CHOOSING YOUR
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FIRST COMPUTER
Selecting a computer can be a daunting task for someone new to this technology. Someone who has already been using them for a while, especially in business, probably has a good idea what he needs and where and how to shop using the internet from the comfort of his home where he can compare computers from a vast selection till he finds just what he wants and get the best value to meet their budget.The smart novice does his research, preferably on the Internet where you get the run down on all the computers so that you can compare the qualities of the different machines. Even a small computer is a big investment, so you want to make sure you get everything you need without wasting lots of cash on features that you will never use. But the descriptions seem to be written in a foreign language. You can blow your mind trying to figure out abbreviations like GB, DVD, MB, GHz, and RAM. That’s fine for the expert with lots of experience, but does somebody new have to take a college course just to understand what you’re buying? Let’s explain the features and understand some of the basic computer language.But what if you’re new? There are so many different kinds of machines available for every specialized purpose imaginable. If you are new, how on earth do you know what you need? Usually, if you visit a store of reputation like Wal-Mart, Staples, Radio Shack or Office Depot, you will get honest, helpful advice from experts who are eager to maintain their reputation of quality. Occasionally there are the computer con men who are stuck with a stack of old, obsolete machines, which they are eager to unload on a naive novice for much more than what they are really worth. I’ve been ripped off myself more than once. My advice is to stay away from the second hand and bargain shops when you are new. But even in a good store, surrounded with helpful experts, how do you know what to ask for? What intelligent questions do you ask?CPU
.CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. It is also called the processor or the microprocessor or the Micro Processing Unit (MPU). This is the brain and the most important component in any computer, and it possesses perhaps the single most astounding modern technology that God has permitted mankind to produce. In the early machines half a century ago, the processor made a computer half the length of a football field. Now they are about the size of a quarter. Two of the largest makers of processors are Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Both companies produce processors, which are about equal in power and quality, though Intel has a much larger share of the market.
CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. It is also called the processor or the microprocessor or the Micro Processing Unit (MPU). This is the brain and the most important component in any computer, and it possesses perhaps the single most astounding modern technology that God has permitted mankind to produce. In the early machines half a century ago, the processor made a computer half the length of a football field. Now they are about the size of a quarter. Two of the largest makers of processors are Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Both companies produce processors, which are about equal in power and quality, though Intel has a much larger share of the market.An Intel Celeron Processor, which operates at about 2 GHz, is designed as low-cost alternative to the Pentium. Think of the Pentium 4 as a Cadillac and the Celeron as a Chevy. If all you need a car for is to get to work, maybe a Chevy is good enough. If you don’t think you’ll ever need more of your computer than something to check your email with, maybe a Celeron is plenty good enough. But if you are a student in college and anticipate that you will need to perform or learn advanced operations (and if you can afford it), you may be better off with the more advanced Pentium.The more powerful the processor is, the faster your computer will work and the more your computer will be able to do, and also the more expensive your computer is likely to be. Processor speed and power are measured in “hertz” (Hz). You see, every processor has a device in it called a “clock” that produces electronic pulses, which regulate the speed at which a computer can operate and how much it can accomplish in one second. The more hertz a processor has, the faster and the more powerful (and the more expensive) your computer will be. One hertz is one pulse per second. One kilohertz (KHz) is a thousand pulses per second. A megahertz (MHz) is a million pulses per second, and a gigahertz (GHz) is a billion pulses per second. Intel invented the first microprocessor in 1971, which worked at a speed of 108 kHz. That was an enormous improvement. My first computer from the 1980’s worked at a speed of 10 MHz, about 100 times the speed of the first Intel microprocess Until recently processors have been single core with just one chip, but now dual core processors are available with two chips working together. Older programs will work equally well with either kind of processor because they do not take advantage of the extra capacity of a dual core processor since their design is based on older technology when only single core processors were available. Newer programs designed for the double chip will work faster with dual core processors. They are the new wave of the future.MEMORY, ROM and RAM
Click here to add text.It’s not enough for the computer to think. It also has to remember. There are two kinds of Primary Memory (also called primary storage), which are read directly by the processor. The first is the Read Only Memory (ROM). The instructions on this memory never change because they are recorded directly on a chip. The processor starts reading these instructions from the moment the computer is turned on, and when the computer is turned off the instructions are still there and ready for the next session. During a session the processor can draw information from the ROM whenever needed.It’s not enough for the computer to think. It also has to remember. There are two kinds of Primary Memory (also called primary storage), which are read directly by the processor. The first is the Read Only Memory (ROM). The instructions on this memory never change because they are recorded directly on a chip. The processor starts reading these instructions from the moment the computer is turned on, and when the computer is turned off the instructions are still there and ready for the next session. During a session the processor can draw information from the ROM whenever needed.Random Access Memory (RAM) capacity is a very important consideration, and a computer can never have too much of it. Information comes to the RAM when it is sent from another storage device like the hard drive (more on that later) or a DVD or a floppy disk. Information is fed to the processor so that it can be stored on the RAM as you are working. This can include any program like those stored on your hard drive that you bring up to work with and will also include the work you do on that program. For example, if you are going to write a letter you can click on the icon that says Microsoft Word. This sends the Word program from your hard drive to your Click here to add text.Having more RAM capacity than you need will never be a problem, but too little capacity will clog up your RAM and make your computer work disgustingly slow. The kinds of programs that need the most RAM are those used for video editing or for computer games. If your computer doesn’t come with enough RAM you can always add more. Don’t be skimpy with memory. It’s important. Get the best. I highly recommend name brand RAMs like Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Nanya, and Samsung. These are all superior to the cheaper, generic brands because they perform better and have longer warranties. Good brands will have a lifetime warranty.HARD DRIVE
The Hard Drive is the largest memory on your computer. It stores information magnetically on rotating disks called platters. This is where your programs are stored as well as any information you recorded (pictures, music, writings, etc.) while you were using those programs. You will want a hard drive with lots of capacity. And make sure that it is reliable with a good warranty. If your hard drive crashes you lose everything. You might also consider a back-up service like Carbonite which automatically stores and backs up all the information on your computer without you even thinking about it. Any lost information is easily restored, and for the price it is a very good investment. Even a good brand name hard drive can fail or an accident can happen, so it’s a good idea to have a back-up just in case.BYTE, KILOBYTE, MEGABYTE, GIGABYTE
Your computer processor reads the information fed into it in the form of Bytes and stores them in the different memories. A standard byte is a string of eight zeros (0) and ones (1) which contain the information that corresponds to one character such as a number, letter, or symbol or anything that can be typed on a keyboard. A Kilobyte (KB) is equal to 1024 bytes and carries enough information to form about 140 words, or half a page double-spaced. A Megabyte (MB) is equal to1000 Kilobytes, or about enough information to fill a book of 500 pages. A Gigabyte (GB) is equal to 1000 Megabytes. That’s enough information to fill a library of 1000 books of about 500 pages each. Does that boggle your mind? I hope it doesn’t boggle your billfold.If your computer doesn’t have enough RAM for your needs you can always add as much as you want, depending on your budget. Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop/PC has an upgrade that will add 1 Gigabyte of memory for about $39. Dell OptiPlex GX520 Desktop/P your C will add 2 GB of memory for about $52. If you have a Mac Apple computer, the Apple Mac Pro (8-core Xeon 5400 Series) 2nd Gen. can give you an extra 4 GB of memory for about $180.If your computer doesn’t have enough RAM for your needs you can always add as much as you want, depending on your budget. Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop/PC has an upgrade that will add 1 Gigabyte of memory for about $39. Dell OptiPlex GX520 Desktop/PC will add 2 GB of memory for about $52. If you have a Mac Apple computer, the Apple Mac Pro (8-core Xeon 5400 Series) 2nd Gen. can give you an extra 4 GB of memory for about $180.So what will you need? Well, for example, a computer game like Supreme Commander 2 will need about 2 GB of RAM to play well with a Core 2 Duo 3 GHz processor (graphic card of 256 MB also required along with Windows operating system XP or Vista/7). I’m not necessarily recommending this game or any other since I have not personally used it and am not sure what’s in it. But as I say, since computer games require more RAM than just about any other program, if your system has enough for this it probably has enough for just about any other job.
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Today any computer that operates at less than 400 KHz would be considered slow. The fastest processor available to the public today is probably the Intel Pentium 4 Processor, which moves at a speed of 3 GHz. That is about 30,000 times the speed of the first processor. | ||||||
RAM, and as you type your message is also recorded on the RAM along with it. When the computer is turned off the information on the RAM disappears, so in order to store the information you must first store it elsewhere as on the hard drive or a floppy disk or DVD.
If I can do it you can do it!
Child’s play – nothing to it!
Mommy, this computer hasn’t
got enough RAM!!!
