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Building your own personal computer is a unique challenge, but a rewarding one as well. Building your own PC allows you to have greater control over your design and components of computer, allowing you to customize for a variety of purposes, including high-end PC gaming, video editing, documentation and work purposes, or simply saving money on a budget work machine. Building your own PC can also be cheaper than buying a prebuilt model from a manufacturer, if done correctly by a savvy shopper. Beyond the monetary question, however, is the simple satisfaction of creating something with your own hands that you can use and enjoy in everyday life.
 
But to build a computer, you need the right parts. Every PC will have these six components at minimum to function properly.
The Case: the plastic or metal shell that holds and protects all internal components inside it. Cases come varying sizes and can have different kinds of pins and connectors within them.

The motherboard: the “spine” of your PC’s build, the motherboard is what every other component will attach to or plug into in some way or another. It is important to make sure that your motherboard’s pins and sockets match with the rest of your components!

The power supply: A heavy box that regulates electricity as it flows from the outlet into your computer and provides power to the individual components of the PC. The power supply connects directly to the motherboard, and other components through the motherboard.

Processor (or CPU): The central processing unit effectively acts as the “brain” of the PC and is the greatest determining factor for the speed of your computer. You will want to make sure that the CPU and motherboard are compatible in terms of both manufacturer (AMD or Intel) and the CPU socket.

Memory (or RAM): RAM stands for random access memory and is a critical component of your computer’s operation. RAM allows data to be saved and accessed far more quickly than it can be from storage, but the data is lost if the power supply is lost. Therefore, RAM is most frequently used in short-term calculations, such as in gaming. It is important to ensure that the RAM cards you purchase are compatible with your motherboard’s sockets.

Storage: Storage comes in both hard drive and solid-state drives, and stores the PC’s operating system and gigabytes of digital files (such as pictures, video, text documents, etc.) you save. SSDs are faster than HDDs, but HDDs hold more data, and are cheaper. Many PCs these days will have an SSD that holds critical files such as the operating system, and an HDD for things like pictures and documents.

These six are the bare essentials, of course. You will also need a keyboard, monitor, and mouse if you don’t already have them, and other components depending on what you plan to use your PC for. High-end gaming will require an independent graphics card, as well as possibly investing in a cooling system to ensure your computer doesn’t overheat. If you save tons of pictures or videos, an extra hard drive for the storage may be necessary, as well as a DVD or Blu-ray drive for reading discs in those formats.
 
At ASAP IT Technology, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all the computer systems and parts. We’re always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7-365. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com or call us at +1-714-705-4780.

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Posted on July 10, 2019 Sara Lewis PC Components

In an ideal world, your PC would last forever—unfortunately, no computer does. Eventually, every computer slows down, even if you’re using it for the exact same functions you were five years ago. Whether it be replacing a computer hard drive, or installing a new graphics card, repairs and replacements are part of owning a computer. In order to get the most out of your investment, you’re probably looking to stretch the lifespan of your computer out for as long as you can. So, which parts should you repair—and which parts should you replace?
 
Your computer consists of various components and pieces of technology, each designed with their own specific purpose. Before you decide on which part to replace, you must first diagnose the issue. Be sure that the problem isn’t a software issue; run a virus or malware test to see if your computer is corrupted. If a damaging virus does exist, then replacing your computer software may be your best option. Other components that you’re better off replacing include motherboards, data drives, RAM, power supply units, and cooling fans. 
 
There are several reasons why replacing your computer motherboard is beneficial. First off, motherboards tend to have a short life cycle (about 3-4 years). Although there aren’t any moving parts, motherboards tend to be fragile in design. The smallest malfunction can turn catastrophic in the blink of an eye. The capacitors on a motherboard will naturally deteriorate over time due in part to heat, static, and moisture.
 
Data drives come in two variations: hard disk drives and solid-state drives. The computer’s operating system resides within these drives and acts as the brain of the PC. Hard disk drives are mechanical and will diminish as time goes on. They are susceptible to scratches;  it may stop reading data, or a power surge may render the parts inoperable. Solid state drives are similar to flash memory chips. Although they have no moving parts, extreme temperatures can damage them and they’re able to be hacked. Replace this part immediately if it starts to act faulty.
 
The random-access memory, or RAM, makes it possible for the computer to find specific information quickly. It is used as the main memory component in computer systems and is crucial to overall functioning capabilities. This is one of the first parts you should replace if you want to speed up your PC’s performance. Extreme temperatures and power surges are the main reasons that RAMs need maintenance. To ensure longevity, buy a high-quality module from a reputable manufacturer and regularly inspect the hardware.
 
A power supply unit (PSU) is what produces and transports power to different components in your computer. An average PSU should last anywhere between five and ten years. An effective way to prolong the lifespan is to minimize high-stress activities. If your PSU is malfunctioning, replace it as soon as possible.
 
If your computer starts operating loudly, there’s a good chance that your cooling fan needs attention. The mechanical nature of this part contributes to its malfunctions as they have moving parts that are prone to general wear and tear overtime. The deterioration process is accelerated by particles and dust that accrue on the blades, and within the rotating element. Clean out any excess dust regularly to keep it from layering; be sure to replace the fan when necessary.
 
At ASAP IT Technology, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find types of computer hardware & networking component. We’re always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7-365. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com or call us at +1-714-705-4780.

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Posted on May 16, 2019 Sara Lewis PC Components

A network switch is a computer networking device that keeps users connected to each other and to the internet. It’s not just the computer itself that benefit from this device: printers, gaming consoles, DVD drives, etc. benefit from this as well. It allows you to perform various functions on multiple devices. Choosing the network switch that is right for you depends upon factors such as the number of devices and the number of people that are going to be using the network. Some of the different types of network switches are local area network (LAN) switch or active hub, unmanaged network switches, managed switches, and routers.
 
The LAN switch or active hub is also known as the local area network or Ethernet switch. It connects points on a company’s internal LAN and allocates the bandwidth economically so overlapping data is blocked. The LAN switch delivers data to its intended recipient and reduces traffic.
 
Unmanaged network switches are the easiest to install and are used mostly in home or small business settings. They also allow different devices to connect with each other. Managed switches can be customized and can enhance a networks functionality. There are two types of managed switches: smart and enterprise. Smart switches have limited features but create a web interface and accept configurations of basic settings. Enterprise switches have a wide range of management features and are often found in large companies that have a lot of connections, nodes, switches, and ports. Because they are more customizable, they are more expensive. Routers send data along networks and are usually connected to LANs or wide area networks (WANs). They are able to connect more than two networks.
 
 At ASAP IT Technology, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all the network switches you need, new or obsolete. As a premier supplier of IT hardware parts, we’re always available and ready to help you find all the computer hardware parts and equipment you need, 24/7x365. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com or call us at +1-714-705-4780.

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Posted on April 2, 2019 Sara Lewis Networking & Connectivity

In the age of the internet, people are used to being able to surf the web instantaneously. But as some of you may know, that cannot always be the case. As the speed of the central processing unit (CPU) starts to increase, the gap between the CPU speed and main memory begins to widen and performance comes to a slow. In order to combat this issue, cache memory, also known as CPU memory or CPU cache, was created. Cache memory stores frequently used data and allows the CPU to access that data from the main memory quicker. It is the fastest memory, but cache memory has a lower capacity than other types of memory.
 
Most modern server Central Processing Units have three independent caches. The instruction cache that speeds up executable instruction fetch; a data cache that speeds up data fetch and store; and a translation lookaside buffer (TLB) that is used to speed up virtual-to-physical address translation for executable instructions and data. The TLB is not directly related to the CPU caches, it is part of the memory management unit (MMU).    
 
Computer cache memory is divided into three levels.  Level 1 (L1) cache, or primary cache, is the smallest and is the first one to be searched by the CPU. If the instructions are not found in L1, Level 2 (L2) is searched. L2 cache, or secondary cache, has more space than L1 cache. Level 3 (L3) cache, or main memory, is larger and slower than L1 and L2 but is still double the speed of RAM.
 
If the cache has the information that the CPU needs already loaded onto it, it is called a cache hit. If there is a failure in reading or writing the data in the cache, it is called a cache miss; the CPU will then access the main memory, and this takes longer. There are three types of cache misses: instruction read misses, data read misses, and data write misses.
 
In addition to cache memory, there are other ways to increase the memory of a computer or system. For example, increasing RAM and/or ROM, utilizing OTP memory, or even adding external memory to the system will help.

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Posted on March 6, 2019 Sara Lewis Memory & ICs

With technology become more prevalent and essential to all facets of life, flash drives are becoming more and more important. Also known flash RAM, flash memory, the principle behind flash drives, are a non-volatile storage memory that make it easy to quickly sore and transfer data. These drives make it so that you can do your work anywhere— just plug into your USB into a computer, transferring the data you need a flash. These memory devices range from hundreds of bits to thousands of bits. They’re a very versatile piece of technology.

There are two types of flash memory. The first type of flash memory is NAND Flash Memory. This is useful in modern technology because it allows for less chip area, but more data density, making it especially useful in today’s high-density data environment. The second type of flash memory is NOR flash memory, also called circuit flash memory because the memory cells are connected in a parallel array. NOR and RAM memory access are similar, NOR does not need to run through the RAM circuits to be copied. Unfortunately, NOR flash memory is only suited for smaller code instructions.

No matter how far we’ve come, technology still have its flaws. For example, despite writing the code bit by bit, flash memory is unable to delete small chunks of code, only larger blocks. Another flaw is bit flipping— this usually occurs in NAND memory where the data can be flipped, making data transfers useless. Bad blocks are another flaw. This happens when the drive doesn’t scan for “bad blocks” that make the memory vulnerable to corruption and data loss.

ASAP IT Technology, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, should always be your first and only stop for all your flash memory and computer hardware parts.  ASAP IT Technology is a premier supplier of IT technology, new or obsolete. ASAP IT Technology has a wide selection of parts to choose from and is fully equipped with a friendly and knowledgeable staff that is always available and ready to help you find all the parts you need, 24/7x365. If you’re interested in a quote, email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com or call us at +1-714-705-4780.

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Posted on January 24, 2019 Sara Lewis Electronic Products


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