Building a computer has vast amount of advantages. Not only do you get to customize your computer the way you want, but you also save over hundred of dollars instead of buying a retail computer. Building a computer is not as difficult as it seems, the only tool that you need is a screw driver. Before going out and buying the parts to the computer, you first need to decide what you are going to use that computer for. The computer you build will be customized in order to your primary use of it. For gaming you may need a stronger graphics card and more RAM, but if all you want to do is surf the web from time to time and check your email, you may not even need a
separate graphics card.

Here is what you should be looking for in each part:

• Motherboard: Your motherboard should be able to support all the card and devices that you want in your computer. Make sure that the CPU socket corresponds to you motherboard, and that it has enough RAM slots to fit the RAM modules that you want.
• CPU: Feel free to dish out as much cash as you feel necessary for the CPU. This chip defines the speed of your computer and is in charge of all the operations that take place. Intel is the leading producer of these chips, but AMD is starting to create cheaper chips that run just as well if not better. Obviously the speed of these chips is the feature that you will have to consider. Somewhere between 2-3GhZ should be enough for the average user, but gamers should be looking for at least 3GhZ.
• Graphics Card: To get all you can from a graphics card, your motherboard will need to have a PCI-Express or an AGP slot. When researching GPU’s, manufacturers will most likely provide a benchmark figure of speed. GPU’s also carry onboard RAM: the more the better. OpenGL and Direct3D support is important for playing games, so make sure your card supports these (most do). Video cards also have a refresh rate. This shows you how many times the individual pixel on your screen is refreshed. Naturally, the higher the refresh rate, the better since the picture will look clearer. Lower refresh rates also tend to give people head-aches.
• RAM: RAM acts as the short term memory for your computer. You can probably never have too much RAM. If you are looking to upgrade too Vista anytime soon, you should definitely have at least 1GB of RAM. 2GB+ should be enough at this moment.
• Case: The only real thing that you should consider when buying a case is that it provides enough airing for the parts inside. You can choose by style mostly.
• Hard Drive: The only real thing to consider when looking at hard drives is the amount of space you will need.
• Read/Write Drive: Burning DVDs and CDs may be important to you, so make sure that this drive supports it.

Once you have decided upon these things, go out and buy them! Online sites such as Newegg offer an enormous collection of parts, and if you don’t mind bidding, eBay is always a good option.

Continued in the next article, “Building Your Own Computer: Part 2.”

The Creative Suite from Adobe has become a staple for all graphic artists and designers. It is the standard in most creative services offices and departments. Adobe recently released an update to their Creative Suite package with the latest CS3. One of the most anticipated announcements was which products would remain after the merger of Adobe and Macromedia. In the previous Creative Suite, Adobe provided both software products but the combination or elimination of some of these products was imminent. Overall, Creative Suite 3 is divided into three categories more specific to different industries: web, print and video post production. Adobe will offer the different version of standard and premium for each of these categories. In general, there isn’t anything revolutionary but Adobe made some adjustments to improve the current products, provide a uniform interface and better ability to jump between programs and use them all together.

In the Web professional version of Creative Suite 3, you receive Dreamweaver CS3, Flash CS3 Professional, Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator CS3, Fireworks CS3, Contribute CS3 and Acrobat CS3 Professional. The merge of Adobe and Macromedia so far is an even split. Half of these software products are Macromedia and half are Adobe. They did a wonderful job of providing the strongest tools available. One of the greatest additions to this suite is Flash CS3 Professional which has always been missing from Adobe’s Creative Suite packages.

After you complete the lengthy (which is expected for this much software) installation process, you’ll notice a new look to the interface. Adobe has tried to make the different products more uniform with new icons which have a two letter identifier on them. Adobe began the process of integrated all the products but have done an excellent job of tying them all together so it is simple to edit graphics or text in the appropriate program and then easily return to the program you were in.

One of Macromedia’s flagship products, Dreamweaver, is included in the software package. Adobe GoLive has been dropped. Dreamweaver has also been more common so this comes as no surprise to most people. Dreamweaver itself didn’t change too much in CS3. The biggest change is probably the addition of AJAX programming language capability. AJAX is becoming a more common web programming language and the latest Dreamweaver now supports it. There is also better integration with Photoshop which was missing before the Adobe/Macromedia merger.

The majority of the other programs didn’t change a whole lot besides a few additional features but again, no major changes. The programs each have a little different feel to them, mostly minor appearance changes. Photoshop is the only application that allows you to change the interface back to one you may be more familiar with. Version Cue and Bridge are the only two that had major redesigns but their basic functions are still the same. Overall, the biggest change and most exciting improvement is its integration among all the products. Adobe still reigns in the graphic design arena.

The second largest PC manufacturer, Dell, announced that at the end of May they will begin selling desktops and laptops for consumers with Canonical’s latest Ubuntu version of Linux called “Feisty Fawn.” The announcement was made by Dell spokesman, Kent Cook. “Today, we are excited to tell you that Dell will begin offering Canonical’s latest version, Ubuntu 7.04, as an option on select Dell consumer models in the U.S. in the coming weeks.” If you are unfamiliar with these systems, Linux is a UNIX based freeware, open source, operating system. It has been around for many years but only widely known in the open source industry. Canonical Ltd, owned by Mark Shuttleworth, is a company that has used Linux’s open source nature and created a complete operating system. Ubuntu come from a South African concept which roughly translates to “humanity towards others.”

So what is the big fuss over Dell offering this operating system to its consumers? Linux is the first operating system to really make a run at Windows. Dell attempted to offer a Linux based desktop computer clear back in 1999 and laptops in 2000 but had very little success. In 2001, Dell discontinued this option due to very little demand. With little success, Dell even invested in a company called Eazel who focused on the Linux market. Since 2001, Linux and Ubuntu have grown to become very popular and potentially a serious competitor to Microsoft Windows. In 2006, over 160.5 million operating system licenses were registered. Windows has an amazing dominating 92% of these with Mac OS X being the next closest at 4.1%. Although nobody really expects a drastic swing in Microsoft’s operating system market share, Dell’s move to offer Canonical’s Ubuntu operating system is directed primarily towards Linux enthusiasts. Dell has also increased its forums to help users who opt for the Ubuntu operating system. Some analysts see this move to Linux as an attempt to regain some market share that Dell has been losing to the number one PC manufacturer, Hewlett Packard.

Right now, this new offering by Dell is directed just towards consumer PC users but the real power of Linux is demonstrated on servers. No servers are currently sold with the option of Linux but many owners choose to use Linux because of its amazing capabilities and strength. Many analysts and experts believe that it is just a matter of time before Ubuntu is also offered on servers. So far, Dell and Canonical have been very impressed with the welcoming of this new option on Dell computers. The financial details of this deal between Dell and Canonical were not disclosed but it obviously could be a serious breaking out point for Canonical if PC users choose to go with the Ubuntu operating system. While some of the more computer savvy, open source fans will choose Ubuntu over Microsoft Windows, it will be a long time before the average computer user and buyer choose anything over the very familiar Windows operating system.

The operating system debate goes back about as far as the platforms they come from. With some interesting new changes to Windows Vista, is Microsoft catching on to the trendy user interface that Mac has become famous for? Security issues have always been a big issue to Microsoft’s operating systems but many people believe that with improved security and an enhanced user interface, Microsoft may be catching up to the popular Mac OS X.

Security problems have haunted Microsoft for a long time. Windows XP faced much criticism for its ability to be easily hacked. With the new release of Vista, Microsoft has made user security a higher priority. Vista features additional User Account Controls which will prevent software from making any changes to your PC. If a piece of software attempts to make a change, Vista will warn you that these changes could be hazardous to your PC . To be fully protected, after your initial set up of Vista, you will need additional products to make your operating system more secure. Windows Defender, Vista’s main protection, must be updated every week to get new updates. Vista can be better protected than previous versions of Microsoft’s operating systems but it will come at a greater expense and your own time. Mac’s operating system options make it more secure due to all communication ports being closed. If safety is your main concern, Apple PC’s with Mac OS X is your best bet.

Mac has always struggled in the performance arena due to subpar processors. PC’s have always strongly favored the Intel processors which are known for their top performance. With a PC and Windows Vista, you also have the availability of Intel Core and Core 2 Duo CPU’s long before Apple will ever get a hold of them. PC’s have always been the first to get access to the latest technology including high definition DVD drives like HD DVD and Blu-ray. High speed wireless Internet was also available to PC users long before Mac users. Mac OS X is known for its multimedia capabilities with video, music and pictures but the majority of PC users benefit more by the general technology advantage that Vista has available with its PC platform. For the average user, Vista will definitely be sufficient for their music and movies but PC’s and Vista have much better gaming abilities and access to the best video and sound cards.

The biggest different between Microsoft operating systems and Mac operating system have always been their usability and interface controls. Vista has definitely improved its look with a trendy new make-over that has its similarities to Mac OS X but some of the new features prove to slow down simple processes that had no issues in previous operating systems. Overall, it is a much more stable operating system than XP ever was, but the programs still have their issues with freeze ups and crashes. Mac’s OS X has the advantage with a very contemporary look but with this trendy look comes some disadvantages. Their desire to make everything look cool has an impact on its usability like the resize buttons and other minor inconveniences.

Mac OS X has lost its edge on Microsoft’s old, out of date appearance. With a new interface make over and improved security options, Microsoft Vista is the best operating system available. Of course, different users have different needs and thus requiring different operating systems but for the majority of computer users, Microsoft Vista is the king which shows with more software, game and help support options available.

Computer specifications are always handy to know when you are trying to figure if you can run a particular software or game. It can sometimes be troubling to figure out what means what. Your computer usually only gives technical information about parts. This can be quite hard to decipher, but there are easier means of obtaining this information.

Finding your CPU and RAM

Go to Start -> Control Panel -> System or Right click “My Computer” and go to Properties. The first screen that is displayed is under the tab General. Towards the bottom right under Computer is your CPU. Usually it shows you the name of the CPU and the speed. This is measure in GHz or Gigahertz. On the right of the measurement of speed, will be the amount of RAM you have. RAM is the short term memory for a computer and allows you to retrieve information more quickly.

Space on your Hard Drive

To find how much space you have left on your hard drive, go to My Computer and right click on your hard drive – usually C:. Right click on this drive and go to Properties. Under this window the total amount of space available and used is showed.

Finding your GPU

Your graphics processing unit can be one of the harder things to figure out on your computer. If you have DirectX installed, go to Start -> Run -> dxdiag. This runs a diagnostic test for you computer. This is also helpful to run if you encounter a problem with your sound or video. The first tab, System, gives you general information about your computer: your CPU, RAM, OS, and system manufacturer. Go under displace and in the device section, it gives you the name of the graphics card you have. Remember that you can only run this is if you have DirectX installed. DirectX is required to play most games so chances are that you will have it installed without you even knowing.

If you do not have DirectX installed, follow these steps. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> System. Go under Administrative tools and then Computer Management. On the left, go down to device manager. On the right expand the Display Adapters section and your graphics card should be located there.

Running Games

One of the reasons you may want to check up on your system is because you are wondering if your computer can handle a specific game. One way to do this is to compare the system requirements of the game to your own. However, there is a better way. In the site Nzone, navigate your way to the “Can I Run It” section. You can then choose from a specific list of games to see whether your system is compatible. This test gives accurate results about your computer.