Marketing
The current trend in marketing computers is to state facts about processor speed, disk space and ram. While these are important issues, these are not the only issues. The marketers focus here because these statistics are easy to communicate to the public. Unfortunately they miss some big issues, the biggest of which is the "motherboard".
There's a bunch of stuff inside a computer and somehow it all has to work together. This is where the motherboard comes into play, and this is why the mother board is so important. Everything inside a computer is connected to the motherboard — and thus it is too complicated for the marketers to talk about. Because marketers compete on drive space and not motherboard performance, many distributors sell machines with big hard drives and cheap motherboards. The end result is a box full of stuff that can not work well together as a unit.
There are two easy ways to get a machine with a good motherboard (good meaning compatible with all the other stuff inside the computer). The easiest way is to buy a machine that is being marketed to online game addicts. The second is to hire a reputable tech to build a computer for you.
Why gaming machines tend to be better...
Gaming machines tend to be better because they must process information quickly and allow all the stuff inside the computer to work together without any lag-time, otherwise the games will look jerky. In other words gaming machines tend to be well built, high performance machines comprised of parts which work well together.
The job of a reputable tech...
When you hire a reputable tech to build a custom computer for you they will follow these basic steps.
Discuss the purpose of the machine and its uses.
Help you choose devices. (Do you still need a floppy? Do you need a cd or dvd burner? etc.)
Once your core needs are discovered, your budget will dictate the speed of the machine. Keep in mind that seemingly large speed differences pushed by the marketers are really just nanoseconds. Can you really tell the difference between 2.1 GHz and 2.5 GHz? Most can only tell the difference when looking at the prices.
Your builder will then order the parts and assemble the machine.
Your builder will also offer to install some basic software such as windows, office applications, virus protection, and ad ware or spy ware protection.
You should be able to find a good builder by asking around. Note that builders often double as computer repair and maintenance people. In my opinion the best builders can be found at NCIX.
What do we use? Get ready for a shock!
Tarek and Craig, the architects of Clear Site, use their computers to do far more than the average user. So how high-tech are these two geeks?
Tarek's personal computer is a five year old tower that he assembled himself. The parts were purchased online at NCIX and the system has been well protected from evil software and viruses over the years. In his opinion "that's all it takes to keep a box running great."
Craig bought his personal computer from a friend who decided to switch to a laptop. The hardware was three years old and the system was riddled with viruses, worms, etc. Craig is adamant that "three years isn't that old ... it was just bogged down with bugs."
Tarek and Craig have their fair share of 'constructive discussions', but something they agree on is that nobody really needs a super computer — just a machine that works well.
Are those the machines that run Clear Site? We wish! That would really keep our costs down! Clear Site requires several state-of-the-art computers which together are capable of serving all of our users simultaneously — but that's a whole other topic. We at Clear Site hope that the information above will help you to make an informed purchase.
