Forum:Computer Hardware Encyclopedia

My proposal is to create an encyclopedia of various computer hardware, like motherboards, sound cards, DVD burners, networking cards, routers, etc. Why? Unless the hardware is purchased directly from the manufacturer, it may lack accompanying documentation, making it difficult to know the performance or upgrade capabilities of that piece of hardware, especially motherboards. Not only that, but manufacturers often do not update information on a component after they stop manufacturing it. Does that motherboard support 2 GB of RAM, or 4? What is the maximum FSB ( Front Side Bus) speed? Is that new video card you bought going to be good with Windows Vista?

I, for one, do not like the fact that I have to visit five or more sites on the internet before I find all of the information I need to perform an upgrade. I'm sure many others would also like a single place to go to find all of their information. It would take a long time to get the wiki large enough to become usable, but it would be a valuable tool to anyone interested in doing their own upgrades, like DIYers or hobbyists. A typical wiki would consist of: type of component, i.e. modem; manufacturer, serial/model number, year of manufacturer, and any additional necessary information, like processor speed, data throughput, memory capacity, firmware version/BIOS manufacturer, etc. Inclusivedisjunction 02:17, 1 April 2007 (UTC)


 * You should say why your excellent ideas would not fit into any of the existing relevant Wikia:
 * Computing
 * Computing Knowledgebase
 * Computers
 * ComputerWiki
 * Particularly the first one, known as "CompuWiki", and the second one. Robin Patterson 12:31, 1 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Of course. I don't think it would fit under any of those because they are too generic. The "CompuWiki", for one, only gives a generic description of computer platforms and processors.  I want a wiki that would contain information about a specific part.  For instance, say I have an XYZ motherboard, and its model number was A123456789B0, and I didn't have a manual for it.  How would I know what it is capable of? Can I upgrade it? Are there any BIOS updates?  There are sites already out there that have this type of informaton, but most are poorly organized.  They would be displayed much better in a wiki.  And most of the wikis here are about software.  The few that make any mention of hardware are very generic, only giving a rough overview of what a CPU is, let alone what the difference between a Celeron and a Pentium are.  How would one know, if they were upgrading a Slot 1 motherboard, that the fastest Celeron available is actually faster than the fastest Pentium available (1 Ghz vs. 1.5 Ghz)?  What if the motherboard has jumpers on it that aren't labeled beyond their number. What are they for? Can my really old DVD-ROM drive be upgraded to read dual-layer DVDs? You won't find this information in any of the other wikis. Computing is too generic; it seems to be designed as a "catch-all, not a structured wiki devoted to hardware. Computers is about the history of computers and computer-related jobs.  It has nothing to do with repairing or upgrading hardware, unless the power supply escaped a recall 5 years ago. Then that  might be relevant. ComputerWiki is in German; I can't tell what its about, but if its about hardware, it needs an English version as well, because many computer users speak English. The computing knowledgebase wiki is an excellent one, but it sounds like it is more about computer systems than about individual components.  That information might be helpful to someone upgrading a particular model, like an eMachines W3611, but it wouldn't be helpful to someone who buys parts piecemeal, or who wants to add a component not part of the the original system. Inclusivedisjunction 00:10, 2 April 2007 (UTC)