Computers have become a staple in every home. Without computers, you will find it hard to stay connected and to even do the work required from school or from the office. With so many computer packages being shoved down our throat every time we go to department stores and computer shops, you’ll really get quite confused on what you really need and what PC package will fit your budget and lifestyle. To help you through this dilemma, here is a brief background of the parts of computers that you should get to know.
Processor
This is one of the three primary components of your computer. The processor is the part that determines how fast your computer can process information. Intel is still the leading brand in processors but competitors such as American Micro Devices (AMD) are slowly catching up, offering cheaper alternative. In shopping for a processor, one should consider the following:
• Clock speed – this will show the number of instructions that a computer can execute in a second. This usually comes after the brand name.
• Cache memory – this stores the data that was previously accessed. This simplifies the work of the computer as it would not take twice as long to access information already stored in memory bank. Without a cache memory, much of the work will fall on the RAM (Random Access Memory).
• Operating temperature – some processors easily heats up. Before buying, make sure that you have asked about the operating temperature just in case you need to buy additional fans.
• RAM (Random Access Memory) – RAM serves as the temporary memory of the PC, containing information that are needed for the computer and the programs to function. In addition to processors, RAM also determines the speed of the computer. The faster the RAM, the faster the computer is in accessing information and responding to commands. The more RAM you have the more you can multitask. Just Remember with Windows 32bit there is a 4 GB RAM limit.
• Motherboard -this is where all the parts of the computer plug into. Some motherboards already have video cards and soundcards embedded on it while others don’t. What is important however is to choose a motherboard that is compatible with your RAM and processor. Incompatibility of PC hardware can cause major problems and may even lead to the breakdown of your computer. When looking at the motherboard you need to ask yourself; what will I be using the computer for? If you are going to be a gamer then a video card should be used instead of an onboard one.
• Hard drive – this is the part where you store all the information in your PC. Picture 1,428 CD ROMs this would be close to 1000 GB Hard drive. The hard drive serves as the permanent memory of your computer. Here you install all your programs and save all the documents that you need. It is also important that you buy a hard drive with really big capacity especially now when people are so used to storing multimedia files that may use up a lot of hard drive space. It is also very important to back up your files to another Hard drive just incase this one ever fails.
• Video cards – this is the part of the computer which determines the quality of the multimedia images that you will view. The higher the memory of the video card, the better is the picture quality and the colors. Also, video cards are also responsible for how fast multimedia images are accessed. This is especially needed if you use your computer for video games.
• Power supply – this needs to be matched to the amount of power all the parts will need to operate. There is a mathematical formula to calculate the power consumption of all of the internal parts.
This should help a bit when it comes to buying your next computer. I believe the best solution is having your computer custom built in Saskatoon. This way you are guaranteed it will meet your needs.
