Comparison Qbox I21xx I2176 vs Qbox I26xx I2655

The main manufacturers of processors nowadays are Intel and AMD, also in 2020, Apple introduced its M1 series CPUs (with further development as M1 Max and M1 Ultra), later showing the next generation M2(M2 Pro, M2 Max, M2 Ultra). The list of current Intel series includes Atom, Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Core Ultra 9 and Xeon. For AMD, in turn, this list looks like this: AMD Athlon, AMD FX, Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, Ryzen 9 and Ryzen Threadripper.

In general, each series includes processors of different generations, similar in general level and positioning. Here is a more detailed description of each of the options described above:

— Atom. Processors originally designed for mobile devices. Accordingly, they are distinguished by compactness, high energy efficiency and low heat dissipation, but they “do not shine” with performance. Perfect for microcomputers (see "Type"), among the more "large-format" systems are extremely rare — mostly in the most modest configurations.

— Celeron. Low-cost-level processors, the most simple and inexpensive consumer-level desktop chips from Intel, with the appropriate characteristics.

— Pentium. A family of low-cost desktop processors from Intel that is slightly more advanced than Celeron, but inferior to models from the Core i* series.

— Core i3. The simplest and most inexpensive series of desktop Core chips from Intel includes chips of the low-cost and inexpensive middle class, which, nevertheless, surpass Celerons and Pentiums in terms of performance.

— Core i5. Medium-level family among Intel Core processors; and in general, the chips of this series can be attributed to the average level by the standards of desktop systems.

— Core i7. A series of high-performance processors that has long been the top among Core chips; only in 2017 did it lose this position to the i9 family. However, the presence of an i7 processor still means a fairly powerful and advanced configuration; in particular, such CPUs are found in premium-level monoblocks, and are also quite popular in gaming systems.

— Core i9. The top series among Core processors, the most powerful among general purpose Intel desktop chips. In particular, the number of cores even in the most modest models is at least 6. Such chips are used mainly in gaming PCs.

— Xeon. High-end Intel processors, the capabilities of which go beyond the standard desktop chips. Designed for specialized applications, among PCs they are found mainly in powerful workstations.

— AMD FX. A family of processors from AMD, positioned as high-performance and at the same time inexpensive solutions, including for gaming systems. Interestingly, some models come standard with liquid cooling.

— Ryzen 3. AMD Ryzen chips (all series) are promoted as high-end solutions for gamers, developers, graphic designers and video editors. It was among these chips that AMD pioneered the Zen microarchitecture, which introduced simultaneous multithreading, which made it possible to significantly increase the number of operations per clock at the same clock frequency. And Ryzen 3 is the most inexpensive and modest family among the "ryzens" in terms of characteristics. Such processors are produced using the same technologies as the older series, however, half of the computing cores are deactivated in Ryzen 3. Nevertheless, this line includes quite performant models, designed, among other things, for gaming configurations and workstations.

— Ryzen 5. A family related to the middle level among Ryzen processors. The second series on this architecture, released in April 2017 as a more affordable alternative to Ryzen 7 chips. Ryzen 5 chips have slightly more modest performance characteristics (in particular, lower clock speeds and, in some models, L3 cache size). Otherwise, they are completely similar to the "sevens" and are also positioned as high-performance chips for gaming and workstations.

— Ryzen 7. Historically the first series of AMD processors based on the Zen microarchitecture (for more details, see "Ryzen 3" above). One of the older families among the "ryzens", in terms of performance it is second only to the Threadripper line; many PCs based on these chips are gaming.

— Ryzen Threadripper. Specialized Hi-End processors designed for maximum performance. They are mainly installed in gaming systems and workstations.

— Apple M1. A series of processors from Apple introduced in November 2020. They belong to mobile solutions (see "Type" above), are performed according to the system-on-chip scheme: a single module combines a CPU, a graphics adapter, RAM (in the first models — 8 or 16 GB), an NVMe solid-state drive and some other components (specifically Thunderbolt 4 controllers). Accordingly, among PCs, the main scope of such chips are compact nettops. As for the characteristics, in the initial configurations, the M1 processors are equipped with 8 cores — 4 performant and 4 economical; the latter, according to the creators, consume 10 times less energy than the former. This, combined with the 5nm process technology, has made it possible to achieve very high energy efficiency and at the same time performance.

— Apple M1 Max. An uncompromisingly powerful SoC with a focus on maximizing Apple desktop productivity for complex tasks. The Apple M1 Max line was introduced in the fall of 2021, it debuted on board Mac Studio computers.

Apple M1 Max consists of 10 cores: 8 of them are productive, and 2 more are energy efficient. The maximum amount of built-in combined memory reaches 64 GB, the “ceiling” of its bandwidth is 400 GB / s. The graphics performance of the Max version of the M1 single-chip system is about twice that of the Apple M1 Pro. The chip contains over 57 billion transistors. An additional accelerator for the professional ProRes video codec has also been introduced into its design, which allows you to easily play multiple streams of high-quality ProRes video in 4K and 8K frame resolutions.

— Apple M1 Ultra. Formally, the M1 Ultra chip consists of two Apple M1 Max processors on a single UltraFusion substrate, which allows information transfer at speeds up to 2.5 Tbps. In the language of "dry" numbers, this bundle consists of 20 ARM computing cores (16 high-performance and 4 energy efficient), a 64-core graphics subsystem and a 32-core neural computing unit. The system-on-chip supports up to 128 GB of combined memory. About 114 billion transistors are packed into the processor package. The main purpose of the Apple M1 Ultra is to confidently work with complex resource-intensive applications in the manner of processing 8K video or 3D rendering. In life, the processor can be found on board Mac Studio desktop computers.

In addition to the series described above, in modern PCs you can find the following processors:

— AMD Fusion A4.... The entire Fusion processor family was originally created as integrated graphics devices, combining a central processing unit and a graphics card in one chip; such chips are called APU — Accelerated Processing Unit. Series with the index "A" are equipped with the most powerful integrated graphics in the family, which in some cases can compete on equal terms with inexpensive discrete video cards. The higher the number in the series index, the more advanced it is; A4 is the most modest series among Fusion A.

— AMD Fusion A6. A series of processors from the Fusion A line, relatively modest, but somewhat more advanced than the A4. For common features of all Fusion A, see "AMD Fusion A4" above.

— AMD Fusion A8. A rather advanced series of Fusion A processors, the middle option between the relatively modest A4 and A6 and the high-end A10 and A12. For common features of all Fusion A, see "AMD Fusion A4" above.

— AMD Fusion A9. Another advanced series from the Fusion A family, slightly inferior only to the A10 and A12 series. For common features of all Fusion A, see "AMD Fusion A4" above.

— AMD Fusion A10. One of the top series in the Fusion A line. See "AMD Fusion A4" above for general features of this line.

— AMD Fusion A12. The top series in the APU Fusion A line, introduced in 2015; positioned as professional-level processors with advanced (even by APU standards) graphics capabilities. For general features of the Fusion A range, see "AMD Fusion A4" above.

— AMD E-series. This series of processors belongs to the APU, like the Fusion A described above, however, it is fundamentally different in specialization: the main scope of the E-Series are compact devices, in the case of PCs, mostly nettops (see "Type"). Accordingly, these processors have compactness, low heat dissipation and power consumption, but their computing power is also low.

— Athlon X4. A series of low-cost consumer-level processors, originally released in 2015 as relatively inexpensive and at the same time relatively performant solutions for the FM + socket.

— AMD G. A family of ultra-compact and energy-efficient processors from AMD, made on the principle of "system on a chip" (SoC). Unlike many similar chips, it uses the x86 architecture, not ARM. Positioned as a solution for devices with an emphasis on graphics, in particular, gaming. However, we are not talking about gaming PCs: like most processors of a similar "weight category", AMD G is found mainly in thin clients (see "Type").

— VIA. Processors from the company of the same name, mainly related to energy-efficient "mobile" solutions — in particular, many VIA models are directly compared with Intel Atom. However, despite the modest performance, such CPUs are found even among desktop systems; and in the future, the company plans to create full-fledged desktop chips, competing with AMD and Intel.

— ARM Cortex-A. A group of processors from ARM, the creator of the microarchitecture of the same name and the largest manufacturer of chips based on it. A feature of this microarchitecture compared to the classic x86 is the so-called reduced instruction set (RISC): The processor operates with a simplified instruction set. This somewhat limits the functionality, but allows you to create more compact, "cold" and at the same time performant chips. For a number of reasons, the ARM architecture is mainly used in "mobile" processors designed for smartphones, tablets, etc. This is also true for the ARM Cortex-A series; in PCs, such CPUs are rarely installed, and usually we are talking about a compact, modest device like a “thin client” (see “Type”).

— Nvidia Tegra. Initially, these processors were created for portable devices, but recently they have also been installed in PCs, mainly in monoblocks. They are "system-on-chip" devices that do not use the "desktop" x86 architecture, but the "mobile" ARM architecture, which requires the use of appropriate operating systems; the most commonly used is Android (see "Preinstalled OS").

— Armada. Another type of ARM architecture processors, positioned as high-performance solutions for cloud computing and home servers, including NAS. It is found in single models of "thin clients" (see "Type").

— Tera. A specialized family of processors designed specifically for "thin clients" (see "Type") and fundamentally different from classic CPUs (both full-size and compact). Tera-based systems are usually full-fledged "zero clients" (zero client), absolutely not capable of autonomous operation. In other words, these are devices designed to create a "virtual desktop": the user works with the interface and terminal equipment (monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc.), but all operations take place on the server. This allows you to provide increased security when working with sensitive data. But in more traditional PCs, Tera processors are practically inapplicable.

Of the outdated series of processors that can still be found in use (but not for sale), we can mention the Sempron, Phenom II and Athlon II from AMD, as well as the Core 2 Quad and Core 2 Duo from Intel.

Note that on the market there are configurations that are not equipped with a processor — in the expectation that the user can pick it up on his own; however, this is a rather rare option.

The amount of random access memory (RAM, or RAM) that came with your computer.

The overall performance of the PC directly depends on this parameter: ceteris paribus, more RAM speeds up work, allows you to cope with more resource-intensive tasks, and facilitates the simultaneous execution of numerous processes. As for specific numbers, the minimum volume required for the stable operation of a general-purpose PC nowadays is 4 GB. Smaller amounts are enough for microcomputers and thin clients, and at least 8 GB is installed in gaming systems, on the contrary. 16 GB and even more so 32 GB are already very solid volumes, and in the most powerful and performant systems there are values \u200b\u200bof 64 GB and even more. Also on the market you can find configurations without RAM at all — for such a device, the user can choose the amount of memory at his discretion; for a number of reasons, this configuration is especially popular in nettops.

Note that many modern PCs allow for an increase in the amount of RAM, so it does not always make sense to purchase an expensive device with a large amount of "RAM" — sometimes it is more reasonable to start with a simpler model and expand it if necessary. The possibility of upgrading in such cases should be clarified separately.

The volume of the main drive supplied with the PC. For models with combined storages (for example, HDD+SSD, see "Drive type"), in this case, the main one is considered to be a more capacious hard drive; and if there are two HDDs in the kit, then they usually have the same capacity.

From a purely practical point of view, the more data the drive holds, the better. So the choice for this indicator rests mainly on the price: a larger capacity inevitably means a higher cost. In addition, we recall that SSD-modules in terms of gigabytes of capacity are much more expensive than hard drives; so you can only compare carriers of the same type by the combination of volume and cost.

As for the specific capacity, a volume of 250 GB or less in modern PCs can be found mainly among SSDs. Hard drives of this size are almost never found, for them a capacity of 250 to 500 GB is still considered quite modest. 501 – 750 GB is a pretty good value for an SSD, and among them it is also mainly used. 751 GB — 1 TB is an impressive figure for an SSD and an average for hard drives, 1.5 – 2 TB is a very solid capacity even for an HDD. And a very high capacity — more than 2 TB — paradoxically, is found even among pure SSDs: such drives are installed in high-end workstations, where speed...is no less important than capacity.

The presence of a mini-Jack connector (3.5 mm) on the front panel of the PC. More precisely, in ordinary desktop PCs, gaming systems and monoblocks (see "Type") there are most often two such connectors: one plays the role of an output for headphones, speakers, etc., the second plays the role of a microphone input. But in compact devices like some mini-Jack nettops, there can be only one — a universal port, in which you can turn on both headphones / speakers and a headset with one common plug for a microphone and “ears”.

Anyway, such connectors are closer to the user and are more convenient to connect than similar sound card outputs on the rear panel of the case.

The number of full size USB 2.0 connectors provided on the front of the PC.

USB is the most popular modern interface for connecting peripherals. And the number of connectors is, accordingly, the number of devices that can be simultaneously connected to the front panel without the use of splitters. Specifically, version 2.0 was the most popular some time ago, but now it is considered obsolete, it is gradually being replaced by more advanced standards like USB 3.0 (3.1 gen1). However, USB 2.0 capabilities (data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps) are still sufficient for many peripheral devices, from keyboards and mice to printers. So this standard is still far from completely disappearing, and some PCs may have several of these ports on the front panel at once.

Separately, it is worth noting that similar connectors are most often available on the back of the case. However, the front panel is closer to the user, and the sockets on it are optimal for peripherals that need to be connected and disconnected frequently, such as flash drives.

Audio format supported by the PC sound card. Specified depending on the device type. For classic PCs (see "Type"), the sound format corresponds to the largest number of channels that a computer can output through analogue outputs — the possibility of using one or another set of acoustics directly depends on this. And for devices with built-in speakers, primarily monoblocks (see "Type"), this paragraph usually specifies the format of the built-in acoustics.

Also note that digital interfaces like SP / DIF (see "Connectors") can provide more channels, but such a signal cannot be directly output to the speakers — you need an audio receiver or other additional converter. So the main parameter is considered to be the number of "analogue" channels or speakers. The options here might be:

— 2.0. Traditional stereo is the most modest format that can provide the effect of surround sound. Of course, such a sound cannot be compared in terms of “presence effect” with advanced standards like 5.1 and 7.1, but in many cases even it is more than enough. Note that the 2.0 format is most often provided for in monoblocks — it means the presence of a pair of built-in speakers; it can be difficult to provide more extensive acoustics in such PCs.

— 2.1. Two-channel stereo sound (see above) with a subwoofer to enhance the bass sound. For a number of reasons, it has not received much distribution, it...is found, again, mainly in monoblocks — in such devices two ordinary speakers and a “sub” are installed.

— 2.2. Extended version of the 2.1 format with two subwoofers. Theoretically capable of delivering more powerful and authentic bass, but at a higher cost, these benefits are rarely seen in fact. Therefore, it is used even less frequently than 2.1 — again, mainly in monoblocks.

— 4.0. Theoretically, 4.0 is a surround sound format with two front and two rear channels. At the same time, in a PC this format is found exclusively among monoblocks and usually means the presence of two additional speakers, in addition to the standard stereo speakers. The effect of "sound from all directions" on such a system cannot be achieved, but the sound is still better and more reliable than with 2.0 systems. However, the price also comes out higher, despite the fact that the difference in sound is not fundamental for everyone. Therefore, this format has not received distribution.

— 4.2. An extended version of the 4.0 described above, where a pair of subwoofers has been added to an improved 4-speaker stereo system. Due to this, the quality of the bass improves, but the dimensions and cost of acoustics increase even more, and therefore such systems are even rarer.

— 5.1. The classic format of full-fledged surround sound ("from all sides"): two front channels, one centre, two rear and a subwoofer. A lot of content has been released under this sound, and games often provide compatibility with 5.1 systems. At the same time, support for this format in its pure form is relatively rare among modern PCs. 7.1 audio cards are used much more often: having more advanced features, they almost do not differ in price and are quite capable of working with 5.1 as well.

— 7.1. Further, after 5.1, improvement of the idea of surround sound. Such systems have 5 traditional sound channels (2 to the front, 1 front centre and 2 rear), and 2 additional channels can be placed in different ways — as side, as "add-ons" above the front or rear, etc. In any In this case, the 7.1 format allows you to achieve a more reliable sound than 5.1, and its support in modern sound cards is very inexpensive.

— 10.2. A specific audio format used in some high-end multimedia monoblocks. The 10 main speakers in such devices are combined into a soundbar under the screen and provide as authentic surround sound as possible in systems without rear channels. In addition, such acoustics are often made multiband — that is, they include specialized speakers optimized for a specific frequency band and reproducing only it. This further improves the sound quality. And two subwoofers, in turn, allow you to achieve the corresponding bass characteristics. At the same time, this option is extremely rare — both because of the high cost and because it is easier to achieve the desired sound quality on separately selected acoustics.

The operating system that the PC comes with. Its presence is not mandatory — many configurations are sold without a pre-installed OS, in the hope that the user can choose the system at his discretion. However, in many cases it is easier to buy a PC with an operating system on board: this allows you to at least use it right out of the box (with a few exceptions, see below).

Most often nowadays, computers use Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux or macOS. More details about them and other OS:

— Windows 10. Among the main innovations of the "dozens" are the built-in voice assistant Cortana, the Edge browser, support for multiple desktops, updated Start menu and notification centre, a major update of standard pre-installed programs, etc. It is available in several editions, in this case, the basic version is meant — Windows 10 Home, designed for home use and small organizations.

— Windows 10 Pro. The professional edition of Windows 10 described above, designed for the business sector, as well as professionals and IT enthusiasts. In addition to the functionality of Windows 10 Home, it offers a number of advanced features — such as Active Directory, remote desktop, BitLocker encryption tool and a tool for working with Hyper V virtual machines. Note that a...n even more advanced edition of Pro For Workstations is being released for powerful workstations, however it is practically not used as a preinstalled system — it is assumed that it is more convenient for the user to choose whether he needs such an edition or not.

— Windows 11. The first major system update from Microsoft in the last six years since the release of "ten". The OS has redrawn most of the icons of standard programs and window controls, the lion's share of actions is accompanied by new animation. The main thing in the redesign is the Start menu button that has moved to a place in the centre of the lower part of the screen. Together with the operating system, Android applications debuted in the Microsoft Store. In general, the system can be considered as a big update of Windows 10 with a serious redesign of the interface, rather than a radically new OS.

As before, Windows 11 is divided into two large camps: Home and Pro. More narrowly focused versions of this operating system (Education, Enterprise, Mixed Reality, etc.) are also being released.

— Windows 11 Home. The basic version of the system for use on a home computer or laptop. Supports only one processor, which can have less than 64 cores, recognizes up to 128 GB of RAM. For the initial setup of the system, it is necessary to have an active Internet connection.

— Windows 11 Pro. The Pro version of Windows 11 contains a number of advanced features compared to the home edition of the OS. In particular, it has Hyper-V hardware virtualization tools, an isolated environment for the safe execution of Sandbox computer programs, advanced cyber protection functions (BitLocker, WIP), an Active Directory service for connecting to a single network with other devices (printers, servers, other computers). The system can be set up with a local account directly for your PC.

Separately, it is worth noting that earlier versions of Windows — Windows 8 (8.1) and Windows 7 — are considered completely obsolete, are extremely rare, and even in such cases they usually offer the possibility of a free upgrade to the latest editions of the OS from Microsoft.

— Linux. An operating system developed and maintained by a community of programmers around the world. Unlike Windows, it is free, but in many ways it is not inferior to it: it has its own graphical interface and a fairly extensive set of software for solving various tasks (including work ones). If you're not used to it, Linux can be somewhat difficult to learn for an inexperienced user, especially one who has dealt mainly with Windows; however, quite "friendly" and simple versions are usually used as pre-installed ones. At the same time, open source gives experienced enthusiasts ample opportunity to customize the system and write their own software. The unequivocal disadvantage of Linux is that fewer games and specialized professional “software” are available for this OS than for Windows.

— macOS. Apple's proprietary operating system, used only on Mac computers. It is considered more reliable and stable than Windows, but the reason for this is rather specific: macOS is used on a relatively limited number of devices, and it is much easier to optimize it for a specific hardware. It is also worth noting that system updates are released regularly and are available free of charge for all Macs that meet the system requirements. MacOS is well suited for "general professional" applications, including tasks like layout, design, and video editing. In addition, in recent years, the system has been increasingly integrated with the iOS mobile operating system, in particular, making it easy to transfer work tasks from a PC to a smartphone / tablet and vice versa. However, there are relatively few highly specialized software and games for macOS.

— DOS. An operating system with basic functionality, without a graphical interface and controlled via the command line. In fact, it is used only for a general check of the PC's performance and for launching installers with a full-fledged OS; it actually makes no sense to use DOS for other tasks.

More specific options for pre-installed operating systems in modern PCs include, in particular:

— Android. A system originally designed for mobile devices and optimized primarily for touch screen operation. Thus, it is rarely used in a PC, and in a rather unusual variety of devices — monoblocks (see "Type"), which are reminiscent of enlarged tablets in design (up to the possibility of holding such a device on your lap while working). However, the main reason for the low popularity is not even these technical features, but the fact that in general Android is designed more for entertainment use and is rather poorly suited for business, educational and other similar tasks.

— Windows Embedded Standard 7E 32. A specialized edition of Windows 7 (see below), used, in particular, in thin clients (see "Type"); not designed for traditional PCs.

— HP Smart Zero Technology. Another OS for thin clients — in this case, developed by HP and installed mainly in computers of this brand.