Essential Computer Accessories - Make Your Life Easier

What comes to mind, when you think of a computer? You might think of music, photos, video, internet, games, word processing, information and research.

When purchasing a computer, don't forget the important accessories you need.

A computer is more than a CPU. What accessories will you need to meet your requirements? Do you need a unique add-on to meet a specialized task?  Its important to determine the right accessories you need to make your life easier.

Take a look at some of the major accessories for a computer system.

Wireless Printer, Keyboard, Mouse.
A keyboard, mouse, and printer should be considered standard accessories for your computer.  Consider going wireless. Eliminates a tangled cord by using a wireless keyboard. One benefit of a wireless mouse is the ability to point and click on a computer screen from across the room and to operate on multiple surfaces.  A wireless printer allow you to relocate the printer anywhere in your home or office that's most convenient.

Surge Protector
A surge protector simply guards computers from electrical surges.
When a spike or surge in the voltage happens, your computer could be damaged or destroyed. Electrical surges can occur from a number of different areas, but most of the time it’s from lightening.  A surge protector contains a number of outlets to plug accessories into. The surge protector itself is then plugged into a standard wall power outlet. While it can serve to give the user additional receptacles, the primary use of a surge protector is preventing damage offers when an electrical surge occurs.

External hard drive.

An external hard drive allows the user to back up or store important information separate from the main CPU, which could become corrupted or destroyed by online or offline actions. Sensitive documents, large music files, DVD images, movies, disk images, and even a backup of the contents of your main CPU, can all be kept secure and safe on an external hard drive.
Consider an external hard drive to keep personal information and other sensitive documents secure. For a business, an external hard drive, can give you piece of mind knowing your records and transactions are secure. When you are ready to use the computer, you can plug in the external drive and have all your data and programs available. When finished, simply unplug the drive and take it with you.

Web cam

A web cam, or web camera, allows you to post video or photos on the World Wide Web. A webcam is essentially a camera that is connected to a computer.  Many chat programs support web cam like MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and Skype.

Scanner.

A document scanner can copy a physical item and transfer an image of it to a computer. There are several types of scanners, including flatbed scanners and sheet-fed scanners. A document scanner is designed to copy images or text on paper.

Memory stick and USB Flash Drives.
Memory sticks are handy devices that can be used to copy and store documents, photos, videos, and music from computer to take with you on the go. Normally digital cameras save on removable memory sticks.  USB flash drives are often known as "thumb drives" are used to transfer your computer files that are too big for email.

USB Hub

It seems nearly every electronic gadget manufactured today makes use of the USB port.
A USB hub is a small, light unit with multiple ports for plugging in USB devices. It is commonly connected to a USB port located on the back of a desktop system by using an extension cable. Once the hub is plugged in, you can set it wherever is convenient, avoiding the hassle of accessing the rear of the system. A USB hub is a great addition for laptops. netbooks, or desktops with only one or two USB ports.





These are a few of many different accessories for a computer system. Consider your requirements to get the job done. Then talk to IQ Computer Services about your options, and design a total system to fit your personal or business needs. From gaming to internet surfing, to business applications, or a home based system. You’ll be glad you picked up the phone.

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Protect Your Computer With Parental Controls

Children looking to explore the internet need parental controls to safeguard them online.

The days are over when a easy password was all it took for parents to keep their kids out of danger online.  Parental controls are more sophisticated to stay up to date with computer technology. Many parents may not even be aware controls are available to them. Most of the parental control tools available, function to block out or to filter content.

Add-on parental control software can monitor a child’s computer use in order to observe web sites, or chat rooms, and to intervene according to certain parameters, such as a match in a database of forbidden words.  Controls can also be applied to online content ranging from explicit songs to watching objectionable movies.  Controls may be used to turn off the computer during a specific time of day.

The Computer Usage Management Tool, unlike content filters, focuses on allowing parents to balance their child’s computer time by regulating game playing time. The main idea of these applications is to allow parents to put some education into the computer time of children, by having the child earn time for games by working through educational programs.



SOME CONTROLS PARENTS CAN PUT ON A COMPUTER:

Content filters
They will limit access to appropriate content, Content filters were the first popular type of parental control to limit access to internet.

Control of use or time
These control the use of the computer by placing a limit on the time a child can be on the computer, or not allowing certain types of programs.

Computer monitoring
Tracks location and activity when using the computer.

Computer usage management tools
Enables parents to enforce learning time a child computing.

Proxy Servers
A web browser sends a request for web content to the proxy server rather than directly to the web server. The proxy server then gets the web page from the server and passes on the content to the browser.  Proxy servers can inspect the data being sent and received, and intervene depending on various criteria relating to content of the page or the URL being requested.

Still don’t think you need to monitor the your childs computer use?

Several years ago, when my children started surfing the computer regularly, I monitored their use. I regularly checked the web history, and I quietly reviewed the pages they had looked at. One day I found all history had been deleted. They were told that if I found the history section deleted again, they would be banned from using the computer. I checked the web pages in history every 2 or 3 days. I wasn’t worried or concerned.
Imagine my surprise, when I was inspecting the history one day, and I noticed my daughter, age 12, was looking at dating sites! I also found a web page she had designed and set up about herself.  Today, there are social sites like facebook, and myspace and chat messaging that kids call fall victim to.  Don’t wait to find out the hard way. Call IQ Computer Services .

Intel's new technology.

Intel’s i3, i5, and i7 processors.
Raw Power….
Scary Speed….
Intel has trumped your tough applications.
Their newest processors are a revolution in technology.
They have the brute force to handle anything you can throw at them.
They routinely increase performance whenever you run that high end job, or they can become energy efficient to the point of shutting down a processor core to reduce the power usage when there isn’t a need for it.
These smart processors will adjust to your personal needs.

For those needing top-of-the line performance for intense gaming, multitasking, or demanding multimedia tasks, Intel’s smart processors optimize performance by automatically adapting to whatever task you are performing .
Turbo Boost Technology can deliver the processing muscle to power through demanding tasks like 3D gaming, media creation and HD video encoding.

The small business person wears many hats.
Sometimes there’s not enough hours in the day. Intel has made multi-tasking a breeze with their i3, i5, and i7 processors. Intel’s i3 can run circles around their old processor the Core 2. With i5, and i7’s Turbo-Boost, the name says it all. Lightening fast speed.

Computers equipped with a Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor will provide you with solid performance for everyday applications. Designed for productivity at home, school or work. These processors deliver ample power for everyday multi-tasking, like enjoying and capturing digital media, home movies, music and photos.

Intel’s i3, i5, and i7 also deliver incredible performance for music, gaming videos, movies, photos, social networking, or other challenging applications. Turbo Boost technology adjusts performance to the workload, by allowing each processing core to run multiple tasks simultaneously. This is what gives the processor its zip.


Intel i3, i5, or i7 processor allows you to better manage your work, family or school workload.
Whatever you demand in a desktop computer, business or home, these processors, the i3, i5, or Intel’s i7, are able to give you the intelligent power for the job you need.

Let IQ Computer Services design a system that’s right for you. The professionals at IQ can answer all your questions about which processor and applications will best fit your needs. Talk to them today.

Intel’s latest and greatest Processors, The Wave of the Future

A computer processor is another name for the CPU. CPU stands for “Central Processing Unit”, and may also be called by the term “processor”. A CPU consists of electronic components that run the operations of a computer. The faster the CPU, the faster the computer can execute. The CPU can be thought of as the engine of the computer.

Intel has 3 new CPU processors. The Core i3, i5, and i7.
Intel’s last processor was the Core 2 processor. The Core 2 processors were pretty clear-cut. You had a Core 2 Duo (two processor cores on one chip), or the Core 2 Quad (four processors on one chip). The i3, i5, and the i7 processors are a step up over the old processor, the Core 2. These new processors are designed to make your PC run quicker and more efficient than the Core 2 processors they replace.

Intel has simplified things by paring everything down into three main categories, entry-level (Intel Core i3), mid-range (Intel Core i5), and high-range (Intel Core i7). The performance and features generally increase with the size of the “i” identifier number. In other words, Core i5 processors are faster than Core i3 processors.

With these new processors, Intel introduces a new technology. Its called Hyper-Threading. With the old Core 2 processor, it could handle one process at a time. The new Core i3 has a dual core base like the Core 2, but Hyper-Threading allows the Core i3 to run two processes simultaneously on each core. This allows it to perform four operations at once, instead of the usual two. This makes it a lot faster than the old Core 2.

Every computer contains an internal clock that regulates the rate, or speed at which instructions are executed. The internal clock also synchronizes all the various computer components together.
Computer Clock Speed, also called clock rate, is the speed at which a processor executes these instructions.

The Core i5, is almost identical to the i3 with Hyper-Threading, except that it will go faster still. The Core i5 processors have a new feature known as Intel Turbo Boost.
Turbo Boost is a system that automatically over clocks the processor to a faster frequency. In other words, this processor will run faster than the set speed of your computer. Depending on the application, the i5 may give you a noticeable difference in speed than the i3.

The Core i7 processors are available in 2 different chipsets. Both chipsets offer quad core performance, hyper threading, and Turbo Boost Technology. However, the i7 processors are considered to be slightly faster still, and the “top of the line” out of all the processors.
Both variations of the Core i7 CPU offer similar performance and in most cases that performance is unbelievably scary fast.

Intel Hyper Treading Technology uses the processor more efficiently. That in turn gives you improved performance, and lightning fast speed.

The future is here with the Intel i3, i5, and i7.
Which ever version you choose in the Intel Core series you will receive a first class quality processor.  IQ Computer Services can answer all your questions. The pros at IQ Computer can design a system that's right for you. Contact them today.