If you wander down to your local computer or office supply store, you will be confronted with a bunch of computers that look very similar. The key to differentiating them is in the specifications. The name brand computers like Compaq and HP will have little specification cards. This article will help you understand some of the stuff you see written there.
I know some of you are impatient. If you do not care about the whys, you can skip ahead to Recommendations for the whats.
If you are buying a computer these days, be aware that profit margins are very thin. The store will make very little money on your computer. For this reason, the prices will not vary much between different stores or even brands.
Be aware that the store will try to sell you an extended warranty because that is where they can make some money. The only computers I recommend buying the extended warranty for are laptops. I say that because I seem to break laptops just after they go out of warranty.
I generally recommend a name brand computer unless you happen to know a reliable builder. Be sure to read the return policy before buying the computer just in case you get a defective computer.
First the basics. Each of the specifications will at minimum reveal the following:
I suppose it is possible to select your choice from that information and the price alone but the following information should also be revealed:
The specifications will probably not mention the basic items you get, like the keyboard and mouse. You need to try out the system to see if you like what they are offering. I often end up buying a better keyboard and mouse and shelving the one they include.
The system may also include a monitor and a printer. You will have to decide for yourself if they are really giving you a deal.
The speed of the processor is measured in megahertz and usually written as MHz. The low-end computers have a speed specification over 500 MHz. What that means is that the processor clock is ticking at 500 thousand times per second. There appears to be little difference in processor price per cycle (i.e., power per dollar) until you reach 700 MHz, and then it gets expensive. You can buy a computer with a 1 GHz (gigahertz) processor (one million cycles per second) but expect to pay an additional thousand dollars for the privilege.
Running at those speeds, the processor generates a lot of heat and all computer systems will have processor fans. The best fans have roller bearings, but most manufacturers will not tell you anything about them.
Some folks will tell you that SCSI hard drives are faster. That was once true but these days, they are very comparable. SCSI will cost you two to four times as much money for the same capacity (if it is even available). SCSI is more important in some mission-critical systems and servers. That is the subject of an entirely different article. Most of us do not need SCSI.
High-production CDs are produced by pressing them like vinyl albums were before audio CDs took over. The data (even music can be considered data here) is recorded in the media as holes. The data is actually stored under the label and read through reflection with a laser. You can not actually touch the data area.
Low-production CDs are produced using a specially formulated CD called CD-R. The CD-R has the holes burned into the data layer via a laser. These can be written once and are then considered permanent. A low-production drive is not much different than the drive you buy for a home computer, except that it includes a feeder to insert and remove disks so the computer can make multiple copies unattended. The blank CDs cost in the $1.00 to $2.00 range, depending on the brand.
A special version of the CD-R was developed that could be erased and then rewritten. This is the CD-RW. The benefit of CD-RW is that you can re-use the CD, but with an overhead penalty. A CD-RW disk must be formatted like we used to do with floppies, but it takes longer. A partial erase just maps around the erased data without regaining the used space. A full erase requires reformatting. This media has dropped in price to an affordable $2.00 to $5.00 depending on the brand. In theory, this would be a good media to use for system backups. I prefer to use the less expensive CD-R media and archive different versions of what I am backing up. Most computers with just a CD-ROM drive can not read CD-RW media but they will read CD-R media. For a while there were drives that read only CD-R disks, but the CD-RW drives ended up costing the same and manufacturers phased out the CD-R type. CD-RW drives will read all CD-ROMs, so you do not need both a CD-ROM drive and a CD-RW drive.
DVDs (Digital Video Disks) look like CDs except they store a lot more data (up to 5.2 GB). They use a blue laser instead of a red laser to read smaller holes, which allows for greater density of data in the same space. DVD-ROM drives can serve as CD-ROM drives. There is even one DVD-ROM drive that can also serve as a CD-RW drive (all three in one).
I have not forgotten DVD-RW and DVD-RAM drives. The concept of writing to disks with that capability is enticing, but it is still too early for individuals to invest in. DVD-RW and DVD-RAM are conflicting standards; we need to wait for the dust to settle. In addition, the blanks are about $50 each. When we get to $10, then it is time to jump. (I predict third quarter of 2001.)
CD-RW drive specifications confuse people because there are three speed numbers associated with the drive. The numbers on a popular HP CD-RW is 8x4x32.
The first number is the speed that the drive can write to CD-R media. The middle number is the speed that the drive can write to CD-RW media. The last number is the read speed. Compare this to the speed of a CD-ROM drive.
Consider the center number to be the most important. A 1X drive would require 74 minutes to write a full disk (there are none that slow on the market these days). A 4X would require one fourth that time or 18 ½ minutes. A 10X takes us down to about 7 ½ minutes. The incremental cost for the faster drives is not much; get a fast one when you can. The fastest I have seen is a 16X but I suspect they will get faster.
In the near future, we will see double density CD-RW drives. This will give us more storage and I expect to see some by the end of the year.
If the record companies ever start producing a lot of DVD-Audio standard, you may see DVD-ROM drives become really popular. DVD-Audio provides music that has six channels of 192,000 samples per second using 24-bit samples, compared to audio CD that has two channels of 44,000 samples per seconds using 16-bit samples. DVD-Audio promises to provide very high audio quality.
The speed numbers on DVD-ROM drives look slow but really are not. A 1X DVD drive reads a CD at a speed equivalent to a 10X CD-ROM drive. With drives running at 16X, they are fast drives.
The number of colors fills up the memory at the following rates:
16 Colors = 0.5 Bytes per Pixel
256 Colors = 1 Byte per Pixel
High Color = 2 Bytes per Pixel
True Color = 3 Bytes per Pixel
Use that number in that following calculation to see the amount of memory used for that setting: Horizontal Resolution x Vertical Resolution x Bytes per Pixel = Amount of Ram Required (in bytes)
If you want to run at True Color with a resolution of 1600 X 1200, your video card must have 5.6 MB of video RAM (1600 x 1200 x 3 = 5,760,000 bytes).
Check to see if the existing card can be removed, or at least disabled. Many of the low-end computers will have the video built into the motherboard. You may be able to tell by looking at the back of the computer. If all the connectors are in line with each other (including the video port), the video is definitely on the motherboard.
In my research, I found that most of the video cards interface through a special bus known as AGP (Accelerated Graphic Port) rather than PCI. Be sure that there is an AGP slot available if you expect to change the video. Note that there can still be an AGP slot even though the video is built into the motherboard.
AGP is a special interface developed by Intel that provides a much faster communications channel. In addition, AGP allows 3-D textures to be stored in main memory rather than video memory. This is why you will see shared video memory in some specifications.
Most name brand computers will color code the ports and the cables that connect to them. This way you just match up the colors. It works well for everyone except the colorblind.
This port can also be used for connecting devices like scanners, zip drives, and netcams. Some expensive software utilizes a small device (called a dongle) to protect the software from unauthorized use; these connect to this port.
There is normally one of these ports built into the motherboard. Additional printer ports normally require an expansion board. Windows supports up to three parallel ports. If you need more parallel ports, you can add more through USB converters.
One or two of these ports are usually built into the motherboard. It is becoming common to have a front-mounted serial port for use with digital cameras. Windows supports up to four of these ports. If you need more serial ports, you can add more through USB converters.
There will not be enough USB ports for all of the devices you could end up with. But USB is capable of connecting up to 127 USB devices. You can increase your USB ports through a USB hub, a small box with one cable that connects to an existing port and then a series of ports to connect your devices. You may even have a hub on your monitor or USB keyboard.
Be aware that there are powered and unpowered hubs. You may need a powered hub for certain devices. The hub on a keyboard is not powered but one on a monitor probably is. If you plug a device into a hub and it does not work, try connecting directly to the port. If that works, you have an unpowered hub and need a powered one. If you are buying a hub, I recommend buying a powered hub (just in case). I have not experienced this problem but have seen reports of it.
The network connection will be a 10/100 base-T port. This means that the network port can communicate at either 10 MBPS (megabits per seconds) or 100 MBPS depending on the hub being used. There are other network possibilities but I have not seen them offered on new computers, so I will ignore them in this article. I will talk more about networks in a future article.
The performance of these internal modems will be average but not extraordinary. In many cases, these will be processor-less modems (often referred to as WinModems because the first of this type of modem was called WinModem) that use your computer to control the modem functions fairly heavily. This should not be a problem unless you want to run something other than Windows for an operating system.
I do not like internal modems (even when they are free). I normally rip out these modems and use an external modem (connected to my serial port).
The ISA bus, long the standard expansion slot, has all but disappeared. The winning technology is the PCI slot. You will need to match the card and the slot. An AGP slot is useful even if the computer has video built into the motherboard. This allows you to add a new video technology in the future. Monitors There are three types of CRT (cathode-ray tube) monitors currently available, and each has its advantages for various applications. There are also LCD (liquid crystal display) and liquid plasma monitors available if you have a large budget.
Higher resolutions let you see more information. Running a display at a resolution higher than the ones I describe will result in eyestrain. You can move down a notch or two if you have vision problems.
If the refresh rate is set too low, you may notice some flicker on the screen. This is especially true when working under fluorescent lights (which operate at 60 Hz). You should increase the refresh rate until you find one that does not flicker. The possible refresh rate may vary based upon the resolution, with higher refresh rates available at lower resolutions. You should be able to find a comfortable range between 67Hz and 85Hz.
Do not try to refresh at a rate higher than the monitor manufacturer specifies. You could damage the monitor with a bad setting. Fortunately, the expensive monitors include circuitry to protect them.
The flat screen will have much less glare.
A flat screen will have more usable screen space than the same size curved screen. There will be less image distortion on a flat screen. When you first look at a flat screen, the image will look funny, as though the screen is bowed out. You will get used to it quickly.
This style is suitable for text work and general graphics but may not have enough color depth for photo work. This display technology is not quite as fast as CRT technology and so may not be suitable for some games.
There are two styles of LCD monitors, digital and analog. The digital model requires a special video card that outputs the appropriate digital signal. A normal video card creates a digital signal and convert that signal to an analog one that is sent to the monitor. An analog LCD converts this analog back into the digital signal required to drive the screen. The digital-only version will provide a sharper screen since it avoids an unnecessary translation.
LCD monitors are available in various sizes with each larger size being significantly expensive. The reason is that the display is really a large integrated circuit. There is a lot of surface area where problems can occur during manufacturing. If more than a couple of dots are bad, they have to scrap the display. We end up paying for the cost of the scrapped displays. If you can afford the price, buy a digital LCD panel; you will love it.
It is possible to spend more on the monitor than the computer. If that is what it takes to be comfortable, do it. I use an expensive 21 ViewSonic that is very comfortable to work with. I have used cheap monitors (that normally came with the computer they were hooked to) and could not wait to get away from them. Do not be afraid to buy a system that does not include a monitor so that you get a good monitor separately.
If you bought a good monitor last time and want to use it on your new computer, that is okay too, unless it is wearing out. Compare the quality of your old monitor with the latest models and be sure your monitor is still worth using.
The price of such a system will vary based upon the processor selected. I calculate that the base price for the system above without the processor and motherboard would be $900. To that we need to add in the cost of the processor and the appropriate motherboard. Based upon pricing at the beginning of September, here are the prices you should expect to find for any given processor:
The sub-$1000 systems will probably be based upon the AMD K6-2 or a low-end Intel Celeron and run close to 500 MHz. By Christmas, expect that same amount to get you a 600-700 AMD Duron or Intel Celeron system instead.
A system with a speed range of 600 MHz to 700 MHz of processor should cost under $1100. The processors could be AMD Duron, AMD Athlon, Intel Celeron, or Intel Pentium III.
A system with a speed range of 700 MHz to 800 MHz of processor should cost under $1200. The processors could be AMD Duron, AMD Athlon, Intel Celeron, or Intel Pentium III. This is the best buy area. You get more power for your dollar in this range of system.
A system with a speed range of 800 MHz to 900 MHz of processor should cost under $1600. The processors could be either AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium III. This is a good range for power users. I am not sure you could discern a difference between these machines and the much more expensive gigahertz computers.
A system with a speed range of 900 MHz to 1.0 GHz of processor should cost over $2000. The processors could be either AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium III. These computers will probably also have lots of memory and large hard drives, bringing the system cost closer to $2500.
The top-of-the-line computers are in the 1.1 GHz to 1.2 GHz range, and will cost almost $3000. The processors could be either AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium III. This range is just for the user who has to be the fastest on the block. These computers will probably also have lots of extras, bringing the system cost closer to $4000.
Ken Hopkins has been involved with computers since the early seventies and has collected more computer information than he is willing to admit. He currently serves as layout editor for Sacra Blue, the magazine of the Sacramento PC Users Group. Send topic ideas to ken.hopkins@sacpcug.org.
There is no restriction against anyone using the article as long as it is kept in context, with proper credit given to the author. This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which this user group belongs.
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