Building computers

The author developed an early interest in assembling computers and began exploring hardware during university. They recommend a website for comparing hardware performance and offer purchasing advice on components like CPUs, SSDs, HDDs, and memory frequency. The text also shares hardware selection experience and important considerations.

Fate, beyond words

Ever since I was little, I wanted to build my own computer, but the financial situation wouldn’t allow it. Finally making it to university, I opted for a laptop for portability. If you want a specific time, it all started at my hometown library. It’s a district-level library with not only an electronic reading room (which I never actually used – they charged by the hour) but also a magazine reading room. That’s where I stumbled upon magazines like “大众软件” (Popular Software) and “电脑报” (Computer News). For someone with limited exposure to computers, these were essentially divine resources. Seeing chapters about raiding dungeons made me want to build my own computer so I could pull mobs and be a main damage dealer; seeing the “black technology” sparked fantasies of replicating what was described in the books (a discussion on using hacking tools). Though high school coursework was demanding, with my limited knowledge at the time, I felt I needed to both study and play. I spent a carefree youth often strolling to the library under the guise of reading, carrying a small bag. The city wasn’t large, so I usually walked. Once there, I’d enjoy the air conditioning while browsing novels, comics, and gaming magazines, occasionally looking at more serious books.

As you get older, forgetfulness becomes more common; this isn’t the first time something like this has happened at the library. When I was in middle school, my relatives assembled a computer – I don’t remember why they built it. It ran Windows 2003 and had Solitaire and Age of Empires. We spent countless hours trying to sneak away with the key to play games with my cousin.

Entering junior high, the school offered introductory computer training. Later, when I transferred schools, I was briefly exposed to the idea of computer competitions. By high school, I participated in NOIP once. Speaking of which, it’s impossible not to mention the power of alumni – the high school’s computer building, including classrooms and a library, was funded by alumni donations. It was also during the initial wave of China’s internet boom. School leaders supported participation in computer competitions, as several senior students from the previous two years had been admitted to top universities through computer-related pathways.

I’ve never looked back at my relationship with computers like this before. No wonder I switched from automation to the computer industry after graduating – the seeds were already sown, though those involved didn’t realize it. Having been exposed to them since childhood, I thought I knew a lot, but in reality, I only grasped the basics. My biggest advantage was that initial passion.

Hardware assembly

Browse the forums on Cardekho, Chiphell, and Zhihu’s computer assembly sections; beginners can easily create a list of components they need. If your budget is limited and you want higher performance when buying a CPU after 2019, AMD is generally the best choice.

Here’s a translation of the provided Chinese text: “I recommend a useful website for comparing hardware performance: https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/. You can generally compare prices with those on Xianyu (闲鱼, eBay China) there. Serious enthusiasts can find great deals on used items on Xianyu, saving a lot of money. However, if you’re not very knowledgeable, I don’t recommend it; I bought fake memory there myself. Although it seems to be working fine now, I’m not entirely sure, as the model and specifications are completely mismatched.”

SN550 VS SN750

The difference between the SN550 1TB and SN750 1TB is that their sustained read/write speeds are about half – one at 850MB, the other at 1.6GB. However, there’s no noticeable difference in everyday use because both have the same 4K performance. This refers to the 1TB capacity SN550; the 500GB and 250GB versions are slower. Unless you’re not concerned about cost, the SN550 is perfectly fine for daily use. My main reason for not buying it wasn’t its sequential read/write speed, but rather that it only comes in a maximum of 1TB capacity, while the SN750 offers 2TB. For me, the value of having an extra M.2 NVMe slot on my motherboard is greater than the price difference between these SSDs, without needing to expand further.

With consensus from online users, purchasing an adapter allows a B150 motherboard to support an M.2 SSD

Choosing a Mechanical Hard Drive

Currently, mechanical hard drives are priced stably. For users with high storage needs, selecting a suitable mechanical hard drive is necessary. Frequent downloaders are recommended to choose enterprise-grade hard drives, such as:

Western Digital Gold
Seagate Exos

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Seagate series

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Memory frequency

From a daily work perspective, frequency won’t significantly impact performance

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Memory timings (or RAM timings) are four parameters—CL, TRCD, TRP, and TRAS—measured in clock cycles that describe the performance of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). They are typically written as four numbers separated by hyphens, such as 7-8-8-24. The fourth parameter (RAS) is often omitted, and a fifth parameter, Command rate (typically 2T or 1T, also written as 2N or 1N), may be included. These parameters specify latency values that affect random access memory speed. Lower numbers generally indicate faster performance. The ultimate determinant of system performance is the actual latency, usually expressed in nanoseconds.

When converting memory timings to actual latency, it’s crucial to remember they are measured in clock cycles. Without knowing the duration of a clock cycle, it’s impossible to determine if one set of numbers is faster than another.

For example, DDR3-2000 memory has a clock frequency of 1000 MHz and a clock cycle of 1 ns. Based on this 1 ns clock, a CL=7 results in an absolute latency of 7 ns. Faster DDR3-2666 (clocked at 1333 MHz with a 0.75 ns cycle) may use a larger CL=9, but still achieves a shorter absolute latency of 6.75 ns.

Modern DIMMs include a Serial Presence Detect (SPD) ROM chip containing memory timings recommended for automatic configuration. The PC BIOS may allow users to adjust these timings to improve performance (with the risk of reduced stability) or, in some cases, increase stability (such as using suggested timings).

Note: Memory bandwidth measures memory throughput and is typically limited by transfer rate rather than latency. Interleaving access to multiple internal banks of SDRAM allows for continuous transmission at peak rates. Bandwidth can be increased at the expense of increased latency. Specifically, each new generation of DDR memory features higher transfer rates, but absolute latency doesn’t change significantly – especially in the first batch of products on the market, which often have longer latencies than the previous generation.

Increasing memory bandwidth can improve the performance of multi-processor or multi-threaded computer systems, even with increased memory latency. Higher bandwidth will also enhance the performance of integrated graphics cards without dedicated video memory.

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References

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