The mainboard inside this Gateway computer is a BTX model, which cannot be upgraded easily, because most mainboards available in PC stores are ATX (mirrored structure of BTX). Unfortunately the best processor you can install on the mainboard is a Pentium D800 or D900, which are very hard to find, and don't really offer a significant performance boost over the default Pentium 4 640 3.2GHz processor with HyperThreading. On the other hand the mainboard comes with Intel 915G chipset, which supports DDR2 memory (4 slots), PCI-Express 16X video cards and SATA hard drives.

Best Video Card For A Gateway 9310x (Source: support.gateway.com)

As you can see the Gateway 9310x computer case is of standard size, so a lot of internal components can be added, without going over the 305W total system power limit set by the power supply of course.

With two 5Watt hard drives, the 90Watt Pentium 4 processor and the 30W mainboard there are about 150 Watts left for the video card. This is a very good limit, as the fastest video cards became more efficient, right down to 250W power consumption and the mid range video cards require between 100 and 150 watts. In a Pentium 4 desktop system there's no need for a very fast and expensive video card, because it simply can't handle games and applications at that speed. The minimum requirement for most of today's 3D games is a dual core processor running at 3GHz minimum.

The best video card for the Gateway 9310x desktop computer would be an AMD Radeon 7750 card with power consumption even lower that 75W, so in theory it could be powered solely by the PCI-Express slot. Unfortunately older mainboards can't really provide that much power because of their initial design or because of the electric components' old age. This is why it's much better to choose a video card with its own power connector, through which it receiver power directly from the power supply.

Best Video Card For A Gateway 9310x (Source: legitreviews.com)

The AMD Radeon 7770 video card is more appropriate for this computer system, as it has a 6-pin power connector and almost all the power needed can be covered by this source, instead of draining the mainboard's power. Such a video card costs around 130 USD at newegg.com, a bit expensive for the performance it will deliver in such an old Gateway computer, but you can be sure that most new DirectX 11 games and application will run in medium or high detail.

Analog HDD DVD recorders can record from multiple analog sources like S-Video, Composite and analog cable TV (or from an analog output of a digital TV receiver), to an internal hard drive or directly onto a blank DVD.

Analog Hdd Dvd Recorder (Source: sale.images.woot.com)

In this picture you see a Polaroid DVD recorder with a 160GB internal HDD. The back is the most interesting, because you can see all the input and output ports – none of them digital. Even though these DVD recorders very very practical when no digital signal nor digital recorders were widespread, today they are very hard to find. Cable TV companies don't allow you to record shows to DVDs, because it's considered a form of piracy, so they offer DVR receivers equipped with only internal hard drives. With these devices you can only record to the hard drive ENCRYPTED, which means that the resulting media files are only playable in that specific device with the smartcard inside. This drastically limits recording time when compared to the virtually unlimited recording time of good old VHS video recorders.

Personally I have used a refurbished Philips analog DVD recorder without an internal HDD, it could record only directly to a DVD.

Analog Hdd Dvd Recorder (Source: c0.dmlimg.com)

It looked like this, but had a different logo printed on it, because it was refurbished and had a price just around 100 USD when I have bought it (about 6 years ago). The original new device went for around 250 USD, so it was quite a bargain for just 100 USD.

I haven't seen other models, but mine had an excellent analog TV tuner and great recording quality. Of course quality can be set on such devices, usually you can choose between 2 hour and 8 hour modes (per 4.7GB DVD). Needless to say that the best quality can be achieved in 2 hour mode, while in 4 hour mode horizontal resolution is reduced to half and in 8 hour mode the resolution is reduced to a quarter (Video CD quality).

All in all these analog HDD DVD recorders are practical for those who want to record large collections on optical discs, while average users – who just want to record a few shows to see them later once – will find DVR receivers offered by digital cable TV companies absolutely sufficient.

Originally the Dell Inspiron 531s slim desktop computer came with an “e” version dual core Athlon processor, which means higher efficiency. The AMD Athlon X2 4450E processor needs just 45W of power at full load, while running its two cores at 2.3GHz each. This is quite an achievement for of its time, but Intel has also made its own processors with similar or even better specs (ex: Intel Pentium E2180 rated 65W, measured ~42W)

512mb Low Profile Video Cards For Dell Inspiron 531s (Source: techshout.com)

As you can see the Dell Inspiron 531s is much thinner than the 531 model, so it's obvious that only low profile expansion cards will fit inside. By default Dell ships Inspiron 531s desktops with a FireWire controller installed in a PCI slot, but without a video card. This isn't a problem for most home users, as the integrated nVidia Geforce 6000 series graphics chip is more than enough for SD and HD content, even for some basic 3D games (like the first two versions of World of Warcraft).

The best thing about this Dell desktop computer is that there are four memory slots on the mainboard and just two occupied by default (2 x 1GB DDR2 modules), so you can easily install another 2 x 1GB or even more if the processor supports 2GB modules.

512mb Low Profile Video Cards For Dell Inspiron 531s (Source: reviews.cnet.com)

You can't see much in this picture, as the case reinforcement element is not removed, but the small ATX power supply, optical drive, hard drive and processor can be distinguished. Under the metal panel in the middle you have two PCI slots, one PCI-Express 16X and one PCI-Express 1x.

In theory you can install a video card in either one of these slots, but in practice the cheapest ones are made for the long PCI-Express 16X slot, as this is the fastest and most popular slot for video cards.

The cheapest low profile video card you can install in the Dell Inspiron 531s desktop computer is an nVidia Geforce 8400GS for 30 USD, which is actually very similar to the on-board graphics solution, but a lot faster, because it has its own 512MB DDR2 memory.

512mb Low Profile Video Cards For Dell Inspiron 531s (Source: images.nvidia.com)

This particular video card model comes with an active cooling solution (heatsink + fan), but there are many models out there with passive cooling, much more appropriate for a silent Dell computer. An AMD Radeon 5450 video card can be your for the same price, but in order to feel the difference you'll most likely want a newer AMD Radeon 6450 512MB video card, which offers twice the performance of a Radeon 5450 and also features DirectX 11 and Eyefinity (multi-monitor support). It costs around 40 USD at newegg.com. The best video card for the Dell Inspiron 531s computer is an AMD Radeon 6670 model, which costs around 80 USD. It can run most new games with low or medium graphics detail settings and it's also very efficient, consuming 65W max.

The Antec P180 computer case is one of the most elegant models, as the airflow enters in the front and exits through the back panel. There are no additional ventilation holes and fans on the cases side panels, which would ruin its stylish aspect.

Antec P180 Hdd Fan (Source: benchmarkreviews.com)

As you can see the front of the computer case is covered by a door, showing just the essential data and audio ports. If you want to access the four 5.25” bays, they you have to open the door. Inside you can see two separate hard drive cages, which can house a total of six standard 3.5” hard drives and one slimmer drive with frontal access.

Antec P180 Hdd Fan (Source: benchmarkreviews.com)

The power supply's place is on the bottom and it's helped by a large fan to take hot air out of the computer case. This fan and the power supply's fan cool the hard drives installed in the bottom of the computer case, pulling air through the front panel's ventilation holes.

The cooling of the CPU, expansion cards, upper hard drives and optical 5.25” drive bays is handled by two large fans installed in the back and top of the computer case, both blowing the hot air through the back of the Antec P180 computer case.

Antec P180 Hdd Fan (Source: benchmarkreviews.com)

In this picture you can see that an additional cooling fan can be installed in front of the HDD bays, although it may not be necessary in most cases, as the two large fans in the back draw enough cool air through that region.

The Antec P180 computer case supports full ATX motherboards with up to 7 expansion slots, so most of the top gaming and workstation configuration can be installed. Please note that motherboard larger than the ATX standard may not fit, especially those with two or more processors.

Antec P180 Hdd Fan (Source: benchmarkreviews.com)

By default the power supply size is also limited by a mounted cage, but it can be removed when necessary, in order to make room for a longer 1200W+ power supply. The HDD cooling fan may also have to be removed if the power supply is too long.

The power supply shouldn't be a problem for one-card or even two-card gaming systems, but in sometimes technicians need to install 4 or more video cards. Assuming that these cards are all high-end and need around 200W of power each, the total system power requirement may be above 1200W easy.

All in all the Antec P180 is a great computer case first released in 2006. The important thing to remember is that high performance hard drives will need the extra cooling fan if one of the two large fans on the back and top of the case are not not installed.

Compaq Nw9440 Video Card (Source: laptops4less.enginesource.org)

As you can see the laptop's design is nothing special, just the usual black case with some shiny surfaces. By default the HP Compaq NW9440 laptop comes with just one 2GB DDR2 memory module, even though the Intel 945PM Express chipset supports two modules in dual channel mode. It's highly recommended to upgrade the memory to 2 x 2GB as soon as possible, because it will significantly improve performance on the large, high resolution screen.

The video card in the laptop is fixed unfortunately. All HP Compaq NW9440 laptop configurations come with nVidia Quadro FX 1500M video cards with up to 512MB memory. This video card was considered a mid-range video card when it was first released, but today it barely competes with the slowest video cards on the laptop market like the AMD Radeon 6370M or nVidia Geforce 310M. In 3DMark06 it scores about 3900 points, so you can expect some DirectX 9c games to run at playable frame rates in high resolution and low detail, or vice versa (high detail and low resolution).

Compaq Nw9440 Video Card (Source: notebookcheck.net)

The HP Compaq NW9440 laptop comes with a 80GB 7200RPM hard drive by default, but users most likely want to upgrade it, as the laptop's screen and hardware is appropriate for FullHD media playback. For the same reason the simple DVD burner may not be enough today, but unfortunately this cannot be replaced, as it is fixed to the chassis in a non-standard optical drive bay.

Because of the laptop's large and high resolution display it is not a catastrophe that there's no DVI or HDMI port, but just a simple analog VGA one. Four USB 2.0, audio in/out, Gigabit Ethernet, Dial-Up modem, S-video out and FireWire ports ports can be found on the laptop, so if you want more, you'll have to attach the laptop to a docking station.

Compaq Nw9440 Video Card (Source: parts.justlaptops.com)

As you can see the docking station completes the port list with one DVI, two PS2, LPT1, COM1 and two more USB 2.0 ports, so you can use all your favorite computer peripherals that you'd probably be able to connect only to your desktop computer.

Because the HP Compaq NW9440 laptop is pretty old, today you can only find it second hand or refurbished for about 450 USD, while the docking stations may set you back by another 100USD. I recommend this laptop for home or office work, multimedia playback and casual DirectX 9c 3D gaming.

The only 17 inch LCD monitors still in use in in laptop, which actually have 17.3 inch diagonals and feature 1600 x 900 or higher resolutions. On the other hand the most common screen size for laptops is 15.6 inch and for desktops is 18.5 inch, both associated with 1366 x 768 resolution. In my opinion this is absurd, as this low resolution offers less pixels than a 17 inch 1280 x 1024 screen or even a 15.4” 1280 x 800 resolution laptop screen. And let's not forget that at least in the desktop sector the 21.5 inch FullHD monitors cost just about 25% more than 18.5 inch low resolution models.

17 Inch Lcd Monitors (Source: rlv.zcache.com)

Today (at the time of writing) the cheapest 18.5 inch 1366 x 768 resolution monitor costs 80 USD at newegg.com, a 20 inch model with 1600 x 900 resolution costs 100 USD (the same as the cheapest 17 inch 1280 x 1024 resolution monitor). The cheapest 21.5 inch monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution costs 110 USD, 30 bucks more than a 18.5 inch model, but I strongly recommend it, as that extra desktop space will allow you to open at least two windows side by side or one FullHD video in full screen mode.

When it comes to laptop, the models with higher resolution displays (including the cheapest 17 inch panels) cost 489 USD, 130 USD more than a 15.6 inch display laptop with approximately the same features and hardware performance.

17 Inch Lcd Monitors (Source: images0.bizoo.eu)

It's hard to say when and if this situation will change, as in the recent years users have clearly targeted cheaper mainstream products instead of more sophisticated ones. With the introduction of Ultrabooks and high resolution iPads the market hasn't really changed, as they are too expensive for the average user. These high end portable computers will feature higher and higher resolutions in the upcoming years, but we have yet to see if manufacturers will be able to cut prices, enough to make the attractive for a larger crowd. In theory progress is inevitable, but the frightening thing is that the most popular screen resolution has fallen back from the 17 inch 1280 x 1024 to the 15.6 inch or 18.5 inch 1366 x 768 resolution.

Compaq Evo 300v Video Card (Source: xperien.improweb.com)

As you can see the computer case is nothing special, the design resembles most Compaq computer cases. It comes with a 250W ATX power supply, which can provide enough power for most expansion cards and additional components you may install. The two biggest power consumers, the processor and the video card are limited unfortunately to 1.8GHz and AGP 4X respectively, so the power consumption stays low, as long as you don't upgrade the original Compaq mainboard.

By default the Compaq EVO D300V desktop computer is equipped with an nVidia Vanta 16MB video card, which is actually fitted with the largest amount of on-board memory possible. This video card can run very basic 3D games and applications, designed for Windows XP.

Compaq Evo 300v Video Card (Source: ecx.images-amazon.com)

As you can see it doesn't even have a heat sink on the graphics processor, so you can imagine how just much processing power it has. More serious video cards of its time were fitted with coolers almost as large as the video card itself.

Luckily Compaq offers you the option to choose a better video card like the nVidia Geforce 2 MX200, MX400 or nVidia M64 PRO. Even though these video cards seem very old too, they offered more than twice the performance of the default video card and also twice the on-board memory capacity. Memory is very important, even for the early 3D games, because is has to hold all the necessary textures for the objects on the screen. Personally I have used a 8MB video card for a few years and had to struggle with 3D settings in games, because sometimes all objects lost their colors and textures during play.

All in all the Compaq EVO D300V desktop computer meets the minimum requirements for an low-end office PC, running Windows XP (or Windows 7 if there's at least 2GB RAM installed) in screen resolutions up to 1920 x 1200. On the other hand almost none of today's 2D or 3D games will run, as DirectX support is extremely limited (version 8, I think) and games ask for at least DirectX 9 or 10.

Most computer part stores don't sell this processor anymore, just in brand name assembled computer systems. This may be because the price of this processor is around 80 USD, well above the before mentioned Celeron processor's price, which is just 42 USD, even though it's in fact faster and includes the graphics processor too.

Best Video Card For E6700 3.2ghz (Source: img.brothersoft.com)

The Acer Aspire AX1920-UR20P desktop computer costs 389 USD at newegg.com. It's based on the Intel Pentium E6700 3.2GHz processor and has no video card, just the integrated graphics processor inside the Intel G41 Express chipset. For office applications this combination is more than enough, as it can handle screen resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 and above. On the other hand the Pentium E6700 3.2GHz processor is appropriate for gaming, so installing a mid range video card may not be a bad idea. This specific Acer desktop is SFF (small form factor), but luckily it has a low profile PCI-Express 16X and a 1X slots. Unfortunately the 220W power supply doesn't offer much power for extra components, but an AMD Radeon 6570/7750 or nVidia Geforce GT 640 should work just fine.

Best Video Card For E6700 3.2ghz (Source: zapp4.staticworld.net)

Installing a Pentium E6700 3.2GHz platform in a new gaming computer is not really recommended, because you can buy much cheaper and faster hardware components for the same price. On the other hand if you already have such a desktop and wish to make it into a gaming computer, then it can be done easily. First of all you'll most probably have to change the power supply to one that will provide about 300W more power than the system needs without a video card. This usually means a 450-600W (real) power supply.

Best Video Card For E6700 3.2ghz (Source: ocztechnology.com)

If you have the appropriate power supply, then your Pentium E6700 3.2GHz system will support any high-end video card, preferably a non-overclock version. Personally I don't recommend the fastest video cards, as the older hardware components won't be able to take full advantage of their capabilities, but an AMD Radeon 6850/7850 or nVidia Geforce GTX 560/570/660/670 should be perfect for such a computer configuration.

All in all the Intel Pentium E6700 3.2GHz processor is a great dual core processor and LGA 775 platform computers should have nothing less. On the other hand much cheaper Celerons and Pentiums from the latest generations may offer much better performance with the same video cards.

Viruses and adware/mallware programs spread very quickly on the Internet and instead of just a couple of target computer, they attack a very large number of computers.

5 Parts Of A Computer That Make Up The interface? (Source: upload.wikimedia.org)

Authorities have the necessary laws and tools to convict most of these criminals, but getting rid of the created problems and repairing damages is very close to impossible. Antivirus software companies work around the clock to come up with relatively easy fixes and shields against threats spreading on the Internet. Unfortunately the criminals are always a few steps ahead, as they exploit new vulnerabilities of computers on the Internet, to which authorities and antivirus developers respond. It's just common sense that no measures can be taken until a problem is identified, so there's not a lot that can be done to prevent criminals from attacking in the future.

There are a couple of security measures you can take, in order to improve your chances of avoiding Internet attacks. For one you use a Linux operating system, which is far less vulnerable to attacks than any other, but if you use one of the most popular commercial operating system, then the first step is installing a popular antivirus program. Personally I use the Free Edition of AVG, without the add-ons for Internet browsers, but this is not for everyone. If you don't know which web pages to avoid and how to answer questions of applications trying to install from the internet, then you should buy a complete, more advanced Internet security package from one of the leading software companies like Kaspersky or Bitdefender.

5 Parts Of A Computer That Make Up The interface? (Source: programegratis.com)

Usually computer crimes are committed with the use of people's personal information, captured or stolen one way or another. Most recently a Romanian hacker gained access to some of NASA's servers after viewing emails sent between NASA employees, which contained some essential data for obtaining passwords on the servers. The same method can be used for accessing bank accounts or obtaining credits in the name of unsuspecting victims. The least likely to become a victim is if you avoid entering any personal information into computers, smarthpones, tablets and anything digital. Unfortunately even if you do everything right, your personal information can also be stolen from public or private institutions where you're a member and security measures are inadequate.

This will soon change, as the upcoming gaming consoles will be based on very IBM-PC-like components. According to the most credible rumors, both Sony's and Microsoft's next version gaming consoles will be based on slightly modified AMD APUs and also AMD graphics processors.

Parts Gaming Computer (Source: meetingzonepolo.com)

These rumors make sense mostly because computer processors and video cards have reached a very good performance/price ratio, so it would be more costly for gaming console manufacturers to design and make their own special chips. For example the AMD Radeon 6670 and 6750 video cards can run most games is detail levels comparable to current versions of the two main gaming consoles, so either one would be a good choice for gaming consoles. The other issues these computer parts would solve are heat, power consumption and fan noise, as current generation XBOX and PlayStation consoles frequently overheat and may even suffer permanent damage. AMD's new APU (CPU + GPU) chips are extremely efficient, as some of them (A6-3500/3600 and A8-3800) have a 65W TDP even though they have 3, 4 and 4 cores respectively and discrete grade Radeon graphics processors with 320-400 parallel units.

Parts Gaming Computer (Source: channelpro.co.uk)

In a standard IBM-PC computer system built for gaming it has become a requirement to have a strong dual core microprocessor or a quad core model, which will be able to handle the game's databases and engine, and also supply the video card with the graphics data it needs in large quantities (when playing games in high detail).

A minimum requirement for games at this moment would be an AMD Athlon X2 3GHz or one of the latest Intel Core 2 Duo E8000 processors. Keep in mind that the later generation Celeron G500 and Pentium G6000/G800/G600 processors are also superior to Core 2 Duo performance, so for example a Celeron G530 processor would also be a good choice for gaming, even if it's the cheapest dual core processor available.

Parts Gaming Computer (Source: xbitlabs.com)

As you can see in the gaming test results above, the Celeron G540 (just 100MHz faster than the G530 model) is almost as fast as the much (3 times) more expensive Core i3-2100 processor.

The most rational choice for a gaming video card would be an AMD Radeon 6750 or nVidia Geforce GTS 450, as these offer the best performance per dollar. On the other hand if you have at least 3000 USD to spend, then a two-card solution may be the best. You can buy two of any video card model around the 500 USD price point, as these have the best performance/price indicators amongst the high end video cards.

The motherboard has to be chosen carefully in order to support the video cards at PCI-Express 8X speed at least and the system memory should also be at least 2 x 4GB DDR3-1600MHz (dual channel). If you have enough system memory (12GB+) then the hard drive's speed isn't too important, it just has to store the OS and games and load it once in every gaming session.