Learning the basics

I just got into computers a few months ago and need to know the basics. I see that when you guys have a problem, you know exactly whats going on or have a idea. I've been reading some pc magazines and just learning a lot of stuff online.

I used this to learn the basics on desktop parts Inside The PC - Inside Your Computer - Computer Components - Computer Parts

Any website you guys recommend that I can learn more about computers?
What magazine is an excellent source to learn more about this?
Any great forums you recommend as well?

I want to learn more about what I'm getting into until I get my M11x r2. I'm a quick learner. Good example is how much I learned about cars and even installed some of my modifications.

Aside from that I have questions like how do overclock a computer?
How do I know whats running hot and how to fix it?

Any help and tips would be great.

 

Forums are a great place.
Search google or a forum when you run into problems.
Read the tutorials on overclocking to help you understand the basics and concepts.

Then ask questions. Places like superuser.com or serverfault.com might be more noob friendly in regards to questions since you get points for answering questions.

Here is a Core 2 Duo overclocking guide. Your laptop is a Core series processor, but this guide might help you with the basic idea.
HOWTO: Overclock C2D Quads and C2D Duals - A Guide v1.0 - [H]ard|Forum

With the M11x you can only change the FSB within a very limited range, so you don't have to worry about things like voltage, memory timings, etc. It should be a cake walk.

 

You might also want to give M11Ash's R2 Optimization Thread a look. It will be a little more useful once you have your M11x.

And don't be afraid to ask questions here.

 

@watch - the best way to learn about computers is to build one from scratch. Even if it's with cheap parts you get a feel of how everything is put together. Once you understand how to build them now you can think about the value of a notebook.. It is literally (especially Alienware) a desktop in a small chassis. You have all the same components (case, power supply, motherboard, cpu, memory, hard drive, graphics card, display, keyboard and mouse) all rolled into one small package. That is why I love notebooks.

When you start putting them together you begin to understand how one component effects another or the whole system. Then throw in your operating system after it's all together. At this point you also start to understand the value of drivers which are, in a sense, TRANSLATORS that allow communication between the hardware and software (operating system). Good luck in your journey. Lots of good info in the forums. I wouldnt recommend overclocking and such until you get a better understanding of everything.

Read all you can, get your hands dirty, and ask questions when you need to.

Good Luck and Best Wishes,

StevenX

 

Download the M11x user guide and then attempt to understand very aspect of the M11x and it's functions and software from the guide.

Google and WiKi are pretty good for this.

If you wake up one day and find yourself explaining to someone how cool a longword bit vector is then we may also be able to recommend support groups too.

 

So right when I get my m11x I should do all these updates? Is it loaded with bloatware? Are there other things I should right when I get it?

 

Before you do anything to your new laptop, make sure you understand the reasons why you're doing each step/tweak. And no, I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing everything all at once. It would probably be best to get used to your M11x at stock settings for a couple of days so that you can familiarize yourself with its baseline performance.

Yes there's a fair amount of bloatware, that some people choose to disable or uninstall. Know what it is, what it does and the implications of turning it off or uninstalling it before you do so.

 

Very little bloat and what is there isnt really a performance "problem" that you need to worry about. In any case you always TEST first for a baseline then make the changes - aka "right when you get it" isnt good because you don't know what you gained.

 

Alright awesome, thanks. Reading everyday and learning lots of new things on the net and here. This is a great site I stumbled upon.