Installing a Desktop Power Supply

01.Intro and Opening the Case

This guide was developed to instruct readers on the proper procedures for installing a power supply unit (PSU) into a desktop computer case. It includes step-by-step instructions with photographs for the physical installation of the PSU into a computer case.

IMPORTANT: Many name brand manufacturer PCs use specially designed power supplies that have been built specifically for their systems. As a result, it is generally not possible to buy a replacement power supply and install it into these systems. If your power supply is having problems, you will likely need to contact the manufacturer for repairs.

CAUTION: All power supplies contain various capacitors inside of them that retain power even after the power supply had all power turned off. Never open up or insert any metal objects into the vents of the power supply as you can risk electrical shock.

To start with installing a power supply, it is necessary to open up the case. The method for opening the case will vary depending upon its design. Most new cases use either a panel or door while older systems require the whole cover be removed. Be sure to remove any screws fastening the cover to the case and set them aside.

02.Aligning the Power Supply

Align the new PSU into place in the case so that the four mounting holes align properly. Make sure that any air intake fan on the power supply that resides in the case is facing towards the center of the case and not towards the case cover.

03.Fasten the Power Supply

Now comes one of the most difficult portions of the power supply installation. The power supply needs to be held in place while it is fastened to the case with screws. If the case has a shelf ledge that the power supply sits on, it will be easier to balance.

04.Set the Voltage Switch

Make sure that the voltage switch on the back of the power supply is set to the proper voltage level for your country. North America and Japan use 110/115v, while Europe and many other countriesuse 220/230v. In most cases the switch will come preset to the voltage settings for your region.

05.Plug the Power Supply to the Motherboard

If the computer already has the motherboard installed into it, the power leads from the power supply need to be plugged in. Most modern motherboard use the large ATX power connector that gets plugged into the socket on the motherboard. Some motherboards require an additional amount of power through a 4-pin ATX12V connector. Plug this in if required.

06.Connect Power to Devices

A number of items reside within a computer case that require power from the power supply. The most common device is the various hard drives and CD/DVD drives. Typically these use the 4-pin molex style connector. Locate the appropriate sized power leads and plug them into any devices that require power.

07.Close the Computer Case

At this point all of the installation and wiring should be completed with the power supply. Replace the computer cover or panel to the case. Fasten the cover or panel with the screws that were previously removed to open the case.

08.Plug in the Power and Turn on the System

Now all that is left is to provide the power to the computer. Plug in the AC cord to the power supply and turn the switch on the power supply to the ON position. The computer system should have available power and can be powered on. If you are replacing an older or damaged power supply, the steps to remove the power supply are identical to installing them but in the reverse order.

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Guide To Tablet Networking Features

How To Evaluate Which Tablet to Buy Based on Wireless Features

Tablets are great media devices but much of their usage is going to require some form of network connectivity. This is vital for functions such as browsing the web, checking email or streaming audio and video. As a result, network connectivity is built into every tablet available on the market. There are still some major differences between the tablets when it comes to their network features and this guide hopes to clarify some of the choices available to consumers.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is the most ubiquitous form of wireless networking technology. Pretty much every mobile device now comes with some form of Wi-Fi built into the device. This includes all tablets currently on the market. The technology is designed for local area networking so it alone will not connect you to the internet. Instead, it allows connection into a home wireless network that shares a network broadband connection or a public hot spot with internet access. Since public hot spots are very common in many locations including coffee shops, libraries, and airports, it is generally fairly easy to get connected to the internet.

Now Wi-Fi is comprised of multiple standards that are fairly compatible with one another. Most devices are now shipping with 802.11n Wi-Fi which is one of the most flexible of the technologies. The downside is that this can use one or both of the wireless spectrum depending upon what hardware is installed on a tablet.

All version will support the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum which is fully compatible with the older 802.11b and 802.11g networks. Better implementations will also include the 5GHz spectrum which is also compatible with 802.11a networks for the widest possible coverage. Typically devices that support both spectrums will be listed with 802.11a/g/n while 2.4GHz only devices will be 802.11b/g/n.

Another way to describe a device for both is called dual-band or dual antennae.

Speaking of the antennae, another technology that can be found in some tablets is called MIMO. What this does is essentially allow a tablet device to use multiple antennas to essentially provide increased data bandwidth by broadcasting over multiple channels in the Wi-Fi standard. In addition to increased bandwidth, this can also improve reliability and range of a tablet on Wi-Fi networks.

Recently some new 5G Wi-Fi networking products have started to be released. These are based on the 802.11ac standards. These products claim to be able to achieve transfer rates of up to 1.3Gbps which is three times the maximum that 802.11n and similar to that of gigabit ethernet. Like the 802.11a standard, it uses the 5GHz frequency but it is dual-band meaning it also supports 802.11n on the 2.4GHz frequency. While this is available in router products, it is not widely implemented on many tablets primarily because of the high cost of adding the extra antennae.

Here is a breakdown of the various Wi-Fi standards along with their features:

  • Ÿ 11ac – Up to 1.3Gbps, 5GHz Band with 2.4GHz Compatibility via 802.11n
  • Ÿ 11n – Up To 450Mbps Standard, 2.4 or 5GHz Band
  • Ÿ 11a – 54Mbps, 5GHz Band, Used Mainly By Corporations
  • Ÿ 11g – 54Mbps, 2.4GHz Band
  • Ÿ 11b – 11Mbps, 2.4GHz Band

3G/4G Wireless (Cellular)

Any tablet that offers 3G or 4G wireless connectivity has extra costs to it. Consumers will have to pay more in the hardware of the device in order to cover the additional transceivers. Typically this adds roughly one hundred dollars to the cost of the tablet but some are not so high of a price jump anymore. Now that you have the hardware, you must sign up for a wireless service plan with a carrier that the tablet is compatible with to use it on a 3G or 4G network.

Most data plans with wireless carriers are linked to a data cap that limits how much data you can download over that connection in a given month. For instance, a carrier might have a very low-cost option but caps it at just 1GB of data which is very low for some uses such as streaming. Just be warned that carriers may do different things once you reach that cap. Some may actually stop allowing data to be downloaded or others might throttle it so that things like streaming do not function. Some instead allow you to keep downloading and then charge you overage fees that are quite high. Some unlimited data plans still have caps on them that allow downloading up to a certain data amount at the full networks speeds but then reduce your network speeds for any data over the cap. This is referred to as data throttling. This can make comparing data plans very difficult as it is not easy to track how much data you might use before you have the device.

The 4G technology used to be somewhat complex because it was being rolled out in different ways by multiple carriers. Now they have all pretty much standardized on LTE which offers speeds of roughly 5 to 14 Mbps. Just like with 3G technology, tablets are typically locked down to a specific carrier based upon their internal SIM card. So be sure to research what carrier you might use before you purchase a tablet with LTE capabilities. Be sure to also verify that LTE coverage is supported where you will be using the tablet before spending the money for the feature as the coverage while good still is not quite as far reaching as 3G.

3G is previous data standards for cellular data but is not as common on most newer devices. It is a bit more complicated than 4G because it is based upon on a variety of different technologies but it essentially boils down to either being compatible with GSM or CDMA networks. These run over different frequency and signal technologies so they are not cross compatible within a device. GSM networks are managed by AT&T and T-Mobile while CDMA networks are handled by Sprint and Verizon within the US. Speeds are roughly the same at 1 to 2Mbps but reliability may be better with one network over another in a region. As a result, check coverage maps and reports. Typically, a 3G compatible tablet will be locked into one service provider due to exclusivity contracts within the US that allow the hardware to be locked to a specific provider. As a result, figure out which network you want to use before choosing your tablet. 3G features are becoming less common in favor of the new 4G wireless technology.

Bluetooth and Tethering

Bluetooth technology is primarily a means of connecting wireless peripherals to mobile devices often referred to as a Personal Area Network (PAN). This includes items such as keyboards or headsets. The technology can also be used as local networking for transferring files between devices. One function that people may consider using though is tethering.

Tethering is a method of linking a mobile device such as a laptop or tablet with a mobile phone to share the wireless broadband connection. This can theoretically be done with any device that has a wireless broadband connection and Bluetooth with another Bluetooth device. So, a 3G/4G capable tablet could share it with a laptop or a 3G/4G mobile phone could share a connection with a tablet. The problem is that most wireless carriers have been able to force the hardware and software companies to lock out these features within the US networks. As a result, it really is not a very functional method for the average user but is possible for those willing to unlock their devices or pay the carriers for the privilege to use such a feature.

If you are interested in using such a function, check with the wireless carrier and the device manufacturer to ensure that it is possible before buying any hardware. Some carriers have begun to offer it but with additional fees involved. Additionally, the feature could always be removed by the carriers at a later date.

Wireless Base Stations / Mobile Hotspots / MiFi

Wireless base stations or mobile hotspots are a new form of technology that allows an individual to connect a wireless router to a high-speed wireless network such as 3G or 4G networks and allowing other devices that have standard Wi-Fi to share that broadband connection. The first such device was called the MiFi produced by Novatel networks. While these solutions are not as portable as having the wireless broadband built into the tablet itself, they are useful because it allows the connection to be used with a greater number of devices and gives users the flexibility of purchasing less expensive hardware. The MiFi devices will still be locked into a carrier and require a data contract just like having the wireless contact for a tablet-specific 3G/4G service.

Interestingly, some of the new tablets with 4G technology built into them have the possibility of being used at a hotspot for other Wi-Fi enabled devices. This is a very attractive feature for those that have a tablet and a laptop that would like to use both over a single data contract. As always, check to make sure that the tablet and data contract allows for this functionality.

Near Field Computing

NFC or near field computing is a relatively new short-range networking system. The most common use of the technology right now is a mobile payment system such as Google Wallet and Apple Pay. Theoretically, it could be used for more than just payment but also for syncing to PCs or other tablets. A few tablets are now beginning to feature this technology.

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Set Up Your New Android Smartphone in a Snap

So you have a new Android smartphone. Maybe it’s the Google Pixel or the latest model from Samsung, Motorola, or OnePlus. Whichever one you choose, you’ll want to get it up and running as fast as possible.

Setting up a new Android smartphone used to be rather tedious and labor intensive, but if you have Android Lollipop, Marshmallow, or Nougat, there are ways to avoid manually downloading your favorite apps one at a time or building your contact list all over again.

First, there’s Tap & Go, which uses NFC (near field communication) to transfer data between your new and old phone. All that’s required is that your new phone runs Lollipop, Marshmallow, or Nougat and that your old phone has built-in NFC, which came to Android phones in 2010. If your old device doesn’t have NFC (or you just don’t have it handy), a second option enables you to restore selected apps from any of your registered devices. Of course, if you choose, you can still set up your Android device from scratch.

Google Pixel owners have yet another alternative, using an included quick switch adaptor. Just connect the new and old devices, choose what you’d like to transfer, and you’re ready to go. You can connect the adapter to devices running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or later and iPhones running iOS 8 or later.

Android Tap & Go

When you start up your new device, you have the option to use Tap & Go.

Just enable NFC in both phones and tap the backs together. The data, including your Google accounts and apps from your old phone, will begin transferring to the new one. If you use Google Now, this process will also restore your home screens.

Restore From an Old Android Device

What if your old phone doesn’t have NFC?

During set-up, if you skip Tap & Go, you can choose the restore option, which enables you to choose which of your devices you want to restore from, and what, specifically, you want to carry over to the new phone. You can restore any Android device associated with your Google account.

Start From Scratch

You can also make a fresh start, and simply “set up as new device,” if you’d like to install your apps manually. If you have synced your contacts with your Google account, those will carry over once you sign in.

Once you’ve installed your apps, you should check for updates on built-in apps, such as those from Google. Next, you’ll want to set-up Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and then customize your notifications.

Should You Root Your New Phone?

Next, you should consider whether you want to root your phone. If you have the OnePlus One, there’s no need; it already runs a custom ROM, Cyanogen. Rooting means you can access advanced settings on your phone that are typically blocked by the manufacturer. When you root your phone, you can remove “bloatware” (unwanted apps installed by your carrier) and download apps, such as Titanium Backup, that require root access.

Android Accessories

Now that you have the software covered, it’s time to think about the hardware.

Do you need a case? You can protect your smartphone from drops and spills and be stylish at the same time. What about a portable charger? Investing in one means you don’t have to worry about being low on battery life when you’re on the go, and you can usually use one to charge multiple devices. If your new phone has wireless charging built in, consider buying a wireless charging pad. Some device manufacturers, including Samsung, sell these, as well as many third-party companies. Instead of plugging in, you can just place your phone on the charging pad.

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Low Cost Windows Laptops vs. Tablets

Many years ago, the netbook was the king of low cost mobile computing. With the rise of tablets and the increasing costs of netbooks, most consumers elected to use tablets. Now a new class of low cost laptops running full versions of Windows are avaiable for roughly $200. This makes the decision of which would be better for a bit more difficult. This article looks at the two different platforms and how they compare in terms of usage to help consumers decide which of the two might be better suited for their needs.

Pricing

The new low cost computing platform is tablets these days. It is easy to find a tablet for under $100 make them half the cost of even the least expensive Windows laptop. Even Intel’s latest Compute Stick, which is not really a mobile device, is three times the cost of the Amazon Fire tablet. So, if you are on a really tight budget the tablet is still king of low cost computing when compared to even the least expensive Windows laptops.

Size

Once again, tablets tend to offer a smaller overall size than the low cost Windows laptops. Much of this has to do with the fact that the tablets tend to use 8-inch or smaller screens compared to the 11-inch screen size you find in the low cost Windows laptops. This smaller screen means that they also don’t require as much power for their displays letting them reduce the size of batteries as well. The result, a device that is thinner, smaller and ultimately lighter.

The average tablet weight is around one pound or less while most laptops still weigh in at two pounds or more.

Performance

This category is much more difficult to classify as devices can vary greatly in performance and most tablets are running different software than a laptop running Windows. For the most part in terms of raw performance, the Windows laptops tend to have better processors and capabilities.

The problem is that depending on what you do, a tablet with less might still perform better because the software is more streamlined than the laptop. As a result, this is really a toss up over which is better. This one really requires a side by side comparison of the two devices

Battery Life

With their extremely efficient processors, smaller screens and generally larger batteries, tablets tend to give more running time than most Windows laptops. The difference between the two keeps getting smaller as time goes on. In fact, many of the new tablets with their smaller size have shorter running time than the larger tablets from a few years ago. In contrast, efficiency keeps improving on laptops moving their running times up. Still, you can generally expect more than six hours of video watching with a tablet compared to less than that for a Windows laptop. Just remember, all devices tend to claim longer battery life than they really get.

Software

Years ago, it was easy to say that a Windows based laptop enjoyed a greater overall selection of application choices compared to a tablet. But things have changed a lot over the years. For instance, most tablets offer a greater range of entertainment options in terms of games than a Windows laptop.

In addition, productivity software options have improved for tablets making them much closer to the Windows software than in the past. The decision here really depends on what you intend to do with the device. If you are looking to use it mostly for browser the web, reading mail and playing games, a tablet has the clear advantage these days. If you need to run Windows specific programs or use productivity software, the Windows laptops still have a bit of an advantage. Of course, there are also Windows based tablets as well which sort of straddle both of the categories if you need that flexibility.

Expansion

Tablets may have a lot of accessories for them but most of them don’t add additional capabilities. You can probably add some extra storage if it has a miniSD card slot but you can’t do much else beyond this. On the other hand, the Windows laptops at least have features like USB 3.0 that let you add better keyboards, mice, storage and even displays to the laptop to make them more functional.

Usability

This is a category where each of the devices has its own advantages and disadvanteages over the other. After all, the tablets are all touchscreen devices. This makes the extremely easy to use with a single hand and to quickly navigate through pages and applications with simple gestures. On the other hand, the touchscreen and the laptop of a keyboard makes them much more difficult for entering a lot of text. So you if are writing a lot of documents, fiddling with spreadsheets or just trying to communicate effectively with email, the laptop with the keyboard is probably the better overall choice.

Which is Right For You?

Each person is going to need something a bit different out of their computing. Hopefully, this comparison of different aspects between the tablets and low cost Windows laptops have helped narrow down your decision. For me, the Windows laptops are still a bit too restricted compared to a traditional laptop that a tablet fills my needs better than a $200 laptop. This is not true for a number of my colleauges that prefer the access to a keyboard to do their writing such that they would opt for the laptop over the tablet.

Why Does Your Device Have Less Battery Life Than Advertised?

You have seen the claims that a laptop or tablet will run six, eight and even more than twelve hours on a single charge. These sound like spectacular feats that would actually allow one to use a device for an entire transoceanic flight. The problem is that most of these devices would not be able to run for that long. How can manufacturers make such claims about their laptops or tablets even though users are unable to achieve such results?

Battery Capacity and Power Consumption

There are two things that will be the basis for determining how long a laptop or tablet should run on batteries. Of course, the overall capacity of the battery is the easiest to determine and understand. All batteries can store a fixed amount of energy in them. This is generally listed as either mAh (milliamp hours) or Whr (watt hours). The higher the number that a battery is rated at, the more energy that is stored in the battery.

Why is the battery capacity important? If two devices that use the same amount of power, the one with a higher mAh or Whr rated battery will last longer. This makes comparison easy for the batteries themselves. The problem is that no two configurations will draw the same amount of power.

The power consumption of a laptop or tablet depends upon all of the components inside of it. So, a system with a processor that consumes less power will generally last longer if all parts are equal but they almost never are.

It gets even more complicated because the power consumption can also vary depending upon how the device is being used. Certain tasks on devices tend to use up more power. For instance, a brighter screen or a more intensive application will often cause the device to pull more power from the battery thus shortening the running time.

It used to be that the size of the device could easily let you know how much power and how long of a running time it might produce. This has changed as the processing capabilities of today’s processors has gotten much more powerful than the applications most people use them for. More and more companies are moving to more energy efficient processors that provide enough performance for our applications while also providing longer running times.

Manufacturer Claims

Now that the basics are out of the way, how can a manufacturer come up with a claim of something like ten hours of running time for a laptop yet a user in real world use may get only half as much time? It all has to do with how the manufacturers conduct their battery life tests. The most common of these is a function of the MobileMark for laptops and TabletMark for tablets benchmarking suites from BapCo. They simulate computer usage through application use and web browsing to best approximate how people use their laptop or tablet.

Now, in theory, this is a good plan to trying and simulate general usage. The problem is that no person uses their device in the same manner and the test results they provide generally don’t match to real world usage.

The test generally has the CPU idle during much of the test on the basis that many people are either idle or their applications are awaiting user input. It also does not set various power settings within the OS and device. Manufacturers often use various tricks such as decreasing the display brightness to the lowest levels and turning all of the battery saving features to their maximum so they can get the highest run times possible even if it means less than desirable real world use for consumers.

If you happen to use your laptop or tablet to just browse the web and check email, the results may match up very well with manufacturer claims.

The problem is that most of us are not using it the same way the tests are designed for. For instance, we often have the brightness much higher than the minimum. This is especially true for mobile devices used outdoors where they have to be set near maximum just to be visible. Also, many people use their devices for playing games or watching media which produces a more consistent and higher power draw than the benchmark tests.

How To Test for Battery Life

Do not use any benchmarking application when testing for battery life or the various tricks that the manufacturers may use to get their various numbers for advertising. Instead, use a video playback test on all laptops and tablets using the default power profiles and software settings that they ship with. This video playback is then looped and timed until the device goes into an automatic shutdown for low battery by the operating system.

For instance, on long airplane flights, many people use their devices as media players to keep themselves entertained. Many people also tend to binge watch the streaming video through services like Netflix. The best part though is that this is a test that can be done on any device, laptop or tablet making for a good test between different operating systems like Mac OS X or Windows as well as Android or iOS.

What Consumers Should Do With Battery Life Numbers

Any consumer who is presented by a battery life number while researching a product needs to be wary. Some manufacturers are better than others at disclosing how they achieve their results. For instance, they may say that they used the MobileMark testing suite with the brightness set to something like 150 nits (often less than 50 percent brightness levels). Such a claim will often let you know that the time might be inflated compared to another than states it achieved their results in a video playback loop at 75% brightness levels. If there is no disclaimer on how the running time was achieved, assume that they used the automated testing suites with the most advantageous power settings on the device.

Once you have determined how the running time estimates for the laptop or tablet have been generating, you can estimate the approximate running time you may get based upon how you will use the device. There are generally three classes of users that people fall into:

  • Light users primarily use their devices for browsing the web and office software. Light Usage: Claimed Time x .85
  • Medium users tend to use their devices for streaming video for long stretches of time. Medium Usage: Claimed Time x .75
  • Heavy users are ones that like to play games or do tasks like desktop video editing. Heavy Usage: Claimed Time x .50

These formulas are just an estimate and one based upon the most advantageous and generous times for a manufacturer. If for instance the estimate is based on a video playback look, a light user might actually see longer running times while a medium user may have equal and the heavy user still sees less.

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Choosing the Right Camera Batteries

The camera battery has evolved and it is not as simple as picking up a pack of AAs at the drug store anymore. Many cameras use very specific batteries that can only be found at camera or computer stores.

The battery is the power source for your digital camera and it is essential that you use the correct battery in order for your camera to work correctly when you need it to. Remember, without a good battery, you cannot take a picture!

Proprietary vs. Common Batteries

The majority of cameras now require a certain style of battery for a particular camera. Battery styles vary by both manufacturer and camera model. It is very important to purchase the battery made specifically for your camera model!

Do a search for ‘Nikon battery’ or ‘Canon battery’ and you will find many different shapes of batteries even within that particular manufacturer. Some are for point and shoot cameras while others are for DSLR cameras.

The nice thing is that most (not all!) DSLR cameras by one manufacturer use the same style of battery. This is convenient when upgrading bodies because you can (again, in most cases) use the same batteries in your new camera that you did in the old camera.

On the other side, there are a few cameras that continue to use common battery sizes such as AAA or AA. This is found most often in point and shoot cameras.

Some DSLR cameras can be fitted with a vertical grip accessory that holds two of the brand’s proprietary batteries and this could also be adapted to fit the common battery sizes.

Check your camera body’s accessory list to see if this is possible.

Types of Batteries

Disposable

For cameras that use AA or AAA batteries, disposables should only be used in an emergency when no charger is available. They are too expensive to use every day.

Try carrying disposable lithium AAs for emergencies.

They are more expensive, but they hold three times the charge and weigh about half as much as standard alkaline AA batteries.

Common Rechargeable AAs and AAAs (NiCd and NiMH)

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries are more efficient than the older Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries.

NiMH batteries are more than twice as powerful, and they also have no “memory effect,” which is the effect that builds up if you re-charge a NiCd battery before it’s fully discharged. The memory effect essentially reduces the maximum capacity of future charges, and the memory effect becomes worse if repeated.

Rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)

These are the most commonly used style of battery in digital cameras, particularly in DSLRs. They are lighter, more powerful, and more compact than NiMH batteries, but they do cost more.

Li-ion batteries come in brand-specific formats, although a few cameras accept disposable lithium batteries (such as CR2s) via an adapter.

Brand Name vs. Generic Batteries

Today’s camera manufacturers are also in the battery business. They produce their proprietary batteries under their name so consumers get a battery they can (hopefully) trust. Canon and Nikon both produce batteries for every camera they sell and many other camera manufacturers do as well.

As is often the case, generic brands do exist in the digital camera market. They are the exact size and shape of the brand name batteries and will often have the same output of power. They are also considerably cheaper.

While all generic batteries are not bad, caution should be taken when buying one. Read reviews!

The problem may not be seen immediately with generic batteries, but it may appear in the future. One of the most common issues is the battery’s ability to hold a good charge in a year or two. Granted, it is not unheard of for any rechargeable battery to go weak, but it often seems that generics go weaker more quickly than the brand names.

The point is that you should do your research. Consider whether the money saved on a generic battery today is worth the potential problems and quicker replacement that may be required.

Guide to Laptop Storage Drives

Most modern laptops are moving away from the traditional mechanical drives in favor of more durable and smaller solid state options.

This change is being fueled by the fact that laptops keep getting smaller, and so their internal space is restricted and no longer accommodating for larger storage devices.

To help clear up confusion for buyers, this guide looks at all the various types of drives that may be in a laptop, and what they can offer.

Hard Drives

Hard drives (HDDs) are still the most common form of storage in a laptop and are pretty straight forward.

Generally, the drive will be referred to by its capacity and rotational speed. Larger capacity drives tend to perform better than smaller ones and faster spinning drives, when compared with ones of similar capacity, are usually more responsive than slower ones.

However, slower spinning HDDs do have a slight advantage when it comes to laptop running times because they draw less power.

Laptop drives are typically 2.5 inches in size and can range from 160 GB up to over 2 TB in capacity. Most systems will have between 500 GB and 1 TB of storage, which is more than enough for the standard laptop system.

If you’re looking at a laptop to replace your desktop as your primary system that will hold all your documents, videos, programs, etc., consider getting one with a hard drive that’s 750 GB or larger.

Solid State Drives

Solid state drives (SSDs) are starting to replace hard drives in more laptops, especially the new ultrathin laptops.

These types of hard drives use a set of flash memory chips rather than a magnetic platter to store the data. They provide faster data access, lower power consumption, and higher reliability.

The downside is that SSDs don’t come in such large capacities as traditional hard drives. Plus, they usually cost a lot more.

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A typical laptop equipped with a solid state drive will have anywhere from 16 GB to 512 GB of storage space, although there are some available with more than 500 GB but they are prohibitively expensive. If this is the only storage in the laptop, it should have at least 120 GB of space but ideally around 240 GB or more.

The type of interface that the solid state drive uses can also have a significant impact on the performance but many companies do not overtly advertise it. Most inexpensive systems like Chromebooks tend to use eMMC which isn’t much more than a flash memory card, while high performance laptops use the new M.2 cards with PCI Express (PCIe).

Solid State Hybrid Drives

If you want higher performance than a traditional hard drive but don’t want to sacrifice storage capacity, a solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) is another option. Some companies are referring to these as just hybrid hard drives.

Solid state hybrid drives include a small amount of solid state memory on a traditional hard drive that is used to cache frequently used files.

They do help speed up tasks such as booting up a laptop but they aren’t always faster. In fact, this form of drive is best used when a limited number of applications are used on a frequent basis.

Smart Response Technology and SSD Cache

Similar to hybrid hard drives, some laptops are using both traditional hard drives with a small solid state drive. The most common form of this uses the Intel Smart Response Technology. This provides the benefits of the storage capacities of the hard drive while gaining the speed benefits of a solid state drive.

Unlike SSHDs, these caching mechanisms usually use larger drives between 16 and 64 GB that provide a boost to a larger range of frequently used applications, thanks to the extra space.

Some older ultrabooks use a form of SSD caching that offers higher storage capacities or lower costs, but Intel has changed this so that a dedicated solid state drive is required in order for new machines to meet the ultrabook branding requirements.

This is becoming much less common now that prices for SSD’s continue to drop.

CD, DVD and Blu-ray Drives

It used to be that you were required to have an optical drive on a laptop since most software was distributed on discs, so it was required in order to load the program to your computer. However, with the rise of digital distribution and alternate methods of booting, optical drives are not a requirement like they once were.

These days, they’re used more for watching movies or playing games, as well as burning programs to a disc, creating DVDs, or building audio CDs.

If you do need an optical drive, what type of drive should you get on a laptop? Well, whatever you end up getting, it should definitely be compatible with DVDs. One of the great advantages to laptops is their ability to be used as portable DVD players. Anyone who travels regularly has seen at least one person pull out a laptop and start watching a movie during the flight.

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DVD writers are pretty much standard for laptops that have an optical drive. They can fully read and write both CD and DVD formats. This makes them extremely useful for those looking to watch DVD movies on the go or for editing their own DVD movies.

Now that Blu-ray has become the defacto high definition standard, more laptops are beginning to ship with these drives. Blu-ray combo drives have all the features of a traditional DVD burner with the ability to play Blu-ray movies. Blu-ray writers add the ability to burn lots of data or video to the BD-R and BD-RE media.

Here are some optical drive options and the tasks they are best suited for:

  • Basic computing w/DVD Playback: DVD-ROM
  • DVD/CD Recording: DVD Writer
  • HD Video Playback: Blu-ray Combo
  • HD Video Recording: Blu-ray Writer

With current component costs, there is almost no reason that a laptop would not have a DVD burner if it is going to have an optical drive. What is surprising is that Blu-ray drives have not become more standard as their prices are also quite low now for the combo drives. It should also be noted that laptop drives are generally much slower than similar drives found in desktop systems.

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Even if a laptop does not have an internal optical drive, it’s still possible to use one so long as you have an open USB port for room to attach a USB optical drive.

Drive Accessibility

Drive accessibility is important when considering whether to upgrade or replace a damaged drive. It’s important to know what you’re doing, so you might consider having an authorized technician open the computer.

This generally isn’t a problem for many people, but in a corporate environment it can cause increased down time for a worker. Laptops that have drive bays that are accessible or swappable have the advantage of easy and quick access for upgrades or replacements.

In addition to being accessible, it’s also important to get an idea of what kind of drive bays there are and what the size requirements may be. For instance, the 2.5-inch drive bays used for hard drives and solid state drives can come in several sizes. The larger 9.5 mm drives often have better performance and capacities but if the drive bay only fits 7.0 mm drives due to a thin profile, you need to know that.

Similarly, some systems use the mSATA or M.2 cards rather than a traditional 2.5-inch hard drive for their solid state drive. So, if the drives can be accessed and replaced, be sure to know what type of interfaces and physical size limits there are.

What Are the I/O Ports On a Laptop?

I/O ports refer to input/output ports. These are connectors on your laptop that enable you to connect to digital cameras, video cameras, televisions, external storage devices, printers and scanners. The number and type of I/O ports will vary with the style of laptop and you will pay to have more port options.

Bluetooth

Uses wireless technology over short distances (approx. 30 ft) to transfer data between devices. When looking at laptops with Bluetooth, look for models that will let you turn off your Bluetooth without having to jump through a lot of steps. As a security precaution you don’t want to leave Bluetooth enabled while traveling.

DVI Port

DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and is a high quality connection between the laptop and an external display or a television. The biggest difficulty mobile professionals may run into with using DVI is if they have access to older TVs or monitors which do not have DVI connection capability. It’s best to be prepared to use another means of connecting to an external screen or monitor.

FireWire 400 & 800 (IEEE 1394 and 1394b)

FireWire ports were originally only found on Apple computers and laptops. It is a high speed connection that is well suited for transferring video, graphics and music. There are now external hard drives which connect by FireWire and this makes transferring information between your laptop and FireWire hard drive very quick. FireWire devices can be connected to each other and then one device is connected to a laptop. You can also transfer data from one FireWire device to another without needing your laptop. This can be handy with video cameras or digital cameras. Rather than lugging your laptop everywhere you can take a portable hard drive instead.

Headphone Port

Again, the headphone jack is easy to understand. You can plug in headphones if you don’t want to disturb those around your or use external speakers to share your music.

IrDA (Infrared Data Association)

Data can be transferred using infrared light waves between laptops, your laptop and a PDA and printers. This can be very convenient as you don’t need any cables. IrDa ports transfer data at about the same speed as parallet ports and you must make sure that the devices transferring to each other are lined up and within a few feet of each other.

Memory Card Readers

Most laptops now have built-in memory card readers but the laptops will not always be able to read/write all the types of memory cards. In those cases where there isn’t a memory card reader such as the MacBook, an external memory card reader will be required. Depending on the type of memory card, an adapter may be required to insert the memory card into your laptop. microSD can be read and written to in laptops with the use of an adapter. Most microSD cards will include an adapter. The memory card reader connects to your laptop via USB. They range in price and capabilities. D-Link and IOGear are makers of commonly found memory card readers.

Memory Cards

Memory cards are a way to expand the memory on your laptop and share files between devices. Memory cards can be specific to a type of gadget, such as the Sony Memory Stick are used in Sony digital cameras. Other memory card formats can be used in any type of device and don’t require special software. The most common types of memory cards are: Compact Flash I and II, SD, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro & Pro Duos XD-Picture, Mini SD and Micro SD. Larger capacity memory cards are best if you can afford to buy them. You’ll spend less time transferring data and you can do more with higher capacity memory cards.

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Microphone Port

Just as the name implies this is a port to connect a microphone which can be handy when narrating your great movie creation or a PowerPoint presentation for work. You can also use a microphone with different Instant Messaging programs and VoIP programs. The quality of input will vary with laptops and as always, you get better quality and sounds cards with higher priced models.

Modem (RJ-11)

The modem port enables you to connect to telephone lines for either a dial-up Internet connection or to be able to send and receive faxes. You connect a regular telephone line cord to the modem and then to an active phone jack.

Parallel/Printer Port

Some older laptops and desktop replacement laptops will still have parallel ports included. These can be used to connect to printers, scanners and to other computers in some cases. Parallel ports are a slower transfer method and in most cases have been replaced by USB and /or FireWire ports.

PCMCIA Type I/II/II

PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. It was one of the original methods for adding more memory to laptops. These three types of cards are all the same length but have different widths. PCMCIA cards can be used to add networking capabilities, ROM or RAM, modem capabilities or just more storage space. Each type of card fits into a particular type of PCMCIA slot and they are not interchangeable although Type III can hold one Type III card or a combination of Type I or Type II. Table 1.3 shows the card type, thickness and the possible uses for each type of PCMCIA card. NOTE – Compact Flash cards can be used in PCMCIA ports and in order to use them you will need an a PC card adapter.

RJ-45 (Ethernet)

The RJ-45 Ethernet port enables you to connect to wired networks to share computer resources or Internet connections. Some laptop models will have 100Base-T (Fast Ethernet) ports and newer laptops have Gigabit Ethernet which has a much faster transfer rate.

S-Video

S-Video stands for Super-Video and is another method for transferring video signals. S-Video ports are found most often on desktop replacement models and media laptops. This lets you connect your laptop to a television to view your creations on a bigger screen or transfer movies and television shows to your laptop.

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USB

USB means Universal Serial Bus. You can attach just about any kind of peripheral to your laptop with USB. USB has replaced serial and parallel ports on laptops. It provides a faster transfer rate and it is possible to connect up to 127 devices on one USB port. Lower priced laptops generally have two USB ports and higher priced models can have 4 – 6 ports. USB devices draw their power from the USB connection and do not draw very much power so they won’t drain your battery. Devices which do draw more power will come with their own AC/DC adapters. To connecti with USB plug in the gadget and the system should recognize it. If your system doesn’t already have a driver installed for that device you are prompted for the driver.

VGA Monitor Port

The VGA monitor port enables you to connect an external monitor to your laptop. You can use the external monitor on its own (handy when you have an ultraportable laptop with a 13.3″ display). As monitor prices come down, many laptop owners invest in a large screen display and use their laptop with the external large display. Laptop operating systems (Mac and Windows) support the use of multiple monitors and it easy to set up. There are also hardware solutions such as the Matrox DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go which allow you to add either 2 or 3 external monitors to your laptop. Working with an additional monitor or two can make work much less tedious and working with multi-media much more enjoyable.

Wi-Fi

Find models that have an external switch to turn Wi-Fi on and off. If you aren’t working and don’t need a wireless connection you do not need to have the wireless turned on. It will merely drain your battery faster and potentially leave you open to unwanted access.

Top 9 Laptop Computer Safety Tips

Safely using your laptop will help ensure it works properly and you don’t get hurt. Improper use or not being aware of safety issues can cause your laptop irreparable damage. These safety tips should be added to your weekly laptop maintenance routine and will help you stay productive and safe no matter where you are working.

01.Shut It Down

Unlike a desktop computer a laptop computer needs to be shut down when not in use. Shutting down when not in use prevents the laptop from overheating and it also needs the rest.

02.Adjusting Power Settings

Adjusting your power options will help your laptop from heating up when not in use even if for short periods of time. You can set your hard drive and display to turn off after a set time period. Another option is to set the laptop to go into standby or hibernate mode.

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03.Before You Pack It Up

Make sure that before you put your laptop into its carrying bag that it is shut down. A notebook that has been left on can melt. When enclosed in a notebook bag there is no air circulation and the results can be worse than melting. Don’t find out the hard way and just be sure to turn off your laptop.

04.Vent Maintenance

Part of your weekly routine should be to inspect and clean the air vents in your laptop. Forced air dusters can be used to keep the air vents clean and free from debris. It’s important to know that you should never push anything into the air vents.

05.Checking the Fan

Overheating problems can be caused by the laptop fan not working properly. Always check the laptop manufacturer’s online support and your warranty information. It may be possible to download software to test your laptop fan.

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06.BIOS Updates

Some laptops control the fans through the BIOS. Check online with the laptop manufacturer for BIOS updates. If you aren’t comfortable updating the BIOS yourself, have someone in your IT dept. or have an outside computer technician do it for you.

07.Avoid Lap Burn

Using a laptop desk or cooler will prevent you from being burned when using your laptop. A good laptop desk will have large enough vents for allowing air circulation between you and the laptop. Some laptop desks have additional fans which use power from the laptop itself to stay cool.

08.Soft Spots

It’s a wise idea not to use any soft material as a buffer between you and your laptop. Always operate your laptop on a hard surface, preferably one that allows ventilation. Soft materials can block the airflow vents and cause it to overheat. If it is not possible to avoid using a soft surface, an optional heat sink base should be used to maintain cooling.

09.Unplug Accessories

Whenever your laptop will not be in use, even for short periods of time remember to unplug any accessories. Not only do they use power but they could cause the laptop to overheat. It’s especially important to unplug any accessories before packing your laptop in its carrying case. While you may believe it will make it quicker to use, it could damage your laptop, the accessory and/or your laptop bag.

How to Extend Your iPad’s Battery Life

With each iPad release, one constant remain.  The iPad is becoming faster and faster and the graphics get better every year, but the device still maintains an amazing 10 hours of battery life. But for those of us that use our iPad throughout the day, it’s still easy for it to run low.  And there’s nothing worse than trying to stream video from Netflix only to have that low battery message pop up and interrupt your show.

Luckily, there are a few tips you can use to save iPad battery life and keep that from happening as often.

Here’s How You Can Get the Most Out of Your iPad’s Battery:

1.Adjust the brightness.

The iPad has an auto-brightness feature which helps tune the iPad based on the light quality in the room, but this feature is not enough.  Adjusting the overall brightness may be the best single thing you can do to eek out a little more from your battery.  You can adjust the brightness by opening the iPad’s settings, choosing Display & Brightness from the left-side menu and moving the brightness slider.  The goal is to get it where it is still comfortable enough to read, but not quite as bright as the default setting.

2.Turn off Bluetooth.

Many of us don’t have any Bluetooth devices connected to the iPad, so all the Bluetooth service is doing for us is waste the iPad’s battery life. If you don’t have any Bluetooth devices, make sure Bluetooth is turned off.  A quick way to flip the switch for Bluetooth is to open the iPad Control Panel by swiping up from the very bottom edge of the display.

3.Turn off Location Services.

While even the Wi-Fi-only model of the iPad does a great job of determining its location, most of us don’t use the location services on our iPad as much as we use them on our iPhone. Turning GPS is a quick and easy way to save a little battery power while not giving up any features. And remember, if you do need GPS, you can always turn it back on.  You can turn off locations services in the iPad’s settings under Privacy.

4.Turn off Push Notification.

While Push Notification is an excellent feature, it does drain a little bit of battery life as the device checks to see if it needs to push a message to the screen. If you are looking to do the most to optimize your battery life, you can turn Push Notification off completely. Alternatively, you can turn it off for individual apps, decreasing the number of push notifications you receive.  You can turn off Push Notification in settings under “Notifications”.

5.Fetch Mail Less Often.

By default, the iPad will check for new mail every 15 minutes. Pushing this back to 30 minutes or an hour can help your battery last longer. Simply go into settings, choose the Mail settings and tap the “Fetch New Data” option. This page will let you set how often your iPad fetches mail. There’s even an option to only check for mail manually.

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6.Turn off 4G.

Most of the time, we use the iPad at home, which means using it via our Wi-Fi connection. Some of us use it at home almost exclusively. If you often find yourself low on battery power, a good tip is to turn off your 4G data connection. This will keep it from draining any power when you aren’t using it.

7.Turn off Background App Refresh.

Introduced in iOS 7, background app refresh keeps your apps updated by refreshing them while the iPad is idle or while you are in another app.  This can drain some extra battery life, so if you don’t mind whether or not the iPad refreshes your Facebook newsfeed and has it waiting for you, go into Settings, choose General Settings and scroll down until you find “Background App Refresh”.  You can choose to turn off the service as a whole or simply turn off individual apps you don’t care as much about.

8.Find out what apps are eating up all of your battery life.

Did you know you can check your iPad’s battery usage?  This is a great way to find out what apps you are using a lot and which apps may be eating up more than their fair share of your battery.  You can check usage in the iPad’s settings by selecting Battery from the left-side menu.

9.Keep Up With iPad Updates.

It is always important to keep iOS updated with the latest patches from Apple. Not only can this help optimize battery life on the iPad, it also makes sure you are getting the latest security fixes and patching any bugs that have popped up, which will help the iPad run smoother.

10.Reduce Motion.

This is a trick that will save a little battery life and make the iPad seem a little more responsive.  The iPad’s interface includes a number of animations like windows zooming in and zooming out and the parallax effect on icons that make them seem to hover over the background image.  You can turn off these interface effects by going to settings, tapping General settings, tapping Accessibility and touching Reduce Motion to find the switch.

11.Buy a Smart Case.

The Smart Case can save battery life by putting the iPad into suspend mode when you close the flap.   It may not seem like much, but if you aren’t in the habit of hitting the Sleep/Wake button every time you are finished using the iPad, it can help give you an extra five, ten or even fifteen minutes at the end of the day.

Does the iPad Have a Low Power Mode?

Apple recently released a neat new feature for iPhones called “Low Power Mode”.  This feature alerts you at 20% and again at 10% power that you are running low on battery life and offers to put the phone in a Low Power Mode.  This mode turns off a number of features, including features that couldn’t ordinarily be turned off such as special graphics used in the user interface.   It’s a great way to get the most juice out of the dregs of the battery, but unfortunately, the feature doesn’t exist on the iPad.

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