Session 2 - Selecting Hardware Components

Graphics Cards

The right Graphics card is an important decision if you need high-end graphics for gaming, Multimedia, 3D, Video and Digital Imaging. Many computers have graphics available straight from the Motherboard, but if you need more graphic processing grunt, you can add a graphics adapter.

AMD (ATI) Radeon and NVIDEA are the two main Graphics processors available. The number of GPUs, the speed, and the amount of memory on the graphics adapter are all things that need to be considered and compared with the specifications of the software you need to run.

Most graphics cards offer a selection of connector types that you can use to connect your monitor to your graphics card.

Image from http://pixgood.com/video-card-ports.html

Types of graphics cards and purchasing information

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/4-types-of-graphics-cards

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-graphics-adapter.htm

http://www.computershopper.com/feature/help-me-decide-which-type-of-graphics-card-do-i-need

http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-a-Video-Card-For-Your-PC


Comparisons


http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

Optical Drives

Optical drives are any storage device that uses light or lasers to store or retrieve information. Most current optical drives are multi read/write, which means that they can write to DVDs and CDs and also BluRay if required: CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, BD-R, and BD-RE. These codes refer to the types of disks that the drive will read and/or write to.

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/componentprofiles/p/p_odd.htm

As computers get smaller, particularly laptops and all-in-ones, optical drives are becoming obsolete. Many computers are sold without a built in Optical Drive and reliance is on USB or solid state memory.  As optical drives decline, the installation and purchase of software will only be available by downloading from the Internet.

External or USB optical drive

Internal Optical drive - this would be installed in your computer

The big decision - Internal or external or NO optical drive. If you decide on an optical drive, do you need Bluray?

Monitor

Choice of monitor is about physical size and resolution. High definition monitors are very common and all new monitors will be LCD or LED, rather than the old and clunky CRT monitors. Match your monitor with the appropriate graphics card. There are also different methods of connecting a monitor to your computer (see images with graphics adapters)


Read the following articles on monitors.

http://au.pcmag.com/monitors/10460/feature/how-to-buy-an-lcd-monitor

http://www.techradar.com/au/news/computing-components/peripherals/best-monitor-9-reviewed-and-rated-1058662

Ports

Computers all come with a number of slots that allow you to connect devices to your computer without having to install something inside the case. These include USB, FIREWIRE, SATA, and HDMI. Printers, storage devices and cameras will usually connect to your computer via USB, but there are also some devices that will use Firewire or SATA. Make sure that you have enough ports to connect all of the peripherals that you need, especially USB ports as even your mouse and keyboard may need to be plugged into USB.

Network cards and wireless

Most computers will have an Ethernet Integrated 10/100/1000 BaseT and/or Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n as part of the standard specification. If either of these are not standard, they can easily be added using an appropriate adapter card.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-network-interface-card.htm

Sound and speakers

No computer is complete without appropriate sound card. If you want to play music such as iTunes or games with high quality audio, or even watch TV or movies, you will need a sound card and speaker system. Generally, only basic sound is included as part of minimum specifications, so it is up to the end user to decide what level of quality and how many speakers.

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/souncard.htm

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/componentprofiles/p/p_sound.htm


http://www.ehow.com/facts_4895735_different-types-computer-speakers.html

http://au.pcmag.com/computer-speaker-reviews/

http://www.ebay.com/gds/The-Complete-Guide-to-Buying-Computer-Speakers-/10000000177330053/g.html

Printers

There are two main technologies for printers – inkjet (bubblejet) and laser. Traditionally, inkjet printers have been cheap and reliable and able to produce photo quality colour output, although colour laser printers are now very affordable. It comes down to things like printer size, output options (paper size, CD Printing), quality, cost of consumables and features that will determine what type of printer you should get. Multifunction devices come under this banner as well (copy, print, fax, scan)

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/inkjet-printer.htm

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/laser-printer.htm

Other Devices

Other devices you may wish to include as part of a computer system include:

•     Webcam
•     Microphone or headset
•     Second monitor
•     Game Controller
•     Media/Card Reader
•     Datashow/projector display

Class Activity 1

For the equipment that you selected in last week's activity, list the details of the following:

• Type of Graphics Card or graphics processor
• Type of Optical drive (CD/DVD/BD)
• Available Ports
• Network cards
• Sound Card and/or speakers
• Any additional devices

Upload this to Moodle for assessment

Session 1 - Acquiring Hardware

A glance into the future…….

You have just been employed by the Misty River Regional Library Service. They were so impressed with your IT skills and knowledge and realise that they need your expertise within their library service. One of your first tasks is to set up a small Multimedia Lab for library patrons to use. The lab is to have 4 computers with a variety of software and hardware. Your role is to find the best equipment possible within the budget constraints, but where do you start. What does it all mean???

Backtrack to the present – today’s class will hopefully help to unravel the mysteries surrounding the Computer Hardware.

When you look at computers for purchase, you will see lots of information that is categorised under specifications. Software, including games, will also have minimum specifications of what equipment is required to successfully execute the program. Same goes for some peripheral devices.


Here is an example from JB HiFi's online store

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/desktops/dell/dell-inspiron-x210000au-desktop/546920/

If you go to buy a computer today, you are inundated by the choices that are out there as well as the price tags that go along with the equipment.

Computers can generally be categorised into the following:

Desktop – not portable, usually set up on a desk or table with the view that it isn’t moved around much. Desktops come as a main box with separate screen and keyboard/mouse, or it can be one of the “all-in-one” configurations.

Notebook – A notebook is a portable computer. They used to be called Laptops, but have become smaller and lighter and now fall into the category of notebook. They are an all in one machine complete with keyboard and mouse. At the high end, a notebook can be as powerful as a desktop. Most computer manufacturers make notebooks, including the Apple Macbook.

Netbook – A smaller, lighter, cheaper version of a notebook. Netbooks are usually lower powered, less memory and less storage than a notebook and do not come with built in CD/DVD drives, but may have a small internal hard drive. The advantage of a Netbook is that they have a longer battery life and are very portable. Netbooks generally use a “light” version of the operating system that will use less resources.

Tablet – A tablet is a small notebook or netbook that has a touchscreen for input, but may also have a keyboard. They are small, portable and easy to use, but generally not for high end processing. The iPad fits into this category as well as the range of Android type tablets such as Samsung Galaxy. Microsoft is now also in this market with its Surface Tablet that runs Windows 8.

ACTIVITY 1

Using the Internet, find 2 items under each category - one at each end of the price spectrum. i.e. a low priced computer and one that is in the higher price bracket. List the make, model, price and specifications of each. Don't worry at this stage what the specifications mean, just list the details of the ones that you have found.

You can look at manufacturers websites or online stores, or you can look at retail electronic or computer stores. Here are some examples:

JB Hi Fi
Harvey Norman
CentreCom
DELL
Hewlett Packard
Acer
Apple

Processsor

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the main brains behind your computer. It connects to your motherboard and processes any instructions, interacting with the other components. There are two types of processors that you will come across if shopping for a new personal computer. The Intel family of processors and the AMD family of processors. CPUs were traditionally one core, or processor, per chip, but with advancements in technology, they can be Dual, Triple or Quad core on the same chip. Having more than one processor makes a computer faster at multi-tasking and software that is designed to take advantage of multiple cores or processors.

The clock speed of a processor is measured in Gigahertz. This measures the speed that it takes a processor to execute a task. Generally the higher the gigahertz, the faster the processor, but with today’s advancements, this is only true when comparing gigahertz or clock speeds of the same processor. You should go for a processor that is a bit above what you require as it can get complicated to upgrade it at a later stage.

Intel

The current top end Intel processors are called the i3, i5 and i7. The i3 is the entry level, i5 gives you more power and of course i7 is the top of the line. You can usually assume that the bigger the numbers the better it is. Intel also have a range of lower end processors as well as a variety of mobile versions.


http://www.intel.com.au/content/www/au/en/homepage.html

AMD

AMD is the other provider of processing power for computers and laptops.Their current range can be found here.


http://www.amd.com/en-us/products/processors


If you would like to see how the current processors rank against each other, this is a good site to use. The processors have been benchmarked against the same criteria.

http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu

At the end of the day, it comes down to how much you want to spend. How much "bang for your buck."

ACTIVITY 2

Have a look at your list that you created in Activity 1 - in particular, have a look at the specifications of the processors. What processors do your selected computers have? Is this reflected in the price of the item?

Motherboard or Mainboard

The Motherboard or Mainboard is the where everything connects to. It will have a socket for your processor as well as space for RAM and various other connectors for hard drive, USB, optical drive etc. The Motherboard will be specific to a range of processors and so the motherboard decision is guided by your processor decision (or vice versa). It will also be designed for a certain type of RAM.

RAM

The main question here is how much RAM (Random Access Memory) do you get. Today, I think that 4gb is standard, but remember that if you are still using Windows XP, you will only be able to access 3.25gb of it. RAM is installed straight onto the Motherboard in the DIMM memory slots.
There are two types of RAM – DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). DRAM is more common as it is much cheaper, but SRAM is generally faster (and heaps more expensive). RAM is purchased in modules. If you want 4 gb of RAM and you only have 2 slots, then you need 2 X 2gb modules of RAM.
Most current computers will run DDR, DDR2 or DDR3 memory. The DDR3 memory is used with the latest processors. If you wish to find out more about RAM, you can look at these websites:

http://www.computermemoryupgrade.net/types-of-computer-memory-common-uses.html

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ram3.htm

ACTIVITY 3

How much and which type of RAM does each of your selected computer items from Activity 1 contain?

Hard Disks

With the Hard disk, it is about size and speed. Most hard disks today are SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), which is the way it connects to the motherboard. A hard disk’s seek time, or how fast it can locate the information, is usually in milliseconds. In this case the lower the seek time the better and faster the drive is. Most hard disk today spin at 7200rpm, which is the rotation speed of the platters.





The amount of storage that a hard drive has is given in Gigabytes (GB) or Terabytes (TB). A Terabyte is rounded to 1000 Gigabytes, but is 1024.

1024 bytes	=	1 KB
1024 KB	=	1 MB
1024 MB	=	1 GB
1024 GB	=	1 TB
1024 TB	=	1 PB

KB	=	Kilobyte
MB	=	Megabyte
GB	=	Gigabyte
TB	=	Terabyte
PB	=	Petabyte

As the price drops and the capacity increases, solid state memory will gradually replace traditional hard drives with moving parts.

ACTIVITY 4

What is the capacity and speed of the Hard Disk(s) in your items from Activity 1?

SOFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS

So you now know about motherboards, processors and RAM, and you know that the bigger the number, the faster it is, but which one do you purchase. This decision comes down to the types of software or games that you will be using as well as your budget. Big and fast costs bigger bucks.

For example, Here are the minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Office standard editions.

Component	Office 2003	Office 2007	Office 2010
Computer and processor	233 MHz	500 MHz	500 MHz
Memory (RAM)	128 MB	256 MB	256 MB
Hard disk	400 MB	2 GB	3 GB
Display	800 × 600	1024 × 768	1024 × 576*

ACTIVITY 5

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Microsoft Office 2013?

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Adobe CS6 suite?

What are the minimum and recommended specifications for Age of Wonders III?


How do the items selected in Activity 1 stack up?

UPLOAD YOUR ACTIVITIES 1 - 5 to Moodle