February 2007

  Computer Shopping - Where to Start                                              by Kevin Laudan

With your truck moving a 200mph (CPU size) with a trailer full of 2000 books (ram capacity) you could move all 2,500,000 books (data) in 18,125 hours

Now take the same scenario but this time were are going to reduce the truck engine speed (CPU) and increase the trailer size (memory).

With your truck moving a 100mph (CPU size) with a trailer full of 5000 books (ram capacity) you could move all 2,500,000 books (data) in 14,500 hours’

So what does this all mean? If you purchased a computer with a lower CPU size (engine) you can compensate by adding more memory (trailer size) and have the same computer performance as if you purchase a computer with a bigger processor. The safe works the other way around by choosing a computer with a larger CPU but less memory. Although this may not seem important for you know the detail of the CPU and memory capacity at this time, it will make a big difference wither your computer will last you 2 years or 5 years.

When you are comparing the CPU and memory of computers on your shopping list, memory is easy to upgrade at a later date and CPU is not. You are always better off choosing a higher CPU over higher ram. The memory can always be upgraded at a later date and if you can change a watch battery, then adding memory to you computer will be no problem as long as your sold the correct memory.

To get a better feel for what your CPU, memory, hard drive, and video card requirements may be, go to the local computer store and read the system requirements of software boxes of any application that you would possibly like to use.  This can take a little footwork to research all your requirements and trustworthy computer advise can shorten this step for you significantly, but being misinformed can make you feel like you bought a lemon. As longer as the computer is with-in your budget, there is no such thing as overkill. Being a computer with well more then what you need, doesn’t necessarily mean you wasted your money. The more computer you have now, the longer you can go before having to purchase another one.

Video Card
The selection of the video card that comes with your new computer can be determined by 3 factors:

a.)    Are you using a monitor larger then 19”?

b.)    Will your computer be used for Video Games?

c.)    Are you going to use more the one monitor?

d.)    Other then home photos will you be using your computer for graphic or CAD design?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions should choose a video card with a capacity of 512mb. The standard video card capacity is 256mb but is quickly being outdated by the video gaming industry.

Hard Drive
The standard hard drive size is 120gb for desktop computers, and 80gb for laptops.

How you use your computer and the number of applications you have installed can greatly effect how much hard drive space you require. If you intent on using your new computer for video editing plan on purchasing a very large drive.  Also, video games and graphics editing may also require you to have a larger drive. 

Monitor
The monitor that you choose is more of a matter of personal preference then necessity. The price difference between a LCD flat panel and a traditional CRT monitor is roughly $50 – $150, depending on the size and dot pitch. The dot pitch is the measurement of pixel and the smaller the dot pitch number the sharper and clearer the picture. Unless you are using your computer for gaming or graphics design you will probably not notice the different between at 0.028 dot pitch monitor with a 0.021.

There is a hidden cost that people don’t realize when they choose the cheaper CRT type monitors over LCD monitors. If you were to use you computer for 8 hours per day for 30 days. The cost for electricity on the CRT monitor would be about $9.00, compared to $4.25 for the LCD monitor. The energy cost of the LCD monitor is more then half the cost per month then CRT monitor. Although this cost is not significant, it is a factor that you might be able to use to convince your significant other.

The size of the monitor is also a matter of personal preference. If you are using your computer for CAD, graphic or movie design you will want to choose a 2 monitors. Using 2 monitors allows you to fully view the image or drawing your are editing, and the second monitor would be used for applications tools and bar. There is nothing more annoying then to always having to move your toolbar windows out of the way to see what you are editing.  If you are using you computer for web paged editing or data sheet entry (Microsoft Excel) you may want to choose a monitor of 19” or larger.