Where PC means Personal Care® · November 2003 · No. 45
Great Gifts For the Holidays!
Quidnunc has great gifts for the computer needs of everyone on your list! This year, digital video seems to be among the hot items. Check out our amazing 3.1 megapixel video camera for only $129.99.
To go along with your new digital camera, Pinnacle’s Studio, Studio DV or Dazzle Digital Video Creator 80. Add scene transitions, sound effects, background music, titles and special effects to your digital videos. Store them on CD, DVD or even VHS tape.
Do you occasionally have to haul your non-laptop computer? Check out the Lanpal PC Tote. It makes carrying even the tallest tower manageable.
Have you been putting off getting that LCD monitor (the true “flat screen”), waiting for the prices to drop. Well, now may be the time. Quidnunc has a nice selection of affordable LCD’s. Also, ask our knowledgeable staff about why not all LCD’s are the same.
And while you’re at it, notice the Flat Panel Monitor Stand. It lifts your monitor to just the right height and also gives a place for your speakers (or coffee cup).
If you have appreciated the wheel on modern mice, you will really love the new Wireless Optical Mouse with Tilt Wheel from Microsoft. Now you can scroll side-to-side as well as up and down.
If you are shopping for someone with a notebook computer, consider a backpack-style carrying case, a USB light, a privacy/glare screen or even a USB fan (for when they are really working up a sweat).
We also have a wonderful selection of stocking stuffers including a battery charger and rechargeable batteries, a Wireless Music Adapter that allows anyone to play their portable MP3 or CD player through their car radio, Jump Drives for ultra-convenient data storage, the latest Norton Antivirus and markers for the CD’s and DVD’s they have been creating.
Click here for more great gift ideas.
| Want to record your music? Burn a CD? QUIDNUNC has everything you need! |
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Centrino Notebook
Have you heard about the Centrino? This is a new Intel brand name for notebook computer technology. There are primarily three things included in any Centrino system: Intel® Pentium® M processor, the Intel® 855 Chipset Family and the Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection. This combination results in a thinner, lighter computer with longer battery life and one that allows immediate access to “hotspots” such as West Seattle’s Hotwire coffee house.
The Pentium M performs better than the equivalent Pentium 4 for several reasons, most of which will only be of interest to the techies. For the technically challenged here are a few of the somewhat recognizable features:
- 1 MB Level 2 Cache and a 400MHz FSB
- Uses an advanced instruction prediction that allows the processor to analyze a program’s past behavior and predicts which operations it is likely to request in the future. The processor can line up instructions for execution before a program requests them.
- Merges small CPU operations (micro-ops) together prior to execution in order to increase performance and efficiency. This uses fewer processor resources in order to handle the same number of operations.
- Multiple voltage & frequency operating points match performance to application demand.
- Intelligent power distribution focuses the system power where the processor needs it most.
These combine to make the CPU faster and more efficient, resulting in cooler operations and longer battery life.
Quidnunc currently has a Centrino laptop on display for $1,399.99. It includes a 14” SXGA active matrix display, 64Mb of DDR video RAM, a DVD/CDRW combination drive, 256Mb RAM, a 40Gb hard drive, the Pentium Mobile 1.4GHz processor and Windows XP home.
Featured in this newsletter:
· Great Gifts
· Centrino Notebook
· TECH TALK
· Enter to Win “Hello Kitty”
· Holiday Open House
· 9th Anniversary Prize Winners
Also:
Coupons
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Enter to Win |
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West Seattle Junction merchants and QUIDNUNC invite you to a
Holiday
Open House
on Saturday, December 6
from 11 am to 6 pm
Santa will arrive in the Junction at 11:00 on a horse drawn trolley and set up shop for photos. Carolers will be strolling and trolley rides will be available throughout the Junction. Don’t miss the fun at Quidnunc, and the entire West Seattle Junction!
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Congratulations,
9th Anniversary
Prize Winners!!
Here are the winners of our Anniversary Celebration Prizes:
- 1 Year Internet
Clarence Engkraf - $100 Gift Certificate
Jan Welsh - Logitech Optical Desktop
Helen Tjomsland - Custom Web site
Steve Burrows - Laptop Bag
Andrew Rodriquez - Wireless Starter Kit
Rebekah Englishbee - CDRW/DVD Combo
Ross Peizer - 52x24x52 CDRW
Mary Mermod - Logitech Wireless Joystick
Tim Marsden
| Quidnunc: the friendliest computer, software & Internet store in Seattle |
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T E C H T A L K with Bill Hibler
How Fast is Fast?
People often tend to look at a computer’s clock speed to get an idea of the relative performance. However, this number by itself can be misleading. Different manufacturers (like Intel and AMD) use different features to make side-by-side comparisons difficult. Now Intel has made it even trickier by creating new mobile processors that vary considerably from their desktop line.
To understand the differences better, it is important to understand a few basics about how CPUs work. A CPU must first communicate with the computer’s memory to retrieve a set of instructions from a program. It does this using a communication channel called a data bus. In addition, instruction sets can be different sizes.
While not an exact analogy, imagine a freeway. There are three things that affect how many people (instructions) can be transported in a given period of time. The one we tend to think of first is the speed of the vehicles (clock speed). However, of equal importance are the number of lanes (data bus) and number of passengers in each vehicle (size of the instruction set).
There are many other factors that also affect the overall speed of a computer. “Cache” refers to a special area of the processor where it stores not only the most recently used instructions, but also instructions it believes it will need again. The larger the cache, the more instructions the processor can hold and use at one time. The speed of the RAM and the speed of the motherboard are also factors. Many graphic applications also depend heavily on the video adapter and that performance can be affected by the quantity and speed of the video RAM.
The bottom line, then, is that the CPU speed is only relevant when comparing the same model of CPU within the same company. The AMD Athlon 1.7GHz will outperform the Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz and so will the Intel Pentium Mobile 1.4 GHz included in the Centrino notebook.
Check out the description of the Centrino in this newsletter and you will see some other ways a CPU can be faster without increasing the clock speed.
What about 64-bit processors?
AMD appears to have beaten Intel in releasing a 64-bit processor. If you want real processing power, should you buy one? We think you should wait for at least two reasons:
- In order to take full advantage of the 64bit processing capabilities, the user must be running a 64bit operating system (Microsoft’s next release is supposed to be such an operating system)
- To use one of the 64bit CPUs you will need not only a new motherboard, but new RAM as well. As always, the price of brand new technology is always much greater than its value.
Since the next MS operating system is expected to be a major change, possibly requiring totally new hardware to run effectively, it is likely that few users will undertake this upgrade sooner than 2005 or even 2006. However, once all of the pieces are in place, users can expect tremendous performance increases by upgrading to this new technology.
| Custom-built Computers! Games! Productivity! Utilities! Modems! CD-ROM |
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Quick Reminders
Remember to bring in empty ink jet and laser toner cartridges. Keep them out of the landfills!
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We will recycle old computers, printers and monitors for a nominal fee of $15/computer or monitor, and $5/printer.
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