the technologist

Below you will find my philosophy towards buying a new computer to replace the one sitting on your desk - the one that presumably looks something like the image below…

The Method to the Madness:

Between CNET and all of its clones and the billion other computer/tech/gadget blogs out there, I’m sure you’ve stumbled across a “Computer Buying Guide” before. They try to mate real-world needs with technical specs in an attempt to lead you to what will be the perfect computer for YOU. Of course, you have to talk basic specs like screen-size, RAM, processor speed, etc. But I really find that, like buying cars or other electronic gadgetry, it should begin with a philosophy instead of a spreadsheet. Other sites can purport that there are a certain set of technical specifications for each type of potential usage pattern due to a hobby or profession.

What I am all about is future-proofing anything that I buy. I want something - be it a car, digital camera, or laptop - to last through several future product-cycle iterations and still stand up to the tasks that I envisioned using it for on the day of purchase. The reality is, if you are trying to maximize the value of your purchase without entering the absurdly priced upper-echelon of serious professional or hobbyist machines, it’s all really going to end up as the same computer whether you’re a photographer, music producer, or soccer mom.

There’s not a whole lot to it - just do a little research and spend as much money as you can according to the below guidelines and you should come out with a machine that can last you 3+ years no problem. This all sort of came about in my head when buying my last desktop and that computer is still humming rather nicely.

MY TENETS OF COMPUTER SHOPPING (in order of importance):

1. Buy at the very beginning of a product release-cycle
2. Get as much system RAM as you can
3. Opt for the fastest hard-drive available

Before delving into the details behind any of the above assertions, the one thing I realize that each implies is added cost. In the same way that I mention the upper-echelon machines where prices go into the stratosphere (and how this guide is not meant for people who are looking for that type of machine), this is also not necessarily for the budget-minded shopper. It is meant to instill value in the purchase of the computer, but nothing in here is a price-reduction strategy; bang for your buck only.

So let’s break the above down one at a time.

PRODUCT RELEASE-CYCLES

This is one that you really cannot quantify in terms of technical specifications. This will also require the most research for anyone who doesn’t read computer related news all that often. The basic concept is that if you buy something just as an update or new iteration is released, you are maximizing the time where you are in possession of the most advanced technology available. Assuming it is a major update, you are in prime position because that usually means software will be catching up to the hardware you have just purchased for the foreseeable future, extending your brand new machine’s ability to run the latest and greatest.

• Macrumors has a great buyer’s guide that offers about as much empirical evidence as one can have regarding the ever-so-secretive Apple product cycles. I would recommend this for anyone currently in the market for a Mac.
• Windows machines generally follow the Intel processor/motherboard release schedule to a “t” in terms of issuing industry-wide product updates

When you buy at the beginning of a release-cycle, you don’t really have to concern yourself with the actual speed of the processor.

RAM (2GB minimum - 4GB is ideal)

The amount of system RAM that you have pretty much determines how well your computer can multi-task. You may have the top of the line, blazing fast new processor but without an overabundance of RAM to allow it to juggle computing tasks while rarely having to access the hard-drive between cycles, the processor is at the mercy of what they call a performance bottleneck.

Basically the hard-drive is slower than the RAM chips directly on the motherboard of the computer (if you’ve ever taken a peak under the hood of yours, the green circuit-board). The processor lies on the motherboard, giving it a direct electrical connection to the RAM whereas the hard-drive connects through a cable and has spinning platters that store data. System data needed for the computer to function is stored in the RAM at the time you boot-up. Any application you open subsequent to that will also be stored in the RAM. If the RAM gets full, it has to swap out with the hard-drive depending on what application you switch to, meaning you are at the mercy of the hard-drive spinning up and finding the data, then transferring it to the processor to compute.

I believe RAM is often overlooked in favor of a gaudy processor speed when sizing up a computer. I would rather have a slower iteration of the latest processor and more RAM than vice versa. Unless you are going to be doing some very processor intensive tasks (like 3D rendering or heavy-duty, professional Photoshop use), you would likely benefit from the same approach as mine because with more RAM you can open your web browser, email client, photo editing software, music playback software, and leave a few other programs running in the background without dragging your system to a halt. None of those programs are processor-intensive. They just require the proper RAM real-estate to stay open at the same time without affecting your day and the speed at which you do your work.

HARD DRIVE SPEED (7,200 RPM)

The next best thing to a ton of fast RAM is a blazing fast hard-drive. Hard-drive speeds are measured in RPM’s - which refer to how quickly the platters of the physical drive are spinning. Without diving into technical details, the faster your hard-drive spins, the quicker it can access data. Most hard-drives today clock in at one of four speeds: 4,200, 5,400, 7,200, or 10,000 RPM’s.

It’s really very simple: most computers come with 5,400 RPM drives. You should get a 7,200 RPM one. The 10K’s are pretty high-end and used in professional setups where many hard-drives are running in parallel to create one massive drive, but they can be affordable in desktops right now.

7,200 RPM’s still offer a substantial increase in speed at which you can perform daily tasks like accessing photos, videos, spreadsheets, and just about anything else stored on your hard-drive that you need to open up.

The general rule of thumb is that the larger an internal drive gets, the slower it becomes. I wouldn’t stress about losing the storage space in the internal drive, as long as you are over 160GB or so, you can always pick up a 7,200 RPM external drive with 500GB or more for less than $100.