How To Choose The Right Computer, Laptop Or Notebook For You
March 6, 2010 by admin
Filed under iPod Accessories
Choosing the machine with the correct specification when purchasing computers, laptops, notebooks or other similar devices will have an significant bearing on how long you will be able to use the machine before feeling the need to replace it. The aim of this article is to provide a summary of the central hardware components involved in these devices, awareness of which will aid in making a more informed decision when making a purchase.
There are two main questions that must be answered when buying hardware devices like computers, laptops, notebooks and so forth; these are firstly, what is the device intended to be used for? And secondly, how much are you willing to spend?
At a fundamental level all the computers that you decide amongst will share some building-block components, so it is important to understand what these are, what they do and how they can affect performance.
The central “brains” of a machine is the CPU, Central Processing Unit, or Processor; this controls the speed of the machine The two most commonly found CPU’s are Intel’s Celeron and Pentium family and AMD’s Duron and Athlon. In general “clock speed” is a measure of how powerful a processor is, this is usually measured in megahertz or gigahertz. It is worth keeping in mind however, that should you opt for the top of the market processor at any particular point in time, you may end up being charged a disproportionate performance to cost price for it, so it may be wiser to go for something not quite at the top of the range.
RAM is the memory used to perform tasks on the machine, like a fast access temporary storage system. RAM only collates data when the machine is turned on and is receiving power Performance, in general, will increase in direct relation to the amount of RAM in a machine.
Data that needs to be stored long-term is kept in the hard-disk which holds information even after the machine has been turned off. During the running of the machine, the hard disk will usually exchange information with the fast access RAM so that the CPU can have faster access to it. As with the CPU and RAM, a bigger hard-disk will be better as it will provide more long-term storage space.
Computers will usually come with separate monitors and these can be split into CRT monitors which are large and bulky, and LCD monitors which are slim. The size of monitor that is best for you will vary in accordance with your personal preference and what you will use the machine for.
Lastly, the quality of the image that is displayed on screen is determined by the graphics card, a high resolution image and a high refresh rate can be controlled by the graphics card; go for a high refresh rate if you want a display that does not flicker.
Whilst there are many other factors to consider when purchasing hardware devices, the fundamental and important hardware components have been outlined. Being sure to select hardware components that most closely align with your usage needs will go a long way toward ensuring that your purchase is fulfilling and trouble free in the long term.
