How
To Buy The Computer For You
When I somehow manage
to grace a retail computer superstore, I listen. Most conversations near the system
aisle tell me that the vast majority of buyers don’t have a clue as to what to
plunk down their hard-earned cash on. Should I get this brand or that brand? What
size monitor is big enough? Why do I see $300 video cards when entire systems
cost less than that? Rarely do I ever recommend a store bought system when you
can indeed have just what you need…or want. Just like those other twelve step
programs, here is a computer buying twelve stepper.
Step
1: (Gimme That Dough)
Save your pennies,
shekels, yen, etc. Without usable cash or the ever popular plastic, no parts,
right for you or not, will ever see your doorstep. This sometimes means fighting
off the gaming shakes, Quake quivers, Half-Life heaves, Unreal urges or whatever
you want to name it. No bucks, no box.
Step
2a: (Business, Games, Apple and Intel)
What
do you want? Business (boring, but essential) or games (yeah baby!) or both. Also
known as "the kitchen sink" computer, it has no limits, is compatible
with everything (well, almost) and runs faster than a Ferrari. If all you desire
is Internet access and light typing, almost any setup will do. If you’re reading
this and using an iMac or other Apple based computer, unfortunately most of the
proceeding article isn’t really for you. While Apple based boxes have gotten dramatically
better in recent years, their overall cutting edge performance, well, isn’t cutting
edge. Don’t get me started with the lack of upgrade paths…
Step
2b: (Frugality)
So you want a barebones
box, eh? Something that is cheap, works and you don’t care what happens to it
18-24 months from now. Cheap is the operative word here. How does FREE
grab you? If you’re drooling, mop it up and rush over to the nearest computer
superstore like Best
Buy or CompUSA,
etc. Grab one of those free with three-year Internet setups and cart that sucker
home. Don’t expect much, but then again whatdya want? It’s FREE!
Step
2c: (You’ll Pay How Much?)
So
a free box and mandatory MSN for three years make you barf. You’re the penultimate
business user. No fancy schmancy 3D GeForce video card or 41GB Maxtor for you;
you want an efficient, but upgradeable business system. All you need to do is
scale down the "kitchen sink" system. In other words, get a cheaper
video card, smaller hard drive, less RAM, etc. You don’t need all that stuff anyway.
Step
2d: (How Far Ahead Can You See?)
If
you’ve made it this far, you either want the "kitchen sink" computer
or a scaled down 2D business version of it. Some thoughts to ponder:
- In 6-12 months, will my setup be compatible with
the newer software?
- In 6-12 months,
will my setup be compatible with the newer processor chips?
- In
6-12 months, will my setup be compatible with the newer operating systems?
- In
6-12 months, will my setup be compatible with the (you fill in the blank).
The
operative question is how far can I go with predicting the future? It’s not as
hard as you might surmise. With a little help from hardware review sites and the
occasional processor
roadmap, you can reasonably assess what’s hot a
year a more from now.
The general
advice is, buy the best now and upgrade for a long time (years).
Step
3: (Video Cards)
Currently, the hottest
dude is the GeForce. Manufactured by several companies like ASUS, Creative, Guillemont,
etc, this SDRAM, SDR, or DDR 32MB AGP card is as good as it gets. This whopper
plays 3D games like nobody’s business and does an ample job rendering 2D as well.
It costs the big bucks though. As of December, this card sells in the $220-$300
range, ouch! But, it’s the best and will be compatible with the newer games that
require a transform & lighting (T&L) based video card. Buy one, you’ll
be happy--poor, but happy.
For the business
minded, a lowly Trident
Blade 3D 8MB card will suffice. It’s not the fastest,
but it’ll do 1600x1200 and play a few 3D games, albeit slowly. This card is cheap,
about $25 or so.
Step 4: (Hard
Drives)
No one ever seems to estimate
how much space they really need and since programs only get bigger, nab a drive
that is at least twice as large as what you think you’ll use. If you think that
10GB is overwhelmingly huge, get a 20GB drive. Drive space is soooo cheap these
days, a 10GB one only sets you back around $100—that’s one-penny per megabyte!
Have you seen the newer print shop type programs? About 8-10 CDs worth (5-7GB),
not including the operating system and web browsing stuff. Why hassle with upgrading
a small hard drive later? For the power user, check out Maxtor’s
41GB 7200 rpm monster.
Step
5: (RAM, no, not Dodge)
Ah, yes…the
hotly debated subject of RAM. Windows 98SE uses a total of 80MB just to boot up
in several test machines I’ve tried. This figure includes physical and swapfile
RAM. To be reasonable, at least 128MB is needed to eliminate all that hard drive
"chunking" that sounds so nasty. More RAM, less chunking. If you do
hi-res scanning (i.e. 600x1200 dpi or higher), grab at least 256MB of the good,
stable stuff. If $250-$350 worth of PC100 or PC133 is out of reach today, good
news! Start with a single 128MB stick and add another later (when and if it gets
cheaper). Over at AnandTech,
a great test was performed for all you RAM junkies. System performance topped
out with 384MB of RAM. I can hardly imagine a need for more than 384MB of RAM,
but Bill Gates said, once upon a time, that no one needs more than 64K, so I’ll
stay away from prognosticating too much.
Step
6a: (Motherboard, Chipset & Processor)
I
have nothing against AMD (really, I don’t), but Intel processors have a record
of greater compatibility and performance. I said overall, for you Athlon
nuts out there. ;-) I’ve recently learned to my deep dismay that my beloved Visioneer
7600 USB scanner won’t work reliably on SiS or VIA
chipsets (motherboards), Win98 and Intel only for that piece of hardware. But
there’s the catch: If you purchase an AMD processor or a motherboard with non-Intel
(i.e. 440LX, 440BX, i820, etc.) chipsets, you run the risk and associated headaches
of constant peripheral returns. Compatibility is still an issue. Be prepared to
spend an inordinate amount of time searching for software patches and peripherals
that work properly on non-Intel configurations.
I’m
gonna get a whopping amount of hate mail, but frankly, it’s the truth. Non-Intel
stuff works, but often needs patches and special attention to associated components.
This is not to say that Intel boxes will be perfect. I’ll go further out on a
limb here: When Microsoft operating systems are perfect, then Intel processors
and chipsets will be perfect. Of course, this means never.
Step
6b: (Celeron, Coppermine, or Athlon)
The
first two processors are Intel based and the last one is AMD based. For inexpensive,
efficient systems, I recommend the Celeron processor. It’s a Pentium II core so
gaming isn’t too shabby, and these things are very cheap, overclockable too, but
that’s another topic. Currently these range from 366Mhz (if you can find ‘em)
to 500Mhz.
The Coppermine is Intel’s
saving grace. This dude is just about as fast as the equivalent Athlon setup,
but may have a better future. The Coppermine series of chips are proving to be
much more easily overclocked too. Currently, these range from 500Mhz to 733Mhz.
The
last and some say best, is the Athlon processor. Ranging from 500Mhz to 750Mhz,
many claim to have the best of both worlds, scorching 3D performance and stellar
2D performance. Also well known is the lack of good motherboards for this bad
boy from any manufacturer. That will change soon, I hope. All three chips do an
adequate job for the price you pay. Get the one you can afford.
Step
6c: (Motherboards)
Obviously, since
AMD chips are non-Intel, there won’t be any Intel compatible motherboards or chipsets
anytime soon. So, for the non-Intel crowd, look for boards with VIA or SiS stamped
on their silicon. ASUS, particularly the K7M comes too mind for the Athlon, formerly
known as K7. This board can use plain Jane PC100, no PC800 RIMM slots are anywhere
to be found.
Coppermine processors are
still waiting for truly great motherboards to ship, like the Abit CH6 and others.
But, if you have a hole in your pocket, most 440BX based boards have support for
the "E" class of Coppermines. The E is for the100Mhz bus speed and 0.18
micron manufacturing process. Stay clear of the "B" or "EB"
designations as they mandate a 133 FSB and that speed wreaks havoc with your AGP
card. Also make sure your choice of MB fully supports the 1.65V core voltage and
256K L2 cache.
Celerons have been out
for so many months now that it is hard to find a bad board to flop one onto. Still
mostly using the 66Mhz FSB, cheap RAM works great too. But, the fun comes
with crankin’ ‘em up to the 100Mhz FSB. Without going to deep, the 366Mhz Celeron
is your best bet. Available in two forms, Slot 1 and PPGA socket-370, be sure
to get the correctly socketed board. The success rate in pushing the 366 to 550
is very high, somewhere in the 90% land I think. Your results will vary.
