How to Understand What You’re Buying

Inside of every shiny new computer sits a collection of components that make it run. Every desktop and notebook has dozens of pieces of hardware. Specifications can be overwhelming, but there are a few basic computer parts you should familiarize yourself with before you start shopping for a new computer. All computers have these components and they’re always listed on advertisements in newspapers, online and on store shelves. Knowing the basics will help you identify whether the machine you’re buying is right for you.

Computer components you’ll often see advertised are:

• Processor
• Hard Drive
• Memory/RAM
• Video Card

Processor

The processor is essentially the brain of your computer. It’s the central unit that tells all the other parts how to work. It makes complex calculations and uses the other components to perform any task you select- anything ranging from opening a program to connecting to the Internet involves the processor. Picking the right processor can be a challenge because even the ones with the same speed ratings (measured in GHz) may not offer the same performance.

When picking out a new computer and comparing specifications, you’ll want to look for one equipped with a processor that has more than one core for optimal performance. Most computer packaging will clearly label the processor as Dual Core or Quad Core. For example, the above advertisement mentions the “AMD Turion X2 RM-75 dual-core mobile processor.” While a Quad Core processor offers better performance, most users will more than satisfied with a Dual Core one.

Figuring out how fast of a processor you need to buy can be a difficult, but ultimately, price will help you decide. For example, upgrading from 1 MB of cache to 2 or 3 MB for $75 to $100 may be worth it, but spending $200-$400 more to jump from a 2 GHz processor to a 3 GHz one would be a waste of money for most home users. Cache is a more important factor at this price level because it adds extra memory to your processor which lets it work more efficiently without waiting on the rest of the computer. A speed increase from 2 GHz to 3 GHz won’t be quite as crucial for home users, because they’ll be running applications that won’t require as much processing power.

Hard Drive

There are two factors to look at when selecting the best hard drive for your computer: speed and size. While more advanced users will need a speedy hard drive, beginners should mainly pay attention to the size.

Hard drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Most hard drives come with a standard speed of 4,200, 5,400 or 7,200 rpm but some can be as fast as 10,000 rpm. The higher the speed, the quicker your computer will be able to access data, and in turn, complete the tasks you are working on. Faster speed will also ensure speedy performance when you’re transferring data to another device or backing up your computer. For most users, a 5400 rpm hard drive will be sufficient on a laptop and a 7200 rpm drive will work fine for a desktop.

Most beginner computer users won’t notice the changes between different hard drives speeds, but everyone will see the varying hard drive size, making it an incredibly important factor. A hard drive’s size is measured in gigabytes (GB) and determines how much data and how many files the computer can store. Generally, hard drive sizes will start at 120GB and go up from there. If you plan on downloading a lot of music or storing thousands of high resolution digital pictures, you’ll need a much larger hard drive than someone who’s only creating spreadsheets or documents. The best way to figure out the perfect size hard drive for you is to look at how much space you’re currently using on your machine and double or triple it.

RAM

The amount of random-access memory (RAM) in your computer determines how quickly it runs and launches programs. If your computer is slow when you open an application or comes to a crawl after you’ve opened up a few programs, it’s likely that you don’t have enough RAM (also known as system memory) installed. One of the cheapest ways to upgrade an old computer and extend its life is to install more RAM.

If you’re shopping for a new computer, you’ll commonly find models with 2-4 GB of RAM available. Most consumer computers will only support 3 GB of RAM, unless they’re running a special 64-bit version of Windows.

Video Card

The video card of your computer allows it to display complex and beautiful graphics. Generally, the more memory your video card has, the better the picture it can produce. However, the video card has little to do with playing DVDs and watching videos online. If you aren’t into serious computer gaming, you can get by with the base video card offered with your machine. On most laptops, your video card shares memory with your RAM, unless you upgrade to a dedicated video card. On desktops, you have more options when it comes to your video card: you can look for one that allows outputs to 2 monitors or one that lets you watch live TV on your computer.