Disks
There are lots of types of disks and this can get quite confusing. There are Physical disks and Logical disks.
Physical Disks
These are the physical disks that you can pick up and carry
around, like a USB Hard Drive. Inside each computer, there is at least
one physical disk. The most common these days is SATA, which is just a
type of technology that connects the disk to the computer. Other types
of technology are IDE, SCSI and SAS. The most common for PC's are SATA
and IDE and for servers, SCSI and SAS. IDE and SCSI are now old
technologies, so if you buy a new PC or server, don't expect to see
these as an option. The important thing to remember, is that if you are
going to buy a server or use a PC as a server, get two physical hard
drives for it. This makes things faster and if you have anything that
uses log files, like an Email system or Database, you can put the logs
on a different physical drive, which substantially decreases the risk
of you losing data with a disk crash.
Disks tend to be the slowest part of any computer system, so think seriously about paying extra for a faster hard drive(s).
More expensive options include RAID. There are lots of types of RAID, but the most common are Hardware Based RAID1 and RAID5. Both of these systems have redundant physical hard drives in them. This allows you to have a hard drive crash and still continue running as if nothing has happened. Servers with RAID systems start at around $4000, so it is worth considering. Explaining how RAID works to people that don't understand IT doesn't seem to work very well, so we won't try, there are lots of articles on the internet if you want to have a look.
Logical Disks
This is what you will see in Windows or Linux or Mac. In
Windows you will see a C: drive. This is a logical drive. On a PC, this
usually maps exactly to the physical drive, so the logical and
physical is essentially the same. Sometimes you will have a C: and D:
drive. This is often one physical drive that has been "cut up" by the
Operatins System (OS) software, but it could be a separate physical
drive. If you have two physical drives on your server, we recommend you
set the first physical drive to be a C: (OS) and D: (Logs) drive and
the second physical drive to be an E: (Data) drive. The first physical
drive usually only needs to be around 80GB, but the second should be
around 500GB if a single drive or a little less if RAID5, but this
depends on how much data you have and what your budget is. It is
important to work out how much data you currently have and double this
for every year you expect to keep your server. Most PC's and servers
have a minimum life of 4 years and are usually changed out before 6
years. So if you have 100GB of data now and expect to keep your server
for 5 years, that is 100x2x2x2x2 = 1600 GB or 1.6 Terrabytes of data
you need to budget for. As long as your server allows, you can add
extra physical drives as your data grows, so you don't necessarily have
to have all 1.6 TB available now.
Logical disks tend to become fragmented over time, particularly on Windows computers, so run the built in "Disk Defragmenter" from Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools at least once a month on both servers and PC's. Not running it will result in your computer getting slower and slower and it can start to have problems.
CPU
This determines how fast programs are processed. These days,
unless you are doing 3D drawing programs or complex mathematical
computations, any CPU will be way fast enough, so don't pay more than
you have to for a CPU.
RAM
This is sometimes referred to as just "Memory". The more the
better. For new purchases, for PC's, a minimum of 2GB is recommended,
for servers 4GB. Be aware that not all operating systems can make use
of lots of RAM, so having 8GB of RAM in a standard 32 bit XP PC is a
waste of time, as only 4GB will be used. Adding more RAM is the
cheapest way to speed up a PC or server, provided it can use the RAM.
Vendors
There are lots of vendors and lots of things to think about.
Price (obviously), service, availability, locality etc.
Printers
Inkjet or Laser depends on how much you are printing and
what you are printing. If you need colour printing, but don't do huge
amounts, then an inkjet is the obvious choice. If you do heaps and
heaps of printing, then lasers will work out more reliable and cheaper
in the long run. Good brands? Just about any really. Lexmark have made
some duds over the years, particularly their inkjets. Cheaper ones that
we've had good luck with are Kyocera lasers.
Monitors
Buy what you need. If you are not a graphic artist or work a
lot with spreadsheets, then any bottom range monitor from 19" to 22"
should be fine. Two cheap 19" monitors are generally better than having
one expensive larger one. You need to check that your PC or laptop
will support multiple monitors before you buy them though. It's also
best to get two identical monitors or you may find you get a neck ache
changing heights or sore eyes changing contrasts when flicking between
them with your eyes. We're yet to hear of a poor monitor, but don't
deal extensively in this field and usually just buy Dell monitors when
we order the PC's. Many laptops come with "True Life" screens, we've
been quite impressed with these and think they are worth the extra $20 -
$30.
UPS - Uninterruptable Power Supply
Often these are interruptable!!. In theory, they will get
you out of trouble with small power outages, often the software on them
doesn't work the way it is supposed to and turns your server or PC
off, however, this is still preferable to a crash, particularly on a
server. For servers they are a must and you should aim to get one large
enough to run your server (and your network gear, otherwise you can't
get to your server even if it is still running!) for as long as you
need it to stay working during a power outage. If you need hours worth
of uptime, then it is usually cheaper getting a smaller UPS and buying a
small generator as well, rather than one large UPS. Batteries on a UPS
need to be replaced every couple of years and this can be quite
expensive, so factor this in as well. Bear in mind that if your PC has
no power, then there is no point having your server up for 2 hours, you
might as well have a 5 minute UPS that shuts it down as soon as the
power goes out. If you need PC's to continue to run during a power
outage, consider laptops, as they have batteries built in to them.
All images are used for illustration purposes only and are copyrighted by their respective owners.
