Wednesday, November 3, 2010

To Customize Or Not To Customize

BUILDING A CUSTOM COMPUTER    

AMD or Intel?
Whether you prefer Intel or AMD, we have every conceivable valid configuration available for each platform. From cost-efficient custom desktop systems and performance gaming machines to hardcore and extreme gaming rigs and workstations, we have every platform available. Similarly, we offer both NVIDIA and ATI Radeon graphics solutions. We do not have a “brand-allegiance”, meaning that we do not sell products of a single manufacturer because we have a contract or discount with them. Actually, we offer products by the company that do the best job building the product for a certain category. So if, for example, ASUS were unable to deliver a solid mainboard based on a particular chipset, we will find a company that does.

Best AMD 890FX Board Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7
Gigabyte's sturdy GA-890FXA-UD7 is a monster of a board. Most motherboards these days are of course ATX motherboards, but the Gigabyte 890FXA-UD7 is actually an extended ATX board, which means you'll need a large case to house this one. The reason why it is so large becomes obvious once you take a look at it, as the 890FXA-UD7 has six - yes, six - PCIe slots.

You'll also find a buffet of ports. Inside you're treated to eight SATA ports, six of which are SATA 6Gbps ports. Around back you'll find two USB 3.0 ports, six USB 2.0 ports, two Firewire ports, two eSATA/USB combo ports, and 8-channel Realtek audio. This is in addition to six onboard USB 2.0 and one onboard Firewire connection.

If you're a power user in every sense of the word - multiple huge hard drives, loads of video cards, and more RAM than a Dodge dealership, you'll appreciate this Gigabyte board.  The Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD7 usually runs around $240.


Computers for Photographers
If you consider yourself a photographer, be it professional or otherwise, then your computing needs will be slightly different than that of the average user. For starters, you're going to need lots of hard drive space for storing your photographs, especially given the amount of space a single 12+ megpixel photo can take. You'll also want a very large, bright monitor for doing photo manipulation in programs like Adobe Photoshop. Having some extra video memory never hurts, though you really won't need to invest in a high-end gaming card unless you are also a gamer.

What is a Memory Footprint? 
In a nutshell, the memory footprint of any program is simply the amount of memory the software uses while it’s in operation. While this is an important thing to be aware of for any piece of software, it’s doubly so for an operating system. After all, you can’t just kill the operating system to free up extra memory. Sure, there are things you can do that may reduce the amount of memory that an operating system is using, but there is a bare minimum that it’s always going to tie up. Microsoft recommends a minimum of 1 GB of RAM for 32-bit versions of the operating system and a minimum of 2 GB for 64-bit versions. If you plan on taking advantage of the Windows XP Mode feature, you should bump those requirements up to include an additional 1 GB of RAM.

One of the big differences here is that Microsoft's recommendations for Windows 7 seem to be a lot more realistic than the ones given for Vista. That is, with Vista, most people needed much more than the minimum requirements stated for the OS to run properly. With Windows 7, the stated requirements seem adequate. However, you're still much better off if you have 4 GB of RAM, especially if you're running a 64-bit version. Will Windows 7 run on less? The user community says yes – Windows 7 can boot up in systems with less RAM, but remember that there is a difference between just being able to boot your PC and actually being able to do anything with it. So, if you actually plan to use any applications and don't want your system to slow to a crawl, it's best not to try to scrape by with less than the minimum.
                                  
FLASH MEMORY
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. SSDs are distinguished from traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), which are electromechanical devices containing spinning disks and movable read/write heads. SSDs, in contrast, use microchipsand data is retained in non-volatile memory chips and contain no moving parts.  Compared to traditional HDDs, SSDs are typically less susceptible to physical shock, quieter, and have lower access time and latency. SSDs use the same interface as hard disk drives, thus easily replacing them in most applications.

As of 2010, most SSDs use NAND-based flash memory, which retains memory even without power. SSDs using volatile random-access memory(RAM) also exist for situations which require even faster access, but do not necessarily need data persistence after power loss, or use batteries to back up the data after power is removed. A hybrid drive combines the features of an HDD and an SSD in one unit.

GRAPHICS CARDS FOR GAMING 
Purchasing a PC graphics card can be a daunting task for those that aren't familiar with the entire technical lingo that has become part of every decision regarding computer hardware. Whether you are considering an upgrade to your current system, or you want your new system to be able to run the latest games, here are some things you should know before buying a video card for gaming.

Update Your Drivers
If you're thinking of replacing your card because you're having problems running a certain game, make sure you have the latest version of the drivers for your current graphics card. You will find the latest drivers for your card available for download from the manufacturer's Web site.

Chipsets
For the purpose of gaming, two developers of 3D graphics card chipsets have come to dominate the market: nVidia and ATI. While there are many video card manufacturers and brands, most of them build their cards around chipsets designed and supported by one of these two companies.

Certain games will run a little better on one chipset than another - something you might want to consider before deciding which way to go.

Onboard Memory
256 MB of memory is, at the time of writing this, about the minimum for a gamer looking for a new card. When it comes to memory, more is always better, although it does raise the price of the card. 512 MB cards are now common in all price ranges, but there are high-end cards with 1 GB or more of memory onboard.

Framerates
As the term implies, framerate is an indication of how many frames per second your system can display. The rate not only varies from game to game, it is also affected by the game's settings and the action taking place at any given moment in the game. Framerate is, in some ways, the ultimate test of a video card's speed, so a lot of sites compare cards on this basis. The fastest cards in this regard are usually the most expensive as well.

Hardware Transform and Lighting
This has been a standard feature in game-oriented video cards for quite a few years, but there are still PCs around that don't have it. These are usually systems with Intel graphics integrated into the motherboard, commonly used in budget laptops and desktops designed for office use. If your desktop doesn't have hardware T&L and you have a graphics card slot available, adding a newer graphics card could be an option.

Power Consumption
Many cards designed for gaming require a considerable amount of power, and they often have additional power connectors on them because they can't get enough juice through the slot itself. They also require a relatively good power supply, especially for SLI and Crossfire systems with dual video cards. If you're upgrading to the latest high-end card, you may find yourself upgrading your power supply as well. Power requirements are usually stated in the graphics card's specifications.

ATI Radeon HD 6870   
Launched in October 2010, the first cards in Radeon's HD 6000 series don't dramatically outperform the previous generation, but they do improve on power consumption and they are smaller, which makes them cheaper to produce. The HD 6870 falls a little behind the HD 5870 on some game benchmarks, but it's currently priced at around $230, which is a good $100 less than a 1 GB HD 5870, making the 6870 an obvious choice.

Advantages of Building a Custom Computer
The most distinguishing advantage to building a computer from scratch is the selection of parts. Most computer systems come pre-built with the specifications and components already selected for you. This often can lead the user to have to sacrifice certain features that they may not want to give up. By building a computer from components, the user is able to choose the parts that best match the computer system they desire. Some vendors do allow you to customize a computer system, but you are still limited to their selection of parts.

Another thing that users may not be aware of with pre-built systems is that two of the exact same model computer can actually have very different parts. The reason for this has to do with
suppliers, parts available at the time the system was built and just pure luck. For example, Dell might switch between multiple suppliers of memory because one is less expensive than the other. Buying all the parts on your own guarantees what parts you will get in your PC.

One of the less tangible advantages to building a computer from scratch is knowledge. By building a computer from scratch, a user is able to learn and understand how the parts work together. This information becomes immensely valuable when troubleshooting computer problems. The knowledge of what components control the different sub-systems of a computer means users can repair their own hardware problems without having to deal with support groups or expensive repair labor bills.

No comments:

Post a Comment