ASAP IT Technology Blog

Saitek is a company that designs and manufactures consumer electronics. It was founded in 1979 by Eric Winkler, a Swiss technology expert. The company is best known for its PC gaming controllers, mice, keyboards, and analog flight controllers such as joysticks, throttles, and rudder pedals. The company is now owned and operated by Logitech, with the majority of Saitek products having been rebranded as Logitech G. In this blog, we will look at the respective histories of Saitek & Logitech, their merging, and their products.
 
Saitek was initially formed as a manufacturer of electronic chess games. However, by the 1990s, the company had distribution and design offices in the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, in addition to a factory in China. In 1994, the company acquired the Mephisto line of chess computers by Hegner & Glaser. The company eventually diversified into PC peripherals, focusing primarily on game controllers for flight simulation, driving, and first-person gaming. They have also expanded into peripherals with emphasis on input, connectivity, and multimedia. The company launched a high fidelity audio product line for PC & iPod. In 2007, the company was acquired by Mad Catz. Nine years later, the Saitek brand and its assets were acquired by Logitech.
 
Logitech, sometimes called simply Logi, is a Swiss-American manufacturer of computer peripherals and software. The company has headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and Newark, California, in addition to offices throughout other parts of Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of input and interface devices for personal computers and other digital products, in addition to developing and marketing personal peripherals for PC navigations, video communication, collaboration, music, and smart homes.
 
The company was founded in 1981 in Palo Alto, California and saw immediate success, particularly at the turn of the 21st century. In 2001, Logitech acquired Labtec for $150 million dollars, expanding its range of computer peripheral products. The company continued to grow and expand throughout these years and eventually acquired Saitek in 2016, following a purchase from Mad Catz for $13 million.
 
Logitech, under both the Saitek and Logitech G brand names, produces a wide range of flight simulation equipment. For example, they produce pro flight controllers such as the Pro Flight Yoke System, Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant, and TPM System, as well as Pro Flight Panels including backlit information panels, multi panels, radio panels, switch panels, and instrument panels.  Additionally, the company designs and manufacturers a wide range of flight sticks. This includes the X-56 H.O.T.A.S. System, X-55 Rhino, and X-65F Flight Combat Control System. Other flight sticks include the Aviator and Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, as well as PC-exclusive products such as the Cyborg F.L.Y. 5, Cyborg 2000, Cyborg Evo, and ST290 Flight Stick. The company also provides rudder pedals, Pro Flight headsets, and simulation controllers based on real Cessna products.
 
Since Saitek and Logitech merged, they have proven to be a leader in flight simulation technologies. For a wide range of Saitek and Logitech items and much more, look no further than ASAP IT Technology. Owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all types of parts for the aerospace, civil aviation, defense, electronics, industrial, and IT hardware markets. Our account managers are 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. Let us show you why we consider ourselves the future of purchasing.

Cache memory is a high-performance, temporary server memory that offers faster and more efficient access to data than server RAM (random access memory). Cache memory is a critical part of every server, and therefore important to understand in order to ensure your system is well supported. In this blog, we will discuss cache memory and answer four common questions surrounding it: what is cache memory/what does it do, how does cache memory work, what are the types of cache memory, and how can you upgrade cache memory?
 
What is cache memory and what does it do?
 
Cache memory is essentially a smaller and faster version of RAM that contributes to the overall performance of your central processing unit (CPU). It is very small, in close proximity to the CPU, and is able to keep up with the high speeds of the CPU. Cache memory improves the efficiency of your CPU and prevents bottlenecks in your system by keeping the CPU busy to avoid wasted computation.
 
How does cache memory work?
 
Cache memory temporarily stores information, data, and programs that are frequently used by the CPU. When data is needed, the CPU automatically looks to the cache memory for faster data access. It turns to cache memory first because server RAM is both slower and further away from the CPU. When the CPU locates data in the cache memory, it is known as a cache hit. Cache hits enable the processor to quickly access data, improving the overall efficiency of the system. Because cache memory is smaller than RAM, the data is only stored temporarily and may not be there when the processor needs it. When the cache does not have the processor’s required data, it is known as a cache miss. In these cases, the CPU moves to the hard drive to access RAM.
 
What are the types of cache memory?
 
There are three main types of cache memory. They are known as levels and all have slightly different functions. Level 1 (L1) is the fastest type of cache memory as it is the smallest and closest to the processor. Level 2 (L2) has a higher capacity but a slower speed. L2 is located on the processor chip. Finally, Level 3 (L3) has the largest capacity and is located on the computer that uses the L2 cache. Because cache memory is so small and large quantities of memory are often needed, different levels of cache are necessary to ensure that the cache memory can handle the demand of data processing.
 
How can you upgrade cache memory?
 
It is not possible to upgrade your cache memory without first upgrading your CPU. There are two main brands of CPUs: AMD and Intel Corporation. Both offer different benefits and should not be considered interchangeable. The choice ultimately comes down to preference, similar to the choice between an Apple or Android smartphone. That said, AMD chips are usually cheaper, though Intel CPUs tend to offer more impressive graphics performance.
 
Whatever type of memory products you are in need of, be sure you are getting them from a trusted source. At ASAP IT Technology, owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we can help you find all types of parts for the aerospace, defense, civil aviation, industrial, electronics, and IT hardware markets. We have cache memory product part numbers such as NVCPEMWR001G110, AA0004001, 372538B21, and more, from top manufacturers including Nortel Networks, HP, and others. 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.

While a majority of businesses have now shifted many of their operations to digital platforms, there may still be a variety of documents that are still used or filed away on average. Furthermore, shifting to digital platforms can leave large amounts of sensitive documents that need to be disposed of securely. Unlike the old shredders that many are familiar with, newer models have advanced considerably in their ability to efficiently shred paper while ensuring any confidential information is properly destroyed and is unable to be pierced back together easily.
 
Generally speaking, shredders are often classified by the method in which they cut and dispose of paper. Strip-shred cutters are fairly common, and they slice paper into long strips that may be disposed of. While they are quick in their operation, they are not efficient for removing confidential information as strips are thick enough to put together if someone collects all parts. With cross-shredder types, more security can be achieved as strips are cut into thinner lengths that are shorter as well. As one of the best types for security, the micro-cut shredder hashes paper into small bits that would be extremely difficult to reassemble for most individuals. As such, the micro-cut shredder serves very well for those that have heightened security concerns and need proper disposal of documentation.
 
When researching shredders, it can be useful to be aware of the internationally accepted DIN 66399 standard which dictates the size of shredded bits. Typically, security can range from P-1 to P-7 designation, with the former being insecure and the latter being best for high-confidentiality documentation. For the standard business office, a shredder that is P-4 will usually be fine, though higher values would only increase the security of disposal.
 
Beyond the security aspect of the shredder, it can also be highly beneficial to consider the amount of documentation that needs to be removed on average. With some shredders, thicker bundles of paper may be shreddable to increase the speed of disposal. Furthermore, many shredders can extend their services to more than paper, as their blades may be capable of cutting through credit cards, staples, CDs, and much more. As such, the choice of shredder may be dictated by the feeder capacity and speed at which documents are drawn in and disposed. Last, but not least, there may be a run time of shredders which is the amount of time that it can be fed before needing to cool down.
 
With all things considered, the choice of which shredder is best for a given application can be decided based on security, capacity, speed, and run-time requirements. When procuring a shredder for home use, small and simple models can serve well for one individual to remove a low amount of documents as needed. For larger corporations with many documents, however, a more robust system can be the difference in efficiency. Nevertheless, all shredders can improve security and safety through the ability to remove and destroy sensitive documentation and information.
 
At ASAP IT Technology, we can help you find the right shredder for your needs at competitive pricing. With systems and components sourced from top manufacturers such as Avteq, Video Furniture International Inc., Amplivox Sound Systems, Ergotron Inc., and Royal Sovereign International, we are sure to fulfill all of your operational requirements with ease. To ensure that our customers only receive the best possible items, everything is subject to rigorous quality assurance testing, inspection, and cross-referencing before shipment. Furthermore, we also ship items alongside their qualifying certifications or manufacturing trace documents for your benefit. Get started on the purchasing process today and experience how ASAP IT Technology is revolutionizing the part procurement process for the benefit of our customers.

Load balancing is a technique implemented to prevent a server from being overloaded with traffic. When load balancing measures are in place, workloads and traffic requests are distributed across the range of server resources to provide higher resilience and availability. The need for load balancing became evident in the early days of the internet when single servers were unable to handle high-traffic situations. Regardless of how powerful it was, simultaneous service requests from large volumes of traffic easily overpowered a single server. Load balancing has proven to be a major help to this problem.
 
In a typical load balancing sequence, the first part is the arrival of traffic to your website, wherein visitors to the site send requests to the server via the internet. Second, the traffic is distributed across server resources. Here, the load balancing hardware or software cuts off each request and sends it to the appropriate server node. Thirdly, the node receives the request and can efficiently accept and respond to it due to not being overloaded with requests. In the fourth and final step, the server returns the request. The above steps can only be carried out if there are multiple resources such as a server, network, or virtual resources, that have been established. Otherwise, the workloads are distributed to the same place regardless.
 
There are many benefits of load balancing. For one, in preventing a server from becoming overloaded, it also allows every server node to operate more efficiently. Recently, load balancing has become a larger part of a broad class of technology known as Application Delivery Controllers. ADCs provide multiple advanced load balancing features to aid in workload balancing and bolster the overall quality of application delivery. Beyond this, load balancing also benefits security and productivity. ADCs are commonly used to help protect against threats such as Denial of Service (DOS) attacks. As for productivity, load balancing involves the duplication of content and application workloads, allowing for more than one copy of a resource to be accessed at a time.
 
Depending on the features that are most important to you, there are several types of load balancing setups to choose from. These include server load balancing, network, global server load balancing, container load balancing, and cloud load balancing. In server load balancing, the goal is to distribute workloads across the server’s range of resources. In network load balancing, traffic flow is distributed across IP addresses, switches, and routers to maximize availability. These configurations are made at the transport layer. Global server load balancing, or GSLB, involves an operator handling the workload balancing across a globally distributed load. This configuration also features ADC assets at the global and local levels.
 
Container load balancing offers virtual, isolated instances of applications and is also enabled via load balancing clusters. Perhaps the most popular approach is the Kubernetes container orchestration system, which is capable of distributing loads across container pods to help balance availability. Lastly, cloud load balancing operates within a cloud infrastructure where there are often multiple options for load balancing. This type of load balancing can also include both network and application balancing.
 
For load balancing components and much more, look no further than ASAP IT Technology, a trusted supplier of parts for a wide range of industries. Owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we are an online distributor of aircraft parts as well as parts pertaining to the aerospace, civil aviation, defense, electronics, and IT hardware markets. 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, call us at 1-714-705-4780 or email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com.

Random Access Memory, or RAM, is a type of memory in which the information it stores is lost as soon as the power supply to the PC, laptop, or other type of device is switched off. RAM is widely known and is considered the main type of memory, temporary memory, cache memory, or volatile memory of a computer system or similar device. This blog will explain the types of RAM, their differences, and their uses.
 
RAM is considered part of a computer's internal/main/primary memory. There are many types of RAM, the two most common being Static RAM (SRAM) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM). SRAM is a type of ram in which data is stored using the state of a six transistor memory cell. It is primarily used as cache memory for the processor. Dynamic RAM, on the other hand, allows users to store each bit of data in a separate capacitor within a given integrated circuit. Dynamic RAM is the standard computer memory used in most modern desktop computers. It is an example of volatile memory, meaning it needs to be refreshed with voltage regularly or it will lose whatever information is stored on it. Apart from these, here are the main differences between SRAM and DRAM:

1. SRAM has a low access time, while DRAM has a high access time. Therefore, SRAM is faster than DRAM.

2. SRAM is the more expensive of the two.

3. SRAM requires a constant power supply, meaning this type of memory uses more power. DRAM offers reduced power consumption because the information is stored in the capacitor.

4. SRAM features a complex internal circuitry and offers less storage capacity when compared to a DRAM chip of the same physical size. DRAM comprises a small internal circuitry in its one-bit memory. This allows for a larger storage capacity.

5. SRAM has a low packaging density, while DRAM’s is high.

Beyond SRAM and DRAM, there are many other important, albeit less common, types of RAM. These are: FPM DRAM, SDR RAM, RD RAM, VRAM, and Flash Memory. FPM DRAM, or Fast Page Mode DRAM, is a type of DRAM that waits for the entire process of locating a bit of data by column and row and reading the bit before moving to the next one. SDR RAM, synchronous dynamic access memory, stores data using integrated circuits. One of its sides features a termination which can be inserted directly into the motherboard.
 
VRAM is a type of RAM optimized for video adapters. VRAM chips have two ports allowing video data to be written to chips while the video adapter simultaneously reads the memory to refresh the monitor's display. RD RAM, or Rambus Dynamic RAM, is a type of RAM that works in parallel to each other, allowing users to secure a data rate of 1,600 Mbps. Because they operate at high speeds, they generate a great deal of heat. Finally, flash memory is an electrically erasable and programmable type of permanent memory. Flash drives utilize the memory of one transistor to store a bit. These offer low power consumptions and are very affordable.

RAM has many important uses in computers, where it can serve as a scratchpad, buffer, or main memory. It offers a fast operating speed, low power dissipation, and is highly compatible with a wide range of systems. For RAM and many other cache memory components, look no further than ASAP IT Technology, a trusted supplier of microelectronics, IT hardware, and more. Owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we have access to an inventory of more than two billion new and obsolete parts and components. 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, call us at 1-714-705-4780 or email us at sales@asap-ittechnology.com.