Windows 8 Killing PC Sales
Interesting; Actually, this is interesting timing because one of my E-mail newsletters actually links to a refutation to this particular note from a month or so ago.
As usual, Slashdot being Slashdot.
The linked article starts off pretty badly:
For the longest time, people were under the false assumption that computers simply "slowed down" over time. This is partly because reinstalling Windows and your applications is simply not something people could do easily; for most people, the computer was a magic box, and once it slowed down, they had to buy a new one. However, more recent Operating Systems have much friendlier and easier to use Setup Procedures, and Manufacturer Policies such as Recovery Partitions and Discs have helped as well, since they allow anybody to revert their machine to "new" state. This has started to dispel the PC Sales associate dreamworld where people thought that their right-click menu taking a long time meant they needed a new PC, turning a large portion of the PC userbase into a virtual smorgasbord of commissions.
The prevalence of PCs has caused something interesting- people have learned about them. Just as the Printing Press and the eventual availability of affordable books caused an increase in literacy, so too has the prevalence- and commodity- of PCs caused people to become far more literate in the past. People are far more versed in how to perform standard maintenance on their machines, and the end result is that they suit their purposes just fine.
Moving back to the article:
As usual, Slashdot being Slashdot.
The linked article starts off pretty badly:
The ailing personal computer market is getting weakerWhere does it get this information? By what definition are they using the term "weaker"? Windows 8 sold more copies in it's first month than Windows 7 did in it's first three. I find it difficult to blame any PC market "ailing" on Either.Trying to SELL a PC is probably getting harder. More and more people are realizing that they can build PCs, and more and more people are finding that they don't need a new PC to begin with. PCs haven't advanced as quickly in the last few years. Anecdotally, my Q8200 based machine I built in 2008-2009 can still play most of the latest games quite well.
For the longest time, people were under the false assumption that computers simply "slowed down" over time. This is partly because reinstalling Windows and your applications is simply not something people could do easily; for most people, the computer was a magic box, and once it slowed down, they had to buy a new one. However, more recent Operating Systems have much friendlier and easier to use Setup Procedures, and Manufacturer Policies such as Recovery Partitions and Discs have helped as well, since they allow anybody to revert their machine to "new" state. This has started to dispel the PC Sales associate dreamworld where people thought that their right-click menu taking a long time meant they needed a new PC, turning a large portion of the PC userbase into a virtual smorgasbord of commissions.
The prevalence of PCs has caused something interesting- people have learned about them. Just as the Printing Press and the eventual availability of affordable books caused an increase in literacy, so too has the prevalence- and commodity- of PCs caused people to become far more literate in the past. People are far more versed in how to perform standard maintenance on their machines, and the end result is that they suit their purposes just fine.
Moving back to the article:
The latest evidence of the PC's infirmity emerged Wednesday with the release of two somber reports showing unprecedented declines in sales of desktop and laptop machines during the first three months of the year.It then mentions how it seems that the latest release of Windows has done more harm than good since it was released last October, while ignoring the tenet that correlation is not causation. The fact of the matter is that There are many reasons fewer people bought PCs. Foremost among them are my aforementioned reasons regarding people becoming more computer literate and capable of maintaining their software environments, enough that they can do a cleanup, or a malware scan, or any number of other things to resolve issues they are having, rather than attribute the problem to the invisible ghost of "PC aging" that has for so long brought wealth to PC sales associates everywhere.If a person is already happy with their current system, they aren't going to buy a new one. Windows 8 being pre-installed is likely not as much of an issue to the sales as people seem to infer, since Windows 8 Sales are actually quite healthy- and people are installing it onto PCs they already have, because, unlike many of the Operating System's previous incarnations, it doesn't actually require any additional horsepower.
Top 5 Overclocking Softwares
1. Intel Desktop Control Center:
2. Motherboard tools:
5. Official graphics overclocking:
Desktop Control Center is its attempt at an official
overclocking tool. It has an effective single-click overclocking feature plus a
full raft of processor and memory controls and reporting. Unfortunately, the full
release is limited to the latest socket 1156 and socket 1366 motherboards based
on the DX58SO, DP55KG and DP55SB chipsets.
2. Motherboard tools:
In case of clone computer it is highly likely to the
manufacturer of your motherboard supplied a Windows-based overclocking app.
Each company has its own branded tool that will only work with its motherboards
or chipset. Nvidia has its longstanding nTune for the nForce chipset while ASUS
provides its AI Suite and TurboV tools. MSI has the ridiculously designed OCGenie, while Gigabyte offers its EasyTune series. Other manufacturers have
their own, so find out which made your mobo using CPU-Z and download the
corresponding tool for easy overclocking.
3. MemSet and CPU-Tweaker :
Now I am going to start with the more complex software tools
and a pair from the same developer are worth checking out at tweakers.
MemSet is a complex memory overclocking tool that provides most of the features
you'd expect to find in the BIOS, though a tool like AMD Overdrive also offers
many of the same advanced options.Its associated app is CPU-Tweaker, which is
used in place of MemSet for processors with embedded memory controllers such as
AMD Phenom and the Intel Core i3/5/7 range. As you might expect this version
also provides overclocking features for the processor as well.
4. SetFSB:
While many covert SetFSB for its advanced options, many will
also shun it. Unless you know exactly which clock generator - known as the PLL
- your motherboard has then SetFSB is useless. But then it can also overclock
systems where other options fail. The only prerequisite is that SetFSB has been
updated to support that model of PLL. A useful guide to locating your
motherboard's PLL chip can be found here. The position, manufacturer and style vary
from board to board. Not an essential tool for most but it can be invaluable
for some.
ATI users can right-click a blank area of the desktop and
choose Catalyst Control Center. The ATI Overdrive section provides access to a
wide, but not full, range of GPU and graphics memory clock speeds plus fan control
and temperature readings.For Nvidia owners, you'll need to install nTune and
then magically a new Performance section becomes available from the Nvidia
Control Panel. Again ultimate clock speeds are limited but it's an easier and
official way to start.
