In the world of Intel Core i7 and AMD Phenom Processors, with the introduction of DDR3 as main system memory it’s easy to lose yourself in this cesspool of technology. You might end up purchasing a Core i7 System just to do the occasional office tasks, believing that you need all that power. This article is here to help you make an informed decision about your purchase and not, if you like "over" purchase.
Let’s start with some definitions so you know what im taking about!
Processor: PC processors vary greatly in price and performance. It’s not that difficult to identify the right one for you provided you have the knowledge. Dual Core PC’s have essentially two processors in one as the name suggests and Quad Core processors have four.
Storage (Hard Drive): If you're planning on storing lots of music, films or photos then it pays to choose a PC with a lot of storage on the hard drive. Measured in gigabytes (GB), 1GB can store up to 250 photos*. *Assuming photos are 4MB.
Memory or Random Access Memory (RAM): The more memory you've got, the more you can do. With just the basics (512 - 1024MB) you'll be able to run one or two programs simultaneously (for example Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word). If you want to be playing games you will need considerably more.
Graphics Card: Graphics Cards are basically processors which display what you see on your screen. They all produce the same images, but different speeds. In games a fast GPU and at-least 256MB RAM is needed. But know that the RAM on a graphics card is not the end of the story. You still need to have a fast graphics core and even enough bandwidth (room) to communicate with the memory.
Heres a Rundown of Different types of Computers: Like most consumers, you probably have an idea of how much you want to spend on a desktop or base unit. But how do you know you get exactly what you need? The different shapes and sizes, the wide range of configurations, and the seemingly constant arrival of new and faster technology all make for a difficult decision. To help you find the right mix, we've outlined the four basic types of PC user.
User types:
General purpose user | Power user | Home theater enthusiast | Home office workerGeneral purpose user:These days, £200 to £500 will net you a desktop with a dual-core CPU and enough power to run productivity apps, view and edit vacation photos, manage MP3s and videos, and even play some of today's games, slow, --the core activities most common to families, students, and the general purpose PC user. At £450 and up, you should easily be able to perform those tasks. Spend around £300, and in most cases you'll still be able to run common tasks without delay, although 3D gaming becomes a stretch. You will definitely find a dual-core chip in a £350 PC (you should insist on a dual-core chip these days, unless your budget keeps you under the £350 mark), but Vista could still give you trouble. Be sure the PC is equipped with at least 1GB of memory, and it's a good bet that you'll be able to smoothly run Vista. Add in a 128MB graphics card, and you'll get the Aero effects with little to no performance loss.
If you're leaning towards Apple, you should keep in mind that Apple's OS X operating system is due for an update in October. We recommend waiting until then to purchase a new Mac, so you don't have to worry about updating the operating system yourself later on. We also wouldn't be surprised if Apple came out with a new desktop between now and then. We can't say what it might look like, but any Mac Mini or iMac will get the job done for most of today's day-to-day users. We have no reason to doubt that Apple will continue to offer relatively affordable, capable home systems.
Key features:AMD Athlon 64 X2, or Intel Core 2 Duo/Pentium Dual Core processor
1GB of DDR2 memory
250GB to 640GB hard drive
128MB, DirectX 9/10-capable graphics card from ATI or NVIDIA
DVD burner
Windows Vista Home Premium/Windows 7 or Apple OS X Leopard
Apple iLife or Microsoft Works Suite 2006 (students might want full-blown Office 2007 or iWork '06)
Power user: It's easy for the price to get out of hand with a power PC. Take, for instance, any of these quad-core PCs. If you shop around, you should be able to find a more than adequate gaming or digital design box for between £300 and £2000. Look for an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM. I urge you not to “rush” into buying DDR3 for a higher price. No doubt it will offer better performance, however the most intensive games to date (August 2009) will run equally well on DDR2, but if the funds are there then go for it.
You’ll also need a large, fast hard drive--perhaps two or more if you plan to transfer and edit movie files--and of course, a DVD burner or, if you have an HD display, a Blu-ray or HD DVD drive. If your goal is digital design, Apple's Mac Pro continues to shine in this arena. We still won't recommend an Apple for gaming, though, so if that's your aim, it's Windows for you.
The graphics card issue is a bit stickier. Right now, we recommend either of NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800 GT or GTX 275 cards, or one of ATI's newer Radeon HD cards such as the 4850. Each shows promise in current generation games. Which one will be better for next-gen DirectX 10 games if up to your preference as the outperform each other on a game’ly basis, because the games with which to properly test them aren't here yet.
Key features:Intel Core 2 Duo E6600+ 2 Quad Q6600 or Q6700, Q8200 to Q9650 Core 2 Extreme QX6700 or Core i7 920, Core i7 950, Core i7 975 Extreme Editions
AMD Athlon X2 7750 or 7850, Phenom X3 8650 or 8750, Phenom X4 9650 or 9950 or Phenom II 920 or 940
2GB to 4GB of 800MHz or 1,066MHz DDR2/DDR3 memory
500GB to 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive(s)
At least 512MB ATI Radeon HD 3650 to 4890, NVIDIA GeForce 9600GT to GTX275
Blu-ray, HD DVD, or DVD+/-RW drive
Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium or Windows 7
Microsoft Office 2007, DVD-authoring program
Home theater enthusiast: Media Centre functionality is built into Windows Ultimate and Home Premium, so you could make the argument that a home-theater PC doesn't need its own category anymore. Of course, you'd be wrong. We never really bought into the idea of putting a standard tower desktop in the living room, which is why we're glad we're to see so many ultra-small-form-factor designs such as Apple's Mac Mini and Shuttle's XPC X200M .
You don't need all the power of a traditional desktop to simply watch downloaded movies and listen to music, as long as you can output video and audio from your PC to your TV and your audio receiver, you're all set.
If you demand high video quality, you might sacrifice some of that capability if you opt for a lower-end system. As an alternative, you can get a larger A/V component-style case with a full-fledged video card in it to help with the video processing. We've had mixed experiences with Windows Vista's new Cable Card support. If you're set on compressing all of your home theater hardware into one box, it might be the solution you're looking for, might be… just make sure you do your homework.
Another question to ask yourself with a media PC: do you want to use your TV as your primary display? Flipping through your recorded TV shows via Media Centre is easy to do on your TV, but simple PC tasks, such as writing e-mail and browsing the Web, aren't ideal with the 10-foot interface of sitting on your couch and squinting at small text and icons. This is why we think that wireless networking and smaller, cheaper PCs have helped the media PC come a long way. By minimizing the cables and their own footprint, these less offensive computers make it easy to justify owning two PCs: one that's hooked up to the TV and a more traditional system that sits on your desk. The desk-bound PC can even store the bulk of your media files if your smaller system doesn't have a large enough hard drive. You can also look for a Windows Home Server for centralized file storage for every PC in your home.
Key features:Intel Core or Core 2 Duo or Athlon 64 X2 CPU (quiet and cool operation is more important than raw power)
1GB to 2GB of RAM
500GB or more hard drive space
256MB or better graphics card from ATI or NVIDIA
Analog or Cable Card tuner (optional)
Blu-ray, HD DVD or combo optical drive
Wireless keyboard and mouse and Media Centre remote
Front Row, Windows Vista Ultimate or Home Premium, or other media management/DVR software
Home office worker:Graphics are less of a concern for most businesses and we can't stress this enough, unless you run a design shop. At minimum, you'll want a system with enough power (read: dual-core CPU) for multitasking your daily office chores. The money you save on the graphics you can put toward a larger flat-panel display and a better warranty. Vista complicates matters a little.
Microsoft recommends at least 512MB of system memory and a DirectX 9-capable graphics card, and it ups the specs to 1GB of RAM and at least 128MB of independent video memory for Vista Home Premium with Aero. Of course, an iMac will get the job done, too, though at a higher price than your typical business PC--and again, read up on Apple's new Leopard OS before purchasing a new Mac.
Key features:Midrange AMD Athlon 64 X2 or Intel Core 2 Duo/Solo processor (A fast single core processor can be enough)
1GB of DDR memory
250GB or 300GB hard drive
DVD burner
128MB ATI or NVIDIA graphics card
Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, or Mac OS X
Microsoft Office XP or Works Suite 2006, or Apple iWork '06
This article is
Copyright © 2008-2009 of MO Customs Computers. All right reserved.
Did you like the article? Let us know your thoughts, please visit us for feedback on:
http://www.mocustoms.co.uk/feedback.html