DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A

November 12, 2006

Q. Here are the specs for a new computer my son just bought. I understand the last item, but what does all the rest mean in terms the average layman can understand?

• Intel Viiv Technology with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13GHz)

• Genuine Windows XP Media Center

• 2048MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM

• 500GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drive

• SuperMulti DVD drive with LightScribe, DVD±R/RW and CD-RW combo drive

• DVD-ROM drive

• NVIDIA GeForce 7300LE graphics, 256MB DDR video memory, TV out

• Intel High Definition Audio

• 9-in-1 digital media card reader

• TV tuner (NTSC) with personal video recorder and FM tuner

• Remote with IR receiver

• Windows Vista Capable

• One-year limited warranty

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A. OK, I'll go through it one item at a time.

• Intel Viiv Technology with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6400 (2.13GHz)

To read what Intel says Viiv technology is in detail, you can go to Intel's web site. Basically, it is as close as a computer has come so far to being a home entertainment center.

The Core 2 Duo processor is a setup having two separate processors installed on the same chip making the power consumption less, and processing between them faster. In theory, a dual core processor should be nearly twice as fast as a single core processor. However, in reality, there is only about a 50% gain, making the dual core processor about 1½ times faster than a single core processor.

The E6400 is Intel's designation for the processor, and the 2.13GHz is the processor's speed. It also has a very fast 1066 MHz FSB, Front Side Bus. This FSB is the physical bi-directional data bus that carries all electronic signal information between the CPU and other devices within the system such as the RAM, AGP video cards, PCI expansion cards, hard drive.

• Genuine Windows XP Media Center

This is Microsoft's version of XP called Media center that has extra capabilities and features suited to home entertainment. This version can only be furnished by a computer manufacturer installed on a new computer built to use it.

• 2048MB PC2-4200 DDR2 SDRAM

This is the amount and type of memory. The amount is 2048 MB or 2 GB, probably supplied in 2 - 1024 DIMMs. The PC2-4200 designates a memory DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) specified to run at 533 MHz using DDR2-533 chips, at a bandwidth of 4.267 GB/second. The DDR2 stands for Double-Data-Rate two, and the SDRAM means Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory.  Still "Greek" to you? Well, just know that it has a plenty of good fast memory.

• SuperMulti DVD drive with LightScribe, DVD±R/RW and CD-RW combo drive

This describes one of the DVD drives and means it can read and write Readable and RE-Writable DVDs both the + and - variety, and it can read and write Readable and Re-Writable CD's. The LightScribe is a HP feature that allows you to create the CD/DVD label directly on special blank CD/DVD in the drive itself. Be advised though this process can take a very long time to complete. Up to an hour per CD depending on the design.

• DVD-ROM drive

This is the other CD/DVD Rom drive, capable of reading CDs and DVDs.

• NVIDIA GeForce 7300LE graphics, 256MB DDR video memory, TV out

This is the Video card by NVidia. You can read all about this card on the Nvidia web site. Generally speaking this is a very good video card. The 256 MB DDR is the memory on this video card devoted to the video exclusively. This is considerable, and will allow any graphic display currently possible, including the upcoming Vista aero. It also contains a TV tuner and has a TV output.

• Intel High Definition Audio

This is the computer's sound system, most likely integrated in the motherboard.  It is more than enough provided you use good speakers.

• 9-in-1 digital media card reader

This is a memory card reader capable of reading just about every conceivable type of memory card from cameras and other portable devices.

• TV tuner (NTSC) with personal video recorder and FM tuner

This means that you computer can view and record normal TV broadcasts. NTSC is the analog television system in use in Canada, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and some other countries, mostly in the Americas. It is named for the National Television Systems Committee. The computer can also tune FM radio broadcasts.

• Remote with IR receiver

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