GSBUG Hardware Info SIG November 13, 2003

2 GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Agenda – November 13, :00 – 7:05 Administration 7:05 – 8:15 Featured Topics – Other Components (Modems, NICs, Chassis, Power Supplies, HFAs, Fans, Keyboards, Mice): 2003 Update 8:15 – 8:30 Hardware News 8:30 – 8:55 Random Access (Q&A) 8:55 – 9:00 Recap, Preview, and Close

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Administration Welcome! Please Sign In. What the SIG is…and is not. Is - a resource for computer users and potential computer users Is NOT – a cheap way to get your computer built or repaired (contact the GSBUG Daytime Hardware SIG) Logs – Random Access/Q&A (First Come…)

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Administration (continued): Presentation materials will be posted at: Prior presentation materials also posted.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components These materials ONLY address mainstream, non- professional “components” used in or with IBM- compatible PCs.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Modems: The word " modem " stands for " mo dulator- dem odulator". A modem's purpose is to convert digital information to analog signals (modulation), and to convert analog signals back into useful digital information (demodulation). s/scen167/thosguys/modem.html …and in the process communicate with another modem user or service. s/scen167/thosguys/modem.html Internal (PCI card), external (USB) Typically 56Kbps (53Kbps downstream), V.90 or V.92 (ITU standard); typically includes faxing capability (14.4K)

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Modems (continued) V.92/V.44 adds: Modem on Hold (suspends for voice after Call Waiting notice) Quick Connect (remembers line conditions and bypasses parts of “line training” for faster connection) V.PCM (up to 48Kbps upstream vs. up to 31.2Kbps; faster for online gaming, uploading files) V.44 compression (replaced V.42bis) – throughput up to 300Kbps

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Primary Modem Suppliers (visible brands) Best Data (including “SupraMax”) ( Creative Labs (Modem Blaster) (us.creative.com)us.creative.com Jaton ( US Robotics ( Zoom (including Hayes) (

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Network Interface “Cards” (NICs) Primarily used to attach systems to a network. Also used to connect a system to a cable modem. Integrated (onto the motherboard) or by adapter card (PCI) - 10baseT (Ethernet), 100baseT (Fast Ethernet), 10/100baseT, 1000baseT (Gigabit Ethernet), and 10/100/1000baseT. xxxxMbps (claims to 2000Mbps). Wireless – adapter “card” (PCI card w/ antenna or PCI card with PC Card interface) or USB interface to an IEEE a/b/g access point (AP) – up to 108Mbps (Turbo).

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Network Interface “Cards” (NICs) (continued) Current IEEE wireless standards: a – up to 54Mbps, 5GHz frequency band, 40 feet b – up to 11Mbps, 2.4GHz frequency band, 100 feet g – up to 54Mbps, 2.4GHz frequency band, 100 feet? Combo wireless devices – a/b, a/b/g Intel’s “Communication Streaming Architecture” (CSA) – included in the 865 and 875 NorthBridges; dedicated communications bus, full duplex, up to 266MB/sec (theoretical). Bus only, still requires the NIC controller.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Primary NIC Suppliers (visible brands) Motherboard manufacturers (typically using an Intel or Realtek controller, or the chipset manufacturer’s integrated MAC/PHY or MAC + external PHY) 3Com ( D-Link ( Intel ( Linksys ( NETGEAR ( SMC ( US Robotics (

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Chassis Typically used to mount: Internally and externally accessible “drives” (floppy, hard drive, opticals, ZIP, others) The motherboard (w/ CPU and RAM) “Adapter cards” – video, hard drive controller, sound, modem, NIC, specialty (USB, 1394, added serial or parallel, other special purpose) Power supply Cooling fan(s) Internal cables of various types/uses.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Chassis (continued) Provides “interface points” (via the motherboard) for: Keyboard Mouse Printer Serial devices USB devices Possibly also a network and/or IEEE-1394 devices Provides system “status” (via LEDs) – power on, HDD activity, stand-by mode

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Chassis (continued) General, non-mobile chassis “types”: “Desktop” (classically lays horizontally, monitor on top) Tower – stands vertically; includes: Small form factor (SFF) tower MicroATX tower Mid-tower Full tower Server tower – wide range Rack-mount (pizza box shape; typically for servers)

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Chassis (continued) Primary Chassis Suppliers (visible brands) Antec ( Aopen ( CasEdge (FOXCONN) ( Chenbro Micom ( Compucase ( Enlight ( In-Win ( Min Maw (MMI) (

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Chassis (continued) Primary Chassis Suppliers (visible brands, continued) Supermicro ( - primarily for serverswww.supermicro.com Superpower ( Yeong Yang ( There are hundreds of other chassis suppliers. FYI, Intel also “builds” chassis - for OEMs and SIs (system integrators) – typically only for servers (

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Power Supplies Receives power “from the wall” and distributes it to the motherboard and “drives”. Typically a PS/2 form factor with an ATX or ATX12V interface to the motherboard. Wattage from approximately 145 – Server applications may include redundancy (N+1) and “hot-swap” capability. Typically supports a 110/220v power source (via switch).

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Power Supplies (continued) Primary Power Supply Suppliers (visible brands) Antec ( Delta ( Enermax ( Enhance ( PC Power & Cooling ( Seasonic ( Sparkle (Fortron/Source) ( Topower ( The are hundreds of other brands.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Heat Sink Fan Assemblies (HFAs) Used to remove heat from (cool) your CPU. The fan typically receives power from the motherboard. Most modern motherboards have a sensor to monitor operation of the fan – alarm if set to do so in the BIOS. Included with “boxed processors”. The heat sink is typically aluminum – exotics may be copper or include a copper base. Fan may have sleeve or ball bearings – ball is preferred. Ultra-high-performance fans may run at speeds over 5000 rpm and require a direct connection to the PS.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Heat Sink Fan Assemblies (HFAs) (continued) Primary HFA Suppliers (visible brands) Aavid ( Alpha ( Cooler Master ( Dynatron ( - AMD PIB programwww.dynatron-corp.com Global WIN ( Sanyo Denki ( - Intel boxed programwww.sanyo-denki.com TaiSol ( - incl. heat pipe solutionswww.taisol.com Thermaltake ( Fan noise level can be extreme – 50+ db(A).

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Fans (Case Fans) Typically NOT required. If added (for extra cooling), the exhaust fan is the priority. An intake fan is optional (may make things worse if the air flow is not properly channeled). Some overclockers use multiple intake and exhaust fans. Size range – mm exhaust, mm intake. Fan speeds vary from under 2000 rpm to over 4000 rpm. Noise levels can be extreme – above 50 db(A) Air flow can vary from under 20 to over 190 CFM.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Fans (Case Fans) (continued) Primary Case Fan Suppliers (visible brands) Delta ( emb/Papst ( Sanyo Denki ( Sunon ( Top Motor ( YS Tech ( NOTE: Because of the high power requirements of case fans, run them off the power supply, NOT the motherboard.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Keyboards The primary text data input device for your system. Selection is highly subjective – what feels good, has the right key spacing and size (enter key), and the extra features you want (Internet keys, etc.). Typically use either a PS/2 or USB interface. Wired and wireless – look for use of a single receiver with wireless combos (mouse and keyboard).

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Keyboards (continued) Primary Keyboard Suppliers (visible brands) BTC ( Chicony ( Fujitsu ( Key Tronic ( Logitech ( Microsoft ( Mitsumi ( NMB ( Hundreds of other brands. All suppliers have a wide range of models. Try before you buy!

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Mice The primary navigation device used within your operating system’s GUI (graphical user interface). Ball, trackball, or optical movement sensing. Wired or wireless – look for use of a single receiver with wireless combos (mouse and keyboard). Like your keyboard, the selection is very subjective. Speeds and button/wheel functions are adjustable within the OS and through utilities supplied with the product.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Other Components (continued) Mice (continued) Primary Mouse Suppliers (visible brands) Kensington ( Logitech ( Microsoft ( There are hundreds of other suppliers. Each supplier has a wide range of models. Try before you buy!

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Processors AMD released the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX processors – first 32/64-bit processors for desktop computers. Athlon 64 – 754-pin, 1MB L2 cache, integrated single-channel memory controller, 2.0GHz (3200+), $417 (1K). Athlon 64 FX – 940-pin, 1MB L2 cache, integrated dual-channel memory controller (requires registered SDRAM), 2.2GHz (-51), $733 (1K). Both support PC3200 (DDR400) memory and include the SSE2 instruction set.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Processors (continued) Intel released 2.7 and 2.8GHz Celeron processors - simple line extensions. Intel released the Pentium 4 Extreme Edition – 3.2GHz with 2MB L3 cache, $925 (1K), very limited availability. Effectively an up-bin Xeon MP in a 478-pin package. Core Logic (chipsets) NVIDIA release the nForce3 MCP for AMD Athlon 64 & 64 FX processors – single-chip solution, integrated SATA controllers (up to 4 drives w/ external PHY for 2 nd 2; RAID capable); integrated GbE MAC; integrated audio.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Core Logic (chipsets) (continued) SiS released the SiS760 “Northbridge” for AMD Athlon 64, 64 FX, and Opteron processors – integrated Ultra256 AGP 8X graphics solution. SiS released the SiS655FX Northbridge for Intel Pentium 4 processors – includes support for dual-channel DDR400 (PC3200) SDRAM, 800MHz FSB processors. SiS formally launches the SiSR659 Northbridge for Intel Pentium 4 processors – supports next-generation, quad- channel, PC1200 RDRAM (up to 9.6GB/sec bandwidth).

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Core Logic (chipsets) (continued) VIA released the PT880 Northbridge for Intel Pentium 4 processors – supports dual-channel DDR400 (PC3200) SDRAM. VIA released the K8T800 “Northbridge” for AMD Athlon 64, 64 FX, & Opteron processors – discrete AGP 8X graphics solution. System RAM Micron and others are sampling DDR2 SDRAM.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Motherboards ASUSTeK announced new boards based on ATI 9100 IGP, SiSR659, and VIA K8T800 chipsets. Gigabyte announced new boards based on the NVIDIA nForce3, SiS655FX, and VIA K8T800 chipsets. MSI announced new boards based on the VIA K8T800 chipset.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Graphics Processors & Cards ASUSTeK released ATI-based cards (first of tier one to sell both ATI and NVIDIA solutions) – cards based on RADEON 9800XT, 9600XT, 9600SE, and 9200SE GPUs. ATI release the RADEON 9800 XT and 9600XT GPUs and associated cards – 9800XT w/ 256MB RAM ($499), 9600XT w/ 128MB RAM ($199). Gigabyte released NVIDIA-based cards (second tier one to sell both ATI and NVIDIA solutions) – cards based on GeForce FX 5950 Ultra, 5700 Ultra, and earlier GPUs.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Graphics Processors & Cards (continued) Hercules released cards based on the ATI RADEON 9800XT, 9600XT, and 9600SE GPUs. Leadtek released cards based on the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra, 5700 Ultra, and 5700 GPUs. Matrox released the Parhelia HR256 for 9MP (mega- pixel) displays (3840x2400), PCI, 256MB RAM ($2495) and the “QID” for four (4) 1600x1200 DVI displays from a single card, AGP 8X, 128MB RAM ($TBD). MSI released cards based on the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra and 5700 Ultra GPUs.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Graphics Processors & Cards (continued) NVIDIA released the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra and 5700 Ultra GPUs. PNY released cards based on the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra and 5700 Ultra GPUs. XGI (SiS graphics + Trident graphics) announced 6 mainstream through enthusiast GPU products. No card announcements from partners See

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News Hard Drives Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 spec released – max internal transfer rate of 757Mb/sec (fastest of the large drives – 250GB). Hitachi Ultrastar 15K73 released (when?) – 15K Ultra320 SCSI/FC; max 73GB; max internal transfer rate of 960Mb/sec (world’s fastest HDD), 5 year warranty. Seagate announced Barracuda drives with 100GB/platter density; up to 200GB with 8MB cache, 3 year warranty.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News (continued) Hard Drives (continued) Western Digital released 74GB Raptor drive – SATA/150, 10,000 rpm, max internal transfer rate of 816Mb/sec (fastest IDE/SATA), 5 year warranty. Hard Drive Controllers Highpoint released the RocketRAID 1820 SATA RAID controller – 8 ports; RAID 0, 1, 5, 10; PCI-X 64- bit/133MHz interface.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News (continued) Other Drives ASUSTeK released a 52x32x52 CD-RW (CDW-5232AS), internal, ATAPI. HP released two 8x4x12 +R/+RW DVD writers - dvd400i internal ATAPI & dvd400e external. The external provides both USB 2.0 & IEEE-1394 interfaces. No product listed on site. Lite-On released an 8x4x12 +R/+RW DVD writer (LDW- 811S), internal, ATAPI. TDK released an 8x4x12 +R/+RW DVD writer (AID+840), internal, ATAPI.

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Hardware News (continued) Sound processors & cards – nothing new Modems & NICs – nothing new Chassis & power supplies – nothing new

November 13, GSBUG Hardware Info SIG Recap, Preview, and Close Recap Preview Featured Topic for December 11, 2003 – Your New System (2003 Update): Planning Phase (the beginning of a five-meeting planning, sourcing, and hands-on assembly series) Close (please police up the area)