INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

CT049-3-1-OSCA

OPERATING SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE

APU1F2209IT

HAND OUT DATE: WEEK 3

HAND IN DATE : WEEK 13

WEIGHTAGE: 20%

NAME : CHIN ZHE GABRIEL

STUDENT ID : TP064294
ASSIGNMENT : INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
LECTURER : ABUBAKAR SANTURAKI

Original Topic by Group: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

Perspective Selected: Graphic design Student

Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................4
2.0 Display and Resolution.......................................................................................................5
2.1 Color accuracy................................................................................................................6
2.2 Color gamut....................................................................................................................7
2.3 Bit-depth.........................................................................................................................8
2.4 Touchscreen....................................................................................................................9
2.5 Brightness and detail.....................................................................................................10
3.0 Important components......................................................................................................11
3.1 Performance..................................................................................................................12
3.2 GPU..............................................................................................................................13
3.3 CPU..............................................................................................................................14
3.4 Memory........................................................................................................................15
3.5 Storage drive.................................................................................................................16
4.0 Conclusion........................................................................................................................17
5.0 References........................................................................................................................17

Table of graphics
Figure 1: Acer Chromebook Spin 713........................................................................................5
Figure 2: Display and Resolution...............................................................................................6
Figure 3: Color Accuracy...........................................................................................................7
Figure 4: Color Gamut................................................................................................................8
Figure 5: Bit-depth......................................................................................................................9
Figure 6: Touchscreen feature..................................................................................................10
Figure 7: Brightness and detail.................................................................................................11
Figure 8: Important components (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD).....................................................12
Figure 9: Laptop performance..................................................................................................13
Figure 10: Intel Iris Xe.............................................................................................................14
Figure 11: Intel Core i5.............................................................................................................15
Figure 12: Storage drive (SSD)................................................................................................17
 Abstract
In today’s era where Information Technology is on high demand, everyone requires a
device which gives them the information they need. The utilization of devices such as
the laptop has become a normal daily routine, you can see it operating in an office
building, schools, universities, and such. It helps with their schoolwork, doing office
tasks, storing files and much more. This research shows the use of an Information
Technology through the perspective of a graphic design student, it reveals how
significance this device has on the impact of their school life, as most of their work
are done through platforms on the internet. Moreover, the quality and capabilities the
devices hold on the assurance of a relevant devices for most young people today,
mainly on its specs, CPU, battery life and other computer capacity. This paper shows
various research conducted on how the Acer Chromebook spin 713 can benefit and
improve the work of a graphic design student. Methods of conducting was done
through reviews and comments of articles online and the personal experience of a
university student. Lastly, the result discusses the suitability of the device for the
student and what opinions it holds. Negative and positive feedbacks are given based
upon factual public research and individual testing. The Acer Chromebook Spin 713
is ultimately subjugated to a wide range of opinions from the perspective of an IT
student based upon its functionality, style, workload pressure and consistency.
1.0 Introduction

Figure 1: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is one of the top Chromebooks in the market right
now ranking for its attractive features such as the touch screen characteristic,
performance, and display. All these features add up to the demand of a graphic design
student when conducting their given assignments. Breaking down what the most
important parts this laptop has to offer we see how suitable the device works with the
lifestyle of a graphic design student. As we all know, a graphic design student creates
designs through getting inspiration from art works and graphical ideas. They
essentially require a device that can enhance their craftmanship of designing, they do
all kinds of work such as designing a logo for a brand, an infographic for a marketing
campaign, creating interfaces for apps or designing a video game. Most of their works
are done through platforms on the internet. Some examples of the platforms are adobe
illustrator, gravit designer, canva and affinity designer. These platforms help the
students design a visually striking artwork which can level with the works of
professional if done exquisitely. Acquiring these platforms require the device to have
a good graphic card, snappy performance, high resolution, and enough storage. The
acer chromebook spin 713 provides the user with an Intel Iris Xe graphics card,
256Gb storage, 2.4Ghz intel Core i5-1135G7 with 13.5-inch 2,256x1,504-pixel
touchscreen display. In retrospect to what defines graphic design, it is defined as the
art and use of planning and projecting ideas in a visual concept, these concepts are
graphical design that most graphic students in universities today will need to achieve,
especially if they were to succeed in this line of field. To promote and sell their
achievement, they communicate their own ideas through visually striking graphic
design made with today’s technology. To better understand why a graphic student
needs a high performing laptop we need to look at the common jobs of a graphic
designer, those jobs are web designer, art director and advertising designer. In
conclusion, all graphic design students start off with a device, ideally a laptop or pc,
their work is highly dependent on the quality and reliant of the device they are given
to work with. In this case, it is the Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
2.0 Display and Resolution

Figure 2: Display and Resolution

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has a display of 13.5-inch with 2256 x 1504-pixel
display. In terms of using the Acer Spin 713 for graphic design, the display brings an
average size view for most users but also surpassing the old HD standard of
1920x1080. Before analyzing the pros and cons of the display and resolution, we
should look at the requirements needed as a graphic design student when it comes to
this feature. Some of the factors affecting the display and resolution of this device are
color accuracy, color gamut, bit-dept, touchscreen, and brightness and detail.
2.1 Color accuracy

Figure 3: Color Accuracy

First and foremost, color accuracy is one of the main issues when it comes to laptop
display. Color accuracy could make or break a student’s project just by having heavier
or lighter saturation. Just like an artist painting a picture of the ocean, it would need
the right sets of color to contrast between the shallow and deeper water, the color
should also be accurate when doing arts digitally. Some of the aspects which affect
the color accuracy of the Spin 713 are consistency, bit dept and gamut. Another
important aspect is the Delta E metric which measures the contrast when two colors
are mixed or placed together. It essentially calculates quantified color space based on
color science. The standard of a high accurate color display when it comes to Delta
score lay between ΔE <2, or ΔE <1, a smaller scores can give less space between an
input and standard. The Acer Spin 713 has an average Delta E score of 2.29 which
does not exactly display the colors accurately but bearable for most designers.
2.2 Color gamut

Figure 4: Color Gamut

Next is the color gamut which measures the range of colors within the color spectrum.
It determines the color coverage within a display through having different quantities
of color as much as 16.7 million. It has a different color standard based upon the RGB
color space its given. For most devices it is the DC1-P3 or sRGB. It is essential to
give the user more color space to work with on screen, this will come especially
handy when working on color critical projects for graphic design students. The
Chromebook Spin 713 has a DC1-P3 color gamut which provides one of the best
color-reproduction capability. It achieves a color gamut of 79.3% which is much
higher than some of its rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook at 83.9% and
Lenovo Chromebook Duet at 74.9%.
2.3 Bit-depth

Figure 5: Bit-depth

Moving on is the Bit-depth which the device has to offer. A bit-depth is important for
the color information that are shown in an image. Essentially, the higher the bit depth
achieved on the device, the more colors it can store. In other words, it works better
when graphic designers are working to export an image as a GIF or PNG. The
Chromebook Spin 713 has been tested to have the standard 8-bit depth. This provides
quality assured images that fit with any types of design whether a logo or graphic
image. How it works is by applying color layering, which generates into the final
color. Why does it matter? It matters for graphic design students looking to become
professional in their work. The amount of color could affect the result of the design.
For them, the amount of color that is displayed plays an important role in their work.
The average consumer won't need this level of color representation by their monitor.
2.4 Touchscreen

Figure 6: Touchscreen feature

One of the most recommended ways to practice and to apply on a graphic design
project is with a screen and a stylus. Most graphic design students would need to do
hands on work whether they like it or not. They often acquire a tablet with a stylus
when drawing their designs. With the Acer Spin 713, students can work on a 3:2
aspect ratio screen which gives more vertical room to work. They can use the laptop
interchangeably as a tablet too. The Spin offers a foldable specification which allows
for a 360-degree folding just like a tablet. The touchscreen is also smooth with
durable Corning Gorilla Glass. However, one of the cons of this device is there is no
stylus provided. Students using this laptop will need to acquire their own stylus to
start doing hands on work. The stylus is a very important tool for graphic designers as
it remains as a choice of comfort as well as to enhance technical skills when
designing. For most students looking to draw, a stylus is essentially in order to make
natural and precise work of art. The strokes, lines, color selection, inclination will be
much more accurate with the addition of a stylus. A compatible stylus for the Spin
713 is the BoxWave Stylus Pen, it is an aluminum pen with metallic silver coating.
2.5 Brightness and detail

Figure 7: Brightness and detail

Another factor which might affect the use of the device for graphic design students is
the brightness of the laptop. Brightness is crucial as it creates contrast between lighter
and darker color of a design. This affects the dynamic range of a graphic design
typically called the HDR. A HDR or High dynamic range is the range of light and
dark tones on a display. In graphic designer terms it would be called shadow and
highlight. The spin 713 reached a display brightness of 427 nits which is much higher
than the Chromebook average ranging 300-390 nits. This allows for dynamic range of
color difference between light and dark areas. The higher the HDR goes the better
contrast it has on the final product of the design. In relation to brightness is detail.
Detail is another important feature besides colors. A laptop resolution has pixels
which provides the clarity and richness of the screen. Pixels resonates with the
standards of a graphic design. The higher the pixels are the better the resolution is, the
more detailed the images are shown.
3.0 Important components

Figure 8: Important components (CPU, GPU, RAM, SSD)

Some of the important specifications of the Spin 713 are as follows: 2.4-GHz Intel
Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics with 256GB SSD.
The laptop runs well when doing research on 22 tabs while simultaneously watching
videos and taking a Zoom call. Focusing on the necessities of a graphic design
student, the laptop they use should have excellent performance.
3.1 Performance

Figure 9: Laptop performance

The Acer Spin 713 has one of the top tier performances compared to the Chromebook
average. Running on Geekbench 5.0. a system that benchmarks your device’s
performance with a push of a button, we can determine the laptop’s CPU benchmark.
Through researched articles it was found that the Spin 713 got a massive score of
5,714 blowing away the average Chromebook of just 2,874. This allows for max
performance when watching videos, conducting online classes and completing
homework for students. The Chromebook is suitable for students as it is found to be
highly efficient when doing multiple tasks at once. It is also affordable for students at
just RM3,799 market price. Moreover, on conducting the device on the Jetstream 2
browser speed test, the Spin 713 came at a whooping score of 168.88, also much
higher than the Chromebook average of 109.90. The Jetstream 2 browser speed is a
JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmark focused on the most advanced web
applications. It recognizes browsers which run smoothly and execute their lines of
codes quickly.
3.2 GPU

Figure 10: Intel Iris Xe

The Acer Spin 713 has Intel Iris Xe graphics built into its system. It is GPU that
processes graphic related work on a device like video editing, gaming, effects and
other. Having a good GPU on your device can help enhance the rendering of 2D and
3D graphics applications. It can also improve the quality of content of a graphic video
by doing the parallel processing of a GPU. Graphic designers that create video content
often require a laptop with a good GPU to make a high-definition video. Especially
video game designers which often require high-performing GPUs that can render the
richness of the design through higher refresh rates and better withholding. The GPU is
designed to perform quickly on videos and images. It focuses on graphics rendering
which is why a GPU capable of withstanding high-resolution videos and images on a
device is practical for most design students looking to create their masterpiece.
Depending on what GPU a laptop has, it shows a contrasting quality in graphic
rendering. The Intel Iris Xe has capabilities tied to photo and video editing. The GPU
is equipped with capabilities to process photo editing with applications such as Adobe
illustrator, Adobe Photoshop as well as the Adobe Premiere video editing app. The
GPU runs on an Intel artificial intelligence engine powered by Intel Deep Learning
Boost technology which essentially helps create content up to 4k definition. The Ai
machine enables an efficient power output when video editing and shows quality
content. It deals with large graphic files excellently exporting it at the highest quality.
Furthermore, the Intel Core chip has technology that allows intelligent power-sharing
between the GPU and CPU which improves performance and efficiency.
3.3 CPU

Figure 11: Intel Core i5

The CPU, or the processor, is the part that runs and controls the important functions
of a computer. In relation to graphic design, a CPU needs to be powerful and efficient
to execute complex graphic design software. Typically, a laptop that allows design
software to run smoothly would have a quad-core series processor. In addition, the
CPU is one of the most important parts of a PC that plays a role in editing and
creating 2D work in image editing on a design software. It controls all the tasks that
need to be executed when designing or editing. Software programs like Photoshop or
Paintshop Pro will benefit more within a quad-core or beyond processor that increases
the single-thread performance of a CPU. As a Graphic design student that uses
multiple design software including Photoshop, Intel is typically a great choice for
most design users. It features better single-core performance than most AMD’s CPUs.
The Intel Core i5 found in the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has a quad-core i5
processor that fits well with the choices of most graphic designers, moreover, it is
considered one of the best budget laptops for graphic designing in 2022.
3.4 Memory

Memory, also known as RAM, carries and stores the important data that your pc
needs to access. When working on a big project that requires multiple software
programs open or needing to save many files simultaneously, bigger RAM is needed
for the applications to run smoother. The larger the RAM the better it is for
applications to run seamlessly and to switch from one to another. Getting the right
configuration for your RAM can make or break the graphic design experience. It is
essential for graphic designers to get at least 8 or 16GB RAM for their device to run
smoothly when running memory critical programs. If they lack enough RAM,
programs might stop momentarily, multitasking will slow down applications, program
might fail abruptly and pages might not be loaded. These problems will certainly
disturb the work process of a graphic design student, this comes specifically when
they are required to showcase their work for lecturers or teammates. The Acer spin 13
has 8GB Ram available which is acceptable for using it normally on a day-to-day
basis. It runs design software programs smoothly while also having multiple tabs
open.
3.5 Storage drive

Figure 12: Storage drive (SSD)

In short, the SDD, or solid-state drive, is a storage device that stores data using flash
memory and functions as the secondary storage of a computer system. For graphic
designing, the SSD plays a role when designers are working with a lot of files. The
SSD helps transmit the files quickly and efficiently. Typically, for graphic designers,
the amount of SSD they will need to run multiple files would a be at least 512 GB
SSD. This allows the application software to run efficiently without any glitches.
SSDs functions through booting from the flash memory. It works instantly without
needing any warmups. This makes starting applications like Photoshop or Adobe
illustrator quicker, not needing to stall as data runs at a fast rate. Although expensive,
the SSD can offer 3D rendering at a faster rate compared to its rival the HDD, it offers
a greater power output while being lighter and using less energy. The SSD provided
on the Spin stands at only 128 GB SSD, this is considerably lower than the minimum
SSD needed. When working on virtual or 3D projects, it might show its flaw of being
slow and sluggish. The programs load slower, files response slower as well. A
recommended way to improve the performance regarding the SSD is to upgrade your
SSD to at least 256 GB SSD, the performance will improve drastically. By having at
least 256 GB SSD storage, the applications only take up the storage of just under half
of 256GB.
4.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 provides many capabilities and
benefits for graphic design students. Although it has many competitors out there
vying for a spot in the world of graphic design, the spin 713 still manages to find
relevancy through being affordable. It is highly recommended for students looking to
start on their graphic design journey as consistency play well on the device. It is a
good information technology tool not only just for graphic designing but also other
aspects like streaming videos, playing video games, browsing and joining zoom
classes. Other than that, it is undoubtedly a decent laptop that has a great style and
functionality, it marks one of the finest creation that can motivate our future leaders
into succeeding in the world of graphic design. The Chrome OS has outdone
themselves contributing the laptop into the lives of most university students as well as
working adults. It comes beneficial for anyone out there looking to have a great laptop
experience while also being technical in their work. Finally, the suitability of this
laptop for university students studying graphic design is immense at a 5/5-star review.
Hopefully the company will continue striving to make better and bigger technological
improvements on their respective devices in the future.
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