Quick Guide to Buying a Computer Motherboard

The motherboard of your computer is considered the most essential part because it connects all the major components that allow them to communicate to get your computer running. It is important to understand the types of motherboard and the kinds of hardware it houses so you will know what to choose when buying a computer motherboard. Below is a quick guide that will help you in your choice of a suitable motherboard for your computer:

Form factors or the size:

- The ATX or Advanced Technology Extended - the standard size/form which can accommodate more ports and allows expandability.
- BTX or Balanced Technology Extended - this is larger than the standard size supposedly to address overheating and to lower power consumption rate but it failed to outpace or dislodge the ATX.
- MicroATX and MiniTX - smaller in size ideal for compact and low power boards, however, the expansion slots and ports are limited.

Take note that when buying a computer motherboard, always check your computer casing if it can support the form of your choice.

Classification according to the type of microprocessor:

Socket A, Socket 939 & Socket AM3 - These types are intended for the AMD processors with Socket AM3 as the latest to come out in the AMD market.

Socket 370, Socket 378, Socket T and Socket H - are compatible with the Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core 2 and Core-I series of processors.

Both the Intel and AMD are the microprocessors of choice nowadays. However, buying a computer motherboard will depend on the classification of the processor that you select.

Other factors to consider:

Front side bus (FSB) - refers to the pathway where the connection or flow of information to and from the processor and the rest of the hardware passes. The speed of the flow is measured in megahertz or MHz and gigahertz or GHz. Depending on your needs, the highest rate is currently at 3.6 GHz.

Random access memory (RAM )- the data and information stored in a ram is only temporary while your computer is switched on, and it is totally deleted once you switch off the system. The size of your ram which is now measured in gigabytes affects the speed of your computer. The higher the ram the more data and information it can support to speed up the processing of your computer. And because you motherboard houses the ram, it is very important to choose one that matches the size and the capacity of your ram when buying a computer motherboard. Like an ATX provides at least four slots for ram that can go as high as 32GB.

Whatever is your budget and the features that you may need for your computer, a basic knowledge of the hardware that you intend to purchase will always come in handy. Like in this case, buying a computer motherboard is no longer an overwhelming task once you have a better appreciation of its technical aspects.

Article written by Jeffrey Frasco. For more information about Buying Computer Motherboards visit BuyComputerComponents.com.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Computer Motherboards - A Quick Guide

There are a lot of descriptions of a computer motherboard. Firstly motherboards are not unique to personal computers. Some domestic appliances have a motherboard in them. Back to the question! A motherboard is a circuit board (PCB-Printed Circuit Board), that provides a means of connecting the different components that go to make up your computer.  

But that is not it. There are different types of motherboard available. The most popular type of motherboard at the moment is the ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) type of motherboard which was first introduced in 1995. The ATX is available in a smaller form called the micro-ATX. There is a newer motherboard design, this is called BTX (Balance Technology Extended), introduced in 2004. Basically a BTX motherboard is a more thermally efficient design, the idea to have better air flow and therefore the components would be cooler. The problem is that you require a BTX case. A lot of case manufacturers have not bothered to re-design their cases. You can get efficient cooling with an ATX case and a decent set of fans and dedicated cooling,required in high powered gaming systems. ATX remains the popular choice.

Motherboards are available for Intel CPUs and AMD CPUs. There are no motherboards that support both.

Before you look at buying a new motherboard you need to have decided if you are going to have an Intel or AMD CPU. You also need to have an idea of the space where you will put your computer. Why? Because if you need a smaller case then you may want to go for a micro-ATX board. 

You can buy a good motherboard from your local high street store as well as several online retailers. One place that you may have overlooked is eBay. You can find a real bargain and save yourself a whole bundle of cash. My advice is if you find a motherboard that you like on eBay Google it to see if it is still current and what the RRP is. You might want to ask the seller if the motherboard comes with all documentation and drivers.

The text in this article was taken from build-a-computer.co.uk [http://www.build-a-computer.co.uk] A reliable source of FREE training and computer support.

I have been building computers for over 10 years now and wanted to find a good source of free information relating to computer hardware and software on the internet. I am always been asked where can I learn this stuff for free? So my friend and I set up a web site , this is where I have borrowed this text from, you can view it there along with a whole host of other articles. The site is called build-a-computer.co.uk. Most of the courses and information on the site are FREE to use.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Social Media Quick Start Guide For Small Business

Many small businesses are just getting started in social media. I've had many clients tell me they don't know where to begin. Regardless of what your budget might be there are some simple ways you can "test the waters" before jumping in head first.

Below are some tips to help you begin to integrate social media into some of your traditional marketing and business efforts. Social media should not be something separate from your traditional marketing efforts. Integration is key and will maximize your investment in all marketing, both online and offline.

Remember just like marketing, social media is not sink or swim. The best marketers are those that take risks, take time to listen to their customers and learn from their mistakes. Try, try, try and try again. If you are doing these three things you will eventually get it right.

Social Media Quick Start:

1. If you don't already have one, setup a Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn account. All 3 of these are must haves for most businesses. Blogs are usually beneficial for most businesses as well. You can start a WordPress blog for free.

2. Develop a marketing plan. If you don't have one, write one or hire an expert to help. It doesn't have to be 100 pages. At minimum take 30 minutes to formalize your goals and objectives. If you have no goals and objectives you will have nothing to measure your success and learn from.

3. Next, develop a timeline of the activities you have planned. Review the activities of last year, ROI and any data that can help you make improvements and better decisions for 2010. At minimum try to have at least one theme per month. This is a great way for small businesses to begin integrated marketing.

3. Co-Marketing Partner List: Make a list of your partners, local charities or other companies you can partner with for some co-marketing activities. Why not get together and share resources, run an ad together and maximize both your voice, market and brand a wareness.

4. Go-To Market Strategy: Once you have your calendar at least in draft format, add some key categories for each month. These should include the types of activities or mediums you use for marketing. These should or can include social media, internet marketing via website, local advertising, promotions and campaigns, charity activities and general events. Optional tactics might be fundraisers, seminars, webinars and email blasts.

5. CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT: Now the tricky part... what are you going to market? What are you going to promote, email, talk with your customers about? What are you going to tweet, share on facebook or discuss with LinkedIn business members? I find this is the area most small businesses struggle. If you don't already have a messaging platform, create one or hire someone to help. At minimum ensure you have a mission statement, vision, value proposition, company description, product(s) description, benefit statement and list, feature statement and list, tagline, and more. Developing this content one time at the beginning of the year will save you tons of time later. It will also enable you to be more agile when a new opportunity arises for a good deal on a quick ad or co-marketing opportunity, or charity sponsorship. It's about "Create Once, Use Many". I also suggest writing some monthly Twitter Tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn posts for each month. I promise if you do this you will NOT regret it.

6. Map your calendar to your content. Since you created themes for each month during your marketing plan development, now you can start plugging in content from your message platform. What features or benefits are best to market in the summer, spring or fall? You will begin to have something to talk about and inspire your customers!! This is goodness friends!

7. LISTEN: Before starting social media you need to listen. Listen to your customers, partners, mentors and most importantly your customers. What are they saying about your product or similar products? How are your customers using social media? What social networks are they "hanging out on"?? You'll probably be surprised how many of them are using it effectively. Take notes of what you learn, and how you can contribute content to the social platform to inspire them to read, listen and respond to your content.

8. Develop your Social Media Plan: Based on what you learned in your research, develop a plan that includes goals, objectives and tactics for social media platforms, audiences, partners and content. This should be mapped to your over arching marketing plan. If you followed my directions, you will be able to easily map a social media strategy activities to the larger plan. Guess what this means folks...wala... you are on your way to an "integrated marketing" land! Congratulations!

9. Setup Your Social Media World: I don't have time in this blog post to go into detail on this section. I will be writing some content over the next few weeks that should break down some of the steps for you. Suffice it to say at minimum you need a Facebook Group and Business Page, Twitter Account, and Linked In. If you are targeting niche markets you may need multiple eventually but remember we don't have to dive in head first. There is much you can do with customizing each of these. Facebook has some awesome features where you can make it function almost like a web page. You can add html to enable email subscriptions, surveys, discussions and more.

10. EXECUTE: Now that you have some content it's time to just go for it. Start Tweeting the content you developed in your message platform. Post a Facebook post and share it with your friends. You'll be surprised how many people will respond, become fans of your Facebook page, join your LinkedIn group, take your survey and respond to an offer. Think positive! Hopefully people want what you have to offer. If not, I would question why you are in business.

11. ENGAGE: It is important you don't just blast out "noise". Listen to what your customers have to say. Respond when somebody posts on your Facebook wall. If you see a new Twitter Follower who has a common interest, send them a message. Social media is about conversations and relationships. Inspire your audience and they will follow you, listen to you and engage. Engagement leads to conversation which leads to a relationship built on trust and value added. It is not until after you have INSPIRED and CONNECTED with your target audiences that you will ACHIEVE the business goals and objectives you are seeking.

12. MEASURE your impact: Because you set goals and objectives you will know your key metrics. If you are a small business who couldn't hire an expert and didn't really know what to expect or measure, it's okay! Many companies are in the same boat. However, regardless measurement is key! Track your facebook fans, twitter followers. Track what content they responded positively to.

13. IMPROVE: Based upon the early learnings, tweak your approach, strategy, content and more. CONTINUALLY LISTEN, MEASURE and IMPROVE! This is the key to social media. There is no perfect way to send a TWEET. You will have good tweet days and bad.

14. DON'T GIVE UP: Keep going! You have made it this far do NOT GIVE UP. Document your findings, wins, successes, learnings, and losses. Keep your head up and have fun!

If you find yourself overwhelmed and realize now why the agency cost was higher than you thought it would be, then contact them for help! Social media takes time, focus and dedication.

It's easy to create a Facebook page or a Twitter account. The fun part is seeing your business grow, brand awareness soar and objectives met!

Remember you are not playing the social media game to be the most popular girl or guy on Twitter. Although that may be a nice perk, we all will have a hard time competing with the 3+ Million followers of Ashton Kutcher LOL!

Good luck and have fun!!!

Pam Moore, CEO and Founder, Fruitzoom, Inc. A passionate marketing, social media, brand and internet enthusiast with 15+ years experience building brands, communities and businesses with winning integrated Go To Market and Social Media Strategies and tactics to increase awareness, sales, and maximize ROI in both B2B and B2C markets.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Two Quick Questions On The Implications Of Not Raising The Debt Ceiling

1. If Wall Street pricing is based in large part on expectations, and if the common wisdom on the street is that the debt ceiling will be raised before the August 2 drop dead date projected by the Treasury, how big will the market reaction be if the ceiling isn't raised by then or its estimate of what will happen doesn't change.

2.  Greece's GDP is a rounding error compared to the size of the U.S. economy.  So if the possibility of a default by Greece roiled financial markets last week, what will the increasing possibility of a technical default by the U.S. do to investors?

Generated by BlogIt

BlogIt - Auto Blogging Software for YOU!