# The computer megathread: Should I?



## Caius (Aug 22, 2012)

The computer megathread: Should I?

I should change my title to Megathreader. 

Alright, so you've got some money, congratulations! You have decided that you're going to invest in a computer. Again, congratulations! Before you make that investment, let's talk about what you need to know about the computer world. 

*Terms you should know:*

Motherboard: Otherwise known as logic board on Mac computers, this is the unit everything plugs into. Your RAM, CPU, and other little doo-hickeys will all rest in this board. They are very fragile, and if they fail can quite literally blow up in your face. 

CPU: Central processing unit. The CPU is the little chip that holds your processor. It plugs into the motherboard and does all the little math wizardry you need to get your computer to run calculator and notepad. CPU's are associated with a number called their Clock Signal Frequency, which is KHZ-MHZ-GHZ. This is the speed associated with your processor and tells how fast a program has the capability to run in easy terms. We call that performance! Some CPU's (most nowadays) have multi-core-processing, which means that for each core, your computer has that number in KHZ-MHZ-GHZ to work with. This increases how much a computer can handle. If you're using more than one program that is CPU heavy, you can half the beating your computer takes with more than one core to handle each program. This is all automatic! On the other side, another core can take over for one that is at 100% capacity to keep your precious PC from crashing. More cores is always a good thing, but some programs don't utilize all of them. 

RAM: One of the most common PC terms. While the CPU takes care of most of the work, RAM is your system's memory. RAM stores data to be accessed by the system to make what you're doing seem 'faster'. Say you're using photoshop and doing some painting. RAM is what stores the stroke of the brush and feeds it to the CPU to be processed and returned so that it appears without lag. The more RAM you have, the quicker the response. While more RAM can speed up a computer, it also is not an end-all solution. Some OS types can't read a certain amount of RAM, so keep that in mind. There are also RAM threads that optimize ram speeds, but that's more of an advanced strategy. 

GPU: Yeah, you guys know what this is. Graphics processing, aka your Graphics card. It's also referred to as VPU, so don't get all confused. So what does this do if the CPU and RAM take care of processing? Well, all of your shaders, shiny effects, and general 3 dimensional things use texture mapping and rendering in real-time with polygons. So what does that mean? The GPU handles assigning the shaders, places, rotations, translations, and textures to vertices and geometric items so that they can move and just appear smooth. In layman's terms, GPU makes shiny, pretty. Now, it's not ALL 3D. (I mean 3d as in 3 dimensional flat, not what you see in movies) Most GPU's these days utilize 2D acceleration to increase frame buffers. This is going out of style thanks to AMD, who emulate this process. Your frame rate on all games relies on this little chip, or in some cases this enormous box. There are more than one type of GPU, notably laptops and desktops utilize different ones, which causes for some issues in frame rates. Laptops tend to have them completely soldered in, which means you CAN'T change it, and there is hardly any power to the piece. In these cases, if the CPU/Motherboard dies, you're screwed. GPU's have their own set of RAM usually boxed in. This is GRAPHICS ram, and only used for the GPU. We'll call that the GPU cache. Same thing as ram, but only for the GPU.

Cooling: Pretty easy to figure out. Cooling is what keeps your computer cool. Most computers have fans, some are submerged in mineral oil, and some have liquid cooling kits to pump cold liquid through tubes into the CPU and keep it cool. The warmer your PC runs, the greater chance of it overheating. Most CPU parts have designated safety levels for temperature that should always be monitored. While it's okay for your fans to kick up a bit (actually it's good to tax the system a little and get some dust out!) you don't want to have it run above your designated safety temperatures. On my desktop I use Speedfan to monitor this. 

Power: All computers have a power unit. When building your own, you want to take into account how much power you'll need to run the system. You want to be VERY CAREFUL about how much power goes in. I'm not going to teach you to build a computer, but it's a notable thing. 

Hard Disk: Aka Where all your files are stored! Hard Disks are the number one thing to fail in computers, which is why even laptops that are newer have more than one drive to store your lovely files. There are many different kinds these days. You have your HDD, which is a typical pin-on-disc reader. This kind utilizes magnetic heads to read your data, the speed of it determined by RPM. RPM is rotations per minute that the spindle winds the platter (aka the disk inside). The higher the RPM, the faster your data reads. The other kind of data drive is a Solid State Drive. These run MUCH higher in price, but have less of an inclination to fail. They do not use the spindle build. Instead, it uses an integrated storage board. It's aaaaall electronic. Some may use a capacitor and their own ram as well. It's complicated, but it is MUCH faster. 

PCI: Peripher Component Interconnect. This is where your hardware devices are plugged into your computer. There are a bunch of different types, mostly these days PCI-E, or PCI Express. If you have a network card, you plug it in here.

Network Card: The wireless, or wired, or both. This is what ables you to get internet on your device. Most have wireless capabilities but not all of them do. Be sure to know that before a purchase. 

Sound Card: Another PCI pluggable. This sends all your audio signals. If you're looking at a desktop, you'll need one. Laptops always have them integrated. Keep in mind it doesn't PLAY the sound, but it gives you the option to plug in your speakers so that you can hear what your computer is screaming at you. Usually, they have 7-8 ports. Pink is your line-in or microphone, light blue, lime green, brown, black, and orange are all of your speaker channels, and then you can have a gold one for a Game port or MIDI. Optional on most of them is Optical. Optical is a fibre wire cable that carries sound data from all channels and capable of outputting to 7.1 channels of sound in one nifty device. Not really needed for most things, but it sounds awesome. Your only sound input will usually be your line-in. 

USB: Cmon, everyone knows what a USB is. We use them to charge our phones, plug in our controllers, and even input new gaming devices. On newer devices there is the USB 3.0, which transfers data at a greatly increased rate. USB's are all about speedy performance, and are simply for transferring data from item to pc. Firewire is the same, as is thunder wire or whatever apple is calling their junk these days. While I could go on for hours about how it works, you could easily look up the wiki article. You don't need to know how a USB works unless you're super curious. When deciding on a computer make sure you have enough for anything you may need. I tend to like having at least 4 that are open at all times.

Other PCI: Tv tuners, disc controllers, some Video cards, etc etc etc, all of these are PCI plugs. Research what you want if looking into a desktop so you know what motherboard you need to utilize all of your things. 

Overclocking: Don't do this if you don't know what you're doing. This can lead you to a cycle of BSOD's. Overclocking is upping the clocking power of your CPU with the benefit of making things faster. It's dangerous and has caused many computers to overheat.


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## Caius (Aug 22, 2012)

*The Laptop VS The Desktop*

An age-old argument. While yes, some laptops are powerful enough to combat a desktop in power and speed, they're also well out of anyone's price range. There are a few reasons why that we'll be getting into in a little bit. Both the laptop and desktop have fallen victim to branding. For an Alienware or Apple computer, you will pay top dollar. You can see as much as a 1,500 USD markup just because of a brand. I'll get into the apple and alienware argument later. Trust me. 

Laptops are portable! Yes! You can take them with you! Amazing! A misconception about portable is that they should be moved though. While everyone with a laptop is guilty of moving their laptop while it's on, it's not recommended. Remember the build of your Hard Disk Drive? Well.. the articulator will bump against the disc inside and actually scratch it. That's how failure happens. You shouldn't move your laptop while it's powered on, but with the portability we all require, it's almost impossible to avoid. If you don't think you can adhere to this, a laptop is probably not right for you.

Laptops also have the downside of being unable to be internally cleaned properly. Usually you take a can of compressed air and blow into the vents. But where does the dust go? Deeper into the system. Laptop manufacturers bank on this, by having you come in with the pretense something is wrong. Dust can effectively kill a computer, and it only takes 6 months for it to build up. Smokers tend to run into the issue of the soot clogging up their laptops or desktops. The difference is, a desktop can be opened. Not to say a laptop can't, but it is HELL.

That brings us to proper ventilation. A desktop can easily look empty when you look inside. For good reason. The hot air needs to escape and cool air needs to circulate. The larger your tower and more powerful your fans, the cooler your pc will run. A full size desktop tower can be 2 feet in height. Mine is HALF my height. You know how big a laptop is. A little fan is all you get to cycle that heat. If you want a laptop that can play games it will have to be HEAVY to have all the necessary pieces, and still have enough room to properly cool the system.

Some desktops utilize mineral oil as a coolant. Not for newbies, that's for sure. It can be tricky, but the process is to dunk all your main parts in the oil since it doesn't heat up that much. Still, once oil heats up it does take a bit to cool. It is the most effective way, but others have decided on the liquid cooling approach which is still iffy. Liquid cooling utilizes water being pumped through the system to cool everything down. If the system springs a leak it can be quite a pain and will most likely destroy everything. It's a very complex system that should again, be avoided by newbies. 

One term I didn't touch on was heatsinks. A heatsink is what removes your heat from the CPU. It's a very important part of the build. Laptop heatsinks are small, which leads to higher temperatures. Desktop heatsinks can be huge and integrate fans right on the side, in some cases more than one. If you're looking at PC gaming, take that into consideration. 

Okay, so I said I'd get into the branding argument. Apple at least has the excuse that it has its own OS. I have a Macbook Pro and a Windows-based desktop. I can tell you from personal experience that while yes, OSX doesn't fail very often, it's still got its own drawbacks. Apple tends to market its own parts and pieces and build their computers in such a way that they can be impossible, or very difficult to fix yourself. An apple computer should never be considered for a long term computer unless you are very sure you can make the investment to keep up with it. There has been an age-old argument that OSX is better for Graphics.

*No*.

OSX and Windows have one key difference when it comes to graphics. Gamma. Gamma is a graphic setting that differentiates from light and dark on your screen. You can change it manually. Most computer monitors that are for professional graphics are calibrated. There is NO DIFFERENCE. This is yet another marketing thing. 

Then, there's Alienware. Oh, I'm sure you've heard of Alienware if you're a computer geek. At one time the brand was absolutely amazing, offering gamers a laptop that was actually up to par with a desktop. Times changed, markets changed, parts changed. They're owned by dell and for the exact same computer you can see a SIX THOUSAND DOLLAR markup. Don't waste your money.

So you know the pros and cons of brand, you know the pros and cons of laptops vs desktops. Ask yourself, what do you want to do with this device? This should be your first question. A computer should follow you. If you get a laptop for gaming you will be getting a new one every few years. A desktop still has the ability to be upgraded. If you're going to play little games like TF2, you'll probably want a laptop still, but you're still only able to play at low settings. A laptop GPU can't take the shader needs. 

Let's divvy into price now. To build your own desktop is the cheapest route, but you will most likely break pieces if you're new. You can buy a kit, and have a specialist build it for you. That's perfectly okay! Don't try and do something if you have no idea how. You will want a steady set of hands that knows what they're doing to walk you through it. 

A pre-built desktop will be the second cheapest option. You can buy one already with speakers, mice, keyboards, and monitors all ready to use. Keep in mind, an all-in-one is the same as a laptop basically and cannot be upgraded. A Half case (HP/Compaq/Dell/Emachines) will have bad ventilation and very specific upgrade needs that are going to run higher in price. 

A laptop is the most expensive. We've talked about this.

So. What do you NEED? Have you thought about your schooling? Will you want to dabble in art? Animation? Will you just want to play games? 

Desktop.

Will you just want to use it for on the go word processing? Spread sheeting? Quickbooks? Light video watching and music? Maybe some online conversation? Internet?

Laptop.

It's that simple.

Let me know if you have any other questions.


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## Fillfall (Aug 22, 2012)

I wish this was here earlier, although I would probably buy the same one anyways.

Are there any ways of optimizing your desktop for digital painting, sculpting and/or gaming?


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## SockHead (Aug 22, 2012)

Thank you for this


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## Mino (Aug 22, 2012)

I've heard all PCs are good for is spreadsheets?  _Is this true?_


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## Caius (Aug 22, 2012)

Mino said:


> I've heard all PCs are good for is spreadsheets?  _Is this true?_



Duh.



SockHead said:


> Thank you for this



No problem.



Fillfall said:


> I wish this was here earlier, although I would probably buy the same one anyways.
> 
> Are there any ways of optimizing your desktop for digital painting, sculpting and/or gaming?



It's all GPU, CPU, and Ram. You have to be pretty high on all 3 for those.


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## Thunder (Aug 22, 2012)

Much obliged, this'll definitely come in handy when I pick up a new computer.


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## Fillfall (Aug 23, 2012)

Is intel turbo boost dangerous like overclocking?


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## Caius (Aug 23, 2012)

Fillfall said:


> Is intel turbo boost dangerous like overclocking?



Turbo boost in essence is the same as overclocking, however it's automatic based on your system and works with all of your other specs considered. It can be, but I don't see it as something that can seriously harm your system. I suggest turning it off if you get a bluescreen, but you're fine otherwise.


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## «Jack» (Sep 1, 2012)

I got a premade computer (standard HP model) and beefed it up with some more RAM and a new graphics card. However I'm considering when I next upgrade to just get a case and use some of the parts from the old stuff that isn't out of date. To the best of your knowledge, would I be able to get the hard drive out? It's a good enough size for me (1 TB), but I'm reluctant to test things out and risk ruining the drive.


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## rafren (Dec 27, 2012)

Thanks for this, will come in handy. Now having second thoughts on getting a laptop...


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## Caius (Dec 28, 2012)

?Jack? said:


> I got a premade computer (standard HP model) and beefed it up with some more RAM and a new graphics card. However I'm considering when I next upgrade to just get a case and use some of the parts from the old stuff that isn't out of date. To the best of your knowledge, would I be able to get the hard drive out? It's a good enough size for me (1 TB), but I'm reluctant to test things out and risk ruining the drive.



Really late with a response to this. Yes you can get the drive out, but I doubt the motherboard will fit in a new case if it's an HP Mini tower. Just be careful.


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## Gnome (Dec 28, 2012)

With my acquired Christmas funds, I'm ordering the rest of my new rig.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819 

Is the motherboard I'm going to buy, and for processor, I've decided on an i5 3750 Quad-Core

GPU wise, I've got the 560ti, which runs what I need for now, I'll get an upgrade sooner or later.
RAM, 8 gigs.

edit: Running Windows 7, and PSU - http://www.corsair.com/power-supply...d-750-watt-high-performance-power-supply.html


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## Gnome (Dec 28, 2012)

Zr388 said:


> Really late with a response to this. Yes you can get the drive out, but I doubt the motherboard will fit in a new case if it's an HP Mini tower. Just be careful.




I can testify with this, although it's not that the motherboard didn't necessarily "fit", it's just that the wiring from the powersupply wasn't long enough. Although that's more of a PSU problem.


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## Caius (Dec 29, 2012)

Gnome said:


> With my acquired Christmas funds, I'm ordering the rest of my new rig.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819
> 
> ...



Very nice!


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## JasonBurrows (Jan 2, 2013)

I am not entirely sure of my PC specs, but I know that it is just slightly below minimum requirements to play Crysis 1 and 2.
It went quite far past minimum to play Minecraft.

The only issue for Grand Theft Auto IV was the Video Card as everything else got green ticks.

I tested the stats on the Can I Run It? website.


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## Caius (Jan 4, 2013)

JasonBurrows said:


> I am not entirely sure of my PC specs, but I know that it is just slightly below minimum requirements to play Crysis 1 and 2.
> It went quite far past minimum to play Minecraft.
> 
> The only issue for Grand Theft Auto IV was the Video Card as everything else got green ticks.
> ...



Sometimes you actually can run something when CIRI says you can't. Minimum settings are a blessing for those things. There are also options out there for most games to patch stuff. In the case of GTA do a google search for a patch fix and maybe you'll be able to play it just fine.


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## wolley74 (May 4, 2013)

few things
You absolutely CANNOT compare CPUs on clock speed alone unless they are from the same architecture, as the instructions per clock are not the same across every single processor, a 3.1GHz Intel core i3 will not perform as well as a 3.6 Ghz AMD FX 4100 simply because of their internal design, there is far far more then just GHz to compare performance

More cores are also a bad way to compare performance outside of certain uses, games can barely use 2 cores, let alone 4 or more

RAM has a near 0 impact on any sort of performance outside of high end 3D renders for animation and 3D design programs, very few people will ever need more then 8GB, only time you ever need more is when you know you can and will use it, unused RAM is wasted RAM

You won't need a soundcard as all motherboards have integrated soundcards which are pretty high quality, the only people who can take advantage of a soundard are people with higher end quality headphones or those in music production

PSU: they will only supply what the computer needs, no more, no less. Find out what your system needs to run and add about 100W of head room to keep it from running at maximum load, makes it more efficient and keeps it from wearing as fast

Cooling: the cooler that comes with the processor is plenty for 99.9% of people, also liquid cooling does not pump cold water to the components, it moves hot water to a radiator where fans blow across to cool them, in a well designed loop everything stays the same tempurature, the entire system  will slowly raise its tempurature until it evens off, usually around 55?C if planned right


no, the temps do not need to be monitored unless you are overclocking, it will control its temps on its own, they're designed to throttle themselves should they get close to overheating which is why the fans spin up when under load


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## Caius (May 4, 2013)

wolley74 said:


> few things
> You absolutely CANNOT compare CPUs on clock speed alone unless they are from the same architecture, as the instructions per clock are not the same across every single processor, a 3.1GHz Intel core i3 will not perform as well as a 3.6 Ghz AMD FX 4100 simply because of their internal design, there is far far more then just GHz to compare performance
> 
> More cores are also a bad way to compare performance outside of certain uses, games can barely use 2 cores, let alone 4 or more
> ...



Good info. My experience is 99% based on overclocking systems, so I'm always monitoring my temps. Even when I'm not, It's just become a habit to make sure everything looks right because of how dynamic my indoor temperature is. 

RAM is also useful when you're trying to use loads of things at once. I've noticed a definite performance increase outside of rendering. It is something you can live with lower quantities in though.


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## Psydye (Sep 27, 2013)

Illuminating info.!! I was going to buy an Alienware M18x for gaming but having read this I think it would be a FAR cheaper route to just build my own, and probably a desktop at that! I'm sure I'll save myself many hundreds of dollars in the process. Hey if it can run Crysis and The Witcher at optimal maxed out settings w/o any hint of lag then that's all I need, it has to be IDEAL for gaming.

But then again, I do like to visit my friends house a lot and game with them so....may have to still think on it a bit longer!


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## TheCreeperHugz (Sep 27, 2013)

Hmm...
I desperately need a new computer, my dad broke mine (I honestly don't have a clue how, he was playing cards...) but I'm torn between getting a pre bult PC of building one myself. 

I have never built my own PC before, but I have a few friends who have that could help. I'm also taking computing as one of my options at school, and we have took a computer apart before (and reassembled it) so I know roughly how everything fits together. If I build my own I can have it exactly to my needs (plenty of RAM and really good GPU for games, etc). My only worry is that I may do something wrong and totally **** it up.

On the other hand, if I choose to buy a pre built one, it will be much simpler as I won't have to put it together myself.  But with a pre built one, I may not be able to find a good one that fits my needs well.

So, any advice on what to do? As I am still in school (and therefore don't have a job), money is a little bit of an issue, so I don't want to be spending loads of money on something that doesnt work too well for what I want.


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## Stelline (Sep 29, 2013)

TheCreeperHugz said:


> Hmm...
> I desperately need a new computer, my dad broke mine (I honestly don't have a clue how, he was playing cards...) but I'm torn between getting a pre bult PC of building one myself.
> 
> I have never built my own PC before, but I have a few friends who have that could help. I'm also taking computing as one of my options at school, and we have took a computer apart before (and reassembled it) so I know roughly how everything fits together. If I build my own I can have it exactly to my needs (plenty of RAM and really good GPU for games, etc). My only worry is that I may do something wrong and totally **** it up.
> ...



If money is tight and you have friends to help, building your own PC will be the cheaper option! And by building your own, you know what to do when something may go wrong or need upgrading in the future. Things I usually recommend as easy guides:
*Logical Increments*: Sample builds catered to specific needs and budgets. Check the new user guide!
*PC Part Pickter*: Site for comparison of part prices, very handy for taking advantage of price match offers!
*Maximum PC's How To Build a Computer*: How to build a computer, step by step in video form, without distracting filler.

But all of these put together are still just supplements to whatever research you'll need to do. If you want to take the simpler route, I've had friends buy from *Cyper Power PC* and the price difference isn't so bad sometimes. If you live in Canada, Memory Express will price match all of your parts, and build your machine for you for 50 dollars IIRC. If not, I'm sure other places would have the same sort of deal, so again, research is your best friend and your biggest time consumer!



Psydye said:


> Illuminating info.!! I was going to buy an Alienware M18x for gaming but having read this I think it would be a FAR cheaper route to just build my own, and probably a desktop at that! I'm sure I'll save myself many hundreds of dollars in the process. Hey if it can run Crysis and The Witcher at optimal maxed out settings w/o any hint of lag then that's all I need, it has to be IDEAL for gaming.
> 
> But then again, I do like to visit my friends house a lot and game with them so....may have to still think on it a bit longer!



You can always ask yourself, what would you rather do? If you've got eagle eyes and absolutely need maximum settings for Crysis/The Witcher/Whatever other Vidya you might want to play, desktop will be cheaper and won't be limited to a tiny screen. But do you play games often enough to justify the price of the parts you'll buy? Or, can you sacrifice higher settings here and there, and get the portability you want? How often and what games do you play with your friends? Are the games themselves demanding?

Budget for your needs before your wants, then see what fits best. If it were my decision, I'd go with desktop first, laptop later. With friends I usually ended up playing console games anyhow!


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