Hardware Report

My Scenario

I need a computer that will handle all my schoolwork, videos, music and photos and give me all the conveniences I need when travelling. I need to be able to write major essays, create reports, and assemble schedules and tables. My music and photos, however, would definitely take the bulk of my computer’s storage. It is imperative that I am able to store all of my digital photos and downloaded music onto a computer without greatly affecting its performance.

My family loves to travel. Due to constantly being on the move, I would need to be able to have a stable wireless connection. Lastly, I am dancer who loves to watch many performances, which are critical to improving my dance technique. Because of this, my computer would need to have a DVD player and a CD burner.

I have a lot of computer hardware knowledge, so I don’t need a fantastic warrantee. Overall, I am looking for a sleek computer that can make my life more convenient and successful.

Software Package Requirements

1) Microsoft Office (Student edition with Word, Excel and PPT), so I will need at least: a 500 Mhz processor, 256 MB RAM, 1.5 gb hard disk, 1026*768 monitor resolution, Windows XP or higher.

2) Adobe Elements Studio, so I will need at least 2GHz processor, Windows/XP, 1 GB RAM, 1.5 GB Hard disk space, Color monitor with 16 bit color video card and 1026*768 resolution.

Table of Components

Laptop or Desktop?	Laptop
Computer Manufacturer	Dell
Computer Model	XPS M1530
Warrantee	3Yr In-Home Service
Ethernet Port	Yes
USB Port	6
Firewire Port	No
System Protection Software	Trend Micro Internet Security 24-months
Graphics Card	128MB NVIDIA^® GeForce^® 8400M GS
Operating System	Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition
Backup Device	Use Dell’s Online Storage Setup with a free 1 year subscription and plan to buy an external drive before the end of next year.
Monitor	HighResolution glossy widescreen 15.4 inch LCD(1680x1050)
RAM Type	Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
RAM Size	3GB
Hard Drive Type	Hard Drive Free Fall Sensor
Hard Drive Size	200GB
Processor Company	Intel
Processor Model	Core™ 2 Duo T7250
Processor Speed	2.0GHz
Printer Type	HP3333 Laser Printer
Printer Memory	32 MB
Optical Storage	Slot Load DVD+/-RW (DVD/CD read/write)
Does MS Word come with no extra cost?	No
Primary Battery Life	56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion
Built-in Camera?	Yes
Sound Description	HighDefinition Audio 2.0
Wi-Fi	Yes 802.11n
Photo Software	Adobe Elements Studio
Does a music media application come with computer with no extra cost?	Yes

Processor

I chose the Intel Core™ 2 Duo T7250 processor, even though it was very difficult to choose between the two leading processor’s, AMD Athlon 64 and Intel Core™ 2 Duo. The AMD Athlon 64 single-core processors are less expensive, and have about the same energy efficiency. However, Intel Core™ 2 Duo had multiple core processing. This gives it the ability to process high definition graphics quickly to make both video entertainment and photo editing extremely convenient, and it is as energy efficient as the AMD Athlon 64. When compared to the AMD Athlon 64, the Intel Core™ 2 Duo is definitely more suitable for me because it is quieter and faster.

Printer

I decided to choose a Black and White Laser printer because I usually just print homework and occasionally some small pictures. I can print those occasional pictures in the library. I liked the lower cost per page of the laser printer so I won’t have to worry about printing many pages. I won’t need to replace the cartridge during the semester. It cost a little more for the laser printer, but it is worth the ease of printing.

Hard Drive & RAM

I have decided to go with the Dell XPS M1530 laptop’s new Free Fall Sensor hard drive feature. Dell XPS M1530 uses this new and secure type of hard drive protection to keep the hard drive from being destroyed when the laptop falls. I will still backup my files as I know the hard drive still wont last forever.

Until now, I have always been very hesitant when considering a laptop computer. Unlike a desktop, it is much easier to drop a laptop when traveling or even when just walking around the house. The free fall sensor, a new device, can protect a computer’s hard drive from being ruined by a physical fall. It works by moving the read/write head on a hard drive away from the disc itself. Along with this new technological security, 200 GB is definitely more than enough space for all of my music, photos, videos and document files. I chose such a large hard drive so that I can keep years of videos and photos without having to remove older ones.

I chose the 3 GB of RAM because Adobe Photoshop Elements required 2 GB minimum. I wanted to be able to run Photoshop with many other programs, so I needed more than 2 GB.

Bibliography

"AMD Introduces AMD Athlon Desktop Processors." TELECOMWORLDWIRE 20 Feb. 2007. Academic Search Premier. LexisNexis Academic. 21 Feb. 2008.

Intel Corporation. "Intel Core™ 2 Duo." Intel. 21 Feb. 2008 <http://www.intel.com/greatcomputing/index.htm>.

Keith, Andrew. "More At Stake in Blu-Ray, HD DVD War." New Straits Times (Malaysia) 18 Jan. 2007. Academic Search Premier. LexisNexis Academic. 21 Feb. 2008.

Opinions And Letters. "Downtime." Computer Weekly 7 Apr. 2007. Academic Search Premier. LexisNexis Academic. 21 Feb. 2008.

Toshiba Corp. "Toshiba Introduces New 320GB Small Form Factor Hard Drive." TelcomWorldwire 22 Aug. 2007. Academic Search Premier. LexisNexis Academic. 21 Feb. 2008.