Computer Comparison 1
Running head: COMPUTER COMPARISON
Computer Comparison
Erica Weathersbee
Augusta,GA
Computer Comparison 2
Abstract
The following information compares two different desktop computers, Dell Inspiron 530 and
Gateway GT5647. Through out this paper the information about the specification from the
various machines was obtained using the website CNet Reviews. The various parts and
specification of the machines are discussed, personal accounts of how they work, and look into
upgrading the machines is reviewed. In the end the decision about choosing a computer is
leaning toward the Gateway GT5647. This computer will provide more room for expansion.
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Category
Dell Inspiron
Gateway
Model
Number/Name
Dell Inspiron 530
Gateway GT5674
1.8GHz Intel Pentium E2160
Main Processor
Intel Core Duo E2160 / 1.8 GHz
Dual-Core
Clock Speed 1.8 GHz
Front Side Bus
Speed
Ram
Expansion
Ram Possible
Ports and
expansion Slots
AMD Phenom X4 9500
Clock Speed 2.2GHz
Quad-Core
64 Bit Processor
3600 MHz
2 GB / 4 GB (max)
Memory speed 667 MHz
3 GHz
PCi Expansion Slot
Bays for Optical drive and Hard
drives
4 memory Slots
2 Memory Card Slots
Two PCI Express Slots
6 USB 2.0 Ports
Hard Drive
1 x 320 GB - Standard - S-ATA 7200
Possible for 1 more hard drive
Base price
1 x 500 GB - Standard - Serial ATA300 - 7200 rpm
Possible for 2 more hard drives
$818
$708
Colors and
Resolution of
Monitor
Extras- cd-rom,
modems, zip
drives etc.
Resolution 1440 x 900
Display Colors 16.2 Million
Resolution 1440 x 900
Display Colors 16.2 Million
16X Dual-layer DVD burner
DVD±RW / DVD-RAM
Graphics Card-
Graphics 12MB (Shared) Nvidia
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128MBNvidia GeForce 8300 GS
GeForce6150SE
Media card Reader
Bluetooth
Multiformat media card reader
6 USB 2.0 Ports
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Computer Comparison
Camp Longridge is a Christian organization that is interested in purchasing new
computers for various functions at the camp. We will need new computers that can handle
Photoshop, and video editing. While other computer are just for internet access, creating word
documents, spreadsheets, and accessing databases. There is a budget for the organization, but
there is also a need for a high quality desktop computer that can fulfill the needs of the camp.
Therefore through research we have selected two top notch desktop computers to consider
purchasing for Camp use.
The first computer is a Dell Inspiron 530. This computer has several great features. This
computer has a Pentium processor and comes with 2GB of ram, a graphics card, DVD burner,
Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, and more (Cnet Networks, 1998). The
benefits of this computer are that it does have a graphics card is a GeForce 8300 GS card that has
its own memory so it will not take off the main system RAM for video purposes. There is also
2GB of video RAM installed. The Dell has built in Bluetooth with the media card reader. This
will allow the computer to easily sync up with other Bluetooth capable devices such as printers,
and cell phones. The dell also has room for expansion and upgrade with extra PCI expansion
slots. There are four memory card slots so that the memory can be greatly increased. A hard
drive may also be added to the computer to provide more storage space on the pc. This pc will
provide a lot of potential for upgrading to meet the needs of the organization as it grows. It will
also allow the camp to do video editing and to work on a Photoshop program. There is adequate
storage on the computer and room to add more storage and ram to this device.
The negative side to the Dell Inspiron 530 is that it did not excel in several benchmark
test areas. The CineBench Test the dell was slightly below average. Also during the Apple
Computer Comparison 6
iTunes encoding test the Dell performed at a lower rate than several other computers including
the other computer being reviewed. The Dell computer is definitely not designed to be a gaming
computer.
Computer two is a Gateway GT5674 desktop computer. This computer has a quad-core
processor which could enhance or hurt the computer. This computer has a AMD Phenom
processor, 3 GB of memory, a graphics card, DVD burner, and Windows Vista Home Premium
operating system. This system has several items that are beneficial for photo shopping and video
editing needs. There is a multiformat media card reader and a pair of 2.0 USB ports easily
located on the center front pane. This computer also provides several spaces for upgrading with
PCI express slots. Inside the casing of this computer there is even more room to expand to adapt
to needs the organization may have. There is room for second optical drive and hard drive. The
other benefit to this desktop is the system is free of bloatware coming with a limited number of
trial ware. This computer is one of the top rated computers in the Adobe PhotoShop CS3 imageprocessing benchmark test. It also was rated a top computer in multimedia multitasking tests.
This computer also scored at a higher level on the CineBench test.
The down side to this computer is that it does have a shared graphics card. So it will be
siphoning memory from the computers RAM. This computer also does not have Bluetooth
capabilities. The quad-processor can be useless if your software does not use all four to run.
However, more and more software is becoming available for quad processors. The system does
only have a limit power supply of 300-watt. Therefore when upgrading the cards in the computer
one would need to monitor the power requirements.
A benchmark is a test that will show how a computer will perform in certain programs or
under various systems (United Business Media LLC, 2008).The Adobe Photoshop benchmark
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test was very beneficial in comparing the two computers for what they will be used for by the
camp. This showed how in Photoshop how the Gateway will be faster and more effective in the
changes that are being made. This was somewhat shocking considering the higher graphic card
in the Dell computer. Also in the Multimedia Multitasking Test the Gateway had a higher
performance rating. It was one again faster and did not stall as often as the Dell machine. The
Gateway scored better in several other benchmark tests. This does not mean the Gateway is
necessarily the better computer, but for the photo shopping and video editing needs the Gateway
was higher on benchmark testing.
Each one of these computers will be upgraded at about the same cost. However, the
Gateway computer will be able to have more additions added over time which would then
produce more cost. Online at Tigerdirect.com one can find various brands and variety of
memory to fit both computer styles, ranging in prices from $30.00 up to $89.99 (Tiger Direct,
2008). Each computer has several options to choose from to upgrade and enhance the computer
over time. The Gateway will be more prone to upgrading easily because it has more options for
expansion, with optical drives, hard drives, memory, and PCI slots.
Jill Moak is a user of the Dell Inspiron 530 computer. She finds this computer
very beneficial for her day to day needs (personal communication June 15, 2008). This computer
helps her to organize and edit her personal photos. She also has created some windows movie
maker movies using this computer. She find that it rarely seems slow and has not felt the need to
upgrade at this time. Hannah Earls is a user of the Gateway GT5674 desktop computer. She uses
this to edit video and photos for Camp Longridge (personal communication June 15, 2008). This
computer has been upgraded. An additional DVD burner and more Ram have been added to the
desktop. This has helped to speed up her work process as she creates highlight videos on the
Computer Comparison 8
computer. She feels that it is a very effective machine. However for a day to day computer she
said it would have “a lot of extras, which you may not need to do normal emailing and picture
use.” According to these customers, both machines work very well. The final decision will need
to be based on the type of job the computers will be used for.
After looking over the research on both of these machines ,an educated opinion would be
that for a home use of a computer to use the internet, word process, and general home use the
Dell would be a less expensive but effective choice. For the video editing and photo shopping
needs of Camp Longridge the quad processors and the room for expansion makes the Gateway a
more suitable choice.
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Reference
TigerDirect Inc. (1998). Retrieved June 7, 2008 from www.tigerdirect.com.
Cnet Networks Inc.(2008). Cnet Reviews. Retrieved June 7, 2008 from http://reviews.cnet.com
United Business Media LLC. (2008). Techweb Network. Retrieved June 7, 2008 from
http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/
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Glossary
AGP-Accelerated Graphics Port provides high speed display adapter for the PC.
Benchmark- a performance test of software and hardware.
Bloatware- software that overloads and interrupts the function of the computer programs.
CD ROM- Compact Disc Read Only Memory is formatted for data storage.
Clock Speed- Internal heartbeat of the computer. Sends steady electronic pulses to the CPU.
CPU- Central Processing Unit also called the processor, computes the information.
Expansion Slot- a receptacle inside the computer that reads and accepts printed circuit boards.
The number of expansion slots affects future updates/growth of computer.
FireWire- High Speed serial bus that is most commonly used for camera and video downloading
to computer.
Hard Drive- The primary computer storage device, which spins, reads and writes one or more
types of disk.
Motherboard- The main printed circuit board in the computer. Motherboard houses the CPU,
chipset, PCI bus slots, AGP slot, memory sockets and controller circuits for the keyboard,
mouse, disks and printer.
Optical Drive- Cd-Rom or DVD-Rom
PCI Expansion Slot- Peripheral Component Interconnect slots are located on the motherboard
to provide expansion.
Power Supply- A electrical system that converts power from a wall outlet to the circuit system.
RAM- Random Access Memory is memory chip that can read and write any byte.
USB - Universal Serial Bus provides higher speed for connecting to various devices.