performance

I recently wrote about how to improve the sound of your speakers by fine-tuning their placement in your room. Hey, it's a free "tweak," and can make a big difference in your sound.

The same logic applies to subwoofers. So if you just plopped your sub down in the corner, chances are you haven't even begun to hear how good it can sound. Optimizing subwoofer placement within your room is the key to achieving the best possible performance.

To judge the potential for changing the sound, move the sub 5 or more feet from wherever it … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Since the review of the Seagate Momentus XT, the first and only mass-produced solid-state hybrid hard drive on the market, I've received many e-mails asking when computer makers will start building it into machines. I have the answer now.

At CES 2011, Seagate demoed the performance of the 7200rpm Momentum XT drive against a regular 5400rpm hard drive. The demonstration was done with two Asus laptops with exactly the same specs, other than the main hard drives.

The demo consists of a script that automatically executed a series of tasks as soon as the computers booted up and … Read more

If you're curious about CNET's choices for the best overall products, there are more than enough editors' top 5 lists (in multiple categories and subcategories) located across the site to satiate you effectively; however, if performance is the only attribute that piques your interest, well, I'm here to help.

Throughout the year, CNET Labs tests hundreds of products, the results of which are used to fuel editors so that we actually have something to say during the review. Sure, a product's design and feature set are very important, but the meat of most reviews comes down … Read more

Google's newest test versions of Chrome are equipped with a faster JavaScript engine, an increasingly important browser component for running Web-based programs.

The result is faster-loading pages, more powerful Web applications, and another round in the browser performance competition with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox, Apple's Safari, and Opera.

Chrome's browser engine, called V8, is being upgraded to version 3, called Crankshaft. It uses a technique called adaptive compilation that translates JavaScript into native instructions for a processor and then concentrates more energy on improving the parts of the code used most often, Google said. … Read more

Network information tools like SmartWhois search for and display all available information about a Web site, including who owns it, where it's hosted, and relevant addresses, names, dates, and technical support contacts. SmartWhois Launcher from TamoSoft is a free Firefox add-on that can query SmartWhois from the browser interface. It only works with the shareware version of SmartWhois, not the Web-based search tool.

We installed SmartWhois Launcher and restarted Firefox. The add-on has no options to configure, but it really doesn't need any since it's a very simple app that does one thing: lets you initiate SmartWhois … Read more

Microsoft has made it easier to browse for help when one of its products acts up. The revamped Fix It Solution Center boils troubleshooting down to three steps: pick a product (optional), choose a fix in one of eight categories (and handful of optional subcategories), and then view or run one of Microsoft's many proposed solutions.

Of course, the real test is whether these auto-repair tools actually do any good. I haven't done enough testing to form an opinion one way or the other. However, the online Fix It tools differ from the troubleshooting utilities built into Windows … Read more

To enhance the driving experience, Porsche is looking at the driver. This video gives an overview of how experts at the Porsche Human Performance Centre, in Northamptonshire, England, use exercise and nutritional plans to improve driver performance.

Drivers of any level are evaluated by Porsche's team of experts, and programs are devised to develop strength and improve flexibility.

Whether it's testing hand-eye coordination and endurance on a BATAK board or testing drivers in a battery of exercises, the experts at Porsche can get any level of driver into peak shape.

Microsoft has released a seventh test version of Internet Explorer 9 the company says is better at "real-world" Web-based JavaScript programs. But with it has come a rival's accusation that Microsoft essentially engaged in the storied computer industry practice of benchmark engineering--designing technology to be fast on an artificial speed test.

The seventh IE9 platform preview comes with new improvements to its Chakra JavaScript engine. And Microsoft asserted Chakra is engineered to do better on actual Web site tasks rather than narrow benchmarks.

"Over the last few weeks, we've been tuning the JavaScript engine for … Read more

Microsoft today unveiled its behind-the-scenes work on porting a popular suite of supercomputing software tools to its Azure cloud platform. It's work that culminated in an a test job that the company says would have cost an estimated $3 million if it had used traditional on-premises hardware, but it got the job done for a little more than $18,000 using a hybrid approach.

That job in particular, which is part of Microsoft's focus at Supercomputing 2010 conference in New Orleans, was done as a collaboration between Microsoft and the Seattle Children's Hospital. Together, the teams ran … Read more