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What exactly is computer memory and what does it do?

Memory in industry is known as RAM (Random Access Memory), its main job is to momentarily remember information for different tasks to be completed.  The computers CPU (Central Processing Unit) is then able to access the information, stored in memory, very easily and quickly.  In simple terms the CPU could be described as the boss of a company, it tells the different parts of the machine what to do.  For example, if you were to open up an application program like Microsoft Word, the CPU then brings the program into memory.  Therefore, as the program has been brought into memory you are able to perform the task at a quicker rate because you’re not waiting around as long for the program to load as the program is ready to be accessed in memory.

A process can be started by simply just typing something on your keyboard.  The CPU interprets what you have done and tells the hard drive to load the information required into memory.  Once the information is in memory, the CPU is able to access the information quickly, especially when compared to having to access the information itself.  In simpler terms, this is a bit like saving your files in a certain folder on your computer, because you know where they are you can find the files quickly, whereas if you were to save then in any old place you could be searching for the file for ages.

How does memory affect performance?

Adding memory to a computer, in most cases, increases the performance of the machine significantly.  If a machine doesn’t have enough memory to store the required information the computer creates what is called ‘virtual memory’.  This means that the CPU reserves space on the hard disk for the data which simulates additional RAM.  This process, known as swapping, considerably reduces the performance of your computer (slows it down a lot)!  So you get an idea of how much slower here are some figures, for an average machine it takes 200ns (nanoseconds) to access RAM, compared to 12,000,000ns to access the hard drive.  So you get an idea of how big the difference really is, think of a basic task at home like washing up…instead of it taking 3 1/2 minutes to wash up, it takes 4 1/2 months.

What difference is made when upgrading memory on a PC or Laptop (usually)?

When you add more memory to a PC or Laptop you notice the difference straight away…

• Programs open quicker,
• Web pages open faster,
• Your machine can cope better with multi-tasking,
• General jobs are performed much faster and reliably

If your machine is getting a slow and you can afford it, it’s well worth increasing the memory!

Our 10th recommended Christmas retailer is PC World.  PC World, probably best known for their advertising slogan, specialise in Computers.  Their product range is mainly based on either computer hardware, computer software, computer accessories and electronic gadgets (digital cameras, tv’s, etc).  We mainly recommend Dell machines, but you can occasionally find a gem of a deal at PC World so its worth checking out their offers!

Dabs is our eighth recommended retailer for Christmas presents.  Dabs specialise in electronics varying from Laptops to Electronic Components to MP3 Players to Mobiles to Books to Software, just to name a few.

Their website is very simple to use and well laid out.  They also have an option to browse by brand which could come in very helpful!

Our Sixth recommended retailer for Christmas Presents is Misco!  Misco are an electronics company, they sell a wide range of products which include; Computer Hardware, Laptops, Digital Cameras, Desktops, TFT’s, Printers, Servers, Wireless Networks and Software!

They are worth having a look at as they have loads of great deals which could save you loads!

Our fourth recommended retailer for Christmas presents is Amazon.co.uk! You name it, Amazon sell it! Amazon have a wide range of products available for very reasonable prices! Products vary from Books to DVDs to Cd’s to Games Accessories to Garden Equipment to Jewelry and much more! A great way to get your last minute presents is their voucher system where you can choose to either email, print off or have your vouchers posted to the recipient.

Check it out!

One the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me a brand new Dell Computer!  Sounds pretty nice eh!  We are a big fan of dell as they provide very good quality machines at reasonable prices!  They are bound to have some great deals going on around the festive period!

Want to read review before you buy?  Check out the Dell Machine Reviews on the Brandstar Website!

A slightly different tip this week..it is for those of you looking at some of the Apple hardware! No matter if you are interested in the latest ipod touch, imac or xserve Mac Rumors is a great site for all the gossip on what is happening in the world of Apple!

The best and in my mind the most useful page on the site is the Buyers Guide, it advises you when updates to Apple products are due for release and also has posts about what the updates are likely to be. Apple tend to change their products at regular intervals so it isn’t to hard to suss out when a new update is due and that it is not wise to buy just before they release that update! So check out the MacRumors Buyers Guide for all the news from Apple including the iPhone

Maybe we should have had this as site of the month one time..

The question I get asked so often is how much is the cheapest laptop? Which isn’t as black and white as people seem to think (or maybe hope!). Using our favoured supplier Dell let’s look at a some prices and see what we get!

The Cheapest…

Going on Dell laptops for Home you can buy a laptop for £269 including VAT and Delivery. Not bad. But what will the laptop be any good for? Well this is an inspiron Mini 9 running Ubuntu (not Windows) and really is designed solely for internet, emails and maybe the odd word document. But you won’t get much more out of it than that. It is small with a 8.9″ screen so isn’t designed for people who use a PC/Laptop a lot and want an everyday machine. Something portable for checking emails etc whilst on holiday or travelling then this is great! Otherwise…read on.

The Cheapest we would recommend for the average user…

For the cheapest machines you need to look at the Inspiron laptops of the Dell range and they currently start at £329 inc VAT & Delivery. I personally would upgrade the processor to an Intel Core 2 Duo from the Celeron and also increase the memory to at least 2GB rather than 1GB so therefore giving a cost of £439. Not so much because the user would need the specification straight away but most people will look at this being a long term investment and not change it as often as some businesses would. So for the extra £110 I would say it is well worth it.

Sound advice? We believe so, but contact your local independant IT Supplier and see what they have to say too.

The Short Answer

£269 but I would say spend £439 if you want the machine for more than just emails and internet.

Today we got to play with the Skype Phone Netgear SPH101. In February we looked at the ideas of non USB Skype phones, specifically the 200D which is a phone with a special unit to connect into your router. This SPH101 is the model down from the 200D.

Hardware

The Netgear SPH101 phone itself is well made, feels sturdy and looks good. It is easy to use and the software seems to be very logical, but before you go and buy one read on…

Call quality

Unfortunatly this is where the phone is let down significantly. On trying the phone connected to three different wireless networks we found that the call quality was terrible, constantly cutting in and out, the person at the other end could not be understood.  Unfortunatly it is a no goer on this one for us. We are quite keen to test the 200D though and see if that is a better solution!

So on this short review we would advise against the SPH101 but would love to hear anyone who has positive experiences with it!

This is the third and final step of the Beginners guide to wireless network planning, and this step is an optional one. So far we have looked at:

1. Equipment Required
2. Security

If you find that your wireless network doesn’t stretch as far as you need it to then you can extend it!

Firstly, it is good to use equipment from the same manufacturer of your router/access point. Because if you require assistance they are more likely to help you setup two of their devices and often you can take advatages of features like Linksys Speedboost if you have all their equipment.

These are meant to be quick tips and so I have found a page on the Microsoft site that is better than i could do here so why re-invent the wheel, checkout what they say about Improving your Wireless Signal

So there we go, a short and simple series in planning a wireless network, but I hope it has helped a few beginners get going, or at least understand what is going on with their wireless network