Computer Selection - Hardware Components Considerations for selection

Topics to cover User requirements Budget Warranty and Support

Introduction Computers are available in many different form factors. They may contain the same component types, e.g. A Hard disk, RAM, CPU, MB, etc. But there are noticeable differences between the component specifications. These differences will affect performance for different tasks, typically this will also affect the overall cost of the system.

Example – Research & compare the specifications of the following Computers HP Z620 Desktop Toshiba Satellite Pro C50-A-136 Laptop Acer Aspire XC-105 Desktop HP 255 Laptop Component PC 1 PC2 CPU RAM HDD Video Card Monitor Optical Drive OS Price

Budget The budget can be the most important factor when selecting components. There may have to be a compromise between desired and required specification, this should be based on the users needs. Component prices trend line. What PC components are the most expensive?

The price is right…. Based on current Ebuyer.com prices 2 GB RAM DDR2 standard RAM 800 MHz 4 GB DDR 3 (2 X 2 GB Kingston) 16 GB DDR 3 1600 MHz OCZ 4 X 4 GB

The price is right…. 2 GB RAM DDR2 standard RAM 800 MHz £17 (£24) 4 GB DDR 3 Kingston £14 (£32) 16 GB DDR 3 1600 MHz OCZ 4 X 4 GB £43 £90 Total = £146

The price is right…. Based on Ebuyer.com Phenom X6 black edition 3.3 GHz Intel I7 , 960 3.2 GHz Quad Core AMD Athlon X2 2.5 GHz

The price is right…. Based on Ebuyer.com Phenom X6 black edition 3.3 GHz £138 (£156) Intel I7 , 960 3.2 GHz Quad Core £235 (£232) AMD Athlon X2 2.5 GHz £29 (£35) Total £402 Total £423

The price is right…. Based on Ebuyer.com Western Digital 1 TB Hard Disk Seagate 250 GB Hard disk OCZ 120 GB Solid state disk

The price is right…. Based on Ebuyer.com Western Digital 1 TB Hard Disk £53 £39 Seagate 250 GB Hard disk £45 £30 OCZ 120 GB Solid state disk £69 £134 Total £167 Total £203 Overall £772

Price ranges Monitors-(key characteristics include response rate, resolution support, ports, size) Motherboards- (integrated components, support for given processors, SLI/Crossfire support, upgradability) Cases and PSU-(Wattage, modules, noise levels)

Selecting outputs Connecting a Media Centre to an output device Connect to Sounds System Use with Web camera Digital Movie/Photo editing

Remember to include the essentials... Ensure that your selected PC for Assignment 2 includes the following.. Monitor Keyboard Mouse Heatsink and fan (included with retail boxed CPU) Correct cables

Software Requirements The appropriate hardware can be determined by the software to be used. What software will be used for the following user types? Advertising Creative CAD engineer Sales Rep Media Developer Gamer