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What does process size mean?
90 nm. 65 nm. 45 nm. If you follow computer processors, chipsets, or video cards very closely at all, you have likely heard at least a passing reference to "process size". But without any explanation, it's hard to even guess at what this phrase means. Luckily, we can change that. We can not only delve into the physical meaning of process size, but also its impact on power consumption and cost.
DRM-Free Music Directory updated
Rhapsody has gone MP3 (with music from the four major labels, and some independent labels), and we have updated the DRM-Free Music Directory accordingly.
Desktop, server, and laptop processors: What's the difference?
The mainstream computing market is basically divided into three major segments: desktop, server, and laptop. Both Intel and AMD service all three of these market segments. To do that, they offer multiple product lines, which are often very similar. So how exactly do they differentiate their products?
The Quick Headphone Guide
Headphones are in some ways the speaker world's equivalent to motorcycles; smaller, cheaper, and more efficient. But not suited to all uses. And like motorcycles, there are a variety of different types of headphones. Unlike motorcycles, 10stripe can explain the different types of headphones.
Make Your Computer Quieter
Personal computers are once again on the march toward greater ubiquity; the "home-theater PC" (HTPC) trend is one example. HTPC builders have stumbled across another trend in the computing world, one that is much older: making computers quieter. There are entire websites that service this niche, and even entire companies. But really, the basic principles are fairly simple, as this article will show.
Timeline of x86 Instruction Set Extensions
Every so often, the major x86 processor makers decide to add new instructions to the already-large x86 instruction set. The goal is simple: improve performance. The implementation is not. These instructions have to be defined rigorously, implemented at the hardware level, and even then they don't actually do anything until independent software developers decide to take advantage of them. And as you will see, sometimes making sense of it all is not simple for end users.
Map of Personal Computers Per Capita
Since being named Time Magazine's Machine of the Year in 1982, the personal computer has gone on to radically change the world. But that impact is not distributed evenly across the globe. Some areas have far more computers than others. This map of the number of personal computers per capita in different parts of the world illustrates just how dramatic that variation can be.
The Quick VIA Guide
VIA Technologies is a Taiwanese company once known primarily for their motherboard chipsets. In 1999, they decide to expand into processors, acquiring most of the remains of Cyrix and Centaur. They have been selling low-power processors ever since.
The DRM-Free Music Directory Updated
Today, Napster officially launched the MP3 download service they announced in January, completely dropping PlaysForSure from their permanent-download service (but keeping it on their subscription service). With a 6 million track library (compared to Amazon's 5 million or so), they now have the world's largest selection of legal MP3s.
Map of Power Systems by Country
Throughout the world, there are a number of different power systems in use. These may vary based on the voltage, frequency, and plugs used. While there are a few standards that are especially common, and most countries use similar systems to their neighbors, there can be surprises. This map is intended to help international travelers (and the curious) sort out which systems are in use where.
The Big Form Factor Guide
One of the most enduring, unchanging aspects of modern computers happens to be the overall system form factor. The form factor may define the size of the motherboard, the size of the power supply, the arrangement of the case, and innumerable other details. This would all be pretty unimportant if there were not so many different form factors, and if new ones were not constantly showing up. But with a basic grasp of each form factor's family tree, you too can make sense of this jumble.