January 2, 2003

802.11g

Happy New Year!

Now that that’s out of the way….Wireless products continue to increase in popularity.  The latest release, 802.11g standard, will increase speeds once again to 54Mbps.  It is backwards compatible with all 802.11b products.  I assume it is also compatible with 802.11a since 802.11b was backwards compatible to it.  I haven’t received a definite answer to that yet but it would stand to reason.

Don’t call us asking for 802.11g products yet because they are not available.  Every time a manufacturer releases a new product they put out a press release about it.  We get bombarded with phone calls from people who want it.  It doesn’t exist yet.  It is what we call vapor-ware.  Give it 2 weeks to 2 months depending on the product. 

PULLING THE PLUG ON PC CHIPS

We have been wishy-washy on this issue for years.  PC-Chips motherboards are cheap!  They are about the least expensive motherboard out there.  You get what you pay for.  I have wanted to pull the plug on these boards for years and after our latest battle, I am putting my foot down.  NO MORE PC CHIPS!

There is no reason for us to list both PC Chips and ECS anyway.  They are virtually the same product since the merger of the two companies.  I have debated the ECS issue as well but for the time being, we will keep them on the list.  For every PC Chips motherboard, there is an equal ECS board so don’t panic. 

Let me be blunt:  Stop being so cheap!  So many of you buy the least expensive item without taking into consideration the time you spend doing troubleshooting, RMA’s, and tech support.  Well, I am going to take part of this problem away for you.  I am sure I will hear about it but I am just going to stick my fingers in my ears and sing a little song.

RAM DENSITY CAUSES INCOMPATIBILITY ISSUES

Over the past several months we have had a lot of customers buy RAM and then bring it back telling us that it only registers in their machine as ½ of what it was sold as.  The problem is not mislabeled product.  It is the density of the RAM.  As RAM technology increases the density of the RAM also increases.  Older computers will only recognize ½ the density because it was not designed to recognize the newer higher density modules.  Most motherboard manufacturers are not specific enough to indicate that a board needs a specific configuration, i.e. 16x8 instead of 32x8 modules.  If you are unsure, we suggest you either test the board first or bring it in and we will test it for you.  There may be a small fee for this service but it will save you a lot of time and agony.  Lower density RAM is more expensive.  If you need the lower density memory, please indicate this when ordering as we are only stocking the higher density modules.

 S&K