Hump Day Hardware: Memory Cards

Last week I talked about the usefulness of a USB flash drive. This week we're going to talk about the flash memory cards used inside of digital cameras, mobile phones and other devices.

One unfortunate part of this product category is that there are multiple standards in the market. I won't even try to talk about all of them. Instead I'll focus on the three that seem to be the most widely used: CompactFlash, SD and microSD. Another flavor is Sony's Memory Stick and I just have never used it so I don't have any information to offer.

CompactFlash is often used in higher-end digital cameras. It is the biggest physical card and often the most expensive. If you are a photographer, you'll probably want to have a large capacity card and probably several of them. A good choice is the SanDisk 16 GB Extreme III card which sells for around $85. For those who want one of the fastest cards available, the SanDisk 16 GB Extreme IV delivers, but also comes with a higher price. Sure, there are smaller cards available at lower prices, but I would personally stick with at least 16 GB so you have a card that won't fill up too fast.

SD cards are also popular choices in cameras and phones. There is also a flavor called SDHC (high capacity) for those who want more storage space. The Kingston 16 GB SDHC card offers a lot of storage space for only $33 and change.

The last flavor is microSD which has an even smaller footprint than SD cards. I've not seen it used in a camera, but I'm sure it is. You'll also find it quite popular in newer phones as a way to expand memory. My choice would be the SanDisk 16 GB microSDHC card which sells for under $65. Depending on your needs, it might be a good idea to have multiple cards to swap in and out of your device.

I think almost everyone these days is going to have a device using some sort of memory card. Make sure you get cards with plenty of capacity and speed!

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Hump Day Hardware: Computer System

In my hump day hardware series, I have talked about various components for your computer. Today let's focus on the brains in your computer. We'll go over the choices for your processor and the amount of memory you should have installed.

Processor: The first decision is between Intel and AMD chips. There was a timeframe when AMD was putting out chips that made Intel look slow and expensive. Intel felt the threat and has really turned up the heat. At this time, I can't find any reason to consider an AMD chip. You might disagree and you are welcome to comment with your reasoning.

Then we need to look at the number of cores to get in our new processor. It is getting harder to find a processor with only a single core so I'll focus on dual-core vs. quad core chips. Most software is not written to take advantage of more than one core. CorelDRAW as an example will not take advantage of multiple cores. There are some effects in Corel PHOTO-PAINT that can run as separate threads and thus would take advantage of an extra core. You also need to look at the clock speed of each of those cores. Typically a dual-core chip will offer a much faster clock speed at less money. As an example, the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 dual-core processor runs at 3.0 GHz with a 1333 MHz front side bus and sells for $168.50 at Amazon. Intel Corel 2 Quad Q9550 quad-core processor runs at 2.83 GHz with a 1333 MHz front side bus and sells for $319.90 at Amazon. The specs I've listed are certainly not the only thing to consider, but I'd go for a dual-core processor at this time because there just isn't enough benefit for most users to spend the extra money on a quad-core chip.

Memory: Before you can decide how much memory to install, you need to decide if you will be running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. The vast majority of users today are running 32-bit Windows. If you run a 32-bit version of Windows, it is limited to addressing no more than 4 GB of memory. A single process is limited to a total of 3.2 GB. In short, there is no reason at all to install more than 4 GB of memory if you are running a 32-bit version of Windows (XP or Vista). Most likely you won't even be able to use the full 4 GB.

The limit on Windows XP 64-bit is 128 GB of physical memory. So if you decide to go 64-bit, I'd probably go with 8 GB of memory.

You might think it is a no brainer to go 64-bit given the ability to use more memory. This is where it gets tricky. You might find that not all of your software or hardware will work in a 64-bit system. Hardware will need a 64-bit driver. If you have new hardware that is a popular choice, you'll probably find a driver available. Mainstream software from the last few years should also be fairly safe. The exception to this would be low-level utilities like disk defragmenters, anti-virus tools and anything else that works closely with the operating system. I've not personally jumped to 64-bit on any of my systems because of incompatibilities with software and hardware. This might change with the next computer I buy, but I'd stick with 32-bit if I had to buy a computer today.

Remember, I've covered other components in previous blog posts. If you'd like information on these components, I'll provide links here for those posts. So far I've covered sound cards, mice, keyboards, graphics tablets, graphics cards and a free Xerox printer. What other components would you like me to cover? Leave a comment and I'll do my best to cover the suggested components in future weeks.

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Memory Usage Setting Does Nothing

Frequently I'll hear users talk about how they've increased the Memory Usage setting (at right) in CorelDRAW's Tools | Options | Memory dialog box. Supposedly it has improved the performance of CorelDRAW. I hate to break the news to everyone, but it doesn't do anything.

Back in Windows 98, the operating system allowed applications to fence off memory for themselves. That isn't necessary in Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Given that CorelDRAW X3 and X4 will not run on Windows 98, the feature has been completely non-functional for a couple of versions now. The developers at Corel have admitted it doesn't do anything. It is something that needs to be removed, and I suspect it will be removed in the next version. So if setting the percentage to a higher number makes it seem faster to you, go for it. The reality is that it has no effect at all.

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