http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/articles Latest articles, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/128 ThinkPad R61e $487.69 Although ThinkPads have a reputation for being pricier premium notebooks intended for business travelers, a little smart shopping can land you this budget model on a shoestring. It’s not as fast as the flagship T-series, or as light as the X-series, but the R61 has been reviewed favorably in its price range and includes many of the same features Lenovo rolls into those pricier ThinkPads. When ordering, make sure to choose the second-from-cheapest model to get an Intel Dual Core processor rather than a Cel... Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/134970 A processor upgrade can breathe new life into your old PC. Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/18601/ (Syndicated from MyDigitalEntertainer.com )  You’ve probably seen the commercials and heard the hype. But what exactly is Microsoft’s Intel Viiv? Simply put, Intel Viiv (rhymes with “five”) is a catch-all for the latest in a growing line of marketing initiatives by Intel. In fact, if you bought your computer after early 2006, chances are you’ve may already have a Viiv. Much like Intel’s last marketing splash, the Centrino, there’s no set-in-stone configuration for these systems. Instead, the Viiv offers a host of possible features to choose from, including processors, chipsets, and even an optional TV tuner. With an Intel Viiv PC, you can access, play, and share your digital media—all from one convenient spot. You can also use your Viiv with several different online entertainment sources, allowing you to download and play tons of music, movies, and more. The Viiv is capable of connecting directly to your television, plus it offers a quick and easy one-touch on/off function—just like most standard DVD players. Plus, it neatly organizes all of your digital media files so you spend more time enjoying your content, and less time searching for just the right files. Inside the Box Viiv systems offer support for up to ... Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:36:42 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/feature/78 Intel’s unveiling of their latest-generation Centrino processor technology (formerly known as Santa Rosa) for use in notebook computers in the consumer and business arenas, has of course sparked a flurry of new laptop announcements as major computer brands race to be the first to market with features like faster Intel Core Duo 2 processors. Toshiba, Lenovo, HP, Sony, Gateway, Fujitsu, Acer and Dell, among others, have made it known that they plan on embracing Intel’s newest technology. Some manufacturers are releasing products immediately, while others roll out new gear a little later. Take a tour with us now of the ever-changing landscape of Laptop land as we... Thu, 10 May 2007 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/183 In Beijing this week, Intel is showcasing a massive number of technologies that will come to market over the next couple of years. From processors that are so enhanced you won’t need separate GPUs, CPUs, or Physics chips, to massively multi-cored offerings that can outperform a company full of PCs, Intel has been putting the world on notice that they are back, baby, and are planning on taking no prisoners. However, one of the most interesting offerings is their renewed roadmap for the UMPC. This is a product which was, like the first ... Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/167 Once upon a time PCs were terrible gaming platforms. *gasp* Why, you ask? Well, beside the obvious lack of horsepower or gaming-centric graphics accelerators, the CPUs were simply not capable of processing in hardware the necessary floating-point math required for today’s games. Starting with the 80386, consumer desktop PCs were the first to benefit from a symbiotic, pseudo dual-core technology that included a second processor for handling these math-intensive calculations. While this processor could not stand on its own or even allow the system to perform multi-threaded instructions, it did intercept floating point instructions and could decode them in hardware. ... Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/talk/157 With the entry of AMD’s Quad FX processors into the market and Intel clearly pushing the future of quad-core, let’s talk about why you might want one.It wasn’t too long ago that we were chasing the almighty MHz and the faster the processor the more we thought we could do. Of course for those of us a bit more experienced, we’ve known that for some time PCs have been bottlenecked with slow memory, slow drives and often with low performing integrated graphics solutions.  Over time, memory speed has improved a lot... Sun, 03 Dec 2006 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/127295 Socket and chip-set issues complicate proposed upgrade to a Core 2 Duo processor. Wed, 25 Oct 2006 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/126682 What happens to your desktop when the perennial processor underdog buys a graphics powerhouse? Thu, 10 Aug 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/125771 Plus: Business notebooks go wide screen, and Wi-Fi gets tiny. Wed, 31 May 2006 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/125363 Ageia's PhysX processor will bring better physics to computer games, but will you buy it? Fri, 14 Apr 2006 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/12429/ "IBM's power-based PC chip [which powers the Xbox 360] includes three cores, each with two simultaneous threads and clocking speeds greater than 3 GHz [actually 3.2Ghz], the company officials said at the Fall Processor Forum in San Jose, California. The chip includes... Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:59:41 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10070/ Understanding the video controls This article explains the operation of the video controls on your TV and will help both novices and experts achieve a better television picture. Many people try to adjust the controls without a good understanding of what they actually do, but knowing how they work can make it significantly easier to fine tune your television image to your liking. This article will focus on the five basic controls you'll find on every TV. It will also discuss color temperature, which is a control not found on every TV, but one which can also impact your picture. There are five basic picture controls on every color TV. Many people are familiar with them but these could be new to you. Some TVs have even more advanced controls but in most cases, it is not essential to adjust these for a good image. The basic controls are: Contrast (picture) Brightness (black level) Sharpness (detail) Color (saturation) Tint (hue) Many television hold separate video settings for each input, since people tend to view different sources in different conditions. This way, you can make your adjustments in the conditions that you watch a particular source. For example, if ... Tue, 14 Dec 2004 10:13:14 -0500