Dell Computers, New Zealand

Having trouble looking for the perfect computer? Your search ends right here, at Dell NZ Computers. Because we understand what you need. Dell NZ Computers is in fact an affiliate of Dell New Zealand, and we carry forward the Dell tradition of dealing directly with our customers and ensuring that they get the best! Our focus is upon bringing you the best deals to be found online on computers and laptops.

Choosing and finding the computer or laptop that really works for you can be an ordeal. At Dell Computers New Zealand, we turn that ordeal into an experience you’ll want to have again and again. Specifications, systems, memory, RAM, battery life, warranty – words such as these add to the niggling sense of panic in a first time buyer or even a seasoned hand at computer purchasing. We like to make things simple and uncomplicated at Dell Computers New Zealand.

But, how is that possible? Through information! Correct information can influence your buying decisions in an intelligent and reasoned manner. Dell Computers New Zealand provides extensive information on all Dell products. You will also find carefully researched reviews of the different ranges of Dell laptops and personal computers.

A standard Dell NZ Computers computer review mentions the correct specifications pertaining to the model, discusses the build, design, ports and features, the screen, the keyboard, the touchpad and media controls and most importantly the performance and benchmarks of the model. Prompt reviews of latest products means that you don’t have to wait before you make a purchase. Each detail is taken into account and mentioned. In a nutshell, when you are aware of all that’s available to you, you will necessarily make an informed decision and choose the computer that best suits your lifestyle and your requirements.

The Dell NZ Computers website also offers various helpful tips to consumers, such as tips to keep in mind when selecting a computer model or tips to help you maintain the optimum performance of the battery. We do not want you feeling lost when you come to us. We believe in letting the consumer take charge and relate to the products dynamically. The personal computer is one of the most important electronic appliances of our lives. It makes sense to be meticulous and pay attention to details when buying one; all we do is make sure that when you navigate away from this page, you are confident that you have made a smart purchase.
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Define Computer Hardware

By Candis Reade
It is quite well known that the working of the computer is pulled by hardware and software. One can define computer hardware as the electronic, magnetic, and electric devices that carry out the computing functions. Hardware is the physical components of the computer like microprocessor, hard disks, RAM, and motherboard. The peripheral devices such as monitor, mouse, keyboard, printer, and speakers can also be included in the list of hardware parts. The programs that run on the computers like Windows, C++, and Photoshop are the software parts of the computer. A good example for an easy understanding of hardware-software definition is music CDs. The actual compact disk is the hardware, while the songs and music in the CD are the software parts.

There is another way to define computer hardware. Hardware devices are the executors of the commands provided by software applications. For example, let us see what happens when you click the print button of the web browsing software. The software application provides a command to the processor, which is the central part of all computer hardware. Processor in turn checks for an attached printer. If the printer is ready, the software will get a positive response from the processor. Then the software application provides instruction to the printer via the processor to print the web page. In that sense, hardware parts are the foot soldiers and software applications are the commanders in the digital operation that takes place within a computer.

The main player of computer hardware is undoubtedly the microprocessor. It is the sun in the solar system of computer hardware devices. It is the central component and all other components work around it. It is an integrated chip on which a number of functions are incorporated. Two specifications determine its efficiency. One is its processing speed, which is measured in gigahertz. The other is its bit rate. Commonly available processors are 32 bit and 64 bit. The bit rate is a measure of the efficiency of a processor to carry out multiple operations at the same time.

One cannot define computer hardware without mentioning the two types of memory used in computers. One is permanent memory. It refers to the magnetic storage capacity of hard disk. It is measured in gigabytes. The second is RAM or random access memory. This memory is able to store data only when the computer is switched on. The memory will lose all the data when the computer is switched off.

Another important product that one should mention when one defines computer hardware is motherboard. It is the electric and electronic circuit board on which all the other components are inserted. There are several other kinds of products such as sound card, video card, network card, and modem that complete the hardware spectrum.

Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about Define Computer Hardware, please visit Electronics Software for current articles and discussions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Candis_Reade
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A CPU Revolution - Sun's UltraSPARC T1 and T2 Processors

Sun Microsystems's new UltraSPARC T1 and T2 series of microprocessors has revived Sun's position as one of the few third-party manufactures capable of competing with the Big Two processor companies (Intel and AMD) who currently dominating the processor market. Sun fell behind for a few years as their flagship processor, the UltraSPARC IV series, hit its performance limits. But they have reentered the competition with their new UltraSPARC processors, completely redesigned from the ground up, and capable of new heights of power and flexibility.

The UltraSPARC T1 is the first processor produced by Sun that is both multicored and multithreaded. It first became available in 2005 with from four to eight CPU cores. Each core is capable of handling four threads at the same time. This means the processor as a whole is capable of handling anywhere from 16, 24, or even 32 threads simultaneously.

The UltraSPARC T1 is the first SPARC-based processor whose multiple cores can be partitioned. Several cores can be grouped together to work on a single task or set of tasks, while the remaining cores deal with the rest of the processes and threads. Furthermore, the UltraSPARC T1 supports the Hyper-Privileged execution mode, which means that it can partition its cores into as many as 32 logical domains (one for each thread in an eight-CPU system). Each of these logical domains could run its own operating system instance (usually Solaris).

The only drawback to the UltraSPARC T1 is that it is only available in uniprocessor systems, which limits its vertical scalability in large business networks. The UltraSPARC T2, released in late 2007, addressed his problem amidst many other advances and improvements.

The UltraSPARC T2 is in many ways a souped-up TI. It contains eight CPU cores, and each core is capable on handling eight threads each, for a total of 64 threads being handled simultaneously. This is double the maximum capacity of the T1, which toped out at 32 concurrent threads. Also like the T1, the T2 supports Hyper-Privileged execution mode. Whereas the T1 could only partition its cores into 32 logical domains, the T2, with more cores available, can partition them into 64 logical domains. Furthermore, a two-way SMP T2+ system can be partitioned into as many as 128 logical domains, each capable of running an instance of Solaris.

In addition to doing everything the T1 does (only better), the T2 also had several new features. Among other things, it had increased thread scheduling and instruction prefetching, allowing it to achieve a higher single-threaded performance. It also increased the processing speed for each thread from 1.2 for the T1 to 1.4 GHz. While the T1 has a Jbus interface, the T2 has a PCI Express port. The L2 cache on the T2 was increased to 4 MB (as opposed to the T1's 3 MB). It has four dual-channel FBDIMM memory controllers, and eight encryption engines. In early 2008, Sun released a new UltraSPARC T2 Plus processor, which is an SMP-capable version of the UltraSPARC T2.

Sun MicroSystems' UltraSPARC T1 and T2 prove that, despite increasing competition from Intel and AMD, Sun is still in the processor race, particularly in the high-end server processor market. Sun's designs continue to be innovative and, as the core partitioning system demonstrates, flexible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Kranz

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How to Clean your Keyboard-Part 2

Many methods that can be used, some harder and more effective than others.

1. Shake Method. It is so easy that you can do it right now. Pick up your keyboard, turn it over being careful not to press any keys, and shake it. See all of that stuff fall out? It is dirtier than you thought, isn't it? You can use one of the following methods to clean it further.

2. Blow Method - You can buy cans of pressurized air at the computer department or computer store which are made especially for cleaning your computer. They usually have either a hose and nozzle or a tube extending from the nozzle. Hold the keyboard up vertically (that means that end of the keyboard is up and the other end is down), aim towards the keys and press the button. Keep blowing until all of the debris is blown out. Be sure to get around and in between all of the keys. This can be done with the computer on, but it is better if it is off so that you do not have to worry about pressing the keys and coming up with a page of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa's.

3. Vacuum Method - This is just like the Blow Method except that a vacuum is used instead of a can of pressurized air. It is quite simple. Just turn the vacuum on, pull out the hose, and run the nozzle over the keys. Before doing this make sure your keyboard does not have any loose pop off keys that could be sucked into the vacuum.

4. Cotton Ball Method - This can be done in addition to the above methods and in lieu of the following methods. Take a cotton ball or cloth and wet it with rubbing alcohol. It should not be so wet that the alcohol runs down into the cracks of the keyboard. Wipe the tops and sides of the keys.

5. Dishwasher Method - I hesitate to tell about this method because there is the possibility that it could fry your keyboard. When I had less experience with computers, I dunked my keyboard in a sink full of water to clean it. It did work afterwards, so I don't doubt those who say this method will not mess up your keyboard, but if it does, don't complain to me. I warned you. If your keyboard is not the standard membrane type of keyboard or if it is on a laptop, do not even think of trying this.

6. Disassembly Method - This is the most thorough method, but it should not be done on laptop keyboards or non-standard non-membrane keyboards.

Turn off the computer and unplug the keyboard. Turn the keyboard upside down. You may want to get two books or short boards to place the keyboard on. Position them so that they hold up the keyboard on the edges when it is turned over. This should leave the keys dangling and not touching the books or the floor. This is especially needed when the keyboard's back is off; otherwise the keys will be lifted out of their position by the floor (or whatever surface it is laying on).

Get a screwdriver and remove all of the screws from the back of the keyboard. Lay the keyboard down on the books and carefully remove the back.

Take everything apart and clean thoroughly. It is better to take the keys out one at a time and clean them so that you do not put them back in the wrong place. Wipe each one down with a wet cloth and then with a dry cloth. Any keys that may be hard to put back in, can be cleaned in place without removing them. Wipe around the keys as they sit in place and blow any debris out with your lungs (using compressed air or a vacuum may upset the keys). If you are really brave, you can remove all of the keys at once and give the frame a good wipe down too.

Do a once over and make sure that you have cleaned everything. Then reassemble it all.

Don't forget the keyboard's cable. Wrap a wet cloth around it and wipe it down. It may have an accumulation of grime that needs to be scrubbed off. Also if any of the letters on the keys have rubbed off, you can use a fine point permanent marker to draw the letter back on the key. Read more ...............

How to Clean your Keyboard- Part 1

I know most of you will not heed this advice, but KEYBOARDS CAN MAKE YOU SICK (how's that for tactfulness?). Germs live on your hands and fingers. When you type, many of them jump on to the keyboard. When someone else types on your keyboard, those germs transfer to their fingers. Or when you later type on the same keyboard, those germs reconquer your fingers. Regularly disinfecting the keyboard can prevent this.

To disinfect the keyboard, turn off the computer. Then spray disinfectant on a cloth. Be sure to use disinfectant and not just any type of cleaner because not all cleaners disinfect. Also do not spray the disinfectent directly on the keys. Spray it on the cloth. Wipe down the top and sides of the keys. Give the keys a few minutes to dry off before turning the computer back on.

Now that you know how to do it, you should make it a regular practice to disinfect the keyboard. It's one step towards a healthier you.

So you have your keyboard disinfected and life is great. Then your child spills koolaide all over it. What do you do? There are certain steps that you should take when something, like pop, beer, wine, coffee, milk, or kool-aide, is spilled on the keyboard.

The first thing to do is immediately unplug the keyboard from the back of the computer and turn the keyboard over so that its keys are down. This will allow the liquid to drain out. You will probably want to put a cloth under the keyboard or at least make sure that the surface you have put it on is washable.

Then use the mouse to shut down Windows and turn off the computer (this is important because later you will have to plug the keyboard back into the computer and you should never plug any device into a computer while it is on).

While the keyboard is upside down use a cloth to dry as much of the liquid off as you can. If you have a can of compressed air or a vacuum, while the keyboard is upside down blow or vacuum it out. Then let the keyboard set upside down for at least a night so that it can adequately dry out.

If the liquid that spilled on it was sticky, you may want to follow the extensive cleaning procedure explained in the next article, How to Clean your Keyboard - Part 2.

Liquid spilled on a laptop keyboard can easily reach the hard drive, so turn it over immediately and leave it in that position until it dries.

Keyboards are quite resilient and so it should work when you turn it on again. But if not, another attribute of keyboards is that they are cheap and so it won't cost too much to buy another one.

With these pointers in mind and a quick reaction, you just may save your keyboard from total destruction the next time it gets coated with coffee. Read more ...............