The History Of Laptop ComputersWritten by Cody Kahl
Have you ever wondered where sleek new portable PC’s of today came from? How did they get so small, and so fast? It’s true that modern notebook computers have undergone many changes throughout years.In this article I will attempt to put together a rough history and timeline based on laptop computer. I say rough because no one can really put a finger on who developed first mobile computer. Anyways, let’s get started! Computer buffs may not know who created first laptop, but most will agree that Alan Kay of Xerox Palo Alto research center was first to come up with idea of portable PC in 1970’s. Kay envisioned a portable computer much like ones found today – Something small and lightweight that anyone could afford. Some say that first notebook that was actually built in 1979 by William Moggridge who was with Grid Systems Corp. It featured 340 kilobytes of memory, a folding screen, and was made of metal (magnesium). This was hardly like laptop computers found today, but it was a start. Arguably, next mobile computer produced was in 1983 by Gavilan Computers. This laptop featured 64 – 128 megabytes of memory, a touchpad mouse, and even a portable printer. Weighing in at 9 pounds without printer, this computer was actually only a few pounds heavier than notebooks found today.
| | You Don't Have To Be Rich To Be A PC GamerWritten by Nathan Holsing
You Don't Have To Be Rich To Be A PC Gamer!There is a common misconception that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house if you want to get a computer that will run all of latest and greatest games. I don't know who started rumor that you need to spend $3000 to get a gaming computer. The truth is, if you are smart about it, you can easily afford to get a high-end gaming computer. Here are a few simple rules to follow to put a gaming computer within reach. Rule 1. Never buy newest technology. I know we all want to be guy or girl with newest toy, but you will never be able to keep up with technology. That top-of-the-line graphics card that came out today will be old news in just a couple of months and a new one will be released that is "so much better". Guess what happens to price of new graphics card you just broke bank on? It dropped by about 50%. If you would have just been patient you could have purchased it for a fraction of cost. Rule 2. You only have to keep up with software. Rule 2 closely correlates to Rule 1. It usually takes software companies two years, give or take, to develop a new game. During this time there are new technology breakthroughs. If they went back and re-engineered game every time a new processor or a new graphics card came out, game would never be released. Another important factor is that they want game to be available to largest number of consumers. For this reason they do their best to make sure game can be played on a wide variety of systems. Check out system requirements for some of more popular games. A 1.8GHz processor and a Direct X 9 compatible graphics card will run just about everything out there. Granted you might have to turn some of settings down but it will run it. Once you reach a certain point added performance of new technology is noticeable. For example, Athlon 64 chip has been out for more than a year, yet there are very few applications that require a 64 bit processor. If you check out benchmarks on new PCI Express graphics cards you will see that they are running games at 300+ frames per second. When you watch a movie it runs at roughly 60 frames per second. A game will still run relatively smoothly at 20 frames per second. Basically anything over 60 frames per second likely will not be perceived while playing game. You will only see difference in your benchmark programs.
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