LAGWAR | PC GAMING'S BEST IN TOP NOTCH MEDIOCRITY

During the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas Dino Dai Zovi, a Mac researcher, disclosed the information regarding the Mac’s Software flaw.
According to Dino the Mac’s operating system, X kernel, could be more easily hacked due to the fact that it has a lot more code than windows, leaving more room for vulnerabilities [...]

Memory is a fundamental part of any PC gaming machine. The type and amount of memory installed in your machine can make or break your gaming experience. I’ve wanted to post some memory recommendations for a while but was torn between including multiple types of memory in single article or keeping DDR2 and DDR3 separate. As you can probably tell by the name I’ve decided to do a separate write-up for each.

In this article I will give you some personal recommendations for DDR2 memory. Having tried out each of these I can tell you that the manufacturers, prices, speeds, cosmetics, and perks will vary but all products listed here offer solid performance for their respective price. I will be listing two modules for each speed: a lower end chip and a higher end chip. The lower end chips will offer solid performance and will be perfect for most users. The higher end modules are typically built specifically for PC gaming and cater to overclockers and users seeking to get the highest possible performance. Even though I am listing some higher end chips, I am attempting to stay away from the top-of-the-line items as I am writing this from a mid-range budget perspective. These will be parts that will offer the user good performance at a price that won’t break the bank.

For those of you who are using the Windows 7 Release Candidate or will be using Microsoft’s latest marvel after it’s October 22nd, 2009 release date, you may notice that Microsoft has implemented some minor “enhancements” to automate your OS experience. One of these additions would be the auto-expansion of windows to full screen when you drag a window to the top of your desktop.

For some this may be a helpful little feature that you will learn to utilize as you become more comfortable with the new OS. For others (like myself), it can be frustrating and a nuisance when trying to arrange multiple open windows into a specific formation.

Well, for those of you who need the flexibility of dragging and positioning your windows how you want them with little to no interference, there is a Windows Registry solution that will remove the auto-expand function.

Here’s how to turn the function off:

Pricing details for Microsoft’s latest addition to the Windows line of operating systems has emerged. Consumers should be pleased to know that the Windows 7 pricing scheme isn’t really any different than what we saw with Windows Vista and Windows XP.
Actually, if you factor inflation into the equation, it’s a solid deal [...]

Every single model of laptop is its on proprietary nightmare of specially fabricated plastic moldings, non-standardized cables, and really terribad build quality. However, it IS POSSIBLE to fix some problems in a laptop, that would otherwise make the stupid thing a really large and unwieldy paperweight.

What is the current state of the CPU market? Who is currently in the lead, as far as processors we would want to put in our gaming rigs? Should we buy Intel or AMD, or does it even matter? There are so many facets to the answers of these questions, but I’ll attempt to address them all so that you can make an informed decision for which brand to buy when shopping for your very own custom gaming rig.

Back when I was first experimenting with PCs, SD-RAM was “the stuff”. In those days it came in sticks anywhere from 32-256MB, and speeds that you were lucky to find at 133MHz. SD-RAM sticks were very long, with two notches in them. From there, the technology evolved into DDR.

Floppy cables are a little bit smaller, and have a curious “twist” in the middle of one end. Decades ago this twist probably served a valid functional purpose, and only exists now because of our self-destructive tendancy to cling to dead technology (and identify which end goes to the drive).

There are only so many different connectors, ports, plugs, slots, and sockets in a computer, and 99% of the time the two pieces that are supposed to fit together, do, while the pieces that shouldn’t go together do not. But, I can confess that I comprehend the confusion of others when staring into the complex guts of a computer. Without at least a basic knowledge of the way things work and what plugs in where it must be a daunting challenge. In this article (which will likely expand into two+ articles) we’ll talk about the various plugs, ports, slots, sockets, connectors, etc that one will find in a computer, what they connect to, and why. The goal is that by the time we’re done, you’ll be able to venture out into the world and match compatible computer components utilizing this information.

It can be a challenge to locate parts for your new custom PC. How do you know if you’re getting a good deal? Is it better to look in a computer store or to buy it online? What about used parts? With all the questions flying around your head you may be tempted to just [...]