Computer Rules of Thumb
(Compiled from personal experience and the www.stardestroyer.net forums)

The Really Important Bits
(Bolded and made extra large for emphasis)

1.) Always buy name brand hardware from reputable sources. Avoid no-name clone manufacturers like the plague. I will repeat this many times through this guide; but it doesn't hurt to emphasize it again.

2.) First adopters are Suckers. I repeat, first adopters are Suckers.

Do not rush out to buy the latest and greatest technology. Wait until it has proven itself. A very recent example is Intel's X-25M series of SSDs (solid state drives) that offer massively improved read times versus conventional hard drives. Intel had been promising that when Windows 7 was released, they would release the TRIM firmware, which would greatly prolong the lifetime of the drives by enabling TRIM support, and significantly reducing the “slowdown” that occurs as the SSD is used.

Sound all good and cheery? Well, it turns out that the TRIM firmware, when it was released a few days after Windows 7, when it was applied to already in-use SSDs, bricked the drives, rendering them useless. It took several more firmware updates to resolve that problem. I'm sure that all of the X-25Ms that you can buy now ship with the fixed firmware from the start, but those people who bought them before the TRIM support was on shipping drives were the Suckers.

3.) A collorary to the above, I have found that BIOS/Firmware updates generally tend to cause more problems than they fix/correct, or the new features they offer. I find that only updating them when it's absolutely crucial to resolve a critical problem that you are encountering makes your life much easier.

4.) Upgrading your computer every six months does not give you the best bang for your buck. A three to four year refresh policy for your computer hardware ensues that you will have a substantive and qualitative improvement over your old hardware for your money. For example, in 2006/7, the leading lower-upper end card was the GeForce 8800 GTS, and it had about 700 million transistors. The new GeForce 3xx series that is set to come out in March 2010 will have about 3~ billion transistors.

Software

Picking an Operating System

Rule #1. There is only Windows or Macintosh. All others are forgeries.

This rule may seem brutal and simple to a lot of computer enthusiasts out there, but the average person just wants their system to WORK with a relatively minimal level of fuss. While Linux and other Open Source Operating Systems do work (I've played with them in the past); they just are not a reliable choice for anything other than enthusiast tinkering; due to the lack of hardware OR software support for Linux, and the fact that Linux itself is fragmented between many incompatible versions. Additionally, Linux, is pretty much out in the cold for anything more complex than simple word processing, surfing the web, email, and instant messaging.

Yes, I know about the open source movement, and that there are a lot of programs out there for Linux. I did tinker with Linux several years ago. But the overwhelming majority of these programs are very user un-friendly in how they are set up – e.g. you have to find the specific compiler and libraries that the coder(s) used, then type in an arcane sequence to compile it. Sometimes it works, but more often than not it doesn't. It's only fairly recently that Linux open source software has begun to at least offer pre-compiled binaries that install very much like a Windows or Macintosh software package. And even then, they're pretty rare.

There's also the fact that a lot of software simply won't run on Linux. For an example, I own a Canon digital SLR camera, and the software which lets you view the RAW image files generated by the camera is only available for Windows or Macintosh. Yes, there are emulators like WINE (link to WINE), but the average person won't know about them, nor know how to properly configure it and then make it work with every single program out there.

Suffice to say, Linux is for computer geeks with a lot of time on their hands who enjoy running a server in their basement.

Rule #2. See Rule #1

Rule #3: Generally wait a month or two after an operating system has been released to the public. Let someone else be the beta tester, not you. Traditionally, the rule of thumb has been to wait six months or at least one service pack release before buying a Microsoft OS. This was born in the very bad old days of Windows 95; and then reinforced by the bad release of Vista into an environment where a lot of hardware drivers weren't ready for it. Windows 7's release was a lot better, since it could use the drivers that had been developed for Vista, and Microsoft really took to heart a lot of the criticisms of Vista in designing 7.

Which Version of Windows 7 to Get?

Windows 7 Home Premium is all you really need if you're the average and slightly above average user. If you handle some rather obscure software which needs virtualization via Virtual PC; Windows 7 Professional works quite nicely. As a bonus, it can handle 192 GB of memory; which is quite a bit more than Home Premium's 16 GB; but I think by the time we need more than 16 GB, we'll be near Windows 8's release.

Windows 7 Ultimate is just a waste of money; as it offers no real new features that would be used by the average person.

Windows Update

Always uncheck “automatic install” for Windows Update. Microsoft likes to push a lot of things such as Internet Explorer versions through that pipeline; and the deployment of new versions of IE does tend to cause problems. You however do want to keep the automatic notification of new updates on, so that you're notified instantly of new updates available for your operating system to increase stability and close security holes. Windows 7 is especially good in this regard. There are a lot less critical updates required so far than older versions of Windows, and Windows Update has been significantly cleaned up since the “Bad old days” of the Win 9x series, where installing updates was a nail-biting experience (will my system successfully boot up after the restart?).

32-bit vs 64-bit Binaries. What do they mean?

In a 32-bit application, the maximum amount of memory space the application can address is 4 gigabytes. Meanwhile, a 64-bit application can address 16.3 billion gigabytes. That's a lot more memory space available.

Generally, for most applications, the advantages of going to 64-bit are very small (on the order of about 5-10% performance improvement), and in some cases, there is actually a decrease in performance.

A simple way of measuring whether a program you have would benefit from upgrading to a newer 64-bit version is to look at the kind of datasets that are being handled by the program.

A Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator wouldn't benefit much if at all, due to the fact that the NES had only 2 to 32 kb of system memory to emulate.

By contrast, a graphics editing application that routinely handles very large images -- a 5000 x 5000 pixel bitmap at 24 bit consumes about 72 megabytes of information would benefit from 64-bitness, due to the fact that many graphics applications save "undo" steps so you can go back to a previous version of the image, and if you have several large images open at once, this causes a pretty big memory footprint.

Likewise, newer and newer 3D computer games definitely push around a lot of data, as game developers push for ever larger and ever more detailed game worlds, and want to keep track of more things within that world (which needs more memory of course), so they would benefit from going to 64-bit binaries. However, games that actually have this are very rare.

Fighting Internet Pop Up Deployed Malware

I have been fairly conscitentious concerning deploying a anti-virus program, etc; and even then, I got hit by a virus/malware program. It was one of those “fake” anti virus scan programs which messed up your system among other “fun” things. How did I get hit? Well, I was browsing one of my internet discussion forums when it was being hosted on Yuku (the former eZboard).

A popup came up, asking me if I wanted to install blah blah blah.

I clicked on the windows close button (that “x” in the upper right corner of your window), and still got hit by the program.

See, what happened is that many of these programs manage to script their popup windows so that ALL the buttons on the window begin the installation sequence. Even the “cancel” buttons.

Here's how you deal with them.

Hit ALT-F4. That will close the window via windows close feature.

Some malware popups however recognize this, and bring up a NEW pop up window asking you if you really want to navigate away blah, blah blah.

Dealing with those are a bit harder.

Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL and start up the Windows Task Manager.

Select the browser in task manager, right click, and select END TASK.

Sure, you'll lose whatever internet pages you had open in that browser, but it beats a zombie system that forces a nuke-and-pave.

Picking an Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware Program and a Firewall

You don't need five or so programs running simultaneously to get the best protection. If anything else, the programs will just keep getting in each others' way and actually lower your overall system security, because you will have to set up so many exceptions and suchlike to keep them playing nice with each other.

My simple recommendation?

Get Microsoft Security Essentials. (Link to MSE Website)

You can download it and use it as long as you're using a genuine copy of Windows. Why pay $50 to $80 each year for an anti virus program, when you can get a decent program, and up-to date anti-virus definitions free from Microsoft?

Sure, it may not be as good in catching viruses as NOD32, or what, but, you don't need professional grade anti-virus programs unless you're deliberately going to the bad corner of the internet (porn, warez, etc).

Windows Firewall, which is available built into all versions of Windows after Windows XP Service Pack 2, when combined with your router's built in firewall, should be enough to stop 99% of all intrusion attempts.

It won't stop a concerted professional-grade attempt by people who know what they're doing; but will stop the script kiddies that 99% of all internet hackers are.

To stop that last 1% of hackers, you would need a router set up by an expert who is willing to devote a lot of his free time to running it.

Burning Optical Discs (CD/DVD/Blu-Ray)

Rule #1: Buy only discs with reasonable prices (no buying a 50-CD spindle for only $4.99!) and check the labels for where they are manufactured. Avoid discs made in China. They tend to be very subpar quality. The best optical discs are manufactured in Japan, and offer the best reliability, but are a bit more expensive and harder to find in stores.

Rule #2: Burn them a step or two below your drive's maximum write speed. This results in a more reliable burn, especially if you are doing something really crazy like burning a huge directory that has 12,000 files in it. This also helps prevent a disc from failing silently, despite the program reporting a successful burn.

Rule #3: Keep your important optical disks (backups, the Great American Novel that you are writing) in a cool dark space, like for example in a file cabinet in the basement. This keeps them good for a long period of time, even if you didn't splurge for a premium archival brand of disc.

Hardware

Warranties

Generally, the warranties offered by stores are a waste of money; since many of the parts you buy already have manufacturer's warranties.

There is one BIG exception though.

ALWAYS buy an accidental-damage warranty for laptops, since they tend to get jostled around quite a bit; and most of them lack a proper load-bearing frame which increases stress on key components inside as the outer shell is jostled/twisted around.

Overclocking

Don't do it. Just don't. Don't even THINK about doing it in any form.

Why? Your computer's components were designed to run at a certain specification, and exceeding those specifications greatly decreases the lifetime of your computer.

As a “bonus”, you greatly increase the probability of data errors creeping in and compromising the reliability of your data. (MSDN Article on this), thus leading to frequent software crashes.

Central Processing Units (CPUs)

Rule #1. There is only Intel or AMD. Forget all other brands.

Rule #2. Generally, picking a CPU from the lower portion of the upper performance bracket works very nicely. You get a CPU that's powerful enough to be a qualitative improvement over your previous computer, and a CPU that's fast enough to last for several years, while not paying the absurd, overinflated prices for the top portion of the upper performance bracket (I'm looking at you Intel Super Extreme Edition – or whatever Intel calls their top-top end now.)

Exception for Rule #2: If you develop rather specialist applications or use said specialist applications, Intel is becoming rapidly infamous for stratifying their CPU lineup by features, rather than by speed/performance. E.g. VT-d (device I/O virtualization) is only available on their very high end processors.

Motherboards

The first step of buying/choosing a motherboard is to pick ONLY from quality brands like:

Asus
Gigabyte
MSI
Intel
Supermicro (Good for workstations/servers)
Tyan (Good for workstations/servers)

Above all, avoid deals that are "too good to be true" using no name brands. That way lies insanity and pain.

Check the specifications of the motherboard very carefully.

Thing to Look for #1: Does it have enough slots/connectors/ports for your present and future needs?

A certain model of motherboard with two SATA connectors may be fine for a simple media center (with a single optical drive and hard drive); but would not be acceptable for someone who uses more than one hard drive for storage.

The reason for paying close attention to the boards' specifications in your initial buy is while there are Expansion Cards which can add extra connectors/ports like more SATA connectors, they generally are not as reliable as a built in motherboard connector/controller.

Thing to Look for #2: How much memory can the motherboard handle? Can it handle modern-ish memory? You want to be a little ahead of the curve in regards to total memory capacity, so you don't have to replace your board that often.

Memory

Rule #1: Buy from known major manufacturers like Kingston, Corsair, or Crucial. Avoid 'no-name' manufacturers.

Rule #2: Buy memory within the same spec as the original memory; e.g. PC3200, if you are adding more memory to an existing installation.

Rule #3: Performance RAM isn't worth it – you only need it if you're planning to Overlock, and you DID read what we said earlier about Overclocking, didn't you?

Graphics Card

Rule #1 (Expansion Card): Buy cards with a chipset from ATI or NVIDIA and from a known brand manufacturer like BFG.

Rule #1 (Integrated Graphics): Buy a motherboard or laptop with an integrated chipset from ATI, NVIDIA, or Intel.

Rule #2: Really avoid no-name manufacturers in this category. I cannot tell you how torturous my experience was with a integrated no-name video card chipset in the mid 1990s.

Rule #3: Like CPUs, picking a graphics card from the lower portion of the upper performance bracket works very nicely. You get a big improvement over your previous video card, and the card is powerful enough to last for several years before it needs to be replaced to keep up with newer games. You also save a bundle as opposed to buying from the very upper end of the performance bracket.

Rule #4: Stay away from mid-level or low-level cards in the ATI/NIVIDIA card lineups. Generally, due to the very confusing methods of naming both manufacturers use, a newer midlevel card may actually be less powerful than your older existing card. They also will have to be replaced more often than a more powerful card. They are however acceptable if you are building a budget box that won't be used much for other than the internet, media center streaming and maybe some old game you really do like.

Internal Hard Drives

Rule #1: Stick with major hard drive manufacturers. Suggested ones are Western Digital and Seagate.

Rule #2: Stay away from the bleeding edge in hard drive capacities. Right now as of this writing (March 2010), the current top end for consumer 3.5” hard drives is in the 1 Terabyte (TB) and above category. Right now, this category is suffering from an abnormally large amount of failures, due to the much higher data densities. Sticking with a 250 or 500 GB hard drive will ensure reliability.

Rule #3: A very good rule I use (born out of the horrible bad old days of Windows 95/98/Me, where you usually had to nuke-and-reinstall your OS if a Blue Screen of Death happened, is to have two hard drives in my computer at all times. The first is the OS/Program drive, and the second is my Data drive, where I store photos, writings, or anything I want to keep. This means that if you have to nuke-and-pave, you don't have to worry about your data, since it would be safe on a physically separate drive.

Rule #4: Multiple partitions aren't really worth it anymore, due to the advances in file systems (NTFS is a vast improvement over FAT or FAT32). They also increase the probability that you may do something wrong when you tool around with your system's settings while installing the OS, and you end up nuking your data partition instead of the OS partition. Ooops.

External Hard Drives

These are only good for backup storage needs – e.g. you have 50 gigaterabytes of family photos or videos you need to backup, and you don't feel like burning 11 billion DVDs for backup purposes. They are NOT a mobile storage solution. That way lies the click of death after being put in a briefcase for a day of jostling. Likewise, they're a bit too erratic, even with the advances regarding device drivers and USB drivers for them to be used as a primary storage solution -- for that, stick to Internal HDDs.

They cannot be as easily ejected/added to a system as a USB stick or Flash Card. Generally, disconnect them after your system has been turned off and the drive automatically turns off.

Cases

As before, get a Case from a major manufacturer like Antec. They're put together a lot more sturdily than the cheap clone cases, are much, much easier to assemble; and tend to come with special thumb screws which sure beat using a screwdriver!

Power Supply Units (PSUs)

The power supply is the one component in your computer, if it fails, can take down just about everything, from the motherboard to your hard drives permanently via frying.

So do not skimp on it by getting cheapo-no name PSUs that are “bargains”. You won't feel like you've gotten a bargain after it bombs and takes the rest of your system with it.

So only buy power supplies from known big name manufacturers like Asus, Corsair, etc.

When you are choosing your power supply, keep three factors in mind:

1.) Add in a little bit of extra power than what you need. If you figure your system needs about 400 watts of power to run, put in a 500-550 watt power supply. The reasons for doing this are so that you have a buffer for possible future upgrades; i.e., you might want to upgrade to a more powerful video card in the future, or add more hard drives. Additionally, this provides an extra margin of durability. Power supplies designed for 500 watts when they pull only 400 watts run cooler, and because they're built for a hotter thermal environment, they last longer and have less critical failures.

2.) This does not mean that a 800 to 1,000 watt PSU will give you a ten times greater margin of durability. There's a limit of diminishing returns, and your electric bill will hate you. Plus, only a very few systems actually NEED such power.

3.) Take a close look at the output cables it offers. You want to have only the cables you need with a little overhead for expansions. Otherwise, the inside of your box will look like a spaghetti mass of wiring. which not only looks horrible through a transparent window (which a lot of cases have now); but it also cuts airflow inside the case, and reduces the effectiveness of your cooling system. A lot of mid-range and virtually all high-end PSUs are now “modular”, in that there are sockets on the PSU for the various rails, and you only plug in the cables that you need. I do not have any experience with those or their durability, so I cannot make any informed comments on them.

Computer Assembly

If you're doing major computer assembly work; e.g putting together an entire system from the boxes they came in; wear an ESD Wrist Strap. While computer parts are surprisingly durable (for example, I've had cards which have sat unprotected against other cards for nearly a decade boot up and run with no problems; but those are exceptions to the rule); you want to be sure that you haven't blown your investment in computer parts by shorting out a key component.

While you can RMA those components; it's annoying to wait for a new part to come in.

Minor assembly work; e.g. adding a new hard drive, or changing the memory in an existing system can be done safely by regularly touching unpainted metal parts of the case to ground yourself and dissipate any possible charge.

Do assembly in a relatively clean room or area. Do not do it in carpeted areas; and if you have any pets in the house, lock them out of the assembly area until the computer is assembled and sealed up, to avoid them transferring static charges from them to you via rubbing against you.