Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Determining Functional Requirements
We began by sitting down to think through our own requirements for a bud-
get PC. Here's the list of functional requirements we came up with:
Reliability
Reliability is important for a budget PC, just as it is for any computer. Al-
though our limited budget may force us to make minor compromises in
reliability—such as using a lower-capacity power supply than we might
otherwise choose—we'll still keep reliability firmly in mind as we select
components. When we're forced to choose—as we inevitably will be—
among performance, capacity, or features versus reliability, we'll always
favor the latter.
Adequate performance
In order to be useful, a budget PC must perform adequately. Cheap
consumer-grade PCs are often obsolete the day they're unpacked. Most
of them have slow processors, insufficient memory, small hard drives,
and very poor integrated video. That's simply not good enough. For our
budget PC, we'll aim for a performance level that matches that of a main-
stream or performance PC manufactured a year to 18 months earlier. That
means we'll need a processor in the 2.5+ GHz class (or a slightly slower
dual-core model), at least 2 GB of memory, a 7,200 RPM hard drive of
reasonable capacity, and either fast integrated video or an inexpensive
standalone video adapter.
Usable peripherals
Cheap consumer-grade PCs always scrimp on peripherals. A typical cheap
mass-market system is bundled with a $2 mouse, a $3 keyboard, a $3 set
of speakers, a $20 DVD drive, and a $75 monitor, none of which are good
for anything but the trash bin. We can do better than that, even within the
constraints of our tight budget. We'll have to spend an extra $5 here and
$20 there, but we'll end up with solid, usable peripherals that are likely to
last for the life of the system.
Noise level
There's little room in the budget for special quiet components, but that
doesn't mean a budget PC must necessarily be noisy. We'll choose the qui-
etest components available in our price range, always giving price and re-
liability high priority, but keeping noise level in mind as well. For example,
two hard drives may be priced identically, but one may be literally twice as
loud as the other. The same is true of other components, such as cases and
power supplies. By choosing carefully, we can build a budget PC that is
much quieter than a similar but noisier configuration that costs the same.
