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computerwriter.com
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PC Basics for UpgradersWinter 2000-2001Copyright ©, Myles White 2001, 2001MotherboardsThere are nearly 400 motherboard manufacturers with an average of 10 current products. If that wasn’t bad enough, most of them change component suppliers and make tweaks to existing models without necessarily changing the model designation. The result is that anything Walter and I liked last month may not live up to our expectations next week, so we don’t recommend specific brands. However, we do acknowledge that Asus, A-Bit, A-Open, GigaByte, Soyo, and Tyan are popular in Canada What you want to look for are as many good features and as few bad ones as possible. What you need to decide are
Processor Chipsets
What’s the Front-side bus and why should I care?The front-side bus, sometimes called the system bus, connects the processor to the AGP bus, main system memory, the processor chipset, and the BIOS. You care about its speed because the internal speed of the processor is based upon it. For example, a 1 GHz Pentium III processor uses a multiplier of 7.5 on a 133 MHz front-side bus. A 1.5 GHz Pentium 4, running on a quad-pumped 100 MHz fsb, uses a higher multiplier. The lower the multiplier, the less power the processor needs and the less heat it produces. The front-side bus speed also improves performance by moving data outside the processor more quickly. That’s why, for example, a Pentium III-based system is faster than one based on a Celeron, even if the two processors have the same internal clock speed. The Celerons all run on a 66 MHz fsb (except for the newly released 800 MHz model that uses 100 MHz), while the Pentium III uses either a 100 or 133 MHz fsb, depending on the model. It also explains why a system with a Duron on its double-pumped 100 MHz fsb is faster, even though it has only half the level 2 cache memory onboard, than a system with a Celeron when both are at the same internal processor speed. What are double- and quad-pumping?You’ve been told that Durons and Athlons use either a 200 or 266 MHz front-side bus, and that the Pentium 4 has a 400 MHz fsb. They have no such thing Durons, early Athlons (Thunderbird) and Pentium 4 all run on a 100 MHz front-side bus, while some Pentium IIIs and Mustang version of the Athlon actually run on a 133 MHz fsb. AMD has a scheme whereby twice as much data is moved along the bus with each clock cycle, while Intel devised one to send four times as much data. It’s one reason why the 1.2 GHz Athlon sometimes whups the Pentium 4 on some benchmark tests. It’s sending half as much data with each clock cycle, but at 133 MHz compared to 100, it’s doing it much faster. (Oh!) What’s “Performance?”Performance is not only how quickly an application appears on screen when you’ve invoked it; it’s also how quickly you can manipulate data once you begin to work. Performance factors include processor internal speed, front-side bus speed, hard drive speed and capacity, memory amount and type, and the performance characteristics of the graphics controller. Raising or lowering any of these factors will have a direct effect on your perception of the system’s overall performance characteristics. It’s also why care has to be taken when choosing components. You can build the fastest computer in the world, but its overall performance won’t be pleasant if you have to recover from system crashes every few minutes. Ways to add “oomph” (in order)
Copyright notice:This handout is protected by international copyright (© Myles White, 2000, 2001). It may not be reproduced except for personal use or quoted in whole or in part in any medium, for any reason, without the permission of the author. In other words, if you want to make one copy for your brother, go ahead. If you want to make 50 copies for some other reason, post it on your own Web site, or republish it in your newsletter, you have to ask me, first (see above). Fair enough? Back to top |
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