Category Archives: Hardware

Virtual Machine Memory

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I love the idea of using one reasonable computer to install multiple operating systems as virtual machines and testing server and workstation operating systems. However, the biggest concern with this scenario is the sheer cost of the memory required.

Hard drive space is not an issue. With 1TB drives dropping to sub $100 USD, drive space for.VHD or virtual hard drives isn’t a problem. However, what normally happens is you leave maybe 2GB of space for the host machine. Now the host machine is the first operating system you install on to the computer. For example I may install Microsoft Windows 2003 R2 as my host operating system. It is 64 bit and very stable. Then I install software such as the free version of VMWare server. This forms the basis for all of my other operating systems.

Each guest operating system then becomes a new computer. They can and are most useful when installed at the same time to see how they interact with each other. Say I want to see how to setup and test a network of 3 servers and 2 workstations, then I can install 3 guest server operating systems and 2 client workstation operating systems and run them all at the same time… assuming I have enough memory… this is the catch.

You do not need as much memory in a test scenario as you do in real life, but you also do not want the system to run like a dog either. For example if I had 2 domain controllers running Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and gave them 1GB of memory each, then installed another version of Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010 mailbox, hub transport and client access server roles and gave the virtual machine 6GB of memory, and installed two machines running Windows 7 professional with 1GB of memory each then I would need at least 12GB of memory all up.

Some test environments may test even more servers and therefore need even more memory. Recently Kingmax and Kingston have come out with 2 x 4GB DDR3 memory modules for only $149.00 USD. This means if my motherboard supports 4 memory slots, I can install 16GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory for my test server for only $300.00 USD. An absolute bargain considering what you will or could be running with this memory.

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GeForce GTX 580 – Fermi Done Right!

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This is simultaneously the best kept and the most talked about secret in the business right now. The GeForce GTX 580 – it’s been rumored to be everything from dual GF104 chips to a new monster concoction of epic proportions. Just about all the rumors got it wrong until concrete evidence began to disseminate through the leaky pipes of the supply chain. Even then, as the specs began to bubble up to the surface, most people came to the wrong conclusions.

It all started back in the March/April time frame, around when NVIDIA launched their first part built on the well-hyped Fermi architecture, the GeForce GTX 480. Reviews were mixed; it was the fastest single GPU on the planet, no questions asked. It was a tessellation monster and its scaling in games, up to 3-way SLI, was incredible. It was a great advance for gaming computers.

But it was also hot and loud. And that was compounded by the press using open-air test beds to test the GeForce GTX 480 – which meant the card had to do all the work in moving air over its hot components without the assistance of a well-ventilated chassis.

In fact, it is proven that the heat-stack vertical design of the MAINGEAR SHIFT custom built pc aided the GeForce GTX 480 in such a way that it was dramatically quieter in 3-way SLI than an identically configured Corsair 800D chassis that has terrible airflow.

The GeForce GTX 580 is a fully-realized GF100 with all 512 shaders. It has higher memory bandwidth, and a higher core and shader clock. And it does all of this while drawing less power and at half the noise level. It’s the last two features that will blindside everyone. Once the specs made it from the rumor department to accepted, on-line “fact,” everyone began to speculate that it would sound like a hair dryer and draw the power generated by a flux capacitor. And require 1.21 jiggawatts and 88mph to go back in time.

In reality, NVIDIA designed a wicked vapor chamber a la ATI Radeon 2900XT, threw out the exposed gigantic heat pipes, and managed to tweak the design to draw less power, all while delivering around 20% more performance.

I was fortunate enough to get to test out a MAINGEAR SHIFT with both 2-way GTX 480s and 2-way GTX 580s and can show you some numbers. So let’s get started.

This is a preview of GeForce GTX 580 – Fermi Done Right!. Read the full post (550 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

The Gamers Sweetspot: The AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series

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Introducing Codename Northern Islands

You know it’s winter when the sun sets earlier, the air feels a little crisper, and when a graphics giant releases new video cards.

Hot on the heels of NVIDIA’s GTX 460 and GTS 450 launch, AMD is back with a whole new architecture. To be honest, I only expected a frequency bump and a few tweaks, but what AMD is launching most definitely qualifies as “new.”

Yes, the new naming convention can be confusing. The performance of the 6850 and 6870 greatly eclipse that of the Radeon HD 5750 and 5770. In fact, they come close to the performance of the 5850 and 5870, and in heavily tessellated situations, can even surpass them. So for this release, AMD has decided not to call them the 6700 series. But having a part that performs only “as good” as the last gen doesn’t make sense, does it? Well, AMD is greatly reducing the price of the 6800 series vs the 5800 series, and they’re also eliminating the 5800 series altogether, so there’s not much quibbling we can do about it now. The 5800 series direct replacement will end up being the 6900 series, so once those cards hit the market, the naming convention will definitely make more sense.

The Radeon HD 5700 series on down is sticking around in its current form. I have no information regarding any rebranding. This makes sense, as these parts are great price/performance products and still have a place in the market. But the $200-$300 window is where AMD was suffering the most, and was poorly served by the Radeon HD 5830, so the 6800 series will plug the gap, and should do so well.

I learned of a real curveball that will alter how I was going to write this review. I found out, rather late and to my surprise, that NVIDIA was going to drastically reduce the price of the GTX 460 and 470 cards, making them much more worthy opponents to what AMD is going to be unleashing today. So much so that I am rather upset that I didn’t have time to throw the GTX 470 in the mix to get a better picture.
Let’s dive right into the specs, and then we’ll talk about some of the feature enhancements.

This is a preview of The Gamers Sweetspot: The AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series. Read the full post (1101 words, estimated 4:24 mins reading time)

Computer Security, A Useful Guide

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There are many types of malware, malicious software that pose threat to your computer security. These malicious objects have been designed with the intent to disrupt the normal use of your PC. Cyber criminals, known as hackers use these tools and employ various techniques to invade your privacy and cause you significant personal and/or financial harm. Malware get installed onto your computer via various sources like web browsing, instant messaging and peer-to-peer file sharing. These malicious objects pose great danger to your online computer security.

Viruses are the small piece of software program that can install itself and infect a PC. Viruses have potential to infect and corrupt files. Even sometimes, hard drive can also be crashed by viruses. These can spread via any medium while exchanging of digital data in a computer network. These include DVDs, CD-ROMs, USB keys, etc.

Spyware is another common malicious object that poses great threat to cyber security. These are installed with some other type of desired program without the knowledge of the PC user. Once these malevolent objects are secretly installed they can change computer settings, collect your passwords, your internet browsing history and private information. Then this information is sent to the author of the spyware. How will you understand your computer is infected by spyware? Well, there are various symptoms. If you experience sudden slowdown of your computer, it might be due to spyware.

Adware is another very annoying type of spyware. If your computer is infected by adware you will experience tremendous amount of advertising in the form of pop-up advertisements or banners scrolling across your screen. This is truly disturbing and distracting but they don’t pose that much threat like that of other types of spyware.

In the list of computer threats a worm is a notable name. This self-contained program not only can replicate itself but also use a network to infect other systems on the network. There are also worms that can secretly send documents though email to its author and even delete necessary files. Worm cause harm to other computers on the network as well as it consumes bandwidth. This means it slows down the computer and slows down web browsing.

To deal with cyber threats and enhance computer security you need to consult a tech support service provider. These service providers are highly experienced to cope with cyber threats. They will provide you with robust security so that you can stay away from all types of security threats.

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