Much coverage has been given in the past about how computer programs can challenge some of the best chess players in the world. From playing to a draw, these computers have progressed to such a stage where they handily defeat these great human players. In the final analysis though, it is still the human behind the programming who should be given credit for being able to harness the computer’s power by mixing in artificial intelligence and thus making these machines almost think like humans.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for some time now. One of the areas that computer programmers have been applying AI is in the field of writing. Imagine the joy of the average high school student if they could get their computers to write their essays for them. Imagine too just how intellectually deprived these students eventually will become but that will be a topic for another time.

One way of teaching the computer to write is to feed it prior written material, maybe a news column or article. What the computer will do is to rewrite or paraphrase the entire article–move some paragraphs or sentences around, change certains words but always trying to maintain the essence of the article. Most of the time, the computers fail miserably especially with lengthy articles. The output is mostly gibberish and the thoughts are out of synch.

If you need proof of how devoid of sense the computer generated articles are, you need only look in your emails. Every now and then you might receive a spam email where the body of the emails consists of about three or four paragraphs of mumbo jumbo. Each sentence probably makes sense individually. Put them all together and try to make sense of it though will only give you a headache. These are examples of computer generated writings.

There are nefarious forces around who are trying very hard to improve the abilities of these kinds of programs in order for them to come up with more sensible content. Their intention is to be able to profit off the hard work of others by using their article generating software to basically copy previously written materials and then present the altered finished product as their own. There are some websites that are already touting the advancements of their software. As everyone knows by now, writing articles on the internet translates to more targetted traffic to one’s website and that means more exposure for your product. So a software that can churn out an article in less than five minutes could mean a windfall in the long run for these lazy mules.

While computer generated articles may not be in the mainstream yet, surely a discerning reader can tell. An author who writes from the heart will pack that extra punch in his/her article. The passion to write with the intent of informing, educating, entertaining, telling an exciting story, and tickling the mind will definitely stand head and shoulder above all else. If you just pick a name of a popular author, ask yourself what makes you buy that particular author’s books. Without a doubt, time and effort and the proverbial blood, sweat and tears have been poured into the production of their wonderful stories.

The same can be said for internet articles. No computer generated, assembly-line article or story is going to be able to deliver the same product as one that is driven by passion. Webmasters always advise newcomers on the scene that “content is king.” There are many who are of the mentality that in order to succeed on the internet, you have to “be there” first. And in their desperation to “be there” first, they would employ even underhanded measures to achieve their goals. When the motive for writing an article or producing a website is purely for monetary gains, the content is most likely very shallow as well. Authors who spend the time to think and research ahead of their articles are the ones who will eventually be rewarded not just in monterary terms, but also through respect. Such is the reward for passion.

F. Aldo
http://www.articlesbase.com/writing-articles/computers-are-no-match-for-human-passion-74408.html

Taking the Quantum Leap

While it may seem that the evolution of computers is about at its end, that is not the case. The next generation of computers is quantum computers.

The reason behind continuing computer evolution is the continuing thirst we have for speed and capacity of our computers. Way back in 1947 an engineer and computing expert, Howard Aiken, predicted that all the United States need to satisfy its need for computers were six digital electronic computers. Other scientists and engineers that followed Aiken added to the volume they predicted as being adequately massive, but were also far too conservative.

What none were able to predict that scientific research would produce voluminous quantities of knowledge that needed to be computed and stored, nor did they predict the popularity of personal computers, and the existence of the Internet. In fact, it’s hard to predict if humankind will ever be satisfied with its computer power and volume.

A basic computer premise, called Moore’s Law, says that the number of a microprocessor’s transistors doubles every 18 months and will continue to do so. What this means is that by no later than 2030 the number of microprocessor circuits found in computers will be astronomically high. This will lead to the creation of quantum computers, whose design will use the power of molecules and atoms for processing and memory tasks. Quantum computers should be able to perform specific calculations billions of times more quickly than can the current computers that are based on silicon.

Quantum computers do exist today, though few and they’re all in the hands of scientists and scientific organizations. They are not for practical and common use – that is still many years away. The theory of quantum computers was developed in 1981 by Paul Benioff, a physicist with the Argonne National Laboratory. Benioff theorized going beyond the Turing Theory to a Turing machine with quantum capabilities.

Alan Turing created the Turing machine around 1935. This machine was made up of a tape whose length was unlimited and which he divided into small squares. Each square either held the symbol one or the symbol zero, or no symbol at all. He then created a reading-writing device that could read these zero and one symbols, which in turn gave these machines – the early computers – the instructions that initiated specific programs.

Benioff took this to the quantum level, saying that the reading-writing head and the tape would both exist in a quantum state. What this would mean is that those tape symbols one or zero could exist in a superposition that could be one and zero at the same time, or somewhere in between. Because of this the quantum Turing machine, in contrast to the standard Turing machine, could perform several calculations at once.

The standard Turing machine concept is what runs today’s silicon-based computers. In contrast, quantum computers encode computer information as quantum bits, called qubits. These qubits actually represent atoms that work together to act as a processor and as the computer’s memory. This ability to run multiple computations at one, and to contain several states at the same time, is what gives quantum computers the potential to be millions of times as powerful as today’s best supercomputers.

Quantum computers that have 30 qubits would, for example, have processing power equal to today’s computers that run at a speed of 10 teraflops (trillions of operations per second.) To put this in perspective, the typical computer of today runs at gigaflop speeds (billions of operations per second.

As our cry for more speed and more power from our computers continues, quantum computers are predicted to be a readily available product sometime in the not so distant future.

Jason Roberts
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/the-next-generation-of-computers-is-quantum-computers-70573.html

Nowadays, everybody depend on computers in one form or another for reasons that include scheduling, processing and other mundane tasks that most people have very little interest in doing. There are things that cannot be performed by humans that need to be taken care of by the computers of the world.

For this there is now a high demand for computers that can perform tasks not within the range of humans and their capabilities. For years this has been a needed task and knowledge in this area is being formed everyday. There is also the matter of speed by which a task can be performed that is another focus of creating such computers.

Over the past years there have been a big run on the use of super computers in many applications. Many people are unaware that super computers even exist, but they have been a reality for more years than most would know about. The reason for this is the fact that super computers are not the kind of machine that a person would use everyday. They are designed to perform highly technical tasks with speed and accuracy. The basis of a super computer is the same as a normal personal computer but in a much larger scale.

The super computers of today are much like those computers of the past; they can take up entire rooms for just the processing space. This means that they are also highly expensive and create a massive power drain for the area where they are located. In most cases people go to school for many years to learn how to operate one of these massive machines and still have to take on many more years of standard training to learn about the overall structure and functions that the computer has. This is the reason for the low number of people that can operate one of these machines.

The main use today for the super computers is the many movies that are now relying on the CGI animation. Unlike the previous decades where the animated movies were created by the artists then animated through cameras, the new movies are now created solely by the super computer. During the process huge banks of data processing equipment work with the information that the operators put in. From this data the super computer will make the characters come alive and produce some of the highest quality graphics that the world has ever seen.

This was a revolution in technology when the likes of Toy Story came into being. No humans were used in the film except for the voices and the entire movie was created on a super computer. This has sped up the process by which the films of the day are made. There is still a long process as the computer needs time to make the animation come to life. However, instead of taking years as it once did, the movies can now be produced within a matter of months when the production begins.

Joe Goertz
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/interesting-data-about-super-computers-66521.html

Spyware, Keyloggers, Hackers, Cyber Terrorists, Cybercriminals, Cybergangs, etc. These threats are real and the fact is your computer is most likely infected already! Cybercrime is on the rise. You may not be the only one using your computer. Hackers may be using your computers and you may not even know it. Would you ever know it if your computer were taken over and being used by a hacker? Not likely. When a hacker hijacks a computer, the victim rarely knows. A computer that has been hijacked is one that is completely taken over by a hacker, or a group of hackers, to be used for their own purposes. The idea is that the real owner of the computer never knows their system has been hijacked, so the hackers can secretly use it whenever and however they want.

One of the latest hacking trends is called “Drive-by Hacking”. Popular wireless Internet access points have now become a major target for hackers. Hackers simply take their laptop computers in their cars and drive through business parks or residential neighborhoods remotely scanning for open wireless networks. This is the latest version of the drive-by garage door remote theft where criminal would use universal remote controls to open garage doors without arousing the suspicions of neighbors, police, or home security companies.

Today millions of businesses and homes have implemented wireless networks for their convenience, and, sadly, for the convenience of the cybercriminals. And they don’t even have to open your garage door to enter your home or business.

Now hackers can simply pull up outside, up to 600 feet away, and gain access to the network, the Internet, and every computer on the network. This kind of hacking has become so popular that you can even find public websites around the globe that sell maps to all the known “open” wireless networks.

Once your computer has been hijacked, the hacker claims ownership of your computer and there is little you can do unless you protect your computer in advance against this threat. In fact, in many cases when hackers have taken over a computer, they will even “heal” the computer by closing the security holes, so no other hacker can break into the computer and use it too. (Can you imagine? Criminals protect their hijacked computers from other criminals.)

Computers that have been hijacked and are under the control of a hacker are known as “zombies”. Some of the more popular uses for a zombie computer include using it to send spam emails, distribute pornography, download illegal copies of software, and to anonymously attack another computer, a business, a website, or even a government agency.

There have been many cases in the U.S. and around the world where a business or home computer has been hijacked and used for illegal purposes without the computer owner’s knowledge. These victims have had their computers used to distribute child pornography, deface websites, and even hack into government computers. In many cases, the owner of the hijacked computer (the business owner or the homeowner) has been arrested and hauled off to jail, only to be humiliated, demoralized and even convicted for crimes they didn’t commit.

See the ABC News’ 20/02 video about an unsuspected 16 year-old high schooler who was arrested as a child pornographer after his pc was hijacked and used to distribute child pornography. Click this link: ABC News’ 20/20 video.

Hackers are very good at hiding behind their slave or zombie computers. A hijacked computer is a hacker’s protection of anonymity. As unbelievable as it may seem, hijacked computers, zombie computers actually have a street market value in the hacker community. The better the computer and the faster the Internet connection of the slave machine, and the bigger the hard drive, the more it is worth on the market. Zombie computers are often leased out by hackers to other hackers, or even to organized crime groups, to be used for illegal purposes – without the computer owner’s knowledge. If a hacker or a cybergang can take over a hundred or a thousand computers, they have an army of computers at their disposal.

Here are some facts:

• If your computer has become a “zombie” or a “slave” to a hacker, the use of your computer could be for sale somewhere on the Internet or an auction website. Your computer’s power is valuable to hackers.
• Today, there are organizations that claim “ownership” of more than 450,000 zombie computers around the world that they use to anonymously send spam.

The best defenses are a combination of education and managed protection service. Off-the-shelve individual or combined anti-spyware, antivirus, and anti-spam software programs may not be sufficient protection, because hackers seem to stay one step of these programs. The popular off-the-shelf products offer you no personalized support. If you want help, you’ll pay for it over and over again! If you need a virus removed with these cheap programs, you’ll pay for it. You may get technical support from your PC manufacturer for security problems, but in most cases, you probably will not. Even if you do, it will likely be for a fee, and one that repeats itself should you need additional help down the road.

Because hackers will likely always be one step ahead of the security industry itself, software-based protection alone is not enough. 85% of current anti-virus users have been infected with a virus or worm! Have you ever had a virus you couldn’t get rid of? Has your computer acted funny or has it slowed way down due to a massive spyware infestation? Does your computer have a virus, spyware, malware, or hacker hiding inside? Test it now to be sure. Go to www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com to take a free Internet security audit to determine which trojans and hacker spyware tools might be infecting your computers.

To protect yourself, you need an Internet security team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business computer are always safe and secure. The best protection you can have in today’s rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs that will provide technical support without any hassles and without charging you extra fees. It will become even more critical than it is today as time goes on. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you will want to have a trusted expert you can call for professional help, without any hassles and extra costs!

Remember: When you say “No!” to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don’t, we all lose!

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-security-articles/dont-let-zombie-computers-home-computer-hacking-and-driveby-hacking-compromise-your-finances-106534.html

In my opinion, laptops are the best technological conveniences of our time. Although I thoroughly appreciate my cell phone and microwave and all the other gadgets that make my life easier, there is no substitute for lap top computers. I have owned several lap top computers in my life and have enjoyed watching them get smaller and lighter every year. When it comes to staying connected, playing and working on the go, lap top computers can’t be beat.

Although notebook computers, like any other form of technology, become obsolete the moment they hit store shelves, I doubt that you will notice any inequity. Lap top computers have longer battery lives these days and some only weigh a few pounds. They are incredibly convenient for any person who uses a computer regularly. Whenever I had an important term paper due I knew that even if the power went out I would be fine.

I still use a PC at my house for surfing the web and other things. I use my notebook for the bulk of my word processing projects because I feel that they are safer there than on my PC. I, like many other people, have experienced complete computer meltdowns on a PC. It is usually due to a virus caught while surfing the web. I have learned to keep my notebook computers away from the Internet so that my files are better protected. I keep everything of importance on my lap top and use my PC for more dangerous endeavors.

I think that owning a notebook computer is a must. I have found that having two computers, one for Internet use and one for more important things, has been a great idea. Laptops are very valuable and should be protected. I transfer information from my lap top to my PC if I want to send it over the Internet. This way, my precious lap top never touches the web and is never threatened by hackers or viruses.

If you have been looking at laptops you already know that there is a wide array of them and they all come with different features. You will have to shop around to find the right computer for you but I have been able to get by successfully on lap top computers that are in the $500-$600 range. If you wait around until the Christmas holiday shopping season, I am confident you will find yourself a great deal.

John Pawlett
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/laptop-computers-89766.html

Used computers and accessories can help your business reach its financial and environmental goals. That’s right. You can save some green and be green at the same time simply by practicing two of the three R’s – reducing and reusing. (We’ll leave the recycling to other aspects of your business.)

Let’s start with saving some green. IT budgets present challenges to most businesses. As much as you try to keep costs in check, they can escalate through no fault of your own. Your hardware can be deemed obsolete by a manufacturer. When your equipment breaks down, you may need a replacement if you don’t have the parts needed to repair it yourself. This is where used computers, parts and accessories enter the picture.

Keeping existing technology longer is the goal of used computer vendors and most IT managers. Upgrades are costly. Upgrades often require recertification or training, adding to costs. If you could access discontinued or used parts for your servers and workstations, wouldn’t you? Maybe all you need is a memory upgrade for an older-model server. With the right used computer vendor, you can find what you need, for a low price no less, and save the expense of buying a new server.

If you need to expand your existing network when your platform is obsolete, you can find what you need on the secondary market. Used computer vendors have a wide selection of parts and options for most networks being used today. Some even have special partnerships with manufacturers that allow them to sell their discontinued or refurbished parts.

Now for the environmental green. As you are probably aware, computers contain some very toxic substances. Cadmium, selenium, arsenic and mercury are just a few. Fire retardants – used in computer housings – are also highly toxic. Although many old computers still end up in a landfill, that is the last place they should go.

While many people might think of old computers as merely garbage, others see a lot of value in them. Instead of junking them, why not think green and make sure they are reused? Many used computer vendors obtain their inventory from large businesses, government departments and the like. When these organizations upgrade their systems, a secondary market vendor can purchase the old machines and make them available for resale.

If the machines are too old to be of resale value, they can be dismantled, in an environmentally safe manner. Their parts may still be useful and can be sold on the secondary market. Most IT departments are staffed by very resourceful people who can extend the life of even the oldest hardware, if they have access to the components they need.

When you sell your computers to be reused, or buy used computers or accessories yourself, you are reducing the need for new hardware. Reducing the need means less turnover of equipment which, in turn, means less waste.

Granted, this is a simplified argument. E-waste is a huge problem and it will take a concerted effort by everyone to reduce the number of computers being sent into the waste stream. But even the smallest gesture can make a big difference. To start making a difference at your office, consider the used computer market next time you need to repair or upgrade your network.

Bruce Orr
http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/used-computers-accessories-reduce-reuse-and-save-752087.html

Gateway computer to Stop Selling Computers Through Internet

Gateway computer on Friday said it would stop selling Computers through its Internet, instead focusing on selling Computers through third-party stores and other online retailers.

Gateway computer has been selling Computers through partner retail stores since 2004, but it is now cutting direct online sales to consumers in order to cut costs and align its business model with parent company Acer, the company?From:http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/Companies/ ?said. Acer last year acquired Gateway computer for US$710 million in an effort to boost its consumer presence in North America.

The change has resulted in some staff cuts, said Lisa Emard, a Gateway computer spokeswoman. “These reductions have been happening in small waves as the company has methodically evaluated each department and function,” she said.

The transition away from direct sales is happening over the uComputeroming weekend, Emard said. Consumers will be able to purchase products off Gateway computer’s Internet until Saturday evening.

The change could help Gateway computer better compete with rivals Hewlett-Packard and Dell, said David Daoud, research manager at IDC.(from: http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/buy-IDC/) Also, since the indirect model has worked well for Acer, it may be hoping that focusing on the same model can help boost Gateway computer sales.

Daoud suggested that the decision to kill off Gateway computer’s online sales could mean that Acer may replace some Gateway computer brands with its own.

Some of Gateway computer’s brands, like eMachines, which has a strong consumer presence, may conflict with Acer’s offerings, Daoud said. By getting rid of Gateway computer’s online sales and potentially in the future some of the Gateway computer brands, Acer may be simply trying to consolidate the brands, which could increase Acer brand awareness, Daoud said.

However, Emard said that Acer is focusing different brands on different sectors, and all of Gateway computer’s brands will continue to be offered.

Acer offers four brands worldwide — Acer, eMachines, Gateway computer and Packard-Bell — with Gateway computer products currently available through retailers in Japan, China, Mexico, Canada and the U.S., Emard said.

“While there is indeed some crossover today, you’re going to see Acer moving upstream with its product line and offering more high-performance products (from: http://www.office-products-suppliers.com/Products/)featuring advanced technology,” Emard said.

Since the acquisition, Gateway computer has helped Acer boost its U.S. presence, where it was running neck and neck with Apple as the third-largest Computer retailer. The combined company sold 1.3 million units, a 7.8 percent market share and a 49.9 percent increase over last year’s third quarter.

Welcome the office-products-supplier.com to buy the best office products & supplies. It makes your business easier

wsueb
http://www.articlesbase.com/vans-articles/gateway-computer-to-stop-selling-computers-through-internet-500354.html

The desktop computer has become just another appliance you use every day. Replacement sales–not first-time purchases–now drive the computer market. Fully loaded desktops selling for less than $800 are common, even among established brands.

WHAT’S AVAILABLE

There are dozens of companies vying to put a new desktop in your home. Dell, eMachines, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard (which merged with Compaq in 2002), IBM, and Sony all make machines that use Microsoft’s dominant Windows operating system. eMachines, recently merged with Gateway, specializes in budget-priced Windows models. Apple is the sole maker of Macintosh models. Small mail-order and store brands cater to budget-minded buyers.

Price range: $400 to $3,000.

IMPORTANT FEATURES

The processor houses the “brains” of a computer. Its clock speed, measured in gigahertz (GHz), determines how fast the chip can process information. In general, the higher the clock speed, the faster the computer. But not always, since different chip families attain different efficiencies. Manufacturers of Windows machines generally use 1.6- to 3.8-GHz processors with one of the following names: Intel’s Pentium or Celeron, or AMD’s Athlon or Sempron. Celeron and Sempron are lower-priced processors that equal higher-priced chips in many respects. Intel now assigns “processor numbers” to its chips, de-emphasizing clock speed. Apple’s Macintosh machines use 1.25- to 2.5-GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 processors, which are manufactured by IBM. Apple has announced that they will begin a transition to Intel processors in 2006.The system architecture of some families of chips allows them to be as fast as or faster than others with higher clock speeds, so speed comparison by the numbers can be misleading.

All name-brand computers sold today have at least 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, or random access memory, the memory the computer uses while in operation. Video RAM, also measured in megabytes, is secondary RAM essential for smooth video imaging and game play.

The hard drive is your computer’s long-term data storage system. Given the disk-space requirements of today’s multimedia games, digital photos, and video files, bigger is better. You’ll find hard drives ranging in size from 40 to 300 gigabytes (GB).

A CD-ROM drive has been standard on most desktops for many years. Commonly supplied now is a CD-RW (CD-rewriteable) drive, also known as a “burner” that lets you create backup files or make music compilations on a compact disc. A DVD-ROM drive brings full-length movies or action-packed multimedia games with full-motion video to the desktop. It complements the CD-RW drive on midline and higher-end systems, allowing you to copy CDs directly between the two drives. A DVD writer will also play CDs and CD-ROMs. Combo drives combine CD-writing and DVD-playing in a single drive, saving space. The newest in this family, rapidly becoming a common choice, is the DVD-writer, which lets you transfer home-video footage to a DVD disk, or store as much data as six CDs. There are three competing, incompatible DVD formats–DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM–as well as drives that can create dual-layer DVDs that store twice as much. Some drives can write in more than one format, but all can create a disk that will play on standalone DVD players.

Fast disappearing is the diskette drive, where 3.5-inch diskettes are inserted. Apple Macintoshes and a growing number of PCs don’t have a diskette drive built in, because it only allows you to read or store relatively small amounts of data. Many people use a CD-RW as a large “diskette” drive to transport files. Many PCs now come with a digital camera memory-card reader that can also serve for file transfer. You can also get external drives or use a USB memory module that holds much more than a diskette.

The computer’s cathode ray tube (CRT) or flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor contains the screen and displays the images sent from the graphics board–internal circuitry that processes the images. Monitors come in sizes (measured diagonally) ranging from 15 to 21 inches and larger. Seventeen-inch monitors are the most common. Apple’s eMac and iMac come with built-in monitors. Its Mac Mini comes without a monitor. LCD displays are now the most popular, taking less space and using less power than CRTs. Better LCD displays can use a Digital Video Interface (DVI) connection, found on many newer PCs.

The critical components of a desktop computer are usually housed in a case called a tower. A minitower is the typical configuration. More expensive machines have a midtower, which has extra room for upgrades. A microtower is a space-saving alternative that is usually less expensive. All-in-one computers, such as the Apple iMac, have no tower; everything but the keyboard and mouse is built into a small case that supports the monitor. Apple’s Power Mac line of computers has a tower. Apple’s newest model, the Mac Mini, has a space-saving design that puts everything but the monitor, keyboard, and mouse in a case about the size of a hardcover book. An “entertainment PC”–one with a TV tuner built in–comes in a case that is more like an audio or video component, made to fit in with other home-entertainment devices.

A mouse, a small device that fits in your hand and has a “tail” of wire that connects to the computer, moves the cursor (the pointer on the screen) via a rolling ball or a light sensor on its underside. Alternatives include a trackball, which is rolled with the fingers or palm in the direction you want the cursor to go; a pad, which lets you move the cursor by sliding a finger; a tablet, which uses a penlike stylus for input; and a joystick, used to play computer games.

Most computers come with a standard keyboard, although you can also buy one separately. Many keyboards have CD (or DVD) controls to pause playback, change tracks, and so on. Many also have keys to facilitate getting online, starting a search, launching programs, or retrieving e-mail. There are also wireless keyboards that let you move about as you type.

Multimedia computers for home use feature a high-fidelity sound system that amplifies music from CDs or downloaded music files, synthesized music, game sounds, and DVD-movie soundtracks. Speaker systems with a subwoofer have deeper, more powerful bass. Surround-sound systems can turn a PC into a home theater. Some computers come with a microphone for recording, or one can be added.

PCs come with a modem to allow a dial-up Internet connection. Parallel and serial ports are the traditional connections for printers and scanners. Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, seen on all new computers, are designed to replace parallel and serial ports. FireWire or IEEE 1394 ports are used to capture video from digital camcorders and other electronic equipment. An Ethernet port or wireless network card lets you link several computers in the household to share files, a printer, or a broadband Internet connection. An S-video output jack lets you run a video cable from the computer to a television, which lets you use the computer’s DVD drive to view a movie on a TV instead of on the computer monitor.

HOW TO CHOOSE

First, decide whether to upgrade your current computer. Upgrading, rather than replacing it, may make sense if your additional needs are modest–a second hard drive, say, because you’re running out of room for digital photos. Adding memory or a CD burner is usually more cost-effective than buying a whole new machine. If your PC has become unreliable, your want list is more demanding, or if there’s software you must run that your system is not up to, a new PC is the logical answer.

Consider a laptop. A desktop computer typically costs hundreds less and is easier to upgrade, expand, and repair. It usually offers better ergonomics, such as a more comfortable keyboard, bigger display, and enhanced audio. But a laptop merits consideration if portability and compactness are priorities.

Pick the right type of desktop. Most manufacturers offer several lines at different price points. Budget computers are the least expensive, yet they are suitable for routine work. Workhorse computers cost a few hundred dollars more, but are faster, more versatile, and upgradable. All-in-one models have most of the components in a single case. And entertainment or media PCs include TV tuners and software that give them the functions of a DVR. They usually provide a remote control for easy operation.

Choose by brand. Our surveys have consistently shown notable differences in reliability and technical support among computer brands. And some brands are generally more expensive than others. Those factors could help you decide which of two similarly equipped computers is the better buy.

Choose between preconfigured and custom built. You can buy a PC off the shelf in a store or via the Web, configured with features and options the manufacturer pitches to average consumers. Or consider purchasing a desktop that you configure to order, either online or in a store. When you configure a computer to order online, onscreen menus typically show you all the options and let you see how a change in one option affects the overall price.

Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.

For the latest information on this and many other products and services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

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Brooke Yan
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/consumer-reports-desktop-computers-95490.html

As the name suggests, a desktop computer is a personal computer that is placed over the desk. Due to its three different parts that are comparatively big in size, the desktop computers are not portable. Both individuals and the corporates make use of desktop PCs. Desktop computers are high on its features. An added benefit of desktop computers is that it can be upgraded and updated very easily.  Though its size gives rise to compactness issues, it serves the purpose of all round high configuration computer usage. The

motherboard is a key component of the desktop computer. It connects with other computer accessories like the display screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer, DVD-ROM etc to increase its utility and perform variable duties.

The Desktop Computers can be broadly divided into three main types. They include: Desktop computer, Work Stations, and Gaming PCs. The general Desktop computer systems are those that are generally used at home or in the office. Workstations are those computers designed for self operation. They have a mirror hard disk for their back up. In order to run multi user operating systems, they are connected to a local area network (LAN). They are more like a server for many computers, tend to integrate multiple computers.  As the name suggests, the gaming compu

ters are specifically built to play computer games. The games can be played at comparatively high resolutions than domestic computers. To give enhanced gaming satisfaction these computers feature extraordinary exteriors and technically advanced components.

When users opt to buy desktop computers, each person has a different set of demands. Therefore to deliver the best desktop computer that serves the users needs, mostly desktop computers are separately assembled. Such desktop computers are called the assembled ones. In this type of computers, the best components available in the market are put together to deliver the best desktop computer with the best combinations. However in such cases care should be taken, to ensure that all the added components are compatible with the motherboard configuration. In most cases, drivers are added into the system to support all kinds of accessories.

Desktops can be made use of for different purposes with minor changes in its settings. For eg: it can be attached to powerful speakers and can be switched into a home theater system. By adding an external hard disk, it can be made a huge storage device for all the documentation and entertainment files. Thus a desktop computer can be used as the user wants.The assembled ones are more popular in the local market than the branded ones.

But nevertheless, the branded ones offer more security and good after sales service. So it is upon the user to fix the price when he decides to buy a desktop computer, as an assembly of chic accessories and high configuration could cost a desktop far more than a laptop or a branded desktop computer.

Pooja Lapasia
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