Best Graphics Cards

By Ken Bravio

Most off the shelf computers from stores such as Best Buy or Target have integrated graphics, meaning a base line non-dedicated video processing "card" - in other words, you won't be doing much gaming with a stock integrated graphics chip.


Upgrading to a dedicated graphics card is one of the best upgrades you can do for your desktop - whether you don't have one, or just are looking to upgrade your slow machine.

Keep in mind - if you are upgrading to check and see how big of a power supply is required to power the card. All cards should list this information, and if not a little digging around on the internet should provide that information. You may need to upgrade your Power Supply (PSU) in order to power a new graphics card. So be sure to double check this before spending your money on a card.

EVGA GTX670

This is an NVIDIA graphics card, one of the top 2 players in the GPU game. This is a 2GB card, which a few months ago was considered the top of the line, but in 2013 we will see a lot more 3GB or even 4GB cards. That does not mean this card is not a beast - because it is a beast. Direct X11 capable, PCI-E 3.0 16x and more - you will be gaming at HD resolutions and beyond, with the best graphics settings possible.

AMD Radeon HD7970

Radeon is the competitor to NVIDIA, usually offering a cheaper alternative to it's NVIDIA sister cards. But this doesn't mean they are weaker. The HD7970 is a very powerful card at a great price - probably one of the best "budget" cards you could get for price/performance. With 2GB RAM, a 925MHz clock speed, PCI Express 3.0, this is a BEAST card. It's size shows it too - make sure your case can fit it. It also requires at least a 500w PSU.

MSI GTX 660 Ti

MSI manufactures a lot of cards and this specific one runs on NVIDIA drivers. It has a 915 MHz clock speed, 2GB ram, PCI Express 3.0, and a few other bells. MSI makes great cards with great cooling ability. This one features MSI's Twin Frozr IV feature which keeps the card 14 degrees Celsius cooler then normal. Say goodbye to dust buildup on your card and increase the life of your GPU.

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950

This is a fantastic budget card with AMD drivers - the 6950 is older, but still a beast. A 800Mhz clock speed (that overclocks very well), PCi Express 2.0, direct x11 support, and 2GB video ram is featured on this card. It's truly a power house card for the price (under $200) and is easily overclockable and can reach speeds on par with more expensive cards such as the 7950.

How to Deal With Malware

By George Cherere

                                                                  

Prevention has always been said to be better than a cure and this is most definitely true with issues concerning malware and other cyber threats. Malware is often in reference to any software which has been installed on the computer remotely, knowingly and unknowingly. The intention of these pieces of software is to gather information and to also scam people off their hard earned money. 

Malware was once a very big problem for Windows PCs and still is with now the problems also happening to the Apple Macs. Malware threats have been on the rise on an unprecedented scale and the reasons behind it are many. The most common malware are the Trojans, adware, backdoor, spyware, botnets, rootkits, Zombie, key loggers and worms among other forms of the malware.

The common methods through which the different types of malware are installed on a personal computer unknowingly are through disguise as other software especially so for the software which is provided as freeware. Often the download manager and file sharing applications will come with the malware. Other methods are through HTML attachments, the active x control and on websites which demand installation of software. 

Once the software is installed, the damage done is either big or minimal dependent on what it has been coded to do. Some malware has no option for uninstall while others will effect changes to the computer which will demand the re-imaging of the computer which dire consequences like losing important data.

Knowing the symptoms of infection with malware is important to informing the decision to disinfect the computer or which will necessitate further checks for the rogue software. The most common signs will be the computer taking very long to start and the system performing very poorly, the browser performing in a weird manner either the home page changes to a different site without any changes whenever you try, web pages adding themselves to your list of favorites, the browser stopping and closing without warning, search results getting displayed on a totally different site, additional toolbars on the browser, advertisements opening up on the browser are just a number of the signs of malware attack.

Removing malware from a computer is a demanding process and one which has dire risks associated with these efforts. The ideal situation is the protection of a computer from malware and this will not only call for the installation of antivirus software but the adoption of other strident measures in guarding against malware attacks. The preventive measures which will act as a guarantee in guarding against the attacks. The antivirus software should be updated regularly and protection is always turned on. 

The computer should always have a firewall and patches are done. Management of risk will work well to ensure that risky applications are done away with and that only safe applications are installed or used. Another preventive measure is that data is protected and managed well to prevent losses. 

There are many checks and verifications in trying to prevent attacks from malware. Just like the very many malware threats lurking out there, there are a dozen of way to keep secure 99% of the malware attacks will be kept off by the practicing safety, risk management and privacy, defensive browsing and sensible use of the internet. All these are different needs which can be done at a time or at different times.

But even with these many measures, it should be remembered that even with deep security, security lapses cannot be afforded and this should be in recognition that even the best security method is not 100% failure-proof. Extra steps and a keen attention to security works to keep you a step ahead of hackers and any associated danger. It is said that any positive security step or method counts for value now and in the future. This is especially so for businesses. No level of security is intact when there is no existing plan to deal with the situation if it unfortunately arises and this is the situation of a security failure. 

It goes without saying that the occurrence of an infection means that the security measures put in place have failed. Having lost this security tussle does not imply that an individual should give up but it implies that the process starts all over again this time employing new measures and tactics. This is where the plan comes in handy to limit the damage and to keep going.

There are companies which are committed to preventing the spread of computer viruses and threats, like KaspAV, a division of Guardian Network Solutions. KaspAV specializes in providing the ultimate anti-phishing solutions in order to prevent harmful types of viruses from lodging into your system and to facilitate safe web browsing
.

Software That Helps Medical Professionals

By Thom Michaels

Clerical tasks within the medical field are tedious and time consuming. 
All medical professionals know those tasks they dread and wish they didn't have to do,
 or wish they had more efficient processes for. The great news for medical professionals 
is that those clerical tasks are being considered by technological professionals and being 
improved with the use of technology. tasks are becoming less of a hassle and becoming 
more efficient and productive.

With the growth of computers comes the growth of software programs. While software is great for many professions, it hasn't truly reached the medical field in a great capacity, especially for doctors and nurses. However, software is now reaching doctors and nurses, to help them complete tasks faster than ever, but in an efficient process. Software has entered the medical field like never before and professionals are starting to take notice and use the tools offered.

So, what software tools are being offered? At the moment, dictation software is making a breakthrough in the medical field. Why? Because it reduces time and cost for transcription of medical documentation. Those tasks that everyone dislikes--dictation software targets those and makes them easier than ever. Dictation software helps by allowing medical professionals to speak documentation rather than writing it. Immediately, it reduces the strain on the body to write so much in one day for several patients. Medical professionals can use small microphones to speak documentation into the software while it collects the speech and writes it in a file for the professional. It's quick, easy and natural. Speaking is easier than writing, so why not do what's easiest and use it to complete tasks? That's what dictation targets.

The amount of time and money saved is worth noting with this software. When you start saving small chunks of time with each patient, you have more time to see other patients or complete other tasks in the office that you otherwise couldn't get around to. Also, when you reduce the amount of paper and supplies you use in traditional documentation, you begin to save money. While the returns may be small in the beginning, you do get a return in savings and any portion adds up over time.

So, if you can cut costs and save time, wouldn't you consider dictation software as an addition to your medical practice? Professionals around the globe are considering it as a great tool for their daily tasks. It enables productivity to thrive and genuine interaction between doctors and patients to occur. Dictation software--a small step forward in the medical field with big benefits.

Medical software is changing the way documentation is transcribed and filed. Save time and money with new technology from Dragon Medical HiTech and make clerical tasks easier. To learn more log on to http://dragonmedicalhitech.com/products/dragon-medical-practice-edition/

iPad: strengths and weaknesses of the Apple Tablet

Eagerly awaited, the first touchpad Apple unveiled Wednesday by Steve Jobs, not convincing at all levels. Overview of reactions in the press and on blogs.


No more rumors, up to criticism. Wednesday night, Steve Jobs introduced in San Francisco, the first touchpad awaited Apple. On the Internet, reactions were quickly flooded. Inspired by the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad seems undeniable qualities, but the copy delivered by Apple is not perfect. Here are the qualities and defects most frequently exposed.

Forces iPad:

• The color touch screen. no keyboard, the iPad comes down to the touchscreen of 9.7 inches (24.6 centimeters). Anyone who approached emphasize the high quality rendering. "The screen is very responsive," Judge a reporter for the Associated Press . Amazon's Kindle, which uses electronic ink technology in black and white, less tiring to the eyes, seem very dull side."It's like comparing a computer and a typewriter," writes TechCrunch .
• The speed. 's iPad is powered by the first processor designed in-house by Apple A4, 1GHz. According to initial tests, the menu navigation of the tablet and the animations are very fluid. "The Internet pages load so fast that it is hard to believe," writes blogger John Gruber , Apple specialist. The first 3D games presented show significant potential. Low power consumption, the chip achieves a theoretical range of ten hours, at least twice as much as most laptops.

• A derivative of the iPhone. The iPad uses the same operating system as the iPhone. The applications designed to 140,000 one therefore operate on the other. To take full advantage of the screen of the new device, wider than the phone, developers will still need to make some changes to their software.In the meantime, it is possible to artificially increase their size.

• The price. This is the surprise of the evening. While a rate of $ 1,000 had been raised, the iPad will be sold from $ 499 for the WiFi version of basic and $ 629 with 3G. "The price is very aggressive, positioning it well for mass adoption," said Brian Marshall, an analyst at Broadpoint Amtech.

Weaknesses of the iPad:

• The design. Apple products are often praised for their design. The iPad is an exception. The broad outline of the screen is designed so that the fingers do not touch accidentally touch screen was far too wide by Gizmodo . The main button, Identical to the iPhone, if not ideally placed. The screen closest to the 4/3 format as 16/9, also surprised. The correspondent of the Guardian also concerned that the unit is too fragile to be used in school. PCWorld find it a bit heavy to be held in one hand.

• The same boundaries as iPhone. iPad any more than the iPhone, allows you to play videos and Flash animations on the Internet, sorry Fred Cavazza. It is also possible to run multiple applications simultaneously. In fact, the iPad marks the triumph of the Apple ecosystem, where everything goes through very simple applications to access, but closed, sorry Mashable . Thus, to fulfill its iPad music, in books, photos and videos, you must go through iTunes on your computer.

The iPad can be connected to an external keyboard. Photo credits: AFP

• The keyboard. During his presentation in 2007, the iPhone's touch keyboard had raised some doubts. Three years later, the iPad has the right to the same criticism. Walt Mossberg, a journalist at the Wall Street Journal , the virtual keyboard is too wide. Blog Kotaku finds the typos are more important than on the iPhone. For those who plan to enter a lot of text, Apple has provided a traditional external keyboard that connects to the tablet.

• No webcam, no USB or SD card or HDMI.many thought Apple would include the iPad camera and video conferencing software. This will eventually be for the second version. As usual with Apple, specifications are limited to regret the editors CrunchGear . Those who want to connect their tablet to a TV or unload their photos will have to buy adapters developed by Apple.

• The name. In the United States, the name chosen by Apple for its touch pad is very difficult to pass, citing sanitary napkins. On Twitter, the term "iTampon" became, in derision, the second most discussed topic on Wednesday night. Seriously questioned on the subject, Steve Jobs said that the iPod name in his time, had also been subject to criticism.