Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviors, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent first, such as:
- Advertising
- Collecting personal information
- Changing the configuration of your computer
Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (called adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information.
Trading tracking for services
That does not mean all software that provides ads or tracks your online activities is bad. For example, you might sign up for a free music service, but you “pay” for the service by agreeing to receive targeted ads. If you understand the terms and agree to them, you may have decided that it is a fair tradeoff. You might also agree to let the company track your online activities to determine which ads to show you.
What spyware does
Other kinds of spyware make changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash.
These programs can change your Web browser’s home page or search page, or add additional components to your browser you don’t need or want. They also make it very difficult for you to change your settings back to the way you had them.
Know what you’re installing
The key in all cases is whether or not you (or someone who uses your computer) understand what the software will do and have agreed to install the software on your computer.
A common trick is to covertly install the software during the installation of other software you want such as a music or video file sharing program.
Whenever you install something on your computer, make sure you carefully read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it might appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.
There are a number of ways spyware or other unwanted software can get on your computer. To learn more about spyware, read How to help prevent spyware.
Microsoft
Core i7-975 ExtremeSpecs: Socket LGA-1366; Core clock: 3.33GHz; 32KB data/instruction cache per core; L2 cache: 256KB per core; L3 cache: 8MB shared; 130W TDP.Test system specs: Motherboard: Asus Rampage II Extreme; Memory: 6GB Corsair DDR3-1600; Graphics: Zotac GeForce GTX 260 Core 216; HDD: 300GB WD VelociRaptor
Intel has held the performance crown for more than three years—ever since the launch of its Core 2 microarchitecture. It goes without saying that the company doesn’t need to introduce a new flagship just to one-up itself. And yet Intel is yanking the cover from a fresh Core i7 CPU: the 975 Extreme.
Although it runs a scant 133MHz faster than its predecessor, we’re hardly able to complain, as this processor costs just as much as the one it replaces. As with the 965 Extreme, Intel’s latest iteration boasts four cores armed with Hyper-Threading. Its QuickPath Interconnect operates at 6.4 GT/s. And the processor’s triple-channel integrated memory controller supports up to DDR3-1066 speeds (officially). Of course, most motherboards expose additional multipliers to push RAM significantly faster, and we were able to get our test platform cruising at DDR3-2133 as part of our overclocking gauntlet. The processor itself topped out at 4.12GHz via a 31X multiplier, standard 133MHz BCLK, and 1.38V.
Performance using those overclocked settings is naturally unrivaled. Even at stock settings, however, our benchmark results are impressive. As we’d expect given Core i7’s established track record in A/V software, DivX and Xvid encoding is lightning-fast. And because WinRAR is optimized to take advantage of threading, it’s able to compress our test archive using all eight of Core i7’s logical cores.
At the end of the day, we appreciate a 3.33GHz processor at the same price as Intel’s former flagship. But at $999, “value” is most definitely a relative term. The 2.66GHz Core i7-920 is still an undeniable favorite. After all, most of the samples we’ve seen are good for 4GHz, so long as you’re willing to overclock. Without question, that’s the route we’d take in building a brand new Core i7-based machine
Paul Cross, ComputerPowerUser
