Computer Tips
Okay, since I am a geek, and I haven't done this yet... I'm going to give you all some tips on computer usage.
Software:
No computer should be without these great products:
Anti-Virus - I personally reccomend AVG Free from Grisoft. http://free.grisfot.com
Anti-SpyWare - Two reccomendations here. Spybot from http://spybot.info and Ad-Aware from http://lavasoft.de
Firewall - Sygate Personal Firewall Pro from http://realityripple.com/Uploads/Sygate.zip
Some form of Registry Scanner such as BugDoctor or RegistryFix
Firefox - Always a good idea. http://mozilla.com
Always, ALWAYS update your Operating System, as well as all your programs. For windows, these two sites are super important:
Firefox Users: http://windizupdate.com
Internet Explorer Users: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Hardware:
Processors-
Personally, I'm a fan of AMD. The way I see it, AMD is good for stable speeds and normal work. Intel's better for large process loads and not much else. So use Intel for video rendering and AMD for everything else.
Dual Core processors are a bad idea right now. They don't actually multi-thread both cores, so they don't take advantage of the ability to do two things at once, they just switch over to the second core when the first one gets above a certain process usage.
64 bit processors are also a bad idea right now. No mainstream OS works with 64 bit stuff yet. Windows Vista will. Some versions of Linux do. Any other OS will actually perform slower because it has to convert back to 32 bit before it can do anything.
Ram: 512MB is not enough anymore, unless you're just doing word processing. 2GB is ridiculous unless you're doing major image, audio, or video editing. 1 to 1.5GB is probably the best for
gamers, workers, etc...
Video Cards: I'm still using a Radeon 9550 with 256MB of ram. It works great for everything I use it for. It's also overclocked 250%, which helps with some games. ATi video cards are best for games. nVidia are best for rendering (video editing stuff). PCIExpress owns all other slots if you can afford it. Otherwise, get a nice AGP one, since almost all Motherboards have AGP slots. The choice is up to you, but make sure you get at least 128 megs of ram on it, and it can render a fuzzy box with at least 30 frames per second (ATiTool joke, sorry).
Hard Drives: At least 80 gigs. 7200 RPM. UDMA or better. Seagate's a wonderful company. External Hard Drives are also VERY useful.
Monitors: Flatscreen LCDs are great. They're clear, they don't use much power, and you can get a nice one for around $200. CRTs take up space, power, and they sorta suck. Plasma's just way too expensive for what you get.
Speakers: 5.1 systems are great, but unless you really like music or play games that support it, just stick with 2 speakers.
Keyboard & Mouse: Get a keyboard that types well. Extras don't matter. Wireless is stupid, what with batteries, inteferance, etc... Same for mice. Get an Optical mouse. Balls suck.
Now some usage tips...
1) Be smart about things. Don't run programs that look suspicious at all. Don't download cracks and stuff without a good anti-virus, firewall, and web browser. It's best to stay away from crack sites. Read things. Make sure you didn't just allow someone to send you all kinds of spam email and spy on your computer when you installed something or signed up for something. Pay attention to what people who use your computer are doing.
2) Don't leave your computer on all night. What the hell's the point?
3) Keep your firewall up at all times. If it doesn't work with the firewall on, it's not worth getting it to work.
4) Update everything. Updates happen for 2 reasons: to fix errors, and to fix vulnerabilities. Both are things you want to be fixed.
5) If your computer is getting attacked with port scans or the like (good firewalls notify you), just change your IP address or turn off your comp for a while. Nothing like not being there to confuse an attacker.
Finally, be sensible, people. There's a lot of spyware, viruses, and bored people with the knowledge to destroy all your precious data. There's also a lot of idiots that think stealing stuff is cool. I'd rather everyone had to pass a computer literacy and IQ test before being allowed to use a computer, but that's not how PCs work. So be safe!
Software:
No computer should be without these great products:
Anti-Virus - I personally reccomend AVG Free from Grisoft. http://free.grisfot.com
Anti-SpyWare - Two reccomendations here. Spybot from http://spybot.info and Ad-Aware from http://lavasoft.de
Firewall - Sygate Personal Firewall Pro from http://realityripple.com/Uploads/Sygate.zip
Some form of Registry Scanner such as BugDoctor or RegistryFix
Firefox - Always a good idea. http://mozilla.com
Always, ALWAYS update your Operating System, as well as all your programs. For windows, these two sites are super important:
Firefox Users: http://windizupdate.com
Internet Explorer Users: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
Hardware:
Processors-
Personally, I'm a fan of AMD. The way I see it, AMD is good for stable speeds and normal work. Intel's better for large process loads and not much else. So use Intel for video rendering and AMD for everything else.
Dual Core processors are a bad idea right now. They don't actually multi-thread both cores, so they don't take advantage of the ability to do two things at once, they just switch over to the second core when the first one gets above a certain process usage.
64 bit processors are also a bad idea right now. No mainstream OS works with 64 bit stuff yet. Windows Vista will. Some versions of Linux do. Any other OS will actually perform slower because it has to convert back to 32 bit before it can do anything.
Ram: 512MB is not enough anymore, unless you're just doing word processing. 2GB is ridiculous unless you're doing major image, audio, or video editing. 1 to 1.5GB is probably the best for
gamers, workers, etc...
Video Cards: I'm still using a Radeon 9550 with 256MB of ram. It works great for everything I use it for. It's also overclocked 250%, which helps with some games. ATi video cards are best for games. nVidia are best for rendering (video editing stuff). PCIExpress owns all other slots if you can afford it. Otherwise, get a nice AGP one, since almost all Motherboards have AGP slots. The choice is up to you, but make sure you get at least 128 megs of ram on it, and it can render a fuzzy box with at least 30 frames per second (ATiTool joke, sorry).
Hard Drives: At least 80 gigs. 7200 RPM. UDMA or better. Seagate's a wonderful company. External Hard Drives are also VERY useful.
Monitors: Flatscreen LCDs are great. They're clear, they don't use much power, and you can get a nice one for around $200. CRTs take up space, power, and they sorta suck. Plasma's just way too expensive for what you get.
Speakers: 5.1 systems are great, but unless you really like music or play games that support it, just stick with 2 speakers.
Keyboard & Mouse: Get a keyboard that types well. Extras don't matter. Wireless is stupid, what with batteries, inteferance, etc... Same for mice. Get an Optical mouse. Balls suck.
Now some usage tips...
1) Be smart about things. Don't run programs that look suspicious at all. Don't download cracks and stuff without a good anti-virus, firewall, and web browser. It's best to stay away from crack sites. Read things. Make sure you didn't just allow someone to send you all kinds of spam email and spy on your computer when you installed something or signed up for something. Pay attention to what people who use your computer are doing.
2) Don't leave your computer on all night. What the hell's the point?
3) Keep your firewall up at all times. If it doesn't work with the firewall on, it's not worth getting it to work.
4) Update everything. Updates happen for 2 reasons: to fix errors, and to fix vulnerabilities. Both are things you want to be fixed.
5) If your computer is getting attacked with port scans or the like (good firewalls notify you), just change your IP address or turn off your comp for a while. Nothing like not being there to confuse an attacker.
Finally, be sensible, people. There's a lot of spyware, viruses, and bored people with the knowledge to destroy all your precious data. There's also a lot of idiots that think stealing stuff is cool. I'd rather everyone had to pass a computer literacy and IQ test before being allowed to use a computer, but that's not how PCs work. So be safe!
posted by Andy at 4:25 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home