Tricks For Hardware Configuration

A well-configured PC by itself offers great performance. The key lies in the choice of the components and their arrangement.

* Choice of CPU
My suggestion for a CPU would be one from AMD. I choose AMD for the following reasons
1. Price-to-performance ratio: Athlon processors beat the best from the Intel's equally clocked processors. Besides, they are cheaper than Intel's. Because they support DDR-RAM, the overall system cost is lower.
2. True FSB speed of 200 MHz: Though Intel advertises an FSB of 800 MHz, its true FSB is only 200 MHz, which is the same as the latest AMD Athlon XP processors. This is because not all subsystems of a PC can work at 800 MHz.
3. DDR-RAM support: DDR-RAM allows two data fetches per clock cycle. The newer dual-channel DDR-RAM does four data fetches per clock cycle, which is the same number as RDRAM. RDRAM however has higher latencies. Besides, you cannot upgrade RDRAM easily. If you add another module of RDRAM to an existing one, you will only increase the total latency because RDRAM is serial in nature. Compared to this, because DDR-RAM is parallel in nature, you can easily add additional modules of DDR RAM as and when you have the money, and expect the throughput to multiply. Because RDRAM technology is proprietary and difficult to make, it is expensive. DDR-RAM on the other hand is cheaper because its specification is made by a nonprofit standards organization. Even Intel seems to moving towards DDRRAM, as many Pentium-4 chipsets now support DDR-RAM.
4. HyperTransport: This technology was developed by AMD to upgrade the PCI bus of its limited capacity and all its other deficiencies. HyperTransport has been used in nVidia's nForce2 chipset. It beats all other PCI-based systems in terms of performance.

* Choice of motherboard
There was a time when integrated motherboards meant lower performance and limited functionality. Not anymore. With the nForce and the forthcoming chipsets from ATI, this feeling will definitely undergo a change. The nForce currently supports not only AMD processors, DDR-RAM, and HyperTransport, but also carries a GeForce GPU and a Dolby® 5.1 onboard sound processor. Other things to look for in a motherboard would be support for ATA 133, USB 2.0, AGP 8x, CNR, enough memory slots, space for larger heatsink/fan combination, etc.

* IDE drives setup: A motherboard usually has 2 IDE connectors each capable of connecting 2 devices in a master/slave combination for a total of 4 devices. If you have just a single hard disk and a single CD drive, set them as separately as masters in each IDE connector. If you have a CD drive and CD-RW drive, set the CD-RW as the master and the CD drive as its slave.

* ATX (cabinet): When buying the ATX, make sure it supports your CPU/motherboard/AGP combination. Intel Pentium IV processors and motherboards require a special kind of ATX that conforms to their standard (ATX 2.03). Do not buy an ATX with less than 300 W power supply. Also, make sure the cabinet has provisions for two extra fans (one in the front and one in the back). The power supply comes with a fan, which also tries to takes some hot air off the CPU through a grill placed just above the CPU. This grill needs to big enough and properly placed and spaced out to provide effective cooling. Another thing to look for in an ATX is a socket for the monitor. Some cabinets do not come with them. So, these have to be connected directly to the mains and cannot be switched off with the rest of the system when the PC is shutdown.
With Windows Me/2000/XP, there is an option in Control Panel » Power Options called Hibernate. Hibernate is used to quickly shut down the PC and restart it with the same programs you had kept open when you shut down the system. This option is possible with ATX cabinets only. Hibernate does not function properly if you have devices that do not use Win32 ® Driver Model (WDM) drivers.

* COM ports: If you are using a serial mouse, connect it to the COM1 port as the OS first checks this port for a mouse. You can connect your modem to the COM2.

* CNR port: This port (known as Audio Modem Riser or AMR in older motherboards) can be used to add a specially made low-cost peripheral replacement. The replacement is far cheaper than a separate sound card or modem.

* Fans: If your cabinet allows it, install additional fans for extra cooling.

* Dust: Remove dust regularly from the insides of your cabinet and prevent them from forming a coating over the motherboard and other parts.

* Driver updates: Check the websites of the various hardware vendors for updates and install them. Most important among them would be those of the motherboard chipset.

2. Tips ∓ T