Eventually, there may come a time when you realize that your computer is just not performing as well as you need it to. And since every computer owner needs his/her machine to perform tasks efficiently and as quickly as possible, your computer becomes obsolete when it becomes less than you need it to be. However, before tossing it on the junk heap in favor of a new machine, perhaps you should consider some upgrades. You will likely spend less money and be able to meet your needs at the same time. With that being said, here are three of the most popular upgrades users commonly choose for their computers.

Your computer’s memory is an essential component of its internal operating system. Memory upgrades probably rank as one of the most popular upgrades for computer owners. It is also a pretty simple upgrade and one of the quickest, easiest things that you can do to boost your computer’s productivity.

If you are planning on upgrading your computer’s memory, you will first need to determine how much memory your computer currently has. You will also need to know how many empty slots you have for upgrading the memory. If your computer was new when you purchased it and you have not upgraded it, this information is normally provided in the user manual that came with your system. Otherwise, you will need to perform a BIOS check to see how much memory you currently have. Then you will also need to open your computer’s case to check the number of empty slots.

Once you have checked these things, check your computer’s manual to find compatible memory types. When you are purchasing memory modules, it is usually best to buy the most memory you can with the least amount of modules.

Another popular upgrade many people consider when upgrading their systems is DVD/burner upgrade. Though most computers now include at least DVD player/CD burner, some older computers only include a CD player. These days, though, much of the media disbursed in video format, especially with the recent explosion of video online. If you are considering an upgrade, then you will want to choose a DVD+R/RW drive which lets you read and burn both CDs and DVDs. These drives can also format information as well as burn it to a disc at the same time.

If you love playing all of the graphics intensive games that are now available, you may find yourself needing a more advanced video card, which is another popular computer upgrade. With some of the newest games, a high end video card is a requirement to even play the game.

Choosing a video card can be a little confusing, though, because there are so many on the market. You will first need to check either your computer manual or motherboard to determine which video cards are compatible with your system. You should purchase a video card that allows for the fastest rate of data transfer. Ask a computer specialist to explain the differences between the video cards if you are uncertain about your choice.

These are only a few of the most popular upgrades for computers. Some others include sound card and motherboard upgrades. Before trading in your computer for a new one, be sure to shop around to see if an upgrade might be a more cost effective option.

source: http://www.web-tech-rus.org/popular-computer-upgrades.html

1. Pick a good CPU for gaming. High end doesn’t always mean better performance in terms of you noticing it. When it comes to gaming, video card requirements increase much faster than CPU requirements. Many companies will try to offer CPUs and claim things such as “ultimate performance,” but in reality if you look at gaming performance benchmarks from different websites, it only performs slightly better than low-end CPU (generally only a performance boost of about 1-3 frames per second). Put more money toward a good video card and quality system memory. (And if you overclock using the stock cooler, try to keep the CPU temperatures under 70 C.)

2. Pick a video card that gives good performance for the money and avoid SLI or CrossFire. If one card gets very laggy performance in a game, two cards won’t do much better and you will just be wasting money. In most benchmarks, SLI and CrossFire will only give you about a 20% performance boost (SLI and CrossFire = twice the cost, twice the energy usage). Another thing you will notice is that when a new GPU series comes out, it is generally much faster than an SLI or CrossFire setup or the previous series of GPUs.

3. Avoid getting the top of the line video card — they are always outrageously expensive while only benchmarking slightly higher. For example, at the time of release, the Nvidia GTX 280 was nearly twice the cost of the GTX 260 while only being 7% faster (the proof is here). The GTX 260 can be safely overclocked by up to 25% with very little change in GPU temperature (you can go higher if you alter the video BIOS to increase the GPU voltage).

4. Pick memory that overclocks well (you can get a idea of the overclocking ability of the memory by reading product reviews). Memory that is able to handle around a 15-20% overclock will give you a lot of head room when working with the memory dividers as you increase the CPU clock speed (in case you are planning on overclocking your CPU).

5. Don’t skimp on the motherboard. Cheap motherboards don’t overclock well and, in many cases, they won’t even offer you enough overclocking options to get a stable overclock out of your system. While it is good to avoid cheap motherboards, there is no need to go for super high end $300 boards because they generally don’t overclock much better than the mid-range motherboards (and, even then, the CPU and memory will reach their max overclock before a mid-range motherboard becomes unstable).

In short, a gaming PC with a mid-range CPU and a high-end video card will run modern games much better than a system with a high-end CPU and mid-range video card. Be sure to read reviews on all of the hardware and pick out parts that wont be a bottleneck for the other hardware in your system; the benchmarks at different sites will allow you to see which parts will be a bottleneck for your system.

source: http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2009/05/01/top-5-tips-for-building-a-gaming-pc-on-a-budget/

The term overclocking is thrown around a lot, for better or worse. If you’re one of the many who has never overclocked, this guide will explain what it is and how to do it to the computers’ processor, motherboard and memory.

The prospect of overclocking a computer system can be intimidating for a computer newcomer, to say the least. The idea is simple enough; make the computer’s processor run faster than its stock speed to gain more performance without paying for it. The execution of this idea though, can be anything but simple.

Successful overclocking is as often a matter of ‘what you know’ as ‘what you have’. Understanding the maze of hardware dependencies and tweaks that can make the difference between a successful overclock and total failure is a demanding practice.

In this Beginners Guide, we will explore the process of overclocking processors, motherboards and memory to achieve a faster yet still stable computer. The article will guide readers step-by-step through understanding overclocking concepts, how to discover their hardware’s overclocking options and the actual process of overclocking. If you consider yourself an expert already, read on – there are a few tips and tricks packed into this guide that you may not know… or have a look at our recent experiment with underclocking. For insight into videocard overclocking, please see our companion guide on that subject right here.

What Does Overclocking Do?

Overclocking a computer’s processor or memory causes it to go faster than its factory rated speed. A processor rated at 2.4GHz might be overclocked to 2.5GHz or 2.6GHz, while memory rated at 200MHz might be pushed to 220MHz or higher. The extra speed results in more work being done by the processor and/or memory in a given time period, increasing the overall computing performance of the PC.

Can Overclocking Damage Computer Hardware?

Yes, but it’s typically unlikely. Generally speaking, when computer hardware is pushed beyond its limits, it will lock up, crash or show other obvious errors long before it gets to the point where the processor or memory might be permanently damaged. The exception to this is if extreme voltages are used when attempting to overclock, but since most motherboards do not support extremely high voltages, and neither does this guide, it’s not likely to be an issue.

For older processors, heat is also a factor worth keeping a close eye on. Modern processors have thermal sensors which will slow down or shut off the PC, but older CPUs do not necessarily feature these safety devices. The best know example of this is the AMD AthlonXP (socket A/462), which was famous for burning itself up in less than 5 seconds if the heatsink was not installed properly (or at all).

The Purpose of Overclocking

The most obvious reason to overclock a computer system is to squeeze some additional performance out of it at little or no cost. Overclocking the processor and system memory can significantly boost game performance, benchmark scores and even simple desktop tasks. Since almost every modern processor and memory module is overclockable to at least a slight degree, there are few reasons not to attempt it.

Important Overclocking Concepts

The following terms will be used throughout this guide, so it’s important to get a good grasp on them now.

FSB (FrontSide Bus): The data bus that carries information from the processor to the main memory and the rest of the system. A processor’s internal multiplier multiplied the FSB speed of the system = that processor’s speed in MHz or GHz.

Increasing the clock speed of the FSB (and thus the speed of the memory and the processor as well) is the most common and effective way of overclocking a modern computer.

AMD Athlon 64-based systems do not use a conventional FSB since the memory controller is built right onto the processor’s core instead of being located in the motherboard’s core logic chipset. Instead, a value called motherboard clock speed is used to determine the speed of data transfer between the processor and the memory. For the purposes of this article, FSB and motherboard clock speed are interchangeable terms.

Internal Multiplier: The ratio of a given processor’s speed (in MHz or GHz) as compared to the FSB (Frontside Bus) speed of the computer system it is installed in. A processor with an internal multiplier of 16x installed in a system with a FSB of 200MHz would run at 3.2GHz internally, since 16 x 200MHz = 3.2GHz. Most modern processors are ‘multiplier locked’ to some degree, meaning that their internal multiplier cannot be changed (or at least increased). This in turn means that increasing the FSB speed of a system is the only way to overclock the processor.

Memory Divider: Most modern Intel Pentium 4 and AMD Athlon motherboards allow a memory divider to be set. This divider allows the system memory to run slower than the actual FSB speed. By default, FSB speed and memory are usually set to a 1:1 ratio, meaning that increasing FSB speed (by overclocking) increases memory speed by the same amount. Most ‘generic’ system memory is not built for overclocking and thus may not be able to take the level of overclocking that the processor or motherboard can achieve.

The memory divider allows users to mitigate this problem by reducing the speed increase of the memory relative to that of the FSB and the processor. Setting a 5:4 memory divider would mean that memory speed increases at 4/5th the rate of the FSB, for example.

Reducing the relative speed of the memory does result in a slight decrease in performance as compared to the default 1:1 ratio between FSB and memory speed, but it may help users with generic memory achieve a higher overclock.

Stock Speed: The default or factory speed settings of computer hardware like the processor, memory and motherboard. With the processor, stock speed refers to the clock speed in MHz or GHz of the processor. With the memory, stock speed refers to the highest standard memory speed that the memory module is rated for (PC3200 DDR memory has a stock speed of 200MHz, for example). In the case of the motherboard, stock speed refers to the default speed at which the processor and memory work together, the FSB speed.

To tie this all together, say a motherboard has an Athlon XP 3000+ processor installed (stock speed 2.1GHz) which uses a FSB speed of 166MHz. A PC3200 DDR memory module (stock speed 200MHz) is installed. Since the processor requires a 166MHz FSB, the motherboard will set the memory speed to 166MHz which becomes its stock speed with the current configuration.

Core/Memory/Chipset Voltage: These three voltage values represent the amount of electrical power being fed to the respective components. When a processor, memory or motherboard is made to run faster due to overclocking, more voltage may be required in order for that component to run stably. With this in mind, voltage adjustment is one of the most important principles of overclocking.

If an overclocked computer becomes unstable, increasing one or more of these voltage settings by a very small amount (0.05V to 0.1V) can often mean the difference between an unbootable system and a stable overclocked one. That being said, it is important to make some distinctions with respect to voltage adjustments; more voltage does not necessarily mean faster speeds, rather minor increases can help improve stability. Computer circuits are designed to operate within very specific electrical ranges, and drastically increasing the electricity being supplied to a chipset will raise temperatures, and potentially damage it.

The role of the CPU, motherboard and memory in overclocking

When overclocking a computer, the processor, system memory and motherboard all have a different and important part to play in the process. The abilities and overclockability of each component has a significant effect on how successful the whole experiment will be. Let’s take a closer look at each component:

The Processor (CPU): As readers might know, two important variables govern how fast a modern processor goes. Its internal multiplier and the FSB (Front Side Bus) setting of the motherboard and memory. The FSB is the effective speed of data transfer between the processor and the main memory (it’s also the base speed that the system’s memory runs at), while the multiplier is an internal indicator of the speed of the processor.

A processor’s speed equals its multiplier (x) the FSB in MHz. Therefore, an Intel processor with a multiplier of 16 working with a FSB speed of 200MHz would run at 3.2GHz. There are two ways a processor can be made to run faster; increasing the multiplier, or increasing FSB speed.

Many modern processors have ‘multiplier locks’ which prevent users from changing the internal multiplier settings partially or completely, so increasing FSB speed tends to be the most common and effective method of overclocking.

The Memory: A system’s main memory speed determines the speed of data transfer between the processor, memory and the rest of the system. As you can imagine, this is the most important variable for computing performance in some systems. In all modern Intel and AMD systems, the FSB speed is directly linked to the speed of the memory by default, so the faster the memory is clocked, the faster the processor goes, since processor speed = (internal multiplier (x) FSB speed). This can be changed, but the 1:1 ratio between FSB and memory speed is the most desirable for overclocking.

AMD Athlon 64 systems do things a bit differently, since the memory controller is part of the CPU itself, so there is no conventional FSB carrying data from the processor to the rest of the system. Overclocking the memory still works essentially the same way, though the technology/terminology has changed. More on this in our AMD overclocking section below.

The Motherboard: Just as the motherboard is the heart of every computer system, it is also central to your overclocking efforts. The motherboard’s circuitry connects the processor and memory together and its BIOS options determine in what ways and by how much they can be overclocked. Even the highest quality memory and most overclockable processor can accomplish nothing if placed in a motherboard with no or limited overclocking options in its BIOS, or a board equipped with a new, poorly implemented or unstable core logic chipset.

Again, each component above depends on the other two when it comes to overclocking.

Hardware considerations for overclocking: Heat and cooling

The faster a computer goes, the more heat it produces. This is especially true when the voltage being fed to certain components is increased, a standard overclocking method. Excess heat in the processor, motherboard chipset or memory can cause crashes and system instability, and may be one of the limiting factors in determining the maximum overclock for a system.

The stock heatsinks included with most processors are perfectly adequate for cooling them at their stock speeds, but may not handle the additional heat generated by overclocking very well, especially if the computer chassis is not suitably ventilated. Readers may be better off investing in one of the many custom cooling solutions on the market, or at least buying some case fans to ensure an adequate flow of fresh air through their case. Take a look here for some cooling ideas. The same goes for the chipset and to a limited degree, the memory.

Hardware Considerations for Overclocking

It’s also important to keep an eye on the amount of heat the processor is putting out because of the ‘thermal throttling’ safety systems built into both AMD Athlon 64 and Intel Pentium 4 processors. If either of these CPUs gets too hot, they will slow themselves down drastically in order to keep from burning out. Users will notice this in terms of massively reduced system and benchmark speed, which should clue them into the fact that additional cooling is needed if they wish to continue overclocking. Thermal throttling should never occur in the regular use of a processor, but overclocking is NOT regular use.

To monitor the processor’s temperature, look for the ‘system health settings’ or similar entry in the BIOS screen.

Though some CPUs run hotter than others (Pentium processors tend to displace slightly more heat than their AMD siblings), all modern processors are happiest in the area between 35°C -65°C. If the processor is showing temperatures over 70°C in the BIOS, chances are that heat is going to be a limiting factor in the computer’s stability and overclocking potential. Time to consider a new heatsink and/or better case ventilation.

Power Supply Requirements

Overclocking a computer system also increases the amount of power it draws, and this may lead to system instability if its old 300Watt power supply is not up to the task. If overclocking a modern Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 system, plan on upgrading the power supply to at least 400Watts.

Spontaneous reboots while under load are usually a sign of insufficient power. When that happens, it’s definitely time to pick up a new power supply. On that note, while flashy powersupplies full of lights may be good to look at, they do not always indicate the best power quality, or power efficiency. In our experience, powersupplies which support PFC or Active PFC are the best choices.

Principals of Overclocking

Before we (finally) get to the practical part of the guide, here’s a brief word to prepare readers for the almost inevitable periods of frustration to follow. Overclocking is a very imprecise science; the processor depends on the stability of the motherboard and memory in order to achieve overclocking, and vice versa. If one of these components cannot stand the stress of overclocking, it will limit the other two also.

Heat, voltage and power supply stability are also relevant to overclocking success. Excess heat, not enough or too much voltage and unstable power can all cause the premature failure of an overclocking adventure, and it’s next to impossible to pinpoint what is causing the problem.

To avoid frustration as much as possible, be patient. Follow the directions below and take overclocking one small step at a time, so that when trouble occurs you will have a smaller set of potential issues to troubleshoot.

Preparing for Overclocking

In order to get the best out of current hardware, the most recent drivers and BIOS version for the motherboard need to be acquired. System benchmarks should be run pre-overclocking to establish a performance ‘baseline’.

Readers should visit their motherboard manufacturer’s website to obtain the most recent set of drivers for their motherboard, as well as the most recent BIOS version. For instructions on finding the current BIOS version and overwriting it with a newer edition. Newer BIOS versions may add overclocking options and stability, so this is always a good first step.

Establish a Performance Baseline

In order to get a good idea of how overclocking increases the performance of a computer, it’s important to take benchmarks and establish a performance baseline for the system.

Download, install and run the following benchmarks:

* 3Dmark2001SE
* X2: The Threat (download the demo and use the ‘run as a benchmark’ checkbox when loading it.)
* PCMark04
* Sandra 2005 (CPU, multimedia and memory benchmarks)

Record the results of each test. This will be the performance baseline, a level to measure the soon-to-be overclocked computer system against.

Readers should also consider downloading the Prime95 burn-in program, since it is extremely useful for stress testing an overclocked PC to ensure stability.

Examining BIOS Options

Since the motherboard controls what options you have for overclocking, it’s essential to take a look at the BIOS (Basic I/O System) pages of the board to examine the options available.

Reboot the computer and go to the BIOS screen by pressing the DEL key repeatedly during startup.

Note that some motherboards respond to different key commands to bring up the BIOS. Dell computers for example often rely on F2 or F8, while other manufacturers may opt for F10 to bring up the BIOS.

When the BIOS comes up on the screen you will be greeted with a blue menu with about a dozen headings. Navigate through the list by using the arrow keys, and press ‘enter’ to select a menu. When you’re done press the ESC key to exit, and either save or discard any changes you’ve made to the BIOS settings.

The first features to look for are CPU and FSB speed adjustment controls. Generally, these will be in a section of the BIOS called ‘frequency/voltage control’.

As seen in the screenshots below, this page will contain the FSB adjustment controls and voltage adjustment controls.

Increasing the FSB or ‘CPU host frequency’ or (Motherboard Clock or FSB or a host of other terms for the same thing) will increase the FSB speed of the motherboard, overclocking the processor and memory at the same time.

Increasing the voltage to the CPU core, memory or chipset will feed more power to those components to aid in stability while increasing heat.

This page may also contain memory divider options depending on the motherboard.

Everything needed to overclock the system should be on this one BIOS page.

Different motherboard’s BIOS screens will look different and use different names for the various menus and options, but the options themselves should be grouped together in one menu as seen above. If the memory timings options are not visible, try hitting CTRL+ALT+F1 when entering the BIOS.

The second BIOS page that should be identified now is the ‘PC health status’ page, or similar.

This page contains the readouts from the motherboard’s temperature monitors, allowing users to check how hot the processor is running.

In Case of Disaster

Though it’s less common with modern hardware, it’s quite possible that during this overclocking adventure the computer system may be (over)driven to a point where it simply refuses to even POST, never mind boot into Windows. If this happens, don’t panic.

To restore a system in this condition, power down the computer, unplug it and restore the BIOS to its default settings. This can be accomplished in one of two ways:

Set the BIOS (CMOS) reset jumper on the motherboard into the reset configuration and leave for 20 seconds (consult your manual for its location), then reset the jumper to the default position and power the system on again. The BIOS should now be reset to its default settings.

Or – Remove the CMOS battery (the flat silver disk) from the motherboard using a pencil or similar implement. Leave it out for a minute or two, then replace it and power on the system. The BIOS settings should have been reset, allowing the computer to boot.

Or – While turning on the PC, hold down the Insert key until the POST screen is displayed, enter into the BIOS and select default settings, save and reboot.

Memory Performance (latency vs. speed)

Memory latency is another important consideration when overclocking a computer system. The latency settings of the memory determine how long it waits for certain states to clear before performing new read or write actions. The lower the latency, the faster the memory will perform. Lower latency settings put more stress on the memory and increase the chance of error though, so many lower-end memory modules cannot handle fast latency settings, especially when overclocked. Raising the memory’s latency settings may enable a higher overclock to be achieved at the cost of some performance.

Memory latency settings can generally be found in the ‘advanced chipset features’ section of the BIOS.

source: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1804&page=1

Does your computer emit endless beeps during bootup? Does your PC crash for no apparent reason at random intervals? Or you get blue screens of death with errors such as IRQL_Less_or_Not_Equal? If so, then it is very likely that there is a problem with your computers memory (RAM).

Common symptoms of bad ram

There are many indicators of bad memory, but the most common ones are:

* Computer not booting at all, beeping endlessly. When this happens all you can do is replace the RAM by trying another stick. You wont be able to use any ram diagnostic software in this instance.
* Distorted graphics on the screen. However it is possible this can be video card related.
* Blue screens of death during the installation of Windows XP or Windows 2000. This is an obvious sign of faulty RAM.
* Crashes or blue screens during normal operation of the system (emails, web surfing etc.)
* Crashes during memory intensive tasks such as using Photoshop, playing 3d games etc..

Testing bad RAM with Memtest86+:

Memtest86+ is a ram diagnostic tool that is bootable from a floppy disk or a CD. There are two modes that Memtest86+ is able to run in which are basic mode and advanced mode.
Advanced mode takes considerably longer to test so basic mode should be sufficient to find any major problems with your RAM.

To use Memtest86+, download the floppy version, unzip it and run the executable (you will need a blank floppy for this) or download the bootable ISO CD version which you can burn to a CD using a CD-authoring program like Nero.

Restart your computer with either the floppy or CD version in the drive to start the program and it will automatically start a basic test.

Any errors that appear will show at the bottom of the screen.

What to do if you have bad RAM:

Once you have determined that you have some bad ram using Memtest86+ you will want to return the RAM to the store or manufacturer and get a warranty replacement. However, you need to know which RAM stick is failing because many computers have multiple sticks of RAM in them.

If you only have one stick of RAM:

If you have only one stick of RAM, the first thing you should do is move the stick of ram to another slot on your motherboard as there is a possibility that the slot could have problems such as a bad contact between the motherboard and the RAM.

To move the RAM, first turn off the computer and unplug the power cord. Open up the computer case and unclip the two retention levers and remove it from its slot.

Insert the RAM module into another slot, push it down firmly and the two retention levers should snap into place. If they don’t then you probably are putting the RAM in the wrong way around.

Once this is done, plug the power cord back in and start up your computer again with the Memtest86+ disk in it and retest. If you still get errors then it is most likely that you have a faulty RAM module and it should be replaced.

If you have multiple sticks of RAM:

If you just installed a new stick of RAM and you are getting errors, then common sense points to the obvious culprit.

If you have more then one stick of RAM and you are getting errors then you need to determine which stick of RAM is causing the problem.

Following similar steps as above for the single sticks of RAM, power down the computer, open up the case and remove all but one stick of RAM and retest. Test each RAM stick in the same motherboard slot and if you get an error with just one of them then you have found the failing stick of RAM.

If they all fail in the same slot, it is possible that the slot is failing and you should try another RAM slot. If they all have no errors in the same slot then it is most likely another RAM slot on the motherboard that is failing and you should test all the RAM sticks again in the other slot.

source: http://www.technibble.com/how-to-diagnose-bad-ram/

Other than the CPU and motherboard, the RAM (Random Access Memory is the next most important hardware in your system.

When a computer first boots up, the system loads data from the hard drive into the RAM. At any point of time when the CPU needs any information, it will access the RAM to retrieve the data it needs. Since the RAM transfer data at a speed faster than any other storage media (such as the hard drive, CD-ROM and floppy disk), the retrieval process is shorter, work gets done faster and hence the computer performs better.

How does the RAM affects the performance of your gaming computer?

The amount of RAM you have in your gaming computer affects the speed at which the game reacts. To process the huge amount of computation involve in a 3D game, there must be enough RAM to store all the information. For systems with a small amount of RAM, the memory space will be filled up easily and all overflow data is then written or page to the hard drive. When such situation arises, the CPU will have to travel a longer path to retrieve the data from the hard drive. This results in sluggish game performance and intermittently ‘hanging‘ of the game. To increase the performance of the game, the foolproof way is to increase the amount of RAM in the system. The more RAM you have, the better the game performance.

The chipset and the RAM

The performance of the RAM is also dependent on the type of chipset used. This is because both Intel and AMD handle the RAM differently.

How does Intel Manages your RAM?

In computers that are using Intel chipset, the processor accesses the RAM via two buses. The first bus is a controller (known as memory controller) that stores the data address in the RAM while the second bus is the data bus that performs the actual transferring of data. (known as the Front Side Bus, or in short, FSB) Whenever the processor needs to retrieve data from the RAM, it will first go to the memory controller to request for the data address, then head to the RAM to retrieve the data. The instruction is then sent via the FSB to the CPU.

How The AMD Chipset Does It?

In AMD, data are retrieved from the RAM in a slightly different way. Since Athlon 64, AMD reinvented the wheel and changed the whole design architecture. They removed the memory controller from the motherboard and integrated it into the CPU. The CPU now has instant access to the data address and is able to retrieve data at a faster rate. This resulted in an improvement of the system performance.

Factors that affect the RAM performance

There are two main factors that affect the RAM performance: its operating frequency and memory space.

Operating frequency

The frequency determines how fast the information can be written to or read from the RAM. The higher the frequency, the faster the information travels between the CPU and the RAM and the better the performance of the system. A point to note, every motherboard has a certain range of frequency that it supports. You can’t simply grab any memory and assume that it will work in your motherboard. You will have to make sure the frequency match up with the bus’s bandwidth as determined by your motherboard.

Memory space

The amount of memory space determines how much information the RAM can store. It is desirable to have as much memory space as possible. In the event that all the memory space are filled up, the overflow data will be written to the hard drive. When such situation happens, you will see that your computer comes to a sudden halt and/or your application suddenly become very sluggish and unresponsive. To increase the performance of the computer, it is advisable to install the maximum amount of RAM that your motherboard can support.

Understanding The Various Type Of RAM

SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM)

In the age of Pentium II or Pentium III computer, SDRAM is the most common type of RAM and almost all systems were shipped with it. Today, the SDRAM has become obsolete and taken over by faster and newer generation of RAMs.

DDR SDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM)

DDR memory, or double data rate synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), is a memory technology that does exactly as its name implies – double the rate of standard SDRAM.

DDR differs from SDRAM in that it:

* Can operate twice as fast as standard SDRAM.
* Can lead to significant performance improvements over systems with SDRAM.

Even though DDR modules have the same physical dimension as SDRAM modules, they have different number of pins and notches. Therefore, DDR modules will not fit nor work in an SDRAM system. DDR memory can only be used in systems designed specifically for DDR memory technology.

DDR2 RAM

Both DDR and DDR2 RAM are the improved version of the SDRAM. They are able to transmit data on the rising and falling edge of the clock cycle. The conventional SDRAM can only transmit data on the rising edge. For a certain clock frequency, say 100MHz, both DDR and DDR2 RAM can operate at double the clock frequency, i.e. 200MHz. The difference of DDR2 to DDR is a doubled bus frequency for the same physical clock rate. What this means is that for a 100MHz clock frequency, a DDR2 RAM can achieve a speed of 400MHz while DDR RAM only achieves 200MHz.

DDR2 RAM has 240 pins (compared to DDR RAM 184 pins) and it is not backward compatible with DDR RAM. Generally, DDR2 RAM process much faster than DDR RAM

DDR3 SDRAM

The difference between the latest DDR3 and the DDR2 is the faster processing speed and lower power consumption. The DDR3 RAM can process at a maximum speed of 1600Mbps while DDR2 can only achieve 800Mbps. In addition, DDR3 runs at 1.5V as compared to 1.8V of DDR2.

DDR3 RAM is not backward compatibility with DDR2 RAM. While both of them have the same number of pins, the key notch is placed in a different position to avoid the confusion between a DDR3 and DDR2 RAM.

ECC Versus Non-ECC Memory

ECC (Error Checking and Correction) is an algorithm for checking the integrity of data stored in DRAM memory. If it detect or sees an error passing through the memory, it will do its best to fix it on the fly. For this to happen, special circuitry and an additional memory chip is put onto the memory module. This allows the algorithm to run so that it can test the accuracy of data as it passes through the memory.

Memory that has ECC technology looks for errors in data traveling through the memory. For gaming this is really not necessary because today’s memory is pretty reliable, and few errors are generated in normal use. ECC is designed more for mission-critical business servers or architectural modeling where extreme reliability counts.

Non-ECC doesn’t note or correct any errors. It is the same memory but without the error checking and correction technology. The reason they make both is because the majority of the computers running don’t need to be that exact or precise. In word processing, for example, any small error in memory has no real effect.

ECC memory is also more expensive than non-ECC memory. There is no need to spend extra money on buying ECC memory because you gain no real results in the PC game world. It is a common opinion that when building your own machine that you buy non-ECC memory because otherwise you are just wasting money.

How to Choose a Gaming RAM?

Here are some things that you need to take note of when choosing a gaming RAM.

Motherboard

As mentioned earlies, different type of RAM uses different type of slot. Your motherboard won’t be able to support DDR/DDR2/DDR3 concurrently. Before you buy/upgrade your RAM, it is important to find out which type of RAM your motherboard supports, how many slots are there and what is the maximum memory space that it supports.

Memory Size

Of course, the bigger the memory, the better it is. Most motherboard nowadays allow you to add RAM up to 4GB in size. For a gaming computer, we recommend no less than 1GB of RAM, perhaps even going up to 2GB if your budget allows. If cost is a factor, it’s fine to stop at 512MB, but that really is the minimum you should go to. When you have enough cash, grab another 512MB for your system.

Single or Dual Channel?

Dual-channel memory is a term that’s used to describe a matching pair of memory modules installed in a dual-channel computer system.

The term, however, can be a little misleading because the memory modules themselves are no different than the memory used in any other computer. Rather, it’s the motherboard that’s different.

In a dual-channel system, the computer motherboard is designed to work with two memory channels instead of one. This allows the system to handle memory processing more efficiently by using the theoretical bandwidth of two memory modules at a time, reducing system latency time and making the whole system faster.

The key to taking full advantage of dual-channel memory operation is installing a pair of matching memory modules (i.e., same size, speed, etc.) at a time. The modules must be identical to each other for dual-channel operation to perform correctly.
When Getting Two Or More RAM Modules…

Brand

If you are getting two or more RAM modules for you PC, ensure that all your memory is of the same brand. Mixing and matching does not always yield the best results. Sometimes they won’t even boot up together, or they cause continual system crashes. Memory is very specific; the slightest difference in the memory chips can cause you problems. Although this is not always the case, it is not recommended. The potential hassle aren’t worth it.

Speed

Try to keep all the memory the same frequency. Don’t buy one chip of PC4200 and another of PC5400. If you do this, the data transfer speed will be limit at PC4200 and you are wasting your money. In the worst scenario, the system might crash since the slower RAM is not able to catch up with the faster RAM.

source: http://www.build-gaming-computer-guide.com/the-complete-guide-to-choose-a-gaming-memoryram.html/1

When it comes to PC performance, few people demand more power than gamers. Keeping up with developers who are constantly pushing hardware to its limits requires the best system possible, specifically tailored to peak every bit of performance it possibly can.

Unfortunately for buyers, this means a gaming PC can not really have a weakness. While the most important component is definitely the graphics card, you can not neglect other areas. If you are lacking in CPU or RAM power then you will find your PC bottlenecking at those parts and you will not be able to make the most of your card.

If you are on a tight budget however, there are certain shortcuts you can take to reduce the cost, including a cheaper monitor, mouse and a wise selection of other components. This guide will cover these shortcuts and also options for the hardcore enthusiast who wants to squeeze every frame per second out of their games.

Packages

A gaming PC

The gaming PC market is growing rapidly. Gamers are one of the few groups of people who are willing to spend more than $3000 on a PC to ensure they get the maximum possible performance. Originally this market was only catered for by small niche companies who produced high end PCs targeted specifically at the gaming sector; however in recent times sales of these PCs have increased dramatically and larger companies are beginning to mount an assault on the market.

There are two distinct ways you can purchase a gaming PC. Many companies offer traditional PC packages aimed towards gamers, which come with a predefined collection of components and hardware. Most retailers in Australia that offer these have several different options, ranging in price and performance that cater to different markets. Alternatively, many companies offer a range of customisable parts, sometimes grouped within different price brackets which give you more freedom but also allow room for error. Be sure to carefully read up on the parts you are purchasing if you select the latter option, to make sure everything is compatible and suits your needs.

The hardware

Whatever option you choose, you will need to make up your mind about which individual hardware configuration would best suit you. It is likely that any pre-built gaming PC you purchase will be able to adequately play most games, but knowing how different components relate to different needs will help you can maximise your PC’s effectiveness.

When buying a gaming PC, there are a large number of factors to take into consideration, but the most important are graphics card, memory and CPU in that order. There are also important peripheral considerations such as mouse, headphones and sound cards.

Graphics card

An ATI x800 graphics card

The graphics card is probably the most important element in creating a successful gaming PC. Very few other functions test your graphics card as much as a modern game. As a result, this is the area in which you should find yourself spending the most money.

There are two main competitors in this area, ATI and NVIDIA, who licence their GPU technology out to other companies. Neither is considered greatly ahead of the other in terms of game performance, although NVIDIA has recently released a new generation of cards, the 7800 range, which ATI has yet to respond to. At the moment many games are CPU limited, which means the power of your CPU will often be the factor that limits how well a game performs. This does not allow some high end cards to reach their full potential, but if you buy a high end system it should be capable of handling the most powerful card on the market. This may change in the coming months with the release of ATI’S R520 core, but no concrete specifications have been released.

There are a few things to look out for in a good graphics card, particularly DirectX 9 support and a reasonable quantity of memory. DirectX 9 is a system used by developers to render graphics and is used in the majority of modern, graphically intensive games, so this support is vital. These games also require a large quantity of memory bandwidth to operate within so you should aim for a card with a minimum of 128 megabytes of RAM. Most modern cards will have this, as well as support DirectX 9, but it is worthwhile to check. Graphics card memory comes in the same amounts as regular memory. Some of the common configurations include:

* 32 megabytes (older cards, two or three generations back)
* 64 megabytes (two generations back)
* 128 megabytes (last generation)
* 256 megabytes (last generation and this generation)
* 512 megabytes (next generation)

The absolute minimum you should spend on a gaming card is about $250-$350. This will get you either an NVIDIA 6600GT or an ATI x800, both of which will run modern games comfortably on medium to low settings. These cards are excellent value for money, and should definitely be part of a budget gaming system.

There are some great bargains at the higher end of the spectrum too. With the release of the 7800 range, prices are being driven downwards. The NVIDIA 6800GT and the Radeon x800xl are both hovering around the $500-$600 mark at the moment, and will hopefully drop in the near future. They can both run any game on the market with moderate to high settings and will please all but the most hardcore gamer.

Memory and GPU clock speeds are the primary factors in gaming performance and generally the higher these speeds are, the faster the card is. The pixel shader technology the card incorporates is important if you’re playing very modern games as this technology comes into play a lot. The number of pipelines is also important as these are the channels that convert the image from the card to your screen, so the more the better. Modern cards run at 16 or 24 pipelines, but an 8 pipeline card would probably suffice if you are on a budget.

One other option to consider is an SLI setup, which involves running two cards together to share the load, which increases performance by 30% or more. It only works with select cards such as the 6600GT or the 6800 Ultra and requires a specially designed motherboard with multiple PCI-E slots. Computer enthusiasts will relish the extra grunt, but for most situations a single high end card is more than enough. ATI are coming out with competing technology called Crossfire in the coming months, which purports even higher performance increases.

Most pre-built gaming systems will come with a quality graphics card because companies recognise this is vital to a great gaming experience. Pay attention to the brand however, as different brands have different strengths and weaknesses. Some clock their card at slightly higher rates, offer extras such as games and software, have DVI or TV-out connections, or offer overclocking warranties for that extra bit of power. You can squeeze a little extra out of your system with cards like this, which is great if you are on a budget, but you may also be paying extra for things you don’t want or need, such as useless software and outdated games. It is worth putting a bit of research into such a vital part of your gaming system.

Memory

The importance of memory when gaming cannot be underestimated. When it comes to basic PC use, web browsing, word processing, emailing etc, memory does not really factor in a great deal. When running complicated applications or games however, you will quickly find your system slowing down and will need to create virtual memory on the hard disk if you are not adequately prepared.

You can see our memory guide for a more detailed explanation of how memory works and what the different terminology means, but like anything in the computer world, higher numbers are better. Any gaming system you purchase will use DDR RAM now, with some utilising the faster DDR2 variation.

The minimum you can get away with in modern games is 512MB, but with windows XP using a large chunk of that, 1GB is definitely preferred. You can pick up 1GB of RAM for under $180 now, with prices really bottoming out, so it costs almost nothing to give your system a real shot in the arm. Some recent games such as Battlefield 2 will struggle even with that quantity and will perform better with 2 GB, which will set you back about $350-$400. RAM is the least expensive way to give your system a real boost and if you stick with 1GB, you can always purchase another 1GB stick later to increase performance.

PC3200 is the standard high end RAM, running at 400Mhz it gives plenty of grunt and is definitely one of the best options. There are RAMs that are clocked higher (such as PC3500, 3700 and 4000), but they are only really useful if you are an overclocker or a gaming enthusiast.

Similarly, DDR2, while boasting bigger and better numbers, is not currently much better than regular DDR, as systems and programs are not made to take full advantage of it. It currently boasts negligible gains over its predecessor. Like 64 bit technology, DDR2 will shine once programs catch up. It could be a worthwhile investment if you are building specifically for the future, but everybody apart from overclockers should be fine with PC3200.

CPU

The processor is the central part of any PC, controlling the majority of operations going on at any one time. Different games draw more on different parts of the PC with many being CPU intensive, so you a need a mid to high end CPU to run modern games at a comfortable level. We would recommend a CPU with a rating of at least 3.0GHz on the Pentium scale (or a 3000+ on the AMD scale) as being the absolute minimum required.

However, with the release of dual core technology and developments in high end chips (such as the Athlon FX57 and Intel’s Extreme Edition releases), mid range chips around the 3.5ghz mark are rapidly becoming more affordable, and should be strongly considered even if you are on a budget. They will give a much needed performance boost for comparatively little money.

For the games enthusiast, chips can be acquired that are clocked at over 4.8GHz, but they come with hefty price tags, often in the $1400-$1500 range. If you are looking at spending that sort of money, it may be worthwhile to consider a dual core processor, which is discussed below. A single core powerhouse might be better on current games, but some future releases may benefit from the new technology.

64 bit processors are becoming the standard these days and with good reason. 64 bit computing, while not yet readily used and available, offers a huge performance increase, and although you can spend less to get a high end 32 bit chip, you’ll be missing out by the end of 2005 when the technology really takes off.

With the current generation of chips, AMD seems to have the advantage in terms of gaming performance. The architecture of their socket 939 chips has shown greater performance in gaming benchmarks than comparable Intel chips (or socket 754 AMD chips) which makes it the best choice for the hardcore gamer who is not interested in other applications. Intel’s hyperthreading technology means it shines in other areas, such as multi-tasking. So if your machine is intended for other functions besides gaming, be sure to take this into account.

Both companies now produce dual core CPUs as well, which makes the decision process more complicated again. These chips essentially take two CPU cores and link them together on a single chip, offering increased processing power. Their primary strength is in multi tasking, which is not a big concern for the current generation of games; however much like 64 bit technology, future releases will incorporate and take advantage of these developments, and so they are worthwhile in the long term. They do cost quite a bit more than normal chips, coming in at over $1000 in most instances and so are only viable for the hardcore gamer.

Motherboard

While your motherboard is a vital component in any PC, the quality of the motherboard won’t offer much to your gaming experience. The motherboard is the component which all the other pieces of hardware plug into. It is the medium through which your various pieces talk to each other. Thus you need a reliable board, but it’s not something you can really use to squeeze extra performance out of your system.

With this in mind, the main selling point of a motherboard is going to be its extras. These include things like RAID support, firewire support and built in network support. Most of these won’t be particularly relevant to gaming. However there are exceptions, specifically PCI-E support. PCI-E stands for PCI Express, which is a new technology being phased in to replace AGP. It offers faster data transmission than its predecessor and motherboards are increasingly being released that support it. All graphics cards will either be PCI-E or AGP so we strongly recommend purchasing a system with PCI-E support. It’s the technology of the future and if you’re buying a new system there is no reason not to upgrade to it as there is virtually no price difference and a year from now it will be the standard format (Nvidia have already begun to ignore AGP with their latest card, the 7800). SLI is another technology that is worth considering, but that will be covered in more depth further on in the guide.

Another element that may be important is the overclocking options of the board. While the CPU itself is an obvious limitation on how far it can be overclocked, different motherboards offer different overclocking options, such as FSB, multiplier and voltage control. Some will overclock the same chip better than others. This is only important for the computer enthusiasts who want to get the most out of their system and for most purposes the majority of motherboards will perform the same.

Soundcard

Depending on who you ask, the soundcard is either the be all and end all of a system or, totally irrelevant. With regards to a gaming system, it depends on the sort of games you play. A competitive first person shooter for example, often requires stealth so the sound of footsteps and gunfire is vital to locating and dealing with opponents. In action and horror style games, sound helps create atmosphere and mood to immerse you in the game. If you play more racing and strategy games however, sound might not be so vital. It is background and somewhat token, as opposed to vital to the gaming experience. So depending on the purposes of the machine, your sound card needs will differ.

For most gaming purposes a standard 5.1 surround sound card will be more than ample. You could spend several hundred dollars on a high end card and hardly notice a difference in game. Expensive sound cards are largely targeted at an audiophile market, or sound and video editors who require crystal clarity in their audio applications. As long as you stay away from onboard sound (which no gaming PC should come with anyway) and purchase a good pair of headphones (discussed below) then your games should sound great.

Cooling

A PC case fan

Most PCs come with basic cooling. Increases in technology have meant that modern CPUs and graphics cards typically run at higher temperatures than their predecessors so most systems have a CPU fan and a heat sink or two to help ease the load. Gaming PCs are no exceptions to this; however some do come with added cooling features which are worth noting.

If you are an avid PC user, and are interested in trying to overclock your system, then extra cooling might be just the thing you need to push it that little bit further. A few more powerful fans in the right places can do wonders. Most vendors stock higher quality third party fans for cases, CPUs and graphics cards, so do a little investigation and choose the combination you think fits best. You can buy some extremely powerful heatsinks designed to allow you to push your system to its limits, but these can cost in excess of a few hundred dollars.

Alternatively, you could take it a step further with water cooling. Not as dangerous as it sounds, water cooling involves pumping water through small pipes placed against hotspots in your system. The water cools down vital system components and is considerably more effective than air cooling. It does come at a cost, but it is not out of reach with a basic setup being available for about $300. Some retailers might even help set it up if you decide to enquire about it, so be sure to ask.

There are other methods of cooling out there, including phase cooling (which uses refrigeration techniques) and several types that involve chemical combinations, but they are often unstable and only available from retailers that focus on extreme cooling.

Extra cooling is only necessary if you intend to push your PC past the standard limits. You can boost your performance if you know what you are doing but it can be dangerous. Hardware can be damaged or completely ruined if you push it too far, so overclock at your own risk.

Other pieces

There are other elements to a PC that are less vital to gaming, such as hard drives, DVD burners and floppy drives. You can tailor the amount of disk space, and the types of drives you want to your needs. Most gaming PCs should already come with a basic CD-Rom and probably DVD drive, as well as a reasonable quantity of hard disk space (50-100GB).

You may also need to consider the network card that comes with the system if online play is important to you. Most PCs will come with broadband enabled cards out of the box these days, but it’s worth checking to be safe. A standard 10GB card will be fine for gaming over a LAN, but you may wish to pursue a more powerful 100GB connection if speed is your thing.

Peripherals

In addition to what’s in your box, exterior peripherals are equally important for a proper gaming experience.

Case

Not necessarily a peripheral in the traditional sense, some companies that specialise in gaming PCs like to make their cases a little more aesthetically pleasing than normal. While this does not have an impact on the way you play games, some people make a hobby out of modifying their case with windows, LCD lights and other setups. This is not a big concern for most people, but if you take your PC to LANs (events where many people bring their PCs to network up and play games) then the look of your PC may be important.

Monitor

An LCD monitor

For many people, the monitor is one of the most important parts of their computer. It is the vessel through which you view the thousands of dollars you’ve spent on your system already, so it’s logical to buy a decent one. While it won’t actually improve your game play much, playing a modern game with all the settings cranked up on a 19 inch screen is a great experience.

The main choice is between LCD and CRT. Originally LCDs suffered from a “ghosting” effect, where fast movements in game would lead to a blurring that made it difficult to see. This was particularly evident in first person shooters and other fast paced games. Thus, CRT monitors have been the favourite amongst gamers.

Recent LCD technology however, has drastically reduced the response time of the monitors. Now you can buy 12ms (millisecond) or 8ms LCD screens which have virtually no blurring. A few things to note about LCDs

Pros:

* They have a wider viewing area than CRTs (a 19 inch LCD is bigger than a 19 inch CRT.)
* They are easier on the eyes.
* They are lighter, which is a big factor if you go to a lot of LANs.
* With DVI input you can avoid any loss of quality when converting from analog to digital (as is popular with CRTs.)

Cons:

* There are still some minor ghosting issues (not enough to really be noticeable).
* They have a native resolution (which means you must play in that resolution to get the best image quality); this is typically 1280×1024, which is not small by anyone’s standards.

At this stage of development it comes down to personal preference. The LCD ghosting is all but gone from modern monitors, but if you go down that road be sure the monitor the computer comes with has an adequate response time for gaming (12ms minimum, 8ms preferred). LCD is definitely the technology of the future, but at the moment the differences are quite negligible. CRTs however can be bought cheaper than LCDs, so if you are on a tight budget that is probably the way to go.

Mouse and mouse pad

A greatly underestimated part of your gaming setup, many games rely on quick mouse reflexes and accurate responses, so a quality mouse is crucial. Regardless of whether you’re shooting down enemies or quickly managing large numbers of troops, a good quality mouse will improve your game play dramatically. Optical mice have basically taken over from ball mice, with technology having developed to the point where they are skip-free on all but the lightest, shiniest surfaces. They work by having a tiny camera that takes hundreds of pictures of the surface and uses them to work out how far the mouse has moved.

There are a number of choices in this market, ranging from laser mice to wireless mice. Many wireless mice suffer from response problems which are not noticeable during everyday office applications, but can become a pain when gaming. More recent developments seem to have this under control, but it is worth asking to test the mouse you wish to buy, just in case.

Pay attention to the DPI of the mouse you are getting, as that indicates the quality of the camera present and the number of shots it takes. The higher the number, the more accurate the mouse is. Some gaming mice have as high as 2000 DPI, while basic desktop opticals clock in at a mere 200 or 400. Typically a good quality mouse will set you back $80-$100, and will last several years if kept in good condition.

A Funcpad mousepad

To go with your mouse you need a good quality mousepad. While you may think the $2 pad that came with a game is a suitable surface to play on, many game enthusiasts would tell you differently. There are a number of well known gaming pads, ranging from cloth through to glass, metal and plastic. Some are specially created by professional gamers, others by individual companies that focus on gaming mice and accessories. Do a little research and find the surface that is right for you.

Keyboard

The quality of your keyboard is much less of a factor. As long as it is comfortable and functional it won’t really have an impact upon how you play. There are several gaming specific keyboards available, but they are generally acknowledged as being inferior to a regular setup, as their layout is unwieldy and in attempting to enhance gaming options become useless for anything else. There are also several wireless keyboards, which are a viable consideration if you are trying to minimise your cords. There are a few known problems with response times (as with wireless mice) so try to use one before you buy it if taking this path.

Headphones

While many home PC users enjoy the surround sound associated with a speaker setup, competitive gamers swear by headphones as their preferred audio source. As with sound cards, the importance of the sound depends on the type of games you play. With first person shooters for example, the ability to precisely locate the source of a sound is enhanced by the use of headphones and you can achieve the sort of immersion that comes from an expensive speaker setup for a fraction of the cost.

They are also very useful if you attend a lot of LANs, as speakers are prohibited at such events. Similarly, living with other people or in a small space, you can play your games as loud as you want without worrying about disturbing your room mates.

Most computers will not come with headphones as standard so it will be something you have to pursue as an extra or from a different company. You can get a good pair of headphones for around $80-$100, but the quality continues to increase the more you spend. If you enjoy listening to music while you game, spending a little more for a better listening experience can be well worth it.

Price

If you are looking at pre-packaged systems, one thing to do before buying is price the individual components to get a rough idea of what you are paying for. A quality gaming PC will never be cheap, with a full budget system setting you back around $2000. For a high end experience you will be looking at over $3000, with extremes available for over $5000-$6000.

That said some companies may place an exorbitant premium on their systems simply for the job of piecing them together. If you check the rough market price of the individual components that make up your package you will get a rough idea of what you should be paying and any great disparities will become obvious.

source: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/190248/gaming_pcs