Introduction
In buying your computer, you should be knowledgeable on some technical specifications. It is necessary to have awareness of some technicalities to be able to buy the computer suitable to your needs. Business computing needs are definitely different from personal or home office needs, thus first time buyers like you should be guided properly.
Personal computers, PCs or what we commonly called desktops have a variety of models, posing many options and many possibilities so it is important that you understand the functions of computer peripherals, its applications and specifications to be able to choose the right PC that meets your needs. Although PC vendors provide technical support, you can be able to maximize the use of your computer when you are aided with some technical computer basics like how to set up your computer and the proper connections of computer components.
Student Requirements
This report is a guide for students like you in buying a computer set for the first time. Thesis writing, doing project studies and school reports are just some of the many paper works you encounter in university that require heavy research and utilization of the computer. In doing a research, you will have to utilize the internet where vast academic resources are available including the so-called cybrary, virtual or online library such as the Questia; and online journals such as the Harvard Business Review, the EEEI, and many other academic online journals that would be very useful in doing your research.
Research papers most of the time involves graphics, tables, pictures, maps and charts which you can do easily with the use of a computer, aside from word processing and other tools needed to make a good research paper. After the completion of your paper, you are most likely required to present your research using effective presentation tools.
The following is an outline of your basic needs in a computer as a student:
· Internet/web surfing, research, e-mail
· word processing
· spreadsheet including numerical analysis, computations, and various mathematical functions
· drawing
· report or project presentation
· photo/video editing
· music player, sound recorder
A computer should have specific hardware and software that can meet all these needs. For the hardware, a computer must have the following components:
· Large storage capacity that can store various documents, graphics, and pictures
· A network card and a modem to be able to have Internet connection
· Optical Drives (CD-DVD reader and writer) useful in video or music recording and editing for report presentations
· floppy drive that enable the user to save files from a floppy disk which is useful in transporting files
· a speedy and reliable processor that is helpful especially when students are doing rush papers
For the software, the Microsoft Office 2003 seems to meet your needs as a student. The Microsoft 2003 is a package of programs which include the following:
· Microsoft Word 2003 – a program you used for creating and editing texts and graphics;
· Microsoft Excel 2003 - a spreadsheet software that can perform numerical analysis, mathematical functions and manage lists on spreadsheets or Web pages
· Microsoft PowerPoint – a software you used for creating and editing your slide show presentations commonly used in report or project presentations
· Publisher – a software used in making newsletters, brochures or flyers that you will also need when conducting surveys for a research study
· InfoPath – software used in making forms/questionnaires which you will need in conducting interviews and surveys as required by the research study
· A browser such as Internet Explorer that allows you to find and display information and Web sites on the internet.
Choosing a Desktop Brand
You are probably aware of the popular desktop brands in the world today such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP), and IBM. These manufacturers all have their respective brand identity not only because they are American brands but because of the high quality and superior performance of their products. Here in Singapore, other popular brands are Acer and Toshiba. Dell offers affordable PCs with customization options which are almost comparable to the affordability of Acer’s products. HP offers higher price compared to Dell and Acer but lower than IBM.
Among the current desktop models today Dell Dimension 3100, HP’s Compaq Presario SR1748CF and Acer Aspire SA80 has features that seem to meet your requirements mentioned above. HP’s Compaq Presario SR1748CF and Acer Aspire SA80 both feature Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition as their Operating System (OS) while Dell offered customization which allows its buyers to customize the model, which means that if you choose Dell, you can choose which OS and any other features to include in the 3100 model depending on the your budget. Acer and Dell both has lower price compared with HP. Acer SA80 (524M8) can be bought at SG,399 while Dell Dimension 3100 can be bought online for as low as SG8.05 and can be higher depending on how you will customize the product to suit your personal needs.
The specifications of Dimension 3100 and Aspire SA80 are shown in the table below (source: Dell, 2006; Acer, 2006) that compares the features and capabilities of Dimension 3100 and Aspire SA80.
Brand
DELL ACER
Model
Dimension 3100
Aspire SA80 (524M8)
Price
SG,867.95
SG,399
Processor
Intel Pentium4 Processor 630 with HT technology (3.0GHZ, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHzFSB)
Intel Pentium4 Processor 524 supporting HT technology (3.0GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB L2 cache)
Chipset
Intel 915GV
Sis 661 FX
Operating System
Genuine Windows XP Professional SP2 Edition (English) CD Media
Genuine Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
System Memory
1GB(2×512)NECCC Dual Channel DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM Memory; 2 DIMM slots
256MB DDR memory, upgradeable to 2GB on two DIMM modules
Hard Disk Drive
80 GB SATA 3.0Gb/s with Native Command Queuing
80 SATA hard disk drive
Floppy Drive
1.44MB 3.5″ Floppy Drive
optional floppy drive reader
Optical Drive
48x DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive
52x DVD/CD-RW combo
Drive Bay
Externally accessible: Two 5.25 for combination drive, One 3.5-inch bay for floppy drive; Internally accessible: Two 3.5-inch bays for hard drives
Two 5.25 drive bays; six 3.5 drive bays
Graphics
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 (shared up to 128MB)
Integrated VGA Graphics (Shared up to 64MB)
Modem
56Kbps PCI Data/Fax Modem
56Kbps ITU v.92 hardware full duplex internal data/fax modem
Network/LAN cards
Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
10/100 Mbps Ethernet
Audio
Integrated 2.0 Channel Audio
Integrated Realtek ALC655 CODEC 5.1-channel surround audio support
I/O Ports/Slots
6 USB 2.0 Ports (2 front and 4 rear)
8 USB 2.0 ports (two front, two internal, four rear)
1 front headphone jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1 front microphone jack
Headphones and microphone jacks (front and rear)
USB 2.0 connector to support Flex Bay peripherals
Line-in and line-out jacks
1 VGA port
VGA monitor port
2 PCI slots
parallel port
1 PCIe x1 slot
serial port
8xAGP slot
3 PCI 2.2 (5V)slots
Monitor
17″ flat LCD Monitor
Acer 17″ LCD Monitor
Input Devices
Dell USB Quietkey Keyboard (English); Dell USB 2-button Scroll Mouse
PS/2 keyboard and mouse
Dimension (Chassis)
16.1 x 17.2 x 7.36 inches (HxWxL)
14.7 x 17.36 x 7.09 (HxWxL)
Power Supply
230Watts maximum continuous
250/300 W
Software
Microsoft Office 2003 Professional OEM Version
Norton AntiVirus 2005
McAfee Security Center 90 days Introductory trial offer
CyberLink PowerDVD
Acer Resource CD with Acer skin
Adobe Reader
NTI CD-Maker Gold
Aspire System Recovery
Price
At the table above, Dell’s Dimension 3100 has been customized already to have some necessary features so its cost reached SG,867.95. Dell’s price is higher compared with Acer because of the additional features it has such as better processor (Dell has 630 while Acer has 524), floppy drive that allows you to store files in floppy disks, better graphic media accelerator, and the Microsoft Office which is a very important software package for most computer users.
Generally, a computer system is composed of two main parts: the hardware and the software. The hardware composes of the physical components of the computer. The major physical components of a computer are the processor, the memory, storage devices or sometimes referred to as secondary memory such as hard disk drive and optical devices, input/output (I/O) devices such as the keyboard and mouse. The physical components of a computer set is chosen such that they are compatible with each other or support and enhance each component’s capabilities to maximize the use and efficiency of a PC. The software is the intangible, set of machine readable instructions called programs that tell the computer how to perform operations on entered data (STI, 1996).
Dell’s Hardware vs. Acer’s Hardware
Processor
In choosing your computer, you will have to look first at the quality of its microprocessor. The microprocessor or simply processor is the main component or the “brain” of the computer system because it is the chip that controls the operation of your computer as well as performs arithmetic and logic operations on entered data (STI, 1996). Intel is known in producing high performing processor. Processors are evaluated using the processor number that indicates the processor’s architecture or design and technology used with it, clock speed which indicates how fast it can process data, front side bus (FSB) which is the connecting path between the processor and other components like the memory, and the cache which is a collection of built in memory chips that enhance the processors processing speed (Aquino, 2003).
You can determine the quality of your processor by its (1) processor’s clock speed, measured in megahertz which is the speed of data zip through the electronic circuits, and (2) the size of each individual data bundle it processes (Zarowin,1995). The cache determines the size of data bundle a processor can process or temporarily store, measured in megabytes.
Both Dell and Acer uses Intel Pentium 4 because it is the processor that allows users to perform multiple tasks simultaneously or run multiple programs like scanning virus, playing music and searching the internet all at the same time. Because it supports Hyper-Threading Technology, a technology that enables multi-threaded software applications or the execution of two software threads in parallel (Intel, 2006). Intel Pentium 4 is processor that can support the speed needed for usages requiring larger memory such as video, games and multimedia. However, Dell’s processor, which is processor 630, has higher capacity of 2 Megabytes compared to Acer’s, which has processor 524 that only has 1 Megabyte. This means that the cache of Dell’s Dimension 3100 is better than that of Acer’s.
Dell’s FSB is also faster than Acer’s, resulting to faster access to other computer components. Dell uses Intel 915GV because it is designed for Intel Pentium 4 processor, supports Intel Graphics Accelerator which is also used in Dell’s Dimension 3100 and LCD displays, has flexible memory for the dual channel DDR2 533/400 or DDR 400/DDR 333 memory (Intel, 2006).
Chipset The chipset is called the hub for all data transfer and determines how fast components in your computer, like the microprocessor, memory, keyboard and various plug-ins, function in relation to other components such as the clock generators, disk controllers, graphics media accelerator, I/O bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, Direct Media Interface (DMI), ATA Ports, built-in controllers and video and audio ports, thus the chipset that should be chosen is compatible with all other components. Dell uses Intel 915GV chipset which is designed to support Intel Pentium 4 and other features of the Dimension 3100 like the graphics media accelerator. Acer uses SIS661FX, like Intel 915GV, also supports Intel Pentium 4, DDR, the 10/100Mbps LAN card and the RealTek audio card. Systems Memory
The systems memory of your PC is also called the primary memory or the Random Access Memory or RAM, which temporarily stores information from the PC’s operating system, applications and data in current use (Dell, 2006). The amount of your RAM determines how many programs can be executed at one time, how much data can be readily available to a program, and how fast applications perform. Dell’s Dimension 3100 has higher capacity, higher frequency and wider bandwidth than Acer’s Aspire AS80. Higher capacity means you can store more files while higher frequency and greater bandwidth means more improved speed of your computer.
Hard Disk
While the RAM is the primary memory, the hard disk, also called fixed disk, is the secondary memory where data can be stored for a long time. The larger the capacity of your hard disk, the more the data can be stored. Both the Dell’s 3100 and Acers AS80 has 80 Gigabytes capacity.
Floppy Drive
The floppy drive allows you to save files in removable magnetic disks called floppy disks. Although floppy disks have limited disk space or capacity (1.44MB), it is a convenient storage device that you can bring anywhere like when making PowerPoint Presentation in school, or when copying important files from your lecturers. Dell’s Dimension 3100 has floppy drive while Acer’s floppy drive reader is optional.
Optical Drive
Optical drive is an input device used to read CD’s and/or DVDs. There are optical drives now that can both read and copy data to either a CD or a DVD. Both Dell and Acer have these features. When your computer has CD/DVD read-write combo drive, you can record, edit and play music or videos you’re your computer.
Modem
Modem is an important computer component enables you to access DSL or dial-up internet connections. Although there are modems that can be plugged into a port, it is better if your modem is installed as part of the computer (also known as internal modem). Modem is a short term for modulator-demodulator which is used to transmit and receive data over the phone line and is measured in kilobytes per second (kbps) (Zarowin, 1995). The more kilobytes per second your modem can transmit, the faster it transmits and receives data. In 1995, a 28kbps modem was already considered fast at that time. But because of the many data that are needed to be transmitted at present, the modem of your computer should be as high as 56kbps.
Other Hardware
Both Dell and Acer features a 17” LCD monitor which is more physically attractive than a CRT monitor. The computer housing of Dell is slightly smaller than Acer. Dell uses a USB mouse and keyboard which is more responsive than PS/2 keyboard and mouse.
Software Dell features the Microsoft Office 2003 that includes the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher, which are the most important software for students like you doing research works. Acer does not have these features, which means that if you buy Acer’s SA80 you still have to purchase separate software for applications like word processing, spreadsheets and others. Although Acer features other software, these software can be easily downloaded free over the internet. You also need an internet browser which you can also download over the internet for free.
Licensing
Usually the PC manufacturer and the software vendor (Microsoft) have an agreement that the license will be automatically given to the end-user who bought the computer with the accompanying software. This agreement is called the end-user license agreement. Under this agreement, you are not allowed to have the software be installed in computer network that is used for commercial purposes such as internet café or computer rentals. This means that the software is solely for private used. When you buy other software to another vendor other than the PC vendor where you bought your computer set, you should ask for a licensed version to be sure that you are not getting the pirated version of the software. Getting a licensed version of software entitles you to avail of the services offered by Microsoft.
ISP
Internet access is an important communication and research tool today. It is the largest library a student like you can have. In choosing an internet connection, you have to choose between DSL and wireless connection because they are faster than dial-up connection. In Singapore, SingNet is a good internet service provider (ISP) that offers plans for students. It has a broadband unlimited plan especially designed for students at 3500kbps at .30/ a month. Broadband internet is a connection that is capable of transferring large amount of data at high speed. Dell’s Dimension 3100 and Acer’s Aspire AS80 are both internet-ready because they already have LAN card and modem. Just contact an ISP provider like the SingNet and it will be the one to provide the installation.
Conclusion
With all the features of Dell Dimension 3100 and Acer Aspire AS80 presented above, Dell is the most advisable PC brand with its Dimension 3100 that is capable of providing you with all your needs in a computer, from the most basic to the more complex. You are also recommended to buy products from Dell online where you can further customize the featured Dell computer above depending on your budget. When a PC is bought, the printer is sold separately; there are printers today that have all in one features (printer, scanner, copier in one). HP is known to have the best printers but Dell also offers printers which can also be seen on their website.
Step 4: Connect the monitor and the computer to electrical outlets
Set-up Guidelines
Installation of your new computer set is easy as long as you can recognize the port for a particular device. At the back of you computer, there are many ports or connectors which are color-coded to avoid confusion into which port the cable of a particular device should be connected. The color of the plug is the same as the color of the port as shown in the figure below.
The software is usually pre-installed in the computer you will buy but if not, there are CDs that come together with the computer package. To install the software, insert the CD in the CD ROM drive and follow the instructions that you will see on your monitor.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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