stay Running Milk Cool Blog When I saw this popular science article on computer configuration, it was written in a clear and detailed way and was easy to understand, so I moved the original text.
Some time ago, I upgraded the computer configuration for my "master machine". Today, I will tell you some of my experience on computer configuration. I'm sure you won't be cheated by profiteers when you go to the computer city. You can also clap your chest and say, "Mei Bang, don't worry! It's my responsibility. I'm sure it's both easy to use and cheap." This article is a popular science article for a wide range of installed users, Therefore, professional terms and industry slang have been avoided as far as possible. This article is only for reference. Well, today I am your installation master.
Master hardware knowledge
When purchasing computer hardware, you will see various models and parameters, through which you can preliminarily judge the quality of a computer hardware. The following is an example of a brand with a large market share. Let's talk about the basic knowledge of hardware in various parts of the computer.
1、 Processor CPU
1. At present, Intel and AMD are two major brands in the market, and Intel has an absolute dominant position in the market. AMD fought a turnaround battle by relying on the "AMD Ryzen" Ryzen series processors (only Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 can be considered when purchasing AMD processors). The processor name is usually followed by a parameter similar to 3.50GHz, which represents the main frequency of the processor. Generally, the higher the main frequency, the better the performance is, but it is not the only criterion for judging whether it is good or bad.
2. The Celeron family and Atom family of Intel processors are too old and have been eliminated from the market. It is not recommended to buy them. Pentium family products still occupy a certain market in low-end processors. The Xeon family is positioned as a server processor, which is characterized by multi-core multithreading, large cache, and low dominant frequency. At the same time, there are some products with few cores, small cache, and high dominant frequency for desktop home use. Only Core family products are recommended for home processors, and the specific selection depends on your budget.
3. Processors are divided into desktop CPUs and notebook CPUs. Due to technical limitations, the performance of desktop CPUs is generally much higher than that of notebook CPUs. The notebook CPU product name will be followed by the suffix M, The K suffix can be used for overclocking. The low-power version of the desktop CPU is of little significance. The U and Y suffixes of the notebook CPU are used for thin and light notebooks such as Ultrabooks. The performance is shrunk to improve the endurance. The two letter suffixes are a combination of suffixes. For example, M is a mobile version, X is a premium version, and XM is a mobile premium version.
4. Processors are generally sold in the form of boxed CPUs and bulk CPUs. There is no essential difference between bulk CPUs and boxed CPUs, and there is no quality problem. The boxed CPU has its own heat sink for three years, while the bulk CPU is not guaranteed by a radiator store for one year, but the price of the bulk CPU is much cheaper than the boxed CPU. In fact, there is no difference between genuine and counterfeit CPUs, because there is no way to counterfeit such high-tech intensive products as CPUs, and there is no concept of warranty for CPUs. Warranty is equivalent to replacement.
5. You can draw a conclusion by comparing the quality of the two CPUs in the CPU name, but if you want to know how big the difference is, you can go to CPUBOSS This website can also compare scores through the“ Ladder diagram "For comparison, a more detailed sky ladder diagram is recommended Baidu Notebook Bar Done CPU ladder diagram , using the percentage method to compare, software testing is recommended to use the well-known CPUZ 。
2、 Memory RAM
1. The full name of memory is random access memory, RAM in English, Random Access Memory in full. Memory is the place where CPU can read and write data directly, and it is the data transfer station. Memory speed is extremely fast. When a program runs, the computer will put all the data needed for the program to run into memory. Just like when we eat, we don't eat directly with the rice cooker, but eat with a bowl.
2. The quality of memory also determines the quality of computer operation. The frequency of memory is generally the same, mostly 1600. The most important factor affecting memory is the total capacity of memory. Using large memory can make the computer run more smoothly. For example, you can open multiple programs at the same time without feeling stuck, and the switching speed between programs is faster. You don't need to close this effect to save memory and optimize that setting. At the same time, the maximum memory usage of a 32-bit system is 2.9Gb. Even if you install 16Gb of memory, the available memory is only 2.9Gb. Therefore, a 64 bit operating system is recommended.
3. It is worth mentioning that sometimes we will hear someone say "my computer has 500G of memory", which is obviously incorrect. Memory is memory, hard disk is hard disk, and the difference between memory and hard disk can also be compared with the above saying "we eat not directly with rice cooker but with bowls".
3、 Hard disk
1. Hard disk is the memory of computer data, which stores all files in the computer, including the computer system itself. There are mainly two kinds of hard disks on the market: mechanical hard disk (HDD) and solid state disk (SSD). Without special reference, hard disk is often referred to as mechanical hard disk. To put it simply, the mechanical hard disk is used to store data on magnetic disks, and the solid state disk is used to store data on chips. The solid state hard disk has the incomparable reading and writing speed of the mechanical hard disk, and the mechanical hard disk has the characteristics of file deletion and recovery.
2. Because the mechanical hard disk uses the principle of high-speed rotating disks and heads to read and write data back and forth, the wear of different programs will occur after the mechanical hard disk is used for a long time, which will lead to physical badness. The physical badness is irreparable. There are usually some "signs" of physical badness. For example, sometimes the computer has a special card, the mouse moves like a slide, and sometimes the inexplicable blue screen crashes. According to the frequency of personal use, my experience is that the mechanical hard disk needs to be replaced in about five years. To deal with mechanical hard disk damage, we need to avoid high-intensity vibration, frequent power trips, unplug the power supply directly, and do not force the shutdown. Instead, we should use the system's shutdown button, and do not use the computer for high-intensity and long time.
3. The mechanical hard disk has the characteristics of file deletion and recovery. We have the feeling that the speed of copying files is very slow, while the speed of deleting files is very fast. The reason is not that the files are actually deleted, but that they are marked as deleted. The location of the deleted files may be recovered through data recovery software before they are overwritten by other files, Data recovery companies use the same approach. Therefore, when we delete a file by mistake, we should stop the operation immediately, because the location occupied by the file may be overwritten, and it will never be found again.
4. The solid state disk uses flash memory particle chip. Compared with mechanical disk, the solid state disk has a lighter body and better shock resistance. It has no mechanical transmission mechanism, so the life of the solid state disk is very long, generally more than 20 years. Generally, the computer is the first to hang the solid state disk. Of course, there are differences in the performance of different SSDs. There are SLC flash memory particles with the longest life and the most expensive price, MLC flash memory particles with the middle life and price, and TLC flash memory particles with the shortest life and the lowest price. Compare the difference between the two SSDs on the website SSDBOSS You can also use the Baidu graphics bar Made SSD Ladder Diagram To compare, software is recommended AS SSD Benchmark To query.
5. In fact, the essence of using computers is the process of constantly reading and writing various files in computers. The speed of reading and writing hard disk data affects the smoothness of computer operation. We often say that the computer starts slowly and the software takes a long time to open, not because the computer is poorly configured, but because the reading and writing speed of the hard disk cannot keep up. The use of solid state disk has greatly improved the smoothness of using the computer. The common practice is to adopt a hybrid scheme of SSD+HDD, where SSD is used for system and software storage, and HDD is used for data storage. No matter HDD or SSD, it is only recommended to buy first-line brands. At the same time, it is only recommended to buy in the official website store or the officially authorized store. The expensive part of the money is for the security and stability of computer data.
4、 Graphics GPU
1. The graphics card is an important part of the computer, which undertakes the task of outputting display graphics and assists the CPU to improve the overall running speed. For example, when we play the game, the CPU is responsible for calculating the monster's blood volume, and the graphics card is responsible for rendering the scene when you fight with the monster. This not only reduces the burden of the CPU, but also improves the smoothness of the game.
2. A graphics card consists of GPU, fan, capacitor and other components. Its core component is the GPU (display core), which is the heart of the graphics card and is equivalent to the role of CPU in the computer. Now there are only two GPU manufacturing companies: NVIDIA and AMD. These two companies will name a GPU after it is produced, such as GTX960 GTX970, GTX1080Ti, etc. will be delivered to downstream video card manufacturers (such as Yingchi, Qihonghong) to be assembled into video cards. These video cards are called "non-public video cards". When they are sold, the name of their own manufacturer will be added before the "display core model" as a prefix to distinguish them from other manufacturers.
3. The video card manufacturer also adds a suffix after the product name to indicate the positioning of the video card according to the different production processes. Taking Yingchi as an example, the suffix of "black generals" and other generals is entry level graphics cards, and "Gamer" is fever level graphics cards. The "Hall of Fame" is far superior to other series in terms of materials and performance, and belongs to Yingchi's top products. For example, the performance of the Cinema Benz GTX960 Hall of Fame is much higher than that of the GTX960 Black. Different video card manufacturers have their own suffixes. For example, Qihonghong's top product is called "Jiuduan", and Gigabyte's top product is called "Firefly". NVIDIA itself will also produce some graphics cards, but they are often new products and high-end graphics cards. These graphics cards are called "public graphics cards". Public graphics cards have luxury materials and high stability, but they are also expensive and do not focus on functions.
4. The website can be used to compare the performance of the two video cards GPUBOSS You can also refer to Desktop video card ladder diagram and Notebook video card ladder diagram , more detailed recommendation of ladder diagram Pacific Network Of Desktop video card ladder diagram and Notebook video card ladder diagram , recommended for software detection GPU-Z 。
5、 Motherboard
1. The motherboard is also one of the important components of the computer. It provides an installation platform for CPU, memory, hard disk, graphics card, keyboard, mouse, monitor and other components to connect them. Due to the different pins of different generation CPUs, you need to select a matching motherboard when purchasing motherboards. Series 6 and 7 are generation 2 and generation 3 CPUs corresponding to LGA 1155 pin, series 8 are generation 4 and generation 5 CPUs corresponding to LGA 1150 pin, and series 100 and 200 are generation 6 and generation 7 CPUs corresponding to LGA 1151 pin.
2. The difference between high-end mainboards and low-end mainboards lies in materials, BIOS design, functionality (overclocking) and extensibility (more interfaces). However, the same series of mainboards will have the same interfaces, and there will not be a huge gap between one motherboard and the other. The high-end and low-end of the motherboard will not affect the CPU performance, nor will it affect the performance of the graphics card.
3. The motherboard is a functional but non performance accessory, so unlike CPU and GPU, the motherboard has a performance ladder diagram. When purchasing motherboards, you can choose the motherboards made by the second tier companies according to your own budget. You can also choose the first tier companies such as ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI. You can choose the entry-level motherboards such as the H series, or the cost-effective motherboards such as the B series. As long as the motherboards themselves are of good quality, can be adapted, have sufficient interfaces, and do not need to overclock, any motherboard is OK, Large boards can be selected considering space and heat dissipation, and small boards can be selected regardless. On the one hand, high-end cars can be compared with ordinary cars.
6、 Power supply and display
Finally, let's briefly talk about the power supply, monitor, sound card and network card. Power supply is a link that should be paid enough attention to. Generally, other hardware of the computer is not easy to break. If it breaks down, most of it is related to the power supply. The stability of the power supply is directly related to the service life of the whole computer. Cheap power supply is easy to make computers suffer from such and other problems. When purchasing power supply, first, do not let the actual maximum power of the computer exceed 70% of the rated power of the power supply. Second, buy a brand power supply that has good reputation and high sales volume separately. Do not choose the kind of shop that buys chassis to deliver power.
The display is mainly divided into ordinary TN screen and IPS screen. The most obvious difference between ordinary TN screen and IPS screen is that the TN screen will collapse when pressed by hand, which is our impression of "LCD screen". IPS screen is relatively hard. IPS screens have many advantages over ordinary TN screens, such as wider color gamut, more colorful colors, and better visual angle. The screen can not be seen clearly from four perspectives. However, the TN screen is still very expensive in terms of cost performance, but if it is a brand new purchase, I recommend the IPS screen. Especially for people in the design industry, whether it is 2K or 4K high-definition screen depends on your budget.
Most motherboards now have integrated sound cards and network cards. If there is no special requirement for sound quality, there is no need to install a separate sound card. If you don't need wireless Internet access, you don't need to install an independent network card. And now the wireless network card has changed to a USB interface.
How do I choose a computer?
1. Desktop or laptop?
Students often go on business trips and work mobile, so they choose laptops for convenience. The performance of the desktop computer is higher than that of the notebook computer, so choose the desktop computer for high performance. The desktop computer with the same configuration is much cheaper than the notebook computer. The price factor is desktop computer. Desktop computers can be upgraded to some hardware to achieve long-term use, while laptops have little space for upgrading and have a service life of about five years. After five years, they will age and their performance will not keep up with the times.
2. Brand machine or assembly machine?
Branded machines are generally produced by large companies, which often undergo strict performance tests before leaving the factory. They are stable, durable, and generally convenient for people, companies, and government agencies to choose from, but brand machines are expensive and cannot be upgraded. The assembly machine is flexible in configuration and easy to upgrade, and its cost performance is also higher than that of the brand machine. People with DIY hands-on ability choose the assembly machine.
3. In store or online?
If you go to a physical store to buy, the seller's quotation will definitely be higher, and if you buy online, it will be cheaper. You can first go to the physical store in Computer City, and then go online to buy. Taobao Jingdong is OK. Jingdong is relatively reassuring, Taobao will be cheaper, and Taobao will be replaced with the old, so you need to pay attention to screening.
4. Can I buy the complete machine online?
The whole machine is that the merchant has configured all the hardware for you, and it can be used after receiving the goods and plugging in the power. However, it is not recommended here. Merchants will talk about a high-performance hardware and shrink it on other hardware, or this hardware is the beggar version of this version. The computer parts you bought can be installed by yourself. If you can't install them, you can take them to the computer repair shop's master. By the way, you can install a system. The assembly fee is generally not too expensive.
5. Can I buy second-hand hardware?
CPUs can be bought second-hand. CPUs can be used in any way. First, CPUs cannot be copied. Second, CPUs are very durable and rarely break down. They can be said to be the most durable parts in computer hardware. Memory is the second durable component. As long as the memory capacity is the same, the gap between different brands is very small. You can buy the one with the largest sales volume directly from the search results. It's OK to buy a new or high-end second-hand motherboard. It's needless to say that you must buy a new hard disk, and you must buy a first-line brand. The water in the second-hand video card is very deep. The core of the video card will not have problems. The problem is often the fan. If you are inexperienced, it is recommended not to buy a second-hand video card.
6. Is it necessary to install SSD?
It is highly recommended to start with SSDs. SSDs greatly improve the power on speed and file opening speed. It is a flying experience. Anyone who uses it knows that 128G or 256G can be used to install the system.
7. How do I start configuring my PC?
First of all, we should make clear the use and budget of computers. It is a rascal to talk about configuration without use and budget. The second is to understand that there is a "marginal effect" in configuring computers. The benefits of upgrading from low-end to mid end are very obvious, but the benefits of upgrading from mid end to high-end will gradually decrease. At this time, you need to spend a lot of money to improve a small amount of performance. Third, understand that there is also a "cask effect" in configuring computers. The performance of computers is determined by all hardware. If the performance of one hardware is particularly low, it will certainly affect the performance of other hardware. You can use the Pacific Network DIY simulation installation Or Zhongguancun Online Analog accumulator To determine the general configuration. There are three situations:
(1) , office and household type. The main purposes include browsing web pages, processing documents, sending and receiving mailboxes, watching videos, running lightweight games (such as League of Heroes, DOTA). Choosing a medium to low configuration is enough to meet the requirements. You can mainly spend money on the CPU, and do not need a graphics card.
(2) , large game type. Large games will involve 3D and rendering, so it is necessary to have independent graphics cards, otherwise the game will run like a slide. Here we can consider using the "low CPU high graphics card" matching method, as well as Internet cafes with their computers.
(3) , graphic design type. It is usually necessary to run graphics and video software such as Photoshop, After Effect, Premiere, and 3Dmax. If Photoshop does not involve 3D and rendering, office and home configurations can be used. In other cases, independent video cards need to be installed. This has greatly improved the processing speed of the software. You can choose QUADRO professional video cards, but they are often expensive, You can also use the GeForce game graphics card to replace it. After all, it will be cheaper.
ending
Computer is the crystallization of human wisdom, so we can compare a computer to a person. CPU can be understood as human brain, and operating system can be understood as human thinking mode. Computers without system installation are a pile of cold objects, just like people who have no thought will become dead. Some people use Windows, some people use Linux, and some people use Mac. Their thinking methods are different but their purposes are the same. Memory can be understood as people's short-term memory, to preserve what we are doing at the moment. A hard disk can be understood as a person's long-term memory, preserving things we remember for a long time. Sometimes it takes a long time to remember an item, just like the hard disk reading speed slows down. Sometimes it is hard to remember an item, just like the hard disk has lost bad data. Our efficiency is the highest when we concentrate on doing something, just like when a computer runs only one program, the speed is the most smooth. When a computer program runs more, it will appear that "the memory cannot be read", or even directly blue screen, just like when people think more, they will become tired and need to rest.
Sometimes the computer is like a living person. You need to take care of him. If you don't take care of him, he will get sick (malfunction). If he works too much, he will lose his temper and strike (the memory cannot be read, or even directly blue screen). If he is overworked, he will become ill (if the overclocking is too light, he will not be able to start the system, and if the overclocking is too heavy, he will burn the motherboard). But most of the time, he is a friend of ours. He has accompanied us through countless long nights, making us know a lot of people, learning a lot of knowledge, and taking us into the wider world. Sometimes he helps you to complete various tasks, and sometimes he will secretly play games with you. If the computers for many years need to be replaced, I really can't bear to part with this old friend.
