Spike’s PC Purchase Guide
February 2001 Edition
Last Updated: 14/2/2001
This quick guide is intended as an aid for those considering purchasing a PC and feeling overwhelmed by the options or their lack of knowledge of computers. It is written by Spike (Dr. Michael Barlow), a lecturer in the School of Computer Science, ADFA.
In no way is it intended to be an exhaustive guide (indeed, that could fill an entire book) but rather to highlight a number of points any potential purchaser should keep in mind.
The guide is broken into twelve sections which move from simple guidelines (guiding principles, and quick-pick systems) through to more detailed discussions of different aspects of a computer system (graphics cards, upgrading etc.). The first section, Guiding Principles is the most important but generic. For complete novices who don't wish to know any more, that, and the 2nd section entitled Quick Pick Systems, should be sufficient.
Finally, the PC market is ever-changing. If you find that the date on which you are reading this document and the “last updated” date listed above vary by a month or more then you can expect that some particulars of the document may no longer be entirely correct.
Guiding
Principles
The following are vital points to keep in mind at all times when considering a purchase:
· You do not need to own a PC to do any subject in Computer Science or Information Systems. This is likely true for the other Schools of the Academy also, but you should check with them. There is a range of computer facilities available on campus through the individual Schools or the ITSC (Information Technology Services Centre).
· Purchasing a PC is buying into redundancy. Even were you to buy the top of the range model today, in one year’s time a number of the components of your system will be “outdated”. Indeed, some may not even be for sale any more.
· However, all of today’s “Entry Level” systems are more than capable of running “normal” applications with sufficient speed including word processing, spreadsheets and Web browsing. The game industry is the major driving factor for faster CPUs & graphics cards: if game playing (in 2-year’s time) is not important then an entry level PC should be sufficient for your time at the academy.
· PC prices always drop as new technology enters the market. Never feel pressured to buy because of some “special offer”. Always ensure you are well enough informed to make an educated decision. It is quite common for a system to drop a few hundred dollars in price in a matter of a month or two.
· The warranty offered on a PC can be just as important as the hardware and software that is being sold. It is likely that your PC will have problems during its lifetime and you have the right to expect good support at those times. Beware of “fly-by-night” companies or those who offer poor warranties. Computer Markets are not good places to buy expensive equipment, never mind complete systems, unless you are very experienced (e.g., design and assemble own system).
Quick-Pick
Systems
Most computer companies offer half-a-dozen (or more) different options as to complete systems that can be purchased. Fundamentally these represent a range of computers from entry-level, the cheapest at around $1300-$1600, to high-performance, the most expensive at around $3500 and up.
As a consumer you must pick between the options based on price, performance and other issues. Don't forget that today's entry-level machines are capable of running typical office applications (word-processing, spreadsheets, web browsing), indeed most applications, with considerable power to spare. On the other hand the high-performance machines have the power for the demanding applications of next year (e.g., graphic intensive applications such as 3D games) as well as becoming redundant somewhat slower than the cheaper models.
It is your choice as to which extreme you wish to choose, or whether to find some sort of middle ground. However as a guide the following table lists the most important components you would expect for each. Note that "standard" components such as keyboards, mouse, floppy, speakers etc. are not listed, just those that are most expensive and most important in determining the "power" of a system.
|
Component |
Entry Level |
High End |
iMac Entry (Macintosh) |
|
Price |
$1300-$1800 (§) |
$3000+ |
$1700-$2000 |
|
CPU |
Celeron/Pentium-III or Duron/Athlon Speed: 677-866Mhz |
Pentium IV or Athlon (K7) Speed: 1.1-1.2GHz (Athlon), 1.4-1.5GHz (Pentium IV) |
PowerPC G3 Speed: 350-400MHz (Y) |
|
RAM (Main Memory) |
64/128 MB (megabytes) |
128 - 256 MB |
64 MB |
|
Hard Disc (HDD) |
8-15 GB (gigabytes) |
20-30 GB |
7 – 10 GB |
|
Monitor |
15 inch (@) |
High quality 17 or 19 inch |
15 inch |
|
Video Card |
TNT2 or unspecified |
GeForce 2 GTS with 32MB of DDR SDRAM |
ATI Rage 128 Pro |
|
Sound Card |
3D unspecified |
128-bit |
16-bit |
|
Modem |
56k (*) |
56k (*) |
56k (*) |
|
Network Card |
(*) |
(*) |
(*) |
|
CDROM/DVD |
CDROM (40-50X) (**) |
DVDROM (**) |
CDROM (**) |
* All
standard systems come with a 56k modem. However those students living in the
blocks on campus (i.e., all undergraduate non-officers) do not require modems
but network cards so that they can connect directly to the ADFA LAN (Local Area
Network). The ITSC provides information as to acceptable network cards (both in
terms of performance and manufacturers). The retailers who present system
options on the Mini Market Day (March 2) have been supplied with such a list
and hence will offer systems which incorporate a suitable network card and do
not include a modem.
** DVDROM is
still yet to see effective utilisation on a computer unless you like watching
movies on a 15" monitor. Similarly, today's high multiplier speeds on
CDROMs are effectively meaningless. Anything faster than 20-times is more than
enough. Hence, those considering purchasing a high-end system but saving money
might switch out the DVD and save $100-$200. Another option found on high-end
systems is a CD-burner (cutter) that allows you to write contents onto CDs.
@ It is
worth considering the additional $100 or so expense of going to a 17"
monitor from the start (extra screen real estate) rather than be faced with a
$400-$500 expense in 6 months time when you may decide you need to buy a
17".
Y It
is worth noting that the G3 at 350MHz outperforms the Pentium III, running at
550MHz, making this setup a reasonably powerful system despite the low CPU
clock speed.
§ Many of the cheaper
entry-level systems are built based on an all-in-one motherboard that
incorporates sound, graphics and network directly onto the motherboard. This
makes for a very cheap system but means that these components can not be
individually replaced and hence significantly limiting the upgrade potential of
the machine. However, this may not be important to most purchasers of such
systems.
Individual
Components
So, where does the money go when you purchase a PC, and where will spending extra on a component make a difference? The following list shows many of the major components of a PC system and very rough price ranges for those components.
CPU: The central processing unit. Prices range from ~$150 (the slower Celerons and Durons) to ~$2100 (for the fastest Pentium IV). There is not always a linear relationship between price and performance (see the next section).
Monitor: The display screen. Prices vary from under $300 for an entry level 15” monitor, through $400-$600 for a 17”, with 19” starting at around $800 and 21” at around $1600. There is a range of qualities in monitors offered from any manufacturer. Things to check are dpi (basically crispness of image) and refresh rate at high resolutions. Flat (LCD) screens are a recent technology and priced accordingly (e.g., 15" from around $2000).
Motherboard: The main board on which the CPU sits, and to which most components
are connected. Prices range from around $200 to over $800 dependent on type
(810, 815, 820, 440BX, etc.), features, manufacturer, etc. There are
significant compatibility issues between motherboards and CPUs: certain CPUs
require certain classes of motherboards (issues of how the chip fits onto the
motherboard and supporting chipset). Even within a class of motherboards there
are differences based on the speed of transfer to/from the hard-disk (e.g.,
ATA-66 vs. ATA-100), and to/from main memory (known as the front-side bus speed
(e.g., 100MHz vs. 133MHz).
Case: The “container” for the computer. Prices range from $100 to $300 dependent on quality of power supply, size, and number of slots available for peripherals. There are a number of choices based on internal dimensions (e.g., AT, ATX) which are dictated by the motherboard, and external dimensions (e.g., tower, mini-tower, desktop); which are more a question of aesthetics.
RAM: Main memory. There is
significant difference between the memory required by the new Pentium IV
(called RAMBUS), and that required by all other CPUs, 
including
the other Intel chips such as the Pentium III (typically this memory is known
as PC133 or PC100 SDRAM) The price of RAMBUS memory is around $1000 per 128MB,
whereas the price of PC133 is around $170 for 128MB (about one-sixth of the
price of RAMBUS memory and also about half the price of PC133 a year ago).
There is little reason these days to purchase the slower PC100 SDRAM, even if
your motherboard doesn’t support the faster PC133 SDRAM there is little if any
price difference and PC133 SDRAM will run happily in a 100MHz FSB (front side
bus) motherboard.
Hard Disc: Permanent storage, where your programs and files are kept. Prices vary from around $200-$300 for the smaller 10-15 gig drives (nearly double the size of what was called small last year) to over $1000 for the large drives. Price tends to scale with size of the disc and it never hurts to have more space. The issue is complicated by whether the drive is IDE or SCSI, with SCSI being several hundred dollars more expensive for the same size but considerably faster. Other factors that differentiate hard discs are their spin rate (revolutions per minute), seek time, and (for the IDE drives) transfer protocol (ATA/UATA 60/100).
CDROM/DVDROM Drive: A CD reader. Comes with a max speed as a multiple of the speed a music CD spins at. Prices range from $80 to $140. There is almost no benefit what-so-ever in having a faster CDROM (e.g., 40X vs. 24X). Entry-level DVDs are around $200 and while becoming common have yet to show their benefit. CD Burners (CD-R & CD-RW) are becoming more common options on higher end systems, with the lower cost burners starting at around $300.
Video Card: Hardware dedicated to creating the image on the monitor. All
modern cards have excellent 2D performance, the differentiating factor between
cards being 3D performance (e.g., games). Prices range from less than $100 for
older cards such as an 8M TNT2 (the TNT2 was “king of the hill” 18 months to 2
years ago), through to $1000 and more for specialist cards. The current choice
of dedicated gamers are cards based on the Nvidia “GeForce 2 GTS” design with
32M of DDR SDRAM (fast memory). Such cards can be had for around $600,
dependent on features. The much slower MX version (2 pipelines instead of 4 and
slower clock and memory) can be had for about half the price. There are big differences in 3D ability
between graphics cards.
Sound Card: Produce stereo sound and special effects through the speaker system. Prices range from under $100 for the older sound cards to as much as $400, with around $200 getting you a decent modern card.
Keyboard: From as little as $20 to over $100, with $30-$40 getting you a decent keyboard. There are different standards in connection of both keyboards and mice between older PCs and those currently offered.
Mouse: From as little as $10, through to more than $100 for the modern ergonomic, multi-buttoned and featured mice. You can pick up a good mouse for $30-$50.
What’s in a
CPU?
So, what’s the difference between all these difference types of CPUs, and isn’t having the highest clock speed the most important?
First, a quick discussion of the different chips available:
Pentium IV: Intel’s newest
chip, currently available at speeds of 1.4GHz and 1.5GHz. Considerable
controversy surrounds the P4 due to engineering/marketing choices and
compromises that Intel made. It and AMD’s Athlon are the two most powerful
consumer level chips currently available.
Pentium III: Intel’s work-horse that has recently been superseded
by the faster and more expensive P4.. Basically a good all-round chip.
Currently available in speeds from 700MHz to 1GHz (1GHz is the ceiling for the
P3).
Pentium II: No longer
available for retail it is still found in a lot of "older" systems. The fore-runner of the Pentium III and
similar in most respects. Was available at clock speeds up to 450MHz.
Celeron: Also from Intel. Built to recapture the lower end PC market. Basically a cut-down Pentium II/III that sells for about 1/2 to 2/3 the price of Pentium III at the same clock speed but comes somewhat close to the same performance. Current speeds are 600-766MHz.
Athlon: From AMD (an Intel
competitor), the Athlon is available at clock speeds from 700MHz through to 1.2GHz.
The higher-speed Athlons (K7-1100 and K7-1200) with the faster (266MHz)
front-side bus are direct competitors with Intel’s Pentium IV, exceeding it in
performance in a number of benchmarks.
Duron: AMD’s low-end chip
(cut-down Athlon) competing in the same market segment as the Celeron, at clock
speeds from 650MHz through to 850MHz, and typically significantly cheaper and
better performing than the Celeron (although limited by motherboard choices).
K6-2/K6-3: Older AMD chip that might be found in the cheapest entry-systems. Available at speeds around 400-500MHz. Still found in some laptops.
Secondly, some points to hopefully make the CPU choice decision somewhat simpler (or at least better informed):
The importance of clock speeds:
There is no doubt that faster clock speeds do lead 
to
faster systems but the relationship is far more complicated than most retailers
might lead you to believe. Firstly, the actual chip plays a vital part. For
instance an Athlon is faster than a Pentium-III of the same clock speed for
virtually every task. Indeed the Athlon at 1.2GHz is outperforming the
Pentium-IV (running at 1.5GHz) in many benchmarks. Similarly, the G4 processors
employed in the Macintosh machines tend to significantly outperform the
Pentium/Athlon processors of the same clock speed. Secondly, the relationship
between CPU clock speed and speed of running programs is not linear. For
instance, you might expect a Pentium III at 1GHz to run the same program half
as fast again as a Pentium III at 670MHz. In reality the speed increase might
be a far more modest 5-25% (varying highly dependent on the type of
application).
Intel vs. AMD: Fundamentally, there are only two manufacturers in the CPU market: Intel with their long reign with the Pentium family of chips (Pentium I-IV and Celeron), and AMD who, till the advent of the Athlon (Athlon, Duron, and K6), only had a small share of the low-end market. Currently AMD is in ascension: less than 1 year ago the Athlon soundly trounced the Pentium III as the best performing chip and the Pentium IV has not been able to topple the Athlon. The competition between AMD and Intel is quite cut-throat and extends through engineering design, to marketing, and dubious tactics (e.g., attempting to limit the supply of motherboards that support the competitor’s CPU).
High End & Low End: Both Intel and AMD make a range of chips. Not only are those chips differentiated by clock-speed, but by inherent features. In particular both manufacturers produce “cut-down” versions of their high performance chips aimed at the low-cost end of the market. These CPUs are known as the Celeron (from Intel) and Duron (from AMD). While they are significantly cheaper than the flagship chips from which they are derived (Pentium III for the Celeron and Athlon for the Duron) their performance is not significantly poorer. Indeed both the Celeron and Duron are known for their ability to be overclocked, making them a common choice of performance hungry, but cash-strapped system designers.
Pricing Escalator: There appears to be a rough price structure
which both Intel and AMD follows for all their chips. The current top-end chip
tends to retail for between $1000 to $1400 (somewhat more currently for the
Pentium-IVs) with slower variants being priced between that high-point and a
bottom point of $200-$300 (the slowest Celerons/Durons and P3s/Athlons). As new
and faster chips appear (and they do on a regular basis) existing chips are
pushed down the scale: those on the bottom of the list disappear and are no
longer available for sale, while those higher up drop correspondingly in price.
This is the pricing escalator. In this sense both AMD’s Durons and Athlons are
a bargain: they tend to be considerably cheaper (as well as faster) than the
corresponding (same clock speed) Celeron/Pentium-III.
The importance of motherboards: There are currently five main CPU choices above, Intel's Celeron (cheapie), Pentium III (somewhat dated workhorse) and Pentium IV (new contender), or AMD's Duron (cheapie) and Athlon (workhorse and high end performer). Besides the Duron and lower speed Athlons (1GHz and below, known as the Thunderbirds), each requires a different class of motherboard which has significant compatibility and upgrade issues. Hence upgrading (e.g., replace Pentium-III with a Pentium-IV, or Celeron with a Duron, or …) is often not simply a matter of purchasing a new CPU, but also entails the cost of a new motherboard.
Terminology
Reading a standard advert for a PC system is an exercise in decoding acronyms & technical terms: 440BX, SCSI, PC133. All can be confusing to the novice. The following list is some of the terms you might encounter:
3Dnow!: The additional
instruction sets found on AMDs CPUs (Athlon, Duron, K6). Designed for
“multimedia” applications and AMD’s answer to Intel’s SSE instruction set.
440BX, 440LX, 810, 815, 820, etc: The chipset of the motherboard. As new CPUs are released they often require (whether in a strict engineering sense or due to a marketing decision is another matter) a new chipset for the motherboard. Many classes of motherboards and CPUs are not compatible, limiting possible upgrade paths.
AGP: Advanced Graphic Port. A faster bus protocol added to the newer motherboards to support all the texturing many games demand. Typically newer motherboards have one AGP slot and graphics cards come in two flavours: a PCI version and an AGP version.
AMD: Advanced Micro
Devices. Manufacturer of the Athlon, Duron, and K6 range of CPUs, and 2nd
only to Intel in the CPU design/manufacture area.
ATX: The most common form factor (layout & shape) for the motherboard on modern PCs. This prescribes the type of case for the system.
Benchmark: A series of
tasks (programs) which are run on a computer to test its performance (speed).
Performance is often measured in terms of time to complete the task or number
of frames rendered per second.
Bus: The data communication channels of the computer. The “pathways” which connect the various components (e.g., CPU, memory, graphics card, sound card, hard disk) of the system. See AGP, PCI, SCSI.
Cache: "Faster" memory that is on-board with the CPU. The presence of cache significantly improves the speed of a computer. Cache varies by size and speed between the different CPUs.
Case: The “box” that holds the motherboard and associated components, together
with the power supply for the machine. Comes in sizes such as tower, mini-tower
etc.
DDR SDRAM: Double Data Rate
SDRAM (see SDRAM). RAM that runs at double transfer rate by using the
leading/trailing edge of each clock cycle. Typically employed on graphics cards
(e.g., GeForce 2 GTS).
DIMM/SIMM: Dual Inline Memory Module (SIMM=Single…). The type of socket in which memory is placed as a memory chip.
FSB [Front Side Bus]: Name
for the bus which connects the CPU and main memory (RAM). Dependent on the
motherboard and CPU combination this runs at a particular speed (e.g., 66, 100,
133, 266MHz).
HDD: Hard Disc Drive, the main permanent storage device.
IDE: Intelligent/Integrated Drive Electronics. An interface standard for mass storage devices (such as hard disks) in which the controller is integrated into the device. The standard interface used for hard-disks and CD-ROMS drives on PCs.
Intel: Single largest
designer and manufacturer of CPUs, dominating the marketplace with the Pentium
range of chips, and a history that goes back to the 1960s.
M/B [Motherboard]: The motherboard. The printed circuit board to which the CPU, cards, and other devices are attached.
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. A component that is sold to be part of a total retail system. As such it often does not come with all of the additional promotional material (e.g., free games with graphics cards). However the basic component is the same. This is often a way to save money when buying individual components.
PC100 SDRAM: The current type of RAM (main memory). PC100 is a term used by Intel to describe RAM that run fast enough to “keep up” with their 100MHz “front-side bus” such as in the 440BX chipset.
PC133 SDRAM: Memory that runs at 133MHz. Some of the newer M/B and CPU combinations can utilise this higher speed.
PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect. A bus protocol that is effectively standard in most PCs. Most motherboards have 3 or 4 PCI slots into which sound cards, video cards, etc. are plugged.
PPGA: The motherboard form factor (CPU connector setup) for the Celerons.
RAMBUS/RDRAM: Rambus
Dynamic Random Access Memory. The memory employed in the Pentium IV. Much
faster than SDRAM (used in other machines) but much more expensive.
SCSI: Small Computer System Interface. A standard for attaching parallel peripheral devices. An alternate (and faster) protocol for storage devices than IDE.
SDRAM: Synchronous Dynamic
Random Access memory. The most common form of main memory (RAM) in use in
modern computers. Comes in sizes from 32 to 512MB.
SIMD: Single Instruction,
Multiple Data. Special instructions possessed by modern CPUs to perform the
same operation (e.g., multiplication) on a number of values at once (e.g.,
perform 4 simultaneous operations). Can greatly enhance some more demanding
applications (e.g., video compression, 3D calculations, etc.).
Slot 1: The motherboard form factor (CPU connector setup) suitable for Pentium IIs & IIIs.
Slot A: The motherboard form factor (CPU connector setup) suitable for the top Athlon chips (K7-1100 and K7-1200) from AMD.
Socket 7: The form factor suitable for the older Pentiums as well as AMD and Cyrix chips.
Socket A: The motherboard form factor (CPU connector setup) suitable for AMD’s Duron and Athlon Thunderbird (slower front side bus than K7-1100 and K7-1200) CPUs.
SSE: Streaming SIMD Extensions. The additional instructions (70) that Intel added to their Pentium III chip to speed applications such as 3D graphics and signal processing. See SIMD.
SSE2: The further extensions (144 new instructions) that Intel added to the Pentium-IV. See SSE.
Super 7: An enhanced version of the socket 7 form factor.
USB: Universal Serial Bus. A newer standard for the connection of external peripherals (both serial & parallel) such as mice, keyboards, modems etc. Should eventually replace serial and parallel ports.
High-End
Performance
OK, so money is no option and you have to have the “ultimate” PC system, even though you know that by next year it will only at best be a mid-range system? What do I think that system should consist of?:
CPU: Fastest K7 Athlon
or Intel Pentium IV available. The jury is still out over 
which
is the best. The P4 currently has higher clock speeds (at the moment 1.4 and
1.5GHz) compared to the K7 (1.1 and 1.2GHz). However performance-wise its very
much application dependent: the Athlon (1.2GHz) is currently superior in terms
of most graphics, compiling, and many games, while the Pentium IV (1.5GHz) has
superior Quake3 and video compression performance. Other confounding factors
are that the Athlon can be overclocked to be the faster, and that the Pentium
IV uses the special RAMBUS memory (expensive!). Hence I currently give the edge
to the Athlon though its not as clear-cut as it was 6-months ago.
RAM: Preferably 256MB (or more), although 128MB will suffice currently. Make sure it is the correct type of memory for your CPU/Motherboard combination: PC133 (or faster) for the Athlon, and RAMBUS for the P4.
Monitor: Top of the line 17” or even 19" (although you'll need to sit a fair way back). Heck, if you've got the money, get a flat screen though that’s a pure indulgence.
Hard Disc: As big as you can find and a SCSI.
Graphics Card: One of the
GeForce 2 GTS (not MX!) cards with 32MB of DDR SDRAM (memory). If you want to
be extravagant you could go a 64MB version with TV out and other such features,
but you’d have to ask why.
Sound Card: One of the fully featured 128 bit soundcards.
Motherboard: Dependent on whether you go the Intel (Pentium IV) or AMD (Athlon) path will dictate the class of motherboard you need. There are performance differences between Motherboards from different manufacturers (can be as much as 10% performance) but its too complicated to even make a simple recommendation here (visit some of the web sites recommended at the end of this guide for such information).
Also, top quality in everything else such as keyboards, mice etc. If you have money to burn then there’s any number of peripherals on which to spend money including printers (a very crowded market), scanners, CD burners (even a DVD burner now), joysticks, wireless mouse and keyboards, etc. etc.
Macintosh,
the Unsung Alternate
This guide concentrates chiefly on the Wintel/IBM-clone class of PCs (those based on the x86 family of processors). The alternate computer system is called the Macintosh from Apple.
Technically,
the current range of the Macintosh in the forms of the iMac iBook and G4s
(PowerMac) are superior in several ways to those of the x86 family. However the
economic/market reality is that Wintel machines account for 80-90% of the
market and hence receive similar weighting in this guide.
Thus, don't exclude the Macintosh as a possibility. For a somewhat higher price you are likely to obtain a system more powerful in a number of areas and one which will probably be more stable (less problems). On the negative side, software selection for the Macintosh (particularly games) is far more limited though there are good options in all classes of software.
Further, with the power of the modern Macintosh machines it is possible to run software emulators (these cost a couple of hundred dollars) that allow Windows software to be run transparently (i.e., it is like having both a Mac and PC in the one box).
Laptops
An alternate to a dedicated desk-top machine is a laptop (notebook). Laptops have the clear advantage of portability, and while not boasting the same performance for price, the gap between laptop power and desktop continues to narrow.
Not so long ago (a couple of years) laptops possessed just enough processing power for word processing and other such “office applications”, but little else. However that has all changed with considerable processing power (both main and peripherals such as graphics or sound) can now be found in the modern, light-weight laptops.
An example that typifies this change is the fact that both the Nvidia GeForce 2 and ATI Radeon, high performance 3D graphics chips, will soon be available in mobile (laptop) versions.
However there are limitations, all chiefly due to power consumption issues. The CPUs in laptops are K6-2, Celeron, Pentium-II and Pentium-III, no Athlons or Pentium-IV (just too power hungry). Clock speeds are lower also, with the current range being from around 333MHz up to 800MHz (with the high clock speeds being significantly more expensive). Hard disks are smaller and slower, while the LCD (Liquid Crystal Displays) range from around 12 to 14 inches (with much slower refresh rates). Finally, the range of options and ability to tailor a system is far more limited in the laptop market, with most laptops only being from the big names (e.g., Compaq, IBM) and only a limited number of different models available.
Despite said limitations, there is now more than enough power in a modern laptop to run more demanding applications, including the latest 3D games. Further, battery technology, as well as lower power consumption from the system components mean that not only are modern laptops far lighter, they also have far longer run times (when not connected to main power). So, if mobility is an issue, it may well be worth looking more closely at the laptop segment of the market.
Graphic Cards
Graphics cards are dedicated pieces of hardware that have the sole task of generating the image that is sent to the computer screen. While this may not sound particularly demanding they are in fact one of the most sophisticated components on the computer: the best graphics chips rival CPUs in the complexity (measured in transistors), while top graphics cards have as much dedicated RAM (memory) as many computers.
This complexity stems from the sophisticated and numerous calculations required to generate 3D graphics at high resolution and high frame rates. All these calculations are performed directly on the graphics card, freeing the CPU for other work. The quality of 2D graphics has not been an issue for the last couple of years; so it is differences in 3D quality that separate the various graphics cards.
Not
surprisingly then, good graphics cards are expensive. At the moment you could
expect to pay around $600 for the favoured graphics card of gamers (the GeForce
2 GTS with 32M of DDR SDRAM), and it is relatively easy to spend up to $1000
and more. Older cards can be picked up for under $100.
The graphics card industry is also the fastest moving as well as one of the most cut-throat in the whole PC area. At least one manufacturer (Nvidia, the current leaders) is on a 6-months product cycle, while the once leading company 3dfx, which had spawned the entire 3D card industry with their Voodoo series of cards, has just closed its doors due to being out competed.
Hence, due to the price of cards, and speed of change in this sector it is well worth doing some further research if graphics (e.g., games) performance is important. Fortunately, many of the web sites recommended at the end of the guide run complete benchmarks testing the performance of the latest cards.
Finally, it is worth noting that while there are relatively few graphics chip designers: Nvidia with the TNT and GeForce series, ATI with their Radeon & Rage series, Matrox with their Gxxx and Millennium series, etc.; there are many more graphics card companies. Most chip designers only design the chips, not the complete card. The chips are then sold-on to graphics card companies (such as Hercules, Diamond, etc.) who build a card around that chip. This card is then sold on to consumers. Hence it is commonplace to find multiple cards based on the same core chip, but from different card manufacturers and varying somewhat in feature set. Often there are non-trivial performance differences between these cards, even though a cursory comparison would lead to the belief that they are fundamentally the same. Thus, it is worth the time to take a look at some benchmarks.
Upgrading
Rather than purchasing a new computer, it is often possible to upgrade an existing computer to make it more powerful.
Upgrading consists of replacing one or more components of the current system with a more modern (faster/larger) component. The most commonly upgraded components on a computer system are the CPU (often necessitating a motherboard upgrade also), memory (purchasing more), the graphics card, and the hard disk.
However it is not always possible to upgrade individual components of a computer system. Many of the entry-level (low-end) PCs retailing at around $1300-$1500 are built around an “all-in-one” motherboard, in which components such as the graphics card, sound card, and Ethernet card are an inherent part of the motherboard itself: they cannot be replaced. In these cases, any upgrade other than CPU or memory entails the purchase of a new motherboard.
In considering an upgrade the following questions need to be answered: (1) What new level of performance should the upgraded system achieve (e.g., run Quake3 without noticeable slowdown)?; (2) What bottlenecks exist in the current system that mean that desired level of performance is not being achieved?; (3) What components need to be upgraded to clear the bottleneck?; (4) Finally, are the considered upgrades economically feasible (is there much saving over purchasing a new system and the advantages of a new system)?
Typically upgrades can extend the life of a PC, but only to a degree. There comes a time (e.g., when considering the need to upgrade 2-3 or more components) when it is far more economical to purchase a new system (it may be possible to cannibalise components from the old system such as the monitor or RAM).
Listed below are brief notes about upgrading individual components in the system.
CPU: Upgrading the CPU to a faster model can often yield very significant improvements in performance of a system. If you are looking for a general speed improvement and it was a year or more ago that you purchased your system, this is the option to consider first. However it is important to ensure that the new CPU is compatible with your current motherboard, otherwise you will need to meet the cost of a new motherboard also. Also, as noted elsewhere, performance does not scale linearly with processor speed: just because the new processor is twice as fast doesn’t mean that it will run your applications twice as fast.
Memory (RAM): It never hurts to have more memory, particularly if you run multiple applications at once (e.g., word processing, web browsing, email program, chat client) as each requires its own memory (and Windows itself is not tiny!). However, if your system already has sufficient memory (and sufficient depends on what you run on your computer, you should use a system utility to check your memory usage) then you will see little if any improvement by adding more memory. As an example, those running on 32M or even 64M systems would typically see some improvement by increasing memory on the system.
Graphics
Card: If playing the latest games at high frame rates is important, then
its likely that you will be looking at upgrading the graphics card on any
machine older than 1 year. Significant improvements are made in the 3D graphics
chip area every 6 months or so. However it is important to remember that high
performance graphics cards need powerful CPUs to feed them data for them to
obtain maximum performance. Tacking a GeForce 2 GTS on an old Pentium-II system
will give a big graphics improvement, but still not come near what the GeForce
2 could deliver with a more powerful CPU to supply it with data to render.
Hard Disk: It is surprising how quickly a (seemingly huge) hard disk can fill, particularly with the large footprints (hard disk space) that many modern applications require. As the capacity of hard disks continue to increase it is not uncommon for people to spend the $200-$400 on a new, far higher capacity hard disk. Typically though, this has little effect on system performance (the higher transfer rates of the more modern hard drives will lead to quicker load times when programs start up though).
Operating
Systems
A computer system is worthless without software to run on it, and the most important piece of software on any computer is the operating system. The operating system is the software that coordinates the diverse components that compose the computer, ensuring a running system, as well as providing an interface through which users start applications, copy files, etc.
A lot of the notoriety concerning the PC has stemmed from the less than stable (has a tendency to crash) operating systems available for it. Recently a number of alternate OS (Operating Systems) have become widely available. It is also possible to have more than 1 OS on your PC and select the one you desire at power-up time. The following list briefly describes each OS and, where appropriate, their inter-relationship.
BeOs: Multi-platform (runs on the PowerPC chips of the Macintosh also) OS from Be Inc. that while sporting standard features such as a graphical user interface, is far smaller (less demanding of resources) than the Windows range of OS. It does not have large penetration of the market place.
Linux: A powerful and stable operating system based on Unix (a multi-platform O/S used heavily in industry and academia). Linux tends to be favoured by programmers and developers, and is well know for the light demands it places upon the machine (as opposed to Windows demands).
Windows 95: Microsoft’s first full 32-bit OS, now superseded by Windows 98. If you have a very old system (old Pentium or 486) then it is still appropriate.
Windows 98: Successor to 95 and more stable (as long as you have 2nd edition), but with much the same functionality and look and feel. Quite a decent OS as Windows OS go.
Windows 2000: Attempted integration of Windows NT and 98. Based around the NT core. Not entirely successful in bringing together the best features of both streams.
Windows Millennium (ME): Controversial successor to Windows 98, some say rushed out due to the lack of success of Windows 2000. Certain new “features” such as lack of DOS mode, and System Restore appear to be less than well thought out.
Further
Information
For a strong, detailed and in-depth guide to all things PC I recommend the following two sites:
The PC Guide www.pcguide.com
Ars Technica arstechnica.com
If you just need to look up a PC related term or get a quick summary of something try:
PC Webopaedia www.pcwebopaedia.com
For detailed technical reviews and benchmarks on the latest hardware I can’t recommend the following two sites highly enough. They are always the first with the latest news and perform in-depth benchmarking so that you can see the figures for yourself of how different pieces of hardware perform. Be warned though that the reading can be a bit heavy if you’re a computer novice.
Tom’s Hardware: www.tomshardware.com
Anand Tech: www.anandtech.com
Other, similar and more recent arrivals on the hardware review and news scene include.
Ace’s Hardware: www.aceshardware.com
Rolo Tech: www.rolotech.com
Electic Tech: www.electic.com
The Tech Zone: www.thetechzone.com
Maximum PC: www.maximumpc.com
HardwareZone: www.hardwarezone.com
Disclaimer,
History & Acknowledgements
This document is supplied as-is, with no implied "warranty" or "support". I welcome suggestions and criticisms as to how the document can be improved so as to be more useful to those facing the purchase of a PC system. However no responsibility is accepted for purchasing decisions made on the basis of the information supplied here in.
This document came about in early 1999 as my response to a recurring scenario. I have taught the 1st-year engineers computing since 1997 and early each year I face a barrage of "What PC should I buy?", "What's the best graphics card?", "How much memory do I need?", "Whats the difference between a Celeron and a Pentium?" questions. This is an attempt to centralise that knowledge and make it more easily accessible.
While the chief author of this document I have gathered information from a number of sources. Any errors or omissions are my own. However I would like in particular to thank Danny McClatchey, Aaron Mihe, and Wen Ung, three knowledgeable IT Officers from the School of Computer Science, who provided a number of suggestions. My thanks also to Peter Morris, the Web-Master from the School of Computer Science, who took and provided the images employed in this guide.
Dr. Michael (Spike) Barlow
School of Computer Science
ADFA