Upgrading your laptop is a very simple and easy process that the average consumer tends to overlook. It is hassle free and is definitely worth your time and effort. The process is nearly the same for almost any products currently, whether you have an apple mac, macbook pro, toshiba laptop, or even a sony vaio. When upgrading your computer the areas that tend to drastically affect your performance are the RAM, battery, and hard drive. Don’t know what those do? Well I’ll tell you. The RAM is a form of storage for your computer. It is one of the most important components inside your computer. RAM is essentially what your computer uses to recall data in real time. To simplify this, imagine a car engine. The more horsepower the engine has the faster speed it can achieve and the more it can pull. So essentially the more RAM you have the better your laptop will run. The battery of your computer is another essential thing that your mobile computer will use. Depending on your battery, the longer your mobile computer will last without charging. How long your battery lasts depends on several factors. The most important thing when looking for a new battery is what your current system specs are. The higher your mobile computer’s are the bigger drain it will impose on your battery’s life. These drains include watching videos/movies, playing games, and keeping your computer at maximum brightness. If you plan on doing these things while not being able to charge your computer if the need arises, you should look to purchase the best battery available for your needs. To determine the best battery for your needs you should look for how many cells the battery has. This can be found on the front or back of the batteries package. Th more cells the battery has the longer the battery will last depending on what you are using the computer for. The typical battery has 9 cells, with better batteries having upwards of 12 or more. If you do not wish to upgrade your battery, remember simply dimming your screen can cause large increases in your battery’s life. Hard drives are another consideration when upgrading your laptop. The higher the capacity of your hard drive allows more information to be stored on your computer. The standard computer typically has 300gb of space and 5200rpm write speed. Hard drives are very affordable and when purchasing one look for certain things. Obviously the more you plan on having on your computer the higher amount of storage you will want on the hard drive. Also try to look for hard drives with 7200rpm this allows you boot faster when booting your pc and installing new programs. These are very simple ways to increase your computer’s performance. If you have trouble installing the new hardware refer to you computer’s manual or an online guide most computer have similar steps to install.
About the Author
Peter’s fanatical about computers! Whether you’re looking for a toshiba laptop or a sony vaio or if you prefer apple mac and fancy a macbook pro; Peter is the guide for you.
when will mac be coming out with new laptops or laptop upgrades?
i kno that no one knows the exact date some dont critisize that, im just wondering are there any rumors or anything of when something new in the laptop world is coming?
Actually, people do know, tomorrow at 10:00AM PST.
For the price that you are paying for this Kensington Lift-off Portable Notebook Computer Cooling Stand you will have to accept that you won’t be getting the most advanced of products. This is a low priced laptop cooler pad that will suit the needs of those who aren’t looking for much other than for it to do what it is supposed to do; cool your laptop. The Kensington Lift-off does just that and so there is no faulting it there. When the notebook cooling stand is set up the back will be slightly raised allowing the hot air from your laptop to escape and cool air to enter. This stand works simply by creating more air surface for the notebook to cool off. There is no fan so the air circulation is a natural process and can be improved greatly if you are already working in an airy, cool environment.
For those of you who work on your laptop a lot and suffer from neck and eye strain then once again the Kensington Lift-off Portable Notebook Computer Cooling Stand will help relieve those problems. Working off a flat surfaced laptop will eventually strain your neck as you look down at the screen. To counter this issue this cooler pad has an option for raising the back to angle your laptop positioning. It does only have two angle positions to choose from and to tell you the truth the higher of the two may be the better choice. However, now that your laptop is angled the screen will be slightly higher and so allowing you to look directly across at the screen rather than down at the screen. At the tilted position hot air can now escape more quickly and you will also find that your typing position will be more comfortable and easier on your wrists. If you are a traveler then you will find the weight of the Kensington Lift-off Notebook very agreeable although do keep in mind that this product is made of plastic and compared to other laptop cooler pads this isn’t the most durable. Essentially it’s two pieces of plastic held together by a couple of small hinges! It is a collapsible stand with built-in handle and can fit neatly into a computer carry case if you required additional protection from damage.
The Kensington Lift-off Portable Notebook Computer Cooling Stand is all in all a very basic laptop cooler pad that is designed for the low end buyers who are just looking for something simple. It certainly does what it is supposed to, however for a few extra dollars you could buy a laptop cooler with a fan. Of course the advantage of not having a fan is the reduction in noise.
FEATURES
o Portable notebook cooling stand helps keep your notebook running cooler, longer. o To promote air circulation and reduce heat buildup the stand lifts the notebook off its surface. o Reduces neck and eye strain by adjusting its tilt and positioning the screen to match your eye level. o Lightweight and collapsible for travel and can fit neatly into computer carry case. o Built-in handle design adds convenience and portability. o Non-skid base holds notebook safely in place. o Compatible with notebooks up to 17 inches. o 1-year warranty and free technical support.
I have a 17″ HP laptop and it gets hot towards the back. What would be the best cooling pad for me?
You dont need a cooling pad. The reason it get hot, because ya left the battery in while pluged in. So in order to not make it hot.. ya need to take off the battery if it’s fully charge and jus use plug without battery. That way it will cool off without heating by over charging. Because when you overcharge, because it can damage to your battery life. (Reduce the length of how long the battery last) so that what heat came from. So cooling pad is not worth it because, cooling pad comes with usb and you have to plug in and it will disturb ur cpu system by givng too much power for the fan to spin. It takes lot of energy. My professor from RIT in NY said cooling pad is worthless… Please just didnt know about battery.. So i hope i explained clear. Bye
Buy Latest & Affordable High Quality Laptops Batteries Online from Australia Battery Copmany
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Laptop battery is essential part for any laptop. As we know business owners, home users and other users use laptops instead of desktop PC because of its portability. We can use laptops anywhere, any time. To enjoy this advantage properly laptops need to have long battery life. Life of battery depends upon the intensity of its usage. Nowadays laptops get more complicated and begin to use more power. Power is rapidly gulped down by uses of large screen and fast modern processors. That’s why powerful laptop battery is essential for providing seamless backup without being plugged in.
However, finding a reliable laptop battery can be a difficult task. Battery Company is globally recognized standard organization which provides discounted laptops batteries for all major laptop brands. Each manufacturer has a variety of battery and hence, laptop batteries are manufacturer specific. For example, you cannot use a HP laptop battery with a Dell laptop or vice-versa. They also provide replacement laptop battery for your laptop. You can replace any old laptop battery from new at discounted prices.
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About the Author
Battery company is an operated online retailer of high-quality electronics accessories, specialising in laptop battery and laptop ac adapter, battery chargers, camera batteries, camcorder batteries, power tool batteries and mobile phone batteries. Battery company has quickly grown to one of the top online Australian retailers of electronics accessories, offering generic product brands that provide the same quality as the big brand names but at half the price.
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop that refuses to power up.?
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop that refuses to power up. I assumed the battery was dead when it happened the first time because I was away from any plug-in power source. But it’s doing the same thing right now even though it’s plugged in. It lights up for a split second and shuts right back off. Don’t know what’s up. Anybody have a clue?
Try using a freinds power cord before you do anything else.Make sure their make is Toshiba too and the output power matches the numbers on your charger.Plug it in and then press the power button. Most likely it should power up.
If it doesnt then its whole diff ballgame and we could try coupla other things.
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Time and again, Gateway’s NV series has made our shortlist of top budget notebooks, but with a few vgp-bps8a. We’ve always enjoyed its balance of performance and battery life and, with the exception of its lone mouse button, have praised its design. The revamped NV59C09u ($799), a 15.6-inch laptop, has a slimmer, lighter build that includes a social networking hotkey and dashboard, along with a Blu-ray player, something most sub-$800 laptops don’t offer. This time around, though, the NV’s performance was less impressive in comparison to other notebooks in the same price rang
Design
After churning out umpteen NV notebooks with updated specs but the same design, has re-thought this line of laptops. Following a trend set by HP and Dell, Gateway ditched its super glossy lid and instead went with a subtly patterned one whose finish has a bit too much kick to be called matte, but is still subdued enough that it’s not reflective. The result is an attractive, more understated surface that masks fingerprints. The lid and palm rest’s silver color and fine pattern of wavy lines should also prove gender-neutral. vgp-bps9
Gone, too, are the touch-sensitive multimedia controls above the keyboard. Instead, there’s a thin chrome strip above the keys that housesor Wi-Fi and battery status, as well as a discreet power button. The multimedia keys are now baked into the top row of the keyboard, as they are on Macs. In addition to multimedia keys, there’s a dedicated button for launching Social Network Service—Gateway’s own dashboard forFlickr, and YouTube (more on that later).
The chiclet-style vgp-bps13a/b—basically, Acer’s FineTip design—is new to the NV series, too, although Gateway still fits in a full number pad, something many other 15-inch systems lack. As a result, though, the touchpad is placed left of center, so that it falls in the center of the keyboard, but not the palm rest itself. The NV59C09u feels surprisingly compact at 15 x 10 x 1.3 inches and 5.4 pounds; it weighs the same as the Editors’ Choice–winning s lighter than the minimalist 5.6-poundnd older 5.6
Keyboard and Touchpad
Despite having an island-style layout and a full number pad, the is still spacious enough that the Enter, Backspace, and right Shift keys are all full-sized (the left Shift key is another story). Although the keys weren’t terribly bouncy, we were still able to type at a fast clip, notching an all-time high score of 100 words per minute on the Ten Thumbs Typing Test.
The large, gesture-enabled touchpad responded smoothly to pinching and zoominll as to one-fingered scrolling. With a smooth, low-friction surface and an easy-to-press touch button to match, this redesigned NV is an improvement over its predecessors.
Ambient Heat
Even after playing a Hulu clip at full screen for 15 minutes, thestayed cool, measuring 90 degrees Fahrenheit on the touchpad and 92 degrees at the center of the keyboard and on its bottom side. True, the average notebook this size also measures 90 degrees around the touchpad, but it also reaches temperatures of 93 degrees on the keyboard and 98 degrees on the bottom, the side that gets the least ventilation
Display and Sound
When we watched the first Iron Man movie on Blu-ray, the picture looked bright and sharp on the 15.6-inch screen, aslower-resolution SNL Digital Short on Hulu. Still, the benefits of having a Blu-ray drive are mostly lost on a 1366 x 768 display. A higher resolution would have been nice, although we suppose that’s a reasonable trade-off to make in a sub-$800 machine.
The speaker strip, barely noticeable above the keyboardd slightly metallic bass notes when we played “Telephone” by Lady Gaga and “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones.
Ports and Webcam
The des every port most users could need, including three USB 2.0 ports; HDMI and VGA output for high-def and standard-def monitors and TVs, respectively; an Ethernet jack; and headphone and mic ports. Rounding out the list is a 5-in-1 memory card reader. The Blu-ray player takes up most of the right side, save for two of the USB ports; the rest of the ports are on the left side (the memory card slot is tucked into the front edge).
The 1.3-megapixel webcam has a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024. While our photos showed good colors and brightness, could only make out a fair amount of detail, even at the highest resolution. Our video, meanwhile, showed motion blur even at VGA resolution, while the laptop’s microphone produced echoing sound, too. In general, the Gateway Video Camera software is too minimalist; there aren’t even thumbnails of photos and videos you’ve just shot.
About the Author
Acer laptop overheating?
My laptop has recently had a big problem with overheating. Particularly when running programs that consume a large amount of cpu usage.
If I leave it alone, it will eventually crash (which I find to be very annoying). I am not blocking any airways on my laptop, and the fans seem to be running fine.
The only solution I have come up with is placing an icepack on the ‘hotspots’ of my computer. This does prevent crashing, but condensation, and the threat of a leak are always present.
I would greatly appreciate advice.
Also, I would like to know if there are any programs out there (preferably free) that can monitor the temperature(s) of an Acer computer.
Thanks.
It is probably because the vents have taken in dust and the fans aren’t able to extract the dust or maybe cat hair inside the vents. For one thing make sure it is on a hard, flat surface. Once you’ve done that VACUUM the vent with one of your vacuums to extract the dust inside of it (you don’t need to power the laptop off or anything like that). I know this sounds stupid but this is the BEST way for me. I’ve had many crashes from overheating while playing games (like WoW, RuneScape, and online games), watching movies, etc. and my computer would reach up in the 80 degrees Celsius but once I vacuumed my vents, it immediately shot down to 18 degrees Celsius. It’s amazing. Plus it costs nothing. You can download a program that controls your fans and tells you the temperature of your computer here –> http://www.diefer.de/i8kfan/index.html Good luck
17 Inch Laptop Cooler Fan
[mage lang="" source="flickr"]17 Inch Laptop Cooler Fan[/mage]
Residential and Solar Wind Systems: What are the Costs?
Most Texas homeowners considering a solar energy system or residential wind turbine system will quickly face sticker shock. Wind turbine systems can run as high as $65,000 installed. The average cost nationally for a professionally installed solar panel system is about $8 to $9 per watt. A 2 kilowatt (kw) grid-tied system (no battery back up) can run to $16,000. A similar 5 kw system can cost upwards of $40,000. Deep cycle back-up batteries for both wind and solar can add on 20 to 30 percent more. You might be able to save around $2 per watt by doing the work yourself, however, energy efficiency programs may have certification requirements.
But don’t give up!
Because both residential and commercial demand for wind and solar energy is increasing, the technology is improving, there are more manufacturers, and the price is dropping. In the case of solar energy, the cost of an average solar panel in 1980 was $21 per watt (eg: a 15 watt panel would cost $315.00). Today, the average cost is about $2.50 per watt (low =$1.42/watt, high=$3.75). In 25 years, that’s a cost reduction of 90%. Power output capacities have also improved. In 1980, a typical solar panel might put out 22 watts. Now, 100 watt panels are common, if not plentiful. That’s a 450% increase in output. Add to this new enhancements through tracking (a motorized mount tracks the sun through the day to improve efficiency) and concentrating sunlight to extract up to 75% of the sun’s rays that increases efficiency by 1000 times over regular flat panels. Even if incentives aren’t available in your area, any solar or wind energy system installed by December 31, 2010 the Federal Energy Efficiency Tax credit lowers the cost by 30%.
The reason residential renewables are expensive is simple: you are investing in a home-sized power plant. Like any large scale power plant, that’s a long term investment made over the course of 15 to 25 years. And, like any long term investment, you should first take a few minutes to consider your needs and goals:
How much electricity do you use each day?
In a rural setting, will it cost more to bring more to bring poles and wires to your home?
Is your goal to have self-sufficiency while retaining a grid-tie?
Is your goal a zero-energy home?
In considering these questions, remember home size is irrelevant. The issue is purely how much energy you use because you are going to want a system that can meet your usage needs. A 1,500 square foot home doesn’t use any energy; it’s the people living inside that do.
Figuring your usage
Figuring your usage can be tricky. There is a big difference in watts and watt-hours. The power (watts) required to run things in your house is not measured the same way as your utility bills show (watt-hours). A 50 watt light bulb burns 50 watts of power each time it’s turned on. So the electricity supply has to be able to provide that 50 watts of power when the light is turned on. If you have a 30 watt battery, the 50 watt bulb won’t light all the way and quickly run down the battery. Watt-hours, meanwhile are the units of measurement of energy used over time. So, a 50 watt light bulb will consume 50 watts per hour (or even 50 watts per second if you are measuring in seconds). To use an analogy, let’s say we are using a waterwheel that only turns when the water pressure is 50 pounds per square inch (psi). However, the amount of water we use is measured in gallons per hour.
The important thing to remember is that watts and watt-hours are NOT interchangeable in making your calculations.
That being said, the way to determine your usage is to review your utility bills. For example, let’s say you use an average of 1000 kWh per month. That divides out to 33.33 kWh per day. The next step is to find out what electrical appliances and devices you are using, how many watts they consume, and how long do you use them. To compute kWh of a device or appliance, multiply the watts times the hours it runs during the day. A 500 watt chest freezer running for ten hours will use 2kWh of energy. If you only know the voltage and amps an appliance is using, there are lots of web sites that calculate wattage.
Now that you’ve got an idea about your usage, let’s first look at the costs of off-grid solar energy.
The next thing to look up is the amount of direct sunshine your location receives. Otherwise known as “insolation”, it is controlled by the angle of the sun, the weather, atmosphere, elevation, and location on the globe. The further north or south from the equator you go, the fewer hours of insolation. In Texas,insolation amounts vary from 4.5 to 5 hours.
Now we can see how many panels you may need. A very handy tool is the Solar Panel Estimator. Assume your insolation hours equal 4.5. The system efficiency is a product of the efficiency ratings of the current handling hardware: inverter (to convert 12 volts DC to 120 volts AC and smooth it into a nice, clean 60 hertz cycle), a battery charge controller, and the deep cycle batteries. Inverters typically run about 95%, charge controllers at 98%, and batteries at 80%. So, if we multiply .95 × .98 x.80, we get a system efficiency of .74 or 74%. That means our 100 watt solar panels actually produce 74 watts. If we compare the output from the Solar Panel Estimator, if our system was 99% efficient, we would only need 74 panels. Since our system is only 74%, we need 99 panels to make 33 kWh/day.
Either way, that’s a very large number of panels, and a lot of money, also.
Lighten your load
The easiest thing to do is find ways to cut your electrical use by eliminating inefficient devices. In Texas, the biggest home energy user is air conditioning. A 30 ton central air conditioning system with a SEERrating of 13 can use 2.3 kWh. Over ten hours, that adds up to 23 kW — 2/3 of our electrical load. There are different energy efficient ways of cooling your home. Swamp coolers, for example, work through evaporation though are most efficient in dry environments. Absorption chillers are common alternatives. They heat refrigerant at low pressure until it evaporates, then it loses its heat through condensing back into a fluid at high pressure. The heat source can be natural gas, propane, kerosene, or solar heat.Because there is no compressor to supply pressure, the system uses little energy.
The second biggest user is the electric hot water heater. Heating water in your home accounts for 17% of annual energy costs. A 40 gallon heater uses an average of 8 kwh/day. There are several energy efficient alternatives: change to a heat on demand system, use natural gas or propane to heat your water, or consider a solar water heating system in addition to your solar panels. Some solar water heating systems are nothing more that an old water heater tank painted flat black and housed in an insulated box with a glass window facing the sun.
Consider switching to energy efficient alternatives and/or Energy Star rated appliances. How many lights do you use in a room and do they have CFL bulbs? Can you change from a desktop computer to a laptop or tablet? Honestly take into account any energy-wasting behaviors such as leaving lights on all day or running the air conditioning while baking. Also, think about how well insulated and weather-sealed your home is and whether it needs improving. The less energy you can live without means the less energy-generating capacity you will need to install.
Let’s say that we’ve installed more efficient appliances and lights, replaced the water heater and air conditioner systems with a solar absorption chilling system that heats water also. That brings down the usage from 33 kWh/day to 5 kWh/day. Plugging the numbers into the Solar Panel Estimator, we arrive at 16 panels, which is much more manageable.
Home wind energy has come a long way from when the steel-bladed fan-type windmill was introduced to American farms in the 1870s. Small wind turbines that generate electricity are available in a range of sizes (“nameplate capacity”) from roof or chimney-mounted 1 kilowatt (up to $7,000 installed) all the way up to 100 kilowatt turbines mounted on their own tower (about $80,000 installed). Many of those below 1.2 kilowatts are available in kits for the do-it-yourself-homeowner from a home center.
However, while the power output from wind turbines might look appealing, getting the most watts for the buck is more complicated than solar power. While the sun shines everyday even when its cloudy, the wind is far more fickle. Some parts of the country are also windier than others; compare Abilene with Houston, for example. Consequently, a consumer needs to do far more research to determine how much wind might really be available for them to harness. Wind speed varies locally at different elevations. While it might seem to be a light breeze at street level, it might be a dead calm at 30 feet up or even blustery at 100 feet. Hills, river valleys, trees, and buildings also have a big effect on wind speed especially when coupled with urban settings. Local building codes and other rules must also be considered.
Let’s say you want to add a pole-mounted residential wind turbine to your system. The turbine cost $1800 on-line with free shipping. The 30 foot pole, also purchased on-line with guy wires and a few bags of concrete cost $500. The total cost comes to $2300. Factor in the Federal Energy Tax credit and the price drops to $1610.
Let’s also say you’ve done your homework on local average yearly wind speed. The new wind turbine will generate 3.4 kWh per day in an average 12 mph wind zone (Class 4). However, the local average wind speed is only about 10 mph (Class 2). So we now calculate that with these conditions will produce an average of 2.8 kWh per day (about the equivalent of 8 solar panels).
By combining wind and solar together, you have an intregrated renewable system that becomes a reliable source of home electrical energy 24 hours a day, generating an average of 5 kWh/day. In some parts of Texas, like Austin, where net metering is available, a homeowner can sell their excess generated power to the utility company.
What about hidden costs like maintenance and replacing worn parts?
Maintenance is minimal for both solar panels and wind turbines. Solar panels directly convert sunlight to electrical energy. To ensure they get the most power, they might periodically need to have dust and leaves hosed off. Solar panels do wear out over time, losing on average a watt of generating capability over 20 years. Wind turbines usually only have 2 moving parts that are exposed to the weather. Blades are typically bolted onto the hub which is protected by a nose cone. There is also the pivot that allows the wind turbine to swivel into the wind. Both of these can easily be replaced with parts from the manufacturer.
Something smaller: the Grid-Tied System
A grid-tied solar/wind system retains a connection to the utility grid. That means you will still be a utility customer but you will offset the energy you use from the utility by making your own. Right now, a Texas homeowner can walk into their favorite home center and buy a solar power kit that will generate about 1230 watts for home use for around $7,000 (10 panels, power cleaner, and inverter). Deep cycle storage batteries can also be added to a system; they generally cost about $250/each and last ten years.
On average, these panels alone would make about 4kWh for daily use and knock off 120 kWh from the monthly bill for a savings of up to 12% for a typical 1000 kWh bill of $119 (11.9 cents/kWh) that means a monthly savings of about $14.24 or $171.36/year.
Assuming prices and usage remained frozen, the system would pay for itself in 17 years or 24 years without the Federal Tax Credit. That assumption, of course, is ridiculous. Energy prices spike and the price paid for each kWh will vary during the year, trending higher over time. With this in mind, the return on a solar energy investment might in fact only take 15 years or even less. Plus, consider that 12% energy savings is three times what you’d get from putting that initial $7,000 in a bank.
Another way a solar energy investment pays for itself is by increasing your home’s value. Most home mortgages are for 30 years, yet few consumers live in their homes for that long. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, a home’s value rises $20,000 for every $1000 in reduced yearly electricity costs. So even if you don’t remain in your home for 30 years, you will recoup much of your investment upon the sale of their home. Remember, too, that as solar panel technology improves, the homeowner can swap out old panels for newer, more efficient ones that cost less. These are just bolted onto the rack and plugged into the circuit. Over time you can save even more money on your bill, and even sell energy to the electric company by expanding and upgrading both your panels and batteries.
So what do you do with that money that you are saving every month by not buying electricity from the power company? One Block Off the Grid (1BOG.org) suggests saving the money to send kids to college. By investing in a residential renewable energy system when your children are born, the money you will save in the course of 18 years could grow to over $118,000.
Not all homes and budgets may be cut out right now for solar panels or wind turbines. To get a good idea of how good your location is visit the National Renewable Energy website In My Back Yard. Two other good tools are this e-booklet Feasibility of Photovoltaic Systems and the Solar Cost Estimator.
About the Author
Vernon Trollinger is a writer for Bounce Energy. Bounce Energy is a Texas Electric Company based in Houston. Bounce Energy’s goal is provide more than low Texas Electric Rates to our customers. With innovative and flexible plans, excellent customer service, and superior customer rewards, Bounce Energy offers a unique approach to Texas electricity.
Cooling pad effect on my laptop’s health?
I just bought a laptop cooling pad. It’s a no-name chinese brand and it has a large fan (about 17 cm in diameter, that’s about 6.7 inches). I get the impression that the large fan makes it vibrate. The vibration isn’t visible, I just feel it slightly when I touch the laptop. Is this bad for my computer’s health or am I being paranoid?
I am not fan of cooling fans
My laptop gets so hot sometimes in summer I can not couch the edges for more than 2 sec. but they are made to withstand it.
Anyway, small vibrations will not hurt, I have 3 external hard drives that make a lot of vibrations and now, 4 years later my laptop and tabletPC have no problems with it.
You can anyway put 2 stripes of door-slam-rubber (the one that goes around door, around 2$ in home depot store) and glue it on 2 sides of the cooling pad to reduce even more vibration transfered to laptop.
Laptop Upgrades
17 Laptop Cooler Pad
Laptop Batteries Toshiba Satellite
17 Inch Laptop Cooler Fan