Windows Tools, Help & Guides

Windows Forums member, Bert_H, asked the following question in our suggestion box:

[I'd like] an explanation on i3, i5, i7 Operating Systems, and how they compare with Core 2 and Quad Core CPUs.

Update: Manuel commented asking the following:

It seems core2 duo CPUs have not been included and where they belong.  Are core 2 duo CPUs comparable with i3s or even i5s?  thanks.

Scroll down or click here for the answer.

If you’re in the market to buy a PC and you’re looking for the best value for money, you’ve likely asked yourself: “what’s the difference between Dual and Quad Core and what about i3, i5, and i7?”
This guide offers a basic explanation of these five types of processors and will help you determine the best for your needs.
Before we go much further, I should make it clear that comparing Quad Core with i7 is not as simple as it sounds as they are not completely comparable. You’ll see why as you read on.
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If you are anything like me, every time you sit down at your PC you think of all the component upgrades you could invest in. The problem is that there simply isn’t enough cash in the world to do everything you’d like to (for most of us at least – good riddance to those of you that have that kind of cake). Using my own experience I’ve compiled a short list of the most cost-effective upgrades you can make to boost the joy you experience every time you use your PC. Read the rest of this entry »

I spend a good amount of time recommending PC parts and gadgets to friends. Do you? What’s your next purchase and why did you pick that item?

My next purchase will probably be a cadence sensor for my commuter bike.

Let us know in the comments.

In my last article (An Explanation of the Pros and Cons of Using RAID on Your Computer), we discussed the problem of heat build-up during the very hot Auckland summer months and how a RAID 5 configuration with 4 disks can sustain the failure of a single disk. RAID protections provide one part of what should be an overall strategy to protect your data and your computer from heat.

In this piece we divert a bit from our standard hardware/software fare and look at the computing environment as a whole. We will postulate that a tidy workspace is, in fact, a happy workspace and suggest a few tricks to make your work-space more productive and more comfortable.

The three biggest factors driving the design of my workspace are heat, noise and clutter. If I can minimise these three and maximize my computing power and productivity (all within family budget constraints, of course), I will have archived the objective.

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The purpose of this post is to confirm the confidence I have in RAID technology as expressed in the earlier post “RAID“. It is occasioned by my recent plans to write a very different piece.

Background: the Warning Signs

Summers can get pretty hot here in Auckland. The average temperature for this time of year is 24 degrees Celsius (that’s 75 degrees Fahrenheit to North Americans) with 99% humidity so it’s no simple matter to keep a computer cool.

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In this guest post, James Ricketts discusses how to handle PC sound card problems. Find out more about James at the end of this post.

You just double-clicked your favorite song, turned the volume up, but guess what – there is no audio! You wait wondering what the cause could be, but still no luck. Your speaker simply refuses to produce any sound.

You frantically scan your sound file for a virus and the scan results show everything is clear. Your computer is new, so the cause cannot be a faulty sound card, or incorrect entries in the windows registry.

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