The best computers for gaming and work. Choosing a home computer. No numbers. In simple terms. The optimal all-in-one for the office

More recently, it was difficult to imagine that modern computer technology would be in almost every home, and not just in large offices or among IT workers.

Want to buy new computer? Then it’s better to immediately prepare yourself for the fact that this is a rather complex and responsible matter, especially considering the variety of assortments that today’s computer market offers us.

In addition, almost every buyer strives to purchase a high-quality device, but at the same time save on its cost and pay as little as possible.

If you have decided to purchase a computer for your home, then you have come to the right place. On our website you will find a wide variety of computer equipment and all at a very affordable price.

In our online store you can easily choose the best computer for your home, but before you start choosing, we want to give you some tips that will help you buy computer equipment based on your budget and your personal needs.

Before you buy a computer for your home, you first need to clearly define for yourself why you need a new PC and what you will do on it. Then you should decide the amount you are willing to pay.

Remember, when choosing a computer for your home, you need to ensure that all its components are balanced with each other. For example, why do you need a powerful video card if you don’t want to spend money on a good monitor?

Before buying a personal computer, it is worth noting that all its components become obsolete quite quickly, so immediately plan how much money you can spend on a PC, taking into account the fact that in a few months the computer may become cheaper by at least a third.

If you need a gaming computer for your home, and you are going to play 3D games on it, or will work with 3D graphics and graphics packages, then choose a powerful video card, otherwise you can get by with a medium one, or simply increase the RAM .

Sufficient for a home computer hard drive IDE, which is significantly cheaper than SCSI drives.

The motherboard must be selected based on the characteristics of the processor, and if you will work professionally with video or sound, then there is no need to buy a motherboard with a built-in video card, network card, etc.

When buying a PC for your home, you should not save on such necessary things as a keyboard and mouse, because with their help you will “communicate” with the computer constantly.

On our website you can not only choose home computer equipment, but also get acquainted with a lot of useful information regarding computers and laptops.

Hello dear readers of my blog. Marat Nauruzbaev is in touch. In this article I will tell and show which computer is better to buy for home use and which one I bought for myself the other day. Or rather, what kind of computer system unit I assembled from components. I’ll tell you how to choose the right computer and why I chose these components for the system unit and not others.

System unit It turned out to be in the middle price category, with a reserve for future modernization. Also in the article I will show the configuration of a system unit in a low price category, but quite productive.

I purchased my home computer a long time ago (in my opinion, in 2008). At that time it was a good, powerful computer for work and play. Now, according to modern requirements, it is already considered outdated and has long been in need of modernization.

Why is it better to assemble a system unit from components rather than purchasing ready-made assemblies?

Because you “collect” exactly what you want, and not what the store offers you in a ready-made system unit.

At first I wanted to assemble a system unit based on a processor Intel, on the socket LGA 1151, but then after talking a little on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum, I came to the conclusion of building a computer based on a new processor from the company AMD, under the code name Ryzen.

Why did I change my mind? No, not because Intel processors are worse, it’s just that Intel plans to release new eighth-generation processors under the code name Coffee Lake and they will already be on a new platform (new socket) and I think there is no point in buying Intel processors on the LGA 1151 socket. Although I think processors from Intel will be relevant on this socket for another two or three years.

Therefore, I decided to “switch” again 🙂 to an AMD processor ( old computer I also have an AMD processor). Moreover, AMD has released a new processor Ryzen.

My system unit configuration

I use the computer not for games, but for work: the Internet (a browser with a bunch of tabs), I test programs, write articles, and the computer also performs automatic backup on a schedule (in the background), and sometimes video editing and conversion.

In general, after weighing all the pros and cons, I ordered myself this optimal configuration (mid price range).

The prices indicated are factual. in rub. at the time of purchase / fact in dollars at the time of purchase / estimated price in rub. for now

• MaternalpayASRock AB350 Pro4– 6,290 rub. / 108 USD / 7,240 RUB
• CPUAMD Ryzen 5 1400– 10,290 rub. / 180 USD / 12,067 RUB
• CoolerForprocessorDeepcool Gammaxx 200T– 810 rub. / 14 USD / 939 RUB
• OperationalmemorySamsung 8 GB– 4,150 rub. / 72 USD / 4,827 RUB
• SSD drive128 GBTranscend 370s– 5,190 rub. / 91 USD / 6,100 RUB
• – 4,390 rub. / 77 USD / 5,162 RUB
• FrameCaseCom CP-686 (black) – 1,990 rub. / 35 USD / 2,346 RUB
• BlocknutritionZalman TX 500W– 3,550 rub. / 62 USD / 4,156 RUB

All components cost me the total amount: RUB 36,660 / 643USD(September 2017)

There is no video card in this configuration, I have one in stock, it’s old and cheap :) but I don’t need an expensive video card, since I don’t play games.

If you play games, you can take yourself a video card, for example GeForce GTX 1050 Ti(RUB 10,000) or higher. This video card will run 2017 games in FullHD resolution on this configuration.

“Parsing” of components

Now I’ll tell you a little about the components I purchased and show them photos.

ASRock AB350 Pro4 motherboard

This motherboard uses socket AM4 for AMD processors and the B350 chipset, which supports overclocking. I chose it because the B350 chipset supports overclocking the processor and memory, and also because it has 6 SATA ports, which makes it possible to connect up to 6 hard drives.

In my case, this is relevant, because... I plan to move 2 or 3 hard drives from my old computer to the new computer in addition to my two purchased drives.

AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor

This is the so-called motor for your computer.

This processor is 4-core, 8 threads, frequency 3200-3400 MHz, L3 cache size: 8 MB.

The performance is approximately comparable to the Intel Core I5-7400 processor (4 cores, 4 threads, frequency 3000-3500 MHz).

All Ryzens are overclockable and Ryzen 5 1400 not an exception. It can be overclocked to 3.8-4.0 MHz, which I will try to do on this motherboard in the future.

CPU Cooler DeepcoolGammaxx 200T

Tower cooler from Deepcool.
Power dissipation: 100W
Fan size: 120×120 mm
Maximum noise level: 26.1 dB

It is a more powerful cooler than the one that usually comes with a BOX processor. Necessary when overclocking the processor. I hope he’s quiet, we’ll see and listen...

Samsung RAM 8 GB

Memory with a capacity of 8 GB and a frequency of 2400 MHz. They say that Samsung memory on B-Die chips overclocks well. But I don’t know this memory... :) Let's see.

128 GB SSD storageTranscend 370s[TS128GSSD370S]

Reliable SSD drive for the price. Volume: 128 GB with MLC memory.
Maximum write speed: 170 MB/s
Maximum read speed: 550 MB/s
Comes with an adapter for a 3.5″ HDD slot.

Hard drive 2 TB Seagate BarraCuda ST2000DM006

HDD capacity: 2 TB
Cache capacity: 64 MB
Maximum data transfer rate: 210 MB/s
Judging by many positive reviews, it’s a good HDD. Wait and see…

FrameCaseComCP-686 (black)

A good case for the money with a Midi-Tower size and a bottom-mounted power supply (the power supply must be purchased separately).

I liked the fact that this case has 4 internal 3.5″ bays and 3 2.5″ bays with a transverse arrangement for drives. And also by the presence of a window on the side wall and blue lighting on the front fan.

The case comes with two 120mm fans included.

There is a removable mesh at the bottom of the case

This is a photo of the case after installing the power supply and storage devices into it

Among the shortcomings, I would like to note that the fans in the case are not adjustable in rotation speed (they are connected via a Molex connector to the power supply), although they operate relatively quietly.

power unitZalmanTX 500W[ZM500-TX]

If the processor is a motor, then the power supply is the fuel for your motor and other components, so it is not advisable to save on it.

Power: 500W
Main power connector: 20+4 pin
Connectors for processor power (CPU): 1 x 4+4 pin
Connectors for video card power (PCI-E): 2 x 6+2 pin
Number of 15-pin SATA connectors: 5
Number of 4-pin Molex connectors: 3
Number of 4-pin Floppy connectors: 1
Main power cable length: 50cm
CPU power cable length: 65 cm
Fan size: 140×140 mm
There is a blue backlight and braided wires.

Assembling the system unit

Assembling the system unit is not difficult at all. It's like a designer, you just need to be more careful.

The most difficult thing when assembling a computer is choosing the right components at the time of ordering. So that all components are compatible with each other.

Well, for example, processors are produced by two companies: Intel and AMD. Each processor has its own socket. Motherboards are produced only for a specific socket and cannot combine two different sockets on one board. Moreover, the fees can be different sizes: ATX, MiniATX, MicroATX, etc., which must be taken into account when selecting a case for the system unit...

This is the basis for selecting components; you also need to have an idea of ​​the different chipsets on the motherboard, types and frequency of RAM, etc.

Well, I took all the ordered components from the store, photographed them for this article, and assembled them safely. I say again, there is nothing complicated about this.

I will not describe in detail here how to assemble a system unit from components, the article is not about that much.

In general terms, the assembly should be done in this way:

1. We insert the processor into the motherboard socket and close it with a special clamp

1. Apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the processor (to remove heat from the processor to the cooler)

1. We install the cooler on the processor using special latches (if the cooler big size, then thermal paste and cooler can be installed after installing the motherboard in the system unit case)

1. We install RAM in a special slot on the motherboard

1. We install the power supply into the system unit case and fasten it with several screws. We lay the cables from it approximately to the future connection points (power supply to the motherboard, processor, drives, video card) and secure them with ties

1. Installing the rear bracket from the motherboard

We install the motherboard into the system unit case and screw it to the motherboard stands. We connect power to it and power to the processor (from the power supply)

1. Connect the wires from the front panel of the case to the connectors on the motherboard

The main difficulty in assembly is connecting the wires from the front panel of the case to the connectors on the motherboard :) It is not always easy to figure out which wire is connected to which connector on the motherboard. In this case, the manual from the mat will help you. fees.

In general, everything went smoothly, I assembled the system unit, all that remained was to connect it to the monitor, keyboard, mouse and supply power to it.

System unit at a budget price

Friends, if a configuration based on an AMD Ryzen processor is expensive for you, then you can buy an inexpensive but good system unit based on an Intel processor. Its performance will of course be inferior, but will be decent (at the level Intel processor Core I3-6100).

This configuration is perfect for work and even for undemanding games.

Prices are approximate at the moment

• MaternalpayGigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H– 83 USD / 5,564 RUB
• CPUIntel Pentium G4600 BOX– 99 USD / 6,637 RUB
• OperationalmemoryGoodram 8 GB– 68 USD / 4,559 RUB
• Harddisk1 TBToshiba– 46 USD / 3,084 RUB
• CaseCom CP-686 case– 35 USD / 2,346 RUB
• Power supply Zalman TX 500W– 62 USD / 4,156 RUB

Total: 392 USD / 26,279 RUB

The Intel Pentium G4600 processor is similar in performance to the Core I3-6100, but is a third cheaper and has a more powerful video core.

The Pentium G4600 comes with a built-in HD Graphics 630 video core, so if you use the computer for undemanding games, you can do without a discrete video card.

If you want to play serious games, then additionally purchase a video card, for example GeForce GTX 1050 Ti(RUB 10,000) or higher.

Well, that’s all I wanted to tell you in this article. I'm very glad that I finally updated my system unit. Moreover, I chose a modern platform in which its further modernization will not force me to change all the components, I hope so :)

For example, in the future it will be possible to change the Ryzen processor to a more powerful one, especially since AMD promises to release them with a built-in video core...

Well, I will use my good old computer as a second additional workstation.

Also watch the video about the new Ryzen processors

I will tell you about the test of a new computer, as well as about trying to overclock it, so

Once upon a time, as part of my job, I had to provide advice on purchasing a computer. Now I have moved somewhat away from this topic, but still sometimes people ask me to help them choose a computer or laptop. In other words - “help, you’re a programmer” :) This article is especially for you!

IMPORTANT NOTE: I will deliberately not mention any numbers (megahertz, gigabytes) or names of manufacturers. I will outline only the basic principles that will help you decide for yourself both the numbers and the prices. Times are changing, computer technology is developing by leaps and bounds, but the basic principles have not changed for decades! It is also worth noting that the article is intended for ordinary users who use a computer as a work tool. You will not find performance tests, reports on overclocking processors, memory and video cards here, since for most people these numbers mean nothing at all. This article is for dummies. I tried to write it in an accessible language, right down to the explanation on my fingers, practically excluding numbers, so I ask professional IT specialists who suddenly read this to treat it with understanding and humor :)

Computer or laptop? Or maybe a tablet will be enough?

First of all, we need to decide what type of computer we need - portable or stationary. It is impossible to give a definite answer which is better - each has its own scope of application for which it is best suited.

Tablet PC good because it is always at hand. It will brighten up your time waiting in line or on the road and allow you to spend it more fruitfully - read the news or just a book, watch a movie, listen to music, and, ultimately, play a game. Some people use a tablet for work - I personally appreciated the benefits of this device when I started selling information products. All tablets have a GPS function that will prevent you from getting lost in a foreign city or country. That is, Tablet PC- a thing that is certainly useful. However, due to the lack of a full-fledged keyboard, the tablet is not suitable for those who need a “typewriter”. Recently, the popularity of tablets has been declining; they are being replaced by smartphones with large screens.

Laptop- this is a full-fledged computer with a screen and a keyboard and mouse, allowing you to comfortably work in almost all applications, but you most likely won’t be able to carry it with you all the time - you need a bag or backpack. Even an inexpensive modern laptop has all the necessary characteristics and capabilities that may be in demand in home or office work - office, Internet, email, social networks, etc. Everything seems to be good, but it’s difficult to “upgrade” a laptop - as a rule, upgrade options are limited only to the ability to increase RAM (and not always to the desired volume) and install a new hard drive.

Desktop computer- this is a classic. System unit, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers - this circuit is already thirty years old! For all its “archaic” and cumbersome nature, a desktop computer has many advantages over portable devices. The most important thing is greater configuration flexibility. In essence, this is a construction set that you can assemble yourself by selecting the parts that are best suited for your tasks. For example, for video editing, it is advisable to have two large-capacity hard drives - for source files and for finished video (try to find a laptop with two hard drives!) If you are a music lover, you can install a high-quality sound card in your computer (up to tube sound!), if you are an avid player - a powerful video card and an “indestructible” keyboard and mouse. If something breaks, you can change most of the pieces yourself, armed with just a screwdriver. When buying a laptop, you have to choose between ready-made configurations, and if you need a large-capacity hard drive, you will also have to fork out for a gaming video card, since when you increase one parameter, everything else almost always “grows” - processor frequency, memory capacity, hard drive disk, video card.

Buyer Misconceptions

Before you buy a PC (no matter whether it’s a desktop or a laptop), you need to dispel some misconceptions. There are incomprehensible but very common misconceptions on this matter:

• A computer for work and study is expensive, but for games you can get it cheaper;
  This is not so, and quite the opposite! The system requirements of games are much higher than those of office programs. For comfortable work on the Internet and office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), the cheapest system unit, costing 250-300 dollars, is enough. Games require a high-performance processor and video card (and these are the most expensive components), which entails the need to use a powerful power supply, a good cooling system, and the motherboard for a gaming PC will not be the cheapest.
• To work on the Internet, you need a powerful computer;
  To find the information you need, check your email, chat on Skype, and watch videos on Youtube, all you need is the cheapest computer. Some power is needed to display animations on web pages, but any modern computer can handle this task easily. It is much more important to have a high-speed communication channel. Even an inexpensive laptop connected to a 100-megabit Internet will allow you to surf the Internet with greater comfort than a gaming computer with slow Internet access.
• Watching movies requires a powerful processor and video card;
  This is wrong. I remember many years ago, DivX and DVD movies played great on the Duron at 900 megahertz. Since then, computer performance has increased significantly, and the formats in which films are recorded on discs have undergone virtually no changes. The only exception is high-resolution video (1080 lines, Full HD), which requires more computing power to play. By personal experience I will say that to play video in high definition, the power of a processor operating at a frequency of 1.8 GHz and an entry-level video card is quite enough.

• For any games, a powerful computer is required;
  Depends on what games you prefer. If modern 3D adventure games, racing, strategy, then yes. If you are more interested in logic browser games, then they will work great on the cheapest PC. Older 3D games will also run just fine on a low-cost PC.

What programs (not games!) really need more computing power?

Below are the main resource-intensive tasks most commonly performed on home computers.

Professional graphics work

This is the processing of “flat” images - photographs, vector graphics, layout, design, etc. Photographers know firsthand about such a procedure as RAW processing - when the camera resolution exceeds 16-20 megapixels, old computers can hardly cope with this task, annoying users with constant freezes when working in Photoshop or Lightroom. For comfortable work, you will need a more powerful processor and increased RAM. Also, to work with graphics, as well as all other tasks, you need a high-quality monitor with large diagonal(at least 23 inches).

Programming

Professional programming, working with databases, solving complex mathematical problems. This means the development of serious applications using modern development tools, and not with Turbo Pascal or Borland C++ from 1990, which are still sometimes studied in computer science in schools and in the first years of universities - the performance of a 386 processor is sufficient for their operation 1990s (if anyone else remembers what it is:). The computer requirements are the same as when working with 2D graphics, except if you are a 3D application developer, you also need a powerful video card (but then I wonder why you are reading this?

Working with video

Video editing, video encoding - these tasks are very demanding on the performance of the processor and video card. This became especially acute with the advent of 4K video. Processing video with a resolution of 1920*1080 pixels with a high frame rate (50 and higher) is also a very resource-intensive task, especially if you have to deal not with short amateur clips, but with large projects. Also a very relevant parameter is the size of the hard drive - one minute of original ultra-high resolution video material (4K) can “weigh” hundreds of megabytes!

Let's leave server tasks like large-volume databases alone - they are extremely unlikely to be executed on a home computer.

Summary table - the dependence of the tasks performed on the cost of the system unit

This shows how the power of a computer (and therefore its versatility) affects the price. Naturally, the table is approximate.

The table shows that for most everyday tasks a computer in the lower price category is sufficient. This is the so-called “office computer”. It is better to choose a computer for the home in the price range of $400-500 per system unit, and if you want to play modern games or edit/encode videos, you will have to fork out $800-1000 per system unit.

Devices - necessary and not so necessary. And if necessary, then how many?

A computer, as you know, consists of many devices that perform certain functions. Some devices are critical, that is, without them, the computer simply will not work. Some perform auxiliary functions, thereby expanding the capabilities of the computer.

CPU

This word is often used to refer to the system unit itself. It is not right. The processor is a small chip measuring 3 * 3 cm, or even smaller. This is the "brain" of the computer. The main characteristic of a processor that determines its performance is the clock frequency. The larger it is, the greater the productivity.

Processors for home PCs come in single-core and multi-core types. A multi-core processor looks the same as a single-core processor, but is essentially 2 or more processors housed in one package. At the same clock speed, a multi-core processor has better performance than a single-core processor. The dependence is not proportional; it rather depends on how well the tasks being performed are adapted to be executed on multi-core processors. In some tasks there will be a multiple increase in productivity, in others there will be no gain at all. When browsing the Internet or creating documents in Word, you most likely won’t feel the difference between a two- and eight-core one. If you process photo and video material, then indeed, the difference will be noticeable, as well as in computer games.

The processor generates a large amount of heat during operation. The greater the performance, the greater the heat dissipation. To cool the processor, it is necessary to ensure heat removal and dissipation. When choosing a cooling system, pay attention to maximum frequency processor and its level of power consumption, as well as the noise level - all this is indicated in the characteristics. A noise level of 22-23 dB can be considered acceptable. If it's less, that's great. If it is more, then it is quite possible that this noise will bother you. Radiators with a copper base provide better heat dissipation than those with aluminum and allow the use of quieter fans. Fans with ball bearings are slightly noisier than those with plain bearings, but are much more durable.

Which is better - Intel or AMD?

There have been real wars going on between fans of both products for the past decade now on Internet forums. At one time I also took part in such religious wars, but I soon realized that this was just a waste of time. The main thing is not what manufacturer’s processor is “under the hood” of the PC, but what How balanced is the computer configuration?.

Historically, AMD processors have been cheaper than Intel. In terms of performance, we can say the following. If you need an inexpensive computer, you should seriously think about building it based on an AMD processor, and using the money saved to purchase, for example, a more powerful video card. In this case, playing games will be much more comfortable than on a computer with a super-powerful processor but a weak video card.

If you need a Hi-End computer and the price doesn’t really bother you, focus on the Intel platform. The main thing is not to forget that to ensure a balanced configuration, it is advisable to purchase a powerful video card (which costs comparable to the processor) and other components that will not slow down this system - fast memory, high-quality motherboard, fast hard drive SSD drive, powerful power supply.

Memory

Before telling the seller “I need my computer to have lots and lots of memory,” let’s decide what kind of memory there is? To understand what kind of memory there is and how it differs, imagine the situation. It may seem absurd, but it is very revealing.

You sit at a table and work with paper documents (A4 format). Documents are stored in a desk drawer. The area of ​​the table is such that it allows you to put only one sheet on it. You cannot hold the sheet in your hands - only on the table or in a drawer. This is fine as long as you only need to work on one document at a time. And now the need arises to work with two documents simultaneously. If the table area remains the same, then you will have to constantly transfer these documents from the drawer to the table and back. It is very uncomfortable. The work will be very slow and tedious. But as soon as you double the table area, the work will speed up. If you increase it by 4 times, it will speed up only if you need to work with 3-4 documents simultaneously. This increase in table area will not affect the speed of working with 2 documents in any way. And so on. Thus, there is a reasonable limit to which you can increase the table area based on your tasks.

Now let’s compare the above example with a computer device.

Human working at the table plays a role processor. It processes information taken from documents and also makes some changes to them. Moreover, a person can remember the most frequently repeated fragments of text, so as not to run his eyes from one document to another every time and not take them out of the drawer. This is the essence of the work cache memory- small memory built into the processor, but with ultra-fast access, which is used to store frequently used data and commands.

Table surface- This RAM . It contains the data that is currently being processed by the processor. The data access speed in RAM is high, but much less than the access speed in cache memory. The processor can only directly work with data from RAM (just as a person cannot read and make changes to a document without pulling it out of the drawer onto the table surface). Increasing the amount of RAM speeds up your computer. But there is no point in increasing it beyond a reasonable limit - you won’t feel the difference. The required amount of RAM is calculated based on system requirements programs that you intend to use. For comfortable work, it is advisable to have a memory capacity twice as large as that required by the most “heavy” program (do not forget that you can run several programs at once, each of which needs space in RAM).

Drawer, in which documents are stored - this is hard drive (hard drive). Access to it is the slowest (10 or more times slower than RAM). But it has a volume that can accommodate information hundreds and even thousands of times more than in RAM. In addition, the hard drive is a non-volatile medium, that is, if the power is turned off, the information recorded on it is not lost anywhere. Data in RAM and processor cache memory is lost when the power is turned off.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Hard disk drive (HDD)

What kind of memory should a computer have a lot of?

• The larger the cache memory, the faster the processor can process data (to be fair, cache size is far from the only factor affecting processor performance).
• The larger the amount of RAM (also referred to as RAM), the more comfortable the work will be - programs load faster, the computer responds to user actions with minimal delay. In some cases, increasing the amount of RAM speeds up work more noticeably than installing a more powerful processor. However, there is a limit beyond which it is pointless to increase memory.
• The larger the hard drive, the more data and programs can be recorded and installed on the computer. The hard drive is the largest and slowest storage device listed above. It is this that most often acts as a “bottleneck” that limits system performance in real tasks. It is for this reason that to build high-performance workstations and servers, hard drives are combined into RAID arrays, in which data flows between hard drives are parallelized - this significantly increases performance.

What are SSD drives for?

Recently, solid state drives or SSDs have become widespread. In essence, this is a flash drive of large capacity and performance, which is installed inside the system unit and is recognized by the system as a regular hard drive.

SSDs differ from conventional hard drives in their smaller volume and higher cost, but at the same time they are significantly faster than conventional HDDs in speed. One of the most effective solutions to give an old computer a boost is to install an SSD in it and use it as a system drive. For full operation of the SSD drive, it is desirable that the motherboard supports the most modern data exchange protocols (currently SATA3), but even when using SATA2, the solid-state drive works noticeably faster than a regular hard drive. By installing an SSD as a system drive even in a very old computer, you can postpone the need for a total upgrade for several years.

SSDs also have a drawback - the memory has a limited number of write cycles, so the service life of the drive is on average shorter than that of conventional HDDs. Under normal conditions it will last for 5 years, maybe more. The most reasonable solution is to use an SSD drive in conjunction with a regular hard drive. The system and application programs are installed on the SSD, and your data is stored on the HDD, which is slower but more reliable.

What is the lifespan of a hard drive?

Hard drive failure is an extremely unpleasant situation. In this case, most often everything that was “acquired through back-breaking labor” disappears irrevocably - an archive of photographs and videos, a doctoral dissertation that was almost finished, collections of music and films, and much more. Restoring data from a dead hard drive is a non-trivial task, expensive and generally not always feasible. Therefore, it is always worth remembering that your hard drive will die someday.

The warranty period for hard drives is usually two years. The actual period can be completely different - from six months to several decades! It all depends on the quality of the hard drive and power supply, operating conditions of the PC, and the number of on/off cycles.

Fortunately, all modern hard drives have S.M.A.R.T. technology, thanks to which you can monitor the current state of hard disk. The Internet is full free utilities to read this state, for example, Crystal Disk Info (it is easy to find search engines). It displays a huge number of parameters for the status of the hard drive, which it is better for a non-specialist not to meddle with. The most important thing is an indication of the general condition of the disk. Run it at least once every six months to make sure that the hard drive is in good condition. As soon as the indicator begins to hint that the hard drive has begun to “deteriorate,” this is a reason to think about replacing the hard drive with a new one.

System (motherboard) board

No need to skimp on your motherboard! Very often, ready-made computers sold in stores have the cheapest motherboards installed. This information is usually not displayed in advertising and price tags. As a rule, this is also not displayed on a PC (during the warranty period). But the user can expect an unpleasant surprise in 2 cases: when you need to plug some kind of additional card into the computer, but there is nowhere to insert it - there are no free expansion slots. Secondly, apparently, motherboard manufacturers very wisely indicate the warranty period - 1-2 years. In my practice, I have encountered many cases where the motherboard failed on a 2-3 year old computer. Moreover, in 90% of cases, the computer was already assembled in the store and contained motherboards of lower series, and often the model was already outdated at the time of purchase. This means that it has an old generation processor, memory and, often, a video card installed that are no longer sold. Because of this, along with a failed motherboard, you have to replace the processor, memory, and video card. Such restoration is comparable in cost to purchasing a new computer.

Almost all modern motherboards have integrated sound, a video card, a network card, Wi-Fi - that is, everything that is needed for normal operation. If the board you choose does not have any integrated device, all these devices can be installed separately in expansion slots or connected to a USB port, the main thing is that there is a sufficient number of them.

An acceptable price range for a motherboard is $80-$100. It only makes sense to buy a more expensive board if you are assembling a “top” configuration with a powerful processor and video card. These devices have high power consumption and the element base of a cheap motherboard may simply not withstand such a load and fail in a couple of years. Expensive motherboards have higher-quality components, so they can work without problems for years and even decades!

Video card

A powerful and, therefore, expensive video card is needed only for games and specific tasks such as video processing and designing 3-dimensional models.

I won’t recommend anything specific, models change one after another, and you can’t keep up with progress in this area. In most cases, an inexpensive video card, perhaps even integrated on the motherboard, is quite sufficient. A video card that can satisfy the average gamer costs about $150-200. If your graphics requirements are above average, get ready to fork out $300 or more.

The performance of a video card is determined by the detail and smoothness of picture movement in computer games. If the performance is low, then with great detail the picture will move jerkily.

Computer performance in a game is measured by frame rate (FPS - Frames per second). For a comfortable game, the FPS value should be at least 60. At FPS=40, slight jerks in movement are already noticeable, especially when the picture is replete with highly detailed textures, smoke, fire and other delights of the game world.

It is sometimes believed that computer performance in games is determined only by the amount of video memory. This is not entirely true. The amount of video memory is an important, but not the only factor affecting performance. In addition to it, a very important component of the video system is the graphics processor. Video memory is used only for storing textures; the graphics processor is responsible for constructing the finished image on the screen from these textures. The higher the performance of the GPU, the better the game image and the smoother the movement. The computing power of a video card often exceeds the power of the central processor, and in many programs it is used to speed up tasks that are far from 3D graphics.

Modern PCs can have several video cards installed at once, in which case their “power” is summed up. However, this is used more by "miners" than by "gamers". Mining is the extraction of cryptocurrency by providing the computing power of your PC for distributed computing. Special enthusiasts create entire “farms” for mining. I don’t presume to judge how profitable this is now, since I’ve heard stories that the money earned is barely enough to cover the cost of electricity. I’m sure there are more successful attempts, but I personally haven’t heard about them from anyone I know.

Frame

Almost all components inside a computer can be replaced over time with more modern ones, but there are two things that are bought “seriously and for a long time.” This is the case, computer and monitor.

Despite the popular belief that “the case doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s beautiful,” there are many nuances that you need to pay attention to when choosing a case for your computer. No matter how trite it may be said, the case must cope with 3 tasks: power supply, provision of cooling, provision of mechanical strength of the structure.

The power supply is responsible for the power supply. The reliability of the computer in operation depends on its ability to provide a stable supply voltage to various PC components. The power of modern power supplies is from 350-450 W. The quality of a power supply can be indirectly determined by its weight. The heavier it is, the more elements it contains that filter interference traveling through the electrical network, and, therefore, it is better. Don’t forget, the higher the computer’s performance and the more electricity consumers it has, the more powerful the power supply should be.

The inside of the case must be spacious enough to allow air flow past the processor cooling radiator. Sometimes you will need to install additional fans on the front and rear panels of the case. The front fan should blow air inside the case, the rear fan should blow it out.

The body must be durable, i.e. must be made of sufficiently thick metal. Housings made of “tin” begin to itch and rattle over time due to vibration caused, for example, by the rotation of fans.

Also a very useful option is the presence on the front panel of jacks for connecting headphones, USB flash drives, and a memory card reader (card reader).

Monitor

Modern LCD monitors are very similar to each other in characteristics. And there are only two characteristics that most people know about - screen size (in inches) and screen resolution (in pixels). Most monitors 20 inches or larger have a maximum resolution of 1920*1080 pixels (the so-called FullHD). Cheaper monitors with a diagonal of up to 19 inches often have a lower resolution - 1380*768, sometimes 1280*600 pixels.

High resolution is convenient because the monitor will display more information simultaneously. This is indispensable when working with programs that have a complex interface that includes many panels and tabs, for example, Adobe Photoshop. On low-resolution screens, these programs also work, but the toolbars are not fully visible; they need to be scrolled to use the desired tool (if it is off-screen). In this case, the working space (for example, the space for the photograph being processed) is noticeably narrowed.

Another point is what matrix is ​​used in the monitor. There are mainly three types of matrices:

• TN- fast and cheap, but the color rendering is not great. More suitable for inexpensive office computers.
• IPS (PLS)- costs more, but has better color rendition. Optimal for working with graphics and photos.
• AMOLED- The picture is bright and juicy, but the durability is worse than that of IPS; a flickering effect is possible, which can make your eyes tired.

Another important point is the uniformity of the backlight of the monitor screen. It should be as uniform as possible. And it happens that in mind design features monitor, the bottom of the image is brighter than the top, or the center is brighter than the edges.

Keyboard, mouse

It is important that the keyboard is comfortable for you personally. Buying an “ergonomic” keyboard (with a wrist rest) is not always justified. Such a keyboard takes up a lot of space on the desk and because of this, perhaps this “ergonomics” will bring you more inconvenience than benefit.

You should take the mouse that is comfortable for you. If you have a large hand, you will find it very uncomfortable to use a miniature mouse. A 2-button mouse with a wheel is sufficient for work. 5-7 button mice are for gamers.

Wireless keyboards and mice are more expensive than regular ones, but they are more convenient to use - there are no wires. There used to be a problem - the batteries in the mouse quickly ran out, but modern wireless mouse can work for several months without replacing the battery.

DVD drive

Now the prices, characteristics and quality of these devices are equal, and often the choice of a DVD drive comes down only to ensuring that the color of the front panel matches the color of the case. If previously these devices were expensive, now the average price of a DVD burner is $25. This is what you should focus on. Almost all drives can burn 2-layer discs. However, this function is used extremely rarely, since 2-layer discs are much more expensive than 1-layer discs, and secondly, the recording speed of 2-layer discs is low (and in general, with the advent of large-capacity flash drives and cloud services, writing to CDs or DVD discs has now been lost relevance).

The DVD drive is mainly used for one-time installation of software ( operating system, drivers), and then may remain unused for several years.

Sound

The sound subsystem consists of a sound card and speakers. For most users, an integrated sound card and inexpensive speakers are sufficient. However, if you are a lover of good sound, you may have to think about purchasing a separate sound card and more expensive speakers.

To listen to music, it is wiser to choose a stereo system without a subwoofer, but with powerful low-frequency speakers that produce good bass. Since the music on the CD is recorded in 2-channel mode (stereo), a system of two speakers will reproduce it most accurately, while maintaining the sound stage (the arrangement of instruments along the channels). Naturally, the speakers must be with good characteristics- wide frequency range and good linearity of frequency response. The speakers must be wooden. Plastic cases are unacceptable in this case - due to their excessive resonance, the sound will be excessively “mumbling” and “rattley”. Another option is to buy inexpensive speakers for everyday use and good headphones- purely for music.

For watching movies, systems with a subwoofer and several satellites (5.1, 7.1) are preferable. The sound in films is most often adapted precisely to this audio system configuration. There is an important note - to achieve the effect of 3-dimensional sound, the viewer's place should be located in the center of the room, satellites in the corners, and the screen opposite the viewer. It is quite possible that, given your interior, such an arrangement will simply be impossible.

There are also 2.1 speaker systems (2 satellites and a subwoofer). It makes sense to buy such a system only if there is no space for large speakers. Instead, compact satellites are installed. The subwoofer is placed under the table or in another convenient place. The sound quality of such a system is usually worse than that of a conventional stereo system for the same price.

Printer, scanner, MFP...

As a rule, neither one nor the other is needed for a home computer. However, if there is a need to scan or print something, we are faced with a new choice problem. As a rule, a person buying a printer for his home definitely wants to buy a color device. Not because you need color printing, but because you want it to be there (just in case). As a rule, in this case, you can choose an inexpensive inkjet printer, print anything you want on it (as the seller claims), with excellent quality... STOP! Are you dreaming? And now closer to reality. Inkjet printers, especially inexpensive ones, are very capricious devices.

The main disadvantages of inkjet printers:

• Drying ink. If the printer has not been printed for some time (2 weeks or more), it is quite possible that horizontal white stripes may appear when printing. This happens because dried ink is blocking the print head nozzles. To clean them you need to follow a special cleaning procedure. This wastes up to 10 percent of the ink from the cartridge (at one time).
• Small cartridge resource. At one refill it will hardly be possible to print 300-400 sheets of text and no more than 100 (usually) photographs in a 10 by 15 format. The cost of a new set of cartridges is comparable to the cost of a printer.

I would recommend buying an inkjet printer only if it will be used for printing photographs, and constantly. In order not to go down the drain on consumables, I strongly recommend that you equip the printer with refillable cartridges or . Then the cost of photo printing will significantly decrease.

As a rule, the volume of printing at home is small, and printing occurs from time to time, sometimes with a break of several months. In this regard, I recommend purchasing an inexpensive laser machine for your home. Despite the fact that it is black and white, it is completely devoid of the disadvantages inherent in inkjet printers. At least you will know that even after a year of inactivity it will not refuse to print like a dried-out inkjet.

Home scanners are primarily used for scanning text. Scanning photographs and film has long ceased to be a common task for home scanners - thanks to digital cameras. As you know, the resolution of scanners is measured in dpi (dots per inch). Inexpensive scanners have a resolution of 600 dpi, those that are more expensive have 1200-2400 dpi or more. For scanning text, a resolution of no more than 300dpi is generally used. Hence the conclusion - in terms of resolution, any scanner without exception can cope with text scanning. Another issue is scanning speed. The bigger it is, the better. This will be especially true if you need to scan a large volume of material. Scanners with a USB 3.0 interface work faster than those with USB2.0, and even more so, USB 1.0 (although these days you probably won’t find them anymore).

Software

I will not discuss here what Windows is better to install (and whether it is worth installing at all). Most computers and laptops that are sold in stores already have a pre-installed operating system. At the moment, this is mainly Windows 10. If you buy a computer without an operating system, you can install any system - paid or free, licensed or “regular”. The main thing is that it matches the capabilities of the computer and supports all those devices that are inside it.

I would like to give just one recommendation regarding software. If the computer will be used for work and valuable data will be stored on it, choke the toad and immediately buy a normal, licensed antivirus. Kaspersky, Nod32, Doctor Web... It doesn’t matter which one! Their cost for home use rarely exceeds 1000 rubles per year; often for this price you can install the program on several computers. An “ordinary” (in the sense of unlicensed) antivirus with a key downloaded from the Internet is a dubious assistant. The key can be blocked at any time and you will be left without anti-virus protection. After a few weeks, the antivirus program turns from a defender into a useless computer slower. Some users don't pay attention to this for months and each time they automatically close the warning window. As a result, all sorts of infections, brought from the Internet and flash drives, gradually begin to multiply on the computer, and eventually the computer begins to take on a life of its own and it becomes impossible to work on it. The cost of the services of a specialist who will return him to normal life, as a rule, is much higher than the cost of a licensed antivirus.

p.s. There are also free antiviruses, but I have not seen any of them that would provide truly reliable protection.

If you do not have a good understanding of how a computer works, then this material will inform you how to choose a good computer and help you make a choice when buying a ready-made computer. A computer can come in different assemblies for different purposes, so first you need to decide what set of computer functions you need or why you are going to buy a computer, how you will use it.

How to choose the right computer in 2015

If you need a computer in order to use it at home, then the set of requirements for such a computer may also be different. If you plan to actively use the computer for games that require high technical performance, then the purchasing approach will differ from the requirements for a computer that will be used only for accessing the Internet and communicating or visiting informative sites. We will consider all the options for requirements for different uses of a computer, and knowing what types of computers there are will only increase the possibility of choosing the most suitable result.

Innovative technologies change at tremendous speed, and every six months there is an increase in requirements along with improvements in computer components. Is it possible to keep up with such progress? This is quite complicated and usually unnecessary. There is another option for improving your computer, it is called upgrade.

Its essence is to replace some outdated computer parts with more powerful and modern ones, with those that have higher technical performance. Therefore, when choosing a computer, it is also important to take into account the possibility of a future upgrade and choose a configuration that will allow it to be carried out in the future. The main indicators of the computer configuration are the following:

1. Video card;
2. Power supply and case.

These listed main components are installed in the case of the computer system unit and have different technical parameters, which are decisive when asking how to choose a computer for home, office, and gaming. A complete list of components of the system unit can be found in the article: composition of the system unit. This introductory information will help you gain basic knowledge about the design of a computer, but also help you choose a computer for your home in 2015.

How to choose a home computer

First, you need to decide why you need a PC when solving the problem of which computer to choose for your home. If you only need a PC to communicate on Skype or spend time on VK, Odnoklassniki and others in social networks, then it will be correct to choose a system unit with average technical indicators, since you may have additional tasks to use the computer and then you will have a certain technical reserve. There should always be a reserve, since programs are improved and become heavier, requiring more and more technical capabilities from a personal computer. This is the policy of software manufacturers within the Microsoft system, on which its users depend.

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If you plan to install a TV tuner on your computer and watch television programs using it, or connect it to a wide-screen TV to watch movies, then you need to make sure that the system unit has a good video card with high-resolution processing capabilities.

Since the video card depends on the motherboard on which it is located, their capabilities must match; the motherboard should not limit the capabilities of the video card. Accordingly, the choice of motherboard is carried out taking into account the technical requirements of all the components that will be connected to it, in order to enable these components to realize their maximum capabilities.

When choosing a home computer, if you know that you will be using a program such as Photoshop, you need to consider that this program requires sufficient RAM to correct operation. Accordingly, take note of this point and select this component in accordance with the information provided.

If you want to save money on assembling a computer, then in principle this is possible, since upgrading your PC for RAM is quite easy - you can always change the RAM sticks for more productive ones or add a second stick to one stick (modern motherboards allow you to install up to four RAM sticks) . Two to four gigabytes of RAM may be sufficient for these requirements.

It will be enough to buy a power supply for 400 watts; it will fully satisfy the basic needs of a home computer, including with a reserve. It is enough to choose a dual-core processor; it will fully meet the needs of a home computer.

Choosing a computer for home use is not at all difficult; you just need to devote some time to obtaining basic general information about what it consists of and combining it with the requirements that you need. Undoubtedly, the presence of modern USB 3.0 connectors in a computer will only be a plus, both for increasing data transfer speeds and for greater convenience. It all depends on the amount you have and whether you can afford some luxuries, or, on the contrary, you urgently need them. This is your personal choice, determined by possibilities.

The optimal hardware configuration, as computer components are called in slang, for games has a number of features. Since all advanced games require high performance from a personal computer, you won’t be able to save much. A certain dependence on these technical indicators dictates the purchase of appropriate parts that will ensure the ability to play all games with different requirements on your computer.

Processor, video card, RAM will require attention when choosing good computer for games. In another case, the toy may not start or you will have to play with a colossal slowdown of the video graphics and the computer itself, which will not meet the necessary conditions for ideal operation during the game. Of course, no one wants to purchase for themselves something that will not work properly and will not meet the assigned tasks. Therefore, get ready to spend money on the components discussed above.

However, these components are directly dependent on the motherboard with which they are combined. You can save on a motherboard, the main thing is that there is some margin left in its performance for the possibility of upgrading the overall configuration or individual components in the future, if such a need arises. It will only be a plus if the video card is equipped with video outputs, as practice shows, when they are definitely needed.

It is best to choose a quad-core processor, since some games require high performance. When choosing a processor, you need to understand that both AMD and Intel have both their advantages and disadvantages. In a video card for gaming, the DDR indicator may be of interest; it affects the speed of the video card. Modern video cards use DDR5 memory. The higher it is, the better it is for processing graphics of computer toys.

The RAM should be sufficient for gaming, and it is best to have at least four gigabytes for the computer to function correctly while gaming. If there are two memory sticks, the dual-channel RAM operating mode will be automatically activated. The ideal option is considered to be maximum similarity between the manufacturer’s indicators and the frequency indicator. The power supply is suitable for games from 550 Watt.

The drive for optical discs on a computer with this type of use is DVD-R or DVD-RW. The "R" designation indicates that discs can only be read; the "RW" designation indicates that the optical disc drive (or floppy drive) can write to discs. You can save a little money on this device if you don’t really need it.

How to choose the right computer, which is already made in a ready-made assembly? You need to familiarize yourself with all the indicators of the components of which it consists - they are always given in the product description.

In order to choose a computer for work, you need to determine the functional needs of the programs that will be used. If these are accounting programs and programs for storing databases or reporting documents, then you can buy a PC with minimum requirements, since such programs do not require great technical capabilities from the computer.

However, work is different and it happens that some office products may require entire servers to process and store information or to run heavy network programs. In any case, a personal computer for the office will require significantly less money than a computer for gaming. There is no need to plan a high-performance video card in the build, just as you won’t need a high-performance processor to run programs when it comes to working with text documents.

How to choose a computer if you use only office programs at work and nothing more - use the minimum set technical characteristics, computer components that will provide the functional needs of the programs used in the work.

When choosing a video card for an office computer, you can limit yourself to a memory capacity of two to four gigabytes. The video card can be built into motherboard or be a separate fee. The main thing is that its performance is sufficient to process the resolution of the purchased monitor, and there is no distortion of the video signal displayed on the screen. Therefore, when purchasing a system unit for office work, it is best to simultaneously buy a monitor with a full check of the operation of the entire computer system, and the video card, in particular.

The monitor is also selected based on the work it will be provided with. Accounting programs do not require high screen resolution, so you may prefer budget models. If any design projects are being implemented during the work, then you need a monitor with a high screen resolution for correct color reproduction of the work results.

It is enough to install one hard drive if lightweight accounting documents will be stored on it. The capacity of such a disk can be 250 gigabytes. Taking into account the installation of even the most modern operating system on it, the remaining space is quite enough for text documents and installation of the most modern office software (software). If the work requires a larger number of more complex programs and the saved files will weigh more significantly, then it is correct to purchase HDD 320 or 500 gigabytes and this amount of information storage is quite enough for work.

Once you come to the store with your acquaintances or friends and choose the assembly you need according to your parameters, it would be appropriate to say that all ready-made assemblies will not clearly meet your needs, you can only select an approximate assembly or ask them to build your computer from scratch if such a service is provided by the store . The second option may be more consistent with the technical indicators of the planned assembly. There is a third option - buy all the components for the computer and assemble it yourself. This option is suitable for technical gourmets or, conversely, those who like to explore the unknown.
Whatever system unit you choose, with any filling, do not forget to purchase input devices that are mandatory for a computer - mouse and keyboard, and as for the need for audio speakers or a printer, this is at your discretion.

Knowing these indicators, you can independently choose a system unit for your computer. In the store, the price of a system unit always indicates the indicators of the components that are in it. Having the technical indicators you need, you can independently select the personal computer you need for the office, even without consulting a seller.

However, if the seller offers you his help and expresses a desire to advise you which computer is best to choose based on your needs, then you will already be prepared with information and will have a certain idea of ​​what a PC consists of and what set of parts you need needed to solve already known problems.

In order not to overpay extra money, it is better to be at least a minimally informed buyer, and even better if you know how to choose the right computer.