Apple S Imac Versus HP S Touchsmart Iq 506

11

iMAC vs. iQ506

Apple’s iMAC Versus HP’s TouchSmart iQ 506

Jewel McKenzie

ECOMP 7100

Dr. James Browning

Florence, South Carolina

November 14, 2008

Abstract

All-in-one computers are the newest type of computers on the market. They take up less space and are more attractive than the more dated computers with the hard drive being a separate piece of equipment. No longer does the desk top have to be filled with the entire monitor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive and all the cables that connect these components. The hard drive, and cables are now located in the monitor leaving room for more needed materials. In this paper the Apple iMAC 24-inch 3.06 GHz is compared to Hewlett-Packard’s TouchSmart iQ506. Both computers have great capabilities and this paper will cover many of their great qualities as well as some of the drawbacks. Included will also be reviews of these computers by people who have actually tested these products.

Technical Specifications / iMac 24-in 3.06 GHz / HP TouchSmart iQ506
Main Processor / Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz / Intel Core 2 Duo T 58501 2.16 GHz
Clock Speed / 1066 MHz / 667 MHz
Bus Clock Speed / 1066 MHz / 667 MHz
Amount of RAM / 2 GB / 4 GB
Maximum RAM expansion / 4 GB / 256 MB
Number and types of ports / 5 USB 2.0 ports / 5 USB 2.0 ports
Expansion slots / 2 (0)x Memory –
SO DIMM 200-pin / 2 (0)x memory
Hard Drive / 1 x 500 GB – Standard – Serial ATA – 300 – 7200 rpm / 1 x 500 GB – Standard – Serial ATA – 150 – 7200 rpm
Number of colors displayed / Over 1 million / 1 billion
Resolution of Monitor / 1920 x 1200 / 1680 x 1050
Size of Monitor / 24 inch / 22 inch
Video Graphics / NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS / NVIDIA GeForce 9300 MGS
Wireless Connectivity / LAN, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth / Integrated Bluetooth, LAN with built-in WLAN antenna
Base Price / $2199.00 / $ 1329.99 – 1599.99

The newest concept in personal computers is the all-in-ones. These computers take up less space and are very attractive. No more towers and multiple cords to clutter the desk area. These computers have the hard drive located in the monitor. Some keyboards are wireless and can be put away to keep the work area tidy. This paper will look at the pros and cons of the Apple iMAC 24-inch 3.06 GHz and the Hewlett Packard TouchSmart iQ 506.

The iMAC has updated the components of its brushed aluminum and glass design personal computer. iMAC features a flat panel LCD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200, creating vivid colors and breathtaking clarity. The iMAC has the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3.06 GHz. This means that applications will run faster and more efficiently than before. This computer has standard memory up to 2 GB of 800 MHz DDR2, making it possible to run more applications simultaneously. Photos, videos and music can be loaded due to the Serial ATA hard drive up to 320 GB. It also has a hard drive option up to 1 TB. Also standard is the ATI Radeon HD graphics for smooth video playbacks and realistic visual environments.

Upgrades for graphics are available with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800GS and 512 MB video memory. “This 24 – inch iMac configuration reaches a whole new, blow-you-away level of detail and realism in games, three-dimensional graphics, high resolution photos and high definition video” (Apple, 2008). Graphic upgrades cost around two hundred dollars. The RAM can also be doubled for two hundred dollars and upgrade the hard drive to 1 TB for three hundred dollars.

The iMac has three USB 2.0 ports on the monitor and two on the keyboard. This makes it possible to use iPods, digital cameras, mobile phones and external hard drives. One reviewer saw this as a drawback instead of a great feature. The reviewer stated that two of the USB ports are used for the keyboard and mouse, leaving only three ports for other uses (Thedunamis, 2008). Connection for faster peripherals to the Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 ports are available for even more possibilities. The iMac has a build into the top iSight camera for use with iChat, Photo Booth or iMovie.

iMac’s high speed 802.11n wireless technology along with Time Capsule or the Airport Express Base Station, every computer in every room can connect to iMac, the internet and each other. With this network everyone can wirelessly print, surf the web, and play music from their library through a home stereo. CD’s and DVD’ can slide into the slot loading SuperDrive.

The Apple iMac is shipped with integrated draft 802.11n W.F., Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and operating system Mac OS x Leopard. Accessories and upgrades are available for this computer (Apple, 2008).

The newer iMac outpaced the older 24 – inch mode by eight percent in the Cinebench 10. The improved performance is due to iMac’s faster frontside bus, faster memory, and larger L2 cache. On the 3D gaming benchmark the newer iMac achieved a framework of 86.3 fps (Elliott, 2008).

One customer stated that his/her computer looked like a piece of art on the desktop. At the back of the stand was a hole to accommodate all the wires and give it a clean and tidy look (Iceblades, 2008). Another reviewer thought all the features were great. This computer was the best purchase he/she has made (Deviartextreme, 2008). According to another customer the user interface was really simple. Getting use to the OS did take some time but continuing to work with it for a few weeks was all that was required to get the hang of it (Kefler, 2008).

Like the iMac, the HP TouchSmart iQ 506 personal computer is an all-in-one. There are no cords or hard drive tower to take up valuable space. The TouchSmart is a

22 – Inch glossy, touch sensitive widescreen LCD. The screen is the highlight of the machine. The piano black finish of the screen is very nice, but is a magnet for fingerprints. If fingerprints annoy the user, he/she will spend lots of time wiping it clean with the cloth that is provided with the computer.

The screen uses HP’s Bright View technology, which gives pictures a great deal of clarity and brightness. The LCD screen is underneath the bright touch screen, which acts as a protector. Located on the right side are the power button, DVD drive, hard drive activity light, volume controls, mute, SD card slot, and a Firewire port. The left side has two USB ports, ambient light button, a headphone and a microphone jack. On the back are three more USB connectors, an Ethernet port, SPDIF, Audio out, TV In, S – Video, Audio In, IR Out, and an area for cable management. At the bottom are a power plug and a Bluetooth USB stick for the keyboard and mouse. Hewlett Packard stated that this was “the most stable and reliable solution they could find” (McLaughlin, 2008).

The processor is an Intel Core 2 Duo that provides the power the machine needs to perform all its functions, from watching television to playing DVD’s. A single button is located at the bottom right of the screen. This button is used to launch the TouchSmart software. It can also be used as the power button. If the computer is off or sleeping, this button will turn it on and then launch the software.

Hewlett Packard makes getting to certain parts of the computer easy, a diagram is even provided for taking off the back of the TouchSmart. By removing a small cover under the stand, access to the memory can be found. This allows for upgrading without trouble.

Setting up the TouchSmart is really easy. Only two cables to be plugged in, the power cable and the television cable. However, the startup process has quite a few steps to go through as well as the TouchSmart registration.

The main attraction is the HP software. Access to most of the features of the iQ506 is through the software. It is specifically designed to be used with your fingers. The screen is broken into two sections. Large icons that represent favorites are found on the top section with real time status of the programs they access. Smaller icons that are just like desktop icons are on the bottom section. Icons can be dragged from the top section to the bottom section and vice versa. The iQ 506 uses the 64 – bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium operating system. This system provides many multimedia features.

The photo section allows for viewing and making simple changes. The software can crop, auto-enhance, rotate, and fix red-eye. There is an upload photo button located at the bottom that will allow the upload to Snapfish. There is also a built-in webcam for making videos. The webcam does a good job recording and has really good quality.

An interesting feature according to Ryan McLaughlin is The Notes. This program allows the user to create sticky like notes all over the screen. The notes are written by using the fingers instead of a pen. However, it is possible to leave a voice note. The notes are easy to understand if the user speaks clearly. McLaughlin did express one fault with The Notes. To read or listen to The Notes, all other programs must be exited (McLaughlin, 2008).

The iQ 506 includes 4 GB, 667 MHz memory, NVIDIA GeForce 9300 MGS graphics 500 GB 7200 rpm hard drive, dual – layer DVD burner and CD reader and writer. It also uses a remote control. There are several upgrades for the TouchSmart. The website http://www.4allmemory.com lists these upgrades with prices ranging from $2.99 to $104.99 for memory, and $49.99 to $187.99 for hardware upgrades. The iQ 506 TouchSmart can multi-task very well and sells for $1329.99 to $1599.99 (4all memory, 2008).

Both computers are filled with the latest technology. The user needs to look at the features and information provided on both machines to see which best meets his/her needs. Both computers have basically the same features and the same capabilities. If a user does not like to use a mouse then the TouchSmart would be the best buy. From the information gathered and the reviews that are posted on cnet.com the Apple iMac 24 – inch 3.06 GHz seems to be a better computer than the HP TouchSmart iQ 506.

Glossary

ATI Radeon HD graphics – is used for running 3D computer applications and other graphic software performed on a central server.

Ethernet – computer networking technology for local area networks

Firewire – used for high-speed communications and real-time data transfer.

GB – stands for giga byte, which is a unit of computer storage meaning 1 billion bytes

GHz - used in computer processor speed

Hard drive – a storage device which stores digitally encoded data on a platter with a magnetic surface.

Intel Core 2 Duo processor – power efficient computing with dual-core performance and low power consumption.

MB – a unit of computer storage equal to 1 million bytes

NICS – no-instruction-computer technology –designed for custom processors and hardware accelerators

NVIDIA GeForce – a brand of graphics processor units for computers designed by NVIDIA. It was designed and marketed for computer games but later branched out to the graphics market.

RAM – Random access memory – computer memory that can be read from and written to in arbitrary sequence.

Resolution – number of pixels in each dimension that can be displayed

Serial ATA - has the primary function of transferring data between the motherboard and the hard drives inside the computer.

SPDIF –Sony and Philips Digital Interconnect Format – a digital audio format used for transporting stereo digital audio signals

USB – Universal Serial Bus – allows many peripherals to be connected using one standardized interface socket and improve plug-and-play capabilities. The devices can be connected and disconnected without rebooting the computer.

References

Apple iMac (24 –inch 3.06 GHz), Retrieved November 4, 2008, from www.apple.com/imac/ .

Deviartextreme (May 26, 2008), Retrieved November 4, 2008, from www.cnet.com

Iceblades (August 19, 2008), Retrieved November 4, 2008, from www.cnet.com.

Kefler (September 12, 2008), Retrieved November 4, 2008, from www.cnet.com

McLaughlin, Ryan. Review:HP TouchSmart iQ506 PC, (September 6, 2008). Retrieved November 4, 2008 from www.justechn.com.

Thedunamis (September 16, 2008), Retrieved November 4, 2008, from www.cnet.com.