Week 2

This week I want to talk about CPUs. Being the "brain" of the computer, nearly all processes go through this amazing little computer chip. Thus it stands to reason that the faster the better; however this whole obsession with CPU cores has exploded since I last built a computer.
CPU cores are actually just smaller CPUs, often on the same chip, that work together to share the processing tasks of a computer. This is called multitasking. By having more cores share the burden of all the different apps and tasks that people do on computers today, you drastically improve performance and reduce wear on one individual chip. Unfortunately, since CPUs are normally the hottest part of a computer, this also means more heat which has to be dealt with through heat sinks or other cooling devices.
Like I said faster is great, but most people and most software don't need the sheer computing power of higher end CPUs. Looking through sites like Newegg and TigerDirect, quad-core processors seem to be the standard for home PCs these days; but there seems to be a push for more movement towards eight-core processors.
I see the need for more processors in a system such as high-end servers and supercomputers since those machines are hosting possibly millions of unique guests. For instance, back in November of 2013 Amazon built a supercomputer that included 26,496 cores hitting around 500 teraflop/s and still is only the 64th fastest supercomputer in the world. (Brodkin, 2013)
It just seems comparable to buying a Lamborghini in an area where you'll never be able to take it above 70; a true waste.

Bodkin, John. (November 18, 2013) Amazon puts 26,496 CPU cores together, builds a Top 100 supercomputer. Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/amazon-built-one-of-the-worlds-fastest-supercomputers-in-its-cloud/

Week 1

I recently discovered that my laptop stinks. It works fine for day-to-day use such as internet browsing or word processing, but is insufficient to play some of the games I have have supported on Kickstarter. Thus, I am faced with the dilemma or whether to build a new computer or wait and purchase a Steam box when they come out. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, so I decided to price out the parts I would need to build a modest gaming PC to see what it would take and how much it would cost.
In doing so, I was introduced to the newest parts and components for computers. Many I have heard about in classes and in computer magazines, but others I somehow missed. It has been several years since I built my own computer and for my blog I want to discuss some of the technology that is on the market that I found interesting.
First, I would like to look at hard drives. All I have really dealt with are hard disk drives with their spinning platters and strange tendency to crash and die when most inconvenient. These have come a long way and are standard now, and relatively cheap compared to ten years ago. There are now two new drives available though for computers. There are solid state drives and hybrid hard drives.
Solid state drives use flash memory, similar to the more familiar usb drives, to save data. They are faster, tougher, smaller, way (way) more expensive that traditional hard drives. I had heard of these before and they started as primarily laptop hard drives, since they can be much smaller than hard disk drives.
Hybrid disk drives blend the two technologies to try and give the speed of the solid state but the ease of use, not to mention the ease to your wallet. Hybrids have traditional platters for long term storage but use a small amount of flash memory to speed things up that you do often.
After looking at all the points, I'm fairly certain that I would go with the hybrid hard drive if I build my own computer. With the benefits you gain from adding that small amount of flash memory and the price tied into the familiar platter hard drive it's hard to beat. Sure there are apparently some issues with the hard drive learning what programs or data to assign to the flash memory (Chiappetta, 2013), but that wouldn't take long to sort out and it seems to be the good compromise between the old and the new.

Sources

Chiappetta, M. (2013, January 17). SSDs vs. hard drives vs. hybrids: Which storage tech is right for you?. PCWorld. Retrieved from http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025402/ssds-vs-hard-drives-vs-hybrids-which-storage-tech-is-right-for-you-.html

Domingo, J. S. (2013, May 20). SSD vs HDD: What's the Difference?. PC Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404258,00.asp

My Background in IT

My name is Brian and I work in a library. I have been doing this for almost 14 years and during that time I have had many different responsibilities, one of which has always been handling computer issues. Whether it was patrons or staff, if there is a computer problem or question I am the first one they call. A few years ago I decided if that was going to be the case, I might as well take some classes on the subject so that I was better prepared. My classes have been a bit sporadic and interspersed with huge changes in my job, family health scares, and a really uncertain economy. I am looking to finish my degree in the next year and will be glad to move on the the next step.