Tech Specs pt.1.

Here we go again. It’s time to get really “geeky” and take a look at some tech specs. This time it will be about computers, tablets and mobile/smart phones. What amount of “juice” is wanted/necessary and why? I will divide the products in the following categories:

1 “Hi-End” computers/Workstations. This type of computer shall be able to handle advanced multitasking, e.g. many programs running simultaneously, and a little more demanding applications such as CAD, photo retouching, HD Video editing and audio recording. We’re talking a real workhorse of a computer packed with power!

2 “Regular” computers. This type of computer should be able to handle the more common tasks such as surfing the web, office applications, photo retouching, gaming etc. A reliable computer for most common tasks yet packing enough power to be “future proof”.

3 “Hi-End” laptop computers/Workstations. Simply put a laptop version of “Hi-End” computer/Workstation above. Mobility and power. For travelling etc. when u need to be mobile.

4 “Regular” laptop computers/Workstations. Simply put a laptop version of “Regular” computer above. For travelling etc. when u need to be mobile.

5 Server. This will be the “hub” for all home entertainment, store music and videos, backups etc. Does not require a lot of speed and power to be sufficient. But were going to need a lot of storage space!

6 Tablet/iPad. Touchscreen “computer” with enough power to accomplish common tasks. Look at photos and videos. Play games and surf the web etc. Will also serve as “house remotes”, notepads etc.

7 Mobile phone/Smartphone. Must be able to do everything that can be done with the tablet. Will also be used for email, phone contacts etc. Personalized and synced to your server account.

Some specs will be the same for all computers; these will be mentioned in the end. I will also give a brief explanation to why the different parts of the computers are important and what you can do to achieve higher performance when buying a computer or upgrading one. If I had a choice I would not want to name any brands in these specs but since the market is the way it is with just a few big manufacturers this is almost impossible although all products or brands mentioned are solely for reference purposes. This is a rapidly changing market and a lot can change “overnight” as usual the specs are not carved in stone but are subject to change. It is, as mentioned earlier, a work in progress. Please give me your feedback or comments.

Ok, so here are the specs:

1 ”Hi-End” computer/Workstation.

Processor                                Intel 2nd Gen. Core i7, Equal or better for instance Extreme

Edition.

RAM                                        16 GB or more. DDR3 PC3-16000 (2000MHz), CL8 Equal or better. For instance PC3-2100 (2625MHz)

Motherboard/Chipset             Intel LGA1155, Z68, Equal or better. USB 2.0 and 3.0. Native SATA 600 RAID controller.

Preliminary HD                       Ocz Revo Drive 3 PCI-E, at least 240Gb. Equal or better.

Alternative 4-6pcs 60Gb SATA 600 SSD discs in RAID 0 native or with PCI-E controller card. Bootable.

Secondary HD                         2-4pcs 500Gb SATA 600 Hybrid discs in RAID 0 native.

Graphics card                          PCI-E 16x, Dual/Tripple/Quad DisplayPort, at least 1 GB GDDR5.

Optical unit                             Blu Ray/BD-R/DL/RE, slim, preferably slot-in, cause it looks cool!

Chassis                                    Miditower alternatively a 4-5U rack montable chassis. Extremely well silenced and with well dimensioned fans. Maybe even a 5,25” fan/temperature controller.

Power supply                           1000W ”super silent”. Modular.

Screens                                    2-4pcs at least 24” widescreen, full HD 1080p. LCD/TFT LED, preferably with multitouch.

Keyboard and mouse              Wireless desktop. Ergonomic. Programmable. High resolution mouse, at least 1000dpi or even 3000dpi or more. RF or BT.

Speakers                                  Hi-Fi quality, active, 2.0 or 2.1. Shielded.

Webcam                                  Full HD 1080p. High light sensitivity. USB 3.0?

Microphone                            High quality, digital. USB 3.0?

Headset                                   Wireless, high quality.

2 ”Hi-End” laptop/Workstation.

Processor                                Intel 2nd gen. Core i7. Equal or better.

RAM                                        8 GB or more DDR3 PC3-10600 (1333 MHz). Equal or better.

Preliminary HD                       2 x 500GB hybrid disc in RAID 0, maybe even four discs.

Graphics card                          1 GB independent.

Optical unit                             Blu-Ray

Screen                                     15,6” Full HD 1920 x 1080

Mouse                                     Wireless, RF or BT. High resolution.

3 Standard computer

Processor                                Intel 2nd gen. Core i5. Equal or better.

RAM                                        8 GB or more. DDR3 PC3-16000 (2000MHz). Equal or better.

Preliminary HD                       2 x 500GB hybrid discs in RAID 0 native.

Secondary HD                         1Tb, 16Mb cache, 7200rpm.

Graphics card                          1Gb dual DP

Optical unit                             Blu Ray

Chassis                                    Miditower or 4-5U rack mount chassis. Extremely well silenced and with well dimensioned fans. Maybe even a 5,25” fan/temperature controller.

Power supply                           650W modular ”super silent”

Screens                                    2pcs 23” - 24” widescreen, full HD 1080p. LCD/TFT LED

Keyboard and mouse              Wireless desktop. Ergonomic. Programmable. High resolution mouse, at least 1000dpi or even 3000dpi or more. RF or BT.

Speakers                                  Hi-Fi quality, active, 2.0 or 2.1. Shielded.

Webcam                                  Full HD 1080p. High light sensitivity. USB 3.0?

Microphone                            High quality, digital. USB 3.0?

Headset                                   Wireless, high quality.

HTPC will have the same specs but with a motherboard supporting native HDMI and a HTPC chassis.

4 Standard laptop computer
Processor                                Intel 2nd gen. Core i5. Equal or better.

RAM                                        8 GB or more DDR3 PC3-10600 (1333 MHz). Equal or better.

Preliminary HD                       500 GB hybrid disc.

Graphics card                          512Mb or more, independent.

Optical unit                             Blu-Ray

Screen                                     15,6” Full HD 1920 x 1080

Mouse                                     Wireless RF or BT. High resolution.

5 Server

Processor                                Intel 2nd gen. Core i5. Equal or better.

RAM                                        8 GB or more. DDR3 PC3-16000 (2000MHz). Equal or better.

Preliminary HD                       500 GB hybrid disc.

Secondary HD                         as many 3Tb discs as the chassis admits. 7?

Graphics card                          Native

Optical unit                             USB Drive.

Chassis                                    4-5U rack mount. Extremely well silenced and with well dimensioned fans. Maybe even a 5,25” fan/temperature controller.

Power supply                           1000W modular ”super silent”

6 Tablets/ iPads.

Processor                                nVidia Tegra 2 Equal or better.

Screen                                     Between 8 and 10”, 1280 x 800 WXGA Equal or better. Multitouch.

RAM                                        16 GB or more plus expansion.

Camera                                   Dual. One HD?

For example a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Equal or better.

7 Mobile phone/Smartphone.

High resolution multitouch screen. “Dual core” processor 1 GHz or better. 16 GB of memory or more plus expansion. About the same specs as the tablet/iPad above. This is the most rapidly advancing product today maybe except for the tablets so let’s just say a smartphone packing some serious power!   J

Some thoughts about the different components.

Processors. The brains. The faster the better! What many people seem to forget though is the importance of fast RAM, HD:s, and the choice of chipsets. This can in many cases affect the overall performance more than upgrading the processor. Therefor it could be a good idea to avoid the more extreme processors and spend your money on faster RAM and HD:s instead.

RAM. With today’s 64bit operating systems it’s mainly the motherboard which how much memory you can have. The more the better, but it should also be fast and preferably have a low CAS latency. The same idea as with the processor applies, no need to buy the fastest most expensive memory, but don’t be cheap either. The maximum speed the motherboard can handle is usually sufficient.

Motherboard/Chipset. The motherboard and the chipset decide what types of memory is supported, bus speeds, overclocking abilities etc. You can choose a motherboard with built in graphics and so on. Most important is that  the motherboard supports what you need so that you, if possible, don’t have to buy additional controller cards etc. For instance if you want USB 3.0. It should also support your choice of processor and chassis.

Preliminary HD. This is very important! The preliminary HD is where the operating system and your software are installed and the “system disc/s” performance is critical for overall performance. Often you get a better performance improvement by upgrading the preliminary HD that upgrading the processor. SSD discs are the better choice but they are still a bit expensive. A hybrid disc can be a cheaper alternative yet give you a significant performance boost. For the absolute highest performance SSD discs, 4-6pcs, in a RAID 0 array will start pushing the limits! The Revo drive mentioned above is basically a couple of SSD discs mounted on a PCI-E controller card and that solution boasts nearly a whooping 1Gb/s transfer read and write speeds. Serious speeds to say the least.   J

Secondary HD. Speed is not as important here. This drive is for storage a large enough 7200rpm, 16Mb cache disc could suffice. Although as I am a speed freak, and who wants to sit by the computer and wait, a couple of hybrid discs on a SATA 600 controller in RAID 0 would supply enough performance. RAID 0, or “striping” is primarily a performance thing and if you use it it’s important that u make regular backups!

Graphics card. Since I’m not a hardcore gamer support for multiple screens and CAD applications is more important to me.  Most of today’s graphics cards can handle this with ease and with great quality. What I do want is to avoid adapters and conversions due to picture quality loss. Therefor I want a graphics card with enough outlets, 2-4pcs, of the right standard. Preferably DisplayPort since there seems to be a lack of HDMI solutions out there which supports multiple screens.

Optical unit. Blu-Ray burner should do the trick although I really don’t see the importance of an optical unit today. I guess it would be good for the rare occasion when u buy movies in physical form.

Chassis. Don’t be cheap with this one! A more exclusive chassis is sturdier and usually have better cooling/airflow, is more silent and hopefully have no sharp edges. Naturally it should be sufficient for the components you have chosen especially the form factor of the motherboard.

Power supply. The power supply should be well dimensioned, stable and silent. It should fit your components. Fast processor, fast graphics card and a lot of HD:s = powerful power supply. Modular power supplies have detachable cables for most components. This way you can keep the chassis clear of unwanted cables. Improves both ease of accessibility and airflow as well as good looks dust prevention.   J

Screens. Most screens today, with the exception of the absolutely cheapest, have a very good picture quality, natural colors and high contrast. Choose a size that fits your needs. I want multiple, relatively large screens for visibility and because it really helps a lot when working. I want touchscreens because of the improvement in workflow when using CAD, video editing, photo retouching and music recording.

Keyboard and mouse. RF, Radio Frequency, or BT, Bluetooth, is better than IR which requires a clear line of sight. If BT is chosen in many cases it also works to use with mobile phones tablets etc. High resolution is preferable because of the accuracy.

Speakers. Usually regular computer speakers have a much less than satisfactory sound quality. I recommend using active studio monitor speakers. Even rather cheap monitor speakers have really good sound quality. At least compared to computer speakers.

Webcam. A separate HD cam for the stationary computers and the (usually) built in on the laptops. Good light sensitivity and color reproduction is a must. USB 3.0?

Microphone. A really good digital one for the stationary and the built in on the laptops.

Headset. A really good wireless solution for the stationary computers and a high quality BT mobile phone type for the laptops.

Operating system. Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit on all computers except for the server which will preferably run Windows Home Server 2011 64bit. This is so that the amount of RAM can be accessible and so that multiple core processors can be taken full advantage of. Tablets and mobile phones should preferably have Android although I’m open to suggestions. I like android cause it’s an open platform but basically it’s not the platform but the “apps” that will have to decide.

Other. All units must be able to communicate for media streaming, backups, sync, remote control etc. Both computers, phones tablets as well as receivers, Blu-Ray players etc. There is a lot of equipment that will be involved and there’s a lot of programing that must be done right. For that reason it’s a good thing if all phones are the same, all the computers in each segment are the same etc. This is very helpful when performing maintenance system recovery and such. On the other hand if they are different, the challenge is bigger!   J

This is all for now! Next time I will take the whole concept to the next level and introduce you to some new ideas of mine!