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The BEST PC Specifications (for now...)

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PC Specifications are subject to constant change. However, they are central to your choice of a Computer! The specifications of your new PC will depend on what you plan to run on it - today, as well as for the next 2 to 3 years.

Unlike a Refrigerator or Washing Machine, today's dream Computer specifications will become old - even unworkable, before long. Again, the price you pay for a Computer will appear ridiculously huge to you in as little as a few months time, with prices constantly nose-diving and specifications zipping upwards. But then, when you need to buy a Computer, you need to buy a Computer!

upgrade




  1. PC prices keep dropping, as more are manufactured each day. Economies of scale come into play

  2. PC Specifications keep getting better, as technologies keep improving

  3. Buy a PC that meets your requirements from it - blindly going in for super specs isn't the smartest thing to do!

  4. Vendors offer discounts and freebies at the start of festive seasons - those are the best times to buy!

We help you choose the RIGHT Computer (Branded/ Assembled Desktop/ Notebook) for your specific needs!

Check out our PC Buying Section for a simple, tried and trusted PC Purchase model!

Click here to check out recommended specs for Notebooks and Desktops (for now!)


The fact is, while there are countless specifications for the Notebook or the Desktop forms of the Computer at any point of time, it is a combinations of specifications alone that are mainstream. These are the specifications that are manufactured in bulk, worldwide. These are the specifications that are most economical, these specifications translate into the best value for your money! Following are the components where specifications change most frequently:

  1. Motherboard: The Motherboard's FSB (Front Side Bus) speed is an important indicator of a Computer's speed. It is a bi-directional bus (i.e., interface) that carries all electronic signals to and from the CPU to the components - Hard Disk, Main Memory, etc. The faster the FSB, the faster your Computer! Today's fastest FSBs come at speeds above 1 GHz!

  2. Processor: Currently, the following Intel Processors are available:

    1. Intel Core i3 Processor, with the 540 and the 530 Product Numbers

    2. Intel Core i5 Processor, with a variety of Product Numbers

    3. Intel Core 17 Processor, again with a variety of Product Numbers available under it

  3. Hard Disk: Current technologies here are ISA and SATA, with Hard Disk speeds being 5400 RPM, 7200 RPM and 10000 RPM. Of the two technologies, SATA is faster and costlier. Today's Hard Disks come with capacities of 320 GB and even 500 GB!

  4. Main Memory: An article about Memory technologies would take up an entire website! EDO, SDRAM, PC100, PC133, PC800, RDRAM, DDR, DRAM, etc., are memory technologies past and present.

  • As far as your purchase decision is concerned, the higher the speed (Memory speed is internally measured in nanoseconds, and the speed it communicates to the FSB is measured in MHz or GHz) of the Memory, the faster your computer. Current Memory technology is DDR SDRAM and speeds are 667 MHz to 1 GHz and above

  • Again, the more Memory you have, the more applications you can run and the faster you can run them. How much Memory you have is measured in MBs or GBs. If all you run are simple applications (e-Mail, Browser, Word Processor, etc.) on Windows XP, even 512 MB Memory is decent. However, if you run larger applications (like Design, Mathematical/ Engineering/ Statistical applications or high-resolution Games), you will need at least 2 GB Memory. Today's Computers come with 2, 3, even 4 GB Memory!


For more information on Memory technologies and Memory Speeds, visit

http://www.dewassoc.com/performance/memory/memory_speeds.htm


  1. Graphics and Sound: All Motherboards today come with built-in Graphics and Sound. This was not the case earlier. However, the Graphics and Sound that is built into the motherboard is very basic.

    • Most of the graphics-intensive programs - AutoCAD, CorelDRAW and the like, would run much faster with an add-on Graphics card with dedicated memory. In fact, many of today's graphics-intensive games would not even start playing, on the built-in graphics or sound card! This is because before starting up the game, the game would look for a dedicated Graphics Card. If it does not find any, it would not start up! So if you plan to run more that a Word processor, e-Mail, Browser and such stuff, a dedicated Graphics Card such as nVIDIA or Radeon, with 512 MB or even 1 GB of dedicated Video RAM is a must!

    • Again, if you are into music editing/ making movies/ audio CDs/ DVDs on your Computer, you must go in for a dedicated Sound Card. Sound Blaster has remained the market leaders and preferred brand in the sound cards segment for many many years now!

  2. Optical Drive: Today, you have a choice of Optical Drives. Here are the choices you have:

    • CD-ROM Drive (Read CDs)

    • Combo Drives (Read and Write CDs, Read DVDs)

    • Super Drive (Read and Write CDs as well as DVDs)

    • Blu-Ray Drives (Read and Write CDs, DVDs as well as the new Blu-Ray Disks)

  3. A plain vanilla CD-ROM Drive is now passé, while a Blu-Ray Disk may be a costly luxury at the moment, for, its prices will continue to fall. At the moment, the best bet is definitely to go in for a Super Drive that will let you play as well as record on both CDs as well as DVDs

  4. Operating System: Lastly - and equally importantly, your choice of Operating System will also affect your specifications. While Windows XP would run quite well with 512 MB Memory, you will require a minimum 1 GB, if your choice is Windows Vista Business: we recommend 2 GB RAM if you are choosing a machine running Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. Interestingly, the latest version of Windows, Windows 7, requires less in terms of Memory, than its predecessor, Windows Vista! However, we recommend that you still go for 2 GB Memory, if your new Machine has Windows 7 on it

The next section of this article presents you with the specifications for the current Intel Processors. You may like to look at this, even though a table laying out specifications of one model after the other is hardly a help, as far as taking your PC decision is concerned! Therefore if you want to cut through to our recommended PC Specifications, click here!

The rest of this article guides you through to help you choose current value-for-money Desktop/ Notebook specifications, as well as next-higher specifications. These specifications will be updated, as and when trends change.

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Intel Core i-series Processors and Broad Specifications:

  • 2 GB Main Memory

  • 4 GB Main Memory would be nice!

Here are the current crop of Intel Processors and their broad specifications, arranged by Processor Number:

Intel Core i3 Series Processor Specifications:

Core i3

Intel Core i5 Series Processor Specifications:

Core i5

Intel Core i7 Series Processor Specifications: 

Core i7 

Information dumped in a Table like above would not be very helpful in your PC Purchase Decision, we know. We therefore stick out necks out and recommend the specifications you ought to look at, in the Table below!

Recommended Notebook and Desktop Computer Specifications

Recommended Notebook Specifications

Recommended Desktop Specifications

Processor

  • Core i3 Processor

  • Core i7 would be nice!

Processor

  • Core i5 Processor

  • Core i7 Processor with 8 MB SmartCache would be nice!

Operating System

  • Windows 7 Home Premium or Profession Version

  • Windows 7 Ultimate would be the ultimate, for now!

Operating System

  • Windows 7 Home Premium or Profession Version

  • Windows 7 Ultimate would be the ultimate, for now!

Main Memory

  • 2 GB Main Memory

  • 4 GB Main Memory would be nice!

Main Memory

  • 2 GB Main Memory

  • 4 GB Main Memory would be nice!

Monitor

  • 14" TFT Color

  • Wide or Conventional screen, depending on your fancy

  • TFT is definitely preferred over BrightView/ VibrantView/ TruLife, though it is marginally costlier than BrightView/ VibrantView/ TruLife

  • hp and Compaq call their screen technology BrightView, IBM and Lenovo call their screen technology VibrantView, while Dell calls it TruLife. These are all the same technology and are newer than the TFT technology used earlier on in Notebooks

  • TFT does not allow very good vision in daylight, in comparison with BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife

  • However, TFT does not reflect glare, therefore it strains the eyes a lot lesser than BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife. Therefore if your Notebook's display is based on BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife technology, the positioning of lights around your work spot assume greater importance!

  • Although BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife manufacturers claim brighter colors for their technology, the colors are not real-life, in comparison with TFT technology

  • BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife displays consume less power in comparison with TFT technology. Therefore if your Notebook's display uses this technology, your battery ought to last a little longer between charge cycles!

  • In terms of longevity, both BrightView/ VibrantView/TruLife and TFT are about even

  • For your information, a recent online poll conducted by Lenovo showed that 86% respondents prefer the older TFT technology for the different reasons pointed out here!

  • Finally, if all this still does not help you make up your mind, it is best to compare both technologies side-by-side on different Notebooks, before you choose yours - the decision on which technology is a very important one, for it is YOUR eyes that are at stake!

Would be nice to have a 17" AMOLED Display!

 

Click here for more information about TFT, BrightView/ VibrantView/ TruLife and the latest AMOLED Screen technologies.

Monitor

  • 15" Color. Check out LCD Monitors, they are affordable today, you might want to consider a 17" LCD Monitor, for the viewing area is so much larger!

  • 19" LCD Monitor would be nice!

  • LCD Monitors for Desktops use the same TFT technology used for Notebooks: No BrightView/ VibrantView/ TruLife options to confuse you, where Desktops are concerned!

Graphics

  • Intel GMA 950 is basic.

  • nVIDIA GeForce Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with 256 MB dedicated Video RAM would be nice! Other options here include support for 2 Monitors and TV In/ Out support

Graphics

  • On-board Intel GMA 950 is basic.

  • nVIDIA GeForce Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) with 512 MB (even 1 GB!) dedicated Video RAM would be nice! Other options here include support for 2 Monitors, IEEE 1394 (also called FireWire 400 and FireWire 800, with the latter being much faster at data transfer) socket for connecting your Video Camera and TV In/ Out socket

Hard Disk

  • 250 GB Hard Disk running at 5,400 RPM

  • SATA Hard Disk or an ISA Hard Disk running at 7.200 RPM would be nice!

Hard Disk

  • 250 GB SATA.

  • 320 - even 500 GB SATA HDD running at 10,000 RPM would be nice!

Optical Drive

  • Dual-layer DVD +/- RW Writer

  • BluRay Disk Drives are still too expensive, but KEEP WATCH... PRICES WILL FALL!

Optical Drive

  • Dual-layer DVD +/- RW Writer

  • BluRay Disk Drives are still too expensive, but KEEP WATCH... PRICES WILL FALL!

Network

10/100 Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with Bluetooth 2.0

Network

10/100 Ethernet is ample. Some Desktops ship with 1000 Ethernet as well - check out the extra cost vis-à-vis your requirements

Security

Norton 360/ Norton Confidential/ Norton Internet Security 2008. We urge you to strongly consider Norton SystemWorks in addition, for its many excellent features!

Security

Norton 360/ Norton Confidential/ Norton Internet Security 2008. We urge you to strongly consider Norton SystemWorks in addition, for its many excellent features!

Warranty, Insurance

  1. Ensure you have International Travelers Warranty (ITW), if you frequently travel outside the country of purchase.

  2. Check the number of years for which you get warranty.

  3. Ensure that you are insured against theft & damage!

  4. It would be nice to get support at your location (on-site warranty), rather than to carry the Notebook to the vendor's service center, when it develops problems (off-site warranty)

Warranty, Insurance

  1. Check out the number of years for which you get warranty

  2. Ensure that you are insured against fire & accidental damage (for example, against power supply-caused damage) as well!

  3. It would be nice to get support at your location (on-site warranty), rather than to carry the Desktop to the vendor's service center, when it develops problems (off-site warranty)

Other Notebook Specifications:

A - Adapter,

B - Battery,

C - Carry Case

Adapter: Price of the Adapter is included in Notebook price, by all vendors. If you constantly work at multiple places. consider purchasing a second Adapter!

Battery: 6 or 9-cell Li-Ion Battery - the 9-cell Battery may cost substantially higher, so check out the price difference!

Carry Case: Check if the price includes a Carry Case - some vendors charge extra for your Notebook's Carry Case

Add-ons

Web Cam: (Optional, for Desktops and Notebooks) If you plan to do a lot of video conferencing/ chatting, check out models with built-in Webcams. The option of adding a separate Webcam would be a better option though, since internal webcams (on Notebooks, these do not come internal with most Desktops) are usually not best-of-breed

Fingerprint Security: (Optional, for Notebooks) This is a great option, if you are in the habit of leaving your Notebook open but would not like others to see your files. A number of Notebook brands ship with Fingerprint Scanners, today.

Data Card: (Optional for Desktops, useful for Notebooks, specially if you travel frequently to places that do not have Wi-Fi) If accessing the Internet is vital, you ought to consider purchasing a Data Card. Although slower than the slowest of Broadband connections, it will let you connect to the Internet from places where the service provider has coverage. Be prepared to pay a small fortune every month though - and be prepared to lose service if you are tardy in making payments!

Thumb Drive: (Absolute Must, both for Desktops and Notebooks) Today, Computers do not have Floppy Disk Drives (the slot in a Computer, into which Floppy Disks are inserted, to read/ write data onto them). Nor are Floppy Disks (the magnetic media that stores data) easily available in markets. These do not reliably store data for too long and have been replaced by Solid State Storage devices. Thus, Thumb Drives - also called Pen Drives, Micro Drives and USB Drives - are in vogue. It is wise to purchase a 2 GB Thumb Drive too, for every Computer (Desktop as well as Notebook) has a USB Port, into which Thumb Drives can be inserted, to read/ write data. Thumb Drives have become extremely affordable today! Make sure you go for a USB 2.0-compatible USB Slot, on your Computer's Motherboard - it transfers data much faster than USB 1.0 or 1.1 slots!

Do be warned that Thumb Drives need to be scanned thoroughly before and after they are inserted into a Computer - increasingly, they are being targeted by Virus and Spyware creators for spreading their malicious creations! 

Want to read about the Intel i-series processors in some more detail? Click Here!

We present the BEST, most objective and scientifically-correct Mathematical Purchase Decision Model that will assist you in your PC purchases. In fact, the same may be used for ANY purchase: household appliances, property, gadgets, etc., wherever you require an objective and precise answer! This is the Brown-Gibson Decision Model.

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