Sun City Hilton Head Computer Club
News Bulletin August 21, 2008
Please do not answer this bulletin using the “Reply” button. Instead, create a new email and send feedback, comments, and questions to allyn.perdue@gmail.com.
Condensed Buying Guide for new Windows Vista™ computers...
...may be found here. The guide is also listed among Windows Vista Resources for the Club.
AVG corrupt update fixed
AVG Technologies (formerly Grisoft) recently released a corrupt update that caused an error related to a missing .bin file. This was corrected early the morning of August 17, 2008.
AVG 7.5 Free Edition definition support ends August 31, 2008
AVG Technologies (formerly Grisoft) have announced that the free version of AVG 7.5 will no longer receive definition updates after August 31, 2008. The paid version will be supported and updated through December 31, 2008. More information is available here.
Best Buy stops selling AMD Phenom "B2" CPU computers.
Advanced Micro Devices' Phenom X4 series was originally released with a known bug that required a performance-killing BIOS patch to prevent errors. These models are no longer offered with computers at Best Buy in Bluffton. For the benefit of those shopping elsewhere, the obsolete processors are listed below:
Phenom X4 9600
Phenom X4 9500
Phenom X4 9100e
Phenom X3 8600
Phenom X3 8400
AMD prepares for release of 45 nm Phenom X4 series.
Advanced Micro Devices' Phenom X4 series is being shrunk to a 45 nanometre process. Performance improves about 10% but efficiency soars as power consumption drops nearly 50% in some scenarios.
AMD Phenom X4 45 nm processors should be available in the fourth quarter of 2008.
"Nehalem" gets a name: Intel® Core™ i7 for the first models.
Intel Corporation's newest micro-architecture's first processor brand is Core i7. Intel Core i7 will feature many improvements to the previous Core 2 offerings. Collectively, the improvements yield performance increases of up to 40%, depending upon scenario.
It is not possible to perform a practical upgrade of current computers for Core i7 capability. All-new core logic hardware (motherboards and in most cases RAM) are required due to socket format changes. The Intel Core 2 series use LGA775 which has been the Intel desktop hardware standard for several years. Intel Core i7 will come in LGA1366, with several hundred more pin-outs than LGA 775. Intel advises that other Core trademarks will be forthcoming for two smaller sizes, one for notebooks and one for standard PCs.
Core i7 will actually consume more power than current Intel Core 2 processors because of its larger total size resulting from the numerous socket pin-outs and additional on-chip cache memory (RAM). To later reduce power consumption, Core i7 will undergo a shrink to 32 nanometre process technology in early 2010 for greater efficiency and further performance improvement.
The first Core i7 processors will go to high end and upper mainstream boutique and retail systems from the major manufacturers. They should be available for Holiday Season shopping by November 2008.
Computer users who already have dual-core systems for standard fare such as email, web surfing, and word and spreadsheet processing will not need to upgrade. Their computers should be more than adequate for a few more years.
Those of us who can benefit from Intel Core i7 may read a "Nehalem" preview here.
A press release from Intel Corporation is here.
Dell introduces new Studio Hybrid PC.
Dell's new Studio Hybrid 140g is an evolutionary step in computers. A compact unit slightly larger than an external 3.5" hard drive case, it is made from laptop/notebook class components and recycled materials. Powered with an external 65 watt power supply, the Studio Hybrid is now the most efficient "desktop" computer for many users that money can buy.
Though the Studio Hybrid is small, performance with Intel Core 2 Duo processors and at least 2 gigabytes system RAM is excellent except for weak 3D graphic scores. But since fast graphics are mainly for advanced gamers, that is not really a factor for most Sun City folks.
Visit my Dell summary or this direct link to information about the Studio Hybrid. For a review from PC Magazine, click here.
Dell initiates 2008 "back to school" campaign on-the-cheap.
Dell have already started marketing "back to school" systems with some computers starting at $299. On the surface, that $299 price may look like a bargain. It isn't.
The base $299 price for Inspiron desktops is only for minimally equipped computers with one gigabyte RAM and a single-core Intel Celeron 440 processor. This is far short of the recommended configuration of at least two gigabytes RAM paired with a dual core processor such as an Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 or E8300.
Folks, please don't fall for the desktop "Celeron trap." A single core Intel Celeron desktop system will lock the typical purchaser into an eternally slow computer that is nearly obsolete at purchase. But if you must be cheap thrifty, read my notes about single core processors below.
Newegg offering Office 2007 Home and Student Retail for less than $90.00.
Online etailer Newegg have Office 2007 Home and Student for only $84.99 including three day shipping. Folks, if you need Microsoft Office with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, this is a bargain! It also includes OneNote, a very cool notebook organizer. Note that this version does not include Microsoft Outlook.
This retail version is licensed for use on up to three household PCs. It is a far better deal than what Dell or other computer vendors offer pre-installed.
No doubt the impetus for this low pricing is Microsoft's lower than expected latest quarterly results which were impacted by declining Office suite sales.
Antivirus Comparatives
Get the latest performance tests of antivirus products here.
avast! 4 Home Edition
Alwil of the Czech Republic continues to develop the increasingly popular avast! 4 Home Edition for home users seeking basic security software. avast! protects my parents' computer and my brother's. I like it, too. But I have not continuously recommended it to Sun City Computer Club members because of the number of calls I would get when the software required re-registering after one year.
Registering with Alwil, the creator of avast!, is very easy and so is copy-paste, a basic function of the Windows and Apple systems that has been around for over twenty years. But many users get stymied over this simple operation. Truthfully, it is far easier than the rigmarole Symantec and McAfee create when installing their bloated security software.
I
suggest
trying
out
avast!
but
only
after
uninstalling
your
current
antivirus
software.
Download avast! 4 Home Edition here.
Registration
of
avast!
4
Home
Edition
How To Insert Activation Key
for avast!
Symantec looking to speed computers - not slow them
Symantec, owner of the Norton brand of security products, have announced an initiative to improve their consumer security applications so they do not retard computer performance. Long overdue, the initiative can be read about here.
Symantec/Norton Internet Security 2009 beta
I am evaluating Norton Internet Security 2009 beta (NIS 2009b). Beta software means pre-release testing and not necessarily the final product. For testing, I am using a seven years old Dell SmartStep 150D with an Intel "Tualeron" 1.2 GHz processor (a "Tualatin" core Celeron-S) paired with 512 MB RAM running Windows XP Home SP3. Without security software, the ancient 150D runs surprisingly well for basic PC usage.
Symantec claims that NIS 2009 will be less resource intensive than earlier versions. They also still advertise the following OS compatibility and core hardware requirements:
System Requirements
Windows Vista® Home Basic/ Home Premium/Business/Ultimate** Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 Home/XP Pro/XP Media Center Edition
Note that Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 9x operating systems are not supported. Also note that Symantec are still in la-la-land when it comes to hardware: a 300 MHz CPU and only 256 MB of system RAM. That is an unusable configuration.
NIS 2009b installation and interface are improved. Later I will post a link to images.
So far, NIS 2009b is better than previous incarnations from Symantec/Norton. But I will reserve final judgement for another two weeks when the test period expires.
By the way, I do not recommend testing beta software with one's primary computer. Without a second computer for testing and experimenting, one should not be a technical guinea pig.
Spybot Search & Destroy and SpywareBlaster - the name is everything
Watch out for naming confusion. There are several products that use the term "spybot" and only one of them can be considered safe. The same goes for SpywareBlaster which is often confused with the dangerous Spyblaster.
Following are the correct names
linked to legitimate product information and downloads:
Spybot Search & Destroy
SpywareBlaster
Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1 released
Firefox browser users can update at Get Firefox.
Intel® Corporation not officially adopting Windows Vista
Intel Corporation, manufacturer of the popular Intel® Core™ 2 family of processors, are not transitioning their PC fleet to Windows Vista. Most of their computers will continue to use Windows XP. In a press release embarrassing to Microsoft, Intel states that it's a matter of costs versus benefits.
Intel and other companies will likely be ready to upgrade to the next Microsoft operating system by 2011 after the first service pack is released. "Windows 7", as the new OS is currently known, will be a refined version of Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008. Already, Microsoft is warning printer manufacturers such as Lexmark and Hewlett-Packard to have their device drivers ready by Q4 2009 for inclusion in the "Windows 7" initial release.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Support
Microsoft have a free support site for those in need.
Following is a link:
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Support
Windows XP Service Pack 3 Troubles
Windows XP Service Pack 3 is reported to cause trouble with some AMD Athlon 64 family systems, particularly those from Hewlett-Packard. For a forum post linking to Hewlett-Packard support and resolution, click here. For more background information, click here. For a technical resolution from Microsoft, click here.
Single Core Processors - Is one in your future?
Since 2005, dual core processors have moved to the forefront in home and small office computer systems as well as in data processing computers called servers. A CPU (another name for processor) with more than one processing core will far outperform old single core Pentium 4 and Athlon XP processors and single core models produced today.
The following current production processor series are single core:
AMD Sempron
AMD Athlon LE
AMD Turion
Intel Atom
Intel Celeron
Intel Celeron M
Note: AMD and Intel offer dual core versions of their respective Sempron and Celeron models. They are noted by inclusion of the phrases "dual core" or "DC".
Single core processor computers can perform basic operations such as email, web surfing, basic audio and video playback, and word and spreadsheet processing providing one adheres to the following avoidance list:
Avoid:
1. High impact security suites such as Norton Internet Security
2. Large printing and imaging suites from Hewlett-Packard and
similar companies
3. America Online software
With Symantec's Norton line of security products still number one on the market, it's safe to say the majority of single core consumer systems will have sluggish performance. The best way to get the most out of such a system is to uninstall Symantec/Norton suites (and others such as Trend Micro and McAfee) from your new single core computer system and switch to a less intrusive security application such as avast! 4 Home Edition.
Specialized business laptops such as tablet PCs work acceptably with low-impact security suites and applications. These modified laptops typically have Intel Core 2 Solo or Celeron M processors that perform decently when the operating system and security packages are professionally maintained.
My Toshiba laptop features a three years old single core Intel Celeron M 360J 1.4 GHz processor paired with 768 MB RAM running Windows XP Home Edition. The laptop came with only 256 MB of RAM and Norton Internet Security. It was unusable in that configuration so I added 512 MB RAM and uninstalled Norton Internet Security. Since then, my laptop computer has been satisfactory, running best when no security products are employed (not the best idea).
Of all the antivirus products I have tried, the best full suite for this aging laptop has proven to be ESET Smart Security. Due to the antispyware and web antivirus detection modules' impact upon web access, I may switch to ESET NOD32 antivirus or the free avast! 4 Home Edition later this year and rely upon other products for enhanced antispyware protection. I like ESET products for their low system impact with all home and office computer systems.
For more information on current technology single core and multi-core processors, visit AMD and Intel processor guides.
Recommended Intel Processors (CPUs):
Intel Core 2 Duo T5750, T5670, and T8100 laptop processors
One of the better inexpensive processor for laptops offered in retail stores is the Intel Core 2 Duo T5750. This is a 2.0 GHz model that replaces the long standard T5550 in this market segment. The T5750 is sold with Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer, Toshiba, and Sony laptops, and is a good choice for most laptop shoppers watching their budget.
A new choice is the 1.8 GHz T5670, slightly slower in core clock frequency but with a faster connection to system memory than the T5750. The T5670 will likely become the new standard for budget Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs for laptops.
A better choice than either of the above is the Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, the entry level model in the 45 nanometer "Penryn" line. It outperforms the T5750 by a small but measureable amount. Power consumption is significantly less, helping T8100 equipped laptops run very cool and quiet when compared to the older technology T5750. If able to afford the price, I highly recommend laptops with T8100 or other T8000 or T9000 series processors.
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 and E8400 for desktops
The 45 nm technology Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 is an excellent dual core desktop processor. At 3.0 GHz, the E8400 is a very fast and highly efficient dual-core processor that outperforms the 65 nm quad-core Q6600 in most benchmarks. For those wanting to spend a bit less, the E7200 is a good choice.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 and Q9300 for desktops
The best Intel 45 nm quad-core performer for the dollar appears to be the Q9450 with 12 MB L2 Cache at 2.66 GHz priced around $330. Occasionally, there are specials online for around $300 for the processor only.
The less expensive Q9300 is also a fine choice. Like the Q9450 and Q9550, it is available with various systems at Best Buy and from Dell, Gateway, and HP.
Recommended AMD Processors (CPUs):
AMD Athlon X2 4850e
The Athlon X2 line is the latest refinement of the AMD64/K8 architecture. These processors have excellent energy management when paired with an AMD 780 or 790 series chipset with integrated ATI graphics. Thermal Dissipation is rated at 45 watts under full load. In typical use, it is a fraction of that amount and makes for a cool running computer. Competitively priced against Intel offerings, the X2 4850e is an excellent choice.
WX RADAR link for the Southeast
A link to a Weather RADAR Mosaic centered at Columbus, GA is at the SCHHCC website and here.
In the Skies
Visit
Heavens-Above.com
Sun
The late summer Sun is in Leo and noticeably further south than six weeks ago at the official start of astronomical summer. The days in the northern hemisphere are rapidly getting shorter and the Sun is rising further to the right each morning. Maximum change will be most noticeable around September 22, the autumnal equinox, which marks the beginning of autumn.
Aug 21, sunrise 6:52 am; sunset 8:01 pm; daylight 13h:09m.
Aug 25, sunrise 6:54 am; sunset 7:57 pm; daylight 13h:03m.
Sep 08, sunrise 7:03 am; sunset 7:39 pm; daylight 12h:36m.
Sep 22, sunrise 7:12 am; sunset 7:20 pm; daylight 12h:08m.
Oct 06, sunrise 7:21 am; sunset 7:02 pm; daylight 11h:41m.
Oct 20, sunrise 7:31 am; sunset 6:45 pm; daylight 11h:14m.
Nov 03, sunrise 6:43 am; sunset 5:32 pm; daylight 10h:49m. EST in effect.
The above sunrise/sunset times are EDT for Okatie, SC except as noted.
Mercury
Mercury is travelling eastward each night in close proximity to Venus. Mercury is barely noticeable next to much brighter Venus. The two planets have very different reflective qualities that cause Mercury to be less bright as it moves away from the Sun.
From Bluffton, both planets are too close to the horizon after sunset for observation unless skies are absolutely clear with little haze. And that's only for a period from twenty to forty-five minutes after sunset.
Venus
Venus is very low in the western evening sky in Leo. Determined observers under clear skies should be able to locate our Solar System's brightest planet (as seen from Earth) just above the western horizon and to the left of where the Sun sets.
Venus will hug the western and southwestern horizon through mid-October. Thereafter, Venus will rise above the horizon, setting later after sunset each night to become a high and very bright western evening star for the 2008 Holiday Season.
By Christmas Eve, Venus will be far enough away from the Sun to be visible shortly before sunset and viewable in the daytime under optimum conditions. Best viewing for this evening cycle follows in January and early February of 2009.
Mars
Mars is a second magnitude (fainter than prominent stars and planets) orange "star" in Virgo difficult to locate in the evening twilight. Mars will be lost in the solar glare by October 1, not easily seen again until the spring of 2009 in the morning sky.
Jupiter
Bright Jupiter shines in Sagittarius in the southeastern sky after sunset. Jupiter will be a familiar sight in the southern evening skies through summer and autumn. Be sure to check out Jupiter with field binoculars. Even basic binoculars will show its disk and possibly a hint of cloud bands. Four of the brightest moons can be easily found, changing position every few hours as they orbit the giant planet.
Saturn
Saturn is too near the Sun for observation. It will next reappear in the pre-dawn morning sky this October.
Click here for a real-time Okatie Sky Chart.
Click here for a real-time Cashiers, NC Sky Chart.
Click here for a Solar System Chart showing relative positions of the planets to the Sun and each other. On the inner chart, the blue dot represents Earth.
Visit the Sun City Hilton Head Computer Club website at http://www.suncitycc.org.
Never respond to any email requesting to update account information or to verify personal information. Delete the email completely.
Allyn Perdue
SCHHCC Technical Committee Member
allyn.perdue@gmail.com
