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A Guide to PCI Express

A Lot More Bandwidth
First, to understand PCI Express, we need to know what it is capable of. Traditionally, most of our computers these days come equipped with PCI or AGP based graphics cards. Most of the latest PCs come decked with PCI Express enabled cards. Technologically, PCI Express allows graphics data to be transported at about 4 GB/s as opposed to 2 GB/s that the AGP 8X interface provides. That is twice the speed and hence twice the graphics horsepower were talking about.

What does this mean for game and content developers? Plenty. Given its speed, PCI Express will allow game developers to squeeze in more realistic content then ever imagined possible in a release. Video will never be the same again. If you can imagine yourself playing Half-Life 2 or Painkiller at the full graphics resolution and settings, then you can imagine what PCI Express can do.

Backward Compatible
PCI Express comes with a number of other benefits. One of the most important is its ability to be backward compatible with PCI. If you have an old PCI based motherboard, you should be able to use all your cards in a new PCI Express motherboard. Thats great, because you certainly do not want to be buying PCI Express peripherals just because your motherboard has been upgraded to PCI Express.

Not Just For Video
Remember that PCI Express is not limited to graphics although initially the implementation will mostly be seen in graphics boards. Were talking about sound cards, network cards and what have you all going the PCI Express way.

Conclusion
If you do intend to go the PCI Express highway, then you will want to first upgrade your motherboard to the latest PCI Express type. Then, from there, get a PCI Express graphics card. As time goes on, we should see more and more PCI Express cards not just graphics cards coming into the market. By then, you will be ready for them.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at Build-Your-Own-Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

posted by gcpdt @ 6:06 AM 0 comments

Top Six Printer Jokes

Just when you thought computer literate people could not be more condescending about those less fortunate computer illiterates, and I do mean that with a certain amount of sarcasm, they come out with even more printer, ink and cartridge jokes than one could possibly read in several micro-nano seconds of a life time. Well that took a long time did it not? What you say? You did not read all the jokes about printer, cartridges, ink and cartridge in several micro-nano seconds? Good, because I couldnt find any. I did, however run across the top five internet jokes about printers. Well, they are sort of funny anyway.

You have just received your new printer and the box looks damaged with a nice expensive printer inside. All looks hopeless throw out the box it will likely not work.

What will my printer warranty cover? Your mouse pad

When the office printer color started to look a little off the manager called the local repair shop. To the managers surprise the clerk said that it would cost $50 but that he might try reading the manual and doing it himself. The manager replied in astonishment does your boss know that you discourage business that way? Yes, replied the clerk. It was his idea. We make more on repairs than cleanings if the owner tries to do it himself first.

A woman called tech support and said her computer couldnt find the printer. The tech asked, are you working under windows? The woman replied no Im near the door but the guy in the next cubical is working under a window and his printer works fine.

The printer is comprised of three main parts; the case, the jammed paper tray and the blinking red light.

When the printer still will not work after 20 tries; try sending the print job to all 100 printers in the office. One of them is bound to work.

The fact that these five jokes are about all I found in the reference of printer jokes it is a sad state of affairs. How are cartridge sales people supposed to open a conversation with the local ink sales guy.

Generally, there are only so many ways to say; have you heard the one about the cartridge, printer and ink sales guys that walked into a bar? And then come up with a punch line. I know that I sure as heck do not have one. But Ill tell you that if ink, cartridge and printer sales guys do walk into a bar I would want that punch line.

So, all you tech people with all those tech support questions and jokes, and all you managers that appear to be busy but are only using your drama degree get on the stick. My ink, cartridge and printer guys need a punch line and fast.

Thats right and fast they can see the light coming and it is blue. Some of the tech guys say it fades to black but we all know about the dreaded blue screen dont we.

This Article is written by James Kara Murat from PrintCountry.com, the contributor of PrintCountry Printer Ink Cartridge Blog. A longer version of this article is located at Top Six Printer Jokes and some related articles can be found at Get Creative with Old Printer Cartridges.

posted by gcpdt @ 4:18 AM 0 comments