September 27, 2002

How Much Computing Power Does It Really Take?

It seems that every time chipmakers improve the clock speed and performance of microprocessors, analysts say those new chips pack more power than the typical user needs. In their view, two- or three-year-old computers can run office productivity applications and can access the Web as rapidly as a user's Internet connection permits.

For example, IDC analyst Alan Promisel told NewsFactor that even though new processor speeds are crossing the 3 GHz mark, users who run only basic office applications do not need that much processing power. "The low-end [Intel] Celerons are more than sufficient to your basic computing," he said, adding that 128 MB of RAM, a 10 to 20 GB hard drive, and integrated or shared graphics memory are enough for most home users. (full story)

My spin:I'm glad someone is shouting this from the hill tops...do you need 2.0 ghz...to check email, write a letter, even handle a few digital photos? NO.

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