|
1029usr078198
Forum Admin
USA
333 Posts |
 Posted - November 21 2009 : 23:42:58
|
Listen now. or Download the archive.
I hope this wasn't too technical in nature. Sometimes, technical presentations don't come across well on the radio. I hope this helps you, though.
Eddie: Next Friday is "Black Friday" and some of our listeners may be buying a computer for Christmas, but are mystified by all the specifications. Can you help?
David: Sure. When comparing computers the main components to consider are Processor, Memory Size, and Hard Drive Size. Let's go through them in reverse order. I recommend going with a hard drive that's 320GB or less. My experience has been that hard drives larger than 320GB tend to fail sooner than 320GB and smaller drives, so if you're looking at a huge drive, because most of them are, make sure you consider getting three-year's worth of warranty, whether that comes standard, or requires purchasing an extended warranty. Also look into some sort of backup. But in general though, bigger is better when it comes to hard drive size, up to 320 GB. By the way, Google's study on hard drive reliability found that drives fail most often before the first 6 months and then at two and then three years old. If a drive is older than that, it tends to last a long time.
Eddie: OK, so what about memory?
David: Memory should be maximized, but if you are looking at more than 4GB, you'll definitely get 64-bit Windows. I recommend generally 2 to 6GB for average users. Both Vista and Windows 7 can get by on 1GB. If you’re looking at one of those new netbooks, then 1GB is OK. Otherwise, go for at least 2. The reason is that, as we've discussed before, Windows can borrow hard drive space when your computer's memory is too small for what you're doing, but it comes with a performance penalty and the more of it you need, the greater that penalty.
Eddie: Processors are such a technical topic, what do we need to know about them?
David: As to the processor, Intel processors will be a bit more expensive than AMD processors for approximately the same thing. But now, it's getting harder and harder to compare processors. It's kind of like asking which kind of pie is best between, say, apple pie and pizza pie. They're both pies, they're both food, but apple pie makes a better dessert while pizza pie makes a better entree. The difference between processor brands is a lot more subtle than this analogy makes it look unless you get very technical. Each company does things to enhance the performance of the processor in different ways and I think of that kind of like how a NASCAR mechanic tweaks his team's car to try to win the race. Different teams will do many of the same tweaks, and if you're a mechanic, the different tweaks really mean something. If you're a fan in the stands, you just want to see who wins. So what I thought I'd do is give you a progression of the processor models from the generally least powerful to the most powerful for each manufacturer. For Intel, that progression is Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Core i7, Core i5, Core Extreme. For AMD, the progression is Sempron, Athlon, Athlon FX, Athlon II, Athlon II X2, Phenom X3, Phenom X4, Phenom II X2, Phenom II X3, Phenom II X4, Athlon II X4. I'm an Intel devotee, so I'm not as certain about the AMD products. Check the show notes for this listing.
Eddie: Finally, which version of Windows 7 do you need?
David: With Vista, the Business edition subtracted features from what Home Premium offered. The nice thing about Windows 7 over Vista is that as you go up the line, you only add features. Well, if your computer will be used only at home, you want to get the Home Premium version. If it'll be used for work, you want the Professional version. If you want all the bells and whistles that Windows 7 has to offer, both for home and business use, you want the Ultimate version.
Links
Retail PCs: Intel or AMD? At PCMag.com:
http://blogs.pcmag.com/miller/2009/11/retail_pcs_intel_or_amd.php
Google’s Hard Disk Failure Rate Study:
http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.pdf
Web Exclusives
Here's that list of processors in order from least to most powerful for each manufacturer
Intel- Atom
- Celeron
- Pentium
- Core 2 Duo
- Core 2 Quad
- Core i7
- Core i5
- Core Extreme
AMD- Turion
- Sempron
- Athlon
- Athlon FX
- Athlon II
- Athlon II X2
- Phenom X3
- Phenom X4
- Phenom II X2
- Phenom II X3
- Phenom II X4
- Athlon II X4
Now, the rundown of what I think makes a good specification:
- RAM: 2-6 Gigabytes (GB), bigger is better
- Hard Disk Size: 200 Gigabytes - 1 Terabyte (TB), if over 320 Gigabytes, consider a 3 year warranty
- Processor: Use the list above, models lower in the list are more powerful, get the most powerful you can afford
- Windows 7: Home Premium for home use, Professional for business use, Ultimate for either
|
|
11/20/2009-Pre-Black Friday Special
