Desktop computers, a type of micro computer, fit on a desktop and are used widely in offices and home. Personal computers or home computers, workstations, internet servers and special communications computers are four types of desktop computers used. Desktop computers are widely used in household, schools, business as these computers are very cheap.
The desktop computers are normally modular and its components can be easily upgraded or replaced. These are available in elegant case styles. They are used for carrying various tasks like organizing digital photos, office tasks, editing of video and accessing Internet.
Micro Instrumentation Telemetry System (MITS) 8800 offered the first desktop type system in 1975. The launch of this variety of computer encouraged scores of other companies to produce personal computers. In 1977, Tandy Corporation (Radio Shack) launched its model of personal computers having a keyboard and CRT. In the same year the Commodore PET and Apple II were also released market and these are forerunners of today`s Desktop computers.
Introduction of IBM PC, in 1981 by IBM, was a milestone in the field of Personal Computer. Based on Intel`s 8088 microprocessor, it became a success overnight. The introduction of a 16 bit microprocessor paved way for more powerful and faster micros. Also standardization in computer industry could be made as IBM PC used an operating system which was available to all the computer manufacturers. Apple Mac PC using Motorola 68000 is another series of 32 bit popular personal computers launched by Apple in 1984.
A modern desktop computer consists of Display Motherboard, CPU, Primary storage (RAM), Expansion cards, Power supply, Optical disc drive, Secondary Storage(HDD), Keyboard, Mouse.
All the desktop computers come with ports which allow plugging different external devices into the computer viz, keyboards, monitors, scanners, printers.The different type of ports are Universal serial bus, Ethernet, Modem, Headphone, Serial, Parallel, PS/2, VGA, Power connection, Fire wire, and Card reader.
You should surf the internet to check for detail guides available before purchasing a desktop computer. A few important points are listed here which may help you to have an informed purchasing decision:
Processors (CPUs): It is a very difficult choice to make between an Intel processor and an AMD. The main difference comes in the relative speed and number of cores in the processor. You should refer for the detail information on this in the internet sites.
Memory (RAM): It is best to have at least 1 GB memory system and older DDR memory standard should be avoided. For better performance, faster memories are must and ensure that future upgrades of memory are possible.
Hard Drives: 250 GB or more storage space is best to have in present days. Serial ATA interface is used in most drives now for ease of installation.
Optical Drives (CD/DVD): Multiformat DVD burner which can support both +R/RW and -R/RW with a 16x recordable speed are best to have in desktop computers.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Intel ATOM 230 versus VIA Nano L2100 - Battle of the Mini-ITX Platforms
The Battle of Mini-ITX Platforms
The Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors have been making a ton of noise in the market place as they are inexpensive, energy efficient and fit into sleek and sexy devices that consumers are looking for today. The day the VIA Nano processor was announced I was actually at Centaur Technologies down in Austin, Texas meeting with Gleen Henry where I got to see some Nano processors being produced right before my eyes. I had to wait nearly a month to get a VIA reference board in my hands with a VIA Nano processor, but it has been worth the wait. Since I have already covered the basics and introduced the Nano processor in my Centaur Technologies Tour article we will jump straight into things.
Intel Mini-ITX
Armed with the VIA Nano processor and the Intel Atom processor, I can now do a direct performance comparison against two of the most talked about processors for 2008. The VIA Nano reference platform we were sent isn't a retail product, so keep that in mind while reading the rest of the article. The Intel Atom was tested on the D945GCLF, which is a retail product you can purchase today for $66 plus shipping.
Intel Atom Versus VIA Nano Chart
These two platforms might both be using Mini-ITX motherboards, but the features do differ between the very different processors. The VIA Nano processor is built using 65nm process technology (the Atom uses 45nm) and it's major claim to fame is the 64-bit Superscalar Speculative Out-Of-Order MicroArchitecture. Will this be enough to keep the Intel Atom processor at bay? Let's take a look a closer look at the test systems and find out which one is faster in the benchmarks!
The Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors have been making a ton of noise in the market place as they are inexpensive, energy efficient and fit into sleek and sexy devices that consumers are looking for today. The day the VIA Nano processor was announced I was actually at Centaur Technologies down in Austin, Texas meeting with Gleen Henry where I got to see some Nano processors being produced right before my eyes. I had to wait nearly a month to get a VIA reference board in my hands with a VIA Nano processor, but it has been worth the wait. Since I have already covered the basics and introduced the Nano processor in my Centaur Technologies Tour article we will jump straight into things.
Intel Mini-ITX
Armed with the VIA Nano processor and the Intel Atom processor, I can now do a direct performance comparison against two of the most talked about processors for 2008. The VIA Nano reference platform we were sent isn't a retail product, so keep that in mind while reading the rest of the article. The Intel Atom was tested on the D945GCLF, which is a retail product you can purchase today for $66 plus shipping.
Intel Atom Versus VIA Nano Chart
These two platforms might both be using Mini-ITX motherboards, but the features do differ between the very different processors. The VIA Nano processor is built using 65nm process technology (the Atom uses 45nm) and it's major claim to fame is the 64-bit Superscalar Speculative Out-Of-Order MicroArchitecture. Will this be enough to keep the Intel Atom processor at bay? Let's take a look a closer look at the test systems and find out which one is faster in the benchmarks!
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