Choosing the right parts for your computer is crucial in optimizing speed and performance for your needs. Especially for workstations, components can shave off valuable minutes or hours, giving the artist more time to create and less time waiting. The following article goes through the parts of a computer, giving the run down on the advantages and disadvantages of certain speficiations and recommendations.

Boot Disk

Holds operating system and important apps. Speed of boot disk is fast for quick app loading and boot-up/boot-down of computer. Usually smaller in storage compared to data disk.

Data Disk

Large amount of storage that holds all files and majority of apps on computer. While speed is important, space has a greater value for data disks so you have ample amount of storage while working.

RAID Disk

Combining two or more identical drives for faster speed, reliance, or storage. Different RAID configurations have different benefits and can be a cost-effective way of boosting disk performance.

Motherboard

The nervous system of the computer. Connects everything together and keeps all components working in harmony. Motherboards come in several different sizes with each one having a unique port layout. Certain motherboards value overclocking while others value reliability.

CPU

The brain of the computer that keeps it running. Choosing a CPU can be a technical process, having to pick which manufacterer, how many cores, MHz, overclocking ability, and other factors make it an important step for configuring a system.

DRAM

Incredibly fast storage that the system uses for calculations happening now. Having too much RAM is never bad, but too little will make your computer slow to a crawl. Important when multiple applications/tabs are open.

Operating System

For many, operating system comes down to prefence. Windows 10, 8, or 7. Mac OS X. Linux. Each give different amounts of control to the user and have different levels of support for professional software. Making sure the software you run is compatible is key when choosing an operating system.

Case

Accessories

Add-ons to help simplify everyday computing. Remote access and AiO convervion stands are examples of different ways you can add onto your ViPC system.