Tech Blog Mix » Tips

Uninterruptible Power Supplies

dbeck36 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:18:59 +0000

One thing I have found very useful is the uninterruptible power supplies (UPSUPS).The UPS not only serves as a battery backup in case the power fails it also keeps a constant voltage with no power fluctuations so if the power company has a power surge or there is a close by lightning strike it will be absorbed into the UPSUPS and keep the voltage constant to your computer. I not only have separate UPSUPS on the desktop computers I also have a separate one that my modem, router, printer and VOIP equipment shares. The power in my area is very dependable and rarely fails but if the power does fail the UPSUPS gives you plenty of time to save your projects or files and shut down your computer properly. To me the UPSUPS is well worth the moderate investment and can save you taking the chance of losing your expensive computer equipment.

Sapphire Raedon HD 4670

dbeck36 — Mon, 18 May 2009 03:53:36 +0000

The last couple of weeks while playing World Of Warcraft (WOW) my desktop computer kept popping up a warning that the graphics card was severely overheating. Thinking that it might have been dust build up inside the computer I took it apart and blew all the dust out. This seemed to help for a couple of days but the warnings started again just while playing WOW. I took the side panel off and observed the fan on the graphics card while playing and it was defiantly overheating. The graphics card I had in there was a 512 MB and was almost three years old so it was about time to upgrade it with a newer model anyway. After shopping around comparing and reading numerous reviews I decided on buying a Sapphire
This graphics card has duel DVI so if you want to use multiple monitors it has the capability. It also has an S cable output so if you want to watch it on your television you can also do that. The frame rate (FPS) in WOW jumped a full 10 FPS not on ultra graphic settings but just under. In Dalaran and other major cities it averages right around 30 FPS and away from the cities it averages right around 60 FPS. While this graphics card works very well it is also very reasonably priced at just under 87.00 dollars and for a limited time also has a 10.00 dollar rebate which makes it even more reasonably priced. I have been using this graphics card for several days and I couldn’t be more pleased with it.

Internet Speed Test

dbeck36 — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:43:40 +0000

Have you ever wondered how fast your internet connection is? There are many sites you can test your speed but the one I prefer to use is Speedtest.net. They have many server sites all over the world that host the speed test. The closet site to your location is usually highlighted when you run the test or if you prefer you can test your speed to other areas of the world.
They also have Speedtest.net for the iPhone and can be downloaded free from the iTunes App store.