Hardware Trends for Personal Computers
Robert Perry
Rasmussen College
NM113/DIG1002C Section 01 Introduction to Multimedia and Computer Graphic Arts - Fall 2009
Brian Maricle
Friday, October 16, 2009
Hardware Trends for Personal Computers
When engineering a custom built computer setup for individuals there are several things to keep in mind. First and foremost is the cost of the total construction based on the thirteen components required to complete a personal computer. Each part in a custom built computer can be obtained by means of e-commerce websites on the World Wide Web. The most active website for computer parts and accessories is newegg.com. Newegg.com retails computer hardware, software, and electronics at both the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level and the consumer products division level.
Buying computer components at retail to construct a custom built configuration often increases the price tremendously. While you can buy OEM equipment and software, you should be aware that most of these parts come with a shorter return period and also the warranty is not as long as if you were to buy the product at retail. This is due to the individual vendor's decision to obtain customers that will not depend on full tech support after the product is in their hands. Creating an intelligent customer base is something that all business owners would ideally like to accomplish but few seldom do.
Of the thirteen components required to complete a custom build, 8 are truly parts that a computer cannot survive without. These parts are: (They do not include the input devices such as keyboard, mouse, or monitor.)
- CPU/Processor
- Motherboard (Main component board)
- Power Supply
- Memory (Random Access Memory)
- Hard Drive Storage
- Multimedia / Optical drive
- Chassis
- Video Display Adaptor
In the following summary, you will see each component at its current best value followed by the least expensive alternative to each product. All of the information relating to the system specifications of the parts that are displayed here is directly reflected by the item number associated at newegg.com. This list of parts by image and name does not give specific statistics or system specifications due to the length of the figures involved. Instead, a link is provided to the product on the page at newegg.com so you can read more about each part if you wish.
High End Build
Intel i7-975 Extreme 3.33GHz CPU
Item#:N82E16819115212 $999.99
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2
Item#:N82E16813131365 $289.99
CORSAIR DOMINATOR-GT 6GB X2 Packs
Item#:N82E16820145255 $ 679.98
Western Digital 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s
Item#:N82E16822136365 $299.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 295
Item#:N82E16814130510 $559.99
LG Blu-ray Burner
Item#:N82E16827136176 $199.99
Thermaltake Toughpower 1000W
Item#:N82E16817153053 $304.99
Low End Build
Intel Celeron 1.8GHz CPU
Item #: N82E16819116039 $39.99
Foxconn LGA 775 Motherboard
Item#:N82E16813186167 $46.99
Crucial DDR2 800 2GB
Item#:N82E16820148163 $39.99
Thermaltake Tsunami Case
Item#:N82E16811133132 $94.99
Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA 3.0Gb/s
Item#:N82E16822148397 $39.99
CORSAIR 400W ATX12V
Item#:N82E16817139008 $49.99
LIAN LI ATX Case
Item#:N82E16811112218 $84.99
The two computer builds shown here represent two completely different types of builds. Each type of build shown, High End and Low End contain interchangeable parts. Each system can upgrade fully to the next generation or can have a single part replaced to complete an upgrade. The High End system has a final price of $3429.91 before Operating System, Software, and Shipping. The Low End system has a final price of $301.94 before Operating System, Software, and Shipping. The Low End computer system also has a built in Video Display Adaptor that is integrated into the Motherboard.
Analyzing the two builds for performance results in the following information:
High End / Low End
i7-Core = 8CPU's 3.333Ghz x 8 = 26.664Ghz / Celeron Single Core CPU 1.8Ghz
DDR3 2000Mhz Triple Channel RAM 12GB / DDR2 800Mhz Dual Channel RAM 2GB
2TB Hard Drive 64MB Cache / 160Gb Hard Drive 8MB Cache
1000Watt Power Supply / 400Watt Power Supply
Blue Ray Burner / None
EVGA Geforce 295 Video / Built In Graphics Display
Mid Tower ATX Case w/window / Micro ATX Case without window
The trends of low performance computing versus high performance computing shows that the extreme high end computers are roughly 10x greater in performance and features than the extreme bottom end custom build. Of course there are many pros and cons to each system as viewed by the user rating system at newegg.com. The most experienced technician will tell you that each system has its strengths and its weaknesses but in the end, both systems are used for two completely different environments. This is equivalent to the high end system for extreme gaming and the low end computer for workstation environment.
