DVI (Digital video Interface) is a digital connector for a digital monitor - the future of all monitors eventually. A graphics card with DVI enables users to choose whether they want to connect a normal monitor to it, or a digital monitor through the DVI connector. It is especially good for the latest digital TFT monitors.

TV-OUT

The TV Out feature provides an alternative display device besides your normal CRT/TFT monitor. Since a TV Set usually has a larger screen and lower resolution, the display on the TV Set is best suited for business presentation or games requiring a low resolution.

SLI Technology

PC enthusiasts and professionals are constantly searching for ways to increase the performance of their PCs…. And now they can with NVIDIA breakthrough 3D platform technology.

NVIDIA® SLI™ (Scalable Link Interface) technology is a revolutionary approach to scalability and increased performance. NVIDIA SLI takes advantage of the increased bandwidth of the PCI Express™ bus architecture, and features hardware and software innovations within NVIDIA GPUs (graphics processing units) and NVIDIA nForce4 MCPs (media and communications processors). Together the NVIDIA SLI patent-pending technologies work seamlessly to deliver heart-pounding PC performance. And depending on the application, NVIDIA SLI can deliver as much as 2x the performance of a single GPU configuration for unparalleled gaming experiences.

In order for SLI Technology to function, you need to choose two identical graphics cards for your system, i.e. you cannot put two different graphics cards into your computer in any circumstances. SLI Technology is only available on selected systems where you have the choice of two graphics cards and does not function on any ATI graphics cards. You can only configure SLI Technology on PCI Express systems and not AGP systems.

The advantages of SLI technology are:

• > Up to double the power during games - the ultimate gaming experience!

• > Support up to 4 monitors - brilliant for financial services/stock exchange etc.

Sound Card:

In order for your computer to produce sound, it will need to have a sound card/sound device installed. The onboard sound is usually enough for most computer users, but if you are:

• a serious gamer
• a musician
• a music/film editor
• a serious music lover
• someone who already has surround speakers

It might be worthwhile purchasing a creative soundcard. Otherwise, you will probably be fine with the onboard sound, in that you will not notice a difference in sound quality.

Modem:

In order to connect to the internet, a 56k modem, ADSL modem, or cable modem is used. The modem is a device that enables the computer to dial up to a service provider that provides internet services and other server-based services. Dial-up 56k modems are on the way out and are now increasingly being replaced by ADSL, DSL and Cable modems to allow for high speed internet access.

Network Card:

A network card (usually onboard) allows you to do the following:

• Network a computer
• Connect to the internet via broadband
• Connect a laptop or other device to a computer

WIRELESS NETWORKING

The wireless network card will allow you to search out wireless networks available to you and connect to these share an existing internet or network connection. All this can be configured using your operating system or by using the software provided.

Setting up a wireless network connection

It is very easy to set up a wireless network in your home, but how successful your wireless network is depends on several factors:

The thickness of the walls in your house (old houses can be challenging)

The distance each computer is apart (you may need access points)

In order to setup a wireless network, you need a wireless network card in each computer/laptop that you wish to connect to the network, and also a router and modem.

To simplify wireless networking, your internet connection comes into your premises and into the modem (the router). Each computer/laptop connects to the router (either wired or wirelessly) and each computer/laptop can receive signals from the router. Therefore each computer can receive high speed internet wirelessly.

Your computer can also send signals to the router and the router can relay these to other computers. Thus, you can access the hard drives on computers in other rooms and transfer, edit and even delete files. You can manage this through "My Network Places" in Windows XP, and you can choose which folders you would like to share, and which folders you would like to make private.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• CPU Comparison: AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium? What is the difference?
• Digital TV cards and TV/Radio Tuners for Media Centre PCs
• DVI, Sound Cards, Network Cards, Wireless Adapters
• FDD, Case, Power Supply Unit
• Firewire, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse
• Front Side Bus(FSB), Hyperthreading Technology (HT)
• Optical drives: CD, DVD, CD-RW, DVD Writers and Graphic Cards
• Hard disks: RAID Arrays and Striping
• RAM, Motherboards
• Windows Operating Systems: Comparison Tables
• Most common PC applications: Anti-virus, MS Office Suite