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GPU Shortage Ends: The Benefits

January 17, 2023 by Paul Schwegler

You may not think about it much, but your computer needs a graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU allows you to see multimedia content and renders the graphics of your video games. It can also accelerate high-performance computing. The good news? It’s no longer as difficult to get a new graphics card at a reasonable price.

A global shortage of GPUs in 2021 made it challenging to obtain new graphics cards. That could stall repairs and upgrades. Plus, people who wanted to build their own computers struggled to do so. If you did find a GPU available, you could expect to pay much more than usual. Scalpers were also buying the chips up and charging exorbitant prices.

One problem was that major chip manufacturers were struggling to source silicon. It’s needed for the semiconductor functionality of GPUs. The pandemic slowed and even stopped production at some of the largest silicon manufacturers.

It didn’t help any that cryptocurrency miners were buying up GPUs, too. They needed the processing power to mine efficiently.

Why the shortage is over

Fortunately, the GPU storage is ending. GPU manufacturers continued developing chips while waiting for the silicon semiconductors they needed. Now that those are back online, the graphics card companies can quickly make up for lost time.

At the same time, GPUs are no longer the best option for cryptomining. Instead, they have been replaced by more efficient application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

What happens next?

Actually, a surplus of older GPUs is expected, as a new generation of GPUs has arrived.

A new GPU series means manufacturers and computer parts stores will look to clear inventory. They’ll want to sell off older GPUs to make room for the new product.

This can be good news. You can expect prices of the previous generation of technology to come down. Plus, you can take advantage of the GPU surplus to replace a failing GPU. Or you can now upgrade your graphics card more affordably.

Get in the GPU Game

Want help upgrading your GPU or evaluating if your computer can handle the new GPUs coming in a few months? Our experts can help.

Picking a PC for Video Editing

May 10, 2022 by Paul Schwegler

Ready to be the next TikTok breakout? Or perhaps you want a video of your cockatoo “singing” “Amazing Grace” to go viral. Or you may make company promotional videos while working from home. There are many reasons you might be looking for the right home computer to do video editing. This article will help.

Yes, you can make edits on a phone or tablet, but if you want to do your videos justice, invest in the tools to meet the high demands of video editing. Consider processing power, memory, storage space, and graphic cards.

Know your CPU

Whatever your goal with your video editing, you can count on needing a lot of processing power to do the job well. Essentially, you want to get the best computer processing unit (CPU) you can afford.

Some video editing software makes use of multiple cores. You might think of this as one person with many arms to complete tasks. Meanwhile, single-core video software has one arm. If you’ve only got that one arm, it’s best to make it as strong as possible, which requires the highest processing speed you can get.

Adding titles, visual effects, and sound effects require more of your processor. It needs to compile, encode, and compress all your efforts into the final video cut. So, CPU performance matters.

Make memories with RAM

You may be wanting to edit only home videos to share with friends and family. Whether it’s that or you’re creating commercial quality videos, consider memory (RAM).

Think of RAM as the amount of desk space or elbow room you have to do your tasks. Whether you have one or many arms, you’ll need more room to complete a bigger project.

At a minimum, you should be starting with 16GB if you plan to do any video editing. If you are going to be working with long videos or very large files, you should consider 32GB or even 64GB.

Storage savvy

Storage is easily overlooked but very important to video editing.

A solid-state drive (SSD) is essential for video editing. Old “spinner” drives work a bit like a record player. The “needle” needs to physically move to the location where the file is on the platter, which slows things down a lot. SSDs are instantaneous, using flash memory to store data. This makes your work go a lot faster.

The downside? SSDs don’t have as much storage space as old spinners. Generally, we recommend an SSD for working on the video files, and then moving the file to an old, large storage spinner for storage.

Give a graphics card a look

A graphics card is not required but can be useful when editing video. If you’re using beginner- or intermediate-level editing software, you may not need a dedicated graphics card. However, there is a performance gain when you have a good graphics card for video editing. The free DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro both do well with AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards.

Build with an expert

The best way to get the right personal computer to meet your particular video editing needs is to work with a PC builder to customize a computer to your specific needs. You can talk about the types of videos you’re editing and the software you use. Our team can optimize a system to suit you and your budget. Call us at (515)422-1995 today.

Why We Should Build Your Next CAD Computer

April 20, 2021 by Paul Schwegler

Manual drafting is so old school. Engineers, architects, and construction managers have all moved to computer-aided design (CAD). CAD can provide 2D and 3D visuals of designs and streamline plan development and modification. Yet not every CAD computer is the same. Here’s why we should build your next CAD computer.

CAD software is at work in many industries. Using this technology has many advantages, including:

saving time;
increasing productivity;
improving accuracy;
helping stakeholders understand;
supporting collaboration.

Still, choosing the right computer for CAD can be challenging. For one thing, computers are always evolving, plus, the CAD program requires a desktop with real power. When you’re working with large design files, it can put your computer to the test. Building your own CAD computer workstation makes sense.

Why Customize Your CAD Computer

Of course, there are many places you can go to buy your next computer. You can go online or walk into a big-box store and buy a generic desktop for your design work, but you’ll soon find that most standard builds are not optimized for CAD functionality. And you don’t want to risk having a sub-par computer when it comes to a core piece of your day-to-day work.

Finding the right computer to run CAD requires knowledge of how CAD software uses the hardware. Some might recommend that you buy the fastest central processing unit (CPU); however, you have to understand how you get that speed. Some computers these days have multiple CPU cores. This means they can spread the workload across many processing units. This gets the task done faster (think of it as having team of eight complete a task instead of one speedy person).

The thing is, that team of eight cannot do the job of CAD. Many CAD apps and functions will work only on a single processing core. So, you could have those many cores, but the software will use only one of them. What you need to look for when customizing your CAD computer, then, is a fast single core speed.

At the same time, if you can have a high CPU speed and many cores, you’ll be even better off. The many cores can speed up rendering, simulation, or other processing tasks you don’t have to sit and attend.

The Right CAD Computer for Your Needs

In having us building your CAD computer, you can also select the best graphics card for your needs. The video card handles the display of 2D and 3D models on the screen. If you’re primarily working with 2D models, you may not need to boost your graphics processing unit. You could put your budget towards the solid-state drive (SSD) or random-access memory (RAM).

Many CAD machines have specific video cards installed in them, such as NVidia’s Quadro series. Still, gaming GeForce GTX or RTX cards are faster than almost all Quadro offerings. However, the Quadro series still offers some benefits depending on the work you do.

Building a computer for CAD can also help with software developer support. Some CAD developers support only professional-level CPUs (such as Xeon), which means you’d be on your own with a mainstream desktop CPU. Keep in mind, though, that Xeons cost more and run slower.

All these decisions require you to balance your needs with what the computer can do. You know how to tweak a balustrade or soffit, and we know how to customize the best CAD computer build for you. Work with us to get the most bang for your buck and make the most of your next CAD computer.

Boss Level: Keeping Your Gaming PCs at Their Best

March 16, 2021 by Paul Schwegler

Video gaming is an entertainment for all ages. The main demographic is 18-34 years, but those 34-54 are another big segment - even larger than the under-18 group - although the youngest group may spend the most hours gaming, especially during a pandemic. Regardless, PC gamers of any age want the most powerful, fastest computer they can get.

It's difficult to beat the Boss Level of that favorite game if your computer is lagging. The horror! If you're serious about gaming, consider the ideas in this article to achieve your next personal best.

The gaming industry is moving to Triple-A titles. Think Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty. These AAA video games are the equivalent of blockbuster movies. They take months to years for massive teams of people to develop, everything about such games is ambitious (even the price!). The graphics and animation are more immersive, the storylines offer hours of content and encourage open exploration, and the games have a grander scale and improved sound design, too.

All that requires more from your computer. Depending on the age of your computer, you may not need to replace it to power the latest, greatest games. Or you could upgrade to a more powerful video card. Adding more random access memory (RAM) might also take a computer up to the Triple-A level.

Troubleshooting the Home-Gaming PC

Whether you're trying the Triple A game or not, you may run into other problems. A screen locks up, a system crashes, or you see weird graphics or wonky textures in a game. You shoot an opponent with a direct hit, and he takes the win. Any of these problems can ruin your gaming experience.

Various issues cause these headaches for home gamers. Regrettably, they can be difficult to diagnose. The problems might be tied to:

overheating - modify your power settings, and make sure the computer is getting enough air flow;
driver issues - games crashing could mean the latest video drivers aren't installed;
file corruption - reinstalling the game could help;
an unstable internet connection - consider moving to a wired Ethernet connection.

Running too many programs on your PC can also cause games to run less smoothly. Close out other programs. Free up disk space if you can. Also, putting the game's graphics on a lower setting can make them less resource-intensive.

Build Your Own Gaming PC

If you decide it's time to get a new gaming PC, a popular option now is to custom-build your own. Our experts can do that for you! When you customize your own gaming PC, you get a computer that matches exactly what you're trying to do.

Don't settle for a sale computer using lower-quality parts and offering limited upgradability. Avoid buying a brand-name computer pre-loaded with bloatware. Instead, our technician can help you pick the processing and other parts to personalize your system, even down to the color of the fans or console lights.

Our IT experts can bring your PC up to speed, get you back in the game at full power, and build you the perfect customized PC. Contact us today at (515)422-1995!