Of course you know what you use your computer for, what you pay attention to when putting together a new desktop and what new technologies you look forward to most. But what about your fellow coaches?
In April we asked you to participate in the annual competition Tweakers Hardware Research. Several thousand trainers took the trouble to complete the survey. This is very valuable in making editorial choices, so thank you for that!
Below we take a look at how you answer questions about computer hardware, gaming, and technology. In the next part, we’ll also share with you the answers to questions about consumer electronics and networking, for example.
Your current computer
To get started, we asked a few questions about your current computer. By this we mean the most commonly used system at home.
Nearly 85 percent use their computers to surf the Internet and visit social media. Three-quarters of tweakers also indicate that they are involved in gaming, media consumption, and productivity software. Just under a third also use their computers for image editing or software development. Video editing is 17 percent less popular, as is 11 percent. Less than 10 percent use their computers for overclocking. Coin mining is the least popular use case at 3 percent.
What does this computer look like inside? We wanted to know this specifically from desktop users. The two most popular series, AMD Ryzen 5000 and 3000, account for 16 and 13 percent of PCs. However, Intel is slightly larger in total (45 percent) than if you add all the AMD options (39 percent). Intel is more interested in older processors. The latest 12th-generation chipset, known as Alder Lake, had already been on the market for six months at the time of the study, but had yet to reach the 2.4 percent figure.
What will come in your next computer?
Suppose you are now assembling a new system. What type of device do you choose? Let’s start with the most important system components for many Tweakers: the processor and the video card. AMD is now a 62 percent favorite when it comes to the processor. The other 38 percent go to a system with an Intel chip.
Among the respondents who wanted a discrete video card, Nvidia seems to be by far the most popular. Groups with an Nvidia GPU account for 66 percent, and those with an AMD GPU account for only 24 percent. Obviously, anyone who chooses an AMD processor is more inclined to get a video card than the red camp. Only 3 percent will combine an Intel CPU with a Radeon GPU.
We also asked questions about various other components. For example, about the form factor that you will choose. If you choose a desktop, the vast majority do so for the full ATX format. Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX are significantly less common. 13 percent would buy a laptop or convertible as the next primary computer, 3 percent would choose a mini PC or NUC and another 3 percent would an AIO.
Then the video card: would you care, for example, to support new technologies such as real-time ray tracing and smart upscaling? 25% consider ray tracing to be at least an important function. With DLSS/FSR, that percentage is 35 percent. A large portion of 47 percent describe ray tracing as ‘good to have’.
When buying a video card, you usually first determine what kind of GPU you want, for example RTX 3070. Then you still have to choose from dozens of models from all different manufacturers. how do you do that? We find the relative performance, that is, the performance of different models with the same GPU, an amazing winner. Usually these shows are not much different from each other; The RTX 3070 of brand A is rarely noticeably faster than brand B.
The second number, the arrow, is clearly one The sign of the era. Noise production and cooling follow a short distance; More than 60 percent of you still care about these aspects. Brand love, overclockability, and appearance are less important to most trainers.
Then a few short. Although you might think differently based on all the cool designs you see on Reddit and Instagram, more than half of Tweakers still want an air-cooled computer. 17 percent choose an all-in-one water cooler and only 4 percent for the dedicated loop.
Your favorite SSD is now 1TB, but 2TB is on the rise. Not so long ago, these SSDs were almost too expensive. Fortunately, SSD storage prices continue to fall. 500GB is now truly an entry-level option: hardly anyone would opt for a 250GB SSD.
With the increase in power consumption of processors and video cards, we see an increasing interest in power supplies with higher power. Many trainers are not yet sure what kind of power supply they need, but from those who already know, the majority choose 750 watts. 850W is also common. For a long time, 550 watts was the right capacity for mid-range gaming PCs, but those days really seem to be gone.
computer future
In recent years, we’ve heard nothing but that cloud gaming will replace traditional games on a PC in the future, at least from the companies they’re working on. You are skeptical about that now. 54 percent don’t use cloud gaming yet and don’t think they will, at least not as a primary gaming platform. 14 percent see cloud gaming as their primary gaming platform in more than two years, and 6 percent even during that time. 15 percent already use cloud gaming, but only a small minority have it as their primary platform.
What other new technologies can you rely on for your enthusiasm? Next generations of video cards and processors will continue to be the most anticipated advancements, at 66 and 64 percent, respectively. Display technology, whether it’s 8k TVs or up-to-date displays, and a smart home can count on your attention. About 40% are interested in electric and self-driving cars, virtual reality and augmented reality. Drones and 5G are the least hot for you.
As mentioned, we’ll also soon be looking at your opinions on technology outside of the computer, such as smartphones and networking. Right now, we’re in any way curious how much you recognize yourself in the majority opinion, or if you really have a different opinion on some of the questions.