When purchasing a PC or server the same questions always get asked of a sales person: what am I buying? What is RAM/memory? What does the speed of the processor mean?
Over the next few minutes of your life I will try to explain in a way that will make sense to every Saskatchewanian.
OK, let's think trucks! We can't drive 100 yards without seeing one, we all understand them, so now I am going to stretch the word analogy to its limits.
Engine - the power of the truck. Without it you are going nowhere. The more horses the better, the bigger the turbo the better! This is the PC's processor. Measured in gigahertz, this is essentially how quickly it can make calculations and handle the work thrown at it. Therefore, the bigger number the better, at today's range you are looking at two GHz to 3.6 GHz.
Turbo - you want to be off the mark quickly, right? Look at the amount of cache on the processor, again the bigger the better. Current Intel processors run from three to eight MB.
AWD or 4x4 - all the horses in the world are no good if you can't get the power to the floor. Again looking at the processor, look at how many cores it has. This is actually how many processors in one piece of equipment. Think of it this way, when you are stuck in the mud, is four- or two-wheel driver better??
In today's world where things are changing very quickly you want to buy a PC that you are not going to need to replace in 18 months' time. Therefore, my recommendation is to ensure you buy an Intel i5 or i7 processor (Intel is a make [think Ford], i5 and i7 are models [think F250 and F350]), do not buy an i3 as you will be paying out more money very soon.
So, what are you carrying in your truck? Again stretching the analogy, this particular truck is going to be used for pulling a fifth wheel. How big is your truck - is it a half, three-quarter or a one ton vehicle? This is the RAM or memory in the PC/server. How much can this computer actually carry at once, or how may programs can you have open (Word/Excel/QuickBooks) or how does it handle the latest websites?
Again the bigger the better. With today's requirement I would recommend you do not purchase anything less than four gigabytes (GB) of memory. This is the bare minimum to pull you fifth wheel on the flat Saskatchewan roads and with no extra kit inside. If you want the PC to handle the hills plus the additions like a microwave, a bed and a TV you had best put at least six GB in, if not eight GB of memory!
Now let's add your canoe trailer on the back of the fifth wheel, this is equivalent to watching streaming video on the web, opening many Word documents at once, playing games on your PC. This is now moved to eight GB being the minimum.
And remember, you will always want to add things to your fifth wheel - satellite dish, oven, upgraded microwave, better bed, drinks cabinet and the gun rack. Ensure the PC is upgradeable, most are these days to around 16 GB or greater, just ask the question.
The processor and the RAM/memory are the two most important questions to be asked when buying a new PC. Other things you may come across that will have an effect on the PC's performance are:
1. Video memory - memory which takes the load off the onboard memory to look after video graphics alone, think of an extra axle on your truck to carry the weight of your 62" plasma screen alone.
2. Upgradeability - memory is the easiest thing to upgrade to improve performance, ensure it is upgradeable.
3. PCI slots - the more the merrier. This is for adding PC cards at a later date, you may want to add a new network card for example or a video card. Think of having space or the option to add a 12 CD changer to your truck, a satellite phone or even TV screens for the kids.
Fifth wheel or Winnebago? Laptop or PC? This is completely up to you. You will get better performance out of a PC (Winnebago) but then you can't just unhook the truck (unplug the laptop) and go to the shops.
As always, any questions or thoughts please do not hesitate to call me at 306-986-2600 or email me at [email protected]
