Buying a New Computer Part 2 - What Do All The Numbers Mean?
It is easy to become flummoxed when faced with the vast array of technical terms and acronyms. The first part of this article briefly describes the most commonly referred to features of a computer while the second part advises on what combination of these you should look for.
A typical computer advert will list the CPU or Processor name, the amount of Memory or Ram, the size of the hard drive and the type of graphics card it has.
Let’s break this down and try to make some sense of it…
The Processor, or CPU
To liken a computer to a person, the processor is how fast the computer can think. For things like video editing, computers need to be able to think very fast, so a better processor would be beneficial. The processor speed is stated as a number, at the moment usually between 2800 (or 2.8Ghz) and 4200. Processors that have “Dual Core” in the name are faster than the ones that don’t, but the real differentiation between processors is the cost of the whole computer system, as the processor is the most expensive piece in the box.
The Memory, or RAM
The memory is a measure of how many things a computer can think about at once. If you have lots of programs open, like Word, the Internet, your email, and a nice game of solitaire, switching between the programs will be faster if you have more memory. The more memory you have, the less time you spend waiting for the computer to do things when it’s busy. Sizes of memory in new computers range from 512 Megabytes (MB) to 4 Gigabytes (GB) (which is about 4000 Megabytes), with 1 Gigabyte the current standard.
The Hard Drive
The hard drive is basically the size of the computer’s 'filing cabinet'. They are measured in Gigabytes (GB) and range from 40GB to about 1,000GB. To put it in perspective, 1GB of hard disk space can hold about 500 digital photos, or thousands of word documents, so even the basic 40GB will do for most casual computer users. You will want a bigger hard drive if you plan to store music on your computer, or especially if you want to get into video editing as this takes up huge amounts of space.
By the way…. It is a common myth that computers run slowly because they are “clogged up”, forcing people to buy a bigger hard drive. Instead, computers are usually slow because of the amount of programs that have been installed over the years that load when the computer starts. With a bit of know-how computers can be sped-up back to their former glory in about 10 minutes! If you are interested in learning more about this, email contact@pchelpcentre.co.uk and ask us to write an article about it!
The Graphics Card
For normal work such as browsing the Internet, sending emails and using Word, any graphics card that comes with a computer will suffice. You only really need to start looking into graphics cards if you plan to play games or do a lot of graphics work. Graphics cards are measured in Megabytes again, (MB) and typically range from 128MB to 1024MB, with 128MB the current standard. If you are interested in having a slightly more powerful graphics card than standard, look out for “Onboard graphics”, which means that some of your RAM Memory’s Megabytes will be used by the graphics card, leaving less for your programs.
DVD Writer
Most computers these days come with DVD writers. All DVD writers will also read normal CDs, write normal CDs, read DVDs and write DVDs, which is handy for your home videos, or for making backups.
Wireless Network (802.11g)
Computers that come equipped with “Wireless” means that they come ready to receive wireless Internet if you have a broadband router that gives out a wireless signal. A lot of the Internet Providers offer this now.
Flat Screens, or TFTs
I can give you three reasons why TFT, or Flat Screens are better than the old bulky monitors. 1) They save a lot of space on your desk, 2) they don’t flicker which causes eye-strain and headaches and 3) they use less power and are therefore more environmentally friendly.
Their size is measured diagonally, from corner to corner and as for the size of the actual picture that they display, a 17” Flat screen actually shows a picture almost as big as a 19” old-style bulky monitor.
So What Should I Choose?
Glad you asked! Well, for starters, whatever you want a computer for, go for a minimum of 512MB of Memory (RAM) as this will be the first bottleneck if you are going to run into one at all in the future. Even so, it is easy and inexpensive to upgrade Memory in the future so don’t push the boat out to go over the top on this.
As for the processor, get the fastest you can afford is the answer. These are much harder, if not impossible to upgrade in the future so you are best off splashing out on whatever you can to make the PC future-proof.
Go for at least an 80GB hard drive because who knows, you might want to scan in all your old slides and it’s nice to know that you have the potential. It is relatively easy and inexpensive to have another hard drive added in the future so don’t worry about this too much. Don’t be told that you need a 1000 GB hard drive though if you will just be using the computer for normal tasks like writing letters as you simply will never ever even use a quarter of it!
Before buying, check that your computer has a \2PCI Express” slot, meaning that it is possible to upgrade the graphics card in the future if needed.
Things like DVD writers and Wireless Internet cards can be added to the computer in the future and so these aren’t essential if you cant see a use for them straight away.
It’s very hard to buy a new computer these days without a Flat Screen, but don’t be tempted to stick with your old bulky monitor for the sake of saving a bit of money. Flat screens are wonderful to work with and save so much room on your desk.
Well I think that about sums it up. If there is anything else you would like to know please email us on contact@pchelpcentre.co.uk.
All information including prices and product specifications is obtained from third parties and presented as a guide only to help you find and research products you're looking to buy. We cannot be held responsible in the event that incorrect prices or descriptions are displayed. Please direct any questions about products to the merchant that sells them, thank you.
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