Quote:
Originally posted by tw
Reality. No properly built supply is ever damaged by too much load. Moreso, all outputs from a power supply can be shorted together ... and still a power supply cannot be damaged.
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NOTE: this is not at all trying to patronize you tw. Its to show a point.
True, power supplies are designed so they don't blow, much like the power circuits in a house. However a lack of power is still a major problem. Devices consume different amounts of power at different levels of activity and having more power than neccesary is not always a bad thing. Computer manufacturers often make power supplies that are perfectly balanced with their systems to avoid overkill as well as excess cost (i.e. 300 watts worth of components=300 power supply).
It is also true that manufacturers often inflate the peak power output rating for better marketing. In practice less knowledgable people will use these numbers as a justification for purchase (most commonly: first time builders and kids who never bothered to find the true meaning of the numbers). This of course is a bad thing but the stereotype of ignorance should not be placed on all people who choose to build custom computers.
Quote:
Originally posted by tw
I am using something as simple as a power supply to demonstrate that we have so many computer 'experts' that don't even know basic functions. Instead they read 'urban myth' reviews from magazines. Reviews without any engineering numbers? Authors without any basic technical knowledge. Then those computer builders **feel** a computer needs a 400 or 500 watt supply becuse the reviews promote bigger supplies? Where is the technical competence so necessary to keep jobs in America?
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Yes its true there are some poor reviews out there but its up to a competant reader to use discretion. Reviews for products provide people with something that technical knowledge can't provide: opinions from someone who is intentionally scrutenizing the product. Its also always important to know the methods the reviewer used to judge the product. If the review stresses numbers too much its obviously faulty and shoud be passed over. But to discount all reviews as poor is not good either.
If it was up to me I would look at just the manufacturers TRUE spec sheet to determine the quality of the product, but how often to we get to see these sheets? This justifies the existance of tech reviews. I don't have the capacity to scientifically test all products I'm browsing so I aid my search by reading reviews written by people who have that capacity (to certain degree that is).
When making a hardware purchase a balance of tech knowledge and review hunting is needed. Do people buy products blindly? Yes. But I don't believe these people should be used to stereotype the entire class of custom computer builders.
BACK TO OUTSOURCING:
I think part of the problem may be just how difficult it is to compete with people in non-democratic, newly industrialized nations. Many countries do not possess minimum wage laws and in countries with low employment rates people will work for anything. MBA thinking: "Well if we have the work outsourced it will cost much less and the results will be the same as work done here". This may not always be the case but when businesses are given high quality work for cheap they can't resist.
I don't believe programmers in other countries are hundreds of times smarter than us but they have shown us they can do work equivalant to us. Rather than have them competing against us why not have the work for us? This is MBA thinking.