The Computer Zone

Here’s the desktop version of the popular Buyers Guide. I’m going to go through most of the main components in a desktop computer and describe what you should be looking for based on the type of things you’ll be doing with your desktop. The main categories of desktop usage that I’ll talk about are:

1. Casual use (programming, light graphics, light gaming, usage time: 0 - 1hr)
2. Moderate use (video / sound editing, lots of gaming, everything in casual use, usage time: 2hr - 5hrs)
3. Heavy use (tonnes of gaming, professional video / sound / graphical editing and everything in moderate use, usage time: 5hrs - 24hrs)

The components I’ll go into detail later on are:

1. Monitor
2. Processor
3. RAM (Random Access Memory)
4. Hard Drive
5. Graphics Card

After going through each of these I’ll then provide a few suggested desktops for each category of usage. So lets get started shall we?

Monitor
Monitors are basically a personal choice. I personally prefer the dual monitor setups but thats just me. At minimum these days you’ll want at least a 19″ LCD. You won’t want a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitor because they’re not environmentally safe and they are just too large.

• Casual Use: Since you’re not going to be using your computer that much, you’ll probably not want to spend a lot of money on an expensive monitor. Higher resolution monitors aren’t a necessity either since you probably won’t be playing many games or editing photos. A 19″ display will be perfect for the internet and email use.
• Moderate Use: So if your in this category you’re going to be spending more time with your computer. You’ll have some gaming and video editing so you’re going to have a better monitor. I would suggest having dual 20″ monitors to give you enough room. This will come in very handy when you’re editing videos and playing games. Make sure that you’re monitors have a low refresh rate 5ms or better so you don’t see ghost images while playing games.
• Heavy Use: You’re going to want the Cadillac of monitors. I have use dual 22″ or 24″ with a low refresh rate and a high resolution. If you’re going to mainly be gaming a low refresh rate is the most important aspect. If you’re going to be editing videos and pictures you’ll want a good contrast ratio 1000:1 / 3000:1 and a large amount of real estate.

Processor
The processor is going to be one of your most important choices while choosing your desktop. It will determine how fast your computer runs.

• Casual Use: Since you’re not going to be using CPU intensive programs (such as video editing and gaming) you’re probably not wanting to spend a large amount on the newest fastest processors. An Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 2.2GHz or an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ 2.6GHz will be perfect. Both feature a moderate clock rate and are fairly cheap.
• Moderate Use: Now that you’re going to be using a lot more graphical programs and games you’re going to want a processor that can handle it. Basically you’re going a high end Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0Ghz. This processor features two cores, which is essentially two processors in one. The processor can do more computations in a second and therefore will produce faster results.
• Heavy Use: You’re going to want a blazing fast processor to handle everything you need. A dual core is a must if you’re going to want to be able to render quickly. An Intel Core 2 Extreme X6850 at 3.0GHz will provide you with everything you need or could hope for. The only problem with this processor is that it tends to run hot. You could put a Intel Core 2 Quad instead of the Extreme but at this point in time Intel’s Quad Chip isn’t a true quad chip its just two dies that are dual core chips (instead of four dies).

RAM
RAM is used as the “main memory” of the computer. Basically this means the working area used for loading, displaying and manipulating applications and data. There are different types of RAM (DDR, DIMM, etc.). If you’re going to run Windows Vista on your computer you should have at least 1GB of RAM.

• Casual Use: RAM’s not going to be a very big deal for you. Most computers now come with at least 1GB and this will be plenty for you to run all of your necessary programs.
• Moderate Use: You’re going to want a bit more RAM for to run all of the games and programs you’ll be using. 2GB should be plenty to run everything. Since most motherboards come with 4 slots for Ramd you could put in 2×1GB sticks.
• Heavy Use: To make sure your games run smoothly and your graphics render quickly you’re going to want to maximize the amount of RAM you have in your system. 8GB is the maximum you can go (with a 64bit OS). Two 2GB sticks of RAM (or 4×1GB sticks) will make everything run nicely.

Hard Drive
Hard drives aren’t as important as the other components, they are your main storage place. This is where you are going to store all of your information for applications and data. Desktop drives are 3.5″ or you can get adapters for 2.5″.

Now, other than the actual size of the hard drive there is one other thing to consider: the speed of the drive. Having a hard drive that spins faster means you’ll be able to access your data quicker, but it also comes with a setback. Faster drives consume a lot more power run a lot hotter. For most use, a 7200RPM drive will be what you need.

If you can’t get enough storage space there are a few alternatives. The first would be to buy an external hard drive. Basically this is just a hard drive (generally 3.5″) put into an outer case that will connect to your computer or laptop through a USB or FireWire port. The normal size for an external drive is 250GB but they can go all the way up to 2TB drive. The second alternative would be to back up your information onto DVD’s. This would require you to have a DVD Burner in your laptop.

• Casual Use: You’re only going to need the hard drive for storing data. The size is totally dependent on how many things you’re going to store. Anywhere from 250GB to 320GB will probably be enough for you.
• Moderate Use & Heavy Use: You’ll want to get the largest possible hard drive. Two or more 250GB hard drives with a RAID configuration should be good. If you’re gaming a lot, you’re going to want faster drives instead of larger ones. A Raptor drive that spins at 10k RPM will be more useful because the information coming off the CD or DVD will be able to be accessed quicker

Graphics Card

• Casual Use: Since you’re not going to be using your computer for anything that needs a lot of graphical power, you probably don’t want to spend a premium for a really good graphics card. An Intel integrated graphics card with at least 128MB will be sufficient for all of your needs.
• Moderate Use: If your computer usage falls into this category you’re going to want a dedicated graphics card to display your games and graphics. A NVIDIA 7500LE with 256MB will be perfect for you. This will display very crisp graphics that you’ll enjoy looking at.
• Heavy Use: You’re going to want the best graphics card available for desktops. If you have the money to spend you really can’t go wrong with a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS Extreme with 640MB. A cheaper option would be the Radeon HD 2600 XT with 512MB. Both of these will give you excellent graphics and will be a pleasure to view

*For the casual use system you’re going to be looking at a price between $300 - $800 approx. For the moderate use you’ll be set back between $801 - $1800. And for the heavy use it’ll be $1801 and higher. All of these prices are in Canadian currency at the time of this article.

As you will have seen after reading this guide the difference in systems can vary by a lot and in most cases it’s just a matter of taste. I hope you’ve found this guide helpful and I hope you’ll check back here from time to time to read more articles like this.

*All prices are in Canadian currency and taken at the time of this post.

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 17th, 2007 at 10:48 am and is filed under Guides, Hardware / Gadgets / Hacks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.