Now is the best time to increase memory
Article Abstract:
Significant decreases in RAM costs make mid-1996 an ideal time to purchase more memory, whether users are buying new PCs or upgrading old ones. Due to an oversupply of chips, 8MB of RAM costs $70 in Jun 1996, compared to the $270 it cost in 1995. Adding more memory to an existing PC will provide significant performance improvements, since data can be accessed from RAM 150 times more rapidly than it can be accessed from the hard disk. Users should check their computer's manual or consult the manufacturer to determine what kind of memory to buy. The new memory should be of the same type already in use in the machine and should have a nanosecond-rating equal to or lower than the existing memory. The majority of users will add Single In-line Memory Modules (SIMM), which are relatively simple to install. Testing shows that 16MB is the ideal amount of memory, but users should plan carefully, remembering that applications are constantly growing larger.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
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Digital Christmas? Why not wait?
Article Abstract:
Customers of computer products should delay their purchases until 1997 when new products based on significant technological changes will be available. Intel's new Pentium MMX chip, for example, will offer not only speed increases, but also improved video and graphics capabilities. Since upgrading an older machine to MMX will be expensive and the MMX machines themselves will be reasonably priced, customers are advised to wait for the new machines. The new version of Windows 95, which increases hard drive capacity, will not be generally available until spring 1997. Customers may also want to wait for DVDs, high-capacity disks with improved video quality. Machines with DVD-ROMs will be released in 1997. Even customers not interested in DVDs may want to defer buying a CD-ROM drive until machines compatible with CD-RWs, erasable disks, are on the market.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1996
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Fixing a smart program
Article Abstract:
Using a spreadsheet program on a machine with Intel's flawed Pentium chip and using it on a machine with the replacement chip produce two different answers. The long division errors associated with the flawed chips were termed 'occasional,' but consumer concerns were enough to make Intel offer a replacement. Intel's policy is to replace the chip or refer the user to the vendor that supplied the PC. Users can get the run-around when attempting to get a replacement chip, and the average time it takes for the new chip to arrive is between 2 weeks and a month. After installation of the new chip, it was discovered that many of the initial chip's calculations were wrong. Identical formulas had produced different results because the software is too smart for the hardware.
Publication Name: The New York Times
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0362-4331
Year: 1995
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