Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
magical. And unlike completing a puzzle, a painting, or a model that remains
static once constructed, the PC provides years of dynamic entertainment,
exploration, education, and excitement.
The Joys of Using Your Own PC
Building a PC is like building a home. Once you're done with construction,
you get to settle into your new surroundings. Indeed, the whole reason you
build a PC is so that you can use it to do the things you couldn't do without
it.
For example, software developers will be able to boot into the operating system
(OS) at lightning speed, zip around their development environment, and
compile and test their software faster than ever before. Video enthusiasts will
be able to use sophisticated nonlinear editors to scrub through raw video
faster than ever before. And gamers will be able to run the very latest cutting-
edge games at their highest audiovisual settings. Doing so will exceed the
graphics capabilities of the latest game consoles and provide the best gaming
experience compared to any other computing platform.
Choices, Choices, Choices
The blessing and curse of PC hardware is the fact that it is modular. Each
major component can be swapped out with offerings from a variety of
manufacturers. As a result, choosing the right part for the job can require a
considerable investment in time to competently learn the jargon associated
with that part and the believable benefits that each manufacturer has to offer.
For example, in the power-supply category, manufacturer Corsair offers eight
different classifications, with several products within each. Multiply this by
the dozens of other PC power-supply companies, and deciding which one to
buy for your computer can be downright paralyzing. The same thing holds
true for CPUs, RAM, graphics cards, MOBOs, and other components—it takes
years to become a master in each category.
Fortunately, this topic will cut through the bewildering assortment of parts
by specifically identifying which manufacturer and product model will build
an awesome PC for 2014 and beyond. It won't be a bleeding-edge PC, but one
that optimizes the cost-versus-performance curve to deliver a machine for
less than $2,000. It will also have enough future-proofing to keep it on the
leading edge for years to come.
