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Wednesday
Mar312010

Choosing a Processor for a new PC

When I purchased my current PC, it was more than sufficient for my needs but I then started blogging and writing about CAD and other applications. I have since been cursing myself for not purchasing a real workstation when I had the chance. I have recently decided that the time has come for me to begin looking for a new workstation instead of a regular desktop PC. In general workstations are better than the average desktop PC. This is because workstations are generally designed with performance, stability and scalability in mind. That is why most high end software packages such as CAD, video editing and animation software need to be used on workstations instead of a $500 PC purchased at Walmart.

I decided to share with you my search for my new workstation. I have a couple of criteria that must be met before I commit. First, and most important to me, is the price. I don’t want to just laydown thousands of my semi-hard earned money to buy the best system available.  Instead I want to find the system that best suits my needs without breaking the bank. Next, I must be able to use software packages such as SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, Adobe Premier and various 3D rendering packages. I also want to make sure that I get a system that won’t be obsolete before I even get it set-up.

To start things off, I want to spend the next couple of weeks giving you some background information on a few areas to consider when purchasing a new system. After looking more into areas such as the CPU, RAM, Hard Drive, Power Supply; I want to then look at some workstations available on the market. Unfortunately, since I am new blogger in this field it will be near impossible to actually get a hold of a couple of different systems to test. So I will do what the average consumer needs to do and research websites, spec sheets and read user comments. Hopefully at the end of the process we will all have a better idea about what is available.

So let’s get started by looking at a few areas to consider when determining which CPU will work for you. I must admit that I am not exactly a hardware geek but I have done my research. I would like to share with you what I have learned and if you have anything to add, please share.

Intel vs. AMD

Don’t be fooled into thinking that one is always better than the other. Do your research when planning on buying a new system. Do not just go with brand loyalty since both sides have great processors. The only true way to choose a new PC is by really looking at the specs of a few different systems. Find benchmarks online and check to see if there are any compatibility issues to resolve with existing hardware. I will admit that I do tend to gravitate toward AMD but I have also purchased some great systems with Intel.

Frequency

The frequency of a CPU is described in either Megahertz or Gigahertz. The CPU frequency can also be described as the clock speed. It should not be considered the only factor to consider when purchasing a new PC since the entire PC configuration has more of an impact on the speed. When looking at the specs for a CPU you will see a number such as 3.06 GHz or 800MHz. To put it simply, the higher the number… the faster the processor. When looking at the speed of a processor, the frequency will tell you the number of cycles or instructions per second for the specified chip. For example, if CPU shows a frequency of 3.06 GHZ it means that the processor performs 3,060,000,000 instructions per second.

A growing trend among many CPU manufacturers is to omit the frequency when describing the specification of a processor. Although the frequency of a processor is often a good indication as to the speed in relation to other processors of the same manufacturer, it will not be a good indication when compared to other manufacturers. A processor offered by AMD can be rated at a certain frequency but would still out perform when put up against is similarly rated processor from Intel. You can imagine why AMD chooses not to indicate the CPU’s frequency. To the average consumer, if two processors have the same “Clock Speed” they would often go with the name they know. Unfortunately that is bad for AMD since Intel is bar far a better known brand for the average consumer.

Front-Side Bus

When looking at the specs for a processor, you should also note the FSB or Front-Side Bus. This refers the bus that carries the data from the CPU to the northbridge.  No I am not talking making a reference to the movie “Speed”; instead the Bus is a subsystem that transfers data between computer components in the computer. The Front-side Bus is the connection between the CPU and the memory controller hub or the northbridge.  The higher the frequency of the FSB, the faster the communication between the CPU and the northbridge.

As you shop for a CPU you may notice that you will only find the FSB specified on Intel chips and not on AMD64 chips. The reason is that AMD chips do not have a Front-Side Bus. Instead AMD chips have the memory controller located on the chip itself and the memory transfer is done over the HyperTransport bus link. On other processors, the FSB is the only connection between the CPU and the other components. That means that the CPU cannot communicate with the memory and other components at the same time. ON AMD64 chips there are two busses, one for communicating with the memory and another for the other PC components. Theoretically, the means that the AMD64 chips are better since thy can communicate with the memory and other components at the same time.

Cores

CPU Cores are nothing more than additional processors on a single module. Instead of two separate processors on the motherboard, many CPUs now come as dual-core, quad-core and even up to hundreds of cores.  There are a couple of advantages to a multi-core processor, including power usage, improved response time when running CPU-intensive operations, and less circuitry on the board. Although a workstation that has multiple cores has a better performance potential, it will not always be apparent to the user. Not all programs have the capability to fully utilize the multi-threading capabilities but that is becoming less true as software developers begin to make the required adjustments.

Cache

If you do what I did and try researching the CPU cache online your head will spin. SO many big words I felt like I needed to return to kindergarten. I will make this easy because honestly I can only think of it in simple terms but if are really technical and curious, check out the Wikipedia article on CPU Cache.  The CPU cache helps in the performance of the processor by providing a smaller, faster area to read and write information instead of the systems RAM.

 CPUs can have up to three levels of cache and are represented with L1, L2 and L3. The L1 cache is the smallest of the three but it is also the fastest. Then if unable to write to the L1 Cache, the CPU will then write to the L2 Cache before writing to the RAM. In multi-core systems it is common for the L2 to be bigger and shared by the cores but AMD chips often have individual L2 caches for each core. The next level after L2 is L3. This is the biggest available cache but it is also the slowest of the caches but it is still significantly faster than the system’s RAM. Not every CPU will have a L3 cache. Instead of putting the L3 cache on the CPU some systems will have the L3 cache on the motherboard.

Benchmarks and reviews

When shopping for a workstation or CPU, don’t just look at the values described by the manufacturer. The frequency, number of cores, cache size and other variables can be helpful when trying to find a CPU but they will not always give you any real indication how a CPU stacks up against other manufacturers.  Instead of relying on the manufacturers specs, do your homework. There are many great sites available that provide in-depth hardware reviews and provide benchmark results. Benchmarks are extremely helpful when you want to compare similar processors from different manufacturers and see exactly how they stack up.  The following sites are a few of my favorite sites for researching hardware. Go check them out…but make sure you come back:

Tom’s Hardware
AnandTech

Bit-tech

Conclusion

I hope this brief introduction to CPUs will come in handy the next time you decide to purchase a new system. Coming soon I will go into some other areas of a workstation such as the RAM, Video Card and Hard Drives. Make sure you subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss a thing.

Wednesday
Mar242010

Apple Needs a History Lesson.

Why History Shows That Apple Will Ultimately Lose in The Mobile Market. 

George Santayana once wrote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It seems to me that Apple is ignoring its own history and it could have huge implications in the mobile platform market. In 1984, Apple released the very first Macintosh bringing the graphical user interface to the personal computer market. The following year, Microsoft released its first version of Windows and it was nowhere close to the level of the Mac. To put it plainly, the Mac was cleaner, easier to use and just an overall better product. The Mac was a great innovation that Microsoft couldn’t quite duplicate.

Flash forward 10 years. Windows 95 is launched and nearly every new computer being sold was sporting the new OS from Microsoft. Apple still had a great product in the Mac and it was still the favorite for many industries but the market was dominated by Windows. Although I am not a Mac user, I will concede that in many ways it is a far superior product and it has a great user experience. There should be no argument that Apple makes sexy products but why was Windows so dominate? One reason, Windows was available on nearly every PC being sold from every manufacturer. Dell, Compaq, IBM, even non-descript gray boxes built by hobbyist ran the Windows OS. Whether you were an engineer, writer, web designer or a little old lady just wanting to get email, there was a PC that would fit your needs. The variety of PCs available allowed consumers to find the perfect PC for them or even their budget but the Mac was only available from Apple. The ability for consumers to choose is what ultimately made Windows the most popular operating system and that nearly killed Apple as a company in the 90’s.

Now, it looks like history is repeating itself but this time in the mobile market. In 2007, Apple hit a homerun with its iPhone, another sexy product full of innovation but once again Apple created another closed platform. Not only is there only one device but now they have taken it to the next level. You can only get an iPhone if you use AT&T, you cannot get any apps that have not been pre-approved by Apple and if they don’t even like how an icon looks it will not be allowed on the iPhone. For the next few years, they carved out a good market share because there were no other mobile devices that even came close to the iPhone. Even if you didn’t like AT&T or if an app was not available, you stayed with the iPhone because there was nothing better. 

All that has changed with the introduction of the Android. In some areas, the iPhone is better (from what I hear) but luckily Google didn’t adopt the closed platform idea that Apple insists on following. Since first being introduced on the G1, the Android platform has been made available on at least 25 different phones and are being offered by all of the major carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. The iPhone is still a dominate player but Android has given choice back to the consumers. If you want a physical keyboard, there’s a phone for that. If you want a larger screen, there’s a phone for that. If you don’t like one carrier, you can go to another carrier that offers Android phones. And don’t get me started on the apps. Even though there are far more apps available for the iPhone, developers aren’t boxed into sometimes undefined rules for selling their applications. In fact, you don’t even need to go through the Android Market to find some great apps. All this is slightly reminiscent of the PC wars in the late 80’s and onto the 90’s.

But iPhone is still the king of the market, right?  Despite all the buzz around the iPhone, the market is still being dominated by RIM with its Blackberry. As of January of 2010, RIM had 43.0% of the market share with Apple holding respectable 25.1%. That’s up from 41.3% in October of 2009, which is only a small growth of 1.7 points. Not bad but in that same time span, Google has went from 2.8% to 7.1%. Granted Google’s growth is attributed to the decline in the market share for both Microsoft and Palm but it is still the largest growth of the smart phone market between October 2009 to January 2010. With new enhancements in Android 2.1 becoming available over the next few weeks for nearly all Android phones and the introduction of new devices from many different hardware vendors; it is only a matter of time before Android takes a big bite from iPhone’s market share.

Despite the warning signs in the mobile market, Apple is still going down the same road with its much anticipated, poorly named iPad. Once again, no choice… If you want an iPad, you have to accept its shortcomings because it will be the only one that is offered by Apple. It is a very sexy device (from what I have seen online) but it does have a hefty price tag at $499. It only has one option for wireless connectivity, AT&T. There is no GPS available. It only has 64GB (max size) of memory. Still no removable battery. And the list goes on but people will still buy it because it is Apple. However, if you are not an Apple zealot and you actually want some choices, there are some choices when it comes to an Android tablet. Over the next few months, many major hardware developers are coming out with an Android tablet with a variety of hardware configurations and even prices. I have seen prices ranging from $99 for a 7” Android tablet on up to around the price for an iPad. I am still trying to get a hold of some of these tablets and I hope to start doing some reviews soon but the point is that there is variety.

Ultimately I think that is what consumers want and in the long run I feel like the Android will take over for Apple just like Windows did in the 90’s. Consumers don’t always go for brand loyalty. They want features, they want a device that feels like it is made just for them. Some may want a tablet but don’t want to spend nearly $500 dollars for one. Some just don’t want to leave their carrier, no matter what a washed-up film star tells them. Still others just don’t like the way Apple tightly controls every aspect of the end user experience. There will always be Apple zealots and fanboys but for the rest of us, there is a choice.

 

 

Sunday
Mar212010

Tweet For The Geek and Everybody Wins

One of the hardest things about launching a new site is getting the word out. With so many great sites available for technology news, it is difficult to get a small start-up site noticed without resorting the cheap publicity stunts. Luckily I am not above using these publicity stunts but unlike most stunts, you can actually get something out of this one. Starting today, when you help me get the word out about The King of All Geeks, you are entered automatically to get a drawing to win a cool prize.

When I was trying to come up with a relevant prize for the readers of AlexRRuiz.com, I had no problem finding something that not only will be useful for our fellow geeks but something that supports a good cause. For the next two weeks, when you tweet about alexrruiz.com and include the hastag #Tweet4theGeek and a link to AlexRRuiz.com, you will enter in a drawing to win a copy of the book The Complete Guide to Google Wave. Not only could you win a helpful book when trying to learn to use Google Wave, it will also be signed by the author Gina Trapani (Author, blogger, programmer and founding editor of Lifehacker.com)

A Great Cause Behind the Publishing

The Complete Guide to Google Wave is a guide that will help you learn how to use the web-based collaboration tool, Google Wave. The first edition written by Gina Trapani with Adam Pash has been available for free online or in PDF form for $9 for some time now but with the release of the latest edition, a full color print edition was made available. What convinced me to use this book as a prize for the Tweet For The Geek contest was not only its great content but the amazing story behind its publishing method.

The print edition of the book is not being published by a large publishing house nor does it use some of the self-publishing methods such as LuLu but instead it is a partnership with PWI. PWI is the Partnership with Industry which is a San Diego-based charity that provides jobs for developmentally disabled adults.  This is how the book’s publisher describes the relationship with PWI:

For every print copy of the book we sell, half of the revenues go directly to PWI. They are, in every sense of the word, partners with us in this venture. They are doing the fulfillment, customer service, and have even invested directly into the project as a way of building domain expertise in e-commerce. For them, partnering with us is a chance they have to take control of their destiny. Rather than relying on state funds for their income, they are creating their own revenue streams.

PWI printed 2,500 copies of the book at their own cost. When you complete a purchase of a print book, PWI clients do the fulfillment: they pack the book in an envelope, include your receipt, slap a shipping label on the front, seal it, load it, and ship it. They work with our e-commerce system (Google Checkout) to send you notification that the book is shipping and, in the unlikely event that the book you receive is something you want to return, process the return. They do all of this in order to share in the revenues on each sale. How much revenue? Half. For each $25 book we sell, $12.50 goes to PWI. They have the talent and they deserve it. We couldn't be happier to share our wealth with theirs.

Even if at the end of the two weeks, you do not win a signed copy, please support this awesome cause by purchasing a copy of your own. The price, $25, may seem like a lot for a book but realize that $12.50 will go to help someone get a step up in life.

But Wait There’s More

As if getting a free copy of The Complete Guide to Google Wave wasn’t enough, I would like to give you another incentive to get the word out. When AlexRRuiz.com reaches 1000 RSS subscribers, I will announce a second contest for subscribers to win an Android Tablet.  So get the word out, start tweeting about the site, share with your friends the great story behind Gina Trapani’s book, and be creative.  Let’s see if we can make #Tweet4theGeek a trending item. Not only will it help this site but we can also help build a buzz about Gina’s book and how it is helping a great cause.