Typical configuration of a personal computer of the next decade will adhere to the “triple 3.0” (USB 3.0, DDR 3 and SATA 3.0) design principle, with optional SSD data storage and HDMI connectivity. Not all of these acronyms became a households name yet, thus some clarification would be handy, particular in regards to the core technical specs and corresponding user experience enhancements.
Major technical merits and user experience enhancements
DDR3 is an advanced type of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM), introduced in Y2007 and currently gaining acceptance due to dramatically increased data rate in comparison with its predecessor: DDR3 data rate is roughly doubled the capability of DDR2.
SATA 3.0 is a new high-speed (up to 6 Gbits/sec) protocol used mostly for internal data storage (HDD/SSD), DVD ROM and DVD RW devices.
USB 3.0 is a recently introduced next generation of Universal Serial Bus, providing blazingly fast data exchange - up to 4.8Gbits/sec or 600MB/sec; it is approximately an order of magnitude faster than widely adopted USB 2.0, used almost universally to manage the HID and other peripheral devices connectivity.
SSD stands for Solid-State Drive, a high-performance replacement for the traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage devices, either internal or external. SSD does not contain any mechanical parts, thus providing outstanding shock/vibration resistance and exceptional overall reliability. Data transfer rate varies depends of the manufacture specs, but, in general, SSDs provide up to the order of magnitude increase in data rates vs. traditional HDD and also very low seek time (ultra-fast data access in the range of microseconds). There are some cons: SSDs are relatively expensive, priced about $2/GB (as of Y2010), which is almost order of magnitude higher than the price of contemporary HDD data storage.
HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, the standard mostly associated with high-quality Video/Audio (HDTV). This interface could be found in most recent motherboard design, manufactured, for example, by ASUSTeK Computer Inc, BIOSTAR Group, etc.
These technological advances, resulted from a decade-long technological evolution of the desktop/notebook/netbook personal computers, lead to the tangible user experience enhancements, in particular: reduced boot-up time of the personal computer (in some cases reaching the incredible value of less than 20 sec as per online user feedback), and much faster data rates in regards to both internal/external operations, which translate to substantially increased computational efficiency and reduced data exchange time (e.g., back up operations, USB file transfers, etc.)
Other design considerations
CPUs are at the core of any PC. Multicore CPU became a leading technological trend, which most likely will continue in foreseen future. What really differentiates the modern day high-end computers from the low-ends ones is not just a clock frequency (which is typically around 2…3GHz), but the multi-core architecture, which includes dual/quad/hexa-core CPU currently commercially available from Intel and AMD.
Rather noticeable are extremely high quality ratings, reflecting the user’s satisfaction level practically in every CPU category, ranging from ultra-energy-efficient Intel® Atom™ to powerful Core™ i3/i5/i7 product family to super-powerful AMD Phenom™ II multi-core series. In simple words: modern CPU is indeed a technological masterpiece, leaving the users with just two choices between very good or the excellent items. It’s relevant to mention, that most of commercial software are not adequately utilizing the exceptional computational power of modern CPU (in particular, their multi-core/multi-threading capabilities in 64bit operation mode), but this gap is closing rapidly. As any detailed coverage of CPU topic goes far beyond the boundary of a single article, thus wrapping it up with just a basic practical consideration: in terms of cost per value Athlon™ II x2, Intel Core™ 2 or i3 dual-core CPU provide the excellent choices for daily computing needs.
Form-factor, noise level and power consumption are quickly becoming the major ergonomic metrics and buying decision criteria.
Mini-PC, utilizing microATX motherboard and low-profile PCI Express bus, are introduced to the market by multiple manufactures; they should be particular welcome by fellow New Yorkers because of the extra-orbital cost of the living space in the City. PC operational noise is another spec quickly moving to become a centerpiece of all ergonomic metrics, directly affecting the comfort level and the overall quality of life.
Power consumption by both desktop/notebook PC is steadily going down, mostly due to the proliferation of ultra-efficient CPU, in particular, Intel Atom™ product line, utilized in latest notebook/netbooks. Any reduction in power consumption level is extremely important for notebook/netbooks as it directly translates to such quintessential spec for all portable devices as operational battery life. In the meantime, there are several notebooks on the market with astonishing 10+ hours of operational battery life. The proliferation of SSD could boost the energy efficiency of any computing devices, desktop and portable as well.
Dual SSD/HDD desktop PC solution is a valid cost-saving approach to the high-performance computing experience, with the primary partition/OS stored on relatively small SSD (for example, 64GB costing about $120) and the rest of user application/data stored of large and relatively inexpensive HDD (for example, of 500GB costing about $70).
All-in-One PC is one of the prominent technologic trends, reflecting the process of “commoditizing” the personal computing. They age good-looking, well-fitted for a living space with all “internals hidden behind the monitor”, very close to the notebook counterpart (where “internals are sitting behind the keyboard), but typically employ the much bigger screen-size, optionally enhanced with multi-touch screen capabilities.
Pricing
There are a plethora of affordable low-profile miniature desktop computers priced below $500 well suited for personal needs and SOHO daily operations, such as web browsing and emailing, various office applications (text and spreadsheet processing, accounting, small file-based database management, presentation), some basic image processing and video editing, etc. (just to name a couple: model EL1352-07e by eMachines priced at $379, HP Slimline s5610y by Hewlett-Packard priced at $450).
More traditional tower desktop PC and variety of rather sophisticated notebooks, priced between $500… $1000 are well suited to the extended personal and SOHO requirements, capable of much more than just a basic operations, with leading brands coming from the typical crowd: HP, Dell, Asus, Acer, Gateway, Lenovo, Toshiba, and of course, Sony Vaio (the latter brand is highly respected for its ergonomic design and aesthetic appeal, close to the typically much more aggressively priced Apple™ product line).
All-in-One PCs with touch screen capabilities deserve special attention. They are priced starting from about $700 for the 20” model: ZX4300-01e by Gateway™, and going up to 21.5" Lenovo Ideacentre B305 priced at $750, then $800 for 20” size TouchSmart 310-1020 by HP, and 23" Inspirion IO2305-3114MSL by Dell priced at approx. $850 (more expensive models are available from different manufacturers).
Also, there are plenty of high-end PC/notebooks, typically dedicated to intensive video gaming and digital video-editing application domain, priced dramatically higher, well above $1000, mostly due to the use of expensive high-performance multi-core CPU and sophisticated video-cards/GPU. Critically and objectively speaking, by the analogy with the automotive world, where the price of sports cars vs. ordinary passenger vehicle could differ by the order of magnitude, this sort of ultra-expensive “Lamborghini of the desktop” PCs does not necessarily provide the proportional performance enhancement in case of routine daily operations. Their consumer advantages became visible in certain very specific areas: the corresponding benchmarks typically contain the key word “video”, others are dealing mostly with extensive number-crunching algorithms.
Anyway, we should welcome the increased segmentation and “morphological” diversity of the modern PC market as a good indicator of its maturity: various product lines provide the tremendous freedom of choice, reflecting and adequately responding to the dramatic variability in application requirements, user preferences, reasoning metrics and budgetary constraints.
List of acronyms pertinent to modern PC
ATA - Advanced Technology Attachment (interface technology standard)
ATX - Advanced Technology Extended (motherboard form-factor)
CPU - Central Processing Unit (typically manufactured by either AMD or Intel)
DDR - Double Data-Rate (memory technology)
DVI - Digital Visual Interface (most typical monitor connector)
GPU - Graphics Processing Unit (at the core of video-cards)
HDD - Hard Disk Drive (traditional digital data storage device)
HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface (typically for HDTV connectivity)
HDTV - High-Definition Television
HID - Human Interface Devices
IDE - Integrated Drive Electronics (though imprecise, but de-facto associated with parallel ATA)
PCI - Peripheral Component Interconnect (typically on the motherboard)
PCIe - PCI Express (also known as PCI-E; typically used for Video Cards to motherboard connection)
SATA - Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, or Serial ATA
SDD - Solid-State Drive (storage device, replacing/accompanying traditional HDD)
SDRAM - Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (a.k.a. simply RAM)
VGA - Video Graphics Array (most common video interface, connecting PC w/Monitor)
Copyright© 2010 Alexander Bell
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