• Tag Archives computers

  • Maximum PC (May 2006)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Here’s another issue of what was my favorite PC magazine. It hung on longer than most PC print magazines but sadly it too died off a few years back. The May 2006 issue includes:

    Features

    • Hardcore Hardware – What to know about transitioning to your next motherboard/CPU/memory upgrade which at the time would likely include transitioning from an AGP to a PCI Express based system. Includes advice for choosing the right number of corse, choosing Intel or AMD, which AMD or Intel processor to get, RAM choices, and more.
    • Geek Quiz – Maximum PC’s annual computer quiz.

    Dapartments

    • Quick Start – Intel introduces the Conroe which was the first iteration of the Core architecture as a replacement for the Netburst architecture of the Pentium 4; a look at Vista’s release plans; Intel plans removal of PATA interface; AMD introduces AM2 socket; and more.
    • Head2Head – A comparision of VOIP and regular analog phone service.
    • WatchDog – HP settles lawsuit over defective Pavilion motherboards; problems with the Minolta Dimage X1 digital camera; and more.
    • How To – Solving playback errors, missing sound, player crashes and more when attempting to play back video.
    • Ask the Doctor – Questions answered about the right hardware for AutoCAD, problems with a PC recognizing a keyboard, a 400GB Maxtor drive problem, problems after upgrading from a Celeron D to a Pentium 4, Thermaltake’s Bigwater SE water-cooling kit, and more.
    • R&D – A look at the various types of Creative Commons licenses, a detailed look at the Cooler Master AquaGate Mini CPU water-cooler, a preview of nVidia’s GeForce 7900 GTX Quad SLI, and more.
    • In the Lab – Solving problems with overheating chipsets when using water-cooling, reducing boot times, and more.

    Reviews

    • Videocard – A look at nVidia’s new flagship GeForce 7900 GTX featuring 512MB GDDR3, a 650MHz clock speed, and SLI technology for only $500.
    • Desktop PC – A review of the Omen A:121 Crossfire featuring an Athlon 64 FX-60 CPU, two ATI X1900 XT videocards, 2 GB RAM, four 150GB Raptor 10,000 RPM hard drives in RAID 0, and more for $7500.
    • Notebook PC – A review of the Alienware Aurora M7700 featuring an AMD FX-60 CPU, 2GB DDR400, two 80GB hard drives in RAID 0, an nVidia GeForce Go 7800 with 256MB, a 17-inch screen and more for just over $5000.
    • Backup drive – A review of the Maxtor One Touch III Turbo external drive which features two Maxtor 500 GB drives in a RAID 0 or RAID 1 config in an external enclosure ($900).
    • Compact digicam – A review of the Kodak EasyShare One digital camera ($500).
    • A/V streaming box – The Sony LocationFree TV LF-X11, meant to compete with devices like the Slingbox.
    • VGA coolers – Arctic Cooling Accelero VGA Coolers. These were aftermarket heatsink/fan combos designed for better cooling than what came stock on most cards at the time.
    • Powerline Wi-Fi adapter – The Netgear XE104. At 85b/s it was quite a bit faster than most wi-fi at the time.
    • MP3 Player – The Creative Zen Vision: M MP3/video player. Another device modern phones have destroyed.
    • RAM drive card – The Gigabyte i-RAM. This was a PCI card with 1 GB of RAM designed to be used as a RAM drive.
    • PC enclosures – Reviews of the Kingwin SK-523BKW and the Lian Li PC-777 Memorial Edition (it literally looks like a snail).
    • Privacy stick – The Stealth Surfer II, a password protected 128 MB memory stick designed for keeping your web surfing habits private.
    • Water coolers – Reviews of the Swiftech H20-120 Premium and Thermaltake Bigwater 745 CPU liquid coolers.
    • Gaming – A look at Star Wars: Empire at War, a Star Wars themed strategy game.

    …and more!


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  • Digital Archaeology: Hewlett Packard Z220

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    The Z220 SFF was a small form factor workstation from Hewlett Packard. When I think workstation, I generally think of relatively large, powerful machines with lots of room for expansion. To be fair, while this is a small form factor machine, it did come with pretty powerful options. Mine includes the following:

    • CPU: i5-3570 @ 3.4 GHz
    • RAM: 16 GB DDR3-1600 / PC3-12800
    • Video: AMD FirePro V3900
    • Hard Drive: Seagate ST3250410As (250 GB)

    For more detailed hardware info, checkout the reports from HWiNFO and CPU-Z.

    The CPU in this one is more mid-range but i7 and Xeon processors were available with this model. So while it’s definitely not very expandable, It still made for a reasonably powerful workstation…at least if you don’t need multiple CPUs or higher end GPUs.

    As mentioned above, the CPU in this machine is a mid-range option. The two most power CPUs available for it are the i7-3770 and the Xeon E3-1290v2. This Xeon and i7 are pretty close in terms of specs. The Xeon has a slight clock speed advantage and uses a little bit more power. Oddly, various benchmarks I’ve seen show the i7 coming out on top slightly. I have no idea why but it would seem to be the best choice for this machine especially given that it uses a little less power than the Xeon. the i7 is essentially the same as the i5 except that the i7 is hyperthreaded and the i5 is not.

    This machine already has a reasonably healthy amount of RAM at 16 GB. Officially, it supports up to 32 GB. I’ve seen people ask whether or not you can use 16 GB DIMMs in this machine but haven’t seen a definitive answer.

    Because of the limitations of the power supply, GPU choices are somewhat limited. Not to mention the fact that you need to use a low profile card. For a more modern upgrade, you could probably use something like a GT 1030 or GTX 1650…something that you can find a low profile version of and that doesn’t take an external power connector.

    This machine isn’t old enough to really consider it to be “retro”. At least I don’t. In fact, it still works perfectly well as a modern machine. It’s plenty fast enough as is for pretty much anything most people do on a computer. It’s only if you are interested in modern gaming or something that requires more computational muscle (like video processing or AI) that you would find this machine a bit lacking. There’s also still a modest upgrade path. A higher end i7 or Xeon processor will give you better multitasking capabilities and you can take it up to 32 GB if you feel the need. Even a somewhat more powerful video card is possible along with, of course, an SSD drive. This machine is not supported by Windows 11 but this seems to only be because of Microsoft’s attempts at intentional obsolescence. There are ways to install Windows 11 if you really want to or Linux works just fine as well.

    Like all of the machines I use, I’ve installed BOINC and have it attached to several projects. When powered on, it is crunching tasks for Einstein@home, Milkyway@home, Asteroids@home, Rosetta@home and World Community Grid. You can also see how it is doing overall at FreeDC.


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  • Your Computer (April 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Your Computer – April 1983

    Your Computer was a popular home computer magazine that was published in the U.K. in the 1980s. In fact, it was the U.K’S most popular computer magazine for a time. The April 1983 issue includes:

    • Editorial and Your Letters – Letters from readers about Castle of Riddles, scrolling on the Spectrum, BBC BASIC, increasing usable memory in the Dragon 32, and more. Plus an editorial on increasing computer usage.
    • New – The Microdrive becomes available, Peanut Computers offers Apple II clone, TI releases new portable computer, Dragon to release new 64k machine, a price cut for the Atari 400, and more.
    • Computer Club – News and updates about local computer clubs throughout the U.K.
    • First Bytes – Questions answerd about how cursor control keys work, formatting printing in BASIC, debugging, and more.
    • Dragon Software Survey – A look at the best computer programs for the Dragon 32. Some titles include Dragon Trek, Roulette, 747 Simulator, 3D Maze, Samuraie Warrior, and many more.
    • BBC Buggy – Building a robot controlled by the BBC computer.
    • TEXET’s Colour Computer – A look at the TX-8000, a new low-cost color computer.
    • VIC-20 Snake – A type-in version of the classic Snake game for the VIC-20.
    • Dragon Rebound – A type-in game for the Dragon 32 that is sort of like Breakout.
    • ZX-81 Unifile – A type-in database program for the ZX-81.
    • BBC Machine Operating System – A deep dive into the built-in machine code routines of the BBC.

    • Atari Toad – A type-in game for the Atari 400/800 in which you control a toad trying to catch flies.
    • BBC Modes – A technique for mixing double-height, normal, and double-width text on the screen at the same time.
    • Ace Character Forming – Creating custom character sets on the Jupiter Ace in order to improve printing.
    • ZX-81 Ground Strike – A type-in game for the ZX-81 in which you control a combat aircraft conducting ground strikes.
    • Spectrum Death Duel – A type-in two player game in which you must trap your opponent.
    • VIC Variables – A crash course in using variables on the VIC-20.
    • 6502 Machine Code – A guide to 6502 machine language programming designed for creating faster games on the VIC-20, Atom Oric, and BBC Micro.
    • Spectrum Animation – Some machine code routines for creating smooth animation on the Spectrum.
    • Spectrum Complex Sounds – A type-in sound generator capable of creating complex sounds without slowing your games down.
    • History of Software – A history of software creation and how it has changed over the years since the earliest days of computers.
    • BASIC Dictionary – A dictionary of common BASIC commands.
    • Response Frame – Questions answered about blank spaces vs. unprintable characters on the Spectrum, expanding an Atom, choosing the right computer, finding cheaper memory for the VIC-20, books on programming the Dragon 32, and more.
    • Fingertips – Some type in programs for the Sharp PC-1211 calculator.
    • Software File – Short programs submitted by readers including a couple of games (Space Chase and Search and Destroy).

    …and more!


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