EQUIPMENT EVALUATION MEMO
Manprit Kapoor
Writer’s comment:
Thoughout my college career I never quite understood where I would
apply the English skills I learned at school. It seemed unlikely that
an employer would pay me to to write analyses of books written by
people long dead or comment on the socioeconomic effects of American
culture on the natives of Papua New Guinea. It was in Professor
Squitieri’s 102E —Writing in Engineering class that I learned to apply
my skills to the real world. From his Technical Report to the Article
Abstract each assignment had clear relevance to my field. The Equipment
Evaluation Memo below is a clear example of real world writing since
many workers face the situation described within. Thank you, Dr.
Squitieri.
—Manprit Kapoor
Belly Button Engineering Consultants
Memorandum
| To: |
|
Twills Twin, Engineering Branch Chief |
| From: |
|
Manprit Kapoor, Electrical Design Engineer |
| Subject: |
|
Request For Funding to Replace Obsolete Pentium 75 Computer with Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 Laptop |
| Distribution: |
|
Wael Enan, President
Eric Rico, Vice President of Employee Efficiency
Susan Lee, Vice President of Computer Services
Wendy Li, Vice President of Financial Services |
As requested in your memo of 29 April, here is an evaluation of my
computer. Below is a description of my computer, an efficiency
evaluation, and a recommendation that $1337.55 be allocated for the
purchase of a Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 laptop and associated
software upgrade licenses.
Description
My current computer was manufactured by Packard Bell and was
purchased and installed by the company in June of 1995 under the
supervision of Ms. Susan Lee. Its specifications include a 75MHz
Pentium I processor, 16 megabytes of RAM, and a 540-megabyte hard
drive. My display, also purchased in 1995, has a 15-inch (13.2-inch
viewable) VGA screen with a maximum resolution of 640 by 480 pixels.
Currently, my computer use mainly involves circuit simulation
with HSPICE, integrated circuit (IC) design with Altera Max+Plus II,
large scale vector analysis with MATLAB, and writing reports and memos
for English 102E with Microsoft Word. My copies of these computer
programs are about four years out of date because my processor speed
and RAM no longer meet the minimum requirements of newer versions.
Replacing the processor or increasing the amount of RAM is impossible,
as my motherboard does not accommodate newer chips.
Furthermore, hard-drive space is at a premium; I have
approximately 30 megabytes of free memory available that drops
precipitously whenever any program is run. Memory consumption is so
high that my excess disk space is being used as virtual memory. In
addition, my CPU cooling fan has begun to emit a strange clattering
sound that leads me to believe that its life is limited. A replacement
fan is not an option since 8-watt coolers are no longer produced. Also,
the display has begun to emit a strange, almost sub-sonic, whine that
brings fears of imminent implosion.
Efficiency Evaluation
In order to conduct my efficiency studies, I ran each piece of
software on a Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 laptop computer with a 1.1
GHz Celeron processor that I borrowed from Danny Lai, Mechanical Design
Engineer. The load times of each piece of software are listed in Table
I.
Table I: Software Load Times of Celeron vs. Pentium I Processors
(Load times measured in seconds)
| Software |
|
Celeron |
|
Pentium I |
|
Difference |
| HSPICE |
|
10 |
|
121 |
|
111 |
| MATLAB |
|
5 |
|
60 |
|
55 |
| MS Word |
|
1 |
|
47 |
|
47 |
| Max+Plus II |
|
30 |
|
183 |
|
153 |
Each program takes an inordinate amount of time to load on the
Pentium I. Unload times are comparable. Furthermore, unlike the
Toshiba, the Pentium cannot run several programs simultaneously. I have
to close whichever program I am currently running before beginning
something new. The amount of time wasted is approximately 45 minutes
per day. At my current rate of pay ($30 per hour) this amounts to $450
per month or $5400 per year. Moreover, I have to contend with
intangibles such as frustration, anger, and lower morale which makes
the annual cost much higher, perhaps as much as $8000.
Equipment Comparison
The Toshiba Satellite 1085-S027 Laptop computer is by far more
advanced than my current Packard Bell. Table II gives a list of
relevant features for both computers.
Table II: Comparison between Toshiba and Backard Bell Systems
| Item |
|
Toshiba |
|
Packard Bell |
| Processor |
|
Intel Celeron @ 1.1GHz |
|
Intel Pentium I @ 75MHz |
| RAM |
|
256 Megabytes |
|
16 Megabytes |
| Removable Media |
|
CDRW/DVD combo drive |
|
CD Drive, Floppy Disk Drive |
| Display |
|
14.1" Diagonal TFT-FP |
|
13.1 Diagonal VGA CRT |
| Network Connect |
|
56k modem/ NIC card |
|
14.4k modem |
As Table II indicates, the Toshiba Satellite is far superior in every aspect to the Packard Bell.
Replacement Cost
Replacement costs are low when compared to current losses. I wish
to purchase a Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 laptop computer with a 1.1
GHz Celeron processor much like that used by Mr. Lai. Furthermore, I
recommend upgrading my current software, if the purchase is approved. I
am content with my current version of MS Word (Word 95) since the
features offered in newer editions are unnecessary to my work. However,
I wish to obtain upgrade licenses for HSPICE, MATLAB, and Altera
Max+Plus II.
Table III summarizes average costs, including taxes and shipping, obtained though leading Internet resellers:
Table III: Replacement Cost Estimate
| Item |
|
Cost ($) |
| Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 laptop |
|
979.23 |
| MATLAB upgrade license |
|
123.43 |
| HSPICE upgrade license |
|
165.29 |
| Max+Plus II upgrade license |
|
69.60 |
Replacement requires about 5-7 days after an equipment purchase
authorization is issued. Ordering will require 30 minutes and since it
can be done online, the rest of the time is for shipment and subsequent
installation.
Recommendations
I recognize that Belly Button Engineering is currently undergoing a
difficult time; we are in the midst of a recession and competition from
Backstreet Boys Engineering and Abdel-Gaffar Consultants has decimated
our profits. However, being able to run the latest programs faster will
make my job more efficient and will also reduce our overall costs. My
needs are modest, and the savings generated will offset the final cost
in approximately three months and then will generate a profit that will
surely please our beleaguered president.
Thus, I solicit your consideration of the following recommendations:
[1] The Financial Services Division should apportion $979.23
for the purchase of a Toshiba Satellite 1805-S207 laptop computer with
a 1.1 GHz Celeron processor similar to that purchased for Danny Lai.
[2] The Financial Services Division should allocate an
additional $358.32 for HSPICE, Altera Max+Plus II, and MATLAB upgrade
licenses.
[3] Christina Aguilera, Wendy Li’s secretary, should be
assigned my replaced computer because if it is, in her words, ‘good
enough’ for me it must be fabulous for her.
I am available to discuss any questions or concerns you might have
about my recommendations at any time. I look forward to hearing back
from you soon.
MSK/msk
