Hey Quaker, computer question for ya

[fightingquaker13]

Changing from 1gb to 2gb didn't change my scores at all.    Did it make the computer faster?  Yep.  Not a LOT, but definately noticable.

If you open the "Performance meter" gadget in VISTA, or 7 it'll show how much of your memory your actually using at any given time.  THAT'S where I saw a change of 37% being used with three or four apps open, to 24% being used with 2GB, and the same apps open.

Next time you guys walk through the stores it only takes a few clicks to check the stats on ANY new computer.  And it makes interesting comparisons.  You'll be surprised!  Some of the highest dollar rigs out there are PIGS!

Would have been great advice to have had last week Badger! But seriously, thanks for sharing, that is a cool thing to know as all the stats you are given by the product descriptions run together. This is an objective rating by the computer itself, not the sales geek. Good post.
FQ13

[fullautovalmet76]

Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but what do these index values really mean? If one computer scores 2.8 in a category and another scores 5.6, does that mean the second one is "twice as good"?

I agree with BM about getting rid of unnecessary/useless programs, and I would further add that if you can find a way to keep certain programs/processes from loading that you don't need, you will find even more performance gains.

To me the best gauge is the one between your ears. If you think the performance is adequate, it doesn't really matter what the scores are.

 

-FA

[fightingquaker13]

Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but what do these index values really mean? If one computer scores 2.8 in a category and another scores 5.6, does that mean the second one is "twice as good"?

I agree with BM about getting rid of unnecessary/useless programs, and I would further add that if you can find a way to keep certain programs/processes from loading that you don't need, you will find even more performance gains.

To me the best gauge is the one between your ears. If you think the performance is adequate, it doesn't really matter what the scores are.

 

-FA

Agreed in part. First "good enough" is good enough. Second these ratings are cardinal, not ordinal numbers so we shouldn't get hung up on them.
However, if you can get a sense on things like the amount of time it takes to process data and the like you can get an idea of the potential data load (eg longevity) of the computer.
FQ13

[david86440]

Just ran it on my wife's new ASUS and it is 3.1 out of the box. It says up to 13 hr battery life. What can she actually expect to get?


Processor Intel N550 Dual Core  3.1

Memory 1 GB                             4.5

Graphics NVIDIA ION                  3.4

Gaming                                      4.8

Primary disk                               5.8

[Badgersmilk]

Just ran it on my wife's new ASUS and it is 3.1 out of the box. It says up to 13 hr battery life. What can she actually expect to get?


Processor Intel N550 Dual Core  3.1

Memory 1 GB                             4.5

Graphics NVIDIA ION                  3.4

Gaming                                      4.8

Primary disk                               5.8

She could well get the 13 hrs if she hardly uses it durring that time.  The more you make them think, the faster they die.  Big downloads, games, anything that requires a lot of processor use (Both CPU, and GPU) will kill the batteries quicker.  It's just like fuel in a car.  Harder you make it work, the sooner you run outta juice.  Screen brightness has a lot to do with it to.

She outta see at least 8 hours with average stuff like surfing the net, running office, stuff like that.  Probably more.  That's whats great about netbooks!

Fast computers are like fast cars.  Lots of fun, just don't wonder as far from the gas station / outlet.  

[Sponsor]

[Badgersmilk]

It also stands to reason.  The faster your computer is, the less battery life you should need...  Right?   

[philw]

Not to rain on anyone's parade here, but what do these index values really mean? If one computer scores 2.8 in a category and another scores 5.6, does that mean the second one is "twice as good"?

it is a rating that M$ uses so you can work out if a program will run well on your puter.

I agree with BM about getting rid of unnecessary/useless programs, and I would further add that if you can find a way to keep certain programs/processes from loading that you don't need, you will find even more performance gains.

or just get a Mac and you don't need to worry about all of that

To me the best gauge is the one between your ears. If you think the performance is adequate, it doesn't really matter what the scores are.

 

-FA

Spot on..    as long as it dose the job.