Matt's Tech Blog

What is the point of having a CPU meter gadget? Do people really find use for this gadget or is it just one more additive that Windows should have avoided while trying to promote its Vista brand? Well, there is not a straight forward yes or no answer to this question. The concept different strokes for different folks can be applied here as it all depends on the user and how much tasks he/she is doing on the system. For those persons who are constantly on their computers, doing a million tasks at once, constantly using up their RAM and CPU capacity, then this gadget would prove very beneficial. As with many inventions in life, the CPU gadget was brought about to make our lives easier, so why not take advantage of it?

The indispensable purpose of this meter gadget is to determine how much of a computer’s RAM and CPU are being used by the user where all in all, he or she would be able to tell when space is needed on their personal computer. As these handy gadgets are found on every Windows Vista Home and Premium system, they are not only easy and simple to read with the basic screen display (which displays usage in terms of percentage) but also are useful in tracking down causes of several problems on a PC such as when a browser or application freezes!

Now for those individuals who find that the CPU gadget their computer has is too simple and incapable of providing an effective live reading of all their processor cores to their liking, then acquiring more complex gadgets off the internet would be the answer. Please take note that these are acquired through free downloads and only on rare occasions will persons be selling these gadgets unless it is truly sophisticated and ‘divine’. Such complex meter gadgets show individual core usage (such as eight core and quad core), core and system temperatures (to avoid the PC from over-heating) and RAM usage. But when will a person need all these fanciness? Well, suppose you need to be constantly tracking your system’s resources as you have a variety of programs open and hence are multitasking for long hours daily, where even when you’re not personally using your PC, these programs are still running; then the ability for your personal computer to withstand all of this will become a concern to you especially if there are signs of continuous slowness and cases where programs are freezing. The only solution to this problem would be to have a meter gadget, e.g. say the CPU meter gadget version 1.2.2 that supports multiple CPUs and displays each core results separately and accurately.

But then again, for those persons who seldom use their personal computers in this regard and would prefer to have a simple CPU gadget such as the one all Vistas have and have no idea where to find it on your computer, then, locate the Windows side bar which is a little icon usually found on the right side of the Menu Bar (that has the start button) and click open where of the many gadgets shown, CPU meter will be one of them. Click and explore!

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If you ever took an Information Technology class in your life, then the word motherboard should not be foreign to you. Many regard it as the central nervous system of a computer and just like what the analogy suggests, without the central nervous system, the human body would seize to exist and so without the motherboard in full-swing operation, that computer would seize to be useful! But is that all we are able to tell off hand about a motherboard? Considering that it is such an essential component of a computer system and more importantly, so prevalent in many households, shouldn’t the average Joe be able to tell how it looks, its basic functions and capabilities? Yes!

But the average Joe has no idea where to start to learn about the motherboard, and the search engines all prove to be much ado about nothing! So what’s the next option? Well, how about our great little crash course that you have already started, which might I add is on the house! So let us take you from the dungeons of “No Computer Knowledge”, to a place where terms like CPU, RTC and RAM all seem like a part of your native vocabulary!

So what’s the first thing a computer dummy would need to know about a system’s motherboard components? Well, a definition of a motherboard would be helpful! Certainly, it is the main circuit board of a computer which comprises of many components, mainly the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and the chipsets. Additionally, there exist sockets, memory chips and a clock generator that all work hand in hand in the daily operation of one’s computer system. A bit flustered with the above mentioned terms? Why would you when these all will be explained in a jiffy!

But first it should not be mistaken that the motherboard is limited to only computers, as it is also found within electronic devices such as stop-watches, mobile phones as well as clocks! Yes, I know what you’re saying now; all motherboards and more importantly, motherboard components are not the same size due to the devices in which they are placed! See, you’re learning already!

Now, back to our regular programming, the CPU or as it is more commonly known, the processor (like in those Dell ads, ‘the Intel processor’), is a key component of a computer system that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute program instructions. In essence, the CPU performs mathematical and logical operations through the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) and the CU (Central Unit) regulates the activities of the system. Additionally, the motherboard uses the CPU to communicate with the rest of the system. Follow? I know you would!

Moving right along to the BIOS, as introduced earlier, is another critical constituent of the motherboard that controls the operation of the system. It is responsible for booting up one’s computer while it also initializes the hardware, making sure it is working and ready for use. In lament terms, the BIOS is in charge or starting up one’s computer. Another main component, include the chipsets. As they are grouped in pairs, they carry out different functions as the north-bridge links the microprocessor with very high speed devices such as graphic controllers and the south-bridge links the microprocessor with low speed buses such as the PCI, APM and the real time clock. Notwithstanding all this, the interface, which is another motherboard component, allows the average Joe to connect instruments such as hard drives and peripheral devices including printers, microphones and cameras!

Well that is all the time we have for today but I trust that this lesson proved beneficial and an eye-opener to the many average Joes in internet land!

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