How to Reinstall OS

Laptop or netbook may get hang or trouble, so have to be reinstall again. If it is just simple reinstall would be not a big deal, but if it is a fresh reinstall will be another big problem. Fresh reinstall will consume too much time, and has to install the program one by one.

The easy and quick to reinstall OS is by using cloning system. This can be achieved by backup the previous system or using system which has same specification of hardware. Then the backup file can be reinstall on new system or the trouble system. Usually will not take more than 15 minutes, new system will be back like as before.

This method or cloning system is very good to be used in big quantity laptop or netbook. Of course this will save time and human resource. Even this method can be used in single laptop or netbook. You can backup your netbook or laptop after you install for the first time. Even you can backup the system after you buy new laptop or netbook. The backup file can be used in future for reinstalling system.

Backup system or OS by using Ghost.

After you buy new laptop or netbook, soon you should backup the system or the OS by using Ghost program. Then save the backup file in the other hardisk partition, other than system partition. You can use flashdisk as the backup media, but you have to use big capacity flashdisk, this is according to the system capacity.

Before you backup your system, your system should be free of virus. That mean no virus will be saved on the backup file. You must check your system entirely by scanning with antivirus program. After your system is clear from the virus then you can backup the system.

The weakness of cloning system is the OS or system which has virus or malware on it. This will infect new system with same virus, as spreading virus in the other system. However cloning system is the best method to reinstall OS or new system.

Copy the backup file in new partition.

The partition which will be installed OS should be formatted in same system format. For example if the origin system is using NTFS format, so new partition should be formatted in NTFS format. Then the ghost program can be pasted in the new partition.

When you restart the system, you may experience blue screen or system crash. Usually new system had changed their hardware, or there are any previously add-on hardware on the system. So you have to remove recently add-on hardware on the laptop or netbook. Usually this will solve the problem.

After OS reinstall on the system, you can return back the add-on hardware. Usually will need driver or sometimes can be fulfilled by system itself. It is not a big deal as long as the system recognizes the add-on hardware. If not, you can get the driver by browsing on the laptop site, usually they provide the system driver.

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How to Upgrade Laptop

After you upgrade your laptop, you may gain better laptop performa. But Laptop has limitation for any upgrades. This is because laptop is not like desktop or PC, which is easy to be disassembly and change any part on it. Laptop made compact for mobile purpose, making limited option for any improvement.

You may take a risk by upgrading laptop, because not all upgrading option will give better performa for the laptop. You may change the laptop system slightly unstable. This is because incompatible component installed on upgrading laptop. 

The best thing you must do first is to find out whether your laptop have an upgrade option. You should have the manual f your laptop, or you can browse on the internet regarding your laptop specification. This information will guide you to the right component for your laptop.

Usually you can search those information in manufacture site. For sure they have all laptop specification on their site. However some old laptop may delete from their site, but you may send email to them, just to get the specification of your laptop.

You may expect a complicated laptop specification, because laptop has many components. But you just look at the important part of the laptop. For example RAM, hardisk, graphic card, and check the type of each component. For RAM you may check its FSB of that RAM, then for hardisk you may check its IDE or SATA. This is important to get the right component for your laptop.

If you are newbee, better send your laptop to the service center, because if you don’t know how to disassembly laptop, you may damage you laptop. But if you want to get experiment with you laptop, you may do it in your own. You can follow the guide or manual of your laptop.

Upgrade RAM laptop.

The easy way to upgrade laptop is to upgrade its RAM. You can see on the back of your laptop. There must be a panel its underneath. It must be secure by screws, and you can use a screwdriver to get access to laptop RAM. If there is a free slot RAM on its motherboard, you can upgrade its RAM.

Before you purchase any RAM, you should check its FSB. The new RAM must have same FSB with the old RAM, and can be same capacity or bigger. But better you buy bigger RAM, because you may expect longer using of your laptop in future. Bigger RAM will improve your laptop performa and its system.

After you purchase the right RAM, you can install it on its slots. You should do tenderly when you insert RAM on its slot. It is little bit hard when the slot’s pin touch the RAM’s pin. Then secure the panel and screw back tightly.

Upgrade hardisk laptop

Laptop Hardisk can be substituted with the greater its capacity. Just open the panel access at back-side laptop, there is two safety bolt that you should open before. Then is quelled slide, do tenderly so that not break its pin. 

You may upgrade laptop battery, it is very easy. Just purchase the right type of that battery. Usually vendor laptop provide all kind of battery type. But make sure you get the warranty card for whatever component you purchase.

Just by accident you may upgrade processor, graphic card and LCD. Since a variety judgment, you substitute LCD only if damage. Upgrading processor sometime not worthy, since motherboard laptop mostly doesn't back up it. Upgrading graphic card can be done, if LCD Laptop backs up. If capacity LCD not backs, you can not upgrade it. Or even if you want to upgrade both components, it’s sometimes too costly. 

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Buy Netbook or Notebook?

There is slightly difference when you decide to buy netbook or notebook. Difference in price, quality, and its specification, although both has also its equality. Both can be utilized to do basic's program, such as browsing, typing, playing multimedia's document, and had same its appearance. 

If you use laptop strictly for browsing or blogging or writes document, perhaps won't be any difference among netbook and notebook. But would get in contrast when you do video editing, or play PC games, such as need for speed. The difference can be your judgment in decides to buy netbook or notebook.

The difference in price. 

Netbook has flexible price range. Its price becomes first or lowest price of laptop. If one computer store sells laptop at the price that cheap, sometimes could be guess that its price for one netbook. That’s the price for one laptop which has browsing quality or netting. So don't hope to much at that price range that you want all feature in it. 

Actually netbook made for laptop's user at basic segment. Even there are available also some netbooks that can do more than its default, but was obviously at the price that compromise. The price must be above netbook's price, but at notebook's price startup. Asus X401U's example have price gyration at netbook's upper limit, but has notebook's quality. You can see detail at computer store. 

The difference in quality. 

When you see laptop's quality, don't see from its processor. But look at graphic quality or its display card. Since graphic card's quality determines the laptop's mainstay in processing a heavy program. 

On netbook usually its graphic card just Intel's chipset, with limited memory onboard. Even available also notebook with such a quality, but usually have cheap price. So don't arouse with processor that bundle inside it, but look at another component too. 

Obviously laptop's quality also determines on how long you want to use it and also requirement of the program inside that netbook. If you want to use laptop in the long term, vote for netbook with good quality of display card. Such as from Radeon, ATI, or another one can be utilized for processing the heavy program. Since its quality is good, will be longer in. 

The difference in specification. 

If you see specification of one laptop, maybe rather a little less understands. Since a lot of component in one laptop. You can study component in one laptop by googling it on internet. 

Netbook have no CD or DVD drive. But netbook has specification that nearly equals to notebook. Lack in DVD drive can be replaced by USB'S port or card reader. Therefore when buy laptop without DVD drive, best of all should check its USB port should be more than one. Since if one ports damage, can use another one. This’s necessary for storage media and data mobility. 

But not all netbooks have specification under notebook. Even there are some netbooks had specification above notebook. But checking one specification always consider the program that you will use, because this will determine specification that you needs. So want to buy netbook or notebook?  

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Preventing Overheating on Netbook

There are many factor netbook becomes overheating or heat. And overheating usually unrealised, and barely knew after netbook suddenly hang or “death”. Usually system itself cut down the current to prevent hardware becoming damaged, this is autoprotect by system.

Really overheating can become serious problem on netbook. Particularly on board netbook, because if its board damaged netbook can't be used again. And to substitute its board sometimes not better than buying new netbook. 

Therefore prevents overheating on netbook becomes more efficient. Really is not heavy thing, because good care on netbook is the key to prevent netbook overheating. Just need a regular checking will keep netbook overheating. 

Keep away netbook on dusty place. 

Dust is the main cause of overheating. Dust can cause current leakage on motherboard, usually collected dust on the board netbook. Current leakage will cause board becoming overheating.

This current leakage could be check by avo meter. If it shows light movement on needle, this mean circuit board had a light current leakage. Usually by cleaning up dust out circuit board, curreant leakage will disappear. Therefore prevent dust goes into board will prevent netbook overheating. 

Clean up the table or netbook's place out dust. Because if dust near netbook’s place will be sucked by netbook's cooling system and collected inside board netbook. Even collected dust not directly making oerheating, but the more collected dust could cause overheating. 

Cleaning netbook's cooling system. 

Sometime overheating can be caused by cooling system failure. Or cooling system not works maximal. Usually dirt effect or dust that sticks at netbook's cooling system. If you listen carefully, a dusted cooling system usually make sound harder. It because cooling fan will move harder. 

Simple triks to clean netbook cooling system by blowing clear air goes into netbook's fan, so dust can be out that fan. Or you can use vacuum cleaner, but should be unidirectional with cooling system flow. Because if doing in opposite side, dust will be collected at heatsink, even can also stick at board netbook. 

Cleaning heatsink regularly. 

Heatsink that dust-covered or dirt, constrains the airflow which is pumped by cooling fan. So its cooling effect is not effective. Usually can be detected from not much airflow out and feel warmer. 

Therefore clean heatsink out dust regularly, this will give cooling effect maximal. One little metal or needle can be used to clean heatsink out dust. Or you can also use vacuum cleaner. Sign of heatsink clean, usually heatsink not very heat, and its airflow not very warming.

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Laptop for PC Games

There are many using ordinary laptop for playing PC games. It is possible, but too risky because could damage that laptop. The problem lay on PC games that need high hardware acceleration, so easy for laptop overheating. 

If you buy laptop to play PC games, you should look at laptop specification. Like cooling system, graphic adapter, RAM, those hardware the most needed by PC games. Although other specification important too for PC games.

Even not all PC games need good hardware, but most good PC games need hardware acceleration. Especially new 3D PC games, the most wanted PC games usually need good hardware. And required good laptop to play it. 

PC games need good graphic adapter.

Not all graphic adapter can be utilized for heavy PC games. Usually each PC games has system requirement, and usually good PC games require good hardware. Especially good graphic adapter, like ATI, NVIDIA, and usually not cheap. 

It really in proportion to the performance which resulted by that graphic adapter. Usually during installation of PC games, system will detect graphic adapter type. In many cases installation could be aborted by system, if graphic adapter required not detected during installation.

PC games need good motherboard.

If laptop is plotted for PC games, usually need good motherboard too. And it is not simply board, like SIS or even Intel, but better one as like gigabyte or ASUS. Those board have optimal performance, as good as its graphic adapter. 

Really price of laptop with good board is not cheap. But you will pleased by their performance. System will be stable on high hardware acceleration. 

PC games need high RAM. 

RAM needed to access faster PC games. Usually PC games need more RAM than other application. Eventhough system can utilize freespace on hardisk as temporary RAM. 

But access rate on hardisk lower than RAM, this will reduce system performance. And system will tend overheating, if system using freespace on hardisk for so long. This will make laptop damaged. 

Good cooling system. 

If you want to buy laptop for PC games, usually need good cooling system . And good cooling system has not on slim laptop. Because good cooling system will occupy space at board laptop, so laptop will be thick. 

Cooling system will be utilized to cover processor heat, graphic adapter, and board as a whole. So laptop for PC games will be thick. Good cooling system will prevent laptop from overheating, while playing PC games. 

Really for laptop gaming usually expensive. Because requires good hardware. And it will equal its performance. 

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Why Netbook Overheating?

Netbook  often get Overheating, even on new one. Cause of overheating can be the cooling system don't work well. Perhaps dust or hair block or enter the cooling fan. Usually using netbook on dusty place, easy for netbook overheat.

But often netbook overheating without a reason. Could be the cooling fan not work well. Or the cooling system already work hard, and the problem on the system itself.

Netbook slim type is easily overheating. 

Manufacture often make netbook slim or as thin as possible. More slim would attract the buyer. Because lighter, portable are trend of the market.

But netbook slim often make the cooling system on trouble. Even prosessor or netbook's system had computation more efficient. But space limitation, cause gets compact, making system more vulnerable to settle overheating, cause multitasking programs. 

If you like netbook slim, therefore does test before before buy it. Its trick can be by undertaking multitasking programs, until its RAM is over. You can do also by open around two or three HD's videos concurrently. Then see the response of netbook system, and touch netbook's underside. If gets heat, maybe you should choose other netbook . 

Netbook is utilized over its capacity. 

Actually netbook's capacity for  browsing or googling, typing or office work, only for light program. If you utilized over its specification ability, therefore netbook will be easily overheating. Sometimes can be “blue screen” or “death” , if over capacity. 

Because netbook really made for its mobility segment, are not for program that too heavy. So don't utilize netbook to play 3D PC games, or open HD's video, one that above its capacity. And the system can't process it, or system will get overheating. 

You can check netbook's system when its over capacity by see it at performance's system. Check prosessor usage and also its memory, while you run heavy program. Netbook will get heat, and maybe “death”, while its prosessor, and also its memory exceeds maximal. 

Netbook's cooling system damaged. 

There is posibility cooling system get damaged. This could be dust goes to cooling system. It is easily happen if netbook placed on dusty area, and the dust sucked into cooling system will reduce cooling system ability. 

Sometimes you can clean up dust from cooling system without disassembly netbook, but sometimes not solve the problem. Perhaps you should disassembly netbook, and clears cooling system from that dust. This has to do if netbook was frequent overheating, and often “death”. 

Therefore excellent way to prevent netbook from overheating, by protecting dust into cooling system. And don't utilize netbook above its capacity. This will avoid overheating, and trouble for the netbook. 

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Buying Netbook for Kid

You want to buy netbook for your kid, for child who just knows computer. Perhaps will be little bit misdirection, if you don’t have any idea about the purpose of buying netbook for the little one. Because that netbook could be just changed as “playstation” in other type. 

Actually netbook had many purpose, can be utilized for playing PC games, write or typing, browsing is Internet or googling, draw, exploring encyclopaedia and a lot of thing, depends to the software installed on that netbook. So a lot of software that could be installed on the netbook, often keep you away from your initial purpose of buying netbook. If you buy netbook to introduce the little one with computer, therefore netbook has represented the whole thing. 

Planning the software installed for the little one. 

If you plan to buy netbook to boost your child’s hobby in drawing, perhaps Paint’s program was enough. But if you want to utilize pencil's equipment and pad to draw, therefore you should have USB Connection and good graphic card. At least graphic card from “Intel” would be excelent, and if possible used screen size 14 inch. 

Really not many netbook have screen size 14 inch, but ASUS X401U have it. And you can get at Online Computer Store.  Screen size 14 inch makes easy the little one to draw, cause canvas size bigger. Even you can get screen size above 14 inch, but you shall buy notebook, not netbook. 

Each program installed will require the right hardware. Usually known as system requirements. If your netbook not accomplish with system requirements for one program, therefore that program can't be run on that netbook. So always ensures netbook had system requirements for those program. 

Choosing hardware to the program installed. 

You can browse system requirements of those programs by googling on the internet, just type “system requirements” and “kind of programs” at Google search. Therefore you will get hardware's type or system for that program. So this is as basic to you choosing netbook for the little one. 

If you just buy netbook as it is, you will disappointed in the end. You will realize that netbook can't run a program. Or the screen size is too small for your kid to see. 

Absolutely need planning before buying a netbook. You should check specification of that netbook in beginning. Then that netbook's specification accomplishes with system requirements on program installed.

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Laptop buying guide for gaming

This is laptop buying guide for gaming, for anyone who plan to retire their old laptop. Perhaps for branded one or if you are fond of playing PC games, you want excellent laptop for playing your PC games. This is a laptop buying guide for gamer who love to play PC games.

First step, you have to find out the minimum requirement of the games that you want to play it, click here to find out the requirement of some popular games, and your gaming laptop should meet the minimum requirement.  Even new laptop mostly has good hardware, but you should focus on display/video card, RAM, and processor. Those are the main important hardware to run games smoothly. 

Second step, let’s go shopping or you can browse to the site, there are so many online laptop retailers, and so many the hot gaming laptops out there. I recommend that you keep eye on promo program, usually in some occasions, those retailers launched discount programs. Or perhaps they launched exchanging old laptop for new laptop. Those will give benefit for end user. But not all are good, sometimes new products had sold beyond the real cost, because to pay the research cost. So compare the laptop price with other laptop, especially having similar specification.

Third step, check the specification each laptop, for sure find which gaming laptop having good video card, and the memory on it, this is the most important part, because games performance depend to the quality of video card. Then screen size 12” or 14” or 17”, bigger would be better but will drain your battery fast. Especially if you like to play games outdoor. Other part, mostly latest laptop having good processor, RAM, hard disk, DVD drive, battery, communication port. If you like playing games online you should consider Wifi or good communication port, the broadband is the best. Then the last one is heat problem, latest laptop is becoming  thinner, the good laptop always have cooler system, how best it is, you have to try playing games.

Fourth step, laptop usually sold with Operating System installed on it, and some additional software, but  you can buy in separated software, because you can maximize the games performance when you install in your own separately, one system for games purpose only.

Fifth step, make sure your gaming laptop got three years warranty in all part and service, not one year only. This meant longer warranty represent a better after sales service.

So this is a guide how to buy laptop for playing games, OK enjoy the games.

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Overclock Laptop for Gaming

Do you want to overclock laptop for gaming? So let’s find out, what is overclocking? Overclocking is the process of speeding up the clock frequency of processor, memory, video, PCI or AGP device, in order to make the system run faster. Or in simple word make your two years old laptop faster without any upgrade.

The real overclocking is giving more voltage to the processor and memory as we know vcore so that can speed up the processing, beyond that written on the processor or memory. Actually the number that written on processor is not the real processor speed, factory had found away to increase the speed by multiplier the FSB of processor. The real processor speed is the FSB speed itself. For example: Your laptop has FSB speed 400MHz multiply by 8 become 3200MHz or 3.2GHz, the speed of processor is 3.2GHz, but the real speed is 400MHz. So when we adjust higher vcore, we could raise FSB speed and the multiplier to its limit. That is overclocking.

You can overclock your laptop for gaming under the condition that the BIOS menu has FSB setting. You can access BIOS by pressing Del or F1 during booting process. If your laptop doesn’t have FSB setting, this means your laptop came from factory with multiplier locked, and no way to overclock it, because some factories already overclock the system. Usually factory provides custom system with multiplier unlocked for overclocker.

Even your laptop BIOS has FSB setting, you can overclock the system if your laptop has “super cooling” system. Otherwise this will damage your laptop permanently. Overclocking make bad side effect: Increasing heat and that make your system become unstable and damage forever. When you plan to overclock your laptop, let’s consider that your laptop warranty will be rejected, you could destroy the processor, memory, video card, and other component. You have to learn from many resources, make a chart or table for the number which we would enter to the BIOS menu, make little increment, check the system stability, don’t push your processor too hard, this is to avoid your processor fried.

Even you could overclock your system, let’s consider also this will shorten the lifespan of the component in your laptop, or the system become unstable. We don’t know which part will be exhausted first, and then this will lead to another part, finally the system crashes. I’d rather recommend that you do slight overclocking for your gaming laptop.

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Upgrade laptop for Gaming

No doubt, upgrade laptop for gaming, the best solution instead of buying new laptop. Upgrading laptop would save sum dollar and keeping your old laptop on desk longer. Although laptop had limited option to upgrade because of its size; however you can upgrade your laptop under the condition that your laptop has an upgradeable option by adding or changing the part of laptop. Those parts could be RAM, display card, hard disk, sound card, etc. So let’s check each part of the laptop, whether your laptop has chance to be upgraded.

RAM: you can upgrade RAM in your laptop for gaming performance, if there are extra slots on motherboard. You can check it through the manual, or go to the factory website, whether your laptop has extra slots for RAM. The easy way just bring laptop to store and let’s them add your laptop’s RAM. They just need you to decide which RAM capacity you want to buy. So you should decide that you will not upgrade again your RAM in future, so upgrade the maximum RAM capacity. Perhaps you don’t need too much RAM capacity, but in future you will not change the RAM and that mean you will not waste your RAM.

Display Card: this part have important task on playing PC games. Perhaps you complain that your laptop can not play some PC games, because they need high standard display card. So you can upgrade video card, but make sure that your laptop has extra slots for display card. Then choose display card with the highest memory on it. Because this will make your PC games run smoothly. But all depend to the motherboard slots, how good the display card, if the motherboard slots could not accommodate the high speed of display card will be useless. 

Hard Disk: there are two options how to upgrade hard disk, whether you want to change your hard disk or just add external hard disk for storage purpose. This depends to your need. If there is a chance that your laptop connection to the hard disk could be increased its access rate, better change your hard disk. It’s not complicated, as long as you know that hard disk is the slower part of the laptop system. At least higher access rate will give better performance.

Sound Card: perhaps you are not happy with sound quality on your laptop, and you want to connect to external sound system. You can upgrade sound card by adding sound card, this is good, especially playing 3D games; you need the best sound quality to bring 3D games as real games.

All of this upgrade option depends to the motherboard, sometimes factory don’t give any option, just as it is. That’s way when you buy new laptop; choose laptop with the option to upgrade.

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How to upgrade laptop

Laptop had limited option to upgrade because of its size; however you can upgrade your laptop under the condition that your laptop has an upgradeable option by adding or changing the part of laptop. Those parts could be RAM, display card, hard disk, sound card, etc. So let’s check each part of the laptop, whether your laptop has chance to be upgraded.

RAM: you can upgrade RAM in your laptop, if there are extra slots on motherboard. You can check it through the manual, or go to the factory website, whether your laptop has extra slots for RAM. The easy way just bring laptop to store and let’s them add your laptop’s RAM. They just need you to decide which RAM capacity you want to buy. So you should decide that you will not upgrade again your RAM in future, so upgrade the maximum RAM capacity. Perhaps you don’t need too much RAM capacity, but in future you will not change the RAM and that mean you will not waste your RAM.

 

Display Card: this part have important task on playing PC games. Perhaps you complain that your laptop can not play some PC games, because they need high standard display card. So you can upgrade video card, but make sure that your laptop has extra slots for display card. Then choose display card with the highest memory on it. Because this will make your PC games run smoothly. But all depend to the motherboard slots, how good the display card, if the motherboard slots could not accommodate the high speed of display card will be useless. 

Hard Disk: there are two options how to upgrade hard disk, whether you want to change your hard disk or just add external hard disk for storage purpose. This depends to your need. If there is a chance that your laptop connection to the hard disk could be increased its access rate, better change your hard disk. It’s not complicated, as long as you know that hard disk is the slower part of the laptop system. At least higher access rate will give better performance.

Sound Card: perhaps you are not happy with sound quality on your laptop, and you want to connect to external sound system. You can upgrade sound card by adding sound card, this is good, especially playing 3D games; you need the best sound quality to bring 3D games as real games.

All of this upgrade option depends to the motherboard, sometimes factory don’t give any option, just as it is. That’s way when you buy new laptop; choose laptop with the option to upgrade.

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Laptop buying guide

Would you plan to retire your old laptop? Perhaps for branded one or if you are fond of playing PC games, you want excellent laptop for playing your PC games. This is a laptop buying guide for gamer who love to play PC games.

First step, you have to find out the minimum requirement of the games that you want to play it, click here to find out the requirement of some popular games, and your laptop should meet the minimum requirement.  Even new laptop mostly has good hardware, but you should focus on display/video card, RAM, and processor. Those are the main important hardware to run games smoothly. 

Second step, let’s go shopping or you can browse to the site, there are so many online laptop retailers, and so many the hot laptops out there. I recommend that you keep eye on promo program, usually in some occasions, those retailers launched discount programs. Or perhaps they launched exchanging old laptop for new laptop. Those will give benefit for end user. But not all are good, sometimes new products had sold beyond the real cost, because to pay the research cost. So compare the laptop price with other laptop, especially having similar specification.

Third step, check the specification each laptop, for sure find which laptop having good video card, and the memory on it, this is the most important part, because games performance depend to the quality of video card. Then screen size 12” or 14” or 17”, bigger would be better but will drain your battery fast. Especially if you like to play games outdoor. Other part, mostly latest laptop having good processor, RAM, hard disk, DVD drive, battery, communication port. If you like playing games online you should consider Wifi or good communication port, the broadband is the best. Then the last one is heat problem, latest laptop is becoming  thinner, the good laptop always have cooler system, how best it is, you have to try playing games.

Fourth step, laptop usually sold with Operating System installed on it, and some additional software, but  you can buy in separated software, because you can maximize the games performance when you install in your own separately, one system for games purpose only.

Fifth step, make sure your laptop got three years warranty in all part and service, not one year only. This meant longer warranty represent a better after sales service.

So this is a guide how to buy laptop for playing games, OK enjoy the games.

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Tips: How to buy laptop

Do you want to replace your old laptop? Perhaps branded one or if you are fond of playing PC games, you want excellent laptop for playing your PC games. These are tips how to buy laptop for playing PC games.

First tip, you have to find out the minimum requirement of the games that you want to play it, click here to find out the requirement of some popular games, and your laptop should meet the minimum requirement.  Even new laptop mostly has good hardware, but you should focus on display/video card, RAM, and processor. Those are the main important hardware to run games smoothly. 

Second tip, let’s go shopping or you can browse to the site, there are so many online laptop retailers, and so many the hot laptops out there. I recommend that you keep eye on promo program, usually in some occasions, those retailers launched discount programs. Or perhaps they launched exchanging old laptop for new laptop. Those will give benefit for end user. But not all are good, sometimes new products had sold beyond the real cost, because to pay the research cost. So compare the laptop price with other laptop, especially having similar specification.

Third tip, check the specification each laptop, for sure find which laptop having good video card, and the memory on it, this is the most important part, because games performance depend to the quality of video card. Then screen size 12” or 14” or 17”, bigger would be better but will drain your battery fast. Especially if you like to play games outdoor. Other part, mostly latest laptop having good processor, RAM, hard disk, DVD drive, battery, communication port. If you like playing games online you should consider Wifi or good communication port, the broadband is the best. Then the last one is heat problem, latest laptop is becoming  thinner, the good laptop always have cooler system, how best it is, you have to try playing games.

Fourth tip, laptop usually sold with Operating System installed on it, and some additional software, but  you can buy in separated software, because you can maximize the games performance when you install in your own separately, one system for games purpose only.

Fifth tip, make sure your laptop got three years warranty in all part and service, not one year only. This meant longer warranty represent a better after sales service.

So these are tips, how to buy laptop for playing games, OK enjoy the games.

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Tips: How to speed up your laptop

These are tips how to speed up your laptop. Perhaps you are so fed up with your laptop performance, or  you are in deadline to finish your routine jobs and you rely on much on your laptop. So this is the solution for your laptop.

First step: find out the startup program, just type msconfig on Run command prompt, then system configuration utility appear, click on startup tab, you can uncheck startup item which you don’t want to run, this will unload some program on the background and this will give more space on RAM. The more space on RAM will make system run faster, because when the system is in out of memory, they will use hard disk space for the RAM spare, which is slower than RAM itself.

Second step: run disk defragmenter regularly, this will arrange data on the hard disk so that access data on the hard disk faster or change your FAT32 format to NTFS format because NTFS have faster access to the hard disk data.

Third step: update hardware driver, because the latest driver will make hardware performance faster and efficient. You can use Test My Hardware software to check the availability latest driver on the net for automatic update, or you can do manually. Open control panel go to system, device manager, and then update only specific hardware.

Fourth step: check on task manager, whether your laptop have enough RAM, see the manual whether your laptop have slot to add more some RAM.

Fifth step: don’t mix data and system in one drive; you should save data on different drive, if your system on drive C, so save the data on drives D or E.

Sixth step: use multiple operating systems on single hard disk, so you can use one system for working and the other one for playing games, or keep one operating system as spare, incase the prime system crashes.

Seventh step: use trusted antivirus, some antivirus “eat” the CPU and RAM usage, they have too much program running on the background. The Good antivirus have little program running on the background, usually will scan the system when the system is in idle time, so will not “disturbed” our work.

Eighth step: don’t install any software from untrusted site, because some software have “bug”, when we try to uninstall it, some program running on background still uninstalled, so it will occupy CPU and RAM usage.

Those steps are applied according to your laptop specification; the latest laptop will not need those steps.

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Upgrade or Overclock Laptop

Should I upgrade or overclock my laptop? This is a common question, when we discover that our laptop became slower than we expected. For example: loading very slow, playing PC games not smoothly, and then we think we could speed up the system.

Most common cause of slowing the system because we add more software to our system and new software tend to require better hardware. Sometimes by updating the driver could speed up little bit, but upgrading the hardware gave a better outcome, for example adding RAM or replacing display card.

Other common troublemaker is multitasking program. For example: you want to listen music of watch video while browsing on the net, or you want to listen music while playing 3D PC games. Those examples gave your laptop “hard” work, we could check how “hard” it is by looking at the task manager. Open the program one by one, and see at the processes tab, more programs running and adding to the  system processes, then check at performance tab, increasing value at both processor and memory usage. 

When processor usage reached maximum, all processes programs on queue, waiting for the processor to accomplish the job, more processes programs on queue make system became slower. We could reduce processor demand by closing some programs, but if we need those programs to run, we could do slight overclocking. Why slight overclocking? Because maximum overclocking need super cooling system, otherwise laptop will be fried. But slight overclocking could be managed by own laptop cooling system. Slight overclocking will speed up the system little bit, more efficient than buying new laptop, because there is no other way to replace the processor with higher speed, usually motherboard could not accommodate it.

What happened if memory usage reached maximum, system will use free space on hard disk as additional RAM, and this will make the system process became slower, because access rate on RAM higher than access rate on hard disk. So adding RAM could bring back the system to normal. Replacing or adding RAM is a common upgrading, this is the way manufacturer to reduce the cost of laptop production by reducing some component on maximum performance and giving end user to purchase those components for  upgrading.

We could upgrade and overclock laptop in same time to stabilize the system. This is very helpful for old laptop, to accommodate new software or multitasking program.

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Can I upgrade my Laptop?

You can upgrade your laptop under the condition that your laptop has an upgradeable option by adding or changing the part of laptop. Those parts could be RAM, display card, hard disk, sound card, etc. So let’s check each part of the laptop, whether your laptop has chance to be upgraded.  

RAM: you can add RAM in your laptop, if there are extra slots on motherboard. You can check it through the manual, or go to the factory website, whether your laptop has extra slots for RAM. The easy way just bring laptop to store and let’s them add your laptop’s RAM. They just need you to decide which RAM capacity you want to buy. So you should decide that you will not upgrade again your RAM in future, so upgrade the maximum RAM capacity. Perhaps you don’t need too much RAM capacity, but in future you will not change the RAM and that mean you will not waste your RAM.

Display Card: this part have important task on playing PC games. Perhaps you complain that your laptop can not play some PC games, because they need high standard display card. Make sure that your laptop has extra slots for display card. Then choose display card with the highest memory on it. Because this will make your PC games run smoothly. But all depend to the motherboard slots, how good the display card, if the motherboard slots could not accommodate the high speed of display card will be useless. 

Hard Disk: there are two options, whether you want to change your hard disk or just add external hard disk for storage purpose. This depends to your need. If there is a chance that your laptop connection to the hard disk could be increased its access rate, better change your hard disk. It’s not complicated, as long as you know that hard disk is the slower part of the laptop system. At least higher access rate will give better performance.

Sound Card: perhaps you are not happy with sound quality on your laptop, and you want to connect to external sound system. You upgrade it by adding sound card, especially playing 3D games; you need the best sound quality to bring 3D games as real games.

All of this upgrade option depends to the motherboard, sometimes factory don’t give any option, just as it is. That’s way when you buy new laptop; choose laptop with the option to upgrade.

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Upgrade or Buy New Laptop

You want to upgrade or buy new laptop; these choices become a solution, when you feel not happy with your laptop performance, perhaps your favorite PC games could not run smoothly on your laptop, so these are to be considered whether you will upgrade or buy new laptop.

Have you already checked that you could boost your laptop performance? Just read our previous post. Because you could maximize your laptop performance without spending any penny, by following our tips or how-to in previous post, or sometimes you just install fresh software and everything back to normal.

Have you already checked the manual any possibility of overclocking your laptop? You can read in our previous post. If your laptop performance could be ‘pushed’ by overclocking that would be luck.

Have you already checked the manual any possibility of upgrade to your laptop? Or you can check to the factory site, submit your laptop’s type to get information about upgrade option. Or you can just open your laptop; check any slot for upgrade part. Usually laptop factory provide some slot for upgrade option, example: slot for RAM, you just buy more RAM, perhaps with same frequency and capacity or you can buy same frequency but more capacity. By adding more RAM could increase laptop performance. Check also whether there is a slot for display card, as you know display card become an important part for playing games. Of course buy new display card, the latest one and should be compatible with the mainboard of your laptop. Good display card usually recommended by games manufacture. It is written on their games requirements and those display cards gave maximum of game performance.

Have you already checked the hard disk performance? Perhaps your hard disk don’t have enough space, either you use external hard disk or change with new hard disk. Some old hard disk got dead spot on their disk, perhaps because of viruses or imperfect software or games, these make access data on hard disk become slower and you have no choice except replace new hard disk. 

After you have checked all option above, and you have no choice at all to upgrade your laptop, so buy new laptop. You can read on our previous post, again when you plan to buy new laptop, always buy laptop with a lot of option upgrade. And if you are a overclocker, you should buy laptop with unlocked FSB on BIOS menu.

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Is it possible to overclock your laptop?

Do you want to overclock your laptop? So let’s find out, what is overclocking? Overclocking is the process of speeding up the clock frequency of processor, memory, video, PCI or AGP device, in order to make the system run faster. Or in simple word make your two years old laptop faster without any upgrade.

The real overclocking is giving more voltage to the processor and memory as we know vcore so that can speed up the processing, beyond that written on the processor or memory. Actually the number that written on processor is not the real processor speed, factory had found away to increase the speed by multiplier the FSB of processor. The real processor speed is the FSB speed itself. For example: Your laptop has FSB speed 400MHz multiply by 8 become 3200MHz or 3.2GHz, the speed of processor is 3.2GHz, but the real speed is 400MHz. 

So when we adjust higher vcore, we could raise FSB speed and the multiplier to its limit. That is overclocking. You can overclock your laptop under the condition that the BIOS menu has FSB setting. You can access BIOS by pressing Del or F1 during booting process. If your laptop doesn’t have FSB setting, this means your laptop came from factory with multiplier locked, and no way to overclock it, because some factories already overclock the system. Usually factory provides custom system with multiplier unlocked for overclocker.

Even your laptop BIOS has FSB setting, you can overclock the system if your laptop has “super cooling” system. Otherwise this will damage your laptop permanently. Overclocking make bad side effect: Increasing heat and that make your system become unstable and damage forever.

When you plan to overclock your laptop, let’s consider that your laptop warranty will be rejected, you could destroy the processor, memory, video card, and other component. You have to learn from many resources, make a chart or table for the number which we would enter to the BIOS menu, make little increment, check the system stability, don’t push your processor too hard, this is to avoid your processor fried.

Even you could overclock your system, let’s consider also this will shorten the lifespan of the component in your laptop, or the system become unstable. We don’t know which part will be exhausted first, and then this will lead to another part, finally the system crashes. If you love your laptop, I recommend that you should not do overclocking.

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How to boost laptop performance

Do you want to boost your laptop performance? Perhaps you’re in deadline to finish your routine jobs and you rely on much on your laptop. So this is the solution.

First step: find out the startup program, just type msconfig on Run command prompt, then system configuration utility appear, click on startup tab, you can uncheck startup item which you don’t want to run, this will unload some program on the background and this will give more space on RAM. The more space on RAM will make system run faster, because when the system is in out of memory, they will use hard disk space for the RAM spare, which is slower than RAM itself.

Second step: run disk defragmenter regularly, this will arrange data on the hard disk so that access data on the hard disk faster or change your FAT32 format to NTFS format because NTFS have faster access to the hard disk data.

Third step: update hardware driver, because the latest driver will make hardware performance faster and efficient. You can use Test My Hardware software to check the availability latest driver on the net for automatic update, or you can do manually. Open control panel go to system, device manager, and then update only specific hardware.

Fourth step: check on task manager, whether your laptop have enough RAM, see the manual whether your laptop have slot to add more some RAM.

Fifth step: don’t mix data and system in one drive; you should save data on different drive, if your system on drive C, so save the data on drives D or E.

Sixth step: use multiple operating systems on single hard disk, so you can use one system for working and the other one for playing games, or keep one operating system as spare, incase the prime system crashes.

Seventh step: use trusted antivirus, some antivirus “eat” the CPU and RAM usage, they have too much program running on the background. The Good antivirus have little program running on the background, usually will scan the system when the system is in idle time, so will not “disturbed” our work.

Eighth step: don’t install any software from untrusted site, because some software have “bug”, when we try to uninstall it, some program running on background still uninstalled, so it will occupy CPU and RAM usage.

Those steps are applied according to your laptop specification; the latest laptop will not need those steps.

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Why is my laptop running slow?

This is my personal experience, I was having trouble with my laptop, it was unusual that my laptop loading so slow. Previous day I did review on some PC games, and the next day my laptop started to load in slow motion. Wherever I open any program, it’s loading very slowly.

I was using Windows OS, so I open task manager, look at the performance tab found unusual, the CPU usage little bit up, the PF usage also slightly up, then I checked processes tab found more image name running, I believe that came from recent games. However according to the information on task manager system was normal. Then I decided to check the hard disk, I used program Test My Hardware, you can download here, its freeware. 

The outcome was hard disk look fine. So I did disk defragmenter, just make sure that the trouble is not from hard disk. Then I removed all games from my laptop. When I try to load the system again, it run the same very slow. I didn’t think that some kind of viruses or malware, so I did virus scan, I used the trusted antivirus, the result as I expect before no viruses found.

I finally formatted the drive, installed window again. Then everything back to normal. The problem solved, but what was the cause of the trouble? I believe that from the recent installed games, because again I had the same trouble when I installed those games once more. Some games are not perfectly made, there are called “bugs”, when we try to uninstall, still some part of the program left. In order to avoid time consumed during reinstalling software, I manage multiple OS on my laptop, and use one system special for games purpose.

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