Scan's TekSpek

Processor manufacturer AMD has launched a large range of value-orientated CPUs in the last two years. The company's current line-up includes single-, dual-, triple, quad-, and even hexa-core chips. Split by the number of cores, these are further differentiated with respect to clockspeed, cache levels and underlying architecture.

This How-2 Guide explains what BIOS is and how it can be upgraded to the latest revision. BIOS, which stands for Basic Input/Output System, is a integral software program that comes pre-loaded with your computer. Its purpose is to initially identify computer hardware and prepare the system to run other software such as operating systems.

The recent release of AMD’s new unifying processor socket, Socket AM2, gave NVIDIA the chance to release new core logic to go with it, allowing its board vendor partners to implement new designs that carry the socket and DDR2 memory support.

What makes a PC tick? Is it the processor, graphics card, RAM, or a plethora of other peripherals. It’s all those and more, but none would be much use without a means of connecting said components in an efficient manner. That’s where your humble motherboard comes in. Its job is to ensure that all devices can communicate correctly, and the beating heart of any motherboard is the chipset it’s based upon.