What You Should Know
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Dual Monitor Technology
Few PC users have ever experienced the huge productivity boost that comes from using multiple monitors on the same PC. Ironically, many of today's PC have the capability already installed, and Windows (since 2000) natively supports dual monitors. Configuring dual monitors is so easy: just use the second video port (if there are two separate ports installed), or add a second video card or better yet, a video card that has dual DVI ports. Then plug in your second monitor, change a couple of simple Windows settings, and you have double the Windows Desktop. This lets you have your spreadsheet and email visible at the same time, or PowerPoint and Photoshop. The combinations are endless. And since most of the overhead is handled by the video card, there is little significant impact (if any) on system performance. Dual Monitors is one of the simplest, yet most amazing productivity boosters you can add to your PC! Optionally, you can use a dual monitor stand and recover your workspace in the process! |
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PCI Express - Delivering Dramatically Improved Graphics
Doubling the bandwidth of the AGP 8X graphics bus, the new PCI Express represents the most profound change to desktop architecture in nearly a decade. PCI Express replaces AGP, allowing much larger amounts of data to move between the graphics card and the CPU, and will soon replace PCI expansion slots as well. The PCI standard allows for a 32-bit bus with a maximum throughput of 133MB/s. By contrast, PCI Express will run at 2.5GHz. PCI Express is a two-way serial connection that carries data in packets along two pairs of point-to-point data lines, compared to the single parallel data bus of traditional PCI. Gamers will benefit from an incredible upgrade in video quality with PCI Express, because it will allow for more powerful video cards, inspiring developers to create more realistic environments that will make games come alive with astonishingly lifelike colors and images. Video enthusiasts will also benefit because PCI Express will accommodate higher-quality video throughput (amount of data you can send per second). As network television moves over to HDTV broadcasts, PCI Express positions the PC platform for integration into the living room, while also allowing for HD video editing and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. PCI Express is compatible with existing PCI drivers and software operating systems and is designed to co-exist with current PCI hardware. |
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PCI Express 2.0 - High End Graphics Have Arrived
PCI Express Base 2.0 specification doubles the interconnect bit rate from 2.5 GT/s to 5 GT/s in a seamless and compatible manner. The performance boost to 5 GT/s is by far the most important feature of the PCI Express 2.0 specifications. It effectively increases the aggregate bandwidth of a 16-lane link to approximately 16 GB/s. The higher bandwidth will allow product designers to implement narrower interconnect links to achieve high performance while reducing cost.
A number of optimizations and improvements have been made to the protocol and software layers of the PCI Express architecture in the PCI Express Base 2.0 specification. These include:
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 Dynamic link speed management – to control the speed at which the link is operating
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Link bandwidth notification – to notify software (operating system, device drivers, etc) of changes in link speed and width
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Capability structure expansion – to expand the control registers to better manage devices, slots and the interconnect
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Access control services – optional controls to manage peer-peer transactions
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Completion timeout control – to define a required disable mechanism plus related optional enhancements
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Function-level reset – optional mechanism to reset functions within a device
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Power limit redefinition – to redefine slot power limit values to accommodate devices that consume higher power
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Video Card Designs
Today's high performance video cards enable amazing graphics, and frequently come emblazoned with high-impact graphics, or in brilliant colors. These help to enhance the appeal of the card. However, from time to time, manufacturers do change these designs and colors, but this has no effect on the features, specifications, or performance of the specific video card model, and will usually retain the same manufacturer's model and part number. The images displayed for a video card are based upon the sample provided by the manufacturer, and the specific visual design you receive may vary. So remember, while the card may look cool, it's the specs that matter! |
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