January 2, 2010 at 00:45The computer of your dreams. Part 1: Philosophy of a rational approach
Everyone has their own needs. A gamer is demanding on hardware that can easily rotate all modern toys at maximum quality settings, professionals need a machine that quickly and efficiently solve their work tasks, ordinary home users want to get a universal multimedia center ...
Is there a computer capable of satisfying any user needs equally well? At first glance it might seem that it is enough to stock up on a few kilobaxes, take top-end iron, and here it is - a dream computer. But will it really be equally good for any task? Personally, I think not. The concept of an ideal computer is not limited to one system performance. There are many more factors to consider. Energy consumption, dimensions and appearance, noise level, the presence of any specific functions, finally, price.
Yes, the price. The latter factor is one of the most important (other factors also undoubtedly have their own significance, but we will talk about them later). Despite the progress and general trends of the IT industry, high-performance computers are still an expensive pleasure. If we talk about gaming and multimedia PCs, acquiring a top-end system will cost more than one thousand conventional units, and not everyone has that kind of money. Most are not ready to spend on a computer and the amount of about 1k $. And a significant part of our compatriots are forced to fit into an even half as small budget. Not everyone lives in default city, our country is huge, as is the difference between salaries there and in the regions. Not everyone has a good and stable income, even by the standards of their city. And someone does not have their own earnings at all. At the same time, everyone wants to have a good solid car in their use. Do not forget that iron tends to become obsolete quite quickly. In most cases, from 1 to 5 years is enough for the computer to cease to cope with the tasks originally set for it.
The solution to the problem can only be a rational approach. Setting the necessary tasks, analyzing the iron market, forming an approach, and based on this - the choice of PC components.
It may seem to you that I am saying obvious things now, and you may not be interested in reading this water further. But I would not reach for the close button. The above may be obvious, but I just can't do it any different. I can’t immediately rush into the quarry and go on to the specifics until I bring you the basics, concept, philosophy of this approach.
Over the course of several articles, I will try to fully reveal the topic of choosing a computer for gaming and multimedia tasks. A little will be said about office workhorses, and about home servers, and even about some related things. However, for a number of people, my calculations will definitely not work:
If you belong to the above categories, I will have a huge request - just pass by. No need to incite holivars in the comments.
For everyone else - it's time to move from the introduction directly to the disclosure of this topic.
In the first part of my opus, I will tell you directly about this approach, about its essence and key points, about how it was formed, the experience of applying this approach in practice, and generally about who I am and why my thoughts are worth your attention.
I'll start from the end. I am an ordinary student of a regular university of a usual Ural city =) I began to be interested in computers as a middle school student, and every year my enthusiasm for this area grew. After graduating from the 9th grade, I went to a technical school for the relevant specialty and studied there for 4 years, during which I was completely immersed in IT (in particular, overgrown with a beard: P). Well, having received a technical diploma and not having discovered the prospects of a good job, I decided to continue to study according to my profile, this time at a university. I entered the budget without any special problems, but a little in the wrong profession (which, in principle, is not so scary and generally fixable). Of all the IT directions, I am most interested in iron. Programming and development never really attracted me, and I just didn’t go deep into network technologies and security,
In general, I am a piece of iron. Perhaps I can call myself them since 2004 - it was then that the iron took over the progeries and so on. Over the past years, I managed to observe the industry, recycle a mountain of thematic material, try a lot from personal experience, and most importantly - form my own views on this area.
The financial situation in the family had a very big impact on them - it was never fun, which played a role. The purchase of the first computer was then difficult, and all further acquisitions and upgrades were always carefully considered. A rational approach was simply necessary. I always re-read a large number of different articles and reviews before buying this or that piece of iron. With the advent of normal human Internet at home, I became a regular in several iron sites and forums, replenishing my piggy bank of knowledge and, if possible, sharing it with others.
I especially liked to help people with the choice of iron, and even more with the selection of configuration. Having stepped on a rake when buying the first computer and the first upgrades, I wanted to protect myself and others from such errors. I liked the heading “A Reasonable Computer for Reasonable Money” in the magazine “Igromania” and similar sections in other publications, I went shopping and got acquainted with the assortment, studied prices, and actively participated in thematic discussions on forums. At one time, I even had my own website with the appropriate page (the name and idea were impudently erased from Igromania, in which I had already become disappointed by that time), but because of the reluctance to engage in its promotion, it was very little visited and, as a result, was completely sour.
Over time, some corrections were added to my hobby. For example, I did not help everyone. Having reason to believe my advice is useful, I love it when people listen to them, and do not ask a bunch of questions first, and then do everything their own way. Yeshe I love it when a person at least understands what he wants. I love it when a person is not biased towards any phenomenon, or, for example, a company. As a result, I began to ignore part of such requests and therefore. But in general, love for this occupation has not disappeared.
The audience of the Habr in this regard is excellent for such theoretical calculations. People here, on the one hand, are overwhelmingly educated and cultural, one way or another connected with the IT sphere, and on the other, they are ready to perceive new information with interest from related fields. Therefore, I decided to write my opus here, and not on a personal site, not on LJ, not on the PS overs and not on any forum.
Well, that's all about me for now. We turn directly to the essence of the approach and its key points.
To start, I will formulate several statements:
These are the postulates on which my vision of a rational approach rests, and which I will disclose in the course of my publications.
So, you have decided to buy a computer. The very “dream computer” - the maximum of possibilities with minimal costs. Well, we will try to find a rational solution to this problem.
- And why two cores and not four?
- And why the Pentium and not Cor2Duo?
- And why DDR2, and not DDR3?
One of the most common questions that people face when seeing a configuration.
Why? Yes, because. If you pose questions in this way, you yourself do not understand what you want.
A man comes to the forum and asks to tell him which iron is better to take. Well, if he calls the tasks that are set before the computer, or the budget is planned. If everything immediately indicates - so generally a holiday. Unfortunately, this occurs on the strength in half of such cases. Some immediately begin to get clever: "I want this piece of iron in the computer, this and this one - these are they and no others." Duck, if you are such a cool piece of iron that other devices are unworthy, you yourself can choose everything? And then neither here nor there ... Do you need checkers or go?
Inability to set a task, inability to ask questions, inability to determine needs is one of the main problems.
To choose a high-quality configuration, you need to know what the PC actually is for. Moreover, the more detailed this information is, the better.
Here you will recall the generally accepted division of computers into gaming, multimedia and office. But remember out of place. This is only a general classification, but we need a specific problem statement.
Make a tablet (you can mentally, or you can use a pen on paper), divided into 3 columns:
And start filling it with tasks. I will list a few of the most significant:
I beg you, do not add here any “films”, “studies” and other “office work”. A rare dinosaur will not cope with such tasks.
Made up? Have you thought well? Now we throw out the third column. In general, we throw it out completely - we should not focus on what we do not plan to do. We begin to specify the first column (for games, for example: is it planned to play fresh, high-demanding new products? What quality settings and the level of visual effects are planned to be used? What resolution is it planned to play?). The result of this work will be the answer to the question "why do you need a computer."
Next, you need to decide on additional requirements. This includes parameters regarding the appearance, dimensions, noise, power consumption, etc. Just highlight the most important ones.
Estimate your financial capabilities. Keep in mind that to solve problems requiring high performance, the hardware becomes outdated quickly enough, and think about the planned life of the computer. Consider the planned upgrades, their frequency and quantity. After that, determine two amounts - the maximum amount of money that you are willing to spend for the best solution of the tasks, and the desired amount into which to enter the final configuration would be better. No minimum levels, they fundamentally contradict the postulates of a rational approach. And yes, consider the planned budget for the system unit and peripherals both separately and together.
This stage is the most difficult. It will have to work out a large number of different reviews and tests of a wide variety of iron.
The first step is to identify the key components of the system, the performance and capabilities of which will most strongly affect the solution of the tasks.
The second step is the study of comparative tests of a large number of devices. This will give an overview of performance.
The next step will be to draw up an approximate configuration for the “upper bar” of the budget. Sales managers, by the way, believe that just this step is enough in general =) But they solve their problems, and you solve yours.
The last, most difficult and most important step- “balancing”. Here you will need: firstly, reviews of specific glands with all their features (the more reviews of the same device you study, the more complete and objective the look will be), and secondly, the price lists of the companies in which you plan to make a purchase (not worth it try to buy everything in one place, because even if the company you have chosen is a “price setter” in the local market, another store can make a better offer on a particular device). It is at this point that it is worth paying special attention to 2.3, and 4 postulates. Studying iron in more detail, we move downward at a price, trying to get the maximum price reduction with a minimum loss of resources, and while this condition is fulfilled, you can decrease as much as you like (I would lower the minimum to the level of the “desired bar”). We evaluate the performance and capabilities of the resulting configuration and draw a conclusion, based on which we adjust the key components to the desired side. Do not forget about the first postulate - if the configuration at a price has gone below the "desired bar" - you need to be happy, and not urgently finish it with something steeper. Why scatter money and spend it on resources that you generally will not use?
Naturally, the more knowledge you have about modern hardware, the less steps you take. But this article is not for iron gurus =)
Stage four: purchase.
Here, I think, nothing will be complicated. The main thing is not to forget that a slight difference in the name of the models of the same hardware can result in serious differences in their parameters, as a result of which they are very careful about “analogues”, especially those that the managers already mentioned will offer ...
This is the first part that comes to an end . Here I explained only general principles and algorithms. In the following parts, I will move on to more specific issues, trying to describe as much as possible and clearly every moment of this approach.
This is my first publication on Habr. Do not kick your feet. Questions, suggestions and suggestions are accepted =)
Boomburum - thanks for the inspiration. Reading your reviews, I realized that it was time to finally stop being lazy and write something useful myself. Also thanks to those who plusan in karma, taking me out of the minuses, which made this post technically possible =)
Is there a computer capable of satisfying any user needs equally well? At first glance it might seem that it is enough to stock up on a few kilobaxes, take top-end iron, and here it is - a dream computer. But will it really be equally good for any task? Personally, I think not. The concept of an ideal computer is not limited to one system performance. There are many more factors to consider. Energy consumption, dimensions and appearance, noise level, the presence of any specific functions, finally, price.
Yes, the price. The latter factor is one of the most important (other factors also undoubtedly have their own significance, but we will talk about them later). Despite the progress and general trends of the IT industry, high-performance computers are still an expensive pleasure. If we talk about gaming and multimedia PCs, acquiring a top-end system will cost more than one thousand conventional units, and not everyone has that kind of money. Most are not ready to spend on a computer and the amount of about 1k $. And a significant part of our compatriots are forced to fit into an even half as small budget. Not everyone lives in default city, our country is huge, as is the difference between salaries there and in the regions. Not everyone has a good and stable income, even by the standards of their city. And someone does not have their own earnings at all. At the same time, everyone wants to have a good solid car in their use. Do not forget that iron tends to become obsolete quite quickly. In most cases, from 1 to 5 years is enough for the computer to cease to cope with the tasks originally set for it.
The solution to the problem can only be a rational approach. Setting the necessary tasks, analyzing the iron market, forming an approach, and based on this - the choice of PC components.
It may seem to you that I am saying obvious things now, and you may not be interested in reading this water further. But I would not reach for the close button. The above may be obvious, but I just can't do it any different. I can’t immediately rush into the quarry and go on to the specifics until I bring you the basics, concept, philosophy of this approach.
Over the course of several articles, I will try to fully reveal the topic of choosing a computer for gaming and multimedia tasks. A little will be said about office workhorses, and about home servers, and even about some related things. However, for a number of people, my calculations will definitely not work:
- Benchers and technomanyaki. For people involved in extreme overclocking and benchmarking, innovation will simply not apply to the nature of their activity, and techno-maniacs are just a special category of people who find it difficult, even impossible, to prove that good hardware is not limited to expensive top-end devices.
- People who do not see the point in rationalization. Yes, there are individuals who, due to the certain rigidity of their wallet, consider this approach simply unworthy of their attention. In general, it seems to me that there aren’t any on the hub But it may seem a lot to me, so just in case, I warned.
If you belong to the above categories, I will have a huge request - just pass by. No need to incite holivars in the comments.
For everyone else - it's time to move from the introduction directly to the disclosure of this topic.
Part 1. Philosophy of a rational approach
In the first part of my opus, I will tell you directly about this approach, about its essence and key points, about how it was formed, the experience of applying this approach in practice, and generally about who I am and why my thoughts are worth your attention.
I'll start from the end. I am an ordinary student of a regular university of a usual Ural city =) I began to be interested in computers as a middle school student, and every year my enthusiasm for this area grew. After graduating from the 9th grade, I went to a technical school for the relevant specialty and studied there for 4 years, during which I was completely immersed in IT (in particular, overgrown with a beard: P). Well, having received a technical diploma and not having discovered the prospects of a good job, I decided to continue to study according to my profile, this time at a university. I entered the budget without any special problems, but a little in the wrong profession (which, in principle, is not so scary and generally fixable). Of all the IT directions, I am most interested in iron. Programming and development never really attracted me, and I just didn’t go deep into network technologies and security,
In general, I am a piece of iron. Perhaps I can call myself them since 2004 - it was then that the iron took over the progeries and so on. Over the past years, I managed to observe the industry, recycle a mountain of thematic material, try a lot from personal experience, and most importantly - form my own views on this area.
The financial situation in the family had a very big impact on them - it was never fun, which played a role. The purchase of the first computer was then difficult, and all further acquisitions and upgrades were always carefully considered. A rational approach was simply necessary. I always re-read a large number of different articles and reviews before buying this or that piece of iron. With the advent of normal human Internet at home, I became a regular in several iron sites and forums, replenishing my piggy bank of knowledge and, if possible, sharing it with others.
I especially liked to help people with the choice of iron, and even more with the selection of configuration. Having stepped on a rake when buying the first computer and the first upgrades, I wanted to protect myself and others from such errors. I liked the heading “A Reasonable Computer for Reasonable Money” in the magazine “Igromania” and similar sections in other publications, I went shopping and got acquainted with the assortment, studied prices, and actively participated in thematic discussions on forums. At one time, I even had my own website with the appropriate page (the name and idea were impudently erased from Igromania, in which I had already become disappointed by that time), but because of the reluctance to engage in its promotion, it was very little visited and, as a result, was completely sour.
Over time, some corrections were added to my hobby. For example, I did not help everyone. Having reason to believe my advice is useful, I love it when people listen to them, and do not ask a bunch of questions first, and then do everything their own way. Yeshe I love it when a person at least understands what he wants. I love it when a person is not biased towards any phenomenon, or, for example, a company. As a result, I began to ignore part of such requests and therefore. But in general, love for this occupation has not disappeared.
The audience of the Habr in this regard is excellent for such theoretical calculations. People here, on the one hand, are overwhelmingly educated and cultural, one way or another connected with the IT sphere, and on the other, they are ready to perceive new information with interest from related fields. Therefore, I decided to write my opus here, and not on a personal site, not on LJ, not on the PS overs and not on any forum.
Well, that's all about me for now. We turn directly to the essence of the approach and its key points.
To start, I will formulate several statements:
- The choice should be based on needs;
- Productivity gains and price gains must be proportionate;
- It is necessary to try to use all possible potential of iron;
- Preferences are worth considering, but you do not need to be biased and rely not on stereotypes;
- Consideration of the prospects is important, but it is impossible to predict everything for several years ahead.
These are the postulates on which my vision of a rational approach rests, and which I will disclose in the course of my publications.
So, you have decided to buy a computer. The very “dream computer” - the maximum of possibilities with minimal costs. Well, we will try to find a rational solution to this problem.
Stage One: Statement of the Problem
- And why two cores and not four?
- And why the Pentium and not Cor2Duo?
- And why DDR2, and not DDR3?
One of the most common questions that people face when seeing a configuration.
Why? Yes, because. If you pose questions in this way, you yourself do not understand what you want.
A man comes to the forum and asks to tell him which iron is better to take. Well, if he calls the tasks that are set before the computer, or the budget is planned. If everything immediately indicates - so generally a holiday. Unfortunately, this occurs on the strength in half of such cases. Some immediately begin to get clever: "I want this piece of iron in the computer, this and this one - these are they and no others." Duck, if you are such a cool piece of iron that other devices are unworthy, you yourself can choose everything? And then neither here nor there ... Do you need checkers or go?
Inability to set a task, inability to ask questions, inability to determine needs is one of the main problems.
To choose a high-quality configuration, you need to know what the PC actually is for. Moreover, the more detailed this information is, the better.
Here you will recall the generally accepted division of computers into gaming, multimedia and office. But remember out of place. This is only a general classification, but we need a specific problem statement.
Make a tablet (you can mentally, or you can use a pen on paper), divided into 3 columns:
- Regularly;
- Periodically;
- Occasionally.
And start filling it with tasks. I will list a few of the most significant:
- Games;
- View HD content;
- Work with 2D graphics;
- Work with 3D graphics;
- Video processing and encoding;
- Sound processing;
- Participation in distributed computing projects;
- Storage of a multimedia collection or other large data.
I beg you, do not add here any “films”, “studies” and other “office work”. A rare dinosaur will not cope with such tasks.
Made up? Have you thought well? Now we throw out the third column. In general, we throw it out completely - we should not focus on what we do not plan to do. We begin to specify the first column (for games, for example: is it planned to play fresh, high-demanding new products? What quality settings and the level of visual effects are planned to be used? What resolution is it planned to play?). The result of this work will be the answer to the question "why do you need a computer."
Next, you need to decide on additional requirements. This includes parameters regarding the appearance, dimensions, noise, power consumption, etc. Just highlight the most important ones.
Stage Two: Budgeting
Estimate your financial capabilities. Keep in mind that to solve problems requiring high performance, the hardware becomes outdated quickly enough, and think about the planned life of the computer. Consider the planned upgrades, their frequency and quantity. After that, determine two amounts - the maximum amount of money that you are willing to spend for the best solution of the tasks, and the desired amount into which to enter the final configuration would be better. No minimum levels, they fundamentally contradict the postulates of a rational approach. And yes, consider the planned budget for the system unit and peripherals both separately and together.
Stage Three: Market Analysis
This stage is the most difficult. It will have to work out a large number of different reviews and tests of a wide variety of iron.
The first step is to identify the key components of the system, the performance and capabilities of which will most strongly affect the solution of the tasks.
The second step is the study of comparative tests of a large number of devices. This will give an overview of performance.
The next step will be to draw up an approximate configuration for the “upper bar” of the budget. Sales managers, by the way, believe that just this step is enough in general =) But they solve their problems, and you solve yours.
The last, most difficult and most important step- “balancing”. Here you will need: firstly, reviews of specific glands with all their features (the more reviews of the same device you study, the more complete and objective the look will be), and secondly, the price lists of the companies in which you plan to make a purchase (not worth it try to buy everything in one place, because even if the company you have chosen is a “price setter” in the local market, another store can make a better offer on a particular device). It is at this point that it is worth paying special attention to 2.3, and 4 postulates. Studying iron in more detail, we move downward at a price, trying to get the maximum price reduction with a minimum loss of resources, and while this condition is fulfilled, you can decrease as much as you like (I would lower the minimum to the level of the “desired bar”). We evaluate the performance and capabilities of the resulting configuration and draw a conclusion, based on which we adjust the key components to the desired side. Do not forget about the first postulate - if the configuration at a price has gone below the "desired bar" - you need to be happy, and not urgently finish it with something steeper. Why scatter money and spend it on resources that you generally will not use?
Naturally, the more knowledge you have about modern hardware, the less steps you take. But this article is not for iron gurus =)
Stage four: purchase.
Here, I think, nothing will be complicated. The main thing is not to forget that a slight difference in the name of the models of the same hardware can result in serious differences in their parameters, as a result of which they are very careful about “analogues”, especially those that the managers already mentioned will offer ...
This is the first part that comes to an end . Here I explained only general principles and algorithms. In the following parts, I will move on to more specific issues, trying to describe as much as possible and clearly every moment of this approach.
This is my first publication on Habr. Do not kick your feet. Questions, suggestions and suggestions are accepted =)
Boomburum - thanks for the inspiration. Reading your reviews, I realized that it was time to finally stop being lazy and write something useful myself. Also thanks to those who plusan in karma, taking me out of the minuses, which made this post technically possible =)