I have transitioned my tech blog over to my new website: http://geekloop.com
That is where all my future tech blog posts will be made.
It has a lot more features and allows you to even create your own blogs there for free!
Thanks for reading, and hope to see you there!
Asus Eee PC
A year ago, how many people out there had heard of a “netbook”? Did the term even exist a year ago? Yet, here we are, May of 2009, and netbooks are taking the mobile computing world by storm.
The first one I remember hearing about–or at least paying any attention to–was the Acer Aspire One. The first time I saw one in person I thought it was a neat little thing, and soon had visions of netbooks dancing in my head. I was fascinated that they could pack some decent computing power into such a small package.
At one time I even thought I could use a netbook as my primary computer. Maybe I still can, since I’m really not into gaming or any graphics or CPU intensive computing. The most strain I put on my computer is watching live streams, YouTube, and Hulu. If a netbook can handle that, what more do I need?
That leads nicely into the point I’m trying to make, or rather, the question I’m asking myself: are netbooks just a passing fad, or are they for real? Are they going to change the face of personal computing as we know it? Is this the direction computing will ultimately go? Small, mobile, versatile, and cheap?
I think netbooks will only continue to gain in popularity as newer, more powerful technologies are developed to cram as much power and battery life into as small a package as possible.
Perhaps the netbook craze has come about, in part, as the result of the economic turbulence of late. But I have a feeling that when the economy recovers (and it will recover…in spite of–not due to–government intervention…but I digress), netbooks aren’t going anywhere. Sales may taper off a bit, as people opt to purchase larger, more powerful machines. Yet netbooks serve a distinct and growing niche in the market and more people are starting to realize they can do most of their everyday computing with them.
Really, if someone just needs a computer that will allow them to check e-mails, surf the net, and do basic office computing like spreadsheets or word processing, what more do they really need? A bigger screen? A bigger keyboard? Well, that’s what VGA and USB ports are for. Just hook your netbook up to a nice big monitor, plug in your USB mouse and keyboard, and put together that family budget spreadsheet. No problem.
Ultimately, though, the power of netbooks is in their compactness and mobility–in a broader sense, their versatility. Small enough to fit in a purse or briefcase, yet powerful enough to give you a decent computing experience.
When it comes down to it, if there’s one thing people are asking themselves more and more during these turbulent times, it’s: “what do I really need?”
Why buy a $700 desktop when a $300 netbook will do everything you need?
To me, that just makes sense–bad economy or good.
I like to root for the underdog.
For example, I’d love to see the Denver Nuggets send the Lakers home in the NBA Western Conference finals.
When it comes to computer processors, I like AMD. Always have. And I particularly liked the European Commission’s recent antitrust ruling against Intel.
Apparently AMD liked it too, so much that they put up an entire website devoted to it called AMD Break Free.
It actually contains quite a bit of information on AMD’s legal battles with Intel over the years, as well as their endeavors to “restore competition to the IT industry”.
Of course, this is AMD’s way of quoting Nelson from the Simpsons in saying: “HA-HA!”
I can’t say I blame them.
My old case was…well…old, and therefore poorly ventilated.
I decided I needed to get a better ventilated, and preferably smaller case. I went to my local Fry’s Electronics and picked up a Cooler Master Elite 360 for $40, and I am extremely impressed with the quality I got for the price.
I saw decent looking cases for twice this amount or more, but this one seemed to be the perfect combination of price, quality, flexibility, and size.
It comes with one very quiet 120mm fan already mounted. The case allows you to mount one more 120mm fan and 3 80mm fans if you prefer. I put in 2 80mm fans which are mounted on the back panel right above the I/O ports. On the lowest setting they keep my CPU (Athlon 64 X2 7750 Black Edition 2.7 GHz not overclocked) around 42 C with normal use.
Keeping in mind that this is a very small case, installation was surprisingly easy. Just follow the included instructions, which are easy to understand. Depending on your configuration, you’ll need to install things in a certain order.
I didn’t run into any problems installing any of my components. Drive installation was a breeze – no screws required. The Power SW, Reset SW, USB, Audio, etc. cables are nice and long, sure to suit any motherboard configuration. You can use this case either as an upright tower or flat desktop. You can even rotate the “Cooler Master” logo to suit your setup.
The look of the case is simple, yet modern. Nothing too flashy, which suits my tastes just fine. I must say it looks quite nice on my desk. The size is just right–not so big that it’s obnoxious, but not so small that you dread opening it up to mess with the internals.
I’ve read other reviews on this case, and there are some complaints that due to where the PSU is mounted (in the front under the drives) you can run into problems trying to install big, bulky video cards, so keep that in mind. Since the integrated video on my motherboard is more than sufficient for my needs, it’s a non-issue for me. Personally, I think the location of the PSU in this case is brilliant, and it is obviously why the form factor can be so small, while allowing you to use an ATX motherboard if you wish. This is not a case for hardcore gamers that constantly need to be messing with and swapping components, installing massive video cards, etc. But as a home computer, work station, or even a home theater PC, I doubt you can find a better case at this price.
I highly recommend this case. You will be pleasantly surprised at the quality, and it will be a nice addition to your office or home theater.
