitive new technology, which claims to stand a better chance of finding what its users really want. So will Bing find what you really want?

Another brand new  search engine comes from WolframAlpha which is a quite new concept and provides another possibility of future search market. Its ambitious is to Make the world's knowledge computable. Oh, maybe not bad but actually I lost my interest in this new boy on the block. I hate computing, I hate mathematics. But, for sure,some guys will like it. Enjoy your computing.

Talking about search engine, there is an old boy called Yahoo! like it or not, you should never ignore it. Yahoo has done a masterful job of integrating search results with its rich network of Yahoo content. but the question is can you still teach old dog new tricks?

so which one is better? we are always delighted by the reviews or even biased charts. we always like comparison. AMD or Intel? ATI or Nvidia? Bing or Google? actually they are trying their best to do the same job well or better. Does this really matter?

There is a very interesting website called Bing&Google

 http://www.bingandgoogle.com/ maybe someday some guys will create a website called Yahoo&Bing or Google&yahoo etc. that must make search more  fun.

As an end user, Do we really need to know all the facts or algorithm hidden behind the search bar? All we need to do as we always do is to type the keyword and on the go. If all of then can provide the info we need,why bother to know the facts? 

If you like certain features provided by the providers, stick with it and if you wanna try something new, never hesitate to try other opts. 

  OR

That is not the question.

 

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Online Storage: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

 Recently, more and more guys move to online storage.” You’ll never have to worry that a computer crash or virus will destroy all your files because they will always be safe 'n' sound up on Xdrive" then AOL online storage business kicked the bucket. So do you think the online storage business is a good business model? Moreover, do you think you online storage is really safe?

I am a big fan of Google documents and Microsoft skyDrive, with the later service; I can get 25GB free space online. The question is: Is the free service always good? And of course like Kodak, you can pay for the service. But if you pay for the service, why not buy your own backup tools? There are HDD is dirty cheap and almost every laptop comes with DVD burner. More and more motherboards also come with RAID chips.

Of course, with online storage, with an internet connection, you can get your data on other PCs wherever you are. But it is like double sword, without internet connection you will go nowhere.

And there is another issue you have to concern. Will Your Data Disappear When Your Online Storage Site Shuts Down?http://www.pcworld.com/article/164858-3/will_your_data_disappear_when_your_online_storage_site_shuts_down.html.  What if the online storage site shuts down suddenly? Although yahoo! Allow you to retrieve you data within 1 month. Some other small online storage websites might just give you 24 hours.

 

And did you encounter the Google outage yesterday? Maybe you need check this out: Google Outage Lesson 

http://www.pcworld.com/article/164946/google_outage_lesson_dont_get_stuck_in_a_cloud.html

It is always good to store your precious data on your own way.  IMHO, RAID, external storage or internal storage or even DVD are all better.

 

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Laptop Hunters

Recently, Microsoft launched a new series of ads called Laptop Hunters.In case that you don't know about it, here is a link from MS:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/watchtheads/ You can also watch more Microsoft ads.(I like Alexa one, a very cute girl)
So are you one of them? okay, I'd like to share my experience with all of you regarding laptop hunting. let's cut to the chase, I am a PC, so I go straight to PC(no comments like ""I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac person  or I am a PC because I am Picky" )

In this economic downturn, Job hunters should be more popular but we can never stop buying new stuffs.
okay.

Budget laptop( or just for daily use, Internet email etc)
For this purpose,I'd say that any notebooks available at the markets will serve you very well. So Eee PC and Eee PC knockoffs will be a good option if you don't really care about the 8.9" or 10" LCD size. If you really want a notebook(not netbook) with a "real" processor, Here are some good deals for you:
TOSHIBA Satellite Pro S300-EZ1511 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T3400(2.16GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 1GB Memory DDR2 800 120GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel GMA 4500M(Comes with a 2 year manufacturer warranty)
My advice: buy another stick of RAM, or you will have to tolerate the annoying start time and poweroff time. If you don't wanna mess it up with RAM upgrade you can get this one:
Gateway T-6345U NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T3400(2.16GHz) 14.1" Wide XGA 2GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel GMA X3100
For daily use, the GMA 4500 won't make much sense, Intel GMA X3100 will be more than enough, with this IGP, you could even play some light games.Moreover, the Gateway notebook comes with Windows vista home premium,it should be better than the Basic one.

If you have a little more bucks at  disposal. I'd recommend youIntel® Centrino® Processor or Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor platform which are designed to provide longer battery life. With the more powerful processor, it will give you faster experience while mutiltasking. you can also get better 3D performance with a dedicated video card.

 Acer Aspire AS6930-6942 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T6400(2.00GHz) 16" Wide XGA 4GB Memory DDR2 667 250GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS - Retail

or

Acer Aspire AS6930-6073 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo P8600(2.40GHz) 16" Wide XGA 4GB Memory 320GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS - Retail

And if you aim for gaming laptop,There are several notebooks with 9800 M GS, So check this out.  especially, the MSI one, it is really great bang for your bucks.

If you are a hardcore gamer, IMO, a desktop will be better. but you insist on buy a laptop. Okay, I'd say Alienware  will be nice. or this Asus one will be cool.

 You can also take the portability, battery life or any other factors into consideration.  put aside the better technologies developed by chip makers or laptop vendors, the long batter life can only be achieved by sacrificing better performance. (IGP etc).  PS. Acer announced Timeline series  which promises 8-10 hours of battery life in tiny, light form factors. I' will keep a tab on it.

For portability, again, netbooks will be nice choice. you can also choose some of sleek stuffs from top vendors designed for people looking for the ultimate in no-compromise portability or who travel and work on the move. Here are some you may consider:  Dell XPS or Adamo ,Toshiba Portégé series.

So if you know any other good deals, just let's know.

 

What is your take on online discussion?

Do you trust online reviews?like Tom's hardware? and some other websites? Do you think there is any value in online discussion or debate? like Eggxpert.com?
I am always a big fan of Online forums, I could even spend a day long surfing  the internet to obtain the info I need, thanks to Google's excellent search engine. the online sources provide me the very information I am looking for. so, any question, any time, if you hop on the information superhighway, Don't forget about your friend Google. but here comes to the problem, Google can provide you the info you are looking for, some of them are invaluable. But Google can't guarantee all the links it provides are 100% correct. Moreover, it is not his duty to double check “only in the state does info have a rational existence". yup, it is a piece of cake to find a reviews of certain hardware software. but who is responsible for reviewing these review websites?
to believe or not to believe, that is the question. the same conundrum comes to e-business. If you buy something from Newegg.com. there are some factors might get your attention, Reviews should be one of them. Is there any consumer value on customer reviews? probably yes. most of time, we can get some useful information concerning product specs, accessories or compatibility. sometimes the answer is no. Some guys can rate the products without having them or using them,they have good or bad feelings for a certain brand. For me, I used an Acer laptop and it served me very well in the past few years, it might result in my conclusion that Acer laptop rocks and you can't be wrong if you get one. then I moved to Toshiba,this time I am unlucky. Within 1 year warranty time, the laptop acted up on me several times. then I  finally  find out that it had a crappy motherboard. in this scenario, Toshiba might give me a bad impression.to be frankly, each vendors make some lemons. each hardware has its failure rate. but one unhappy relationship with a certain brand might affect your point of view of this brand for a long time. you might give it some bad reviews or something like this. in this case, we might take reviews with a grain of salt. (a side note, Acer and Toshiba are both my favorite brands, the example here is radical and intentional, so you can change Acer with Toshiba or any other brands. :-))
last not the least. what if some guys who is sales representative of a certain brand? of course, All the things he can only recommend are the products he sells. to be worsen, in his world, other brands are always  pieces of junk. Do you wanna live in a world of make-believe?

Dual boot？Why?

I used to be a big fan of dual boot,but after being pleased with dual boot for a while,I totally changed my idea. Dual Boot? Are you kidding me? No more.
Why are you using two OSes on a single PC? Do you wanna your two OSes work at the same time?  do you wanna expand your OS knowledge or just for fun? Maybe you need certain application on a single OS to do something that can't be done on the other OS. or maybe you just wanna experience something new without having to spent more bucks on a new PC. that is a good idea. all good ideas. But here I will tell you why I don't use dual boot anymore.
Basically, there is one main reason that change my idea. About 2 weeks ago, I installed Ubuntu 8.10, the latest version of Ubuntu. with Wubi, I finished the installation without any hassle. I used Ubuntu 8.04 about 3 months, so the new version was nothing new to me and of course I had to go to update the new OS. 275 updates were waiting for me. then after spending about 2 days updating, the new installed Ubuntu became the completely new OS. "your OS has been updated". I installed everything I needed. then I went back to Windows Vista to do something can only be done through Windows. ( quite a lot of applications can only run on Windows, I have to admit and to be frank, I totally familiar with the windows interface, and I was not feeling very good while I was using the counterpart applications  on Linux. ) after loading into the vista, OMG. I'm back. what was waiting for me? updates. within these two days, the FireFox had updated to 3.xx and the windows automatic update was busy updating. it is annoying.

This problem is worsen while those people who  spend a lot more time working with one OS than the other, and this means that every time you turn to the less-used OS, you have to be patient.

Another problem i encountered was that I was fed up by switching between two OSes. after a while, I lose the interest for another OS. so maybe I don't need it any longer.

then I finally find the solution. there are VMware and Virtual PC. so why bother messing up with the dual boot? I can run whatever OS I wanna give it a shot within Windows.  it is much safer and easier. I can do whatever I wanna do within windows without have to power on and power off.

Moreover. to install VMvare is a piece of cake, it takes little time to finish.

Of course you have to update in the Vmware or Virtual PC. but it will be much easier and the OSes can work at the same time.

Those are the reasons why I don't wanna dual boot any more. 

Do you really need dual boot? think for a while before you do it.

2009

How time flies. I have been joining this community for almost 1 year. Surprisingly, I have posted 3000 plus posts. What a spammer! Okay I have to put these 3000 posts in this way: 1000 for spamming, 1000 posts asking for help and 1000 posts offering help. So thank you guys for answering my boring questions patiently and tolerating my endless spams. 

 

Okay, it is our tradition to sum up the last year’s achievement (I don’t think I have achieved any) and have some anticipations of something new in the year of 2009. For most of companies, it was a hard year in this global economy meltdown, and the turmoil is not over so we have to suffer. But for most of PC users, it was still a great year to remember and some good techs are very exciting. I don't think I can put into words how many good staffs were unveiled in the year 2008. And still more to come in 2009. For a lot of guys, they got an Eee PC netbook or knockoffs. Others like me finally found out the smart phone was a better option but I am planning to get a netbook if the Nvidia Ion is available earlier this year. For all the computer geeks, they enjoy better products with reasonable prices. Intel’s C2D processors are still competitive thus the Intel core i7 begins selling like hot cakes. AMD is fighting back with its Phenom X II 940. Moreover, HD 4800 series have always enjoyed performance/price ratio which result in Nvidia’s prices drop in all its lineups. All these fierce competitions benefit us consumers. Software wise, Windows 7 is the most eagerly awaited operating system and the beta version is still the hot topic. Some Linux distributions like Ubuntu and OpenSUSE have also release their latest versions which are also great. Isn’t it a great for 2008? Well, in the coming 2009, the window 7 will be officially released and the Ion platform will wipe the floor with Intel 945G chipset. Some Android OS smartphones will be available. And smart phone made by Toshiba uses 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in its TG01. AMD/ATI might unveil its 4900 series or 5000 series……more and more, better and better. Is there any better fact than this?

 

For me, it is time to dream.

Netbook or Smartphone?

This should be an interesting topic. But it sounds stupid for some guys. Can you use your Smartphone to play Crysis? The answer is obviously not and of course, the netbook will not be capable of doing so either. So here comes the next question, if the netbook can’t be as entertaining as notebook (but you still can watch some videos or surfing the internet) why not buy a Smartphone? As you all know, some Smartphone like iPhone is rather good at video or audio. And the G1 is rather internet friendly. Will the Smartphone grab the market share of netbooks? Yup, at least, Steven Jobs and Google think so. No, at least Asus and Acer agree to disagree. Both of them have set higher anticipation of the new netbooks. These beautiful staffs are selling like hot cakes. It even helps Acer to replaced Dell as the world's number-2 notebook computer maker. But other vendors will not take that granted and all of them are plugging away at their own stuffs. Moreover, Acer has added 3G on its netbook and I think more and more vendors will follow this. A larger LCD and full sized keyboard will make it more appealing. Except for the basic internet surfing, netbooks are capable of doing more than Smartpones can do. With the Nvidia’s INO platform is officially announced, the netbooks even have the ability to compete against Notebooks. The Ino netbooks with 9400G video card will be playing 1080p movies. In this shootout, netbooks have slightly advantages, but for thing for sure, the netbook will never replace smartpones. You will never see a guy holding a netbook on the street to make phone calls. But you will see a lot of guys use the Smartphones to surf internet or to upload videos. The smartpones are trying their best to catch up with the netbooks. iPhone,G1,and coming G2 are the qualified competitors.

Another thing we should take into account is price point. For me, $400 is a barrier. At $399 I’m interested in one of these devices as a second laptop or something to have around the house. Above that price my interest wanes dramatically. I’d rather spent $200 getting a Smartphone.

So it seems that the answer is obvious and the question is silly. The netbook will never replace the notebook or the Smartphone. But it is the right device to be available at the market with the rational price range. For those who are only searching for a device for the internet surfing, emails and some basic daily use. The Smartphone will be not bad. But with some bucks more, the netbook will be better. The same function as Smartphone but with larger LCD and full sized keyboard, netbook will be an alternate.

But one thing for sure, the Smartphones are trying to catch up with netbooks. iPone, and G1 show us their quality. The year of 2009 will be a great year for smartphones although Mobile Phone Market Poise for Slowdown in 2009.

I’m Old Fashioned

After the release of Intel core i7, I am outdated. The new processor with the memory controller is nothing new but the X58 motherboards with DDR3 slots are something new for me, although some P45 motherboards have shipped with DDR3 slots. The only reason I know nothing about DDR3 is that I am the guy who stuck with DDR 2 memory and enjoys the price/performance ratio. I know how dual channel works but I know nothing about tri-channel. A computer with 3GB or 6GB memory is very interesting. Maybe it is easier to choose between 32bit and 64bit OS. But there is some memory comes with 2x2GB, so does that mean they are not working at tri-channel? Or they are working as dual channel? These are interesting to know for me.

As we can predict so far, I will have to use ddr3 sticks if I wanna enjoy the advanced tech. and I am really interested in Intel core i7. Although my E8400 will not be outdated like myself in the near future but I do wanna get a Christmas gift like core i7+X58 with both Crossfire and SLI. Wow, what a platform. So it is time to Google around (not goof around) and do some homework and try my best to a guy know something about everything before my next upgrade. Hopefully don’t mess up by the ddr3 memory.

Aside from DDR3 memory, the core i7 is quite new for me although it seems that all the tech it applied is nothing new at all. But after read some reviews of core i7. it finally drives me to make up mind to go with Quad core. Maybe it will take years for games to take full advantage of the 3rd or 4th core. But the turbo tech is interesting. Intel was plugging away at the power consumption. With the enhanced Speedstep and the new Turbo boost technology, Core i7 consumes less power in idle mode due to more aggressive power-efficient modes and its ability to disconnect cores from the power supply line. That is so cool. I can’t wait for it any longer. Come on.

Moreover, in the earlier or anytime in the coming 2009, I do wanna give Windows 7 a shot. The reason why I dump vista is that it really gets in my hair. The BSOD, the weird freezes up, the unexpected crashes, OMG, I am doubt if the God will stand vista any longer. Lol

Anyway, try my best to be updated.

Long time no Blog

Stack up and Mess up

It is a truth that universally acknowledged a man in possession of a single core must in want of a dual core or quad core processor. Breath, you are not alone. To pursuit the latest tech is our nature. And of course we are never satisfied. After dual core and quad core, we wanna six cores or eight cores. Moreover, we expect more from our pc and we try our best to squeeze the last drop of juice out of the rig. After the dual channel, the mem could run neck and neck with CPU. We still add more mem with higher speed although the RAM did not give us a hefty performance at all. 4GB memory seems to be a standard for any new rig. When I managed to add more memory to build dual channel, a guru (sort of) also told me some interesting combinations to be dual channel. Okay, it is my pleasure to share with you guys if you have 3GB or 1.5GB memory?

------------------------socket A DIMM 0     512MB

------------------------socket A DIMM 1     512MB  --------------à  dual channel :D

------------------------socket B DIMM 0     1GB

------------------------socket B DIMM 1

You can also combine dual channel with single channel via flex mode:

------------------------socket A DIMM 0     512MB --------------------------------à

------------------------socket A DIMM 1                      512GB---------- Dual channel

------------------------socket B DIMM 0     1GB ----------------à remaining 512 single channel

------------------------socket B DIMM 1

Sorry for the talking out of hat, ill move on.

The real bottleneck of a system might be HDDs, so after the HDDs are dirty cheap, we have another great idea, we tweak 2, 4 or even more HDDs in our rig. Buddy, you are right. To RAID is as popular as SLI and crossfire. But one thing for sure, in accordance with the evolve of the technologies, the price of these components are really compelling. I bought my second HDD with no hesitate, and of course ill raid. To speed up your system, go directly to stripping or RAID 0. For the sake of safety, Mirroring is always your best bet. And the wise solution is always a balance of multi consideration. RAID0+1 or RAID0 1 is up to grade. Don’t be upset by the fact that you motherboard does not come with a "R" ICH chipset, you can also buy a highpoint raid controller. or any other brands you trust.The same with video card, if you don't own a motherboard supporting SLI or Crossfire, it will be fine. You can buy a card with two GPUs build-in. such as 9800GX2, HD 4870X2, but to make sure that you do have a powerful PSU. Life is full of options indeed. do enjoy the colorful life.

It is so interesting to goof around and read some news.  To put more staffs together is our philosophy. We are trying to put more and more in the case and all of them are power hogs. A HD 4870X2 will consume 260 W, wow, that is cool. Maybe in the winter, we get another source of heat. To stack up is cool, but don't mess them up.

Enjoy your building. enjoy your upgrade or enjoy your messed up. lol

sorry,gtg bye "yawn"