Comparison Impression CoolPlay I2216 vs HP ProDesk 490 G3 M4Z49AV

The model of the chipset used in the standard configuration of the PC.

A chipset can be described as a set of chips that provides the combined operation of the central processor, RAM, I / O devices, etc. It is this chipset that underlies any motherboard. Knowing the chipset model, you can find and evaluate its detailed characteristics; most users do not need such information, but for specialists it can be very useful.

The specific model of the processor installed in the PC, or rather, its index within its series (see "Processor"). The full model name consists of the series name and this index — for example, Intel Core i3 3220; knowing this name, you can find detailed information about the processor (characteristics, reviews, etc.) and determine how suitable it is for your purposes.

Clock speed of the CPU installed in the PC.

In theory, higher clock speeds have a positive effect on performance because they allow the CPU to perform more operations per unit of time. However, this indicator is rather weakly related to real productivity. The fact is that the actual capabilities of the CPU strongly depend on a number of other factors - the overall architecture, cache size, number of cores, support for special instructions, etc. As a result, you can compare by this indicator only chips from the same or similar series (see “CPU”), and ideally, also from the same generation. And that's pretty approximate.

Processor clock speed when running in TurboBoost or TurboCore mode.

Turbo Boost technology is used in Intel processors, Turbo Core — AMD. The essence of this technology is the same both there and there: if some of the cores work under high load, and some are idle, then some tasks are transferred from more loaded cores to less loaded ones, which improves performance. This usually increases the clock frequency of the processor; this value is indicated in this paragraph. See above for more information on clock speed in general.

The amount of random access memory (RAM, or RAM) that came with your computer.

The overall performance of the PC directly depends on this parameter: ceteris paribus, more RAM speeds up work, allows you to cope with more resource-intensive tasks, and facilitates the simultaneous execution of numerous processes. As for specific numbers, the minimum volume required for the stable operation of a general-purpose PC nowadays is 4 GB. Smaller amounts are enough for microcomputers and thin clients, and at least 8 GB is installed in gaming systems, on the contrary. 16 GB and even more so 32 GB are already very solid volumes, and in the most powerful and performant systems there are values \u200b\u200bof 64 GB and even more. Also on the market you can find configurations without RAM at all — for such a device, the user can choose the amount of memory at his discretion; for a number of reasons, this configuration is especially popular in nettops.

Note that many modern PCs allow for an increase in the amount of RAM, so it does not always make sense to purchase an expensive device with a large amount of "RAM" — sometimes it is more reasonable to start with a simpler model and expand it if necessary. The possibility of upgrading in such cases should be clarified separately.

The number of slots for RAM modules provided on the PC motherboard. In this case, we are talking about slots for removable strips; for a PC with built-in memory, this parameter is irrelevant.

The slots available on the "motherboard" can be occupied all, partially or not occupied at all (in models without RAM). Anyway, you should pay attention to their number if the initially installed amount of RAM does not suit you (or ceases to suit you over time), and you plan to upgrade the system. The smallest amount found in a PC with removable memory is 1 slot ; if it is busy, you will only have to change the bar when upgrading. More connectors for RAM are always paired, this is due to a number of technical nuances; most often this number is 2 or 4, but it can be large — up to 16 in powerful workstations.

Note that when planning an upgrade, you need to take into account not only the number of slots and type of memory (see above), but also the characteristics of the motherboard. All modern "motherboards" have restrictions on the maximum amount of RAM; as a result, for example, the presence of two DDR4 slots does not mean that two strips of maximum capacity can be installed in the system at once, 128 GB each.

The type of storage device that is installed in the computer.

Note that many PCs allow you to add a complete drive or even completely replace it, but it is more convenient to buy a suitable configuration initially and not bother with re-equipment. In terms of types, traditional hard disk drives ( HDD) are increasingly losing ground to SSD solid-state modules nowadays. In addition, HDD + SSD combinations are quite popular (including those using advanced Intel Optane and Fusion Drive technologies). But solutions such as SSHD and eMMC have practically fallen into disuse. Let's take a closer look at these options:

— HDD. Classic hard disk. The key advantage of such drives is their low cost per unit of volume — this allows you to create capacious and at the same time inexpensive storage. On the other hand, HDDs are noticeably inferior to SSDs in terms of speed, and they also do not tolerate shocks and shocks. Thus, this type of media is less and less used in its pure form — it is much more common to find a combination of a hard drive with an SSD module (see below).

— SSD. Solid state drives based on flash memory. With the same volume, an SSD is much more expensive than an HDD, but this is justified by a number of advantages. First, such drives are much faster than hard drives; specif...ic performance may be different (depending on the type of memory, connection interface, etc.), however, even inexpensive SSDs outperform advanced HDDs in this indicator. Secondly, solid-state memory has no moving parts, which offers several advantages at once: lightness, compactness, shock insensitivity and low power consumption. And the cost of such memory is constantly decreasing as technology advances. So more and more modern PCs are equipped with just such drives, and these can be configurations of any level — from low-cost to top ones.

— HDD+SSD. The presence in one system of two drives at once — HDD and SSD. Each of these varieties is described in more detail above; and their combination in one system allows you to combine the advantages and partially compensate for the shortcomings. For example, an SSD (which usually has a fairly small capacity) can store system files and other data for which speed of access is important (for example, work applications); and HDD is well suited for large volumes of information that do not require particularly high speed (a typical case is video files and other multimedia content). In addition, the solid-state module can be used not as a separate storage, but as an intermediate cache to speed up the hard drive; however, this usually requires special software settings (whereas the "two separate drives" mode is most often available by default).
We also emphasize that in this case we are talking about “ordinary” SSD modules that do not belong to the Optane and Fusion Drive series; the features of these series are detailed below.

HDD + Optane. Combination of a traditional hard drive with an Intel Optane series SSD. For more information about the general features of this combination, see "HDD + SSD" above. Here, we note that “optains” differ from other SSD drives in a special three-dimensional structure of memory cells (3D Xpoint technology). This allows you to access data at the level of individual cells and do without some additional operations, which speeds up the speed and reduces latency, and also has a positive effect on memory life. The second difference is that Optane is usually used not as a separate drive, but as an auxiliary buffer (cache) for the main hard drive, designed to increase speed. Both drives are perceived by the system as a single device. The disadvantage of this type of SSD is traditional — a rather high cost; it is also worth noting that its superiority is most noticeable at relatively low loads (although it does not disappear completely with increasing load).

— HDD + Fusion Drive. A kind of HDD + SSD bundle (see above), used exclusively in Apple computers and optimized for the proprietary macOS operating system. However, it would be more correct to compare this option with the “HDD + Optane” combination (also described above): for example, both drives are perceived by the system as a single unit, and the Fusion Drive module is also used as a high-speed cache for the hard drive. However, there are also significant differences. Firstly, Fusion Drive has significant volumes and is used not only as a service buffer, but also as part of a full-fledged drive — for permanent data storage. Secondly, the total volume of the entire bundle approximately corresponds to the sum of the volumes of both drives (minus a couple of "service" gigabytes). This type of drive is expensive, but the efficiency and convenience are well worth the price.

— SSHD. The so-called hybrid drive: a device that combines a hard drive and a small SSD cache in one case. Some time ago, this solution was quite popular, but now it is almost never found, having been supplanted by a more practical option — various types of HDD + SSD.

— eMMC. A type of solid-state memory originally developed for portable gadgets such as smartphones and tablets. It differs from SSD, on the one hand, in lower cost and low power consumption, on the other hand, in relatively low speed and reliability. Because of this, this type of drive is used extremely rarely — in particular, in single models of microcomputers and thin clients (see "Type").

— HDD + eMMC. Combination of hard disk drive (HDD) and eMMC solid state module. These types of drives are described in detail above; here we note that this option is extremely rare, and in rather specific devices — monoblocks (see "Type") with a transformer function, where the screen is a removable tablet that can be used autonomously. In such a tablet, an eMMC module is usually installed, and a hard drive is placed in the stationary part. However, another option is also possible — a bundle similar to HDD + SSD (see above), where eMMC is used to reduce cost and/or power consumption.

— SSD + eMMC. Another combination of the two types of drives described above. It was used in single monoblocks and nettops — mainly to reduce the cost; Today, this variant is almost non-existent.

The volume of the main drive supplied with the PC. For models with combined storages (for example, HDD+SSD, see "Drive type"), in this case, the main one is considered to be a more capacious hard drive; and if there are two HDDs in the kit, then they usually have the same capacity.

From a purely practical point of view, the more data the drive holds, the better. So the choice for this indicator rests mainly on the price: a larger capacity inevitably means a higher cost. In addition, we recall that SSD-modules in terms of gigabytes of capacity are much more expensive than hard drives; so you can only compare carriers of the same type by the combination of volume and cost.

As for the specific capacity, a volume of 250 GB or less in modern PCs can be found mainly among SSDs. Hard drives of this size are almost never found, for them a capacity of 250 to 500 GB is still considered quite modest. 501 – 750 GB is a pretty good value for an SSD, and among them it is also mainly used. 751 GB — 1 TB is an impressive figure for an SSD and an average for hard drives, 1.5 – 2 TB is a very solid capacity even for an HDD. And a very high capacity — more than 2 TB — paradoxically, is found even among pure SSDs: such drives are installed in high-end workstations, where speed...is no less important than capacity.

The nominal rotation speed of the hard drive spindle (see "Drive type") installed in the PC.

The platters of hard drives in working condition rotate constantly. The standard rotation speeds found in modern PCs are 5400 and 7200 rpm (revolutions per minute — revolutions per minute). A higher rotation speed speeds up data access, but significantly affects the cost of the drive. In addition, "fast" drives are considered less reliable (which is often offset by various design tricks, but they also affect the price).