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Computer Buyers Guide
The Basic System Insides There are a few components that every
computer you consider must have so it is important to understand
their purpose and how this will affect the performance of the
computer you buy. The Processor or CPU The processor is the
component that performs virtually all of the computation and
controls the behaviour of most of the other devices. The most
common processors are Intel's Pentium and Celeron family and
AMD's Athlon and Duron. The crudest measure of a processor's
power is its "clock speed", given in Megahertz (MHz) or
Gigahertz (GHz, 1GHz = 1000MHz). These are the figures that will
appear in advertisements. Generally speaking, the faster the
clock speed, the faster the computer will be. The highest speed
processors available at any time tend to be disproportionately
expensive, so people tend to buy a slightly lower spec system.
Memory or RAM RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It's fast
memory that the computer uses to temporarily store information
for the tasks it is performing. When you first switch on (boot)
your beast, you are automatically in RAM, so naturally when it
switches off, you lose everything, so ensure you save whatever
to that hard disk! So what is memory? All computers require it
(otherwise they'd be pretty useless) and this is where the work
gets done. For example, when creating documents in an
application, say MS Word, this uses up a certain amount of
memory. Once information is there, the processor doesn't need to
access it again unless you're working with that document. Your
drives provide long-term memory storage (a database) for that
information. Then when you need it again, just select the
correct disk/document/program etc, and you can continue working.
But this is most important, when you use up your PC's disk
space, your computer will slow down, the C drive fills up very
quickly and when adding things like Norton anti-virus and
Firewalls, it will stop you from opening up more windows - so
this is when you need more RAM chips. 128mb is the minimum, but
I would suggest you get at least 512mb, if you can afford it.
Hard Drive Windows job is to manage all that information you
will store. All those pictures of your dog, word documents, the
attempt at that novel, well it has to be put somewhere. Your PC
has three types of disk drive. You use them for storing stuff.
They store the operating system, programs and all the other
great many things you create on your computer. Storing something
to a disk drive and disk means to save it on a drive in your
machine. Basically the drive is a big circlular disk, made up of
tracks (think of vinal records) and each track is represented by
a circular line. Each line holds a certain amount of memory -
that's it. And believe me - the C drive is massive. To find your
drives Open the My Computer icon on the desktop. (Click the icon
twice) A window now appears and lists all your drives. Drive A.
This is your PC's floppy disk drive Drive C. This is your PC's
biggy - the main drive. Your machine will also have a hard drive
D and even E, and if so, they will be displayed too. CD-ROM. If
you have a high spec model, you should have a DVD/CD ROM drive,
where you can ‘burn' (copy) from one CD to another. Plus
you can always play DVD movies too, but the PC DVD players can
be a bit dodgy, and fail to work, so if your into films, get a
cheap DVD player instead.
Monitors Get a large one! Just make sure it's large, but
basically it's just a screen really, kind of like a face that
stares at you. If you get a large screen, you can view more
stuff - more pretty graphics, more of a web page etc. Oh yeah,
get a large one. There are now 2 types of monitor. The desktop
and the flatscreen. Er, the large old style desktop ones attract
loads of Gunk, and dust etc, and you'll need a crane to lift it
when you clean. The other ‘Flatscreen' type is nice and
cool and ahhhhhhhh. Graphics Card The purpose of a graphics card
is to present information in a visual form on the monitor of the
computer. The specification of the graphics card will affect the
resolution that can be displayed on the monitor and the "refresh
rate" of the display. The refresh rate is the number of times
per-second that the screen is re-drawn - a high refresh rate
produces a flicker free display. Do I need a Powerful Processor?
IBM compatibles come with a choice of processor types (usually
Pentium/Celeron or Athlon/Duron). New machines contain a
processor that is usually greater than 700MHz and can be up to
about 2GHz at this time. The faster the processor chip - the
faster your PC will work for you. You'll find a standard speed
processor okay for office work, but you'll want a Pentium 4 at
least for playing games and sound functions.
Extra Stuff for Your PC
PC's can expand like you wouldn't believe. Extra hardware such
as mice, scanners, modems, external drives or microphones are
easy to connect and give obvious benefits. Most people don't buy
a new car when something needs replacing and the computer world
allows us to increase the performance of our machines without
the expense of shelling out for a brand new system.
So the key question is where do you spend that cash on first?
Memory: Your first upgrading priority needs to be memory. It's
quite cheap to do, and most of your programs will enjoy the
extra power.
o More memory makes programs work faster and handles larger
information easier
o More memory is the best thing you can buy. Your PC likes that.
Hard Drive: Buy a second hard drive. Once you start using the
PC and saving work, you ‘ll be surprised at how fast a
hard drive's space gets used up.
So buy a large one, because by the time you need it, you should
know exactly how many Mega Bytes of space you'll need.
CPU (Microprocessor): Er, I wouldn't bother upgrading the
beast, as the chip is so expensive, that you may as well buy a
complete system for what you'll be charged for a processor chip.
Plus you'll get all the top end neat technology stuff when you
pay for a new PC anyway, so you're better off doing that.
The Monitor: Buy a big one, 21 inch jobbies are good. You can
see lot's of information at once, the poor old 15 inch ones
don't cut it anymore I'm afraid.
Thing about PC's is that once you start using the better
features, you'll wonder how you ever did things without them,
and it's fun having the most powerful beast on the block.
Typical Computer Types
There are a few types available, but you'll likely want a laptop
or notebook portable one for your conference. These are now very
upgradable, but due to their size - they are a bit more pricey,
but worth it as they are portable.
Desktops vs Laptops The major advantage of a laptop is it's
portability. If you travel a lot, then consider choosing one
with a long battery life, fast recharge and high use time. The
main disadvantage of a laptop is that it is usually a lower
specification for a given price but the upgrading is very good
and powerful enough to do most things on the move.
If you really have your heart set on a desktop then I recommend
a Mini-tower.
Mini Towers are the most popular, as they are small enough to
actually sit on a desk/table.
(warning about Extended Guarantees)
New computers will come with a manufacturer's warranty, which is
usually for 12 months. But many retailers will offer you an
extended guarantee. The cover provided varies from retailer to
retailer, but basically extends the manufacturer's one.
But there are problems with these. For one they are only for 2
years and two, they cost at least 50% of the price of a new PC.
So you're probably looking at about 400 for this guarantee.
When retailers say "this gives you 3 years cover" it doesn't.
You actually get the 1 year from the manufacturer, and an
additional 2 from the retailer, but the sales assistant will try
and convince you that what they are offering (the retailer) is 3
years from them, so they basically lie to your face.
Just be aware that they will do and say anything to get their
commission and reach the store's monthly target. Also computers
are pretty stable, reliable things as far as hardware is
concerned, and rarely go wrong. I've had mine for 3 years, going
on 4, and never had to replace anything due to faulty parts or
failure. And although it's a little slower compared to newer
technology, it still does the job well.
Software - Do I really need loads of it? This rather depends on
your personal or business needs. I run a business, which deals
with a great deal of record keeping and information processing,
so I can actually get away with what was originally provided in
the package, but others may not so it just depends. But I will
say this though, don't buy tons of software on impulse, as
you'll have to learn each program, and that's a tall order for
anyone.
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About the author:
David is a computer sales expert and professional writer of
computer related articles.
Post your own Computer articles at
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