Top 10 Computer Brands

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Acer
Acer offers one of the most reliable machines to a consumer. They manufacture desktops, laptops and today, have even jumped into the tablet PC arena with success. The Acer machines are not very expensive and technologically sound. They will surely meet your expectations and give you the best computer for money.

Apple
Apple is known for its Mac OS X that is said to face very few glitches due to malware and computer viruses. MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, the Mac mini, etc. are some of the most sought after computer products by this brand. A forerunner in the tablet PC arena, the iPad is one of the hottest property in the techno world today.

Compaq
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is a trusted brand name since ages. This company has taken over Compaq and offers consumers inexpensive desktop and laptop computers. They are said to be durable, but are said to have lost the edge in the market that was seen about 10 years ago before being taken over by HP.

Dell
Dell is a brand that will give you what you desire from your computer system. This brand assembles its own computer systems and allows users to order particular configurations according to their needs from its official website. You can even bring home Dell printers, monitors and other accessories with your Dell computer. Dell will seem to last forever, without giving you any problems.

HP
The No.1 computer brand when it comes to desktops and laptops is HP. They offer the best features and a performance level that matches one's expectations. You will rarely encounter problems with the machine and will not break easily. A good choice for those looking forward to play some high-end games on their computer.

Lenovo
Lenovo brings its customers a long line of products that includes IdeaPad laptops, ThinkPad business notebooks and IdeaCentre, as well as C series desktops. You can even think about the S series netbook line and you won't be disappointed. This is a Chinese multinational computer manufacturer who is known as the 4th largest vendor of personal computers. IBM has acquired Lenovo. Thus, all you can expect when purchasing a Lenovo is quality products.

Panasonic
The Toughbook S9 by Panasonic is a strong contender in the top computer brands list. Panasonic makes only laptop computers. However, their laptops are quite big and not for people who are looking for something small and sleek. However, if you want a lightweight, rugged laptop that is reliable as well as good for business traveling, this is the brand you should go for.

Samsung
A 'new bee' in the US computer arena, Samsung has been able to build its reputation in the market. They have earned the name of being a premium brand that manufactures high-end models with great features. If you are thinking about investing in a laptop by Samsung, you will hardly ever complain.

Sony
Sony is a name that invokes the thoughts of reliability, trust and excellent electronic products. This top computer brand is known for its stylish designs, multimedia performance and constantly evolving technically advanced products. A word of advice: if you invest in a Sony computer, you will find yourself stuck with it for life. This is because it will hardly ever give you any trouble or break down. A good choice for those who are looking for a really long investment in a durable computer.

Toshiba
Laptops or netbooks, this is one computer brand that continues to amaze consumers with its quality and performance. You can use these computers by Toshiba for gaming, graphic designing and other heavy software applications. They offer you good portability, unmatched battery life, speed and style. The Toshiba brand is a complete package for heavy computer users.

What is the Difference between hard disk and floppy disk?

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Both are magnetic data recording media, but the magnetic coating on a floppy disk is on a sheet of flexible plastic, where the hard disk's recording surfaces are on rigid disks

The hard drive is much faster than a floppy drive. Typically it takes around a minute to record 1MB on a floppy disk, 1 second to record 50MB on a hard disk.

The floppy disk is small, around 1.44 MB (other sizes have existed), the hard disk is much larger, (hundreds of gigabytes) and getting bigger every day. 

Hard disk is usually built into a computer and is a fixed part of the computer's configuration. The floppy disk can be put into the floppy drive at any time.

The hard drive is usually much more reliable than a floppy disk. This makes it surprising that floppy disks were often used as backup media. 

Floppy disk is largely obsolete, having been superseded by writable CDs and DVDs, the flash drive, other external USB drives, and ubiquitous networking. The hard drive is with us now and for the foreseeable future, although solid-state disks are beginning to make inroads in situations where vibration resistance, weight, and speed are more important than cost.

Floppy disks are available in a wide range of attractive colours but hard drives are usually silver or black.

Fashionable computers

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Basic computer accessories
For any computer owner and user, merely the usage of a personal computer is not sufficient. In order to become much more efficient with the work one does and also for the work to be performed easily, there are certain basic computer accessories available, that will aid the user for this cause.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) 
Many of us have gone through the painful anger of losing important work half way through, when the power supply suddenly goes out, while some of us have also lost valuable computer equipment due to spikes and surges of electricity. The solution to these problems can come from a UPS, which will remedy these issues with regard to electricity supply in a computer.

A UPS is an essential computer device that performs the maintenance of a continuous electricity supply to equipment to which it is connected, when power is not available or when the current fluctuates. Importantly, it is different from a standby generator, which provides power during a power failure. A UPS, however, continues to provide power for a stipulated number of minutes (around 15-20 minutes in general), so that preventive measures can be taken by the user to save data and other equipment. Many UPS's also provide protection from lightening.

Headsets 
This is another important accessory for the computer user who has to engage in typing as well as listening and talking activities in his or her work environment. A headset comes with speakers coupled with a microphone making it further easy for the user to perform his job. Headsets are used in a variety of areas, ranging from call centers to home based gaming for kids.

Webcams 
As the instant messaging trend revolutionized into the limelight, this accessory became extremely popular, for instant messaging through media such as video and images.
"Webcams (web cameras) are small cameras (usually, though not always, video cameras), whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video conferencing application. The term webcam is also used to describe the low-resolution digital video cameras designed for such purposes, but which can also be used to record in a non-real-time fashion." - Wikipedia.com

Cases and Covers
These are most basic accessories for computers for their protection. These bags and covers can be utilized to provide ease when it comes to transporting computers, security from damages and tarnishes and other similar purposes. These types of accessories come in handy for cautious users who use their computers with care and protection. Though these are very minor innovations and accessories for the computer, these can be very useful for long term usage, especially in dusty environments.

Cleaning and Repair Kits
For any computer user, it is vital he / she have some idea of how to fix basic technical issues with regard to their PC. These issues can range from either software or hardware. For hardware issues, the above mentioned accessory is highly useful. In order to repair hardware accessories in a PC, one needs to possess certain tools and accessories. These tools can be found in a useful array for performing various basic repair jobs in Cleaning and Repair Kits. These kits are also very handy for regular maintenance of computers, such as for dusting and cleaning the monitor, keyboard, CPU and the mouse.

Summery: This article describes some of the basic computer accessories that help easy use and maintenance of a computer, while safeguarding its long-term usage.

CPU is not CPR

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• The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer's hardware and software.

• The CPU is also known as processor, computer processor, microprocessor, central processor, "the brains of the computer"

• Important CPU Facts:Not all central processing units have pins on their bottom sides, but in the ones that do, the pins are easily bent. Take great care when handling, especially when installing onto the motherboard. Each motherboard supports only a certain range of CPU types so always check with your motherboard manufacturer before making a purchase.

• Popular CPU Manufacturers are Intel and AMD.

• CPU Description:A modern CPU is usually small and square with many short, rounded, metallic connectors on its underside. Some older CPUs have pins instead metallic connectors. The CPU attaches directly to a CPU "socket" (or sometimes a "slot") on the motherboard. The CPU is inserted into the socket pin-side-down and a small lever helps to secure the processor. After running even a short while, modern CPUs can get very hot. To help dissipate this heat, it is necessary to attach a heat sink and a fan directly on top of the CPU. Typically, these come bundled with a CPU purchase. Other more advanced cooling options are also available including water cooling kits and phase change units.

RAM

Ever heard about it? RAM (pronounced ramm) is an acronym for random access memory, a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers.

There are two different types of RAM:

• DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)
• SRAM (Static Random Access Memory).

The two types of RAM differ in the technology they use to hold data, with DRAM being the more common type. In terms of speed, SRAM is faster. DRAM needs to be refreshed thousands of times per second while SRAM does not need to be refreshed, which is what makes it faster than DRAM.
DRAM supports access times of about 60 nanoseconds, SRAM can give access times as low as 10 nanoseconds. Despite SRAM being faster, it's not as commonly used as DRAM because it's so much more expensive. Both types of RAM are volatile, meaning that they lose their contents when the power is turned off.

RAM, Main Memory and ROM
In common usage, the term RAM is synonymous with main memory, the memory available to programs. For example, a computer with 8MB RAM has approximately 8 million bytes of memory that programs can use. In contrast, ROM (read-only memory) refers to special memory used to store programs that boot the computer and perform diagnostics. Most personal computers have a small amount of ROM (a few thousand bytes). In fact, both types of memory (ROM and RAM) allow random access. To be precise, therefore, RAM should be referred to as read/write RAM and ROM as read-only RAM.


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