Mr C JohnstonICT Teacher

www.computechedu.co.uk

BTEC IT Unit 02 - Lesson 08

Recommending Computer Systems

Session Objectives Know key considerations to be taken into account when

recommending an ICT system, Understand the process involved to recommend an ICT

system for business.

Read the BTEC Book – Unit 2 pages

18 and 19

Key Considerations Cost

Cheap as chips vs reliability Backup support

User requirements Operating system Application software Networking Support Outputs required and in what format Integration with other systems Processing power Storage capacity Accessibility for disabled users IT competence of the intended users Training requirements

Often there will be some form of compromise when recommending the system

which suits the organisation the best

The Process

NB. Requirements are a list of tasks which the user wishes

the computer to perform

User Requirements Example

“Humphrey is a retired art teacher who is thinking of setting up a business filming peoples weddings, and producing a souvenir DVDs from the footage taken. He will edit the video clips, add titles and music to make a professional product. The DVDs will also need high quality cover which he proposes to make. Artwork, sound effects and music for the DVDs could come from a variety of sources including the internet. Bookings could also be made by email and his accounts will need taking care off so he can track income and outgoings.” He has asked you for help deciding on a computer.

What are his user requirements: Import video from his camera Edit wedding video footage, add titles and music, Compile the edited video into DVD format adding titles and effects, Edit sound effects and music for the DVDs which will be added, to the DVDs, Put completed DVD files onto DVD and burn multiple copies, Manipulate graphics for DVD titles and covers, Import graphics from photos and hand drawn artwork, Produce DVD covers and output them in high quality colour print, Connect to the internet so emails can be viewed and resources downloaded, Keep track of his business finances.

User Requirements to Hardware / Software

Look at each requirement and work out the hardware and software needed to complete the task – compile a list adding to it for each task.

“Edit wedding video footage, add titles and music”Hardware / Software Requirements based on user requirements:

A fast processor to handle the demands of editing video, A large hard disk drive to store video files which are notoriously large, A substantial amount of RAM that will support the demands of the video editing, A graphics card which is capable of reproducing quality graphics at a good

rendering speed, A sound card so the system can reproduce the sound, An over standard size monitor so he can easily and clearly see to edit the video, An operating system which is capable of supporting all the hardware and

allowing the required tasks to be performed, Software which allows videos to be edited in a variety of different methods to

produce professional finished results including the adding of titles and special effects,

Sound editing software so sound effects and music can be edited before being adding to the video,

Multimedia Keyboard so text for titles within the video can be added, Optical mouse to control the computer and run commands.

Practise Read through this brief from a past assignment list

the user requirements and recommend key hardware and software required to meet these

John Waine is student who has just started his A-Levels. His parents have decided to purchase him a computer to assist with his studies but are unsure what exactly to buy or how to configure it. John has decided to study ICT, Art/Design and German A-Levels at college and is a dedicated fan and player of online game RuneScape and also talks to friends via email. At weekends John is an active member of the local Conservative Party and spends his time campaigning about local issues by handing out flyers in town, which he has designed. His other hobbies include photography, making his own music, playing computer games and making home movies – his favourite band is girls allowed. John uses the Office 2003 suite at college, although the Office 2007 conversion pack has been installed.

Why not complete this in groups

Starting P4 Read through the assignment brief and make a list of all the tasks which Wee Promote need their system to be able to do –

these are the user requirements. Based on the user requirements for Wee Promote make a generic list of all the hardware and software required…. Use

adjectives such as large and fast to help describe the required components, You should consider:

NIC, GFX, RAM, SOUND, POWER SUPPLY, PROCESSOR, KEYBOARD/MOUSE, HDD, MOTHERBOARD, COOLING, OPTICAL DRIVE, CARD READER, CASE, MONITOR, PRINTER, SPEAKERS, OTHER INPUT DEVICES

ALL SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS NEEDED

Specification Based on your initial finding produce a detailed

specification using the table below as help

Item Exact Specification

Price and Link

Justification Alternatives and Justification

Processor

Motherboard

What To Produce For Task 4…

List of tasks the company want to perform, Hardware and software specification full details of each component – suggest

alternatives for merit, Quotation for a system which meets the requirements including any additional

components, Justification of why the system has been chosen.

• For P4, you could present the evidence as a report or presentation. The choice of components should be briefly explained but may not make reference to all the user requirements. It is important that the final specification includes all the necessary hardware and software components for the system to work.

• For M2, you must justify why the system set up was chosen, eg cost, and suggest alternative set ups (at least one) and discuss why they could also be appropriate. The reasons for the choices should be clearly explained and referenced to the user need. Any optional extras must be justified.

P4 - Recommend a computer system for a given business purposeM2 - Justify choice of computer system to meet a given business purpose

P4 - Recommend a computer system for a given business purposeM2 - Justify choice of computer system to meet a given business purpose

Example #1… Company produces wedding videos. They combine

video from different sources, add graphics and edit sounds to produce the final result.

Item Exact Specification

Price and Link

Justification Alternatives and Justification

Motherboard

AMD CPU FX4-4100 3.6GHz Bulldozer 4 Core Socket AM3+

£83.60 I chose this type of processor because it matches the motherboard. This will be beneficial as its got several cores and lots of GHz. As the company will be creating wedding videos they will need to be able to see them in HD – this CPU will allow them to do this

I could have used an Intel core I7 however it is a lot more expensive.

Motherboard

AMD CPU FX4-4100 3.6GHz Bulldozer 4 Core Socket AM3+

£83.60 I chosen a fast multicore processor as it will help the company to produce there videos. The multicore means that several processes can occur at the same time which will speed up large processes such as adding effects to the video. The speed is also fast – this again will ensure that actions are completed swiftly for example changing between programs and writing DVDs

I could have used an Intel core I7 however it is a lot more expensive and in benchmarking tests has a similar performance to this cheaper AMD model. The I7 CPUs also use a different motherboard socket which means it not compatible with the one I have chosen.

Example #2… Company produces wedding videos. They combine

video from different sources, add graphics and edit sounds to produce the final result.

Item Exact Specification

Price and Link

Justification Alternatives and Justification

RAM 16GB 204 Pin DIMM 2800MHz

£88 I chose this type of RAM as it has a good storage capacity and will become useful for the company as they will need to save a lot of documents, images, videos, music etc. so it is necessary for them to have a lot of storage

An alternative would be less RAM this is not as good as they could store less

RAM 16GB - 2 x 8GB 204 Pin DIMM 2800MHz

£88 I chosen 16GB of RAM as the company will need to have lots of programs open at the same time and more RAM will mean less time when switching between programs. Also large video files will open so the more RAM there is the more of the file open in RAM and less in the swop file on the HDD making the machine quicker…. I have chosen 2800MHz as this matches the fastest bus speed of my chosen motherboard and the RAM will not slow it down

I could have chosen just a single 8GB memory module however I doubt it would be enough for the company. As they will be using lots of programs at the same time and opening large files it would slow the machine down. I could have chosen more RAM but the motherboard only supports 16GB maximum