As an A.I. fan, a few non-essential but for some desirable perks:
1.) I like ATR (air time remaining); the computer gives me an estimated time assuming I remain at current depth & gas consumption rate, neither of which will be true, but since over time I'll likely gradually get shallower, it's therefore a very conservative estimate. While I have some rough idea how long a tank should last me on a dive, this gives me a tangible number to be aware of.
2.) I have both a wrist A.I. unit & a console A.I. unit, & mostly use the console, so glancing at my pressure on my wrist isn't a big deal to me, but some people really like that. I didn't start using the wrist unit's A.I. capability for a long time, so I didn't ingrain that habit early. Plus, my wrist unit is an old Oceanic VT3 with an LCD, and my console an Atomic Cobalt 2 with a big, color display, so it's not a fair comparison.
3.) An A.I. computer can likely log your start & end tank pressures for each dive, and calculate a SAC rate. Since A.I. computers tend to be more expensive, they also tend to have the capability to download dives to your desktop computer (or what have you). On multi-dive trips where you don't want to hassle with hand-writing pressures, or do without recording them, this is a nice feature.
None of the above is 'necessary' to dive, but then again, recreational diving itself isn't necessary in the strict sense, and some people like it and some people don't. I'm putting it that way to sum up the collective gist of varied long prior threads where fans & detractors of A.I. have 'discussed' perceived costs & benefits.
Richard.
