The Ultimate Computer Buyers Guide for Small Business

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The ultimate computer buyer’s guide for small business. September 2015

©2015!all!rights!reserved.!

Written!by!Richard!Tucker!

Email:[email protected]!

Twitter:!@dbaffle!

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The ultimate computer selection guide – for small business

1! !!!!!!!debaffle.net/training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I.T.!courses!for!small!business...!baffle!free!!!!!!!!!

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Contents'1! Introduction!.............................................................................................................................................!5!

1.1! Who this guide is for!........................................................................................................................!5!

1.2! How to use this guide!.......................................................................................................................!5!

1.3! How this guide is organised!..............................................................................................................!5!

2! Computer types!.........................................................................................................................................!7!

2.1! Smartphone!.....................................................................................................................................!7!

2.2! Phablet!............................................................................................................................................!8!

2.3! Tablet!...............................................................................................................................................!9!

2.4! Netbook!.........................................................................................................................................!10!

2.5! Hybrid/ 2 in 1!................................................................................................................................!11!

2.6! Ultraportable/ subnotebook/ Ultrabook!.............................................................................................!11!

2.7! Laptop/ notebook!............................................................................................................................!12!

2.8! Desktop replacement/ Portable workstation!.......................................................................................!13!

2.9! Desktop/ workstation!......................................................................................................................!13!

2.10! Server/ Network Attached Storage (NAS)!....................................................................................!13!

2.11! What else?!.....................................................................................................................................!14!

2.11.1! Thin Clients!............................................................................................................................!14!

2.11.2! Chromebooks!.........................................................................................................................!15!

2.11.3! Operating systems!.................................................................................................................!15!

2.11.4! Docking stations!....................................................................................................................!15!

2.12! Summary and buying recommendation!........................................................................................!15!

3! Screens and displays!.............................................................................................................................!18!

3.1! Resolution!......................................................................................................................................!18!

3.2! Aspect ratio!...................................................................................................................................!20!

3.3! Touch v non-touch!..........................................................................................................................!21!

3.4! Viewing angles!...............................................................................................................................!22!

3.5! Gloss v matte!.................................................................................................................................!23!

3.6! External monitors!...........................................................................................................................!24!

3.7! Computer comparison!.....................................................................................................................!24!

3.8! Summary and buying recommendations!..........................................................................................!26!

3.9! Tech corner: Measuring display resolutions (aka using Pixels Per Degree)!..........................................!27!

4! Network connectors !................................................................................................................................!30!

4.1! Personal Area Network (PAN)!.........................................................................................................!30!

4.2! Local Area Network (LAN)!...............................................................................................................!31!

4.2.1! Wi-Fi LAN!............................................................................................................................!31!

4.2.2! Ethernet LAN!.........................................................................................................................!31!



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4.3! Wide Area Network (WAN)!..............................................................................................................!32!

4.3.1! Fibre, Cable and DSL!............................................................................................................!32!

4.3.2! Cellular wireless!.....................................................................................................................!32!


5! External display connectors!.....................................................................................................................!35!

5.1! Wired display connectors and interfaces!...........................................................................................!35!

5.1.1! VGA (Video Graphic Array)!....................................................................................................!36!

5.1.2! DVI (Digital Visual Interface)!...................................................................................................!38!

5.1.3! HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)!..........................................................................!39!

5.1.4! DisplayPort!...........................................................................................................................!41!

5.1.5! Thunderbolt!............................................................................................................................!42!

5.1.6! USB Type C!..........................................................................................................................!43!

5.1.7! Mobile wired connectors and interfaces!....................................................................................!43!

5.1.8! Adaptors!...............................................................................................................................!44!

5.1.9! Summary and buying recommendations!..................................................................................!47!

5.2! Wireless display connectors!............................................................................................................!48!

5.2.1! Miracast!................................................................................................................................!49!

5.2.2! AirPlay!.................................................................................................................................!50!

5.2.3! Chromecast!...........................................................................................................................!51!

5.2.4! Summary and buying recommendations!..................................................................................!53!

6! Microphone, speakers, camera!.................................................................................................................!55!

6.1! In-built considerations!....................................................................................................................!55!

6.1.1! In-built Microphone!...............................................................................................................!55!

6.1.2! In-built camera!......................................................................................................................!55!

6.1.3! In-built speakers!....................................................................................................................!55!

6.2! Externally connected considerations!.................................................................................................!56!

6.2.1! External microphone!...............................................................................................................!56!

6.2.2! External camera!.....................................................................................................................!57!

6.2.3! External speakers!...................................................................................................................!57!

7! Keyboard and mouse!..............................................................................................................................!58!

7.1! Keyboard!.......................................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.1! Layout!.......................................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.2! Key build!...............................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.3! Key travel!..............................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.4! Noise!....................................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.5! Spill protection!......................................................................................................................!58!

7.1.6! Back lighting!.........................................................................................................................!58!



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7.1.7! Virtual keyboards!...................................................................................................................!59!

7.1.8! Ergonomics!...........................................................................................................................!59!

7.2! Mouse!...........................................................................................................................................!59!

7.2.1! Trackpads and touchpads!........................................................................................................!60!

7.2.2! Pointing sticks!.......................................................................................................................!60!

7.2.3! Ergonomic!.............................................................................................................................!60!

7.3! Connectivity options!........................................................................................................................!60!

7.3.1! Wired!....................................................................................................................................!61!

7.3.2! Wireless keyboards!................................................................................................................!61!

8! Printer connectors!...................................................................................................................................!63!

8.1! 1394 (FireWire)!............................................................................................................................!63!

8.2! USB!.............................................................................................................................................!63!

8.3! Wi-Fi Direct!...................................................................................................................................!64!

9! Power!....................................................................................................................................................!65!

10! Docking stations and port replicators!...................................................................................................!66!

11! Processors!.............................................................................................................................................!69!

11.1! Two processor architectures, ARM and x-86!...................................................................................!70!

11.2! Processors for smartphones and tablets!...........................................................................................!71!

11.3! Processors for laptops, and desktops (and sometimes smartphones and tablets).!.................................!73!

11.4! Comparing processors!....................................................................................................................!76!

11.5! Graphics processors!.......................................................................................................................!76!

11.6! Technical terms!...............................................................................................................................!77!

11.6.1! 32 bit/ 64 bit!.......................................................................................................................!77!

11.6.2! Cache!....................................................................................................................................!77!

11.6.3! Speed!...................................................................................................................................!77!

11.6.4! Cores!....................................................................................................................................!78!

11.6.5! Hyper-Threading!....................................................................................................................!78!

11.6.6! Turbo boast!............................................................................................................................!78!


12! Memory!.............................................................................................................................................!79!

13! Storage!.............................................................................................................................................!81!

13.1! Types of storage!.............................................................................................................................!82!

13.1.1! Storage options!.....................................................................................................................!82!

13.1.2! In-built storage!......................................................................................................................!84!

13.2! Storage speed!............................................................................................................................!86!

13.2.1! In-built storage speed!.............................................................................................................!87!

13.2.2! External storage speed!........................................................................................................!88!



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13.3! Storage capacity!........................................................................................................................!88!

13.4! Storage protection!......................................................................................................................!89!

13.4.1! Backup and recovery!..............................................................................................................!89!

13.4.2! Redundancy!......................................................................................................................!89!

13.4.3! Encryption!.........................................................................................................................!90!

13.5! Storage connectivity!...................................................................................................................!90!

13.6! Summary and buying recommendations!......................................................................................!92!

14! Location, orientation and movement awareness!.....................................................................................!94!

14.1! Location!........................................................................................................................................!94!

14.1.1! GPS!.....................................................................................................................................!94!

14.1.2! Wi-Fi and mobile data!............................................................................................................!94!

14.2! Orientation!................................................................................................................................!94!

14.3! Rotation!.....................................................................................................................................!95!

14.4! Accelerometer!............................................................................................................................!96!

14.5! Buying recommendations!............................................................................................................!96!

15! Operating system!...............................................................................................................................!97!

15.1! Device availability!...........................................................................................................................!97!

15.2! Touch screen optimised!...............................................................................................................!97!

15.3! Latest versions!...........................................................................................................................!97!

15.4! Multiple editions to each version!..................................................................................................!98!

15.5! New versions included free!..........................................................................................................!99!

15.6! Version support life!.....................................................................................................................!99!

15.7! Central management of operating system configuration!.................................................................!99!

15.8! Email, calendar and contacts!......................................................................................................!99!

15.9! Productivity software (presentations, documents and spreadsheets)!..............................................!100!

15.10! Application availability!..............................................................................................................!100!

15.11! Mobile device features!...............................................................................................................!100!

15.12! Disk encryption included!...........................................................................................................!101!

15.13! Antivirus included!....................................................................................................................!101!

15.14! Firewall!...................................................................................................................................!101!

15.15! Summary and buying recommendations!....................................................................................!101!

16! Buyer’s checklist!...............................................................................................................................!104!

17! Appendix!..........................................................................................................................................!110!

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1! Introduction 1.1! Who this guide is for This!guide!provides!small!business!managers!an!independent!reference!source!for!selecting!

computers.!!

This!guide!focuses!on!laptops,!desktop,!and!hybrid!laptop/!tablets,!all!of!which!I!just!refer!to!

as!“computers”.!

1.2! How to use this guide I!suggest!using!the!checklist!in!chapter!16,!and!then!follow!the!references!to!within!this!

guide!for!further!information!as!need!be.!

1.3! How this guide is organised This!guide!starts!with!an!overview!of!the!types!of!computers!available,!their!pros,!their!cons,!

and!how!they!are!typically!used.!

Chapters!3!to!10!cover!the!tangible!aspects!of!a!computer!(what!you!can!see!and!touch):!

•! Chapter(3:!screens!and!displays.!

•! Chapter(4:!network!connectors!(including!wireless,!even!though!it!is!not!tangible)!!

•! Chapter(5:!external!display!connectors.!

•! Chapter(6:!microphones,!speakers,!camera.!

•! Chapter(7:!keyboard!and!mouse.!

•! Chapter(8:(printer!connectors.!

•! Chapter(9:!power!–!while!power!is!not!tangible,!it!is!directly!influenced!by!the!other!tangible!aspects.!

•! Chapter(10:!docking!stations!and!port!replicators.!

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Figure'1)1:'The'“visible”'computer'components'(source:'Dell.com'and'deBaffle.net).'

Then!I!will!cover!the!nonVtangible!aspects!of!a!computer.!To!understand!the!importance!of!

these!nonVtangible!aspects!I’ve!included!an!analogy!to!the!parts!of!a!human!brain:!



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•! Chapter(11:!central!processing!unit!(CPU)!–!akin!to!decision!making!capability.!In!a!

computer,!a!CPU!is!fed!instructions!from!programs,!then!executes!them.!

•! Chapter(12:!computer!memory!(RAM)!–!akin!to!short!term!memory.!

•! Chapter(13:!computer!storage!–!akin!to!long!term!memory.!Interestingly!long!term!

memory!is!not!kept!in!any!single!area!of!the!brain,!however!the!process!of!storing!

and!long!term!memories!occurs!in!the!hippocampus!within!the!temporal!lobe.!We!

will!see!in!chapter!13!that!computer!storage!is!also!not!limited!to!one!location.!

•! Chapter(14:!location,!orientation!and!movement!awareness!–!akin!to!movement!and!

balance.!

•! For(completeness:!The!occipital!lobe!is!responsible!for!visual!processing.!Today,!the!only!visual!processing!computers!do!is!perhaps!facial!recognition.!Visual!processing!

in!computers!is!really!an!emerging!technology!and,!thus,!is!not!covered!in!this!guide.!

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Figure'1)2:'The'human'brain'and'computer'“non)visible”'capability'(Source:'deBaffle.net.'Photo'by'Allan'Ajifo/'CC'BY'2.0).'

Chapter(15!covers!operating!system!considerations,!and!then!finally!this!guide!concludes!

with!Chapter(16,!a!buyer’s!checklist!for!selecting!a!new!computer.!Feel!free!to!skip!directly!

to!Chapter!16!and!user!the!references!to!within!this!guide!as!need!be.!



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2! Computer types This!chapter!describes!the!various!terms!used!to!describe!computers.!!

I!will!cover!smartphone,!phablet,!tablet,!netbook,!hybrid,!“2!in!1\,!ultraportable,!Ultrabook,!

laptop,!notebook,!desktop!replacement,!portable!workstation,!workstation,!desktop,!server,!

and!network!attached!storage!(NAS)!!

Please!note,!that!smartphones,!phablets,!netbooks,!servers!and!network!attached!storage,!

are!included!in!this!chapter!for!completeness!only.!These!types!of!computers!are!not!the!

focus!of!this!computer!selection!guide.!

This!chapter!is!useful!if!you!are!in!the!market!for!a!new!computer!and!want!to!cut!through!

the!terms!and!understand!what!they!really!mean.!

The!below!chart!illustrates!the!differences!in!the!various!types!of!computer!when!

considering!relative!portability!versus!capability.!Combined!with!price,!these!are!the!primary!

considerations!for!most!people!when!selecting!a!computer.!

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Figure'2)1:'Computer'types'–'relative'portability'versus'capability'(source:'deBaffle.net).'

In general, for a given portability, as capability increases, price increases. In turn, for a given capability, as portability increases, price increases. These trade-offs are illustrated in the above diagram.

The!following!sections!will!describe!each!type!of!computer!including!the!typical!type!of!

small!business!user.!

2.1! Smartphone Smartphones!are!ubiquitous!in!daily!life,!thus!I’ll!be!brief!on!the!description.!!



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You!can!still!buy!a!mobile!phone!for!about!$20/£15!(for!example!the!Nokia!105).!!A!mobile!

phone!becomes!“smart”!as!soon!as!the!screen!and!processor!are!capable!of!running!useful!

applications.!!

As!a!simple!guide,!any!phone!running!Apple!iOS,!Google!Android,!or!Windows!Phone!can!be!

considered!a!smartphone.!These!operating!systems!dictate!a!minimum!processor,!and!

provide!access!to!application!stores.!

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Figure'2)2:'Smartphone'(photo:'deBaffle.net).'

Pros:!Enables!access!to!email,!documents,!and!a!virtually!unlimited!range!of!services!via!

mobile!application!stores.!

Cons:!Small!screen!and!lower!power!processors!limit!the!business!functions!you!can!

practically!do.!While!you!can!edit!an!Excel!spreadsheet!on!a!5”!screen,!you!will!quickly!

decide!to!never!try!it!again.!

Price:!Start!from!$100/!£80,!or!less!through!promotions.!

Suitable(for:!Smartphones are suitable for users who need basic access to email and information without the inconvenience of carrying a larger computer.!2.2! Phablet A!phablet!is!a!small!tablet!that!also!includes!smartphone!capabilities.!Really,!it!is!just!a!

hybrid!of!a!phone!and!a!tablet,!thus!the!blending!of!both!words!to!form!“phablet”.!!

In!general!phablet!devices!will!have!screen!size!of!between!5\!and!8\!(diagonal!length!of!the!

screen).!



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Figure'2)3:'Phablet'(Photo'by'Vernon'Chan/'CC'BY'2.0).'

Pros:!The!benefits!of!a!smartphone,!but!with!a!bigger!screen!for!using!the!web!or!

applications.!

Cons:!Some!users!will!find!the!computer!too!big!to!use!as!a!phone,!in!particular!keeping!in!a!

pocket!or!holding!with!one!hand.!Phablets!do!not!have!full!operating!systems!and!thus!do!

not!run!full!versions!of!programs!such!as!Microsoft!Word,!Excel,!and!PowerPoint.!

Price:!$200!V!$900/!£150!V!£600!

Suitable(for:!Phablets are suitable for users who want the benefits of a phone, and who will appreciate the benefit of a larger screen, but will not notice the size drawbacks.!2.3! Tablet Thanks!to!the!iPad,!tablets!are!common!place!in!daily!life.!Tablets!generally!have!screens!8\!

to!12\!in!size,!and!as!such!provide!a!superior!viewing!experience!compared!to!their!smaller!

smartphone!and!phablet!counterparts.!Tablets!use!touch!interface!as!their!primary!input,!

with!physical!keyboards!sometimes!available!as!optional!extras.!Tablets!do!not!have!phone!

functions!as!their!size!makes!it!impractical.!



!

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Figure'2)4:'Smartphone'(Photo:'deBaffle.net).'

Pros:!A!screen!that!makes!for!comfortable!viewing!of!content,!and!a!device!size/!weight!that!

is!very!portable!(less!than!1.5lbs/1kg).!Availability!of!Microsoft!Office!for!Android!and!Apple!

tablets!provides!great!functionality!(Microsoft!Office!for!smartphones!and!phablets!is!also!

available,!however!the!practicality!of!using!it!on!their!smaller!screens!is!questionable).!

Cons:!Tablets,!just!as!with!smartphones!and!phablets!rarely!have!full!operating!systems!and!

thus!do!not!run!full!versions!of!programs!such!as!Microsoft!Word,!Excel,!and!PowerPoint.!

Price:!$100V$900/!£100V£700!

Suitable(for:!Due to their portable nature, and larger screens, tablets are well suited to reading emails and documents, where editing and typing is not the primary focus. !

Tablets!are!also!suited!to!being!used!when!standing!or!walking,!for!example!in!retail!and!

hospitality!environments.!The!size!of!a!tablet!suits!sharing!information!with!people!face!to!

face,!in!the!same!manner!as!a!document!or!magazine.!

2.4! Netbook Netbooks!are!characterized!by!being!small!and!cheap,!in!turn!this!makes!them!very!

accessible.!Screens!are!usually!just!10\!in!diameter,!and!to!keep!costs!down,!lower!end!

processors!are!used.!

Pros:!Cheap,!small,!and!usually!sufficient!operating!systems!so!that!applications!such!as!

Microsoft!Office!can!be!used!without!feature!limitations.!

Cons:!Lower!processing!power!means!performance!will!be!sluggish!if!multiple!applications!

are!used!concurrently,!or!if!working!on!large!spreadsheets,!for!example.!

Price:!Around!$200/!£200!



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Suitable(for:!Netbooks are focused on consumer use with low processing demands, such as web browsing or using one or two applications concurrently.!2.5! Hybrid/ 2 in 1 Hybrid!computers,!or!“2!in!1s\!can!be!used!as!either!a!laptop!or!a!tablet.!They!offer!the!

promise!of!the!benefits!of!both!types!of!computers.!!

These!computers!are!light,!less!than!3.5lbs/1.5kg,!and!screen!sizes!are!usually!12\!to!14\.!

!

Figure'2)5:'Hybrid/'2'in'1'(Photo'by'Ambassador'Base/'CC'BY)ND'2.0).'

Pros:!Hybrid!computers!provide!the!benefits!of!both!a!laptop!and!a!tablet.!

Cons:!Hybrid!computers!weigh!more!than!a!tablet,!and!are!relatively!more!expensive!than!a!

laptop!with!equivalent!performance.!Some!hybrid!computers!use!a!hinge!to!covert!between!

laptop/tablet,!and!this!can!be!a!point!of!weakness.!

Price:!$850!–!$2k/!£500V£1.5k!

Suitable(for:!Hybrid computer are suitable for users who frequently travel, benefit from tablet mode, and want to avoid the cost and inconvenience of having two separate devices.!2.6! Ultraportable/ subnotebook/ Ultrabook Ultraportable!computers!(also!called!subnotebook!or!Ultrabook!–!with!“Ultrabook”!being!an!

Intel!trademark)!provide!equivalent!capability!to!a!laptop/!notebook,!but!are!significantly!

lighter!(2!–!3.5!lbs/1!–!1.5kg),!and,!so,!more!portable.!



!

!

Figure'2)6:'Ultraportable/'subnotebook/'Ultrabook'(Photo'by'Dan'Taylor/'CC'BY'2.0).'

Pros:!A!very!portable!laptop!without!compromise!on!performance.!These!computers!also!

have!a!focus!on!long!battery!life!of,!usually!10!or!more!hours.!

Cons:!You!pay!for!the!benefit.!For!the!equivalent!capability!in!a!laptop/!notebook!you!will!pay!significantly!less.!

Price:!$1kV$2k/!£850V£1.5k!

Suitable(for:!Ultraportable computers are suitable for travelling workers who need laptop performance, and long battery life, without the additional weight.!2.7! Laptop/ notebook Laptops!provide!a!good!balance!between!capability,!portability!and!price.!None!of!these!

areas!are!brilliant,!but!all!are!catered!for.!Laptops!usually!weigh!between!3.5V7lbs/1.5V3kgs,!

with!screen!dimensions!of!13\!–!17\.!

Pros:!Fully!featured!computer!hardware!and!software.!Portable.!Physical!keyboard.!

Cons:!If!comparing!to!a!desktop!computer,!laptops!are!more!expensive!for!the!same!level!of!

performance.!

Price:!$500V$2k/!£300V£1,300.!

Suitable(for:!Laptops are suitable for occasional travelling workers who need a portable computer.



!

2.8! Desktop replacement/ Portable workstation Desktop!replacements!provide!processing!power!equivalent!to!a!desktop!computer,!thus!

the!name.!The!extra!power!comes!at!the!expense!of!size!and!weight,!but!if!you!need!the!

power,!this!tradeVoff!is!minimal.!

Pros:!High!performance!processors,!more!storage!and!longer!battery!life!compared!to!all!

other!laptop!classes.!

Cons:!Larger!and!heavier.!

Price:!$1,000!–!$5,000/!£700!–!£3,500!

Suitable(for:!Desktop replacement computers are suitable for users who need a portable computer that can handle intensive applications such as video editing, engineering programs, and databases. 2.9! Desktop/ workstation Desktops!are!computers!that!are!not!portable.!As!such,!manufacturers!can!use!extra!space/!

weight!for!better!performance,!or!charge!a!lower!price!for!equivalent!performance.!!

Desktops!computers!are!sometimes!integrated!with!a!monitor,!but!mostly!they!are!not.!

Keyboard!and!mouse!are!externally!connected.!

Pros:!Better!performance!for!a!given!price!when!compared!to!laptop!alternatives.!

Cons:!Not!portable!!

Price:!From!$200/!£200!

Suitable(for:!Desktop computers are suitable for users who do not need a portable computer, or users who can meet their portable computing needs via a smartphone or tablet.!2.10!Server/ Network Attached Storage (NAS) Servers!and!network!attached!storage!(NAS)!are!computers!that!provide!computing!

resources!to!be!shared!by!more!than!1!user,!they!“serve”!capabilities!such!as!processing!

power!or!storage.!

Importantly,!users!still!need!their!own!computer!to!access!the!resources!of!a!server/!NAS.!!

Typical!functions!that!are!shared!with!multiple!users!include:!centralizing!file!storage,!

backup!of!computer!data,!or!hosting!an!accounting!program.!!

Due!to!their!often!critical!nature,!servers!can!be!built!with!highly!available!components.!



!

!

Figure'2)7:'Server/'Network'Attached'Storage'(NAS)'(Photo'by'Andrew'Currie/'CC'BY)SA'2.0).'

Pros:!Centralizing!storage!or!applications!can!reduce!overall!costs!when!compared!to!having!

storage!and!applications!on!the!computers!of!each!user.!There!are!additional!advantages!

such!as!centrally!managing!user!permissions!to!access!resources,!such!as!documents.!

Cons:!Servers!need!specialist!advice!to!setup!and!maintain,!although!NAS!devices!can!be!

very!user!friendly!for!those!with!the!time!to!read!the!instruction!manual!!Servers!(ones!with!

Microsoft!software)!can!also!incur!additional!licence!costs!for!each!computer!accessing!

resources.!

Price:!$100V$10,000/!£100!V£7,000!

Suitable(for:!A server or NAS is suitable for any business with more than one user that needs to share documents or computer applications, or even a business with one user who needs a data backup location.

Remember,!each!user!still!needs!their!own!computer!to!access!the!resources!on!a!server/!

NAS.!

2.11! What else? To!complete!an!overview!of!computer!types!there!are!a!few!others!to!be!aware!of:!

2.11.1! Thin Clients Thin!clients!use!a!relatively!low!capability!endpoint,!the!“thin!client”,!to!access!high!

capability!central!processing!resources.!!!



!

The!form!factor!of!the!thin!client!can!vary!tremendously!depending!on!the!requirement,!and!

indeed!a!normal!laptop!can!be!used!as!a!thin!client,!with!central!resources!providing!

capability!beyond!that!of!the!laptop.!!

Thin!clients!require!specialist!setup!and!maintenance,!and!are!relatively!unusually!for!small!

businesses.!An!example!is!the!Google!Chromebook!described!next.!

2.11.2!Chromebooks In!2011!Google!released!an!operating!system!called!Chrome!OS!which!would!be!available!on!

computers!called!Chromebooks.!

Computers!running!Chrome!OS!were!designed!to!use!applications!that!ran!from!Google!data!

centres!rather!than!locally!on!the!computer!itself.!This!design!enabled!Chromebooks!to!have!

less!storage,!less!processing!power,!and!thus!a!lower!price!tag.!!

As!mentioned!above,!Chromebooks!are!an!excellent!example!of!a!Thin!Client.!Chromebooks!

are!very!popular!with!consumers,!but!less!so!with!business!due!to!limitations!when!working!

without!an!Internet!connection.!

2.11.3!Operating systems This!chapter!has!a!hardware!focus,!and!has!touched!lightly!on!operating!systems.!!

If!it!was!not!clear,!smartphones,!phablets!and!tablets!mostly!use!reduced!operating!systems!

that!are!optimized!for!their!lower!power!processors.!In!turn,!this!results!in!applications!that!

have!less!functionality!when!compared!to!those!found!on!computers!with!full!operating!

systems.!

That!said,!there!are!variations!in!“full!operating!systems”!that!dictate!the!availability!of!

various!business!functionality,!in!particular!when!considering!Microsoft’s!Windows!

operating!system.!!

The!considerations!when!buying!a!computer!need!to!extend!equally!to!the!operating!

system,!which!we!will!cover!in!chapter!15.!

2.11.4!Docking stations A!docking!station!enables!you!to!take!a!portable!computer,!dock!it,!and!then!have!access!to!

an!external!keyboard,!mouse!and!monitor/s.!!

Depending!on!your!choice,!you!can!effectively!make!a!laptop!provide!a!desktop!experience!

when!back!at!your!office.!!

Not!all!portable!computers!support!docking!stations.!Chapter!10!provides!more!details!on!

this!topic.!

2.12!Summary and buying recommendation This!chapter!covered!the!most!relevant!examples!of!the!many!devices!that!qualify!as!a!

“computer”.!

In!general,!for!a!given!portability,!as!capability!increases,!price!increases.!In!turn,!for!a!given!

capability,!as!portability!increases,!price!increases.!These!tradeVoffs!are!illustrated!in!the!

below!diagram,!repeated!from!the!opening!of!this!chapter.!



!

!

Figure'2)8:'computer'types'–'relative'portability'versus'capability'(source:'deBaffle.net).'

When!selecting!the!type/s!of!computer!best!suited!for!your!small!business,!I!recommend:!

•! Ignore(the(netbook(class(of(computers!V!These!are!consumer!devices,!with!lower!

quality!components,!and!designed!for!the!casual!user!only.!I!included!these!for!

completeness!only.!

•! Ignore(server/Network(Attached(Storage!V!These!are!important!as!part!of!the!

storage!strategy!for!your!business,!but!should!be!considered!separately!to!choosing!

a!computer.!Chapter!13!provides!more!details!on!storage!considerations,!including!

servers!and!Network!Attached!Storage.!

•! Understand(your(portability(and(capability(needs!V!This!will!directly!determine!the!

type!of!computer/s!suited!to!your!business!needs.!See!the!above!figure!for!a!

graphical!summary!of!available!options.!

•! Certain(users(will(require(more(than(one(type(of(computer(V!For!example,!a!

smartphone!and!an!ultraportable.!

•! Consider(letting(employees(use(their(own(computers!V!Most!people!have!a!personal!

smartphone.!Allowing!staff!to!use!their!own!smartphone!for!basic!email!and!other!

business!access!may!assist!in!reducing!computer!costs.!Beware!that!user!provided!

computers!make!support!and!data!security!more!complex!to!manage!though.!

•! Do(not(ignore(the(humble(desktop(computer!V!There!are!significant!advantages!of!using!desktop!computers,!so!do!not!automatically!assume!laptops!are!the!best!

choice!for!all!workers.!Desktop!computers!are!about!half!the!price!(once!display,!

keyboard,!mouse!included)!than!an!equivalent!capability!laptop.!When!considering!

portability!needs,!a!smartphone!/!phablet/!tablet!may!provide!sufficient!capability!

for!when!out!of!the!office.!



!

•! Consider(turning(your(laptop(into(a(desktop!V!If!planning!to!use!a!laptop,!ultraportable,!or!hybrid!computer!at!a!fixed!desk!location,!consider!if!you!will!require!

a!larger!external!display,!larger!keyboard,!and!external!mouse,!and!docking!station.!

This!will!be!important!to!include!from!a!cost!perspective.!

Computer(type( Suitable(for(Smartphone( Users!who!need!basic!access!to!email!and!information!without!the!

inconvenience!of!accessing!a!larger!computer.!

Phablet( Users!who!want!the!benefits!of!a!smartphone,!and!will!appreciate!the!

benefit!of!a!larger!screen,!but!not!notice!the!size!drawbacks.!

Tablet( Users!who!want!to!view!webpages!and!read!emails!and!documents,!but!not!

do!much!editing!and!typing.!They!are!also!suited!to!being!used!when!

standing!or!walking,!for!example!in!retail!and!hospitality!environments.!The!

size!of!a!tablet!suits!sharing!information!with!people!face!to!face!in!the!

same!manner!as!a!document!or!magazine.!

Netbook( Consumers!with!low!processing!demands,!such!as!web!browsing!or!using!

one!or!two!applications!concurrently.!

Hybrid/(2(in(1( Users!who!are!frequently!travelling,!who!benefit!from!tablet!mode,!and!

want!to!avoid!the!cost!and!inconvenience!of!having!separate!devices.!

Ultraportable/(subnotebook/(Ultrabook(

Frequently!travelling!workers!who!need!laptop!performance,!and!long!

battery!life,!without!the!additional!weight.!

Laptop/(notebook( Occasional!travelling!workers!who!need!a!portable!computer.!

Desktop(replacement/(Portable(workstation(

Users!who!need!a!portable!computer!that!can!handle!intensive!applications!

such!as!video!editing,!engineering!programs,!and!databases.!

Desktop/(workstation(

Users!who!do!not!need!a!portable!computer,!or!can!meet!their!portable!

computing!needs!via!a!smartphone!or!tablet.!

Server/(Network(Attached(Storage((NAS)(

Any!business!with!more!than!one!user!that!needs!to!share!documents!or!

computer!applications,!or!even!a!business!with!one!user!who!needs!a!data!

backup!location.!Remember,!each!user!still!needs!their!own!computer!to!

access!the!resources!on!a!server/!NAS.!Table'2)1:'Computer'types'and'example'suitable'use'cases'

The!rest!of!this!guide!provides!specific!considerations!for!selecting!a!computer.!

Please!note,!that!smartphones,!phablets,!netbooks,!servers!and!NAS,!are!included!in!this!

chapter!for!completeness!only.!These!types!of!computers!are!not!the!focus!of!this!computer!

selection!guide.



!

3! Screens and displays The!screen!and!display!considerations!covered!in!this!chapter!are!suitable!for!the!demands!

of!business!productivity!applications!such!as:!word!processing,!spreadsheets,!presentations,!

web!browsing!and!desktop!video!conferencing.!!

Graphic!intensive!businesses!such!as!design!studios,!architectural!firms!or!video!production!

businesses!will!have!additional!considerations!that!are!not!covered!in!this!chapter,!

including:!contrast!ratio,!refresh!rates,!and!absolute!colour!accuracy,!to!name!a!few.!

In the context of computers, the terms “screen” and “display” can be used interchangeably. I’ll use “display” from here on.

In!this!chapter,!the!below!topics!will!be!covered,!followed!by!a!brief!comparison!of!popular!

computer!displays:!

1.! Resolution;!2.! Aspect!ratio;!3.! Touch!v!nonVtouch;!4.! Viewing!angles;!5.! Gloss!v!matte;!and!

6.! External!monitors.!

The!chapter!concludes!with!a!summary!and!buying!recommendations.!!

3.1! Resolution Resolution describes how detailed the image on a display is, and is measured horizontally in pixels and vertically in lines. Each pixel can omit its own colour, and when combined they form the image on a display.

You!may!have!heard!of!the!term!“4K”!when!viewing!TV!specifications.!This!means!the!

display!has!4,000!pixels!when!measured!horizontally.!“4K”,!is!the!marketing!buzz!word!of!

the!day.!

!

Figure'3)1:'4K'TV'from'Sony'(Source:'sony.com).



!

The!below!figure!explains!display!resolution!in!more!detail.!Assume!that!a!pixel!is!

represented!by!a!circle.!If!this!was!a!display,!the!resolution!would!be!16!×!9!(being!16!pixels!

by!9!lines)!for!a!total!of!144!pixels.!!

More pixels in the same display area results in higher resolution.

!

Figure'3)2:'Display'resolution,'pixels'and'lines'(Source:'deBaffle.net).'

When!discussing!resolution,!it!is!important!to!recognise!the!difference!between!native!

resolution!and!scaled!resolution:!

•! Native(resolution!–!aligns!to!the!actual!number!of!physical!pixels.!Native!resolution!

is!an!unchangeable!specification!of!a!display,!as!illustrated!in!the!above!figure.!

•! Scaled(resolution!–!allows!content!of!a!different!resolution!to!be!scaled!to!match!the!

display!resolution.!For!example,!you!may!have!a!display!with!a!native!resolution!of!

5120!x!2880,!however!if!the!content!is!too!small!to!read!(for!a!given!display!size,!

higher!resolution!results!in!smaller!displayed!content),!you!can!downscale!the!

display!to!1366!×!768,!making!the!content!almost!four!times!bigger!!Scaled!

resolution!is!not!a!specification!of!a!display,!rather!it!is!a!technique!used!in!graphics!

processing!that!provides!flexibility!beyond!native!resolution!constraints.!

There!are!three!important!considerations!for!scaled!resolution:!

•! You!cannot!increase!the!scaled!resolution!beyond!the!native!resolution!as!the!

physical!constraints!of!pixels!define!the!maximum!resolution!possible.!

•! When!content!is!scaled!the!content!will!no!longer!perfectly!match!to!the!physical!

pixels,!this!can!result!in!images!that!are!distorted!or!slightly!blurred.!

•! When!content!is!scaled,!the!image!will!be!stretched!or!compressed,!this!can!distort!

images!if!the!before!and!after!aspect!ratios!differ!(aspect!ratios!are!covered!in!the!

next!section).!

When comparing resolutions, it is only useful to refer to “native” resolution, which describes the actual number of pixels. “Scaled” resolution is not a direct characteristic of a display, and provides an approximation of some other resolution, often with a resulting compromise on image quality.



!

Native!resolution!(I’ll!just!say!“resolution”!from!now!on)!can!be!measured!using!two!

different!metrics!as!follows:!

•! Pixels(per(degree!–!allows!comparison!of!different'types!of!displays!viewed!from!

different!distances.!For!example,!comparing!resolutions!of!a!stadium!display!to!a!

tablet!display.!

•! Pixels(per(inch!–!allows!comparison!of!the!same'type!of!displays!viewed!from!the!

same!distance.!For!example,!if!comparing!resolution!of!one!smartphone!to!another,!

or!one!monitor!to!another.!

Since computer displays are mostly viewed from the same distance, the number of pixels per inch is commonly quoted, rather than pixels per degree. In general, for a laptop/ desktop, tablet, and smartphone, 200, 300 and 400 pixels per inch, respectively, is the maximum the naked eye can appreciate.!

If!you!are!interested!in!the!details!behind!pixels!per!degree,!and!how!a!stadium!display!can!

have!the!same!resolution!as!an!iPad,!then!please!see!the!“tech!corner”!at!the!end!of!this!

chapter.!

3.2! Aspect ratio The!below!diagram!provides!a!relative!view!of!common!aspect!ratios.!Please!note!that!the!

diagram!does!not!illustrate!actual!size,!but!the!ratios!of!height!to!length.!

!!

Figure'3)3:'Relative'display'aspect'ratios'(Source:'deBaffle.net).'

16!×!10!used!to!be!the!most!common!aspect!ratio!for!laptops!and!desktop!computers,!but!

16!×!9!is!now!most!popular.!That!said,!the!Apple!MacBook!continues!to!use!16!×!10.!



!

The!overall!change!to!16!×!9!has!been!driven!by!television!content!moving!to!16!×!9!and!in!

turn,!most!modern!televisions!being!16!×!9.!!

Tablets!are!typically!4!×!3!as!that!shape!has!a!more!even!weight!distribution,!which!is!easier!

to!hold!with!one!hand.!For!reasons!only!known!by!Microsoft,!they!have!adopted!3!×!2!for!

their!tablets.!

So!what!are!the!considerations!for!the!aspect!ratio!of!a!computer!display?!

•! If!sharing!a!presentation,!matching!the!content!aspect!ratio!to!the!display!aspect!ratio!

will!use!the!full!display!area.!For!example,!Microsoft!PowerPoint!provides!both!16!×!9!

and!4!×!3!options.!

•! Video!is!almost!always!16!×!9,!thus!be!aware!that!a!letterbox!effect!(black!areas!top!and!

below!the!content)!will!occur!on!displays!that!are!not!16!×!9,!assuming!video!is!not!

stretched!to!match.!

If you are mixing aspect ratios, e.g. viewing 16 × 9 slide content on a 3 × 2 tablet, and simultaneously presenting to an external 4 × 3 display, be aware that there will be some form of image adjustment required, either through image scaling or reducing the available display area through “letterboxing” effects. 3.3! Touch v non-touch Perhaps!selfVexplanatory!by!their!descriptions,!touch!allows!for!touch!based!input!from!the!

display,!while!nonVtouch!does!not.!!

A key pre-requisite for having a touch display is having a computer operating system that accepts touch input.

Most!notably,!neither!Microsoft!Windows!7!nor!Apple!OS!X!(used!on!laptops!and!desktops)!

accept!touch!input.!For!this!reason!you!will!not!find!touch!displays!for!computers!with!these!

operating!systems!(Chapter!15!more!details!on!the!Microsoft!Windows!and!Apple!OS!X!

operating!systems).!

In!general,!all!smartphones,!phablets!and!tablets!support!touch!from!both!an!operating!

system!and!display!perspective. When considering touch displays a key consideration is support for a stylus or pen.

Stylus!input!is!shown!on!the!left!image!below!and!pen!input!on!the!right!image.!!

Precision!writing!and!drawing!is!possible!with!the!narrow!tip!used!by!a!pen,!but!much!more!

difficult!with!the!broad!tip!of!a!stylus.!

Importantly,!due!to!different!types!of!touchscreen!technology,!not!all!computers!support!

pen!input,!for!example,!the!Apple!iPad.!!

If precision input is important to you check if pen input is supported.



!

!

Figure'3)4:'Table'stylus'input'(left)'v'pen'input'(right)'(Photos'from'apple.com'and'microsoft.com).'

3.4! Viewing angles In general, displays using a technology called Twisted Nematic (TN) results in reduced viewing angles, while displays using a technology called In-Plane Switching (IPS) provides almost perfect viewing angles. IPS is better, but more expensive.

The!impact!on!display!quality!caused!by!viewing!angles!is!nicely!demonstrated!in!the!below!

image,!with!a!TN!display!on!the!left,!and!IPS!display!on!the!right.!!

The!top!image!shows!both!displays!with!equivalent!quality!images.!The!bottom!image!shows!

the!impact!when!both!displays!are!angled!down,!resulting!in!an!increased!viewing!angle.!

The!left!display!(TN)!has!a!significantly!degraded!image,!while!the!right!display!(IPS)!is!

unchanged.!

!

!



!

!

Figure'3)5:'TN'(left)'versus'IPS'(right)'–'Display'viewing'angles'(Source:'Aleksandr'Gryzhin'via'youtube.com).'

Viewing!angle!degradation!will!be!noticeable!on!smartphones!and!tablets!with!TN!displays,!

as!given!their!handheld!nature,!the!viewing!angles!are!not!fixed.!!

Laptops!and!desktops!tend!to!be!stationary!when!used,!thus!the!larger!viewing!angle!

advantage!of!a!TN!display!will!depend!if!the!display!will!be!viewed!from!the!side!for!any!

reason.!

IPS displays cost more than TN. Thus, it will be your value judgement if the additional cost warrants the viewing benefits.

Viewing!angle!specifications!can!be!difficult!to!find!from!manufacturers,!so!just!look!(or!ask)!

for!“TN”!or!“IPS”.!A!screen!that!has!properties!between!a!TN!and!IPS!is!a!“MVA”!display.!

3.5! Gloss v matte The!finish!used!on!a!display!can!result!in!a!gloss!or!matte!effect.!The!pros!and!cons!of!the!

finish!are!identified!in!the!below!table.!

( Gloss( Matte(Pros( •! Higher!image!contrast!than!matte!

displays.!

•! Reflections!can!be!avoided!if!you!

can!tilt!the!display!away!from!the!

source.!

Reflections!from!ceiling!lights!or!windows!

are!generally!not!noticeable.!The!more!

suitable!for!most!office!environments.!

Cons( Often!offices!have!brighter!ceiling!

lights!than!residential!environments.!

This!can!result!in!unavoidable!screen!

glare,!especially!for!monitors!in!fixed!

positions.!

In!very!bright!environments,!for!example!

direct!sunlight,!matte!displays!can!appear!

washed!out!and!impossible!to!use.!

Table'3)1:'Gloss'and'matte'display'pros'and'cons'(Source:'deBaffle.net).'

If you choose a gloss display for a business computer, make sure you can manage any lighting reflection issues.

Tablets!tend!to!have!gloss!finishes!as!the!reflection!issues!are!easy!to!resolve!(just!tilt!the!

display!away!from!the!light!source).!



!

Gloss!displays!work!very!nicely!in!residential!lighting!(which,!in!general,!are!not!as!bright!as!

office!environments)!and!where!decisions!on!resolving!reflections!do!not!interfere!with!coV

workers!(i.e.!just!sit!on!the!other!side!of!a!kitchen!table!).!

Matte!displays!are!the!better!option!for!most!office!environments.!

3.6! External monitors Computer!displays!are!either!builtVin,!for!example!on!smartphones/!tablets/!laptops,!or!

external!in!the!form!of!a!monitor,!as!in!the!case!of!most!desktop!computers.!!

!

Figure'3)6:'Example'of'a'desktop'computer'with'external'monitor'(Source:'dell.com).'

When!considering!an!external!monitor!there!are!a!few!additional!considerations!compared!

to!using!a!builtVin!monitor:!

•! There!are!various!interfaces!(and!cables)!available!to!connect!a!computer!to!a!

monitor,!and!the!resolutions!they!support!vary.!For!example,!a!computer!with!only!a!

HDMI!output!(maximum!resolution!4096×2160)!cannot!make!full!use!of!a!monitor!

with!5K!resolution!(5120x2880).!See!the!chapter!5!for!more!details.!

•! The!capabilities!of!your!computer!graphic!card!will!also!have!limitations!on!the!

resolutions!and!number!of!monitors!it!can!support.!See!section!11.5!on!graphics!

processors!for!details.!!

Both!these!considerations!can!be!confusing.!Thus,!if!in!doubt,!ask!a!computer!professional!

for!assistance.!

3.7! Computer comparison The!below!table!provides!a!simple!comparison!of!the!topics!covered!in!this!chapter!with!

popular!computers!from!Dell,!Microsoft!and!Apple.!I!chose!two!Apple!models!to!compare!as!

the!“Retina!5K!display”!sounds!like!an!impressive!resolution.!



!

!!

!!

!!

!!

Figure'3)7:'clockwise'from'top'left;'Apple'iMac'with'Retina'5K'display,'Apple'MacBook'Air,'Lenovo'ThinkPad'X250,'Microsoft'Surface'Pro'3'(Source:'apple.com,'lenovo.com,'microsoft.com).'

!

!! Display!size,!

diagonal!

Resolution!Pixels!per!inch!(total!pixels)!

Aspect!ratio!

Matte!or!gloss!

Touch! Viewing!angles!

Apple!iMac!with!Retina!5K!display!

27”! 216!(5120x2880)!

16:9! Gloss! No! Excellent!(IPS)!

Apple!MacBook!Air!

13”! 131!(1440x900)!

16:10! Gloss! No! Excellent!(IPS)!

Lenovo!ThinkPad!X250!

12.5”! 125!(1366×768)!

16:9! Matte! No! Reduced!(TN!panel)!

Microsoft!Surface!Pro!3!

12”! 216!(2160!x!1440)!

3:2! Gloss! Yes! Excellent!(IPS)!

Table'3)2:'Computer'display'comparison.'

As!you!can!see!the!displays!each!have!different!specifications,!with!a!few!differences!worth!

highlighting:!

•! The!iMac!5K!display,!has!nearly!15!million!pixels!(5120!x!2880),!while!the!Surface!Pro!

3!has!just!over!3!million!pixels!(2160!x!1440).!Despite!this!vast!difference!in!pixels,!

their!resolutions!in!pixels!per!inch!are!identical!at!216!!The!reason!for!this!apparent!

anomaly!is!the!iMac!display!is!huge!at!27”.!The!additional!pixels!do!not!provide!extra!

resolution!per!inch,!rather!it!provides!additional!inches!at!the!same!resolution!to!the!

Surface!Pro!3.!

•! The!Surface!Pro!3!aspect!ratio!of!3:2!is!what!Microsoft!uses!for!tablets!(versus!4:3!

used!by!most!other!tablet!manufacturers).!

•! Lenovo!ThinkPad!X250!also!provides!options!for!higher!resolution!and!touch!displays!

that!are!not!shown,!so!this!could!increase!the!attractiveness!of!this!computer!for!

you.!



!

•! A!resolution!of!over!200!pixels!per!inch,!can!be!annoying!for!a!laptop!primarily!used!

for!nonVgraphic!intensive!applications.!This!is!because!this!higher!resolution!results!

in!smaller!interfaces!and!icons,!too!small!for!some!people,!such!that!manual!

adjustment!to!scale!the!resolution!down!is!required.!For!nonVgraphic!intensive!

applications,!resolutions!around!130!pixels!per!inch!will!be!just!fine.!

(Tip:!the!following!site!includes!a!useful!pixels!per!inch!calculator:!

http://pixeldensitycalculator.com/)!

3.8! Summary and buying recommendations This!chapter!covered!the!below!considerations!when!selecting!a!computer!display.!

1.! Resolution;!2.! Aspect!ratio;!3.! Touch!v!nonVtouch;!4.! Viewing!angles;!5.! Gloss!v!matte;!and!

6.! External!monitors.!

The!key!points!are!recommendations!for!this!chapter!are:!

1.! Resolution!definition!V!Resolution!describes!the!amount!of!information!on!a!display,!

and!is!measured!horizontally!in!pixels,!and!vertically!in!lines.!More!pixels!in!the!same!

display!area!results!in!higher!resolution.!

2.! Native(versus(scaled(resolution!V!When!comparing!resolutions,!it!is!only!useful!to!

refer!to!“native”!resolution,!which!describes!the!actual!number!of!pixels.!“Scaled”!

resolution!is!not!a!direct!characteristic!of!a!display,!and!provides!an!approximation!

of!some!other!resolution,!often!with!a!resulting!compromise!on!image!quality.!

3.! Comparing(resolutions!V!When!comparing!resolutions,!pixels!per!inch!is!a!useful!

measure.!In!general,!for!a!laptop/!desktop,!tablet,!and!smartphone,!200,!300!and!

400!pixels!per!inch,!respectively,!is!the!maximum!the!naked!eye!can!appreciate.!

4.! More(resolution(can(be(a(drawback!V!A!resolution!of!over!200!pixels!per!inch!can!be!annoying!for!a!laptop!primarily!used!for!nonVgraphic!intensive!applications.!This!is!

because!the!higher!resolution!results!in!smaller!interfaces!and!icons,!too!small!for!

some!people,!such!that!manual!adjustment!to!scale!the!resolution!down!is!required.!

For!nonVgraphic!intensive!applications,!resolutions!around!130!pixels!per!inch!will!

suffice.!

5.! Mixing(aspect(ratios!V!If!you!are!mixing!aspect!ratios,!i.e.!viewing!16!×!9!slide!content!

on!a!3!×!2!tablet,!and!simultaneously!presenting!to!an!external!4!×!3!display,!be!

aware!that!there!will!be!some!form!of!image!adjustment!required,!either!through!

image!scaling!or!reducing!the!available!display!area!through!“letterboxing”!effects.!

6.! Touch(compatibility!V!A!key!preVrequisite!for!having!a!touch!display!is!having!a!computer!operating!system!that!accepts!touch!input.!Most!notably,!neither!

Microsoft!Windows!7!nor!Apple!OSX!accept!touch!input.!For!this!reason,!you!will!not!

find!touch!displays!for!computers!with!these!operating!systems.!Be!aware!that!



!

precision!input!will!require!pen!support,!rather!than!stylus!support,!which!is!not!

always!available.!

7.! TN(v(IPS((and(MVA)(display!V!In!general,!displays!using!a!technology!called!Twisted!Nematic!(TN)!results!in!reduced!viewing!angles,!while!displays!using!a!technology!

called!InVPlane!Switching!(IPS)!provides!almost!perfect!viewing!angles.!IPS!displays!

cost!more!than!TN.!A!display!type!called!“MVA”!has!properties!between!TN!and!IPS.!

You!will!need!to!decide!if!the!additional!cost!warrants!the!viewing!benefits.!

8.! Gloss(v(matte!V!The!finish!used!on!a!display!can!result!in!a!gloss!or!matte!effect.!

Often!offices!have!brighter!ceiling!lights!than!residential!environments.!This!can!

result!in!unavoidable!screen!glare,!especially!for!monitors!in!fixed!positions,!in!which!

case!a!matte!finish!is!better.!

9.! Connectors(and(graphics(card!V!External!monitors!have!a!few!additional!

considerations!(compared!to!a!builtVin!monitor):!your!computer!display!interface!

(and!the!related!cable),!plus!the!capability!of!your!computer’s!graphics!card!will!both!

influence!resolution.!

3.9! Tech corner: Measuring display resolutions (aka using Pixels Per Degree) The!below!image!shows!two!high!definition!displays.!Kauffman!Stadium,!home!to!the!major!

league!baseball!team,!Kansas!City!Royals,!and!an!iPad!retina!display.!!

Both!displays!have!a!similar!number!of!pixels,!however!the!pixels!at!Kauffman!Stadium!are!

about!170!times!larger.!

!

!!

!!

Figure'3)8:'Kauffman'Stadium,'Kansas,'USA'(left),'Apple'iPad'retina'display'(right)''(Photos:'informationdisplay.org'and'apple.com).'

!

An!obvious!question!is;!how!is!pixel!size!and!high!definition!resolution!related?!The!answer!

actually!depends!on!how!far!away!the!display!is!viewed.!If!you!view!the!Kauffman!Stadium!

display!from!10!feet,!your!eyes!will!see!the!individual!pixels,!but!beyond!225!feet!(Kauffman!

Stadium!is!387!feet!by!410!feet)!the!perceived!resolution!will!actually!surpass!that!of!an!iPad!

retina!display!!



!

So the reason why this is important, is that the number of pixels, in isolation, does not define a high definition video experience.

The!magic!metric!for!determining!perceived!resolution!is!Pixel!Per!Degree!(PPD).!The!below!

diagram!illustrates!this!concept.!!

PPD!is!the!number!of!pixels!viewed!within!a!degree.!As!the!viewing!distance!is!decreased!

the!number!of!pixels!per!degree!is!decreased,!and!thus!the!resolution!that!our!eye!perceives!

is!decreased.!This!is!why,!for!an!equivalent!resolution,!the!pixels!in!an!inch!needs!to!increase!

when!viewed!from!a!shorter!distance.!

! !

!

Figure'3)9:'Pixels'Per'Degree'(PPD)'(Source:'deBaffle.net).''

It!is!generally!accepted!that!the!naked!eye!cannot!appreciate!additional!resolution!above!70!

pixels!per!degree.!!

The!below!table!summarises!the!key!specifications!for!both!the!Kauffman!Stadium!display!

and!the!iPad!retina!display.!As!you!can!see,!based!on!their!respective!viewing!distances,!the!

resulting!resolutions,!in!pixels!per!degree,!are!equivalent,!while!the!pixels!per!inch!are!vastly!

different.!

Display( Pixels( Display(diagonal(length(

Pixels(per(inch(

Viewing(distance(

Pixels(per(degree(

Kauffman(stadium(

1,800!x!1,584!

(2400!diagonal)!

1620!inches!

(135!ft.)!

1.48! 2700!inches!

(225!ft.)!

!

69!

iPad(with(Retina(display(

2048!by!1536!

(2560!diagonal)!

9.7!inches! 264!

!

15!inches! 69!

Table'3)3:'Pixels'Per'Degree'(PPD)'for'Kauffman'Stadium'and'Apple'iPad'retina'display.'



!

For!those!interested!in!the!math,!pixels!per!degree!is!calculated!using!the!formula!

2dr×tan(0.5°),!where!“d”!is!the!distance!from!viewer!to!display,!and!“r”!is!the!number!of!

pixels!on!the!display!per!unit!length,!or!just!use!the!online!calculator!

here:!http://phrogz.net/tmp/ScreenDens2In.html.!



!

4! Network connectors The ability to share, in real time, information with other computers requires a computer network (I’ll just say “network” from now on).

Sending!email,!surfing!the!Internet,!video!chat,!or!using!Internet!based!file!storage!services!

all!depend!on!your!network!connection.!

In terms of selecting a computer, the options to consider are directly determined by the types of network that you want to connect with.

Thus,!before!describing!the!connectivity!options!we!will!need!to!cover!the!key!network!

types.!

!

Figure'4)1:'Network'connectivity'types'(Source:'deBaffle.net).'

The!above!diagram!illustrates!the!three!common!network!types,!personal!area!network!

(PAN),!local!area!network!(LAN)!and!wide!area!network!(WAN).!!

There!are!many!technologies,!both!wired!and!wireless,!that!can!create!each!network!type,!

and!we!will!cover!the!most!common!in!the!sections!that!follow.(

4.1! Personal Area Network (PAN) PANs provide direct connectivity between two devices, usually in the same room. !

Two!common!PAN!examples!are!connectivity!to!a!printer!(as!highlighted!in!purple!in!Figure!

4V1),!or!connectivity!to!a!presentation!display!(as!highlighted!in!orange!in!Figure!4V1).!!

A!PAN!operates!independently!to!a!LAN!(LAN!is!described!next).!Thus!a!PAN!can!provide!a!

network!option!if!a!LAN!does!not!exist,!or!if!you!want!to!provide!access!to!a!device!without!

providing!access!to!a!LAN!(the!latter!is!an!important!advantage!for!the!security!conscious!

when!providing!access!to!guests).!



!

The!computer!connectivity!options!when!considering!PANs!are!covered!in!subsequent!

chapters!covering!display!connectivity!(Chapter!5),!keyboard!and!mouse!(Chapter!7),!printer!

(Chapter!8)!and!storage!connectivity!(Chapter!13.5).!

4.2! Local Area Network (LAN) LANs provide a solution for connecting all computers in the same building. This!is!made!

possible!by!a!network!device!called!a!switch,!which!is!usually!part!of!the!router!or!modem!

provided!by!an!Internet!Service!Provider!(ISP).

For!example,!a!LAN!connected!printer!can!be!used!by!all!computers!on!that!same!LAN!(as!

highlighted!in!green!in!Figure!4V1).!!

As!another!example,!a!LAN!connected!server/!NAS!can!provide!common!file!storage!for!all!

computers!on!the!same!LAN!(as!highlighted!in!yellow!in!Figure!4V1).!

A!LAN!can!be!wireless!or!wired!as!described!in!the!sections!that!follow.!

4.2.1! Wi-Fi LAN WiVFi!provides!an!obvious!advantage!of!cable!free!LAN!connectivity.!This!removes!the!need!

for!physical!network!connections.!In!addition,!WiVFi!is!the!deVfacto!network!standard!

available!in!public!locations!such!as!hotels,!airports!and!coffee!shops.!

WiVFi!speed!varies!dramatically!by!interface!standards!from!11Mbps!to!1,300!Mbps.!

However,!please!note!that!all!WiVFi!standards!reach!a!fraction!of!their!maximum!theoretical!

speeds!due!to!practical!considerations!such!as!walls,!interference!from!other!wireless!

signals,!and!the!number!of!concurrent!users.!!

WiVFi!networks!rely!on!physical!devices!called!“access!points”!that!transmit!and!receive!

wireless!signals.!The!access!points!are!usually!connected!by!a!LAN,!which!in!turn!provides!

Internet!or!WAN!connectivity.!!

All computers come with Wi-Fi as standard, thus from a small business perspective, the key consideration is having a suitable Wi-Fi network available for use.

A!small!office!may!only!need!one!access!point,!which!will!most!likely!be!builtVin!to!the!

provided!router!or!modem.!Larger!offices!will!require!multiple!access!points,!in!which!case!

cabling!will!be!required!to!each!access!point!location.!

4.2.2!Ethernet LAN Ethernet!is!the!deVfacto!standard!for!wired!LAN!connectivity!(via!an!RJ45!connector).!

The!RJ45!connector!is!found!in!almost!all!Windows!based!laptops!and!desktop!computers.!

Notably,!Apple!laptops!no!longer!include!RJ45!connectors,!in!favour!of!wireless!connectivity,!

and!USB!Type!C!connector!(see!5.1.6!for!details).!

Ethernet LANs provide network connections which effectively guarantee data throughput. This is the key advantage when compared to Wi-Fi signals which can significant degrade due to uncontrollable factors.



!

A!physical!cable!and!an!outlet!with!an!RJ45!connector!is!required!at!each!location!that!a!

connected!computer!is!required.!Installing!this!cabling!for!any!more!than!one!or!two!users!

can!be!a!difficult!often!requires!professional!cable!installers.!

When selecting a computer, your need for Ethernet connectivity will influence whether you have a wired LAN in your office location. 4.3! Wide Area Network (WAN) WANs provide network connectivity between physically separate locations such as different offices and/or remote workers. A WAN provides the same benefits as a LAN, but between greater physical distance.

The!Internet!can!be!used!to!facilitate!WAN!connections!between!discrete!locations,!and!in!

many!cases,!the!same!WAN!connection!will!also!be!used!to!provide!access!to!the!Internet.!

In!general,!WAN!connections!can!only!be!provided!by!telecommunications!carriers!or!ISPs!as!

highlighted!in!pale!blue!in!Figure!4V1.!!

As!with!LANs,!WANs!can!be!wired!or!wireless.!

4.3.1! Fibre, Cable and DSL Fibre,!cable!and!DSL!provide!wired!WAN!connectivity,!enabling!multiple!office!locations!to!

share!computing!resources!such!as!printers!and!file!storage.!

In!the!case!of!a!single!office!location!a!more!accurate!description!is!just!“Internet!

connectivity”.!!

These!services!are!delivered!via!a!router!or!modem,!which!will!usually!have!an!integrated!

wired!and!wireless!LAN.!Thus,!local!computer!connectivity!is!available!for!a!limited!number!

of!wired!connections,!and!for!wireless!connectivity!within!a!short!range.!

The throughput capabilities of fibre, cable and DSL data vary dramatically depending on the service provider, with fibre generally the fastest, followed by cable and then DSL.

The!concept!of!signal!range!for!fibre,!cable!and!DSL,!is!only!a!relevant!concern!for!the!ISP!

delivering!you!the!service.!

4.3.2!Cellular wireless Cellular wireless connections provide perfect solutions for travelling workers and, also, Internet connectivity to mobile computers such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

When!combined!with!a!technology!called!a!Virtual!Private!Network!(VPN),!a!mobile!

computer!can!have!access!to!office!resources!such!as!printers!and!file!storage.!

To!create!a!VPN,!the!capability!needs!to!be!available!and!configured!on!your!office!network!

and!on!your!computer.!The!setup!is!difficult!and!a!computer!professional!will!be!needed.!

Data!throughput!for!cellular!wireless!is!generally!lower!than!wired!WAN!connections,!and!

network!coverage!can!be!variable.!For!these!reasons,!cellular!wireless!connections!for!office!

locations!is!unusual!as!wired!WAN!connections!provide!more!reliable!options,!and!the!

advantage!of!wireless!mobility!does!not!apply!to!fixed!office!locations.!



!

Please note that cellular wireless standards vary across countries. A 4G laptop in the US will not necessarily work in the UK and vice versa – check your requirements with the manufacturer. 4.4!Summary and buying recommendations This!chapter!covered!the!wide!area!network!(WAN)!and!local!area!network!(LAN),!the!

connectivity!options!of!which!are!summarised!in!the!below!table.!

Network(type(

Interface( Computer(side(connector(

Signal(range(within(the(local(area(network(

Throughput(((data(speed)(

Wide(Area(Network(

DSL!

(E.g.!ADSL,!VDSL).!

Usually!RJ45!via!

a!router.!

n/a! Varies!by!provider,!

between!5Mbps!

and!50Mbps!

Cable! Usually!RJ45!via!

a!router.!

n/a! Varies!by!provider,!

generally!less!than!

100!Mbps!

Fibre! Usually!RJ45!via!

a!router.!

n/a! Varies!dramatically!

by!provider,!up!to!

1Gbps!

(1,000!Mbps)!

Cellular!wireless!

(e.g.!3G,!4G,!LTE,!

HSDPA)!

Wireless,!or!via!

a!USB!wireless!

adaptor.!

n/a! Varies!dramatically!

between!5!and!

30Mbps!

Local(Area(Network(

100BaseT!

Ethernet!

RJ45!connector!

!

100m!! 100!Mbps!

1000!Base!T!

Ethernet!

RJ45!connector! 100m! 1!Gbps!!

(1,000!Mbps)!

WiVFi!802.11a! Wireless!! Through!2!solid!walls! Up!to!11!Mbps!

WiVFi!802.11b! Wireless!! Through!2!solid!walls! Up!to!11!Mbps!

WiVFi!802.11g! Wireless!! Through!2!solid!walls! Up!to!54!Mbps!

WiVFi!802.11n! Wireless!! Through!2!solid!walls! Up!to!450!Mbps!

WiVFi!802.11ac! Wireless!! Through!2!solid!walls! Up!to!1300!Mbps!'Table'4)1:'Summary'and'comparison'of'common'network'types.'

As!stated!within!the!chapter,!the!connectivity!options!you!need!on!a!computer!are!directly!

linked!to!the!connectivity!you!want!within!your!office.!As!such!the!following!

recommendations!are!intertwined!with!office!connectivity!recommendations:!

•! A!PAN!is!the!only!practical!option!for!external!display,!keyboard,!and!mouse!

connectivity.!The!options!for!this!connectivity!are!covered!in!chapters!5!and!7.!

•! If!your!business!is!highly!security!conscious,!and!if!you!want!to!provide!guests!with!

access!to!printing!or!the!Internet,!then!you!should!consider!using!a!separate!guest!

LAN.!This!is!relatively!straightforward!for!wireless!LANs,!but!there!are!additional!

enforcement!considerations!for!wired!LANs.!In!either!case,!the!assistance!of!a!

computer!professional!will!be!required.!

•! I!recommend!that!your!computers!at!fixed!desk!locations!within!your!office!are!

connected!with!a!wired!LAN!connection.!This!provides!dedicated!network!

connectivity!that!is!immune!to!interference!and!other!degradation!issues!that!are!



!

unique!to!wireless.!As!such!your!computers!should!have!an!RJ45!connection,!or!a!

docking!station/port!replicator!with!RJ45!connectivity.!

•! In!addition!to!wired!LAN!connectivity!in!your!office,!I!recommend!you!provide!WiVFi!

connectivity!to!cover!meeting!rooms,!reception!and!waiting!areas.!As!such,!portable!

computers!should!be!WiVFi!capable,!and!all!are!these!days,!but!if!possible!purchase!

the!latest!“ac”!standard.!

•! The!WAN!connectivity!you!require!will!be!dependent!on!many!factors!that!are!

outside!the!scope!of!this!guide.!That!said,!taking!advantage!of!cellular!wireless!

connectivity!will!be!a!consideration!when!you!are!away!from!the!office!and!when!

public!WiVFi!is!not!available.!Cellular!wireless!coverage!and!pricing!varies!

tremendously!from!region!to!region,!as!such!investigate!both!these!points!and!make!

your!own!value!judgement!if!remote!wireless!network!access!is!worth!the!cost.!



!

5! External display connectors If you want to attach an external display to a computer, your options will be defined by the connectors and interfaces available on both the display, and on the computer.

This!chapter!describes!the!available!external!display!options,!both!wired,!and!wireless,!and!

will!conclude!with!a!summary!and!buying!recommendations.!

A!“connector”!describes!the!physical!method!to!connect!a!computer!and!a!device.!!

The!“interface”!describes!the!standard!or!protocol!used!to!communicate.!

As!you!will!read!in!this!chapter,!there!are!many!standards!for!both!connectors!and!interface!

types.!

!

Figure'5)1:'How'standards'proliferate'(Source:'Source:'http://xkcd.com/927).'

5.1! Wired display connectors and interfaces The most common wired display options, in order of development, are VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt and USB Type C.

The!following!definitions!apply!to!the!summary!table!that!I’ll!include!for!each!display!option!

in!this!chapter.!

•! Maximum(video(resolution!–!This!refers!to!the!number!of!pixels!(vertically)!by!the!

number!of!lines!(horizontally)!that!are!supported.!Refer!to!section!3.1!for!more!

details!on!display!resolution!considerations.!

•! Daisy(chain(monitors!–!This!allows!a!monitor!to!be!connected!to!a!computer,!and!

then!a!2nd!monitor!to!be!connected!via!the!1

st!monitor.!Thus!two!monitors!are!

connected,!but!only!one!socket!is!used!on!the!computer.!

•! Cable(length!–!This!refers!to!the!maximum!distance!for!full!signal!quality!to!be!

maintained,!without!using!additional!specialist!equipment!to!boost!signal!length.!

•! Audio!–!This!is!relevant!to!standards!that!support!video,!and!identifies!if!audio!also!supported.!

•! Connect(external(storage(device!–!This!refers!to!the!capability!to!connect!an!external!storage!device,!such!as!a!hard!disk!drive.!The!actual!devices!supported!will!

also!need!to!support!the!interface!and!socket!on!the!computer.!



!

•! Power(delivery(–!This!refers!to!the!capability!to!deliver!power!to!connected!devices.!!•! HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection!(HDCP)!–!HDCP!is!required!for!the!

playback!of!various!content!and!is!designed!to!protect!copying!for!digital!content!as!

it!travels!between!playback!devices!and!displays.!The!below!notice!illustrates!a!HDCP!

requirement!on!a!movie!downloaded!using!Apple!iTunes.!!!

!

Figure'5)2:'iTunes'High)bandwidth'Digital'Content'Protection'(HDCP)'notification'(Source:'iTunes'client).'

!

5.1.1! VGA (Video Graphic Array) Symbol(

!

Development(status( Superseded!by!DVI!

Latest(versions( 1987!

Max(video(resolution(( !1280x1024!

(see!section!notes)!

Daisy(chain(monitors( !!Cable(length( 15!feet/!5m!

Audio( !!Connect(external(storage(device( !!Power(delivery( !!HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( !!

Table'5)1:'VGA'interface'characteristics.'

VGA is the original display connector, providing video, but no audio, and was developed at a time when all displays were analogue.

Analogue(and(digital(

I!refer!to!digital!and!analogue!signals!in!this!section,!thus!you!may!find!a!short!

definition!useful.!

Analogue!–!analogue!signals!represent!information!using!a!continuum!of!values.!As!

an!example,!when!the!hour’s!hand!on!an!analogue!clock!rotates,!it!can!be!at!any!

location!at!an!instant!in!time.!

Digital!–!digital!signals!represent!discrete!and!finite!values.!As!an!example,!when!the!

hour!digit!on!a!digital!clock!changes,!it!can!only!be!one!of!12!values,!or!24!values!on!

a!24Vhour!clock.!



!

Why(does(it(matter?(

When!computers!were!first!released,!all!displays!were!analogue,!thus!computers!

(which!are!digital)!used!digital!to!analogue!converters!and!the!analogue!VGA!

connector!to!connect!to!external!analogue!displays.!Today,!displays!are!nearly!

exclusively!digital,!as!such!the!VGA!connector!on!computers!is!not!common.!!

That!said!the!VGA!connector!has!been!around!for!a!very!long!time!and!provides!a!

sort!of!lowest!common!denominator.!For!this!reason,!you!can!still!buy!computers!

and!displays!with!VGA!connectors.!

Since!VGA!is!an!analogue!standard!it!cannot!provide!digital!content!protection!required!for!

the!playback!of!some!movies.!

Connector(type( Female(connector( Male(connector(

VGA(standard(!

!

!

!

VGA(mini(

!

!

!

!Table'5)2':'VGA'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables.'

As!an!analogue!interface!the!maximum!resolution!defined!using!a!discrete!pixel!value!does!

not!apply!to!VGA!specifically.!In!practice,!the!resolution!will!be!defined!by!the!source!digital!

resolution!(the!computer!is!digital,!and!converts!to!analogue),!the!quality!of!the!cable!and!

connectors,!and!the!display!resolution.!Everything!else!equal,!VGA!anecdotally!supports!up!

to!1280x1024!resolution!before!a!noticeable!quality!difference!compared!to!digital!

standards.!

Despite the age of the VGA standard it is still used in many business computers to allow connection to legacy analogue peripherals such as meeting room displays.

VGA!is!used!interchangeably!to!refer!to!both!a!display!resolution!of!640!×!480,!and!to!a!

connector,!as!shown!earlier.!In!the!context!of!connectors!and!interfaces,!the!VGA!display!

resolution!definition!is!not!relevant,!and!avoidance!of!doubt,!the!connector!can!support!

resolutions!above!640!×!480.!

!



!

5.1.2! DVI (Digital Visual Interface) Symbol(

!

Development(status( Superseded!by!DisplayPort!

Latest(versions( April!1999!

Max(video(resolution(( 1920!×!1200!(single!link)!

2560!×!1600!(dual!link)!

Daisy(chain(monitors( !!Cable(length( 15!feet/!5m!

Audio( !!Connect(external(storage(device( !!Power(delivery( !!HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( "!

Table'5)3:'DVI'interface'characteristics.'

DVI!was!defined!by!the!Digital!Display!Working!Group!(DDWG)!which!was!formed!by!Intel,!

HP,!and!IBM,!amongst!others.!!

The DVI standard has been superseded by DisplayPort, but you will still find this interface on older displays, and adaptors are available, thus it is useful to be aware of.


DVIZD(!

!

(dual!link)!

!

(single!link)!

DVIZI(!

!

(dual!link)!

!

(single!link)!



!

Mini(DVI(!

!

Micro(DVI(!

!Table'5)4:'DVI'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables.'

DVI!is!available!in!various!versions!as!shown!in!the!above!table:!

•! DVIZD(–!This!is!a!digital!interface.!Dual!link!provides!additional!resolution!when!compared!to!single!link,!2560!×!1600!versus!1920!×!1200!at!60!Hz.!See!section!3.1!for!

additional!information!on!display!resolution.!As!shown!in!the!table,!the!male!

connector!for!single!link!and!dual!link!are!different,!however!the!female!connector!is!

the!same.!

•! DVIZI(–This!is!an!integrated!digital!and!analogue!connector.!The!DVI!standard!was!developed!as!the!transition!from!analogue!to!digital!displays!was!occurring.!The!DVIVI!

variant!was!developed!as!it!allowed!compatibility!with!the!analogue!VGA!interface!

that!preceded!DVI.!This!enabled!a!connector!that!could!provide!the!“new”!digital!

signals,!while!supporting!the!“old”!analogue!signals.!The!digital!properties!are!as!

described!for!DVIVD.!See!explanation!earlier!in!the!chapter!on!analogue!versus!digital!

signals.!

•! Mini(DVI!–!Used!on!Apple!computers!before!being!superseded!with!mini!DisplayPort.!

•! Micro(DVI(–!Used!on!Apple!computers!before!being!superseded!with!micro!

DisplayPort.!

For!all!the!above!variations,!audio!is!not!included,!thus!a!separate!audio!connection!is!

required!(see!Chapter!6!for!options).!

While!you!may!have!noticed!that!DVI!is!identified!in!this!section!as!superseded.!Even!so,!you!

will!still!find!DVI!adaptors!on!legacy!displays!and!for!this!reason!DVI!connectors!are!found!on!

new!docking!stations!and!port!replicators.!

5.1.3! HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) Development(status( Active!

Latest(versions( v1.4!(May!09)!

v2.0!(Sept!13)!

Max(video(resolution(( 4096×2160!

Daisy(chain(monitors( !!Cable(length( 65!feet/!20m!depending!on!cable!quality!

Audio( "!

Connect(external(storage(device( !!Power(delivery( !!HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( "!

Table'5)5:'HDMI'interface'characteristics.'



!

HDMI!has!a!distinct!movie!industry!heritage,!illustrated!by!the!following!characteristics!of!

the!standard:!

•! It!has!support!of!major!movie!studios;!

•! It!includes!a!protection!against!users!copying!the!digital!signal,!HCDP!(HighV

bandwidth!Content!Digital!Protection),!through!signal!encryption;!

•! Needless!to!say,!the!standard!includes!audio!in!addition!to!video;!and,!

•! As!standard,!HDMI!signals!can!be!run!on!cables!of!up!to!65!feet/!20m!in!length,!

which!compares!to!16!feet/!5m!for!the!only!other!competing!digital!video!format!

DisplayPort!(note,!that!Thunderbolt!uses!DisplayPort!standard!for!video!delivery).!

This!is!an!important!consideration!in!home!theatre!applications.!

If you will need to deliver high quality video and audio at distances over 5m, then HDMI has advantages over all other interfaces.

There!are!three!HDMI!connector!options!as!shown!in!the!below!table.!The!mini!connector!is!

smaller!than!the!standard!size!and!the!micro!is!smallest!of!all!(the!connectors!are!not!shown!

to!scale!in!the!table).!Both!mini!and!micro!are!found!on!smaller!devices!such!as!

smartphones!and!tablets.!!


Standard(

(Type(A)(!

!

Mini(

(Type(C)(

!

!

!

Micro(

(Type(D)( !

!

Table'5)6:'HDMI'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables'



!

5.1.4! DisplayPort Symbol(

! !

Development(status( Active!

Latest(versions( v1.2!(Dec!09)!

v1.3!(Dec!14)!

Max(video(resolution(( 3840!x!2160!(v1.2)!

5120!x!2880!(v1.3)!

Daisy(chain(monitors( "!

Cable(length( 15!feet/!5m!

Audio( "!

Connect(external(storage(device( !!Power(delivery( !!HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( "!

Table'5)7:'DisplayPort'interface'characteristics.'

The!DisplayPort!standard!is!defined!by!the!Video!Electronics!Standards!Association!(VESA),!

and!has!a!mostly!computer!display!focus!as!highlighted!by!the!following!characteristics:!

•! Cable!lengths!of!up!to!5m!(DisplayPort,!which!has!a!movie!industry!heritage,!support!

lengths!for!up!to!20m,!which!is!more!practical!in!a!home!theatre!setup).!

•! Support!for!daisy!chaining!displays!thus!only!consuming!one!computer!connector.!

This!is!an!important!benefit!where!computer!connectors!are!limited,!for!example!on!

portable!devices.!

•! As!we!will!see!in!the!next!section,!Thunderbolt!incorporates!DisplayPort!with!the!

computer!data!standard!PCIe!(this!can!be!contrasted!with!the!fact!that!a!standard!

that!combines!HDMI!with!computer!data!is!not!available).!

DisplayPort can connect multiple external displays in a daisy chain topology, but is limited to a 5m cable length.

DualVmode!DisplayPort,!also!known!as!DP++,!enables!a!DisplayPort!interface!to!output!

single!link!DVI!or!HDMI!2.0!signals.!DP++!will!automatically!detect!the!type!of!display!it!is!

connected!to,!and!thus!with!the!correct!adaptor!(i.e.!DisplayPort!to!DVI,!or!DisplayPort!to!

HDMI),!a!DP++!port!can!connect!to!DVI!or!HDMI!display!without!the!need!for!converting!the!

signal.!

The!following!table!illustrates!the!connector!options!available!for!HDMI.!


Standard!!

!



!

Mini!!

!

Table'5)8:'DisplayPort'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables'

5.1.5! Thunderbolt Symbol(

!


Latest(versions( v1!(Feb!11)!

v2!(Oct!13)!

v3!(early!2016)!

Max(video(resolution(( Same!as!DisplayPort!



Audio( "!

Connect(external(storage(device( "!

10Gb/s!(v1)!

20Gb/s!(v2)!

40G/s!(v3)!

Power(delivery( "!

Up!to!10W!

HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( "!

Table'5)9:'Thunderbolt'interface'characteristics.'

Thunderbolt combines PCI Express (PCIe) for data delivery, DisplayPort (DP) for video, and up to 10W power delivery.

The!actual!Thunderbolt!capabilities!vary!according!to!version!as!identified!in!the!above!

table.!

The!Thunderbolt!standard!is!owned!by!Intel,!but!in!terms!of!adoption,!it!is!mostly!found!on!

Apple!computers.!

As!you!will!see!from!the!below!table,!the!connector!is!the!same!as!mini!DisplayPort,!but!

marked!with!a!Thunderbolt!symbol!to!avoid!confusion.!

Female!connector! Male!connector!

(

!

Table'5)10:'Thunderbolt'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables'

!

!



!

5.1.6! USB Type C Symbol( none!


Latest(versions( Aug!2014!

Max(video(resolution(( "!!

Same!as!DisplayPort!1.3!through!Alternative!

Mode.!



Audio( "!!

Same!as!DisplayPort!1.3!through!Alternative!

Mode.!

Connect(external(storage(device( "!

10!Gbps!through!USB!3.1!

Power(delivery( "!

Up!to!100W!through!USB!Power!Delivery!

HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection( "!

Table'5)11:'USB'Type'C'interface'characteristics.'

The!USB!3.0!Promoter!Group,!comprised!of!HewlettVPackard!Company,!Intel!Corporation,!

Microsoft!Corporation,!Renesas!Electronics,!STMicroelectronics!and!Texas!Instruments,!

defined!the!specification!for!USB!Type!C.!

USB!Type!C!is!a!relatively!new!standard!and!appears!on!the!new!Apple!MacBook.!

The!standard!includes!additional!capability!to!support!other!interfaces!through!“alternative!

modes”.!As!of!this!guide,!this!includes!DisplayPort!1.3!(but!not!DP++),!and!is!expected!to!

include!additional!interfaces!in!the!future.!!

This means USB Type C can support, through the same cable and connector, DisplayPort video, as well as data connectivity of up to 10Gbps through USB 3.1.

For!more!details!on!DisplayPort!and!USB,!please!see!sections!0!and!13.5!respectively.!

USB Type C also includes power delivery capability. This can be used to either receive power, or deliver power.!So,!for!example,!a!laptop!with!USB!Type!C,!can!either!be!charged!through!a!

USB!Type!C,!or!it!can!deliver!charge!to!a!peripheral!such!as!a!connected!smartphone.!(

The!USB!Type!C!connectors!are!shown!in!the!below!table.!

Female!connector! Male!connector!

(

!

Table'5)12:'USB'Type'C'connectors.'In'general,'the'female'connectors'appear'on'computers'and'male'connectors'on'cables'

5.1.7! Mobile wired connectors and interfaces Mobile!devices!such!as!smartphones,!phablets!and!tablets!have!physical!restrictions!on!the!

size!and!number!of!connectors.!As!a!result,!most!devices!leverage!micro!USB!to!provide!

external!connectivity.!!



!

There are two main standards that leverage the micro USB connector to provide external wired display connectivity for mobile devices: SlimPort and MHL.

SlimPort,!developed!by!a!company!called!Analogix,!leverages!a!mobile!standard!for!

DisplayPort,!or!MyDp.!

MHL,!short!for!Mobile!HighVDefinition!Link,!is!developed!by!a!consortium!including!Nokia,!

Samsung,!Silicon!Image,!Sony,!and!Toshiba.!!

MHL!leverages!HDMI.!!

Interestingly,!Samsung!has!dropped!support!for!MHL!in!its!latest!flagship!smartphone!

release,!the!Samsung!S6.!

Connector!options!for!SlimPort!and!MHL!vary,!and!successful!use!very!much!depends!on!

support!of!from!both!the!mobile!device!and!connected!display,!so!much!so,!that!I!will!not!be!

describing!the!options!in!this!guide.!Rather,!if!you!desire!connecting!a!mobile!device!to!an!

external!display,!check!for!MHL!or!SlimPort!support,!and!the!specific!requirement!for!

adaptors,!power!and!the!external!display.!!

5.1.8! Adaptors Adaptors!allow!conversion!from!one!connector!to!another,!or!conversion!from!one!signal!

interface!to!another,!or!both.!!

Adaptors are important as they provide a method to connect computers to devices that would otherwise not be possible. This is especially relevant when new computers are released with new connectors not available on existing devices.

There!are!two!types!of!adaptor,!passive!and!active:!

•! Passive(adaptors!V!convert!from!one!connector!to!another,!but!do!not!convert!the!

signal!interface,!thus!this!type!of!adaptor!is!called!passive.!Various!interfaces!have!

compatibility!across!different!standards!to!facilitate!passive!adaptors.!

•! Active(adaptors!V!convert!both!the!connector!and!the!signal!interface!from!one!

standard!to!another.!Active!adaptors!include!a!chipset!to!do!the!signal!conversion,!

and!as!a!result,!active!adaptor!tend!to!be!more!expensive!than!passive!adaptors,!

more!fragile,!and!they!all!draw!power!in!some!manner,!either!through!an!external!

source,!or!through!the!interface!standard.!

! !



!

The!below!table!provides!a!brief!summary!of!adaptor!options!for!the!wired!interfaces!

described!in!this!chapter.!The!table!is!based!on!the!standard!size!connectors!for!each!

interface,!i.e.!it!may!be!necessary!to!use!an!additional!passive!adaptor!from!the!standard!to!

mini!or!micro!connector!if!need!be.!

! ! Computer!interface!! ! VGA! DVIPD! HDMI! DisplayPort! ThunderP!

bolt!USBPC!

Display!interface!

VGA! ! "!Active,!no!HDCP!(DVIPI!will!be!passive)!

!

"!Active,!no!HDCP,!no!audio!

!




DVIPD! "!Active,!no!audio,!no!HDCP,!relative!expensive!

! "!Passive,!no!audio!

!

"!Passive!if!using!DP++!and!single!link!DVIPD,!otherwise!active!

"!Passive!if!using!DP++!and!single!link!DVIPD!

!!

HDMI! "!Active,!no!audio,!no!HDCP,!relative!expensive!

!

"!Passive,!no!audio!

!

! "!Passive!for!HDMI!1.4!if!using!DP++,!otherwise!active!

"!Passive!if!using!DP++!

"!Active!

DisplayP!Port! "!

Rare,!no!audio,!no!HCDP!

"!Active,!no!

audio!

"!Active!

!

! "!Passive,!daisy!

chaining!not!supported!

"!Passive!

ThunderP!bolt! !! !! !! !! ! !!

USBPC! !! !! !! !! !!!

Table'5)13:'Computer'interface'to'display'interface'adaptor'availability.'

The!following!notes!to!the!above!table!may!assist!in!understanding!the!options!available:!

•! Digital!content!protection,!through!HDCP,!is!not!possible!when!converting!to,!or!

from,!the!analogue!based!VGA!interface.!Double!check!that!HDCP!adaptor!

compliance!for!all!other!options,!if!this!is!required.!

•! There!are!a!number!of!passive!adaptor!options!identified.!These!are!specifically!

because!of!the!following!interfaces!are!natively!compatible!with!other!interfaces!(i.e.!

an!adaptor!is!only!required!to!convert!the!physical!connector):!

o! A!computer!with!a!HDMI!interface!supports!a!DVI!display!and!vice!versa,!

except!for!audio.!

o! A!computer!with!a!DVIVI!interface!supports!a!VGA!display!and!vice!versa!

(neither!support!audio!so!no!exception!required).!

o! A!computer!with!a!DisplayPort!plus!(DP++)!interface!supports!displays!with!

single!link!DVI!or!HDMI!(but!not!vice!versa).!



!

o! A!computer!with!a!USB!Type!C!interface,!supports!displays!with!DisplayPort!

when!in!what!is!called!“alternative!mode”!(but!not!vice!versa).!

o! A!computer!with!a!Thunderbolt!supports!displays!with!DisplayPort,!but!not!

vice!versa.!

•! Thunderbolt!displays!are!only!possible!to!use!with!computers!with!Thunderbolt!

interfaces.!

•! The!USB!Type!C!interface!is!relatively!new,!as!such!new!adaptors!may!become!

available.!

•! Video!resolution!will!be!limited!by!the!interface!with!the!lower!resolution.!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!



!

5.1.9! Summary and buying recommendations The!following!table!summarises!the!wired!connection!options!available!for!connecting!a!

display!based!on!the!descriptions!provided!in!the!previous!sections.!

(( VGA( DVI( HDMI( DisplayPort( ThunderZbolt( USB(Type(C(Socket(

!

(standard)!

!

(mini)!

!

(DVIVD)!

!

(mini!DVI)!

!

(standard)!

!

(mini)!

!

(micro)!

!

(standard)!

!

(mini)!

! !

Symbol(! !

!!

!

!

none!

Development(status(

Superseded!by!

DVI!

Superseded!

by!DisplayPort!

Active! Active! Active! Active!

Latest(versions(

1987! April!1999! v1.4!!

(May!09)!

v2.0!!

(Sept!13)!

v1.2!!

(Dec!09)!

v1.3!!

(Dec!14)!

v1!(Feb!11)!

v2!(Oct!13)!

v3!(early!

2016)!

Aug!2014!

Max(video(resolution((

!1280x1024!

(see!section!

notes)!

1920!×!1200!

(single!link)!

2560!×!1600!

(dual!link)!

4096×2160! 3840!x!2160!

(v1.2)!

5120!x!2880!

(v1.3)!

Same!as!

DisplayPort!

Same!as!

DisplayPort!

through!

Alternative!

Mode.!

Daisy(chain(monitors( !! !! !! "! "! "!Cable(length( 15!feet/!5m! 15!feet/!5m! 65!feet/!20m!

depending!on!

cable!quality!

15!feet/!5m! 15!feet/!5m! 6!feet/!2m!

Audio( !! !! "! "! "!Same!as!

DisplayPort!

"!Same!as!

DisplayPort!

through!

Alternative!

Mode.!

Connect(external(storage(device(

!! !! !! !! "!10Gb/s!(v1)!

20Gb/s!(v2)!

"!5!Gbps!

through!USB!

3.1!Gen!1!

Power(delivery( !! !! !! !! "!

Up!to!10W!

"!Up!to!100W!

through!USB!

Power!

Delivery!

HighZbandwidth(Digital(Content(Protection((HDCP)(

!! "! "! "! "! "!



!

Table'5)14:'Display'connector'and'interface'comparison.'

When!compared!to!one!another,!the!following!benefits!apply!to!each!interface:!

•! VGA!–!Provides!a!lowest!common!denominator!interface,!and!is!still!widely!used!in!

business!environments,!where!“no!frills”!video!is!required!especially!for!meeting!

room!displays.!

•! DVI!–!can!provide!native!output!of!analogue!VGA!with!a!passive!adaptor,!while!also!providing!digital!output!of!higher!resolution!HDMI!video!with!HDCP!compliance.!

•! HDMI(–!Provides!superior!cable!length!without!the!need!for!specialist!signal!extension!devices.!This!is!a!significant!benefit!where!the!video!source!and!video!

display!are!more!than!5m!apart,!for!example!in!boardrooms,!as!all!other!interfaces!

will!either!need!signal!extension!devices!or!will!be!at!risk!of!a!degraded!video.!

•! DisplayPort!–!Provides!advantages!over!HDMI,!DVI,!and!VGA!through!multiple!

display!support!by!using!daisy!chaining,!and!thus!only!one!connector!on!the!source!

computer.!This!is!of!less!importance!if!using!a!docking!station!or!port!replicator.!

Thunderbolt!and!USBVType!C!leverage!DisplayPort!capabilities.!

•! Thunderbolt!–!Takes!the!benefits!for!DisplayPort!and!combines!it!with!the!benefits!

of!data!connectivity!for!external!storage!devices!and!also!power!delivery.!

Thunderbolt!provides!capability!for!faster!data,!but!less!power,!than!USBVType!C,!the!

only!other!interface!to!include!data!and!power.!

•! USB(Type(C!–!As!with!Thunderbolt,!takes!the!benefits!of!DisplayPort!and!combines!it!

with!the!benefits!of!data!connectivity!for!external!storage!devices!and!also!power!

delivery.!USB!Type!C!has!an!advantage!over!all!other!interfaces!in!that!it!may!be!used!

for!charging!a!computer!in!addition!to!providing!charge!to!connected!devices.!While!

USB!Type!C!provides!less!data!throughput!than!Thunderbolt,!USB!Type!C!has!been!

adopted!by!Apple!over!Thunderbolt!in!the!latest!MacBook.!!

5.2! Wireless display connectors Wireless display adaptors provide an alternative to wired display connectors without the requirement for a cable between computer and display. This provides display connectivity options where a cable is either not possible or inconvenient.

This!section!will!cover!the!three!leading!wireless!display!solutions,!Miracast,!AirPlay!and!

Chromecast.!

The!following!terms!are!used!in!this!section!to!describe!the!various!wireless!display!

solutions:!

•! Peer(to(Peer(wireless(connection!V!This!means!your!computer!to!connect!directly!to!

the!display!without!needing!access!to!a!shared!wireless!network!that!is!used!by!your!

office!computers!(this!is!an!example!of!a!personal!area!network,!as!described!in!

section!4.1).!As!a!result,!an!office!wireless!network!isn’t!even!required.!This!can!be!

useful!if!you!don’t!have!an!office!wireless!network,!or!if!the!wireless!network!is!weak!

in!the!location!you!need!connectivity.!It!can!also!be!useful!for!allowing!connectivity!

to!guest,!or!nonVcorporate!devices,!as!you!do!not!need!to!provide!access!to!your!

corporate!network,!which!is!a!benefit!for!the!security!conscious.!!



!

•! WiZFi(network(required!–!This!means!a!wireless!network!is!required!for!your!sending!

device!to!connect!to!the!display!device!(this!is!an!example!of!a!local!area!network!as!

described!in!section!4.2).!As!such!any!device!wanting!to!display!content!will!need!

access!to!a!wireless!network!with!sufficient!signal!strength.!This!is!often!the!most!

convenient!option!for!workers!within!office!environments!who!already!have!their!

computer!connected!to!the!office!wireless!network.!!

•! Display(mirroring!–!This!means!the!content!on!your!sending!device!is!mirrored!onto!

the!display!device.!Everything!on!your!device!display!will!be!seen!on!the!external!

display.!

•! Second(display!–!This!means!the!sending!device!can!show!different!content!to!its!

own!display!and!an!external!display!simultaneously.!

5.2.1! Miracast Sending(computer((smartphone/!

tablet/!laptop/!

desktop)(

Windows!PC! O!Only!Miracast!capable!devices!

Android!smartphones! O!Most!Android!phones,!but!there!are!

exceptions!

Windows!smartphones! "!

Apple!devices! !!

Receiving(display( Peer!to!Peer!wireless!connection! "!

WiVFi!network!connection! !!

Native!display!support! O!Limited!

Adaptor!option! "!

Adaptor!power! USB!

Adaptor!interface! HDMI!

Adaptor!price! $59.99/!£59.99!

Features( Primary!purpose! Presentations!

Display!mirroring! "!

Second!display! O!Using!Windows!8.1!

HD!video!and!audio! HD!video!(1080)!and!audio!Table'5)15:'Miracast'characteristics.'

Miracast!is!a!wireless!display!technology!managed!by!the!same!organisation!that!managed!

WiVFi!technology!certifications,!the!WiVFi!Alliance.!

Miracast works on most modern devices, except for Apple devices which are restricted to AirPlay.

Until!recently,!Google!included!Miracast!support!in!all!the!latest!Android!devices,!but!the!

recent!Google!Nexus!6!and!Nexus!10!have!dropped!support!for!Miracast,!perhaps!to!favour!

Google’s!competing!Chromecast!solution.!

Miracast!is!a!presentation!technology!that!uses!peer!to!peer!wireless!connectivity.!



!

For!Miracast!to!work!you!will!need!a!sending!device!that!supports!Miracast!together!with!a!

display!that!support!Miracast.!

While!displays!are!available!with!Miracast!builtVin,!it!is!more!likely!that!you!will!need!to!use!

a!Miracast!adaptor.!An!example!adaptor!is!produced!by!Microsoft,!a!HDMI!port!on!the!

display!is!required!for!delivering!the!video!and!audio!content,!while!a!powered!USB!port!is!

required!to!power!the!adaptor.!

!

Figure'5)3:'Miracast'dongle'from'Microsoft'(Photo:'microsoft.com).'

There!are!two!variations!of!Miracast!that!have!been!adapted!by!others;!!

•! Microsoft!provides!wireless!display!functionality!that!is!builtVin!to!Windows!8.1.!The!

Microsoft!adaption!provides!second!display!functionality.!

•! Intel!provides!a!Miracast!adaptor!called!Intel!WiDi.!WiDi,!as!with!the!Microsoft!

adaptor!provides!second!display!functionality,!along!with!other!entertainment!

features!for!gaming!and!watching!movies.!WiDi!is!restricted!to!Intel!devices,!which!

for!mobile!devices!in!particular,!is!a!very!restricted!set!of!devices.!

5.2.2!AirPlay Sending(computer((smartphone/!

tablet/!laptop/!

desktop)(

Windows!PC! !!

Google!Android!smartphones/!

Chromebooks!!!

Windows!smartphones! !!

Apple!devices! "!

Receiving(display( Peer!to!Peer!wireless!connection! "!

WiVFi!network!connection! "!

Native!display!support! !!

Adaptor!option! "!

Adaptor!power! External!power!

Features( Adaptor!interface! HDMI!

Adaptor!price! $69/!£59!

Primary!purpose! Presentations!and!entertainment!

Display!mirroring! "!

Second!display! "!

HD!video!and!audio! HD!video!(1080)!and!audio!



!

Table'5)16:'AirPlay'characteristics.'

Apple AirPlay is an Apple only solution for wireless display connectivity, providing both screen mirroring and second display functionality.

!

Figure'5)4:'Apple'TV'device'(Photo:'apple.com).'

Apple!smartphones,!tablets,!laptops!and!desktops!can!connect!to!any!HDMI!enabled!display!

via!an!AppleTV!device.!!

AppleTV!is!effectively!providing!an!adaptor!role!to!deliver!AirPlay!connectivity,!but!it!would!

be!unfair!not!to!highlight!that!AppleTV!provides!many!other!entertainment!functions!

including!movies!on!demand!and!live!TV.!

AirPlay!(via!an!AppleTV)!supports!both!peer!to!peer!connectivity!and!wireless!network!

connectivity.!

Unlike!both!Miracast!and!Chromecast,!the!AppleTV!“adaptor”!requires!an!external!power!

source,!and!does!not!connect!as!a!dongle!into!a!HDMI!port!using!a!USB!port!to!draw!power.!

5.2.3!Chromecast Sending(computer((smartphone/!

tablet/!laptop/!

desktop)!

Windows!PC! "!So!long!as!Chrome!browser!installed!

Google!Android!smartphones/!

Chromebooks!"!

Windows!smartphones! !!Apple!devices! !!

Display(device( Peer!to!Peer!wireless!connection! "!

WiVFi!network!required! "!

Native!display!support! !!

Adaptor!option! "!

Adaptor!power! USB!

Adaptor!interface! HDMI!

Adaptor!price! $35/!£30!

Features( Primary!purpose! Entertainment!

Display!mirroring! O!In!beta!

Second!display! "!HD!video!and!audio! HD!video!(1080)!and!audio!

Table'5)17:'Chromecast'interface'characteristics.'



!

Google Chromecast is a Google only wireless display solution primarily aimed at entertainment purposes, but with presentation functionality in early release, or beta stage.

For!presentation!purposes,!Chromecast!supports!both!peer!to!peer!and!wireless!network!

connectivity.!

From!a!computer!perspective!Google!mobile!devices!and!laptops!natively!support!

Chromecast!through!inVbuilt!support!in!Android!and!Chrome!operating!systems.!

Displays!require!an!adaptor,!which!much!like!a!Miracast!adaptor!use!a!HDMI!port!for!

content,!and!USB!port!for!power,!as!shown!in!the!below!picture.!

!

Figure'5)5:'Google'Chromecast'dongle'with'USB'power'attached.'

!

!

! !



!

!

5.2.4!Summary and buying recommendations This!section!covered!the!available!wireless!external!display!connector!options.!The!key!ones!are!

Miracast,!AirPlay!and!Chromecast!and!these!are!summaries!in!the!following!table:!

( Miracast( AirPlay( Chromecast(Sending(computer(

Windows(PC( O!Only!Miracast!capable!

devices!

!! "!So!long!as!Chrome!browser!

installed!Google(Android(smartphones/(Chromebooks(

O!Most!Android!phones,!but!

there!are!exceptions!

!! "!

Windows(smartphones(

"! !! !!Apple(devices( !! "! !!

Receiving(display(Peer(to(Peer(wireless(connection(

"! "! "!

WiZFi(network(required(

!! "! "!

Native(display(support(

O!Limited!

!! !!

Adaptor(option( "! "! "!

Adaptor(power( USB! External!power! USB!

Adaptor(interface( HDMI! HDMI! HDMI!

Adaptor(price( $59.99/!£59.99! $69/!£59! $35/!£30!

Features(Primary(purpose( Presentations! Presentations!and!

entertainment!

Entertainment!

Display(mirroring( "! "! O!In!beta!

Second(display( O!Using!Windows!8.1!

"! "!

HD(video(and(audio( HD!video!(1080)!and!

audio!

HD!video!(1080)!and!

audio!

HD!video!(1080)!and!

audio!Table'5)18:'Comparison'of'wireless'display'interfaces;'Miracast,'AirPlay'and'Chromecast.'

When!selecting!an!option!from!a!purely!display!functionality!perspective,!I!recommend!the!

following:!

•! If!you!want!to!display!from!Apple!devices,!then!AirPlay,!via!an!AppleTV!is!your!only!

option.!

•! Miracast!will!meet!your!needs!so!long!as!you!align!computing!device!compatibility,!

and!in!particular!if!you!take!advantage!of!Windows!second!screen!abilities!through!

Miracast.!Also,!the!fact!that!Microsoft!also!provides!Miracast!adaptors!makes!for!a!

nicely!integrated!end!to!end!solution.!



!

•! Chromecast!provides!an!option,!but!depending!on!your!target!sending!devices,!you!

may!have!more!restrictions!if!choosing!Chromecast,!in!particular,!the!currently!

experimental!screen!mirroring!feature!requires!Google!Chrome!web!browser!on!

Windows!PCs.!That!said,!if!your!business!is!primarily!using!Android!smartphones,!and!

already!use!Chrome!web!browser!or!Chromebooks!PCs,!then!Chromecast!is!the!

obvious!choice!for!an!integrated!end!to!end!solution.!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!



!

6! Microphone, speakers, camera Microphone, speakers and camera are important features in business computers for enabling video conferencing capability and also for providing presentations.

These!functions!can!either!be!provided!using!the!inVbuilt!capability!of!a!computer,!or!by!

connecting!external!components.!You!may!actually!find!you!use!both!inVbuilt!and!externally!

connected!options.!!

6.1! In-built considerations Having suitable in-built microphone, speakers and camera will reduce the need for additional external components. This saves money, means less to break, less to carry, and less to remember.

InVbuilt!options!apply!to!laptops!and!tablets!only.!!

When!considering!desktop!computers,!the!best!inVbuilt!equivalent!is!an!external!screen,!aka!

monitor,!that!includes!a!camera!and!speakers!(which!we!will!cover!in!the!next!section).!

Examples!of!what!inVbuilt!functionality!can!be!used!for!include:!

•! Video!conferencing!(if!you!do!not!use!video!conferencing!today,!consider!introducing!

it!to!your!communications!options,!as!very!effective,!virtually!free,!solutions!are!

available).!

•! Presentations!to!one!or!two!people!that!includes!integrated!video!or!audio.!

•! Perhaps!more!relevant!to!tablet!computers,!you!can!take!photos!or!videos.!

If!any!of!the!above!examples!are!appealing!or!relevant,!then!the!following!sections!detail!

how!to!select!these!capabilities!in!a!computer.!

6.1.1! In-built Microphone Array!microphones,!which!involve!the!use!of!two!microphones,!enable!echo!and!

background!noise!to!be!reduced.!This!will!make!the!audio!your!colleagues!or!clients!receive!

easier!to!hear.!

6.1.2! In-built camera The!quality!of!your!computer’s!camera!will!determine!the!quality!of!your!pictures!and!video.!!

The!most!basic!measure!of!camera!quality!is!the!resolution!of!the!images!it!can!take,!

measured!in!megapixels,!MP.!0.3MP!is!low!quality!(640!pixels!by!480!pixels),!and!2.2MP!

(1280!pixels!by!1080!pixels)!is!the!maximum!quality!inVbuilt!into!a!computer.!!

Please!read!section!3.1!on!display!resolution,!as!it!equally!applies!to!camera!resolution.!!!

In!terms!of!camera!location,!you!want!the!camera!to!be!located!at!the!top!centre!of!your!

screen,!this!will!mean!that!when!you!are!doing!a!video!conference!you!will!achieve!the!best!

eye!contact!(assuming!you!have!their!image!aligned!so!that!their!heads!are!centrally!aligned!

and!to!the!top!of!the!screen).!

6.1.3! In-built speakers The!most!basic!considerations!for!inVbuilt!speakers!is!how!loud!can!they!go!without!

distorting,!and!whether!they!can!reproduce!the!full!audio!spectrum!effectively.!!



!

Depending!on!your!requirements,!you!may!be!better!served!with!externally!connected!

speakers.!Either!way,!the!best!method!to!measure!speaker!quality!in!a!laptop!is!to!listen!to!

them,!first!hand.!

6.2! Externally connected considerations Interface!

Connector! Symbol!Socket!

Comments!

Computer!audio!

Two!3.5mm!TRS!jacks!

Various,!see!right.!

!

All!connectors!use!3.5mmTRS!threePconductor!sockets!(as!used!for!separate!speakers,!headphones!and!microphone).!

Blue!=!stereo!input,!used!when!taking!audio!from!an!external!source.!

Green!=!stereo!output,!front!channels.!

Pink!=!mon!microphone!input.!

Gold!=!dual!output,!centre!and!subwoofer.!

Grey!=!stereo!output,!side!channels.!

Black!=!stereo!output,!rear!channels.!

!

USB!2.0! Type!A! ! !USB!Type!A!for!connecting!external!microphone!or!camera.!The!standard!size!is!found!commonly!found!on!desktops.!

USB!3.0! Type!A! ! !As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Table'6)1:'External'microphone,'speakers,'and'camera'connectivity'options.'

Reasons!for!wanting!external!connected!options!include:!

•! Using!a!headset!instead!of!microphone!and!speakers.!This!is!a!good!alternative!in!

shared!environments!where!privacy!and!minimising!distractions!from!others!is!

important.!

•! Using!an!external!display!for!providing!a!presentation!to!a!room!of!people.!

•! External!displays!are!available!with!integrated!speakers!and!integrated!cameras.!You!

can!take!advantage!of!this,!and!expand!your!computer!based!video!conferencing!

capabilities!into!a!simple!room!based!video!conferencing!experience.!

The!considerations!for!externally!connected!options!are!covered!next.!

6.2.1! External microphone An!externally!connected!microphone!can!be!a!headset!with!integrated!microphone!or!a!

standalone!microphone.!In!terms!of!connector!options,!either!a!combined!

audio/microphone!3.5mm!socket!is!required,!or!a!dedicated!microphone!3.5mm!socket!(in!

which!case,!the!audio!will!also!have!a!dedicated!3.5mm!socket),!or!a!USB!connection.!The!

actual!connector!required!will!depend!on!the!external!device.!!!



!

6.2.2!External camera External!connection!of!a!camera!will!require!a!USB!connection.!!

The!camera!can!either!mount!to!the!display!device,!or!it!can!have!a!dedicated!stand.!!

If!externally!connecting!a!camera!there!are!additional!considerations!outside!of!the!scope!of!

this!guide,!such!as!angle!of!view,!depth!of!field,!camera!resolution!and!cable!length!

limitations.!

6.2.3!External speakers External!computer!speakers!are!readily!available!with!both!USB!and!3.5mm!audio!

connections.!

External!connection!of!speakers!can!be!achieved!through!using!inVbuilt!speakers!in!an!

external!screen.!This!allows!audio,!as!well!as!video,!to!be!delivered!using!HDMI.!

!

!

!

!

!

!



!

7! Keyboard and mouse The!keyboard!and!mouse!may!seem!like!the!most!simple!of!devices,!yet!these!seemingly!

standardized!devices!have!many!options.!!

If you are buying computers on behalf of employees at your small business, it will pay to understand their keyboard and mouse requirements, as users can have very strong feeling towards these human/ computer interfaces. Also, some people have health and safety requirements that will dictate what you buy. 7.1! Keyboard 7.1.1! Layout Keyboard!layouts!vary!by!country.!If!you!are!buying!online,!makes!sure!the!layout!and!

language!applies!to!your!region.!No!use!having!a!$!symbol!where!you!expected!a!€!symbol.!!

Keyboards!with!space!limitations,!especially!on!laptops,!will!have!the!number!pad!sacrificed,!

and!perhaps!even!the!function!keys.!If!you!are!a!fan!of!the!“Windows”!key,!which!allows!

various!shortcuts!in!Microsoft!Windows,!then!check!for!its!availability.!

7.1.2! Key build In!terms!of!the!keys!themselves,!slight!contours!can!result!in!more!accurate!typing!than!

perfectly!flat!keys.!

You!may!not!immediately!notice!on!some!laptops,!but!manufacturers!will!shrink!the!

standard!key!sizes!to!fit!into!smaller!devices.!Standard!key!sizes!allow!for!19mm!between!

the!key!centres!measured!horizontally.!If!you!have!big!hands,!beware!!!

7.1.3! Key travel Laptop!keys!have!less!vertical!travel!than!external!keyboards.!!

If!you!can!touch!type,!the!additional!travel!in!external!keyboards!allows!for!tactile!and!audio!

feedback!mechanisms!that!you!will!appreciate.!

7.1.4! Noise The!noise!generated!by!typing!varies!according!to!keyboard!design.!

In!general,!laptops!have!quieter!keyboards!than!external!keyboards,!however!external!

keyboards,!as!mentioned!earlier,!provide!tactile!and!audio!feedback!mechanisms!that!

benefit!touch!typists.!

7.1.5! Spill protection Perhaps!selfVexplanatory,!spill!protection!prevent!damage!from!liquids!that!accidently!reach!

your!keyboard.!

Laptops!often!have!“breathable”!keyboards!to!assist!with!cooling,!in!this!case,!spills!will!

seep!directly!through!to!the!laptop!innards.!

7.1.6! Back lighting Backlighting!allows!you!to!see!the!keys!in!low!lighting!environments!such!as!long!haul!

flights.!



!

!

Figure'7)1:'Backlit'keyboard.'

7.1.7! Virtual keyboards Smaller!devices!such!as!tablets!will!tend!to!use!virtual!keyboards.!Optional!addVon!

keyboards!provide!the!tactile!feedback!required!for!effective!typing.!

7.1.8! Ergonomics Ergonomic!external!keyboards!are!an!option!if!you!experience!typing!pain.!!

For!the!ultimate!in!hands!free,!speech!recognition!programs!provide!an!additional!

alternative.!

7.2! Mouse There!are!many!ways!to!control!a!cursor,!thus!in!this!section!we!will!touch!on!more!than!just!

a!traditional!mouse.!

!



!

!!

!!

Figure'7)2:'TrackPoint'(in'red)'and'multi'button'trackpad'(left)'and'buttonless'trackpad'(right)'(Source:'lenovo.com'and'apple.com)'

7.2.1! Trackpads and touchpads These!may!or!may!not!include!buttons!and!provide!a!method!(“gestures”)!for!using!your!

fingers!to!scroll,!swipe,!rotate,!and!generally!navigate!on!a!screen.!!

They!can!be!used!to!replace!a!mouse!all!together!and!thus!are!common!in!laptops;!however,!

they!are!also!available!as!external!peripherals!for!desktop!computers.!

They!are!not!always!centrally!aligned!on!a!laptop.!Pay!attention,!for!example,!to!whether!it!

is!located!to!the!left!of!centre!for!users!who!prefer!to!use!their!right!hand.!

7.2.2! Pointing sticks Popularised!by!the!TrackPoint!on!Lenovo!(formerly!IBM)!ThinkPad!computers!(see!above!

figure).!

Pointing!sticks!provide!cursor!control!using!a!miniaturised!joy!stick!type!device.!

7.2.3! Ergonomic Depending!on!the!build,!a!computer!mouse!can!come!in!left!hand,!right!hand!or!

ambidextrous!variants.!!

7.3! Connectivity options This!section!provides!an!overview!of!the!connectivity!options!available!for!an!external!

keyboard!and!mouse.!For!a!desktop!computer!this!is!a!necessity.!While!it!is!optional!

consideration!for!laptops!and!tablets,!it!can!provide!a!significantly!more!comfortable!user!

experience.!

Your choice of keyboard and mouse connectivity will be dictated by: 1) your preference for wire free working, 2) the available ports on your computer (or docking stations / port replicator), and 3) your need for an external keyboard and mouse in the first place.



!

7.3.1! Wired A!wired!keyboards!or!mouse!can!connect!by!using!use!a!USB!connector,!or!in!the!case!of!

some!desktop!computers,!a!PS/2!connector,!both!shown!in!the!below!table:!

Standard! Connector! Symbol! Socket! Comments!

Keyboard!mouse!

PS/2! !!

Purple!for!keyboard,!green!for!mouse.!Largely!replaced!by!USB!or!wireless!keyboard/!mouse!connections.!

USB!2.0! Type!A!!

!

Type!A!is!for!host!devices,!as!you!attach!peripherals!such!as!keyboard!and!mouse!using!Type!A.!The!standard!size!is!found!commonly!found!on!desktops.!

USB!3.0! Type!A!! !

As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Table'7)1:'Keyboard'and'mouse'wired'connection'options.'

Wired keyboard and mouse options do not need their own power source, as they draw power directly from the computer. 7.3.2!Wireless keyboards There!are!three!common!wireless!connectivity!options:!Bluetooth,!2.4!GHz,!and!27!MHz.!WiV

Fi!Direct!based!connectivity!for!keyboard!and!mouse!are!very!rare,!so!this!will!not!be!

covered.!!

The!below!table!provides!a!summary!of!the!wireless!options,!together!with!a!column!for!

wired!characteristics!for!context.!

( Bluetooth( 2.4(GHz(wireless( 27(MHz(wireless( Wired(Range( 30!ft./!10m! 30!ft./!10m! 6!ft.!/2m! Dependent!on!

cable!

Relative(price( More! More! More! Least!

Relative(battery(life(

Least! More! More! Not!relevant,!

power!taken!from!

the!computer!

directly!

Interference( Designed!to!

eliminate!

interference!

Virtually!none! Possible!if!other!

devices!within!2m!

None!

Computer(USB(receiver(required(

No,!so!long!as!

Bluetooth!

enabled!

computer!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Table'7)2:'Keyboard'and'mouse'wireless'connection'options.'

Wireless keyboard and mouse connectivity provides an obvious clutter free advantage over wired connectivity. However, wireless options need charging, and if you forget, they will eventually stop working.!



!

Low!powered!wireless!devices!often!have!USB!charging!options,!however!some!require!

batteries!that!need!replacing,!which!can!occur!at!inconvenient!times.!

2.4 GHz/27 MHz wireless options tend to be more reliable than Bluetooth, however both requires a receiver to be plugged into your computers USB port.

(An!option!to!resolve!a!lack!of!ports,!in!the!case!of!a!laptop!or!tablet,!is!a!docking!station!or!

port!replicator!–!see!chapter!10).!

Perhaps!not!so!relevant!in!a!computer!selection!guide,!but!when!selecting!a!wireless!

keyboard!or!mouse,!avoid!27!MHz!as!it!provides!no!advantages,!and!only!interference!

disadvantages!compared!to!Bluetooth!and!2.4!GHz.!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!



!

8! Printer connectors Printers can be either connected to a Personal Area Network (PAN) or Local Area Network (LAN).

Sections!4.1!and!4.2,!respectively,!provide!a!description!of!LAN!and!PAN!(if!required).!

To!connect!to!a!LAN!printer,!a!computer!must!be!connected!to!the!LAN!using!any!of!the!

options!described!in!section!4.2.!In!other!words,!the!computer!does!not!connect!directly!to!

the!printer,!rather!connection!is!via!the!LAN,!and!as!such!no!additional!physical!connector!

on!the!computer!is!required!for!printer!connectivity.!

The advantage of a LAN connected printer is that access is available to all computers also connected to the LAN.!

From!a!computer!selection!guide!perspective,!the!relevant!type!of!connection!is!when!a!

printer!is!directly!connected!to!a!computer.!This!is!an!example!of!a!PAN.!!

Directly!connecting!to!a!printer!can!be!useful!for!guests!or!visitors!that!you!do!not!want!to!

provide!access!to!your!business!network.!

In!the!PAN!scenario,!there!are!three!connectivity!options!available,!and!all!depend!on!the!

type!of!printer,!and!the!connectivity!that!it!supports:!

•! FireWire!

•! USB!

•! WiVFi!Direct!

8.1! 1394 (FireWire) FireWire!is!unusual!in!printers!today,!but!it!is!still!available.!!

The!FireWire!FW400!connectors!provide!400!Mbps!data!transfer,!and!FW800!connector!

provides!800!Mbps.!

Connector! Symbol! Socket! Comments!

1394!

(FW400)! ! !Used!by!Apple!as!“FireWire”,!superseded!by!Thunderbolt.!

1394a!

(FW400)! ! !Used!by!Sony!as!i.LINK.!Sony!no!longer!sells!computers.!

1394b!

(FW800)! ! !Faster!version!of!1394!and!1394a.!

Table'8)1:'Printer'1394'(FireWire)'connector'options.'

8.2! USB USB!is!the!default!for!direct!connected!wired!printer.!USB!2.0,!3.0,!3.1!have!respective!

throughputs!of!480!Mbps,!5!Gbps!(5,000!Mbps)!and!10!Gbps!(10,000!Mbps).!!

As!shown!in!the!table!that!follows,!the!computer!side!will!have!a!“Type!A”!connection!and!

the!printer!side!a!“Type!B”!connection.!!



!

Printers!using!the!latest!USB!Type!C!are!not!yet!available.!


USB!2.0! Type!A!!

!

Type!A!is!for!host!devices,!as!you!attach!peripherals!such!as!keyboard!and!mouse!

using!Type!A.!The!standard!size!is!found!

commonly!found!on!desktops.!

Type!B!!

!

Type!B!is!for!peripheral!devices,!such!as!a!printer,!or!USB!storage!(other!peripheral!

devices!such!as!a!keyboard!or!mouse!usually!

have!an!integrated!cable!attached!to!the!

device,!rather!than!a!USB!connection).!

USB!3.0/!USB!3.1!

Type!A!! !

As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!

Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Type!B! ! !As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!

Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Table'8)2:'Printer'USB'connector'options.'

From a performance perspective, USB 3.0 and 3.1 provide the best result for printers directly connected to a computer. Print jobs will transfer, and complete, more quickly. That said, the convenience of Wi-Fi Direct, if you have a strong wireless signal, may be hard to beat. 8.3! Wi-Fi Direct WiVFi!Direct!is!a!great!option!for!personal!printer!connectivity.!!

A!physical!connection!is!not!required!on!the!computer,!however!both!the!computer!and!the!

printer!must!support!WiVFi!Direct.!!

Throughput!is!dependent!on!the!WiVFi!standard!supported,!varying!from!11!Mbps!to!over!1!

Gbps!(1,000!Mbps)!–!see!section!4.2.1!for!WiVFi!standards.!



!

9! Power Power!options!have!the!most!relevance!for!laptops,!and!in!particular,!how!long!they!can!

operate!before!needing!charge.!Clearly!this!is!important!to!travelling!workers!where!access!

to!a!fixed!power!source!can!be!limited.!

This!very!brief!chapter!provides!six!power!considerations!when!selecting!a!computer:!

1.! Dual(battery!–!There!are!laptops!that!include!two!batteries,!one!of!which!is!removable.!This!allows!the!removable!battery!to!be!swapped!while!the!laptop!is!in!

operation.!

2.! Extended(batteries!–!There!are!laptops!that!include!extraVlarge!batteries!allowing!up!to!20!hours!of!use.!

3.! Impact(of(screen(resolution!–!High!resolution!screens!require!more!power.!It!is!one!

reason!why!the!relatively!low!display!resolution!used!by!the!MacBook!Air!achieves!

such!a!long!battery!life.!

4.! Impact(of(under(capacity(chargers!–!Laptop!chargers!come!with!capacity!ratings!

measured!in!“watts”.!Using!a!65!watt!charger!on!a!90!watt!laptop!may!actually!be!

possible!without!damaging!the!laptop,!but!it!may!result!in!reduced!performance!as!

the!laptop!cuts!back!on!processor!performance!to!conserve!power!as!the!laptop!

charges.!Thus,!use!the!correct!charger!for!your!laptop.!

5.! Ability(to(charge(connected(devices(V!It!is!worth!knowing!that!USB!connectors!have!the!ability!to!provide!power.!A!“sleep!and!charge”!port!can!charge!a!connected!

device,!for!example!a!smartphone,!even!when!the!computer!is!off.!!

6.! USB(Type(C!–!This!is!a!new!standard!that!can!provide!up!to!100W!in!what!is!called!

“power!delivery”!mode.!This!enables!a!computer!to!either!be'charged!from!a!power!

source,!or!to!provide'charge!to!a!connected!device.!Not!all!USB!–!Type!C!connectors!are!enabled!for!power!delivery,!thus!investigate!the!specifications!further!if!this!is!

provided!on!a!computer.!


USB!2.0! Type!A!SleepVandVcharge!

ports!

!!

Same!as!standard!USB!connector!(which!is!

called!“Type!A”),!but!includes!power!to!

charge!compatible!devices!when!host!

computer!is!in!sleep!of!even!off.!No!official!

markings,!however!symbol!indicating!power,!

or!yellow!or!red!port!often!used.!

USB!Type!C! Type!C!! !

New!reversible!plug!with!support!for!power!

delivery!up!to!100W!(USB!2.0!and!USB!3.0!

provide!2.5W!and!4.5W!respectively1),!and!

DisplayPort!video!through!alternative!

implementations.!

Table'9)1:'Power'delivery'connection'options.'



!

10!Docking stations and port replicators When!using!a!portable!computer!in!an!office,!it!is!significantly!more!comfortable!to!use!a!

full!size!monitor,!full!size!keyboard,!and!an!external!mouse.!Unfortunately,!connecting!these!

devices!can!be!a!bit!of!a!hassle,!so!it’s!not!unusual!for!people!to!hunch!over!their!portable!

computer!and!do!without!the!benefits!that!external!devices!can!provide.!

When!I!say!“portable!computer”!I’m!referring!to!a!tablet,!netbook,!hybrid/!2!in!1,!Ultrabook!

or!laptop.!

!

!!

!!

Figure'10)1:'Lenovo'docking'station,'using'a'cable'connection'and'vertical'dock'(left),'Lenovo'docking'station,'using'a'horizontal'dock'with'built'in'connector'(right)'(Source:'Lenovo).'

Docking!stations!and!port!replicators!provide!a!neat!solution!to!the!hassle!factor!described!

above.!By!connecting!a!portable!computer!to!one!device,!connection!to!multiple!external!

peripherals!is!instantly!provided.!

In!addition,!docking!stations!and!port!replicators!can!provide!more!outputs,!and!different!

interfaces!types,!than!were!available!on!your!portable!computer.!Thus,!for!example,!giving!a!

portable!computer!with!just!one!HDMI!display!output,!the!ability!to!connect!two!DVI!

displays.!

The benefit of docking stations and port replicators is clear: convenient and flexible connectivity to peripheral devices for portable computers.

In!terms!of!definitions,!port!replicators!use!USB!connections!to!computers,!and!do!not!

include!computer!power!via!the!same!connection.!Docking!stations!use!their!own!

proprietary!connections!and!include!computer!power.!There!are!various!other!differences!

as!summarised!below.!

! !



!

!

( Docking(stations( Port(replicators(Computer(connection(method(

Propriety!connector! USB!

Power( Included!via!proprietary!

connector!

Not!via!USB!connection,!however!

sometimes!available!via!a!second!

connection.!

Computer(compatibility(

Manufacturer!specific!models.!

Note,!new!computer!model!are!

often!not!backward!compatible!

with!older!versions!of!docking!

stations,!requiring!docking!

stations!to!be!repurchased.!

In!general,!computer!agnostic,!as!

long!as!a!USB!connection.!That!

said,!performance!is!optimised!

using!USB!3.0!rather!than!USB!

2.0.!

Software( Computer!manufacturers!will!

often!include!their!docking!

station!software!on!their!

computer!models.!

Generic!port!replicators!require!

software!installed!on!the!

computer!to!function!fully.!

!

Computer!manufacturers!will!

often!include!their!port!replicator!

software!on!their!computer!

models.!

Video(resolution( Resolution!tends!to!be!better! Resolution!tends!to!be!lower!

Physically(lock(a(computer(in(place(

Sometimes! No!

Table'10)2:'Port'replicators'versus'docking'stations.'

As!a!point!of!trivia,!regardless!of!manufacturer,!nearly!all!port!replicators!are!based!on!

technology!from!a!company!called!DisplayLink.!

In!terms!of!similarities,!docking!stations!and!port!replicators!have!equivalent!options!for!

peripherals!covering!all!common!interfaces.!The!available!options!really!depend!on!

manufacturer!and!what!you!need.!

The!following!table!provides!a!summary!of!three!different!options!available!from!Lenovo.!I!

have!provided!this!only!to!illustrate!the!variations!available,!even!from!the!same!

manufacturer.!

! !



!

!

( Lenovo(ThinkPad(OneLink(Dock(

Lenovo(ThinkPad(OneLink(Pro(Dock(

Lenovo(USB(3.0(Port(Replicator(with(Dual(

Video(Type( Docking!stations! Docking!station! Port!replicator!

Price( $120/!£89! $179/!£149! £169!(not!available!in!the!US)!

PC(connection( OneLink!connector! OneLink!connector! USB!

Displays(supported( One! Two! Two!

Display(interfaces( HDMI!interface.! 1!×!DisplayPort!

1!×!DVI!

2!×!DVI!

Maximum(resolution(

1920x1200! 2560x1600!

(with!single!display)!

2048!x!1152!

(with!single!display)!

USB(connections((for!use!with!

keyboard,!mouse)(

2!×!USB!3.0!

2!x!USB!2.0!

!

4!x!USB!3.0!

2!x!USB!2.0!

!

5!×!USB!3.0!

!

Audio(connections((for!use!with!some!

headsets)!

Single!3.5mm!headset!

jack!

!


jack!


jack!

Power(for(PC( Yes! Yes! No!

Network(connection(

Gigabit!Ethernet!

(10/1000)!

Gigabit!Ethernet!

(10/1000)!

Gigabit!Ethernet!

(10/1000)!

Lock(computer( No! No! No!

Compatible(computers(

Specific!ThinkPad!

models!

Specific!ThinkPad!

models!

Any!notebook!running!

Windows!software!Table'10)1:'Comparison'of'docking'stations'and'a'port'replicator'from'Lenovo.'

If!you!are!selecting!a!docking!station!or!port!replicator,!the!following!items!are!what!you!

should!consider:!

1.! If!you!want!to!include!power!without!an!additional!connection,!then!choose!a!

docking!station.!

2.! If!you!want!a!streamlined!security!option,!choose!a!docking!station!with!a!key!lock!

(this!is!not!available!in!a!port!replicator).!

3.! Match!the!native!resolution!of!your!displays!to!the!resolution!capability!of!the!

docking!station!or!port!replicator!(see!chapter!3!on!screens!and!displays!for!more!

details).!

4.! Match!the!display!and!other!peripheral!interfaces!to!the!interfaces!on!the!docking!

station!or!port!replicator.!

5.! If!you!choose!a!port!replicator!make!sure!your!portable!computer!can!connect!via!

USB!3.0,!so!as!to!get!optimal!performance!(USB!2.0!can!result!in!performance!

issues).!

6.! Verify!that!the!docking!station!or!port!replicator!supports!your!computers!operating!

system.!

Irrespective of the choice between port replicator or docking station, I recommend you match the manufacturer to the computer maker. This will help avoid any unintended incompatibility issues.



!

11! Processors The!introduction!to!this!guide!included!an!analogy!of!the!various!nonVtangible!aspects!of!a!computer!

with!the!key!functions!in!the!human!brain.!The!Frontal!Lobe!region!of!the!brain!provides,!amongst!

other!things,!decision!making!capabilities.!A!computer!has!similar!capabilities!in!the!form!of!a!central!

processing!unit!and!a!graphics!processor.!This!chapter!will!describe!those!features.!

The central processing unit, CPU, or just “processor”, is the component of a computer that carries out instructions defined by programs.

(I!use!the!term!“computer”!as!a!catch!all!for!all!devices!with!a!processor:!smartphone,!

tablet,!laptop,!desktop,!etc.)!

!

Figure'11)1:'Computer'central'processing'unit,'CPU,'or'just'“processor”'(Photo'by'Nayu'Kim'/CC'BY'2.0).'

The!processor!can!be!considered!the!brain!of!a!computer.!As!such,!the!processor!defines!a!

significant!part!of!overall!performance,!but!it!is!perhaps!the!most!difficult!for!buyers!to!

evaluate,!as!it!is!so!technical!and!complex.!

Computer!features!such!as!weight,!screen!quality,!and!other!physical!characteristics!are!

easy!to!compare.!While!you!cannot!see!a!hard!disk,!you!can!generally!get!away!with!“more!

storage!is!better”!and!knowing!that!Solid!State!Disk!(SSD)!will!give!better!performance.!But!

if,!like!most!people,!you!don’t!know!the!difference!between!an!“Intel!Core!i5\!and!an!“AMD!

A6\,!then!this!chapter!is!for!you!!



!

11.1! Two processor architectures, ARM and x-86 When buying a computer, there are two types of processor architectures to be aware of: ARM and x-86.

The!ARM!architecture!is!generally!known!for!its!power!efficiency!and,!thus,!ability!to!

provide!longer!battery!life!for!devices.!As!such,!ARM!is!more!popular!in!portable!computers!

where!battery!life!is!important.!95%!of!smartphones!use!ARM!architecture!based!

processors.!

The key difference between ARM and x-86 is the different operating system support, and in turn, application software support.

Microsoft!software!on!ARM!computers!is!a!reduced!version!of!the!Microsoft!software!found!

on!xV86!computers.!Rather!than!Microsoft!Windows!which!is!found!on!xV86!devices,!ARM!

will!use!Windows!RT!(now!discontinued),!or!Windows!Phone,!or,!the!soon!to!be!released,!

Windows!10!mobile!operating!system.!This!is!important,!because!the!ARM!based!Microsoft!

operating!systems!do!not!support!full!versions!of!Microsoft!Office!(Word,!Excel,!PowerPoint,!

Outlook).!

Apple!uses!the!iOS!operating!system!for!ARM!based!iPhone!and!iPad,!but!uses!a!fuller!

featured!operating!system!called!“OS!X”!for!xV86!based!MacBooks!and!iMac.!This!is!

important,!because!there!are!limitations!in!what!you!can!do!with!Apple!productivity!

software!(iWork)!on!iOS!devices!(iPhone!and!iPad).!

As!a!side!note,!Apple!was!one!of!three!companies!that!founded!ARM!as!a!joint!venture!in!

1990.!ARM!has!since!been!listed!on!the!NASDAQ!and!London!Stock!Exchange.!

Google!has!two!operating!systems,!Google!Android!and!Google!Chrome!OS.!Both!systems!

are!used!on!ARM!and!xV86.!However,!in!general,!Android!is!for!ARM!based!smartphones!and!

tablets,!while!Chrome!OS!is!for!xV86!laptops.!There!are!limitations!when!using!Android!on!xV

86,!or!Chrome!OS!on!ARM.!

! ARM( xZ86(Google(operating(system(support(

Google!Android!(smartphone/!

tablets),!Google!Chrome!OS!

(laptops)!

Google!Android!!(smartphone/!

tablets!V!some!applications!will!not!

work!7),!Google!Chrome!OS!

(laptops)!

Apple(operating(system(support(

Apple!iOS!(iPhone,!iPad)! Apple!OS!X!(MacBooks,!iMac)!

Microsoft(operating(system(support(

Windows!phone!(smartphone,!

Windows!RT!(some!tablets,!with!

limited!program!support)!

Microsoft!Windows!7/!8!(laptops,!

desktops,!some!tablets)!

Table'11)1:'ARM'v'x)86'operating'system'support.'

The!below!table!provides!market!share!information!that!will!be!referred!to!in!the!following!

sections.!

! !



!

!

! ARM( xZ86(Market(share(of(smartphones(1(

95%! 5%!

Market(share(of(tablets/(laptops(2(

10%! 90%!

Market(share(of(desktops/(servers(3(

negligible! Effectively!100%!

Top(processor(companies(

Smartphones:!

Qualcomm!(54%)!

Apple!(16%)!

MediaTek!(10%)!

Tablets!5:!

Apple!(26%)!

Qualcomm!(17%)!

Intel!(75%)!

AMD!(25%)!

Google(operating(system(support(

Google!Android!(smartphone/!

tablets),!Google!Chrome!OS!

(laptops)!

Google!Android!!(smartphone/!

tablets!V!some!applications!will!not!

work!7),!Google!Chrome!OS!

(laptops)!

Apple(operating(system(support(

Apple!iOS!(iPhone,!iPad)! Apple!OS!X!(MacBooks,!iMac)!

Microsoft(operating(system(support(

Windows!phone!(smartphone,!

Windows!RT!(some!tablets,!with!

limited!program!support)!

Microsoft!Windows!7/!8/!10!

(laptops,!desktops,!some!tablets).!

Most!small!businesses!will!use!

these!operating!systems.!Table'11)2:'ARM'v'x)86'market'share.'

The!above!tables!are!important,!as!when!you!buy!a!computer,!you!should!be!aware!of!the!

underlying!architecture,!and!in!turn,!the!operating!system!and!applications!functionality!

available.!Also,!you!will!need!to!know!which!architecture!is!used!to!make!a!comparison!of!

the!type!of!processor!offered!–!this!is!the!focus!of!the!sections!that!follow.!

11.2! Processors for smartphones and tablets Qualcomm,!Apple!and!Mediatek!processors!account!for!the!majority!of!the!processors!used!

in!smartphones!and!tablets!(see!above!table),!thus!I’ll!focus!on!these!three!companies!in!

this!section.!All!three!providers!use!ARM!based!processors.!

Qualcomm!processors!are!marketed!under!the!Snapdragon!brand,!with!a!200,!400,!600!and!

800!series.!In!general,!the!higher!the!range!number,!the!better!the!chip.!Google!Nexus!6,!

Galaxy!Note!4!and!Galaxy!S5!are!just!some!of!the!smartphones!using!Qualcomm!processors.!

Samsung,!HP,!Amazon!and!Sony!all!use!Qualcomm!processors!in!their!tablets.!

Mediatek!has!the!second!biggest!market!share,!with!its!processors!more!popular!in!lower!

cost!devices!from!manufacturers!such!as!Alcatel,!HTC,!and!Lenovo.!Mediatek!has!about!30!

CPUs!ranging!from!MT6223!to!MT8752,!with!the!processor!capability!increasing!as!the!

numbers!increase.!



!

While!Apple!designs!its!own!chips!for!the!iPhone!and!iPad,!manufacturing!is!actually!

completed!by!Samsung,!and!is!forecast!to!continue.!Current!Apple!CPUs!are!A5,!A6,!A7,!A8,!

which!are!listed!in!order!of!performance!(A8!the!best).!

Qualcomm((best(at(top)(

Mediatek((best(at(top)(

Apple((best(at(top)(

Snapdragon!800!range!




MT8752!

...increasing!number!increments!from!6223!

to!8752...!

MT6223!

A8X!

A8!

A7!

A6X!

A6!

A5X!

A5!Table'11)3:'ARM'processor'ranges'for'Qualcomm,'Mediatek'and'Apple.'

Comparing!mobile!processors!against!each!other?!

How!does!a!Qualcomm!200!processor!compare!to!an!Apple!A5,!or!an!MT8752?!To!get!the!

answer!I!recommend!using!the!site!GSM!Arena!benchmark.!This!site!allows!comparison!

between!mobile!processors!using!a!bench!marking!tool!to!rate!performance.!An!example!is!

shown!below,!with!a!higher!score!being!better.!!

But!beware,!benchmarks!are!useful,!but!they!have!been!shown!to!not!be!realistic!when!

compared!to!real!world!use!scenarios.!

!

!

!

!



!

!

Table'11)4:'GSM'Arena'benchmark'mobile'processor'comparisons.'

11.3! Processors for laptops, and desktops (and sometimes smartphones and tablets). Unlike!in!mobile!devices,!xV86!processors!dominate!for!laptops!and!desktops,!but!as!usual!

there!are!exceptions,!and!two!are!worth!mentioning:!

•! Google!Chomebooks!are!laptops!that!can!use!either!an!ARM!or!xV86!CPU.!The!

previous!section!will!apply!when!considering!ARM!processors.!

•! xV86!based!processors!for!smartphones!and!tablets!are!not!common,!but!they!are!

available,!thus!the!information!in!this!section!will!apply.!

Just!two!companies!define!the!xV86!processor!market!for!laptops!and!desktop!computers,!

Intel!and!AMD,!with!about!75%!and!25%!of!the!market!respectively.!When!considering!

servers,!Intel!has!almost!complete!share.!

I’ll!show!two!charts!that!provide!an!overview!of!Intel!and!AMD!processors,!but!before!I!do,!

it!is!important!to!note!that!marketing!names!are!used!for!families!of!processors,!and!indeed!

the!same!marketing!names!are!often!used!even!when!new!generations!of!processors!are!

released.!

A!comparison!with!the!car!industry!is!useful!in!illustrating!the!marketing!approach!used!for!

processors.!The!Toyota!Corolla!has!been!for!sale!since!1966,!defined!by!11!generations.!In!



!

each!generation,!you!can!buy!different!models!and!select!different!features.!Comparing!the!

same!model!Corolla,!with!the!same!features,!across!generations!is!easy!–!the!more!recent!

the!generation!the!better.!But!it!can!get!more!complicated!when!generations!are!in!

transition,!a!fully!featured!10th!generation!Corolla!may!actually!be!better!than!a!standard!

model!11th!generation!Corolla.!

!

Figure'11)2:'Toyota'car'generations'(Photos'by'Robert'Huffstutter'(CC'BY'2.0)'and'Toyota'Motor'Europe'(CC'BY)ND'2.0)'

Thus,!in!the!context!of!the!limitations!of!marketing!names,!the!below!chart!provides!a!loose!

overview!of!the!marketing!names!used!for!Intel!processors.!Marketers!may!refer!to!a!

processor!as!a!“Core!i3\,!or!a!“5th!generation!processor”,!or!a!“Broadwell!processor”.!By!

using!the!below!chart,!you!should!be!able!to!decipher!what!they!mean.!“Core!i3\!could!be!

any!processor!from!any!xV86!architecture,!so!it!is!not!actually!descriptive!at!all,!and!“5th!

generation”!and!“Broadwell”!are!interchangeable!terms.!

!

Figure'11)3:'Intel'processor'generations.'

The!below!chart!provides!a!loose!overview!of!the!marketing!names!used!for!AMD!

processors.!Per!the!below!chart,!the!same!processor!could!be!referred!to!as!an!“A!series”!

processor!(more!on!this!to!come),!a!“Kaveri”!processor,!a!“Steamroller!based”!processor,!or!

(less!likely)!a!“3rd!generation!Bulldozer”!processor.!The!below!chart!should!assist!in!

navigating!the!marketing!mayhem.!



!

!

Figure'11)4:'AMD'processor'generations.'

Comparing!Intel!and!AMD!processors!has!the!difficulties!described!earlier!in!the!Toyota!

analogy,!in!addition,!actual!performance!will!vary!based!on!the!implementation!of!the!

hardware!vendor.!That!said,!the!following!chart!from!AMD!provides!a!useful!relative!

comparison!using!processor!retail!prices!as!the!basis!for!comparison,!with!starting!with!

<$349!at!the!bottom,!to!$599+!at!the!top.!Needless!to!say,!as!price!increases,!the!capability!

and!performance!of!the!processor!increases.!

!

Figure'11)5:'AMD'and'Intel'processors'compared.'

As!a!general!guide,!Intel!Atom/Celeron/Pentium,!and!AMD!E!and!C!series,!are!targeted!at!

low!powered!devices!suitable!for!the!home!market!(or!in!the!case!of!Intel,!smartphones!and!

tablets).!The!Intel!Core!i3/!i5/!i7!range,!and!AMD!A4!and!above,!are!suitable!for!business!

machines,!with!the!top!of!both!ranges!for!users!with!heavy!processing!requirements!such!as!

complex!spreadsheets,!large!databases,!or!video!editing.!



!

Please!note!that!the!above!chart!does!not!include:!

•! AMD!FX!series!which!is!used!in!AMD!desktop!machines,!and!positioned!by!AMD!

above!their!A10!range.!

•! A!relatively!new!“Core!M”!range!from!Intel,!which!is!a!processor!suitable!for!laptops!

that!can!operate!without!a!fan.!This!can!facilitate!even!thinner!and!lighter!designs.!

•! Server!processors!are!not!shown!in!the!above!table!either.!As!stated!earlier,!Intel!has!

almost!complete!share,!and!markets!its!processors!with!the!Xeon!range,!while!AMD!

markets!its!processors!with!the!Opteron!range.!

11.4! Comparing processors https://www.cpubenchmark.net!provides!benchmark!information!on!common!xV86!

processors.!You!can!view!benchmarks!for!common!processors!(shown!below)!and!directly!

compare!processors!of!interest!(search!on!the!processor,!then!select!the!“compare”!option,!

then!select!additional!processors).!The!benchmark!results!are!a!relative!figure,!a!processor!

result!of!4000!can!process!roughly!twice!as!much!data!as!a!result!of!2000.!

!

Figure'11)6:'PassMark'common'processor'comparison'chart.'

11.5! Graphics processors The!part!of!a!processor!that!handles!graphics!is!called!the!Graphics!Processing!Unit,!or!GPU.!

The!GPU!is!usually!integrated!with!the!processor,!but!in!some!cases,!where!users!want!

flexibility!to!choose!their!own!GPU,!it!may!not!be!included!(for!example,!gaming!

enthusiasts).!



!

You!can!quickly!determine!if!a!GPU!is!included,!and!the!type,!by!using!the!site!

http://www.cpuVworld.com.!Below!you!can!see!the!results!for!two!processors.!The!

processor!on!the!left!does!not!include!a!GPU,!and!will!therefore!be!provided!as!a!separate!

processor!(a!separate!GPU!will!be!included,!otherwise!your!computer!screen!will!not!work!).!

The!processor!on!the!right!identifies!an!integrated!Intel!HD!4000!GPU.!

!

Figure'11)7:'GPU'specifications'from'CPU'world.'

Computers!used!for!graphic!intensive!applications!will!benefit!from!a!better!graphics!

processor.!This!also!applies!to!computers!running!multiple!screens,!or!running!high!

resolution.!

www.videocardbenchmark.net!provides!benchmark!and!comparison!tools!for!graphics!

processors.!

11.6! Technical terms I’ve!tried!to!keep!clear!of!technical!jargon,!but!as!the!following!terms!come!up!in!marketing!

material,!they!will!be!useful!to!know:!

11.6.1! 32 bit/ 64 bit Both!terms!refer!to!the!size!of!an!instruction!that!a!processor!can!execute!at!a!given!

instance.!A!bit!is!basic!unit!of!information,!and!32!bit!is…!yep,!32!bits!of!information,!and!64!

bit!is!64!bits!of!information.!Everything!else!being!equal,!a!64!bit!processor!can!process!

more!information,!so!long!as!the!operating!system!is!designed!to!leverage!64!bits.!xV86!

architecture!processors!are!all!64!bits!these!days,!however,!ARM!processors!have!only!

recently!started!moving!to!64!bits,!with!most!smartphones!using!32!bits!(as!at!Feb!2014,!

Apple!iPhone,!with!the!5s,!was!the!only!64!bit!smartphone).!

11.6.2!Cache Cache!is!memory!that!is!dedicated!to,!and!part!of,!the!CPU.!Cache!assists!the!CPU!in!

processing!instructions.!Everything!else!being!equal,!and!in!general,!a!CPU!with!more!cache!

will!perform!better.!Cache!memory!is!measured!in!units!of!a!“Byte”,!which!is!8!bits!(refer!

above!for!a!“bit”).!Cache!values!are!usually!within!512!kB,!or!512,000!Bytes,!and!8!MB,!or!8!

million!Bytes.!

11.6.3!Speed More!correctly!referred!to!as!the!“clock!rate”,!the!speed!refers!to!the!amount!of!

instructions!that!can!be!processed!in!1!second.!Thus!the!unit!measurement!is!Hertz.!CPU!

speed!varies!from!about!800!MHz,!or!800!million!instructions!per!second,!to!4!GHz,!or!4!

billion!instructions!per!second!!



!

11.6.4!Cores The!actual!processing!unit!within!a!processor!is!called!a!core.!A!processor!can!have!

anywhere!from!1!to!10!cores,!or!even!more.!Each!core!can!process!instructions!

independently,!thus,!everything!else!being!equal,!more!cores!results!in!better!performance.!

11.6.5!Hyper-Threading This!is!an!Intel!technology!to!make!one!Core!perform!like!two!Cores.!When!used,!each!

processing!unit!is!referred!to!as!a!thread.!Thus!a!single!Core!CPU!using!HyperVThreading!will!

have!2!threads,!and!a!two!Core!CPU,!4!threads.!Performance!increases!are!variable!and!very!

much!application!specific.!

11.6.6!Turbo boast This!is!an!Intel!technology!that!enables!a!processor!to!increase!the!CPU!speed!for!temporary!

periods.!

11.7! Summary and buying recommendations This!chapter!covered!CPUs!and!graphics!processors,!and!the!multitude!of!options!available!

for!both.!The!key!points!and!my!recommendations!for!this!chapter!are:!

•! At!the!highest!level,!there!are!two!types!of!computer!processors;!“ARM”!and!“xV86\.!

•! ARM!processors!are!generally!used!in!smartphones!and!tablets,!but!there!are!

exceptions.!

•! xV86!processors!are!generally!used!in!laptops,!desktops!and!servers,!but!there!are!

exceptions.!

•! To!compare!ARM!processors,!go!to!http://www.gsmarena.com/benchmarkV

test.php3,!and!to!compare!xV86!processors!go!to!https://www.cpubenchmark.net.!

•! Smartphones!and!tablets!with!ARM!processors!generally!run!operating!systems,!and!

applications,!that!have!reduced!functionality!compared!to!their!xV86!counterparts.!

This!is!especially!important!to!remember!if!considering!an!ARM!based!tablet!or!

laptop.!

•! Smartphones!and!tablets!with!xV86!processors!will!not!have!the!same!range!of!

applications!available!compared!to!their!ARM!counterparts.!

•! For!xV86!processors,!the!Intel!Core!i3/!i5/!i7!range,!and!AMD!A4!and!above,!are!

suitable!for!business!machines.!In!general,!i3!is!low!intensity!use!(using!a!few!basic!

applications!at!any!time),!i5!is!for!general!use!(using!many!applications!at!any!time),!

and!i7!for!power!use!(video!processing!or!large!spreadsheet/!database!use).!

•! Graphics!are!processed!by!the!Graphics!Processing!Unit!(GPU),!this!is!usually!

integrated!with!the!processor,!but!for!graphics!intensive!applications!a!separate!GPU!

will!provide!better!performance.!

•! When!buying!a!computer,!make!sure!you!know!the!type!of!processor,!remember!the!

operating!system/!application!limitations!stated!above,!and!compare!the!processor!

performance!against!competing!devices!using!the!links!above.!This!advice!will!put!

you!in!an!informed!purchasing!position.!

! !



!

12!Memory !

!

Figure'12)1:'Computer'memory'(Photo'by'William'Warby/'CC'BY'2.0)'

The!introduction!to!this!guide!included!an!analogy!of!the!various!nonVtangible!aspects!of!a!

computer!with!the!key!functions!in!the!human!brain.!The!Frontal!Lobe!region!of!the!brain!

provides,!amongst!other!things,!short!term!memory!capabilities.!A!computer!has!similar!

capabilities.!This!chapter!will!describe!those!features.!

Memory, after your computers processor, is perhaps the most significant contributor to overall performance.

Firstly,!we!need!to!cover!a!few!terms!and!acronyms.!

•! Random(Access(Memory((RAM)!–!Computer!RAM!is!akin!to!our!short!term!

memories!as!humans,!and!is!commonly!referred!to!as!just!“memory”.!Computers,!

just!like!us,!use!it!to!process!information!right!now.!In!contrast,!our!long!term!

memories!are!equivalent!to!a!computers!storage,!which!computers,!just!like!us,!

store!information!for!later!reference!(we!will!cover!storage!in!chapter!13).!

•! DDR(SDRAM/(DDR!V!In!computer!specifications,!memory!may!be!referred!to!as!

Double!Data!Rate!Synchronous!Dynamic!RandomVAccess!Memory,!or!“DDR!SDRAM”,!

or!“DRAM”,!or!just!“DDR”!for!short.!

•! DDR1,(DDR2,(DDR3,(DDR4!V!DDR!memory!is!a!class!of!memory!that!first!appeared!in!

the!year!2000.!It!was!followed!by!successively!better!performing!versions!called!

DDR1,!DDR2,!DDR3,!up!until!DDR4!in!midV2014.!

•! DDRL(–!low!powered!version!of!DDR,!e.g.!DDR3L!or!DDR4L,!suitable!for!laptops!and!desktops.!

•! LPDDR!–!low!powered!version!of!DDR!applicable!for!smartphones!or!tablets,!but!may!

be!found!in!low!end!laptops!also.!

•! GB(–!Gigabytes!is!the!unit!of!measurement!for!memory!capacity.!A!GB!is!one!billion!

bytes,!where!a!byte!is!8!“bits”,!and!a!bit!is!the!smallest!unit!of!memory,!denoting!

either!a!one!or!a!zero.!!



!

Now!we!know!the!terms,!here!are!the!important!considerations!when!evaluating!the!

memory!in!a!computer:!

1.! LPDDR(for(tablets(or(hybrids(only:!When!buying!a!computer!you!want!DDR3/DDR3L!

or!DDR4/DDR4L!memory,!unless!it!is!a!low!powered!device!such!as!a!tablet,!in!which!

case!LPDDR!is!acceptable.!

2.! 4(GB(memory(for(general(laptop/(desktop(use:!For!general!purpose!business!productivity!computing!such!as!word!processing,!presentations,!or!email,!4GB!of!

memory!is!sufficient,!however,!if!you!like!to!work!on!many!tasks!at!once,!you!will!

benefit!from!additional!memory.!

3.! 8+(GB(for(intensive(laptop/(desktop(use:!If!you!work!on!large!spreadsheets,!databases,!or!financial!programs!consider!8GB!of!memory.!

4.! If(in(doubt,(choose(more(memory:!Memory!requirements!of!computers!is!always!

increasing!as!processors!and!applications!become!more!demanding.!For!example,!

the!current!Apple!iPad!has!almost!8!times!the!memory!of!the!original!iPad!released!

in!April!2010.!This!is!relevant!to!the!next!point.!

5.! Beware(soldered(memory:!Some!computers!have!memory!soldered!in!place!which!is!

not!possible!to!upgrade!at!a!later!date.!If!you!chose!a!computer!with!soldered!

memory,!consider!buying!8!GB!of!memory!as!the!additional!cost!is!not!significant.!

6.! Avoid(32(bit(Windows(operating(system:!There!are!two!versions!of!Microsoft!

Windows!that!are!important!from!a!memory!perspective;!32!bit!Windows,!or!64!bit!

Windows.!32!bit!Windows!will!not!use!more!than!4Gb!of!installed!RAM,!thus!use!64!

bit!Windows!if!possible!(the!only!reason!not!to!use!64!bit!Windows!is!some!old!

applications!only!run!on!32!bit!Windows,!verify!this!if!using!old!application).!

7.! Graphics(memory(is(separate:!Memory!is!allocated!separately!for!your!computers!

graphic!processor,!and!will!be!identified!separately!separately.!

8.! Ignore(other(memory(specifications:!When!reviewing!memory,!there!are!other!

terms!other!than!capacity!and!version!of!DDR,!but!for!all!intents!and!purposes!you!

can!ignore!them.!So!long!as!you!are!buying!a!fully!built!computer!from!a!reputable!

manufacturer,!they!will!make!sure!the!other!specification!items!are!a!match!to!the!

rest!of!the!computer.!

The!below!table!shows!the!memory!in!a!common!selection!of!computers.!As!you!can!see!

low!power!“mobile”!memory!is!used!in!tablets,!smartphones!and!the!Microsoft!hybrid!

computer.!A!low!power!laptop!memory!is!used!in!the!ThinkPad,!and!finally!the!Microsoft!

Surface!2!uses!low!power!DDR4!memory.!

Computer( Memory(type( Memory(capacity(iPad(Air(2(tablet( LPDDR3! 2!GB!

iPhone(6(smartphone( LPDDR3! 1!GB!

Google(Nexus(6(smartphone( LPDDR3! 3!GB!

Microsoft(Surface(Pro(3(hybrid( LPDDR3! 4!or!8!GB!

Microsoft(Surface(2(tablet( LPDDR4! 4!GB!

Lenovo(ThinkPad(X250(laptop( DDR3L! 4!GB!

Lenovo(ThinkCentre(E73(desktop( DDR3! 4!GB!Table'12)1:'Memory'comparison'of'a'selection'of'computers.'



!

13!Storage !

!

Figure'13)1:'Punch'tape'used'as'a'form'of'storage,'used,'in'Colossus'the'world's'first'programmable,'electronic,'digital'computer.'Photo'by'Kevin'/CC'BY'2.0.'

The!introduction!to!this!guide!included!an!analogy!of!the!various!nonVtangible!aspects!of!a!

computer!with!the!key!functions!in!the!human!brain.!Computer!storage!is!akin!to!long!term!

memory.!This!chapter!describes!the!inVbuilt!personal!computer!options!for!storage!of!data!

such!as!documents,!photos,!music,!videos!and!applications.!

It!may!not!be!immediately!obvious,!but!your!computer!is!continuously!reading!and!writing!

from!its!inVbuilt!storage,!for!example:!

•! When!starting!a!computer!and!loading!the!operating!system;!

•! When!browsing!websites!due!to!temporary!Internet!files;!

•! When!using!email!with!offline!access;!

•! When!a!document!or!file!is!saved,!including!auto!saves;!

•! When!backing!up!your!computer;!and,!

•! When!automatic!updates!occur!to!software!such!as!antivirus.!

In all the above cases, insufficient storage capacity, or insufficient storage speed, results in a sluggish computer. This can have significant impact on user productivity, so, understanding the storage requirements is very important.!

In!this!chapters!we!will!cover!the!below!topics;!

•! Types!of!storage;!



!

•! Storage!speed;!

•! Storage!capacity;!and,!

•! Storage!protection.!

Please!skip!directly!to!the!end!of!this!chapter!for!the!summary!of!key!points.!

13.1! Types of storage InVbuilt!storage!is!just!one!option!available!for!computer!storage,!others!include!locally!

attached!storage,!site!based!storage,!or!offsite!storage.!

Selecting the in-built storage for a computer also requires considering the other computer storage options available.

For!the!above!reason,!I’ll!first!describe!the!various!storage!options!available,!before!then!

providing!considerations!specifically!for!inVbuilt!computer!storage.!

13.1.1! Storage options When!considering!the!storage!options!available!to!a!computer,!it!is!useful!to!differentiate!

based!on!physical!location!of!the!storage!as!follows:!

•! InZbuilt(storage!–!storage!capacity!that!is!built!into!the!computer!(e.g.!hard!disk).!

This!will!be!the!focus!of!the!section!that!follows,!and!is!directly!applicable!when!

selecting!a!computer.!

•! Locally(attached(storage!V!storage!locally!attached!to!the!computer!that!can!be!

easily!attached!or!removed!(e.g.!USB!attached!storage).!

•! Onsite(storage!V!storage!hosted!within!the!geographic!boundaries!of!your!office!location/s,!with!a!network!connection!required!for!access.!This!storage!is!typically!

shared!between!users!and!includes!solutions!called!file!servers,!Network!Attached!

Storage!(NAS)!and!Storage!Area!Networks!(SAN).!

•! Offsite(storage!–!storage!hosted!outside!the!geographic!boundaries!of!your!office!locations.!Offsite!storage!includes!services!available!over!the!Internet,!sometimes!

called!cloud!storage.!It!also!includes!data!centre!companies!that!host!storage!

infrastructure!on!behalf!of!customers,!accessed!via!various!network!connection!

options.!

•! Detached(storage((onsite(or(offsite)!V!this!is!an!external!storage!device!that!is!connected!to!a!computer!during!data!transfer,!but!then!detached!and!stored!onsite!

or!offsite!depending!on!the!objective!for!storage.!For!example,!data!required!for!

disaster!recovery!purposes!is!best!stored!offsite,!and!can!be!kept!detached!until!

required.!

!



!

Locally!attached!storage:!USB!attached!storage.!

!

!Onsite!storage:!Network!Attached!Storage!

(NAS)!

!

!Offsite!storage:!third!party!data!centre.!

!

!Detached!storage:!Safety!deposit!box.!

!Figure'13)2:'Storage'options'that'compliment'in)built'computer'storage'(Photo'by'Karen'/CC'BY'2.0,'Photo'by'Andrew'

Currie/CC'BY)SA'2.0,'Photo'by'NeoSpire'/CC'BY'2.0,'Photo'by'Stuart'Conner'/CC'BY)ND'2.0).'

!

!

! !



!

The!physical!location!of!storage!has!various!pros!and!cons!as!summarised!in!the!below!

table.!

Storage(options( Pros( Cons( Example(InZbuilt(storage( •! Available!without!a!

network!connection.!

•! Since!it!is!inVbuilt,!no!

additional!device!to!

transport.!

If!the!storage!fails!all!data!

is!lost!unless!an!

independent!copy!or!

backup!is!held.!

•! Hard!Disk!Drive!

(HDD).!

•! Solid!State!Drive!

(SSD).!

•! eMMC!storage.!

Locally(attached(storage(

•! Available!without!a!

network!connection.!

•! Low!cost!method!to!

expand!storage!to!a!

computer.!

•! An!extra!device!to!

manage.!

•! If!the!storage!fails!all!

data!is!lost!unless!an!

independent!copy!or!

backup!is!held.!

•! USB!thumb!drive.!

•! USB!hard!drive.!

•! Memory!card!(SD!

card,!micro!SD!card,!

MMC!card).!

Onsite(storage( •! Allocate!and!share!

storage!capacity!

across!users.!

•! Users!can!share!data!

with!each!other.!

•! Faster!than!offsite!for!

large!data!transfers.!

•! Unavailable!if!

network!connection!

unavailable.!

•! Storage!speed!is!

limited!by!network!

speed.!

•! File!server.!

•! Network!Attached!

Storage!(SAN).!

•! Storage!Area!

Networks!(SAN).!

Offsite(storage( •! Allocate!and!share!

storage!capacity!

across!users.!

•! Users!can!share!data!

with!each!other.!

•! Depending!on!the!

offsite!location,!may!

be!more!secure!than!

onsite!storage.!

•! Unavailable!if!

network!connection!

unavailable.!

•! Storage!speed!is!

limited!by!network!

speed.!

•! Dropbox.!

•! Microsoft!Azure.!

•! Amazon!AWS.!

•! Third!party!data!

centre.!

Detached(storage((onsite(or(offsite)(

Relatively!cheaper!than!

other!storage!options,!and!

suitable!for!data!kept!for!

archive!or!disaster!

recovery!purposes.!

•! Storage!must!be!

detachable.!

•! Storage!must!be!

attached!before!data!

is!available.!

•! Removable!disk!

storage!in!a!safety!

deposit!box.!

•! Third!party!services!

who!securely!store!

storage!drives.!

Table'13)1:'Storage'options:'in)built'storage,'locally'attached,'onsite'storage,'offsite'storage,'detached'storage.'

The!next!section!will!focus!on!the!inVbuilt!storage!options!for!a!computer.!

13.1.2! In-built storage At a high level, there are two types in-built storage for a computer; hard disk drives (HDD) and NAND or flash storage.

From!here!I!will!just!say!“flash”!to!cover!both!NAND!and!flash!storage.!



!

! !!

Figure'13)3:'In)built'storage'types:'hard'disk'drive'(HDD)'(left)'and'flash'storage'(right)'(Photo'by'Kamil'Porembiński/CC'BY)SA'2.0,'Photo'by'Intel'Free'Press/CC'BY'2.0)'

Hard disk drives (HDD) rely on spinning disks coated in a magnetic material to read and write information. Flash storage has no moving parts and uses an electronic medium for storage. Flash storage is typically offered in three formats, “raw” flash, embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC), and Solid State Drive (SSD).

•! “Raw”(flash!V!storage!is!soldered!directly!to!the!computers!processor,!this!saves!

space!as!there!is!no!need!for!a!physical!connector,!but!means!the!storage!is!not!

upgradeable!and!requires!a!specialist!to!repair.!“Raw”!flash!implementations!come!

with!vendor!specific!storage!interface!commands.!Smartphones!and!tablets!often!

have!“raw”!flash.!

•! eMMC!V!!much!like!“raw”!flash,!however!a!standard!for!storage!interface!and!

management!is!defined2,!with!current!maximum!capacity!of!128!GB

3.!!As!with!“raw”!

flash,!smartphones!and!tablets!are!a!typical!target!for!this!type!of!storage.!

•! SSD!–!storage!is!arranged!to!allow!concurrent!multiple!access,!resulting!in!much!

faster!speed4.!There!are!two!interface!options,!PCIe!and!SATA,!with!PCIe!providing!

significant!speed!advantages!over!SATA.!SSD!storage!is!built!to!be!easily!replaced!and!

is!targeted!at!ultraportables,!laptops!and!hybrid!computers.!!

! !



!

The!following!table!identifies!the!pros,!cons,!and!example!applications!for!HDD,!SSD,!eMMC,!

and!“raw”!flash.!

( Hard(Disk(Drive((HDD)(

Solid(State(Drive((SSD)(

embedded(MultiMediaCard((eMMC)(((

“raw”(flash(

Pros( •! Relatively!

cheaper!than!

SSD.!

•! Largest!capacity!

options.!

•! Replaceable.!

•! Faster!

performance!

than!HDD.!!

•! Silent!operation.!

•! Replaceable.!

•! Relatively!cheap!

and!fast.!


•! Provides!

flexibility!for!

manufacturer!to!

implement!

exactly!what!

they!need.!


Cons( •! Relatively!slower!

than!SSD.!

•! Significantly!

more!expensive!

than!HDD.!

•! Not!

upgradeable.!

•! Usually!lower!

capacity.!

•! Not!

upgradeable.!

•! Usually!lower!

capacity.!

Example(uses(

Non!portable!

computers!and!

central!storage!

devices.!

Portable!computers!

such!as!

ultraportables.!

Smartphones,!

tablets,!and!some!

low!end!laptops.!

Smartphones!and!

tablets,!including!

Apple!iPad!and!Apple!

iPhone.!

Table'13)2:'Pros'and'cons'for'HDD,'SSD,'eMMC,'and'“raw”'flash.'

It!can!be!useful!to!know!that!there!are!three!types!of!flash!storage!technologies!that!

accompany!the!three!storage!formats!summarised!in!the!above!table;!SLC,!MLC,!and!TLC,!

listed!in!decreasing!levels!of!quality.!In!general,!SLC!is!found!in!SSD!storage!aimed!at!high!

end!computers,!and!TLC!is!found!in!low!cost!eMMC!storage.!MLC!provides!a!quality!level!

between!SLC!and!TLC.5!Controversially,!Apple!recently!swapped!MLC!based!“raw”!flash!for!

lower!quality!TLC!based!memory!in!the!iPhone!6,!resulting!in!rumours!that!this!was!causing!

reboot!issues.6!

In!the!next!section!I’ll!focus!in!more!detail!on!storage!speed!differences.!

13.2!Storage speed The!speed!of!storage!transfer!defines!how!quickly!you!can!read!or!write!information!to!

storage,!and!is!measured!in!Megabytes!per!second,!MB/s.!!

As!highlighted!in!the!opening!of!this!chapter,!your!computer!is!continuously!reading!and!

writing!from!inVbuilt!storage.!!

Slow storage speed results in more time waiting for a computer to complete activities, or, at worst resulting in a computer that becomes unresponsive for periods of time.



!

13.2.1! In-built storage speed The!following!table!provides!a!summary!of!the!speeds!for!the!inVbuilt!storage!formats!

reviewed!in!the!previous!section.!

Storage( Hard(Disk(Drive((HDD)(

Solid(State(Drive((SSD)(

embedded(MultiMediaCard((eMMC)(((

(“raw”(flash(

Storage(medium(

Rotating!platters!

coated!with!

magnetic!material.!

Electronic!memory!

called!NAND!or!flash.!

Electronic!memory!


Electronic!memory!


Storage(interface(

SATA!interface.! SATA!or!PCIe.! embedded!

MultiMediaCard!

(eMMC).!

“Raw”!flash.!

Upgradeable( Usually! Usually! No!

!

No!

Theoretical(speeds(

50(–(120(MB/s,(7200!RPM!disk!

faster!than!5200!

RPM!disk.7(

!

Up!to!300(MB/s!if!using!SATA!2.!

8!

!

Up!to!600(MB/s!if!using!SATA!3.!

9!

!

Up!to!16(GB/s((16,000(MB/s)!if!using!PCIe.

10!

Up!to!200(MB/s!if!using!of!eMMC!4.5.

11!

!

Up!to!400(MB/s!if!using!eMMC!5.0.

!12!

Speed!varies!with!

amount!of!RAM!as!

actions!can!be!

completed!in!

parallel.!

Actual(examples((sequential(read/(write)(

Lenovo!X220!

laptop!(5200!RPM)!

80/80(MB/s13!

Surface!Pro!3!tablet!

(SATA!3)!

500/(325(MB/s14(!

!

Apple!MacBook!Pro!

laptop!(PCIe)!

1400/660(MB/s15(

HP!Stream!11!

laptop.!

170/55!MB/s16!

Apple!iPad!Air!2,!

tablet.!

245/87!MB/s17!

Table'13)3:'Storage'speed:'HDD,'SSD,'eMMC,'and'“raw”'flash.'

There!are!some!key!explanations!required!to!understand!the!table!above,!specifically:!

•! HDD(revolutions(per(minute((HDD)!–!HDD!storage!uses!spinning!platters!covered!in!magnetic!material!to!store!information,!measured!in!Revolutions!per!Minute!(RPM).!

The!faster!the!platter!spins,!the!faster!the!storage!speeds.!The!following!video!

illustrates!the!impact!on!computer!startVup!time!of!a!7200!RPM!disk!versus!5200!

RPM!disk!–!10!seconds!versus!33!seconds:!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nrO7VH9TUs!

•! SSD(v(HDD!–!SSD!storage!is!faster!than!HDD!storage,!however!SSD!is!about!double!the!price!of!HDD!storage.

18!The!following!video!illustrates!the!speed!impact!of!SSD!

over!HDD!when!shutting!down!otherwise!identical!laptops!–!14!seconds!versus!over!

5!minutes:!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6MWF7BUi_M!

•! Theoretical(v(Actual(speeds!V!Actual!storage!speeds!vary!significantly!from!

theoretical!speeds,!but!both!are!consistent!in!terms!of!relative!results!across!storage!

options.!Actual!speed!varies!for!read!and!write!(thus!two!values!provided!in!the!

table),!and!speed!drops!as!storage!is!filled,!or!for!accessing!data!that!is!not!stored!

sequentially!in!memory.!



!

•! Storage(interface!V!Storage!interfaces!vary,!but!most!importantly!for!SDD!storage,!it!

makes!an!enormous!difference!on!the!speeds!possible.!The!theoretical!speeds!for!

SSD!storage!with!SATA!3!versus!PCIe!are!significantly!different,!but!even!in!practice!

PCIe!interfaced!SSD!is!more!than!double!the!speed!of!SATA!3!interfaced!SSD.!

Needless!to!say!PCIe!is!more!expensive!than!a!SATA!3!interface.!

As!the!above!is!a!lot!of!information,!it!can!probably!best!summarised!as;!!

Smartphones and tablets will typically be eMMC or “raw” flash. For a laptop or desktop computer, SSD costs about double the price of HDD, but the performance increase is significant especially if coupled with a PCIe interface instead of a SATA interface.!13.2.2!External storage speed This!guide!is!focused!on!computer!selection,!so!inVbuilt!computer!storage!is!the!focus!of!this!

chapter.!That!said,!I!should!mention!that!for!storage!external!to!a!computer,!either!onsite!or!

offsite,!the!network!speed!between!the!storage!and!computer!constrains!storage!speed.!

It!is!not!that!helpful!that!network!speeds!are!measured!in!bits,!whereas!storage!speed!are!

measured!in!bytes,!where!one!byte!equals!8!bits.!Thus,!the!below!table!may!help!illustrate!

the!network!speed!constraint.!

External(storage(type( Network(speed(in(bits((Mb/s)((

Equivalent(data(transfer(speed(in(bytes((MB/s)(

Onsite(storage( 1!Gb/s!Ethernet!

100!Mb/s!Ethernet!

(upload!=!download)!

125!MB/s!

12.5!MB/s!

(upload!=!download)!

Offsite(storage( 50/!10!Mbps!cable!

17/!1!Mbps!DSL!

(upload/!download)!

6.25/!1.25!MB/s!

2/!0.1!MB/s!

(upload/!download)!Table'13)4:'External'storage'network'limitations.'

Clearly,!in!all!the!above!typical!network!connection!examples,!HDD!storage!performance!of!

80!to!125!MBps!(as!identified!earlier)!will!provide!significantly!more!speed!than!can!be!

supported!by!all!but!1!Gbps!Ethernet!connection.!For this reason, in general, HDD storage is more than sufficient for external storage that is onsite or offsite.!13.3!Storage capacity The!more!storage!you!have,!well,!the!more!information!you!can!store!in!terms!of!

documents,!music,!pictures!and!videos.!!

The!required!amount!of!inVbuilt!storage!for!a!computer!cannot!be!determined!in!isolation!of!

the!overall!storage!capacity!for!a!business:!they!are!interlinked!and!include!the!below!

considerations:!

•! Does!data!need!to!be!stored!in!a!central!location!so!that!it!can!be!shared!between!

users?!

•! Is!access!to!data!required!when!away!from!the!office,!or!only!in!the!office?!

•! Will!local!computer!storage!be!backed!up!centrally!in!case!of!computer!loss!or!

damage?!

•! How!often!will!you!backup!data,!and!for!how!long!will!you!retain!backups?!



!

•! Is!real!time!access!to!the!data!required?!

•! Will!data!of!a!certain!age!be!deleted!or!archived?!

Consideration!of!the!above!questions!will!influence!the!inVbuilt!storage!capacity!required!on!

a!computer.!The!above!is!beyond!the!scope!of!this!computer!selection!guide,!but!provides!a!

basis!for!understanding!the!storage!you!may!need!for!a!computer.!

If in doubt, check how much storage you use today on your computer, then buy more computer storage than you need, as the amount of free storage capacity also impacts storage speed. Also, understand if the storage can be increased, and if not, definitely buy more storage than you need. 13.4!Storage protection When!selecting!the!inVbuilt!storage!for!a!personal!computer,!you!must!also!consider!storage!

protection!options.!!

The type of data you are storing will define if you need to consider options to guard against theft, loss or damage. Indeed, there may even be regulatory requirements on how you store certain information, for example health or financial records.

The!following!sections!provide!some!considerations!for!determining!your!storage!protection!

requirements.!

13.4.1!Backup and recovery Backup!provides!a!copy!of!stored!data!at!an!instant!in!time,!and!then!keeps!that!data!for!a!

given!period!in!the!event!that!it!needs!to!be!recovered.!There!is!a!full!science!covering!

backup!and!recovery,!and!here!are!some!key!points:!

•! Location(–(Storing!backup!data!in!the!same!location!as!the!original!data!creates!a!risk!

of!losing!both!the!backup!and!the!original!to!theft!or!fire.!Ideally,!the!backup!location!

will!be!physically!separate!to!the!original!data.!

•! Retention(period(–(The!longer!you!keep!backup!data,!the!more!storage!you!will!use.!

There!may!actually!be!types!of!data!that!are!best!purged!after!a!given!period.!Either!

way,!understanding!how!long!to!keep!types!of!data!is!an!important!input!to!backup!

and!recovery!strategies.!

•! Duration(between(backups(–(The!duration!between!backup,!and!the!period!you!are!willing!to!risk!new!data!not!having!a!backup,!will!define!your!backup!schedule.!For!

example,!if!data!is!backed!up!weekly!on!a!Sunday,!then!data!added!to!storage!on!a!

Monday!will!be!without!a!backup!for!the!remainder!of!the!week.!!

•! Restore(requirement(–(Depending!on!the!backup!solution!and!the!volume!of!data,!it!

can!take!minutes,!days,!or!even!weeks!to!complete!a!restoration!from!backup.!Thus,!

understanding!how!fast!you!need!data!recovered!from!a!backup!is!important.!

13.4.2!Redundancy Redundancy,!through!replication!provides!an!identical!copy!of!data!from!one!storage!

medium!onto!another!storage!medium.!Replication!can!be!useful!in!accessing!the!same!

information!from!different!devices,!e.g.!your!laptop!and!your!desktop!computer,!and!it!also!

provides!a!level!of!storage!protection!if!you!lose!one!storage!medium.!That!said!replication!

is!not!backup,!as!for!example,!a!file!deleted!from!your!laptop,!will!then!be!replicated,!and!



!

thus!deleted!from!your!smartphone.!Thus!recovery!of!that!document,!assuming!not!

available!in!local!deleted!files,!will!rely!on!your!backup!solution.!Redundancy!can!be!applied!

to!both!the!original!data,!and!also!to!backup!data.!

13.4.3!Encryption Data!that!is!not!encrypted!is!easy!for!a!malicious!person!to!retrieve!if!they!have!access!to!

the!storage!medium.!For!this!reason,!encryption!of!data!is!mandatory!for!certain!types!of!

information!depending!on!the!jurisdiction,!e.g.!medical!records.!Thankfully,!data!encryption!

options!are!widely!available,!for!example!through!the!BitLocker!function!on!the!latest!

version!of!Microsoft!Windows.!There!are!various!ways!to!implemented!encryption,!but!that!

is!outside!the!scope!of!this!guide.!

13.5!Storage connectivity In!section!13.1.2!we!covered!the!inVbuilt!storage!options!for!a!computer!that!has!the!storage!

capacity!built!directly!into!the!computer,!such!as!a!hard!disk.!!

In!this!section,!the!focus!is!on!connectivity,!so!we!will!cover!the!options!for!locally!attached!

external!storage!(please!refer!to!section!13.1!for!an!overview!of!the!differences!between!inV

built,!locally!attached,!and!network!attached!storage).!

Locally!attached!storage!is!useful!if!wanting!to!transfer!data!when!a!network!connection!is!

either!not!available!or!too!slow.!For!example,!you!may!have!a!camera!memory!card,!or!a!

document!on!a!USB!memory!stick,!or!an!external!hard!drive!for!local!backup!purposes.!

!

!

!

! !



!

The!following!table!provides!a!summary!of!the!common!options!available!for!locally!

attached!storage.!!

Interface! Connector! Symbol! Socket! Speed! Comments!

eSATA! eSATA! !. !

6Gbps!

(6,000Mbps)!

Used!for!connecting!eternal!SATA!interface!storage!device.!

eSATA!and!USB!combo!port! ! !

6Gbps!

(6,000Mbps)!

Per!eSATA,!but!can!provide!power!to!an!eSATA!device!(eSATA!will!not!do!this),!or!can!be!used!as!a!USB!2.0!port.!

Memory!card!slot!

Memory!card!slot!

n/a! ! Up!to!400!Mbps!

Used!for!inserting!memory!cards,!MMC,!SD,!SDHC,!and!SDXC!formats.!Also!accepts!mini!and!micro!formats!through!use!of!a!passive!adaptor,!shown!below.!

!

Thunderbolt! Thunderbolt!! !

!

20!Gbps!(20,000Mbps)!

for!v2.!

40!Gbps!(40,000Mbps)!

for!v3.!

Primarily!used!in!Apple!products.!

USB!2.0! Type!A! ! !480Mbps! Type!A!is!the!USB!cable!

connector!for!the!computer.!The!connector!on!the!external!peripheral!side!will!be!“B”!connector.!

USB!3.0/!3.1! Type!A! ! !5!Gbps!(5,000!Mbps)!for!USB!

3.0.!

10!Gbps!(10,000!Mbps)!for!USB!3.1.!

!

As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Type!C! ! !Recently!released,!with!storage!devices!expected!soon.!

Table'13)5:'Storage'wired'connection'options.'

The!above!table!includes!the!theoretical!speeds!capable!of!the!connectors,!with!speeds!

varying!from!400!Mbps!to!40,000!Mbps.!

Actual!speed!depends!on!many!factors:!most!importantly!the!type!of!external!storage!being!

connected,!and!in!the!case!of!copying!data,!the!type!of!internal!storage!in!a!computer!



!

receiving!data.!Thus,!having!a!very!fast!connector!interface!will!matter!if!the!external,!or!

internal!storage!is!slower.!

Section!13.2!provides!an!overview!of!the!speed!capabilities!of!different!storage!types.!!An!

external!hard!disk!is!up!to!120!Mbps,!memory!cards!are!up!to!400!Mbps,!and!external!solid!

state!disks!can!achieve!over!1,000!Mbps.!

The!type!of!connector!you!need!on!a!computer!will!ultimately!be!determined!by!the!type!of!

storage!you!need!to!connect!to.!That!said,!the!following!additional!considerations!may!

influence!your!choice:!

•! USB!V!For!convenience!USB!provides!the!most!flexibility,!as!it!is!very!common.!The!10!

Gbps!interface!speed!of!USB!3.1!will!be!sufficient!for!even!the!most!demanding!

requirements.!

•! eSATA!–!This!is!not!common,!but!is!a!useful!option!for!businesses!that!lock!down!

USB!ports!to!prevent!data!leak!–!eSATA!enabled!computers!can!then!be!individually!

allocated!to!those!who!need!to!transfer!data!to!local!devices.!

13.6!Summary and buying recommendations This!chapter!covered!the!types!of!storage,!storage!speed,!storage!capacity!and!storage!

protection.!!

The!key!points!for!this!chapter!are:!

•! Insufficient!storage!capacity,!or!insufficient!storage!speed,!results!in!a!sluggish!

computer.!This!can!have!significant!impact!on!user!productivity,!so!understanding!

the!storage!requirements!is!very!important.!

•! Selecting!the!inVbuilt!storage!for!a!computer!also!requires!considering!the!other!

computer!storage!options!available:!locally!attached!storage;!onsite!attached!

storage;!offsite!storage;!and,!detached!storage.!

•! When!specifically!considering!inVbuilt!storage!for!a!computer,!there!are!four!general!

types!of!storage:!Hard!Disk!Drive!(HDD);!Solid!State!Drive!(SSD);!embedded!

MultiMediaCard!(eMMC);!and,!“raw”!flash.!Each!have!pros!and!cons.!

•! Smartphones!and!tablets!will!typically!be!eMMC!or!“raw”!flash.!!For!a!laptop!or!

desktop!computer,!SSD!costs!about!double!the!price!of!HDD,!but!the!performance!

increase!is!significant!especially!if!coupled!with!a!PCIe!interface!instead!of!a!SATA!

interface.!

•! Local!or!offsite!storage!faster!than!HDD!(HDD!storage!provides!up!to!120!Mbps)!will!

only!be!of!benefit!if!you!have!network!speeds!that!can!support!more!than!100!Mbps,!

e.g.!a!100!Mbps!LAN!providing!access!to!1,000!Mbps!flash!storage!will!restrict!

storage!to!maximum!100Mbps!throughput.!

•! Buy!more!computer!storage!than!you!need,!as!the!amount!of!free!storage!capacity!

also!impacts!storage!speed.!Also,!understand!if!the!storage!can!be!increased,!and!if!

not,!definitely!buy!more!storage!than!you!need.!

•! The!type!of!data!you!are!storing!will!define!if!you!need!to!consider!options!to!guard!

against!theft,!loss!or!damage.!Indeed,!there!may!even!be!regulatory!requirements!on!



!

how!you!store!certain!information,!for!example!health!or!financial!records.!As!such,!

understand!your!storage!security!needs;!backup!and!recovery,!replication,!and!

encryption.!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!



!

14!Location, orientation and movement awareness The!introduction!to!this!guide!included!an!analogy!of!the!various!nonVtangible!aspects!of!a!computer!

with!the!key!functions!in!the!human!brain.!!

The!cerebellum!region!of!the!brain!provides,!amongst!other!things,!movement!and!balance!

capabilities.!A!computer!has!similar!capabilities.!This!short!chapter!will!describe!those!features.!

14.1! Location For!a!computer!to!show!its!location,!it!must!have!access!to!a!mapping!service,!such!as!Google!Maps,!

Microsoft!Bing!Maps,!or!Apple!Maps.!

All!mapping!services!use!a!combination!of!GPS,!WiVFi!and!mobile/cell!towers!to!determine!location.!

However,!as!you!will!read,!access!to!even!one!of!these!technologies!can!be!sufficient.!

14.1.1! GPS GPS,!or!Global!Positioning!System,!is!a!freely!available!service,!maintained!by!the!US!Government,!

which!enables!any!GPS!enabled!device!to!determine!its!location!anywhere!on!the!planet.!Location!is!

accurate!to!about!10m,!however!GPS!generally!does!not!work!indoors.!

Computers!with!GPS!capabilities!can!take!advantage!of!GPS!location!mapping.!

14.1.2!Wi-Fi and mobile data Mapping!services!build,!or!buy,!databases!that!are!sourced!using!location!data!from!GPS!enabled!

devices!such!as!smartphones.!For!example,!an!iPhone!may!have!access!to!a!WiVFi!network,!the!

iPhone!can!then!send!unique!identifier!information!about!that!WiVFi!back!to!Apple,!along!with!GPS!

location!information,!so!that!the!location!of!WiVFi!access!point!is!now!known.!Any!other!computer!

connected!to!that!WiVFi!access!point,!regardless!of!GPS!connectivity,!can!have!its!location!

determined.!

Mapping!services!use!similar!techniques!as!described!above!with!WiVFi!to!associate!mobile/cell!

towers!with!GPS!location.!

In!the!case!of!Apple,!the!approach!for!deducing!location!based!on!information!sent!from!iPhones!

and!iPads!is!described!as!“crowd!sourced”,!as!shown!in!the!below!except!from!the!Apple!website.!

!

Figure'14)1:'Apple'location'services'and'crowd)sourcing.'

!

14.2!Orientation Orientation!enables!a!computer!to!determine!the!direction!a!device!is!pointed!toward.!This!enables!

mapping!services!to!provide!you!guidance!in!the!context!of!both!your!location!and!orientation.!!

The!below!screenshot!of!Apple!maps!on!an!iPad!uses!a!blue!circle!to!identify!location,!and!a!blue!

beam!to!identify!the!direction!that!a!device!is!pointed.!



!

!

Figure'14)2:'Apple'Maps'identifying'both'location'(blue'circle),'true'north'(at'top'right)'and'in'turn'computer'orientation'(blue'beam.)'

Orientation!capability!requires!a!computer!to!have!digital!compass!functionality.!The!functionality!is!

provided!through!specialised!processors!that!use!the!earth’s!magnetic!field,!just!with!a!needle!based!

compass.!

14.3!Rotation For!a!device!to!determine!rotation!relative!to!its!own!axis,!i.e.!is!your!tablet!in!portrait!mode!or!

landscape!mode,!a!gyroscope!sensor!is!required.!Gyroscopes!make!it!possible!for!your!tablet!to!align!

content!to!match!the!rotation!of!the!devices!as!shown!below.!

!



!

Gyroscopes!make!it!possible!to!determine!rotation!in!three!dimensions:!twist;!tilt;!and!roll.!Business!

applications!of!this!sensing!technology!vary!from!removing!jiggle!from!video,!to!using!a!handheld!

device!to!accept!instructions!through!gestures!of!twist,!tilt!or!roll.!

!

!

14.4!Accelerometer Accelerometers!allow!measurement!of!the!change!in!speed!of!a!device.!Business!applications!are!

perhaps!limited,!however!gaming!applications!are!significant.!For!example,!the!speed!at!which!you!

flick!your!wrist,!will!directly!translate!to!how!hard!you!hit!the!ball!in!a!golf!simulator.!

!

14.5!Buying recommendations This!chapter!covered!location,!orientation!and!rotation!capabilities.!When!selecting!a!computer!for!

your!small!business!I!recommend:!

1.! If!the!computer!is!intended!for!navigation,!make!sure!it!includes!GPS!and!digital!compass!

capability.!While!any!computer!with!WiVFi!can!have!its!location!determined!through!popular!

location!services,!only!GPS!enabled!computers!can!determine!their!location!when!WiVFi!is!

not!available,!and!only!computers!with!a!digital!compass!can!provide!effective!navigation!

guidance.!

2.! Tablets!and!hybrid!tablet/laptops!must!have!gyroscope!functionality,!as!without!it,!content!

will!not!match!the!orientation!of!the!screen.!

3.! Anything!other!than!tablets!or!hybrid!tablet/laptops,!i.e.!a!standard!laptop!or!a!desktop!

computer,!will!not!benefit!from!digital!compass,!gyroscope!or!accelerometer!capabilities,!as!

these!form!factors!do!not!have!the!type!of!mobility!that!is!required!to!take!advantage!of!

these!services.!



!

15!Operating system Operating!systems!provide!the!interface!between!users!and!applications,!and!a!computer’s!

hardware.!

When!considering!desktops!and!laptops,!Microsoft!Windows!has!over!90%!of!the!operating!

system!market!for!computers,!with!Apple!OS!X!(pronounced!OS!“ten”)!holding!just!over!7%.!

These!are,!effectively,!the!only!choices!to!define!the!look!and!feel!of!how!your!computer!

operates.!

When!considering!smartphones,!Google!Android!has!nearly!50%!of!the!market,!with!Apple!

iOS!at!just!over!40%.!Microsoft!has!less!than!3%!with!the!Windows!Phone!platform.!

Depending!on!the!hardware,!tablets!can!run!either!“full”!operating!systems!like!desktops!

and!laptops,!or,!“mobile”!operating!systems!like!smartphones.!Thus,!tablets!fall!across!both!

categories!of!operating!systems.!

This guide is focused on computers that run full operating systems, so I will focus on Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X.

The!sections!that!follow,!describe!a!number!of!comparison!areas!between!Microsoft!

Windows!and!Apple!OS!X.!The!chapter!concludes!with!a!summary!table.!

15.1! Device availability While!Apple!manufactures!its!own!computers,!the!hardware!used!is!not!exclusive!to!Apple.!

The!same!processors,!hard!disks,!displays!technologies!etc.!are!found!on!both!Windows!and!

Apple!devices.!

15.2!Touch screen optimised Touch!screen!optimised!means!the!operating!system!is!optimised!for!use!with!a!finger!or!

stylus,!rather!than!a!cursor!and!a!mouse.!!

Tablets!require!touch!optimisation.!Apple’s!tablet,!the!iPad,!uses!a!touch!optimised!

operating!systems!called!iOS,!which!is!different!to!the!nonVtouch!operating!system!OS!X!

used!on!its!laptop!and!desktops.!Microsoft!Windows!8!and!Windows!10!are!both!touch!

optimised!operating!systems!that!can!swap!between!layouts!based!on!using!touch!mode!or!

not.!

15.3!Latest versions Major!changes!to!operating!systems!are!identified!through!new!version!releases,!and!a!new!

name,!as!identified!below.!

( Microsoft(Windows( Apple(OS(X(Latest(versions((with(release(date)(

Windows!7!(Oct!2009)!


Windows!8.1!(Oct!2014)!

Windows!10!(July!2015)!

Mountain!Lion!(July!2012)!

Mavericks!(Oct!2013)!

Yosemite!(Oct!2014)!

El!Capitan!(Sept!2015)!

!



!

!

Figure'15)1:'Microsoft'Windows'non)signature'edition'versus'signature'edition'(Source:'microsoft.com).'

It!is!important!to!note!that!Microsoft!Windows!computer!manufacturers!have!a!habit!of!

preVinstalling!additional!software!before!selling!their!computers.!Much!of!this!software!is!

free!for!30!days!and!then!requires!a!purchase,!and!providing!the!manufacturers!with!

additional!revenue.!Unfortunately,!the!impact!of!this!software,!according!to!Microsoft’s!

own!testing,!is!slower!startVup,!slower!shutdown,!less!battery!time,!and!annoying!popups!to!

buy!software!as!shown!in!the!above!picture.!!

The!industry!term!for!this!preVinstalled!software!is!“bloatware”.!

The!most!notorious!bloatware!installation!in!recent!times!is!when!the!major!computer!

manufacturer!Lenovo!sold!Microsoft!Windows!computers!with!software!that!introduced!a!

serious!security!vulnerability!when!using!security!websites!such!as!banking!sites.!

If!you!do!purchase!a!Microsoft!Windows!computers,!the!best!option!is!to!avoid!preVinstalled!

software!so!you!can!purchase!only!what!you!want!and!need,!rather!than!accepting!

“bloatware”.!Unfortunately,!“bloatware”!can!be!hard!to!avoid!on!Microsoft!Windows.!

However,!Microsoft!does!provide!an!option!through!its!online!store!and!“Signature”!edition!

computers,!which!are!completely!bloatware!free.!

Apple!computers!do!not!suffer!from!the!bloatware!problem,!and!are!released!for!sale!

exactly!as!Apple!intends.!!

15.4!'Multiple editions to each version For!each!version!of!operating!system,!Microsoft!provided!multiple!editions,!each!with!a!

different!price!and!its!different!features.!!

From!a!small!business!perspective,!the!“pro”!and!“enterprise”!versions!of!Windows!are!if!

you!want!central!management!through!the!Microsoft!Windows!Active!Directory!platform,!

or!want!to!take!advantage!of!the!disk!encryption!“BitLocker”!feature.!

The!pro!version!of!Windows!costs!about!$100/£99!(inc.!VAT)!to!upgrade!from!the!standard!

version!of!Windows.!The!enterprise!version!of!Windows!is!only!available!through!a!support!

agreement!with!Microsoft!which,!amongst!other!things,!entitles!subscribers!to!version!

upgrades!to!Microsoft!Windows!(perhaps!not!quite!as!valuable!due!to!the!current!free!

upgrade!offer!for!the!latest!version!of!Windows).!



!

Apple!provides!just!one!edition!of!the!OS!X!operating!system.!

15.5!New versions included free When!a!new!version!is!released!for!Microsoft,!it!has!not!always!been!available!for!free.!That!

said,!with!the!release!of!Windows!10,!users!of!Windows!7,!8,!and!8.1!can!upgrade!to!

Windows!10!for!free!if!they!upgrade!within!the!first!year!of!availability.!!

Apple!has!also!been!providing!free!upgrades!to!most!recent!operating!system!versions.!

15.6!Version support life Both!Microsoft!and!Apple!provide!free!updates!to!their!operating!system!(an!“update”!

applies!when!the!operating!system!version!remains!unchanged,!while!an!“upgrade”!takes!

the!operating!system!from!one!version!to!the!next).!!

Microsoft!generally!provides!10!years!of!security!updates!from!initial!version!release,!with!

the!first!five!years!including!features!updates!and!fixes.!The!below!table!provides!the!

timings!for!mainstream!(first!five!years)!and!extended!(second!five!years)!support.!

Microsoft(Windows(Version(

Mainstream( Extended(

7( Jan!2015! Jan!2020!

8( Jan!2018! Jan!2023!

8.1( Jan!2018! Jan!2023!

10( Not!released! Not!released!Table'15)1:'Microsoft'Windows'mainstream'and'extended'support'dates.'

Apple!does!not!publish!a!formal!support!schedule,!but!in!recent!years,!version!support!has!

equated!to!about!three!years.!Thus,!referring!to!the!versions!in!the!earlier!table,!when!El!

Capitan!is!released,!support!and!version!updates!are!expected!to!stop!for!Mountain!Lion.!

15.7!Central management of operating system configuration Central!configuration!management!is!important!in!small!businesses!where!multiple!devices!

need!to!be!managed.!While!there!is!no!specific!rule,!once!you!have!more!than!five!users,!

there!will!be!benefits!to!centralising!management.!!

There!are!various!central!management!methods,!with!the!most!common!being!Microsoft!

Windows!Active!Directory!for!Microsoft!and,!also,!Apple!operating!system!devices.!!

Apple!provides!a!solution!through!OS!X!Server,!which!is!limited!to!managing!Apple!devices!

only.!!

Central!management!platforms!are!not!within!the!scope!of!this!guide,!however,!it!is!useful!

to!be!aware!of!the!options.!

15.8!Email, calendar and contacts Microsoft!Windows!includes!applications!for!email,!calendar!and!contacts!as!part!of!the!

operating!system!installation:!Windows!Mail,!Windows!Calendar!and!“People”!respectively.!

These!applications!are!relatively!basic,!and!not!as!advanced!as!the!integrated!mail!and!

calendar!desktop!application!Microsoft!Outlook.!

Apple!OS!X!includes!Apple!Mail!for!email,!calendar!and!contact!management.!



!

15.9!Productivity software (presentations, documents and spreadsheets) Microsoft!has!a!key!strategy!of!providing!subscription!services!for!productivity!software!

called!Office!365.!Office!365!covers!a!suite!of!software!that!includes!presentations!

(PowerPoint),!documents!(Word)!and!spreadsheets!(Excel).!There!are!also!other!options!for!

instant!messaging,!video!conferencing,!document!storage,!and!email!hosting.!

Office!365!is!a!subscription!service!that!comes!with!an!annual!fee!per!user,!and!allows!up!to!

five!installations!of!the!included!software!on!various!computers!that!belong!to!each!licensed!

user.!Microsoft!does!provide!a!nonVsubscription!service!for!their!software!but!that!is!beyond!

the!scope!of!this!guide.!

The!Microsoft!strategy!includes!making!Office!365!available!on!all!leading!operating!

systems,!be!they!mobile!or!desktop.!As!a!result,!the!Microsoft!approach!for!productivity!

software!is!not!tied!to!an!operating!system;!not!even!its!own!operating!system.!!

Office!365!is!sometimes!included!free!for!one!year!with!Windows!computers,!after!which!an!

annual!fee!is!required!if!wanting!to!keep!the!service.!

Apple!OS!X!productivity!suite!is!called!iWorks!and!includes!presentations!(Keynote),!

documents!(Pages)!and!spreadsheets!(Numbers).!The!iWorks!suite!is!not!as!powerful!as!the!

equivalent!software!in!Office!365.!However,!depending!on!a!user’s!needs!it!may!still!be!

suitable.!iWorks!is!only!available!on!Apple!devices,!for!no!additional!cost.!

15.10!Application availability There!are!more!applications!available!for!Microsoft!Windows!than!Apple!OS!X.!!

Historically,!Apple!has!been!popular!in!creative!industries!as!the!typefaces!and!colour!

representation!by!Apple!computers!closely!matched!the!final!printed!output.!Anecdotally,!I!

understand!that!this!advantage!no!longer!applies.!However,!this!legacy!has!endured,!with!

creative!industries!having!a!familiarity!with!Apple!products.!

When!it!comes!to!your!small!business!the!key!question!is!whether!the!applications!you!need!

are!available.!This!is!a!question!that!only!you!can!answer,!and!may!fundamentally!impact!

your!operating!system!choice.!

15.11!Mobile device features Windows!8!and!Windows!10,!due!to!being!touch!screen!optimised,!can!swap!between!a!

touch!screen!interface!and!a!traditional!desktop!interface.!This!has!benefits!for!hybrid!

tablet/!laptop!computers.!

Integration!between!Microsoft!Windows!and!the!Microsoft!smartphone!platform!(Windows!

Phone,!with!a!new!version!called!Windows!10!mobile!soon!to!be!released)!is!primarily!

derived!from!the!synchronisation!features!of!mail/!calendar/!contacts/!documents!or!

applications!that!run!on!both!operating!systems.!

Apple!provides!tight!integration,!when!considering!Apple!devices!only.!In!particular,!and!this!

is!unique!to!Apple,!it!is!possible!to!receive!and!transfer!telephone!calls!from!an!OS!X!

computer,!e.g.!a!MacBook,!to!an!iPhone.!This!integration!became!available!with!the!

Yosemite!release!of!OS!X.!



!

15.12!Disk encryption included Only!using!a!password!to!protect!the!data!on!a!computer!is!a!relatively!weak!security!

method.!A!motivated!attacker!can!remove!a!computers!storage!and!then!directly!access!the!

stored!data!by!circumventing!the!password!used!for!starting!the!computer.!!The!password,!

then,!becomes!meaningless.!

The!only!method!to!properly!secure!data!is!to!scramble!the!stored!data.!This!means!the!

password!cannot!be!circumvented.!The!process!for!scrambling!this!data,!in!a!way!that!

cannot!be!easily!reverse!engineered,!is!called!encryption.!

Disk!encryption!is!prudent!if!your!computer!contains!sensitive!data,!and!in!some!industries!

it!is!mandatory!for!protection!of!certain!data,!for!example!health!records.!

Microsoft!Windows!includes!encryption!capabilities!through!its!BitLocker!functionality,!

however!BitLocker!is!only!available!on!the!professional!or!enterprise!version!of!Windows.!

Apple!includes!encryption!capabilities!through!its!FileVault!functionality.!

15.13!Antivirus included Antivirus!protects!computers!from!malicious!software!(actually,!viruses!are!a!sub!class!of!

malware,!or!“malicious!software”).!

For!various!reasons,!Apple!OS!X!computers!have!been,!and!remain,!less!susceptible!to!

malware!than!Microsoft!Windows!computers.!Either!way,!both!Apple!and!Microsoft!

computers!do!get!infected!by!malicious!software.!As!such,!it!is!important!to!protect!Apple!

OS!X!computers,!even!if!this!is!to!prevent!passing!on!malicious!software!that!may!not!

impact!it!directly.!This!is!especially!important!in!a!business!context!where!sharing!of!files!is!

normal!practice.!

Microsoft!includes!antivirus!in!its!operating!systems,!called!Windows!Defender!in!Windows!

8/8.1!and!called!Microsoft!Security!Essentials!in!Windows!7.!

Apple!does!not!include!antivirus!in!its!operating!systems.!As!such,!third!party!products!are!

required.!

15.14!Firewall A!computer!firewall!is!software!that!provides!control!on!what!communication!is!allowed!to!

and!from!a!computer.!!

This!control!helps!prevent!unauthorised!access!to!your!computer!when!connected!to!a!

network!of!any!type.!

Both!Microsoft!and!Apple!include!a!firewall!with!their!computers.!

15.15!Summary and buying recommendations This!chapter!provides!a!high!level!overview!of!the!operating!systems!available!on!Windows!

and!Apple!computers,!specifically!Microsoft!Windows!and!Apple!OS!X.!!

This!following!table!provides!a!brief!overview!of!the!feature!differences!between!Microsoft!

Windows!and!Apple!OS!X.!



!

( Microsoft(Windows( Apple(OS(X(Market(share( 91%! 7%!

Device(availability( Multiple!manufacturers,!including!

Lenovo,!HP,!Dell!and!Microsoft!

Only!manufactured!devices!from!

Apple!

Touch(screen(optimised(

No!for!Windows!7.!Yes!for!

Windows!8!and!Windows!10!

No!

Latest(versions((with(release(date)(



Windows!8.1!(Oct!2014)!

Windows!10!(July!2015)!

Mountain!Lion!(July!2012)!

Mavericks!(Oct!2013)!

Yosemite!(Oct!2014)!

El!Capitan!(Sept!2015)!

Multiple(editions(to(each(version(

Yes,!including!a!base!version!

targeted!at!consumers,!a!“pro”!

version!for!business,!and!an!

“enterprise!version”!for!businesses!

who!purchase!a!support!contract!

with!Microsoft!called!“software!

assurance”.!

No!

New(versions(included(free(

Yes,!for!a!one!year!period!for!

Windows!10!

Yes!

Version(support(life( 10!years! About!three!years!

Central(management(of(operating(system(configuration(

Yes,!using!Microsoft!Active!

Directory,!but!only!if!using!the!

“pro”!or!“enterprise”!editions!for!

Microsoft!Windows.!

Yes,!using!Microsoft!OSX!Server,!

OR!using!Microsoft!Active!

Directory!

Email(and(calendar(application(included(

Yes,!Windows!Mail!app,!and!

Windows!Calendar!app.!

Yes,!Apple!Mail!

Productivity(software(included((presentations,(documents(and(spreadsheets)(

No,!unless!part!of!a!special!deal!

which!can!include!one!year!free!

using!subscription!based!on!

Microsoft’s!“Office!365”!service.!

Yes,!Apple!iWork!suite.!

Relative(application(market(size(

Larger.!!!

!

(Note:!Windows!and!Windows!

applications!can!be!made!to!run!on!

OS!X!computers).!

Smaller.!!

!

(Note:!While!it!is!possible!to!run!

OS!X!on!a!Windows!computer,!

Apple!will!not!support!OS!X!in!this!

scenario.!As!such!OS!X!applications!

cannot!be!run!on!Windows!

machines!in!a!supported!manner).!

Mobile(device(features(

Windows!8!and!Windows!10!can!

work!in!either!a!tablet!or!desktop!

mode.!

!

Some!integration!with!Microsoft!

smartphone!platform!(Windows!

Phone).!

There!is!various!feature!integration!

between!the!desktop!OS!X!

operating!system!and!the!tablet/!

smartphone!Apple!iOS!operating!

system.!

!

!

Disk(encryption(included(

Yes!(BitLocker),!but!only!in!pro!and!

enterprise!versions.!

Yes!(FileVault)!

Antivirus(included( Yes! No!

Firewall(included( Yes! Yes!Table'15)2:'High'level'comparison'of'Microsoft'Windows'and'Apple'OS'X.'



!

The!choice!between!these!two!operating!systems!will!have!a!fundamental!impact!on!

overcall!computer!options!and!user!experience.!When!deciding!on!an!operating!system,!I!

recommend:!

•! Applications!V!Understand!the!applications!you!will!need!to!use,!and!make!sure!your!

target!applications,!or!acceptable!alternatives,!are!available!on!the!operating!system!

that!you!want!to!use.!Apple!Xcode!for!example,!used!for!developing!iPhone/!iPad!

applications,!is!only!available!on!Apple!OS!X!operating!system.!Understand!the!

significant!market!share!of!Microsoft!Windows,!as!this!directly!results!in!a!bigger!

applications!choice,!and!it!also!results!in!a!greater!availability!of!IT!support!

professionals.!

•! Central(management(implications(V!Irrespective!of!your!operating!system!choice,!

note!that!different!central!management!platforms!are!used.!Microsoft!Active!

Directory!is!used!for!Windows!computers!and!provides!basic!management!for!Apple!

computers.!Apple!OS!X!server!provides!management!for!Apple!computers!but!

cannot!manage!Windows!computers.!

•! Apple(hardware!V!The!Apple!OS!X!operating!system!is!available!on!a!limited!number!

of!Apple!made!computers.!As!such,!evaluate!the!Apple!computers!by!using!the!other!

chapters!of!this!guide!to!determine!if!Apple!is!for!you.!

•! User(experience!V!Get!hands!on!experience!with!both!computer!operating!systems!

so!you!can!understand!the!user!experiences.!

•! Consider(using(both(Windows(and(Apple(computers!–!Windows!and!Apple!

computers!have!different!benefits!as!outlined!in!this!chapter.!You!may!find!that!your!

users!have!different!needs,!and!in!turn,!Windows!are!suitable!for!some,!and!Apple!

for!others.!If!you!consider!using!both!Windows!and!Apple!computers,!keep!a!

consistent!choice!of!productivity!applications!across!both.!The!iWorks!suite!is!not!

available!on!Windows!computers,!so!an!alternative!such!as!Microsoft!Office!365,!

may!be!required.!

•! Avoid(bloatware(–!if!using!Microsoft!Windows!confirm!that!unwanted!applications!

are!not!installed!by!the!computer!manufacturer.!Microsoft!“signature”!edition!

computers!available!at!the!online!Microsoft!store!provide!bloatware!free!options.!



!

16!Buyer’s checklist This!final!chapter!provides!a!buyer’s!checklist!based!on!the!key!points!covered!within!this!guide.!

I!recommend!that!you!use!this!checklist!as!a!starting!point!if!you!are!selecting!a!new!computer!for!

your!small!business.!Then,!look!at!the!relevant!sections!of!this!guide!for!further!information!as!need!

be.!

Item( Recommendation!

Computer(types((Chapter(2)(1.! What(type(of(computer(do(you(need?( Options!include:!tablet,!hybrid/!“2!in!1\,!

ultraportable/!Ultrabook,!laptop/!notebook,!

desktop!replacement/!portable!workstation!or!a!

workstation/desktop.!See!Table!2V1!for!typical!use!

cases!for!each!type!of!device.!Note!that!in!general,!

portability!and!capability!for!a!computer!are!

tradeVoffs.!

2.! What(is(your(budget?( Tablets!start!from!$100/!£100!and!portable!

workstations!cost!up!to!$5,000/!£2,000.!Your!

budget!will!directly!determine!the!options!you!can!

consider.!Figure!2V1!illustrates!the!options.!

3.! Do(you(need(more(than(one(type(of(device?(

You!may!need!a!highly!capable!desktop!computer!

for!the!office,!and!a!portable!tablet!with!low!

capability!when!travelling!(e.g.!for!reviewing!

documents!on!a!train).!

Display((Chapter(3)(4.! What(resolution(display(do(you(want?( If!you!work!on!high!resolution!pictures!and!video!

you!will!need!a!high!resolution!display.!Office!

productivity!application!such!as!Microsoft!Office!

do!not!need!high!resolution!displays.!

5.! What(aspect(ratio(do(you(want?( Aspect!ratio!is!a!characteristic!of!devices!types,!

thus!you!cannot!directly!choose!aspect!ratio,!

however!it!is!useful!to!understand!the!impact!of!

different!aspect!ratios.!External!monitors!are!

usually!16!×!9.!Most!laptops!are!also!16!×!9,!

notably,!Apple!laptops!are!16!×!10.!Tablets!are!

usually!4!×!3,!notably,!Microsoft!latest!tablets!are!

3!×!2.!Mixing!aspect!ratios!has!various!impacts,!see!

section!3.2!for!details.!

6.! Do(you(want(a(touch(display?( Touch!display!on!a!desktop!computer,!or!a!laptop!

is!of!questionable!value.!A!touch!display!on!a!

tablet!or!Hybrid!laptop/!tablet!is!of!significant!

value.!Note!that!Microsoft!Windows!7!operating!

system!is!not!touch!compatible,!and!thus!you!will!

not!find!it!on!tablet!or!hybrid!devices,!rather!you!

will!find!Windows!8,!or!from!August!2015,!

Windows!10.!Apple!iOS!operating!system!is!used!

for!touch!apple!devices!(Apple!OS!X!is!for!Apple!

laptops!and!desktops!and!is!not!touch!

compatible).!

7.! Do(you(want(a(matte(or(a(gloss(screen?( Gloss!screens!provide!high!contrast!images,!but!

suffer!from!reflections!from!office!lighting.!Avoid!



!


gloss!screens!for!external!displays!in!office!

environments.!

8.! Do(you(need(to(view(the(screen(from(wide(angles?(

If!your!screen!needs!to!be!viewed!from!the!side!

make!sure!it!has!wide!viewing!angles.!Tablets!

always!have!wide!viewing!angles,!however!laptops!

and!external!displays!do!not!necessarily.!

9.! Do(you(need(an(external(display?( When!using!laptops!in!an!office!environment!a!

larger!external!display!can!significantly!increase!

productivity!by!enabling!viewing!of!more!

applications!simultaneously,!and!in!turn!reducing!

the!need!to!swap!between!application!windows.!

Network(connectivity((Chapter(0)( (10.!Will(you(be(connecting(to(a(wired(local(

area(network?(Look!for!an!Ethernet!port,!or!a!docking!station!

with!an!Ethernet!port,!or!at!minimum!an!adaptor!

to!allow!an!Ethernet!port.!

11.!Will(you(be(connecting(to(a(wireless(local(area(network?(

All!portable!computers!come!with!WiVFi!

connectivity.!Look!for!the!latest!“ac”!standard!for!

maximum!data!throughput.!!!

12.!Will(you(be(connecting(using(cellular(wireless?(

This!only!applies!to!portable!computers,!and!really!

applies!to!locations!that!WiVFi!is!unavailable,!and!

where!cellular!wireless!is!available!at!an!

acceptable!price.!

External(display(connectivity((Chapter(5)!13.!Will(you(need(to(connect(to(analogue(

VGA(devices?(Match!your!external!display!devices!to!the!

external!display!ports!on!your!computer.!For!

portable!computers,!be!aware!that!many!

businesses!still!have!displays!and!projectors!that!

only!use!VGA,!thus!consider!a!VGA!adaptor!for!

whatever!the!outputs!on!your!portable!computer!

happen!to!be.!

14.!Will(you(need(to(connect(to(DVI(devices?(

Match!your!external!display!devices!to!the!

external!display!ports!on!your!computer.!Having!

an!adaptor!to!VGA!for!your!portable!computer!will!

most!likely!mean!you!do!not!need!a!DVI!adaptor!

also,!as!most!equipment!with!DVI!will!also!accept!

VGA.!

15.!Will(you(need(to(connect(to(an(external(monitor(using(DisplayPort,(Thunderbolt(or(USB(Type(C?(

All!these!interface!types!are!applicable!to!external!

computer!monitors!due!relatively!short!cable!

length!restrictions.!In!reality,!you!will!pick!a!brand!

of!computer,!and!the!external!computer!display!

connectivity!required!will!be!decided!for!you.!For!

example!Apple!computers!only!support!

Thunderbolt,!or!USB!Type!C.!

16.!Will(you(need(to(connect(to(HDMI(devices?(

This!is!your!primary!option!for!connecting!to!

external!displays!that!are!more!than!5m!away,!for!

example!in!boardrooms.!If!you!plan!to!give!

presentations!on!your!portable!computer,!you!will!

need!HDMI.!Adaptors!are!available!from!all!other!

key!computer!interfaces.!



!


17.!Will(you(want(to(connect(to(an(external(display(using(wireless?(

AirPlay!is!your!only!option!for!Apple!devices,!and!

you!will!need!to!buy!an!AppleTV!in!addition.!

Miracast!is!your!best!option!for!Windows!devices,!

but!you!will!probably!need!an!adaptor!for!the!

external!display!(the!external!display!will!need!

both!HDMI!and!a!power!USB!port).!Consider!

Google!Chromecast!if!you!are!considering!a!

Google!Chrome!based!computer.!

Microphone,(speakers(and(camera((Chapter(6)(18.!Do(you(need(inZbuilt(or(external(

microphone,(speakers(or(camera?(Consider!your!need!for!desk!based!video!

conferencing!or!playing!video!content!without!

using!headphones.!Desktop!computers!will!require!

external!options,!which!can!be!achieved!through!

an!external!monitor!providing!all!functions.!InV

built!options!are!applicable!to!portable!computers.!!

19.!What(quality(microphone(phone(do(you(need?(

For!builtVin!capability,!look!for!array!microphones!

to!reduce!echo.!

20.!What(resolution(camera(do(you(need?( 0.3Mp!is!low!quality!(640!pixels!by!480!pixels),!and!

2.2Mp!or!more!(1280!pixels!by!1080!pixels)!is!high!

quality.!

21.!What(quality(speakers(do(you(need?( This!is!a!very!subjective!question,!thus!listen!to!

them!firstVhand!or!read!reviews!from!others!who!

have.!

22.!For(external(microphone,(speakers(and(camera,(do(you(have(the(necessary(connectivity?(

Both!3.5mm!sockets!and!USB!connections!are!

available.!

Keyboard(and(mouse((Chapter(7)(23.!What(keyboard(layout(do(you(need?( Make!sure!the!layout!applies!to!the!region!you!are!

in.!The!placement!of!£!and!$!symbols!is!a!key!

giveaway!!Also!consider!if!you!need!full!size!

keyboard!with!all!the!function!keys!and!number!

pad.!Augmenting!a!portable!computer!with!an!

external!keyboard!is!an!option!to!meet!your!

requirements.!

24.!What(size(keys(do(you(need?( Standard!key!sizes!allow!for!19mm!between!

the!key!centres!measured!horizontally.!

Smaller!keys,!especially!on!laptops!can!result!

in!inefficient!typing,!especially!if!you!have!big!

hands!!

25.!Are(contoured(keys(important(to(you?( This!is!purely!a!personal!preference.!

26.!How(much(key(travel(do(you(want?( Increased!key!travel!does!result!in!better!touch!

typing!experience,!and!will!be!noticed!by!those!

who!have!this!skill.!

27.!Do(you(need(your(keyboard(to(be(quiet?(

Consider!the!working!environment!that!you!are!in.!

28.!Will(you(need(key(backlighting?( Relevant!if!you!work!in!low!light!environments.!

29.!For(portable(computers(do(you(prefer(a(trackpad,(touchpad,(or(pointing(stick?(

This!is!purely!a!personal!preference!consideration.!



!


30.!Do(you(want(wired(connectivity?( This!applies!to!externally!connected!options.!USB!

is!more!common,!however!PS/2!type!connector!is!

sometimes!seen!on!desktop!computers.!Portable!

computers!with!limited!connectivity!options!may!

benefit!from!a!docking!station!or!port!replicator.!!

31.!Do(you(want(wireless(connectivity?( This!applies!to!externally!connected!options.!

Wireless!saves!on!clutter,!but!beware!the!charging!

requirements.!RF!tends!to!be!more!reliable!than!

Bluetooth,!however!it!requires!a!receiver!to!be!

plugged!into!your!computers!USB!port.!If!

considering!RF,!pick!2.4!GHz!solutions.!

Printer(connectivity((Chapter(8)(32.!Will(you(be(connecting(to(a(printer(over(

a(local(area(network?(If!so,!your!printer!connectivity!is!dependent!on!

how!you!connect!to!your!network,!see!“network!

connectivity”!checklist!items!earlier.!

33.!Will(you(be(connecting(directly(to(a(printer,(without(a(local(area(network?(

For!wired!options,!USB!is!most!common,!however!

FireWire!is!also!available!–!check!and!match!to!

your!printer!capability.!USB!3.0!and!3.1!will!

provide!the!better!performance!than!USB!2.0.!For!

wireless!options!look!for!WiVFi!Direct!capability!on!

both!your!computer!and!your!printer.!

Power((Chapter(9)(34.!For(a(portable(computer,(how(much(

battery(life(do(you(need?((While!manufacturer!specifications!can!be!useful!to!

find!out!the!battery!life,!be!sure!to!check!online!

reviews!as!actual!performance!can!vary!

significantly.!

35.!Do(you(need(to(charge(other(devices(via(USB(ports?(

USB!ports!can!charge!devices,!but!only!continue!to!

charge!when!a!computer!is!off!if!they!are!“sleep!

and!charge”!type.!

Docking(stations(and(port(replicators((Chapter(10)(This!section!is!relevant!to!portable!computers!only.!

36.!Do(you(plan(on(using(an(external(screen,(keyboard,(or(mouse?(

Be!sure!to!check!that!the!video!resolution!

supported!by!the!docking!station!will!not!limit!the!

resolution!of!the!connected!screen.!Also!check!

that!the!video!output!has!the!right!connectors,!or!

has!an!adaptor!available.!For!best!results!match!

the!computer!maker!with!the!dock/replicator!

maker.!

37.!Do(you(need(to(more(ports(on(your(portable(computer(than(are(available?(

Add!up!the!devices!you!need!to!connect,!and!then!

look!for!a!docking!station/!port!replicator!with!

available!capacity.!For!best!results!match!the!

computer!maker!with!the!dock/replicator!maker.!

Processors((Chapter(0)(38.!Do(you(want(a(computer(that(can(run(

full(versions(of(computer(applications,(or(are(mobile(app(versions(sufficient?(

“ARM”!processor!families!are!used!in!mobile!

devices!and!many!tablets.!They!run!reduced,!

mobile!application!versions,!of!the!full!applications!

available!on!“XV86”!processor!families.!Looks!for!XV

86!tablets!if!you!want!full!applications.!

39.!How(much(processing(power(do(you(need?(

For!xV86!processors,!the!Intel!Core!i3/!i5/!i7!

range,!and!AMD!A4!and!above,!are!suitable!



!


for!business!machines.!In!general,!i3!is!low!

intensity!use!(using!a!few!basic!applications!at!

any!time),!i5!is!for!general!use!(using!many!

applications!at!any!time),!and!i7!for!power!use!

(video!processing!or!large!spreadsheet/!

database!use).!Processor!specifications!are!very!subjective,!thus!compare!your!existing!computer!

to!that!of!the!computers!you!are!considering,!by!

using!the!benchmark!site!

https://www.cpubenchmark.net!for!xV86!and!

http://www.gsmarena.com/benchmarkV

test.php3!for!ARM!processors.!!

40.!Do(you(need(a(separate(graphics(processor?(

If!you!run!graphic!intensive!programs,!such!as!3D!

simulations,!consider!a!separate!graphics!

processor,!otherwise!the!integrated!graphics!

processor!in!the!main!processor!will!be!sufficient.!

If!in!doubt,!check!with!your!application!provider!

for!minimum!graphics!capability!required,!and!

then!verify!this!against!the!specifications!of!any!

computers!you!are!considering.!

Memory((Chapter(12)(41.!How(much(memory(do(you(need?( 4!GB!memory!is!sufficient!for!general!laptop/!

desktop!use,!buy!8+!GB!for!intensive!laptop/!

desktop!use,!and!if!in!doubt,!choose!more!

memory.!Note!that!memory!is!limited!to!4!GB!if!

using!32!bit!operating!systems!–!make!sure!your!

operating!system!is!64!bit!to!allow!future!upgrade!

flexibility!(all!retail!preVinstalled!operating!systems!

are!64!bit).!

42.!Might(you(need(to(upgrade(your(computer(memory(in(the(future?(

Some!computers!have!memory!soldered!in!place!

which!is!not!possible!to!upgrade!at!a!later!date.!If!

you!chose!a!computer!with!soldered!memory,!

consider!buying!8!GB!of!memory.!Note!that!

memory!is!limited!to!4!GB!if!using!32!bit!operating!

systems!–!make!sure!your!operating!system!is!64!

bit!to!allow!future!upgrade!flexibility!(all!retail!preV

installed!operating!systems!are!64!bit).!

Storage((Chapter(13)(43.!What(type(of(storage(do(you(need?( Storage!type!is!all!about!speed,!and!how!fast!you!

want!your!computer!to!perform.!SSD!storage!is!

significantly!faster!than!HDD.!SSD!when!coupled!

with!PCIe!interface!(rather!than!a!SATA!interface)!

provides!the!fastest!performance!possible.!eMMC!

storage!is!only!suitable!for!low!end!computers!and!

mobile!devices.!

44.!How(much(storage(do(you(need?( How!much!storage!you!need!on!a!computer!will!

depend!if!you!plan!to!store!everything!on!your!

computer,!or!centrally!in!a!file!server/!NAS!or!

equivalent!central!solution.!Determine!your!



!


storage!strategy!first!(including!backup!and!

disaster!strategy)!and!then!use!your!current!

storage!requirements!as!a!benchmark.!Make!sure!

you!can!increase!your!storage!if!required,!if!not,!

buy!as!much!as!possible!from!day!one.!

Location,(orientation(and(movement(awareness((Chapter(14)(45.!Do(you(need(navigation(capabilities(via(

maps?(If!the!computer!is!intended!for!navigation!then!

make!sure!it!includes!GPS!and!digital!compass!

capability.!

46.!Are(you(considering(a(tablet?( Tablets!and!hybrid!tablet/laptops!must!have!a!

gyroscope!functionality,!as!without!it,!you!will!be!

continually!manually!changing!content!orientation!

to!match!the!orientation!of!the!screen!to!portrait!

or!landscape.!

Operating(system((Chapter(15)(47.!Which(operating(system(should(you(

get?(Unless!you!have!very!specialist!needs!(in!which!

case!you!will!know),!ignore!all!but!Microsoft!

Windows!or!Apple!OS!X.!Please!read!Chapter!15!

for!Windows!versus!OS!X!considerations.!



!

17!Appendix This!appendix!provides!a!summary!of!all!the!connector!types!covered!through!this!guide.!!

Please!note!the!following!when!reviewing!the!table:!

•! The!sockets!pictures!are!not!to!scale.!As!a!relative!guide,!a!mini!connector!is!smaller!

than!a!standard!connector,!and!a!micro!connector!is!smallest!of!all.!

•! All!the!socket!examples!are!coupled!with!a!plug.!The!plugs!are!mostly!at!the!end!of!

cables,!but!may!be!moulded!directly!into!a!device,!as!in!the!case!of!a!USB!memory!

stick,!or!an!SD!memory!card.!The!socket!shape!provides!a!direct!guide!on!the!plug!

shape.!

! !!

Interface!Connector! Symbol!

Socket!Comments!

1394!(or!FireWire)!

1394!

(FW400)!! !

Used!by!Apple!as!“FireWire”,!superseded!by!Thunderbolt.!

1394a!

(FW400)!! !

Used!by!Sony!as!i.LINK.!Sony!no!longer!sells!computers.!

1394b!

(FW800)!! !

Faster!version!of!1394!and!1394a.!

Computer!audio!

Two!3.5mm!TRS!jacks!

Various,!see!right.!

!

All!connectors!use!3.5mmTRS!threePconductor!sockets!(as!used!for!separate!headphones!and!microphone).!

Blue!=!stereo!input,!used!when!taking!audio!from!an!external!source.!

Green!=!stereo!output,!front!channels.!

Pink!=!mon!microphone!input.!

Gold!=!dual!output,!centre!and!subwoofer.!

Grey!=!stereo!output,!side!channels.!

Black!=!stereo!output,!rear!channels.!

!

DisplayPort! Standard! ! !Common!on!desktop!computers.!

Mini! ! !Common!on!laptops!and!tablets.!

DVI! DVIPD! ! !Superseded!by!DisplayPort.!

DVIPI! ! !Superseded!by!DisplayPort.!



!

mini! ! !Superseded!by!mini!DisplayPort.!

eSATA! eSATA! !. !

Used!for!connecting!eternal!SATA!interface!storage!device.!

eSATA!and!USB!combo!

port!! !

Per!eSATA,!but!can!provide!power!to!an!eSATA!device!(eSATA!only!will!not!do!this),!or!can!be!used!as!a!USB!2.0!port.!

Ethernet! RJ45! ! !The!most!common!connector!for!wired!network!connections!on!laptop!and!desktop!computers.!

HDMI! Standard!

(Type!A)!! !

Common!on!desktop!computers.!

Mini!

(Type!C)!! !

Smaller!version!than!Type!A.!Common!on!laptops!and!tablets.!

Micro!

(Type!D)!! !

Smaller!version!than!Type!C.!Sometimes!found!on!tablets.!

Headphones!and!microphone!

Two!3.5mm!TRS!jacks! ! !

Used!when!separate!jacks!for!both!headphones!and!microphones.!The!plugs!are!comprised!of!3!sections!(note!the!two!dividing!black!marks).!Less!common!than!the!combined!headphones!and!microphone!jack.!

!

Headset!and!microphone!combo!

3.5mm!TRRS!jack! ! !

Combined!headphones!and!microphone!jack.!The!plugs!are!comprised!of!4!sections!(note!the!three!dividing!black!marks).!More!common!that!separate!jacks!for!headphones!and!microphone.!

!

Keyboard!mouse!

PS/2! !!

Purple!for!keyboard,!green!for!mouse.!Largely!replaced!by!USB!or!wireless!keyboard/!mouse!connections.!

Lightening! Lightening! n/a!!

Superseded!by!mini!DisplayPort.!Primary!used!by!Apple!previously.!

Memory!card!slot!

Memory!card!slot!

n/a! ! Used!for!inserting!memory!cards,!MMC,!SD,!SDHC,!and!SDXC!formats.!Also!accepts!mini!and!micro!formats!through!use!of!a!passive!adaptor,!shown!below.!



!

!

Thunderbolt! Thunderbolt!! !

Primarily!used!in!Apple!products.!Same!physical!socket!as!mini!DisplayPort.!

USB!2.0! Type!A! ! !Type!A!is!for!host!computers,!as!you!attach!peripherals!such!as!keyboard!and!mouse!using!Type!A.!The!standard!size!is!found!commonly!found!on!desktops.!

Type!A!SleepPandPcharge!ports!

! !Same!as!Type!A,!but!includes!power!to!charge!compatible!devices!when!host!computer!is!in!sleep!of!even!off.!No!official!markings,!however!symbol!indicating!power,!or!yellow!or!red!port!often!used.!

Type!B! ! !Type!B!is!for!peripheral!devices,!such!as!a!printer,!or!USB!storage!(other!peripheral!devices!such!as!a!keyboard!or!mouse!usually!have!an!integrated!cable!attached!to!the!device,!rather!than!a!USB!connection).!

Mini!B! ! !Common!in!digital!cameras.!

Micro!A!or!Micro!AB!(shown)!

! !Smaller!version!of!Type!A!connector.!No!longer!common.!Superseded!by!Micro!B!to!Type!A!cable,!sometime!called!“On!The!Go”!(OTG)!cable.!

Micro!B! ! !Smaller!version!of!Type!B!connector.!Micro!B!is!for!peripheral!devices.!Smartphone!and!tablets!use!Micro!B!when!you!want!to!attach!to!a!computer.!

USB!3.0! Type!A! ! !As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Type!B! ! !As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Micro!B! ! !As!for!USB!2.0,!but!using!faster!3.0!standard.!Sometimes!blue!to!indicate!3.0!standard.!

Type!C! ! !New!reversible!plug!with!support!for!power!delivery!up!to!100W!(USB!2.0!and!USB!3.0!provide!2.5W!and!4.5W!respectively19),!and!DisplayPort!video!through!alternative!implementations.!



!

VGA! Standard! ! !Still!used!in!many!business!computers!to!allow!connection!to!legacy!analogue!peripherals!such!as!meeting!room!displays.!

Mini! ! !Still!used!in!many!business!computers!to!allow!connection!to!legacy!analogue!peripherals!such!as!meeting!room!displays.!

Table'17)1:'Wired'connector'options'available'for'computers.

(



!

!

1!http://www.usb.org/developers/powerdelivery/PD_1.0_Introduction.pdf!2!http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1279018&page_number=2!3!http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/samsungVmobileVnandVemmcV128gb,newsV49948.html!4!http://www.anandtech.com/print/2738!5!http://centon.com/flashVproducts/chiptype!6!http://www.iphonehacks.com/2014/11/iphoneV6VmlcVbasedVnandVconsistentlyVoutperformsVonesVtlcVbasedV

nand.html!7!http://www.storagereview.com/ssd_vs_hdd!8!http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8142/~/differenceVbetweenVsataVi,VsataViiVandVsataViii!9!http://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8142/~/differenceVbetweenVsataVi,VsataViiVandVsataViii!10!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express#PCI_Express_4.0!

11!http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/file/media/Samsung_eMMC_2013_Final_HRV

0.pdf!12!http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/file/media/Samsung_eMMC_2013_Final_HRV

0.pdf!13!http://www.notebookcheck.net/ReviewVLenovoVThinkPadVX220VIPSVSubnotebook.55639.0.html!

14!http://www.notebookcheck.net/MicrosoftVSurfaceVProV3VTabletVReview.122170.0.html!

15!http://www.notebookcheck.net/AppleVMacBookVProVRetinaV13VEarlyV2015VNotebookVReview.139621.0.html!

16!http://www.notebookcheck.net/HPVStreamV11VX360VwithV3GVConvertibleVNotebookVReview.133681.0.html!

17!http://www.anandtech.com/show/8666/theVappleVipadVairV2Vreview/4!

18!http://uk.pcmag.com/storageVdevicesVreviews/8061/feature/ssdVvsVhddVwhatsVtheVdifference!

19!http://www.usb.org/developers/powerdelivery/PD_1.0_Introduction.pdf!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Documents

The Ultimate Computer Buyers Guide for Small Business