Before we start, here are a few terms you may need to know:

Mb/Gb: measures of storage; in this order, a megabyte (1,000 kilobytes) and a gigabyte (1,000 megabytes).
RAM: Random Access Memory. The temporary storage location for a computer.
Hard disk: the drive that stores your files.
Processor: the "heart" of the computer. Data that is pumped into it is routed to wherever in the computer it is needed. (Please note that I will not be recommending any AMD processors in my article, below; this is because, in my experience, they are unreliable.)
Ghz: measure of processor frequency; higher means faster (well, there is some debate on that, but it is generally accepted that a higher number is faster).

Also note that I may recommend values with a "~" in between them. For anything with that value, the lower end is better suited for your need and less costly; the higher value will work better and last longer, but will be more expensive.

Can you give me a basic rundown?

There are way too many factors for getting a new PC to just give a basic rundown. However, I can at least tell you this much about PC's: if you don't know much about PC's, go with a manufacturer's PC's. I recommend Gateway highest out of all of them; I have good experiences with their tech support and with the performances of their PC's. Hewlett-Packard (HP) is also a very reliable PC manufacturer. The worst choice would be Dell. Their computers are built sloppily and their tech support is more likely to not assist you in a moment of need.

However, if you're technically proficient, you should try to build your own PC. I'm going to cover that in a later article posted here. But the advantage to that is that your PC's performance is going to be much better due to the missing manufacturer crapware that negatively affects the performance.

Or, there's a third option, for those who want to do a little more work: contact a local PC builder. I'm one in my area; PC builders get parts from wholesalers, meaning that the parts are cheap. They don't install crapware on your PC. And most importantly, they won't overcharge you for a good PC.

What specifications do I need for a sturdy at-home PC?

I would recommend something that's not high in specifications, if you're not going to be using it for very intensive applications (running Internet Explorer or checking your e-mail, and maybe typing up word documents, for example; the occasional online game works as well in this package). Here's a sample build:

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core, 2.0~2.4ghz.
RAM: DDR2, 1~2gb.
Hard Disk: 80~100gb, any speed.
Graphics Card: go with an onboard card, don't buy a separate adapter.
Sound Card: go with an onboard card, don't buy a separate adapter.
CD/DVD Drive: just get a CD writer/DVD reader. You'll be able to make your own CD's and watch DVD movies on your PC.

How about a PC for business use?

I'd recommend to follow almost the exact specifications as above, but go with Windows Vista Business instead of Home Premium, and maybe to get a hard disk that is slightly larger (120~150gb) so that you can hold more files.

I need a PC that can handle home media. It's not quite a gaming PC.

This would be a good thing for those who use digital media quite a bit. To complete the package, I'd recommend (if you don't already have one) a TV that has a DVI (white; its shape is like a rounded parallelogram) or S-Video (black, round, small) on the back of it so that you can watch movies on your TV that are on your computer.

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.8~2.4ghz, or for better performance, Intel Core 2 Quad at 2.33ghz.
RAM: 2~4gb, PC6400 (if you don't know what that is, then don't worry).
Hard Disk: 120~200gb (more towards the 200 if you want to store movies on your PC), at a speed of 7200RPM.
Graphics Card: any card that has a DVI port or S-Video port in back so that you can use your PC and TV in conjunction.
Sound Card: you don't necessarily need a separate sound card, but for best sound quality, get a Turtle Beach Riviera (uses the PCI standard port), which can handle surround sound.
CD/DVD Drive: go with a CD writer/DVD reader for writing CD's and reading DVD's on your computer, or get a CD/DVD burner if you want to be able to make your own DVD's.

I need a low-level gaming PC...it doesn't have to handle multiple games at once.

You might need to learn your terms better. Gaming PC's require some special specifications for the equipment used. I can try to define them better, but in reality, you may want to use Wikipedia or a Google search to figure out better what you need.
The term I'll introduce here is latency. Latency is the time between when data is received and when it is written to the memory. Latency configurations usually look like this: X-X-X-XX (where each X is a number). Lower numbers are better when dealing with latency.

Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.66~3.0ghz for standard performance, Intel Core 2 Quad 2.44~2.8ghz for improved performance, or Intel Core 2 Extreme (Dual or Quad) at 2.93ghz.
RAM: 4gb of PC6400 or above at a latency of 5-5-5-18 or better (lower).
Hard Disk: 250~500gb at a speed of 7200 or 10,000 RPM.
Graphics Card: an EVGA GeForce 9500 GT, which supports 512mb of onboard memory (so that your standard RAM isn't touched by the graphics card, for better performance) or better.
Sound Card: anything goes, unless you have a surround sound configuration, in which case I recommend a Turtle Beach Riviera (for good performance, up to 6 channels of sound) or a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE (for best performance; it supports up to 7.1 channels of surround sound, and is actually quite inexpensive). Do not, however, just go with whatever is built into your motherboard.
Multimedia: CD/DVD burner, hands down. Unless you want to watch Blu-Ray movies or play Blu-Ray games on your PC, in which case I'd recommend a Blu-Ray reader (which is very expensive, so watch out).

I'm a gamer that needs it all. I mean, ALL. What are the specs I need?

Despite being a geek, I'm no gamer. Well, maybe on occasionally, but no WoW or any of that. I really wouldn't know. But I can put together a PC with all the best parts. Note that this will be, hands down, EXPENSIVE. So if the regular gaming PC I've specified above cuts it, take that. If not, then read on.

Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate.
Processor: for great performance, a Core 2 Extreme Quad at 3.2ghz or for ultimate performance, a Core i7 or Core i7 Extreme Edition at 2.66~3.2ghz.
RAM: 8gb of DDR3, between PC12800 and PC15000, with latencies close to or lower than 7-7-7-24.
Hard Disk: 1tb (that's a terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes), at a speed of 10,00RPM.
Graphics Card: actually, you'll want a two-pack of cards for best performance. My recommendation would be the PNY XLR8 GeForce 9800 GTX, which has 1 GB of GDDR3 memory between two cards. It can be found at TigerDirect.
Sound Card: see what I said in the last computer category for sound cards.
Multimedia: CD/DVD burner, Blu-Ray reader.

Final thoughts.

Finding a computer with these exact specs is a hard job. You'll need to call around to a lot of manufacturers and ask each for a custom PC; many of them can't customize to exactly what you need. Especially when we're talking about gaming PC's (unless you call Alienware, but they'll charge you thousands for a PC as good as the last one I describe).

For gamers, you'd more than likely want to build your own computer, both for cheapness and so that you get EXACTLY what you need from a PC. Not to mention that processors in manufactured PC's won't overclock (getting your processor to operate at a higher frequency than the default, which also helps gamers a lot).

In the near future, I'll be writing a guide to building your own PC. It's a lot simpler than you'd expect, actually. But for now, enjoy your new PC. I hope it works the way you want.

Another small, miniscule part of the world that we take for granted, having a couple of speakers next to our computer, built into our screen, connected to a radio.

They are normal for us, but they actually have a big job.

Whether it be a couple of kids, goofing around with garage band, to professional musicians re-listening to their last tunes before they hit the radio. They aid gamers in all possible ways; where their enemy is coming, how many bullets he's shot, even what kind of gun he has. They let us know somebody’s hopped onto MSN messenger, they even tell us the time.

Without them, we would be screwed. Honestly. Can you watch a movie without sound? Can you speak to your friends on your new hiptop slide without speakers? Can you even play counter strike without them? The answer is no. Speakers complete it.

They give me the chance to hear what the world has to say; For that I’m grateful.

I hope you find these tips interesting and useful! I would appreciate any feedback you may have.

1. Import the sound into the library, then add the sound to a key frame in the time line.
2. Import the sound into the library and then use ActionScript to dynamically control the sound.
3. Use ActionScript to dynamically load and play the sound.

This Flash CS3 Tutorial is not really going to cover the first way to play a sound. You should know how to import an image into your library, you import a sound the same way. And just as you would drag an instance of an image onto the stage, you can also drag a sound onto the stage. The sound will simply play every time the key frame plays. Let work on the second way of playing a sound.

A sound file has already been imported into the library. However, if you wish to use your own audio file you can do so by going to File - Import - Import to Library, and select an audio file . Flash CS3 by default will allow you to import, AIF, WAV and MP3 files. There are additional plug ins that enable more files types. Right Click the audio file called Ring.wav. Select Linkage, Check export for ActionScript, leave the base class alone, but you may change the Class to any name you can remember. This CS3 Tutorial is simply going to delete the .wav from the Class name, thus calling the sound Ring. CS3 Linkage Panel

Now, something needs to be done to call the sound. As normal select the first key frame on the actions layer and press F9 to open the actions panel. In Flash CS3 using ActionScript you need to create a new instance of just bout anything you want to work with. So, create a new instance of the sound by creating a new variable and setting it to the sound. In the example code the variable phoneRing was created, set as equal to a new instance of Ring. The next line of code actually tells flash to play the sound. After typing, or copying and pasting the code to your file, you may test it.

var phoneRing:Ring = new Ring() phoneRing.play()

Press Control-Enter to hear your sound play once..

The last method of playing a sound is to load the sound dynamically. The advantage to dynamically load sounds is that the sounds will not increase the size of your .swf, thereby keeping the download times lower. Copy the code from the example and paste it in the actions panel below the code that makes the phone ring. URLRquest is a new method introduced in ActionScript 3.0. The getURL method no longer exists, therefore you may want to get familiar with URLRequest, but not in this CS3 Tutorial. In the example code you are simply telling Flash to go get the file listed in between the quotation marks. You can use http:// if the file is not located next to the .swf. Next in the example code, the variable Music is created and defined as a sound. Lastly, the variable music is loaded with the file from the URLRequest. At this point the sound is loaded but nothing is being done with it. Lets do something with it.

var yourRequest:URLRequest = new URLRequest ("SideOfABullet.mp3") var Music:Sound = new Sound() Music.load(yourRequest)

You should have noticed the stop and play button located in the start01.flv file. The final part of this Flash CS3 tutorial will be using those buttons. Before, ActionsScript can control the sound it needs to have a soundChannel defined. The example code creates a variable called controlMusic and data types it as a sound channel. You can then control the sound by simple calling on the variable controlMusic.

var controlMusic:SoundChannel

Add the final example code to the actions panel. You should be familiar with most of this code. You are simple adding event listeners to the stop and play buttons that were created for you. It is the code inside the events that should be new. First when the play button is clicked the sound channel you created earlier is set a Music.play(). remember you earlier defined Music as being equal to the audio file loaded when the .swf is called. So, the code associated with the play button is simple telling the music to play. It would stand to reason that the code associated with the stop button would then simply tell the music to stop. Just, remember that you have to control the sound channel, and not the sound directly.

play_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, playMusic) function playMusic(event:MouseEvent):void{ controlMusic= Music.play() }; stop_btn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, stopMusic) function stopMusic(event:MouseEvent):void{ controlMusic.stop() };

Press Control-Enter and test the file.

Congratulations, you should now be able to add sound to your website, note that you do not need to make the buttons play music, you have the basic code to make your navigation play a chime when clicked.

The Basics

Here is what you need to get started:

• Motherboard
• Processor
• RAM
• Graphics Card
• Hard Drive
• DVD/CD Drive
• Sound Card
• Power Supply Unit
• Case
• Keyboard and Mouse
• Monitor

Please keep in mind that some components may not be necessary for your build. For instance, many people simply stick with the onboard sound on their motherboard, scratching the need for a sound card. Likewise, the same can be said for motherboards with built-in graphics. Some people skip out on an optical drive (although this is only recommended for very cheap rigs).

Motherboard

What all the components are plugged in to. This is an area where many people like to skimp, but accessibility and expandability in the motherboard can mean the difference between a fun build and a nightmare. Please make sure all other components are compatible with this part (i.e., it has enough of the right types of ports for your hard drive(s), optical drive(s), and case fan(s), the right socket type and support for your processor, the correct size for your case, has enough of the correct type of ports for your peripherals (e.g. mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc.), the correct slot for your Graphics Card, and support for your RAM). Recommended for most Intel builds are the P35 and X38/X48 motherboards.

If you feel the need for SLI (multiple Nvidia graphics cards), go with either the 680/780 boards, or, if you've got the cash, the 790i Ultra. For AMD builds, most any AM2+ boards should do you fine.

Processor

First of all, make sure that the CPU (processor) you are getting matches the socket type of the motherboard (e.g. LGA 775, AM2, etc.). Also, make sure the chipset of the motherboard supports the CPU. You can check this at the motherboard manufacturer's website. For performance computers, Intel CPUs are currently your best bet. Keep in mind that Gigahertz (Ghz, the speed of the processor) aren't necessarily equal between different models and brands. For example, the 3Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo e8400 is INFINITELY faster than the 3.2 Ghz AMD Athlon 64+ 6400+. Also, if your programs support them, quad cores are the way to go, but seeing as many don't yet, I would stick with a dual core for the time being. If you are on a tight budget, AMD CPUs can be found for less than Intel's, and a single core may suffice for your needs.

RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) needs to have the same socket type (SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3) as the motherboard to be compatible. The most common socket type for RAM for new computers is DDR2 (Double Data Rate revision 2). For most builds, DDR2 800 should be quite fast, although if you plan on extreme overclocking, DDR2 1066 may be warranted. The number after DDR2 is the effective operating frequency, in Megahertz (Mhz, 1000 of which equal one Ghz). Most people will use a dual channel setup (installation varies by motherboard), where two sticks of the same type of RAM are put together, effectively doubling performance. The RAM speed is dependent on the slowest stick, though, so this is only recommended if using two identical RAM modules. For EXTREME overclocking, you may want to use DDR3 (which currently comes in speeds between 1333 Mhz and 2000 Mhz), but this is much more expensive, and motherboards supporting this technology are, as of yet, few and far between. 2GB (gigabytes, 1000 megabytes, amount of memory) are more than sufficient for most builds, but if you plan on doing a lot of multitasking, you may want to think about getting 4GB of memory.

Graphics Card(s)

For a gaming computer, the graphics card is, perhaps, the most important part of the build. It is necessary in any computer, but some motherboards come with built in graphics for those who do not use any graphic-intense applications. Please insure that the slot-type (PCI Express x16, AGPx8, etc.) is supported by your motherboard, and that the power supply has the necessary connections (PCIE 6-pin, PCIE 8-pin, etc.). The two main companies here are ATI (owned by AMD) and Nvidia. Currently, Nvidia supplies the very best of the best when it comes to graphics cards, but in some cases, you may prefer an ATI card. If you want to watch blu-ray/HD-DVD movies, you need to ensure that the graphics card supports HDCP to watch it at the full, intended resolution. Two of the newest cards, the Nvidia 9800GX2 and ATI Radeon 3870 X2 have TWO physical cards in them, replicating SLI and Crossfire respectively in a board that does not support SLI/Crossfire. SLI and Crossfire are the names for Nvidia and ATI's multi-graphics card systems respectively. For the most intense graphics, you may wish to pursue one of these two options (in which case you need to make sure your motherboard supports the technology). The top of the line Nvidia single-card graphics card is the 9800GTX (closely trailed by the 8800 Ultra, 8800 GTS G92, and 8800GTX), and ATI's is the Radeon 3870 (closely followed by the 3850).

Hard Drive(s)

The hard drive is the component which stores all of the software on your computer. There are various interface types (IDE, ATA, SATA, SATAII), of which SATAII is the most recent (and best). This is because it supports the highest bandwidth while sporting the thinnest cable (helping to promote good air flow, and make cable management easier). The most important statistic when buying a hard drive is the storage space. Make sure it has enough (e.g. 200GB, 500GB, 750GB, etc.) storage space for your needs. If you are not sure, see how much you use on you current computer to get a rough estimate. If you still aren't sure, it never hurts (anything but your wallet) to have too much. Performance is mostly dictated by the interface type, spindle speed, and amount of platters. Spindle speed is the speed at which the hard drive rotates. Most desktop hard drives rotate at 7200RPM, although there are faster 10,000RPM drives, but these offer less storage space. That second figure I mentioned, amount of platters, is how many magnetic disks there are within your hard drive. The less there are, the faster, quieter, and less likely to break your hard drive is. The best platter today is available in the Samsung Spinpoint F1 1 TB (terabyte, 1000 gigabytes). It has three platters, each with 333GB of storage space. Most desktop hard drives fit in a 3.5” internal drive bay. Eventually hard drives will be replaced by Solid State Drives (SSDs), but these are currently far too expensive and don't provide nearly enough storage space for the average user.

Optical Drive

Where you put your optical discs (DVD, CD, blu-ray, etc.). There are two main interface types (SATA and IDE), with SATA once again being the preferable type. For most budgets, a DVD writer would be recommended, although none are necessary if you are building an “el cheapo” computer. If you have the money and the media, you may want a blu-ray drive though. The fastest of these write blu-ray discs at 6x, while DVD writers can write at speeds of up to 20x. The claimed speeds are important, but there are more variables than the test figures represent (due to variations in which media brand is used for the testing). The fastest optical drive on the market today (DVD writer) is the Samsung SH-S203B. Most optical drives fit in a 5.25” external drive bay. Another technology some may be interested in is lightscribe, which laser etches an image into the top of a disc, although these drives cost slightly more. Also, for almost everybody, floppy drives are no longer needed.

Sound Card

While almost every motherboard nowadays comes with built-in sound, aftermarket sound cards will always be there for the audiophile. There are varying interface types (PCI, PCI Express x1). The most popular today are the Creative X-Fi Series and the ASUS Xonar D2 series. Some sound cards feature onboard RAM to offload all of the sound processing from the CPU, boosting performance in any application that involves sound (sometimes a few FPS (frames per second) even in intense games). Only get an aftermarket sound card if you truly appreciate rich, vibrant sound and have a good set of speakers/headphones to go fully take advantage of one.

Power Supply Unit

The PSU is what provides power to all of the components of your computer. It is important not to skimp on this, as it is the only component that, should it fail, has the possibility of taking all the other components with it. The most important thing to look for in a PSU is the brand, as certain brands have a reputation for power supplies that will not crash (as some cheap, generic ones have a tendency to do, sometimes with explosive results). Some recommended brands are PC Power & Cooling, Antec, Seasonic, Enermax, Thermaltake, OCZ, Corsair, Thermaltake, Tagan, and Gigabyte. The most important statistic in the PSU is the wattage rating. This tells you how much wattage the PSU can supply to your components. Use a wattage calculator (and add 15% or so for safety's sake) to determine what kind of wattage it will take to run your computer. Also important is the efficiency. Many PSUs today are stamped with the 80plus seal of approval, signifying that they run at 80% or better efficiency (e.g. less than 20% of the supplied power is lost as heat), improving performance, component life, and helping reduce energy consumption. Also, be sure that the PSU has connectors for all of the components you need to power, and try to find one that will allow you to keep it as you add things to your computer. Modular support is a nice feature to have (not all of the wires are permanently attached to the PSU, so the connectors you aren't using can be unplugged from the power supply, reducing cable clutter), but you pay a premium for it.

Case

What you put all of your components in. Important things to look for in the case are it's size, motherboard form factor, if it will hold your graphics card, what kind of bays it has, the provided cooling, and what it looks like. Size-wise, for most people the only way to go is either Mid-Tower ATX or Full Tower ATX (sometimes called Super Tower ATX). Either of these will hold an ATX motherboard, and most Full Tower cases will hold an Extended ATX (EATX) motherboard. Check reviews to see if your graphics card will fit the case, as some of the newer graphics cards are quite long and do not fit in some cases. You need to make sure it has enough 3.5” internal bays for your hard drives, 5.25” external bays for your optical drives, and if it has 3.5” external bays if you use accessories that utilize those bays. Make sure it has adequate cooling for the setup you are planning on building. I recommend that the case you choose has at least a 120mm fan or 2 80mm fans. Any more than that should be good as well. Look to see it h as at least on exhaust fan, and that there are not more fans than you need (this will make it very loud). If you are planning on watercooling, you should definitely go with a Full Tower case, and for ease of installation find out if it fits the radiator you are planning on using. Looks are personal preference, but I find some people like to have a conservative looking case with one solid color and usually either in black, beige or white, while others like flashy cases with side windows, LED fans and crazy paint jobs.

Keyboard and Mouse

Keyboards and mice are generally best chosen after trying out a few and seeing what you like best. There are a few things to look for. If you want an uncluttered desktop, go for a wireless set. If you want all-out gaming performance, try a keyboard with macro keys and the ability to disable the windows key, and a mouse with lots of extra buttons, a “clicky”, or tactile, scroll wheel, and a high and adjustable dpi. If you have many late-night sessions, look for a mouse with an illuminated scroll wheel and a backlit keyboard (such as the Saitek Eclipse II, arguably the best back-lit keyboard to date). But most important, MAKE SURE WHATEVER YOU PICK IS COMFORTABLE!!! I can not stress this enough. You can have the best mouse/keyboard combo ever, but if you find them uncomfortable, you'll find it hell to use your computer.

Monitor

Finally the monitor, what you will be viewing everything you do with. Make sure it is as big as you can afford. A bigger monitor reduces eye-strain and increases the amount of windows you can work with at one time. There is no longer any reason to get a CRT monitor, so be sure to go for an LCD. Also, be sure to get a widescreen (16:10/16:9) as opposed to a fullscreen (4:3), because you get more screen for the price (widescreen panels are cheaper to manufacture). The contrast ratio is quite important to how good the images look. It tells you how black the blacks are and how white the whites are. The higher the better. Make sure is reproduces at least 16.2 million colors, as this means it is 16-bit (8-bit monitors simply can't compete when it comes to visual quality). The response time should be as low as possible, but make sure that the monitors you are comparing measure response time the same way, or else this statistic is pointless (some measure black-to-white-to-black, while others measure grey-to-grey). Other things to look for in a monitor are how much the stand adjusts, how many screen adjustment options there are (as a general rule, the more the better), and how good you think it looks. Just like mice and keyboards, I recommend you try out the monitor you are thinking about purchasing before you do so, as you want to be sure you will be happy with it after you plop down the cash (which can be quite a lot).

Conclusion

Now you should have a good idea of what kind of computer you will be building. It really isn't nearly as hard as it seems at first. This is all stuff I've come across in the two years I've been interested in building computers, and I could have gone into much more depth, but won't in this article for the sake of simplicity. After you've read this and chosen what components you are going to purchase for your build, you just need to put it all together. I will explain how to do that in a future article, but I promise, it is no harder than it was to choose what to buy. I GUARANTEE you will be happy if you build your own computer, as so long as you do a little research before buying the parts, you will end up with a better performing, cheaper computer than Dell and the likes will ever sell you. Good luck, and be sure to check back in the coming weeks for more of my guides!