Are Solid State Drives Worth It?

hardware, ,
10
Aug 2015

Intel_SSD_straight

Solid state drives are non-mechanical storage devices which reduce load times and replace hard drives. Are solid state drives worth it for a small business?

What is an SSD?

Traditionally, the hard drive of a computer has always been a hard disk drive (HDD) made up of spinning disks covered in a magnetic coating to allow data to be read/written.

An SSD, however, has no moving parts and is powered by Flash memory. Essentially it’s a giant USB memory stick. And we all know how much quicker they are than fiddling round with disks!

SSDs, therefore, have become increasingly popular due to the speeds offered. In fact, sales of SSDs are currently doubling each year as HDD sales fall.

But what is it about SSDs that make them so appealing?

The Benefits of an SSDComparison-SSD-vs-HDD

Increased Speed

We all get frustrated with the load up times for our computers and it’s even more irritating for business users who need to connect to numerous networks. However, by replacing an HDD with an SSD, users can find a 1 minute load time reduced to 15 seconds.

And it’s not just operating systems that receive this sprightly boost. Software such as Microsoft Office will also load in a fraction of the time.

Where SSDs really excel is their capacity to read and write data at speeds that are double that of an HDD. This results in a much quicker rate for creating and transferring files.

There are never enough hours in a business day, so anything which increases work time is a real bonus.

Better Data Integrity

A huge benefit of SSDs is that they’ll never crash and take all their data to silicon heaven. They simply stop writing data and preserve the current data load. Anyone who’s ever lost data to a hard drive crash will know that this is invaluable.

No Moving Parts

The fact that SSDs have no moving parts brings a number of benefits to your computer.

The main area of concern for a business is the process of wear and tear on an HDD due to the intense pressure the disk is put under by running at up to 7200rpm. An SSD, though, is never going to wear out and die.

No moving parts also make SSDs more energy efficient and help promote your business’ green image.

Is an SSD Worth the Extra Cost?

You’re probably getting quite excited over the prospect of SSDs, but they do have one drawback – the cost.

A 128gb SSD costs around $40 at the time of this writing, but a 160gb HDD can be as low as $15. This may not be a huge difference for a one off consumer, but if you’ve got a workforce of 50 computers then it begins to get pricey!

However, costs are dropping rapidly – as with all new technology – so SSDs are only going to become more affordable. You’re getting more bang for your buck with SSDs due to the increases in speed and reliability they offer.

For a small business, SSDs offer an exciting upgrade which will increase productivity and help your business reach the next level.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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How Much Memory Does Your PC Need?

hardware, ,
23
Jun 2015

ram

Do you need to figure out how much memory is needed for your PC? Our guide can help you run through the various scenarios and their memory recommendations.

Whether a computer complains about running low on memory  or struggles to run with multiple application open, it’s clear that it may need more memory.

As a rough guide, read our list below to see which memory size to purchase for ideal system usage.

Suggested computer memory usage guide

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  • 2GB – At present, this amount of memory is the suggested minimum to use. Avoid this level of memory unless the system is being used to only process basic documents, email or browse the web and only one of those tasks at a time. Be warned, it’ll be incredibly slow!

Note: 2GB was considered to be fast around a decade ago. It goes to show how the standard computer specification is changing and growing in tangent with newer software, operating system updates, applications, and computer processors becoming more resource hungry.

  • 4GB – This size of memory is considered good enough for business work stations and any systems which need to be able to efficiently access email, browse the web and work on documents or all at the same time.

Note: 4GB also used to be considered good to use on servers about 10 years ago. This is another example to put things into perspective.

  • 8GB – This is good for business workstations that require more resources from memory such as heavy multitasking. For instance, a workstation that runs more than one program at a time, works on multiple documents and opens many browser tabs will need this. 8 GB will offer a much more seamless performance.
  • 8GB+ – Memory can go beyond 8GB. For instance two 8GB modules can be installed in a server’s memory slot, making it 16GB. This is ideal for highly productive systems such as servers, or production systems, or systems that carry out graphics processing, video editing or work on large files and databases.

DIY memory upgrade?

diy-dream-build-970x0

Systems with sufficient levels of memory for its intended purpose can be purchased straight out from the box. Alternatively, memory can also be upgraded within a system.

Computer memory can be purchased as “memory sticks” and they can be inserted into the memory slots of a pc or laptop. If a laptop is under warranty, opening up the seal to upgrade the memory may cause the warranty to become void. So be  sure to consider this first.

Also keep in mind that 32-bit systems can only have a maximum of 4gb of memory.

Types of Memory

If going down the route of manually upgrading your system’s memory, there are different types of memory to consider.

As a quick overview, memory does not only come in size, but it also comes in different speeds. DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 are the memory modules available on the market that operate at different at speeds. For instance, DDR will have transfer rates of 1600 MB/s, whereas DDR2 will double that of DDR and DDR3 will double the speed rate of DDR2 memory modules.

What also differentiates each type of DDR memory is the number of pins on it. Therefore, be sure to acquire the right type of DDR memory to fit into your system’s motherboard, as well as one that supports the memory speed of your motherboard.

Different types of DDR memory will not be compatible with one another. For example, a mother board built to fit DDR2 memory sticks will not be compatible with DDR and DDR3. So be sure to also check this before purchasing additional memory for your system.

For the best performance pc, it’s desirable to have the highest level of memory size and speed, such as 16 GB+ DDR3 2933, however it does come with a premium price tag.

For more ways to optimize your systems and office productivity, contact your local IT professionals.

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Know Everything About Your System with Speccy

Office IT, ,
26
Jan 2015

Speccy

Speccy is free software that provides a very detailed view of your computers hardware and software in a easy to understand, user friendly environment.

Speccy lists and provides very crucial and accurate specifications of your computer hardware and software. If you have ever been baffled by trying to find out how much RAM you have installed, what your Windows serial number is and a number of other things that you often have to communicate to your IT professional, then Speccy is worth considering. Here are 3 ways you can use Speccy:

Windows Serial Number

Windows

Sometimes in an emergency the only way to fix your computer is to re-install your OS. In order to re-install a legitimate copy of Windows, you must have your serial number handy. You cannot install install a legitimate copy of Windows without a valid serial number. It is always a good habit to copy and store your serial number somewhere safe in case of a computer emergency. Speccy conveniently lists your serial number and a number of other details for your OS.

RAM or System Memory

RAM

Sometime the best solution to speeding up an old slow computer is to just add more RAM to it. But how do you know if you have any room to add more of it? Or the type? Or the frequency? It is important to know these details when upgrading as different types of RAM are not compatible with each other. Speccy lists all these details in the RAM tab to the left. With this you will know exactly how much and what kind of RAM you are using and what kind of RAM you need to upgrade.

CPU or Processor Information

CPU

The number of cores and clock-speed of your CPU directly equates to the raw power of your CPU.  With CPU’s ranging from a single core all the way up to a whopping 12 cores, knowing how many cores you have will give you an expectation of performance. Other important information is how many gigahertz your CPU runs at and whether your CPU is a 32 bit or 64 bit processor.

Speccy offers vital information that is summarized and easy to understand. If you want to download Speccy head over to their website and give it a shot.

For more ways to improve your office technology’s effectiveness, contact your local IT professionals.

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