PC Workshop Home Assignment

Task 1: PC Components

The current configuration of the PC given in the report is given below:

• Motherboard: Asus M4A79 Deluxe
• CPU: Sempron LE-1100 CPU with standard AMD cooling fan.
• Memory: 2 x 512MB DIMM memory modules, total 1GB
• Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two 900II 902 V3 Gaming Case
• Power Supply: Generic 300 Watt ATX/P4 Power Supply
• Video card: GigaByte ATI X1050 Graphics Accelerator
• Storage devices: Seagate 500GB SATA hard disk and Liteon iHDP118 CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
• Speakers: small, unknown brand (generic)
• Monitor: AOC E2070SWN 19.5" LED 1600x900 resolution
• Keyboard and mouse: generic models, brand unknown
• Operating system: Windows 7

According to the requirement of the assignment the current PC components needs to be updated for running high end games and applications and the list of the hardware device required for the replacement of the current hardware are analysed and categorized below:

CPU (processor) - Intel's Core i5 – 8400 is chosen as the processor because it has 4 cores per 4 thread and is the best value Intel processor available in the market. It has the best performance for the CPU based video encoding and available at a reasonable price of $200.

Memory - Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 2400MHz 16GB is selected because it is designed for overclocking and have better support with the intel latest generation processors.

Motherboard - ASUS PRIME B250M-A LGA1151 DDR4 HDMI DVI VGA M.2 B250 mATX Motherboard with USB 3.1 is selected because it is compatible with the intel i5 8400 processor sockets and it can provide different types of support such as 3.1, 3D printing and dual slot for the graphics card for handling the damage that can be cause due to the installation of the heavy weight graphics card.

Graphics card - Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Founders Edition can provide optimum results without any issues such as overheating or frame loss.

Hard Disk - WD Blue 1TB SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch Desktop Hard Drive is used for getting the maximum performance from the hard drive.

Cabinet - Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-01 Mid Tower Gaming Case is used for installation of the different network device in the cabinet and keep the things organized.

Speaker - Logitech Z333 2.1 Speakers – Easy-access Volume Control, Headphone Jack – PC, Mobile Device, TV, DVD/Blueray Player, and Game Console Compatible

Mouse - HyperX Pulsefire FPS Gaming Mouse is selected for its no slip gripping and designed for FPS gaming.

Keyboard - Logitech K840 is selected because it is available at a reasonable cost at amazon.

Power Supply (SMPS) - Corsair CX450 80 Plus Bronze ATX12V & EPS12V Modular Power Supply is selected for providing power supply to the graphics card, hard drive and the other hardware devices.

Operating system – Windows 10 Home is used because it is the latest version of windows and would provide all the necessary support required for the machine.

For the allocated budget of $ 1750 it is the best balanced machine and all the products used for the upgradation of the current PC is available in multiple e commerce store in the internet. The shipment charge for the hardware are free and no extra cost are included and it meets all the requirement of the user. Thus for the recent growth of thee technology the configuration of the PC can be used for a minimum tenure of three years because all the latest hardware are used for its configuration. The above configuration costs 1377$ for the development of the configuration of the PC.

Task 2: Operating Systems

Step 1: The main interface should be opened by clicking on the icon on the desktop and the iso file is mounted using the mount option.

Step 2: The mount option at the tool bar can be used for mounting the iso file by browsing the path of the file or the directory

Step#1: After the installation of the virtual box the new option should be selected from the menu bar and name of the operating system should be inputted and the next button should be clicked for proceeding to the next stage.

Step#2: The amount of memory the user thinks that would be essential for performing experiments should be allocated to the virtual machine for smoothening the operation.

Step#3: A space of minimum 10 gb should be allocated to the virtual machine for loading the operating system files and the create option is selected for creation of the virtual machine.

Step#4: The hard disk file type should be kept VDI for proceeding with the next step of installation.

Step#5: The “storage on the physical hard disk” option should be configured with selecting the “dynamically allocated”, for adoption of the increase disk space of the virtual machine.

Step#6: The destination address or location should be selected for storing the virtual machine files in the physical machine and the create option should be clicked.

Step#7: The iso file of the Ubuntu operating system should be browsed for opening the file and starting the installation procedure.

Step#8: Among the two options the install Ubuntu option should be selected.

Step#9: It is important to download the updated while installing because it automatically downloads the device drivers that are required for running the operating system in the virtual machine.

Step#10: For fresh installation the erase option is selected and it is followed by the install now option for proceeding to the next step of the installation.

Step#11: The continue option should be selected for proceeding with the installation procedure

Step#12: The user region and the time should be selected for setting the system clock.

Step#13: The option for using the keyboard should be selected and continued with the installation procedure.

Step#14: The user account name and the password should be set up for increasing the security and competition of the step.

Step#15: For the completion of the installation process the machine can a few minutes and it should be restarted for the using the Linux virtual machine.

There are several other methodology for the installation of the secondary linux operating system in a windows PC and each of the process have advantages and disadvantages and they are discussed below:

Dual booting of Windows 10 and Ubuntu

For the dual booting the hard drive needs to be partitioned into two or more drives i.e. one for the windows and the other for the Linux operating system. Installing the Linux after windows is an easy process as the Linux installer is capable to deal with the windows, resizing the partition, and setting the bootloader and the user can get a option to choose the operating system at the boot time. The ISO file of the Ubuntu should be burned into a DVD or a USB installation should be created. The Bios setting should be modified for selection of the first boot device. The option install Ubuntu along with windows should be selected for dual booting. The NTFS partition used in windows can be easily resized but for security of the files it should be installed in the other drive. The essential files should be backed up and for switching to the operating system the user needs to reboot and select the operating system.

Advantages

The operating system can use all the physical resource and thus can give the best possible performance and the user can use all the feature of Ubuntu when it is installed using the dual boot option.

Disadvantage

It have the disadvantage since the Linux is used for educational purpose the changes in the configuration can cause error in the system and the user may need to reinstall the system. It takes longer time for the dual boot option than the virtual machine where a backup of the machine can be saved for loading it. In the virtual machine the user does not needs to reboot the system and use the Linux machine by logging into the windows OS. The user can also use the virtual machine on another platform irrespective of the physical hardware configuration for educational purpose and reduce the effort of rebooting the system to access the Linux operating system.

Task 3: Hard Disk Drives

1. WD Blue 4TB Model WD40EZRZ -

It operates on the sata 6 Gb/s interface and is 3.5 inch in its size. The maximum data transfer rate is 6 Gb/s for buffer to host and host to drive is 150 mbps. The rotation speed is 5400 RPM and it has 300,000 load unload cycle that means it is durable and consumes 1.5 v of power. I operates by consuming less power to its low RPM speed. If falls under the WD blue category and has a limited warranty of 2 years from the purchase date. It can operate at a temperature range of 0 to 60 and it cannot operate for the temperature -40 to 70. The noise of the hard disk is 25 decibel when it is in idle state and 28 decibel when it is on seek state.

2. WD Blue SSHD 4TB Model WD40E31X –

It is a hybrid hard drive designed for the gamers for increasing the overall performance of the computer or the higher end workstations. It uses the NAND flash SSD technology for enabling faster boot and reducing the loading time of the applications. With the installation of the hard drive in a system the responsiveness of the PC can be improved. It has a cache memory of 64 MB that helps in reducing the loading time of the applications and faster booting. Since it a hybrid drive the price of the hard drive is less than the SSD and slightly higher than the normal HDD. The design and dimension of the hard drive is similar with the WD Blue 4TB Model and have a warranty of 3 years from the purchase date.

3. WD Black 4TB Model WD4003FZEX

It provides high end performance and its RPM speed is 7200 and when it is compared with the WD blue hard drive it is found that it is faster than the WD blue drives. The warry provided on the hard drive is 5 years from the data of purchase and it is loaded with the two on board processor that can efficiently handle the data loads. It is an ideal solution for the users who want the maximum capacity and high end performance from the product. It also have the buffer size of 64 Mb and it can operate on the temperature range of 32 to 140 Fahrenheit.

4. WD Re 4TB Model WD4000FYYZ

The rotation speed of the hard drive is 7200 rpm and thee data transfer rate is 6 gb/s. It is compliant with the RoHS standard and it also has the limited 5 years warranty. The power requirement for the drive is 9.6 for the sequential read, 9.5 for the sequential write, 11.9 for random read and write and 8.1 for the ideal state. It can operate at a temperature range of 5 to 55 degree Fahrenheit. The form factor and the build quality of the hard drive is similar with the other WD standard hard drives and it can be used 24 * 7 because it has a longer warranty period and the drive is designed for long tem usage.

After the analysis of the four hard drives it is recommended that WD Blue SSHD 4TB Model WD40E31X is the best suited drive for its installation in the high end desktop due to it hybrid combination and reduced booting and application loading time.

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