Although SLI and CrossFire have been around for a few years, it is only recently that we really see great breakthrough in the technology. With the recent release of AMD/ATI spider platform and its CrossFireX technology, what seems like an expensive upgrade in the past has now become a more affordable option for gamers who are looking to boost their system graphical performance.
Articles on PC Performance
The PCI-express slot may not be a stranger to you, after all, that is the place where you insert your graphics card all the while. PCI-Express 2.0 isn’t any much different from its predecessor. In fact, if you are hoping for something totally different, then you are in for a disappointment. PCI-Express 2.0 is basically the same as PCI-Express 1.x, except for some improvement in its performance.
When you first run Windows Vista on your newly built PC, it boots up very quickly. After installing several applications such as anti-virus, spyware, office suite, the performance suddenly become very sluggish. You may be wondering, “What happened to my PC?”
Most people upgrade their PC in the hope of having a faster system. What they didn’t know is that no matter how good their hardware is, if they allow a lot of memory intensive applications to choke up the OS, the performance will still be slow.
If you are using Windows Vista, here are some tips to help you optimize for faster performance.
When you bought a new hardware (or upgrade the whole computer), you want to know if there is any performance gained over the old system and whether your money is well spent. The best way to find out is to do a benchmarking: Run your old hardware/system through a series of test and record down the score. Replace with the new hardware and run through the same series of test again. Record down the score and compare it with base score. If there is no (or minimal) improvement, you know that you are not getting the best deal for the new hardware.
In addition, hardware performance deteriorates over time. Frequent benchmarking can inform you about the health of your system (or hardware) and whether it is time to upgrade your hardware.
Continue reading »
No matter how fast your processor runs, or how big your memory is, if your hard drive can’t keep up with the speed, you are still stuck with a slow system. A simple way to boost up the speed of the hard drive is to use two or more identical drives and set them up in a RAID setting.
RAID is the acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. It is a method that utilizes multiple identical hard drives to exceed the performance of a larger and more expensive hard drive.
Continue reading »
Computer Motherboard monitoring software
Sometime, it pays to be extra careful. You can make use of this computer motherboard monitoring software to find out if your gaming computer is too hot. Motherboard Monitor monitors and reports the temperature inside your computer case. When your computer parts reach a critical temperature, it will alarm you and automatically shut down your computer before anything gets damaged. Else, it will just quietly sit in the system tray of your desktop.
What’s next? – Case Cooling
Case cooling is the next important thing of the whole cooling process. With all the heat piling up inside the computer case, there is a need to purge the hot air out and replaced it with cool air.
Case cooling involves more than just adding cooling fans. It requires careful planning and paying attention to small details. Here are some useful ways to cool your computer case.
Continue reading »
The RAM can get very hot when it is loaded with heavy application. This is especially true when insufficient memories are installed in your computer. Overheating also occur when you overclock the RAM. When the RAM overheats, you will start to experience hanging screen, sudden blackout or the famous Windows blue error screen. Whatever it is, it is definitely not a good experience.
Continue reading »
I have compiled some basic computer troubleshooting tips for you. If you have any queries or problems that need us to troubleshoot for you, feel free to contact us.
It is cool to see hot babes running around, but it will be a disaster if you have a hot computer running on your desk. After investing all your pocket money on your ideal gaming computer, the last thing that you want to see is all your gaming hardware burning up in flames.
Overheating is the most common problem faced by gamers. A gaming computer running graphics intensive 3D games for 5-8 hours continuously can generate heat with temperature high enough to boil water. If no proper cooling is done to dissipate the heat, chances are that your gaming computer will get damages beyond repair very soon.
First line of defence – Cool Your CPU
With the enormous amount of calcuation that it has to do every microsecond, it is no surprise that the CPU is the most likely candidate to get overheated. In fact, it is also the computer part that generated the most heat.
A CPU heatsink with fan |
The way to cool your CPU is to use a heatsink. The heatsink is a big solid piece of metal that is attached to the surface of the CPU (see left diagram). It has large parallel fins lining on its surface to conduct heat away from the CPU. Heatsink is usually made of aluminium material due to its high thermal conductivity and inexpensive price.
The heatsink is usually included in the package when you buy a boxed CPU. For OEM CPU, you have to get the heatsink separately. Conventionally, all the fins on the heatsink are lined in a single direction. The problem with this design is that air can only move through the fins in a single direction, creating a problem of air flow within the computer case. A newer design which has multiple threads running on the fins surface has greatly improved the efficiency of the heatsink.
Placing the heatsink
When placing the heatsink, it is important to seat it properly on the CPU. Any misplacement or gaps between the CPU and heatsink allow the CPU to be overheated. To further improve the thermal conductivity, some gamers insert a thin copper heat spreader between the CPU and the heatsink. Though it is not a ‘must-have’ component, it does help in dissipating the heat away.
Applying the thermal grease
 |
Another important item is the thermal grease (some call it the thermal paste). Due to its high thermal conductivity and low resistance, thermal grease is essential to proper CPU cooling. It is a must to apply thermal grease on the surface of the CPU before seating the heatsink on it. Without the thermal grease, even the best heatsink will fail to work properly. For maximum efficiency, the thermal grease must be applied in a very thin and even film. Care must also be taken not to apply too much on the CPU as it can hinder the performance of the heatsink.
Function of the CPU cooling fan?
Heatsink can only transfer heat from the CPU to its metal fins. To dissipate the heat away from its metal surface, it needs a continuous stream of moving air to carry the heat away. This is where the CPU cooling fan comes into play. Attached to the top of the heatsink, the CPU cooling fan sucks the hot air out from the heatsink and blows a constant stream of cool air to the fins. Internally controlled by the motherboard, the fan can increase its speed when the CPU temperature gets too high.
Different type of CPU has different mounting configuration for its cooling fan. Therefore, when choosing a CPU cooling fan, ensure that it is compatible with the CPU in your computer.
|
Or, subscribe BGCG Newsletter: