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Understanding Your PC

 

Processor

The processor is the brain of your computer and the single most important chip.  It is much harder to upgrade your processor after purchase than it is to say add more memory.

 

 

 

 

Intel Chips

  • Pentium III – introduced in 1999 and now would only appear in a second hand computer

  • Pentium 4 – Most new computers now are at least Pentium 4

  • New processors for specific purposes include

    • Intel Viiv Technology for Multimedia

    • Pentium D – Dual Core Technology makes running more efficient running dual applications simultaneously

Celeron – is a cheaper alternative to Pentium 

 

Operating System

If the process is your computer brain – the operating systems is its unconscious mind.  It does all those basic things in the background that we take for granted, sending information to your monitor, transferring your keystrokes into meaningful information.

 

Your operating systems impacts on such things as the stability of your system (ie avoiding crashes) your ability to network, your security settings.

 

Typically, you will have a choice between Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional.  Some packages may also have SP2.  This stands for Service Pack 2, it is a service pack from Microsoft aimed to upgrade security.  XP Professional is preferred for a laptop, if you are after higher level of security or you want easier connectability. 

 

Monitors

Monitors are measured diagonally across the screen and reported in inches.  Most people would now choose a flat panel monitor because it has better performance and takes less room on desktop.

 

Memory

512 MB (ie .5 GB) is now entry level.  If you want to do more than one thing at a time on your computer you will be more interested in 1GB to 2GB.  If you have heavy user needs (eg editing video) you would examine options up to 4GB.

 

Hard Drives

80GB is probably entry level.  That could give you 6 hours of video, 2000 photos or 20000 MP3 files.  In practice you can’t have this level of storage on your Hard Disk, because as your hard disk fills up your computer performance suffers (just because it has to work harder to retrieve and store information).  Storage space can be added later, especially with an external hard drive.

  

Optical Devices

Optical devices can be used to store or transfer date.  They include:

CD – ROM – Enables you to read CD’s 

CD - RW – Enables you to write CD’s

DVD - ROM – Enables you to read DVD’s

CD-RW/DVD Combination Drive – incorporates all of the above into one drive

DVD+R/+RW enables you to read and write to DVDs

 

A CD holds up to 700MB of Data

A DVD 4.7 GB of Data (ie 7 times a CD). Double layer write capacity can increase this to 8.5G

 

With CDs and DVDs you may also see a number like 2x or 8x or 12x.  This deals with the speed the CD or DVD can copy.

 

Network Interface

This becomes important when you wish to network computers. Important terms:

NIC – Network Interface Card is a card that allows your computer to network to other computers

Integrated – means the networking capability of your computer is hardwired into the motherboard

Wireless Networking enables you to network without cables

 

Graphics Cards

A graphic card becomes useful for such things as video work and playing games.

 

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