A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining, and Troubleshooting, Sixth Edition Chapter 9, Part 11 Satisfying Customer Needs

© Cengage Learning 2014 Customizing Systems A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 2

© Cengage Learning 2014 Customizing Computer Systems Important principles to keep in mind when customizing a system for a customer: o Meet application requirements – consider any special hardware the applications might require Such as digital tablet for graphics applications o Balance functionality and budget Put the most money on hardware components that are most needed for primary purpose o Consider hardware compatibility Start with motherboard and processor A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 3

© Cengage Learning 2014 Graphics or CAD/CAM Workstation Graphics-intensive applications perform complex calculations and require high-end workstations with high-end video cards A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 4

© Cengage Learning 2014 Graphics or CAD/CAM Workstation Requirements for high-end workstations: o Use a motherboard that provides quad channels for memory and plenty of memory slots (for lots of RAM) o Use a powerful multicore processor with a large CPU cache o Use fast hard drives with plenty of capacity o Use a high-end video card A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 5

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 6 Figure 9-18 This ultra-high-end video card by NVIDIA costs almost $4,000

© Cengage Learning 2014 Audio and Video Editing Workstation Audio and Video editing workstations require a mid- range to high-end workstation: o Use a motherboard that supports dual, triple, or quad channel memory running at least 1600 MHz RAM speed o Use a Core i7 or higher processor o Install at least 16 GB RAM; more is better A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 7

© Cengage Learning 2014 Audio and Video Editing Workstation Audio and Video editing workstations require a mid- range to high-end workstation: o Select a good video card that has a GeForce GTX graphics processor or better o Use a double-sided, dual layer DVD burner o Install one or more fast and large hard drives A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 8

© Cengage Learning 2014 Virtualization Workstation Virtualization: one physical machine hosts multiple activities that are normally done on multiple machines Requirements for a virtual machine computer: o Processor should be a multicore processor o Need extra amounts of RAM when a computer is running several VMs o Each VM must have an OS installed Make sure you have adequate hard drive space for each VM A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 9

© Cengage Learning 2014 Virtualization Workstation Virtualization: one physical machine hosts multiple activities that are normally done on multiple machines A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 10

© Cengage Learning 2014 Virtualization Workstation Requirements for a virtual machine computer: o Processor should be a multicore processor o Need extra amounts of RAM when a computer is running several VMs o Each VM must have an OS installed Make sure you have adequate hard drive space for each VM A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 11

© Cengage Learning 2014 Gaming PC Gaming PCs require powerful processors and high-end video and sound cards o Some gamers overclock their CPUs or use dual video cards Must also ensure cooling methods are adequate Today, gamers can purchase PCs built specifically for gaming enthusiasts A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 12

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 13 Figure 9-21 A group of Intel Core i5 or Core i7 gaming PCs

© Cengage Learning 2014 Home Theater PC A custom-built HTPC needs to include: o Applications software o HDMI port to connect video output to television o Cable TV input o Satellite TV input o Internet access o Remote control A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 14

© Cengage Learning 2014 Home Theater PC A custom-built HTPC needs to include: o Low background noise o Surround sound o Case form factor – small enough to fit on a shelf of an entertainment center A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 15

© Cengage Learning 2014 Home Server PC Home server PC is useful to share files among several computers on a small home network A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 16

© Cengage Learning 2014 Home Server PC Features and hardware to consider: o A processor with moderate power o Storage speed and capacity need to be maximized o Network transfers need to be fast, especially for streaming videos and movies o Printer sharing o Onboard video works well o Windows 7 can be used, but Windows Home Server 2011 is a better option A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 17

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 18 Figure 9-22 Dual TV tuner card with IR remote lets you watch and record two TV programs at the same time

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 19 Figure 9-23 The AVerMedia AVerTV HD DVR (CO27) video capture card has two HDMI input ports and uses a PCIe x1 expansion slot

© Cengage Learning 2014 Thick Client and Thin Client Virtualization server: provides a virtual desktop for users on multiple client machines A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 20

© Cengage Learning 2014 Thick Client and Thin Client Thick client (also called fat client): regular desktop computer or laptop that is used as a client by a virtualization server A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 21

© Cengage Learning 2014 Thick Client and Thin Client Thin client: a computer that has an OS but has little computer power and might only need to support a browser used to communicate with the server o Server does most of the processing o To reduce costs, configure it to meet only the minimum requirements for Windows A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 22

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 23 Figure 9-26 A virtualization server provides a desktop to each client computer or appliance

© Cengage Learning 2014 A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC, 8th Edition 24 Table 7-1 Minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Windows 7