A short guide to RAM, GPUs, processors, SSDs and wireless audio.
DDR5 is today's standard and needs a recent motherboard. The generations before it:
1988. One transfer per clock cycle.
2000. Two transfers per clock cycle.
2003. Twice as fast as DDR, 533 to 800MT/s.
2007. Double the bandwidth of DDR2, at 1.5V.
2014. Faster, at 1.2V.
The graphics chip. It does many calculations at once, for gaming, video editing and machine learning. Nvidia and AMD lead.
GeForce: the usual pick for gaming PCs.
Radeon: a cheaper alternative from AMD.
In Intel Core names, the number before the model is the generation. Higher is newer.
1st: Nehalem
2nd: Sandy Bridge
3rd: Ivy Bridge
4th: Haswell
5th: Broadwell
6th: Skylake
7th: Kaby Lake
8th: Kaby Lake R
9th: Coffee Lake
10th: Comet Lake, Ice Lake
11th: Rocket Lake, Tiger Lake
12th: Alder Lake
13th: Raptor Lake
Check yours in Settings → System → About. The first number after i3, i5 or i7 is the generation.
Each core can run up to 2 threads, so you can do more at once. Intel calls it hyper-threading, AMD calls it simultaneous multithreading.
High-thread CPUs:
Intel Core i9-7960X
Intel Core i9-7980XE Extreme
Intel Core i9-7940X
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
Intel Xeon Platinum Series
Flash storage that boots and loads faster than a hard drive. Most are SATA or PCIe NVMe.
No moving parts, so drops and heat hurt less.
35 to 100 microsecond access times.
Less power, longer battery life.
All you need is a screwdriver.
Nothing spins, so it's silent.
True Wireless Stereo: stereo sound over Bluetooth, no wires. Use one or a pair.
Rechargeable. Pair with a computer, phone or TV.
Small, light and rechargeable.
Bluetooth 5.3, 10mm drivers, IPX4. 7 hours of battery, 21 with the case. USB-C quick charge.
Over-ear, for long listening.
In-ear, for music and calls.
Snug in-ear fit.
Sweat-resistant, for workouts.