Product Review: Asus P8C WS
The Asus P8C WS is a workstation class motherboard that includes many features sought after by businesses and home users alike. Most notably, it supports Intel E3 Xeon processors and ECC memory, making it a very stable platform. The varied types of ports and headers also makes it great for machines where backwards compatibility with older devices is critical.
Product Qualification: Intel S1200BTS Motherboard
The Intel S1200BTS (based on the C202 chipset) is a micro ATX server motherboard designed for small to medium-sized business applications. Puget Systems is already offering another micro ATX server motherboard – the Asus P8B-M based on the C204 chipset – but Intel motherboards are often better choices for a server platform than other brands. In this article we will be examining the Intel S1200BTS to determine if there is enough of a reason to replace the Asus P8B-M.
Product Qualification: Intel RS25DB080 RAID Controller
In this article we will be reviewing the Intel RS25DB080 8-port RAID controller which features two 800MHz processor cores with 1GB cache memory. Our testing however shows that this card suffers in terms of performance when compared to the Intel RS25DB040 and RS25DB080.
Product Review: Asus ASMB5-iKVM
The Asus ASMB5-iKVM is a BIOS-level remote management solution, allowing it to work at any point; whether the system is in the OS, the BIOS, or even halted due to a bluescreen. Most current remote management solutions are software-based, so they only work when an OS is running, which makes the Asus ASMB5-iKVM an attractive solution for network administrators and many home users alike.
Technology Primer – Power Supply Wattage and Efficiency
Power supplies are a critical piece of hardware in modern computers, but there are some aspects of them which aren’t well known or understood. This article will explain some of the less known aspects of power supplies, such as what wattage and efficiency ratings really mean, and what other factors you should consider when selecting a power supply for your next computer.
Best Practices for Computer Performance and Safety
In the course of my work as a sales consultant here at Puget Systems, I am often asked how I recommend setting up a computer. After all, providing advice like that on hardware configurations is my job! However, there are some deeper insights into how a computer can be set up which go beyond just selecting the right hardware. There are things I don’t often have the opportunity to discuss, and which aren’t really within the purview of a system builder. I wanted to take some time to write about the ideas and practices I use in my own computer setups, in the hope that some of this advice will help others to get the most out of their computers.
My Perspective on Personal Computers
My name is Daniel Brown, I am a PC technician. I’m writing this article because I feel like, based on my experience, I may have some wisdom to impart regarding PCs. I’ve been working with PCs for most of the last 13 years. Even when not employed in the computer industry, I’ve consistently dedicated a significant portion of my own time to staying up to date with PC hardware trends and learning more about personal computers. During my time in the IT industry, I’ve encountered more than my share of problems and done countless hours of troubleshooting. In my current role as ‘Lead Support Technician’ here at Puget, I add to those hours of troubleshooting daily, dealing with modern PC systems.
Pentium4, AthlonXP, DDR, RDRAM — How to Choose?!
We have a lot of processor and memory combinations to choose from today, and it is causing considerable confusion amongst our clients. With the disappointing performance gains of the newest Athlon XP processors and the recent price cuts in the high end Pentium4 line, the processor competition is as close as I’ve seen it in a long time. On top of that, questions of price vs. performance make memory selection a second difficult task. In this article, I will lay out the situation as clearly as I can, to help assist you in deciding what direction to take with your next computer!
The Future of Computing
This is an exciting time in which to live. With scientific breakthroughs being made every day, it is awe inspiring to speculate the future of computing technology. What will today’s scientific discoveries mean to tomorrow’s computers? In this article, we will take a light look at quantum computing — how a structure as simple as four atoms can revolutionize computing!