The term Fraps was derived from the industry term Frames Per Second. Fraps is a third part application that is used for capturing screenshots, video’s and also benchmarking games. This application is utilized in Direct X applications and also in OpenGl applications. The main reason this application is used widely is for measuring a computer’s performance with any given game and also for recording games. Fraps is also used in making Machinima films. Fraps allows gamers to record games without causing a great impact on the performance of games. Fraps allows you to capture some of those epic moments that cannot be described in words. If you are an avid gamer, you will need some concrete proof for that awesome kill streak or that epic vehicle stunt. Benchmarking using fraps helps you tune your PC and your graphics so that you get the best of your machine and game alike.

Demo version of game has a watermark logo on top of the video and the recording time is also limited to 30 seconds per session. Any still image captures are captured in Bitmap (BMP) format. If you get the paid version you get unlimited recording time and can take screenshots in a multitude of formats like PNG, TGA, and JPEG file formats to name a few. One problem is that the recorded files are kept in pretty large file formats and they are recorded in AVI format. In order to reduce the file size it is recommended to get a decent video converter to compress the files for better sharing and managing purposes. The developer claims that this software can capture at 100 fps at a screen resolution set at 1152X864, this is possible with single core CPU’s and 2560X1600 on a dual core processor. This is a tall order and big words but it all comes down to your graphics card limits.

Make sure that you have the latest drivers installed, enough space on your HDD for all those heavy files and ample RAM. Any application’s function strictly depends on your computer’s hardware. With the multitude of recording options and ability to take snapshots in multiple formats, Machinima artists and regular gamers have a number of options in front of them and can show off their talents for bragging rights. Fraps displays a FPS meter at the desired corner of your computer screen, the color of the numbers go red when you are recording and green when not recording. The numbers do not show up on the final recorded product. Although Fraps is only compatible on windows operating system, there is no news if the application will be available on other operating systems. It is important to note that the user is running programs that involve Direct X and OpenGL.

Web browsers have been around for as long as internet has existed. Browsers are the basic platform to connect to the internet. The fastest web browser might be hard to pick amongst the various browsers available in the present era. However, as an internaut, you are looking for  compatibility, functionality, delivering capabilities and overall optimized speed in your browser. The type of internet connection is important to your browsers functionality. It is highly unlikely to get broadband speeds on a dial-up connection just because of using a particular browser. The browser is an application through which you connect to the internet, and a browser functionality depends on the internet connection which you have installed.

The very first release of a browser can be dated back to the fruitful year of 1996. Certain browsers were made to run on specific operating systems, but now there are a multitude of browsers that run on multiple operating systems. Some browsers are open source and are distributed through several freeware sites.

Many browsers claim to be the fastest and have added features that enhance your browsing, but such claims are yet to be proved. The most common place to answer the question ‘which browser is best’ is to go with the most favorite one or the most common one that is being used by the community.

Note that security is also a feature that cannot be overlooked when browsing. Choose a browser that has the facility to link up with your antivirus application and helps red flag any malicious software that you might be downloading or block any malicious sites or pop up’s that ask you to enter your credentials. The browser should have the facility to pause and resume your downloads at any given time. A browser should help you keep a record of all websites that you visit, so that you can keep an eye on what websites your little ones have been visiting and also have a feature to block users from visiting any sites which you do not wish them to visit.

Your operating software comes with a default browser that has all the above mentioned requirements. Some features might be missing but you can always update and upgrade according to your requirements. Not to sound repetitive, but your browsing speed depends on your internet speed provided by your ISP and also how well your browser connects to the internet with. There are multiple options to choose from and when choosing which browser to go with, please keep certain things in mind, so that you get the best that this global linking method has to offer. Some common browsers include, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer (provided with Microsoft OS) and Opera. All these browsers claim to be the best but their usage depends on the user and his/her browsing. Some browsers made to run on multiple OS were later dropped or terminated, some browsers also have BETA running so you can use them before they are officially released and test to see if they meet your requirements.

There are a total of six versions that were released. Experts are sure why Microsoft bothered with so many versions, but sources guess it had something to do with partial marketing to target specific market requirements. What that means is, you can choose the operating system according to your needs. The six versions were, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate.

The names are pretty self explanatory. You buy the software that you wish to use it for. Although it is recommended that you get the Ultimate Version because that way you need not go about buying extra software upgrades as you go along. Several people have had some bad experiences with Vista and were forced to switch back to Windows XP Professional, thus it is only normal for any individual to think twice before going for a software overhaul, taking into consideration Microsoft’s “colorful” background of recent OS releases. Windows 7 does its part, it stands out, it makes your computing tasks a whole lot easy and it supports many of the much older applications that you need “administrator rights” or “compatibility” changes to run. Comparing Windows 7 to Vista would be an insult and the reason be damned because Windows 7 feels like a software for the future, it is a brain in itself and if you feel it to be a little out of bounds for those XP programs that refuse to run in Windows 7, please do not panic, Microsoft has thought of that too.

There is an application that you can download from Microsoft’s website for Virtual PC. It is called “Windows XP mode.” Just as the name suggests, this is a freeware download for Windows 7. It is a standalone application which lets you run XP programs that would otherwise not run in Windows 7. The objective here is that Microsoft is trying to make up for its previous compatibility errors. Just log on to Microsoft’s website and under the category ‘compatibility’ you will find a whole list of upgrades. If you are a gamer, there are a few things that you will need to tweak before you play any games online. There are a few tweaks that need to be done in MsConfig for lag issues and spikes. You will need to edit your ‘settings.ini’ file for that game and also put all graphic settings at LOW. It is all for the greater good, as these minor tweaks will allow you to enjoy the game without lag or a messy pixelated screen. By the looks of things, it seems that Microsoft has thought about everything to ensure cost cutting and optimized work time. There will be issues none the less, but it is only natural that software of the future demand futuristic hardware and application based software for long time continued service.

At the risk of sounding like one of those TV infomercials, there is more that this application offers for its loyal gamers. Gamers are a demanding bunch of people, they want the whole package or they do not want any of it at all. This application has voice chat so that you and your mates can communicate while in game and that way you do not have to install a third party application or worry if your game supports voice chat, and tune it till you can get through to your mates. You can take screenshots to post on forums for bragging rights, you can also record videos and here is something new, you can actually “broadcast” your game play to fellow gamers and on the web but there is a small catch; X-fire will only allow you to record, broadcast video that it is compatible with and with the present gaming world, it supports most titles.

There was an SDK that was released, the purpose was to give gamers the freedom to expose game data to X-fire, but the gamer can only take screenshots with games that are not compatible. X-fire also allows gamers to form clans and guilds by inviting and adding their mates and fellow gamers. There is also a feature that allows you to browse the internet. All these features are available provided you launch the game through X-fire. As of recently X-fire supports 1,520 games and adding, of multiple genre’s. It’s not like X-fire just wants to get its application out there for gamers to enjoy, X-fire likes to stay connected with gamers. X-fire hosts a different event once every month, the purpose is to get gamers engaged with developers and producers of X-fire by holding chat sessions, debates on games and applications, tournaments between clans and guilds and the ever so popular Machinima contests.

Speculation is that the idea for an I-pad from an educational institution that invented an electronic device that had a touch screen and had the capabilities to store educational information for easier references. In other words an audio-visual media utility that can be used as a book, can be used to watch videos, access the internet and to play recreational mind games to challenge the intellect. This device was supposed to be the next frontier in education simply because it was carrying the capacity of a whole library in a single electronic device by which you can access any information at any point of time. Well, the I-pad is something more on those grounds and then some.

The idea when creating an I-Pad was to mix work, entertainment and everything in between, basically the whole package that you could carry on self. Sure that’s what laptops are meant to do but laptops can be bulky, the device needed to be sleek and weigh almost nothing, almost being the word. The I-pad weighs just above 600 Grams, being another product from Apple it can be synced with any other Apple device, like the I-phone and I-pod using a USB connection. It has multi touch display and uses Wi-Fi to connect with the internet. There have been millions of units sold and the sales are still going strong. With media reaction dwelling between positive and neutral it is safe to say that the people can expect something more. There have been rumors that the new I-Pad might have a 2048X1536 resolution. For those who do not know what that means, simply multiply the present resolution times two and the end result is what you can expect. It is said to have a retina display, these rumors were started when apple released an image of a comparison between screen resolutions of the old and new I-phone and I-pad. It will need a GPU overhaul to support such resolutions and you can expect Apple to deliver should they go ahead with this update.

I’m Matt Harrison I live in the United Kingdom and I’m co-owner of LiquidTutorials, I’m learning web development and Photoshop in my spare time.

RAM (Computer Hardware)

What is RAM?

RAM, Random Access Memory. The official definition states that “it is a form of computer data storage.” Have you ever opened your CPU cabinet? If you have, you must’ve noticed that there is a big fan mounted on the motherboard and right next to it is a couple of pieces of plastic sticks neatly tucked in. These sticks are RAM. These sticks allow you to access stored data in any order, hence the term “random.” The storage location does not matter neither does the fact that the data is unrelated to the previous data; any piece of data can be accessed easily. RAM can be divided into two kinds:

1)      Static RAM

2)      Dynamic RAM

How does RAM work?

Dynamic RAM is the most common form of RAM, It is made up of Integrated circuit which has millions of transistors and capacitors. A transistor and capacitor together make a memory cell. A capacitor can either hold a 1 or a 0. A capacitor holds electrons, when the electrons are charged the capacitor is holding 1 and when the capacitor is discharged it is holding 0. The CPU or the memory controller has to constantly refresh the capacitor so that it does not get discharged and loses what is stored in the memory cell. The process of refreshing takes place thousand times in a second. This is why it gets the name dynamic.

The chip is divided into rows and columns; the place where the rows and columns intersect is where the address of the storage location

As opposed to Dynamic RAM static RAM does not need to be refreshed, it has four to six capacitors in the same wiring. Static RAM is faster but expensive
Dynamic RAM is slower but cheap.

Various other types of RAM are:

1.)    SDRAM:  Synchronous dynamic random access memory

2.)    Rambus SDRAM: Rambus dynamic random access memory

3.)    DDR: Double data rate synchronous dynamic RAM

4.)    Credit Card memory

5.)    VRAM: Video Random Access Memory

What kind of RAM do you need?

Well, this totally depends on what you plan to do with your computer. If you plan to play some realistic games or do some graphic designing, then you should have more RAM. When upgrading your computer it’s important to upgrade everything, yes everything, it’s because when one part is upgraded then other parts need to keep up with the upgraded part. Say for example you upgraded your processer; it’s advisable to consider upgrading your RAM as well for optimum performance. Normal RAM memory can be as low as 64 MB to as high as 4GB. That’s the range you can opt for depending on your computers use. If you plan to operate high end programs then you would need to support it with high end hardware. Consult with your local computer dealer before you go ahead and buy stuff. It is important to note that the wrong hardware can cause your computer to crash. Decide on what you want to use your PC for and consult with the dealer to get the best and try and stay updated with the hardware news.