In modern laptops, there are several types of drives (sometimes 2 are installed at once, for example, under the system – SSD, under documents – HDD). A little more about them below.

HDD (hard disk drive)

HDD (hard disk drive) is the most common discs today. All information on such a medium is contained on magnetic disks (plates) located in a sealed case. The magnetic head, quickly moving through them, reads and writes information (by the way, it is because of it that there is a slight grinding and noise when the HDD is working).

Currently, HDDs are outperforming SSDs in terms of speed, but they are much cheaper than them. Therefore, most often resort to combined use: for Windows, you can buy a small SSD drive of 60-100 GB, and for the rest of the HDD, 1-2 TB.

SSD (Solid-state drive)

An SSD (Solid-state drive) is like a “big” flash drive, so it has no moving parts (which means there is no noise, rattling, they do not heat up so much, and are less afraid of a shock). However, they have a serious drawback: their cost is several times higher (at least for now)! In addition, their resource of use is limited: you can write/erase only a certain number of gigabytes.

SSHD (Solid-state hybrid drive)

SSHD (Solid-state hybrid drive) – is a magnetic hard disk in which a small solid-state drive is integrated.

All data is stored, as well as on a hard disk – on magnetic plates, but frequently used information is loaded into specials an area (in the cache memory, a kind of small SSD) for faster access to it. All this works in automatic mode, therefore, the user does not need any complex settings.

SSHD is intended to be something between SSD and HDD, providing high speed, coupled with a large amount of data.

But they have some disadvantages:

• firstly, they are inferior to SSDs in speed, and not much outperform HDDs;
• secondly, the amount of cache memory in them is usually 8 GB ÷ 32 GB – which is clearly not enough for all the data to which fast access is required.

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The computer has long moved from luxury items to the category of the most important technical means. With its help, business is conducted, blocks of necessary information are transmitted at any distance, communication is made with relatives and friends who are in another part of the globe.

Regardless of the purpose for which you are going to buy a computer, you should take it question very seriously, because such equipment is not cheap, and you will use it for many years. Therefore, when choosing a PC should take into account all the nuances – from the manufacturer to the characteristics of each component.

What is better – a PC from the manufacturer or assembly of the device from individual components?

There are several ways to get a new computer. The simplest of them is to purchase a factory assembly. The computer assembled by the manufacturer is usually characterized by the excellent assembly, reliability, and quiet operation.

Those who are buying a computer not the first time, prefer to assemble the device from components. In this case, there are also two options.

Independent assembly. But today it does not save money. You can do it if you have the appropriate knowledge and skills. Moreover, it should not be a superficial knowledge of what parts ensure the operation of the PC, but professional knowledge of the characteristics that must have each component, the compatibility of certain parts, and confident assembly skills, excluding the possibility of involuntary damage to details.

Otherwise, you not only risk overpaying by buying certain components several times, but you are also unlikely to be able to ensure the reliable and productive operation of your computer, which can be achieved only by assembling the most balanced system.

With the necessary experience, when self-assembling a PC, you can achieve the maximum value for money. But it is better to trust professionals.

Professional assembly to your order. The most suitable option if you do not have the necessary skills. But at the same time, you still need to be extremely careful, trust the assembly to a person or company that has a good reputation. You must clearly explain to the professional what responsibilities will be assigned to the future computer. so that he understands what the characteristics of the device are fundamental for you. For example, a processor that fully satisfies the universal PC is absolutely not suitable for a computer for gamers who prefer modern games.

In both cases, the advantage of assembling a computer is the ability to get a device that fully meets your expectations without spending extra money. But there is a downside to this solution, which depends on both the quality of the assembly itself and the performance of the assembled device, from the professionalism of the specialist who conducted the assembly. However, most buyers who know how to choose a PC prefer to assemble a computer than to buy a ready-made unit.

The financial side of choosing a PC

Computer technology today is represented by a huge variety of devices with different characteristics, which are in a wide price range. Depending on the cost of computers can be divided into several groups, each of which is represented by computer technology capable of solving certain problems.

Budget PC. This group is represented by computers, which cost about $500, are able to solve relatively simple tasks: work with text, simple office programs, and Internet resources, watch videos, etc. Some models of this category of computers are even able to play the games of modern creators, but only at the lowest settings, which do not provide a comfortable game.

Universal Desktops, costing up to $800. The category is probably the most popular in the modern computer market. It is represented by devices equipped with quite powerful processors and productive video cards, which determine the possibility of solving quite complex problems and use programs of fairly high capacity. In addition to solving the most complex office tasks, they are able to run modern games at medium (and some – and at the highest settings).

Gaming computers. High power devices that cost more than $800. This category includes high-performance PC, they are able to cope with the most difficult tasks and allowed play the most difficult games at maximum settings, providing the comfort of the game. Their disadvantage is the need for efficient cooling, so some models are characterized by increased noise during operation. The high cost of PCs in this category makes them less popular in the market. They are usually bought by professional gamers or those who are very fond of modern computer games.

Specialized computers. This category consists of PCs that are assembled individually for specific tasks. As a rule, they are equipped with a powerful processor, a productive video card, and several RAM cards.

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Image credit:Anders

What is a good time then?

Usually a PC or a laptop is good for 3 to 4 years after which it becomes obvious that without significant hardware upgrades it may be difficult to operate. The life span of the hard drives (these days) is a couple of years if not shorter, so you are lucky if your PC has not required any hardware replacements during the past couple of years. So, after your computer has been worked for 3-4 years it’s time to look for a good replacment.

What to buy, a PC or a laptop? It all depends on a couple of following factors:
– your computer working environment
– your work office location (office/home)
– your work habits (desk/chair/sofa/bed)
– your projects (engineering & heavy computing/graphic design/internet browsing)
– your travel frequency

I prefer a laptop, a powerful, with 15-16″ display and light. I buy the top of the line so it helps me to stay on top of the performance for good 4 years without too much upgrading.

I can work with on my laptop at my office at my desk, in my house on my bed or sofa, on the airplane or in the cab when I ma traveling. I can connect an external monitor and make my desktop 2-3 time bigger. I can take my laptop to a customer to demo a new product or a presentation. That’s why I like to have a laptop.

When to Buy? On my opinion there is a couple dates when you can save a few bucks on shopping for a computer:
– End of August – go to school sales
– End of November – Thanksgiving sales
– End of December – Christmas sales

At that time all computer manufacturers, online stores and retail stores will be running various sales and it’s time to shop for a new computer.

A couple of suggestions on brands and prices.

First of all don’t buy the cheapest item. There must be something, it’s so cheap. However, there is always an exception. Shop for a good hardware specification such as CPU type, RAM memory, hard drive, video memory and  of course the brand of the laptop is very important

CompactFlash vs. Secure Digital may think people need a new flash memory card format like we need a hole in our heads. Who, after all, has a burning desire to upgrade the 9-in-1 flash card reader to a 10-in-1 model?
An established industry standards group, JEDEC, has a new format it hopes will catch on, though.

Photo credit: Lexar Media

The group already took over standardization of the MultiMediaCard specification that’s chiefly relevant today hidden away inaccessibly in its embedded form, EMMC, that’s used under the covers of various devices.
At the CES show last week, JEDEC members worked to build industry support for a faster successor called Universal Flash Storage (UFS). This specification “has been designed to be the most advanced specification for flash memory-based storage in mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers,” the group said, adding that it expects to publish a specification for it in the first quarter of 2011.

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